I was making dinner yesterday when I looked over and both little boys had climbed up on the dryer. The dryer door was open and the boys were opening the washer. After much grunting and leaning, David climbed in and started fishing out clothes and handing them to Greg. Greg cheerfully leaned WAY over the edge and chucked the clothes in the dryer.
It was both hysterically funny and extremely helpful as well. Would that I could get all my children to go to that much effort on chores not even assigned to them!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
No no, it WAS the Leprechaun...
Today is St. Patricks day. Well at least, what's left of today. We made sure the kids had green to wear to school. And for most of the kids, it was a normal day but David's head start teacher had big plans.
BIG PLANS.
I went to volunteer and spent the day with Dave. After Breakfast and the usual routine of shapes, colors, dates and weather, Miss Dawn talked about Leprechauns. She told the children that another teacher had mentioned seeing a Leprechaun in the cafeteria.
Now before you roll your eyes to much, let me assure you Miss Dawn is VERY convincing. *laugh*
She had the children use their special leprechaun lens, which oddly resembled decorated tp rolls, to help follow the leprechauns path.
Earlier while the children were on the carpet for circle time, Miss JoAnn, the teaching assistant had gone outside and sprinkled a path of gold sparkles for the children to follow. It was a beautiful day and Miss Dawn had all 15 of her lemmings at her heals excitedly following the gold path.
Well, Tiffany and I went to work. We tipped chairs, dumped some toys, made little green footprints on the table, dumped some green dye in the toilet and hid the gold. We barely got done when the children came back. I was laying on the floor and told them I "almost" got the leprechaun but he was to fast!! Off the children went to survey the mess and the green toilet was a hit. *chuckle*
The gold was found and I believe the children were completely snookered. Everyone except my child that is.
As the children played at Stations, David sat next to me and he said very serious "Mom, You made a B I G M E S S in my room. " *blink* He repeated himself three more times, just in case I was under any mistaken belief that he had fallen for game.
He then told Miss Dawn "My mom, she made a BIG BIG BIG MESS in my CassROOM." That's classroom if you don't follow Dave speak. :) Miss Dawn assured him it was the Leprechaun and David promptly corrected her, "No, dat was my mom!"
The funniest was when it was time to go home and I heard David telling Greg how naughty mommy was making a mess in his cassroom. He told Greg about the green "pee" in the toilet, how he fixed (he had flushed the dye out) the toilet, about the books and chairs all over the floor and how some toys were dumped.
My mom suggested that maybe David's surety was because of the emphasis of not making a mess in our home. I personally believe it has more to do with out attitudes about the make believe. We "play" make believe, play Santa, play the tooth fairy but we openly talk about how it's fun to pretend.
Whatever the reason, Dave is no fool.
BIG PLANS.
I went to volunteer and spent the day with Dave. After Breakfast and the usual routine of shapes, colors, dates and weather, Miss Dawn talked about Leprechauns. She told the children that another teacher had mentioned seeing a Leprechaun in the cafeteria.
Now before you roll your eyes to much, let me assure you Miss Dawn is VERY convincing. *laugh*
She had the children use their special leprechaun lens, which oddly resembled decorated tp rolls, to help follow the leprechauns path.
Earlier while the children were on the carpet for circle time, Miss JoAnn, the teaching assistant had gone outside and sprinkled a path of gold sparkles for the children to follow. It was a beautiful day and Miss Dawn had all 15 of her lemmings at her heals excitedly following the gold path.
Well, Tiffany and I went to work. We tipped chairs, dumped some toys, made little green footprints on the table, dumped some green dye in the toilet and hid the gold. We barely got done when the children came back. I was laying on the floor and told them I "almost" got the leprechaun but he was to fast!! Off the children went to survey the mess and the green toilet was a hit. *chuckle*
The gold was found and I believe the children were completely snookered. Everyone except my child that is.
As the children played at Stations, David sat next to me and he said very serious "Mom, You made a B I G M E S S in my room. " *blink* He repeated himself three more times, just in case I was under any mistaken belief that he had fallen for game.
He then told Miss Dawn "My mom, she made a BIG BIG BIG MESS in my CassROOM." That's classroom if you don't follow Dave speak. :) Miss Dawn assured him it was the Leprechaun and David promptly corrected her, "No, dat was my mom!"
The funniest was when it was time to go home and I heard David telling Greg how naughty mommy was making a mess in his cassroom. He told Greg about the green "pee" in the toilet, how he fixed (he had flushed the dye out) the toilet, about the books and chairs all over the floor and how some toys were dumped.
My mom suggested that maybe David's surety was because of the emphasis of not making a mess in our home. I personally believe it has more to do with out attitudes about the make believe. We "play" make believe, play Santa, play the tooth fairy but we openly talk about how it's fun to pretend.
Whatever the reason, Dave is no fool.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
For my children
I'm not sure why exactly I'm writing this down, but today I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to write about my children and the inspiration and spiritual guidance we've had in getting them here.
I realize that I may repeat information that I've already shared but for some reason, I need to put it all in one place. And who am I to ignore inspiration?
To start off, when Kent and I first dated and the question of family size came up, we were both on the same page agreeing that expressing a number didn't feel quite right. Especially when we don't know what God has in store for us, individually and as a couple. Of course some would argue (my dad comes to mind) that having children is everything biological and has nothing to do with God.
While I agree with biology, you have sex, there's a chance of babies, I will not deny the divinity of procreation and God's role in creating families.
While I had the desire to be a mother, even more prevalent at the beginning of my marriage was an underlying fear of having children. You have to understand the incredible genetic link to autism and birth defects affecting two of my brothers, uncles, cousins and my nephew. There's always a risk of something going wrong, it's just in my family, it's a little more obvious to the untrained eye.
I really didn't talk about fears but God knew and about a year before Jane was conceived I was blessed with a special experience.
I was laying in bed, Kent was asleep. It was dark, our bedroom window was open and there was light shining into our room from a streetlight. It wasn't directly in front of the window, so it was dim. It provided lots of shadows in our room.
I looked around our room and realized there was a figure standing at the foot of our bed. I couldn't see details, it was more like looking at someone's shadow but I could tell it was a young woman with long hair. Before I could really think, thoughts filled my head and my chest felt on fire with what I recognize as the Holy Ghost witnessing to me that my thoughts came from God and that they were true.
I knew this was our child. I knew her name was Jane. It was not made clear to me when she was to be born but we needed to prepare for her arrival. This time of our life and marriage we were rather selfish with our personal time and didn't devote what we should to God, including regular church meetings. I had a very strong impression that we needed, I needed to get our act together spiritually so this child could receive the blessings that God wanted her to receive.
I had the impression that she would have challenges in this life, and God in his infinite love and wisdom comforted me with the knowledge that we would be able to handle whatever her challenges would be. I had tears in my eyes as my doubts vanished. I knew we'd be alright. I knew we could raise and teach that beautiful child as the Lord wanted us too.
Then she was gone but the love and comfort I felt in her presence stayed with me for a very long time.
We were blessed in knowing it was her that first to term pregnancy. We've been guided to help her with her challenges and I hope as she grows she realizes the divine help she receives because it's there, daily.
After her birth, almost immediately after I felt a child, another baby that was meant to be in our family. It was within hours of my birth and the knowledge that we were going to have another had already been impressed upon me. I sorta freaked out Kent when I told him, and Pat as well. lol. I reassured them that I had no desire to have babies 10 months apart but I wasn't going to deny that we were going to have at least one one.
Kate was so different then Jane. Jane I knew her name, her gender, I felt her personality, I had been given a forewarning of some of her trials. Kate was like flying blind. I knew only that were meant to have another, I didn't even know that she was a girl. But knowing that at some time we'd be blessed again was enough.
When I was pregnant and found out she was a girl, I felt this peace in that it was all as the Lord intended. It was a sweet feeling.
As with Jane's birth, within a few hours after Kate was born I felt another child that was meant to be born into our family. As it was previously, I had no idea when we were to have that child but I tried to trust in the Lords timing. I really struggled waiting for Ean to come. A miscarriage, my dad's death, a depression I had to fight my way through made trusting in the Lord extremely difficult. I knew there was another baby for us and yet it took so long to get him here. At least it seemed long.
He finally came, all in the Lords time May of 2004. A strange thing happened at his birth, I didn't feel anyone else. I felt, nothing. I had known our family wasn't complete within hours of my first two births, I entertained the possibility that we could be done having babies. This lasted for months, this odd ambiguous stage of not feeling done, not feeling like we were meant to have another either.
In the car that changed. I was driving through town and this thought and feeling slammed into me that I was to get pregnant again. I realized today that my feeling that day was specifically about getting pregnant where I'd always felt before that we were having another baby.
The twins were meant to be. Their gestation and birth provided a chance to lean on the Lord in a manner that I had never done before. After the shock of learning that either baby only had a 50% chance of making it after a high risk procedure that would have to be repeated who knows how many times during my pregnancy, I felt the Lords comfort. I don't know if I can describe my experience but slowly I realized that even if we lost one or both babies, we would not be alone and that the Lord would help us through our trials.
Slowly I felt more and more sure that we were meant to raise our boys. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty and I mean PLENTY of break downs, it was such a stressful time but the Lord never left me and when I was ready for his comfort he was always there. Kent gave me lots of blessings at through my pregnancy and I was told repeatedly that I was not alone. Finally about two days before their birth we were told in a blessing that they would make it and we would raise them. We were told that they would be healed from whatever problems their in utero afflictions would cause, and I had an impression that their healing would take time after their birth, it would not be instantaneous.
The night of the twentieth, Kent said prayer pleading with the Lord to let him know if the twins were in trouble and if we needed to go to the hospital. I woke up that night with a HUGE contraction, I watched the clock and counted and had four contraction in less then an hour. That meant we should go to the hospital. I woke up Kent, he confessed later that he almost suggested to me that I should lay back down and we see what happens when he had a thought "You asked to know when to go."
He didn't waste anytime getting me there and the boys were in grave danger showing no movement and with static heart rates. They were delivered via emergency c-section.
We knew the twins completed our family.
Looking back it amazes me how the Lord was there for every step, every child to help prepare us for their arrival, to comfort us as needed, to inspire us to make medical decisions that could have been fatal otherwise. I am so grateful for my relationship with God, I feel his love often and without his guidance I would have been lost at the very least. At the very most, my life would be incomplete without the children that bless me daily with the most amazing unconditional love.
I realize that I may repeat information that I've already shared but for some reason, I need to put it all in one place. And who am I to ignore inspiration?
To start off, when Kent and I first dated and the question of family size came up, we were both on the same page agreeing that expressing a number didn't feel quite right. Especially when we don't know what God has in store for us, individually and as a couple. Of course some would argue (my dad comes to mind) that having children is everything biological and has nothing to do with God.
While I agree with biology, you have sex, there's a chance of babies, I will not deny the divinity of procreation and God's role in creating families.
While I had the desire to be a mother, even more prevalent at the beginning of my marriage was an underlying fear of having children. You have to understand the incredible genetic link to autism and birth defects affecting two of my brothers, uncles, cousins and my nephew. There's always a risk of something going wrong, it's just in my family, it's a little more obvious to the untrained eye.
I really didn't talk about fears but God knew and about a year before Jane was conceived I was blessed with a special experience.
I was laying in bed, Kent was asleep. It was dark, our bedroom window was open and there was light shining into our room from a streetlight. It wasn't directly in front of the window, so it was dim. It provided lots of shadows in our room.
I looked around our room and realized there was a figure standing at the foot of our bed. I couldn't see details, it was more like looking at someone's shadow but I could tell it was a young woman with long hair. Before I could really think, thoughts filled my head and my chest felt on fire with what I recognize as the Holy Ghost witnessing to me that my thoughts came from God and that they were true.
I knew this was our child. I knew her name was Jane. It was not made clear to me when she was to be born but we needed to prepare for her arrival. This time of our life and marriage we were rather selfish with our personal time and didn't devote what we should to God, including regular church meetings. I had a very strong impression that we needed, I needed to get our act together spiritually so this child could receive the blessings that God wanted her to receive.
I had the impression that she would have challenges in this life, and God in his infinite love and wisdom comforted me with the knowledge that we would be able to handle whatever her challenges would be. I had tears in my eyes as my doubts vanished. I knew we'd be alright. I knew we could raise and teach that beautiful child as the Lord wanted us too.
Then she was gone but the love and comfort I felt in her presence stayed with me for a very long time.
We were blessed in knowing it was her that first to term pregnancy. We've been guided to help her with her challenges and I hope as she grows she realizes the divine help she receives because it's there, daily.
After her birth, almost immediately after I felt a child, another baby that was meant to be in our family. It was within hours of my birth and the knowledge that we were going to have another had already been impressed upon me. I sorta freaked out Kent when I told him, and Pat as well. lol. I reassured them that I had no desire to have babies 10 months apart but I wasn't going to deny that we were going to have at least one one.
Kate was so different then Jane. Jane I knew her name, her gender, I felt her personality, I had been given a forewarning of some of her trials. Kate was like flying blind. I knew only that were meant to have another, I didn't even know that she was a girl. But knowing that at some time we'd be blessed again was enough.
When I was pregnant and found out she was a girl, I felt this peace in that it was all as the Lord intended. It was a sweet feeling.
As with Jane's birth, within a few hours after Kate was born I felt another child that was meant to be born into our family. As it was previously, I had no idea when we were to have that child but I tried to trust in the Lords timing. I really struggled waiting for Ean to come. A miscarriage, my dad's death, a depression I had to fight my way through made trusting in the Lord extremely difficult. I knew there was another baby for us and yet it took so long to get him here. At least it seemed long.
He finally came, all in the Lords time May of 2004. A strange thing happened at his birth, I didn't feel anyone else. I felt, nothing. I had known our family wasn't complete within hours of my first two births, I entertained the possibility that we could be done having babies. This lasted for months, this odd ambiguous stage of not feeling done, not feeling like we were meant to have another either.
In the car that changed. I was driving through town and this thought and feeling slammed into me that I was to get pregnant again. I realized today that my feeling that day was specifically about getting pregnant where I'd always felt before that we were having another baby.
The twins were meant to be. Their gestation and birth provided a chance to lean on the Lord in a manner that I had never done before. After the shock of learning that either baby only had a 50% chance of making it after a high risk procedure that would have to be repeated who knows how many times during my pregnancy, I felt the Lords comfort. I don't know if I can describe my experience but slowly I realized that even if we lost one or both babies, we would not be alone and that the Lord would help us through our trials.
Slowly I felt more and more sure that we were meant to raise our boys. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty and I mean PLENTY of break downs, it was such a stressful time but the Lord never left me and when I was ready for his comfort he was always there. Kent gave me lots of blessings at through my pregnancy and I was told repeatedly that I was not alone. Finally about two days before their birth we were told in a blessing that they would make it and we would raise them. We were told that they would be healed from whatever problems their in utero afflictions would cause, and I had an impression that their healing would take time after their birth, it would not be instantaneous.
The night of the twentieth, Kent said prayer pleading with the Lord to let him know if the twins were in trouble and if we needed to go to the hospital. I woke up that night with a HUGE contraction, I watched the clock and counted and had four contraction in less then an hour. That meant we should go to the hospital. I woke up Kent, he confessed later that he almost suggested to me that I should lay back down and we see what happens when he had a thought "You asked to know when to go."
He didn't waste anytime getting me there and the boys were in grave danger showing no movement and with static heart rates. They were delivered via emergency c-section.
We knew the twins completed our family.
Looking back it amazes me how the Lord was there for every step, every child to help prepare us for their arrival, to comfort us as needed, to inspire us to make medical decisions that could have been fatal otherwise. I am so grateful for my relationship with God, I feel his love often and without his guidance I would have been lost at the very least. At the very most, my life would be incomplete without the children that bless me daily with the most amazing unconditional love.
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