Where's your nose?

This is Brita's response to any question. I think it started with 'where's your nose?', then it was any 'where' question, and now it's just anything that sounds like a question. Fun times.

Busy Brita

Brita is all sorts of busy these days. Over Christmas she decided that walking was what she wanted to do. So now she walks everywhere. She also decided to fall in love with the snowman song last a couple of days ago. It's cute. She discovered how to get into and out of her rocking chair by herself and she's obsessed with climbing stairs. And she's getting really good at her shape sorter toy. We have to tell her which goes in what, but at least she can get them in most of the time now. She plays by herself for a while now and she loves to read books. She's fun.

Brita's talents

Brita started playing with the tripod the other day. Here's a picture she took of me. Isn't she talented?

She was playing with the tripod on the floor for a while, but then Peter helped her set it up. Then he attached the camera. Brita was a huge fan of the camera. She smiled so big when she found things in the camera.

My ball

I got an exercise ball. I love it. I've wanted one since I did cinderella class at the Shelleys. That was about 13 years ago. I think Peter likes it too--he bounced through an entire movie.

It's the little things

Today I was cleaning the kitchen and I was getting all grumpy because I was trying to come up with something to have for dinner. I hate coming up with dinner ideas. We need to use up some rice so I was trying and failing to come up with something to have with that.
Then I remembered: we have leftover pizza in the fridge.
Triumph.

Cousinly love

We were out in Illinois for Christmas this year. The whole McNabb family was there and it was really fun. Brita got to hang out with her cousin. I thought they liked each other, but Brita's a little young to want to play with another kid still.

Today I was looking at blogs and showed Brita the picture of Ensley on their blog. She got really excited and started pointing and making noises. I think she likes her cousin.

Sadness

I am crying and feeling sick to my stomach because I just stepped on and broke a Christmas ornament. If it had been any other one I probably wouln't have cared, but it was one that my advisor at Ricks gave me.

The Christmas tree up in the Agronomy building is all decorated in John Deere and Farmall tractors lights and ornaments. I LOVED that tree. I used to study by it every day. When I was helping Sister Zollinger take it down Brother Blaser walked by and gave me one of the little Farmall tractors. I managed to keep it for eight years and not lose it or break it until now. I guess eight years was more than could be expected from me anyways.

But it was one of the only things that I had that reminded me of Ricks and I loved Ricks. It was my favorite school. I loved Brother Blaser and Brother Willis and Brother Stephens and Sister Zollinger and moving sprinkler pipe and breaking farm equipment and riding around on the four wheeler and grading my own tests and trying to get my points back on tests that I graded and cleaning oil buckets and being insanely busy. I miss all the class field trips to Big Juds. And the work lunches at Gringos.

There was one day where I broke eight different things, the last one being the combine right as a storm was coming in. And then let my teacher's car get soaked in the rain. And then I asked if I could go home. When Brother Willis asked why I wanted to go I said that I didn't want to break anything else. He said none of them were my fault..then I remembered I didn't shut his sun roof. They never got mad at me, though. That day I was walking home crying and a guy came out of the building just next to the agronomy building. He saw me and asked if I wanted a ride home. I said yes and then he asked me what was wrong. So I told him in great detail. It took a while because there were lots of things that went wrong. He then reminded me that he had no idea where he was taking me. It was kind of funny in its own little sad way.

A few days later I jack-knifed the baler in front of the entire Madison cross-country team. That was embarrassing.

I would always ask Brother Blaser why he didn't fire me. He would ask me if I wanted him to fire me and I would say no. Then he would ask me if I was learning anything and I would say yes. He was one of the greatest advisors of all time. And I should know; I had the three best.

Cookies

We made cookies the other day. They were yummy. And beautiful.

Christmas is coming

On Christmas morning sometimes there would be presents for us under the tree that weren't wrapped. I think it was just so Dad and Mom could sleep a little longer by telling us to play with those ones. This year I have an unwrapped one under the tree a little early. I'm so excited.



I'm really lame this year and don't have presents for anyone. I need to work on that. Especially since there is tons of stuff under the tree for me. I just don't know what to give. I'm lame.

By the way, do you like our tree? From outside it almost looks normal sized.

Dream

I just had a dream that I was helping teach a little girl the missionary lessons. I think it was the first one and she was definitely too young to get baptized. We were talking about God. I drew a picture and it ended up looking like a strange rabbit and we discussed the differences between m picture and what God actually was like. Then I taught her to sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' in Russian so she would fit in in primary. Except that we were teaching her in English, so I don't know why she needed to know that song in Russian. So strange. And now you know what I dreamed about.. Don't you feel better now?