I'm a Mormon

No, I don't mean that kind of Mormon, although technically I am. But I refer not to the flashy, interesting, or sympathetic beings you may have heard over mass media. I mean just the opposite, in fact. I'm talking the stereotype. I'm talking the perky, almost jingoistic title song "I'm a Mormon" that was popular in my youth. You know... "I'm a Mormon, yes I am! And if you want to study a Mormon I'm a living specimen" ...from the red cassette tape.

I loved those songs in grade school, was embarrassed of them in junior high, mocked them in high school, and completely forgot about them in college. But it seems that they have made an impact far deeper in my psyche than I could have ever thought possible. I refer the infamous song "I Want to be a Mother."

When I grow up, I want to be a mother
And have a family,
One little, two little, three little babies of my own.

Of all the jobs, for me I'll choose no other.
I'll have a family,
Four little, five little, SIX little babies in my home.
(emphasis added)

So, I am now pregnant with my sixth little "blessing from above" it occurs to me how I am living out my grade school dream and have become what I most feared in high school. Because of course the lyrics are so super, super cheesy...

And I will love them all day long,
And give them cookies and milk and yellow balloons,

And cuddle them when things go wrong.
And read them stories and sing them pretty tunes.

...and because any self respecting high-schooler struggling to find her own identity has to exorcise the demons of her youth by ridiculing them, I made up my own words...

When I grow up, I want to be a doctor
And give lobotomies,
One little, two little, three little veggies of my own.

...which today I see were not very kind, yet still funny. My version of the song continues until I had employed "a scalpel, a knife, and sterile balloons," but the joke is on me now. Recognizing this, I have decided to embrace it.

What better way to announce to my children that I was pregnant than to give them "cookies and milk and yellow balloons."

And you know what? It was really fun. There may actually be something to this mother business.

Easter up North

Finally! The snow's all gone and with only a slight chance of it returning! Signs of spring indeed. So, we took up a friend's offer to celebrate Easter by going further north to Fargo.

What's left of our snow man...

Of course we did all the catching up and hanging out that you do with old friends, but we added Easter festivities as well.

Our friends do their hunt on the day before Easter, so they can concentrate on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday. I think it's a great idea and am considering stealing it, escpecially since the discussion I had with Calvin...

Calvin: [on Wednesday] Is today Easter?
Me: No that's Sunday.
Calvin: Then we'll get candy!
Me: Do you know why we celebrate Easter?
Calvin: [blank stare]
Me: We are celebrating the day Jesus was resurrected.
Calvin: [incredulously, as if I just told him pigs could fly] Noooo.

But Calvin got his wish. And there was plenty of candy, on Saturday.
Here all the kids line up at the stairs awaiting the Easter bunny.
Some were more patient than others.

The hunt in a beautiful, big backyard, not far from the overflowing Red River.

Willa looked until she found. Then she ate.

After the hunt.
Some more satisfied than others.

Turns out that Taran was very pleased with his haul afterall.

On Easter Sunday we went to church.
Emma and Willa wore their new Easter dresses compliments of Grandma Martin.
The cute blond is our friend Becky, the crying one is Willa.

Close up of the dresses:

Emma with her friend Jessica, also in a new Easter dress.

Happy Easter!
May you know and understand the true meaning.
With lots of candy too.

For You, dear Future

Oh my, oh my, so much is coming and going and none of it documented for future generations to see and read and base their morals upon! I really apologize future me and grand kids and adoring public.

After all, what if this blog is the only historical record to survive the upcoming apocalypse? How will civilization know what we ate, how we played, how we loved? This blog is too IMPORTANT to leave to occasional posts. The future must have something from with which they can rebuild a society on! I shall not neglect it so again.

You are welcome.

But before we go onto the historical documents, I have a bit of news...

I'm Pregnant!

Yay! Right? Right? You may feel free to leave me your congratulations in the comments. Please address your concerns over my sanity to David. He will totally commiserate with you. As for me, this pregnancy is the first totally selfish thing I've done in years and years of marriage and mothering. And I'm proud of myself for doing it!

We don't know the gender yet, David wants to find out; I'm thinking it would be fun to have a surprise again. We'll see...

Now, dear Future, on to History:

St. Paddy's Day

We're not Irish, but we try to never miss a celebration based on food! I'm already planning for Cinco de Mayo. Enchiladas, mmmmm.

Taran and Emma dance an Irish jig with Willa.

Corned beef and cabbage. (Personally, I can't stand the stuff. You boil meat!)

Taran likes it. (I do like boiled potatoes.)

My favorite part of St. Patrick's day: the authentic Irish dessert!

Spring Walk

Not long after St. Patrick's Day we went for a walk to encourage the melting snow. And celebrate the warmish weather.

Here Emma and Taran check out the progress of the ice melting on Lake Hiawatha.

We walked along Minnehaha creek.

We were a bit ambitious in our walk out and by the time we had to turn back, David was holding 3 out of the 5.

Spring Break

Now technically spring, but still with snow and cold outside, we found ways to have fun during Spring Break.

Monday: Spring Cleaning. (Okay, only fun for me.)

Tuesday: Children's Museum.

Wednesday and Thursday: Snow storm and Harry Potter Movie Marathon!
(These movies are looonnng. Plan on two days if you want to try this.)

This actually started last year when Taran picked up the first book in the series. I told him if he could read it, we'd watch the movie. He ended up reading and re-reading the series. So we did an entire party.

Here Enoch makes stars decorations to simulate the dining hall ceiling.

Emma and her friend hang the stars while Calvin helps.

And no Martin party is complete without food. We ate Bertie Botts every flavor jelly beans, popcorn, chocolate not-quite Frogs and pumpkin pasties.

Assembling the pasties.

Friday: The Science Museum.

Playing on the musical dots.

We went specifically to see the King Tut exhibit. It was a big deal with artifacts and treasures from the tomb right here in Minnesota! The exhibit was an added cost to the orginal ticket price, but I felt I was teaching my family awe inspiring history and a love of learning. Of course, if you ask, the only thing that they'll tell you about is the ancient stone toilet seat they saw.

All-in-all, a successful Spring Break!

the Night before April Fools Day

We turned it upside down! Usually, I try to pull one over on David and the kids, but I needed his help this year. We turned every that we could upside down.

Usually the "FAMILY" is upside down, so this picture is correct.
Okay, not really, but that thing is bolted to the wall. When we move, it stays.

April Fools in the Morning

Surprise!

Trying to sit down for breakfast.

Willa was not too distracted by the upheaval to insist on a gumball east, north, south, or west.

Forewarned is forearmed:
I hope you enjoyed your year off, because I'm coming after you next year David!