Jakey Boy Turns 7!

Jake was born on February 12th, 2002 during the Winter Olympics. Of all of the children I have had, his birth was the smoothest for me and the day he was born was truly one that I enjoyed. He was the only child I had that was allowed to come to me when he was two hours old and, as a bonus, I was awake and feeling well. We enjoyed the day with family and it is still a day I look back on with thankfulness. As you all know, the days that followed weren't quite so blissful and were, quite frankly, a bit on the terrifying side. Jake is well though and does not remember the scary things. He learned to walk earlier than any of my other kids. He walked at 9 months and I loved hearing the gasps when I would put him down. Could someone that small really walk?

Jake was always very coordinated (like Batman) and so I chose the picture of him wearing his Batman costume when he was four. When Jake was quite small he could hop from rock to rock (sometimes choosing to do so in unsafe locations) or walk a narrow path, or the back of a couch without mishap. I learned quickly that I didn't need to panic as he had a knack for balance. He did flips on the couch at an early age. (Giving the girls credit -- we wouldn't have let them jump on the couch -- we've gotten soft and the couch has gotten old). Again, I would watch him and see others gasp when he did things. They were surprised when he didn't fall. Still, he is my only child to have needed stitches -- but it was from dropping a glass jar and then stepping on the glass -- not from any lack of balance.

Dan was born when Jake was four and a half years old. Jake had been king of the house until then. Fortunately, Jake took his change in roles gracefully and has allowed Dan the king job while he himself became big brother. Jake has been really good at his new role and has impressed me with his love and kindness towards his brother. It is a bit scary when they wrestle because they aren't careful but I'm glad they enjoy playing together.
Jake loves being outside. He rides his bike, plays ball, runs, swings, slides, and plays in the dirt. He is always tan in the summer!
This is Jake today. He is standing on the back of the couch -- of course. He was happy to get up today and open his presents. He loved them all and went off to school where I hope he is having a good day. Jake is a sensitive, kind, energetic boy. Happy Birthday Jake!

I do it myself!

*Jake's birthday blog is coming but I started this the other day and I thought I'd finish.

Dan has reached that fun point in life when he wants to do everything himself. I wish I had some pictures of some of these things -- and maybe I'll make a point to try to get some today. Since we are hoping he will learn to use the potty in the toilet soon, I thought I'd better start having him pull up his own pants. It is so funny to watch! He gets so angry when the back of them get stuck but he does not want me to help! If I start to reach a hand over he yells "I do it myself!" He absolutely requires that I let him put his own lid on his sippy cup. These have to be screwed on and he does not want help. Fortunately he does let me hold on to the cup so his milk doesn't go flying. He's gotten quite good at this little job. He also thinks he can pour his own cereal and milk. He gets so mad that I insist on helping. He hasn't quite figured out that you don't put the open part of the box of cereal or milk at the top of where you are holding it. He likes to take off his own coat too and he jumps and jumps until it comes off or until he gets upset and says something like "Awwww, I can't do it!" He looks very disappointed when his coat is "stuck". Most of the time he has great persistence with a bit of temper and a loud "I do it myself!"

Assignment 2: Angels

Confession. On my trip I wrote two poems and not just one. This one needed another stanza which I wrote the other night. Today was a grumpy day for me. I was still bemoaning the loss of my cell phone (which got left at the car show), my regular phones are pathetic and need to be taken back, Jake is sick, etc. In spite of these things, I have had phone calls, notes, and I'm sure happy thoughts sent in my direction that have come from my angelic friends and family members. Thanks for making a grumpy day not so grumpy after all.

Angels

There are angels all around us,
Walking in the shoes of men;
Helping us when sorrow’s found us,
Giving us the strength to stand.

There are angels all around us.
Lifting us when we are weak,
Bringing light into our darkness
Helping us when life seems bleak.

There are angels all around us
Following the One who calls
Go and help my wandering lost one,
Lest he stumbles and he falls.

Lift the hands that now are weary.
Lift the failing, feeble knees.
Listen to the cries of others
And their silent, prayer filled pleas.

Be an angel for another
And there will be one for you.
In your greatest hour of darkness,
One will come to see you through.

Car Show

A long time ago Derek and I started a tradition of going to the car show -- mainly because Derek loves cars. After a while I learned to enjoy it. We always look for the car we would look the best in -- nevermind that it is almost always a car we wouldn't ever buy. Our tradition was interrupted by pregnancies and births so much that Derek had a new tradition of going with his work buddies. This year we revived the old tradition and I went. So -- which car would I look the best in? I couldn't make up my mind. I was decidedly fond of black cars yesterday but I liked the red ones too. Yes, I do know that colors aren't the same as kinds but I'm better at naming colors than kinds. Derek was kind of silent about which car he would look best in. I'm lousy at types of cars but I believe the above red car is a Ferrari. I suspect Derek would love to drive one which is why I took the picture. This fell into the category of too expensive a car to let lots of people sit in -- so we could only look.

I mostly didn't add pictures of Derek because I took lousy ones. I thought this ended up to be kind of funny -- he was talking. I'm not sure what fancy car he is standing in front of.

I had to sit in a smart car. It feels quite roomy inside so you can drive -- almost unaware of how tiny the car is and that you might be in danger of being squashed like a bug by a bigger vehicle -- but parking would be great!

As is usual for me, I am unaware of which car this is -- but I would look mighty fine driving it -- don't you think?

This is a Saturn Sky. I asked Derek about four times yesterday and the name finally sunk in. Wouldn't it be fun for me to drive on a warm sunny day -- with the wind blowing through my short hair (hey -- I used to have long hair and wind whipping through long hair isn't that fun).

I also liked the black Mustang but I honestly don't think I'd love driving it since the view out the front has a little too much hood. Some of the sports cars were like driving in a cockpit and I really prefer cars with very good visibility. At the car show though -- I try to put these practical issues aside and just decide which car looks the best with me in it -- or is it which car I look the best in?

Who's "HOT"?

I was at parent / teacher conference today -- which isn't really called that by the school but is still my preferred name for it. Jake's teacher asked as I was leaving, "Did you know that all of the girls think Jake is cute?" She overheard them on the playground talking about how "hot" Jake was. She tried to convince the girls that in first grade they should just be friends and not be talking about who was "hot". Somehow I don't think it helped but it was a nice try.

That reminded me that last year I had two seperate Moms come and talk to me about Jake. One was saying that her daughter really thought Jake was cute. The other told me how she had found her boy standing in front of a mirror combing his hair. She asked what he was doing and he said "I'm trying to make my hair look like Jake's because the girls all think Jake is cute". So if you want to know what "hot" looks like to a first grade girl you can look at Jake. The interesting thing to me is that size must not be a factor to the girls so much because I think most of them are bigger than Jake.

Aside from being "hot" (and I didn't take Jake this time so he is probably clueless about his high status with the first grade babes) Jake is doing very well in school and his teacher absolutely loves him. He even occasionally talks to much! Connor is doing well too. His teacher sent home a note about him yesterday because she is so impressed with him. It's nice to go to conferences that are mainly happy and it was interesting to learn who's "hot" in the first grade.

The Guilty Post

I admit to only writing now because I'm feeling guilty for being a boring blogger for so long. Unfortunately, I haven't downloaded any fun pictures. Fortunately, I'm sure your imaginations can take care of it.

Our holidays have been, busy, productive, lazy, fun, painful, scary, silly, and any number of other adjectives.

Busy: I have been busy cleaning, taking decorations up and down, cleaning some more, playing games, cleaning, and watching movies. Maybe a few other activities were in there too.

Productive: Didn't I mention cleaning? The storage room looks neater.

Lazy: Um, that's what I wanted to be except I feel guilty when I'm lazy. I did manage to get up later than usual on a couple of occasions.

Fun: Riding my 4 wheeler in the snow and being pulled on a sled and playing the Wii and going out with Der were all fun.

Painful: My arm hurts from playing the Wii and my neck hurts maybe from doing those 10 situps (doing ten situps is a miracle so don't laugh).

Scary: It's never fun to hear that someone you love is headed to the emergency room. We are feeling thankful and blessed that Angela is home. Also, those orks in the Lord of the Rings movies are really scary -- just in a different way.

Silly: Tia's silly friends toilet papered our house, came back for pictures, and got caught. As a reward for being caught they got to hear Tia yelling "Aaron, You FOOL!" It was pretty funny. Thanks to Kayli, Connor, and later Tia for the cleanup. Those super high pieces of toilet paper will just have to disintegrate.

Other adjectives: Yummy, exhausting, beautiful, touching, etc. I hope your holidays can be described by many happy adjectives!

Oh NO! It's a boy!

I am not referencing my new nephew that should be born today or tomorrow. I'm happy that he is a boy and am looking forward to holding him. No, I'm referring to the boy who, according to Tia, "is totally in love" with her. The boy who gave her a Christmas present of a necklace and earrings which she wore because "they're really pretty". Now, to be fair, Tia has always been very sensible -- but will it last? When handsome boys are giving her presents and following her around drooling will she be able to keep from giving them an adoring look in return?

Now, to be fair, I received a gift from a boy when I was in seventh grade. It was from a boy named Chip who I wrote about in my journal. My kids like to giggle over it. He gave me a locket and a poster of puppies that said "Puppy Love". Of course, when I say he gave it to me I mean his sister handed it to me. I'm not at all sure I ever really talked to this boy. I talked to his sister who talked to him who talked to his sister who talked to me. Tia is not in seventh grade and the boy gave her the present himself. Sigh. Her imitation of him was pretty funny. It sounded a bit embarrassing and awkward but he did it.

So ladies, when did you receive your first gift from a boy and how much influence did it have on your feelings toward him? And, I guess I'm not counting things like when a boy gave me more Valentines candy in the first grade than anyone else but my friend Carrie who was his first favorite girl. I was only his second favorite. Maybe this should be after elementary school. Men, how much did you have to like someone before you were willing to go through the torture of actually handing her a gift?

I'm sure in some way this boy made Tia feel special. As a Mom though, I can't help thinking "Oh NO! It's a boy!"

Kicky Kayli turns Terrific Teenager

Kayli Marie was born 13 years ago today. She was my biggest baby (until Dan) and was my only dark haired baby. She was born near Christmas and came home in a big Christmas stocking. Okay, honestly we brought it home seperately since she had to go into a car seat. We did take her into her Grandma C.'s house on Christmas Eve in that stocking though. We now use the stocking to hold Christmas movies which can't come close to being as precious as the stocking's original cargo.

Kayli was the best baby ever. She came home sleeping five hours a night and continually improved. We thought of her as the baby we were blessed with so we'd be willing to have more. Her birth went well and she was a genius at sleeping. It amazed me how much it helped me to get that much sleep in a row with a new baby. She had her own funny quirks as she grew though. She liked to kick so she was called "Kicky Kayli" by her Dad but she did NOT like to stand on those legs. If you picked her up she would hold her legs up and refuse to put them down. Thus she was our slowest walker, finally agreeing to walk on those legs, and learning how by 15 months.

Here's my cute Kicky Kayli with her blond hair and her legs out. She got around our wood floor by scooting on her bottom and used to kick her legs and make herself go in circles.

Kayli grew up a bit and had a little brother named Connor. In the picture above she is five and Connor is two. When Kayli used to go play with her friend across the street at this age, I used to send Connor with her. My saintly neighbor never complained and would only send him home when he didn't smell so nice and needed a diaper change. Kayli asked me once why she could never play with just her friends and not Connor. I explained that Connor would be sad and she kept taking him. What a good sister! They are good friends still and this is a blessing to them both.

Kayli became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in January of 2004 and our good families supported her. The above picture includes many (though not all) of her uncles and her Grandpa C. Kayli went over to visit Grandpa C. this summer and chatted with him for two hours. This made Kayli very happy. She loves a good listener.
Now Kayli is a teenager who can play the piano and the flute. She has played softball before and likes to play basketball and soccer. She mostly likes to "hang out" with friends. The best thing about Kayli for me is that she notices when I need help, and often steps in to do what she can. She often babysits for us (sometimes more often than she likes) and this is helpful to me too. Hooray for Kayli who will be a terrific teenager.

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer"...

"is singing loud for all to hear." You may recognize that quote from the movie "Elf". Here are some other ways that people have spread cheer this year (that I am personally aware of).

I have been blessed to see the generosity of others to those who are in need, and to see and hear of the difference that generosity has made in the lives of some of my friends.

When I was feeling less than cheery at church due to the less than terrific behavior of one of my children, a concerned friend came over, and seeing a need, offered me what she had -- a "gently used kleenex". Lest you think this is really gross, she had only used it to dab her own eyes and it gave me something to chuckle about which was as sorely needed at the time as was the kleenex.

I finished putting the lights on a friends tree and her approval of my light placement and her happiness at not having had to do it were very cheering -- though her company was the most cheering of all.

Dan always gives me a bit of cheer and since it is Christmastime I'll call it Christmas cheer. He loves helping me by putting presents under the tree. Of course he might be muttering "that's mine" too but he's always happy to help. He moved the container for the trains to a spot directly on my foot this morning and said "That's better. Say thank you mom!" He always likes to remind me to say thank you for random things, and during the holdiays and any other time really it is good to remember to be thankful. It's a lot easier to spread Christmas cheer if we are feeling thankful.

Thanks to all of you who commented on my poem -- I'm trying to not let it go to my head. Thanks to those who have called me, or chatted with me when I called. Thanks to those of you who managed to get out a Christmas letter already -- you are my heroes. I love Christmas letters. It's not too late for those of us who are a little slower. Thanks to the nice man at KMart who said "Merry Christmas" instead of getting frustrated that the thing I was buying was not ringing up properly and was taking "forever". Of course it wasn't my fault but his cheerfulness was appreciated.

Now, I've got to go and follow your examples and spread some Christmas cheer. Merry Christmas!

My Assignment

When I go on cruises I give myself assignments -- or things to accomplish while I am gone. One of these is usually to write a hymn, or a poem. I am going to bravely share one with you -- though I will confess to not being sure exactly how it is supposed to be punctuated or what the title should really be.

He’s There

In the stillness of the morning
In the warmth of noonday sun
In the shadows of the evening
In the starlight when the day is done

Evidence of God surrounds you
Evidence of His love and care
Proof that He is in His heavens
Just be still, and know He’s there.

In the mist of stormy mornings
In the wind of noonday storms
In the crash of booming thunders
In bending trees and fearful forms

God is still up in the heavens
Reaching out with helping hands
Caring for His children lost
And roaming in the storm filled lands.

When the storms are all around you
Ranging widely across the land
Reach up to our Lord in Heaven
He will reach down with His hand.

In the stillness of the morning
In the warmth of noonday sun
In the shadows of the evening
In the starlight when the day is done.

Evidence of God surrounds you
Evidence of His love and care
Proof that He is in His heavens
Just be still, and know He’s there.

Thanksgiving Activities

On Thanksgiving, since you either have eaten or will be eating lots of food, it is good to get in some physical activities.Derek and my brother Brian organized some of the children into teams and had a game. Fun was had by all until the next day when Brian became fully aware of how many muscles he doesn't use while working on the computer.

Playing on the swingset and in the dirt / rocks was a favorite activity too. I went down the slide a couple of times but I had to duck so far down to get on the slide that I always went down on my back and so I decided to watch.

After all of that activity in the beautiful weather, it is good to have a little rest.

Following the rest, which came after the playing, which came after the fancy snacks, it was time for dinner. After dinner it was time for the traditional pies. Oops. No pumkin pie! No worries -- there were plenty of other kinds.

After the food it was time for some more physical activity. An improptu arm wrestling tournament started by Jenny provided lots of fun and a few sore arms. Jenny beat Tina. I beat Jenny. Tina beat Jenny in a rematch. Tina and I each tried hard to win but finally called our match a draw. Those who watched Jenny and I arm wrestle said we both moved our elbows a lot (which is technically cheating) and so I guess I out cheated her.

The men arm wrestled some too. Derek beat Jeff but my brother Ray was the winner -- beating Derek out rather quickly. Derek says he can't be expected to win against my brother whose arm was compared to a tree trunk.

The day after Thanksgiving we went rock climbing (indoors). Jenny and Jeff do this a lot and Jeff was like Spiderman without the suit. If Jenny and I were having a rock climbing match she wins.

The weather was beautiful, the company couldn't be beat, the food was good, and the activities were fun. Hooray for Thanksgiving and for Thanksgiving Activities.

My talented big sister Tina

Nov. 25th is my sister Tina's birthday. She is on the right in the first picture and the left on the next one. This is not too long after she became a "big sister" and she has always been a good one. She reportedly taught me how to play dolls, and I know she liked to play school with me and be the teacher during a lot of summer days. She has been a friend throughout the years and has helped me in more ways than she probably realizes.

This is Tina and one of my Grandmas. This is the grandma that we were fortunate enough to get to see a little more often and she was a talented woman. At the last family gathering we were talking about how much Tina is like her. They both are good at cooking / baking, they both sew very well, and maybe it's because Tina is so much like this Grandma that I think she would have managed to be a good pioneer, unlike me, I think I would have cried myself all the way across the country. Hmm, maybe some good pioneers cried themselves across the country though -- who knows?

During our growing up years we moved a number of times. The picture above isn't terrific but it was taken right before we moved away from Missouri and to Colorado and showed us leaning on one another. Here we went again and I think the only thing that made moving tolerable was to have such a good family. My brothers and sisters -- including Tina -- were my friends so we didn't have to start from scratch every time.

I tried to find a picture of Tina with a camera to her face but I didn't have enough time. I think I have several. We both had cameras and used to have camera wars -- trying to catch the other person on film. I look back now and think it was an interesting use of expensive film -- but we did have a good time and I guess that counts.

Christmas was always a season to look forward to and a day to be planned for with excitement at our house. I think Tina was a good part of this as she organized us younger children to plan programs and she snuck around on Christmas Eve with us. She was a bit of a tyrant about the presents under the tree. Only she could arrange them artistically enough to suit her!

Tina got married while I was in college and I didn't get to go out for the wedding though I did go to her second reception in CO. I remember waking up and thinking -- "wow, my sister is getting married today". She married Christopher who she had dated since she was 16 -- with a break while he served a mission to Japan. They are now the parents of 8 wonderful children. In the picture above she only had 3 children and her husband is the hairy one. This is Tia's blessing picture and I remember that when Tia was in the hospital my kind hearted sisters came up to see her and cried to find her hooked up to an i.v.. Tina has always been helpful to me. She helped me learn to can peaches, she talks to me when I need a friend, and she and Chris have always been very welcoming. We used to go to their house every weekend to watch Star Trek when they lived closer. I think she has cooked for me more than anyone else -- well except her own family! I know she rescued me in college from eating noodles and salt when the food supply and the money supply were both low.

Our last babies were born the same day. Dan was first and Caleb later. Tina has the oldest and the youngest grandchild on my side of the family and does an excellent job homeschooling her children, teaching them, and loving them. There are so many things I could say and so many pictures, including some pretty funny morning ones that I could post but I guess I'll save some for another year. I love Tina. I could not have asked for a better big sister.

The World Care Cruise Line

Have you ever heard of it? It has three ships -- Faith, Hope, and Charity. Like a regular cruise your food is included in the cost of the trip. Your ship has a swimming pool or two and an exercise room and a theater for your use. There are shows too, but they are cultural shows with dances and singing from the places that you are going to visit. While you are sailing there are classes available to help inform you about the customs, beliefs and culture of the places you will visit. You will be taught how to say hello, goodbye, thank you and your welcome in the language of the country you are visiting.

Like a regular cruise, there are tours that you can pay to go on, but these are different kinds of tours. These are service / humanitarian tours. You might have a chance to go work in orphanages or soup kitchens. You might paint, repair, or clean buildings, or areas. You might simply have a chance to take needed items in and distribute them to the people who need them.

Never fear, if you are a shopper there will be shopping tours. But instead of buying for yourself, you will be looking for items on a list you have been given of things needed by some of the local people. Buying from the local people will help the economy of the place you visit.

When you come home from your cruise you will feel that you have learned something, and been helpful to the people whose country you visited. Perhaps you will have helped clean up polluted areas or you will have alleviated hunger or sorrow. You will have made a difference!

Who owns this cruise line? Unfortunately, this is just a product of my imagination. I came up with the idea after I had been cruising for a few days and was getting a little tired of the semi-idle life style. If anyone can figure out how to get such a cruiseline up and running, I will buy a ticket for sure.