We had to change up our birthday celebrations a bit. Years ago, we decided we were done with traditional friend birthday parties and would rather spend the money on a family activity. It has been a good tradition. Unfortunately it has gotten too expensive, and we are trying so hard to make ends meet these days that we knew we needed to scale down.
We decided we would do one present, they still get to choose the meals we have at home that day, and we will still do a family activity, but it can't cost money.
Brandon gave me a couple of ideas for his birthday present. I wasn't too keen on either of them, to be honest. He has been practicing piano songs for years, hoping to learn enough hymns that I would consider letting him learn the cello. He is pretty close, and I thought I would way rather spend the money on that and have it be a big surprise than purchase one of the other things he wanted. (A cell phone or a leather jacket) But I had seen the price tag on the cellos at the music store, and knew it was not going to be in budget. I thought maybe I would rent one for awhile, but picking up a new monthly bill was not an exciting prospect either. I started looking online and found a used cello being sold by a music teacher at a much more reasonable price. Dallin and I talked it over and decided it was a good idea, and we could use some tax return money to cover what would be over our birthday budget. My parents also agreed to go in on it as their gift to him. So I drove out and bought him a cello, and it was painful keeping that surprise for the next several days. I hid it at our neighbors so he would not suspect at all.
My parents came into town that weekend to meet my sister for some stuff at BYU. We decided to make Erin's rugby game our family activity for Brandon's birthday celebration. Knowing we'd be gone most of the day, we had presents with our breakfast of Bagels and mangos and kiwis. I had him open some cello song books for his gift. Then the kids brought the cello down, and he was so surprised and excited! It was really fun. He has been working hard to get his muscles strong enough for a good bow hold and is starting to make some sounds now. We had a wonderful day with my parents and two of my sisters and their families. We watched the Rugby game, got some pizza, and saw the premiere of a movie that my nephew is in. It was a really great day. We were all so tired when we got home that we decided to postpone the abelskiver dinner he wanted for the next day, which was actually his birthday. After church I got to work making abelskivers for the first time in my life. They are round, hollow pancake balls that you can fill with fruit and other things. We had a good variety of fruit and some delicious fresh cream from raw milk to top them with.
I guess the cello sort of gave me a theme for our other 2 birthdays. I wasn't sure what to give Sullivan for his birthday. He's been waiting for his birthday to "come up" for months, telling everyone that he is 3 already. Not till March 15th, buddy! I talked to him about presents and he told me he already got a cape and a sword and a belt (Christmas). Pretty sweet that he didn't feel the need for anything else. We have so many toys, and I didn't want to get him something just to get him something. Then I remembered how much he has been interested in Simon's violin lessons, sitting with my through them and having me use his arm for my violin. He knows all of the rhythms to the songs Simon has practiced, and will often take a couple of spoons or other toys and put them up to his chin to make a violin. I found a cute, tiny, cheap violin on the internet. I know it is not a quality instrument, but it is so cute! I had to pound the pegs pretty good with a hammer to keep the strings tuned at all, but it is perfect for him! It has a case and rosin just like Simon's and he knows just what to do. When he opened it, he said, "A little fiolin, just for me!" I need to get him a shoulder rest so he can hold it right, and then I think I can go along with the Suzuki method that Simon has learned this year. It is so cute when he gets it out to practice with Simon. When I asked about his cake, he said he wanted a green cake with strawberries on it. Sweet. I love simple. I dyed the batter green and made a big sheet cake. When Nathan got it out of the oven, he said it looked like a monster. That added to Sulley's imagination, so he said he wanted a monster cake. I used the strawberries and some marshmallows to make a monster face on it, and it turned out really cute! He was really happy with his birthday. In the morning we went to the store and he got to buy a few little toys with his ten dollars from Grandma and Grandpa M. On the way there, he said, "Mom, is my birthday up?" Yes! It finally came up! He got some army guys, a green car, and a green motorcycle. He suddenly loves the color green! I got him some balloons, too, which he carried proudly into the house. That evening our ward did a "Pie Party" since it was "Pi Day" 3-14-15. So we went to the church and tried a few kinds of pie and had a fun time with that.
Lately Dallin has been playing around with the harmonicas that we have, and he's been able to pick out a few tunes. He and Simon have tried playing together when it is their night to do piano for their after dinner job. The problem is that all of Simon's songs are written in A and the harmonica is in C. I taught Simon a couple of songs in C, but I thought it would be nice if Dallin could just play along with the songs Simon is already working on. We have had a few family jam sessions playing twinkle in C with Nathan on the ukulele, me on the piano, Ruby on the glockenspiel, Dallin on the harmonica, and Simon on the harmonica. It has given us a glimpse that the dream of our family playing music together that we have had since our kids were very little might still be a reality. It has been really fun! So I found a set of harmonicas in the most common keys for Dallin. So now he can play with Simon in A! On Dallin's birthday, we just had a fun day at home with the family. We got out in the sunshine and worked in the garden and cleaned it up so we can start planting. It was wonderful! We have had such beautiful weather lately! In the afternoon, we went to the Gem and Rock show and had a fun time. He loved his present, and we enjoyed the traditional taco dinner that night. This was a big birthday for Dallin! 40! He handled it with dignity and grace, as usual :).
It has been fun to have such a musical month. We'll have to see what the rest of the birthdays this year hold in store for us!
...
We've Given Up the Easy Life for the Good Life
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
Reflections on the Second Trimester
More turmoil. My second trimester was a time of emotional cleansing.
I felt pretty good physically--still tired but not as tired as at the beginning. I picked up my old ice chewing habit. There's just something completely satisfying about it when I am pregnant! I was able to keep up with read alouds, artists and composers, and my assignments for co-op, but I was not able to keep up with our family reading and notebooking sessions. Exercise was hit and miss, mostly taking a walk around the block when I got the chance.
Emotionally, things just kept coming up. Things with parenting, friends, past pregnancy and birth experiences, the experience with the scripture challenge--I was continually processing some experience that apparently needed to be processed. But it WAS cleansing. And I was able to turn to the Lord for help and guidance. I learned important things about repentance and forgiveness and learning how to love myself and others in spite of shortcomings.
It was a busy time for me, and the weeks went quickly. It was exiting to count myself into the third trimester.
I felt pretty good physically--still tired but not as tired as at the beginning. I picked up my old ice chewing habit. There's just something completely satisfying about it when I am pregnant! I was able to keep up with read alouds, artists and composers, and my assignments for co-op, but I was not able to keep up with our family reading and notebooking sessions. Exercise was hit and miss, mostly taking a walk around the block when I got the chance.
Emotionally, things just kept coming up. Things with parenting, friends, past pregnancy and birth experiences, the experience with the scripture challenge--I was continually processing some experience that apparently needed to be processed. But it WAS cleansing. And I was able to turn to the Lord for help and guidance. I learned important things about repentance and forgiveness and learning how to love myself and others in spite of shortcomings.
It was a busy time for me, and the weeks went quickly. It was exiting to count myself into the third trimester.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
His Name
Though I have settled into an acceptance and excitement about our baby boy, it has still been different. I have longed to feel more connected to him and to know him better. I have hoped and prayed that we might learn his name soon to help with the connection and the excitement.
Dallin and I talked about names on and off. I thought of how much I liked the sound of Orion and how it is similar to my grandfather's middle name, Orien. Dallin still liked the name Franklin, and I was willing to go with it since he has been outvoted on that one before. It is not a name I love. I really wanted this baby to have a name I LOVE. We have had a few of our kids' names picked out early and there was just a wonderful feeling that the name was perfect! That is what I was hoping for. I didn't have that feeling about either of those names, but we were still thinking that it would probably be one of them since nothing else had come up.
One evening he told me how he had been thinking about how neat it would be to come upon a name that expressed some meaning for the phase of life we are in. He was reading the scriptures and was very surprised to come across a name. Most people would be surprised to know that the name comes from the scriptures. We have heard it a few times, but it has been spelled differently. He shared the story with me and read it from the scriptures. The story and meaning were perfect, but I did not love the name. We talked about it some, and I got the feeling he was unsure about the name as well, so I started looking for names more in earnest. When he saw what I was up to, he said, "anything but that, huh?" I realized that he was more serious about the name than I thought. I realized that he was done looking for a name and that I'd probably better get used to it. I got to pick Sullivan's name after all. I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I accepted it and went up to bed.
But I lay there feeling disappointed. I wanted it to be a name that had that "perfect" feeling to it. I didn't want one more thing to "get used to". Once again I found myself feeling foolish and trying to get a grip. I was trying to hide the fact that I was crying, but Dallin figured me out. I wouldn't tell him what was wrong, but he figured that out, too. He was loving and understanding and not hurt by my silliness. We had a good talk about it and felt that it was indeed the right name.
And I am getting used to it. A couple of days later I told the older kids and they were really excited. That made me feel better. Then I got the courage to say it out loud to some friends. I knew we still needed a middle name, and I was a bit stumped on that one. Dallin's grandpa's middle name is Jasper, which I think is pretty cool, but my kids insisted he would be made fun of. Plus our boys all have names from Dallin's side except Simon, and I wanted to think of a name from my side of the family. It was a bit startling to realize that there wasn't a lot to go from. Simon is named after my dad and I never knew either of my grandfathers. I still know they were good men, but it seemed strange to not know the person I was naming a child after. As I was falling asleep one night and wondering about it, I thought of my great uncle. I was very close to my dad's mom. I spent a lot of time reading with her and eventually caring for her as she got older. She has been on my mind a lot this past year. I had even thought of using her name as a middle name for a girl. Her brother was a bright spot in my childhood. I loved it when he and his wife would come for a visit. I remember how much he enjoyed us kids, and that he took us swimming at his hotel once and got right in the water and played with us! As he got older and sicker, I still enjoyed visiting his home in Burley. I always felt love from him and realized that he is as much of a grandfather figure as I ever knew. And as I dozed off that night, I remembered that he had no children of his own. I smiled thinking that he would appreciate having somebody named after him. That name was "perfect".
I found myself being more excited after that. And the meaning of the name truly is significant. Corban Royal is a special name. In the Bible, Corban is the title given to something that has been set aside for a sacred purpose, a gift to God. It is a perfect tribute to this precious phase in our lives when we are learning to work together to consecrate and dedicate our lives to the Lord. And He has blessed us so much for our efforts! Our life as a family is truly a beautiful thing. The name is also meaningful because as large as our family is, we don't feel like we "need" more children! We have opened our hearts and our home to this child because we love God and want to share our family with as many of His precious children as we can. We certainly want this baby as much as any of them, but our motives have shifted. And isn't it interesting that our first son is named Nathan? They could very likely share a birthday as well. Nathan means "given of God" or "gift from God". I think that is a pretty beautiful idea. Uncle Royal's name could have been anything, and I still would have liked it because of him. But Royal is such a meaningful name! It is a prince that I carry, and I can not wait to meet him.
...
Dallin and I talked about names on and off. I thought of how much I liked the sound of Orion and how it is similar to my grandfather's middle name, Orien. Dallin still liked the name Franklin, and I was willing to go with it since he has been outvoted on that one before. It is not a name I love. I really wanted this baby to have a name I LOVE. We have had a few of our kids' names picked out early and there was just a wonderful feeling that the name was perfect! That is what I was hoping for. I didn't have that feeling about either of those names, but we were still thinking that it would probably be one of them since nothing else had come up.
One evening he told me how he had been thinking about how neat it would be to come upon a name that expressed some meaning for the phase of life we are in. He was reading the scriptures and was very surprised to come across a name. Most people would be surprised to know that the name comes from the scriptures. We have heard it a few times, but it has been spelled differently. He shared the story with me and read it from the scriptures. The story and meaning were perfect, but I did not love the name. We talked about it some, and I got the feeling he was unsure about the name as well, so I started looking for names more in earnest. When he saw what I was up to, he said, "anything but that, huh?" I realized that he was more serious about the name than I thought. I realized that he was done looking for a name and that I'd probably better get used to it. I got to pick Sullivan's name after all. I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I accepted it and went up to bed.
But I lay there feeling disappointed. I wanted it to be a name that had that "perfect" feeling to it. I didn't want one more thing to "get used to". Once again I found myself feeling foolish and trying to get a grip. I was trying to hide the fact that I was crying, but Dallin figured me out. I wouldn't tell him what was wrong, but he figured that out, too. He was loving and understanding and not hurt by my silliness. We had a good talk about it and felt that it was indeed the right name.
And I am getting used to it. A couple of days later I told the older kids and they were really excited. That made me feel better. Then I got the courage to say it out loud to some friends. I knew we still needed a middle name, and I was a bit stumped on that one. Dallin's grandpa's middle name is Jasper, which I think is pretty cool, but my kids insisted he would be made fun of. Plus our boys all have names from Dallin's side except Simon, and I wanted to think of a name from my side of the family. It was a bit startling to realize that there wasn't a lot to go from. Simon is named after my dad and I never knew either of my grandfathers. I still know they were good men, but it seemed strange to not know the person I was naming a child after. As I was falling asleep one night and wondering about it, I thought of my great uncle. I was very close to my dad's mom. I spent a lot of time reading with her and eventually caring for her as she got older. She has been on my mind a lot this past year. I had even thought of using her name as a middle name for a girl. Her brother was a bright spot in my childhood. I loved it when he and his wife would come for a visit. I remember how much he enjoyed us kids, and that he took us swimming at his hotel once and got right in the water and played with us! As he got older and sicker, I still enjoyed visiting his home in Burley. I always felt love from him and realized that he is as much of a grandfather figure as I ever knew. And as I dozed off that night, I remembered that he had no children of his own. I smiled thinking that he would appreciate having somebody named after him. That name was "perfect".
I found myself being more excited after that. And the meaning of the name truly is significant. Corban Royal is a special name. In the Bible, Corban is the title given to something that has been set aside for a sacred purpose, a gift to God. It is a perfect tribute to this precious phase in our lives when we are learning to work together to consecrate and dedicate our lives to the Lord. And He has blessed us so much for our efforts! Our life as a family is truly a beautiful thing. The name is also meaningful because as large as our family is, we don't feel like we "need" more children! We have opened our hearts and our home to this child because we love God and want to share our family with as many of His precious children as we can. We certainly want this baby as much as any of them, but our motives have shifted. And isn't it interesting that our first son is named Nathan? They could very likely share a birthday as well. Nathan means "given of God" or "gift from God". I think that is a pretty beautiful idea. Uncle Royal's name could have been anything, and I still would have liked it because of him. But Royal is such a meaningful name! It is a prince that I carry, and I can not wait to meet him.
...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)