Watkinsville Scarecrow 5K and Fall Festival

It's our yearly tradition to participate in the race and fall festival. This year I ran the race and James tucked the kids snuggly in the stroller to watch. Don't the look cozy? Doesn't it look cold? It was at first.I was happy with my time--28:47, as you can see. Slowly but surely I'm am getting a little bit faster. Woo hoo! Our good friends Brett and Alyson and their son Will did the races too. They all got amazing times.

Here is Henry, getting ready to start the kids 1 miles fun run. You see those clenched fists and that tense posture getting ready to run? Henry took this race very seriously. We "practiced" for it a few times ahead of time and he was very determined to be a fast runner and do his best.

Here he is at the end, holding his little finisher's ribbon. He ran the whole time without stopping and finished the race in 12:10. I was very impressed by his determination! He loves running. The highlight for him was finishing before James, who ran it with him. All he could say was, "I was faster than my dad!"

Here are the boys on a tractor from the hay rides in their lovely matching overalls. We didn't get any other pictures of the festival, but we did the usual--funnel cakes and shish kabobs, looking through the rock collectors' booth and all the craft booths and riding the pony and playing in the corn crib at the petting zoo. It was fun hanging out and we saw lots of friends there too. Good old Watkinsville. We sure will miss it.

Happy Birthday Little Wes!

We had a really fun time celebrating Wes's 2nd birthday. It was so fun to see him finally begin to catch on to the significance of the day. He just beamed at us and soaked it all up as we sang, "Happy Birthday" to him. Wesley is such an awesome, fun, intelligent, sweet little kid. He and I have always had a very close attachment from the time he was born (not always by my own choice), but he's always been my little snuggle-buddy, joined at the hip.

A few of his nicknames include the Wesinator, Troublemaker, and Little Wes, and we have a special song we sing about him to the tune of the William Tell Overture. It's hard to imagine life before Wesley. He's so adorable and so opinionated and affectionate. We sure love you, Little Wes!

We camped in our back yard for Wesley's birthday. Here you can kind of see the wilty streamers and balloons that we had up in the tent and which weren't handling the humidity very well. Sleeping next to our kids all night in the tent is always an adventure--being steamrolled by them all night, the hard ground in spite of many layers of bedding, the howling coyotes (where am I, back in Wyoming?), and the gigantic daddy-longlegs crawling all over the outside of the tent like they own the place.

It is actually fun though. We always watch a movie on James's Mac and we get all the pleasures of camping without tons of work or nasty port-a-potties.

The cake of course had to be something to do with jets. I'm not sure any obsession my boys have had yet compares with their current infatuation with rockets and jets. And try as I may, this is as fancy as my cakes get. But that's probably ok because probably about 5 minutes later, while my back was turned, both boys starting licking the sides of the cake and sucking off all the frosting. Oh well, you're only a kid once!

Protecting Marriage and Family--Proposition 8 in California

I could write pages upon pages regarding how I feel about this issue. It makes me so sick at heart and worried that I don't even like to think about.

It has nothing to do with intolerance.

It has nothing to do with me or anyone else "not liking" people who choose to pursue a gay lifestyle.

This issue about changing marriage to include any union other than that of a man and a woman is not simply about extending certain rights to those who choose to follow a gay lifestyle, as they would have you believe.

By making it law that same-sex couples can be "married," it is forcing the entire nation to conform to that limited brand of morality, in spite of their own beliefs about marriage and families.

Supporting Prop 8 and the traditional definition of marriage is not about intolerance. It's about tolerance--tolerance for the majority of Americans who are not hateful, who have gay friends, who are willing to be understanding and accommodating to a degree to those who have made that lifestyle choice, but who do not wish to have that morality forced upon them. From adoptions to church weddings to any professional service that furthers a lifestyle we believe is not right, natural, or healthy for society--let's have tolerance for our differences of beliefs, including mainstream, traditional, or religious ones.

The following article summarizes this very well. Californians need to realize that what happens with Prop 8 not only bears heavy consequences for them but will likely pull the rest of the nation in the same direction, whichever way it goes.

When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
NPR.org, June 13, 2008 · In recent years, some states have passed laws giving residents the right to same-sex unions in various forms. Gay couples may marry in Massachusetts and California. There are civil unions and domestic partnerships in Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Oregon. Other states give more limited rights.

Armed with those legal protections, same-sex couples are beginning to challenge policies of religious organizations that exclude them, claiming that a religious group's view that homosexual marriage is a sin cannot be used to violate their right to equal treatment. Now parochial schools, "parachurch" organizations such as Catholic Charities and businesses that refuse to serve gay couples are being sued — and so far, the religious groups are losing. Here are a few cases:

Adoption services: Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a legislative struggle — during which the Senate president said he could not support a bill "condoning discrimination" — Catholic Charities pulled out of the adoption business in 2006.

Housing: In New York City, Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a school under Orthodox Jewish auspices, banned same-sex couples from its married dormitory. New York does not recognize same-sex marriage, but in 2001, the state's highest court ruled Yeshiva violated New York City's ban on sexual orientation discrimination. Yeshiva now allows all couples in the dorm.

Parochial schools: California Lutheran High School, a Protestant school in Wildomar, holds that homosexuality is a sin. After the school suspended two girls who were allegedly in a lesbian relationship, the girls' parents sued, saying the school was violating the state's civil rights act protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The case is before a state judge.

Medical services: A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in Vista, Calif., refused to give his patient in vitro fertilization treatment because she is in a lesbian relationship, and he claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. (The doctor referred the patient to his partner, who agreed to do the treatment.) The woman sued under the state's civil rights act. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in May 2008, and legal experts believe that the woman's right to medical treatment will trump the doctor's religious beliefs. One justice suggested that the doctors take up a different line of business.

Psychological services: A mental health counselor at North Mississippi Health Services refused therapy for a woman who wanted help in improving her lesbian relationship. The counselor said doing so would violate her religious beliefs. The counselor was fired. In March 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the employer, ruling that the employee's religious beliefs could not be accommodated without causing undue hardship to the company.

Civil servants: A clerk in Vermont refused to perform a civil union ceremony after the state legalized them. In 2001, in a decision that side-stepped the religious liberties issue, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that he did not need to perform the ceremony because there were other civil servants who would. However, the court did indicate that religious beliefs do not allow employees to discriminate against same-sex couples.

Adoption services: A same-sex couple in California applied to Adoption Profiles, an Internet service in Arizona that matches adoptive parents with newborns. The couple's application was denied based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The couple sued in federal district court in San Francisco. The two sides settled after the adoption company said it will no longer do business in California.

Wedding services: A same sex couple in Albuquerque asked a photographer, Elaine Huguenin, to shoot their commitment ceremony. The photographer declined, saying her Christian beliefs prevented her from sanctioning same-sex unions. The couple sued, and the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the photographer guilty of discrimination. It ordered her to pay the lesbian couple's legal fees ($6,600). The photographer is appealing.

Wedding facilities: Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of New Jersey, a Methodist organization, refused to rent its boardwalk pavilion to a lesbian couple for their civil union ceremony. The couple filed a complaint with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. The division ruled that the boardwalk property was open for public use, therefore the Methodist group could not discriminate against gay couples using it. In the interim, the state's Department of Environmental Protection revoked a portion of the association's tax benefits. The case is ongoing.

Youth groups: The city of Berkeley, Calif., requested that the Sea Scouts (affiliated with the Boy Scouts) formally agree to not discriminate against gay men in exchange for free use of berths in the city's marina. The Sea Scouts sued, claiming this violated their beliefs and First Amendment right to the freedom to associate with other like-minded people. In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled against the youth group. In San Diego, the Boy Scouts lost access to the city-owned aquatic center for the same reason. While these cases do not directly involve same-sex unions, they presage future conflicts about whether religiously oriented or parachurch organizations may prohibit, for example, gay couples from teaching at summer camp. In June 2008, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asked the California Supreme Court to review the Boy Scouts' leases. Meanwhile, the mayor's office in Philadelphia revoked the Boy Scouts' $1-a-year lease for a city building.

________________________________

So seriously, do these changes that are being made speak more of tolerance or of intolerance for personal beliefs?


I tolerate those whose morality and belief system differs from my own, even substantially.


But I tolerate them. I don't embrace them myself or wish to have them forced upon me or upon the institutions I support. My church has the right to marry people according to our doctrines and beliefs as we believe God Himself has set forth. We have the right to support and help build families that we believe are, by divine design, intended to be an eternal union between a man and woman, and children with the right to be born to that union.


If I haven't already emphasized it clearly enough, it's not about extending marriage to a small group of Americans so they can be happier in their lifestyle and I can continue in mine. That alone, if that were reality, might be possible.


But the reality is that changing the legal definition affects all of us. And imposing that idea on the majority of Americans, particularly in a country that was founded on faith in God, seems like a very un-American thing to do.

Lovin' it!

Wouldn't it be great if we could all just get along this well?

Thanks, Roslyn, for the picture.

Provo River Trail Half-Marathon

This post is coming extremely late, but I wouldn't want to lose my coveted position of "World's Pokiest Blogger." But part of the reason I hadn't done it yet is because those of you who know me well know I have to give the FULL STORY, every detail, and have to analyze and intellectualize everything. No just, "I ran the race. It was fun. Here's some pics." So here's finally a report on my half-marathon in August.

As most of you know, last May I decided to train for the Provo River Trailrun (since our family would be in Utah this summer.) I hadn't been running much for a long time, just a tiny bit of prep for the Josh Reeves 5k in March. Anyway, I had a lot of reasons for wanting to do this at this time and for why it meant a lot to me.

Why to Run
First, I always did well in school, but the one subject I hated and suffered through year after year was PE. In fact, the day we did "the mile run" twice a year from grade school up was, without exception, the most dreaded and miserable day of the school year. (Except the day in 8th grade when I found out that this really tough girl wanted to beat me up, but fortunately, that ended in nothing.)

So physical things have always been my "weakness" and something I wanted to become strong in (Ether 12:27--Book of Mormon, of course). So I began running very small amounts in high school because it didn't require much coordination and there was no team I would make lose. I've never done it a ton or real regularly--just off and on here and there. So, this past spring as I was realizing that Robertson #3 wasn't in any particular hurry to get here and as it seemed like a good time, given my health and considering I'd have some extra kid-watching help in Utah, I felt like I should go for it and put in the hours and effort to do a big race. (James and I had actually began training for the Provo River Half-Marathon in 2003 before we moved to Georgia, but then found out we'd have to begin driving out here before the day of the race, so we never got too far into training.)

Another reason for doing the race is I had a rare opportunity to run it with a lot of my in-laws. Emily, my sister-in-law, had just recently run her first marathon and was on-fire addicted to running. Her husband, Ben, had recently began running with her. Amy and Bec, two more of James's sisters, were getting running again. Jay, the semi-professional soccer player, liked to run too to keep in shape. Jeremy, out of the blue, ran the BYU Run Against Violence and had gotten an amazing time with no previous practice and thought he'd stick with it a bit too. So all SEVEN of us were going to run the race together. It was perfect that James and I would be in Utah at the right time, and also that none of us were expecting or had recently had babies. (Well, really recently--Bec was only about 6 mos. out from having Grace, and Emily was about 10 weeks along with her third by the time we did the half.)

Emily, the marathoner and motivator, who was "running for two" that day and still kicked butt. Way to go, Em!

Jeremy, about to get his amazing time and thinking, "I can't let that old guy beat me! I just can't!"

Amy did an amazing time. With three busy kids, a big move the month before, and Jon's new job, she didn't get a ton of time to train and she still got an excellent time.

Looks like James almost missed getting a picture of Becca finishing. Bec ran this race two years ago when she was dating her current husband, James Clary.

Ben is so funny. The ever supportive husband-of-the-runner now turned runner is obviously very proud of the job he's doing. He did do great.

I'm not sure James got a picture of Jay finishing. Jay got some awesome time, like 1:42 or so. So here instead is a picture of Jay running in a soccer game and you can just use your imagination.

The other person I got to run with the entire way at about half her normal pace was Brigette Maes, one of my best friends growing up. Brigette is a record-holding, expert runner. Her marathon time is 3:24. She was always trying to get me to join cross-country in high school--an inane thought--but it was like a weekly conversation. So when I told her I was going to do the half, she said she would come down from Rock Springs, with her husband and two kids, and run it with me. Can you imagine how awesome that was for me?! It was great to have someone to keep me company and encourage me the whole time. It was really funny because she kept marvelling at how different this race was than any other race she'd done. The people were all running with a friend or two. There was talking and laughing. They'd walk a bit if they needed and then get going again. It was a big social occasion, in addition to being a race. I told her that that's because A) it's Provo, and B) she's used to running at the very front of the race with the people who are all trying to win. I thought it was funny she finally got to see how the other half of us lived.

Brigette is amazing. She's only been running one mile a day since she had her second baby last September, but she still up and ran the 13 miles with no trouble at all. In fact, we had to remember to let me lead when we passed people because otherwise she'd run around them and keep right on going and leave me behind!

I also was trying to decide what personal hobby or interest I really wanted to pursue because with such limited time, I wanted to just pick one thing to really work on and try to get somewhere with it. I asked myself, "What do I really desire to do or long to do?" Running has always fascinated me. I admire runners so much. Running is such an ideal sport in so many ways. I love how it's as much a mental activity as it is a physical one. And I certainly found that to be true. I knew I would not be a fast runner, but I'd always been more interested in being able to go far than to go fast and so that's what I focused on.

The Race Itself

We got up at 4:30 that morning to catch one of the jillions of schoolbusses at the Riverwoods to ride up to the trailhead. They'd recently changed the course because of some fires around Bridal Veil Falls, so we ran 4 miles down South Fork Canyon, 2.5 miles on the highway (including a long 1+ mile hill). Then we ran about 4.5 on the regular Provo River trail, staring just after Bridal Veil Falls, and then about 2.5 miles around the Riverwoods shopping area before hitting the finish line.

It was so funny when we got to the start because there were over a thousand runners up there, many of whom needed to use a bathroom but they only had about 20 port-a-potties. The lines were huge and the race was about to start, so people were not-so-subtlely wandering off into the bushes and trees all over the place, and you had to be careful what secluded spot you chose because there were often a few other people who had also chosen that same area and were all currently doing their business. Unfortunately, I had to join my fellow runners in the trees but at least I didn't have to just jump off the trail at some point halfway down in desperation like some I was running with did. :)

So, the race started and it was a few minutes after the gun went off before our part of the cattle herd reached the starting line, so we based our times off our watches instead of the race clock. (I have to mention by the way that even though I loved it, this race isn't very well organized. Everyone who's been in it knows that. I think they're lucky it's such a popular course or else I think they'd be losing all their runners. There are so many basic things they could do to make it better, but I digress.) The first few miles were fairly steep downhill, enough to make it harder running than level if you weren't remembering to lean into it and not slap your feet and stop yourself on every step. The part on the highway was fun. There was a huge, slow, single line of traffic moving in the lane next to us in the opposite direction and they were all having a good time watching us. At Bridal Veil, about 6.5 miles into it, I had my first Gu of my life, non-caffienated, and it was, well, tolerable I guess. It was like a strawberry fruit roll-up with the flavor magnified about 10x. I just swallowed it whole and got it off my tongue as quickly as possible.

The portion that was actually on the trail was so beautiful and was an area I had practiced in and that was nice because getting up to about 9-10 miles, I was starting to feel it a little bit more. It was taking a little more commitment to stick with my pace. Basically, I was passed by a ton of people the first 2 miles of the race and then after that we were mostly slowly passing people and that kind of helped keep me focused on still going. That and all the endless things Brigette and I got to talk about and running with Emily and Ben during a portion of this latter segment.

The last 2.5 miles around the Riverwoods shopping area was not fun. We were running a bit and saw the 11 mile mark and thought, "OK, not too much farther now." Then, after awhile, it became apparent that the 12 mi. mark was missing but we had no idea how long ago we would have passed it. So it felt like we should be very close to finished when really we weren't quite as close as we thought. We didn't know exactly where the finish line was and every where we kept winding around, we kept seeing the line of runners still going somewhere far off in a different direction. Then at the end we were running up a windy sidewalk by a hedge and you couldn't see too far ahead. By this point, I was dying and just picking out landmarks and thinking, "OK, just to that bend up there. I can only do that." And we'd hear groups of people shouting and cheering up ahead and they'd finally come into sight and it wouldn't be the finish line, just a random group of people. That happened several times--you kept thinking you were just like 200 ft from the finishing area and then there'd be nothing. Aghhhh! It was maddening.

So finally, finally the crowds were getting larger and I saw the most welcome, wonderful sight in the world--my husband's beautiful, loving face smiling at me, cheering, and taking my picture. It was SO. GOOD. TO. SEE. HIM! I had thought more about how it would be good for my kids to see their mother running this great race, but, not surprisingly, I was only about as interesting as rolling down the hill or eating their bags of cereal. But I was OK with that. I was just so happy to see James there supporting me. He supports me in every one of my crazy ideas, and it felt so good to have him there at this really difficult but important end. So I ran as fast as I could the last bit and felt like puking but saw what was a beautiful sight for me...

2:08:25!!!

Wow, baby! I was realistically expecting and hoping for something between 2:15 and 2:25. The farthest I had run before was 11.15 miles in 1:58. That did quite a bit to relieve my rough ending. It was worth it. I finished and could say I was very happy with my time, as opposed to most races when I finish and think, "I know I could have done better than that." So at the end, I was glad to see James, I was glad about my time, but beyond that all I could think was THANK GOODNESS IT'S DONE!

The runners. Whoo hoo, we are awesome. I love the Robertsons. Have I mentioned that?

I love this picture for two reasons. One, because three of us four girls had identical Saucony Trigon 5 running shoes, which I think is really funny. Becca's were different Saucony so I guess that's why she didn't put her foot in. Second, because Jay's, um...accidental catching of his shorts on his bib. Whoops! Maybe that wasn't an accident. That's OK. If I were a guy and my thighs looked like that, they'd probably sneak a peak out once in a while too. (By the way, ladies, he's single. Attractive, spiritual, athletic, pre-med--check my facebook.)

Why I Love Running/Why Anyone With an Inkling of Desire Should Run a Half

It was a great summer doing all that running. Some of my best memories are of very early, chilly mornings running up Provo Canyon, usually with Emily, thinking, "Eight? Do I really think I'm going to run eight M-I-L-E-S!?!" And doing a long run with Brigette in Rock Springs and thinking, "I just ran around all the major parts of my hometown. I circled the whole thing on foot." A far cry from who I was when I lived there. Running with my brothers was fun and something new.

One thing I liked the most about running is that it made me feel so strong and it felt good to feel strong--to have the ability to finish the run, no matter how long it was or intimidating it sounded. I remember my first long run--4.75 miles at Herman C. Michael Park. It took a long time, but I was so proud of myself for running that far--farther than I had ever run before. By the end, 5 miles was my regular weekday workout, nothing to think twice about. It felt good to see some real progress. And I think that feeling of strength bled over into other areas of my life and increased my confidence in my capacity to do things.

Em and I are tough. I have to put in a plug for skirtsports by the way. This is not only the best running skirt for many reasons, but when the pocket tore a bit on this race, they sent me a new one to replace it and even sent pink, since that's what I'd originally wanted. They're great!

The other thing I loved the most about running was some of these rare, beautiful moments that would come when I felt so...alive in a really wonderful way. I really can't think of any better way to put it. Especially when I did a final push at the end of the run, every single one of my senses would be on overload. My legs would be burning but working so well and so hard, and I could feel my heart pumping blood all through me and each breath of oxygen relieving me. I was surrounded by overwhelmingly beautiful, majestic mountains and trees and the river with the brilliant sun lighting up the whole canyon. And I knew my Heavenly Father was proud of me for what I was trying to do. He knew what it meant for me to try and do it and He was with me. In those moments I felt the joy of all these gifts and the joy of what it means to be healthy and living. I certainly have known before what it means to not be healthy and I'm so grateful to be at this point now. I guess another way of putting it is that, having always been trying to be active spiritually but not very much physically, I think I experienced new level of joy--where both my body and spirit were simultaneously fulfilling the measure of their creation. It made me very happy to have spent some of my time this summer pursuing those kinds of experiences.

I'm really glad I ran the race. Like I said, there is nothing spectacular about what I did in terms of time or given the fact that anyone who really wants to can do it. But is was spectacular for me in what it represented as far as what I had overcome personally to do it. My inadequacy in and fear of physical, atheletic things and fear of failure, both in the race or of giving up in process of training.

Our lives definitely have seasons and I'm learning that if you don't take advantage of certain opportunities when they are there, sometimes you miss on the chance to do them forever, or to reach an even higher goal in the future. I'm glad I conquered some personal fears and overcame procrastination and finally accomplished this goal that was important to me. And even though I'm not always able to keep up with doing quite that much running, I'm looking forward to the time when I can find another race and do it again!!

Preliminary New Guinea pictures--Port Moresby

James is spending a few weeks in New Guinea doing collecting and research with a group of professors, mostly from BYU and BYU-Hawaii. He's been gone about 10 days and we haven't heard from him much, but we did receive these pictures in an email shortly after they arrived in Port Moresby.

It took them so long to get there. They were delayed eight hours in Fiji, making them miss all of their later flights. Later, they were delayed three hours in the Solomon Islands, which made them have to stay the night there not according to plan. Finally, they spent an extra day just killing time in Port Moresby because the usual flight to New Ireland (I believe) was cancelled.

Once they FINALLY got to their destination, the fun could really begin. He told me last week that their research station, which is housed in an old resort, is about thirty minutes from a rumbling, ash-spewing volcano. Wow. I hope they are able to do some excellent insect and marine life research to make all this traveling and effort worth it. Regardless of the bumps, New Guinea looks like an amazing place and James is fortunate beyond all get out that he gets to go on a trip like this. I'm sure he's loving every minute!

Life in Utah, Part I

Well, as many of you know, we have recently begun our 7-week visit to Utah for the summer. We've had an awesome time visiting family. I think our boys think they've died and gone to the Celestial Kingdom--here there are lots of grandparents, aunts, and uncles, plenty of cousins to play with, big amazing backyards, swimming pools and irrigated lawns, pets, hikes and waterfalls, birthday parties, airplane museums, plenty of good food including treats and soda and people who rarely tell you no. Yes, it's a kids paradise.

James leaves on Thursday for Papua New Guinea. He's pretty excited. Now if we could just track down a place here in Utah to get his Japanese Encephalitis booster shot before he goes.... I've been running all over the creation here with various relatives, trying to get ready for the Provo River Half Marathon on Aug. 9th. Last Friday, two of my sisters-in-law, Emily and Becca, and I ran 9 miles up and down the canyon and had an amazing time. It was one of the best runs I've ever been on. I've never run that far before and it was so beautiful (and actually so cold when we started out at 6am, so different from Georgia--are you surviving the heat, Charis?) My muscles were crampy and tired when I was done but I still felt so good. I wanted to keep running. And actually, I'm getting a little obsessed. Whenever I see people out running, I'm always like, "When do I get to go again? How far do I need to go next time?" Not that I'm very great or fast at it. But I love getting better and better at it. It makes me feel so strong in all aspects of my life.

So, the last thing is, a few of you know that James and I are going with my parents to the American Idol concert in SLC tomorrow night. I am SO excited! I know I am a complete nerd, but I absolutely love David Archuleta. I love his voice and his style of music and the songs he sings, as well as who he is. But we also love David Cook too so we're really excited to see him perform. And we liked Brooke and Jason and several others, so I think it will be a fun, kid-free date for us before James is gone for 2 1/2 weeks. And believe or not, it will actually be the first real concert I've ever gone to. Ha ha! I'll let you know how it is--Chad and Andy, try not to feel too badly that you don't get to be there with the rest of the Archies. :)

Motherhood

***Warning to the reader: This is a mushy, gushy post, especially the poem at the end. What can I say?***

My Wesley has the most stunning blue eyes. He's the entertainer in our family. He is mischievous and opinionated but also all love and affection and sweetness. He's a little mama's boy. He doesn't love anyone more than he loves me--if only that could last! He loves and insists on falling asleep on my shoulder, with his fingers twisted up in my hair. It's hard to feel too badly about anything in life when such a sweet little person loves you so much.

I love this picture (thanks Donna for all of these!) because to me it captures best the Henry I know. He's a beautiful, big-eyed boy with lots of great blonde hair which I hate to cut. Henry is good right down to his core. He loves his friends and adores his daddy, who is his "best buddy." He is curious about everything in life and is both funny and light-hearted as well as thoughtful and sensitive. He's a true "barefoot boy," which is another poem I should post on here sometime. He is perfectly happy exploring the outdoors and nature and the way things work, and I love to let him enjoy a happy childhood and not try to force adulthood on him too fast.

Gosh, I love this picture so much too! How can you not love that squishy little baby face right in front of the camera? To me that face just says, "Mommy, I am an important person too."

Ahh...life with a sibling. Not always what it's cracked up to be. They definitely love each other a lot though and are heart-broken when the other one is upset or not around. I'm glad they have each other, and James and I know how fortunate we are to have them. They are our greatest blessing.

The Girl I Used to Be
Author unknown

She came tonight as I sat alone,
The girl I used to be,
And she gazed at me with her earnest eyes,
And questioned reproachfully,
Have you forgotten the many plans,
And hopes I had for you?
The great career,
The splendid fame,
All the wonderful things to do?
Where is the mansion of stately height,
With all of its gardens rare?
The silken robes that I dreamed for you,
And the shining jewels in your hair?
And as she spoke,
I was very sad,
For I wanted her pleased with me,
This slender girl from the shadowy past,
The girl I used to be.

So gently rising,
I took her hand and guided her up the stairs,
Where peacefully sleeping,
My babies lay, innocent, sweet and fair.
And I told her that these are my only gems,
And precious they are to me.
That silken robe is my motherhood,
Of costly simplicity.
And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know,
Is serving each day in these sheltered walls,
For the dear ones who come and go.
And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me,
And I saw the woman that I am now,
Pleased the girl that I used to be!

Pumpkin Muffins, Ratatouille, and Key Lime Pie

Well, here I am, posting again after all of you gave up on checking my blog weeks ago...

I thought I'd share a few recipe thoughts. We had a whole lot of company over lately, and it's been great fun, although a lot of work and a lot of cooking. (At least my house stays looking good though!) We've had a double baby shower and several game nights and dinners.

So, with all this going on, I've made a few interesting culinary discoveries I thought I'd share. The first is the little known fact that if you add twice as much canned pumpkin as the pumpkin muffin recipe calls for, it still turns out pretty darn good. I did this by accident when I made muffins for a pool party with other moms and kids from church, and all the while I couldn't figure out why the batter was so weird and why I had to cook them forever. And actually, not only did they have twice as much pumpkin but I had reduced the oil and sugar already, so they had less than 50% of what they should have had of those. And I'd added flax seed, so they were pretty darn healthy and actually really good still. Here's the recipe:

Jennifer Eyring's Pumpkin Bread
1 2/3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. each of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
1 1/2 c. sugar (or 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 c. oil (or 1/3 cup)
2 eggs
1 c. pumpkin (or 2 cups!)
3 T. flax seed

13+ min at 350 (with extra pumpkin, closer to 20 min)

My next discovery was with Ratatouille. We were figuring out what to make as a side dish for our friends and I realized I had all the ingredients for this one except the eggplant. So we got it and made it--very simple and nutritious, and even James liked it in spite of the squash and eggplant. However, I did finally finish it off for lunch today, which was probably my 4th time having it, and I have to say it had lost a bit of its luster after the 2nd or 3rd time.

Ratatouille
2 cloves garlic
1 med onion
1 med eggplant
2 small zucchini
1 med green pepper
2 med tomatoes
fresh basil
1/8-1/4 c. olive oil
1 1/2 t. salt
1/3 t. pepper
dash of thyme

Saute all the vegetables in the oil in a pan until tender, garlic and onions first, then everything but the tomatoes, and finally the tomatoes and fresh basil. Let it cook down to a consistency you like--about 10-15 min total.

Finally, we recently had James's lab group over for dinner. We made Thai spring rolls with peanut sauce for an appetizer, and then had (all homemade) Thai Green Curry with chicken and eggplant, Matsuman Curry, Pad Thai, Tandoori chicken, and Key Lime Pie for dessert. Whew! It was good. The spring rolls were my favorite, but I was surprised how easy the Key Lime Pie was--easy enough to memorize and so delicious (as long as it's not overcooked).

Key Lime Pie
3 eggs, beaten
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. lime juice
1 t. lime zest

1 graham cracker crust
Whipped cream

Whip up the first 4 ingredients and pour it into the crust. Bake 30-35 min at 350 until center is set. Chill before serving. Top with whipped cream. Yum!

Georgia is beautiful

The flowers in Georgia in March and April are amazing. We didn't get any pictures of the Wysteria vines that grow all over the trees and look like 40 ft. tall purple waterfalls--those are my favorite. It's a lovely time of year but also terrible for allergy sufferers. The streets and cars have a constant yellow dusting of pollen, and sometimes it actually looks foggy or misty outside just from the pollen.

Just some of the beautiful blossoms on UGA campus. James took these with his new camera.

This is in front of James's building.

Across from James's building--the old building on the right is one of the original University buildings that is still in use.

A street in Five Points--the residential area by the University where a huge proporation of the professors live. (And yes, that's James's pride and joy parked on the street.)

The perfect house and yard.

Wouldn't you hate to live next door to these people?

Josh Reeves Memorial 5K--Henry's first race!

Our family recently participated in the first ever Josh Reeves Memorial 5K. First, a little background info. The Reeves family are members of our ward. We've known the parents and their children ever since we moved here. Josh (and one other grown sibling) were the only ones we didn't know, although I knew Josh's wife, Leslie.

Anyway, Josh was serving in Iraq up until last September when a roadside bomb exploded under the Humvee he was in. His passing happened at a particularly difficult time--Josh's first child, Jackson, was born here in the states just 24 hours earlier. So we love the Reeves family very much and this has been and continues to be a tough thing for them. So when we heard about the memorial 5k the UGA ROTC was doing, we, along with a lot of other ward members, signed up.

Of course, the problem was that we hadn't run a race in forever and had not been running. Well, for James it had been the Fall Festival 5K and for me it had been the relay race marathon last April. And we were both pretty out-of-shape. But it was good because it made us get back in shape. Before the race they had a tribute to Josh and his family. A large group from each military division--the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines--were there and they ran in formation by division and did their...I can't think of what it's called..chanting, shouting things with their commander during the entire race. It was rainy during the race but that actually felt pretty good. It was fun to run a race with lots of our friends from church.

This 5k also, by accident, became Henry's first race. Our friends were going to watch the boys while we ran but at the last minute the night before we found out they couldn't come. So we decided James would run the race himself and I would push the boys in the double stroller. But it actually turned out to be a good thing because Henry was so excited about being in the race. And I have to say he did a pretty amazing job. He ran about half of the 3.1 miles, including several hills and at a pretty good pace. Everyone we passed when he was running got a pretty big kick out of his clenched fists and determined face. He was very excited. At one point we were running up a hill and it was just starting to drizzle and Henry was laughing while he was running and my heart took a picture of it. You could just tell that his little boy heart was pretty happy in that moment.

So James finished the race in probably pretty good time, although we don't really know because he didn't see the big race clock they had at the end and assumed they didn't have one. :) So then he came back and got the boys from me and I got to run the last 1/2 mile of the race without the stroller. When James came up with the boys, everyone kept trying to get Henry to get out and run across the finish line of the race, but by that point he had had it and kept yelling at everyone, "No. I'm too tired!" Of course he perked up a bit when he found out that people who run the race get to eat donuts at the end, although not enough to smile for any of our pictures.

All in all, it was a really fun race. We want to always do stuff like this as a family and raise our kids participating in things like that. And it got us really back into running mode, which we really like to do. That and Emily Morrise's blogs about all of her running accomplishments. She's amazing! Her example has really inspired us and hopefully we can do some running together when we're out there this summer!

Our living room makeover

We do exist. We have not fallen off the face of the earth, though I know it seems we have. We've just been really busy and our Internet always seems to be having one problem or another. But anyway, now that everyone has probably stopped checking our blog, I am back with just a small update on our lives.

We continue to love our house. It's so nice (and so much easier!) to have options and flexibility in terms of storage and decorating and use. So one of my fun projects in February was getting our living room set up a little more nicely. It was hard to make myself stick to predominantly one style and color palette because I love so many different looks, but I think I did and I'm pretty happy with the result.

First, I have to say that even though it's not a fancy living room that people would still be very surprised to know how little we spent on everything in there. About 80% of everything in there (as well as in the rest of our house) was either given to us or purchased at a garage sale. (We have a very generous and thoughtful family and circle of friends.) And among those things, there are a number of items we refurbished to make them look nicer and like they were supposed to go together. And then there's a small number of things we just bought (read: IKEA and Walmart--what would I do without those two stores?!).

My favorite item (and the most unique) is the humongous world map on the far wall. That was my big purchase item. I loved that map when I first saw it on the IKEA website a year ago, and for me it's a good sign when I still like something after a few months because I normally change my mind all over the place. It's a beautiful canvas maps with great colors--colored like a map but in nice shades of blue, brown and green so it didn't look straight out of a geography book. I love it because it's big enough to allow you to read everything on it, and it's interesting to look at so you actually learn something everytime you look at it. And it's a great conversation piece. Everyone who comes to our house (even the repairman) stops to look at it, and it spurs a lot of interesting conversations. And down the road (a ways down the road) it can go in our library that we hope to one day have. So I feel like it was worth the investment to get the one thing I really loved and that we would use for a long time, although again, IKEA, so it wasn't really expensive enough to call it an investment!

Finally, I made the blue pillow the day I wanted to have the room all done, when my friends came over for book club at my house (my first time being able to host the book club after being in it for four years!) Anyway, I was proud of my cool design and that I remembered enough about sewing to put a zipper in it.

So there you have it. Now you can all feel like you've visited us here and...been in the front room. :)