Called to Serve

We've received the exciting news that my parents have been called to serve in the Johannesburg, South Africa mission! They enter the Mission Training Center on November 26, 2012 and will serve for a period of 2 years. South Africa is certainly a far cry from the mission they served previously in New Jersey and I can't wait to see what new adventures this will bring for them. Time to dust off your black name tags Mom and Dad!

It Is Thursday Afternoon

The girls have ostensibly eaten lunch. There's rice and green beans all over the kitchen table, chairs, and floor. A mess that will simply have to wait until later... probably about 5 minutes before Brent gets home. The last time Ireland went potty she didn't bother to put her skirt or panties back on so she's running around the apartment bare-bum and perfectly happy. Liesel is clicking on video after video on YouTube. I glance over now and again to catch her watching a panda commercial, some anime, some Micky Mouse. During this pregnancy she has become proficient in entertaining herself with the computer. A bit of guilt seeps into my heart and I shake it off, reminding myself that I won't be pregnant forever. After the baby is born I'll be a good mom again. I'll clean up right after lunch, put panties back on and read books with my kids rather than let their brains go to mush with animated garbage.

The air conditioner is running, running, running. Probably just as tired as I am, trying to keep our apartment cool. I wonder if I can get Ireland to take a nap since she has gymnastics tonight. Back in their room, I hear her dumping out the lunchbox we use to keep the blocks in. Another mess... Still, it's relatively quiet which is heaven as I try and sit still while I mentally battle the nausea and headache that will NOT go away! I should grab the peppermint oil in my purse and dab a little behind my ears but that's in the kitchen and I'm in the living room. If I go into the kitchen I'll just be confronted with the lunch mess. So I'll sit in the living room with the other mess and just deal.

Ireland has gotten bored with coloring... laying down on the carpet with her full moon unabashedly showing. Have I mentioned Ireland has the cutest naked bum? She disappears for a moment and I hear her grunting as she brings the Poppin' Popper out. She gives me a mischievous smile as she turns it on and presses the button. Colorful plastic balls fly all over the living room and her smile widens. There's something about chaos this little girl loves. Along with the coloring books and crayons, it's another mess I won't be cleaning anytime soon. I'm too big, too tired, too zapped of energy in the hot stickiness of late summer. And yet for a neat-nick like me I somehow don't care! My girls are fed, (mostly) clothed and happy. That's enough for now.

Brent's Mission Scrapbook

Journals, letters to president, letters to and from the field, Spanish scriptures,
Spanish hymnal, photos, scrapbook, charlas and missionary plaque.

It. Is. FINISHED!!! Of all the organization projects I've undertaken with regards to Brent's memorabilia, his missionary records were by far, the most complicated. I cannot begin to describe my euphoria at having it all done. Here's what we did:

Letters- Brent kept every letter he received and even marked them in the ORDER he received them. We bought a date stamp and transferred the information he'd penciled on the envelopes, put the letters in page protectors and then compiled them into two binders. Letters to his mission president were also put into page protectors and housed in their own binder.

The negatives. I know you can send these to places that will scan
them and create digital images but for the time being it was just
too cost prohibitive. Someday!

Photos- Oi. This was as heady a project as putting together the actual scrapbook. All the negatives were thrown into one box and all the photos in a different box. Brent went through the photos and divided them by area and companion. Then we went through the negatives. I invested in 3-ring binder sleeves with a label across the top. Then Brent and I just about went blind staring at the negatives and getting them in order. We put the negatives corresponding with each area in the binder with the letters to President. Once those were organized, we could put the photos back into chronological order which made the scrapbooking much, much easier. We purchased a photo box from (where else?) The Container Store which had nifty dividers. Because Brent kept such meticulous records, we were able to label the dividers by area and the date range he served there. 

The photos. Technically this is a "media storage box"
that can also hold CD's. Because we used photos,
there's space at the top for some of the knick knacks
Brent picked up in Guatemala.

Misc.- Brent's family made sure to record his setting apart, father's blessing as well as all the talks given at his farewell. Luckily his setting apart and father's blessing were typed up and laminated! I quickly re-typed them so we'd have a digital copy. However, I spent one very looong afternoon transcribing the talks.

I found a website called pininthemap.com. For every area, I printed out a color map with a nice little red pin showing exactly where his area was in relation to the whole country of Guatemala. While I was at it, I saved those maps in the growing folder of digital documents.

Scrapbook- Oh wow. Apparently hardly anyone is making traditional scrapbooks anymore! Once upon a time there were tons of places around Provo where mission-themed paper and stickers could be found. Not anymore. Not at the University Mall, not on BYU campus, not anywhere really. I was able to pick up just a few things at a craft store in Utah which has since closed down. I scoured the handful of scrapbooking places around here and luckily there was one that was kind of a travel-themed store and they had some great stuff. My parents also happened upon a shop with little Guatemalan flags, stickers and even a tie tack. They graciously purchased those which helped tremendously. Even the Creative Memories website no longer lists this type of scrapbook among their products! I came dangerously close to not having enough pages to finish it all but luckily had a consultant who was willing to dig until she found some.

My favorite page! A number of volcanoes erupted while Brent was serving as a missionary. I found a picture of the actual volcano and used it to create the outline I mounted on the page. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the cardstock the pictures are mounted on looks like charcoal. Brent collected some of the ash and I found a tiny plastic holder for it. I had fun burning the corner of the picture closest to the volcano flames. What looks like flames at the bottom of the picture of his companion were just random, a result of the photo development, but they work so well with the rest of the page!

Working through the scrapbook with Brent was great on so many levels. I'd heard so many of his mission stories, but now I was putting a face to a name. After staring at negatives, getting reprints and then cropping, I got to know those pictures VERY well! It was also very gratifying to see Brent get excited as it all came together.

More than anything, I'm glad we both now have something we can pull out and show our girls when we talk about how important our missions were for us. Rather than telling stories and vaguely mentioning we have a record "in a box somewhere" it's all organized, compiled and documented! On the flip side, I'm SO happy this project is over and done with; this will be my last paper scrapbook. As I move into the digital world of scrapbooking, I have many other projects waiting in the wings (IE blurbing this blog, baby books, our wedding album, etc.) but for now I'm going to just relax and NOT have a major project for a while. I think I've earned it...

Get It?



Taken just before they left for gymnastics.

Last night after Liesel went to bed, I was watching Brent and Ireland interact. After a long day with the girls, it's nice to play the observer and see parenting from the outside for a moment or two. In spite of the fact we have the same philosophy when it comes to raising our children, Brent has an entirely different approach than I do. We get the same results for sure, but we interact with our children in our own ways. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks--Brent GETS Ireland on a level I just don't.

Let me emphatically state he does not favor Ireland. Nor does he have a bad relationship with Liesel. I don't have a bad relationship with Ireland either. He just GETS her. I don't feel like a failed parent or like I'm missing out. Someday (and yes, I'm thinking adolescence here), there will be things she'll connect with me on much more than her father. I'm just incredibly grateful I have Brent as my husband and partner in parenting because he brings out a side of Ireland I don't always get to see. 

First of all, Brent gets her toddler gibberish much better than I do. I have to admit I make a few phone calls every week to his office for help deciphering her latest request. Somehow he just knows "tussin" means she wants to watch "Tarzan". In the evenings when I try to repeat what she's saying in plain English, Brent will yell corrections from across the room. It's a language the two of them speak fluently.

Brent's instincts are dead on when it comes to Ireland. Like the fact she should be left alone when she falls asleep face down on the floor. Or when she needs to be held or what will pull her out of a temper tantrum. I feel like everything I'm doing is a shot in the dark these days as Ireland is in her unpredictable twos. Brent seems to hit a bullseye every time.

Their relationship also definitely has an element of camaraderie. Even though Ireland just clears his thigh, they talk to each other like equals. Brent seems more young and energetic around her and she seems more grown-up. I'm constantly wondering who has the upper hand in the relationship and will probably never figure it out. She gives in to him just as much as he gives in to her. Watching her order her father around is just as funny as watching him bend her oh so strong will to his. They definitely negotiate between the two of them!

These days when I drag myself to bed in exhaustion, I know Brent and Ireland will end the day watching basketball together, sometimes late into the night. He'll sit back with her cuddled in his lap and rock in one of our red Ikea chairs. She'll lean her head on his chest and let the stress of the day--of our running around, of Liesel's big sister antics, of being misunderstood--she'll let all of that go and just relax with her daddy until she nods off. It's a ritual they know well and it works for them. They just fit together, like puzzle pieces.

Ahhh how I love my family!

Fur Rills, SHRIEKETY SHRIEK SHRIEK SHRIEK!!!!!!

Brent sent me a text message asking me to call him when I was done with visiting teaching (don't know what that is? Feel free to read under Relief Society here). He included a smiley face which I thought was interesting... he's not usually into emoticons. In any case, as requested I called him after my visit. He told me he'd received a voicemail from the general manager of The Container Store.

Okay, so let me back up a second. In a nesting frenzy I'd recently made a big enough purchase to qualify us for a $15 gift card that expired at the end of June. Having recently sated my Container Store craving, I handed it over to Brent. As of Friday, he hadn't gotten around to using it. I'd received an email announcing a chance to win a $500 gift certificate that could be used towards a garage makeover. Well, we don't own a garage, but my parents do and they happen to be right in the middle of cleaning out and organizing theirs. I suggested Brent stop by, use the gift card and sign my dad up for the Father's Day promotion. Brent did, and added his own name as well figuring why not?

So then he got the call. HE WON!!! Yes the gift card could be used for elfa installation but really it was just a gift card that could be used towards anything in the store. I called my parents and gave them the bad news first: we're keeping it. Then I gave them the good news: Brent won the $500 gift card. They were very happy for us and joked had they won they would have at least considered splitting it with us. My dad mentioned something about calling corporate headquarters and letting them know I won a $100 gift card not so long ago. Was I bothered by their ribbing? No, not at ALL! A little. But I could soothe my wounded feelings with the knowledge we have $500 to spend at my favorite store of all time!

Because Brent won, I'm throwing this one over in his court. He asked me to come up with a wish list which we can use with whatever is left over when he's done with his own shopping spree. Oh, and the best part? The gift card never expires. Need I say it? I LOVE THE CONTAINER STORE!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

Ireland was getting over a cold so I stayed home with her while Brent took Liesel to church. He got to watch her join the Primary during Sacrament and sing, "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home." Since he wasn't taking a misbehaving Ireland out, he actually got to enjoy Sacrament meeting for once! Liesel came home from Primary with this:

At 3 years old, 3' tall and only 4 lbs, Brent has sure overcome a lot of his weaknesses!

Here's the picture on the back. Liesel always draws me with Bozo the Clown hair. The other one is Brent. Liesel is between us and Ireland is the tiny thing to my side. Then huge red thing is a lion and apparently she decided to practice writing some of her letters as well.

For Father's Day, Brent received two packages of flavored pistachios (his favorite) and we made a cobb salad and rolls for lunch. I was feeling unusually energetic (perhaps a perk of not going through the Sunday morning hustle and bustle?) so Brent was able to take a long nap. When he woke up, there was plenty of soccer, basketball and even baseball (the Red Sox were playing the Cubs) to top off the day.

I love many things about Brent, but I truly love the father he is to his girls. Between dance party, daddy-daughter dates, and the little moments he constantly shares with them, he really knows how to throw his heart and energy into parenting. The girls adore their dad and we're all so very grateful he's ours!

She Stays Where She Lays

10AM and out of gas. At least she was freshly bathed!

Like her sister, Ireland has traded potty training for naps. I'm so grateful she's out of diapers but man alive, I miss having a few hours in the afternoon of guaranteed quiet! When it was her turn, Liesel transitioned smoothly to a standard bedtime. To this day, she never fusses, never gets out of bed (unless she needs to go potty, which she does quietly on her own and then goes straight back to bed) and never tries to negotiate for more awake time. Yes, we realize we're insanely lucky with that one!

Amazing, I could never fall asleep sitting up!

Months ago, we had Ireland trained for a standard bedtime as well, just 1 & 1/2 hours after Liesel's. We used the Ferber method until she quietly let us put her down for the night. Our tranquil evenings came to a crashing halt when Ireland figured out how to climb out of her crib. With memories of Liesel's broken wrist in my head, Brent and I immediately converted the crib into a daybed. She's fallen out of bed, but thank heavens it's from just a couple of feet and not from the top of the crib rails!

We'd just gotten new pj's at Gymboree. I guess that was
enough to provoke a nap!

I think for all of 3 nights Ireland went to bed like normal. Then she started crawling out and harassing Liesel to entertain her. Sleep-loving Liesel was none too pleased about that and we ended up having two cranky girls on our hands not to mention a messy bedroom.  Brent and I finally said, "uncle" and decided to keep Ireland out with us until she fell asleep.

She took her stuffed bunny with her this time.

Ireland definitely maximizes her personal time with me and Brent. She becomes incredibly charming in those late hours, which is hard to resist. Whenever Brent tries to get her to sleep, she widens her big, blue eyes and asks for "lap." This means the two of them watch basketball together. Ireland is happy getting around her bedtime, and Brent is happy watching basketball with his girl in his lap. As of now, Ireland's not in any kind of a routine when it comes to sleep. Ergo, she just drops from exhaustion at various times throughout the day.

Ireland never gets a bottle, but we were ahem,
a little behind on the dishes.

Initially it bothered me to have her sleeping random places around the apartment so I'd try to move her to her bed or the couch. Brent taught me a wise lesson: if she's really uncomfortable, she'll move herself. Otherwise, let her be. Oddly enough she seems to favor the floor. No pillows, no blankets, just a spot of floor.

Sooooo cute! Sooooo tired!

Somehow, someway we need to get Ireland into a good bedtime routine like her sister. I just have NO idea how to get there! The girls share a room which makes it tough and Ireland is really, really persuasive about staying up. Any suggestions? Bueller? Bueller? In the meantime, we're having a lot of fun capturing those moments when she actually does sleep.

It all reminds me of the poem by Dylan Thomas Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. Although I'm confident Thomas didn't have toddlers in mind when he wrote it, Ireland sure knows how to "rage, rage against the dying of the light."

The Latest Thing That Makes Me Cry

Beach Babies



Doesn't she look gangsta? With her expression and her head
tipped back like that I think the swim cap looks like a 'do rag.

I was so sad to find out the Wisconsin Wuehlers were going to be out of town for most of the summer. Somehow I had envisioned a summer of the cousins hanging out together and me eating a lot of Jim and Vanessa's cooking. By the time they get back, I'll be dangerously close to my due date so visits will be a lot tougher. Before they left to head west, Vanessa agreed to meet up at Lake Michigan for a beach day. Then she told me they decided to make a weekend of it which was like a birthday on top of Christmas! Since we moved to Chicago, Brent had never been to the lake with us and I couldn't wait to have my family all together at the beach for once. I don't think I could adequately describe how excited the kids were to get together, so I'll let the pictures do the talking:

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue doesn't have anything on these girls! They
both had skirted swimsuits which flounced around as they ran all over the beach.

Of all their cousins, I think the girls resemble Jim and Vanessa's kids the most. They all have very similar hair color and that cream cheesy skin not to mention the Wuehler cowlick. When all the cousins were running around chasing seagulls, I couldn't help but think about the Gremlins that would multiply when you threw water on them. All the girls needed was a little water and pouf! There were twice as many of them. Anyone remember that movie? I'm realize I'm dating myself here.
 

Where did your feet go?



There they are!

Liesel and Isaac up to their necks in beach.

 If Ireland was skittish about the water during our last trip to the lake, she was downright brazen this time. I could only stand to be in the water up to my ankles for a couple of minutes before I needed a break. Ireland spent a fair amount of time in there just hanging out with Jim and Vanessa. She had no problem wandering in on her own (not too far of course) to fill her little watering pot. As we headed to the car she gleefully kicked her bare feet through the sand. Oh yes, I think Ireland has many happy beach days ahead of her this summer along with her sister. 


Is this not the picture of a happy kid? I love that sand-covered face!

One of the greatest perks of having family around is there's always
a willing photographer. Brent and I never get pictures together anymore!

When we'd all had enough and started to pack up, there was a resounding wail of protest from the little ones. After we took them home and cleaned them up, Brent and Jim took the kids so Vanessa and I could have a girl's night out. We had a leisurely dinner at John Barleycorns and then saw Snow White and the Huntsman. Call me crazy but I felt like it was a dark, adult version of Toddlers and Tiaras (in terms of what constitutes real beauty). I love hanging out with Vanessa and am so grateful Brent and Jim made that happen for us. It's no consolation prize for the Wisconsin Wuehlers being gone all summer, but it certainly eases the pain a little.

Chevere

I don't know who's prouder, me or Ireland!

I think it's safe to say Ireland is officially potty trained. Not just potty trained... but 24-7 potty trained! Our mornings now begin with her baby grunts announcing she needs a conference at the oval office immediately.

Initially I thought it would take the whole summer. However, I was financially motivated to get Ireland out of diapers before we had another little one in them, so I was willing to put in the time. Rather than use a toddler potty or training seat, I just sat her straight on the potty. In the past, I found I had to retrain Liesel on how to use a regular potty so this time I thought we'd just skip that setback. Anytime we were home, I just let Ireland run around bare bum. The first two weeks I pretty much did nothing else but race her to the bathroom while she figured everything out. As the baby is getting bigger, I had to use the restroom myself and so for a while it felt like I lived in our two bathrooms. Sure I had a couple of messes on the carpet to clean up (thank heavens we're just renting!), but then something clicked and Ireland took everything from there.

Brent and I noticed she was waking up from her naps dry and then she was waking up in the morning dry. We wondered if it was possible to skip the Pull-Up stage altogether and decided to give it a try. Ireland answered the challenge. Her motivation was certainly the MnM's we doled out, but I think Liesel was a key component as well. Whenever Ireland was successful, she'd race out of the bathroom to tell her sister what she'd done. Liesel would smile and clap for her and Ireland preened with pride.

I've been repeatedly telling Ireland she can't go to preschool until she learns to use the potty. The first day she wore her panties while we dropped Liesel off, she took off her coat and marched into the classroom. "Ireland, we're going to run errands!" She looked at me quizzically and said, "I hab panties!" Oh that broke my heart. What's even worse is that she's still a full school year away from being old enough to go to preschool. I need to watch my promises a little more carefully.

To our surprise (and delight), we have a huge pile of Pull-Ups and diapers we never ended up using. Liesel is now 24-7 potty trained and with her sister close on her heels, we're a house full of pretty panties these days. I'm so proud of Ireland. While I tweaked my methods this time around, it's really her determination that did the trick.