A Week in Pictures

Paige crawls all over the place. She absolutely LOVES her freedom! She also loves to stand up and balance. Occasionally, she'll take one step. Ever since she started crawling, she loves to crawl under things and through things. But, she gets stuck under chairs and in the middle of our bar stools. Instead of try to get free, she just cries and cries...and we just laugh and laugh. Austin says that she puts herself in jail. Greg finished his scuba diving certification last weekend with two days of dives at the crater in Heber. He brought all of his gear home on Wednesday night for his Friday dive and let the kids test it out. They loved "scuba diving."
We woke up to a fabulous snowstorm on Monday morning. Greg took the kids to I-Hop for breakfast so I could sleep in. When they got home, the kids had a great time building a snow slide in the backyard.

Later that day, I took Austin, Macy, and Paige and traveled to Rexburg with my mom, Lisa, Alexie, and Abby. On the way up, we stopped in Blackfoot to visit my friend Livvy and her new baby. They are gutting this old house, and it is beautiful. I just love the character of of old houses. There is gorgeous woodwork throughout with such quaint features like a rounded window seat and two staircases. It is just amazing! It was great to see Livvy and her adorable little baby. We spent the night at my Aunt Jan's house. It was so nice to visit with her and her family. Then, at 7:20 in the morning, we went to the Open House at the Rexburg Temple. Macy and Paige were asleep and my cousin babysat them. So, we just took Austin with us. It was absolutely amazing! My aunt and uncle were our guides. It is such a beautiful temple, and I love the colors they chose. Austin did really well, and I think he enjoyed it. It is a small temple with only two endowment rooms, but five sealing rooms. It has the largest sealing room in any temple, and can accommodate 100 people. What a neat experience.

Afterward, I took Austin to Dr. Mellor. As I was sitting there, it felt like I was doing the right thing. I can't explain what he's doing and I don't understand it, but it felt good. So, we'll just keep trying. I appreciate all of your encouraging comments about us with Austin. I continually pray that we are doing the right thing and constantly trying to figure it out. He's doing better. For the most part, I am enjoying this stage.

On the way out of town, we stopped by the temple to take some pictures. It was 16 degrees below zero (there is a HUGE difference between +16 and -16). My family would not get out of the car for a picture, so here we are in front of the temple. The temple is up on the hill with open fields around it. Then, there's this mailbox at the end of the parking lot. We thought it was so funny. You know - just in case you want to send some mail to the temple.

The best part of the trip was that I came home to three bright, shiny bathrooms (even the floors were spotless). My wonderful husband scrubbed them for me! I cannot say enough about how much Greg does around the house. He works full-time all day and comes home and continues to work as full-time Daddy and husband. He is amazing! However, bathrooms really aren't his "thing." It's kind of unspoken that I do the bathrooms and he does other chores (like take out the garbage). When I really feel bogged down, he comes through and scrubs the toilets for me, even though he absolutely despises it. Thank you SO much, honey. It meant the world to me!

Noticing

I just have to get something off my chest. I've talked about it a little bit, but I purposely haven't said what I've needed to say because I didn't want to sound petty, judgemental, gossipy, overly-sensitive, etc. But, I just can't seem to get it off my mind. I know I need to blog about it so I can move past it, so here goes.

Last week at church, I had a woman come up to me and mention that she has "noticed that my son has special needs." It was one of those situations where I was just so stunned by the comment that I didn't quite know how to respond. I won't go into details, but the situation has resolved itself without confrontation, for which I am grateful.

First of all, I know that this woman didn't intentionally mean to offend. It was seriously just the most bizarre conversation I've ever had though. My good friend, Molly, was on bed rest two years ago with her third child, who died after having lived just two weeks. I have rarely seen anyone with as much strength and faith as she displayed during her time on bed rest. I visited her often, and during one of our visits, she just had to get some things off her chest. People say the strangest things to you when you are going through a trial, and a lot of people said downright ridiculous things to her. The reality was that they just didn't fully understand her situation, and Molly knew that. I think of that conversation often when people say really strange things. Even though it hurt, I know it wasn't said with intentional malice.

Having said that, it still hurt to my core. My heart just drops into my stomach whenever I think about it. It drives me crazy that people "notice" my son. And I don't know many people that would ever come up to me and be that blunt about it. Then, in all my insecurity, I start wondering how many other people have "noticed" but haven't said anything. It's just so hard for me that he stands out. At church today, he really wasn't that out of control. His teacher didn't show up for Singing Time/Sharing Time, so he and his class were alone. And there were other kids in his class that were being a little rowdy. But, I was so cognizant of his behavior, because I knew I couldn't take another comment like the one last week. He was blurting out answers, climbing all over his chair, stomping his feet, etc. I was just so aware of his behavior. I really just can't figure this out rationally. I'm too emotionally involved to analyze the situation.

I read a blog about a little boy with Asbergers, and I greatly appreciate it. I don't know his mother, but I hope to meet her one day and tell her how inspiring her entries are. Austin has never been diagnosed with Asbergers, but he does show signs and some similarities. More than a couple of people have mentioned to me that they think he might have it. It is so hard for me to figure out. Is his behavior just because he's a boy? I don't know. I've never had a boy, or really been around boys that much. Will he just "grow out of it"? Or, is something really wrong? Should I have more tests done and insist that doctor's dig deeper? If something comes up, what do we do about it? Do I put him on medication? That kind of stuff scares me to death! Do I just keep praying and trying to teach him cause and affect? Do I do what Grandma Morgan recommends (thanks for the reminder, Kim) and just love him so much more deeply?

We are going to Rexburg tomorrow to go to the Temple Open House, so I was telling the kids about it. Macy thought she was going to see Greg and I get married. After much conversation about the fact that we already are married, I decided to show her our wedding video. As a result, Greg put some old home videos on after the kids went to bed. We watched some of Austin's Blessing Day. How much did we love that little baby! It just breaks my heart to see how he had just captured our hearts from Day 1. He was two months old, and Greg was still giddy to be around him (Greg does all the video recording and narration). I have to get that back! I have to love him totally unconditionally no matter what! He is this person who can't stop moving, and it makes me crazy sometimes, but I can't let that get in the way of giving him and showing him the love he deserves. Maybe I was just so affected by that comment because I believe it and it's hard for me to deal with.

After all my rambling, I've decided something this past week. I am done "noticing" negative things in other people! I am only going to "notice" the positive. It doesn't do any good for me to make an observation about another person's flaws. They know what they are, and they certainly don't need me pointing it out, even if I try to do it in a seemingly harmless way. If I have ever said anything to anyone that was insensitive and offended you, I sincerely apologize. I expect all of you to help me keep this promise: I will only notice the positive in other people!

Thanks for listening (as always)!

Another "Blessing" Associated with Giving Birth: Incontinence

"I don't think anyone will notice that I peed in the pool."

Okay...so I went to kickboxing class again this morning. To start out with, I've had a kink in my back for a few days, so I was hoping that this would help to work it out a little bit. But, jumping or bouncing did hurt a little. I was trying to take it easy, and see if it would get better (which it did). The instructor for this class is brutal, and I'm pretty sure she has pegged me as one of her class wimps. She's actually very nice, but she's this tough cop and she can't stand wimps in her kickboxing class. My aching back is my my first excuse.

Second excuse: Incontinence
At the end of class, she had us doing jumping jacks. Like I said, she's already identified me as a wimp, but to make it worse, every time I did a jumping jack, I wet me pants. She's yelling her Jillian yell (for any of those that watch "Biggest Loser"), just trying to push us harder, but every time, I was thinking, "I am totally peeing my pants right now, and there's nothing I can do about it." She just kept doing more sets of jumping jacks, and I just kept losing control. I was just extremely grateful that I had black pants on. I guess I need to put "Depends" on the Walmart shopping list, and try to redeem myself with Jenn - the Drill Sergeant exercise instructor.

Stranger Anxiety

We are in so much trouble when we leave for Hawaii. Actually, my mother and mother-in-law are in so much trouble while we're gone because Paige is quite attached to me. This is really the first, true experience I've had with Stranger Anxiety. Austin didn't go through it at all. In fact, sometimes I wished that he liked me a little bit more. Macy was a little more attached, but she had no problem going to other people or staying with a babysitter. Paige is giving me a little more grief.

When my parents watched the kids last Saturday night, she wouldn't let anyone except my mom hold her. My mom put her in the middle of her bed with toys all around her (and Maddie, Gavin, and my dad in the room), and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. Paige immediately started to scream. So, she put her on the floor in the bathroom with toys all around her and got in the shower. Paige still screamed bloody murder. My dad had to hold Paige up to see over the top of the shower. As long as Paige could see my mom, she wouldn't cry.
Paige's Development (10 months):

• Paige loves to stand on her own (she occasionally takes a step), walks on the furniture, and zooms around the house on her walker. She loves to dance and clap. She also loves to splash in the bathtub.
• Paige loves to eat "real" food, and she can eat pretty much anything we're eating. Her all-time favorite is a banana. If she sees any of us with a banana in hand, she crawls as fast as she can to us, gets up on her knees, reaches up with her hands, and sounds like a monkey the entire time (ooo-ooo-ooo). She does have a sweet tooth and loves ice cream and cookies.
• Paige does have a few words (even the ladies at the daycare at the gym noticed). She says "Ma-Ma," "Ba-ba" (this can mean bottle or baby), "uh-oh" (her favorite), "Na-na" (night-night), and she also "barks" like a dog whenever she sees any animal. Her latest trick is pointing while she attempts to "talk." She also likes to gouge out the eyes of any human or stuffed animal.

Macy's Continued Distaste for the Human Body

Macy was staying with my parents on Saturday night, and my dad showered to get ready for a Ward Party. He came out of the bathroom, and he was only wearing his bottoms. My dad has a very hairy chest and back. As soon as he came out, Macy scrunched up her face and made a disgusted look (she always makes you feel so good). Then she said, "Papa, why are you naked?" My dad tried to convince her that he wasn't naked, he just hadn't put his shirt on yet. When he sat down, Macy moved away from him (she really knows how to boost your self esteem). Finding this situation quite funny, my parents tried to persuade her to touch my dad's chest or arms. My dad tried telling her that he was just like a teddy bear, and that his hair was quite soft. With one finger, Macy reached out and touched his back. After a couple of minutes, she touched his chest. Then, she tentatively rubbed his arm. Out of the blue, and in a very matter-of-fact voice, Macy looked over at my dad and said, "Papa, I can see your knuckles." (Knuckles is her word for nipples, and she's quite obsessed with them.) She is so funny!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Austin came home from school yesterday and told me that it was a doctor's birthday. I asked him what doctor, and he said, "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." I asked him who that was. He said, "This guy...that had a dream."

Trying not to laugh but sounding very interested, I asked, "Oh really...what was his dream about?"

Austin answered, "Everyone living together and being nice to each other."

Me: "What kind of people?"

Austin: "All people. People with white skin and people with brown skin."

I was very impressed when he threw in, "And then they killed him."

I really need to follow up on this conversation and discuss the last line a little bit more.

A Big, Fat Shout-Out to My Husband...

...who sat through a movie with subtitles for my birthday! (What a great sport.) There was also a couple behind us who talked (in a normal voice - didn't even try to whisper) through the entire movie. About half-way through, Greg leaned over to me and said, "It's like going to the movies with your grandparents." (My poor grandmother has Alzheimer's, and we generally have the same conversation about three times in a row.) After the movie, we went to Market Street, and I tried to be adventurous, but it wasn't very good. So, Greg willing shared his steak and crab leg with me. At dinner, I asked him why we were so lucky to have a good marriage. He told me that it's all him. How can I disagree!

A Big Fat Shout-Out to My Mom

My mom's the greatest! Greg and I are going out for the night to celebrate my birthday, and she is taking the kids for us (again). She volunteered to take Abby as well. She is always so willing to take them, play with them, and love them. She loves them and sees the good in them at moments when I'm just too overwhelmed and can't seem to see it. When they do something particularly naughty, my mom glows with pride and amazement at their seeming unending levels of curiosity and creativity. I think Austin was sent to her. They have a special bond that he doesn't seem to have with anyone else. I'm so grateful for her wisdom and vantage point. Plus, I can't remember the last time I sat by my husband in a movie theater without three little munchkins crawling all over us, or actually ate dinner sitting down. It's going to be a wonderful evening!

Thanks to you too, Dad, for sacrificing her for us all the time! And thanks to both of you for giving me life. I know you don't have too many fond memories of that day (neither do the nurses at Holy Cross Hospital from what I've been told), but thanks for hanging in there (and how brave of you to have more). There are so many moments when I contemplate my life and I am astonished at the many, many blessings I've been given just because I have you as my parents. You are everything to me!

Some pictures of my parents 31 years ago! Yikes!

(They must feel so old to have a 31-year-old daughter!)

A Thousand Splendid Suns

This was my read over New Year's break. I took it with us up to the Bear Lake Cabin, and I gobbled it up in two days. Luckily, Paige was sick and miserable, so she just sat on my lap with her head buried into my chest. (How pathetic is that - I just said my baby was sick "luckily" so I could read instead of be a parent!?!) Anyway...I LOVED it! It is by Khaled Hosseini, the author of "The Kite Runner." These are both fabulous books! They are both set in Afghanistan and tell personal stories as he touches on the political events of the last 30 years or so. There are some tough, brutally honest sections in each book, and they are not easy to read. One of the main characters in "A Thousand Splendid Suns" makes a comment that she never knew how much the human body could endure and still go on. I sobbed my way through the last 80 pages or so. Even though this is a work of fiction, I know that people have made sacrifices equal to the characters in this book. It makes me want to be a better person; it makes me want to complain less and look for opportunities to ease another's burden more frequently. It makes me wonder if I would have the courage/faith/unconditional love to make the same sacrifices. It makes me wonder what the Lord has in store for me in terms of genuinely leaving the world a better place than I found it. It just makes me wonder. I know when I've loved a book because I miss the characters when I am finished.

This isn't terribly articulate, and I'm sure you can find a more eloquent review on Oprah, but I do highly recommend this book.

Aloha!

I pulled off a surprise! It's true - Miss Bigmouth actually kept something hidden! I can never surprise Greg. I get so excited that I start to give really sneaky hints (at least I think so), and it takes one guess and Greg gets it right. I made sure to keep it a secret from my kids as well, because they are possibly the only people on this planet worse than me about keeping secrets. But...he didn't guess this year! I kept telling him that he was only getting one present, so he shouldn't get his hopes up. He was filming the festivities when Austin bounced over to give him his one present. I took the camera and started filming him. He opened a calendar. He looked at me, very confused (the plan was working!), and was about to toss it aside. I told him that I put a lot of thought into it and recorded all the important dates - birthdays, anniversaries, vacations (hint...hint). He reluctantly opened to January and saw the Hawaii stickers for the last week of January. He looked up and asked, "Are you serious?" He's so excited. I connived with my father-in-law back in October to reserve a place on Kauai. And our fab friends (as she would say), Jen and Jasper are coming with us. He just called me on his way home from his first scuba diving lesson and said that this was the best Christmas present I've ever given him. For anyone that doesn't know - Greg is a fish, and I'm positive that he has gills. He said that it is one of his dreams to stay under water. Aloha! Greg spoiled me with a new flash and lens. I LOVE them! Now, I just have to learn Photo shop!

It was such a great day! We spent Christmas Eve with my family, eating Chinese food, singing Christmas carols accompanied by Grandpa's guitar, and opening sibling gifts. (Madeline gave me a pedicure so I'll have pretty toes for Hawaii - well...at least as pretty as humanly possible for my feet.) Then, my family came over Christmas morning to see the kids open their presents. We had our traditional breakfast casserole and sticky buns. Then, we headed over to my parents house (again) to open even more presents (my mom went nuts this year). Mostly, we just hung out playing games and eating, of course.

We laid around the house for a few days, although I did get to babysit my cousin's darling four-month old baby. After a get together with my cousins, we headed up to Bear Lake to spend the weekend and celebrate New Year's. I actually stayed up this year and got to kiss my husband at midnight. We're pretty wild and crazy! The first few days were pretty stormy, but after that, the sun came out and new powder glistened in the sun. It was gorgeous! We snowmobiled, Macy soaked in the hot tub with her cousins, and Greg skied and snowboarded while Austin took lessons. Macy absolutely loved being pulled on a sled behind the snowmobile. I thought she would get cold and tired in a couple of minutes, but I bet we went up and down the golf course 20 times. Once, she went over a bump and snow flew into her face. She just whipped out the lizard tongue that she inherited from yours truly and licked it away. She's definitely our little daredevil. Poor little Paige was sick the entire time. She had a fever and was glued to me. The only good thing about a sick baby is that they cuddle! On Sunday, she wouldn't even go to Greg. She sat on my lap with her head buried into my chest while we watched "Hairspray" - the entire time. That just isn't like her. Poor baby! We thought it was her teeth, but they didn't break through.

This was a great Christmas break - but it is always nice to get back to "normal" life (although I do miss the music). How blessed am I to have all the luxuries I enjoy in addition to a wonderful husband and healthy family!

My kids on Christmas morning. Nice of them to pose for one pic before tearing into their Christmas.

Austin gave Paige a Hershey kiss. That's all she needed (and got) for Christmas! She wasn't complaining. (Look at my new lens! It works so beautifully in doors with less-than-ideal lighting. Compare it to the picture above. Doesn't this one look better?!?)

Abby sporting her new hat:Dad enjoying his new I-Pod. My mom surprised him, and Greg loaded most of his CDs before she wrapped it.

Lisa, looking fabulous in her new J-Lo shades. Just kidding - they are very classy and look amazing on her! So amazing that everybody else tried them on as well. Josie (my cousin, Annie's sweet girl) in her own stylin' shades:
How sweet is she!
Greg and Mike:

Does she even notice that it's snowing on her head!

Princess Christmas

Macy received everything to do with Princesses - books, puzzles, Barbie's, dress-up, make-up, Cinderella and Aurora Polly Pocket, pink clothes, etc. Just like Austin...she was spoiled by everyone - Santa, G&G Burr, Nana and Papa, Aunts and Uncles. I've got to admit, everything I see, Macy would LOVE. She adores everything! She is a blast to shop for! I hung up her Christmas dress next to her dress-ups in her closet (because although I said she adores everything, she definitely DOES NOT adore taking care of all that "everything") and she said, "Oh...That looks amazing and beautiful!"

Lego Christmas

Everything Santa brought for Austin was something to assemble. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Burr, Nana and Papa, and various aunts and uncles - Austin made out like a bandit! I have no idea how early he gets up in the morning to start assembling his various creations (Star Wars, Spiderman, three-headed dragons, scorpions - the possibilities are endless!). The best part about Lego's is that it is kind of two-fold. A Lego Christmas for Austin is also a Lego Christmas for Greg. (I have to admit I had a lot of fun creating the snake and dragon to go along with Austin's scorpion.)


He made Christmas so wonderful this year. I have NEVER seen anyone so excited about Christmas. He loved opening, handing out gifts, celebrating what other people received, etc. It was just a fabulous day!

Austin...Austin...Austin

I had it up to my eyeballs with the tattle-telling today. (Although it hasn't been that bad, Austin does go back to school tomorrow. I think it will be good for Austin and Macy to have the opportunity to "miss" each other again.) Anyway...I told Austin that I only wanted him to talk to me about Macy if her life was in danger. I gave him some examples, such as: running into the street, playing with a knife or matches...He interrupted at this point and said, "Or smoking or stealing." I had to agree with him; I definitely want to know if my three-year-old turns into a thief to support her nasty tobacco habit.

Macy...Macy...Macy

This girl is hilarious (most of the time)! Here are a couple of funny stories from the past week:

We had our Schow Family Party last Friday. This is where we get together with my cousins and grandparents. We eat dinner and give away White Elephant gifts. We had our bags packed and in the car to leave for Bear Lake right after the party. Lisa was talking to Macy and said, "You are my favorite Macy girl in the whole world." Macy looks at Lisa and says (in her very matter-of-fact voice), "Do you want to take me home with you to live forever?" Very emphatically, Lisa replied, "Yes!" Again, with a straight face and without missing a beat, Macy answered, "Well...you can't. I have to go to Bear Lake."

While we were up at Bear Lake, we were all sitting around having breakfast one morning. My father-in-law walked in the room and said, "I'm going to the store, does anyone need anything?" Of course, nobody answered. Then, you hear Macy in her little mouse-like voice: "I need some grapes." Grandpa started laughing and asked, "What kind of grapes would you like?" (He meant green or red.) Macy said, "Just the little, teeny, tiny kind." She was making a small circle with her fingers to show Grandpa what a grape looked like. Just to prove that Macy has every man in her life wrapped around her little finger, Grandpa walked in the door with eggs, band aids, and a bag of grapes for Macy!

These are some pictures from Christmas Day. Macy was playing with her real makeup kit that Nana gave her. She loved putting the bright blue eyeshadow on me, bright pink lipstick, and roll-on face glitter. I looked smokin' hot!