I think we should celebrate.

In case you didn't know, Today is *deep breath* Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday (Observed), better known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is my absolute favorite holiday, and yes, I am serious. It seems like a strange holiday to be a favorite, I know. Really, not much happens, but kids get the day off school, and adults gets the day off of work...or as I found out today, some of them do. People have different opinions on whether today should be one that is taken off. Some say children should be school to learn about the great man that this holiday celebrates, others, like myself, take a completely different stand. Instead of trying to explain it to individuals, I thought I would explain it here, to everyone at the same time.

I believe children should learn about equality in school. I believe that they should learn what Martin Luther King Jr. did to push equality forward. I think they should be taught about his speech. I believe they should be taught about what happened after the speech. I think that children should learn about how far we have come, and far we still have to go. I do NOT think this learning needs to happen ON Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Children learn about Independence day, and they learn about Thanksgiving. These are both major events that happened in our country's history. They are important to learn, but does this mean children should be in school on those days to learn about them? I don't think so. We take those days off to celebrate. We celebrate their significance and how they have helped to form our great country. We light fireworks; we eat turkey. We spend time with our families. Why? Because they are worth celebrating. They are worth taking the time off to make them special, to help our children know that these days mean a lot. Why should Martin Luther King Jr. Day be any different? Shouldn't we take the time to make the day special and different?

Most people just take Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a Monday off. A day to stay in pajamas and watch TV. If that is how we are going to look at the day, of course children should be in school. You aren't making it special, you aren't showing them how important the day is. I think we should celebrate. We should spend time with family and friends. We should talk about how far our country has come. We should talk about what we can do to keep moving forward. We should eat multi-colored foods, we should watch movies that show equality. We should strive to make this a day our kids remember. A day they enjoy and want to know why we have it.

You have your opinions, and I have mine. As for me, I will be celebrating! In fact I've already made cookies:

P.S. I think other holidays are unappreciated too, but this being my favorite, I thought I would stand up for it.

Mirror Baby

Juliet likes to sit in the sink and chat with the baby in the mirror while I get ready. Of course, she got distracted by other things when I tried to record it...but it's still cute, or at least I think so.

I hope she has my eyes.

It's midnight and my mind is buzzing; it's time for a blog post!

When people imagine their children, they often picture how they will look and what sort of personality they will have. Most people expect their children to possess traits similar to their own. Good qualities are wished for and bad ones are wished against. I've been thinking about the traits I possess recently. Maybe it's because the new year gets us thinking about what we want to improve. Maybe it is simply because I have been quite reflective lately. Who knows. There are many traits I have that I would love my children to develop, and there are a good amount of traits I hope they aren't cursed with. Want to know what some of these things are? Read on!

Qualities I have that I would be glad to see my children possess:

• Cooking skills- In the age of processed food, cooking is going to become more and more rare, and I find that sad.
• Aspects of my OCD- Being organized is a good thing. 
• A decent grasp on grammar concepts- I refuse to 'chatspeak', 'textspeak', or any other concept of the sort. Real words are happy things.
• Conversation skills- I can talk to people when needs be. Sometimes I have to push myself to do, such as over the phone, but I can be an interesting conversationalist, at least in my opinion.
• A desire to to good- I just want to help people. I don't always do everything I should to help, but I would like to make a difference.
• Honesty- I don't like to lie to people. Honestly is really the best policy. 
• Rule following- I don't put my hands up on roller coasters. I don't drive higher than the speed limit. Call me crazy, but I honestly believe we have rules for a reason.

Qualities I have that I hope I don't pass on to my children:

• Aspects of my OCD- Yes, this is on both lists. Organized is good, but I can take things too far. 
• Yo-Yo self esteem- Sometimes I love myself, and sometimes I completely hate myself. I realize most people probably do this, but I'm seriously all over the place.
• Intermittent shyness- I go through stages where I'm much more shy than I should be. I'm not naturally a shy person, but sometimes I make myself be shy...it's hard to explain.
• Phobias- I would like to think of myself as fearless, but I'm definitely not. I have panic-attack inducing fears, not fun. 
• Bluntness-This goes hand in hand with the honesty on the other list, I'm sometimes a bit more frank than is desirable. At times it's good, at times it is very, very bad.
• Cynicism- I tend to think everything is bad and evil. I should try to see more happy things in the world.

There are probably more qualities I didn't state, for both lists, but you get the point. I want my children to be like me...but not too much like me.

 And, I do hope the next one has my eyes.

P.S. Juliet's first Christmas went well, but everyone blogs about Christmas.

I am Thankful

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and with it being one of my favorite holidays, a thankful post is much needed...Becky Style.

I am thankful for a husband that gets mad at me sometimes. A good friend once told me that while I am not a very emotional person (except when I was pregnant), I can be, what he called "hard to deal with". I am not about to deny that fact. I can get absolutely frantic, completely crazed...you get the idea. Often times what I need in these situations is a swift kick in the pants. Daniel is just the pants kicker I need, sensitive when needs be, but willing to be tell me when I need to knock it off.

I am thankful for a daughter that is very often cranky. She is a happy baby, if she has your constant attention. Trying to accomplish things can be, at the very least, frustrating. She constantly tests my patience. I am grateful for the patience I am gaining, but most of all I am glad that her crankiness helps me to keep my priorities straight. Family should come first, and when she screams as I try to do the laundry (or other things), it reminds me of that fact.

I am thankful  for a best friend that lives nearly 200 miles away from me. Since Savanna and I became friends, she has lived both near and far. All over Utah, and several places in Idaho. At times we go long stretches without seeing one another. It is sad and I miss her often, but I am grateful that through the distance we remain close. The mileage just helps me realize what a great friendship we have. (She is, however, visiting this Saturday, and I am sooo excited!)


I am thankful that I am poor. Soon after finding out I was pregnant, I quit my job. I know many people thought I was crazy. Who quits a job right as you need more money? Money is tight at times, and sometimes it stresses me out, but I am so grateful that instead of  working and having a cushion of money, I get to spend my days with a beautiful baby princess.
 

I am thankful that people don't always like me. I can, as I have mentioned, be hard to deal with. I can also be fairly blunt and opinionated. Not everyone gets along with me, and I am grateful for that. It makes me realize how many people I have in my life who love me, for me, personality flaws and all. 

I am thankful that we must live with the consequences of our decisions. I know that our sins can be forgiven, because of the atonement, and I am so grateful for that, but I am also grateful that our consequences don't just go away. I have learned a lot of things from mistakes I have made. I am thankful I made those mistakes, and I am thankful for the lessons the consequences have taught me. I would not be who I am without every one of them.

I am thankful that my plans don't work out the way I want them to. I like to make plans. I am not one of those spur of the moment type of people. Even small changes can make me frantic. We all make plans for our life, and quite often those plans don't turn out. My life is nothing like I planned, and while plans being changed would normally throw me into a hissy fit, I am grateful. I know that this plan (God's plan), is better than mine could have ever been.


I am thankful for opposition. After all, isn't that what this whole post has been about? I am grateful and things aren't easy. I am thankful that I have trials. This is what life is about, working through the hard things. The tests which we will feel the best about passing, are the ones that really made us work. Life is a test, the greatest test of all. One, that if we pass, will bring us everlasting joy. I am grateful it is tough, it means the payout will be great. I am thankful for opposition, for if we can get through it, we can live with God again.


I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints. This post reflects my beliefs. If anyone who reads this would like to learn more, visit mormon.org.

All Hallows Eve

Halloween has come and gone. :( I must say, I'm a little sad it's over. Since it was Juliet's first Halloween, we had to make sure she did all the normal Halloween traditions.

She decorated a pumpkin.

Yes, I did dip my six month old's hands in paint.

She wore Halloween clothes.

You've seen her like this before, but it's still cute.

She ate orange food.

Eating carrots for the first time on Halloween.

And she dressed up as a terrifying monster.

Cultist mommy and daddy with Cthulhu Juliet.

Cutest scary monster ever? It's quite possible. Everyone loved Juliet's costume. I'm sure most people had no clue who she was supposed to be, but she looked cute. I better start coming up with a creative idea for next year. I refuse to be run-of-the-mill when it comes to costumes. Until Juliet can say "I want to be a princess.", she plays by my rules. Some may say I'm crazy, but who else has an awesome Cthulhu baby? Until next year, Happy Halloween!

P.S. More pictures to come to Facebook.

Juliet has cereal

I've been planning to start Juliet on cereal at 6 months. She has been quite interested in food for awhile now, reaching towards everything we eat, driving my family crazy (since we are currently living with them). I'm going to be pretty strict about giving my baby food, because of my many nutrition classes. I did, however, give in and let Juliet have cereal a whole SIX days earlier than I planned, mainly so Daniel could be there for her first time.

Juliet thought food was fantastically awesome. Pictures? Why yes, I do have pictures.

We weren't fast enough, so she tried to take over.

This is my favorite.

On a non-cereal related topic-My sister mentioned that she has more cute Juliet pictures on her blog than I do on mine, whoops. So here are some other random pics of my cutie.

I thought Juliet was ready to wake up for the day, apparently not.

Aren't those lips just so kissable?

Wishing Daddy's friend Trevor a Happy Birthday.

Starting new baby trends of only wearing one sleeve.

As of August 22, 2011...

School started

AND

Juliet turned 4 months old!

We know that 4 months is a little young to start school, but in this day in age you have to start your kids out early if you want them to be a success.

Alright, Juliet isn't actually going to school; Daniel and I are. Daniel is a full time (12 credit hours) student/full time employee, because he is awesome. I am a full time mommy/part time (9 credit hours-online) student, because I get stressed out easily and didn't want to overload myself. I guess you could say that Juliet is going to school, since she watches my lectures with me, sits with while I'm reading my books, and gives me screams of encouragement during quizzes. School and a baby is going to prove to be most interesting. Though, I must say, I am extremely grateful for the online option. Juliet is so sweet, I would have a hard time leaving her. (A really hard time, the little stink won't take a bottle).

Speaking of Juliet, did you hear she is 4 months old now!? Crazy isn't it? She is still pretty little (11 pounds, exactly, at her appointment last Tuesday), but getting smarter and cuter all the time. She is ahead of the game as far as milestones go. The doctor was impressed by her amazing rolling skills. She reaches out to grab things now too, like the doctor's stethoscope that she grabbed and put in her mouth. That could possibly be the cause of her runny nose this week..who knows where that thing has been.

So, in case any of you are thinking: "Oh great, school started, the already neglected food blog will become even more neglected". To the contrary dear friends, I cook MORE when I'm stressed out.