23 weeks

The twins are growing.  My belly button has popped.  I have trouble bending over.  And I'm only 23 weeks!

the same but different

Linc trying on Liz's glasses

Considering that I will soon have more than one precious child, and they won't all be named Lincoln, I think I should change the url to my blog, which is currently:

http://lincourlove.blogspot.com

So prepare for a new name!  Hopefully no one will have trouble finding my blog again.

Only the beginning

I made a big deal out of the question.  Hemming and hawing and acting as if the fate of the world depended on his answer.

"So... uh... what would you think of, ummmmm, reading-aloud-at-night?"

"What?"

He didn't know it then, but essentially I was asking the guy I was dating whether or not he was my prince charming.  Turns out he is.  For all the things I love about my husband Tyler, his willingness to delve into literacy before slumber is my all time favorite.  My mother, brother and I took turns reading aloud every night of my childhood.  Somehow after I left home for college, the lack of this one little ritual set me adrift.  Even though I missed it, I didn't realize how much being read to at night anchored everything else about my day. Until I got it back.  Finally someone to cozy up to in the lamplight, to laugh with at an author's witty joke, to discuss characterization flaws, to marvel at the beauty of a well turned phrase.  I look forward to it all day long and have trouble falling asleep if for some reason we miss a night.

I have been meaning to do this for a while:  we need a compilation of all we've read, before the list grows too lengthy to remember.  My interests have always been classical, while Tyler loves business and economic books.  We've tried to reconcile the topics, but whenever we're in a rut, we always turn to Sherlock Holmes.  Arthur Conan Doyle never fails because he's interesting enough, easy and quick to read, but not without some literary merit.  Some books have been flops because they are either too complicated (which makes it difficult to follow along without seeing the words) or too emotional (remember, I've been pregnant a couple times during this nearly-3-year-marriage) or simply too dry.

From that first night, when he said yes, and we browsed my book shelf for our first adventure, to today, when we're halfway through a classic and looking for suggestions for our next read:

Our List:

Nickel and Dimed
by Barbara Ehrenreich

An experiment in living on minimum wage.  She found out it was impossible.

101 Famous Poems
compiled by Roy J. Cook

I was given a copy of this book in junior high,  by a dear friend who felt confident I would someday be included in a similar anthology.  Part of her inscription reads, "May you never lose your inspiration to write."  In those days, I carried around a notebook at all times to scribble my verse.  I was the recognized poet.  I've lost that for sure, but it's a lovely memory.

Chocolat
by Joanne Harris

We picked this up at Dolly's on our honeymoon.   An easy, beautiful, sometimes melancholy read.  It suited us well.

The Shack 

by William P. Young

My mother recommended this book to me.  It is emotionally loaded, especially for a parent.  You also get a unique perspective on God and our relationship with said entity.  I read it, and then decided Tyler might like it.  We started reading it together while I was pregnant, and it eventually became too much for me, even though I already knew the story.  So sadly we only made it 3/4 of the way through together.

Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas

This an absolute favorite for both of us.  It's very, very long, but we never lost interest.  In fact, there was a couple month hiatus taken in the middle of the story, when Lincoln was born.  Unfortunately newborn Linc did not like falling asleep to Tyler's voice, so we had to give up our nightly routine for a while.  Once he was in his crib, we eagerly reintroduced ourselves to the Count and never looked back.

Team of Rivals
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

This is an incredibly well-researched, in-depth biography of Abraham Lincoln and all the brilliant men with whom he eventually composed his cabinet.  You will be surprised to learn about all the failures Lincoln encountered before he was suddenly the presidential favorite.  It's a fascinating read for an individual, I think, but I became lost amongst all the stories as Tyler read them aloud each night.  I have to admit we only got about a quarter into the book before giving up. 

The Complete Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle

  We have currently read 3/4 of everything Arthur Conan Doyle published about his detective hero:  4 full-length novels and 56 short stories.  This is our go-to read when we have nothing else at hand.

Banker to the Poor
by Muhammad Yunus and Alan Jolis

The story of successful micro-lending, this book describes how one man pursued his belief that credit is a basic human right, not a privilege of the rich.  Tyler was interested to hear the account of such a visionary.  Somehow we lost track of things toward the end, and didn't finish the last few chapters.  However, I recommend this book to people interested in economics.

Harry Potter (Books 1-7)
by J. K. Rowling

Well... I finally gave in.  I waited until the year 2010 to read the beloved Harry Potter.  If it weren't for Tyler's encouragement, I honestly never would have cared to crack open the first book.  But my husband has a special fondness for this series, and he wanted to share it with me.  Of course I was easily hooked and enjoyed these books quite a bit.  Great books to read aloud!

Enders Game 
by Orson Scott Card

We didn't continue the series, because this is the only book that Tyler really liked the last time he read it.  Even though I'm not a big science fiction fan, Card is an excellent story teller, and I appreciate his skill.

The Dark Tide 
(1st book in the Iron Tower trilogy)
by Dennis L. McKiernan

Here again we only read the first book in a series.  We grew tired of the antiquated language, which is beautiful but hard to read aloud and follow along.  Epic story, though!

Hunger Games trilogy
by Suzanne Collins

We borrowed these from Tyler's sister, Katie, who reads everything under the sun.  They are intriguing, but you just have to get around the fact that you're reading about children killing each other (like in Ender's Game.)  We had fun discussing how dim-witted the main character is, and how her lack of intuition is the author's device for cluing the readers in to what's happening.  Basically, whatever Katniss thinks, assume the opposite.  Luckily her character is redeemed by her kick-butt archery skills and bravery.  This is another good option for reading aloud!

Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe

Sometimes you forget this is fiction, because the writing is so dry, factual and documentary.  He repeats himself between journal entries and narrative, which also makes you feel as if an old man is truly sitting down and just trying to record everything that happened in his 26 years stranded on an island.  I love the details on how Crusoe created a sustainable household for himself and his pets over the years.  He even figures out how to build pots and an oven in order to bake bread.  This specific book we are reading (not pictured) is a treat in itself: a 1924 illustrated edition, given to me by my grandparents.  It's big, beautiful, and more fragile a book than Tyler would like to handle on a nightly basis.  However, the yellowed pages and golden sketches add to the adventurous feel of the story.  I love it!  

(update: I knew I'd forget something!)
The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger

I went to hear this author speak with my best friend Liz at a local book store.  While listening to the Q & A, I realized a lot of her readers perceived The Time Traveler's Wife as more romantic than she intended.  She was almost taken aback by the comment and question: "When I watched the motion feature film based on your book, I saw that Henry was perhaps more disruptive to Clare's life than I noticed at first.  Do you think he was good for Clare?"  I agreed with Audrey's answer and understood it more than I did her reader's query.  She said something to the effect that whether or not Henry was good for Clare is irrelevant.  Neither character was created to be good for the other.  In life we are constantly introduced to people and circumstances which shape us, direct us, and inevitably lead to the makeup of who we are.  How can we measure how much one person affects us?  And especially in this case, Henry was Clare's husband before she even knew him.  To imagine what she would have been like without Henry, would be to write a totally different story.  Anyway, as for Tyler and me, we enjoyed reading this book together.

 

And so the list grows, as long as we both shall live.

Tuppence a bag

Though her words are simple and few

Listen, listen, she's calling to you

"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag

Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag!"

Last weekend our family visited the Tracy Aviary with our friends the Nielsen's.  Several of the exhibits are currently under construction, so our tour was limited.  But it was fun to watch Lincoln chase the ducks and peacocks and to stare at the gigantic condor.  We also fed small chunks of apple to sun conures.  Both Lincoln and baby June were surprisingly calm with all the loud ruckus those chirpy little birds were making!

Here's Junebug all wrapped up in her Baby Bjorn, taking in the sight.  Isn't she adorable?

Feed the birds!

Although you can't see it, 

You know they are smiling

Each time someone shows that he cares.

                      

                                 ~ Mary Poppins       

Like I need another reason for people to stare at my chest!

Actually you can touch my belly.  ;-)

Trip to Boston

 

At the beginning of March, my husband and I took a trip to Boston.  We needed to gather information in order to make our next big decision: which MBA program should Tyler attend?

We arranged to leave Lincoln with my parents here in Utah.  Four days and four nights is the longest chunk of time we've ever left him, and we all knew it was going to be difficult.  However, it didn't make sense to bring a toddler to a new place in which we relied on public transportation and didn't know exactly where we were going half the time.  We only had two full days on the ground, and it was important to focus on learning about the school, the area, etc.

The flight was quite easy without having to entertain a child, and I was thankful to just sit and sip the free juice.  I am visibly pregnant at this point, so all I had to do was waddle down the aisle to the end of the plane where the mini fridge is kept, smile and request a whole can of cranberry or tomato juice, and I was given whatever I wanted.  I liked that.  I also liked being alone with my husband.  It's fun to just be a "couple" with my man!

I have to admit we had a lot of trouble when we finally arrived in Boston.  The plan was to take the T (subway) to our hotel, which was next to a station.  The problem was which route to take, which bus to hop on to which station, and so on.  My directions from the hotel front desk were less than accurate, or at least they assumed we knew much more than we did.  Visitors!  We need every single detail!  But, in the end luckily we found another couple who were familiar with the area and who happened to be heading the same direction.  Thank you, Lord!  An hour's ride on the subway and a quarter mile walk to our lodging, all in the dark.  It took 12 hours from the time we took flight in SLC to the moment we stepped into the hotel lobby.  And that's why we didn't take our two year old!

Luckily we figured out the system pretty well in that first experience, and didn't have much trouble finding our way around after that.  I was impressed by how quickly we caught on.

The next day was entirely devoted to Babson, the school which would possibly bring our family to Massachusetts.  It's located about 15 miles away from downtown Boston, which is unfortunately far enough to be off the public transportation grid.  So we took a taxi.  Tyler was mentally weighed down, knowing that this was it-- one day to figure out whether or not he was willing to move his newborn twins, toddler and wife across the country.  I tried to be as supportive as possible, giving input and making observations.  Ultimately, though, I needed my husband to figure out which school he liked, and then I could wrap my head around which state to call home.

Babson campus is small but gorgeous.  Tall, ancient trees dot the lawns and tower over sturdy, brick buildings and meandering roads.  Graduate housing is nestled in even an even woodsier area.  I found it picturesque and welcoming, until we tried to locate a two bedroom unit.  Deciding to wing it and knock on doors instead of visiting the housing office, we found very few people home and no one seemed to know of any two bedroom apartments.  It turns out, there are only two, and they are first come first serve.  All in all, I had a bad feeling about that campus housing option for our family.  I felt lonely the entire time, and something was telling me it would be that way if we moved there.  At this point we're scouring the rental possibilities between Babson and Boston.

Tyler spent the afternoon at an event which included a question and answer session with alumni and current students, a speech by the president of the school, and a networking hour with other accepted students.  He talked a lot with a couple professors and even sat in on an elective class.  I tagged along through everything, hoping Tyler was forming an opinion.

We spent the next day in Boston.  With no plan and only the subway and our feet to get us from place to place, we visited nearly everything on the list.  And we took a lot of pictures!

The Library:

       

We soaked in the art, architecture and rare books.

She copied my hair style.  

Not the other way around.

I loved the rare books room.  Medieval manuscripts and original first editions which spanned the history of the printing press peeked out at us from behind protective glass.  We saw a specimen of John Adams' handwriting and looked up at his personal library (the top floor above us.)

Out on the town:

I adored this girl's outfit.  A lifelong lover of dresses, I'm especially fond of white ones!  For some reason I wanted to take pictures of every pretty dress I encountered, but I always asked because the stores at Copley Mall are quite snobby.  At Louis Vuitton, Tyler and I simply made fun of the prices and took turns trying on sunglasses.  $300 t-shirts!  For heaven's sake!  

In Boston Commons, we met a squirrel.  Then we realized the entire park was covered in squirrels.  They're awfully cute, and obviously used to being fed, because they approached us with little caution.

The Aquarium:

SHARK!

Myrtle the turtle is this big:

Dinner:

A restaurant entrepreneur at Babson recommended Craigie on Main as the one place we must eat while visiting Boston.  We walked up to the doorway, checked out the menu, and decided we didn't want to share a hog's head for $25.  Honestly, it did look lovely and someday we'll go when we can both enjoy their famous wine pairings.  However, we came across a more welcoming looking place called Cuchi Cuchi.  I had a feeling it would be fantastic, and I wasn't disappointed.  Waitresses and hostesses dressed like this:

(We asked and found out the employees have a huge wardrobe downstairs, or they can bring their own outfits.  How fun is that?)

The food looked like this:

And the absinthe tasted like this:

I abstained from alcohol, of course, but it was fun to see Tyler try this new drink.

Goodbye Cuchi Cuchi!  And goodbye Boston.  Until.....

The fall.

Yes, we decided to move.  It took a lot of back and forth and weighing of pros and cons, but in the end we are both people who would rather say we did than didn't.  We'd rather make a drastic change and put our hearts into making it worthwhile, than embrace status quo and wonder what might have been.

Wish us luck! 

(And go ahead, make fun of my harbor hair!)