Thinking About the Future

I found the above quote on google and I could relate...

Someone told me today not to stress about Leif's one year absence from the family until it is here. In fact, I've heard it a few times. And every time it is said, the person advising me is right. I shouldn't stress about things that I fear will happen, but might not... But I still do. Every day is different. Some days it's just a passing thought here and there. Some days are terrible and I can't think of anything else. Some nights I crawl in bed and it's not on my mind. Other nights I soak Leif's shoulder with tears.

My biggest fears stem from my concerns about being alone during the Summer break with all of the kids at home.

We have also just finished up with a really hard week at the public school (more on that subject later) so I couldn't but but battle an internal struggle about home schooling next year. 

There is a lot to write about and, think through. But this is good enough for now. G'Night All!

Home School Month in Review February

FIRST GRADE

February: Valentines Day, Moon Landings, Moon Phases, Similes, American Presidents, Ancient Egypt, Kindness, Determination, Love, Classic: Aesop’s Fables

Above are the subjects that I had planned before we put Jakob back into the Public School system. The following are the Home School activities that we carried out:

Valentines/Birthdays: We have a Scarecrow in our garden that we haven't been able to pull out of the ground. So we decided to decorate him in a Valentine costume with decorated paper plates. We also made Valentine and birthday cards for both grandmas and Jakob made a digital birthday card for grandpa Hunt. 

Math: BJU Press First Grade Math DVD. 

We have tried to stay caught up with this program on Jakob's Friday's and Saturday's. However, he is getting ahead of the program because of his schooling and his natural understanding of math concepts. So I will be skipping ahead past the Money and Addition/Subtraction to the Telling Time and other subjects. 

Gospel: We are still trying to get through our chapter book titled A Child's Story of the Book of Mormon. Everyone enjoys it when we are able to read. It's just hard to fit everything in. We do however read from our Devotional book every morning before Jakob goes to school. I love that it brings in the opportunity to read from the Bible every morning and then we read from the Book of Mormon each night before going to bed. Jakob also enjoys trying to read from the LDS Children's Hymn Book.
We also watched this documentary: The Fanny Crosby Story.
For Family Home Evening we all  love to watch Mormon Messages.

Reading: We read the little reader books from Jakob's school class. I am really happy with how much his reading has improved!

Science: 
Turtle: The Incredible Journey

National Geographic: Super Chopper

The Planets: Different Worlds & Terra Firma

Landing on the Moon July 20, 1969

History: 
A Bear Named Winnie

Winnie the Pooh (2011)

Riddles of the Sphinx: NOVA

Titanica: IMAX

Secrets of the Dead: Lost Ships of Rome

The following are the subjects planned for the month of March. 

March: World War I and II, Idioms, Plants-Seeds-Trees, Individuality, Honesty, Ambition, St. Patrick's Day, Classic: The Arabian Nights: Their Best Known Tales

PRESCHOOL AND SPEECH THERAPY:
We don't do as much as I would like for Caleb's schooling. But I try to do something as often as possible. Even if it's just through Netflix.

Colors: Color Crew Along with trying to point out all of the colors around I have been impressed with the simplicity of this series. It is one of the first things that has helped colors click for Caleb.

Speech: Caleb's teacher sent home some flash cards that we could play games with at home. They are focased on the "K/C" sound. They must have helped because he did well yesterday at speech. In fact he did Really Well!

Foto Friday January

January was an eventful month. Jakob started First Grade in the public school and 

Caleb potty trained himself. YiipPeE!

Sweet Tender Mercies of the Lord

What a special day it has been! Leif and I were able to meet a dear friend of mine (Heidi Potts Hamilton) and her husband in the St. George temple this morning to do temple work. Temple work is a precious experience in itself. But to be with a friend whom I have grown up with in the temple, and to see her happily married, and to know that we are still on the path to our Father in Heaven together was truly a tender mercy of the Lord for me today.

What is extra special about today is that it was filled with tender mercies. Father was letting me know that He is with me on my journey...  Some of you may have heard me lament the fact that 5 years ago I lost my precious set of scriptures that I used while serving my mission. They were filled with all of the names of the people whom I helped teach the gospel to and watched enter the waters of baptism. They were marked in brightly colored pencil illustrating my testimony of the Word of God. They were mine, and I have dearly missed them over the years.

I knew that they had been misplaced somewhere between our time living in St. George and our move back to Fredonia. In fact, I always figured that I had either left them at church one of the last Sundays in St. George or they were packed away in a box or cedar chest that hasn't been looked in since our move. But for some strange reason we have never gone back to look for them at the church. Well, today we got to St. George somewhat earlier then we thought we would and I knew that we would be driving past the church. So I randomly suggested that we go and take a look to see if they were still miraculously there in the library. I doubted that they would still be there after five years. But we hoped!

As I got out of the car Leif wished me luck and Caleb echoed him with a "good luck Mama!" I walked in to the church and luckily there was an activity going on so there were a lot of people there (more chance of finding someone with the right key to the right door.) In fact, the first person I talked to was that person. He took me to the library and pulled a big plastic bin out from under the shelf and set it on the counter. I lifted one set of scripture off of the top and was stunned to see my scriptures sitting right there like it had been yesterday that they were left there. I was almost brought to tears at the thought that Father in Heaven took the time to make sure they were taken care of until I took the time to come for them. I truly believe it was a tender mercy meant just for me at this time in my life. I needed the hug that I felt. As I flipped through the pages and looked through the names and the markings I felt a remembrance come back to me. These scriptures were like a close friend come home... So grateful to have them back! My sweet family let out a cheer when I walked out with them in my hand. It was so fun to share my joy with them.

Tonight Leif had an after-hours massage. So I was home with the boys. I decided to take the chance to watch a documentary on Netflix that I had put in the queue called Emergency Mine Rescue. It's about the 33 miners that were trapped in a collapsed mine for over two months. Most of you probably watched the story live on T.V. But we don't have television at our house. Internet and Netflix is our media source. So of course we knew about the story and were thrilled about the rescue. But this documentary was Outstanding!! Or rather, the story was outstanding! It was an incredible example of God's ability to produce miracles and the faith that sustained these men, their families, and the rescuers. What a great example for my boys! We loved it, even Caleb (3)! I considered it just one more tender mercy to close an already wonderful day! So grateful for all of the reminders that we are not alone today...

Much Needed Getaway!

I can't believe I haven't written about this!! I guess we just hit the ground running when we got home and I am just now catching up.

Leif and I took a little trip to Salt Lake over President's Day weekend. I had given him Jazz basketball tickets for Christmas and the game was scheduled for the weekend after Valentines Day. I didn't even know that was a holiday too. Leif's Spa ended up really busy. Luckily the other therapists were able to keep everything going well. But that's behind the scenes...

Leif's dear parents watched the kids, and I am amazed at the energy level and tender care they endlessly give to our children. It is very humbling. I panicked the first night of our trip when I took in the reality that we had left Grandma and Grandpa with our energetic boys for THREE nights! It took effort not to think about it. But other then that concern we had a WONDERFUL time!

We stayed at Leif's sisters house the first night and went out to dinner with them that evening. That was a rare treat to have the chance to share a meal out with both Larissa and James. It was nice to catch up. We also enjoyed a good visit with our niece and nephews.

The second day we met up with my bother, Nate. We haven't seen him for a few months so we had a lot to catch up on. We had a nice visit that left me wishing we lived closer to each other.

From there we checked in to a hotel for the next two nights. Sooo Nice to be together... Alone!
When we did leave the hotel we went to the Cheesecake Factory and remembered good times going there in Hawaii. Great food and AmAzInG Cheesecake!  From there we went to the game.

We had a Great time at the Jazz game. We took Trax and got there really early. We walked around the Clark Science Museum a little and then headed in from the cold to the Energy Solutions building. When we got to our seating area I realized right away that there was a mistake between the seats that I had purchased and the seats that ended up on the tickets they mailed to me. The final seats were All The Way to the top! I was really ticked!! We were standing around (the only people in the section) and a nice Usher came up to chat with us. He was from New Zealand and had visited Hawaii so we had something in common. We didn't tell him about our seat confusion because we figured he couldn't do anything about it. But he surprised us when he told us that we could head down to the bottom section and watch the players practice and then "see what happens with the seats you're in". AWESOME! We had a unique opportunity to sit 12 rows from the basketball court! It was Great! Turned out to be a good game too.  So Fun!


Throughout the trip Leif and I took turns reading a book to each other called Passage on the Titanic by Anita Stansfield. She wrote this book with the Titanic as the setting and a non-fictional character as part of the story. She also wrote it with less of her typical romance then her other books in hopes that she could reach a larger audience. It was very well done and we both really enjoyed it.

Coming home was such a treat! Our boys had barely recognized that we were gone. But they gave us enough of a welcoming that I felt pure joy during the reunion. Leif and I took the time to watch them play together outside and then joined in their fun, just happy to be together again. It was a Fabulous weekend and Home Coming!

Gotta Love Phone Pics, but here they are:

Foto Friday December

THROUGHOUT THE MONTH

CHRISTMAS! 

Home School Month in Review January

We put Jakob into Public School this month. So it drastically limited our Home Schooling. But we were still able to talk about Martin Luther King Jr. and African American History during WWII.

HERE is my Martin Luther King Jr. Lesson Plan

We took Jakob to the theater to see Red Tails.

It is a movie about the first African American's to be allowed to fly and really fight for their country. It wasn't up to par with Pearl Harbor (the movie). But That's not the point. It was a good movie with a good story. Jakob enjoyed it, even if it was the war movie to finally get the cuss words out of his mouth that he's been hearing for so many years through military movies. He got in the car and said hesitantly (testing the waters) "let's get in the damn car." I turned and asked him (calmly) what he had said. He repeated it and I told him that it was a swear word and we don't swear. He assured me that he was wondering if that were the case. I tried REALLY hard to keep a straight face for the next five minutes as it rolled around in my head. :) I'm just glad that I was around when he tested out the new word.  So, if you're not sure if your child will be able to ward off the typical military language (cussing). Then it might not be a good fit for you. But we survived.

Why Are We Not Going?

I let everyone know last night that Leif will be leaving to Flagstaff this Summer and that we (myself and the kids) will be staying here at home for the year that he will be in the program. I figured it would be easier to answer the big question of WHY here on the blog instead of the comments section.

The answer is simple: Money. We simply don't have enough money to pay rent for the whole family to live there. No, we don't have any more loan or grant money for another Bachelors degree. Yes, that's a huge bummer! No, we're not sure how we are going to pay for all of Leif's schooling and our current living expenses. Yes, we're living on a prayer and hoping for scholarships. Leif will also be selling the Day Spa. That should help a lot.

Leif says that if we could find a miracle and move all of us out there we would. But I'm not sure that's what is meant to happen. Or rather, maybe I have a choice to make. I could search out a way, I'm a firm believer in the "where there's a will there's a way" theory. But I think I would be eliminating a journey that I need to take. It is by far the hardest thing that I have faced so far (yes, the hardest) but I think that I need to face it. Ever since 2006 when we lost our girls I have allowed Leif to be my enabler. He has carried a huge portion of our load in life. I have leaned on him and ultimately lost my confidence in a lot of things. I think Father in Heaven is giving me an opportunity to find myself again and regain my inner strength. I pray that I will succeed. My natural instinct is to shrink back and beg to find a way for us to come with him.  But I think it would be a big mistake.

Someone, please remind me of this post over and over again throughout this upcoming journey. I am truly terrified. If I think too deeply and start making lists of the reasons for my fear I am too overwhelmed to move forward. So I won't do that. This will be an amazing journey. A defining moment in our life together as a family. I know I don't have to ask, but I will anyway, please pray for us and All will be well!

Ready or Not... It's Official

Leif has been accepted to Northern Arizona University's Accelerated Nursing Program. He will start on May 14th and he will live in Flagstaff for the year of his schooling. We will live here.  Leif deserves a round of sincere Congratulations. And I need a few sincere prayers. So: CONGRATULATIONS My Love!  I knew there was little chance that you wouldn't be accepted. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the reality though...

We knew the letter would be in the mail any day. So when Leif called to tell me it had come I wasn't surprised. But my first reaction was an overwhelming nervous spell, tears, and the words "I don't think I'm ready yet..."

He brought it home and we read it out loud over Leif's favorite meal: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. How appropriate. Jakob was curious about what the letter was and Leif told him he would be starting school again (we haven't told him yet that Leif is Leaving to school). Jakob moaned and frowned and I mummbled "you have No idea." The thought of Leif leaving is mind boggling. In fact, I don't even want to talk about it any more tonight. I'm sure it will be a frequent topic here on the blog as I try to prepare. So I'll say good night for now and try to let my amazing Hubby know how Very Proud I am of him!!  This acceptance is no small thing!

Foto Friday November

JAKOB'S AIR SHOW TRIP WITH MAMA & PAPA

JAKOB'S TRIP TO NEW MEXICO WITH G&G BARON (Uncle Ian and Family, White Sands Missile Range Museum)

THANKSGIVING

CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTING

Quite the Valentines Day - Not What I Expected!

We had quite the Valentines Day this year. It wasn't at all what we had expected. But we survived!
We woke up to a deep beautiful blanket of snow. I felt bad that Leif had to take Jakob out in it to get to school. But I was sure grateful I had not plans to go out.... So I thought.

I got a phone call around 10:30 in the morning. Luckily I had finished showering and getting myself and the kids somewhat ready for the day. Because the phone call was Jakob's school nurse. She said that Jakob had gotten dizzy during class and collapsed to the floor. Of course I was shocked and somewhat panicked. My first question to the nurse was whether Jakob had gotten hurt somehow. He has a low pain tolerance and it's not uncommon for him to get lightheaded and sick if he gets hurt. She said that wasn't the case this time. There was no explanation. At that point I remembered the bump/swollen lymph node on Jakob's neck that had come up on Sunday. With that thought I worried that we might be dealing with something bad. Either way I was trying desperately to get to Jakob and take him to the ER. But "quickly" wasn't on the agenda I guess.

First, my phone wouldn't work. It's had a mind of it's own lately and has a drastic delay sometimes when I push buttons. I was trying to get hold of a friend to watch JJ and Caleb for me. Instead, after what seemed like an eternity of trying, my phone decided to call my Dad. Unfortunately he got my frustration when he answered and I was cussing my phone and told him I had an emergency and would call him later. Finally, after I hung up with my dad my phone decided to listen to MY commands. I tried a friend and she was on her way out to go sledding. No worries, luckily I have more then one friend.:) I was able to got a hold another friend and she graciously agreed to take my boys even though she had a full house.

I was finally able to get the boys out the door only to realize that I had a long flight of stairs to carry my little boys down with several inches of snow piled high. And I didn't really wear the right shoes. Duh! But I wasn't about to go back and change. So I headed down with a prayer. The roads were slick and deep with snow. Of All Days! 


Gratefully we made it to the school and I ran in to get Jakob. I was going to call in the car and ask the nurse to carry him out for me so I didn't have to leave the boys in the car. Of course I forgot the paper with her phone number. So I ran in with another prayer that my Little ones would be safe. Poor Jakob looked weak and pale when I walked in to the nurses office. This was all so strange... Jakob was especially upset when I told him that we would be going to the hospital. It took me a minute to figure out why he was so upset. But I put two and two together that he was afraid he would miss his Valentines Party. Of Course! That's definitely our biggest concern, NOT! That's what I thought anyway. But I lovingly assured him that we would most likely make it back in time.

In between all of this Leif was working on rescheduling appointments so he could meet me at the hospital. I put Jakob in the car and headed toward my friend's house to drop the boys off. I was afraid I would get stuck while driving around her little neighborhood that's made with dirt roads. But luckily they had taken care of them. Again, an answered prayer.

FINALLY, we were on the road to the hospital to find out why in the world Jakob had a really swollen lymph node and had nearly fainted.  We live in a small town. So our ER is just an extension of our regular Doctor's clinic. So when we got there our Dr. came in to see what was wrong. After talking with Jakob and getting the full story: he was walking to his teacher's desk at her request and he started to feel dizzy. He told his teacher and she told him to go the garbage can. While on his way he started to feel weak and went to lay down but his legs gave out before he got to the floor. The doctor asked for a few blood tests. We knew this would be the hard part for Jakob. Leif helped Jakob play a game on his phone and the nurses did a great job getting what they needed and quick. Jakob handled it well. Even if we almost had to use the barf bag.

The test results came back quickly and were not what any of us expected. From his symptoms we suspected that he would have low blood sugar and high white blood cell (hypoglycemia and an infection.) He actually had high glucose (130) and low white blood cells overall. Strange!


So with no real clear answers and an appointment to recheck his blood in a week, we left the hospital. I was frustrated and felt like more needed to be done. But it was out of my hands at the moment. And besides, Jakob had a Valentines Party to get to;) So, I went to pick up the boys, went home and made corn dogs for everyone and took them back to the car for them to eat (I had left them in the car), and took Jakob back to school. This time I took the little boys into the school with me. As I walked in I remembered that we had a Speech Therapy appointment for Caleb scheduled for 1:00. It was 12:00. Seriously!? I was not coming back! Luckily the teacher just met with us then, bless her heart! At 1:00 we were finally on our way home for good. My dear friend agreed to pick up Jakob from school so I wouldn't have to go out again that day.

As we climbed the stairs to the front door we were all exhausted, my pants were soaked up to my knees, my shoes were sopping wet, and I was starving! I opened the front door and set JJ down to walk. He took a step and promptly tripped! I picked him up to find blood running out of his mouth. LOVELY! I couldn't believe it!  I couldn't see the cut but eventually the bleeding stopped. JJ's lip was starting to swell. But like I said, we were exhausted. So we all laid down for a nap. I was so glad JJ slept. However, he woke up really mad! He insisted on being held. Well, I set him on the couch so I could turn on a movie. He threw himself off of the couch, I reached to catch him, and smacked his mouth instead. Unbelievable! The blood came harder this time and JJ was not happy. I was at my whits end! Yes folks, Leif and I met once again for a Valentines date at the ER. They had the proper lighting and the bleeding had stopped. So it didn't take long to see that they couldn't do anything for him. But WOW! What a day!!

We got home in time to eat and get ready for bed. Sweet Grandma Baron dropped in just before bed to deliver her traditional Valentines cards. We were so worn out and somewhat traumatized by the surprise and stress of the days events her visit was a nice distraction.

Jakob went to bed with a low grade fever. He woke up feeling fine and his lymph node gradually decreased in size and is no longer noticeable. JJ healed quickly and is fine.

So this ends the very long version of an even longer Valentines Day. Thank you to everyone who helped us get through it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Leif and I get to run away together this weekend. I gave him Jazz tickets for this weekend's game for Christmas (yes I thought of Valentines day when I planned it.;) I can't wait! To make it even better, he bought me Anita Stansfield's new book Passage on the Titanic and has agreed to read it with/to me over the weekend. I so Love this man! The book is going to be a great read for sure!! It's about the titanic and includes the LDS woman who was on the titanic the day it sunk. Action - Love - and History! Can't get much better then that! Here's the YouTube trailor for the book:

Hubby Post- Amazing Jakob Quote

We've been meaning to write some fun quotes of our children.  We just forget to, then we forget what they are.  I'll write some as I remember them.

We asked Jakob how a surprise school bus ride was..."It was violent and they didn't have seat belts."  ... Parents standing with mouth wide open!

Moving Forward Behind the Scenes

I haven't written much lately about life behind the scenes. You've probably gathered that Leif and I kinda like each other from the last two posts;)  But other then that, I'll take a minute and ramble about life and it's vicissitudes.

LEIF
We're anxiously awaiting a letter from NAU letting us know our future (Nursing program this year or not.) We should know by mid March at the latest and next week at the earliest. Until then we're sitting on our tax return until we know whether it will go to a mini van or tuition.  Ahhh, the joys!

The Day Spa has been slow during the winter which is a major bummer! It makes us even more grateful that Leif is an EMT and is able to earn some money by helping those in need.

LENA
I've struggled for the last while with more fatigue then I've had in a long time. That's another reason I haven't written. I've basically kept things afloat and read. I finally went in to the doctor and overwhelmed him once again with all of my health frustrations. Along with taking a bunch of blood tests (as usual)  he gave me a medicine to help my energy level and food cravings. If you know me at all you know that I've tried the lifestyle of "All Natural" with no medications and I've tried medications when needed. Well, I'm convinced once again that some medications were invented just for me, and I am eternally grateful for them!  Last week I switched from Paxil to Lexapro and I think I like the difference. I take Ambien to help me sleep during the week that "aunt flow" visits (dang insomnia!) and now I take Phentermine once or twice a day depending on the need. Phentermine has brought me back to life and I only had a tiny square of a surprise Amberlyn chocolate bar tonight from Leif and I was content to leave the rest for another time (a MIRACLE!)  I pray that it continues to help me as time goes on!!

I know that most of you don't care at all what meds I take. But I never know who's reading my blog and if what's going on in my life just might be the answer to someone's prayers. So bear with me.

JAKOB
Jakob is doing really well at school! I'm so glad. He's progressed leaps and bounds with his reading and I am sooo pleased! There have been so many good reasons for putting him into school. I'm really glad we did. He has a few issues going on during recess with a few kids. But hopefully we can all work it out, or even better, he will work it out. I'm trying really hard to stand back and let him grow and take care of himself without interfering or ignoring too much. It's a delicate balance.

Jakob asked to bear his testimony during Fast and Testimony meeting this past week. He didn't want to say anything. He just wanted to read his favorite scripture. It was a Priceless moment. His favorite scripture fits him so well it's one of those "meant to be" things. The scripture is 1 Nephi 17:15 "Wherefore, I, Nephi did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence."  Simple, but so like my Jakob.

CALEB
Oh my sweet precious Caleb! If you know Caleb at all right now you know that he loves to give hugs and he wears his emotions on his sleeve (just like his Mama.) It is a common thing to hear Caleb tell you that he loves you. It is also common to hear him say that he doesn't like JJ or his kitty. He will tell you if he's afraid. And you will know if he is Mad! We are working on helping him with his temper. He can clear a table with his arm before you know what's happening. Then he will run somewhere to be alone. We're trying to help him skip the destruction/aggression part and move right to the moment alone part. So fun... Not!

Caleb's doing really well with potty training. I am so so grateful that it has never been a fight, so grateful! Caleb has also progressed drastically with his speech! We are thrilled. It was determined that he does need speech therapy but he was only on the lower end of the average range. So that was comforting. We went through hours of testing with him. Luckily it was more like hours of games with him. So he handled it well. It was most beneficial for Leif and I because it helped us see all of his many strengths and how they outweigh his weaknesses. We're really grateful for the help that we were given with him.

When Jakob was three+ years old he insisted on being rocked before bed (by Mama.) Caleb suddenly started doing the same thing. I admit that it's a sweet moment together right before bed. Even if I am Exhausted! Tonight he wanted to sing the ABC's as I held him. So Sweet!

J.J. 
Ahh My JJ. He's growing up SO FAST! Faster then any of my other kids. Having two older brothers to keep up with will do that. Luckily for me this past month JJ's hit a snuggling stage. He'll often come to me when I'm reading, or at the computer, or anywhere really, and lay his head up against my knee and snuggle me. Of course then I will pick him up and give him loves. Who could resist!?

JJ Loves to sing!! He loves to sing with Leif. He has since he was very young. This Sunday we had people looking back at us during Sacrament meeting because JJ was babbling right along to the Hymns in full voice. It's amazing!

So far JJ says with understanding: Papa, bye-bye, please (peas), thank you (tank you), ba ba (drink), and MMM (food). He shakes his head no and yes and he is a GIANT tease, to a fault! If I say no, he will race to finish doing what he's not supposed to. If I say come, he will run away. He loves to tease his brothers as well. Lovely!  But oh his laugh is like music to my ears! And he loves to laugh!!

My precious family! All I need to do is write an update like this every once in a while to reflect and remember all that I have been blessed with. So very blessed!

Hubby Post - Role Reversals - To All You Mothers Out There

Hello Everyone!

Today Lena took Jakob to school while I stayed home with the 2 younger ones.  As she was leaving I joked saying "have a good day at the Spa (my work) I'll blog for you!"

First off, I KNOW Lena's day is much more than blogging.  I was just teasing.  But it did get me thinking...

This is for Lena and all the mothers like her.

This is for those...

• whose morning may begin several times between 10pm and 7am.
• who may be expected to clean up throw-up and worse several times a night.
• who when morning comes is expected to dress, cleanup, feed multiple others before even taking a chance to use the restroom or brush her own teeth.
• who after a long night, gather her multiple children around her and say goodbye to a husband for 8 or more hours.
• who days consist of "clean up, change diaper, feed, clean up, entertain, clean up, feed, clean up, comfort, pray for patience, clean up, entertain, change diaper, clean up, feed, clean up, pray for patience..."
• whose rare nap is broken up by "the child struggling to fall asleep, the child calling for snack, the phone ringing, the child who wakes up early, and the child that gets woke up early."
• who yearns for there husbands to get home from work, only to remember he has "scouts, elders quorum, fire meeting, or EMT meeting" that he has to go to almost immediately after getting home.
• who works hard to prepare healthy meals only to have children or even husbands want something else for dinner.
• who seems to do laundry all day and then your children can't find any cloths in the morning for school.
• whose most beautiful home decorations are stored indefinitely  for safety and whose most beautiful cloths are either from years bygone, or simply don't fit after that 3rd child.
• whose most relaxing time during the day is when they are listening to "diego, bob the builder,..." in the background.
• whose priority list is sometimes decided by their nose. (what stinks the worse...the diaper, the dirty dishes, dirty cloths, or garbage.)
• who have to think hard about the last time they have done some of their favorite hobbies.
• who look at a finished day and say..."well, I survived another one...too bad about the house though."
• who have to put on a nice compassionate smile as her hubby tells her about the hard day at work and he wants to lay down for a few minutes.
• who has a husband that occasionally surprises her with a date night, but includes a movie HE wants to see and food HE really enjoys.
• who has a husband that complains there is no money, but then goes and buys _____ ...
• who has a husband that is working hard to build a good income for the family so they will eventually have more time together, but is gone seemingly ALL the time now.
• who wait with great anticipation for quiet time with your husband after the kids go to bed only to find out their favorite team has a game that night.
• that have created the most beautiful children.
• who put up with husbands like us...

To Lena and all those wonderful Mothers and Wives.

Love you Honey!

True Enduring Love

I had never been loved by a man before Leif walked into my life and quite literally rescued me from a whirlwind of confusion and unmet love.

Looking back I am in awe at how Father in Heaven knows our life's plan so intricately. He was easing Leif into my life long before I even took notice. Helping me gain just enough trust and attraction to him to give me the courage to call him. Looking back I remember sitting next to him in Sacrament meeting and feeling so safe, so at home. That feeling only grew as we fell in love. Eventually it was a tangible warmth that filled my soul. Just to be with him. Leif was the life breath to my heart. So long my heart  had been still that I learned to live without it. When he walked into my life the wall around my very being crumbled allowing him entrance. As if it knew he was finally home and there was no need to protect. I will never be able to express the miracle his love worked upon my soul. As I write, the tears fall down my cheeks with a deep understanding of the gift he is to me.

When we were dating Leif loaned me a book. I don't remember the door that it unlocked within my heart but I remember sobbing as I read. Leif walked in while I was crying and he scooped me up into his strong and healing arms. I will never forget the feeling of peace that surrounded me during that moment. Warmth, love, healing, Christ like peace. I knew he was who Father had saved for me. He was the man I dared not dream about. One with perfect acceptance. To feel such peace was intoxicating for me. I had never in my entire life felt the healing that Leif brought. Just by being him. He still renews my soul when he enters the home. There is just something about him that completes me.

I am grateful that Leif has never felt so desolate as I have felt. I think my need for him has been somewhat baffling for him throughout the years.  As our life has progressed and the good the bad and the ugly have entered onto the stage, there are dark nights when I cry to him in frustration because I feel that he could go on with his life without me. He assures me in his faith-filled way that we shouldn't worry about the possible days ahead of separation. He tells me that he will miss me very much. But the struggle comes when I can't feel his words any more then he can feel the ache within my soul. There is something there. Something personal within us that is ours alone to work through. Love can only heal so much before it is Christ's love that is required to make up the rest.

Yesterday Leif came home from work with dinner, dessert, and flowers. Need I ask for any more proof of his love? Why then, do I? The night before last, Leif worked with the boys and unloaded the dishwasher and loaded it. And that was only one of the many many things he had done that day. Need I ask for any more proof of his love? Why then, do I?  This morning Leif made pancakes for us after he had taken Jakob to school. Need I ask for any more proof of his love? Why then, do I?  I am not left cold and alone within our cozy bedroom at night... Need I ask for any more proof of his love? Why then, do I? 


Why do I expect Leif to read my mind? Why do I compare our life to that of a fictional novel? Why am I  tempted to always want more. Why?

The answer is simple. Someone hates this gift that we have been given. Someone wants to destroy this eternal love that I have been given. The Adversary hates our love! It is I who needs to take on this fight. And fight I will!  True enduring love is ever changing.  Sometimes it is a tangible warmth within the soul. Sometimes it is a giving of your all for the other. Sometimes it is a belief that it will get better and a fight to win it back. Just as the seasons change with the warmth of the sun and the chill of the winds so it is with a true enduring love. Always look for the sun within the season. For it is the Son who endureth in all things.

Jakob's Special Trip With Mama and Papa: Aviation Nation Air Show

We try to take the boys on a little trip alone with us every few months or so. In November 2011 we surprised Jakob with a trip to his first Air Show and WOW was it Great!  We used the money from our family Disney Land jar to make the trip. That made it extra special because Jakob helped earn the money by gathering and selling the eggs.

Jakob knew we were going somewhere together for a day but we wouldn't tell him where we were going. We left really early in the morning and drove to Las Vegas (Nellis Air Force Base.) We listened to music and ate treats along the way. Jakob REALLY wanted to know where we were going. But I'm glad we kept it a secret. Because when he saw the Air Force uniforms he went crazy with excitement and knew just what was happening. It was The Best!

We spent the whole day going through the booths and watching the show. It was the first Air Show any of us had been to and it was AWESOME! The Thunderbirds were AmAzInG!  We loved it!! We look forward to going again some day!

Who Am I?

I decided to update my profile description. This is what I've had written for the last year or so.

I am a husband loving, children focusing, time scheduling, 1000 square foot living, home schooling, ever praying, too much chocolate eating, friend listening, exercise trying, wellness seeking, wife of one full time working - ever schooling, mother of three who are very much living and two who are heaven living.
I most often answer to, Mama!

Now That Jakob's in School

Jakob's been going to the big school for a couple of weeks now... or is it three weeks? Either way, he isn't home all day long. You know what the very best part is? Jakob and I only have about 4 hours in the day where we might end up arguing. That might sound strange. But WOW, he and I can really push each other's buttons. Now there are even days where there is very little contention to speak of. Seriously, So Nice!!

You know what the next best thing about not home schooling full time is? My precious JJ has started to hug and snuggle me more. It's like we finally have a chance to get to know each other without interruption. Precious Times!

And you know what else? My sweet Caleb is officially potty trained. It happened in one day. It was like he recognized that it was his turn to grow up. His turn to shine. Amazing!

And finally, one more thing I love, I get to take naps again! So Wonderful!!

Do I Regret Home Schooling?
I've made it sound like I regret the last three months and past years of home schooling. But I Don't! I just appreciate the moment I'm in right now. Jakob's teacher commented to me the other day that she can see a unique difference between Jakob and his classmates. I won't try to pinpoint what it is. But it's good. He just has a different perspective on life and the world around him because we've been able to focus on things differently then they do at school. A;so, I would never have the respect and appreciation for his teachers that I have now if I hadn't home schooled. It is incredibly hard work and I can't thank Jakob's teacher enough for her dedication and love. I feel very blessed!

First Grade Home School Martin Luther King Jr. Lesson Ideas

Jakob (7) is a sponge when it comes to history. He LOVES it! His preferred way of learning history is through media. With that said, this is what we did this morning to celebrate the amazing Martin Luther King Jr.

I began our day by reading from the scriptures Matthew 22:39 "Love thy neighbor as thyself." We talked about the fact that Heavenly Father has commanded us to treat all of His children with love and respect and that He considers all if His children to be our "neighbor."

From there I asked Jakob to name a few people in our country's history who was heroic enough to have a holiday named after them. I started the list with George Washington. He then named Columbus. I then introduced the name of Martin Luther King Jr. I pulled up google images and googled Martin Luther King Jr. of course it pulled up several photos. I asked Jakob to tell me what made MLK's face different from mine. He told me that he was African American. I was impressed that he knew that. He followed up his statement with asking "what makes him African and American?"

Because Jakob loves history and war history in particular, to answer his question we went back in time a while and talked about slavery, the civil war, and president Lincoln. We have a world time line on our wall so I was able to talk to him and have a visual to show how even though slavery was stopped, the hate lasted for generations all the way into Jakob's grandparent's generation.

This led us to talk about what life was like for African American's (and all people of color) in the 1950's -60's. This is where we brought in the media:

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEDIA: 
National Geographic.com shows a short informative video about Martin Luther King Jr. and life for the African American people during his lifetime. Click HERE for the video.

Biography.com also shows a good video about MLK: HERE

Jakob picked up on the fact that MLK was assassinated. He really wanted to know about that. So I pulled up YouTube. We watched CBS' Walter Cronkite's report of MLK's assassination.

From there I introduced Jakob to Martin Luther King's famous speech "I Have a Dream." We watched the whole speech. It was actually too long for Jakob and the most famous part was toward the end of the speech. So I would recommend the shortened version for younger children.

The final activity in our day was to memorize a line from MLK's speech. We memorized the following:
"I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."  Jakob will recite it to his Big School class on Tuesday.


To help inspire Jakob and recognize that he is old enough to take this message to heart and even memorize it, we watched this clip of a school class reciting the speech on the steps of the Washington Memorial.

Overall, I would say this was a day to remember and ponder for days to come. I think Jakob plans to ask his grandparents what they remember about the days of Martin Luther King Jr's mission of freedom and peace. I would be interested to hear their thoughts as well.

ART PROJECT:
We didn't get to this art project. But I liked the idea: Friendship Ring.

A Lovely Birthday!

I had such a wonderful birthday this weekend! My birthday (33rd) was Saturday but Leif and I ran away Friday afternoon for a fabulous evening together, no little ones! Thank you grandma and grandpa for watching our wild little bunch! We went to the Breaking Dawn movie, then to dinner, and then to the Sherlock Holmes movie. It was late by the time we drove all the way home. But it was so nice to be together without anything to do but be together.

Saturday was great because we were able to take care of a few bigger house projects (like take the Christmas tree down.) Then we were able to visit with a dear friend in the afternoon. That evening Leif came home after work with his arms loaded with the fixings for French Bread Pizza and Salad, Ultimate fudge brownies, and Peanut Butter Panic ice cream. HEAVENLY! After we put the kids to bed we enjoyed a special evening reading together. Leif surprised me earlier in the week by following through with an idea I gave him a long time ago of how we could explore each other's interests even more. I suggested that we each choose a book that we really enjoy that we think our spouse could tolerate and exchange these books with each other. Leif made me feel extra loved by following through with this idea first without any prodding on my end. I gave him Towers of Brierly by Anita Stansfield. Bless his heart, it's a Romantic LDS Fiction. I tried to find one with enough suspense and mystery to keep him from getting too bored. We sat together and read our books late into the night. So late in fact that we pulled out the cold pizza and had another round of dinner. I felt like we were in hotel together just us. It was that fun!;)

We did wake up in the morning though, and we were not in a hotel! We still had our precious boys to take care of and get off to church. But oh how nice it was to have so much special time with Leif. It was truly a Lovely birthday! Thank you my Love and thank you everyone else who called, wrote, or texted to wish me a happy birthday. It was Wonderful!!

A Great Big Hug! - Caleb's Potty Trained

Two mornings ago I was changing Caleb's diaper first thing in the morning and I had the thought come to me to send him in to go potty on the toilet. So I did.

Well, he went right in and used the potty. I decided because of his enthusiasm I would pull out his new Thomas the Tank Engine undies. He was thrilled to put them on and he's used the potty ever since. AMAZING!!!! He even took his diaper off this morning all by himself and pooped in his potty seat we have in his bedroom for that exact purpose.

WOW!! I feel so blessed not to have this big step as a battle! Truly Blessed!

Things that may have helped make things easier:

• We purchased a potty seat that has steps and handles that sits over the big toilet seat. The potty seat has a big enough hole so he doesn't feel like he's going to go on the seat. I really like that! Great help!
• We purchased a cool potty chair to go in his bedroom so he could use it and not have to run to the bathroom a million times during nap and bedtime. VERY Helpful!! 
• I gave Caleb a cup of juice to keep in the bathroom and he took a drink of juice every time he went to sit on the potty the first day of training. This helped him need to go several times that day so he could get the logic down. I also slipped in a couple of chewy fiber bites as a potty treat once to help that process along too.
• I gave him a Jelly Belly for a Pee Pee treat, Raisins for a Great Try treat, and a square of Chocolate for a Poo Poo treat. Good motivators for the first day.

Caleb is Three years and nine months. I don't recommend fighting kids about potty training. Especially boys. 

From Foto Friday January

Now What!?

Well Jakob starts school tomorrow. Now What? Up to this point my days have been filled with Wild boys whom I've tried to calm down enough to teach and in the meantime tried to keep the house from caving in. So much of our subject material throughout the day has been at a First Grade level. Now I have to switch gears and go back to focusing on Preschool and Potty Training. And I just might have enough time to keep my house tidy AND organized. What a Dream... And to think that I will be able to take the little boys to the Preschool Library hour without dragging Jakob along and having him steal the show, bless his little smarty pants heart!;) And the thought of visiting with my friends without my sweet Radar ears to add his two scents into the conversation. Get ready girls, time for our afternoon lunches again!! Anyone up for walking to pick up the kids after school? Let me know!!

I will miss my Jakob on occasion I'm sure. But the whole decision to send him back to the Big School started when he went on a road trip with G&G Baron for several days. I was in total shock by how refreshingly wonderful it was to be able to sit on the floor and play with my little boys and read books at their level. And then I felt the joy of Jakob's return home and I realized that it was time to send him out of the nest for a time and allow everyone to feel that excitement and refreshment on a daily basis.

I've set out his clothes, packed his supply box with a little Lunch Box Love Note, and set out the Morning Devotional book for us to read before he leaves for the day. All is well!

Life is a journey of change and a lesson taught through change. I have worried about making this change, especially in the middle of the school year. But sometimes the most important step in the journey is recognizing when it's time to take the next turn. It's time...

Home School Month in Review December

This month was ALL Christmas and a little bit of everything else. We were also sick the entire month which meant we watched A Lot of movies. Here's what we did and enjoyed the most!

TRADITIONS: We had three traditions we followed each day/night or started this month. However when I think about it there are many more. But here are three I'll share.

First Tradition: We give each of the kids a new Christmas book every year on the day that we decorate the Christmas tree. This year we gave them:
Jakob: Humphrey's First Christmas by Carol Heyer. It is absolutely adorable!
J.J.: Room for a Little One a Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell. This was a sweet story. We also found that it share a legend that we hadn't heard before but recognized more and more as we watched several Christmas movies.
Caleb: God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Such a precious story. Caleb asked me to read this over and over again.

Second (new) Tradition: Advent Storybook 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas by Antonie Schneider. Every night we read a story from this book. It was a Wonderful way to keep us focused on Christ's love and a way to count down the days.

Third (new) Tradition: I made a 12 days of Christmas Nativity Scene Countdown this year. Every day (or so) we would color, cut out, and hang up the appropriate pieces to our nativity. This was a great way to cover several school subjects in one activity during a very busy month. I google-imaged what I needed and made them into a document. I made a simple stable with a star above it and a manger in the hay before we got started. Here is a list of the pieces:

12 Angels 

11 Sheppard 

10 mice

9 cats

8 chickens

7 cows

6 sheep

5 donkeys

4 Camels 

3 wise men 

2 parents 

1 baby 

BOOKS: We read several other wonderful books throughout the month. Here they are:

• Luke Chapter 2 King James Version Holy Bible
• No Room at the Inn by Jean M. Malone an ALL ABOARD READING Level 2
• The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne
• The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
• The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke
• The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• The Tale of Three Trees, a Traditional Folktale Retold by Angela Elwell Hunt

MOVIES:

• Christmas Unwrapped (This is a documentary for teenagers and adults as it gives away some of the "surprises" of Christmas. But a good informative overview.)
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas 
• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
• Mrs. Miracle
• Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (Inspired us to pull out Grandma Stanger's Nutcracker!:)
• The Touch of the Master's Hand
• The Christmas Cottage
• The Christmas Bunny
• The Story of Christmas
• Christmas Classics: Vol. 1
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Little Shepherd
• Prince of Peace
• The 12 Dogs of Christmas
• A Golden Christmas
• A Golden Christmas 2: The Second Tail
• Santa Claus 1, 2, and 3 (Very Fun!)
• We tried to watch Jim Carrey's version of The Grinch but Caleb was Terrified within the first five minutes. So we watched the original version instead. Because of his reaction we weren't able to watch my favorite of Carrey's A Christmas Carol with the kids. Leif and I watched it together as we wrapped presents. That was fun too. 
• The Polar Express

SCIENCE:

• Creatures That Defy Evolution: Vol. 2
• Creatures That Defy Evolution: Vol. 3

PEARL HARBOR:

• Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack
• Lifted (My patriotic and music loving boys LOVED this! We all did. I Bawled through the whole thing. However I didn't know the rating until it was over. It had a mother struggling with drug addiction and it did show her using them. My kids were Clueless and I just taught them that she was putting harmful things into her body and that was that.) 

READING:

Sight Word Flash Cards

ACTIVITIES:

• We piled in the car for our annual Christmas Lights Drive. We brought treats along and some Christmas music and we had a wonderful time as we drove around looking at everyone's lights and ended the trip with the amazing choreographed lights to music show put on by a family in Kanab. Such a sweet tradition! 
• We decorated a Ginger Bread House together this year. It turned out really cute and wasn't too frustrating of a process. I frosted the boys put the candy on. We quickly realized we had to divide the house so each boy had his own side to decorate. After that it was Great!
• We let the boys stay up later then usual one night to help us make special soap for our family Christmas gifts. We made special soaps with yummy Essential Oils and special herbal teas mixed in for exfoliant and scent. Fun Stuff! 
• We were able to participate in our Town Light Parade this year. We rode in the Fire Truck as Leif drove. We  had a great time except when Caleb thought Santa was going to come into the truck and sit with him and Jakob (instead of on the top of the truck) Caleb went Ballistic! I have never heard him so hysterical . Poor Kid! 

JANUARY SUBJECTS:

Dinosaurs and Fossils,  Civil War and Slavery (Abraham Lincoln), Post War Era to Present (Martin Luther King), Tolerance, Classic Literature: The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales

For the Record: Changes Taking Place in the New Year

Written December 14, 2011:
We have a lot going on behind the scenes of every day life. I thought I'd share a few.

The Semester was Successful:
I have finished this semester of school and I gratefully passed both classes with good grades. I enjoy the added knowledge the classes give me. But I am hoping to put my classes on hold for a few years.

Jakob Will Start Public School Again, Home School Part Time:
After a lot of prayer, pondering, and discussion we've decided to enroll Jakob into the "Big School" starting in January so that I can focus more attention on the little boys. Caleb's wonderful preschool teacher won't be able to continue teaching into the new year. So this is more reason for me to make more time for Caleb. Now that the decision is made I'm really looking forward to it.

Caleb will be four years old in about three months. He has just recently started talking in sentences. Now that he's finally talking we can work on helping him with the speech problems that he has. We are working on determining if the problem is simply a delay or if there are other things involved.

When it comes to Home School we will still have home school on Fridays as the Public School here is only Monday-Thursday. This will give Jakob the chance to finish his BJU Press Math program and all of us time to  learn about the subjects I planned for the home school year. I will miss the good times together. But Home Schooling is VERY intense and I can't help but be relieved by the decision. I do worry about where Jakob will be in his class academically. I know he'll be fine with everything. But I worry that we didn't get far enough along with reading and phonics. But no use stewing over what I can't change now... Right? He's a really smart kid and will learn quickly. That brings me a lot of comfort!

Big Plans for Leif's Schooling:
A little while back, out of the blue, Leif and I started feeling like we needed to re-look at our plans for his Nursing School. To make a long story short we've decided to have Leif apply to Northern Arizona University's Accelerated Nursing Program. This program is only a one year program that gives Leif a Bachelors in Nursing. The program at the local community college is a two year program that gives Leif an Associates degree which means Leif will have to add another year of nursing in order to get his Bachelors (which is required for his end Nurse Anesthetist goal.)  The thought of being into a nursing career within a year compared to three years is too wonderful to give up at this point in our lives.

THE CATCH???
The NAU program is in Flagstaff AZ. This means that Leif will have to move there and we will stay behind. This is why we have always thrown out the idea before now. But I feel okay about the option now. It will be incredibly hard. But the thought of moving forward is too great to give up. The application deadline is in January and we will know if he's been accepted by March. The program is very competitive but Leif is a highly qualified candidate. He took the Nursing Entrance Exam for NAU and the average score for the students accepted into the program is 70%, Leif got an 89%.  Leif is also an EMT and will be an advanced EMT before the program starts. He is also a volunteer fire fighter in our community. Leif graduated with honors from NAU with his first Bachelors degree. With all of his high qualifications I am able to put the decision fully in the Lord's hands.

Our 2011 Christmas Story

Merry Christmas!

Well, the kids are all busy playing with their new toys and the kittens are working on taking down my tree. So I'll take a moment and share how our Christmas weekend went.

Thursday we were blessed with a full day of good health for the boys. This is a true blessing for this months as the boys have been sick almost every day of the month. We took the opportunity to go into St. George and finish our shopping. That evening we went to the Tuacahn Center for a wonderful festival of Christmas lights and a Live Nativity in their outdoor theater. They brought in live animals including camels. It was a special night with a very memorable wind chill. We ended up going to the DI to buy warmer clothes for the boys. We were very grateful for the night because it was one of the few evenings we were able to go out and celebrate the season.

Friday was a tough day. The boys relapsed back into a very sickly routine of terrible diapers. I was very grateful that grandma was able to come to the house and watch the boys for a while while Leif and I did the Christmas stocking shopping. It was a much needed out.

Saturday (Christmas Eve) I woke up feeling good. I worked on thinking positive the night before. My sweet husband helped me throughout the day to get the house cleaned up really well. We finally decided to trim some of the branches of our Christmas tree. It looked so much better and it filled the house with a wonderful Christmas smell. Throughout the day our home was filled with the cheerful Christmas carols which worked on healing  my weary mother heart (because of my boys' sickness.)

Towards the middle of the afternoon it was clear that the boys were still sick and I would have to stay home from the family Christmas party to be sure Great Grandma and Grandpa Dixon were not exposed to the very contagious illness the boys have (whatever it might be.) I was surprised at the peace that I felt about missing the important gathering. I missed the family a lot and I felt bad that I wasn't able to enjoy all of their company and join in the festivities (thank you aunt Stacey for coming up to visit me, your visit meant a lot to me.) But I felt a calming peace as I made the salad to send down with Leif and I planned what I would do with the little boys while Leif and Jakob were gone. Added to that peace was the wonderful surprise I got in the mail. My sister sent me a box of her homemade goodies. Anyone who knows my sister knows that she is an excellent cook and baker. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and  I was not disappointed in her amazing talent! Thank you Heather!!!

That evening I sent Leif to the the video rental store (Netflix and Internet were not reliable enough for this night.) While he was gone I enjoyed a short and sweet moment of quiet creativity with my boys. With Netflix not working we had the TV off and Caleb asked to do an art project. I was surprised to find that Jakob wanted to do one too. I brought out the large paper, cotton balls, and glue. With Jon Schmidt Christmas quietly playing on Pandora my boys proceeded to build their own igloos topped off with a few cowboys and army men to hold the fort. It was such a simple moment. But I was grateful for the calm love that filled our home for that moment.

I spent the rest of the evening  caring for the little boys. Bedtime finally came and I watched a beautiful short clip of the Nativity online with Caleb. That was another special moment. I tucked the boys in bed and waited for Leif and Jakob to come home. When they got home Jakob was wound up tighter then the Energizer Bunny. I forced him to lay under the Christmas tree and watch the lights while he listened to the Christmas music to help him calm down. Eventually he was able to calm down somewhat and Caleb had woken up in the meantime. So we sat with them and read the final page in our Christmas Advent book and let them open their Christmas Eve present (PJ's, of course.) From there it was off to bed so Santa could come! For some reason we didn't really have a hard time getting the kids to bed at that point;)  Just after getting the boys to bed Leif was called out for an EMT call. Someone drunk driving. Luckily she didn't hurt anyone. FINALLY Leif and I were together and we had a great time setting out our gifts and leaving the rest up to Santa:) This year I would say we did a good job staying with our Three Gift goal. The only side tracking was for Jakob's much needed extra pajamas and Caleb's potty training necessities.

(Sunday) Christmas morning didn't come soon enough for any of us. Leif and I always wake up several times throughout the night leading up to Christmas morning:) The boys actually slept in until almost 8:00. This was one of the few years where we didn't have any grandparents with us on Christmas morning. Though it's fun either way, I enjoyed it being just us. Especially since Caleb struggled and whined a lot because he had to be patient.;) Truly, it was a wonderful Christmas morning.:)  We all opened our presents and I was so touched by how grateful the kids were for their presents. Just hearing Caleb's "Oh ntchu (Thank you) Brother!" when he opened a gift from Jakob was enough to melt my heart, but then to hear Jakob repeatedly and randomly say thank you for his gifts has definitely done the trick!

Once we got the living room cleaned up Grandma and Grandpa Baron came up to our house after they came home from church. It was nice to hear how the service went and we felt bad that we didn't make it. But sometimes you just do the best you can. We all had a great time opening more presents and giving a few. We are blessed to live close to grandparents.

Christmas afternoon we experienced another one of those special and quiet moments. The words "all is calm, all is bright" come to mind.  After the gift opening and festivities had settled down I found myself surrounded by my family but it was completely peaceful. No crying, no fighting, no one making requests. Everyone was completely content to play on their own. There wasn't even any music in the background.  Just quiet calmness. This was a special gift in itself!

The rest of the day and into the night was filled with lots of toys, candy, and a good Sunday movie. It was a very Merry Christmas for our little family!

Monday started very early for us! Leif was called to a fire in Kanab with our local fire department. He was there from 3 to 10AM. It was a large fire and Leif's first structure fire. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. Though it is a sad story.  I am very proud of him and so grateful for his willingness to serve his community! The rest of the day will be spent as a Play Day! Leif is playing his new NBA computer game and Jakob is trying to figure out his new Star Wars Legos Wii game. At some point we will help Caleb learn how to play his new Grover Wii game. The boys are happy and cheerful but they are still not healthy. So we look forward to tomorrow when their test results should be in. Gratefully we have A LOT to be thankful for and much to distract us from the frustration of their illness.

I am so very grateful for this precious season of the year that turns our hearts to the goodness in each other and ultimately gives us a whole month to focus on Jesus Christ. For without Him, I would be lost in every sense of the word. Thank you Dear Father for sending us Your Son!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Ways to Fight the Flu and Diarrhea

We are finally on the mend after a terrible case of vomiting and diarrhea that wouldn't let my boys go. After three+ weeks of the illness cycling through my family Leif and I were at our wits end. I finally decided to buckle down and figure out how to fight this with the knowledge that I've gained through my holistic health studies. Why I let it go on so long before doing this I have no idea! But I did finally come up with 2 Very Simple remedies and I truly believe they helped my boys finally sleep without vomiting or Diarrhea.

FIRST:
I mixed 2 Tablespoons of Pure Honey with 1 teaspoon high quality Cinnamon. I was thrilled to see that my boys licked this off of a (baby sized) spoon like it was a lolly pop. I just needed to be sure to wipe their little mouths so the cinnamon didn't irritate their skin. But they didn't let that little irritation stop them from sucking this down several times a day. I really believe it helped!
Here's why I used these two ingredients:
Cinnamon is one of the world's most widely used digestive aids, helping to improve most gastrointestinal problems. It is greatly effective in relieving intestinal gas and eases diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. It also contains propanoic acid, which helps to stop the formation of stomach ulcers without interfering in the production of the gastric acid needed for good digestion. Germany's Commission E approves Cinnamon for loss of appetite and indigestion.
Cinnamon is now on the list of antivirals. An Israeli researcher has demonstrated that a Cinnamon extract has been able to quickly and effectively immunize fowl against Newcastle disease virus, and further studies on Avian Flu H9, HIV virus and herpes simplex-1 also achieved positive results. Furthermore, Cinnamon extract may also be useful in combating the deadly Bird Flu H5.
Honey: In treating diarrhea, honey promotes the rehydration of the body and more quickly clears up the diarrhea and any vomiting and stomach upsets. The anti-bacterial properties of honey, both the peroxide and non-peroxide, are effective in the laboratory against MRSA strains of bacteria which are notoriously resistant to antibiotics and are sometimes responsible for the closing of hospital wards.

SECOND:
I monitored and planned their food. My boys were fine during the day so they would eat. But their stomach wasn't breaking the food down fast enough and it would all come up at night when they slept. So this is how we ate:
Breakfast: We had a regular breakfast (cereal, toast, yogurt, etc.)
Snacks: Juices, cinnamon toast, bananas or applesauce (no snacks after 3:00PM)
Lunch: For lunch we ate oatmeal (quick oats) with a lot of cinnamon. We used soy milk to limit dairy. Oatmeal could cause problems for some. You could make hot cereal with brown rice (google it for a recipe or purchase it at the store.)
Dinner: This is the most important meal to monitor! You want it to be light and smooth. No chunks! I made a chicken broth soup with boiled potatoes. I added a Butternut squash pasta sauce as a base. It still wasn't quite thick enough so I drained some of the juice out of a can of southwestern chicken veggie soup and added the contents into the pot. After bringing it to a boil I poured it into my Vitamix and blended it until smooth. It was very tastey but we ended up wanting to drink it.;)  This was the perfect meal to ease the stomachs. It had a touch of garlic and a touch of cayenne both have soothing and healing properties. The next night we had leftover soup, mashed potatoes, and bananas dipped in cool whip.

GOOD LUCK!

Have I Ever Told You?

Have I ever told you what my absolute all time favorite thing to see is during this particular season of my life? Well let me tell you...

I LOVE to watch my precious children play! I love to sit back away from their action and watch them play. Whether they be all by themselves with their little toys or side by side each other playing together, the sight is precious to me! Even more precious is when I hear their little voices as they play. To hear my sweet Caleb say to Jakob, "yes sir (sure) Brother, we can play dat (that)..."  Priceless!

From JJ 3 Months

I'm Praying...

I'm Praying that we are at the end of this incredible sickness that has gripped us. I'm hoping and praying!  My JJ needs the chance to rebuild his strength and gain the weight that he's lost.

Going on Three Weeks

If I have to clean up one more puddle of puke or worse, I might just go insane! My kids have had one type of flu or another for the past three weeks. I am So Weary! I won't go into detail. I just needed to vent for a minute. Thanks!

3rd Annual Country Women's Christmas Candy Making Party

I just returned home from my annual candy making party. It was another great time filled with holiday festivities and spirit and great company.

My sweet friend ended up with a house full of sick kids this year. So we held the party at the church instead of her house. We missed her a lot but the set up at the church went great! I wanted the day to still feel cozy cottage like. So I tried to decorate and bring in the Christmas spirit. My precious mother in law came to the church and helped me set up. We hung a wreath on the door to welcome my guests. Then we wrapped the three large tables in wrapping paper. We used chair back covers to cover the chairs and then wrapped pretty bows around the chairs. This added a special touch. I set up a small fiberoptic Christmas tree. Then to add the final touch I set up a CD player with Christmas music and turned on my candle warmer with a Scentsy Caramel Pecan scent. *Perfect!*

To make things easy and the least divided as possible I brought my microwave to set up in the room with us so that no one had to leave to melt all of the different ingredients. This was really nice as it kept us all visiting and laughing together.

I always love to see who is able to come, both those who I know and then those who I don't. This year we had two ladies come that I was able to meet for the first time. I just Love that this party pulls people out of the woodwork and brings people back year after year.

We made A LOT of wonderful treats this year. Several repeats from years past and a few new treats as well. all of the recipes are things that we can make with a microwave, plenty of chocolate, and several glass bowls. Here are the recipes:
Here are the links to the recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Holiday Truffles
Toffee Peanut Clusters
Oreo Cream Cheese Truffles (AKA: Hosts of Ghosts for Halloween)
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods
Butterscotch Treats

1 C. Butterscotch pieces Nestle Tollhouse

1/2 C. Creamy peanut butter

3 c. Corn flakes

On cookie Sheet with edge, cover bottom w/ wax paper, set aside

Put PB and Butterscotch pieces in a 2 qt pan. Stir and melt on Medium heat, when all melted, remove

fromt heat, add corn flakes stirring until well coated. You can add more cornflakes until they are all

coated.

drop by teaspoon on cookie sheet, place in fridge- and they'll set.

It was a wonderful afternoon filled with the treasured sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas. I am so grateful for the chance that I have to give back to my wonderful friends, old and new.

Merry Christmas Dear Friends!