goings ons

Here they are:

1. Wren is a solid food monster. She turned six months and can't get enough. She's developed a shrill shriek that is an effective catalyst for getting the food quickly in her mouth.
2. Judd can sing "I am a Child of God" more or less by himself--I accredit it to Sister Karren and the awesome nursery she runs.
3. I finally got up the courage to call our California landlord and get our deposit money back. Its been almost a year since we moved--I got the check yesterday. Yes! I am amazing!
4. I'm working on breaking my cookie addiction. This is the first week I haven't made a batch. My commitment is wavering. As I tell myself forty times a day, "What is so bad about a little chocolate and oatmeal?"
5. Stevo is once again gone during the week and I've developed a pattern for dealing. Monday, depressed, do the essentials only, upset kids. Tuesday, find SOMETHING to do just to get out of the house, kids still off routines. Wednesday, feel pretty good with play dates and getting things done. Thursday, best non-steve day of the week with everyone and everything in the grove. Friday, so busy cleaning, doing laundry and making a delicious dinner and treat for when Steve gets home. It is a little mountain we climb every week.
6. Stevo's vacation is coming up in two weeks! First the coast and then Utah! Can't wait to catch up with everyone!!!
7. Something really exciting may be on the horizon for next year. It may involve hammocks, loin clothes, and amazonian blow darts. And that's all I'll say about that.
8. I got my hair cut. Short. And I drive around listening to Brandi Carlisle. I feel so alternative.
9. Turns out the church is still true. I teach RS and just love LOVE Gospel Essentials. This really is, very simply, what it is all about.
10. Judd can say a prayer BY HIMSELF! He likes to thank Heavenly Father for his friends("woosy" [Lizzy], "Effie" [Evie], Taryn, and Levi), "FeeFi" (nephi), Jesus, and "seester". He does a good job.
11. We are moving out of our beautiful (rented) house in August. The owners have gotten sick and would like to be close to family and doctors. And thus will begin our year as nomads. Thanks again, both moms and dads, for being so kind to open your homes to us. Though, I will miss this place terribly. Love this town. love my ward. love the beauty all around. love our friends.

So, though it seems a little nondescript, these are the things that make up our lives. I would LOVELOVELOVE to get an update on all of you. PLEASE leave a comment and catch me up!

toys

So my toy buying falls under three strategies, (though I should specify that toy buying, as it were, only really happens when toys are on sale AND its a special occasion.) Here they are:

1. Buy the toys my children show preference for-- confident kids will like 'em.
2. Buy the toys I loved as child--hope kids will like them as much as i did.
3. Buy the toys I want to play with NOW--doesn't really matter if kids like them because i do.

My favorite toy that falls under #3 is almost anything by Playmobil. Check out their USA site here (they're a German company). There is a toy store in our town that has a whole wall of Playmobil sets--both on display and in the box. PLUS they have the full pyramid set out for play. It is complete with a mummy that, when opened, has a skeleton inside. neat.

We often go to this toy store to kill a morning or afternoon. The pyramid set is not the only toy out to play (the Thomas the Train table is a big draw for a Judders). In early December, we walked in to hang out and what did I discover but a Playmobil Nativity Set. (picture lights from heaven and angels singing in the background). It wasn't on sale (If you check out the Playmobil site you'll notice they are not real inexpensive...). And though Christmas was coming up, I was totally done buying gifts. But, I HAD TO HAVE IT.

I reasoned with myself that it would save my real nativity sets from Judd's curious hands. That worked for me. I got it.

Putting it together was all the fun I could have imagined. It had hats and cloaks and wisemen and gifts, and, of course, baby Jesus (which Judd called 'sister') and shepards (which Judd called Jesus--at least he kinda got what the set was) and camels...everything, everything. I love it. truly. And so did Judd! A nice plus, as it turned out.

What toys do you secretly love?

daffodils

Stevo recently had the question "What is your favorite flower?" on a rotation application he was filling out. He replied "Whole Wheat." seriously.

Honey, you are a nerd. (or, as they say in Brasil and which i personally think is way more hilarious, 'nerdge'.)

It turns out my favorite flower is all around me right now and I am REVELING in it. Daffodils have arrived in Western Oregon! And they are everywhere! Tucked under trees, adorning street corners, overflowing flowerbeds--thank you daffodil-loving-Oregon-folk for profusely sprinkling your bulbs in every spot imaginable! I feel like I've found a whole region of kindred spirits.

So just spreading the sunny, spring-trumpeting joy I feel. What are your favorite flowers? or flours, if you prefer? :)

28

Its my birthday today.

I'm 28 (though for some reason Steve keeps trying to convince me I'm 29. why is that funny?).

At the risk of getting lost in meaningless thoughts, I thought today about how life goes....It just keeps running, and at an ever increasing pace, it seems like.

I feel the same as I did when I was 12 (except maybe a little more comfortable in my skin--may have something to do with being done with braces *shudder*) but here I am a college grad, a returned missionary, a wife to the best boy I fell in love with freshman year at the BY, and a mother to two sweet little people.

In the last four years alone I have lived in Brazil, Grantsville, Salt Lake, California, and now Oregon.

There have been lots of happy, happy things. Like the night (one week after I got home from my mission) I told my dad I was going to marry Steve. He didn't say anything, just gave me the bones. :) And my birthday in 2007 when I found out little Judd would be joining the party. Or, just a few weeks ago, when we blessed little Wren and my whole family and most of Steve's family got to be there. --pictures pending--

There are things that have been tough--though when faced with those things I have to be SO thankful for my mission. If I learned anything in 1 1/2 years it is that "this too shall pass." Even if something is terribly hard, painful, annoying, inconvenient, happy, funny, lazy, busy...whatever, it will not last forever. The point is to ask for the strength to see it through joyfully.

I'm joining the club of moms who want to keep their kids in a shoe box and not let them grow anymore. (I know, its a little bit creepy of a club) My Judders and Wren-a-len are changing and growing and are not staying my babies.

I learning how to cook and sew(a very little bit!). I'm trying to take the time to play and trying to find "projects" i can be excited about (thanks for the inspiration Mom, Gen and Car). And, dare I say it, I'm realizing that time is finite, at least for me and my little life.

ahhhh, and we're back to time. Like I said, it just keeps going.

Christmas pics

Last night Steve and I realized it was Dec 20th and we had not a) sent out Christmas cards and b) even thought about taking a picture for said cards. So, being the brave, optimistic, and--dare I say-- slightly delusional parents that we are, we thought we'd just take our own pictures and get our cards ordered on Costco.com. So at 7 o'clock last night (aka. just before bedtime) on a Sunday when neither child has had normal naps/meals we set up the camera and snuggled up to our hearth.

Words cannot describe the experience. Maybe pictures can help show.....a tiny bit....what it was like.

Example #1: our first picture. Everyone reasonably happy! But no flash :(.

Example #2: While turning the flash on Judd had a fit (and was subsequently bribed with chocolate---oh shortsighted parents.....) and Wren took off her hat. We like to call this one 'Get The Hat On And Try To Calm Wren' (we also like long descriptive titles for things :))

Example #3: Obviously #2 wasn't card worthy so on to another round. Judd thinks he needs chocolates after every picture. So we give him one (*shaking head). Apparently one is not enough to keep his hat on.

Example #4: I think Steve and I's faces say it all.

so we picked the very last picture that was taken for our Christmas card. When you get it, don't think Wren is always the saddest baby ever, don't wonder why Judd's hands are thrown up in the air--try to just be excited that he even has his hat on at all, and mostly, just be happy you are getting a card at all! :)

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Last Saturday we went ahunting to the mountains with Steve's mom and dad looking for, well, not your cookie-cutter Christmas tree but a true, feral-masterpiece Christmas Pine. After an hour and a half of driving up and up and seeing NO trees (I'm not even exaggerating here folks) I started carefully preparing Steve for the possibility that we might have to "maybe just go look at that tree lot we saw on the corner." (No easy task, let me tell you) We finally stopped to feed the Wrenners and Steve and Judd hopping in Dad Platt's car to scout further up the trail. Twenty minutes later down the trail they came with this 11 foot beauty.

Last night we decorated our gingerbread house. Judd eat more candy then he put on. So fun!

Merry Christmas season to everyone!

I want to know: What are some of your Christmas plans or traditions?

I love where I live.

I took this one morning when I was up with the kids. I love it here. I love our (rented) house. I love the town. I love our ward. I love the Ross and TJ Max that are both within 5 min. I love how beautiful life is here.