Happy Thanksgiving

The Roses Mini Vacation

Richard took this week off of work, so we decided to go on vacation to Seattle.....
no hotels, no eating out, but lots of time together. Anna is going to be little for only a short time, and I guess Richard just got a little jealous of all the time I get to spend with her during the day. Usually he gets just a little teaser of her in the morning (at her most adorable) and then has to run to catch the bus to work. This week Richard was so excited to spend the whole day, every day, with his daughter. In fact, every day Richard tells Anna (as she giggles at us from her crib) "guess what-- Daddy doesn't have to leave you today!"

Our first stop was to explore some of the Cascade mountains. We hiked "Little Si" a 5 miles and 1400 vertical feet. It was awesome. For those of you who are "Twilight" fans, the mountain forest we hiked through looked exactly like the forest that Edwards whisks Bella through. I half expected vampires, wolves, or elf sprites to jump out at us. In fact, at one point, Richard walked up beside me and said "you know what I am.....say it!" To which I responded "you're a nerd is what you are!" I love my husband!

This is a view from the top!
Didn't I tell you this forest looked enchanted!
Edward has nothin' on Richard. I choose my living, funny, brilliant Richard any day!
Anna has the greatest expressions. I can't wait for her to talk. I don't know what her face is saying in the photo below...but I am sure it is profound! She can say anything with her eyes!

Ol' blue eyes!
This is my favorite picture of Anna. She's my friend!
Whenever I have a hard day with Anna, I am just going to watch this video. I think I would go through any kind of hardship, walk across hot coals, drink spoiled milk, watch endless Charlie Chaplin movies (which Richard has been renting as a part of his quest to watch the top 100 movies of all time) to hear this little girl laugh!

For Christy

We took some photos of Anna sleeping. We took video of her waking up. It is very difficult to capture Anna in her natural element because she is fascinated by the camera. You will notice in the videos the point where she sees the camera.

One Good Friend

Richard and I had the honor and pleasure of spending a week with the Morgan family, comprised of Ryan, Laura, baby Kate (because you have to say baby Kate), and little Robbie. We were friends in Provo and then they moved to Portland while we moved to Seattle. Work brought Ryan to the city this past week, and much to our delight, his family tagged along for a little vacation in the Emerald city. Visiting with Laura and their kids taught me that although I can live just about anywhere, having even one good friend close by makes all the difference. I am happy living in Seattle. Its far from depressing here (in fact, I really really like it) and I love exploring the forests with Anna and going to the library or going downtown to meet Richard, or buying spices at Pike's market and trying new foods. But the one thing I really miss...is having a good woman nearby to talk to and laugh with and confide in. Luckily, I can be patient, and in the mean time, I just talk to Anna about everything-- she is a great listener, but gets distracted often...by things like windows, lights, open doors, television, or anything that moves

This is the whole Morgan family. Little Robbie is already as heavy as Anna and he was born almost two months after her. What great people. Portland is definitely lucky!


This is baby Kate! She is fantastically smart! She recited a poem for Richard and I called "Bananas" after much cajoling and the promise of a fruit Newton from her father. Her performance was epoch and included words like Souvlaki and Falafel-- words I hadn't heard of until halfway through my college career. I would definitely put her on "America's Got Talent"

I thought you would enjoy this picture of me-- I thought it would make everyone feel better about their own somewhat unphotogenic moments.

Laura is one of the most amazing women and moms I have ever met. After just a few days with her around her kids, I have already vowed to be a better mother!

a literary allusion

My daughter is a turtle

Anna's Exercise Regime

I remember women in church on sundays blissfully reporting that their child had learned to roll over. What they probably do not report, is that babies don't learn the whole thing all at once. Babies don't just do a 360 degrees roll to the applause of their adoring fanclub. I have been eagerly anticipating Anna's first "roll" only when it came, it was only a half roll, only in one direction. For days I found my daughter crying in frustration at the end of naptime because she had rolled onto her stomach and she couldn't get back. It didn't help that she had usually pinned herself against the sides of the crib and had her arm or leg dangling out of the slats (which is why I finally got a bumper).

Of course Anna and I took it all in stride. We structured a work out routine that was aimed to get Anna capable of rolling herself back over when she found herself stuck on her stomach.

If I could have the theme from Rocky playing at this point, I would. Anna and I take her exercise time very seriously. It basically consists of tummy time, a lot of cheering on from mommy and a little nudge now and then to get her used to the roll


jf

check out that look of determination! She's got the "eye of the tiger" (Growl!)

Life's lessons

One of my favorite hymns is "Lord, I would follow thee."

I especially like the second verse:

"Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly..
In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see."

It reminds me that there is so much about people that we don't know. To a certain extent, we all try to show our best and brightest side to the world. That can be pretty unfair when we start making comparisons. There have been times when I have wanted someone else's life or some component of it...when I have passesd judgment by concluding that their life has been easier than mine or they have been blessed more abundantly. Oh how I have been humbled.

When Anna was just a few weeks old, a family member of mine lost the twin boys she was carrying. I had the opportunity of attending the funeral and witnessing such an outpouring of faith and hope and love that I had never seen before. There was no anger, no bitterness...
I watched as some of my little nieces and nephews crowded around the little white box that held the two tiny babies. They would pat it gently, even reverently. This mother sat with them, holding them and answering their question about her sons. She talked about the hope of seeing her children again, of being worthy to be with them into the eternities...

My husband and I and our new baby daughter stood apart...not sure if our presence there would be a painful reminder of what these parents had lost. Later that weekend, I had a chance to sit down with this young mother while she told me about her experiences holding her sons in the hospital. She showed me the remembrance boxes that had been prepared for each one. And then she asked if she could hold Anna...

I am humbled by the example of those who have experienced untold suffering and have yet drawn closer to God. I am humbled to find that so often those people that I dismissesd as fortunate and blessed have already gone through their own personal Gesthamanes or are quietly going through them now.

I am reading "Man's search for meaning" by Victor Frankl, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, and in one passage he states:

"WE had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us...Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks that it constantly sets for each individual...

No man and no destiny can be compared with any other man or any other destiny. No situation repeats itself, and each situation calls for a different response...
Sometimes man may be required simply to accept fate, to bear his cross.

When man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task...His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden."

However, Victor Frankl also concludes that "He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place."

It is this last point to which I disagree. Although no other person can live our lives for us, or spare us these painful experiences, I do believe that God never meant for us to suffer through them alone. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we can find relief from suffering. I know that Jesus Christ did suffer in our place, long ago, so that while it was necessary for us to experience pain in mortality, that we would not have to do so alone.

And while I may never know the extent to which the people around me have experienced their own unique sorrow, I know that God does. I hope He can help me to see other people as He sees them.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was a raging success! This is a picture of the family at the ward Halloween party. Richard dressed up as the "man in black," Anna was a pumpkin, and I was a birthday present! The ward party included chili and cornbread. The chili I made was awesome (I know, I'm humble)-- it disappeared in minutes!
I have been impressed with all my friends who have made their children's costumes this year. Richard asked me if I would make Anna's costumes in the future. I told him "sure, as long as it involves a box......she can be a dice, a T.V., a rubicks cube, a traffic light, or a computer." (as you can see, all the moving boxes we have kept worked well for me this year)

Both of our pumkins
Anna was a hit at Richard's office Halloween party. All the cubicles and offices had candy for the trick or treating kids. Even though Anna doesn't have teeth yet and actually slept through much of the office trick or treating, I still made sure she got all the candy possible. I also took the liberty of addressing her candy preferences. "Anna likes Kit Kats, Reeses peanut butter cups, Sour Patch Kids, and Junior Mints..."
I had to take the opportunity to photograph this Japanese Maple tree outside of our local library. Autumn is beautiful in the Northwest
And of course, you have to take the obligatory picture of the Space Needle as you drive by...
We went to the neighborhood of Queene Anne where all the business proprietors stand outside their storefronts passing out candy to the trick or treating kids. As a result, families from all over Seattle come to this area (I wish they had something like that when I was a kid-- it is a most efficient way of getting the most candy possible with the smallest amount of effort). It was also combined with a farmers market that was quaint and reminded me of my favorite parts of the summer and autumn. We had a blast looking at all the great costumes and sampling candy, hot chocolate, and even pizza.
This was by far our favorite costume: the man in the yellow hat with curious george!
We had to take a picture of this rolling iron pig-mobile. As you can guess, it produces pulled pork sandwhiches. we decided to go for the Korean tacos below!

Anna spent Halloween sleeping. Surprise, surprise! Now that she is doing so much better falling asleep on her own, I actually enjoyed having fall asleep on my chest as we were out and about!