Like going back in time...

My little sister, Leslie, and her family came up here last weekend. Her son was getting sclerotherapy the same day as Xander, and by the same doctor. We didn't even schedule that on purpose-- crazy!! Both of their surgeries were successful, but it was obviously not a fun experience for either of them (or their moms!). It is so hard to watch your child hurt.

At least the other kids got to have some fun!!






Leslie's three boys are so, so darling. Whenever we are around them, Jer and I will have flashes of Taylor and Parker at their ages. Trey looks so much like Taylor, and Lincoln like Parker. I'm not sure if you can see it in these pictures, but it really is crazy how similar they are. I am so glad to have them around to remind me of my cute little boys that grew up WAY too fast!




Leslie makes these cutest headbands. I'm thinking I should take lessons...

Sophi's kisses...

...are seriously the best thing on the planet.

Could she be any cuter? Seriously??

Three cheers for Elli!

Elli has been so happy for the last couple of days. Her teacher said that Tuesday was the best day she's ever had-- yay! Yesterday I met her class for a field trip. I wish I had brought my camera-- the kids were all so sweet! It's always good to be around other moms and teachers who understand a lot of what you are going through with these special kids. Something so random-- one of my roommates from BYU has a son with autism who is in Elli's class. We hadn't seen each other for years and then that happens!

I was visiting with her teacher at the field trip, and she thinks that I need to take another shot at potty training Elli. Um, that sounds like as much fun as pulling out my toenails! I am not kidding. But I'm going to try. Elli does usually go on the toilet when we take her, it's just that she doesn't tell us when she needs to go. And she dances around on the toilet and makes all kinds of fun messes. Apparently at school, they have been taking her very consistently (giving her treats as rewards-- she'll do anything she can do for treats) and she is staying dry there. She rarely stays dry here, but then again, I am not at all consistent at taking her. So I guess we're going to give this thing a try. Starting Saturday. I'm trying not to panic.


I LOVE my Elli. I have said before that she is like oxygen to me-- that I just have to breathe her every day. Admittedly I feel more that way when she has good days like these!! (:

She is an angel on earth, that girl.

Sisters

These two crack me up. Their interactions are just so funny. Sophi will try to read to Lexi by running her toes over the braille letters while making up a story. Lexi will try to carry Sophi around like she's her little baby and will constantly run into things and drop her, which they both find very humorous. Lexi will try to teach Sophi how to pronounce things correctly (hilarious!) while Sophi will try to tell Lexi what to do. Sophi will feed Lexi with her little toes while barking at her to come closer, and Lexi will feed Sophi but miss her mouth half the time. They just laugh through it all.

I love them!

Toothless Wonders x 4

This is my attempt at getting a picture of how these four darlings are currently missing their two front teeth. As you can see, it wasn't very successful. (:









Our family just might put the tooth fairy out of business...

Which reminds me, I found it quite humorous that Parker was determined to wiggle his tooth loose while we were down in Ferron visiting Grandma a couple weeks ago. Apparently, he had learned from past experience that the tooth fairy pays a lot more at Grandma's house. I told him it may have just been a one time thing, but he was quite sure it would happen again. He was right. (:

No such thing as a few minutes alone...

After repeatedly telling the kids that I was busy for a few minutes, (ie. leave me alone, please!) I received this note on my counter:

"Dear Mrs. Green,

I think you will not Be happy about this. Lexi said she needs you. She's in Jessica's room. so sorry to interupt yoour cooking."


The handwriting points to this cutie:

Random Cuteness

At some point on most school mornings, when Sophi is Christi's incessant, noisy, demanding shadow, and continually shouts to ensure her voice is heard above the general din of getting seven other kids out the door, Christi hollers out to me, "Don't forget that today is take-your-daughter-to-work day!"

Last night Taylor and Parker had basketball practice and I was coaching them. We were gone for an hour and a half. During that time, Graci had helped out a lot with the little kids. The boys and I got home and the family immediately sat down to a late dinner. It was obvious that the boys were exhausted, and I told them to just shower and go straight to bed. Graci, in an abrasive voice, barked at me "Do I have to help?" OK. I understand her point. The boys get to play while she works. Then, since their play was so intense that it wore them out, they get to go to bed while she helps clean up dinner? Doesn't seem fair. But her tone of voice can be quite similar to nails on a chalkboard at times and can create in a person a desire to bark back at her, "Yes!!! You do have to help!!!". But I, being the sweet, thoughtful, kind dad that I am, decided to take the patient route. With a smile on my face, I explain to Graci that I empathize with her. I give her an example of a different way to approach me with her request: (In a syrupy, sweet voice and batting my eyelashes) "Daddy, I worked so hard while you and the boys were playing basketball. I helped mommy so much. Would it be OK if maybe I could relax after dinner like Taylor and Parker? Grace, do you see the difference?" I asked. "Yes," she replied. "OK, why don't you try asking me again." Graci, in an ever-so-slightly less abrasive voice than the first time: "Do I have to help?" I stared at her for about 2 seconds and then busted up laughing. No Grace, you don't have to help:)

Christi, after observing Sophi walking around wearing one of my big, white t-shirts and looking quite like a Halloween ghost: "You know, depending on how gory we wanted to get, Sophi could have some really incredible Halloween costumes when she gets older..."

Too many kisses!

Christi was holding Sophi in her lap. I came up and suggested three-way kisses, which Soph loves. Christi and I pressed our lips together and waited for Sophi to put her lips up with ours. She did. We all made a big "MMMMMM-AHHH" sound as we gave each other the kiss. We did it one more time. I started on a third try and Sophi emphatically said, "ENOUGH!!!" "Enough?" I asked. "ENOUGH! K?" OK Soph:)

Jer

Stuff

First of all, remind me to never make promises again about daily posts. It seems each time I do, life gets busier than ever before!!

Something about each of us:

Lexi-- I loved this email I got from her teacher this week:

"I wanted to share a cute story about Lexi that happened the other day. I was talking with her and she was holding onto my arm. She felt a little bump on my arm and asked me, 'What's that?' I replied with, 'Oh it's just a little bump on my skin.' She said, 'No....That's not a bump...It's the letter A.' It took me a minute to remember that the letter A is one dot. I thought that was really cute."

I don't know if I mentioned it, but Lexi is in a regular classroom. She has a full time aid that helps her and she has vision/mobility specialists that work with her as well. She is doing really well at learning braille and just LOVES school. The special education department head said in an email this morning, "We are LOVING Lexi, she is just this bright light in our school. Always so positive and kind."




Xander: We received quite a shock a couple of weeks ago when we took Xander to a new doctor up at Primary Children's. My sister had found this doctor through her son's orthopedist and we were both delighted to find that he actually knows what he is talking about when it comes to conditions like our sons have. He just came from Boston-- the absolute best treatment center in the world for these kinds of conditions. Anyway... we have been told this whole time that Xander has KT Syndrome, when in actuality, he has Cloves Syndrome. They are similar in many ways, but this new diagnosis is actually a very good one for Xander! There are only 55 diagnosed cases worldwide. It brings with it some good news-- there is a possibility of debulking his leg!! He will be getting a few rounds of sclerotherapy, starting next week, and then we'll see where we are at. It looks like we may have to travel to Boston for some surgeries. Totally not what we need right now, but on the other hand, I've always wanted to go to Boston! (: I am so glad that he is now under the care of an extremely competent and likable doctor. YAY!





Parker: Received his Arrow of Light this week. I can take virtually no credit for it either-- his dad does all the scouting at our house. But it's nice that it's the moms that get to come up and have their boys give them a pin. (: We're proud of you, Parker!






Lexi loved playing the drums!


Taylor: I always talk about how good Parker is with the littles, but I forget sometimes to mention that Taylor is pretty sweet himself! The other day I asked him to watch Sophi while I ran somewhere. When I came home, he had dumped all of the toys out of the Barbie basket and had her in it, "giving her a bath." They were playing some make-believe, darling game that made Sophi so happy. I think it's a pretty good brother that would do something like that.




Graci: Grace was so excited to share with us that she got one of the top three scores on a test in her math class-- woo hoo! She does so well with her schoolwork, despite the fact that she's doing it all in her second language. (: On a more serious note, at Graci's last cardiology appointment, we found that her health issues are getting a bit worse. She is going in today for a cardiac MRI that can hopefully show the doctor what to do next. We would love if you would keep her in your prayers.
This is Graci with the things she knitted for her dolly. (:

Sophi: Is finally loving preschool! Took her awhile to get used to going, but now she leaves with a smile on her face. YAY! She goes twice a week for two hours, which is perfect for her. Here are some "first day of school" shots that were actually taken on the third day-- oops!








Elli: Elli, oh Elli. What can you say? She fluctuates from being the sweetest thing on the planet to a HUGE handful. Sometimes it's day to day, and sometimes minute to minute. Good thing we love her so much!! We were able to go to a school carnival/fundraiser a couple of weeks ago and meet her wonderful teachers. What would we do without these kind of people in her life?!!




Jesi: Started ballet and loves it. She loves to come up with different outfits to wear each week. (This is actually Graci's skirt from Grandma-- isn't it cute?)







Us: We had the absolute greatest time on our little getaway. We drove down to Manti and attended a session at the Manti Temple, where we were married. It was such a beautiful experience for both of us. We stayed that night in a nice bed and breakfast and just had such a good time being together and SLEEPING IN! We drove the Nebo Loop on our way home. It is a gorgeous drive. Especially breathtaking this time of year with the leaves turning colors. That evening, I attended Women's Conference with my mom up at the Conference Center. The talks were all wonderful, but we both especially enjoyed Elder Uchtdorf's. He is such a great man. What a treat for me-- two nights off in a row! (:

Emily Anne

"The Lord takes many away even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again. . . . All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment that children leave this world, they are taken to the bosom of Abraham. The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable wicked world.”-- Joseph Smith



"Each of us will have our own Fridays--those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

"But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death--Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

"No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or in the next, Sunday will come.

"I testify to you that the Resurrection is not a fable. We have the personal testimonies of those who saw Him. Thousands in the Old and New Worlds witnessed the risen Savior. They felt the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. They shed tears of unrestrained joy as they embraced Him."-- Joseph B. Wirthlin



My tiny sweet angel, who changed my life in a thousand ways... Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Jer!

Can you tell she adores him?

Today Jeremy turned 39-- just one year away from the big 40! I think he gets hotter every year-- I LOVE the salt and pepper look on a guy!

I am so grateful to have this man in my life.

He is kind and fun and thoughtful and forgiving and intelligent and spiritual and talented and amazing.

Except when he is not.
(He deserved that!)

This morning for his birthday, Jeremy had a small breakfast in bed, then got up to make lunches for all the kids. After that, he transformed into Johnny Appleseed so he could surprise Jesi, Xander, Lexi, Elli, and their respective classes. Johnny Apppleseed's birthday is next Tuesday, but Jer couldn't do it then, so he volunteered to do it today instead.

This is how he feels about dressing up as Johnny Appleseed:



Ha, ha. Actually, he is a very good sport. He sings the Johnny Appleseed song with them, reads a story, and hands out caramel apple suckers. This is just one example of why my kids have the best dad in the world. (:




Quotes from men I admire:


“Brethren, noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine attributes of our Father in Heaven. A father should be many things. He should magnify his priesthood and be an example of righteousness. In companionship with his wife, he should be the source of stability and strength for the whole family. He should be the protector and the provider and the champion of the members of his family. Much of his love for his children should flow from his example of love, concern, and fidelity for their mother. By his uncompromising example he should instill character into his children.”-- James E. Faust


"What more can a husband do to support his wife, the mother of their children? First, show extra appreciation and give more validation for what your wife does every day. Notice things and say thank you—often. Schedule some evenings together, just the two of you.

"Second, have a regular time to talk with your wife about each child's needs and what you can do to help.

"Third, give your wife a 'day away' now and then. Just take over the household and give your wife a break from her daily responsibilities. Taking over for a while will greatly enhance your appreciation of what your wife does. . . .

"Fourth, come home from work and take an active role with your family. Don't put work, friends, or sports ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children."—M. Russell Ballard



I'm so grateful for a husband who is this kind of father and husband. I am so blessed to call him my best friend. And I am so excited to go on an OVERNIGHT birthday date with him tonight (our first overnight in over a year-- thanks, Mom and Dad!)





Happy Birthday, Sweetie! And Happy Birthday, Jenny!!


PS. Honey, this is for posting pictures of me at the hospital. (:

Quotes from the Kids

Last night Taylor gave me the following sage advice: "The only thing women like better than to be told they're pretty is to be told that they're prettier than someone else." Thanks, Tay:)

The last several evenings Xander has asked, "Can we read more of 'Ginger Bread?'" He is referring to Eleanor Estes' Newberry Award-winning book: "Ginger Pye." Cute!

Jer

Disabilities

After church today we loaded up into the van. I glanced back into the rows and rows of seats behind us and noticed that Lexi wasn't buckled. "Lexi," I asked, "can you buckle yourself?" She responded: "No. But I blind." Wow. That hit me like a ton of bricks. Where did she get the idea that her blindness prevented her from buckling her seatbelt? What other preconceived notions does she have or will she pick up as she gets older. Lexi, you can do ANYTHING! A silly little seatbelt is a piece of cake. We will continue to look for more and more opportunities to help Lexi see what she can do in spite of her lack of vision.

Jer

Quote of the Morning

So many to choose from, but I'll have to go with Graci's:

"Mom, can you make your homemade rolls for my cooking class today? And don't worry, cuz it's not til 11:10."

I love kids.