Jane Austen Book Club

Yesterday was one of the most blissful Sundays we've had in quite some time. We didn't have any church meetings and Nolan fell asleep during Sacrament meeting. Justin leaned over to me and said, "It's a Sabbath Day miracle." For sure. Dinner was simple and we had cinnamon rolls for dessert (Rhodes... I don't do breads). The highlight of the day was sitting on the couch reading our Jane Austen books for nearly two hours. Yes, Justin is enjoying Pride & Prejudice and I'm giving Sense & Sensibility a try. Nolan enjoyed sitting between us with his pop-up animal book. Such an event will probably never happen again so luckily we pulled out the camera. We later realized that Nolan was coming down with a fever. No wonder he sat quietly for so long! It didn't last though - he woke up as happy as usual.

I have to tell my friend, Kirsten, how grateful I am for a book she recommended a few weeks ago. I think it has honestly changed my mothering skills forever, at least that's the hope. I don't feel frustrated and fed-up anymore, and I don't dread the next meltdown. Nolan seems like a new kid (the naughty removed) and I feel like a happy mom. Here's the book: "Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood" by Fay and Fay. Our new discipline skills have made me less nervous and much happier about expecting another baby. Maybe I can actually handle it after all! I just thought I'd pass along the book title to any other moms out there who feel frazzled with their little ones. There's even supposed to be potty training help but I haven't gotten that far. So thanks, Kirsten, for helping me love being a mom again!

Here are some things that the "far away" family might enjoy. We've been impressed with Nolan's coloring lately. I did the bow, but Nolan did the rest, including each of the blue light bulbs. Pretty good, huh? Here's a typical play time with Dad and Nolan. It's amazing when the family room is clean of toys and cushions for more than 30 minutes.

My favorite animal impression of Nolan's: