Wisdom Teeth & Tomatoes

Two quick notes from this weekend:

On Thursday morning I had three of my four wisdom teeth pulled. With all the dentists in the ward, I finally gave in to peer pressure. I had put off the operation for years, fearing that I would fail to wake up from the anesthesia. My jaw finally hurt so bad that I couldn't make it another week. The operation was performed by a knife-wielding oral surgeon named Dr. Blood (no kidding). 

The pain wasn't so bad at first, and even made it to Logan's preschool orientation Thursday night. But each day got progressively worse. Pain meds helped very little (vicadin just made me throw up). It started to worry me a bit, so during halftime of the BYU game Dave Latham took a peak in my mouth and assured me that everything was fine. 

Jenny, I will say, has enjoyed a weekend full of me talking less.

Tonight, Jenny made a salsa cruda,  an italian pasta sauce using uncooked tomatoes. The tomatoes were plucked from our very own vegetable garden, and flavored with basil from our spice garden. It was superb; fresh, flavorful, and a perfect way to finish out a summer. She's an amazing cook.

Happy #3 Madi!

Our little girl is 3!  I wanted to post some baby pics so you could see how she's grown, but I don't know how to pull the pictures out of the external hard drive thingy.  Maybe Joe will add some later.  

Top 10 things we love about Madison:

10.  Her cute, cute girly voice.

9.  How she just talks to talk.

8.  She plays with Logan so well.

7.  She's girly--likes girl colors, etc.  But she might prefer to do "boy" things--play with cars, dinosaurs, etc.

6.  She's athletic.  It's fun to watch her run and throw and kick balls.  As long as she doesn't fall.

5.  She's kind of a klutz.  The day after her 2nd b-day she pulled a chair on top of her finger and actually cut off the tip.  A plastic surgeon sewed it back on.  The day after we bought our dining rm. table she knocked a chair over and broke the back of the chair off.  Yesterday she fell out of the chair while eating. I could go on and on.

4.  She loves to share.  Especially snacks that she's not supposed to be getting into.

3.  She gives the best hugs.

2.  She says the darndest things.  For ex.  Joe's brother came this weekend. She talked to him the whole way home from the airport.  Later, as they were playing outside, she looked at him and asked who he was.  After he answered she said, "Hmm.  I've never seen you before."

1.  She's my girl.  I love my little boys, and they are so fun.  But girls are just so loveable. Fun to dress up.  Fun to do hair.  Many people have commented on how cute and sweet she is.  We are thankful for this beautiful little girl, and look forward to watching her blossom into the intelligent, thoughtful women she will become.  

.5   Her hair.  Did you know: The nurse couldn't get her to breath after she was born... they finally sucked out the culprit-- A HUGE hair ball!  I wish I had hair like hers.  She definitely gets it from Joe.

The difference between 2 and 3:

• potty-trained (technically she got potty-trained the day before she turned 2.  But it did take a while to go #2)
  
• dresses self
• talks very well
• height, of course
• no more bangs
• better at playing with others
• knows colors, shapes, numbers, letters
• can finally ride the trike she got for her last birthday
• helps with chores
• no longer the youngest, and all that implies
• a myriad of other accomplishments and changes

Here is how her day went: 

We woke her up early (yes, crazy, but dad had to go to work and we didn't want to wait all day to open

 presents!) to sing happy b-day and open presents.  Grant got her chapstick, Logan got her a set of toy Disney princesses.  Joe and I gave her a bookshelf (the one I painted) and 101 Dalmatians DVD.  She requested breakfast burritos and juice for breakfast.

Grandpa, Rene, and Brent came from PA to say hello.  We played at the playground for a while, then Rene gave her Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do  You See?  and coordinating brown bear.  Grandpa gave her a sand bucket and 2 John Deer toy tractors (he's a farmer) and took us to Chucky Cheese for lunch.  It's nice to be close enough to family that they can drive down for a few hours to celebrate birthdays.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take the camera to Chucky Cheese.

For dinner Madison wanted hotdogs, chips, baked beans, green beans, and lemonade.  It was a beautiful day and we ate out on our patio.  She wanted an angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream for dinner.  YUM!  

Then, right as the kids were getting ready for bed, a package arrived from Lola and Buelo (Joe's parents).  Madison ended the day with a cute outfit, lots of makeup, jewelry, and a tiara.  

Why did Jenny marry me?

The Truth:

WARNING:  What you are about to read may seem incredibly corny. But, because of recent conversations with friends, I feel I must share the honest truth.

OK, so here's my side of the story.  Yes, sometimes I think, "Wow.  Things could've really backfired.  I'm so lucky..."  Yes, I'm lucky to have Joe, but I didn't "get" lucky.  I didn't know that Joe would finish school, AND complete a J.D. and be a hot-shot attorney.  But here's what I did know.

Joe was (is) an incredibly hard worker.  Not a good student (only because he had other priorities), but a hard worker.  He said he was a sound engineer.  But he didn't tell you that he got his job, in the middle of the semester, by going up to the sound crew while they were working and, after telling them he was interested in learning about sound, he asked if he could come and help them at a concert that night.  For free.  I knew that he'd always have a job doing something.  

Joe was/is intelligent and fun to talk to.  I knew we'd always be able to carry on some kind of conversation.  And my circle of friends drastically increased because everyone loves Joe.

And this is really the reason I married him: he cooked and cleaned.  This is one of those things that I sometimes think, "Whoa. I am SOO lucky."  And again, I am, but really, it wasn't luck--I knew that he did those things.  That's how he courted me so successfully.  He'd invite me over for dinner.  He'd come over and cook for my apartment. He'd help with my laundry and even iron my clothes.  He washed the dishes.  The list goes on and on.  So I was pretty positive he'd be a great companion, a fantastic father.  A helper like no other.

So you see--I didn't take a big, in-love, risk.  I will take some credit for helping him find time to study.  But really, I want credit for finding him and glimpsing the potential he has.  And I guess he deserves some credit for being the great person he is.  

This past weekend we had over some friends. I can't remember how the conversation evolved exactly, but somewhere the women noted how their prospective husbands were lost souls when initially found. Each man lacked a sense of responsibility and consequence (or, in other words, a woman).

Jenny was lucky to find me (no jokes, please) in college. I didn't plan to stay there very long. My plan was to drop out of college, start a band and a record label, and make music. I had no real major. Classes were attended only when a roll needed to be signed. And I spent twice as much time working (sound engineer) than studying.

Then I met Jenny.

Suddenly, my GPA skyrocketed (I actually dropped out of a woodworking class my senior year because the teacher hinted that I might not get an "A"). I added two jobs and doubled the time spent at work, but I never spent as much time working as I did studying. I secured a highly-selective scholarship. I nailed down a major and some high-powered mentors to guide me through. I learned to figure skate. Ok, I didn't learn to figure skate, but I did learn another language.

It's easy to see the correlation. But what I can't see is why Jenny took a chance. Honestly, I would never allow my daughter to marry someone like me. I'm glad Jenny did, but I do have to question her sanity.

Gotta' Write This Down

Today's "haha" moments:

Logan:  Mom, I'm "blond" out.

Mom:  You're blond?

Logan: blend

Mom: blend? (I cannot decipher this word.)

Logan: (after several failed attempts) You know, when you are dead because of fire?

Mom:  You're burned out?

Logan:  Yep.

There was a nice puddle on the bathroom floor when I pulled Madison out of the bathtub tonight. During the interrogation, I learned that ARIEL had splashed while she was swimming.  I told her to tell Ariel that if she splashed she couldn't take baths anymore.  Madison and I then recounted the tale to Joe.

Joe: uh oh.  Tell Ariel that she's going to get a spanking.  (We don't spank, Joe likes to joke about spanking with the kids.  If you know Joe, you understand.)

Madison:  (Very serious)  But dad, Ariel doesn't have a bottom.  She has swimming things.    

Beijing Olympics... and memories, thoughts

Hello Beijing Olympics!  Some of you, many of you, know that Joe and I met in a Mandarin Chinese class and went to China to teach English after we got married.  We were in China, in 2001, when it was announced that Beijing would host the 2008 Olympics.  Everyone was so excited.  They immediately began printing out t-shirts, key chains, and other things with the Olympic symbol, and of course, they said "Beijing 2008."  At the time we thought it was kind of funny. It seems so far away....  And now, as the Olympics begin, I feel that pull to China again.  There's been a lot of controversy about China's policies.  Several people have asked me "why China?"  And I honestly don't know.  It's so fantastic.  Addictive.  Beautiful.  Different.  Walking down the city streets... riding a rented bike in Guilin.  Of course, part of loving China is knowing that we can return to the United States.... where we can attend the church of our choice, and openly share our beliefs.  I think that hosting the Olympics, and the criticism China has faced, will help their people and their country.  Even in the 8 years I have been interested in China and studied its history, people, and culture, so much has changed.  

One of the reasons Joe took his job in Cleveland is that his firm was excited about his minor in Mandarin.  We've always dreamed, hoped, that someday we could take our family over there to work for a few years.  We forget a little, each year, how much we want to go back.  But as I see the recent pictures of China and Beijing, I remember our goal.  So, yes, I'm excited about the Olympics.  But mostly because its in China.

p.s.  I wish I had some more personalized pics to post, but unfortunately we went before digital cameras were a big thing.  And we don't have a scanner.  

We're Going to the Doctor...

Well, Grant and Madi went yesterday for checkups, and Logan goes today for a hearing and vision test that he needs for preschool.  The stats are.....

Madison: 31 lb, 38 in.  (90% height, 30% weight, 3% together).  She's a healthy, tall, skinny girl.  

Grant: 16 lb 10 oz! and 27 1/2 in.  (90th height, 75% weight, 50% together).  He's healthy as well. 

Madison and Grant were great patients.  Madison answered all her questions, Grant smiled at the dr. as she checked him out.  Here's the best part, though.  Madison had to get 1 shot to complete the Hep (b?) shot she got in Utah--which isn't a routine vaccination here in Ohio.  She screamed and screamed.  I had to hold her while she wiggled.  Grant?  Three shots.  The first one he kind of whimpered for a second, then smiled.  He just looked at me for the next two (heartbreaking, I know) and let out a soft, sad sound.  As soon as I picked him up he was a smiley, happy boy again.  I'm not sure who was more surprised, the nurse or me!  

Sigh....

I'm so excited!  With Joe's help, I have learned how to put some music I like on the playlist.  I do like Joe's music, especially if I am in a cleaning mood.  But I also like an array of country, blues, jazz, classical, oldies... 

In a different direction: I painted that bookshelf.  It doesn't look as nice as I had hoped.  I think doing a second coat might help.  Ah well.  It was a $5 experiment.

And summer is coming to an end way too fast.  Madison's third birthday is next week.  (Which leads me back to the first song on the playlist.)  I gave myself a few minutes to feel a little sad about how things change.  It's so thrilling and so sobbingly sad at the same time.  I SO don't want to change diapers for the rest of my life (Madison is potty-trained.  I'm just being metaphorical), but I want to remember what she looks like today and what her cute, high-pitched, girly voice sounds like.  I swear, every year goes by faster than the last.  Logan starts preschool in the fall, Grant will be a toddler soon, and I'll miss everything in the time that it takes to blink.  

So Joe, you thought the last post was random, and I bet you are wondering where this one came from.  I'm glad there is one thing won't change over the years.  I have you.....

#7 (of the 6 unimportant things about me)

All of my hair is falling out. Ughh.


Sorry, honey. I'll try harder. jlm

6 unimportant things about me.

I wanted to post some pictures with this, so check back and maybe I'll put some in later.

1.  I have a funny fingernail on my left index finger.  The dr. doesn't know why it grew that way but speculates that it could be from sucking on the finger in utero.  

2.  I bought a $5 bookshelf from Craigslist for Madison's birthday.  I want to paint it. Any advice?  (I've never been very crafty.  Maybe a pic here? Before and after?)

3.  Sometimes, when I am tired, I do really silly, crazy things.  OK, so that's a little embarrassing.  No pics.

4.  I need to go wake up my kids right now so that they will go to bed tonight.  But I soooo don't want to. 

5. I don't mind taking care (getting rid) of the spiders and bugs.  I can always wash my hands.

6.  I hate hate hate being too hot.  I don't really love being too cold, but at least I can bundle up.  There's only so much to take off, and even that doesn't alway do a lot of good.....

If any of you would like to share your unimportancies, I will comment on your blog!

Playing Catch-Up

These overdue pictures were taken during our July 4th holiday trip to Delaware (and Philly). 

Evie Foster, Grantucky, Connie Foster, Doug "I have a splendid gun collection" Foster.

The red-shirted hombre is Rich. It was his beach house that we stayed at. Although he rarely brings it up in casual conversation, he was actually voted "nicest man alive" in 1999, 2003, and 2008. Other notable characters in this photo are, left to right, Logan, Madison, Connie, Douglas, (Rich), Randy "Special Forces" Foster, and Kate Foster.

At first, Logan was deathly afraid of the water. That is, until we threw him out to sea. From then on, he loved it!

"Could you move that umbrella over . . . just a little bit more . . . yeah, right there. Thanks."

Actually, this was in Philly, but Jenny selected this photo to be included with this post, so I guess I have to caption it. Apparently, there's weren't any good pictures of me at the beach available.

We still have a ways to go in the art of building sand castles.

Madison and Douglas kayaking in the bay. Logan spent his entire trip with white knuckles gripping the gunwales. Contrastingly, Madison fell asleep.

See above.

In a gesture whose motives I'm still questioning, Jenny's family invited me to play "Find the metal plate in Joe's head." While Jenny's cousin Mark and uncle Randy counted to 1,000 at the ice cream shop, I was buried under 3 feet of sand. I'm glad they dug me out the next day.

Man, this sucks

So I'm about 3 hours into a rare stretch of bachelorhood that could prove unbearable.

To shake some monotony, Jenny and the kids left to PA to keep her mother company while Jenny's father and brother attended scout camp. "Great idea!" I told her when she first proposed the plan, thinking I could finally clean my car, catch up on some studying, and work some monstrous guilt-free hours.

Today, I left work when I finished what I needed to, rather than rushing to get home in time for family dinner (which rarely happens). When I got home, I flipped on ESPN. The only interruptions were the commercials. I geared up for the upcoming football season by watching some BYU highlights, without having to run upstairs to find out why Madison is out of her bed . . . again. 

But now what? There's no one to watch CSI with me. There are no children to tuck into bed . . . again . . . and again. The only mess in the house is mine. No one is asking me about my day, and no one is telling me about theirs (sorry for the number confusion, you grammarians). Logan is not here to recite to me a book Jenny read to him for the first time today. Madison is not here to model her rings and necklaces. And Grant is not here to throw up on me. But most of all, Jenny's not here to appreciate me cleaning the bathroom. 

I miss my family. 

Happy Anniversary, Jennifer

Four score and seven years ago . . . ok, lose the four scores, but keep the seven years . . . I made the greatest decision of my life. A few months earlier, I had made the worst--to get married in July in Mesa. But I certainly chose the right woman, and I've been eternally grateful ever since.

For those that need reminding, Jenny and I met in a Chinese class in college. When Jennifer walked into class that first day, I told her that the teacher assigned seats, and that her seat was right next to mine (or something like that). We first became friends. I was impressed with her beauty; she was impressed with my repertoire of 70's-era dance moves.

As the relationship developed, it was easy to see that Jennifer was unique. I was impressed because she was a surprisingly deep thinker (when you're in college, it's easy to get accustomed to superficial conversations, and thus think that everyone is superficial). She was also exceptionally considerate and had a huge heart (I'll resist this opportunity at self-depreciating humor). But most of all, Jenny possessed what seemed to me at the time the perfect mothering skill set.

So I decided to ask her to marry me. It was a beautiful spring day, and we had a picnic lunch on a deck sitting in the middle of a crisp mountain river. After eating, I dug into my backpack as if to bring out more food, but instead I retrieved a small black velvet box. I got down on one knee and gave a speech to rival any of Mr. Shakespeare's. And then I popped the question.

After some very tense seconds that felt more like hours, she made some kind of mumbling sound. I was honestly confused. So I followed up with a "was that a yes?" (Boy, I'm optimistic.) She confirmed that her answer was indeed in the affirmative. Great!

We decided to get married in August. During the early stages of planning the wedding, however, Jenny's boss in China (she lived there before we got married) called her and asked if she would go back for another semester. She kindly declined, and informed him that she was getting married in August. He countered with an offer to send us both to China if we would get married in July so that we could get there by the start of the semester. I needed little convincing. We bumped up our marriage to July.

And so about a month later, Jenny and I set off for China--the land, language, and culture that brought us to the same class a year earlier. It had been an interesting year, and one that culminated in the most important event of my life. But each successive year has not only reaffirmed my initial assessment that Jennifer was intelligent, compassionate, and motherly, but has introduced to me additional characteristics of hers that I had no way of knowing would be so beneficial.

I look forward to the next 7 years, and to the eternities beyond that. I couldn't have selected a better companion to travel them with.

Jennifer, Happy Anniversary!