The grand ole’ Duke of
He marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only halfway up they were neither up nor down.
This is Xiao Mei’s favorite nursery rhyme at the moment. It is also rather descriptive of the last few months. We have had our ups and downs, but we are alive and well.
XM and I had colds at the same time. That was the first time our illnesses were concurrent, and it was not pretty.
XM has begun to flush things down the toilet.
I decorated the gym all day Holy Saturday for our church auction, rather than taking XM on what would have been her first Easter egg hunt.
Ups:
Xiao Mei’s growth is back on track. She was quite a bit underweight at her 12 month check up, but she gained extra pounds these last few months. Sadly, so have I. Thank you Cadbury mini eggs.
XM’s vocabulary is exploding. It is fun to teach her new words, and discover what words she learned on her own. The other day I mentioned to my mother-in-law that “Mr. Brown can Moo” was XM’s favorite book. Right after I said that XM ran into her bedroom, found the Mr. Brown book, and brought it back to us.
We had a lovely Easter. Both Yang and I played with XM all day, and Grandma and Grandpa joined us for dinner.
American Idol is back. While I don’t watch it as religiously as I used to, I try to keep tabs on each season. I used to be a Simon Cowell apologist. He is harsh, yes, but his honesty is refreshing and often spot-on. Last night a lady (girl) auditioned in a bikini, and she had a great body. Her voice was not terrible, but it wasn’t good enough to move to the next round. Simon sent her to
Xiao Mei is 11 months. She is less like a baby and more like a toddler each day. She can walk now, albeit unsteadily, and she has an impressive vocabulary. (Hi, dada, mama, pretty, and hmmm (as in this food is good or I want some of whatever you are eating)). She loves music, and last Sunday she stumbled to the front of the relief society room and started leading the hymn.
My friend, G, told me that every time he watches Biggest Loser he craves doughnuts. Ironic, right? Well, last week CMT had a Nanny 911 marathon. I ignored XM for about 2 hours while I watched a few episodes. Sadly ironic.
I made Freya a few sweaters out of old shirts. She loves them.
I was 650 pages into Brisingr (the third book in the inheritance trilogy) before I realized there is going to be a fourth book. I’m very annoyed.
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.
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.
30 years.
9 years, 11.5 months of marriage.
10 months of parenting.
1 child.
19 years of school.
6 years living in
23 years living in
1 year living in
10 nations visited.
13 years of part-time/temporary work.
3 years as an attorney.
7 pets.
2 cars.
13 residences.
0 broken bones.
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?
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
In
In the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi
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.
