Meg's Life

Today's Sound Bites

2012-01-29T19:08:00.001-07:00

Bree: (after making an inappropriate bodily noise at the dinner table) "Sorry, I have gasoline."

Me: (watching Mason trying to maneuver something up the leg of his sleeper) "Mason, what's in your pants?"
Mason: "Well, it's my lightsaber, of course!"

Check

2012-01-25T22:26:00.005-07:00

Lincoln pulled himself up to stand at the coffee table today. I was reading bedtime stories to Bree and Mason, and heard a rustling sound. When I peeked over the book, there was Lincoln grinning at me over the edge of the coffee table, grabbing for the bag of microwave popcorn. He. Is. Awesome.

That is all.

Doesn't she look smart?

2012-01-22T13:36:00.003-07:00

I've suspected for a while now that Bree has needed glasses. She is doing great in kindergarten, but she often squints or has to move her face really close to the book or computer screen. And since Chad and I both have had glasses since childhood, we weren't too surprised that Bree needed them too.

I was so nervous for her as the eye doctor was narrowing down her prescription. I know when I'm sitting in that exam chair I feel like I'm under huge pressure, trying to decide if "one" or "two" looks better, because heaven forbid I screw it up and end up with an incorrect prescription for the next year or two. But Bree did great, and the doctor was impressed. Bree's prescription isn't too severe, but she also has an astigmatism that has made it harder for her to see.

There wasn't a huge selection of frames to choose from, but I was relieved that she really liked these little red sassy ones. Her new glasses arrived Friday, and she's been wearing them from morning 'til night without complaint, so I'm thinking she's enjoying being able to see. Everyone we've seen since has showered her with compliments on her glasses, enough to ensure that her confidence in her appearance won't suffer. Not that I was worried too much there.

Outer Space is Gender Specific

2012-01-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Mason and Bree finally got the chance to spend the Christmas money they received from Grandma and Grandpa Wallace (our local Walmart has a small selection of toys on a good day, so you can imagine how barren the toy shelves were after Christmas). Bree came home with a big, beautiful selection of new Barbie clothes, and Mason bought a space station, astronauts and aliens to go with the shuttle set he'd gotten from Santa. They have been playing with their new acquisitions non-stop since bringing them home.

Yesterday Mason had one of the new astronauts in his hand when he came up to me as I was making dinner:

Mason: This guy's from outispace
Me: He's from out-er space?
Mason: No, out-his space. This guy is from out-his space.

Miraculous 9 Months

2012-01-15T19:11:00.002-07:00

Lincoln is still so little and cuddly, it's hard to believe he's already nine months old. There are so many times when I'll look at him and think, "I HAVE to remember him at this moment." Just little things that he does that I find adorable or amazing simply because I'm his mother. I thought I'd write them here so I won't forget...

His little mitt-like fists always grasping for something, those sausage fingers opening and closing to test the texture of the nearest object
The way he twists around and reaches out to touch the face of whoever is holding him
His eyes fluttering and rolling back when he's nursing but getting full and sleepy
His belly laugh that sounds like a baby doll
Him sticking his tongue out and sucking on it when he's getting ready to drink
Raspberry blowing all the time
The chuckle that can mean so many things: "I'm ready to nurse," "I'm happy you picked me up," "I'm getting tired," etc.
The way he toothlessly gums his cereal puffs, like an old man without his dentures
His grin that consumes his entire face, and the tiny dimples at the lower corners of his mouth
The dimples on his knuckles
The way his hair grows into a mohawk
How he sticks out his tongue and curls it upwards
Him rocking back and forth on his hands and knees, then pushing into plank position
The way his brother and sister make him smile, even when they're treating him like a rag doll
His crazy ability to roll/scoot/push himself all around the floor, and push himself up to sit
The way he has finally found his voice, usually saying "ba-ba-ba" and occasionally "ma," "la," or "da"
How he snuggles into me and wraps his hands around my neck
How I love him so much

As I sat at the computer this evening, wondering if I had a recent photo of Lincoln to finish up this post, Bree said, "Look! Lincoln's crawling!" Chad and I were like, "Uh huh, that's nice," because we thought she must be referring to his scooting or pivoting skills. But when we looked over, Lincoln was actually crawling!

It's always a big deal when our kids reach milestones. But this milestone is a HUGE deal for Lincoln. Chad and I are so pleased.

Of course, we can't take too much credit. Sure, Lincoln has therapists who visit us once a month and give us pointers on how we can help him progress. So we make more of a conscious effort to play with him in way that helps him get exercise. But I think it mostly boils down to the fact that I don't like carrying a baby around all day, and I let Lincoln fend for himself most of the time, so he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands (and knees).

That, and the fact that Lincoln is awesome.

It's a FLOCK

2012-01-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

"It's a flock of birds."

The art Bree created for school today.

30 Things in my 30th Year

2012-01-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

In an effort to make my 30th year one of the best years ever, and in lieu of making trite New Year's resolutions, I've adopted this idea from a couple friends of mine. I made a list of 30 things that I will accomplish in this, my 30th year. My goal is to complete the list by December 31st, and hopefully do a little learning and growing along the way. Here they are in no particular order:

Paint the exterior of my house (I started this project 3 or 4 years ago, and am still not finished)
Sing in a recital
Make bagels
Set up irrigation to my peach and pear tree and blackberry bush (I'd really like to have fruit this year!)
Complete an RN refresher course to prepare to renew my license
Sew a dickie (to make those v-neck shirts more modest)
Read the Book of Mormon
Pay for a stranger's meal
Publish my 2010 Blog Book
Take an inventory of my food storage
Take a family name to the temple
Display recent family photos in my home
Attend a theater performance
Write a children's book
Watch a film from the AFI Top 100 list that I've never seen before
Make cottage cheese
Write the story of how Chad and I met and fell in love
Read The Grapes of Wrath
Donate used books to my library
Write a thank you note to someone from my past
Turn off all electronics for 24 hours
Bare my testimony in church
Invite someone I'd like to know better over for dinner
Don't eat out (or take out) for a month
Bake and give goodies to my mail carrier
Leave a $5 bill and a note inside a library book
Make Thai food
Don't complain for a whole week (remember, these are goals, not strict requirements)
Make a list of places I'd like to visit during my lifetime
Donate blood

And because I came up with more than 30 goals when I originally made my list, I narrowed them down. But I had trouble getting rid of ALL of them, so here are five more that I'll just call my bonus list, to tackle if and when I complete the first 30:

Paint a picture
Leave sweet rolls on someone's doorstep
Attend a temple I've never visited before
Start a compost bin
Go geocaching

Some of these things will only take a few minutes to finish, some will take hours, and a couple will most likely take the better half of the year. I'm hoping all of them will make good memories.

Gone Fishin'

2011-12-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

We spent the few days before New Year's at my parents' place, having some relaxing fun. Adam and Heather joined us for the weekend festivities, and Heather and I sang a duet in church on Sunday. But before they arrived we spent some time over at my grandparents' ranch so the kids could get some fishing in.

We checked in at the house first, and I left Lincoln in good hands.

Then we headed over to the pond.

It took them a while, but eventually both kids got the hang of casting all by themselves. I was just praying that Mason wouldn't get a fish hook stuck in his forehead again. In fact, I was thinking Chad was going to rig Mason's line to make him think he had a hook, so we could avoid the risk altogether.

But then...

Yep. He caught that crappie (pronounced "croppy" for those of us who don't know any better) all by himself, start to finish. There were only two fish caught that day, and the three-year-old and his Cars fishing pole got one of them. I'm pretty sure I was the most excited of everyone. Chad said I was yelling, "He caught a fish! He caught a fish!" over and over. Well, what can I say? It was a proud moment.

Christmasy Moments

2011-12-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Opening presents with Adam and Heather--Bree and Mason loved their plush puppets.

Snuggling on the couch, drinking cocoa, and watching "Elf."

Bree putting "Baby Jesus" in the "manger."

Opening presents with my parents on Christmas Eve.
They gave Lincoln some bottle buddies.

And of course he preferred playing with the box.

I had taken the kids gift-shopping at the dollar store this year, and I let Bree and Mason pick out presents all by themselves with minimal coaching from me.
Bree got my dad a pair of pliers.

Mason gave him some crazy glasses.

My mom received a loofah from Bree and a Winnie the Pooh puzzle from Mason. Both grandparents were gracious and good sports. It was a great opportunity to teach the kids that presents are about showing others that we care, not about getting every exact thing that we want.

Dancing in Whoville

2011-12-12T14:02:00.001-07:00

Bree's danced in this year's Christmas recital on the 9th. She has really improved since starting dance in January, and can shuffle-hop-step with the best of them.

I took these photos during her dress rehearsal.

And here she is on the big night (we forgot our nice video cameras, but I was glad my mom brought her little camera so we at least have a recording!). My friend Mackenzie helped do her hair, which took longer than I thought but turned out so cute!

The night after the recital was Globe's annual Christmas Light Parade, which Bree's dance studio always participates in. Mackenzie and I sewed matching Cindy Lou capes for our girls, and they looked adorable riding in the back of the lighted truck.

And Mason had fun watching the parade too.

The next recital isn't until May, at which point I'll have to drag Chad to the auditorium again to sit through a LONG show in which our daughter only has a few minutes of stage time. But Chad is determined to be the father that always comes to her daughter's events, and the long-term results as far as Bree is concerned will make it all worth-while. And in the meantime, Bree is having a blast.

Let it Snow!

2011-12-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon around 5:00pm, the view out our front window looked like this:

The kids were freaking out with excitement at the arrival of snow. But, they have been sick, so I allowed only a brief step outside to catch a few snowflakes on our tongues. The snow continued to fall that evening, as I ran my errands (I had waited for Chad to come home from work, and I had dutifully made out a menu and shopping list, so a little snow wasn't going to deter me). And even though Sunday's Arizona sun melted the almost-inch that fell Saturday night, we awoke to three inches of snow on Monday! That's more than I've ever seen here. And the kids...well, the photos speak for themselves.

Gettin' Christmasy

2011-12-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Usually our Christmas decorations are up the day after Thanksgiving. But I was really sick for Thanksgiving, then we were busy with doctor's appointments and visiting Adam and Heather, so we didn't haul out the holly until December 2nd. How embarrassing.

The Little People Nativity. Always a favorite. Um...and Mason apparently thinks there was a storm trooper present at Jesus' birth.

And later I overheard "Come on Mary and Jesus; get in the car!" and saw this.

The kids are getting much better at decorating the tree. And nothing was broken this year, which was an added bonus. Chad actually did most of the supervision here, and made sure that everything was evenly-spaced and beautiful.

12-2-2011

Temple Lights

2011-12-02T20:48:00.045-07:00

I don't know how many years it's been since Chad and I have been to see the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple, but we haven't been there since having kids. So while we were out with Adam and Heather, and after seeing Santa, we all headed over here. Bree had gotten it into her head that the actual temple would be decorated with lights, so she was a little disappointed when we were approaching. But she was not disappointed with how amazing the grounds were.

It was beautiful and magical, and the nativity scenes and music provided a spiritual atmosphere. Or at least they did for the few minutes our kids stood still. Bree and Mason were all over the place trying to take it all in. I especially like the picture where Mason looks like he's flying off the ledge with lights glowing through his body.

It's taken us this long to see the temple lights because we never stay in Mesa late enough to see it. So this trip was yet another occasion that makes me grateful that Adam and Heather are so close to us.

11/30/11

Another Bass Pro Christmas

2011-12-02T20:47:00.002-07:00

We went to the Bass Pro Shops again to visit Santa this year, because, first of all, we love going there any time of the year, and secondly, they do an amazing job of creating a winter wonderland at Christmas time. We were in Mesa on November 30th because Lincoln had a couple doctor appointments, and we decided to crash at my brother's house that night because Lincoln had another appointment the following morning. So that evening was a great opportunity to spend some time with Adam and Heather, and they came with us to enjoy the festivities.

Bree and Mason had a blast with the array of free activities: arcade-type games, a carousel, and remote control trains and cars. And one of my favorite things about visiting Santa is watching the strangers ahead of us in line. Parents force their crying kids into Santa's lap, or make complete fools of themselves trying to get their infant to look at the camera. I've been there too, of course. But it is really fun to listen to Bree and Mason tell Santa what they want, and even more fun to hear Bree exclaim on Christmas morning "How did he know?!" when she opens one of Santa's gifts.

He knows. He always knows.

Thanksgiving '11

2011-11-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

We descended on Adam and Heather's home for Thanksgiving this year. Adam was gracious enough to let my kids play with his impressive Lego collection, which kept them entertained, and out of the way.

The food was plentiful and delicious. The number of pies was more appropriate this year (down to 4 pies for 5 adults versus last year's 6 pies for 6 adults). Pie is pretty much the best thing about Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving meal itself is delicious, don't get me wrong. But as I'm eating it, I can't help but think, "How much can I eat and still have room for pie?" Mom's pumpkin pie, Heather's caramel apple pie, the chocolate cream pie that Adam requested, and my new trial: chocolate pecan pie. All were amazing (and that chocolate pecan pie is one of my new favorites).

I had been feeling a little under the weather all week, and it finally knocked me over that afternoon. But it was still a great holiday. Chad got to watch Adam play his new video game, and I played Apple Scrabble with Mom and Heather.

Friday morning Adam and Heather volunteered to watch the kids, and took them back to Mom's where Dad was finally able to join the family after his stretch of work in Washington. And then I spent Black Friday visiting an urgent care, being diagnosed with a sinus infection, buying antibiotics, then laying in bed. And I pretty much stayed in bed until Monday. So this Thanksgiving reinforced the gratitude I have for family willing and eager to take care loving care of my children when I am incapacitated. I'm grateful for Chad and all he does, for our wonderful little home, for my Savior, for beautiful kids, and for the privilege to be their mother.

My dreams have political undercurrents.

2011-11-28T23:40:00.001-07:00

Last night I dreamed that I was in a Hunger Games sort of competition, only instead of people getting killed off, we were just supposed to run around the arena collecting money and raffle tickets until the time ran out. The arena was the acreage my family used to live on in Washington. In the end, I had gathered the most money and tickets, but the game-makers made me distribute the winnings equally amongst all the competitors to make it "fair." Hmm.

7 Months

2011-11-28T23:31:00.001-07:00

First haircut (no more mohawk shag).

New occasional cheesy smile.

Loves his brother.

Loves getting exercise.

Happy 99% of the time.

Photos taken: 11/20-21/2011

Best Birthday Ever

2011-11-22T23:12:00.179-07:00

This year my friend Jaime gave me the best birthday present ever--she came to visit me all the way from Las Vegas! We both pawned our older kids off on our respective mothers, and Jaime brought her new baby Scarlett to meet us.

The visit started when Chad and I picked them up at the Mesa Airport, which is a tiny airport we'd never been to before (usually we fly in and out of Phoenix). It's a little closer to us, and Jaime got a slightly better rate by flying with Allegiant Air, but the delays were a little inconvenient. We had to race back to Globe so we could make it to Book Club. We didn't want to miss discussing The Host. It turned out to be an interesting meeting; the group was divided into those who liked the book, those who didn't like it, and those who didn't finish. And the discussion got fiesty at times, but that's how we roll. Jaime reads more than most anybody I know, and it was fun to have her in on the discussion. I wish she could come every month!

Here's what we did with the rest of our time together:

Great massages (Kari at the Adobe Ranch Spa is amazing!)
Pedicures (the nail polish I chose turned out looking hideous...good times)

Delicious homemade desserts (my fudge and Jaime's pumpkin bars)
Dr. Mario on the Wii (Jaime is way better than me now. What happened?)
Decided to try a new place for my birthday lunch, walked into one downtown cafe (ew), then back out again, then hit the jackpot at the adorable Vida e Cafe with mouthwatering chicken pesto aoli paninis and Italian sodas.
Played with our babies, and introduced them to each other (Lincoln got a little fresh with Scarlett, but he couldn't resist her cuteness)

Talked about life, being wives, being mothers
Spent our last night at my brother and his wife's house in Mesa so we'd be closer to the airport for Jaime's early flight (Lincoln and Scarlett shared a bed...scandalous!)

Talked about plans to see each other again.
Wished we weren't so far apart.

I wish that I had been feeling 100% healthy, because I was a tired, boring host half of the time. And visits to Globe aren't usually filled with fun outings like visits to Vegas. But we try to compete so our friends will come back again :)

So I'm 30 now. And I don't feel some magical/dreadful difference. I feel like I've reached a point in my life where it is fully appropriate to be 30. Everything about me--my heart, my body, my graying hair--emphatically states, "Yes, we've been through enough to deserve to the '30-year' label."

So, along with the many sweet birthday wishes I received from friends and family, Happy 30th Birthday me.

Good Morning

2011-11-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Beet It

2011-11-01T19:44:00.002-07:00

I'm posting this recipe to enter my friend Tina's beet recipe contest! And of course, I chose to make a cupcake. Because, if you're going to eat beets, why not make them into dessert?

In terms of overall taste, these definitely rate a 10! In terms of discernible beet flavor...well, I'll let the jury decide. But using a sneaky recipe is the only way I can get my family to eat beets! We all gobbled these up.

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

1 can beets, drained (NOT pickled beets)
1 box devil's food cake mix (Gasp! A cake mix? Yes, okay, and I have my reasons. #1-to make this recipe simple to duplicate. #2-cake mixes are very forgiving when you mess around with the ingredients.)
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or mayonnaise (totally optional, but makes for an amazing moist texture!)

Preheat oven to 350.
Puree beets, then add enough water to them to bring the total volume up to 1-1/4 cups.
Combine beets/water with cake mix, oil, and eggs
Spoon batter into papered cupcake tin, and bake for 17-20 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick butter
1 8-oz cube cream cheese
1-2 tsp vanilla (depending on how strong your vanilla is)
3-4 cups powdered sugar (to taste)

Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until creamy.
Add powdered sugar and mix well until desired sweetness and consistency is achieved.

*11/6 Update: This beet challenge turned into a cupcake war between my friend Cari and me! I won by a tiny margin, with her All Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes coming in a close second. I might have to take a note from Cari's book, and try adding a little sweetened condensed milk to my frosting...I'm curious now!

Scenes of Halloween

2011-11-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Vanilla cake pops (that batch of cupcake disaster came in useful after all).

10/23/2011

Pumpkin carving. Bree actually put her hand in the pumpkin this year.

10/26/2011

Trunk or Treat.

10/26/2011

Trick or Treating downtown. I added one more thing to my list of what I love about Globe. Downtown streets are closed to make room for food booths, a DJ stand, and lots of townsfolk. Kids walk up and down the sidewalk along the main drag, pausing as shop owners dump candy into their bags. There's a costume contest, music, and dancing. Spooky old jail, charming "gas" street lamps, awesome historic courthouse, Halloween lights strung in the trees...yes, we'll be back next year.

10/31/2011

This is Halloween

2011-10-22T20:46:00.003-07:00

First Taste

2011-10-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hey, buddy.

Okay, time to focus.

That's better. Okay, here's some more goopy rice cereal...

Your effort is admirable. Especially since this stuff is as sticky as elementary school paste. I can already see it forming a dried layer on your upper lip.

What's that look for?

Oh, now you think it's funny?

I love you. And I can't believe how fast the time is going.

Mini Vacay

2011-10-22T20:15:00.011-07:00

Chad has been wanting to do some yard-sale shopping for a while, in the hopes of finding a great deal on some old baseball cards. Since our friend Joanna now lives in Thatcher, and since she goes yard-saleing with her mom and grandma every week, we thought we'd drive over there for a visit. And then I decided to book a motel room so we could make a true mini-vacation of it.

After we checked into the Marriott, we met Joanna and her kids at the brand new "Frozen Treat Caboose" for some self-serve frozen yogurt. We spent some time visiting, and the kids had a blast being together again, and wasted no time having fun. Then when Tyler got home from work, we had a delicious dinner at Tony's.

The Marriott Springhill Suites was extremely nice. Our room was a good size, with a separate sitting area, and a big bathroom. This was actually the first time our entire family has stayed at a hotel! The kids got a kick out of it, and Mason especially enjoyed the view of the pool from our third-floor window (being in a building that tall was a first for him too).

The next day we woke early to get a good start on the yard sales. We ate our yummy free breakfast and headed out with Joanna's GPS and local paper clipping with yard sale addresses. There were sales going everywhere, but not many baseball cards. And several times, despite having a GPS, we'd end up driving into this:

And Chad and I would say to each other: "Do you think we've gone too far?" Of course, cotton fields are everywhere you look around here, so you don't have to stray too far to be driving through one. But they sure are pretty at harvest time.

Eventually, Chad found a lady who dug a large box of baseball cards out of her son's stuff to sell to him. So it was a successful trip. And we headed back to the hotel for some more swimming. Yes, swimming in October. It was genuinely hot out. I'm not a fan of the endless summers here, but the kids sure appreciate them.

Not many would consider a short drive and stay in Thatcher to be a "vacation." But we sure thought it was great.

Freelance Journalist for a Day

2011-10-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

It's official--I've been published! My work on the Globe-Miami Farmers' Market blog got me noticed by the local newspaper, and I was hired to do a feature article. I interviewed the market manager, took some pictures, typed up the article, and solicited a few family members to help me proof-read and edit (thank you!). And voila! Here's my name in print!

I'm a little crazy today.

2011-09-28T11:47:00.006-07:00

Okay, lately I've been a little crazy most days. But my sweet baby Lincoln, who usually sleeps all night, robbed me of an hour and a half of sleep in the wee hours of this morning. So that's where it started.

Then I slept too long, which drives me crazy because my morning to-do list gets short-changed.

So now I'm sitting with Bree, doing schoolwork. And she's having a day. Nothing is right. All she has to do is draw pictures of things that start with the letter A. It's not an art contest. It's an exercise on what the letter A sounds like. The apple went fine. But when she decides to draw an alligator, everything is an insurmountable challenge. "But Mom, I don't know how to draw the scales!" "But Mom, look at this toe! There's no room for me to color it in!" After my attempt to simultaneously feed Lincoln and teach Bree doesn't work, I put Lincoln in his crib, and send Mason out of the room because I can't take him literally hanging on my chair anymore. Then I come back in to sit by Bree, and I say, "Okay, let's take some deep breaths to relax. Close your eyes, and breath in...and out. In... and out." I open my eyes because Bree is whimpering and throwing a mini tantrum. "What, Bree? What is wrong?"

"Mom, it's just," (eyes wide open and threatening tears) "my throat is dry!"

I laugh, because I really want to cry. And then Bree kicks me because she thinks I'm laughing at her.

And now she's in the corner.

But when she comes out, she'll do better. She's pretty good at turning herself around after a little disciplinary check. And she really is a great student. 99% of the time.

Papa's Arms

2011-09-25T15:53:00.003-07:00

One of my boys tends to get a little bit jealous of the other.

But, thankfully, there's room enough in Papa's arms for both of them.

Lincoln's Heroes

2011-09-11T20:22:00.099-07:00

It was a big day. The Walk for Down Syndrome. As it approached, I kept busy with preparations, gathering donations, planning our overnight stay with Adam and Heather, helping my mom design t-shirts.

So when the actual morning came, and we were pulling up to the Tempe Diablo Stadium, my emotions got the better of me. I hadn't really been able to prepare for that. I can't pinpoint what it was exactly that brought the tears on, but as we walked through the parking lot, I had so many things running through my mind.

"This is one of those moments." One of my baby's "firsts" that doesn't have a convenient pre-made page in a baby book.

Here it is, an induction party for another club that I hadn't planned on joining.

I'm now officially one of those moms. A special-needs mom.

And no, none of these feelings were new. They became a part of my life on April 15th. But most of the time, they stay quietly in the background. Life is consumed by the day-to-day, which is mostly unchanged, busy, and wonderful. It just caught me off guard at this moment.

But it passed quickly. The good stuff called.

The kids all looked adorable in the matching shirts my mom made. Our friends were able to join us too, and Bree and Mason were thrilled to see their pals who recently moved to Mesa.

And the huge blow-up toys provided nonstop fun.

The kids tried their hand at some carnival games.

And won some fabulous prizes.

Then it was time for the "big walk"--and let me tell you, these guys know how to do it right.

Everybody lined up under the balloon arch to start walking. Lincoln cracked his eyes open for a little while. He sensed something momentous was about to happen.

And someone yelled "Ready, set, walk!" into the microphone. And we started our leisurely stroll around the baseball field.

It was so leisurely, that volunteers handed out free Blue Bell ice cream as we passed by.

And things got a little sticky.

But we made it through.

Look at that group of heroes.

Lincoln is one lucky kid.

The ginger Superman agrees.

Bree wheedled her way into the hearts of all the superheroes.

And Mason rode in the cute mini-UPS truck to round out the day.

One walk down, many more to go. Bring it on.

Bree's Big Adventure

2011-09-11T17:41:00.024-07:00

Over a month ago, Bree went with my mom on a trip to Washington state, to see where I grew up, and keep my dad company when he wasn't working in his office in Seattle. They had non-stop fun, and I am insanely jealous. I interviewed Bree while we looked at the pictures from her trip. I think it's hilarious what stands out as memorable to a five-year-old!

Tell me about your trip to Washington, Bree.

I gotted to sleep in Grandma's room! And when Grandma was sleeping, I tickled her feet. *Giggle* It made her laugh!

Tell me about this picture.
That's Uncle Bob's farm.

That was his thing for me to play on so I don't get bored...that rocking horse thing.

And after that, Rocket (the horse) runned a little bit. He made me laugh! I went "hyuh-yuh-yuh-yuh" when I went up and down!

What else did you do at Uncle Bob's farm?
We roasted hot dogs, but no marshmallows. And there was yummy, yummy juice!

What about this picture?
Um, that was in a forest. It's really pretty and green in the forest.

What did you do there?
We were looking around. It was very pretty. And those things that sting...they were around! What are those called?
Stinging nettles.
Sting metals were around.

And when we went to Grandma's old, old, old, old house, where you used to live, and Uncle Adam? Someone, um, pushed the door open, and they went to the side and they took something out of Grandma's old, old, old, old, old house! And there was a dead rat in it...Gross.

And what about here?
I was feeding the seagulls.

I fed them with crust...pizza crust. They liked it a lot.
Were they nice?
Actually, they weren't very nice. One time they caught my finger on the piece of bread. Ouchie. The sharp beak. Ouchie. Did you get bit by a seagull once?
I don't think so...

That's me riding on the train to Papa's working place.

It was really fast!

That's Grandma taking a picture where Papa's office is close by, I think.

There was a really big view up there. Beautiful!

That's where Papa works. That's his office.

Tell me about the ferry.
It was fun.

And I met my old, old Grandma I saw when I was only a baby. Papa's mother. She is my great-grandmother. But her husband kinda passed off.
Passed on?
Mmm hmm.
Do you know what that means?
Um, gone to heaven.
That's right. So you took a ferry to see Great-Grandma? What was the ferry like?
It was really windy. And I petted a few dogs there.

Tell me about Enchanted Village.

Mom, there was a little roller coaster, and it went super-duper fast, and I screamed! ...I rided the merry-go-round...There was this little water park that I played in, and there was water slides, and they made a big "Kaboosh!"; a big splash. That was the funnest part of the Enchanted Village. I didn't ride the bump cars, because I was too little. You get to bump right into each other!

Hey, um, Mom? There used to be a little wading pool by the library, but it was too dangerous for little kids, because some might not know how to swim. They ruined the wading pool and then they putted a little water park in there.

That's the water park. Yep, that's me! I played, and there was those little frogs that shooted water. Turtles too...That's me on the teeter-totter. Those boys thought I was little, but my Grandma said, "You can go fast."

There was this sand place...Sand box. With tons of sand.

Grandma said there were big boys there that were trying to kick over your sand castle. Do you remember that?
Yeah.
What happened?
We made islands, and the boys were taking the sand out of the sand box.
What did you do?
We didn't say "Get outta here, boys."
What did you say?
We said, um, "We're building this castle, but why are you taking the sand out of the sand box? Even though there's water in it, it doesn't mean you can take the sand out of it.
Then what happened?
They joined us! And they helped us build the sandcastles and lands...So we used our words. I made some new friends there too!

That's an aquarium. Sharks, and fishies.

Those seahorses are cute. I never seen a seahorse before. And I feeled some starfish and some crabs and stuff.
And what was that like?
It was kind of fuzzy. And kind of weird, because I never felt any sea-creatures before.

That's me riding a camel for the very first time! It was fun! Kind of like riding a horse, but not as fast.

That is a zoo.

And that's a red fox. And those are two lover-monkeys.

That's me at the zoo, leaving. And that's cotton candy...I love cotton candy! Grandma doesn't like cotton candy. The green cotton candy is lime. I never had lime cotton candy before.

That's Marie.

That's the leash that came with Whitey. Whitey is my...she's my doggie. She's my special, special doggie that has a bow on it.

That's Poochie, my little doggie that Grammy bought me, so I don't be bored.

That's how big Papa's catfish was. It was pretty huge. It can swallow Papa's hand!

That's Bunbun's birthday, remember? Cute name, huh?

How old is Bunbun?
Um, she's two. In a few more weeks, she's gonna be three.

Pictures: July 27th - August 9th

Where did August go?

2011-09-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Life has been whizzing by at an unforgivable rate. When August turned to September without me noticing, I could not remember what I had been doing for the past month. Good thing I took a few pictures. It's sad that when I look at these photos, I think, "Oh yeah, I vaguely remember that..."

Sheesh.

August 8th: I try to capture Lincoln's smile.

Must work on baby-photography skills.

But Mason proves to be a more cooperative subject.

August 15th: Bree arranges her stuffed animals on her bed and then makes me cover my eyes as she leads me into her room for the big reveal.

August 17th: Bree reads a book to Lincoln. My heart melts.

August 18th: I help Mackenzie throw a baby shower for our friend Sarah. It rocked.

August 31st: Our town watches our hills burn. And burn and burn. (This is the view out our kitchen window) My allergies hated me.

And then my good friend and business partner, Amy, moved away, which, in addition to making me a little depressed, left me with a booth at the Farmers' Market to handle. And I took on the Market newsletter too.

What was I thinking?

In the end, August is just a memory now. Memories that I barely got around to documenting. And most of the details will be lost in the corners of my crazy stressed-out brain. But when I look at these photos, even if I can't exactly recall the when and what, I'll remember the feelings. Feelings of being a mom, capturing my kids' childhoods, loving my family, trying to be a good friend... living this life of mine.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-06T21:02:00.002-07:00

We did so much more this weekend than play Twister. We stayed at Adam and Heather's place, along with my parents, to enjoy a rare holiday weekend when Chad actually had time off.

Heather, my mom, and I had an awesome day filled with shopping...and no children! We ate a leisurely breakfast at Mimis. We browsed the aisles of Hobby Lobby, Joanns, Kirkland Home...all the places Chad hates the most. We went to the movie theater and saw The Help. And we returned to Adam's place tired and happy. And with full shopping bags. Sunday we went to church with Adam and Heather. We played lots of games. We ate good food. We enjoyed being a family.

But Twister was the only thing I took pictures of.

My little secret is out.

2011-08-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday at church, Bree and the other kids were learning about how we shouldn't dirty our minds with bad things like scary TV shows. She raised her hand and said,

"Have you ever seen the show The Vampire Diaries? My mom loves that show. But I think it's creepy."

Great. Now everyone knows.

And for the record, I do not let Bree watch it.

Duh

2011-08-30T13:05:00.003-07:00

Mason: "Mom, how do you say 'duh' in Spanish?"

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-17T20:50:00.036-07:00

I can't believe my little girl is in kindergarten! She, of course, has been ready for kindergarten for the past two years, and doesn't understand what the big deal is.

After doing a bit of research, I enrolled her in the Mesa School District (thank you, open enrollment). Then the big first day came!

Here she is in her new classroom.

She was super-excited to meet her teacher.

Then she buckled down on her schoolwork.

Other than the little boy who couldn't resist wandering into Bree's classroom, it was a pretty uneventful first day at school.

We love Bree's school. It's comfortable and laid-back, there's no dress code, no drop-off/pick-up, and I didn't spend a dime on school supplies. So, whether you call it distance-learning or homeschooling, it fits us perfectly.

Reminders

2011-08-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

At 4 months Lincoln is so healthy and happy, and by far the best-behaved Wallace baby. He's been sleeping through the night since he was a month old. We're talking over 10 consecutive hours. I can't imagine dealing with life without the wonderful amounts of REM sleep I enjoy every night.

Now Lincoln is smiling, cooing, rolling back and forth between his stomach and back, he's grabbing toys, clasping his hands, sucking on his fingers, and will laugh occasionally. His therapists were so impressed during their visit Friday. Lincoln continues to make progress. And I forget about his diagnosis. I mean, yes, I remember he has Down Syndrome in the "Let's participate in the fundraising walk!" sense, and I am fully on board with scheduling all the therapy and appointments he "needs." But in the day-to-day sense, he's my happy, healthy baby.

Until something reminds me. Little things like the physical therapist mentioning that he'll need extra help propping himself up as he learns to sit because his arms are shorter. And when I take him in for his 4-month well-visit, I can't check "sits with support" on the milestones list. And when the doctor says we need to do another blood draw in a couple of months because he has borderline indicators for hypothyroidism.

In the grand scheme, these are very small things. But being reminded of them isn't easy. And I get knocked a little off kilter for a day or so.

But it passes. I'm looking over at Lincoln, who is grinning at me around the thumb crammed in his mouth, grabbing his foot and filling his diaper. He's ready to eat and join his brother who is already asleep. And he'll give me another fabulous night's sleep. And I'm going to rock tomorrow.

Semi-Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

2011-08-16T21:30:00.061-07:00

Adam and Heather are busy people, and have a fixer-upper that might overwhelm anyone. So when Chad got enthusiastic about helping them re-install their flooring, I had to laugh. He says he enjoys house projects, just not all house projects. And definitely not the ones I am currently wishing would get done around here. I have yet to completely figure out the criteria for projects he likes, but so far I have deduced that if it involves gardening, landscaping, or painting, it's not on his list. But he likes working with the table saw. And wood. And the rubber mallet is okay too. Hence, floating wood floors are on his list.

So we invaded Adam and Heather's home for a weekend to tear up the flooring, which was installed ineptly and without foresight. (Note the gap running across the middle of the room)

We did not expect to have to remove the lower cabinets and oven along one wall of the kitchen. But since we wanted to reuse the flooring, we had no choice. We had planned to have the project mostly in hand by the time Heather got home from work on Friday, but things didn't go as quickly as we'd hoped. And there might have been a few moments there when I was inwardly freaking out a little, looking around at the mess, wondering what we'd done. But then we temporarily moved the oven back into the still-unfinished kitchen so we could cook some dinner. And with some food in my belly and new energy for my brain, things started looking up.

We managed to complete the flooring throughout the living, dining, kitchen, and front room, and into the front hall. With no ugly gaps. Ready for baseboards.

And this is what the kids did the entire time.

Yeah, that's a TV they're staring at. For two straight days.

Poor things.

Bree's aspirations

2011-08-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

"When I'm big I'm going to be a florist and a vet....I'm going to be a vet first when I'm not even married. And I'm going to be a florist when I'm married and have kids. And my husband can stay home and watch the kids and relax."

It's awesome to have Bree back home. Apparently she did a lot of growing up during the two and a half weeks she was with my parents.

Sewing again. Feels good.

2011-08-08T22:24:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've done any serious sewing. I've sewn a few Nursing 360 covers, and I made Lincoln his blessing pants, but that's pretty much it for the last couple years.

Jaime's new baby girl was a perfect excuse to try something new. The baby skirts were just rectangles with a ruffle sewn on the bottom and a gathered waistline. And I stitched some matching buttons on plain white onesies (I really wanted to try my hand at a freezer paper stencil, but our town failed to provide the necessary supplies). Hair accessories came from my Sweet Whimsy stash.

I did a little "tuxedo" ruffle effect on this one.

But my favorite were the shoes.

I found the inspiration (and a link to a pattern) for these cuties on Jessica's Running With Scissors blog. Hers are made of satin, and have more pleats. But I thought mine turned out pretty incredible for a first try (okay, actually one of the shoes was a second try).

I might try to sew something for myself next...

Goodbye my friend.

2011-08-08T22:04:00.002-07:00

Sunday suppers.

Cookie Days.

A listening ear.

Cupcake taste-tester.

Last-minute baby-sitter.

Emergency contact.

Singing buddy.

Ward activities savior.

Friend.

Amazing friend.

Joanna, words cannot express how you will be missed.
Why do friends have to move?

Photo: "Go Away" party. 7/29/11

Adding to the list

2011-08-08T10:48:00.009-07:00

Wednesday is the first day of kindergarten...for Bree's friends. I've chosen to homeschool Bree, and her program doesn't start until next week.

In the mean time, I'm feeling a little bit like she's missing out on that exciting, nervous, first-day-of-school experience. And back-to-school shopping? Nope. None of that.

I remember when I was little, how I adored my new school supplies. I would literally sneak out of bed at night, open my closet, and gaze lovingly at my beautiful pink and purple plastic backpack. Then I would try it on, and wear it as I stealthily visited the bathroom with it on my back.

But Bree is on vacation with my parents today, something that would not be possible without the freedom of homeschooling. And I don't have to worry about her bringing home all manner of sicknesses from kindergarten (we get enough of that from Mason bringing crud home from his Nursery class on Sundays). And I get to shelter her from bad words and the mean drama of other little girls for a little while longer.

But sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy for adding one more thing to my list of responsibilities.

Homeschool Bree and keep up Mason's preschool lessons

Along with the chores every woman has.

Keep house clean (This counts as extra for me, because I have a seriously dusty house. No really, it's true. Something is wrong with our ventilation/air filter or something.)
Keep kids clean
Laundry
Dishes
Grocery shopping
Cooking
Budgeting

And don't forget those things that I've taken on because I'm an overachiever like that.

Gardening
Home improvement projects (our new master tub is the latest)
Blogging
Sweet Whimsy business and weekly Farmer's Market booth (making jam, baking cupcakes, etc)
Farmer's Market newsletter writing/editing
Formatting piano exams for a friend in exchange for family singing lessons.
Filling occasional Mary Kay orders
Facilitating monthly book club meetings, and reading said books
Exercising; P90X is a time-consuming program

Add on the extra things that have sort of fallen upon me.

Primary Music Chorister
Daily therapy with Lincoln
Scheduling and keeping appointments, which have become more frequent lately
Um, breastfeeding
Oh, and figuring out how to keep my kids happy all day every day

Thankfully, I have a husband who helps me with my list on a regular basis. And who, more importantly, supports the half of the list that is, as he puts it, all me. Don't get the wrong idea; I am constantly behind or neglecting half of the list so I can give attention to the other half. And I haven't even mentioned other time-wasters like movie-watching, sewing projects, or blog-reading. Unfortunately, there are just too many things that I enjoy doing.

So, yes, it would be easier to let someone else take Bree off my hands for six hours every day. But I'm going to give this homeschooling thing a shot, and I'm hoping that it'll be worth it.

The poor boy is confused.

2011-08-06T14:31:00.001-07:00

Mason has developed quite an impressive vocabulary, but he doesn't always recall the appropriate word for the situation. Just a few examples:

*Cough* Ow.
Mason, does your throat hurt?
No, it's my diet. My diet hurts.
(I've tried explaining what a diet is several times. Apparently it's a difficult concept to grasp.)

(As Mason puts on his pool floaty) This will make me melt in the water.
You mean float in the water?
Oh yeah, it will make me float. I don't want to sink in the water.
(A few minutes later) This will make me...not sink in the water.

Mason, will you close the driveway gate?
So the avacados won't get in the garden?
Do you mean the javelinas?
Yeah, the javelinas.

Avacados, javelinas...four-syllable words from a three-year-old's mouth are always impressive, even if they are out of context.

Be one of Lincoln's Heroes!

2011-08-06T13:21:00.002-07:00

Our family is gearing up to participate in Arizona's Walk for Down Syndrome, which is a fundraiser for the organization Sharing Down Syndrome. We'd appreciate any donation you are able to give!

Please click here, and it will take you to Lincoln's Heroes team page. You can click on the "Donate" button from there. I have set a very lofty goal of $1,000! (Note to self: must make more friends from whom to beg money) All donations go to the charity, and it is a cause that has already changed our lives. Two representatives from Sharing Down Syndrome visited us in the hospital when Lincoln was a day old. They gave me the hope and resources to feel like, yes, I can do this, and yes, it will be beautiful.

If you are in the area and want to join us for the walk, it's Saturday, September 10th at Tempe Diablo Stadium. It will be a lot of fun, especially for the kids, since there will be fun stuff to do after we all walk around the stadium. Click on the "Register Now" button on Lincoln's Heroes page, and you can register to walk with our team. I'm thinking we should all dress like super heroes...or maybe we'll just have matching t-shirts...we'll see :)

*Donations are just a one-time thing, not per mile. Actually, I'm pretty sure we're literally walking once around the stadium, so it's a good thing it's not per mile!

There's no stopping this kid.

2011-07-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Lincoln rolled from his back to tummy twice today. Crazy.

Photo: 7/14/2011

A special blessing

2011-07-25T21:14:00.004-07:00

Yesterday at church Chad gave Lincoln his baby blessing. It was a special day, and I was so glad that my parents and my brother and his wife could be here for it. I was experiencing a full range of emotions about this day.

I was excited to give a motherly contribution, and sewed Lincoln a pair of white pants to go with the shirt I bought. He was too big for the blessing outfit that Mason wore. In fact, I used a white fabric scrap for Lincoln's pants, and barely had enough to make pants to fit his chubby thighs and tummy. I was cracking up as I tried to squeeze him into them. I was holding onto the waistband of the pants, jiggling up and down as Lincoln slowly slid into them, as if he were a pillow getting stuffed into its case.

Chad spent a lot of time thinking about the blessing beforehand. He felt more nervous about this blessing than with the other kids...an inner pressure to give a special blessing to match this special boy.

And there was a small part of me that was melancholy, remembering Riley who passed away a few days before his baby blessing. We actually had his memorial on that Sunday, and the luncheon at our house that day was nothing like the one that I had planned.

Mostly, though, I experienced a beautiful peaceful feeling. Gratitude for this amazing baby with which our family has been blessed. Love for my husband, who gave a perfect blessing that touched the hearts of everyone present. Those in the circle witnessed Lincoln stare at his father through the entire blessing. And when the guys returned to their seats, Lincoln just smiled peacefully at Chad, as if he knew what was going on.

Hope for Lincoln, and faith in his potential.

And the joy of being surrounded by extended family.

We celebrated the occasion with talk and laughter, and delicious Mexican chicken salads, Cafe Rio style. We saved room for churro cupcakes and rocky road brownies. Chad and I played board games with Adam and Heather, and I had a giddy outburst of joy at the thought that they now live close enough to do this all the time.

And Lincoln would not cooperate when I tried to get a decent picture. He did, however, flaunt his impressive tongue skills.

Bree went home with my parents, since she gets to go with them for a special vacation for a couple weeks. I miss her. Just the other day as I was on the phone with Adam, he heard me say, "Oh don't do that Bree, honey...Oh...I guess he likes it." We were cracking up. The house is a little quieter without her.

It's good for Mason to be free of Big Sister's shadow for a while. He's been displaying some serious deprived-middle-child symptoms lately (we're talking tantrums galore), so I'm taking this opportunity to give him lots of extra attention. It doesn't take much. Read a few books. See Winnie the Pooh at the theater. Go to "Mac-nock-Donalds" and get a kid's meal (when I ask him if he wants a burger or nuggets, he tells me which toy he wants). Grant him complete control over what to watch on Netflix. This is the stuff of a three-year-old's dreams.

And the week is off to a great start.

Cupcakes and Book Club

2011-07-22T14:05:00.003-07:00

Every event/occasion gives me an excuse to bake cupcakes. Book Club is one of those excuses. Every month someone (ie, Joanna) asks me, "What kind of cupcakes are you bringing this time?" So I tried another new flavor this week: churro cupcakes. Cinnamon/vanilla cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, topped with tortilla buñuelos (not churros, I know, but much easier). I was skeptical about the cinnamon cream cheese frosting, but it was divine. So much more complex and complimentary than the vanilla buttercream (I made a couple that way for my kids' less sophisticated palates).

These are so simple to make. Just add 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon to your vanilla cake batter, then add a teaspoon of cinnamon to your cream cheese frosting (or to taste). The tortilla buñuelos are just tiny strips of flour tortilla, deep fried, then tossed in cinnamon-sugar. Delicious.

Our list of completed books continues to grow. Along, perhaps, with our waistlines. Have I mentioned yet how much I love Book Club? I get to spend time with ladies with whom I might not ordinarily hang out with, and I've really been enjoying it.

And no, our book this month had nothing to do with cupcakes, churros, or anything Spanish-related for that matter. We discussed Leadership and Self-Deception, and all vowed to apply the advice in this book in our lives. We all learned more about each other, shared some pretty personal experiences, and tears were shed all around. Wonderful and therapeutic stuff. So, cupcakes and therapy? Hand in hand, baby.

A delicious mistake

2011-07-20T15:19:00.002-07:00

I've been wanting to try making S'mores cupcakes for a while now, and finally decided how I wanted to go about it. A graham cake with milk chocolate chips, a layer of melted chocolate spread on top, sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs, then topped with marshmallow.

I debated the marshmallow topping for a long time. I know it's pretty easy to make homemade fluff, but I had like 4 jars of marshmallow creme that I need to use before they expire (apparently I had unrealized dreams of multiple batches of fudge last Christmas). So I thought I'd just see if I could pipe it right onto the cool cupcake. I piped a nice, fat dollop on one, torched it, and voila! It was beautiful.

So I went ahead and topped the rest of the batch the same way. They looked awesome.

For a little while.

Then they slowly, slooowly, turned into this:

It took at least a full hour for them to achieve their new, droopy state. I cringe to think how they'll look when it's time to serve our dinner guests dessert.

But oh, they do taste delicious! And after all, aren't S'mores supposed to be messy? That's the angle I'm sticking with, anyway.

Addendum: Our dinner guests (our friends and next-door-neighbors) recently went home. He's a chef, but not the snobby kind, so both he and his wife loved the cupcakes. But I think we got the better end of the arrangement: he made us six different kinds of pizza! BBQ beef, teriyaki-pineapple, supreme, garlic chicken, pepperoni, and tomato-basil. Amazing! The BBQ beef was definitely my favorite, with the sauteed onions. Mmmm. Thanks Mat.

Oh no...are we THAT family?

2011-07-20T15:02:00.002-07:00

Saturday my brother and his wife moved to Arizona! They'd been living in Houston, which was awfully far away, so this move is very exciting for our family. I'm looking forward to having them just 90 minutes away. And my parents are thrilled too.

Chad and the kids and I drove to Mesa Saturday to start getting the house ready. It's a bit of a fixer-upper, so we had some work to do. I replaced all the door handles and dead bolts, Chad cleaned up the overgrown yard, and everyone helped install a new back door. After Adam and Heather arrived with my dad and the moving van, we hauled everything in. The house is quite large, so they have lots of space compared to their previous apartment. If only someone hadn't stolen all the copper pipe they could get their hands on, the whole process would have been much easier...grrr.

It was a long day, and it was past the kids' bedtime by the time we drove through the canyon towards our little town. And we were exhausted. But Chad told me to pull over when we saw these ladies stranded on the side of the road. He can change a tire in 15 minutes, so it was no big deal to him. But it was a big deal to them, and I was proud of my husband.

We went down again on Monday to help some more. The day was a bit of an exercise in patience. My kids are young, and there were no toys to speak of, except the plethora of tools, screws, and pipe joints. We should have had a plan to counteract the boredom.

Instead, we had:

"Mason, where is my screwdriver?"

"Bree, don't squish the gerbils!"

"Mason, don't pound on that with the hammer!"

"Why would you climb on that?"

"Don't touch that!"

"I have the powerrrr!" (Mason hoisting the pressure washer nozzle over his head...we've been watching a lot of He-man)

I don't want to be THAT family. You know, the family you don't want to invite over to your house because the kids are just crazy? And they don't seem to listen? I felt like the mom of that family, which was new for me. And humbling.

I think I did manage to tip the scale back to the favorable side by helping paint Heather's kitchen. In the end, I think we did more good than damage. Besides, my kids adore Adam and Heather. And their gerbils.

Our Week Thus Far

2011-07-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

Monday night we played Sorry! with the kids for Family Home Evening, something we don't do often enough. I played me a lot of Sorry! when I was a kid. It was a staple in our family. That and Trouble (with the pop-o-matic bubble) and Chinese Checkers. Wow. Rush of memories. Chad's family was of the Parcheesi persuasion, which I pointed out (when he told me he couldn't remember the rules to Sorry!) is just the Indian version of Sorry!. Rather, Sorry! is probably the American version of Parcheesi. Anyway, the kids loved their first experience with the game, and Chad and I found it a welcome diversion from Candy Land.

Tuesday we drove to the valley for my checkup and Dentist appointments for the whole family (we usually schedule as much as we can on the same day to save us trips, but it makes for long days in Mesa). It was the kids' first time to the Dentist. I was so proud of them. Our awesome hygienist let Mason play with the water-squirter and the suction while I was lying in the chair. He was in heaven. And neither of the kids had a problem letting the dental assistant lead them back to their own rooms while Chad and I were finishing up our cleanings.

So I nursed Lincoln while the doctor looked at my teeth, wandered between exam rooms taking photos, and coaxed Mason to open his mouth for the last few minutes of his cleaning (he had run out of patience, and didn't like the fluoride...but he's three!). I'm sure they were all relieved when we left. Except our hygienist. She genuinely loves us.

We also did the final walk-through for Adam and Heather's house (they're moving in Saturday!), which was a foreclosure, and Mason pointed out all the dead bugs (he's been kinda freaked out by bugs after last week's semi-close encounter with a couple scorpions in the playhouse at my parents' place).

And we saw Cars 2 in the theater, which was the kids' reward for enduring the dentist and all our errands. And we may or may not have nearly forgotten a child in the car because we were too busy stuffing my purse with juice boxes to smuggle into the theater. Honestly, what kind of people are we? We assuaged our consciences with dinner at Red Robin.

Yesterday Chad was back at work, and I was a having one of those good-energy kind of days. I did my Cardio X workout and had actually showered before noon, which is always a good thing. I had a "real" lunch (ie, not sandwiches) ready when Chad came home for his break. Then I took the kids to run errands with me. That was the fatal error that ended my energy high.

Walmart has those carts that have monstrous plastic apparatuses that can seat two kids in addition to the normal cart portion which can hold the car seat and the huge pile of stuff you think you need. Those contraptions are unwieldy. And it was Mason's nap time, so the whining and elbow-shoving between Bree and Mason was grating on me. But the lady at the fabric counter commented on how well-behaved my kids were. That's a sad indicator of the typical quality of childhood behavior around here. I was exhausted, but remained firm in my promise that we would not visit the toy aisle if naughtiness continued. It might have been easier in the short run to give in, but I'm hoping they remember their disappointment the next time we venture to the store.

Which might be never.

Because by the time I crammed our purchases and three kids into the truck, drove to Fry's, and loaded all of them into another unwieldy cart just to pick up a prescription, I realized that I should have just waited until Chad got home from work to run my errands. Which is what I usually do. I just thought I could take the kids with me, to get them out of the house...you know, like a fun diversion. Ha. It was a diversion that necessitated two hours of vegetative recovery in front of The Bachelorette while Mason took his long-overdue nap.

After dinner I had a little energy boost that I spent trying to get a picture of Lincoln smiling, which turned out marginally fruitful.

Then Chad and I showered the kids, and quickly put them to bed, because we were both exhausted. Before I said goodnight to Bree, I commented on how messy her room was, how I've told her a million times that dirty clothes go in the hamper, and how I hate tripping over toys. I hugged and kissed her and told her I love her, but I still felt guilty later because I don't want my kids forgetting the "I love you"s and remembering all the nagging.

This morning, when I went in to her room to wake her from a long sleep-in, I discovered that she had stayed up late last night after I thought she was asleep, and had cleaned her room. She had so obviously done it in an effort to please me. Oh...my heart. I love that girl.

Mmm...sauce

2011-07-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

We are trying to eat healthy around here. But when you want pizza, you just have to have pizza. And, since our only pizza options here are Pizza Hut (pricey), Leonard Paul's (flavorless), Little Ceasar's (um, have you tasted their pizza?), or frozen (ie, cardboard crust), I make a lot of homemade pizza. I have a recipe for pizza dough that, although not my absolute favorite in taste and texture, only takes a few minutes to make, and it doesn't necessarily need time to rise. Which is awesome, because I am the queen of last-minute meals.

Pizza is also a great opportunity to use up leftovers. Leftover grilled chicken? Time for BBQ chicken pizza (don't forget the cilantro). Sliced ham lunch meat that's nearing it's expiration date? Hawaiian pizza night. Oh, and since we eat some kind of tacos or burritos once a week, the leftover seasoned meat makes for delicious taco pizza. I've had other taco pizzas, but mine is the best.

And it's because of the sauce.

Here it is: the best taco pizza sauce you'll ever taste. (I might even try using it as an enchilada sauce...)

Combine in a small sauce pan:

1 small (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried cilantro (not absolutely necessary, but DO NOT omit the fresh cilantro on the pizza)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp lemon juice

Simmer. Done. And it costs just pennies.

So the 2 lbs of taco meat I made last week? We had taco salad that first night, burritos the second night, and taco pizza to finish it off. I used a Mexican cheese blend, but I didn't have to use a lot, so, um, that made the pizza healthy. And we had zucchini from the garden. So, super healthy.

Just want a "regular" pizza? No problem. I have a sauce for that too. I also use it as pasta sauce; I just quadruple the recipe, and it makes enough sauce for one package of noodles. (We had a friend over for spaghetti dinner a few weeks ago, and when he commented on the sauce, I said it was homemade. He said "I couldn't tell!" which, he was quick to explain, was a compliment. Apparently, at his house, homemade is code for not-as-good-as-store-bought.)

1 small (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp lemon juice

No more jars of Prego around here. No sir. And I swear I'll never go back.

It's disappearing...

2011-07-10T15:54:00.001-07:00

Lincoln was born with a good amount of brown hair, like our other kiddos. And, like our other kiddos, that hair is gradually falling out, being replaced by fine, light-colored fuzz. All that's left of the original hair is a fringe at the neck and this little tuft at the top. I'm not quite sure why, but I can't bring myself to cut it off...

Happy 4th

2011-07-08T22:32:00.001-07:00

We spent Independence Day at my parents' house this year--I can't remember the last time Chad didn't have to work on the 4th of July! We had a delicious BBQ lunch with my grandparents, my aunt, and my cousin Mikel's son, who was a baby the last time I saw him. We also celebrated my dad's 56th birthday, and I gave him a game called Sesquipedalian, because that's what he is.

Lincoln was passed around plenty. We all work for the smile (only a hint of which got captured on camera...and yes, these photos are very grainy...but I love them, and I'm learning).

We actually bought fireworks for the first time this year. I know. My daughter is five. Poor deprived soul.

In past years, the only fireworks on the 4th have been the ones that shoot off from the hill of tailings at the mine here. We usually try to go watch those, sometimes parking along-side Highway 188 so we can catch a glimpse of Chad in his patrol car.

But this year, we experienced the flames first-hand in the safety of my parents' stone-paved courtyard, accompanied by a light drizzle to ensure that we would not add to the number of forest fires in Arizona.

Sparklers. Enchanted kids. Total control of my shutter speed. Bliss.

Today

2011-06-27T15:08:00.003-07:00

After complaining about how out of shape I am for the past few weeks (and after gaining 5 pounds during our latest vacation) I officially started my own P90X exercise regime, and am on a healthy eating plan. Weigh-in was scary (40 pounds to lose). The "before" picture is atrocious. But my determination is there, and Chad is doing it along-side me (though he started a couple months ago, so he's way ahead).
Paperwork. There's always something to fill out and someone to call. I can't keep all the acronyms straight: DDD, DES, AZLTC, ACCCHS, and that's not including the cardiologists and the geneticist and figuring out what insurance will or won't cover. Thankfully, the only mild concern with Lincoln's health at this point is a patent ductus arteriosus, which is present in all babies in utero, and can sometimes take a few weeks to close on its own. So we'll do another echocardiogram in a few months to check on it again.
Chad and I are already planning our 10-year anniversary (December is a ways away, but if you know Chad, you know he likes to plan ahead). So today I'm in charge of booking a room in an awesome B&B in Sedona, complete with in-room fireplace and 2-person jacuzzi tub.
Putting the finishing touches on our weekly menu, purchasing a bountiful basket (fruits and veggies) for this Saturday, and making a grocery list so I can go shopping this afternoon when Chad gets home. I was a little too distracted this year to stagger plantings in my garden, so our harvests are sporadic. And we eat salad like crazy, and since it's too hot now for lettuce in the garden, I need to stock up at the store. But there has been a good amount of squash already, a few bunches of carrots, several treasured handfuls of super-sweet strawberries, and maybe a dozen or so green beans. I'm sad to see only 3 corn cobs amid all those stalks. That's what I get for buying cheap seeds at Walmart instead of Burpee brand. But the tomatoes...oh, the plants are laden with fruit just waiting to turn red. I have visions of fresh salsa in our future.
I'm reading The Help. After reading the first four pages last night, I turned to Chad all excited-like, and said, "I'm going to really like this book. I can just tell."
I'm keeping all the window blinds closed, lights off, and ceiling fans humming in an attempt to stay cool despite the 109 degree weather out there.
I need to get the number for the Dodge service center so we can take our truck in. What's the only thing we've had to get fixed on this truck? The automatic window motors. Seriously. We close the door, and the window drops out of sight, never to come up again. We've fixed the driver's side window twice, and the rear left window pooped out just as we were packing to come home from Vegas last week. We never roll the windows down, so I'm guessing it's because we slam our doors (ahem, Chad).
Lincoln is all smiley today (I have yet to capture it on camera), and he is playing with his hanging toys, grabbing them on accident, then acting all surprised when they move when his hand does. I've been trying to no avail to get him to repeat the roll-over event of last week. "Roll over! Roll over Lincoln!" Chad: He's not a dog, Meg. At any rate, he's gaining impressive head lift and control, even if he's holding out on me with the rolling-over thing.

Vegas Adventures

2011-06-21T09:32:00.005-07:00

The words "Vegas Adventures" mean something very different to our family than it might to your average Vegas-goer. We don't visit the casinos, (unless that's where our chosen restaurant or movie theater is housed), and our version of playing the slots is letting our kids man-handle the video games at Red Robin.

Instead of the local nightlife, we enjoy the local wildlife.

Las Vegas cuisine at its finest: homemade Margherita and BBQ chicken pizzas on the grill.

We're the only couple who would go on a date in the Venetian pushing a baby stroller.

We prefer private pools to topless resort pools.

The only thrill rides we experience are the blow-up slides at Pump-it-Up.

And family time is important too.

Not your typical Vegas Vacation, but that's the way we like it.

June 16-21, 2011

Lied Children's Museum

2011-06-20T18:39:00.002-07:00

Two years ago, on one of our visits to Vegas, we went with Sydney and her kids to the Lied Children's Museum for the first time. I loved it. This time around, we took advantage of Zackary's family pass and got in free! Bree got so much more out of the experience this time, since she is actually old enough to figure out the interactive exhibits. She also made an instant friend, with whom she spent a lot of time playing (typical Bree). And Mason, who was just 13 months last time, was in three-year-old heaven this time. Chad and I divided our attention between Mason and Bree, since they have different interests. I can't believe how much energy Mason has; he never got tired of running around (the fact that he gets "tired" so quickly during walks is obviously just evidence that he's bored...I don't think I've ever seen him truly physically exhausted).

Our Vegas visit was supposed to include a couple days up at Mt. Charleston with the Leas, camping and enjoying the cooler weather. But we nixed that idea at the last minute. So the kids had to content themselves at the museum.

I think they were mollified. There was plenty of adventure to be had here.

And new skills to learn.

Skills included me figuring out how to take pictures with my new camera in the museum's terrible lighting. I was pretty satisfied with the results, especially compared with the pictures from our last visit (oh, the terrible flash!).

There was boy stuff.

And girl stuff.

And we were very glad we went.

Milestone conquered.

2011-06-17T18:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Lincoln rolled from his tummy to his back. At two months old. I'm just sayin'.

2-month stats:
11 lbs, 2 oz
22 inches

Choosing to Smile

2011-06-16T11:00:00.067-07:00

This was just one of Lincoln's many appointments. We have been very lucky, because Lincoln hasn't had any of the major medical problems that often accompany Down Syndrome. His heart is healthy, he eats well, and is a great sleeper. But Lincoln's needs have introduced us to a whole new schedule of baby appointments. One of which includes making sure his heart continues to function well. So, at two months old he visited the cardiologist for a EKG and echo-cardiogram. Bree insisted on coming in with us, and held on to Lincoln to offer moral support. He was perfect and calm through the long appointment. He seemed far too small to be hooked up to all those leads, and when we were in the ultrasound room I almost lost it, seeing him lying on the hospital gurney. But I am so thankful that he is healthy.

I am told that I will never get used to the appointments. The hassle of scheduling and referrals. The worry that goes along with it. Life is fragile. This knowledge hovers in the back of my mind now more than ever, and it makes some days difficult to handle. But it's also given me perspective, and a determination to focus on the good stuff. So that's why I smile and snap photos like the crazy Mamarazzi, commemorating Lincoln's first EKG as if he were taking his first step. Because I could look at him lying there and give in to the urge to cry... or I could choose to smile and think, "Look at you. Nothing's going to hold you back. Life is going to be awesome."

Smiles

2011-06-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Lincoln smiled Thursday for the first time. A real smile, while he was awake, directed at me, in response to some silly face I was making. So you know it's official. He's been trying to smile for about a week now, with a look on his face that let us know he really wanted to smile. But Thursday he cracked an official, open mouth grin. And today he gave me several right in a row. Smiles are part of what makes motherhood amazing.

Making a Splash

2011-06-10T19:37:00.030-07:00

Bree and Mason love to "swim" at Grandma's house, and they had that chance when we visited this week to celebrate Father's Day early with my dad and grandpa. Attaching the water hose to the slide with a bungee cord makes a great water slide, and the inflatable kiddie pool at the bottom provides hours of fun.

And I should know by now that I can't pull out my camera without this happening:

I am so glad that Mason no longer freaks out when he gets water in his face. He used to do this frantic head-shake, hands-swiping-face thing. Now he loves it.

A day of playing outside wouldn't be complete without at least one injury. Mason tripped over his towel, fell, and scraped his nose.

Seriously, who needs water parks?

Breaking up is hard to do.

2011-06-05T15:31:00.001-07:00

Bree: "Mom, I'm breaking up with Calan from getting married."
Me: "I didn't know you were planning on getting married."
"Yeah, when I'm 20 I'm getting married, but not to Calan anymore."
"What did Calan say to you?"
"He said he wants to marry Lizzy more."
"Oh."
*Sigh* "I don't know who I'm going to marry...I guess I'll just have to play with Cora (Calan's sister)."
"Well, you can still play with Calan, can't you?"
"Breaking up means not being anyone's true love."
"Who told you that?"
"I just figured it out myself."

7 Weeks

2011-06-04T21:07:00.003-07:00

A Lucky Visit

2011-06-04T19:16:00.002-07:00

My parents came to visit us on Memorial Day. They never seem to get enough of my kids. As Bree says to my mom, "You're so lucky to have grandkids."

My dad does a little poem with Lincoln about a dog going to Dover, which Mason finds hilarious.

My mom reads the kids the book their Uncle Jimmy wrote.

Lucky grandparents. Lucky kids.

Butterfly Cupcakes

2011-06-01T21:22:00.001-07:00

The other day my awesome friend brought a few gifts over: a cute Old McDonald's Farm blanket, a book with moveable velcro cars and trucks, and a special edition cupcake magazine. Bree saw the blanket by Lincoln's crib, and Mason playing with the book, and asked me with a pout, "What did Sister Simmons bring for me Mama?" I cleverly handed her the magazine and said, "Look at this! You get to pick your favorite cupcake out of this magazine, and we'll make them together!" She pored over the pages until she reached these butterfly cupcakes, and was immediately sold. Luckily, I always seem to have a dozen or more cupcakes in my freezer, left over from a cupcake order where I overestimated batter needs. So I pulled out some chocolate chip cupcakes, and we got to work. I knew those candy melts I've been hoarding would come in handy at some point. And those squeeze bottles made especially for melting candy in the microwave--awesome. They helped keep the melted candy mess to a minimum as we filled in our pretzel "wings". Very simple, and pretty darn cute.

This boy and his trains

2011-05-31T18:10:00.082-07:00

Thomas. Percy. Duncan. Arthur.

Mason lives and breathes his toy train engines. I cannot keep my living room floor free of them. And the endless supply of track that comes with them. And train cars. And a train station, and a bridge, and a zip line.

Santa brought Mason his first motorized Thomas the Train set this last Christmas, when it took all the men present to correctly assemble the track. Since then, Mason has mastered the art of setting up the track on his own. Hence his semi-permanent residence on my living room floor.

He takes the occasional break, when I assume he daydreams about trains.

"I wish I had lots and LOTS of trains. We need to go to the store and buy more trains."

Mason often lies down right next to his track to get as close to the action as possible.

He probably does this so Thomas appears huge and life-like. Like when I was little and I'd stick my head in Barbie's house.

"Mom, do you like trains?"
Yep.
"Mom, can you help me build a giant train track? Pleeease?"

Oh, Mason. How can I say no? And what's that on your chin?

Just the beginning

2011-05-31T10:38:00.003-07:00

Pick me! Pick me!

2011-05-29T16:21:00.002-07:00

My mom helped us make a video so we could enter our backyard in a HGTV makeover contest. It turned out pretty cute (especially compared to the other video entries on their website!). Please click on the link below and give our video a good rating! (You don't even have to watch it...I'm just saying)

http://my.hgtv.com/hgtvd/Yard/Cabbage-Scratch-Kids/detail.esi?oid=24421009

Laundry Day

2011-05-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

Saturday is laundry day. Some families do one load every day, and that's how they keep their laundry situation under control. For us, Saturday works. For one thing, Chad is usually not on a "normal" weekend schedule, so Saturday is hardly ever a day when we're too busy or out of town. For another, our electric plan allows us a cheaper rate on weekends, so we can run all our appliances all day long on Saturdays and save money.

However, sometimes the one-big-laundry-day approach backfires, and the pile of unfolded clothes reaches astounding heights. And sometimes the task of folding trickles on into Sunday (which is a day of rest, after all), which pushes it to Monday...and it is not unheard of to have a pile that sits around til Thursday. And there is usually a load that sits forgotten in the dryer until the next Saturday rolls around. There it is. I said it. The secret's out.

We all scream for ice cream!

2011-05-28T20:38:00.001-07:00

Friday May 27th, 2011

(The big box behind Bree is the wall unit for our master bathroom's new shower/tub...Storing it in the kitchen is not ideal. I know this.)

Everything is cuter...

2011-05-28T19:06:00.031-07:00

Having a new camera has made me snap-happy. Suddenly everything my kids do is super-cute. Usually Mason just dresses himself, but since he hasn't mastered the art of buttoning, he came out to the living room asking me for help. I, being the helpful soul that I am, just started taking pictures. (I did do the buttoning when it got that far)

Because everything is cuter through the lens of my new camera.

And it doesn't hurt that every time I sit down to try to figure out the settings on my camera, the kids jump all over me, asking me to take their picture. And they really get into the posing thing. My zany three-year-old will actually sit still so I can take his picture.

Wonder how long that will last. And I wonder what's on his chin?

And Bree has to get in on the action. She always has to do some funky pose. Again, it's my fault for letting her watch America's Next Top Model over my shoulder...those gals do some pretty funky posing. Maybe nothing quite like this though.

And this little stunt is definitely a nod to the episode where the models are in Morocco and have to balance tea trays with candles on their heads.

So although I cringe when she says, "I want to be a top model when I grow up," I have to admit that it's nice to have kids that love the camera. It makes it so much easier to capture the cuteness that they radiate.

Dress-up lessons

2011-05-28T18:51:00.039-07:00

I had nothing to do with what went on here. I swear, Chad. Bree was the instigator.

I did, however, laugh when I saw this:

Mason's first instance of dress-up. And his dress is on backwards to boot. Unfortunately for my masculine and appropriately appalled husband, I kept laughing at Mason, which will undoubtedly ensure many more dress-up days in his future.

Bree, sporting the hat she designed for her dance recital:

I had found a nice hot pink hat for her to decorate with flowers, but she asked me if I could spray-paint it black, "You know, so it's more fashion-modely." And I obliged, because I always have black spray paint on hand, which I use to prevent our wrought-iron fence from fading and/or rusting in our crazy Arizona weather.

Mason practices a bashful pose for the camera:

Bree does her impression of America's Next Top Model (she sneaks into the room while I'm watching that show...it's like a moth to a flame).

And Mason tries to copy her.

Perhaps deep down Mason knows how much what he's doing pains his father. Or maybe he has some idea of how embarrassed he will be when he's 16 and these pictures resurface.

And he shows the proper amount of shame.

Life's Fun Little Surprises

2011-05-27T21:49:00.002-07:00

When Chad asked if there was anything special that I wanted for Mother's Day this year, I told him I was ordering myself a couple of photography books so I could learn how to better document our growing family. He said "So...does that mean you'll be wanting that new camera now?" He knows me so well. So yes, I ordered a new dSLR camera too.

I didn't think it had even shipped yet, so imagine my surprise when it arrived in the mail today! I was just sitting down to play with my new Canon Rebel when Bree, upon noticing Lincoln's wet diaper (those Huggies Little Snugglers have that magic stripe that changes colors when the diaper is wet, much to my children's delight), retrieved a diaper, the wipes, and the Desitin, and started changing Lincoln's diaper before I even realized what was happening!

Aaagh! A perfect, unplanned photo op! I was literally sitting there with a camera in my hands, but I had no idea how to work it outside the patronizing "Green Box" (auto mode--seriously, I could not be caught dead using auto mode with this amazing camera)! But I couldn't miss this opportunity. I may not have figured out much on the camera, but what I did know was that I did not want an unnatural flash on, so I had it on "No Flash" mode (whatever else that means as far as settings go). And I would have preferred not to have the toys from the play mat in my way, but the action was already going on, so I had no choice! I snapped away, trying to capture the moment. I was so happy with how easy it was to get nice shots in my poorly-lit living room, which has always been a problem with my point-and-shoot camera.

And Bree. This girl amazes me every day by how grown-up she is. She is such a big helper with her little brothers. She has an impressive command of the English language. And she can get her own snacks, which is awesome. The other day she spread her own peanut butter and honey. She requires minimal help from me, and can take care of Mason and Lincoln too, which means that I can now fully immerse myself in laziness.

Lincoln is going to grow up spoiled. And by spoiled I mean surrounded by a ridiculous amount of love and attention from his whole family.

Meeting Lincoln

2011-05-23T15:10:00.018-07:00

Chad's parents came for a visit to meet their newest grandchild. We made a trip to Phoenix to the Bass Pro Shop and Costco, Fran organized a treasure hunt for Bree and Mason, and Jim went on a ride-along with Chad. Thanks to Fran, we have some sweet photos to document the memories (I'm going to try to be better about taking photos now that I have a new camera!).

5 Weeks

2011-05-20T19:03:00.004-07:00

Cake pops and related news

2011-05-19T14:30:00.003-07:00

Last weekend Amy and I had an order to make a cake for a graduation party. A huge two-tiered thing to feed 75 people. Covered in fondant. With tiger stripes.

I was in charge of baking the chocolate tier, and when the cake had cooled I trimmed off the domed tops to make the layers level. So I had a big pile of scraps. Delicious scraps. So I ate a few handfuls, but still had a lot leftover. And, as luck would have it, I also happened to have some leftover peanut butter frosting from some amazing peanut butter cup cupcakes I'd made. And I thought, "Cake pops!"

I've seen cake pops everywhere in the blogosphere, but had never attempted them. When you read the directions for making cake pops, they literally start with, "1) Bake a cake. 2) Frost cake. 3) Smash cake until it's mush." Then the directions proceed to tell you to form the cake/frosting mush into balls, insert sucker sticks, freeze, then dip into some sort of coating and decorate. Well, I feel that ruining a perfectly good cake just to make cake pops (which is a process that, depending on how elaborately the pops are decorated, can be a ridiculous amount of work) is a huge waste. So I had written off cake pops. As in, they were never going to happen.

That was before I found myself looking at a glorious pile of chocolate cake pieces that would probably go to waste. So I mashed up some cake scraps with that peanut butter frosting, etc., etc. And last night when we had some friends and their kids over, I pulled those frozen balls out of the freezer, dipped them in melted chocolate (leftover from more of those peanut butter cup cupcakes...which are amazing, by the way) and let the kids dip them in sprinkles or nuts. And they were delicious.

And adorable. I tried to snap a picture before Mason ate his. "Wait, Mason! Hang on a second!"

"Hold it out for me!"

Forget this, Mom.

Oh, and that cake Amy and I made for the graduation party? Yeah, it turned out awesome. It was the first fondant-covered cake we've done. Um, and the last. The powdered sugar aftermath in Amy's kitchen was horrendous.

All in the name of cake.

Dancing Queen

2011-05-14T20:49:00.003-07:00

Broadway Baby

Hey Daddy!

Doesn't Chad make a gorgeous stage prop?

I'm so proud of my beautiful, talented dancer.

"Mom, take a picture!"

2011-05-11T20:05:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while Bree will ask me to take a picture. Usually it's of something silly, like her toy lizards "hugging" each other, or her tongue when it's stained blue from a sucker. And I'll groan and oblige her.

But then, every once in a while, I'll hear that request, and I'll see this:

Then this (big brother doesn't want to be left out):

And I'm more than happy to oblige.

3 1/2 Weeks

2011-05-10T18:15:00.012-07:00

Fine Dining

2011-05-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

Mmmmother's day

2011-05-09T15:34:00.002-07:00

I'm not big into Mother's Day in the "I'm a mother! Spoil me!" kind of way. I usually try to do something special for my mom, but really, that should be a regular occurrence anyway.

But Chad loves to spoil me, so I'm okay with that. Especially when it means that he makes me breakfast.

Sunday mornings are hectic enough, getting ready for 9:00am church, but this week was also my first week back after we welcomed Lincoln into our home, and Chad is on his evening work schedule which means he didn't get home until midnight Saturday. But there he was at 7:00am, cutting potatoes and mixing up chocolate chip pancakes, and catching the BBQ grill on fire because I didn't want to smell like bacon but he really wanted to make me bacon because I love eating it. And it was delicious. And I love him.

When I look down

2011-05-07T16:23:00.001-07:00

Weight and see

2011-05-07T15:19:00.106-07:00

*Disclaimer: This post in no way means that I feel negatively about Lincoln's actual healthcare. I trust and adore our P.A. Chad. We've been seeing him since Bree was born, and wouldn't think of going to anyone else. My reactions in this particular story are highly irrational, driven by raging postpartum hormones.

Thursday Lincoln saw Dr. Chad (he's actually a Physician Assistant, so we should just call him Chad, but that get's confusing at our house) for his second check-up.

At his 4-day-old appointment, Dr. Chad pronounced him healthy as can be. He said we'll schedule an echo-cardiogram at two months to follow up on a slight tricuspid valve prolapse, but since murmurs among all newborns are common, we're not too concerned. They weighed him at 6lbs, 8 oz, which is what he weighed at the hospital before we came home. Okay, cool, see ya in a couple weeks Doc.

So when this Thursday's appointment rolled around, and the nurse weighed him at 6-8 again, I was like, "WHAT? Weigh him again. I mean, weigh him again, please." So she did. 6-8 again. This kid is three weeks old! He was 6-15 at birth! What the heck? So Lincoln and I met with Dr. Chad, and the first thing he said was "I am not happy about this weight thing." Of course, I automatically (and irrationally) took that to mean that Chad wasn't happy with me, since I'm the one responsible for this little person, and by extension his health and growth, and I experienced the deflating feeling of failure. I'm thinking, "Okay, so I don't keep a rigid feeding schedule, but I'm pretty sure he's eating enough...I think he's eating enough...Oh no, I'm a terrible mom!"

So I get defensive and say to him, "But your scale was acting funny! I swear!"

Then he talks about consistent growth chart percentages, and throws out the term "Failure to Thrive," and recommends I keep Lincoln on a rigid every-two-hour feeding schedule during the day to make up for the fact that my perfect little angel sleeps 7-8 hours straight at night.

And I'm trying to keep it together.

And I forget the things I was going to talk to him about during this visit. Like getting the more sophisticated genetic test that can tell us which of the four types of Down Syndrome Lincoln has. Or what else I have to do to get that next echo-cardiogram lined up. Or the special growth chart for kids with DS that I had brought with me and forgotten in the car. (Post-partum "mommy brain" is a legitimate thing. Really. And stir a little stress and heightened emotions into the pot, and my brain goes into emergency power-save mode, with no capacity for multitasking, recall, or critical thinking)

Then Dr. Chad says, "But otherwise he's absolutely perfect." And he high-fives me like he does on every visit, says, "You got this, Mom," (which is something I always need to hear) and I let out a sigh/groan and I sport a look that says "I'm trying, at least."

So on the short drive home I hold back the tears. But at some point during the day, the overwhelming worry about my kid who isn't, by medical definition, "thriving" gets to me, and I lose it. I'm bawling. Chad takes it much better than me, and says, "He's eating plenty. We'll just keep it up, and he'll gain weight. I'm not worried." Which is okay, because I'm programmed to worry more than enough for the both of us.

So a couple days pass, and I decide to try to ease my mind a little. I step onto our bathroom scale with Lincoln to do the math and get a rough estimate of his weight. An 8 pound difference! Can Lincoln actually weigh 8 pounds? Even allowing for a pound of error, I would still be happy with a 7-pound baby.

So then I get creative with the kitchen scale:

7lbs, 9 oz. Take that Dr. Chad's scale.

And I feel so much better. I should never have believed it anyway. I mean, those thigh rolls don't lie.

Perfect Pictures

2011-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

I don't get the camera out enough. Too often I find myself thinking, "I'll get this disaster of a room cleaned up, then I'll take a picture...I'll photograph the kids after they've had their baths and have shed that 'homeless child' look...I can't be in a photo now; I don't have makeup on." But that's life. Embrace it Megan; embrace it.

So, here's to embracing crusty, watery eyes (I've birthed yet another allergy-sufferer!)

And sticky, matted little areas of Baby Lincoln's hair, where loving older brother has bestowed sticky kisses.

And...okay, this one's actually perfect.

Lincoln in motion

2011-05-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

The sneezing at the end is awesome.

Welcome to Holland

2011-05-01T21:55:00.001-07:00

Lincoln is a very special baby, and a regular birth announcement can't possibly say it all. God has made Lincoln special and has chosen us to be his parents. He is a beautiful, sweet baby. He was born with his daddy's blue eyes and his mommy's brown hair. He has Chad's cheeks and my nose. He was also born with an extra 21st chromosome. We're proud and in love with our new baby, and want everyone else to be too. We need love and congratulations, not condolences. Oh, and diapers. We need diapers.

I ran across the following essay that uses a great metaphor to explain how it feels to be the parent of a child with special needs:

***

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip--to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"HOLLAND?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around....and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things...about Holland.

--Emily Perl Kingsley

Bath Time

2011-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Lincoln is not a fan.

Bree's Lullaby

2011-05-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, little baby, you don't have to fuss
Little baby, don't fuss, don't fuss
Even though there's scary shadows
Everything's going to be all right.
Even though there's scary shadows
It's going to be fiiiiiine.
Little baby, listen very, very closely.
Little baby, why do you cry all the time when you're hungry?
Little baby, why do you always poop in your pants?
It's very hard for my mommy.
Why do you always have to drink milk?
Why do you always have to drink mi-hi-hi-hilk?
Little baby, listen very closely.
Everything's going to be all right.

-Courtesy of Bree singing to baby Lincoln right now, as I type.

Easter

2011-04-25T15:54:00.004-07:00

Extra! Extra!

2011-04-19T11:40:00.001-07:00

From last week's local paper:

Masonic Lodge's Officers of the Year

Published: April 13th, 2011, Copper Country News, Page 4

Globe White Mountain Masonic Lodge #3 recognized its Officers of the Year at a luncheon on Saturday at Guayo's on the Trail. From left to right, Gila County Sheriff's Deputy Chris McGroarty, DPS Officer Chad Wallace of Roosevelt District 11, and Globe Police officer Brian Hudson. Unable to attend was Miami Police officer Thomas Medina.

Lincoln!

2011-04-17T18:38:00.002-07:00

One and a half hours of painful contractions.
A quickly dilating cervix that made an epidural pointless.
A few good hard pushes.
An umbilical cord twice around baby's neck, remedied by doctor's nimble fingers.
Chubby cheeks, blue eyes, brown hair, huge feet.
Love at first sight.

Lincoln Porter Wallace

April 15th, 2011
2:47 a.m.

6 lbs, 15 oz

19 inches

är-bə-ˈrē-təm

2011-04-11T19:47:00.004-07:00

Aboretum: a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes

This month's field trip found us at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, a state park just outside of Superior. There were definitely trees, shrubs, and lots of herbs. And there were scientific educational efforts put forth by the adult chaperones. How much of it sunk into the kids' brains remains to be seen. But I think we all agree that we enjoyed some beautiful plants, including some enormous trees that I didn't know could exist around here. We encouraged the kids to look, listen, and smell (the smells were great, but my allergies paid for it for a few days!). And we again witnessed the vastly differing levels of stamina between Bree and Mason. Bree can walk or hike all day with enjoyment, never complaining. Mason, on the other hand...

Well, let's just say that this was a recurring sight behind me, often accompanied by, "My feet hurt. Can you carry me? Let's go back to the car." Thankfully I had crackers in my pocket to lure him down the path. So through constant enticements and encouragement, (though at times I had my doubts) he didn't actually get left behind.

How many parties does one girl need?

2011-04-03T17:12:00.001-07:00

Lucky Bree got more than one birthday party this year!

The Saturday before her actual birthday, my parents joined us:

Food: Chinese (Our whole family loves Chinese, and although we agreed that take-out definitely tops buffet, it was nice to sit down and eat at the restaurant too.)
Gifts: from Grandma and Papa Wilkinson--homemade dress, a red skirt and leg warmers for dance (dance class was also one of her gifts), and Barbie clothes arrived in the mail that next week.
Cake: chocolate chip cookie cupcake.

On April 1st, we had a party for our preschool group:

Food: pizza from Little Caesar's
Cake: strawberry cupcakes (Bree really wanted Mickey cupcakes, which were really simple, but that black frosting was heinously messy!)
Goodies: Bree helped me choose some candy and little toys for goody bags for her friends, and she filled them by herself.

Life goes on

2011-03-23T19:29:00.001-07:00

I'm here. I haven't been on vacation for two months. My computer has been functioning perfectly fine. I have not been too busy to blog. I just haven't quite been able to find it in me.

February was a really tough month for me, and the mood is lingering. I think I put on a pretty good front most of the time. But there are days when I hardly make it out of bed, much less out of the house. Sure, I fulfill most of my obligations, and some activities are a more welcome distraction than others. But while I have always enjoyed blogging, this past year I've been doing it just because I wanted to document our family's events, not because I was necessarily enjoying the process. If I had given in to my inclinations, there would have been an entire year of nothing, rather than just a couple months. But I took pictures when the occasion called for it, because my children grow so fast, and I knew I'd hate myself later if I didn't record that.

Blogging is just more evidence that life goes on without Riley. There are enough times when I feel like I'm faking being happy, and though I do take incredible pleasure in my family, probably even more now than ever, when I try to blog about it, it feels strangely fake and empty because I miss my baby boy. So when February came around, bringing with it possibly the worst anniversary someone can have on their calendar, I didn't have it in me to blog happy words, even though there have been happy times worth blogging about. We have had celebrations and field trips. I've also been emotional, and often difficult to be around. I have less than seven weeks until this next baby comes, and although I am excited, I am nervous and scared. The pregnancy has gone by quickly, and I have not spent much time planning for or thinking about life after childbirth. And we don't have a name picked out. And I'm afraid that I will spend my postpartum days crying and not being able to let the baby out of my sight. And my life won't allow me to fall apart, as tempting as falling apart may be.

So I'm going to keep blogging. I'm going to fill in the blank in my blog, because there hasn't been a blank in my life. I have some entries from February that have pictures, and are just waiting for words. They've been waiting a while. Every time I've tried to complete them, the words haven't come. Or they haven't felt right. Or they feel trite and seem to only tell the partial truth. So if, despite my best efforts, my words are lackluster, or are perhaps not present at all, hopefully now it's clear why.

From pond to plate

2011-03-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

We had a nice visit at my parents' house after our trip to the Desert Museum, and Chad and my dad spent a lot of time fishing at my grandpa's pond. It may not be a huge pond, but it is teeming with fish, thanks to Grandpa's diligent stocking efforts. The guys came home with some really big bass and catfish. And since we can only eat so much grilled fish in one sitting, Chad and I took home a big gallon-size Ziploc back full of fish fillets. My kids are not big fans of grilled fish, but they do love fish sticks. So I used my favorite Crispy Chicken Nuggets breading recipe from Cook's Country magazine to fry up some crispy fish fillets. It was so cool to eat those yummy fillets and know that they were wriggling fish in Grandpa's pond just a couple days before. And the even kids gobbled them up. Here's the original AMAZING chicken nugget recipe:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch thick nugget pieces (I've done strips too, to save time)
2 cups water
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed smaller
2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 large egg whites
4 cups oil

Brine: Mix water, salt, and Worcestershire in large bowl or plastic bag. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes (45 minutes for strips).
Coat: Remove chicken and discard brine. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine dry ingredients in shallow dish. Whisk egg white in second shallow dish until foamy. Coat chicken in egg then dry mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer to plate and let sit 10 minutes.
Fry: Heat oil in large pot to 350 degrees. Coat chicken in dry mixture a second time. Fry chicken in batches until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes (slightly longer for strips), turning over halfway through cooking time. Drain on wire rack set on cookie sheet. Allow oil to return to 350 degrees before frying next batch.

Make ahead and freeze: put cooled nuggets in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. To serve, bake nuggets at 350 for 15 minutes, or until heated through, flipping halfway through.

Desert Museum

2011-03-15T20:58:00.001-07:00

Chad and I have been waiting for the perfect time to use last year's Birthday gift from my parents: a visit to the Arizona Desert Museum. The weather was beautiful, the animals were active, and I figured if we waited much longer, my belly would be too large to schlep around the grounds. We saw tons of native reptiles, plants, birds (including minuscule hummingbirds nests), and other animals native to Arizona. We saw out-of-staters wilting in the March heat, and I thought to myself, "You have no idea what hot is." I saw bobcats (I can't believe I never realized that they're called that because their tails are so short--bobbed in fact), and a real-life mountain lion for the first time. We had a really close view too! And we weren't sure if the iguana crossing our path had escaped from an exhibit, but I've never seen one wandering in the wild. Mason and Bree especially loved the indoor presentation where we saw several native animals walk across the table: a skunk, porcupine, ringtail, macaw, and a pelican (Arizona is very close to the north end of the Gulf of California).

It was an amazing day spent with my favorite people.

3/14/2011

A Day out with Thomas

2011-03-05T20:55:00.011-07:00

I couldn't believe it when I heard that Thomas the Train was coming to Globe. Our tiny little town of Globe! Well, we do have a classic old train station with trains that only run sporadically for leisure tours, so I suppose that may have had something to do with Thomas choosing to stop here over all the other cities in the country. It was very cool to be able to walk a few blocks to the train station surrounded by throngs of people who had driven from Phoenix and Tucson. It was definitely money well spent. We took a short ride on Thomas, in the comfortable dining car he was pulling, met the train conductor as he walked through, saw Sir Toppem Hat, then Mason played with ALL the toy exhibits. He was in heaven.

3/5/2011

Our Zoo at the Zoo

2011-02-17T16:00:00.002-07:00

Our preschool group:
Adults: me, Amy, Mackenzie
Kids: Bree, Mason, Calan, Cora, Brookie
Babies: (not officially in preschool yet) Ryan, Jenna, Jocelyn, boy in my belly

All of us together make up quite a zoo when we go on field trips. So, fittingly, for February's trip we took the kids to the Phoenix Zoo. Our family's membership got us all in for free! The weather was perfect, the kids were well-behaved (okay, so I lost track of Mason a couple of times, but what else is new?), and the kids, who had just recently learned about zoo animals in preschool, got to show off their knowledge about the difference between monkeys and apes. Then they acted like monkeys for the camera.

2/16/2011

It's all about Thomas!

2011-02-04T08:52:00.015-07:00

Mason's third birthday celebration at Grandma and Grandpa Wallace's. Thomas ice cream cake, Thomas shirt, Thomas train set from Grandma and Papa!

2/3/11

Tractor-ful Birthday

2011-01-29T18:02:00.003-07:00

My parents came to Globe for a quick visit to celebrate Mason's third birthday. Anyone who's met Mason knows he is a tractor freak. If we're driving in the truck, he can spot tractors from a block away. He knows which way we need to go to drive by RSC Equipment Rental. Whenever we visit my parents' place, he has to ride on papa's tractor with him. He knows all of the construction vehicles: front-loader, bulldozer, bobcat, backhoe, forklift, dump truck, crane, etc. So my parents gave him a John Deer Tractor for his birthday, along with a custom-sewn John Deer shirt. We enjoyed lunch out, complete with a free birthday ice cream sundae (which Bree quickly claimed--Mason's not always a huge dessert fan). It seemed like Mason was two forever. And despite my worries, he is finally talking, is actually quite the chatterbox now, has learned to mostly dress himself (even though his clothes are backwards 30% of the time), and has successfully potty-trained, thank goodness. He loves music, and can often be heard singing himself to sleep. He is a crazy whirl-wind of a boy, who never walks if there's room to run while flailing his limbs in all directions, and I would worry about his hearing if I didn't know that boys his age often need directions to be repeated six times before they sink in. He's my three-year-old.

Globe receives an honor

2011-01-27T17:49:00.010-07:00

It's been too long since I've seen Jaime--almost a year! She and Zackary braved the airlines to visit us and break up January's monotony. What did we do? Well, a whole lot of nothing, really. But it was the best nothing I'd had in a long time. We did get pedicures, and would have hit the local day spa if it hadn't been closed due to water damage. And we gave Jaime and Zackary haircuts (my hairdresser did Jaime's, and Chad did Zackary's). Oh, and we got to watch and make fun of The Bachelor together in person instead of via text. Jaime helped us sort through Riley's baby clothes, and she donated some clothes for the new baby. And I returned her maternity clothes, which she needs now, and which mostly don't fit me anyway (we normally wear the same size, but she's a thinner pregnant woman than I). She helped me test a recipe for Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes. The kids played, and Mason and Zackary drove each other crazy. And we talked, and talked, and talked. And then she had to go home too soon. And I again marveled at how lucky I am to have such a close and true friend.

Missing toy

2011-01-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Mason: "I need my front loader Mom."
Me: "Where is it?"
Mason: "In my closet."
Search for said toy commences.
Me: (holding up a toy tractor) "Is this it?"
Mason: "No. I need my front loader."
Me: (holding up another variety of tractor) "Is this it?"
Mason: "No. I don't need a backhoe or a bulldozer or a dump truck. I need a front loader."

I apparently need to brush up on tractor definitions.

Tonto National Monument

2011-01-19T16:23:00.018-07:00

A beautiful day for a hike. And it was quite a hike! You can see where we started out in the first picture, and our destination--the ruins high up in the hills. It was quite a feat for five little kids and three moms carrying babies (and yes, mine is still in my belly, but that doesn't mean he counts any less). Everyone we passed had an amused look and a thoroughly witty comment for us. The cliff dwellings were very cool, and though not on as grand a scale as Mesa Verde, we got to walk into all the rooms, which was neat. And the views of Roosevelt Lake were beautiful, reminding us just how high we had come...quite an accomplishment.