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.