This One Goes Out to the One I Love

Yesterday was David's birthday. We have spent over 1/3 of his life together! The kids and I went shopping at Dollar Tree on Monday and they were able to pick out one thing they wanted to give him (it took FOREVER). I was really impressed that Baylie kept the secret all week long. 

They couldn't wait for Friday to arrive so Daddy would open his presents. It was like Christmas for them. They didn't even let him finish his toast before they started bringing him presents.

Baylie had picked him out candy that looks and feels like boogers. (She's definitely her father's daughter.) As advertised on the packaging "It's SNOT your average gummy" and "Each one picked just for you." 

Jalen was not so great at keeping the secret or at waiting. He had opened the pirate kit he picked out for his dad before we even got home and was not happy when I took the pieces back and put them in a gift bag. He was very excited to see the sword again.

The first year we were married, I made a carrot cake from scratch for David's birthday. When I went to dump it out of the pan, it crumbled into pieces. (I was later informed you're not supposed to bake during hurricane season.) This year I decided to try it again, but I left it in the pan. It was AWESOME.

That night David and I went on a real date. We used gift cards to eat at The Olive Garden and go to the movies to see "Bourne Legacy." It was so nice to be out just the two of us. And after the day I had (see following post), snuggling in the dark with David was just what I needed.

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

The Best and Worst of America (a.k.a. the first time someone said F-You to me)

Warning: Long Post

I was raised by very patriotic parents. I'm trying to pass on that love of country to my children. That's why when I noticed a billboard advertising a free patriotic program - Spirit of America - I thought it would be great for the kids and I to go see it. I really had no idea what it was. One of my girlfriends who is homeschooling her children decided to join us and go for their weekly field trip. 

Turns out that the show is really fantastic and is put on by the U.S. Military, specifically The Old Guard, the Fife and Drum Corps, the Caisson Platoon, the Commander-in-Chief's Guard and the U.S. Army Drill Team.  

We were really fortunate to be able to see the performance since they only perform in a couple of venues each year.

They use music and dramatic readings to tell the history of the U.S. Armed Forces. The show includes a horse on stage, guns being fired, a tank breaking through a wall and in some cities they even repel from the rafters (our arena wasn't safe for that). It was a fantastic show and a great reminder of how remarkable the young men and women are that selflessly serve our country in the military.

Unfortunately, Jalen was completely freaked out by the noise and he and I spent 99% of the show in the concourse. I was really frustrated since I wanted to see the show. Because he spent so much time screaming and whining, I was tense and stressed and on my last nerve.

And this is where I make a confession. In many ways, I am a patient person. In other ways, I'm sadly lacking in it. One of my major weaknesses is that when I get frustrated, I say things under my breath - not really quietly - to send a not-so-subtle message to the person that is annoying me. You know how you hear people say they wish they could think of the comeback line at the moment necessary? Well, that's not a blessing, it's a curse. I've embarrassed my husband, parents, and other family members with this technique. Lately I've heard a couple of talks that have inspired me to want to change this. To just choose to stay quiet and not take offense. Well, easier said than done.

Anyway, I came in to visit my friend and check on Baylie during the intermission. While there, Jalen bumped into a woman that was sitting in the row in front of them. She did one of those turn, sigh and shake your heads. Not that big of a deal; however, I was on my above-mentioned last nerve and I lost it. I picked up Jalen and said in my not-really-under-my-breath-voice, "Apparently these people never had children. I have had it! With these people, with this show..." etc., etc. Totally unnecessary. I should have just apologized and been done with it. Instead, I walked out and then felt stupid the rest of the day. I probably ruined the show for the lady and her husband. In some way, I think it was setting me up for what was to come later.

Jalen and I spent the rest of the show in the concourse. The concessions people thought he was cute and gave him a corn dog. I calmed down, was ashamed of myself and vowed to try and do better next time.

And now, for what came later.

After the show, we decided to meet my friend's husband at Sam's Club for lunch.  We were just finishing when a man, probably in his late 50's or early 60's bumped into Jalen. Things to note:

• It was not a major collision.
• The man was carrying two wrapped hot dogs, so neither man nor meal was in danger.
• None of the kids were running around wild. They had been walking between and around the two tables where our group was sitting.
• Jalen was within 18" of our table.

The man made a loud sound of exasperation, then he looked at me and said something to the effect of "Would you please control your children?" I was already pretty emotionally drained and had made the determination to do better, so I just looked at him. He stared back and didn't move. I'm not sure what he wanted me to do at that point. Had I not had my earlier experience, more than likely I would have jumped down his throat. Instead I said, "Thanks. I get it. Just move on." I didn't say it rudely. I was pretty much just exhausted at that point. (Keep in mind I had been up until after midnight watching BYU lose 6-7 to Boise State and had woken up at 5:00 a.m. to teach seminary.)

It was then that the gentleman looked at me and very loudly said, "F#&*@ You!" I replied, "Well thank you for saying that in front of my kids." At which point he went and sat across from his lovely wife. I was speechless - something that does not happen often. I wanted to say, "How do you expect me to control my 2-year-old when you can't even control your 60+-year-old mouth?" But I didn't. My girlfriend and I just started loading our kids into carts and heading out. People in the tables around us were making comments about how they couldn't believe what he had just said to me.

My friend's husband jumped to my defense. I don't know what he said, but he went to the man's table and reprimanded him. All I heard was that as he was walking back to us he told the man, "Shame on you!" I was so grateful to him. I was so glad to be with a man who was willing to stand up for a woman. (I am also married to that kind of man. In fact, I'm glad David wasn't there because I'm pretty sure he would have hit the man.) I'm also pretty sure that if the man had realized my friend's husband was with us, he wouldn't have spoken to me the way he did. He just thought we were two women with our kids. And I have to confess, I couldn't help but wonder if he singled out my child for racist reasons. Probably not, but it crossed my mind.  (Update: Later information from my friend's husband leads me to believe that there was racism involved.)

In the end, although I was hurt and upset, I think I was far less upset than I would have been had I tried to retaliate. As it was, my kids were oblivious to what had happened, which wouldn't have been the case had I reacted differently.

And I ask you, what kind of a man can't love this little face?

Psyched to be a Soccer Mom

Today was Baylie's first official soccer game. Those of you who know me well (and know my obsession with sports that has laid semi-dormant since marrying the music man) know how much this day meant to me. It was so great to sit in my lawn chair cheering on my little athlete. 

I love how they have this age set up. They play four on four with no goalie. Our team has eight players, so every four minutes, we changed everyone. Four minutes may not seem like very long, but it was plenty long for their little legs.

There are three little girls on Baylie's team.

Even more miraculous than the fact that I finally have a child playing organized sports is the fact that David is the assistant coach. (You've come along way, Baby, even if judging by this picture Baylie doesn't seem to put much stock in your coaching advice.)

Baylie scored two goals. One for our team...

...and one for the other guys.

Jalen spent the morning perfecting his Cristiano Ronaldo impression. (Can't wait to get this kid in shoulder pads.)

Daddy's Favorite Craft

Often when David stays home with the kids, they'll find a fun craft to do together. One of their favorites is mixing cornstarch and water (2 parts to 1).

When the mixture is being molded, it's hard - almost like play-doh. But when you stop moving it, it becomes a liquid and falls through your fingers. It's pretty amazing.

(Baylie wore her make up today, hence the blue forehead.)

You can add color for more variety. It makes a bit of a mess, but it's super fun.

Catching Up

I have always prided myself on being a great multi-tasker. In the past, I've been able to do several things at once. In fact, it's hard for me to only do one thing at a time. My mind gets scattered if I try to focus on only one thing. Well, I was recently called to teach early morning Seminary (a religion class for 14-18 year olds) and it  has knocked me for a loop. Not because I don't like it - I LOVE IT! The problem is, not only is it taking a lot of my time, but it has forced me to adjust my schedule and get a decent night's sleep. I now go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. and get up at 5:00 a.m. In and of itself, that has been awesome. I feel great with this new schedule. Unfortunately, it means a lot of things just don't get done - like this blog.

So - here is my effort to catch up on some of the happenings at the Batchelor Pad.

A few weeks ago, a dear friend (she actually babysat me when I was little!) sent Baylie a treasure. She had crocheted her a round princess blanket (that also works great as a bed cover or a rug), a tiara, a necklace, slippers and two hats. She made her princess pajamas with a matching pillow case. She also filled the package with sparkly rings. It was a huge hit at our house.

Jalen was sad that his package didn't arrive, but he made the best of it.

And a few weeks later, his package did arrive!

He got Spiderman jammies and knitted Spiderman blanket, hats and slippers. Plus the package was filled with spiders. Jalen was super excited!

 

Baylie got a big girl bed and is officially out of her toddler bed. Good thing since her head and feet were hitting the ends of the bed. She got a purple and pink bed set. It looks great, but we're not posting pictures until we finish the mosquito netting that is going to hang over it.

She and her daddy stripped down her dresser and repainted it purple.

It looks awesome!

I've never put extensions in Baylie's hair because I thought they'd make her look too old, but I decided that she's old enough  now. I just wasn't sure I was ready! I relied on instructions from Chocolate Hair, Vanilla Care (my new favorite blog). On Sunday, we spent 2 1/2 hours conditioning and parting Baylie's hair.

 

Then on Monday (today), we spent seven hours twisting in the yarn, stringing beads and burning the ends. Baylie was super excited to have long hair.

 

She looked great for her daddy daughter date.

Poor Jalen always gets neglected on hair days. We've been growing his hair out and he is really rocking the fro!

Our Little Actress

Baylie has always been our little actress. She loves to put on a show and really loves to have an audience. What we didn't realize until recently is that she can also memorize lines. We checked out "A Bug's Life" from the library and in less than a week, she has memorized the dialogue! She's so funny.

She also got to give her first talk in Primary. She has wanted to speak in Primary ever since her first Sunday there. She did a great job.

Jalen starts running when he wakes up at 6:30 a.m. and keeps running until he goes to sleep at night. Tonight he didn't even make it to bed. Sometimes even Superman crashes.

New Digs

We really wanted to move from our apartment into a home, but it just seemed like such a hassle and we weren't sure we could afford it. We kept putting it off and pretty soon it seemed like it was too late and we'd have to renew our lease at the apartment. About that time, our good friends the Carters approached us with a deal that was too good to be true. They wanted to buy a new home and wanted us to rent their current one so they could do some repairs in order to sell it. Heck yes!! It is a super cute house inside and out.

Things happened pretty quickly from there and this past Monday we moved. One advantage of being a Mormon is that members of our church are awesome at helping one another - and that includes moving. Because of the timing of things, we had to move on Monday morning, hardly an ideal time to get help. But surprisingly we had a lot of help, including a moving-sized van from our bishop (our ecclesiastical leader). They had us out of the apartment and into our new home in about 2 1/2 hours! Fantastic. We were unbelievably grateful. Not only was it fast - it was free. Such good people. Our Relief Society (the women's organization in our church) president even brought us dinner on Friday. 

Unpacking with kids is challenging, but by Thursday we were done. I can't get used to so much open space, although I'm also shocked at how we've filled the home. How did we ever fit in the apartment? So here's a mini-tour.

Playroom - it's supposed to be a dining room, but it's an awesome playroom. (Side note: Jalen is sporting a bandaid on his chin because he tried to shave with David's razor. Long story.)

Jalen's room - I thought the kids would have a hard time getting used to sleeping without each other. Not at all! They love having their own space.

 

Baylie's room - She has become a little too fond of the phrase, "Get out of my room!" in regards to her brother's invasions.

David doesn't have to have his keyboard shoved in a dark corner.

Kitchen nook - notice my South Carolina basket and door handle decoration intermingled with my Swedish star from North Carolina. Love it!

The Carters obviously loved this home and there are so many little details that make it special. Having just left the ghetto (okay, not really, but our apartment was built about the time Carter was president), we feel positively luxurious with all these touches.

The windows are amazing. Not only do they open normally, but they slide in so you can clean the outside! I placed a candle in the kitchen window in honor of my parents in Caswell County. Everyone up there does that, but I have no idea why.

Our absolute favorite thing about the home is the back yard. It is huge and awesome and the kids are in heaven there. (Thanks Aunt Tiffy for the swimming pool. I'm not always so grateful when Jalen swims in every single outfit he puts on.)

We know that eventually the Carters will come for their swing set, but we hope it takes them a LONG time.

I'm even okay with the stairs. So is Jalen.

Life is good.