update

Sorry I have abandoned my blog as of late. I have some great pictures and stories from this summer, but things are just too busy right now to get to it. One of these days I will get all caught up.

Things here are good. All sorts of adventures have been happening since I last blogged including but not limited too: Grace lost her first tooth (and a second soon after), we spent a large portion of the summer visiting family in Utah and had a marvelous time, everyone grew like crazy, we had a visit from some dear friends from Seattle, the Players, Dan started his last year of residency, we are all back in school, and fall is coming to New England!

Fall is always my favorite time of year. I always have a sense of let down on New Year's Eve. It seems like I should be celebrating in a more exciting or momentous way than I am, and January 1st never really feels like the beginning of anything. For me, September is when the true new year begins. Ending a summer of decadent non-scheduledness ( I can make up words when I want to) and starting a new year of school is refreshing and invigorating. I think my children inherited my OCD for they are all a little bit happier when schedules return to the house. David more than the girls (that poor kid is so OCD, I love it!)

I started teaching a new class this semester. My students are all first semester freshman and the change from last spring's class is enormous. I didn't realize how much difference a semester or two could make, but these poor kids are such a mess. They have all just left the comforting embrace of high school and home. They have moved into dorm rooms and are figuring out what it means to be "free." They are loud and anxious, sweet and obnoxious, and a whole host of other things. Most disturbingly, they think I am OLD. I just turned 29 and was feeling a little older, but these freshman have certainly confirmed it for me. Ah well, it grants me some much-needed authority in a classroom full of jumbled hormones and identities. Did I mention that I love teaching? It really is so fun and fulfilling. I love calming the stressed looks in their eyes, and watching for those "aha!" moments when a concept sinks in. I love watching them test out ideas and discover that they are free to engage with the world on their own terms.

The classes I am a student in are ok this semester. More interesting to me right now is my thesis research. I am writing on Katherine Mansfield and if you haven't read her, look her up! Her short stories are beautifully written. I am also taking a women's studies class that constantly raises themes that resonate with the questions in my heart about finding my place as a mother, a student, a wife, and a person. I enjoy this opportunity to think, reflect, and grow. Sometimes it is a little painful, sometimes wonderfully reassuring.

Dan's schedule is as busy as ever, but he is enjoying his new role as co-chief with Jon. Though his hours are long it is so nice to know that he truly loves what he is doing. I can't lie though, it will be a tremendous relief to have him finally done with this stage in our lives. Grace is growing and changing and so my role as a parent has morphed too. Up to this point I feel as if our main job has been to love them and keep them alive, suddenly there everything is getting complicated! Grace is dealing with her own complications. A few nights ago she announced unexpectedly that "Here is what we need to do. We need to find some way to help me stop thinking about scary things!" I love her willingness to tackle her problems head on! David is sweet and smart and loving school. He is such a tenderhearted little guy. Oh how I love my David. Charlotte is at a delightful stage of life. She is talking up a storm and she says the cutest and funniest things. We couldn't be more enamored with her.

So, to sum up: Life at the Brady household is good, but oh so busy. If you see dark circles under my eyes just pretend not to notice. (Unless you know some great make-up tips!) Sleep is not likely to happen in abundance soon, but that's ok because my life is full of good things.

Spencer's Home

My brother Spencer just returned from his mission in Peru. With the help of my dear friend Kami I was able to make a quick trip home without the kids to spend a few days with him and my family. It was the first time in about 4 years that all of my siblings had been together and we had so much fun. Here are a few images from the airport. Welcome home Fuzz, we missed you!

My baby turns two!

Let me just preface this by saying that I have been having issues uploading pictures. When I get it fixed I will add some more. But too much time has already passed since Char's birthday and so I wanted to put a few pics up from her party.
I can't believe that Charlotte is already two years old. I know that is cliche, but given mine and Dan's track record, normally we would already have another baby by now! Char has been a bundle of lovely babyness and it is so hard for me to watch that change. She is passing from a sweet, passive, patient baby into a stubborn, opinionated, fiery little lady. We are loving (almost) every minute of it. The other day I found the kids downstairs playing. Char was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room issuing commands and the other two were scrambling to fill them. They informed me that she was the queen and they were her servants. She could not have been any happier. I don't know if their coddling is going to last too much longer though. Charlotte is an adorable little girl who brings so much joy into our lives. We sometimes wonder what we were thinking having a baby during the first year of residency while also remodeling a house, but Heavenly Father knew we needed this little one in our lives. We couldn't love her more. Happy Birthday my dear!

My little political activist

When cleaning Grace's room tonight I came across a pile of pictures she had drawn and letters she had written. I was looking through them when I came across the one you see below. In case you can't read it, it says, "BRING THE POPE TO JUSTICE" embellished with hearts of course. Taken by surprise (as you might well imagine) I tried to think what was going on. Grace attends a Catholic school, maybe the nuns had been talking? As I continued cleaning I came across a copy of Newsweek magazine containing an article about the pope (you know, just a little light reading for a five-year-old). I then realized that Grace likes to practice writing by copying things out of magazines. Just not the phrase you expect to find written on your little girl's desk. But I must admit, I laughed so hard it made my night.




And this pic is just here because I think these kids are so darn cute:)

Soccer Girl

We decided to start Grace in soccer this spring, and somehow I got roped into being the coach. It's not that I don't want to coach, it's just that I am in the thick of finals and grading right now so it feels a little stressful. Nonetheless, it really has been a lot of fun and the girls are just so cute. Grace, of course, chose pink shorts and socks. She does, after all, need to look fancy at all times. The first game she was a little confused. She is such a sweet, sensitive soul. She would kick the ball to the other team and then remark to me about how well she was sharing. About mid-way through the game she asked me when it was going to be her turn to kick it. It gave me pause to reflect on how I have spent the last five years teaching her that she should share and take turns, and suddenly I am trying to teach her the opposite. I never really thought about sports in that way before...what are we doing people?!? Just kidding, I do think that Grace needs to learn a few things that playing a team sport will definitely teach her and I think she will have a lot of fun in the process. So, without further ado...

Sunday Confusion

I don't know about your kids, but mine often come home from church just a little bit confused. I might even venture to say a little bit scarred. After Easter last year my kids were unhealthily preoccupied with death for about two months. I can only imagine what their preschool teachers must have thought. Davie's confusion today was a little less worrisome. A few hours after church he asked Dan if he had come from across the seas. Upon further query he told Dan that his teacher told him that "Fathers come from across the sea." It took Dan a few minutes to realize that David was referring to the "Book of Mormon Stories" song when "Long ago our fathers came from far across the seas." So funny. I love when things get so lost in translation.