I shaved both my legs 2 days ago!

OK, since my last post was 6 months ago, I figure it's time for a little update! My most loyal follower (Krissy!) has been requesting a new post, and while in the shower Saturday night, I thought it would be kind of funny to write a post about how I had shaved my legs, because ...it's just something that nobody really needs or cares to know about, and is one of the most un-interesting things to write about in a blog.

I had gotten Jared to sleep at 8:30 (we had made him skip a nap so he wouldn't be up til 2 a.m.) and was wondering what I was going to do with all of my free time that evening! I decided to start with a shower, which I had been planning on all day! Then, after shaving one leg and thinking how funny it would be to blog about it, I heard crying from the next room. I think Jared had a scary dream...Matthew thought he was in a milk coma...but either way, he started crying hysterically for me... still, I was determined to shave my second leg before getting out of the shower! So, I shaved both legs, and it was quite an accomplishment! After comforting him back to sleep, I sat looking at his little ears which had turned bright red when he was upset, and just thinking of what a sweet boy I have.

His favorite phrases lately are: Happy, Mommy? Happy, Daddy? Happy, 'mily? (He's not content until everyone in the house is happy!)

The other one that I think is so cute is: Me love Nellie. Me love Mommy. Me love Daddy. Me love 'mily. Me love Grandma. Me love Grandpa. Me love Sally. Me love chocolate chips.

I just think it is so cute, and I know he'll grow out of it and say it correctly soon enough. I just don't have the heart to correct him. Somehow, it seems more sincere when he says it his own way.

I just love, love, love this little boy.

My co-leader in the nursery, who kindly reminded me that her friend nursed her son til he was 7 years old, taught Jared a new word today...or yesterday (it's 2:22 a.m. on Monday, so what day was it on Sunday? yesterday, I guess!)

The word was "rambunctious." He learned it pretty quickly, saying "buncus" once, and then "rambuncus" over and over as he ran around the table, while his 2 fellow classmates sat in their chairs and quietly munched on their goldfish crackers and pretzels.

I still love my Jared boy, rambuncus and all.

By the way, my goal for yesterday was to sit down with Matthew, and try to post a picture, and ask him whenever I needed help, and write down the steps so that I'll know how to do it next time. It is really hard for me to learn new skills, for some reason (like sewing...it's torture!) He has tried explaining the steps when we're not at the computer, but that just goes in one ear and out the other for me. He has also written down all of the steps very clearly, which I have carefully filed away...somewhere. I am determined to get the hang of posting pics, so I can add the ones of the kids' lamps (so Mom can see what she got them for Christmas!) and the caricatures (also for Mom), but...I don't know if you're going to see a pic of my hair anytime soon. When we were in the sunlight today, Emily commented about how red my hair was. And the white sideburns are already coming back. I didn't really have that many white hairs on top, where it's all red now. I might just try an at-home coloring kit next time. I didn't enjoy the scraping and scabs when the beautician man scrubbed the dye off my face. I'm still glad I tried it, though! Also, I don't think I'll purposely post any pics of myself til I lose at least 52 pounds, which could be never, or...maybe in 52 weeks??? I thought I looked so nice in my new dress one week, so I had Matthew take some pics of me, and I couldn't believe how large I looked in the pictures! Needless to say, those will probably never be posted. By the way, I went to the gym 2 x last week, and went jogging with Nellie one night! So, it's coming along, more slowly than surely!!!

But at least it would be good to post some pics of the kids.

Like yesterday, Em looked so pretty in her new "bumble bee" outfit. We went shopping, and she picked out this really pretty yellow top and black lacy skirt. (Later, we bought some really cute dressy black sandals.) She looked so pretty at church (and so grown up!) What else can I say about Em? She's getting really into Super Mario Bros. on the wii that she got for Christmas. She still loves jumping and doing flips on the trampoline. She and Gg did a really cool Science Fair project about popcorn. Lately, I have gotten to see her silly side, and we have cried together, and I've felt such joy seeing her and Jared play happily together. She even replaced the battery in his Thomas the Train today. Her Primary lesson was on the Tree of Life yesterday, which is her favorite scripture story. We had a fun morning selling Girl Scout cookies together. We sold 62 (or 64?) boxes! She looks so cute wearing her sash...I still need to add her troop #s and Journey patch.

Friday at school, her teacher gave me a big hug and told me how much she loves Emily. (Her teacher grew up LDS, too, so there's a special bond there.) Emily is so responsible, setting her alarm, getting up and riding her bike to school and home each day. She loves school, and really excels there. She still loves art, drawing in her doodle journal, painting in the garage, making little people and animals out of clay... Matthew and I are planning a pottery day with Emily...making a pot on a real potter's wheel...we had fun on our last day out, painting a ceramic milk carton! I think my greatest wish for Emily is for her to know how very much we love her, and her Heavenly Father and Savior love her. Emily love, love, loves her dog!!! She wants another bunny for her birthday, a ukelele, and for us to finish and paint her tree house. We also looked up a cool tree house that you can sleep in and go zip lining through the woods! (It's in Austin. $300 a night, though...) She still wants to be a marine biologist. I love Emily's sense of adventure.

Emily still lets me read to her at night, though it's not as much of a requirement as it used to be! We just finished Desperaux tonight. We have fun watching The Middle together. We really get each other's sense of humor...I feel like we're really close and get along really well, except for times when she feels jealous of the time and attention we give to Jared, and times when she doesn't want to do what we ask/tell her to do...like stop tidying up the house and go to bed! It's a real struggle for her to stop cleaning up before everything is just the way she likes it...but she'd be up til midnight every night if we'd let her.

I'm actually really glad that we're seeking help, through a parenting class, and a specialist to share some tools with us...it's better than not knowing what to do when we feel like we've tried everything we know, and it's not working...We had an amazing class on Friday night, and I can't wait til the next one! The teacher challenged us to read the Book of Mormon, looking for parenting tips! I have been horrible about studying the Book of Mormon, and I'm looking forward to taking on this challenge!

I've been feeling like all of these things that we worry and struggle with (mainly people...)...we just need to pray about them. The answers will come, but we need to ask!

I love Emily so much, and while our relationship with her is more complex than with Jared, I really love the sweet, funny, kooky, intelligent/cynical, thoughtful, helpful, wonderful girl that is my daughter!

I'd probably better stop myself there for tonight, so I can get a little sleep before the day and week start all over again!! Next time I write, I hope to add a picture...wouldn't that be groovy?!

Good night for now!

Love,
Megs