Brinna Lou is Two

Two year olds are the best!

Especially this one.

She is sweet and playful and loving to everyone. She gives the best hugs and spreads joy everywhere —church, Costco, the gym, she loves on people everywhere we go.

We joke that she is a sympathy crier like Gus (from Psych). If someone is hurt or sad she sits down and cries right along with them. For example, Layla fell down on the stairs and was crying. As I comforted Layla, Brinna came over to see what was going on. Once I explained to Brinns that Layla fell down, Brinn dropped herself down to the ground and said “fall down” and started to cry, too.

She is such a little person now with her own ideas of what she wants and doesn’t want. Especially when it comes to food.

My lovely Lou.

On her birthday, she was my side kick as I made her cake. She was a fan of frosting.











She is the happiest eater when you give her potato chips or fries.



A two year old blowing out birthday candles is probably one of the cutest things of life.











So happy!





She opened up a pile of presents--things like playdoh and orbees and this spinning toy.









I think her favorite gift was "Brinny's slide." She gets thrilled to see it every morning when we go downstairs and spends more time playing here than anywhere.






Oh, Brinny Lou, you are our light. We are all so glad you were born two years ago and you joined our family right away. We love you!!

trip to flagstaff video

We asked a Lowell observatory employee to take our picture. He did and I thanked him. Then I asked him to video us dancing. He was slightly unsure how to respond to this request. Eric was slightly mortified that I made the request. Hey, but now we have an awkward dancing clip of us together at lowell observatory! and a memory that makes me laugh. Such a win.

We actually had a different song picked out for our weekend theme song, but by the end of the weekend--with the river and all the hiking and the wind--this song was stuck in my head and so it seemed more fitting.

And I do realize that no one besides my family will really care much about these videos, but they are fun to make. :)

what I've been reading lately, part 2

I hope next time I don't wait until I have months of reading and a big stack of books before I sit down here to remember my favorite parts of each of the books. (I'm learning my lesson today.) But I do like to take time to do this because books have such an influence on me and recording my favorite gems from each of them helps me to remember and appreciate. And I just think it's really fun...I'm a book nerd in that way.

My favorite book that I have read so far out of the 27 books I have read this year:

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Beautiful. And powerful. I don't think I would've really appreciated it if I had read it in high school, but life's experiences and the beauty of his writing and now this book has become a new all time favorite of mine.

"I am not kind. I am a selfish and sinful man, but God put his hand on me, that is all."

Chapter 9

"But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power."

"Who indeed knows the secret of the earthly pilgrimage? Who indeed knows why there can be comfort in a world of desolation? Now God be thanked that there is a beloved one who can lift up the heart in suffering, that one can play with a child in the face of such misery. ..."

"For a moment he was caught up in a vision, as man so often is when he sits in a place of ashes and destruction."

"My friend, your anxiety turned to fear, and your fear turned to sorrow. But sorrow is better than fear. For fear impoverishes always, while sorrow may enrich."

"It seems that God has turned from me, he said.
That may seem to happen, said Father Vincent. But it does not happen, never, never does it happen."

"Something deep is touched here, something that is good and deep. Although it comes with tears, it is like comfort in such desolation."

"But I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering."

"Kumalo began to pray regularly in his church for the restoration of Ndotsheni. But he knew that was not enough. Somewhere down here upon the earth men must come together, think something, do something."

"But all this was not done by magic. There have been meetings, and much silence, and much sullenness."

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

If I had to pick a second favorite book so far this year, this would be it. I love reading historical fiction and this one was well done. At the end of the book there is a quote by Professor Julius Lester that  sums up well why I think it is so important to read books like this: " History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own." We are reading this one for a book club this month and i'm looking forward to the discussion.

"If you must err, do so on the side of audacity."

"You do your rebellions any way you can."

"Mauma's legs would walk again same as ever, but she never was the same inside. After that day, it seemed part of her was always back there waiting for the strap to be loosed."

"The sorry truth is you can walk your feet to blisters, walk til kingdom-come, and you will never outpace your grief."

"He said that was the coward's way, pining for life in the hereafter, acting like this one didn't mean a thing."

"Be careful, you can get enslaved twice, once in your body and once in your mind."

"...Is it so wrong to write a letter?...Is it so wrong to put feet to our prayers?"

"She used to say you got to figure out which end of the needle you're gon be, the one that's fastened to the thread or the end that pierces the cloth."

Silent Souls Weeping: Depression--Sharing Stories, Finding Hope By Jane Clayson Johnson

I listened to this one, but I skipped over some of the chapters. But I think everyone should read this book, especially church members. Mental health needs to be addressed and understood and not feared or shamed. I have people really close to me who suffer from depression and anxiety. It's hard to know what to do or say. This book is helpful. It also spoke to me because it brought some light into ways that cancer has affected my own mental health.

New and Selected Poems, Volume One by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver makes me like poetry. A lot. I could share poem after poem with you. But, Today, just one.

"When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing frightened,
or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world."

Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster W. Cline

This was a skim read because I've learned the concepts of this book through trainings, conversations, and other parenting books. It wasn't new information for me, but it is a really great parenting book.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

This was a book club book. And not my favorite one. It was interesting in the fact that the main character was an author so there was a book inside a book. I couldn't get into it though and had to make myself finish it--I think it was just partly dry with history, partly unbelievable about how she was writing it, and partly too much love story for me. But everyone else seemed to really like it so don't take my word on it.

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green

I was excited to read these stories. But I think Merlin the tv show messed that up for me. This book was not like Merlin. Haha. I had a hard time focusing on these stories so I abandoned the book. And I decided if I ever start watching TV again I will go back and rewatch Merlin.

The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister

This book has been sitting out waiting for me to pick it up for years. Years, I tell you. Why I waited so long, I am not sure. And I wish I hadn't. I felt the writing was a little bit roundabout and repetitive, but there were many important things to think about so I still think it is essential for everyone to read. It was a good jump start for me on a personal study of the atonement.

"One does not speak lightly of the Atonement or casually express his appreciation. It is the most sacred and sublime event in eternity. It deserves our most intense thoughts, our most profound feelings, and our noblest deeds. One speaks of it in reverential tones; one contemplates it in awe; one learns of it in solemnity. This event stands alone, now and throughout eternity."

what I've been reading lately, part 1

What I've been reading lately:

My reading pace definitely slowed down over the summer (and really towards the busy time at the end of school, too), but I'm excited to see my schedule clearing up a bit and I can make more time to read again as school is back in session.

Little Women:

I know I watched the movie as a little girl, but I don't remember ever finishing this book until this year. There were many things I loved about it. But I actually really don't agree with who ends up with who. Just sayin.'

"What a pleasant life she might have if she only chose! I don't envy her much, in spite of her money, for after all rich people have about as many worries as poor ones, I think."

"If I don't seem to need help, it is because I have a better friend, even than Father, to comfort and sustain me. My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning and may be many, but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from you, but may become the source of lifelong peace, happiness, and strength. Believe this heartily and go to God with all your little care, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as you come to your mother."

"Then let me advise you to take up your little burdens again, for though they seem heavy sometimes, they are good for us, and lighten as we learn to carry them. Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for everyone; it keeps us from ennui and mischief, is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or fashion."

"She preferred imaginary heroes to real ones, because when tired of them, the former could be shut up in the tin in the kitchen till called for, and the later were less manageable."

"But someone did come and help her, though Jo did not recognize her good angels at once because they wore familiar shapes and used the simple spells best fitted to poor humanity."

In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories, and Prayers of Mother Teresa

I really enjoyed this short, little book. It was the first ive read anything more than a simple quote by Mother Teresa. I am curious to read more about her life one day, but this was a good place to start.

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not come. We have only today. Let us begin."

"And the best way to show your gratitude is to accept everything with joy."

"We may not be able to give much, but we can always give the joy that springs from a heart that is filled with love."

"There are many people who can do big things, but there are very few people who will do the small things."

"I think a smile generates a smile, just as love generates love."

"There are poor people everywhere, but the deepest poverty is not being loved."

"I know it is impossible to relieve the world's suffering unless God's people are willing to surrender to God, to make sacrifices, and to suffer along with the poor."

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen

I will admit I did more skimming than reading. The book was fine. The good principles are there. It just wasn't one that pulled me in or changed my life.

"With every moment of your time, every decision about how you spend your energy and your money, you are making a statement about what really matters to you."

"In sacrificing for something worthwhile, you deeply strengthen your commitment to it."

"Instead, most of us will face a series of small, everyday decisions that rarely seem like they have high stakes attached. But over time, they can play out far more dramatically."

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

So different from the movie! And from the play "Wicked." But it was a nice read.

"No matter how dreary and grey our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home."

"I shall take the heart, returned the Tin Man, for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world."

"But that doesn't make me any braver, and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy."

"All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty."

"The Wicked Witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead...and seeing the silver shoes began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them... but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind them was, and the little girl did not know of the wonderful power the Silver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself and thought, 'I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her power.'"

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

I mostly feel neutral about this kid lit book--I didn't necessarily like it, but I didn't dislike it either. I walked away with two unexpected takeaways though. First, how to run better. It was a teeny tiny part of the book, but I had just started running for exercise when I read this so when she coached him to lean forward, hands loose, arms in, etc. I took it to heart and it made a big difference in my own running. Ha! Second, it made Shakespeare sound enjoyable and something that I might desire to read one day, without an english teacher forcing me to.

"You can't really say a lot if the whole time you're wondering if everyone else is thinking about the thing you're not supposed to be thinking about , because you are afraid the thing you are not supposed to be thinking about is going to harrow you with fear and wonder. Or something like that."

"Maybe that's why he dressed in black all the time. Maybe it's why he was never happy. Maybe he looked in the wrong places trying to find himself. Or maybe he never had someone tell him that he didn't need to find himself. He just needed to let himself be found."

"And it really doesn't matter if we're under our desks with our hands over our heads or not, does it?' 
'No,' said Mrs Baker. 'It really doesn't matter.'
'So why are we practicing?'
She thought for a minute. 'Because it gives comfort..People like to think that if they're prepared, then nothing bad can really happen. And perheaps we practice because we feel as if there's nothing else we can do, because sometimes it feels as if life is governed by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."

Sophia's War by Avi

This is another kid lit book I'm pretty nuetral about. It was interesting to read a book from this perspective during the revolutionary war. But that's all I've got to say.

"I have learned that heart and eyes are one. That's to say, one can see a thing, but when one is linked to it, the seeing is different."

"Oh, Desperation, your other name is Deception."

"In truth, it was midsummer madness garbed in bits of bravery. But then, as someone said, All beginnings have wings of vanity." 

"For I knew two things: that I had caused his hanging death and that I adored him."

Our Town by Thornton Wilder

I never have seen this play, but if I ever get the chance to I now know to jump on it. So simple yet so profound.

"And even in Greece and Rome all we know about the real life of the people is what we can piece together out of the joking poems and the comedies they wrote for the theatre back then."

"So I took the opposite of my father's advice and I've been happy ever since."

"They'll have a lot of troubles, I suppose, but that's none of our business. Everybody has a right to their own troubles.
Yes...people are meant to go through life two by two. 'Tain't natural to be lonesome."

"Wherever you come near the human race, there's layers and layers of nonsense."

"I'd forgotten all about that. My, wasn't life awful--
with a sigh.
and wonderful."

"Good-by, Good-by world. Good-by, Grover's Corners...Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking...and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths...and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you're too wonderful for anybody to realize you.
Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?--every, every minute?"

"yes, now you know. Now you know! That's what it was to be alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance, to go up and down trampling on the feelings of those...of those about you. To spend and waste time as though you had a million years. To be always at the mercy of one self-centered passion, or another. Now you know--that's the happy existence you wanted to go back to. Ignorance and blindness."

summer trip 2019 video

I took Brinna with me when I went to lunch to celebrate a friend's birthday. When she was done eating and getting antsy to get out and play I gave her my phone (for the first time!) and let her watch this video of our family vacation. She watched it over and over again. She "roared" at the dinosaur and said "hi kacin, hi kyler", etc at everyone she saw. She was reliving some beautiful family memories and I got to chat with everyone a bit longer.

skip it

Sometimes it is best not to question and just let childhood be childhood.

I think I got my “skip it” when I was her age. I can still skip it like a pro, but she definitely looks cooler than I ever did. 

honoring Bob Ross

Eric suggested I fro my hair up a bit more in honor of Bob Ross. It's naturally close. But next time I will have to really work to make it happen.


"You can do ANYTHING you want to do. This is your world."

"It's the imperfections that make something beautiful, that's what makes it different and unique from everything else."



"Don't be afraid to scrape the paint off and do it again. This is the way you learn. Trial and error, over and over. Repetition. It pays you great dividends--great, great dividends."



"Jets let go--and fall like a little waterfall."



"People might look at you a bit funny, but it's ok. Artists are allowed to be a bit different."



"Whatever makes you happy, you put in your world."



"We don't make mistakes; we just have happy accidents."



"Trees don't grow even, they don't even grow straight. Just however it makes them happy."



"In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home the only thing I have power over is the garbage."



"Ever make mistakes in life? Let's make them birds. Yeah, they're birds now."



"Put light against light--you have nothing. Put dark against dark--you have nothing. It's the contrast of light and dark that give the other one meaning."



"There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend."



"Everyone is going to see things differently--and that's the way it should be."



"We have no limits to our world. We're only limited by our imagination."



"It's hard to see things when you're too close. Take a step back and look."



"I can't think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through painting. exercising the imagination, experimenting with talents, being creative; these things, to me, are truly the windows to your soul."



"Wash the brush. Just beat the devil out of it."

*all quotes by the infamous Bob Ross