Character Flawed

New wheels!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:34:00 +0000

My dear Miss Alyssa turned a whopping four years old today. Oh my, where has the time gone! Seems like only yesterday I was sitting in the hospital reminding the hospital staff that I had a GIRL* and that - No, even though we didn't already have a name picked out we were NOT naming her Katrina**.

Daddy took the day off so we could celebrate as a family and boy what a celebration it was!

According to our family tradition, she got to decorate her own birthday cake. (Minus the chocolate frosting and the writing...)

We're not big party people around our house so we generally just have the Grandmas and Grandpas from both sides come over for a little cake and ice cream. My Aunt and Uncle arrived at my parents' house just as they were leaving for the party, so they piled in car and came over to join in the festivities.

Kenna just couldn't resist trying to help Lyssa blow those candles out!

Liam certainly enjoyed his piece of cake. It was gone in a flash! I think the cake part ended up (mostly) in his stomach, but I'm pretty sure the majority of the frosting was on his face.

He was also eager to help Alyssa with the presents. He managed to snatch a bow before she could shoo him away.

Reading the fun card the Aunt Tanya sent. There was an audible gasp when she saw that there was money inside...and stickers too! What more could a girl want?

And the finale of the presents - Mom and Dad finally broke down and got the kid some wheels. For some reason we have been reluctant (or too lazy...whatever) to get the kids bikes, so we decided that a scooter might be the way to get both the parents and the kids used to some extra mobility.

Liam immediately made a grab for the scooter while Lyssa was trying on her helmet. Looks like more than one kid might be getting wheels this year since they are already fighting over it. (SIGH.) I forsee many hours of enduring his screams while watching her ride it around.

After everyone left and we ran a quick errand, we let Alyssa pick where she wanted to go for dinner. She picked Arctic Circle based on the fact that they have a playground (and the fact that McKenna kept encouraging her to go there). Mom and dad were less than thrilled with the choice, but the kids enjoyed it.

After we read her new book and got snuggled into bed for the night, she told me that she had a really fun birthday.

Here's wishing you many more my sweet girl...

*There was another baby with the same last name born on the same day as Lyssa in our hospital. The other family had a boy. Somehow they thought that OUR baby was the boy. They had a blue card in her bassinet and one of the pediatricians even showed up for a pre-circumcision check-up. (That was disturbing in and of itself since we certainly didn't request the procedure.) We had to convince every doctor and nurse that came to check on us during our stay that we actually had a girl.

**Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans the day after Alyssa was born. Way too many people suggested we should name her after the storm. Like I want my child to have that kind of a namesake...

Dancing Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:22:00 +0000

When we got home this afternoon I went upstairs to change clothes. When I came back down, this is what I found...

Liam had pushed the chair all the way over to the girls' computer desk, climbed up and was trying to wrestle the mouse away from Lyssa.

After I took the picture, I went back upstairs to put the camera away and heard the music on the game Lyssa was playing suddenly get LOUD. I ran back downstairs to turn it down and found Liam twiddling the knob and dancing his little heart out.

That kid cracks me up.

C is for Cookie

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:34:00 +0000

I am ever on the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookies. We were in the mood to make a treat for Matt today so I decided to try a new recipe. I tweaked it a little bit to suit our tastes and what I had in the pantry.

They are perfectly soft inside and just a little bit crunchy on the outside. Just the way I like them. They were good enough I think I might keep working on the recipe to get it just right.

This is the way we made them tonight:

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes.

(If you don't want the cookie itself to be chocolate, substitute vanilla pudding mix instead. That's actually what the original recipe called for, but I only had chocolate and didn't want to go to the store.)

Liam really was enjoying his cookie, despite the face he's making in the photo. He's decided giving people angry looks is a fun game. As soon as you give the look back to him, he breaks out in the giggles.

Boys are weird.

Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Liam is walking!

My back is loving not having to carry a 25 pound baby all around the house!

(Also...note the pot and lid - these are his new favorite toys. He carries them all around the house and has been known to cry if he is put down to sleep without them.)

Arguments

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:57:00 +0000

This was the argument at our house after we got out of the car last night.

Kenna: "Dad, I think that bright star by the moon is Venus."
Alyssa: "No it's not."
Kenna: "Yes, it is. Right there. That one."
Alyssa: "No, it's NOT. That's a satellite."
Kenna: "No, satellites MOVE. That's not a satellite."
Alyssa: "Some satellites stay still. It's a satellite."
Kenna: "No it's not. It's VENUS. It's a planet."

They went back and forth, louder and louder. It felt a little like watching the Monty Python sketch about the African and European Swallows.

Matt leaned over to me as we finished getting all the stuff out of the car and said, "Do you think other parents have problems with their 5 and 3 year olds arguing about stuff like this?"

If they do...I pity them.

Learning the Ropes

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:46:00 +0000

I'm still working on learning how to use the camera. Unfortunately I don't have nearly as much time to spend with it as I would like. I took a few more shots of the flowers downtown, since my lunch break seems to be the only time I can squeeze in some quality time with the camera.

Tanya had asked me to take some pictures of purple flowers for a friend of hers. I took quite a few pictures, but I didn't get any that I really loved. I definitely need more practice!

Easter Bunny

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:29:00 +0000

Apparently my family has a tradition of doing the Easter Bunny part of Easter on the Saturday before the actual Easter holiday. Somehow I did not remember this and was reminded of it by my mother on Thursday night.

After she told me about it I thought, Wow! My parents are so smart! That makes it so much easier to "enjoy" the whole Easter basket-egg finding-gorging on candy thing and still reserve Sunday for the celebration of the religious type Easter (and not have hyper kids during Church!).

So...this year we picked up an (apparently forgotten!) Easter tradition from my family and celebrated the Easter Bunny on Saturday morning. I am now a big advocate of this approach. It was much more relaxed and fun for every one.

Some Easter basket treasures....

The Easter Bunny was cheap this year. $1 bubbles were a big hit though.

We had a little egg hunt in the backyard since I have not been able to bring myself to brave one of the city sponsored ones. I have nightmares of my children getting trampled and then coming home empty handed to boot.

Intense concentration is required when peeling an egg you are going to complain about eating about 10 minutes later.

Liam attempted to eat the egg before we had taken the shell off and managed to give himself a good schmear of blue lipstick for the rest of the day.

It was a wee tad cold outside, but so nice to have a relaxing morning to enjoy the time with the kids.

Temple Square

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:40:00 +0000

If you have never been to Temple Square in the Spring, you are really missing out. It is absolutely lovely. They plan the gardens out in great detail and are constantly replanting to make sure there are always blooms to look at (so even if you don't go in the Spring it is still worth the time!). My kids absolutely love going up there just to look at the flowers and the waterfalls.

I was able to spend a couple of hours with the camera up there this week and this is what I came home with.

Plan a trip! It is definitely worth a couple hours if you live nearby.

Easter Message

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Pre-Easter Preparations

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:44:00 +0000

Decorating Easter eggs is one of those things that strikes fear into my heart. Multi-colored dye with the potential of staining anything it touches, hanging around in liquid form, and actually meant for child participation. Scary! I feel the need to go break out the spot remover just thinking about it.

Apparently it scares Liam too.

We took precautions (note the large field of while in the photo – hooray for white plastic garbage bags!) and managed to escape without incident.

Matt got involved and made a very interesting rainbow spotted egg using the wax from a candle and soaking the egg in increasingly darker colors. Apparently the process required intense concentration…

Happy Birthday Dad

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Happy birthday to one of the most humble,

generous,

spiritual,

wise,

and amazing people I know.

You have been my inspiration,

my confidant, my comforter, my example,

and my friend.

I love you so much.

And I'm grateful for every minute of your 72 years

that I have been able to spend with you.

Hermana Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Some of the "Herms" from my mission got together at our Mission President's house for a Dominican feast last Friday.

I wasn't sure how well I would do with the food. To be honest, thinking of Dominican food kind of makes my stomach turn. Nearly 8 years later, I still cannot eat rice and beans together.

I was pleasantly surprised though. The food tasted really good to me (miracles!) most likely because of the talented ladies that made it and the great company.

Thank goodness el Presidente got the chicken foot. This one had longer claws than normal and totally freaked me out. (I woke up to chickens being slaughtered outside our bathroom window for 6 months. I will never forget the flapping sound as they hit the bucket...{shudder}.)

I wasn't the only one that enjoyed the food. Look at those clean plates!

I had a wonderful time eating and chatting with everyone. It has been way too long since I have seen most of them.

Pres. and Sis. J. were gracious and kind hosts as usual. I feel so privileged to have served with such an amazing bunch.

Thanks to Perry and Sis. J. for organizing it, especially on a night I could be there!

We've been busy...

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:47:00 +0000

We ran to the park.

While we were there, we were treated to a new 5 year old phenomenon - POUTING. Kenna is using this new tool at every opportunity.

I am not amused.

Lyssa played while Kenna sulked.

She finally cheered up long enough to chase a remote control airplane around with about 500 other neighborhood kids that were taking advantage of the weather.

Lyssa ran her little heart out. She really wanted to catch the plane.

We had sandwiches...big ones. Lyssa showed proper etiquette by raising that dainty pinky finger every time she took a bite.

Liam played with Mom while Dad tried to get the external flash on the camera up and running. (He finally found it after several years of being hidden in a box.)

We tried out a yummy new donut place. I fell in love with the green one. I think Key Lime is one of my new favorite flavors.

We raced paper airplanes. (Bad picture of me. Yuck. But you can see the shorter hair. I was having a hard time getting the remote picture taking timed just right. Also note the amount of sincere effort the girls put into throwing those planes.) We got a chance to try out our new tripod with this picture. Yay for more camera equipment!

And we got girly. Liam escaped sans curlers, but only because his hair isn't long enough for the girls to put one in it.

Cruise - The Backstory

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:26:00 +0000

In order to understand why this trip was such a crazy thing, I have to give a little backstory about how we even got there in the first place.

On Feb. 10th, my dad had an appointment with his oncologist. The doctor noticed that my dad’s PSA numbers were starting to rapidly jump again (from the mid 300’s to the high 700’s in a month) and let him know that they would need to start chemo again soon. He also told him that the chemo would be less effective this time, so they wouldn’t do as many treatments (3-4 instead of the 9 he had before). The only treatment available after that would be an experimental pill they are testing in Vegas that would require them to drive down there often for check-ups.

He suggested that if there was anywhere my dad wanted to go, or anything he wanted to see, he should probably go before his next appointment, because he would likely not be well enough again. His next appointment was scheduled for the 3rd of March.

So, on the way home from the appointment that day, my siblings sort of joked a little about going on a cruise - something my parents have wanted to do for quite a while - to try and lighten the mood a little. I guess at some point my sister Lori whipped out her handy iPhone and started looking around the internet for cruise deals.

I'll spare all the details on how they eventually ended up finding something, but it was sort of miraculous how it all worked out. They ended up with an itinerary that my dad had really wanted that was leaving the following Sunday.

My sister called that evening and told me about the trip. She said that they were trying to get all the siblings to go along, that it would be a great trip, etc. My heart sort of sank. I knew there was no way I could go. We wouldn't have anyone to watch the kids while Matt was at work, my passport had expired, I didn't know if I could get work off, an old friend was coming for a visit during the same week, we didn't have the money...yeah, you get the idea. I told her I wouldn't be able to go.

I mentioned it when I talked to Matt on the phone that night. But didn't really say too much because I had pretty much decided it was impossible. I didn't really think too much more about it until I got home from work on Wednesday and Matt called me. He doesn't normally call me from work unless it's something really important so when I answered I was a slightly worried. He just said, "Can you get next week off work?" and I sort of panicked inside, not sure why he would be asking. I told him him I probably could and when I asked why he said, "I've been working things out with your sister. You're going on the cruise. You need to call her right now and give her the credit card number."

I was floored. The only thing I could do was cry. I hadn't realized how much it meant to me to go until he said I was going with them. He had been working all day to get work off for the next week and to get things arranged with my sister. He said he thought I'd regret it if I didn't go and chances like this only come around once in a great while. I called my sister, gave her the information she needed, hung up the phone and then sat down on the kitchen floor and just cried. I was overwhelmed.

There were a million things running through my brain...mostly just the gratitude for my amazing husband and his willingness to sacrifice so much for me and for the amazing opportunity to spend the time with my parents and siblings.

That and I was panicking when I realized I only had three days to get everything put together.

St. Patrick would be proud...

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Oh boy did we celebrate! I was feeling bad that the girls didn't get to go to school and partake of all the activities today...so we decided to liven things up a little at home.

We made green pancakes for dinner (I couldn't think of anything Irish and that was the best bet for food coloring).

To be followed by green cupcakes with green frosting and green sprinkles.

I'm sure we had waaaaaay too much food coloring.

But, it had the great side effect of making Kenna forget about being sick for a couple of hours. Which means, I think she's feeling better, she's just stringing it out in order to get more "green drink". ("green drink" = Sprite - since it comes in the green bottles they think it's green, even though we've pointed out it is not green once you pour it out.)

I really hope no one else comes down with this one. I can do colds, but Sunday night was a LONG one and I have no desire to do more throw up laundry. Yuck. Plus Kenna insisting that she has to carry a bowl around everywhere is embarrassing. It's awkward to explain that at the grocery store.

Also, did I mention that Liam is tall enough to get an open yogurt container off the kitchen table?

Awesome. I love cleaning up after these munchkins.

See, this is why I don't do well with journals...

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:29:00 +0000

So I guess I've proven that, once again, I cannot be trusted to write on a regular basis.

When I get busy, writing goes out the window.

Boo.

I suck.

It turns out that when you leave on a week long vacation with only three days notice,

things pile up while you're gone and the kids seem to want extra attention when you get home.

Who'd 'a thunk?

A recap of the vacation (with photos!) is coming. In the meantime,

here's a little of what we have been up to this week.

On Sunday morning, Liam and McKenna woke up with colds.

Blast.

Matt wasn't feeling all that hot either so he stayed home with the sickly ones

while Alyssa and I went to Church.

Monday was better. McKenna magically got over the cold in a day just in time for her best neighborhood pal Rachel, to come over and play.

They disappeared into the toy room for an hour.

It was heavenly. I actually got to cook dinner in relative peace.

Bless you Heidi for letting her stay.

Tuesday ended up being doctor day. Liam had cried all night.

(I have no idea how the girls slept through it because Matt and I sure didn't.)

He was wheezing and rattling and generally sounding terrible that morning.

Since I was going in to work late because of my own appointment anyway,

I ended up just calling in sick and then taking Liam to the doctor.

Double ear infections and RSV do not make for a happy baby.

The nebulizer treatment at the doctors office worked wonders

(WONDERS I tell you!)

though and we are now the proud owners of this fancy set up to help at home:

Albuterol inhaler and children's mask

Liam HATES it but we are finally getting sleep and wondering how we have managed so far without this. Someone finally decided that when the kid is constantly getting bad colds that go straight to his chest, he might have some asthma issues like his older sister.
Hallelujah!

Wednesday was haircut day for most of us. My sweet niece Shannon got her license a week or two ago and we were privileged to be the first in line for family haircut night.

McKenna (surprisingly) volunteered to go first.
Her request was that her hair stay long enough to still be considered princess hair (even though she knows it probably won't get as long as Rapunzel's).

Then Alyssa (not a fan of the spray bottle).

I went next, leaving about 5-6 inches on the floor, in the hopes that shorter hair would induce the beginning of spring. (No pictures until my cold sore goes away.) I'll let you know how that spring thing works out.

And Liam was last.
It took three people and a dog to get him finished.
Shannon did a phenomenal job in spite of the fact that he wouldn't hold still for more than 5 seconds at a time. (Not exaggerating.)

Thursday was date night. We actually went out to a MOVIE. And then dinner, with FRIENDS.
I wasn't sure either of those activities could still be done!

So we are sick again, but on the mend, no doubt thanks to the new fabu haircuts from Shannon. I'm getting spring fever so I hope the magic haircut works!

Birthday Boy!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:08:00 +0000

My baby is turning ONE today.

How did this happen so fast?

One minute he was a teeny tiny baby(okay, 9 1/2 pounds wasn't that small, but still...)

Now he's a big kid that can clap and put up his dukes on command.

He stands up (no walking yet!) and crawls like lightning (just ask Aunt Lori's dog).

I'm sad that the baby stage is so rapidly being replaced by toddlerhood!

But I love seeing how his cute little personality is coming out.

Happy Birthday Little Moose!

I know you're tired of hearing about this...

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:19:00 +0000

This is what we've been doing the past few days. How pitiful is that face?

We ended up taking Liam back to the doctor Friday night since he couldn't keep down the antibiotic the doctor prescribed. There was a different doctor in the clinic and she told us there was no ear infection. She also said to stop taking the medicine.

I was so confused.

So was the nurse,

since she had been there the night before when we brought him in.

She suggested that we continue trying to give him the medicine.

Oooo boy.

I was even more confused.

It was a LONG weekend. And not in a good way.

His fever didn't break until late Monday. Up until then, we had to pack him around constantly. (That gets tiring when he weighs almost 26 pounds.)

The good news is, he has three new teeth to show for it. Maybe now he can chew all that real people food he's been drooling for.

This next little bit is for Aunt Tanya. It's a long time coming, but I think I finally figured out how to post this.

Kenna's Directing Debut:

p.s. thank you for all the well wishes.

the baby-sitter is coming over for a repeat tomorrow.

hopefully no one gets sick between now and then.

Ranting and Rambling...(might want to skip this post)

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:14:00 +0000

Yesterday was not my favorite day.

My morning prayers started out asking for help to understand and complete some things I had for a big deadline at work. Let's just say, I wasn't specific enough when I asked for understanding.

I meant "please give me a light bulb moment in which everything becomes clear and I magically get all this really hard stuff done."

I got "here, let me show you how you have been doing this wrong all along and you will understand how you need to do this in the future because you will be redoing everything from the whole last year."

So my prayer was answered, but totally not what I meant.

I was tired.

The inversion made me grumpy.

And I was really mad at myself for not seeing the problem sooner.

But, at least I had a date with my hubby to look forward to.

When I got home, Liam seemed like he was breathing kind of shallow and fast. I didn't think too much of it, but I thought I ought to call the doctor anyway, just to make sure. The nurse was busy, so I made an appointment for the next day and asked that she call me back when she could.

Matt and I got ready to go out. He picked up my niece to baby-sit for us and we left.

Halfway to the restaurant, I got a call from the doctor's office. I briefly explained what was going on with Liam and they told me I had to get him checked out that night.

We ended up in the doctor's office at 7:45. (Who knew they were open so late?) Turns out the poor kid had an ear infection and fever of 102.5 by the time we got him all checked out.

Next stop - Walgreens for the prescription. I've never been to a Walgreens before. I don't know that I'll go back. They kind of scare me.

Matt took my niece home while I got the kids medicated and in bed. (Lyssa still has a cough and Liam needed to take his prescription for the ear.)

Little did we know, the night was just starting. Between Alyssa and Liam, we were making trips upstairs about every 10 minutes. Liam was fussing and coughing. At one point, he threw up all over everything, completely covering himself and me. Lyssa was whimpering and crying all night. How is that not supposed to break your heart? I hate it when they are sick.

After another doctor's visit this morning, we found out Alyssa's ears are both infected.

We have so much medication in our fridge.

I have had enough. SERIOUSLY.

Also, I want a do-over on the date night. Doctor's offices are not fun places for dates.

Inversion Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Here in Utah, we have this really fun thing called an Inversion. It's awesome. Here's what it looks like outside right now.

See that haze? It's so bad, it looks like fog. Let's think about that for a second - SMOG that is thick enough to look like FOG.

Lovely.

A friend and I walked about 2 blocks to lunch yesterday. By the time we got back, my head was pounding, I was dizzy and my lungs burned.

Apparently it's so bad, that it is "now unhealthy for the general public." NICE.

If I didn't I have funny kids to keep me entertained while we're cooped up in the house I might be even more disturbed by this.

The other day, Alyssa and I were in the kitchen making some Aebelskivers for breakfast. We were talking about what we were putting into the bowls, what happens when you beat egg whites, etc. when out of the blue she says, "Mom, I only kiss boys I love."

So I said, "Oh really? Have you kissed anyone?"

She tilted her head to the side, thought about it for a second and said, "Yes."

Okay, for starters, this came totally out of the blue. Smack in the middle of the egg white conversation we were having. Also, she's three. I thought we wouldn't be having this discussion until at least 14.

"Oh? Who have you kissed?"

She scrunched up her face and thought for another second, "Well....a rebel storm trooper....and...Luke. Luke Skywalker."

I think we're going to be telling Daddy, no more Star Wars movies for a while.

Inaguaration Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:23:00 +0000

I really wanted to watch the inauguration today. Too bad work has to interrupt my TV viewing schedule. I did get to see snippets of it when I was at my parents' house this evening. (Sidenote: Is it just me or does Obama sort of sound like a preacher? Something about the intonation he uses and the inflection in his voice.)

I was amazed at the number of people that turned out for the actual ceremony. It will be interesting to see what he does with all the support he has right now. Because of the way Obama sold his ticket on the campaign trail, it seems like he is sort of the people's last hope for government to prove that they are trustworthy and will come through on their promises. He has made so many promises and instilled that Hope into so many I just wonder - what happens if he can't follow through?

I don't envy his position. What a weight to carry on the shoulders of one man! Although he has great power, he can't follow through on anything without many other people supporting laws and bills the way they are written. Is it wrong to put all of the responsibility for getting it done squarely on his shoulders?

Wrong or not, it appears that the entire country, and much of the rest of the world, is now looking to him to solve a LOT of big problems. As much as I disagree with some of his politics, I sincerely hope that he is able to follow through. I pray for him, and those that surround him, to have the strength, insight and support that they need to effect the changes we need to get back on our feet.

Weekend projects and picture blow-out

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:24:00 +0000

Whew! It was so nice to have a good long weekend at home to work on some projects. I could have used a few more days, but it's amazing how much of a difference even one extra day at home can make with my motivation to undertake a project.

I bought some letters for the kids rooms waaaaay back in October and they have been sitting in the basement bugging me to finish them ever since. Saturday morning I gave in and hauled them out of their hiding place.

Here is what the girls' names look like all finished and hanging on the wall:

Detail on the letters.
Here are the planets we made a while back, hung up on the ceiling.

I did get Liam's done as well, but it was late in the evening and the sick kiddies wanted snuggles instead of pictures.

Yes...sick again. Seriously. My mom even commented the other day that it seems like we have been sick for the last 6 months straight. I am on a campaign to rid the house of whatever germs are at the root of it. I have been busting out the bleach at every opportunity. I will win eventually!

The weekend also brought a new tooth for Liam (FINALLY!). He's up to 3, all on the bottom, and only two weeks shy of his first birthday. He almost did as well as I did...I didn't get my first tooth until 13 months.

Here he is showing off some of his amazing new skills:

(Check out the very sick sister in the background.

Asthma + bad chest cold = miserable Lyssa)

And since I finally found my camera cable, here a few more pictures from happier and less sick days.

Matt's Birthday

Playing with the dress-ups they got for Christmas. Check out the pirate hook on Lyssa's hand.

The tutus I made them for Christmas are a big hit.

Happy Lyssa

Liam making faces.

Kenna being a ballerina.

Goofing off with the camera, making faces.

Liam attacked us while we were playing.

Tired McKenna, still snuggling with Hippo.

(Hippo has been her best friend and constant companion since she could hold on to her.)

We're going to party today!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:51:00 +0000

The kids and I spent all of yesterday evening getting ready for today's big celebration. We made a cake, hung streamers, blew up balloons and wrapped presents.

All to celebrate the one who does so much to take care of us and make us happy.

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart.

I hope we can make this birthday a special one.

Pedophobia

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:16:00 +0000

I had my first opportunity to teach my new Primary class yesterday.

Before I tell you how it went let me just add a little back story.

I don't relate well to little kids. I never have. Even when I was a little kid. I spent a lot of time with adults, and I LIKED it. A lot.

So this 'relating to children' thing is a bit of a mystery to me. Turns out, it's a pretty helpful skill to have when you need to get 10 kids to sit down and listen to you for an hour.

The other thing is-surprise, surprise-we have a sick baby at our house so I was 'functioning' on very little sleep.

With those things in mind, here is how the day started.

I stumbled out of bed at about 8:15 (we have 9:00 Church) when Alyssa woke everyone up with her screaming. Something about running into the wall and hitting her head.

I vaguely remember getting Liam out of the crib and taking the girls downstairs to try and find something to eat. There was a lot of crying and a lot of yelling.

"Put our waffles on one big white plate so we can share!"
"DADADADADADA"
"You didn't put butter on them!"
"MAMAMAMAMA"
"MOM, Lyssa dropped a piece of her waffle on the FLOOR."

ETC.

Meanwhile, I was trying to get breakfast for myself, review my lesson again, and pull together every one's clothes.

Yes, this is the kind of organization you would see in our house most Sunday mornings. And yes, I am ashamed.

I made it to Church with the girls about 10 minutes late (Matt stayed home with Liam). I had planned on going over the lesson a time or two more during Sacrament Meeting, but I got interested in the talks and forgot. (That and a little boy sitting behind us threw up halfway through. Yikes.)

As soon as Sacrament Meeting was over, the panic set in. (Why do I get more nervous teaching 10 Five-year-olds than I do teaching a room of adult women?)

I went to Sharing Time. We were so busy trying to keep the kids' shoes on, ties on, backsides in chairs and eyes focused that it was over in a heartbeat.

Oh the fear! (And five-year-olds sense fear.)

My mind went blank.

I was sweating.

And then...

IT WAS OVER.

I only vaguely remember teaching the lesson. I told a couple stories, asked some questions, sang a song (poorly) and we colored. At least I think that's what happened. It's kind of a blur at this point. (I'm adding blurring memories to my list of blessings.)

I do remember that the Sister who teaches the class with me is amazing. She kept both me and the kids on track.

This whole Primary thing will definitely be one of my trials this year. (I'm sure one of many...) But for the first time, and kind of in spite of myself, I'm actually excited to be in this class. I'm not completely sure why (probably just because I'm masochistic like that) but I'm just going to go with it.

p.s. Pedophobia - Fear of children

p.p.s. I will post pictures as soon as I find the cable to my camera. Apparently, the card reader in my OLD computer will not read the new SD card I got for the camera.

p.p.p.s. Have I mentioned that I really (really) like parenthesis? (Like REALLY.)

Return with Honor

noreply@blogger.com (Jacy) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:26:00 +0000

It is always so nice to see friends that have been away for a long time.

Especially when those friends have been in places like Afghanistan.

One of our dear friends got back from his year long assignment in Afghanistan on Saturday. Oh what a relief to see him home safe and sound!

The girls were ecstatic. He has been a treasured playmate of theirs for a long time. Kenna had been asking me just a couple of weeks ago why he never came over to visit anymore. What a great surprise!

We were able to have a good (albeit short) visit with him last night. It was so interesting to hear about all the things he has been doing. It was kind of strange though, hearing about things that up until that point, I had only read about in newspapers or heard on TV. As he shared some of his experiences, the whole abstract concept of a far away war that I had in my head was shattered by the reality of hearing about it first hand. It was very sobering.

Regardless of whether or not we agree with the reasoning behind the war, we should honor the people that are willing to serve their country, wherever they are called to go, and in whatever capacity they serve in.

Pray for these amazing people!