Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Monday in Ohio...

 Monday morning was G's interview.  This is a live shot moments before the interview of him telling me that we don't need to take a picture of him. I think he's so handsome. I have for almost a decade now.  Anyway, moving off G's hotness and onto the day.  G was going to be dazzling the physicians until 2 pm so Liv and I had the day to ourselves in a state we knew nothing about.  So, Liv, a lot of animal cookies, the GPS and I headed off for a spontaneous day in Ohio.
The hospital is close to Kirtland so Liv and I spent the majority of the day on the tour with some fantastic wrinkled consecrated missionaries and loved every second, even though Liv pulled down the curtains in the school of the prophets obliterating the reverent mood during the most important spiritual part of the tour.
 Liv and I with Emma Smith's china (Liv's facial expression adequately reflects her feelings at this point in the tour):
Liv in a quiet moment of meditation by the barley contemplating the sacrifice of the early Saints:
The Whitney home's "Keeping Room".  Ann Whitney called this the "keeping room" because it is where she kept her children close to her and kept them close to the Lord by having scripture study here.  It's like a kitchen/living/dining/scripture room.  I decided I definitely want to have a "keeping room" in my home someday.
Liv was so overcome by the tour that she had to take a rest to process it all,  as I drove around exploring the land of milk and honey.  We decided to take advantage of being Bluefield free by going to my favorite restaurant Texas Roadhouse. 
 You are never too young for your first exposure to Texas Roadhouse rolls and cinnabutter.  Liv was thrilled with her experience. It will not be her last. . 

We justified the celebration because Cleveland had concluded the interview by offering Garrett a position.  When I asked Liv how she felt about moving out of Bluefield she responded:

I feel the same way.  Ironically G was offered a interview in Denver so he is going next week to interview there before we make any decisions.  We feel like blessing hogs.  We are so excited and so grateful.  Please standby for any incoming revelation and big decisions to be made....

The exodus...

I felt a parallel kinship to the story of the Israelites in bondage being led to the promised land as we made a weekend exodus to Ohio for Garrett to have an interview at Cleveland for next years residency.  It was thrilling to see civilization again as we entered the booming Metropolis wonderland after 6 hours.  Those hours felt long to my ADD personality so I was worried how Liv would do strapped into her carseat but she pulled through like a champ.  She probably has childhood diabetes from all the animal crackers and apple juice we gave her to keep her content but thanks to Fuzzy Bee and Friends, we made it:
I thought we should take advantage of the "pet exercise area" at a rest stop and Liv (our pet) appreciated it.


(Please note how the similarity between Liv and G's hair, personally I don't see much of a difference.  I feel like a weird Mexican out of place foster mom in this picture, no one would believe that I gave birth to the child on the left who is a smaller female replica of the husband on the right)

We stayed at a members house who is a resident as well and soaked in all the sights and sounds of our new promised land....

Saturday, February 25, 2012

The two sickies...

Liv and I sometimes go to church with G when he has to work but last Sunday was the first time I went to all three hours of church (well, all two hours since they left us off an hour early due to snow) all alone. No they did not both lose their testimonies. They just lost every ounce of diarrhea and vomit they had in their bodies.  G and Liv spent the day watching Baby Einstein, drinking pedialyte and gatorade and taking a sick day.  I had plenty of pinterest time while they both recovered.
 Liv loved being with G and the white shiny things on her bottom gum is not a camera reflection but actual teeth. Hard earned, endless hours fussalicious grumpiness, chew toys like a puppy real teeth.  I bought her a toothbrush to suck on to celebrate.
She felt much better after not having to be in tights and a dress for three hours and instead hanging out with her twin drinking grape pedialyte all day.  I would smile like that if I didn't have to wear tights and got to be held by G all day too. Maybe she was faking it....  I wouldn't blame her. Smart girl.

Dessert and FHE activity...in one.

Some things will never be as good as your moms. Example number one: carrot cookies. I think the air changes with new generations cooking because I have tried and tried hard several times using exact recipes from my mom or Garrett's mom and it never tastes the same.  Usually I can come pretty close but carrot cookie day was not even close at all. What I remember and pictured in my mind was mom's fluffy thick carrot cookies with a sweet orange glaze heaped up on the counter when we would come home from school for "after school snack".  They were so good warm with a glass of milk.  Well, I woke up Sunday morning to this:
And decided that warm carrot cookies and milk were the only option.  The frigid bitterness demanded that I make them and I was craving them.  The only problem is that the fluffy thick cookies I imagined and dreamed of all day, turned out to be chewy hard orange frisbees.  Gar was nice about the 1/2 cookie he chewed like gum and then swallowed but I knew his true feelings when for family night activity, he chose having a contest to see who could through them from our balcony into the woods the farthest.
Some things just taste better in your mind.  It will be a long time before I attempt carrot chewy frisbees again.

The ultimate milestone. Check. Finally.

I get this weekly email from some baby company that tells you what your baby should be doing every week.  Some of the things are ridiculous and cause undue panic like if your child isn't tracking and picking up small grains of rice with her fine motor skills by month three.  I would say on the paranoid mom scale I am a 0.  It is good Liv has the dad she does because he is her worrying advocate and always attending to the details that I find less than imperative.  For example, a few hours ago G and I were eating lunch and my purse was on the floor.  Liv was picking things up with her exceptionally advanced fine motor skills and I wasn't paying strict attention.  Suddenly G with his father ninja reflexes and eagle eye jumped up from the table like a firework exclaimed, "Is she chewing gum? What is she eating?"  Since I was closer I told him to sit down and I would assess the emergent situation. After checking it out I said, "Babe, don't worry, it's just a cadbury egg," and continued on. Maternal instinct my eye. G takes better care of a baby than any beehive babysitter or mother I know.  If he wasn't so invested in his job, I would consider having him be our homemaker for Liv's and our home's sake.    Anyway, milestones are important. Rolling over, waving bye bye, crawling etc are all the small indicators that make you feel like your child will indeed make something of themselves and possibly win a gold medal someday.  I love when Liv does new tricks and meets her weekly milestone that incessant email always suggest  but I would have to say my favorite one is the fact that last week she started sleeping through the night. I think I might possibly be ok with her not achieving a single milestone from here on out as long as she maintains this one.  I can see me in relief society 10 years from now with the other mothers gently asking why my 11 year old is still crawling and I will say with pride, "I don't know, but she does sleep through the night."

Friday, February 10, 2012

Love.

I love sushi. So much. There is no where to buy sushi here so I am posting a picture in fond memory of when we lived in a booming metropolis where they had things like sushi, things to do besides Walmart and an airport within 3 hours distance. I love the cotton in the top of vitamin bottles. I love feeding a fat gray squirrel we named Gladys that comes to our porch every day.  I love how Garrett smells. When I was single I loved to travel to new places. I love running at dusk when its not too hot or too cold and it feels like the day is closing. I love when you are listening to a good song in the car and you pull into your driveway at the exact moment it ends. I love when your eye makeup looks good and your hair is working and your hygiene stars have aligned.  I love playing games with sweet and salty popcorn (10 marshmellows, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter melted together on the stove poured over two bags normal popcorn) and a smoothy on a Saturday night. I love sleeping in on fresh clean sheets and having no obligations the next day. I love when you are just about to push on the brake and the light turns green. I love laughing so hard you feel like your eyes are going to pop out. I love Kix cereal with 2% milk and fresh strawberries with sugar.  Those are all things I love.  However, when I think of it, those are things or activities that I really enjoy.    What I love deep in my soul that fills me and makes me want to do something, anything to have and feel is not a recipe you pour over popcorn or winning a long well fought battle on words with friends.  It's people, it's feelings, it's those moments that you cannot buy on Amazon or take a picture of.  It's the feeling when G walks through the door and Liv and I both squeal because we're so excited and have a family cuddle while G and I kiss Liv's cheeks and just keep staring because we love her so much.
  It's feeling revelation and the holy ghost teach me things and give me a little nugget that this life isn't it.  That all the things I have learned my whole life are real.  It's laughing so hard on the phone with my sister. It's knowing that even I am so far away, that there are people who love me just like I am.  It's knowing that the Lord really did use you to help out another human being.  It's holding Liv last night at 3 am and rocking her for 20 minutes because she didn't feel well and having her just hold on to me and feeling that there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. 
It's knowing that there is a man who was custom made in Santa's heavenly workshop just for me and that we are never giving up on each other and that our marriage is bigger than both of us. It's knowing that no matter how much I puke when pregnant, how grumpy we get, how burned dinner is or what love handles, differences or trials come our way, that we are deeply, fiercely, completely devoted and loyal to each other no matter what forever more.  Being so far away has made me love the things I love even deeper.  Life really is about what and who you love.

ss

What to do when life bugs you...

Sometimes life bugs. It's not like you feel like swearing or having anything to be irate at or bawl your brains out for. You just feel bugged; like a bad mosquito bite on the back of your leg or being at a piano recital that is lasting way too long. Being bugged is usually temporary and usually a matter of making some minor changes.  Liv and I had been breathing garage sale used air in the house all day and while I was busy doing a lot of things, I was just feeling bugged.  I put Liv down for her nap (this is a process) and then needed to take out of the trash.  I walked outside and the bugginess was instantly zapped. It was a phenomenon. There was crisp fresh February air and the sun was so bright it made my eyes wrinkle.   I didn't know it but I think I just needed to go outside and when I came back in I felt so fresh and renewed.  That simple. Easier than making easy mac. So easy. I love that feeling.
Liv will demonstrate this principle.  Here is happy Liv. Not bugged. (Please do not judge her low cut onesie, this was not meant to be scandalous)
Something external is given to Liv that starts to bug her.  Instead of accepting it, she attempts to remove herself from the situation which proves difficult since it is attached to her head.
Instead of surrendering, she persists in making small changes that will help restore her to her happy bug free state.
She is momentarily distracted by the hippo spot toy.  Even Liv falls for the old distration trick. Don't you make the same mistake (also note that the item of annoyance has now been destroyed and is in two pieces, sometimes it is necessary to destroy what is bugging you unless that thing is a person)
Liv persists in facing that which has vexed her for over 5 minutes and attempts to ingest and process the problem. Acknowledgement is key in this process, otherwise you end up saying things like, "I'm FINE" when you secretly want to give everyone a wedgie.  Liv once again teaches us this valuable lesson as she becomes familiar with the problem before finally removing it and is restored to her happy bug free state.

The new Seibold family fad....

 I like the word fad. It means:
A temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., especially one followed enthusiastically by a group.
I love fads. Just because it is temporary does not make it any less exciting.  I go through different fads. Lots of them. I do not think this is uncommon. When I was in elementary school I went through a cow fad. Most of my friends went through a dolphin fad. My sister Em went through a sunflower fad (which led to a self proclaimed nickname). It happens. There are lots of fads that we go through as a society.  Like Trapper Keepers. First of all, what a great name...trapper keeper.  Break that down and it's astounding. First it traps your papers and then it keeps them, not to mention the fact that it comes with illions of options for annoyingly bright colors, patterns and designs. Genius. There is no misnomer here.  What ever happened to the trapper keeper company? Choosing the trapper keeper was always one of the sacred rites of starting the new school year as well as picking out the perfect color pencil box.  I loved that fad.
Long before there was pokeman, there was another fad that supersede jiggely puff any day.  A phase that I wish was still with us today. Those of you fellow friends who had holographic slammers like myself, still may mourn the loss of the pog fad:
  It's good that some fads die and need to be left in the fad cemetery, like me wearing overalls and having bangs that look like a cauliflower glued to my forehead fad. 

I could go on and on but now that I'm older and mature and own things like a nursing bra, roth IRA, and have a new last name I have realized that maturity does not equal the evaporation of fads.  When you're married, you just find someone to fadify (meaning to experience a fad) with.  For example, G and I are still going strong on a tater tots and strawberry cream slush fad.  Anytime we pass Sonic, there are no words spoken, our dietary souls are in such sync that a consultation is not necessary and whoever is driving automatically turns in and knows just what to order.  We have been participating in this fad for over a year now and are still not sick of it.  Being married is the best for fad participation.  Lately we've been hardcore watching debates and following politics fad, a watch biggest loser on Tuesday nights and eat rocky road fad, playing are you smarter than a fifth grader fad, a salsa/cream cheese and chips snack fad, a watching Brian Williams news fad and others.  I'm still in my eat a bowl of cinnamon life before bed fad and I have a new favorite pair of blue pajama pants fad and as of late, we have a new fad that is taking up way too much time.  May I introduce the fad of the month...words with friends:
This game has brought untold joy to my life.  The first perk is that you can play with people who are 2 times zones away.  After G is doing his lamaze breathing and sleeping soundly next to me, that is the sign that the night has just begun and Em and I play until 1 am in epic "battles" which sometimes make me laugh out loud and cause G to wake from his slumber.  G and I play while he is on the exercise bike, in bed before going to sleep, while making dinner and anywhere else.   It's nerdiness at its finest and I am not ashamed. If you do not have words with friends in your life, you should. I don't know how long this fad will last but until it ends, I am enjoying every fadilicious moment.
(In memory of the maternity clothes, protruding belly button, puke all the time everywhere fad of fads....Plus the camera charger is lost so I only have photos from the old archives)