Three Cheers for Captain Kirk!

Kirk is my hero.

At church a few weeks ago, a friend was telling me a story about a lady she knows who has been sick with her pregnancy. My dear friend went on and ON about her friends' husband. For the sake of story telling, let's say my sweet friend's name is Sally, her friend's name is Anne, and her friend's husband's name is John. Okay. So, here's the story. (And for my fellow book groupies, I'm quite certain my apostrophes are being used incorrectly, poor dears, but at the moment, I just can't summon my stickler to care. Sorry.)

Anne is pregnant. She has been having a very bad day. One evening, she herds her two little girls into John's office and says, "I'm done. I can't handle anymore today." John, feeling sorry for his wife, and apparently not on a student budget, books her a plane ticket to Vegas, a hotel for a week, and tells her to go on vacation. Since he works from home, he says he'll manage with the girls while she is gone.

At this point in telling me the story, my sweet friend Sally goes on and on about how wonderful John is and how every wife could use such thoughtfulness sometimes.

I didn't say anything, but in my mind I was thinking, "Oh yeah?! Have I got a story for you!"

Here's my story. I'll use my own name.

It's late November, and Sonja finds out she is pregnant. So far, she's not feeling too yucky, and she's keeping her fingers crossed since her last pregnancy caused her to lose more than 20lbs in six weeks and landed her in the hospital every week to get re-hydrated. It seems that one thing her body is VERY good at is getting sick while pregnant.

Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, she gets sick. Really sick. I'm talking twice-hourly throw-up sessions and the general wasting away of the body that occurs from a total lack of nourishment. She has to make a trip to the hospital to get some fluids and she thinks, "Oh dear, not this again."

But, like any knight in shining armor worth his salt, her dear husband, Kirk, rushes in to save the day. Despite being crazy busy studying for finals, applying for jobs, applying to take the Bar Exam, getting things ready for Christmas, working, and whatever else he had going on at the time, he completely took over my jobs as well. And I mean COMPLETELY.

For the entire month of December, and part of January, Kirk did ALL the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and errands. He did most of the parenting and child care, gave me tons of hugs and crushed ice, and managed all this while getting all of his own stuff done. And done well, I might add.

My HERO!

He is one remarkable husband and father. Even after my sweet niece came to stay with us to help, Kirk didn't relenquish all his extra jobs. A-maz-ing.

I love you, Kirk!

My Turkey Munchkins and Halloween Fun

Decorating cookies, obviously. My kids are the worst at it because they've consumed most of the icing and decorations before they've finished their cookie. Either that, or they eat all the cookies and then there's nothing left to decorate. I guess delayed gratification comes with age...

My lame fuzzy-picture-taking camera. It couldn't possibly be the camera operator. Don't even go there. Oh, and, she's a mouse. In case you're wondering.

That's my boy! He actually had three costumes this year. We made a bat costume that he wore to our ward trunk or treat party. We have a cheap Power Ranger costume that I bought on clearance last year, and a Transformer one that I bought on clearance this year, both for our dress up box. He wore all three.

Pumpkin Painting

We were trying to be a little more kid friendly this Halloween. Besides, I don't trust myself, let alone the kids, with a knife while trying carve pumpkins. I have a hard time just cutting up squash. I know, I know. I'm working on the upper body strength. Don't judge.

Erilyn's finished product--an angel.

Another one of Anthon's great smiles!

And his finished product--a bat.

Just Erilyn

I like to make up funny nicknames for my kiddos, and when I call them by the names, they have both, at various times, and in almost identical language, refused to accept my nonsense and insisted on being "Just Anthon!" or "Just Erilyn!". I think this is so amusing! I'm glad they know who they are.

Here she is, in all her glory.


Ya gotta li'l somethin' on your chin, there, babe.

This kid is awesome!

Showing off our cool homemade spiders and his sticker tattoo.

Trying to weigh 100lbs on our scale...I wish I had that problem!

I love his picture smiles!

The two best picture smilers on the planet. A chip off the ol' block, shall we say?!

The Winged Life and Other Life Lessons

To steal a phrase from a dear friend: "Boy howdy! Is it November already?!"

Who knows where that phrase came from, I guess I could ask her, but it still brings a smile to my face. And seriously, it's the middle of November?! Occasionally I catch myself thinking it's early September. I'm not sure if time really passes more quickly as you get older, or if my internal clock is still screwed up with the seasons here. It's just beginning now to feel how I think Septembers should feel, so maybe that's the problem...yes, I'm sure that's the problem. It couldn't be that I don't really pay attention to the calendar. That couldn't possibly be it.

I've been reading a book, well, I'm reading a few books right now, but this particular book I'm reading is one about the writings of Henry David Thoreau. I've LOVED it. I'm well aware that I'm a sentimental fool, but I love dreaming about living as he did at Walden Pond. As a mother, I'm not sure I could do without a Walmart, but I think I could manage. I grew up with a mother who liked doing things the hard way, which included making everything possible from scratch and growing as much of our food as possible in our own yard. Can you imagine? The peace. The perspective.

One particular story Thoreau tells (and he tells it MUCH better, but you'll get the idea) is about a bug who lays an egg inside a small hole in an apple tree. For some reason or another, it doesn't hatch, but stays dormant, living in the tree for years. Eventually, a farmer cuts down the apple tree and makes a table out of it. The egg still lives, now in the table. Years pass. For whatever reason, possibly a warm tea kettle set on top of it warms it enough, but eventually it hatches. The insect then chews its way out of the wood and flies away.

Suspend your disbelief for a moment and consider the possibilities. To me, this is a poignant and beautiful allegorical tale of the potential within all of us. Thoreau had a gorgeous understanding of the divine and of the divine nature in each of us. Ponder for a moment what could, if given the right circumstances, grow in you and help you fly. It's definitely there, we just have to create the right environment and then allow ourselves to soar. I loved this story.

I've also been thinking a lot lately about my ability to reflect. I used to be able to ponder with the best of 'em, and find joy and beauty and reason for introspection in literally anything but most especially things related to the natural world. I guess I could use the excuse that life passed a bit beyond my control when I got married and started having children, but wouldn't you think those beautiful relationships would fill me with even more reason to reflect and be grateful? Whatever the reason, I've been living an un-insightful existence for a while now. Thanks to Thoreau, I found reason to turn within, and to also consider everything without and realized that while an orderly life makes it easier for me to put my thoughts in order, it is not necessary. I can and should and need to find ways to be thoughtful regardless of my external environment.

This probably doesn't make sense to anyone, but it makes sense to me, and I've always found writing cathartic, so feel free to skip ahead:)

Anyway, I love trees, and creeks, and mountains, and the wide openness of prairies, and sunsets, and big skies, and feeling small but still important somehow.

Stay tuned for lighter and more fun stories and pictures...:)

CAUTION...extreme wordiness ahead...

I got this idea from a good friend (thanks, Carrie!), and I know it seems kind of weird, but I absolutely loved finding pictures that represented certain aspects of me. It's fun to externalize the way I view myself. Each picture represents the answer to a particular question.

For those who really love me, who want to get to know me better, or who are extremely bored, here are the questions and my answers:

Q: What is your first name?
A: Sonja. Apparently the name of the girl in the picture is Sonja and she is standing in a street in Istanbul. I want to live on that street!

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Chocolate. This is also the answer to another question later. Yes, I like chocolate. And, while this particular picture does NOT look delicious, it made me laugh, and I think my sense of humor is a fun part of me.

Q: What high school did you go to?
A: W.R. Myers high school. While I did actually find pictures of the current girls' basketball team (which I used to play on), I liked this picture more of the surrounding countryside. This is where I grew up. The plains of southern Alberta.

Q: What's your favorite color?
A: Purple, yellow, green, brown. I know that's more than one color, but I love them all. It just depends on my mood. There was a quote from Henry David Thoreau accompanying this picture which said, "The heart is forever inexperienced." I thought that was interesting. And this picture makes me feel cozy, adventurous, romantic, and mysterious all at once.

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: I honestly could not think of someone on whom I'm crushing right now, so I decided to pick a representative of some certain requirements, which are: a male celebrity who is actually talented and not just good looking and someone who does not necessarily seek the limelight or choose roles based on blockbuster potential. I loved Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge. I guess if you consider that he was in the new Star Wars movies, my last requirement might not fit. I guess I just don't tend to think of him as an actor who seeks out those types of roles. And now I've spent way too much time on this subject...Kirk's going to start getting jealous...:)

Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Water. As soon as I saw this picture I thought, "I have to go THERE!" Turns out it's in Switzerland...good thing I'm brushing up on my German...

Q: What is your dream vacation?
A: There is no one destination I want to go more than all others, because I want to go EVERYWHERE. But, I'd probably start somewhere in Europe, so that's what I searched. This picture came up and suits me because I'm sometimes oblivious to how goofy I am, and I love dogs:) Besides, my previous picture was of Switzerland, so I've got the travel pic down.

Q: What is your favorite dessert?
A: Again, no ONE dessert pops to mind, but I tend to go for anything with chocolate in it. This was my second favorite picture from searching chocolate (after the chocolate toilet one.) There's a capriciousness about this picture that I envy.

Q: What would you like to be when you grow up?
A: Adventurous or brave. I've spent my entire life playing it safe, and being conservative about EVERYTHING. I'd like to learn how to fear the unknown less, and to try new things more. It seems like everything on my list of things I'd like to accomplish in my life is going to take more courage and/or impetuousness than I've ever shown in my life up to this point. Someday, soon, I hope, I'd like to get started on that list.

Q: What do you love most in your life?
A: My relationships. I'm not sure why this picture came up when searching for "relationships," but I love it. I love its simplicity, its contrasting colors, the size of the windows in relation to each other and all the symbolic implications of that, as well as the fact that one is barred and the other is not. This is a picture whose symbolism I could discuss for a while.

(By the way, Erilyn just got out of the tub a minute ago and I told her to go get a diaper and some jammies. Instead, I just found her going potty--poop, actually--on the toilet. Maybe...if I procrastinate long enough, she'll just potty train herself...it's looking more and more like a possibility!)

Q: What is one word that describes you?
A: This is a trick question. At first, I was trying to think of the ONE word that describes me COMPLETELY, which I found to be an impossible task. So, instead, I chose ONE word that describes a PART of me. Soft. This picture came up because the photographer noted that the lighting was soft, but I picked this picture because I want to go visit that village! Those kinds of villages, built up a hill like that, are so intriguing to me. Can you imagine? You would wake up to a fresh ocean breeze on your face, crawl out from under your blanket, and go to your open, flower-framed window, to see what the rest of the village is up to. I'm completely charmed by this scenario, and this picture.

The last picture is free choice, so I searched "horses," which are an integral part of my past, and, I hope, future. I love everything about this picture. There is something in the horse's eyes that draws me in and I want to jump on her back and see where she'll take me. I love the setting, the lighting, the grace, the beauty, and the freedom and liberation that a running horse always reminds me of. The air feels crisp, or rather, looks crisp, and fresh from a recent rain. I want to be IN this picture. I love it!

To make your own mosaic, type your answers to the above questions into the "search" box of flickr.com, pick a picture from the first page, copy the URL and paste it into the mosaic maker's individual URL spots. When you're finished, push the "create" button, save your mosaic to your desktop, then add it into your post using the "add image" button.

Hope you have as much fun as I did!

Top 5 Signs I'm a Potty-Training Procrastinator...

5. My two-year-and-four-month-old loves wearing Anthon's underwear.

4. She tells me as soon as she's gone either poop or potty in her diaper, although to her, it's all just "I poopy, Mommy. I poopy."

3. Not only does she tell me she needs a diaper change, she takes the initiative to bring me a clean diaper and some wipes, wherever I am, and then lies down and insists I change her. She'll even help with her own wipes.

2. She often gets tired of waiting for me to change her, and will take the liberty of taking off her diaper all by herself.

And the number one sign that I'm a Potty-Training Procrastinator...drum roll please...

1. She takes off her own diaper, sits on the toilet, goes potty, and then skips around pantless saying, "I did it, Mommy! I did it! See...potty in tolit!" For which she gets a sticker.

Adventures of Anthon

At a giant corn maze nearby--strangely, these chickens seemed to be Anthon's favorite thing.


Anthon learning to ride his two-wheeler bike! It seriously took him about 2 minutes. He's a pro.



Anthon and Daddy getting ready to pick apples for family night. We had so much fun! And the kids ate TONS of apples for dinner that night!



Anthon's choice of activity for family night. We had a blast--good choice, Anthon!

I was going through some stuff on our desk the other day and found a post-it note with a list of stories to blog about Anthon. Better late than never, right! So here are a couple of funny stories compliments of Anthon.

When we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Schramm over the summer, we got a chance to go to the Barnwell Days parade. It was a very hot day, but the kids were troopers...the LOADS of candy they collected helped, I'm sure! The days following, I had a hard time monitoring the kids' sugar intake, so I enlisted Mom and Dad to help me and report if they saw the kids eating candy when they weren't supposed to be. Anthon kept finding where we'd hide the loot, the little stinker. And he would immediately find something to do outside after he located and raided the stash. I guess he figured we'd be less likely to catch him if he were outside.

Anywho, so one day, after just having plundered the cupboard, he was walking around outside eating his lollipop and happened to wander into the garage. After sauntering in a few steps, quite proud of himself and his most recent accomplishment, he saw Grandpa and stopped short, lollipop halfway to his mouth. In a clear show of understanding his predicament, he carefully hid the lollipop behind his back and, at a measured and deliberate pace, backed out of the garage.

After just a few moments, he strolled back into the garage nonchalantly, and gave Grandpa a cheerful "Hi Grandpa!"

We both had a good chuckle when Dad told me the story.

It might have been that same day, but I think it was a day or two later, Anthon recruited Grandma to give he and Erilyn a sucker. They went outside to enjoy the treat. A few minutes later, Anthon came back and told Grandma he needed another sucker for Erilyn because she lost hers in the grass. Grandma said, "Really? She lost her YELLOW sucker in the grass?" "Yes, and now she's sad and wants my sucker. Can she have another?"

So Mom, being the sweet woman she is, gave him another sucker for Erilyn.

Shortly after, she saw Anthon and Erilyn on the deck. Erilyn had her yellow sucker, and Anthon had two suckers. Grandma laughed and said, "Anthon! I see you found Erilyn's sucker!" Anthon's response?! "Yup! And I figured out how to get two suckers!"

Stinker.

Erilyn Lately...

This sweet little girl makes people smile wherever she goes. It is a beautiful gift. I think children in general have the ability to remind people of the joy of life, but she is especially, and noticeably talented at it. Just as Daddy blessed her to be...she is a joy to our family!

Her favorite two sentences right now are, "Yeah, sure.", and "Okay...a minute!" Which are responses to nearly any question you can think of. "Erilyn, will you put Anthon's shoes in the cubby?" "Yeah, sure." "Erilyn, do you like your snack?" "Yeah, sure." "Erilyn, you have very pretty toes." "Yeah, sure." "Erilyn, is Daddy upstairs?" "Yeah, sure." OR--"Erilyn, wil you put Anthon's shoes in the cubby?" "Okay...a minute!" Anthon--"Where did you get that gum, Erilyn? Will you get me some?" "Okay...a minute!" Coming home from Church and taking off various pieces of clothing..."Erilyn, put your clothes in your drawer, and your shoes in your cubby." "Okay...a minute!"

You get the idea.

She likes her hair done, but she'll only stand for it once a day. And she insists on taking it out at naptime. So, for the rest of the day, she has orphan Annie hair and won't let me do anything about it...UNLESS, she's playing with Anthon (which usually involves something very physical) and it's getting in her face, she'll let me put it in a ponytail. She's certainly gotten to the point where she wants to do everything herself. And she's usually pretty good at it. She loves to wear Anthon's pjs everywhere. It's either Anthon's pjs, or Cinderella costume including the clicky high heels.

It's so funny to watch her. She's so different from Anthon! In obvious ways, but also in little ways. For example, to this day, despite all my best teaching efforts, the first two things Anthon does when he comes home from school are drop his backpack and jacket by the door, and rip all his school clothes off in a trail to his bedroom. If Erilyn takes anything off her body, she immediately puts it away, without me asking her to. And it's not only that, she'll sometimes put Anthon's stuff away, too! Just because! And she's so careful about it. She was putting a shirt away for Anthon, and she noticed that she was putting it in the wrong drawer, so she lightheardedly says, "OOps! Anthon's pants...wong door..he, he! Sirt go in Dis door!" And then, as she was closing the drawer, a piece of the shirt was still hanging out, so instead of leaving it, as Anthon would have (well, he would have left it on the floor, or at the most, in the pants drawer), she carefully rearranged it until the drawer would shut properly. ! Who taught her this stuff?! It wasn't me! She is a naturally tidy person. Which I have to say, is a nice change from the tornado in our house known as Anthon.

We definitely love our Erilyn!

Here are some pictures of her apple picking for family night, playing at the mall on a rainy day, temporarily adopting a stray kitten, and, (gladly!) pushing the apple bucket!