a real peach

Every year my mom orders bushels and bushels of peaches from some people in Orem with an actual orchard there that they have not sold for residential real estate. THANK YOU THANK YOU ORCHARD PEOPLE!

Fernando always offers to go pick up the bushels in Orem. You might think, "Awww, what a nice guy." And you would be right. But the TRUTH is that he eats at least half a bushel himself as he drives. He doesn't even care about peeling them or anything...he rubs off the fuzz and eats them! Wild man. He loves them!!!

Then we girls can them for a few days. We settle right into our traditional gender roles and echo our pioneer ancestras (I think I just made up a word! Yeah!) and cut and boil and skin and seal and get sticky. We can and can until we think we have a ridiculous amount of peaches to store for the winter.

But, alas, we never can enough! We are about to run out of peaches people! And September is still a few long months away. Hopefully cantelope and watermelon can stave us off.

No one loves the peaches more than Patrick and Fernando, and maybe Sammy. They even compare and rate the various canned peaches (by year) against one another. 2007 was the best all around year, and they retired those peaches a few months ago. I know it was tough for them to say goodbye.


I guess I just needed to document the way canning peaches has become more than just something we do, it has led to numerous good memories and family traditions. I think those ancestras had it right.

The story of Jesus and the little children

We spend a fair amount of time on Temple Square.

One of the main reasons is that we all like to go see him:

We also for a limited time only have the added bonus of seeing uncle PAPPY!

But there are lots of other fun things that attract us to that beautiful spot.






You can see our urgent need for another child in this next shot.




Which brings me to the title of this post. Miranda's favorite story about Jesus right now is from Luke 18:16-ish (or Matt 19:14-ish or Mark 10:14-ish). It's when Jesus has had a busy day and then children show up to see him, and the disciples, well "when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."

Miranda loves that story. So when we got to The Big Jesus (what my kids call the Christus) Miranda said, "Pretend like you're one of the disciples, and you see me coming and you tell me to go away."
So Miranda started coming toward the Christus and I said, "I'm sorry, little girl, but Jesus has had a long day. He's tired and you can't bother him right now."
Then of course I had to switch characters to say what Jesus says: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." I think one of the versions says heaven. Hopefully. Oops. I'm already messing up their chance at scripture mastery.

Anyway, that was the game. But it got me thinking. Well, that and the kids goofiness in these pictures got me thinking.

I think I used to think that the little children in that story were really well-behaved and super-reverent when they saw Jesus. Not patience-trying in the least. Maybe they were. Like our kids in the Temple Open House (future post)...they get quiet when they feel that special closeness to Him.
But now I'm starting to wonder if some of the kids weren't perfectly behaved and that He was expecting actual kid-like kids when he told the disciples to have them come unto him. Jesus suffered the little children to come even though they were crazy and wild, that he didn't mind or even possibly enjoyed those qualities in children. I think we'd still better work on time and place, but I need to remember more that those child-like and possibly patience-trying qualities are to be cherished.

I also got thinking about how Jesus was tired and busy and had pressing things to do and how he took time for the children and knew that they were the most important thing he could spend his time and energy on.

He's a good example to me.

Backlog: Pictures of us with our FOOD

Apparently food is an event for us. We take pictures of ourselves with it.

First: Daddy took us all out to Leatherby's Ice Cream Parlor after a grueling day of yardwork. We LOVED it. You've got to love Leatherby's and all Ice Cream Parlors. So American. I pledge allegiance.

Sammy chose sherbet--ended up being the best order.

Daddy chose a too-big sundae but he still conquered.

Miranda chose a mini-sundae with one topping: MARSHMALLOW. The ultimate in sticky goodness. (What is this face?!)

And I of course chose an Oreo malt. TRY to beat that.

Next: Fernando made COZZE! Well that's what we called it in Italy where we first had it and loved it. It's sort of mussles with breading and garlic and yummy stuff. He did a wonderful job...I did NOT sample because of a little child inside me that makes me not want to eat some things but it smelled GREAT and XiaoYu said it was delicous.

I of course also made something exotic, foreign, complex, and gourmet that day:
Rice Krispy Treats. Here is Sammy demonstrating my cooking prowess. Yes those are his shoes on the TABLE!!! Horrible mother. Also, Sammy's giving a little shout-out to Claire in New Mexico with his shirt.

Miranda: "No pictures please, we're eating!"

And finally, daddy passing down precious, heirloom talents to the children... involving food of course.


I wonder if I looked for ALL of the pictures we have with food how many I'd find...

Backlog: Easter

Per Fernando's tradition, we leave our Sunday shoes out for the Easter Bunny. Silvia was with us so we had extra shoes. We love having her here.

The kids shoes: nice loot.

Plundering the loot in bathrobes before church. Most popular item: pretend tatoos...butterflies for Mimi and bugs for Sammy.

Vogue looks in Easter attire.

True personality leeking out.

Silvia called him mafia man or something like that.

Sammy with Santa egg by Fernando and some other one too. Now he thinks ALL eggs are for rolling. I worry he will take them out of the fridge one day and we'll have a real mess.

Mimi liked decorating her own eggs this year. She is a lovely artist.

The Belnap side girls rolling easter eggs...XiaoYU in all her glory.

Seminario family...all of us with our natural smiles...

By the way, Fernando announced it on Facebook...so I guess I should put it here...number 3 is coming in Dec. Fun!

ramblings of a possible lunatic

These are not the lunatics. Okay, maybe a little. I love this picture.

I was just thinking someone should do a study on what your blog background says about your current mental state or personality or something. I'd be interested since I'm feeling conflicted about what to do with ours.

I've finally finished grades. I know, procrastination. I feel like I'm a perpetual student because I always have these deadlines at the end of the semester and I procrastinate them. SO to those of you whose nightmares involve never graduating or something, I can understand that. Although I do love being on a school schedule. You can't beat it. I think that's one secret to why people stay in education even though they are totally equipped to make billions in other industries. Take it from me. Heh.

My procrastination ended up being an even worse factor this year because, of course, the kids got sick right at the same time. I'm talking the kind of sick that had me doing laundry like 7 times a day. Poor Sammy had the worst of it, because he has a more sensitive stomach--has always "lost it" easier than Miranda--and because his gave him more diaper trouble too. In fact, he was having a little trouble the other day and was leaning against my leg as I was typing at the computer, and I felt this serenity and stillness, and looked down...HE WAS SLEEPING STANDING UP, barely perched against my leg. Oh man. I have never seen the likes. Poor kid.

Plus Miranda prayed immediately after throwing up the first time (even before she let the goop be washed out of her hair) that she would not throw up again. And she has faith. So the first time was the last time and she's fared pretty well in all of this yuckiness.

The house felt like quicksand for a few days there, but people seem to be doing better now and we are going to claw our way out today and enjoy the sun and fresh air. And obviously I'm posting a new blog post so that's a good sign.

In less emerging-out-of-the-abyss news:
Just wanted to give a little shout out to my Bro and Sis-in-law who had their baby last week and gave our kids their FIRST COUSIN and made me and Fernie AUNT and UNCLE for the first time. YEAH! awwww isn't he soooooooo cute?!

Unintentional Advice on Parenting: from the PARENTED

This morning Miranda wanted to play "The Grinch." Sammy recently chose a stuffed toy Grinch for fifty cents as one of his purchases at our Church's Young Women's Group Humanitarian Fundraiser Yard Sale (probably had a shorter name, also really well done), so I think she noticed the toy again today and that sparked her decision.

She played young Martha May Who, the Grinch's love interest in elementary school and beyond, and I, of course, played:



The role comes naturally to me.

Sam wasn't really involved, but he was likely cast--happily--as Max the dog. Another naturally fitting role.

She kept the Grinch game going as we drove around doing errands. She likes to add drama to otherwise sufficiently dramatic stories so she wanted me, as the Grinch, to talk about my feelings about my treatment by the other Who's, my feelings that I was too ugly to warrant her affections, and my disdain towards Christmas.

I lamented in my Grinchy way that I didn't understand Christmas, that it was all about stuff and presents and decorations and I didn't like all that. Martha May paused, thinking intently about how to teach me about the true meaning of Christmas.

"Mommy," she said as an aside to the dialogue, "This is the Grinch 2, where Martha May knows about Jesus."

The Grinch 2...perfect. This would allow Martha May to give me, the Grinch, a spiritual insight and thus change me to the nice Grinch (which is, I think, the true meaning of the Grinch story...that the love of Christ or charity enters into his heart and makes it grow...alas, I wax philosophical...you can't fool me with your fanciful language and innocent rhymes, Dr. Seuss).

Anyway.

Miranda added, as an aside, "Because in most movies they don't really care about Jesus."


I got the message. Media isn't just influencing the young (and the rest of us) through what's there, but through what's missing. Any 3 year old can tell you that.

Emergency Training

Fernando: Miranda, okay. What would you do if Mommy fell down and her eyes were closed and she seemed like she was asleep, and you couldn't wake her up?

Miranda: Uh...let her sleep.

Fernando: No, what would you do if you thought she might be sick or something?

Miranda, getting it: OH! Call 1-9-9



I'm in good hands.