Tonight (or Yummy the Wild One)

Yummers slept for 3 1/2 hours this afternoon.  This is not totally unusual for him.  But today, I didn't put him down until noon, and he dozed soundly until 3:30, when I brought his "guys" home from school.

Once homework was finished, we played outside in the warm, fresh air until dinner time.  The big boys played with the neighbors, and Yummy followed them everywhere: outside playing basketball, upstairs to build and wreck Legos, and even sneaking out the open gate to see his favorite Karen and her turtle Daisy (Karen even took him to play at her house and kept him for a bit so that I could finally get something done!)

      So, at 7:30 tonight, when all the other kids were tucked into their beds (with contraband flashlights and books later found with Isaac and Brady), Yummy was wildly jumping in his.  He would hold on to the railing of his crib, and jump as hard as he could for several jumps, and then land flat on his back or little bum.  And then he would laugh my favorite belly laugh and do it all over again.  When he needed a little break from the jumping, he would pick up one of the many stuffed animals that live in his crib, and hurl it over the edge onto Avery, who was desperately trying to pretend she was sleeping. 



A quieter moment in bed for Will

 I listened to this from my bedroom for about 20 minutes, at which point a very tired Avery came in, begging for some respite from her attacker. 

So Will and I retired to the basement for a little play time.  I built a train track and he pulled around the trains, naming them each by name as he played with them.  He loaded their cars with trees from the crane, and then systematically took each tree out and laid it perfectly side by side, just to repeat it again. 

I thought about how rare it is for him to just come down to the basement and play.  The other kids used to play and play and play for hours on end with the toys, but not Will.  He really just wants to follow me around most of the day.  Then I realized that it is because the other kids always had each other to play with.  Always another warm body around to bounce a ball off of or crash cars with.  

And it made me miss my little kids, who just seem to get older by the minute. 

Camping in the living room, and other weekend adventures

Last weekend we were supposed to go visit our friends Mike and Charlotte and their family in Champain.  I was so excited to see them.  I love Charlotte and even though it has been years since we have lived near each other (that was way back in Austin), we just seem to pick up where we left off.  We had planned on spending the night at their house, then driving to Springfield to see all of the Abraham Lincoln related sites.

Notice I said "We were supposed to go." 

Sadly, Charlotte called on Friday morning.  Emily had been throwing up all night and that morning.  Poor Emily.  Sick kiddos make me so sad.  And poor Charlotte.

John knew how disappointed I was, and determined to make it a great weekend, despite having to stay home.  So, while the kiddos were at school, John and I dragged out our gargantuan 10 person camping tent, rearranged furniture, and set it up in the living room.  



This tent is ridiculously huge, and I LOVE it.  It was gifted to us by John's parents when they were moving from Colorado to Hawaii.  We even ran out of room and had to leave two of the "wings" down.  Huge I tell you.



They were so excited when they got home!  Nathan, Brady, Will and Little Isaac from next door jumped around in the tent until they got too rowdy, and I had to kick them out.  Then they popped popcorn and ate it in the tent, along with Avery, Celia, Big Isaac and Aaron.  Will mostly played with the popcorn, scooping it up with his front loader tractor, loading it into his garbage can, then dumping it into his garbage truck. 

After dinner, we watched "Mr. Popper's Penguins" from the tent, then tried to get some sleep.  Around 9:00, Yummers started asking for "Yummy's bed", so I took him up.  About 10:00, Avery woke up and moved herself up to her bed, telling me that her bed was more comfortable (not hard to imagine that a mattress would be more comfortable than a sleeping bag spread out on hardwood floors).  Around 10:30 I joined them upstairs.  John was a trooper and stayed downstairs all night.

Saturday morning was taken up by soccer games.  Nathan and Brady were so excited to just be able to play, and they were so entertaining to watch.  Not an ounce of strategy, just pure speed and energy.

Isaac stood on the sidelines and dutifully cheered his team on.  He is not allowed to play for another week because of his surgery.

After that we ran home, showered everyone off, and dashed off to the dollar theater in Bloomingdale to see "Journey 2".  (Just as a side note:  I think it is totally crazy that even with gas prices as high as they are right now ($4.59 a gallon here), it is still drastically cheaper for me to drive all the way out to Bloomingdale, which is an hour away, and see a movie at the dollar theater out there, than to cough up the $9.00 per ticket that I would have to pay at our local theater.  Forget being green and minimizing our carbon footprint by shopping locally.  The almighty dollar still screams louder here.)

It turned out to be a delightful weekend.

Avery's Third Grade Pioneer Celebration

Avery came into our bedroom very late last Wednesday night.  She said that she wanted to remind me that her third grade program was the next day.  Yes, I knew, I reassured her.  It was on my calendar.  Long pause.  Then, (what she really came in for) she proceeded to tell me that ALL of the other girls had real pioneer dresses with real pioneer bonnets to match.  They wouldn't ALL have matching outfits with bonnets, I promised her.  Besides, the only dress code specified by her teacher was a long-ish skirt for the girls, nothing about a bonnet. 

Then I had a flashback from my childhood.  I was begging my mom to make me a last minute Easter dress/pair of shorts for a field trip/Halloween costume, totally oblivious to the amount of other more pressing matters that she surely had to get done.  My bedroom was directly above her sewing room, and I remember many, many nights, falling asleep to the sound of her sewing machine busily buzzing away.

So, I suppressed my natural tendency to lecture her about giving me sufficient warning and just dealing with what was available.  Instead, I kissed her goodnight, and reassured her that I would figure something out.

This is her very last minute real pioneer bonnet with a real pioneer skirt to match.  Nothing fancy, but she looked so darling.  And she felt confident and happy, which was all that mattered to me.  At the end of the program, she sang "Happy Trails To You" in a trio.  She sounded beautiful, and danced so joyfully, it was truly a treat to watch.

Isaac's Arrow of Light

The people who invented Cub Scouts have hit the proverbial nail on the head when it comes to my boys.  Patches, badges, pins, and more patches are the only incentive Isaac needs.  Not that a boy really needs an incentive to learn how to start a fire or build a wooden car or swim a long distance, but the patches and badges definitely don't hurt.  And now, after years of decorating his Cub Scout shirt with said patches and badges, Isaac has earned his Arrow of Light!  Congratulations Isaac!  You are such a good boy!



Each stripe on the arrow represents some award or patch Isaac earned during his Cub Scout career.  A HUGE thank you to a very dedicated cub master for painstakingly measuring, calculating and painting each one!



Ramses is number one

Notice Yummy's little finger helping out.

When it is really cold outside, Nathan's skin gets so dry that he gets eczema all over his poor little back and arms.  So every night, we slather him up with some oily cream to try and keep those itchy, dry spots from taking over.

The other night while I was oiling him down, I could hear him mumbling something, but didn't really pay too much attention to what he was saying.  Then I went in the other room to get something, and when I came back this is what I saw.  Nathan, flexing those little muscles, occasionally rubbing his arms or chest, and still mumbling something.  This time I paid more attention to what he was saying.  "Ramses is number one.  His arms are number one.  His chest is number one.  His muscles are number one.  Ramses is number one."  (From possibly the most random, but beloved movie at our house since Napoleon Dynamite, "Nacho Libre.")  When I asked him about it, he just matter-of-factly commented that the lotion was making his muscles strong, just like the oil made Ramses strong in the movie.

The end of the appendix

Isaac is now appendix free!!!!

He and John left for Children's Hospital this morning at 5:45 a.m.  By 9:00, they had him prepped, tested for additional infections, and in the operating room.



And here is the culprit that caused so much grief.  Thank you Dr. Madonna for the graphic photo.

 Thanks to his MRSA infection, they again have their own room.  Children's Hospital is great at trying to keep the kids pain free, so he is doped up on Lortab right now.  Other than feeling a little loopy, he is fine.  John said that he ate a little bit for dinner, and is just relaxing and enjoying his time being able to watch all sorts of dad-approved, mom-disapproved movies.

As a pre-celebration, we went out for ice cream at Isaac's favorite, Oberweiss.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Anthony!  Even though the your get well card said to take Isaac out for ice cream when he was feeling better, he wanted to go while he still felt like eating.  We all enjoyed it!

Boy Bliss

Yesterday afternoon. . .

Nathan, Will and I sat out on the front lawn and watched the landscaping workers in our neighbor's yard.  Nathan brought out Goldfish crackers and fruit roll ups, and we sat and watched them thatch, edge, blow leaves, and mow for nearly 45 minutes.  Brady came out and joined us, with his Wheat Thins and cream cheese of course.  Pure little boy bliss.

Entertainment this week

Here are just some of the things going on at our home this week.

Brady has decided that the vacuum is the newest electronic entertainment gadget.  He and Will played with it for nearly 30 minutes on Monday, suctioning each others' clothing and body parts.  Brady's favorite was probably his lips (yuck!) or his cheeks.  Will's favorite was his arm, probably because it was the least invasive.

Avery, Brady, and Nathan have been on a scavenger-hunt-for-mom kick.  It is quite cute.  Brady started the trend, leaving me clues around the house, ending with a sweet note under my pillow.  Avery helped Nathan write several clues, and he even parted with some of his beloved Easter candy (a true sacrifice for this candy-loving boy), leaving me an egg with each clue, and a love note at the end.  Avery then did her own, also with candy at each clue.  I love their thoughtfulness and creativity.

 

Easter highlights

How time flies by with a busy family!  So many things that I want to write down and document, but so little time.

Easter arrived out of thin air this year, amidst the beginning of soccer season for 4 children, the beginning of a new semester for John, and the ongoing, seemingly never ending search for that elusive job.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that somebody thought that planning a scout camp out for Easter weekend was a good idea.  (I told one of my friends that it had to have been men planning that one, because no woman in her right mind would have done that.  Women would know better than that. Then she told me that in her ward, they hold their annual fathers and sons camp out on Mother's Day weekend!  Every year!  Oh my.)  But, since it was Isaac's first Boy Scout camp out, I put on a happy, excited, supportive mother face.  Then I packed the back of John's truck full of goodies, tin foil dinners, and as much padding for them to sleep on as I could gather, kissed them both, and sent them on their happy camping way.

They had a wonderful time, as expected.  John and I both decided that we need to take the kids camping more often.  John took some pictures on his phone, so eventually I will put some on here.

I had barely recovered from the camping cleanup, when the Easter Bunny arrived very late Saturday night.  Then, way too early on Sunday morning, the kids arrived in our room and announced that it was time. 




Waiting anxiously to run down the very steep stairs

 We let Yummers come down first and look around, and of course sample the goods for a minute before releasing the older kids. 




Yummy trying to shove in as many Robin Eggs as he can.



Waiting to storm the stairs

 As usual, the Easter Bunny littered his candy, and an unusually large amount of sugar free gum, all over the house.  He also left new church clothes for the kids, and an Easter tie for John. 

Contraband candy was found in every child's scripture bag during church.  And, despite the sugar induced chaos of primary sharing time, I felt the Spirit deeply.  How grateful I am for my Savior and His immeasurable gift of the atonement and resurrection.  It was a beautiful day.

Pre-Easter candy high

Grandma and Grandpa Hema spoiled the kids (and me) for two days in a row before Easter.  On Wednesday, the mailman delivered a package with a cute stacking bunny, filled with goodies that were quickly devoured.  Then, on Thursday, another package arrived.  This time it was full of oldies-but-goodies-treats that I remembered eating when I was a kid. 

The kids loved Bit-o-Honeys, Tootsie Rolls, Sugar Daddys, Maple and Peanut butter cups, and the cigarette gum that makes puffs of sugar smoke when you blow on them.  They hated Chick-o-sticks (how can you hate Chick-o-sticks?), Necco's, gum drops, gummy tobacco pipes, and chewable, liquid filled wax (which I loved when I was little).  Such fun for them, and for me!

Things I learned during General Conference

I love General Conference.  I have said it before, but it is worth saying again. Even more, I love that my kids love General Conference.  Don't get me wrong, they don't sit angelically and listen to every word that is said.  But we do gather together around our computer screen, with treats of course, and for eight hours, we get to be together as a family, and hear the words of living prophets and apostles.  The Spirit is always there.

Here are some of my personal highlights from General Conference:

President Boyd K. Packer:

Told several stories of orphaned or poverty ridden children.  I couldn't help but cry as I listened, and think of how I would adopt 20 children if I thought I could handle that many.  Isaac was sitting next to me.  He was crying, too. 

"These children of whom I spoke represent all of our Heavenly Father’s children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord: and … happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.”²

"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood. Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling—from which they will never be released—is to one another and then to their children."

"One of the great discoveries of parenthood is that we learn far more about what really matters from our children than we ever did from our parents. We come to recognize the truth in Isaiah’s prophecy that “a little child shall lead them.”

Elder Richard G. Scott:

"One of the great lessons that each of us needs to learn is to ask. Why does the Lord want us to pray to Him and to ask? Because that is how revelation is received.

"Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously. It may seem paradoxical, but that is why recognizing answers to prayer can sometimes be very difficult. Sometimes we unwisely try to face life by depending on our own experience and capacity. It is much wiser for us to seek through prayer and divine inspiration to know what to do. Our obedience assures that when required, we can qualify for divine power to accomplish an inspired objective."

I loved this talk.  It reminded me that Heavenly Father will guide me in all aspects of my life when I allow it. 

And then there was the music.  I always enjoy listening to the various choirs during General Conference, but to me, the music this conference was especially wonderful.  The Sunday morning session alone featured two of my favorite songs of all time; "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," which I have grown to love over the past couple of months, and "Come Thou Fount," an old favorite from my mission.

And here are the only pictures I took of our family during General Conference weekend.  Dad and Yummy vacuuming up our messes from two days of sitting, snacking, listening, coloring, eating, and just basically living in our front room for two days straight.

Spring Break wrap-up

Because John's spring break and the kids' spring break did not match up, going anywhere was out of the question.  John's first week of any given semester is always crazy, trying to figure out which classes he is going to keep, schedule rearranging, book buying, finding groups to work with, etc. 

So for the kids' spring break stay-cation, we played lots of video games from the library when it was raining.  We also discovered and rediscovered some very fun board games like Clue and Pictureeka (called Chickoreeka by the kids because they couldn't remember what to yell when they finally found the picture they were looking for).  We painted pictures and watched a few movies and played with our neighbors.

Then when the sun finally decided to come out, we ventured to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Johnny even got to come along and we had such a fun time.  Our hands-down favorite, was the polar bear.  He put on quite a show, swimming with his face right up to our glass window, and playing with his ball.  It was easy to forget he was a dangerous predator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is Yummy being a giraffe.