"A Psalm of Life"

Tell me not, in mournful numbers, 

Life is but an empty dream!

For the soul is dead that slumbers, 

And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;

Dust thou art, to dust returnest, 

Wast not spoken of the soul.

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act, —act in the living Present!

Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Let us, then, be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing

Learn to labor and to wait.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "A Psalm of Life"

Bye Bye, Blow Dryer

For the past few weeks, my blow dryer had been acting funny. Whenever I used it, I had to make sure the cord was in a specific spot or else the dryer would turn off. I think there was a short in it.

So it didn't surprise me when, a few days ago, I plugged it into the outlet, flipped the switch, and nothing happened. I wiggled the cord around. I pushed the reset button a few times. I kept flipping the power switch off and on. But...nothing. No go.

The thing had lasted for years. I used it in high school. My sister three years older than me used it in high school. I think my sister five years older than me might have used it, too. I knew it was going to be a goner soon, but I had planned to use it until it actually died, died.

I finally stopped trying to turn it on because I was afraid it might start throwing sparks or something crazy like that at me. I unplugged it, shrugged my shoulders, and thought, "Well, I guess it's finally bit the dust," and put it on the toilet to deal with it later.

I've been trying to be more proactive lately about throwing things away, so when I found time to take out the trash, I was proud of myself for remembering to pluck the blow dryer from the top of the toilet and place it into the white bag along with all the other trash before taking the bag out to the dumpster.

As I swung the garbage bag high over my head and flung it overboard, I heard the satisfying "thunk" of junk being gone forever from my house, hallelujah! (At least for a few minutes, ha - it's like the short-felt satisfactory feeling of finishing the last load of laundry, right?).

As I walked back across the parking lot to my apartment, I also felt a twinge of pride for taking care of my deceased blow dryer so quickly and a twinge of excitement that I now had an excuse to buy a new one.

Later, when my hair was finally dry and I had some time to style it, I went into the same bathroom (easy, we only have one), plugged my straightener into the same outlet, and held down its power button for a few seconds to turn it on.

And...nothing.

No red light.

No numbers signaling how hot the straightener was.

No warmth emanating from the two, parallel plates.

I stared at my straightener for a few seconds. Then I unplugged and plugged in the straightener again and again, alternating between the only two available bathroom outlets. In desperation, I wiggled the cord up and down and back and forth even though I knew there wasn't a short in the cord.

And...still nothing.

I knew four things: 1. My straightener was only a year old. 2. I had taken really good care of it. 3. I hadn't had any issues with it whatsoever. And 4. I went into my bedroom to test out the straightener on a different outlet - it worked. So I knew it wasn't my straightener that was the problem.

It was the stupid outlet.

Just as that fact dawned on me, I thought back to the moment earlier when I had smugly tossed that white garbage bag away and for a second the image of me trying to climb into that huge, smelly dumpster and save my not-so-lifeless blow dryer popped into my head.

I saw myself sifting through all of the dirty diapers, the food gone bad, the banana and orange peels, and reaching and stretching my hand through now-unrecognizable things covered with dirt, slime and probably infested with fleas, maggots, disease, and other horrible things in order to finally grab hold of the prized, black-gone-gray-through-the-years blow dryer and holding it above my head triumphantly. (With, I'm sure, a few of that indescribable mess plopping onto my head.)

Then I shrugged my shoulders again and thought, "Well, at least it wasn't my straightener."

I guess I'll be air-drying my hair for the next few weeks.

When I Have Grown a Foot or Two...

Have you ever heard of the concept of measuring your children when they turn 2 1/2 years old?

A few years ago, I was at my uncle's house, and he explained the concept to me. Then when I was in college, I learned about it again in my Child Development class. It seemed like a fun tradition, and I filed it in the back of my mind to do it with my kids.

The concept is - when your child turns 2 1/2, measure how tall they are and then you multiply the height by two. The end result is supposedly how tall they will be when they stop growing.

Well, Aidan turned exactly 2 1/2 yesterday. I kept watching the calendar and reminded myself every day to please remember to measure him because I was excited to see how tall he might be when he's older (give or take probably).

The end result: He should be a little over 6'2. That's about how tall Jayze is!

Now we'll just have to remember to measure him again when he stops growing and see how correct the estimate was.

A Good Weekend

This weekend was a good one. 

On Friday, Jayze and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day by eating green eggs and ham for dinner. We also finally watched Moana that night (thanks to our friends who let us borrow it). We loved it, of course. 

Had to throw in some orange in honor of leprechauns, too. :)

We went to the zoo on Saturday (When we told Aidan where we were going, he jumped around in excitement, yelling, "Zoooo! Zooo! Zoooo!). 

On Sunday we attended church. I got Kimball to fall asleep in the car seat during Sunday School, and Aidan could have stayed in nursery all day long. 

But what was most significant about this weekend was the love I felt from my Heavenly Father. There are a few things I've been struggling with for the past couple of weeks, and some days have been better than others. The few days previous to this weekend was another few days that tested my strength and my outlook, and this weekend I prayed so hard to feel the Spirit. And guess what? Heavenly Father answered my heartfelt pleas and my heartfelt efforts to feel and be close to Him. 

I know that my Heavenly Father is real. I know that Jesus Christ atoned for not only my sins, but also for my pains and my sorrows. I know that Jesus Christ still lives. Both Him and Heavenly Father love me so much and know me by name. 

Today as I've been pondering the answers I received this weekend, my favorite childhood Primary song came to mind:

Whenever I hear the song of a bird

Or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

Or the wind as it rushes by,

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by our lilac tree,

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heav'nly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see

The color of butterfly wings.

He gave me my ears that I might hear

The magical sound of things.

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:

I thank him rev'rently

For all his creations, of which I'm a part.

Yes, I know Heav'nly Father loves me.

(song credit here)

I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful to be a member of His church. I am grateful I know I am a daughter of God. And I am grateful to know who I am, where I am going, and why I am here.

PS: Happy First Day of Spring! 

From the zoo on Saturday.

10 Months

Kimball turned 10 months old last Friday (March 10). Here's a little update about him.

Stats:

I actually took him to the doctor just a few days before he turned 10 months old, but it was still technically his 9-month appointment. 

Height: 28 inch. (25%)

Weight: 20 lbs (47%)

Head Circumference: 45.6 cm (57%)

At the doctor's office.

He seems to have thinned out since he started crawling more, but he still has these cute, kissable, chunky cheeks. :)

Right after he turned 9 months old, he got sick. He wouldn't eat very much, and he didn't sleep very well. We finally bought a humidifier, and it actually helped sooo much. Who knew it would be so effective? It was hard to see him like that and not be able to help much. It took him a little more than a couple of weeks to get over it. 

Lots of snuggles during this sick period.

Sleeping: Finally starting to sleep through the night again. Being sick and teething threw his schedule off.

He's also pretty good at taking his naps. However, he only takes two naps a day now, so the period between him waking up from his afternoon nap and bedtime is sometimes hard.

Eating: He's getting good at eating finger foods! At dinner I'll give him small tidbits of whatever we're having, and he seems to like most of it. When I'm feeding him baby food, he starts crying when he's done. I guess he can only hand so much of it. :)

We finally gave in and offered him fruit. We were going to wait until he was a year old, but when he got sick and had a hard time even drinking formula, we fed him a frozen banana and some applesauce, which helped. Those, and a little bit of a fruit pouch, are the only fruits he's had.

He's also drinking less formula and eating more solid foods.

Clothes: I finally broke out the 12 month clothes. He doesn't quite fit into some of them yet (whew), but he's definitely in the 9-12 month clothes size bracket. It was a little nostalgic putting 12 month clothes in the closet again. It seems like just barely since Aidan was wearing them.

Textures: He's still a texture baby. He loves banging on pots and pans. He loves feeling the texture of his blanket, bibs, washcloths, stuffed animals, blocks, balls, food, etc.

Chews on everything: Anything he gets into his hands will go into his mouth. I have to vacuum almost every day now because he always eats whatever is on the floor. Cords are always a temptation. I'm thinking we'll have to get outlet covers soon, which is strange because they were never a temptation for Aidan. He especially loves playing/sucking on/chewing on kitchen utensils and Aidan's toy cars.

Chompers: Still has eight teeth. I keep checking for more, but his teething seems to have stopped for now.

Hair: His hair is getting longer. Almost every day now I have to convince Jayze to hold off cutting it until Kimball is a year old. :) The very end of his hair curls, and it's adorable.

Crawling: When we went to AZ, he started crawling on his knees. He used to just army crawl, but now he crawls on his knees everywhere, as well as pulls himself on anything he can and cruise. I think he might walk earlier than Aidan did...uh oh.

Trying to keep him contained while I was working on a project.

Problem solver: He is good at figuring things out. If I take a toy away from him and it's just out of his reach, he'll work so hard to get it back. It's the same with the computer. If Aidan is watching a movie and Kimball just wants to hit the keyboard but it's out of reach, he'll crawl, stand, and reach as far as he can to get it. He'll scale a big pile of pillows in order to get a toy he wants, and he wriggles out of my arms to get a toy, too.

Personality: He is such a happy baby (when he's not sick, hungry, or tired haha). Distractions work really well on him. He LOVES attention and playing with Aidan. He also loves being held and hasn't hit the stranger danger feeling yet. When we were in AZ, he didn't mind being held by anyone who wanted to hold him. We found out that he absolutely loves dogs. Both Jayze's Aunt Lisa and Aunt Jackie had dogs, and Kimball loved chasing both of them and trying to pull on their tails. He thought it was so funny. If we even look at him, he gives us the biggest smile. I love him so much.

We love it when Daddy works from home.

He could be outside all day.

Loves:

• To eat whatever I'm eating.
• Playing with whatever I'm using (my phone, computer, book, Aidan's toy...)
• To crawl everywhere.
• Trying to catch the vacuum cleaner and cord when I'm vacuuming. He's not even a little bit scared of it.
• Laughing and clapping.
• Looking outside and being in the car (if it's not too long).
• Bath time, especially splashing and standing (sigh) :).
• Snuggling.
• Peek-a-boo and patty-cake.
• Daddy, Mommy, and Aidan.
• Being tickled.
• Blankets.
• Sleeping on his belly.
• Standing up in his crib and hitting the wall.
• Chatting in his cute baby talk.

Hates:

• When I take anything away from him.
• When I close the front door, or any door for that matter.
• When I make him sit down during bath time.
• Being stepped on (Aidan).
• Me cooking dinner.
• Being contained when he just wants to play (especially during prayer).
• Being left out.
• Being strapped into the car seat. Once he's in it though, he's good.
• Sitting still during diaper changes.

He'll be one year old in a couple of months. Where has the time gone? I feel like he was just barely born. Sometimes I keep treating him like he's a newborn or even a 4-month old because it's so surreal how much he's grown and developed. Sometimes I wish time would stand still, but it's also fun to see him reach different milestones. I definitely love our Kimball-Bimball. 

Good ol' Arizona

Jayze and I got to go to Arizona at the end of February. We were there for almost a week (including the days we traveled). Jayze's mom had always wanted to run a marathon and finally decided to sign up for the Phoenix one. To help Pam out, a lot of Jayze's other family members decided to join in, too.

Since it was kind of a big deal and so many family members were involved, Jayze and I decided to go and cheer them on. Jayze thought about running, but I told him it would be nice to be one of the supporters. So, we held up posters, yelled, and chatted with other waiting family members. It was a lot of fun.

Another reason we went is because Molly, Jayze's sister, was coming home from her mission just a few days after the marathon. Another kind-of-a-big-deal for the Flake family.

We started out our trip driving the 13.5 hours to Snowflake. I was super stressed about it because Aidan and Kimball had been sick the previous two weeks, but it ended up being a really good drive. I found some road trip toddler activities on Pinterest and loaded up on snacks. So with those and a couple of naps, we only watched two movies (and that was when Jayze was watching the kids, haha).

He kept putting the blanket over his head. 

When we got to Jayze's parents house, I set Kimball on the floor and he decided to show off and crawl on his knees for the first time ever. He usually does the whole army crawling thing, but that night he was on his knees. I was shocked. He looked so proud of himself. I'm glad I caught it on video (but not pictures, whoops).

The next day we chilled, went to the store - well, Jayze and Aidan did, Aidan played the piano and ate fruit snacks, and Kimball crawled around trying to eat everything he found off the floor.

Check out that posture! Babies and little kids have the best posture.

When afternoon rolled around, we packed up our stuff and drove to the cemetery. We wanted to visit Alma before we left for Mesa. It was Kimball's second time visiting him. All Aidan wanted to do was run, run, RUN, and all Kimball wanted to do was eat the decorations. It was hard to reign Aidan in, but we finally got him to hold still long enough to snap a few pictures.

Kimball is wearing the exact same onesie as Aidan in this post.

It was wonderful being there together as a family.

Once everyone got to Mesa, the runners went to register for their races. I stayed behind with a few others that night to help watch the kids and play Just Dance (for the first time!).

The next day was...Marathon Day! Jayze and I ended up walking there with Jayze's Aunt Lisa. The finish line was just a few blocks away from her house. While we waited for the runners, we walked around, chatted, and cheered.

He pulled the hat down himself - I think he was tired of the sun being in and out of his eyes.

And since the finish line was right by a dirt parking lot, Aidan pretty much played in the dirt all day. *Mom success* He also got sunburned because I forgot to put sunscreen on him. *Mom fail* A lot of people definitely got baked that day.

Jewel ran the whole way with her mom, and it was exciting to see them finally cross the finish line together. It was Pam's first and last marathon, and they were both glad it was finally done. Once they finished, we all headed back to Aunt Lisa's house for some take-out pizza. I think it was definitely well-earned. :)

In the home stretch.

Marathon (bottom left picture, left to right): Levi, Pam, Jewel, Abe
Half Marathon (bottom right picture, left to right): Shon, McKay, NaElle, and Steve (Jewel's husband)

Are we done yet, Mom? :)

Sunday was church. I was glad Lisa's ward started at 9:00 a.m. because that meant we could put our kids down for a nap right after. I was a little worried that Aidan wouldn't go to nursery as easily since he didn't know any of the kids (all of his cousins are either not old enough for nursery yet or are in primary), but he went straight in and didn't look back. That kid loves nursery, which I'm very grateful for.

Jayze and I packed up that night and headed over to his Aunt Jackie's with Pam to help ease the burden off of Lisa. The next day Aidan discovered there was a dog door at her house, too (Lisa's house had one, too).We stayed up late talking to Jayze's cousin, David, and then called it a night.

The next morning during Kimball's nap, Jayze and I turned on the Wii Mario Kart. Jayze did better than me, but let's be honest - we both stunk at it. But it was still so.much.fun. I hadn't played it since my babysitting days. We ended up playing it that night, too, haha.

Nana Dee and Aidan and Kimball

Aidan discovered there was a dog door at Jackie's house, too, and squeezed through it to explore outside. He did the same thing at Lisa's house, too, only sometimes going through the regular door.

That afternoon we celebrated Crue's (NaElle and Cody's little boy) birthday! He turned five years old. Which is crazy to me because Jayze and I were dating when he was born. Whaaaaa?

For his birthday we all went to a super fun park - obviously I forgot its name.

But seriously, it was super fun. It had something for all ages, even a huge rope climbing thing that older kids and adults could climb. And Jayze and I did! We climbed all the way to the top, and I surprised myself and wasn't scared one bit. If rock climbing weren't so expensive, I'd put it in my weekly schedule.

A perspective of how high it was.

Jayze and I are the ones at the very top.

Aidan had fun hanging on the lower ropes and grinning up at us when Jayze and I were at the top of the rope climbing thing. And Kimball had fun being passed from relative to relative and trying to eat rocks when he was set down. When it was time to go, we all walked together in the sprinkling rain back to our cars.

We continued the celebration at Aunt Jackie's house where we ate dinner and then cake and ice cream for dessert.

The next day...Molly came home!

We woke up to rain, so we all just hung around the house all day until it was time to go to the airport. Those staying at Lisa's house came over to hang out at Jackie's house. NaElle did some of our hair...including mine. I chopped off at least three inches, and it's the first time I haven't had even the slightest inkling of regret. I'd been thinking of doing it for a few months and finally took the plunge. I love it. Thanks, NaElle!

We entertained kids, made welcome home posters, and snacked. When 5:00 rolled around, Jayze and I packed up all of our stuff because we were driving to Snowflake straight from the airport.

There was such an exciting tension at the airport. Family was everywhere. Aidan played with his cousins while Jayze held a happy, smiling Kimball. The posters were out. We all kept watching the clock and then, with cameras in hand, we started watching the people from the planes walk down the ramp.

Then...there she was! Of course, the first person she hugged was her mom, then everyone else got a turn. It was so good to see her in person. Eighteen months is a long time. Molly is now a returned missionary.

Always fascinated with Daddy's shirt buttons

We got to hug Molly and take a few pictures, and then we loaded the kids back in the stroller and headed back to our van. We drove to Snowflake that night and then back to Wichita the next day.

I have to say, it was so good being in Mesa. I love Mesa. The palm trees and saguaro cactus. And don't even get me started on the smell. There's just something about it that will always make me love visiting it. It was good being in Snowflake for the short amount of time, too - especially visiting Alma.

But what was nice and reassuring to me is the thought that came as we drove into Wichita...This feels like home. It felt familiar driving into Wichita. The thought surprised me because we've only been here a few months. It was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father reminding me that our family is where we need to be right now. If plans change in the future, that's fine, but it's good to know we're in the right place for now.

But, I'll have you know, I always love a good visit to good ol' Arizona.

Also, I think Aidan missed the point of this activity. (insert crying/laughing emoji here). But to be fair, he did get it the first time haha.

Fast One

I was playing solo tonight with the kids while Jayze went to the adult session of Stake Conference.

 While I was finishing up feeding Kimball, I asked Aidan, "Can you please go put that empty bottle in the sink?" 

I had needed two bottles because Kimball hadn't finished all of his formula from the last time he ate.

Aidan said, "No, I lay on blanket." 

I gave him a stern look and told him, "Please put the bottle in the sink." 

He kind of rolled his eyes, grabbed the bottle, and headed towards the sink. 

In an effort to make it fun so there wouldn't be any hard feelings, I called out to him as he walked towards it, "Go, go, go! You got this! Yay, Aidan!" 

He smiled, walked a little faster, and slowly pushed the bottle overboard. 

Once the bottle was in, I said, "Thanks, Aidan! Good job! You are awesome!" 

He smiled as he ran back and jumped onto his blanket that was lying on the couch. 

By then Kimball had finished his second bottle, so I set him on the floor and put the second empty bottle in the sink. 

Then I turned around and said to Aidan, "Alright, time to clean up..." 

Aidan ran to the couch, jumped on it, and yelled, "Mom's turn!" 

I almost protested, then stopped, shrugged my shoulders, smiled, and said, "Okay," and knelt down and began picking up toys. 

As I bent down, Aidan called out, "Go, Mom! Go, Mom! Go, Mom! Yaaaaayyyyyy!" 

As I finished up a batch of toys, he said, "Thanks, Mom!" 

Then he yelled out again, "Mom's turn!" 

This time I told him it was his turn too, and we could clean up the rest together. 

He jumped off the couch and excitedly ran back and forth from the living room to his room putting his toys away. 

Man, is this kid smart. I better be careful because he just almost pulled a fast one on me.

Yesterday. He was so proud of how he lined up his cars.