The Beach in Pictures

We went to the beach for a few days after Christmas and my BIL Preston has a schnazzy camera.  So I stole his pictures, which are awesome by the way.  Hence why there are a billion photos of the beach alone in this post.  You may or may not get sick of looking at us by the end.  Enjoy!

 

 

Such a typical "Ben-being-a-dad" moment.

 

Love love love love love this picture.

 

We managed to find a few horseshoe crab shells which, in my opinion, were one of the cooler finds of the beach.

 

 

We found a live star fish and put it back in the ocean.

Ben got some of his shells to skip eight times.  And yes, he does this left-handed.  Crazy ambidextrous man.

 

Trying to be like Daddy.

This is so Lily.  I love how this shows her personality so well.

 

My favorite quote from our beach wanderings:

Skyler after picking up a big black rock:  "Look at this ginormous poop!"

Tagged Post -- The Night League

This is a post solely about my book that I'm writing.  I have been tagged by another member in my writing group and so it's my turn to share a little bit about it with my faithful blog readers.  This book, though I almost never talk about it with anyone, is very dear to me but it is definitely a work in progress and I have a long way to go before I would be willing to share it with anyone.

Q1: What is the working title?
A:  Currently, it doesn't have a title.  I really want it to be something profound, but it just hasn't come to me yet.  For now, I just think of it as "The Night League."

Q2:  Where did the idea for the book come from?
A:  The idea actually hit me in the middle of the night when I couldn't fall asleep.  The thought that hit me was, If the world were stuck permanently where one hemisphere was left in darkness and one in light, how would humanity survive?  And how different would the world be?  And would it be a natural or a man made occurrence?  I have gained bits and pieces of inspiration from all sorts of places and from lots of research.

Q3: What genre is your book?
A:  I want to think of it as YA.  But seeing as the main character is about 23, I guess it's actually considered Adult.  But I think it would be appropriate for both, especially considering that, like the Matched trilogy, I imagine that I would add a different point of view in each book.  In my mind this would be a trilogy.

Q4:  Which actors would play your characters in your movie?
A:  Well, hardly anyone reading this would even know who my characters are so I'll just say that I wouldn't mind Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, or Colin Firth as side characters.

Q5:  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A:  This is the part where I cheat.  There is no way I could summarize my book in one sentence, so instead I'll share the blurb I wrote for it a few months ago:  In the not so distant future, when the world has almost completely stopped its normal spinning pattern, Piper takes on a secret job in the Night Hemisphere – the deserted half of the world where murderers are banished to die.  Working with a team of some of the world’s top specialists, Piper enlists herself to finish a project that could literally change the world.  Secrets, betrayal, and romance fall into her life as she is led to wonder how far she is willing to go to save humanity.

Q6:  Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
A:  I will do everything I possibly can to have it represented by an agency.  But my odds of being published are slim.

Q7:  How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A:  I'm coming up on two years now, but know that this hasn't been an every day thing.  I wish it were since writing is my favorite hobby, but I consider it my play time/therapy and I can't squeeze it in everyday.  My goal is to have this book finished this year, the sooner the better, and to have a time allotment each week for writing.

Q8: What books would you compare your story to, within its genre?
A: I have no idea book wise.  But maybe a mixture of Avengers, A-Team, and Inception with a chick-flick and sci-fi twist. 

Q9:  Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A:  Without getting too personal, I started writing in general when Ben was unemployed the first time.  It was a fantastic way for me to write out some of my feelings while creating a whole world and story at the same time.  Then the hobby stuck and I can't go a day without wanting to write something.

Q10:  What else about your book might pique your readers' interest?
A: One of the little things that I love about my book are all of the futuristic inventions I wish I had in real life.  Besides writing fun dialogue between characters, I really enjoy thinking up things that I could imagine existing in the future.  Hair styling products, weaponry, medications, medical equipment... I have a blast thinking up new things for every aspect of futuristic life.

So there you have it!  A little piece of my book.  I would tag someone else, but I just don't know anyone else who's writing a book who also writes a blog.  So if that's you, consider yourself tagged.

Christmas

Lily and Skyler have been waiting months and months for Christmas.  Each day after Thanksgiving the kids have insisted on watching at least one Christmas movie per day, and since it only comes once a year, I let them.  Santa even called them early on in December!  Unfortunately Ben was at work and so he wasn't able to hear the call (wink, wink). 

 

On Christmas Eve my parents and sister Becca and BIL Preston came over for dinner.  We also made Santa triple chocolate cookies because we just know that Santa loves chocolate.  We read Luke 2 and put the cookies out for Santa, and then off to bed the kiddos went.

 

And then Santa came!

 

Since Ella needed a 10:30 bottle, she was the first to discover what Santa had brought.  But don't tell Lily and Skyler this.  Shhhh.

 

Then it was Christmas morning at 4:45.  Ben and I are awake.  We are so excited for the kids.  We can't get back to sleep.  So we eventually get up and wait for their excited squeals.  But do they wake up?  No.  Finally at 6:30 Ben goes up to wake them and Lily's still passed out but Skyler's bouncing on his bed asking, "Did Santa come?"

 

Oh yes he did.

He came!

And yes, the cookies and milk were left on a blanket because Skyler insisted that Santa loves indoor picnics.  The big gifts this year were their Big Wheels (since they've been struggling on regular trikes), Lily's Barbie doll house, and Skyler's Lego's.

Let's just say that Santa had a very fun time putting these Lego sets together ahead of time.  Especially the Transformers.  *ahem*

 

An elevator.  A potty that flushes.  A light that turns on.  And a piano that plays.  What more could a little girl want?

 

Hello Kitty notebook and pen since this girl loves to write her letters.

More Barbies

Water Colors

So excited!

 

Grandmum and Pop Pop's gift.  A T-Ball set that shoots balls.  Suh-weet!

Zhu zhu pet chariot from Aunt April!

 

 

Taking a spin on her new "motorbikle" around the kitchen island.

 

(I call them motorcycles.  Ben calls them motorbikes.  Lily married the two terms and once called them motorbikles.  I have refused to call them anything else ever since.  When the kids came down on Christmas morning Skyler said, "We got motorcycles?  Wow!")

Testing out his own.

Ben opening my present to him: basalt stones for massages.  Ben was excited.  Skyler's reaction: Daddy got rocks for Christmas?

 

Then we went over to my parents house for more present-opening and Christmas dinner.  It was a fantastic Christmas.  We hope all y'all had a wonderful day, too.

Pre-Christmas Festivities

Merry Christmas from our family (minus the tiny one) to yours.  This picture was taken at the mall.  Next year, Crabtree Valley Mall, don't make people have to sign up hours in advance to stand in a "virtual line" to see Santa without telling anyone or having it posted on your website.  You destroyed the dreams of so many children this year.  But thank you, Mall Santa, for waving at my kids anyway.

 

Lily was watching The Nutcracker ballet with my family.  She really got into dancing along (a movie will be featured in a future post) and Ben got to be her partner, helping her with lifts and whatnot.  Here is Ben forcing me to do the same.  I look so thrilled, don't you think?

 

I COMMAND EVERYONE TO LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS PICTURE!  Whenever people tell me that Lily looks like me I say, "Thank you," but in my head I'm saying, "You're totally wrong and you just haven't seen my husband."  But here I give you mini-Heather.  It's a Christmas miracle!  Apparently she did get some of my genes!

 

Blurry but self-explanatory.  It's like the 4 year gap between them doesn't even exist.  And I love it about as much as I love them.

 

Nanni and Becca feeding the Chubby Cherub.  And the Chubby Cherub getting frustrated that the food wasn't coming quite fast enough.  Within the last week she's really picked up eating solids and she's a little speed eater now.  The little woman is serious about her food.

 

 

I feel like I'm either a failure of a parent or a really good one because my children have zero experience playing with electronics.  We don't have any video games at our house and they know that our computers and phone are off limits and that they aren't toys.  And it doesn't bug them because they haven't learned why they're so fascinating.

 

But the fun childless aunt and uncle who adore their nieces and nephews came into town with their iPad and iPhones and the kiddos are hooked!  I thought it would take them a while to figure out how to work things, but of course I was wrong.  Gotta love Becca and Preston.

 

And speaking of which......

 

Before Preston and Becca came into town I wanted to see if Lily and Skyler could remember their names:

 

Me: "Who's coming for Christmas? Aunt....."

Lily: "Becca!"

Me: "And Uncle Pres-"

Skyler: "-ident Monson!"

 

 

Preston agrees that this is a big step up from what Skyler used to call him: Uncle Becky.  And even though I never corrected Skyler, he doesn't often call Preston "Uncle President Monson" anymore.  Instead, he is now "Uncle Presents."  I don't feel like correcting that one either.  Maybe one day Skyler will call him Uncle Preston, but I hope that day doesn't come for a while.

 

Also, Lily is sort of a huge fan of Uncle Presents.  This is what she told me the other day before we went over to my parents' house to visit them:

 

Lily: "Can I have the nail polish?  I need to paint my nails."

Me: "Why do you need to paint your nails?"

Lily: "For Uncle Preston."

 

A Gift for Jesus

Meet the kids' piggy banks.  On the right is "Sally."  On the left is "The-King-Of-The-North-Pole-With-Cookie-Monster."  That is quite the name, Skyler.  But I can see how a cross-breed of Santa and Cookie Monster would be a pig considering how many cookies he would eat.

 

Anyway.

 

It is impossible for me to keep up with my house.  You've heard the sayings before.  Cleaning up with kids is like tidying papers with a fan on, shoveling snow in a blizzard, or -- my personal favorite -- brushing your teeth while eating oreos.  We noticed that the kids didn't mind cleaning, so long as there was an incentive.  Ben and I decided to start paying the kids an allowance.

 

My life has been changed.  My house isn't 100% clean, but it's cleaner. 

 

We pay them 10 cents per day when they clean (on days when they refuse to do anything they don't get paid) and 25 cents when they do extra.  They don't know what money really is all about, but they know that they want it.  Sad, isn't it?

 

So they've been saving up their money for the last little while and have become so proud of themselves when they empty their little banks and spread out the coins all over the floor.  And we've been proud of them for all the work that they're willing to do.

 

This last Sunday we were scheduled for tithing settlement.  Ben and I agreed that it was time that the kids learned first hand what tithing was all about.  So we got the kids out of bed from their afternoon naps and explained the basics of tithing.  When I told them that they would get to give 1/10 of their money to the bishop, Lily started crying.  I knew she would struggle because she always goes above and beyond, not only trying to do her chores, but also making sure that we're happy with what she's done.  So Skyler got to be the example this time around.  When we told them that the money that we give goes into building churches and temples, etc., he said, "I want to give the bishop all of my money," and he pushed his 10 little piles of coins together toward me.  My heart just about exploded.  Ben and I were so touched by that innocent and sweet gesture, but we agreed that since Skyler is three, it would be best if he still only gave 1/10 since there was a good chance that he would be confused the next day as to why he didn't have any money left in his bank. 

 

Lily finally came around to the idea of paying tithing when we explained the importance of it.  So we gave each of the kids their own tenth of money and let them hold it in their hands on the drive to the church.  We told them that even though we would be giving it to the bishop, it is really a gift to Jesus, and that we would get to wrap it up like a present in an envelope.  They got even more excited about it.  When they handed their money to the bishop they were beaming.  even Lily's 30 cents and Skyler's 21 are contributions.

 

Just a couple of days ago, I sat down with the kids and asked them questions about Christmas.  Of course, Santa was mentioned, but so was Jesus.  When I asked Lily what Christmas was she told me that it's Jesus's birthday.  So I asked her what present she was going to give him.  She told me about how she gave him money to build a temple.  Skyler said the same thing.

 

I'm so grateful that we have tithing settlement just before Christmas.  I never realized how deeply tied they are until I tried explaining it to my kids.  Ben and I have had countless experiences where we knew we were being blessed because we paid our tithing.  I have always sort of thought of tithing as a physical payment for spiritual insurance.  I am grateful for what we have -- that the Lord lets us keep the 90 and makes up for and blesses us for giving the 10.



Scrumptiously Babylicious

Oh Ella.  You have got to stop being so cute.  Goodness gracious.

 

Have I mentioned that I think Ella might be our chubbiest baby yet?

 

10 points to Ella!

 

And -10 points to me and Ben who will probably melt by your cuteness every time you ask for something that you want.

 

 

 

 

 

Ella is 4 months old now so we went ahead and started feeding her rice cereal.

 

The first obstacle to overcome was squishing her legs into the Bumbo.  It doesn't look like it in this picture, but believe me, it may require oil, butter, or vaseline in the near future.  Those legs are fat.  And this mama is happy.

 

She acted the way she should with her first few bites of cereal.  She wondered what the heck we were doing to her while she tried to shove the spoon away and replace it with her fist/thumb.

 

Yes.  Despite all of our attempts to finally have a baby who takes a pacifier, Ella is now leaning more toward her thumb.  She'll pop her bink right out and stick her fist in her mouth. 

 

Lame.

 

 

But she's still our little angel baby.

 

This picture gives a great glimpse of what her hair looks like.  She's a brunette, yet she's a blonde.  Her roots are definitely lighter than her tips all over her head, but her crown is practically platinum while the front is just a light brown.  Maybe we could just call it ombre?  Still crossing my fingers that it doesn't turn into zebra print.  But her hair is long and thick enough that I can put bows straight in it now.  Yay!

 

 

 

Some quotes from Lily and Skyler:

 

 

*interrupting me and Ben kissing*

Lily: "Awww!  It's a happily ever after!"

 

 

 

*While trying to explain animal sacrifices in the scriptures*

Me: "So way back then, they would build an alter and make a fire and stick animals on it as a sacrifice to the Lord.  They would sacrifice things like sheep or cows..."

Skyler: "... or fireworks..."

Writing

Number one:  I sure hope I don't look as fat in real life as I look in this picture.  Gag.

Number two: Yes.  I got to meet Ally Condie again.  It reminded me of how much I like her in real life.

 

 

Last night I went to my local independent book store to enjoy a night out with some writing/reading girlfriends and to meet Ally Condie.  If you're unfamiliar with her Matched trilogy, I'd recommend it -- that is if you think a dystopian novel written by a poet sounds fascinating.  I have enjoyed reading her books, even if they're not my number one favorites.  I guess sometimes I just need that poetic fix.

 

 

 

I haven't talked about this since my one and only blog post when I revealed that in my spare time I enjoy writing.  I guess the reason why I don't talk about it much is because it is SLOW moving.  But I can say that it is always in my head.  I am constantly figuring out plot strategies while I'm fighting the part of me that asks, "Am I crazy for doing this?" 

 

But I haven't accomplished nothing.  I almost completely finished a book last year.  I wrote over 50,000 words which equals about 200 book pages.  I loved the story.  I loved the characters.  I loved everything about it.  But it was generic and badly written.  But it was so much fun and taught me that this is a very therapeutic way for me to stretch my brain while relaxing at the same time.  I knew that there was no potential in that story.  I think one day down the road I may go back to it, fix it up, and make it look pretty, but not today. 

 

One night in January of 2011, I was having a hard time falling asleep.  An idea popped in my head -- a really unique idea that I had never heard of before.  I immediately thought that if I could figure out how to write better, a book with this idea could have a lot of potential.  I grabbed a pen and notebook from my bedside table, tip-toed to the bathroom, turned on the light, and wrote out the basics of my story for over an hour.  I created an entirely new futuristic world.  But it is most definitely a sci-fi story, and as with any sci-fi story it has required a lot of research.  After hours and hours and hours of research, trying to make everything work and be legitimate, Ben finally just told me to write it up anyway, that not everything has to be proven possible.  So that's what I have been doing.  And my ideas are flowing more rapidly now that I don't have to stay stuck in a rut of "this idea isn't possible." 

 

So no, I have not given up.  In fact, if anything, I wish I had more time to work on my writing.  But at the end of my life, I want to know that I spent quality time with my family.  I only have 24 hours in a day just like anyone else and balancing children, a husband, a calling, housework, sleep, cooking, and fun is a chore in itself.  Writing gets shoved into my hours of insomnia and evenings when Ben's not home and Ella doesn't require being held.  And when I'm feeling a little greedy every now and then, I'll let my kids watch a movie or two on the days when my ideas are really flowing and I need to sit in front of the computer to record it all. 

 

Maybe this book will be another failure.  Maybe the next one will be, too.  But for now I'm going to keep exercising my writing skills until it turns into something worth sharing.  Maybe that will be my resolution for next year: to finish this book.