10th Wedding Anniversary

Yang and I were married ten years ago today. Ten! Other than the painful law school years, it's been a wonderful ride. Happy anniversary, Yang.

This is our engagement photo. It was taken in August of 1998. Shortly after, Yang went to Washington DC to intern for a senator, and I went to study abroad in London. We returned two weeks before our wedding.


We were married in the Salt Lake City temple.


We were so cute then, and happy and smiley! We are crusty and ill-tempered now.

Here's to another fantastic ten years together.

Merry Christmas!

Where do I live again?

This is a picture of my back yard. This much snow reminds me of Utah. It's beautiful!

Xiao Mei ohs and ahs every time I turn on the Christmas tree lights. She makes the same sound for the falling snow. It's adorable.

Elfishness

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

(ht: Hailey)

Love actually is. . .

. . . all around.*

I am absolutely and completely in love with these two people.



A friend took these pictures of us at Forest Park several weeks ago. Sometimes Xiao Mei was less cooperative than other times.


*I watched Love Actually again the other night. Best holiday movie ever.

30

30 years.

9 years, 11.5 months of marriage.

10 months of parenting.

1 child.

19 years of school.

6 years living in Oregon.

23 years living in Utah.

1 year living in China.

10 nations visited.

13 years of part-time/temporary work.

3 years as an attorney.

7 pets.

2 cars.

13 residences.

0 broken bones.

Things I learned during Thanksgiving vacation

Yang, Xiao Mei and I spent Thanksgiving with my sister K. She lives a mile away from my high school, so it was fun to go back to my old stomping grounds. (Does anyone still use the phrase "stomping grounds?" If not, I'm bringing it back).

Here is what I learned last week:

1. We like games. Yang and I don't play many games, but my sister and her family are big game people. We had so much fun playing cards, pictionary, scrabble, and a dozen other games I can't remember the names of.

2. XM is a TOTAL mama's girl. I suspected as much, but last week confirmed it. XM had two darling cousins eager and willing to play with her, hold her, walk with her, sing to her, etc, and XM only wanted mom. Ugh.

3. I like turkey. I had turkey on Thanksgiving for the first time in approximately 16 years, and it was great. Thanks for the delicious turkey dinner, K.

4. My 11 year old niece, J, is two inches taller than I am.

5. XM and her cousin, C, are adorable together. (They are the same age and met for the first time).


6. Miche bags are VERY cool. Check them out.

7. Apparently, Yang is a gamer after all. As long as it is Mario Cart.

8. Costco puts cocaine in its pumpkin pie.

9. I am getting old. We walked a 5k Thursday morning, and my butt was sore all weekend. (In my defense, C and I walked an additional 2 miles, up hill, in snow, without shoes).


10. It is always fun to catch-up with high school friends, no matter how much time has passed.

11. Cart-wheels are an acceptable mode of transportation. Just ask my nine year old niece, K.

A big THANK YOU to the C family for hosting Thanksgiving. I hope all of you had a great holiday.

Building a Library

When someone asks me what I am reading, I always consider lying.

“Oh, I’m currently re-reading my favorite Shakespearian comedies.”

Or, “I’m reading The Isles by Norman Davies and Alison Weir’s collection on the British monarchy and then I’m going to read the latest biography about Mao Zedong.”

I consider lying because the truth is that I’m probably reading People magazine or perhaps the Twilight books, again. Or blogs. Do blogs even count as “reading”?

“I’m currently reading The Superficial and Feminist Mormon Housewives.” Um, yeah. That doesn’t sound nearly as erudite. (And NOTHING sounds nearly as erudite as using the word erudite on one’s blog.)

It’s not surprising that I read low-brow literature considering what I chose to read while growing up. When I learned how to use the school library in the sixth grade (yes, that’s correct, I didn’t learn how to check out a book until the sixth grade) I became addicted to The Babysitter’s Club first and then to Sweet Valley High. I read every single one. Ugh.

At home, we had a complete set of 1978 encyclopedias. That was cool. However, when I was bored with the encyclopedias I would read whatever else was on our bookshelves. Usually that would be a Readers’ Digest condensed novel or a Danielle Steele book. (I hold my mother fully responsible for my condensed novel and Steele phase).

Despite her penchant for Readers’ Digest, and against all odds, my mom tried to get me to read good literature. I’ll never forget reading The Secret Garden with her. We would read it in the formal living room (you know, the room where the vacuum marks were visible all week long) on the fancy couches. It was very special, but unfortunately, it didn’t ignite a passion for good books.

So, to my point. (Yes, there is one).

I want to build a library for Xiao Mei full of timeless children’s and young adult literature. I don’t want too many books, but enough to tempt her away from the shelf full of old issues of People (and realistically, by then, a shelf full of Weekly World News—Bat baby!).

Today I’m going to find my library card and pay my late fees. Then I’m going to borrow children’s books and start reading them. Lots of them. I’m going to start with the National Book Award finalists for young people’s literature or whatever the library staff recommends. If I love the book, I’m going to buy it.

See, I’m building a library (sung to the tune of Building a Mystery).

What do you recommend? What was your favorite book when you were a kid? What do your kids love to read? What is the Babysitter’s Club of today so I can avoid it?

A Broken Heart

The following essay sounds a little eulogistic (is that a word?). Please be assured my dad is alive and almost well. He is recovering from heart surgery at home (well, at his apartment in Beirut).

My dad was in the hospital when I was born. He wasn’t there to see me (though he was present at my birth), but rather he was there as a patient. He was involved in a ski accident several weeks earlier, and was still undergoing treatment on his leg. This was only one of several sports related injuries he would sustain in his lifetime. You see, my father is active, somewhat impetuous, and often quite fearless. He is also pragmatic, devoted, loving, and a bit irreverent.

I love the story of when the apostle Peter tried to walk through the stormy sea to Christ. Only after he jumped out of the boat did he start to fear. I love that Peter was the only one who jumped out of the boat, and he did it because of his love for the Lord. Peter reminds me of my dad. My dad would have jumped out of the boat, too.

My dad is currently serving his fourth mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in France when he was young, and in Belgium, Hong Kong, and Lebanon as a “senior” missionary.

In France, my dad braved anti-American sentiment to profess his faith. In Belgium he held together, through sheer diligence and devotion, a small, eclectic congregation of worshipers whose only commonality was their love of God. In Hong Kong he acted as a surrogate father to hundreds of Filipina women who were so far away from home. And in Lebanon, he is using his charm, wit, and intuition to choose lucky recipients of substantial charitable donations. (My mom has been his strong and inspiring partner in Belgium, Hong Kong, and Lebanon.)

In the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 9:20, it says “And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”

My dad has sacrificed for the Lord. He has given his time, talents, money, and energy. He has already offered a symbolic sacrifice of a broken heart to God. But, as my dad would say, “Don’t give me any of that symbolic crap. Give it to me straight.”

So, when the Lord asked for a broken heart, my dad literally gave Him a broken heart.

Request

My dad had a heart attack two days ago and underwent triple bypass surgery yesterday (in Beirut, Lebanon). My mom reports that the surgery went well, but my dad is in a lot of pain. He has several weeks (months) of recovery ahead of him. Please pray for him and my mom (or send good thoughts their way).

Nie Article

If you are following Nie's recovery, you have probably already read this article. If you are not, this is a great place to start.

Excuse me while I go dry my tears.

Amen, Mr. Friedman

Palin's kind of Patriotism.

I've tried to avoid politics on this blog, but . . . I am very, very afraid of Mrs. Palin.

Ok, back to the personal and mundane, as usual.

Book Babies

I made a wonderful discovery last week (thanks to A, my jogging partner). My local library hosts "book babies" once a week. For 30 minutes every Thursday morning, babies and parents can meet for music and story time.

At first I was skeptical - I thought a free event at a public library would be a bit sketchy. But, it's wonderful. The teacher is delightful, the room is clean, the toys are age appropriate and clean, and the other babies and parents that attend are very nice (no shifty eyes in sight).

Most importantly, XM LOVES it! She is fascinated with other babies, she enjoys the songs (especially clapping at the end of each song), and she loves the bubbles dispensed via a fantastic bubble machine (I have to get one of those). I think the interaction with other kids and adults is good for her.

Hooray!

Patience, My Love

Xiao Mei cried when I lifted her out of her crib this morning. That was my first indication of the day to come--she usually greets me with a smile. I assume she is teething, but I don’t really know the cause of her discomfort. She has been whiny and clingy. She screams if I leave her alone for too long.

By 11 am, my to-do list eroded down from things I wanted to accomplish to things I must accomplish. The more rushed I felt, the louder XM screamed.

Mercy, child.

By 4 pm, the living room looked like a tornado hit, documents and client files buried the table, and XM clung to my ankle, crying, as I prepared dinner. My temperature was rising faster than the preheating oven, and thunder pounded inside my head.

I surrendered.

I picked up my darling girl and cuddled her on the couch. For ten minutes . . . thirty minutes . . . an hour. As I released my expectations for the rest of the day, I heard a stretching, creaking sound. It was the sound of my capacity for patience expanding. Like tectonic plates, slowly shifting and moving, it was transforming an individual into a mother.

Tomorrow I will do better.

Second Childhood

I am so excited for the holiday season! We have a wonderful reason to celebrate and decorate again now that Xiao Mei joined our family. (Yang and I have been scrooges the last few years). I may even get a Christmas tree! *gasp*

Before then, we are looking forward to an excellent Halloween!

You want to feel better about yourself? Read this post.

I am a horrible homemaker. There, I admit it. I assumed once I became a mother, I would naturally become a good homemaker--a domestic goddess,even. Ha.

“But Yin,” you are saying to yourself, “you are almost mumble-mumble years old. You’ve had years, nigh a decade, to become a good homemaker.” Um, yeah, about that. You see, I never really had to be a good homemaker before. When we were DINKs, we ate out for lunch and most dinners. When we decided to cook at home, it was easy to shop for all the ingredients that day and have all evening to cook the delicious meal—what a novelty it was. (Yang is wondering, “when did we cook at home?”). Also, a house doesn’t get that dirty when one leaves at 7 am and returns twelve hours later. So, cleaning once a week did the trick. (Yang is wondering, “we cleaned the house once a week?”).

It’s different now.

I now know how quickly a house gets dirty when one actually lives in it. I now realize that it can be a bit difficult to plan menus and shop for the whole week (on a budget). I now realize that it’s challenging to cook dinner with an almost eight month old who thinks she is one year old. No matter how long I wait, the dirty dishes from breakfast and lunch sit there until I do something about them.

Here’s evidence that I’m a crappy homemaker. Notice the food still in the high chair.

Notice the darling baby girl crawling on a dirty floor.

Notice my kitchen counters at 4 pm. (Yes, that is a Campbell’s soup can. I am a horrible cook, but I’m trying. Tuna casserole anyone?) Also, please note that rather than cleaning up my kitchen, I chose to plop my behind in front of the computer and type this post. Ha!

So, to all you awesome moms and dads who cook meals for your family and keep a relatively clean home, my hat is off to you! You are awesome. You are my inspiration. I’ll get better, right? I won’t be cooking with Campbell’s soup cans forever, right?

You know who else is my inspiration? Nie Nie. The first time I heard about her was when Runningfan posted about her accident. After that, I read all of Nie Nie’s archives. I know I will never be like her, but she makes me want to be a better wife, mother, and homemaker. That woman is amazing, and I pray that she recovers.

It's been a hard day's night...

...and I've been working like a dawg. Here is a spotlight on Deputy Dawg Yang's last 24 hours.


Yesterday Yang worked all day at his day job. Work is busy and stressful because he has several cases that may go to trial before the end of the year. After that, he geared up and patrolled all night. He didn't make it home until 5 am. When I asked him why he stayed out so long, he shrugged with a smile and said, "there was a lot going on." I can only imagine (but I don't like to).

He tells me very little, but he mentioned drunks, a guy with a crowbar, and the ubiquitous drivers driving with a suspended license.

After four hours of sleep and breakfast with XM and me, Yang got all dressed up to go to the temple with the young men from our church. When he gets back from the temple, he is going to paint our house. Seriously.

What a guy.

Presenting: Overwrought Sentimentality (it's adorable!)

Before I had Xiao Mei, I would have gagged a little at what you are about to read. Now that I have XM, I think it's adorable. You may gag a little, and for that I apologize in advance. I wrote this letter for my mom today.

Dear Nana,

I have four teeth now, and I am an expert at biting. I love to chew on all kinds of things, like cords and Freya’s tail. Unfortunately, my mom moved all the exiting, chewable things out of my reach. However, she did add a nice, cushiony pad along the edge of the fireplace hearth which is perfect for chewing on. I think she put the pad there because she knew that was my second favorite place to crawl to. My favorite place to crawl to is the TV stand. One day I’ll make it to all the cords behind the stand.

My mom has been trying to prune the bushes and trees in our yard because it looks like a jungle. She takes me outside with her. She tries to make me stay in the play pen, but that is SO BORING and I tell her that after a few minutes. If I tell her long enough and loud enough, she will move me to a blanket on the grass. My mom hopes that I will stay on the blanket, but I am SO OVER the boring colors and designs in the blanket. Instead, I am really interested in grass, twigs, and dried leaves. At first, my mom wouldn’t let me put any of those things in my mouth. But, after a while, she pretended not to notice and I ate plenty of grass and leaves. It was great, and only kinda yucky.

My mom keeps trying to get me to eat yucky things like carrots and pears. I don’t like them, and I tell her that each time she feeds me. She feeds me bananas, and they are kinda ok because they remind me of you, Nana. I love oatmeal, and I wish she would just feed me that instead of those other things.

You know what else I love? Pulling hair. My mom tries to put her hair in a pony tail so it is out of my reach. But, I can reach around her neck and grab all the little hairs at the top of her neck. Sometimes she gets mad at me, but I laugh and then she is not so mad anymore.

Papa, it’s your birthday soon. My mom bought you a present, but she hasn’t mailed it yet so it won’t make it to you on time. My mom used to be able to go to the store, go home and wrap a present, and then go to the post office to mail it all in one day. Now, it takes her three or four days to do all those things. I hope you have a happy birthday.

I love you Papa and Nana. I am getting so big. I still have those beautiful hands with long fingers. My mom wonders what I will do with them, and I wonder that too.

Love you,

Xiao Mei

Nostalgia

Last night Yang changed the oil in his car (yes, he does that). It was the first time he changed the Honda’s oil (he used to drive the Pathfinder until we switched because of high gas prices), so he wanted to take it for a drive to make sure everything was okay. He drove to McDonalds and bought us both a chocolate sundae.

It reminded me of China.

As much as I loved Chinese food, we craved the tastes of home every once in a while. So about once a week we would ride our bikes to the closest McDonalds and order French fries and chocolate sundaes. We relished every bite. The food cost double what it would cost to order a large meal at a Chinese restaurant, but it was worth it. The cashiers were always so excited when we came because they could put their English skills to use. (That particular McDonalds required all employees to learn the menu in English in case an American (or other English speaker) patronized the restaurant—a rare event).

I don’t have a picture of us in front of McDonalds, but I do have a picture of Yang learning to tie pearls. (He traded English lessons for pearl-tying lessons at the pearl market). Check out that hair!

.

On being a mom and an attorney...

While drafting a warranty deed today, I was typing "Lot 114, TRACT D," and I was thinking "Big D, little d, what begins with D? Donuts and a duck-dog, D...d...D."

Mobile

She did it! XM can crawl forward, toward her intended goal. (She's been going backward, away from intended goal for a few weeks).

Here is a video clip posted mostly for the benefit of my mom. Hi mom! *waves* How's Beirut?

You've Been Rickrolled, America!

For those of you who would like to be fluent in geek, study up on this internet meme primer.

(ht: kulturblog)

Six Months Old

Here are some recent pictures of bug. She is now six months old, weighs an intimidating 13 pounds 13 ounces, and measures 26 1/4 inches. Notice her two bottom teeth--she cut those almost a month ago. I gave her carrots for lunch today (for the second time) and she spit out every bite. While she doesn't like carrots (yet), she loves oatmeal. She still won't take a bottle, but she enjoys drinking water from a sippy cup.

Cobbler Recipe?

Hmmmm, Oregon berries. I picked a bucket full of blackberries from the brier in my backyard, so I want to make cobbler tonight. I don't make cobblers very often (I'm not a good cook), so I found an easy recipe online. I'll let you know if it turns out.

Do you have a favorite, tried and true, cobbler recipe? If so, do you mind sharing?

Thanks!

UPDATE:

Here is the recipe I used

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 cups fruit

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter in an 8x8 pan.
Mix together the flour, milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder; pour over melted butter.
Put fruit over mixture and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup sugar over the top.
Bake until golden brown (usually 30-35 minutes).

The cobbler turned out ok. I liked this recipe because I already had all the ingredients on hand. Next time, I want to find a recipe with a crumblier crust (with oats and brown sugar...something like that).

Confessions of a Novice Mama

Reading H’s posts about her sleep troubles with G (here and here) gave me the courage to post my sleep issues with XM in hopes that you, my gentle readers, will offer me your advice.

• Confession number 1: I still swaddle my six month old.

That’s right. Every night I swaddle XM and she loves it. When I put her down on her swaddle blankets, she holds her arms by her sides and lets me wrap her up tight.

• Confession number 2: I rock my baby to sleep every night.

Or more accurately, I bounce her to sleep on the exercise ball. After she is nursed and swaddled, I bounce her for about ten minutes and put her down in her crib fast asleep. She sleeps for seven to ten hours.

• Confession number 3: I put my baby down for naps in her swing.

I can put her in the swing while she’s awake and she’ll fall asleep for 1-2 hours.

Until recently, I’ve had the mentality of “why fix it if it ain’t broke?” XM sleeps through the night and naps well. I pushed the nagging “you’re fostering unhealthy sleep habits” voice to the back of my head.

Well, now I’ve reached a problem. XM is too big for her swing. She can reach up with her long monkey arms and grab the mobile at the top. It’s only a matter of time until she pulls herself out of the harness. So, a few days ago I attempted to put XM down to nap in her crib. I went through our sleep-time ritual and then I put her in the crib (awake) instead of the swing. She didn’t cry, but rather played and talked to herself for about 45 minutes. Then she cried, and I picked her up because the time for napping had passed.

The next day I tried to use the bed-time routine for napping. I nursed her, swaddled her, and then bounced her to sleep before I put her in the crib. She slept for about 10 minutes then woke up and played for about 20 minutes. After that she cried and I went in to her. The time for napping had passed.

I have Spears’ “The Baby Book” and Weissbluth’s “Healthy Sleep Habits: Happy Child.” The two books give the EXACT OPPOSITE advice, almost word for word. Nurse to sleep, don’t nurse to sleep. Let her cry it out to help her self-sooth. Don’t let her cry it out or else she’ll learn I am unresponsive to her needs. Ugh. I see logic in both approaches, but I can’t decide what to do.

How did you get your babies to fall asleep on their own?

XM’s pediatrician said I should work on two things right away: get her out of the swing and put her in the crib awake. He told me to continue to swaddle her until she no longer wanted it. He said to let her cry it out for five minutes. If she doesn’t settle down, then go into her and get her to sleep anyway I can. Eventually, she will fall asleep rather than crying. What do you think? Is that good advice? Both Dr. Spears and Dr. Weissbluth would disagree.

Please share advice, war stories, encouragement and disapproval.

Well done, China!

The opening ceremonies were amazing. They were directed by Zhang Yimou and it appears he had unlimited resources to pull off a beautiful show.

Fu Qi Zhong Guo

(Good Luck China!) Or perhaps it’s hao yun Zhong Guo. I’m not sure.

Anyway, I hope the Beijing Olympics are a success. It has been very fun watching all the coverage of Beijing leading up to the Olympics. I can’t wait to watch the actual games.

As most of you know, Yang and I lived in Beijing from 1999-2000. We had such an amazing time. The city was fascinating, the politics were infuriating, the air was toxic, and the food was sublime! Ohhh, the food. Seriously.

We lived and taught at a school near Bai Yun Guan (a Taoist temple) on the east side of Beijing. When we went back in 2004, our school and street had already been razed in preparation for the games. Apparently, the entire city has received a major facelift. So Chinese. (Ask me about the fake leaves on the trees sometime.)

We purchased bicycles shortly after we arrived in 1999, and that was our primary means of transportation. It was always a shock for the average Beijing commuter to see an American blondie riding a bicycle along side him or her. One time when Yang was riding along Chang’an Daijie, he was approached by a Random Chinese Guy while they were waiting at a red light. RCG asked if Yang was American. Yes. RCG asked if Yang was from Oregon. Yes. RCG then stated that he visited a family in a small Oregon farming community a few years ago. As luck would have it, Yang grew up in that community next door to that family. Weird! The light then turned green and Yang and RCG went their separate ways.

Anyway, enough reminiscing. Go China!

My mom and me on the Great Wall at Mutianyu in 2004.

Yong He Gong Lamasery.

Forbidden City

My first attempt at editing video

Yang got me a video camera for Christmas, and I have recorded lots of wonderful video of XM. Unfortunately, the software that came with the video camera is very hard to work with. So, I have hours of unedited video stored somewhere on my hard drive in a random format not recognized by quick time or media player. This is my first attempt at saving the video in a usable format.

It is not edited too well, so I posted this long clip mostly for the benefit of my mother. She will think two and a half minutes of XM trying to crawl (in poor lighting with a shaky camera and annoying narration) is adorable. I need to remember to not talk so much next time I use the camera!

I recorded this last night. XM was very tired, but determined to try to crawl. She gets so frustrated when her legs and arms won't work the way she wants.

Family, Curmudgeons, and Flat Irons

My sister K and her daughter J came to meet Xiao Mei last weekend. We had such a great time catching up, and XM loved all the extra attention she received. K is very funny—she has a dry, witty sense of humor. She was fun to talk to, and she had some great insights about XM. J is 11 years old, going on 23. She is intelligent, kind, and independent. She kept XM very entertained.

July is the perfect time for visitors to Portland. The weather was great, even out at the coast. We went to the rose garden, and there were still plenty of blooming roses. I carried XM in a front carrier at the rose garden. She loved looking around at the big trees and flowers. She was happy as a clam, so she started talking. XM is not a quiet talker. She shrieks, squawks and makes all kinds of interesting noises. At first, I was a little embarrassed because so much noise was coming from such a little person. However, I figured we were outside, so XM was fine to make as much noise as she wanted. Happy baby noises are the best. Well, there was an older woman walking near us. She was clearly annoyed that XM was disturbing her contemplative walk through the roses. She commented about how loud my baby was, and I was tempted to respond with a comment about how old she looked. (I didn’t). Anyway, that was my first experience with someone expressing her annoyance with my child and/or parenting. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

K brought her flat iron with her. She has the deluxe version that heats up to approximately one million degrees. K ended up with wavy hair after her pregnancies, so she uses the iron to straighten her hair. Well, as genetics would have it, I have also developed a few kinks and curls in my hair after having XM. I tried K’s flat iron and it was awesome! I don’t know why I have not used one before now. After K and J left, I proceeded directly to my nearest Trade Secret and picked up a fancy-pants flat iron. It makes such a difference. Before I looked like the scarecrow, now my hair is nice and smooth. The down side: it nearly doubles the time it takes to get ready.

Random Survey

Zelophehad’s Daughters posted this random survey. I have never commented there, so I didn’t want to leave a comment with my answers. I thought it would be fun to answer here.

1. What’s your favorite movie soundtrack?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with Lord of the Rings a close second.

2. What’s your favorite holiday?

Christmas

3. What’s your favorite planet?

Earth, though I do love the rings on Saturn.

4. What is the last book you read for fun?

The Host

5. What’s the craziest space doctrine you’ve ever learned in a Church context?

(I do realize this is a tricky one–if we can’t delimit our doctrine, we certainly can’t delimit our space doctrine either. One person’s cherished doctrinal wisdom is another’s cherished doctrinal hogwash. So just define “space doctrine” however you’d like, and try to be respectful of others.)

If you’re not Mormon, you are missing out on our lovely array of crazy space doctrine. If you are Mormon, did you ever hear the one about dinosaur bones? Yup, they came from a different planet.

6. What’s your dream job?

US Ambassador to China. Yang and I talked about joining the Foreign Service when we were newly married. We decided to go to law school instead.

7. What’s your favorite food group?

Dairy, because it encompasses ice cream and cheese.

8. What’s your favorite letter of the alphabet?

K, with Z as close second.

9. What’s your favorite musical instrument?

Guitar to play, piano to listen to.

10. Which of the Standard Works do you like best (counting OT and NT separately)?

NT

11. If you weren’t (or aren’t) Mormon, what religion would you be?

Wiccan, UCC, or maybe I would make up my own religion.

Garden Update

A few pictures to update the gardening. Total crop failure in the onions and bagio beans. Our volunteer strawberries are worth exactly what we paid for them- we maybe got 10 berries and now they're done for the year. We planted two rows of melons, each a different variety, and one of them only has one plant on the whole row. I have my doubts about whether either row will produce anything more than slugs.

On the plus side, the peas grew so tall they fell over, even with my climbing lines. There are more than the one or two corn stalks I thought we had. We will likely have enough squash for the whole block. The pumpkins, beans and zucchini appear as though they'll bear something.

I realize I'll never make a living making things grow, but its still somewhat disheartening to realize you can't grow onions when you grew up on an onion farm. I'm going to blame this year on the seed.

Speaking of onions reminds me of a time on the farm when I accidentally ran over some onions with some farm equipment. I was making a very sharp corner with a disc and a large roller, and no matter how I turned, it just wasn't going to make the corner, I should have gone another way. I was chewed out real good, and then told I wasn't old enough to drive the larger equipment. The uncle who replaced me at the wheel then proceeded to drive the equipment down the road along side the onion field towards the shop and instructed me to follow him in a pickup. About halfway down the road the uncle got distracted and on the straight-away ran over several hundred square feet of onions. I saw it happening, but I figured best to wait a bit before I started honking to bring it to his attention, because maybe he knew what he was doing.

That was 17 or 18 years ago, but I still laugh about that.

Here are some pictures of the garden and our favorite gardener.

Seriously, so funny!!!!!

Check out this new blog. If you are a typical Mormon girl blogger, be prepared to laugh at yourself. If you have time, start from the beginning.

My favorite bits:

• "Laman's terms"
• Excessive use of exclamation points!!!!! (I am guilty of this one.)
• Her super-busyness running errands and 'scrappin.
• The few commenters who do not realize the blog is satirical.
• Her explanatory parentheticals.
• Pal (Also guilty of this one. I vaycayed at Pal every summer of my life until age 20).
• Capitalizing WEATHER related terms. LOVE it. Seriously.
• The sidebar links to Stephenie Meyer's books. (Guilty - I did a blog post about the series).
• "Either by anonymous or Boyd K. Packer, I can't remember."
  

Twenty Year Tag

This is a long one.

I was tagged by Heidi.

20 years ago I:
1. Was nine years old
2. Lived in Sandy, Utah.
3. Enjoyed summer break after fourth grade.
4. Smashed my recorder to bits after my recorder recital and regretted it a few weeks later when I wanted to play it again.
5. Was my 15-year-old sister’s confidante and partner in crime.
6. Water-skied, jet-skied, and knee-boarded at Lake Powell.

10 years ago I:
1. Was 19 years old.
2. Was talking marriage with Yang—he proposed July 18.
3. Lived with my parents after my freshman year at BYU.
4. Managed a Metabolife cart at the mall.
5. Was packing for my study abroad to London.
6. Went to a Meeks family reunion in Kanab, Utah where everyone assumed Yang and I were already married.

5 years ago I:
1. Was 24 years old.
2. Lived in Portland, OR.
3. Just completed my first year of law school.
4. Clerked at a personal injury firm on Macadam Ave.
5. Lost my cat, Tigerlily.
6. Was about to move to a new apartment with a washer and dryer.

3 years ago I:
1. Was 26 years old.
2. Lived in Aloha, OR.
3. Had just graduated from law school.
4. Went to Barbri classes every day.
5. Studied for the bar.
6. Harassed Yang while he studied for the bar.

So far this year I:
1. Am living in Tigard, Oregon.
2. Had my first baby in February.
3. Significantly reduced my hours at work.
4. Am trying to figure out how to be a mom.
5. Set up a treadmill in the garage and thought about running on it.
6. Took our first family vacation with XM to Sun River.

Yesterday I:
1. Took XM swimming for the first time.
2. Billed an hour.
3. Paid the bills.
4. Ran on the treadmill!
5. Went on a wild goose chase with Yang to find a 10x12 rug I saw a Fred Meyer a year ago. (No luck)
6. Put XM to sleep in her crib (in her own room) for the first time.

Today I:
1. Bought Yang’s birthday present.
2. Worked on XM’s baby book.
3. Wrote an email to my parents.
4. Watched XM get up on her hands and knees.
5. Went grocery shopping.
6. Should have worked but drafted this tag instead.

Tomorrow I will:
1. Go to the office for a few hours.
2. Meet Yang at the Melting Pot for his birthday dinner (Thanks G and M!).

In the next year I will:
1. Celebrate XM’s first birthday.
2. Celebrate my tenth wedding anniversary.
3. Celebrate my first Christmas with a child.
4. Turn thirty.
5. Run a 5k or possibly a 10k.
6. Begin planning for baby number two.

I tag: Chelle, Shelley, Kim, M and/or G, Hailey, and Ashley.

Das ist Gut!

The other day I got a teething ring for Xiao Mei because she is constantly gnawing on her hands, blankets, clothes, etc. It was one of those plastic ones available in the grocery store. When I took it out of the packaging it smelled like chemicals. I washed it in hot soapy water but it still smelled chemical-y, so I tossed it. Then I remembered the vow I made before I was a mom: “I will never give my kid plastic toys.” Uh….ahem. I’m only four months into motherhood, and XM’s nursery is littered with plastic rattles, rings, teethers, and toys. She loves them. My problem with plastic toys: they are usually made in China (by kids for kids!) where US safety standards are often ignored (as demonstrated by the numerous toy recalls last year). Also, the softer plastic can break down in saliva so your baby ingests toxins. While I probably won’t throw away all her plastic toys, I have committed myself to be a bit more selective when it comes to the toys I allow XM to play with and chew on.

With my new non-toxic attitude, I schlepped XM down town to Finnegan’s. I heard that was the best place to buy toys in Portland. Finnegan’s has great toys and games for older kids, but I was sorely disappointed in their selection for babies. I looked long and hard to find any wooden toys for babies, and I could only locate two things: a grasping toy and a wooden ring. The grasping toy was made in China, but the label said it used saliva-safe paint, so I bought it. The wooden ring was made in the USA, so I got that as well. Even with my new purchases, I wasn't very happy.

When I got home, I remembered a blog post I read months ago. It is all about safe toys and dangerous toys, and it links to several online retailers that sell handcrafted and European made toys. It was so much fun to visit the sites because the toys are beautiful, fun, and not made in China or with plastic that will break down. Hooray for strict European safety standards!!!

I ordered XM an Albinella bell rattle with a non-toxic finish, a Girali ring grasping toy, and HABA discovery blocks for when she is a little older. They arrived in the mail today, and I am so happy to have them. Gnaw away, little one!

Five things I'll never say (Yang)

I'll bite. Here are the five things you'll never hear me say.

1. Wow, those onions are really tasty.

2. Yes Mr. Jiffy Lube, I'd love it if you'd change my engine belts and radiator cap.

3. I'm looking forward to next week's depositions.

4. I did that perfectly.

5. I need directions.

5 things you'll never hear me say

1. Oh, XM, quit sleeping so long.

2. The pounds just melt away without any effort.

3. Feel free to move your party into the street--I won't hear a thing. What? It's 3 am? I hadn't noticed.

4. I don't want any ice cream right now.

5. Yang needs a bit more ambition.

You?

Mover and a Shaker

Xiao Mei is growing up way too quickly! Every day she learns how to do something new or sees something interesting for the first time. Yesterday she discovered her toes. Oh, the joy. Today she has been working on getting her toes into her mouth, and it’s quite the challenge. I take her socks off when I change her diaper so she can work on grabbing those squirmy toes and pulling them into her mouth.

XM is definitely a mover. Yang and I realized this almost two months ago when we discovered how much she liked to lie on her back and kick her legs. She still loves to kick, but now she has added rolling, twisting, turning, and standing up with our assistance to her activities. I set up the bouncy chair a few days ago to see if she was ready to bounce. I think she is still too little because her feet don’t reach the ground.

Here is a picture of her in her blessing gown (only two months after her blessing).