Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Today is Elijah's grandmother's birthday. We all call her Grandma, and she is much loved and respected by everybody. I admire Grandma tremendously. She is one of those many women who could have become anyone with power and fame, but instead choose the quiet road of motherhood. Today, she is a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, and she cherishes these roles dearly. She is a great example to me. Grandma is talented and strong, hard working and ethical, generous and kind, and always thinking of others. We were able to go to her birthday party last year, but this year we are so far away. So I'm wishing Grandma from my heart a beautiful birthday and a wonderful year. Thank you for making me feel part of the family. Here is Grandma with her son, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren showing them the house in which she was born:



On the last day of the month, I try to look at my book reading schedule. Most of you know I try to read around 100 books a year, and sometimes I achieve that goal, and sometimes I don't. But I always try, without sacrificing quality for quantity. I'll be noting the titles of the books I have read each month on the last day of the month, and hope you will let me know what good books you have read lately as well. The list for the month of January and February is a bit short, since I did have to move cross-country and settle in a new area. Here is the list:

January:
The Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella (Hilarious and quick read)
Forest Born by Shannon Hale (Beautifully written and interesting story)
Three lives by Gertrude Stein (Thought provoking and unique style)

February:
The Phoenicians by Elsa Marston (Quick and interesting)
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (Funny and sad, quick and entertaining)
Around the world series (junior history) (it gives you a quick overview of what happened throughout the known world in that specific century):
300 B.C by Pamela F. Service
800 by Linda S George
1200 by Alexandra and Pamela F. Service (quick, easy read, and informative)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (one of the earliest writings known)
Sahara by Clive Cussler (Bad writing, but interesting story)

So what have you guys been reading, lately?

Since it's Sunday, I want to close this post with a spiritual note. I would like to share one of the verses I liked from my reading tonight. If you happen to see scripture verses in the end of any of my posts, just know I'm sharing my favorite verses for that day. Here is tonight's verse, found in 1Nephi 1:20 in the Book of Mormon:
"...But, behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

Happy Birthday Jacki, Amy, and Sandy!

I threw a fun birthday party today for three awesome ladies, Jacki, Amy, and Sandy. Since their birthdays were close together we thought we should have a big party for all three of them. The party started around 11:45, so I had some time after dropping the kids off to school to tidy the house up. Charlton didn't wake up till 9:30. James and I took advantage of that and did some reading and then started cleaning. He wanted to wash the mirrors in the bathroom and in Gillian's room (she has sliding mirrors instead of normal doors in her closet). I don't know how well he cleaned them, but he was having fun and feeling important. Then, Charlton woke up and worried me. He was fussy, had a cough and his temperature was high. James suggested we say a prayer and we did. I gave him some medicine, and then fed him. As I was feeding him, I noticed he wanted to chew the bottle more than drink it. Charlton has been drooling for the past three months, and his first tooth had finally arrived. So adding that irritation to his cold, no wonder he wasn't happy. Later, when all my friends and their kids arrived for the party, Charlton was very accommodating and went to sleep, allowing me to be the good hostess that I am. Although, I have to say I wasn't quiet myself during the party. My mind was with Charlton and his well being. The fact that I couldn't do anything about him and his cold, but let his little body fight it on his own, frustrated me. I'm so grateful for my faith in the Lord. I know I can rely on him anytime. Prayers is something I can do, and so I had a lot of those today.

The party went great. We had great food prepared by everybody, the children had fun playing outside and inside, and the birthday girls enjoyed their special day with friends. Here are some fun pictures I took during the party:






After the party was over, I cleaned up and went to get Gillian from school. Since it's Friday, they don't have homework, so I just let them do whatever they want to do. Gillian wanted to read and disappeared in her room happily. The boys wanted to work on puzzles, read books and color. I was reading in the living room, and was looking forward to some quiet time, when the boys relocated from their room to where I was. James worked quietly on his puzzles, but Jefferson was working on 100 piece and just wasn't feeling up to it. He kept asking for my help, till I stopped my reading and sat with him on the floor. James finished his, and joined us. As we were working on the puzzle, James and I noticed Jefferson had moved to the couch and was reading some books. We were astonished by this and asked Jefferson what happened. He without looking away from his books answered that there was too much of a crowd down there. He kept encouraging us to finish the puzzle,though, because he wanted to see the glow-in -the-dark dinosaur skeleton outlined on the puzzle. When Elijah got home, he happily included himself in the puzzle making team. His reason: I did some of it. Yes, the easy part...






I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but every evening we've been reading mysteries in our house. Elijah reads Hardy boys with Gillian, and I started reading A to Z mysteries to the boys. The children really love this part of the evening, because they get to be with us and read fun books. Tonight, Elijah and Gillian finished their Hardy Boys book quickly (they had few chapters left and she didn't have another to start), so she joined us. When I read to all three of them at the same time, instead of having them fight over who is going to sit with mom, I have them draw or color on the floor, and I sit by myself. That's what we did tonight, and we all had fun. We even finished our mystery. Jefferson insisted that I take a picture of his favorite coloring page, his anaconda:

Just an ordinary day...

Today started like every other day, slow and sleepy, and with the potential of being just another day of hurrying in getting all things in the to-do list done. It did, but as with every day in our life, it also brought special moments that make our ordinary lives feel a little bit special and fun.

Since we all feel settled now, I felt it was time to start a schedule for our family. I love schedules, as most of you who know me know by now. However, most of you don't know the reason why: I have to, otherwise my whole day would be wasted and I would end up just reading or playing. So, last night my FHE lesson was about Doctrine&Covenants 88:118, which states :
"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." After reading and discussing this verse, I proceeded in introducing the themes for each day and our daily schedule which, of course, had a lot of "seek learning" in it. The children put their input in it, and we concluded our FHE with a song and a lot of excitement for the fun things we were going to do. I printed the schedule and put it up on the fridge. This morning I was a bit sleepy (Charlton's fault), so when we were all getting ready for our day, Gillian reminded me to not forget my shower as soon as I got back from dropping them off. She was reading the schedule on top of the fridge. Then, as we are about to leave, in a hurry I should say, Jefferson reminded me that we weren't doing well in following the schedule; we almost forgot to say our prayer. Of course, we knelt right there and then and did it, and yes, we were on time for their school, even though we left later than usual. When I got back, I didn't take my shower; I just went back to sleep. Good thing James doesn't know how to read yet.

When Jefferson came back from school we went right back to the schedule. After mentioning that it was time for lunch, and while I was preparing their food, he was making this pile of books on the couch. I asked what he was doing, and he responded that he was getting ready to get some learning done. And learning we did receive. I haven't had so much fun reading little kids' books I don't know when. As we were reading, Jefferson kept interrupting me by pointing out fun words or words he didn't understand. So, I would explain and then ask him to make a sentence with each of them. Afterward, he wanted me to write them down. Here is what learning we got today (the following expressions were found in the books, and we either liked them as they were or made our own version of them):

1. Mom, that lunch was great...I'm as full as a tick.
2. Daddy, why did you marry a speck of a woman? (After responding to my silly usage of the word speck: Jefferson, you are a speck of a boy.)
3. My day wasn't dull; it was exciting...
4. I didn't like it one bit! It was dull. (Using the word dull about the story we had just read; he really liked the story, but he just wanted to use the word dull.)
5. Jefferson did you finish your homework? Of course, mom. It was easy as pie.
6. Mom is really laughing herself silly today.
7. (This was our favorite. I couldn't stop laughing, especially after he truly used actions for it as well) comet = hair (ancient Greek) "I want to comb my comet" (this wasn't his original sentence; we found it in one of our books, but he kept saying: Mom, do you have a comb? I really need to comb my comet. I kept laughing and he kept doing it over and over again.)
Learning can be fun.

Tonight, we had the missionaries over for dinner, and as Elijah drove them home after we were finished, I was trying to get things done, so when Elijah got back we could put the kids to bed and have the rest of the evening for ourselves. You who have kids know this is the craziest time of the day. So, imagine me. I was trying to clean the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher with Charlton and James on the carpet keeping each other company. I was talking to them, as well as trying to help Gillian finish her math homework. When here comes Jefferson, all ready for bed, sitting on the stairs, looking very serious. As a good mother that I am, I immediately stopped everything else, and asked him what was wrong. He responded that he couldn't figure out who Heavenly Father's mother was and how did he come to be Heavenly Father. I wished I hadn't asked and let him solve it on his own. So, amidst all of the ordinary things of life that I was doing at the moment, here I was also explaining to Jefferson heavenly matters, which I myself didn't know.

How about all that for just an ordinary day. Thank you children, you are precious.

Ski resort, the final frontier

These are the voyages of the adventurous Melita. Her life long mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new undertakings and new encounters, to boldly go where no Melita has gone before.


That's right. I'm skiing. For those of you who are wondering why I'm making such a big deal about this, know this is my first time and I'm excited. I've never skied in my life because I detest the cold and the wetness of the snow. I love beaches with plenty of sunshine after a fun swim. This is how it happened that I finally reached that frontier. Elijah's boss was taking the members of his company and their wives to a skiing trip at Lake Tahoe. If I remember correctly, the resort was called Boreal. Since we have an infant, I thought it prudent to stay home and let Elijah go (that had nothing to do with being prudent, but more with being fearful of skiing). However, Elijah had other plans for me. He had offered to take care of our kids and his friends' while we were gone. Elijah kind of challenged me to go and try new things.

When we got there, they paid for my lessons and left to ski on their own, for which I was glad, because I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of my friends. I was the worst in the class. I kept falling and complaining about my skiing boots being too tight. I was a total brat. I was getting so frustrated that I was failing and not getting this dumb sport. Finally, our class was over, and our instructor, who had been very kind and patient, told us that if we wanted we could try the second level. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. I kept practicing on my own for many times with small goals, such as "fall only four, not five times the next try", or "let's work on my lift fall", etc. After a while, I was able to ski and get out of the lift without falling. It was then that my friends, Gary and Alice, got there and they encouraged me to try something harder, which I did and enjoyed. I'm glad I went and learned a new sport. I appreciate Elijah for his kindness in giving me an awesome day off. I still don't like the snow, but I was blessed today with plenty of sunshine and good determination to not quit. It paid off. I had fun and look at me: I'm skiing...



Slow and steady, wins the race...

An outing with my children

My children were out of school today being a holiday, President's Day. After sleeping in late and having a nice breakfast without having to rush, we decided to go and have a picnic at a nice park. I thought it would be fun to see one of the many national parks California has to offer. After preparing our food, we headed toward Tilden Regional Park, located by Berkeley, not more than 20 minutes away. It's a 2,079 acre wildlife preserve and park. We got lost a little bit getting there because they had closed one of the main roads, and the reason being: it was newts' migration time. The park was gigantic and we saw a lot of hikers and bikers everywhere, who I, of course, used for directions. When we finally found it, we were amazed at the many fun things it had to offer. We strolled by lake Anza, looked at the botanical gardens, rode the merry-go-round, visited the animals in the little animal village, had our picnic, and then ended our day by riding the steam train. This was a miniature steam train, called the Redwood Valley Railroad steam train. It took us on a two mile ride through the park. This was the children's favorite. I really enjoyed being so high up on top of the mountains and see the whole San Francisco Bay area from above. It was a sight to remember. I had a wonderful time being with my children and enjoying the sights. I can't wait till children are done with the school year, so we can explore this beautiful state everyday.

Happy Valentine's Day

One of the traits I love about my personality is that I have a desire to learn new things each day, which helps me love a great many things. My faith, my family, and my usual hobbies such as reading, writing, photography, etc, are always my favorites. However, here is a list of some of my other favorite things (I had to limit it to 14 so it can go with the theme of February 14, but also so I wouldn't go on all night):
1. Flowers 2. Shoes 3. Fashion 4.Fancy Restaurants 5.Ballroom Dancing 6. Mysteries 7.Swimming 8. Purses 9.Order/Neatness 10. Poetry/Plays 11. Interior Design 12. Watching Comedies 14. My mom's cooking

It's a lot of fun to think of the many things I love. It makes me grateful for a fulfilling life. One of the many blessings in my life is Elijah. If I were to put my top 14 favorites, he would be #2 right behind Heavenly Father and the Savior. I love Elijah very much. He enriches my life.

Here are 14 traits I love about Elijah:
1. Integrity (Elijah will always do the right thing no matter where)
2. Obedience and commitment to the gospel (everyday scripture reading, journal writing, once a week temple attendance, sharing the gospel, serving others, are but few examples of his commitment)
3. True love for me (it never fails; whether I'm happy or cranky he is there for me)
4. Strong love for his children (he makes everyday special for them)
5. Purity (he doesn't have guile; I've never heard him speak ill of anyone)
6. Generosity (He always cares for others in many quiet ways)
7. Knowledge (Elijah knows a lot about a lot of things; I love discussing things with him)
8. Hard work (Elijah is never afraid of work; on the contrary he desires it)
9. Determination (This goes well with hard work; anything he puts his mind into, he will achieve)
10. Neatness/ Organization (our room is always clean; I never find any of his stuff laying around)
11. Calmness (When I'm angry or frustrated, it's always nice to lean on my calm Elijah)
12. Poetry (Elijah writes beautiful poetry; I enjoy reading his feelings in words)
13. Desire to please me and make me happy (I know at all times my happiness is his first priority)
14. Smile (His pure and loving smile melts my heart)

Thank you Elijah for trying to be the man the Lord wants you to be and the husband I desire. I'm glad you are my Valentine. I wanted to make a collection of my favorite love songs, but that would be endless, so here is one that I just like to listen to once in a while:

Hostess Extraordinaire

We had a wonderful evening tonight. Our house was all unpacked last Saturday, and we felt ready for some entertaining. Since Valentine's day was approaching, and we wanted to continue our yearly tradition of hosting a fun and romantic Valentine's party, we thought what better way to get to know our new friends here in California and thank them for being so kind and nice to us than by throwing a party.

We had 10 couples in our home tonight. Each lady brought a picture of them as a couple and their husband's favorite dish (most of them were main dishes, so the food tonight was awesome). Their husbands were instructed in advance to write a romantic poem for their wives and to read it out loud in front of everybody after Elijah read his. The wives didn't know about it. It's my favorite part of the evening. Elijah is the best poet ever, because of course all of his poems are about me, and they are so romantic and written with a deep love. I'm grateful for that. We start our evening with few different games so everybody can feel comfortable with each other, and then Elijah reads his poem. I love to hear every husband's feelings for their wives as well. It's so fun to see the different personalities portrayed through their poetic words. I also love the look on each wife's face. I can see they are feeling special and loved and touched. That's why I love throwing parties: seeing people enjoy each other and forget for few hours their daily responsibilities and hardships. It works for me. It reminds me of the truly important things about our lives: each other. After few more games, we eat and enjoy the rest of the evening chatting and getting to know each other better. I want to thank Amy and Ben, Kris and Brian, Sarajane and John, Jacki and Rob, Alice and Gary, Melanie and Karl, Heidi and Danny, Amy and Jason, Marci and Mike, and my love, Elijah. Thank you everybody for a fantastic evening, delicious food, and fun company. You are all amazing people. Here are some pictures of tonight (I missed Sarajane and John; sorry):

Happy Birthday, mother

Today is my mother's birthday. I'm very grateful for her. She gave me life, love and purpose. My mother taught me to always believe in myself; the sky was my limit. I thank her for my confidence, my zest for life, my adventurous spirit, my generosity, and my faith in God. She had no one to raise her up in time of hardship and to give her a pat in the shoulder for a job well done. I had her, always on my side boosting me up with hope, faith and confidence. Thank you, mother. I am who I am because of you. You are kind, sweet, loving, bright, generous, thoughtful, sincere, always trying to please others, adventurous, fun, and talented. I love you, and happy birthday. These flowers, though I can't send them to you right now, I got them to remember you and our good times together, sweet as these mimosa.
Sot eshte ditelindja e nenes sime. Jam mirenjohese per te. Ajo me dha jete, dashuri, dhe qellim. Nena ime me mesoi qe te kisha gjithmon besim ne vetvete; qielli ishte kufiri. E falenderoj nenen per konfidencen, per deshiren per te jetuar, per shpirtin tim aventuror, per zemergjeresine, dhe besimin ne Zot. Ajo nuk kishte njeri qe ta ndihmonte ne kohe te veshtira ose t'i thonte fjale te mira kur kishte sukses. Une kisha ate, gjithmone ne krahe duke me ushqyer me shprese, besim, dhe confidence. Faleminderit, nene. Une jam ajo qe jam nga ty. Ti je e mire, e embel, e dashur, e zgjuar, zemergjere, e ndjeshme, a paster, gjithmone duke u perpjekur te ndihmosh te tjeret, aventuriere, shakaxhie, dhe e talentuar. Te dua, dhe gezuar ditelindjen. Keto lule, ndonese nuk t'i dergoj dot, i mora qe te kujtoj ty dhe momentet e bukura qe kemi kaluar bashke, te embla si keto mimoza.

This is a song I love that expresses best my feelings about my mom. Josh Groban "You raise me up" an