ah, hem...

All right, people.... let the truth be known....

We've got a

and if that's not clear enough, let's just say that there's a

roaming around our house these days!

I'm due on Grant's birthday, November 15, which makes me about 10 weeks pregnant. I know this is still pretty early on, but we just can't keep this a secret for much longer! Actually, Grant let the cat out of the bag several weeks ago when he was asked to give the closing prayer in Primary. He said, "Heavenly Father, please help me to keep my mommy's secret, and only tell the people she told me I could tell." (So, we probably shouldn't have told him so soon, but he has been begging and praying and scheming and dreaming about a new baby for months and months and months! The fact that I'm due on his 6th birthday has been a source of utter joy and excitement for him.)

The bottom line is...wish us luck!

a solicitous, somewhat desperate plea

Yup, you guessed it. This post addresses one of my all-time favorite featurettes in the story of motherhood: potty training. I'm writing with sort of a guilty, nagging sense of shame. You see, Jack is nearly 3, and is dead set on NOT becoming toilet trained. By writing this, I am allowing myself to become quite vulnerable and open to mocking and jeering by all you fabulous moms who wiped your hands of the process (literally!) in a matter of days when your kids were, oh, maybe 15 months...

But now in my utter meekness, I am seeking your advice. I've tried bribes. I've made the chart with the most amazing stickers as a reward (that's what did it for Grant.) I've bought the cool underwear. I've begged, praised, cajoled, and the other day declared with gusto that our house was going to become a "poop free zone!" (Grant was slightly concerned about that, but really I meant "poop-in-the-diaper" free zone.) We've practiced sword fighting (well, I haven't. But we've watched Grant demonstrate.) We've read books and watched movies. What am I missing here?

Lately, Jack will say, "Mom, don't worry, I'll go on Thursday." "Saturday." "Tuesday." But, to no avail. The problem is, the kid is 40 lbs. He looks like he's 4. He doesn't FIT in diapers, and good heavens, he poops man-poops! (Sorry for the frank language.) I took him to Target and had him try all the little potty seats, and his cute, big bum can't even squeeze on any of them! We've got a little seat that fits over the big toilet, and that's going to have to cut it.

Should I just drop it and leave the poor guy alone, or can anyone give me some pointers?

a little sojourn down south

One of the handful of good things about Nate's residency (I'll list the not-so-good sometime when I need sympathy) is his four weeks off every year. I've mentioned in an earlier post that I have dubbed them the "keep-me-sane weeks," which is exactly what they are.

This past one was spent on a meandering, spontaneous vacation through Virginia and down into Charlotte, North Carolina to see our great friends, Harland and Heather Hayes. Although we spent close to 24 hours in the car, it was so, so great to just be together as a family. We flew by the seat of our pants: no real set itinerary (right down to calling motel after motel in Roanoke to see if anyone had availability! Not exactly my uptight, control-freak style, but very refreshing...) no commitments, no obligations. It was bliss. Here's a few pics of our adventures.

good buddies: Grant and Cannon

the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va (a detour for Nate the history buff)

inside the Luray Caverns (amazing....)

our freezing hike in the leafless Shenandoah National Park (we'll be back in the fall!)


we couldn't resist the 1960's roadside feature: Dinosaur Land!

Jack conjuring up a scared face for that frightening papier-mache creature

if that's not authentic, I'll eat my foot

good times.

Bravo! Encore!

Friday was Grant's first piano recital. Way to go, Granter!

waxing sentimental

A wise woman reminded me this week how important it is to slow down and enjoy the moment: little ones won't be little for long. So often my gears are whirring like mad: get that load of laundry in, make that grocery list, call that student, pick up the sitter, plan YW, wash that floor, clean up those toys that have barely been out, get that dinner on, go, go, go. But this week, I've been trying a little harder to heed the profound advice.

I am a lucky girl. Today, a cozy, rainy Friday with no piano students to teach and no pressing commitments to occupy me, I got to experience the little world of my boys that sometimes passes by me as I zip around. I got to be an Allosaurus until my voice is hoarse. I had my hair brushed tenderly on several occasions by Jack. I got to give and receive backrubs, read about 25 library books, watch Sword in the Stone after dinner while eating ice cream (yes, this is the same day as my Cadbury post... I'm on a roll), and engage in animated discussions about knights, Star Wars, amphibians, egg-eating dinosaurs, and good Lamanites with my little people.

There are so many of you out there who I look up to as mothers. I only hope to learn from you and make more days like today, because I know that Grant and Jack won't always want me to be an audience and an active participant in their every moment forever.

a question

Why is it that it only takes me twenty minutes to go from doing this:

to nibbling this?

Darn that Canadian chocolate that appears only once a year! Why does it have to be so good?

Snow...at Last!

Many of you may think it strange that we are celebrating snow with such pompous, riotous glee. But when it's the first, and possibly ONLY snowstorm of the year, it's good reason! My friend Shari and I have been on the phone several times this winter with the Mt. Pocono Ski Resort (two hours away), inquiring in hopes that there was perhaps an inch or two up there for us to pretend to sled on! We were willing to go the distance, but so far, our hopes had been dashed. Not even the artificial stuff they stick on the ground for skiiers in the Poconos was doing it's thing.

But lo and behold: today, the snow gods smiled upon us! We hit the sledding slopes first thing in the morning. Schools here close immediately with even a whiff of snow, so we knew we could plan on a morning of glorious freedom. Grant sledded his guts out. Jack went from sledding to making dinosaur tracks to shoveling out the tunnel at the playground with his bare hands (and a plumber's crack to boot, as always!) Good times.

Now, will it stick so Nate's first day off in 17 days can be spent with his little dudes in the powder? I'm crossing my fingers...

{sorry about our sad, out-of-focus camera. it leaves much to the imagination...}