my happy little life

shop update friday afternoon

a problem solver

cate was recently complaining about not having enough toys (she has a million, much to my dismay). so i started off with a big lecture, ahem, teaching moment. we discussed all the children all over the world that had no toys, or maybe no food even! and how grateful she should be for even one toy, and how amazing it is that we have so much. we talked about our responsibility to take care of the people with nothing, and share our plenty. we decided together to go through her things and pick some toys/clothes to donate. "and mom," cate concluded, "someone should tell those kids about the library....and the free cookies at wal-mart...." you can't argue with that logic.

isn't it divine?

painted by cate today, as a birthday gift for her dad. the following conversation ensued:

me: cate that is so pretty! i really love it!

cate: well, jesus tells me what colors to use, that is why it's so good.

me: wow, how does he tell you? you just feel it?

cate: yes, he will say "pink" and then tell me where. and then "yellow"... from the sky!

me: well, it sounds like he wants you to be an artist. are you going to paint your whole life?

cate: yes, and i can paint anything. jesus just tells me...

(cate just saw this post and said, "mom! you put my painting on upside down!!!")

happy birthday to my handsome boy!

28 reasons i love you on your 28th birthday:

1. you know what i will say before i say it, and anticipate all of my needs and feelings. 2. your freckles. 3. your interest in cool things like bonsai trees, woodworking, motorcycles, city planning, indie music, and me. 4. that you like to talk late at night in bed. 5. you are so brave. i love that you admire warriors and defenders of freedom (you know, in movies, like braveheart) and you wish you could be in a battle. 6. and further, the sheer boy-ness of you..transformer/ gi joe/ sports loving little boy at heart. 7. yet you are a kind and sensitive father. 8. seriously the best dad i've ever seen. a perfect blend of absolute devotion and high expectations. 9. you love smutty reality shows. 10. you make the best pancakes. 11. you don't judge me, or anyone else for that matter. 12. a sharp wit. you make me laugh every other minute with your unique sense of humor and quick mind. 13. you are a tireless worker and wonderful provider. 14. you feel it's important for me to be home with cate. 15. you wash my car all the time without even mentioning you are going to. 16. you have funny nicknames for me i pretend not to like, but you know i really do. 17. you have a strong testimony of the gospel and lead our family in righteousness (that probably should be number 1). 18. my family loves you, and they don't like anyone. 19. to my nieces and nephews, "uncle grant" and "silliness" are synonomous. 20. you are respected at any job you have. 21. i feel safe and protected. you can be very scary. i know you would never let anyone harm us. 22. you have a great high kick. 23. you do amazing impressions and the funniest voices. 24. you get me and are not intimidated nor impressed by my snobbery. 25. i love your singing voice. 26. did i mention you are very, very handsome? 27. you treat your mother well and love to serve her or anyone who needs you. 28. the force is strong with you.

happy birthday babe! i put that picture on of you because you are FOUR and cate was so ECSTATIC to see you at FOUR and we held the picture up to her and you guys are twins! makes me love you even more. have a great day, love your wifey

ps- remember the time you and your friends dressed up like ninjas and came to nicole's apt. to scare me and her and my mom? and you guys went to a random college party and switched off the power outside and when the party hosters got the power back on you guys were in full ninja-ness in the middle of the room? (anyone reading who doesn't know my husband, you should take a look at his blog, he's a piece of work. and maybe while you're there wish him a spectacular birthday!)

desires, predictions, and lust

oh sweet baby neil and your whirly twirly legs! grant thinks you'd be great at karate.... i think you are a jedi. i hope you come off conquerer! but sadly, i fear something different is your destiny. yes....the force is strong with sabra. why the judges are absolutely obsessed with the petite one, is unclear to me. but i fear she or lacey has the upper hand. i would like lacey, she is amazing, but she's such a hooker! i'm sorry to use such vulgar language, but she offends me with her butt circles. so dear neil, whatever happens, keep your chin up, your little pinwheel legs will spin again.... 

she's mine, all right.

since turning four last month, cate has become obsessed with the number four, and any connection to the number four. if anyone happens to say "four" or if she sees it written somewhere she absolutely freaks out. tonight she asked me how old i was when i married daddy. 24, i told her. this excited her to no end. a 4???? 24 and i'm 4???? this was wonderful news. in her mind she was one step closer to marrying her prince (something she talks about often). every paper i find laying around the house has 4's written all over it, (and a couple c's for good measure.) she will only eat four bites of any given meal, she wants exactly four crackers or grapes or ______. when we're deep in thought driving or quietly working around the house she'll think outloud "max is almost done being four, ian is going to be four soon, and i've been four for a little bit". the whole world to her is related to four. i really don't know where she could've gotten this absolutely obsessive personality from! it's just foreign to me to think that someone could be so totally focused on one thing that it consumes them and they see the world through its relation to what they're currently fixated on.

then again....i think i might have been being a tad sarcastic just then. i think cate is just my young padawan learner when it comes to obsessions. for example? currently i can think of nothing but jedi knights and the force. day and night. you know the music that plays when luke steps outside his house on tatooine and sees the two moons, the pretty, forboding kind of music? it is the background to every dream i've dreamt for like 3 weeks. cate happened upon me watching episode (insert roman numeral of choice) for the umpteenth time yesterday and said, (coached by her dad, to be sure) "mom, you better go to a gumbention" (convention). they are ready to ship me off in costume to nerd-dom.

maybe they just want me to stop saying "the force is strong in my family" or waving my hand at them while uttering what i want them to say, testing my abilities to use jedi mind tricks. i suppose i'll find a new obsession soon, probably about the time cate is five. but for now...convention baby!