Matthew's First Year

I can hardly believe that it is Matthew's first birthday today. That went so fast! I'm so thankful that he came to join our family. We all love him so much, and he has brought us so much joy. I had so much fun making this slide show of his first year. I kind of got to relive everything, except that heinous c-section. Anyway, Happy Birthday Matthew. We love you!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Saying, "I'm Tired" Would Be An Understatement!

I should have known that is was too good to be true. On a much earlier post I made the mistake of saying, out loud, that Matthew was a great sleeper and a self soother. HA! Talk about counting your chickens before they hatch. The last five months have been absolutely HEINOUS! He has turned out to be my worst sleeper. I am so utterly exhausted I want to cry. I am as sleep deprived as they come. How much longer until I go completely mad? On a bad night he is up every hour and ready to start his day at three or four AM. On a good night he's up two or three times and thankfully he'll sleep until seven. I've learned not to pray for help. It's kinda funny, or really, really sad, but I've talked to several Mom's and they all say the same thing. That is one prayer not to waste your time uttering. It just does not get answered in the way that you would hope. It seems to actually make things worse. I guess us Mom's are supposed to learn something painful. I've tried everything I can think of to get the little stinker to sleep. Crying it out has been a joke. A sick joke. He will cry, no, scream for hours at time. He'll get so upset that he throws up. That's when I cave. I just can't handle watching him be that upset. I hate it when people tell me that I need to let him cry. That did work for Hyrum but it hasn't worked for Matthew. After having five kids, if there is one thing I've learned it's that every child is different. I hate blanket statements like that. I think the worst part of it is that I'm so tired that I feel like I'm not a very good Mom. I'm totally inefficient and not myself. It takes so much energy to do the smallest things. All I really want to do is stare at the wall and drool. This past Saturday Mark took over and I got to sleep in, a nice little block of sleep. Later that day I was talking to Meghan and she said to me, "Mom, you look pretty. What happened to the circles and bags under your eyes?" Nice! Anyway, hopefully somehow I will survive this, because it can't last forever. Right? This too shall pass.

Hyrum's Day Out

Hyrum had his turn to go out with me and Mark. He chose to go to Chuck-a-Rama. He knows what's good. Hyrum got really lucky because Grandma Linge and Aunt Sue happened to join us. We had a great time and got really, really full! On the way home Hyrum smiled and said, "Even the food still stuck in my teeth tastes good!" And that my friend, just about says it all.

Arrow Of Light

Having grown up in a home with all sisters and no brothers, this Scout stuff is really new to me. But this last award Hyrum got was, I have to say, pretty cool. The Arrow of Light Award is the highest award that you can receive in Cub Scouts. And you receive it in a special ceremony. Hyrum worked really hard to earn his, and we are happy for him and proud of him. Here are some pictures from that exciting night. Hyrum's face was painted which was symbolic of things that he has learned in Cub Scouts. Then an Indian Cheif took Hyrum on a path to meet 3 Spirits, which was also a special reminder of important things that he has learned. Hyrum is now officially a Boy Scout. (My kids are growing up too fast I tell ya!) Like his Dad, Hyrum  loves Scouting and is excited about earning his Eagle. Keep up the hard work Hyrum. Way to Go!!

The Temple-I'm Going There Someday...

I took Ethan grocery shopping with me tonight and we had the cutest little conversation on the way home. Out of the blue he asked me why I got married? I said, "Because I was in love with Daddy." Then he asked me when he was going to get married. I told him that probably when he got home from his mission. Then he said, "Like when you got home from your mission and Daddy got home from his mission?" I said, "Yep." Then Ethan said, "I'm going to get married in the bootiful temple, the temple that is by Nana's house!" I said, "That would be a great place to get married, the Bountiful Temple IS very pretty." Then he asked me what temple I was married in. I told him the one in Salt Lake. Then... (here's the cute part) Ethan says, "Mom, where is Makinley going to get married?" (Makinley is the cute little neighbor girl who Ethan loves to play with.) I said, "I don't know?" And then he said, "Because I love Makinley, I could take her to the temple." Sweet story, huh? I swear that little guy says the most adorable things!

Rebound!!

Hyrum has really enjoyed playing Jr. Jazz this year. Here are some fun pictures from his last game.

Kaylie's Surgery Day Set

Kaylie went to the doctor again this week to talk about surgery for her back. The curve in her spine is now 65 degrees. She is starting to have a lot of pain from it so this surgery will be a good thing. I made the mistake of asking the doctor what complications could arise from such a surgery and needless to say I did NOT like his answer. He said there is a 1 in 1,000 chance she could become paralyzed. He was reassuring though and said, "Knock on wood... it's never happened to anyone he's operated on." He is an excellent surgeon and I know that she is in very good hands but it really freaks me out to think about having her spinal cord messed with. I will be so glad when it is all over with. Anyway, I thought I would post a picture of her x-ray so you could see what she is up against. I think Kaylie is very brave and I am proud of her. It really is a blessing that they can fix her back. I just need to keep reminding myself of that. Come July though, I am going to be a complete basket case. Just so you know. Her surgery is set for July 20th. Please pray that all goes well!