Let it SNOW!!

Since we were basking in the 70 degree Arizona during the big "2 feet of snow in 24 hours" storm in December (absolutely no regrets about that one), today was Seth's first time playing in the snow.Of course, he's been miserably sick: perpetually runny nose, fever, terrible cough (part of this is teething). But did that stop us from bundling him up and letting him run around for half an hour in the the cold? No way. We have our priorities.We weren't sure how he'd react--Seth HATES the cold. He cries when we change his diaper, insists that we warm up his milk before he'll drink it, and refuses ice cream. Much to our surprise, he LOVED it.

What to do first?

What IS this stuff?

Some patches were up to his knees

Slides are way more fun in the winter

Best. Day. Ever.

He didn't want to come in, despite the fact that he was coughing up a lung and had snot running down his face (nice picture, isn't it?)

We had about 5 inches when we were outside playing, and it's still coming down. But we are definitely NOT hoping church gets canceled so we can sit at home in our pajamas. Because that would be wrong. Very wrong.

(Keep it coming!)

An Honest-to-Goodness Miracle

Seth just saw my picture on Jon's desktop.

Guess what he said?

"Mama!"

And he just ran up and gave me a kiss.

I love being a mom.

PS--So there, Uncle Timmy! I hope he's almost 12 before you can get him to say YOUR name.

I Am Resolved...sort of...

First of all, let me just sing the praises of Colorzilla. If you mess with your blog as often as I do, this little tool is absolutely essential. I'm in love. (Side note: you have to be a Firefox user.)

Second, my resolutions for 2010. I'm writing these down so I have to be accountable to someone other than myself.

My thoughts on New Years' resolutions:

Jon doesn't believe in them, and I completely understand. If you need to fix something, just fix it. Don't wait until the New Year. However, those of us with less self-discipline like having a fresh beginning (like a new year) to catalyze our resolve.

My resolutions aren't big things. I'm never tempted to pick things like "create a more peaceful home" or "become more spiritual." While those are nice, wonderful resolutions, they are totally undefinable. There's no way to measure peace or spirituality, which makes it hard to know if you're doing things right.

My theory is this: stick to the concrete. You want a more peaceful home? Fabulous. Now what can you actually DO to create one?

I'm also not a fan of gigantic leaps forward. Ideally, yes, I would love to spend 30 minutes every day studying my scriptures. I can resolve that all I want, but it's not going to happen. So I start small. Last year my goal was to read the scriptures every day. One verse, one paragraph--didn't matter. I think I was 100% successful. This year I'm pushing for 10 minutes every day. And I can honestly say that I've already blown it, but that's okay. Resolutions shouldn't be about a perfect track record: they should be about creating new habits.

So here are my resolutions for 2010:

#1 Read my Book of Mormon for 5 minutes every day

#2 Pray every morning and evening

#3 Smile every day

(If the above resolutions sound familiar, odds are good that you're working with the Young Men/Women.)

#4 Read my scriptures for 10 minutes every day (including the 5 minutes of BOM above)

#5 Exercise at least 30 minutes every week
(See what I mean? Definitely not pushing myself here.)

#6 Eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day. Make sure there's a veggie with dinner every night.
(Thank heaven I love spinach salads. Otherwise this resolution just might kill me.)

So there they are. Like I said, I've already blown them all, but I'm still trying. And if I succeed, next year I'll push a little harder.

Baby steps, people, baby steps.

And if I had a Wii Fit I'd totally exercise more than 30 minutes a week (hi, sweetie!).

Seth at 18 Months

Several months ago I asked Jon when Seth would officially stop being a baby. We decided around 18 months old we would have to admit he's not a baby anymore--he's a toddler.

Well I take it all back. I am NOT ready to give up my baby yet.

So, at 18 months old, our BABY is 24.5 pounds, 33 inches tall. Which pretty much makes him taller than all the other kids his age in our ward.

At 18 months old, Seth is:

*Absolutely, totally, psychotically obsessed with cars. If happens to see one in a book (or webpage, or movie or toy), no matter how tiny, he goes completely nuts. "CarsacarsacarsacarsaCRASH!" We currently have about 75 cars in various sizes around the house.

*He's understanding more of what we say. He understands and (generally) obeys "sit down", "lay down", and "get your shoes." He's also understands the word "food" now--it's no longer all called "cheese."

*He would probably spend all day on his slide if he could. Unfortunately he's been trying to stand on it, which makes me completely paranoid.

*All teeth are in besides the two bottom eye teeth (which are pushing through as I write this) and his 2 year molars. Hallelujah.

*His favorite foods at the moment are craisins, pistachios, M&Ms (he only gets one or two a day), ham, pasta, strawberries and cottage cheese. He has decided he no longer likes bananas or peas-and-cheese (he decided this AFTER I made a huge batch of it).

*Favorite movie? Cars, of course. Hercules has been supplanted.

*New words: "cuck" (truck or duck), "baby", and "oh, wow." That last one is said very sarcastically, since he learned it from his dad's sarcastic reading of a bedtime story. But pretty much the only things we hear all day are "car", "crash", and "please."

I had to (unexpectedly) deal with another "my baby is growing up" change this week: moving to his "big boy" room. We have two bedrooms down the hall from our bedroom. One is the nursery, the other has bunk beds in it for when Seth gets older.

I had no intention of moving him out of the nursery. He can't climb out (hasn't even tried) and no other babies need in. Plus it's just a cute room.

Unfortunately, the nursery shares a wall with our neighbors who have two boys. They have bunkbeds, which means every weekday morning at 7:15am, they jump off and run downstairs. Which means every morning at 7:15am, Seth wakes up screaming. After a week of this, we decided to set up his Pack-n-Play in the other room. I hate that my son has to sleep in such ghetto conditions, but at least he SLEEPS. I can't wait for the day we no longer share walls with our neighbors.Today was Seth's first official week of nursery. By "official" I mean "legitimate." We snuck him into my parents' ward nursery for two weeks at Christmas and tried to sneak him in ours last week. No luck.

Nursery is the greatest thing to happen to us. Seth was SO ready--he never looked back; just headed straight for the cars. And oh my heavens was I ready. As much as my Beehives loved him distracting them from the lesson, I was done. And you know what? He was SO good in sacrament meeting today. Didn't have to take him out once (as opposed to every other week, when he's out the ENTIRE time with Jon). I love nursery.

In other news, I got to make another cake last week for a friend in the ward. I really, really love doing this--I don't have much time for creative things right now, so I really enjoy getting to design cakes.Yes, I know this picture is sideways. I've rotated it every direction and Blogger won't recognize it.
And guess who saw the cars on the cake and was pretty dang sure the cake was his?
He went into complete hysterics when she drove away with the cake. Guess I know what I'm doing for his next birthday...

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

The Christmas Post a.k.a. If You're Not Family, You Won't Care

Per the official request of the Blood Family, I am updating my blog.

(Because heaven knows I don't want to get on my in-laws' bad side. They might send Joanna after me, and I'm pretty sure she could take me. She's 11.)

December 12th was our ward Christmas party. One day I will get to be the one enjoying a pleasant chat with friends while being served a delicious dinner instead of the one slaving away in the kitchen and bossing the youth around.Seth met Santa Claus and did remarkably well considering he was in melt-down mode. He even got a candy cane, which he shattered on our front porch before he even got a taste. His face in our family picture pretty much sums up the night:

Thank heaven for pacifiers. He can keep it until he's 13 for all I care.

We opened some presents before we left since there was no room to pack them. I got a brand new frying pan from Joanna, and Seth got cars and a racetrack from Grandpa & Grandma Blood.
It ended up being cheaper for us to buy a hotel room by the airport and shuttle over than to pay for parking, so we headed down to Baltimore on the 17th. I was nervous to spend the night in the same room as Seth (past experiences were awful for all of us), but he slept straight through the night.

Until 4:45 am, when we woke him up because our flight was at 7 am. Considering we spent 7 hours on the same plane stuck in a window seat without a window, Seth did pretty well. Not great, but not awful.

My mom picked us up in Phoenix and we wandered around the temple grounds until Marah & Kenna landed two hours later. This is a fair summary of how we felt:I don't think I've ever looked forward to a vacation as much as I did this one. For almost 3 weeks I would have a break from church responsibilities, cleaning, and piano teaching, and a semi-break from cooking and Seth-tending. I needed it.

My phone died the day after we got there. I didn't charge it until the night before we left. That, my friends, is a true vacation. Not to mention that the weather was in the 60s to 70s...sunny and delicious.

We dove straight into the celebrations. First, my dad's birthday. We're not allowed to publicly announce his age. Let's just say it rhymes with "nifty-poo."(No, I am not that short. I was standing on my tiptoes to be as tall as Jon & Kenna, who were on theirs. I fell right as the picture snapped.)

There was also a cookie-decorating extravaganza involving all the Mikesell girls:

Where, you ask, were the Mikesell (and Blood) boys?
Seth was asleep.
My dad and Jon were watching the same football game.
On two different computers.
In two different rooms.
Both with the volume turned all the way up.

The Blood Family: Cookie Edition
(Looks like Jon's been hitting the Christmas treats a little too hard)

We (meaning Marah, Mom, me, Seth, Beth & boyfriend) went on a Christmas-light viewing "hayride" around our neighborhood. All I have to say is: LAME. Come on, Copper Creek! Impress me next time! At least there were free cookies and cocoa.

Other family activities: dinner at Macayo's (so good), Wii battles (I am the 3-point basketball champ, Jon is the golf champ), and family pictures:

Dad & Seth.
Oh, and Kenna. But we don't talk about that.

Can't forget our annual visit to Winterhaven:

Seth's favorite display?A car.

Christmas Eve was fabulous. We had a yummy Mexican dinner of enchiladas, beans, and zucchini, followed by fried ice cream and alfajores. Our program for the evening was, of course, the Nativity, starring Seth and Emily (next-door neighbor).

And what happens when Joseph and Mary are both under the age of two?Well, Joseph will require a pacifier because he's being a whiny-face, and Mary won't go anywhere near him.

Also, about the time the 3 Wise Men show up, Joseph will make a frantic getaway attempt on the donkey. He's not sure he's ready for all the responsibility.

Our Nativity Cast

And Jon loved his pink sparkly crown. His comment? "I feel like I should be wearing tight silver pants."

Later that night we opened our Christmas Eve gifts (a book on Isaiah for Jon, pajamas for those of us who aren't ridiculously picky pajama-wearers) and headed for bed.

Seth broke the "no one comes down the stairs until everyone's awake" rule because he was a grumpyface. We fed him and hauled him back up to wake up his aunts. Because I truly, truly love my sisters, I will not post the picture from Christmas morning (though I am sorely tempted).

And what did Santa bring Seth?

A car.

And what did Seth get when he opened his gifts that afternoon?More cars. (Anyone else seeing a trend here?)

After Christmas we spend a lot of time just relaxing. There was a lot of Halo playing:

A lot of Wii playing:

A lot of playing with all of Grandma's cool toys:

And a lot of playing with Grandma's "not actually toys but way more fun than real toys" toys:

Later that week my Grandpa & Grandma (and cousins Cam & Leighton) came down from Utah to celebrate their 50th anniversary with us. We are a very, very attractive family.

Want to guess what Seth had Grandma doing almost the entire time she was in Tucson?

Yep. Playing cars.

We celebrated New Years Eve with a surprise visit from Kenna's almost-fiance, Brian, who drove all the way down from Utah to see her (and then didn't propose! Why, Brian, why?!) We did our toasting at midnight East Coast time (2 hours early) so the grandparents could be there to enjoy with us. We Mikesells sure love our alcohol. That is, we sure would love our alcohol, if we weren't Mormon and didn't drink it. But boy do we love that Sparkling Grape & Cider...

Soon after New Years our vacation started coming to a close as family members left for home/college. We still had a few days in Tucson, so we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and brought Seth for his first zoo visit.
A quick summary: elephants, giraffes and polar bears are very, very interesting. Tigers are scary, especially if they snort while walking straight at you. Peacocks are not even worth noticing.

Seth's favorite animal at the zoo?A car.

I loved being home so much that I tried to make us miss our flight with a sudden bout of vomiting. Unfortunately, by the time we needed to leave for the airport I was feeling up to flying. It wasn't the most miserable flight I've been on (that would be the 5 hour flight from L.A. to Hawaii while 7 months pregnant) but it was a close second. Especially since Seth seemed to sense when I was most nauseous and would pick that moment to start crawling on me. It was a very long flight.

Let me just pause right here for a short disclaimer: I am not pregnant. That vomiting was a stomach bug, not morning sickness. Or if it is morning sickness, then Jon is pregnant, too.

And now it's back to reality. Thank you for a wonderful Christmas! We love you!And yes, Seth is completely, totally, obsessed with cars at the moment. At times, it's kind of unnerving how obsessed he is...

The Christmas Letter

Dear Friends & Family,

Three reasons why we're not sending out a Christmas letter:

#3 Postage is expensive

#2 I don't have anyone's address anymore

#1 I'm lazy

Instead, you get to enjoy this super-modern digital Christmas letter! I know it's not as exciting as getting a legitimate card in the mail, but it's the best I can do (see reason #1 above).

2009 has been a good year for us. We've been here in Maryland now for two years and feel so blessed to call it home. We love it here. We've been in our own home for a year and a half and still feel so lucky to be here. With so much uncertainty in the world right now, we've been incredibly blessed to be where we are.

Now for the good stuff:Seth is almost 17 months old now, which means almost old enough to go to Nursery (our church's childcare for kids 18 months to 3 years old). Two months ago I couldn't believe my baby would be in Nursery. Now I'm ready to drop him off and leave him there until Sunday night. Is it possible for him to be going through the Terrible Two's already? Those temper tantrums look pretty legitimate to me...

It's been a big year for Seth. He's gone from being a immobile blob (but a very cute blob) to full-on running. From single syllable exclamations he's progressed to sentences ("Bear, please"). And from "Serious Seth" he's evolved into a world-class flirt. If you are a girl or woman over the age of 11, watch out. Girls his own age just terrify him. Every day he's learning something new (this week it's been climbing onto the kitchen table). It's amazing how much he's changed in just one year. That old saying about raising children--"The days are long but the weeks are short"--is so absolutely true.

I (Megan) am managing to keep myself just busy enough to have an excuse for not cleaning my house. I'm 2nd Counselor in our church's Young Women's Presidency, which means I get to help out with the 12 and 13 year old girls. All thirteen of them. Between Tuesday activities, Sunday lessons, firesides, presidency meetings and stake activities, some weeks I feel like I should just pack up my room and sleep at the church. But I really love working with these girls, even if I do have to suffer through Twilight discussions over and over and over again...

When I'm not at church I'm teaching piano lessons. At the moment I have 15 students and a waiting list of 7. Any piano teachers feel like moving here and helping me out? Teaching has been a great way to earn a little extra money, plus let Seth (and me) interact with lots of different people. That flirting I was talking about earlier? It's directed mostly at my students' mothers.

The rest of my time is occupied by my wifely and motherly duties. Some days it's overwhelming, some days its mind-numbing, but mostly it's the best job I've ever had. And, of course, I still manage to sneak in some reading when I should be cooking/cleaning. My house hasn't been mopped in weeks, but I made it through Vanity Fair and Bleak House!

Jon is in his final year of the AMC Fellows Program. He's currently "interning" with JPM NBC CA (10 extra credit points if you have any idea what that stands for) on the Edgewood side of APG, but will head back to AMSAA on the Aberdeen side in January where he will transition to a permanent position. He seems to be enjoying his work. Occasionally he tries to explain to me what he's working on, but it usually involves math and/or chemistry--my two weakest subjects. Something to do with detecting chemical agents, Google Earth, and a trip to Dugway, Utah.

The highlight of Seth's day is when Jon comes home from work. Jon is a fabulous dad--he knows all the right ways to entertain the Monster Man. From the moment he walks in the door, Seth is his shadow until bedtime. I love it (and not just because that leaves me free to actually cook dinner). When he's not being Daddy (and sometimes when he is), you'll find him downstairs on his computer. "Doing our finances" usually ends up turning into Diablo II or Civilization IV. Sometimes he'll read a book instead, but only ones that his sister Mary recommends. He doesn't like my books.

And that's 2009 for us! Now if both of our cars will just make it one more year and stop breaking down before every temple trip, we'll be perfectly content. We love you all and hope that next year will find you all happy and well.

Love, The Bloods~ Jonathan, Megan & Seth

"For unto us a child is born..."

For Now We See Through a Glass, Darkly...

2009 has been a wonderful year for our little family. I feel so humble when I think about everything we have been blessed with.

On the other hand, this year has been one of many sorrows. During the past 12 months I have had many, many of my good friends lose their babies during various stages of pregnancy. Some lost them soon after conceiving. Some had already heard a heartbeat and thought they were past the fear of miscarrying. Some had literally experienced miracles, but weren't able to carry the child full term. Every time, I cried for them.

Finding out you're expecting means so much more than I realized. Immediately you begin thinking of how life will change. "By this time next year I'll have a 3 month old." "Next Christmas I'll have a little one around." Your whole paradigm suddenly changes, never to be the same again.

And that's what makes it so hard to lose a pregnancy. It's not just the loss of a tiny life, which is tragic enough. It's also the loss of all your plans--all the hopes, dreams, and preparations for the future.

One week ago a dear friend from church lost her little girl days before she was due to deliver. We've all spent the past week grieving, trying to understand why this was part of the Lord's plan. It hasn't been easy for me to understand. I'm not angry so much as I am frustrated and confused.

The one thing that's given me peace is this sweet mother's incredible faith. Would I be able to write, just days after losing my little one, "Blessed be the name of the Lord"? I don't know. But because her faith is so strong, I've felt mine grow, too.

This is what I know: Our Heavenly Father knows each of us and cares about us deeply. I know He is watching over each of my grieving friends. I also know that He has a plan. Sometimes it's difficult to understand, but it is in place. We just don't remember the beginning and can't fully comprehend the end. So we're left to muddle through the middle and pray that the answers will come, one day.

But I know this much about the end: these mothers will one day hold these little ones in their arms again. That knowledge has made this Christmas season so much more poignant for me this year. Because of that baby born 2,000 years ago, these little ones will live again, reunited with their families for eternity.

And for those who have to live the rest of their lives with a hole in their hearts? There is solace. "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." I know that these mothers grieve longer and more deeply than most of us could comprehend, but I know that they are not alone. Even when it seems like there is no one in the world who understands their pain, there is always One who has carried all our sorrows and knows how to succor His people.

And that's why we celebrate this season. We celebrate the birth of our Savior, who gives us this hope and made it possible for us to see our loved ones again. I don't think I've fully understood and appreciated this Gift until this year. But I also know that I will never forget.

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

(My sweet friend Val has a blog to share her experiences here. Sweet Sommer wrote about her loss here (there are three posts, right in a row--click 'Newer Post' to read all three). Incredible Catherine shares the story of her Mariah here and here. Others have shared their experiences, too, but I won't link to you unless you're okay with it).

Thanksgiving

Ready for some math? (Don't worry--it's simple)

10 kids
-1 kid serving a mission in Chile
+2 parents
+4 spouses
+4 grandchildren

=19 people in one house

Yes, it's a little crazy, but we wouldn't do it if we didn't enjoy it. We were able to spend a week in West Virginia with Jon's family and had a great time.

After the disaster that was last Christmas, we learned from our mistake and put Seth in his own room. Which meant we had to share a room with Kade and Elizabeth, but they were very gracious about it. Jon even designed a partition out of toy boxes so we had our 'own' rooms. It worked fabulously, but it's only a matter of time before we run out of bedrooms!

We all had a great time, but Seth was in HEAVEN. A 5 gallon bucket, full of cars? Another bucket, full of balls? And an Uncle Jakey to play with him all day long? I seriously felt like I never saw the child. He was so exhausted from playing all day that he slept like a dream the entire time we were there.
We didn't do much besides hang out together. There was a lot of Wii playing, a soccer game, kickball game, and lots of inside game playing (don't ask Jon about the Rook game). My favorite part was watching Seth while we played kickball & soccer. He'd run around the field, pointing at people and babbling away. Sometimes he'd even get himself worked up to a yell. He was a great little coach. Unfortunately, he had to continue his coaching from the trampoline so he wouldn't get run over.
Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. I got to help by making the rolls and a lemon meringue pie. My only complaint is that there are NEVER leftovers. Bloods don't believe in leftovers--they stuff themselves as full as they can because they know there won't be more later. Guess that's what happens when you grow up with 9 siblings...

(Seth & Megan trying to figure out why they can't get to each other)

It was fun watching the grandkids (sort of) play together. Seth, Rebekah & Megan were all born within 6 months of each other. Next Christmas they'll all be 2--it will be a very exciting vacation!

(Seth & Rebekah going on a walk. Everything was great until she turned around to look at him. As soon as he realized she was in there, he clamored to get out. Poor wimp is still afraid of little girls)

Of course, the best part was seeing Jon's brother, Stephen, who just got home from a mission to Spain. We got to hear all his stories, see his pictures, and enjoy his fabulous cooking (he made us a Thai dish--go figure). And he got to meet the 2 nieces and 1 nephew he'd acquired while he was gone.

I'm quite proud of the fact that we only managed to forget three things during all the chaos of leaving: the breadmachine yeast I bought for the rolls, my library book, and my camera cord. Could have been worse. After all, Mary forgot her wallet...(Scott, Mary & Rebekah headed home at exactly the same time we did, so it was extra chaotic for all of us to make sure we had everything we owned).

(Our son: The Cheeseball)

I am grateful for many, many, many things, and our family is one of the biggest reasons I have to give thanks.Happy Thanksgiving!