jodi bear 'n cubs

Vision Test

2011-01-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

The nurse took Nathan in the hallway to test his vision. She pointed to the pictures and asked him to identify them. He was doing well, "Fish, Star, Ship..." until she pointed to an addition (plus) sign. He paused, scratched his chin, and blurted, "Ah-hah, it's a Turn It Up!" We all busted up and continued to stifle giggles each time a "Turn it up" came up on the test :)

I Don't Want to Go in the Girl's!

2010-09-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Elizabeth had an early out so Nathan, Rilla, and I picked her up and ran some errands. Our last stop was Shopko. Nathan needed to use the Restroom. I took him and waited patiently outside the door of the Men's Room. He insisted he could handle it himself. He did. We returned to where we'd left Rilla & Elizabeth. Shortly, Nathan panicked. He informed us he needed to use the bathroom again. Elizabeth was getting nervous about the time. She had Color-guard practice and needed to go back to school. I suggested that she take Nathan and I'd take Rilla to make our purchases. Elizabeth was still waiting outside the Men's Room after I'd checked out so I told her I'd head out to the car, put the bags away, and get Rilla into her car-seat. When Elizabeth and Nathan finally came out, they were both in tears. Nathan had pooped and couldn't wipe his bum to his satisfaction. The store employees were laughing as they heard his plea for someone to "wipe his bottom." Elizabeth didn't know what to do. Nathan began screaming and crying. The employees then asked Elizabeth what the matter was. One of them checked to see if anyone else occupied the men's room. Elizabeth was allowed to enter and assist her little brother. She did.
Post-Trauma Commentary:
Nathan, worried that I'd had left him, and stated, "Mom, maybe I'm not ready for the boy's one."
Elizabeth stated, "I just didn't know what to do. Everyone was watching. I just didn't know what to do."
I laughed and assured that if she would be late for practice at least it was a sympathetic story.

Needing

2010-08-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago I drove Elizabeth to Kindergarten for the first time. I walked her to class. I pulled her close to wish her a wonderful day and she surprised me by jumping up into my arms holding on with fierce determination. Everyday for the first 3 months of school, I would pry her out of my arms and passing her off to a loving and patient teacher. As I quickly returned to my car, Elizabeth's sobbing would echo in my mind triggering some tears of my own. I ached and longed to just keep her with me: to prevent the tears and dramatic partings. Yet, I knew she needed to be at school, and prayed it would get easier on both of us.

There are still times when Elizabeth needs me. Every Doctor, Orthodontist, Dentist, Orthopedic, and Lab visits she needs me. I am still needed to coax or sometimes carry her into the office. I am there to hold her hand, rub her legs, play with her hair, or even restrain her while an unpleasant procedure is performed. At those terrible moments when I am using all my strength and weight to hold her down and she is screaming at me and everyone else, I still yearn to end her pain. I want to leave too. I want to promise we'll never need to return. But, I can't. Some things we just have to endure. I do promise to be there with her. I also promise and reassure her that while I do not enjoy her radical tantrums, I will love her in spite of them. Her guilt and sorrow after the episodes also tear at my heart for I know those emotions too and wish I could take them away. I hold her close and whisper soothing words of confidence and love to her.

I need Elizabeth too. I need her help with kids from time to time. I need to know how she is feeling about things. I need to know that she is ok when I am not there with her every moment to protect her.

I dropped my Freshman girl off for her first day of High School. She was loaded down with school supplies, water bottles, her assortment of flags for Colorguard, and a heavy heart filled with worry. I awoke extra early, showered, and dressed anticipating escorting her to the Freshman Assembly. I wanted to watch her first performance in front of her peers. I needed to know how her day would go. I wanted her to know that at least one person in the room was cheering for her. I pulled up to the curb and told her I would park and meet her inside. As she faced me to close the car door, she leaned in and with a determined plea begged me to not come. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, closed the door, and walked bravely away. I cried all the way home. Need is a funny thing. It changes and takes various forms. But I suppose the one constant is at the end of the day, Elizabeth still needs a hug, a kiss on the head, and to hear those magical three words: "I Love You." And, I need to let go and wait for her to return.

6th Grade Graduation

2010-06-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Noah's 6th grade graduation was beautiful. He presented a speech that was fun to listen to as well as meaningful. I think he has mixed emotions about leaving Wasatch. It has been a wonderful year with a close class.
These are most of the 6th graders in our ward.
These are some of the girls in his class. I embarrassed him by taking this pic, but I am a mom...
This is his best bud, Clark. I think they look similar and equally happy.
The tradition is for the 6th grade to do the Maypole at graduation and then the next day at the Dance Festival. The colors of the ribbons were so amazing against the blue sky.
I love that he always looks for me to see if I'm watching him:)
Noah shaking hands with the principal, Mrs. Densely.
Noah with his teacher, Miss Lloyd. She has been wonderful. Pink isn't so bad.

Elizabeth's 14th Birthday

2010-06-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth's birthday fell on the last Monday of this school year. She really wanted to eat at "Los Hermanos," and so her wish was granted. She still loves the chips & salsa! And, the fried ice cream they give the birthday girl is a special treat!
Rilla enjoys the chips and salsa as much as Elizabeth did at her age. However, I didn't give her the bowl to drink from:)

After dinner, we went home to open presents. Tessa made a HUGE card that brought HUGE smiles. We gave her some season tickets to 3 musicals at the Hale Center Theater. It seems pretty low key, but I think she felt loved!
The Birthday Party was a hit! We set up a HUGE tent in the backyard with blankets, pillows, games, and treats. We strung lights around the patio. We lit a fire for hot dogs & s'mores. The girls took it from there, I just had to keep the little ones inside... I of course, was not invited, so these are a few of the pics the girls took...

Math for Emma

2010-03-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

There are 8 people in our family.
7 have been to the Dr.
Each Dr. visit is $15.00.
Each prescription for antibiotics is $5.00.
If we spent a total of $135.00,
How many people were diagnosed with Strep Throat?

Ice Age

2010-02-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Emma received ice skating lessons from Santa. She has really enjoyed them and is doing great! With her lessons came a punch pass to visit the ice rink for some extra practice. The first time I took the girls and enjoyed watching them skate. The second time I took all of the kids except for Rilla. I barely endured helping Nathan "skate" around one time. In fact, he cried after only going around 1/3 of the track wanting to go home. Skating is not his thing. I took him home and then returned to the rink to skate with the other kids. We still had a little over an hour of skating time. I was a bit jittery at first, but was happy to be skating. I enjoy it just as much now as I did as a child. I definitely wasn't doing any fancy tricks or even going too fast but I was having fun with my kiddos. I had just reminded my kids that we had less than five minutes left to skate when all of a sudden I felt PAIN in my bum and then heard a loud whack and felt immense PAIN on my head. I have no idea what happened. Though I felt completely humiliated, I truly did not know how I was going to get up let alone drive us all home. I knew it was a bad fall because 2 ice skating attendants helped me up and followed me off the rink and stayed with me until I left. The DR said I suffered a mild concussion and agrees I probably bruised my tail bone. Ray insists that IF I go ice skating again I must wear a helmet. I just think I'll go and quit 10 minutes earlier :) I hate experiences that bring me to the realization that I am getting older....

Hair Evolution

2010-02-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

The week before Valentine's Day I thought I'd be a super cool mom and try out some new "heart" hairstyles on my girls...While I thought it turned out super cute, my poor Emma came home in tears being called, "Medusa" the entire day....Perhaps the original plain ponytail has survived for a reason...true evolution at its best.

Versatility of Oatmeal

2010-02-21T16:58:00.000-08:00

I do not know how Rilla ended up with Nathan's bowl of oatmeal. Nor do I know how it ended upstairs. I do know that she had a wonderful time spreading it all over the floor and herself and then had fun sliding around in it. I also know that she enjoyed eating some as she went. What I am most happiest about however, is that I have grown as a mom. If this had been Elizabeth I probably would have started crying especially since I'd just mopped the floor. Instead, all I wanted was to find my camera and make sure she'd stay put until I could take her picture :) And, I figure an oatmeal bath must be good for her skin :)

Family Picture 2010

2010-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

My friend is in charge of making sure that every family in our congregation has a family picture to put on a bulletin board. I realized we haven't had one taken since last Christmas...so here it is...a very unprofessional snapshot capturing us remarkably well.

2010-02-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Rilla decided that one drawer wasn't enough to accommodate all of her needs so she now has also acquired a closet.

My Space

2010-02-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

I suppose even the youngest of us can appreciate the significance of our own drawer space. Rilla decided to make this drawer hers. She dumped the original contents out and moved right in. She can often be found eating a snack or playing with a toy. One thing is certain it is her space and no one is going to attempt to tell her otherwise.

Nathan's Fourth Birthday

2010-01-29T20:04:00.000-08:00

In anticipation for his birthday, Nathan tried hard to be good. His only request was that we acknowledge he'd be turning 6 and not 4. Not wanting to lie, I would simply nod and then state all of the great things about being 4. The reason that seemed to catch his attention was that he would get to stay home with me one more year before starting kindergarten :) Truly I am honored.

Nathan's greatest anxiety on his birthday was that he didn't feel like he'd grown enough. We all tried to soothe this fear by listing all of his BIG accomplishments such as successfully using the toilet and being able to knock on the neighbor's door all by himself. This has become a boost to his ego since he now feels enabled to disappear next door without asking or telling me where he's going.

So, after much discussion, worry, and persuasion the big day arrived. Nathan beamed when he awoke to birthday greetings. He basked in the lime-light of his day. The worries subsided as he clung to the festivities.

We treated Nathan to his favorite breakfast: Pancakes. To make it more special Ray covered the entire pancake with whipped cream. Nathan was Happy!

We had planned a fun birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. Nathan had never been and wasn't too sure about going. He only was willing to get in the car because Emmy was riding with us. However, when we walked through the front door, Nate's expression said, "I Love This Place!". He was in little boy heaven. He enjoyed all of the games, the show, the rides, and the tickets. He has been relentless in trying to commit me to another play date with Chuck E. Cheese.
The highlight of my day was seeing all of my children gathered round Nathan to help him put his Lego set together. It was really cute.
Surprisingly, the boy who HATES pink, demanded a pink cake. So, I came up with a strawberry chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache frosting. It was sooo yummy that I was happy he'd begged for a pink cake :) With the cutting and eating of cake the knowledge that one's special day will soon be over. As a pretty smart guy, Nathan knew that eating birthday cake accompanies nighttime which signals the end of a wonderful day. With this realization, Nate asked if we would promise to have a fun birthday for him next year. No problem Nathan!
This is a re-take because the first pictures didn't turn out...and then the battery died...so Nathan was delighted to blow out candles twice, but first I had to sing "Happy Birthday" to him :)

All Before Noon

2010-01-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

I awoke, showered, dressed.
Started some laundry.
Dressed Nathan & Rilla.
Fed everyone in shifts.
Drove Elizabeth to school.
Assisted Emma & Tessa in choosing outfits and then brushed their hair.
Found a long sleeve tee for Noah.
Washed some dishes.
Swept a floor.
Took the dog out: twice.
Drove Noah, Emma, & Tessa to school.
Collected some items for a preschool science experiment.
Ate a non-fat Yoplait yogurt while preparing a preschool art project: Boston Cream Pie (Really yummy!)
Changed Rilla's diaper.
Set up marbleworks tracks.
Taught preschool during which I cleaned up one enormous spill, wiped 20 hands covered with paint, sent those hands to wash properly in the sink, mopped up the 3 inches of water in the mudroom, put Nathan in time-out 3 times, changed Nathan's clothes twice, caught Rilla in the paint twice and cleaned her up, and everything else I normally do for school.
Said goodbyes.
Swept the floor.
Cleaned up our painting mess.
Took out the trash.
Prepared lunch for Nathan, Rilla, & I.
Changed a diaper.
Changed Rilla's clothes after noticing her bum was soaked.
Solved the mystery as to why Rilla's bum was soaked: Nathan had wet the floor while being in time-out.
Bathed Nathan.
Mopped the floor.
Washed clothes.
Fed Rilla & Nathan.
Put Rilla down for a nap.
Dressed Nathan.
Ate lunch.
Introduced quiet time to Nathan to insure me some time-out time of my own.

Nathan is a Sunbeam

2010-01-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Nathan is no longer in nursery.
His last week in nursery was a good one. He finally enjoyed going and referred to his teacher as his friend, Julia--wanting frequently to call her for a play date.
While happy at his recent contentment I began to worry about the transition into Primary.
His first week as a Sunbeam, I was subbing for the chorister. Nathan was clinging to my skirt until it sunk in that if he wanted a turn to help me he had to be sitting reverently on his chair like all of the other children I was choosing to help. At the end of the day I thought maybe there was nothing to worry about.
Week 2 in Sunbeams quickly reinforced all of my concerns. After chasing him around the room, catching him, and placing him upon his chair a dozen times, I found his dad. Ten minutes later Ray came back to report that Nathan had hid behind the pulpit but was sitting quietly and paying attention. Nathan's teacher had moved to sit close to him and so we felt all would be ok.
Next thing I know I've put Rilla to sleep and 3 people are hollering at me in urgent panicky voices for me to leave my class. Luckily, my friend took Rilla and I rushed out to learn that Nathan had taken off and evaded his teachers. I calmly searched the building and found him hiding under a small table. I asked him why he had run off and he answered, "I am scared of that big room!" I took him to his small classroom where he seemed excited to be. His male teacher inquired as to where his wife was. I realized she must still be searching for Nathan. I quickly fled searching for her. I found her shaking with terrifying sobs. She held me tight for what seemed like an eternity as she kept apologizing. I tried to soothe her while wanting the right words to come to mind to express my only concern for her well-being and my apologies for her having to be Nate's teacher, without sounding like an unfeeling parent who wasn't in the slightest worried about her son's safety....We'll see what happens this week. All I am praying for is that his teachers have experienced the maximum trauma possible and that any other Nathan behaviors will pale in comparison.

Nathan Incident

2010-01-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

A neighbor recalled this Nathan incident:

Nathan was sitting in church backwards and on his knees. He slipped and fell through the back of the chair onto the floor.

Nathan said, "Ow! I hurt my arm. Story of my life!"

I don't know where I had been when it happened, but it was still hilarious just to hear it told.

Christmas Fun

2010-01-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

Decorating the house for Christmas is one of my favorite things to do. I have 3 large trees: one for remembering family members, one for the Children to help me decorate, and one for my entry way that brings me serenity. I usually feel oodles of Christmas Cheer and am bursting with Joy. This year, however, I felt more like Ebeneezer than Santa.

I had vowed to not buy any toys. I rationalized that we have enough toys and could use our money more wisely. Perhaps resisting the urge to find the "perfect" present removed some of my excitement for the season. I also limited my neighborhood treats this year. I reasoned that I would make 3 batches of treats and when we'd given them away I would be done. Of course this objective pushed me further along the path of being an over-all scrooge. I did, however, consent to collecting one "toy" per child from Santa. It was then that I found a tiny happy bubble begin to swell within, but not full enough to pop. I made more treats to give away. And, I determined to do a family activity every night together during our Christmas Break. These activities did not always work out the way I'd hoped, but the Christmas Spirit came to me and into our home. Children make Christmas wonderful! I don't regret limiting our toy accumulation, just my attitude towards it. We didn't need toys, but we did need some fun time spent together. I think this Christmas will be a memorable one for all of us.

The first activity was to ride the train to SLC to participate in a Messiah Sing-Along. I had always wanted to go to this and was extremely excited and motivated to bundle us all up and venture out on this cold cold night.

The train was very crowded with hundreds of people hoping for a fun family night just like me. Noah & Elizabeth were excited to stand up bumping along with strangers. Noah burst into song embarrassing his dad and inviting his siblings to join in. While singing, Do you like Waffles, wasn't the best choice for Christmas Caroling, it did seem to lighten the journey and caused a lot of laughter. When we finally arrived, we were sad to hear that the thousands of seats had been filled and we wouldn't be able to get in. So Plan B was initiated: We would go see the lights at Temple Square. I suggested that we hop back onto the train and then get off at the Temple stop. Ray, however, argued that it was just too close to ride. After carrying Nathan 6 blocks in windy frigid temperatures to Temple Square, I was less than cheerful and was ready to go home. Enduring patiently and refraining from punching your spouse does pay off. The children had such a fun night. Nathan was eager to greet each and every baby Jesus at every life sized Nativity from several countries. Our tummies began to grumble since we'd planned on eating hot dogs at the Sing Along. We walked (again I carried Nathan) another 6 blocks to the only restaurant I was sure would be there. I ordered a reliable comfort food: soup. With a happy tummy I bundled us up to brave the cold again as we walked to a train stop to await the train. Sometimes the joy is in the journey, sometimes the test is to enjoy the journey, and sometimes we just do our best to make the journey. My hidden treasure in this journey was seeing my shy & quiet children surprise me with their daring spunk & cheer. It was magical.

Our second outing was to drive through the lights at Thanksgiving Point. We had never done this before and I didn't know what to expect. I am happy to report that it was fun and enjoyable. It was another cold and windy night which dissuaded my spouse from parking the car to see the reindeer and sip hot cocoa...but I suppose if we did everything we wouldn't have something new to do next year?

Our third surprise outing met some unwilling participants who did NOT want to go if we were going to see more lights or if we'd be outside in the cold night air. After giving the best guilt trip speech I could give, we quietly drove to the location of our surprise outing: A boat ride on the river to see Christmas Lights. While I wouldn't consider the large raft we were on a boat, and while I thought the lights were a bit bare, and the whole event a bit hokey, my children probably loved this outing the best, which of course made me love it too.

The fourth night was Christmas Eve. Ray surprised me by suggesting that he take us all out to dinner so I would get a rest. Nathan for once sat still and stayed on his chair and still we managed to break a glass full of water. Of course we were seated in the middle of the room for all to see and gawk as the kind waitress swept up glass shards through a small pond of water reaching 5 or more yards out from our table. When we got home we prepared to do the Christmas Play. I am certain that if we'd had any loving and kind feelings before they quickly vanished as the arguing began..."I want to be Mary! You have to be the Angel! You are Always the Angel! I want to be a Sheep! We will not have you be a sheep! I want to be a Wise Man not Joseph! You are Always Joseph! That is why I want to be a Wise Man! I think Rilla should be the baby Jesus. Rilla will not be the baby Jesus. I want to be the baby Jesus! You can be a Shepherd or a Wise Man or Joseph. I only want to be the baby Jesus. You can't be Joseph, Noah has to be Joseph! And on & on it went....Until I shouted that we were ready to start and Tessa had a melt down because we hadn't practiced. I reminded her that we never need to practice and that we 'd help her know when to come and where to stand....So with pouting and tears we had our Christmas Play. Somehow in the doing, we found joy and ended the evening singing Carols while Elizabeth accompanied us on the piano. That was the redeeming point for me.

Mary sadly traveling alone to Bethlehem.
And so I conceded to allowing Rilla to be the Baby Jesus.
An earnest Shepherd.
Finally, a Joseph who thought he was another Baby Jesus.
All smiles for a final picture...

Christmas Day was reserved for playing together. It was a wonderful day and truly I felt the magic and finally felt completely full of Christmas Cheer & Peace.
Pajama ready with anticipation oozing to see Christmas Presents. And of course Grandma Ellgen's hand made gifts brought the most smiles!

Rilla took a long time opening her presents. She quickly discovered that there was candy inside the stockings and so she crawled around merrily snatching her siblings treats unnoticed.
Perhaps the one thing that brought the most joy into my Christmas was making these two mini scrapbooks for Nathan & Rilla. Nathan's book only took me 3 1/2 years to finish while Rilla's quickly came together in less than a week. I was rewarded for my efforts as we continue to read through them together.

Our 4th outing took us to In & Out Burger. I have to admit that even though I grew up in California, I'd never eaten there. So it was a fun first to do all together.

The 5th outing we went to Jump On It. I had as much fun as the kids did. Nathan & Rilla both relaxed and out bounced us all :)

Our 6th outing was to see a movie on the "Big TV" (theater). Ray & I enjoyed chasing Rilla around in the foyer during the movie.

Our final outing was my personal favorite. We were blessed with some new snow just perfect for sledding. Everyone had a blast! and we only quit when my feet started to get wet and the sun began to set.
It was nice having help pulling Rilla back up the hill or we'd have quit pretty quickly.
Tessa loved going backwards.

Noah's 12th Birthday!

2010-01-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

My oldest son, Noah, is now 12 years old. Besides being a little taller and a lot more responsible, he has become quite chatty. He told me yesterday that he made a "button" for his table group at school to hit when someone needs to say something. He thought we should use one at home too. All I could say was, "That is an idea" while visions of body parts being used as a punching bag to HIT the BUTTON.

The name Noah means Peace. He is a true peacemaker in our home. He would rather surrender his rights (chair at the table, special treat, seat in the car, turn on the computer, movie choice...) than continue arguing over it. I love this quality in him! He is a great older brother! He tries to be patient with Nathan and often plays with him. There new favorite game being wrestling. Noah lets Nate hit, kick, tickle, and punch him. He usually lets Nate knock him flat on his back pretending he's lost the fight. He is fun to watch with Rilla as well. Tessa loves to hear every riddle he comes home with and then he patiently listens to her ask the same riddles pretending he doesn't know the answers. And while he is aware of how Elizabeth somehow can get him to do anything she wants, he still does it and still loves her in spite of it. He is very helpful to me and usually smiles and answers, "Sure!," when I've asked him to do something for me.

I especially proud of his desire to be good. Truly good. Not just a be good because I said kind, but a good that is embedded into his core. He chooses good. He inspires me to be good and loves me even when I am not.

Noah was the last boy to turn 12 in his church class. He sat alone for over one month. The first week he spent alone in sharing time, his class had the assignment of providing sharing time. Noah did it by himself and did a great job. The joke in Primary became, "If you need a small class, just pick Noah!" I know many boys are anxious to get out of Primary and would have been miserable to be the last one. Noah just seemed to embrace it. I am grateful to his leaders for providing opportunities for him to help with Sharing Time.

Now that he is with the Young Men and holds the Aaronic Priesthood he continues to shine. A couple of weeks before his ordination he had asked me why some men prefer to dress casually at church. We discussed many options for this. He looked me in the eye and said, "Mom, I want to dress up for the Lord." And he does. He is anxious to perform his responsibilities with love and humility. On his first Sunday to pass the sacrament he had not been instructed how to do it. I watched him nervously as I wanted to soothe his confusion and nerves. He didn't need me and figured it out just fine. If it had been me or one of my girls we would have come home upset and scared to death to try it again. When I asked him how it went he answered, "Great!"

Noah invited 6 boys to accompany him to Provo's First Night to celebrate his birthday in conjunction with New Year's Eve. It was a lot of fun! It was also wonderful to have grandparents to celebrate with us. We enjoyed Grandma Pace's chocolate cake and ice cream and playing games. The still very boy side of Noah still loves Legos and Bionicles and was ecstatic to received many for his presents.
One of the activities was eating Red Hot Chili Peppers:
BEFORE:
DURING:

AFTER:
Spared viewers the sight!
A bungee cord game:
Noah & Payton duking it out:
I love my Noah guy! My birthday wish for him is a lifetime of a continued good attitude.

Good Samaritan?

2009-11-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, as I was driving home from a quick errand at the store, I noticed a young girl trying to cross Center street. It was literally freezing outside. Across the street another young girl awaited her friend. Both girls were jumping up and down probably to stay warm. I glanced up & down Center wondering if there would be an adequate pause in traffic for the girl to cross safely. After my few minutes of deliberation & allowing my opportunities to merge onto Center fade away I decided to help the girl. I just went straight into the lane of oncoming traffic to give the girl time to run across. The first car in a long line did not slow down. In fact, I realized that it was going to attempt to swerve around me. Concerned about the young girl being hit by an impatient ignorant man, I honked my horn & signaled for him to stop while pointing to the girl. He briefly stopped for the girl and to shout obscenities at me. I was happy the girl crossed the street and let the man's anger roll off of me. However, to my surprise each & every car for the next 5 minutes sped past me, each one pausing briefly to yell and honk at me. I am certain most of them thought I was crazy, & perhaps I am, but I felt a bit like a heroin saving a child from a traffic disaster and the rest didn't matter a bit.

September Moments

2009-11-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

September 1, 2009

I wasn't sure that our corn would be edible. It seemed to grow slowly. I had noticed that the stalks were shorter than any corn I'd ever seen. To my surprise, however, we enjoyed scrumptious corn. I love the white corn the best & Rilla seemed to agree as she munched on it raw:)
September 3, 2009

Tessa, Nathan, Rilla, & I went on a walk together. Actually, I was the only one who walked. Nate & Rilla rode in the stroller & Tessa rode her bike. She didn't want to leave Dash behind at home so he got a special ride in her basket. Tessa loved all the attention from friends whom we saw on our excursion.
Doesn't Dash seem to love it just as much as Tessa did?

September 9, 2009
Oh, love the baby!

September 11, 2009

As a farewell to summer we enjoyed a backyard camp-out complete with an outdoor cook-out:)
I enjoyed all the campfire fun with the bonus of being able to sleep in my own bed while everyone else slept outside in the tent. Having a baby is nice.

There is something magical about eating a hot dog that you've roasted yourself over a fire. Mmmm! And s'mores for dessert!
Emma accompanied us with her repertoire of two songs: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star & London Bridges.
And, cooking or playing in the fire is a nice time to meditate & reflect or unwind & bond.

September 13, 2009

Nathan was so excited to show me the "S" he made on the floor with his fruit roll-up trash :)

September 19, 2009/Garden Bounty

I am so happy my garden did well enough for me to can some spaghetti sauce. There is something so fulfilling in growing and preserving your own food. My children even boosted my spirits as they asked, "Mom, what stuff did you grow yourself to make the sauce?" I happily answered, "Everything." "Mom, what about the spices?" "OK, the onions, garlic, basil, oregano, peppers, tomatoes, & parsley came from our garden. The salt & pepper did not." :)
And, the jars are so pretty on my pantry shelf :)

We were blessed with three varieties of watermelons. Each one was scrumptious! My favorite was the seedless.

And we also grew some other yummy melons. Wish I could remember what kinds they were...
Ray was kind to make this garden tee-pee for me to grow gourds on. I ended up with pumpkins & cucumbers instead of gourds :) And, they were lovely!
September 22, 2009

Today at preschool, Rilla, proudly swiped an apple off of the table and began to eat it as quickly as possible. Apples are her favorite fruit.
September 24, 2009
The Fall Festival
Before Nathan & Rilla, my yearly commitment to the Elemenary School's Fall Festival was to run the Cake Decorating Contest. My first year out-of-commission the Cake Contest became the Pop Bottle Decorating Contest. This year I was recruited to run it. Having not seen it done I was a bit apprehensive and yet I agreed to run it since I'd been unable to help for the past 3 years. Guilt is a huge motivator in my life. Since I was in charge I felt obligated to have my 3 children participate. To our surprise 2 of them won prizes :) And, I was not a judge :) Now that it is over & the prizes all awarded, I feel a great sense of relief, but a bit curious to see if I'll be persuaded to head it up next year as well...I suppose it could be worse:)
Tessa's Pop Bottle Creation: She was feeling a bit blue since Minnie had fallen off on the way to school & she wasn't re-attaching easily...
Noah made his bottle a Darth Vader. He was quite pleased with it, but refused to be seen posing with it for a photograph.

Emma fashioned her version of Miss Piggy complete with jewelry she made herself. Emma was a bit frustrated with me that I wouldn't purchase false eyelashes to enhance Piggy's look. Both she and Tessa were so attached to their bottles, I caved and bought them back from the school.

September 28, 2009--Our last "Summer Night"

We had a family Harvest Event. The cold was coming and I wanted to pick as many things as possible before a frost. Tessa was hilarious as she helped me pick pumpkins & tomatoes. She would hold each one up in the air exclaiming, "Look! Another prize winner!" What makes it funnier is that her prize winners were the small grape tomatoes and mini pumpkins. I am glad that she felt as much love towards our garden as I do though :)

While some of us worked, others played...

Emma's "Prize Winner": it has to be the smallest pumpkin I've ever seen & so cute.
My prize winner: My Big Max pumpkin proudly weighed in at 55 pounds and courageously hung on from a rope on my 8 foot tepee. Tessa was given a coupon for a free pumpkin at the grocery store and so we picked out the biggest one we could find: It only weighed 30 pounds :)

More canning...Yummy Pears!
A rare sight:
Nathan crashing at the dinner table at the end of a hard day's work :)

September was also the month I finished a quilt for a friend. Thank you Grandma for your expertise stitching assistance! Thank you Kara, Annie, & Kim for help with the embroidering! My only hope is that is somehow conveys all the love we feel for our sweet sister & friend.

Our 4th October Birthday

2009-11-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

We celebrate four birthdays in October; Ray's being the last. I made his favorite cinnamon rolls for a late breakfast. Everyone stayed home from church because everyone except for me was very sick with Swine Flu. I am ready for it to fly away. Rilla was feeling a bit better today and Ray was kind enough to share his festivities with her. They each blew out a candle in their cinnamon rolls. However, Rilla wasn't interested in eating it at all. She only wanted the grapes:) Ray ate his & hers. Both had a lovely day.I am happy that Rilla prefers fruit to treats. I just wish I did too. I want both.

Rilla is One Year Old!

2009-11-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

It is a terrible thing to be sick on a holiday. I know. I have been sick on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Halloween. All of that pales in comparison to seeing my darling baby so ill on her celebration of her first year of life. My poor princess had swine flu for her birthday. And all she wanted was to be held. Of course her wish was granted. We chose not to do a cake because she wasn't wanting to eat. The other children were disappointed as they were looking forward to the celebration. I decided to let her open one present & a card from Grandma. She loved the card! She seemed concerned we would take it away and was happy that she was allowed to hold it and read it herself.

The one gift was a Teddy Bear. She really didn't want to open anything so she received lots of help :) When the bear was unveiled she drew it near & snuggled with it and went to sleep. That was as good as it got.
Rilla has brought an immense amount of joy & love into our home. She is loved and cherished. When she is feeling well she constantly shares a contagious laugh about everything. She is eager to explore and communicate. She loves to be outside. She loves to eat everything & hopefully will continue to eat well after she learns the dislikes of her siblings. Rilla is a pleasant baby and fun to have around. Happy Birthday my sweet angel!

Emma's Birthday

2009-10-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

My little Emma Rose is Ten! Emma is a sweetheart. She cares about others' feelings and does her best to make others happy. She never wants to hurt or offend. She is bright & talented. She is naturally good with all babies (which is a huge help to me). She loves being a girl & loves her hair. She has so much love in her & still plans to home all the homeless when she grows up. I love you Emma!

Just one week after Tessa's birthday comes Emma's. Emma was pleasantly surprised that I allowed her one present to open before school. It was a new outfit and she looked darling in it. I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and Emma was delighted. She expressed a concern that no one would come to her party...but 16 out of the 20 showed up right after school ready for fun.

We had a Halloween themed birthday party which was fun & simple. We already had decorations up so we just needed some food & games. One of the favorite decorations were floor stickers that were glow-in-the-dark green gooey footprints leading down our front hallway. As the kids came in they were concerned about the footprints & wondered who had made them:)

Spooky treats were fun to eat! We had homemade root beer with dry ice. [I made the mistake of adding the dry ice to the pot that still was hot. I was mopping up root beer in a panic ten minutes before the party started.] We ate Mummy Dogs, Ghostly Cheesy Fingers, Mud Cups, & Monster Jaws.
My main concern about this party was trying to find enough entertainment for a wild mix of boys & girls. I hoped that Everyone would have fun. We played some fun games including the "Skittle" game. Watching a few of the kids try not to chew the skittles was hilarious! Foam pumpkin shapes & straws turned out to be a huge success! We played boys against girls. One from each team would take a straw and try to get as many pumpkins as they could into a bowl in 30 seconds. Emma didn't want me to play one of the same games that we'd played at Tessa's party, but it ended up being the favorite. The kids kept playing it even after we'd stopped.
The best thing about this party for me was that we'd already eaten dinner and when the guests left we could clean up and go to bed :) Those boys and girls were quite a fun and loud bunch! Emma loved all of the attention: from us and her friends. She always has commanded the attention of a princess and received it well this day.

Tessa's Birthday

2009-10-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Tessa is such a fun girl. She is eager to tell you a joke or something funny she saw at school. She is the one in our family who quietly observes situations and has great commentary on them. She makes me laugh when she tries to use big words. The surprising thing is she usually says them in correct context but has no idea what the meaning of the word is. Tessa is a cuddle bug. She tends to shy away from big groups and sometimes goes unnoticed. However, she loves one on one time and will chat till your eyes droop. I love my Tessa! Happy Seven Years!

We started Tessa's special day off right with her favorite breakfast of waffles and raspberry buttermilk syrup. YUM! She had a new pumpkin shirt that she was excited to wear to school. I ended up going to the school at lunch time and decided to say hi to her. I asked her teacher if she'd passed out the birthday treats. The teacher was horrified that she'd not even realized it was Tessa's birthday and Tessa hadn't passed out the treats. I felt horrible. Tessa had been telling me that her name wasn't on the Birthday calendar at school. I had suggested that perhaps the teacher only wrote the names of the "Birthday Kids" as their birthdays happen. Tessa seemed like that was a reasonable possibility...The teacher kindly informed me that she would hurry and do some birthday celebrating after lunch....She must have done a good job because Tessa came home with a new book that all of her classmates had signed for her. She was happy and even thought it was funny that her teacher had forgotten at first. I am so glad I followed my feeling to check with the teacher & say hello to my sweet girl :)

Two days later at church I asked Tessa if they sang happy birthday to her. When she replied, "No," my heart sank. Tessa is so sweet and good and quiet that she does get forgotten. I called the Primary President the following week to see if they would sing to her since they'd missed her birthday. Tessa thought it was wonderful that they'd forgotten because they gave her two treats to apologize for forgetting :)

After school we had 20 of her friends come over for a super Pumpkin Birthday Party. We had lots of pumpkin games and pumpkin decorations. I think my favorite game was our mini pumpkin relay. I recounted the Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin (by Joe Troiano), to the kids as they ate their pumpkin cupcakes. We then painted square pumpkins for them to take home. I think the highlight for the kids was the pumpkin pinata. I was surprised and pleased that each child had a turn hitting it before it burst open. :)

My favorite part of the day was seeing Tessa loved by friends and family. Elizabeth had written her a special birthday note and left it on the fridge before school. Emma & Elizabeth were super helpers at the party. Noah was kind and helpful with her homework. He also offered up his homemade beeswax candle to light for this special occasion. We had a yummy dinner with all of Tessa's favorites: jello, coconut, cherries, & pineapple. (I made Hawaiian Haystacks)
She went to bed feeling like a princess and indeed she is.
The next day was Saturday. Tessa & I went out to lunch together. All she wanted was Shrimp. She ate Shrimp on her salad and large shrimp for her entree. She expressed her disappointment with the waiter that her idea of large shrimp was different than theirs :) (especially when she had ordered from the "adult" menu to insure that she'd get the most shrimp possible). I was surprised that she ate her entire lunch and savored every bite. So, apparently, while the shrimp weren't giant, they were tasty. We had a lovely time just the two of us.

Ellgen Reunion 2009

2009-09-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

This summer marked the 100 years for the Ellgen Ranch. To celebrate, we had a huge reunion with Grandpa Ellgen, Great-Uncle Philip, and Great-Aunt Blanche with all of their children & grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Here are some of our highlights...

Grandpa Pearce Loved his ride on the motorcycle.

Noah loved Climbing fences,

hanging out in cold storage with cousins,

riding horses,
four wheeling,

joining in the family kick ball game,

swimming in the Yampa river, swimming in the pool, eating good food, balloon rockets, hanging out with the boys, and just being at the ranch.

Rilla loved...

playing peek-a-boo with Uncle David & a wet hankie.
getting a lil' shut-eye,

being with grandpa,
begging Great-grandma Ellgen to share her Popsicle...
And swimming in the Craig Wave Pool with GREAT Uncle David.

Tessa loved exploring the ranch,

riding horses,
And, swimming in the pool,

becoming better acquainted with her second cousin while catching bugs together,
She also loved being with Finley. The two of them ran wild together...they were off doing something or other and that is why there aren't many pictures. She loved to roam!

Emma loved chasing the sheep,
seeing the pigs,

riding the horses,

four wheeling, swimming in the river, listening to Grandma Ellgen & Grandma Pace stories, eating good food and she especially loved that I played kick-ball too.

Elizabeth loved guiding and riding the horses,

swimming in the river,

riding on John Deere,

She also loved that she was allowed to drive all the fun machines herself. She loved that there were other adults who played and tended to Rilla & Nathan. She was grateful to have gone!

Nathan loved being with Big Nathan,

riding the horse,
hanging out with cousins,
sneaking in and out of the tractor,
pretending to drive the tractor,
playing kick-ball,
walking with Andrew,

pretending that the port-a-pottie was his clubhouse,
Usually, one doesn't want to be in one for one second longer than necessary, and yet, I kept having to chase him out....
And Clinging to me,
Nathan also loved having acres of land to run on when he was able to admit that he didn't need me every second...

I loved hearing stories about Grandma Ellgen and Great-Grandma Pace. I also loved hearing Grandpa Ellgen tell stories about his childhood. I loved that Rilla loved Grandpa Pearce, Great Uncle David, and Great Grandma Ellgen! Thanks to all for making it a lovely experience and helping me with my crew!

Just Feed the Children!

2009-08-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Our elementary school has an absurd policy: Pay first or kids don't eat. So perhaps it's not that bad, but why should a child go hungry if a parent is delinquent? And why do we hear so much about how important healthy nutrition to a child's ability to learn if the school is willing to starve the kids? I personally think it's unethical to allow any child to miss lunch regardless of the reason. Because usually there is a reason...
One of my greatest struggles stems from the fact that I write one check for all the children's lunch money. I assume that the money will be used for each of them. I knew we had some money left in our account from last year but just in case, I gave Noah 5 dollars yesterday morning to insure that all 3 children would have lunch. Poor Tessa came home with her hand stamped red & a nasty reminder sticker stuck to her shirt. She cried as she told me I'd forgotten to send lunch money. I tried to soothe her by explaining there'd been a mistake because I had sent money. Of course though, I am always wrong when going up against school administration in my children's eyes. I even asked Noah if he'd remembered to turn in the money. He had :) I realized that Tessa, being new to the school lunch as a first grader is not yet on the list of "Thompson Children" who share lunch money.
Today as I handed Noah a check for more money (with an explicit note that the money is to be divided amongst the 3 children), I turned to Tessa, and said, "If anyone tells you that you don't have money, or if they tell you that you can't eat, simply say, 'My mom said she paid and that you'd better feed me! Call my mom if you have any questions.'" Tessa rehearsed this a few times while giggling. At least she left knowing I'd go to battle for her.

8th Grade Registration

2009-08-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

After last years series of unfortunate events, I feel confident we're off to a good start. This year when I went to pay the fees, the financial secretary nervously commented, "I will try very hard to register Elizabeth as herself instead of as Chloe." I smiled and said, "I would truly appreciate that." Time will tell.

Insightful

2009-08-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Nathan approached me today with his helpful insights...
"Little boys make tiny choices.
Big boys make big choices.
Adults make blah!"

Cousins Visit

2009-08-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

Can you tell we're cousins?

Jared, Jaime, Wash, Soren, Elijah, Finley, & Max came for a quick visit. We loved having them. I am sad that with all the fun the kids had, I didn't take more pictures. :(

It was fun to celebrate Soren's 10th Birthday. All of the older kids got to go see the newly released Harry Potter movie. Tessa & Finley nearly burst into tears when they realized they'd been left home (or maybe it was the fact that they'd been placed in the "younger" group). To cheer them up, I gave them each a roll of crepe paper and some tape to decorate for the "birthday party." They did a fabulous job and were very excited when I pulled out some fun straws, party blowers, and little toys to embellish the table with. I felt pretty good when one of the boys commented that this was the fanciest birthdays anyone of them had ever had.

Come again Pearces! We love you!

Broken Heart

2009-08-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Nathan woke up this morning very forlorn. As he sat in my lap, looking up at my face, he started to cry exclaiming, "Emmy doesn't love me. She won't marry me when I am bigger."
I suppose matters of the heart are difficult at any age. : )

Cherry Picking

2009-08-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Tessa decided that she'd better make me a "to do" list for all the activities we still wanted to accomplish this summer. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have been able to do all I've done without her list. Item number one was "Cherry Picking." Every day for weeks Tessa would ask me if I had called to see if we could go and pick cherries. (Tessa is very fond of cherries.)

We had gone cherry picking a couple of summers ago. It was a relaxing and rewarding outing. The children could climb the trees and fill their pails with red juicy cherries. There are rows and rows of trees to choose from. There is room to roam. The only rule was: We buy what you pick. It truly was a child's haven.

The sad thing about a perfect memory is that it can rarely be duplicated. However, I had no idea how truly awful this years trip to the cherry orchard would be.
It is a 20 minute drive to the grove. There were countless inquiries as to how long it would take. There was fighting over what we were listening to on the radio and who could sing along and who couldn't. When one argument was squelched, another one sprung. I kept thinking that the fighting would cease as soon as we'd reach our destination.

From the moment the car was parked the cries of dissent howled, "It is so hot! I want that bucket! Why does he always get the bigger pail? All of these cherries are too high! I don't want to climb a tree! I am stuck in the tree! There are too many bugs! How come he has more cherries than me? When can we go home? Can I have a cherry? Why do I have to push the stroller? Can I wait in the car?" With other families in the orchard watching us in dismay, I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I tried everything I could think of to promote unity and foster love. No such luck. Instead, I think the trees themselves wanted us to go too and eagerly shed their lovely fruit without much prompting to hurry us up.

The cherries were consumed quickly. We all enjoyed them. I am thinking it will take me a full year to decide if I can return to the orchard....because it can always be worse.

Reflection

2009-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Suzette had made me a cute headband a few years ago for one of the girls. I thought it would be super cute with Rilla's dress. I tried to put it on her head but she kept tugging it off. I put her by a mirror to change her diaper. When I finished, she sat up & admired her beauty in her reflection. While distracted, I slipped on the headband. I noticed her eyes follow my hands to the bow. I watched & waited. As she looked from just the bow to her entire image, a smile grew across her face. I encouragingly cooed, "Oooo the pretty baby." The headband remained on her head the rest of the day without any attempt to remove it. Sometimes a little perspective is all that is needed.

Worry & Patience

2009-08-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Finally our hens laid eggs! Emma is ecstatic! I am relieved. Emma has checked several times a day for 3 months to find nothing. She worried and worried and worried that she'd never find an egg. She worried that maybe we had roosters instead of hens. She worried that we'd have to eat the chickens if they didn't lay. She worried that she'd done something wrong....All we could do was remind her that it would just take time and to be patient. We tried to tell her that all of the worry wouldn't do a bit of good. I suppose that while that is true, it is something we all learn for ourselves.

Vows

2009-08-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Pictures don't always tell the whole story....
Tessa had been asking me why I had let her hair get so long....
I kept promising to cut it soon...
When it was time to cut it she just cried & cried.
When I was young there were always girls who would say, "I used to have long hair, but my mom made me cut it!" Then the bunch of listeners would add sympathy by agreeing that the mother had been an ogre. I vowed to never be such a mom.
So, when Tessa began to cry, I hesitated to make the first snip...and yet, she'd begged me to cut it for weeks...and she even accused me of not keeping it short like she likes it, so I cut.

Unfortunately, she still seemed upset when I finished. Being a mom is tough.

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Our July 4th Celebration began early in the morning to watch the annual parade.

What is better than watching a parade? Being invited to participate in the parade by firing a cannon!

After a quick lunch we spent the afternoon swimming in the public pool, followed by a picnic in the canyon for dinner. The day ended with fireworks and ice cream. My feelings for this holiday are best described through Elizabeth's comment, "Mom, I love this holiday! I think it is my very favorite one. There is no stress. There is no over-planning. It is just a day to enjoy!"

My little Miss America!

Colonial Village-July 2-4

2009-07-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our city does a fabulous job to celebrate the 4th of July! In fact, there are so many activities that I still haven't done them all. However, I did manage to add 2 new ones to our traditions this year. The first was the Carillon Concert, the second was taking my children to see the "Colonial Village." There are a bunch of individuals and families who donate their yards, costumes, time, and talents to put up a small-scale colonial village for 3 full days.

Nathan & Rilla spent quite a bit of time rocking in a hand made baby cradle. The man had made several pieces of furniture by using colonial hand tools and was busy making his own lathe.

We had a fun time playing the game, "Graces."

Noah determined to get this hoop going and he did for about 20 feet...

Trying out some hand tools...

Playing with Checkers...

Steering a Mayflower replica...

In fact, the kids had so much fun that Elizabeth begged me to ask how she could volunteer for next year. She was ecstatic when they invited her to volunteer this year too. Elizabeth exclaimed, "I am so excited! I have always wanted to wear one of these dresses!" It is amazing & sometimes very simple what motivates us. :)
She & Emma spent the afternoon teaching other children graces & helping to spin yarn. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Noah joined them on the 2nd day.
I am certain I won't forget about this activity next year.

Carillon Concert

2009-07-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Every year as part of the Freedom Festival there is a free Carillon Concert one night in June. For the past 7 years I would forget to go. I would be upset at myself for missing it and then recommit to myself to get us there the next year. We finally went this summer, June 17th , 2009. It was so nice to take a picnic and eat on the lawn under the bell tower while listening to beautiful music. I enjoyed watching all of my children play together. They could run, roll down the hills, visit the ducks in the canal, and talk/laugh/scream and it didn't interfere with anyone's enjoyment of the music. In fact it was lovely to sit and watch many other families doing similar things as mine. I absolutely love activities like this! I felt closer to my family, my neighborhood, & my country all at once. Next year I will be there!

Underwear Versatility

2009-07-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is how potty training is going...

A Box of Tissue

2009-07-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

One morning while I was doing laundry, Nathan decided to open and empty a brand new box of Tissue. He had a great time playing with all 250 sheets and put up a good fuss when I confiscated them. The only question that remained was, "How do I put all of the tissues back in the box?" Impossible. I have a greater appreciation for assembly line machines.

A Visit to a Pedodontist

2009-07-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

According to the dictionary :
pe·do·don·tics (pē'də-dŏn'tĭks) n.
The branch of dentistry that deals with the care and treatment of children's teeth.
And therefore the pedodontist is the dentist who specializes with the care and treatment of children's teeth. I would assume (and there lies the mistake) that one specializing with children's teeth would also be good at dealing with children.

I was pleasantly surprised at Nathan's cheerfulness to go to the dentist. En Route he would say, "They're gonna floss my teeth! Right Mama?" His enthusiasm bubbled over and he repeated the same declaration over and over again. It is no surprise then that he was the first into the chair. He giggled as the chair went up and back. His laughter was contagious. All in the office were giggling and smiling. The X-rays were even a game to him as he bit down upon the film and said, "Aargggg Matey!" I might have thought I was having a lovely dream except Rilla's chewing on my arm kept it very real.

As I watched, I wondered why none of the lovely assistants didn't speak--not to me nor to my children. It was the first time in my entire life that dentist assistants weren't asking a million questions not waiting for answers because their hands and tools are in your mouth. They know you can't respond, but still the prattle is kind of a nice distraction and shows they're somewhat interested in you.

Nathan had been rotated from the X-ray chair to the cleaning chair. Once again the chair "ride" was entertaining. He was given "cool blue" sunglasses to wear to keep the light out of his eyes. He giggled as the cleaning brush whizzed across his teeth. All of a sudden he screamed, "OW!" He sat erect and exclaimed, "You hurt me! I don't want you to touch me again!" The lovely assistant quietly responded, "I didn't hurt you. I am almost done." Then she gave me a pathetic glance. Nathan firmly stated, "YOU HURT ME!" Once again she denied it. Obviously the fun was over. The lovely assistant was giving up. Nathan felt betrayed and I believe he just wanted an apology. I moved close to Nate. I sat next to him on the chair. I asked him to show me where it hurt. He stuck out his tongue and pointed. I offered to give his mouth a kiss instead of his tongue. He obliged. He smiled and told me that he'd been brave but the girl was mean and had hurt him and he wanted to go home. I ruffled his hair. I agreed that he was brave. I told him I loved him. I suggested that the lovely assistant (like many of us do) had made a mistake (while she glared at me) and we should forgive her. Nathan folded his arms tightly and sealed his lips tightly together. I tickled him. He smiled forgetting his determination to keep his mouth shut. I said quickly, "Oh NO! The BIG cavity monsters are taking over!" "Nathan, we've got to get them!" Panicked, Nathan opened his mouth wide and lied down on the chair. The lovely assistant sat dumbfounded. I repeated and clearly added, "The lovely girl is going to get those monsters!" After I glared at her, she finally got the hint and quickly finished cleaning his teeth.

The lovely assistant made Nathan a balloon sword for his prize. He treasured this for a couple of minutes. I sat wondering if the office staff meetings were spent learning new balloon creations. I also wondered if they spent any time at all being educated on understanding young children and how to work with them...

Seriously, here was an enthusiastic boy with absolutely no hesitation nor fear about being at the dentist. He only needed gentle prodding and for someone to apologize.

Pink-Eye Plague

2009-06-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

Pink is nice
That's what you think
Until it oozes yellow goop
Itching until Red
Swollen shut
Unable to see

Pink is friendly
The smooth skin of a baby
The nose of a kitten
The fairy-tale princess
Beauty masks the infection:
The desire to want

Little hands touch and place
Feeling is learning
I pick-up things pink has touched
I see red. I don't see.
Twice we all receive the Pink
Except for daddy--lucky he.

48 Days of Missed Writing

2009-06-28T21:41:00.001-07:00

I began writing about several of the events that have transpired over the past 48 days since my last post. It became quite long so I decided to break it up a bit for an easier read...
I have missed writing. I crave my time to write and when I don't do it, I feel anxious and concerned that I will forget something, and yet, time passes too quickly and too many other things compete for my time and attention. Mostly good things: motherly responsibilities, times to serve, opportunities to participate in fun activities, and sometimes unpleasant and unforeseen catastrophes require my constant vigil. And then at the end of an over-stuffed day when all are asleep and it is nearly the hour of a new day beginning, all I crave is sleep and I surrender to my body's desire and rest-- just enough to begin another day. Whatever the reason or choice for not writing...I am happy to write now--today.
...so little by little I'll keep posting old and new....mixed together and disorderly...just like my life :)

Painting Woes

2009-06-28T20:05:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2009

Our first day of summer vacation according to some, but not to me. I thought it would be a good idea to get some work done on this Saturday so that we could begin Summer Break with Fun on Monday. Instead, all I wanted to do was skip Summer all together and put all the kids in far-away boarding schools...

Our swing set was pretty ragged when we moved in 8 years ago. After 8 years of snow, rain, sun, wind, construction, and kids, it has become really pathetic. I thought we could use some red paint left-over from our "remodel" to perk it up a bit and reduce splinters. I also thought it would be nice to have the children assist in the painting. I gathered all of the supplies together and found old clothing for the kids to wear. I had a couple of quick things to attend to inside before we could start painting. However, I must have made it all too clear that there would be NO FUN until our work was done, because for the first time ever in our household the children actually went to work without me driving them to do it. Unfortunately, this was BAD.
One of the little things I attended to was Nathan. His pull-up was oozing all up his back and down his legs. I had picked him up to bathe him upstairs. While he was in the bath and I was cleaning up his soiled clothes, Rilla had a diaper explosion of her own. She also required a bath. Her clothes needed scrubbing. Laundry needed to be started. The washing machine needed to be emptied, the drier emptied, the sink emptied for Rilla's bath. The floor where she'd been playing needed to be scrubbed. She then thought she was hungry. I fed her. When she was settled, Nathan was rescued from the tub and dressed. I began to walk downstairs to collect some toys to entertain Rilla outside while we would work.

To my horror two of my girls came inside yelling & arguing. I quickly noticed red paint dripping down the hair of one daughter, and red paint covering arms, legs, feet, and NEW clothes (not the old ones I'd set out for them to wear) of both girls. Nathan began demanding chocolate milk and his turn to paint. I started to cry as Ray came in and wanted me to see how great his work (on some other project) was going--completely oblivios to all I'd been dealing with. I rudely told him he'd have to wait. I told both girls to take off their shoes immediatly (before tracking paint all over the house) and get into the tub. I threw the baby at Ray and sat Nate on a high stool that he can't get off of. I followed the girls up to the bath expressing my frustration at the mess and their lack of following instructions. As they bathed and flooded my bathroom floor (for me to mop up later) and left paint residue on my tup (which I scrubbed off later), my other two children came in whining about the heat....and how they were NOT going to paint any more.

Somehow, one little girl got dressed in another nice outfit and ruined it with paint before I noticed. I listened to more argument about how so and so didn't do as much...blah...blah...blah...as I took inventory of the paint brushes in the sink filled with red water. I tried to sweet talk the oldest into finishing what she'd started promising that I would be there to finish. "NO," was all I got. I banned the other kids from the back yard for the next 24 hours--not to allow the paint to dry, but to prevent them from making a bigger mess.

Ray asked me what I'd like his next project to be, I softly suggested he could finish painting the swing-set. "NO!"

So, our swing set will set half done until we have time to forget how utterly terrible the first attempt went. We did not have FUN on Monday. They were all assigned inside chores. I counted my blessings that Nathan did not get to the paint. :) It could have been much worse.

Last Day of School Dance

2009-06-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, we assembled on the front lawn of our school at 8:30 am to watch our children perform in their Dance Festival. Even Elizabeth was able to come with us. Although the Jr. High was scheduled for classes today, Elizabeth assured me that ALL of her teachers had threatened to lower grades for any students who dared to show up...
We all enjoyed watching Tessa do the "J-E-L-L-O" dance. She had a very fun partner, Trooper, and the two of them added a lot of personality. No one watching would have believed Tessa is a shy and quiet little thing. :)

Emma proudly performed the Island Stick dance. Her partner was Chandler, one of my favorite 3rd grade boys. Emma was happy that their little group of 4 took their dance seriously and practiced until they received praise from all 4 third grade teachers.

Noah was a true gentleman as he endured being bit and punched by his dance partner in the swing dance. I am still astonished that an 11 year old girl would have a biting problem, but Noah made the best of things by being kind and trying to just enjoy. His only regret was that his partner refused to let him "dip" her at the end. I needed to meet this girl to see if his stories were a bit inflated. And, no, I don't think they were. In trying to comfort him, I said, "Noah, what a pity she took you for granted. I would have loved being paired up with a nice boy who actually wanted to dance! One of these days she'll look back and realize how good she had it and feel horrible." His only response was to skeptically gaze at me...

I had to plead with her four times before she allowed me to photograph them....

Elizabeth's Birthday

2009-06-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Having a birthday on a Sunday can be a bit disappointing...but I think this time the birthday girl was pleasantly surprised....

Bagels with cream cheese for breakfast.
Special treats at Church from loving leaders.
Navajo Tacos for dinner
Cheesecake for her birthday cake
Surprise gifts including The most perfect Denim Bermuda Shorts to have been designed, a new book, and a cell phone with 10 minutes of emergency phone time. Who would have guessed that the used phone with only 10 minutes and with strict instructions to not give anyone the phone number would get such a positive response.
Playing board games all afternoon
Nice letters from her sisters
A pocket knife from her brothers

Elizabeth's favorite and most cherished gift was from her Great-Grandma Ellgen. The Pioneer Trek is approaching and the only thing that is enticing her to go is the opportunity to wear the apron and skirt made for her by grandma. I believe it is the knowledge of the love that went into the project that Elizabeth has found so comforting. Thank you Grandma!

With each birthday of each child, I reflect on the birth and life of that child. We all share memories we have of the birthday child. My thought this year about Elizabeth is how much sweeter she gets with each year. And, how quickly time passes from infant to teenager...

Elizabeth planned her own party this year. Our wonderful public library offers many free activities one of which is a murder mystery party. Elizabeth called and scheduled the date and time. The party girls rode their bikes to the library, played the game, rode back to our house for snacks, treats, more games, and opened presents. They all had fun and I didn't do much. :) The funniest sight was watching one of Elizabeth's friends ride a scooter wearing 3" heels and carrying a purse the size of a boat. :)

Concerts

2009-06-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth had a band concert, and two choir concerts for us to attend in the last two weeks of school. All three were spectacular. She also had her first Piano recital after only 6 lessons. Although I hear her practice I was pleasantly surprised she'd memorized her piece and played it perfectly. Both of which I could never do.
Tessa performed in her Kindergarten program. She said her part loud and clear for all to hear! :) We are all still singing, "Smile and Say, 'Hello!'"
Noah participated in a choir concert in the Provo Tabernacle along with all of the other School District Concert Choirs. It was beautiful. We also attended his Concert Choir's final performance at the school. It was swashbuckling fun with great Pirate songs and chants. The finale was a song from "Pirates of Penzance." They all wore costumes and did some acting. Fun! All of the 5th Grades in the entire school district are invited to participate in a concert entitled, "Hope of America." There were over 8000 students who sang and it was awesome! The program is a kick-off for our city's Freedom Festival activities that continue throughout the summer. I am grateful Noah could participate in such a wonderful and inspiring event. I've decided this is one event we will attend every year from now on. :)

Emma performed in her 3rd Grade Choir Concert. She sang beautifully. Now I just need to help her smile while she sings so she looks like she's enjoying it.

My opportunity to give-- just a little

2009-06-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

With the Pioneer Trek approaching, I recognized that I could offer to sew skirts and bonnets. I believe I sewed six skirts and ten bonnets. The blessing I gained through this sewing project was the affectionate time spent with Elizabeth. She was an enormous help in turning the bonnet ties inside out. She would talk to me while I sewed and I enjoyed her company. She also assisted me in acquiring fabric, taking measurements, and making deliveries. I believe her blessing was to discover enthusiasm for the Trek. Service is truly a Gift Divine.

Mother's Day 2009

2009-06-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I came to understand something. As in all other things, when we reach out to others and forget ourselves we find true happiness. Mother's Day has become a nice holiday now that I make it a day for my children to show love and devotion to me even when I'd like to dig a hole and wait for the day to pass. I also believe that expecting nothing prevents disappointment. In preparing our Sunday meal, I decided to make what I wanted to eat and then enjoy it instead of allowing the resonating whining opposition ruin it for me. I endured hours of cuddling, smothering, and numerous competitions for my personal space. I pacified insecurities about whose gift was superior and offered reassuring words that each gift is unique and perfect and not to be compared. I repetitively praised all home made cards and art work and displayed them all proudly. I begged Nathan to go to nursery and instead took he and Rilla with me to my meetings. We three sat in the furthest back corner starting off quiet. When Nathan's magnetic charm seemed too strong a pull for two little girl toddlers to resist, I loosened my reverent reigns. I decided to enjoy being the parent overseer of Toddler Time enabling the other younger mothers to hear and enjoy the meeting.When I went to bed that night, I thanked God for the blessing I have to be a mother. I thanked Him for all the love those precious souls expressed to me. And, I thanked Him and acknowledged to Him my gratitude that in spite of my inadequacies and failures, it is a miracle, truly, that I am loved.

Simple Things

2009-06-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ray kindly drove me to a new nursery for a look around. My watermelon plants had been growing so nicely in my garden until Tessa weeded them trying to be helpful. Several years ago I decided my favorite gift for Mother's Day is to receive plants for my garden. To keep tradition and to keep me happy Ray bought me a few plants including watermelon. Elizabeth had come with us and kindly participated in the free activity of potting marigolds to give to your mother. She told the employee that there were 5 more children at home so I was invited to take 6 free marigold plants home with me :) We went out to the truck with our plants and dismally sat still as the truck refused to start. I will not elaborate on all of my emotions or the realization of how far from home we were....I will gratefully relate that we were fortunately parked on a slope. I am also grateful to have grown up with a number of old vehicles and learned how to jump start a car at an early age. I suggested this approach to a frustrated husband. He actually listened and tried it as Elizabeth and I pushed the truck with all of our might and smiled as the engine rolled over. The quote on my calendar for the month of May read, "Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find Him there."

Gift-Giving

2009-06-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

Nathan was invited to a birthday party. Being jungle themed, he wore his Safari hat. We rehearsed the tradition of Gift Giving all morning. As we waved good-bye, he cheerfully exclaimed, "Mom, I got MY present, Right?" He was off. Elizabeth had happily agreed to chaperon. I awaited their return: Curious to learn if "MY" present meant the gift he would part with civility, or fight to keep for his own enjoyment.
They returned. I breathed a sigh of relief and comfort that Nathan really is a good boy.

Noah's First Over-Night Camp-Out

2009-06-26T12:40:00.001-07:00

Noah went on his first official New Scout Camp-Out. I learned at 3 pm the afternoon of departure that he needed a mess kit and a camping back pack. Somehow my super-mommy powers were all intact as I raced to two stores across town purchasing the mess kit and a generous amount of munchies. I also managed to borrow a camping back pack from a sweet friend with seasoned scouts of her own. Noah was packed and delivered to the Stake Center at 4 pm. Whew!

The only comfort I received as I entrusted my son into the care of strangers was his smile.

Perspective on Time

2009-05-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

We had just finished listening to Elizabeth sing in her school choir. I told the kids that I needed to run to the store really quickly before returning home. The prospect of them receiving a treat silenced any objections. When we got to the store and were walking through the parking lot, Emma asked, "Mom, what time is it?" I answered, "It is a little after 7:00." She enthusiastically exclaimed, "Cool, we have a whole hour to waste!"

Round & Round

2009-05-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Nathan: "I want to go to his house."
Me: "His who?"
Nathan: "He has a sandbox."
Me: "Who is he?"
Nathan: "He is him in the house that has a sandbox!"
Me: "Where is his house?"
Nathan "His house is his home with the sandbox!" (While he looked into my eyes pleading for me to just know.)

This continues for several minutes: Round & Round.
At this point, (feeling badly that I'm daft) I think about Tessa's friend who is over....

Me: "Is He Ellie's brother?"
Nathan: "YES!!!"

Phew!

Farmer Jo

2009-04-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

My obsession was ignited at a mini-enrichment entitled "Winter Sowing." I planted various flower seeds in 3 empty 3 qt. ice cream buckets. I placed them hesitantly outside on my patio hoping that the snow would not deter their growth. Patience. Prayer. I peeked at them the first day the sun was shining. Nothing. More patience. More prayer. To calm my anxiety I planted 5 more buckets with more flower and vegetable seeds. More snow fell. Two weeks later, the sun came out and trepidly I opened the buckets. I knelt down beside each bucket tenderly opening the lid to peek. Nothing, nothing, nothing, oh, a few green stems, so tiny, peeking up from the beautiful black soil. Smiling, I put the lids back on the buckets. More patience and more prayers.
I decided I needed more containers. I purchased 3 peat seed starter kits. Each one could hold 72 plants. I followed the instructions carefully. Watching the mounds swell up with water reminded me of the glow worms I so enjoy watching on the fourth of July. I placed 2-3 seeds in each mound. I put the plastic cover on and carried all 3 trays to a sunny place in my bathroom. These seeds sprouted quickly and soon I removed the lid to allow the leaves to soar. I quickly realized that some of the plants would need to be planted or they would perish. Sadly, it was still too cold to transplant outside. Several seedlings died prematurely. I have no idea why. Concerned that all the other seedlings would soon expire, I decided to move them to Styrofoam cups giving them a bigger pot to extend their roots, grow stronger, and wait for warmer weather. This process was slow and has absorbed my entire kitchen. It has enabled little fingers to touch and sometimes accidentally pull the tender plants right out: dead. Unfortunately, the transplanting was not entirely successful. I have lost about 1/3 of my starts.
The weather is warming up. I have placed 13 plants in the ground. Immediately 4 died. A few days later and 3 others are struggling. I am fearful to plant the others. I talk to them, encouraging them to grow and be productive. I water them & weed around them. I watch over them chasing away little feet & fingers too excited to be careful. I have also planted several seeds directly into the ground: flowers & vegetables. I have enlisted help of all the little people in the area to assist me in hopes that they will feel a sense of ownership and want to be careful in the all to inviting dirt. Patience & prayer.
I started this project with over 450 seeds. I have lost over half. With any luck I will still have a garden, but as of yet I am uncertain what I will harvest. I am amazed at how emotional I am with regards to these seeds. I mourn when they die and I anxiously await to see which plants will make it. I also realize that while it is easy to sow the seeds it requires so much effort to sustain them. And, even with lots of care, some still don't make it. Farmer Jo may not be a deserved title for me. I am still an apprentice in the field of gardening. And while I continue to learn and develop my green thumb, I recognize that without the Almighty's help, I would completely fail.

Fun, "Free" , & Marie

2009-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

We were all excited for grandma's visit during Spring Break. When I'd asked her what she'd like to do she said, "Oh, I am sure you'll find some fun free things to do or we'll just hang out." I researched fun & free ideas for 2 weeks unable to come up with anything. I started to worry until I was at the checkout station of Costco. I read a flier that Marie Osmond would be at Costco to do a book signing while my mom would be in town. I thought perhaps this might be something my mom would want to do.
My mom arrived ready for fun and I became really ill. Yuck. I felt terrible. My mom was wonderful. I went to bed. She fed my kids, washed dishes, swept floors, took trash out, and played with the kids. I woke up and thought maybe we could take the kids to play at the mall since it was snowing and they were becoming too stir crazy. I remembered that Marie would be at Costco later that day and told my mom about it. She became really interested. She even had just purchased Marie's book. After 90 minutes at the mall I was done. All of my desires to help my mom have a fun time fled at the reality of my body wanting bed. We went home. My mom & the girls went back to Costco. They returned home later without seeing Marie. The line was too long. I felt terrible. My mom made dinner and did the dishes. I felt worse. My mom told me Marie would be at Deseret Book store the following evening and suggested that maybe we could try again. I really wanted to.
The next day, I felt much better. My mom took us to lunch ($$). We took the kids to Kangaroo Zoo ($$). We didn't have time to take some kids home if we were to make it to see Marie so we all went. In haste, I wasn't prepared for a day long adventure. To appease Noah, I promised him he could find the new release of a book he'd wanted and read it in a corner while we saw Marie. He was excited about this. I ended up buying the book plus a book for Emma that she'd found and didn't have time to finish ($$). We dropped Elizabeth & my mom off to get a place in line. I took the other kids to Wal-mart to buy treats ($$). Rilla had a blow-out and was needing a change of clothes. I dropped the kids off at the book store and took Nathan & Rilla next door to Babies R Us. We found a pair of Jammies for Rilla ($$), a toy for Rilla to give her something to do ($), and Nathan found some super yummy chocolate covered animal crackers he just had to have ($). I ended up feeding & reading to several other children as well as my own. I considered putting a sack out with the word, "tips for the store nanny" scrawled on it, but didn't have a sack. I was happy that Tessa made friends with one little girl and that kept her pleasant and entertained. My only concern with these "orphans" was that I never saw their guardians and had hoped no one would come after me, angry that their children had managed to swipe candy from a stranger's child's carseat. I also was a bit concerned that two children seemed deeply in love with Rilla and couldn't keep their hands off her. I tried not to think about where those hands might have been nor what germs might be passed to my sweet baby. And, I am glad I allowed them to play with her since it has been a week and Rilla has no signs of strange diseases.
I borrowed a phone and called Ray to tell him where we were and not to worry. He suggested that we get dinner out ($$) and that he'd take care of his own dinner.
We did see, meet, and got our picture taken with Marie. My mom was elated! So, while I am not sure this experience can be categorized as a "fun & free" activity, it was a huge success.
Two and one-half hours in a tiny children's nook in an over-heated and extremely crowded bookstore with six kids of my own plus all the others I entertained was priceless just to see my mom so happy.

Rain

2009-04-26T16:21:00.001-07:00

We were in the car together as a family. It was raining. Emma asked, "Mom, who do we pay when it rains?" I replied, "What do you mean?" Emma repeated, "Who do we have to pay when it rains?" As I thought what a strange question she'd asked, I found myself very happy thinking that mankind had not taken a true gift from God and found a way to capitalize on it. I then shared my feelings of gratitude for the rain and how blessed we are to received it when Heavenly Father sends it.
My bubble of euphoria burst later that night as I watched the news. They reminded me of a law I find completely ludicrous. The law states it is illegal to collect rain water in your yard using any kind or size of a container. Mankind is stupid.
I did not share my knowledge of this law with Emma. She should only feel love and gratitude to God for the rain instead of realizing the perverse & corrupt nature of man.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Easter was very different this year. We didn't dye eggs. We didn't have company. We didn't even make cute decorations. Sadly, we didn't even get a picture with us all dressed up in new Spring clothes. Ray & the kids suggested that I cook a turkey instead of the traditional ham. They then proceeded to tell me that they don't even like ham. Sadly, I didn't even get my Special Easter Family Home Evening taught. We didn't even have a wonderful church meeting filled with talks about the Atonement & Resurrection.
I cooked a ham anyway. My children must have sensed by defensiveness about wanting ham on Easter because no one complained and everyone overly stated how much they all love ham. I did make a special brunch of crepes which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Nathan was sick and Ray stayed home from church to be with him. The two of them stayed in pjs all day until Nate had a horrific accident of such disgusting proportions that I can not write the details. I will say that I ended up throwing those pajamas away. Nathan had a bath while Ray mopped the entire second story of our house after taking a room rug outside to hose off.
We did have a small egg hunt because Elizabeth hid the eggs. Nathan even participated. He found his first egg, shook it then shouted, "Pennies!" When he opened it and discovered M & M's he was confused but happy. (Read Easter Post) I was worried about him eating too much sugar/chocolate. I should have acted on this worry.
We watched a church movie about the Savior together. I was ready to dig a pit and jump in it when Tessa asked me what Atonement means. I have failed at many levels this Easter. The good news is that I am able to partake of the Atonement and try harder. I am still trying to tell myself that at least I did not make a big to do about the Easter Bunny....
This was the most interesting Easter I've ever had and I hope to never have another one like it again.

Shopping with Nathan

2009-04-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

The week before Easter I decided that if I was to find and purchase Easter dresses for the girls, I would have to take Nathan shopping with me. Now, this might not sound like a big deal. I do have four older children and have taken them all shopping with me many times with not too many horror stories to relate. Nathan is different. I would rather take all six children than Nathan by himself any day. Truly.
Anyway, the first day of shopping we survived. I limited our outing to two stores. I allowed him to try on shoes and choose a bag of Easter candy. We were only gone 2 hours and I was feeling really successful and a little over-confident in Nathan's abilities to handle shopping. I found and purchased dresses for 3 of the four girls. Only Elizabeth's dress to find.
The following day was a little rougher. We still only were gone 2 hours and only went to two stores. He didn't get to try on shoes, but he did get a cookie. It seemed like we were going to make it, but then when my back was turned for 2 seconds, he escaped the cart. At first, I sweetly called to him. I looked around the isles and under the clothes racks thinking he was enjoying his favorite game of hide & seek. After 10 minutes I started to worry. I asked a couple of people if they'd spied a little boy wandering around. I was ready to enlist the help of the employees and succumb to the humiliation of being a delinquent parent when I heard a faint giggle. I found Nathan standing on the center post of a clothes rack next to where I was standing. I was unable to see his feet because they weren't on the ground. He thought this was super funny. I was ready to pass out from worry. I tried to secure him in his seat belt to keep him from disappearing again. The seat belt was broken. We left the store with him screaming, "I hate you! I want a different Mommy!" I realize so far this isn't unique to Nathan...just keep reading.
The 3rd day of shopping it decided to snow. Nathan refused to get dressed. I would remove his pj's and dress him. He would strip and put his pj's on again. I tried to excite him with promises of a fun adventure. He adamantly refused to be persuaded. I decided to take him to the store in his jammies. We arrived at the store. He unwillingly was put into the cart. He had a determined scowl, but wasn't crying or screaming so I still felt hopeful. Upon entering the inviting automatic doors, Nathan spied his first victim, an older woman happy and cheerful. He pointed at her, while screaming, "Stop looking at me! I don't like you! You are a mean lady!!!" As she cowered, two other woman witnessing this spectacle started to laugh. Nathan pounced. He began to scream while pointing, "Why are you laughing at me?" "Mom, those ladies want to steal me!" "Help me!" Seriously. I had only made it in the store 5 feet. I decided to make a quick dash to the girls dresses. I smiled as kindly as I could to the women as I passed. I sensed Nathan's sense of victory as he saw the woman stare blankly as we passed. No one was laughing or smiling. I was determined to not let Nate beat me. I was encouraged when he smelled popcorn and began to beg for some. I made a deal. It worked. We left the store only offending half of the patrons. I decided to quickly dart into another store next door since Nathan seemed a little happier. Wrong move. He was good in the store for the total of 2 minutes in took me to realize they too had sold out of dresses. Unfortunately, leaving the store was the problem. He took off running around a corner. I had Rilla in her car seat and was unable to break out into a good sprint. I yelled for him to come back. Only the faint laughter was his response. The wind whipped my hair about and dirt into my eyes. Contacts and wind are incompatible. Rilla started to cry as her blankets were not staying put. People in their cars were pulling over, rolling their windows down to politely inform me that my son was running wildly and then criticize me for allowing him to be on his own. Lucky for me, Nate let his guard down. While his back was turned, I'd caught up to him, scooped him with my free arm and hauled him back to the van. His kicking and screaming were nothing compared to the snow and nasty wind. Shopping for dresses truly was not that important.
Elizabeth happily went shopping with me on Saturday afternoon. She settled on a skirt and blouse. I am happy the shopping is over and have recommitted to remaining a shut-in until Nathan goes away to college.

Easter

2009-04-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

April 11th, Saturday, 2009

We were invited to attend Jeffery's baptism the Saturday before Easter Sunday. Baptisms are always wonderful to attend. I feel uplifted and renewed at every one I attend. I enjoyed the speakers and particularly one analogy I'd never heard before. A Bishop compared the Gift of the Holy Ghost to a full soda can. When a soda can is full it is very hard to crush, but when it is empty the can crushes easily. It is the same with us. When we are striving to follow Heavenly Father's commandments we will be worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We will be strong and able to withstand many "crushings" caused by sin and temptation. Thank you Jeffery for your example by being baptized and for inviting us to be there.

Sariah hosted a yummy brunch and egg hunt afterward. I had prepped Nathan for the fun hunt throughout the morning. I had promised him he'd find a treat inside an egg only if he would be quiet during the baptism...I had forgotten that Sariah's boys have committed to forgo candy so I held my breath when Nathan discovered money instead of candy inside his eggs. He was so excited about finding the money that he never once asked where the candy was! After tithing was paid, he was still happy to have lots of coins to put inside his froggy bank. Again, thanks to Sariah & family for a Great day with lots of teaching opportunities!

RS Calendar

2009-04-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

I decided to take my calling seriously and create the best RS calendar I could imagine....
I wanted it to be seen easily from a distance...for those of us with failing sight.
I wanted pockets for every day of the month to hold quarter sheet fliers advertising our ward activities.
I wanted it to be easy to update each month.
I wanted everyone to feel comfortable in using it.
I wanted it to be cute...
After a gigantic mishap on my first attempt I started over and am pleasantly content with the outcome.

As you can see it takes up nearly the entire bulletin board.

A Night at the Wax Museum

2009-04-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

The entire 5th Grade put on a "Living Wax Museum." Each child chose an historical person whom they wanted to research. Each child then wrote up a little dialogue to share as if they were the true historical figure. Costumes and props were added to give a sense of reality. Five classrooms were emptied then filled with "wax" figures waiting patiently, frozen in a pose of their choice until a visitor to the museum came by and pressed their button. The character would spring to life relating a tale about his life and then resume a frozen pose to conclude. It was really cool and I learned a lot.

Noah chose to be Samuel Langhorne Clemens more commonly known as Mark Twain. I was surprised by Noah's choice. Noah apparently had read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and was inspired by it. He now joins other famous critics in offering his praise for this book as well as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Prince and the Pauper. Noah and I enjoyed reading some of his humorous quotes. Noah's favorite quote that he included in his monologue is, "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it... The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'" Interestingly, Mark Twain died the night after he observed Hailey's Comet in the sky.

Emma's Pets

2009-04-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

Emma frequently reminds me that she is our "middle child" and feels that placement is unjust as she suffers both neglect and too much attention from her younger siblings. One of her biggest trials has been the "only" one in the family to not have her own pet. Noah has a lizard, Tessa has the dog, Elizabeth has the cat...
I have done my best to reason with her explaining that while we did acquire a cat for Elizabeth and Dash came to live with us because of Tessa, these pets truly are for the entire family. These explanations worked for a couple of years. I tried a new tactic explaining that we did not have the space for another pet. This no longer is a valid excuse. I then explained that pet ownership is a HUGE responsibility and one needs to prove worthy of such a stewardship. Emma seemed to understand this reason the best. So every time she would throw a tantrum, I could say something to the effect of, "Emma, this behavior does not demonstrate your readiness to become a pet owner." She usually calmed down.
For several months now, she has come to me privately to hear my assessment of her progress. I started to panic because she truly was improving her disposition and demonstrating responsibility. I was running out of stalling tactics.
So when Emma returned from a friends house one afternoon excitedly relating to me her experience with their chickens, I contemplated a new idea....
I recall being young and living in Southern California in an extremely urban area and yet we had chickens. They were mean and nasty and I was terrified of them. Yet, it was often my job to collect the eggs. Being the oldest, I could force my brother to come with me to hold the nasty beasts back while waving a stick at them while I hurriedly grabbed the eggs. I hated this. I hated the smell and I hated the chickens. I especially hated fall when the chickens would be too old to lay eggs and that meant they would be readied for dinner. I don't want to describe the images that still haunt me...let's just say that I did not eat chicken until adulthood.
While I did not like being a chicken farmer, I thought perhaps Emma might. The need and desire to be self-sufficient seemed good reasons for having our own chickens and enabling Emma to call an animal her own would be a bonus.
We now, or rather, Emma is now the proud owner of 2 pet hens: Posie and Roxy.

Ray has threatened Emma with the prospect of eating her pets if she fails to care for them properly. I have reminded him that one should only threaten if one will actually carry out the threat. He has become much more supportive and helpful to Emma in her responsibility.

"Hearty" Chili

2009-03-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Dinner wasn't ready. Elizabeth had a babysitting job and needed to eat quickly. I suggested she make herself some Chili, Chips, & Cheese (her favorite). She asked me if we had chili & I told her she would find a whole case of it in the pantry. After approximately 30 seconds, she hollered that there was no chili in the pantry. I gave specific directions for her to locate it. Still the chili eluded her. Ray decided to help her out and went downstairs to point out how easy it is to find a case of chili. Ray returned to me to report that Elizabeth had really found the chili. She had read the label: "Hearty Turkey Chili" and interpreted that to mean that we'd purchased chili made of Turkey Heart. She was holding out for the familiar Nalley's label: "Original Chili." We had a good laugh. She is now relieved to know that I wasn't trying to feed her heart.

Door Decor & Baby No More!

2009-03-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last week a friend called and asked me if I would PLEASE decorate the Kindergarten teacher's door for Teacher Appreciation Week. She offered to take Nathan & Rilla for a couple of hours so I could get started on it. When I dropped them off, she confided that she'd wished she had had another baby. She had been considering adopting and was thrilled to hold Rilla for a couple of hours.
I left and began by taking pictures of all the children in the class. Each child put on a fake hook and placed it on the shoulder of the child in front of them. Each child also wore an eye patch. I cut out letters that said, "Mrs. Whitaker, We Are Hooked On You!" I had taken a picture of the teacher and cut out her face and put it on a pirate. I made a pirate ship and placed her at the helm with all of the kids "hooked" strung out behind her. I think it turned out pretty cute. I was happy that someone asked me to do something and that I could do it.
When I picked up Nathan & Rilla my friend sweetly commented on how she'd forgotton how much time small children take and how one can't get anything done except for tending them. She thanked me for the opportunity to remember how much she loves her life right now with her 4 older children and is happily content. I laughed. There is definately a time & season for everything. And an afternoon with Nathan has now been proven to be the best birth control ever.

Young Mom

2009-03-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, I went outside to wave goodbye to Tessa as she bicycled off to school. Nathan followed me. As I am holding Rilla, smiling and shouting I love you to Tessa, Nathan takes off running, following Tessa around the corner. He is barefoot and bottomless. I am trying to run after him while holding Rilla. He decided to pause to admire a bug crossing the sidewalk. (Yes, he likes to watch them and still is freaked that they are always crawling on him??) As I approach, a neighbor shouts out, "Hi Jodi, I thought you were a 'Young Mom!' I didn't recognize you at first." I am not sure if she meant that at first I seemed younger...and that up close I am definately older....or that she forgot I have two little ones still at home....It doesn't matter. I am an older mom with young children still in tow. :)

The Curse of Friday the 13th

2009-03-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was the 13th. Noah came home from school in a frenzy. As he began to confide in me his woeful experiences of the day, little tears streamed down his cheeks. He then found it hard to speak. Coughing a couple of times, he blurted out, "It's the curse of Friday the 13th." Emma stood nearby, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes wide open intently listening to Noah's tale to make sure he wouldn't leave anything out. At this point I realized that the drama wasn't just a sibling spat. I reeled Noah closer to me, pulling him on my lap, encouraging him to start from the beginning...
"It started this morning. Dad woke me up late. I didn't have time to sit down for breakfast. I grabbed a bagel and ran out the door. I got up to the corner when a huge dog came running at me. He stole my bagel out of my hand and took off running. I barely made it to choir on time. I was hungry. As we were practicing a boy stole my show right off of my foot and wouldn't give it back to me. The teacher didn't do anything about it. She yelled at me for talking. When it was time for school to start the boy threw my shoe down the hall. I had to track it down. I was late to class. We had a substitute in math. She is mean. It was "PI" day. All the other classes got to have pie to celebrate. NOT US! We had to figure out new stuff on our own. At lunch, I was sitting at a table with my friends. The 6th grader who took my shoe was working as a lunch helper cleaning tables. He came over to me and hit me in the head with the dirty dish rag. He did it again and again. I spilled my lunch. I had to leave. I was still hungry. No one helped me. I didn't do flag core today. If I miss it again I will be thrown out. They are suppose to come and get me for it because my teacher says she isn't responsible for reminding us when to go. They didn't come for me. I don't want to be thrown off. I really love doing it. After school my friend and I were playing a game we invented with origami stars. We battle with them and it is fun. A 4th grader ran over to me and hit me with a stick. I yelled at him. He picked up a rock and threw it at me. It hit me in the head. I pushed the kid. He went crazy and attacked me. We wrestled. His 5th grade brother and Emma tried to get us to stop. His brother picked up a stick and hit me on the back of my neck. He grabbed his brother, as I grabbed my neck, and ran off. My friend didn't do anything. Emma was crying and told me to come home. I know everything happened because it's the curse of Friday the 13th."
Sometimes I forget how truly awful life can be when one is little. After the tale we dried up tears, I phoned the school to inform them about the unnecessary use of sticks and rocks, and then dished up huge bowls of ice cream for all of my kids. The hugs & ice cream seemed to remedy some of the misery, and definitely ended the curse of the 13th by 2 pm. The rest of the day was filled with laughter.

YW 2009 Theme Crafts in Vinyl

2009-03-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a cute cube?

I Spy

2009-03-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, or maybe it was the week before, I took the kids to the museum to see an exhibit by the author of the I Spy books. I was concerned how Nathan would behave and was pleasantly surprised that he loved the whole experience. He was so GOOD! He didn't touch, climb, yell, scream, or cry. He actually was interested in the art and asked questions about it. So while I still cringe every time I have to take him to a concert, and wish I could not claim him while we're there, I feel there is hope. So while we're trying to listen to a choir or band concert and he tries to get the audience to watch him instead, I'll just breathe slowly as I remember he actually does understand the idea of looking at something instead of needing others to look at him. Or is it just the irony in the fact the exhibit was entitled, "I Spy."

Spelling Bees

2009-03-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

After rehearsing for several days with Noah, I couldn't wait for the spelling bee to come. Who knew how many arguments a mother & child could have over a list of words. I would give him a word. He would attempt to spell it to me in an angry-I-don't-need-to-practice-sort-of-way. I would tell him he spelled it incorrectly. He would argue that he spelled it correctly. I would show him the word. I would remind him with my sincerest loving words that I was only trying to help him. He would say he didn't want to practice. I would leave it for awhile until he begged me for more help a couple of minutes later.
Noah did do pretty well. He made it to the final 12. He messed up on a word that caused him trouble the night before. I could only smile remembering the horrible time I'd had trying to help him spell it correctly.
He felt good about how he did. I felt good it was over.
Today, Emma came home with exciting information...She made it into the 3rd grade spelling bee. We've begun to practice. Unfortunately, witnessing the whole episode with Noah didn't do us a bit of good....At least it will all be over on Friday! Until next year.....

Play Try-Outs

2009-03-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Noah & Emma had the opportunity to try out for a play. Emma was so excited when she received a call-back. They sent us a monologue that she had one night to memorize. She practiced and I was so amazed at how naturally she got into character with correct intonation and body movement. She went to the call-back eager to show her stuff and came home in tears because they didn't want to see what they'd asked her to prepare. Instead they had her do the piece she'd done the first time. She hadn't practiced that and so it probably wasn't her best job. We both agree that it was a good experience and we'll try again...In the meantime, she continues to recite the monologue to Rilla frequently. Rilla continues to be her most captive audience and showers Emma with lots of giggles which is her way of applauding.

Temple Trip

2009-03-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I was fortunate to accompany Elizabeth to do Baptisms for her first time. I felt like I should go as her mom and I am so glad I did. It was a beautiful thing to witness, but she also appreciated my presence. After the confirmations were finished, she smiled at me and asked, "Did you hear that every name had the name Elizabeth in it?" We both thought that was cool and it made it more personal to her. It is such an amazing feeling to see a child do something good because she wants to. And then it is wonderful to witness it.

Planet

2009-03-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

This morning at breakfast...
Ray: "Nathan, you must be the funniest boy on the planet."
Nathan: "No, mom is."
Ray: "Mom is not a boy."
Nathan: "Mom is the planet."
Me: "If I am the planet, you (Nathan) are the alien."

Please Be Kind

2009-03-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is really silly...I went to Blockbuster this morning. I usually don't read the several hundred words typed onto the receipt, but today I did. I thought it was funny to see "Please be kind, Remember to Rewind," especially when they don't carry VHS any more. :)

Pay It Forward

2009-03-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

The first five people to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me. However there are some limitations.

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it is going to be, poetry, clothes, paper goods, or a little invention of my own. I may bake something and mail it to you . Who knows? Not you that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

Here's the catch, if you choose to do this. You must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people too. This will be fun! When you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

Got My Nose?

2009-03-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

As a child I always believed that someone (usually a male relative) could truly snatch my nose and put it on his own face. I would beg for him to give it back and he of course would return it with a sound effect such as "pop." We then would continue the game and I would take a turn at taking his nose as well. I enjoyed it. I have continued this game with all of my kids. It usually has been taken lightly and in good fun. Yesterday was different.
As Ray was leaving the chapel to escort Nathan to the bathroom, a sweet older gentleman held out his hand to Nathan's face. I think he just wanted to acknowledge Nathan and say, "Hello!" As Ray & Nathan were almost out of the chapel, Nathan wriggled free, ran back the the gentleman, picked up the man's hand placing it on his face, while stating Loudly, "Give me back my nose!" He then turned back towards the door running back to Ray.
Content to have his nose back, he was successful on the toilet, and then happy to go back to the meeting. Later, the older man questioned Ray about Nathan's erratic behavior. When it had been explained he and Ray shared a good laugh.

Glossary for Understanding Nathan

2009-03-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hick-ups = Pick-ups
Movies = Noovies
Urine = Poop
Poop = Bumps
Hair Elastics = Band-aids
Band-aids = Band-aids
Octopus = omnibus (not intending to speak French)

Rilla is 4 Months Old

2009-03-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

Rilla is growing so quickly. She is nearly 16 pounds. She is "talking" all the time and is a happy girl most of the time. I only wish that for every pound she is gaining I could be losing. That seems like a win win situation to me :)

Chinese Immersion

2009-02-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

At Tessa's school they will be implementing a Chinese Immersion Program for one of the first grade classes next year. Tessa came home from school with a note asking us to let the school know if we'd want Tessa to be in that class. Both Ray & I decided we should ask Tessa what she would like to do. After explaining to her that half of the day she'd be taught in English & the other half of the day she'd be taught in Chinese, she just sat there thinking. After about 5 minutes she looked up at me and said, "Mom, school is hard enough in my own language. Don't you think I should just stick with English for awhile. After all, I am just getting the hang of this reading stuff!"

Monsters Are Real

2009-02-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Nathan is convinced that monsters are real. He believes that they hide under his bed and in his closet just waiting to get him. These fears make bed time difficult. Each night he presents a strong case why he shouldn't sleep in his bed & I counter with all kinds of solutions. I do my best to rid his room of scary monsters with prayer, songs, tickles, hugs, stories, and night lights. I have taken some of Noah's art out of the room because Nathan felt they came alive to get him when the lights go out. Some nights we succeed and Nathan stays in his bed other nights he ends up in bed with me. The other night he stayed in his bed all night and awoke in a state of horror. I could hear his little pitter-patter run down the hall towards my room accompanied with woeful tears. He was begging me to clean him up.

At first sight of him, I was afraid too. His face and arms were covered in blood. I was hoping it had just been a bloody nose that ran a muck. However, Nathan, screamed at me that a monster had gotten him in the night. I tried my best to assure him it had not been a monster. As he allowed me to wash his face and arms he studied the dirtied washcloth with extreme curiosity. Then he said, "Mama, I sorry I pooped in my bed. Pleeeease get it off mef!" I immediately felt badly that he came to the conclusion that if it had not been a monster then it had to be him pooping. I tried to convince him that neither had happened--that it was dry and he'd just had a bloody nose. Since I don't want him to feel shame I finally surrendered the argument and agreed that a monster did attack, but convinced him that he'd won the battle. He hugged me as I said, "Nate, imagine what that Monster must look like...I am sure he'll never come back now."

Valentines

2009-02-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

For weeks Emma has begged me to assist her in making fancy homemade Valentines. I insisted that she couldn't begin until her Indian report was finished. I was hoping that she'd be a little more motivated to finish her report. Unfortunately, no amount of motivation would prevent oodles of drama in accomplishing this assignment. Enduring the tumultuous turbulence of writing a report Emma finally finished it and so I surprised her with a couple of ideas for her Valentines. I hoped this project would entertain her for hours preventing the usual whining that there is nothing to do and no one to play with.....
Emma decided to make fish for the boys and butterflies for the girls. Three hours later, she'd managed to make two fish. These fish were thoughtfully designed specifically to each person they were intended for. She truly beamed with excitement in her masterpieces. While she was happily entertained, I became concerned about whether or not she'd have enough time to make enough Valentines before her class party. After all, she only had a week.
Each day after school I reminded her to work on her Valentines. Each time I was met with a defiant, "NO." I wondered where the enthusiasm for her project had gone. As it turns out, I ended up making her the 33 Valentines. She ended up tossing the 2 completed fish because she didn't want the other kids to feel badly about getting one of my puny ones. After all, she wanted to be fair.
In contrast....
I had given Tessa the same options. She chose butterflies for the girls. For the boys she took a pipe cleaner with a heart on one end and twisted it around a candy stick . Tessa finished all of her Valentines in a few hours without any drama. She only wanted to know how many days she had to wait until the party and could she have a candy stick?
I asked Noah what kind of Valentines he'd like to pass out: homemade or store bought? He decided to trace and cut small red hearts out of construction paper and stick candy on them. His only concern was if he had to say something on them. He seemed very happy that I only instructed him to put his name and the recipients name on each heart. He finished in an hour.
Elizabeth made some heart wire jewelry for her friends. The Jr, High provides an opportunity to purchase cookie grams to send to friends. While Elizabeth didn't seem interested, I remember Jr. High and the popularity contest it turns into and to feel not as loved as someone who gets tons of Valentines. So I sent one to her anonymously to insure she'd get at least one. She ended up with 5 and shared them with siblings.
Nathan also wanted to join in the fun. I cut out some big hearts. He colored them with markers and then decorated with stickers. He taped candy to them. We delivered one next door to his friend, Emmy. After giving it to her, he was sad to see the little heart sticker staying with her and so he savagely tried to steal it back. Tessa trying to restore peace, found a matching sticker for him to keep while preserving Emmy's heart intact.
As for me, I spent three frantic days making sugar cookies on sticks for my kids. Each day I had to beg them not to eat them yet. Each day I felt more frustration than love for my project. On the third day I let Nathan help me. I gave him the dozen tiny ones that were a little crisp to frost. He ate every single cookie and did his best to each every drop of icing. That was the best part of my Valentine project.

At last, my cookies were finished and distributed. I thought they turned out super cute. I hurried to make a cute cookie holder for them to adorn our festive dinner table as our centerpiece. I hoped they'd be appreciated. Wanting to light candles seemed much more exciting. As each child gobbled up their cookies I realized that cute or not they were gone. As I sat alone at the dinner table I watched the last candle flicker. I noticed the food spills. I noticed who hadn't cleared her plate and who hadn't pushed in his chair. I noticed the charcoal from one candles wick that had been smeared all over the table. I noticed my husband had cleared the left-over food and put it away. I could hear my children playing nicely together upstairs. I felt love.

Short Sighted

2009-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

My extremely helpful and lovable 11 year old son, Noah, is also incredibly short sighted. His eyes are in perfect condition and not the problem. The short sightedness is a condition in which he can only remember things for about 10 seconds unless he needs to recall Bionicle, Science, or other trivia he's interested in. While he loves school, homework, and papers from the school tend to not be among the things he chooses to recall. This is something we as an entire family have been trying to improve upon. It has become a routine to drill Noah every night about whether his homework is done, has it been signed by a parent, did you do the spelling as well, and are there any papers for me in your backpack? The girls occasionally assist in this process as they testify for or against him when they have witnessed what actually has happened. Last night after I had drilled him thrice about whether or not he needed to give me some papers, I sent him to bed satisfied that we had successfully made it through another day. This morning I found one sealed envelope addressed to the parents of Noah lying on my bed. I went down the hall to collect dirty clothes and found one sketch he'd drawn of his father lying on the floor. After loading the washer I began to pick up some toys in the family room and discovered some of Noah's baby pictures he'd taken to school for a project lying on the floor. I am realizing that while I am grateful those items are not smashed and eternally forgotten in the abyss of his backpack, I know we still have room for improvement.

Self-Absorbed

2009-02-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

In college I had a teacher whom requested that anyone who was 18 or 19 stand up. She then proceeded to compare us to toddlers: completely self-absorbed and believing the world revolves around them. Since I was one of the 18 year olds I was completely offended. Nevertheless as I continue to age I realize she was right in her assertion.
At church yesterday Nathan became unreasonably loud. I patiently held his face in my hands and begged him to look up to the front to see the speaker. I then explained that all of the other people in the chapel were trying to sit quietly to see and hear that speaker and we should do our best to sit quietly so everyone could hear. Nathan, however, retorted, "No, Mama, they are all here to look at me!"

Hair Scare

2009-02-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

After writing the story about Tessa's encounter with a bug in the bathroom Nathan had his own kind of scare that same afternoon. Lucky for me, I was already awake and present to recognize we weren't in any fatal danger. Of course the terror occurred in the bathroom again. Nathan is learning to use the toilet and as he sat there doing his business he let out a frightful scream about the hair that he spied next to his leg on the toilet seat. I calmly encouraged him to pick it up, hand it to me, and I would throw it into the garbage can. Convinced that a single strand of hair could inflict torture beyond imagination, he refused to touch it. However, he continued to scream for me to rescue him from his tormentor. As a mother, how could I allow his suffering, so I picked up the hair and tossed it. After we'd wiped and washed I picked him up to explain the natural process of hair growing, falling out, and re-growing. Nate listened attentively at first until I informed him that his hair also falls out daily. He reached for his hair screaming, "No, not my hair! I don't want to lose it! Put it back on!!!!" He seemed pacified as I tenderly explained that when a hair falls out another hair grows back. Now I have a sense of concern that if he grows up and has true balding issues will he remember that I assured him his hair would grow back? Will he be screaming, "Liar!" Will I remember why?
In sharing this event with Ray, he suggested that I am already to blame. I hate hair that falls down my back annoying me profusely until I can capture it and banish it to the city dump. I, however, do not feel that I have ever demonstrated this crazed behavior in front of my son. So then Ray suggests that it is genetics. I suppose that whatever caused Nathan's initial fright of hair, I can agree that hair when not on ones head is incredibly bothersome regardless of whose it is and where it came from. I can only hope that in time he will be able to take care of loose hair on his own and that he will never bald.

Fire?!?

2009-02-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to the most blood-curling scream I've ever heard. Every scenario for what might have occurred past quickly through my mind from fire to an intruder. While I didn't know what caused it I knew the source-- Tessa. Turns out after she'd gotten off the toilet she noticed a fire bug (box elder bug) on the toilet seat. I could completely sympathize with the extreme surprise she'd encountered. It makes me shudder too. I was also relieved that this "fire" could be extinguished by Noah's lizard who thoroughly enjoyed her early morning treat.

Competing or Cheating?

2009-02-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth signed up to challenge a teacher in the Jr. High's annual "Beat the Teacher" reading contest. She is challenging the teacher who has consistently come in second place every year. She would have taken on the first place teacher who happens to teach English, but no one has ever come close (like within 1000 pages) of beating her. Now we know why...Elizabeth came home frustrated that her English teacher is cheating. She further explained that the teacher has been delegating assignments to the kids to study on their own or has them write about this or that and then she reads during the whole period. While Elizabeth feels that this isn't cheating exactly, she feels better in knowing why this teacher can't be beat. I on the other hand, think this teacher is cheating and is way too competitive. I feel she's cheating her classes by not teaching anything. I feel she's taking a fun competition way too seriously and wonder why she is afraid to let a 7th grade truly try to beat her? So, while this teacher may win again this year, what is she winning? And, what is she teaching? Her message is loud and clear to me: Win at all costs and beating a bunch of students makes me super-de-dooper.
In the meantime, I will allow Elizabeth to read during dinner until this contest ends in March.

Silly Rilla

2009-02-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Rilla was having a difficult day. Nathan & I decided to cheer her up. We bathed her, dressed her up, and laid on the floor trying to get her to smile. She had ideas of her own. I suppose after a morning like we had had, she was trying to cheer us up instead.

Prayer

2009-01-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday during the wee hours, I sat on my bed rubbing Nathan's back to soothe him back to sleep. It had been a restless night for him. He had been struggling to breathe all night. He seemed to settle down and then I heard him offer a prayer. While I couldn't understand every word, I definately knew he was praying when he closed with a loud, "Amen." I was thinking how sweet it was that he was praying in his sleep when he blurted, "I said, 'Amen.'" I quickly said, "Amen." His face relaxed as he returned to a restful slumber. How blessed I am to be reminded what a wonderful gift prayer truly is and how a young child's faith in Prayer's power is answered.

Funeral for Florene

2009-01-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the priviledge of having my Ellgen Grandparents, my Uncle David Ellgen, and my mom come and stay with me as we gathered for Great Aunt Florene Pavlicek's funeral. I was so grateful that Noah offered to stay home from his very first Scout Camp-out so Ray could come with me to the viewing. As I was standing in front of the casket, my Grandma came and stood beside me. My Grandma squeezed me tight as she expressed how at times like these our faith in the next life is tested because we really don't know exactly what is going on where those who have passed are. I squeezed her back as I testified that I know exactly where those spirits are. "They are here all around us, right now." I shared with her my distinct impression that I had had earlier that day that Florene's husband, Great-Grandparents Pace, and Margie were there to embrace Florene's spirit as well as be with her now to surround us with their love. Through tears, my Grandma asked me if maybe Beth was perhaps there too? Ashamed that I hadn't mentioned Beth, I quickly added, "Of Course Beth is here too." "Absolutely." We both squeezed again. Words restrict my ability to convey my feelings. So, in my inadequacy, I will simply state that I am so blessed to have been there and had this experience. Grandma and I then agreed that Florene looked beautiful--younger and happy. How difficult it must be to be the oldest in a family and have your younger sisters pass on before you. My Grandma is my hero.

Kiss it Better

2009-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

As my mom sat on the floor, Nathan thought she was inviting him to jump all over her. Concerned for her safety, I prompted my mom to show him her "owie." Nathan traced the long scar tenderly with his finger. He asked if the DR had cut her open to pull something out. Although I haven't offered to show him my C-section scar, I'm sure that is why he assumed something must come out when a DR and Surgery are involved. He sat intently listening as Grandma explained how the DR put a new knee in.
Perhaps in his desire to demonstrate empathy, he pulled up his pant leg to find the slightest remain of a scratch and then shared the horrible account of his owie to Grandma. Grandma asked him if I had kissed it to make it feel better. He said, "Yes!" I suggested he kiss Grandma's owie to help her feel better, and he retorted that I should kiss it. Grandma & I laughed, she thinking her scar was too scary for him to kiss and I thinking Nathan has great confidence in the healing powers of my kisses. Regardless of what Nate meant, he later went to Grandma and kissed her now covered knee.

Indulgent Exceptions

2009-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

Noah has missed having his buddy, Etrick, around. He and his family moved to D.C. this past summer. For the past two months the rumors of Etrick making a two week visit in January stirred dreams of possibilities for Noah. Sadly, Etrick came and spent his first few days with another mutual friend. This other boy enjoyed sharing the details of his visit with Etrick while making it impossible for Noah to join in their fun. As a mom, this broke my heart. Noah tried to be so positive and hopeful as he defended his friend's right to play alone with Etrick. As a mother, I wasn't so understanding. After two days of being unsuccessful at trying to get Noah hooked up with the mighty duo, I called Etrick's mom. She was happy to allow Etrick a private visit with Noah and suggested Wednesday after school.

Wednesday, Etrick called and while sobbing apologized that he couldn't come after all because he'd been grounded for wetting his pants in the car. Realizing the difficulty his admission to me must have been and knowing Noah would be heart-broken, I asked to speak to his mom. She was flustered after a long drive from Logan. They had been behind schedule and Etrick had tried to "hold it" so he could get to our house as quickly as possible. Bless his heart. I suggested he come, and I could loan him some clean clothes and provided a personal experience of Ray's to ease her own feelings of frustration and humiliation. She agreed to let him come. We also worked it out so he could spend the night and allow the two boys to play all day on Thursday.

When my intelligent daughters learned of the plan they inquired about what Etrick would do while Noah went to school. I felt like a cool mom as I simply stated Noah would stay home from school to be with his best friend since it was an unusual circumstance and I would make the same allowance for them in a similar situation. I braced myself for dramatic rebellion to unfold. To my surprise, however, the girls expressed their enthusiasm for Noah to have this special visit with his friend. My children continue to amaze me.

Perhaps some would argue that to allow a child to skip school for a play date is an indulgence and a lack of respect for education. They would be entitled to their opinions. Lucky for me my husband isn't one of those. When he asked me if Noah would be missing school to play and I said, "Yes," he said, "OK, good to know."

"No, I'm Two!!!"

2009-01-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

As Nathan's birthday approached I was sad thinking about my little boy growing up. Kids are always in a hurry for tomorrow to come while most of us would love to freeze time for awhile and just enjoy the today we have. Nathan must be a wise soul for on the morning of his third birthday as we all rushed to wish him the happiest birthday ever, he became agitated when informed he was now a big three year old. He demanded we continue to address him as a two-year-old, but then inquired if he could still open presents. After threatening the older children with restrictions and the possibility of missing out on birthday party activities, they agreed happily to agree that Nathan could stay two and still have presents. We all laughed as he opened a pair of Thomas the Tank Engine sunglasses shouting, "These are the coolest glasses ever! I am so cool in these!" And, he is.

Elizabeth was so good to prepare party games for the not-so-big boy. We all took turns "pinning-a-car-on-the- track." As Elizabeth says, "I think this game is better than 'Pin-the-tail-on-the-Donkey' because there are more opportunities to win." She also made a Blue's Clues Game which took Nathan on a search for treasure. It was fun to watch all of the kids encourage him on his quest without trying to do it for him.

For the final activity we had car races using a set of car party favors that attach to piece you hit and the car takes off. Usually it is the birthday child that has the meltdown but this year it was poor Emma. She just couldn't get her car to go straight even though it zoomed into the next room. While Nathan's car barely moved five inches forward, he was as content and happy as if his car had gone miles.

Emma decided to forget her troubles and continued to help Nathan have a great day. She pushed him around in his new tricycle for the rest of the afternoon. I tried to embrace the love everyone was demonstrating towards one another and forget about the sensitivity of my hard wood floors.

The only request Nathan made for his birthday was that he wanted a BLUE cake. I am happy that not only was it blue, but it tasted really good too.

Nathan is my first 3-year-old to not have had friends over for a birthday party. I was "guilting" over this until he reminded me that his best friends are his brother & sisters. :) I am feeling better about him growing up since he still loves me like when he was two.

It's the Little Things that Matter Most

2009-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

Today when Elizabeth came home, Nathan looked up at her and said, "My mom is playing with me." I smiled. Nathan reminded me what is important to him & to me :)

Phone Call

2009-01-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

This morning I answered my phone. The man on the other end said, "I am calling you back." Intrigued I replied, "When did I call you?" He then elaborated, "I am with your phone service and your voice mail should work now." I hesitantly thanked him while admitting I hoped it worked too. I quickly asked, "So, I still try star sixty-two?" He responded, "NO, star, six, two."

Now I remember that Ray had called the company on Friday so of course I should know that a strange identified man who is calling me back from four days ago, is the man Ray talked to. And, our voice messaging service is still not working...

Marbles

2009-01-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

I was not the kind of kid to put things up my nose or in my mouth. My children must have these tendencies from their father. Or perhaps this is some kind of ritual that needs to be performed before one turns three. For our family it all began about 10 1/2 years ago...

On a family drive, Elizabeth started crying in the back seat. I turned around to find her nose bleeding profusely. I became concerned when I noticed that one of her pony tail holders was missing. I asked her where it had gone and she pointed to her bloody nose. We stopped the car, laid her down, and looked with a flashlight up her nose. No luck. We ended up at the closest ER. After several attempts the elastic was recovered.

Noah did a "magic" trick with marbles. He would put one up his nose and say, "See it's gone." Then he would snort it out and say, "See, now its back." This trick did not impress me nor was it approved of and so he sought out his best friend for approval and applause. He secretly performed his trick for Elizabeth using two marbles in one nostril. Yep, the first one in got stuck. I tried blowing as hard as I could over his mouth to dislodge the marble with no success. After a trip to the DR, and then the ER, and then the Childrens Hospital, it was finally freed.

When Emma tried her version of the marble trick, I took her immediately to the childrens hospital.

Tessa must have more of my genes because so far we haven't had an incident.

Today, Nathan put a marble in his mouth. He started to panic, but couldn't talk to tell anyone about what was happening. Luckily, Emma saw and identified the problem quickly. She screamed. Ray went to get after her about screaming, and saw the reason for her screaming, and ran to help Nathan. He picked him up and shook him upside down, dislodging the marble and sending it flying down the stairs.

Hopefully, this counts as his magic trick and we can bypass any nose incidents.

Jr. High Theft

2009-01-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

My most current Jr. High drama happened this week. On Monday, after lunch, Elizabeth went to her locker alarmed to find it open. She had just put a new magnetic cubby (Christmas present) in her locker that morning and now it had been stolen. She was sad and concerned about leaving anything else in her locker--except for her books, which she believes no one would want to steal. I asked her if she'd reported this to anyone. She hadn't but hoped that I would. I forgot to for two days. And unfortunately, her locker was opened by someone other than herself both of those days. I finally remembered to call on Thursday. The pleasant student in the main office explained that I needed to talk to the woman whom I have already had too many altercations with. I was practicing deep breathing while she transferred my call. The woman answered, "Hello." I explained that my daughter's locker had been broken into for 3 days in a row and could we please have the combination reset. The woman asked if my daughter had reported this to the office. I replied that I was reporting the incident. She wanted to know if she should go and talk to my daughter about the situation. I tensely affirmed that my daughter came to me and I was now trying to rectify the problem for her. "Oh, I see," was all the woman said. After a brief pause and a suggestion on my part to just change the combination, she agreed. My daughter came home without having a new combination and I thought I'd have to give a Communication 101 review, but luckily, Friday a new combination was issued. Sadly, Elizabeth went to her locker after lunch and this time she couldn't open it. She was late to class and in a panic about not being able to get her homework out of her locker. The teacher actually went to the locker with her and after she failed to open it sent Elizabeth to the office. The Woman casually told her that she had a new combination after grilling her about locker safety. The Woman then tried to get a confession from Elizabeth that she'd shared her combination with someone...even a friend...Elizabeth promised she'd never dared to put her locker in jeopardy and fled the woman's office as quickly as possible. And why would a sweet and loving girl want or trust her problems with this Woman? I couldn't possible guess.

Go Back to School?

2009-01-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about going back to school to get my masters. The idea of taking tests, doing research, and writing papers again is completely overwhelming and non-appealing. Then, this week, it dawned on me that I never really have been out of school...I do times tables on a daily basis with my third grader. I help my older two kids with geometry and algebra. I have co-written several reports...the latest being on the Navajo Indians. The sad part is I had become an expert on the Cherokee Indians doing two reports on them, but Emma chose to do the Navajo because Ray grew up near a Navajo reservation and has expressed complete love and devotion to them. While Ray's enthusiasm is wonderful, I am the one writing the report...
I find it interesting that each of my children's teachers have expressed that parents do not need to feel responsible for their childrens reports and that we are not to do much. I suppose there are children who can do a report without their parents even knowing about it...I just don't happen to have a child like that. In fact, if I didn't drill each child every night about what homework needs to be done, I don't know if any would get done. And, even when we finish the homework, it doesn't always make it back to school. Anyway, I know for certain that I worry about my childrens' homework deadlines more than they do. With three different spelling lists a week to study, three science projects a year, book reports, and the constant drama with friends and teachers, I should be more confident in going back to school. :)

Growing Up

2009-01-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Today, while feeding Tessa her lunch, I apologized to her for forgetting to get her more fruit after she'd asked three times. I explained that I have a cold and all the gunk in my head is making me dizzy and a bit more absent minded than usual. She quickly replied, "No mom, it's just that you're growing up." I wasn't sure exactly what she meant by that so while I was mulling it over she added, "You are becoming a Grandma." As Noah began to explain to Tessa why I am not becoming a Grandma yet I smiled. I remember my mom, her Grandma, telling Tessa she's getting older and more forgetful. I guess I am growing up early.

After Christmas Blessings

2009-01-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

On December 26th, I received the most amazing gift. My loving friend, Anabel, came over with her adult children to make me some applesauce. After two hours of their hard work I have a whole shelf in my pantry filled with jars of her amazing home-made applesauce. I'm not sure how I became the beneficiary of this beloved gift, but I am humbly grateful. I also got a bonus prize as they played my new favorite game "Quiddler" with me. I have to admit I had been feeling a little blue about Christmas without my family to play games with and then she cheered me up by lending me hers.

Rilla was blessed on January 29th. We blessed her at home with some family & friends. It was a special and beautiful evening.

Noah celebrated another unforgettable birthday. Grandma was here for the festivities which made it extra special. The Kelly family came for dinner and stayed for games. Cousins are wonderful! He & I are both extremely happy that he finished his Weeblos and Arrow of Light!

After Santa left me feeling a bit overlooked this Christmas, my dear husband cheered me up by making me a beautiful mail-box. He even painted it. It is true that the best gifts are labors of love.

A Very Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve afternoon we bundled up and spent some fun family time sledding down a great hill on Campus. A sweet & generous friend took Rilla so I was free to sled without worrying about her. Nathan proved to really enjoy sledding. I wasn't sure how he'd do on a big hill or if we'd ever get him into his despised purple & pink snowsuit...but he had the best day ever as he sat in his sled and the rest of us had an extra workout taking turns pulling him & his sled back up the hill. Ray, being Nate's primary taxi service, was too exhausted to do much of his own sledding until I suggested he sled down with Nathan and then walk back up with him. Yes, he was actually walking down the hill....

We spent a nice evening eating dinner by candlelight. I actually set a fancy table setting with nice table cloths and an elegant centerpiece. When the children came in ooo-ing and awe-ing one of them declared, "Fancy!" Another exclaimed, "Wow, I wish we could do this more often." I can only imagine what would have been said if we'd actually used real dishes instead of our every day use of paper plates and if I'd omitted the use of a clear vinyl table cover over the linen.

At dinner, Emma asked me if we'd do the "Christmas Play." We, like many other families, act out the Nativity every Christmas Eve. Elizabeth had quickly volunteered to prepare some costumes and props. It is so fun for me to watch them busily prepare. I remember the huge Nativity we'd do at my Grandparents Pearce's home. It was a magical time for me and I am happy it is for my children as well. All of the parts were designated. Luckily, no one protested Emma's desire to be Mary again this year. Rilla was nominated for the part of baby Jesus. She cooperated nicely. Elizabeth excitedly declared she'd be the angel. Tessa really wanted to be the shepherd with a sheep (that really was a goat puppet who pretended to be a sheep). Noah was forced to be Joseph again. Nathan, after listening to his siblings rantings about parts, decided he could be an angel, Joseph, a sheep, or a wise man. After being assigned a wise man, he wasn't sure that was what HE wanted. So for the hour before our play he proclaimed his desires for other parts to every member of the family. Each of us instinctively reinforced that he'd be a wonderful wise man. When Elizabeth showed him that he could wear a cape, he was content. Each of them performed the Nativity with reverence and respect.

I was feeling great. The day was wonderful and running smoothly. After the Nativity the children asked if they could open the traditional ONE present before going to bed. We gathered in a circle close to the tree as I passed out the pre-determined gifts. The older children weren't surprised to find new p.j.'s. But, Emma, was distressed to find that she and Tessa received matching jammies. She burst into tears storming around and screaming the injustice of it and vowing to never wear them. Somehow I managed to stay calm. I was remembering that I'd wanted to buy her Hannah Montana jammies instead, but the dad didn't want those so the only option was matching with Tessas. I hugged Emma and promised to never make that same mistake again. She must have believed me and felt my true sense of remorse because she put them on for a picture. I then began to wonder on what emotion we'd all go to bed with and I began to worry...Luckily, I agreed to allow Emma to set carrots out for the reindeer. We all went to bed happy.

Christmas Picture

2008-12-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've sent out Christmas cards for the past nine years....It began to be a tedious task that I eliminated in trying to simplify. This year I am going to send out an electronic greeting and decided we needed an updated family picture to attach to it. I thought the best chance we'd have was to take it immediately right after church while we were still somewhat dressed up (and hopefully looking our best). Well, we actually got around to it an hour after church. After a couple of disputes over "who gets to sit by who" and "who gets to sit where" we ended up with seven pictures; this being the best. At least Nathan is smiling and Rilla isn't screaming and no ones undies are showing. :)