Elli Belly

Our sweet Elli has been having a rough patch for the last couple of months.  She has fits of screaming, arching her body, and lashing out (hitting or biting) anything nearby.  It seems to be caused by abdominal pain, but when she can't tell us, it's hard to really know.   It could be other pain, it could be sensory-processing issues, it could be behavioral-- it's so hard to figure it out when dealing with someone with such limited communication.  We have taken her in for some blood work and x-rays and are awaiting being seen by a GI specialist.   In the meantime, I am grateful for a few things.  First of all, Elli has THE BEST teachers and principal and staff we could ever hope for.  They keep in daily communication with us about how things are going at school.  They are patient when it is hard to be patient.  They love on her, but also work with her on behavioral issues.  They keep logs and try new things and are genuinely concerned for her.  (Ok, I'm not joking-- as I was typing this, I received a phone call from them to go over some things that happened today.)  It is such an amazing blessing to be able to send her to school and know that she will be loved and dealt with appropriately.  Secondly, I am so grateful for the way this house accommodates Elli-- especially when Elli is having a hard time.  She has the most amazing room, complete with a trampoline, a swing, a keyboard, and music that can be piped through speakers (otherwise she would break the CD player.)  When she is having a really hard time and we cannot do anything to help her, I can put her in this room-- which has a lock on the door-- and know she is safe.  She almost always calms down when she gets to her room.  I don't know if she is wanting to be alone or just likes her special space-- but it almost always does the trick when she is very upset.   Because of the intercom system, I can hear her and talk to her and know that she is ok.  Unless you've had a nine-year-old who can scream at the top of her lungs and who you sometimes cannot reason with and who can break things and climb on things and wreak havoc and who cannot see and therefore can get hurt easily, you probably cannot appreciate how much this room has changed our lives.  Don't get me wrong-- Elli does not spend all of her time in her room.  We usually have her upstairs with us or in the room with the piano-- but when we need to, having a safe, happy place to put her and not have to worry about her hurting herself or others has been LIFE CHANGING.  We are so grateful.

I love this girl with my whole heart.  She is an angel in our family and I don't know what we would ever do without her.  I am so grateful for all of those who take care of her and are a part of her life.  Hang in there, Elli!  We love you!

 One time I told Elli to smile for a picture and realized that maybe she just didn't know what a smile was.  So I tried to turn her cheeks up with my fingers.  Now if I tell her to smile, she puts her fingers on her cheeks.  Ha!

Christianne

It Works

Jesi came into the kitchen before school yesterday.  I was making lunches and she wanted my attention.    "Mm-hmm."….."MM-HMM."…."MM-HMMM!!!"  Finally I turned and looked at her.  Prettty sure she was seeking my delight in some aspect of her appearance, I quickly evaluated her getup to figure out what it might be.  Aha!  "Jesi, your hair is SOOOOO beautiful!  I love the curls.  It looks fantastic."  Satisfied with my level of 'blown-away-ness' she cal my responded.  "I make it work, don't I."

Go, Jess.  You do, indeed, make it work!

Love you, darling,

Dad

Of course as soon as she heard the word "picture," Lexi wanted to be involved, too!

The Tie Guys

When I was in middle school I wore ties.  Not sure what sent me in that direction, but I became known for it.  My nickname was "The Tie Guy."  (A bit of foreshadowing perhaps?  I later served a mission in Thailand.  And just before I came home a bought 300 ties very cheaply and sold them on my return to the states.  The  Thai Guy…The Thai Tie Guy…you get the idea.)

Taylor and Parker are both on the varsity basketball team for Providence Hall Jr. High.  Taylor is a starter, and Parker is the only 7th grader on the team.  Way to go, guys!  Both of them are doing very well.  On game days the team wears dress shirts and ties to school.  Now I have two handsome "Tie Guys" of my own:)

-Jer

Mom of the Year

Yesterday we had quite the snowstorm here.  Several inches had accumulated on the ground and it was still snowing heavily at 5:00.  I had taken Elli into the bathroom in an attempt to avoid a messy diaper.  After a few minutes of her sitting on the toilet I heard Sophi's panicked, "Mommy?!! Mommy?!!"  This happens several times a day.  Anytime she doesn't know exactly where I am, even when I just walk into the next room, she gets upset.  We are working on it and she is getting so much better.  I could hear that she was across the house-- probably close to the stairs, and I didn't want to yell, so I just waited for her to get closer.  She called out louder, "MOMMY??!!!" this time with obvious tears.  I stood up to go get her, but she then got quiet.  I assumed Graci or Cali had stepped in to help her and I went back to coaxing Elli to use the potty.  About 10 minutes later and still in the bathroom, I heard the strange voice of a man calling out.  I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, but I finally left the bathroom to see what was going on.  There in our mudroom stood a man, bundled up in his coat, holding a very distraught and very snowy little Sophi in his arms.

"Um, I found your little girl outside in the snow.  She was running clear up the street without shoes on and was very upset."

This is the moment where I kind of went into shock.  WHAT???  I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Sophi would just leave our house, go out into the heavy snow without a coat, socks, or shoes, and run up the street looking for me!!  She had never left the house before-- even in good weather.  Of course, until we got this home she had never been able to open a door-- now she can use her chin to open the levers.   I profusely thanked this wonderful man while holding on to Sophi for dear life and kissing her icy cold cheeks all over.  I went through so many emotions in those few seconds-- I was terrified of what could have happened to her, so very grateful-- that heartfelt gratitude that makes you fall to your knees-- that she was ok, completely mortified that a neighbor found my daughter barefoot and screaming and running in the snow, horrified that it was getting dark outside, and honestly kind of in awe that she would brave the elements like that just to find me.  Needless to say, we had a big, long talk about never, ever, ever leaving the house without an adult or older sibling.  We talked about all of the things that could have happened to her (well, all of the things that she could handle talking about).  She learned about what frostbite does and how cars can't see you as well when it's snowing, among other things.  I tried to get into her cute little head and figure out what in the world she was thinking, but all she could come up with was, "I couldn't find you and I went to find you!"

I have thanked my Heavenly Father over and over and over again that she was only out there for such a short time and for that man who very potentially saved her life.  To be honest, I don't think I would have missed her for a very long time.  I likely would have assumed she was just downstairs watching TV with Graci.  To think of her out there in that weather while I was inside oblivious to it all was just a great big wake up call for me.  Again, I am just so grateful that she was being watched over.

I love my little Sophi with all of my heart.  I have kissed her a hundred times today-- so grateful that she is safe and that she is mine.  And I am so glad to know that there is someone up there who loves her so much more than I do and is watching over her always.

--Christianne

And now, don't you want to just see a whole bunch of pictures of our sweet little runaway?  Because I am kind of obsessed with taking pictures of her lately.  (:

'Cuz Have You Ever Seen Anything Cuter Than Sophi In Her New Christmas Dress?

Christmas and Cousins

I'm sitting here all warm and cozy in Jeremy's incredible new office, watching the beautiful snowfall outside.  As if this home couldn't get any more magical, it somehow has.  There is something about winter and a warm house that is just so peaceful.   Sitting in front of our amazing stone fireplace while watching the sun rise over snow-capped mountains fills me with such happiness.  The kind of happiness that makes you sigh with contentment.  And I wanted to take the time to say

THANK YOU.

This home is even more loved than the first day we moved in.  The miracle of it all has not lost its magic.  We are so thankful every single day.  Life is still hard so much of the time, but it's so much easier here!  (:  My grand plan is to put together a video that shows you all how much we are loving this home, but in the meantime-- know that we are feeling very, very grateful!

While pondering on the amazing blessings that this year has held for our family, we decided to do Christmas a little different this year.  A few weeks ago we gathered our children around  ago during family council and talked about the tremendous blessings we have received this year and the many people who sacrificed to serve our family.  We talked about the many children around the world who not only have less, but don't even have families.  Obviously, this is not a new concept to our kids.  And we talked about how Christmastime for us can be particularly crazy-busy.  Shopping for nine children is not an easy task, nor is it cheap.  Add in having them shop for each other, along with all of the other fun things that come with Christmas and it can seem daunting, to say the least.  Don't get me wrong-- I think presents are GOOD.  I love, love, love Christmas shopping and I love that presents are part of Christmas.  I think there are great lessons to be found in both giving and receiving and it's obviously such a magical part of Christmas, especially for children.  But this seemed like the perfect year to try something I've always wanted to do:  have just one Christmas without presents.

You could see the despair creep into their eyes as we got to this part.  Sophi burst into tears.  It's not easy to explain to a five-year-old all of the ways that she has been blessed this year when all she can think about is that she wants a new baby doll for Christmas!  (Don't worry--as soon as I reminded her that she does have two grandmas, all was well.  I am sure that she will not go without her new dolly.)

The more we talked about it, the more the kids were on board.  Santa will get a letter this year asking him to find another family who can use some extra gifts.  Skipping presents this year would free up a lot of time and a lot of money.  We talked about what to do with that time and money and came up with a game plan.  Every day in December we want to do something that brings us closer to Christ. Those things can basically be divided into two categories:  strengthening our family and strengthening others.   Obviously, these are both things that are part of Christmas every year-- but this year they will get even more focus.   The kids have had some wonderful ideas:

read a Christmas story every night before bed

go caroling at a nursing home

send care packages to loved ones

babysit while other parents go shopping for Christmas

have a p.j./game day

try new recipes

pay for people's groceries

serve at the homeless shelter

go ice skating

decorate a Christmas tree and deliver it to an older person who doesn't have one

watch Christmas movies

go sledding

contribute to other families adoption funds

go to Temple Square

We would love if you would add any ideas you might have in the comment section!!!  We are especially wanting some secret service ideas-- things we can do both individually and as a family.  We have already started and it has been wonderful.

Now… onto something else.  There are so many things I want to write about and I only have time for one.  Hmmmm.  How about a cousin shout-out!   We have been lucky enough to have all of the cousins from my side over recently-- all on different days.  So much fun!!  Our kids have the cutest cousins in the world.  No really, they do.  Want some proof?

From Becky's family (big sis)

 L to R back row:  Taylor, Alissa, Bethany, Parker

middle row:  Jessica, Mariah, Cali, Bryce, Lexi, Charity

front row:  Alaya, Sophi, Graci, Brigham

 The three amigos

The three amigos plus one

This wasn't  taken at our house, but I had to throw it in there.  This is Bethany-- she's a SENIOR-- what happened????!!!!!!!!  I feel old!!!!

Parker and Nyah

From Danny's family (big bro) 

 We babysat Nyah for a day and she LOVED Jesi.  In fact, Jes was pretty much her mommy the entire time-- it was so cute.

 Jeremy with Matthew (my little bro)

 Jessica with Emery (Matthew and Megan's little girl).  Yes, Jes has a knack for little girls.

 Lexi and Megan (Matthew's wife)

 Xander, Treyden, Colton, and Lincoln (little sister Leslie's boys)

 "the other Jeremy" throws Sophi in the air

(yes, my sister married a Jeremy, too!)

me and Les-- best of friends  (:

And, I thought I'd throw this one in there.  Sophi's trying to make the peace sign like Graci.  (;

Have a wonderful day!  Don't forget-- we'd love some creative suggestions!

--Christianne

Promises...

I was just sitting down to blog and Christi came in, turned off the light in my office and said, "It's time for bed."  "But I need to blog," I said.  She promised that if I would turn off the computer now, she would blog tomorrow.  And it would be a GOOD post!  I'm holding her to it:)

Jer

Terrific Teens

WE now have FOUR teenagers!  How lucky are we?  Parker turned 13 on November 15th.  It's funny, for years I was worried about teenagers.  About how difficult they would be.  And you know what?  I absolutely LOVE mine:)  Now Taylor, Grace, Parker and Cali, if you're reading this, I don't want you to get big heads.  You're not quite perfect!  Occasionally there is some eye-rolling, deep sighing and overall melancholy when chores are assigned or you're asked to do something you're not super-happy about.  But that just goes with the territory.  The great things you guys do for our family totally outweigh any challenges you add to my life and mom's!  Keep it up.  You guys are awesome!  And maybe best of all is how much fun you are.  The older you get, the more your likes and mine coincide.  The games you like to play, the shows you like to watch, your athletic abilities are all becoming more and more grown up.  You guys are tons of fun.  The other day we did a quick calculation and realized that for a couple of months after Xander turns 13, we will have NINE teenagers at one time.  Like I said, how lucky are we?

Here are a few pics of Parker's birthday.  The usual birthday breakfast in bed and a cheesecake for his birthday cake.

The feast:

Taylor can sleep through anything, even a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday:

Parker's version of "the smolder":

 Happy Birthday, Parker!  We love you SO much!

-Mom and Dad