Cute Things

The other night while Bob was getting the kids in bed, Jeremy wasn't quite ready. He's at the stage where there's a problem with everything (mostly because whatever it is appears to be an inconvenience for him right then). He was talking about how he was out growing things too fast - maybe it was the clothes he was trying to take off himself that were getting stuck, or maybe it was the pj's he was suppose to put on. Whatever it was, Bob made it into a game... like everything else. This is (to my understanding) the way the conversation went:

Bob: What happens when you out grow your feet?
Jeremy: That's impossible, Dad! Impossible means not possible!

Yeah... sure he's only three....


And since we've had some changes in our lives with Peter - something's working great, by the way, since all that is left is dry skin - no raised skin, no redness! Anyway, since he's been feeling better, there's a slightly different Peter showing up - he's terribly concerned about my happiness. One example of what he does follows:

Peter, playing with the printer.
Me: Peter, that's not okay. Leave the printer alone.
Peter: You happy?
Me: No, I'm not happy when you play with the printer.
Peter (with concerned face and voice): You sad, Mama?
Me: Yes, Peter, I'm sad when you play with the printer.

Peter then takes the offending hand with his other hand, holding it fast he looks at it and says: Behave hand.
Still holding his hand, he looks back at me: Hand behave, you happy?
Me: Yes, Peter. I'll be happy if your hand behaves.

Now whenever I tell him that what he's doing makes me sad or disappoints me, he immediately grabs the one hand with the other and with a teary voice says: Behave, Mama. You be happy. I behave.

What a difference from the little monster who would head butt and hit me hard enough to leave bruises when he wanted to let me know he loved me! Oh how good life is when the little one is feeling sooooo much better!

Easter 2009

Easter was... different... this year. Normally there is a special Sacrament meeting... this year, Easter came a little early, and with General Conference last weekend, well, it was Fast and Testimony Sunday instead. I still felt the spirit, but I must admit that I did miss the extra music and extra attention to the Resurrection of Christ (though many people did mention it in their testimonies).

All week I found my attention drifting to Savannah. This is her first Easter away from her earthly family. It's strange to think of. While she was ill she didn't visit with us on Easter, but prior to that, her family would gather with ours for a special Easter Egg hunt, dinner and a special "story of Christ in 12 eggs". I'm sure that's why she was on my mind so much this week. Over the last couple of years, our family has kept to ourselves for Easter - teaching our children, watching their excitement, drawing our family close together in a relaxing setting. It seems we don't get many of those kinds of days.

Since the kids were so excited about having an egg hunt, and since the tables were covered... well, the Easter Bunny didn't find his way to our house during the church hours (which is the normal time for Him in our house). In fact, Mommy was dropped off early to see if the Easter Bunny had come yet and to clear the sewing stuff from the table. Daddy toke the kids to drop off our neighbor and then up the road the long way home. When they came back, Mommy still had not seen the Easter Bunny... but, the kids noticed candy leading along the deck to the backyard and a sign on the door, right at their level, that said "Hippity Hop Hop to the backyard. Love Easter Bunny".... so they followed the trail and squealed with delight at the sight of the backyard.

The only trouble was that it was sooooooo windy... and, of couse, Jeremy hates the wind. But he was a good sport and filled his basket before he went inside... to stay. The girls were quick and all over the place - soon with filled baskets and an assignment to assist their bothers in finding ones to fill their baskets. The Easter Bunny even hid Cadburry Cream Eggs... special for Daddy!

Peter was so funny - he was excited by the idea of Easter Bunny... and every time he'd pick up an egg he'd show me and squeal "An Easter Bunny" beaming ear to ear and then putting it in his basket! He did get two chocolate Easter Bunnies (one from the Easter Bunny and one from Aunt Cheri and Uncle Andrew)... he was so thrilled! When he bit into the one from Cheri and Andrew, it was hollow... he thought that was great.... put the ear up to his eye and had himself a chocolate telescope!

And when we called to say "Happy Easter" to family, Peter would exclaim, every time, "Happy Easter Bunny!"

Such a fun age! And it was so nice to see the excitement in our children's eyes.. for the clothes and the candy. But the best part was Gabi...

We had made up Easter Baskets for the missionaries (even the girls, as the kids insisted). And then filled up a large jar with candies and wrapped it in spring fabric to take to our neighbor. On our way back from delivering it, she said "I feel so warm... even though it's cold outside, I feel so warm. I love helping others who don't have the same things we do."

Yes, we have an Easter Bunny. But no, the focus is never centered there. Our children know the importance of Easter - why there had to be an atonement. What that meant for each of us. And how much Christ loves us all. They know that Christ was resurrected and that we each will be. They know that families can be eternal. And they know that serving each other is what Christ would have us do - that it brings us one step closer to Him.

I am so grateful for this. For the reminder that my children are learning what is important not just in word, but in deed also. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who prepared a plan to allow us to grow, to learn, to gain physical bodies and then to return to him again. I love my Savior so very dearly - I can not even begin to imagine what he must have suffered for me - let alone for all of us. And to know that He had a choice, even at the very end, He had a choice. He choose love above all else... He loved (and loves) us so much that He was willing, and then did, suffer beyond all imagination to bring us back to the Father, to the Home we all came from. I will be forever and eternally grateful - and though I know I can never repay Him, I want to be more and more like Him everyday. I want to be a better person each and every day, so that I might grow and learn and become the best I can be through His love and His atoning sacrafice.

Easter may come only once a year, but the message rings strong every day, every week, every month, every year. It is brought back to our memory in great strength each Easter, but it remains alive within us because we know and feel the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

We hope everyone had a wonderful, peaceful "Happy Easter Bunny"!

Easter Outfits

Easter has always been my favorite time of year... it brings back great, pleasing, and joyful memories from my childhood (not many holidays do). So, in keeping with my mother's tradition, I try to make a dress for each of my girls for Easter... expanding that, I also make shirts and vest for the boys..... (sorry about the above picture.. not sure what setting Bob had that on).

Mom tensed me this year - because even starting a month and half early (which explains why Gabi's dress is two inches shorter than I had planned it to be) I was putting the embellishments on Sunday morning! She was laughing so hard because of my adventures with Beth, Jeremy and Peter in the store trying desperately to find BROWN dress shoes in "toddler" sizes (Gabi was fine) because apparently my sister and brother were the same way. Brings back memories for her - ones she wouldn't have laughed at then, but could now! (There's hope for me yet). Then she asked me if I remembered the year she bought us girls dresses.... honestly, No... No I do not. So she told me about it. (I have bought my girls dresses before, but I just love to make them... I love how I felt as a little girl getting these new dresses, freshly sewn by my loving mother... I want to pass that on.)

Well, I mentioned in an earlier post the the kids got to help this year... once... each... and then we ran out of time and I had to take over... Bob ended up home earlier on Saturday night and (the sweetest husband awards goes to him) he sat down and sewed on every single button on the boys shirts (you soon to be and just returning missionaries... Bob said that this was the reason missionaries are suppose to learn to sew! :))... even with that, we were in bed around 1am.... because I was cross eyed..... and everything could be worn, even if it wasn't "complete". In the end, I had everything except Gabi's little bows on - so I sewed those on the half hour ride to church... and finished just in time!

I'll admit that this year I was suppose to make pants and ties for the boys as well... but I knew that was not realistic for Easter... they will still get them... but I'm going to take a week long breather first! I also didn't put buttons on the vests yet... because the ones we got I ended up not liking... I had some I did like, but only enough for one vest... and no, I couldn't bring myself to do them on one and not the other.... and it was too late to go "shopping" and we don't shop on Sundays.

Though the boys shirts are terribly bright (say, living easter eggs), they really looked great! I might make lighter blue shirts for them too (not sure yet) to keep the tone down a notch for family pictures when the flowers bloom! And Gabi and I agreed to look for some really soft pink (like the flowers in her dress) to add a couple of inches on the bottom... so she can wear it longer.

Regardless of the "stress factor" it was a "good stress" mostly... but then, being up late three nights in a row really did me in.... we'll have none of that next year.... (yeah, right!)

A NEW Way of "Life"

Okay - so here we are again - that's right.... another thing to try with Peter.

We had the three kids (Gabi, Beth and Peter) in for wellness check ups last week. Peter had one of his worse flare ups of all time the day before on our ride back home from our weekend away. He was red, itchy, and had huge hives. They were bubbled way up and one hive covered his entire arm. Needless to say, he was miserable. Benedryl does not always work with him. I've yet to figure out any rhyme or reason to when it does and when it does not work. Anyway, at the doctor's visit, it was agreed that it was time to see a specialist. It was also agreed that we needed to look at things like diet, not just cover up the problem.

New Problem - our insurance does not cover naturalist options. All the dermatologists that I was able to find and talk to work strictly with medications and creams (ie... steriods)... we're not ready to believe that Peter needs to be on steriods... especially when it would likely mean the rest of his life. We want to find the cause and eliminate it... not just cover it up and pretend it isn't an issue.

So, with that in mind, Bob wants us to keep a detailed journal and try a few more things ourselves first - before paying out of pocket. It's been overwhelming to consider, but we're finally doing some other things... not everything yet, but we'll get there if we need to.

We've eliminated the following:
Eggs
Dyes
Berries (which we already know cause problems)
Seafood

If needed, we'll also eliminate chocolate, peanuts, wheat, milk and soy. I might start in on the chocolate because he had some yesterday and today he's not feeling so well. He's not too bad... and it may be because his legs have been so dry and I've not put anything on them (trying to avoid anything store bought). I'm working on getting some beeswax lotion made only with olive oil (since he's okay with that oil).

We've also changed our laundry habits:
No more fabric softeners or dryer sheets. No more strain removers (though I'd love to find an all natural one that we can "make" ourselves). We're only using All Free and Clear (though we're going to try some homemade Borax stuff) and then Vinegar in the rinse cycle (which we do twice) which both softens and strips any excess detergent out of the clothing. And YES! Vinegar actually works to soften clothes... more than that, I honestly think our clothes are softer... and.... it's sooooo much less expensive! We use about 1/2 cup in each rinse.

Anyway... we've seen a huge difference in Peter's skin... we're not sure if it's food or contact since we've removed things for both. But Bob seems to steer towards contact because the hands, feet, head and diaper area are never effected.

The good news in all this... it may just force us to find more natural alternatives... and that's not a bad thing... especially when it's more cost effect (and not just in buying the products, but in preserving health).

Mom Is 50!?! - Can You Tell?

The first weekend in April was an eventful one for us. We made a quick trip to Vermont to help celebrate my mother turning 50! It was exciting to try and help plan the celebration on such short notice - things had just been too hectic and crazy in her life to know if we could even try to plan something. Even that weekend things got hectic again - but it all came together and she was truly surprised (my kids didn't even give it away!).


While we were there, the community was putting on an Easter Egg Hunt - complete with crafts before hand. So though the first day and half we didn't see much of Mom, that Saturday was a day for her and my kids - and it was so much fun (even though the hunt was held outside, in the freezing rain).

Bethie and Gabi ended up in the same hunting group, and aside from a slipped off shoe at one point, they had a blast. It was much harder to find their eggs than it was for the boys. Braeden, Peter and Jeremy were in the little group - where all the eggs were easy to see and easy to grab. Braeden and Peter were so funny - they would find an egg, but then refuse to touch it (because it was wet). So Mom and I picked up the eggs they found. After a couple of times with that, Peter found another egg, not so obviously wet, and picked it up. He made a little face and told me it was wet, but then put it in his basket and went on for another one. That allowed me a chance to run off and try to get a couple pictures of the girls - since they were on the playground quite a distance away.

They had a really nice time - and so did we.

After that we headed over the mountain to the party - Mom fully expected to get pictures with her grandkids... we owe her big time... and she didn't figure it out until we drove into the parking lot and she saw Craig who lives quite a ways away. She had a nice time - we had asked everyone to write down a memory about her or something they admired about her. This was really special for her because she often feels that she has not made a difference in the lives of her family. She often hears the negative and lets it make her think she's not as wonderful and special as she is (we all do this at times).

She also mentioned how special it was for her to have her grandchildren there. Almost all were able to be there - and to watch them playing together and having a good time. She loves those moments (though they are few) so very much.

Over all, she had a wonderful time - her heart was filled with love and gratitude. That's what makes a party special.

Ice Soccer

As the snow melts, the kids get more and more excited about getting outside. They had a good winter (aside from not having much in the way of wet snow) but then had come the "in-between" when it's not really winter and it's not really spring and the ground is covered too deep in pothole snow with black holes hiding everywhere. They don't like to be out in that much, and I can't say as though I blame them.

Well, early last week the kids were so excited because the deck was just about completely clear of the ice and snow. This meant space to move around without falling into who knows how big a hole and loosing a boot. Since it was also rather warm (as you can tell by Beth's "shorts"), they went out to play while I got things ready for the missionaries. Normally I would have insisted that they help by cleaning up, but I couldn't resist letting them have some good outdoor fun.

With the windows open, I hear Jeremy holler in to me "Hey, Mom! We're playing ice soccer!" I glanced up, and sure enough, all although the deck (and the deck walk) the three older kids are running around sliding a huge chunk of ice with their feet. I, of course, figured I better get a picture, but between that and getting Peter ready to go out, well, I only got the end of it... oh well, they certainly had a lot of fun!

The Garden Begins

A couple of weeks ago we had our annual Gardening Family Home Evening. We always start with tomatoes - and then a few weeks later, if we find more time, we start other things. We like to have our complete garden in by the end of May, but sometimes the weather does not cooperate. This year we might just get lucky.


Anyway, we also sing "The Prophet Said To Plant A Garden" to get us focused on the importance of the project, not just the fun. Everyone gets to help - you'll see Peter had a lot of fun when it was his turn to help put the potting soil into the containers. Each kids had a couple of turns to do that, and then Dad gave them each a few seeds to count out into each container. It's always a little messy, but it was excited to see the first bits of green come up before we left for Vermont last week!

Welcome To The Feeder

We had our first bird at the Bird Feeder on March 23rd. It was so exciting for the kids. They were all gathered around the woodstove - waiting for the fire to get going - when Gabi looked out the window and caught sight of the little thing. She was very excited, but thought that if they all made a lot of noise about it the bird would fly away . Thank goodness there's a window between them or the bird might have flown away.


Since the bird feed is right outside the kitchen window, we moved the little kiddy table over so the kids could watch the bird while they ate. It was so much fun for them. Later in the day, another bird joined them... the next morning the bird feed was on the ground - seeds scattered every where.... we had a lot of melt that night and since the ground was frozen and covered in snow when the bird feeder went up, it had been stuck in the snow... as the ground thaws, we're preparing to put it up properly... and put the roof back on! :)