The land of make believe...

Ever since Adam was little, he has delighted in having his daddy converse with him in various character voices. It started with Elmo, and has progressed to every character from each TV show and movie that Adam likes. Michael has had conversations with Adam as almost every popular children's character -- ranging from Dora & Diego to, most recently Wall-E. In fact, our babysitter took Adam to see Space Chimps and Adam told Michael that he would need to go see Space Chimps as well so he could "do Space Chimps' voices."

These various characters have been Adam's "pretend friends" over the years, but he has recently progressed to utilizing his kindergarten friends as well. You see, Adam will be starting first grade soon, and he knows that most of his kindergarten classmates will not be in his class. He's anticipating missing them, and so goes the following interaction between Michael and Adam...

Adam and Bella earlier this year.
Adam and I were playing this morning when he asked if I could do Bella's voice. His logic was that since he doesn't see her anymore, she could be a pretend friend now. I agreed, and began answering him in "Bella's" voice. He played a video game "with her" for a bit, and then he turned to me and said, "Dad? Could we pretend that Bella is real?"

I said, "You want to pretend that she's not pretend?"

"Yes," he said.

"You want to pretend that your pretend friend is not pretend?

"Yes."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I want to pretend that she's really here."

Shaking my head at this new level of play, I agreed, and continued to answer him in Bella's real--not pretend--voice.

We went upstairs after a bit, and he went to his room to play with Bella while I did some laundry. I was folding clothes in my room when he came in looking dejected. "What's the matter?" I said.

"Bella said she needs a break from boys."

I took a break and tried to help him. "Why don't you pretend that she's done with her break?"

"Dad," he explained patiently, "It doesn't work like that."

"Okay, do you want to watch a kid's show on TV while we wait?"

"Bella doesn't want to hear a boy's show."

"What does she like to hear?"

"A girl's show," he said. "Like High School Musical or Hannah Montana."

"Well, let's see if one of those is on," I said.

"I don't like those shows."

I decided to take a break from laundry and spend some one on one time with him. After a bit of snuggling, with heavy sighs from him, he said, "Can I draw a picture?"

"Sure," I said. "What are you going to draw?"

"I'm going to draw the pretend friends I would rather have come over next time," he said.

They visited three states, I visited four...

Note to our blog readers: This is a fairly long post. Feel free to read it in spurts...

Wow, it's been an eventful time in our lives. The weekend before last, Michael, Adam, our friend Bonniejean, and I got to go to IL to visit Frankie. This was the first time that Adam and Frankie have seen each other in over a year. It was so wonderful. The kids truly loved being together - their bond is really obvious. Frankie was completely surprised to see her brother, and Adam was overjoyed to see his sister.



We flew into Missouri (the first state we visited) on Friday. We got a flat tire about 1/2 hour outside of the airport. Since it was rush hour and we had no desire to turn around and exchange our rental car, Michael changed the tire out for the full sized spare. (Yay, Michael our hero changing a tire in nasty HUMID 88 degree stickiness). We stopped in O'Fallon, MO and had dinner at Ethel's BBQ, and then continued on to IL (the second state). We spent the night in Quincy, IL, and then surprised Frankie the next morning.

After a quick therapy/reunion/rule setting session, we headed over to Nauvoo. Nauvoo is so beautiful. It's very green and lush. We watched a puppet show and live action play called Just Plain Anna Amanda. It's about a girl who feels like she's not special because she's just like other members of her family. She learns that her legacy of these combined family traits is actually what makes her special. The kids enjoyed it. So did the adults.

Afterwards, we went up to town and had amazing Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream, and then headed back to Old Nauvoo. We went on a wagon tour of Old Nauvoo, which was supposed to be a very "spiritual" experience. I guess it could have been, but the sweet older missionary who led the tour had this enormous wad of spittle accumulating in the corner of his mouth during his entire 45 minute talk. It was very distracting.

Adam was also a great source of distraction, as he found the tour to be quite boring and was not opposed to loudly voicing his point of view. "This is boring," he said (did I mention loudly?) "why does this guy keep on talking? He's not shutting up." Thankfully, this is not Adam's normal behavior -- but he was tired, off his schedule, and out of his element. The funny thing is, I think some of the grownups would have liked a little bit of silence throughout the 45 minute tour (I'm pretty sure that sweet old missionary had quite good lung capacity because he literally did speak for all but a minute of the tour), but only a child would so innocently voice what several of the adults were probably thinking - a little time to just observe would have been gratefully received. Toward the last third of the tour, Adam fell asleep.

After our wagon tour, we decided to take a cue from our hot and tired kids, and headed back to our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Nauvoo, and enjoyed our accommodations in a small private home. The house had two bedrooms, plus a kitchen, and a pullout couch. The kids played Nintendo, took a rest, and watched a movie on our portable DVD player. We had an early dinner at the Hotel Nauvoo buffet (a lovely smörgåsbord full of indulgent home cooking). Afterwards, we went back to our cottage. The kids spent a little time catching fireflies. Michael and I have seen them many times in our lives, but this was Adam's first experience (Bonniejean's too). He was awestruck. He said "I didn't believe they were really in this world, but now I believe they are real because I've seen them." I don't have pictures because neither children nor fireflies can adequately be caught on film in the dark of night.

The next day we headed back to Old Nauvoo. We visited the Family Living Center. This was a really interesting and informative experience. We learned how pioneers baked bread using brick fireplaces (and we ate some really yummy wheat bread too). We learned also about how textiles and yarn were made from flax and wool. The kids got samples of homemade rope (which, FYI is no longer made from hemp, gee I wonder why), which they promptly tied themselves up with.

We also learned how barrels were put together. What a lengthy process. Everything took forever in those days. All I can say is boy those pioneers worked. It's no wonder they died young - I bet they were completely worn out by 40! After the Family Living Center, we took a break and headed over to Iowa (the third state) for lunch. We had an interesting (read: gravy coated) lunch at a roadside eatery, and then headed back over a toll drawbridge into Old Nauvoo.

Next, we visited the Scovil Bakery, and got to sample some tasty Gingerbread Cookies. The cookie recipe came from the Scovil family, who ran the bakery in the 1840's. Here it is:

Note: They're supposedly better the day after they're baked.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup sorghum or molasses
• 3/4 cup oil or lard
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 6-7 cups white flour

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, sorghum, and oil. Rinse sorghum from cup with hot water, and add to the mixture.
2. Add eggs
3. Mix together the following: soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and flour.
4. Combine the two mixtures.
5. Refrigerate dough overnight.
6. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters.
7. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

After the Scovil bakery, Michael, Frankie, BJ, and Adam went to the gunsmithing shop. I stayed in the car and relished the cool modern technology known as A/C. From there, we stopped by the Joseph Smith family homestead and burial site. The burial site was my favorite part of Nauvoo. It overlooks the Mississippi River, and has a very peaceful feeling. The site is the final resting place of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. I say final because apparently, the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum had to be moved several times so that they would not fall into the wrong hands. The gravesite also holds the bodies of Emma Hale Smith (Joseph's wife) and several other Smith family members.

We then took a trip to the Red Brick Store, which used to be run by the Smith family and is now owned by the RLDS church group. We bought old time Pioneer hats for Michael and Adam, as well as bonnets for Frankie and me. We wrapped up our Old Nauvoo experience with visits to the blacksmith and the brick maker. The various building tours were very informative, and we all learned a lot, except perhaps for Adam, who was quite "over" being talked at. Afterwards, we headed back to Quincy. We had dinner at a yummy Mexican place, and then checked into our hotel in Quincy. Michael and the kids went for a swim, and then we all settled in for the night.

The next morning we headed out to St. Louis to go to the zoo. What a great zoo! I know I'm spoiled having grown up going to the Bronx Zoo, but I really am not a big fan of our local little Hogle Zoo. It's better than nothing, but it's not great. Admission to the St. Louis Zoo is free, although everything else comes at Disneyworld prices. A 16 oz. bottle of soda was $3! Still, we enjoyed seeing the penguins (Note: Penguin house reeks of fish). The hippo exhibit was amazing (the hippos were swimming directly in front of us, separated only by the glass of their tank), and the butterfly enclosure was magical (tons of different varieties of butterflies flitting all around us).

After the zoo, we headed to the airport to send Michael, Adam, and BJ back to Utah. I stayed on until Thursday to spend some one on one time with my girl. The goodbye was very emotional for all of us.

Frankie and I headed back to Quincy, stopping for a fairly awful dinner on the way. The waitress accidentally brought someone else's steak to me. After I cut into it and noted that it was quite well done, the waitress actually took it away and brought it to the correct table - after I had touched it. I mean, I know I'm not particularly germy, but gross anyway. Frankie and I had a great talk during the two hour drive back to IL. We got back to the hotel, and went to sleep for the night ... or so I thought.

At 2:30 in the morning, our phone rang. Since I knew that Michael was safe at home, I wasn't particularly panicked. I hadn't been sleeping very deeply anyway since there was a tremendous thunderstorm raging outside. The constant rumble of thunder had kept me sleeping fairly lightly. The front desk was calling to inform me that a tornado had been spotted, and would we kindly evacuate to the basement for shelter? Would we ever! Frankie took a little snooze under a banquet table, and I stayed awake and tried to pretend I wasn't at all scared. I had never been in a tornado situation before, and didn' t know that these are fairly normal for the Plain states this time of year. We were able to go back to our room sometime between 3:00 and 3:30, and did get a little more shuteye.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent mostly working in intense therapy sessions. My goal was to try to provide a safe shelter for Frankie so that she could hopefully tackle some of her most complex issues, and I'm really honored to report that she showed me a great deal of trust. I'm so proud of the work she did in those sessions. We spent SIX hours in therapy in two days!!! We kept things fairly low-key on Tuesday after therapy. We got Frankie some really cute and grown up new eyeglasses, and then had a nice dinner together at TGI Fridays (really good French Onion soup there). Afterwards, we relaxed back at the hotel. Wednesday after therapy we had an early dinner at an excellent pizza place (kudos to Pop's Pizza in Quincy), and then Frankie got her hair highlighted and cut.

Thursday was going home day for me. Frankie and I had a wrap-up therapy session, and then we had lunch together. I took her back to Chaddock, and then headed to the airport.

I got to the airport with plenty of time before my flight, and eventually boarded my plane. We were running about ten minutes behind, so I called Michael to let him know to double check the flight arrival time. We had an uneventful takeoff. I got the nice roomy front row window seat, and was having a really interesting conversation with the flight attendant.

She (Juliette) was telling my fellow seatmates and me about the myriad of medical emergencies she's had to deal with mid-flight (after jokingly telling me to be sure not to go into labor). She's really had to deal with quite the gamut of situations -- everything from vomit spewing to administering CPR to passengers that she knew were already on "another plain" so to speak. She told us that emergency landings for passenger emergencies are very expensive, and landing in a non-Southwest terminal even more-so. We were quite entertained (and a little bit horrifyingly fascinated) by her stories, when she was interrupted by a call from the captain. Grabbing the PA mike, she then made the following announcement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has informed us that we are losing cabin pressure. This is not a joke. In a moment, the oxygen masks may fall from the ceiling. Should they fall..."

I can tell you that my stomach fell. I've been on some substantially bumpy plane rides, have even been on a plane that pulled out of the landing, but never have I been told that I am on a plane that is in danger of going down. I was honestly terrified. I thought about my family, and how much I treasure them. I started to panic, but listened to my instinct and waited for further information. I will be forever grateful to Adam the truck driver, and his brother-in-law (my two heroic seatmates) for being there to reassure me.

The plane started to descend, and as soon as Juliette (the flight attendant) was available, I asked her what was happening. She told us that we would very likely be making an emergency landing, and that she didn't know where, but assured me that we had plenty of time to make a safe landing. She understandably didn't want to interrupt the captain (who was busy making emergency landing plans), and told me she'd let me know when she found out more. She guessed that we might land in Denver. Had we landed in Denver, I honestly would have Greyhounded it home from there.

We didn't land in Denver.

About 30 oxygen mask-free minutes later (30 very very long minutes), we landed in a small commuter airport in Rapid City, SD (See, I went to FOUR states).

<--- South Dakota, as seen from my airplane window, at night.

Since this was, in fact, a non-Southwest airport, we had to wait about an hour and a half for TSA and Southwest to figure out what to do with us. They didn't have a secure area for us to wait in, and they couldn't offload us to a non-secure area. They weren't even sure that they had airsteps that were sufficient to meet the height of our plane. Lucky for them they found some (too bad, it would almost been worthwhile had we gotten to slide down the inflatable slide).

Eventually, they decided we could wait in a small area of the terminal. We finally got off the plane and hung out in the Rapid City airport until around 1:00 am. It might have been later - I don't really remember. Southwest had flown in another plane, complete with a brand new pilot. I think we landed in Salt Lake around 2:30. I got my luggage and Michael picked me up around 3:00 am.

Poor Michael, what a trooper he was. Not that he would have made me sleep in the airport or anything, but he loaded Adam up in the middle of the night to go and get his wife and he still went to work on time the next morning! I can honestly say that outside of welcoming Michael home from six months at sea, I have never been happier to see him! I am so grateful for this sweet, kind, gentle non-complaining man. Michael, if you're reading this, I love you more than I can say. You are my strength, and my greatest support. There aren't words for how much you mean to me.

Friday was Michael's birthday. To be honest, I don't remember much of Friday or Saturday. I think I finally woke up fully on Sunday afternoon. I gave Michael his gift on Saturday (Guitar Hero). He loves it. I'm so glad such a simple thing is such a happy gift for him. Adam and Frankie gave Michael a gift certificate to Thinkgeek.com It's the perfect website for my geeky wonderful sweetheart.

Sunday we skipped church and went out for Michael's belated birthday dinner. We had sushi at our favorite sushi restaurant, and then came home.

Other than getting ready for Adam's bday on Friday, it's been life as usual since. And you know what -- I like it that way. I'm so thankful for normal boring everyday life. My friend Georgia summarized our shared feelings on the subject very well:

"There is something about getting older (and happier) that makes one shy away from angst and drama. I have been trying to live drama free for quite a few years - and while my life is not as interesting a story - I am much happier."

Amen, and until next time...

La famiglia

I said I'd write soon. Does a month later qualify? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Since I last wrote, my dad, step-mother, brother Doug (and his wife, Michelle and their wonderful baby Julia) visited. We cooked a lot of really yummy Italian food. Well, Mary Kay cooked a lot. Michelle and I assisted. We ate and ate and ate and ate and ate. And then we ate some more. My son has decided that he now only likes homemade ravioli. My dad took Doug, Michael, and Adam to see a Real SLC soccer game. Adam LOVED it. Michael liked it. Doug, as usual, said very little. Julia was amazing and with all that time together, wouldn't you know that we didn't take pictures! How dumb! We also went to the animal park at Thanksgiving point. It's always fun to go to the farm zoo. We got licked by a baby cow (Norman???). She was very pretty. We enjoyed having everyone here and I think I slept for two days straight after they left.

Last weekend, I enjoyed a short visit to upstate NY to see Hiram. It was so good to see him. I love being at his house - it's so peaceful! On Friday (when I got in) we went to a great Spanish restaurant in the Ironbound section of Newark. I had lobster (thanks guy for the lobster). It was WONDERFUL. East coast seafood really kicks the pants off of the stuff that gets flown into Salt Lake.

The weather was really pretty on Saturday. I went into Woodstock and picked up a few presents for Adam (soap with a pig in it, a cool little Hummingbird kite, and band-aids that are die-cut to look like strips of bacon). Then Hiram and I went to Wal-mart for some groceries and went home and cooked dinner.

Sunday was dreary and rainy and Hiram and I pretty much did nothing. Actually, it was really refreshing, spending a day doing nothing. I made pan-seared scallops with corn-black bean relish and avocado creme for lunch. They were very tasty. Again, SLC's got NOTHING, nada, zip on east coast seafood. We went to a pizza place for dinner. I so love NY pizza.

Monday we drove to Daffy's in Elizabeth and did some shopping. I wish I could shop there always. I love their kids' clothes. Then Hiram took me back to the airport and I flew home.

When I got in the car at the airport, Adam started crying. He said he missed me so much and he was so happy I was home. What a sweet boy! I just love that kid.

Now we are preparing to visit Frankie. We'll leave on Friday. This will be the first time she and Adam will see each other in over a year!!! I'm so excited for both of them.

That's about all the news. Now for some quick Adamisms.

We had a new Wal-mart open up last week, and to celebrate their grand opening, Wal-mart had both the Hershey's Kissmobile and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile in the parking lot. Adam wasn't with me when I stopped there for Tums (Tum, tum-tum tum TUMMS. By the way, Tums are a gift from heaven. They don't taste very good, but they are amazing manna for pregnant mammas). I stopped by the Weinermobile to get Adam a Weenie Whistle. He happily blew away on the weenie whistle for a little while and seemed to be enjoying his newest acquisition. Then, he thoughtfully asked "Mommy, is this a boy weenie or a hot dog weenie?" Well son, rest assured, as much as I believe in sex education, mommy did not give you a boy weenie whistle.

Today we were in Target and I asked Michael if Adam is good on underwear. Michael responded that he has plenty. "Mommy," Adam asked "How can I be bad on underwear?"

Literal children, so refreshingly honest.

Who wants to have lunch in a brothel?

Just about a week ago, Michael and I flew out to IL to visit Frankie. We had an amazing time! We got to take her on a hotel visit, and have her all to ourselves for the entire weekend for the first time in over a year. It was so wonderful. A piece of us is always missing without Frankie here. She'll be a lot of work when she comes home, but she is worth it all. The only person missing was Adam (but he'll get to go with us soon).

We got to Chaddock at around 10:15 on Saturday morning. We had a fairly quick family therapy session, and then gave Frankie the news about going on a hotel visit. She was so excited! We packed her bag and headed out. Our original plan was to head over to Hannibal, MO to visit the sites of Mark Twain's childhood home and stomping grounds, but the weather was truly icky. Instead, we ended up getting our nails done (Frankie & I), having lunch at TGI Friday (the brothel part comes later), and shopping for a dress and new sneakers for Frankie. We had a nice dinner and then headed back to the hotel. Frankie took a shower, I dried her hair, and we sent her to bed.





On Sunday, we got up and had breakfast, and then headed to church. We really like the Quincy, IL ward. Latter-Day Saints who live outside of Utah are always so grateful to have new people around. The members of the ward are so sweet. They always go out of their way to smile at us or welcome us. The first time we went, we were even asked to move there! It's so warming to the soul. After church we grabbed some lunch at a local Mexican place. We went back to our hotel, and Michael and Frankie took a swim while I took a rest. Then we headed back over to the Chaddock campus and made dinner for the staff members and other girls in Frankie's cottage. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and read books to Frankie and put her to bed. Then Michael and I worked on packing up so that we wouldn't have to worry about it the next day.

Monday morning we joined Tammy Teel (our Family Liaison at Chaddock) for breakfast at the Village Idiot ... I mean Inn for breakfast. Then we took Frankie for a haircut. Well, I did - Michael went back to the hotel to finish checking out. Frankie got an amazing haircut. It really transformed her face! She walked in looking like a 12/13 year old and walked out looking more like a 14/15 year old. It's kinda refreshing to have her look her age for a change. We like to see the outside reflecting positive changes in her.



I also had her eyebrows waxed (her first time). She was such a trooper.



After Frankie's mini-makeover we set off for Hannibal. We had lunch in a brothel (well, a former brothel) called Lulabelle's. Michael and I shared a drool-worthy hamburger (the best I've had in a long time). Behind our table was a framed set of easy-access Victorian undergarments (We did not point this out to Frankie). Our menu contained a history of the building, which apparently was one of the only buildings of the time to be built specifically for the purpose of entertaining gentlemen:



"111 Bird Street has a long and somewhat infamous history. Built in 1917 by an enterprising madam from Chicago named Sarah Smith, it was the only bordello specifically designed and constructed for its intended purpose....On the occasion of Sarah Smith’s death in 1932, another renowned madam, Bessie Heolscher, bought and refurbished the bordello in a lavish Spanish motif; very popular during that period. Like the madam herself, “the girls” were reputed to have been highly respected citizens; purchasing quality goods, paying their bills on time, and using discretion with their clientele."

After our delicious lunch, we headed off to the famous cave Mark Twain wrote about in his books. It was a just the neatest experience. It adds a whole new dimension to those treasured childhood books to be in the cave he wrote about. The cave is so special to the locals of Hannibal that our tour guide had even held here wedding there. I'm certain I wouldn't want to hold my wedding below bats, but I can understand her attachment. The cave is always a cool 52 degrees, and we were told that before air conditioning, locals would go there to sleep on many a hot summer's night. Creepy to me, but hey when you're hot, you're hot. Details of the cave are highlighted by modern electricity, but we also got to experience certain areas by candlelight. I can't imagine exploring the cave that way (the way Twain did). If you're ever in Hannibal, don't miss the cave visit!







(To quote Frankie, "Dad, I love you, but not like that. That would be sick and wrong.")

After Hannibal, we headed back to Quincy to drop Frankie off. It was sad to leave, but it was such a great visit. Seeing her growth is so validating. It's hard to be apart, but we have great hope for it having all been worthwhile.

We arrived home on Monday night, exhausted, but happy. We are still hoping that Frankie will be able come home in the not too distant future. It's all up to her to do the work, but we've seen some very positive changes.

Next week, my family comes to visit. I'm very excited (even if getting the house ready seems like a lot of work when you're pregnant). They're worth it though. We don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like. I'll write about our upcoming visit soon.

Until next time...

Congratulations, it's a...

So, we had a vanity sonogram performed yesterday. Here in Utah, you can actually go to a sonogram facility and pay for a sonogram so that you can have extra little snapshots of your baby in gestation.

We knew it was a little soon (when I was 16 weeks along with Adam, our vanity sonogram indicated we were having a girl. Since most of you have met him, and know he's not a girl, you can know that he turned out to be a boy two weeks later at our "official" sonogram). So we knew we wouldn't be able to be certain of the results unless we saw a little, well you know...

What you about to see, ladies and gentlemen, is a picture taken from underneath and in between the legs. Three lines would indicate a girl. Three dots would indicate a boy. Surrounding the indicating parts you'll see a little bum and two legs. Without further ado, I give you....















(scroll down)















(keep scrolling)














(okay, maybe a little further ado after all)











Thomas Cazier Hooten is due to arrive some time in mid-September. His middle name, Cazier, is the last name of our dear friends, Don Louis & Patricia Gaye Cazier. The Caziers are the missionaries that introduced us to our church. Even more importantly, they have served us as two of the greatest examples of unconditional love, kindness, joy, peace-giving, and service we have ever had the privilege of witnessing. Don Cazier passed away about five years ago, and we still miss him terribly. In the tradition of the Jewish faith, (which is my heritage) it is considered bad form to name your child after a living relative. Although we wish Don could be here to share in our upcoming bundle of boy, we are very grateful to be able to honor his memory in this way.

For those of that would care to see more than little Thomas' privates, here is a view of his sweet little face. I am predicting that he looks more like me than Michael. I was correct in predicting (via sonogram pictures) that Adam would look like Michael, so we'll see what happens.



We pray that this pregnancy will continue to progress smoothly. So far, all is well. We will continue to keep you posted.

Until next time...

Out of the mouths of babes...

So, Adam is a big fan of the PC game, Hot Wheels 2. It's truly one of his favorite games. So when he lost it, we took a little vacation to drama city. He diligently searched the house for it for two weeks. When it didn't show up, he started praying that Heavenly Father would help him find it. After a week and a half of that, I decided it would be okay if I answered his prayers on this one. I ordered a new copy from Amazon.

The day it arrived, I handed him the package and told him he could open it. When he saw what was in the envelope, he let out a big, happy gasp of excitement. In a high pitched, breathy, breaking voice he said "Hot Wheels 2. Oh I missed this so much. Thank you so much Mommy. I've even been praying I would find it!" Surprised at the high emotion he was displaying, I asked him if he was crying. (We were in the car and I couldn't really see his expression). "Yes mommy," he said "tears of joy." I was so touched by his sweetness and sensitive display of emotion. These are the moments that you savor.

...then again...

Later that night, I was having a conversation with my friend Kirsten, and I was describing the families that would be joining our family for Easter dinner (knowing they already had dinner plans, we had invited Kirsten and her family for our traditional flashlight egg hunt). Adam was in the room as I was describing the dynamics of the other families. Speaking about Sally Nash (Adam's BF Cohen's mom), I said "Well, she's Chinese-American, very funny, bright, quite dedicated to her kids." Little sweet Adam piped up (remember how sweet he was a paragraph ago?) "Yeah, and she's HOT." Laughing, and somewhat embarrassed (and earnestly hoping he didn't truly understand what he had just said) I said "Do you know what that means?" "That she's really pretty." Okay, he knew.

Never fear, he now knows that phrase is too big for his little mouth.

And just for fun, I thought I'd share a portion of a blog posting that my friend Amanda's sister, Livvy posted. Tristan is Livvy's son.

Tristan: "Dear Heavenly Father..."
His plastic Dinosaur: "Rar rar rar rar rar..."
Tristan: "NO! You have to say the words!"

Tristan: "Dear Heavenly Father..."
His plastic Dinosaur: "Rar rar rar rar rar..."
Tristan: "NO! You have to say the words!"

His plastic Dinosaur: "I can't say the words! I am a Dinosaur!"

Until next time...

Hey-a look, itsa Mario...

Sorry it's been so long between postings ... life has been a whirlwind of appointments! Between OB appointments, endocrinologist appointments (to manage my type 2 Diabetes during pregnancy), parent training (special training for parents of kids with Attachment Disorder), visiting Frankie, and just living life, it's amazing I'm still sane!

Sanity of course, comes at the price of a clean house. I must count my blessings though. We have amazing friends who have been so supportive of us. As they say in Utah ... sure do preshiatecha.

At any rate, as of this posting I'm almost through my first trimester. We'll find out what we're having around week 19. (I'm heading into week 13 as I type). Adam's really excited about the baby.

Our last visit (a week ago today) with Frankie was really good. She's had some downs lately, and we found her heading back into an upswing. We pray it takes. We think the spring weather will help - it's hard to fight icky feelings when outside is as gloomy as your insides are. We finally got to tell her about the baby. She's excited, and a little apprehensive. I think it's natural for her to feel that way, but nobody could ever take her place in our hearts. She's every bit ours as much as any child could ever be.

Adam is as wonderful as ever. He's bright, an excellent little reader, and has recently started to love Shel Silverstein. He actually likes poetry quite a bit. He's a very gentle natured sweet boy, who will often just stop and give me a great big hug. My heart melts any time I hear "Mommy, I just love you." He's still a sensitive little soul, but he's learning to toughen up a little. I recently had to enforce a Nintendo break because he was just getting too emotionally involved with all things Mario. Personally, I think he likes Mario because he so strongly resembles my father ((and YES, that really is my dad).



Michael has moved to the corporate offices of his company. He loves being at headquarters. It's a different environment than working at the warehouse is. Even though his job entails the same types of responsibilities, there is a significantly improved chance of moving up because he's more visible now to the people that make those decisions.

I don't know if I'll get a chance to write again in March, so just in case, Happy St. Patty's, Happy Easter, and for those of you to whom it applies, Happy Birthday! I'm just being dorky, but it's bed time and I'm heading there shortly.

Drop us a line and let us know how you're doing. Feel free to leave comments too. That's how I know you're reading this stuff.