Berry Delicious Day!

Well, summer is almost over. So what better way to take advantage of the season that will soon be gone than to head over to the Berry Patch Farm with my sister Jennifer and two of her kids, Emma and Joe and of course Mary.
It was a great day for picking. And we got there right at 8 before anyone else. The strawberries were great and so were the raspberries and golden raspberries.
Here are some pics . . .



I love how Mary's leg is caught behind my leg in this pic. It looks like she is doing a little leap.


Once she had that first taste, she was unstoppable . . .

. . . throwing her entire body over to get those strawberries



Oh so happy!

But what a great mess! At least she matched the flowers. . .



Fun and funny farm animals

Look at that FAT pig!

And I just had to include this pic of Mary and me from last year's trip to the farm . . . : )

Have a Berry Delicious Day!
P.S. We missed you Beckie!

Take me out to the ball game!

We had a good weekend.

Saturday was quite busy. My sister Catherine's friend Aaron was baptized and that was special for our family. I was honored to get the opportunity to sing at the baptism. Catherine accompanied me beautifully as I sang one of my Mom's hymns, By the Waters of Mormon. My Mom says Aaron is destined to be a part of our family because 1. he has a double consonant in his name like the other brothers-in-law, Scott, Jeff, and Matt and 2. he is a picky eater like two of the brothers-in-law, Scott and Jeff. : ) Of course this is sort of silly. But fun to say nevertheless.

Then on Saturday night, Jeff and Mary and I met several other families from church at the Rockies Game. We played the Dodgers and won! Woo Hoo! It was very fun for me. I was glad that we got to do it. And we ate all the junk food we wanted to make it an authentic baseball experience. I had a hotdog AND nachos AND an ice cream cone (and some of Jeff's funnel cake). But I tried not to feel too guilty since I don't do it very often. I also got to see Jeff's new building downtown. It was a very fun night. Thank you Jeff!!!

Sunday was our ward's musical Sacrament Meeting where several members share what their favorite hymns are and then we have a special musical number of that hymn. Being the ward music chairman I had to organize much of it and I was also asked to speak. Overall, I think the meeting went well and so I'm happy about that.

Had my second choir rehearsal last night. I came away feeling slightly discouraged just because it really isn't easy and I was tired after constantly sight reading in 5/4 time or reading tied eighth notes or syncopated rhythms . . . but it is also good for my brain I suppose. And of course it is all fine today since now I'm not so tired.

Anyway, life is good and I look forward to another week to get things done and make progress in my life.

Thoughts on Breastfeeding - might be too much info for some of you - but I doubt it.

I had planned in my mind that I would wean Mary at about a year. She is 10 months old now and as she gets closer and closer to her first birthday, I am having some mixed feelings about the whole thing.
Overall I have enjoyed breastfeeding. It is so wonderful to be able to hold your baby so closely. My Mom always said that she had three cuddly babies and three wirey (sp?)babies. Guess which one I was? Mary takes after her momma and her daddy too in this way. She is not a cuddler. She always wants to face out and see what is going on. Jeff always jokes that she doesn't really like my kisses (it's too bad for her then because I won't stop!) and even when she is breastfeeding she often will push her arm against my chest so that she will be as far away from me as possible.
But I have loved this time. She is so sweet. And it is wonderful to look in her eyes and connect with her and joke with her. When she was a wee infant she would place her little hand in the little pocket of my cleavage and bra. And now she will stick her little pointer finger into my mouth for me to suck. It's very cute.
Part of me is really ready to be done with nursing - mostly I just want to be rid of the excess weight. But there are other reasons too . . .
Another one of the reasons I want to continue is that neither Mary nor I have been sick once since she has been born - not even a sniffle or sore throte. I kinda hate to stop nursing just intime for cold and flu season. You know?
My doctor says that between a year and 13/14 months is best because if you go longer, kids seem to have more of an emotional attachment to it.
So it seems that I should - and I haven't even mentioned that Jeff wants me to wean too. But part of me doesn't want to . . . though I think a bigger part of me does.
I also don't really know how to. . . but I will figure it out. We are already down to just 3 times a day.
Maybe I will go through the winter . . . but probably not.


P.S. I would post a pic (a very modest one) but Jeff said absolutely not! : )Gotta love a husband who wants to protect his family.

Like Mother Like Daughter

Isn't it fun and scary at the same time to see how babies try to be like their parents? I remember my little neice Eve and how she would jabber on the phone - with such a range in pitch imitating her mom.
Mary is getting so big. She wants to eat what I eat and do what I do. Guess I better make sure I'm being a good example.
Realized today that we were both wearing our jellies and had to take a pic.

Church Friends

Everyone at church just loves Mary. I almost feel like they are helping to raise her because they have just doted on her and were so supportive when I was pregnant with her. But anyway, she has also started playing with some friends her own age. Here are a couple other beautiful baby girls that Mary has been playing with at church.

Nadia and Mary

Mary and Delaney

Merry Mary

Failing

Yesterday mostly and a little today, I just feel like I'm failing at everything. I feel like I have so much I need and want to do and I'm not getting it done. I'm sure that it is compounded by the fact that I just got back from vacation and it takes awhile to get caught up. I might be pmsing too. I need to go check a calendar.
Anyway . . .
and then sometimes I just start feeling really insecure thinking that everyone thinks badly of me. Yesterday I was at bookclub with all of these other amazing women and I just had to ask myself, "What am I doing here???". And then I always manage to come across as an idiot and I just want to stop talking forever.
At least Mary and Jeff love me right?
Here is everything I want to do or do better on . . .
spiritual nourishment, temple attendance, family history, working out, I need to organize my recipe book soooooooo bad, I want to start couponing, I'm behind on scrapbooking, reading, CLEANING,
*big sigh*
IRONING
Oh! And I have to get ready for my talk in just over a week and I need to set up one more musical number for that day (but I kinda left this last one to the last minute which will make it harder).
Oh, and I really need to give myself a pedicure and I need new hair because it is back to that ashy green dishwater color and I am getting old and wrinkled and I probably need to start wearing stuff like concealer but I have absolutely no clue about any of that.

I am completely serious when I say that all of those things above are just the short list.

I feel this way a little bit all the time but it has just been more the last couple of days.

At least I finally cooked dinner last night!

I will just keep plugging along and doing the best I can. That is really all I can do. But I just wish I could DO more and Be more.

But with that, I will now list many of my blessings so that I will leave this post on a positive note and so I can remember that I have so much to be grateful for.
I am blessed because of . . .
Mary
Jeff
employment - even Better employment
it's summer
we are all healthy
I have awesome families (mine and Jeff's)
I have everything I need and most of what I want
I can sing
I love our church and ward

This is just a small list.
Anyway, thanks for listening.
And please don't try to compliment me now or anything. I'm not looking for that. I just need to unload a bit.
Thanks friends.

We're back!

We're back! We (Mary and I) arrived back home from a family reunion in Utah on Monday night. We left Wednesday morning and caravanned with my parents and my sister Catherine. It was nice because one of them always rode with me and were able to help Mary if she ever needed it.
It was a great trip - nothing too exiting - just seeing loved ones and having a nice change of scenery. Plus there was no drama.
Here are some pics
Mary with her 2nd cousin, Liberty


This is how the men in our family talk to each other . . .
Aunt Mabel and Catherine at the jewelry making activity.

My grandma looking sharp at 87!

Uncle Paul, Uncle David, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Dean

My handsome uncle, Joel (pronounce Jo-ell)
Had these socks of mine in her diaper bag because I want to make them or have them made into leg warmers. They worked great for when it got cold at Sherwood Hills in the evening. Cute aye?
Grandpa John and Mary - I think he kinda likes her : )
One of my most favorite cousins, Bryce

Cat and me riding a tandem bike. I LOVED it!!! I am hankering to get a bike of my own now.



My youngest cousin, Shannon was pretty interested in Mary.

Rachel and Me. Rachel and I were "best cousins" growing up. We both married Jeffs and we both just had our first baby. Well actually she just had two . . . twin boys Luke and Jake.

Mary with one of the twins.

We all missed Uncle Tom being with us. He died last November. But like I said, we had a great trip.