Dinner theater, take 2

 I was asked to perform in the ward youth fundraising dinner theater again (more about last time here and here). It was much less stressful this time; we did a Family Feud theme with heroes vs. villains.  No weeks of practicing, memorizing lots of lines, and mingling with audience members (okay, so maybe it helped that I wasn't five months pregnant!).

 The first night was a little bumpy, and frankly we were about a hundred times better the second night (so apologies if you came the first night)--we figured out what jokes were working well and which ones needed some finessing, and we worked in a lot more interaction within the teams and between the teams.  It was much more fun for us and for the audience.

I really enjoyed my costume this time--the dress was super comfortable (thanks, Libby!), the gold-tipped fake eyelashes were SO fabulous (thanks, Loni!), my little Dalmatian puppy carried Twizzlers (my replacement for Cruella's trademark cigarettes) in its collar (thanks, Niki!), my beads were fun to play with (thanks, Jayda!) and my wig was SO GREAT because I didn't have to do my hair (thanks, Amazon Prime!).

I am seriously thinking that we could have the best Halloween party ever next year.  Ever.  (Check out Xena's costume--she made it out of a purse and a leather skirt.)

 

Home tour: Living room

 Continuing with the home tour I started last week, here are some shots of the living room.  This is another room that I really love because it is so huge!  There's a vaulted ceiling, which always makes this room feel big and airy, and then the room itself is quite large.  (I must also say that the color looks very odd in these pictures--it's much more beige than yellow in real life).  I'm also posting more photos than I normally would because this room connects on to so many parts of the house.

I love the floorplan of this house, and this room is one of my favorite parts.  I never feel shut away from the children; everything is so open and it flows really well for parties with the oversized doorways leading off it (plus we can pack in a ton of people without feeling too cramped--we had 25 people for dinner a few weeks ago when some old friends visited).  I like being able to work in the kitchen and still carry on a conversation with someone who is sitting on the living-room couch.  And the fireplace is so fun--in the winter we light it and lay on the sheepskin rug and read stories together.  All very cozy and snug.

The view below is the one from our front door; I'm standing on the red rug here that you'll see in  last week's photos.  The library is directly to your left through a double-wide framed opening.  The doorway opening just past the bench (which Neil built as an anniversary gift for me a few years ago) leads to the children's bedrooms.  I'd also say that the color of the walls in this picture is the most true to life.

The view above is taken from the doorway that leads to the kitchen/garage/laundry room/master suite (haha, it sounds so much cooler when I call it a "suite").

And the view below is taken from the opposite doorway (leading to the children's rooms).  You can spot the cut-through window over the kitchen sink and the kitchen eating area just on the other side of that low divider wall.  

 And a better shot, straight on...

 And lastly, a view standing on the fireplace, looking towards the front door and showing the second connecting doorway into the library (and a beautifully erased spot where our last name is hanging on a wall plaque).

 

there is sunshine in my soul today

It never ceases to amaze me how getting over a cold (I'm still sniffling and coughing, but definitely on the downhill slope) can improve my outlook on life.  For the first time in...what feels like forever! I actually feel like myself again.  And don't you love those fat baby toes digging into the sand (which Isaac so kindly shoveled out of the sandbox for him?)  Oh, those make my heart feel happy.

Other things that are making me happy today:

• Isaac and I did yoga together this morning for the first time in months.  I ran very late last night and when I woke up this morning I was a mass of achiness.  Post-yoga, I felt SO invigorated and stretched and renewed!
• Juliet just came in and showed me a magna-doodle where she'd written "JULIET MOM I LOVE YOU" surrounded by a field of hearts.
• A letter came in the mail today telling us that Abigail had made the cut for the school's high-ability classroom next year.  I'm excited to learn more about this opportunity as we make a decision on whether to accept the placement, and even more excited to tell Abigail her results (they did this enormous battery of tests for a month, plus I had to fill out all this personality assessment stuff, etc.  It was a serious undertaking).  Mostly, I am excited about this because I was worried about her ability to stay focused during all those tests, and whether her innate intelligence could conquer her tendency to ignore things that she finds boring or pointless.  I am SO proud of her!
• My little sister found out yesterday she is having a baby girl!  And I am so relieved that her nausea is starting to abate--she was so sick that she was going in every few days for IV fluids.  I've been really worried about her and I'm so grateful that she is doing better.
• A friend and I are going to see Titanic tonight.  I saw that movie four times in the theater when it first came out, and I admit I am ridiculously excited to go see it tonight (although the idea of a night out, sans kids, is probably more exciting than the movie itself!  I have a serious case of cabin fever going on).
• Jules came from preschool today with a paper award ribbon that said, "I am special because...I love snuggling with my blankie."  She asked me why I thought she was special, and I started to say, "Oh, you're special because you are so kind to Lukey, and you are my great helper, and you have cute little curls" and she interrupted me and said very seriously, "No, Mommy.  I am special because I am a child of God."  
• Classes end this week, which means I am thisclose to being done with this semester's grading.  Can't say enough good things about that (I am also excited to be done with the ward fundraiser, because I have that pit-in-my-stomach feeling when I think about being onstage.  Mostly because I feel like a fool in my wig (yes, wig), but oh well.  It's for a good cause). 
• I've been making more of an effort to find new recipes instead of cooking old standbys.  Old favorites are always great, but I hate eating the same things over and over again.  Last week I made finding new recipes a priority; we had five new meals, and I loved it (even if my kids didn't).  In fact, right now I am eating one of these:   http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/01/super-bean-burritos.html  which freeze BEAUTIFULLY and have been lovely reheated for lunch the past couple of days (which is great because I often skip lunch because I am trying to unload the dishwasher and make dinner while the kids are stationary eating lunch).  
• Lukey knows my name.  Which he is calling loudly while he tugs on me, so...the end.  

Abigail is seven!

 Seven!  I can hardly believe it.  And while I wish I had the time to beautifully format this post, I have negative two minutes until I need to start making dinner, Isaac is sitting on the computer desk, Luke is eating my chapstick (which is keeping him from smashing the keyboard--dang kid is too tall already!), etc.  Now look how much time I just wasted typing all of that...

In any case, Abigail's long-awaited birthday finally arrived.  I was a little nervous about it because she really wanted a Harry Potter party, but then decided she wanted to go camping--so we were planning for that, and then it was POURING rain, and so incredibly cold!  So when her prayers started including things like, "please make this the best day ever ever ever of my entire life..."--kind of a goodly amount of pressure.

We ended up with the following plan:
1) go out for dinner to her very favorite place the night before her birthday
2) open presents over her favorite breakfast
3) have a "fancy dinner" the night of
4) and go to the tiny little zoo the day after.

I put Neil in charge of the camera during the birthday dinner.  Do you like our awesome photos?  (No candle-blowing photos!  But he did take a video of the candle-blowing, which features me saying things like, "Neil!  You're not singing!  Start singing!" in a harried fishwife-like tone).

Kitchen chemistry post-festivities (isn't the best part always playing with the presents?) Tonight we're making rock candy (tonight, and tomorrow, and for the next several weeks...I don't think it's quite sunk in for the kids when I say "it's going to take a long time").

 And one more with the birthday banner my mom made for me--Abigail was getting kind of impatient for the presents at this point, which is why we have that frozen deer-in-headlights-I-am-sick-of-you-saying-just-one-more look...

And last but not least, since Abigail shares a birthday with Adolf Hitler, I thought it appropriate to include this one, which is my best effort to keep Isaac from ripping at his owie...

My real-life home

Lately I've been noticing a ton of "real-life homes" or "living with kids" homes featured on popular blogs.  I love this idea in theory, but in practice I've noticed a couple of commonalities:


1) As a general rule, there are no more than two children in these families (most have one, and usually a toddler)
2) Most of the women whose homes are featured are either interior decorators, have a degree in design, or are world travelers.

Sometimes I like looking at these, but more often I think, um, these really have no relation to my life and what's possible on my budget and with my family size.  I'm more interested in seeing the homes of other families in my same stage, rather than the beautiful kitchen renovations or artful flea-market finds of someone who has hours to endlessly curate and edit their home.

Maybe I'm alone here, but...in case I'm not, I'm going to start a new series posting images from my humble little home, where we live with four children on a grad student stipend.  My rule for these photos is that I could tidy up, but not rearrange or make new purchases or paint or whatnot.  This is the house we live in!  And on that note, we're going to be putting our house up for sale in the next year, so I would LOVE any feedback on things to change or keep.  :-)  I must confess as I'm posting these I've noticed a large number of things I'd like to redo!

I'm going to skip showing you exterior shots for privacy reasons, so we'll start with the library, which is the room where we spend probably 85% of our play time.  It was designed to be a formal dining room, but it works best for us as another active living space.

 Things I love about this room:

• the futon, which I bought for $30 and sewed a cover for myself (was that ever a learning experience!)
• bookcases galore.  The kids usually sprawl out here with an enormous pile of books and totally zone out.
• great light--in the spring when the crabapple is in flower, all of the light filtering in is this gorgeous pink.  This room is always sunny and warm and delightful year-round.
• the globe, which is from my childhood and shows Russia as a single country.  :-)
• the vintage rocking horse, which was from my grandfather--my kids LOVE to play on this but it always ends up being a bone of contention!  Fortunately I love the way it looks as a decor piece and we get it down every month or so to actually play with.
• Clean lines--I hate visual clutter and this room really appeals to me with its (deliberately) symmetrical arrangement.

my lovely lady

Juliet is constantly striking a pose and asking me to take a picture of her.  I'm always happy to oblige (although a little curious to see where this leads as she gets older).

And doesn't she have the most beautiful eyes?

wholesome recreational activities

We've discovered a park just a few miles from our home (I can't believe we're just now finding this!) that has become a huge favorite.  The children always seem to run through the woods without stopping, whereas they drag and complain if we walk around the sidewalk in our neighborhood--something about the allure of that ever-winding path.

Also--I love this picture of Neil.

 Poor Isaac took a pretty bad spill at the very end--those are tear tracks in the dirt on his face.

But he perked up, bloody bruises and all, at the prospect of a climbing tree!

it's going too fast

Today I gave Neil and Isaac haircuts.  Then I looked at Luke's glorious fluff of curls (and remembered that his hair is long enough to put in a little pigtail) and thought I should cut his hair too.  I immediately wished I hadn't shorn that little sheep.  He looked so different and strange and I felt horrible about it.

I'm really struggling lately.  I feel guilty for thinking this because there are SO many people I love who are enduring much worse.  I don't know what it is, but it isn't good, and please forgive me for not blogging substantively while I try to get through this.

snippets of a day last week

Trying to assuage some of the guilt I feel about not blogging regularly by snatching a quick three minutes for three snapshots from last Tuesday while I wait for Neil to finish up.  Expect more posts at some point as we had friends in town this weekend + I have a new series planned that I'm kind of excited about.

1. A meal I made last week that incorporates some of my favorite things:  this really heavenly quinoa salad, grilled asparagus (don't worry, I ate like 10 more), rosemary rolls, and yummy cheese--in this case it was dilled garlic cheddar and applewood-smoked Gouda.  Yum!

2. My Isaac, who is still just as in love as ever with helping me to cook.  Jooj and Abigail take turns being "before-dinner helper" and "after-dinner helper" and Isaac always gets kind of huffy about the before-dinner helper moving in on his territory.

3.  Last week I was scrubbing cabinets and Jules wanted to help.  She sloshed suds around joyously as she washed the chairs, then asked me sweetly if she could wash the floor.  I think she had the time of her life (especially since she asked me the next day if we could do it again), and the floor was very clean after I mopped up the half-inch of standing water (tidal waves! in action!).

my sweet baby is 11 months old

It's not hard for me to believe Luke is already 11 months old; what's hard to believe is that he is only 11 months old!  Luke is definitely a force to be reckoned with in our family.  He is loud, has very decided opinions, and makes absolutely sure that you know what those opinions are (case in point:  earlier today Jooj wouldn't give him the train that he wanted, so he whacked his arms up and down, yelled in displeasure, and then leaned over and bit her foot).  He shakes his head "no" whenever he is upset about something or done eating.

Which is not to say that he is a crazy baby, because he is delightfully endearing.  He loves to be cuddled, and out of all my babies, he is by far the most pleasant to nurse (not that he hasn't done his fair share of squirming away and fussing, but still).  Every time he finishes eating, he looks up at me with the most enormous grin, starts giggling, and reaches up to touch my face with his little hands.  He is so obviously full of joy and perfectly content at that moment--for the first time I actually feel a little wistful when I think about not nursing anymore.

Luke loves his blanket with a love far surpassing his affection for anything else (except me).  When his blanket is dangled enticingly in front of him, he drops whatever is in his hands and crawls full-speed towards the blanket, buries his face in it, nuzzles it, growls in delight, and then proceeds to just roll around with his mouth full of blanket fringes.  (Isaac quite frequently runs to get Luke's blanket and drops it on Luke's head when the two of them are clashing over a toy.  Clever Isaac.)

Luke is starting to stand independently, loves cheddar and black bean quesadillas (with steamed carrots as a close second), has figured out how to climb onto the dishwasher door and stand on it to access all his favorite goodies, loves to open cabinets and pull out their contents, can climb up onto our brick fireplace surround and open the fireplace doors, has 3 more teeth (including some molars!--this brings him up to 10), and is currently working diligently to disconnect my Internet router (which he can do quite successfully) while he eats my chapstick.  As a fourth child, he has learned some pretty "awesome" things already.  He has a fluffy little head that is so fun to rub--I probably should give him another haircut but I want to enjoy his babyness a bit longer.

This is the face he makes 85% of the time, and almost always starts doing as soon as he sees the camera.

I cropped this from a photo I took of the kids in the tub awhile back...I love his expression here.

Easter weekend

 This post is made possible solely by the fact that Isaac is sitting on my lap while I simultaneously read to him & upload pictures (I'm typing only when he runs to the bookcase to get some new books).  So we'll be short on words.

This past weekend we went up to visit my family in Michigan.  We had the most perfect visit, complete with a trip to the local (fabulous! how have I never been there before?!) museum, an egg hunt in the woods, a fire whereon we tried to roast Peeps (not as fun as the microwave, but fun enough), tons of fabulous food (like my dad's 4 different types of muffins that he baked for breakfast on Saturday, and from which we munched all weekend, and my mom's awesome asparagus stir-fry Friday night and wonderful Sunday brunch--which included orange rolls, so be jealous, sisters mine), wonderful visits with my grandparents, a twilight run through the woods on my very favorite trail with Neil (and we even squeezed in a late-night date to see The Hunger Games). The whole weekend was so wonderful and (and I cried a little on the way home because I was so sad to leave).

 
A couple of shots from the museum--we built an enormous structure out of those cool building blocks, and Isaac and Abigail totally cracked me up in this picture--both of them look so funny.

 My grandmother and Luke, and (below) one of my all-time favorite Isaac shots.

 girls hiding in the fort I built for them...

 and my dad and Luke.

I have so many things I could blog about, so we'll see if we get the time.  Mostly my heart has been very full lately.  It's been an interesting and very emotional month.