Missing Screws

My laptop is missing some screws in the back. No big deal, right? Except they are the two screws that hold in the hard drive. I spent two days trying to figure out how to deal with a "hard drive not found" error before flipping the computer over and seeing that the drive was popped out an 1/8th of an inch. Pushed it back in and all's back to normal. I think I should maybe replace those screws before traveling again.

The Determined One

Edward is definitely determined. When he decides to do something, it's hard to stop him.

This week he's managed to eat toilet paper, regular paper, dryer lint, and every bit of grossness he can find on the floor. He's climbed up boxes, the back of his highchair, and a folding chair that was closed and leaning against the wall. Each pot, pan, and bowl has been pulled out my kitchen cabinets at least once. And I've given up on loading the dishwasher when he's around because he immediately climbs in to play with the racks. There's no stopping him.

This trait does have its advantages, though. Previously, Edward hasn't been interested in learning what we try to teach him. Apparently he'd been paying attention, but was holding out on us. This week, he started clapping, waving, giving high-fives, and signing "eat" (mostly on my mouth, but at least he gets it.) He's also decided that it's about time he stand up. He's becoming very stable while holding on with one hand, and has let go on a few occasions. We've even seen him try to stand up without anything to hold on to two or three times.

So Edward's determination can be frustrating when I'm trying to keep him safe, but it's also great when it comes to his development. He takes the time to observe and then, when he decides he's ready, just does it.

Prop 8

I don't usually wax political, especially on the blog. (Don't ask me about the presidential race. I get mad.) Although we don't live in California, we're interested in the outcome of the vote on Proposition 8. First because of the issue, and second because the CA state supreme court set a very dangerous precedent that needs to be dealt with.

Even if you don't live in CA, watch this video all the way through. It's really well done, and you might learn a thing or two about the effects of this kind of legislation. (I know that the picture youtube shows makes it look incredibly biased, but I promise it's really level headed.) Thanks Marci for passing it on!

The Geese is Getting Fat

Christmas is coming!!! Ten weeks away. Because I want to be able to enjoy the holidays, I always do my shopping early. I'm nearly done. Not kidding. I'll finish wrapping before Thanksgiving. (Go ahead and smack my husband for putting his part of the shopping off until the last few days. Slacker.)

It's hard to feel like it's even fall yet, with the temps still peaking in the 90s some days, and not an orange or red leaf in sight. (I did see a pile of ugly brown leaves underneath a brown tree the other day. I think it was "fall foliage", but it looked more like the tree was dying in the heat. It made me want to cry and catch the next flight to the northeast.) But I'm trying. It rained yesterday and today, so I made stew and pumpkin cookies. The boys and I cozied up at home and pretended cooler weather is coming.

Although it doesn't feel like time yet with the weather, I'm getting myself excited for Christmas. I LOVE Christmas. Decorating, music, yummy treats, wrapping, giving, playing Santa, . . everything. Do you think its too early to put up a tree?

I spent ages looking for video of Miss Piggy singing "Christmas is Coming". No dice. Even audio was hard to find. The beginning of the song is here. Enjoy! Its from one of my absolute favorite Christmas albums. Well worth downloading on iTunes.

How am I bringing beauty to my home?

I heard this question today. It made me stop and look around. Toys everywhere, basket of clean laundry in the middle of the living room, cluttered countertops, etc. I could go on for ages. Our house is a wreck.

But then my eyes took in my children. I helped bring so many smiles today. Man, I did a good job of making my home more beautiful.

10 things that made me happy today

10 - $2.95 gas. I was practically giddy.

9 - Crockpot dinner. No fighting to get dinner finished while kids are having their afternoon freak out.

8 - Rain. I love rain. And all the green things it brings.

7 - Gummy bears that have been open for awhile. Nice and hard, the way they should be. (Weird, I know. I also love hard marshmallows.)

6 - Edward playing independently for half an hour. Granted, he pulled out every bowl and pot in my kitchen cabinets, but I'm ok with that. A few minutes clean up was worth it.

5 - Snuggling with Ethan while talking about how to be more loving towards his baby brother.

4 - Pumpkin cookies. Yummm.

3 - Ethan banging spoons together to keep rhythm with his singing.

2 - Alone time with each of my boys.

1 - Edward snuggles.

We must be doing something right

I just walked into the living room to find Ethan, with his scriptures open to the picture of Jesus, singing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." Followed by him showing me the picture and explaining how he will teach all his friends about Jesus and how to be good in Primary. What a sweet boy he can be sometimes.