Party Of Five

...just stay little...

2012-01-31T14:27:00.003-06:00

POTD June 22, 2011: I'm not sure why I LOVE this picture so much. I think it's because it's the juxtaposition in the image that describes his personality exactly: soft, sweet, innocent and cuddly like his favorite stuffed kitty that he loves and calls "Meowous" and crazy, wild, determined, sometimes ruthless like the gun that he's pointing (probably at one of his brothers!)

{Still working on catching up on my 365 from last year...only one month left and I can start 2012. My goal was not to get behind this year - I'm already failing!}

2

2012-01-27T22:09:00.003-06:00

Happiest 2nd Birthday to my Sweet Baby Girl!

I really really DO NOT know how she grew up so fast.

1 week

1 year

2 years - making her "camera" face (she is a poser!)

We started the day with Ella's favorite - Chocolate Milk in a "big girl" cup.... except these pics were taken a few days earlier; on her actual birthday she had chocolate milk in a sippy cup and a bag of cereal in the car - it was one of THOSE days...

The day fell apart on me when after 2 hours of packing at the house (no we're not moving, but I had to get some things packed away for new carpet to be installed) and a quick doctors appointment for Isaac I had to run to Boise in the three hours I had left before picking up the boys from school. I also had to be at Young Women's in Excellence that night so it was kind of a "loaves and fishes" miracle that I had enough time that afternoon to put together this PURSE and coin purse cake. Ella LOVES purses so I had to try my hand at making it.

While we were in Boise - at Home Depot - Isaac made sure EVERYONE we came in any contact with knew it was his "baby sisters birthday party day". And every time Isaac told someone that they would ask how old she was. I kept trying to get her to say two but she just started singing Happy Birthday, every time. It was pretty cute. Although it was a day of one thing after another with no rest in between, I think she had a good day - the boys, especially, made a big deal of her birthday all day long.

After putting the cake together I made a quick dinner. I would say Ella's favorite foods are mashed potatoes, broccoli and KETCHUP! So I made meatloaf (extra ketchup for my girl) and potatoes and green beans (she likes those almost as much as broccoli, and nuking a can was easier than cutting and steaming the broccoli - it was do or die time, I tell ya!)

After a Face Time chat with Grandma and Grandpa Perigo and cousin Kyla, we brought out the cake. (Face Time - best invention! I think it was cool that G&G got to watch Ella open the present they gave her even though we are a state away...) Ella smiled at us as we sang to her and then blew out her candles after a teensy bit of coaching from Cameron.

She was not shy about opening her gifts! I loved how excited she was for them. I especially love how she's inspecting her presents with a tiny grin of satisfaction on her face. She sang Happy Birthday to herself while she was opening! Austin, the most loving of my boys, wanted desperately to get Ella something from Walmart. We didn't have time to take him shopping but I just happened to pick up this little Minnie. Austin wrapped it and put a note on it that he was so proud of, "From Austin, with LOVE". Ella loves her Minnie; she carries it in her stroller and sleeps with it.

A fun, happy day, for my fun, bright, cheerful, sweet, sassy, excited, smart, little girl

Ella @ 2

23 pounds

still LOVES her blankets - will not sleep without them

favorite person - her daddy or Austin (sometimes mom)

favorite place to be - outside or going somewhere in the car

favorite tv show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

favorite toys - puzzles, babies, baby stroller, purses, books, anything one of her brothers is playing with

Best COPY cat in the family - she goes around all day copying one of us

favorite indoor activity - coloring or playing with one of the boys

catch phrases: "press PLAY!" (as soon as she gets in the car - I've spoiled her this last month with the DVD player), "blankie" "dank you" (she says it after you give her something or do something for her, like hold the door open, and she always says it in a breathless voice as if she's been waiting her whole life for whatever you've given her) "cook" (for cookie - anything sweet and dessert-like is a cook and she LOVES them.) "car?" she asks that as soon as I get her out of bed every morning

wants to do everything everyone else does

her first chore - she likes to put the silverware around the table at each place

Saturday Snowmobiling

2012-01-09T22:27:00.003-06:00

There is NO snow around here! It hasn't even snowed once this winter. We were surprised to find Featherville had enough snow for the snowmobile; and enough snow to play in! Ella wasn't really a fan of the fluffy white stuff, or her gloves. She didn't love the ride her dad gave her either. I'm sure, though, that in time she will be riding like a pro. Isaac striped down as soon as we got there to put his snow clothes on. He didn't realize that snow pants go over your clothes! He was ready to ride first. By the time Landon and Austin were done playing in the snow and ready to ride it was too dark for pictures. They spent most of their time running around building snow forts and jumps. Landon took his first turn, ever, driving solo. Although, I prefer the boat (and boating weather!) for family fun, we had a great day.

a reminder that I need to remember:

2012-01-06T22:52:00.002-06:00

Here's a link to 25 RULES FOR MOTHERS OF SONS

My little guys are so AWESOME! I love them. They are wild and crazy and funny and happy and sweet and sensitive and playful and joke-crackers and helpful and trying hard to be noticed and WONDERFUL! They want to have a purpose and an identity. They want to fit in and stand out. They want to be loved and silly and accepted and played with and important. I want to be better at making them into the men I hope they will become. I want to be better at letting them be the little boys they are.

Recent Happenings...

2011-12-22T16:32:00.006-06:00

We celebrated Cameron's birthday in between various Christmas activities and friend's parties for both Landon and Austin. We kind of celebrated in stages: Friday night: presents, Saturday afternoon: Key Lime Pie and the Happy Birthday Song, and Saturday night: a trip to Boise with just Cam and I to celebrate.

This poster{s} was from the kids. The kid's are convinced that this is a "year supply" of candy! (maybe it should be a year supply :) )

After a marathon allergy appointment with Austin and {unfortunately} a severe allergic reaction at the office, we barely made it home in time to get to Landon's Christmas concert. Landon was "Country Bob". He did an AWESOME job! After the show, his teacher introduced all the speaking and solo parts. When Landon's name was called his class went crazy, cheering for him!

I love the smile he has on his face. He and his friend are laughing at each other. Landon, really did his best and we were proud of him. I even got a text from his friend's mom during one of the songs.... it looked like Landon was doing a "turtle" dance. She texted me that she was crying because she was laughing so hard at how cute Landon was!

Isaac also had a Christmas concert. He came home from preschool one day and practiced for it. He was excited to sing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer while wearing a red nose! He made the nose himself (along with a blue one for when he wants to be a blue Power Ranger)

This was the best picture I could get of him at his party/concert. There were SO many parents there I couldn't even see him singing. It was crazy! He was sad that he only got to sing two songs and he couldn't see me while he was singing. But the PLATE-FULL of treats afterward cured him.

...and now we wait...sometimes not so patiently for Christmas Day...

Last night I took the kids to do a service project. We try to do one every year (actually, one of our family's goals is to do one once a month). We usually donate food to the homeless shelter or put allowance money together to by "toys for tots". This year, I planned an activity for the Young Women in our ward to sing at a nursing home. Since none of the Mia Maids could make it, I decided to take the kids. Unfortunately, Cameron was working during the time they wanted us there.

I couldn't take a picture because I was singing with the kids. Rest assured, though, that they were well received. Isaac wore his antlers from his preschool party the day before and sang with gusto. Austin played Jingle Bells on the piano and sang Away in a Manger, beautifully. Landon didn't want to go, but I made him. He was nervous he'd have to talk to the residents and try to think of things to say. Once he saw how happy the residents were with our songs, though, his heart melted and he was very happy. Ella did her part by clapping after every song. We had the chance to go into some of the residents' rooms and sing to them, as well. One woman was 99 and another was 103. They were SO happy to see us and hear our songs. I was proud of my kids. Their spirits were shining and their sweet voices were beautiful. They were SO SO happy after. They could tell that they made a tiny difference in the resident's lives. This definitely is a good time of year to give service. (I took this picture when we got home - after we ate dinner... :) )

ClaSsiC santa pics

2011-12-14T14:48:00.004-06:00

We went to a Christmas Party for the Med Group on Base. Santa came in on an ambulance. I love the gotta-have Santa pictures, taken against a yellow wall, with bad light, by a point and shoot - they're not good pictures but I love them anyway.

And, just wondering has anyone ever seen a "good" santa picture?! The Coralridge Mall Santa comes to mind (all my Iowa peeps know what I'm talking about :) ha ha ha)

this picture is from last year... Ella's opinion of Santa hasn't changed much....

I promise she really did say she wanted to sit on his lap, but once she did she changed her mind fast... I can't help but laugh, especially comparing the two pictures :)

Isaac asked for a remote control car

Austin asked for a puppy, "even tough my mom and dad said no." After he told Santa about the puppy he noticed the dollar store trinkets in Santa's bag and said, "well actually I'll just have a whoopie cushion."

Landon refused to sit on Santa's lap. I guess it's about time, but still, I was wishing for one more year of Santa bliss for him

September 2011 POTD Catch Up

2011-12-10T17:38:00.006-06:00

One of my all-time favorites

We had a bounty in our backyard. I couldn't believe that our "experiment" garden grew so well. I let the kids pick any seeds they wanted and we raked up our own backyard soil and threw in the seeds. Now that I know we can do it, next spring we will "really" plant. It's true what they say about fresh veggies - and just picked from the vine is even better!

We spent a day at the Air Show on base, complete with the famous Thunderbirds show. It was awesome (and very loud!)

I didn't quite get around to doing 18 month photos of Ella, so one day I took these impromptu pictures of Ella at 20 months. She was in the 49% for height and 51% for weight. This month she developed a love with shoes, especially mine. When I'm not sure where she is, I can be on her being in my closet or bathroom surrounded by my shoes, trying each pair on one at a time.

Over Memorial Day weekend Cameron's sister and her family came to visit. We had a great time. We spent a day on the water, a day on motorcycles, and a day of church, games, and good food.

Trying to Catch Up (October POTD Highlights)

2011-12-07T15:25:00.005-06:00

Just before the hard drive went out on our computer I was trying to get caught up on my Picture A Day Project for 2011... Thankfully, Oh SO Thankfully, our pictures were saved. So now that we got them back I'm hoping to do a few posts from earlier this year to catch up. SO, since I left off with October in my catch up that's where I'll start... Here's some of my favorite Pictures of the Day for the month of October:

Cameron and I celebrated 11 years together... crazy ehe?!

(picture by http://www.amandaandrewsphotography.com )

One day we were at Target and I let Isaac pick something from the dollar section for being good at an Allergy appt. for Austin earlier that day. He chose this mask and has worn it almost daily ever since. In fact he wore it to preschool just this morning! Best dollar I ever spent...

Ella is keeping up with her brothers, no doubt about it. I keep begging her to stop growing up but she just won't! On this day she was able to climb the steps to the slide without the help of an older brother and she was ECSTATIC...

One night we randomly decided to go to an Enduro motocross race. It started at 7 and we decided to go at 5:30. Since it was an hour away we scarfed down our dinner (no concession stand $10 nachos and hot dogs for us :) ) and booked it to the stadium. The boys are still talking about that night. It also inspired Isaac's dream to someday race motorcycles as a career and own at least 21 motorcycles so all of his "children and wives and husbands" can ride motorcycles too...

Landon spent an entire weekend constructing this entirely edible map of Idaho. He was pretty disappointed when he came downstairs and found Isaac munching on the corner of the state, Luckily he stopped Isaac before too much damage was done... He told his teacher ," my dog ate my homework... the curly blond dog that's really my brother."

Austin got a retainer - it's actually a combo appliance but retainer is just a cooler word to use! He loves it. Apparently it's pretty cool to be the only kid in 1st grade with a retainer. An awesome thing about Austin is he can make anything cool!

Landon's last football game was the last weekend of October. He still practices throwing the football almost everyday to stay in shape for next season

Ella is developing that common habit of most 2 year old's - cry and throw a temper tantrum until you get what you want. Every temper tantrum she's thrown up until now have revolved around some kind of treat - the girl loves her snacks! She carries around the step stool and stands up to counter to beg for what she wants, usually fruit snacks. Anything I've made that resembles a cookie in any way, will elicit whining and crying and eventual mini-temper-tantruming until she gets one!

I found a donut maker at Target one day. The look on Landon's face says it all ...the kids loved them and devoured 15 donuts in about 5 minutes! The donut maker is the only way I could figure out how to make gluten-free donuts since the batter doesn't hold together well enough to fry in oil. It's kinda like a waffle iron. The boys LOVE watching me open the lid and ta-da! Donuts!

This month we got a surprise visit from Grandma Perigo! It was a fun couple of days. The kids just happened to have two days off school for Parent Teacher Conferences so they kept her plenty busy - with puzzles and movies and games ALL DAY LONG. It was fun to have her here with us. Come back!!

Gingerbread Family Night

2011-12-06T16:55:00.006-06:00

I've never made Gingerbread Cookies before ... ever. SO, I thought I'd give it a try this year and we had a FUN, FUN Family Night last night

When I pulled out the cookie cutters Isaac saw the Christmas tree and decided he wanted to make a family of trees instead of "men". Then, as he decorated them, he dubbed them aliens! He put them all in the gingerbread house, instead of keeping them to eat.

Ella loved her cookies! I gave her a decorated one and she just stared at it for a while saying, "head! eyes! mouth!" such a little cutie. She especially loved putting on the gumdrops and marshmallows

Austin also decided not to make men, instead he used the snow man cookie cutter and made a snow man family. He decorated his cookies like his "future" family. With the dad as a police man, married to a beautiful woman (his words!) with three daughters. The baby was suspiciously dressed like a Star Wars Clone Trooper (I didn't get a picture but it was pretty funny!) He is quite certain that this is the way his family will turn out...I'm okay with it as long as the "beautiful woman" loves me like a second mom and I get to babysit those granddaughters all the time!! Ha!

Cameron's a pretty good cookie decorator too! I was cracking up at the "bite here" cookie. It was nice doing something like this together because so often either I or Cameron are gone in the evenings, thanks to work and church. It's amazing how relaxing decorating a few cookies can be!

As for, Land-o Commando, you can see why he has that nick-name! His little "Gingy" had body armour and a bazooka. Landon was especially excited to take it to school today and show his friends. He is hilarious! He worked so hard on it that he didn't have time to decorate anything else. He just ate the rest of his cookies without frosting (which I think is actually the best way to eat them too!) And I tried out my skills - which are not so great! Landon and Austin were a little dissapointed when they noticed I couldn't fit their whole names on a cookie. I tried, at least! And I'm blaming it on the frosting getting hard by the time I did my cookies - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

A {wanna be} post.... Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T23:49:00.007-06:00

I really really want to post something but my computer is DOWN for the count... and since we can't get a new one until we can make it to Boise, which just isn't gonna happen soon, I have to settle on this post.

It feels pretty lame to post without pictures...

We had a great Thanksgiving full of all the things that are important in life. I'm so thankful for my friends and family, happy we got to spend the weekend together.

carrot stuffing. cousins. movies. special grandma's house sleeping spots and late night stories. new baby. gluten free pumpkin pie with coconut milk. black Friday shopping until 3 AM! the story to tell of getting "assaulted". mom's picure in the star wars movie poster. ice skating. German friends. falling asleep on the couch. haircuts. 3 grandmas and grandpas. new roast recipe. oatmeal pie. angry birds. best drive home of all time.

"It's NOT a tumor"...

2011-11-10T23:36:00.004-06:00

Remember that line from "Kindergarten Cop"? After all these years, I'm still quoting it. I smile a little, every time I say that quote in my mind - complete with Arnold Swartzenager's accent; I think it's funny that now it really does make me feel a little better.

So, no, it's not a tumor, and that's a good thing. It is, however, something. It's a Chiari 1 Malformation. (Chiari malformation (kee-AHR-ee mal-for-MAY-shun) is a condition in which brain tissue protrudes into your spinal canal. It occurs when part of your skull is abnormally small, pressing on your brain and forcing it downward. Chiari malformation is uncommon, but improved imaging tests have led to more frequent diagnoses. Read more about it here or here )

I've had symptoms on and off since I was in Jr. High. And in 2005 I had an MRI that diagnosed me with a Chiari Malformation. The symptoms (headache, numbness and tingling in the extremities, muscle weakness, dizziness, light headedness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears) didn't seem to interfere too much with my life and they seemed to come and go with puberty, pregnancies, and breastfeeding, leading me to believe it was something that just "acted up" with my hormones.

In 2005, before I was diagnosed with this I thought I had Multiple Sclorosis - the symptoms of Chiari mimic the symptoms of MS. When my doctor called me at home to tell me my MRI results all I could focus on was that I didn't have MS. The fact I had a Chiari Malformation seemed to be no big deal. It wasn't causing symptoms, except with my babies, so I pretty much forgot I had it. In fact I even forgot the name of what it was.

This past year, though, I've noticed the symptoms returning. I'm not pregnant or breastfeeding so I began to worry a little as the dizziness and leg weakness began to affect me more and more. I've head chronic headaches forever, it seems. I was used to dealing with that. The leg weakness worried me, though. I continued to ignore it until about August. That's when I can pinpoint my headaches becoming bad enough to interfere with my life. After a month or so I saw a chiropractor. He did help some with my muscle tension but the other symptoms have continued to get worse and worse.

When I went to the Urgent Care for my headache the doctor said nothing seemed to be making sense, as to why my head would hurt so bad. He sent me in for an MRI. The MRI showed that the Chiari Malformation is definitely still there and more of my brain (the cerbral tonsils, actually) has descended into my spinal cord.

The only cure is to have surgery, making my skull bigger and cauterizing the brain so that my brain is back in my skull and there is nothing putting pressure on my nerves and arteries within my spinal cord. It's a very complicated, risky surgery. If all goes perfectly my recovery will be between 6 weeks and 6 months with most patients not feeling "100%" for up to a year. It's not something I want to do.

I've seen two doctors and plan on seeing at least one more - maybe two - to discuss the benefits of surgery. I'd rather live with chronic pain than be in a wheelchair...or worse. Only problem is that this condition can continue to get worse and I'd eventually end up in a wheelchair anyway. It's a very slow progressing condition (eventually leading to paralysis and/or hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and/or a cyst on the spinal fluid causing a backup of cerebral spinal fluid), so it's not something I have to fix immediately, unless my symptoms get worse.

I seem to be right on the line of "needing surgery" and "managing symptoms". The headache, I'm used to. It's intensity rises and falls but it's always there. I've learned to accept it and live with it. The shakiness and weakness, though scares me. There are times I'm worried about driving. There's been times that it's hard for me to hold my spoon. Even now as I type, I feel unsure that my fingers are doing what I want them to do. It's a strange, unsettling feeling, almost as if I'm shaking from the inside out.

I've been putting off seeing a surgeon because, well, surgeons cut. I didn't want to be told I need surgery just because that's what a surgeon does. It seems, though that a neurosurgeon is who I need to talk to. Chiari Malformation is a condition that isn't widely understood. There is not a lot of research on it. Because of this, I've had many different opinions from doctors as to what to do. In fact, once, before I was diagnosed, I went to a doctor and said my feet were going numb; he told me to change my shoes and socks more often! Seriously.

According to what Cameron and I have gathered from our doctors, talking to other "chiari patients" and other research, some patients symptoms can subside on their own, while other patients' symptoms continue to increase until they eventually become paralyzed (due to nerve damage). That could happen when I'm 50 or next year, or not at all. I'm hoping a surgeon will help me determine my prognosis a little more clearly.

For now my game plan is to get an appointment with a surgeon specializing in Chiari. There's one in Denver. Also, the University of Utah Hospital does these surgeries about once a week. I'm trying to decide where to go. In the meantime I am praying and using my best "mind over matter" skills to ignore these symptoms and make them go away.

My gut feeling is that I will need surgery. I'm hoping to put it off, though, until the time is right. I will need lots of help with my recovery. It's not going to be easy. But, I try not to think about it. Maybe I won't need it. Maybe it can wait until my kids are older. I hate not knowing.

One thing is certain though. This isn't a death sentence, by any means. The nerve damage can eventually cause death but that is years off. I feel blessed that I can take my time to research my options and choose a time for surgery that is most convenient for my family - my kids and my awesome parents and grandparents and parents-in-law - they will have to take care of me and my kids during the recovery time. I am blessed to have people around me to help me. It is a blessing to know they will take care of things when I can't. It's also, oh so, humbling.

I am learning much. I am appreciating my ups and downs in life. I am appreciating my children. I am appreciating my life so much more than a few weeks ago. This is a scary time for me. But, I am learning much (I know I already said that. I just don't know what else to say, I guess. If there is a reason for everything, I am determined to figure out the reason for this...) And I really am grateful that "it's not a tumor!"

Oh yeah, I just gotta mention, because I know I've come across like a flighty, crazy lady, lately: I'm not sure if it's because of the headache pain or a disturbance in the flow of the cerebral fluid but I've been doing and saying crazy things lately - I wrote 2007 on a paper today at a meeting and Landon's teacher had to correct me. I say dumb things. I've always been a little scattered but lately it's ridiculous. So when I forget your name or I seem to be "less smart" than I used to be, forgive me, okay? It's just because part of my brain is in my neck!

Halloween Weekend {2011}

2011-11-01T16:21:00.003-05:00

It started on Friday... with classroom parties. Isaac decided to go as Spiderman - with Dracula teeth. He brought fruit and marshmellows for his party. I made a cake for Austin to take to his class and Landon brought popcorn. We hadn't even trick or treated yet and already our house was overflowing with junk food! (we still have a few pieces of cake, left...seriously, this holiday is not good on the waist line...or the teeth! Cameron's kinda going crazy about kids' brushing good at night. No cavities!)

That night we had our church party. I made Chili for the Chili Cook-Off, Cameron came in second place in the pie-eating contest, the Young Men and Young Women (and their leaders , including me since I'm still the Mia Maid Adviser) put on a little carnival, and the kids went "trunk or treating". This was Ella's first experience with people giving her piles of candy, and she LOVED it! She was so dang cute. Her, "twick oh tweet" was so clear and cute that everyone thought she was adorable. And guess what happens on Halloween when someone thinks your adorable - they give you even more candy! So, she made a haul and every now and then just sat down in the parking lot, grabbed a piece, and said, "open. open. OPEN!"

The boys took off with their friends. They made a haul too - I think Landon went around the parking lot at least twice. We ended up with so much candy that I didn't buy any for the Trick or Treater's on Halloween. I just gave out our Trunk Or Treating candy.

Saturday, we carved our pumpkins. This year ended up a little funny as far as pumpkins go. Landon got his pumpkin a few weeks ago when he went on a hay ride with a friend from school. Issac got his from his preschool pumpkin patch field trip. We just grabbed one from our garden for Ella and we got one for Austin when we went to the pumpkin patch together as a family. First year, ever, that I didn't spend a fortune just on our pumpkins.

Austin didn't want a picture of him with his pumpkin. He carved it all by himself and I LOVE the teeth he gave it. (his is the one on the left) Landon took two days to carve his because he wanted it to be perfect. He said he was waiting for inspiration. And Issac just wanted his to be the "perfect" Jack-O-Lantern, named "Jack-O-Lant".

Halloween night came and we "spookified" our dinner table. Isaac helped me set the table with the silverware set on the plates in cross-bone shape. I told him we were making witch's brew to drink (apple juice and ginger ale) and he wanted to "taste test" it. He said, "ummm, yum, Mom! This is the BEST Witch's Dungeon, EVER!" We had dinner in a pumpkin. I felt quite domestic because the pumpkins I used were from our Garden. They were planted for the purpose of making pie, but I didn't feel up to it (I still have one more pumpkin. I might still try a pie, I guess.) They worked perfect for dinner, though. And, as a note to self: Austin devoured this dinner! He LOVED it. Make it again!

For dessert we had {crock-pot} baked apples. I filled them with granola and cherry pie filling. We called them "Witch's Brains"... ooooh spooky, and seriously GOOD!

I snapped a few pics of the kids before we headed off to Trick or Treat.

Landon was RON Weasly... do not confuse him with Harry Potter, whatever you do! He insisted on the red hair so everyone would know he was Ron. He was bummed that people still thought he was Harry. The picture on the right is him fighting a dark wizard with his "wand".

And here's the ninja boy. After much much debate, Austin finally decided to be this ninja. He told me that 3 kids in his class had the same costume. Good ol' Walmart! (I had him look on three websites for a costume he liked and we found THE ONE at Walmart, ugh!)

Isaac had this AWESOME Buzz Lightyear costume. The wings and goggles light up. But he really wasn't into it. He wore it for our church party but for Halloween Night he was all about his ragedy, holey, old Spiderman costume!

I know I'm biased but seriously, is she not the cutest little kitty, ever?!

I brought Ella home from Trick or Treating a little early. She could have stayed out all night, getting candy. I wasn't feeling great, though so I made her come home with me. I went out to light our pumpkins for the Trick or Treaters and when I came back in she had her candy dumped out around her and she was ripping open everything she could, taking a bite out of each piece. She looked a little sheepish when I caught her, but when I laughed she squealed with excitement. I think it could've been the best night of her life!

Halloween is such a fun holiday. We had a great time with our family this year.

Isaac came into my room yesterday, while I was getting ready. He said, "Mom! I made up this song. Listen: Halloweeen, Halloweeeeen. Everybody dresses up. It's a scary thing! oooohh, oooohhh, ROAR!" I tried to video him singing it, but he didn't want me to. He sang it to us at dinner and we all laughed and laughed. I had one of those moments of, "my life is good!" Thank you, Halloween!

Tow Mater {Today's POTD}

2011-10-27T15:29:00.003-05:00

"Mater" is parked in an empty parking lot on the way out to base. Whenever we drive out there Isaac gets excited to see him. Today we drove out to have lunch with Cameron on base. I just happened to have my point and shoot in the car with me so I stopped to take a picture of Isaac with "Tow Mater."

As I was taking the picture with Issac standing on the side that says "Radiator Springs" I had to laugh because this post popped into my mind. See? We really do live in "Hillbillie Hell"!

Gotta say, though, for the record; I still do not love it here. These past couple years have been some of the loneliest of my life, BUT, I've accepted Mountain Home for what it is: the place we lived when Landon got his very first real best friend, where he was baptized, and where he discovered his love of football. It's the place where Austin grew from little boy to big boy and where we finally got the most help for his allergies. It's the place where Isaac went to preschool and where I didn't really worry about him riding his bike in the street in front of our house. It's the place that was Ella's first home. It's a place where my kids discovered how to entertain themselves and find adventures in their own backyard. It's a place that I've learned to find joy in the journey. It's the place where my family is now. And just like Lightening McQueen discovered sometimes "Hillbillie Hell" isn't so bad!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-22T13:21:00.005-05:00

We made our annual trek to "Quey's Maze" last night. It's a cute little farm 20 min. out of Mountain Home. This is our third year going there. We picked pumpkins, played on the giant hay mountain, Ella LOVED the sandbox filled with corn and wheat, the kids jumped on the "hay trampoline" (a pile of mattresses covered in hay - surprisingly pretty bouncy - I took one jump), and then we got lost in the corn maze for a while (Landon was bummed we didn't get really really lost!).

I had to get a picture of the kids. I love the flowers and pumpkins together. And I love all their little personalities smiling at the camera!

Isaac gives the best faces for pictures. It was either this, or his "Spider Man mean" face and web blaster...

Mountain Home is NOT the prettiest place on Earth. But there is beauty everywhere. It makes me happy when I find some around here!

We played until the nasty mosquitos kicked us out! The kids could've stayed all night.

Ella is definitely keeping up with her brothers these days. She's also in love with her "Da-eee"! She was either running to keep up with everyone or saying, "hand, Da-ee, hand!!" She did hold my hand for a while, but she prefers her dad's hand , for sure.

We went to this pumpkin patch with Isaac's preschool earlier in the week and he wanted to go "through the corn". I wouldn't take him in the maze because it's a little known fact that I am actually afraid of corn mazes...I won't go in without Cameron...and my blood pressure rises, I'm sure, if I loose sight of him while we're in the maze. I blame it on getting caught in a "haunted maze" by myself in Jr High. I had to beg one of the workers to let me out - not a happy memory! Anyway, I told him he'd have to wait until we came back with Cameron. And he loved it! He pretended to be his favorite scary story character (he made him up), called "Silly Silly Gumbo". In his spookiest voice he'd say "I'm the Silly Silly Gumbo who liiiiives in the wooooooooods." and then jump out of the corn at us. So funny.

I believe in miracles

2011-10-17T15:45:00.004-05:00

This is the story a simple, seemingly small, but very BIG miracle. It's a post that might seem a bit cheesy to some but one I want to put in because when I print my blog at the end of the year I want my kids to be able to read it and know that I do, indeed, believe in miracles...tender mercies...the hand of God...that He knows us and cares about us.

I've had a headache for over three weeks. Seriously. A bad, bad headache. I thought it was due to tension in my muscles...and some of it is. I thought it would go away with time. I thought it would go away after I saw a chiropractor a few times. I thought it would go away with {leftover from my labor with Ella} Percicet. NOTHING has made it go away. Without meds it ranges from 5-10 on the pain scale. With meds it ranges from 5-10 on the pain scale. Every day, all night. I wake up in pain, I can't sleep because of the pain, I (at times) can't function because of the pain. At it's worst I have to stop myself (in public - at home I just grab my head and scream!) from holding my head and crying, my vision gets blurry and my ears start ringing. At it's best, it's a nuisance I can ignore for a while until I have to take a 5 min. timeout in a dark, quiet spot. One thing I have going for me is a very strong threshold for pain. I can handle physical pain pretty well if I have to. (In fact I almost couldn't get the anesthesiologist to up my epidural when I was in labor with Ella. She said, "you're talking fine and you look okay." When I started crying she finally believed me that it really was hurting. That has nothing to do with this, but really, I can handle pain pretty well - especially when I can't let it get in the way of being a mom.)

Last night I went into the urgent care, thinking that if I could get a muscle relaxer the tension in my neck and shoulders would go away and then so would the headache. After a lengthy discussion the doctor helped me realize that I actually have 3 headaches going on right now. One is definitely a tension headache caused by muscle pain - the chiropractor should be able to help with that in time (luckily the doc was a D.O. so I got a mini adjustment that helped A LOT). Another headache is actually sinus pain - pain under and behind my eyes and in the bony part of the back of my head. I'm going to be tested for allergies for that, since other than the fact my ear drums are retracted (which is also very painful, by the way) I have no other symptoms of infection. But the WORST pain is this weird headache. I can trace a line around my head where the pain is. It is somewhat consistent with migraines, except that it's been continuous for three weeks and the migraine medication I've tried (Fioricet and Toradadol) doesn't do much to dull the pain. In fact the pain shot they gave me at the hospital really didn't do much at all. Because of that I was sent home with an MRI referral and a muscle relaxer but no pain meds because the doctor said I had already tried everything there was to try without being admitted to the hospital. (I have a couple other symptoms that, along with the headache, could mean something...but I'm not even going to type what because I'd rather not worry unless I have to. I'll just think I'm fine unless the MRI proves I'm not; and even then, I'm sure it can be corrected.)

By about 2:30 this morning I was ready to admit myself to the hospital and demand an MRI and morphine right there. I was crying, hurting, tired, and tired of having a headache.

I decided I would say a little prayer first. I pray everyday. Sometimes, though, I feel like I want to "save my blessings" for the things I really need... like knowing how to handle Isaac when he's screaming at me that he doesn't love me (at the library - loud - with every one watching :) ) or how to give each one of my kids the attention they need and deserve or how to have patience .... and the list could go on and on. Anyway, I hadn't prayed for my headache to resolve.

So, I stopped crying and got on my knees and prayed - no pleaded, begged, even. I told God I had faith that He can heal. I told Him I knew He could help me if it was His will. I prayed to be able to sleep. I prayed that I would get in quickly for the MRI and that nothing serious would be wrong.

The pain in my head was still a 10 when I laid back down. But I had a thought to get a heating pad. I didn't think it would help and I didn't want to get out of bed to find it. But then it occurred to me that I had just prayed for help. I went and got the heating pad.

I just can't describe the feeling of relief and gratitude as the pain kind of melted away and I fell into the deepest sleep I've had in such a long time. I woke up this morning, for the first time in weeks, with only a 3 on the pain scale.

I know it was an answer to my prayer. I am grateful, so grateful that the Lord cares about me enough to help me feel better, even for a night. The pain has steadily increased all day, again, but the fiorecet and Ibprofin are keeping it at a manageable level. I have faith that as soon as I can figure out if I do have allergies and get in for the MRI and see my primary care doc (it could take some time - the Air Force hospital here is notoriously slow...) we can figure out how to get me completely pain free. Until then, I will take 3-5 on the pain scale over 5-10 any day. I feel blessed.

Football: We've Found His Sport

2011-09-26T12:17:00.003-05:00

I didn't know I like football until I saw him play. And practice...and practice...and practice. This kid puts in his time (and I put in mine - driving him there and waiting for him and picking him up :) ) He has practice 4 nights a week for an hour and a half. He has 2 hour games every Saturday. He comes home sweaty and dirty and tired...and HAPPY. He LOVES football. And he is good at it. Really good. More than that, football has really helped Landon in other ways too. He's realized what it means to work for something - not just put in your time but REALLY work for something. And he has to work hard every time he is on that field. The team doesn't always win but he still feels the rewards of his hard work and that makes him happy... and me and Cameron.

Football season started the last week of July at Football Camp. We were all impressed when Landon brought home the first place in the "punt, kick, pass" competition. It was kind of surprising to all of us since he hadn't played before. He played it cool and acted like it was no big deal, but his HUGE smile told us how happy he was for winning. A special bonus was that my dad and brother happened to be here that weekend and saw him play. It means a lot to Landon to have people around cheering him on (especially his grandmas and grandpas!)

I love how tough he looks in his uniform...

...especially when he's got his "game face" on. For some reason I LOVE this picture of him. He just looks tough and ready to play.

I've always been weary of my boys playing football. I'm worried about him being around the stereotypical "football playas" and I worry about him getting hurt. I gotta say, though, football has been so good for him. It's been a long season and we still have a month to go. His endurance hasn't faltered. He's so much stronger physically and mentally. He hasn't said once that he doesn't want to play, in fact every day he is excited to get out there with his team. I can't help but be that crazy fan on the sidelines cheering him on (although I try to keep it under control! :) )

Too Fast

2011-09-16T18:23:00.005-05:00

I put her hair in "pig-tails" the other day, just to see if her hair was long enough. She looked like a completely different girl. A kid - NOT a baby. Then she looked in the mirror and said, "PREE!" I thought she was saying "pretty" but I wasn't sure. She's said it every day since - when she looks at her bracelets or my necklaces and especially after I do her hair while she's looking in the mirror. I miss her curlies...and her baby face. Pig-Tails are going to have to wait. I can't do it. I don't want her to get big.

I do love her new words though. She says a new word everyday. Today, while we were shopping at Costco, I grabbed a box of diapers and she said, "daper!" Later in the day when I changed her she handed me one and said it again. She is getting big too too fast.

Oh, Baby...please stay a baby, please?!

this weeks project

2011-09-16T18:22:00.003-05:00

Am I STILL 4?!

2011-09-13T23:21:00.006-05:00

Isaac turned 4 a week ago. He was the HAPPIEST birthday boy I've ever seen. Really. EVER. He is SO happy to be 4. He asks me every morning if he's still 4. Today he said, "am I? Oh yeah. I am. I'm 4!"

Isaac at 4:

LOVES: to dress up as a super hero, ride his bike, play games, be the center of attention, fruit salad, changing his clothes 2+ times a day, motorcycles (toys and real ones), legos, riding on the tube when we go boating, to be a BIG brother, when someone is proud of him, SINGING, making people laugh, watching movies, sleeping on his pillow pet, wearing pj's all day, reading books and being read to, listening to CD's to fall asleep for naps, dessert - he asks for it almost every night, one on one attention from Mom or Dad, going on walks, playing outside

DOESN'T LIKE: waiting his turn, not being in kindergarten, anyone to tell him what to do, being a LITTLE brother, taking naps

5 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE HIM NOW: passionate, energetic, excited, funny, singing

We threw a little family-style birthday party for Isaac. Pizza and cupcakes. (side.note. just found this recipe for GlutenFree cupcakes and they were AWESOME! It made me happy that I could give Austin something good and the rest of us loved them too. Isaac was thrilled by them and Austin was over-the-moon happy he could eat a "real" cupcake!)

Isaac directed the whole party, "First we'll eat dinner then sing 'Happy Birthday'. No wait. First dinner then PRESENTS!! Then Cupcakes, and THEN sing me 'Happy Birthday'." So that is what we did.

I need to take a picture of the Spider Man movie he got. It's hilarious. I sent his picture in and they put his head on Spider Man's body. It cracks me up every time I see it. The kids love it and Isaac watches every day (OK fine, yesterday he watched it 5 times - I was canning peaches and TV time rules went out the window. But seriously 5 times? Yeah, it's THAT good! :) )

I loved how excited he was for his "Talkie Walkie Talkies"

Isaac also got a Spider Man themed birthday party with some of his little pals. His first "friend party" ever. It was time. He LOVED it. He wore his Spider Man costume. We made super hero masks.

There was Silly String - the kids sprayed webs that I drew on our windows. Some of the kids had a hard time working the cans. Landon and Austin were happy two kids didn't come so they could have the extra cans. Landon's can lasted about 30 seconds.

There were Spider Man cupcakes (SO not Gluten Free :) luckily we had some left from the day before...)

There was a pinata. I filled it with leftover goody bags from his preschool class. He was into goody bags for some reason. He wanted them in the worst way. I was glad we had extra so I didn't have to buy more candy to throw away. (don't tell my kids I throw their candy away when they're not around!)

Of course there were presents. Here's the thank-you card we're giving out. Isaac spent the afternoon making his own cards (a piece of paper he colored, then waded up and stapled into a crazy ball, shoved into an envelope taped together with green painters tape) so I thought I'd make these to go along with his cards.

For days he's been saying, "my friends are so awesome! I got the best presents!"

With all the anticipation leading up to his birthday, I was worried Isaac would somehow be let down. But I think I can safely say that this year he was NOT disappointed. Hopefully all his little dreams came true!

{SMILE}

2011-09-10T16:35:00.001-05:00

7 Years

2011-08-27T17:11:00.003-05:00

It is truly hard to believe that 7 years have come and gone since this sweet, angelic, happy, energetic, exciting, awesome, smart, wonderful, peaceful, content, spirit came into our world.

The days just before and after his birth were not easy. His little newborn body had a lot of adjustments to make, but with the help of doctors, surgery, intuition, Heavenly intervention, and time our baby boy became an example of strength and endurance.

How did he grow from baby to boy so fast?! Every year, most days, actually, I catch myself wishing my kids would stop growing. At the same time I relish it: watching them grow, anticipating their future, enjoying their success and crying through their hardships with them. When a birthday comes along, I just have to wonder, "How is the time going so fast?! Am I doing everything I can do to give my kids the life they deserve? Am I teaching them enough - the important things?" I hope the answers are yes.

When I look in THESE eyes, though, I am comforted that at least right now at this moment I'm doing my job.

Austin-Boy, you are one amazing kid. Thank you for being the helper and the peace-maker and the hard worker and the busy-body and just for being you!

Happy Birthday, Buddy. We love you!

gluten-free birthday treats for his school class. He wanted cupcakes, but he was happy with the way these turned out.

We celebrated transformer style. Austin decorated his own cake. I was feeling like a sell-out mom letting him do it instead of making something more "fancy!" But he LOVED being able to do it himself and he was awesome to let Isaac help him. They had a good time doing it together.

Cameron was on TDY in Texas so we waited until we knew he'd be in his hotel room and put the phone on speaker. We all sang Happy Birthday and then Austin made sure to lick the frosting off every candle.

Ella looked like it was her birthday too! She was covered in chocolate frosting and wanted "more, more, more"! Isaac was pretty much covered in frosting too! Landon-boy was wiped out from football practice so I wasn't too surprised he didn't ask for more cake. But Austin really surprised me, since I was talking on the phone to Cameron I didn't notice how much Austin ate until he was helping himself to his 4th piece! Guess he liked it!

After dinner (Garlic Shrimp and {gluten-free} noodles) we opened presents. Cameron had bought Austin a camelback for me to give him and Isaac and I picked out a few other things earlier in the day. Austin was a little bummed that Isaac kept telling him what he was getting (I kept telling Isaac not to spoil the surprise and he kept insisting that it wasn't a secret!) but Austin was still excited when he opened each thing. Just looking at his face opening the presents and blowing out the candles makes me happy.

okay, so now that you're 7 do you think you could finally stop growing up? I'll give ya more cake! :)

{stay}cation

2011-08-11T11:54:00.003-05:00

Sometime this Spring we started thinking about where we would go for a family vacation this summer. There are lots of places we want to go. But as we looked into prices of resorts and cruises and plane tickets and gas prices we realized that we could almost buy a boat. So at the end of June that's what we did and we have been loving our "summer vacation" every chance we've been able to get on the water since. Seriously, the boat is the best "family-time" investment we've ever made. Some of our best, happiest moments this summer have been on the boat: being together, laughing, giggling, relaxing. We LOVE it!

For the love of the tube! The kids LOVE it. We took it to a YW/YM activity and the kids waited in line to ride with us (we also had cookies and cinnamon bears - always a winner with kids!). It's just a fun tube. It goes airborne easily (for the big kids, NOT the little ones!) but doesn't flip. So it's a great ride.

The FIRST thing Austin wants to do as soon as we get on the water is jump in, in fact he jumps in any time the boat stops, if we let him.

Can't get enough of the tube. And yes, it was me driving. I'm a pretty good driver but so not good at trailoring or docking. I can pull Cameron on the ski pretty well too. I'm getting great at driving in donuts. As long as Ella has her blanket she sits on the seat next to me while I drive. It works out great.

The other night we went for family night after Cameron got off work. During the last ride of the night Austin yelled, "hey it's night and day at the same time!" Too bad these summer days have to end!

Dear Grandma:

2011-08-08T17:08:00.003-05:00

Thanks for all the cute clothes you give us!

I wear this Lego shirt ALL. THE. TIME.

This dress is perfect for our 99 degree weather days.

We Love You!

We Call Her Linus

2011-08-04T22:19:00.007-05:00

See Why?!

Sometimes one blanket isn't enough. So she gets two. I try to keep them in her bed so she only has them for sleeping but the girl won't let them out of her sight. If I do manage to get her out of bed without the blanket, she sneaks back in her room when I'm not looking and steals it out of the crib. If she can't reach it she shrieks until someone gets it for her. She's just happier with her blanket(s). So, why not let her have them? (I wash 2 loads of blankets a week, fyi!! kinda gross to have her drag 'em around. Oh well.) And yes, I really do call her Linus; the name just kinda fits her right now :)

So Much To Say

2011-07-13T23:21:00.004-05:00

Where has the summer gone?!! It's corny and cliche but it needs to be said...this summer is FLYING by! There is so much to get caught up on, yet so much fun to be had (and so many kids to be entertained - all.day.long :) ) One day you might find a big ol' post of pictures from May to August, 'cause I'm not sure I'm gonna get caught up until school starts again.

For now, though, here's what we did this 4th of July:

We spent the week of the 4th in Utah. So Monday morning I opted out of the Riverdale 5K I was planning on. Mostly because (is this too vain?) I was going to be away from home the whole day and would've been stuck in my sweaty running clothes all day, oh yeah, and because I can't run the whole thing - I gotta take walk/jog rest breaks (I really am trying to be a good runner but, alas, so far it's not workin' for me the way I want!). Since Cameron didn't want to run it either (he was saving his strength for his 200 mile bike-packing trip the next day - a tale for another post), I talked my dad into running with me that morning around the neighborhood instead. Little did I know I'd be running a 5K anyway. My dad is hard core. But he is also merciful and let me jog/walk most of the time. A little something I love about my dad: I know he was dying to run but he stayed with me during my "rest" times and let me talk my head off about nothing and everything. He has a special way of listening that makes me feel like he really cares about what I'm saying - even when I'm sure he's got other things to think about. I told him I'd be able to run the whole way next time - so I didn't run with again that whole week! I'm working on it though, oh yes, yes I am.

Impossible to get 4 kids to sit still, smile, and look at the camera

Later in the day we met up with Cameron's family at his sister's house. It was fun. The kids played and played, in fact, I barely saw Landon and Austin; they were MIA with their cousins most of the time - and when they weren't, they were on the half pipe.

Shauntelle stole my camera and took a few shots. I'm still wondering if I was annoying her with all my picture taking and it was her way of showing me what it feels like to be on this side of the papparazzi. But I did get proof I was there too. Pictures of me are kind of rare these days:

I love that my kids are so lucky to have wonderful grandparents. I love LOVE that they can build relationships with my parents and grandparents and Cameron's parents. Isaac cracks me up in the picture with my dad...wish I knew what they were talking about!

After we left Shauntelle's we headed to my grandma's house. We tried an unsuccesful nap time. Then we met up with more of my family at my Aunt Benette's. Her kids are my cousins but they might as well be my kids' cousins. Her boys and mine get along like best friends. I love it. I didn't take one single picture. I was having too much fun stuffing my face with food and talking and relaxing while all 4 kids were entertained.

We stayed until almost dark. We decided to do our own little fireworks at my parents house so Cameron could get to bed a little earlier since he had to be on the road early the next day for his bike trip. Ella went to bed too. I let Landon have a sleep over with Colton at Benettes. It was weird not to have him with us for fireworks: I kept counting heads thinking how come there's only 2?! But I was happy that Ella was asleep and Landon was having fun with his {second} cousin.

I love this picture of Cameron and Austin watching the firework they lit together:

This 4th was great.

And the rest of the week was so fun too - boating, swimming (I was so happy that Shauntelle met us at the pool - and it was fun seeing one of my best high school friends there), visiting. I even got to go with my mom and Aunt Kim to the American Idol concert. (It was SO much fun {and SO SO loud - am I old to think that?!} I was cracking up at the people around me - all 30+ year old women; should've heard 'em when Stefano took his shirt off. ha ha :) It was seriously so awesome, though, to spend some time with my aunt and mom.)

volleyball {family} night

2011-06-27T23:52:00.003-05:00

a BIG pink ball, a volleyball net, perfect weather, happy kids, sand-covered chicken McNuggets, a mild breeze to blame when the ball doesn't quite make it over the net, a clean house to go home to right at bed time, kids that actually go to bed at bedtime: the perfect family night

Father's Day

2011-06-19T22:36:00.007-05:00

The last time I was in Cameron's office on base I noticed that he has some huge shelves with nothing on them. I also noticed that the only picture he has in there is his screen saver: a picture of all of us in Yellowstone - I was 10 pounds heavier than now {ugh! ella's baby weight HUNG onto me; just finally losing it} - that is enlarged to fit on his GIANT computer screen. That picture HAS to go. And his shelves need something a little more interesting on them then dust.

SO... For Father's Day I framed these pictures for him to put in his office. I'm so so happy with how they turned out...but already itching to take more...never quite satisified with my photo-skills but still learning. I think the photography learning curve I'm on is YEARS long {.ha.ha.} Landon has always been a "poser" for pictures. He cocks his head a certain way and smiles his "picture" smile. He is so sweet and tries to always make me happy. He knows I love a great smile! Austin just wanted to tell jokes. He kept saying, "don't take the picture, I have to crack myself up first!" I love that funny boy.
Isaac has been SO extremely sweet and loving lately. Even in this picture he looks... just SWEET! He comes up to me throughout the day and hugs me and tells me I'm "lovely". When I ask him to do something he usually does it right away... even if he mumbles under his breath, "I can never do anything fun!" Really, he's turned a corner, lately; mellowed out, calmed down, and become quite "lovely", himself!
I couldn't decide between these pictures. SO I printed them both and let Cameron decide which one he wanted (he chose the smiling one)
I love this baby girl. She is talking up a storm lately. We were in Boise last night standing outside of a resteraunt. Ella looked through the ground-length windows at another little girl on the other side of the glass. They were both giggling at eachother and jibber-jabbing. We said, "come on Ella." and plain as day she said to the little girl, "BYE-BYE!!" since then she's been saying bye-bye and hello in the right context and more and more clearly. She seems to learn a new word everday.
She's also really into putting things where they go. She likes to organize. She opens a drawer, pulls everything out, and then arranges it all in a straight line or a neat pile. And then moves on to the next drawer as if she's checking off her "to-do" list. So funny...and exhausting putting it all back all day long!
and of course I gave him an 8x10 of this one:
Today was a pretty good day. My parents came up for the weekend again. We are so lucky to have them and live relatively close to them. My kids need their grandparents. We all do. They make us happy. It will be good to get to Utah to see Cameron's parents again too.
I made my dad's favorite cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I also made some really awesome gluten free pumpkin muffins. I wanted Cameron to have a cinnamon roll before his early meetings at church. We went to church all together. The kids got to sing a song to the dads. I have to say...and I'm really not exaggerating...Isaac STOLE the show. You could hear his voice above all the others. He did ALL the actions - with GUSTO - he had a grin from EAR TO EAR the whole time and an even prouder, cheesier grin when it was over and he walked back to our seats and gave Cameron a huge hug...he was so proud of himself for singing in church. And he loved it...and so did we. So glad he got to sing to one of his grandpas too.
We came home and bbq'd porkchops. Then we sadly said our goodbyes to Alina and my parents. Austin cried for 15 minutes after the boys got back from following my parents car down the block on their bikes. Wish we were closer. Glad I got to see my dad on Father's Day, even though I forgot to give him his card. I'll send it.
I'm happy too that my husband is such a good daddy. The kids, even Ella, litterally stop what they are doing the second they hear the garage door when Cameron comes home from work. They run to meet him at the door.... and they really do "wrap their arms around his neck, and give him what? a great big kiss!" Really. Every day. They also tell me he's cooler than me. Austin says, "you're cool too mom. It's just, well, you have to do TEN more things, then you will be as cool as Dad. And I know you always have all the work to do so you can't play with us like Dad." Really. He said that. So... I'm happy they have him. Happy Happy Father's Day to all our dads.

Sneak Peak

2011-06-16T18:16:00.006-05:00

A little sneak peak at Cameron's Father's Day present. This is only the second picture I've ever taken with all FOUR of them together... and I love it, even with Ella's pouty little face - that girl wants to be running all.the.time.

We're Here...

2011-06-09T16:16:00.003-05:00

... enjoying a crazy, fun summer ...

(and as soon as I can get my computer to recognize my memory card - or find my camera's cable - I'll be postin' all about it)

school is O.U.T.

2011-05-26T17:19:00.007-05:00

The last day of school was Monday

I made these for the kids' teachers and the school office staff - they've helped me a lot this year. I got the popsicle idea from eighteen25. The "write-on" idea was my own. The "stay cool" label gave me the idea for a popsicle party.
So while the kids were finishing up their last hours at school I was setting up popsicles and cookies and lemonade - I felt like I was a kid on a corner setting up a little lemonade stand. I tried to make it fun and festive...it was windy and my decorations blew all over the neighborhood. Nice try, I told myself. I picked up the kids from school and we had a fun little "bon voyage" school party. It was fun. The kids were happy.

Last week was quite the week; every one in the entire city of Mountain Home, it seemed, wanted to squeeze every possible thing into last week. I'm serious, it was exhausting, BUT a lot of fun. {Besides all the last minute school stuff, Cameron and I were in charge of our ward BBQ - I cooked 80 pounds of BBQ pork plus a lot of other stuff for Sat. I also decided that it was a good week to can pickles - glad I did it, they are the most expensive pickles I've ever bought :) but now I know I can do it. We packed in FIVE baseball games and I did my visiting teaching. All of that on top of the extra gluten-free, etc. stuff I had to make and bring with me to all the activities we were in.}

Here's Isaac with some kids from preschool. We went to the zoo. He is shooting Rhino's with his "gun scope". I let Austin miss school so he could go with us. A trip to Sonic for slushies on the way back to Mountain Home made it a GREAT day.

Later in the week, I spent the afternoon with Austin. I loved loved loved his Kindergarten graduation. He was adorable with his arms folded, the way they make the kids walk down the hall, singing his graduation song. And he is so so happy to be going into first grade. He is ready, that is for sure.

The next day I spent the afternoon with Landon's class. He wanted me to watch his play (standing behind a mask, reading lines from a book - but still fun to watch) It was his turn for birthday treats, so I got to eat the donuts I brought in for the class with him. It was also Field Day, and Family BBQ day, so I got to hang with him all afternoon. It's fun watching him with his friends.

This week has been nice. Sleeping in. Hanging out. No one's "bored" yet. We just finished Landon's last baseball game so our evenings are a little more quiet (but don't worry, Austin starts baseball on June 7!) And we had a little Family Council this morning (minus Cameron - he was at work) and came up with some ideas of what we want to do this summer: Friday Fieldtrip Days, Science experiments, visit our Grandparents. We also made up a little schedule and decided on summer chores. The boys decided what order they would do their chores, workbooks, piano practice, and screen time in. Hopefully, this will make it so I can remind them less, we will see.

They're already working on their chores (and they're happy about it!) And, I'm not the slave-driver it might seem. We are working on this little patch of dirt together and then we'll do some planting. It's going to be a psuedo-garden. The boys each picked out their own plants; I'm hoping we will be reaping the rewards of our hard work later in the season.

Aside from this little disaster, that resulted from a fight over the step stool, we're getting along well and settling into summer vacay just fine.

Here is a little video clip from Isaac's preschool celebration. I forgot my camera but had my point and shoot video. He loves loves his preschool songs and his teachers both tell me how much they love when he sings.

ready.very ready.

2011-05-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

we're all wearing shorts."smoothie pops" are loaded in our freezer.the windows are open and the air is FRESH.the sky is blue.the kids have end of the year field trips.the trampoline is up.baseball 5 times a week.we've used our grill 3 times this week.the rain has finally stopped.WE ARE READY FOR SUMMER!

Last Week

2011-05-05T09:49:00.005-05:00

Last Tuesday our family joined the families of the boys in Cub Scout Troop 175 to cheer them on and celebrate their hard work at the annual PineWood Derby. Oh yes, it was an event. And to sweeten the deal our Landon came in second place. He was so proud. He could barely contain the smile after each win. BUT, he was very poised and had great sportsmanship, as he high-fived each of the kids that lost to him. After the last race, the one that determined if he'd come in first or second, his smile faltered. But only for a second; it came right back, as big as ever, as he congratulated his buddy for coming in first. AND, that is what I was most proud of that night. *You've come a long way over the past year, Landon; growing up more and more everyday. I am proud of the big kid you are and the young man you are becoming. How'd I get so lucky to have you as my son?!*

{his car is the gold one...he designed it himself, although Cameron helped cut it out. He bought the paint for it himself too. I offered to buy him a can of spray paint from Walmart, but he insisted on "model" paint from the hobby shop. So Cameron told him since it was so expensive, he'd have to use his allowance. With Easter being the weekend before and our nights crowded by baseball we didn't get a chance to get the paint until Tuesday afternoon. The paint was still wet when we left for the Derby. Cameron had make him stop painting so we wouldn't be late! It didn't slow that thing down, though! And gotta hand it to Cameron, he spent a lot of time with Landon, helping him. He's a good dad.} The next day I left for four days of "me-time". I scribbled out notes, put a diaper bag together, left Cameron some "just in case" ideas for meals, and hugged everyone goodbye, leaving Cameron with a LOT on his schedule. There was something to do for one of the kids every night I was gone.Austin had a speaking part in his Kindergarten show and I was SO SO sad I would be missing it. Cameron said, "he did awesome!" and that was pretty much the report I got. Judging by listening to him practice his parts I'm sure it was fantastic. I love how excited he was to participate; I'm pretty sure he felt as grown up as he looks...can't believe he's on his way to being SEVEN!
Isaac's preschool held their annual Art Show the next night. He, too, was FULL of excitment about his part. He told me on the phone that day, just before they headed out to the show, "You HAVE to come see my art. It is really really good. Are you going to come in the car and see it?!" I wished I could have. But, luckily, Cameron took great pictures and they brought a STACK of artwork home for me to sort through.
Saturday, I got a text: "meet the newest member of our family." Seriously, at first I thought Cameron was joking. But when I looked closer at the picture I realized the motorcycle was strapped into the back of his truck. When I realized he had bought another motorcycle (the middle one: Landon's size), I wished I had done more shopping...LOTS more shopping. Why was I feeling guilty for the pennies I had spent, when he spent, well, lots more?! I'm coming to grips with the new member of our family that lives in the garage, but, Cameron, NO MORE! :) The boys, needless to say, are in heaven. Austin is so excited that he doesn't have to bring his bike to the pits to ride while him and Landon take turns on the little motorcyle.
And while they were doing all that, I was doing this. Thousands of women swarmed BYU for the LDS Women's Conference and I was among them. It's my second year and I hope it becomes a tradition. It was so much fun. So enlightening. A great reminder that, "By Small and Simple Things are Great Things Brought to Pass."
At this point in my life, I often find myself feeling alone in my seemingly mundane, mostly thankless, normal life. I had many points of inspiration and clarity during this conference. I realized that the "sunday school" answers are the things that I need to focus on; the things that will bring great things to pass: boys that will become responsible, loving, righteous husbands and fathers and a daughter who will know her worth and settle for nothing less than the path back to our Father in Heaven. One great moment for me was at the last session when Susan Bednar, Elder Bednar's (a member of the 12 apostles for the LDS church) wife spoke. She spoke of raising her three sons; my life seems similar to how hers was. I realized that this amazing woman - she must be to be the wife of an apostle- struggled with some of the same things I struggle with. She reminded me "not to be like Naimin"; to have enough faith to do the "simple things".
And while I was enjoying the classes I was also enjoying some GREAT company. I don't have a picture, but I drove down to Provo with a friend from here in Mountain Home, Amanda. She is so fun to talk to that the drive seemed to take minutes, rather than hours. It started the week off great. She dropped me off at the dorms to meet up with my "Colorado friends". I have missed ALL of them so much over the last couple years. It was so so fun to see a few of them again! Let me tell you, Women's Conference is NOT for sleeping. How could I? It was one giant slumber party. I laughed my head off for four days straight - in fact, I think my face still hurts from smiling!
We did some shopping in Provo and some in Salt Lake. We also spent the day on Saturday seeing, not one, but TWO movies at the Gateway. We took a peek at the "Project Runway" Fashion show going on (and took a picture with Tom Gunn's poster just to prove it!) We spent some time on Temple Square. We ate WAY too much food. And we talked and talked and talked. Our group changed a bit here and there through the conference. We met up with another CO friend, Jaquie, who lives in Texas now - it was so fun to see her, I was wishing she could have snuck into the dorms for a night to have some real girl-talk. We also stayed in a group with Colleen's friends from college and their friends and their friends... It was a great time, getting to know more girls who I have things in common with.
The week can be summed up with two words: SOUL FOOD...spiritual, emotional, and physical (yes, physical - I practically begged for extra gluten, nuts and dairy at every meal! ;) )

Sunday morning while I waited for Amanda so we could head home again, I spent the morning with my parents and Alina. It was good to be with them without distractions. I grew up wanting sisters and I'm just now (after 7 years) realizing that I actually DO have sisters. (kinda lame it took so long, I know, but when they were adopted there seemed to be so many years between us. Alina isn't a little girl anymore, she's growing up into such a fun cute girl.) It was fun to get to know Alina a little better and chat with my mom and dad. I always feel like I'm their "kid" again when it's just me and them...kinda nice sometimes.

I kept in contact with Cam, mostly through texts because, during the day I was in class from 9-5 and at night I didn't realize what time it was until it was WAY too late to call him. I am so lucky for a great guy that will let me get away. I got two texts from him that will make me smile forever when I think about them. One was, "For the life of me I CAN NOT get the elastic thing in Ella's hair!" It was so endearing to me that he was trying to do a squirmy, short-haired one year old's hair. And also, a video text of the meal he made for dinner on Sat. with all the kids telling me they missed me but how good of a cook Dad is. Watch out Cameron, you're gonna be on dinner duty now!! I came home to happy kids and a clean house; in fact I'm not sure they missed me! The kids seemed to have grown up in four days, especially Ella. She went from walk/crawling to running and became a little tornado of destruction - every article of clothing is on her floor right now because she emptied her drawers one by one while I was making dinner. Thanks, Cameron for holding down the fort {flawlessly!}. love ya.

Easter at Our House

2011-04-27T09:56:00.005-05:00

Oh, Easter! It's almost as fun as Christmas. This year I wanted to capture the true meaning of the holiday, much like Christmas. We spent the week talking about Christ and the Resurrection. We had a Family Night and watched this video.

We also had plans to visit our families in Utah. We decided not to go, though, because of a number of reasons. When I called my mom to tell her she said, "okay, then we're coming there." I didn't tell the kids they were coming and when they woke up Saturday morning there was a lot of giggles and smiles and hugs when they found Grandma and Grandpa and Alina. SO FUN! We spent Saturday morning at Landon's baseball game. {Austin pulled his loose tooth out while we were there - it left his other loose tooth hanging like a moon-shiner's tooth. We laughed at it all day.} Landon was SO happy to get one of the two hits of the game. It was hilarious when he rounded third base and made it to home, paused, looked at us and posed with a huge grin, and then kept running back to the dugout. It really made him happy to have his Grandpa there watching him.

The boys and Alina spent the rest of the afternoon motorcycling at the dunes while my mom and I stayed home so I could do a couple up-dos for some girls from church going to prom. It was fun to do an up-do again...girls and prom, oh the excitement! I'm sure my mom was a little bored waiting for me to finish, sorry mom! Then we did some Easter shopping and made some GF hamburger buns so we could BBQ when the kids and dads got home. Of course we did some egg-dying after dinner. The kids are getting quite artistic. I should have taken more pictures. Landon made an egg for each of his favorite college football teams: Hawkeyes, Airforce, UofU Austin's eggs were most colorful, stamping and dying and coloring and dying again. And Isaac impressed me by writing his name for the first time on his eggs - well to be honest he spelled his name Issssss, but still, he wrote it on every egg. I love how happy they all were. And it was fun to have Alina there too. She was so cheerful and fun to be around all weekend. She's good at squelching the occasional argument between the boys too.

Sunday morning came early! It really was like Christmas. The kids were so excited to look for their baskets and eggs. Since Aust can't eat eggs the Easter Bunny hid plastic eggs with jelly beans in them; more of a hit then the hard-boiled kind, I must say. The boys had fun with their Hex Bugs and Ella fell in love with candy, especially her candy necklace. My mom described it well: she acted like we would act if we found a million dollars - she had pure joy and excitement with every lick.

I also bought some confetti-filled eggs for the kids to throw at each other outside. They braved the cold, and had a great time with the eggs. Then they got the water balloons from their Easter baskets and stayed outside until they were SOAKED! It was freezing outside, but they didn't care. They had so much fun throwing eggs and balloons at each other - I think I'm going to have to get those every year.

We had a HUGE, YUMMY Easter Dinner and then after the traditional 10 minute fight with Austin to get him out of the car so they could leave, my parents were headed home again. It was such a peaceful, enjoyable weekend. I loved it. I know it was an effort for them to come, so Thank You Mom and Dad.

Monday, the day was cloudy and cold but I put Ella in a little spring outfit anyway, because I was in the mood for spring. Later, I was cleaning my bathroom. I had gathered up all the Easter baskets and eggs to put away for next year and they were in my closet. Little Ella-girl came walking into the bathroom with a basket and looked so cute, I couldn't help myself. I had to grab the camera and a little impromptu photo-shoot. I was wishing I hadn't rolled up her pant legs, but I wasn't planning it so I didn't think to unroll them for the pictures.

TRYING

2011-04-15T14:54:00.020-05:00

I was planning on giving our Landon-Boy some press, and I'm still going to. There's a lot going on in his almost nine year old life. I want to post all about it. Last night he and I went out to dinner after baseball practice - Just The Two of Us... and I LOVED it. I really, really enjoyed him. Lately, it seems that every time he wants to "talk" one of his little siblings is interrupting with some kind of urgent need. I was feeling a bit distant from him and our little dinner together was the perfect way to reconnect, no distractions, just listening to all the funny things that go on in his head.

But today is just not the day to tell you all about him because I have some other thoughts that are crowding out my happy thoughts. I gotta get them out so I can focus.

So for NOW, I am TRYING *to be more positive in my thoughts and words *to take nothing for granted *to live in the moment and plan for the future *to help the elementary school come up with an allergy action plan that is suitable for Austin *to figure out a way to help Austin be a "normal" kid

I have had three meetings with the principle, over the past couple of months, regarding Austin's food allergies - focusing on the Peanut Allergy, because that is the one that is LIFE THREATENING. Here's what I'm asking for:

-Staff Training: recognizing signs of anaphalaxis and knowing what to do and how to use the epi-pen {as of my last meeting, only ONE person in the school knew how to use the epi-pen. That is unacceptable to me - what if she isn't there? what if they can't find her? what if... I think ALL staff should be trained to use the epi-pen, the sooner he gets the shot the less likely he will die or suffer brain damage from lack of oxygen}

-Ban of Peanut Products in the Classroom: this is a touchy subject. In Florida parents are picketting to remove a 1st grader from school. They are saying some MEAN things that rock me to my core. This website has a video from CNN that talks about this case. It also lists some of the things people are saying based on this case, two examples:

"Really? I shouldn't have access to a peanut product anywhere "in public" because of your kid's problem? Man, you make me want to scatter peanuts everyplace I go. Sounds like a gene pool that needs to be drained."

"You do everything you can, but at some point you've just got to let some kids die. Are we at that point with banning peanut butter? I don't know. But the survival of any species can't continue when the weakest are allowed to pass along their sickly genes."

Comments such as these, help me realize that I am the minority, and there are STRONG opinions out there. I can not understand how people can be so callous and just plain mean. But that's beside the point. I'm not going to win, trying to change those kinds of opinions. But there's gotta be some kind of compromise and balance. I get that people have the right to eat whatever we want. We also have the "right to bear arms". Yet, guns are banned in schools, as they should be. A peanut for Austin is just as dangerous as a loaded gun. I am asking the school to ban peanuts in the classrooms. Students can eat it in the cafeteria where it can be controlled. Which brings me to my next point in the action plan.

-Providing a CLEAN nut-free table in the cafeteria (if I had my way, I would ban nuts from the entire school, but apparently, there are children "that will ONLY eat peanut butter and we can't force them to eat something else." Furthermore, this is such a TEENY-TINY town that the principal is VERY concerned about backlash from parents...really concerned. And I too, want them for me not against me - or Austin)

-Asking kids to wash their hands as they enter the room after lunch: there is concern with this taking away from the students educational time. I can understand that, as well. However, hand washing will benefit all children for general health and wellness reasons. And with sinks in the classroom, it can be done quickly and efficiently.

-Decreasing the amount of nuts in school, in general: I've asked the school cafeteria to come up with a substitute for Uncrustables, which are served everyday. It's proving to be a lot more difficult than expected, because of financial reasons, and the need for the cooks to "make" the peanut-free sandwiches themselves instead of just opening a box of pre-made ones.

I feel like maybe I'm too close to this issue to assess if fully, because I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the big deal is? Why is it so hard to just reduce the amount of peanut butter from the school (by keeping what people bring from home in a controlled space and not serving it from the hot lunch line). And why is it such a big deal to assign a table in the cafeteria to be peanut free?

I've been in two other school districts that were "peanut free" and didn't think twice about it (even before I realized the severity of Austin's allergy). In fact, Ada County (Boise school districts - within an hours drive) have all adopted a peanut-free allergy protocol, according to our allergist. So, I'm left to wonder, can't we just copy that protocol and put it into affect next year?

As I write this, I am aware that it might sound as if the school isn't working with me. The principal, actually, has been quite sympathetic and has put many phone calls in to others in the "know". She is willing to do what needs to be done but she also has lots of pressure from, not only other parents, but even staff within the school that just can't fathom the thought of not being able to eat nuts at school. So that's where we're at. My options: keep working with the school, drive Austin to Boise everyday, Homeschooling, a private school with (according to people that attend) very supportive staff and less parents to deal with. What I want to do is just let him keep going to school, SAFELY. I'd like your opinion, am I being unreasonable?

Flashback Friday

2011-04-08T12:19:00.010-05:00

We're not flashing back too far, just to Ella's birthday. I know it's been a while. Her birthday was January 25. We celebrated Januray 24 because we had basketball and Pack meeting on her actual birthday. We had a sweet butterfly birthday party for her. I LOVED the cupcakes, even though they were no where as perfect as the pictures from the book I found them in, Hello Cupcake.

Anyway, in the life of a one year old 2 1/2 months makes a big difference. She's grown up a lot...I can't believe it. Here's some of my favorite POTD's (picture of the day) of her since her birthday.

These next pictures are from the little "photo shoot" I finally got around to doing so I could get some pictures of her at 1. I'm not a pro, by any means, so be forgiving. I'm having a hard time getting her to look at the camera, these days. Also, unless she is trapped on a high place she can't crawl off, I can't get a good pic of her - the girl is all over the place; and LOVES to chase me when I'm on the ground trying to get a picture of her. Oh, and, by the way, I do realize she's wearing pink in EVERY one of these pictures. It drives Cameron crazy, how much pink she wears. I can't help myself, I love it! I tell him - at least she doesn't have a bow the size of her head on all the time. She does wear other colors, but, I guess these pictures are the proof, she's mostly a pink girl. (she was playing peek-a-boo in this picture; I love it!)

"really, Mom? don't you think you got enough already?"

Ella at {ONE}

*she still drools a good amount of the time

*she has a cowlic that makes her hair stand straight up, unless it's confined by a little mini-pony tail....or if I comb it smooth and straight right after her bath it stays down, but then she kinda looks like a boy :)

*she LOVES to dance

*she weighs 21 pounds

*she has 8 teeth

*her favorite food is meat - especially chicken, steak, and roast

*she waves bye-bye and good night, but not hello

*she says "uh-ooo", "all done", "mo" (more), "waz sat?" (what's that? always while pointing to something), "socks", "mama"

*she plays peek-a-boo, unsolicited. She covers her eyes and then peeks out until she sees someone watching her, then she uncovers her eyes and yells, "boo!"

*she started walking at 14 months

*she really likes music - any music - even my annoying voice! she will almost always calm down when I sing to her

*she really, REALLY hates diaper changes

*she loves baths

*she loves putting things in - shape sorters, piling her grocery cart with toys, putting bath toys in the bucket, throwing clothes in the dryer, even a ziploc bag and a handful of cheerios will keep her entertained for long stretches

*she is a blanket SNOB - she HAS to have one of these blankets (we have eight!) to sleep with, no other blanket will satisfy. She wads it up in her hands, finds a corner and sucks on it, when it gets wet she finds another section and does the same thing. If she is tired, she wants her blanky, even in the car. Those things are worth every penny they cost. Trust me. I know they are the reason she has slept so well.

*she still has one bottle a day - at night before bed. Sometimes she goes to bed without one, but then she wakes up in the wee hours of the morning wanting one, otherwise she sleeps well from 7:30pm to 9:00am every day - angel baby

*she follows her brothers around, but always comes back to find me

*I feel like she is a puppy sometimes - crawling around, hanging onto my pants, whining for snacks, it's pretty funny

*she wont leave the stairs alone - loves going up, screams for someone to come get her and bring her back down

*her favorite room of the house is Isaac and Austin's room, if you can't see her, she's there, getting into their lego guys, and other chokables...some days are exhausting, keeping her out of there.

*she's always STARVING when she wakes up from her nap

*she's the only one in our family that EVERYone gets along with ALL of the time... We LOVE her

She WALKS {...well, kinda}

2011-04-07T11:45:00.003-05:00

I love those chubby little Flintstone Feet

She walks, but only a few steps at a time...crawling still gets her where she wants to go faster. She is especially good at walking while pushing her grocery cart or a laundry basket. If you hold her hands she will walk around as long as you let her. She is so so proud of herself when she takes a few steps on her own. She starts walking, looks around to see whose watching, and then starts clapping for herself.

IF I could read ONE person's mind...

2011-04-01T17:08:00.011-05:00

...It would be HIS

this boy baffles me...he makes me wonder what he's thinking E.V.E.R.Y. DAY... he teaches me patience - He teaches us ALL patience - Landon gave me a note today; it says, "Heavenly Father knows your tough, He gave you Isaac."

Oh how I love these boys of mine.

Zacky, you are the funnest, most loving, incredible little boy. And you are FULL of PASSION. That's why when you are happy - you are ECSTATIC, and when you are mad - you are ...INSANE...there's just no other word for it! What are we gonna do with you, Crazy Boy?! I wish wish wish I could know what you were thinking so I could figure out a way NOT to set that 'insane passion' off, 'cause you are wearing me out! How does that 3-year old brain work, Little Dude?!

Green Day 2011

2011-03-21T16:20:00.007-05:00

The Leprechaun Traps...last year Austin came home from preschool the day before St. Patricks Day telling me how he HAD to make a trap and catch a leprechaun. He didn't get it. He's been planning this trap {no I'm not kidding} since then. He said he wanted to be rich. "I want to get that pot of gold so I will be rich and have a thousand dollars!" (if only a thousand dollars could make us rich, right?!)

He was worried about getting the trap ready for at least a week. Finally I said, well go ahead and work on it. He did the majority of the work but was having a hard time trying to make the trap door. So St. Patricks Day Eve Cameron helped him put it all together...complete with a piece of fake gold as bait.

Isaac wanted to join in the fun so we made a trap with a laundry basket. But he covered it up so the leprechaun wouldn't go in. (huh? isn't that the point, little dude?) He insisted that he didn't want the leprechaun getting into his trap so, that was that.

In the morning the kids were excited to find a dollar bill in each of their traps, along with a trail trail of green shredded paper leading them to the bathroom. They found a note written on the bathroom mirror, and a shirt, a pen, and a "sticky hand" for each of the boys. Isaac was hillarious yelling, "come out you naughty leprechaun. you are so naughty; you made a big mess!"

Austin couldn't figure out how the leprechaun got the dollar in the trap without setting it off. He also wondered why there weren't foot prints this year...oops. But he was excited for the dollar bill and begged me not to clean the note off the mirror.

Landon was the leprechaun's helper. He woke up early to make sure the leprechaun went potty after he left the gifts... (you know what I mean? green food coloring in the toilet - if you have boys do it... they LOVED it. and Landon loved being a partner in crime. who knew it would make him feel so special?!)

Even though the leprechaun didn't leave her shirt with the others, Ella wasn't left out. Cameron, himself bought this shirt for her. I love when he does things like that. You gotta know, Cam is NOT a shopper. He'd rather do almost anything than shop. So it's just kinda extra special when he brings something home and says, "I just thought she'd look cute in this!"

Landon only had school until 11:30 that day. Cameron was working late that night. So after we picked up Landon we drove out to base and did some more leprechaun pranking. We left a note in Cameron's car telling him he'd been choosen to have "good luck for the rest of his days." from Lucky and her helpers. We left a few little green treats. I wanted to call him and tell him to come look in the car but the kids just wanted to let him find it after work, so we headed back home.

Since Cameron worked until 8:30 that night, I invited a friend over. Her husband's in Afganistan so it was just the girls and kids. We had our own little Green St. Patricks Day party. I made Tortilla Chip chicken fingers for the kids and Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup for us. Everything else was green (uh, except for the bannas you can see in the picture ;) )

The corn bread you see is becoming a staple at our house. Gluten-Free bread is just NOT the same as "normal" bread. But we all LOVE this cornbread. I use it for everything from just eating, to BLT's. We can't eat it more than once a week because it has mixed flour in it, but we make sure to eat a double batch that day! Here's the "normal" version of the recipe...even though cornbread season is kinda over you might like to try it - moist and not too sweet and so so good.

Buttermilk Cornbread:

1 C buttermilk ( I use 1 C rice milk and 1 TBS apple cider vinegar)

1 C cornmeal (I've been using white cornmeal, just for a change)

1 C all purpose flour (I use a combo of rice flour, potato and tapioca starch and xanthym gum)

1/4 C sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten (I use EnerG egg replacer)

1/4 C vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 4 1/2 inch by 8 1/2 inch loaf pan. Whisk together dry ingredients. Stir in milk, eggs and oil, just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 min.

Scenes from this weeks Family Night

2011-03-16T15:57:00.004-05:00

I DESPISE Daylight Savings Time. I really feel jipped of that hour {every morning for months - it's true, I curse Daylight Savings Time everytime my alram goes off and it's still dark outside!}. BUT, Monday night we really did appreciate a little extra sunshine.

Landon's amazing. From the time he was BARELY three and riding his bike without training wheels and building his own jumps with scraps of wood, he's been a great rider. He hits the jumps head on. He's ready for a bigger motorcycle. I KNOW Cameron's itching to get him one.

Isaac refuses help of any kind, pretty much all the time. He'd rather wear his goggles upside down than let anyone help him put them on.

I love this picture. He refused to get his own sweatshirt; I forgot to grab one for him. Thankfully, Landon wore three jackets and let Isaac borrow this one. I love the boots on the wrong feet and the goggles upside down. It's just a classic picture that describes Isaac's "I'm doing-it-myself or I'm not doing it" determined to do it no matter what kind of attitude.

Austin tears it up out there! Since he's been eating the right foods for his body he's gained F.I.V.E. pounds! He's getting stronger. This is the second time he's been riding that he can hold the bike up for long periods of time. His confidence is building. He's one that knows his limits. He keeps it at first gear but rides strong.

And this little chick-a-dee loves watching the crowd. She hung out here until it got too cold. Then her, I and Isaac turned on the truck and hung out inside, while the boys rode until they couldn't see anymore.

Family Night - the best night of the week

Still Guessing

2011-03-08T21:21:00.005-06:00

There's much going on lately but the MAJORITY of our LIVES revolves around what we eat. So, while I keep up with scouts and parent teacher conferences (over the phone (!) weird?) and preschool snacks and dioramas of falcon habitats and laundry and {FINALLY} an appointment with the principle to discuss Austin's needs for next year, and church responsibilities, and a teething one year old and... well, life, I am constantly watching for allergy symptoms, constantly trying to figure out how to make our old favorite foods okay for Austin, constantly thinking ahead, "what can I feed him tomorrow if I give him this today?" (it's the rotation that is the hardest for me to deal with, eliminating bad foods really stinks but it's doable, rotating the foods he can eat is exhausting)

Austin is doing much better. He's gained a pound in less than two weeks. He looks healthier. BUT still, despite my efforts, TWICE he's gotten hives on his mouth and tonight his lips swelled. So... I go through all these emotions: discouragement, when he gets hives or when I feel like this is all just SO hard; happiness, no ELATION, that something relatively simple like eliminating something from his diet can "cure" him of his symptoms; worry that he will always suffer; worry that he will have a life threatening reaction at school; worry that he'll develop more allergies; worry, worry, worry. Despite my best efforts not to, I still worry.

Today when he got home from school he was wound up. REALLY HYPER. I wondered if he ate something, but his emotions have been just as scattered as mine have been (he's working on accepting this as much as the rest of us - probably more so) so I let it go. We had to drop something off at a friends - Austin ran around her house like a M.A.N.I.A.C. I wondered again, but still, I didn't think I had fed him anything he couldn't have. Then, after dinner I noticed... one half of his lip swollen, and hives dotting the other half. Weird, I know, but that's how his "minor" reactions present. The crazy thing about it is allergens can cause hives up to 6 hours later. So it could have been ANYTHING he ate today - or even if he smelled some Peanut Butter at school, or if the jump rope he used during PE was used by someone who had eaten PB before he used it. I don't know. That's the MOST FRUSTRATING part of all of this. I just don't know. It's just guessing, all the time.

So I go through the things I DO know.

*smoothie with hemp protein (could be the hemp, but I doubt it - yo! there was no "weed" in it!!)

*apple cinnamon crock pot oatmeal (the best new way to make oatmeal!!) this is my main suspect. The oats were not certified Gluten Free and they were generic - much more likely to be cross contaminated with other allergens.

*non-dairy, soy-free, butter substitute I used for his sweet potatoes - the very last ingredient is pea protein - could be that, he's had three reactions to legumes, which the pea is. But, it would be a very trace amount so, I'm not sure.

*the chicken broth I used to cook the quinoa we ate tonight - could be that. it wasn't certified Gluten Free, but I've used it before... not sure

*the "breading" I used for the fish - Austin asked for fish sticks, they are definitely not on our diet, so I found some gluten free breading - the last ingredient, though is MSG. MSG isn't good for us for lots of reasons but, especially because it is derived from soy. could've been that, but again, it would have been trace amounts.

What I have to do to figure it out: I can't use any of my "suspects" for four days, at least, and then give them to him one at a time to see which one it was. I'm really thinking it was the oats. Next time I'm in Boise, near a health food store, I'm going to buy certified gluten free oats and only give him those. Also, I need to get rid of our generic labeled food because they are all manufactured with other foods and likely to be cross-contaminated. I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that food is just going to cost {A LOT} more now. So many changes and SO many guessing games... blah! I know we will figure it all out, I just wish we could do it faster, and with no more suffering for Austin.

*Sorry, Buddy, I'm working on making things better, I promise.*

{just a little bit of} H-E-double-hockey-sticks

2011-03-01T21:39:00.013-06:00

Okay, Yes. I know. It's a strong word. Too strong of a word, really, to describe our life. BUT, there have been some times this week I have felt like I was living in it. The moments are fleeting and surrounded by many small miracles and happy moments, so, yeah, it's really WAY TOO STRONG OF A WORD. But, dang it, those moments seem to last a LONG time when you're living through them.

This week our family has suffered from: bronchitis (me - 3 days on an antibiotic and inhaler and today is the first day I'm feeling okay, since last Monday) pink eye (just Landon, so far. can we keep it that way? please?) colds (the Littles, of course.) and a 24 hour stomach virus - the "runny" kind (first Isaac and Ella, now me, possibly Cameron) DON'T COME TO OUR HOUSE - IT'S THE BLACK PLAGUE!!! (but we're on the mend, so come next week; we'll be better!)

As if that's not hard to deal with ... We got some news. And it's really not good. Remember this post? Thankfully, since then we've found a new allergist that was willing to take Austin on as a patient, even though she doesn't take our insurance - and our insurance approved her charges anyway. phew! But... the BEST PART is...SHE IS HELPING HIM... Oh, this is an answer to prayer. For over a year, I've known something was more wrong with Austin but couldn't figure it out on my own and couldn't get a doctor to help me. FINALLY, I feel like we have the support we need to figure out how to help Austin.

So, here's the verdict. After re-testing Austin, and doing some more tests to different antibodies (did you know there's two allergy-caused kinds? neither did I. question: how come the other docs didn't do this test?! just wondering) in a regular blood test and an "inhalant" skin test we've discovered 6 new allergies; 2 to foods and the rest environmental. Blood tests also showed that Austin was pretty deficient in some vitamins, especially vitamin D, which is proven to make allergies worse. The deficiencies suggest that his body hasn't been absorbing nutrients from his food. We learned that the "BIG" allergies include dust, cats, dogs, dairy, nuts, soy, eggs. These are all "class IV" or higher, meaning they cause significant immune response (reactions that include swelling and hives, itchy skin and eczema, stomach upset). He also shows sensitivity to some other things, including gluten.

So, here's the treatment plan for now. First things first: vitamin D supplements. check. that one was easy. (so many people have suggested kinesiology - technically called APPLIED KINESIOLOGY... we're not there yet. Austin's immune system is going so "haywire" right now that any type of desensitizing him is just a bad idea...but maybe in the future. To be honest, there's bigger problems right now.)

First a bit of background: remember I'm no doctor so, these terms and explanations are not text book, just my understanding

All of his allergies together make up a total "allergy load". If the allergen load is small, the body can handle small amounts of an allergy - one reason that two people with the same grass allergy handle hay fever season differently. Austin has been getting BOMBARDED with certain allergens, especially SOY. We completely replaced every bit of dairy in his diet with soy, plus there is soy in all kinds of random places - even the multivitamins I had given him (did you know Gatorade powder has soy in it? Seriously.) This gave him a big allergy load. So then, when the seasonal allergies hit, or he played at a house with a dog, or we let him eat a piece of pizza thinking we could just give him a dose of Benedryl, his allergy load increased even more, until his immune system couldn't handle it and started attacking other "harmless" things in his blood.

back to treatment:

So, for now we have to focus on repairing his immune system and getting his body properly absorbing nutrients.

We have eliminated everything he's allergic or sensitive to, including gluten and soy. {We are going to start some "sub lingual drops" (like allergy shots) for the seasonal and environmental allergies; which will in turn lower his allergy load, eventually.}

We are also using a "rotating diet." Since his immune system seems to be ready to attack, we are rotating all of his starches, and I'm even being [a little less]careful to rotate certain high allergy fruits (like strawberries, bananas, and apples). What this means is that on a given day he can have only one type of grain or starch - either rice, corn, oats or potato - and then he can't have that starch again for four days. This keeps his blood from being "overloaded" with any one type of food, making his immune system feel "safe" and preventing a new food allergy.

In about six months we can start adding in certain foods in small amounts at a time. I think we'll continue rotating to be safe.

A trip to Boise Co-Op (Health Food Store) and $200.00 later and I think, okay I can handle this...but that took a couple days, because I was sick, and I had to research to figure out what to buy. So in the mean time... well, here's the story from the beginning (yes, I know, long winded tonight, I am - and a bit like Yoda. ha :) )

Cameron went to the appointment with Austin because I was too sick to do just about anything. When he told me the news I cried...only for a minute, because that doesn't help solve the problem...but it does give me clarity sometimes, and so does vacuuming. So that's what I did next; vacuumed the whole house, I think it helps me because I can't hear the kids and my mind can just think on it's own for a minute, plus less dust is good for Austin, so I vacuum almost daily. Anyway, after that I decided to look through my cupboards. Wow, this is going to be tough. Cameron stayed in Boise to take Austin out to lunch for his "last pizza" for a while, and I rallied, woke the little kids up from naps and went to Walmart, channelling the Little Engine that Could, I can figure out what to make for dinner, and I can make it through the store without falling over... I can do this.

I came up with... what to call it? Italian Vegetable Sausage Soup? Chunky Minestrone? It's not too different then something we would normally eat. Just changed the chicken broth to GF chicken stock, left out the noodles, added a couple more veggies, and didn't serve it with these (my favorite breadsticks)

Believe it or not that pot of soup gave me confidence that I can do this pretty easily and feed my whole family ONE meal. I CAN create a place where Austin will not feel left out. I was proud of myself, for a minute, and then I went right to bed... should've gone to get an antibiotic that night instead of waiting two more days....

So we carried on, with no bread in sight. My plans to make it were ruined with the realization that Gluten Free baking requires a mixture of flours to work. Everything I've read (and I've been at this computer for HOURS researching allergen-free cooking) has mentioned that replacing wheat flour with one other flour will not work (except for almond and coconut flour - he can't have either - okay, if you wanna know; it's cuz the coconut is in the legume family and since he's had SEVERE reactions to 3 members of that family already, coconuts out for now.) So, I was again discouraged, since we aren't supposed to mix any grains or starches right now. But we were doing okay, and Austin seemed to handling it all exceptionally well.

On day three, though, he came home from school, asked for a snack and started crying, "can't I at least have a cracker?!" Not good. I called the doc's office and talked this over with the nurse. As long as we are EXTREMELY careful to limit this to no more than twice a week, I can bake with mixed flours. I will try to use the majority of one type of flour (like rice flour, for example) and only use other flours as minimally as possible to get a good baking result. I was ready to experiment. And since it was "oat day" I found a recipe for oatmeal cookies and Austin and I whipped out a batch. We decreased the rice flour and potato starch and increased the oat flour so the bulk of the cookie was made with oat flour, and success.

It wasn't a cracker, but it satisfied us all. Seriously, they were amazing, and not even an egg. Winner. Phew. I have at least one Gluten Free, eggless, nondairy, no nut, mostly one type of flour recipe

And today, these little gems came in the mail. Austin went through TWO cookbooks, exclaiming, I can have this?! YES! oh joy

The biggest challenge has been, and I think it will continue to be, getting organized to the point that I can actually feed him without it being a HUGE process at every meal. Because of the rotation, it's just very complicated to feed him (we had tacos tonight - he can't eat a taco shell again for four days...but I can freeze the meat and give him tacos for lunch on the next "corn day" or I could let him eat the meat with salad tomorrow but he's not really cool with that, "no taco shell for my taco mom?!")

So there's just SO SO much planning. I've made a calender to fill out and plan meals for the month, but, not only does the planning take time, I have to get him fed three/four times a day so I haven't been able to plan. I'm confident I'll get into a routine, though, and I'm hoping to soon have a freezer full of treats and breads and things for lunches, so I can eventually only have to "cook" one meal a day again. Gone are my chicken nugget or tuna sandwich for lunch days. At least for now.

But IT IS WORTH IT

I know the lighting is different, but I think you can still tell. He looks SO much healthier, I am amazed. His skin is no longer ashen, his lips are pink, instead of white and puffy, his dark circles - they are SIGNIFICANTLY lighter. I purposely didn't photoshop the pictures to see the differences better. I'll say it again, I am amazed... and so happy. What you don't see: it took 2 days and he told me he wasn't itchy. His back doesn't feel like sandpaper anymore. And his behavior has improved so much - he acted like a...popcorn kernel about to pop: agitated and crazy and UNable to stay still. He's still a little boy that loves to run and jump but he CAN sit still and the aggressive agitation edge he had is completely gone, leaving instead, just him.

There's some other aspects of all of this to consider too, though. His psychological health too. His brain development is at a place right now that is shaping the big boy and man he will become. We must walk a fine line of enough love and support and not too much indulgence. As in, we must accept his feelings and give him a place he can share them. We must help him realize that it's not his fault. We must never make caring for him feel like it's a burden to us. But we can't over react when he's sad he didn't get a cupcake at school and go buy him a new toy or give him 10 of something he can have or let him get out of a chore, because he could develop the attitude that the "world owes him something" because he can't eat bread.

It's all such a balancing act. I feel like I walk a tightrope. Lets not forget that I have three other SWEET babies that need me too. And a husband (can we go on a date soon?!) to spend time with. And myself. Sometimes I wonder if I'm still me, or if I'm just a mom. And while I can't even stomach the thought of not being what my kids need me to be, it'd be nice to just be me just once in a while.
SO, I walk my tightrope, GLADLY because I do know how blessed I am. And I do love this life and the people that are in it. And it's really not even close to feeling like H-E-double-hockey-sticks, but it's hard sometimes. So I pray that I am strong enough. And I pray I wont fall off that tightrope, knowing that I will. So I pray more, hoping that when I do fall, I'll know how to get back on and maybe I'll stay on longer the next time.

Growing Up {with Brothers}

2011-02-27T17:30:00.007-06:00

I got my girl ready for church last week and was struck at how big she is. She is growing up {fast}!

She isn't walking yet, but she "walks" around furniture. And her favorite way to get around (when I can't carry her or she isn't in the mood to crawl on her own): holding onto my legs so I have to take S.L.O.W. tiny steps while she toddles around with me - she does this mostly when the boys are crazy and I am hurridly trying to get dinner cooked and on the table. Usually, I can get a brother to come rescue me, but she always comes back to hold onto me and whine to be picked up. It's like she thinks, mom is busy and every kid needs something, I guess I should be needy too.

But, thankfully, her brothers are always their to play with her during this time, at least for a while, so if I'm super quick with dinner I can get it done without my second pair of legs dragging behind me.

sometimes she's good at entertaining herself on her own - especially if it involves sticking her hands in the toilet, unrolling toilet paper, ripping up magazines (like she was trying to do in this pic), or unloading a drawer, cupboard or recycling bin all over the kitchen Luckily, her brothers are mostly always there to clean up her mess for me. I am blessed for that and so is she.

She is MOST happy after a nap if one of the boys get her out of her bed. If I get her, she gives me big smiles. The boys, though, get squeals and giggles. They all have their own after nap routines, depending on which one is in the mood to see her when she says, "I'm awake! come get me." Isaac can't actually get her out but he loves to go in her room and hand her toys. The two of them get along really well. Austin climbs in the crib with her and plays peek a boo with her blankets, then he pulls her out and plays with her toys or reads her a story until they both come crawling to find me. When Landon gets her, it's short and sweet, "Hey Ella!" and he picks her up and brings her to me.

And another great thing about brothers: their toys.

I keep this little truck in her closet. It saves the day when I need quick entertainment for a diaper change. And I always tell her, "here's the truck." Well, I guess she loves it because just the other day she saw it across the room, pointed and said, "TUK!" Her FIRST real word! (she says mom, and dad but we're not always sure is she means us. This was for certain.) Only a girl with three older brothers says "truck" as their first word. And that's not all.

We read books daily. Maisy Drives is her favorite. I know that because she crawls behind the rocking chair, finds it in the stack, and brings it to me. We practice words when we read. I say things like, "the kitty says meow. the sheep say baa." etc. Maisy Drives has vehicles in it so I say, "the car says vroom, the helecopter says whir." You're wondering if she repeats the words or sounds? The only sounds she repeats are the vehicle ones. "vroom vroom" she says, on every picture - even the kitty ones!

We still say the real sounds and laugh at the bunny saying "vroom". And we keep reading. This girl is growing up so fast, I'm so grateful she's got a house full of brothers to teach her the important things every girl should know. I'm sure some day a guy will be thankful to her brothers too, for teaching her that cars and trucks come before everything else!

Basketball highlights

2011-02-22T15:21:00.005-06:00

We must first recognize the {SHOES}... I'm not sure that they made him jump higher, run faster, or dribble farther, BUT... they made it impossible to miss him on the court! a special shout-out goes to Cameron for taking the boys shoe shopping and buying Landon ANY pair he wanted!

The months of January and February have been filled with practices and games. And it has been FUN. Fun, because Landon's skills have increased SO SO much. I'm really proud of him. He had a couple games that were rough to say the least. But after a bad game, he rallied, got out his drill sheet, practiced a little more, and by the last game he was taking every shot he could. He made 5 baskets that day (just cuz I'm his mom and I can brag: the score was 15-10, 10 of the points Landon's!). It was so awesome to see him shoot, make it, and look over at us B.E.A.M.I.N.G. If I've said it once... I just love sports because they really can boost a kid's confidence. I'm especially proud of Landon for just getting in there, taking as many shots as he could, and realizing that being good at something takes practice, it's not enough to want to do it. You have to stick with it and do the drill over and over again, until you play the way you want to.

Despite my highest ISO setting and my flash, I had a hard time getting great shots of Landon... so you'll have to forgive the photography. I thought this picture was cool anyway:
sweet baby, girl!
Michael Jordan sticks his tongue out; Landon just opens his mouth

tradition: a little 3 on 1 with Dad after the game

I like this picture. Just after Landon shoots, both teams are just staring at the ball waiting for it to go in. Yes! He made it!

another shot he made. camera zoomed in too close to see the basket. ISO up too high to capture the shot. so you gotta take my word for it. He made it.

Getting to the games on time was a little crazy. Saturday mornings are usually slow-paced around here, so getting the kids to get dressed right when they wake up is always a challenge. This day, I looked at Isaac walking out to get a drink and, yes his pants are on backwards. Whose kid is that?!

Happy {HEART} Day: Love Notes

2011-02-14T15:20:00.005-06:00

This past month has been, how you say?... CRAY-Z. No really. I've had to dedicate almost ALL of my time to keeping family happy and healthy - which isn't really that different than normal except, usually I have time to at least breathe... but the last few weeks, well they've just been TWICE or maybe THRICE as busy as normal.

So, this morning, I wanted to take some time out. Make the day a little more special, and "valantinesy". So I got up a little earlier to make red smoothies and heart-shaped waffles. When Landon came downstairs dressed in his Valentines-Best, I smiled. He looked adorable and was oozing excitement for the day; I just wanted to give him a hug. So I did...and then I took a picture. And then I decided, today is the day I'm going to make time to put up a little blog post to tell all the people that keep me so busy, just why it's so worth it.

Land-O: I love you cuz you are so determined to "get it right". You have a great imagination. You take good care of your brothers, especially when you get to spend time with them one on one. You work hard to do things that you want to do, even if those things don't come naturally. You know what you like: I always know what to get you for birthdays and holidays. You love when we do something "special". You make me smile with your long-winded stories that have so so many details. You have such compassion. You have the ability to set the tone in our house. I couldn't ask for a better first-born. Some of my VERY favorite things to do in the whole world are to listen to you play the piano and to watch you play sports. You are wonderful, I love you. Thank you for being you. love, Mom

Austin: I love you! You make me laugh every.single.day. Your enthusiasm for life makes me excited to live it with you. You have this amazing ability to sense what will make someone happy and do it. You are a big big helper. I know if I need someone to do something for me, you will be the first in line..and you always do it right away. I've loved watching you learn to read. I am amazed when you read verse after verse in the scriptures and only missread a few words. You are strong, so strong. When I take you to school the other kids are always excited to show you what they brought, or get you to come play with them. You know how to make people feel special; what a gift. I love you and I am so happy you are my Austin-Boy. love, Mom

My Zacky-boy: I love you so much, little dude. You make every day an adventure. I think your preschool teacher said it best, "he makes my day everytime he comes in the door!" You have so much passion that your feelings just leap off you. I {almost always!} love that you sing all.the.time. You are so determined to never be left behind, not for a second. I know you will go far in life, because you will not take no for an answer. When you give me a hug and then run away laughing, I can't help but feel happier. I love you. love, Mom

And you, Little Miss: I love you, Ella-girl. How far you've come in a year. My world was completed the day you were born. Your easy going baby ways make me feel peaceful and content. You smile all the time. And I always feel happy when I see it. You are just starting to stand up for seconds at a time - you smile and clap for yourself. It is so fun watching you. I love that you follow me around like a little puppy. I try so hard not to miss any minute of you. I love you, baby-girl. love, Mom

And yes, even you, Cameron, get a little love note today: this is the most recent picture I have of you and I love it because it shows some of your best qualities. I love how you (as much as possible) include the kids in your daily doings. You can make the boys think ANYTHING is fun. And you know how to have fun. You also know how to work. Hard. I appreciate you, my other half. We give each other balance. Together we have a life and a family. I am so lucky to have you. love, Kendra

Wishing you all a very happy Valentines Day with the people that keep you busy, and keep you going.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Little Girl

2011-01-25T16:23:00.009-06:00

How is it possible for a year to go so fast?

...for a tiny, sleeping, pink bundle

...to turn into a crawling, clapping, dancing, giggling, smiling, babbling little girl

It happened right before my eyes and still... I can't believe it! My baby girl is ONE today!

We just love this girl...she makes our world go 'round... Happy, Happy Birthday, Ella-Girl.

on my mind

2011-01-23T16:28:00.005-06:00

In the hopes that I might get a little sleep tonight I thought I'd put my thoughts to paper, uhh, screen.

When I was in beauty school I worked on a LOT of older women - they were my main clientelle. It was fun to talk them into color or a new haircut; most wanted a new do and it was fun to give it them. There were a few, though, that I just didn't get. These were the ones that came in for a shampoo set week after week with nothing to talk about but their ailing health. They were the ones who didn't wash their own hair because they couldn't lift their arms over there heads in the shower and didn't dare lay down in the tub incase they couldn't get back up. As much as I tried to steer the conversation away from their health problems, it always came back to that. I thought, "does this lady have NOTHING in her life besides her bad health?! Can't she think of ANYTHING else?"

I understand now. When you have bad health it IS your life. It's not that you have nothing better to think about, it's that it's all you can think about. It is what you are, it is your lifestyle, it just is the way it is.

...

The words, Severe Food Allergy, don't get the same reaction from people as diabetes, or such and such syndrome, or cancer. But for me, the words have the same meaning - a "disease" that has to managed, and dealt with and lived with. Something that can become, and sometimes is, debilitating. Something that could ultimately take my boy's life.

I have great empathy for people whose children suffer with life-threatening illness, people whose children are confined to wheelchairs, people who have to give their kids around the clock care, people who try to give their kids as "normal" of a life as they can have. From the outside looking in, no one would think of me as a mom with a kid like that... and I am grateful that my son's issues are quite manageable. But when I see him scratching his skin, all over, until it bleeds, when he starts panting and asking for benedryl, when his lips swell and he gets hives around them and in his eyes, I just wish people knew that he DOES suffer and THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

I have a nagging feeling that no one would question me if I said Austin had diabetes; people would make an effort to give sugar-free snacks, or even non-edible treats for birthdays and class parties, no one would think twice about not giving a diabetic child candy.

...

Yet, no matter how I say it, people don't seem to understand. His teacher let someone bring a jar of peanuts to be served at a buffet. More than one friend, has given out PBandJ's or even handfulls of pistachios and almonds while Austin was there. I've picked kids up for carpools and they've brought their peanut butter and jelly in the car with them. "sorry, it's all I had." they say. I understand. Who am I to say what someone can or can't feed their kid. All I know is that I panic every time Austin is around nuts. And I panic at people's indifference and lack of understanding. And I flashback to seeing his unconsious, blue little body at 2, after an anaphalactic reaction.

Everytime Austin leaves the house, I send him with his own food. Before a birthday party, I call the mom and find out what she's serving. I try to make the same thing for him to bring - so he gets to eat what they're eating and still be safe.

On this day, I called the mom, explained the allergies, told her Austin could only eat his own food, asked if peanuts would be served, asked if she could have the kids wash their hands after ice cream. It's hard for me to do that, becuase I feel intrusive and annoying. But if they saw him after a reaction they'd understand. She didn't understand. She said, "gosh, good thing {her son} didn't want to have Rocky Road!" In a rush I think: he's not safe there, she's annoyed that I'm making this a big deal, people are going to stop inviting him because it's too hard to worry about handwashing and what food is safe, I should teach Austin to use his own Epi-pen, no. still not old enough, do I tell her about that now too?!..." I give a courtesy laugh, hang up the phone, and start crying.

It's hard to find a balance, even here at home, with living a "normal" life and paying attention to what's in the food we eat, and even what we don't eat. I picked up Landon from scouts the other day and he jumped in the front seat with a bowl. It had pinecone bird feeders in it, that they had just made. He had peanut butter smeared on his shirt and pants, the peanut butter smeared strings were hanging over the sides of the bowl, his hands had peanut butter on them. I wanted to make him get out of the car, walk home. Instead I calmly got out a napkin, told him not to touch anything. We hung his feeders up high in our tree and threw the bowl in the garbage. He went in and took off his clothes and put them in the washing machine. We washed our hands. I wiped down the door handles to the car and the house.

After Young Women's, the other night, I was cleaning up. There was extra cake (it was Costco - I LOVE Costco cake - the filling is like bismark doughnut filling). We were putting pieces on plates for us to take home. I said no thanks. Of course everyone said, "Come one, just take some." They think I'm trying to be nice or something. Really I don't want it because when someone offers me food all I can think is, "is it safe for Austin? Do I have something similar to give him? Do I have time to make something?" I can't bring it home because...well, how would you feel if everyone was eating cake and you couldn't have any. It's just easier to make my own that Austin can eat.

...

Managing food allergies has been a big adjustment for us. And it continues to be. Austin has been having other reactions lately. He tested positive for wheat allergy. The allergist said not to worry about it because it was such a low positive. But then he started having symptoms. I live in a city with NO health food store - in order to buy the ingredients I need to put him on a wheat,peanut,and dairy free diet I have to drive 55 minutes (one way). It's hard to fit that in because I have 3 kids with 3 different school schedules, and going at night after Cameron gets home is hard too because I barely can get there before the store closes. So, I try to organize and figure out ways to make it okay. I've heard of all the new research, we haven't found a doctor that's willing to try to desensitize Austin, yet. I've heard of chiropractic therapy to help. We'll see. For now I have to get his allergies under controll. That means, figuring out what's causing his reactions, that means restricted diets, that means I really have to organize and plan meals better. I'm overwhelmed by it all, to be honest.

...

One thing I have discovered is a great shake recipe - it's one of our favorite breakfast/afterschool snacks:

in a blender (I use a Ninja, that I love, thanks Mom!) put a handful of spinach (yes, spinach, you won't taste it, I PROMISE!), a cup of yogurt (we use SOY) a couple handfuls of frozen fruit, some grape juice (grape or fruit punch is best because it hides the green spinach color - but we've this with OJ and it tastes good too), and some soy milk to make it extra creamy. Mix it all together until it's smooth and you'll kids will ask for it everyday, especially if you give them a straw!
...

I just love Austin. He's happy and energetic. He is such a good helper. He's a fort building, stuffed animal loving, book reading, ball bouncing, couch jumping, great kid. He is dependable and responsible. He is hillarious. He has a great ability to sense what someone needs and to do it. He is always trying to make someone happy. He handles all of this very well. He's learning to ask, "does this have nuts in it?" instead of, "can I have this?". He's careful about handwashing. He's excited to bring lunch next year when he finally gets to have a full day at school - another thing I worry about, since the school won't go peanut free. And so the circle continues, maybe it does for every mother, the worry...

*edited to add: The comments I've recieved have reminded me that I have so, so, so much support from so many friends and family. And for you, I am grateful.

Sports Day: Once a Hawkeye, Always a Hawkeye

2011-01-21T22:33:00.005-06:00

The kids met their "AR" goals for the quarter so they got to dress up in their favorite sports team gear. Landon was beyond sad that he didn't have an Iowa shirt that still fit him. "Can't we go get one?" well, no...Mountain Home's Walmart doesn't sell Iowa shirts. So I told him to wear his AirForce shirt (he didn't have a Utah shirt that fit him either) and I would paint his face for Iowa.

An artist, I'm NOT. But, the little stencil I made turned out okay.

And it satisfied Landon's desire to wear all things Hawkeye. Except, when he got home from school and told me he was FURIOUS because "everyone" kept asking him why he was wearing an Idaho Vandels "I" with a Boise State Bronco's shirt. Landon said he had to point to the Tigerhawk and say, "it's Iowa!" and point to his shirt and say, "it's an AirForce shirt!" "don't they know how to read, Mom?!"

...Still I think he was happy to have his face painted.

Isaac and Austin wore their Iowa shirts too. Austin wanted to wait until JUST before his afternoon Kindergarten class to paint his face, "so it doesn't scratch off, Mom." {The lighting in my kitchen is much better at 11:45 than it was at 8:00 that morning.}

He said everyone in his class thought it was cool his face was painted.

Christmas 2010 and {other} December Highlights

2011-01-13T15:44:00.005-06:00

MORE than you ever wanted to know about our family's December...

We started the month off right - getting in the mood for Christmas at our Stake's creche. This year was a little extra neat for the kids because they were excited to show us the pictures of them dressed up as Joseph. Also, the girls I teach at church (the mia-maids) were singing in the chior...I feel like they're my own and I was proud of them.

Landon, for some reason, was OBSESSED with the idea of stringing popcorn for our tree. We got a real one this year (of course, that day I forgot the camera but we had so fun picking it out and throwing snowballs at eachother!), maybe that's why. I was sick of all my cheap tree decorations anyway, so I threw everything away (except the ornaments we've been collecting for the kids for the past 8 years) and set out to decorate our tree "the old fashioned way". We spent a night stringing popcorn and cranberries while we watched "Enchanted".

We spent DAYS making BATCHES of different cookies. After Austin's allergy reactions at Thanksgiving, and a few reactions at Christmas parties earlier in December, I was determined to keep him safe. We froze bags of cookies and took them with us to all our parties, his class party, and our trip to Utah.

The kids had wrestling most nights the first 2 1/2 weeks of December. The boys love it because the High School wrestling team coaches them - so they get two on one coaching. Plus, Cameron wrestled in high school so they all practice at night after he gets home from work.

Our Christmas Eve was everything Christmas Eve should be...minus the grandmas and grandpas... it was peacful, cheerful, and fun. I cooked crab, rolls and baked potatoes, Landon made pistachio pudding, we had green salad and cranberry salad too - "a FEAST", Austin kept saying.
We ate, the kids opened their Christmas PJ's, we watched the Nativity, and we finished our 12 days of Christmas stories (I wrapped 12 pictures and scripture stories of Jesus' life from the Bible. Each night one of the boys opened one and we talked about ways we could be more Christ-like and the reasons Christ was born. Some nights the boys were crazy and barely listened but other nights we had a good discussion and they seemed to really catch on to what we were trying to teach. At any rate, it brought us together at the end of the night to have a little family time.)

Christmas Morning was our most christmasy-magical Christmas morning yet. Landon kept telling my how happy he was, "and not just because of my presents, Mom, it's just such a good day!" Ella slept through our morning present-opening so we saved her stuff to open when we got to Utah that night. The kids were so happy and grateful for everything they got. And they were so excited to give eachother the little things they bought at their school store. They each got two gifts from Santa and three from us, plus each boy got motorcycle goggles and helmets to go with...

...the motorcyle! We only got one for them to share. Landon's about to grow out of this size and Isaac is growing into it, so I'm sure our motorcycle collection will grow as time goes by - especially when we are done moving with the Air Force (when you know you're moving again soon, less is more, I say ;) )

They took rides right away. Cameron was as happy as they were - he is an awesome "boy-dad". I love how he really knows how to have fun and it's contagious for the kids.

When they got too cold they ran in the house, got dressed, and went right back out.

While I made French Toast the boys rode around the neighborhood - if anyone was still asleep I'm sure they weren't for long.

We took a little more time to play with some of the other stuff the kids got. Then we booked it to clean up a little, pack the cars (yes I said cars - we drove the van and the truck 'cause we had Cameron's snowmobile and a bunch of other stuff, crayZ) and take off for Utah.

We got to my parents house and opened even MORE presents! Ella got to finally have her first Christmas. The kids had a great time with the things they got. We ate more and hung out.

We spent the rest of the week with our family. Cameron took a couple days to snowmobile with his dad and brother... and my dad too. We had a cousin gift exchange with the Perigo cousins. We "forced" ourselves to play cards a couple times. Stayed up way too late talking and laughing with Steph and Jared. We saw Tangled, went shopping, ate at our favorite places. Grandma Perigo spent at least 2 hours playing games with Austin. We spent a day with Grandma Meier, played with cousins, the kids told her they were hungry the second we walked in the door, lost her TV remote, ate her bannana bread, probably drove her her crazy! We went down to Spanish Fork and picked up a cow (litterally - it was butchered! we went in on it with Cameron's siblings and parents) and while we were there we visited with Grandma Ruth and Cameron's aunt and uncle. We got sick, and everyone else sick, so we spent some time resting. We had so much fun I didn't even take time to take pictures. These were the only ones I took the whole week.

...and THAT officially wraps up 2010...

busy...

2011-01-09T17:22:00.006-06:00

...getting the house back together after the holidays

(every room needs an overhaul; Ella, at least, keeps the cupboards organized)

and fighting colds... and ear infections (me and Ella both had one in our left ears, mines gone, hers isn't), and sinus infections... now that I've joined the Land of the Living again - seriously, I've been so sick, I even slept through picking the kids up from school; luckily they started walking and I picked them up along the way - 20 minutes late! I needed prescription cough medicine just so I could sleep- I'm hoping to spend this week getting caught up on everything I've been putting off; Cameron's on TDY again this week so we'll see how far I get.

Cameron's b.day Weekend

2010-12-24T15:38:00.008-06:00

I've heard it said that Mountain Home is the "armpit of Idaho" {and not just by me!!}. So, it is even more amazing that this beauty is only less than an hour away from our house.

Cameron's birthday was last weekend and we spent it in a tiny town in the mountains called Featherville. We "borrowed" our friend's cabin and had a great weekend - the kids were bummed that it was just us (we've always gone up there with friends) but after a while Austin said, "Well, actually, I'm glad it's just the six of us. We're cool!"

We spent the first day getting our beds ready, playing in the snow, fixing the snowmobile, making Cameron's birthday dinner: his fave lasagna, and trifle instead of cake, snuggling with stories by the fireplace, playing a little rock band, watching a movie, singing Happy Birthday and watching Cameron open his presents.

We woke up to a TON of snow and it snowed all day. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL... We read a Christmas story by the fire, ate breakfast, and cleaned up. Then the boys all got a LONG ride on the snowmobile. I got a little work done on my 365 book while Ella napped.

This is the back yard of the Cabin. A kid's paradise - well Cameron's too, okay, I love it too!! Isaac can't go out by himself - I don't trust him by the river... but, in spite of it, I could still go up there all the time; it's just so peaceful.

Happy Birthday, Cameron. I hope it was a good one; filled with people you love, things you love, in a place you love....

(and P.S. If you're wondering why I have time to post this on CHRISTMAS EVE, well, I gotta say, I'm quite proud of my organizational skills {today at least}. I have this spare moment because my awesome husband helped me finish wrapping last night, the clothes are packed for our trip to Utah after present-opening tomorrow, the crab is ready to cook for tonight, Christmas is in the works, and there's no stress... it's a first and it feels SO good!)

comfort and joy

2010-12-14T15:01:00.004-06:00

Today, as I was reading to Isaac before naps, the phrase "comfort and joy" came to mind. I love our afternoon tradition of snuggles and stories. It's our one on one time together each day and I cherish it. I hope he does too. I love these pictures too, because, awww it's Christmas. The Christmas quilt my Grandma made me years ago - it sits on our couch all Christmas season and we all snuggle under it. The Christmas story story Isaac is reading - he loves finding the baby Jesus. And the Christmas Angel bear that sings Away in a Manger - he listens to it at least once a day.

Santa BABY {an Ella update}

2010-12-12T23:43:00.005-06:00

Ella doesn't like Santa. We saw him once on Friday and twice last night (the boys were ecstatic, by the way - she's the only hater!) By the third time Santa came toward her - even with a candy cane (and even with a different beard, and in a different place; she must have thought, why is this guy following me?!) - she burried her head in my shoulder and wouldn't even look at him. The poor girl was SCARED. After this second encounter with Santa she was wide-eyed and clinging to her daddy the rest of the night. {Sorry, Ella - when you read this, don't think we tortured you ... we rescued you as soon as I clicked the camera!}

and in other Ella news - she is ten months old (okay, she's really 12 days from being 11 months... I took the picture in November but, you know, sometimes it takes me a while to get them here.)

... and she crawls...

she took those first little "steps" on December 1. The boys and I were decorating the Christmas tree. She really wanted the ornaments. We all saw her and then said to eachother, "did you see that?!" "she crawled! did she crawl?" Of course we all started clapping and cheering. By the end of the night all six of us had a new favorite game for the day, called, "Get Ella to Crawl to Me".

Now she goes from one thing to another like a lightning flash. One minute playing with a toy and the next she's down the hall... or trapped under a bed or table.

her new-found freedom is keeping me B-U-S-Y
she's already started pestering her brothers - crawling to them any time they are on the floor and trying to get their toys from them - crawling around me while I'm cooking dinner and hanging onto my pants, crying to be picked up (she never cried like that before she learned to crawl; now instead of occupying herself with toys she comes looking for me) - she crawls over to Isaac and yanks his hair, everytime she possibly can - we had to put up a baby gate; she beelines for the stairs anytime we are upstairs - it's so funny when the kids are running around: Landon is always in the lead, then Austin and Isaac, running and laughing, then a little distance behind them this little girl comes slowly along, giggling too

she's working on her two top teeth... I have to admit, I'm going to be a bit sad to lose that sweet two-teeth grin...not so sad for the drooling to stop, though

she's also developing quite the personality lately; making faces, blowing kisses, waving bye-bye, clapping for herself, bobbing to music, growling, snorting, says ma-ma (we don't know if she means me or food - aren't the words mom and food interchangeable, anyway?!)

so, aside from Santa, this girl is one happy little chick who is growing up way, WAY, too fast.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-29T15:52:00.008-06:00

{a quick family snapshot - just before we headed back home to Idaho}

a few things we're thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend: thankful that we got to celebrate with our families. thankful that we got to see some aunts/uncles/cousins that we haven't seen in over 2 years. thankful that Austin's food allergy reactions weren't more severe. and speaking of... thankful for benedryl. thankful that we saw the ROCKETTES. thankful for Isaac's rendition of the show (funny boy. love him). thankful that my parents had Harry Potter 5 on demand. thankful for THREE grandmas. thankful for the motorcycle and the motorcycle trailor. thankful I didn't get up at 4 am to shop black friday sales - the stores I did go to (at a normal time of day) would NOT have been worth getting up for. thankful that we made it home...and we're still alive. (i still have knots in my stomach from our drive home yesterday - you know when it takes 8 hours to make a 3.5 hour trip it's BAD driving conditions). Just ThAnKFuL

My Sister... an example

2010-11-18T14:44:00.012-06:00

I {LOVE} my sister

And I {LOVE} what she did for her baby

the BRAVEST decision a mother could make: to give her baby more than she could offer... to give her baby a family

Aiden Alexander Snarr

born Nov. 15, 2010

9 lbs 4.2 oz 21 in long

Sasha let Aiden's adoptive mom and dad hold him first. I admire Sasha's courage so much.

This boy came into the world belonging to two families. We all fell in love with him on the spot. He is adorable and peaceful and sweet and wonderful. He has the best long spikey blond mohawk of hair. His birth story is one that includes SO many MIRACLES and Tender Mercies. He is loved by so so many people.

Because my sister did something so noble and wonderful, her little boy, Aiden Alexander (Sasha is a nickname for Alexandra - Jared and Alicia gave their baby Sasha's name - a way for him to remember his birth mom gave him a wonderful gift), has a mom, a dad, and a big brother. He is such a lucky baby to have two families that love him so much.

The Snarr's are such good people. I'm impressed with their poise and sensitivity. Sasha couldn't have chosen better parents for Aiden. I'm so so happy that Aiden is theirs. There is no doubt he was meant for them.

After Aiden's birth and adoption as I drove back to Idaho, with my 2 babies sleeping in the backseat, I couldn't help but reflect on all I have witnessed through this. Sasha has had the odds stacked against her SO much during her life. (My parents adopted her {and my other sister, Alina} from the Ukraine 6 years ago. Sasha has seen, heard, and been through unimaginable pain.)

To watch her realize that she needed to give her baby more than she had, before my parents adopted her, and to make sure her baby had a stable home with a mom and a dad was a learning experience for me.

I've learned that as we go through trials in our lives, it is the choices we make during them that determine who we are. I don't believe everything happens for a reason: somethings happen as consequences to ours or others choices, and somethings just happen because of nature or chance, yet sometimes God does put us in situations; regardless of the reason WHY, it is up to us to decide how to handle what happens to us.

We have the oppurtunity to grow closer to God through our suffering. We can choose not to let our trials define who we are.

I have a testimony that God loves each and every one of us the same way, but much more perfect, that we love our own children. He IS our Father. I believe there is a plan for each us. The reason we are here on earth is to become like Him and be reunited with Him after we die. We won't be spared pain as we go through life. We will, however, be able to call on Him, through Jesus Christ and the atonement, and be uplifted and carried through our trials.

As we call upon God in mighty prayer or quiet murmerings from our hearts we will be able to feel Him lifting us, guiding us, showing us the way through. We only need to ask with faith and be open to the ever so quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost. I know this because I have experienced it.

I know that the Holy Ghost is a gift from God, given to us as a way to communicate with Him, personally. I believe in inspiration and personal revelation. I felt the promptings of the Holy Ghost accutely during the two days I spent with Sasha in the hospital.

I am thankful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I draw strength from it's teachings. I know that our prophet is a true prophet of God, as real as Moses and Noah were. I am grateful for the teachings we recieve from the prophet and apostles, that hold the keys of revelation.

I am grateful for my faith. My beliefs make me who I am. I am continually trying to become more Christ-like. I am continually trying to be better at showing my Faith in God through my actions.

I believe that we are not here on this earth by chance. We are put here, in families, for a reason. I believe that God answers our prayers using other people. I have had my prayers answered by people who were inspired to do some small thing that held much meaning for me. Sasha has been an answer to, I'm sure, many many prayers from the Snarrs. Aiden is their answer.

The Lord does work in mysterious ways. Prayers are not always answered in the way we think they should be, or in the time we think they should be answered in. But the Lord is mindful of us, and He knows us. He knows our desires and our needs. He does watch over us.

I pray that the Lord will continue to give Sasha strength and courage. That this will be a new a beginning for her. I pray that we will all become closer to God, knowing that our prayers will be answered just as surely as the Snarr's have been answered.

I love my family. I am thankful for parents who had inspiration of their own, to adopt Sasha and Alina. All of the elements of this story have made my testimony grow. That God lives. He loves us. He will guide us. He will show us the way through our tribulations. It will not always be easy, that is for sure. It will not always be happy (at least at the moment). But we can always have the peace that comes from knowing we are doing what the Lord wants us to do, even if it is hard. And we will always be blessed with the guidance of what to do next. And genuine happines will always come, as we realize we are doing what is right and allowing the Lord take care of us in his own way, regardless of our circumstances.

Last Weekend and OTHER Random Moments

2010-11-13T15:55:00.004-06:00

Cam and I got to go on a little weekend get-away last weekend. I'm now a new believer in weekend get-away's - NOT to GET AWAY from the kids but to be REJUVINATED and RECONNECTED to eachother. A night away is the perfect time for us to be away: long enough to get that just dating feeling back {again} but short enough that it's not too hard on the wallet or the kid-sitters. {Cameron's Parents; thank you, again. the kids had fun... and, we stopped over at my parents house for a night too - our kids never knew we were getting-away, they just had fun with their grandparents.}

We stayed at Little America in Salt Lake. I love downtown SLC. It's not overwhelming like Chicago but still PLENTY to do and see, easy to navigate and, since we're Utes and both lived downtown before {and after} we were married, it feels like home.

We ate at our favorite places: Market Street Broiler and Caputos - if you're a Salt Laker stop by. Seriously. Market Street has the BEST clam chowder {you'd never know it was clam chowder, by the way, just DANG good soup} and Caputos is a little Italian Deli with THE BEST sandwiches on the planet. Really.

We went to a 9:20 movie at the Gateway. I slept through the WHOLE thing - WITH my MOUTH OPEN. Cameron's been teasing me ever since. I was TIRED!!

We tried to go to a session here at the temple but I realized my recomend was expired just before we got to the door. So we went into the remodeled visitors center. WOW. So much to learn about not just Temple Square, but the LDS church, and it's teachings, in general. Very neat. *if you want to know what we do in the temple, the above picture of a plaque from the Visitors Center pretty much sums it up. (want to know more? click here)

This little girl is growing, growing. I took this picture of her and a few days later put an outfit my Mom gave her on. She looked so cute I took some more pictures. I can't help it. I just wanna capture her cuteness!
FYI at 9 months Ella is 21 pounds, loves meat, she's rolling around to get where she wants to go and can get into a sitting position from laying down, almost crawling, smiling ALL.the.TIME. she's turned into a blanket snob - she will only sleep if she has one of her aden and anais blankets, still has only 2 bottom teeth, doesn't want to be snuggled when she's tired - just put her in her bed, loves to sing songs and play peek-a-boo, dances to music

We finally made it to a pumpkin patch - on NOVEMBER 1. We didn't get any pumpkins but we had fun in the mazes and corn "sand" box and this HUGE climbing pile of hey.

We found a little place in Glenn's Ferry with a "micro" hiking trail. Hiking is not the same here as it was in Colorado. We miss it. But this flat trail was at least {mostly} pretty and had other vegetation besides sage brush.

Landon has QUADRUPLED his AR reading goal twice. His teacher can't move him up anymore levels because the subject matter in higher level books isn't appropriate for 3rd graders. He's reading Harry Potter right now. He read the first four books in September and October. (Book 4 is over 700 pages and he got 100% on his reading test - the kid has a brain like a sponge, I tell ya, like his almost photographic memory dad. crazy) I made him take a little "Harry" break and read some other books - He likes Geronimo Stillton but he can read a whole book in a half hour. SO we're on the lookout for age-appropriate high level reading material (any ideas?). He just started HP #5 today.

While Cameron was on TDY, the last week of October, Landon sang in his Chior concert. He was nervous. He asked me to print off the words to Star Spangled Banner and sang it for 2 days straight to practice, so he wouldn't mess up.

Isaac is such a little wanna-be Big Boy lately. He trys so hard to do everything the older boys do. Earlier this week I took Austin to Target to spend his accumulated allowance money. Isaac wanted something SO much too, of course. So he "bought" these gloves with his "allowance" money. Made him so happy. He's been wearing them every day since.

Austin was the Special Person in his class last week. He got to present this poster and be the line leader all week. He picked out the pictures he wanted to put on his poster. He also drew a couple pictures for his class (the triangle picture is a drawing he drew of the mountains we stayed in when we went to Big Sky and Yellowstone - he even remembered to draw a ski trail)

lots of fun going on around here lately

Happy Halloween {part deux}

2010-11-01T17:19:00.007-05:00

we kicked off the halloween fun with "haunted houses". i let Landon and Austin invite friends over to make them with us. Isaac did a great job building his little house too (his is the one with only ghosts). Landon invited his friend Andrew - a great kid who has a LOT in common with Landon.

Our only Trick or Treating this year went down at the church "Trunk or Treat". (We opted to invite a few friends over on Sunday and celebrate a little more Sunday-like rather than Trick or Treat) So on Friday I got the kids ready and we headed out. I was glad so many of my Young Women love to hold Ella cuz getting through a food line holding 4 plates of hotdogs and chili would've been a lot harder with her in my arms too.

I really really tried to get Isaac on board with the idea of being a frog so he and Ella could be the Princess and the Frog but he wanted nothing to do with the frog. So I gave up and let all the kids pick from the aisles of WALMART! Awesome.

Isaac chose this little Lightning Mcqueen number. He thinks it's a baseball player costume. And he LOVES it. He's already completely worn it out. (it is from Walmart - but really it is coming apart at the seams - I had to sew it back together before Friday.)

And Austin chose to join the Transformer world. (not sure why his picture is so huge)

Landon's costume is one my Mom gave us from her Halloween shop days. I'm not a fan of blood and guts kind of Halloween-ing, but you should have seen how excited Landon was to use fake blood (even though I would only let him use it on his hand.) boys!

Cameron was gone this year for our pumpkin carving. We missed him but we had fun anyway. I let the big kids do thier own pumpkins: scooping, drawing, and carving. Isaac helped me draw his and then punched out his carving (after I carved) with a spoon. We also made Ella a little one. {by the way - Isaac had a big pumpkin to carve too, but he really just wanted to carve the little one}

they turned out so awesome! They each named their pumpkins too. {and I was glad my little prayer that they wouldn't cut off a finger was answered!}

Sunday morning I made "spider web" oatmeal and the kids used a ghost cookie cuter to make their toast scarey. That night we had some friends over for spooky food and games. The kids helped with the decorations (see the shrunken heads - they're made from apples). We had chili and orange cornbread (that Austin made almost completely by himself) and sugar cookies leftover from the ones I had to make for Austin's class party. I attempted to make bone-shaped breadsticks but they ended up being just plain-shaped. We opened the door for a grand total of FIVE trick-or-treaters, the kids watched Babe, and we played Ticket to Ride. It was a fun night.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T16:05:00.006-05:00

{You KNEW I would dress her up as a princess, right?!}

ever feel like all you've got to offer at the moment is Mac & Cheese and yesterday's hair-do? yeah... that's where I've been the last few weeks. It's been a long, tiring month for some reason. This week was especially long cuz I was up in the night cleaning up throw up from kids and beds. {'Tis the season for candy and germs EVERYWHERE! that's why Ella's not looking her best - she's on cold #2 this month} Hoping to catch up before the holiday rush really gets going. Including posting the boys in their costumes... they're little cuties too... Cameron is on TDY in Maryland. I know Halloween isn't until tomorow but I'm a little burned out on it after doing all the parties, cookie making, pumpkin carving, and costuming solo this week... got a few little plans for tomorrow, anyway. Man, I really appreciate having a husband around. Hopefully, life will get a little more normal after I pick him up from the airport tonight.

my THIRD boy

2010-10-12T15:30:00.005-05:00

I was just getting caught up on my Picture.of.the.Day project and a few pics caught my eye. I love {ALL} my boys. Today, see what I love about this one:

ClAssIc IsAac: black eye {Austin threw the garage door open into Zac's face} and bruises all over his forehead

messy face {the kid can NOT keep his face clean!}

what you don't see {no pants, diaper - yes he's STILL wearing diapers - we're workin' on it, two different socks - one black, leftover from church, one of Austin's too big white ones}

He just learned to ride his "big" bike with training wheels {can you tell the bike's been through all 3 boys?!} I try to spend a half hour a day with JUST him. Today's activity - learning to use the brakes.

He is so enthusiastic. Also, he's got a great imagination. My best "pretender" so far. I love watching him play - especially listening to him talk to his toys and hearing what they "say" back to him.

The other day at nap time: he INSISTED on going to bed inside a web. We made one with a blanet and pillows. he INSISTED on wearing the mask. he fell asleep, I snapped a picture, and then took the mask off his mouth and nose. He is strong-willed and very insistent. I get nervous for his teenage years (seriously, I think about it daily!) I'm constantly trying to think of ways to make him think what I need him to do is HIS idea.

We went to ride Fire Trucks the other night at the fire station's Fire Prepardeness Fair. The boys loved it. Isaac had a great time. He snuggled with his dad on top of the fire engine during our ride. I carried him for a while in line when he got SCARED when "Scruff the Crime Dog" ( a guy in suit) came to give him a high five. {He's hopelessly scared of dogs.}

_____

There is just something so sweet and endearing about the little things they do. I LOVE my boys. Really. Boys. They're great.

TEN years. Really.

2010-10-07T15:35:00.005-05:00

We planned to celebrate our first TEN YEARS together later in the month. So I kind of didn't think about it much. And in the business and ...well, exhaustion the two of us are calling life lately our TEN year anniversary went almost unnoticed. A bit sad, huh? Don't worry we'll make up for it!

Well, on Monday when I noticed the date {October 4}, I threw the kids in the car and went right to the grocery store to pick up an anniversary card and a pie. {We served pie and apple cider at our wedding reception, so it has become our anniversary tradition.} Cameron brought home flowers for me. And that was that. 10 years come and gone...

So, although that was just a teeny, tiny celebration for a great big {10 years long} life together, it represented how lucky we are to have eachother. So happy that we are dedicated and willing to work hard to make our marriage happy and wonderful. So excited to spend another 10 years together. Grateful for the way we have made a family. Dreaming about the future, enjoying the present, and remembering the past.

October 4, 2000 SaltLakeCity Temple

We went to Jakson Hole for our honeymoon. On the way home we stopped in Yellowstone. I never would have imagined, then, that in ten years time my life would look like this:

Wow, how things change! And I couldn't be happier. (okay, so we won't mention that living in a bigger city would make me a teensy bit happier ;) )
Thank you Cameron for completing me. Thank you for giving me our kids. Thank you for being the hardest worker I know. Thank you for being you. Thank you for the past 10 years. ...love ya...

Fall Feast {the recipes}

2010-10-04T15:20:00.005-05:00

The first official day of Fall {Autumn} this year was Sept.23. It snuck up on me. Our desert weather has been in the 90's - very unfall-like. But, we celebrated anyway, because, as you all know we LOVE fall.

So on the 23rd - we celebrated the fall equinox with Caramel Apples. They were AWESOME. We tried to recreate the APpLe PiE flavored ones from Rocky Mountain Chocolate. Pretty close, I think. So if you want to give your guys a treat try these. They are the perfect thing to make with the kids.

Apple Pie Caramel Apples:

5 green apples

1 bag Kraft Caramels

5 popsicle sticks (I used cut down skewers because that's what I had)

1/2 bag white chocolate chips

2 TB margarine

2 TB powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Follow the directions for caramel apples on the back of the Kraft Caramels bag. Let caramel set. Melt white chocolate chips with margarine. Dip caramel apple in chocolate. Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on apples. Allow apples to cool on wax paper for one hour.

{I had a bit of caramel left over because I didn't dip my apples all the way to the stem. I thinned the leftover melted caramel with half and half and it made the PERFECT apple dip - the kids loved it. Seriously. We ate 6 apples that day.}

On that Sunday we celebrated with our 3rd annual Fall Feast - a great idea from a great mom I know. Our family loves Fall Feast. We eat something very fall-like, last year a turkey, this year a roast. And we always have pumpkin pie and apple cider. We use our "fancy" glasses and our not-so-fancy fall table cloth.

My favorite Pot Roast Recipe:

3-4 pound roast - I use chuck roast in this recipe because the meat is extra tender - use a leaner roast if you want to do French Dip sandwiches with the leftover (something we do a lot).

1 choped onion

chopped potatoes and baby carrots - however many your family will eat

1 TB choped garlic

2 bay leaves

1 can beef broth

1 tsp coarse ground pepper

1 tsp coarse ground salt

Place roast in crock pot {you can sear the sides in a pan of olive oil first, if you want - it does make a bit better but I usually don't take the time to do that}. Put vegetables around the roast. Add bay leaves and sprinkle the garlic over vegetables. Pour the beef broth over the vegetables. Sprinkle roast with half the salt and pepper and an extra crushed garlic clove, if desired. Sprinkle vegetables with the remaining salt/pepper. Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

And as long as I'm sharing recipes, here's one I gave to the ladies I visit teach. I love this bread:

Apple Cranberry Pumpkin Bread {muffins}:

3 C flour

1 TB + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 C sugar

1 15 oz can pumpkin

4 eggs

1/2 C apple sauce

1/2 C oil

1/2 C apple juice

1 C sweetened dried cranberries (I used the new pomegranit flavor cranberries)

preheat oven to 350. Grease two bread pans or line muffin cups

combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, bkg soda, and salt. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, apple sauce, oil, and apple juice in large bowl. beat just until blended. Add flour mixture and mix until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon into prepared pans. bake for 60 minutes (check at 50) {19 minutes for muffins} or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

8 months

2010-10-04T14:57:00.003-05:00

Seriously? 8 months have come and gone since Ella was born? It's going so fast. And it is so fun watching her little personality emerge.

Ella is still very content to sit on the floor and play with toys. She has mastered the skill of going from sitting to laying on her tummy to reach what she wants. It will be good once she can get back up to sitting, 'cause that frustrates her a lot. Her new favorite toys are stacking blocks and things with tags or some kind of string to pull.

She LOVES books and during story time with the boys she has to have her own book or she will do whatever she can to steal the one we're reading.

She recently acquired two little teeth. Aw, so cute.

She loves looking at herself in the mirror. Girl thing or baby thing? Only time will tell.

She is turning into a giggler. She will giggle if you look at her just the right way. Or if you laugh she laughs right back. The more people laughing the bigger her laugh is. She giggles at Austin the most. She giggles when she's tired and I give her blankie to her.
She is a squealer too. She squeals with delight (like in this picture), but she squeals when things aren't happy in her world too. Mostly, when she needs her diaper changed or she's hungry.
And, the girl can babble. All my kids have been good babblers, and they still are, actually. You should hear us at dinner time - 4 babblers all together at the same time - some speaking actual words, others not, but all of them speaking nonsense and all of them wanting to be heard. Phew! Never realized how noisy a big family would be!!

Her most recent new trick is waving. She's been waving, "bye-bye" for about a week now. Oh so cute.

The end of the Birthday Gauntlet

2010-09-13T10:18:00.004-05:00

I know less is more - but with a kid like Isaac, it's just impossible to only choose one or two pictures... so you might as well have been here with us while we celebrated his THIRD birthday.

----

Since it was Labor Day weekend, my parents were able to come up {with their boat :) } and spend it with us. What a fun weekend. We spent Saturday on the boat with KFC and other munchies. Boating is this family's favorite thing to do. {a boat is definitly on our wish list!!} We love it cuz we're all together and there's something for everyone - the littles (and me) love to just ride, going fast. The big kids love the Water Rocket and swimming. Cam got to water ski - I love to ski too but I'm picky about the temperature. The water's gotta be warm. It's just so so relaxing and fun.

We had Isaac's b.day party a day early, on Sunday. He loved opening the presents. But... he REALLY loved the wrapping paper. When he saw it, as I not so stealthly handed it to Cameron so he could go wrap, he jumped up and down and shouted something about his Toy "Stoy" party, so excited.

We had to light the candles twice - he was so excited to blow them out he didn't want to wait for us to sing Happy Birthday.

If one of your presents falls into the cupcakes... no big deal, just lick it off.

We played with his new presents.

Then we watched a movie with "Toy Story" popcorn bowls. Sometime during the movie I looked around for Isaac.

He was just eating another cupcake.

But when I realized he had licked the frosting off ALL the rest of the cupcakes he thought he was in trouble. These pictures describe my life with him completely - at least a few times a day. I imagine him thinking - "if I close my eyes I can't hear her ranting/yelling/lecturing/saying no. oh good she turned away for a second. hurry and do it before she sees me."

The next day Cameron took Isaac and my dad on a motorcycle ride. Then it was off to Smoky Mountain for a free birthday pizza and sad goodbye to Grandma, Grandpa, and Alina.

Isaac went to his first (and last - a story for another post. Bottom line he just wasn't ready for it) day of Preschool the next day. They celebrated his birthday, there too.

I love this boy. He is my greatest challenge and greatest joy. I'm still learning how to relate to him. The more I've tried to embrace who he is and channel his endless curiosity and independance the more fun he's become. He comes out fighting but as soon as he feels understood and accepted the fight stops and hugs start. He is loving and happy and hillarious. He reminds me, everyday, to think before I {yell} speak, and stay calm. He is teaching me to be a better person.

This family just wouldn't be the same without you, little dude. And as I walk through the house and find your trail in every room, I think about the ways you make me laugh, how dynamic you are, how you stick to your guns, and how exciting you make our lives. Happy, happy birthday~

s e v e n months

2010-09-10T00:50:00.004-05:00

she's gone from newborn to infant to... older baby. she is scooting. she is tearing up magazines and napkins and wipes (when she can get her hands on them). she is squealing. she is rolling to get to toys. she wants to be in on the action. she has a definite routine. she is l.o.v.i.n.g. solid foods. she is babbling. she is constantly looking around. she clapped (two different times) for the first time today. she is becoming more and more animated - her personality emerging. she is still easy going and mellow. she watched the boys and I make freezer jam from her bumbo for 1 hour before she even made a peep - content to sit and watch. she can hold her own sippy cup. tonight, she picked up small bits of "real" food and got them into her mouth for the first time. she is getting too big too fast

{2} Birth-Days

2010-08-31T22:43:00.009-05:00

Austin turned the B-I-G 6 last week. A highly anticipated event. He is officially, according to him, the oldest kid in his kindergarten class, and he's sure he grew, at least, a couple inches on his birthday.

And today is my birthday. Aside, from my fab husband this picture says it all: I've got everything I need {plus a way-cute, wear all the time sweater from Gap and flowers - thank you Cameron! and a little spending cash - thank you Gary and Sharlene! and a little boat trip planned for this weekend - thank you Mom and Dad!}. It was a good day; spent driving the kids to school and scouts, hearing Isaac sing me "Happy Birthday" a dozen different ways, then back to school for open house night, and dinner at Wingers where the Mountain Home Highschool Cheerleaders sang Happy Birthday to me. Really, couldn't ask for more.

While my birthday was a normal day, punctuated with a few very happy-birthday moments, Austin's birthday was pretty much a week-long process.

He took cookies to school the Friday before his b.day. Not just any cookies, YODA cookies that he and I spent the morning making.

The day before his birthday a little box found it's way onto our porch and Isaac carried it around for a couple of hours until Austin got home from a friends house. The suspense was killing them so we let Austin open his Grandma & Grandpa Perigo presents early. Wish they could have seen him open them. He was so happy! Thank you again, Gary and Sharlene.

On the 24th, Austin's actual birthday, Landon had his first Cub Scout Pack meeting. an aside: He earned his Bobcat award. I wish I would have had my camera out when Landon got to hold the flag during the flag ceremony (is it disrespectful to take pictures when your supposed to have your hand on your heart? anyway...) He had a G.R.I.N. from ear to ear holding that flag... and his salute? He was trying so hard to do everything perfect.

We weren't expecting a two-hour event (BBQ and games after awards) but Austin didn't seem to mind putting off his family birthday party until later.

But, when it was time to go home for cake and presents he was ECSTATIC!

Landon took the credit for getting Austin a crystal-growing kit. I'm fine with it. Look how happy they both were!

My FAVORITE part of being with Austin is his energetic spark for life. He has this way of drawing you into whatever he's doing. If I could choose one word to describe him it would be excitement. He's just SO SO happy to do anything and he knows how to make the people around him happy too.

Case in Point: singing him the birthday song and watching him blow out the candles. Cameron teased him and re-lit the candles, saying they were trick candles. Austin just went with it and laughed and laughed.

A few days later we had a "friend party" for Austin. He wanted an army party so we had "birthday boot camp". The kids had target practice with nerf guns, a water balloon "gernade toss", search and rescue - they had to dig through shredded paper to find army guys and toys and candy, a parachute game and camoflauge cupcakes.

I also, accidently, created a new birthday tradition at our house. Since I bought window markers to draw targets on our windows at Austin's party I used them to write a b.day message to Austin on the bathroom mirror. The kids came running in my room in the morning so excited about the message. Landon begged me to write on the mirror to him on his birthday. So, a new tradition.

Now that we've celebrated for me and Austin we're all pumped up to do it again on Monday - for Isaac's "Toy Stoy" party. He'll be 3 and litterelly tells everyone that will listen that he is going to have a Toy Story Birthday. Sometimes, I really wish I could just freeze time and keep everyone the same. They're growing up WAY too fast (and I wouldn't mind not getting any older too!! :) ).

JULY: a recap

2010-08-29T16:09:00.006-05:00

July went by like a flash.... but I couldn't leave it undocumented... if you want to know what we did for the bulk of our summer, here's the highlights...
{click pics to enlarge}

Cam and the boys spent the night in our backyard sleeping in a tent just before he left for TDY. The boys LOVED it! I joined them for indoor s'mores and a game of Uno. They were on their own after that! They still talk about the scary ghost story Cameron told them - he got 'em good with that one.

The first week of July the big boys were in summer Science Camp. I thought it would make the no-dad transition a little easier. It went 5 days from 8:30-5:00. They had so much fun and pretty much ate dinner and went to bed after they got home every night - they were so tired. They went to the sand dunes and made valcanoes and sand candles. They went to an Elk Refuge and then swimming in a little lake. They went to the Discovery Center in Boise. They did an egg drop (Landon has plans for a parachute on his next attempt!).

we spent a LOT of time swimming this summer

I got to experience my first set of stitches - okay, it was actually Isaac's first stitches but with three boys I'm surprised it took this long and I'm sure it won't be the first visit to the urgent care for stitches. We passed the time waiting for the doc with a sticker puppet, practicing writing I-S-A-A-C, and a phone call to Cameron. Luckily, I have a great neighbor who took the other kids to her house, gave them dinner and entertained them so I didn't have to drag all the kids with me.

We headed to Utah. Our first stop: Lagoon. Cameron's mom watched the little kids so I could focus on the big ones. It was so fun to do something with just them. I really enjoyed the time I spent with them, watching them have so fun. Austin took his first ride on a roller coaster and it was pure thrill. I love that I got to see it.

next on our Utah agenda was, of course, spending time with Cameron's family. As always, good food and good company.

My dad spent an entire day with my boys. They helped him with yard work and then worked on some of Landon's scout requirements. He helped Landon build a bird house and took extra time at Home Depot to show him all the tools and what they do so he could pass that off in his book too.

After a day with a great friend from highschool - it was so fun to see Lara again and I wish I had a picture - we headed to Park City for a week. We stayed at the base of the alpine slide. The kids looked out the window of our condo every morning anticipating the "rides". They were so excited to be there. We spent a lot of time swimming, hiking, walking, and even a little time on the "rides" (if you can call a bungee trampoline and rock climbing rides.)

We spent a day on the Jordenelle with the boat. We spent a morning at the Farmer's Market at the Canyons. Landon went around asking for free samples. We went on the gondola at least three times. The kids thought it was, yet another, ride. My mom's cool like that and let them ride it as much as they wanted.

Our last night there we went to a disney concert that was so fun for me - music from Lion King, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast... you know the classic disney shows that we watched before Pixar and Hannah Montana took over. Seriously, when I told the kids what we were doing Landon asked if Hannah Montana and Zack and Cody were going to be there!

Also, while we were in Park City our Little Miss Ella learned to sit up on her own. At first it lasted just a few seconds but by the end of July she was a pro.

Last, but not least, we met up with some friends from our Iowa Days. Oh so fun. I'm wishing I had at least one picture. I saw a couple girls I hadn't seen in a year or two. It's as if no time's gone by. I love that.

Then back home to Idaho to wait for Daddy to get back from California. It really was a great summer... I can't believe it's over, but I'm excited to move on to my favorite time of year - Fall!

And So It Begins...

2010-08-23T15:00:00.008-05:00

I was talking to Landon, yesterday, about school. He said, "Mom you don't know; you went to school in the 80's."

what I thought was *Well, yeah, the 80's were SO long ago and the kids were SO different then. I really don't know what it's like.*

what I wanted to do was shake him and MAKE it sink into his head.

what I said was "Cameron, what do you think?" (when in doubt ask Dad)

what I gotta do now - get a grip and let it go. he's gonna learn what life's gonna teach him no matter what. If he doesn't want to take my advice who cares? He'll figure it out. No lecturing. Say my peace, tell him I love him and send him to school, right? This is totally new parenting territory for me...

We all said something like that to our parents, didn't we? I knew I'd hear it sometime; just thought he'd be more like, I don't know, 13? Not 8. Geesh.

First Day

2010-08-18T14:33:00.011-05:00

Here they are after their first day yesterday. So happy the day went well. So happy they made friends. So happy they have great teachers.And now today on the second day of school I take a break because ... the house is silent. The little kids are napping. The big kids are at school. Time to do something that makes me happy.... just for a minute... then back to the pile of laundry...oh yeah, gotta clean up the playdough that entertained the kids this morning while they waited for Kindergarten to start .... my computer break's only gonna last long enough to type this out. Oh well, there's always tomorrow's nap time...

During our school preperations Austin asked me how to make friends. Also, I've noticed for a long time that Landon likes to just have one best friend. I wanted to encourage him to try to be friends with everyone this year. So... the night before school, during our annual back to school night family night we had a little lesson on making friends.

Each balloon represents a kid in the class. We talked about how "rebecca" is always humming to herself. she's african american. she chases boys at recess. Then Austin popped the balloon to "get to know her on the inside". we found out she can tell hillarious jokes and will make you laugh when you talk to her.

Each of our balloon "friends" were different and a little scary to get to know but when we "got to know them" we found out we had things in common with all of them. Then I gave the kids 5 "silly bands" (depending on where you live they are the best thing to trade since pokemon cards) and told them *at recess* give one away to each kid they got to know and tell me something about them when they got home. Then I would give them a whole pack of silly bands. The kids were excited to have a way to break the ice with strangers. (Landon just keeps his in his pocket, cuz he's in 3rd grade now so it's not as cool I guess...)

Kindergarten. He's been waiting for a long time for this day. Oh I love him. He's got the best attitude. His excitement rubs off on all of us. He's going to have so fun in school. And he is READY. Just wish it was a full day instead of half. Although, I really do miss him!love the backpack picture - it's as big as him! It has all his school supplies in it but still - it's huge! and he loves it.

picked out everything from his shoes to his shirt to his silly band colors; layed them all out the night before; he was up and dressed by 7:00 (huge, since he hasn't been waking up until 8:30 during the summer)

... and my big 3rd grader! can't believe it. Really, where DOES the time go? I think Landon is going to get a bit of a reality shock this year when he learns some concepts he hasn't mastered already (can't wait for him to think, huh? I don't know everything...I'm also a little scared for him to realize that; might be a tough year) hopefully he'll rise to the challange and just do it without getting discouraged - My wish for him for this year.

Landon has grown up so much lately. We're on the brink of the "tweens" and we can all sense it. He's excited for the responsibility of picking up Austin from his class. Sometimes he says something and I think, "oh there you are - my sweet little boy!" other times I think, "wo! you are becoming such a cool little man." I'm feeling a sense of loss for my little guy right now. He's just growing up too fast! Love him!

The Way I'll Remember

2010-08-15T22:40:00.015-05:00

I'm sure this is the way I will always remember Ella's {baby-hood}

At six months Ella's prized possesion is her blankie. She has four soft super-thin blankets {reminiscent of Austin's beloved piece of fabric, he slept with for years}. Her blankets entertain her when she's happy. They calm her down when she's sad. They keep her company in the car. They soothe her into sleep. Her blankets might just be one of my prized possesions too!

she ROCKS her double chin and chubby rolls. Everywhere I go people comment on how rolly-polly she is. When else in life do you get complimented on your chub? Six month weigh in: 18.5 {adorable} pounds

This is her favorite doll. Remember when all Landon wanted was ANYTHING with wheels (he went through a tractor stage, a hotwheels stage, a train stage, etc)? Ella's much the same with dolls. Just born that way. She loves them.

I wish I could just freeze her like this forever!

Things to know about Ella at 6 months:

*18.5 pounds

*kicks her thunder thighs ALL THE TIME. The only time she is not kicking her legs is when she's asleep or sitting - even when she's sitting she kind of shuffles her weight from leg to leg in a sort of sitting kick

*sitting is her prefered position. She will do sit ups to try to get into sitting position from laying down. (she also does sit ups to watch me leave the room when I lay her down in her crib) she can roll but hasn't figured out that in order to sit up she has to roll over and push herself up.

*she rarely cries.

*she has discovered her voice, though and just learned to squeal. she squeals when she's hungry and when she's happy or excited

*she makes this "mmmm" sound just before she starts nursing. she loves the bottle too - she reaches for it and can hold herself, which comes in quite handy in the car (which is where she learned to hold her own bottle - when we were driving to Yellowstone)

*she will smile when she sees you

*she loves books - not to read, to open and chew on

*she definitely loves to put things in her mouth - *icky incidnent* she sat in a grocery cart for the first time yesterday. first thing she did was put the end of the buckle strap in her mouth - NAST... I might just have to buy one those shopping cart covers that seem like such a hassle and waste of money, but with winter germs coming, may be a good idea

*she loves teensy bits of meat from the grown up's food. She also loves rice and oat cereal. Won't even open her mouth for orange veggies (like corn and sweet potatoes).

Oh WHAT a Summer!

2010-08-11T18:03:00.014-05:00

We have had so much fun the past six weeks; The stuff lasting memories are made of! School starts on Monday so it's back to the real world. I'm trying to frantically get caught up on everything from housework, to email, to haircuts (no kidding, Landon hasn't had a hair cut since June!), to all the errands and responsibilities I've been putting off the past month and a half.

Most recently, we gave ourselves our first ever real family vacation. The first time we weren't traveling to visit family (although, you know we love to do that! And there are plenty of pictures of us doing that this last month too - we had a great time with our families this summer). Just the six of us; we went to Big Sky Montana. Montana, you ask? Yes. Montana. A resort town 40 miles from West Yellowstone. The perfect combination for a family of {mostly} boys all different ages. It was a great great week.

click on images to enlarge (it REALLY bugs me the way this all downloaded - sorry about the spacing and jumbled sentences. I might try to fix it later, or not. Gotta get going on dinner and then Young Womens... no rest for the weary, I tell ya!)

We spent an afternoon eating at a motorcycle-theme resteraunt and watching the kids do "rides".

We took the kids to Toy Story 3 one day, after a hike, exploring Bozeman, lunch at a great mexican place, and play time at a park. Isaac loved the 3D glasses and called them his Popcorn Glasses from the Popcorn Place. {I think that's the only reason he cares about movies - popcorn}

We stayed in a 3 story town home in the middle of the woods at the top of a huge peak. It was so beautiful there. In the winter you can just and ski down to the lifts from your front door. (200 acres of lifts) We were at 8,000 ft and surrounded by trees and mountains. We saw a bears just outside our "little house" twice.

We spent a day at Yellowstone Park, of course. The kids LOVED it. So did I, actually. They kept saying how awesome it was. Isaac kept telling us it was
"goy-geous". Perfect place for three little boys to run around. How do you know they had fun? They were covered in dirt by the time we were done.

One morning Cameron took the older boys on a white-water raft tour (I wanted to go but the hotel daycare was closed for the summer - next time!!). They all had a blast, and came back exhausted. While they were doing that I walked around "down town" with the little kids, and explored. Isaac found a tee-pee and a playground so we were quite entertained.

More pictures of Yellowstone. It is beautiful there.

The wildlife was unbelievable. I've never seen so many buffalo! We probably saw over 200 - including one up close and personal in the parking lot where our car was. We saw every animal listed on the map of animals in Yellowstone. Seriously, we were in wild-life heaven.

Ella was an angel-baby, as usual. She was so so good. Didn't mind the stroller, car, or strange bed. Little champ. I love her!

To be honest all the kids were so well-behaved. We had little fighting and lots and lots of family bonding.

I love how he is so excited about little things like this tree trunk.

Good kids, I have. I just love 'em!

JUST BECAUSE

2010-07-08T13:07:00.006-05:00

...I love this picture...

{we had a great 4th of July/going away party for Cameron. it was good to spend the day together as a family}

... and I love this quote...

"The power of unconditional love. I mean, there is no power on earth like unconditional love. And I think that if you offered that to your child, I mean, you're 90 percent of the way home. There may be days when you don't feel like it - it's not uncritical love; that's a different animal - but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it's going to make for a better human being." Warren Buffet - when asked how he became a multi-billionare.

Let Freedom Ring

2010-07-03T15:42:00.004-05:00

Have a happy Independance Day...

a {crappy} new summer "tradition"

2010-06-29T14:54:00.006-05:00

The Air Force has created a new summer tradition for our family. Once again Cameron will be a couple states away working most of the summer. He's doing a "man-and-assist" assignment in CA. I'm grateful it's not Afganistan or Iraq; greatful it's not a longer assignment. Feeling a bit sorry for myself that we have this new tradition. At least I'm not suffering from morning sickness this summer! That alone will make this summer waaayyy better than last. But, Cameron, we will miss you like crazy.

a little somethin' to let ya know we're alive

2010-06-27T01:48:00.005-05:00

From the curly blonde hair to the clothes that never match (cuz he wants to get dressed him"belf") to the swiming suit he wears at least part of every day to the rain or snow boots he insists on wearing because he doesn't want to take the time to put on actual shoes... we LOVE this kid

...and if you've been wondering... life has not slowed down like I thought it would when school let out. there is just always something going on. We've been having a lot of fun. Despite the fact that lots of our time is spent driving (just today we drove 2.5 hours + the time it took to get from place to place just to go to Target, Winco, and take a walk through a park) and (it seems like) the rest of it is spent on laundry, we're doing what we can to make the best of our summer... One of these days I'd really like to not drive to Boise and not have laundry to do so I can post some pictures of: rodeo, mini-golf, hanging out, swimming, traveling, biking, visitors, preschool graduation, last day of school, zoo... but for now enjoy this POTD

a {baptism} a {funeral} a {very} long week

2010-06-13T23:24:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, June 5, my little {big} Landon got baptized. We are all so proud of his decision. And, yes, it was his decision. We've been talking about the promises he'd make to God during baptism for months. We've been reading scriptures as a family and he's been reading on his own. We've been praying as a family and he's been praying on his own. I made a little baptism book for him to fill out - a little scrapbook for him to record things about his life now, his preperation for baptism, his testimony, how he felt before, during, and after. Reading through it, I can tell that he really did think about his decision to be baptized, and for that I'm proud of him. And for the fact that he really is trying to keep the commandments and "choose the right". Man, the kid is growing up.

This is my Great-Grandpa Joe. That morning my Grandma called to tell me the doctors said it was time to take him off life support (he'd been in the hospital for a week, with pnemonia and never recovered). My parents and brother were already on their way here to Idaho and had to decide if they should turn around to be there at the hospital or continue on to be with us. I know we all wanted to be in two places that day. The doctors took his breathing tube out and he died within minutes, with my grandma and aunts and other family there with him.
We'd been praying for Grandpa all week. Actually, Landon is the one who prayed for him first, because he heard me on the phone with my mom and decided to say a prayer right then. As updates came we changed our prayers from, "please help Grandpa recover and be healthy." to "please give Grandpa Joe peace and help him feel thy love." I hope he did have peace.

The day went on, though, and we had a beautiful baptism. After, we had all our out-of-town family and some people from our ward come over for a BBQ. The food was great - seriously, can you not get enough hamburgers during the summer?! The kids jumped on the tramp and ran around, the adults chatted and ate. Isaac was in absolute heaven, helping himself to any treat he wanted, chugging down a sprite from the can (he's never allowed a whole can!) and coloring with sidewalk chalk. I think he sat there coloring and chugging for an hour, at least. Landon and Austin were way too busy with their cousins and friends to even talk to me.

Thank you so much to Gary and Sharlene, and Tammy and Cordell, and Mom and Dad, and Jared and Steph. I know the drive is a pain but it meant the world to us that you came to be with us for Landon's special day.

We went to church on Sunday. I went home after sacrament to see off my brother and his wife (and give them a delicious breakfast of cold pizza!) After hanging out a bit with my parents and brother everyone got on the road to go back to Utah. I was planning on driving down in a couple days for my Grandpa's funeral. But, plans changed when we got a phone call from my dad - a shaft on the transmission in their van broke. So, Ella and I jumped in the car to pick them up. Since Cameron's parents were staying in Idaho for the week and could help Cameron with the kids, it worked out that Landon could stay here for Scout Camp and Austin could stay for baseball.

I was happy to be there for the funeral. And it was nice to be there for the couple of days before too. I saw some uncles I rarely see (in fact I hadn't seen Jamie in 18 years!). It was nice to connect with them again and remember how funny they are! I was happy to drive around in circles with Jared for a bit, looking for the church; a chance to force him to talk to me :) before his big move to Michigan for med school. It was fun shopping with Mom for baby hair bow stuff - I always learn things from her - never would have put that center on the white flower but it is my new favorite bow. I was happy to see the house my Grandma is building - her dream house, finally, she deserves it. I loved all the attention Ella got. Seriously, that girl can reel 'em in with her smile! I loved sitting in the back of my van while my dad drove home and feeling like a little girl again, just for a while. I just really enjoyed talking to everyone. I really do have a wonderful, great family.

And I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful husband with a wonderful family. Thanks, Gary and Sharlene, for getting the kids where they needed to be all week, and for taking care of everyhting else. We all appreciate it.

So, now I'm home. I've been a bit emotional the last couple of days. I'm mostly just tired, I think; emotionally tired. And getting used to the craziness of summer with kids (in Mtn. Home - not much to do!). Maybe it's just the circle of life that's getting to me. A few regrets - a death always reminds us of how short life is. Unfullifilled expectations. At the funeral my dad reminded us of Grandpa Joe's catch phrase, "I'm hangin' in there". So I'm reminding myself to be like Grandpa, and hang in there. And I'm reminding myself to be like Landon - pray, trust the Lord, keep the promises I made when I was baptized. With two great examples to follow, I can't go wrong...