... the calm after the storm.

We have had some pretty wild thunderstorms the last couple of weeks. Twice I have seen lightning strike the tall trees in the backyard, and the power has flickered on and off a couple of times. While Ryan was in China we even had hail one night. But then our reminder of a loving Father in Heaven came after the storm today!

... her active imagination.

After Quiet Time today I went to check on Rachael. She announced that there was a monster in her closet. The conversation went something like this:

"Hi Momma! There's a monster in my closet!" (cheerfully)

"Oh really? Can you show it to me?"

"OK. Here it is Momma." (she pretends to scoop it up in one hand, then 'scoops' it to me)

"Wow. He's tiny."

"Yeah, he's just a little baby monster and he hides in my closet. And he's getting just a little bit cranky because he misses his mommy and daddy and brother and sister."

So we put him back in the closet for a rest. I wonder if the rest of the family will make an appearance soon, and will they fit in the palm of my hand?

... and some great websites.

Some websites I used for ideas for the bridal shower:

Decorating Ideas
Hostess with the Mostess (some really really cute tabletop ideas)
Bridal Shower Ideas

Food Ideas
Piece of Cake Wedding Showers
Food Network (of course)

Games
Bridal Shower (games)


Some days I am so grateful for all the stuff I can research on the Internet!

... the bridal shower.

Today I had the opportunity to host a bridal shower for a cute girl in our ward who is getting married next month. She's a charming girl and it was so fun to have the party! It was great for Rachael and I to have a project the last couple of weeks, too; it gave us something to do while Ryan was out of town.

... the birds are back!

The cardinals (and other birds) have returned to the backyard. This is nice for two reasons... one, we really like to watch them, and two, it's the end (finally!) of the cicadas.

These two were fun to watch; the female bounced around all over the top of the feeder until the male was finished, like she was on the lookout!

... Ryan's home!

And he doesn't have a barking cough or a broken finger this time, either, so all is well.

Things I will not miss, now that Ryan is home:
-being the single parent
-eyeballing a 3 year old while playing the organ in sacrament meeting
-cooking lunch and dinner every single day
-or eating mac n cheese for those meals because I don't want to fix something
-having conversations on instant messenger
-remembering to take out the trash!

... the "timer."

The latest in our string of potty-training tricks, I bought a wristwatch for Rachael a few days ago. I set it to beep on the hour so it will remind us to use the potty. (Both her and me.) The best part is there's no arguing - it just beeps, and we go.

So far it's worked pretty well; the only accidents she's had have been because we missed the "timer" and didn't go to the potty. I don't know how long it will last, or the flip side, if we will get addicted to the watch to use the potty, but it's working for now so we will go with it. Would it be the end of the world if she wore a wristwatch to elementary school?

And after two weeks of night-time training, she has been dry the last two nights, too! Hooray!

... hello from Kira.

A few days ago I was talking to Lesley on the phone. Her oldest daughter, Kira, was my favorite niece for a long time (well, until Anika was born anyway). Kira is autistic, but today she said "Hello, Krissy" into the phone when prompted by Lesley. And Lesley said she was so proud of herself. So sweet! It's almost like hearing her first words all over again.

... FHE, Mommy-style.

It's our last FHE before Daddy comes home, so we had a serious girls day, complete with shopping and dinner at our favorite restaurant, Qdoba.

Nine shopping bags here all together... the best part? Almost all of it is under $10 and mostly I paid with cash. Sweet!

... and she's well behaved.

It was my turn at the organ today, and with Ryan out of town I had to take Rachael up on the stand with me. I was prepared: we bought her a new Color Wonder book with markers. I'm glad that she is a reasonably well-behaved 3 year old, though, or I would never have even tried it. She didn't even try to climb up on the organ bench today!

... teaching the lesson.

I had the opportunity to teach the lesson in Relief Society today. I'm in between callings right now, I guess the new RS president decided I needed something to keep me busy. But it was a good opportunity, actually; the lesson was my favorite talk from April Conference, "Daughters of God" by M. Russell Ballard. Like most teachers, I probably got more out of the lesson than anyone else did, but I'm grateful for the excuse to go back and re-read his talk.

... fireflies.

I love to watch the fireflies in the summer. Growing up out West we didn't have any, so even though we have lived here for three years I am still intrigued by them. One night last year I was driving home from something and I went down the hill before the turn into our neighborhood, and there were so many fireflies it looked like someone had sprinkled pixie dust on the field. Magic.

... bee-zan-ya.

A few days ago I fixed pasta for dinner, and Rachael just loved it. She is usually a good eater, and not very picky, but I know she really likes something when she cleans her plate. Since the pasta went well, I tried my hand at lasagna. I can't even remember the last time I made lasagna - I had to get out a recipe!

It was worth it, though. She loved it! She can't pronounce lasagna, though, so she has christened it "bee-zan-ya." (Sounds like we bathed ourselves in honey, doesn't it? Bees on ya?)

... our own Hobby Lobby.

I can't believe I haven't blogged this already! They opened a Hobby Lobby right here in Richmond, and I am so excited. It opened about a week and a half ago. It's been pretty busy over there ever since; apparently I'm not the only one that's excited about it. One of the perks is that they carry fabric; our Wal-Mart got rid of their fabric section a few months ago when they remodeled. It's so fun to have a craft store right here in town. Especially with the price of gas!

... a good book.

I was suppose to have read "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen for Book Club yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to get a copy of the book before the meeting. (In my defense I read the other two books for this month, "Secret Garden" and "The Prince and the Pauper.") One of the sisters graciously loaned me her copy so I could read it.

I enjoyed it so much! It's a very engaging story about survival in the wilderness. It made me so grateful for all the material things I have... a house, cars, food, etc. I always like to read stories that really draw the reader in, and this one certainly qualifies.

... fancy hairstyles.

I'll admit, I always wanted a little girl so I could do all kinds of fancy hairstyles, like ponytails and braids. Rachael's hair is still too fine and too short to do much with, but once in awhile I give it a try. She's usually fairly patient. Watching TV while I work really helps!

This is called a princess crown (I think) and we have a total of 18 rubber bands. I actually don't think it's a particularly good look on Rachael, but you don't find these things out until you try. Maybe she needs her bangs - we are growing them out right now.

(I am a "cool mom," though... check out the awesome butterfly temporary tattoo on the arm!)

... my little helper.

With Ryan out of town, it's a one-parent show around here lately. Rachael decided she is old enough to start helping with the housework (she's been 'helping' with the laundry and the dishes for months now). She can't push the vacuum itself, but she thought using the hose was lots of fun. Now if she could just fix dinner a couple of nights a week...

... fathers.

Daddy sharing his favorite hobby with his daughter. She loves it! I am so blessed that he is such a wonderful father.

And Rachael sharing her favorite toys (ponies) with Daddy. Daddy is happy to play, but brings his own toys to the party. [I didn't know Ponies and Star Wars went together, but they were sure having a great time!]

Rachael and my dad. (The picture quality isn't that great but I really love this picture of the two of them playing.)

Rachael and Ryan's dad reading at Christmas.

... we share.

For reasons I'm not sure I can articulate, Ryan and I are in the habit of sharing passwords with each other. I can get into any email or online accounts that he has, and he can get into any of mine. Usually we don't, but it's occasionally handy.

Like today for instance, when I took a bunch of pictures of the garden to share with him. His connection in China has been spotty on this trip; downloading a bunch of pictures simply takes too long. So I usurped his blog and posted all about the garden, right where I was sure he would read it. Thanks honey!

... and the digital age.

A few months ago I sent Rachael's birthmother an email address we use for prospective birthmothers. I figured, we set it up for birthmoms, and we already know one, right? We finally got our first email from her a couple of days ago. I'm so glad to be emailing her! I used to write letters, but I am not a prolific letter writer and it was always a struggle to write a full letter. Now I feel like I can dash of a quick paragraph and a picture or two, and she gets it right away instead of a week and a half later. Wonderful!

... another day at the pool.

We spent some time at the pool again today. Nothing feels more like summer to me than hanging out all the pool, listening to the radio full blast. Some things have changed since I was a kid, but hanging out a the pool feels just the same.

Except now I'm chasing a 3 year old, I guess that's new!

... it wasn't us!

Rachael and I wandered over to the pool at about 1:30 this afternoon, thinking we would play and take in some sun until around dinnertime. We got there just in time to see it closing down and people streaming out by the dozen. Turns out a small child had, um, rendered the pool unsafe to swim in. Still having several potty training adventures at our house, my first though was, "Thank goodness it wasn't us!"

... my new eyes.

I had my six month (okay, it was really 8 months) checkup on my laser eye surgery today. Everything looks good! My vision is still 20/20 in each eye and 20/15 together. It's amazing.

Like everyone else who has this done, I don't know why I didn't do it 10 years ago. (Except maybe it was pretty expensive 10 years ago). But the results are amazing and I just love not needing contacts or glasses.

When I was younger, the two things I wanted to change the most about myself were my front teeth that I thought stuck out too much, and my vision. Braces and time have taken care of the front teeth, and Lasik has taken care of the vision. Awesome! Too bad I now have a whole new list of things to change.

... online flight tracking.

Ryan is on yet another business trip to China. I'm thankful I can look up his flights on the internet and see where they are at... the trip takes over 24 hours from start to finish, much of it in the air. It's nice to see the status of those flights, since he usually can't call to say how it's going. (Airlines are picky like that).

I'm also thankful for his blog, where he will post triumph and tragedy (especially over cuisine) and we can keep up with what he's doing a million miles and a half a day away. [They are 12 hours ahead of us.]

... sunscreen.

Or as Rachael puts it, "sun-scream." Which is a pretty accurate description of the sunburn I gave myself last week.

Rachael and I went to the new pool here in town last week. It's really more like a water park; they have two big slides and two kiddie slides, a zero entry pool, and a regular lap pool. It's lots of fun. So much so, in fact, today I bought a season pass so we can go all summer long.

Back to the sun-scream, it's been 90+ degrees here lately, and I'm glad I've managed to get Rachael mostly covered with it. Otherwise she would be suffering from major sunburn! I know because I forgot to sun-scream myself last week, and my shoulders still haven't recovered. So I guess I'm also grateful for aloe lotion.

... and a little comic relief.

I was asked to bear my testimony in Relief Society, which wouldn't be such a big deal but it was our last meeting as a ward; they split off the Berea Branch today in sacrament meeting and those people will be meeting as their own branch starting next week. So I was struggling a little with my composure.

At that exact moment someone in nursery brought Rachael down to the RS room. Rachael ran up to me at the microphone so I picked her up. She then said loudly into the microphone "I need to use the potty mommy!" Everyone chuckled, of course. The real punchline? She was wearing a diaper.

... Sunday dinner.

I love that Ryan fixes dinner on Sundays. It just adds to my total enjoyment of down time on Sunday afternoon.

... a little kiss.

Today Rachael and I were at a baptism and I was holding her on my lap for the opening prayer. It was rather a long prayer. Out of nowhere, and with her eyes closed the whole time, she unfolded her arms, pulled my face to hers and gave me a little kiss, then went back to folding her arms. It's moments like this when I know she loves me.

... and our favorite babysitter.

Ryan and I went on a date tonight, and our favorite babysitter, Gina, came over to stay with Rachael. Rach likes her so much she tries to get me out of the house hours before Gina even arrives. ("Isn't it time for you to go out with Daddy yet?") The two of them have such a great time playing together. Gina just graduated from high school and will be going to BYU in the fall, and all of us are going to miss her very much when she goes.

... a good helper.

Last night Rachael spent quite a bit of time in the living room. I didn't know what she was doing, but she sounded happy and occupied, so I left her to it. That night when I put her to bed, I peeked in the living room and discovered she found my acrylic paints and brushes, and had emptied the entire bag and been pretending to paint. (Thanks goodness she didn't open any paints - imagine the mess!). I was too tired to deal with cleaning it all up so I left it for the next day.

Today I checked in on her in the morning, since she got to the living room before I did. I expected to find her "painting" again, but to my surprise she had cleaned everything up! I think it's the first time she has ever cleaned anything up without actually being asked first. It was a sweet surprise!

... a sewing project.

Today I helped a friend make some curtains for her house. We made five curtains altogether! It took us longer than I thought it would - I always underestimate how long it actually takes to sew something - but it reminded me how much I enjoy it as a hobby. I think it's one of those instant gratifications things; when you're finished you have some tangible result. And it's a chance to be creative!

... they have a short life span.

This is the year of the 17-year periodical cicada. They are ugly, huge, loud bugs that appear in huge numbers every 17 years. They are so loud (because there are so many) that you can hear them inside the house, even with the TV on. They start mid-morning and die down in the evening. (I think I would be crazy if it lasted all night). Fortunately, they only live for 2-4 weeks, so this noise can't last too much longer. I have considered videotaping the swarms in our backyard for your audio enjoyment, but I'm not sure I want to remember the sound once they are gone.

Another thing to be thankful for is that they are not poisonous and will not damage the vegetable garden. Plus the dog likes to chase them and eat them... they aren't very fast. I hope she doesn't make herself sick.

... the Bath & Body Works sale!

I love the clearance sales at Bath & Body Works! Seriously, I don't think I actually buy anything there any other time of year besides January and June, because I stock up on so much stuff on sale. I still have lotion, shower gel, and antibacterial hand soap from the last sale!

... and best friends.

One of the things I will miss about serving in the RS presidency is meetings at Jenny's house, with her 3-year-old daughter Camilla. If I had to name Rachael's best friend, it would be this charming, clever girl. The two of them get along like peas in a pod and it has made our presidency meetings so easy. Now they will be in a different ward; we'll have to work a little harder to spend time with them.

... facebook.

How else would I keep up with all my friends all over the place? And play cool games like Scramble and Word Twist!

... the Visiting Teaching conference is over.

Somehow for our visiting teaching conference this year I ended up making the programs, a handout, some bookmarks, and preparing the musical number. I'm not crazy about those days in church when I feel like it's the Kristin Ricks Show. I would so much rather someone else did it. But the bookmarks were cute and the musical number was really nice; I got goosebumps during the 3rd verse, and that doesn't usually happen when I am the one playing the piano. (Too focused on what I do). I'm glad it's all done. And since our RS President lives in what will be the new Berea Branch, and the rest of the presidency lives in Richmond, we will all be released next Sunday. YAY!