Do You Hear What I Hear?

Probably not. One ENT doctor said if she poured cement in my ear it would not change my hearing in that ear a bit.  So I guess, that means my hearing in my left ear has been a little...silent, muffled, gone.  I've learned to adjust and turn it to my advantage. When T. occasionally snores, I just sleep on my good ear--ahhh, silence.  When the neighbor's dog barks at night, again I sleep on the good ear--silence. When my kids want to tattle on each other, steer them to the "bad" ear--nothing heard. In fact, they have started to ask which ear they should come to, the "good" ear or the "bad" ear; I respond "do you want me to hear what you say or not?"  So we've made it work. Of course, there are the group conversations when I can't hear any thread of conversation well, so I just smile. Then comes the awkward pause when something has been said to which I politely smile and nod with a "Oh, that's great," realizing later that I had just been told about their child's favorite pet turtle dying.  So not hearing has been an interesting problem I just thought I would deal with for the rest of my life.

Until Friday. I found out there are fixes to a large hole in the ear drum and deteriorated hearing bones. I am now sporting metal in my head with titanium prothesis hearing bones and a repaired ear drum.  I think I can hear better, but there is still a lot of packing in my ear, so  everything is a bit muffled. BUT I can hear SOMETHING even when I lay on my good ear.  Once the dizziness settles and I can think more clearly, I'll be a regular hearing machine!  T. says I'm on my way to becoming the Bionic woman, and she could hear two miles away or something! So Ring in the New Year. I might just hear it.

Party Time!

We've had 5 days of partying with no end in sight!  It all began Friday with the boys' parties. Instead of a classroom party with plates loaded with sweets, their new school does a carnival in the gym for each class. They then go back to the class for a cookie and drink. The parent turn out was amazing, and it was so organized with everyone checked in and accounted for.

 X-man

 Igloo--made off stryro-foam containers--so creative!

 Snowman ring toss

 L. doing the snowball toss 

 L. with his wonderful teacher

Happy L. 

Partying continued with celebrating...

15 YEARS with this young lady. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISS B!

She has taken on life with a happy smile, 

sometimes sticking her tongue out at it, showing LIFE whose the boss!

We love her bunches.

She started the morning with Poptarts and Monkey bread--the best way to start a b-day!

And finished the day with Boston Creme pie. 

In between, she opened presents, sang at church, played with family, visited with her friend Z and his parents, and LOVED when family called to sing and chat with her.  

Christmas Eve came with our traditional shepherd's dinner, reading Luke 2 and watching "The Nativity" video. We then drove around looking at lights, came home to see who could find the Christmas pickle first (an green pickle ornament) and open the first present. X-man did the honors this year!

Shepherd's dinner of pita, crackers, smoked gouda cheese, Dublin cheese, 

oranges, pears, carrots, dates, and hummus and mustard. Yummy cake balls followed.

Our Santas were READY for the man in red. 

In fact after playing with our new toys and gifts from family, we began following Santa's trek on GoogleMaps. When we noticed Santa heading toward us, L's eyes got big and he insisted on going to bed right away--Santa was coming to town!! We didn't argue with him and off he and the crew ran!

Christmas morning arrived with no coal or switches greeting us. We must have behaved in 2012!

 B with her IPod touch. 

 Xman with Legos--what else!

 A. with her Nexus 7.

L. with a new Wii game, a bunch of Angry Birds games, and a reindeer pooper!

And to make our Christmas even more magical, we looked out and saw SNOW!!

These little guys braved the below freezing temps to play in the white stuff!

Snow angels.

Xman angel.

L loving the snow.

I know. Bags on the shoes aren't exactly a fashion statement! But it works for those of us who don't have snow gear and have become cold wimps (60s is chilly--brrrr).

I love CHRISTmas.

As I sat for just a few minutes before running off to school parties and excited kiddos, I reflected on that first Christmas so long ago.  The one where the King of Kings was born in a lowly stable amid the lowliest of animals.  How thankful I am for Him and the peace He brings in my life. No matter the changes, the challenges, the joys, and the struggles, He is constant. He is real.  He is the Christ in my Christmas.

Christmas Party

Every year we attend the Christmas Party given by the Children's Craniofacial Association (CCA) and B's craniofacial doctor. The kiddos eagerly await the event and know exactly what activities they will do.  The activities include: cookie decorating (more frosting and sprinkles than cookie), pet/look at snakes, visit Santa and receive a present, color a picture, decorating picture frames and many other little crafts, climb on a fire truck and caricature drawings.  Radio Disney is there to lead fun activities and dances which our quiet bunch prefers to watch rather than shake their tail feathers.  We eat cheese, crackers, cake, punch, and fruit and have a grand time.

Inside the fire truck

This year B. decided she wanted a caricature drawing of herself.  She and her brothers waited patiently for an hour, with B updating me every 5 minutes on her wait time, reminding me how patient she was being.

B. with her dog Goldie. 

She doesn't have a dog, but if she did it would be Goldie.

X-man building a chimney for Santa with--what else--LEGOS!

L. doing a little building with LEGOS too!

A. wasn't feeling well, so she didn't stand in line. You guessed it, she has been sick this whole week with a too familiar sounding cough! We have been to the doctor and were told it was bronchitis and  given medicine.  Cough is still there...  Poor A.

We DO wash our hands around here and don't have a communal dish or cup we all slurp out of. I run around with Clorox wipes and call out "Get your hands out of there (mouth, nose, cookie jar, you get the picture)!" WHAT is up with this sickness business!  Really. 

Back to School

X-man went back to school today after 2 1/2 weeks off.  Since he isn't a fan of school, we can just say the morning was filled with a bit of groans and tears.  I've felt a bit home bound for the months of November and December, counting only 3--now 4--days without a sick child.  I've been looking forward to getting them well and then get out and doing some Christmas preparations. But I find myself wandering the house, listening to the silence. I'm missing my little sickos!!  Isn't being human funny?  Can't wait to have alone time, then miss them when I do have alone time!  The alone time won't last long. I have to take B. to get a loose bracket fixed today.

Again????

So we have pneumonia in our  house again. This time it's X-man. He and L. are good at sharing with each other,  so I guess L. shared this.  X-man was a little sick the beginning of last week and then on Thanksgiving night he just wilted and laid on the couch. No Legos, no pecan pie, no nothing.  He had a fever and a cough that worsened. I thought it was the flu, but when he didn't get better I took him to the doctor.  He was x-rayed and diagnosed with pneumonia.  There have been a lot of cases of it around. I wish it had passed us by.  Anyway, he's on medicine. He was doing better when we followed-up with the doctor, but doesn't seem to be doing so well since yesterday. We're going back to the doctor. I wished they'd give a refund when their patients don't get better.  Poor guy. He just lays around.

A Happy, Quiet Thanksgiving

 This Thanksgiving, we have relaaxxxed with a much needed break.  We haven't really gone anywhere or done much.  So NICE! L made this cute gobbler at school. It was the only turkey on our table for Thanksgiving, because the head chef (me) doesn't care much for turkey. Being the head chef, I decided upon salmon for our Thanksgiving feast. Such a rebel. 

Thanksgiving Feast.

We had salmon with the Hawaiian rub my parents brought back (YUM), rolls, cheesy broccoli,  sweet potato souffle, mashed potatoes, fresh pineapple, cranberry sparkly, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie. No stuffing.  Again, the head chef rebelled. 

Our annual Thankful game almost didn't make it this year. 

I forgot to start it! Then the kiddos reminded me.   

 We've been playing IPad, watching movies, eating popcorn, reading, napping (me), sleeping in, playing games, acting out skits, writing stories, playing Wii, and enjoying each other. We have LOTS to be thankful for!

Since T wasn't in the Feast picture, I got this when he wasn't expecting it. Ha! It's the only time I can get his picture. X-man is playing IPad. 

Sadly, X-man has been sick. He was recovering, but now is coughing and tired. We hope it isn't a repeat of L's sickness!  Be GONE vile sickness! 

And the IPad Goes To...

B won an IPad in her early morning seminary class (a scripture study class for high schoolers)!

She excitedly opened the box and pulled out her new IPad...

 Oh. 

An eye pad.

 Arrrrrrghhh.

B. couldn't tell us how it related to the lesson, but she thought it was funny in a disappointing kind of way.  Perhaps the lesson was on things aren't always as they seem.  Or there's more than meets the EYE!  Or beware of false messages.  Maybe I'll ask the teacher. Anyway, she has awesome teachers who get up EARLY (6 a.m.) to teach AMAZING lessons to a BUNCH of TALKY teenagers for FREE (it's all about serving) and then go off to a full day of work. Yes, AMAZING!

"P" is for...

"P" is for pneumonia!  I took L. to the doctor (again) Friday where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. Although that sounds scary, we are SO thankful that he has proper treatment and medicine finally.  In fact, he is feeling so much better that we have to remind him to please take it easy and stop jumping around.  Last night was the first silent, no-coughing night we've had in weeks.  YAY!

There are 3 other kiddos in L. class  that have pneumonia.  Crazy. We are just glad that L. is on the road to recovery!

Halloween

Halloween lasted weeks and weeks around here instead of one day.  The girls had an amazing Halloween party they went to with 50+ youth from church. Then we had a ward, or church congregation's party which included a trunk or treat with lots of candy. T's work put on a fun shin-dig with different games, a haunted house, and lots of candy and treats.  AND then the actual day of Halloween with lots of candy. I was actually SICK of candy!  Me, the gal who hasn't met a piece of candy she didn't like.  I didn't even exact my Mom Tax on Halloween and require chocolate from all. It was plain weird!  We still have a huge bowl of candy.

Master jack-o-lantern designers. 

L wanted 'King Pig" from Angry Birds. A and B did both sides with a cat and a cute Franken-pumpkin. Xman did the "mustached bad piggy" from Angry Birds (he and L slightly like Angry Birds).

Here's the gang ready for candy. 

Xman was Lord Garmadon from Lego Ninjago. He had a bone helmet and four arms (to get more candy). L was the Green Ninja, Lloyd ZX, from Lego Ninjago. B. was Miss Smarty Pants and A. was the Greek goddess Artemis (I think, the one with a bow).  

On another note, L has been playing flag football this year. It has been o.k.  His tournament is Saturday and then he's done.  

Poor little L has a cough that won't go away. He missed school all last week. He's home again today, because he was up all night coughing (I'm NOT exaggerating either).  He's exhausted. I took him to the doctor Saturday, but she just said it was viral and would clear up eventually. The school calls to see where he is, and I feel guilty, like I'm a bad mom because I'm keeping my SICK child out of school! Anyway, I'm getting a humidifier today. 

Missing Something

Guess what L is missing? 

His front tooth!  

He has been wiggling and wiggling it. It finally popped out last night. 

He'll have a whole new big boy look when that new tooth comes in. Makes me a little sad to see my baby growing up.

Today the kiddos didn't have school due to Parent Teacher Conferences.  We've got a great bunch of kiddos, so it was nice to hear teachers say nice things.  

I'm meeting with B's teachers and helpers to set up a plan to help her have success in high school.  She was taking a writing test when the teacher asked if a keyboard would help her with her writing.  Then we talked about it at this meeting. The teacher said she would email the tech people in the district and see about getting her set up with this keyboard.  Five minutes later she returned to tell us it was approved and should happen within the week. I have asked teachers in our previous school district every year since elementary if we could get B. set up with a keyboard. They've always hmmed and hahhed and politely told me it couldn't happen.  T and I thought eventually we'd just provide her a laptop in high school since the schools weren't helping.  We're here at this school, a need is seen, and WHA-LAH, a solution is achieved--within MINUTES. I was stunned. We will have the help we need as we help B. become who she can be.   

Home Sweet Home

So we've been in our house a few months.  There are still some boxes to be unpacked and projects to be completed, but we're mostly moved in. We really like our house.  I will give you a tour.

 Here is our living area. The ceiling goes up to the second floor with windows letting in a lot of light. My plants love it!  See how they are flourishing.  Also notice the beautiful orange tulips T gave me for our anniversary.  He has always given me such beautiful flowers.

Our kitchen.
It's very fun having an island.
We have named it Makahuhu or something. It changes.

I have to warn people before they use this bathroom, so they won't be blinded by it's brillance.  When I first saw this, it was first on my re-paint list; however, soul-wrenching pleas came pouring in from the crew to keep it this bright, festive color.   We'll always be ready for Halloween in this bathroom.  It has grown on me. I don't even mind that the toilet and sink reflect pinkish-orange.

 Our study.  

There are French doors leading to this room, and our green chair which makes it our "reading nook." It's a cozy place to read. You only see one side of the room, because the other side has boxes.  I'm hoping they will soon be unpacked!

 The boys' room.  

As you can see they really like Angry Birds and Legos.  The wall their bed is against is red with red stripes.  Bold and bright. Perfect for my boys.

 Seeing spots?!  

The girls and I painted their room since it was boy colors before.  They chose the colors (with a little guidance) and decided on polka-dots.  It took a week to do! But we were happy with the results which is good, since I wasn't changing it after all that work!

 T and my room. 

And yes, that IS a purple wall. I prefer to call it lavender  Masculine lavender,  so T doesn't feel he's sleeping in a girlie room. It was olive green before. Once I painted it, I was rather overcome with the purple-ness of it.  I hung stuff and waited, and you know, the color has grown on me.  So for now, it stays. It's very soothing. 

My swing on our porch. 

 I wait here for B. to get home from the bus. Then we sit and talk. Or the boys will play out front and I'll rock and read. I just love it.  I plan on sitting here when the girls come home from dates, waiting.

The formal dining room, which is sitting empty except for the keyboard and a few boxes of food storage, will someday be a piano room. With a real piano!  Exciting, but not yet. For the future.

So that's a little tour. To see the whole place, you'll just have to come visit! 

Sweet 16

Yesterday T and I celebrated our 16th anniversary. Sweet 16.  We have had many sweet and some challenging moments in our life together. Isn't that what makes it all the sweeter?  Adds a little tang to the tango, a little spice to the life, a little zang to the zing. You get it. We haven't celebrated yet, since we were busy driving everyone everywhere. But we will and that's a PROMISE!

16 Things I love about T:

1) He's sweet. 

2) He's easy going. 

3) He makes me laugh.

4) He's wise.

5) He listens.

6) He loves me for me.

7) He's an AMAZING father.

8) He fixes my email, Iphone, computer, anything TECH. 

9) He gets me treats.

10) He lets me decorate how I want.

11) He's a good provider.

12) He loves God.

13) He honors the priesthood he holds.

14) He puts stuff together for me.

15) He doesn't let me go too crazy.

16) He gives me hugs. 

I'd add He loves chocolate to that list, but that would make it 17.  

So I'll keep it for next year's anniversary. 

(This was his b-day cake from a few weeks ago. He shared. No, I didn't make it.)

A+ School

I should be writing my talk for church on Sunday, but the brain is drawing blank.  So I'll write about my kiddos' schools.  I really, really like our elementary school.  The teachers are so dedicated, professional, and kind.  They emphasize the joy of learning, rather than the drudgery of worksheets and dread of state tests! My boys come home excited each day with what they are learning. Even my X-man, who has been less than enthusiastic about school in the past, is excited!  He is applying to be principal for a day during Career week. He'll even get an "interview" with the principal. There are laptops and IPods for classroom movie making and learning activities in each classroom. Every two grade levels have access to a computer lab. There is a MUSIC teacher with a music class and instruments for the WHOLE year. There is an ART teacher for the WHOLE year.  They have a morning program every Friday where the whole school cheers for students' accomplishments. The principal is outside directing traffic AND smiling!  She visits classrooms. She's visible and working for the students!  She's personable and approachable.

Students eat in a cafe with round tables rather than the regimented rows of tables in a cafeteria. Teachers expect good manners and quiet conversation.

Volunteering is easy! Last year I was begging and pleading and emailing and then bugging to be able to help. This year I've been able to work in the workroom laminating, help the librarian with shelving, and assist the school nurse with vision testing just by signing up! There is a mentor program. It's awesome. Anyway, I'm gushing, but I'm very glad for this school. You probably have a school that does this, but we didn't and oh! how I appreciate our new school. Of course, the middle school and high school are nice, but my heart is the heart of an elementary teacher.

O.k. guess I'd better go write a talk.

1st Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school in all new-to-us schools.  It was also the first day we've ever had a HIGH SCHOOLER of our own.  Yep, B. started 9th grade!  A. is a big 8th grader while X and L are in 4th grade and 2nd grade, respectively.  My baby??!!  In second grade!  They were excitedly nervous or nervously excited, whichever you choose. 

 They are letting their REAL feelings about school show.

 Mr. Debonair was all set for second grade; however, the first statement when he got in the car after school was,"School was HORRIBLE!"  But today it has moved up to "Not horrible, just bad."  Maybe by Friday we'll be at "Great!" or even "O.k." I really hope so!

 Mr. X has not been a proponent for school education, but he came home excited about 4th grade!  YAY! 

Getting up this morning was another story.

 This COOL teenager was calm and collected about school. 

Her 1st day was "o.k." Some teachers she likes, others she tolerates.

And the high schooler. 

I did go in with her to make sure we hadn't had any schedule changes.  Once she found out there hadn't been, she waved 'toodles" and was off. My heart did twist a little and my eyes felt a little wet--in the midst of a hallway of teens.  I sucked it up though. I felt like I did with my  kindergarteners--sending them into the whole, wide world! 

When I picked her up, I was afraid she and L. had planned to echo each other because she told me, "It was HORRIBLE!"  After talking, we found some good parts to her day.  

Tomorrow she starts seminary (an early morning scripture study class).  Her teacher is AWESOME!!  We LOVE him already. There will be 25 Freshman!  

And me?!  Well, I meet myself coming and going. I feel all awhirl trying to remember three different school times for drop off and pickup and homework and which child needs what supplies. The requests from teachers for supplies is never-ending. (I could get on a soap-box about that, but I won't).  Anyway, I'm a taxi driver for now. Better get to bed--seminary for B means seminary for me (though T is helping out. Yay!)