New Calling

Picture is unrelated. These are from our trip to the Temple Quarry a few weeks ago.

James was released from the bishopric yesterday, and we were both called as service missionaries in a new branch in our stake. We will be starting up a tutoring program, primarily for a family of French-speaking teenagers who recently immigrated from Guinea. We also have one woman studying for her GED, and we expect it to expand. We're a bit daunted by the magnitude and the logistics, but we already have volunteer tutors who are excited to help. We met everyone this week, and our first tutoring session is Thursday. We'll see how it goes.

We'll also be teaching a French-language Sunday School class in the new branch. The African family are recent converts, and only the mom speaks much English. I'm most excited about this part. I'm comfortable teaching, and James is really good at it, and it will be nice to interact one-on-one.

I'm sad to be leaving our regular ward, and I'm nervous about the new branch. It's an interesting branch. The stake took what was arguably the most struggling ward in the stake and split it into a ward and two branches. This ward had a huge amount of welfare needs, and the bishop was just overwhelmed. Now there are three priesthood leaders covering those needs, and all three units are growing. Our branch covers the area right around the grocery store where James used to work, so he knows a lot of the people from the store. He could point out all the members he used to sell beer and cigarettes to during the week. But in this branch that just doesn't matter. We're just happy they're coming to church. So the branch president decided that as long as they don't smoke or drink on the premises, they can hold a calling.

And everyone is automatically enscripted into the choir. Choir practice is 6 minutes long, immediately after sacrament meeting. I haven't seen a performance yet, so I'm not sure how it works. I'm looking forward to the Christmas program. We've already been assigned to sing a French carol with the African family.

The biggest downside, though, is that the branch meets from 1-4, right when Atticus normally takes a nap. Sacrament meeting is last, so I may spend most of the meetings in the mothers' room, rocking a sleeping child. And Atticus is one of only a few toddlers (or babies, for that matter), so when he makes noise, everyone hears it. Yesterday he got excited every time they said "thy Son" in the sacrament prayers. He loves to point out the sun and the moon and the stars whenever he sees them, so every time they said "thy Son," Atty yelled, "da sun!" Never done that before. Also I never noticed how many times they use those words. It's a lot.

Accomplishments for Today

I don't know why, but I feel like listing all that I got done today. And I feel like doing it in a new font.

1. Make a big mess on the kitchen floor by throwing down the jug of protein powder that wouldn't open, thus shattering the lid and spilling the contents all over the rug.
2. Refrain from screaming. At least the jug was open now.
3. Get Atticus some milk, change his diaper, and install him on the couch with a Thomas the Tank Engine video while I clean up the mess.
4. Wash the rug.
5. Mend Atticus's blankie and my sheets. Both were slated for the scrap pile, but I decided to give them a little more life.
6. Change the bedding with newly mended sheets.
7. Wash all the old bedding.
8. Wash, fold, AND PUT AWAY every bit of laundry in the house, including towels.
9. Make an apple pie with pie crust from scratch and filling I canned last fall.
10. Finish knitting Atticus's cap for Halloween. He's going to be a grinder monkey. Details and photos forthcoming.

And it's not even 6:00 yet. Maybe I'll get around to putting the cushions back on the couch and straightening the living room. And maybe, just maybe, I'll dust. Wish me luck.

I want this room

One of my favorite blogs is SouleMama, written by Amanda Soule. Her family recently bought a 100-year-old farmhouse in Maine, and she's been posting their renovations and move-in progress. I've been drooling over each room, with the wide-plank floors and the funky angles and nooks upstairs, and all the gorgeous light through the windows. But the library tops it all. It's officially the dining room, but really, how often do you use a formal dining room?

I have always wanted a library, a quiet place full of books and a comfortable chair and good light and lots of pillows. A place to snuggle up in winter with a good book and a cup of tea. As Atticus gets older I'll want to add art supplies and such, like she did here. Or maybe he'll get his own art room, and the library will be mine. We'll see.

When I mentally renovate the house I'm currently coveting, the dining room looks a lot like this, except it will also be used as a dining room. And it's about half the size. Oh well. You have to start somewhere, right?

See more photos here.

James has a couple new toys, thanks to your tax dollars. Kearns High School applied for and received a grant (from a part of the stimulus bill that allowed for technology in schools) to buy every student and teacher an iPod Touch for use in the classroom. As a bonus, every teacher gets an iPad. James is pretty stoked, and one or the other has been in his hands pretty much nonstop. Atty thinks they're pretty cool too, especially the app that lets him draw with his fingers.

His iPod is also a still and video camera, which is a handy bonus. We caught a few pics of Atticus the other day, and this is my favorite. I love his laugh. Notice how the photo is iPod shaped. Kinda funny.


And here's a video, which is also iPod shaped. I hope it works right. James is pretty proud of that pumpkin, as well he should be. It's gorgeous. The colors are beautiful--it almost glows. Atty thinks it's pretty fun to sit on.

Not much else is new this week. We made grape juice at my parents' house on Saturday, and it really felt like fall. Beautiful. And I've picked up more work with my old job at Exhibits, which is a nice change of pace but a good reminder that I really don't want to go back to work full time right now.

And that's what's going on in our lives at the moment.

It must be tied to testosterone or something

Today I was lying down with Atticus in hopes of his taking a nap, and he burped. Then he burped again. Then it became clear he was trying to burp even more.

Soon his "burps" turned into strangled, gargling sounds, which grew longer and louder. Then he started saying "sy-coh!" followed by more strangling sounds. After several rounds of this I finally caught on and asked, "Are you making motorcycle sounds?" To which he enthusiastically replied, "Yeah!"

So yeah, Atticus is definitely a boy.

Haircuts

Ok, I uploaded the photos. I can't remember if I posted about his first haircut, but this about sums it up:

My friend came to the house to cut my hair, and by the time we got to Atticus, he was already tired and worn out. The worst part was afterward when he realized he had bits of hair on his arms and chest (he wouldn't let us put the drape on him beforehand). He totally freaked out, and putting him in the bath just made it worse. He hated baths for months afterward.

So when he started getting shaggy again, we were a little nervous. Then James's barber mentioned Cookie Cutters, a salon that specializes in children's haircuts. For $15, we decided to give it a go. He got to sit in a hotrod and watch his choice of DVD (Thomas the Tank Engine is his current obsession).

He wasn't excited about getting his hair sprayed wet, and the comb and scissors were intrusive. We had to keep reminding him to keep his hands on the wheel and watch the trains, but he never got more upset than this:

And check out the results! Didn't I tell you he was handsome? Wary, but handsome.

And then at the end he got a balloon and a sucker and got to go down the slide a couple times. TOTALLY worth every penny.

Feeling Lazy

I've had a request for a new post, but the last few posts I've tried to put up haven't worked (videos didn't upload), and I don't feel like fighting with Blogger at the moment. And the newest pics are still in the camera, and I don't feel like getting them at the moment. So you'll have to make do with my new favorite picture:

It's currently our desktop wallpaper, and I love seeing this little face every time I get on the computer.

And it's a good preview for our next post, which is about his haircuts. His first haircut was traumatic, but his second went sooooo much better. As much as I loved the long mess in the photo, I may love this trim little boy cut even more. He's so handsome. I'll get those photos posted as soon as I get them transferred from the computer. Soon. I promise.