"Teach Me"

Lately, Eden's favorite song is "Teach Me To Walk in the Light." The words follow:

Teach me to walk in the light of His love.
Teach me to pray to my Father above.
Teach me to know of the things that are right.
Teach me, teach me, to walk in the Light.

Sometimes during the day she will just walk up to me and say, "teach me, momma, teach me."

No pressure or anything!

So, we try to teach her good things. We try to teach her that she is loved by Heavenly Father and so is everyone else. We try to teach her to love others and to be nice. We try to teach her that we love her no matter what. We try to teach her to be kind and to share.

Today, Kendal and Trey came over for a little while. Now, keep in mind that Eden will sometimes say (out of the blue) "I love Trey!" She seriously loves him and his sisters and his mommy. Today, however, she was not in the mood to share. Instead of "I love Trey" what I mostly heard was "Stop it Trey, that's mine." Trey was a very good sport and tried to keep his friend happy but Eden was just not going to be happy. It was so bad that she actually chose to take a nap two hours early when I told her she'd have to take a nap if she couldn't choose to be happy without one.

That is when I decided upon the topic for tonight's Family Home Evening lesson.

While she slept I prepared a lesson on sharing.

Here is my well executed lesson plan:
While holding hands and walking in a circle the three of us sang, "Sharing with friends is fun to do, fun to do, fun to do..." Then she got to insert her friend's names. We included Trey, then Bayley, next was Kendal, then Erin, and finally Corrie. Then I showed her pictures of children sharing toys and we talked about how happy they were. Finally I got out my sewing measuring tape (which Eden loves to play with) and I shared it with her, then Daddy shared his brush (she loves his brush for some reason) and then she shared a toy with both of us. We cheered and clapped and talked about how happy this made us.

See, I'm a good teacher!

Yeah, that is what I thought until I said, "so the next time Trey is here what are you going to do?" and she replied, "say STOPIT TREY, THAT'S MINE"

I guess I've got some work to do with this "teach me" business.

Famly Ome Eening ... Yeah!!!!

Two weeks ago we were on an airplane on Monday. Eden had an ear infection and screamed the whole flight. Not exactly the kind of Family Home Evening that makes for good memories. One week ago was a chemo day and I got to drive home through a yucky storm. Not a great Family Home Evening there either.

The last real Family Home Evening we had was at my parents' house on December 22. We celebrated the birthday of Joseph Smith* and it was a nice time with a few of my siblings and parents.

So, it has been a while since we've had a Kesler Family Home Evening. Our Family Home Evenings are pretty basic. They usually follow this format:

Opening Song - usually played by Heidi on the right hand, Phil on the left hand, and Eden playing descant. Sung by all.

Opening Prayer

Flag Salute - Eden holds the flag and we stand and recite the pledge. Eden LOVES being responsible for such an important task.

Kesler Kudos - we recognize good things in each other and acts of accomplishment and kindness. It is a great time to clap and cheer and Eden is beginning to really get into it.

Activity Song - a silly song time to get the wiggles out.

Lesson - we LOVE the new nursery manual. We were having a hard time knowing how to create lessons for Eden before it came out, now we use it and have a 2-3 minute lesson and she usually makes it through it and even grasps some of it. We have taped the visual aids from these lessons in our family room at her eye-level as a reminder of what she has learned about prayer and Heavenly Father and family and Jesus, etc.

Closing Prayer

Activity/Game - Hide and Seek has been a popular one lately.

Treats - a family favorite, of course. (Look for tonight's delicious treat on this week's Food Friday.)

Well, since it has been a while since we've had a Kesler FHE, we weren't sure how Eden would do. Then at dinner tonight I was saying the prayer and said something about "Family Home Evening" toward the end of the prayer. Eden waited for my "amen" and then said (with both hands flying triumphantly into the air): "Famly Ome Eening, Yeah!!!! Flag!" It was so cute!

She was so, so, so excited to hold the flag and then proudly put her right hand over her belly button (the heart isn't too far from there) while we recited the pledge.

For our activity, Phil had printed out squares of colors and then folded up the papers. His idea was to have Eden pick out a piece of paper, open it up, and then find a book with that color on it. Eden could totally see through the paper though and said, "I want lellow" then picked the yellow paper and found a book that was yellow. After that he had to hold the bowl of paper slips above her head so she had to pick "blind." It was a fun game and she LOVED it (and I loved putting all the books away just now).

What a fun, fun Family Home Evening. We are so glad that we have been given the advice from modern prophets to set aside one evening a week to spend with the family in gospel learning and fun.

Famly Ome Eening ... YEAH!!!!!


*Since before I was born, my parents have had a celebration of the birth of Joseph Smith on or around December 23 (his birthday). It is such a fun, meaningful tradition. We so appreciate his life and the sacrifices that he made in order to bring about The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ as well as the restoration of the gospel as taught by Christ. I love that his birthday is so near Christmas because it just seems fitting to take an hour out of the Christmas season to celebrate the life of a man who loves the Savior so deeply.

Pretty good with color...

When Charlotte and I first met Phil, she and he made a deal. She would crochet him an afghan and he would paint her a picture. He got to choose (and buy) the yarn and pattern and she got to suggest a subject. Charlotte said she wanted a yellow umbrella featured prominently in her painting. He selected a manly, heavy pattern and then was off to the store to select yarn. I got to go with to be his assistant.

Standing in front of the vast array of yarn possibilities the following conversation took place:

Heidi: "So what are we looking for here?"

Phil: "I need three different yarns."

Heidi: "What about these, or these, or these?"

Phil: "I just need your help selecting the type of yarn, I'm pretty good with color so I can handle that part."

He selected a nice burgundy, blue, and gray. We have a great, heavy, manly afghan as a result. Charlotte has a Phil Kesler original hanging on her office wall (I think it is still there) featuring a rainy street corner with a bright yellow umbrella. What a deal!

Flash forward about ten years when Phil and I got married. We bought a house that needed to be updated. We nearly got a divorce while trying to select the colors for the walls. I just had to remember that although Phil IS the artist and professor, I'm pretty good with color too. Eventually we agreed on our color palette and we quite enjoy the colors in our home.

Now flash forward two and a half more years to this very morning. As I was getting Eden dressed (in her purple turtleneck and purple sweater) she exclaimed, "purple shirt!" I hadn't told her it was purple (today). She also knows blue, green, yellow, red (although she sometimes calls it "Elmo color"), and orange.

Yeah, she could proclaim: "I'm pretty good with color!"

She is. He is. I am. We are.

Christmas Eve - Kesler Style

One of the many fun Kesler traditions is sled racing. Each person gets three Ande's mints, one Hershey's kiss, two large paper clips, a santa, and as much tape as s/he wants. Then everyone builds Santa's sled (the kiss is the pack of toys, of course!). As if that wouldn't be enough, we then race them. The winner gets a gift card. Yeah, we are serious here!

Behold Heidi and Phil's (losing) sleds:

Here are all the sleds lined up ready for the races:

Bradyn, Dan, and Aaron opening presents from cousins Gail and Butch

Morgann, Steve, and Meg (the dog who was an extremely good sport with Eden chasing her around saying - in an exceedingly high-pitch - "doggie, doggie, doggie!")

Other fun Kesler traditions included LOTS of yummy food, playing the chimes, and lots of laughing!

Christmas Eve - Beck Style

On Christmas Eve day we did some sledding in my parents' front yard, then the grandkids put on a Nativity Pageant, followed by a nice lunch. Here are some fun pictures.

Eden LOVES snow!

Eden preparing for the Nativity

Binh - the cutest Wise Guy ever!

Caleb, Grandma, Binh, Paul, and Meg

Eden, Phil, Sam, Caleb, Grandma, and Binh

Punka, Mike, Lydia, Josh, Todd, Emily, Natalie, Heather, and Binh
(Binh was pretty proud of himself for getting in all the pictures)

Both tables

She has needs, ya know...

While we were in Utah Eden became very vocal about her needs. She would say,
"I need mom."
or
"I need outside."
or
"I need cracker (or cookie, or cooker - which obviously is a cracker-cookie)"

but two of my favorites were these:

While driving from Alpine (south of SLC) to Cache Valley (north of SLC) there was a bad accident and the interstate was shut down. We had to travel on a slower highway (with everyone else) and so the trip that usually takes two hours took four. Eden was frustrated, tired, and eventually just mad. It was snowing and we were creeping along at about five miles an hour. I could only show her the cattle truck we kept passing so many times before she had just had it. Finally about a half hour from grandma's house she began to cry huge, fat, wet tears. In the middle of her sobs she repeated,
"I need grandma, I need grandma."
It was so sweet and sad.

A few days later at grandma's house (actually I think it was at aunt Heather's) we had just finished a big meal. Everyone was sitting around talking. There was a plate of my mother's hand dipped chocolates on the table. Eden walked up to the group of women sitting around talking and proclaimed,
"I need chocolate!"

It was classic.

Merry Christmas

We are enjoying
LOTS of SNOW and
LOTS of FAMILY and
LOTS of LOVE and
LOTS of PRESENTS (especially Eden - I think her toy inventory just doubled).

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that we and you can find a little time today to reflect on the Son of God who condescended to become the Babe of Bethlehem. Without Him we would be lost - in every sense.

Food Friday

Ok, this isn't a recipe, it is a wonderful tip instead. In Utah, there is a restaurant (popular for their catering and wedding luncheons) named "The Lion House." They have some of the best recipes and are especially famous for their rolls and breads. Well, if you do a google search with "Lion House Recipe" you will find a treasure trove of great stuff. So, while the Food Friday Czar is on holiday, get your recipe fix from The Lion House, you won't regret it.

And what did I do on Friday (instead of Food Friday)?

Well, I dipped all kinds of yummy chocolates with my mom, aunt Deani, brother Josh, and sister Heather. Such a fun family tradition! Then I went to the Ogden Voice Male concert. It was good. The audience gave them two standing ovations. Fun times.

Now it is snowing ... yippee!!!

T'is the Season

The Christmas season seems to bring out the best and worst in society.

I may offend some of my faithful readers but I detest the whole concept of black Friday. To me it says, "let's interrupt what is to be a weekend of giving thanks and family and instead wake up early so we are grouchy then go spend the day consuming instead of giving thanks and in some cases being rude to other customers instead of enjoying our families." I mean stampedes to the point of death?? Really? What kind of society is this? I see shoppers frantically purchasing things because they feel expected to provide a gift. What happened to spending weeks in thoughtful preparation to show appreciation and admiration? It makes me sad to see how consumer-oriented the holidays are. This year we have the added, dualistic pressures of the recession: money is tighter, yet it is our patriotic duty to stimulate the economy. Sad.

On the other hand, people are so very generous during this time of year. I love to hear of and see people taking care of others. I see people reaching out to make sure children and adults have some kind of gift Christmas morning. Even in the midst of the recession, people give to the food pantry or to their neighbors. I love to see homes opened up to welcome the lonely into the circle of love and friendship and family during the holidays. There seriously is so much good that is done.

It seems that often during the year we think about giving in more global terms. We give to organizations (our church, non-profits, government agencies) but at Christmastime we more often reach out to individuals in our midst. It reminds me of a section in C.S. Lewis's book The Screwtape Letters*, in which Screwtape tells Wormwood, “Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary."

I love that at Christmas we show our benevolence in ways that it becomes wholly real. I hope that I extend that reality throughout the year.


*The Screwtape Letters is a fictional account of Screwtape (a devil) training his nephew (Wormwood) in the art of temptation. It is such an insightful and interesting book, I highly recommend it (and pretty much any of Lewis's books).

More Utah Pictures

While in Utah, Eden and I convinced my mom (it wasn't hard) to go to the park with us. It was a beautiful fall day. While we were driving we saw my sister, Heather, and her family headed home from the doctor (they all got their flu shots) so we invited them to join us and they did! We had such a nice time! Here are some pictures:

This is my nephew Binh. He kept running around and saying,
"Heidi, Heidi, take my picture!" I am really impressed by how well this one turned out!

Four of Heather's five kids: Binh, Lydia, Caleb, and Sam (Natalie had a friend at the park so she ignored us):

Lydia and Eden. Lydia is always so patient and kind to Eden. She is an excellent older cousin and spent endless time taking Eden to see the neighbors' dogs and cats and doing Eden's bidding.

Lydia looking very grown up for an 8 year old

Sam, Eden, and Binh taking a break from throwing rocks into the stream

Eden and my mom. I've mentioned how everyone in my family calls my dad Punka, well one day Eden pointed to a picture of our family and said, "Punky and Monkey" and I think it is a pretty cute nick name for my cute mom

Eden was a trooper during our crazy trip. She was either totally abandoned by her parents (but in the safe and loving care of both sets of grandparents) or being hauled from one event to another. By the time things started to settle down I could tell she just needed some normal time with mom. I had thought I would try to see more friends and go see my former co-workers on campus but the mom in me decided to just spend some time with my girl. So we did. She really liked the MegaBlocks and we had a great time stacking them. We also played with my mom's play kitchen set (shhh... don't tell Eden, but that is what she is getting for Christmas). Eden made us soup and served me a banana, an apple, and an orange. We had a good time!

MegaBlocks are cool!

Eden with two of her VM cousins. I love all three expressions!

A Few of My Favorite Things

We are home from our two-weeks in Utah. It was a busy and fun time. Even with much to do, I found it relaxing (Phil probably didn't - he had MUCH more to do than I). Eden had a great time. I think she loved every minute of it. Here are a few of her favorite things:

• Grandpas and Grandmas who spoil and love her.
• Cousins, cousins, cousins (that would be Kesler cousins, Beck cousins, and Voice Male cousins).
• Outside or "sigh" as she calls it now. She loved playing outside on soft grass (ours is coarse); without the threat of yucky, mean bugs (I have a fear of chiggers and the like); and without the muggy, hot, humidity. A big thanks to Lydia and Natalie for endless hours of taking Eden "sigh."
  
• The Voice Male concert in the Centerville park (which was outside, of course). She had so much fun playing with Pinga, and Landon (and her other VM cousins) and then her Beck cousins when they arrived. She loved clapping after each song. She especially loved the food that was available in plenty. Seriously, she ate an entire banana, several animal crackers, about 16 oz. of milk, several grapes, and anything else she could get her hands on. She had a tummy ache that night - go figure!
• Sleeping in (ok this is probably more mine than hers). My mom's sewing room has no windows and is therefore totally dark night and day. It becomes the baby's room whenever there are visitors (and if more than one of us shows up at the same time there is a battle over it). This was Eden's first time sleeping in that room and she totally slept in, later and later each day. She usually gets up with the sun so we are loving this and have draped heavy blankets over her windows in the hopes of duplicating this miracle. (It worked this morning - she slept in until 10, of course she didn't get to bed until midnight.)
  
• The moving walk ways at the Denver airport. We had a two-hour layover yesterday (why is it that when we have 40 minutes we have to cross massive airports to get to the departing gate but when we had two hours we ended up departing from the very gate at which we landed?). There was a moving walk way right by our gate. I bet Eden and I walked back and forth on those twenty times! She loved it. She is just getting a little more confident at walking (still won't do it without holding my hand though) and this was great practice.
• Climbing stairs. Our house doesn't have stairs so she hasn't had much opportunity to develop this talent. She is now proficient and thinks she is pretty cool (we need to teach her how to go down now - anyone want to loan us their stairs?).
• Bath and Bodyworks in the Denver airport. Eden loves lotion and anything that has a nice scent. I took her into the store in the airport and she had a blast trying all the "TRY ME" lotions. She rubbed it on her hands and face and arms and then sniffed and oohed and ahhed. She is such a girl!
• New shoes. Speaking of being such a girl, Eden loves shoes (or "shehz" as she says). Her cousin, Brinley, gave her three pairs of shoes and she thinks they are pretty awesome. Her feet are finally growing (she was a size two forever - I sometimes think this might be why she is a late walker) and she is into size four now. She loves her shehz.

We had such a nice time with friends and family. Thanks everyone! Now we are home and it feels nice. It is good to have friends both near and far. We are pretty blessed.

Havanah Glen

While in NY, we went (with several family members) to this beautiful hike:

There's a party goin' on 'round here, a celebration of another year. So bring your good times and your laughter too...

When Phil and I got married we decided that our anniversary would be a family celebration* instead of something for just the two of us. This year we decided to go to the B'ham zoo. Eden didn't love it quite as much as we thought she would (not as much as she did the Aquarium) but she was a very good girl and we all had a nice time.We also decided that we would always have a "wedding" cake on our anniversary. This year Phil ordered this cake and surprised me with it and the flowers.

Our other tradition is that we go to the store and each pick out a card for the other one and then exchange cards right there in the store - then we put them back. Eden even found a card (totally on her own) that was pretty funny and "to my crazy parents." While I was looking at cards she grabbed it. I took it from her and while I was doing something else, she picked the same one again. I decided it must be her card for us and so I let her hang onto it for the "exchange." It was a great anniversary!


We stuck close to home (well, AT home to be exact) for July 4. We all got in our kiddie pool and enjoyed the cool water. After our "swim" we had a traditional Americana meal with homemade burgers, corn on the cob, potato salad (made by Phil), chips, grapes, and soda. Yum!





Eden loves the pool and especially her floating toys.


I have to point out how dang cute her ponytails look!

We didn't do any fireworks this year - probably next year.

















*My friend, Richard B. told me that he and his wife celebrate their anniversary as a celebration of their family's beginning and therefore as a family day. I shared that with Phil and we thought it was a great suggestion. Thanks Richard!

Older

Last Friday was my birthday. It was a very nice weekend. For a while it looked like our plans to celebrate wouldn't happen because all eligible babysitters were involved in some sort of graduation (HS, seminary). Finally on Thursday I was beginning to surrender to the sinking feeling that we wouldn't get to get away at all. Just at that moment, Corrie called and said that although she couldn't watch Eden on Friday, she could that night. I called Phil and he made arrangements for us to eat at the nicest restaurant in town. Then Alisha called and said that her weekend away got canceled and she could watch Eden Friday if we wanted to go forward with our original plan (to go to an Indian restaurant in B'ham and then the temple) on Friday. We decided to stick with our plan to go out on Thursday and then go to the temple this Wednesday morning (the B'ham temple only has limited sessions each week). So, thanks to some wonderful friends, my birthday didn't have the stench of self-pity.

After our very nice dinner, we went to see Prince Caspian (really liked it). When we got home it was after midnight so Phil indulged me and allowed me to open my gifts then. As always he was very thoughtful in his gift-giving. Eden even "signed" her card (scribbles artfully applied to the writing surface). Friday morning Phil and Eden let me sleep in and made me delicious waffles with strawberries. Yum! Then I looked here and found a fabulous poem written in my honor!

We spent Friday preparing for a yard sale. Phil made some stylish Yard Sale signs that we posted around our community. We tracked down all our treasures and put price tags on them. It was a busy day. Then Saturday we arose very early so that we would be ready for our 7 a.m. visitors. And they came... they just didn't buy much. Clearly we don't understand the yard saler mentality. So those of you who frequent yard sales, what is it that makes for a good one? We didn't sell a single book but got rid of most of our CDs (even some LDS artists ones - little do those buyers know...).

Saturday night we went to a concert in the park with some friends. Eden was adorable. She loves to try to keep up with the other kids. It was fun. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra played music from films such as Harry Potter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings, etc. There was a fun atmosphere. Phil made me a delectable chocolate cake with penuche frosting. We took it and shared it with those around us (some friends from church and some from JSU). It was a grand time.

So there you have it. Turning 41 was pretty spectacular.

Random Stuff

We had a great week with mom and dad Kesler. Phil and dad put in all new sinks throughout our house! (believe me, we NEEDED them!) They look so nice. (I'll post pictures below). In a wonderful, surprising little twist, we learned while doing this that the disgusting wallpaper in our master bath would just peel right off. It took us, literally, fifteen minutes to remove the paper (and I have lived with that stuff for 2 years in fear of how hard it would be to take it down!). We also got to go visit dad's cousin near Montgomery. It was fun to travel to a new place in our state and Rick and Carolyn (the cousins) are really nice people. Who knows, maybe we'll run into them in the temple. A benefit of having them here is that dad was able to assist in setting Phil apart as the 1st Counselor in our Branch Presidency. He was called just before he flew to Utah and then sustained en absentia (he was on an airplane flying home from a crazy VM weekend in Cache Valley).

Sunday (May 27) was a most momentous day! Eden turned one! She was so cute. I let her open a present before church because it was a dress. She didn't really understand tissue paper, but once I removed the paper and she saw her new dress in the bag she became very excited and (of course) exclaimed, "priitee!" She was such a good girl during church (of course she was thrilled to have Grandpa K there - he is one of her favorite people). I thought she might have a problem seeing Phil (on the stand) but not being able to go to him but she was fine (probably because of grandpa - we'll see how this week goes). She went with grandpa to the High Priest group and he said she sat there with great reverence and was a "perfect baby." (Phil is over the YW - lucky him - so he joined me in there.) When we got home we had dinner and, of course, cake. She examined the cupcake and stuck her finger in the frosting. She kept looking over at me as if to say, "is this really ok with you? " Finally she was convinced that she wasn't going to get a "no-no" and she had a blast eating some of the cake and smearing the rest of it all over herself. She didn't really understand unwrapping presents but she sure enjoyed playing with them after they were unwrapped. It was a fun, low-key, first birthday.

Yesterday Eden had her one-year check up. She is 29 inches (50%) and 18 lbs (small for her height but the doctor said she looks healthy and that "fat isn't a good indicator of health!"). She is a "perfect baby" according to her doctor. He always offers to buy her from us (he probably says that to all the parents). Thinking she was over the weight limit (20 lbs) we had turned her carseat forward on her birthday. I guess we need to turn it back. Oh well.

I'm doing well. We had a really good activity last night at YWs. It was on Divine Nature. You know how you plan something, put a lot of work into it, and then wonder if anyone will show and if they do, if they will have an enriching experience? Well, I spent a fair amount of time on this and started to feel cynical yesterday afternoon that it wouldn't be well attended or appreciated. It was so nice to hear from a few of the girls that they really appreciated it. One mother has even contacted me and shared that her daughter couldn't quit talking about it. Yippee!!! We had a fairly good turn out too! I just have to remember that there will always be valleys and peaks and to appreciate these highs. I teach this Sunday so now my focus switches to that lesson. I think it will be fun to have Phil be the counselor over YW. He already helps me tons so he knows the program and appreciates the purpose.

Our irises are finally starting to bloom (about 2 weeks after the others in the neighborhood). I planted some basil seeds in a little pot and have put it in our kitchen bay window. I have two tiny sprouts. This is a major accomplishment for me - nothing like green on my thumb! I love fresh basil so I hope this works out. It may be the extent of my "garden" this year. :)

Well, this post has been longer than I expected so I'll end now.

And now I know...

I've learned a few lessons lately. Here are two:

1 - If you are going to get your hair cut where it is arid, don't be surprised if it looks different when you get back home to the humidity.

2 - Read the fine print on labels.

Here is some explanation:

1 - I got my haircut while I was in Utah. This hasn't been a big deal in the past because I would just get trims but this time I went short. When my medium/long hair is subjected to the humidity it goes a little wavy and it is okay. When my short hair is subjected to the humidity, the nice smooth look I had in Utah goes all tweaky. It flips where it should be smooth and goes limp where it is supposed to have volume. Oh well...

2 - I bought some apple juice for my family (especially Eden) to enjoy. I looked over my options and then noticed that there was a brand that was 100% juice - not from concentrate. It was also a good price. I bought it, took it home, and then gave Eden a sippy cup full of it at lunch. At dinner Phil said, "oooh, apple juice!" (we don't have juice much) and so I put it on the table for dinner. Phil filled his glass. About half way through the meal I noticed some smaller print on the label. This is what then transpired...

Heidi: "How can apple juice have fiber?"
Phil: "Fiber? I don't think it can."
Heidi: "It says it right there, 'A Good Source of Fiber.'"
Phil: "No way."
Heidi: (looking at some even smaller print) "Oh, they've added fiber - like Metamucil or something."
Phil: "No way."
Heidi: "This could be bad, Eden had about 6 ounces today."
Eden: as if on cue - makes all kinds of stomach-churning-digestion-working sounds.

Let's just say the diaper was full, the guts clean.

And now you know too...

Food Friday - I don't want to cook edition

No matter how much you like to cook, there are times when you just don't want to do it. Last night was one of those nights. In honor of that, there will be no recipe today. Instead, here is a list of 5 great eating experiences I've had over the years:

1 - Sylvias - Harlem, NY - with Charlotte
Charlotte and I went to NYC where I had a conference. Our flight got canceled and our luggage was lost for three days. Since I didn't have any conference-appropriate clothing, we went to buy some and while we were out we went to Sylvias which Tayneshia had recommended. It was fabulous!

2 - Ruth's Chris Steak House - Philadelphia, PA - with my brother Mark
I had meetings in Philadelphia and it just so happened (or perhaps he made it happen) my brother had meetings there at the same time. We were able to spend a couple of days together and he took me to Ruth Chris for the first time. Good food! (and I'm not a huge steak fan).

3 - Some restaurant - Hannover, Germany - with brother Paul, his wife Meg, and Phil
Paul and Meg were spending the summer in Hannover and Phil was spending it in Switzerland teaching. I flew over and we all had a little vacation together. We went to a cute restaurant and Paul was translating for us. We pointed to one thing and asked, "what is that" he'd answer "beef" or "chicken" or whatever. Then we asked again and he stumbled and looked confused. He couldn't think of the right word in English. Finally he blurted out, "Pig!" ("pork" is the word he couldn't think of). We all cracked up. It was just a fun, fun time and I think the food was pretty good too!

4 - Some cafe - Paris, France - with Phil
We had these sandwiches that were made with French baguettes and chicken and carrot sticks and a yummy curry sauce. Then we topped that off with gelato (of course). We ate all of this outside in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral. Lovely.

5 - Indian Oven (also known as the Indian Dive) - Logan, UT - with the Sugar Gliders
Ok, this may seem totally out-classed by the other entries but I LOVE the Indian Oven (it was originally in the back corner of a gas station convenience store - hence the "Indian Dive" but now it has a respectable store front on main street). We had heard that the food was good and so we tried to go for lunch only to find out that they were (then) only open for dinner. Upon seeing our disappointed faces, the owner/chef said, "stay, I will make you something very good." He won my love and devotion! The food is great (I really like Indian food) and how can you beat that service! Top that off with the fabulous company of wonderful women and you have a winning combination!

Now, have your husband take you out tonight and then let me know where you went or what your favorite food experiences have been.

70 Years of being a Character

On March 29th, my dad turned 70. Months ago, my mother decided it would be great fun to surprise him with a big old birthday party. She contacted each of her ten kids and everyone made arrangements to get their party favors to Smithfield, Utah for the big event. Now, for most of us this doesn't mean a couple hours of driving. Becks gathered from near (my youngest brother still lives at home so that was pretty near) and far (there are five of us in the Eastern U.S.). My older brother even came although he had pneumonia and was supposed to be in bed. It was a glorious time!

Although all ten kids attended only 4/9 spouses and 18/31 grandkids made it. Dad was completely surprised and has decided to live until his 75th birthday so that we can do it again!

Here are some pics...

We had a family picture taken, here is Josh (#10) and some of the grandkids:
the girl-cousins had lots of fun together (in the background the adults are being positioned for the family portrait:
Mom and Dad with the 18 (out of 31 - with 3 on the way) grandkids (you gotta love Eden's hair):
A Beck get together isn't complete without ice cream at Caspers:

Here is Michael (#4) yeah, he's a high school Vice Principal - can't you tell?
Jon (#8) put together a great DVD of family pictures and memories, I don't know how he gets so much done!
Yup, that's me (#3) sporting a new hairstyle, what do you think?

For those who care, here is an update on my siblings:
Merilee - 7 kids ages 5 to 22 - Pullman, WA
Mark - 5 kids ages 4 to 16 - Corning, NY
Me - 1 kid age 11 months - Anniston, AL
Michael - 4 kids ages 3 to 11 - Dallas, OR
Heather - 4 kids ages 3 to 10 (& adopted son arriving from Vietnam soon!) - Smithfield, UT
Andrew - 4 kids ages newborn to 6 - Corning, NY
Paul - 2 kids ages newborn to 3 - Durham, NC
Jon - 3 kids ages 1 to 4 (& one due in July) - Ann Arbor, MI (moving to VA in July)
Emily - 1 kid age 2 (& one due in Oct) - Burley, ID
Josh - still a kid himself - Smithfield, UT

Big Fish (alternative title: "Sta, you are going to be so jealous and totally going to want to come visit us now!")

I love this picture because it captures how engaged Eden was during most of our time at the Georgia Aquarium (and her funny cowlick on the back of her head - no, I haven't dyed my hair, just weird lighting):

Big Fish Tank:

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout:
So cute (us, the fish is actually kinda ugly):
I think this was my favorite fish it totally looks like Pixar created it:
What is a girl to do when daddy is saying "look at the camera" and mommy is saying "look at the fish!" (obey the daddy, of course!):
I LOVE this photo. It isn't just the cheesy grin on Charlotte's face or the stud she married. It isn't even my pathetic attempt to jump in the picture. It is the disgusted look on the face of the girl in the middle of the shot. Classic!
Beluga anyone?
Ooooh.... Ahhhh....

We had so much fun at the Georgia Aquarium on Saturday. It was the day after the tornado hit the Georgia Dome and there was certainly evidence throughout downtown . Kinda crazy.

My favorite part of the whole experience was watching Eden. It may sound cheesy and cliche but experiencing things through the eyes of a child is truly amazing. She was absolutely captivated the entire three hours we were there. She did really well in the car too. What a trooper!

To see other pictures you can check out Charlotte's blog here.

Oh What A Night

Friday, March 14, 2008

12-midnight
Go to bed after a fun evening with the Cantwells. (We watched Martian Child which I totally recommend as a clean-good-message-family-film.)

12:30a.m.
As we are lying in bed, Phil and I begin to hear some rustling outside, or is it on the roof? or is it in the wall? or is it in the attic? The very loud rustling moves quickly around the house and then subsides.

12:45a.m.
More rustling. This time we get up and Phil finds the flashlight and goes out on the deck to see if he can see an animal on the roof or in the bushes. Nothing. The rustling continues but then stops.

1:30a.m.
The NOAA alert system blares. Phil gets up to turn it down so it won't disturb the Cantwells or Eden. NOAA informs us that there is a Severe Thunder Storm WARNING (which is the first of the warning/watch/alert system).

1:45a.m.
A thunder storm comes with all its noise and lightning. It lasts about a half hour.

2:30a.m.
The NOAA alert system blares again. This time we are informed that we are having a Severe Thunder Storm WATCH. The rain, lightning and thunder do indeed return for about an hour (this is the same system that ripped through Atlanta).

3:30a.m.
All is finally calm.

4:00a.m.
Eden cries. I go in and put her binky back in her mouth and she is quiet. I decide to use the restroom. While I'm in the restroom, she cries again. Phil goes in and, forgetting that he is not to lift her, gets her out of the crib and begins to rock her. I come in but my eyes have not adjusted from the light of the bathroom to the dark of her room. Finally I see where they are and go to take Eden from Phil. Unfortunately, Eden turns her head to see me just as I clumsily go to take her and she gets a thumbnail in the eye. She SCREAMS in both discomfort and (especially) betrayal. Although I am now holding her she wants nothing to do with an abusive mother and continues to scream. Phil sits back down and I place her in his lap. I sit in the chair next to them and make up with my daughter. After a few minutes, I take her (ironically, Phil pokes my eye when he hands the baby to me) and she comes willingly. Phil goes back to bed and I feed Eden a bottle and then lay her back down.

4:30a.m.
The whole family (and guests) are all in their beds. Eden, however, is not sleeping.

5:00a.m.
Eden has finally fallen back to sleep and so have her parents.

7:00a.m.
The alarm!