At the corner of brilliant and incredibly stupid

This week I had an idea that teeters right on the brink of brilliant and totally nieve. 

We made a sandbox in the basement. 

And we used it to make volcanos

http://youtu.be/9hx_VhlW0EQ

Thankful

This year my brother and his family came down from Boston for a visit. 

We went to the Macey's day parade 

On Friday we went on a double decker bus tour of the city which has been on our bucket list for a while. 

The bus tour was fun and made us a little sad that living in the meat packing district  isn't really in the budget. 

On Saturday when the big kids went to a Broadway show we took the little kids to one of our favorite places. 

A weekend full of family, food, and lots of kids sneaking away to the basement to play video games. So basically, perfect.

Talent show

Saturday is the ward talent show. We decided to sing a song with the guitar a a family. 

Claire was in charge of making the list so she could do eeny miney mo to pick our song. 

We're going with Dead Skunk (which won the third round of eeny miney mo and therefore, was clearly the winner)

It's always fun when grandma comes

My MIL visited last week, and we had a wonderful time. Sharon free up on the Easr Coast so she loved seeing our fall here. Fall this year has been incredible, warmer than average, and the leaves have stayed on the trees longer than normal. 

While she was here we went to an outdoor scavenger hunt with the YW and YM 

We played lots

And basically had a great time 

And yes, Claire and Noah are holding hands on the carousel.  

Raising them Right

I forgot Claire today.

I was hard at work, writing an article for a website I work for.  I was really in the groove, the baby was sleeping, and Noah was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when I got a phone call.  School had been over for a half-an-hour and Claire was waiting for me in the office.  I am mortified and I feel so guilty.

She wasn't even mad.  She was just so relieved that I was there.

Oh the guilt.

Luckily, Claire provided one of the best Claire-isms ever today.

Claire: {Looking around at the beautiful fall leaves} I can not believe that Heavenly Father made this whole world in just six days.  Everything.  I just can't believe it.  It would take me at least a week.



At least I'm raising her to be confident

Software Upgrade

I am hoping the new software upgrade on this little one will stop her from pooping in the tub. Every. Single. Time. 💩😫

Family Style

My Mother-in-Law is visiting this week. She dabbles a little in photography so Sunday, after church we tried to take a family picture. 

We took 115 pictures, and 3 were acceptable.

There was crying, bribing, and feeding kids Pez from an Elsa Pez Dispenser in between shots to try to get them to smile. So basically, just an average day around these parts. 

And here are some accurate-to-life outtakes in case you need to feel better about your life. 

Why Everyone Should Keep a 3-year Old Around

Today, after a trip to the gym, I put the baby down and turned on a movie for Noah. I sat by him for a second and then told him I had to go upstairs to take a shower because I was so stinky I could smell myself.

He cuddled close and said, "you don't smell stinky to me."

I mean right?

Millie the Acrobat

Millie learned to climb out of her crib today

She's still working on the landing 

Woah

I'll say it again.

Woah.

Those of you who aren't Mormon might not have heard about the hullabaloo that is currently rocking the Mormon world.  On Thursday information was leaked that the Mormon church has changed their policy to state that children of people in same-sex marriages can't be baptized or christened into the Mormon church.  They have to wait until they are 18 and no longer living with their parents.

I should start off by saying that I am Mormon and I think this policy is hurtful and discriminatory.  I know there are lots of reasons why people are saying this policy is in place--I haven't found any that sit well with me.

My current thoughts are actually all about Eavan Boland.

For those of you who don't know who she is, Eavan Boland is an incredibly famous Irish poet and she once did a reading at my college (and the fact that she would be willing to come to my small Midwestern college is sort of a miracle).  When she spoke to us she started out by telling us a story of the Irish conflict.  She spoke of a time when there were 12 men on work bus in Northern Ireland.  The bus was pulled over by rebels with guns who asked the men to get out.  They were lined up, and the men with guns then asked anyone who was Catholic to step forward.  Eleven of the men on the bus were Protestant.  One was Catholic.  The men worked together and knew one another well.  As the one Catholic started to step forward, the man next to him, reached out and took his hand--a sign that no one would give him up if he chose not to step forward. He stepped forward, and the men with guns turned and shot the 11 Protestants.

Ms Boland then said, "We expect literature to be that hand the reaches out telling us that we belong.  It's not."

One of the professors actually scoffed out loud (yes, fellow Knox-ites, it was Robin).  Ms Boland then read us part of the poem that Auden wrote when Yeates died.

"Mad Ireland hurt you into poetry.
Now Ireland has her madness and her weather still,
For poetry makes nothing happen"

She repeated, "poetry makes nothing happen." (Robin was openly, repeatedly scoffing at this point. In fact, the whole literature department was verging on a riot)

She's right.  Poetry makes nothing happen. That doesn't mean it doesn't have value.

I think that part of the trouble with the current Mormon debacle is that we expect religion to be the hand that reaches out telling us that we belong and that we are safe. It's not. That doesn't mean it doesn't have value.

Organizations, religions, literature, our jobs, video games, or any of the myriad of things that we turn to in times of crisis can't reach out their hands, because they aren't people.  What can reach out a hand? Me. I can.The incredible thing about the story of the Irish conflict is that the hand that reaches out is a hand.  It's a person, and that's the only thing that ever can reach out--the hand of someone who knows us, the hand of someone who cares.

My religion is huge.  There are almost 15 million members around the world.  It is an organization that is committed to doing good.  Just last week they asked their members to contribute generously to help refugees world-wide.  Its size and structure make it capable of so much good.  But, also, its size and structure mean that it moves slowly--especially when it comes to social issues.

And that is the lesson I am taking from this whole issue.  If you are stepping away from the church, I understand.  If you feel excluded, if you are hurt, offended, sad, or disappointed, I understand.  Please know that my hand is out.

You are safe here.

In all of the reading that I've done over the last few days about this issue, this is my favorite quote

"We take turns, then, don't we? When you are caught on any plains where love is not, I will gather what I have bring what I can.  And when I have used up all my love and am stranded in the cold, I will watch for you to appear with fresh supplies.  That way we can make it, I think, all of us. We can be sufficiently creative and sufficiently kind that we will draw circle upon circle upon circle, bringing each other in, leaving no one out, joining, liking, enlarging, until the pattern of the whole human family seen through the Eye of God, is complete." Carol Lynn Pearson

There is space for you, no matter your religion, creed, or color, in my circle.

Steps

Millie started walking this weekend.


If it tells you anything about my life, I have 2 videos of her walking.  She is wearing pajamas in both.  In one of them she is smeered with blueberries and in the other she is only wearing the arms of her pajamas so the legs of the PJs are trailing behind her and the full glory of her belly is visible.


I went with the blueberries just in case she ever wants to run for office.

Or have friends in middle school.

The Remote

Sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning we lost the remote to the TV. We have a smart TV and not having a remote is a total pain. For the last few days I've been ripping the house apart looking for it. All memory points to the fact that I was the last person to have it so I've been beating myself up over it. I'm notorious around my house for losing things likes keys and remotes.

Today I decided to take matters into my own hands and it was a success-- I ordered a new remote.  Yes, I lose everything, but I am smart, funny, kind, and good at my job. There is no reason I should let a $10 piece of electronic equipment make me feel bad about myself. And I'm a well-educated woman with a job. So did I pay to have it express shipped?  Yea I did.

One more Halloween post

Because

Kid art.

Noah made this pumpkin during church.  He turned to me and said, "my pumpkin is totally freaking out"

Happy Halloween

Daylight Savings.

When you have kids, daylight savings just means that this scene takes place at 5:30 am instead of 6:30 am.