Hey, We're Published!

I am so excited! Last year, one of my good friends, Allyson Condie, who also happens to be a fantastic author (ie-Yearbook, First Day, Freshman for President), decided to put together a book of essays on motherhood from various people. I was lucky enough to be included in the mix, and the book is now available for purchase. Right now you can buy it through Spring Creek Publishing: www.springcreekbooks.com/catalog/98927.html.

It will also soon be available at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, and Amazon. Ally used these words to describe the book, "We have essays on adoption, on labor and delivery (from the point of view of a labor and delivery nurse who is also a mother), on achieving moments of zen in motherhood. We have essays on disastrous family home evening exchanges, on the joys of potty-training, on being the mom of the toddler who punches. We have essays about being a single mom, about saving the world a little at a time, and about dinosaurs and dancing and Rodin sculptures."

I have read each of the essays and I can tell you that they are all very different, but each one had elements that touched me because I could relate so well to the emotions expressed. After reading them, I felt so validated and wonderful about my often unglamorous role as a mother. My essay was inspired by my own mother and is a tribute to one of my grandmothers. I feel so blessed to have been a part of something that I feel is so worthwhile.

For those of you who haven't read any of Ally's books, I highly recommend them. She has a great talent for capturing the salient experiences that are so significant in the life of a young adult.
http://www.allysoncondie.com/books.html

I Know You

Lily's new favorite song is 'I Know You' from Sleeping Beauty and if you listen carefully, you will hear her singing it as she dances, "I know a-you." We aren't quite sure where the 'a' comes from, but it is cute, so we roll with it. If you will also kindly notice Eric playing with a water gun, you will observe that he looks more than willing to let Lily have it. Luckily he restrains himself, but it is clear to us that boys and girls come as boys and girls. We didn't teach her to dance and we certainly never taught him to love firearms, but here we are.

Arizona Winter--Eat your hearts out!

So, this is January in Phoenix. This day was in the 70's. Sure, snow is nice for some things...actually, Christmas is the only thing snow is good for in my opinion. This almost makes up for 200 degree weather in the summmer.

A Tribute to Calvin and Hobbes

Christmas, a time for family, spiritual reflection, gift giving, and morbid snow sculptures. Nothing says Christmas like a scene of senseless snowman violence. Enjoy.

A Few Christmas Pictures

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas season. We were lucky enough to be able to spend time with both of our families, and as usual our only complaint was that we couldn't have spent more time with both of them. Here are a few selected pictures.