Very Merry

Here are a few highlights from our festivities this year.

This year was Sean's first Christmas. He celebrated by eating his fair share of wrapping paper. Every time I turned around he had something new in his mouth! I half expected to find his the contents of his diaper wrapped prettily in festive paper that night.

Kyle and I kept up our tradition of gingerbread house baking and decorating. Do you think we used enough candy this year? We had a lot of fun working together and decided this was just a bit more fun than building with Legos because we could eat it afterwards!

Speaking of Legos, we were all a bit bummed out this year because we left our Christmas decorations in storage in Utah, including our very kid-friendly nativity set which Kyle loves to play with. I thought that he would freak out when he realized it wasn't here, but instead Kyle declared that he would make our nativity set this year. He ran to his room and after a few minutes, this is what he came back with.

( L to R: Wise man with gift, Mary, baby Jesus in Manger, Joseph, shepherd with sheep)

We're missing two of the wise men and the sheep is almost as big as a camel, but I have to admit, even looking at it now, I'm one proud mama. It doesn't have flourish or polish, but it's got the basics. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

We hope you are enjoying this holiday season and wish you the best in the New Year!

Too Cool for School

Seven inches of snow and -12 degree temperatures can only mean one thing: SNOW DAY! Not only were we excited for the first snowfall this winter, but it was especially exciting because it was Kyle's first snow day. School let out early on Tuesday due to a monster winter storm and we were completely snowed in on Wednesday. Temperatures are still below freezing so we're home again today. The weather might sound frightening to you and me, but to a seven year old boy, this is heaven! Kyle and his friend Simon made the best of the weather and spent hours sledding, throwing snowballs and making snow forts.

Field of Dreams

Even Sean got in on the fun. He was thrilled to have Kyle home and even more excited to get out and explore the snow. What a wonderful way to spend your half-birthday, huh?

Six months and counting...

This storm hit most of the nation pretty hard, so I hope this finds you all safe and well!

WANTED!

Two happy, healthy boys, last seen Thanksgiving Day.

Approach with caution, they are highly contagious.

Known associates: two sleep-deprived parents.

iTunes Killed the Radio Star

In this digital music age of on-demand, commercial-free music provided by iTunes, Rhapsody, Pandora, etc., radio is falling by the wayside. Just the other day while driving in the car, Kyle asked me to replay a song we were listening to on the radio. When I told him I couldn't go back because it was "live" he was disappointed but accepted it by saying, "Well then, when we get home can you at least put in on my iPod so I can listen to it later?"

I didn't go as far as downloading the song for Kyle, but we did look it up on YouTube.

This isn't the song Kyle requested, but here is one of music videos we pulled up on YouTube, "Here It Goes Again" by OK GO, which is always a hit in our house. If you haven't seen it before (and even if you have) I guarantee, it'll bring a smile to your face. Happy Monday!

Watch OK GO...On Treadmills in Music | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Rock Bottom

After a four-day, Halloween candy bender, I went to the Halloween bucket only to find the dregs - 2 green apple Twizzlers, 1 mint chocolate 3 Musketeers, a piece of taffy and 4 pumpkin erasers.

As I contemplated the appeal of the erasers, I realized that I had hit rock bottom - both literally & figuratively. I wonder if the Betty Ford Center treats sugar addiction...

I ate the 3 Musketeers.

Tricks and Treats

When I went to download the Halloween pictures from my camera today I found this picture that Kyle took while my back was turned.

Maybe he has a future as a ninja after all.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Too Much of a Good Thing

Last week I took Sean in to the doctor's office for his 4 month appointment. On the well baby questionnaire they gave me, it asked if I was giving him a multivitamin. Multivitamin?!? The kid's four months old!!! I was surprised, so I asked my pediatrician why my exclusively breast-fed baby needed a multivitamin. Turns out that doctors are starting to see more and more children with vitamin D deficiencies. (In VERY RARE cases they are even seeing rickets. Rickets!?! In this day and age!) But here's the kicker, it's due to all the sunscreen that we have been slathering on our kids to prevent skin cancer! Not only are we blocking out harmful UV rays, but we're also depriving them of much-needed vitamin D. Oooh, the irony... :)

Double Your Pleasure

I know "The Office" aired almost a week ago, but last week's episode, "Niagra", (aka Jim and Pam's wedding) was so brilliant (said in my best British accent as an homage to the British version) that I had to write a brief post about it.

With the highly-anticipated wedding episode I was worried that the writers would go all mushy and lose their comedic edge, but they didn't and the result was that "The Office" was at its best, both hilarious and touching in its trademark quirky fashion. Like my personal favorite scene where Jim cuts his tie in half to help an overwhelmed Pam forget about her torn veil!

But of course nothing demonstrated this delicate balance better than the final act, a spoof on the viral You Tube video "JK Wedding" interspersed with clips of and Jim and Pam's last-minute escape to Niagra Falls. As I watched it I was reminded when dealing with the chaos and demands of everyday life sometimes you need to get away and spend a moment with what matters the most to you before you head back to the circus.

And just in case you haven't seen it yet, here is the original clip that started it all:

The Fairest of Them All

(One of the memorable signs from the Iowa State Fair)

When I announced our move to Iowa on Facebook our good friend Chris replied: "Don't miss the Iowa State Fair!" Chris has a great sense of humor and is deftly sarcastic, so I thought he was joking. Turns out he wasn't. The Iowa State Fair is a big deal, and not just here in the Midwest. People from all over the world come to this annual event. It's even listed in Patricia Schultz's, "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" and was the inspiration for both the musical and movie, "State Fair". This year over a million people attended the fair, including our family of four.

For those of you who didn't make it this year, here are some of the highlights:

Kyle in front of the famous Butter Cow. (Doesn't he look thrilled?)

Kyle perked up once we went to the "Little Hands on the Farm" exhibit, an interactive, farm-to-table, learning experience for kids:

planting seeds

picking green beans

Kyle's harvest

We all really liked the baby animals at the animal learning center. Most of them were only a few days old!

The fair was all about the "biggest" and best. We saw a 1,000 lb pumpkin, the State's Largest Rabbit (20 lbs!), the Super Bull and the Big Boar.

The food at the fair was delicious and by the end of the day, I felt like a BIG PIG myself! The fair is famous for its "food on a stick" and after fried chicken on a stick, a foot long corn dog on a stick, and cajun chicken and onions on a stick, we sampled the quintessential State Fair desserts - deep-fried Twinkie (on a stick!), deep-fried Snickers (0n a stick!), and deep-fried Oreos.

I have to admit, I really liked the Oreos. Thank goodness we did a lot of walking that day! Thank you Chris et al for letting us tag along!

1 down, only 999 to go...

What's in a name?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

(William Shakespeare)

Here in the Midwest many things go by different names than what I'm used to.

What I grew up calling Best Foods mayonnaise is called Hellmann's.

"Bring out your [insert appropriate name] and bring out the best!"

Same company, same mayo, different name. The bread we buy has THREE different aliases!!! West Coast hippies eat OROWEAT,

Midwestern farmers choose BROWNBERRY,

and East Coast sophisticates prefer ARNOLD.

It can get a little confusing, can't it?

At least our bottled water company is kind enough to provide a map!

I guess, like William Shakespeare so eloquently said, sometimes the name doesn't matter. You're getting the same thing regardless of what it's called.

And then again, sometimes a name makes all the difference...

SEAN

KYLE

Scout's Honor

Guess who's a brand-new cub scout?

Cub Scout Motto: DO YOUR BEST!

TA-DA!!!

Now in Theaters: "Akela and the Wolves"

[Akela (a-kay-lah): scouting term for leader]

Betcha didn't see THAT coming! Well, neither did I. Kyle doesn't start Scouts for another next year, so I was speechless when I was asked to be the Assistant Den Leader. (Okay, so I was only speechless for a moment...)

My jaw-dropping surprise was second only to a letter I received last year from Provo Parks and Recreation. The letter opened by sincerely thanking me for volunteering to be the coach for Kyle's flag football team. Further down it read:

"If you didn't offer to coach, but said that you'd be willing to be an assistant, (because you are too nice), then you are receiving this letter because nobody else volunteered (because they knew better). Congratulations! (ha-ha!) Please come to the coaches meeting, August 9th at 6pm for orientation." (Parentheses added for sarcasm.)

Did I mention that the letter arrived August 9th at 2pm?

The Provo Red Hawks: A Motley Crew

As you can see, I took the coaching job and had a great time doing it. My guess is that this cub scout stint will be just as fun and fulfilling. I'm gonna "DO MY BEST!"

Swiss Miss

Every year the city of Midway, Utah holds their Swiss Days celebration. It's my sister's annual tradition to visit their craft booths and she always finds the coolest handmade items.

This year I sent her on a mission to find me an oversized flower for my hair, something I've wanted for awhile now. This is what she found. I absolutely LOVE IT!

Niecy Nash, eat your heart out!

Back to Nature

Last night as I lay in bed during Sean's 3AM feeding, I marveled at how lovely the crickets sounded as their night song drifted through our open window. It was so peaceful and relaxing that I forgot that the creatures making the melodic noise were insects.

Now I don't hate bugs, but I don't love them either. As the mother of a seven-year old boy, I've seen my fair share of them. In fact, earlier this week while visiting Kyle at school, a praying mantis the size of my hand (I'm not just talking as long as my hand, but just as WIDE as it too) flew directly at me and alighted (as best as a creature that size can alight, that is) on my dark green, floral print skirt . I think it thought I was bush...

It was quite the sight, particularly from my point of view, and I tried my best to not to shout out as I watched it crawl closer and closer to my waistband. I wanted to quickly flick it off and do one of those full-body shudders to shake off the heebie-jeebies, but there was no way I was going to let the second graders on the playground think that I was a fraidy cat. (Pride - 1, Fear - 0) So before it could ascend Sean's pudgy legs dangling down from the baby Bjorn, I calmly shook my skirt and catapulted it over the sand pit and into the grass next to the tether ball poles. It was immediately swarmed by a group of seven-year old boys (my son included) yelling "Cool!" and "Awesome!".

Well, I didn't think the gargantuan mantis was very cool but I did find the symphony of crickets last night to be pretty awesome. Their chirping was light and airy with crisp notes that weren't overly shrill or monotone like the motorcycle-without-a-muffler, mind-numbing, buzz of summer cicadas. Most of all, I couldn't believe how clearly I could hear their song. It was like I had a front row seat! Instead of picking up my ipod and surfing the net, like I usually do while I nurse, I sat back in bed and listened to the crickets as I gazed down at Sean who was bathed in the soft glow of the night light. It was one of those perfect moments that comes around now and then when you wish you had a video recorder that could adequately capture the beauty of your experience.

Sean finished nursing and I laid him in his bassinet. Still feeling a little high and very zen, I walked across the hall to check on Kyle. In Kyle's room, I could hear the crickets even more clearly than before! I was tempted to wake him so he could enjoy it too (he would've loved it) but I knew better than to wake a sleeping giant and besides, I was enjoying this rare, tranquil, moment alone. As I floated back to my room, I noticed that the clear sound of the crickets wasn't only broadcasting in stereo from Kyle's room, but from the living room as well, and realized that I must have left the sliding door open. (Again!) As I got to the patio door, however, I found it firmly locked. But the crickets' song was even louder than before!?! In fact, it sounded like there was one cricket in particular that was singing a solo. How could that be? And then it hit me. There was a cricket in my house...

So there I was, at three in the morning, tearing apart my living room in search of the rogue symphonist; my moment of zen quickly turned on its head as I chased the tiniest black cricket around our living room, hopping over and under furniture in my pursuit. (How was it that such a tiny little guy was capable of making SO much noise? Maybe he was a newborn...) Finally, after a few laps, I captured the little guy. I was tempted to fling him outside to teach him a lesson and for the briefest of moments the little devil on my shoulder yelled, "Squish it!", but cooler heads prevailed and I gently put him outside to join the rest of the critters, where he belonged. Ordinarily I would've been very put out about the whole incident and thought that the night was ruined, but as I lay in bed, I let the crickets resume their lullaby and I smiled. I knew that in the morning I'd have a great story to tell Kyle about the cricket in our house and how I single-handedly got it out. He'd think it was pretty awesome and I would feel very cool.

Top o' the Morning to Ya!

I woke up Sunday morning with a horrible hangover and spent about an hour trying to figure out what to do with it so as few people as possible would notice it at Church. Unlike most people whose hangovers are a result of a long night involving heavy drinking and no food, my hangover is the result of a long nine months of heavy eating and no drinking. I'm referring to the wobbly area south of my ribcage that cheerfully spills over the top of my pants into what my sister calls a "muffin top." Do you know what I'm talking about?

Now I'm not naive - this is my second baby, after all. I was very aware that after I delivered Sean I would leave the hospital wearing the same maternity outfit that I wore into the hospital. I knew that my body wouldn't magically morph into its previous pre-pregnancy size and that it would take me a few months, even up to a year, to take off the baby weight. I even packed clothes in different bags, according to size, so I could start with a realistic-sized wardrobe and then open each bundle in decreasing order as I say goodbye to the weight.

Saturday night I decided that it was time to say goodbye to the last of the maternity clothes. I giddily ripped open the first of my packaged bundles and admired my "new" outfits. I hung them neatly in my closet and went to bed. Sunday morning, however, was like the day after Christmas. All of the excitement that I felt as I opened my gifts the night before faded as I tried on outfit after outfit and slowly realized that my clothes, despite their larger size, were not meant to accommodate a post-partum belly. *Sigh* Mom jeans, here I come!

A Soft Opening

So, I've been wanting to start a blog for some time now, but have been putting it off because I was waiting for something momentous and exciting to kick things off. You know, to start things off with a bang!

Not that life has been boring; on the contrary, it's been rather eventful! We welcomed Sean Anderson Yamada to our family in June,

Sean arrived June 6th at 7 lb. 11 oz

and promptly moved from Provo to Iowa City in July.

And since moving to Iowa, we haven't slowed down. We've taken a trip to Chicago

Across the street from the Chicago Tribune

and spent the day at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

Prize winning, 1,000 lb pumpkin

So I could've start this blog off with a detailed recap of any of these events, but somehow it doesn't seem appropriate for the inaugural post of Mountain Fields to be written predominantly in the past tense about things that happened up to three months ago. And while this blog will eventually be filled with the specifics of my daily life, events like Kyle's first day of school, Sean's two month check up, or my trip to the meat counter at Fareway, a post on day-to-day life seemed much too boring for a debut. So I've resorted to this "soft opening", if you will. Welcome to my blog!

note: In a "soft opening," an establishment begins to operate without a lot of attention. This allows the organization to become more organized the first few weeks or months before the more publicized Grand Opening, and gives the management and staff a chance to become familiar with their daily operations. (from Wikipedia)

P.S. Be sure to stay tuned! For my grand opening, I'm going to have a ribbon cutting ceremony...