Pants and Headdresses

Our friend Rebecca just gave us a few baby things for Lorelei since she's gotten more than she can use after having four baby girls in four years. This includes a cute little outfit with a pajama footie bottom. So what do we do after getting it home?

Put those pants on her head. It's hilarious to watch too, because she'll try to grab one of the legs to pull it off of her head. In doing this, she gets the other one right in front of her face and starts to go after that side instead. This process can entertain Lorelei for five to ten minutes at a time.

It is truly amazing to see just how many things can be toys for babies.

Kissy Face and Music Practice

Lorelei has again been developing her list of cute things she can do. Today I noticed her bringing her lips together to make a kissy face similar to the fish lips my mom and I used to do when I was little. It's especially funny to watch Lorelei do it because of the bewildered look on her face as she does it.

The other thing Joey and I noticed today is that Lorelei has been practicing her Hs in a way that is reminiscent of vocal practice that we would have done in choir. She can say "Ha", "He", "Heh", "Hu", "Hah", "Hi" and "Hi-yah". We usually play along and repeat the sounds that she makes. She seems to really enjoy that.

Similarities

I am constantly amazed at just how truly Lorelei is Joey's daughter. They have so many things in common. The most recent involved showing me just how fun it is to slide all over our floors.

Our new house has tile floors in every room except the bedrooms. As a result, poor Lorelei who is making progress toward learning to walk usually slides all over the floors. It's cute as long as she doesn't fall and she doesn't fall as often as she used to. She's starting to learn to trust her own balance and catch herself.

Last night, Joey ended up having some fun sliding on our floors. I gave him a spontaneous foot massage with some lotion while we sat on the couch and watched television. He got up and was sliding all over the place. It was especially cute to watch him mimic something his daughter does and hold on to everything he could on the way into the kitchen... including her little baby toy the Exersaucer.

The Cuteness Continues

It still amazes me just how cute Lorelei can be. I still really think that it's a self-preservation technique that babies have, but she is so good at it!

This morning, I walk into her room to find her awake. As I'm bringing her to my room while I get ready, I see her making spit bubbles. It was so adorable! Joey thinks I'm biased because I called his spit bubbles gross and think hers are cute... but, well... I am. Lorelei also said hi to me this morning during her babbles. That was cute because it was right after I had said it to her.

After her morning nap, I walk into her room to find her sitting up happily in her crib. Usually she's standing impatiently, but today she was sitting there just as happy as can be. It was one of those moments where you wish the camera was in your hand because you know that leaving to get it will ruin the moment.

Lorelei has recently discovered the world of trying to do stuff when it shouldn't be done... like trying to crawl while Mommy is trying to change her diaper. Joey taught her the idea of "wait" with a firm voice and a hand on her stomach. Surprisingly, she's really taken to the idea and is now listening when it's said to her. I enjoy having my daughter listen to me but I know not to get used to it!

After her nap and the "waiting" game, Lorelei and I went out to lunch. We went to this little Chinese buffet in town. Lorelei sat in one of their high chairs and ate a few healthy morsels off the table. She was using her recently mastered grasping skills and having a grand time. She is such a great eater and everyone kept commenting on how cute she looked. She also had a fun time befriending other little people.

After we got home we went to visit our neighbor across the street. She goes to church with us so we usually see her once a week. She also had a great time with Lorelei the cutie. Lorelei has been developing her walking while holding on to things routine, which she happily showed off to our neighbor who, as a grandmother herself, enjoyed watching.

Refrigerator, Refrigerator, Refrigerator!

Our refrigerator came yesterday. It's set up, plugged in, and cold! Who would have thought that simply having a refrigerator could bring you so much happiness? There are a lot of things we take for granted because they are always there; the past month with no refrigerator has definitely helped Joey and me to remember that.

We also received our check from Whirlpool yesterday. They offered to give us $150 for the rather significant inconvenience they put us through by failing to deliver our fridge in a timely manner. I cashed that today which reminds me to be thankful for small-town banks. We only have one major bank here in Ridgecrest (it's a Bank of America) so we do most of our finances online, but it is nice to have one locally.

One really cool thing about the fridge situation is that they let us keep the shelves we had before in addition to the new shelves. Because the old refrigerator has to be salvaged they didn't need the shelves back. A few of them are being put to good use and making our shiny new refrigerator work in the best way possible for us.

The other really cool thing was that the delivery guy helped us figure out why the valve behind our fridge (that isn't connected to our fridge at all) was leaking. Apparently it just needed to be plugged. While that is most certainly something I wish I knew before it caused the water damage that's been done, I'm glad that we know about it now and not later. It's crazy that the fix is such a little fix.

Isn't it nice what happens when you have your mom write really mean emails to companies who don't treat you right? No, seriously, my mom's email was very professional but to the point, and it definitely helped. Yay for moms!

Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving in Gilroy, CA. My dad (Dirk) lives there. It's the first time we've been to visit him and his girlfriend since we've been married. It was great to see him and even better than my brother and sister were there.

While we were in Gilroy, we did some Christmas shopping. We're keeping it simple this year and I think we're basically done with shopping. I have a few last minute things for stockings (candy and the fruit that Joey insists is tradition) that I still need to get, but otherwise, I'm done buying. Now all I have to do is finish making the gifts with the fabric I bought.

The other great thing about Thanksgiving being over is that it is now officially the Christmas season. Joey absolutely loves Christmas, so this is an exciting time for us.

Experiences to Remember

It's interesting to see how fast little ones change. In the past day, we've had three "experiences to remember". Yesterday morning, Lorelei figured out how to pull Mommy's pajama top out of the way to get back to her food. She continued to try this throughout the day, which is oh-so-convenient when in public. This morning she upgraded to trying to latch through the shirt which hurt a lot more than I thought it would if she ever tried.

The other "experience to remember" happened last night when we were all sitting on the couch. Lorelei was standing on my lap and looked like she was going to fall. Joey and his amazing Daddy reflexes caught her thinking she'd hit the floor if he didn't. Well, he overcorrected just a little and smashed her adorable head right into my nose. Let's just say that hurt a bit. It's still pretty sore, and wearing glasses is not my favorite. I'm wishing my contacts were ready to pick up, but other than that, all is well.

The Pre-Holiday Jitters

Joey and I have recently decided to visit the various parts of my family between now and February, as well as Marilyn and Steve (which isn't hard, because they live in the same city as my mom). I'm really excited about this since I haven't spent quality time with my mom since before we moved to Ridgecrest. Something about moms, you know...

Along with planning for the upcoming family visits, Joey has been going full speed ahead with Christmas joy. He's normally crazy for Christmas, but with this year being Lorelei's first, he's extra excited. I'm glad for it though; it really spices things up to have things to really, really look forward to.

Calculus and a Toothbrush

One of my favorite things about motherhood is watching my daughter experience life. Today Lorelei was sitting on the floor with her adult sized toothbrush (she plays with one as a toy). She had a look on her face like she was trying to figure out a complicated calculus problem as she stared at the bristles. She did this for more than a minute and then evidently decided that the best solution was to happily chomp on it and leave figuring out how the toothbrush works for another day.

Mommies Don't Get Sick Days

While I would definitely put full time mom-hood on the top of my lists of dream jobs, there is one benefit that a regular 9 to 5 job has that this otherwise wonderful and amazing job does not: sick days. Being sick right now, I'm definitely remembering days when it was easy to just lie in bed without a care in the world. It never seemed like quite the luxury that it does now.

However, with this thinking comes the realization that even if I worked for money like my husband does (and thus got the theoretical sick day), I'd still be a mother. And very likely, I'd still be home sick and entertaining my baby all the while.

Stake Conference

A few people have expressed interest in the talk that I gave at our stake conference yesterday. As a result, I'm going to post it here, if Lorelei will let me. She's joining me at the keyboard this morning and might have a few things of her own to say.


True Conversion

When we think about true conversion, the first thing that comes to the minds of most Latter-Day Saints are the many converts each of us know, each with their own conversion stories. We might think of friends, family, or other people we know personally, or about the many stories we’ve read in the scriptures. As a convert myself, I frequently think about my own baptism and conversion and the events leading up to that sacred event whenever true conversion is mentioned in a talk or a in meeting. And while the surface layer of true conversion may encompass all of those things, there is much more beneath the surface.

As President Marion G. Romney once said “Membership in the Church and conversion are not necessarily synonymous. Being converted and having a testimony are not necessarily the same thing either. A testimony comes when the Holy Ghost gives the earnest seeker a witness of the truth. A moving testimony vitalizes faith. That is, it induces repentance and obedience to the commandments. Conversion is the fruit or the reward for repentance and obedience.”

True conversion comes from actively seeking the Lord, which includes cultivating a testimony of His gospel and living accordingly. Likewise, true conversion is not limited to those born outside of the Church who find their way to the gospel; it is a gift available to all those who gain a testimony for themselves and who do something about it. In James 2:20 we read, “Faith without works is dead.” While the process of coming to believe is part of conversion, the progress of doing something with that newfound or newly strengthened faith is far more important. Each of us will reach points of spiritual growth in our lives; sometimes, as with many new converts, it will be a great leap spiritually; other times, it may be the sudden willpower to choose a better choice when two paths are placed before us when we may not have made the same choice previously. Any spiritual growth is a great thing, and any spiritual growth leads to our own true conversions.

One such example of testimony that surprised me and the miracle that accompanied it was when my husband and I decided to follow the prophetic counsel not to wait until after the completion of our college educations to start our family. We didn’t, which meant difficulties going to school and working through all nine months of my pregnancy, and a difficult four months of school after my daughter was born, during half of which I worked to provide the insurance our family needed. When asked by others how I could manage such a drain physically, mentally, and emotionally, and why I would choose such a path, I’d quote what I read in 1 Nephi 3:7 “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them”. Sure enough, we were able to find free childcare from friends and family so that I could attend school. We were also blessed that I was able to finish before we needed to move so that my husband could start his new job. The Lord provided our family with the things we needed to accomplish the task He asked us to do in faith, and I had the testimony I needed to know without a doubt that He would hold up his end of the bargain. The miracle of having those prayers answered and my beautiful 8 month old daughter are a strength to my testimony of the gospel.

In Mark 4:14-20, we read, “ The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”

I am surprised by the number of trials I have had since my baptism. I thought that embracing the gospel would take struggles from my life; it did, but it brought me different trials and a better method of dealing with difficult things. Each of the trials that I have noticed have presented me with an amazing opportunity for growth spiritually. One such example occurred during the weeks before I was to receive my endowment, a time at which I studied the scriptures especially diligently and avoided much of what we might consider appropriate worldly entertainment. In shifting my focus solely to things of the Lord, I was able to learn more of the gospel from those few weeks of intense scripture study than I have in a similar amount of time before or since.

We are all able to receive the word of God, but we all receive it differently, and we all receive it differently at different times throughout our lives. If we are not careful and do not stay diligent in our pursuit of righteousness, Satan will come to convince us to ignore what we have heard. As in the parable of the sower, this is even possible if we receive the word of the Lord with gladness if we do not take care to follow Him in good times and in bad. If we are truly converted, we will be as those sown in good soil, which bring forth good fruit always.

In a recent conversation with my husband’s mother, I was able to see the strength of her conversion. Upon receiving a diagnosis informing her that she has cancer, she called to inform her children of the situation. She also wanted to share with us a gospel principle that had made a difference in her life. She quoted the story in Daniel 3, in which Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego are threatened to be thrown into the fiery furnace as a result of their faith. Their response in verses 17 and 18 is to say “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Her paraphrase of this story to me was that, “God will deliver us if He will, but if not, He’s still God.” She is not a convert by the traditional meaning of the word, but the strength of her faith astonished me and made me proud to have her as an example of true conversion to my daughter, to my husband, and to me.

One amazing gift that we are given from our Heavenly Father is the gift of repentance. It is widely understood by people of faith that there is a need for obedience. Living the gospel law with obedience brings each of us great joy. The atonement makes it possible to repent when we are not obedient, to come back into the joy that we have enjoyed previously, leaving our sins behind us. It is not an easy path, but the ability to repent and have our sins washed away is a very special blessing. When we partake of the sacrament each week, we are able to enjoy this principle to the fullest, and to renew our baptismal covenants, as well as being obedient to the commandment to gather together on the Sabbath day to worship the Lord.

I have experienced periods of strength and of weakness in the gospel. There have been times when I knew I wasn’t making the right choice and followed through with a wrong decision. I have also come to know for myself the joy of change. In being allowed the opportunity to repent of what might seem to be the smallest of errors, I have been given the ability to change myself for the better and to continue on the path of righteousness. In repenting, we are not only able to refine ourselves to be more like the Savior, but to do it in a way we can manage, one step at a time.

To quote Elder Richard G. Scott, “Stated simply, true conversion is the fruit of faith, repentance, and consistent obedience. Faith comes by hearing the word of God and responding to it. You will receive from the Holy Ghost a confirming witness of things you accept on faith by willingly doing them. You will be led to repent of errors resulting from wrong things done or right things not done. As a consequence, your capacity to consistently obey will be strengthened. This cycle of faith, repentance, and consistent obedience will lead you to greater conversion with its attendant blessings. True conversion will strengthen your capacity to do what you know you should do, when you should do it, regardless of the circumstances.”

And I said these things (and my testimony to close, of course) in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Curiosity

The curiosity of my daughter never ceases to amaze me. Just now, she was staring at a scrap of fabric on the floor. A second later, she's on to the next exciting thing in her life, in this case a toy on her exersaucer. Then a quick look at mom to make sure all is still right with the world and on to another toy.

She seems so full of joy just to be alive, curious about everything around her. I wonder what life would be like if we didn't lose much of this as we grow up?

It's Lorelei's Half-Birthday! (Sorta)

As many of you know, our dear little Lorelei was born on 9 March 2008. What many of you may have forgotten or (not realized in the first place) is that the time changed on the day. Hence, since it is now time for another time change, it is sorta Lorelei's half birthday.

This logic is courtesy of Lorelei's daddy, the engineer, who really loves his little girl and enjoys any excuse to celebrate her life.

It's also my cousin Austin's birthday, but he's a lot more than one time change old.

Rockets, Raspberries, and Puppies

Lorelei is growing up so fast! I can't believe that a year ago, we were still just getting used to the idea of being parents. Now, she's crawling and causing appropriate levels of havoc. Where has the time gone?

She's getting pretty quick with the crawling too, hence "rockets". I'm going to need some to keep up with her at the pace she'll set soon enough, I'm sure. I'm also glad to report that she does quite a few other really cute things.

We have been blowing raspberries on Lorelei's tummy and on her checks, much to her amusement. She really does have the cutest little face when she's happy. More recently, she's started blowing them back. She usually does it just in the air, but she started doing it to my leg while we were all sitting down the other day as a family. She's so cute when she does it... but then, she's so cute all the time.

Her other recent development reminds me of Pavlov's experiments his dogs. Apparently, one of his theories was that if two bowls of equal amounts of the same food were placed equidistant from the pups, they'd starve, unable to choose which to eat. If I put Lorelei in my lap with access to nursing, she just goes back and forth as though trying to decide which flavor is better. This strange behavior is usually accompanied with little "attack the food" faces.

Pavlov's puppies have nothing on my baby.

A Blessing and a Baptism

One of the greatest advantages (and sometimes disadvantages) about where we live is our distance from family. We were able to go to Las Vegas for two weekends in a row - once to see my little nephew blessed, and the other to see my brother baptized. Both of these were once in a lifetime occasions that I am glad we were able to see.

Carter William Idland was blessed on 12 October by his bishop. He looked so cute in his litte white outfit. This followed a great weekend spent with my dad and his wife in Las Vegas.

It was also the first time I've ever had sushi (not at the blessing, of course, but the night before at a sushi buffet). I was surprised by how good it was. Now I want Joey to take me back.... and he will... after I get down to my goal weight.

This last weekend we went back to see my brother baptized. I really felt the spirit while I was there. I was sitting next to my sister-in-law during the baptism, so I got to look at cute little Carter while holding cute little Lorelei. It's amazing how great it felt to be around my family after being so far away for so long.

After the baptism, Joey and I took Tyler and Nicole out to dinner. We went to McDonald's because I'd been craving that and Nicole likes the Monopoly game that they are doing right now. We spent a few hours just talking, which was great. I'm really glad that we made that trip.

Happy Birthday to (Great-) Grandpa, Ryan, and Brian!

And to a bunch of others I'm probably forgetting. The 6th was Joey's grandpa's birthday (Grandpa Tebbs), yesterday was Ryan Hunter's birthday, and today is Joey's Uncle Brian's birthday. This Ryan Hunter is a mutual friend of mine and Joey's (not our cousin) that we both knew separate from each other. Joey calls him Red (for the hair, original, I know), and my family calls him Flipper Foot, for reasons I still don't entirely understand.

As if all of that weren't excitement enough, Lorelei will be 7 months old tomorrow! It's crazy to think that I've been a mother for that long, taking care of this sweet little girl every day. It's amazing how much she's grown, and yet, how small she is still catches me by surprise every now and again. I am definitely still in love with motherhood, even with all it's quirks.

My dad and Sandy (his wife) are visiting us this week. They are on their way here right now and should arrive in a few hours. I've been looking forward to this ever since we set it up; I know they have as well. It'll be nice to have guests in our new hometown after getting to a point where this feels like home. Then we're off to Vegas to see my nephew Carter get blessed, and to spend some time with his parents.

Such an exciting week ahead.

Green Beans and Grapes

So, I was going to blog every day this month. Obviously, it didn't work, but I'm going to try to keep going.

Major kudos to Grandma Tebbs for being the first person to respond in October. I love responses!

This weekend we watched General Conference. It was rather enjoyable. There was a lunch at the church (our building is the stake center) that we attended. I made some really yummy mashed potatoes because we had extra potatoes and extra cheese (we've been trying to watch our grocery budget). I was happy because more than half of them were eaten at the lunch. We also got to meet some new people, which is always fun, and show off our little girl, which is just delightful. You can really tell that we are first time parents.

Today I finally got the courage to try to go back to aerobics after being sick. I'm doing better than I have been, but it still was a little too much for me today. Tomorrow, if it's just Rebecca and me, I'm going to try to teach since it'll be a low-pressure situation. The Monday, Wednesday, non-flex Friday class is separate from the Tuesday, Thursday class, and so far, nobody really goes to the Tuesday, Thursday class because it's new. I think it's great for me to have the ability to go work out with a bunch of great women for free and see Lorelei interacting with the other children. It's been really fun since I started going a few weeks ago. Every time, someone different teaches, and everyone who is comfortable teaching takes a turn. I want to get to the point where I feel comfortable looking like a complete nut with everyone watching me. We'll see how that goes.

The other high point so far today was feeding Lorelei whole green beans, or rather, watching her feed them to herself. She gums them up pretty well, and the green beans fall apart easily. I think it helps her because she's teething. Yesterday, she and I were eating my frozen grapes. She'd press down on it with her gums, make a funny look to say "okay Mom, next", I'd eat the (still whole) grape, and we'd go again. Lorelei really liked it.

I'm trying to get to a point where we can post the pictures more often, but since we're having computer troubles with our main computer, it's definitely a project that will be waiting for awhile.

Fun With The Dehydrator

We finally got a dehydrator yesterday. I've been wanting one for awhile, so that was exciting for me. Joey isn't as excited about it but he still helped me to get the fruit ready to dry. We'll see how it turns out in the morning.

We also went to the eye doctor today. I am thinking about going back to contacts, but the optometrist isn't sure that I need them. I think he said that my vision is something like 20/25 but that I can see some of the things that are 20/15 with corrected vision. I'm still looking into whether I'd rather get new glasses, get new contacts, or just last another year with my current pair. If I get new glasses, I'll get regular frames instead of drill-mount because my current glasses aren't baby friendly. Joey is getting new glasses... well, sorta. While he was doing his exam, I looked through the rack that we know for a fact are completely covered by the insurance ... for the exact same pair that he has. Joey has basically tried to have the same style of frames the entire time that I've known him, so when I found his glasses on the rack, he was pretty happy.

Other than that, we had a nice, easy going day at home. Life is really settling into a nice rhythm, which feels strange because until this point, I've really been waiting for my life to start. I realized today that my life isn't really all that different from when I was growing up... except that I'm the mother now instead of the child.

Aerobics and Pretzels

The title says it all. The highlight of our day was surprising Joey with homemade pretzels that turned out surprisingly well. We bought some yeast the last time we went to Las Vegas, so I made bread for what feels like the first time. It was definitely my first time making pretzels. They were delicious, once I figured out what I was doing. We've still got 10 of the 12 left in the freezer for another day.

There are two LDS churches in Ridgecrest, each with two wards. I've been attending aerobics on Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday for a few weeks at the other LDS church. I've really enjoyed forcing myself to work out everyday, and since I can say I have finally lost all the weight I gained after Lorelei was born, I'm enjoying the results. (I've lost about 40 lbs of pregnancy weight, but I gained 10 lbs back about a month later.) Today, I went to aerobics at my church building. One of the gals in my ward (who is also from Reno and originally had that as a last name) started teaching it there this week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She called last night to ask if I was interested, and it was a good thing too, because she and I were the only ones there. I really enjoyed it though, and the opportunity to make a stronger friendship in my new hometown is great.

I'm still looking forward to our trip next week. I'm gonna see my cute little nephew again.

"Happy New Year!"

Joey said this to me last night, gave me a kiss, and then said, "I'm not staying up 'til midnight." Apparently October 1st marks the beginning of a new fiscal year for Joey's job.

Lorelei and I have been busy. I've been painting almost every day, in little segments (have you ever tried to paint while tending a baby?). We've got just about our entire family room painted and are working on moving to other parts of the house. Now that we've got the logistics down better, we're hoping to have the rest of the house completed by the time that Joey's parents come down at the end of the month.

My dad and his wife are coming down to visit in a week. We're really excited about that. I'm a little disappointed that the house won't be completely finished by the time that they visit, but I'd rather be around family than have a perfect looking house. Getting ready for their visit is taking up the rest of my time quite nicely. This is compounded by the fact that Joey and I put most of the boxes with stuff we didn't want to deal with in the yellow room (it's not really yellow, but that's a story for another post). Since that room is currently our guest room, and our guests actually need somewhere to stay, it's become a very important project.

Lorelei is doing well. She's started with solids and has been enjoying the experience. She's now had rice cereal, bananas, and black beans, and is now working on green beans. We're not using the jarred baby food and are instead going with the advice of our pediatrician (but only after her mommy researched it online for awhile!). We have been mushing up foods that we eat and giving them to her for a few days. She's getting used to the idea that food can have texture.

Lorelei has also been standing more, and even working on being able to stand on her own. Just today she started not just having her legs stand up, but adding an arm to get better height... directly after which her mommy changed her play pen to not use the bassinet anymore.

Our little girl is growing up so fast. I'm told that I should be posting more pictures... well, if you all come look at the pictures, I'll try to be better about posting them, and I promise to get you some soon.

The Best Two Years

If someone had asked me what I’d be at this point in my life when I was 2, I’d have said, “A doctor.” If the same question had been asked of me at 14, I would have said, “Studying to be a brain surgeon.” If someone had asked me just before I turned 21, I wouldn’t have had a clue. Now, at age 23, I am a college graduate, but not studying medicine, and with no plans to do so in the future. I do, however, love my life and the path that took me here.

I am a wife and mother who is celebrating her second wedding anniversary today. It feels like such a big accomplishment to have been happily married for two years. I know that this isn’t a unique accomplishment, and I’m glad that it’s not. I like having hope that there are many, many years ahead, and while I know that it isn’t just hope that will make that wish come true, I think the hope is still important.

I have learned a lot about life, love, and even myself in these last two years. I would never have thought it so enjoyable to give so fully of myself to my husband and to my little daughter. I’ve learned a lot about compromise and how to really be happy. Now, after the best two years of my life, every day I look forward to the time when my husband comes home to Lorelei and me and we can play together as a family. Simple day-to-day life has taken on an entirely new meaning. These experiences of being a family remind me of my childhood and are the greatest joys I have ever felt.

What I've Learned

Motherhood is an adventure, to be sure. I've learned a lot since Lorelei was born almost 6 months ago (where does time go?), and I thought that I'd share some of my most recently acquired wisdom for this blog entry.

1) Whenever you have no idea where the camera is, something cute will happen.

2) Rice cereal is sticky. I don't know why they don't use it instead of glue, or why it's that sticky... but it is. Then again, I've never tried to (gently) scrape glue off of an infant's face, but the cereal was worse to get off of me.

3) Answering a call from your mother-in-law while feeding said infant daughter will result in her grabbing the spoon out of your hand and chewing it, followed by grabbing the cereal cup and eating straight from it with her hands.

This was a very interesting experience, to say the least. I'd show you pictures, but go back and look at number one.

I've also learned that babies get mad at you for letting them do the things they want to do, at random. Rather like teenagers, I suspect. The biggest culprit with Lorelei is nap time. She's also been learning to put weight on her feet. She gets frustrated at not being able to get it quite right, but then she gets upset if you help.

At least she still likes to be loved.

My Heroes

My mom was my first hero. She chose to give me life instead of taking the easy way out, and this was the first of a long list of things for which I admire her. She is a great mother, and I hope to be like her someday.

My brother Tyler is also my hero. He's protected me at a high cost to himself ever since we were little. He's still doing that as a U.S. Marine. I admire him more for that than I think he'll ever know.

My sister Dallas has always been a peace-keeper. Now she follows in Tyler's footsteps as she plans to join the U.S. Army. She is strong in ways that I don't even think she realizes.

My baby is my newest hero. She said "Mama" the other day. It felt so good to hear from this little person who has completely changed my life. She's still only said it the once, but my heart just melts remembering it.

Her daddy is also my hero. He is an amazing husband and father. I wish sometimes that he knew it, but I suppose it's part of the charm.

I love all the heroes in my life, including these... and I am missing the ones who are not with me.

Lorelei's First Word

Yesterday, in a McDonald's in Las Vegas a half-mile from where my brother Tyler and his wife Nicole live (along with new baby Carter), Lorelei said her first word.

"Da-da." Joey and I looked at each other, as though it were a fluke and we were trying to see if the other person heard it. Since then, she has said it several more times, probably since she gets such great attention when she does.

In other news, I have finally seen the teeth that she's teething on... the middle two teeth on the bottom, with promises of more soon. They haven't broken the surface, but they are noticeable.

And in still better news, she met her cousins this weekend. She got to meet (and take pictures with) John, Caleb, and Madison (who are really mine and Joey's cousins) on Saturday and then her newest cousin Carter on Sunday. Cute babies all around!

I'm an Aunt! (And Joey's an Uncle!)

This morning, at about 10 minutes after midnight, my sister-in-law Nicole gave birth to Carter William Idland. Carter was 7 lb 4 oz and 20 1/2 inches. After many trials and tribulations, both mom and baby are doing fine. I'm also told that my brother is ecstatic to be a daddy (and he'll make a good one!).

We're Cousins Again!

When John was born in December, Joey came home and proudly proclaimed, "I'm a cousin again!" Since then, we've welcomed our own Lorelei, but more recently been made cousins again twice over... with Caleb coming to Brian and Jenny a few weeks ago, and Madison to Bruce and Becky yesterday.

Congrats, you guys... we're so happy for all of you, and so excited to meet our new cousins!

Joey's New Job

Joey started work on 21 July. When he first reported, they had him go to the Visitors' Center. There he got his temporary ID card (after waiting in an insanely long line for 0730 on a Monday) and met with his mentor, a nice man by the name of Jacob. (I think the mentors are there to help them learn the ropes and find a place to stay locally, or at least things like that.) From there, he was able to go enjoy orientation, where he didn't learn much that was new.

That same day, he went and got the ultimate phone package. Seriously, the package seems to have every accessory imaginable, except that the phone isn't a camera phone (because camera phones aren't allowed on the base). He spent the rest of the day playing with the phone.

The rest of the first week was fairly mundane; Joey got the pleasure of filling out his 10 year background check for his security clearance several times, because apparently it is impossible to be careful enough when filling out that form (I understand completely; I've filled one out before). Other than that, he spent the week with no computer and no email because he was waiting for access to those things so he could actually do his job. Good thing that week was the week with Friday off!

This week has been a lot better. Joey has been able to get his CAC (or Common Access Card) to be allowed to use the base computers, as well as an email account. He's been able to sign up for employee benefits and start asking questions about different areas of work on the base. As an ESDP (or a person in the Engineers and Scientists Development Program), he gets to do tours (or rotations) in different work areas of his choosing to find the best fit. He's almost got his first tour set up; he's got a meeting for that tomorrow. Other than that, he's met people in a lot of different areas on the base, many of whom are LDS. There are four wards in Ridgecrest, and he's met quite a few people from each of them (except the third ward).

Overall, he enjoys his job so far and is looking forward to being able to get more into his work soon.

A Sentimental and Paranoid Mother

The last few days have been a little rough, but not because of anything Lorelei's done. Yesterday, we got the joy of another 2 inch sun spider. Joey says this one decided to come right up to our front door to die. All this paranoia has made me wonder... why am I so afraid of spiders? It's driving me crazy to think of all the places that they could be hiding, basically ready to pounce. Joey admitting to seeing one yesterday makes the second one in less than two weeks. Marilyn says that at least they aren't more common than that (for which I am grateful), but I was trying to think that the one we saw earlier was just a fluke. Apparently not.

The other difficult thing has been sorting through Lorelei's clothes. When the movers packed everything, they put all of Lorelei's carefully sorted clothes into a couple of boxes, and managed to unsort them all in the process. That coupled with the fact that we now have a lot less storage space has made for an interesting time setting up her room. Her clothes are definitely the worst of it, so we'll be done relatively soon, but that means seeing some of the really cute outfits she's outgrown. I keep thinking that I would have enjoyed seeing her in certain outfits just one more time and remembering all the fun times we've had with some of those clothes. It's making it really hard to get her room done, which makes me especially glad that she needed a nap so Mommy got a break.

At least we've got plenty of cute outfits that we can use to make new memories... and in a week and a half, when another sun spider is due for a visit, I'll be in Reno.

The First Week of Stay-At-Home-Momhood

This last week was mostly full of adjusting to the major changes in our lives. With Joey at work, I finally got to actually be a stay-at-home mom; until then, it really just felt like being on vacation. It's amazing to me how different it is, even though I knew it would be different. I suppose the biggest difficultly I'm having is not knowing how to really use the extra time to my advantage because I'm used to being so busy that the necessary things can't be put off; that is definitely not the case right now. So I think I need to get myself in gear and get a little bit more done around the house. This will be especially nice because Joey and I have agreed to buy paint as soon as the rest of the house is in order, so I need to get moving! (I think most people can tell I'm the one who really wants to paint.)

Lorelei is doing well. She's currently playing in the Exersaucer that my friend Meg bought us. She loves being able to stand up and chew on things, because as we all know, chewing on things is the highlight of life, right? She enjoys it for quite awhile as long as she can still interact with Mom every so often. We're thinking she might be getting to that age where Mom is the favorite person and possibly into separation anxiety. She still seems to do pretty well when she's alone with Joey though.

As soon as I find all the cables I need, I've got a camera full of pictures to upload. Another reason to get moving, I guess.

A Day of Many Congratulations

Our house is finally actually our house! It feels so weird to think that I own the place in which I live. I had a hard time even realizing what it meant when our agent called to tell me. Joey had the same reaction; all he could say was "Cool." We're both pretty ecstatic about that (and about not having to deal with realty issues anymore).

In other news, my grade for my last college class posted tonight. Surprise, surprise, it was an A! So it turns out that I earned perfect grades in my last two classes, both of which I was dreading. College is really over! My degree should post to the system soon, and then the university should be sending it in the mail sometime in September (summer school technically ends in August, and the degrees mail a month after that).

Congrats to us! This is a day that we can really celebrate.

Our First Week in Ridgecrest

We have now spent our first week in Ridgecrest, and what a fun time it has been. We spent the first few days indoor camping while we waited for our things to show up. We went to our new church ward and were very well welcomed there. Monday night we had dinner with a couple from the ward; afterward, the Relief Society president visited us at home. Tuesday, the truck with our things finally came. The bishopric also visited us, which was fun.

On Wednesday, Marilyn drove my car down and Steve followed Thursday. They were able to help out quite a bit as we worked on the big task of setting up our home. We also signed the paperwork for the house on Wednesday. Things should be official today, but we'll have to wait and see.

Hello Family

Just a quick hello from the Bennetts 3. This is a trial run of having a website for family to visit after we move away from Reno. We'll be updating this blog and adding pictures soon.