Christmas 2007 Part Two

I thought I'd post this separately from the rest of our Christmas adventures.

Half an hour after the family left, Matthew decided to jump off his bed, over a hurdle, and onto the floor. He hit the hurdle, turned to see what hit his foot, landed on his arm, and the rest is history.

We ran into the bedroom after hearing him scream, "I broke my arm!" Sure enough, it was obviously broken.

Three hours later, we returned from the ER with a splint and an unset arm. Matthew slept on a rollaway bed in the family room, and I slept by him on the couch.

We returned to the hospital this morning to have an orthopedic surgeon set his arm. He is now parked on the couch, sipping rootbeer floats, and watching movies I normally can't stand. He'll have his fill of Yu-Gi-Oh today, but we figure it's the least we can do for him.

He was a brave little soldier, and said that he knows why I tell them to not jump on the bed. A hard lesson learned, I guess, but he'll be okay.

It was interesting to ponder my thoughts while waiting in the ER. I sat in the waiting room and by Matthew's side, listened to him moan, and felt complete peace. Although he was injured, I knew he would be okay. Although the trips to the hospital racked up yet another medical bill, I wasn't worried because we have good insurance. I listened to the crying, coughing, and chaos surrounding us, and was happy to know we'd be returning to our home soon. We have a happy home, full of love, and that's all that matters.

Holding Matthew's hand as he fell asleep and seeing my wonderful 9 year old son reminded me of a Christmas morning nine years ago when he was born. The gifts under the tree remained unopened as we held our new son and reveled in the miracle of life. Santa Clause was completely forgotten, and we focused instead on the birth of our savior. I can honestly say that Christmas, 1998 was the best Christmas I have ever had. This year, as I reflected on how fortunate we really are, I again felt grateful for the blessing we have. Injuries are only small hiccups on the road of life, but sometimes they remind of us of what's really important.

Christmas 2007 Part One

Yesterday was a wonderful, relaxing day for us. We managed to hold the little guys at bay until 8:30, and then we dug into the presents. Some of our favorite moments:

Nicole received a dolly stroller. She immediately threw a teddy bear into the stroller, buckled it up, and proceeded to run/slide back and forth down the halls. When we opened a sleeper for her, she ran/slid into the living room, grabbed the sleeper, threw it over the teddy bear, and peeled out into the hall again, running full speed toward her bedroom.

Scotty was "Santa" this year and handed out the presents. He knows how to read, so he spent lots of time searching for his own gifts under the tree! His favorite gift - Anakin and Count Dooku Star Wars figures and a Jedi fighter.

Matthew is the proud new owner of Heelies (aka bone breakers) and a skateboard. While he was acclimating to his new shoes, he repeatedly forgot that if he leaned back, the wheels kicked into gear. It was quite funny to watch him while was talking. One moment he stood beside us, and the next his voice came from somewhere on the floor. It was Matthew's ninth birthday, as well. Although he celebrated it last October, it is still hard to believe our baby Matthew is getting so old.

Sierra spent most of the day playing with her new epet German Shepherd. She enjoyed walking him, feeding him, and teaching him tricks. We enjoyed the fact that her pet is hairless, voiceless, and only requires batteries to keep him alive. She also added substantially to her Littlest Pet Shop collection.

Dallin ate his weight in candy today, and asked repeatedly to have his chocolatey hands washed. He happily bounced from one set of toys to the next. His standard expression was, "Oh, wow!" He enjoyed opening his presents as much as playing with them. His favorite game was Cooties, and he liked his new Spiderman action figures.

Matt and I simply enjoyed the season, and happily traded off taking naps throughout the afternoon.

We had a big ham dinner with my family. All in all, it was a great day.

November/December update

I sent this out via email, but decided to post it here, as well.

The most recent news is that Matt finally had surgery to correct severe sleep apnea. He had his tonsils out, and the doctor cauterized / removed his adenoids, uvula, and the back of his tongue. Matt has not slept much in two days, but we're optimistic that someday he will be happy to be alive again and this pain will all be worth it.

I felt myself growing restless these past few months, so I am in the middle of writing a children's book (I'm thinking of actually trying to publish it - I've heard rejection is good for the soul), singing in our stake Christmas choir, and I just finished repainting the girls' rooms. NIcole is now situated upstairs, away from our bedroom.

Sierra is having a great year of school. She entered the reflections contest and WON! We collected her trophy and Target card this week, and her entry will go to the district level. She is so excited to have a real trophy on her bookcase, and we're proud of her for writing such a creative story.

Matthew, when we actually see him, is also enjoying school. He brought home his best report card ever. Matt rewarded Matthew and Sierra by taking each of them and a friend of their choice ice skating. I was sure they'd come home with somebody in a cast, but they all survived with minor injuries. Matthew has decided that reading is lots of fun and came home with a five pound Harry Potter book a few weeks ago.

Scotty is adjusting to school five days a week. He prefers to stay home with me. I had no idea how hard it's been for him to leave until he burst into tears on Monday and said he doesn't want to leave the house, he wants to stay with me. Lucky for him he was sick with the flu and I let him. We spent some quality time decorating our Christmas tree and reading.

Dallin. Hmmm. He's four, and he's definitely Matthew's little brother. He let's us know what he wants, when he wants it, and in what color dish. Dallin is learning his letters and writes random words across papers, then wants to know what it says. He gives me presents daily of wrapped up pieces of cut up paper (shavings are always strewn across the floor) with pictures of happy people. I love this age - he is still happy cuddled up in my lap, but is quickly learning that we live in a big, exciting world and he wants to be a part of it.

Nicole is growing WAY too fast. She comes up with new words daily. Her first sentence came last week. She said, "No, Matthew. Stop it!" We were so proud, and Matthew deserved the reprimand so he laughed. She calls the bird "Baby". When it's time for bed she trucks off to her big girl toddler bed and says "Night, Night" in a very high voice. Sometimes she disappears in the morning and we have to find her. She seems to prefer sleeping in Matthew's bed, so as soon as he vacates it, she fills his spot with a big grin on her face. And oh, the messes! She's in the running for the most destructive child yet, and we thought that race was over a long time ago.

Last night I took Sierra, Matthew, and my brother Jim to a Jazz game (Matt politely declined coming). Scotty quickly found the score board and gave me minute - to - minute updates on the score. Every time the Jazz made a basket, he cheered. I glanced at him halfway through the game, and would have cried if nobody was around. My cute little five year old was curled up on his seat with a huge gallon size bucket of popcorn, a drink, wearing his new Jazz T-shirt. Matt let him wear his Jazz hat. He was the picture of a very happy, content child. Sierra sat on the other side of me, happily examining her tooth, which came out midway through the second quarter. She ate ice cream till her stomach hurt, and chose the game over a friend's birthday slumber party. I love the fact that our children all love sports. I never dreamed I'd be taking two of our kids to a game, without Matt, and love every minute of it! We also appreciated Jimmy coming so I didn't have to walk from the car to the Delta center in the dark and snow with two children. He didn't seem to mind!

Well, I guess the next update will be in about six weeks when/if I finish the family Christmas newsletter!

Bye for now!

Heather

The Perils of Technology

Please look below this post at the picture of Dallin on the computer. I had no idea how accurate "Destroying" really was! Last weekend, we lost both our cell phones AND the computer - within 48 hours. We lost pictures, all our word documents, and any software we didn't have backed up. Long story short - - - we are very happy to have our pictures saved on Wal-Mart.com, hope the new phones will last longer than the old ones, and will consider letting Dallin on the computer again - in about three years! Grrr.

Heather is a Yellow Crayon.

***You Are a Yellow Crayon***
Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors.You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius.Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way.While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme.
Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.
What Color Crayon Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorcrayonareyouquiz/

do you ever ask your children, "What did you do today?" They usually answer by saying, "I don't know." We decided to post pictures of some of our favorite things to do. The one above is Sierra holding her bunny.

Matthew, Scotty, and Dallin enjoying a late year

swim (taken in mid-September)

Dallin is often seen playing (destroying) the

computer

Matthew's imagination is still alive

and well. This is a picture of him

being a cowboy - just because.

Scott is one tough five year old

Scotty fell and broke his arm while playing with friends at Sierra's soccer game. He had to start school with a bright blue cast. He is such a brave boy. He hardly cried, and never complained about having to wear a cast. He learned quickly that a cast makes a great sword, and he never lost! He (luckily) was able to swim with the cast on, so it didn't get dirty or itchy. We were happy to have his arm back after 4 weeks.

This picture was taken before his first day of kindergarten.

Halloween 2007

Halloween is such a fun holiday! At our family Halloween party, Sierra and NIcole dressed up as pirates, Matthew was the Grim Reaper, Scotty was a vampire, and Dallin was Superman. By Halloween night, they changed their minds and Nicole became a tiger and Dallin was the Incredible Hulk. I'll post pictures as soon as my camera is charged.

Father / Son "Sleep out"

Matt and Matthew had a special father / son campout on the tramp in our back yard. They set up a tv and watched Indiana Jones. I took this picture about 30 minutes into the movie. Like father, like son. They both fall asleep during action films!

Matthew was so excited to have some alone time with Dad. His smile says it all.

CRUISIN'

This is Matt and I on the first formal night.

Here is the reason you take off the WET bathing trunks BEFORE putting on your shorts.

Heather, Matt, Karl, and Marlise on the way to Trunk Bay.

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Heather and Marlise modeling an isalnd staple on Dominica, the breadfruit.

Matt and Heather in front of the the pack on our dune buggies in Barbados.

Matt's gone rasta! Check out the dreadlocks and hairy chest.

Some local kids in Dominica. They loved seeing their picture on the camera.

Our last supper with Nadia, our server. Eating was the highlight of each evening.

In front of Trafalgar Falls in Dominica.

We spent the last day on this beach in Antigua. It was a perfect way to end the cruise.

Matt and Heather heading out to St. Johns to snorkel.

Scotty's 5th Birthday

Scotty is 5! It's hard to believe he is already so old. We had a Space theme for his birthday.

The boys all had flashlights to scare away the aliens and made spae helmets. Here they are practicing with their flashlights.

Scotty is waiting for takeoff in the space ship. Don't worry - they all wore their seatbelts.

Disneyland

The week after school was out we took the kids and my mom to Disneyland. Nicole stayed in Utah with my sister, Becky. We had a long, uneventful trip out there and arrived late Saturday.

The "deluxe" accomodations were so exaggerated it was humorous, but it was reasonably close to Disneyland and we took the cool shuttles to and from the park. The kids, especially, Dallin, liked to take the bus.

Some highlights of our 4 day disney experience:

• Sierra loved the roller coasters, but didn't care for the Tower of Terror. She was able to ride everything. At night when the crowds lessened, Matt or I took the older kids on all the rides. One night, we did Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad (very fun when it's dark out), Indiana Jones, and I don't know how many times in the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. One day, we attended a workshop on drawing Disney characters. Sierra's came out very good! Sierra said, "This is the life, Mom. I don't want to ever go back home." Sierra slept in a room with Grandma, which she loved. Although we told the kids we were packing light, she managed to smuggle several books, stuffed animals, and her pillow.


• Matthew managed to get lost temporarily only 4 times. Twice he grabbed a stranger's stroller and walked off with another family. His expression when he realized he was not with me was quite comical. Matthew loved the California section. He enjoyed the Tower of Terror quite a bit as well as a ropes course and zip line. Matthew managed to climb on anything and everything. Sometimes when we were waiting in line for an attraction he disappeared, only to reappear on the walls, at the top of a ladder, or on a railing. He managed to entertain himself quite well and was cheerful the whole trip, except for the drive there and back. Instead of sleeping on a cot, Matthew opted to make a bed in the huge closet in our room and spend the extra money on an extra souviner. He now has a Pirates of the Caribbean poster and watch.


• Scotty was his usual, quiet and perceptive self. He loved Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear, the Bug's Life Adventure, and the ship in Frontierland. He didn't like Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and Space Mountain. When we took the boys into Toon Town, Scotty and Dallin went nuts and ran from one house to the next. I had the two of them and couldn't keep up! They ran through the entire section, laughing, in about 10 minutes. When I finally caught up to them, Scotty said, "Let's do that again!" So we did.


• Dallin LOVED driving the cars in Autopia. I pushed the pedals, and he drove. Since he has no idea how the steering wheel works, we drove like a drunken maniac. Every time we hit the metal bar that keeps us on track, Dallin laughed hysterically. I think that was my favorite ride the entire trip. It was the sheer joy of childhood. Dallin also loved the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and Buzz Lightyear. He was so funny on Buzz - as soon as we were seated, he started shooting his laser gun at the people in front of him, behind him, and occasionally toward the targets. He didn't smile much, and didn't talk much because he was working so hard on his "work."








• My mom rented a wheel chair the third and fourth days. We enjoyed wheeling her up to the front of the lines and skipping hours and hours of waiting! The kids liked to help her push, but it was sometimes hard uphill.

Scotty is doing very well with preschool. His teacher said that his vision has improved to the point he will qualify to be in regular education next year. His glasses improved his vision to 20/70, but he is a smart boy and he does very well. He is becoming more and more social and is learning how to be assertive with other children his own age. That is a great relief. He once had a friend come over to play. He became tired of entertaining, so he climbed on his bed and started reading. When his friend asked what he was doing, Scotty informed him matter of factly that he was finished playing and he (the friend) could go home now.

Nicole is now 1. She is learning to run and lurches across the floor, looking like she will fall at any given moment. She knows how to take CDs out of our computer, stereo, and she can remove / replace DVDs. She knows how to turn on my cell phone and likes to "help" empty the dishwasher. I'm not sure what's going on with kids these days. I guess the world of technology is being programmed into their little brains at a much earlier age.

An explanation of the pictures: Top left: Nicole at 3 months middle: Christmas with Santa right: Nicole helping me put away groceries (that WAS a full bag of baby wipes) bottom left: playing on the beach in Mexico right: A sleepy Nicole eating her birthday cake

Nicole's favorite word is "ha ha", and her first sentence was "Hi, Dad!" I put these pictures on because she is growing so fast it seems like every day she has yet another outfit that is too small. Babies really do grow up too fast.

Upcoming Events

We have lots to look forward to this summer:

May: Last month of school / Heather and Scotty's birthday / Swimming lessons? / Warmer weather?

June: Soccer camp for Sierra, Matthew, and Scotty / sleeping in / Disneyland / Grandma Ehler's birthday party

July: 4th celebration / campout with Conder family / campout with Goold Family

Mendonsa News

Dallin is finally getting potty trained! He's doing very well, and we should be finished in a day or two. That means we only have one more and WE'RE FINISHED! To some, this isn't a big deal. What people don't know is that we have

been changing diapers for 10 years, 3 weeks, and a day. That means we've probably changed about 8500 diapers!

But how can we be upset with him? See how sweet he is when he's sleeping?