May The Force Be With You

I don't know what it is with little boys, but they seem to born with an innate passion for "Star Wars." I think they should rename the Y Chromosome, the "Star Wars" Chromosome. Austin is no exception. He loves all the movies, and anything can turn into a Lightsaber (yard sticks, hairbrushes, golf clubs, etc.). Yesterday, during lunchtime, the kids weren't eating (Surprise!). Greg was using one of our typical and more successful tactics in getting the kids to eat: humor. In a very exaggerated, funny voice, Greg said, "If you don't eat, I'm going to force that sandwich down your throat." Austin looked at him and said very seriously, "Dad...You don't have the force."

8 Years

"Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry." - Tom Mullen

We had our "8 Year" Anniversary yesterday. On the day we got married, my mother-in-law said, "I sure wouldn't trade places with you." I had no idea what she meant. I was having the most wonderful day, and I couldn't understand why anybody wouldn't want to be me. :) Now that we have a few years behind us, I'm starting to understand her statement. In some ways, it seems like it's gone by so quickly, and in other ways, it seems like we've lived an entire lifetime together already. Sometimes, I can hardly imagine what my life was like without him.

I found a quote by Will Stanton that I really like: "Getting a dog is like getting married. It teaches you to be less self-centered, to accept sudden, surprising outbursts of affection, and not to be upset by a few scratches on your car." This is significant for a couple of reasons. First, ever since I've had my third child, I seem to be unaware of curbs when driving. I don't know what it is, but I am constantly running into them, over them, and scraping up next to them. Greg simply has to accept that his brand new rims are ruined (and he has done so with remarkable patience). Secondly, when our marriage is working, really working well, it is clear that I am not thinking about myself, but about my husband in all that I do; he, in turn, is not thinking about himself, but about me in all that he does. We get to float along, enjoying life for a few days or a few weeks until that nasty selfishness pops up again. Then, we start over, trying to let go of our selfishness and seek out the other person's happiness. And...we are learning to laugh a lot more (mostly at ourselves)!

This picture was taken right before I inhaled wedding cake up my nose. I blame it entirely on Greg's brothers. :) He felt like he couldn't disappoint them. It's okay - it was good cake (no matter how it went in)!

This is my favorite picture of Greg on our wedding day. If any of you have ever experienced "Deliriously Happy Greg" you know what this picture exemplifies. I love you, Greg! Thank you for being everything that you are and bringing me so much happiness. Happy Anniversary!

Austin Got Married

A couple of weeks ago, Austin got married. I was babysitting a couple of neighbor kids, when Austin and Hannah decided to get married. They started playing at the park, and they planned the wedding the entire ride home. They were very methodical about it. The first problem was the wedding dress. They asked if they could borrow mine, but I told them it probably wouldn't fit. So, Hannah just wore one of Macy's purple dress-up dresses (complete with fluffy shoes and crown). Austin got dressed in his church clothes while Hannah got ready. Hannah's older sister performed the marriage. They started by dancing, then they had the ceremony. When it came to "You may now kiss the bride," he laid one right on her lips. (Afterward, we had a little chat about kissing on the lips and kissing on the cheek. We determined that he should just stick to the cheek for a few more years.) When it was over, they discussed where they would like to live. Austin suggested Mongolia. But Hannah recommended California "because that's where Disneyland is." They were pretty set on California, but Hannah's sister reminded them that there is a lot of traffic in California, so they might want to choose someplace different. It's a real dilemma. The best part - I got it all on video so I can use it as blackmail as needed when he's a teenager!

The Wedding Party:

My Sweet Paige

At 3 a.m., Paige decided it was time to "chat." After she ate, she was rolling over, jabbering and squealing, and really wanted to play. It was so adorable, but all I could think was that it was the middle of the night! I finally put her in the swing with her music while I went to bed. The night before, she had a rough night just squirming and having a tough time getting comfortable. Even though she wasn't quite awake, it kept me awake. The moral of the story is...I really need to get her out of my bed and into her own bed. I don't know why this is so hard for me this time around. Austin and Macy were just expected to sleep in the crib by this age, and I had no problem letting them cry themselves to sleep. I'm just having a harder time letting Paige grow up.

Nicknames: My Sweet Paige, Paigey-Pie, Sir Sweets A lot (Greg), Paiger Paigerson (Greg again), Major Paiger (Austin), Sweetie Pie, Baby Doll

Loves: Being held, rolling over (she only rolls to the left), bumblebee toy, the swing (our main lifesaver), people speaking to her or singing to her, being wrapped up tightly in a blanket, being outside, standing up, grabbing for toys, "talking", getting tickled right under her chin, bath time, animals, her Mommy (and Daddy), when Daddy sneaks her a taste of popsicle

Dislikes: Not being held, her crib, strangers, being kissed by Dad when he has "scruff" (she loves it when he's clean-shaven), zirbits

Characteristics: Huge smile that squishes her eyes up, constantly goopy eyes, always ready for a fight (she always has her hands in fists), fabulous nurser (very fast!), long gorgeous fingers, dimple in her chin, so curious, always doing her "tummy crunches" (she tries so hard to sit up already), soft clear skin, kissable cheeks, her whole body reacts when she's happy

I Think I'm So Funny!

This is the card that we made for Greg's mom for her birthday.

Kid Update: Macy

Macy is terrified of bugs! She had a nightmare about a month ago, and Greg and I found her huddled in a corner in her room shaking and screaming about a bug that was going to eat her. (I guess I should stop singing her the Boa Constrictor song because she thinks the bugs will start with her toe.) She watches flies obsessively when they get in the house until we kill them, and she won't go outside if she sees and ant or spider. She's a little crazy! These are some pictures at my aunt and uncle's house. She found a ladybug on one of the daisy's and didn't take her eye off it. We tried to show her how ladybugs can walk on our arms, but there was no way she was going to let that thing touch her. My grandpa found it quite hilarious and kept trying to get her to hold out her hand for the ladybug. (I especially like cat's nose that she is wearing! I think it's a great touch.)

"Crazy Drunk Driver"

Greg got pulled over for drunk driving last night on our way home from Bear Lake. We had just come out of the canyon just before Park City when the officer turned on his lights. When he asked for Greg's licence, registration, and proof of insurance, Greg asked the officer why he was pulled over. I always think of the scene from Jim Carrey's movie "Liar, Liar." Jim Carrey's character gets pulled over, and the officer asks him if he knows why he was pulled over, and he says, "It depends how long you were following me." Then, he proceeds to rattle off a list of violations. (If I knew what I was doing, I could include that clip from the movie. Oh well!)

Anyway...The officer explained that he was weaving in and out of the lanes, so he thought he might be drunk. Greg very politely explained that he was just trying to take the turns wide so that it was a smoother ride (we had three sleeping children in the car). Greg apologized and said that he only did it because there weren't any other cars around. The officer asked him to stay in the lanes and let us off. Hilarius!

Some Thoughts

I've been reading a book about a man who is in a nursing home and he starts reminiscing about when he was younger. The chapters go back and forth between the nursing home and the 1930s. I liked the beginning of Chapter One (I included an excerpt below - it's a long couple of paragraphs, but good). This is happening to me already! The magic age for me used to be "24" (now that I'm 30, and starting a new decade, it's easier to remember-we'll see what happens in a few years). Whenever anybody asked me my age, I would instinctively say "24." Then, I would think about it and realize that I was actually 27 or 29. I think my subconscious said "24" because that is how old I was when Austin was born. Maybe my life as I knew it ended at "24", or maybe my life as what I was meant to be (starting the most important "job" of my life) began at "24", or maybe I left my memory at "24." It seems like with every baby, I give up a little bit more of my mind. My mom says that the baby sucks everything good out of you while it is growing inside of you, and that includes your memory. Whatever it was...I found these paragraphs very true!

For example:

• I constantly call Macy either Maddie or Molly (no more "M" names for our family), Macy and Paige are interchangeable, and Austin frequently becomes Greg (it doesn't help that he's the spitting image of his dad).
• Greg even does it! He tells people all the time that we were married in 2001. This presents a problem, because we were actually married in 1999 and Austin was born in 2001. Sorry if he gave any of you the wrong idea!

Excerpt from "Water for Elephants":

"I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other. When you're five, you know your age down to the month. Even in your twenties you know how old you are. I'm twenty-three, you say, or maybe twenty-seven. But then in your thirties something strange starts to happen. It's a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I'm-you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you're not. You're thirty-five. And then you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it's decades before you admit it.

You start to forget words: they're on the tip of your tongue, but instead of eventually dislodging, they stay there. You go upstairs to fetch something, and by the time you get there you can't remember what it was you were after. You call your child by the names of all your other children and finally the dog before you get to his. Sometimes you forget what day it is. And finally you forget the year."

Some adorable reasons for my memory loss:

Crazy Makin' House

My good friend Jen has been encouraging (bugging) me to start a blog for a couple of months now. She keeps telling me how therapeutic it is - it's kind of like a journal except you get feedback. She also said that when things happen in her home, she doesn't think about how frustrating it is, she thinks about what a funny blog entry it will make. I put it off for a long time because I can't imagine that my life and thoughts might be interesting to anyone else. But, I thought I would try it for a while. Hopefully, it will be a way for me to keep in touch with some of you that I haven't seen for a while. So...here goes! I'm ready for my therapy!

The title for our blog comes from a play we saw several years ago (I can't think of the name of the play, so maybe someone out there can help me remember). Anyway...it was a comedy about a man who had died but still occupied his house. When newcomers move in, he moves furniture around, takes their things, and causes chaos wherever possible. When everyone is completely frustrated, one of the characters says, "This is a crazy makin' house!" It's been one of our favorite lines ever since. I'm so excited to share our "crazy" with all of you!