4 Things to Pinkies Up

1. Yesterday I put Aidan down for a nap in my room because he tends to wake Emily up or vice versa if they nap in the same room. I didn't have high hopes for him actually taking a nap, but at least I'd get some kids free time. He was in there about twenty minutes when I heard him whining. I ignored it for a few minutes, hoping he'd just settle down and go to sleep already, but he didn't. So I went in there and found him like this. His whining was actually cries for help. You see, my little boy is a cautious child. He thought it was too far down to the ground and he was perched on some insanely high precipice from which he could not get down by himself. As you can see, it was only about three inches. I don't know exactly how he got himself in this predicament, but I almost couldn't get the picture for laughing. Yes, I made him hang on for dear life while I fetched my camera. I'm such a good mother.

2. Emily is getting so big. This isn't the greatest photo, but she's doing that rocking back and forth babies do before they start crawling. I can't believe how quickly her life is going by for me. I remember thinking with Aidan that he would NEVER crawl and NEVER sit up even when he was still too young to be able to do those things. But with Emily I keep being amazed that we're already there. She's babbling and cooing and getting teeth. She's so happy (at least around me, she's slightly attached) and SO dang cute. I love her chubby cheek smile and those dimples! Ah, I'm smitten with her.  

3. Aidan has either reached the peak of the terrible twos or I have just lost all ability to deal with it. Whenever I tell him no he says right back to me full of all the venom and anger a two year old can muster "NO! I SAID NO!!" The other day he was climbing into Emily's car seat and he wanted me to buckle him. I told him he was too big. "No! I'm too small!" Either way babe, it's not going to happen. I want this stage to be OVER. It seems like he tries every way possible to prove to me what an ungood mother I am. I know that's not really possible. He's two and doesn't have that kind of malice in him, but still it's like he knows what drives me up the wall!  Please tell me this passes!  Please tell me that he will come out of this fine and not hating me as he seems to at times now!!  And please tell me that I'm a better mother than I feel like I am 90% of the time!

4.  I finally got a calling in our new ward.  Primary pianist.  Now, for those of you who don't know me that well let me explain to you why this calling might be a bit surprising.  I don't play the piano.  Not really.  I took lessons as a kid for a short time, but when I think of having the ability to play the piano I think of my mother or my sister who can play.  I can read music and I can still play the first part of "Castle On A Cloud" from way back when, but I am not a practiced piano player.  The call came after I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting about self-mastery which, by the way, did not have a single mention of anyone playing the piano, but apparently that was proof enough that I did.  I told them I didn't play, that I wish I could and would like to learn how some day.  They said, "Oh, we just assumed from your talk."  They said that they were in a bad way in the Primary, that the chorister was also playing while she was trying to lead.  "Sorry," I said.  "I don't play."  Well, a couple weeks went by and I had a bee in my bonnet about it, like I should take the call.  Call me crazy, but I actually wanted the calling.  Last Sunday the Bishopric member who had called me about it the first time jokingly asked if I had practiced and that I had a week to get ready.  All through Relief Society I couldn't shake the feeling that I should tell him I'd do it.  Crazy talk, huh?  I know!  Trust me, I know.  So I told him I'd do it and two nights ago they officially called me.  So now I have to learn to play.  I practiced a bit today on "I Am A Child of God".  Not too bad, but I definitely need to practice a TON.  I'm excited about the calling but every once in a while I am overwhelmed by waves of uncertainty and doubt.    The Mother's Day program is in about four weeks.  That means I have to get up in front of the whole ward and play!  What did I get myself into?!

5.  And finally, to pinkies up.  I got a message on my myspace (which I rarely use) from a guy asking me about my pinkies up blog.  He said I hadn't used it in years and was wondering if I would be willing to give up the address to him because he wanted to start a tea blog.  I was SO confused.  Pinkies up?!  Why would I start a blog called pinkies up?  I had absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever.  So I typed in the address and sure enough there was a blog with my name on it, and while I couldn't remember having ever written it it was apparent that I had because all five posts where things I had experienced.  It was right before I had found out I was preggo with Aidan.  In fact, the last post confirmed what three previous posts had guessed at.  I had completely and utterly forgotten that I had this blog.  I don't remember why I stopped using it and I couldn't remember why I had called it pinkies up.  My husband helped me with that.  There was a Spongebob episode (we used to watch it) where Spongebob and Patrick go around doing "Pinkies up!" to everything.  I thought it was hilarious.  I still think it's funny, now that I remember it.  That was going to become my catch phrase, something akin to Edmond and Fernand's "Kings to you!" in "Count of Monte Cristo".  Alas it didn't stick.  Anyway, I managed to remember my sign in for it and gladly deleted it for the tea guy.  I hope his tea blog is all he wants it to be.  For a while last night my world was rocked, so pinkies up, tea guy.  Pinkies up.