Husband Tag

I don't know if it is kosher/legal/acceptable to start your own Tag, but I'm doing it.  I saw these questions on a friend's blog and thought they were good stuff.

What is his name? Nathan David

How long have you been married? 9 years

How long did you date? 7 months (2 months dating, 5 month engagement)

How old is he? 31.  But he doesn't know it.  He always asks me his age.  For better or worse, this also means he doesn't know how old I am either.  The other day when I mentioned 'people in their 30's' he informed me I was included in that category.  I am NOT, not until December.  

Who eats more sweets? Me, for sure.  He is a salty snacker, and I love midnight cookies and ice cream.

Who said I love you first? He did, and I burst into tears.  I was just a few weeks away from turning 20, and it scared me to fall in love, even though it was what I wanted. Crying, I told him, "You're not allowed to say that to me.  I'm too young."  After we were married, he told me the moment I started to cry he thought he had totally blown it and he would never see me again.  Silly boy, I still wanted to be with you, I just needed to compose myself.  It took me a week to get used to, but the next weekend on our date I told him I loved him too.

Who is taller? It would be sad if I was.  At 5'1", I was never concerned about needing to find a particular height of man to marry.  He's 5''10", which is just great.  Oddly enough though, he is one of the shortest of the people I dated or had crushes on.  I gravitated to the 6 foot and up crowd - probably in a subconscious attempt to improve the gene pool.

Who can sing better?  We both sing, but I get more compliments on my voice from other people, so probably me.

Who is smarter? We are tied.  We joke about the fact that we got the same ACT score.  He has more street and practical smarts.  I am a better writer, speller, and thesaurus.  He is better with business, computers, and math.  I am better at life sciences, and he understands physics and chemistry...  Overall, he is really smart and I admire the skills he has.  I'm also glad I found someone who understands the big words I use and seldom pokes fun at my verbosity.  

Who does the laundry? Me (on Mondays, remember?) but he could if I needed him to.

Who pays the bills? This is a trick question.  Technically, he pays all of them, because he is the sole breadwinner in this family.  But I do the actual budgeting and paying.  We have long said that if I died he and the kids would be fine food-laundry-house cleaning wise, but he would slowly go bankrupt.  Lucky for him, I'm a fan of Autopay, so all he'll have to do is check for the credit card statements and he'll be fine!

Who sleeps on the right side of bed? Me, at the beginning of the evening.  But he is fond of telling me that I "kicked him out of bed last night."  Yep, I'm a crowder.  One of these days we'll get a king bed to replace our queen, and he'll have more of a buffer zone to move into before he actually falls to the floor.

Who mows the lawn? Nathan.  I used to do the trimming, but he's taken over the whole thing this summer.  I don't know if he doesn't think I did quality work or if he wants to give the prego a break, but I'm not complaining.

Who cooks dinner? Me, but he can and does it a lot on weekends.  He's actually a pretty good cook. I'm great with a recipe, but he can create his own things and they usually turn out to be very tasty.

Who drives? Nathan, ever since we met.  Even before we were married I let him drive.  

Who is more stubborn? Yes.  (That means we are both stubborn.  Neither one of us is very patient either.)

Who asked out whom first? Nathan asked me to the Christmas concert and lighting ceremony at Temple Square.  But if I hadn't asked him out for a second date, we would never have ended up together, because (sound familiar?) he thought he blew it.  In reality, he kind of did blow it, because he was obviously nervous and it honestly wasn't a great date.  Lucky for us both, we were attending different universities and had spent a week or two emailing before we went out. From his letters, I knew he was better than his first date showed.  Heeding advice from Jackie and Sandy, the Fitting Room Ladies at Target, I called him up and gave him a second chance. I'm so glad I did!

Who proposed? Nathan, of course.  He got down on one knee on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building while we were looking at the night view of Temple Square.  I cried again, but this time it was out of joy, not fear.

Who has more siblings? Nathan has 5, I have 3.

Who wears the pants? A lot of the time I do, but I think that is because he loves me so much and wants me to be happy, so he defers to me unless it is really important. When it's important, we each wear one leg.

Nathan makes me so happy.  I'm glad he is mine and I am his.

Now I tag Karen, D'Neill, Nicki, and Amy.

Braden's Queer Eye

Braden likes to comment on my outfits during pregnancy, and he always notices if I am wearing a new dress or blouse.  It's actually quite endearing to hear my five year old boy say (in a completely masculine, un-gay way of course) "I like your uternity shirt, Mom."  Other synonyms for the elusive 'maternity' word he is unable to master include eternity, internity, & aternity.  I keep thinking he'll start saying it right, but I don't really care if he does.  :-)

He just came in after playing outside for 20 minutes, and he smells like it.  I call the scent "Outside Kid."  Not quite sweaty, not quite stinky, but distinctively stale.  He'll be having a bath sooner rather than later.

Rude Baby

This is a profile shot of the face.  Her hand is pressed to her cheek right by the eye giving a little wave.  Maybe she's waving to Cassie, who got to come to the appointment with me this time.

Another profile shot.  Let's hope it's just the angle, and that she really doesn't come out with such a prominent nose.

This one made the doctor and me laugh.  Somebody, apparently, is Number One!  You can see her two feet just to the right of her hand.

And... she's still breech.  Dr. Boheen says we won't worry about it until 34 weeks, because most babies turn by then.  She weighs 2 1/2 pounds.  On the bright side, I have been contracting much less recently, and much less than in previous pregnancies - and the doctor said that the breech position likely has something to do with it since there is less pressure on the cervix.  

I did the glucose tolerance test today too.   The orange drink doesn't bother me to take like most people (I even took it fasting, first thing in the morning,) but I have decided it tastes like Tampico, so it's still not my drink of choice.

Zucchini Bo-nini

I love zucchini, but really all I've ever done with it is steam it, sautee it in olive oil or butter, and shredded it for zucchini bread or chocolate zucchini cake.  If I'm honest, the real reason I plant it is for the zucchini bread... BUT, luckily, I happened upon an article in a parenting magazine that had recipes for summer garden vegetables.  

Some, like the zucchini pizza and meatless zucchini tacos, will be forever untried, because, Yuck.  However, I thought the recipe Grilled Zucchini was great!

Grilled Zucchini

2 medium zucchini, cut into quarter spears

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Ground pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt

Chopped thyme, to taste (I have an herb garden, so I like fresh.  I'm sure dried works too.)

Mix oil, vinegar, and seasonings in large bowl.  Add zucchini and toss with hands until well coated.  Grill over medium heat for 4-6 minutes.

On a side note, Cassidy was with me at the grocery store when I purchased the red wine vinegar.  She is so conscious of trying to choose the right, that she became very concerned when she saw I was buying something with the word WINE on it.  She then asked me if I thought someone could get drunk if they drank it.  She felt a little better (but not all better) about my purchase when I explained to her that vinegar is so gross that no one would ever be able to drink enough red wine vinegar to produce intoxication.  I still don't think she's totally on board with my RWV, but at least she stopped talking about it...

The Taxman Cometh

I just glad that the first time in seven years that I have wanted to dispute my property taxes is also the first year we had an appraisal done in April.  Now we can prove for sure that the county has overvalued us by $17,000!  Whew.

Summer Color

This perennial flower bed is my favorite summer spot in the whole yard.  I love how the flowers look when they're all in bloom, and I can't believe something that I planted turned out looking so very pretty!

The two trees are different varieties, and the poor red maple on the right is going to be soon passed up by the green vase zelkova on the left.  The sad part about it is the maple is 6 years old and the zelkova is 2 years old.  It can't be helped... Maybe I should name the trees Katie and Brenda, respectively.  I am twelve years older than my younger sister, but she is 3-4 inches taller than I am. Plus she says I am the smart sister and she is the pretty one.  Ouch.

Den Meeting

This month's project has been installing a custom built desk in our office.  Today it is finally finished!  Nathan did a great job installing everything, including building large bookshelves on my wall above it, complete with under-cabinet lighting.  We're very happy with the way it turned out, and now when Nathan works from home he has his own spot, his own chair, and his own place for his computer instead of a makeshift workspace at the kitchen table.

This picture is old, from way back when Cassie was little and we living at BYU in Wyview married student housing, but it shows what a fine piece of loveliness we gave to Deseret Industries.  Nathan was doubtful they would take it until I reminded him, "Have you seen the stuff they sell at DI?  They'll take it."

We had a snafu with Home Depot's special order department, so the cabinetry arrived about 3 weeks ahead of the countertops.  We made do with plywood sheeting on the top so we could at least use it.  Braden's comment was, "I kind of like it but I kind of don't.  Is there anything you can do about all those dark spots on the wood?"

Note the beautiful vinyl tablecloths at each workspace.  Nathan's forearms found out the hard way that plywood is rather splintery.

I hope Braden remains as wowed by his dad as he was during this project.  He told me more than once, "My dad is so amazing.  He can build anything."

Many thanks to Logan for letting us borrow your truck about a hundred times!!  We couldn't have done it without your/its help.

Cassie wasn't sorry at all

Something I saw on Melissa's blog  http://malipay.blogspot.com/2008/07/almost-but-not-quite.html reminded me of a story that happened with my two oldest kids years ago.

Cassidy was 4 or so, and she was riding in the backseat with Braden, who was about 1 1/2.  She said something mean to him, and I told her it was unacceptable and she should apologize.  Cassie turned her face to the window and mumbled a completely insincere apology.

Unimpressed, I said, "No, Cassidy, you look at him and say sorry to his face."

She then turned to Braden, and in a snide voice said, "Sorry, Braden's face."

Cassidy and Braden, November 2004

Kirkland Ultra Clear, Downy, White King, Shout, & Clorox

Yesterday was Monday.  I always do all the laundry in the entire house on Mondays, because Monday is Laundry Day.  That is how I grew up, and it carried over to me as an adult.  I didn't realize laundry could be a family tradition, but apparently Monday as laundry day goes back more than one generation.  It was my mom's laundry day, and her mom's, and her mom's too.

One laundry habit didn't come from my mom - rather, from Nathan's mom.  While in college we had the charming but predictable habit of bringing our dirty duds with us to wash during Sunday visits, and when she put the load in instead of me, the clothing came back smelling so much nicer and feeling touchably soft...I finally figured out that she used fabric softener instead dryer sheets, and I was an instant convert!  Thanks, Nancy!

There are those who hate doing laundry, but it doesn't bother me.  I buy enough socks, clothes, and undies to last at least a week, and I just do loads all day long (usually 6-7 total) and then I don't have to do it again for another seven days!  Plus I make the kids help me sort it in the morning before the day gets started, and at the end of the day they (even Becca) help me take their clean clothes and put them away in the drawers.

Now, ironing, on the other hand, waits until Braden doesn't have anymore Sunday shirts to wear...and I'm glad I didn't inherit an Ironing Day tradition.

Then and Now Tag

Way Back When . . . 

20 Years Ago...

How dang old do I feel knowing that Twenty Whole Years ago I was well into my childhood? Twenty years ago I was 9, and I was a month away from starting 4th grade at Mary B. Erskine Elementary School.  It was a super-old, multi-story square brick school in our small town.  So old, in fact, that it had radiators in every classroom and giant metal slides built into each side of the second story that originally were intended to be used as fire escapes!  I used to daydream that they would unboard the entrances to the slides and we could play to our hearts' content instead of perfecting our cursive writing.  

The walls of 'Mary B.' had bubbling, peeling paint 

the school (I think they had painted tan latex paint over some older avocado green oil-based paint.)  While we waited 

in line after lunch or to go into computer class (Oregon Trail, baby!) we would have contests to see who could peel the largest sheet of paint off the wall by where they were standing.  For some reason, we thought we were doing the school a favor by removing the top coat by the sheet.  I even fantasized that the teachers would come to their senses and start to pay us to remove the offending paint bubbles instead of chastising us for creating huge green polka dots on our school's walls!  I was in love with Travis Schwab, who sat by me every Sunday in Primary.

10 Years Ago...

..was the summer after my freshman year at BYU.  I was living at home, taking Statistics 221 during Summer Term, and working two part time jobs because I couldn't find a decent full-time one that would hire me just for the summer.  I answered the Sears Appliance Repair Center's 1-800 number and scheduled repairman service calls in the mornings, and wo-manned the fitting room and organized the clothing department at SuperTarget.  That summer I went to Jackson Hole on a river-rafting trip with our singles ward.  The pictures are of our side-trip to the Grand Tetons on the way home.

At Sears, I fended off the advances of a creepy dude from Colorado who used to stare at me while I would answer phones.  How do I know where he was from?  He was at the ward Nathan and I went to during our honeymoon, and yes, he stared at me then too.   I welcomed the advances of a too-old for me 25 year old Target Cashier Supervisor named Sheldon (yes, I know, the name alone should have sent me running.)  That summer marked the first time I ever gave my phone number to a guy - David Hepworth, a manager at Sears Telecenter, who called me and wanted to hang out, but only after I had moved to my BYU apartment.  His reluctance to come near the parental abode, again, should have sent me running.  Luckily, the day he dropped by to visit was a day I had forgotten to shave my legs but was wearing shorts.  I'm "sure" that's why he didn't ask me out again!

I had no earthly idea that summer would be my last as a single lady.  In just 4 short months I would meet Nathan, we would have a whirlwind courtship, and we would fall in love . . . 

Five Years Ago...

...I was living in our first (and so far, only) house in Layton.  Cassidy was three and just barely potty trained (through weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth) and Braden was around 8 months old.  I'm told Braden was the cutest baby in the ward, which is quite a compliment, because at that point our ward was around 800 members strong and there were lots of babies.  I drove a silver Saturn and visited my mom an hour away once a week, never caring how much the gasoline cost because it wasn't much, even on our limited budget.  Nathan had been diagnosed with depression a few months ago, and we were beginning to see the benefits of the little white pills.  I had my regular husband back instead of the glum couch potato who moped and watched television instead of playing with the kids; and I was glad of it!  

Three Years Ago...

...I was feeling very sorry for myself because I was pregnant with Rebecca and had been on bed rest for about a week.  I had gone into preterm labor the day after Independence Day.  At that point I was realizing that my optimism at "only having to last 6 or 7 weeks until no more bed rest" was great, but the time moves much slower when you sit on the couch all day long!  Luckily, I had a mom who came up to take me shopping at Wal-Mart in a wheelchair, family members who came to clean the house, and a helpful five year old who lugged the laundry baskets back and forth while I sat on the floor to sort and fold the clothes!  My friend Jenny brought me movies to watch, I crocheted baby blankets, made Rebecca's Christmas stocking, and read lots and lots of books.  Sadly, I think I probably watched a lot of Dr. Phil too.

One Year Ago...

I was teaching Primary music and preparing to spend three weeks in California.  First was 

a family reunion on Catalina Island in the yuckiest hotel I've ever stayed in (the picture is of us near its entrance.)  We spent the week crossing our fingers that the beach with a sign stating "Beware of Dangerous Bacteria Levels" wouldn't give our poor children some disease, but they had so much fun in their ignorance...  At least we had Big Olaf's Ice Cream Parlor down the street that made their own waffle cones!  Then we hung out with California cousins for 10 days until our tickets to Wicked the Musical were good.  We took Cassidy for her 7th birthday present, and it was so worth the wide-eyed wonderment and over-and-over thank yous!!!

I spent that summer thinking that I probably should want to have another baby, but I was so very much enjoying the new found ease and freedom of Rebecca's toddlerness (She eats what we eat!  She walks!  She can tell me what she wants instead of crying!) that I couldn't bring myself to want to be pregnant again.  

So far this year...

...I am really happy with my life.  I have a great house; a great husband who has a great job and is a great provider; great, cute, happy, smart kids; a great (so far - knock on wood!) pregnancy which the doctor says is probably not breech anymore (we'll verify with an ultrasound in two weeks); and great friends.  We've spent the summer swimming at Cherry Hill water park two or more times a week.  We/Nathan did lots of home improvement projects, (a few are more 'done' than others at this point) including:  pouring concrete for a bigger patio and a mini-basketball court in our backyard, installing a full sized basketball hoop, building new stairs from our back door to replace the dumb tiny deck that used to be there, installing a built-in desk in the basement, and getting a bunk bed for the girls so we can make room for the baby!  

Time is moving quickly, but this morning when each of my three children hugged my burgeoning belly (I let them see what it looks like under my shirt, and they all said Whoa!) and said, "I love you baby," I realized that the summer has flown by, and it won't be long before they get to hug the real baby and tell her they love her.

Yesterday...

Nathan worked from home but wasn't finished until 10:30 p.m.  I exercised, paid bills, ran to Smith's to get a prescription (Have I mentioned LOVING their 'we honor competitor pharmacies' coupons' policy?  I love free groceries!!!!) and helped Cassie and her friend Corinne make paper bag puppets.  I began nesting - in the process of getting out all the puppet supplies, I decide to organize and relocate some of my fabric and craft supplies.  I accomplished freeing up half a shelf in my master closet and making myself feel like I was 'that much more ready for a baby to live in this house' even though it had NOTHING to do with a baby at all. 

In the next year...

We'll get a new little sister (whose temperament is hopefully more like Becca's than the other kids, because she's been the easiest baby so far.)  I'm 50-50 on whether or not she'll be a giant like Rebecca was.  Any guesses on the birthweight?  Historically, it was:  Cassidy: 7 lb. 4 oz., Braden 8 lb. 3 oz., Becca 8 lb. 15 oz.

Cassie will start dance lessons in the fall and hopefully begin to match her Spanish verb forms to her noun choice without being corrected!

Braden will start kindergarten and start learning Spanish too.  Hopefully he will make lots of new friends, he will get teased for being a crybaby so he'll stop over-reacting when he gets hurt, and his handwriting will improve to match his fantastic reading skills.

Becca will start sharing a room with Cassidy.  Hopefully her wonderful sleeping habits won't suffer from her older sister's wakefulness and alarm-clock-usage.  Hopefully her bangs will grow out enough that I won't have to use those dumb clips that don't work to keep them out of her face anymore.  Hopefully she will still be cute, funny, and easygoing, even after the baby is born.  I also hope she continues to refer to Honey Bunches of Oats cereal as Crunchy Bunchy Boats.  But I'm pretty sure she'll start saying it right.

Nathan and I will still be the same, except for I will hopefully get smaller after October is over!!  I've been released as the Primary music leader and called to be the ward choir accompanist, so there is a lot of piano practicing in my future.  Nathan plans to take a few days off work when the baby comes, so I'm looking forward to that, too.  I'm sure we'll have more things on the horizon, but I've noticed when I am pregnant I have a hard time thinking past The Due Date.  Too much unknown, I guess.

Now I tag:  Liz, Amber, Nekell, Kirsten, and both Melissas.  Happy reminiscing!

Calling all Memories

This is not an official tag unless you want it to be, but it is making the rounds, and I think it's fun.  (Plus I was going to post something else with some old pictures, but my scanner is out of commission, so it goes in the saved folder and will have to wait till next week!)

Leave a comment to this post describing one memory you and I shared.  It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything is great!

No one but my mom remembers this one!  Except for maybe the unidentified owner of the foot by my face.  Ew.

The 8 Year Old Little Old Lady

Cassidy was making a puppet for a craft activity with her friend Corinne this afternoon.  After Corinne went home, Braden asked if he could make a puppet too.  I asked Cassidy if she would be willing to help her brother with his puppet, and she cheerfully replied, "Of course!  After all, I am his elderly sister."

More Balloon Launch

Uncle Reed was a good sport to get up at 5:45 a.m. and come with us.

Cassidy and Braden by the future 'flag flying' balloon

 (30 minutes before lift-off)

Cassidy knew who this was, but Braden called him 'that hamburger clown.'  

This piggybank balloon was Rebecca's favorite.  She talked about the big pink pig balloon with the blue hat for the rest of the day.  That afternoon she took Reed's navy blue baseball cap, put it on her head, and said, "What do I look like?  Do I look like a pig?"  

While at the balloon launch, she announced to Nathan that she wanted to ride in a yellow balloon.  (Yellow is her favorite color.)  He told her that wasn't going to happen, and she burst into tears.  Later she asked me if when she had a birthday and was three she could ride in a hot air balloon.  I told her no, and she was really mad until I told her she could do it when she is sixteen.  Now, every day for the past four days, she has announced, "When it is my birthday I will be three.  When I am sixteen I will be older and I will ride in a balloon."  I kind of hope she forgets by then. 

On a side note, my one regret about the balloon launch is not getting a picture of our buddy, who we affectionately call Mr. Purple Shorts.  He wore them low - lower than shorts should ever go - and they were accentuated by his lovely shirtless belly (we think he was 24 weeks pregnant, just like me.) He deftly accessorized by strategically clipping his flip phone onto the waistband right below the bellybutton.  His lovely companion was celebrating her freedom at 6:30 a.m. by smoking a cigarette down to the nub (these balloons use flammable gases, remember) and carrying a two liter of root beer and a Budweiser tallboy.  Because, really, what's a better chaser for root beer at sunrise than actual beer at sunrise?

Our Little Patriot

We attended the hot air balloon launch early on the morning of the Fourth.  This balloon was the first balloon to fly, and it had the honor of being the 'flag balloon' and displaying the Stars and Stripes.  As soon as it lifted off, before the announcer asked the crowd to join in the Pledge of Allegiance, Cassidy immediately placed her hand over her heart.  Her respect for our flag and our country made me smile.  Perhaps her 4th of July birthday has something to do with it.

Dogpile

Can't you just hear the little kid giggles?

Cassidy's Baptism

Cassidy was baptized over the weekend.  It was a wonderful day.  The service got to be done completely by our family since she was the only one from our ward being baptized this month.  As I suspected I would, I cried through Braden and Cassidy singing I am a Child of God during the program, and most of the way through my mom's wonderful baptism talk on making covenants. During the program I felt that even though I already knew the church was true, I received another witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is real.  I remember thinking that I did not know how anyone in the meeting could deny the truths of what were spoken that day.  

Cassidy was lucky enough to have two sets of grandparents and two sets of great-grandparents attend, along with aunts, uncles, cousins Olivia and Harrison, and her friends Tessa, Kierra,

Levi, and Isabelle.  Cassie was so happy, and we were very proud to be with her while she made one her first important life choices.

with Grandpa & Grandma Belliston

with Uncle Lee & Aunt Marie

      

with Uncle Reed 

with Aunt Katie

The Littlest Little One

This baby gets the hiccups, which is a first for me.

I've still been feeling kicks down low, so I think my hopes of her having turned yet are unfounded. We'll see at my appointment next Tuesday. It's also the first week I've been able to see her kick from the outside.  

On a good note, I've been contracting less than a few weeks ago.  Really only like 5-10 noticable contractions per day, which is good for me.  (Better than the hour's worth of 4 minutes apart contractions I had at 14 weeks!)

I have a week by week pregnancy book, and this week was a milestone for me in a weirdly clinical way, because at 24 weeks, more than 50% of babies born survive.  I guess thinking about survival statistics makes me feel closer to the end, though it is oh-so far away.

I bought baby socks today at Wal-Mart, my favorite kind that rarely fall off.

Me & The Sibs

(L to R: Me, Lee, & Katie. Reed is in the back.)

Top 10 reasons I love this picture and the people in it:

1.  It is of all four Belliston children, and all four of us have our eyes open.  

2.  It contains Blue Bell ice cream, the frozen confection of our childhood in Texas. (When my parents would splurge for it, that is. This splurge was courtesy of Lee & Marie, who paid big bucks to have it overnight shipped in dry ice for our Christmas dinner!)

3.  It was taken 7 months ago, when I was still thin.  I'm not even close to my full pregnancy glory yet, but this picture makes me long for the return of my pointy chin, defined waist, and pants with a zipper.

4. It reiterates my long held belief that the four of us brothers and sisters look more like cousins than siblings.  

5.  I am wearing white and I haven't spilled anything on it.

6.  Lee is wearing a shirt and he hasn't spilled anything on it.  (Wink!)

7.  Katie is a great aunt.  She plays toys and games with my kids and they love to spend time with her.  She is also a really good example of someone who is fun to be around and kind to everyone.

8.  Reed makes me laugh.  He is just stodgy enough (what with his accounting major, his habit of borrowing clothes from my dad, and his love of holding on to a dollar) to identify with his old married sister - even so, he always has a funny story, and he's not afraid to use it.  

9.  Lee (and his wife Marie) are really fun to talk to.  Sometimes they come over to our house and visit for hours.  Plus, they invite all 3 of our kids for fun weekends away at their condo, which the kids love and talk about for weeks afterward.  

10. It is of all four Belliston children, and all four of us have our eyes open.  

Dentists and Dresses

I came downstairs to sit at my desk and file a receipt, then remembered that my sheets from my bed are in the dryer.  I'm putting off going upstairs because I know I'll just have to put them back on the bed . . . 

Rebecca (and Braden) had the appointment to get cavities filled at the dentist yesterday. It went like a dream!  I had set up a contingency appointment with a pediatric dental specialist just in case it didn't work out, but was crossing my fingers hoping to cancel it because it was going to require conscious sedation (i.e. lots of drugs).  She did fantastically well.  She was so cooperative and obedient, and the dentist was able to drill and fill both small cavities without any numbing shots.  Becca has told me two or three times today, "I went to the dentist and he used his funny stick and his buzzer and his tools and his blue flashlight to clean my teeth."

 

Cassidy is so excited to get baptized this weekend.  Her great-grandma brought her birthday gift early because it was a fancy white church dress to wear on her baptism day.  Cassie made me laugh because she told Grandma Neilson, "Oh, Grandma!  This dress is so pretty and I love it!  All my other friends had white dresses to wear on their baptism day, and I just knew I wouldn't be able to have one so I was a little sad, but it is exactly what I wanted."  I chuckle at those little things that kids get their hearts set on but don't bother to tell their parents about.  If she would have just mentioned to me that it was so important to her, I could have gotten her that dream dress! As it stands, she is lucky to have an intuitive grandma who knows just what little girls want for their birthdays.  

It reminds me of myself a little though, because I never went to a rock concert when I was a teenager:  I was sure my parents would say no if I asked, so I never bothered.  (In my defense, there were quite a few things I wasn't allowed to do . . .)  Years later after I was married I told my dad about my dreams of unrequited concerting, and he said, 'Huh.  You could've gone.'  But in his defense, now that I know how much it costs for a ticket to a concert, odds are I would have been too cheap to spring for a ticket anyway!