Little Accomplishments?

So, this summer I finally tamed Owen. He used to be my TV refuser. I have officially gotten him to watch a whole Sesame Street. Should I be proud of this or embarassed that I wanted him to let me get something done without his help for an hour? I'm not sure. I love that I can type this sans Owen, but at the same time, I feel a bit guilty that I have helped my 19 month old child find the world of TV.

I also helped him to discover chocolate pudding yesterday. This brought back memories of Ryanna's fondness for the treat.
We always tell her that he's watching her and following her example. Like sister, like brother right?
Ryanna's swimming is going well. Here's a video of her swimming across the pool without any help or as she proudly proclaims, "Without anything on!" We have to quickly follow this bold assertion to friends that we are not skinny dippers.

I really want to post a video of Owen's swimming progress as well because it too is mighty impressive. Unfortunately, I am the only person in the water with him and I can't help him and use a camera to record, so you'll just to have to read about it. He goes underwater to the edge of the pool and monkey walks himself to the ledge. He also swims to the shelf and pulls himself out of the water. I think it was the rings that did the trick. Once it became a bit of a sport, he couldn't wait to dive into the water and try and get those rings. I am thrilled with his swimming progress.

I too have been working on my own little project and am proud to say I have been successfully growing a little boy, who remains nameless as yet, and this is how I looked on Father's Day. As a disclaimer, the only pact I made was with my husband and we both agreed it would be a good idea. I did not offer him a high five at his success, but I do have a high school diploma as well as a bachelor's degree.

And, I have to report that Father's Day was a great success. We made a super yummy fruit salad, lasagna (one of the best, if not the very best, batches I ever made), breadsticks from scratch, our neighbor brought over a green salad and we made carrot cake--from scratch. My husband loved it. Doesn't he look happy to be a dad? I mean, when you make such beautiful children, how can you not smile?

Sounded Like a Good Idea...Or Maybe Not

Derek sent me this article the other day. You can also get a bit longer version of the same story here. The gist of the stories is that some 17 girls at a high school in Massachusetts made a pact last summer to all get pregnant. Not a single one of them is over age 16. Upon finding out that they were pregnant, "reacted to the news that they were expecting with high fives and plans for baby showers." Appropriate behavior for a happily married female adult, not for a freshman in high school.

Why did they do it? Well, these girls who were so proud of themselves for this amazing sexual accomplishment all declined to be interviewed. I wonder why...maybe because nothing they could possibly say would sound like an intelligent response? Maybe because they are grounded due to the size of their growing mid-sections? One of the fathers is a 24 year old homeless man.

Now, I realize that teen pregnancy is no new problem in our country, but 17 girls getting together and deciding that it would be a great group accomplishment? I just don't understand that at all. The article talks about the idea that perhaps movies like Juno and Knocked Up might have glorified teenage pregnancy and made the girls think it would be a neat idea to have a baby of their own. Maybe. The high school they attend offers free on-site daycare for students, that seems like it may have played into it too in my mind.

Isn't it sad that there are so many couples who have prayed and pleaded to have a healthy baby and here are some 17 irresponsible girls who can do just that without any regard for the consequences. I don't feel sorry for them--I feel sorry for these babies that are coming. What kind of a life can they expect? What rights do we owe to a child who we bring into this world?

Just a few months ago Americans reacted with disgust at the idea of teen brides bearing children in the polygamist sect and yet, these Massachusetts girls will provide no fathers for their babies. These girls don't even have a basic high school education...no job...I don't see this case getting nearly the national outrage it deserves. Not that I agree with polygamy in any way, but at least I don't think those girls in El Dorado really had much choice or they were raised to believe that young marriage was the expectation...these other girls can offer no such defense.

What do you do now? What's the right thing to do? You can't undo what these girls have done, so how do we make it better?

Tag: Out of the Best Books

I was tagged recently, so here goes. Read to the bottom to see if I tagged you!

List 10 books you've read recently that you'd recommend to others. (One stipulation--you CAN'T list any of the Twilight series books.){In no particular order}

These Is My Words by Nancy Turner-Written by an Arizona author and tells a fictional life of a woman living in the Arizona territories in the late 1800's. Every single person I know who has read this book has liked it--everyone.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult-I love Jodi Picoult, some of her books more than others, but I really like the research she does on her topics. This book dealt with the Amish culture and I learned tidbits about their religion I didn't know before. Although, since I recognize she's a real plot twister, I actually figured out the ending in the first chapter or so.

Nickel & Dimed on (not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich- The author attempted to live on minimum wage at various locations around the country. The book really helped me to see how you could get stuck in your circumstances and not be able to rise above.

The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton- This book is a sad tale, but one that is told from a main character who doesn't recognize her own strength and abilities. Her life is incredibly unfair, but she's always willing to see the other side of things. Another book that makes you less quick to judge the other person.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini- This author has the ability to create characters you can feel a part of whether that be a positive or negative relationship. He explores the lives of women in Afghanistan, something I was not terribly familiar with before. I've talked to some people who liked the Kite Runner and loved this book and others who felt this was a let down. I love them both.

Austenland by Shannon Hale- I only heard about this author just last year and was excited to read this book. This book is a hilarious, light read told from the perspective of a woman who has an obsession with Jane Austen's fictional characters. While I absolutely DETEST Jane Austen novels, I loved this book.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult- I realize this is the second mention of Picoult, but this novel was so impactful to me that I thought about the characters and their decisions for about three days non-stop. It deals with a high school shooting and how teenagers feel in their "roles" in high school. It made me question if I could've been nicer to someone or how my influence affected those around me.

Honestly, I'm falling short of listing 10 books simply because I can't think of recent reads that I would recommend. There are several books that I love, but haven't read recently (East of Eden by Steinbeck, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, etc.) You can see the list of books I've read recently over on my Shelfari shelf, but I wouldn't recommend all of them as great literature.

There are some books I really want to get to, but still haven't. Two kids, swim lessons twice a day and pre-school three times a week is filling my schedule lately.

So, let's see...who to tag? I tag Stephanie, Lolly & Tina. What have you ladies read that you loved?

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night and More...

A couple weeks ago, we decided to capture the ball obsession (soccer & basketball) for you all to see. Glad we did 'cause now it's too hot to be outside doing this.

This stuff arrived in the mail the other day courtesy of Granpa/ma Torres. The lighting is purposely a bit dark, so the glasses stand out.

You're so smooth...

The cooking group in our ward did a whole night on berries. I was really excited to organize it because I wanted to learn about making jams and smoothies and see what other ideas women had.

It was delicious!!! I never eat before attending these cooking groups anymore because I always want to sample everything and just sampling leaves me stuffed--I think I'll go ahead and coin the term "The Costco Effect." Those of you who shop there will know exactly what I'm talking about.

I came home really inspired to jump on the homemade smoothie wagon. I am a HUGE fan of Jamba Juice, but it can definitely become an expensive habit...especially since my kids are addicted to the stuff from the womb.

Here's what I'm doing for mine (no exact measurements, 'cause with these ingredients, you can't get it wrong!):

Simply Orange orange juice (no from concentrate stuff 'cause I want to max out my vitamin intake)

Lime Sherbet (better for you than ice cream--no fat! and the flavor is great!)

Frozen Fruit mixture (mine has pineapple, mangos and strawberries--bought at Costco)

Frozen Raspberries (from my grandma's garden)

Honey (not much--a teaspoon)

Vanilla Yogurt

Turn the blender on liquify and in a minute you have a delicious treat that my family absolutely loves!!!

Paying Homage

So, last week, I jumped in my car to deliver freshly made chocolate chip cookies to my visiting teachees. I had decided I was going to visit one of the sisters before the other just for the quickest route of getting home. Well, call it pregnancy brain or whatever, I turned my car in the opposite direction to the other gal's house first. After mentally chiding myself for my mental lapse, I decided it didn't matter all that much and went to the first woman's apartment anyway. Well, I had just turned onto the main road when I looked down to see my battery light lit up. Then, I looked over to see my RPM gauge going berserk between 0-1. Oh great.

Last time this happened, the car battery went dead--in Page, Arizona. Then, it happened again on the shoulder of I-15 near Centerville, Utah on December 23. After that second time, my grandpa drove over from Colorado and fixed it. There was some faulty line that went to the battery. Well, I knew that I would probably be able to make it to the home of the woman I visit teach--and I did. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I shut the car off and immediately tried to start it again only to hear that terrible sound--click, click, click, click. Aaaahhhh!!!!

Well, the lady was just running home to leave again for an exercise class, but her husband was home and jumped my car. What a sweet guy right? I have to mention that no one was home at the other house, so it's a good thing I went to that first woman's house in that order or I would've been really stranded! I wanted to say thanks to Scott, who saved me, and I also wanted to say thanks to the creator of the jumper cables. Honestly, think about how many times something goes wrong with your car and you HAVE to take it to the mechanic. Jumper cables have saved millions of people lots and lots of money and frustration over time.

I also want to thank the inventor of the ceiling fan. It's starting to boil down here and those ceiling fans keep a homeowner from having to run the AC 24/7. I love my ceiling fans. Thanks again!

And, I also wanted to also publicly thank the inventor of indoor plumbing. Almost every single time I get into a shower I think how incredibly wonderful it feels and how spoiled I am to be able to just turn a knob and get instant comfort from my shower/bath/sink.

So, what/who are you really appreciating right now?

How Time Flies!

Last night we went to a Diamondback's game. We had tickets behind left field along with the rest of Derek's firm and their families, but the firm also reserved the picnic area of the field, so we never even went to our seats. Instead we filled up our plates and ate at the picnic tables and watched the game from there. It was fun to be there--especially to see the home runs that came into the stands right by us. It was also nice to not have to entertain the kids while keeping them in one seat the whole night. This picture is terrible, but as you can tell, I didn't take it.

And a picture of our family at the same ballpark in September of last year.

And, two Sundays ago Ryanna insisted she was not tired. She sat down in her green chair and promptly did what she hasn't done in a couple of years...

Here she is in the same chair in September of 2005.

Time flies doesn't it?