Just Sammy and Mommy

Yesterday was the first day of school (pics hopefully coming soon once I figure out how to get photos off the camera and onto my computer now that I've got this new Mac).  So it was just Sammy and I for a whoppping 3 hours! Sammy has recently started giving up his morning nap, so we really are totally free for those hours. It's so different from last years insane schedule that it's hard for me to wrap my head around!  He and I played cars and made a treat for the big kids for when they got home, we went to fabric store, and even had time to hang out in the parking lot watching the "diggers" as they re-paved the lot. It was so luxurious!  Hooray for Sammy/Mommy time!

Here we are watching the diggers:

Sammy just saw these photos and said, "I watch truck! I wear flip flops!"  Such a cutie!

Cuteness

Seemed that we needed some updated cuteness. Here's the very latest!

Preparation

I'm just gonna come out and say it. We're hoping to get pregnant again soon.  Real soon.  That decision was not come upon lightly considering the drama from last time. Sammy getting here took more fervent prayer than I've ever given to one topic before in my life.  It was four straight months of prayer. Family prayers, dinner prayers, personal prayers, as well as prayers in my heart. Nonstop.  Pleading, begging, bargaining prayers.  I had a little mantra/prayer that I recited to myself whenever I was feeling especially panic-y.

As we prepare to be pregnant again, my mind can't help but go back to the last time.  The same physical problems will happen again as happened with Sammy's pregnancy.  The only difference will be that this time we know to expect it.  We'll expect surgery for me at 3 or 4 months pregnant. We'll expect months of bed rest.  We'll expect to have our family in a state of disaster for some months.  So we've planned ahead. We've saved money so we can be prepared to hire a nanny or put the kids in daycare.  I've mentally talked myself through it dozens of times.  I've already started planning the cleaning whirlwind that I will execute the second that I know I'm pregnant so that I won't be embarrassed when people come into my house to help us.

And then, today, I was thinking about all those prayers that were sent up on Sammy's behalf.  And I thought about all the prayers that would go up for this next baby.  And it occurred to me that there's no reason to wait until he/she is for sure on the way before starting those prayers.  I should be praying for him/her right now.  He/she is preparing to come down here to us and we are preparing for him/her to join us - the process has begun.  So, so should the prayers.

So I ask you, dear readers, to join me.  Please pray for us and our little future he/she. Pray for health and safety. Pray for good doctors. Pray for my sanity. Pray for Richard's sanity. Just keep us in mind and heart.

Thanks.

(And I promise to blog more soon!)

Thrive Food

A couple of months ago my sister, Angela, had a party where a woman came and talked to them about Thrive Foods. I knew nothing about Thrive except that Angela liked it enough to host a party like this for the first time in her life. So I "Skyped" into the party and, as they say, the rest is history. Well, actually, I'm writing the history, so I guess I should add more details. I liked the food. I liked how easy it was. I liked the idea of having more veggies around my house (in the hopes that I'd use them more). And we've been meaning to start a real food storage supply forever. So I signed up for a Starter Kit where I would get a box of food each month with a few recipes so that I could try out a wide variety of it. And the more I tried of the food, the more I loved it. We really have eaten more healthy food in the past month than...well, maybe ever.

 So I made another big decision and now I'm an Indepedant Consultant for Thrive Foods. That means that next time I attend a Thrive party, I'll be the one standing up there proclaiming my love for it. I don't have any desire to pressure anyone into buying these products, but I do really believe in them and want to give people the knowledge to make a choice of their own. These products are amazing and I didnt even know they existed until a couple of months ago!!!

 I keep thinking of my Grandmother's quilt. The one that was always on the guest bed in my Grandparents' Florida home. The one where each square was embroidered with something that represented an era of their lives. I think that on my non-existent-yet quilt like that one, Thrive will have it's own block. And I'm excited about it.

(If you'd like to learn more about Thrive foods, I'd be happy to tell you all about it. And/or you can check out my website at shelfreliance.come/nancyworth.)

Father's Day 2012

At Long Last

I feel like I am finally home again.  I can finally be "normal" again.  Today was the perfect day for me - filled with the things that I have most been missing in this past school year.

We woke up at 7 (well, a few of us woke up a little earlier than that and needed a reminder or two to get back in the beds and zip it).  We had scripture study and got dressed and had breakfast on our usual "school day" routine.  We giggled when our "Almost Time For The Bus" alarm went off on my phone.  But then ... *sigh of contentment*... the freedom began.  There was nowhere to be!  The kids watched a little TV and drew and played together while Richard and I got a few things done.  I got dressed for the gym, but then didn't rush off right that second. Sammy finished his nap. We went to the gym, but in no rush.  I didn't look at the clock at the gym.  It didn't matter!  We had a leisurely naptime.  I realized I needed to grocery shop but that I couldn't do that and have dinner on the table at the usual time.  Who cares?  We went grocery shopping.  In no rush!  We got home, made dinner, and ate it way later than usual.  At 7pm, the kids usual bedtime, we started our Family Home Evening of a walk/bike ride to the park.

I know this sounds like the most boring day ever, but I have really, really, really missed days like this. Days where I can just do my thing.  Days where I can change the schedule without adjusting logistics for three other things. Days where I can go to the gym.  Days where I can just be me, being the Mom.   

Heaven!

Last Day of School

The kids finished school for the year on Friday. We celebrated by inviting all the neighborhood kids over for a backyard party.  There was a table full of cookies and candies, a water balloon fight (150 balloons gone in less than 30 seconds), swinging on the new swingset, beachball volleyball, and general choas.  I think we had close to 30 kids and 8 parents here at the height of it!
So Goodbye to 2nd grade for Naomi, Kindergarten for Asher, and Preschool for Isaiah.  Next year all three big kids will be in Elementary school!

Preschool Graduation

After 4 straight years of one or two of our kids going to KUC Preschool, this graduation was a little sentimental to me.  As Isaiah marched across the stage, pausing for a photo opp with his cheesy grin and a thumbs up, it seemed like a shadow of things to come.  Sammy won't be in Preschool for at least two more years.  Naomi will be marching across a similar but larger stage of her own in 10 years.  Often in Motherhood time slows to a snails crawl, but suddenly those 10 years seem like they might be really short.

Progress Report

Asher is finally hitting that Kindergarten sweet spot where suddenly I look at his work he brings home and think, "Wait, is this really MY sons?"  His writing is legible and mostly in a line and sized right. He can read, he just still won't believe he can.  He's doing so great!

Naomi's Got Talent

I have never been more proud of Naomi. More than a month ago she came home with a permission slip and a plan. The school was hosting a talent show and she and friend had a grand scheme.  The friend, Katie, would play the piano as Naomi and she both sang. The song they planned on was "Down By the Sea".  My guess is that anyone who's taken beginner piano lessons has learned this cute little song.  There were six after-school practices and the music teacher worked with each group a lot. But Naomi would not so much as hum one bar of the song for me.  She would clam right up as soon as I brought it up.  I didn't push and tried to only be supportive.  I made Naomi and Katie matching skirts and sailor-like neck ties (because they said they wanted fabric "like water" to go with their theme).

 And the day of the talent show I gave myself a pep-talk about not saying a word to Naomi that could even remotely be construed as negative. I was only going to be super supportive.  No, "Well, it could have been louder" or "If the microphone had just been closer."

And then she blew me away.

This is a pretty bad little video since I missed the first few seconds and you can't even hear the piano.  But you sure can hear Naomi.  She was not one bit shy or even nervous ahead of time.  That girl has way more moxie than I gave her credit for! She stepped right up to that microphone, and belted that song out like a rock star.  I admit it, I teared up with pride.  She really just blew me away.

Roadrunners sure do "got talent"!!!

Garage sale

I joined in a neighborhood garage sale this weekend.  All by myself.  Richard was working so I managed the sale and four children simultaneously.  I'm pretty proud that I lived through it.
I made a little money, cleaned out a lot of clutter, and sold the big cordouroy chair and ottoman that no longer have a place here since we got the new couch and recliner (blog post coming soon about that!). 
I'm glad I did it, but it reminded me how much I hate garage sales.  Some of the people who come seem to think that I'm giving this stuff away.  Which is just not true. I put a price tag on it for a reason!  No I will not sell you that lawn mower marked "$75" for $20!!!
But we did score this fooseball table from a neighbor for $5!  She asked for $3.

Easter

We had such a fun Easter weekend. Richard's brother Bryan and family came into town which really upped the fun factor! The kids spent all day Saturday playing with cousins and Aunts and Uncles and Grandma and Grandpa. They did an egg hunt at Aunt Kelly's, they went to the Air & Space Museum, they ate dinner at Cafe Rio, then they played more at Grandma and Grandpa's. Sammy and I joined them around dinner time - we were waiting for furniture deliveries and letting Sammy nap through his bad cold. Sunday we all had a seriously yummy dinner at Kelly's again and had some more time to play and chat. It was all great!

The official Easter pictures were a little rushed (I think they always are!). There was an uncooperative toddler, and Isaiah decided he didn't want to wear a tie and threw a huge fit. But the good news is that Asher had enough style to spare and Naomi was as demure as ever. Plus Sammy somehow managed to look dapper while standing behind everybody in the middle of the flower bed.
Posers.
Poor poutey boy whose mother buys him new clothes.
Adorable baby - even with a snotty nose and watery eyes.
It was a great Easter and a great weekend after Spring Break!

Sofa Drama

Three years ago we bought a sofa at JCPenney. It was lovely. You've probably seen it in multiple pictures on this blog. It was blue plaid. It was cheery. It was not boring. I loved it.

But alas, the fabric was already worn completely through on the edges. Luckily, we bought the warranty. So getting a new sofa was as easy as going to JCPenney and choosing a new one.

Or so they said.

Here's where I do a little "aside" rant about the problem with sofa's - I'll try to be brief. The problem with sofa's is that they're all just variations of the same drab sofa. Beige. I hate beige. And the problem with me having these strong feelings about sofa's is that it makes choosing a sofa rather difficult. OK, rant done.

So we went to JCP on a Saturday - me, Richard, and all four of our crazy children. We chose a sofa that we thought maybe we could live with, but then changed our mind and got a leather recliner instead. Then we went to another store and, after much negotiating - between Richard and I about sofa's and between the children and I about their behavior staying decent for a few more minutes - chose a dark blue sofa.

The next Saturday the recliner and sofa were delivered. Funny story - one store told me they'd deliver between 8 and 10 am. The other store told me they'd deliver between 12 and 2 pm. Then both trucks showed up at the same time - 11:15am. The recliner is fabulous. Richard is thrilled to have a leather recliner, it saves space in the room to have a recliner instead of an ottoman, and I don't hate it. The sofa, however, was a black hole in the family room. It was WAY too dark. I tried to like it, I really did. I thought maybe orange accents would help cheer it up. They didn't.
Seriously - look at that picture that I took in the store (above) and then compare it to this one (below). It looks so much darker in my family room. It looks practically black!
I just couldn't make myself like it.

So back to the store I went. It took some patience and some repetition of my carefully planned flirty whining, but in the end they let me return the sofa for only a "restocking fee".

But then I still had to choose a NEW new sofa. *sigh* I finally chose a much lighter blue sofa that I thought would be great. But I was questioning myself so much, plus having that dark blue sofa that was technically not ours anymore sitting there a few feet away from our kitchen table, that it really was a stressful few days for me until it was delivered.
Fortunately, when the NEW new sofa arrived, I feel deeply in love (and deeply asleep on it's comfy, wide cushions!). I'm calling the color "aqua". I adore it. It's everything I wanted - cheery and bright and cozy and casual without looking dumpy. It just needed a few new pillows to un-generic-asize it a bit. I know orange is a trendy accent color right now - but that's the fun part about accents (homemade, cheap ones especially), I can afford to throw a little trend in! When orange is "so five minutes ago", I'll just make new ones!
Happy Mama.

Science expirement

What to do with a mixed bag of candy and time to kill on Spring Break? Turn it into a science expirement! Let each kid test each one and give feedback. 
Conclusion: nobody turns down candy around here.

Things Sammy Says

"Wow, that's cool!"

When I say "no" he says, "Awww, why?" But has no idea what it means.

"Watch show?"

"Nooose" "Eyes" "Eeeears" while pointing at the appropriate facial part

"No clean! No clean! All done!" He hates it when we put all the toys away.

"Oofey" as he bumps his toosh down each step on the stairs.

"All done!" as I start changing his diaper or I put him in his crib.

... And a million other things that surprise me every day!

General Conference Weekend Highlights

Richard flew home Saturday at 11am and flew out again Sunday at 3pm. Does he have another family somewhere else? (Just kidding - actually he's working very hard and we appreciate that.)

The big kids watched an entire session of Conference. They did great! We put a cup of jelly beans on the mantel for each of them and told them the cups held 20 jelly beans right now and they'd get to eat them all after Conference. But that each time we had to pause Conference to deal with them or shush them or whatever, Mom or Dad would eat one of their jelly beans. Only 5 jelly beans were eaten by Mom and Dad during the entire 2 hours!

Our only-three-years-old blue plaid couch is falling apart. Luckily we have a warranty. So we got to go choose a new couch. We chose a new dark-blue couch and a leather recliner (to replace the chair and ottoman that we bought used six years ago). Next step, choose a paint color for the family room and kitchen! The front runner right now: a very light gray with blue tones.

Spring Break has begun! We don't have any going-away plans, but we do have plans for lots of fun little excursions. First off - swimming!

Mis-heard

Isaiah has been walking around the house saying dramatically, "Mock my words! Mock my words, Mom!" And I do.

Providence

Providence: The protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power

A few days ago I received a mass email from a woman in my ward who I don't know at all. The email said something like, "We recently adopted three children and you've all been so sweet offering your help and we've said no to everything so far. But now I realized that the kids need Sunday clothes. The boys are 4 and 2, the girl is 3. If you have any clothes that you can pass on, we'd greatly appreciate it."

When I read that I remembered that I had just noticed a spare pair of Sunday pants in Isaiah's drawer. Sometimes Asher and Isaiah are the same clothing size for a few months, so I have to buy doubles of Sunday clothes. I knew I could help at least with the size 4, so I shot her back an email right away. I found that spare pair of pants and a shirt in size 4, no problem. Then I went to the boys closet to see how available the 2T box of clothes was. It was not easily reachable - way behind and under a bunch of other stuff. But right in front was a grocery bag labeled "2T". So I glanced in and sure enough, there was 2 Sunday outfits right next to each other. How convenient! As for the girl, I was sure I wouldn't have anything to offer her since Naomi had been out of size 3 before we moved into this house. All those boxes of little girl clothes are in a storage unit across town. But I glanced into Naomi's closet anyway. And hanging there, next to several size 6, 7 dresses, was one size 3T Easter dress. A little purple fluffy miracle in my opinion.

As I dropped off these clothes I couldn't help but think back to how that dress ended up in Naomi's closet. And how those two 2T boys Sunday outfits ended up right in front, together, so that I knew I had a spare. It seems to me that something like five years ago, God planned for this day. Five years ago God lead me to leave that dress in Naomi's closet. Heck, that little girl wasn't even BORN yet! But He knew that she would need that dress today and he got it ready for her. Through me.

Isn't that kind of amazing? Truly miraculous! The definition of providence.

Popcorn

We love that we live in a place where we look out the window and what do we see? Popcorn popping on the {not really} apricot trees!

I Run

I run. That's a totally new statement for me. I mean, two weeks ago I would have said that I hate running. That I can't run. That I won't run. But then this morning I think I even enjoyed it!

Let's back up a bit. A few weeks ago my sister-in-law, Kelly, asked me if I wanted to join her and a few other women in a 5K. I would normally have said no instantly, but I was having a "something has to change in order for me to stay sane" kind of moment and my running status seemed like a good thing to change. So I said yes! I gave it a shot one Saturday morning using my phone as a interval timer and music player. First my music player failed, then my timer. And it turned out to not be a fun run because of my frustration with that. Squeezing in the time to run is pretty frustrating sometimes, too. After that first run I bought a sports watch with an interval timer on it and I dug my old MP3 player out and re-charged the battery.

See? Not exactly my usual style (other than it's purple-ness). But the change is kind of exciting.

And then this morning everything magically aligned from the gorgeous weather to Samuel's nap - and I enjoyed it!

I think I probably won't always enjoy it. And I think the scheduling will always (at least this school year) be kind of frustrating. But I feel so good about just getting out there and doing it. Doing something entirely for me feels pretty dang good.