December 2010: Warning: Silliness Alert

I have been going through tons of home video footage for my sister-in-law who is creating a Christmas surprise and have been having a blast watching them.  Since Mike bought us this awesome new computer, I figured I should play around with it a little.  Here is my first attempt at using IMovie.  I am afraid it may be addicting.  Owen and I had so much fun creating this.  Hope you enjoy getting a glimpse of the silliness I am surrounded by on a daily basis.
Presenting....

THREE SILLY BOYS

December 2010: Pickles Gets a Haircut

So its the first official morning of the kids' 3-week (yes, you heard that right, 3 weeks!) Christmas vacation and I was grateful for the lack of the mad morning rush.  Apparently my brain went on a vacation as well.  After I gave up on exercising since 10 minutes of my workout became 40 due to interruptions, I made myself a bowl of granola for breakfast.   I proceeded to put the almond milk in the cupboard not even realizing I had already put the granola in the fridge.  Wwow!  This was a continuation of my brain's vacation last night when I played a game with my family and managed to add up die to get from 28 to 22.  Great addition skills. Mike loved that one.

So, back to this morning... After making a phone call to the appliance repair man since my heavily used and abused dryer sparked and blew the breaker on Saturday, I looked over to see a very giddy Tate smiling up at me.  My eyes were drawn to his smile framed by his chocolate breakfast-shake mustache and beard. He stayed looking at me for awhile but then scampered away returning to what the boys were supposed to be doing, cleaning out their school supply/junk drawer.  What a great and responsible motherly thing to ask of my children I had thought!  Well not 2 minutes after I had received Mike's text response to my grocery location mix-up who thought that was funny and to "Enjoy these days with the kids at home!"  I heard some snipping and my kids response to my inquiries to what they were doing as "cutting hair".  Once again my brain was on vacation because it took me 2 long seconds before that computed and I exploded out of my chair.

Owen, out of all three of them, yes the 8 year old, was the one that had cut his littlest brother, Tate, the giddy one's, hair.  Surprisingly this is our first encounter with sibling haircuts.  Tate has thrilled with his haircut.  Me... not so much.  Not my greatest mothering moment.  After there were some distribution of boys into corners, I quickly sent Mike a text of how I was enjoying the kids until Owen cut Tate's hair.  He responded with something that made me laugh.  Oh how I needed that.  Mike has a way of making me laugh, wording things just right, and putting things into perspective, mainly because he has a grand perspective of life, and maybe a small part of it comes from the fact that he's there at work and I'm here in the trenches:-)  "Find the fun.  Find the humor.  Things that can't be changed!!! (Don't you mean Pickles got his haircut!)"

I tend to be too serious minded as a mom and I'm working on it.  Owen told me in the car last week when I responded seriously to something he meant not to be taken seriously, "that most people joke around Mom".   I told him that he was right.  Oh how I wish I could be more silly and laugh more at the "inconveniences" that come my way at a constant pace.  I pray, literally, for a better sense of humor with my children.

"Pickles" is the nickname that Tate has given himself.  Hilarious, that kid!  He also calls Felicity "Bobo" for some reason.  Mike has started coming up with various little stories of the Adventures of Pickles and Bobo and this was just one more adventure for the lot.

Mike asked me to send him a photo of Tate's new do from my phone and I couldn't help but laugh.  Thankfully!  laugh at the gomer haircut and then at the still giddy and proud smile plastered on Tate's face.

 I decided that I had seen this haircut before.  At first I thought it was from the creepy guy on Charlie's Angels, you know, George McFly, but no that's not exactly right.

Then it came to me, its from the bad guy on The Fifth Element (who is also the same guy that plays Sirius Black, never would have guessed).  A nearly perfect resemblance!

I think we'll give Owen one to match!

November 2010: Felicity's Foto Shoot

My baby girl has been growing up so quickly, and unfortunately I have not posted very many photos of her on my blog.  Believe me, there have been plenty taken.  So I will try my best to go back over the past fews months and post some of my favorites.  Wow, that's going to be tough.

As you can see, our sweet little Felicity has quite the little personality.  It took a little warming up to get her in the playful mood for the camera.  It took a lot of effort to get these photos!  Thank you Cheryl once again.

Felicity got her teeth in so quickly that I wanted to make sure we got some cute ones of her before she looked more like an infant than a baby.  She is a doll and has a million faces.  My favorite we have never been able to capture on film because she doesn't do it too often.  She puckers up her sweet lips so much that she cuts off the air to her nose.  Its hilarious!

Well I have been wanting to purchase some actions and learn how to use them as I mentioned in my previous post of my little AV8R (that's how my grandpa had it spelled on his license plate:-) ).  I haven't had too much time, but I decided I wanted to do some tonight.  So here I am way past my bedtime playing with these darling photos of Felicity.  There are so many gorgeous actions, that I couldn't just pick one this time.  All of them are from Florabella.  So so fun!  Doesn't she just make you smile and say, "Oh she's so cute!"?

HE IS HOME!!!

After 25 days in St. Joseph's hospital, my Daddy has come home!  What joy that brings to our family.  I wanted to let everyone know so that they could share in this joy as well.  Please continue to pray for his health as he has every intention of continuing his "normal" life of dutiful work and faithful church service.  He is driven.  I am sure it will be of no surprise to you to hear that on his first day "home" he went to work.  Pray for him to be sustained and lifted, but also to be wise and patient.  Thank you to all for your continued prayers and support!

Little Pieces and Small Moments

My cousin has encouraged me to write down my thoughts during this time and I need to be better about it.  This week has been a rough one.  One of pleading, one of desperation, but one of small moments.  Moments that have gotten me through it.  Little pieces of wisdom and perspective have crept into my heart amidst the turmoil of daddy's trials and daily motherhood.

This first one has made a lasting impact on me.
I was very blessed to have been able to spend an entire day with my Daddy at the hospital this week.  I was so happy to see him.  I wrapped my arms around him and didn't want to let go.  I instinctively wanted to crawl upon his lap and just let him hold me, but of course I didn't as he is so weak.  I was happy to be there for whatever he needed.
Around midday I witnessed another oncology patient be released from the hospital.  A pink-shirted volunteer wheeled him out to the parking lot as I was leaving to get my Daddy some lunch from CPK (He can't stand the smell of the food in the hospital, nor the menu or silverware for that matter).  When I returned to the parking lot after picking up our food, I passed this same patient trying unsuccessfully to start his clunker car.  My heart sank.  I was deliberating on what to do, because I have "gotten in trouble" before  from Mike for helping men alongside the road when I was alone.  I decided to go back.  I walked up to him and asked him if he needed help.  He turned to look at me with sad eyes and spoke to me in broken English and through empty spaces of missing teeth.  "Thank you, but I am fine."  I asked him if he was hungry and he replied that he was very hungry.  I gave him some of my favorite pizza, pear and gorgonzola, yum! and some bread.  He was very grateful but insisted that he would be ok.  He told me that his car had been sitting in the parking lot for a week while he was in the hospital.  As a walked away I began to cry.  Here was this sweet man,
alone
no one there to help him after a week long stay on the oncology floor.  No one there to take him home.  He was in a parking lot with a beat up car and missing teeth (and for anyone who knows me, knows how much I value teeth!), hungry.  After a long day at the hospital, I left my Daddy to return home to my children and husband, and there still was this sweet man sitting in his car.  He once again replied, "Thank you, but I am fine."

I thought about how hard these past months have been.  How horrible and raw they still are, but I realized that despite these seemingly endless trials my family are facing, we are doing it together.  We have each other to strength one another.  We have dear friends and family who pray for us, who sit with my Daddy at the hospital for hours, who send us words of encouragement just when we need it.  I cannot forget that.  I have prayed so hard for this man I briefly met.  I pray that he will not be alone, that heavenly hands may find their way to him.

The second piece is like unto the first.
In thinking about my family, I realized how I take for granted the fact that our family is one big circle.  Meaning that there is no divisions, no breaks, no dividing grudges, no hatred.  My parents love each other, fervently.  My siblings all love each other and we enjoy being together.  Those who are married have happy marriages and have married amazing people.  What ease that brings to so many situations.  What strength that creates in situations such as this.

The last little piece came today.
I finally decided that I needed do what I've been wanting to do for days, and what my boys have been asking me to do, decorate our house for Christmas.  I have been stuck in a slump the last few days and having a hard time getting out of it.  Late last night I received some very distressing news from my mother that my father was in some serious pain due to lesions in his throat, mouth, and now on his face and was asking us to pray for him and for divine intervention.  For my Daddy to be so forthcoming about his pain and a request from us, really demonstrated to me the level of severity...
Another morning of waking up with puffy eyes.

After the boys were at school, Felicity finally took a nap, and I let Tate watch a show, I began to listen to my "Christmas Morning" playlist on my Ipod and to clean the house in preparation for decorating (our poor, neglected house.  I couldn't simply decorate on top of the mess).  I began thinking as I had these past weeks, how horrible it was that Daddy was sick during this time of the year, especially in regards to it being the cold and flu season and his white blood cell count being so low.  How I wanted him home during the holidays.  Why did it have to be now?  As I listened to my Christmas songs, a wave of gratitude washed over me.  If Daddy had to be sick at all, I guess it being now, during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, is really a blessing.  No other time of the year are we more reminded to turn our hearts and thoughts to the Savior than now.  We are surrounded by reminders of our Savior, whether intentional or unintentional, as we turn on the radio, walk through the store, drive in our neighborhood, see on the television, etc.  I know that right now I need the extra reminders.  I pray that I may soak up this added spirit and allow it to carry me through these trying days ahead.