Saw a quote today that inspired me.
William Henry Channing : "To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony."
Getting ready for vacation. Will post more later. Very, very, very tired...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
fred and ginger 101
I was recommending some classic films to a friend of mine, and I got to thinking about the sad, sad state of our world. There are so many poor souls who do not know the value of black and white – not even just black and white, but anything with any real value. I actually know people who have never heard of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. For shame. I thought that that was just common knowledge. Well – I guess it isn’t. And surely those lives aren’t as rich as they could be. So, in tribute to my love for Fred and Ginger, my love for dance, and my love for all things classic – here are some of my favorite numbers from the ten Astaire/Rogers films, along with a little trivia for any curious minds. There are several... but so worth the time. So sit back and culture yourself. Don't forget to pause the tunes. My mom will be so proud… Chinese food and Fred and Ginger are the perfect combination by the way.
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{1} Lovely to Look At. This one if from Roberta, and Fred and Ginger are not the stars, though they make the film.
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{2} Let's Face the Music and Dance. This one is from Follow the Fleet. If you watch closely you can see Ginger's beaded gown smack Fred in the face – causing him to see stars, he says – but finished the number without skipping a beat.
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{3} Night and Day. This one is from The Gay Divorcèe. What girl wouldn't want Fred Astaire to sing to her?
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{4} To Hot to Handle -or- To Hard to Handle. This one is also from Roberta – and this is the only film in which you hear the pairs actual taps on film. Any other time their taps were recorded at another time. Ginger's taps were actually usually done by dancer/choreographer Hermes Pan, who worked with Fred staging numbers.
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{5} Cheek to Cheek. This one if from Top Hat – with the infamous feather dress whose flying feathers drove Fred mad. Watch closely and you can see them flying around. Fred thought the dress was all wrong – later having to apologize to Ginger with a feather charm and note saying, "You were right.". Afterwards, he was said to call her “Feathers”.
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{6} Isn’t It A Lovely Day. This one is also from Top Hat. I sing this song to Ammon on rainy days.
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{7} Let’s Call The Whole Things Off. This one is from Shall We Dance – and it's one of my favorites. It's fun to see Ginger's facial expressions as she is willing herself to not wipe out. Some nice little dialoge that you will miss from this clip:
Peter/Petrov (Fred): “Yes. It was my idea.”
Linda (Ginger): “Have you any more of them?”
Peter/Petrov (Fred): “No.”
You’ll see why.
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{8} Never Gonna Dance. This one is from Swing Time. Fred always insisted on perfection – this dance was shot continuously with no breaks. Afterwards, it was noticed that Ginger's feet were bleeding through her shoes – though she never complained.
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{9} Just the Way You Look Tonight. This one is also from Swing Time – Fred singing one of my favorite songs to Ginger. Brian dances with me to this song.
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{10} I Won’t Dance. This one is also from Roberta – and a rare glimpse at Fred playing the piano. With a little jazz, no less.
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{11} No Strings. This one is also from Top Hat. This is the song that most frequently gets stuck in my head. If I can’t sleep at night, I think really hard, and start to hear those soft, brushing, sweeping taps on the sand. Not kidding.
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{12} Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails. This one is also from Top Hat. This number is said to contain one of the only times that Fred actually adlibbed. The “shots” made with his cane and taps are not necessarily rehearsed down to a science like his other routines.
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{13} They All Laughed. This one is also from Shall We Dance. This is my favorite song from the films, and my second favorite Fred and Ginger dance. I can even play it on the piano.
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{14} Pick Yourself Up. This one is also from Swing Time – and is my favorite dance number out of all ten of the pair’s films.
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Hope you enjoyed. I sure did. It’s always good to soak up some good culture. And there are so many more… I had a hard time picking favorites. Maybe I’ll share some more another time. Maybe some Gene Kelley or Howard Keel. Cary Grant is always good, too. But now, it’s time for me to try and catch a nap while the bug is sleeping… and perhaps I’ll dream in black and white.
uncontrollable itches via lovely dreams
I’m just not feeling it today. The crunch that is always felt prior to our annual family vacation is upon us. The need to get so much done… in so little time. It is even worse this year, due to a certain little one. And as the laundry piles up, the dust heaps up, the dishes mass up into an irrepressible mess – I ask myself, "Do I really want to be a homemaker?". The answer is undoubtedly “yes” – but it is overwhelming nonetheless. That will never change. I am reminded of a quote by Jeffrey R. Holland: “You can’t possibly do this alone, but you do have help. The Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you—He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep, sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlastingly for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be.”. How wonderful it is to know that I have someone pushing me when I can go no further.
And our lives get more complicated every day it seems. Sunday we learned that Brian has been called to be the new Elders Quorum President of our ward. A very lofty calling – one that affects both of us tremendously. Even though Brian has a big job ahead of him, I know that our family will be blessed for his righteous efforts. Ammon and I support him whole-heartedly, and we are so very proud of the man that he is. So very grateful that he is a worthy priesthood holder – and that he is ours to love.
Ammon is growing like a chicken on steroids – his personality is really, really, really starting to show. What a silly, stubborn, strong-willed little boy he is. And so smart – he is grasping cause and effect at an alarming speed. He loves the remote – he has his own now to play with – he pushes the buttons while watching the television… like we do. Like I mentioned before, he is putting two and two together extremely quickly. After seeing me do something only once, he is trying to mimic it... usually coming close. We will definitely have our hands full… sooner than we think, I’m afraid.
Ammon can sit on hard surfaces (i.e.: tiled floors, counters, tables… with someone right there, of course) for several minutes at a time, unassisted. He still has a hard time finding his balance on softer surfaces like the couch or carpeted floors. He is also sleeping through the night – without even waking up for his bink – from about 7:00 to 6:00. Hallelujah.
He graduated from peas last week and moved on to sweet potatoes. Instant hit. Inhaled them. Begged for more. Now he is trying carrots. Hates them. Won’t swallow. Gags up a lung. These responses are very similar to those we received after trying green beans, only this time, mixing them with cereal doesn’t fool him. What to do? Try again tomorrow.
Back to me: We are slowly being pushed to the breaking point as far a space is concerned. I am having to be more creative as to where to house/hide things. It isn’t working. It will be a while before we can leave this little hovel that we call home, but it is fun to think about a real home of our own. I often think about it. I often dream about it. One dream in particular occurred a week or so ago. I envisioned our home – painted in lush, simply divine bold colors. I was finally able to get my hands dirty and make real changes – and it showed. I remember telling Brian about it the next day – him giving me that oh-my-goodness-you’re-so-weird look. I tried to describe each color perfectly, but it was difficult to imagine in his color-blind mind. “Not a cherry red, but a burnt orangey red.”. “Not a lime or sage green, but a celery green.”. “Not just a turquoise blue, but an turquoisey-aqua blue.”. As I heard myself unsuccessfully trying to paint a picture for Brian, I was immediately reminded of an old film that is on my long list of favorites: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. A good one to grab when you are craving some Cary Grant. One that I just recommended to a friend in fact.
Of course, I watched it as soon as Ammon would allow me to. Never in all my life – in all my years of watching this movie – have I ever felt closer to Mr. Jim Blandings and his family. You have to watch it to understand – living in a crowded New York City apartment, not being able to turn around without causing a ruckus. What was once just a clever film, is now a ode to my life. And what a life it is.
Below is one of my favorite scenes from Mr. Blandings – not one that shows the consequences of tight quarters, but one that mimics my “color scheming”. I actually persuaded Brian to watch this movie with me once… and this was one of the many times he gave a sideways that’s-exactly-what-you-would-be-doing glare. So go over to the right and pause the tunes… then enjoy some classic black and white.
And our lives get more complicated every day it seems. Sunday we learned that Brian has been called to be the new Elders Quorum President of our ward. A very lofty calling – one that affects both of us tremendously. Even though Brian has a big job ahead of him, I know that our family will be blessed for his righteous efforts. Ammon and I support him whole-heartedly, and we are so very proud of the man that he is. So very grateful that he is a worthy priesthood holder – and that he is ours to love.
Ammon is growing like a chicken on steroids – his personality is really, really, really starting to show. What a silly, stubborn, strong-willed little boy he is. And so smart – he is grasping cause and effect at an alarming speed. He loves the remote – he has his own now to play with – he pushes the buttons while watching the television… like we do. Like I mentioned before, he is putting two and two together extremely quickly. After seeing me do something only once, he is trying to mimic it... usually coming close. We will definitely have our hands full… sooner than we think, I’m afraid.
Ammon can sit on hard surfaces (i.e.: tiled floors, counters, tables… with someone right there, of course) for several minutes at a time, unassisted. He still has a hard time finding his balance on softer surfaces like the couch or carpeted floors. He is also sleeping through the night – without even waking up for his bink – from about 7:00 to 6:00. Hallelujah.
He graduated from peas last week and moved on to sweet potatoes. Instant hit. Inhaled them. Begged for more. Now he is trying carrots. Hates them. Won’t swallow. Gags up a lung. These responses are very similar to those we received after trying green beans, only this time, mixing them with cereal doesn’t fool him. What to do? Try again tomorrow.
Back to me: We are slowly being pushed to the breaking point as far a space is concerned. I am having to be more creative as to where to house/hide things. It isn’t working. It will be a while before we can leave this little hovel that we call home, but it is fun to think about a real home of our own. I often think about it. I often dream about it. One dream in particular occurred a week or so ago. I envisioned our home – painted in lush, simply divine bold colors. I was finally able to get my hands dirty and make real changes – and it showed. I remember telling Brian about it the next day – him giving me that oh-my-goodness-you’re-so-weird look. I tried to describe each color perfectly, but it was difficult to imagine in his color-blind mind. “Not a cherry red, but a burnt orangey red.”. “Not a lime or sage green, but a celery green.”. “Not just a turquoise blue, but an turquoisey-aqua blue.”. As I heard myself unsuccessfully trying to paint a picture for Brian, I was immediately reminded of an old film that is on my long list of favorites: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. A good one to grab when you are craving some Cary Grant. One that I just recommended to a friend in fact.
Of course, I watched it as soon as Ammon would allow me to. Never in all my life – in all my years of watching this movie – have I ever felt closer to Mr. Jim Blandings and his family. You have to watch it to understand – living in a crowded New York City apartment, not being able to turn around without causing a ruckus. What was once just a clever film, is now a ode to my life. And what a life it is.
Below is one of my favorite scenes from Mr. Blandings – not one that shows the consequences of tight quarters, but one that mimics my “color scheming”. I actually persuaded Brian to watch this movie with me once… and this was one of the many times he gave a sideways that’s-exactly-what-you-would-be-doing glare. So go over to the right and pause the tunes… then enjoy some classic black and white.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
so many stories to tell :: part two of two
Well, here I am again… like I mentioned before, I know I haven’t posted in a long time… but, like before, I do have a good excuse. This time, it is because I am trying to recover from all that jazz in the previous post. To add insult to injury, I have contracted some type of ugly stomach-ick – trust me, you don’t want to know anything else about it. My sleep schedule has been all out of wack since our trip to Atlanta. I am not really sure why… but for some reason, I can not go to sleep at night. For instance, I was up until 4:30am last Monday. Wide awake. Of course, because I am up all night I am tired all day. This doesn’t jive with Ammon’s routine.Ammon, by the way, is sleeping much better at night. There for a while I was getting up with him every 30 minutes or so to give him his bink – I would hear him screaming, go in to check on him, and find him whining and clawing at his jaw/cheeks (part of that lovely little affair called teething). He was doing all of this in his sleep, poor little bug. Luckily, through all of this, he was still quite pleasant during the day – laughing, playing and all. Now, however, he is sleeping better at night – though I still get up at least once to find his bink for him – but he is a monstrous pill during the day – clingy, moody and petulant. Pterodactyl all the way. I’m not sure which of these habits I would prefer. When he was happy during the day, though I was very tired, he allowed me to do what I needed to do… and even rest when he did. On the other hand, when he sleeps during the night I may be more rested, but have a difficult day with him by myself. I know that I should be grateful for what I do have – be it sleep or a happy boy – and just be content with my current situation, whatever it may be. Easier said than done.
So all in all, nothing much has been happening since Brian’s graduation except being sick and tired. We haven’t really adjusted to Brian being home… though it is very nice, I am still in that he-just-has-a-few-days-off-so-don’t-get-used-to-it mindset. We have enjoyed having him home – being able to run errands in the evenings, watch a movie, have no real set bedtime. Lovely. Brian is happy to have the summer off, though he does have a to-do list of things that need to be accomplished before the fall. The first item of business: spending time with me and Ammon. Brian is very excited to be able to do more to take care of Ammon… like feeding him dinner, playing and giving him baths. I can tell that Ammon is glad to have him home, too. So am I.
Brian and I were able to squeeze in a date last week. My mom came and watched Ammon , so that we could have some time together. We went out for a lovely dinner, ran a couple of errands and, of course, went to see Indiana Jones. So nice to see him don that fedora one more time. You know that little girls have dreams of their knight in shining armor. Well, mine was Indiana Jones. Yes, I know. Whether it was his love of antiquities, his fear of snakes that matched my own, or that old fedora that seems to stay on through even the hairiest of situations – he was my hero. I was a little apprehensive about this new film – albeit excited – and was pleasantly surprised with it. Hard to believe that I wasn’t there at the pre-screening or even on opening night. If there was any way I could have gone, I would have been the first in line for a ticket, trust me. But I have made up for it – judging that I have already seen it again.
Ammon has been quite the charmer lately… well, he always is a charmer. He has been eating vegetables since we got home from Atlanta – first green beans, now peas. He h-a-t-e-d green beans. He gagged so much that we had some projectile green guck flying across the room. After a day or two, though, he likes them well enough. He loves peas. He definitely doesn’t take after him mom in this arena… I do not like green vegetables. One thing that he does take after me: his sleep positions. He is all over his crib. I checked on him last night before going to bed and he was in the corner of his crib – his bottom jammed in the corner and his legs sticking straight up, resting on the crib bumper – snoring away with his arms behind his head. Ten minutes later he was probably in a different place. He is a traveler – he covers the entire surface area of his crib mattress. So silly.
Ammon can now sit up unassisted for a bit, though after about ten seconds he losses his balance and rolls over. He is slowly figuring it out, and will do it when he’s ready. He is also scooting a bit. He really goes to town if he is pushing off of you, and is still figuring out how to use his knees and the floor. When he was first trying to move, he had his arms down by his side, and was straining (red face and all) trying to will himself across the floor. Either that, or he was telepathically trying to get his toy to come to him. Whatever it was, it garnished a laugh from me. So fun watching him trying to figure out his world.
The Thomas clan has enjoyed a fairly low-key life at home these last few days. We’ve been watching rented movies, eating key lime pie (hopefully this one won't have the same fate as the last), playing on the floor and putting off all the things that really need to be done. We’ll only have this little break for a little while – and I can guarantee that it will go by quickly enough. So here we are enjoying each other. Enjoying our family. Enjoying the moment one giggle at a time.
so many stories to tell :: part one of two
So much has been happening – so many stories to tell. I know I haven’t posted in a long time… but I do have a good excuse. To echo my friend’s comment on her blog – I have been suffering the insufferables. Not to mention trying to keep my head above water. Like I said before – so much has been happening here on Woodburn Drive... this is just the half of it.
I guess I should go back as far as Mother’s Day – and say that I had a very pleasant one. Apart from having a horrendous headache, my first Mother’s Day was very special. Brian got Ammon ready for church, allowing me to catch a few minutes of extra sleep. I was able to attend all my meetings at church that morning – Ammon cooperated for the first time... ever. He did have to be taken out of Sunday school by his daddy – he had a slight meltdown but did manage to flash a huge I-got-my-way-smile at the entire room on their way out the door. I tell you, this one has a heap of personality.
After church, Ammon and Brian gave me my sweet, homemade Mother’s Day card and gift – my new, juicier, iPod. I have needed a larger capacity iPod for a while now – my old iPod was only able to hold about 5% of the music in my iTunes program… and 80% of that was Ammon’s. Now, I don’t have to change things out quite as frequently. Thank you, my dear boys, for making my Mother’s Day special. Thank you, Ammon, for making me a mother. I should thank Brian, too – without him and his support, I couldn’t do what I do.
That afternoon, we went down to Brian’s parent’s home for the afternoon. There, all the mothers were treated to a steak dinner – while everyone else had hamburgers. We were spoiled for the afternoon – and had a lovely time. Mother’s Day was also Brian’s grandfather’s “39th” birthday, so after dinner we celebrated with ice cream and cake. Brian’s grandmother made her famous coconut cake; however, Brian doesn’t like coconut cake (also know as hairy cake). His loving grandmother remembered this, so a corner of the cake was left hairless. Such a spoiled boy.
The rest of the week was a blur – I got into some honeysuckle Sunday evening, and because I am allergic to honeysuckle, my body turned against me. What started off as just a minor allergy attack turned into something much more heinous – I spent the week with a fever, terrible cough and, risking being too graphic – green goop oozing from my nose and throat. I had no energy whatsoever – barely being able to feed and change Ammon. Poor boy – he is always excited to see his dad in the afternoons, but he was especially happy last week… his dad at home meant that he could finally get out of his swing or bouncy seat.
Needless to say, this funky-cold was not what I needed that week. I did not have time for it – never do, but I really didn’t have time for it then. That weekend we were going to Atlanta for a family wedding and had Brian’s graduation. Here it all is – our happenings, if you will. The adventurous weekend we had.
THURSDAY, MAY 15th:
I was still feeing cruddy. Pure cruddy. But, whether I felt like it or not, I had to get ready for the weekend. I forced myself to do laundry, straighten up the house, pack – in a nutshell, force myself to do everything on my to-do list. Something that wasn’t on my list, but something that crept into the day anyway, was a meltdown. Only one, though. I don’t know where the energy came from, but I was successful at having everything packed and ready to go Thursday night – we were leaving early Friday morning, which meant an even earlier start to the day. I knew that I wouldn’t have time to do anything besides getting myself and Ammon ready, so I wanted everything else to be done. Brian was a big help – he was done with campus classes, so he was able to take care of Ammon. We were excited to be going, excited to be able to spend time with family – but with everything else we had to do, we weren’t looking forward to the go, go, go.
FRIDAY, MAY 16th:
We woke up to a rainy, rainy day. Not a day to be travelling. But, despite the weather, we got ready to go, packed up and got on the road right on time. Our decision to go through Enterprise was multi-faceted: we had something to drop of at my mom’s office and we wanted to stop by the hospital and see our friends’ new baby boy. We also stopped by the Wal-Mart there, to get some snacks and last minute things for the trip. We quickly saw my mom and everyone at her office – and then headed to the hospital, where things got complicated. By the time we got there it was storming, making getting out of the car with a five-month old nothing short of challenging. I hadn’t been to the hospital in Enterprise in years, so I really didn’t know my way around. We got on the elevator, pushed the button for the second floor, and got off. We walked around for a few minutes, seeing a herd of sickly geriatrics – and I got that we’re-in-the-wrong-place vibe. I finally asked someone for assistance – and after looking at me like I had two heads, she said, “Well, dear, you need to be on the second floor.” Flabbergasted, I respond, “Well, isn’t that where we are?” I mean, after all we did push the button for the second floor in the elevator. She snipped, “No – you are on the third floor.” She then, very slowly so that I would comprehend, explained how to get to labor and delivery. I thanked her, with a “… thank you. Pardon me for assuming that your elevator would take me to the second floor after pushing the number 2.”
We finally found Jerry and Kristy’s room and met their sweet, lovely new little boy, Caleb. How darling he is. We stayed and visited for a while. Funny enough, while we were in their room the meal-lady came in for Kristy’s menu – and guess who it was? Surprise, Surprise –it was my nice, snippy, friend that I had met on the third floor. Ha Ha Ha. After a while, we needed to get on the road, so we said our goodbyes. We then proceed to get lost trying to find our way out. What a start to our day.
Our adventures at the hospital put us a bit behind schedule, and the rain didn’t help. However, Ammon was very good during the drive. He slept the whole way, except for our stop in Montgomery for lunch. Traffic was fairly light, considering we rolled into Atlanta during rush hour. We decided to stop at our hotel first before going on to Brian’s uncle’s for our family get-together – this way, we would have Ammon’s pack-n-play ready to go when we got back. Our hotel – oh, so fabulous. For a room that we paid a little over $40 a night for (normally $100+), we really lucked out. Our room was simply luscious with its sectional couch/leather ottoman, mini bar, raised king-sized (I might add comfy) bed – and 42-inch flat screen television. The room was divided into two sections, with a floor-to-ceiling half-wall separating the living area from the bedroom area. The television swiveled to face either section. The place was nicer than our home – heaven. All of our family that wasn’t staying at Brian’s uncle’s home was staying at the same hotel. We were really looking forward to spending time with them here. We were originally going to leave for home right after the reception on Saturday – Brian had a final exam to do for an online class that was due by 10:00pm on Saturday (it didn’t open until 12:00noon on Friday, so he hadn’t even started on it). However, we decided that it would be easier to stay an extra night – just to play it safe. I’m sure that our lovely room had no influence on that decision at all…
After settling into our room, we drove to Brian’s Uncle Ron’s. Traffic was very light, and we made record time getting to Conyers from our hotel. It was lovely to see all of our family there: the South Carolina bunch and part of the Texas crew was there… and of course all of us from good ol’ Alabamie. The only folks that were planning on coming and were not able to were Jacob, who just returned home from Afghanistan, and his wife, Laci. Ammon was quite the hit – he was passed around all evening.
After a nice visit, we decided to head back to our hotel so that Brian could get started on his final. I put Ammon to bed – his pack-n-play just happened to be right in front of that big television. He just stared in awe at the screen, munching away at his bink. I ended up having to turn the television off so that he would go to sleep. I stayed up quite late, putting things away, ironing our clothes for the morning (my first in a long line of little white shirts, I’m afraid)… and watching a bit of television myself. Brian ended up finishing his final that night – pardon me, morning – it was about 1:30am.
SATURDAY, MAY 17th:
We got up very early Saturday morning – we needed to leave for the Temple by 9:00, and needed to feed ourselves and Ammon prior to that. What I thought would be a nice, fairly leisurely morning – since I had taken the time to put out mine and Ammon’s clothes and pack Ammon’s bag the night before – turned out to be far from nice and leisurely. Brian, understandably, had a hard time getting up. Ammon had a hard time getting up. I got out of the shower, after giving Brian instructions to get Ammon up and feed him, to find them both asleep in our bed. I started to get dressed, and realized that I had not tried on my skirt since Ammon had been born to see if it still fit me. It did – but not the way nature intended it to fit (I spent the day in an extremely uncomfortable fashion). I took over Ammon duty so that Brian could get ready. When he started to get dressed, he realized that he had left his white shirt at home (the one time that I don’t double check what he has packed). Now, we had to leave even earlier for the Temple so that Brian could rent a shirt. I hurriedly wrapped our wedding gift – our iron had tipped over the night before and drenched the box with water, so I let it air out over night.
We finally got downstairs to eat breakfast. Of course, everyone else was running late. This wouldn’t have been an issue, if not for Ammon – Brian and I could have easily just gone on to the Temple, but we needed someone to watch Ammon at the visitor’s center. Finally, after Brian’s mom, dad and brother’s family came downstairs, we decided to just drive our cousin over to the Temple to watch Ammon – she was ready, but the rest of her family was not. Brian and I went on ahead with Ammon – arranging to meet everyone else at the visitor’s center in a few minutes. After several minutes of waiting, Brian called his brother – only to find out that someone had spilt nail polish on the carpet in one of the hotel rooms, and everyone was desperately trying to get it out. They would be there in a few minutes. I ended up sending Brian on to the Temple to rent his shirt and change. I waited with Ammon. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, our cousin came in and took Ammon so that I could run up to the Temple with Brian’s brother, Craig, and his wife, Rachel. Once inside, I was able to meet Brian – looking much more the part in his new white shirt – and the rest of our family. Whew. What a day.
Lauren and Jeremy’s sealing was wonderful. They always are. It was so lovely to be there with our sweet family. So nice to remember when Brian and I were sealed. So nice to feel the sweet spirit that is in the Temple.
After the sealing, we all waited outside for the new bride and groom. The weather was simply divine over the weekend. Crisp and cool. Such a nice change from clammy and humid. After the wedding, of course, was the inevitable round of photographs. Luckily, things seemed to be organized enough to prevent mass chaos. They were soon done with us, and we trooped over to the chapel behind the Temple, where the reception was to be held. Brian helped his dad set up the speakers, etc. for the music. I tried to entertain a melting-down-Ammon. My feet were killing me. My skirt was killing me. Ammon was lucky to be able to get out of his monkey suit… why couldn’t I?
Lauren and Jeremy chose to have a ring ceremony prior to their reception. Everything was just lovely. We all had a fun time dancing the afternoon away, and enjoying each other’s company. We learned that Ammon does not like his cereal mixed with straight water; we learned that he likes to dance; we learned that he loves “the boys”; we confirmed that he does not nap when there is anything going on around him. He finally gave up and fell asleep in his sling. Only for a short while, though. Around 3:30pm Lauren and Jeremy bid us all goodbye, and were off to enjoy their honeymoon. We stayed and helped clean up – breaking down tables, folding table cloths – just making ourselves useful.
Once we returned to our hotel, we changed clothes and joined our family at the pool. Ammon dipped his toes in the water for the first time; however, he didn’t care for it all that much. It was far too cold for his liking, I’m afraid. I wish we had brought our bathing suits with us – that cold, nippy water looked so inviting. That evening was all headed over to Max and Erma’s for dinner. We stayed for a long while – talking, laughing and enjoying togetherness.
Brian and I headed to our room fairly early that night. We had a long day ahead of us. We would need to leave around 6:00am to allow enough time to get home and get ready for Brian’s graduation. I got everything packed up and ready to go, so that all we had to do was roll out of bed and onto the road.
SUNDAY, MAY 18th:
Came too early. Far too early. We got up and fed Ammon and headed downstairs to load up the car and have breakfast. We were greeted by Brian’s grandfather and grandmother when we got downstairs. They were packed and ready to go – waiting for Brian’s mom and dad to come down. Brian loaded up the car and we quickly had a bite to eat. We got on the road only a little behind schedule, but still in plenty of time to get home. Luckily, traffic and Ammon were both good. The trip seemed to go by fairly quickly for me – I’m sure Brian would say otherwise – and we arrived home at about 11:30am.
While Brian got cleaned up, Ammon and I took a quick nap on the couch. Brian fed and bathed Ammon while I got ready. My mom came down (along with my grandmother and uncle) a bit early to help us get ready. Things were a little wild – we had literally just thrown everything in the house when we got home. Our dirty clothes bag had been dumped upside down upstairs so that I could find Ammon’s tie. I didn’t know where anything was and was running around like a headless chicken. My mom ironed Brian’s gown, and was a much needed helper around the house that afternoon.
Brian had to be at the Civic Center early, of course – we left shortly after he did, only to find that there were no free parking spaces. We parked about a block away – my blistered feet taking another beating. I’m no stranger to heels, and I’m willing to wear uncomfortable shoes if they are darling, but I will be wearing flats for a while.
We were able to find a fairly vacant area in the Civic Center, and were able to save enough seats for all of our family. We were all excited for this day – what we have all waited so long for. What Brian has worked so very hard for…
GRADUATION. Hooray! He did it. Such a lovely ceremony. Short and sweet. What a sense of accomplishment we all felt – I know that Brian was very full of this same emotion. Afterwards, we found him and offered our congratulations, our hugs, and our love. I’ve always been proud of him – trust me, it isn’t easy to do what he has done – go to school full-time, go to work full-time, support a family. But he has done it. Remarkably well, I might add. And hopefully, we will be doing this all again in about two years. As Brian said, “I’m getting my hood.”
That evening we had a little party for Brian at his parents’ home – a little celebration honoring his great achievement. We had a wonderful time enjoying each others company, enjoying the cooler weather and those succulent hamburgers. Brian and I went on a 4-wheeler ride around the country… until we were met face-to-face with some escapee cows, anyway. Our ride was cut short after that, as we needed to alert someone to the situation. Such a nice evening. Ammon sported his “I’m proud of my Daddy” onesie that I made him – we are all incandescently happy for our grad. So here’s to you, Brian: We are so proud of you. So, so proud. We couldn’t be happier for you and the man you are.
Thank you to all of those who supported Brian during this time. Thank you to those who attended his graduation, whether physically or in your hearts. We love you all – and wouldn’t be what we are without your support.
I guess I should go back as far as Mother’s Day – and say that I had a very pleasant one. Apart from having a horrendous headache, my first Mother’s Day was very special. Brian got Ammon ready for church, allowing me to catch a few minutes of extra sleep. I was able to attend all my meetings at church that morning – Ammon cooperated for the first time... ever. He did have to be taken out of Sunday school by his daddy – he had a slight meltdown but did manage to flash a huge I-got-my-way-smile at the entire room on their way out the door. I tell you, this one has a heap of personality.
After church, Ammon and Brian gave me my sweet, homemade Mother’s Day card and gift – my new, juicier, iPod. I have needed a larger capacity iPod for a while now – my old iPod was only able to hold about 5% of the music in my iTunes program… and 80% of that was Ammon’s. Now, I don’t have to change things out quite as frequently. Thank you, my dear boys, for making my Mother’s Day special. Thank you, Ammon, for making me a mother. I should thank Brian, too – without him and his support, I couldn’t do what I do.
That afternoon, we went down to Brian’s parent’s home for the afternoon. There, all the mothers were treated to a steak dinner – while everyone else had hamburgers. We were spoiled for the afternoon – and had a lovely time. Mother’s Day was also Brian’s grandfather’s “39th” birthday, so after dinner we celebrated with ice cream and cake. Brian’s grandmother made her famous coconut cake; however, Brian doesn’t like coconut cake (also know as hairy cake). His loving grandmother remembered this, so a corner of the cake was left hairless. Such a spoiled boy.
The rest of the week was a blur – I got into some honeysuckle Sunday evening, and because I am allergic to honeysuckle, my body turned against me. What started off as just a minor allergy attack turned into something much more heinous – I spent the week with a fever, terrible cough and, risking being too graphic – green goop oozing from my nose and throat. I had no energy whatsoever – barely being able to feed and change Ammon. Poor boy – he is always excited to see his dad in the afternoons, but he was especially happy last week… his dad at home meant that he could finally get out of his swing or bouncy seat.
Needless to say, this funky-cold was not what I needed that week. I did not have time for it – never do, but I really didn’t have time for it then. That weekend we were going to Atlanta for a family wedding and had Brian’s graduation. Here it all is – our happenings, if you will. The adventurous weekend we had.
THURSDAY, MAY 15th:
I was still feeing cruddy. Pure cruddy. But, whether I felt like it or not, I had to get ready for the weekend. I forced myself to do laundry, straighten up the house, pack – in a nutshell, force myself to do everything on my to-do list. Something that wasn’t on my list, but something that crept into the day anyway, was a meltdown. Only one, though. I don’t know where the energy came from, but I was successful at having everything packed and ready to go Thursday night – we were leaving early Friday morning, which meant an even earlier start to the day. I knew that I wouldn’t have time to do anything besides getting myself and Ammon ready, so I wanted everything else to be done. Brian was a big help – he was done with campus classes, so he was able to take care of Ammon. We were excited to be going, excited to be able to spend time with family – but with everything else we had to do, we weren’t looking forward to the go, go, go.
FRIDAY, MAY 16th:
We woke up to a rainy, rainy day. Not a day to be travelling. But, despite the weather, we got ready to go, packed up and got on the road right on time. Our decision to go through Enterprise was multi-faceted: we had something to drop of at my mom’s office and we wanted to stop by the hospital and see our friends’ new baby boy. We also stopped by the Wal-Mart there, to get some snacks and last minute things for the trip. We quickly saw my mom and everyone at her office – and then headed to the hospital, where things got complicated. By the time we got there it was storming, making getting out of the car with a five-month old nothing short of challenging. I hadn’t been to the hospital in Enterprise in years, so I really didn’t know my way around. We got on the elevator, pushed the button for the second floor, and got off. We walked around for a few minutes, seeing a herd of sickly geriatrics – and I got that we’re-in-the-wrong-place vibe. I finally asked someone for assistance – and after looking at me like I had two heads, she said, “Well, dear, you need to be on the second floor.” Flabbergasted, I respond, “Well, isn’t that where we are?” I mean, after all we did push the button for the second floor in the elevator. She snipped, “No – you are on the third floor.” She then, very slowly so that I would comprehend, explained how to get to labor and delivery. I thanked her, with a “… thank you. Pardon me for assuming that your elevator would take me to the second floor after pushing the number 2.”
We finally found Jerry and Kristy’s room and met their sweet, lovely new little boy, Caleb. How darling he is. We stayed and visited for a while. Funny enough, while we were in their room the meal-lady came in for Kristy’s menu – and guess who it was? Surprise, Surprise –it was my nice, snippy, friend that I had met on the third floor. Ha Ha Ha. After a while, we needed to get on the road, so we said our goodbyes. We then proceed to get lost trying to find our way out. What a start to our day.
Our adventures at the hospital put us a bit behind schedule, and the rain didn’t help. However, Ammon was very good during the drive. He slept the whole way, except for our stop in Montgomery for lunch. Traffic was fairly light, considering we rolled into Atlanta during rush hour. We decided to stop at our hotel first before going on to Brian’s uncle’s for our family get-together – this way, we would have Ammon’s pack-n-play ready to go when we got back. Our hotel – oh, so fabulous. For a room that we paid a little over $40 a night for (normally $100+), we really lucked out. Our room was simply luscious with its sectional couch/leather ottoman, mini bar, raised king-sized (I might add comfy) bed – and 42-inch flat screen television. The room was divided into two sections, with a floor-to-ceiling half-wall separating the living area from the bedroom area. The television swiveled to face either section. The place was nicer than our home – heaven. All of our family that wasn’t staying at Brian’s uncle’s home was staying at the same hotel. We were really looking forward to spending time with them here. We were originally going to leave for home right after the reception on Saturday – Brian had a final exam to do for an online class that was due by 10:00pm on Saturday (it didn’t open until 12:00noon on Friday, so he hadn’t even started on it). However, we decided that it would be easier to stay an extra night – just to play it safe. I’m sure that our lovely room had no influence on that decision at all…
After settling into our room, we drove to Brian’s Uncle Ron’s. Traffic was very light, and we made record time getting to Conyers from our hotel. It was lovely to see all of our family there: the South Carolina bunch and part of the Texas crew was there… and of course all of us from good ol’ Alabamie. The only folks that were planning on coming and were not able to were Jacob, who just returned home from Afghanistan, and his wife, Laci. Ammon was quite the hit – he was passed around all evening.
After a nice visit, we decided to head back to our hotel so that Brian could get started on his final. I put Ammon to bed – his pack-n-play just happened to be right in front of that big television. He just stared in awe at the screen, munching away at his bink. I ended up having to turn the television off so that he would go to sleep. I stayed up quite late, putting things away, ironing our clothes for the morning (my first in a long line of little white shirts, I’m afraid)… and watching a bit of television myself. Brian ended up finishing his final that night – pardon me, morning – it was about 1:30am.
SATURDAY, MAY 17th:
We got up very early Saturday morning – we needed to leave for the Temple by 9:00, and needed to feed ourselves and Ammon prior to that. What I thought would be a nice, fairly leisurely morning – since I had taken the time to put out mine and Ammon’s clothes and pack Ammon’s bag the night before – turned out to be far from nice and leisurely. Brian, understandably, had a hard time getting up. Ammon had a hard time getting up. I got out of the shower, after giving Brian instructions to get Ammon up and feed him, to find them both asleep in our bed. I started to get dressed, and realized that I had not tried on my skirt since Ammon had been born to see if it still fit me. It did – but not the way nature intended it to fit (I spent the day in an extremely uncomfortable fashion). I took over Ammon duty so that Brian could get ready. When he started to get dressed, he realized that he had left his white shirt at home (the one time that I don’t double check what he has packed). Now, we had to leave even earlier for the Temple so that Brian could rent a shirt. I hurriedly wrapped our wedding gift – our iron had tipped over the night before and drenched the box with water, so I let it air out over night.
We finally got downstairs to eat breakfast. Of course, everyone else was running late. This wouldn’t have been an issue, if not for Ammon – Brian and I could have easily just gone on to the Temple, but we needed someone to watch Ammon at the visitor’s center. Finally, after Brian’s mom, dad and brother’s family came downstairs, we decided to just drive our cousin over to the Temple to watch Ammon – she was ready, but the rest of her family was not. Brian and I went on ahead with Ammon – arranging to meet everyone else at the visitor’s center in a few minutes. After several minutes of waiting, Brian called his brother – only to find out that someone had spilt nail polish on the carpet in one of the hotel rooms, and everyone was desperately trying to get it out. They would be there in a few minutes. I ended up sending Brian on to the Temple to rent his shirt and change. I waited with Ammon. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, our cousin came in and took Ammon so that I could run up to the Temple with Brian’s brother, Craig, and his wife, Rachel. Once inside, I was able to meet Brian – looking much more the part in his new white shirt – and the rest of our family. Whew. What a day.
Lauren and Jeremy’s sealing was wonderful. They always are. It was so lovely to be there with our sweet family. So nice to remember when Brian and I were sealed. So nice to feel the sweet spirit that is in the Temple.
After the sealing, we all waited outside for the new bride and groom. The weather was simply divine over the weekend. Crisp and cool. Such a nice change from clammy and humid. After the wedding, of course, was the inevitable round of photographs. Luckily, things seemed to be organized enough to prevent mass chaos. They were soon done with us, and we trooped over to the chapel behind the Temple, where the reception was to be held. Brian helped his dad set up the speakers, etc. for the music. I tried to entertain a melting-down-Ammon. My feet were killing me. My skirt was killing me. Ammon was lucky to be able to get out of his monkey suit… why couldn’t I?
Lauren and Jeremy chose to have a ring ceremony prior to their reception. Everything was just lovely. We all had a fun time dancing the afternoon away, and enjoying each other’s company. We learned that Ammon does not like his cereal mixed with straight water; we learned that he likes to dance; we learned that he loves “the boys”; we confirmed that he does not nap when there is anything going on around him. He finally gave up and fell asleep in his sling. Only for a short while, though. Around 3:30pm Lauren and Jeremy bid us all goodbye, and were off to enjoy their honeymoon. We stayed and helped clean up – breaking down tables, folding table cloths – just making ourselves useful.
Once we returned to our hotel, we changed clothes and joined our family at the pool. Ammon dipped his toes in the water for the first time; however, he didn’t care for it all that much. It was far too cold for his liking, I’m afraid. I wish we had brought our bathing suits with us – that cold, nippy water looked so inviting. That evening was all headed over to Max and Erma’s for dinner. We stayed for a long while – talking, laughing and enjoying togetherness.
Brian and I headed to our room fairly early that night. We had a long day ahead of us. We would need to leave around 6:00am to allow enough time to get home and get ready for Brian’s graduation. I got everything packed up and ready to go, so that all we had to do was roll out of bed and onto the road.
SUNDAY, MAY 18th:
Came too early. Far too early. We got up and fed Ammon and headed downstairs to load up the car and have breakfast. We were greeted by Brian’s grandfather and grandmother when we got downstairs. They were packed and ready to go – waiting for Brian’s mom and dad to come down. Brian loaded up the car and we quickly had a bite to eat. We got on the road only a little behind schedule, but still in plenty of time to get home. Luckily, traffic and Ammon were both good. The trip seemed to go by fairly quickly for me – I’m sure Brian would say otherwise – and we arrived home at about 11:30am.
While Brian got cleaned up, Ammon and I took a quick nap on the couch. Brian fed and bathed Ammon while I got ready. My mom came down (along with my grandmother and uncle) a bit early to help us get ready. Things were a little wild – we had literally just thrown everything in the house when we got home. Our dirty clothes bag had been dumped upside down upstairs so that I could find Ammon’s tie. I didn’t know where anything was and was running around like a headless chicken. My mom ironed Brian’s gown, and was a much needed helper around the house that afternoon.
Brian had to be at the Civic Center early, of course – we left shortly after he did, only to find that there were no free parking spaces. We parked about a block away – my blistered feet taking another beating. I’m no stranger to heels, and I’m willing to wear uncomfortable shoes if they are darling, but I will be wearing flats for a while.
We were able to find a fairly vacant area in the Civic Center, and were able to save enough seats for all of our family. We were all excited for this day – what we have all waited so long for. What Brian has worked so very hard for…
GRADUATION. Hooray! He did it. Such a lovely ceremony. Short and sweet. What a sense of accomplishment we all felt – I know that Brian was very full of this same emotion. Afterwards, we found him and offered our congratulations, our hugs, and our love. I’ve always been proud of him – trust me, it isn’t easy to do what he has done – go to school full-time, go to work full-time, support a family. But he has done it. Remarkably well, I might add. And hopefully, we will be doing this all again in about two years. As Brian said, “I’m getting my hood.”
That evening we had a little party for Brian at his parents’ home – a little celebration honoring his great achievement. We had a wonderful time enjoying each others company, enjoying the cooler weather and those succulent hamburgers. Brian and I went on a 4-wheeler ride around the country… until we were met face-to-face with some escapee cows, anyway. Our ride was cut short after that, as we needed to alert someone to the situation. Such a nice evening. Ammon sported his “I’m proud of my Daddy” onesie that I made him – we are all incandescently happy for our grad. So here’s to you, Brian: We are so proud of you. So, so proud. We couldn’t be happier for you and the man you are.
Thank you to all of those who supported Brian during this time. Thank you to those who attended his graduation, whether physically or in your hearts. We love you all – and wouldn’t be what we are without your support.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
may your days be merry and bright
Journaling taken from the layout entitled, “Christmas in May”, from Ammon’s first scrapbook.
Of course we had plenty of Christmas outfits ready for our baby-to-be. Our baby-to-be who would be born just in time for Christmas. We had every thing planned out perfectly – the Christmas sleeper for Christmas Eve; the Christmas outfit for Christmas Day; the Santa suit for all those special pictures. What we didn’t plan on was such a tiny little boy. Did you fit into any of these things? No. You swam in them. We created a make-shift Christmas outfit – but it just wasn’t the same. So here you are in your Christmas outfits. And why not think of Christmas again a few months later? Who knows? Maybe one of your future brothers or sisters will be able to make good use of these things – in the right season, of course.
While you were very small when you were born and didn’t pork up as quickly as anticipated – inconveniently making it impossible for you to wear your precious Christmas clothes – we love you immensely… just the way you are. We wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
a five-month old…
Now that Ammon is 5 months old:
He LOVES: when his daddy comes home – to be sung to – books – dogs – to be bounced… hard and fast – his swing... cranked up as fast as it will go – to be “super-boy” (i.e.: held up high in the air) – to “stand” on your lap – to “sit” on your lap or on the floor – to blow bubbles – zerberts – to have his armpits tickled – to snuggle – to laugh – gadgets (i.e.: the remote, the camera, the phone) – to be outside – to eat – juice – tummy-time on the floor – his mirror – Fraggle Rock (especially Wembley, Junior Gorg and Madame Trash Heap) – Sesame Street (especially Big Bird, Bert and Count) – for that matter, anything that is on television – music – to dance – his Chuck – to kick and stomp – his exersaucer – to talk – his family
He HATES: nothing, really. Sure there are things he dislikes. But nothing he really despises. This is a good, good thing.
Ammon continues to find great joy in “pouting for laughs”. He enjoys figuring out new sounds. He continues to babble and giggle for most of the day. He is still sleeping fairly well – taking two fairly good naps during the day and, on most days, sleeping through the night. He is still trying very hard to roll from his back to his tummy... he has figured out that by grabbing his feet he can roll from side to side. He mimics most faces and sounds. He is grasping cause and effect. When on his tummy, he still scoots backwards with his arms – he also gets his knees up under him and tries very hard to scoot forward; however, he has figured out that by pulling his blanket towards him, he can get the toys he wants without any additional effort. As a result, I have to put him down on the floor without a blanket so that he will be forced to reach and hopefully, scoot. He still loves to read books – actually getting upset when his books are put away. He is reaching and grabbing very well – with everything eventually making its way to his mouth. He is still enjoying his bath – not to mention being such a sport in his car seat… we can actually go places now. He is very drooly and chews on everything – his fingers are usually in his mouth. Make your own assumption about this... Is he, or is he not, teething?
Ammon’s personality is really starting to shine. He is such a delight and we are ever grateful for the sweet spirit that has been felt in our home since his arrival. We look forward to the future – with all its memories and milestones – and are giddy to think of what tomorrow will bring. Thank you, Ammon, for bringing us joy.
a late wish
To all the women in our life – we hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day. The word mother is a verb, not just a noun. To all of you that mother - have a happy day. You deserve it.
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