We share very well and it's not even February yet!

For the longest time I have been afraid of February coming. It seems like someone is sick from the first of February until the last.  At least it is a short month!  I think by February our immune systems are worn down and we are tired of winter in Wyoming.  This year we are getting a jump on things by being sick the end of January, maybe that means we won't still be sick at the end of February.  We share very well when it comes to being sick.  Dallin started everyone out on Saturday.  Monday Dallin still didn't feel well.  Dallin was fine all day Tuesday, but threw up again at bedtime.  Wednesday, Joshua and Lydia had it.  This morning David, Emma, Matthew, Julia, Neil and Lydia are all not  feeling well.  I hope Rebecca and Bethany are staying well!  MaryAnne and I have decided we aren't going to share with the others.  We are staying healthy, at least if we have any say over it.  The funny thing is that Julia wanted to be sick yesterday so she would have an excuse to miss the games being played at the Triward activity.  She got her wish, but about 12 hours too late. She still got to play the games.  Well, I'm off to help my patients.  I think today there will be a movie and rest for their doctor's orders. Stay well, and we'll try not to share with anyone else.

The joy of exercising

Exercising is something I do because I want to be healthy, not because I love it.  I do enjoy reading a good book while riding my bike or a brisk walk with my good friend in the morning, but I really only do it for the book or the conversation. I wish I could say I enjoyed exercise as much as Lydia does in this video.  She was showing us how she exercised a few months ago.  It was so adorable that we pulled out Emma's ipad and recorded her.  We just figured out how to send the video to this computer so I could post it.  I hope you enjoy watching. Maybe I'll start trying out some of Lydia's moves and smile and laugh with her while exercising.  Now that would be funny!
 

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Saturday Morning tradition and how Lydia reacts when everyone isn't home

I am not very good about cooking breakfast for my family, that is putting it nicely.  I could really say I don't cook breakfast for my family.  Cold cereal or toast is what they really want anyway, so that is our usual breakfast.  A few years ago I decided I needed to do something different on Saturday morning and started the tradition of cooking french toast on Saturday.  It is the only day of the week that we all sit down and eat breakfast together.  The other days we all eat at our own schedule, some people eat on everyone's schedule.  I think they are really hobbits and they need a second breakfast.

I love this Saturday morning tradition!  There are seasons (sports seasons) that get in the way of us all being home together.  We just had one of those Saturdays where there was lots going on so only 6 of us were home for breakfast.  Emma had basketball games in Thermopolis so she left at 6:00 in the morning.  No breakfast cooked that early, she had to make do with cold cereal.  Next, Neil, Matthew and David left at 7:00 to go ice fishing with the High Priests and Young Men.  They had to fend for themselves also.  

We have the fun tradition of using our name plates that Kendra made for each of us at Saturday Breakfast.  The children love to set the plates around the table.  Lydia was helping to set on Saturday.  I only gave her the 6 plates for those of us who were home.  She was so sad that some of the family were gone.  She cried that Neil, Rebecca, Bethany, Matthew, Emma and David  weren't home.  She was sure we couldn't eat until they were all here again.  I thought it was so cute that she really wanted everyone to be here.  You can see how she reacted.  I hope we will have everyone home next Saturday. The children better give up what they want to do and just stay home.  It means a lot to Lydia.

Jump rope performance and a piano recital

This week we had the opportunity to watch David in the Jump Rope performance at Parkside on Friday.  He has been practicing since before Christmas and did a great job.  It was fun to watch how he was a leader in his group.  He hasn't had much opportunity to be the one in the spotlight.  He is a fly under the radar kind of kid.  He doesn't like to be in the spotlight, but it was fun to watch him.  Great job, David!

Sunday morning Julia casually mentioned that she had a piano recital that afternoon that she hadn't told us about.  Talk about children who don't like to be the focus of attention in the spotlight.  Julia would just as soon never be the one in the spotlight.  She could love playing the piano just for herself and never play in front of anyone else.  I decided not to take everyone to the recital after remembering the last experience.  Joshua turned the lights off in the middle of an amazing performance.  I think he got the lights not just once, but twice in the same performance.  I asked Emma if she would stay home with David, MaryAnne, Joshua and Lydia.  Dallin went to the recital in the hope of getting treats afterward. Neil and Matthew were home teaching, and got there in time to listen to Julia.  Julia did a great job. I remember when she was about 8 and wanted to learn to play the violin.  I was convinced that she wouldn't really enjoy it and wouldn't stay with it.  She begged and pleaded.  We decided to give her a chance, she ran with it.  She did really well until her teacher quit teaching. More than anything she had discovered her love of music and one of her talents from Heavenly Father. She has a real talent and interest in music.  She loves to play the piano, especially Lord of the Rings music.  I love to listen to her play the piano!  It brings me great joy.  Here is Julia playing A Very Respectable Hobbit from The Hobbit composed by Shore.  After the concert Julia asked me if she skipped half her song. I'm not sure if she skipped part or not, but it sounded beautiful to me.

I am so grateful for opportunities to support my children in their interests in life. I am grateful they are looking for their talents and learning. I am grateful for teachers and leaders who teach them and expose them to new interests.  It brings tears to my eyes to watch them work hard and then share their talents with others. 

Lydia's third birthday

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Lydia had her third birthday on Sunday, January 5th.  She was so excited for her big day.  She is the 7th birthday in the last 3 months at our house.  She has watched lots of birthday celebrations and knew just what she wanted.  She picked out a snake cake months ago.  It was so cute when she came out and saw her cake.  "My snake cake! I love it!" she said excitedly.  It made making the cake on a busy day so worth the effort.  She was looking for presents on Sunday morning.  She couldn't find any and came and told me that we needed her presents.  She had so much fun carrying them out after they were wrapped.  It was  a fun day!


Rebecca was home from Chadron for Christmas the year that Lydia was due.  She was due in December, but she waited until January.  I was getting nervous that she wouldn't be born before Rebecca had to go back on the 8th of January.  I asked Dr. Spomer if I could be induced before Rebecca had to leave.  She agreed and the 5th was the lucky day.  At first, Dr. Spomer just broke my water.  Usually, that is enough to get labor really going, but not this time. Nothing really happened all morning. Contractions, but no progress.  About 2:00 Dr. Spomer decided to start pitocin.  That did the trick and Lydia was born about 4:00 in the afternoon.  She was a beautiful baby.  She is so adored by all of us.  I love her sweet smiles and the little patter of her feet running down the hall.  We are so grateful to have her in our family.

Joshua's 5th birthday! and New Year's Eve

Joshua has such an exciting birthday.  What could be better than celebrating until midnight, watching movies, and sleeping on the floor?  He was excited for his birthday. He and Lydia love looking at all the cake books and choosing their cakes.  He looked and looked this year and finally settled on the robot made of cupcakes that we did last year.  He loved helping me make it.

Some of the Andreasen family came and spent a few hours in the afternoon playing games with us to celebrate New Year's Eve.  They stayed and sang to Joshua and had cake. It was a fun little party.

We went to Pizza Hut for dinner.  Everyone thought that was lots of fun. We don't take the children out to dinner very often. After we came home the children started their marathon movie watching. Our family tradition for New Year's Eve is that the children stay up as late as they can watching movies and mom and dad go to bed at a decent time.  The children love it!  This year they started later than usual so they didn't get as many movies in.  We still have a few left to watch.

Joshua definitely has an interesting birth story.  We found out two weeks before he was due that he was going to have pretty severe heart problems.  That ranks right up there with the hardest things I have ever heard.  It was Christmas Eve when we found out.  I had a regular doctor's visit. She didn't like how his heart sounded and sent me to the Powell hospital to be monitored.  Even with an ultrasound they couldn't decide if his heart was normal or not so they sent us to Billings to see a specialist.  He confirmed that there were definitely problems and told us to go to Denver for him to be born.  We asked if we could go to Salt Lake instead so we would have family support.  He arranged for us to see some specialists in Salt Lake.  The children ate cereal for dinner because I hadn't been home at all to make dinner.  We got home from Billings about 8:00 that night.  We told the children what was happening and called our parents to let them know.  It was hard to focus on Christmas that year and I spent a lot of time in tears.

We left for Salt Lake two days after Christmas and began this heart journey.  Some of the specialists were encouraging, others were not.  The doctor at University Hospital wanted to have him born in controlled circumstances and so scheduled an inducement on December 31, 2008.  I thought things would go quickly, but it was not to be.  He wasn't born until about 4:00 in the afternoon. I remember that there was a football game on and I thought when the game got over I would push.  Oregon was playing, but I don't know who they played or who won.  Joshua was born in a special delivery room with a window to the ICU.  After he was born he was taken right away. I only got to touch his foot as he was taken away.  It wasn't until about 9:00 that night that we got to go over to Primary Children's and hold him for a minute.

It was 3 surgeries, and a long 5 weeks later that we got to bring him home.  I am grateful every day for his life and the tender mercies of the Lord in his behalf.  We love his fun personality and spunk. He keeps us laughing and smiling.  Happy Birthday, Joshua!

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