Teeth

For those of you who are dentist or whose spouses are dentist, this post may be more interesting to you! S1 has always had a penchant for falling on his face. Luckily his teeth have usually been spared. Even in the beginning it didn't matter so much if his teeth did get hit, they were just his baby teeth. But now that he's almost twelve, they are permanent and that's a whole new ball game! It just makes my stomach churn even thinking about anything happening to his adult teeth.

In July 2004 S1 had his first two teeth knocked out at the age of 4 1/2 by his two year old brother. Basically S1 had been using the computer and S2 wanted a turn-no joke. Due to his lack of coordination, it took S1 some time to turn around and get down from the chair. While S1 was facing the back of the chair trying to get his foot down, S2 was impatient and grabbed the top heavy chair and pulled it over. As S1 fell he did manage to put his hands down, but in between his hands was his solid, hard, plastic fisher-price drum. It knocked two front top teeth out of place, loosened a third and sent blood everywhere. Unfortunately it was on a Saturday of a holiday weekend so finding a dentist was a pain. The dentist put the two back into place the best he could and told us to see our regular dentist as soon as possible. We went in the next business day and he scheduled S1 for surgery to remove the teeth the next day. If the dentist had to remove all three teeth, he'd also have to pull out the fourth top front tooth to preserve spacing. Luckily S1 ended up only having to have F and G pulled because E firmed up. He went a few years with a funny side gap before his adult teeth came in. When his permanent teeth did come in, they had a couple of spots from all of the banging but were otherwise just like his mom's big old beaver teeth. I was very grateful.

Fast forward to fall of last year, 2010. For six years he'd had minor falls and such but no damage to those permanent teeth that finally came in. But even though his front teeth, all eight, had come in, none of the rest of his primary teeth had fallen out. Finally a couple of his teeth fell out. One I found just lying on top of the entertainment center, the other I never found so I figured he swallowed it. Yet, his secondary teeth were coming in all over the place! He actually had a third tooth getting loose but the permanent tooth came up too quickly and trapped it between his other permanent tooth and the baby tooth wouldn't come out! We had to go into the dentist to have it extracted. During the exam the dentist got a good look and discovered that pretty much all of his permanent teeth were coming through the gums to the outside of his baby teeth, which were not loosening. We figure his teeth weren't loosening because he doesn't eat certain things due to his autism and sensory issues (think raw carrots, apples, celery-anything hard and crunchy) so they don't get used. He doesn't chew most of his food very well so it really wasn't a big surprise that they weren't falling out.

So on the Friday before I was due with D1, S1 and I headed for the hospital to check him in for the extractions. He ended up having to have eight teeth removed!!! He came through like a champ though and was back to normal by Monday for school. All of his other teeth looked good so I thought we'd be in the clear for the next couple of years. That's how often autistic kids usually have to go to the dentist and be knocked out to do their dental work. Once again I was grateful for how well things went, that and the fact that S1 had already maxed out his deductible for the year so it didn't cost us anything! But I was not to be so lucky, well, and neither was S1.

The end of March 2011 rolls around. As many of you know, S1 likes to escape. We essentially live in Ft. Knox. Anyway, the morning before I am to go out of town for the weekend, I open S1's door to let him out and get ready for school. When he greats me his face, shirt, pillow, and hand are all covered in dried blood! He didn't seem upset at all. His room only has two pieces of furniture in it - his bed and his toy "shelf" that has rounded corners. Of course he can't talk so he can't tell me what the heck happened. But upon investigating him and his room (blood down the side of the cupboard and on the rail), I drew the conclusion that he tried to get back into bed, slipped, and caught his teeth on the edge of the bed frame. His bed is kind of a loft style with cupboards underneath with a round metal rod frame. He has a stool to help him climb up but he may not have used it or possibly had a seizure. Either way he caught his teeth on it and pulled numbers 9 and 10 forward totally out of place. I immediately called his dentist only to find that he was in surgery until 2 pm that day!

So I took S1 to our family dentist- which although S1 didn't appreciate (no cartoons on the walls) he was fairly cooperative. The dentist moved his teeth back into place and used fishing line and bonding agent to splint his front six teeth together. I wondered what the insurance code for fishing line was. He literally had to send the dental assistant to Wal-Mart to go buy some fishing line. Anyway, S1 did need me to hold him down, the assistant to hold his head still and the dentist to do the work but he didn't melt down and opened when the dentist told him to. We also were able to get x-rays. So I'd call it successful. But the x-ray revealed that he would probably need at least one root canal, if not two. Only time would tell. We went back one week later and things were healing and firming up well so we were hopeful even though things were starting to discolor a little. The dentist felt it was prudent with S1's falling and tongue thrust to leave the splint on and have S1's regular dentist take it off at our next regular appointment.

*I should note here that I felt so bad I hadn't heard S1. Usually I hear everything. I hear when he wakes up at two a.m. or at five a.m. or anywhere in between. I hear him babbling, laughing, knocking on his door, jiggling his door handle, and then after I ascertain that he's just entertaining himself, (sometimes after getting up, turning off his light and telling him it's still time to sleep) I roll back over, tune him out and go back to sleep. It's a little harder when he's playing his french horn though! Anyway, I must have been sleep deprived due to the baby because I had heard nothing. No crying (it must have hurt) or door knocking made it through to my consciousness.

End of April, beginning of May comes around and it's time for S1's cleaning. At this point it's obvious that S1 needs the two root canals-but his pediatric dentist doesn't do root canals on permanent teeth. We get S1's splint off and teeth cleaned. Then we go through the circus of trying to find someone to do the root canals. Since I want to make sure things get done right, we really need an endodontist but none of them have hospital privileges. We needed a hospital because none of the anesthetist want to work with him outside of the hospital due to his seizure disorder and meds. We didn't want a dentist with hospital privileges because if he got in there and it was more complicated than he could do, we'd have to pay for all of that plus repeat it for an endodontist. So FINALLY we found an endodontist about 40 minutes away who uses the same anesthetist as our pediatric dentist and had sedated S1 in the past. We finally were able to get all the scheduling arranged and at the end of the first week of August he finally had them done. Due to the sensitivity of the tooth after the root canal, number 9 couldn't be bleached (something to do in the future), but other than that, S1's mouth was back to normal and he seemed unaffected by it all. They got x-rays while in there and everything looked good with the rest of his teeth too. "Hooray! No more mouth issues," I thought.

Well, this summer brought an increase in drop seizures for S1. We'd been working on changing his meds and they seemed to be helping. But while he was at school last week, he started to take off running and had one. He tried to get his hands up but didn't get them there in time and instead broke his fall with his face. More specifically, he stopped his fall with his teeth. The ones he just had root canals on. So I had to run to his school and rush him to his dentist, again. Luckily teeth #8 and #9 were not loose enough to warrant anything being done, not even a splint. However, he did knock a sizeable chunk off the corner of #8 (his right side) but the nerve was not exposed. If it discolors in the next six weeks, he will need a root canal! If not it will just be sensitive since the nerve is now closer to the edge of the tooth. To fix it, he'll probably need to be sedated since the white stuff they use to do it with is really sensitive to touch and moisture (keeping his lip off of it while it is formed and sets is the issue at hand-Dentist said he has really strong lips, who knew? Must be all that trumpet and french horn playing). So that fix will have to wait until the root canal or his next sedation. Tooth #9 already had a root canal and is dead. He did chip off part of the bottom of that tooth so the next time he is sedated, we'll file it down. Other than that his lip was a little swollen but he went back to his normal cheery self. The "best" part is that right now we have no dental insurance (it kicks in Nov 1st). But his dentist is the best and he didn't even charge me for the visit! So, I'll count this whole incident as a blessing because it could have been so much worse.

However, I really am praying for a respite from anymore tooth damage. With his natural gap, a slight increase in it from the March incident and now the chip, it looks like his two front teeth are miles apart. Yes I am that vain. I love my baby boy and want him to look and feel his best. I worry that people won't get past the physical appearance to get to know how sweet he truly is. I also don't want others to think I am not taking good care of him because I try so hard to do so. Hopefully we'll get his meds figured out because I really don't want him to always have to wear a helmet and face guard- if he'd even do it now. I also can't bear the thought of anything else happening to his poor teeth. Unfortunately we can't do anything about capping them, crowning them or dental implants because his mouth continues to grow into adulthood and until it stops growing and the teeth stop moving, they can't do any of those things to his front teeth at least. So please, pray for his teeth and my sanity.

I can't believe she's almost one!

This past year has just flown by. It probably just seems that way to me because I've been in a stupor. Having a newborn and sleep deprivation will do that to a person. Whenever I try to imagine what was going on a year ago I'm flummoxed. Then I realize I was pregnant then. And that just doesn't seem possible because that would mean that D1 isn't here yet and it seems like she's been a part of our family forever. Dave also started grad school last fall so to protect my sanity I've probably just blocked out most of it. I'm sure you would too if you had a newborn, a son with autism, three kids in three different elementary schools, a husband who was working full time while going to grad school full time while also working a side job -or two, being the mission "mom" for a sibling, plus all that goes into running a house. Basically, D1 (that stands for Daughter #1 by the way) was a bright ray of sun that helped me to stay afloat. Don't get me wrong, the boys make me happy too. But really, who can look at a baby and not smile? She just makes everyone happy. Anyway, you may have seen these photos on Facebook, but I thought I'd post them again. They are of D1 the day after she was born.

Anyway, every time she does something new I get amazed because I just can't believe how quickly she's growing. I certainly enjoyed the first four months spending as much time cuddling her in the recliner as possible. By the time she was five months old she was army crawling everywhere to get toys she wanted. At the end of her fifth month she was sitting up. Six months old brought four teeth. Seven months brought actual full on speed crawling. Eight months brought the end of nursing as she was too focused on seeing what her brother's were doing, even though she could only hear them. Now she's approaching a year, cruising everywhere, climbing on everything, going up and down the stairs, gives the sweetest kisses, says hi and a handful of other words, wants to feed herself and is in general a very determined and resourceful little girl. Her seventh tooth is coming in and she's standing up on her own and trying to start walking. And to top it all off she is as cute as a button!

I seriously feel like she's been part of our family forever. I didn't miss her before she got here or felt like anyone was missing but I can't imagine life without her now. She is a loving kid. I love to see her and S1 try to give each other kisses. It's so tender. She absolutely adores him. S2 makes her laugh her head off. With S3 she knows she'll have a good time, but might also get bonked so sometimes she's ambivalent. When Dad walks in the door she absolutely lights up. D1 is also very social. She loves to visit with others at church and is happy to visit others in their home. She positively loves her little cousins! She lucked out and has three cousins, all girls, born within a year of her. She loves to give the two she's met kisses and hugs.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but I LOVE having a little girl! Dressing her up is fun but it's just different than the boys. I was enamoured with the boys too but this is some how different. It's hard to put my finger on and I'm not sure if it's just because we had such a large gap. But oh how I love having her. I guess part of it is that my expectations for our relationship versus my relationship with the boys are somewhat different.

I imagine the boys growing up and leaving me. One day, two of them at least-hopefully, will find a woman to replace me. Someone they'll love more than me. It's inevitable. It's the way it's supposed to be. They'll start their own homes and they'll still love me, but they won't need me like they need me now. But with a girl it's different. It's her dad that'll get replaced, I'll always be her mom. If I do things right, I'll always be the woman she loves the most. Well, at least until she has her own daughter and then she'll realize just how much I love her.

It's about time

Well, in perusing my friend's blog, it came to my attention that I've neglected my blog for at least the past fifteen months. I figured I should rectify that situation. But it's about time, in more ways than one. Simply put I just haven't had time in the past fifteen months, or energy for that matter, to do anything besides grow a baby, take care of said baby, and feed, clothe, and clean the other kids I've already got! Don't ask me what I do for fun because I couldn't tell you. I know I've started reading a book or two but I never had time to get past the first couple of chapters and couldn't name them right now if I tried. Having three kids in three different elementary schools and having a newborn probably didn't help much either!

Having a baby at 35 yrs old is quite a bit different than having one at 24, 26 or 29. Considering that my get up and go got up and went when I was 31, it's been quite a challenge just to survive, much less thrive. I get one mess cleaned up, turn to find another one and by the time I get the second mess taken care of, the first mess is back! So I live the movie Groundhog Day very consistently.

Despite how I have felt, we've done quite well. S2 was in the gifted program last year and it took a lot of my energy to keep him focused on his homework. This year he's in the program again but gets going on his homework on his own this year. However, he gets distracted easily and I find myself expending energy constantly redirecting him (his baby sister and legos are major distractions). His science project may just kill me. He's doing the work but it takes so much time. He played baseball this summer and was on swim team and loved them both. I even managed to make it to a few games and every swim meet, I think.

S3 loved kindergarten but did well switching to a new school for first grade. Now he and S2 are at the same school. I begged the principal to take pity on me so I'd only have kids in two schools instead of three this year. Thank goodness it worked! S3 loved soccer camp and gymnastics over the summer. He was also super excited he was tall enough to go down the water slides by himself this year. He's playing in a Fall/Spring soccer league right now and loves to play defender but does a decent job as a "striker". The hardest part is getting him to try and "take" the ball away from an opponent.

S1 still loves his private school and his aides there. He will now say bye as we walk to the car instead of when we drive away in the car! When they go on walks he stays with and follows the group instead of taking off on his own. Now if he'd only do that when I take him out. As always he surprises us with the things he knows and his clever tricks. He is also listening and understanding better and making good choices. The other day when we went out to the van, he ran into the middle of the road in front of the house. I yelled at him while moving toward him, "Michael, get out of the road. You wait by the van or on the grass - Out of the road!" Usually that's his clue to run like a maniac down the middle of the road away from me. But he ran directly back to our van. I was amazed. Of course I heaped on the praise.

D1 just grows and changes everyday and is truly a bundle of joy (and energy, determination, and spirit!) She is more of a monkey than I remember the boys being. If we are all doing it, then by golly, she wants to be doing it too. Forget being a baby. And sadly, all too soon she won't be.

Dave switched jobs in August and now has a marching band. We essentially haven't seen him since August. He re-enters our lives mid-November. With fall break we may actually get to see him for a few days before then!

Apparently I am feeling hopeful about time and energy as I went to my local library and put myself on the wait list for "The Help". Don't get too excited for me yet though, I am like number 23 for one of 11 books so it could still be several weeks-which is fine with me because I don't know if I've got time to read yet! At least I've seen the movie so I'm not dying to read what the fuss is all about.

I guess the other reason why blogging has gone by the wayside is that I finally got a Facebook account. It's a lot easier to post snippets than entire paragraphs! Although I admit that sometimes paragraphs do get posted.

So maybe I'm back to blogging, who knows? I do feel I should write something about D1, because she's just a little ray of sunshine in our lives. But I'll leave that for another time when I'm not quite so tired. And if you really want to know how we are doing, just give me a call!

Missionary Letters

Well, it dawned on me that since I am writing to my brother every week I could just copy and paste most of what I write to him into this blog to keep everyone updated. Here's hoping I remember to do it! This is my letter on Monday, July 19th. He is currently serving in the Spain Malaga Mission in Jerez.

Well a miracle has occurred, well a couple of them I guess. First, I finally mailed your package! I have pictures in there from March 2009 all the way to Matthew's baptism. Hopefully the candy doesn't get all over everything as I put it in plastic bags. Second, we went camping as a family! We finally got to use the camping kit I bought at least eight years ago. Dave went a few weekends ago with his buddies and decided he should start taking the boys! It was just a one nighter but we still had fun. S'mores (which S3 doesn't like-weirdo), playing uno by lantern light, building a fire, playing down by the river - lots of fun.

Right now it's horribly hot, and a bit humid, and so the swamp cooler doesn't work the best. So inside the house it runs between 84 and 88 degrees and at night it only drops down to 70 degrees at best. But we've had a good week anyway.

Monday I just laid around after the baptism/family/working weekend. Tuesday Becky came down with her boys and S1 was in school so we took them plus my other two on a hike up to the waterfall here in PG. Did you ever hike that with us? We'll have to do it when you come out. Anyway, we also had Mattie and Sadie with us (the dogs). S2 had Sadie and one of Becky's boys threw a rock into the pond, and he almost got dragged in! He did get his leg and pride scraped up pretty badly. It was a good thing I brought the first aid kit and lots of water! He made it up to the waterfall and was playing like nothing had happened. After we got done we had to take off to meet up with Dave because he wanted to see Toy Story 3 with us before S1 got out of school. It was a really good movie.

Dave headed home with the boys while I went to get S1 and do carpool. When I got home at 4 pm Dave announced he was taking the kids camping that night- I said, I'm coming too! It took at least 30 min to figure out where we were going and if we could do it without reservations, another chunk of time to coordinate what we were having for dinner/snacks/breakfast and what else we needed at the store. So at 5 pm I was off to the store, got the stuff we needed, fed the kids dinner, got all packed up and by 7:45 pm we were headed up the Canyon. The first campground we went to was full so by the time we found a spot and started unloading it was pretty much 9 pm. But we all had fun roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, playing uno and yahtzee, making the fire, etc. We didn't head out until about 1:30 pm the next day. Once home I was obviously tired! So I did nothing else other than make the kids dinner the rest of the day. Thursday and Friday were spent trying to get the house back into some kind of order. Friday Dave and I went to the temple to do sealings.

Saturday I paid bills and took the kids swimming before I had to go to work. Our swim time was cut short when someone pooped in the pool. Saturday night Becky and her crew were back to spend the night before they headed out this morning to go home. Becky and I stayed up way too late talking last night but oh well. Then they were off this morning and we were off to church. I have been called to help out in the nursery one week a month. But that calling didn't start today and the primary chorister had told me she would be back today. She wasn't. So I just filled in for her again on the fly. I had to leave five minutes early though because I had switched shifts and needed to get home and grab a bite to eat before I went to work.

The Temple Hill (Pageant Orchestra) is on "tour" right now. They asked Dave to accompany them in a couple of concerts because they needed a stronger trumpet. So tonight he had a concert. Brian was going to come take care of the boys for us while I worked so I switched shifts with the person before me so Brian wouldn't have to be here for as long. Part of that is because the earlier shift is one hour shorter, but also because Dave wouldn't be gone for the whole time I was working. Anyway, work was fine and the boys had fun with Brian. Right now we are roasting but I sprayed the cooler by standing on the grass and aiming it for the cooler on the roof. It worked to lower the temp to 82 in the house. Our home teacher is coming over right now actually to get on the roof and really soak things so we can cool down a bit. I would get on the roof but Dave would kill me! I joke that it's really safer for me, even pregnant, to get up on the roof than for Dave because I've at least got lots of experience - he's got none! Oh well. Okay he came and went and it turns out our pump isn't working! The pads were bone dry. That sucks. Oh well, nothing to be done until at least tomorrow!

I can't really think of anything else to report. Other than it looks like Bob might be able to avoid surgery for is hurt arm. Mom still needs to have hers at the end of the month. Terraza is working hard at all of her school/work stuff. Haven't heard anything from Mansur in a long time. Paul is busy working as usual. Oh, at the end of the week cousin Wendy will be here for a week visiting her grandma so we'll get together to have fun with the munchkins I am sure!

Two new post

Did you know that if you start a post and save the draft and then publish it, it publishes the entry in the order where you first created it? Since I started some post with the intent to get back to them, you may not see them if I don't tell you. So, if you really love reading this blog, make sure to scroll down to read, "Good thing it wasn't an amputation" and "Tick me off and I'll speak".

New Post in March 2009

I posted a story that I started back in March 2009 about S1's crazy mad escape artist skills.

Good thing it wasn't an amputation....

S1's right foot turns in about 45 degrees when he walks, especially when he's going up stairs. So we decided to get some hip x rays to see if there was a problem or not. The idea of him staying still during x rays was laughable so we decided to sedate him. He's been sedated many times before and has never had a problem. The sedation and x rays went off without a hitch. But when we were in Radiology, they asked which hip and I said I thought it was supposed to be bilateral x rays, but pediatric sedation only had an order for the left hip. I said that I hadn't ever seen the order since it was called in straight to radiology from the doctor's office. So they just did the left hip. I wasn't focusing to hard because they gave S1 ketamine (sp?). Basically it made it look like he had cerebral palsy. He was kind of twisted and stiff, eyes open and staring off steadily in one direction, head cocked to the side. It was a bit disturbing, being his mother, to see him that way but I knew it was only temporary.

When I called the doctors office later in the day to see what the results were the nurse said, "We're still waiting to get the results on the right hip." That's when I informed her she'd be waiting a long time since they didn't do a right hip x ray. Apparently the hospital had some kind of computer glitch so it only printed up the order for the left hip and not the order for the right hip. If I'd been in my right mind, I would have realized this while in radiology. That's why I say it was a good thing it wasn't an amputation or S1 would have lost the wrong limb! Actually, if it was for any procedure other than a simple x ray I would have been more focused. So we had to return two days later to do the other set of x rays. The hospital made it clear that I would not be charged for a second sedation.

I wondered how hard it would be to get S1 back into the hospital. As it turns out, the first visit wasn't traumatic for him at all as the second time around he walked right into the hospital like he owned the place. He waited in radiology just fine while I registered him. So we tried to see if he'd hold still for a x ray without being sedated, and low and behold he did! I had to hold his hand and sing to him so he'd stay on the table while the technician held his feet in the correct position, but he did it! I guess I just threw over $600 down the drain to sedate him earlier in the week. Nah, I don't think it was a waste. If I understand correctly the ketamine keeps the patient awake, just kind of disassociated from their body. They are still globally aware of things that are going on. So maybe the sedation helped him the first time around to see that x rays were no big deal so the second time around he'd know what was going on and could cooperate. Because I am pretty sure that if we had tried to force him onto that table the first time without sedation, we'd never get him willingly onto that table again!

Bi-Annual Update

Well, I started to think about writing a family update and I realized that although I blog some and email randomly I haven't done a yearly update in two years. Well, I think I wrote one but I don't think I ever got it out! So I'll try to be short, but you know me.......

First, the family news. In December 2008 Jenny and Dave celebrated their 10th anniversary (Jan 2009) by taking a cruise out of Florida and going to Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. They had a wonderful time on the ship and seeing Mayan Ruins, Tropical Rain Forest, a Banana Plantation, and the Panama Canal! The grandparents Faires made it possible by staying with the kids for the week we were gone-so thanks! In December 2009 we had a water line burst when Jenny was out running errands. Thus the month of December was hectic as we dealt with replacing carpets, drywall, painting, moving everything out of the main floor and the family room in the basement and then trying to get resettled all during the holidays. However, that means that we started 2010 with brand new carpet in the majority of the house. Hooray. We also saw Jenny's youngest brother off on his mission to Spain in March and then took a road trip during the summer to see Dave's youngest brother when he returned from his mission to the Dominican Republic, afterward visiting Jenny's Grandpa and great uncle, and concluding with a visit to the Annandale's (family friends) in Las Vegas before heading home. Now the individual notes.

S3 is now almost 5 years old. He loves preschool and looks forward to going to school with S2 next year. He thinks he speaks Spanish and it's funny to hear him "talk" in Spanish (since it's mostly gibberish). He does know a few words but he's far from fluent! S3 loves to sing and will sing songs he knows and make up silly songs. He had us (and other ward members) in tears, from laughing so hard, this year during the primary program at church because he was belting it out so loudly you could hear him all the way in the back of the chapel- above the voices of all the other children singing. It's fun to listen in when he's playing by himself because he has quite the imagination. S3 also enjoys helping S1 and playing on the computer. He likes to count the plates and bowls while he unloads the dishwasher.

S2 is 7 1/2 years old and loves school. He's also taking piano lessons and has played for the ward at our Christmas party. Math is one of his favorite subjects. He played basketball this fall and really enjoyed it. Mom was his coach and he thought that was cool. S2 was very excited every time he scored a basket, usually once a game although he scored three times in one game. He is excited about being able to be baptized this summer when he turns eight. He loves to play with his aunt and uncle's dogs and dreams of the day when he gets one of his own. S2 also loves to play on the computer, read and play card or board games. He also likes to talk on the phone to family members far away. However, he dislikes his chore of loading the dishwasher.

S1 just turned 10 years old! We can hardly believe it. After trying to work with the school district for FOUR years to get his educational needs met, we pulled S1 out of the district and got him into a private autism school. He is really enjoying it. He knows the alphabet and can count to at least six. That's what we're sure he knows but I know he knows more as demonstrated by the random words he uses and the problems he solves to get what he wants. S1 continues to be happy and healthy although we still have lots of struggles. His chores include throwing his diaper away and putting his dirty clothes in the hamper. You should see him run so he doesn't miss his shows. S1 also loves the dog "cousins" and enjoys taking them on "walks". He is talking more, but mostly when it serves his purposes. S1 loves to sing "I am a child of God" and "Jingle Bells". If you sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and leave off the last word of each refrain, he will say it for you. He also loves horses and the shows Sid the Science Kid and Super Why on PBS.

Jenny has no time now that she drives S1 every day to school. But she does manage to volunteer in S2 and S1's schools every week. She is also still working (for 2 1/2 yrs now) part time (weekend evenings). Jenny works with seniors providing companion/personal care so that they can stay in their homes/retirement home instead of going into enhanced care /nursing home. She loves having time with S3 each day as they run errands or putter around the house. This year Jenny became a published "writer". She contributed a story to Mormon Mishaps and Mischief: Hilarious Stories for Saints that was accepted and published. This summer she loved working in her garden as it is now fenced in so S1 can't get into it. She also spent a lot of time cutting up vegetables for David. Jenny is also in charge of soliciting donations for S2's PTA Auction. So if any of you have anything you want to donate........

David has the biggest news of all this year. Since the last week in April he has lost more than 160 pounds! He started working out and eating right. Dave has probably eaten more vegetables since April than he's eaten in the past ten years. During the summer he worked out for 5 hours a day, now he's down to around 2 hrs a day. He also went on tour with the Mormon Tabernacle choir this summer and enjoyed seeing friends and family around the country. Last spring Dave was named "Educator of the Year" for his High School. He's in his fourth year of teaching for them. In November it became official, Dave is allergic to exercise. Okay, that's a bit of exaggeration. However, while pushing himself to run 8 mi/hr (normally he runs around 5 mi/hr), Dave did have an anaphylactic reaction. In short he had a nice ambulance ride and visit in the hospital. Now he carries an epi-pen with him when he exercises just in case. What happened is a mystery to the allergist but you can Google it and find that although rare, it's not unheard of. Dave's goal is to run a marathon this April.

I guess that sums it all up. We hope that this update finds you doing well and enjoying the blessing of family and friends. We continue to be grateful for the blessings that we have of health, home, family and friends but especially for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the light and hope He brings to us during our times of trial. May His peace be with you.

Love,

Dave, Jenny, S1, S2 and S3

PS I'll post a new family photo when we get one.

Tick me off, then I'll speak

S1 only talks when it really serves his own purposes. He rarely calls anyone by name. So far he hasn't ever said either of his brothers names. Occasionally he may say mom or dad. Well, apparently if you tick him off enough, S1 will say your name. My sister was over with her daughter. They brought over a toy "laptop" that plays nursery songs that S1 enjoys. He loves playing with it. In fact he took it outside to jump on the trampoline and play with it. Don't you jump on the trampoline with all of your favorite things? Anyway, it was time for my sister and niece to leave so my sister packed up all their gear. While I held the toddler she went out to retrieve the laptop. Of course S1 did not want to give it up. So she took it away from him and high tailed it into the house, shoving it into her bag. We could hear S1 coming so I practically threw my niece at her and shoved them out the door.

S1 doesn't always say words very clearly, sometimes only the vowels make it out. My sister's name is Terraza. S1 came running into the house yelling (which he'd also never done before) Ey - a, Ey - a. You could tell he was mad as a hornet. I tried to get him to calm down by saying, "let's go look for your laptop S1." Since he followed me into his room I thought he was in agreement with me. Oh no. He ran in, still yelling madly "Ey - a, Ey -a", grabbed the stool he uses to climb into bed, went straight back into the living room, dropped the stool at the door and reached up and undid the top lock! When I pointed outside and told him that Terraza was already gone, he did give up trying to chase after her. However, he still was madly muttering her name. I went downstairs and called to him to follow as I went looking for his laptop. When I found it and tried to give it to him he shook his head and said forcefully, "No, no, no. Ey - a, Ey - a." S1 went back up the stairs and out to the trampoline to bounce out the emotions (that's what he does when he gets sad too). He didn't want his laptop which plays the sounds of different instruments, he wanted his cousin's laptop which plays the nursery rhymes he likes.

Of course I had to call my sister and tell her all about what happened. I think it started off something like, "Well congratulations Terraza, you finally ticked S1 off bad enough he said your name!" She could hardly believe it. Since his birthday was in about a month and she was at the Wal-Mart, she bought him the same one her daughter has and brought it straight over for him, since we live one mile from wally world. When she went to hand it to me I said, "Oh no. He's mad at you. You'd better take it to him because I don't know what he'll do the next time he sees you. You'd better go make nice." Guess who was thrilled with his present? And his aunt knows she bought him a present he likes - which isn't always an easy thing to do!

Weed Whacker

Awesome thing happened tonight. S1 wanted to play with the toy weed whacker. The batteries had long since died. He brought it to me and I took it and pretend it worked, rubbing it on his chest going, "Vroom, vroooooom..". He pulled it off his chest and turned the "blade" around while I made the noise. When I was finished I told him that it didn't work, that the batteries were dead. He left and took the week whacker with him. S1 went down the hall and opened the hall closet. I could tell he was kind of rummaging around with one hand. I wondered what he was looking for as he'd never played in that closet before. When he turned around, triumphant, he had a battery in his hand! He brought me the battery and the weed whacker and handed them both to me, fully expecting me to fix it. How could I not? It didn't matter that he'd brought me a size D battery when I would need two AA batteries. I fixed it and he was happy to play with it again. I was most amazed because he's obviously picked up on things that I didn't know he was paying attention to, like where we keep the batteries.

Musical Me

Today the rest hymn was actually a piano number by the Bishop's eleven year old daughter. S1 had grown restless with the talks so he was sitting on the pew listening to his tape of Christmas music. As soon as she started playing, his head perked up, he ripped off the headphones and dropped them on the pew, stood up, turned around, looked expectantly at the congregation and began to conduct the music. S1 loves it when you sing and he gives you this "look" when he wants you to sing for him. While as he conducted he gave me that look. I whispered that we weren't going to sing while she played. He continued conducting watching the congregation. About two-thirds of the way through he turned back around facing the piano, continued conducting with one hand and "played" the "piano" on the back edge of the pew in front of us until the musical number was over. He then sat down and resumed listening with his headphones. The funniest part was that even though S1 was conducting with both hands, he apparently had a nose itch because occasionally he'd stick his index finger just inside his nose but still have that hand waving to conduct!

Chores

When my kids are about 18 months old I have them start helping me unload the dishwasher. They are great about taking out the plastic plates and handing them to me. As they get older they do more of the unloading. My quandry has been what chore can I give S1 that a) he's capable of doing b) won't get broken c) makes sense to him why he has to do it. We started with having him throw away his diapers. It met all three qualifications, especially since he would connect getting his diaper changed to having to go throw it away. Compared to him being in the middle of something and me saying, go do this job. So what other chore could I give him? Since he knew how to throw stuff away, if we need something put in the trash and he is in the room, we'll give it to him to do. Not much but it's at least something. But still I felt he is capable of more. So we started making him put his clothes in the hamper when he gets dressed for bed or has to change clothes. It was funny at first because he'd bee line it for the trash can so I was watching for clothes in the trash and diapers in the hamper. We had to work a little to get him to go to the bathroom (where the hamper is) to put the clothes away, but now he does it all by himself. Good job S1! What next?

Blackberries Anyone

I've been meaning to write this post for months. In August the blackberries in our front side yard are ripe for the picking. You have to pick them in stages so you can have enough to make jam. While all the boys were busy I slipped outside to pick some. I just put them in a colander so they are ready to wash when I go inside. Well, when I got inside the boys needed my attention so I hid the colander of berries behind some items on the counter-where I promptly forgot about them. Not such a big deal as they were hidden from view. But things got shuffled around the next day, not by yours truly, so the colander was now sitting in front of the toaster in full view. I was in my room when I hear S2 yell, "MOM!!!" I walked into the living room to see S1 up to his elbows in blackberry juice and bits, laying on the living room carpet, waving his arms like he's making a blackberry carpet angel! Immediately I got him up and into the bath. Cleaning off the TV was no problem, but it took over an hour with the help of Spot Shot to get it all out of the carpet. Yes, it came out! Then I had to go and clean up the kitchen where S1 had massaged the berries in the colander so the juice had leaked out everywhere. Thank goodness for Comet with Bleach. I guess we won't have any blackberry jam this year.

Spring is in the air....S1 is on the run!

Okay, so S1 escaped from school a couple of weeks ago. This last week I have been totally stressed out because in five days he got out three times from our house! The first time the neighbor's kids saw him and their mom grabbed him and brought him home. He'd only made it down to our next door neighbor's driveway. I'm still not sure exactly how he got out. I was paying bills and may have left the front door unlocked when I let S2 out to go to his friends house. Or S1 could have undone all the locks because after wards I saw a little chair next to the door which he could have used to reach the top lock. Or he could have used one of the two ways that to me were unknown at the time! Because the next day I actually had to call the police.

I had let S1 outside to jump on the trampoline. I realized that it had been a while since I'd heard him squealing as he jumped. So I went to check on him and could find him nowhere in the yard. I then searched the garage and house and still could not locate him. The gates were closed and the doors were all secured. I started freaking out. There was no way he could escape. Maybe someone had taken him. So I called the police. They were at the house in no time flat. They first had to check everywhere for him where I had already looked - under the trampoline, under the porch, in the deep freeze and garage fridge (which were plugged in and working), in the dryer and washing machine, under all the beds, in the bathtub, etc. When it was clear he was gone, the police started looking for him. They even called up to the high school (where S1 loves to wander to) and had people at the wrestling competition look around for him. Shortly thereafter the police were called about a unaccompanied child at the rec center. Apparently S1 had wandered up to the high school, been seen running through the construction on the football field and entered the rec center through a side door meant for the high school students to use. He'd gone upstairs and was enjoying himself making noise and playing on the floor. When a patron noticed him she told the people at the front desk. They went up to approach him and quickly ascertained that all was not right. So they called the police.

The rec center child matched S1's description so the police had me wait at home while they went to pick up S1. Sure enough it was S1 and he wouldn't get out of the cruiser! The officer said he'd had a bit of trouble getting S1 out of the rec center (of course, he was having fun!) but no trouble getting him into the cruiser. Of course not, S1 loves to go for a ride and in a car with lights makes it all the better. I had to finally pry him out. While brainstorming, the only way we could figure that S1 got out was that maybe one of the climbing toys was too close to the fence. Conceivably, but I thought it doubtful, he could have climbed onto the top, leaned over to the fence, swung his leg over and then the other and dropped the six plus feet to the ground on the other side. I doubted it but it seemed to be the only explanation, so we moved the climbing toy away from the fence.

Two days later I get a call from my backyard neighbor telling me that S1 was over at their house and he was covered in mud. They pulled up in their car and when they got out and were headed into the house, S1 came around the corner from their side yard and said, "Hi!" to get their attention and then walked into their home. Luckily this is my good friend Stacy so it wasn't too bad. S1 had been going in and out of the house to play in the backyard and I'd just heard him a couple minutes earlier. I went into the backyard to see if I could tell how he got out. As I walked along the fence checking the gate, I noticed there were some places where the leaves had been pushed aside and there was just bare ground. S1 had "dug" and scooted under the fence just like a dog! Our yard is a bit higher than the neighbors. Over the past four years the dirt has eroded down apparently. S1 saw the light under the fence and saw a way out. So he cleared the leaves and surface dirt away and wriggled under the fence!

S1 spent the next two days in the house while I and my neighbor's husband drilled boards onto the bottom of the fence from their side and I filled in the gaps with rocks and dirt from our side. When I let S1 back out in the yard he immediately ran to the fence and began to look for light coming under the fence and moving leaves to see if he could find an escape route. Meanwhile I was in the boys room watching him from the window. As he continued to push on the gate to see if it would open and testing the light spots coming through the bottom of the fence, I spoke to him from the window. I said things like, "Ha ha S1. Mommy is smarter than you. Mommy figured it out S1. You can't escape now!" He took one look over his shoulder to where he could hear my voice and since he couldn't see me, took off like a bat out of hell the opposite direction. I thought, that can't be good. So I slipped on my shoes and ran out to the backyard. Along the south side of our house it is fenced, but only by a four foot high piece of chain link that's attached to the house and southern fence by a couple of bolts. It's always been enough to keep him in, until this spring that is! As I stepped out of the house I saw him pulling the fence down towards himself and as I ran towards him he laid down on the fence and I was able to grab him right before he flipped himself over the fence to freedom.

As I marched him into the house I said, "Well, S1 you sure clever finding a new way out, way to show mom she doesn't know everything and that you could still escape. But it wasn't very smart to show me how! Now you have to stay inside." S1 spent the next week inside while I spent the next few days digging post holes, setting posts and hanging chain link - six feet tall. When it was all ready I let S1 into the backyard. He immediately ran over to the new fence to see if he could get out. First he tried to pull it over like he had the old fence. No such luck. Then S1 tried to climb it. He could only get one foot off the ground and then was stuck so he had to get back down. Last, he sat on the ground and started pushing gravel away from the bottom of the fence to see if he could go under it. Again he failed. Now our house is Ft. Knox and S1 has not escaped since then!

Our Little Houdini

So yesterday after S1 got home from school I received a phone call from his principal! I was immediately curious because what could he have done to warrant the principal calling? Well, it turns out that a "patron" had found S1 out in the middle of the busy three lane road in front of the school! The person had managed to get him out of the road, but he wouldn't go to the school with him. So a second person ran into the school and got the principal and said,"We think we have one of your students who was out in the road"! When S1 saw the principal, he went with her back into the school.

It turns out that S1's teacher and main aide were gone that day. There were substitutes but they aren't familiar with the kids and their faces. Well, the subs had been watching the door to make sure that no one left the room. It turns out that S1 climbed out the window! Now, you have to understand the windows in the class. They are about two feet wide, one foot tall, about two feet off the ground. There is a top section to the window, about four feet tall, that doesn't open. When the bottom section opens, it opens from the bottom, pushing out about six inches or so. Obviously the opening was enough for S1 to lean over, get his head out with his arms down and "crawl" out the window and off to freedom. He tried to do this once from one of our living room windows and just pushed the screen out of his way. I found him hanging halfway out. Needless to say my living room windows are always locked.

Anyway, when the principal told me S1 had crawled out the window I actually laughed. He's so clever when it comes to getting away. You have to admire the ingenuity. I can't really even blame the subs because who thinks kids are going to be climbing out the windows? The principal was upset when she called to let me know and had already made a plan to keep this from happening again - including ordering screens for the windows. I let her know that he may just bust those out but she thought at least they might slow him down enough for someone to grab him before he could take off again.

I have no doubt that S1 saw this escape route and chose to exploit it. He probably tried to get to the playground but there is no entrance from the front of the school. So he then probably went for the road and the lovely yellow line down the middle just begging to be followed! This is the third time in four years he's managed to get out. The first time S1 went right out the front doors and they found him sitting on the bus parked out front, sitting in the driver's seat with the seat belt slung over his body and him "driving" the bus. That was in kindergarten. I think the second time was in first grade and he slipped out of the cafeteria during lunch and was found out at the playground. I figure once a year isn't so bad, that's how often he escapes from our house! Of course it should be zero, but I know my little Houdini and I can't keep him on a leash all the time.

Oh, after I got off the phone with the principal I said out loud, "Thank You Heavenly Father!" S3 looked around and said excitedly, "Where? Where is he mom?". Due to my vocal exclamation S3 thought I was talking to someone who was here physically and he was excited to get to see Heavenly Father I think. I had to explain that I was just so grateful that S1 was safe that I needed to say it out loud and right away. That even though Heavenly Father wasn't right there with us, he could still hear me. It was such a sweet reaction that S3 had to my outburst.

HI HO HI HO Off to McDonald's We Go

Well, since it was President's day and the boys were home all day from school, I thought it would be a good time for them to use their gift cards. However, as the van was at the mechanics to have some work done, we had no car. Luckily the weather complied (it was about 45 degrees with sunshine, no wind) and we were able to walk. Before we left I showed S1 the leash, he then stuck his arm out for me. But I told him that if he listened to mom, he wouldn't have to wear it. But that he would need to stay on the sidewalk.

So off I went with my little troop of boys. S2 took the lead with S1 hippity hopping along behind him while S3 wanted to hold my hand while we walked. It took us about 30 min to walk there because of our slow pace (after all, a three year old can only walk so fast) but we made it without incident! I couldn't believe it. S1 had stayed on the sidewalk the whole way, with just a couple of reminders when he got too close to the edge, had held my hand willingly when it was time to cross the street and didn't have a fit while waiting for the light to change at the crosswalk (although I did have to hold on to the back of his jacket so he didn't take off down the sidewalk). Even more amazing was that S1 actually played at the McDonald's playland. I usually don't go there because he doesn't like that playlands since it's all closed in. But the place was a zoo and he climbed and played in that thing for over a hour before I finally grabbed him and said we were going home. S2 and S3 also had fun playing, chasing and racing each other up the jungle gym and down the slides. We finally got everyone's boots and coats on and headed home with S1's leftovers.

S1 did pretty well on the way home too. Once he did run out into the road, but I was able to grab him quickly before he got too far off the sidewalk. He came back cooperatively when reminded about the leash. Then when we were a little more than a block from home, he got distracted by the toys in someone's yard and wanted to stay and play with those. When he wouldn't come with me but kept dropping to the ground, I pulled out the leash for him to see and reminded him of what would happen if he didn't listen and he hopped up and grudgingly came with me. The rest of the way home was uneventful until we got to our yard. We've got gravel out front next to the driveway. As soon as we stepped onto it, S1 dropped and started to play in it. Normally not a problem but as I looked down I noticed that a cat had pooped in the gravel and covered it up. This was a problem because that was exactly where S1 stuck his hand and spread gravel around! Now I not only had to wrestle him to the house, but somehow get his hand clean before I got cat poop on me or his jacket or he stuck his hand in his mouth, while I unlocked the front door. By some miracle we managed to make it inside and get his hand cleaned without further incident. Needless to say I considered that my exercise for the day and once everyone was settled, collapsed onto my bed to recover!

No wonder I'm tired

I originally wrote this as a letter to my brother-in-law on a mission. I thought it would make a good blog entry so I modified it and here it is!

Our week was busy as usual. Last Sunday, the 8th, we got to speak for the first time since we've been in this ward. Our topic was the Atonement, specifically about repentance and how it ties into the Atonement. Our talks went well and we recieved several compliments. Since varying themes of the Atonement are the topics for this month, I gave a brief overview of the atonement and of repentance. Then I talked about how all the repentance in the world would be pointless without the Atonement. I used the scriptures, the Teaching of the Presidents of the Church : Joseph Smith, and Ensign talks to illustrate my points. My favorite quote was from Joseph Smith where he said that we shouldn't have to repent everyday. Basically that we should be living in such a way that we shouldn't be sinning all the time and that knowing we can repent shouldn't be an excuse to sin. Dave talked more about how if we repent it opens us up to have the spirit to be with us and how we shouldn't be compelled to repent. Dave almost let the time get away from him but at ten after noticed the time and quickly wrapped up. He spoke for twenty minutes. I teased him that he should be a high councilman. Dave was gone two nights this week with pep band games and gone another night on a gig. He was relieved when I told him I didn't want anything for Valentine's Day. I've finally managed to get back to the gym and worked out really hard this week so it's not like I wanted to eat a bunch of chocolates (Maybe I'd make an exception for See's). Flowers die to quickly and cost too much. So he gave me a much better present - he did the hand washing! You know, the dishes that can't go into the dishwasher. There was a huge pile of them.

Our family home evening theme this month is Self-Control. That's a fun one to try and teach a six and three year old. But it has actually come in handy, especially when they start to lose their temper over something trivial. The kids love to sing "Give said the little stream" at every FHE. S2 had his usual piano lesson on Monday. However, he had gone to his friends house to play before hand and I had to run over to pick him up because he lost track of time. His teacher says he's doing really well and she's giving him stuff she gives to kids a few years older than he is. S3 had speech therapy on Tuesday and loved it as usual. He loves having his own teacher. He's going to love preschool next year. On Wednesday I went to volunteer in S2's class as usual. I help the kids with one on one reading. While I do that the other kids in the class like to take turns reading to S3. Thursday I took the van in, yes, the 95 Astro Van is still alive, to get the muffler and tail pipe replaced so it would pass inspection to get it registered and I had to go shopping for S2's class party the next day. Friday mornings I go in to help with the PTA reading program and that afternoon it was the Valentine's party in S2's class (I was in charge) and let me tell you, that is the craziest party of the whole year! I was so glad when it was over.

S3 has decided that the TV is better watched on the ground and he likes to tip it on its side and upside down and watch it from all sorts of angles. Then once he rolls it too far the cord comes out the back and he comes to fetch me so I can set everything right. Repeat this every 15 minutes or so all day long - aaaaahhhhhhh! Tomorrow I am going to find someplace that sells plexiglass and order a piece big enough to go over the front of the entertainment center so he can't pull it out and do TV gymnastics anymore! Unfortunately it is President's Day so the kids will be home all day so I probably won't get it until Tuesday. Plus I'll have the place drill holes in it so I can just screw it onto the entertainment center.

Saturday the boys were stoked to get Valentine's Cards from their grandparents. They were really jazzed when they found McDonald's gift cards inside. Then S2 wanted to call all his grandparents and wish them a Happy valentine's day. He called his paternal grandparents, both of mine and Grandma Ruth before he got tired of calling people but he had fun conversations with them. After we cleaned their room we made cookie hearts and decorated them and took them to the boys' primary teachers and a couple families in the ward. Then I had to run off to work. Oh, S2 decided to make me a valentine all on his own without any suggestion or help. It was so cute. Everytime I came into the kitchen he was quick to cover it up. When he had to leave he covered it with a paper and told me not to look. So when he gave it to me it was fun to read. The main message said, "Roses are red, Vilits are blue, Fowers are sweet and so are you." I told him that I love vilits and fowers. I let him know that he did a great job spelling everything out on his own. He's such a thoughtful kid. He had the scripture and prayer in primary today. He prayed that the kids could all be obedient to their teachers and that we could all be kind and love one another. It was great.

So that was our week, more or less. I called Jen (my sister in law) at the end of last week to see if I could help her after her foot surgery but she was doing well getting around and such. Dave was gone to the a Music Educators conference so pretty much with the three boys with me I would have been more of a hinderance for Jen than a help! This week I have to get invitations made for Katie's (my other sister in law) bridal shower and I am doing the donation request and collections for the elementary schools PTA fundraiser - joy. Plus all the normal stuff I have to do. Add on top of that that the boys are now dying to go to McDonalds and it will be another hectic but fun week at the Faires house.

Have you been sniffing glue?

You know those days when your kids just seem to be "on one"? They are just extra silly or goofy or whatever so that you'd think they were sniffing glue? But you know they aren't because you don't have any glue. Well, that was yesterday with S1 - like he would be able to sniff glue, he'd spill it all down his front! Anyway, I had the living room all picked up before the boys got home from school. I could feel a head cold coming on and I wanted to have something accomplished before I had to sit. The basket of toys was under the coffee table, an old 3 gallon ice cream bucket full of fake food had the lid on it and was next to the couch. Then the boys got home from school. Everything was fine for a while. S1 watched a video and had a snack, S2 was playing in his room. Well, next thing I know S1 is in the living room gleefully giggling to himself as he dumps out the toy box and begins to throw everything in the air up over his head and all over the living room. Meanwhile he's laughing like some great comedian is telling jokes. When that fun game is over he gets up and bolts over to the bucket of fake food and proceeds to do the same. Now the living room looks even worse than before I picked up! At least then everything was in a couple of piles but now it is thrown all over the room. I decide to just leave it because there is no point in picking any of it up. When I told S1 to stop he just ignored me and kept on with his funny little game. When he gets in moods like this, there is no stopping him. It's funny to watch but when he gets "on one" it sure gets destructive!

Friends

I've found that through the years sometimes I think, do I have any friends? You may not know this, but growing up I suffered from severe self worth issues. Why would anyone like me when everyone else was so much prettier/smarter/cooler? Although I've mostly overcome them (or suppressed them), sometimes those old insecurities sneak back. So, I guess before I can answer my question that first I have to define what a friend is. It can be a neighbor, a relative, an old school chum, a mission companion, the mother of my son's friends, someone from church or work. And what a friend is can change through the years. A friend in high school was someone with whom I ate lunch, had sleepovers, or went with to movies and dances or to whom I kvetched about parents and boys. A friend in college was someone I did homework with, shared an apartment with, hung out with after institute or went to young single adult dances with and to whom I discussed young men. Well, once I got married I no longer had homework and my husband filled most of those other roles. A friend was then someone I could kvetch to about my husband and kids!!! When I got married I also moved which physically separated me from many friends. Sometimes I think I have no friends because I can go days without chatting with one. My friend and neighbor Stacy may swear I call her at least twice most days, but sometimes I think she's the only friend I have. Until I think about what a friend really is. A friend is someone whom you like (and usually they like you back), that even though you may not see each other often, when together again it's like you were never even separated and you still have a great time together. Just because we don't chat every day or every week doesn't mean we aren't friends - it's just that life (aka family, work, church, distance) can get in our way. A friend is also there to help you out when you need it.

This all came about because Dave suggested that I go out with a friend to breakfast this week since he was home. He also was going to go out with one of his fellow band directors so he thought I should get out too. I was kind of stumped. Who wouldn't think I was weird calling and asking them out to breakfast? Did I have any friends anyway? I thought about it for a while and I realized that I had many friends. Yeah, I really wished my cousin lived closer than an eleven hour drive, but I'd have to chose someone else. As I pondered the possibilities, I finally came up with a friend who I knew when we our husbands were in college. I hadn't seen her in months, but we had mutual interest and always enjoyed hanging out together. I called and she accepted and we had a great time. It was so nice to get out and chat with her about all that was going on, what our plans for the future are, etc. We even hit the Outlet Mall on the way home. She agreed that it was hard to get out and do something for herself. It has inspired me to take a wider look around and make this breakfast thing something that I do once a month and invite someone different each time. I need to make a concerted effort to have more fun with my friends and not to let the details of life get in the way!

Lyrics

Okay, my boys just got a package from their great-grandmother containing Christmas presents. One of those was a Sing-a-long CD Player. S3 was sitting next to me having fun with the mic and singing the alphabet song. The next thing I knew he was singing the chorus to "Smoke on the Water". Then I realized he wasn't really singing the right words, he'd go, "Da da daa, da da da da, da da daa, da da, Knock on the Do-or." I about died laughing. I tried to correct him but alas he's three so he knows everything!