sidewalk chalk

He wrote that all by himself, thank you very much. (It says "Jonah" and yes, the a looks more like a q, but not bad for a 3-year old.)

4-year old height

I let Jonah run around with the camera today. This is what our house looks like to someone just over three feet:

 

two favorite quotes

While we were at church, Jonah wanted to go check on something. "I'll come right back, Mom. And I'll make sure no one else takes me home with them, because I would miss you."

Jonah (on the way home tonight): I don't like growing up.
me: No? Do you want to be my little boy forever?
Jonah: Yes. So I don't want to go to sleep because when we sleep we grow.
(Ah ha, so the truth comes out!)

while the cat's away...

While I went to Urgent Care on Monday, Josh came home from school to hold down the fort. I came home to a new folder of pictures on my computer titled "While the cat's away, the mice will play..."

There were no captions, but I think the story is fairly self-explanatory.

The amazing part is that by the time I got home, Jonah was dressed again in the same (recently dried) clothes. Josh introduced him to the joy of freshly warmed clothes straight from the dryer.

thoughts from the bed

I had no idea until recently that there was going to be a sequel to Finnikin of the Rock. When I realized I'd be spending a week or so in bed, I treated myself to walking down to the bookstore and picking up a copy.

Sadly, I was disappointed. I really really wanted to like it. I also am very difficult to please with sequels. There is something very nice about a free-standing book in an era of three-book everything. It was a fine book all-in-all, but I'm not accustomed to Marchetta's books being fine. Unlike Finnikin of the Rock, this is not one I would recommend to non-fantasy readers. It lacks the heart and the real-life issues (immigrants, racism, language) that I loved about Finnikin. It does deal some with racism, but not enough for me to hail it as current issues in fantasy form.  I'm not sure I'd recommend it to fantasy readers, either. Again, it wasn't a terrible book, but there are others with better world building and mystical elements. The story itself could be fascinating (and I did finish it in a day and a half, so it couldn't have been that bad) but it was long, kind of crude, and didn't have any real resolution. I hate trilogies for that reason: the second book is invariably a place holder.

Am I thrilled there will be a book 3 out next March? Yes!Will I buy the next one in hard cover? Probably. Am I going to give  Froi of the Exiles to the thrift store? No. Am I genuinely interested in the characters new and old? Yes. Do I want to know what will happen, especially to Phaedra (a personal favorite new character)? Definitely. Will I read my favorite parts again and again over the next week (like I did with Finnikin and Jellicoe Road)? Nope. In fact, I think I'll tuck myself in bed tonight with Finnikin again and pretend this book didn't happen until next year when I might need a detail refresher.

shingles

They might not be genetic, but my mom and brother both had them. Now I do. Yay, me!

Doctor's orders: lots of rest and relaxation. The question is, will he come watch my kids and clean my house for me? I intend to take it easy, but since I can't sleep (have you ever tried to sleep in pain?) I may as well get something done, right?

pictures from New Orleans

Holding a crying baby is not the easiest way to blog. Uploading pictures is easier than writing, so there will be lots of the former and not so much of the latter.

Jonah can usually make her laugh by sticking his tongue out. Also: check out the new double stroller. We love it.

In spite of the stroller, much of the last day was spent like this: Caroline in the carrier, Jonah on foot, me pushing an empty stroller.

Showing off his nuscles.

Peeking out. I wonder when she will grow some hair.

The only shopping Josh cared to do was here.

Exhausted. Guess who got himself dressed? The ward we visited probably wondered about his footwear, but he was too proud for us to insist he change.

I didn't take a bad picture, he just poses with his eyes closed these days. Oh, and the giant banana pancake? He had 1 bite.

Smiley!

Pouting that he had to take this picture. That is a maple and bacon doughnut. Mmmm!

more than you need to know

I've never done one of these "tell me about yourself" blog tags, but I did used to love those emails to the same effect. Did you know kids these days don't even use email? In my adolescence and early adulthood it came into existence and then passed in to practical obscurity as far as day-to-day conversation goes. It is probably here to stay for work and things. I can't imagine a lot of meeting notes via text. Anyway, here goes:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 things about yourself/your life .

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you've tagged them.

Almost two years ago. Jonah was so little then!

1. Perfect day: Drizzly rain, new book, hot chocolate/rocky road ice cream (depending on the weather)

2. I lived in Spain one summer. Someday, I will go back.

3. A successful loaf of bread makes me feel like Superwoman. A failed loaf spirals me into a funk.

4. The very best thing to eat: a fresh delicious winter navel orange

5. My first day of college, we were to introduce ourselves and say something interesting about ourselves. I gave a 5-minute explanation of how my home town is pronounced contrary to the way you'd think and is named after ruins that are not actually in our town at all. Eyes glazed over. I could see it, but I couldn't stop! It was after this experience that I decided I had to come up with something interesting about myself that was brief.

6. I can stick my entire fist in my mouth (see above).

7. I was in show choir in high school. I still sing most of the songs and dance the dances I can still remember. This is less entertaining than it sounds when it's songs from the years I was an alto.

8. I'm a napper. I'd take a 2-hour nap every day if I could. When Josh and I first got married, he worried that I was depressed because I slept all the time. Now that Jonah is giving up his afternoon nap, so am I. I am very sad.

9. Josh came home early from school on Friday so I could take a nap. It was the sweetest thing he's done for me in a long time, maybe ever.

10. I don't have a favorite movie. It's a miracle I have a favorite book.

11. Depending on when they met me, most people are unaware that I'm a huge nerd. I grew up reading fantasy novels, love both Star Trek and Star Wars, have played a variety of multi-player games, etc. I do not speak Klingon.

Now on to Kayla's questions:

1. What is your favorite book?

This is one of the most common questions people ask me when they find out I studied Comparative Literature in college. (The other: "So...what do you do with that?") You'd think I'd be a pro by now, but instead, the question stresses me out. I generally have an answer that is either too long for polite conversation or I panic and can't think of a single thing I've ever read (likely leading others to wonder if I wasted all that tuition). I am proud to say, however, that I currently have a favorite book: Finnikin of the Rock. I love Melina Marchetta and I love this book. I still have a too-long answer to the "what's a good book to read" question, but Finnikin is definitely my favorite (right now).

2. If you got to choose a superpower, what would it be?

Definitely invisibility. Am I the only person that didn't even have to think about it? Also, definitely not the power to read minds. It sounds cool, but I prefer to be oblivious to anyone thinking ill of me.

3. Would you ever consider plastic surgery for yourself? What would you have done?

This is a slippery slope I take care not to tread. There are things I don't like about my looks, but if I start to think about them I'd have to give up my plan to go buy two blizzards when I'm done with this post (they're buy one get one for $1 right now! Yes, I will eat both myself because Josh has no interest). I find refusing to indulge in self-deprecation keeps me liking how I look.

4. What is your favorite kind of cheese?

Monterey Jack. I don't love it so much by itself, but it makes pizza extra special when combined with mozzarella and does the same for Mexican food with cheddar.

5. How do you eat a Reese's peanut butter cup?

I stick the whole thing in my mouth and then later realize that if I'd eaten slower I could have enjoyed them longer. Man, I love those things.

6. What was your best subject in school?

Math and English.

7. If you could live absolutely anywhere (and take your family and friends with you), where would you live?

This question was a lot more fun before we moved 2000 miles away from home. Now, I honestly think I would move back to Arizona. There are lots of lovely places in the world that would be fun to visit, but I love the desert most of all. If I could choose anywhere in the state, it'd either be in the middle of nowhere up by the Utah border or in what is known as Lehi (a little sliver of Mesa on the Scottsdale border that is mostly full of citrus trees).  Since we're talking dreams, though, I'd take a private jet and unlimited travel fund so I could stay for months at a time all over the world.

8. How do you feel about snow?

There is something magical about standing outside in the absolute silence of snow fall. There is something horrible about the way that your pants get wet up to the knee and black snow stays in the streets for weeks. I think I would love watching my kids play in it, but I don't feel the lack myself if Christmas isn't white.

9. Did you have any nicknames growing up? What were they?

Nothing other than the expected: Kimmy and Kimber being the most common.

10. What size shoe do you wear?

8.5

11. What is your favorite thing about yourself? (can be physical, personality, whatever)

I feel an inordinate amount of pride that Jonah has my eyes. They're lovely and all, but seeing them in his sweet face makes me love mine even more.

Eleven other questions I'd like to see answered:

1. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner?

2. Who do you look like? Act like?

3. Are you named after anyone? Where did your name come from?

4. Have you ever been on a cruise? Would you?

5. Do you speak any other languages?

6. What is your favorite color? (Bonus points for the crayola name...anyone remember the mac n cheese crayon?)

7. What is your favorite sing-along-as-loud-as-you-can-in-the-car song?

8. Ramen: disgusting sodium block or greatest dinner ever?

9. Same question, but with hot pockets.

10. What is the first movie you remember seeing in theaters? Have you ever paid to see a movie in theaters more than once? How many times?

11. Pancakes, waffles, or French toast?

People I'd love to read about (though with no obligation to participate): Quintin AND Molly (more Molly than Q since I could probably fill it out for him with fair accuracy), Shanté, Megan

one smart cookie

We went to New Orleans this weekend. It was our first big trip with Caroline and our very first typical vacation (hotel, touristy things, eating out) since...a long time, probably before Jonah was born. When we have the time or money to travel, we generally prefer to visit family or friends. Still, we'd been meaning to get to New Orleans for many years, so we took off a long weekend and drove down (4.5 hours or so). One of the best parts of the trip was spending all day playing with this kid. We sure love him.

He regularly makes us laugh with the things he says. A few new ones:

-He picked out some hooks at Home Depot because he wanted to have somewhere to hang his keys. Josh told me later that Jonah saw them on the wall, picked them out, and explained why he needed them. Josh couldn't tell him no since they were only a few dollars. When they got home, Josh said, "Tell Mommy what you got at the store." Jonah threw up his arms and said, "Mommy! We got some hookers!"
-When he's shy or embarrassed, "I'm not going to want any watching."
-On the way home last night: "I'm tired of doing fun things." Yeah, I was too.
-He often uses Lady (his current favorite stuffed animal) to convey his emotions: Lady's leg hurts, Lady doesn't want to go to bed, etc. This is his newest: "When Lady gets in trouble, she doesn't want me to get mad at her" and then, "When Lady slams her door (something he has taken to doing repeatedly when in trouble, resulting in the door being taken off its frame), she doesn't want me to take her door. She wants me to come rock her." So we've been cuddling up with him when he reaches his breaking point and half the time it works. I'm so glad Lady had that idea.

DIX-IE!

While driving to Birmingham to do some shopping Tuesday, I got a call from the animal shelter. After all this time answering calls only to be disappointed when it had nothing to do with Dixie, finally the call we wanted. "We have your dog." We've had a lot of the same questions, so here's a quick run down:

1. Where was she?
We don't know. A local vet had her for a few weeks (according to the shelter) but she did not have her collar or tags by that point. The vet didn't check for a microchip, but the shelter did.
2. Was she in good health?
She seems to be. She smelled terrible (First thing home: water and food. Next: a bath) but wasn't injured or terribly skinny or anything.
3. Did she recognize you?
Yep. Her whole body wiggled she was wagging her tail so hard when we walked down her aisle at the shelter.
4. How has she been?
Great. She follows us around, but then she always did. I can't tell any difference in her temperament. In fact, it feels like she was hardly gone at all.
5. What's to stop her from running away again?
Well hopefully some common sense. We're reinforcing the yard and letting her spend more time inside so she will have less time to destroy the fence. I'm not tossing the extra lost dog signs though, just in case. Although she is always so happy to come home, this dog has an itch to run and has since the tornado. We figure it's better than having lost her in the storm, but it is a pain.
6. Is Jonah so happy to have her back?
Yes. He cried and cried on Tuesday when I made him go to bed instead of playing with her. He's had a bath every day since (we generally bathe him every few days) because he smells like a dog all the time. On Tuesday, he would randomly call out "DIX-IE" which he translated for me: "That means I'm excited she is coming home and I want to go get her now."

cheese, I want some cheese!*

We had an exciting weekend and are paying for it by all being sick today. Bleh. At least I have pictures to look at while I feel bad for myself.

My parents drove down for the baby blessing. Aren't they adorable?

Jonah pretending to be Mary Poppins:

Getting a decent picture of the four of us is harder than it should be. Thanks, Rachael and Aly!

*what Jonah says when a photographer says "say cheese!".

the 4th wall

At the beginning of Mary Poppins (Jonah's current movie pick from the library), Bert addresses the audience. The other day, Jonah said, "You know, Mom, I don't think he can really hear me."