Spotlights for Primary

I work in the Primary at church with the little children. I love what I do. Today I was gathering info and taking pictures of six children who will be spotlighted next month.

My favorite was one little four-year-old boy.

One of the standard questions is " where were you born." The normal answer is "Utah". Not this time. Check out his answer: "In the hospital and I was in my mommy's tummy and not in an egg. It was really gross. I'm not sure how I got out . . . " I stopped him there and told him he was gonna have to ask his mom. He looked at me like that was a good idea so we went on to the next question.

Oh how I love to be with children. They make me smile.

Enough Already!

We are sick again. We have been sick more this month then in the last four years! The first week of May possible swine flu. The second week we were all throwing up. The third week I lost my voice completely. Now this week, we have colds. I even took Nathan to the ER Sunday because I thought he wasn't getting enough oxygen. He was, I'm just a little paranoid. This morning he woke up with his eyes completely glued shut and a huge booger mustache (sorry to be so graphic, but it was bad, never seen it that bad before) Today we went to the doctor and Nathan has eye drops, Danielle has antibiotics for an ear infection, both got cough medicine, and I wish I could take it all. As a nursing mother, drugs are prohibited. *sigh*.



And the culprit(I think):
Nathan likes to suck on everything. During swim team we play at the park and Nathan swings. And he tries to suck on the swing. After many attempts I finally give up. He has gotten sick first, and I can't think of anywhere else he would be catching stuff.

Sanitizers here we come. Would it look too funny if I sprayed the swing with Lysol?

I'm ready to have my family healthy again. I'm ready for something other then Kleenex and drip buckets. I want to have some fun! Good health, watch out!

Negotiations

This morning Spencer did not want to eat his oatmeal.

It was seasoned and sweetened to perfection with just the right hint of cinnamon. MMMMMM.

Yeah, well, Spencer did not think so.

He started crying saying that he needed me to feed him. Danielle jumped in and offered to feed him. I was happy. Of course, Danielle is one that requires feeding herself, so this was a funny sight.

I was in the other room feeding Nathan. A few minutes later Danielle and Spencer march into the living room announcing that they were done. And then Danielle comes to my side and says, "I told Spencer if he hurried and finished his breakfast we would go and get donuts."

Who is she to offer donuts? I haven't bought donuts since November!

She looked at me with this desperate look which said, Mom, don't turn me into a liar!

The donuts do really sound good.

Maybe we'll have to go get them after all!

Lost Voice

I woke up this morning without a voice. Just sort of a squeak and whisper. I feel normal, just sound pretty pathetic.

Spencer isn't too happy. In quite a stern voice, several different times, he said to me, "Mom, quit talking like that!"

He doesn't understand. He keeps giving me these side glances like he is wondering if I am kidding with him.

Really, I'm not.

Sneak Peek

I've been busy compiling somewhere around 2000 pictures (just a guess) from the cruise and making them into a video. Just when I think I'm nearly done, I realize a big problem after another big problem and hours and hours later I think I am just about done only to go through it again. I am mostly having fun, and thought I would give you a sneak peek at 4 minutes of the 15 minute video. And, because of the song, it moves through the pictures pretty fast. The rest of the video that I am still working on won't go so fast. Enjoy.

On the Mend

It started Sunday. I was dressed for church and feeding Nathan when suddenly I was covered in throw-up. He continued to throw up every ten minutes (or so) for the next seven hours. I have never had a baby throw up like that. He was lethargic and not having ANY wet diapers. Thanks goodness he was still willing to occasionally eat. I gave him one more hour to wet or I was taking him in. And, I had just taken his diaper off because he had thrown up all over himself, when he decided to wet all over the floor. I have never been so happy to have pee on the floor. He stopped throwing up and was cranky on Monday, but all better. It was a short sickness.

Spencer started in Sunday night. Evan stayed up with him and took care of him. I was so grateful. Sunday with Nathan was hard and I really needed the sleep.

Danielle woke up Monday morning throwing up. I decided to keep Taneal and Camie home from school because the sickness came so fast and furious. They were fine of course, so I sent them to school on Tuesday. It is hard to have three fussy children who all want to be held all day. I was going crazy and wondering how I thought I could possibly handle three little children at once. I felt so bad that they felt so bad and all I wanted to do was hold them to help them feel better, but I didn't have the lap space and enough arms. I just couldn't do it all. I don't know who cried more, them or me. Jana was so nice to bring me dinner.

I got a call from the school nurse Tuesday that Camie threw up in gym. She was sick all evening and threw up into the night.

Wednesday morning (yesterday) she woke up fine and full of life.

I did not. It got me. It isn't too often that I get sick, besides pregnancies. That I remember, I've thrown up twice in my life, besides pregnancies. The last time I was really sick was when Camie was a baby, seven years ago. This was bad stuff. I ached all over. I didn't want to move or even exist. I was so glad Camie stayed home from school. I had her take care of Nathan as best as she could while I laid on the couch all day. I felt so bad for Nathan, he just didn't understand. He kept crawling around crying and I was too sick to do anything about it. My dear friend, Stina, brought me dinner. She is an amazing cook. I ate a little, the first I had been able to eat all day. Evan got home from work around 7pm and put the kids to bed for me and I slept all night. I think Nathan slept through the night. I never woke for him. And this morning at 6:15 when I heard Nathan calling for me from his bed, I got up and I feel great. It is a short lived flu, but horrible. It really makes you appreciate good health.

As I walked around my house this morning, I realized how much I do. Can we really use as many dishes in one day as were piled in the sinks and on every counter? When did my kids get out all those toys? Did they really wear all the clothes scattered throughout the house? Wow! What a mess! I know I constantly pick up and clean throughout the days. I finally got a look at how the place would look if I checked out. Not a pretty sight. I have my day cut out for me. And, I feel good. I will gladly put my house back in order to feel good again.

Let it Flow

Oh, the weather outside is delightful.
But inside it's really frightful.
And since we've no place to go,
Let it flow
Let it flow
Let it flow.

It started with Nathan. Moved to Spencer. Now it has Danielle. It is lasting about 7 hours. I'm keeping everyone home from school. You'd think it was the middle of winter, not the beautiful weather of May.

Soccer Season Ends

So I am a little late posting this one. The last week of March soccer season ended. This was Taneal's 4th season playing with her cousin and aunt as her coach. Taneal plays so well and really enjoys the sport.

Camie also played. I don't have the pictures yet, my friend used her fancy dancy camera and got some great pictures. I am just waiting to get them from her and then I'll post another way past due post. Got to keep the journaling up, right? Better late then never.

Poop

Being a mother sort of gets you used to poop, right? I have been changing diapers for 9 years now and only once had a 4 month break between Camie and Danielle. Poop. Day in and day out. Poop. At church a few Sundays ago all my children were quietly sitting on the pew listening to the speakers and really doing well. I was smiling looking at my children thinking how peaceful it was not to be reminding my children to be reverent and listen. I had Nathan on the floor by my feet. I looked down at him to smile at how content he was playing. And that's when I saw it. Poop. All up his back. Soaked through his onesie onto his Sunday shirt. I couldn't pick him up without touching the poop. I just sat there looking at him trying to figure out how I was going to exit the chapel discretely. Nope, wasn't going to happen. I just quickly picked him up, held him straight out so as to not get the poop on myself, tripped over a few bags and feet, and went straight to the car. The only change of clothes I had was a basketball onesie, so that was his church attire for the rest of the meeting. Even after 9 years of diaper changing, poop still is a big deal.

If only . . .

If only everyone valued life a little more. I recently received this email from good friend and I really liked the perspective. I wish abortion wasn't an issue, if only people valued life and took more responsibility:

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.'

So the doctor said: 'Ok, and what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.' S

he smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution. The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.

He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Only a Fever

Word sure travels fast.

Danielle woke up this morning with a temperature under the armpit of 102.4. Later this morning we received a call from the health department saying that one of the children on swim team had a confirmed case of swine flu, we were exposed.

After talking to the health department for a while, they said we MUST take Danielle into the doctor tomorrow, but unless she got worse, there was no reason to take her to the hospital today. Maybe we have it, but I really doubt it.

I was supposed to do sharing time today and I handed it off to someone else to do it so we wouldn't have to go to church today, just to be safe. I guess word spread and everyone seems to think we have swine flu. All we have is a temperature and a little girl who is running all over the house playing as if nothing is wrong.

So for those of you who live near us, we will stay completely home this week, unless the doctor tells us otherwise. I do not want to spread anything, so we will play on the safe side. We do not have a diagnosed case of swine flu, just a fever. I will take Danielle to the doctor tomorrow and if anything develops, I'll keep ya posted.

Cute, little Spencer

My first boy. And Oh, what personality. He often runs around the house in this silly hat and sunglasses. He just loves them, and I enjoy watching him.

If you are easily grossed out, do not continue reading. I must share something Spencer said, because it was so gross but so typical. I don't know that it is blog worthy, and after I post it I will probably be embarrassed that I posted it, but I am thinking of it as more for journal purposes that might make me laugh MANY years to come as I read it.

We have a nose-picking and eating problem. See a two-year-old post here. The problem still exists.

I feel I have tried everything. I have tried things that I never imagined I would stoop to trying to solve the problem. And yet, the nose picking, eating, still remains a problem.

The other day, I caught Spencer picking and eating, gave him my newest threat idea, and asked him, were you eating your boogers? He said that he was not. So, I asked him where the booger he had just picked went. And he responded, "I didn't eat it, I just licked it!"

Ohhhh! So gross!