Spring Break- Day 4

To the circus we go!
A few weeks ago, Jared got free tickets to the circus that was in town for 1 day. Since the tickets were free, we figured we'd go. The kids were much more excited than we were. But there were a few really cool tricks. Have you ever seen the 3-motorcycles-in-a-ball stunt? CRAZY!! Hunter thought they were dumb for doing it, so hopefully I don't have to worry about him on motorcycles :) All Katelyn could talk about was the elephants. When were they coming out? Where were they?! Finally they came out and did some neat tricks. So everyone left satisfied- except Coleson. Him and I were under the impression that there would be elephant ears there (I swear I'd seen it on the flier). We were considerably bummed to find out there weren't. So Jared made some a few days later during conference. Unfortunately, they just weren't as good as the normal carnival fare, but nice effort babe!

Spring Break- Day 3

Several weeks ago, Charlotte and I started planning for doing the Children's Museum during the kids' spring break. It worked out that the guys could go too, so we had a really fun day. We waited until Sunday dinner to tell the kids the plans for the week (in case anything didn't pan out). And although they were super excited about all the plans, when we got to "going to the Children's Museum.....with Konrad & Elena" gasps of surprise and cheers of excitement erupted. As if we didn't know that that was going to be a hit! I was excited to see baby Vaughn. He's grown so much, what a cutie- and so calm! He's the perfect addition to their family.

We got to Kevin and Charlotte's about 10 am and had brunch at Bob Evan's, where the kids got to be at their own "big kid table" (they actually did shockingly well) before heading to the museum. It was busy there (thank goodness for our membership so we didn't have to stand in that LONG line). The kids had a great time. As usual, Coleson and Konrad were "buddies" (as in don't lose your buddy), but it's not like we have to ever make those two stay together- they won't separate! And Hunter and Elena (the 2 amigos) walked around holding hands (it melts my heart every time!). Hunter is soooo protective of Elena. The only source of debate was when the boys didn't want to go do the "girlie" things like Barbie and Dora. Coleson and Konrad warmed up to the Barbie exhibit after watching Katelyn and Elena walk the catwalk. We even caught them out there strutt'n their stuff. The picture is of them "doing the dinosaur"! Charlotte and I just about hit the floor laughing so hard! And Hunter grabbed a camera and snapped pictures of Elena modeling for him. So all in all another great day. We stayed at the museum until closing time and then climbed in the car to head back to Kevin and Charlotte's for pizza. The kids played for another couple hours and we left exhausted. It was a full and very fun day. Thanks Harrington's for another fabulous day!!

Spring Break- Day 2

Today was the second day of spring break. Our good friends, the Madsens, emailed to see if we all wanted to go bowling in the morning with a bunch of other friends. Hunter was out of his mind excited (several of the boys are in his primary class). I got everyone ready and we were actually there on time (I was so stink'n proud of myself), only to find that the bowling ally was closed for private classes- bummer! So Maren invited everyone over to her house-bless that poor preggo woman for saving me from a minor uprising! The kids had a blast and the moms had a great time chatting. I really think play dates are just as much for moms as they are for kids :) So we left to go home for lunch and get ready for our "Hunter & Mommy Date".

Since bowling had failed that morning, and it was pretty much all Hunter could think about, we decided to go bowling for our date. I had a coupon that needed to be used at JCPenny that day, so I asked Hunter if we could take a few minutes to go over and use it (it was one of those $15 FREE gift cards so I didn't really want to not use it). He said yes and he even picked out an adorable necklace for me. We walked through the store holding hands and he was SOOOO sweet. He chose Subway for dinner, which was fine with me, and a cheap meal. (Oh by the way, they have new raspberry cheesecake cookies there that are AMAZING!!- go get one!) Anyway, he talked all through dinner and I snapped a few cute pictures as he wondered from one story to the next.

We stopped by the bookstore to look for the first 3 books in a series that the boys have recently read all the rest of (Ricky Ricotta's Might Robot- kinda funny books). They still didn't have them, so he got a Star Wars book instead. Then he read it to me while we drove over to campus to go bowling.

We had SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much fun!!!!! I love mommy dates, because I get to spend time with my kids away from the sibling routine- vying for their spot in the pack (arguing and such). We laughed and talked and teased each other on our poor bowling skills. The tv monitor with the scores kept making silly gestures when we rolled gutter balls. We played 3 games and Hunter won 2 of them. Although, in my defense, he did have the gutter guards to help him :) In between sentences, he even gave me an unsolicited "thank you for taking me on this date, mommy, it's fun". Awhhh... I love you Hunter. That little boy's smiles, big eyes, and curly hair completely melt my heart. Throw a sincere "thank you" on the plate and I am puddy in his hands. It was so much fun spending time alone with JUST him. We finally left at like 9 pm, completely bowled out, and went to DQ for ice cream. A perfect end to a perfect date.

Spring Break- Day 1

So today was the first day of spring break. I remember this beloved vacation when I was a kid. It always seemed like an eternity between Christmas break and spring break. So we're liv'n it up this week and I actually have an activity planned every day. Go me!!
So today the kids played Legos (rather nicely) while I exercised and took a shower. It was really rather heavenly actually.
Then after Ethan's nap, we packed up a picnic dinner (to eat in the car because it was too cold to eat outside). Then we met Jared at Snapperz, ate our picnic in the car (that was lamo- lamo is my new favorite word today), and then went inside and played. A friend had posted a tip that Snapperz is free after 5 on Mondays. What a deal. A great place for family home evening. I had expected the place to be a zoo since it's spring break and all, but it really wasn't bad at all. So the kids played for almost 3 hours. And had a blast. I must say, it was pretty fun. Although, my fun was in watching them have fun. Seriously, I LOVE watching my kids have fun and laugh. That pretty much makes it a great activity for me. I took picture after picture of them laughing and playing and bouncing. That's why most of them turned out blurry- because they never really stopped bouncing the whole time. So, enjoy what you can make out of them. They were having too much fun for me to make them stop and pose
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The Lord's Hand

I feel so incredibly blessed.
As we cuddled up in our warm beds last night I felt so thankful to have all that we have. Too often Jared and I sit and nitpick at our home for it's less than fabulous features or just in general think of the things we want to change and do differently. But in all reality, we have a mansion compared to over half the worlds' living standards. I love this house! I am so thankful to have it! And my bed, wow! I LOVE MY BED! AND MY SHOWER! I would really be grouchy without my hot showers.
There is suffering through so much of the world, how dare I not be thankful for these "basics" as we American's call them. And I'm sure we all are, when we take the time to really think about it.

Now what triggered this attitude of gratitude?? I wish it was more just a part of my personality, but there is a story.

Many people know that several years ago our son, Hunter, was diagnosed with severe ADHD and ODD- the kind that's intrusive enough to effect his daily functioning. It was difficult for us to accept this and we wanted to do everything we possibly could to avoid doing what the doctor recommended, which was a daily dose of mood altering medication for our spirited, vibrant young son. There were MANY tears cried and prayers said for this little boy of ours. In hopes of finding some other solution, we went to Riley Hospital where he saw an amazing neurologist who agreed with us that there may have been more to his puzzle than met the eye. He saw specialist after specialist and received amazing care. Being self employed, our insurance didn't cover much of this elective stuff, but we agreed to the costs anyway, feeling confident that the expense was worth it to help Hunter however we could. In the fall of 2009 an overnight sleep study revealed that Hunter woke up 72 times in a 7 hour study!! We were floored! We knew he didn't sleep all that great, but we had no idea it was that bad. (I'd be angry a lot of the time too if I woke up that many times every night). Apparently his tonsils and adenoids were blocking 70% of his throat and when he fell into a deep sleep they would fall back in his throat and cause him to not be able to breath- therefore waking him up. The fix was simple enough- remove his tonsils and adenoids. Hunter started sleeping better and doing much better- almost $20,000 later. But that was when Jared had one project after another lined up and we planned that we could responsibly pay those bills. Just a few months later, there we were with no work...and no way to pay those bills. 2010 was a bit of a struggle for a lot of people. We are grateful we still have our home. Although, we had savings we had put away from when the jobs had been plentiful and somehow (although I firmly believe it was a blessing of paying tithing) have been able to stay on top of our bills. But my mom suggested we should apply for financial assistance from the hospital to help with some of the bills.
The letter we received yesterday was that Riley graciously granted us 100% payment of the rest of Hunter's bills. Then to further the blessing, a phone call from the hospital where Hunter had his surgery, revealed that they also decided to grant 100% of the balance as well. All within 24 hours of each other. I feel...blessed. Through all the trial of being without work and these medical bills that we had acquired, now to find that the Lord had a hand in it all and we are going to be just fine. I am so very very thankful.
And I'm going to try my very best to remember to be more grateful every day for every single little thing we are blessed with, so it doesn't take a huge outpouring like this to remind me how blessed I really am.

Ethan

Ethan is THE BEST BABY EVER!!! We love that boy so much! He has such a great attitude and the most amazing smile. Sometimes thinking about how much I love him and how fast he's growing up makes me feel a little weepy. Maybe it's because Jared keeps saying this will be our last baby. And I keep thinking this is the last time a baby will call me "mama" and I'll be the only one who can make their owies better and be the one he wants to put him to bed and say the most adorable things in the most sweet little voice. And I know I'm going to forget it. Not all of it. But I am going to forget things. And that makes me really quite VERY sad. My dad called yesterday and he sometimes reminds me just how fast the time goes. Most other moms I talk to are right up to the necks in the daily rut and grind of being a mom. We understand each others frustrations and giving an "I've been there" nod you tell how your toddler dropped jar after jar of pickles at the grocery store (each one shattering on the concrete) and another child got lost in the store and then you ended up walking out grocery-less and cursing your stupidity that you decided to go to the store with all of the children. But we don't often take time to talk to each other about how wonderful it all is (even if those thoughts don't cross our minds exactly every day). I often get lost in the daily minotiny of it all. Washing the same dishes, preparing the same meals, talking to the same little people about the same topics- if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all; be respectful of those around you; and for goodness sake- sit your pockets on your chair at the table so you don't fall and hit your head- again!!

Service Project

The kids and I were driving into town Saturday to see Jared at the shop and we were talking about all the trash on the sides of the road. I really think that something must have happened with the trash truck on Friday, because all the sudden our nice country roads were littered with fresh trash. So the boys and I decided we had to do something to help. We told Jared our plan and decided that would make a great Family Home Evening for Monday. Jared's parents came over to watch Katie and Ethan who might have enjoyed the beautiful weather, but wouldn't have really been much help cleaning up the yucky trash. We did a mile of road down and back. And filled up 4 trash bags! That's a lot of trash. Now every time we drive down our road, someone mentions how nice and clean it looks. It really was a nice service project. And the weather was GORGEOUS!! Thank goodness it's spring!

Caught!

So I was in the laundry room Saturday doing what the room is named for, when I realized it was awfully quiet (something every mother covets, but honestly knows can mean only one thing). So suspecting trouble, I sneaked down the hallway quiet as a mouse, hoping to catch the kiddos in the act of whatever was keeping them so quiet. I poked my head around the corner in the kitchen and just burst out laughing. There was Katie and Ethan stuffing handfuls of chocolate chips into their mouths by the fistfuls just as fast as they could go without choking. Katie innocently says "I'm sorry, mommy, I spilled them. We're cleaning them up for you"....by eating them :) I seriously laughed so hard my sides hurt.

Therapy

This weather is like therapy. Thank Heavens for spring. We appreciate it so much more after such a loooooong winter. But who can't help but be happy when the sun is shining and it's 60 degrees?? I might just snatch Coleson away from school for an afternoon at the park. Shhhh...it's our secret. I'm so ready for spring :)

Service Soup

Today Hunter and I woke up and wanted to do some cooking. So we started a BIG batch of "service soup". This time we decided to make Italian Chicken Noodle- yummy! We added to it all day long and it smelled heavenly. I found these new large bowl size tupperwares which are perfect for freezing a whole family meal size in. At the end of the day, we had these 3 large bowls, dinner for us, and we took a pot to someone already. So now our freezer in ready for whenever the thought comes to me that someone needs dinner.

Books, Books, & more Books

I have a pile of books on my night stand and another pile in the living room by a chair I sometimes frequent (although not too frequently). 7 books in all. All of them started. None of them finished. I keep hoping that by keeping them out and in plain sight I'm going to get them read. But it's not really about lack of noticing they're there. It's more about lack of time. A page here a chapter there. Most of my current loot is more like self-help books anyway. That's probably why I'm not hanging on every page and can't put them down. Although they're chalk- full of great info and I am enjoying them. Hopefully I'll get them done sometime.

Meanwhile, here is Coleson's growing stack. He piled it on the table tonight. Several chapter books with bookmarks. Some almost finished and a few just started. I mentioned that it might be easier to finish one book before starting another one, but apparently my bad example is wearing off on him. He read an entire Magic Treehouse book on the bus ride home today. So maybe he'll have better luck working through his pile than I have on mine.

And here's a picture of Hunter with his books as he fell asleep tonight. He does this EVERY single night. He has for years. He loves books more than any kid I've ever known. And he can't even read them all yet. But he'll look at and study them. His favorites are of the "Busytown" series by Richard Scarry. He's got them all- almost. And he knows exactly what's on every page. And he's "read" almost anything Coleson brings home from school. I read the chapter books to him. But he just can't get enough. It's a wonderful characteristic and a saving grace really with some of the other not so pleasantries about his behavior. Books have always been his escape. I LOVE that about him. And I have to say that I love indulging him too and buying him more to add to our collection. So goodnight sweet Hunter, sleep tight among your books, I'll come in and clear them off for you so you can go through them all again tomorrow.