Knitting with the kids..

The kids did really well for a first try!! More importantly they are still excited about it!! Yea!!! Skyler had a home ec teacher try to teach his class how to knit off and on for half a year so at least this time it was something he heard before. We did a different hand possition then he was taught the first time. The way we were doing it looks harder but it worked better for him. They asked me a few times the next day to help them some more but I was feeling too sick to work on it. I'm very glad that they really seem to be into it. I gave them each a golfballish size of light green yarn and they need to practice with that until they can use all of it to make a scarf and then I have some fun yarn for them. Skyler has some burgandy and gold yarn to make a Harry Potter 1st and 2nd year scarf. Mataya Has some muliti colored hot pink, yellow and orange with some solid hot pink yarn too. She has her eye on quite a few little things and a scarf. I love that they are excited and will be able to make some of their own things. I have quite a few books with tons of ideas and patterns and a DVD from the library with a few more on the way. I told the kids that every one of the people who wrote the books has different ideas and they have different ways of learning that worked for them so we will find one that matches the way that they learn. I have to say that I'm a big fan of the DVD!!!! We can back it up as many times as we need and it doesn't take anyone elses time and she is just as happy to explain it every time we watch!! ; )

Prop 8

I'm very glad that it passed!!! I am kinda bothered by something that happened today though.. I have a friend who has a sister that is a lesbian. I was just at my friends daughter's birthday party last weekend. We had fun and laughed quite a bit because my friends sister is also really funny and fun to be around. There was a no on prop 8 ad on TV while some of the dads at the party were watching a football game and she cheered. I didn't say anything. I didn't figure a birthday party was the place but also I very seriously doubt that she would change her mind. So after the ad was over we go on laughing about other things and having fun. Today after taking the kids to school I was on my way to a craft store to make some posters for enrichment night. I was in a way happy mood because my morning was going so well. Anyway, at a light my friends sister pulled up right next to me. I unroll my window with a huge smile and say "Hi" all loud and wave to her. She just looks at me and says What's up?? I'm still way huge smiling and happy to see her... Then she looks at me with this "I can't believe this!!" look on her face and says "Nice bumper sticker!!" Then turns to face the traffic light and wont even look at me. I couldn't believe it! What we are only friends if we agree?? Clearly I married Jeff...I have met her partner... Where is the surprise?? I was more then nice with her and let her have her moment when she was cheering.. I just felt like who is hating who?!?!?!? I'm pretty sure that she voted for Obama but I'm not taking that personally either. I'm hoping that she is just upset about the results this morning.. She can have this moment too... Hopefully we will be laughing at the next birthday party.

Yummy Breakfast.

This actually happened November 3rd.....
Mataya said "You know what makes breakfast so yummy?... Grits and you and me together." I just loved it and need to provide more times for things like that to happen. it was wonderful for some reason it was just Mataya and I together. I guess Alisha doesn't eat much and I think Skyler was in the shower. Mataya and I love our time together. (Grits are a corn based version of Cream Of Wheat and is quite yummy with brown sugar and Silk Milk.)

As to be expected tons has changed!!! We have made the move in with my parents. We have gotten so much done that I can hardly believe it sometimes. It feels so good to be helping my parents get things done that have been on the "honey do list" for years. It has been overwhelming for my Dad having the feeling of facing big jobs alone. It's fun to work together too. Alisha is pretty potty trained now. Today was the primary presentation in our ward it was Alisha's first time and even standing on the kiddy step stool we could barely see her forehead. Mataya said "we are not only taught by the prophet about Heavenly Father." Alisha said "I am a child of God and so are you." Jeff said it was kinda neat because she was the last child to speak and almost out of nowhere this little voice says "I am a child of God and so are you." :)
I feel good living here. every morning I feel a peace that we are in the right place as crazy as that sounds. There are still things that are hard but there is a lot that is right too. My Mom fell pretty bad a few weeks ago and because we were already here we have been able to help her more how she needs it and still take care of our kids. There are just a lot of positives.. sometimes I will admit that I need to just sit back and take a good look at it because it does pile up a lot of responsibility that can get really really out of control to the point I have a hard time knowing what to do first.. Jeff is really helpful most of the time for talking me down a little and sorting things out. He is also being really helpful with making really awesome dinners and things while we are up to our eyeballs in a project. On nights like that there is nothing better then to come into a kitchen with an awesome dinner that I didn't even have to think about!!!
I just got called on the Enrichment Board and I'm going to love it!!! I'm really looking forward to getting to know the ladies in our ward and really getting that at home feeling.
One other quick thing... Alisha has gotten big again! Stop laughing... ;) in the last year that we have been using the Vita Mix to make her real food added to her canned stuff Alisha has gained a little more then six pounds!!!! All time record!! She is even at the 3% on the average kids growth charts!! That's on the verge of giant for CdLS kids!!! In almost every blessing she has ever been given she has been promised that she will grow in stature. In a blessing a about a week a go it said that she would grow tall and be prosperous!! yea my big girl!! We just got a phone call that we need to send more videos of her to NJ to get her on the waiting list. We also found out that her sugar levels dropping is due to low hormone levels and nothing what so ever to do with anything diabetic!!! :D one of the two low hormones is a growth hormone.. hmmm...
Mataya has been doing really well in school she loves it!! Mataya gets upset if she has to miss school she will argue and tell me that she is really NOT sick.. :) She is now in the music and drama club and school and really loves it!!
Skyler is now in choir at school and loves it!! He is also joining in the our wards choir and loves it. He is so happy about it he loves to come home and sing the songs for me and tell me the list of songs that will be performed next. Im so excited that he is finding new things that he loves and that they are such good things!!! Im going to bed for now and I hope to add more pictures soon.

MILK!!!!!!

Alisha drank almost a whole cup of MILK!!!!! It was AWESOME!!!!! Mataya gave it to her. I would have corrected her if was I was watching good thing I'm not always on top of things!!! I'm soooo amazed and greatful!!!!!

August, temple, camping & wedding..ect...

Friday August 15th was AWESOME!!! Exactly what I needed!! Andrea and Joe came over we got drive through dinner for the kids and I and then movies and snacks and more soda!!! It was great!! I cleaned houseish.. there are still tons of boxes but I lite candles and it felt like the old times that I miss so much!!! THANKS Andrea and Hot Pants (Joe) !!! LOL!!!
Saturday August 16th. Went shopping with my Mom and Jeff and started to feel really awful.. it didn't go away. I was thinking gallbladder attack I was throwing up and it wasn't getting better and when Jeff had to work that night I called my dad to come over and watch me and help.. the Kids were asleep and soon so was dad.... :(
Sunday August 17th. I was still not feeling well at all!!!! Still throwing up some..
Mataya made me a wonderful picture!! it was a woman with an eye patch and a crown singing from a heart shaped book with a curvy Whoville looking Christmas tree with all different kinds of ornaments all over the tree the lowest one had the number 1 on it and all the way up to a star with the number 24 on it. She cut everything out of construction paper and taped all of the layers on. She finished it really quickly and when she walked over and handed it to me she said.. "Here Mom.. I don't know how long you will be gone." We had made color coded count down chains with all of the activities for the summer last year. She was making me a count down tree with out knowing how many ornaments to put on.. I about cried. I told her that this would be a very fast one and she hugged me.
Jeff took me to the ER and Mom and Dad took the kids to church. Later after a lot of time and a CT scan it was determined that I needed my appendix out..I had been planning on sewing the girls dresses for Kristen's wedding over the weekend!!!! I had Jeff call our good friend Erin to have her sew them!!! I love her!!! She totally saved me!!! Right before the operation I was given a blessing and was promised a rapid recovery..It was wonderful to have Jeff his Dad and Mom and my Dad there.
Jeff and his Dad were there in the recovery room with me and laughing at the things that I was saying... LOL!!!
Later that night my Grandma Humble, Mom, and Kristen came to visit me.. Kristen and Grandma had just flown in from Utah.
Monday August 18th Jeff and Grandma and Alisha came to visit. I was doing really well and had Alisha climb in bed with me and she snuggled up and went to sleep!! I LOVED it!!! I was great to visit!!! I hurt but I felt sooo much better then Saturday!! They were going to let me go home Monday night but I didn't feel that my meds were leveled out enough and honestly I would get way better care then I would at home... I have to say that Morphine is awesome!!!! I had a very pure form that was 8x's as strong as regular.. it was wonderful.. my memory is a little foggy but the good news is that when Jeff corrects me about things that happened I believe him... That might wear off too... :) I think it was also this day that Kristen visited me and made her necklace for her wedding while we visited... Then Jeff came back again with Mataya after school and she cuddled up with me for a while!! That was good for both of us !!!!
Tuesday August 19th. Jeff took Alisha to see the endocrinologist!! I was waiting for that for a long time!! Jeff had me on speaker phone!!! His idea..Gotta love it!!! Wonderful I got a chance to voice everything that was bothering me!! There is something going on that we haven't figured out yet for her. it was agreed that we need to stay at the hospital so we can safely have her fast and do tests without letting her sugar get too low so that we can see what happens to her little body and help her. I feel a strong need to get things better for her. last time I took her to the ER which was only a couple of weeks ago because she was limp and her head just flopped back when I picked her up.. I got her blood sugar up to 175.. but still floppy.. The song on the radio when I pulled into the parking lot was "you better kiss me cuz you're gonna miss me when I'm gone" I had tears streaming and when I got in the ER they filled out the paper work!! So I'm really looking forward to having that fixed!!
Jeff came to the hospital with Grandma and Alisha and took me back to Mom's house.. It was nice to be home!!! Grandma and I played cards... it was weird I felt fine mostly and it was really too long for me to be sitting but I wanted to be with her. She had to tell me how many cards to deal for games that I have been playing my whole life!!!! Later I helped grandma make bows with buttons for Kristen's wedding. .. That night Jayna flew in!!! It was sooo good to see her and we all went out to chili's for dinner with some of the Gray's..
Wednesday August 20th We were married 15 years ago today!!!. My Grandma my Mom and I were all married on this day.. My Grandma had never been back to the temple on August 20th besides when My Mom got married so we made a point of going on this day. It was so wonderful to sit between my Mom and my Grandma and hold her hand and smile!!! They were also a great help to me because I was still in a lot of need... Jeff and I prayed for our children and for us to be better parents for them to be the kind of parent that each of them needs. it was such a wonderful feeling!!!! I could feel the spirit like a happy thickness in the air all around us!! I can't wait to go again!! Afterwards we went to chili's again.. It's open late and has GF food. it was just so fun to visit together!!!
Thursday August 21st. Somewhere in here Erin had brought the dresses over twice!!! (I cleaned the living room with my feet... LOL!!) Erin did such a wonderful job and was happy to do it.. I will be very happy to do whatever I can for her!!! I could have sat long enough to sew them but not to be able to think well enough to do it.. our fabric store is moving and is very low on materials I doubt I would have been able to replace fabric to make up for mistakes!! Erin just flat out saved me!! I had Jeff do laundry and bring it in the living room with a suitcase and I would at least pack the clothes.. This was a very stressful day for me because my family still was depending very much on me but I wasn't able to do much.. I'm normally the tetris packer among many other things.. They were complaining to me about things not fitting and NOT wanting me to "boss them" and tell them how to make it all fit.. On this night Andrea came over and gave me a pedicure!!! I sooo loved her coming over. Jeff was feeling a lot of stress having to do everything and throwing a big trip on top with almost no help. THANKS!!!
Friday August 22 Everybody was feeling a ton of stress!!! Stacy, Jared's girl friend kinda took my normal place.. when we drove up she was shaking her head and talking to herself!! I laughed and gave her a hug!! WELCOME to the the family!!! Pretty tough initiation!! LOL!!! This was seriously the worst ever!!!!! It was sooo lovely that Grandma was there to witness the whole thing!!! Andrea had also offered the night before to take Jared, Stacy, all of their stuff and gifts with her.. THANKS!!!!!! I LOVE my friends!!!!!
when we go camping I normally set up the tents with some assistance and this time.... not so much!!! I was walking around on the uneven ground and pointing and still on drugs .. I could think clearly enough and know how it needed to go together but I couldn't always think what things were called and I really don't feel that they were always trying very hard to understand me.. I helped with a few poles but it hurt to bend very much.. After laughing some my Unlce Milt came over and helped with the first of three tents that was GREAT!!! His son Paul was also a great help with all of the tents!! Jayna and Jeff helped a lot too!! I think my Dad was there too... kinda fuzzy..
I also helped my girls practice walking down the isle when the right song started.. and sprinkle the flowers and walk slowly toe heel (it made it feel fun and fancy to Mataya and helped with walking slow..) they practiced a few times Mataya loved it and Alisha would do what Mataya was doing.. it worked really well.
Kristen had "Dutch oven Dave" cook dinner for us almost everything was gluten free!!! THANKS!!! even some cobbler!!! It was GREAT!!
Later that night came THE LIST!!!! I walk down to where the tables look decorated and fine to me I thought it was down to the cake chick to come in the morning and we were set.....NOPE!!! It was dark and Jayna had already helped me put the girls in the shower and wash and shampoo without spraying Alisha... I was about as wet as they were!! Jayna, Bill, Kristen and I were making a list.. I got to the back side of a page making the list of things that still needed to be done before noon the next day.... then I started just drawing everything on Kristen's map of tables and labeling... then towards then end Kristen said oh, and if you could mist the moss....... I looked at Jayna and said... I'm sooo not going to mist the moss!!!! Jayna Bill and I just laughed!!!!! Kristen just looked at us..with that I heard that face... I told her that ALL of the other things on the list were higher priority and I seriously doubt that any of us are going to mist the moss.. She said well, you wont have to be doing it you will have volunteers........ I said if you ever want some alone time just look like you are working and you will be given all the space you need.. She said no.. people will help you.. I said okay.. so the other things are still way more important!! Kristen said okay so have somebody who is not very good at the other things mist the moss.. I said okay.. I'll wait for some crossed eyed drooling mouth breather to come along and then I will have them mist the moss.. LOL!!! We were all doubled over!! Maybe not Kristen I think she laughed some though.. she said well if you can get to it.. She was fine.. Just helping us stay focused..
Saturday August 23rd I had the kids dress in long pants with long sleeves so that we could keep them as clean as possible!! I also told them that if they got dirty we would put them back in the shower.. They did a good job.. Jeff Grandma and Mom cooked breakfast.. Jayna Bill and I went to start the list later I had Mataya bring me a plate while we were working.. managed to finish the list and get my kids and I dressed by 11:45 the wedding was supposed to start at noon.. We didn't take any breaks and we had Helen and Aunt Laura finish some bows on chairs that turned out cute.. at one point while we were working on the list Jared walked by and Jayna asked him to do something he said what??? but kept walking so that he couldn't hear what she wanted.. then she called after him "Jared can you come mist some moss?!?!?!??" LOL!!!!!
My girls did a beautiful Job!!! better then I hoped even though I knew they would do well.. everything went well!! Kristen made up a song to sing to Dennis that was sooooo cute and funny and she did a very good job!! Their first dance was to "I wanna grow old with you" She had a cake buffet!! Instead of doing a bouquet toss Kristen talked about how much this wonderful person means to her and is so greatful that she came that she wanted to honor her with the bouquet. Kristen did a very good job putting everything together and had to put up with a lot of our ... understated level of excitement because we weren't able to picture everything in her head. She had a lot of vision and made it all happen... or made us finish it.... LOL!!! it was fun. I would have liked to have had the list of things well before to have gotten started on them earlier on Friday but it was fun to work with Jayna and Bill. Bill was a life saver!
Jeff BBQed hamburgers and hot dogs and it was sooo good!!!! we cleaned up everything and later we all sat around the campfire but Mom and Grandma were too tired to have fun with us.. that was sad!!! We had a great time talking with Dennis Jeremy (Gray cousin) and Duncan (Friend) it was really funny to listen to their stories.. I've heard all of ours!!! They liked listening to ours too. It was really fun!!! Jeff got tired and went to bed. The kids were still up roasting marshmallows and hot dogs on some awesome roasting forks that Bill made. Jayna even made toast with one!! So later after Mataya fell asleep so fast at the campfire Jeremy put Mataya in bed for me.. That was nice but felt bad at the same time even though I was thankful.. It will be a couple of more weeks until I can carry her..
Sunday August 24th.. We packed up camp.. I can't believe how fast I was healing.. I was also really feeling for Jeff.. I wasn't able to even really help much with the kids!!! Then Jayna Grandma and I took down the tents.. Jeff made a great breakfast complete with hot chocolate and later was packing everything in the van.. when we were all finished we were so tired.. We drove home and and washed and dressed the kids unpacked things at Mom's and Jeff BBQed more hamburgers and hot dogs and I helped Grandma pack her suitcase she really didn't need much but I just wanted to help her!! I wanted to be with her as much as I could!! Then we went to the Grays and watched them open gifts it was really kinda fun!!! Mataya fell asleep and Jayna helped her out to the car. It was really fun they will have fun with their almost completely new kitchen when they get everything back home to Michigan.. Too bad it's too far to have us over.. LOL!!
We got home after 11:00pm and Jayna and Grandma had to leave for the airport at 4:00am... the biggest downside to everything is that we didn't have one more day after all of the work was done to enjoy and just be there and have fun together and have all of the family at campfire!! Maybe we can have more trips like that!! Maybe we can combine families and do a camping trip that's just a camping trip!!! That would be great!! Or to have had a day to just play with Grandma!! I was too loopy on the only day that we got to play cards and I think Mom didn't get any... I love playing with my family!! I'm still experiencing memory loss on small pockets of things so If I didn't include somebody's name on a job it's not on purpose.. It was beautiful and I hope to add pictures to my page so you can see it soon!!

I need some geek help!!!

I'm still learning all the pretty stuff clearly you can see where I'm stuck if you have some ideas I would love to hear them thanks!!!!

I guess to start off this month Mataya was in the 4th of July parade and she LOVED it!!! She was made for parade!! most of the rest of this month is a total blur.. I have been working 10~12 hour days for about three months at my parents house getting things ready STILL and we still do not know when we need to move. I feel kinda depressed that I didn't have more time with the kids this summer.. I wanted to take them to the park and cuddle up and read library books and watch movies together. skipping that feels so sad. We did take a fun trip to Idaho for about a week and a half!! The kids loved it they came in filthy everyday before dinner and they were covered in masquito bites but they didnt' care.. They were soooooo dirty that their hair wasn't even the right color!!!! When I washed their clothes I sprayed them with shout and dust puffs would fly.. when I was done putting the clothes in my grandma's washer I had to was the outside of the washer because of all the dirt!!! The clothes came clean though and we hung them on the line. grandma has a dryer but she uses it in the winter. It's fun to hang them it's tradition and it drys faster too!!! Some of my cousins have kids now too and my girls loved it!! they all played together so well it was wonderful. Another great thing that I will add in for me so that I will never forget is that my grandma had a bad chest cold while we were there. I worked on her lungs (magic therapy) and took care of her and filled her humidifier and kept little things like that going. The first night out at the lodge while we were eating dinner we heard a pop and I went to the breaker box.. there was smoke coming out of it I called out to everyone and grandma said to flip the main breakers. I was too worried to think of that right away myself. Mom brought a flashlight and we used it to turn off the main breakers out on the shed to so that there would be no power coming in from the pole at all. While doing this we kept getting phone calls from Kristen and we kept telling her things to pick up and bring in to us on her way it got really kinda funny. Towards the end I told her to pick up some icecream on her way driving to the lodge I thought that it would be fun for the kids on our very dark night.. At the lodge the first night was my Mom and I Grandma Humble Skyler, Mataya , Alisha and soon to be Kris who was only coming for kind of a long weekend.. I was on my cell with Jeff while going out to the shed with grandma to flip the last of the breakers.. as we were walking around to the front end of the lodge the call was dropped. Grandma and I were headed in with the flashlight and Jeff stepped out from behind our van!!!!!!!!!! I shined the flashlight on him and then run up and just about tackled him!!!! it was sooooo awesome!!!!!!! I had already been in Idaho with Mom and the kids for about four days before heading to the lodge. The kids by myself aren't really all that hard but it's kinda draining.. nobody to really pass off too ya know?? Anyway I was kissing him and hugging him really tight!!! Then I heard Grandma say "Who is that?!?!?!?" LOL!!!!!!! Later she said "Well after a minute I thought that can't be Skyler!!!" LOL!!!! Jeff had also picked up a rose in Driggs!! Kristen had dropped him off at the end of the very long dirt driveway and he was walking up and talking to me on the phone. He said that it was really funny to him because he could see the glow of my phone as I was walking around doing things because it was the only light at all.. Later Kristen came back from Driggs and we all laughed and had icecream together. Okay now back to Grandma's health.... she got to sounding a whole lot worse at night. I asked her if she wanted a blessing seems as how Jeff was here now. She didn't want to be a bother and we looked and didn't have any oil either.. So Jeff asked her if she would like just a simple comfort blessing. It was wonderful.. Afterwords she cried and said "You are my angel!!!! You take such good care of your family and it just flows out to everyone around." It was so precious to me that she said that I don't ever want to forget it!!!!!!! I was sooooo glad to have Jeff's support that night and most of the time we are a seamless team!!! it felt soo good to have him there. I love him!!!!
My uncle Clayton got married!!!!!!!! My uncle Shannon was his best man and uncle Delvin married them it was funny at parts and beautiful too uncle Delvin did a great job. I had a really great time being with almost all of my cousins we played tons of really lively games afer all the little kids has much needed bathes and went to bed. We played the name game, human knot, mafia, song name game and many others. Iam the 1st of 15 cousins on my Mom's side and we have tons of fun together. So far the cousins have 13 kids with only 6 of us having kids.. and only a few of us live in Utah. LOL!!
As for the last few days....... I've just been felling kinda down. after reading the first part of my month I have to say that I'm feeling like a bit of a pansy!! On the way home one of my cousins inlaws had a horrible accident and her sister in law and father in law died also in the van was her mother in law and two nieces and a nephew. I know that my car has been driven by angels several times!! I feel for them and feel helpless to do much!!! I have listened to John Bytheway "five scriptures that can help get you through almost anything" I highly recommend it!! I don't recommend listenting to it while painting..... I was craying too much to see much of anything that I was doing very well... I have also been feeling that even though we will be paying my parents $1000 a month and I've been working soooo many hours and paid for all the materials so far... Even with all of that I feel that I'm invaiding and sponging off my parents......I don't know why.. I know that they will be able to do a lot of home projects that have been waiting for a very long time.. I just cant get feeling good.... The good news is that I have very lttle painting left and that I LOVE the colors! I need some touch up stuff and cutting in the colors on our room and to clean carpet and put in baseboards in the girls room and downstairs Oh, and Jeff is going to help me build a closet back inside the closet where my dad used to have a entertainment unit that is now back in the living room. For most of today I have been thinking about how great it would feel to lay down and have pillows all around and eat chocolate until I fall into a blissfull sleep!!!!!!!! Lucky for my jeans I don't have chocolate!!!! LOL!!!! Thats all for now I will add more pics later. I hope to chat with yall soon!! Congrats plasters she's a cutie!!!!

I LOVE LUCY!!!

Hi all, I just heard that my Grandma Lucy died. It's a good thing and I'm excited for her to meet family there and to be able to know who we all are. She has always been so social it's been making her so sad not to remember who her kids and family members are. She was always the kind of lady that knew everyone's name and treated everyone as if she had endless time to spend with them. She always wanted to make sure that everybody was having fun and included and loved. I bet she gets everyone cracking on the missionary work!! LOL!!! They only thought they were working till now I'm sure!!! I'm looking for something like I love Lucy bag or fabric or something.. I forgot to mention that my Grandma Lucy was so fun and so busy that I always thought that the things on I Love Lucy were real and could very easily happen. She was that crazy fun but my Grandma Lucy was also a fabulous cook she made the best rolls. Thanksgiving was always about the rolls the turkey could never compete. We have all been missing Grandma Lucy for a very long time. I think that the missing just got a bit deeper.... I wanna do something happy.. I want her..I want for her to see that we love her when she watches us by the things that we do and the way that we live and if I happen to find a really awesome super cute ultra glam I love Lucy purse and if she sees it.. I can send her that message.. HEy, Crazy runs in the family!! Anyway, Love everybody!!
Heather.

Alisha has peed in the potty at school today!!! That's twice over the last week and a half.. Sorry no pictures.. =) I'm so excited for her to be more grown up but dread public bathrooms!!! YUCK!!!

I love that my family had such a good time during conference!! It was so awesome and all of the talks were GREAT! Thanks to my friend Lynette emailing and Jeff for getting them together the kids each had a very thick packet of conference activities including coloring a tie to match every speaker of the twelve and a picture of what they look like. Coloring all of the latter day prophets, word searches, the ever popular topic BINGO!! and much more!! It was soooooooo successful!! I don't think that I've ever used successful as a word to describe conference with my kids. This was WONDERFUL!!!!! That's president Monson on TV by the way.

One of my favorite quotes was "Peace is not just the absence of adversity. Peace of heart comes when we face up to the battles of life all around us."

Alisha feeding in San Ramon

Because My friend Julene went on a mission and because she was a very good companion to Melanie and because they stayed in touch over the years and because Melanie is a therapist that just so happens to have worked with some CdLS kiddos and because Melanie flew from Utah to go to a baby shower and later talked the night away with me. Line all that up with Melanie knowing and working with Krisi who lives in Utah also but flew out to teach a class in San Ramon. Melanie being so awesome that she tells Krisi that while she's in Ca she has to meet a friend of mine and being a good friend and krisi being awesome in her own right... She made extra time after a class she was teaching to talk with me and meet Alisha but more then that give us some really great ideas about what we can do to get Alisha off the feeding tube!!! Beyond all of that My friend Andrea took the day off work and called me Friday morning and asked when I was leaving and if she could come too!!! Are you kidding me she saved me!!!! She Played with Alisha so that I could focus on all of the things that were asked about things from Alisha's birth til now. My sister Jayna who is in town for a while was planning on going with me for a few weeks even when I didn't know for sure when or if I was really going to have a spot. It didn't matter she was just going to be there. Oh, and Andrea offered to drive her car with much better gas mileage and she switched Alisha's car seat too!!!! My Dad let me borrow his voice recorder because he knows about my "adult ADD" there is no way that I could take good enough notes even with out having to keep up my end of the conversation!!! My friend Heather and my Mom took shifts watching Mataya and Jeff who is so Da MAN!! .. took Mataya with him to the girls/ scout camp (separate camps people) fundraising auction with Skyler and they had a good time.

Sometimes people ask how I do it. Truly, never am I really doing it alone. I'm feeling so grateful for all of our friends and family they rotate turns with different things or just talk or do things with us and we have fun that alone is priceless!!! I love to just look at the line up of giving people that Heavenly Father has set us up with and that each of them can be blessed for that is wonderful. I'm just feeling loved.

I'll move on to the trip. I've never packed so "well" for a therapy session!!! I just really didn't know exactly what to expect. I went with the "Be prepared and ye shall not fear" approach. I'll spare you the list of things that I packed... I'll will say that it involved two car seats and three bags.. they were small..... LOL!!!!! Andrea made excellent time was an awesome tour guide she has family in the area and knew the location well. That was a huge stress reducer for me I got to skip the whole "suck it up soldier mode" coping thing... that's HUGE!!!!! We had about an hour to kill when we got there and had fun at this really great park we took some fun pictures to it was beautiful!! We've done different kinds of intensive therapy things before or new doctors and they ask tons of questions and they kinda end it with a couple of ideas maybe but mostly it's "Wow she's kind of a tricky little kiddo ... Hmmm..." I just know that this was going to be GREAT!!!!! Even when Krisi said "She's a tricky kiddo" (I'm not kidding I have it recorded remember..) I had no doubts that she was just beginning what she was going to say. Krisi spent almost two hours with us!! I LOVE her!!! I'll cut it down to she taught me how to do the "dry spoon technique" she said that is should be solid with how to accept a spoon the right way in about three days. I'm so excited!!!! Krisi also offered to have me video Alisha eating and email it to her and she could give me more information of things to do to get Alisha really eating!!! She also told me that we should probably get her on a low pain med that I'm not even going to try to spell because Alisha's tummy doesn't feel good so why would she eat? I'm soooooo condensing this it makes more sense they way she talked about it. She said that we should also have another... basically using an Xray to watch and time how long it takes Alisha's tummy to empty but not an upper GI..we haven't done an upper GI in a while. I'm also getting her back on an allergy med that we are using because it has the side effect of being an appetite enhancer. It can also be a great nap enhancer so I watch the dose on that closely and take the weekends off so it doesn't loose it's effectiveness. Krisi gave me the email for the famous Dr Hyman and told me about a very unique place in New Jersey that takes kids like Alisha on feeding tubes or other feeding problems and teaches them how to eat!!! Beyond that teaches the parents and other caregivers if they can come how to feed the child the same way the whole thing takes on average about a month. I would take Mataya with me too a lot of this stuff has been really hard on her she really misses her Mommy besides both girls would have more fun just being together and Skyler would enjoy some guy time with Dad. We figure that it would cost about $4,000 if we rented the apartment on the 9Th floor of the hospital it would save on transportation and I would feel safer not having to travel with the girls because I hear that it is not a great neighborhood at all. I would want to take the girls to see some things while we were there I would just need to figure a way to feel safe doing it. I have very little information at this point which is always the most scary part. There are two other parent recommend hotels but I haven't checked them out yet. The waiting list is also four to six months long. I haven't put us on the list yet but I figure I can see how much I can teach Alisha with Krisi's help until then. I'm so glad that Krisi had an aim with her questions so when we were done all the information was grouped so that she was able to categorize problem areas beyond that she has solutions for them!!!! That just doesn't happen often. My biggest regret is that I didn't have a picture taken of all of us including the awesome students who had great questions and a couple suggestions of their own. WOW!!!!! If you have read this far you must really love us kudos to you!!!!

Alisha is four!!! I will paint for therapy!!!

Alisha turned four yesterday!!! She is doing sooo awesome! officially two years without a hospital stay woooo hooooo!!!!! She has made such huge leaps forward. She has gained enough weight that her nutritionist said that for her body size she really doesn't want her to gain more weight for right now. That was a huge first!! She is currently 24.8 lbs and 35.5 inches tall. Her birthday was the first day that I gave her morning meds with about 90mls of apple juice to help keep her sugar up and took her to school. At school she ate about the same amount of GF bread as five sacrament pieces and 1/2 cup of water. I was excited and gave her about 4 or 5 Cheetos and she ate those too. I know they are not made of broccoli but if my girlie will eat them that's about where we are at this point. With the stuff that I put through her pump she's got to be about the top ten most healthy "eating" kids around. This weekend Janya Alisha and I are going to San Ramon to be seen by a hugely awesome feeding therapist (I think that's her official title). I find out today weather we can be seen on Friday or Saturday.
As for today, I'm putting a second coat of paint on a bookcase for Alisha's "Magic" therapist and delivering it on Friday depending on the feeding stuff in San Ramon. ( I've also painted a larger bookcase and her therapy room with plans to eventually paint her whole house!! I do this in trade for her woring on Alisha an extra time each week so she gets seen twice as much as what the school will pay for). I'm also finishing Women of the silk this months book club book. I might even run some laundry woooo hoooo!!! Consider yourselves caught up for now I will post about how the feeding therapy goes.
TTFN
Heather.

Wooooo Hoooooooo!!!!!

Alisha just peed on the floor... ;)
okay but it's exciting that she was DRY for THREE hrs TWENTY FIVE minutes!!!!!!!!
I won't tell anybody if you are dancing and cheering like I am!!!! Yea!!!

The following Monday...

Hi, I'm a bit behind but I think that I should also add that the following Monday I kept Mataya home because her class was on a field trip to a gym club.. Yeah, don't think so. I got a call from the school nurse saying that Skyler had hurt himself during P.E. I asked if they had a wheelchair that we could use to get him out the car. They didn't have one?!?!? Somebody needs to hop on Craigs List!! I still can't believe that there are no between choices.. life flight, rookie wagon or hop. I had to have him hop out to the van. It's been a few years since I have been able to carry him. Oh, I forgot to tell you that he fell, hurt his ankle, and heard it pop. Skyler's sensory system isn't typical. If he says that it doesn't hurt that much all that means it that I'm glad that he's not in pain but not that I can be really sure that he is really fine. I took him to the emergency room and it was a really bad sprain and he was on crutches for almost a week. He went to ym/yw with out them but regretted it the next day. He's still not walking in quite his normal way but he will get there in not long. The kinda funny part was that after we talked some more I found out that he was only doing the exercises before the run and he fell down. ;0) We laughed a little bit about that one.. We are doing much better. I'm taking Mataya to get her stitches out today.

We are also taking some very slow steps for potty training Alisha. We are doing it VERY VERY slowly..... as recommended by her SCOE teacher. At this point we are having her run around in her little panties and timing when she wets to see if her body can last long enough to make it worth it for her to go potty. So far this time has been one hour and fifteen minutes!! Normally she's right around an hour and five minutes or ten max!! Anyway, she breaks things down into such tiny steps that you can't help but be successful!! I guess it's good that she's like that.. It just goes against everything in me... LOOK there's the potty.. let's go already!!! Not that bad. I'll read stories and clear a few weeks so that we can be consistent but that is the very best that I would be able to do alone. She is really good and really smart. I believe that she knows what she is doing... I'm just ready to be DONE!!!! Something better hurry up because Alisha has started teasing me about her diapers... Yeah, if ya know me at all you'll know that I don't stand for that and it's time to get creative and get that FIXED!!! in short order!!! Next Sunday Skyler officially becomes a teacher. That is very neat and kinda weird at the same time. Every once in a while not only can I not believe that he is that old let alone us.. I can't believe that we have clothed, fed and generally supplied everything for him for that many years.. Can you picture the heap of everything that would take??? I can hardly envision it and I was there.. Anyway, I better go for now I have another closet to get to before I pick up Mataya.

Mataya is a tuff girlie...

Well, let's see...
Monday... I was feeling kinda down and didn't accomplish much. Funny how that goes together. The kids had the day off from school and so we had a Mommy and kids popcorn and movie day and played some games. It was rainy and we did spend time together and had fun.... I'm feeling the need to have something to point at when the day ends.. I'm sure I'll get there today was us together.

Tuesday... well, that was my last post.

Wednesday... Is normally a crazy day in it's own right.. but when I was dropping Alisha off at preschool I saw that the back drivers side tire was very flat. I call Jeff and we coordinate the car switch while getting all four tires replaced. Throw all that's in tailed with that along with an extra trip to the library for this months book club book and a few more for the girls on top the the regular things that make that day crazy and I don't get home until 5:30 and really kinda wiped out! It's those kind of days that I really call on Skyler and I also run through the bed time line up... I'm done!!!

Thursday.... I was really surprised that it was Thursday I think Monday threw me off... I was very happy because I knew that we were going over to Chad & Erin's to play games and watch LOST. Jeff and I were going no matter what!!!!! I count that as a date night!! That might be sad but we have a lot of fun with them and never the same fun twice!! We love'em!!

Friday... Is normally the day that I look forward to all week Sunday is way good too just not for the same things!!!. It has been deemed scrap booking, movie, game and "Whateveryouwantnight". Alisha doesn't have school on Fridays and Skyler and Mataya had extra short school days. I thought I would get some extra things done and be ready for my Friday night. It was still early in the day and I was on My Space and Mataya found some blades to my rolling fabric cutter. Mataya was giving one to Alisha. Mataya thought they were round metal magnets. When things like that happen Skyler can't talk fast enough ... He just grabbed the blades from Mataya. In the process somehow Mataya's hand got cut on the back side from the little finger almost to the wrist. Skylers thumb also ended up missing a small chunk off the tip. Mataya was worried about what they were going to have to do to her.. I looked at her told her she was going to be fine. Then looking at her face I said "Do you want me to bring the camera?" In a soft crying voice she said "Yes.." Skyler watched Alisha and I called my Mom to come fill in after work while I'm driving down the freeway to the emergency room. Mataya did great!!! she told me about stories that she had read in the library books and she did really well even during all of the shots. I was focusing on her but it sure seemed like about 10 shots!! After she was done telling me about all the stories that she read she asked me to tell her a story. So we started telling one of those stories that each person tells one sentence then the next person adds. It was a great story about about a snake and a Caterpillar that were friends. several times the doctor was laughing at our silly story. She did a wonderful job 3 hours 13 stitches and some great pictures later we went home. I was very proud of her!!!

I'm gonna miss this...

Jeff stayed home sick today not feeling good and I'm sure really tired but he choose to help me around the house anyway. That was a great surprise. I've been in a funk lately. Just feeling like I can't make a big enough dent in things and limbo of moving in 3~4 months and having some things packed too soon to pack everything the rest of the things kinda haunt me and it's too soon to really look for a place.. yadda yadda and all that goes with that.. I just wanna pick out paint colors!! I'm having a hard time with it all sometimes. I feel like I should be sooo busy but I can't think what I'm realy suposed to be doing cuz most of it is too far away but I should be getting it done and I'm having a hard time making a list that seems resonable at this point. That and this huge feeling that I'm not measuring up to anything.. Very lovely!!

Yesterday the DVD player kinda got sick but didn't die and only showed things in black and white.. We were glad that it wasn't the TV and Jeff got a new DVD player last night. Today Jeff was home with me and he did the dishes and really fixed up the kitchen. I packed up a couple boxes of kitchen things that we don't use often but I still love and use for fancy fun things. With those things packed we can put things away like chips snacks and cereals. It feels great to get them off the table. I do look forward to getting a bigger place!! Then I was cleaning in the living room I was getting excited like I can pack the things that we need but really don't have room for in this house and we can have the feeling of fitting while we are still here and maybe we can have friends over!!!! YEA!! I was also taking pictures of things to post on Craigslist. As I walked away to get the camera the white shelving above the TV FELL OFF THE WALL!!!! It's been up there for more then four months!!! I called for Jeff.. I was so shocked!!! The shelving and everything on it including Jeff's mission plate was on the floor. Jeff knew I wasn't doing well and he came in the room and said did you here somebody say "Get out!!" LOL!!!! He also said that it was really good that I was walking away or I could have been really hurt.
The TV that we were so relieved about yesterday was laying on the screen on the floor. I could still hear jungle book.... (Alisha didn't wake up..) Jeff helped me pick everything up. I felt so bad about his mission plate. He thinks he can make some phone calls and get another one made. Well, on the side where the TV landed hardest is purple and the left side of the screen is kinda normalish.. The kids don't seem to mind that. They also don't seem to mind the scraches about the size of my fist on a couple of places on the screen either. After getting it all cleaned up and realizing that for sure the plate was not fixable.. I went in the kitchen. I love my kitchen!! (even though it's the size of a very small apartment kitchen.) I love the colors in there and I LOVE my IKEA cabinets!!! The song "You're Gonna Miss This" (or at least that's what I think it's called) comes on.. I'm just looking around my kitchen.. Even if we get a bigger kitchen which would be easy to do really. I will still really miss the personality that my kitchen has. I love my microwave too!!! I was feeling a long way from happy... feeling like another day of not making it.. feeling like I want some chocolate and jammies climb in bed and just call this day done!!! I walk over to the cabinet to get a glass and Jeff came up and asks "You need a drink?" I said.. "Oh yeah!!" He said "I love you." then he starts singing with the radio and slowdancing with me in the kitchen singing in my ear and kinda laughing.. "You're gonna miss this... You're gonna want this back...." "You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.." "These are some good times.." Then we both really started laughing!!!! .. I told him he was a total butt!! We were still laughing!! I love times like that!!! He was right!! This is the stuff that makes this day stand out from the rest. These are the days that we are gonna miss!!! All too soon everything about this house and our time here will be memory. I love that Jeff was there with me today!!! I'm really feeling the dent we made in the house today. I finished getting almost all the picutures done.. We still need to post the ads on Craigslist.. Anybody want a halfish purple screened TV?!?!?! LOL!!!!!

Happy Valintines Day!!!

Jeff & I are doing GREAT!!!!! Today he surprised me and came home at lunch and handed me the mail and at the bottom of the stack was a Valintines Day Card he smiled when I looked for the address.. The card was perfect too!! The outside said "I'M CRAZY FOR YOU!" The inside said "Maybe I need a few therapy sessions on your couch." We were laughing smile'n and some kissing too. I so LOVE him and the us that we make.

Hi !! I think this a great idea Erin!! I have a My Space and I thought that would be great because it's so easy. I thought that it would be great to get Grandma up and going and then we could get her all set up and it would be so easy for her to click on the pic of the family member that she wanted to chat with. The major down side is some of the ads that pop up!!!!!! I do have a slide show set up on my page. I'm Hezzadew@myspace.com if ya wanna take a peek. I need to fix some things on it though. ANYWAY!!!! WE have been doing great. My favorite thing lately is that we are two for two so far with awesome readers!! I LOVE watching my Dad see them read. He tried too hard to shove reading on us.. WE never got caught reading!! Later we all read a lot after we moved out though. Skyler will read the directions to things that he already knows how to do. I have to say that it is kinda funny to see my dad watch that happen. Skyler is getting really good grades except one class so he will have to wait till the next report card to earn being able to read the 7th Harry Potter. He also has quite a few friends at his new school. I'm so glad that he is going there. His teachers are great. Mataya is getting averaging 97% in her subjects in first grade. She was a cherub in the Sacramento Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker. She did a great job and loved it except for the fog she said it was wet. She is about to turn seven in March and she is moving from her jazz & ballet class to the older kids jazz class. Alisha is doing really well in her preschool. They are always telling me about something that she has surprised them with. She knows how to do everything they are asking the average students to do. They even require her to clear her place at the table even though she is barely able to reach the counter top. to put her things in the sink. Alisha doesn't mind if anything she's very proud!! I never made her do that. I knew that she was capable but she is so short I never made her. I do make her clean up her toys. The girls have bins on wheels so that she doesn't have to carry them to move them. I know that there are tons of things that she can do that are much harder for her because of her size. It's sometimes hard for me to choose what to make her do and what to help her with. She may be capable of climbing mountains but do I need to require her to do it several times a day? Do I not require her to do enough and then I'm a giving her optional handicaps. Then there are other times when I think that I'm just over thinking things. I'd like to regret as least as possible. Hopefully Alisha will be out of day time diapers sometime 2008. As of now her bladder only lasts for an hour and five to ten minutes. Her teachers are suggesting that we wait longer till her body can last longer but her body is so tiny. I don't see that getting fixed any time really soon. Diapers are easier. It feels kinda rude because she's almost four to have her stay in diapers. This is starting to feel like one of those things that I think way too much about and when the time comes it's just not a big deal. Anyway, this Sunday Alisha will be a Sunbeam!! We have been blessed in our new ward (only a couple of months) that we have had people that we know and already know Alisha in place and they are there to help the people who haven't met her yet. Her Sunbeam teacher is a good friend of mine and has already taught Alisha in nursery. I better go for now but that kinda gives ya a feel for things right now. I'd love input and to know how everybody else is doing...
Heather