Courage

Courage: The ability to act regardless of the potential consequences. The antithesis of fear. Synonymous with brave.

I have been thinking a lot about courage lately.

On the day after Christmas, my little family joined my parents, siblings and their families in the living room of the home I grew up in. My mom directed the gift unwrapping. Everyone opened something and they were all the perfect gifts for the receivers. My mom is good at that. I thought I was done unwrapping when mom said to one of the little helpers "hand that one to Tanya." It was flat, large, book shaped. As soon as I opened it a stray tear trickled down my cheek. I'm not sure why.

I think it is because my mom remembered something that no one else had remembered about me. Even I forget sometimes. Maybe it is ultimately because I have never had the courage to fulfill one of my dreams. My mom hasn't forgotten that it is one of my dreams. I love to draw and I have since I was a little girl. The thought that crossed my mind when I opened my new pad of drawing paper was "I don't think I have the courage to do this."

These are some drawings I did more than ten years ago in a class I took right after Dave and I got married. Ten years is a long time. I have made a decision though. I'm not sure when it will be my time, but some day I am going to have the courage to do this again...to take the classes I need to take and practice - a lot - so I can be good.
And I just might post my progress.

Mirror Pictures

I am a sucker for reflections, especially when they are so stinkin' cute! Christopher - 2 months old

Nate - 10 months old
Emma - 2 months old

Seriously Amazing Cleaning Tip

I was simply too excited to get a before picture. This is the after picture. It is a bit overcast today, but do you see how clear this window is? Trust me. It is clear. And Trust me, that is a small miracle, considering that this window was covered with 2 years of hard water stains before I tried Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Too bad I'm not famous enough to make any moola off my endorsement, but this stuff is seriously amazing. My friend suggested I try it to get the hard water deposits off the faucets in my bathroom and kitchen. I decided to try it on the windows. I didn't even have to let is sit. It removed the hard water stains with very little effort. This got me thinking. I wonder what other amazing little cleaning tips I am missing out on, so please share if you have any. I'll love you forever.

My New Lawn Ornament

This went up yesterday and I am okay with it. We have lived here for 10 years and it is time.

Before the new lawn ornament went up, we tried to go it alone FSBO for a few days. I talked to over 30 eager real estate agents that wanted to do surveys on all the FSBO homes in our area or find out where we are going next. I finally started saving them the trouble. "That's a great question," I would say, "but I know why you are REALLY calling and we have already chosen a fabulous agent to represent us when we have had our fill of FSBO. And no I didn't interview a dozen agents. Thank you for your well wishes. Good bye."

Nate has been banned from answering the phone during this process.

Call from unknown real estate agent#9

The setting: I was reading to Emma in her bedroom and asked her to go get the phone. She came back with the phone, but was not talking. Instead, a sudden dread filled my stomach when I realized that Nate had a phone. He was locked in his bedroom because it was way past nap time and I had been hit by him one too many times. I grabbed the phone just in time to hear this.

Nate: "My mommy locked me in my room."
Unknown real estate agent #9: silence and then laughter
Me: Arghhhh! Did I seriously leave a phone in his room? "Hi." Refer to above for the remainder of the conversation.

Call from unknown real estate agent#26

The setting: It was 11:00 AM and I was taking a shower. I vaguely heard the phone ring.

Nate: "My mommy is in the shower right now."
Me, shutting off the shower: "Give me that!"
Unknown real estate agent #26: I can only hope he didn't make the connection that he was talking to someone who was madly grabbing a towel and the phone at the same time. Covering hysterics, "Hello ma'am I am agent so and so and I really want your money..."
Me: Refer to above for the remainder of the conversation...although this one may have been slightly more rushed.

Batteries

Sometimes as a parent I am astonished to learn that my children didn't learn something or at least something didn't register that I thought was very clear.

For example, Nate came downstairs a few days ago holding a matchbox bus labeled "Nathan's bus" - very cool. He was distraught and confused, turning the mini bus over and then over again as if inspecting it. "It's broken. There is no button. It doesn't make noise." He appeared to be almost as shocked to discover that not all toys come with batteries as I was to discover that he didn't already know that. I somehow missed lesson number 223 of all the things us moms are supposed to teach our young ones by the age of three. There is such a thing as making car noises with your mouth. I demonstrated to my son and he is now a pro.

Then there is Emma. I thought she clearly understood adoption until about a week ago when she started a conversation with "mom, do you love me?" "Why, of course, I do sweetheart." "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "Did you steal me when I was a baby?" Regardless of whether the appropriate reaction should have been laughter or tears, I was rendered entirely speechless.

The Blogging Police Called.

"At least post a picture," they said.
Christopher - Age 7 weeks

December's List

Open our Christmas jammies on December 1st. Drink hot chocolate and read Christmas stories every day until Christmas day. Check.

Get out our Christmas dishes and use them daily. Check.

Go on a hayride. Check.
















Decorate Gingerbread house. Check. This one suddenly catapulted to the top of Emma's favorite tradition list when Dave suggested we scrap it altogether. I guess it will see another December.

Play in the snow. Check.

Whisper what we want for Christmas to Santa. Check.

Make lots of Christmas candy. Check.
Adorn the tree with lovely decorations. Yes, that is Nathan's baseball bat. Check.

Read lots of Christmas stories. Check.

Play in the snow. Check.

Attend the greatest Live Nativity around. Bring Grandpa. Check.

Attend the Best Christmas Pageant Ever play. Check.

Go to THE concert on Temple Square. Check.
Go ice skating for the ward Christmas Party. Check.

Cry because we can't' open our presents yet. Check.