Last Couple of Months

I thought I'd mention a bunch of stuff from recent months (for my own entertainment, of course).

Feb.15 - Maria, Renee and I ventured downtown for a complimentary, outdoor Goo Goo Dolls concert. The weather was pretty mild, and we all had fun. After the show we were hungry, so we decided on Indian food. Actually, they suggested it, insisting it was good. I hadn't ever tried it before, and didn't want to be a picky pain in the bum, so I just agreed and hoped for the best. I discovered that it's really kind of tasty. I could go for some more right now.

Feb.22 - Lytles big and small flocked to Givens hot springs for Shirley's birthday. After a warm swim, we all went to Idaho Pizza Co. for dinner. (Man, I shouldn't write about yummy food at midnight. Now I am really hungry.)

March 15 - Erin, my mom, and I hosted a baby shower for Maren (Gavin's wife) at my house.

Doesn't she look adorable? 

April 6 - Maren went into labor during the wee hours of the morning. She was supposed to hold on until the 11th for a planned C-section, but baby Archer had other plans. Gavin called me at 6:30 AM to ask if I could come sit with their girls at home while they went to the hospital, seeing as we live in the same neighborhood. Of course I rushed over. I was glad I had my phone right there by me with the ringer on and stuff. I'm sure they were glad, too. I slept on their couch until Ruby (age 3) woke up just before 9. I worried that she might be alarmed to find me there, but she didn't seem to be. By that point, Gavin had let me know by text that the baby had been born and all was well. We got Maisie up shortly thereafter, hung out a bit, then got ready and went over to our house until Gavin came later and took them to meet their new little brother. He is a cutie! 

March 29 - LDS Women's Conference. This was the first time all girls 8 and over were invited to join with the sweet Relief Society sisters of the world for the bi-annual event. We had a busy day moving new-to-us furniture into Jane's freshly painted room. None of us really felt like getting dressed up to attend the meeting at the stake center, so we opted to go over to my mom's and watch it on BYU-TV.

The music and speakers were all good. Afterwards, I took Jane and Cora out for a treat. We stopped in at Aspen Leaf for some froyo, but there was a long and winding line of ladies that we didn't want to wade through. It was seriously bustling in there. Plan B: DQ. When we pulled into a nearly empty parking lot, I made some remark about there not being a soul there, and Cora said something to imply that not even the workers had souls. I was so offended! She knew full well that I worked there for 3 years. =)

We had a grand old time. I like having fun together whenever the chance arises. I can get pretty tired of the un-fun parts of mothering (delegating responsibility, constantly watching the clock, etc.) so it's nice to go somewhere with the express intention of taking a break from our daily duties.
I have to pinch myself sometimes as I wonder how in the world these girls are the same girls I gave birth to. It seems like a separate lifetime when they were tiny tots.


Spring break consisted of hanging out, playing with pals, painting Jane's room purple, and much more.
We also spent a Saturday afternoon at Camel's Back Park with some of Ryan's family members. We ate and climbed (that word totally looks wrong at this time of night) and tried to keep tabs on all the busy, little kids included in our group. What we really needed was a giant Trapper-Keeper to put them in. (Get it? "whatcha keepin' tabs on?" from that '80s commercial. No? Mmmkay...)

 That's Oliver with his right arm extended

Erin and I are still enrolled in tap class, and having a fun time with it. Maren had to step down from attending with us, due to the new baby. But she tapped like a pro until two weeks before going into labor. I still feel like a total klutz when we practice some of the tricky steps. I told you I'm not coordinated, and I meant it!

Did I tell you my uncle ended up sending all the family history information I thought I'd never get? I was so happy to receive it, and there's a lot more there than I thought there would be. I've gone to the family history center a few times to start piecing the families together. =)  I haven't made it over there in the last few months, but I really need to. There is much to do!

Cora played two songs in a piano festival in March. The students each get critiqued by two judges. It's not in front of an audience, just in a little room with a piano and the judges. She did very well, receiving a "superior" score on both pieces. I love hearing her play! She just keeps getting better and better. And she practices without being asked! She must actually like it.

I've taken up running again in preparation for some race coming up next month. ;) I wouldn't choose to do this if not for my fun running buddies, Maria and Renee. We have been making it a weekly event to run together on Saturday mornings. That is definitely better than my solo, weekday runs. It doesn't even feel like work when I have those two to keep me company.

It seems like I'm forgetting some truly wonderful details of the past couple of months, so I'll try to make up for it by saying:

I AM SO GLAD IT'S SPRING!!!  I can't recall a lovelier season in who knows how many years. It has been sooo beautiful outside - just the perfect weather. I'm loving it lots.

Mostly Manageable

I'm happy to report that I did very well in my efforts to be nice for a week.

I only yelled one word the whole 7 days. I had walked to the neighbor kid's house to tell Oliver it was time to come eat lunch and go to school. He started riding his bike home, then turned back to do "one more thing" (which turned out to be soaking his head in their little rock fountain). I didn't feel like walking back over to whisper a reminder to him that he might be late for school if he didn't come right then, so I loudly called his name. As the firm echo of his name slapped me in the face, I felt instant remorse for spoiling part of my goal. I think it was Friday when it happened. And I'd been doing so well! But, hey, I think I get a little extra credit for the week since it also happened to be "that time of the month".

It was a great week. I wondered why it was suddenly so easy to be nice, and asked myself why I hadn't been able to change before. I'm certain I had divine assistance. It was eye-opening. I loved the constant feeling of being calm and collected, knowing I'd already decided how I was going to respond no matter what the situation. The more I practiced, the more natural it felt. I noticed that the kids were more upbeat and agreeable. It seemed to be directly related to my more gentle behavior. I successfully kept my voice down for the majority of the week. And I mean only a tiny bit less than 100%. There really was no reason to argue with anyone because I'd predetermined that there was no good reason to. I remained calm whenever something normally might have frazzled me. That's huge for me.

I only experienced one other minor slip-up on Saturday afternoon when I was accused of turning a corner too close to the curb. I thought I used a pretty calm voice to explain that there was a bike lane and I was nowhere near hitting the curb. But Cora (ever the family mediator) seemed to think there was a problem brewing in the front row of the car. The issue was quickly dropped. I hung my head in shame, which made me crash into the curb. Just kidding. =)

I'm going to continue with this little exercise in social serenity. It's been an inspirational experience so far.