happy birthday to my catie bug

A few nights ago I heard Dan and Cate having a little chat in the bedroom. I asked Cate about it when I tucked her in for the night. She told me they were talking about what she wants to be when she grows up and stuff.

I give you her top three choices:

Artist (most likely a painter)

Professional Bike Rider (if she chooses this one she'll have to explore waaaaaaaaay more than just around and around our block)

Ballerina

***

On our drive home from bowling at BYU yesterday (113 for me!! I totally kicked everyone's trash!), she asked to hear the story of how she was born. Again.

"Tell me how I was born because I've been thinking about having a baby and I'm feeling a little nervous."

So I told her about how my body got sick and I had to stay in bed for a few weeks before she was born. And about how the doctor said I could only get out of bed to shower and go potty. After a few weeks I went to the doctor and he told me to go to the hospital. They checked me overnight and the next day told me that my body was too sick and she needed to be born.

I told her about how I got a big shot in my back so I didn't feel any pain when she came out. But she was so tiny anyway. And I pushed once, maybe twice and there she was. The nurses scooped her away to check on her. She was born a month early so she needed help breathing and eating so she stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks until she got it all figured out.

I'm not sure if that helps with her nerves but she's got at least a good 20 years before she really needs to worry about the joys of childbirth. 

***

I sure love that little Catie Bug of mine. She's so very different from me in so many ways. But that's part of why I love her so. I love that she's cheerful (most of the time but watch out if she's tired and doesn't get her way) and carefree. She's a talker (but not at school or church where she's a very good listener). She loves to entertain and be entertained. Never a dull moment with her around. And what a creative little artist she is. Some days the first thing she does after waking up is head straight to the table for paper and markers and a masterpiece.

 ***

She's a happy little miracle and I'm so glad she's mine.

Happy 7th birthday to my best girl!

like a lion it comes

Oh, March. You totally kicked my trash. You only gave me one snow day and pretty much zero rain. What the heck? Go to your room. You're grounded. The only reason I'm sad to see you end is that it means summer is one month closer and I'm not sure I'll survive that beastly season.

Don't even get me started on that stupid daylight saving time thing. I need my evenings dark so I can feel like the day is over and I can give myself respite from the laundry pile. If the sun is up, I feel like I have to keep on working. It's painful. If the sun is up, my kids feel like they need to keep on keepin' on too. That's the opposite of doing homework, baths and bedtime. Oh, heaven help me.

BUT the good news is that Dan and I made it to 17 years on the 27th! The traditional gift for the 17th anniversary is furniture. We didn't get new furniture though. Dan did buy me a much needed new phone though so that's good. The celebratory weekend away from the kids didn't happen due to family commitments so I tried not to be too dramatic and sad about it and decided to just include the kids instead. So we went bowling and watched the BYU men's volleyball team lose.

None of that really matters though because I've got two beautiful, healthy kids and a kind, loving husband. I kiss them and hug them and thank my lucky stars for them.


p.s. That up there is why I hate smiling in pictures. Wrinkles, crooked smile and chiiiiiiiiinnnnnnssss! But I'm posting it anyway because we made it to 17 years and I'm proud of us.

p.p.s. How am I old enough to have been married for 17 years?

the secret to eating the perfect hard boiled egg

I try to eat 2 hard boiled eggs every day for lunch. They have to be cold out of the fridge though or else I'll gag. And lots of salt must be involved or more gagging. I'm sure there are other things I could eat for lunch that would make for a more pleasurable experience but eggs are cheap and fast and healthy. I don't like to waste time. So it's hard boiled eggs and baby carrots. Mostly every day.

Today I figured it out. The secret. Part of the gagging problem with my hard boiled eggs is the whites. They are a necessary evil. I'd much rather just eat a bowl of cooked egg yolks but that seems weird and a little bit gross too. I hate eating the egg and having a bite full of white and a tiny bit of yolk. Ick. Here's the secret: BUY SMALL EGGS! I mean duh. Big eggs for breakfast when they get fried up in the pan. Tiniest eggs I can buy for making hard boiled eggs. The whites are barely even there and the yolk feels huge. It really is the simple things in life that can bring such happiness.

And now the family update for February:

Cate has been wearing pants again. It's been strictly dresses for months. The pants are actually leggings. I think those count as pants for a 6-year-old. She stretches them all the way down to her toes and then puts on her flats. It looks like she's wearing tights. She's crazy and I let her do it because I pick my battles. She went to her first BYU sporting event last weekend. We went to a men's volleyball game. She was pretty excited to hear the fight song sung by the crowd. And then she got smacked on the cheek with a stray ball.

Danny is pretty much a basketball-watching fool. There's plenty of it on tv right now so he's a happy boy. This morning I asked him what his plans were for the day. "Watch basketball from 10 until 10." I told him that was 12 hours and a lot of basketball watching. He replied, "Maybe 10 until midnight then." He goes to his job every day (second grade is hard work) and expects to do his thing on Saturdays. Right now his thing is basketball.

Dan has been doing a good job of folding towels and socks and keeping up with the ironing. He gave me a box of See's chocolates for Valentine's Day. How is it that he does that every year but I forget and feel happily surprised every time? Cate helped herself to 4 of the chocolates but didn't like the insides and spit them out. She's grounded.

I'm going on 2 months of drinking a gallon of water every day. I'm quite proud of myself.