cleaning and scrubbing...

I found this poem on my cousin's blog. It sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it. Then my mom showed me this, that she made when I was a baby.

I have it hanging in Anna's room and I love it. My house is by no means always clean, but I spend a lot of energy fretting about it. This is a good reminder to calm down and enjoy the fleeting time I have with my newborn.

go cougs

Given that 17 out of 17 of my immediate family members are BYU grads, you can guess who I am rooting for. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm loving Jimmer Fever. Gooooooooo Cougars!

sisters

days of plenty

I've talked about my friend Molly before. We met when I took care of her little girl, Lucy, who choked on an apple and have since become good friends. Molly is holding a benefit concert to raise money for the Good Grief Foundation. They help families who cannot afford a headstone for their children. Molly put this on her blog today and it rang true.

I've said it before and I'll say it again--you are changing lives by supporting my organization. You know when you don't know what to say to someone who has lost a loved one? You know when you have those quiet moments of reflection when you put yourself in someone else's shoes and feel the weight of their loss? And you cry in your closet and say a prayer of thanks that your children are still with you? And you think..."I want to help, but how?" This is how. This is how all the unspoken words can be spoken and the weight of the burden you want to carry for someone else can be carried.

Even if you can't go to the concert (I'm still trying to figure out if I should take Anna or just sit this one out) you can still buy a ticket as a donation.

Putting this together has been a ton of work. Way to go, Molly. Lucy would be proud.

{If you haven't heard Lucy's story, there was a good article in the Deseret News yesterday. Read it here.}

Ella-isms

{wearing the hat and scarf because it's "storming" inside}

It seems that Ella grew up overnight when Anna was born. Lately she has been saying the funniest things. Cracks me up.

She has a calculator that she uses as her cell phone. She keeps it in her front pocket for easy access. The other day we were driving down the canyon and mid-sentence she stops and says, "Wait. Someone is calling me. I need to call them back." Turns out it was Ma Sue, and Ella let her know we were headed to see her.

She is totally picking up on things we say. Today she was playing with Anna and said, "Mom, how did baby Anna get so cute?"

While playing the other day she asked me if I wanted to wear a necklace. I said no. She replied with, "Option one is to wear the necklace. Option two is go to time out. Which do you want?"

We were eating dinner last night and she asked if we were eating 'regular' pasta. "Yep. Isn't it yummy?" "But the question is, is it regular pasta?" "Yes, it is regular pasta." "Thanks for answering my question, Mom." (I'm not sure what constitutes 'regular' pasta )

27 days

life with two...

{ella and anna, week three}

...is harder than life with one.

But worth it.

There are days when I think I'm figuring it out, and days where my only saving grace is the wonderful friends and family supporting me. I know people do it without help. Those people are stronger than me. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has taken Ella, brought meals, cleaned my house and a myriad of other kind gestures. One of my favorite quotes is by Spencer W. Kimball:

The Lord does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.

Thank you to all those people. You have kept me sane.

In other news, tonight I cooked for the first time in a month. A new use-what's-in-your-pantry-because-it's-Sunday recipe. It was delicious. Give it a try. Chicken with Apple, Onion and Cider Sauce. My modifications: yellow onion instead of red and homemade chicken stock leftover from the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Chicken. (But don't be too impressed. After enjoying this for lunch we had cold cereal for dinner.)