Meet a Mormon Monday

I can't believe I've blogged for years and managed to avoid a weekly post with a clever alliterative title. In any case, I have one now.

Meeting people who defy stereotypes gives me a weird satisfaction. I feel like saying "Ha! You're wrong!" to all the people who perpetuate stereotypes. I've been watching these short videos for awhile now, and I find them impressive, inspiring and amusing. I don't post them just because they are about Mormons, although I do fantasize that having that one thing in common with these amazing people could possibly make me as good or as interesting as they are. I post them because they are everything I just mentioned and I think you will find them equally entertaining.

So let the tradition begin, every Monday a new Mormon.

lil' buds

Miriam is getting old enough to be an enjoyable playmate for Eli. Eli loves being the one in charge for once. I should clarify, she isn't quite old enough to comprehend and execute his orders, but she a least isn't giving him any. This works really well while Cameron is at school, and I'm looking forward to the fall when they can play together freely. But when Cameron isn't at school we have some serious jealousy issues. Cameron's feelings are hurt that occasionally Eli prefers playing with Miriam, whose inability to comprehend and execute orders prevents Cameron from holding a power position. So Cameron has no desire to play with Miriam, but I am hopeful that he'll learn to play more cooperatively as an incentive to keep Eli as a play buddy.
It used to be (and still is) that Eli idolized Cameron and did everything, wore everything, said everything that Cameron did. Now Miriam is falling into that pattern with Eli as her idol. She found Cameron's hat and put it on to look just like Eli.

two months

Simon is two months old today. It has gone by so fast. Of course, everyone says that. He out-weighs all his siblings for this age. He is gaining weight really well despite his reflux. We are still doing lots of laundry though. He is giving us a smile here and there. Oh those baby smiles are priceless. He is also sleeping through the night. Also priceless. He loves the swing and I have to be careful not to leave him there all day. I call him "Little Dude" quite a bit but mostly we call him "Si." In fact, it is the only family member name Miriam has picked up so far. Actually what she says is "Hi Sise."

back in the saddle again

A rare moment on a Sunday morning where everyone is dressed.

I went back to work on Monday. It felt good. I even wore mascara. I missed these guys and it took me all day Tuesday to put our lives back in order from the weekend. But I'm grateful for my one-day escape. I feel like I'm adjusting to the new normal and it's not so bad. (Except that part of my new normal is smelling like spit-up. Eck. )

it might be socially unacceptable, but....

Occasionally Eli puts his pants on backwards. The other day I pointed it out to him and he said he wanted them that way. He also says that when he has his shoes on the wrong feet, and unfortunately I worry that it is his prideful way of stubbornly refusing to change. But maybe I'm over-thinking it...

Anyway, I figured, why not let him wear his pants backwards? They will last longer because he can wear out the knees on both sides.

the plastic years part II

You might remember this post about the plastic cups? I have an update.

A couple weeks ago we went to dinner with Richard's family at Dickey's BBQ Pit. They serve their drinks in plastic cups, for you to keep! As we were leaving I noticed that no one was taking their cups with them. (These people clearly don't have young children at home.) Bonus for me! I asked and no one minded if I took their cup. Now we have a full set of new plastic cups. I'm so excited.

The timing couldn't be better. Our Red Robin cups are quite faded and I was getting worried about how guests would feel drinking out of them. I hate to have people think I'm low-class.

family vacation

**I apologize for the lousy formatting of this post. Blogger will not cooperate and I've had it. If you know how to fix this problem let me know.

My grandparents all passed away when I was young, so I feel blessed to have married into a family of wonderful grandparents. I believe the grandparent-grandchild relationship is the most mutually forgiving and tolerant family relationship. It is so... comfortable. Our grandparents are so forgiving of our faults, perhaps even more than our parents. And in return we are forgiving of them. We tolerate their too-personal questions, unsolicited advice and spoiling of our children better than when our parents do these things. The generation that separates us gives us more room for humor and patience I guess. Or maybe I speak too generally, and this relationship is unique to me and my grandparent-in-laws. Regardless, I love it.

This weekend we road-tripped over to eastern Idaho to visit Richard's grandparents. (And other family and friends.) It was delightful. They are such generous hosts. Ray and Larene Bird are the least idle people I know. I was so motivated to be a better, less lazy mother as I watched them. Grandpa just does whatever needs to be done, and then some. If he doesn't know how to do something he asks and learns. Grandma prepares meticulous meals from scratch and then cleans up the mess without complaint. This is just the way life is for them. They do so much work without ever acting like it is work. I admire them so much.

Grandma says that the horses are Grandpa's best friends. When they see him and he whistles to them, they come a-gallopin'. We also got to see Sam, the new colt. Turns out Sam and Simon have a lot in common. A couple horses in the pasture got a little too friendly and SUPRISE.

Don't worry Lori, it was just up and down the driveway out at the farm.

The Bird's own a Motel with a pool where we did a little swimming. We thought Miriam would love it, but for the first time in her life she was happier just watching.

Grandma and Grandpa Wray got to meet Simon for the first time, and spoil all the kids with belated Easter treats.

we are a happy family

Bird family... party of SIX.

Simon was a surprise and four kids is hard. But I adore him of course. I am so glad he is here and it really feels right.

Richard blessed him on Sunday. It was a great experience. It always is. Thanks to all who came. My cup runneth over.

How do you spell choose-y anyway?

An anecdote about Richard:

The other day I asked Richard if he had heard about the tornadoes in the south. He said he had heard on ESPN radio that an Alabama football player had been injured during a storm. I suggested that perhaps sports radio isn't the best way to stay up on current events.

This morning I read on Facebook that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. (I'm laughing out loud at myself for the irony of my last two sentences that didn't occur to me until I typed them.) I called Richard and asked him if he'd heard the news. He responded "Yeah. I just heard on ESPN radio that last night at a baseball game as people got word of the news from their cell phones they started chanting "U.S.A.!" I laughed. He said "See? I can still stay up on things by listening to sports radio."

In fairness, an anecdote about myself:


Richard and I had a great debate recently about the effectiveness of advertising. I was arguing about one form of advertising in particular. Can the people who stand on the sidewalk and wave signs for their business really be effective? This led to further discussions about marketing and I maintained that I was not generally influenced by advertising.


Later that evening I had the pleasure of Richard's company at the grocery store. When I noticed that my usual brand of peanut butter was gone, I selected Jif. I made the following comment "I guess I'll get Jif, beause I'm a choosey mom."


You can imagine the gloating and that came in minutes that followed. And the hours. And the days.

smile. no... SMILE!

The fact that there are more pictures of Miriam than the boys is no indication of my love for each of my children, just that Cameron and Eli's pictures all looked mostly the same. I just chose the best version of their phony smiles.

When I really get motivated I'll dress all four of them up and attempt a picture of them all. (Or I guess I should say, Krista will attempt a picture of them all.)

Miriam gives me the expression above at least 1,407 times each day. I love it. And I am so glad we have it captured for the ages.