Observation

Getting an MRI* is like being trapped inside a dot-matrix printer. Very 1960s sci-fi.

*Went in for shin splints, doctor found a bone cyst and wanted a closer look. Very likely benign, but we'll know more in a couple days. Considering how much this test is going to cost us, I'm kinda hoping for it to be abnormal--but not life-threatening, of course.

UPDATE: MRI was normal. We'll take some xrays in a couple months to make sure nothing has changed.

First Days

Yeah, I know it's almost November,

but better late than never, right?

School!

Atticus loves his preschool. He goes three days a week for 2 1/2 hours. It's a co-op preschool, so I get to be in the classroom a couple times a month.

He didn't want to stand still for a good

"first day" portrait, so this is the best I got.

On his first field trip to Red Butte Gardens. Teacher Miss Stephanie is trying to make them laugh, but only Liam (in glasses) is able to keep a straight face.

Riding tricycles. He still does this occasionally, but his favorite recess activity is digging in the sand.

Soccer!

The boy has great dribbling skills, but really isn't very interested in the game. At his first game, he spent the last half with this group:

He still prefers rolling in the artificial turf (or running in circles, or finger-walking across the field) to playing the game, but yesterday he actually kicked the ball in the right direction DURING THE GAME! High-fives all around.

I think we'll try gymnastics for a while instead. He loves climbing and jumping and balancing on stuff, so it seems better suited to his interests.

This sweet, goofy boy of mine

I wanted to record some of the things Atticus has been doing and saying, things that will record his blossoming personality. And goodness, does this kid have personality.

• He's reached that stage where he gets weird when we tell him to smile. This is the goofiest so far, but at least his eyes are open. Usually he half closes his eyes and looks down.
• He's learned how to give a "thumbs up." The other day I was putting away laundry, and he gave me a thumbs up and said "good job, Mama."
• He's learning knock-knock jokes, thanks to his cousins, but he hasn't quite figured out how they work.

Him: Knock knock who's there?
Me: Alice
Him: [laughs like that's the punchline]
Me: No, now you say "Alice who?"
Him: "Alice who?"
Me: Alice-ee you later!
Him: [laughs, but doesn't really know why]

• He's created his own imaginary past. We're reading a book about trains, and he says, "When I was a big strong boy, I drived that train." Or lately, "When I was a little boy, I read that magazine [pictured in the train book]." He'll elaborate, too, about where he went and what he did.
• He's a man of action. Unless he's really tired, he does not want to sit still. He's constantly asking "where we going today?" Even if we've been out all day, he needs to know that we're going somewhere next. Every night he asks me about the next day's schedule. I've told him he needs to just enjoy the moment, but he's not into that yet.
• He's an articulate little man. He uses words like "actually" and "otherwise," and he uses them correctly.
• He knows how society works. He wanted to bring a toy into the gym daycare, and I told him to leave it in the car. He asked, "Otherwise ["udderwise"] someone take it and say it not yours and keep it?" Yeah. Exactly that.
• He's a little bossy. He'll come wake me up (always before 7 a.m.) and say with some authority, "Mama. It time to get up. The sun's up. Get out of bed." And he'll start pulling off my covers. (I'm looking forward to darker mornings--maybe he'll sleep longer?--but my new goal is to get up before him.)

That's all I can think of right now. I wish I could record more of our conversations, and the sweet way he shows his affection. Oh, I just remembered a sweet moment. We were at the children's museum, and he came to where I was sitting and started climbing around me. He said, "I very happy. I very happy about you, Mama." I said, "Really? Why?" And he said very simply, "Because I love you."

Massive Summer Update

Yeah, ok, so I'm a blogging slacker. I'm going to say I was too busy making memories to record them, but really, I'm just lazy. Oh well. Now that school is back in session, here's my report on What We Did on Our Summer Vacation.

In June I spent a week in North and South Carolina with my mom and two of my sisters, Lara and Susan. We were big fans of the chocolate lounge. So. Many. Options.

Our real purpose there was family history. My mom's mother's parents grew up on opposite sides of the North/South Carolina border. Susan is researching the North line, and I'm working on the South. We met some cousins and looked at old records and visited lots of cemeteries. This one was my favorite, the Pickens Chapel Cemetery in Pickens, SC. The church is long abandoned, and the cemetery is overgrown. I felt like a real researcher battling huge ants and running through torrential rain (not pictured--we came back later) to get a rubbing of my great-great-grandmother's headstone.

In July we visited James's family in Mesa, Arizona. It was hot, but I was surprised at how comfortable I was most of the time. Then I found out what my in-laws pay for air conditioning. Yikes! But we had a good time. We even got most of the family together for a photo by the temple:

Atticus loved playing with his cousins Tanis and Jessie. And feeding Buster, the dog. He still talks about his cousins, and every time he plays "airplane," he's flying to Nana's house.

In August we went on a hike to Albion Basin/Cecret Lake with the ward's moms' group. Atticus hung out with his best buddy Cardon. He loved climbing over the rocks and acting like a mountain goat. He ran the whole way up and the whole way down. That kid is unstoppable.

Also in August was our first ever family reunion. My dad's an only child and my mom has lost contact with her only brother, so we didn't grow up with any extended family. But there are 9 kids in my family, and I think my parents now have 20 grandkids, so it was time. We missed my brothers who were working in California, but my Texas and Illinois sisters were able to come with their families. Again Atticus had a lot of fun with cousins. Henry (in the middle) is only three months younger. He still asks about Sam, who is 11. He wants to grow "big like Sam."

We camped at Mutual Dell in AF canyon, which comes with cool amenities like a zip line and canoes. Atticus wouldn't go down the zip line with us, but we both took a turn.

Atty wasn't a huge fan of the canoes, but he had a great time getting soaked in the lake.

So there's our summer in a nutshell. Lots of travel, lots of family. Good times. In a couple weeks I'll get to tell you about our first day of preschool, and then about his first soccer game. In the words of my son, "I so excited!!"

I love this house

Light and air in abundance. Windows I can actually open to get a breeze. Central air conditioning. Rose bushes. I never realized how happy roses make me.

But last night, my favorite part of the house was the back yard. I pulled out a lawn chair to enjoy the evening in the shade of the huge tree in the yard, and Atticus climbed into the chair with me. He nestled under my arm and we talked and talked. We watched the birds and talked about what they might be doing or where they're going. We watched the clouds, and I mentioned that when we go up in an airplane in a couple weeks, we'll fly through the clouds.

Then we spent the rest of the evening talking about our airplane trip. His eyes lit up with each new bit of information: we'll be higher than the mountains! higher than the birds! Whenever I'd pause, he'd say, "Mama, let's talk more about airplanes!" So I'd think of something else, describing the interior and the drink cart and the snacks (please let there be snacks...), the airport procedure, the pilot and the flight attendants. He kept asking where "his" plane is now.

Normally he's content to sit on my lap for a few minutes, then he starts wiggling and kicking and sliding off head first. Last night, though, we snuggled and talked for more than half an hour. It was sweet time with my boy in our lovely new yard. Double blessings.

A work in progress

I forgot to take "before" pictures, so here's a "during" shot of our new living and dining rooms. "After" pictures still to come....

Atticus has been watching a Curious George DVD practically nonstop (or he would, if we'd let him), and it's raised a couple questions.

I mean, has anyone done a psychological profile on The Man with the Yellow Hat? Single dude, lives with a monkey, dresses entirely in yellow all the time, and has an unhealthy obsession with his hat.

Childhood trauma, maybe?

Update

It has been brought to my attention that my blogging habits have declined of late. So I thought it would be a good time to update you on the big and small events going on in the Bennett household.

Big Stuff

• We moved! Or, more accurately, are in the process of moving. We're living in the new place now but still have an apartment full of odds and ends. I sometimes have fantasies about the old apartment burning down (without damaging my sister's apartment downstairs, of course) so we don't have to decide what to do with that stuff. I'll post pictures and give you a tour later. After I take some pictures.
• We moved because I'm now managing the 5-plex we live in and two other properties around the corner. It's been a busy month, with plenty of maintenance issues and showing an apartment only to have the current resident decide to stay after all. James has become well acquainted with the lawn mower, and even climbed on the roof today.
• I just got back from a fantastic family history vacation with my mom and two of my sisters. Susan summarized it well on her blog (she's a much better blogger than I am--she even posts pictures and video): click here. Added bonus: I discovered I love fried okra. Mmm....
• James finished his first year of teaching French at Kearns High and got an awesome new job at Hunter High. At Kearns he taught half French, half ESL, but at Hunter it's full-time French. He did his student teaching there, so he knows the program well and even knows some of the kids. This is a fantastic opportunity for him, and we're really excited.
• We were going to go to Seattle for a friend's wedding this weekend, but there's just too much going on with moving and managing. We're planning a trip to Arizona next month to visit James's family. It will be good to go down there, because Atticus hasn't met any of his Bennett cousins or aunts and uncles. I was just barely pregnant last time we were in town. I'm just not all that thrilled about going in the middle of July. Of course, last time I visited Arizona in July, James and I pretty much decided to get married. He knew I was serious about him if I was willing to brave 107 degree days just to be with him. So Nana, you know we love you!
• My family is having our first-ever reunion in August. I grew up without much extended family, but as the fifth of nine children I have plenty of extended family now. We had a reunion of sorts when the first grandchild got married last month, and it was a good time. I'm looking forward to seeing more out-of-towners, but sad that my LA brothers are tied up with work and won't make it. Maybe we need to take a trip to LA... (Atticus does keep talking about having a picnic at the beach ever since he saw one on a "Thomas" video.)

Smaller Stuff (the "Random" in "Random Musings")

• I've started running again with a friend who keeps a similar pace. After not running for months, we were able to get 3/4 of the way around Liberty Park (over a mile!) without stopping. Woo hoo!
• I'm not pregnant, but I've been bloated and moody enough that I've wondered whether I might be one of those rare cases where I go to the doctor only to learn that I'm really 4 months pregnant without having a clue.
• The first half of Doctor Who season 6 is over, and I TOTALLY CALLED the shocking revelation in the finale. Excellent season, BTW. Yes, I'm a nerd.
• With the move we weren't able to put in a garden. Does anyone know what I might be able to plant now? We have a great south-facing plot, but is it too late for summer crops? Should I just wait for fall plantings?

I think that's all my news for now. I will try to post more frequently from now on. And Mom, I'm totally holding you to your offer to help clean the old apartment... :)

Experiment Update

These photos, believe it or not, are from Wednesday, when I chose not to blow-dry my hair. (Yes, I know I'm wearing the same shirt from the previous post. It really was a different day.)

My hair was maybe a little flatter, but still very manageable.

I didn't dry my hair today either, and though my scalp feels good my hair feels a little strange. Kind of dry, kind of sticky. I think I'll use shampoo tomorrow, then buy some high-quality shampoo when I go shopping next. I hear Jason is a good brand without a lot of the irritating chemicals of other shampoos. I will continue using baking soda periodically, though. And maybe in the winter I'll try the vinegar rinse. I wonder if that would have made a difference this week. I just can't imagine it not leaving a smell.

If you try baking soda or vinegar, let me know what you think.

Experiment

I took these pictures this morning, Day 4 of washing my hair only with baking soda. I got the idea here. Then when I showed the post to my favorite hair stylist because I wanted to model my haircut after hers, my stylist agreed that "baking soda is your friend."

I differ from Tsh (Simple Mom) in that I don't think conventional shampoo is going to affect my health much, but I hate spending a ton of money on hair products. Plus, with the changing seasons my scalp has been really itchy, and my cheap shampoo seems to make it worse. My stylist gave me some salon "repair" shampoo, but I didn't like the smell, and it seemed to build up on my hair. And I have a huge box of baking soda, so what the heck, let's give it a shot.
And I have to say, I'm totally surprised with the results. My scalp is noticeably less itchy, and my hair feels good. Washing with soda solution (1 T soda to 1 c water) takes some getting used to. There's no lather, of course, and when I rinse my hair feels rubbery and heavy. Every day I think this is going to be the day that my hair looks nasty and greasy, but then I dry it and it feels great. I even have more volume than I did before.

I've been blowing my hair dry every day. I used to let it air dry some days, but I'm a little nervous that it will just be flat and greasy-looking. I don't know why it would be, though, since I'm not greasy now.

This is supposed to be the "adjustment" period for my hair, so I'm curious to see how my hair does once my scalp gets used to not being stripped every day. Maybe I won't need to wash my hair as frequently, which is supposed to be good for your hair anyway.

And I don't think I'll try the vinegar rinse. I really don't want to smell like easter eggs, and I don't believe that it won't leave a smell. My stylist agrees. She can tell when her clients rinse with vinegar or beer. Sure, your hair is shiny, but once you get warm you smell like a bar.

Anyway, if you ever run out of shampoo, consider giving baking soda a try.

The New Cake Boss?

Atticus loves YouTube. He asks to watch his engine videos (12 minutes of a steam train leaving and entering stations in Wyoming, crossing bridges, etc., filmed with a handheld camera by some old guy), but he always ends up at the cakes.

Video tutorials for a train cake and a firetruck cake, specifically. He watches them with rapt attention. For the train cake they pipe a frosting track onto the plate. After watching them make two curved lines and add the cross ties, he got some paper and drew a set of tracks of his own. This was the first time he'd drawn anything other than scribbles. I was so impressed.

When he pretends to cook, he makes frosting. I swear there's a bakery somewhere in this boy's future.

Keeping Up with Atticus

Atticus is growing and getting smarter every day, every minute it seems. So I thought I'd record a few of his latest developments before I forget them.

• Today James found him playing with the outlet in his room. When James asked what he was doing, he said matter-of-factly, "Checking my email."


• James jokingly asked him if he wanted to come in the shower with him (Atty hates getting water on his head), and Atticus replied, "No tanks. I took a bath last night."


• We were on a walk earlier this week, and he would run ahead of me, stop, reach down to his ankles with an up/down motion, then start running again. When I got closer I could hear him making hydraulic "tchoo, tchoo" noises as he did it. Later I learned he was turning on and off his brakes. "Brake on, brake off!"


• Yesterday he was running at the park, but it was more of a gallop. James asked me if this was like the "Heidi Hop" Grandma would talk about, but I don't remember. Mom, what was the "Heidi Hop?"


• He still resists potty training a bit, but when he's successful he's soooo proud of himself and jumps around with his fists up and cheers. (Of course we jump and cheer with him.) During one of these celebrations, I asked if he was ready to get in the tub, and while still jumping, he said, "No Mama. I jumping."


• James made popcorn one night and put some parmesan cheese on it. Atty was excited for popcorn but when he tasted it, he made a face and said, "Cheese?" and wouldn't eat anymore. James asked if he wanted more, and he said, "No tanks. It doesn't taste very good."


• He's starting to really get into imaginative play. I love listening to him play trains and what he makes them say. Usually their conversations repeat our own conversations.


• We were playing trucks one day, and I asked what he wanted one of the trains to do. He tapped his temple and said, "I tinking, I tinking..." Then made his decision.


• I asked him if he was ready to get dressed one morning, and he replied, "No Mama. I got lots to do."


• When he's feeling goofy at bedtime he'll make his own versions of our bedtime songs. He'll insert whatever toy he's playing with into the song: "I am a child of God-wheelo," "Give said the little Toby," etc.

I'm sure there are more, but that's all I can think of now (there are a few poop-related ones, but I'm not sure this is the right place for those). James, can you think of any more?

We're Moving!

Before anyone gets excited, we're only moving a block and a half. Why, you ask, would anyone in her right might do such a thing? Several reasons, actually:

• Gorgeous apartment (if a little smaller)
• Cheap rent
• Back yard
• Central air

I recently got hired to take over my friend Konnichiwa's job as manager of several rental properties. (See previous post for more info on 'Nich.) They're moving to South Carolina for grad school, and I've long loved their place, so I applied for the job.

Our apartment is the biggest unit of a 5-plex, plus there's a triplex and a house around the corner. The owner is also thinking about buying the complex of studio apartments on the corner in the next couple years, which would increase our salary--and our workload.

The apartment is two story, with two large bedrooms and the bathroom upstairs. Downstairs is a large living/dining area with lots of light, and the kitchen and laundry. The kitchen opens onto the back yard, with a big shade tree and a lawn to play on and a little bit of space for a garden. Hardwood floors in the living/dining/entry, and did I mention lots of light? Yeah. Big windows. South-facing. And a lawn in front to play on.

We'll lose the ample storage space we enjoy with our two back rooms, but the closets in the new place are big, and maybe we can get creative with food storage in Atticus's room. We also have to trade our nice big washer and dryer for a smaller, stackable set, but since we currently have to run our dryer through four cycles to get one load dry, we'll probably still come out ahead. (I suspect there's a bird's nest in the pipes somewhere.)

If all goes as planned, we'll stay in the new place until we buy a house in a few years. Rent isn't free, but it shouldn't be more than $250/month. (We could choose a smaller/cheaper apartment for free, but we wanted the nice one.) With the savings in rent I'd like to get a second car and save for a house.

The biggest downside, though, is that we actually have to move. I'm really not looking forward to that part, especially since we'll be doing it the end of May/first of June, right when James is finishing the semester and I'm getting ready to go on vacation for a week. Considering I made James move last time during finals week, he may never let me talk him into moving again.

Wish us luck. We'll need it.

Birfday Party!!

Atticus turns three on Monday, and we had his birthday party today. This was his first "friend party," and he's been sooooo excited about it. We even practiced blowing out candles earlier this week. The party was pirate themed, and the idea was to have the kids dress up like pirates, but no one wanted to. Oh well. They still had fun. We had it at the church to give them more room to run around, which I think was their favorite part.

Around the table (counterclockwise from Atticus): Atticus, Abby, Ella, Aubrey, Alex, Mia, Henry, Cardon

In the back (left to right): Baby Ethan, Konnichiwa, and Dennis (Mia's family); Aubrey (Cardon's mom); Patricia (Alex's mom)

Aubrey and Patricia are my gym buddies, and Konnichiwa watches Atticus twice a week when I go to work. I watch Abby's little sister, Shannon (not pictured), each Friday. I was really happy that my brother Mike was able to come with his three kids. Henry is just a couple months younger than Atticus, and they have a good time together.

Mia finally got into the whole pirate thing. I don't think it lasted long....

Opening presents was an adventure, because Atticus wanted to stop and play with each toy as he opened it. But we kept him on task, and it worked out that there were enough toys for all the kids to play, and Atticus didn't mind sharing. He got lots of cool stuff, but his favorites are these two trucks from his aunts Erin and Heather. They make noise. And they're in bed with him right now.

Atticus had a great time, and it really wasn't that hard to put the party together. We'll have to do it again next year. :)

Shatner Love

I'm listening to this album after a long hiatus, and it's just pure genius. From the shockingly vulnerable "What Have You Done?" to the goofy "I Can't Get Behind That" and the honesty of "Real," it's just an amazing album. A friend couldn't get past the fact that it's Captain Kirk, which is a shame, because it goes so far beyond that. I love this part from the end of the title track:

"Has been" implies failure - not so

"Has been" is history

"Has been" . . . was

"Has been" . . . might again

Recent Photos of a Cute Kid

I know I haven't blogged about Atticus in a while, so I thought I'd make up for it with a few random photos. I love love love the above photo. The look of concentration, the the hat riding up his head in a very cool way, the ears, the bangs. And we're at the Blue Plate Diner, which is always a good idea.

In these next photos we're at the Discovery Gateway children's museum. We bought a pass, which has been a great investment for us, and not really all that expensive. Look how carefully he's "sawing" this block:

And success! I don't know exactly what he's excited about, but I was thrilled to capture this moment of glee.

This last one is another favorite. I peeked in on him during his nap one day and found his hands up by his chin like this:

I just had to sneak back in with the camera and capture his sweetness.

He's growing so fast, developing his intellect and personality faster than I can keep up.

A small gripe

You know, some things just rub me the wrong way. Like people putting the Word of Wisdom label on their own personal brand of nutrition. For example, in college I found a book called The Word of Wisdom Diet, which banned meat, salt, and sugar. The recipes were pretty good (Dad's response to one recipe for stuffed peppers: "It would be better with meat and salt"), but I don't think the Word of Wisdom prohibits those things.

Then the other day I came across a new blog called Word of Widsom Living. It's nicely designed, and the photographs are lovely. Their ideas are pretty straightforward and nutritionally sound: eat more whole grain, limit sugar and fried foods, etc. But still it irks me. I mean, the Word of Wisdom doesn't say anything about sugar or fried foods. Would we be better off avoiding those things? Sure. But that's not the commandment.

I have a testimony of the Word of Wisdom, and I admit that I don't follow the guidelines as well as I would like to. But apart from a few specific prohibitions, the guidelines are broad, and for good reason. I believe that it's up to each of us decide for ourselves what the commandment means in our lives. In Relief Society once a woman made the comment that she had some health problems, and through much prayer and study, she understood what the WoW meant for her. She didn't specify details, and I was tempted to go ask, but then I realized that what fits her needs may not be what I need.

So there's my soapbox for the day: your diet/lifestyle program/nutritional guidelines may have much merit, but please don't call it the Word of Wisdom.

Thanks.

Plans, not goals

I've always struggled with New Year's resolutions. I make a list of things I SHOULD do, like study the scriptures for 30 minutes a day and exercise 6 days a week and lose 20 pounds. I get so overwhelmed by these goals that I have little faith in acheiving and essentially give up before I start.

So this year is different. I made a list of PLANS. Things I WANT to do. Like go rock climbing, and be able to do at least one "real" push-up. (I do need some help defining that "real" push-up, though. Does my chest have to touch the floor? That feels like going too far, but maybe that's just because I still can't get a 90 degree angle in my elbows in my push-ups. Lara, what do you say?)

Because fitness isn't just for fitness's sake. I want to be healthy so that I can do all these active things I want to do. Hiking's on the list, too, as well as the 5K "Dirty Dash," which is a foot race through mud and obstacles on the Olympic cross-country skiing course. Doesn't that sound a lot more fun than "go to the gym 3 times a week"? I think so.

I also want to try new things and learn new skills, so I'm planning to knit a Fair Isle sweater and try some new quilting techniques and start drawing the tree outside our house. (I love that tree. I've wanted to draw it since we moved in, but I'm convinced I can't draw. As Van Gogh said, "If a voice inside says 'you cannot paint,' by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." This year I'm going to try to silence that voice.) I also bought a pattern for a vintage-style dress I want to make. There's an online sew-along I'm going to try to follow, and maybe I'll have the dress in time for my birthday. Mom, I'm going to need your help on this one...

Oh, and I want to try at least one new food each month. This month it was Chinese broccoli (in case you were wondering what that was, Erin). Lots of greens, crunchy stems, and very small florettes. A little bitter raw, but quite tasty cooked. I love our Asian market. A lot of the stuff there scares me, but I can branch out with the greens. They seem a safe enough place to start.

I've also developed a plan to build our long-term food storage. I have quarterly goals, and I've already filled out the order forms for the dry-pack cannery for the next three months. I plan to go once a month, and the budget is $70 per month. All of the storage items are things we already use, like beans and rice and wheat, so I expect to rotate through them and not just stick them in a corner for 30 years. Of course, as soon as I get it all bought and packed away, we'll probably move and have to lug it across town or across the country. But at least they're in cases, not super heavy buckets. And maybe our new place will have a basement to put it in....

We also have some trips planned, and we bought a pass to the children's museum and plan to go at least once a month. Atticus loves that place, even though he got whacked in the nose with a hula hoop almost as soon as we walked in last week. (He still had a good time, and the scab came off today, so all is well.)

I've written down all these plans and made a checklist and I'm putting it next to the calendar, where I'll see it several times a day. Of course, all plans are subject to change and revision. I'll reevaluate in six months. Or sooner, if I get pregnant or something. We'll see.