Another "Last"

I'm so far behind on journal blogging, that I feel like I'm missing the HERE and NOW. So, I'm sharing what took place this weekend....

Ethan came home from school a few days ago with his first loose tooth. The kid is almost 7!! All of my kids have been late teethers and I guess they wanted to hold onto those baby teeth as long as they could. He was so funny wiggling it all week. So yesterday at Grandma's house, after Conference, he wanted Dad to pull it out.

It was still stuck pretty good, but he was very brave and eventually....

He was THRILLED!! Finally, after watching all of his older siblings "cash in", it was his turn. He put it in a baggie and carefully brought it home. The entire night was then filled with Ethan's tongue twisting around the hole in his teeth...so funny!

However, tragedy struck at bedtime when he could not find the baggie! We looked for a half hour, but with no success. The poor kid was heart broken, so we left the Tooth Fairy a note explaining our dilemma, and what do you know? She came through with a reply note and some cash!! What a gal!!

This is just another event in the long list of "lasts" that I'm experiencing alot more lately. My baby is growing up. I have the days all to myself now. I tell the kids to get ready, and they go jump in the shower and get dressed with only some encouragement from me. We can go on a road trip with a lot less gear and ride all of the big rides together at Disneyland and Lagoon. That is great, but I sometimes miss the crazy, haven't-washed-my-hair-in-3-days-and-it-looks-like-it-might-be-a-few-more-before-I-get-to times. There will never be another "first loose tooth". No more Preschool, no more sippy cups, no more Nursery....I could go on and on and it's hard to swallow. I love each new phase, but it's hard to see my kids grow up so fast.

I'm not trying to be a glass half empty kind of girl today, if anything, I'm trying to savor each "last" a little longer and enjoy my time with my kids. I love them all so much and I'm glad I can experience all of their firsts and lasts with them!! What a blessing they are in my life!!

Funny Kid Quotes

I've been storing up a few cute quotes for you.....

- Lauren blessing the food: "Please bless this food that it will healthen and strengthen our bodies"

- Braiden's prayer: "Please bless Dad to have a good day at work, also that we can have a good day at school, and bless Mom....(pause)....with whatever she does at home"

- Ethan's New Lagoon-A-Beach lingo: "Put on my sunscream so I can take my tuba on the crazy river"

- New lyrics to the song "Secrets": Instead of "I'm gonna give all my secrets away", it is now, according to Ethan, "I'm gonna give all my sisters away!"

- Ethan in the car: "I'm going to put my drink in the drink folder"

Hilarious!!! I love my kiddos!

Da Boyz

We bought hats for the boys at SeaWorld and I took this cute pic of them. So funny!!

Yo, whazup!

Well, For That I'll Wipe It Off!

Ethan as he was watching me put on my lipstick: "Mom, are you putting on make-up?"

Me, thinking I might get a compliment: "Yes, Honey. Why?"

Ethan showing obvious disappointment: "Awww! I wanted you to kiss me!"

Girls Really Aren't That Bad After All!

Ethan talking to Dad:

"Dad, I don't like girls....but I'll still marry one when I grow up."

Show Stoppers

Yesterday's post was about ballet, today's is about musical theatre.  Katie and Ethan joined an acting and singing group called Show Stoppers, and they have loved it!!  I always knew Katie loved singing, dancing and acting, but was surprised when Ethan became so excited about it. 

Their spring show had highlights from Grease, Wicked, and Hairspray.  It was so stinkin' cute!  In fact, after the show every one of my kids begged me to let them do it next year....I guess that's what we'll be doing!

This is Katie in the song "Loathing" from Wicked

Katie got to perform one of the few solos in the performance.  She sang "Defying Gravity" from Wicked!  She did a great job!  (I was secretly so jealous that she was singing my favorite musical on stage!!)  Way to go, Katie!!

This is Ethan in Grease.  He was adorable!  He was in the show with his buddy, Trevor and the two of them had a ball.  Plus, it turns out that Ethan can sing pretty well, too!!

Katie in Grease (the dancing was great and Katie was really good at it).  She's definitely more graceful than me!

Ethan received these funny glasses from his teacher back stage for being an excellent listener (yes, I double checked with her as to the reason because he isn't so excellent at listening at home!).  

We were grateful to all of the Grandparents for coming to see the kiddos (Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Randy even drove all the way from St. George to come see it!!)

We honestly can't wait for the next show! Great job, Katie and Ethan!  Peace!

I've Never Heard Of That Flavor!

We went to Dairy Queen for lunch today and the kids get a treat with their meals. When we went to turn in Ethan's treat coupon at the counter, he asked for a Dilly Bar. The guy asked him what flavor he wanted, so.... 

"Tell him Cherry," I told Ethan.

"Tom and Jerry," he said to the guy.

Hmmmm, what flavor is that?

We all got a good chuckle out of that one.

My Baby Is Not A Baby Anymore!

What a handsome kid that is! This post is all about my little guy. Ethan is five years old now. However, he is still my baby. I've heard other moms when talking about their last child say, "He will always be my baby" and now I know exactly what they were talking about.

I can't believe he's been in our family for only five years, because it seems like forever. I somehow always knew that he was coming. My first three kids came along, and I always felt something missing. When Ethan joined us, I felt complete. I knew all of my kids were now here.

He truly is the "youngest" in our house. As the youngest, he is definitely babied, but also ignored, and bugged by the older kids. He has learned that if he wants something, he most likely will have to get it himself. He has picked up on things faster than the other kids because he had three older siblings showing him the ropes. And, of course, he sometimes gets away with murder. I never thought I would ever treat my kids differently, but I have found myself doing just that. I was so strict with the girls (still am), but with Ethan, it is sometimes so much easier to just give in. I've gotten tired and a little lazy and he is taking advantage of that! But, somehow I think we will both turn out fine.

Here's my little guy when he was brand new. After "expertly" delivering three other babies, I thought I knew what I was doing. However, I went to the hospital twice with false alarms before Ethan finally showed up. I guess I was just so anxious to be done with the pregnancy, that I jumped the gun a little bit. But he was totally worth the wait...


When he was little, I watched two little girls from my neighborhood. They were so cute and called the baby, "EEFEN". The name has stuck and I'm not sure if we will ever call him by the phonetically correct way again.

I have to share this memory I have of him when he was little. I caught him one day hiding in the cupboard under my sink. He was so hilarious.



So, this is a snapshot of Ethan at age five:

• He loves to go to preschool. I'm sure it's mostly for social reasons, but he asks me everyday if it's school day. He goes to preschool with all of his buddies and they have a blast together. He comes home singing the songs that he learned and can't wait to show me what he made that day. I hope this "love for learning" lasts many more years!!

• 
  
  He loves playing the Wii. This is borderline obsession with him. If I'm not fully paying attention, he will slip downstairs and play before doing his chores. His favorites right now are Lego Batman and Lego Indiana Jones.

• 
  
  He is a complete pill about doing his chores. He suddenly becomes "stuck" to the floor, or his feet can't make it up the stairs, or the task is simply too hard, or....you get the idea. Most of the time, he winds up in time out, and then finally complies. It has been known to take several hours to just put away his laundry! (SIGH!)

• 
  
  He adores his big brother. Those two are so cute together! They are usually best buds, which is so fun to watch. They rarely fight, but they do love to wrestle with each other. This is a new concept for me. Until Ethan came along, Braiden was a pretty mellow kid. Now, they will just be walking by each other and one will tackle the other. It is hilarious, and they seem to love their "male bonding time".

• 
  
  He is an outstanding eater. This kid can really pack food away! I never have to worry about him not eating. He isn't TOO picky (although he does have his moments...what kid doesn't?), but I'm continually amazed at the amount of food he eats. The kid is going to be a football player someday!

These are the cute memories that I want to keep of Eefan forever! I'm learning the hard way that life goes by WAY to fast. I wish I could slow it down just a little bit...

Well, anyway, enough nostalgia. Here's how we celebrated the big day. We went bowling at Boondocks. It was fun, but the kids didn't make it through all ten frames (very short attention spans when there are video games all around you just begging to be played). But we had a great time and Ethan bowled a pretty good game (bumpers are an awesome invention!)

We then supped at the Training Table. This is Ethan's restaurant of choice these days. He is always suggesting it. I guess they make their Kraft Mac 'N Cheese better than anyone else, or perhaps it's the cheese fries (let's hope it's the latter!)

Then we went home to open presents. Ethan got a Big Wheel from Grandma Geneal and Grandpa Blair. It was so cute to watch Grandpa put it together (not a single cuss word was heard the whole time!)

And then Grandpa Dennis helped Braiden with the Legos. We have great Grandpas in our family!

After looking at that face, you can tell it was a very successful birthday! Happy Birthday, kiddo! I love you bunches and bunches!

We Like To Party!

This post is about parties. Birthday parties, to be specific. A lot of birthday parties. Too many birthday parties. Let me explain.

First, we held Lauren's birthday party with her friends. Since she's growing up and is a whopping 11 years old, she wanted to have a "late night" with her girlfriends (we don't do sleepovers at our house). She didn't want party games and cake and ice cream....she wanted to have dinner and a chocolate fountain! So I made pasta and two kinds of sauce, garlic bread and a salad and bought a bunch of goodies for the fountain. It was a blast. The girls then went to the basement for some big kid games like Curses. Lauren has some darling friends and I hope they always stay close.

Well, then we came to Braiden's birthday party....for those you know my family well, you are probably thinking, "huh?" Yes, I know his birthday is in September, so why are we having a birthday party for him in February? Well, it's a funny story, really. We were back in Wisconsin for Braiden's birthday, had a blast driving half-way across the country, and when we got back, well, I just got so consumed with laundry, school and a half a dozen other things and forgot completely about have a party with his friends. He did too, until Lauren had hers. He was determined to have a party because all of the other kids got one and he didn't. I could NOT talk him out of just waiting until his next birthday and having a super-sized party....no way! So, I finally gave up and sent out invitations. I was so embarrassed to be asking his friends to a party so long after his real birthday, but everyone was great with it and we had a great time. Lauren was invaluable to me during the party. She helped with the games because I hadn't even finished decorating his cake when all of the kids arrived. Thanks, Lauren!

So, those two were over, now we just needed to get Ethan's done. We chose a sports theme for his and invited his playgroup buddies over. They are hilarious together, and even though it was exhausting, we had a good time. I can't believe my baby is FIVE!!!

This is the darling cake my mom made for Ethan. I was so busy with school the day before, that I just didn't have time, so she volunteered. The problem was that she didn't really have time to do it either. I felt so bad imposing on her, but am so grateful that she took the time to do it. Ethan and all of his friends loved the clowns and Ethan loved that it was a huge cupcake. Thanks, Mom, you are a lifesaver!

Well, there you have it...three parties in three weeks! Whew! I am glad they are over and that the kids had fun. Now, hopefully I can rest for a little bit...at least until April!

So...I Guess He's Not A Tree Hugger?

I gave Ethan a great big hug today and then...

Ethan--"I don't like hugs, they make me too hot!"

Mom--"I'm sad that you don't like hugs."

Ethan--"yeah, and I don't like trees either."

Random Thoughts and Camera Surprises

I wanted to get a few thoughts out of my head...I've got way too many floating around in there. Maybe if I write them down, I can sort them out better.

First off, I have been thinking about Cole. He is my dear friend Eve's little boy. He and Braiden are the same age, although Cole is a year ahead of him in school. He is always coming over to my house to look for bugs and water snakes in my yard and in the field behind me. He is quite the kid...so full of life! Almost three weeks ago now, Cole was hit by a cement truck on the way to school. He was badly hurt and flown to Primary Children's. It was very upsetting and I have worried so much about Cole and Eve. Fortunately, he is doing much better, considering the circumstances. Amazingly his head and internal organs were OK, but his legs were badly damaged. He has had major surgery to repair the muscles and tendons in his leg and foot. He will eventually regain the full use of his legs, but it will be a long, hard road.

I love Eve to death. Whenever I am down, I can count on her to cheer me up. She is so funny and has a fantastic outlook on life. She is one of the neatest ladies I've ever known and has such an amazing presence about her. My heart aches for her and her family, but I know she is strong enough to not only endure this trial, she will come out of it even stronger.

This experience has really got me thinking about the fragility of life. It easily could have been Braiden riding to school and been hit. Why was it her child and not mine? Every single day of life is so precious. Why do I take so much for granted? Each moment with each child is a gift. Why do I get frustrated at my kids so easily? Why can't I be more patient with myself and them? Why do I worry so much about the little things that don't really matter? I wish I had the answers to these questions, but I am trying to be better...Thanks for your wonderful example and friendship, Eve! You are in my prayers and I love you tons!!

Another thought is about my shoulder recovery. I was having a pretty hard time a few weeks back. I was hurting so bad, and I was really getting scared that I had either re-injured my shoulder, or that the surgery didn't work. The pain was as bad as it had been before my surgery and was just not getting better. I was very discouraged, frustrated, and feeling pretty bad about the whole thing. I was even a little angry that I couldn't do the things I needed and wanted to do. I wondered if I was just being too wimpy, and that I just needed to suck it up and deal with it. I returned to the doctor with these thoughts. He was quite concerned about my discouragement. He told me the shoulder itself was perfect, that it just needed more time to heal, and that the problem was that the soft tissue in my shoulder was extremely inflamed and we just needed to calm it down so it could heal. He gave me a shot of Cortisone in my shoulder (which hurt like ----) and sent me home. I didn't move it for a few days and I started to feel a little better, both physically and mentally. I think I finally figured out what I can and can't do at this point. I was just being impatient (me??? impatient?? never!!) and I needed to pace myself and my recovery.

This whole experience has taught me several things. First, I need to be more patient...with my body, with myself, and with others. Now, I'm not saying that I AM more patient, just that I have learned that I need to be. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I will ever learn to be more patient. Second, I have learned to rely on people to help me more. I am pretty independent and not being able to take care of myself has been a huge blow emotionally. It has been hard to let people help me do everyday things like my laundry, vacuuming, and dishes. My job is to be the mom and not being able to do my job effectively is really hard on me. I have neighbors and friends who will just drop in and clean something for me, or drive me places, or take my kids. I really appreciate their thoughtfulness and I'm trying to get better at accepting their help without feeling like a failure. This experience has also taught me to recognize the people who truly care about me. I had no idea that I had so many GREAT friends! That sounds bad, but when you have an experience like this, some people are really there for you whenever you need them. They really showed me and my family charity and I learned a lot about how to try to be in the future. The most apparent example of this is my mom, Janis. She literally dropped everything for me these past few months, including taking care of her two sick mothers. She has helped me with the kids, driven me to therapy, done the grocery shopping, made me dinners, scrubbed (and I mean scrubbed) my house from top to bottom...the list goes on and on. Words cannot express what that has meant to me. You are wonderful, Mom, and I love you so much for your outpouring of love and service!!

I'm happy to report that my shoulder is doing remarkably well now. I just needed to take it easy and let it heal. I still can't do everything, that will take several more months, but I now know my limits and I'm looking at the positive here. So, these are the mile stones that I'm very proud of:

• 
  
  I am sleeping much better, and waking up relatively pain free (HUGE improvement!)
• 
  
  I can tuck in my shirt and fasten my bra all by myself! (TMI, I know, but I had to brag because this one has been really hard!)
• 
  
  Driving doesn't nearly kill me anymore (or my children, for that matter). It was turning the steering wheel that was the kicker (steering is so overrated!)
• 
  
  I can sort of fix my hair without having to ice my shoulder for an half hour afterwards! (It's the round brushing thing--kills the shoulder every time, but it's getting better)
• 
  
  I can reach up, back and behind without extreme pain (but I'm still not supposed to do this very much)
• 
  
  I can lift anything less than three pounds! What is less than three pounds, you ask? Coke, of course, but not much else!

So there you go...my accomplishments over the past two months. I can't believe it has been that long. I keep telling myself to hold on until Christmas and by that time, I should be able to do almost everything again. I can't wait!!

My third random thought is just that...random thought. It seems that more and more that I can't seem to keep anything straight in my brain. I'm forgetting things left and right...dates, important info., things my kids tell me, you name it. It all goes in, then goes right back out! I completely forgot to take a quiz in one of my classes the other day. OOPS! How did that happen? What is going on with me? Is this normal? I'm a control freak, and sometimes I feel like I've completely lost any control I ever had. Fortunately, I have an extremely patient husband who knows I can be a freak of nature every now and then, but still loves me anyway. He is a huge reason I feel even half way normal, what an absolute sweetheart! I think a lot of this can be blamed on the fact that I have dealt with chronic pain and lack of sleep for well over a year now. That can really wear on a person. Thankfully, the pain is subsiding and the sleep is coming back. Hopefully, as my mother always says, "this too, shall pass". I'm waiting, Mom.

One last random thought. I just finished praising my mom for being the greatest thing ever, but now I have to scold her. She went with me to Costco the other day and exposed me to a very great evil....Chocolate Macadamia Carmel Clusters!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!! They are SO good! Dang you, Mom!! Why did you have to go and show me those little nuggets of joy? Why, when you know I have absolutely no will power when it comes to chocolate? How could you be so uncaring to my waistline? Maybe I will forgive you, but it may take a while!

Last, but not least, I wanted to share with you some surprises I found on my camera...I was downloading my pictures from Jackson and found these little nuggets...

Are you kidding me with this!!??!?? Apparently, my children do all sorts of weird things when I'm not around. I thought they just watched movies when they babysat, but obviously not! I don't know if I should be more upset with Lauren for dressing up my little boy, or with Ethan for allowing his big sister to dress him up AND put make-up on him! He is really going to kill me in later years for this! But I promise to not show these pictures to his high school prom dates or anything like that! I just thought it was both funny and scary at the same time...please tell me if I should be worried!

Wait! I need to add one final random thought...several of you have told me that you can't comment on my blog. I didn't know what was wrong, but I think I finally fixed the problem. So, just for experiment sake, please leave just a quick comment to see if it works. I'll be waiting for your feedback while I eat yet another cluster of goodness from Costco!

I Don't Know Where He Gets It....

I was going through my pictures on my phone, and found this....

I have no idea when he grabbed my phone and went to town with the camera (I didn't even know he knew how to use the camera!) I thought it was so funny!! It is now my wallpaper picture on my phone. I get to look at that darling face all of the time. Thanks, sweetie!

Things Moms Always Make You Say

When I picked Ethan up from his Sunbeam class after church the other day, I asked him, "What do you say to Brother and Sister Snow for teaching you today?" He immediately dropped his shoulders, tilted his head way back so he could see his teacher's face, and said, "Saawrry!" We all laughed and I said, "No, the OTHER thing I always make you say..." He giggled and said "Thank you" as we were walking down the hall.