Sarah's Afghan

Years ago, when I was teaching myself to crochet, I made a tiny pink and white afghan.  I was early in my pregnancy and hoping for a girl.  I had some scrap yarn on hand, so the stage was set.

After the afghan was complete, I met Daniel for the first time on the ultrasound.  I knew then the pink wouldn't do.  As sentimental (or is it just mental?) as I am, I still had to use the afghan.  It became padding under the thin mattress of the bassinet (which we didn't get until Nathan was on his way).

All the babies from then on slept on the comfort of the afghan without knowing it was there.

Eventually Sarah, the last baby, outgrew the bassinet and we emptied it to pass on to family.  Somehow, the afghan hung around long enough for Sarah to notice and claim for her very own.  I had made her a blanket to love just as I had for all the other babies, as well as other blankets.  But the afghan remained her favorite. 

At the height of Sarah's obsession with blankets, I was covering her with every blanket she owned, or claimed as hers...6 total, all made by me at some point.  The afghan always had to go on first, followed by a certain blue blanket and then the rest could be added in any order (if she was in an agreeable mood).

Added to the order and attachment was her need to weave her fingers and/or toes through the holes of the crocheted yarn.  It would drive me crazy to have yarn between my toes, but it soothes Sarah somehow.

Now that she is 3, Sarah's dependency on her afghan has waned just a little.  She can take a nap without it, but usually doesn't. And her habit of grabbing it with her fingers and toes is as strong as ever.


Thirteen years ago, when I was crocheting an afghan for my baby, I never expected it would become the best friend to my child born 10 years later!  I guess I was just prepared with that project a little early!

Big Unword

We are trying to leave the house and were looking for Sarah's shoes.  My children all have the same blindness when it comes to searching for something.  So after Sarah AND Joseph had made a thorough search of Sarah's room, I went up.  I found them under a dress in the closet.

When I came down with them, Sarah asked me where I'd found them.  When I told her, she replied,

"That's a probabadility!"

I don't know if was or wasn't, but I was impressed by her use of a big word (or unword).

So I Can Be Happy

It's bedtime and Sarah is searching for excuses to stay up longer.  Everyone is bedding down in the hallway tonight. They think it's such a treat to sleep on the floor and the hallway is even better.  Why do we buy them beds and mattresses?  Anyway, Sarah came into the library here and said she wanted me to read her a bedtime story.  I told her it was too late and she should just go to bed.

She started to argue and I stopped her with, "I am not reading you a story."

She picked up some little books and replied in an exaggerated, out-of-breath display, "Well, I want you to, so I can be happy."

I laughed, called her a devil and sent her back upstairs.  I think this one is really going to be dangerous!

A Quiet Moment

After a particularly stressful week (it really wasn't more stressful than most other weeks, but it kind of builds up...you know?), I was making a valiant effort to put my feet up and disappear from the bustle for a time.

The kids were supposed to be doing their dinner chores...at the other end of the house.  I had my book open and was trying to read while fielding constant questions, comments, and complaints from the constant stream of children coming into my room.

When Sarah started climbing up on my lap, taking up space where my book was supposed to be, I finally got frustrated enough to complain out loud.

I sighed and said something like, "Why can't you guys just give me some time to myself?  I just need a quiet moment!"

Then Sarah leans back into my chest, spreads her arms over mine (as if I am the arm chair), rolls her head to the side, sighs, and says in her little squeaky girl voice, "I just need a quiet moment!"

I tried really hard not to laugh. It didn't work.

Ramblings

We made it through Sacrament Meeting with less drama today.  Notice I didn't say no drama.  We were just more discreet.  It seems that I am very popular among the masses when it's time to claim a spot on the bench.  And even though I feel like I am eight-sided, I still only have two sides if lots of people want to sit by me.  Sometimes I can come up with a 3rd side, but you have to be under 35 lbs or my legs will go to sleep.

So even though it was not the most relaxing hour and 15 minutes, and I started to consider moving to a less stressful bench, we had a few comments that things were quieter for us during the meeting.  Ah, we are so good at faking!

We had FHE on pioneers tonight.  We generally love FHE, but sometimes I want to sit on the kids to keep them still.  If it isn't then, it's surely during scriptures.  I am fully expecting these kids to thank us for not killing them once they experience these moments with their own children.

Chad spent the week with the deacons at scout camp last week.  Daniel was with him and things were quieter, though we missed both of them.  It was a hot week, ending with rain. We had to call in a neighbor to help put down a cow.  I drove everyone down (minus Leah  - who wanted to stay behind with her daddy) to Utah on Saturday to visit my dad and make a stop at my sister's house.  The rain helped keep things cool.  Is it bad to be wishing for winter already?  I don't like to be hot!

I am definitely rambling here because I think I'm supposed to say something and be entertaining, but I have no focus tonight.  I'll end the random thoughts with some pictures I took of Sarah and Joseph a couple of months ago after they spent considerable time in the dirt.  I'm certain they will thank me for these later.  ;)

How to pick yourself

Our little Sarah gives us lots to laugh about.  She is going on 3, going on 10.  She learned "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" a little while ago and has perfected it just a bit.  It goes like this:

Catch a tiger! My. mom. said. to. pick. the. very. best. one. and. you. are. not. it.  I'M IT!

While she says the words, her finger points around wildly and always lands against her chest.  If she keeps this up, she will never have anyone else playing on her team!

Our new toilet seat

I know when I buy something like this, I am past the magic of parenting young children.  Maybe I feel richer and think I can indulge in things like this.  Regardless, let me introduce you to our newest upgrade.  And I do mean upgrade.

This is our new toilet seat.

This is also our new toilet seat. 

Actually, it's Sarah's new toilet seat.  Do you see how the top picture show the little seat up and this one shows it down?  It stays up there with a strong little magnet until needed.  Sarah pulls it down when she needs to use the bathroom.  When she closes the lid, it snaps back into place again.

(We have trained all of our kids to close the toilet when they are finished.  Sarah does it about 99% of the time.  They also flush.  I know the last person to use the toilet is a guest if the toilet lid/seat is left up.  We've also had a lot of little guests who don't flush.  Yucky.)

One last thing we like about this toilet seat is that it closes s.l.o.w.l.y.  This is an action shot of the toilet closing.  No more slammed or dropped lids!  We do hear a snap if it is connecting with the child seat, but nothing else.  You have be standing right by it to hear it close, otherwise.

I've known about these seats for a while, but I hadn't talked myself into buying one with Joseph.  After all, he stands most of the time!  But Sarah is a sitter and it suddenly became worth the $40 if it meant I didn't have to keep flipping off her little seat every time I wanted to use the bathroom.

It has been TOTALLY worth it!

Where can you get one of these engineering marvels?  You can get them online (amazon.com).  I got this one at Home Depot.  The down side: they only come in white.  So, it doesn't match our toilet.  Oh well.  When I'm sitting there, I can't see any of the toilet and when I'm out of the room, I don't care!  ha ha

This particular model is called Next Step, made by Bemis.  I do believe there are other choices out there.  If you love this, and get one, let me know so that I don't have to feel so over indulgent!  ;)

*All opinions are mine and offered voluntarily.  I was not compensated in any way for this review.

Medical Mysteries

I know.   I have been missing.  I have been BUSY!  School is finally out, so I am looking forward to things slowing down a little.  (I may be delusional, but everyone needs to have hope in their life.)

Where do I start?  The foremost events in our lives right now are the battles Daniel and Nathan are waging against pain. 

Daniel's jaw pain is back.  We're speculating it may be from his most recent trip to the orthodontist, where he had more of his build ups ground off and molds taken for a new retainer.  I guess we'll see if we're right...he has to go back for his retainer check tomorrow.  Since Friday, Daniel has been taking pain killers constantly.  He is currently taking ibuprofen and hydrocodone...one or the other every 3 hours.  He did make it 5 hours today...a major step.

Nathan's problem is much more confusing to all of us, including the doctors. For some reason, his pelvic bone twisted...one side forward, the other side back.  Because of this, the ligaments in his rear end tightened up.  He walks like he's survived polio. He can't really run.  Additionally, the muscles in his back are so tight that one shoulder hikes up, the other one doesn't move much, and the spine is pulled into a curve. 

Both boys have been seeing physical therapists.  Daniel's initial visits with the PT did wonders for him, so we're a little frustrated that two visits since the orthodontist have left him no better.  Nathan has also seen improvement, but not like Daniel did.  They can work on him and loosen him up, but things go almost back to where they started.

Our insurance doesn't cover physical therapy and each half hour session costs $75.  I am praying for miracles!!

I don't know why the boys have been given these trials, or what they should be learning from them.  But they have been amazing troopers (Daniel has been suffering for almost 3 years now) and we all still find ways to laugh about it sometimes.

Add to that, Sarah has been fevering off and on since Friday (at least).  I finally took her in and she has an ear infection.  Her cough the past 3 nights has been torture to hear.  She makes child #3 taking medication in this house!

Conference Center and more

I peeked in Sarah's room a few weeks ago and found this going on.  She already had her shirt on and was concentrating on getting her pants on.  My baby is almost invisible and this little girl is taking her place!  She spent 3 days potty training a couple of weeks ago.  We passed on her diapers and her size 2 clothes (minus the pants, since we are a short family).  We were so proud of her for hitting that milestone!  NO MORE DIAPERS!  :) 

Yes, she is royalty around here.  It may be too late to convince her otherwise!

We made a spontaneous day trip to Salt Lake City on Friday, 13 April.  Our focus was on the downtown area, with the Conference Center top priority.

We parked under the new City Creek Center shopping monster.  They have really fancied it up in there.  The ceiling retracts, the ends are open, and there is a creek with fish running through it.  The kids loved the fish.

There was a fountain below that some kids were playing in.  We had fun watching them and were grateful that it wasn't us that were getting wet on that chilly April afternoon!

The mall was neat, but it was crowded and the last thing I wanted to do was step inside a store.  Maybe it was because I had six kids with me.  Maybe it was because the stores looked expensive.  Either way, NOT wanting to shop is a bad vibe for a mall!

On our way through Temple Square, we stopped for a group shot in front of the flowers.  Too bad I have so many kids that we can't even see the flowers!  ;)

We happened on a day that they had the organ pipes and background lit up.  This might be one of my favorite pictures!

It was a beautiful day to be up on the roof and see Spring in the valley.

Three days after our visit, the Conference Center had a small fire in a maintenance area and thousands of gallons of water were dumped on some of seats and equipment in the auditorium...right where we had been standing.  I was sorry to hear that...and glad we'd gone before - not after!

After the Conference Center we walked to the Church Office Building.  We admired a gigantic painting of Christ with his apostles, then took a 22-second elevator ride to the 26th floor.  We gazed out over the valley from two observation decks.  The kids remarked more than once that it seemed like they were looking at a map!

The kids got several compliments on their good behavior.  That is usually helpful in keeping their "good" behavior up for a little longer. 

We admired more Spring flowers.

We wrenched our necks looking to the top of the building we'd just come down from!

We were getting hungry by now, but the only thing close at the time was the Lion House Pantry.  We are just humble country folks from Idaho, not fancy, rich Utah people.  The cheapest thing they had on the menu was soup in a bread bowl for $10.  We walked out.  We bolstered the kids, promising them food soon and then stepped inside the Beehive House for one last tour of the day.

I see this type of decorating and think opulence.  I wonder what they thought of it?

It sure was and is a handsome building.


By the time the tour ended (which no longer ends with them giving out a piece of nasty horehound candy), the kids were starved.  We herded our pack of children through the masses to the food court in the new mall and fed them hamburgers and chicken nuggets.  We got a lot of looks from surrounding patrons.  Haven't they seen a large family before?  This IS Utah, after all!

We headed for home, with a Redbox movie in the player.  It was a nice trip and much needed family time.

Hand Gestures

Sarah is calculating, deliberate and strong-willed. When she wants to do something, she's pretty much not going to let anything (like a parent) get in her way. Thankfully, I've experienced this before and know that we will live through this stage. Unfortunately, it doesn't make it much easier.

Something about Sarah that I can't remember the other kids doing is her hand gestures. I guess this is a way of adding believability to her claim.

Yesterday in church, she was trying to prevent Joseph from getting any of her drink of water. She flipped her little left hand into the air, made her eyes real big and declared that it was only her drink.

Just now, she was pushing a chair to the counter with the breads and treats and complaining that she wanted a snack. I asked her what she thought she was going to get from up there. Up went her little hand, flipped at an angle away from the side of her head, her eyes grew big again and she said, "I not going to touch anything."

This gives new meaning to "Please raise your right (left) hand." I'm no more fooled than a judge sitting in divorce court.

Light weights

I weighed Joseph(4) and Sarah(2 1/2) this morning. Any guesses?

Here are some hints: they are 4 lbs different...Joseph was wearing a sweatshirt...Sarah still had last night's diaper on...they are BOTH still in front-facing car seats

Give up? Of course you do. I wouldn't expect anyone to care enough about this to make a game out of it. But it's a much better lead-in than just announcing it right off.

Sarah weighed in at 28 lbs. Joseph was 32. These kids are eating constantly. WHERE is it going? I had been considering letting Joseph move up to a regular booster with just the van seat belt because it would make getting in and out of the van so much easier. But he still looks so tiny in his car seat and at only 32 lbs (they are made for use up to 40 lbs.), I think he would be safer as he is now.

Sadly, I have the opposite situation. I have long out grown any car seat. (And several favorite outfits.)