Kaia's Baptism

I feel so bad that it has taken me this long to post this.  I suppose my life has been such a whirlwind that I haven't had a chance to put all that I felt into a post if I only do it in fragments.

Kaia's baptism (due to many scheduling conflicts - including mom being stranded in Vegas) was delayed a little bit, but we found it very worth it due to the loving support from all those who came.  She was baptized April 16th and it was a beautiful event.  She was baptized along with 2 other kids in her class, and 2 others in the stake.  Jarett was able to baptize and confirm her and both of them looked so happy through the whole thing.  The spirit was so strong and I had a strong reminder of how much this church means to me.

Kaia woke up in the morning and wrote on a piece of paper (adding more in the evening):
"I woke up this mornig Feeling very happy.  I wondered why.  Than I remembered that it was my Baptisam!  I am exited Because the Spirit told me that what I was doing was right.  I felt Warm on the inside.  When I went in the water I was shivering on the outside.  When I got the gift of the Holy Ghost I was warm on the inside and outside!  Afterwords I got 2 bucais (bouquets) for geting baptised.  I am glad for the choice I made.  I hope you get baptised too."
It was such a neat thing to see how excited she was and how she was glowing.

After, we had all our family and close friends who traveled from afar join us for a little buffet and ice cream sundaes.  We had over 40 people in our house.... but it was wonderful to have so many loved ones near by.  I'm so proud of my little Kaia.  She's growing up to be such a beautiful girl. 

Big shout out to the Anderson Family who drove to and from Edmonton in one day through a snowstorm to spend this special day with us!

Aunty Brookie came all the way from Rexburg

I thought that it would be appropriate to write my 8 favorite things about her (as she is eight now).  It might be hard to stick to the top 8 though, but I'll try.

1.  Kaia is ALWAYS trying to make others feel better if they are sad, hurt or lonely.  She is VERY full of compassion.  She is always very concerned for anyone who is in a bad situation - even if it's on the other side of the world.

2. Kaia has the cutest freckles, the biggest smile (even though she tries to hide it), the sparkliest eyes, the longest hair and the longest back of any 8 year old I've ever met.
3. Kaia has an incredible inquisitive mind.  She's always asking questions that really make me think hard to answer.  I think she's going to surpass my knowledge sooner than later.
4. Kaia has a strong will.  Sometimes this gets a little frustrating, but when she's standing up for what is right, I couldn't be more proud of her.
5. Kaia is a great example to her sisters.  She is always trying to do what is right and is frustrated when other people aren't.

With Lexi Cooper and Riley Aneca in her Primary Class

6. Kaia reads extremely well.  Not only pronouncing things well in French and English, but she reads with expression - and with passion.  She LOVES books.
7. Kaia has a strong testimony.  She was blessed with an incredible relationship with her Savior as a baby, and it is clear to me that she has it.

8. Kaia is always trying to serve.  She comes and just rubs your feet, brings her sisters water, finds a comfort blanket or toy when someone gets hurt, wanting to raise money for orphanages in Thailand.... you name it.  She is ALWAYS trying to find a way to help others.  She asks about how we can help others every day.  Something she has heard of has made her sad and she needs to change it.

I'm so proud of my sweet Kaia.  What a wonderful helper she is to me.  I tell her frequently that I couldn't live without her - and it's VERY true.  I was so honored to be part of her special day.  I love you Kaia!

We're Seeing Spots

Well, last night was frustrating.  The kids wouldn't go to bed.  They were being silly, Benson and Jaymeson took turns waking us up through the night and we both woke up tired.  I was looking forward to a day at home to just get ahead and maybe sneak in a nap.  I didn't even have to make dinner because we're going to a friends house tonight.  It was going to be nice and easy and low key... until I saw perfect circles of bluey-green on Saryn's leg.  Weird.  It seriously looked like she had taken a bingo dobber to herself - but as we have no bingo dobbers... this was just strange.

The classic questions immediately come into play.  Where did THAT come from?  Was there anything changed from normal?  Is it itchy?  Is it painful?  Has she been sick?  Does she have a fever?  Are the dots raised?  The answer?  No.  No to them all.  Not a clue where it came from.  I called my mom, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, my sister... no one had any clue.  Just one common consensus was that it was really weird.  Did some research online and couldn't find ANYTHING that looked even vaguely close.  Changed my status on facebook to see if anyone knew of such a thing... and headed off to the walk-in clinic.

We got there and the nurse was stumped... soon followed first doctor (ironically enough a girl I went to Elementary and High School with) had NEVER seen anything like that.  As she's only been practicing for a couple years, she asked for my patience while she went and did some research and asked another doctor for their opinion.  The second doctor came in - he had never seen anything like it either.  He asked if he could take pictures so further analyze.  First doctor called the Pediatric Dermatologist.  She had no clue what it would be, but had an opening at 1:30 if I'd like it.  GREAT!  We pack up, visit, Granni on the way - she thinks it's absolutely bizarre... so does her co-worker.  Then to visit Gran, Grampa and Daddy while getting a quick lunch on the way (they also agree that is was very strange, indeed).  Daddy tested to see if you could scratch it off or anything... but alas, it was stuck on and deeper down.

The dermatologist was very nice.  I got to haul all 3 kids up and down the stairs multiple times due to bathroom breaks etc.  Finally she came in - and decided that they're completely strange.  She described the whole thing as very "puzzling" (also put herself into my bad books by commenting on my 5 kids with one on the way).  She decided that she wouldn't do a biopsy, but wait to see if they get worse or if Saryn starts to get sick.  At this point the only kind of sickness Saryn was showing was a great sickness of being hauled from one doctor to another.  She recommended some blood work in case there was some kind of bleeding disorder.  Called back to the other doctor and discussed the oddness of the bluish-green dots.

We then leave and head down to Sundance to get the blood work done.  I go to my moms to call my family physician first to see if she had any insights as to our family history and this strange phenomena.  She'll be willing to see me on the 31st... ugh.  I also called my Uncle Vernon to see if he knew had an insights... but he wasn't home.  I decide (as all three of my kids now look like this)  to postpone the blood work and just do it tomorrow if they haven't cleared up

I then get a brainstorm of what it could be... but I decide to make it home to see if I might be right.  I pick up Kaia and Kienna from school and run my theory by them... they agree it's quite possible.  I get home and run upstairs (camera in hand) to confirm and sure enough.... there it is!

I bring it downstairs to see if this could POSSIBLY be as ridiculous at it was turning out... I measure it against Saryn's leg and it's a perfect fit.

Apparently Kaia and Kienna had been playing with money when they were supposed to be going to sleep last night and missed a penny while they were packing it all up... sigh.  Copper.... why didn't I think of that 12 hours ago before I wasted all that gas and time?  I guess it goes to show that money really does make the world go around (and it can drive you crazy).

PS - Way to go Lynsey, if I had just checked facebook before I went crazy I could've saved a lot of time.

Talents

Okay, so every once in a while I have a lesson in Relief Society or Sunday School that REALLY hits home.  Today we had a phenomenal lesson on Developing Talents.  There were about 3 things that really hit me as we went through the lesson that I thought I'd share.

#1.  People tend to hide their talents because they feel like their talent isn't "as good as" someone elses.  For example she said, "How many here can paint?"  "How many here can dance?"  "How many people here can sing?"  As expected, a couple raised their hands per question, but that's it.  Then she said, "If I asked this question in Primary, how many people would raise their hands?  ALL of them, right?  Because I didn't ask, are you the 'BEST at painting?' or 'Do you get paid to sing/dance?'  I just asked if you CAN do it."  I find that we "grown-ups" really tend to put ourselves down because we know that someone can do something better...

#2. As the lesson continued, she had all of us go around the room and say a talent that they had.  Simple enough, right?  We had hemming and hawing and "Well, I guess...." kind of imput.  Why are we SO embarrassed to admit that we're good at something?  Even something as simple as, "I have a contagious smile" seems to be painful to say.  My thought was how different this would be if we had our husbands there to tell everyone what talents we had.  Or if we went through and had to name something that our husband was good at.  Or even how different it would be for the men to do this about themselves than for us women.  I verified this at home when I asked the kids and Jarett what they're good at and they all answered without a second thought.  Kienna even answered, "Well, LOTS of things!"

#3. The challenge we were left is to be able to just say, "Thank You" when someone gave us a compliment.  No excuses, not "Well if you only knew...."'s.  No, "Oh please...." Nothing.  Just a "Thank You" and be able to believe that you really DO have that talent.

So, I wanted all of you to know that I think this is INCREDIBLY valuable.  If we sincerely accepted compliments, can you imagine how much better our self-esteem would match our self-worth?  If we realized how many things we have been blessed with and recognized them as talents...  If we thought of our talents how kids think of theirs - without inhibition and believing that we can do anything, how different would our lives be?

So... here's the challenge.  Leave a comment with at LEAST one talent you have (Most of you should be able to leave at least 5 off the top of your head) and I will name some that I think you have in return.  Deal?  Be sure to check back for my response!

I suppose I should name my top 5 that I came up with to make it fair... so what are MY talents?

Not dancing.... but -
I play the piano, I can learn quickly (if I want to), I can feel what others are feeling, I have a decent hand writing, and I can take good pictures.

A Somewhat Busy Day

Yesterday started out simple enough, but as the day progressed, it got crazier and crazier.  By the end of the day, it went something like this:

7:15-7:30 - Wake up and get out of bed (yes, it takes me that long.... Jarett appreciates your sympathy)
7:30-8:10 - Get lunches made, breakfast for the kiddilinks, hair done for older girls, and send Kaia and Kienna out the door with Jarett to catch the bus.
8:10-9:00 - Feed Saryn, Jaymeson and Benson.  Clean up breakfast/lunch prep mess.  Fold 3 loads of laundry and haul them upstairs to put them away.
9:00 - YIKES - check the calendar and remember that I don't have a babysitter for my doctors appointment or rehearsal
9:00-9:30 - Try to call Mom, Mary & Bruce to find a babysitter.  No luck.
9:30-9:45 - Shower!!  Benson had a bottle in his mouth the entire time and we had a show on downstairs, so I managed to get a whole 15 minutes to do so.
9:45 - 10:30 - Get dressed, do hair/make-up, call Gran for her birthday, call Hayley for a little bit, find out that Mom can watch the kids (thank heaven) round up the kids, make a bottle for the road.
10:30-10:45 - Get message from Kaia's violin teacher saying she'd like to have the lesson today instead of tomorrow if possible.  Gather violin/music, piano music, 3 kids, purse, keys, cell phone and jump in the car.
10:45-11:15 - Drop kids off at Moms house and bolt to the doctor.
11:15-12:30 - Doctors appointment.  Why does it have to take so long?
12:30-1 - Run to Moms to get a bite to eat then run to Rehearsal with Gloria (opera singer).
1:00-2:30 - Run through songs and enjoy some improvement.
2:30-3:00 - Listen to Gloria talk about and play me her CD (she has put out a fabulous kids album in Spanish of all her own original songs.  If anyone is interested, let me know!)
3:00-3:45 - Run to the school, pick up the girls, go back to my moms to pick up Kienna and violin and breathe for about 10 minutes.
3:45-5:00 - Violin lessons and commuting time.
5:00-5:30 - Find Mom (who had taken kids to the park), pack up the kids and head home to start making dinner and put the kids to bed.
5:30-6:00 - Drive home, put millions of shoes/backpacks away and start to think about dinner.
6:00-7:30 - Find out I was grossly wrong in thinking the business was over with a phone call from Jarett saying that we have a showing at 8, clean like a mad woman for an hour and a half while giving my children (literally) a crust of bread until we can get them more dinner (ignoring comments about how I should've just cleaned it up this morning before I left).  Leave with half an hour to spare as the people show up half an hour early (thank heaven we pulled it off).
7:30-8:30 - Go to Little Caesars, then to the Community Center to eat and vote.  Of course, we forgot our memberships at home, so we had to wait for the showing to be done, go home, get them, go back, vote and then return home.
8:30-9:00 - Put kids to bed (brushing 5 sets of teeth, getting Jammies on and saying prayers).
9:00-10:00 - Enjoy a clean house and celebrate by watching "My Rona Home" online and cheering Team Ausmus on... then heading to bed, feeding the baby and praying for a good nights sleep.

Can I just say, "I love you Mom - I couldn't have done today without you."  I think she just earned (yet again) the best Mom in the World award!

And just for fun:  Enjoy some pictures from the night before - we had a picnic on the hill behind our house (and therefore had to have bathtime after)!

 

Star Gazing Saryn

All wanted to join in

My big girl.... she's just getting way to pretty these days.

Yep - Saryn posed and asked me to take this one...

Bath Boys

Best Buds in Striped Pajamas - post bath

Today

When all else fails (with blogs or journals), start with today.  This advice has saved me many times from ignoring my journal and blog.  Unfortunately, both are being somewhat neglected these days... but, ahem!!

I am writing in my blog today about today, because today is today and I know what happened today... and we wouldn't want to be repetitive.

So, today is a glamorous day.  Laundry, dishes, bed making, bathroom cleaning.... the works!  I've even changed out of the clothes that I was wearing because they were spat up on and I REALLY didn't want to do more laundry later... SO.... I take a moments break (literally a moment) and sneak one spoonful of ice cream.  (What did women do before they had ice cream readily available??)

Of course, that's when it happened.  "MOM, come take a picture of us!!"
They had been playing very nicely all day and I always like taking pictures, right?  So, I grab the camera and walk around the couch to where they are sitting - IN the laundry basket that WAS full of neatly folded laundry.  Serves me right, I suppose.  I should've put the laundry away immediately instead of waiting for the next load and doing it all at once.  I also shouldn't have had my spoonful of ice cream.  Sigh.  It's a cute picture though, right?  Complete with all the (until recently) folded laundry!

I suppose, I COULD move on to last night, I still remember that one too (I know, you're super impressed).  'Twas a night like many others... except different, of course.  Nothing ever is exactly the same when you have 5 kids.  It was like many others because:  Jarett was working late and I had no dinner plans.  SO, this night I decided to spice things up.  We'd put on a movie that we got from the library (Alice in Wonderland), have popcorn for dinner along with lettuce, cucumber, carrots and dip.  They loved it!  We had a pajama dinner party and then off to bed.  Jaymeson is getting very sad being the only one in his room while all his guys are having a "party" in the other room.  So, last night, Benson was tired and I let Jay snuggle Bens (aka "Kicky"-he just doesn't stop kicking or "Bensubee" (what Jaymeson called SUV's)).  He was in heaven to have company.  I might just have to let Benson sleep in the boys room instead of ours soon.  Doesn't he look so happy?

and a special kiss for a special brother.  Jaymeson was also thrilled that they both had monkeys on their Jammers.  I mean, how cool is that?  I can't wait until these boys can play together!


Okay, I'll even venture out to Sunday.  Mothers Day.  I had SUCH a fabulous day.  It actually started the day before.  Jarett cleaned the house for me when he got home from work (as he had promised) so that I could REALLY enjoy a day with my kids.  I was able to practice piano while he cleaned after a day of painting and playing and dancing (yes, Alanna, I let my kids PAINT!!).  Then I woke up to breakfast in bed (usually not a surprise, but this time, I actually got to sleep in!) and some wonderful presents handmade by the kids.  Jarett (aka, I) went and got the purse I've been really wanting and so I get to have it guilt free!  Got chocolate at church and had the Visiting Teaching conference with treaters at the end!!  Then I had a fabulous dinner (courtesy of the men) with some of my favorite people.  My Mom, my Mother-in-law and my sister, Hayley (her first Mothers Day) and their husbands (along with Patrick and Macy who don't fit in either of those groups).  The husbands went all out and made steak, mushrooms, zucchini, baked potatoes, salad, apple crisp and punch.  It was so much fun to be treated like a queen and to be surrounded by such wonderful company!  Hayley took out my camera for the first time this month and we took some fun pictures.  Enjoy~

PS - I enjoyed this video and a few more of Hilary Weeks videos...