I have been trying to figure out a photo-editing software that I downloaded. I love this pic of L, just afer she wok up and her hair was still a mess, but it's just so sweet! I edited it a bit, but didn't like the sepia or black and white, because then you can't see her gorgeous eyes! Also, here's a super cute one of J, he's so round and happy! Hopefully I can edit one of the other kiddos soon! Let me know what you think!

Power Showcase - Home Runs That Help

Hey all! There's this great high school student in Matthew's class that is competing in the Power Showcase in behalf of L. The link below talks about him, and somewhere on the site is some info about L. He's doing it as part of the Home Runs That Help program on Dec. 28-29 of this year! Good luck Kayden!

http://power-showcase.com/2011-event/5th-annual-line-up2/utah-kayden-porter/

L was so tired the day he came to visit, so she didn't show him her true personality. He has seen some of her videos that Matthew shows to his students, so he has a pretty good idea though. He gave her this really cute blue sock monkey and she has packed it everywhere. She is also really excited that 'the man' (as she calls him) is going to be playing baseball for her. We will be able to watch it on the Power Showcase website when he is up to bat!

Can You Guess What L is Singing?!

L was so excited to share a new song that she learned in school yesterday. I was filming E singing new words to the song Away in A Manger and I was trying to capture that when L demanded it was her turn. She then sang this wonderful song. I want to see how many people can figure out what song she is singing! Leave me a comment when you think you've got it! I'll post the answer in a few days!! I hope to edit and get E's song up too before too long! (You may need to turn up the sound to hear her, the microphone on our video camera isn't that great.)

Halloween Pics, Finally

 L's class had a Halloween party the Friday before Halloween. This is her class in their cute costumes - even her teachers dressed up!

 T loved being a pig and getting all the candy! I can't get him to smile normally though, if he sees a camera, he does this silly face! This costume is funny because his nickname is Hammy!

 E was a tiger for Halloween. She had lots of fun but only wanted to show you 1 piece of candy. At her school they had a costume parade -- I had no idea it was such a big deal! All the kids marched around the entire school and through a maze of chairs in the auditorium to show off their costumes, and parents and grandparents packed every available space! It was lots of fun to see all the costumes and E's excitement.

 Well, if you noticed L was a tiger at her school party, she changed her mind and wanted to be a butterfly princess for Halloween. It is so difficult to get masks and crowns and all that fun head gear to fit with her glasses and processor, and she gets frustrated. I'll have to remember that for next year - nothing on her face but paint!

J was a little lion. He borrowed L's candy bucket for this photo and was so excited, we almost had unwrapped candy before all was said and done. He's so fast!
All in all Halloween was a success. We went to a trunk-or-treat (in the rain) and a super fun Halloween party with some friends, were home by 7pm, the kids were in bed at their normal time, and then M and I huddled in the front room without the lights on and watched a movie. We didn't answer the door even once! (I know, we're bad, but we gave all the treats away at the trunk-or-treat, and once it hits 8pm, kids should be home anyway!) As you can see from the family pic on the blog, M was a polynesian something, and I was 'Betty Crocker.'

J found a Marker!

 Today I left J on the floor and went to change the laundry. When I came back he was so happy and proud of what he had found! His hands, mouth, cheeks and chin, tongue, everything was blue! Even the floor had two bright blue spots - I don't even know where he found the little stamp that did all this damage, I've never seen it before. I'm guessing that it was carried in by one of his older sisters, who are always getting little trinkets like that from school!

Here is the video of L telling about the 3 pigs. I'm no master in the video editing department, so be patient with my lack of skills, but enjoy her cute rendition of this popular story! Also, she doesn't remember how it ends, so the video just kind of stops. Just a warning!

Kick, Throw, Catch and Hit!

L has been working on using her listening skills a lot lately, and we've most recently used them to learn about action words. So, here is a short video of her listening, repeating what she heard, and then doing the action! I did not use my hands (sign language) to help her, and had the ball obscuring my mouth, so she had to really listen to get it. It's pretty exciting!

T Praying

This has been the highlight of  my day for the past week.  It is seriously the cutest thing ever to see T sign and pray with his sweet voice! I hope this isn't sacreligious, but it is just so special!

More About My HomeTown

Ok, this is not so much about my hometown as it is the home I grew up in.  It isn't fancy, but now that I have kids of my own, I see how wonderful it truly is.  First of all, it is not on a busy street, as my current townhouse is.  It is at the end of a road in a tiny town, two blocks from Main Street (anything is two blocks from Main Street there), and in the back yard there is a small creek, and field after field after field after field.  The neighbors are close, but you can't hear when they drive into their yard. 

There are two huge pine trees in front of the house that provides plenty of privacy, and all of the ancient cottonwood trees give shade and shelter from the sun.  You can see part of the yard, at least the part on the West side of the house, and some of the front yard.  Perhaps the yard, or the space outside, is my favorite part.  When we were visiting there, E kept saying, "I feel so free at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I can go in and come out of the house as much as I want. I can play outside all day without you checking on me."  (though I do watch out the windows to be sure she's fine)

Then, there is this amazingly huge back yard, with the creek just beyond it and the fields all over the place. I remember exploring through the fields, following the ditches and creek and picking asparagus there.  Believe it or not, I didn't know you could buy asparagus until I was 20years old! My parents have a great 'crop' that yields so much, and they don't have to pay for it or fight anyone for it because it is on their land! This is a shot kiddy-corner from their back porch. You can see the corral, and many of the fields! We pick asparagus in a field more to the east of this picture.

And there's no way to forget the back yard. There are these awesome hills for riding bikes and rolling down inside tubes in the Summer.  A slip-and-slide was also a favorite thing way back when.  And in the winter, you wouldn't believe the jumps and other crazy things that were built on those two hills! The best part is they are literally just off the steps from the back door.  This next photo is of the length of the back portion of the yard.  I was standing near the corral for this picture, so you can see just how far it goes! I remember when the pine tree was planted and it was only a few inches tall!

My Hometown

Well, after spending more than a week at my parents' house, I became nostalgic and decided to take several pictures and tell a little about where I grew up every once in a while here.  It all started because I helped my dad mow his huge lawn (it takes an hour on the riding lawn mower, and about an hour and  a half of trimming), and then watched him as he watched my three nubbins jump on the trampoline. As I looked around at the place I grew up and knew best, it felt important to write somethings down. 

First of all, I want to show the burn pile. This is a place way behind our house in between the fields and a creek, where my dad stashes all the branches that fall from the trees and the grass clippings (he even lets the neighbors put their grass clippings in there!) and once or twice a year, depending on the tree carnage, he burns it.  I remember as a teenager begging him to burn it so I could invite my friends over for a bonfire. It never happened. He always seemed to burn it when I wasn't around, so I've honestly never seen the huge fire that happens. This spring my family spent several hours helping to clean up the old orchard, and we pretty much built this burn pile in one day.

The trees that surround my parents house are huge HUGE HuGe HUGE. They are so old that when there is any kind of wind, we hurry to move all the cars down the hill behind the house so when the branches fall there is no vehicular damage.  On Tuesday morning of this week I went to get in my parents' van and found a branch about 4 inches in diameter and 3 feet long that landed just behind the car.  And, on Monday we saw a massive branch that fell down while we were celebrating the 4th of July that morning. It was probably 2 feet in diameter and 30 or more feet long. No major damage there, though!

I hope you enjoy seeing these photos and learning about the place I still call home.

J's Blessing Take 2

Here are the other photos. I'm not sure why they didn't show up on the original post, but these are of the big man himself, J at a sweet 2 months old. He was so tired after such a long day, he just went sound asleep!

J's Blessing

J was blessed in our ward last week. It was lots of fun to have some of our family come to our house for some grub before going to church.  Uncle Scott and Aunt Sherrie came, as did my cousin Bret and his kids (Parker, Natalie, Jaden, and Zach). My parents and my sister Tarena were here too.  It wasn't very fun for Matthew to see everyone eating though, because he was still fasting!

It was a super busy day, the brunch before church, then church, where I taught during the 2nd hour and played piano for primary. After church was through, we had a break the fast potluck with our ward followed by a fireside! It was after 7pm when we got home, but the kids were still in good spirits despite the 8 hours of church clothes!!!

I'm always so grateful for such a wonderful hubby whenever he blesses our children (not just giving them a name and a blessing either). L has had many, many, many blessings for sicknesses, or surgeries or fear, and it is just to neat to feel the Spirit guiding his words.  J was given some great promises and assurances, and it seems like the babies and children are coming to this earth more prepared to do great things every day!

Anyway, here are a couple pictures of the long, special day.  Matthew refused to be in the photos!

The Bean Museum

We decided this morning to travel to The Bean Museum in Provo at BYU. It's free, the kids like to see all the animals, and since it was raining outside, was the only option left we could think of for a family outing.  It was all fun and games until J decided to 'let it loose' while strapped into the Snugli. Needless to say, he needed a change of clothes after that, and the 'orange poo' as T calls it made it all the way to his hair line on his back! It is always an adventure with our kiddos!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3770293&id=137171372809

Hey everyone, not that you all live in Spanish Fork, but if you are in the area on a Tuesday, Wednesday or a Thursday, you can check out a free movie at our local theater! Check out the link to see their facebook page and the poster with more information!

Cute as A Button

T loves his hat.  He wears it everywhere, and it isn't always on the right way, but it is so cute and shows his personality, I couldn't help but snap this of him wearing it almost sideways.  He's such a funny kid, always exploring and using things the way they were never meant to be used! This summer is going to be interesting with him because all he wants is to be outside and we don't have much of a yard!

L and I went to the aquarium with her class a few weeks ago, and she had so much fun! By the time we got to the penguins she was done, I think there was some serious overload because all she did was run from one place to another saying "I want see more!"  This pic is one of my favorites as she is face to face with a shark (I think it was a shark)!

And how can I not love this photo! L is a little mommy to everyone in the family. She tries to take care of everyone and make sure we are all doing the right things.  E can't stand it when L tells her she needs to eat at mealtime. T gets furious when L makes him put things away and he's not finished. J just doesn't like to be mauled with her neverending (read stopping) love and concern and pushing his pacifier in until he keeps it there. And I certainly don't appreciate it when she is telling me to get dressed, or make dinner or take care of J! However, there are some of the sweetest moments with her care and compassion, as proven in this photo.

E Graduates from Kindergarten

Congrats to E! She graduated from Kindergarten yesterday and is done with school until the fall. It was very strange to sit down with all the other parents and families, and see my sweet E walk in with her classmates to "Pomp and Circumstance," and the tears just started to fall. What is happening to me?! This is a happy day, and great occasion, and I'm crying?

E did a great job, she sang two songs, one about the ABC's and one about friends being forever. She also did a dance to a song from Lilo and Stitch, hence the grass skirt and flowers in her hair. She just kept smiling the whole time and those gaps in her teeth were so precious, especially considering all of her classmates had the same kind of smile!

She received some purple flowers from her grandparents and a journal from Matthew and I. What a great day, just to think about how far she has come in the past nine months or so. She has learned to read and is reading on a 3rd grade level, she lost several teeth, she had some hard lessons about friendship and compromise, received reading glasses, broke a bone, so many memories!

My Yard!

So, when we moved in to our townhouse, the backyard consisted of a 20x4 foot section of weeds, you know, the kind that have thorns and thistles and grow to be more than 6 feet tall. It has stayed that way for almost 5 years, while we dreamed of what we could do to make it better.....
Maybe we could cover it with weed-guard fabric and put paving stones on it, maybe build garden boxes to try and grow some veggies, maybe just gravel or wood chips or maybe. . . well you get the point.
Finally, we decided the time was right (and our desperation for a safe place for the kids to play) and we finally did something. You can see in the photos the before, during and finished product. It isn't amazing or anything, but it is exciting for us!

E's Accident

Wow! What a weird week this has been! We drove home from Idaho Monday (what a great trip we had to Wyoming! I'll post pictures of that as soon as I find the cord to my camera). That night L had a fever and didn't sleep well, so Tuesday morning I took her to the doctor, and she has strep.
Then, Wednesday E didn't feel well, but didn't have a fever or anything, so we just thought she needed rest. Last night at about 1:30a.m. I heard a cry, and went to E's room to find her sitting on the floor in tears. The long-story-short version is that she broke her clavicle, pretty bad, and has strep!
Poor kid, she's been so brave, and we won't know any real definite specifics until tomorrow afternoon when we go see a specialist. I'm not sure how to get her pajamas off short of cutting them, but then what does she wear? I've got to go get some button up shirts this evening!
Anyway, thought it would be interesting to see her x-rays (forgive the fence in the background)! Hope for the best and I'll keep updating the blog with whatever we learn!

J is Growing Up

Hey! I'm going through a spurt right now of adding posts. Enjoy it while it lasts! Anyway, J is so cute! He is 6 weeks old today, and I was able to snap a smiling photo yesterday of him. He's such a great baby, mellow, eating and sleeping well, and sleeping through all the noise of his siblings. We are truly blessed to have a mellow boy at this point in our family's life. E, L, and T love him and give him kiss after kiss and snuggle after snuggle.

Matthew finished up his last class for his masters degree with another 'A'! Now he has to prepare for a comprehensive exam in May and write his thesis. Hopefully by this time next year he will be finished!!!!!

E and L both have field trips tomorrow - what fun! E is going to the Bean Museum and L is going to the aquarium! Aahh to be a kid again and be free to just go and enjoy. How great it would be if mom could go on a field trip, planned by someone else, with a sack lunch made by someone else and have no responsibility except to learn something! However, I wouldn't trade my kiddos for a field trip!

Great Recipe

This is a wonderful recipe for play-dough I received from L's playgroup leader a year or so ago. It uses kool-aid, which makes it smell delicious, and is really soft and easy to work with.

Kool-Aid Play Dough
2 1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. salt
2 pkgs. unsweetened Kool-Aid
3 T. oil
2 C. boiling water

Mix dry ingredients. Put oil in dent in middle. Stir in 2 cups boiling water quickly. It will be sticky at this stage, allow to set in a lump until cooler to the touch. Knead well. Now it should be soft and smooth and not sticky. Store in refrigerator when not using.

If I make it this week I'll take a picture or two and post it with this!

E learned to ride her bike down the hill next to our house yesterday. She is very proud and having a blast going up and down and up and down. I can't believe she's so big and independent now!

Welcome J

Ok, we are now a family of 6! J was born on March 18th, 2010, weighing 8lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long. He (yes, now its all even, 2 girls and 2 boys, 3 of each if you count mom and dad) is a very round baby, chubby cheeks, double chin, rolls on his thighs and everything! So far, at almost 3 weeks he is a mellow, content, addition to our family. His siblings are his greatest fan club, E just keeps saying he's so cute, L loves to sit on the couch and hold him, and T is very concerned if he ever hears J cry.

We're lucky to have him here with us, during his birth the cord was wrapped around his neck, abdomen, and feet. I was admitted to the hospital about 10 days before his due date because there was too much fluid, and the doctors were worried about my water breaking and the cord prolapsing. When he was born, he was purple but quickly recovered! J is so healthy - at his 2 week appointment he was already 9lbs 5 oz! Enjoy the pics!

L Talking!

Here are a couple videos taken today. The 1st one is of E, she is always thinking of words that don't fit into the rules she is learning at school, and this is her telling us about one of them!

The second one is an impromptu video I took of L when she was asking her Dad for some water. I took it with my camera, not camcorder so quality isn't great, but you can hear her say "I want more water." "Give me water." "Pretty Please." "Thank you." and "I love Dad." I made the mistake of turning it off too quickly and just missed her saying "I love mom!" Anyway, L has only had her CI for about 6 months, so she's doing well trying to talk and get what she needs!

I'm so behind!

Oh my, I can't believe it has been almost a year with out any updates, only videos! Anyway, here's a quick update: E learned to ride a two-wheel bike, started kindergarten, swimming lessons, and reading. She is currently starting to read chapter books. I can't believe how she has grown!
L started preschool at our neighborhood school last spring, and continued there this fall, through December, but we decided to send her to a different preschool because . . . in August she received a cochlear implant, and the new school has a huge focus on learning to listen and talk. She misses her old class and friends and interpreter, but loves going to her new school. She's saying many new things, and even E is excited because 'she'll be easier to play with when she talks!' She still depends on ASL for most of her communication, but her listening skills are coming right along.
T is growing up too, he is now 17 months old, and is so funny! He doesn't say many words, but signs like crazy - that's normal for kids who are surrounded by sign language, so no worries. He wants to be as big as his sisters but just doesn't know how to get there yet.
Matthew is in his last semester at BYU for his masters degree. He submitted two papers to different symposiums and has been accepted to present at both, and has been taking care of his family and other responsibilities.
I am just here, taking care of my family and living one day at a time. Surprise! We are expecting our fourth child the end of March! Don't know if it is a boy or girl, but all the kids are excited to meet the new baby.
That's about all for now!

ABC Song

Here is a video that L's preschool teacher from her previous preschool sent. Right next to L is her best friend from that class. Her friend's mom taught her the ABC's in sign language, and L was so excited when she realized that her friend knew how to sign! It's too cute, I had to share, thanks to Sue for sending me this video!

She's Got A Way

This is a very sweet video that M made for me for Christmas. I just wanted to share, because he is so good to me!