Bop to the Top

Every year, the two middle schools in my town put on a spring musical together. This year, for some bewildering reason, they're doing High School Musical. Except that they're not in high school. So it'll really be more like Middle School High School Musical. My baby sister auditioned, and she got the part she wanted:

Sharpay. [The picture is not my actual sister. That's the movie.]

Anyway, I'm pretty excited about it. Because although I'm not a fan of the High School Musical franchise, I am a fan of school plays. And Middle School High School Musical is sure to be...entertaining.

Resurrection

Art by Del Parson "The Resurrection from the dead is a most beautiful aspect of the Atonement and truly a part of the plan of happiness; the Resurrection is universal and applies to the entire human family. We will all be resurrected. I bear testimony of that fact and truth. This is an unconditional gift from God." -Earl C. Tingey

Madame Green

When Isaac finally found a job in December, our little family had a lot of adjusting to do. For the last year, we'd been together almost all the time. I was a little lonely. Or maybe a lot lonely. I had Little Boy to keep me company, and that helped, but...he's two. But then my best friend ever, Melissa, in true best-friend-ever fashion, solved the problem. She got me this for Christmas:

Meet Madame Green. You ask the lovely lady a question, then push down on the bubble (kind of like pop-o-matic Trouble.). And then, not only does she answer your question--she also dispenses M&Ms into the tray next to her! Conversation and chocolate--I haven't been lonely or hungry since!

American-Idol-Watching Quote of the Day

Kaylyn [updating me on American Idol from the night before, which I didn't get to watch]: "He didn't wear nail polish or eyeliner, but he was still wearing mascara." Me: "How could you tell?" Kaylyn: "His bottom lashes were very...defined." Me: "Maybe he's born with it." Kaylyn: "No, I'm pretty sure it's Maybelline."

St. Patrick's Day...?

I know, I'm a week behind. But let's pretend that today is last Wednesday. St. Patrick's Day is usually not a big deal to me. I'm a little bit Irish, but green beer isn't really my thing. But any holiday is ten times more fun when a two-year-old is involved. So at our house, even small holidays get celebrated.

We did an activity with shamrocks during Family Home Evening the day before. Little Boy's is easy to pick out.

Little Boy also colored a leprechaun, and I helped him cut it out and glue it together. I made him touch the sticky part of the glue stick. He didn't scream. This is progress.

Green Kool-Aid at dinner. Little Boy thought it was the best-tasting juice ever. The rest of us liked that it turned our tongues green.

Dinner. I know, right? It doesn't look so good. It's (green) scrambled eggs, hash browns, and ham cooked all together. And let me tell ya--it looks horrible, but it tasted amazing.

And then there were brownies for dessert. I forgot to get a better picture of them than this:

Oh well. Normally I would put mint flavoring in the frosting, but Isaac doesn't like mint and chocolate together. So I browsed through the cupboard and found rum flavoring--rum is Irish, right? The rum-flavored frosting with the brownies was so good. Who'da thought? Anyway, my next posts will be more up-to-date. But I wanted to squeeze this one in because, really, what else would I do with these pictures?

Home

Art by Robert Duncan


"A house is built of lumber, brick, and stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. A house can be a home, and a home can be a heaven when it shelters a family. When true values and basic virtues undergird the families of society, hope will conquer despair, and faith will triumph over doubt. “Such values, when learned and lived in our families, will be as welcome rain to parched soil. Love will be engendered; loyalty to one’s best self will be enhanced; and those virtues of character, integrity, and goodness will be fostered. The family must hold its preeminent place in our way of life because it’s the only possible base upon which a society of responsible human beings has ever found it practicable to build for the future and maintain the values they cherish in the present.”


-Thomas S. Monson

Half-Asleep Quote of the Day

Little Boy and I are sick again--it's that time of year, I guess. I'll be spending most of the day on the couch. But for now, enjoy the following conversation between Isaac and me:

[Isaac is Type I diabetic, so sometimes his blood sugar drops in the middle of the night and he has to get up to eat something. Usually he goes right back to sleep. But this time, he just sat on the bed without lying down...]

Andrea: "What are you doing?"

Isaac [mumbling]: "I can't decide which way to lie down."

Andrea: "Which way to lie down?"

Isaac: "There are too many choices."

Andrea: "Well, why don't you lie on your back, then."

Isaac: "Okay." [Isaac lies down and goes to sleep.]

Like Father, Like Son

Isaac and Little Boy had a jam session yesterday:

 

Little Boy's uncle and aunt gave him this little guitar when Little Boy was a few months old. We've moved three times since then, and since our last move, I could not find the guitar anywhere. (Our fault--we still have a lot of boxes that haven't been unpacked.)

Anyway, I found it. And Little Boy is IN LOVE WITH IT. So he and Isaac like to rock out together.

Cutest thing I've ever seen.

Angels

Art by James C. Christensen

 "Usually [angels] are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times."

-Jeffrey R. Holland

Little Boy Dictionary: Zoo Edition

(Little Boy's new "wasside hat" and "padamas")

For those who haven't seen one of my dictionaries before, I like to keep track of the way Little Boy says certain words and how that pronunciation changes over time. Here's the latest.

Stwuh says! = What does a squirrel say?
 effafunt = elephant
 seebuh = zebra
 awadaytuh = alligator
 duhwaff = giraffe
 wahn = lion
 huppo = hippo
 umtee = monkey

Now maybe if you meet Little Boy, you'll be able to understand what he says. Maybe? A little? Eh, probably not.

Golf Quote of the Day

Andrea: "You talk to your golf balls an awful lot." Isaac: "They are mine, and I know them. They are numbered unto me."

Gardening in Miniature

Last Sunday, Little Boy brought home some dirt in a cup. His Nursery teacher said that it might grow into a nasturtium.

So Little Boy and I watered it all week. I put it on the windowsill when it was sunny out, then moved it to the top of the refrigerator when it wasn't--the top of the refrigerator is supposed to be good because it's warm. But the top of our fridge isn't all that warm. So on Friday, I set it on the floor near the heater. I thought that if the fridge wasn't warm enough, the heat vent definitely would be. And if it still didn't grow...oh well. Saturday was cloudy, so I left the dirt cup on the floor. I checked on it, but still nothing (I'm a little impatient.). I forgot all about it yesterday--didn't even check to see if it needed water. And this is what I found in the dirt cup this morning:

Two sprouts. And one of them is an inch tall! Either this is the fastest-growing nasturtium ever, or I seriously missed something when I checked it on Saturday. So I'm happy. I have a flower for my container garden this summer. And Little Boy likes it (mostly he likes pouring water on it). We named it Audrey III.

So far, it hasn't demanded any blood.

Art by Chris Young "Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward. "Hope, on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Pajama Wednesday

Every once in awhile, a mom needs a break in the middle of the week. No way is she going to make it to the weekend. That's why we celebrate Pajama Wednesday. We don't do it a lot, but today Little Boy has a cold, and I'm exhausted. Pajama Wednesday is pretty self-explanatory, but just in case you need a visual aid:

I'm in my pajama pants and slippers.

And Little Boy is in his footie pajamas.

See? Pajama Wednesday is that easy.

"Yass!"

Little Boy says "yass" instead of "yes." More like "yeah-ss." For a long time, he wouldn't say "yeah" or "yes" or "yup" or any of that--he'd just smile instead. Of course, he was still perfectly willing to say, "no."

But now, not only does he say, "yass," he says it with enthusiasm. Always. Like this:

"Do you want toast for breakfast?" "Yass!"
 "Do you love your bear?" "Yass!"
 "It's time to brush teeth." "Yass!"
 "Do you like putting your cars on the piano?"
 
  "YASS!"

"We live in a world that is filled with options. If we are not careful, we will find every minute jammed with social events, classes, exercise time, book clubs, scrapbooking, Church callings, music, sports, the Internet, and our favorite TV shows. One mother told me of a time that her children had 29 scheduled commitments every week: music lessons, scouts, dance, Little League, day camps, soccer, art, and so forth. She felt like a taxi driver. Finally, she called a family meeting and announced, 'Something has to go; we have no time to ourselves and no time for each other.' Families need unstructured time when relationships can deepen and real parenting can take place. Take time to listen, to laugh, and to play together."

-M. Russell Ballard