Oreos

Who ever said that things happen in threes? And does that mean good things or bad things?

It is my experience that good things never happen in threes, and if they do, we don't notice them because we are focusing on the bad things that should stop at three, but never do.

Well September has been one of those months were "things", good or bad have not stopped at three. First we had a stressful hospital visit ( see previous blog " the weight of the world), and then come the birthdays. First Tuione turned one( see previous blog). It was wonderful and sad. I love my babies! Why do they have to grow up?

Then we had Anthony's Birthday. He turned 32 years old. Still as handsome as ever! Love you babe! He happened to be out of town at an away football game. He plays linebacker and left tackle for the Cedar Valley Vikings. GO VIKINGS! He also played football for BYU( back in the good ol' days). I love that he can still play football, but I notice that, the not so young Anthony, has a harder time recovering from injuries. Poor old man! Anyhow since he was out of town, I of course was alone in my parenting responsibilities. I love my husband, and I love my kids, but I can't wait until football is over and I can have some help on the weekends! We celebrated Anthony's Birthday on Sunday, just enjoying some cake and ice cream with the kids and a nice quiet evening after they were all in bed.

Then comes Haylie's birthday. Our little baby doll turned 4 years old. It is sometimes hard to believe she is 4 now, mainly because the little stinker is always sucking her thumb. But she is not built like Sydney or Tui, who look older than they are. They are tall and have big heads ( that just means they are little geniuses). Haylie is my little fragile one. More slender and quiet, but quick as a whip. She just is always going to be my little girl.
We celebrated her birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese with some of her little friends. They had so much fun playing the games and winning tickets. Haylie even got a big hug from Chucky him self. As expected all the others rushed in to hug Chucky too and in the confusion, Haylie's cupcake got knocked out of her hand, and then the drama. Life had ended and she was going to let everyone know it! No worries though, mommy came prepared with lots more cupcakes!

Well that is 4 "things" . Three good things and one bad. That doesn't make for such a bad month. Oh but wait, September was full of much more. I am Primary President in our ward. I love my calling and I love the children I teach. I can not imagine and I never want another calling, but this month, I would have considered it. Thank goodness for my life savers Connie, who is my first counselor and Erika, who is my new second counselor. We had a primary activity on the same day as my son's birthday. Not only was that a double booking, but so was the park. I had reserved the park a month in advance and when I showed up at the park to set things up, I was greeted by about 100 people running a marathon. The beginning and end were at the park I had reserved. I kept my cool and worked it all out. I would like to say that I kicked them out in a stressed out rage, but I didn't. They were very co-operative and cleaned up and got out of our way as soon as they could. Whew! The activity turned out well, not as many children attended as I had hopped for, but it was good non the less. Erika was a tremendous help preparing and carrying out the activity, But by the end of that day I was pooped!
So the activity was done. I can breath.......oh wait.....here it comes......the Primary sacrament meeting presentation. Hummmm. Where do I start. Again thanks to my first counselor, the program got typed out and ready to assign parts. I think that every night, for the past two weeks, I have been on the phone trying to contact parents of these primary children to remind them to help the children with their parts. I didn't think that talking on the phone could be so exhausting! Plus this month in primary, it is my turn to teach sharing time. Any one who has taught sharing time knows how tiring that can be.

All of these things do not seem to be too hard to deal with, and they really are not. But combine it with the everyday things, like getting Sydney off to school, cleaning house, dealing with a crabby 4 year old and a teething baby, and anything else that happens to pop up, it can seem like the month will never end. But it is almost over, and so I am sitting here complaining to all of you while eating a whole bunch of Halloween oreos. Thank goodness for OREOS!

p.s. More pics to come. I am trying to figure out how to do a slide show. I am a bit retarded when it comes to this stuff!

OH BOY!

Change is sometimes scary!

Our son, Tui, is one year old and keeps me busy( as it is with everyone who has kids) This is nothing new. He is being a stinker when it comes to walking. My girls were both walking at 10 months old. Tui can walk, but he is refusing to. He will walk for about two steps ( holding onto our finger) and then swings his legs out in front of him or just squats and screams in stubborn refusal!

Well the little tyke has found something else to do to invite change into our lives. Instead of walking and causing mommies to constantly watch and wonder " what are they into now?", he has chosen to start climbing. He loves to climb into a chair, any chair, big or small, and then clap for himself. Oh but wait, it does not end there. Instead of just sitting there, all proud of himself, he turns around and stands up and DANCES on the chair. How special ( oh, right!).

Change is sometimes scary, especially when you have a son!

The Weight of the World

I am not new to making difficult decisions. I have made plenty in my life. Where to go to school, who to marry ( cuz you know I had a dozen guys wanting a piece of this =). At the time you wonder if this is the biggest decision you will ever make. You think about how your decisions will change your life, and where the path you choose will take you.

The knowledge that we have of Heavenly Fathers plan gives us reassurance and peace of mind when it comes to the big picture and eternal outcome of things. But what about the here and now things. What about the things we make decisions on that do not necessarily pertain to our eternal status or consequences. Sometimes I feel so alone in making my decisions, and I know in a way I am. We have all been given the ability to choose. And we have been taught the difference between right and wrong. So when it comes down to making a choice where there is no right or wrong, only unknown consequences, how do you make a choice. We pray, but ultimately we are asked to have faith and take a leap. In the past as I have used this method of choice making, I find that I do not get the answer to my prayers until it becomes clear that I have made the wrong choice.

So here is my dilemma. The choice I have to make does not affect me only( as most choices do). It more directly affects a little girl with blonde curly hair and a thumb in her mouth. She is my life's roller coaster. At points in my day she is a joy to be around and hold on my lap, and then out of the blue she is a whirlwind of fury. Despite the typical 3 year old behavior, I find myself more protective and loving towards her than my other children. Not that I am playing favorites. There is good reason for my behavior. Haylie, the little girl of whom I have spoken, had Bladder surgery when she was 2 years old. Just Minor surgery, no cutting or healing time needed. Now that she is nearly 4 years old, she is having more kidney trouble. As we consulted with the specialist, we were given 3 choices.

I myself having the same kidney problems( darn genetics!), and Haylie's past history with kidney infections, leads me to believe that this is not just going to go away with antibiotics and time, which is what the first option was.

The second option is to repeat the same surgery that she had done before. After her last surgery, the problem ( called reflux) was 98% fixed. Now 2 years later, the reflux is back. Not only is it back, it is worse now than when she initially had it. She is having fevers of 104.5 and hallucinations. She has had to have so many i.v's and catheters, and hospital visits, that even an adult would be sick of it. She bears it well. She does what the doctors and nurses tell her to do and she only cries when they have to poke her multiple times to get an i.v. in. Since this surgery only has a 70% chance of success, and because it didn't work the first time, I am doubtful it will work now.

Which leads me to option # 3. Invasive surgery to re-attach her ureters ( the tubes running from your kidneys to your bladder) in a stronger part of the bladder. This surgery has a 98% success rate. So what is the down side. INVASIVE........cutting my little girl open. I had this same surgery when I was eight years old. I have the scars. I had to deal with tubes coming out of my tummy. I had to deal with the pain. I had to deal with the scar stretching, almost ripping open, every time I got pregnant. I do not want to put my own daughter through that. I know that this is the only option that will eliminate more hospital visits and less tests. So do I do it? How did my own parents come to that decision? I never blamed them. I don't think I ever really thought that they had any part in the decision to operate. Will Haylie blame me, or wonder why I let this happen to her? Are the consequences worth the outcome?

With all the other responsibilities I have in my life, all of which are very important to me, my children and their lives are most important and thought provoking. I can not come to an easy conclusion. I know which choice is best for her in the long run. Will I have the emotional strength to support her through that. I can only pray and know that my Heavenly Father and my Savior love me and love my daughter. Whatever the outcome, I know that we are an eternal family and that we will all learn and grow from this.

One Year Old Already

Tuione, ( 2-e-o-nay) , for those of you who have a difficult time pronouncing his name ( that is just about everyone), is now one year old. Time goes by too fast! We had a fun evening full of cake and ice cream, and I mean full! Tui stuffed his face so full of cake he could barely swallow it. Birthday cake is serious business. Then came the ice cream, too slippery to get a hold of, it just ended up being licked off the fingers of the birthday boy ( by himself of course).

Is it just me or is it somehow ingrained in the dna of boys to like trucks? We gave Tui a new dump truck for his birthday and immediately he was attached to it. Maybe he liked it so much because all the toys in our house so far are girl toys. Regardless, I am happy he likes it. And Mommy likes it too......it has no buttons or anything to make noise, perfect for taking to church.

Happy birthday Tui. We love you very much!

This is our story from the beginning.

Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy and they really liked each other. Therefore, they got married. The two of them lived in Pennsylvania for a while when their little family of two turned into a little family of three. The most adorable little girl was born and they named her Sydney.

As time went on, the boy, who had become a man, progressed in his job and was promoted. The little family moved to Indiana, where they then had another little precious girl. They named her Haylie. As before, the man was promoted and the family moved yet again. This time to Waterloo, Iowa, where they currently reside. It seems that is has become tradition that the couple has a baby in each city they live in, so they did. Tuione was born into the not so little family.

One year later;

It is now a year from the day our son was born. Sydney is in the first grade, and loving it. She is quite inquisitive and a quick learner. She loves to read and sing and she can make her brother laugh like no one else. Haylie is not in preschool, due to her birthday missing the cut off for preschool by two weeks. She is however attending a " Momschool" which some other moms and I teach twice a week. She has made new friends ( one of which is a boy she is claiming to be her future husband), and is eager to learn. She is very abstract in her art, quite colorful, but no boundaries or rules. Lets hope the rest of her life does not follow suit. As for Tui, as wee like to call him, he is not quite walking unassisted yet, but is strong and takes after his daddy. He has the most contagious laugh and is a joy to be around.