Where Do the Blue Eyes Come From?

OK, so this might come off sort of as a weird question, but I feel like I get asked this question a lot, and it might be fun for our girls to look back on and read when they're older since they may not remember their great-grandparents and what they looked like. Plus, I just find genetics so fascinating, in general...so here I go...off on what might seem like a ridiculous topic.  😊

So neither Skyler or I have blue eyes, (I have brown eyes & he has hazel eyes--which have a little blue, green AND brown in them. They really are such cool eyes). ANYWAY--we don't have blue eyes, but two of our four girls have blue eyes (and the other two have hazel)---so where do their blue eyes comes from?? And how do half of our kids have blue eyes??

Well, the answer is simple--from their ancestors. 😉 Skyler and I don't have blue eyes, but it runs in both of our families and we are obviously both carriers. I have brown, my dad has brown, and his mom (my Grandma Venna) had brown eyes. But my dad's dad, my Grandpa Don Smith, had very blue eyes. So that's where blue is on my side--through my Grandpa Smith.

**but--just to throw this out there--I remember learning about genetics in my botany class when I was a biology minor in college--and our teacher told us that eye color is not exactly the same as other genetic traits where you could make a Punnett Square and predict the probability of certain characteristics. Rather, eye color is inherited more like on a color spectrum---based on how much melanin (eye color/pigment) is present. If there is a lot, you have brown eyes or very dark eyes. If you don't have as much, you have lighter or blue or green eyes.

Anyway--moving on. Then there is my mom, Gerhild, who has green eyes and both of her parents had green eyes. In fact, my mom's entire family all have green eyes. (She once told me that the part of Germany they were from was very highly populated with people who had green eyes. Interesting, eh?)

And then there's Skyler's parents. They both claim to have hazel eyes, but I think they both have a lot of blue in them--especially in Susan, Skyler's mom's eyes. Whatever you call them, they're really pretty! And--both of Susan's parents (Virginia & Gary) have//had blue eyes. So, there's that.

And on Skyler's dad's side (Mike's side)--his mom, Mary Ellen, had hazel eyes and his dad, Myron, has very blue eyes.

So, in summary--Lucy and Ava don't have parents with blue eyes, but 3 of their 4 grandparents have non-brown eyes...in one form or another. And 7 of their 8 great--grandparents have non-brown eyes, in one form or another.  (FYI: I only say "non-brown" because of the melanin fact, not because I think brown is bad or something)

So there you have it--a little family history, mixed with genetics lesson. Ha! 😜

Back At It...

Wow. I'm back at this whole blogging thing, and I can honestly say it's been YEARS! I didn't even remember how to start a new post for a second there!  😜 A lot has changed in the last 4 years or so (or has it been longer?!) --which is when I made the New Year's Resolution to not blog as much.

Funny, right? At the time we had three small girls ages 4.5 to 1.5 and I was trying to be more "present" for them--plus life was crazy busy with three little ones so close in age--and being in the Young Women's presidency in our ward, well--I just simply ran out of much free time. I'm not sure how much more free time I have now, but I want to make this new blog a priority again--or at the very least, put it back on my "to do" list.

I want to start back up again for a couple reasons: #1-- I've been a pretty good journaler (not really a word, I'm sure, but that's OK) for most of my life. I find it kind of therapeutic to write down my thoughts--it helps me to focus and see things more clearly. And #2-- (probably the biggest reason) is because I want to document my kids' childhood! Now, more than ever, I am aware of how quickly time flies by and how quickly kids grow up. When raising kids, they say the days can be long, but the years are short. I want to have these moments written down and documented so I can look back, years from now, and  enjoy this stage in my life. Not only that, I want the girls to be able to look back and  remember all these funny stories & life experiences we had together.

When we first moved into our new house a couple months ago (more on that, later)--the one thing we unpacked from all the boxes that we hadn't seen the contents of for nearly a year --that the girls were SO excited to see again-- were  all the blog books I had printed off. The Giles Journals, as I called them. The girls couldn't put them down. Reading my posts, looking at the pictures, laughing at the funny stories about themselves when they were little, and even showing unsuspecting new friends them as they came over to introduce themselves to play!😳 😂 It melted my heart and confirmed to me that I need to pick this back up again. I had been thinking that for a while, but their reactions made it perfectly clear. I NEED to do this. Who cares if blogging is not as trendy or popular now? I'm not doing this for anyone else but me and my family....so --just a head's up-- I don't plan on making this page fancy with seasonally  decorated backdrops and thematic music that pops on when readers show up on my page. (Sorry to disappoint! 😉) Not anymore (because yes, I once got into all that 😂).

I want to keep it about the pictures, and about the stories, and even about the possible venting of frustrations on occasion. 😉 I want to keep it low maintenance and free of all the flashy/cutesy stuff that doesn't even show up in the blog books, anyway. If someone besides us reads it, great. If not, no big deal. Because the #3 reason why I want to start up another blog is to help remind myself how blessed I am. How I'm exactly where I need to be right now, doing exactly what matters most to me. Motherhood isn't always easy, but I love my kids, I love my family, and LIFE'S GOOD.

--Lauren Giles