12of12: December 2013 (Thursday)

On the 12th of each month, I post 12 photos to document my day.

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1. Intervals on the bike. 2. Calvin built the planetarium, as imagined in his own mind. He's excited to visit the planetarium tomorrow for his 5th birthday. 3. Asher with a Squinky on his tongue. He calls it his "oinky guy." 4. Blow dry.

5. With Calvin at school, Asher helped me with the groceries. 6. Assembling party favors during nap time. 7. Picking up Calvin from preschool. He was excited to show me the candy house that he made. 8. It gets dark so early these days!

9. Teaching Bella from the comfort of my rocking chair. 10. Their dad got home from his business trip today, so naturally, it's wrestle/football time. 11. Bombay House for a late dinner with… 12. My cousin and best friend. Happy (late) Birthday, Brooke! I love your guts!

12of12: November 2013 (Tuesday)

On the 12th of each month, I take 12 photos to document my day. Tuesdays are my busiest day, and today was no exception. It was full - of goodness.

1. I ran a marathon 2 months ago. I finally laced up my running shoes again this morning to complete 3 miles. I've missed those endorphins. 2. Porter's first piano lesson. 3. The boys made sock puppets at Grandma Lynn's house while I attended my weekly business meeting. 4. Sushi in a rocking chair on the deck in the warm sunshine. Utter bliss. It was a gorgeous day.

5. Asher's wide smile just kills me. What a pleasant kid. 6. A truck, some leaves, and some shoes. 7. A rare moment to practice. It didn't last long enough. 8. Calvin and I got to bring Aliya home from school with us today. Their classes did the same art project. I can't count how many hugs they exchanged this afternoon. Best buddies.

9. Aliya ran into the house to tell me that Calvin was stuck in the tree. He was indeed. (I laugh every time I see this photo. Calvin was laughing too until he realized I was taking pictures.) 10. Tim knocked the last apples out of the tree with a soccer ball and took immense pleasure in eating "the best apple of the season." He's happy, I promise. 11. Practicing the violin with Esme, my smart little freckled friend. 12. It's been over 9 months since I attended my yoga class. It was so good to be back.

12of12: October 2013 (Saturday)

On the 12th of each month, I post 12 photos of my day. The 12th of October was full of music.

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1. Gifted Music School. 2. I popped in to Gourmandise to grab a quick breakfast while running errands. My hot chocolate tasted like Hershey's. I should have stuck with Les Madeleines. 3. Back to work. Here, the bassist and violin soloist work through their very cool duet during the Piazzolla (Primavera portena). 4. A peek into Studio 1: more rehearsing.

5. Piano through harp strings. 6. My steering wheel was covered in Philly cheesesteak, but I stand by my choice for lunch on the go. 7. Fingerless gloves and sunglasses. It was a gorgeous day for a mountain wedding. 8. Gigging at Snowbasin with Strings of Elegance.

9. My turn to host the girlies for our monthly babysitting swap. Best arrangement ever. 10. Watercolors. 11. Three friends, six stuffed animals, three blankets, three treats, and Mary Poppins. 12. Yes, my man still sleeps under his childhood blanket. (So do his brothers, who have the exact same blanket. So I've heard.)

12of12: September 2013 (Thursday)

1. Breakfast. In order to prevent the basher from using his shirt as a napkin, I've removed the temptation. He eats shirtless now. 2. The view from behind the piano chair. My dad made this chair for my mom as an engagement present. 3. Breakdancing. What else? 4. Preschool in the rain. 5. My completed marathon training schedule. 403 miles down. My first marathon is in 2 days! 6. I'm enjoying what my bangs are doing these days. 7. The punk loves it when the Mahers come for their piano lessons. He gets to commandeer one of them while her sister has her lesson with me. 8. Tricycle and bare feet 9. My newest piano student, Lauriannah. She is delightful. 10. Dinner! Turkey with mozzarella, basil, cheddar, and honey dijon, and homemade tomato soup. 11. Bedtime routine 12. Folding laundry: undies for a tiny bum.

12of12: August 2013 (Monday)

1. Grocery shopping 2. Discovery Gateway's tiny house 3. Discovery Gateway's vegetable garden 4. Working during quiet time. This is the front of my very pretty accordion folder. 5. Tomato soup for dinner 6. I love having my own basil plant 7. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies 8. My bun is almost bigger than my head 9. I tried to take a couple photos in my grandpa's hallway mirror, but this accidental shot turned out to be my favorite 10. My grandma and grandpa hosted the Gifted Music School (whose full scholarship division I manage) for a concert in their home. We were preparing for our first tour, which is why I didn't get around to posting August's 12of12 for a month. Busy, busy! 11. My brother and his lovely girlfriend Paula came to the concert. Afterwards, they told me that they GOT MARRIED two days before! We are all so happy! 12. Valley lights.

12of12: July 2013 (Friday)

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1. I dropped off the punk and his two girlie friends at their music camp, then grabbed a delicious breakfast at Les Madeleines: Gran biscotto ham, white cheddar and a fried egg on whole wheat toast and dark hot chocolate. I was hoping for a ham & cheese croissant, but they don't make them on Fridays. 2. There are few things better than summer rain. 3. Flying paper airplanes with the basher. 4. Maple honey turkey. 5. The Rent Collector by Camron Wright. Its setting is a garbage dump in Cambodia, but it is a lovely story of hope. 6. Sending out the last couple bridal shower invitations for my baby sis. 7. I love the punk's curls. They are especially cooperative right after his nap. He's a sweaty sleeper. 8. A gluten-free dinner for our friend Della. Quinoa pizza bites and yippit. (We dip it in the yippit!) 9. Bubbles and a movie on the grass with the girlies. 10. The four kids played so well together that my man and I spent a good hour conversing on the deck. 11. Bedtime story. 12. Goodnight, Salt Lake City.

12of12: June 2013 (Wednesday)

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1. 101.8 degrees. When the basher gets a fever, his parents get nervous. After a severe febrile seizure last year, which resulted in an ambulance ride, ER, ICU, and 4 days at Primary Children's Hospital, we don't like it when he gets warm. 2. Breakfast parfait: Special K Protein, Nonfat plain Greek yogurt, and berries. Yum! 3. Still life: laundry. 4. Waiting for Grandma Caryn to take him to swimming lessons. The basher stayed home with me to work on that fever. 5. When my man's out of town, I have to face the dreadmill. 6. After swimming lessons, my mom joined us for lunch... 7... and play time. 8. The Bible. 9. Coloring on a box. 10. I'm still trying to convince the punk that bees are not out to get him. 11. I enthralled the punk with my grass-whistling skills. He thought the trumpet/duck sounds were hilarious. 12. I love that he loves to read.

12of12: May 2013 (Sunday)

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1. Week 3 of marathon training. 8 miles this morning. 2. Church with Calvin. Asher stayed home with his dad, who was recovering from yesterday's stomach bug. The Young Women taught the kids in the primary, so I had the day off! 3. Our dual effort during sacrament meeting. 4. Location scouting for Little Sis's engagement photo shoot: Wheeler Farm. 5. Aunt Rachel. 6. Grandma Lynn. 7. Hugs. 8. Ahhhhh... grass. 9. Reading on the new deck 10. A bud in David & Natalie's front yard. 11. Aunt Natalie fashioned a swing out of a block of wood and a rope. 12. Happy Birthday (tomorrow), Uncle Davey!

12of12: April 2013 (Friday)

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1. Bed head. (Can you see his Alfalfa tuft? It was glowing in the early light.) 2. Duet. 3. A collective effort to keep the basher from bashing too early. 4. Maybe my favorite picture of us together. Location: my bed. Task: waiting for my curls to set.

5. Mine. I don't share this stuff. It's too good for boys, big or small. 6. Dirt and climbing. What more could two hooligans ask for? 7. Helping Dad. (Last week, this was a cement patio and rotting railroad ties. Now, dirt and boulders.) 8. Della's 6th birthday! At the party, they decorated kites, blew colored bubbles, and ate cake.

9. Spring is here! 10. Punch Drunk (the name of my Urban Decay lip color). 11. My date. 12. We attended The Little Mermaid by the Children's Ballet Theatre at Kingsbury Hall. The punk thought it was totally awesome. Lily Jo and Poppy, you were magnificent!

12of12: March 2013 (Tuesday)

Today was the first warmish day since the snow started falling and forgot to stop. Much of the white stuff has melted, and the green/brown grass beckons. I realize that only 2 of my 12 pictures do not contain one or both monkeys, but with my man out of town, my days are absolutely full of boy. 

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1. Drawing in the car. 2. The boys had a grand time at Grandma's house while I attended my weekly meeting. 3. Laughs at lunchtime. (I was singing The Rain In Spain. The boys thought it was hilarious.) 4. I drive by this rock wall every once in a while and always think it's beautiful. It must be decades old. 5. While the punk was at preschool, the basher and I played outside for the first time in MONTHS! It felt so good, I almost cried. Really. 6. While the basher napped, I devoured the first 9 pages of a new book, along with coconut shrimp tacos. 7. Quiet time with salt water taffy in the cheek. 8. Work for The Gifted Music School, Strings of Elegance, and my personal music studio. (Sometimes I forget that maybe I am a working mom.) 9. My first student didn't show, so I taught the boys how to play tag. How is it that we've never done this before? 10. Daylight Savings Time is tough. Lots of tears today along with the giggles. 11. Seriously. Is there anything cuter than this? 12. Storytime: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (the basher's choice) and The Pokey Litttle Puppy (courtesy of the punk).

12of12: February 2013 (Tuesday)

On the 12th of every month, I document my day with 12 photos. Welcome to February.

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1. Oatmeal with brown sugar & cinnamon and scrambled eggs topped with cheese 2. Rex D (the punk's Build-A-Bear treasure) has replaced Murrah Beth as his constant companion. 3. Special piano time with the punk. He's learning Itsy Bitsy Spider. 4. Addressing a valentine during my Skype meeting. My desk is a disaster.

5. The boys play at Grandma Lynn's house during my weekly meeting. The kitchen and master bathroom are under renovation, so the boys have an extra slick way to get downstairs. 6. I've made ghetto arm warmers for myself and several friends, so the punk demanded a pair as well. Now he's off to preschool. 7. The secret to great nachos is in the layering. 8. The basher and I read 4 books about snow before nap time.

9. Will we ever thaw? 10. My man took over parent duties so I could teach piano & violin and go to yoga class. 11. Esme and Vivaldi. 12. Therapy. (Yep, that's me attempting a forearm stand. One studio owner helped me get into position while her husband, the other owner, grabbed my camera. Have I mentioned how much I love The Yoga Center?)

12of12: January 2013 (Saturday)

All of my plans for January 12th fell through. We had two feet of snow dumped on us, so my morning plans at the Gifted Music School were cancelled. Then the basher decided to run a fever, so we were forced to cancel date night. This snowy day turned into lots of Wii and as much sledding as two little wussy boys can handle (about 25 minutes).

1. Homemade low-fat blueberry muffins 2. Sad sickie 3. Loving the Wii that Grandma Lynn & Papa Bob let us borrow (I have mixed feelings.) 4. J.K. Rowling kept me company during three miles on the dreadmill.

5. Leftovers for lunch (my fav!) 6. Snow prep 7. Cold ooops! 8. My man created a sledding track down the hill in our backyard, along with a walkway from the door to the track, and from the bottom back up to the top. After all that work, the basher went down once and the punk enjoyed 5 runs.

9. Lots of white stuff 10. Snowbeard 11. Icicles and sunset 12. Our sleek grown-up tub has turned into a kaleidoscope of primary colors.

12of12 on 12/12/12 (Wednesday)

Today is 12/12/12 and here are my 12 photos to document it. For having only 2 things on my calendar, one of which being, "make dinner," I sure found a way to fill the day full of stuff!

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 1. This little peanut had us up from 2-4 am last night with intermittent sobbing. I went in his room 3 times to comfort him and every time, I'd crawl, shivering, into bed, start to nod off, and there he'd go again. Now he's all bed head and adorableness, like nothing ever happened. 2. We found Rudolph (aka Rudy), hanging with the lambs and a donkey. 3. Preparing for the punk's 4th birthday. He's having a party on Friday, and each child will get to paint his/her own apron, then make a personal pizza. My talented and generous mother in-law sewed these for me and my sister in-law and I painted the names. 4. Story time. 5. We lasted 15 minutes in the story room before the basher escaped and I gave up. 6. We met Tia Paula and our friend Ella at the City Creek food court for lunch. She and the punk are so cute together. 7. Then we visited the hot new market in town. It was smaller than I had expected. 8. The basher's favorite book before nap time. 9. I am finally running again and it feels awesome (in the sore muscles, clear head kind of way). 10. Dinner and scriptures. Did you notice that we have 2 extra kids around the table? Tonight, we got a taste of what 2 sets of twins would be like. 11. My man and I dropped all four blond boys at the church for Santa's Night Out, sponsored by the young women in my ward. I should have folded laundry, but I read a book (Pride and Prejudice for the 4th time) and munched on Candy Cane Joe Joe's instead. Time well spent. 12. Bokeh christmas tree.

12of12: November (Monday)

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1. Silly Dad. 2. Purple lion vitamin. 3. The boys "helped" me do the dishes. 4. I spent about 2 hours cleaning this morning and didn't even touch the bathrooms, laundry, or downstairs.

5. Banana time. 6. Five Guys fries. Yum. 7. "I can't put my arms down!" 8. Two feet of snow.

9. Working. 10. I am ashamed. 11. Special Piano Time with the punk. 12. My mother in-law and I attended a photography class at the University of Utah.

The M Word

I remember my very first migraine. I was 11 years old and having a picnic in my front yard with some friends, when suddenly, each friend had only half a face. Laughing, I told my mom on the front porch that I could only see half of her face too! Her smile fell and she told me I'd better come inside. Having suffered migraines herself since the age of 11, she knew what I was in for.

Today, the punk came up to me and started talking, but I didn't hear a word he said because he only had one eye. The feeling that comes over me when I realize I have lost my vision can only be described as dread. In one second, all plans for my day vanish and I know I'll be useless and miserable for the next 8 hours, and "hung over" for the following 24. 

With the help of my man, who took over everything I was supposed to be doing, I have survived yet another awful migraine. (This was by no means the worst, but they are all awful.) My vision has been restored. And it's a good thing too, because when your punk has eyes like the sea after a storm (name that movie), you want to see both of them.

Trick or Treat

We had a great time trick-or-treating! That is, until the punk complained that he was cold and wanted to go home, take a bath, and go to bed. An hour early. The poor kid is feverish and miserable today. He has a Halloween hangover without even getting to enjoy his candy last night!

Bumblebee & Dragon

Cuter Bumblebee & Dragon

"Trick or Treat!"

We love our neighborhood friends!

It was a perfect Halloween night. Warm, clear, and bright. My family came over for chili. We had just the right number of trick-or-treaters, meaning I gave candy to a bunch of cutie pies, but didn't have to turn off the lights and hide behind the couch to avoid obnoxious late-comers. I was done with door duty by 8:30! Not too shabby. Now if only my punk weren't currently shivering and sweating under a blanket, I'd be content.

12of12: October (Friday)

Today was grey and rainy at 58-72 degrees. My college friend Lucynthia is in town, so we met her and her two (of 3) boys at the Discovery Children's Museum downtown. This evening, my man returned from a week in Chicago, and we hosted our girlyfriends for dinner and a movie while their parents went to dinner and ran a 5k. How many of you run races for your date night?

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1. Cold cereal just never sounds good in the morning. 2. Melancholy days make me happy! I guess that's a bit ironic. 3. The basher played with the colorful magnets while the punk tried to steal toys from his new friends. 4. Lunch on the roof. 5. Math nerds. Is it just me, or do we look about a million years older than when we graduated 8 years ago? 6. Cleaning the bathrooms during quiet time. 7. After reading together on the couch, the boys got physical. They miss wrestling when their dad is away on business. 8. Preparing to win our neighborhood pumpkin growing contest. 9. He's home! 10. Buddies. 11. I borrowed this hot air popper from my friend and may never give it back. I'm never going back to the microwave crap. 12. Mary Poppins. (I wanted to capture their glow-in-the-dark bracelets, so I kept the lights off and increased my time value. The two wiggly monkeys in the middle were blurry in every single picture.)

We Have Takeoff!

Our first butterfly has emerged from his chrysalis! When we got home from church yesterday, the punk came running downstairs to let me know that we had a butterfly!

The punk and his pet.

The basher examining our specimen.

Come out, little guy!

He stayed on the grass for over an hour, presumably hardening his wings to prepare for flight.

The next chrysalis, waiting for his turn.

Goodbye, Friend!

Fingertips

This weekend, the Bells have been sick. Both boys had double ear infections in addition to their colds and, even though my man was out of town, he and I had similar symptoms of sore throat and general ickiness. I reluctantly cancelled all my weekend plans - work and play - to take care of the little guys and try to rest myself. It's fortunate that I had already made arrangements for someone to cover me at work on Saturday morning because at about 5:30 am, after getting up to change the basher's diaper (he was crying, "oooowww... oooowww" from his bed, and it turns out he had a very red bum bum), I actually passed out and bashed my face on the toilet. I have a big red, scabby nose to prove it. It's pretty.

Don't worry, it's nothing serious. After visiting an instacare the next morning, it turns out I was probably just dehydrated. Ridiculous.

Anyway, while I was sipping my hot water with lemon and honey the night before the face-bashing incident, I was thinking to myself that I wish my mom were there to take care of me. I'm 31 years old. I have a husband and two children of my own. And I still want my mom?

When I texted my parents that morning that I needed their help, my dad immediately texted back, "We're on our way." He took me to the clinic while my mom stayed with the boys. After I came home, she took the boys to a park so I could take a nap. Later that evening, my mom- and dad-in-law picked up the punk and the basher and took them to the State Fair so I could rest some more.

It is incredibly comforting to know that I can count on BOTH my parents AND my in-laws anytime I really need help. Not only are we geographically close to both sets of parents, they are both supportive and loving and involved in our lives.

After the boys came home and I had bathed them and put the basher to bed, I was tucking in the punk. We read a book and he said a prayer, then as I placed the covers over him, he asked me if I would rub his back. This took me back to my childhood when I shared a room with my brothers. Every night, we asked for a back rub, and my mom would make the rounds. We all got a minute or two of the best kind of comfort there is. Tangible love from our mama, through her fingertips. So at the punk's request, I smiled and tickled his small, smooth back with my fingertips, and found comfort myself in knowing that I was able to show this kind of love to my sweet boy because I had been taught by my own mom what it means to take care of a child.

12of12: September (Wednesday)

Today was a tough one. The boys and I like to get out and do things most days, but today we stayed in. All the live long day. Both little guys were not feeling well. The punk seemed to improve as the day went on, but the basher was pretty miserable. Hoping for clearer noses tomorrow.

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1. After bathing the punk in an attempt to clear the kid's stuffy head, my man took off for his annual golfcation. 2. Breakfast. 3. We spent a lot of time cuddling today. 4. Washing our hands before we make cinnamon rolls. 5. One dose for each boy. 6. The finishing touch: maple icing. 7. "Special piano time." That's what we call practicing. 8. What? Doesn't everyone place their multiple windows exactly the same distance apart at a 45-degree angle? 9. More cuddling. I actually fell asleep like this for a few minutes. 10. Poor sicky. 11. The only way I could play frisbee with the punk while holding the basher. Rolling it! 12. Late night pasta: linguine with lemon cream sauce.