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And...Alba pooped in the pool again. Except, this time we were in the therapy pool, which is only for adults. But we had to break the rules, because the life guards were being lenient on the rules. It was all fun until I saw poop floating around me, at which point I mentioned to Henry that there's a "problem", and then grabbed Emilia and ran for the car. Too embarrassed. Henry had the pleasure of reporting the crime, along with cleaning poopy Alba. Now we ordered pizza for the life guards. (August 2013)


Henry just had the most annoying patients in his practice: one of the kids screamed all through the eye exam, the lady's baby was also screaming the whole time, and then the older two kids just grabbed all the frames from the racks all the time and made a mess. And the mom just stood there and tried on glasses. Urgh. Some people.

Too bad for Henry that he couldn't just kick them out, since he's married to that crowd. (August 2013)


Leaving Utah. Sophia just said this was the best vacation ever, because of camping, splash park, making earrings, wood cookies, party, my little pony...

Apparently my kids had a great time, and I did too. (August 2013)

Just got a compliment on my hair from an attractive guy in the cafe rio line. Wow. It's been a very rare thing in my life that guys compliment me on my looks. And after years into the mommy thing, I wouldn't have thought to ever get a complement again. Woot to my hotness.

I have two naked kids playing in the backyard, building a mud dam. The baby is sleeping, and I'm tending to my motherly duties (sitting on the couch reading a book and playing on facebook). Aahhhhh, I love summer.





That moment when everyone gets kicked out of the kiddie pool, because a kid pooped in the pool, and you find out it was your kid. Sigh...someone's gotta be the parent of the pool pooper kid, right?

Ran around Granada with the kids today, and also saw the Alhambra. Absolutely breathtaking. Kids were real troopers (walked up a steep hill for half a mile or so to get to the Alhambra in time, and we were going pretty fast). Spain is beautiful.

Deep insights from Sophia while we were in the car today. Sophia:" Papa, what burns in a house when a house is on fire?" Henry:" Well, when a house is on fire, pretty much everything burns. The only thing that doesn't burn usually is water." Sophia:" So, we should live in an igloo."
 
Awesome parenting moments: When a new member is asked to stand in Sacrament meeting, so everyone can see them, and your 2-year old turns around, looks at the person and shouts "monkey". And you have to laugh (behind your covered mouth), because...the person really does look kind of like a monkey.

Funny moment with Alba. I asked her whether she was poopy. In response she bend down, put her head between her legs and loudly tried to sniff her bum. Then she popped up again, and said "yuck". Haha.... (April 2013)

I got a new phone today. A smart phone. I opened the box, looked at the phone, got scared, and put it back in the box. Now Henry is playing with it. I guess I'm taking after my grandma, the charming lady who couldn't figure out what an answering machine was, and thus kept yelling at my dad each time she got the machine, because why on earth wouldn't he talk to her, when he just answered the phone, and she's talking to him. Good times ahead...

Also, yesterday, was eating some chocolate Easter eggs that my mom sent for the kids (and that I wouldn't let the kids have). Sophia saw me, and asked what I was doing. I said I was eating some chocolate, and that I really needed it. She gave me a stern look and then asked:" And have you brushed your teeth yet?" Nope...sorry, I'll go repent of the poor example I'm setting. (April 2013)

This morning, Sophia crawled into my bed. Then she informed me that I should pray to be a better mom.

Ok. I'll take the hint, kid. I'll take it...

Arghhhhhhhhhhh. I've had enough. Today just sucks. The UPS package is...who knows where. But not here. Another package with my phone is going to AZ. Our washing machine broke last night, and someone has to come and fix it, and now I can't wash for days. Everything I'm attempting to do seems to go wrong. And now, the bishop called, to "ask" us to work with our daughter Alba on staying in nursery (oftentimes there is no nursery teacher and/or no other kid in nursery, and Alba is very clingy, and so frequently she ends up in sharing time with Henry who does the music, and sometimes gets very disruptive. If I'm not teaching, I try to take care of her, but we just kind switch things around and try to make it work).

I'm so done with my ward. I hate it. It's the crappiest ward I've ever been in. They keep wondering why no one is coming to Church, and why everyone leaves. I don't know why they're wondering. It's very obvious to me. They suck like no one else at making anyone feel appreciated, welcome and wanted. They certainly haven't in ANY WAY made my kids feel valued, loved or supported us as parents. I'm done. We're moving to Redding. Or I'll have to go inactive, but I don't wanna deal with that ward anymore. Urgh. Barf. Puke. (March 2013)

Did I mention that Sophia's family prayer this morning included a complete recapture of how babies are made...as in what part goes where and what happens next? Yeah. No boring prayers in our home.

Conversation with Sophia on Sunday in Sacrament meeting. I tried to get Sophia to be more reverent during the Sacrament, so I pulled her in, and tried to tell her why we take the Sacrament, how the bread represents Jesus' body, and the water his blood. Sophia listened quietly. When I finished she said:"Ok. And now can you tell me a story about cupcake, cake and muffins?"

Sure, kiddo. It's all related anyway. (March 2013)

Conversation I just had with my 4-year old. Sophia to Emilia:"Emilia, you're so cute!". Sophia to me:"Mama, what does cute mean?" Me:"It means when you look at someone and when you look at them, you wanna cuddle them and kiss them and you just feel a lot of love in your heart. Is that how you feel when you look at Emilia?" Sophia:"Only when I look at her for a long time."

Ah, ok.

One more story about Sophia. On Sunday during Sacrament, Sophia was deeply engrossed in doing some drawing/colorings during the second speaker's talk (a really nice talk about Christ, the atonement and other good stuff). At some point the speaker asked a rhetorical question regarding whether when we've messed up we should feel so ashamed that we don't pray. And Sophia stopped her drawing, turned around and said loudly "no" (we kind of hushed her before she kind of totally yelled it out). I was so surprised that she was actually listening. She was popping out another commentary for the speaker a little later in the talk as well. Wah! I just never know when that girl is listening.

Now I just wish I wouldn't have hushed her, and instead let her participate as she saw fit. 

Sophia asked me how planets die. And when I tried to explain the nothing I remembered from my physics classes on stars etc. imploding and that kind of jazz, she wanted to know what would happen to our earth when it dies. When I suggested it's going to be a similar thing, she got really anxious and stressed wanting to know what would happen to everyone on earth...Urm, yeah...good question, and obviously not something she was going to take well.

I love how inquisitive Sophia is and how deeply she thinks about stuff. I just feel so torn sometimes between giving her an answer that wouldn't unnecessarily burden her with realities of life that a 4-year old shouldn't have to deal with yet, and wanting to really feed her desire to know and understand the world around her. Hmph...     

Today 2 years ago Alba Zoë Patterson was born. She's the coolest kid. I love her wild side, climbing on everything, and only crying when something really hurts. I love her being stubborn, and running off not caring what we do, and only running back when I say I have candy, how she is loving baby-signing time, and babies in general, being so excited when she gets to help with Emilia like feeding her or getting her pacifier. She's reserved with people, and won't warm up easily (like 6 months living next to Grandma and Grandpa before she decided they're ok), but when she opens up she's tons of fun. I love her independent spirit, trying new things and trying to do them by herself. She loves candy and sweet things and has since the moment I put a little dipping dot ice cream dot in her mouth when she was 6 months old and her eyes flew upon in wonder, and then she screamed until I gave her another one, and another one and another one...She loves climbing on the couch, putting a blanket over herself and then asking you to read her a book. She loves Sophia and doing what she does, and is crazy about Emilia. She also likes to color, and cut things with scissors (and she's really good with the scissors, too). Basically, she's just awesome. Of course, since she's our off-spring. Happy Birthday Albi-boo!

 

A few weeks ago, one of Sophia's friends from preschool had his birthday. Sophia came home that day and was really distraught, telling me that this child hadn't gotten any presents yet. She asked me if she could give him a present, and I said she could pick something she wanted to give him. She decided on two of her toys, and wrapped them up and begged us for a few days to drive to the kids house so she could deliver her gifts. Well, we just waited till the next school day instead. When we got there that day, the boy she had a gift for was actually in tears and apparently having a really hard day. But with the gifts, he was cheering up in no time.

Today I got a card from him mom, and it really touched me...lemme share:

"Dear 'Sophia's Mom',

...Anyway, I wanted to write to you and let you know how much it meant to my son, and myself, that Sophia was kind enough to acknowledge X's birthday.

I have always been impressed by Sophia - her intelligence, her honesty, and most importantly her kindness. I always see her embrace all of the children in the class, and she sets a great example for her peers. She's a very unique individual, and I know her outstanding qualities must have been learned (and inherited) from great parents. Thank you for raising such a compassionate daughter - who made my son's day!"

It made me tear up, I have to say. She is totally wrong about Sophia having inherited her awesomeness from us. Because I SWEAR she was born like that. But it just makes me so happy to see my daughter touch the lives of others, and for others to see in her the great person that I see. I know...totally biased. But whatever... (February 2013)

FHE highlights. We did a lesson things that Jesus did. So, at some point, Henry asks the kids if Jesus made the blind see. Sophia bursts out:" No! You do!" Ha.

And another good one was when Jesus listed the different nice things Jesus did, and then asked the kids for each one if they wanted to do that as well. When he showed a picture of Jesus helping sad people, he asked again "do you want to help sad people?" Sophia:"No, thanks!".

Alba just kept pushing more paper Henry's way with the comment "drawdraw!". I love my girls.

Last night, Alba said the prayer on the food using her signs - so cute!

When you step out of the room for a second and then come back into the room and see your 2-year old dragging your 3-months old baby all over the living room floor by the sleeve of her sleep sack, it's time to remember again to never leave the baby alone with the 2-year old. She doesn't make for the idea baby sitter yet.  (February 2013)