Glade's new 'baby doll'

Last week, our friends, Caleb and Brenda, had their little baby girl. She is absolutely adorable. They named her Rebecka Elizabeth and it fits her perfectly.

We went to the hospital a few times to see her, and Glade was so jealous every time Blake and I would hold her. She would cry and try to climb up with us and push the baby off. So of course I was nervous about Glade being around a little baby. She was only six months when Teagan was born, and Michael is older than her, so she has never been around a little baby when she was old to enough to play with them nicely.

So, we were over at their house yesterday, and Glade was crying and pulling on my legs because I was holding Rebecka, so I decided to try her out. I pulled Glade onto the couch with me, and helped her hold Rebecka. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. She giggled and talked to her and just smiled bigger than I have seen in a while. At that moment, I realized I had nothing to worry about.

After about ten minutes, I got the baby back from Glade and put her on the ground and I have never seen Glade so happy. She kissed Rebecka and then went off to play. It was absolutely fantastic!!

Glade's first vacation

Glade had her first weekend without her parents this last week. And because I was so worried, my brother and Levi kept sending me pictures of her so I would be more worried or miss her more. But I did enjoy getting them from the boys. Their captions were fantastic.

Her morning meal
Clint and Glade at the Gratto
"...No words to explain" (from Levi)
"This is how we keep her in the yard" (From Clint)
"And learning how to drive" (from Levi)
"Taught her to shoot a bolt action rifle! Yee haw!" (from Levi)
"She surely loves mustard!" (from Levi)
"And riding in the back of the pick up. Eighty the whole way down!" (from Levi)

This is said perfectly

"Das Leben ist eben so -- Höhen und Tiefen, eine Beule auf den Kopf und einen Schlag auf's Schienbein. So war es schon immer: Hamlet ist mit "Sein oder nicht sein" weinend umher gelaufen, aber das hat auch keine seiner Probleme gelöst. Es scheint eine Tendenz unter uns zu geben, zu denken, dass alles lieblich und rosig und wunderschön sein müsste, ohne dabei zu realisieren, dass selbst Widerstände einen süßen Nutzen haben. Einer meiner lieblings Zeitungskolumnisten ist Jenkin Lloyd Jones. In einem kürzlich veröffentlichen Artikel der "News", kommentierte er wie folgt: 'Jeder der glaubt, dass Glückseligkeit normal sei, wird eine Menge Zeit damit verschwenden, herumzulaufen und zu rufen, dass er beraubt wurde. Fakt ist, dass die meisten Putts nicht einlochen. Das meiste Fleisch ist zäh, Die meisten Kinder wachsen auf, um später einfach normale Leute zu sein. Die meisten erfolgreichen Ehen erfordern ein hohes Maß an Tolerierung. Die meisten Jobs sind die meiste Zeit eher öde als anderweit. ... DAs Leben ist eine Zugreise wie in alten Zeiten - Verspätungen, Umleitungen, Rauch, Staub, Asche und Geholper, nur gelegentlich durchsetzt mit wunderschönen Aussichten und aufregenden Geschwindigkeitsschüben. Der Trick liegt darin, dem Herrn zu danken, dass er uns diese Reise machen lässt.' "

In English : "Life is like that--ups and downs, a bump on the head, and a crack on the shins. It was ever thus. Hamlet went about crying, "To be or not to be," but that didn't solve any of his problems. There is something of a tendency among us to think that everything must be lovely and rosy and beautiful without realizing that even adversity has some sweet uses. One of my favorite newspaper columnists is Jenkin Lloyd Jones. In a recent article published in the News, he commented: Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. . . . Life is like an old-time rail journey--delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

I personally think the German makes it sound better, but I'm probably bias.

As I look back on how our summer turned out and how our future looks, everything just looks bleak. Blake has a job that pays $7 an hour, but he won't be able to get more than 30 hours a week because they are overstaffed. I still am unable to find a job, especially since no one is "hiring" or I am "overqualified". It truly wears you down.

But that quote from President Hinckley said it all. Life is just a group of ups and downs. You have to constantly work at it to make it work for you and then half the time it feels like you are sinking. And there is nothing you can do about it except relish the good times and know they will come again.

This made me cry a little

I got this story off of the blog of my young women's leader in Germany. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (Especially you mothers out there).

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office, was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is, " explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a ..?" "Of course I have a job," snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom." "We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like, 'Official Interrogator' or 'Town Registrar.' "What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations." The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.

Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. "Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest,"just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't) In the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careersand the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mom.'

Motherhood - What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. Does this make grandmothers 'Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations' and great grandmothers 'Executive Senior Research Associates' ? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts 'Associate Research Assistants'

The laxative chocolate....

So, we were given some chocolate last night and on the back it reads "may have some laxative effect". Well, Glade found one.....as you can see from the pictures.... And to make it better, she ate the entire bar before I checked on her... Come three in the morning I am going to be one unhappy mom............

A New Day

Today is Blake's first real shift at his job. He left at four, despite Glade's cries and her saying "dada" inbetween tears. I hate when he leaves because Glade gets so heartbroken, and I just miss him. I haven't had to not be with him since January....well, except for class. But that is about it. It is so strange.

I love having him around. Most of the time we don't really hang out with each other, even when we are home. He is painging his Tournament army and I am making things for babies and playing with Glade.

I love being at home though. You don't have to worry about bosses and paychecks and coworkers..... It is a very low stress environment.

I just wish that Blake and me didn't have to work at all. I wish would could just win a million dollars and be set for life. Or that we were just rich to begin with. That would have been awesome too. But, it is so much better not being rich, I guess. The stress makes you stronger.

I guess that is just the way it goes with life. The one time you get to enjoy yourselves and not have to worry is when you're dead. Good thing I'm going to the celestial kingdom, huh!!

So Glade's new thing is opening ziplock bags with her goodies in them and then throwing them all around the house. She gets a kick out of it and it drives me bonkers. But the one problem is that it is a pain in the butt cleaning when she is awake, so we do it after she goes to bed at night. However, it is just one big ugly cycle where she makes a mess, we clean it, she wakes up and does it again. It really does drag you down a little....

But Glade is so cute when she is making messes you can't stop her. She is just so enthralled in different things and it is just fastinating. Her new thing is to take books off the shelf, place them in front of the tv stand, and then put them back on the book shelf. It is really cute how she is in the "put away" stage. It's actually really nice. When she spills her cheerios, you hold the bag open and ask her to help, and she picks them up one at a time and puts them back into the bag. It is absolutely adorable. And she looks so proud of herself when she does it. Like she has accomplished something amazing and the whole world will be different for it.

Everyday with her is like a new experience. She is just absolutely adorable when she waddles around the house with her empty sippy cup and then shoves it on your lap and screams at you. Or when she walks around the house crying 'dada' and doesn't find him, so she comes into the living room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Or when she learns something new, like how to turn the tv off so you have to pay attention to her....

It is definitely a series of fantastic surprises from the minute you wake up, till she goes to sleep at night and you smile as she sleeps with her baby doll.

Motherhood....ugh....

Motherhood is a series of beautiful and ugly events that always seems to happen right after one another. You have this beautiful child that is surely a gift from God, but sometimes you just want to put them in their room where they can't mess anything up.

My beautiful gift from God, Glade, decided today that she would take her bowl of cereal (while we weren't looking, mind you) and put it in the bathtub. Well, little did she know, that when you drop a bowl with a lid on it time and time again, eventually the lid will come off. So I walk into the bathroom this afternoon, and there is rice cereal mixed with prunes all over my walls, the bathtub, the shower curtain....just everywhere....

And I go to see what Glade has to say for herself. (Yes, I think she can talk...) Well, she smiles that cute little smile, points to the bathroom, and giggles. You can't be mad at her for it. So, I get a bucket, a rag, and I go clean the bathroom.

Sometimes, I wonder why children are the way they are. I truly think God put them here so we could learn patience. Otherwise, people would freak out at other people at the drop of a hat. Since becoming a mother, I am more patient than ever. I can talk to people I don't like without a word to say otherwise, I can smile at my daughter when she refuses to eat dinner (for the 3rd night in a row), and I can smile at my husband when he is driving me insane.

Children are great, but without them, sometimes you just have to imagine a better and worse world all rolled into one....