The Boston Knights

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

I love this video. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

Do I have to post a long post if I haven't posted in 100 years?

2010-10-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Good, b/c I'm not going to. I've been gone a long time and a lot has happened since then. The kids have grown up, I graduated, Madi started kindergarten, Max started pre-school, Becca's almost 2. Madi's still wicked smart, Max is still over-the-top kind ("Mommy, you da best Mommy in da ho wowd." or "Mom, thanks for making such a yummy dinner." I could go on...), and Becca is about the funniest thing running around on 2 legs. I feel like life's moving so quickly I can hardly take everything in. It's kind of like the feeling you have as a kid on one of those spinning tea cup rides... at first, you try to look around while you're spinning, but pretty soon, you just have to close your eyes and enjoy the thrill of the ride. While, on the one hand, I wish I could document all these terribly funny and terribly difficult moments as I'm experiencing them, on the other hand, sometimes I feel like I should just close my eyes and enjoy the thrill.

I would lie if I said I really wanted to blog (if that weren't really amply evident from my 4 month hiatus). I have such mixed feelings toward this funny type of communication. It sometimes irritates me that even when I try to be honest about how imperfect our lives are, recording only snippets of the memorable times tends to paint a rosier picture than reality. I've noticed myself comparing my own imperfect self and family life to snippets of others' best moments recorded on their blogs.

I will probably still occasionally post, if anyone still follows this.

Here's a classic picture from this summer...

Until the next time,
Jenn

Madi strikes again

2010-10-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

MADI (from upstairs, hearing me down in the kitchen): Mom, what are you making?
ME: Nothing.
MADI: Are you making chocolate chip nothing?
ME:: No.
MADI: Are you making peanut butter nothing?
ME: No, Madi.
MADI: Are you making pumpkin nothing?
ME (laughing): No, Madi. I'm not making nothing.
MADI: Oh! So you're making something?

I think she's training to be a lawyer.

On a different day, I heard her from the other room... "Six kenobi, seven kenobi, eight kenobi..." Then she pauses and says, "Mom, are there all those kenobis in Star Wars?" (She derived this from the name Obi Wan "One" Kenobi... )

A teaser...

2010-07-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

I know it's been ages since I last wrote. A lot has happened since then, and since I only seem to blog at 2am these days, I'm way too tired to catch up right now. Until then, here's a video to give you a sense of why I've been so busy the last few months...

Let's not leave you out, Becca...

2010-03-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

(drunk on Crayola brown marker ink...she sucked the thing until it was completely white...how do they know so young when to hide while they are getting into trouble??)

She has grown up so much since the last time I posted. Love you, too, Bec!

Bye, everyone! Will post more after graduation...

Sweet Max

2010-03-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

See, I do love you even though I ignored you in the Madi video. :)

Did you miss us?

2010-03-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have been debating about whether or not to post this video... it was never meant to be public. But it's been 3 months since I caught it on camera, and I still get so much pleasure from watching it, and laugh so hard every time, that I just have to share it. I can't decide if I like the part where her robot dance turns to Primary stand up/sit down motions better, or if it's the part where she transforms into Rudolph before my very eyes (replete with prancing run). Oh, Madi.

I'm sad that I COMPLETELY ignored Max in this video... like not even an aknowledgement, really. I am posting a follow-up with Max pictures to compensate and ease my guilty conscience.

I'm in the home stretch with my thesis. One more month and life should be settled enough to put a little more effort into this blog 'o mine. If you are still around and read this, YOU ARE A TROOPER!

p.s. I'm totally technologically impaired... I have no idea how to shorten/edit this video, so sorry it's 3 minutes... the best part is the first minute and a half or so...

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

Madi was SO excited to be a witch this year. She's been talking about it for months. Since they are all young enough not to really care about what they are, we made the magic trio: Max is a wizard, replete with magic wand and beard, and Becca is a black cat with a little black feather tail. Madi was especially excited about wearing green make-up.

You can see how much Max liked his beard. He could not have it touching him. anywhere. He thought it felt gross.

We went to Beacon Hill again this year with the ward. It was really fun, as usual.

Yes, I'm giving my 11 month old a lollipop.... or 3. This was #1. That would be why she looks like she's in bliss. :) It was a gorgeous night- perfect no-jacket weather... more like spring than fall. We had a great time! I'm falling asleep... more later.

What we've been up to lately...

2009-09-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Eating solids...

Well, kind of... "eating" is a loose term

Swimming... complete with goggles and two different kinds of shoes (check Max's feet)

Oh yeah, and teaching "Ah"

(Max's NEW stinky friend- the monkey in his left hand)

how to swim

Drinking water out of the hose

Putting underwear on our heads (compliments of Madi)... Poor Becca. Oh, and if you are wondering, that's NOT the crotch part of the undies that Madi's smelling. :)

Playing with food. This is Madi's depiction of the temple. I know I shouldn't encourage this, but I had to take a picture of this one. It's good, right?

The rest of my summer depicted in the 300 pictures that got moved to a file (named "Found") somewhere on my computer are forthcoming... as soon as I find them.

(Has this happened to anyone else? As soon as I downloaded them, the computer said that some of the files were corrupted, so it moved all of them into said folder. Now I cannot locate said folder. I really hope they are still alive. Hang on, babies, I'm coming to get you. If any of you know how to find them, please advise.)

It's 2 a.m.

2009-06-05T23:09:00.000-07:00

And it's completely silent. I do not want this to end, which is why I'm still awake. Plus, I just kind of don't want tomorrow to come. Tomorrow I'm losing a friend and a piano (hopefully, I'm not actually losing you, Meghan... but the piano was borrowed, so... yeah, I'm pretty much really losing that).

Life seems to move so quickly lately. Becca's already rolling herself close to power cords and digging her head into the ground while she shoots her bum up in the air: the pre-crawl pike. She flung her first bit of pureed zucchini last week, and she just wants to hang out with the big kids now.

Max is getting increasingly verbal. Up until a few weeks ago, most of his words were variations of "truck" and "mama." But I've realized that those word-like things he's been saying forever are probably sentences that I just didn't understand. Like this morning when I went to get him out of his car seat and he said something I'd heard him say a million times that suddenly sounded remarkably like "I want out." I was so shocked and excited, and of course, he was, too, when he realized I understood him and that what he had said was right.

Madi's vocab is growing steadily, too, as I've started to just experiment with teaching her a word of the week. It started out as kind of a joke... what 3 year old understands words like "modus operandi"? Wow. I had NO IDEA how well this would take. She REALLY understands. She's laughed at herself for being "redundant," told me she was "ambivalent" about her friend moving away (b/c she really likes him, but also really likes brownies, which is what they had at preschool because he was leaving), and drew a "symbol" of the deep, dark sea on one of her pictures at preschool (a large blue and green blobby oval). She's also starting talking a lot about killing the bad guys, like when they went on a field trip to the fire department and saw an ax. Madi concluded it was to kill the bad guys. What? I was a bit concerned until I heard her name one of her stuffed animals "Teancum" while talking about killing the bad guys. Then I realized all the violence was not a result of subliminal messages slipped into Beethoven during Little Einsteins, but rather a result of the war chapters in the Book of Mormon we are currently reading. And I thought she wasn't listening. Moral of this paragraph: never underestimate the Great Madisonian.

I have way too many funny stories to post tonight... like when Max threw Mr. Stinky out the window somewhere on I-74 in Indiana (may he rest in peace... this will have to be a separate post), or when Madi stuck a bike pump into Becca's mouth and started pumping (because "I just wanted her to be big, Mommy!!), or when Becca laughs hysterically because Max rides her like a horse.

Ok, maybe just one story. It is silent here, after all; I should enjoy it. While we were out and about yesterday, Madi used the pottette (a portable potty) but forgot to pull up her dress when she sat down. Very wet dress + no change of clothes = naked 3.5 year old in backseat. When we all wanted to stop to play at a playground (Becca was hungry and Max was onery), I didn't want Madi to get penalized for going potty when she needed to go, so I grabbed the jacket in the backseat and a baby blanket. I tied the blanket around her waist, then drew it up between her legs and tied it again around her waist in a toga/loincloth fashion. Oh, and she had on her red ruby slippers (anyone else have these from Target?). She was truly a sight to behold. And she was TOTALLY ok with it. I was laughing so hard while I was sitting on the bench nursing Becca that tears were coming to my eyes. I laughed even harder when she told the little (very confused) friend she met at the playground that her husband's name was "Pruno" and they had several kids: "Madagascar," "Stylish," "Mads," and "Madison." Oh my... the imaginary friends are morphing. They grow up so fast, don't they? One minute they're peeing their pants, the next (literally), they are getting married and naming their kids movie star kid names.

p.s. The loincloth stayed on for about 30 minutes, and when it fell off, Madi ran to me, threw the blanket in my bag, then went back to play... in her jacket, underpants (which had luckily been unsoiled in the pottette incident), and red slippers. What a kid.

And now it is 2:30am and I know that while the silence is amazingly seductive, if I don't go to bed right now, I will not be handling the lack of silence very well tomorrow. Love to you all in cyberspace. Hopefully, I will make some more posts very soon.

Thanks, Bob!

2009-03-10T17:55:00.001-07:00

Madi read her first book on Sunday. If anyone knows the Bob books, it was the first one: Mat. She was so ecstatic. She wanted to read all of them right after. She then realized how long it took to sound out every word, so she stopped after the second book. Today, she finished #4. I'm so excited for her. Reading is probably the most wonderful gift anyone could receive- it opens a whole new world. Today, Bob... tomorrow, Harry Potter. Go, Madi!

Favorite Recent Pictures

2009-03-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Playing dress-up. Max is wearing a Little Red Riding Hood cape (thanks, Karen!!), Madi's in a boa (thanks, Nollie!) and poncho, and Becca is wearing a pirate eye patch which she obviously really enjoys :).

Kurt helped Madi build this. She was SO proud! (And so devastated when it melted)

The little stinker at work after he finished eating his black bean soup. Look at him... he knows he's just been caught.

I took violin lessons when I was 4, but had to stop when my teacher moved away. I switched to piano, but my mom kept my little violin and Madi begs to play it. This is her trying to practice. After hearing how it sounds when an (almost) 4 year old practices, I can't help but think my mom must have been grateful when my violin teacher moved away.

Kurt trying to soothe Becca during one of her fussy periods.

Madi loved this Little Red Riding Hood cape. My friend, Karen, knitted it for her. I could not believe it! It's so beautiful... I almost don't want the kids to play with it because I don't want it to get damaged. Thanks again, Karen!

Becca with Baby Annie- another gift from Madi. I think it pains Madi to see Becca all alone in her swing since Madi's such a social person. She makes sure either she (Madi) is in there with Becca, or the next best thing (one of her own babies).

Oh, Max...

In his hair, too.

Water-colors. More about the water than the color...

"Hey, there's my favorite toy!" says Max. (note that the picture's kind of fuzzy in some of these shots... that's because Max took a greasy finger and rubbed it all over the lens. Still trying to figure out how to clean it off without scratching it...)

Madi as a fairy ballerina.

Let me clarify...

2009-02-08T18:33:00.000-08:00

I had to laugh when I read my sister's comment on my last post:

"Your blog always makes you sound like you have everything in control, and are taking everything in stride. But how are you really handling it?"

Let me clarify how my life really is lately, lest anyone be deceived by my last post. I will reconstruct a normal day for us here in the Knight household using events that have actually occurred (some all in the same day).

6:30am. Madi wakes up and- of course- has to wake Max up, too. Madi climbs into his crib and they pretend or sometimes Madi tells Max stories. Most recent pretend scenario: fish and fish food. Guess who had what role? Kurt and I woke up to Max screaming because, as Madi put it, "I was pretending to be a big hungry fish and Max was pretending to be cake." Interesting that Max communicated to her that he wanted to be cake and have his hand bitten really hard, considering his vocabulary consists of no more than 10-15 words.

7:00am. I feed Becca. Scenario 1: Kurt is downstairs with the older two, keeping them out of trouble and helping them with breakfast. Excerpt from this morning's breakfast: Kurt said Max was looking out the window at a bunch of birds and laughing and pointing to them. He thought they were the best thing in the world... until Madi burst his bubble. "Max," she says, "I have bad news for you, buddy. Whenever you try to get next to the birds to touch them, they just fly away... unless you're Cinderella."

Scenario 2: Kurt has to leave early for work and I feed Becca with two hyenas climbing all over me, usually mauling Becca's face and/or my breast. We are all lucky to survive the feeding alive.

7:30am. I go upstairs to get us all ready for the day. Both kids usually follow. Kurt says we travel in a pack, like wolves (or hyenas :).

7:45 am. Both kids are bored with watching me dress Becca and/or crying because I have sternly told them to quit touching her. They wander elsewhere to find amusement. My stress level rises as the noise level lowers. One Sunday morning a few weeks ago, I was changing Becca's diaper and dressing her upstairs when it suddenly fell completely silent and stayed that way for several minutes. A little voice in the back of my head was telling me that havoc was being wrought, but I ignored that voice. Kurt arrived on the scene before I did and growled. I knew it was bad. Sunscreen- everywhere... hair, dress, carpet, walls, couch, pillows, toys, games... oh my, I'll stop. I had Madi show me everywhere she sprayed it. She led me around by my hand, pointing and saying, "here, and here, and here, and here, and here..." I lost count after about 15 different locales. Max is always her sidekick for these little adventures...doesn't say much, but definitely participates in the mischief.

8:00am. Hopelessly try to clean up whatever mess has just occurred while I was foolishly trying to groom myself and my non-walking child.

8:30am. Give up and take Madi to preschool.

9:00am. Arrive at preschool, try to avoid the meter maids while I run Madi to the door of her preschool. I regularly shoot glances toward my two other kids sitting in our parked, running car.

For the record, I used to feed the meter and take all the kids in. One day I forgot to stick the quarter in and was gone for literally 5 minutes. When I returned to a cop issuing me a ticket, I pointed to my very pregnant belly and told him I just had to take three small children into the preschool and couldn't he just cut me a little slack? He told me that he had already started writing the ticket and that it was impossible to reverse the process. When I responded that if he let me see his little ticket machine, I could probably figure out how to do it, he got really mad. When I drove away without the ticket, he tacked on an additional $5 fine for my attitude. Now, I refuse to feed the meter out of principle. A mother dropping her daughter off at preschool should not get a ticket. period. Also for the record, I think he really fined me $5 for calling his machine "little." :)

9:30-10:00am. Drive home while shouting or turning the music up really loud to keep Max awake.

10:00am. Feed Becca while again trying to avoid catastrophe with Max. I typically have to walk while I'm nursing at least once to get Max out of trouble... Max has discovered how to push chairs around and now has access to places he'd only dreamed of before. Now, he can basically reach and open anything up to 5 feet. Have you ever tried to store everything that is not child-friendly in cabinets over 5 feet? NOT EASY! In fact, I think it may be impossible. Kurt and I are contemplating bungee cording the chairs to the table. No, really... we are.

10:30-11:30am. Give Max a snack, play with him, and try to clean up the mess from earlier that morning and whatever mess he's managed to make while I was nursing Becca. On Friday, it was smoothie from breakfast... dumped out all over the table and chair and the Max. Oh, and he has also learned how to open the garbage can and throw stuff away. This is great when I give him a banana for a snack. He'll go throw the peel away afterwards. Awesome. One mess I don't have to clean up. This is not so great when he throws away half the banana in the peel only to retrieve it shortly thereafter and eat the other half. Also not good when he uses his garbage can skills on dish towels, cars, Madi's Polly Pockets dolls, and -of course- Mr. Stinky (perhaps you may be starting to understand the moniker, "Mr. Stinky.") I have found all of the above in the trashcan at different times, and have a hunch there are more things now in the Cambridge City Dump that I did not find. Oh well... we've been trying to declutter anyway. Thanks, Max.

11:30-12:30pm. The pick up. I do have to take all the kids into preschool to pick Madi up. I sometimes feel like I'm herding cats :) Anyone seen this commercial?

Repeat the loud yelling/music on the way home to keep Max from falling asleep. Madi helps me. If I can keep him awake until 10 minutes before we get home, he'll stay asleep as I transfer him to his bed. If he sleeps for longer than 10 minutes, welcome to Hades, everyone. He ain't going back to sleep until bedtime.

12:30pm. Lunch. The only quiet time I have all day. It lasts 15 minutes.

1:00pm. Turn on the TV in desperation while I feed Becca. Becca and I try to avoid letting the kids maul us more than once a day.

1:30pm. Madi is now acting out whatever she just watched on TV and begging for more shows. She then switches to begging me to play with her. We read stories and I. fall...asleep.......in the middle...

The rest of the afternoon is kind of a blur... I'm usually half awake and really grumpy at this point. If I'm feeling good, Madi and I do a craft, play in the snow, but... let's be honest. She usually gets to watch another show.

Ok, I'm getting bored, so I can only imagine how you all feel... fast forward.

4:00pm. Max wakes up, ravishing hungry and really onery. Feed him, but not too much b/c dinner is in an hour. Try to feed Becca while I throw balls or Mr. Stinky across the room to get Max to stop poking Becca in the eye.

4:30 pm. Make dinner while avoiding knocking Max over. He's usually clinging to my legs, begging for food. He likes to pull all the pans out and bang them together. No problem. It's better than crying.

5:00pm. Dinner. Madi runs back and forth between the dinner table and Becca's swing. "I just want to make sure Becca's ok, Mommy." I try to explain that she's fine and Madi doesn't need to check on her until after dinner, especially since Madi's checking on Becca usually involves a full-body press until Becca cries.

5:30pm. Lame attempt at cleaning up while the kids pull every toy, book, and DVD off the shelves at eye level. Becca's crying.

6:00pm. Herd the kids upstairs to get ready for bed. (Can you blame me for putting my kids to bed at 6pm?) Jammies, potty, teeth brushing, prayer. Stories... while Becca cries. She has a colickly period from 5 or 6 until 9 or 10 every night, although it's getting MUCH better, thank heavens.

7:00pm. Kids in bed, baby in arms (usually crying).

If I'm lucky, Becca falls asleep early (like tonight) and I have a little down time to clean, work on my thesis, exercise, study my scriptures, respond to emails, make phonecalls to my friends, work on my callings, do laundry, and veg in front of the TV. Of course I get ALL of these things done in the hour I have before I conk out and fall asleep (please note the sarcasm).

Do I question my sanity? Yes.

Do I feel like I'm going to lose it? Twelve times a day, at least.

Was 3 kids a hard transition? Uh-huh.

Do I love it? Oddly, yes. I'm already thinking about #4... There has got to be some disconnect in my brain or something.

Anyway, thanks for asking Bubby... I'm hanging in there. :) And for anyone out there who mistakenly thought I "had it all together," now you know that's about the furthest thing from the truth!

Just to illustrate what I've been talking about:

Me: Oh! Madi, be soft!

Madi: Mommy, I just want her to look this way!

Max: Beh-beh (while "tapping" aka hitting her on the chest).

(That purple flowered thing between their heads is Becca)

Kurt trying to keep Max from attacking the baby (who is crying b/c she just had a blow-out, which I'm not changing because I'm changing Madi's diaper and taking a picture of Max trying to maim his sister. Madi's potty-trained now... again... kind of... :))

Max's normal attire... one rain boot, 0-6 month socks, no pants (because they fell off- seriously), and his bib. He's trying to climb up onto the chair while I'm nursing, in case you can't tell.

What a Babe!

2009-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

I know she's been here for 2 months, but I couldn't update my blog without starting with this most auspicious occasion: Becca's birth. Here's my little Buddha, Rebecca Naomi Knight, just a few hours after she was born. She came into the world on November 30, 2008 (her due date!) and weighed in at 9 lbs, 14 oz (yes, an almost 10 lb. baby!). It was a "good and efficient labor," as the midwife said. She's a great eater and sleeper and is really mild-mannered. We just love having her here!

Madi LOVES Becca. She's like a little mommy... well, a little mommy who sometimes almost crushes Becca with her body weight :). While she's still learning what is ok and not (ie: soft kisses-ok, smooshing baby's cheeks till she cries- not ok), she's absolutely enamored with Becca. When she came to visit at the hospital, she kept saying, "Aw!" over and over with intermittant "She's so beautiful, Mommy!" She also likes to play Rolley with Becca. Some of you may remember when she did this to Max, too. It's basically rolling the baby around the floor or rolling Becca onto her (Madi's) belly. Sigh... We're molding one day at a time :). Here's Daddy reading stories to the two girls.

Max has been handling the new addition really well. He also loves Becca and is also learning how to be soft with her. I have to watch him really closely because he always goes for her orifices... eyes first, then mouth, then nose. He calls her "Beh-beh" and always says it with a cute lilt in his voice... the same way he says his stuffed animal's name before he hugs it (more about Mr. Stinky- Max's security pet- to come). Max is still completely a Daddy's boy and actually experienced separation anxiety with Kurt way before he got it with me. (Note Mr. Stinky in Max's hand in the pic below). It's such a blessing - he's been in heaven spending so much time with Daddy while Mommy was with the baby.

My sweet Becca. She was named after Kurt's 7th great grandma (Rebecca Wilder) and Kurt's mom (Shari Naomi), both of whom were/are faithful, strong, and peaceful women. The name is a great fit because I just feel more peaceful and relaxed when Becca's around. She really is a sweetheart and VERY patient with her older siblings' harrassment.

Madi and Max like to leave Becca offerings when she's asleep.

This one was especially heartfelt, as Max left Mr. Stinky and Madi left both her favorite stuffed animal, "Chair Bear" AND Baby June. Now that is love.

This is Becca sneezing. :) I just thought it was a funny picture.

Well, folks, that's about all I can eek out tonight. More to come soon. I have quite a few funny Madi moments and some good Max stories as well, but they will have to wait for another time. Stay tuned... Hopefully, it won't be another 3 months!

Sigh.

2008-10-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

I am so hopelessly behind in posting. I know.

I sit here listening to Madi sing "Loathing" from the musical, Wicked during her "quiet time" and realize that I'm just not ready to use the remaining minutes of her forced relaxation to catch up.

I will take 5 minutes and do updates on the family:

Kurty- He's doing great, but is uber busy at work. He is looking forward to a more relaxing schedule next month as he starts his stint as the BCG recruiter for HBS. He's excelling in his career (anyone who knows Kurt well knows how expected this is, considering his brain functions like an Exel spreadsheet), and has really enjoyed his time at BCG so far.

Jenn- Finished my thesis proposal, still sludging through literary research, interviews, data, and drafts of thesis chapters. Completely enjoying Fall in Boston, and recuperating from a really great week with my college friends last weekend... too much fun. I'm really having a good time with the kiddos- have had a complete paradigm shift after reading "Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm" (highly recommend this book!). Baby due to arrive anytime in the next 2-5 weeks. Life is busy, but really good.

Madi- She is as creative and fun as always. She LOVES preschool and comes home and tells me cool things she learns everyday. Things like: giving her teacher "personal space," not believing her friend when she convinces Madi NOT to show-and-tell about her toy so they will all have enough time to go outside and play on the slide (the teachers never take the kids outside after show-and-tell), and how to make Fall pictures out of noodles. :) She learns Bible stories, too, since she attends a Presbyterian pre-school, which she just loves. She took a full five minutes one day to tell me about Daniel in the Lion's Den. It's been a great experience for her (and me and Max) so far. Hopefully, things will keep going smoothly after arrival of Knight #3. She has taken to the baby in Mommy's belly really well so far, and seems to be genuinely excited to have a little sister coming. I'm somewhat relieved, since her reaction was so different when Max was about to come... hopefully, she will be as excited when her sister finally arrives. She's really excited about Halloween, and has taken the whole family on treat-or-treating practice runs through the house.

Max- What a character! This kid is hilarious right now. He loves climbing, Mr. Stinky (his stuffed animal), teasing Madi, and climbing... oh, and falling. He has found every way imaginable to fall into the trashcan next to the toilet (including head-first, my personal favorite), and just follows me around the house like a shadow. When he's not glued to my side, he's "exploring" (read: climbing) somewhere, and I usually realize that he's gone b/c he falls off of whatever he's exploring. He's taken tumbles from the dishwasher, the toilet, the bookcase, the couch, the stroller, the stairs (several), the attic ladder, various chairs around the house, and a couple tables, just to name a few. I promise I'm not a negligent parent, he's just really fast! He actually climbed up into the sink in the bathroom a few weeks ago and turned on the faucet. Luckily, I caught him right before he fell out of there (inevitably into the trashcan). I'm surprised that he's still in-tact after all his bumps and bruises. If he is my shadow, he's Kurt's parasite. As soon as Kurt walks through the door after work, Max is literally at his side until he goes to bed. He LOVES his dad. He tries to do whatever Kurt is doing, including watching football (though he doesn't have Kurt's patience for it, yet... but honestly, does anyone else really enjoy watching THAT much football???:)).

Baby #3- From the looks of my belly, you'd think I was carrying a 10 year old inside of me. :) Ok, I'm exaggerating, but I'm really big. I cannot imagine how big I would be right now if I really had been pregnant with twins! :) She's doing great and is scheduled to arrive on Nov. 30th. I think she's going to come early, though. We'll see, I guess.

Madi's quiet time has now escalated to her fighting with herself (or one of her imaginary friends). I guess I should let her out now. :) Hopefully, I'll get to post more soon.

Disturbing the peace

2008-10-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

One of us (name withheld to protect the innocent) was playing with Madi and passed gas... loudly. Mommy laughed and said, "Sounds like there is a duck in here!" Madi said, "No, it's a wal-e-rus (ie: walrus). They do that sometimes when they're angry." Who knew?

Source of Strength

2008-09-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

ME: Madi, thanks for bringing in those groceries. You have really strong muscles.
MADI: Thanks. Heavenly Father and Jesus made them for me.

Sweet. Humility in the making :).

Are you kidding me???

2008-09-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious! Kurt and I read this tonight and about laughed our heads off. Check it out: Seriously so blessed (http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/).

Aspirations

2008-09-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

As we were listening to the Kindermusik CD on the way home from pre-school the other day, the "weird" song came on... for any of you who have this CD, it's the cat opera song. Madi used to hate it - I have to admit it is kind of strange- until Kurt told her one day that it was opera. Well, Madi knows Kurt loves opera and sometimes they pretend to go to the opera together (Madi and Kurt- really cute)... so now she loves the song. Her friend, Madeleine, was in the seat next to her when the song came on. Here's the conversation as best as I can remember:

Madeleine: "This is the weird song."
Madi: "This is opera. I like this song."
Madeleine: "I don't like it."
Madi: "When I grow up, I want to be a dog-walker and an opera singer."
Madeleine: "Oh."

For any who are wondering, these career aspirations are indeed lasting. I asked her today (this is 2 days later... like 2 years in 3 year old time) what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she gave the same answer. I thought that if she really does make it to the big time opera (read: The Met), I can't think of a more quintessential New Yorker thing to do: walk your dog during the day and pursue your illustrious operatic career at night.

I think if Max could talk, he would probably want to be a plumber. Anything toilet or dishwasher seduces him in a millisecond- like before the normal person has time to react, Max is there with his little hand swimming in the toilet bowl. Now he's standing on the toilet, either flushing it or reaching for the sink. Unfortunately, he's still too little to reach, so he usually ends up falling into the garbage can. Doesn't seem to phase him, though. He just climbs out and tries again. Well, maybe I'll nurture his natural instinct. It would be kind of nice to have a little handyman around here.... I'll get him a plunger for Christmas.

A Boston Must-Do: Plum Island

2008-08-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect day on the beach. Breezy, sunny, warm... good friends, sandy food, sandier kids... The undercurrent was a little strong (in a bad mommy moment for me, Madi got knocked off her feet by the waves), but the sand was beautiful, the birds picturesque, and the landscape pristine. We had a great day here today.

If you live in the area, you really should take a day trip up to Plum Island. It only costs $5 to get into the reserve and once you are there, you can hike or go to the beach or birdwatch or whatever. It's really worth the hour drive from the city.

Still no camera, so no cute shots of Max eating sand or Madi laughing insanely in the waves... but it will be coming soon! One of the day's highlights: We were standing in the surf, letting the waves roll through our legs. I held Madi's hand in my right hand (trying to keep her from getting sucked out to sea), I had Max on my left hip (trying to keep him secure as he was laughing and kicking hysterically watching Madi play in the water), and I felt the little baby-ette kicking in my tummy. She seemed to say, "I want to come out and play, too!" It was a great day... good thing, because I don't think I could have handled a day like yesterday again (it was a LONG day yesterday). :)

Congratulations, Elder Rockwood!!

2008-08-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Dave (my little bro) just got called to serve a mission in Pusan, Korea.

Yea, Dave!! We're going to miss you, but Korea will LOVE you!

Let me introduce you to Mads, Madison, and Madi... our three favorite daughters

2008-08-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

I like nicknames, I admit it. I have a million for Kurt, many for Max, and a plethora of them for Madi. The top 3 names I use with Madi are: Madi (duh :)), Mads, and Madison. Madi has taken these and integrated them into her little imaginary world so that they are no longer "her," per se, but different and distinct imaginary friends. She plays with Mads and Madison, fights with them, and plans future adventures with them. She even woke up in the dead of night one night while we were in Utah (and sleeping in the same room) and said, "Madi, is there enough room for us in there? (under her covers) Sure! Come on in!" then scooted over and lifted up her blanket. Yes, I was worried about this. Early schizophrenia warning signs? Blossoming multiple personality disorder? But my pediatrician assures me that it's normal 3 year old behavior, and that Madi likely just has a very vivid imagination. She also said that imaginary friends often are almost identical to the child (ie: if the kid has blond hair, so does the imaginary friend; if the kid likes to dance, so does the imaginary friend, etc... ). Fingers crossed.

Mads and Madison's most recent trouble was inflicted on Madi and I tonight as we camped out in the "treehouse" (ie: couch) and they locked us in (apparently there is a door on the treehouse). Then it snowed and they had to come shovel us out before we could get down. So, I guess they redeemed themselves with their good deed. I can't keep up with her sometimes.... especially when Mads and Madison trip me or something. :)

Madi has been saying really sweet things lately and really exploring her compassion. I told her once when she was having a hard time staying focused on dinner and eating her food that there were a lot of kids in China and Africa who didn't have any food. Wouldn't it be sad to waste all this food when so many people don't have any at all? Yes, I guilt tripped my 3 year old. It apparently really struck her, and she has since started asking about all the kids who don't have food in Cambridge. She suggested that we share our food with them, but then said, "no, we need to eat our food. We should buy them all food to eat." :) What do I expect when her father's life work is to eradicate world hunger?

She is also exploring this sensitivity with Max, although she still enjoys the daily mauling. She is shares her food with him, gives him toys to play with when he's upset, loves to make him laugh, and has learned how fun it is to play with him as a playmate, not a plaything :). I'm quite excited for this phase of their lives and count it as part of the miracle God is working in my life before the baby arrives. :) Maybe I won't have to pry her off of him for much longer!

There are so many great Madi stories that I have not recorded, unfortunately. I need to get on the ball again.

We really are going to buy a new camera soon.

Oh, Max

2008-08-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is the commonly heard refrain in our house. "Oh, Max." This kid is BUSY! He gets into... well, everything you can think a child of 13 months can get into. His favorite activity is climbing up the stairs as fast as he can (when I forget to put the gate up), then sprinting to the bathroom to play in the toilet. He is definitely like Kurt in that respect (playing in the toilet... just kidding...) Once Max knows what he wants to do, he is completely focused and single-minded until he accomplishes whatever he sets out to do. His bathroom is definitely his favorite exploratorium because he can play in water AND have access to "nana" (ie: food, aka: toothpaste). Plus, he usually finds bonus toys in the trashcan or under the sink.

It is almost like he has a list of the "top 10 things I shouldn't do" and those are automatically his favorite activities. He will go down the list faster than you can say "stinker" if he finds that one option is closed to him. If he goes upstairs and the bathroom door is closed (good job, Mom), he heads into our bedroom, where he camps out under the desk and plays with the cords. If our door is closed, he heads to Madi's room to play with her CD player/CD. If that's not an option, he will crawl around to his room and usually find something- a hair tie, diaper cream, bobby pin, whatever- that has fallen onto the floor under the changing table. He then stuffs it into his mouth and climbs up onto Mom's chair in his room. Luckily, once he's up there, he pulls a book into the chair with him and will sit quietly and read for a few minutes. Then, he tries to climb from the chair onto the table next to it. And if he makes it, he'll reach to the windows to play with the blinds. Phew. This kid wears me out!

But he's also the cutest thing in the world. He's now sprouted two teeth on the top, right above his two existing front bottom teeth, and when he smiles (which he does constantly), you just want to hug him. He has cast his spell on many a member of the ward, friend, neighbor, and complete stranger. He just is like a little light and everyone just wants to hold and snuggle him.

He took his first step a couple weeks ago, but has been completely content to just speed crawl on the floor (and this kid is FAST!). I think walking carries with is greater attack hazards from Madi (his survival instinct has been honed to perfection). He's in no hurry to grow up, that's for sure. He's completely enjoying every step and making sure that he knows how to do it before he really invests himself. Just the last couple of days, he has been taking longer series of steps without provocation. My guess is that he'll be hobbling around within the week.

He's still really little for his age (4th percentile), but eats like a horse. He eats adult-size portions- sometimes he eats more than me! And I'm pregnant! Not sure where all the food is going... I'm still hoping there's nothing wrong.

I just thought I would update on him since he's the one going through so many new developmental phases right now. I can hardly believe he's almost 14 months old. Kids really show you how fast time moves, don't they?

Update on Madi forthcoming.

By the way...

2008-07-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

We went in for our ultrasound appointment on Tuesday and it's official- we are having a girl! It's a good thing b/c I have been telling Madi for months that she was going to be having a sister. I figured that since I got the first two right, I was safe enough assuming this guess was right as well. :)

I have cute ultrasound pictures, but our scanner is officially broken (all our stuff seems to be breaking down at once). So most of you will probably never see them. :)

Anyway, thought we'd share the good news!

Poor Little Red Riding Hood

2008-07-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Madi says to me as we're on our way home from the grocery store, "Mom, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't have anything! She doesn't have a stroller or playgrounds or a store. She just has a basket and a coat." This is true. Sometimes I wish I were Little Red Riding Hood. :)

I have a ton to post on... birthdays, trip, life in general... but I'm still in the thick of thesis prep, so it will have to wait. Also, I'm waiting on photos from my family b/c our camera's still broken and we still don't have a replacement. Sigh.

Vacation, Satin Jeans, and Tea Parties

2008-07-09T11:38:00.001-07:00

We just got back into town after 2+ weeks in Utah for my sister's wedding, cousins' camp (for the Rockwood cousins), the annual Rockwood girls' weekend (with NO kids:)... well, except Brandon, but he's too little to disrupt the estrogen bliss yet). Then a week with the Knight clan replete with a baptism, lots of fun conversations, great food, and fireworks. It was a wonderful vacation, each day full of exhausting relaxation. Is that possible? It was exactly what I needed and wanted, and it was way more than I expected. I feel full and ready to jump back into life again.

We are back in Boston (after a WONDERFUL travel experience with our two kiddies, for which I was VERY grateful). The first thing welcoming me back to Beantown was a hypnotizing pair of shimmery jeans walking in front of me. I stared. I couldn't help it. I was trying to figure them out. Why did they shimmer? Ah... satin. But of course! Satin, meet jeans. Jeans, meet satin. Not sure how you will get along, but let's give it a shot. I will make no style judgments, since heavens knows my Target wardrobe hardly qualifies me, but I will say that they are the only pair of satin jeans I have ever seen, so I'm not sure how trendy they could be. They DID look comfortable, though.

So as we hopped in our taxi van on the way back to North Cambridge, I fell back into the rhythm of Boston... the big dig tunnels, Zakim bridge, the humidity curling hair wisps at my neck, the Haitian music accompanying the nearly unintelligible cadence of our Haitian driver's questions, the Charles in the distance, the top of the Science Museum. I took a deep breath and felt like I was slipping into an old pair of satin jeans. It's good to be home. Have I mentioned lately that I love Boston?

Tuesday was our first real day at home, and it was wonderful. The kids were happy and content to play with all their old toys. I got a lot done, Kurt got home early from work, and the weather was wonderful. We took post-dinner family stroll to the playground and wound the kids down since they were still on Utah time.

But as the unwritten rules of child-dom dictate, one day of child bliss is immediately followed by a day from child hell. There were two cranky, unruly kids and one tired mommy who felt like she woke up at 5 am, even though it was 7. To bolster the sting (also prompted by a great article in the NY Times read it here), Madi and I made chocolate chip cookies while Max was napping. Then we decided to have a tea party on the front porch with our tea and cookies. This is a fairly frequent thing for us and would have been fine, but for Max who has no interest in tea or parties. He is usually not invited (mostly because he's usually asleep). First, he took Annie's place (Madi's doll), then he sat on the tablecloth. Then when he saw the cookies, he tore across the place settings to get one. When he did not succeed, in anger he grabbed one of the china tea cups, threw it on the ground and broke the handle off... Madi burst into tears and I quickly started gathering up all the rest of the tea set. In the bustle, I dropped another cup and broke off that handle. Madi cried harder. Sigh. So much for a helping the situation. :)

Regardless, we are happy to be home and looking forward to more Boston summer adventures!

p.s. I saved half the cookie dough and refrigerated it for 36 hours, like it said in the article. Mmmm... I TOTALLY noticed a difference- try it.

Father's Day

2008-06-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

This post is ultimately to wish Kurt and Dad and Ken a Happy Father's Day. These men have influenced my life so profoundly, that it almost seems trite to try and celebrate it all in one day. My dad was a strong spiritual leader in my life. He helped me craft my testimony of the divine, taught me how to gain a connection with God, and together with my mom helped me learn how to drink deeply from the scriptures. Ken (Kurt's dad) has helped me appreciate all the simple things in life that I often overlook. He is frugal and smart, loves to talk with me about all things deep and philosophical (we are kindred spirits in that respect), and has taught me the importance of just appreciating life.

And then there's Kurt. I married him because I had never met anyone else quite as astounding. He is brilliant, practical, kind, loving, faithful, service-minded, efficient, and happy. I had never met anyone who can accomplish as much as he does in the amount of time he has. (Case in point: yesterday. Brief synopsis: got up, took Madi to beach to give me some down time while Max napped. Came home, filled kiddie pool in the yard and played with both kids while I got lunch ready. Helped get kids ready for naps. Went to the temple. Came home, mowed the lawn, cleaned the kitchen, crawled under the basement stairs to clean up some rice milk that burst open from food storage, did 2 loads of laundry, and was relaxing on the couch watching golf when the kids and I got home from the store.) And I do not underestimate when I say he is the most gifted organizer I have ever met. He is constant and unwavering in his devotion to me and the kids. I LOVE that we are almost total opposites in every respect because I find myself becoming more of the person I've always wanted to be because of his influence in my life. What a guy!

Ok, enough sap.

Now I wax philosophical for a moment. The speaker today in church said, "We can't talk about fathers without talking about mothers" then spoke briefly about mothers' importance. It got me thinking (again- this is a frequent topic of thought for me); why is it that on Father's Day, mother/father is the natural pairing, but on Mother's Day, her natural counterpart becomes "the Priesthood"? This just does not make sense to me. I really wish we could appreciate fatherhood the same way we appreciate motherhood in the Church. While it is connected to the Priesthood, it is not the Priesthood. We could really enrich our understanding of parenthood were we to give both equal attention. Likewise, imagine how lessons would change if we spoke of women's potential as Priestesses as a counterpart to the men's Priesthood instead of focusing so narrowly on motherhood, an opportunity that so few women experience right now. Imagine how many more women would feel valued and included in the Church!

And now I step down from my soap box and end by saying, "Happy Father's Day!"

Another Catch-up

2008-06-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Kurt tried to fix the camera yesterday. Apparently this problem (lens error) happens to a lot of people and there is currently a class action suit against Canon because of it. Kurt found directions online and decided to undertake the challenge. Well, from the looks of it (the camera pieces are all over the desk), I think he's still working on the repair.

And so I ensue with the catch-up pre-camera-breakage posts. We had a fun little zoo excursion about a month ago with some friends, and I never posted the pix. I also had another fun zoo excursion this last week at a different zoo (and Kurt took the kids last Saturday), but unfortunately, we have not a single picture to celebrate our zoo-mania except for this one trip. It shall represent all the zoo fun had over the course of the last month.

Oh, and if anyone is wondering how we can afford to go to all these museums and zoos, etc... it is because of the phenomenal library system in Cambridge/Boston. The library allows you to check out free or deeply discounted passes to virtually every museum in the area, some historical sites, and the zoo. So, I don't have to pay for any of this stuff!! I LOVE LIVING HERE!! We did end up buying an AMSE pass ($35/yr. for access to museums all over the country) b/c it gets us into the Children's Museum for free instead of the $4 it usually costs us with the library pass.

Peacock. Madi tried to scare it so the feathers would go up (a habit from childhood that I'm afraid I am encouraging in my kids. :), but it didn't work. Darn. It did work once when I was little, so I will not lose hope.

Madi, Madeleine, and Gretchen looking at the flamingos. A sign in the Stone Zoo (this is the Franklin Park Zoo) says that flamingos naturally love living really close to one another and that's why their cage smells so bad. They don't smell at the Franklin Park Zoo and my friend, Sarah, tells me that they don't smell at the Providence Zoo, either. I think our friends at Stone Zoo need to clean out the flamingo cage.

Not sure what they are looking at, but I just thought the picture was cute.

I have mixed feelings about visiting the zoo. On the one hand, it's really fun and educational to learn about all these animals that we would never normally see. On the other hand, I find it disconcerting to see lethargic and sad-looking animals hanging around their cages. I know they are animals, but wouldn't life seem so meaningless if you were raised in a cage? This picture: case in point (I'm talking about the gorillas, not Madi :))

For all the cool things we saw, I'm afraid the highlight of the day was the carousel. Laura, Meghan, sorry we went after you guys already left. The girls could not pry their eyes away from the "merry-g0-round" and were SO excited to ride it.

Max can't decide if this is fun or scary. He liked it, but I did have to hold him for a few rotations in the middle.

Madi was SOO excited. She talked about this ride for days afterwards. Kind of made the $2 seem worth it.

My friend, Lizzie, and her girls. We are both pregnant, due a day apart. She lives about a half mile down the street from us, and is such a calming influence on me. Madeleine and Madi are about a year apart, but they play really well together. Gretchen and Max are so funny together. Gretchen LOVES Max and says she's going to marry him. :)

I debated even putting this picture on here because it's such a bad picture of me, but I have so few pictures of me and the kids. Just pretend like I don't look like I'm a balding middle-aged man and it will be ok.

The last stop on the trip: the giraffes. The girls were all crying that they wanted to go on another ride on the merry-go-round. Oh, and it was naptime. :)

Broken Camera

2008-06-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

So, the camera broke on Memorial Day weekend (have you noticed that all the pix are from that weekend?). It's under a year old, BUT I threw out the receipt a long time ago. Dumb, I know. So I can either spend who knows how much sending it in to get repaired (estimate at $100-$200) or I can just get a new one.

I'm leaning toward just getting a new one.

Can you guys send me recommendations? I'm looking to upgrade to nicer quality pictures... something I could use if I wanted to dabble in photography. Can anyone give suggestions of good cameras?

Thanks, all.

Don't worry, I still have catch-up posts from before "the accident," so there will be more coming soon. I'm sure that was the first concern that came to mind when you read this post. :)

The Day of Everyone

2008-06-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

I noticed in my Go City Kids Newsletter that Arthur was coming to the Children's Museum on Saturday for his birthday party. I knew Madi would love it, especially since she had been begging to go everyday since the day of the Madi. Kurt was out of town (this was Memorial Day weekend), so he missed all the fun, but here are some highlights:

Madi and Max "posing" in the backhoe in the construction room. They loved this thing.

Madi LOVED this little climbing structure. There was a sign that said it was recommended for kids over 5, but Madi climbed all the way up, went across the bridge and came down before I really saw it. She was climbing it like a champ, so I figured it was fine (despite a mother next to me trying to communicate to me via her kid that it was supposed to be JUST for kids over 5- Come on, lady! What do you think "recommended" means?) She was SO excited that she could do it all by herself. I think she spent at least 30 minutes doing this, and it wasn't that big. Max loved watching Madi. She would poke her fingers through holes on the way down, then look at Max through a little space in the plastic. He laughed and thought it was pretty fun.

The "3 Little Pigs" Play, which the kids also loved.

Playing in the kids' room. Max was in heaven- a table that was his height!

The moment of fruition: meeting Arthur. Madi was kind of scared, I think b/c after she gave him a high five, she came running back and immediately got in the stroller.

They were pooped after we left; both kids fell asleep in the car. Yes, that's a popsicle stick sticking out of Madi's mouth. I caved and bought one at the museum to share.

The Day of the Max

2008-06-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

What would an 11 month old appreciate the most?

A nice LONG morning nap to compensate for Mom and Madi's days and a nice long bath. So that's what we did. And I think we went to the playground in the afternoon. He was very happy.

Again, normal day, but still fun. Madi was quite disappointed about him not choosing to go to the Children's Museum. She tried several times to convince me that that would be his destination of choice by talking as if she were him. This is her new thing. If she's talking in a high-pitched voice (and sometimes waving Max's arm while he's "talking"), I know she is speaking as the Max. '

The Day of the Madi

2008-06-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

After my somewhat disappointing day, we moved on to the Day of the Madi. This is how the day started out:

Madi really wanted to paint my fingernails. Since it was the day of the Madi, I put my reservations aside and let her have at it. She did a pretty good job, I must say. Although I removed most of the polish on my skin, I left the polish on my fingers as a memorial to Madi. :)

The original plan was to go to the Children's Museum, but when Madeleine and Gretchen wanted to go with us to the playground, Madi's original plan faded and she quickly decided to go with them instead. I was worried that she didn't quite understand that she was giving up the museum to go to the playground. So I drew pictures of the two activities on little index cards and told her she got to keep one of the cards and had to throw the other card away. The card she kept is what we would do. I knew she got it after she threw the card into the garbage then started suggesting that we go to the museum on Max's day. :)

We had lots of fun at the playground and lots of fun for the rest of the day. It wasn't so different from a normal day, but it was still fun. I don't really remember what we did b/c it's been too long and I didn't write anything down. I'll be quicker next time.

The Day of the Mama

2008-06-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago, I was really just kind of tired of being immersed in kids' stuff day after day. I was tired of taking orders from a 2 1/2 year old, and I kind of felt like a non-person... like my whole existence was to satisfy the needs of those around me. I know that a day on my own or a day at the spa or a trip to the middle of nowhere with a private suite and some books and NO sounds of children would have done the trick. Unfortunately, none of those things were an option to me at this point in time.

So I declared "The Day of the Mama."

I told Madi (and Max, but he's just along for the ride right now anyway) that the day was MY day and that I got to decide what we did, where we went, what we listened to in the car, what we ate, etc... you get the point. It felt great, I must admit. Everything was going to be about ME! :) To assuage my guilt at taking a whole day to do what I wanted, I told Madi that the next day would be her day, and the day after would be Max's day. So although she was initially pretty put off by listening to talk radio, and having to do whatever Mommy wanted her to do when Mommy wanted her to do it (isn't she supposed to be doing this all the time anyway???), as soon as she realized that she would have the power the day after, she was all for it.

Unfortunately, my empowering moments in the beginning of the day quickly faded as the day wore on. I had great plans of going to a few stores to find a couple shirts to accomodate my expanding belly, since I was not ready to start wearing maternity clothes yet (I'm totally over that now :)). The first 30 minutes was great. Madi loved coming in the dressing room and telling me what looked good and what didn't. But... then after that, I was tired of dealing with two kids in retail stores, so I gave up. We went and played on the toys in the middle of the mall instead for the rest of the morning. I did end up buying shirts... for Madi, Max, and Kurt, but not me. And because of our long morning at the mall, both kids fell asleep on the car ride home and neither of them took naps. Sigh.

So much for the day of the mama.

So... Define 'short'

2008-06-06T05:09:00.000-07:00

I just realized how complicated it must be to learn English. I just told Madi that Max was too short to break the lamp, that her dress was too short to wear without pants, and that it would be a short wait for something.

She kind of looked at me trying to process it all. Then repeated all the sentences I'd used 'short' in, but they were all mixed up. Oops. I guess that was confusing.

As I was thinking about how to clarify, she took the roll of toilet paper I'd brought in here as tissues (we're really high class here) and snuck out the door with a grin. I said, "what are you doing with that, Madi?" She said, "I'm making hallinks." Yeah, not sure what that is.

Several minutes later...

Madi singing: "Hush little baby, don't say a word. Mama's going to buy you a taxi driver brain."

Kurt the Bull

2008-06-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, it's kind of a long story, but bottom line is that Kurt's new nickname in my family is "The Bull." I'm not entirely sure of the origins, since it started during the annual Rockwood "guys' trip." My little brother, Dave, produced this little gem in PhotoShop, nabbing the picture from our blog. I laugh everytime I look at it, so I just had to post it for all to enjoy. What I love the most is that in this picture, The Bull is wearing a ponytail. Ah, Kurt is such a good sport. :)

Twins?

2008-05-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

So I went to my monthly OB-GYN check-up today to check on the baby. I told my doc that I had been super sick this pregnancy, and she said, "hmm... I wonder..." She then felt my belly and mumbled, "Hmm... you're feeling a little big for 13 weeks..." Then she got out the doppler and started listening for a heartbeat, which she found above the left side of my pelvis. Then for kicks she started listening for another heartbeat... WHICH SHE FOUND on the upper right side of my abdomen. I gasped, got teary, and looked at her like, "what just happened?" She asked if I wanted to get an ultrasound, just to see, and I nodded. Within a half hour, I was in the radiology waiting room telling my very excited mother that I might be having twins.

Kurt insisted I call him during the ultrasound and breathed a huge sigh of relief when there was only one baby inside. :) And I realized that I'm just fatter and sicker for no reason. Great.

Why he was relieved and I was a little sad and disappointed, I don't know. I mean, I'm the one who would bear the brunt of caring for 4 kids under 4. Being the romantic that I am, I think I just kind of fell in love with the idea for a few minutes. The ultrasound lady said, "twins always sound so exciting until you actually have them..." She's right. I'm sure I would have gone crazy, but it was fun for a few minutes to think about it!

My mom still thinks there might be one swimming around in there somewhere. She was quite disappointed that it was a false alarm. Our scanner's not working, otherwise I would have scanned in the quite cute profile shot we got of our babe today. Maybe another time... like when we find the other one hiding behind her at 18 weeks. :)

Caught in the Act...

2008-05-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to get the oil in our car changed. It was one of those drive-through places where they change the oil and check everything out while you wait in the car. Shortly after they began checking under the hood, I noticed the technician looking my way and laughing. Then she pointed to the backseat. I looked back and- to my horror- saw Madi LICKING her leg. Not just touching her tongue to her leg. We're talking long strokes from her knee to her toes, tongue curling around the toes, then back up again. It was alomst like she was a cat, cleaning herself.

So disgusting. I wanted to throw up.

I can just see her explain to a date in 20 years... "Oh, it's just one of those bad habits I picked up as a kid..."

A Memorial of Memorial Day

2008-05-28T11:25:00.001-07:00

War creates such terrible nightmares. When I listen to veterans talk about their war experiences or read accounts of people who have survived a war, I always cry. Even when I'm not pregnant. I remember in college reading accounts of things that happened during the war in Somalia and wanting to vomit. I recently watched a documentary on Darfur, and I had similar feelings. How can a human being become so beastlike so quickly? What happens to conscience? At what point does a person stop seeing people as human and start seeing them as things?

I know veterans have to adopt this mindset to a certain extent when they fight in wars in order to psychologically survive. However, I have to believe that this does not make all soldiers beasts. I think veterans are the only people who come close to understanding the value of life the way a mother does. I also think that war's oppressive weight often gives birth to overwhelming goodness and peace in war's survivers. They are tired. They want rest. They know peace because they understand what life can become in its absence. I think many of them choose to find hope for a better world and then live accordingly. I have often wondered if all world leaders were mothers and veterans, would they be as quick to go to war when confronted with difficult situations?

Anyway, I thought about all these things this Memorial Day. I think this is the first time I have ever truly celebrated the intent of the holiday. :) My brother-in-law and grandfather both served in wars, so that also helped personalize my thoughts. Since Kurt was out of town, Madi, Max, and I stayed close to home. We went to the parade in Cambridge, and I cried and cheered and yelled 'thank you!!' to all the veterans who marched by us. I know I'm crazy, but I just couldn't help myself. It helped that my sidekick (Madi) was right next to me doing the same thing. :) Here are some highlight pictures.

Waiting for the parade to start...

Madi's reaction to all the bands and costumes

Max's response

First group of veterans. Sorry, Karl, I was too busy crying and telling Madi how great you were to get a shot of the Iraq group.

Cambridge High marching band

Cambridge City Police Force

What parade is complete without bagpipes?

And of course, no New England parade would be complete without people in period costume with bayonets. :)

The only group to throw candy... Madi was thrilled!!

The girlification of Max... and his dad :)

2008-05-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know why Madi and I get so much joy out of doing stuff like this, but apparently we do it a lot. This was our project one Saturday afternoon as Max and his dad were watching the Kentucky Derby. Madi was laughing so hard and was so excited when I suggested it (yes, I suggested it). I guess I do cave in to peer pressure... uh, daughter pressure?

Max thought it was funny that we were laughing so hard. He won't be laughing in twenty years. :) I mean, look at his dad.

I begged Kurt to let me do it so I could take a picture. He unwillingly caved, but you can see how enthused he was about having me put a ponytail on him and his son.... and subsequently publish it on the bloggosphere.

This is a separate occurrence. Madi takes all the blame for this one.

Max sometimes crawls one leg out of his pajamas, which makes it look like he has only one leg. This specific morning, with the hat on, and the positioning of the "empty leg," it made him look like a cheerleader doing full splits.

I suppose this will continue. I mean, I'm still laughing looking at the pictures, so I apparently like girlifying him. Poor Max.

Attack of the Cutlery

2008-05-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

So one of Madi's favorite things to do is play with the plastic kid cutlery we (apparently) have in a kid-accessible place. One of Madi's other favorite things to do is play with Max (or harrass him, as the case may be... it's a fine line, you know). I came in to the kitchen one morning after only leaving for about five minutes only to find this:

I thought, "Hmm, Max is looking kind of...lumpy. What is that in his pajamas?" I unbuttoned them only to find this:

Madi had shoved every plastic fork, spoon, and knife she could find into Max's pajamas. she apparently started with his back, but then ran out of room, so she also put them down his front and up his sleeves:
At least she had the courtesy to let some of them hang out far enough for him to play with, which is what he was doing while waiting for Mommy to come rescue him. :)

I laugh every time I look at these pictures. It's a mixture of Madi's creativity and Max's mild temperament. I can't wait to see how they play together when Max can walk and talk. Watch out, Madi!!

Yup, it's true.

2008-05-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

If you have seen me lately and thought, "Hmm, she's looking kind of pregnant-y...." then you would be right. Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm 13 weeks, and I'm already showing. Great.

And if you looked at Max, realizing that he's not even a year old, and thought, "Hmm, those two will be really close in age. I bet that they didn't plan it" then you would also be right. Max and the baby will be 17 months apart.

And if you were surprised, take that surprise times 100 and you will feel how we felt when we found out. :)

I am adjusting to this idea, and I'm actually kind of excited to have another baby. Babies are so sweet and innocent and pure, and they bring such a wonderful feeling into the house. I already feel peace and a little relief that I don't have to worry about deciding when to have another one; but I'm also still adjusting to the whole idea of having three children under 3.5. I know others have done it, and I'm sure we'll get through it, too.

I did not have morning sickness with Madi or Max, but have had it (all day) with this one, and am still in the thick of it. I'm starting to feel better longer, so I think the end is in sight.

If you are thinking, "Maybe she's having twins," then you would have the same thought that I shove out of my mind regularly :). Madi- who tends to be rather psychic when it comes to telling who has babies in their bellies- tells me on a regular basis that I have two sisters for her in my belly. However, she also just as frequently says that I have five babies in my belly, so then I feel relieved. :) She says the five babies are: Angelina Ballerina, Madi, Max (but he already came out, that's what she says), and some games. Yeah, I don't remember what #5 was. I think it was an animal.

So that's the news around here and part of the reason I've been really bad about posting, even though I'm done with finals.

Catch-up

2008-05-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's sad to me that those "catch-up" posts are the only pictures I took in the last two months. I really need to capture all these great moments that seem to just melt through my brain when I try to remember them.

Madi and Max are growing up so quickly it astounds me. They literally seem a little more grown-up everyday. Kurt made me a beautiful photo montage put to music for Mother's Day (I'm trying to figure out how to post it- it's just great). I cried when I saw the first picture of Madi in my arms in the delivery room. I can't believe that my kids are growing up so fast! I just never realized how much activity happens inside of a person- especially a kid- in one day. I am really in awe of this every day.

Madi still has a posse of imaginary friends and loves to pretend. She still loves reading and playing on the playground and hugging Max (really hard!). She's also still really funny. I have a ton of Madi stories, but cannot recall a single one at the moment. I will conference with Kurt and try to post what we can remember. Madi's like a little light that just runs around, greeting everyone she meets with a smile and a "Hi. My name's Madi." She's still very brave and strong-willed, and creative, and just fun to be around. My favorite Madi-ism is when she says, "Mommy, you're my best friend." Ah, so nice. I think I'll record it and play it back to her when she's a teenager.

Max is crawling all over the place and just started pulling himself up on furniture a couple weeks ago. He is EXTREMELY curious and gets into everything he can get his hands on. This includes... everything, but especially anything Madi is using. He loves doing almost anything with Madi, but does not enjoy her "full-body press." He has learned pre-emptive crying usually helps get attention a lot faster than waiting until she actually attacks. Max is also eating anything and everything in sight. It is as if the last 10 months of hunger finally caught up. He's put on several pounds in the last month and I'm hoping he'll break the 10th percentile at his next appt. He especially likes crawling around the table, trying to find scraps of food to eat. He also loves to laugh and will sometimes laugh (with provocation) for like 5+ minutes at a time. Maybe he's burning too many calories laughing and that's why he's so thin.

Kurt has not traveled in the last 6 months! And we just found out that his newest case will be based in Boston! I'm so in love with the VP and manager on this case b/c they are SO family-friendly (this is the second case Kurt has had with them). We're excited about the upcoming BCG family weekend at Cape Cod and are looking forward to spending another year and a half or more at the company.

I just finished finals on Friday, and am now gearing up to start my thesis. I've been saying I'm going to start my thesis for over a year now, but this time it is real. I'm done with classes and have no other excuse to put it off, and have every reason to get it done NOW.

Kurt and I have also been working a lot with our church callings, all of which have been very challenging and very rewarding... as usual, right?

I think that's probably more than enough catch-up. I'm done. Hopefully, I can stay on top of things more in the upcoming months.

In the Dog House

2008-05-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

So, one day Madi was playing and asked me to make her a dog house. So I gave her this:

She apparently asked Kurt the same question, because I came in a while later, and she had this:

We can obviously see which dog house won the Madi award, considering his Cheerios box-duct-taped-personalized-"Gilbert"-dog house is sitting triumphantly atop my laundry basket dog house.

I just love this story because it is a great reflection of how Kurt and I see the world. Me, very abstract. Kurt, very concrete. Which will our kids be? Confused? :)

Boston, meet the Crocketts

2008-05-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been around someone who just uplifts and energizes you every time you interact with them? If not, you should meet the Crocketts. They are pure gold. I met Julie Kaye years ago when we worked EFY together. We were instant friends. She also cuts my hair- STILL after six years (she lives in Utah and I live in Boston... it's a long distance relationship). I have yet to get a haircut that I don't like from JKC. I got to get to know her sister, Shawna, and her mom, Sydnee when they stopped to see me on their Boston tour. I LOVE THIS FAMILY!! Here's a few snapshots from our exploits.

DAY 1: Cambridge

Finishing a delicious breakfast at Z-Square, one of my favorite breakfast stops in Harvard Square.

At the Harvard Square T-stop. Unfortunately, you can't see Madi's french braid, compliments of Julie Kaye. She totally won Madi's heart with that, and Madi couldn't stop talking about Julie Kaye and her family for the rest of the week.

Echo Arch at Sever Hall, Harvard Yard. If you whisper into the arch on one side, the person on the other side of the arch can hear you, but not the person next to you.

I can't believe this is the only picture I took on our Harvard Yard tour. Sigh.

DAY 2: Boston

I didn't realize when the day started that I would be able to meet the Crocketts downtown. Julie Kaye called to let me know where they were going, and I just HAD to go. Who can pass up Boston in nice weather? When I turned around after hanging up the phone, I realized what Madi had been doing while I was occupied. Cheese piles. She was burying her feet in the "sand" (ie: shredded cheese). We were slightly delayed getting out the door. And yes. Cheese leaves grease marks on hardwood floors.

I love this picture. This is Julie Kaye's mom, Sydnee. Madi LOVED her!

The trashcan says "Butts here." When they saw it, they all started laughing simultaneously and they didn't even need to explain to each other- they just posed. :) I had to snap a shot of this in action. Too funny.

At the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. We sampled amazing Boston Creme Pie and the REAL Parker House Rolls. Yum.
Max fell asleep on our way back to the car, so I took Madi to play at the playground in Boston Common for a few minutes before heading home.

I'm so artistic. Look at this amazing photography. :) j/k Jen Smith, close your eyes.

Julie Kaye playing with Max. He was a good sport, even though he missed his morning nap.

Street performers in front of Fanuil Hall. Pretty cool dancing, I must say.

We miss you, Crocketts!

A Scientific Morning

2008-05-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Kurt has been able to work from home quite a bit in the last few months. It's been AWESOME to have him around so much. On on of these days, Madi and I took a Madi-Mommy date to the Science Museum and Kurt worked at home while Max slept. I'll tell you what- if you want a good time, call Madi. This kid is a blast! She's really just a hoot to hang around and you will never be bored, I promise you that.

For once, she didn't have to stick close by the stroller. We didn't have a stroller! She got to run anywhere she wanted and pick wherever she wanted to go. This included about six escalator rides, the reptile and amphibian exhibit, the children's room (of course), and anything that happened to catch her attention along the way. And we talked the entire time....well, at least one of us did. :)

It was a really fun morning.

The following is a series of pictures depicting how difficult it is to catch this creature on film. She will NOT look at the camera for pictures! I don't know if she does it on purpose or not, but it can be quite frustrating. Ask anyone who has tried to take pictures of her, including the recent professional we just paid to do so.

"Madi, look at Mommy!"

"Madi, look at the camera!"

"Madi, say cheese!"

"No, smile and say cheese. Look over here at Mommy."

Sigh.

Shadow room

Gotcha! Finally a picture of her looking at the camera!

Between the time my finger hit the button and the camera taking the shot, she crawled out from underneath the turtle shell and took off.

King Pin

2008-04-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

So, a couple months ago, we decided to go candlepin bowling at a place really close to our house. Here are some of my favorite shots.

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Catch-up

2008-04-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to play catch-up, but it will be slow as usual. I have another post that won't publish for some reason. I'm trying to fix everything... think I'm going to have to re-load the pictures. More to come soon...

Huntin for Easter

2008-03-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

For Easter, we had all the neighbor kids over for an Easter Egg hunt. Then, the next day, our neighbor had us over to do an egg hunt in their backyard. What a great neighborhood we live in!!! Unfortunately, not all these kids live on our street ALL the time... two of them were visiting cousins in town for Easter. But it was certainly more fun to have more people. Characteristically, Madi would not look at the camera for any of the pictures. Oh well. I work with what I've got. :)

Five minutes in the life of Madi

2008-03-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

I wrote this email to my mom a couple months ago. Kurt found it today as he was cleaning out his emailbox, so I thought I would post it b/c it made me laugh.

Five minutes of Madi’s life transcribed in “real-time” by her mom

(this is Madi talking to herself)
Mada, where are you?
I’m here, Nora.
Starts singing random song (made up?)… about a potty and a mailman
Hmm… (stands in front of the fireplace, listening to the sound it’s making) Can you turn it on, Mommy?
(is kind of scared, starts laughing when I turn it on)
Kneels down next to fire, picks up fat crayons, starts using them as “lipstick”
“Hey, witch! I found some more.”
(lays crayons out in a row on the carpet)
“Hey, witch, I will step with you. That’s Elmo’s world (sung).
One for you, one for me. Here you go, witch.
(wanders over to me)
“Here you go, witch.” (I am now the witch)
(wanders into the kitchen)
“I need help with the last one”
(wanders back into the family room)
(continues to line crayons up)
“Mommy, can you turn the fire on, please?” (I turned it off b/c it was making a funny sound)
“Let’s see what the fox is doing. What’s the baby fox doing?” (starts singing a made-up song)
Finds one of Max’s toys, starts tapping it on the fireplace.
“Let’s see what the fox is doing.”
Finds the computer cord.
“I think the fire is hungry.”
When she discovers that the cord won’t reach the fire to “feed” it, she uses it as a belt instead. Then, she plugs it back into the computer, then she steps back and forth over it for a while. Goes to get her babies.
“Here, baby June, stay with your Mommy. Here all of you guys (to all her dolls), you stay with your Mommy (piles dolls on my lap). Do you want a blanket? Here, here’s a blanket for you (as she tries to put a blanket over all her babies, then climbs up into the little space between my legs and the computer in between all her babies she’s just put in my lap). “Mommy, can I sit in your lap?”
Kurt distracts her because hey! I'm transcribing her life!
“Daddy, let’s have a picmic, Daddy.” (repeats until he acknowledges her)
“You want to have a picnic? Ok (says Kurt)”
“Ok, I will get an orange.”
Opens fridge, opens produce drawer.
“Nope, no oranges here.”
Opens other produce drawer.
“Nope, no oranges here.”
Kurt helps her find an orange.

I had to stop there because I was laughing so hard and I could hardly keep up. This is what she does when she's bored... she just wanders around trying to find something interesting enough to hold her attention. And if she can't, that's usually when she enlists Mom and Dad, which you can see happened about 4 minutes into this. :)

I love life with Madi.

DELICIOUS!!!!

2008-03-18T18:34:00.001-07:00

I'm working on a midterm right now, but I had to post this recipe. We had it for dinner tonight and I just went back for seconds (three hours later) and it was still AWESOME!!

I really like fish (IF it is not overcooked), but my husband usually makes a face when he finds out that we're having fish for dinner. HOWEVER, this was a hit with the whole fam. We all loved it! And it's so easy and so fast. Here you go:

Pistachio Encrusted Tilapia Filets
1 pkg pistachios (abt. 1 1/2 to 2 cups??)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
honey mustard

Grind pistachios in food processor or put in ziploc bag and pound them with a meat mallet until they are in small chunks. Mix pistachios with oregano, thyme, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Rinse filets and pat dry. Add a little salt and pepper. Brush honey mustard on each filet (be generous... this is what holds the pistachio mixture on). Put filet in the nut mixture and scoop the mixture on top. Heat pan on medium low and add oil. Add the filets and cook about 3 minutes on each side. YUM!!!!!

Wish I had a picture, but it was gone too fast. I served it with a side of seasoned bowtie pasta and snow peas with proscuitto and pine nuts. This is only my second experience with proscuitto, but I don't think I like the taste very much. I was trying to use up the package.

Let me know if you try this recipe and have any tips. My pistachios got a little blackened toward the end and a lot of them fell off the fish. Let me know if you have solutions for this.

Ok, back to work.

I love my Mommy

2008-02-27T11:58:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I felt totally and completely- one might say hopelessly- overwhelmed. School pressures, two callings with pressing concerns, sick kids, and a messy house. None of these things are new stresses, and thankfully Kurt is a HUGE help in all of the above categories. I like having such a full life, and most of these stresses are manageable. However, the disorganized house stress is one that I have never been able to shake. It is constantly in the back of my head. Whenever I sit down on the T, when I'm in the temple, when I lay down at night... even if the house is relatively clean, I know what lurks behind the doors and cupboards, and it drives me crazy that there is no organization!!!! It all started (or continued) last May when we moved in. Within a month after moving in, Kurt graduated, we had 3 weeks of house guests, I birthed Max (hee, hee, that sounds funny), and we took off for a six week series of trips. I started school again a couple weeks after we got back so I never really had a chance to fully unpack and organize everything.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I was literally on the brink of insanity. I've never felt like that before. I literally felt that I was going to break in two, pull my hair out, or run down the street naked shouting "the end is coming!". I called my mom and begged her to come with my Dad (he had business here) and help me finally get organized. She came and went from room to room, top to bottom and helped me sort, label, and de-clutter. In addition, she bought bunches of organization helps (plastic tubs, bins, etc..), perpetually did laundry, made food for us, and played with my kids. After she left, we had several meals in the freezer, bunches of leftovers in the fridge, clean clothes, finished projects (that I'd started months before), and no dust bunnies anywhere in the house. I feel like a new woman! It takes me literally 5 minutes in every room now to pick up (well, a little longer in the kitchen) and my house has been clean every day since she left.

I had no idea how much of my stress was from that area of my life until everything was done. I can focus better, I'm more relaxed, and I have more time! :) Kurt asked a couple days ago why this semester seemed so much more relaxed than last semester even though I'm taking more classes. There are many reasons for this, but probably the biggest is MY ORGANIZED HOUSE!!

Thank you, Mom!!! You saved me!!

Comments

2008-02-27T11:52:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else get comments from people they don't know that just say, "Look here" with a hyperlink to another website? I have gotten like 3-4 in the last couple days. I fell for it the first time (last week) b/c I thought it was someone from High School or someone that I'd lost touch with. I realized when I clicked on the link and my computer supposedly went into a "security scan" and found all these terrible viruses and all I had to do was click "ok" and they would all be wiped out. Luckily, I didn't click ok and just had my own anti-virus software scan the computer. However, I think b/c of that, I still get all these random comments now. I hate it. I feel like I'm being viewed by a bunch of pedaphiles or something...

Has anyone else had this problem? Can I fix it? Do I have to take the blog private?

Mad Max my wonderboy

2008-02-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I am going to do this for Max, too, since we have basically no information about him on this blog.

All about: Maxwell Kurtis Knight

Age: 8 months (in 2 days)

I have 0 brothers and 1 sister

My favorite food is: Mommy's milk, but also squash, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, zucchini, mashed brown rice... He will eat broccoli and green beans ONLY if I mix them with one of the above things.

He taps his right arm on the tray three times after every bite he takes. Isn't that funny? He also whines like a puppy (only a lower octave) when he's really hungry, waiting in his chair for me to get his food.

My favorite place to go is: wherever people are. If we leave him alone in a room, he will whimper and yell until 1. someone comes back in, or 2. we bring him into wherever we are

My favorite book is: He likes That's not my Tractor, Gossie, and anything his mom and sister are reading. Although, sometimes he'd rather eat the book than listen to it.

My favorite Primary song is: Not sure, but he recognizes "I am a Child of God," so maybe that one. He also stops crying if I start singing the song, "Heavenly Father loves me."

My favorite Scripture Story is: I think at this point, he just likes watching Madi play Joseph Smith. :)

One of my favorite things to do is: Smile, laugh, and squeal. He is very extroverted. He often stares at people, waiting until they look at him. When they do, he goes nuts. He smiles, laughs, reaches for the person, etc... What a charmer.

He also loves to play with my hair while he's nursing. Surprisingly, he rarely tries to pull it. He just twirls it around his fingers and it actually feels really good!

He is also enjoying his new-found scooting freedom. He lays on his tummy, pushes up on his toes and kicks forward a little. He is *this* close to crawling and sometimes gets a little frustrated with not moving more. Of course, his crying could also be because Madi usually tries to "ride" him while he's trying to crawl. Actually, most of the time he likes it (laughs and smiles), but doesn't have patience when Madi tries to get him to giddyup or something similar.

One thing my parents think is especially great about me is: Max is so laid back and fun. It's hard to be in the same room with him without smiling, laughing, and relaxing. The other day we were in the car coming home from something??? after the kids' bedtimes. Madi was crying in her seat. Suddenly, we heard a giggle coming out of Max's carseat. Everyone stopped, then started laughing (including Madi) because Max was laughing at nothing. We still don't know what he was laughing about. We are so grateful to have his presence in our home! We love you, Max!!

Getting to Know Madi

2008-02-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

I had to fill this out for Primary/Nursery and it turned out to be kind of a cross-section of what's been going on with her lately, so I thought I would post it.

All about: Madison Jolene Knight

Age: 2 ½

I have 1 brothers and 0 sisters

My favorite food is: actually, I’m not sure. She really loves everything. She especially LOVES vegetables and will often ask me for broccoli, carrots, zucchini, squash either for a snack or for a meal. She also really likes pizza and chocolate chip cookies.  She is a great eater and will about anything except cooked spinach, my chicken enchiladas, and boxed macaroni and cheese.

My favorite place to go is: the beach (even if the water is freezing), our basement (she’ll stay down there for an hour sometimes, building towers out of our food storage)

My favorite book: currently is Flat Stanley, but it frequently changes. She really likes The Rainbow Goblins, The Napping House, and any lift the flap/pop-up book

My favorite Primary song is: I am a Child of God or Follow the Prophet, not sure which one would win.

My favorite Scripture Story is: Ammon. She talks about him all the time. She really thinks he’s cool. A few months ago, we were playing outside and she suddenly looked like she remembered something, said “Ammon,” then ran to the door. When I asked her where she was going, she said she wanted to get some knives. When I asked her why she wanted the knives, she said, “So I can cut off people’s arms.” Great. [Sorry for the repeat story- those of you who read this when I posted it before]
She’s also kind of obsessed with the story of Joseph Smith’s hurt leg. She will tell me the story or ask me to tell her the story everyday. It’s kind of funny because Joseph Smith is now one of her imaginary friends. I often overhear her saying, “Oh, yeah, Joseph Smith [always the full name], is your leg ok now?” She also sometimes pretends that she is Joseph Smith. I heard her telling one of her friends the other day that her leg was hurt (because she was Joseph Smith at the time) and her friend was really concerned about it… kept asking Madi if her leg was ok.

She also really likes the story of Nephi and the "grass plates."

One of my favorite things to do is: pretend, pretend, pretend!! And she LOVES to dress up (to assist the pretend scenario of the moment). She has a pack of imaginary friends and will frequently sit in her bed in the morning “playing” with all her friends. I guess sometimes her imaginary friends leave b/c then she enlists Mommy, Max, or Daddy in her pretend activities. Her newest pretend scene is the couch- she makes it into a car and other people have to go driving with her (of course replete with “driving attire”- gloves, hats, scarves, etc…) She’s also really into letters right now and will try to “spell” things with her letter or number magnets. She also REALLY likes to watch “Little Einsteins” (not Baby Einsteins) on the Disney Channel. Today I came downstairs and heard her singing the Little Einsteins theme song and talking to the characters on the show. I found her in her dress ups, laying in Max’s bouncer seat behind the couch (her rocket). When I found her, she stopped singing, looked at me and said, “Can you leave, Mommy?” Yeah, toss me aside now, but when you want to go “driving,” suddenly I’ll be needed again. 

(The bowl in Kurt's hands is the steering wheel)

Daddy, Max, and Madi in the "car."

One thing my parents think is especially great about me is: Madi can entertain herself for hours. She is bright and vivacious. She has a wonderful sense of humor and is very compassionate. She’s super creative and so fun to hang out with. She often calls me her sister (I think she’s still figuring out all the different relationship names) and I kind of feel like that sometimes. She’s very mature and fun to be around. She is constantly making our whole family laugh. We just love her and can’t imagine life without her.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack....

2008-02-19T21:06:00.001-08:00

Well, kind of. It's midnight, my son is upstairs crying, and I have a headache. So, this will be short.Some of my recent favorite pics.

This is what Max did when I gave him broccoli for the first time...wasn't a fan.

For your viewing pleasure

2008-01-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

We did this slideshow for our landlords, since they have been dying for pictures of the house in the snow/ at Christmas time. I noticed when I did it that I could embed the slideshow into my blog, so I thought, "why not?" You can tell I don't really know the program very well since I have a lot of sideways pictures and fuzzy ones I wanted to delete. Anyway, here it is.

More catch-up posts to come soon... just have to get this final paper knocked off first.

Annoying?

2007-12-31T20:12:00.000-08:00

My mom and sister-in-law (Barb) took Madi, Max, and Emily (Madi's cousin) for a walk today. Madi started singing, then turned to Barb and said, "Can you hear my song?" Barb said, "Yeah, I like it." Then Madi said, "Is it bugging you?" Barb laughing said, "No." Madi said, "Oh, ok" and kept singing. :)

I will post more soon, hopefully. I just wanted to write this down before I forgot.

Madi's Christmas songs...

2007-12-15T10:16:00.001-08:00

Some random stories... I couldn't leave the poopy story on there forever. (btw... you are right that Madi's diapers are unforgettable, but I think the frequent toilet talk on here is more because Madi's Mommy thinks it's funny and less because she talks a lot about it. :) It really is one of my New Year's Resolutions to be less crude on my blog. :) Anyway, here we go.

One of Madi's favorite Christmas songs is "The First Noel." These are her words: "Da Third No-ah-well, well the ainhell his words."

Today, we were listening to Christmas music on the radio while we were eating lunch.
ME: Madi! Listen! It's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach.
MADI: No, it's by Beethoven.
ME: It is? Are you sure?
MADI: Yeah, it is.
ME: Oh

What would really make this story is if she had been right. Unfortunately, she wasn't, but I was pleased that she knew who Beethoven was. Thanks again, Little Einsteins!

Madi and Kurt were playing today on the couch. Madi said, "Dad, your belly's like a caterpillar." Hee, hee... sorry, Kurt. I had to- it was too funny.

We are the Knights who say "poopy"

2007-12-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

Transcript (as close to verbatim as I can remember) of last night on the way to the ward Christmas party:
MADI: something, something, something (I couldn't understand this part) poopy.
ME: What? Your poopy?
MADI: Yeah, my poopy.
ME: What about your poopy?
MADI: Talk about it.
ME: Ok. (Kurt and I trying not to laugh out loud) What do you want me to say?
MADI: Poopy.
ME: Poopy.
MADI: Thank you.

At this point, Kurt and I are dying,laughing so hard we can't breathe.

MADI: Why you laughing about, Mommy and Daddy?
ME: Oh, Madi, you are just so funny. Such a funny girl.
MADI: You're welcome, Mommy.

I fell asleep last night still laughing.

Origin of our blog name...

2007-12-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have missed out on this fabulous piece of pop culture (Emily, I can't believe you've never seen this), our blog name comes from the movie Monte Python and the Holy Grail. I am attempting to put a clip of this part of the movie on here. Yes, the clip is stupid. The whole movie is stupid... stupidly funny. It's one of those movies that you have to watch at 2am when you are sleep deprived and really punchy to fully appreciate. The clip is kind of long (5 min), but you will get the point if you only watch the first couple of minutes. Anyway, here you go: the origin of our blog name:

After watching this clip, I realized that I had misquoted (I put "knights that say ni" instead of "who say ni"). I have changed our name accordingly.

I interrupt this silence to bring you more silence...

2007-12-01T13:18:00.000-08:00

So, part of the reason I haven't posted in so long is because I just wanted Kurt's picture to linger as long as possible. But the other reason is that the Thanksgiving to New Year's stretch is like 6 months smushed into six weeks. Life has picked up pace!

I plan to post a highlights post soon... hopefully tomorrow? Thanks for caring. If you don't care, thanks for not telling me. :)

My REAL Heart-throb

2007-11-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

Eat your heart out, Brian Williams!

Brian Williams, my new crush

2007-11-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

I laughed SO hard at this! I watched Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago with Brian Williams hosting. I was belly laughing through the whole show. Kurt says he thinks it's because I have a crush on Brian Williams, because he didn't think it was as funny as I did. Maybe he's right. In any case, I'm posting two of my favorite skits. I can't figure out how to put the actual video on here, so I'll just put the two links:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/index.shtml#mea=178708

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/index.shtml#mea=178707

Kurt says, "Are you sure you really want those on your blog?" He's just jealous b/c I put a video up of Brian Williams before I put up a video of him. Sorry, Kurty! Maybe you should do a video of you as James Bond- I would TOTALLY post it on here. :)

Family Pictures 2007

2007-11-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

We had a friend (thanks, Jen Friedman!) take our family pictures at Mt. Auburn cemetary on Saturday. Here are some of our favorites. Disclaimer: it was very cold and the kids were both tired and hungry. I think there were only 2 pictures where Max was looking at the camera. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, I think Jen did a great job.

p.s. I hate Blogger's picture download software!!

The Great Madisonian strikes again...

2007-11-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

Kurt was talking to Madi the other night and said, "Madi, what's your full name." "Madison Jolene Knight," she replied. Not too surprising because I've been working with her on that one. Then he says, "What's your phone number?" Guess what? She knew it! I'm not joking. I have never once in all of the child's 27 months told her what her phone number was, but here she was rattling it off to Daddy. She must have picked it up from hearing me tell people on the phone. I was aghast. What other things has she picked up unbeknownst to Mom and Dad?

Maybe this week, I will teach her to introduce our whole family at social gatherings. "This is my mother. She enjoys books, politics, and friendly banter. This is my father. He likes football, opera, and long walks on the beach. And this is my baby brother. He likes smiling, giggling, and playing Rolley with me." Who knows? Maybe she'll pick it up in Greek, too...

Do you smell that?

2007-11-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Madi and Max and I were hanging out (I think I was nursing). Madi was working on a stinky diaper. Suddenly, she plugged her nose (I will HAVE to get a picture of this b/c it is HILARIOUS!) and said, "P.U.! Something stinks. Whew!! Is it you, Mommy?" I was laughing so hard at this point that I just shook my head. She repeated the whole thing, then I finally said, "Madi, I think it's you." She said, "Oh. Mommy, I have a stinky diaper." Let's hear it for creative ways of asking Mom to change you.

A REAL Ghost Story

2007-11-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Halloween, Kurt and I decided to go to Salem for a date. We took a candle light tour, which we've both always wanted to do.

The guide took us on a tour of all the haunted places in downtown Salem. It was really interesting. Here's a shot of the graveyard where a ton of people swear they see and hear ghosts all the time. The guide told us to take a picture b/c people see ghosts on their film all the time. I was like, "Yeah right," but I took the picture anyway.

This next shot is what has now been infamously dubbed, "THE PICTURE" by Kurt and I. The picture is of a restaurant that was built on top of what used to be Bridget Bishop's orchard (she was one of the first people killed in the witch trials). The guide told us that this site is notoriously active in supernatural events. She said just recently, the Discovery Channel tried to film something for one of their programs (one on haunted houses or something), but they had tons of technical difficulties. Yeah, yeah, whatever, lady! That's what I said until I took this:

I thought at first that it was rain or something, but it wasn't raining. I quickly took another picture which turned out like this.

I showed the guide and she told me it was ectoplasm. I had captured a ghost on film! Me, the unbeliever! Say what you will, but I think it was Bridget Bishop trying to tell me to stop taking pictures of her property! :) Isn't it crazy? I have been talking about THE PICTURE ever since I took it. I think I might try to sell it. :)

My Favorite Recent Pix

2007-11-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

Madi and I were fingerpainting, and I suddenly had the urge to paint her belly. I just put a couple finger prints on it, but she would have none of it. "Don't paint my belly, Mommy!" I said sorry, but its smooth roundness called out to me, and I couldn't resist painting it again. That really made her mad, so we determined my consequence was to sit on the step for a minute. When I got off the step, I came back in and she had painted her entire torso. I tried to get her to hold still for a picture, but she was really wiggly. Notice my toes holding on to her jeans, trying to get her to stay in one place so I could get the shot.

I have a funny video of this. Maybe I'll try to post it. Madi LOVES harrassing Max in the morning. It's harrassment laced with love. :)

There is no way to capture the funny-ness of this moment. This shot was the best I could do. Madi decided to climb behind the couch last Sunday morning and got stuck. The harder she tried to get out, the more stuck she got. We had to pull the couch out from the wall and gently extricate her. It was actually not very easy to do.

Max, my sweet little boy. I love this picture. Makes him look like a little cherub...with no wings and a striped suit on.

Too cute.

Before Kurt took this picture, he said that Madi was laying on Max's lap with her arm around him. As soon as she saw the camera, she rolled over. Still a cute pic.

Playing at the playground. I like this picture because, sadly enough, it's one of the only ones I have of the fall leaves.

I caught one of her laughs on film! Cool, but totally accidental.

What do you get when you mix Halloween with a BFA in Acting?

2007-11-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

THIS!!

King Kong grabbing his girlfriend....

and a facebook page.

Katie, how do you come up with these things?

Halloweenie in Bostoneeny

2007-11-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

My sister started calling this holiday Halloweenie and I cannot for the life of me get that name out of my head. So, I guess for the time being, I will just stop fighting. :) This was our FHE activity the Monday before Halloween- pumpkin carving. You can see how interested Madi was in the goop and seeds. She loved helping to carve the pumpkin, though, and had even more fun putting the candle inside and watching it glow in the dark.

Here's Kurt on one of the rare Monday nights where he's here and not in New York. Madi is probably talking about the cool candle inside the pumpkin. She was so excited, she couldn't sit down for long.

Here we are, looking at the candle inside the pumpkin... again. Max is just along for the ride. He had fun watching us. I think he's more interested in the camera than the pumpkin.

Yea! We're all looking at the camera!

Here's the actual Halloween night picture. My kids were goldfish and I was fish food (see the sign behind them). Halloween night was kind of a fiasco. About a half hour before we were going to go trick-or-treating, the carbon monoxide detector went off. At first, I thought it was just the batteries dying, but when the upstairs monitor started going off, too, I thought I better call. Apparently, our stove has been producing carbon monoxide since we moved in, but in small amounts. For some reason, the stock pot I used on the stove this night reacted funny with the flame and started producing lethal amounts of carbon monoxide. The guy told me that if I had had 15 minutes exposure to it (next to the stove), I would have died. Considering, I had had 10 minutes of exposure to it, I feel pretty lucky to be alive right now. Needless to say, Halloween ended up being one crazy night. Thank goodness for my neighbors, the Tofts, who took my kids and fed Madi while we were getting the house aired out. Then, they went the extra mile and helped me take the kids trick or treating afterwards. I am so lucky to have such fabulous neighbors.

Another Funny Madi Story...

2007-11-01T11:46:00.001-07:00

We were at Wilson Farms, walking down the stairs to see the animals with Madi leading the way. Suddenly, she stops, looks back at me and says, "Are you following me?"

Yep, sure am, kid. You can't lose me that easily. :)

Funny as that was, it did not make me laugh as hard as a previous Thursday's events. We were driving home from Kindermusik a few weeks ago, Madi entertaining herself in her car seat. It was a beautiful day, so I had the windows down. Suddenly, I hear, "OH NO!! MY SHOES!!" I looked back and see Madi craning her head in order to locate the pink crocs she had just chucked out her window. I quickly pulled into a driveway, watched as a truck plowed over her shoe (with Madi shouting "Oh no! The truck, Mommy! MY SHOES!!"), ran into the middle of the street (Concord Ave- one of the busiest streets in Cambridge) and snatched the shoes right before another car tumbled over them again. I returned to triumphant calls of "You did it, Mommy! Thanks!" coming from the backseat.

Another Philosophical Question...

2007-10-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

If they made jelly that was peanut butter-flavored, would you buy it?

Memories...

2007-10-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Since I seem to be having such a hard time getting recent photos up on my posts, I will put a few on here from our fun Labor Day excursion to Crane Beach. We went with all the "dentals" (ie: dental student in our ward). Who knew dentistry could be so fun!! They are definitely a happenin crowd around these parts.

Kurt buried Madi in the sand. I think he was going to try to bury all of her, but she was a little too impatient and isn't a huge fan of having sand close to her mouth (see previous blog entry).

This picture doesn't do it justice. There were literally hundreds of people on the beach that day. It was so crowded. Luckily, we got there early enough that we got a good, large spot close to the surf.

Kurty and Max, the sole bearers of the Knight testosterone (the Boston Knights, that is...not trying to demean the Utah Knights' masculinity). Looks like Kurt is saluting, doesn't it? Aye, Salute to you as well, Cap'n!

Madi and I building a sand castle. Thanks for snapping a picture, Kurt. Now our posterity will see that I do actually exist (I'm not very good at taking pictures of me or with me in them).

The kiddies crowding around a bucket with a hermit crab in it. Thanks to Brianne's mother-in-law for doing the catching. Poor McKinley. Someday you'll be able to fight your way in. For now, I guess you'll have to be content to look at Marcus' shorts.

My night last night....

2007-10-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

6:30-7:30 pm: Dealt with an extremely overtired screaming 4 month old
8:00 pm: Put a screaming 2 year old to bed.
1:00 am: Went to bed after trying to get everything done that I didn't finish during the day (since I have my class during naptime on Tuesdays).
3:00 am: Woke up to an overtired 4 month old screaming again.
4:45 am: Woke up to Madi coughing herself awake, then crying for mommy. Rocked her, calmed her down, gave her some water, and tried to convince her that it was still nighttime and she should go back to sleep. Finally convinced her by agreeing to lay on the floor and hold her hand through the slats of her crib until she fell asleep.
5:15 am: Woke up to the sound of Max fussing, got up off of Madi's floor and went back to my bed where I'd put Max the last time he woke up. Tried to nurse him back to sleep (I know... bad habit, but I was desparate. What am I saying... I do this every time he wakes up at night). Didn't work because he had a series of burps that wouldn't come out.
5:30 am: Finally got Max calmed down and back to sleep.
7:30 am: Woke up to Madi singing in the other room.
7:31 am: Reached for the gun in my bedside table.

Oh, just kidding. The gun is in my closet. Ha, ha... for all of your voyeurs out there reading my blog but don't know who I am, I would never shoot my children. Myself on the other hand... Oh, just kidding. I'm going to get a visit from social services if I'm not careful.

Besides the rough start, today went just fine. I only have two funny Madi stories that may only be funny to me because I'm sleep deprived. Nevertheless, in the spirit of full disclosure, I will put them below.

Madi was eating breakfast and was so engrossed in it that she didn't notice me slipping out with Max to change him and get him dressed. I heard her talking and singing, then about five minutes after we left, I heard her ask a question and say, "Right, baby brother?" In my head, I could see her turn in her seat to look at Max's appointed place in his bouncer. Then I heard a very distressed gasp. "Where did Baby Brother go? Mommy!! Baby brother's gone! He's gone!" I was laughing so hard picturing a little four month old Max getting up out of his bouncer seat and walking away. I assured her that Max was ok, he was with me and we'd be right back. She was SO relieved. :)

The other funny story is even more funny if you know that Madi has an overdeveloped gag reflex that kicks in anytime she sees something gross. "Gross" to her usually includes anything hairy or fuzzy (ie: cotton balls, dryer lint, dust rhinos, and that gross dusty hair that sticks to the bottom of your broom), sand (in her mouth or on food she eats), the little bits of corn or fruit that will occasionally get stuck between her teeth, and now her sensitivity has recently expanded to include spit-up. This morning, Max, Madi and I were all lying on the carpet. Madi was playing one of her favorite games "Rolley" (where she rolls Max from his belly to his back and back again). During a moment of rest, Max was lying on his stomach and - I'm sure in response to the rolling- spit up all over the floor. I knew what was coming. I grabbed Madi right as she started the first gag. Usually if I can get her away from the scene of the grossness and distract her, she forgets and stops gagging. Today, unfortunately, we were not so lucky. She continued to gag and put her hand under her mouth so I knew she knew what was coming. She's seen me catch many a vomit in my hands. Well, with teamwork (Madi and I), we managed to capture all the breakfast that spewed out of her mouth in our open hands. Unfortunately, she then realized how gross it was and shook her hand to get all the "gross" off, thereby flinging bits of regurgitated breakfast all over the kitchen floor. Oh well... should give me more incentive to mop now. :)

Duh, duh, da da da da, duh, duh duh duh (to be sung the the circus music). If only I could train Max to jump through hoops, I think I really could earn money doing this mother thing. :)

P.S.

2007-10-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

I never found the cherry, but I must admit I didn't look that hard. Either she really ate it, her body thought it was a really cherry and completely digested it OR she was just pretending to eat it. I would take a guess, but you really never know with Madi. Now if it were chocolate, I could guess with certainty...

Funny Kids

2007-10-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we were out in the backyard playing. Suddenly, Madi heard or saw something that reminded her of Ammon (from the Book of Mormon). She yelled, "Ammon!" then ran as fast as she could to the house door to go inside. I said, "Madi, what are you doing?" She said, "Going to get some knives." I said, "Knives?! Why are you getting knives?" She responds, "So we can cut people's arms off!" Oh dear. Maybe we'll wait on the story of Ammon for a while longer.

This morning marked a huge victory for Max. Madi came up to him while he was laying on the rug and laid on top of him. This is a daily occurance; however, today, Max took his little hand, reached up and grabbed a chunk of Madi's hair. She struggled for a few minutes, trying to get his tight fist to loosen enough for her to get away. I suppressed the urge to intervene and just watched the whole thing unfold with amusement. The little guy is learning how to defend himself! Maybe Madi will start to think twice about harrassing him in the future. :)

p.s. Yesterday did turn out good, but we didn't get to go to Wilson Farms. After waking both kids from their naps and getting ready to go, I realized Kurt has his keys and mine were locked in the car. We had to call a locksmith to get them out. Sometimes I feel more like the Ringleader at a circus than a mom. Or are they the same thing?

Clever title...think, think, think...

2007-10-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's my clever title. After Emily commented that I made her laugh so hard, I had to go back through my witty blog and see what she was laughing about. Come to realize, it must be because I'm a crude and sadistic woman. It seems that a good deal of my posts reference either death, murder, toilet talk, or genitalia. I have decided to turn over a new blog-leaf and be more upbeat and wholesome.

But my resolve has already weakened. Max woke up twice last night screaming at the top of his lungs, refusing to be comforted. And Madi skipped her nap yesterday, went to bed late and woke up early. I was so tired this morning, the only thing that woke me up was eating ice cream with pecans (the Mormon equivalent to a cup of black coffee, I guess) while looking at the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. I'm resorting to my crude ways again to say: today sucks.

I have hope, though. It a gorgeous day outside. We're going to go on the Haunted Hayride this afternoon at Wilson Farms.

So even though I'm still in my nightgown (yes, I wear a nightgown sometimes) and Madi is watching her third show on TV and my house is a royal mess and I have homework out the wazoo to do, I believe today will end on a good note.

Funny Madi story from last week:

We went to the store to buy a few things. I told Madi we were going to get some chocolate chips and she patted me on the head and said, "I'm so proud of you, Mommy, for buying chocolate chips." Funny how that still made me feel good, even though I know she just wanted the chocolate.

Dirty humor

2007-10-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

Here are some memorable and (I think) funny Madi moments for the week:

ME: Are you done doing poopy or do you need some more time? (Yeah, I know... why am I asking a two year this?)
MADI: It's a playground poopy.
ME: A playground poopy? What does that mean?
MADI: It's stuck.

I'm interested to see if I find a little surprise when I change her diaper. Yesterday, my friend Meghan came over with her little girl, McKinley, to sit at my house while Madi napped and I went to class (like she does every week). Madi got out the game "Hi-Ho Cherry-O" and started playing with it. Immediately, McKinley reached for the little cherries. We told Madi that we had to put the game away because we didn't want McKinley to eat the cherries. "She thinks they are real cherries, Madi." Well, Meghan told me that after I left, she heard Madi gulp and kind of cough from the other room. Meghan asked her what was in her mouth. It was a cherry. Madi said, "These are real cherries!" When Meghan asked her if she already swallowed one, she said she did "and it was yummy." Oh Madi.

Two kind of innapropriate Madi stories, but I think they are hilarious, so I'm posting them. Stop reading now if you think you might be offended. :)

Kurt and Madi were playing with some balls in the living room. She started getting rough and throwing the balls at Max or something. Kurt told her she couldn't have the balls if she was going to throw them at Max. She started crying and I told her she could play with some softer balls and she said, "No, I want DADDY's balls!" Hmmm...

Last night, I was rocking Madi in the dark in her room telling her what we would do the next day. She suddenly sat up straight and started poking my chest.
MADI: What's that, Mommy?
ME: (Wanting to teach her the right vocab) That's my breast
MADI: Oh, can I see it?
ME: No, those are Mommy's private parts.
MADI: (poking the other side) Can I see this breast, Mommy?
ME: No, let's just go to sleep, Madi.

Now that I've talked about poop, breasts, and balls, I guess I should stop. :) I've got to go change Madi's playground poopy. I'll be watching for the cherry!

Hansel & Gretel... happily ever after?

2007-10-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

So Madi saw a Little Einsteins episode with a revised story of Hansel and Gretel in it and has been wanting to play Hansel and Gretel all week. The song in Little Einsteins was Beethoven's 5th Symphony, so now, she insists that I put on Beethoven's 5th while we reinact the story. But then I realize that she doesn't really know the story. She doesn't realize that Hansel (which in our story is Max) and Gretel (played graciously by Madi) actually push the witch in the oven at the end of the story and kill her. They have conveniently left that out of the Little Einsteins version where the witch shrinks because they play soft music, then she gets launched into the forest by some catapult-like thing that probably came from rocket. She's still alive, just really small and crawling around the forest somewhere.

Which makes me wonder... is that a better "happily ever after" than the real Hansel and Gretel? Did the real Hansel and Gretel go through post-traumatic stress disorder after they realized they had killed another person? Did they go through remorse? Live to re-live that incident every day of their adult lives? Did they turn into serial killers? dysfunctional parents? Or did it not bother them at all? Did they laugh as they tossed the witch into the oven, then sit around eating the rest of her house while the smell of burnt flesh filled the room? Disturbing. Definitely not happily ever after in my book.

But yet, part of me is sad that Madi thinks the Little Einsteins version is the real thing. There's something strangely fulfilling at the end of all those gruesome fairy tales. The feeling that there's a little less bad in the world and a little more good.

Ah, but I wax philosophical. My two precious hours of peace are over. Better go get the crying kid. :)

Blogging Schmogging!!

2007-10-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to post pictures and put little subtitles on them for the last 30 minutes and it keeps looking like... well, like I'm a novice blogger. :) So I'm still working on the pictures. I did get two up from a few posts ago. As you can see, they are not positioned very well, but at least they are on there.

This last week was really fun. It was raining for a good portion of the week, but I think the rain makes everything feel cozy. Monday and Tuesday, we stayed inside and made play-doh, baked it, then painted what we made. We painted, and drew pictures, and watched Super Why (Madi's new favorite show), and did puzzles and games. We "played" Life several times, which means that Madi dumps all the pieces on the floor, opens the board and drives the little cars around on it. We also played "Nemy" (aka: Memory), and Hide-and-seek.

On Wednesday, we went to a puppet show - Johnny Appleseed- in Brookline and it was ok, but ironically enough, not very kid-friendly. Madi was pretty quiet for the whole thing. I was proud of her- 45 minutes is a long time! Now I know that if they had puppets in Sacrament Meeting, all our loud-talking problems would disappear. :) Apparently, she wasn't good enough for the puppet theater people. When the usher came up to me halfway through the show (which, I may add only had about 10 people in attendance) and told me that Madi HAD to sit with her bottom on the seat (even though, I might add again, there was no one behind us that she was blocking), I was so bothered, I blurted out, "If she has to sit down, we will have to leave, and we will not come back." Listen to the mama!! I felt bad, because what I wanted to say was, "If I force her to sit down, she will scream. If she screams, we'll have to leave. If we leave, we can't come back because she won't be able to sit down without screaming. So I'd really rather just stay and let her stand quietly beside me on the seat." Oops. Oh well. Anyway, we ended up stopping by Magic Beans afterwards and Madi had a blast at the little play yard in there while I nursed Max.

Thursday, we went to Kindermusik and then to the Children's Museum with some of our friends. Mayor Menino was there and Madi played with him on the magic electronic square dance floor while his camera crew filmed. Actually, she was really scared of the Mayor and sat on my lap while he stood there in the midst of hundreds of flashing lights. Tried to get a picture, but she wouldn't get close enough for me to snap it.

Friday, we met Kurt in Davis Square and got pizza. Why do we still think we can get Madi to sit quietly and eat in a public place, especially when she's so excited to see Kurt? Are you seeing a pattern? Getting Madi to be quiet seems to always be at the top of my list. Maybe I should stop trying. We came home and Kurt and I fell asleep at like 9pm. Since Max slept through the night, I got my first 8 hours of sleep since May! Yea!

Saturday, we went apple-picking with the Lovelesses. Madi just loves "Negan and Nicliney (or some version of that)." She also loved picking up apples off the ground and eating them. Every time I turned around, she was eating an apple. She also loved when Kurt took her up the ladders to pick apples.

If you ever wonder where Max is during all of our activities, two words usually answer the question: Baby Bjorn. It is definitely a love of my life right now.

Sunday, we had home teachers come before church, then had the Garoz clan and the missionaries over afterwards. It was fun. Carmen's son, Alan, is only 3 weeks older than Max. I bet they'll be buddies when they get older. After everyone left, I made applesauce from a few of what seems like THOUSANDS of apples we have now. :) I also made Jewish Challah bread, just on a whim. The applesauce: awesome. The Challah bread needs practice. :)

I have a feeling I'm not doing this blogging thing right, but oh well. I just want to remember fun stuff in 10 years when I'm on death's door. :) j/k

Per your Request, Lord Knight...

2007-10-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Kurt asked me to post these funny Madi stories that I emailed to my family the other day. Here is the email from Oct. 4th:

I have so many of these lately, I can't keep up. Here's the latest from this morning:

We were in the car. I was trying to turn left out of our street onto Mass Ave (a really busy street), but there was this huge semi illegally parked at the curb on my left. I couldn't see past it to see if any cars were coming. I slowly inched out and nearly got smashed by a car going really fast. I did the classic opera singer distress yelp. This is where the story ensues:

MADI: Are you ok, Mommy?
ME: Yeah, that stupid truck was in the way and I couldn't see the cars coming.
MADI: Oh. Can you say, "Will you please move, stupid truck?"
ME: chuckling. Yeah, that's a good idea.
MADI: Yeah, that's a good idea. Stupid truck, will you please move?
ME: Stupid truck, will you please move? I don't think he's going to move, Madi. I think the driver's gone.
MADI: Oh. Ok, stupid truck. Bye. Have fun!

Almost as cute are the recent conversations she has with/about Jesus. The other day, we went to the beach (a lake beach by our house). The sun was setting on the water and was really bright. She looked at the reflection and said, "Mommy, it's so bright!! Jesus is coming!" I thought that was quite interesting, since I've never told her Jesus is bright or associated him with light, even. Just as I was thinking that it was a really cool, spiritual moment, she says, "Yeah! Jesus is coming to swim! You want to go swimming Jesus?" Later that day, though, she said out of the blue: "Mommy, Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming. The angels are here!" Maybe I should put more stock in this?

Well, maybe not... On the way home from Wilson Farms today, I let her eat some strawberries. She wanted some more, which I couldn't get b/c I was driving. She says, "Oh, Jesus is here! Hello, Jesus!" Then she says, "No! They're MY strawberries, Jesus! MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!"

Good-bye Cranberries, Hello Museum...

2007-10-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

We woke up today to hear rain pounding on our tin roof (covered in shingles- it makes for a cozy sound). I wonder if it was raining when Columbus discovered the New World. Probably it didn't dampen his celebrations; but unfortunately, 500+ years later, it doesn't seem as cool to celebrate in a thunder storm. We decided to skip the Cranberry Festival at Edaville Farms and go to the Columbus Day Open House at the Museum of Fine Arts instead. We will hopefully see Edaville before year's end. They have a bunch of cool activities up until Christmas. Fellow Bostonians, check it out: http://www.edaville.com/.

Every so often, the MFA has an Open House- a day free to the public- with a bunch of fun activities planned. One of the activities they had today was an interpretive dance done by two of Boston Ballet's soloists. They danced to a Bach piece played on a solo cello. It was enchanting! I loved it! Madi did, too... in the beginning. She said, "They so pwetty, Mommy!" while the people sitting around me smiled. Then about five minutes into it, she said (in her typically loud voice), "I don't like the ballet dancers, Mommy!! I don't like it" What she was trying to say in her little Madi way was, "I'm bored because we've been sitting her for 20 minutes waiting for this to start and now I need to get up and run around." So as soon as the first piece ended, I got up. Problem was, my stroller was wedged into the corner behind several rows of people crowding in to see the dance. Shoot. We ended up going up and down the stairs, riding the elevator, and looking at some of the cool exhibits (really fast, as 2 year olds are wont to do) while we waited for the performance to end. Max was a gem. I'm so lucky to have such a good-natured little kid who will basically sleep anywhere. He was awake during the dancing, though, and I think he really liked it. He was jumping up and down (a feat made possible by his restraint in the Baby Bjorn and my sitting on the floor).

Besides the semi-embarrassing comment, Madi did pretty good. When we first walked in the museum, she had a blast looking at all the exhibits from her stroller. She kept asking, "What's that cool thing, Mommy?" And in the musical instrument exhibit, she pointed out the cellos, violins, pianos, and trumpets all on her own. The docent looked impressed, but I really can't take credit for her cultural savvy. Thank you, Little Einsteins :).

After the museum, we headed to Lizzie's for lunch. We had a little "HBS wives luncheon," for a few of us still in the area. Lunch was, of course, delicious!! How can you beat going to lunch at the home of a certified, pro chef! And the company was also great. It was good to see Rose, Mandy, and Emily O. again. I hope we keep this little tradition up.

Well, we are contemplating a trip to New York tomorrow to see Kurty. He's got a hotel already and they don't charge extra for me and the chitlins, so we may go up after my class tomorrow and see him when he gets home at 10 :). Worth it? Not sure.

I do have a few pictures from today, but have yet to download them... my camera is out of batteries. Soon, soon...

This blogging thing is kind of addicting. Maybe I'll start posting more.

Oh how lovely was "Gentle Conference" morning

2007-10-07T17:23:00.001-07:00

It was a great weekend. Can you really beat sitting at home in your PJs all weekend watching TV with your family? Madi loved hanging out with us on the couch, too; although, she talked really loud, like she always does. Finally when I couldn't really hear the speakers anymore and it was when she usually goes to sleep, I said, "Ok, Madi. I think it's about time for your nap now." She said, "NO!! I'm listening to Gentle Conference, Mommy!" And she really did sit on the couch playing with puzzles for the rest of the conference.... not without a few "gentle" reminders that she could either listen quietly or go take a nap. :) Anyway, the conference was great. It always seems like the speakers are speaking directly to me and my concerns of the moment. Good stuff.

Last week, Madi and I went to the Children's Museum, the library, several playgrounds, the beach, Wilson Farms, and a few other places and I only managed to snap 2 pictures during the entire week. I guess it's just evidence that I am not a true blogger yet, right? I will learn eventually...

One of my favorite Madi moments of the week:

ME: Oh, Madi. You are probably really hungry.
MADI: Yeah. I probably need some chocolate.

If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it?

2007-09-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

Apparently yes, since the reason we are entering the bloggosphere is because all our cool friends have blogs. We are officially joining the crowd. Sarah Anderson (who also took our family picture to the right) told me about a great website- blurb.com- that will print your blog and photos in a nice book. Sweet! The lazy woman's way to scrapbook! So, good-bye free time, hello blog.

The only real news I have today is that Madison almost got hit by a car. Luckily, I don't have a picture to post of that. Scared her pretty bad because I screamed, "Madison!!!!" at the top of my lungs as she was running toward the street. I was kind of embarrassed afterwards, but then realized that if I had not screamed like that, she would have kept right on running instead of looking back to see what her crazy mom was yelling about. So, thank heavens for a healthy set of pipes!

Max is smiling like a crazy man. If you look him in the eye while he's crying, he will literally smile and cry-laugh for a minute before he remembers he's still upset. What a funny little boy! He also likes to sleep with every square centimeter of his body pressed against whoever happens to be in bed at the time (Kurt, me, or Ralph the mailman...kidding. :)). Kurt woke up at 4 this morning because little Max was glued to his back. He lifted him up, moved him over, then went back to sleep... only to wake up shortly after to find Max plastered against him again. It must be all that bed rolling that got his muscles into shape. Max rolled over for the first time (while he was awake) last week.

Kurt is still working like a maniac. This case he's on has an insane amount of work involved. The HR person at BCG told Kurt that everyone who comes off a project specifically requests NOT to be staffed on this case because it's so time-intensive. Kurt and I and Madi (and Max, too, behind his veiled smiles) are all counting the days until it's over. The other day, Madi said to me, "Mommy, can I please have my daddy back?" So sad, but so true...

I am still starting on my thesis and have decided to take a class this semester. That reminds me- I better find a sitter for my meeting with my research advisor in the morning. Gotta go- will post more later.