Waite's Window The happenings at the Waite House.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
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.
Monday, January 27, 2014
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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Monday, January 20, 2014
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
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.
Friday, January 10, 2014
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!
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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Tuesday, December 31, 2013
A recap of a busy December
December was such a busy month for our family. I really meant to post weekly and keep up, but it just never happened. Here's a recap of some of our many activities.
Monday December 9th Matthew turned 15. I can't believe it has been 15 years since the night he was born. He has an interesting birth story. I knew at lunch time the day Matthew was born that labor would start soon. I took a nap in the afternoon and thought that I hadn't felt the baby move much that day. I had a Primary Presidency meeting planned for that evening and Neil was supposed to take the Young Men to play raquetball. We didn't do either of those, we went to the hospital instead. When we got to the hospital the Dr. didn't like how his heart rate wasn't fluctuating at all. They decided to shock him and see if that helped his heart rate. It helped some, but I could tell that the Dr. and nurses were nervous about how things were going. One nurse told me that the baby wasn't liking labor at all. They started to talk about what we needed to do and the possibility of a C section. Luckily for Matthew and for me, he was born on the very next contraction. I just told the Dr. to catch the baby because he was coming now. He was on tangled up baby! Dr. Ellis said he had never seen a baby so wrapped up in his cord. He must have been turning somersaults. The only place the cord had pulled tight was around his ankle. He had a bruised ankle for the first several months of life. I felt very blessed to have a baby to hold and love. He was a sweet and good baby. So loved by his three older sisters. He has grown into a fine young man. I really enjoy Matthew's sense of humor and listening to him share his vast trivial knowledge. I also love how he wears a BYU shirt almost every day, just like I used to. I am proud to be his mama. I love you, Matthew!
We made his tradition Death by Chocolate birthday cake, and he requested deer steaks for dinner. It was a fun day to celebrate an important birth. Happy Birthday, Matthew!
Along with turning 15 comes getting a driving permit. Neil took Matthew to Cody on Thursday after his birthday to take the driving test. He passed and came home with his permit. He is a good driver and really likes to drive. Friday after getting his permit he asked me if there wasn't anywhere I needed to go so he could drive.
December also meant school concerts. Emma had a concert on December 10th and David's was December 17th. Both of the concerts fell on evenings that Neil had to teach. He barely made it as the 7th grade band was getting started. Emma was glad he could get there. He didn't make it to David's because his class had their final that evening and the test went long. Both Emma and David did great! It was the first time David has done a school concert. It was fun to go back and watch a Parkside program. They still did some of the same songs the older girls did when they went to Parkside. Fun memories! Bethany and Julia enjoyed watching Parkside again. Christmas music and concerts are always fun. I'll include video of the concerts in the slideshow below.
We had a great time decorating the house together. We wanted to have Bethany home to help and with busy schedules we didn't get it done as early as most years. I love watching the children get excited about getting the decorations out and feeling their excitement. It was a fun evening together. We made cookies and had hot chocolate while decorating. Good times together!
Rebecca flew home for Christmas on Monday the 23rd. We were so excited to have her here with us for a few days! Christmas could finally come because everyone was here together.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were perfect (at least until we went downstairs to put kids to bed on Christmas night and discovered the sump pump had flooded). I loved having everyone here together. We did our traditional Christmas Eve activities and dinner. We had ham, potato soup, clam chowder, rolls, cheeseball, red jello and green punch. It was delicious! We all took part in our annual Christmas Eve concert, even Mom who forgot to practice much and wasn't sure the song she was playing was the one she practiced. We also read the Christmas story from the Bible. Next, we headed out to look at the Christmas lights around town in our slippers. When we got home the children watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas on tv. Lydia LOVES the Grinch! She watched the animated classic every chance she got. This was the first time she saw the live action version. She was so excited to see baby Grinchy and was enthralled to stay up late and watch. Our tradition is for the children to wait at the bottom of the stairs for Mom and Dad to come get them for Christmas. 7:00 am is the set time for us to come down. It is fun to listen to them talk and sing as they wait for us. I love Christmas morning! Everyone was happy with what they gave and received for Christmas. I love to watch the children as one of the gifts they have bought for someone is opened. They get so excited to see how much the person receiving the gift will like it. They love giving gifts.
Joshua's wish for his birthday was to hold a real baby puppy. I mentioned it to our neighbor, Tina, who is a dog lover. I figured she might know someone who had puppies. She took it seriously that he wanted to hold a puppy. She thought it was the sweetest thing she had heard. She found a couple from Frannie (about 45 minutes away) and talked to them. They were kind enough to agree to bring their family and two puppies to our house on Christmas day. Joshua held the puppies a little bit, but he didn't stay with it for too long. Rebecca and Emma loved holding the puppies. They were totally surprised when I let the puppies come in the house. It was so sweet of the family to spend part of their Christmas sharing their puppies with us. They offered to let us buy one at a reduced rate, but we said no thanks.
Friday Neil, Matthew and MaryAnne took Rebecca back to Cody to fly home. It was so great to have her here with us for Christmas! She had to get home to pack up her stuff and move to another house. She and her roommates are moving as soon as they can.
December was also busy with clogging performances. We have one last one today. Emma and I drove home from the first performance in the worst snowstorm I have ever driven in. It didn't help that the power was out in our subdivision and I couldn't see any houses. We made it home, but we had to stop a time or two and decide if we should go on or not.
We also made a trip to Bozeman to pick up our van. Neil drove the van and I drove the Kia. Matthew, Julia and Emma went with us because we went after a youth temple trip to Billings. Bethany was good to come and stay the day with the younger children. It was an all day trip. It was interesting that when we stopped to get gas part way home the Kia wouldn't start. We had to jump it at the gas station. We had just bought a new battery and it was no good. The store tested it and then replaced it for us. Now both cars are running which is a good thing.
Here is a slideshow of December pictures and happenings. Hope you enjoy seeing what is happening at the Waite house. We hope each of you had a Merry Christmas!!
Monday December 9th Matthew turned 15. I can't believe it has been 15 years since the night he was born. He has an interesting birth story. I knew at lunch time the day Matthew was born that labor would start soon. I took a nap in the afternoon and thought that I hadn't felt the baby move much that day. I had a Primary Presidency meeting planned for that evening and Neil was supposed to take the Young Men to play raquetball. We didn't do either of those, we went to the hospital instead. When we got to the hospital the Dr. didn't like how his heart rate wasn't fluctuating at all. They decided to shock him and see if that helped his heart rate. It helped some, but I could tell that the Dr. and nurses were nervous about how things were going. One nurse told me that the baby wasn't liking labor at all. They started to talk about what we needed to do and the possibility of a C section. Luckily for Matthew and for me, he was born on the very next contraction. I just told the Dr. to catch the baby because he was coming now. He was on tangled up baby! Dr. Ellis said he had never seen a baby so wrapped up in his cord. He must have been turning somersaults. The only place the cord had pulled tight was around his ankle. He had a bruised ankle for the first several months of life. I felt very blessed to have a baby to hold and love. He was a sweet and good baby. So loved by his three older sisters. He has grown into a fine young man. I really enjoy Matthew's sense of humor and listening to him share his vast trivial knowledge. I also love how he wears a BYU shirt almost every day, just like I used to. I am proud to be his mama. I love you, Matthew!
Along with turning 15 comes getting a driving permit. Neil took Matthew to Cody on Thursday after his birthday to take the driving test. He passed and came home with his permit. He is a good driver and really likes to drive. Friday after getting his permit he asked me if there wasn't anywhere I needed to go so he could drive.
December also meant school concerts. Emma had a concert on December 10th and David's was December 17th. Both of the concerts fell on evenings that Neil had to teach. He barely made it as the 7th grade band was getting started. Emma was glad he could get there. He didn't make it to David's because his class had their final that evening and the test went long. Both Emma and David did great! It was the first time David has done a school concert. It was fun to go back and watch a Parkside program. They still did some of the same songs the older girls did when they went to Parkside. Fun memories! Bethany and Julia enjoyed watching Parkside again. Christmas music and concerts are always fun. I'll include video of the concerts in the slideshow below.
We had a great time decorating the house together. We wanted to have Bethany home to help and with busy schedules we didn't get it done as early as most years. I love watching the children get excited about getting the decorations out and feeling their excitement. It was a fun evening together. We made cookies and had hot chocolate while decorating. Good times together!
Rebecca flew home for Christmas on Monday the 23rd. We were so excited to have her here with us for a few days! Christmas could finally come because everyone was here together.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were perfect (at least until we went downstairs to put kids to bed on Christmas night and discovered the sump pump had flooded). I loved having everyone here together. We did our traditional Christmas Eve activities and dinner. We had ham, potato soup, clam chowder, rolls, cheeseball, red jello and green punch. It was delicious! We all took part in our annual Christmas Eve concert, even Mom who forgot to practice much and wasn't sure the song she was playing was the one she practiced. We also read the Christmas story from the Bible. Next, we headed out to look at the Christmas lights around town in our slippers. When we got home the children watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas on tv. Lydia LOVES the Grinch! She watched the animated classic every chance she got. This was the first time she saw the live action version. She was so excited to see baby Grinchy and was enthralled to stay up late and watch. Our tradition is for the children to wait at the bottom of the stairs for Mom and Dad to come get them for Christmas. 7:00 am is the set time for us to come down. It is fun to listen to them talk and sing as they wait for us. I love Christmas morning! Everyone was happy with what they gave and received for Christmas. I love to watch the children as one of the gifts they have bought for someone is opened. They get so excited to see how much the person receiving the gift will like it. They love giving gifts.
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| Eagerly waiting to see what Santa brought |
Joshua's wish for his birthday was to hold a real baby puppy. I mentioned it to our neighbor, Tina, who is a dog lover. I figured she might know someone who had puppies. She took it seriously that he wanted to hold a puppy. She thought it was the sweetest thing she had heard. She found a couple from Frannie (about 45 minutes away) and talked to them. They were kind enough to agree to bring their family and two puppies to our house on Christmas day. Joshua held the puppies a little bit, but he didn't stay with it for too long. Rebecca and Emma loved holding the puppies. They were totally surprised when I let the puppies come in the house. It was so sweet of the family to spend part of their Christmas sharing their puppies with us. They offered to let us buy one at a reduced rate, but we said no thanks.
Friday Neil, Matthew and MaryAnne took Rebecca back to Cody to fly home. It was so great to have her here with us for Christmas! She had to get home to pack up her stuff and move to another house. She and her roommates are moving as soon as they can.
December was also busy with clogging performances. We have one last one today. Emma and I drove home from the first performance in the worst snowstorm I have ever driven in. It didn't help that the power was out in our subdivision and I couldn't see any houses. We made it home, but we had to stop a time or two and decide if we should go on or not.
We also made a trip to Bozeman to pick up our van. Neil drove the van and I drove the Kia. Matthew, Julia and Emma went with us because we went after a youth temple trip to Billings. Bethany was good to come and stay the day with the younger children. It was an all day trip. It was interesting that when we stopped to get gas part way home the Kia wouldn't start. We had to jump it at the gas station. We had just bought a new battery and it was no good. The store tested it and then replaced it for us. Now both cars are running which is a good thing.
Here is a slideshow of December pictures and happenings. Hope you enjoy seeing what is happening at the Waite house. We hope each of you had a Merry Christmas!!
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| This digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox |
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