Could It Be???

It seems like yesterday that I was laying in my hospital bed, holding my newborn baby boy, checking out his chubby little fingers and toes. Could it possibly have been a whole year ago that I looked into his big, bright eyes for the first time, and held him in my arms? There is nothing that compares to that feeling of holding a brand new baby in my arms that I know just left the arms of God. I loved Kamden when he was only a hope and a dream for me, then even more from the moment I felt him move inside me, and more again the first time I saw him. A year later, I love him more than I am able to put into words. It is amazing how love works that way. Just when we think we love someone more than possible, that love grows even more.

In some ways, I'm glad we are a year later, rather than a year ago. It was a really hard time in my life with health issues, and no sleep, and adjusting to four children. A year later, I am healthy, Kam sleeps through the night, and I'm STILL adjusting to four children, (two out of the three isn't bad, right?). Now if I could just stop the clock right where it is.

Kamden doesn't smile a lot, but his eyes always have a sparkle in them. When he does smile, it is usually accompanied with a great big laugh.

He is almost always content, and is so easy to take care of and love.

Kam is so tender-hearted. He likes to bury his face into ours and give us hugs and kisses.

The last few weeks he has been perfecting his ability to walk. I LOVE to see that glow on his face when he has walked to where he wants to go.

Happy Birthday my sweet baby boy. I feel so blessed to have you as part of my eternal family. You have brought me so much joy, laughter, love and happiness - you are a treasure! I don't want you to be in a hurry to grow up, yet I can't wait for all our new adventures in the months and years to come. I love you!!

Love It...Love It...Love It

I really, really, really love summer. I love everything about it (I could do without it getting quite so hot some days - but that just comes with the territory). I love playing with my family; 4-wheeling, swimming, barbeques, summer matinees at the theatre, picnics at the park, camps, and a few small road trips in-between. Summer hadn't really began here until this week, cuz it has been raining non-stop. We attempted to make the best of it, and still do fun activities in the rain...didn't go so well. So as soon as the sun came out...PLAY TIME!!

Our first attempt at some summer fun was 4-wheeling...even on a cloudy day. As soon as we unloaded, the rain started. We rode anyways...for about 10 minutes. Then we got smart and realized that it was just way too cold and wet for the little people in our family. I had to put Kam inside of my coat! 4-Wheeling attempt #2 was actually a great success. There was no rain this time, but still lots of snow in the mountains. Grandpa came along, and he and Ira did a lot of pushing and pulling to get through the remaining snow drifts on the road.We made it to the top of Franklin Basin. It was so beautiful!

Rainy-day Summer Adventure #2 was fishing. You can't go too wrong with fishing, right? Again, it was cloudy - but we thought that even if it rained a little, it's not too tough to fish in the rain. As soon as we unloaded and got all hooked up - it rained. And not just a little! It poured - the roads became a river. Oh well...it still didn't stop Brayden from wanting to catch the "big one". Except the big one never came...it must have been staying out of the rain!

YEAH!!!! Finally a sunny, warm summer day. We headed to Pocatello, to my sisters, and had a girls/young children couple of days. (The big kids and dads were all at camps or hiking etc.) We went to the swimming pool, stayed over night and watched movies (a sports movie of all things - not a chick flick. But one that I highly recommend - Forever Strong). We even shopped a little bit, and since the barbequing was left up to me...I cinged my bangs - VERY BEAUTIFUL and MEMORABLE - the memory will stay just that, in our memories, cuz no way was I having a picture taken of that!

The 3 babies didn't want to cooperate and pose for the camera...wonder why?

Kam & Emi

Parker & Jarin

Truman, Myah & Jarin

Brayden had a great time at scout camp, and he came home safely, and slept most of the day on Saturday. Was I THAT grumpy when I came home from camps when I was young? NAH, impossible! Now he's almost back to his chipper self...maybe another nap will do the trick.

And June isn't even over yet. Can't wait to see what adventures July and August bring our way.

Summer Fun...here we come!!!

Reminder to Hold Our Children Close...

My last post was about Brayden going away to Scout Camp, where I couldn't be there to protect him. This post is about Jarin, who is home with me for me to be protecting, and I didn't do my job (unknown to me at the time). The story:

Jarin and Emilie had two of their little friends over for the day, and when their mom came to pick them up, she and I stood in the driveway and visited for a little bit. At that time, the neighbor kids were outside, her kids, and my kids, and they were all playing, and going in and out of the house and cars. When she was leaving, we couldn't find Jarin and her little girl. She went to the park (2 blocks away) to see if that's where they went. Pretty soon she gets a phone call from her husband asking if we were missing two children. They had walked, bare-footed, to their house. Here's the problem...they live across the 4-lane highway! A family in our ward saw them on the other side of the highway, and stopped and picked them up and brought them the rest of the way. So our 3 and 4 year old had crossed that highway all by themselves!!! At first I was shocked, thinking that Jarin would never do that. He doesn't even cross the street in front of our house! Then I became mad, which left me very quickly. Then I felt panic, sickened, and gratitude mixed all together. They crossed the Highway at one of the busiest times of day, and the traffic can be really bad right then. I KNOW in my heart that there was divine intervention on behalf of these two little friends. I don't doubt for a minute that some un-seen angel held their hands and walked them across that highway. It is like a 1 in a million chance that two little children who don't really understand the full concept of looking both ways yet, and not crossing until there's no cars, could make it across without being hit.

When I saw Jarin, he looks at me and says, "Mom, am I in trouble?" I said, "Yes Jarin". And he cried and cried. We had a little talk where we both cried, and I hope he understood the message. Then I just hugged him and held him, and of course thanked Heavenly Father for their safety. I hug him every chance I get since then. I just watch his every move, and am so grateful everytime I hear him laugh, or cry, that I get the opportunity to still hear that laugh and cry.


And I was only worried about Brayden at camp! Silly me!

My Baby...

I sent my baby away today for a whole week. Not the baby your probably thinking, but my oldest "baby". I sent him away to scout camp for the first time for an ENTIRE WEEK! And I thought sending him to Kindergarten was hard. When I was checking and double checking if he had everything he needed, he said, "Now Mom, you don't need to check through my bags like you always do. Just let me do it." I'm thinking, "Oh, he doesn't want my help anymore," and on the inside, a small seed of panic is planted. "What if he forgets his jacket and he freezes? What if he forgets his deoderant and stinks? What if he not only forgets, but doesn't even care to bring his toothbrush? What if he gets hurt or sick? What if...what if...what if?!" Then the thought occurs to me that even though he will be gone a whole week, and I can't be there to make sure he's OK, his dad will! There are bonuses to Ira's calling in the church. He gets to attend every youth event, even if it's just for a day or two. SO...Ira will be going up on Tuesday, then again on Friday and Saturday. And being the worried mom that I am, I am going to send him with an extra jacket and blanket...just in case. :) But this is our secret, right? He can't know that he will always be my baby, and he definently can't know that I'm glad that Ira can "check" on him for me. That would just NOT be cool to a 12 year old!

Why????

Why were we born with wisdom teeth? Why, oh why??? I currently have 2 and a HALF wisdom teeth less than I had a couple days ago. Yes...I did say HALF. Long story short...I have to go back and have one and a half of the remaining wisdom teeth taken out at a later date. You mean I have to do this again??????? Who in their right mind would go through this TWICE?? I can't think of anyone - including myself, I KNOW I'm not in my right mind! I also had a major reaction to the pain med they gave me, and at that moment, I thought my life was coming to an end. Oh, fun stuff - can't wait to go back!

Back to a post I posted a while back - am I bragging or complaining??? I'd say...I'm definently COMPLAINING! Can't think of a thing that I'd be bragging about in this case. :) But you know the song..."The sun will come out...tomorrow" (or will it? It's been raining an awful lot the last few weeks!)

OK, enough of my pouting - I just needed to vent. I feel much better now...not really, but I'm sure I will tomorrow, right?

Not to Brag, but...

I have some really talented children. Being the end of the school year, we parents have the opportunity to attend recitals, games and performances that our children have been working so hard on. It is really fun to see all their hard work pay off, and to see their faces shine as they take the spotlight, and see their self-confidence rise a notch when they have done their best. It has been so much fun to watch Brayden especially, just because he's our oldest, try different things, and weed some of them out, and progress with others. I love watching them mold into that person that Heavenly Father intended for them to be. I am so proud of all of them for their accomplishments. Braydens clogging group was incredible to watch this year. They have really crossed that line of being kids learning to clog, to young men who really know what their doing, and can move their feet! Brayden has insisted that this was his last year, and knowing that, I cried when I watched him. He has loved it, and now wants to move on - but I will miss watching this group of boys. They clogged to Pirates of the Caribbean, Sharp Dressed Man, and Signed...Sealed...Delivered.

Braydens true love seems to be anything to do with music. He wants to replace clogging with guitar lessons. He took orchestra at school (playing the cello). Next year he's signed up for band instead, to learn something new. He loves piano. When he's bored and frustrated, he turns to the piano and just starts playing away.

I don't know if the following picture is considered a talent, but it was an accomplishment for Brayden. His Youth group at church did a "ropes course" at Utah State. I'm not sure everything it entales, since I wasn't there. But I think it has to do with overcoming fears and having faith. He loved the activity.

Emilie was in the Smithfield Community Childrens play, where they put on the show "Pirates of Penzance". She was a little pirate, and sang and danced. Emilie seems to love the stage, and having the spotlight on her. The play is amazing. Everything is done is two weeks time, all by children, including the orchestra. Good job Emi Girl. The piano recital this year was a pajama party. It was fun for the kids to get to have it be a relaxed atmosphere, with popcorn and pizza. Emilie was so proud of herself to have memorized her piece - and we were proud of her too!
DANCE! Emilie took dance this year for the first time. It was a ballet, tap, jazz year. Again, she loved performing on stage. Her Grandpa and Grandma brought her a flower for her performance, which made her feel like a true princess. Emi says she would rather do gymnastics than dance next year, which fits her personality to a "T". Emi likes soccer, and she has gotten a little aggressive on the field. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? She even scored a goal this year. Way to go Em!

Where do we begin with Jarin? He isn't in any lessons of any sort, or in school yet. But he has fabulous talents at making us all laugh, and being a wonderful brother. He is our little impersonator. He can quote movies, and even get the accents down. The top picture, he is impersonating (wanting to be just like) his Uncle Derrick, who sometimes wears his hat backwards. He won't let us turn it around either, cuz he wants to be just like Uncle Derrick!

The bottom picture - he's being a sweet big brother to Kamden.

Kamden's talents include learning something new about every day. He's figured out how to play with most of his toys, and he's a great helper to me, especially when I'm doing dishes! He walks along furniture, and will even stand by himself. He hasn't taken any steps yet, but I'm afraid that's not too far off :( . I'm not in any hurry for him to be growing up, but I guess I don't have a say in the matter! Kam is such an easy-going baby. He seldom lets anything upset him too much, and is almost always content just hangin' out.

Boo Hoo...

You know how at every holiday, every blog you read is titled after that holiday, and the events that surrounded that holiday for their family? For example, I think about every blog I read last week was titled, "Memorial Day" (mine included). My title of this blog doesn't surround any holiday, BUT I'll bet I'm only one of a bunch of Smithfield blogs who will have similar postings. So let the crying holiday begin. This holiday started Tuesday night with thunder storm warnings, and hail warnings. Pretty soon, the dark clouds rolled toward our Cache Valley, the wind started howling, and sure enough, the sound of thunder rumbling. Then came the lightning, rain, and the huge hail stones. It was actually quite the exciting storm, until...my friend called to see if our basement had flooded like so many others in our neighborhood had. Sure enough, we have wet walls and carpet. Hence the title of my blog BOO HOO! So since it was very late when the problem was discovered, I figured I'd go to bed - nothing I can do about it that late. Of course the next day, Ira had to go to work, so I was on my own to pull up carpet and padding. I wish I could say it was a fun day, but "eventful" would be a better choice of words. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, until I heard that some homes had 8 feet of water in their basements. And a guy in our Stake, had his whole window well filled with water, and he walked up to it, and the glass broke under the pressure and shattered on him and he got hurt pretty bad - on top of having a flooded basement! I guess replacing carpet in one room isn't so bad after all!

I forgot to mention that I woke up to a little boy who peed the bed (had to wash sheets and blankets), and another little boy who had a blow-out up to his ears (had to wash clothes, and give baths)! Oh ya, and I had bought a case of strawberries to make jam, and had put it off to do until Wednesday - and the berries couldn't wait another day - so I had to make jam too. Then I looked at my flowers and vegetable garden. Anything that wasn't under cover is shredded to pieces from the hail. I was fortunate enough to still have most of mine covered under the "walls of water", but I'm so sad for my neighbors who lost those too.

What can I say? Except that so far, today is a GREAT day! I guess it takes a bad day to appreciate a good one.

Where in the World????

My parents received their much anticipated mission call this Saturday, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And imagine, if you will, what it was like for them to have received that envelope in the mailbox at approximately 10:00 A.M., and leave it sitting there for 8 HOURS, just staring at them, and begging them to open it. Why would they do such a silly thing?...because their very lives depended on it! Their eight children, and many of their grandchildren threatened them that they better not open it until we could all be present to witness it (4 of them were on speaker phone, 4 of us were standing with cameras and video cameras running). It was much better than Christmas morning!
Before the envelope was opened, we all guessed where in the world we thought they would be serving the Lord for 18 months. Guess who hit the nail on the head??? That would be yours truley! I said that they would be serving in the...(wait, I've skipped some parts of the story - I can't tell you yet where their going).
So back to the events. After everyone was ready, and the phones were all connected, they tore open the envelope (not carefully like they do Christmas paper). While my mom pulled out the papers, my dad sat with his hands over his face - not believing the step they are about to take. When they pulled out the paper and started to read, they both got looks of shock as they read the words from our Prophet of God, for them to serve in the Marshall Islands. I think most of us, in unison, said: "Where?" "Where is that?" (of course, I knew...because as I mentioned before...I had guessed it.) They will be living in and serving the people of the South Pacific Islands - where it's hot and humid. Where (according to the internet), there is LITTLE internet access, FEW phones, and even FEWER cell phones. For a family who call our parents at least once a week (some of us about once a day), this will be a HUGE adjustment. But I guess we've had them our whole lives, and we need to share them with the people of the Marshall Islands. Whom, I am sure, will love them as much as we do.
My parents, especially my dad, has waited for this day their whole adult lives. However, change is never easy when it comes right down to it. I saw lots of emotions in their expressions yesterday - a little bit of excitement, a lot of nervousness, TONS of questions, and even a little sadness for what they will be leaving behind. I will miss them so much, but I am SO EXCITED for them to get to have this new adventure together. They will be doing more service for their family back home, by serving the Lord, then they could ever do for us by sticking around home. I would love for them to stay home with us, BUT...the Lord will pour out His blessings to them, the people they serve, and to their family while they are away. I know this is true!
My only fear is that they will love it there, and the people there SO MUCH that they WON'T come home when their 18 months is done!

Their expression as they read the words: Marshall Islands They each have two phones up to their ears, talking to my siblings who couldn't be there.
It's just that 18 months never seemed so long! Ira and I always said that wherever they go, it better be a cool place to visit. So somehow, we are still determined to visit - it just could be a little trickier than if they went somewhere state-side. BUT Marshall Islands...here we come (maybe)! Any volunteers for babysitters???? haha