Quick Summary

I need to go to sleep but I just want to briefly explain the pictures I just posted.

Basically, my family (Mom, Dad, Krista, Chris, and Kendra) came to visit over the long weekend. We had a great time and finished it off with a Sunday afternoon feast, in the traditional style.

Krista and Kendra are both attending the Utah College of Massage Therapy right now, so they brought a massage table and gave all of us massages, including very abbreviated ones to Aaronchik.

I'll probably write more later... maybe. Now sleep.

Chowing on a tomato.

Aaron really likes tomatoes. He ate one and a half today.

Just a cute picture.

Saying goodbye.

The feasting crew.

Chowing down on the mashed potatoes, with Grandpa Lambert.

Aaron really liked putting the extra head piece to the massage table on his head, like so.

Afro Aaron.

Aaron really liked putting his head in the hole in the massage table.

Here is my sister Krista giving Aaron his first massage.

This is how I got 15 minutes of work done last week... just let 'em loose.

Aaron walking along in his raincoat outside our apartment.

Our serious boy

I post pictures and talk about Aaron being so jolly all the time but he is actually a very serious-looking kid much of the time. When we are out, people often comment on how serious he looks.

Time enough at last

I realized today that I have so much time on my hands. It's a new, interesting wave of life for me that I think I am starting to get used to. My whole life I have pretty much lived for deadlines--get a paper done by Friday, study for a math test by Tuesday, get packed and moved by Monday, or whatever else. But now all of a sudden the only sense of urgency I feel is "Hurry quick before Aaron grows up." I know that the time of chases, giggles, raspberries, and snotty-nosed smackeroo kisses will be over before I know it. So we spend a lot of time chasing each other around, rolling/wrestling on the floor, and anything else I can think of to get those engulfing giggles out of him. He has become so incredibly playful; I am eating it up.

So yeah, deadlines seem to be a thing of the past for me. But I am trying to spend my time as well as possible. Reading, listening to books, taking Aaron to parks and the public library, practicing cello, running, baking wheat bread or other delights, cooking dinner, and of course hanging out with and snuggling with Ben are my favorite things to do nowadays (besides the aforementioned playing with Aaron). So far I'm feeling pretty good about my life. I even enjoy cleaning because of the joy of the end result! I never get bored with my life. There are times when I get frustrated but they pass and are forgotten about.

Sometimes I think of that classic Twilight Zone episode where the super nerdy bookworm is the only survivor of a nuclear fallout. When people were around, they would always try to stop him from reading. His wife would destroy his books and his boss would get mad at him for filling his mind with crazy ideas. Then, finally, after everyone was destroyed in the mysterious blast, he realizes he has all the time in the world to read. So he very excitedly gathers together and sorts all the books he wants to read when he drops his glasses and, of course, steps on them and destroys them. So sad.

I think now that I am starting to realize that I can read really cool stuff and be intellectually stimulated outside of school, I feel like that guy, giddily gathering together the things I want to spend my time with. The good news for me is that I don't wear glasses.

This is the dustpan full of Ben's and Aaron's hair, after their haircuts on Friday. I just thought that the little sprig of blonde hair looked so cute next to all of Ben's.

Aaron helping out around the house

snotty-faced smile

Playing with Mama

These pictures are my attempts to photographically document how Aaron looks when we play together. I know that it is impossible to really capture his adorable face during those moments of hysteria but I thought I would try anyway. I just wish I could remember forever what it feels like. I'll do my best to take word-pictures.

Giggles

Drumming on his tummy.

Posing for the camera.

Aaron on our couch, wearing new pajamas from Great Grandma and Grandpa Paulsen

Aaron's mommy

I love being Aaron's mom! It is just so much fun! He and Ben are the best people to hang out with. I miss either of them when they're not around. I highly recommend motherhood to everyone married to Ben. :)

Aaron just walking along on a sunny February morning.

Aaron loves balls. Here he is rushing up to one that was lying around in the courtyard.

Getting ready to throw the ball

Pretty profile

Dirty-faced Aaron in little buggy

Happier baby

Despite the fact that Aaron didn't really sleep at all last night, he woke up from an early morning nap seeming quite well. His fever is completely gone and his spirits are back up. Life is so much better this way!

Aaron is not sick anymore! Here he is, back to his normal rummaging.

Proudly showing off his precious find.

Playing with papa.

Happy Aaron!

audience?

I think I figured out my issues with this blog (see second entry). It's not that I don't know how to write for a general audience, it's that I don't know who actually reads this. So I write and post pictures with the hopes that family and friends will eagerly follow along with our lives and advancements but then for all I know nobody even looks at my posts. Is anyone out there?

Sick Aaron snuggling.

Sick Aaron, falling asleep on his mama. (Notice my cool outfit and his cool pants, made by M&D Lambert for Christmas this year. Thanks M&D!!)

And here is Aaron snuggling with his papa.

Poor Little Guy

Here's Aaron in his sicky-state. Sometimes when he's not in mine or Ben's lap snuggling he lays down for a little rest on the floor. The pic is kind of blurry but you get the idea.

Sick Baby

Aaron has been sick the past couple of days. Babies should just not get sick; it's too sad. I have to admit though, Ben and I have really been eating up the extra cuddliness that has come with his sickness. Several times now he has sat on my lap with his head against my chest, just relaxing silently. Ahh...... This is what life is all about.

Early Art

This is Aaron's first photographic composition. He took the picture completely by himself (after much instruction from me).

Aaron in his new bedroom, sporting the knit hat and sweater combo from Grandma Lambert.

When Aaron wants to get through anything that's blocking his way, he knocks on it, regardless of whether anyone is even on the other side. Notice the tightly formed closed fist (thanks to GL!).

This is Aaron (January 27) showing off his baby blues with the sweater Grandma Lambert made him

Aaron's new thing now is climbing. Here he is having climbed up on the kitchen table from the floor all by himself. (Notice the blue cloth on the floor under his high chair. It's a crumb/plate catcher to make for easier clean up after he's done eating.)

On Fire!

I have had a big smile on my face and a fast-beating heart for the last hour or so. I finished my first assignment: the introduction to The Interpretation of Culture by Clifford Geertz. So cool! My brain is happy.

I am remembering, for the first time in awhile, the feeling I had when I first discovered the joy of reading. I have been reading novels on my own time for years now and I was starting to get a little tired of them. Stories are great but this kind of writing is a whole new window into self-exploration, world-analysis, and just general thought. I am beginning to understand better now why people like my father-in-law love reading so much. Just today I was thinking about how I need to discover new authors to get excited about but I was still thinking along the lines of story writers. But yo, Geertz has made me realize that there is so much more out there. This is just the jump-start to reading that I have been craving.

I am going to work extra hard and happily on my pile of readings from Ben now but keep listening to the reading of good stories. I have been listening to The Lord of the Rings for the past few months while I am doing other things like cooking, playing with Aaron, cleaning, knitting, whatever. I really like it. Rob Inglis does a great job of narrating LOTR. I recommend it. But for now, I've got some Bakhtin waiting for me!

Hungering for school

I've been really missing school lately. I miss the feeling that comes from learning new things and discussing them with others who are interested and interesting. So, in order to try and satisfy this need for new ideas, I asked Ben to share his favorite 5% of his readings with me. I know that sounds like a very small percentage but Ben reads a lot.

The funny thing about all of this is that I can't help but think of my little sister Kendra and how she used to teach our youngest sister Kelcie the things she learned in Kindergarten. She would bring home worksheets and things to read to share with Kelcie, pretend to be her teacher and give her grades for her work. So as I read and take notes on Ben's graduate school materials, I feel like Kelcie, trying hard to study just for the sake of learning. I feel silly sometimes but oh well. I'll keep at it. Reading is something that Aaron will let me do while he plays outside. Allowing me to work and actually make money is forbidden in his book, as far as I can tell.