Little Mother

Friday, February 27, 2009

I can't believe how Bethany's maternal instincts have kicked in already! Oh my goodness, so cute. She has to feed her baby her bottle, wrap her in her blanket, and sing "Treetop" to her. She likes to put her in her baby crib that Grandpa and Grandma Lyman gave her ("Luh-loo! Night-Night!") and kiss her. Yesterday, I caught Bethany reading a book to her dolly so I had to grab the camera. Above is the picture of Bethany reading BEFORE she knew I was there (in other words, this is candid). Below is the picture of Bethany AFTER she knew I had the camera--and yes, she's saying, "CHEESE!"

Fired Already (Toldja I Couldn't Coach!)

So, I've got another new calling! They haven't released me yet from being the assistant young women's coach (although I think they will sometime soon). This has to go down in the books as the shortest calling I've ever had. I've now been asked to be the stake primary chorister lady. So since the stake asked for me, the ward will probably release me from my ward calling. Inspiration? OR have they now realized just how terrible I am at sports?

At first, I was a little bummed about leaving young women's so soon. I really do love being with the young women, they're so much fun. And I've gotten really good at washing those team jerseys (Downy fresh, every week!). But I'm really excited for my new calling, too! Although I've never had a stake calling before. TOTALLY new territory. But I am quite passionate about primary songs, and it will be a blast visiting all of the wards. My favorite Sunday of the year is the primary program Sunday--now I get to watch all of the programs in the stake! How lucky for me!

Right now I'm kind of doing both callings, so it's a little hard for me to switch gears from music to full-court presses (okay fine, I still don't know what a full-court press even is). So we'll see what happens next! I guess the only thing that's constant is change, huh?

That's What Dads Are For!

One of the great joys of my life is watching James playing with our daughter. He had her laughing so hard last night, I just had to grab my camera! Below are some of the cute pics I took. Bethany sure loves her daddy! (Me, too!)

Tender Mercies

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

My heart is just so grateful today! As you know already, we've been grieving the loss of our little doggie. Ever since she drove off with Dave, her new owner, I've been a complete wreck! I just kept plaguing myself with, "What if she's frightened? Is she confused? How is she adjusting? What if she whimpers all night for us and we're not there?" You get the idea. Just totally a wreck. And last night, when I walked up the street to get the mail, I just cried and cried. Panda and I had made that trip so many times.

Anyway, when I got home from getting the mail, James saw the distress I was in. He then left for a few minutes to take something to a neighbor. When he got back, James was just beaming. "Jenny, I called Dave," he said. Then he said, "Panda is doing great. " You see, it was his plan to call Dave and if it was good news, he'd tell me, and if it was not--well, he just wouldn't tell me he called him at all. What a dear husband.

He then proceeded to tell me that Panda hasn't whimpered or cried at ALL. She doesn't seem to have skipped a beat, in fact. When he talked to Dave, Panda was on his lap, getting her belly scratched. She had just polished off a bowl of beef stew (he's totally down with giving her human food, which she actually tolerates better than dog food) and was snuggling Dave. She's already gotten to know their neighborhood pretty well, pulling Dave along like a sled dog ("Mush! Mush!") and his whole family loves her. Dave said, "She's sure winning a lot of hearts around here." Sounds like she's in doggie heaven and getting more attention than she's had around here for a long time. I'm just feeling so much relief and peace now that I know she's happy!

So, let this be a lesson to me that the Lord hears and answers prayers. We had prayed and fasted about finding a good home for her. I kept reminding myself of the scripture in Matthew about not one sparrow falling without the Lord's notice. If the Lord can keep track of sparrows, I thought, surely he could help us find a good solution for Panda. And he did. This was the right thing. And now Bethany is safe, Panda is happy and we can all move on.

Thanks for all of your support, everyone!

A Friday of Fun

Monday, February 23, 2009

So, Friday was a fun day! En route to a family wedding, we got to stop by and see Bethany's birth mother and her husband. We hadn't seen them for almost a year, so it had been too long! We were so excited to visit and we had a GREAT time. It was so fun to see the similarities between Bethany and her beautiful birth mom. Below are some fun pics from that day.

Loving the Cats:



Loving the Lovebird:



Playing on M*'s Lap:



I actually got some great pictures of Bethany with her birth mom, but didn't feel I should post them without permission from her! But it was sooooooooooo great to see her--what a blessing she is to us in our lives! (Her husband is great, too, and it was fun to get to know him better.)

After our visit, we went to the wedding luncheon where we sort of dined on Filipino food. I say, "Sort of" because we were so busy chasing Bethany around the cultural hall of the church, we didn't get a lot of chow time. My aunt told me that the only thing a mother eats warm for dinner is ice cream, and I think she's nailed that one on the head! Julie, likewise, spent her lunch chasing Lizzy around. And here is a shot of the two little cousins on the trip home:



All Worn Out:





Us moms were worn out, too, but not as cute at this point in the trip so there will be NO pictures of us. All in all, it was a really fun trip--a very long day, but well worth it! And thank you to Veggie Tales for getting us down the road happily with two little toddlers! And congrats to my cousin Whitney and his new bride--may your married life be bliss!

Goodbye, Dear Little Dog

Well, we did it. We said goodbye to Panda and sent her with her new owner. He drove down on Saturday from Idaho to pick her up. An elderly gentleman had just lost his poodle, who passed away recently, and wanted another little companion doggie. Since it sounded like a situation where Panda would get lots of attention and love, we decided this sounded like a good place.

It was the right thing to do, but that sure hasn't made it easy. We are grieving pretty deeply. Thank you, everyone, for trying to help us find a good home for Panda. We'd appreciate your continued prayers that Panda will adjust quickly and be happy in her new home. If she's happy, we will be at peace about this. I know it sounds silly for two adults to grieve so much over an animal, but Panda was our baby for many years and helped us through some really hard times. So it's been tough.

But at least Bethany is safe and we don't have to worry so much about keeping them apart all of the time. Thank you, Panda, for everything you've been to us for so many years. We hope and pray you'll bring comfort to Dave and get lots and lots of love in return.

A Proud Aunt--Yep, That's Me!

Monday, February 16, 2009

I finally got to hold Tate last night! Wahoo! He's over a month old now, and he's almost reached his due date of Feb. 19th. I hadn't held him before, because I was coughing so much and just didn't dare. So last night was our first aunt/nephew maiden voyage snuggle. He was so sweet! And Bethany was just fascinated--he looks like a doll who moves. She kept saying, "Hands! Nose! Eyes!" and was amazed by how tiny he was. She loved kissing him on the head, too, and I would have gotten a picture of it if my camera battery hadn't died. Tate is doing so well and is just as sweet as can be. I love his little squeaky noises and his sweet baby smell! It was a long wait to hold him, but worth it!

Nursery Class: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Last week, Bethany was sick so she didn't go to church. So today, when we went back to nursery, it was as if she'd never been to nursery in her life and we started from square one, dang it! Two weeks ago, she went for an hour and a half without me, without crying, doing just fine. We had made progress the previous week, also. And today it was mass hysteria if I even looked at the door! I did leave for ten minutes, but she was so upset and not calming down that I ended up going back in and staying the rest of the time. It probably didn't help, also, that the nursery switched classrooms so it's a totally new setting now. Oh well, back in the saddle again! What can I do to help her feel more secure? Maybe I'll start arranging play dates with the kids in her class, or take her to see her teacher for a few minutes a couple of times a week. Hmmmmmm, I'll have to give this some thought. But if any of you have great thoughts and ideas, please share! Bethany is such a friendly, social little thing--as long as I'm there!

Valentine's Day Happenings

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all! I've always loved Valentine's Day, ever since I was a little girl. I loved making cute mailboxes to take to school. I loved opening all of the valentines from my classmates. I loved eating the conversation hearts and playing with my cards. I've just loved it all my life, even during the many years I technically had no "valentine" to share it with! I just think Valentine's Day is about more than romantic love. It's about all love--love for family, friends, etc.! So a big "Happy Valentine's Day!" to everyone reading this--'cause if you're reading it, you're probably someone I love. So thanks for being part of our lives!

We had an interesting Valentine's Day this year. James has a really bad chest cold, so no kissy-kissy face for us! The most romantic we got was a hug and, "Here are some more cough drops, honey." I'm starting to really wonder if James is allergic to holidays. He was sick for Thanksgiving, Christmas and now Valentine's Day--and he was well all of the days in between. Not a fun trend. But we managed to have a good day anyway. In spite of being sick, James did surprise me with twelve pink roses--beautiful! I love them. And Bethie and I gave James some CD's, chocolate and cards. Bethany got a new book with the children's song Heavenly Father Loves Me with really cute illustrations. And it was fun to spend the day together, even if Daddy was snarking and snorfing.

Bethany, and her cousin Ruby, helped me make heart-shaped sugar cookies which was fun, then Bethie decided she'd rather just eat the dough and her cookie cutter was a great instrument with which to shovel more dough in her mouth! Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I make a REALLY GOOD sugar cookie so TOOT-TOOT! I was pleased with the results, despite all of the dough-snatching that was going on.



Later that night, we got pizza and James, Tracee and Ruby came over to watch the Aggie game on TV. Well, the game part was painful (we lost) but it was fun being with them again! James and Tracee are in the process of moving to Salt Lake City, where James got a job, so it's been hard to not see them as often. Bethany has been saying, "Jame? Cee-Cee? Ruby?" all week! It was fun watching the little girls run around together again!

Ode to My Hubby: A Valentine Poem

I have a hubby,
The best in the land!
And I'll tell you why
I think he's sooooo grand.

His eyes are so twinkly
His face holds such light!
He's the joy of my days
And the warmth of my night.

His heart beats so true
Within his broad chest . . .
(Uh-oh, now I'm distracted
and have forgotten the rest!)

His brains are so big
He's as smart as a whip!
He thinks bright ideas
And kisses great with his lip(s).

His arms are so strong
So safe and protecting.
This poem's been fun
As I've sat here, reflecting.

And tonight when I see him
I'll hug him so tight!
And thank God for my marriage
to my Mr. Right!

I LOVE YOU JAMES! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

All Good Tumbles Must Come to an End

Well, Bethany's tumbling class ended last week! I guess all good things must come to an end (until you sign up for the next round, that is, which I intend to do). James came with us to her last tumbling class so he could see his little girl bounce and go! He's such a GREAT dad and it was so fun to have him there. I love how involved he wants to be in Bethany's life! Here are some cute pics I took that day!

Lovely Lyman Ladies

We've had a busy and fun weekend. On Friday, we drove down to Provo to have dinner with Bryan, Angie, Lexie, Stan, Kristie, Amanda, Nicole, Alisa and Elora--and of course we ate at Los Hermanos (a Lyman favorite). We had a great time, although we didn't get enough time to visit and I spent the majority of my time wrestling with my daughter! (Toddlers and restaurants are a little tricky!) Bryan, Angie, and Lexie live in Cedar City so we don't get to see them very often. But anything is better than nothing, right? And since all of the Lyman cousins were together in one place(a rare happening) we had to get this photo. My only regret is that in trying to get Lexie and Bethany to look up, I completely frightened Lexie half to death. Scary Aunt Jenny will tone it down a bit next time!

Mommy's Mascara: "Coot! Coot!"

Sunday, February 1, 2009

So, when I handed her my tube of mascara I didn't think she could get the lid off! In only 2.3 seconds (give or take), Bethany got the lid off, applied mascara to her eyes and then smeared it all over with her hand. So I had to take a picture. I must say, though, having Bethany around as I get ready for the day is very good for my self-esteem. As soon as I put on a shirt she says, "Oh, coot Mommy!" ("Coot" is "Cute" just in case you mistake her meaning.) And when I put on my makeup, another "Coot! Mommy coot!" I LOVE IT! Sometimes she even says "Pitty!" We train her well, don't we? I have to save these moments up for when she's 13 and saying things like, "Oh, Mom! You're not wearing that are you? I'll just walk on the other side of the street . . ."

Bethany Attends Her First "Friends" Birthday Party!

Bethany had a fun day on Friday. She was invited to her first "friends" birthday party! She has three little girlfriends her age (all of whom were also adopted) and we get together with them about once a month. Anyway, it was Brookley's birthday party (Happy Birthday Brookley!)and we had a great time! I think the moms had way too much fun watching the kiddos, too. The theme was Tinkerbell and everything was so cute! Thanks, Amie and Brookley, for having us come! Below are some of the pics from the occasion.

Pinning the Star on Tinkerbell's Wand:



Ring Around the Rosies:



Eating the Cupcake Paper:



How Do I Work This Toot Horn Again?



Wow! Brookley Has GREAT Toys!



Three Pretty Princesses:

All Gussied Up--Daddy in His "Penguin Suit!"

James will be a little embarrassed that I posted this picture, but I thought he was just way too handsome for me to not share his picture with the world! This is James right before his American Festival Chorus concert last night. The concert was great and the concert hall was packed! Holy cow. I got there half an hour before it started and I barely got a seat. Next time, I'll come an hour and a half before! I had to be an aggressive driver just to get a parking spot. It was a wonderful concert with beautiful music, and I'm so glad he has this opportunity! Craig Jessop is an amazing director and the whole thing was just wonderful. Good job, Sweetie!