Happy Birthday to Me

One of the cool things about marrying into Ben’s family is that you get what you want for your birthday. There’s no surprise about it—you make a list of what you want, maybe even pick stuff out or try it on, and that’s what you get. If a sibling asks what you want, you can tell him/her one specific thing and that’s all. You don’t even have to give choices to create a tiny element of surprise.

Growing up in my family, I rarely made lists or even gave suggestions. Birthdays were all about the surprise. Even if I had no need or desire for a purple sweatshirt with dolphins on the front, it became the coolest thing I had ever seen when I opened it on my birthday just because I wasn’t expecting it.

As much fun as it was to always wonder what the next birthday would bring, I was excited to adopt Ben’s birthday style and trade the surprise for getting exactly what I wanted. Sure it sounds greedy, but let’s be honest—my love can easily be bought with birthday presents.

Check out all the cool stuff Ben gave me this year:

A canvas and acrylic paints
One of these cool chopper things so I don't have to cry when I chop onions anymore
The Elizabethtown soundtrack
And he even surprised me with roses!

"Chocolate Covered Anchovies!"

Ben’s sister, Monica, has a baby two months younger than Liam. His name is Tyson and he looks exactly like Ben did when he was a baby.


Tyson is a lot more aware of his surroundings than Liam—especially new smells. Sometimes after Monica has just eaten something, she blows softly on Tyson’s face and then tells him what the smell is. She’ll blow and then say, “Mint!” or “Onions!” or “Cherry limade!” He inhales deeply and gets this excited look on his face like it’s Christmas morning.

Tonight after dinner Ben was playing with Liam in the family room. From the kitchen I heard an enormous burp, followed by, “Peaches!”

Twins

Am I the only one who thinks my sister and the lead singer of Unwritten Law look like twins?

Polka Dots Are So Hot Right Now

The shotgun ExerSaucer was a huge success, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting as these weird shoes I put on Liam today.


He couldn’t stop playing with them. During lunch he wouldn’t look away from his precious new shoes. Instead he just opened his mouth at random times and hoped a spoonful of food would be there, waiting to enter so he could swallow and go back to concentrating on the shoes.

I can’t believe I bought that silly ExerSaucer when I could have just as easily been awarded Mother of the Year by pulling out the polka-dotted, hand-me-down velcro shoes from the ‘80s a day early.

Calling All Moms

I was going to see if the Easter Bunny would be interested in bringing Liam an ExerSaucer this weekend. He's too antsy for his bouncy seat and he’s not interested in any of his old toys anymore. He’s not mobile yet, and I think it’s kind of frustrating for him. He just wants to be held all the time.

I need to find something that can keep him occupied and happy while I take a shower or vacuum or read a 500-page book. Is that too much to ask? I thought the ExerSaucer would be perfect, but then I noticed that all the pictures were of little, tiny newborn-ish babies. Am I too late? Is Liam too old for the ExerSaucer? If so, can anyone recommend a better toy for an immobile 7-month-old?

I'll Take the Health, Please

My beautiful friend Tami has had more health problems than any other 26-year-old I know…except her beautiful husband, Bryan. Between the two of them, they have had appendicitis, scoliosis, thyroid cancer, a ruptured spleen, endometriosis, that one disease that’s kind of like diabetes only for skinny, healthy people…the list goes on.

I just found out that this week their beautiful baby had to have a blood transfusion because his red blood cell count was too low.

I called Ben to tell him the sad news, and I asked him if he thought there was some form we filled out before we were born—one where we checked a box for either good looks or good health.

His response was, “Are you calling me ugly?”

Somebody Stop the Birds

Last year when spring rolled around, a family of birds started building a nest under my roof. They were so cute—I loved watching them work together. I liked the little chirping sounds they made outside the office window in the morning. I almost considered putting out some birdseed or something.

This year the birds are back, only now the office is a nursery and those once-cute chirping sounds wake my baby up at 6:00 a.m. I can't stand those birds this year. They’re loud and annoying and not cute at all. Why do they need to make all that noise before the sun comes up, anyway? Don’t they know we’ve got a schedule to keep?

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

This is what watching Conference looks like at our house:



At least Seth dresses up for the occasion.