Here Comes Trouble

So my non-rolling, non-crawling baby is learning to pull-up and trying to walk. This means that nothing in my house is safe. The new rule is that anything I find in Baby J's mouth goes in the trash - from pennies, to lego, polly pocket accessories and star wars' helmets - there's been an excess of trash lately. Our sweet baby has also taken to tearing apart the train table, pulling all the books off the bookshelf and then ripping several pages to shreds, not to mention the DVD collection and tupperware! Standing behind him and letting him hold my two index fingers as he maneuvers his way to his next territory to claim has become a full-time job, but at least there are benefits; look at that smile!

Battling his Goliath

How we've gotten around for the last two weeks! (Thanks Camie!)

Line upon line, miracle upon miracle, our little Mr. T never ceases to amaze. Not only did his surgery go over so much better than planned, his recovery has been absolutely wonderful too. Last Wednesday was a big day for him. He went to get his cast off amidst not feeling well, and after a short follow-up with the surgeon returned home with his monthly cyclical fever. He had a rough afternoon, part fever, and part psychological I think from being able to see the huge lines of stitches, and feeling that for the first time. He was bound and determined to go to his preschool recognition night (graduation) and so we drugged him up, loaded up his walker and headed over. Some of you may recall the horrors of last year’s graduation, and so, as usual, my pessimistic self prepared for the worst and was delightfully surprised. He was in pain and a bit teary, so Mr. Man carried him and together they “graduated”. Mr. Man received some “about time” comments, but really it was a special moment for father and son. Mr. T sat on a chair and still participated as well as he could. It was a nice evening, and we made it last with ice cream afterwards. We are so proud of how far he has come. He is such a trooper! We went to physical therapy on Thursday (Mr. T was heard to tell a neighbor that “I used to go to speech therapy, but now I go to speech therapy for my leg!) and did remarkably well. Somehow he knew he couldn’t fool her and she had him up and walking in no time! He limps a bit and has to be reminded to keep his right foot straight ahead, but really he’s doing so great! So well, in fact, that we got him a two-wheeler and he was riding his bike all through the store and then all around the neighborhood yesterday! (I still have to get pictures of that!) We had no idea how this summer would be for him, originally thinking he would be in a cast for the first eight weeks… and now we are trying to keep up with him instead. I feel really blessed and know that Mr. T must be a special boy indeed to be so constantly and lovingly held in the hand of the Lord.

Graduating together

There is so much love in this look. Mr. T is out of it though.

Doing his best to participate.

We all made it this time!

This is his absolutely most favourite song that he sings every day! Love it!

Jiffy treat is always a special treat!

The prednisone is starting to kick into my crazy little boy!

Kissing Cuteness

Sorry, he's mine!

Play to Win?

I can’t believe that Miss J’s spring soccer season is already over. It seems to have flown by this time. Miss J is fast and runs every second she can, which tends to result in her always being completely out of breath… and yet that doesn’t stop her! She is very determined on the field, and will be seen running ahead, and chasing every ball that goes out of bound. Her competitiveness has gotten a bit out of control this season with tears when losing and severe chastising herself when she doesn’t get a goal. It’s been a little hard for her, and we’re going to try something a bit less competitive for a bit. As a parent, it has been amusing to watch the difference between my daughter and others. Her best friend plays on her team and she is content and playful and could care less if she actually comes into contact with the ball. Miss J on the other hand is like a freak of nature out there, and her temper and desire to win is worn on her shirtsleeve – along with the mud! This was her 4th time to be on the purple team and the boys have gotten to be experts at yelling: "Go purple!" However, Mr. Man has also found out what happens when he cheers for the "other" team! Yikes! Go Purple!

Ready!
Teammates
Watch out!
She had a great coach!
C'mon... over here!
Getting ahead of everyone.
Ooooh... the mud!

Please go in!

Vote for David

Somehow our daughter has become obsessed with American Idol and, inevitably “fallen in love” with David Archuleta. In the last few weeks the two of us have had an ongoing argument that consists of one word each. Me: “Cook”. Her: “Archuleta”. At the bottom of each lunch note I sign “love Mommy” and then, “Cook”. I love to infuriate her infatuation! Tonight, of course, she did everything I could have dreamed up asking her so that she could stay up to watch the Davids. She invited her best friend over for a pajama party to watch the last (for her) American Idol. While it was a bit hard to let go of “our special time” together, I had so much fun watching those two silly girls having way too much fun.

What cracks me up is that they were discussing what the “winner” gets, and have determined that he will obviously get a certificate saying he is a winner.

Tonight Miss J went to bed with her “pretend” husband, David Archuleta. The girls say they really do love him, not just his songs. This is beyond me… oh well.
I think both Davids are amazing and both are sure to go on to have spectacular careers, however, I prefer Cook’s songs and feel he has more of an idol image. Archuleta will most likely win because of all the little girls who will convince their parents to vote for him, and he does have an absolutely amazing voice. While I would love to win the argument between Miss J and I, I do know that I’m a much better loser, and so for the sake of our household, may the youngest David win.

Nine Months and Teething

This is why my little guy has been so crabby! Those top two are just about through now. I have many more beautiful 9month pics to share, but this one so perfectly epitomizes my week - though somehow he looks cheerful here, hmmmmm...

Okay, one more. Standing. The boy refuses to roll, crawl or do anything that consists of placing his belly near the ground. Instead he scooches all over on his bottom, and wants to STAND all the time. This requires a lot of constant supervision as he still hasn't figured out how to get out of said position... and so he tends to fall straight back and add to the persistant goose egg on the back of his head. I think he may walk before he crawls! Aren't his blue eyes (still blue) beautiful! I love my Mr. Grumpypants!

Graduating May Kill You

Miss J ~

Today: "I can't wait till the last day of school when I get to graduate from first grade. Do you think it's going to be like last year when I had my kindergarten funeral and I got a certificate and walked to the front of the stage?"

Yesterday: "Will we ever have a cat or dog... I know, we have to wait until we don't live here and have our own house. And we can't buy a house until Daddy graduates. But what if I'm dead by then?"

***On a side note, Miss J was wearing this dress on Sunday when all the primary children went up to the front to sing a song for Mother's Day. After church we were praising our children for their singing and asking how they felt when they were up there. Nervous, of course. But Miss J answered, "I was so embarrassed. I couldn't believe I was up there in front of everyone wearing polka-dots!" How horrific! I think she looks absolutely adorable.

PREGNANCY SHRINKS YOUR BRAIN!

I will never forget the first time I was confronted with this shocking truth. I was an English major doing my undergrad at BYU-Hawaii. A friend, who was in most of my classes, brought me an article stating the fact that pregnant women lose brain cells. I forget the exact percentage of loss that the article boasted of proving, but I remember my response. First of all, how dare this male confront me with such a misogynistic and radical suggestion, secondly I refused to believe such a bluff, and finally I became completely dedicated to keeping all of my brain cells in tact and getting a 4.0 that “pregnant” semester just to show up my counterpart who insisted I would no longer be capable of such brain power (or so I suspected).

I don’t quite recall when my view changed (part of the shrinking or disappearing brain cells I am sure), but it has. I am in complete accord with any scientist who suggests the disgraceful absent-mindedness and pregnancy link. Mostly because I have no other explanation for myself. I had the wonderful opportunity to know a most outstanding woman when we were doing our masters, she was the mother of twelve and truly an inspiration to me. I remember her saying one time that it was true about the brain cells, and that she used to be a genius!

I have also read articles that retort that the six month period after pregnancy (or birth) studies have shown that a healthy woman’s brain grows larger and returns to a normal non-pregnant size. This I disagree with. Surely the lack of sleep that seems to last years, not just months after birth, affects my brain’s growth and development. Putting together 24 piece puzzles can do nothing for my cells’ growth, nor can my diet of go-gurts and raisins. I am certain my brain stands no chance of ever being what it used to be, and while I have moments of forgetfulness, and at times mourning for the deep thought that somehow escaped whilst changing a diaper, I am okay with losing my marbles. For you see, while my brain has shrunk, my heart has definitely grown… somehow even with the lack of sleep.

Happy Mothers Day

My daughter planned a little "event" yesterday for her siblings and neighbors. All of her own accord, and including tickets, sign-up sheets, refreshments and games. When it was all over and I made her clean everything up (mean Mom that I am) she got all pouty. I explained my reasons for forcing her to clean up what she had taken out and she responded, "It's not that, it's just that I did all of this and nobody even said thank you!" It was at the end of a "single-parenting" era for me as I awaited Mr. Man's return late last night, and so I embraced her and said, "Welcome to motherhood!" It was ironic then, that as I went through my un-opened emails last night (I tend to leave forwards unopened) I noticed this sweet story sent by a dear friend. It has great potential to make you cry. Happy Mothers Day to all of you invisible people out there!

I am invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going ... she's going ....she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean.. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
* No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
* These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never seefinished.
* They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
* The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the in side of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're going to love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Author unknown

Birthday Jedi Master

The day before the surgery we celebrated Little E's birthday with a super fun outdoor Star Wars party! I don't think the boy could have asked for anything more. He overheard friends at the party saying, "this is the best birthday party ever" and at least for my Little E (who by the way has consented to still being little) it was. His invitations were rolled up to look like lightsabers, and that was just the beginning. His party consisted of a Jedi training course on how to use your lightsaber, a friendly game of Darth Vader tag, "What time is it Luke Skywalker?" and the parachute was used to try to destroy the death star. Fun times. We invited way too many children, but thankfully the weather co-operated and the great outdoor prooved to be the best place for them to play and party.

Holding his lighsaber invitation!

Little E takes forever to blow out his candles, and it is always seems that as he does so a moment in time passes as I watch my little boy growing up and turning yet another year older.

His true birthday was a day spent between spoling a birthday boy and his cast-laden brother and it was a bit of hard day... so I'm glad he had his super fun party.

Four things I love about Little E:

*He has the quickest wit and such a strong grasp of language to be able to make jokes and capture moments with wit and wisdom. And he always speaks his mind. Mr. Man calls him his "talk-a-lot toy". Recently after a fun date together where we ended up at his favourite little spot to eat, I mentioned how much I love going on dates with him. His quick reply, "Well, I love going on dates with Daddy." What could I say except, "I like going on dates with Daddy too." Oh, Little E!

*Little E is a homebody. While this drives me crazy at times, I love how much he enjoys being home and how much he truly loves his family - which he reminds us of constantly, saying, "I love EVERY person in my family. I love my WHOLE family."

*Little E is sweet and sensitive. He hates to share, but will do it gladly if he knows it will make another person happier. He truly cares for others and is aware that others have feelings too. His feelings are worn on his face for all to see, and at times you have to tiptoe around them as he is, VERY SENSITIVE!

*Little E is the fastest, cutest most co-ordinated little runner. Just seeing him run makes Mr. Man and I smile. Thinking about him run makes my heart fill with love for him. The unfortunate thing is that he is often running away from us!

We love you Little E!

Home

Yes, we are home and Mr. T is doing wonderfully. Our first night home was a rough one, but last night he slept in his own bed, and slept all night too. He seems to have a fear of falling asleep alone now and I'm curious if this stems from the surgery "sleep." It is frustrating for him to understand why a few days ago he had now pain, and now after a surgery that was meant to make things better, he has pain. However, he is healing quickly and we are slowly giving him less and less pain medication and he is also getting around more and more. He has his walker (which Baby brother also enjoys) and his knees are looking a little worn from crawling around. Mr. T and the baby both scooch across the floor on their bottoms, and it is kind of amusing to watch them both! Mr. T is feeling the love as so many friends and family have sent well-wishes and brought care packages for him to enjoy as he lives life a bit more stable. I feel confident that his recovery will be a smooth one.

The boy, however, cannot stop talking. I think because he has no mobility, his mouth has to do all the running for him. It's pretty insane. He is so sweet, though, and is the perfect person and personality to have to have limited motion. He is content to sit in a stroller watching his brother running around - cheering him on and blowing bubbles. I'm grateful it isn't another one of my children, not mentioning any names whatsoever, who is struck stuck and would inevitably be throwing a multitude of temper tantrums with a heavy cast.

We were sad to see Grandma and Uncle leave today. They were a huge help, even though Uncle introduced Mr. T to the joys of computer games... hmmmmm... you will be missed!

Amazing

Today has been the longest day. I have so much empathy for those who spend days, weeks, months and longer in hospitals with their children. There are children where we were who actually attend school in the hospital because they can never leave. Cancer patients, who should be energetic toddlers, flood the hallways and McDonalds… they are amazing, as are their parents. After just one day, I am exhausted. It is so emotionally draining.

Thanks to many prayers, Mr. T stayed healthy and we arrived early this morning for his surgery. There was no wait and we were pushed along so quickly that the surgery began earlier than expected. We were told 3-4 hours, and right before we hit the 2 hour mark, our surgeon was before us delivering amazing news. Not only had the surgery gone well, they were able to do more than ever expected. For those of you who don’t know, Mr. T has Trevor’s disease and this surgery was to remove a large “extra” bone in his right ankle area. Because it is so close to the growth plate, the plan was to simply shave it down as much as possible on both ends, and most likely we would be in there several times in his childhood to continue to do so. Our surgeon was amazed to announce that he was able to basically remove the whole bone – admitting that it may grow back, but still, we were not expecting this and it is truly amazing.

Soon we were admitted to the recovery room to see our sweet little boy. I’m a proud pessimist and from experience after his first surgery when he was two, I expected the worst and was pleasantly surprised. He was dead to the world and snoring when we first entered, but soon after awaking was droggily thrilled to open a present and his first words were, “I want some clothes on and I don’t want to be here anymore!” Who does?!

The first six hours were wonderful. He had no pain except for a sore throat and was joking around and really being himself. We quite enjoyed him, and even his doctor expressed amazement at his recovery. Then his “epidural” (coddle they called it, but not sure how to spell it) wore off and he had a pretty rough afternoon. He is anxious to return home and we are hoping that tomorrow will be our last day at the hospital.

Mr. Man is having a sleepover with him tonight, and I returned home because only one parent and no nursing babies are allowed. Baby J did wonderfully all day, especially thanks to a doting grandma who came to spend the day at the hospital with us.

We cannot thank all of you enough for thinking of and praying for our family. We can truly feel of your care and concern and feel very much strengthened and upheld by the Lord. When I stop to think about our day, tears come and emotions flood my chest, but overall I feel such calm and peace and gratitude for how amazing this day has been.

Before the surgery, in his fancy hospital pjs and holding his bear... though I think Daddy is his true comfort object... too bad they wouldn't let him take him into surgery.

Waiting...

In recovery...
Happy with his "present", and still drowsy. When we told him they got the whole bone out and he wouldn't need his brace anymore, his eyes got real big and he said, "Does that mean I can wear velcro shoes too?" Yes. And sandals, and crocs...!
Playing with the buttons on the coolest bed ever.
He has to keep his leg up on a pillow, and while still giddy on painkillers, he demonstrated that the pillow wasn't needed and Mr. Tough Guy was strong enough to lift the heavy cast up!
Enjoying a first meal and stealing Daddy's drink! (He told me after this picture, "I wasn't really drinking Mommy, I was just pretending so you could get a good picture." - my poor kids!)
Struggling a bit, and Grandma trying to help him forget the pain.

Prayers

Mr. T goes in for surgery on Tuesday, May 6th. Please keep him in your prayers and as you fast and worship this Sabbath day. God bless.

Rich Reading

You may have tangible wealth untold:
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be –
I had a mother who read to me.
-Strickland Gillilan

I’m making my kids memorize this right now. I figure if my friend can have her boys wear a shirt that says THIS… a little poem can’t hurt!

I read for hours everyday; from board books, to scriptures, to easy readers and chapter books. And I always have a few of my own scattered around the house to read bits and pieces whenever I can. We have books in every room of our house (yes, even the bathroom). Way too many books. And then we go to the library to get yet more books. Usually we are back to get new ones before we’ve even returned the first batch, and so goes the cycle of library fines and our obsession with books.

Right now we are all loving the Magic Tree House series, and I’m also surprised how many of the boys’ picks lately have been the old loved board books that they used to ask for time after time day after day. Miss J and I always have a book going together too that we read after the boys are asleep. We recently finished Ella Enchanted and boy was that a fun read! We were almost done one night when I had to leave for a meeting with just two chapters remaining. The next day I had to confess that at midnight I was annoying my husband sitting in the hallway with the bright hall light on so I could finish the book and actually fall asleep. I had read it as a youth when it was first published, and maybe even since then… but oh how delicious it was to crave and give into the craving to read and complete a real page turner. I was ready for Miss J to chasten me, but instead she was excited to see my excitement.

A friend recently introduced me to a new blog full of fabulous tips and ideas of things to do with kids. Hop on over to see her list of good books to read to your kids.

Here are some of the books (the ones I can remember) that I have read to mine:

Charlotte’s Web
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Pollyana
The Story of Hellen Keller
Anne of Green Gables
Half Magic
Little House on the Prairie
Ramona the Pest, Ramona and Beezus – and a couple of other Ramona books

My big tip for starting to read longer chapter books, is to do it regularly. Same time, everyday. They look forward to it, and it doesn’t give them too big of gaps between chapters so they can keep up with what is happening. I used to always read during lunch time. Their mouths are busy, hands entertained and they are seated and good listeners. Now I have them trained, and often they are begging for “just one more chapter.” I also agree with Marie at Make and Takes... the more fun activities you can do that correlate with your book the better. We were obsessed with spiders during the Charlotte's Web phase, and pretended to be blind and learn to sign letters with Hellen Keller... we even checked out some braille books at the library! There are a million things you can do to make the stories come alive. Unfortunately, there are often movies that are based on the book. I NEVER let my kids watch them until after we have read the book, and then sometimes they don't even care. Mostly though, they've discovered that wonderful secret where the book is always better than the movie!

With the summer on its way we are making our list of chapter books to read together on those long lazy summer days. What's on your list?