Hearts Full of Joy

"i want cheese!"

gracie, 20 months on monday, can say quite a bit, but not enough. she knows just what she wants, but we can't always tell us so that we understand. especially since many of her words sound alike.
she is also a screamer.
she asks for something, we give it to her, it isn't what she wanted, she screams.
and scream, and screams.
we try something different,
still wrong,
scream.
and so it goes.
she can say please, which is pronounced just like "cheese".
she knows that if she wants something, she should say please,
and so 90% of her sentences are:
"I WANT CHEESE!"
(being interpreted,"i want something please")

this can mean "i want complete control of the computer", "i want to be held", "i want to eat the entire carton of strawberries", etc.
it took lexi quite a while to get this straightened out after returning from utah, and gracie received lots of cheese during that interim.
gracie is a perfect mixture of pure delight and complete frustration.
and we love her.
one of her more endearing qualities is her love of babies.
anyone 4 and under is a baby. and anyone seated in the front seat of shopping carts is a baby, and they all get a "ohhhh, baby!" and an air kiss from grace.
she is delighted whenever she notices a baby, in a photo, a book, a billboard, etc.
and she is so sweet and tender to her own babies, and sings them to sleep, kisses them, and tucks them into bed, just like i do to her.

kissing her new baby doll on christmas morning.

i have been scrapbooking (online, which is so fast, fun, easy, and economical) gracie as a newborn, and she sat at the computer with me as i was working. i knew that she would be excited to see the tiny newborn baby in the photos, but i was completely surprised when she pointed at a photo of her a just few days old, being held by noah, and said "gracie!" and then pointed to herself.

here are a few of the photos i have been relishing as i scrapbook.

veterans day

on november 11th, veterans day, we celebrated by visiting the lincoln sites in springfield. it was a 2 1/2 hour drive each way in pouring rain, and completely worth it. we loved it. visiting the home where the lincoln lived from 1844 when their first son was born to 1860 when he was elected was a treat.

and the presidential museum was amazing....like disneyland but meaningful. it was incredibly kid friendly and entertaining.

noah & mia visit the lincolns at the white house

"tashi-rick douglas" & "lexi todd lincoln"

 

tiny "noaham lincoln" & "mia the freed slave"

lincoln has long been one of my ultimate heros, and this trip only made me feel more so. i also added two books to my want to read list: "the madness of mary lincoln" & "the case of abraham lincon".

it seemed a fitting time to visit....veterans day....the gettysburg address was given in november....and lincoln was elected president in november....we came home inspired, grateful, and uplifted for the greatness of one man, and a nation.

i bought these postcards and framed them in a 50% off frame from hobby lobby. the log cabin (appropriate) quilt top from my collection was made in the 1880s.

while we were there, i couldn't shake the impression that the times we are living in are every bit as fraught with dangers and that courage and right are just as crucial to the survival of our nation as in the times of lincoln. here's an interesting note: lincoln was the least liked and had the lowest approval ratings of any president in history. i adore him.

lexi also blogged about her feelings from the day.

reminiscing

i am sentimental - probably much too much so. as i scrapbook, certain photos grab me, and can create so much emotion and memory (which i recently blogged about). here are some photos that i am scrapbooking now, from february 2007, that make me very, very happy..... and make me want to post.

mia's oni (demon) mask made at yochien (japanese kindergarten) for setsubun (the traditional end of winter in japan). i liked it so much that i posted about it at the time. read about it here.

my getaway with brock to guam - one of the most relaxing, peaceful, and enjoyable weeks of my life. we had been to guam as a family twice before, and loved it. but this time we left the kids home. read about it on this post.

we have another getaway planned for next week, when he is home from japan. and although gracie (not ready to leave her) will accompany us on this one, i'm sure it will be wonderful - can't wait!

a match made in cyberspace

i never imagined myself being part of a match made by an online marriage service, but this post goes to show that anything can happen, and frequently does, out there in cyberspace. and this is thanks to my friend from our days in the tokyo 3rd ward, jeni. she married my blog to a blog of another friend, on her post, "blog marriages". fun idea! i'm excited to read the new blog she hooked me up with.

and now, an ode to photography. i treated myself to some virtual reality scrapbooking (digital scrapbooking online, which now that i have five kids, is the only realistic way that i can find time to scrapbook AND keep up with it - and so this is another "cyberspace match" for me - the concept of online scrapbooking). and i am always amazed when i scrapbook after taking some time off from it, how therapeutic it is. i'm so enthralled with the power of a photo...how it can bring back the most subtle and warm memories that would have been forgotten without it. things that weren't even an integral part of the photo, like the delicate & intricate snowflakes that my girls cut out and stuck on the window. it reminds me that my life is even happier and more blessed than i generally remember that it is. and i am grateful for that. it brings me joy...... here is a photo (one of many) that warmed my heart from this latest scrapbooking session.....

noah (2) & mia (5) at kasai rinkai koen, on our christmas card photo shoot, december 2006....among other things, this photo reminds me that although i was terribly sick with my pregnancy, and it took great effort to walk around the park and take the photos (which is what i tend to remember most about that time - in fact i distinctly remember wondering if i would make it back to the car, or just have to lay down on the grass and spend the night in the park), life was still wonderful and beautifully blessed -  these precious kids, the ocean so close to our home, the warm sunlight, etc.

and a random question to throw out there into cyberspace....is it possible for me to do pilates without getting upper back and neck tension? i've been working towards this goal for 5 or 6 years now, and sometimes i do better than others. sometimes i think i've got it figured out, and i even put my main focus on relaxing my back and shoulders while i do the workout. but i still have problems.

i have some fun projects going that i want to share, but although my camera has been returned from repairs, my lens hasn't....still eagerly waiting.