A Summer Saturday

Welcome baby Max! He arrived about 7 am weighing in at about 7 and a half pounds and he has a head full of thick, black, curly hair. Congratulations Alexie, Curtis, and Abby! Paige could not get enough of him. I've never seen a one-year-old so interested in a baby. (Although my mom said that my sister, Lisa, was the same way. Most kids hold the baby for about 30 seconds, and then they are on their way. But Lisa would rock a baby for hours.) Paige kept pointing to Max, saying "baby." I put her on my lap and helped her "hold" Max for about 10 minutes before he was taken away. She was truly smitten.
We spent the evening walking around Wheeler Farm and Murray Park. It was hot! But, my wonderful parents provided a yummy International spread - pizza, sushi, iced tea. When we got home I spent way, way, way too long trying to figure out a few tricks on Photoshop. I finally figured out some sort of a border, and I had so much fun creating this collage of Paige playing in the water at the park.

Don't you just love my sassy Miss Mace in her pink boots! I could eat her up in those!
Austin: Amazing big brother!
One more of my sparking, sweet Paige:It was a good day! Thanks for your help everybody!

Babies

Kim is a friend of mine from my home ward. She's actually a few years older than me, so we didn't know each other really well growing up. But, she got married a couple of years after me and just started having babies. In May, she delivered twin girls (they were numbers 5&6), so now she has 6 kids under the age of 7. When the girls were born, they were diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. They didn't know before they were born, which is actually a good thing. Both girls are very healthy. I guess heart problems are extremely common in babies with Downs Syndrome, and it is usually detected on the ultrasound because the heart is not normal. Many Downs Syndrome babies begin a series of heart surgeries as soon as they are born. Both of these girls are very healthy - although small. They were both around 5 pounds at birth. Their cheek muscles do not work correctly (which is incredibly common in Downs babies), so they cannot nurse. Kim pumps at scheduled times during the day, and people from the ward volunteer to come and feed them. They are getting much better, and Kim still holds out hope that they will nurse eventually.

Kim actually lives in Michigan while her husband is attending Law School. When the babies were born, her mother flew out and helped her drive back to Utah to stay for a month or so. So, they are staying with her parents. I asked if I could take pictures of the babies to get some practice. Kim was extremely laid back, and just so open talking about the whole experience the entire time. I guess she got a blessing shortly after they were born in which she was told that this was all part of The Plan, and that she and these two girls worked it all out before they were born.

Photographing these two babies was much more difficult than I ever could have imagined. First of all, Kim's parent's house wasn't exactly ideal. The lighting was terrible and the decor was her mother's, not hers. There was one small, circular skylight that let in about a 2-foot area of light. But, that was difficult to work around because the shadows got real tricky. Eventually, we went around the block to my parent's house. Secondly, two babies is hard! Abigail was extremely content and slept beautifully. We could move her anywhere and she didn't budge. Natasha was a bit more tricky. She was quite restless and never really went to sleep. She also doesn't close her eyes all the way when she is asleep (Kim said one of her older boys is the same way). Natasha was also still a little hungry. Kim actually gave her a binkie for the first time, and she just went to town. But, since they don't nurse, and because Kim has to keep them on the same schedule, we were out of luck. I also left some of my props in the car (which Greg took), and I had a hard time figuring out how to photograph them together. I did the best I could, and I learned a ton about how to do it differently the next time. I think we got a few fun ones though. To tell them apart, Abigail is the pink flower and Natasha is the purple one.

It was so much fun though. They are absolutely beautiful babies, and for identical twins, they each have very distinct looks. Kim said she has been scouring the Internet for newborn pictures of Downs babies and she can't find anything. It's a shame, because they are gorgeous. Thank you, Kim, for giving me this much needed practice. Thank you also for sharing your story and your amazing, faithful spirit with me. Your attitude toward your situation and motherhood in general is truly

inspiring. I walked away from this experience uplifted and inspired to be more faithful in my life, and try to understand that no matter what happens, it is all in our Heavenly Father's hands. I have a feeling that Abigail and Natasha will leave many, many people feeling uplifted and inspired throughout their lives.

My Favorite:Abigail:

Natasha:

Just Being Curious (or Nosy)

At what temperature do you keep your thermostat during the day? What do you do to try to save energy when it is 100 degrees outside?

I try really hard to keep ours at 78 degrees. I also keep our fans running around the clock (we have one in our bedroom and one in our great room), and we do have a rambler so I don't have to keep upstairs bedrooms cool. I admit that I have been known to take it down a notch or two in the late afternoon during sweltering days when our house starts acting like an oven. I also try to grill as much as possible so I don't have to turn the oven on, especially in those evening hours. Greg, however, would prefer it if we kept it at 68 degrees (okay, I'm exaggerating - 75 at the highest for him), so it does tend to creep lower on the weekends.

Any other tips???  This is what I would rather being doing if I have to endure this heat!

My Latest Attempt

For Family Home Evening last week, I typed up word strips of all the things that Austin and Macy should be able to do at their age. In the book I'm reading, she provides a suggested chart for every age up to 18. So, I started there and added a few things from my own brain. It included chores, but also skills like saying prayers, riding a bike, washing own hair, etc. Then, I put strips of masking tape on the floor to make three boxes. In the first one, the kids were supposed to put the things that they knew how to do really well and didn't need any help. In the second one, they put the things that they kind of knew how to do but still needed a little help from mom and dad. In the third one, they put things that they had never learned.  I purposefully typed up absolutely everything that they knew how to do, and a few things that I had never taught them. 

It was very interesting to see their response.  Austin desperately tried to fit everything into the first box (at least in the first two boxes, but definitely NOT the last box).  He felt like he needed to know everything.  He had one strip that said "Wash dishes by hand," and he put it in the first box.  I asked him if he knew how to do this, and he said, "Yes."  I asked him who taught him since Greg or I had never showed him how to do it.  It took me a few minutes to convince him that it was okay to put things in the last box.  It wasn't bad; it simply meant that he hadn't learned that skill yet.  Macy, on the other hand, was perfectly content throwing anything she didn't like in that last box.  She had one strip that said, "Pick up toys" and another one that said, "Make bed."  With both of them, she looked at me and said, "I don't know how to do this," and she threw it in the last box.  I asked her, "Not even a little bit, even with help from Mom and Dad?"  She just shook her head, "No.  I don't know how to do that."  My fiercely independent child and my pampered little princess.  Oy vey!

When they were finished, we lined up all the word strips and wrote them down (we help them re-assign a few strips when we disagreed).  The kids were so impressed with themselves (and so were we, frankly).  They really do know how to do A LOT of things (maybe we haven't completely failed after all).  We tried to make it a huge deal that they were such big, responsible kids.  

This is the result of that FHE - My latest attempt at chore charts.  I don't like regular sticker charts because I don't need them to do the same things every day.  So, we went to the craft store and bought these magnetic boards.  I bought ABC letters and let them pick out three wood decorations each.  They painted them all by themselves (I did "clean" up Macy's a bit - With the amount of paint she used, it would have taken days for them to dry).  Then, we glued it all together.  (Who said I wasn't crafty!)  Then, I wrote down their chores on wooden stars and hearts and glued magnets on them.  You can't really tell, but I drew a line down the middle.  I will hang them in their rooms, and each day, I will select the few chores that need to be done and put them on the right side of the chart.  When they have finished their chore, they move the magnet to the left side.  It's an easy way to see if they finished everything.  Let's hope it works - for a few months at least. 

      

Snack Time

You all know how much I love "Barenaked Ladies."  This is their newest album, and it is supposed to be for kids.  Some of the humor is above their heads, but my kids love it!  I put two of the songs on my playlist: "789" and "Pollywog in a Bog."  There is a pretty funny 789 You Tube video, too.  This is now part of my repertoire in my never-ending quest for peace in the car.  They ask me to put the "silly songs" on, and for a few minutes, there isn't any fighting.  Magical!

I Highly Recommend This Book

I love, love, love this book!  It is "The Tale of Despereaux being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread" by Kate DiCamillo.  It may be my new favorite (one of them).  I've been reading it with Austin, and yesterday, both Paige and Macy went down for a nap, so we finished it.  It is such a quirky little story, and it may sound so strange if I even tried to explain it.  It is a children's book, and is the 2006 Newberry Award Winner.  I absolutely love the writing style.  I think Kate DiCamillo is brilliant.  She has a way of making it seem like she is telling this little fairy tale ("Stories are light"), and yet she weaves in the great truths of life and happiness.  It is a book about light and darkness in the truest sense, but at it's core are lessons about love, hope, and forgiveness.  

My favorite part is when she explains that forgiveness is something that one must do to "save [our] own heart."  She says that forgiveness is like love and hope..."a ridiculous, wonderful, powerful thing."  This is the commentary after Despereaux (a mouse) forgives his father:  "And he said those words (I forgive you) because he sensed that it was the only way to save his own heart, to stop it from breaking in two.  Despereaux, reader, spoke those words to save himself."  

We also read a chapter entitled "No Choice" yesterday.  

"It's impossible," he said to the darkness.  "I can't do it."

He stood very still.  I'll go back," he said.  But he didn't move.  "I have to go back."  He took a step backward.  "But I can't go back.  I don't have a choice.  I have no choice."  

He took one step forward.  And then another.

"No choice," his heart beat out to him as he went down the stairs, "no choice, no choice, no choice."

I didn't talk to Austin much about the "lessons" in the book.  I shove too much morality down him as it is.  But for some reason, this one just really touched me.  I put the book down and said, "It is so true.  There are some things in life that just seem too big, too impossible, but we just have to do them anyway."  Austin said, "Like chores?"  I told him that it was something a little different.  He said, "Oh, I know...Like climbing a mountain?"  I started to explain to him that most of the difficult things we are asked to do in this life aren't physical.  I told him about my friend Michelle whose little boy fell out of a window and he died and they had to have a funeral for him and they had to bury him and how it seems almost impossible for her to live her life without her little boy but she has no choice.  I don't know what came over me, but I started crying (I do that a lot).  In reality, I should do it a whole lot more!  Not sobbing uncontrollably, but I just get choked up and tears run down my face.  My kids listen so intently when I'm crying, especially Austin (maybe it's the man in him that tells him to just be there for a woman when she is emotional).  

Last week, I had someone explain the Atonement to me in a different way than I've ever heard.  He was trying to explain that I can't take on other people's problems.  It is actually very selfish of me to do this.  The only person who can do that is Christ.  Then he said, "Our own problems are enough.  We don't need other people's problems on top of our own."  My dad said something similar a few years ago.  He said, "Life will provide trials; you don't have to go looking for them."  

Maybe I'm being overly-dramatic about a story where the mouse is the hero and a princess named "Pea" is the heroine.  However, I often look at my kids and wonder what obstacles life will throw at them.  What will they have to do that seems "impossible" and yet they have no choice?  What will they have to forgive?  What will teach them how to love and hope?  What will they have to turn over to Christ?

Happy Father's Day!

Greg found this in the paper today and laughed so hard. We actually had a great day, and Greg truly was "Father of the Year." We started with breakfast: Macadamia nut and banana pancakes (a delicacy that we discovered while in Hawaii), orange juice without pulp, raspberries, and donuts. I NEVER make pancakes. I don't know what it is, but I generally can't do pancakes. I can never get the inside cooked without burning the outside. However, I sucked it up and made an exception for Father's Day. They were actually pretty dang good, and the kids absolutely LOVED them. After breakfast, Greg found his present. Austin spent the entire morning making up a scavenger hunt. It was so cute. He hid the gift under the couch in our front room. His second-to-last clue said to look under the couch. Greg naturally went to the living room couch (the one we use the most). Austin's clue said, "Look under the other house couch." Austin laughed and laughed - He thought it was so funny that he tricked Greg. We gave him a month of World of Warcraft (but his real gift was our new digital camcorder that he bought himself a couple of weeks ago). The kids also picked out a Superman card for him (the new Hallmark cards that play music). When you open it, the card plays the main Superman theme. On the inside, Austin wrote, "Dear Dad. You are grate."

Greg and I both had meetings with the Bishop this morning. So, while I was gone, Greg cleaned the entire kitchen (1000 points plus an extra 100 for doing it on Father's Day). The kids did a great job singing in Sacrament Meeting, and we went to my parents and then to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner and dessert. Greg played tag, jumped on the trampoline (impressed everyone with his back flip), pushed the swing, and played catch with the kids at my Aunt and Uncle's house (this is really when I decided to award him "Father of the Year"). The kids were in heaven getting so much attention from Dad. He chased them and threw them in the air when he caught them. They all squealed with delight. He put Macy on his shoulders while they jumped on the trampoline. Macy said, "I can't believe you are my trampoline." When we got home, he piled them in the bathtub and scrubbed their feet (they were black) and tucked them into bed. He is truly amazing! He's such a kid at heart, and he is genuinely happy playing with the kids. No wonder they absolutely adore him (and so do I). Happy Father's Day! I love you so much, and I feel so blessed to have such an active, involved, loving Dad for my children.

I just have to send a shout out to my own dad. I got so mushy in his card. I was so touched by Kim's talk in church today (and the other talks - They were very good). But I loved how Kim outlined all the things that her dad taught her. A couple years ago, I worked for Horizonte teaching their GED Prep Course in downtown Salt Lake. Everybody wanted to tell me "their story." It was very hard to see all these young girls with babies who had to drop out of school because they were pregnant. Almost every story was the same in that the father had made promises of support and being there, but after a couple of months, he was gone leaving these girls with a baby (or babies) to support without an education. So many of them had been ostracized by their families, and I listened to them sob as they asked me what they were supposed to do. There were also a lot of young boys who had lost contact with their children. Many of them had to drop out of school to work and they were just not making it without at least a High School diploma. A lot of these boys were in my class to try to get a better job so they could get some level of custody. There were countless men and women in their 30s and 40s who had spent so many years in gangs and were so heavily involved with serious drug use.

There were so many nights when I would sob driving home. I was so sad for these people who had dug such deep holes for themselves, and it really did look nearly impossible to climb out. But, mostly, I was so touched and deeply affected with the thought that so many of the opportunities that I had in life was simply because of the parents that I had been given. So many of these poor people in my class were stuck in this seemingly never ending cycle. They were teenage parents, and their parents had been teenagers when they were born. Drug use was prevalent in their homes from the time they were born, and they grew up surrounded by it.  Very few of these people had been brought up in homes with active, attentive parents. Please don't misunderstand me - I am in no way judging them or their parents. They simply didn't know any better, and they really didn't have anyone setting ANY expectations. There were several times that I pondered the fact that graduating High School never seemed like an option, and neither did going to college. Something as simple as doing chores to keep our home tidy has incredibly long-lasting effects.  Being honest, hardworking, and serving others were expectations that were not only taught, but lived every single day in my home. I am so grateful to my parents for providing the type of home environment that prepared me for life.

So, in my incredibly long-winded way, I want to publicly thank my dad for being such an incredible example and teacher. I have never once questioned his love for me or for my brother and sisters. He recently made the comment that although it has been a rough couple of years for him as far as job changes and unemployment, none of that really matters - The most important thing is his family. I know he would do anything for us, and I am so grateful that my kids have such a close relationship with him, and it brings me so much joy to see them interact. My kids light up when they see him, and he loves to talk with them and watch them grow up. I love you, Dad! I will never be able to thank you enough for living your life in a way that has shaped mine.

Random Thoughts

#1. I am quite possibly the least flexible person on this planet (next to my dad).

For those of you who might be confused, this is NOT a picture of me.

#2. What is up with Kid Toothpaste? Is it really possible to get clean teeth with Strawberry, Watermelon, or (my personal favorite) Bubblegum toothpaste? All I know is that it is more important to me that Macy stop whining and crying every night that her toothpaste is "too spicy" than it is for her teeth to actually get clean. I finally succumbed to disgusting-flavored toothpaste to get a few more minutes of peace in my day.
#3. This is Paige's favorite book lately. We got it at the library, and she follows me around all day with it in her hands saying, "Mommy...Row, row, Row. Mommy...Row, row, row." She holds it up to me until I read it to her. She is so stinkin' cute. She now says a few animal sounds: She barks (d0g), Meow (cat), quack (duck or bird of any kind), growls (bear, tiger, lion), baa (sheep or ram), no (horse), and she opens and closes her mouth really fast for fish. Her new favorite word is "bubble" and "hello" (she learned this from the bird and says it with her tongue coming out of her lips for the double "l" with a slight British accent).
#4. It is Day 3 of Summer and I have serious doubts about my ability to survive another two months! I took all three kids to the store with me, and even though I felt like I said "no" constantly and argued about every item on every aisle, I still walked out of the store with a Strawberry Shortcake beach towel, a Scooby Doo beach towel, Cinnamon Toast Crunch (I never buy sugar cereal), Strawberry-Kiwi gum, new "character" toothbrushes, two boxes of different fruit snacks (one box is already gone), and two bottles of Strawberry and Chocolate milk. It seems like Austin and Macy are ganging up on me and arguing EVERYTHING! I'm exhausted, and I feel like the meanest, grumpiest, orneriest mother and wife. Something has got to change! I keep thinking about Sister Hinkley and Angi Rayl who cry when their kids went back to school in the Fall. I so wish that were me. Instead, I cry on the last day of school. PANIC! What do I do now?

Bird Sitting

Disclaimer: It is not that Greg and I dislike animals, but we are clearly NOT animal lovers. I know that people who are "Animal Lovers" do not understand people like us and think that we are incapable of compassion and love. I put up with poop, throw up, chocolate hand prints on the wall, bloody noses, multiple CDs in the DVD player, stepping on little cars or Polly Pocket girls in the dark in the middle of the night, snotty noses, and stinky, smelly kids because I LOVE THEM. There is not an animal on the planet that I love enough to enjoy that smell in my house.

This is what Greg signed us up to do for 3 weeks (we're one week down). His name is Max, and a lady at Greg's work went on "holiday" so we are watching the bird. It's really not that bad. But, he does squawk fairly loudly at times (it really upsets me when it's during Paige's nap). We now cover the cage with a sheet when we need him to be quiet. He says "hello" (in a British accent), "I love you," and sings "Old MacDonald" (it does the chirps). He does nip at us. It feels like a pinch, but I do have some bruises on my arm because of it (of course, I bruise if someone breathes too hard on me so it isn't a fair comparison). This woman absolutely LOVES this bird. She made me kiss him when she brought him to "visit" before he stayed (I didn't want to hurt her feelings, and I'm generally up for kissing at the drop of a hat, but kissing the bird was pretty gross). She lets him eat at the dinner table and he goes everywhere with her. I think Max is struggling a little because I obviously don't allow this. Our goal is just not to kill it (they cost a couple thousand dollars). He is absolutely gorgeous and I think we'll survive, but we definitely won't be purchasing one for our own.

Growing Up

So, the other day, Austin was with Greg at church and he was continually using his middle finger to point to things. Greg tried his best to ignore it and hoped that Austin would just stop. But, he finally told Austin that he really shouldn't use his middle finger to point to things because it means something bad and it could really upset people. As is typical with Austin, you could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He held up his pinkie finger and asked if he could point with it. Greg told him that would be fine. Then, he held up his ring finger and asked if that was okay. Greg said he probably shouldn't do that either because people might think it was his middle finger. After a couple of minutes, Austin looked at Greg and said, "Is this bad, Dad?" He had all of his fingers up except for his middle finger. I laughed so hard!

He just always wants to know where "the line" is and how close he can get to it without getting in trouble (or minimal trouble). A couple of years ago, he discovered "swear words." Austin asked me if I would just tell him ALL the swear words just so he would know. I laughed and explained that even I probably don't know ALL of the swear words. Without missing a beat, Austin asked if Dad knew all of them. I laughed even harder and told him that Dad probably did know all of them.

Actually, Austin has been very pleasant lately. He has been playing quite well with Macy and has eased up on "Sister Torture" lately. He also finished 1st Grade yesterday. It is hard to believe! He's been coming home with a Computer Coupon pretty consistently the last few weeks. We went to his class's Garden Party on Wednesday night (and in the rush to get a picnic dinner made, all three kids packed up, and hurry out of this house right after piano lessons - I forgot my camera). His class has been learning all about plants and the life-cycle of plants. They've even had Super Spelling Words like photosynthesis and chlorophyll. It's been a fun subject. The Garden Party was the culmination, and it was really fun. Austin did a great job on his little skit. He and three of his classmates wrote a skit on how flowers get food. He was the flower and said, "I'm hungry. I'm going to make me a sandwich." (This is a line from a Veggie Tales movie that Greg says all the time. I thought it was great that he thought to use it in his skit. He's just starting to get better at understand humor and irony.) Anyway...The other kid said, "You can't eat a sandwich. You're a plant. You make your own food." Then, the other kids told him what to do to make his own food. It was adorable! They sang a song about all the parts of plants. He stood there, sang (very animated) and didn't even bother the other kids around him. I seriously watched with tears streaming down my face. This was HUGE for him! Then, the kids (and all their brothers and sisters) made little flowers, decorated their own sunglasses, and dug in the sand for different kinds of seeds. They even had a Watermelon-Seed Spitting Contest. They had some plastic tablecloths taped to the floor with numbers on it. The kids loved seeing how far they could spit. Paige loved eating the left-over watermelon (it was dripping of her chin). It was a very successful evening.

Most of you know that we purchased Austin an alarm clock a few years ago - Not to wake him up, but to keep him in his room. We tell him that he can wake up any time (who knows how early he really gets up most of the time), but he has to stay in his room until 7:00. The "plan" all year long has been that he gets up, makes his bed, gets dressed, and then practices his piano. He has gone through periods when he does pretty good, but most of the time it completely escapes his mind that he has to get dressed (again!!!). Greg has assured me all year that this is just little-boy mentality. So, Thursday morning (second-to-last day of school), Greg and I wake up (about 7:15) to the sounds of "Scooby-Doo" on the piano. He finally got it! He was up, dressed, bed made, and doing his piano (without ANY "reminding" from me or any whining from him). It was amazing! He did the same thing Friday morning. What a success!

I really do love him, and he really does have so many amazing qualities that I greatly admire in him.  A friend of mine observed the other day that he is a very loving person. This is so true! I love you, bud! I'm grateful for all you are and all that you teach me!

One more Austin story:

So, I love little Collette Stapley. He played with her all morning at the Ward BBQ. When we got home from the BBQ, I said, "Austin...I think you should marry Collette." He sighed and said, "Mom! I haven't decided yet." (A few years ago, he was obsessed with figuring out who he was going to marry since we explained that he can't marry Macy, me, or Lisa. But, we told him not to worry because he can pick who he wants.) I know he's only 7 (almost), but I already worry about who he'll end up with. I just think Collette is such a good match for his personality, and they really do have so much fun playing together. I told him just not to rule her out in 20 years. Come to think of it, she'll probably be snatched up by then. He better make it 15 years! :)