Isaac

This photo was taken at the end of my 32nd birthday. I was in a foul mood the whole day for no good reason at all. The kids and I went to IKEA, ate Swedish meatballs for lunch, and then I dumped the fighting kids in the childcare spot for an hour while I tried to have a moment of silence to myself to shop.

The retail therapy at IKEA didn't give me the fix I'd hoped for (does it ever?), so I came home even more grumpy. Rich came home late, and made me a gourmet meal of spaghetti and meatballs (how many meatballs can a girl eat on her birthday?). The kids wrapped presents from Wal-Mart, and I still was mad at the world and my 32-year-old self for being so immature.

That senseless bad mood diffused in this photographed moment, thanks to Isaac, who wrapped something random up that wasn't meant for me at all. Suddenly it was all just hilarious. And happy.

Isaac turned nine last week. He has hairy legs and now wears glasses (and thinks they're cool!). He cracks jokes that are actually funny and knows how to pray with all his heart. He reads Hardy Boys books voraciously and philosophizes about ethics, politics, and space. He is wise and thoughtful, and old enough to realize his mother has feelings, and he can do something to make her day. It's lovely to taste what it can be like to have a son who is also your friend, who just might take care of you into your old age.

Renaissance Woman

In my intellectual, angst-filled days of college, spending too much time in the basement of the JKHB at BYU reading and discussing literature, I remember coming to an ah-hah moment one day. I realized that as a stay-at-home mom I can choose to be a Renaissance Woman, a woman who "develop[s] skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments and in the arts" (Wikipedia). I had lofty dreams of constantly learning all sorts of "stuff about stuff," and sharing what I learn with my family, instead of going out and doing one boring job to pay the bills.

I pulled that memory out of my brain today as I was sitting on a bench by the creek, supervising my kids and a neighbor playing with rocks and sticks and fish. At first blush, I laughed a little at my romantic vision of myself at this stage in my life, which doubtless couldn't have included piles of laundry, screaming children, and days when I can't remember what I did, let alone accomplished anything. But as I went back through my day in my mind with Renaissance glasses, I could see the Renaissance woman I had envisioned come to life:

• I rode my bike, with Graham in the back, to school and back twice.
• I spoke with a friend on the phone who has the same freezer as mine about how the thing works and how ours are both not working properly.
• I listened to the news on NPR while cleaning the kitchen.
• I had a visit from my visiting teacher, wherein we discussed the importance of education. We also discussed (bad) literature (Twilight) and I tried to psycho-analyze her and came to understand (a bit) why she loves it so much.
• I studied the scriptures and Church History for my Gospel Doctrine lesson on "Faith in Every Footstep."
• I taught Graham how to spell his name using play-doh and letter-shaped cookie cutters.
• I made no-knead bread to prepare for a cooking class I'm teaching next week (while listening to Mozart!).
• I updated and published my music teaching website.
• I climbed the fig tree with Russell, and discovered with him that if we cut one little branch we can make a nice seat for a little boy.
• I sat by the creek and pulled basil leaves from branches while the boys played with rocks and tried to catch fish in the creek.
• I read a book about a crocodile trying to eat all the animals and one about the sun--library books Russell brought home.
• I worked on our preschool curriculum--laminated ABC charts with the boys, called around for the right workbook, made a spreadsheet with the schedule, and helped find scriptures about standing for truth and righteousness to put in the curriculum.
• I made a giant batch of pesto using basil harvested from our garden and fed our family pasta with pesto.
• I worked on the family budget, figuring out how much money we can spend in the next year in case our income decreases.

Exercise, mechanics, current events, psychology, literature, astronomy, curriculum development, web design, music, horticulture, accounting, culinary arts, teaching, theology, history. All in a day's work for a Renaissance woman! A beautiful life is in the eyes of the beholder, I guess. I'm gonna wear my Renaissance glasses more often.