Olympics

I thought I was over the Olympics and thought I wouldn't watch this time, but then the days got grayer and stayed cold and Paul's schedule a little less normal and here I am...addicted. Please tell me I wasn't the only one who watched Yevgeny Plushenko throw an air sword into the air and then put it in an air sheath and then take the silver. And that haircut? I guess the Russians get it. Paul came home as I was watching and said, "Are they just making this up as they go along?" That would be something, but no Paul, they are not. Although that would explain the weird hip rolls in the middle of Plushenko's performance; he was just feeling the moment.

Happy 28th PJ!

We celebrated Paul's birthday yesterday. We went bowling with the girls in the afternoon. Score rundown: Me:86 Paul:123 Sabrina:156. She is a master of pushing the ball down the ramp and managed to get 4 strikes in a row. For a minute there, we thought she could possibly bowl a perfect game and have her name immortalized on a plaque above the lane. That would have been the perfect gift for Paul, I am sure, but he was proud nonetheless. Later Paul and I went to dinner and to see Avatar 3D. It was really nice to get out alone which has been rare this semester. (Whoever said that his third year would be easy, has been very mistaken!)

Sidenote: I let Sabrina (Lucy came too, but had no input) go to the dollar store and pick out two gifts of her choosing for Paul. He now has new woofle (sp?) balls and a blue loofah. Really funny and a tradition I think I'll keep. I got him a Spanish Bible and a gift card so he can get new clothes (I don't pick out his clothes; I always fail). We also made him a candy bar poster which Sabrina dug until she found out the candy was for Dad.

And one more thing...we love our Paul! I'm sure that there isn't a better match for me out there and that the girls have one great dad. Happy Birthday Peej!

Happenings

Wow, just reading over that last post. I really didn't mean to be so negative about Lucy's clingy side. I think it had been one of "those" days. After all, she puts up with a lot. Exhibit A:



You may not be able to tell from the picture, but she is dressed in about 3 layers of play skirts that Sabrina put on her. Sabrina walked in to my room and said, "Presenting...Lucy!" I thought it was funny; so I grabbed the camera. But as most things go in our house, laughter soon turned to tears when Lucy tripped on Elmo and couldn't get up. Exhibit B:



Now, on to other happenings. Baby Sadie Irene Smith was born on January 26, 2010, and is every bit as gorgeous as I knew she would be. Congrats to Nat and Bri on their final installment!



We also had the chance to go to St. George this last weekend with the Radmalls. Despite the rain and lower than normal temperatures, we had a great "dacation" (as Sabrina says). Here is a picture of us at a slot canyon (about 12 inches wide) that Shelley's kids call "the crack". We both made it through sans kids although it was a little iffy for a minute for PJ. His belt got very scratched in the process. The next day we went swimming at an indoor pool with a water slide. Sabrina loved to go with dad down the slide, and I think he enjoyed it as much as she did. (Sadly, my battery died on my camera). We also got to visit with the Dansies which is always a great time. Thanks Radmalls! We had fun!



Other than that, we have been doing a lot of this:



Can't wait for SPRING!!

Everybody wants to be LOVED

Remember last spring/summer where I constantly bombarded you with stories of my perfect angel baby who didn't ever cry, even on 12 hour drives across the country. Remember how I bragged about never missing Relief Society or a sacrament meeting. Remember how you wanted to reach through the computer and hit me (in fact, looking back on those posts, I want to hit me...HARD). PAYBACK TIME. I love Lucy and she loves me. REALLY LOVES ME. The kind of love where she NEVER wants to leave me, and NEVER wants me to leave or even put her down. It's great and all until dishes and laundry (the continuing sagas of chores) are starting to take over and what once seemed like a short little mound of clothing to fold has now turned into Timp. Lucky for me, she also LOVES Paul (probably more than me). She is really fun at church too. She thinks church is all about FUN. You know, running down the aisles, out the door, in the gym. It's weird. She doesn't want us to hold her at church AT ALL but doesn't want us to ever put her down at home. Can someone tell me if it's frowned upon to fold your clothes in the mother's lounge during sacrament meeting?

We have a feeling this child will have a great time with Uncle Michael in the future too. She loves to be thrown around, hung upside down, and wrestled. We went to Jump on It (wall to wall trampolines) the other day; I tried to hold her and jump mildly, but NO; she got down on the trampolines and flopped and fell and was bounced all over the place, laughing all the while. I watched her for signs of brain damage all day.

POLAR OPPOSITES. My children. Sabrina started Primary and has made it pretty clear that she'd rather not. We keep talking it up, but she's pretty bright and can see right through our attempts. No toys, no snacks, no mom (I am the nursery leader). That's all she sees. She didn't fight us or cry, however; so we're calling her first week a success. I am thinking that I am going to love the age 4 based on how she's been lately. The other day I used my classic line, "Hey it's time to turn off the TV and use your imagination." (it's better than my other classic line, "If you don't turn off the TV, your eyes are going to fall out.") And wonder of wonders, she got up and turned it off without whining, pleading, or bargaining. She has been so pleasant and fun lately. She loves preschool and talks constantly about her friends there. She learned to write her name and Paul is absolutely in love with her signature. I'll leave you with a classic convo.

(Scene: in the car driving)
Mom: There's the temple.
Sabrina: Hey, there's the angel on top.
Mom: Yep, Angel Moroni.
Sabrina: He's playing music for the people getting married...so they can dance.

Wow, gold stars if you got to the end of this post.

Am I crazy to want to do this?

I've just heard about the Utah Valley Marathon to be held June 12, 2010. Perfect time of year for a marathon, perfect course (almost no uphill and a mild downhill the entire time), perfect scenery through Provo canyon and past Utah Lake, perfect location (no travel). All I need now is a training partner. Any takers?

Baby Eden

We had stake conference yesterday and one of our stake goals this year is to record one spiritual experience every week. This week my spiritual experience was very sad. My sister's friend Rachel and her husband Jeremy lost their daughter this week after only 10 days of life. She was born at 23 weeks and weighed 1 lb 1 oz. I had been glued to their blog for about a week and sadly on Saturday, I saw the news. Baby Eden's life reminded me of how precious life is, how eternal family bonds endure, and how we always need to trust in the Lord. I am also reminded of how incredible it is to be a parent and how thankful I am for my own little ones.


babyedenswenson.blogspot.com

Who Are The People in Your Neighborhood?

They're the people that you meet when you're walking down the street. An interesting thing happened last night. Paul and I had just settled into bed (at around 11:00...not bad for us), and I think I fell asleep and I know Paul did. Suddenly under my eyelids I could see some light flashing so brightly that I woke up. Our room was flashing blue. I looked through our blinds to see about 3 cop cars with a car pulled over in front of our building. Paul woke up, and together we watched as the cops searched for drugs with a dog. This is the ghetto, and I have thugs to thank for keeping us up way too late. And in the end they let the thugs go.