Cousins

Cute, aren't they? It's seems that Sarah will now leave her hair done for a short time - as long as she knows there is a purpose, such as someone coming to visit. Eventually however, she'll start walking around saying "ow, ow" and pull it out.

I have way too many cute pictures that I could post from the past few weeks. I just can't do it. I need to spend less time on the computer and more time making sure my life is organized!

Good Influences

My sister, Lynea, and her family are visiting. Yay! However, today, Hunter showed Sarah how to LICK the back window. Yummy. The boys outside thought this was very funny and reinforced it. Thanks Guys!?!

Snotty Raisins and Phlegm Fruit Snacks

I have been feeling pretty yucky and tired for 5.5 days now (plus quite a few days before that of fatigue). There were lots of times I thought I was on the mend, but I was wrong! Uck. I have had NO motivation for much of anything. This morning I can feel the life coming back into me. It's about time!!

When Isaac was getting out of the neighbor's van on Monday, he tripped and hit the asphalt hard. His wrist swelled and I was worried it could be fractured or something. Feeling not so good myself, I drug all the kids to the instacare. While we were waiting in the room (forever), Sarah was eating raisins on my lap. I guess she thought it would be interesting to stick one up her nose -- way up. It took me a minute to figure out what was going on. She seemed bothered and kept sneezing. I had no idea what to do since I hadn't had much experience with this! I looked in the hall for someone to help me and a very nice male nurse came in. Sarah was already apprehensive about being there before, but she started SCREAMING when the nurse looked in her nose.

SOOOO...now I know the first thing to try in this type of situation....(If you already know this let me know, because no one I have talked to does)...He said "This is going to be a little gross. I'm going to cover the unblocked side of her nose and then you are going to blow hard into her mouth and it will come flying out and hit you in the face." !!!!

And guess what? That's what happened! (But then it fell on the floor. Visuals help, don't they?)

I just started laughing.

But then, minutes later, Adam was gagging and out came a fruit snack on the chair, nice and slimy.

Then the laughter really came (because everybody was okay, right?). However, Adam didn't think it was so funny and let me know.

Isaac's wrist looks okay. It is sprained, but not broken.



P.S. The first thing Isaac was sad about when he hurt his wrist? -- Not being able to play the piano. Hooray!

Lots of Celebrations

There's nothing like a last minute birthday party. Thanks to everyone who made it so fun.

Obsession?

Jump-o-rama

Daniel didn't want me to get one of these when the boys were little because they take up so much room. Sarah, however, jumps all the time. (Including on our bed, which is something I never allowed the boys to do. I just can't keep her off.) She seriously jumped on the FLOOR for 20 minutes before I blew up the jump-o-lene. So far it is a match made it heaven.

Happy Do Do To Do

She's 2. (That's her showing that she's two.) I can hardly believe it. It is so bittersweet. Goodbye babyhood.

It was a great day. I'm tired. Maybe I'll post more tomorrow.

Volleyball Revisited

This is a happy post. While our volleyball experience had a rocky beginning, it had a fabulous ending. No, I don't think we won any games - but we had a great time. The last few games we played have been some of the funnest yet for me. Thank you to all of the ladies for helping make our team AWESOME! I took my camera tonight to get a picture...but left it in the car.

A Good Sad Thing

A little while back I stumbled upon a family's blog who had lost their only daughter a few months before. Lucy was nearly 2, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She choked on a small piece of apple on the way home from church. (You may know about this from the news. They live in the Park City area.) It was so touching and devastating to see,through their blog, how these parents were dealing with their loss. I can't help but think about what it would be like to lose Sarah. Every post I have read on their site I have cryed through. The crying has been good though. I feel like I am crying for someone else's pain rather than my own. It is inspiring to see how they are turning to God at a time like this.

So, I wanted to add their site to my sidebar and point you to one post in particular. It is titled "The Anatomy of Our Troubles". Click on the title and read it. I love the whole thing, but especially when she talks about sharing our weaknesses. She says "Does this mean we go around being negative and only speaking of our weaknesses? No. It's about honesty. And openness. It's about being real. Including celebrating our blessings. We may be making someone feel unnecessarily isolated because we choose not to share our weaknesses in appropriate ways. We may be causing our fellow sisters or brothers to feel even MORE weak, when we turn away from their pain and show them only our "best selves". "

I would love to sit down and cry with her.

I struggled with a whole bunch of loneliness and isolation of sorts when the boys were little. When I started feeling better I felt like I could help other moms in similar situations. Not every mom has the same challenges that I did, but some do. I think that finding out that you're not the only one who's struggling can be reassuring.

I am Feeling Uninspired About Blogging

Every night on my computer this week, I have blankly stared at the screen with nothing to say. I've commented here and there, but this week blogging has lost its lustre. It takes so much time.

I am still trying to COMPLETE some of my projects so I can post about them. Right now I have a bedroom that needs fine tuning, kitchen chairs in the middle of recovering, neighbor gifts waiting to be sewn, a deck that needs many final screws and a bookcase that desperately needs organization. -- oh yeah, and a header that needs to be fixed (see above).

In the meantime, take a look at this darling dresser that Andrea, my friend from college, painted. So cute.

They Really Are Siblings

Despite their different hair colors, they really do have some similarities. (See above picture.) Not everyone can see it though. Once, someone told me that her children looked more like a family then mine and hers were adopted! Ha! We love our variety and hope they stay that way.

P.S. No, the similarity is NOT messy hair.

My Sticker

Sarah tried to take my sticker, but I wouldn't give it to her.

Why My Kids Don't Believe in Santa

To start off this very touchy post, I must let you know that I did not grow up with the Santa tradition myself. I do not know the magic me and my children are missing out on. Despite this, I loved Christmas as a child and anxiously awaited the holiday season and what I would receive every year.

I asked my mom recently why she never had us believe in Santa. She told me that she didn't like when she found out as a child that all was not as she thought. So, she decided she wouldn't carry on the tradition.

I didn't originally make a stand about Santa. When my boys were small I just didn't really worry about it. However, Isaac approached me at quite a young age and asked me if Santa were real or not. My answer: no. The truth. Over the years we have had many conversations about Santa and why people encourage their children to believe. (I believe there is a lot of good behind this.)

Even though Santa Claus has been over commercialized, I really do like the message his image carries. Christmas is a time for loving, caring and giving. Santa is all of those things. He has a good heart and soul and loves children everywhere. What is there not to like about that?

The main point I cannot move past is this: Is it not confusing if I teach my children that Christ is true and Santa is true and then they find out I was lying about one? How do they believe I was not lying about the other?

My dearest friends and I differ on this issue. IT'S OKAY. I am not out to change anyone's opinion or family traditions. I just want to explain why WE do what we do.

In respect to most other families in this country, my children have strict rules about not speaking about Santa to other children. For the most part, they have been good and understand why they must be. If this is ever not the case and my kids divulge information they should not, I apologize in advance. They are children and are unfortunately not completely under my control.

I don't like confrontation, so please be careful about bringing this up in conversation with me.

Don't Be Shocked..

I have added more blogs for you to go see other than just Kerri's. I'm sorry for not asking anyone's permission, but if your blog is public, then it's public, right? That means you want people to see it and boy can I send a lot of traffic your way. Just check out my high comment counts. Wow.

THE RULE OF CLICKING on someone else's blog is that you HAVE TO READ MINE FIRST, even if I went blogging crazy and put up something like 5 posts in one day. Okay? Deal.

What She Does When No One's Looking

After taking a quick shower, this is where I found Sarah. (You can't see the Tic-Tacs all over the floor in the picture and as you may note, the chair was moved there for easy access to the counter.)

Today she layed down all the barstools and brought out the plunger for a walk.

Halloween in Pictures

Grandma Bowen Brought Cookie Dough

How nice is that? Daniel's mom brought cookie dough and spent Friday afternoon cutting, baking and decorating Halloween cookies with the kids. My mom stopped by to get some stuff she forgot so we took some pictures with both grandmas.

Thanks Denise!

What is Wrong With Me?

Sometimes I can handle reading blogs, sometimes I can't.

If I am feeling down, all I can think when I'm reading them is 'why can't I do that?' or 'how come I can't be more open-minded?', or 'why does this make me feel low?' or 'how in the heck are people so creative? I do SO MUCH STUFF, but obviously it isn't enough' OR 'how does everyone manage to be so HAPPY all the time?'. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

I want to be amazing and creative. I want to be a great mom and wife and homemaker. I want to be positive and patient and kind and longsuffering. I want to be spiritual and thoughtful. Most of the time it seems like I'm not any of these. Most of the time I feel like I'm just fumbling and sometimes drowning.

Um, I probably shouldn't blog about how I'm feeling at the moment.