First Day of School (a little late)

Here are our traditional doorstep pictures on the first day of school. I have been so busy with home improvement projects ever since the house emptied of these guys during the days that I hadn't gotten around to uploading pictures until today (I have a bit of a cold, so I'm trying to take it easy today).

Tristin - 8th grade

Brandon - 6th grade

Will - 4th grade

Ben - 3rd grade

Dallin - 1st grade

The whole bunch!

Katie hanging on the fridge

Katie was very determined to get a snack out of the refrigerator.

Line of the day

From one of my high school friends' FB page:

_______ hates it when relatives say, "You could be next", at weddings. That's ok though.. she just responds by saying, "You could be next", at funerals.

General Conference Favorites

Here are my favorite talks, in case anyone is interested:

Sat. morning session:

The first half of Elder Scott's talk on communication with the spirit was a definite winner. It gave me peace in regard to the insane decisions Aaron and I are trying to make right now. The second half didn't really apply, but Aaron and I were expecting it, and both yelled, "There it is!" with a few giggles when he got to his favorite evil to avoid (it seems to be a theme with him in his conference talks).

Elder Bednar's talk on the home touched on very important principles that I feel like I'm doing well with right now. I have room for improvement, but all in all, I feel like Aaron and I are on the right track. I will use it in FHE, more than likely.

Sat. afternoon session:

Dallin H. Oaks' talk about love for our Heavenly Father and parenting had sound principles that will help me be a better parent.

Sun. morning session:

H. David Burton's talk about the "ity" virtues is one I plan to use for a family home evening in the near future.

Ann M. Dibb's talk had a great analogy to use in FHE or Primary sharing time.

Thomas S. Monson encouraged us to provide more service to others in this talk.

Sun. afternoon session:

Jeffrey R. Holland bore a fiery testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and warned us that even those of the covenant can be deceived.

D. Todd Christofferson's talk was very interesting. He discussed how the lack of morality in today's society is causing governments to drive our behavior by compulsion. He reminded that there is no double standard for morality.

Thomas S. Monson closed the meeting with much gratitude for those who spoke, offered prayers, and for the beautiful music. It wasn't just rote, as it sometimes seems. The spirit was strong, and it was very heartfelt. He asked us to pray for him and the other general authorities.

I felt the spirit witness to me the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ so many times during this conference. I am so grateful for the blessings the gospel has brought into my life.

General Conference Activities

Did you know the church has a page with links to general conference activities for children on its website? I didn't until I read about it on my friend's blog. If you are interested, here it is:

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=ae20e975d2a2b010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Highlights of My Day

• Giving Katie a snack, and having her say, "Thank you" to me
• Having Aidan come in from outside and ask me to suck up the leaf pile he made, to find there was actually a good-sized pile that he had raked up all by himself, without any prompting from anyone
• Having the sister I visit teach actually want and need my help with something, and being able to help her

Escape Artist

All of our kids have been moved to a twin bed by the time they were two years old, and most of them before that. Until Katie, that is. We thought we'd keep her in the crib until she was closer to three, thus helping her to be a better napper.

Aidan taught Katie how to climb out of her crib last week. Yes, Mom, I've received my comeuppance. You see, I taught Jacob how to get out of his crib, and I wasn't even four years old. I was more like 14. I thought I was saving us all the trouble of having to get him out of his crib when he woke up. Of course, then I learned how that affects nap time.

So, at the moment I am hearing the volume of the CD player go up and down in Katie's room. Not only can she escape her crib, but she can also climb up onto the top of her dresser and reach the shelf that Aaron mounted two feet from the ceiling in order to keep the CD player away from children.

At least I have a child-proof door knob. Let's hope she doesn't figure that one out any time soon.

Pictures (click here to view)

Aaron took "school pictures" of the kids last night in the backyard with his work camera. The kids have their pictures taken at school, but we would need the $45 package for each of them to get the right sizes, so we do it ourselves. This way, it normally costs under $50 for the whole bunch of them.

I need a little help deciding which ones to order, so please add your comments to the Picasa web album.

Steep risk: Parents on slide can snap tot’s leg

I thought this was an interesting read. It could save a shin bone!

GovTrack: S. 1640: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

I think this is an excellent idea for health care reform.

GovTrack: S. 1640: Text of Legislation, Introduced in Senate

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Tomatoes

Eight tomato plants is probably too many. I have given away over 50 tomatoes this year. Yesterday, I told Brandon and William, who wanted to put up a lemonade stand all summer (I never had any lemonade for them to sell), that they could sell tomatoes, and I'd split the profit with them. They made $7. There were still three large bowls of tomatoes left. So, I canned eight quarts of tomatoes this morning. I also froze one quart of diced tomatoes, as I didn't have enough jars handy - I didn't have any idea how many would fit in a jar when I started.

What is amazing is that I can can tomatoes on the fly. I don't have a baby anymore. I have not had that kind of freedom in a long time. It is nice! I have gotten so much done this week, and it feels really good.

Ode to Clean Bedrooms

Ye stained floor, ye are no more.

I rejoice in thy departure!

New carpet, "Cape Sands,"

I rejoice as you land

as my bedrooms and office's decor!

Okay, my poetry leaves something to be desired. But, I had to express my joy at having a bedroom that looks clean. Not just picked up, but clean!!! There were a few stains in the carpet when we moved in, and it has only gotten worse over the past few years.

No, we hadn't planned on replacing the carpet this week, but Dallin and Aidan forced the issue with Katie's carpet, so we did them all at once, in order to save a little money, as we were planning on doing it in a few months, anyway.

How did Dallin and Aidan have something to do with this, you ask? Well, they just so happened to dump a few buckets of water on Katie's bedroom floor, and I quote Dallin, "Because (they) felt like it." Tristin and Brandon were babysitting one day last week when I ran errands, and Dallin and Aidan were quiet for them, and they didn't notice what they did.

I noticed later in the evening, when putting Katie to bed, that the floor was soaked. I sopped it up the best that I could, but it wasn't enough. A few days later, the room stunk of mold. I ripped up the carpet, and the floorboards were still wet. The pad was very stinky. If her carpet had been in good condition, I could have just replaced the pad, but as we were going to replace everything soon, anyway, it made more sense to tear it out. We got a quote from Empire Today (you know the jingle, "800-588-2300 Empire - Today!" I've used them before, and they did a good job, so I used them again.

In case you are ever in the market for carpet, and decide to use them, make sure you beat the price down. They always quote high, and come down quite a bit. In our case, they said it would be $3500, but I brought it down to $2500 with upgraded waterproof pads in Katie's and Aidan & Dallin's rooms. $625 per room, installed, hauled away, and furniture moved (they even took apart and reassembled our bed frame), and the carpet is sooooo soft. I'm really quite pleased. I really didn't expect it to be any less than $800 per room, but labor is cheap right now.

Bemidji Pioneer | Bemidji, Minnesota

My sister-in-law's kids are in the news. I can pick out at least two pirates I know, can you?

Bemidji Pioneer | Bemidji, Minnesota

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Oh, the joy of being four!

Last month, when the weather was actually warm some of the time, the boys played in the sprinkler whenever they could. This picture was taken on a particularly hot Family Home Evening. I think it was about 95 degrees in the evening. Whichever boy was in charge of the activity chose a campfire, so we had hot dogs over the fire. Of course, it was so hot outside that evening that we tried to stay as far as possible from the fire, and it didn't take long before the activity turned to playing with water.

Brandon's Birthday

Brandon's birthday is on June 13th. If you read my last post, you may recognize that date. Yes, it was Ben's Baptism. Brandon wasn't too excited to have to share his special day with Ben. But, we don't have a choice when it comes to when the Primary Baptisms will be. They picked a day, and we could either do it that day or wait a month or two for the next one. I didn't really feel that Brandon's birthday was a good excuse not to have Ben's Baptism, so we had a party for the both of them afterward.
Aaron was, again, in charge of the cake. Some of the boys made up some sheet cakes beforehand, and he was in charge of the design and assembly. Melissa and Emma (and Jessica, too? I don't remember) happen to have some talent in the area, as well, and helped Aaron with it. They came up with this treasure chest. Isn't it great?

Ben's Baptism

I just downloaded pictures from my camera for the last while, and it appears I haven't done it since June 5th. Wow!

On June 13th, Benjamin was Baptized by his dad. It was a neat experience. Since our building is under construction (they are adding on to it, as we have had a lot of growth in our ward over the past two years), we had to find another location for the Ward Primary Baptisms. One of the boys who was being Baptized happens to live on a farm, and they have a swimming pool in the back yard. Their parents offered to host the event for the three boys being Baptized that day.

The weather was perfect, as you can see. Luckily, it was warm for part of June. If it had been scheduled for this month, we wouldn't have been so lucky (so much for global warming). It was in the mid-80s, and sunny. The pool was a little cool, as the weather hadn't been very warm for the prior week, but Ben didn't seem to mind.

Ben is a very sweet boy, with a good understanding of the gospel. I am so proud of Ben for the decision he made to follow Christ's example and be Baptized into His Church!

Birthday Cards

I renewed my resolve to get birthday cards out to people a couple of weeks ago. So, if your husband gets a birthday card from me, and I haven't sent you one in a while, it doesn't mean I like him more than you. It just means I've started it up again, and he happens to have a birthday before your next birthday. Hopefully, I will still be on top of birthdays when your next birthday comes around!

P.S. I put Tom's in the mail today, so it might actually be late.

Start Saving Now

Tristin has a beautiful smile. His teeth are very straight, but he has been complaining that his lower teeth feel crowded sometimes. At his last dental appointment, his dentist recommended an orthodontic consultation, but only after I told her I was concerned. Today, we visited the orthodontist she recommended. Here is what she found:

Dental Class II right side (this means the molars on his right side are slightly gaping in the bite). Dental Class I left side (this means these molars meet up as they ought to). There is an excessive vertical overlap of the front teeth. The upper teeth are ahead of the lower teeth 1-2mm when he has his teeth together (1-2mm is excessive?). There is a slight amount of crowding of the upper and lower teeth. The center line of the lower two teeth is shifted to the right. The upper and lower center lines are off by 2mm or less. There is enamel wear on the upper and lower front teeth due to the overlap. The upper and lower jaws relate normally to each other. The outline of his facial profile is balanced.

This just doesn't sound that bad to me. So, can anyone tell me why they recommended braces for 1 1/2-2 years, for a total of $4900?

I also presented a question to the orthodontist. I had braces for a couple of years, and had a retainer for a year or two at night. I also had an upper and a lower cemented retainer. The upper stayed on a couple of years, and the lower stayed on for 10 years. When the lower was removed, the teeth migrated to their previous crowding. I asked her what is going to prevent this from happening to Tristin, as well. She told me that studies done 10-15 years ago showed that this happens with 80% of orthodontic patients. The bones and gums are programmed to shift teeth forward. As I was in this 80% group, Tristin probably would be, too. The solution? Wear a retainer at night for life.

So, if I'm getting this right, we can pay $4900, and then replace and/or maintain retainers for the rest of Tristin's life. If he should ever get sick of wearing his retainer, we lose the entire investment. Can anyone tell me why I should even consider this?

Let me also say that orthodontists have a way with assuming that you are going to go along with their recommendations. They start going over whether the child wants ceramic or metal braces on the top teeth, and that they will cost an extra $200 on the bottom, and make the child think that this is all a done deal. The child says that he would probably have to take the cheaper option, at which point you are grateful that your son recognizes that finances are an issue here, and you interject that this is all contingent on whether or not the finances will work out at all. They act as though you are ready to shell out the money without hesitation, and when they spring the $4900 cost on you and you tell them that you don't think you can find that kind of money in your budget, they look confused. Then they tell you that they can work with you on payment plans. They also tell you that they have already discounted their services by $200 because you have other children that will probably need orthodontia, as well. At this point, you tearfull explain that it is just not in the budget, leave the office, wiping away the tears of guilt you have from not being able to afford something as necessary as orthodontia for straight teeth, and then apologize to your 13-year-old in the car while tears stream down your cheeks, explaining that it just isn't in the budget, and maybe if Dad's new company takes off, or maybe if his current company starts giving out bonuses again someday, if they even survive the recession, or maybe if the tree in the back yard starts growing greenbacks...

Let me see...Tristin's teeth are the straightest of all of our children's teeth. Seven children times $5000 (probably more, with the other children's teeth being worse) equals $35000+.

I think I'll start saving now for Benjamin's orthodontic treatments. They are inevitable, as his teeth are actually crooked. In the meantime, unless I hear a really good reason to shell out this kind of money for each of my children's straight teeth, I think I'll pass. And I refuse to feel guilty about it any more.

Appreciate the Good Times

I have a friend from high school who has breast cancer. She doesn't have a family history of breast cancer, and is extremely young for getting the disease - just 33 years old. She noticed a lump one day and had it checked out. It was found to be pre-cancerous, but they also scanned the other breast, and found a 1.5cm lump that was cancerous. It was only stage one cancer, luckily, but she had to have a mastectomy. Now she's going through chemo, just in case it has spread at all.

My friend has a very supportive husband (her high school sweetheart, also a friend of mine) and two little boys. This has been a trying experience for her, but she is very resilient, and I am confident she will pull through it.

The thing learned from this is - do your monthly breast exams. It is worth it.

MyPlate

This spring I got frustrated with my waist to hip ratio. Two factors weighted into this. First, I finally made the pants and jacket that Merle gave me the pattern & materials for at Christmas, and found that my hips and waist did not even come close to the same size on the pattern, which made making the pants a little difficult. The problem was that my waist was almost the same measurement as my hips, and that meant that they were three sizes apart. The second frustration was that all of my jeans and khakis were baggy in the hips and rear, yet tight in the waist. They just weren't comfortable.

My solution was to find a calorie-counting web site. MyPlate is a free food diary that I found. It has you enter in how much weight you'd like to lose per week, and then tells you how many calories you can have each day to meet that goal. Then, you easily enter in everything you eat, and it lets you know how many calories you have left. When I say you easily enter in what you eat, I mean it. It has nutritional facts entered in on almost everything you eat, like brand name store bought items, generics, even restaurant food, and calculates the calories for you. I highly recommend it to anyone with daily access to the internet. If you can get on more frequently, it will work even better for you, as then you don't just review what you ate, but will have that tool to tell you how much more you can have in a day.

I stuck with it for about 10 days, which was enough to get a good handle on how much I can eat each day. I was a little surprised at first, because I found I was eating about 350 extra calories per day. After a few days, I was able to stay with the plan, and was able to lose those extra pounds. I also found that when I ate in a restaurant, I went seriously over.

The next time I weighed myself, which was about 3 weeks later, I had lost 5 lbs. My jeans are now fitting nicely, except for my pair of low-rise jeans, which are falling off of me now. They were already loose, but now I think I'll just get rid of them.

I found that cutting down on calories makes you hungry at first. But once you know how many calories the foods you eat have in them, you can make healthier choices, and you won't be hungry any more, both because your stomach gets used to less, and because you get the knowledge you need to start eating lower calorie foods that will fill you up. Eating more frequently also helps, somehow.

Bye-Bye Binkey

Okay, we normally call it a nukie, but I thought the alliteration was worth the deviation.

Katie has been without the nuk for most of the past week. I had been taking them away each time I got her up from bed and storing them in her crib, but she figured out how to get them out of there. Then, I placed them in a basket on her dresser, but she climbed up it and dumped the basket to get to them. So, when neither of them could be found, we went without. It wasn't so bad this time. Meaning she did go to sleep with minimal fuss.

There was one day last week when Dallin found one in his bedroom and gave it to her after she'd been without for three days. She walked around with it for a while and wouldn't let me take it away, but then she wanted a snack and gave it to me later, and I hid it on top of the fridge. She hasn't had it since. Yay!

Brandon's Crossing-Over

Brandon crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts at our May Pack Meeting. He earned his Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouting, and the only rank award that carries over to the Boy Scout uniform. Way to go, Brandon! On to Eagle you go!

Ben's Birthday

Ben turned eight on May 23rd. His party was last Saturday. He had a few friends over for pizza, games, a pinata, cake & ice cream.

The pinata is always the most exciting part for the kids. Unfortunately, this pinata, purchased at Target, was very lousy. The head got knocked off first. It was filled with paper, which explains why I couldn't fit much candy in the dumb thing.

They did enjoy playing with the head, though.

We went through all the children twice, and still couldn't bust it open.

We probably should have used string, not twine, as on the second round the twine broke frequently.Eventually, I pulled the paper out of the head, and they were able to get a few pieces of candy with each hit. They eventually enlisted the help of the older brothers. I'm not sure which one took the final whack, but it just wasn't very impressive.

So, the moral of the story is not to buy a pinata from Target. Next time, I'll go to Party America, where I have bought them in the past.

FYI

Katie came down with a fever of 102.7 very early Sunday morning.  She had a slight cough and runny nose, but I'm not sure that had anything to do with the fever.  She also had a gross diaper last night, but that could be because her dad fed her raisins.  She is very fussy, but seems to be plenty energetic.  I'm hoping this is the same thing Melissa's family had last week, as we were with them on Saturday night.

Katie Tries It On

Katie is very interested in what she wears these days. She knows that if she wants to go outside, she should bring me socks & shoes. She can even say both "socks" and "shoes." She knows that when I put her pretty dresses on her with her tights that we will be going to church, and is very concerned if I don't get her shoes and overcoat on her when she thinks I look like I'm ready to go. She also likes accessorizing. She tried on my bracelet at church last week, and the next day I found her with her toy stacking rings on her wrists. She has also figured out that purses are great accessories. However, she hasn't quite figured out how those go on yet.

P.S. Leisa, if you could see her from the side, you'd see that her hair has the same curls as your Katie. I wish I could see the two of them together. They look so similar in their pictures!

William's Concert

William's concert went very well.  He sang "This Land is Your Land" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee" with the choir.  It was nice to hear children singing in tune, and singing willingly, besides.

We were a little surprised by how little seating there was in the auditorium.  The music teachers involved obviously can't do math - 80 children times 2 parents each would have easily filled the available seating, and it was advertised as open to the public, and children welcome.  Our family alone provided 16 fans to watch William, as both sets of grandparents, two aunts, and two cousins joined our immediate family. So, children piled onto laps and on the floor of the stage, and many adults stood or sat in the aisles.

There were some other surprises, as well.  The first was that Pete Seeger was not there.  It was advertised as his 90th birthday celebration, so I naturally assumed he was going to be there.  It didn't say anywhere on the invitation that William was given that these gatherings were being held all over the United States, which would have tipped me off.  

Another surprise was the part where they did a presentation on the computer software program that had evaluated the children.  I knew they were going to demonstrate it, but the developer was asked to give a speech about it, as well, and it went on for a bit.  The good surprise was that they asked for an adult to try it out.  Melissa volunteered, and was given a copy of the software.

The next surprise was that they played a few Internet videos about music from the laptop they were using.  They were the types of things you would find on YouTube.  One of them had a man singing "Goodnight Sweetheart" (badly, I might add) to a litter of puppies to put them to sleep.  It was cute, but not what I would expect during a sing-along concert.

The final surprise was that they had us sing every verse ever written for each of the songs, including about 11 verses of "We Shall Overcome" at the end of the concert.  Wow, did it go on forever!

All in all it was a good event.  William had a good singing experience, Melissa and Jessica got to network a little with some music educators, besides Melissa coming away with a freebie that she can use in her field of expertise.  We also got cookies at the end, which made my kids happy.

Aaron and Tristin had to scoot out right away to get to Priesthood meeting, where they sustained Jeff Kerr, a counselor from the Burnsville Stake Presidency, to the Minneapolis Stake Presidency (n case I didn't mention it in a prior post, yes, Aaron was called as a High Councilor in our new stake).  The rest of us chatted for a while, then left - almost without Ben.  Luckily, I always do a "sound off" with the kids when we get in the van.  They each have a number, oldest to youngest, and they shout theirs off in order after I yell, "Sound off!"  As we didn't hear our sweet #4's voice, I ran back to the building, where I found Ms. Lozito, one of Southview's music teachers, coming out the door with Ben.  He had just told her that I wouldn't leave without him because we sound off!  He wasn't in the least worried.  What a great kid!

Healthy Katie

Katie's 18-month check-up was yesterday.  She is very average in height and weight.  She is now 31 1/2 inches tall, which is the 50th percentile, and 23.4 lbs., which is the 45th percentile.  She is healthy and developing very well.  The best part of the appointment was when the nurse gave her the DTaP immunization.  She tensed up her leg while the shot was given, but didn't even so much as sniffle.  What a brave little girl!

Vitamin D and Me

So, I've struggled with depression this winter more than I ever have before.  I now think I know why.  

After I weaned Katie last fall, I found that milk wasn't agreeing with my stomach very well anymore by the glassful.  I found I could drink it on cold cereal, but that was about all I could tolerate.  Yogurt was having the same effect, so I quit eating it, as well.  Cheese and ice cream were fine, as long as I didn't go overboard.

When I eat oatmeal, I prefer just some sugar and applesauce, and that was what I ate for breakfast for most mornings this past winter, which means I wasn't getting much milk at all.  And where does vitamin D come from?  Fortified milk and sunshine.  Neither of which I got much of over the past 6 months.

So, last week I saw my doctor for a physical.  We discussed my dietary change, and he asked me how I was getting vitamin D into my diet.  I told him I wasn't sure - did it come in green and leafy veggies?  No dice.  He decided to do a blood draw, and sure enough, my levels were through the floor.  The recommended level is between 33 & 100 units - I was at 11.5.  The nice part is that all I need is a supplement of D-3 (the kind the sun produces in our bodies naturally).

It turns out vitamin D deficiency can cause depression, along with a lot of other illnesses.  Vitamin D is what helps calcium become absorbed in our bodies, so even if we eat a lot of calcium-rich foods other than milk, without enough vitamin D, we can become calcium-deficient.  

I know people who move to Minnesota often have a hard time with winter blues, due to the lack of sunshine.  I've even felt it over the darkest days of winter, to some degree, before this year.  Now I know why, and how to fix it!

Katie's Easter Dress

Here is one of Katie by herself. Don't you love the dress? My good friend Kim made this for Katie as a baby gift when she was born. I was so excited to put it on her for Easter. We have discovered that Katie loves her dress. Aaron tried to change her out of it for her nap on Easter, and she wouldn't have it. She screamed and threw a royal fit until he quit trying, and she napped in it. Then, this past Saturday, she found the dress hanging up after I had washed it, and wanted to wear it. She was very upset with me when I wouldn't put it on her. She was thrilled to get to wear it again on Sunday, and repeated her tantrum at taking it off that afternoon.

Aaron and Me

It was harder to get this shot, with kids roaming around trying to bump the laddar as we waited for the camera to shoot.

Family Portrait

Aaron set up a laddar and we used the camera's timer to get this shot on Easter Sunday.

Dad and Katie on Easter

We took some photos on Easter Sunday after church. This is my favorite one.

Dallin's Fort

Dallin built this great fort in our front yard by the house. He found wood and foam board in the garage, along with string, containers, blankets, chairs, the old car seat, and invited some stuffed animals along. He and his friends have enjoyed playing in it. The only down side is having to put it all away so it doesn't get rained on.

Laundry Room

I can now call my mud room my laundry room.  With the HE washer and dryer stacked, I can actually fold my laundry in the laundry room, and even keep all of the baskets in there.  I can even fit my vacuum, brooms and mops in the closet, now that the dirty laundry baskets are under the folding table.  I will eventually build a real folding table and shelving, rather than using my card table.

The best part is that our piano room is no longer covered in laundry! No more fear of visitors seeing my laundry covering the front room.  Yay!!!  

Where are the Pacifiers?

I have weaned my children off of their pacifiers at around 9 months, prior to Katie.  She only took hers at naptime and bedtime, so I never weaned her from it.  I always throw her pacifier back into her crib when I get her out of her crib, but her brothers aren't so careful.  We have three, and two of them were on clips, so they were pretty easy to find.  But Katie figured out how to pull them off of her clips last week, and they started disappearing.  

Unfortunately, on Sunday night, we couldn't find a pacifier.  She had one at naptime, and I remember seeing it on the kitchen counter before I took Tristin to BYD and went visiting teaching, but I searched all over, and couldn't find one.  Katie didn't fall asleep until midnight.  

Yesterday, thinking they must have ended up in that black hole, we cleaned Dallin and Aidan's room.  They weren't there.  She didn't nap yesterday.  She did fall asleep after only 20 minutes of whining last night.  However, she has been in her crib, jabbering, for the last two hours now, when she should be napping. 

She will be 18 months old on May 1st.  What should I do?  See the survey on the right and let me know what you think.

William's First Select Choir

To my disappointment, not all of my boys have been terribly interested in singing. Most of them have some natural talent, but only William has taken a special interest in it so far. He has been singing in our church choir, and has had a solo in a school concert. He recognizes that he will probably be teased for his interest in singing a little bit by the boys, but has decided that he doesn't care about that.

In school, they use the software program Singing Coach, and was the second-highest scorer in the 3rd grade at Southview (he claims the 1st highest is actually a really terrible singer, but she had so much help from the teacher that that is why she was in 1st).  Due to his high score, he was invited to be a part of the first-ever Minnesota Singing Challenge Sing-Along.  His first select choir!!  I am thrilled, of course.

The concert is being held on Sunday, May 3rd at the Perpich Center for Arts Education at 3pm. It is a free event for all (so if you want to come, feel free), and will consist of 80 third-graders from 20 different schools. They have been instructed to learn My Country 'Tis of Thee and This Land is Your Land by memory, and to wear red, white or blue, and a reception will follow.  They will be honoring Peet Seeger on his 90th birthday.  You may know him for his works "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)," made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary, or "Turn, Turn, Turn!" made popular by the Byrds.

It will be a crazy day for us, with the stake division happening that day.  My parents are coming, and since the Lakeville Stake Conference is being held in the morning, that frees up Merle & Reo for the afternoon, so they can come, too.  Aaron will probably have to book out of there pretty quickly afterward, as our new Minneapolis Stake has announced a Stake Priesthood meeting for 4 or 4:30pm (I can't remember which).  As long as the stake center is still the Crystal building that day, it is within 10 minutes of the concert, so he should be just fine (I've been suppositioning that it will be moving to the Bloomington building, as none of the Mpls. Stake's wards will be meeting in the Crystal building after the division, as far as I can tell).  For those of you who don't come, I'll be sure to update you as to how it went!

New Stake

This past Saturday at the adult session of Stake Conference, it was announced that the SC Stake is being formed on May 3rd, and the other stakes in the area are being realigned that same day.

What this means for us is that W ward is being annexed from the B Stake and becoming part of the M Stake. That means we are no longer in the same stake as my in-laws or sister-in-law & family. The B Stake will have as its northern boundary the M River, and will extend further south (I think to the I border), so it is also annexing Bl and EP wards.

The M Stake is giving up the MG and ML wards to the A Stake. I'm guessing this means that the Bl building will become the new M Stake Center, as I don't think that there are any units left in the stake that meet in the C building (later edit - I was wrong about this; there is one ward there, and it remains the M stake center). The M Stake will include P, ML, TC 1st (Spanish-speaking), LN, and the three wards from the B Stake that I previously mentioned.

As Presidents P and K both reside north of the river, the B Stake will get a new stake presidency (watch out, Reo!). Everyone north of the river holding stake callings will be released, including Aaron as a High Councilor. People keep asking me if I'm relieved to have him back. My answer to them is that I'm not counting on it. The other High Councilor's wife from our ward figures her husband will be brought back into a ward calling, and is glad. But, I'm sure there are a few High Councilors in the M Stake who are in the same position as he and Aaron, being moved into the A Stake, so there is a chance either or both of them will be called to replace them. As Aaron's only been on the High Council for 3 months, it seems likely to me that he will.

Even though it takes Aaron away a lot on Sundays and once in a while during the week, it hasn't been that much more than before, other than the part where I have seven children to manage on my own for sacrament meetings a few times a month. Aaron has had callings that have required him to be in early Sunday morning meetings for all but a year of our marriage, and he has always had responsibilities during the week, as well. Plus, he's been learning a lot on the High Council. I have to say that I have been happy to support him in his calling. He is a fabulous husband, father, and church leader, and finds balance in all of it, somehow. And if he is not called to the M Stake High Council, he'll still magnify whatever calling he has. He isn't the sort of person to take a break, no matter what his calling.

I remember when our branch was first formed and he was the finance clerk, he started getting depressed over the winter. There just wasn't much for him to do. He felt like he needed more. I discreetly called up Pres. C, told him the situation, and asked him if there weren't some inactives he could put on Aaron's home teaching route? President C had thought with all of our kids, Aaron would want a light calling and light home teaching route, but was happy to throw some challenges at him. Aaron perked up quite a bit when he got his new home teaching assignment! He finally had work to do, and the branch's home teaching stats rose all of a sudden. It wasn't long before they made him the Ward Mission Leader. I just recently told Aaron my part in that.

The test was when he was called as the Executive Secretary a few years ago. He suddenly didn't have much work he could do with individuals, and was worried that he would get down again. However, he instead took it as a learning opportunity. He absorbed everything he could from our Bishop, and remained a diligent home teacher. He found time for studying (not only scriptures, but languages, physics and other areas of interest). He found ways to improve himself and to serve those around him. He didn't let the calling determine his service. He is going to put in 100% of what is expected of him, no matter where he is put.

And that's why I love him.

Peanut Butter Sandwich

Aidan brings a plate and two slices of bread to my bedroom and tells me he can't find the peanut butter, and he wants to make a peanut butter sandwich. I tell him the last jar in the pantry was all used up, so he'll have to go to the basement to get another one.

He says, "Okay," and leaves.

A few minutes later, he comes, crying, back up the stairs.

"Mom, I can't get the peanut butter!" he wails.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Because I can't hold this," showing me the plate in one hand, "and this," showing me the two slices of bread in his other hand, "and carry the peanut butter, too!"

It never ends.

4 kids puking since last Friday. Three-day illness. You may think they are recovering, but the next day they puke once more just to throw you off. At least my new washer rocks! One day of use, and the laundry is caught up again. Cross your fingers that Tristin, Brandon and Aidan don't get it. If they were going to, I'd think they'd have it by now. If they do, Easter will be miserable.

I regret to inform you (and yet don't)

I regret to inform you that our washing machine broke on Friday. It couldn't have broken at a more inconvenient time, seeing as how William's comforter was in the washer, due to the fact that he threw up on it, and I hadn't gotten to his soiled clothing, sheets, and rags I used to clean up the mess yet.

And yet, I'm not so very sad. I have dying for an opportunity to get some high-capacity, high-efficiency front-loaders. So, I shopped online that afternoon and read some reviews, and Aaron and I went shopping in person that evening. We settled on the Kenmore mid-level pair. 4 cu. ft. capacity - about triple what a normal washer holds! My friend Holly, who has six children, said she lowered her water bill by $30 per month when she bought hers, and her oldest child is only 7, so I'm expecting a really great return.

Now, my only regret is that I'm going to have to wait until Tuesday for the washer to be delivered, and until the 21st for the dryer. If only three more of my children hadn't started throwing up today...

If anyone would like an 8-year-old dryer in good condition, let me know by the 20th. And, if you feel like rescuing a washer that is probably only in need of a new coupler, let me know ASAP, as it will be recycled tomorrow, otherwise.

Summer Plans

I'm so excited! The boys get out of school on June 9th. Normally, that signals a lazy beginning to summer. But, this year, we are going to be doing things a little differently.

Elizabeth Lyde (I call her Lizzy), one of the sister missionaries who taught the discussions to me, as well as my good friend, is coming to visit on June 9th. She will be staying for a week. She has all sorts of things she wants to do that she didn't get to do while she was here on her mission. So, we have some field trips planned to start our summer and get the kids moving.

Her requests, so far, are to visit the "museum with the cherry on the spoon" - the Walker Art Center and the Sculpture Gardens, the Mall of America, and the New Hope Ice Arena to skate (she had forgotten I grew up in New Hope and didn't know my parents still live there when she asked - this will be an easy one to arrange).

The boys will be taking care of their gardens, as well. They will have weeding and watering to do at that point. The older boys each have a new raised bed to take care of this year. The younger boys will help us with the flower beds and our old garden patch, which we will use for cucumbers and squash. William has been doing seed germination tests on our old seeds. Brandon has started some ground cherries, which just emerged from their pots this morning(if you don't know what these are, they are similar to a tomato plant in look, except they have a small round fruit inside of a paper-like pod that has a flavor of grape and pineapple). Dallin and Aidan have started sunflowers. Tristin will be doing some seed germination tests on more of the seeds we have in our stash for his gardening merit badge, but he has had a lot of other stuff on his plate lately, so we'll have to find some time for that to happen soon.

Aaron has given each of the boys a schedule to work out their plans. We will be structuring the summer a little more this year. Along with the gardening, the boys will each be planning out an hour of service each week. They need to come up with a project they can do in the community, such as cleaning up at a park, or at the temple, such as grounds clean-up or baptisms for the dead, or at the church, such as participating in a Saturday cleaning or participating in another service project, or even a project outside of normal chores to serve the family.

They will also need to plan one enrichment activity each week, such as a merit badge or achievement, an area of study, such as math, reading, language, culture, or a skill they want to work on. We'll be encouraging them each to choose a week or two for swimming lessons.

Tristin, Brandon and William took swimming lessons through Chaska Community Ed. about five years ago. Tristin progressed, but Brandon and William were not very comfortable in the water yet at that time. It just wasn't worth the money. Then, we got the membership at Lifetime Fitness. The boys got comfortable in the water, and we started giving the boys individualized lessons ourselves. They all progressed. Tristin was able to pass the BSA swimmer test in time for his first scout camp. Last summer, I also did some group lessons for Brandon, William and Ben. We got Brandon to the point where he passed the BSA swimmer test at the family camp. William and Ben are both able to swim underwater now, and both can do front and back floats. We were working on their strokes for front crawl last year. Dallin got good at traveling along the wall, jumping into the water, and back floating. Aidan got good at jumping in, as well, and is very comfortable in the water. Katie loved it, too. I just regret not taking her to swim over the past few months, as I'm afraid she will forget how much she loved it. She would even let me lie her on her back in the water last summer.

We are encouraging them to plan well ahead. This will allow us to make preparations that can make their enrichment activities fun, rather than tedious. For example, if one of them wants to study fossils, we'll need warning so Aaron can take off work and take him on a dig at Lillydale Park. Or, if one of them wants to study a different culture, we can see if there are any museums with exhibits on that culture, plan for ethnic meals that they can make, and prepare language study materials.

We also plan to take a week vacation somewhere. We haven't made those plans yet, though. It will probably be a camping trip.

We don't get to go to Many Point Family Camp this year, with LDS Encampment being held instead of regular Scout Camp. The boys are disappointed. That will be the week of June 22-27th for Tristin. It will be held at Stearn's Boy Scout Camp. Tristin will be able to finish three of his merit badges that are required for Eagle. He only has two others to finish that are required, and they are two that shouldn't be too hard to do. After that, I think he only has a few elective badges that he will need to do, and Woodcarving is one of them that he'll take care of at camp. He'll be working on Gardening all summer, so there won't be too many left.

Aaron will be going on a Boundary Waters trip with a group of men from church, as well as his dad, who has taken the place of one of the men who couldn't make it. That trip is planned for July 17-23. He has wanted to learn the ropes so that he can take the boys (and maybe even me) in the future. This is an experienced group that is going, so he will be in good hands for this trip.

Brandon even gets to have some Boy Scout Camping experiences for the first time. He will turn 11 on June 13th, and there is a stake 11-year-old camp the very next week. There is also a day camp in August, and another overnight camp in September. What a great jump-start to Scouting! He'll earn his Arrow of Light this May, so he will start with his Boy Scout Rank, and after all of the camps, I'd guess he'll be close to his 1st Class rank within 6 months.

Benjamin will be turning eight in May, and is scheduled to be baptized on June 13th, Brandon's birthday. As our church building will be under construction for its expansion project at that time, it will probably be held in a lake. Otherwise, we'd have to use the Bloomington building. Turning eight also marks his joining Cub Scouts, so we will have a lot of activities to keep him busy earning his Bobcat and Wolf ranks.

William has already earned his Bear rank, so we will be working on Arrow Points to add to it before he heads into Webelos in September, as well as any Belt Loops and Pins he wants to earn. There is plenty to keep him busy.

I'm looking forward to the change of pace for the summer. Last year the kids got restless, and we're hoping adding some structure in will help them to be happier, as well as to cut down on the electronics.

My Testimony

I received a disappointing phone call. My grandmother isn't going to be baptized on April 11th, after all. Her pastor from Maine called her and she decided not to go through with it. I'm not sure what he said. I don't know whether he talked about doctrinal differences, or whether he just asked her to take more time. But I would like to take a moment to write a few words and bear my testimony, for those who may want to hear it.

A testimony isn't from your mind. It doesn't come from logical arguments. It doesn't come from seeing miracles. It isn't from emotions, either. It is from the confirmation received by the Holy Ghost that what is heard or read is true. The Holy Ghost works through the Light of Christ, which is in everyone. However, until baptism and confirmation by one who has authority, we do not have the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the right to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. This makes it very difficult to overcome adversity once we have felt the witness of the Holy Ghost and make the decision to become baptized. Once we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism by the laying on of hands (confirmation), we have to keep up our end of the covenant to keep it. It slips away when we don't give enough attention to personal prayer and scripture study, when we don't regularly participate in sacrament and other church meetings, and when we sin.

We are not going to be perfect, so we are taught to repent, which is to correct our wrongs, if possible; to confess to God, as well as to our Bishop if our sins are of a serious nature; to be remorseful, and to forsake our sins. We are expected to continually strive to improve. Staying still is not enough.

This said, I have received a witness of the Holy Ghost that Christ's church was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I felt it first when I attended seminary classes at the age of 16. Unfortunately, at that time I was not strong enough to overcome the adversity from those around me (in their defense, they thought they were protecting me) until I was of age to make my own choice regarding baptism. I went down a path that lead to misery over the next few years.

As I read the Book of Mormon at the age of 20, I received a testimony of its truthfulness. I felt as though a window to heaven had opened in the evening when I knelt for prayer for the first time after being baptized. I received an assurance that I had chosen what was right, and that Heavenly Father was listening to my prayers, and that he loved me. I have received promptings from the Holy Ghost to make decisions, big and small. I have received an increased understanding of the Bible, and believe it to be the word of God, as long as it is translated correctly.

For some time after being baptized, I would look to the Bible to confirm what I read in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. Through prayer and study, I learned that the Bible has many contradictions to itself, and has many additions and subtractions and translation flaws, but that it is still a book which has much truth. The Book of Mormon compliments the Bible, and brings an added testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and clarifies many of the confusing parts of the Bible. The Doctrine and Covenants goes a step farther in detailing how the church is administrated through Priesthood authority, and what our covenants, responsibilities and promised blessings are.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to return to Him, and in order to do that, through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are; First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; Second, repentance; Third, baptism by immersion through the remission of sins; Fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These are available to all, and the Lord wants for us all to receive them. The blessings of the temple are also available to all, and have made me a stronger person as I have kept my covenants. I know this is true, and I leave this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Aidan's 4th Birthday

You have grown into such a big boy! Last week at Kindergarten pre-screening you cooperated very well. You were measured in the 95th percentile for height, and 60th percentile for weight. You are taller than all of your brothers were at your age, and you weigh the same or more than they did. In fact, you are just as tall as Benjamin was when he was 5 years old!

You are a very good helper, Aidan. When mom is busy cleaning, you often join her in sweeping or wiping surfaces. You regularly empty all of the trash containers in the house and throw them out in the can in the garage without even being asked.

You were also the most attentive helper on Saturday when we filled our new raised beds with topsoil and peat moss. You helped to smooth out the dirt and break up the chunks. You tended to the fire that we had going to warm up the soil and the area a little bit, as well as to get rid of the pallets that the soil came on and take care of some of our yard scraps. You also helped mom to remove the leaves and stems from last year's hostas and transport them to the fire.

From Stef's Sweethearts

We had such a fun time on your 4th birthday, Aidan. You were such a good boy getting ready for church. You didn't need much help at all. You got to open one present before church, an Aqua Doodle mat. It folds up and has handles on it so you can take it along with you. You were very well-behaved at church. You wrote on your new mat in sacrament meeting and stayed very quiet, and didn't cry at all when I took you to Primary, where you went right to your teacher and behaved well. You enjoyed your treat from the Bishop, didn't you?

From Stef's Sweethearts

We had a fun afternoon, as well. You got a very funny e-card from Grammie and Grandpa that you played over and over again, as well as a paper birthday card (remember, we do birthday gifts from them in a big party each summer with your cousins). You were very excited about your presents. Your brothers were so nice to spend their own money to give you gifts. Although the rocket from Dallin and the balloons from Grandma and Grandpa were really fun to play with for the rest of the day, and the candy treats from your other brothers were very yummy, and you loved getting birthday dollars from Great Grandpa and Grandma Burnham, you were the most excited about the seeds and gardening tools you got from Grandma and Grandpa. You shouted, "Growing Things!" and were very anxious to plant them. We planted the sunflower seeds in pots the next morning to help contain your enthusiasm to plant all of your seeds in the garden right away.

We had Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner, by your request. Mom and Dad picked it up on Saturday night, along with some Sierra Mist, A&W Root Beer, and Fanta. Mom baked two 13x9 cakes on Saturday, and Dad turned them into a castle cake - very much like Katie's, as you wanted it to be, but with blue frosting with M&M's on it, which was much more boy-ish.

From Stef's Sweethearts

Mom and Dad had wanted to buy you a bike - in fact, we did, as you will learn some day when you read this. However, it was defective. I took it out of the box to assemble it on Saturday, and found that the handle bars, when turned, made a scraping sound and didn't turn smoothly at all. We took it back for an exchange, but two different Target stores were all sold out of bikes your size. Since we have a bike that you will fit into at home, as well as a couple of scooters, we decided to pass on the whole idea and find something else (if we get a new bike for either Ben or Brandon's birthdays later this spring, everyone can move up one bike, and you will get your own, which probably makes more sense, as you are the last boy in the family). We settled on the aforementioned Aqua Doodle mat, as well as some Color Wonder paint brushes and paper, and a new Dora game for the Leapster, which will help you learn some Spanish words. I think you were pretty pleased with them, and besides, not getting a bike yet will give you one less reason to go play in the street when you are supposed to stay in the yard.

I love you, Aidan! Thank you for being such a sweet boy!

Seven Things Tag

1. I quit listening to country music when Aaron stated his distaste for it when we were dating, and allowed him to believe I didn't like it, either.  I can't say I like all country music, but there are some country singers I like, such as Martina McBride, as well as some others.  A few years ago I found Aaron singing along to a country song, but he explained that it wasn't really country because it had crossed over to the pop station.  At that point, I admitted I did enjoy a bit more country music than I had let on...
2. My musical interests are really quite narrow.  I enjoy listening to music that I can sing or could play - even if I don't have the time to practice, or wouldn't ever have the opportunity to play it.  If it isn't something I could participate in, had I the time or opportunity, I probably don't like it much.
3. I still dream of being in a Broadway musical.  Or even a community theater musical.
4. I have a hard time starting projects that have to be set up and put away between work periods (such as sewing).  I also have a hard time stopping, once I've started.  If you want me to get something done, give me enough time to do it all at once, or it may not happen.  Or, dedicate a space for it that no children will ever have access to so I won't have to put it away.
5. My bedroom is messy most of the time.  So are the other bedrooms in my house.  I am trying to fix that.  We have thrown/given away many, many things lately, and continue to get rid of everything that doesn't have a home, in hopes that we will be able to live in a clean house at some point.  I anticipate my bedroom to be clean once Katie is about 4 (when toddlers will no longer bring their stuff into my room, and I no longer have to put things in my room to keep them away from children), and the kids rooms to be clean once Katie is about 6.  One can hope.
6. I dislike throwing children's birthday parties.  Not the kind where family comes over, the kind with friends.
7. I am trying to figure out how to go to Florida in order to be there for my 86-year-old grandmother's baptism on April 11th (yes, that's living, not proxy)!!!!!  It is Stake Conference/Easter weekend, and Aaron has technology responsibilities that could make this hard on him.  I would probably have to go out on Friday and come back Saturday evening.  It is Spring Break for my kids, so maybe I can figure out something for them to do on Friday.

P.S.  Tag, you're it!  Oh, yeah, the rules - it's seven things you probably don't know about me.

Flashback - My #1 Sweetheart

May 11, 1997

Okay, okay, I haven't written in two months!  But, I do have some excuses.  I am in the church sesquicentennial musical, "Footsteps of Faith."  I have one of the leads, that of Caroline.  I have rehearsals every Thursday night and Saturday morning.  Also, I teach cello to Emily Howard on Wednesday nights.  Plus, I have my first church calling.  I am the Anoka Stake Sunday School Secretary.  Add all of this to my 8-4:30, Monday-Friday work schedule, and my regular church functions, and I am pretty busy.

Now, for the bitter truth.  I only now have the desire to write because I want to put my feelings about Aaron Pratt on paper.  It seems nothing before now could motivate me.  So, I'm breaking the rule of my journal (referencing the first page of it, saying that I wasn't going to write about any of the guys I date until I'm engaged).

By the way, Aaron is not the first guy I've had interest in and/or dated since my previous entry.  I hope that serves to clarify that Aaron is significant to me.  I feel that if we do not stay together, even for long, I will never look back on this as a bad reflection of my judgement.

Aaron is amazing.  He grew up in the church - yes, he is a descendant of Parley Pratt, one of the original 12 apostles.  He is a returned missionary.  He has a strong faith in the Church.  Spiritually speaking, I am very comfortable with him.

As far as his personality goes, he is hilarious, in a very intelligent way.  He is a bit eccentric - I can't really explain how, but he is.  He is also what I consider to be a stable person, and so intelligent!  More so than any guy I've ever dated.  He is also a musician.  He plays the piano, cello and French Horn (coincidence)!  He also has a very nice voice - perfect pitch, in fact.  He has the kind of voice meant to blend - I wish I were so lucky!  He also composes.

Aaron is 21 - 22 in August.  He graduated in '93.  Sounds like a good catch, hey?  Well, I haven't completely hooked him yet.  He seems a bit nervous with our courtship.  Heck, I am, too!  I've never met anyone I've enjoyed being around so much.

Here's one amazing thing for me; I've never been in a relationship with a guy I didn't find attractive at first sight, until now!  Aaron is certainly not unattractive, but I'd categorize him as very plain.  However, I became interested in his personality anyway, and then I started to find him very attractive.  He's adorable.

Now for the hardest thing to put on paper:  I am falling in love with him.  If I'm not in love yet, I'm on the verge.  This scares me!  Especially since I don't think he's quite there yet.

Move forward to today - 

Aaron was super underweight when he came home from his mission, and hadn't really filled out much in the 9 months before I met him.  When we were married, he weighed about 165, and was just over 6' tall.  That puts him about 20 lbs. underweight.  His face was very angular, and his hair cut was atrocious.  After I fell for his personality, I fell for his eyes.  Then, I commented to someone - I think my sister - that he was the type of guy who was going to become more and more attractive over the years.  I was right.  And, yet, it doesn't really matter.  He is still the one I would rather spend my time with more than anyone else.

Katie's Bathtime

I know most of my posts are about Katie.  It's not that she's a girl, it's that she's the baby.  If I had started blogging years ago, you'd see that I would have written about all the boys when they were babies, too.  Maybe I'll do some flashbacks - that's an idea.

Katie loved her bath the other day.  I made it a very bubbly bath, and she had so much fun!  I realized I hadn't taken any bath time pictures yet, so I took some.  Katie has such a bright smile, and this picture captures it really well.

Strep and Dinnerware

On Monday, Ben threw up. On Tuesday, he was fine, but I couldn't take him back to school yet. Tristin had been complaining of a mild sore throat, but it wasn't bad. Since Dallin had come down with strep last week, I decided to have them both cultured. The rapid cultures came up negative, and I took them both to school, as Ben hadn't thrown up for 24 hours, and neither had fevers or any symptoms that would normally keep a child from attending school.

Today, the 48 hour cultures grew out positive. They both have been feeling fine, are active, eating well, and have no symptoms of strep. But, I had to take them out of school and put them both on antibiotics. They will also have to wait until noon tomorrow to go back to school.

I hate strep.

On an up note, I went to the Target pharmacy for the antibiotics, and stopped for a few groceries while I was there. There is a new section of plastic dishes next to the grocery section. They are exactly what I have been looking for for months! There are seven different sets, all coordinating with each other. Four are more grown-up, with square dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, and matching cups (the cups are round). Three of the sets have dinner plates shaped as a monkey (which looks like Curious George), an octypus, and a frog. Their salad plates are round, and so are their bowls. Their cups are the same cup with all three characters on them. There are also a boyish and a girlish tray-style plate with the character theme. I bought the girlish one for Katie.

Tristin and Aaron will have to have the same set, and Katie and I will also have the same set, once Katie grows out of the tray. But everyone else has their own, and they all coordinate with each other, so the table will look very festive. There are also pitchers and bowls and large serving trays and baskets (for clearing dishes?). We'll see whether I get carried away enough to purchase any of those. I think I might get a pitcher or two. I am so excited to finally have dishes that won't break when dropped, that are dishwasher safe, and that I can tell who has cleared their place properly and hold them accountable. Yay!

Beautiful Day

Today it is gorgeous outside.  I spent my morning cleaning up toys and filling a container with stuff to get rid of.  Call it a spring cleaning bug - I just need to declutter.  Once we had lunch, though, we were ready to go outside.  Lunch is pretty early in our house, as Dallin leaves for school at 11:45am.  When he left, I got Katie ready to go outside, too.  Aidan insisted he wanted to finish playing with his magnetics first.  He had made ice cream cones out of them (they are the large variety), and he had to eat them all first.

Katie and I waved at Dallin as he left on the bus.  The bus driver waved at her, and she smiled.  Then, we were off to the back yard.  Katie tried out her swing, which she loved last summer.  I could tell she didn't remember it, as she was a little frightened at first.  She seemed content after a while, but she never giggled like she used to when I pushed her.  

After a while, I took her out and let her run around.  She played with a soccer ball for a little bit, and then Aidan wanted some help getting his shoes on, so we went in.  She was not happy about that.  But we were quick, and got back outside to the sunshine in no time.  

Aidan and Katie played on the deck for a few minutes, then headed to the grass again.  They played with the soccer ball again, then headed for the swing set.  I helped her slide down the slide a couple of times.  

Then, I went to work moving the rain barrels to the deck while they played.  They have been along the back of the house in the rocks, but we decided they looked like a mess last summer, so we're putting them on the deck instead.  One of them is full of ice, so I'm hoping it will all melt by this evening so Aaron can help me move it up.  It just needs to be lifted a few feet, as it is just on the other side of the deck rail from where I want it.

Anyway, I got off track there.  While I was moving rain barrels and dumping some hot water in the icy one, Katie found the garden.  Aidan kept hopping onto the stepping stones, and I asked him to stay away a few times, as I didn't want him covered in mud, and Katie was looking pretty interested in trying it.  Well, Aidan did eventually go back to the swing set, but Katie thought she would see how mud tastes while my back was turned.  I found her kneeling down in the mud, stuffing some in her mouth.  She didn't like it much, so I don't think she'll do it again.  I set her back in the grass, and she wiped her hands off and went back to the slide for a while.  Then, I saw her about to stuff something else in her mouth.  Right over by the sand box there are a whole bunch of little round pellets.  Yes, I think they are of the rabbit variety.  Luckily, she didn't put any in her mouth.  She didn't do more than squish one between her fingers and wipe it off in the grass.

We had a good hour or more out there, and it was past Katie's normal nap time, so I figured at this point I ought to take her in and put her to bed.  She had a nice kitchen sink washing, then happily went down for a nap.  

Ben came up and asked to go out at about that point.  Yes, he's home sick today.  He threw up this morning.  Not surprising, after Tuesday's choir concert.  Luckily, he saw it coming and had a bucket handy, so there was no mess for me to clean up.  I let him sit on the deck for a little while.  Then, he asked for food.  This bug seems to be really mild.  He asked for chicken broth about an hour after he threw up this morning, and kept it down fine.  Two hours later, he had applesauce, and then at 1pm he had a scrambled egg.  He is doing great.

When we heard that we'd hit 60 degrees today, William and I thought we'd do a campfire tonight for FHE.  He was assigned the activity, and I knew I could easily persuade him.  We have a lot of lilac branches to get rid of, so I'm anxious to have a fire.  I'm looking forward to some more time outdoors this evening, as well.  Welcome, Spring!

A Sick Week

What a winter for illness! I've had a cold for over a week now. It was really bad for a couple of days, including last Thursday-Saturday, when Aaron was out of town. I'm mostly over it, but for some sinus congestion.

I had to miss Ben's second grade concert, which made me sad. Aaron managed to get out of work to go to it, though. He said it was very exciting. A girl puked on the risers right away when they were just starting, and she kept puking all the way out the door of the gym. All of the teachers ran to get a janitor, and nobody kept guard of the trail she made. Then, due to the snowstorm, parents kept arriving late and walking through the unattended puke. Aaron thought it was hilarious.

When a classmate has strep, the school nurse sends notices home to everyone in the class. I've seen notices from at least two of my three elementary kids. Then, the nurse sent a special notice to let the entire school know that it has been worse than she's ever seen it, as far as how many kids are getting it. She encouraged us to take kids who complain of headaches or stomach aches in for strep cultures, which is why I took Dallin in. I had assumed his headache and tiredness was just a precursor to coming down with my cold, until I got that notice. So, I looked at his throat, and sure enough, it looked like strep. I had him cultured yesterday, and the rapid came out positive.

I'm hoping the headache I'm getting now isn't strep-related. I am singing at Stake Enrichment tomorrow in Kim Dray's class on creativity, and I'm also in charge of a carpool for people in the Waconia area, so I don't have time to be sick right now. My throat is a little red, but my tonsils are not swollen, so I'm just going to attribute it to the post-nasal drip and hope it goes away.

Katie has my cold. It is very sad to see. Her cheeks are very pink, and she is very whiny. She's also a snot monster. I think she might have a headache, but with the cold, I don't know whether I should be concerned about strep. Doctors would tell you that at her age it is unlikely, but since she's had it twice before, I don't think I'd listen. If I could just look in her throat, I'd probably be able to tell.

Well, Aaron is in Dallas at the temple right now. He had nothing else to do this evening, so he called me to see if I could get him some names to work on. I had some ready for ititiatory in my new.familysearch.org file, so all he had to do was print them off and go. What a cool system.

I'm going to watch a hokey Disney channel movie now. What a way to spend a Friday night.

Tagged - 6th picture, 6th folder

Jessica tagged me.  I had to post the 6th picture in my 6th folder.  I'm sure this is very exciting for you all.  This picture is from the scanning party my family had last fall to copy my grandma's photos.  This is from a photo album.  The top photo is my aunt Irene with her husband, Denny.  The little girl is their daughter, Rue Ann.  

Irene passed away in 2004.  She was a great lady.  She was also in the Navy.  Here is a picture of her in her uniform:

I think my great aunt Irene was pretty neat.  Don't you?

Comments

Yes, my comments are working again.  Apparently, if I select the Comment option, "Embedded below post," it won't work.  So, I chose pop-ups instead, and they work (as long as your pop-ups aren't disabled).  I thought maybe it was my new template screwing things up, so I changed it three times this morning, and it still didn't work.  Oh, well.  Now I have another new look!

Picture

I remembered to take that picture of Katie yesterday.  I had to be in it, as she wouldn't stay far enough away from me to get a good picture of her.  It is now at the top of the post called "Katie 'Baby.'"