Halloween 2008

Between carving pumpkins for family night with friends, the preschool halloween party, making cookies and decorating them after eating dinner from a pumpkin and the always amazing ward hula-boo-loo... this was quite the week!  Senny going after the pumpkin guts could be considered a highlight... we had a great time!

 

update to below

1. alright already, I'll put senny in a costume, good grief! Beckham, however may simply enjoy his distinctly halloween attire sent from gram. and he really likes drooling all over it, so I don't think it's a problem.

2. I didn't really have a strong opinion about who was going to be our new prez. They've both got their ups and downs and are unbelieveable human... who would have thunk? Anyway, now that I've actually made up my mind and voted.. well, now I care. Now I really want my guy to win. You may continue to wonder inside your pretty little heads who that guy is, but for the record, Cooper wants the guy with the black hair. Choosing a president based on hair color? Sad, but that's about what it's down to. Oh, and sometimes we mix up "president" and "prophet." we're working on correcting that... although if obama wins, we should have no confusion..

Denten stood in line for three hours this morning in order to vote... that's a gosh-darn long time! I'm all for voting in the comfort of my own home. really.

3. Beckham has once again been deemed long and lean. I could not hide my skeptism and said to the dr. "you're kidding. look at all this chub!" 75% for height and 25% for weight. Holy smokes, what does an overweight baby look like?! I'll take it though, he's happy and healthy and a drooling machine. And he needs a nap. over and out.

voting, this day, random stuff

Voting at home with an early voting ballot is kind of like taking an open book test. I like those. I like that I had time to research the candidates on my ballot that I had never heard of. I'm simply not out in the world every day and therefore was not informed adequately on some of my local choices. With the internet at my fingers, my husband and friends to clarify certain positions, I feel confident that my ballot is complete and ready to join the ranks of those whose probably won't make a darn difference at all, but hey, I exercised my right to its fullest. This method was much favored over me walking into a polling booth and marking up names who had a nice ring to them, dispite the magic the booth may hold.

Oh, and it's halloween. For a mom who doesn't care one way or the other about this holiday, I sure feel like I've done a lot of it this week. Full post and pics to come... Cooper has informed me that Halloween is not here yet. I'll let you know when it shows up. He woke up to a double dose of disappointment this morning as first, his glo-stick was no longer glowing (curse the short life span of weird glowy liquid) and second, the most coveted helium balloon obtained at his party yesterday was lying on the floor. It was a sad sad morning as we discussed that glowy liquid and helium simply don't last forever, gosh darn it.

Other rambling thoughts in my head this morning... Bex is headed to the dr. today. Will she tell me I'm feeding my child too much? Let's just say that his output lately has been great...does that mean his intake is too high? Yeah, we'll see. I leave town tomorrow and will gone for 5 glorious days. Why does a vacation require so much work? Gotta have the house clean, the laundry caught up and multiple meals prepared so the one taking my place doesn't die at the thought of staying here with my three little hooligan angels. Oh, and it's halloween. does seneca really need a costume? She doesn't care, so why am I such a grinch if I don't spend hours and lots of dollars on such things? Oh shoot, gotta take the potatoes out of the oven... be back later... if you're lucky.

Simple Joys

• Have you seen this yet?  Stephanie and Christian's daughters are so sweet.  Cooper overheard the music this morning as I was watching and he sat and watched the clip three or four more times.  He's been playing this afternoon with the song in his head and occasionally I'll hear him, "once there was a way... to get back home..."  He picked it up quickly and uses such a sweet quiet voice. 
• Packages.  We love them.  Halloween books came today from grandma Robinson.  It's amazing that after hearing a story once, Coop can remember enough of it to repeat it to Seneca. 
• Three quiet hours this afternoon to write and work on my projects.  Bliss.
• Beckham laughing his head off at his silly brother.
• Monday night I overindulged in Alicia's pumpkin chocolate chip cookies mentioning that I'd really appreciate the recipe and that she was welcome to deliver it with 2 dozen cookies.  Well, what do you know, she did just that!  Bless her!
• Seneca  wandering around the house with the telephone up to her ear saying, "hi, hi, hi... da-da."
• Dinner prepared in my fridge (and not by me!).  Pop in the oven for 30 minutes and voila, food for the fam.  Bless the over-worked, under-paid woman down the street.
• Baking sugar cookies with Coop.  It's been a long time since I made them, I always think sugar cookies are such an undertaking that the hassle and mess have deterred me.  I've decided I don't need to think of it that way... it didn't take that long and Cooper had a ball with the dough and cookie cutters.
• The Suns are on my TV right now and are currently ahead of the Spurs.  Keep it up, boys.

I think a pedicure this evening just might top it all off... it's been a LONG time.  It's a good day, my friends. 

Dinner Group Recipe

angel hair with spicy shrimp, courtesy real simple

3/4 pound angel hair pasta or spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter

cook pasta according to directions. drain and return to pot.

meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the garlic and cook, stirring for one minute (do not let it brown). add the shrimp, wine, red pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt. simmer until the shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. stir in the butter until melted.

toss the pasta with the shrimp mixture.

Notes: this took me 28 minutes, start to finish. for real. including clean up. and we did it with ingredients that were already residing in our kitchen, and usually are. we tried it first sunday after church and it was super easy to throw together and we ate every bit. denten requested more. as with most pastas, it's best served fresh rather than reheated, but that's what dinner group is all about!
deirdre, you'll be pleased to know that the 1/4 tsp. red pepper was plenty and left my tongue burning only a little... throw more in if you like, but I tell ya, a little of that stuff goes a long way!

A day at the farm

Katie and Jackson were in town for the weekend.  We spent lunchtime Saturday at the farm for a little fresh air, let me just note how fabulous the weather is right now... it's downright pleasant!

   

Katie is our dearest friend from law school, I think she saved Denten.  Really.  It was so fun to catch up with her and for her to get reacquainted with our children.  Katie humored Cooper with hide and seek all the while trying to monitor Seneca's lemonade intake.  We laughed and reminisced and missed New York and then found ourselves so grateful for the paths our lives have taken.  We left the littles with a sitter for the evening and enjoyed more conversation.  We decided that I never need to live in Albuquerque (again?), that Obama is probably the guy for Natives and that the Godiva brownie hot fudge sundae is very worth it.  It was a wonderful day in which I thoroughly enjoyed some much needed and missed intelligent adult conversation. 

In other completely-worth-mentioning news, Jaime had her twins today!  Two little bundles here safe and sound.  Oh, how I wish I was there to hold those tiny little babes and lay down with jaime to hear all about it.  I hope she can feel the love from here!

And now onto another week.  It's going to be a good one, friends!!

A white mother's observations

Sometimes I remember what race I am.  Sometimes it is made very clear to me how white my skin is.  The National Congress of American Indians is holding their conferences here this week.  Last night we went to Wild Horse Pass at Gila River for native festivities and to meet up with Katie who is here visiting for the week.  I had a few observations while we were there. 

There were several booths set up representing the 22 tribes in Arizona.  Cooper, Beckham and I were wandering through them while Seneca and Dent were finishing their dinner.  As we approached the Navajo table, I said to Coop, "Look Cooper, this is your tribe."  That does not sound like such an idiotic statement to me, but if you are attending a native event and hear a white lady say to one of her seemingly white children, "this is your tribe," you might think otherwise.  I had a woman behind me say, "did she just say this is your tribe?"  She was completely baffled and quite obviously thought I was a little off my rocker.  It bugged me.  I know it shouldn't have, but it did.  I am not questioned when I have Seneca with me.  She helps me fit in and without her I feel strangely like an intruder.   This woman was not incorrect in questioning my judgement, but my children are indeed Navajo... registered members and all.  They have access to every right and privilege that a darker-skinner member does.  I think I could have tactfully explained myself to this woman, and the others around giving me weird looks if I had thought a little quicker, but I didn't and therefore simply smiled and moved along with my little light-haired children.  Denten gently reminded me that our boys will deal with that misunderstanding their entire lives and all it will take is a little explanation, which is true, but in that moment, I didn't like that I wasn't take seriously- it was like my glowing white skin gave me away as a fraud or something.  But I'm not.

Cooper's favorite part of the evening was the native dancing.  This is the case at most native events.  He is drawn to the colorful costumes and the rhythmic music.  Standing and visiting while watching is not acceptable to him, he needed to find a seat.  A good seat where he could see all the dancers.  This requirement meant him sitting next to complete strangers and often engaging in conversation with them about some aspect of the dance, but the strangers didn't mind.  The most entertaining was the White Mountain Apache dance, which was either a hunting or a war dance with faces covered, big stick headdresses and lots of bells.  Coop sat through these dances a long time, the people we were with were amazed a little boy with so much energy (previously displayed) could sit still for so long and be so captivated. 

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.  Katie mentioned during our conversation that people often thought she was Mexican.  I guess I've never had the occasion to have someone mistake me for belonging to a race of people other than my own.  It will be interesting to see how my children face that as they grow.  If it is with any of the grace and dignity of their father, my worries are completely unfounded.

 dent's cousin olin at the bitsilly family reunion, july 2008

Grateful

Today I'm grateful for...

- early morning shopping trips. the store is empty except for helpful people stocking shelves, it is quiet and I can find everything I need quickly... and I can do it alone.

- opportunities to teach our children. There are native american events going on all week for various reasons and sunday evening took us to the Heard Museum for a reception. The kids enjoyed watching the dancing, denten and I enjoyed seeing the museum and meeting people denten associates with every day.

- people who respond to emails promptly. I've got several projects up in the air and it is so helpful when people reply quickly and push forward my progress.

- the ability to sleep soundly. I have a blog friend who has been having trouble sleeping lately and I'm so grateful I don't have that problem. I need me snoozes to get me through the day and I am grateful that my mind isn't cluttered with junk that keeps me awake.

- examples. cooper has decided that seneca does everything he does and is trying to teach her "good" things... as opposed to the alternative. it's so fun to watch him patiently guide her through tasks and play and see them both get excited when she succeeds. On the other hand, beckham is learning much too quickly the not-so-great behaviors seneca occasionally displays, but I suppose the thing to be grateful for there is that he's a fast learner, the little smarty-pants!

- a husband who is passionate about the work he does and the people he serves. late nights away from home are only hard if I don't think he's happy, but when I know what he's working toward and the excitement he gets from what he's doing, I'll be ready and waiting with a smile whenever he makes it home to us.

- good, honest conversation. with my parents, sisters, and friends. you inspire and uplift me and I appreciate that.

Fat Lip

One of the very few downsides to having a trampoline in your living room...



He simply wants to be where the action is.
don't mind the up-the-nose shot. it's a tiny little fat lip because he's still a tiny little guy, but look, there's daylight under all the chin rolls... hooray!!

Prized Posession

Our Halloween package came from Gram this week. It comes every year and we wait by the door for the special delivery guy to show up. I should have posted its complete contents, but they have been devoured and scattered and amazingly, put away. Among treats, toys and festive clothing, these little numbers were included for the Senny.




We misplaced a favorite pair of summer jellies a month ago and it's been slim-pickins around here since then. Gram understood the seasonal trouble we fall into here where it's not quite time for lace-up shoes and socks, but a little late for me to justify spending any decent amount of money on sandals. Bless this Gram, these are just what the little lady needed. And apparently wanted because she hasn't taken them off, except to sleep and even then we have to sneak them off of her feet.

They've caused a fair amount of frustration as they occasionally get separated from her feet and she tries desperately to get them back on. I mean desperately. The sound of her voice and intensity of the facial features makes one wonder if her right arm fell off.

Thanks a million, Gram. We both think they're perfect.

Joy

there are lots of things in my life that bring me joy. these three are among the greatest.

The Promised Land

for my memory, and probably his aunties.

Cooper: Mom, I'm going to the Promised Land
Me: We are?
Cooper: No, I am. I can take care of myself without you, mom. (said with a cute little smile as he packs up his belongings)

Hmm, I knew this day was coming, I just anticipated I had 12-14 more years.

Mom: I will probably miss you a lot. I like when you need me.
Cooper: Don't worry mom, I will be back on Thursday.

Well, ok then. Have a great time.

So there were helicoptors...

all over the place this morning. My dear spouse had to check it out. The advice: "If you live in the vicinity of 19th Ave. and Southern, we advise you to keep your doors and windows locked until you receive the 'all clear.'" Awesome. We happen to be one major intersection away from 19th Ave, but we had a few very persistent helicoptors directly overhead... hmmm.

Lest you think we're in danger of some super violent criminal, let me assure you we're not. Apparantly a van chock-full of illegals crashed this morning at 19th and Southern.. 25 of them to be precise. Upon collision, they all scattered and are currently being hunted to no end. The news showed a lovely picture of 8 of them handcuffed all together being drug through a residential neighborhood much like our own. Not saying much considering they ALL look much like our own. Anyway, we've hunkered down and are frightened for our lives. Oh, except for going out to water the newly seeded winter grass a few times a day and checking the mail and perhaps a leisurely walk to the park. Good grief... these people are probably as armed and dangerous as the majority of my neighbors. So in the event that one of these incredible dangerous people decides to sneak in my window for refuge, I suppose I better have a treat ready. It's only polite to offer refreshments to guests, isn't it? I mean, they will probably give me the opportunity to practice my spanish while they sit and wait, a cookie is really the least I can do. Have I mentioned lately how fabulous it is to live in South Phoenix? Ah, home sweet home.

Lessons learned this week

Thought #1:  Assignment from my weekly discussion group:  write a little on one of the laws we have discussed.

The law that I have been thinking about is the Law of Perpetual Transmutation:  circumstances and things are perpetually coming or going according to your thoughts.  This law reminds me how powerful my thoughts are.  This law teaches that as long as we are consistently focused on something, we are attracting it to us.  If we stop and let our thoughts wander to other things, namely doubts or fears, we lose the momentum of our dreams and have them back-up or disappear. 

We need to always be focused on the things we want to have them always evolving into a physical state.   To me, this doesn't mean that this dream is the only thing occupying our minds, that seems unrealistic to me in our busy states, but it means that we return often to the thought and that we keep the energy we are feeding it positive.  If we have something on our minds often, but the thoughts are negative, we are not helping bring our desires into physical form.

Sometimes it seems difficult to train our thoughts to be focused on a certain thing all the time, or control the thoughts directed toward a specific dream to always be uplifting rather than discouraging.  However, if there is something important in our lives, we can't help but think of it often.  Sometimes there are events in our lives that are so important to us that we can't seem to really focus on anything else. 

I have a dream.  I have a big dream that I know is possible.  On the days when my thoughts are positive and I am feeling confident, I make huge progress toward my goal.  On days when fears, doubts and discouragement are overwhelming, I make no progress.  On those days, Satan wins.  He is winning far less often these days.  I am noticing more and more when he tries to creep in and he is not invited.  My eyes are on the prize and I am continuing to learn to train my thoughts to get me there.

Thought #2:  From 3 Nephi chapter 11

I read this chapter twice this week and the same two ideas popped out at me both times.  They are simple lessons, which I always appreciate when reading the scriptures. 

3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.

Heavenly Father does not use a loud harsh voice to get our attention.  He may repeat himself several times, but he will do so in a small, calm voice.  He doesn't get impatient and yell in order to get through our thick skulls.  This is a lesson I can apply directly to my home.  It seems my human nature manifests itself occasionally by getting a little louder or more stern the more I feel I need to repeat myself.  This happens when perhaps one child is crying, another is pulling on my pants whining and the third is choosing very deliberately not to hear me.  I can only dream of my soft voice piercing the souls of my children, but using a calm voice keeps the energy of our home positive and the environment pleasant. 

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of ^acontention is not of me, but is of the ^bdevil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

  30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things ^ashould be done away.

I am not a fan of contention and yet there is the occasion that I can see myself adding to the chaos around here.  I have been more aware of Satan lately and of the crafty ways he creeps into our hearts and homes.  He is the master of discouragement and delights in planting doubts and grumpiness.  I don't want him here.  I don't want his followers here.  They are not welcome in my home.  Peace and harmony, come on in.

Thought #3:  While at the temple this week, a certain phrase jumped out at me.  The same phrase hit me a while ago in the temple.  Heavenly Father is patient and willing to pound things gently into my head when it takes more than once... The thought was that we are to live up to the measure of our creation.  I was created to be amazing.  So were you, for the record.  Heavenly Father didn't make losers, he just didn't.  He created his daughters to be strong, true amazing women.  The visiting teaching message this month mentions that the world has enough women who are tough, coarse and seek fame and fortune.  We were created to be soft and kind and full of faith.  Soft is not intended as an insult, rather as describing the sensitive side of women that God created in us.  He created me to accomplish great things, to return back to him a better woman than I left as, to strive to reach my full potential in all areas of my life.  Satan doesn't want me to get there, he doesn't want to see my family succeed, but too bad for him, we're not on his team.  We're destined for greatness and we're well on our way.  I love that Heavenly Father desires and assists us in living up to the measure of our creation.

Beckham's antics

Bex was up on the bottom step this morning. He was so proud of his newfound climbing abilities, he stopped to kick his little chubby legs in delight and propelled himself down on his head. After a moment of reprieve, he was at it again. With Mom and his earthly guardian angel (Seneca) following behind, he got to number four before taking a break and tipping over. Seriously, is he old enough for this? I kind of liked the days when I could leave him in a particular spot and be fairly certain he would still be there when I returned. Those days are long gone, my friends. He is doing his darnest to keep up with his fellow mischief makers. He has turned into a super fast crawler and loves to be where the action is. He's pulling up on everything and keeping up in conversation.. it may not be conversation I fully understand, but these three seem to know exactly what is going on.

I love that my children are close in age and relationship. I love that they have strong healthy bodies that enable them to constantly explore and enjoy each other. I'm grateful that they are so darn busy every day that they melt into their beds each night in a hurry to renew the energy for a new day. I'm grateful for Coop who is currently dancing around on the trampoline singing about alligators who speak spanish and have spanish spirits. I'm grateful for Senny who has been carrying around a box of granola bars for two days trying her hardest to fit anything and everything into her box. I'm grateful for Beckham who loves to laugh at his reflection in the piano. This house is a fun place.

Coop's observations about Beckham... and God.

The scene: Beckham is on his knees in the process of climbing up the front of the oven. He can see himself there and he thinks he's pretty handsome. Cooper notices Beckham's current position and says, "Mom, I think Beckham is asking God to help him get up on the counter." Well, if nothing else, we've established that praying happens on our knees occasionally in this house. Oh, and that apparently the counter is a pretty desirable place to be.

Drew and Lexie

Denten's brother got married Friday and it was fabulous.  The entire day went very smoothly.  Stress was absent and joy was in abundance.  It was a wonderful, fun day for everyone.  We're so glad we were able to be there.  Here are a few favorite moments...

 

Cooper loves Lexie.  Really.  When asked recently who he was going to marry when he grew up, he answered without hesitation, "Lexie."  He was the first to greet her as they exited the temple.

 

There was a lot of this going on... a lot!!

 

 

Drew's friends were brutal.  Besides the lovely exterior job on the couple's getaway vehicle, they took the time to remove the battery... nice!  Cooper was the first to climb right in, because why on earth would Lexie leave without him??  Turns out he wasn't invited on their honeymoon after all!

The problem with family photos is that they are currently not representing our family very well.   Beckham isn't nearly as stoic and grumpy as he appears and little Senny was smiling all night... when she wasn't asking for treats!

It was a fantastic evening, a super party to end a wonderful day.  Congrats, you two... 

Four Years Old

 

This boy is four.  I'm not quite sure how that happened, but somewhere along the last four years he grew up.  I could write a novel about this child, the miracle that he is, and how he has brought more joy and more frustration to me than anyone before, but we'll leave it at that.  He is a fantastic brother, I love him like crazy and am looking forward to a wonderful year with him.