Here are just a few things that Megan has said recently that make me laugh.
I took Megan with me to run a quick errand and on the way back this is what she said.
Megan-"Are we going home now?"
Me-"Yes"
Megan-"Do we have to?"
Me-"Yes. Why don't you want to go home now?"
Megan-"There are too many sisters there."
One morning I was busy and forgot that I hadn't fed Megan breakfast yet. She said she already had breakfast. I asked her what she ate and she said, "peoples." I said you ate people for breakfast and she said yes, she was very serious even though I was about to crack up. I looked at Elizabeth who had been with her most of the morning and Lizzie said that she had given Megan some Sour Patch Kids.
Dakota has a whoopee cushion she likes to play with. Megan picked it up and Lizzie asked her what it was. She replied, "that's Dakota's whoopin."
I found Megan and Alex in my bathroom where she knows they are not supposed to be. As we were leaving the bathroom she told me how she had gone in there to get Alex and bring him out. I thanked her for being such a big girl and helping me, she looked at me and said, "I am his sister you know" like it was her job as a sister to help the baby.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Goals
Lizzie gave the lesson for our family home evening tonight and the lesson was on setting goals. She used the Preach My Gospel manual to prepare her lesson. She did such a wonderful job! I was so impressed with the ideas she came up with, the handouts she made, the scriptures that she included, and the activities she used not only for the big kids but for the little ones as well so that they could be included. She was so confident in her teaching and everyone was so excited to participate. We talked about making personal goals and even set two family goals together, one was long term and one we actually accomplished before the end of the lesson. One of the handouts she made was from a handout she had received from her Young Women class that hangs on our fridge. She made us each a personal copy so that we could have it with us every time we sit down to write or evaluate our goals. This is what it said:
Make "SMART" Goals!
S: specific
M: measurable
A: attainable
R: record & report
T: time-based
The other handout that she gave each of us was a quote from the Preach My Gospel manual. One of the talks given in Church yesterday talked about this quote and it really struck me, so when Lizzie used it in her lesson I was so excited. I was especially excited that she made me a copy of the quote so that I could see it every day. Here is that quote:
"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of a full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life."
- Elder M. Russell Ballard
For our treat afterwards she had made everyone their own "dirt cup" and even put them in to the cups that I bought for ice cream sundaes so that they would look special. It was so much fun sitting around the table with everyone talking and enjoying the evening. Thank you Lizzie, for all of your hard work.
Make "SMART" Goals!
S: specific
M: measurable
A: attainable
R: record & report
T: time-based
The other handout that she gave each of us was a quote from the Preach My Gospel manual. One of the talks given in Church yesterday talked about this quote and it really struck me, so when Lizzie used it in her lesson I was so excited. I was especially excited that she made me a copy of the quote so that I could see it every day. Here is that quote:
"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of a full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life."
- Elder M. Russell Ballard
For our treat afterwards she had made everyone their own "dirt cup" and even put them in to the cups that I bought for ice cream sundaes so that they would look special. It was so much fun sitting around the table with everyone talking and enjoying the evening. Thank you Lizzie, for all of your hard work.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Eating woes
The first thing Alex wanted to do when he was born was eat. This kid is one hungry eating machine. Unfortunately eating has been a challenge for him since the day he was born. First he had to struggle to get enough milk because I wasn't producing as much as I thought I was and I didn't supplement him enough to make up for what he wasn't getting from me so he was very hungry for his first 4 months. I had to start feeding him formula full time when he was 4 1/2 months which was also about the time we introduced cereal to him so he was happy for a little bit because he was finally learning what it was like to feel full. At about 6 months he started eating vegetables and some fruits. That's when he also started getting a bad diaper rash. I thought it was a yeast rash at first because the medicine for yeast cleared it up. Unfortunately the rash kept coming back. Eventually nothing would clear it up and diaper changes became torture for both of us, although he got the worst of it. I didn't want to go to the doctor. I guess I felt that it was just a diaper rash and that as a mother I should be able to handle it without running to the doctor. Hind sight is always 20/20. Anyway, I did pray much about it for help on what to do. I got the answer that he was having an allergic reaction. The only experience I had with allergic reactions was when Lizzie was an infant she had to have soy formula because she would spit up too much with regular formula but that was about it so I didn't realize that this rash might be a food allergy.
I stopped giving him all solid food except for rice cereal because I knew it was safe. His rash did get better so I started giving him solid foods one by one to see what he reacted to. It seemed to be any "orange" foods would cause a reaction like carrots, sweet potatoes, and peaches. I cut all those out of his diet and things were okay for a short time and then the rash came back. After a while I cut him from all foods again out of frustration and just gave him formula deciding that I should just call the doctor and ask for help. It had been about 5 months since we had started battling the unknown allergy. With more prayers I again got the answer that it was an allergy but this time it was a little more specific. The one thing I had not cut out of his diet was the one thing that he was allergic to. The cause of all the misery and frustration was the formula. I immediately went and got a can of soy formula. The result was immediate. His rash had started going away with the first bottle of soy and was completely gone by the next day. I felt like such an idiot. What a simple fix and because of my stubbornness my son had to suffer much longer than he should have. I'm sure the doctor could have told me right away to try soy formula. A little back story on that though. Because Lizzie had to use soy formula I just gave all my children soy formula without really giving much thought to it other than it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. When Alex's doctor asked what formula I might need to supplement him with I told him soy and he asked why. After telling him that it is just what I've always done he said that it wouldn't hurt but usually soy is only if the child needs it. I thought about that for a while so this time instead of giving him soy I started him on regular formula since he wasn't Lizzie and he was just fine. Things seemed to be okay so I didn't think anything more until the day I switched back to soy. Now looking back I can see that he had a problem with it from the start. He used to spit up so much we called him the spit-up king. I now remember that was the reason Lizzie was switched to soy. Because he was only supplemented with it in the beginning and I didn't give him full time formula until he started eating food I didn't see the connection between the rash and the milk. If I had just given him soy in the beginning like I always did and not second guess myself then this all could have been avoided.
With all the formula issues solved one month before he is old enough to not need formula anymore...ahhhh...I thought his eating woes might be over...nope. Not wanting to give him regular milk, now that he can drink milk, I give him soy milk. Unfortunately he is allergic to that too. Poor little guy. I did talk to his doctor at his one year check up and he said that I could just keep giving him the formula in a cup for now so that is what we are doing. He is still a little eating machine. He will eat as much as Megan at mealtimes and be hungry five minutes later. I have a hard time keeping him full because he is hungry all day long. I knew boys ate a lot but I didn't realize just how much "a lot" was.
I stopped giving him all solid food except for rice cereal because I knew it was safe. His rash did get better so I started giving him solid foods one by one to see what he reacted to. It seemed to be any "orange" foods would cause a reaction like carrots, sweet potatoes, and peaches. I cut all those out of his diet and things were okay for a short time and then the rash came back. After a while I cut him from all foods again out of frustration and just gave him formula deciding that I should just call the doctor and ask for help. It had been about 5 months since we had started battling the unknown allergy. With more prayers I again got the answer that it was an allergy but this time it was a little more specific. The one thing I had not cut out of his diet was the one thing that he was allergic to. The cause of all the misery and frustration was the formula. I immediately went and got a can of soy formula. The result was immediate. His rash had started going away with the first bottle of soy and was completely gone by the next day. I felt like such an idiot. What a simple fix and because of my stubbornness my son had to suffer much longer than he should have. I'm sure the doctor could have told me right away to try soy formula. A little back story on that though. Because Lizzie had to use soy formula I just gave all my children soy formula without really giving much thought to it other than it wouldn't hurt to be on the safe side. When Alex's doctor asked what formula I might need to supplement him with I told him soy and he asked why. After telling him that it is just what I've always done he said that it wouldn't hurt but usually soy is only if the child needs it. I thought about that for a while so this time instead of giving him soy I started him on regular formula since he wasn't Lizzie and he was just fine. Things seemed to be okay so I didn't think anything more until the day I switched back to soy. Now looking back I can see that he had a problem with it from the start. He used to spit up so much we called him the spit-up king. I now remember that was the reason Lizzie was switched to soy. Because he was only supplemented with it in the beginning and I didn't give him full time formula until he started eating food I didn't see the connection between the rash and the milk. If I had just given him soy in the beginning like I always did and not second guess myself then this all could have been avoided.
With all the formula issues solved one month before he is old enough to not need formula anymore...ahhhh...I thought his eating woes might be over...nope. Not wanting to give him regular milk, now that he can drink milk, I give him soy milk. Unfortunately he is allergic to that too. Poor little guy. I did talk to his doctor at his one year check up and he said that I could just keep giving him the formula in a cup for now so that is what we are doing. He is still a little eating machine. He will eat as much as Megan at mealtimes and be hungry five minutes later. I have a hard time keeping him full because he is hungry all day long. I knew boys ate a lot but I didn't realize just how much "a lot" was.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Beauty and the Beast Jr.
The first week of school started of with a bang for Rebecca. That week she had auditions for her school's major musical production. She had never auditioned for anything more than a part in a class play before so this was all new to her. She had to come prepared with a musical piece and then recite lines as well. She was so shy in elementary school that I was surprised at how excited she was to audition. She really wanted to be in the show though so she prepared a song and set a goal to do her very best no matter what. She did a great job and I am so proud of her for accomplishing her goal.
This year the school chose "Beauty and the Beast Jr." which is the high school (or in this case Jr. High) version of the stage play for Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I couldn't believe how early in the year the auditions were since the show wasn't until January. I also didn't realize how big of a production this was and how much time they would really need to rehearse. She was very excited though and being cast as a member of the chorus her rehearsals started right away. They rehearsed after school for 2 or 3 days every week. It was a grueling schedule for her but she enjoyed every minute of it. She was so dedicated to the show and was so enthusiastic that she was given extra characters to play and even two speaking parts. In the village she was a villager, outside the castle she was a wolf as they attacked Maurice then Belle and the Beast (she was one of the wolves who actually attacked the Beast), and inside the castle she was a dancing napkin. One of the two speaking parts was in the tavern just after Gaston sang his big number and the other was as a narrator near the end of the show. If I remember right she had to change costumes 6 times.
About 3 months before the show Lizzie announced they were going to do a real pit orchestra this year for the musical and she wanted to be in it. She has only been playing the clarinet for a little over a year so this music was difficult (impossible at times) for her skill level but she went to rehearsals every week as well and did her best. She didn't like it at first but as she became more familiar with the music and was able to play more and more she came to love it.
Opening night finally came and the girls were so excited. We all were because we were finally going to get to see this musical that we had been hearing so much about for so many months. We got a babysitter for Alex and went to the show as a family. I was blown away! The set was wonderful, the costumes were great, the students were fantastic, and the pit orchestra rocked. The kids had really worked hard and we really enjoyed the performance, no one more so than Megan I think. I just beamed with pride as my Rebecca performed each of her characters flawlessly and got a little nostalgic watching Lizzie play in the pit (technically the school doesn't have a pit so they were just off to the side of the stage, but they made it work.) I am so proud of both my girls! They worked hard and it showed. Congratulations Lizzie and Rebecca!
I think though that the best benefit they got from doing the play was all the new friends they gained. They have this little circle of friends they hang out with at school now and that is something that both of them have needed for so long. Because we move so much and they are usually so shy friends are something that has never come easy. I am so happy to see them interacting with such a great group of kids.
Obviously flash photography was not an option so I couldn't get any pics of the performance, but here are the pictures that we did get.
This year the school chose "Beauty and the Beast Jr." which is the high school (or in this case Jr. High) version of the stage play for Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I couldn't believe how early in the year the auditions were since the show wasn't until January. I also didn't realize how big of a production this was and how much time they would really need to rehearse. She was very excited though and being cast as a member of the chorus her rehearsals started right away. They rehearsed after school for 2 or 3 days every week. It was a grueling schedule for her but she enjoyed every minute of it. She was so dedicated to the show and was so enthusiastic that she was given extra characters to play and even two speaking parts. In the village she was a villager, outside the castle she was a wolf as they attacked Maurice then Belle and the Beast (she was one of the wolves who actually attacked the Beast), and inside the castle she was a dancing napkin. One of the two speaking parts was in the tavern just after Gaston sang his big number and the other was as a narrator near the end of the show. If I remember right she had to change costumes 6 times.
About 3 months before the show Lizzie announced they were going to do a real pit orchestra this year for the musical and she wanted to be in it. She has only been playing the clarinet for a little over a year so this music was difficult (impossible at times) for her skill level but she went to rehearsals every week as well and did her best. She didn't like it at first but as she became more familiar with the music and was able to play more and more she came to love it.
Opening night finally came and the girls were so excited. We all were because we were finally going to get to see this musical that we had been hearing so much about for so many months. We got a babysitter for Alex and went to the show as a family. I was blown away! The set was wonderful, the costumes were great, the students were fantastic, and the pit orchestra rocked. The kids had really worked hard and we really enjoyed the performance, no one more so than Megan I think. I just beamed with pride as my Rebecca performed each of her characters flawlessly and got a little nostalgic watching Lizzie play in the pit (technically the school doesn't have a pit so they were just off to the side of the stage, but they made it work.) I am so proud of both my girls! They worked hard and it showed. Congratulations Lizzie and Rebecca!
I think though that the best benefit they got from doing the play was all the new friends they gained. They have this little circle of friends they hang out with at school now and that is something that both of them have needed for so long. Because we move so much and they are usually so shy friends are something that has never come easy. I am so happy to see them interacting with such a great group of kids.
Obviously flash photography was not an option so I couldn't get any pics of the performance, but here are the pictures that we did get.
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| This is Rebecca on the night of her first dress rehearsal. |
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| Rebecca with "Madame DeLa Grand Busche" (the talking wardrobe.) |
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| Rebecca with "Gaston". He really played the part so well. |
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| Rebecca with "Lafou", Gaston's sidekick. |
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| Lizzie with her friend from pit orchestra and "Lafou". |
Thursday, February 3, 2011
What was I thinking?!
I was sooo excited to start school this year. It has been something I have been looking forward to for a very long time. I knew that it would be difficult with a baby so I waited until we were done having kids and the youngest kid was at least a year old. That time is finally here and I couldn't believe I was actually going back to school myself. We are only four weeks into school now and I am sooo not excited anymore. If it were just a matter of making it to class, taking good notes, and taking tests it wouldn't be a problem but there is one thing that I forgot to factor in...homework! I forgot how much homework each teacher likes to assign. With everything else I have going on right now...what was I thinking. (Lest you think that I spend all my time blogging and not enough time on homework, I do all my blog posts on the weekend and just schedule them to come out during the week.) I am going to finish this semester and do the best I can hoping for good enough grades that they let me go back, but I am seriously reconsidering whether or not this was the right time for me to go back to school.
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