Day #92 - Singing with my children

Tonight I was preparing Joseph and Lily for bed, when I got the idea to pull out some music books I knew they would enjoy. We sat together in Joseph's bed and I began singing song after song to them. It felt so good to bond with them doing something I love. They love music and also enjoyed the pictures that go with each song. Eryn joined us part-way through and sang along to lots of the songs. I was so thrilled to hear her sing and to know that she is becoming familiar with so many primary songs. These are moments I cherish in my monotonous days of laundry, dishes, driving, sweeping, etc.

Just for fun, these are the books we sang from. Both are books I grew up with. The lowest book has pretty old-fashioned songs, but my kids have always loved them and enjoyed the big, colorful pictures.

Day #91 - Eryn's Health

Eryn had some follow-up work at Primary Children's today. We did an ultrasound, a Urology visit and a blood draw. It was kind of a long day, but full of good news. Things are going well and Eryn's health is very stable right now. How can I not love a day full of good news at the hospital?? LOVE IT!

Day #90 - Lily can Sing

One of my favorite things to see emerge as a child grows is that little singing voice. Lily is a natural singer. She loves it and sings for pure love and joy. She has been doing it for the past few weeks and just melts my heart.

These two videos crack me up, because she found a music book lying around the house and picked it up and knew just what to do with it.

Day #89 - Holiday Fun

We had a crazy, fun day with the Kongaika cousins today. We celebrated little Bella's birthday, went to a movie and the kids made three different snowmen in the backyard. I am honestly grateful they got to build snowmen today. If there is anything fun about these long, cold Winter months it's making a snowman! I wish I had pictures of them, but they are on Joel's phone. So, in lieu of our snowmen, check out one of our neighbor's. This is seriously so awesome.

Day #88 - The Parking Pass

I have a good friend/old neighbor who is missing a leg. She has always used a fake leg to get around and it's not a big deal for her. Anyway, I remember her telling me that when she got married her husband asked her why she doesn't use handicapped parking. She felt like she didn't need it. But like a good husband, he made sure she got her parking pass. From then on she called it her "Princess Parking." Well, since Lily got her wheelchair we got a pass for each car. It has been really nice, especially on snowy days when we have to get in and out of the car quickly. On a day like today when we were super late for church and the parking lot is soo full, it's also nice to have Lily's reserved "Princess Parking" waiting for us.

Day #87 - Family Fun

Joel is so good about getting us out as a family. If it were up to me we'd spend a lot more time at home "cruising." Anyway, Joel got home from Colorado at noon today and we got ourselves ready and went swimming! All of us (plus one - Sadie). There is nothing better than being all together having fun. Sorry, no pictures of me in a swimsuit. I hate to disappoint.

Day #85 - Prayers Answered

Over the Christmas Break we noticed that Lily was holding her breath in her sleep. She would breathe out and then pause for a few seconds before breathing in. We talked to some of her specialists about it at clinic and decided to go ahead and do a sleep study to examine what was going on.

So, tonight she did her sleep study at PCMC. It was a little sad to see her all hooked up to so many wires. But she was really good and went to sleep quick. I was a little worried about an hour into the study, though. Her breathing was deep and perfect! No breath-holding. So we just prayed that the breathing we noticed her doing would happen at some point in the night. We wanted the sleep pattern to really appear so we could know what was happening.

Thank goodness that by the middle of the night, I noticed her presenting that pattern of breathing. I really feel like our prayers were answered!

Better than that, her test results showed only a mild degree of sleep apnea. We are so grateful to know that what she is doing is not serious and that she will probably grow out of it (still looking into maybe having her adenoids and tonsils removed to clear that airway).

Day #84 & #86 - Seussical the Musical

On Wednesday (#83) and Friday (#85) Anna and Eryn performed in their school production of Seussical the Musical with their cousins. It was such a joy for me to see them participate in this together. In fact it is a such a special thing to have these kids (cousins) experiencing so much together. I am grateful that Emily talked me into living so close. When we talked about moving to her town, she told me that we needed to be really close or it wouldn't be worth it. Close enough to have the kids in school together, for carpooling and for sharing moments like this:

How do you like Anna's WHO Hair?

I am also grateful for the directors who gave so much of their time for this. They did it for free and gave so many children an opportunity to perform. They worked with two big casts and literally took every child that tried out and gave them a role. Eryn had the littlest part, but she loved the experience, from the rehearsals to the dancing to the costumes to the singing. She loved every minute of it. Anna also loved it and was a cute performer on stage.

Day #83 - Cousins and Friends

Here they are spreading out their Valentine Loot from Preschool.

I am thankful that Joseph and Eve are good friends. Living close, they have really spent a lot of time together and they have become really comfortable with each other. They are in preschool, kindermusik and sunbeams together. Beyond that, Emily and I trade babysitting, so they hang out together, a lot, too. I love the conversations these two have and the play that they do. Usually she is holding a barbie or a princess and he's holding spiderman or batman, but they make it work. In fact they are so opposite. He is all boy and she is all girl. He has to have the blue cup and she has to have the pink, etc. They are so fun at this stage and I look forward to seeing them grow up together.

Day #82 - Yellow Roses

Joel brought me yellow roses for Valentine's Day today. This is a tradition of ours since we dated as teenagers. The yellow rose symbolizes friendship and whenever Joel gives them to me, it reminds me that we started as friends first.

Day #81 - Anna and Choir

I am grateful that Anna came with us to choir practice today. She has been coming on and off for the past few months. I know she is mostly there for the treats, but hopefully over time, she will catch on to the fun of singing!

Day #75, #76, #77, #78, #79, #80

Joel and I had the wonderful opportunity to take a trip together to Maui. Here are some things I have been grateful for this week:

Flying without children!
Our flight out ended up being four hours delayed!! Joel and I were so happy to be together and on our way, that it hardly fazed us. Here we were trapped on a plane with a broken part and we were eating ice cream, watching movies and reading our books as if we were on a leisurely cruise. Thank goodness we didn't have to deal with the kids during those four extra hours!!

Hawaii TempleWe were able to attend the temple on Oahu during our one full day on the island. We were married there, so we are always grateful for the chance to return together.


The Magic of Holding a Baby
We got to visit with my cousins Micah, Jill and Alissa one night on Oahu. It was so nice to spend time with them. I got to hold their baby for a short while and was honestly blown away by how magical it felt. I love my children and I really try to enjoy each moment with them. But I have the bad habit of thinking about what I need to do next while I am holding my babies. This was a great reminder to me that I need to slow down and enjoy the sweetness and the joy my children have to offer.

Adventure
We decided to be adventurous and ride bikes down Haleakala (from 7000 ft.) on one of our days in Maui. I knew it would be a stretch for me to do something like this, but we went for it and had a wonderful time! The views were beautiful and the surroundings were so peaceful and quiet. I am so glad we did it and look forward to more adventures together.

Laughter
Joel and I live a pretty busy, stressful life. Being together on this trip has reminded me how well we get along. I have really enjoyed the laughter and the fun.

Ruth & Isi
I am so grateful to Joel's parents for making this trip possible. They took great care of the kids while we were gone. Ruth showered the kids with attention and gifts. She also took very careful care of Lily, cathing her regularly, giving her medicine and sleeping with her every night. A special thanks to Grandpa Isi for taking care of Jojo's medicine, reading him stories, and cleaning up poopy underwear!

Day #74 - My Dad

This week my dad is turning 70 years old! I can't believe that he has reached such a mature age! I am so grateful for the wonderful influence my dad is in my life. We share a love for music which has really bonded us over the years. I took every class he taught as a student at BYU Hawaii. He was also my first voice teacher. Some of my happiest memories are of singing as a member of his choir. He has the unique talent of bringing sensitivity, skill and spirituality together to create beautiful music. Beyond that connection, I appreciate my dad's example of gospel living. He has spent his life in service to the church and more importantly to the people around him. I love him so much and so before this starts to sound like a eulogy I am going to end! Happy Birthday Dad! Here's to many more happy, healthy years to come.

Day #73 - My Nephew's Baptism

We attended our nephew Jakey's baptism today. Lots of family came together for his special day and it was pure sweetness to see him and his dad all in white. I have known this boy since the moment he was born! I can't believe he is eight years old. What a blessing to be able to be there to witness his baptism.

Day #72 - Little Helpers

This is a weird Winter. The trees in my backyard still have leaves on their branches. So when the snow melts, we still have lots of leaves to rake. If I don't get them up in good time, they get buried by snow again. So this morning I asked Emily to send her boys to my house after school to help rake them up in exchange for a Blizzard at DQ. When they arrived I was laying down with Lily helping her get a nap. So the boys, along with my girls got started. By the time I got outside they were half-way done. It was so great to have so many little helpers!

Day #71 - Good Neighbors

I made sugar cookies today so the kids could decorate them and then hopefully give some away. As it turns out, plans changed. After decorating cookies, Eryn and her cousin, Noah spent the afternoon creating their own two-page books. Once they had about six done, they begged me to let them set up a stand out front and try to sell them. It was pretty cold outside, so I said yes, figuring that they would get cold and give up after ten minutes. Well. . . as soon as Anna got wind of the sale, she had to get involved. She helped them haul out a table, add some cookies to the sale and find a container for the money. Once they were established out front, their first sale came in! One of our neighbors bought two cookies and they made a whole dollar! At this point everyone was committed to the stand, including Joseph. They put on their hats and gloves, pulled out blankets and extra chairs and made themselves comfortable. Joseph would see a car coming from afar and say, "Look another costumer!" Then he would try to flag them down. They spent about an hour and a half out front selling mostly cookies, and a few books. In the end almost every close-by neighbor stopped by and made a purchase (mostly dads on their way home from work). The kids had so much fun and couldn't get over how easy it was to make money! I am so thankful for kind neighbors who totally made their day.

P.S. The kids are planning to sell Hot Chocolate next.

Day #70 - Aunt Shawna

Aunt Shawna made a quick visit this morning on her way to Idaho. It was so nice to see her. She has always been so talented with children. So it was no surprise that she had Jojo and Lily eating out of the palm of her hand.

Day #69 - Better Weather

Today's weather was sooooo bad I almost cried. It was extremely windy and temperatures were in the teens. I know, I am a wimp. . . But today's bone chilling weather made me grateful for more temperate winter days.

Day #68 - The Children's Museum

This picture cracks me up. Lily loves to put on hats. When she got her hands on this one, she was very serious about wearing it. No matter what.

I took Lily and Jojo to the Gateway today. We met some friends and had a nice time together. I am so grateful that there is such a great place indoors where Lily can play in her wheelchair. She didn't stay in it the whole time, but she found enough things to try and enjoy independently. I can't wait until Spring and Summer when we can get her outdoors to play! Until then, I am thankful we have places like this to keep us entertained.

Day #67 - My Support Group

Yesterday Joel and I attended a board meeting for the Intermountain Spina Bifida Support Group. We have been on the board for a year now and have LOVED being involved.

Our first contact with this group was when I was pregnant with Lily. Some friends got us in touch with the Thornleys who were involved in the support group (now the Presidents/Chairs of the Board). We really wanted to talk to someone who had a child with spina bifida and we were also really interested in getting an idea of what it would be like to have our baby on the "mainland" (since we were considering it at the time). Julie gave me a whole run-down on every detail of her birth experience. It was so helpful to me to get a clear picture of how things would go. She also answered lots of my questions and more importantly identified with how I was feeling. Since then we moved here and have remained in contact.

Here are some of the things I love about being a part of this support group:
- I get to meet a lot of other families who deal with the same issues we do.
- Lily will know other kids who are like her.
- I can learn from other parents who have gone before!!
- My other children also get to see other families that are similar to theirs.
- Joel and I have an opportunity to serve and reach out to families dealing with spina bifida.
- There are so many great examples out there for Lily as well as for Joel and I as parents to follow!

I run the support group BLOG. Doing this has been a great blessing to me. I have really been able to learn a great deal in the process. I like to think of it as my own personal file of good news, ideas, inspiration and resources.

Day #66 - Moms and Doughnuts

Eryn and I showing off her rubber-band creation at school.

The first grade at my kids' school has two special days where parents come into the classroom. They are called: Dads and Doughnuts and Moms and Muffins. I have always complained to my kids about being stuck with muffins while Joel always gets the doughnuts. So, lucky me, Joel had a business trip and couldn't make it. . . guess who's getting lame muffins later this year. :)

Day #65 - Health Returned

These Get Well Cards from the girls really lifted his spirits.

Joel was so sick this past week! He had strep really bad and couldn't talk or hardly swallow. He had to go in to the doctor almost every day to get shots of antibiotic. And when he wasn't at the doctors he was sleeping down in the basement. I am grateful he is finally better!

Day #64 - My family

Thank you, Eryn for this beautiful picture of our family.