One Thing Needful

Read this article. Please. Especially all the beautiful women out there. It wouldn't hurt the guys either. Excerpt:
I believe we can find our steady footing and stilling of the soul by turning away from physical preoccupations, superwoman accomplishments, and endless popularity contests, and returning instead to the wholeness of our soul, that unity in our very being that balances the demanding and inevitable diversity of life...Often we fail to consider the glorious possibility within our own souls. We need to remember that divine promise, "The Kingdom of God is within you."

You might have noticed some common themes in my posts lately, namely a search for identity. I assume this is a common reaction post-partum for women. Our worlds become completely different. A friend Jess this week said this, "I just assumed I would still be myself after he was born. I didn't realize how different I would be. I didn't realize my brain would become hardwired to match his brain. I didn't realize he would be a part of me." How true. It snuck up on me, and I didn't even know it!

Mo's Mobilizing in Japan

"As disciples of Jesus Christ, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strive to follow the Savior’s admonition to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison. The Savior also taught that we are to love and care for each other and visit the fatherless and the widow in their afflictions."


The tsunami and earthquake diaster and devastation has been heart-breaking; the stoicism of the Japanese has been inspiring.

Upon wondering how my church is mobilizing in the wake of this diaster, I found this MSNBC article. The church's Humanitarian Relief Fund is another principle way that Mormons can help out.

On a related note - I was particularly touched by Yoshihiko Kikuchi's article in the March 2011 Ensign (monthly church magazine), The Healer's Art, published before the diaster. The article set my heart upon the people of Japan, as I'm sure it did scores of other readers. I couldn't help but think, Is it coincidence this appeared in this month's magazine?

A Lost Art

Last night I spent a few hours pouring over old letters, cards, and momentos from my childhood, youth, and young adulthood. It was invigorating to remember so many events and stages in my life, and I laughed out loud at how romantic and dramatic I was about everything. Most of those recollections came from my writing - I used to write, a lot. Poetry, stories, personal goals, memories, letters to boyfriends, letters to friends, letters to boys that I would never give them, and letters to myself. I had forgotten how frequently I wrote out my thoughts and feelings - very theraputic.

And, for your reading pleasure, here are some samples!

Advice Request for Teen Magazine - classic, right?
Dear Juli: I'm 13 and I haven't been kissed yet. All of my friends have. I've had plenty of boyfriends, but it's never happened. I feel so left out. I want to save my first time for someone I really care about. Is there something you can say to make me feel better? -Unkissed in Mississippi
_________________

Poetry writing instead of paying attention in class - I sound a little like a hippie

I am a sponge
Aching to soak up streets and laughs and prose
Spring myself to the corners
Being hit by the lightning of establishment, of belonging
Always searching
__________________

And...love poetry from a young innocent heart!

Weary head and bleary eyes
still spinning form a kiss
given hours ago

There is a swell of tears beneath me
My body is crying out for yours - its match
It cannot be calmed;

To comprehend this distance is madness

With every second I discover loving you
Fresh and begging
A dream that reached this world
Just for us

How, how did I ever find you?
What mercy granted and honor bestowed...
I am exposed, for you
Rewarded with a glance, a word, a thought
Millions of them flow together
To form every star in my sky

For so long love confused
Now it is pulsing through my veins
You are lingering in the air
Please stay the night, stay for all my life
________________________

These days, I ALMOST NEVER write letters and I NEVER write poetry or stories. How sad! There is so much contained in a letter compared to an email - the handwriting, the pictures, the use of space, etc. I miss this lost art of letter-writing. I hereby pledge to begin anew with letter writing and creative writing. I want the joy that comes from creating stories and images as you sift through your thoughts on paper.

Do you still write creatively or write letters?

Seeing What Our Hearts See

Looking for a GREAT family photographer? Look no further! Sarah, owner of Elaine Bella Photography did a fab job - I think her photos beautfully captured our little boy's bright spirit and some sweet family moments. See some of her work below - Kai's 6 month shoot.

Cutest Teddy Bear EVER


We do this a lot


This pic just makes me laugh with his huge diaper and goofy grin


A tender moment - I love how this captures Aaron's love for his little boy


"I've got them wrapped around my little finger"


My favorite! The light and colors are perfect.


That face...



My boy!

Who are those loonies?

Ahhhh, yes. I know them.

Pics taken by Shallyse, our talented ward photographer (also took our maternity and newborn photos) at the 2011 Fancy Dance, a fundraiser for our church youth.

Do you ever write about anything besides Mormonism?

...Apparantly not. Sorry, I can't help it! I love my faith AND I love reading about/listening to/talking about others' perspectives on it. I have been following the recent Mormon Mommy Blog hype and the recent Brandon Davies hype via Google reader.

Here is MMB's response to ABC Nightline on the blog hype. I really like what they have to say:

"We choose to put our families first, and we make no apologies for it...we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and that a common misconception is that we don't worship Christ. We are nicknamed Mormons because of the Book of Mormon, and not because of who or what we worship. We believe in God, the eternal Father. We believe in his son, Jesus Christ. We embrace Christ.

Not only do we embrace Christ, but we embrace His teachings, and our readers FEEL that in their hearts. When they read our blogs, they FEEL good. The goodness emanates from Mormon Mommy Blogs, because we embrace the teachings and principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ....Mormon Mommy Bloggers are a powerful force for good in this world, and they are spreading that goodness by sharing their lives through their blogs."

If you are among those fascinated by Mormon mommies, check out the super-cool Mormon Women Project.

As for Davies, I'm impressed with the amount of media attention. I am not a Cougar fan, as I didn't go to BYU, but Aaron most certainly is. We've been happy with the viewpoint of most sports commentators - BYU's enforcement of the honor code is a breath of fresh air, even if the code itself is (seemingly) too strict. However, Aaron was pretty upset about the unfounded opinions about BYU broadcast on NPR last week. He has written to them in complaint. Aaron is a die-hard NPR listener, and he has expressed concern before about pieces dealing with Mormonism being one-sided, usually negative. It is unfortuate reporting, since some listeners likely aren't getting a balanced view from other sources or (even better) from active members of the church.

All in all, I'm excited that the church (and its members) is in the news. Who doesn't love getting the "inside scoop" on these peculiar people? Let's just hope that the scoop is accurate, well-researched, and balanced.

The Nativity, Norman Rockwell, and Merce Cunningham

...just to name a few things we've done lately. I've been a little slow on updates from the Towers' home. Here they are:

December
Aaron's (seemingly slow) recovery from the broken leg was the main event. Poor guy - he was very patient with me during my rants about "doing everything myself!" and "prohibiting him from ever getting hurt again!". I'm not going to lie folks - it was a pretty rough time for us. All at the same time: I went back to work parttime, Aaron was hurting and unable to help with his typical chores/errands, I lost my car to him (he couldn't drive his stick shift anymore and I couldn't drive it either), and we were transitioning Kai over to my parents' care during the days. However, we made it. I'm sure we will laugh at the situation when we look back.

Aaron's gingerbread creations

On a lighter note, Aaron turned 30 on Christmas Eve! I gave him 30 days worth of little presents - one for each year - culminating in a gift of Men's Depends undies. Hopefully, this eased his transition into old age. :) :) :) We had a fun gingerbread-house-making/birthday party for fun too.

The Towers as Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus

Christmas was overall pretty awesome. We dressed Kai up in green and red PJs and took videos of him looking at his plethora of presents. We caroled at a local nursing home (loved that!) and doorbell ditched presents. We cooked some new recipes for the huge feast at Mom and Dad's house. Aaron, Kai, and myself also acted as Joseph, Jesus, and Mary in our ward's Christmas program (!!!). Most important, we remembered the birth of our Savior - the reason for the season - with Nativity story reading, church activities, service, and the lDS Xmas broadcast. Next year, we hope to have an even more Christ-centered Christmas. We are thinking about switching our gifts to charity donations (thanks fo the idea, Metta!) and just giving Kai a stocking's-worth of little gifts.

Little Elf with Uncle Rob

January
New's Years Eve was spent with Mom and Dad P at the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the NC Museum of Art. It was a great time - we don't typically spend time admiring famous artwork... In other big news, Mom and Dad T and Aaron's sister Angela and family came to visit us in Durham! We had lots of fun with them, our house was filled with good food, kiddos, and laughter. It was the Haddocks' first time seeing Kai and grandparents' 2nd time; he was subsequently held and loved on for two weeks! We went to Exploris, a kid's museum in nearby Raleigh, made cinnamon rolls, told stories, played Mafia - it was pretty sweet. On a "heavier" note, Kai got sick and has had colds off and on ever since!

K with Nana, Papa, Grandmary, and Granddaddy

February
February was a winning month. Aaron was feeling much better and healing nicely. He started driving his car again at the end of the month and started walking without any supports or crutches! He cheered on Duke and BYU to lots of wins, while I chose to ignore State's record. Valentine's was fun this year with Aaron's surprise date to a Merce Cunningham modern dance show (fourth row seats - sweet!), a gym pass, and flowers. I gave him his annual Vday care package and went on a date with both boys to play mini-golf in Raleigh. Kai received some fun heart-shaped balloons for hours of loud noises and batting around. Last big event of the month was the Fancy Dance, our annual youth fundraiser at our church. We had a really fun time setting up and dancing the night away.

Barley cereal via airplane delivery


Phew! Now I wonder what March will hold...

Motherhood vs. World Travel

Love this post by Jaime at Prudent Baby. This might be particularly poignant for some of you world-travelers-turned-mothers out there! An excerpt:

"One day as a mother presents an astonishing multitude of possible paths — points of diversion more wild than any plane ticket, rail pass, or map could ever offer. The choices and their consequences are more exciting because they are simply more important. And they are more important because THEY ARE NOT ABOUT YOU. My life as a mother is anticipation, mystery, and imminent change. And most exciting of all is my certainty that whatever tonight holds, I will wake up tomorrow morning and not be the center of my own attention. My kid taught me to be enchanted and fulfilled by the unpredictability of our life at home."

Best Recipes of 2010

Acai na tigela (Brazilian deliciousness)

As in keeping with our {one-time} tradition, here's a collection of our favorite recipes from 2010. They are broken down into meats, veggies, soups, breakfast, and desserts. Is it terrible that, by far, our largest “best of” compilation is desserts? Don’t answer that.

If you are wondering where they come from, I will assure you - not me. I follow a few foodie blogs, pick out the best-sounding recipes, save them on word docs, and log them away categorically on my computer. It's my e-cookbook, you could say.

FYI - Cooking went a bit downhill right after Kai was born, with both Aaron and I scrounging for instant calories instead of healthy food. We have slowly been making our way back to wholesome, homemade, and delicious recipes. It's a work in progress! I have learned that I most love to make soup and muffins. Reasons: Soup is filling, easy, and goes a long way. You are almost guaranteed thickened-up leftovers for the next day. Muffins are just the perfect-size-carb-cuteness. I love to eat them, I just dread cleaning the pan. Ugh!

I hope that you try and enjoy some of these. Bon appetit!