Monday, December 22, 2008
Music Time
Ian likes to play nursery. Now days it includes teaching a song. Here's an example. Click on title for alternate sizes and such. iPhone users can just tap on the blue lego.
For the sake of self-defense, the mess in this room is Deborah's fault; she was camped out there for a couple of weeks.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Christmas Tree Hunt
As usual, we went on our christmas tree hunt the day after Thanksgiving. I think this is the third year we've gone with the Moses family. Everyone had a blast (even Kyle).
This is Ian's description of the event. Unfortunately I started recording about half way through, but most of the content is there. He hasn't quite figured out yet how to tell a story in chronological order. Downloadable versions here. Enjoy.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A special thanks
I teach the 12-13 year old Sunday School class. I really enjoy it. I feel a special connection to my class, especially since there are a couple of individuals in my class who have lives that somewhat parallel my own life at that age. I love the manual as it focuses on teaching one gospel principles at a time. It makes me stop and think about how much each of these principles has impacted my own life.
Today's lesson is on giving of yourself and serving others. I found my mind and heart drifting back to my own 12 and 13 year old years and a sandy blonde haired 6th grader in young womens who changed my life.
I arrived in Abilene abruptly in the middle of 7th grade. I was torn and tattered beyond all belief. In the past year and a half I had been in 5 schools, lived in 9 different living arrangements (roach motels x2, cheap extended stay campsites x2, old broken down houses x2, old broken down apartments x1), in 3 different states. Every step of the way, I had lost more and more. My step mom allowed me to bring one small box (2'X 1.5' x 1.5') with me when we went to Wyoming. My scriptures took up about 1/4 of the box, which left little room for the limited number of warn clothes that I had in my possession. My father had abandoned us to the care of my step-mom, I think this was partially her way at getting back at us (mostly me) for it. Plus, space probably was limited. The rest of our home (everything that my mother had acquired for us) was left in storage which was lost due to non-payment. Due to the kindness of the folks in Laramie, Wyoming, I had acquired a whole stash of clothes and other needed items at Christmas. I will always love Laramie, they were amazingly accepting and kind. We were only there a semester, but they were amazing. Unfortunately, all of that fell off of the back of my father's truck on the way back down to Texas. I found myself in Corpus living in the lowliest spanish roach motel in existence (just inches off the street) for a couple of weeks including one- maybe 2- days of school. Then my father got mad, packed us and our limited possessions in the old, broken down ford escort wagon we had traveled from Wyoming in (which took less than 10 min) and headed towards Abilene. My father didn't have enough money for gas to get us to Abilene. On the way, he stopped and said, "You kids, stay in the car." He walked in and asked to speak to the manager. He told them, I've got two kids in the car. I have to get them up to their aunt's house in Abilene. I don't have any money for gas. I have some tools I can give you in exchange for gas (my father is an electrician- his tools were his livelihood). He came out, gathered his last hope of livelihood and exchanged it for our safety.
It was in this state that I arrived in Abilene. There really wasn't much left. I'm sure I looked tattered when I sat down in Young Womens that first day in the only dress clothes I had (a blue jean skirt and an old purple sweatshirt). But this sandy blonde angel, sat beside me, seemingly unaware- or maybe acutely aware- of my tattered state. "Hi, I'm Melissa Crockett." And with that, she accepted me, unreservedly as her friend. The thing I needed most in the world. My father disappeared a few weeks later, leaving me to the care (and later sodom-like environment of my aunt's house). But not before Melissa had scooped me up into her safe haven. It was fortunate I only lived about 3-4 blocks away. She and Mary (her mom) picked me up every Sunday for church and every Wednesday for Young Womens. My Freshman year, DT (her dad) picked me up every morning and took me to Seminary. As my Aunt's environment became more and more toxic and loathful, she made sure I spent more and more time with her. She was nothing less than a spiritual savior for me. The very act of getting to church and young womens served as a shield and a protection to me in the most tangible of ways. Although the toxins in my aunt's environment became more and more lethal and prevalent, many/ most of these toxins were never offered to me (although readily available for my taking) simply because I went to church every Sunday. She helped me to resist this incredibly dangerous environment and helped me to realize that I needed to get out and find a relatively safe harbour. Much like a scuba diver with his gear, without her I would have had no access to the gospel air I needed and would have inevitably drowned in the sludge I was increasing surrounded by. By this point, it was just me and my brother Chuck. My older two brothers were smart enough to jump off this roller coaster ride long before my Aunt's house. Unfortunately, chuck did get forced to swallow some of those toxins. I asked him once why he stopped coming to church. He said, "I didn't have any friends there." I Thank Heavenly Father for Melissa.
Today's lesson is on giving of yourself and serving others. I found my mind and heart drifting back to my own 12 and 13 year old years and a sandy blonde haired 6th grader in young womens who changed my life.
I arrived in Abilene abruptly in the middle of 7th grade. I was torn and tattered beyond all belief. In the past year and a half I had been in 5 schools, lived in 9 different living arrangements (roach motels x2, cheap extended stay campsites x2, old broken down houses x2, old broken down apartments x1), in 3 different states. Every step of the way, I had lost more and more. My step mom allowed me to bring one small box (2'X 1.5' x 1.5') with me when we went to Wyoming. My scriptures took up about 1/4 of the box, which left little room for the limited number of warn clothes that I had in my possession. My father had abandoned us to the care of my step-mom, I think this was partially her way at getting back at us (mostly me) for it. Plus, space probably was limited. The rest of our home (everything that my mother had acquired for us) was left in storage which was lost due to non-payment. Due to the kindness of the folks in Laramie, Wyoming, I had acquired a whole stash of clothes and other needed items at Christmas. I will always love Laramie, they were amazingly accepting and kind. We were only there a semester, but they were amazing. Unfortunately, all of that fell off of the back of my father's truck on the way back down to Texas. I found myself in Corpus living in the lowliest spanish roach motel in existence (just inches off the street) for a couple of weeks including one- maybe 2- days of school. Then my father got mad, packed us and our limited possessions in the old, broken down ford escort wagon we had traveled from Wyoming in (which took less than 10 min) and headed towards Abilene. My father didn't have enough money for gas to get us to Abilene. On the way, he stopped and said, "You kids, stay in the car." He walked in and asked to speak to the manager. He told them, I've got two kids in the car. I have to get them up to their aunt's house in Abilene. I don't have any money for gas. I have some tools I can give you in exchange for gas (my father is an electrician- his tools were his livelihood). He came out, gathered his last hope of livelihood and exchanged it for our safety.
It was in this state that I arrived in Abilene. There really wasn't much left. I'm sure I looked tattered when I sat down in Young Womens that first day in the only dress clothes I had (a blue jean skirt and an old purple sweatshirt). But this sandy blonde angel, sat beside me, seemingly unaware- or maybe acutely aware- of my tattered state. "Hi, I'm Melissa Crockett." And with that, she accepted me, unreservedly as her friend. The thing I needed most in the world. My father disappeared a few weeks later, leaving me to the care (and later sodom-like environment of my aunt's house). But not before Melissa had scooped me up into her safe haven. It was fortunate I only lived about 3-4 blocks away. She and Mary (her mom) picked me up every Sunday for church and every Wednesday for Young Womens. My Freshman year, DT (her dad) picked me up every morning and took me to Seminary. As my Aunt's environment became more and more toxic and loathful, she made sure I spent more and more time with her. She was nothing less than a spiritual savior for me. The very act of getting to church and young womens served as a shield and a protection to me in the most tangible of ways. Although the toxins in my aunt's environment became more and more lethal and prevalent, many/ most of these toxins were never offered to me (although readily available for my taking) simply because I went to church every Sunday. She helped me to resist this incredibly dangerous environment and helped me to realize that I needed to get out and find a relatively safe harbour. Much like a scuba diver with his gear, without her I would have had no access to the gospel air I needed and would have inevitably drowned in the sludge I was increasing surrounded by. By this point, it was just me and my brother Chuck. My older two brothers were smart enough to jump off this roller coaster ride long before my Aunt's house. Unfortunately, chuck did get forced to swallow some of those toxins. I asked him once why he stopped coming to church. He said, "I didn't have any friends there." I Thank Heavenly Father for Melissa.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Halloween Party
Last night was the annual Halloween party at the Moses house. Ian was more excited than ever to go trick or treating.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Ian's Birthday Week - Day 7
Here are pictures from the party. I'm sure we'll be posting more about it later.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Deborah & Ian Playing
Here's a quick video from this afternoon of Deborah and Ian playing. He likes to wrestle. This also marks my first attempt at using Google Video. It seems Blogger makes it super easy. One more reason to shun WordPress, the slackers.
Just Two
Well, our boy is in the negotiation phase. I'm actually fine with it, because he's actually pretty logical and responds well to reason. Often before bed, he'll tell us that he's not done with his cup (usually lemonade) and can't go to bed just yet. My usual response is "OK, take two more drinks and then hand it over." Generally, he'll counter with, "I'll take three drinks." I usually agree.
One of our favorite games is blowing raspberries (on the stomach). It's one of those "no means yes" situations. "Don't do it, Papa; I'm not a respberry." Of course, he likes giving them as much as getting them. The other day, I told him I was going to blow raspberries on him. His response was, "You can blow two raspberries!" He then lifted his own shirt and waited for his raspberries. After two, he lowered his shirt and said, "OK, that's it."
One of our favorite games is blowing raspberries (on the stomach). It's one of those "no means yes" situations. "Don't do it, Papa; I'm not a respberry." Of course, he likes giving them as much as getting them. The other day, I told him I was going to blow raspberries on him. His response was, "You can blow two raspberries!" He then lifted his own shirt and waited for his raspberries. After two, he lowered his shirt and said, "OK, that's it."
Monday, October 06, 2008
Ian's Birthday Week - Day 2
Today the Moses family took Ian to Ride Makerz for his birthday present. It's basically like a Build-a-Bear, but with cars. As expected, Ian had a great time.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Ian's Birthday Week - Day 1
In our house, we typically celebrate birthday weekends. This year, it hasn't been so easy. Both April & I have Tuesday birthdays this year. Any day fits into our weekend fine except Monday and Tuesday. As I recall, Monday got skipped this time around due to leap day.
Ian's birthday weekend this year has given us some other problems. His birthday being tomorrow, this weekend would've been ideal. We didn't, however, want his party to conflict with General Conference, so we decided to hold it next weekend instead. But, his actual birthday is tomorrow. We certainly were not going to neglect that.
Normally, we would give him his present on his birthday, but tomorrow his Auntie is taking him to build a car. We wanted him to have time to play with it before going to bed. So, we decided to start his birthday week today. The added bonus is that he's got something to keep him occupied during conference. For some reason Thomas was more interesting than the general authorities. Apparently, at times, he was for us too :).
Ian's birthday weekend this year has given us some other problems. His birthday being tomorrow, this weekend would've been ideal. We didn't, however, want his party to conflict with General Conference, so we decided to hold it next weekend instead. But, his actual birthday is tomorrow. We certainly were not going to neglect that.
Normally, we would give him his present on his birthday, but tomorrow his Auntie is taking him to build a car. We wanted him to have time to play with it before going to bed. So, we decided to start his birthday week today. The added bonus is that he's got something to keep him occupied during conference. For some reason Thomas was more interesting than the general authorities. Apparently, at times, he was for us too :).
Social Language Development
I truly believe the best thing I can do for my little boy is to just enjoy him. I think as parents it's all too easy to endure the experiences or just get busy doing all of the things we are "supposed to do" (dishes, laundry, etc) and forget to just stop and enjoy. I think one of the greatest challenges in being a parent is not to be a parent, but to be a parent AND try to keep a functional household.
My mother must have told me a hundred times, "You are my pride and joy!" She believed I was smart and kind and fun and good. I spent my whole life trying to prove her right. I think children become who you think they are. So I spend lots of time letting my child know that I think he is delightful, good, smart, and kind. It's fun to listen to him announce a myriad of complements about himself. In the years to come he will have plenty of opportunities to have his self esteem bashed, now is the time to place him on a sure foundation.
It's funny to watch how that affects how he interacts with others. He tells Dave "You're a super Papa." "You're amazing."
I am a Speech-Language Pathologist, so it is natural for me to teach him language. I find myself modeling for him constantly the kindest way to say just about anything. He'll say, "Give me that." and I'll model, "Can I have that please?" It's amazing how powerful language is. He's young, so in accordance with his age, sometimes he will take a toy from another child. I find myself modeling, "Here you go, you can play with it." or "I am going to play with it for another minute, then you can play with it."
Sometimes I'll ask him to do something and he will say, "No." I'll say, "You need to say Yes Maam." (I know it's Texan, but it works for us.) Then I gently direct him towards what he needs to be doing. It's amazing because he won't say "yes maam" or "yes sir" until he is willing to follow through, but once he says it, he does it. It's amazing to watch him develop his commitment and follow through skills.
He recently learned the word Stupid from a slightly older peer. Every once in a while he will say, "Papa, you're stupid." It's amazing what a simple model does to turn it around. Ian, you need to say, "Papa, you are so smart. I am glad to have such a smart papa." Apparently, this is a topic he deals with regularly with this peer, the other day I heard him say as if he were talking to a peer, "I'm not stupid, I'm a very smart boy."
My mother must have told me a hundred times, "You are my pride and joy!" She believed I was smart and kind and fun and good. I spent my whole life trying to prove her right. I think children become who you think they are. So I spend lots of time letting my child know that I think he is delightful, good, smart, and kind. It's fun to listen to him announce a myriad of complements about himself. In the years to come he will have plenty of opportunities to have his self esteem bashed, now is the time to place him on a sure foundation.
It's funny to watch how that affects how he interacts with others. He tells Dave "You're a super Papa." "You're amazing."
I am a Speech-Language Pathologist, so it is natural for me to teach him language. I find myself modeling for him constantly the kindest way to say just about anything. He'll say, "Give me that." and I'll model, "Can I have that please?" It's amazing how powerful language is. He's young, so in accordance with his age, sometimes he will take a toy from another child. I find myself modeling, "Here you go, you can play with it." or "I am going to play with it for another minute, then you can play with it."
Sometimes I'll ask him to do something and he will say, "No." I'll say, "You need to say Yes Maam." (I know it's Texan, but it works for us.) Then I gently direct him towards what he needs to be doing. It's amazing because he won't say "yes maam" or "yes sir" until he is willing to follow through, but once he says it, he does it. It's amazing to watch him develop his commitment and follow through skills.
He recently learned the word Stupid from a slightly older peer. Every once in a while he will say, "Papa, you're stupid." It's amazing what a simple model does to turn it around. Ian, you need to say, "Papa, you are so smart. I am glad to have such a smart papa." Apparently, this is a topic he deals with regularly with this peer, the other day I heard him say as if he were talking to a peer, "I'm not stupid, I'm a very smart boy."
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Gratitude of a little boy
You know. Life with a 2.75 year old sure is a lot of fun!!! Challenging, because I truly can't get anything done, but fun. That little boy absolutely loves his little life. It's fun to watch him. The whole world is his to explore and he wants to explore it all right this minute. (Which for the record, produces quite a mess.) I think my favorite thing about him is his immense gratitude. He must say Thank you 40-50 times a day. It is seriously the best word I ever taught that kid. To be honest, I think it keeps me sane. He has acquired my childhood energy levels- so he wants to do everything. But he adores his mom so he wants me at his side for Every minute of Every adventure. He must make at least 200 or so requests a day. I think I would truly go insane with all of the demands if it weren't for this most sincere, joyous gratitude he exudes. He even defines what he is thankful for..... "Thank you for my momma-made (lemonade)." "Thank you for getting my raisin apples." Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, thank you little boy!!!! You couldn't possibly be more perfect.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ike Cleanup
Most of these were at our house (and our neighbor's). The Moses family was so sweet and came to help us cleanup.
We are so grateful. We really received very little damage at all (especially when you consider Galveston, just 30 miles a way.) We had just a little water in our front window (about 8 feet of carpet got wet), two fences down, and a LOT of tree debris in our back yard. I went out and started working on it the day after we got back. I worked for about 3 hours and barely made a dent. I was starting to get discouraged... it was going to take me WEEKS/ months to clean it all up. Especially with Ian tagging along, I was never going to get it done. BLess his heart, he was SO cute out there dragging branches out to the curb. I'm sure I have pictures of that too. It really lightened my load to have him so joyfully helping. Then my best friend, Janine and her husband Kyle and the kids came over. Within 2-3 hours it was all gone!!! I was SO very relieved! I am so grateful for their help!!!! I can't tell you what the help meant to me as the task was truly insurmountable without it.
We are so grateful. We really received very little damage at all (especially when you consider Galveston, just 30 miles a way.) We had just a little water in our front window (about 8 feet of carpet got wet), two fences down, and a LOT of tree debris in our back yard. I went out and started working on it the day after we got back. I worked for about 3 hours and barely made a dent. I was starting to get discouraged... it was going to take me WEEKS/ months to clean it all up. Especially with Ian tagging along, I was never going to get it done. BLess his heart, he was SO cute out there dragging branches out to the curb. I'm sure I have pictures of that too. It really lightened my load to have him so joyfully helping. Then my best friend, Janine and her husband Kyle and the kids came over. Within 2-3 hours it was all gone!!! I was SO very relieved! I am so grateful for their help!!!! I can't tell you what the help meant to me as the task was truly insurmountable without it.
Ike's Mess
I just wanted to get some pictures up so everyone could see what our house and area looked like after Ike.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ike evacuation
Well, The Wednesday morning before Ike hit, Ike was a level 3 hurricane, but it was headed to Corpus Christi. Corpus is 5 hours from here so there was no need to evacuate. I went to work that day and then by that evening, it was predicted to be a level 4 and headed just south of Galveston.
Alot of our friends sat around contemplating whether to evacuate or not. Our family plan that states that if there is a hurricane that is a level 3 or higher and headed towards Houston/ Galveston, we evacuate. It made our decision easy. We packed that night planning to leave the next morning if predictions didn't change. I called my mom and a few close connections letting them know of our plans. We left the next morning.
We were planning on staying with a close friend in Austin. My mom called my Aunt DiDi and she offered us to stay with her. I can't tell you how grateful we were for her generosity. Her home was comfortable. But more than that she and Aunt Sherry were just genuinely warm to our little boy!!! He can be a little loud, but they just didn't notice. They were nothing but complementary about him and I am grateful. He's right at that age, where it's easy to criticize him for being developmentally exactly what he should be- an active and talkative little boy. We interacted with a couple of people that long evacuation weekend who had never had children and who weren't so accepting. It was challenging for me to not feel frustrated with them for their ridiculous philosophies about children---"Sit down, shut up (don't make noise), don't get dirty, don't touch any thing, and don't ask me play with you." It meant the world to me that they found him to be exactly what he is.... a delightful, happy, active little boy. They really made their home a comfortable and safe place for us and our little one.
In fact, I was REALLY impressed with Ian. He tolerated the whole experience very well. He was really quite a trooper and seemed to enjoy the different people and places he got to be and see in this new world. He had a lot of fun. He clearly had grown from his infant years of absolutely ZERO patience. All he wanted was "food" and "go" and stopping at a stoplight did NOT constitute going. He would scream the entire time until the car started going again. Breast feeding was tough for all of the screaming.. he would back off to take a breath and then scream because the food went away. I enjoyed him then, but am certainly grateful for the increased flexibility and patience. He has developed into quite an adaptable and enjoyable little boy!
Alot of our friends sat around contemplating whether to evacuate or not. Our family plan that states that if there is a hurricane that is a level 3 or higher and headed towards Houston/ Galveston, we evacuate. It made our decision easy. We packed that night planning to leave the next morning if predictions didn't change. I called my mom and a few close connections letting them know of our plans. We left the next morning.
We were planning on staying with a close friend in Austin. My mom called my Aunt DiDi and she offered us to stay with her. I can't tell you how grateful we were for her generosity. Her home was comfortable. But more than that she and Aunt Sherry were just genuinely warm to our little boy!!! He can be a little loud, but they just didn't notice. They were nothing but complementary about him and I am grateful. He's right at that age, where it's easy to criticize him for being developmentally exactly what he should be- an active and talkative little boy. We interacted with a couple of people that long evacuation weekend who had never had children and who weren't so accepting. It was challenging for me to not feel frustrated with them for their ridiculous philosophies about children---"Sit down, shut up (don't make noise), don't get dirty, don't touch any thing, and don't ask me play with you." It meant the world to me that they found him to be exactly what he is.... a delightful, happy, active little boy. They really made their home a comfortable and safe place for us and our little one.
In fact, I was REALLY impressed with Ian. He tolerated the whole experience very well. He was really quite a trooper and seemed to enjoy the different people and places he got to be and see in this new world. He had a lot of fun. He clearly had grown from his infant years of absolutely ZERO patience. All he wanted was "food" and "go" and stopping at a stoplight did NOT constitute going. He would scream the entire time until the car started going again. Breast feeding was tough for all of the screaming.. he would back off to take a breath and then scream because the food went away. I enjoyed him then, but am certainly grateful for the increased flexibility and patience. He has developed into quite an adaptable and enjoyable little boy!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Hurricane IKE
Well. It was looking like Ike was headed to Corpus Christi as a level 3, then suddenly this afternoon the models shifted to a category 4 headed north of Corpus, now it's a 3 headed towards us. Our Family's plan is to leave if it is a level 3 or higher and leave before the evacuations become mandatory. Ideally we should leave tonight, but we didn't arrive home to look at the changes until 8:30 tonight (too late to evacuate my little Ian). So tomorrow morning, probably 6am we will check the models again. If it still looks like a 3 or higher headed towards us, then we will leave ASAP. Hopefully that will get us out before the crowds somewhat. We shall see. If not, we will probably utilize our alternate route. None the less, we are packing just in case and it looks like we will likely be leaving in the morning.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Dave's birthday and his dreams
Dave just turned 29 today. Last weekend was Dave's birthday weekend. We don't have birthdays in our house, but birthday weekends. (As a direct result of poor birthdays as kids, I'm sure :) Anyway, we had a blast. We had left over Schlitterbaun tickets. Dave LOVES Schlitterbaun. We had an enjoyable and relaxing day. Nothing exciting, just a lot of fun!
So Dave has this dream of owning a company that flies helicopters when he "grows up", 20 or so years from now. He likes helicopters. He knows that most programmers get burnt out by about age 45-50, so why not go ahead and plan a second adventure. I think dreams are important and am completely supportive. So last year I got him Microsoft FlightNavigator for his birthday. He has really enjoyed it. This year I decided it was time for the real thing. I got him a helicopter flight for his birthday.
Ironically, on the way to Schlitterbaun, Dave brought up his helicopter dream again. I just smiled. (He had no idea what was ahead of him.) After Schitterbaun, I asked him if he knew. He still had no idea. He was thrilled when I told him. I don't know that I could have picked anything in the world that he would have been more excited about. It was awesome!
So Dave has this dream of owning a company that flies helicopters when he "grows up", 20 or so years from now. He likes helicopters. He knows that most programmers get burnt out by about age 45-50, so why not go ahead and plan a second adventure. I think dreams are important and am completely supportive. So last year I got him Microsoft FlightNavigator for his birthday. He has really enjoyed it. This year I decided it was time for the real thing. I got him a helicopter flight for his birthday.
Ironically, on the way to Schlitterbaun, Dave brought up his helicopter dream again. I just smiled. (He had no idea what was ahead of him.) After Schitterbaun, I asked him if he knew. He still had no idea. He was thrilled when I told him. I don't know that I could have picked anything in the world that he would have been more excited about. It was awesome!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
School starting
I was in primary for over 6.5 years. Literally, from the first Sunday after I got married until about 4 months ago when I finally got desperate lonely enough that I broke down sobbing in sacrament meeting and they decided to let me out of solitary confinement. I had made one friend in the last 6.5 years, fortunately a good one.
So School has started here and I am thrilled! What this means is all of those moms who I would love to get to know now only have 1-2 kids at home as opposed to 4-7. With a little effort on my behalf, I'm already starting to make friends again and starting to feel like myself again. I miss my personality. I had one once. :)
So School has started here and I am thrilled! What this means is all of those moms who I would love to get to know now only have 1-2 kids at home as opposed to 4-7. With a little effort on my behalf, I'm already starting to make friends again and starting to feel like myself again. I miss my personality. I had one once. :)
Potty training 2
So, I week or so ago, Ian had an accident so he watched me unload all of the contents into the toilet, flush it, and then attempt to rinse the remaining contents in the toilet. I should have known he found it a little too interesting.
So yesterday, I was taking a nap and I hear Dave say, "That it a bad idea." Apparently, Ian had thrown a pair of underware in the toilet. 20 min later, the house gets quiet..... I walk in the bathroom and there are 7 pair of previously clean underwear in the toilet. There wasn't a single stich of water left. The underwear had soaked it all up! We just shook our heads and laughed in total dismay.
So yesterday, I was taking a nap and I hear Dave say, "That it a bad idea." Apparently, Ian had thrown a pair of underware in the toilet. 20 min later, the house gets quiet..... I walk in the bathroom and there are 7 pair of previously clean underwear in the toilet. There wasn't a single stich of water left. The underwear had soaked it all up! We just shook our heads and laughed in total dismay.
Potty Training
Well. We've survived the first couple of weeks of potty training. Wow!!!!! There were a couple of days there when I thought I might croak over. So it took him 2 weeks to progress to 45 min. We were on 15 and then 30 min intervals for quite a while.
So week 2 of potty training, Dave went out of town in Atlanta, setting them up on his software. Ian has always been energetic. He got it from me. But recently, there has been quite a surge in those levels. WoooHooooooo! So on Thursday of week 2, Ian and his new found energy levels practically destroyed the entire house. I don't believe there was a toy in the house anywhere that he didn't play with in between his 30 min potty breaks. But he was doing great on his potty training. So Friday, I decided that I HAD to get him out of the house. So I took him to the children's museum. He had 3 accidents in the first 20 min. I thought I would die.... It was a loose,loose situation. Stay at home and watch your house fall apart or go and destroy all luck of ever potty training your kid. :) He's doing great now, but wow I was a little overwhelmed.
So week 2 of potty training, Dave went out of town in Atlanta, setting them up on his software. Ian has always been energetic. He got it from me. But recently, there has been quite a surge in those levels. WoooHooooooo! So on Thursday of week 2, Ian and his new found energy levels practically destroyed the entire house. I don't believe there was a toy in the house anywhere that he didn't play with in between his 30 min potty breaks. But he was doing great on his potty training. So Friday, I decided that I HAD to get him out of the house. So I took him to the children's museum. He had 3 accidents in the first 20 min. I thought I would die.... It was a loose,loose situation. Stay at home and watch your house fall apart or go and destroy all luck of ever potty training your kid. :) He's doing great now, but wow I was a little overwhelmed.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Floppy Buns
I had to share this one. In the summer, Ian generally just wears a onesie to bed. The other day, April got him up and changed his diaper, but didn't button up his onesie. So, he says, "Mama, my buns are floppy."
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Girl's camp
I just got back from Girl's Camp on Saturday. What a neat experience!!! I went a few years ago, but at that point in my life, I was still trembling from grad school and my first year working for the school district- so I don't remember much.
I love Girl's camp!!! We went to a camp in Louisiana called Camp Edgewood. It is one of the most well kept Boy Scout Camps I have ever seen. We had 16 girls, three leaders, and a lot of fun. The July heat can be fierce, but the camp had nice tree coverage for much of the camp which helped significantly.
It's amazing how much the girl's tell you about themselves, their lives, and their challenges when you are out having fun and just hanging out with them. These are amazing girls. Many of them are having experiences not too unlike my own growing up. At first glance, people think,what trials could people be experiencing here in Yuppyville? But it's just not true. 2/3rds of these beautiful and valiant young women were experiencing something similar to some portion of my experiences growing up. From detrimentally poor examples of family members, to watching and worrying about a sick parent, being alone either emotionally and/or spiritually, or facing fear and abandonment when things are bad enough that you need to find another place for yourself. Amazingly enough, these young women were still here! They were still holding on and struggling with all their energy to figure it all out. I felt myself doing my best to cheer them on, "You're doing great. Keep it up. I know it's easier to give up, but that way is the path to a miserable existence. Keep it up. You are doing the right thing. Don't give up. And whatever you do, Please, don't seek after bad choices-- desperate misery is ahead on that path. Ask the Lord to help you. He will help you every day. Read your scriptures. Pray. And Pray some more. You can't make it without his help." I know I couldn't make it without his help.
I found myself spiritually fed just being in their presence. Watching and learning. They put on quite an amazing presentation! I found myself in tears for almost half of the hour long presentation. I am grateful for their contribution to my spiritual development. I hope that I will have the opportunity again to be with them.
I love Girl's camp!!! We went to a camp in Louisiana called Camp Edgewood. It is one of the most well kept Boy Scout Camps I have ever seen. We had 16 girls, three leaders, and a lot of fun. The July heat can be fierce, but the camp had nice tree coverage for much of the camp which helped significantly.
It's amazing how much the girl's tell you about themselves, their lives, and their challenges when you are out having fun and just hanging out with them. These are amazing girls. Many of them are having experiences not too unlike my own growing up. At first glance, people think,what trials could people be experiencing here in Yuppyville? But it's just not true. 2/3rds of these beautiful and valiant young women were experiencing something similar to some portion of my experiences growing up. From detrimentally poor examples of family members, to watching and worrying about a sick parent, being alone either emotionally and/or spiritually, or facing fear and abandonment when things are bad enough that you need to find another place for yourself. Amazingly enough, these young women were still here! They were still holding on and struggling with all their energy to figure it all out. I felt myself doing my best to cheer them on, "You're doing great. Keep it up. I know it's easier to give up, but that way is the path to a miserable existence. Keep it up. You are doing the right thing. Don't give up. And whatever you do, Please, don't seek after bad choices-- desperate misery is ahead on that path. Ask the Lord to help you. He will help you every day. Read your scriptures. Pray. And Pray some more. You can't make it without his help." I know I couldn't make it without his help.
I found myself spiritually fed just being in their presence. Watching and learning. They put on quite an amazing presentation! I found myself in tears for almost half of the hour long presentation. I am grateful for their contribution to my spiritual development. I hope that I will have the opportunity again to be with them.
My grandma
So a few posts ago- I mentioned my grandma's wedding. What I failed to mention was that I have seen her since then. In June, she happened to be in Bolivar (across the ferry from Galveston.. a total of about 2 hours away). My father, Dave, Ian, and I went out to see her for a few hours. (Bless Dave's heart- he was really busy that day, but I made him come anyway for protection.) She and my Uncle Ricky, his wife, and their grandkids were there. They had rented a cute little beach house on Bolivar. It was quite quaint. They were all very warm. (A marked difference from my last experience.) It was really a very positive experience. I even learned a thing or two about my mother. It was nice to see my grandmother so healthy. She's really doing well. She mentioned that she might throw a family reunion sometime. I told her to schedule it on a Friday and Saturday and we would do our best to be there. She lives in Arkansas.
When It all added up. I'm really glad I made the choice that I did (to not go to the wedding). Doing that would not have been commensurate with the relationship we had. But going two hours to see her- that was. And I'm glad we went. It was nice. We took some photos. I'm sure Dave will help me to attach them later.
When It all added up. I'm really glad I made the choice that I did (to not go to the wedding). Doing that would not have been commensurate with the relationship we had. But going two hours to see her- that was. And I'm glad we went. It was nice. We took some photos. I'm sure Dave will help me to attach them later.
Monday, July 21, 2008
My Buddy
Melissa Mathews gave this doll to Ian for Christmas. He has recently rediscovered it. It reminds me of the old My Buddy commercials. He carries the thing around and takes care of it. Yesterday he told me that the baby needed to go to bed. We came up to his room later and found that he had indeed put the baby to bed and tucked him in. He even insists that we buckle him in when we get in the car.
Kemah Boardwalk
Last week we went to the Kemah Boardwalk. It's got all kinds of rides that were perfect for Ian. He had a great time. Of course, he rode the train three times.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
It's been a while
It's been a while since I've written. Sorry about that. Ian's been keeping me quite busy. And I think I was going through a struggle or two for a while. You know, I try not to look back on my experiences growing up. It can be quite traumatizing to look back. I try to look back only enough to make me realize how much the Lord has done for me, but not enough to throw myself into crisis.
Fortunately/ unfortunately I've had a few experiences over the past little while that have forced me to look back and try to make sense of it all. In November and December, my blood sugar hit the dust again. My hypoglycemia is something I have struggled with since I was 19. (arguably since 13). I spend most of my life with my blood sugar in the 50-70 range. It creates for me very real and distinct physical limits. I've pretty much just learned to live with them and enjoy life anyway. It's tough for me when I hit the dust again however.
Our whole family got the flu the day after Christmas and it took all of us a couple of months to pull out of it (me -even longer).
Why is this a big deal? Well, to be honest. I'm 31. I have a disorder of the pancreas. My mother was 32 when she died. Her pancreas exploded. (She also had a significant prescription drug problem which factored in significantly.) Cognitively, I know that it's all ok. (I'm not going to die or anything.) But it does cause me to stop and ponder and occasionally worry just a little bit.
So- I pulled out of that in Feb sometime. Then at the end of February, I get a call from my Father. About the time I found out I had been dropped by my health insurance because of my hypoglycemia. Apparently my grandmother (my mother's mom) was getting married (for the 6th time) in the temple (for the first time). Since I am the only grandchild who is temple worthy. She wanted me to come he said.
Well. In order to understand my response, you will need to get some background info...
When my mother was alive, I had an entire network of people who cared about me. My mom had 5 siblings. I had 13 cousins, all who lived within 30 miles and got together quite a lot. My mom had 2 best friends and we spent a lot of time with them as well. All of my grandparents were an active part of my life. My mom was active in the PTA and I always got great parts because of her support. We had a lot of connections--- at school, at church, family connections. We spent every holiday at my grandma's house- all of us cousins. I loved it. We were your typical middle class family. (plus a drug addicted, but otherwise amazing mother).
Well, my mom died and within 2 years- everyone disappeared. My aunts, uncle, cousins, grandparents on both sides, my mom's best friends and everyone at church (we were largely shunned). We were no longer invited to Christmas at my grandmothers. My father had offended them all. At the time it didn't bother me. I was a pretty independent soul. That was 3rd to 5th grade.
But life moves on. When I was 18 (give or take), I drove down there from Abilene with my brother Chuckie. We were visiting my father and my aunts (who we hadn't seen in close to 10 years). We decided to go see my grandma. Well, when we got there they barely let us in the door. My Uncle Ricky yelled at us for 4-5 minutes before they let us in.
That's right, I hadn't seen her for almost 10 years and she barely let us in the door. And that was the ONLY interaction I had had with my grandmother since I was 10. So when my Father called and she wanted me to come to her wedding in Arkansas (which would have cost me up to $1000 for flights and hotel), my immediate reaction was some combination of feeling hurt (because they were so Rude), feeling betrayed (dumped, abandoned), feeling pissed that she would expect so much from me when she treated me so badly, and overall used that she only wanted me there because she just wanted to have a family member at her wedding and I was the only one. I immediately said "no". But it was pretty important to my father, which caused me to feel quite conflicted about the thing. She was a member of the church and should have someone at her wedding. And I was her granddaughter (supposedly).
It caused me to take a good hard look at why all of these people disappeared and what I could do to ensure that my son would NEVER be left alone like we were. WE were in serious poverty, basically inches from the streets for years before my father dumped us at my Aunt's house. Where my cousin smoked crack in my front yard. I had a friend who took me to church and mutual every week (Thank you Melissa Crockett). Simply going to church kept me protected from a lot of what was going on around there- kept me from being taken advantage of--- too badly at least. My brother wasn't so lucky.
The combination of these things and the pressure to have another kid. Ian's 2.5 now, so every other day someone asks me when we will have another. I think it's rude!!!!!!!!
Anyway- I think I've recently made peace with all of this. At least for now. But If I've been quiet, that might have something to do with it. Dave and I have been working hard to get our life in order. We're doing great! We've come a long way. In June, we conquered the last bit of our credit card debt- which was HUGE a year ago. (Roughly a mortage payment worth each month.) Now we are saving and using that mortgage payment worth to pay off our cars, student loans, and house. We'll get there. We're doing great! Life feels a lot more secure now.
Fortunately/ unfortunately I've had a few experiences over the past little while that have forced me to look back and try to make sense of it all. In November and December, my blood sugar hit the dust again. My hypoglycemia is something I have struggled with since I was 19. (arguably since 13). I spend most of my life with my blood sugar in the 50-70 range. It creates for me very real and distinct physical limits. I've pretty much just learned to live with them and enjoy life anyway. It's tough for me when I hit the dust again however.
Our whole family got the flu the day after Christmas and it took all of us a couple of months to pull out of it (me -even longer).
Why is this a big deal? Well, to be honest. I'm 31. I have a disorder of the pancreas. My mother was 32 when she died. Her pancreas exploded. (She also had a significant prescription drug problem which factored in significantly.) Cognitively, I know that it's all ok. (I'm not going to die or anything.) But it does cause me to stop and ponder and occasionally worry just a little bit.
So- I pulled out of that in Feb sometime. Then at the end of February, I get a call from my Father. About the time I found out I had been dropped by my health insurance because of my hypoglycemia. Apparently my grandmother (my mother's mom) was getting married (for the 6th time) in the temple (for the first time). Since I am the only grandchild who is temple worthy. She wanted me to come he said.
Well. In order to understand my response, you will need to get some background info...
When my mother was alive, I had an entire network of people who cared about me. My mom had 5 siblings. I had 13 cousins, all who lived within 30 miles and got together quite a lot. My mom had 2 best friends and we spent a lot of time with them as well. All of my grandparents were an active part of my life. My mom was active in the PTA and I always got great parts because of her support. We had a lot of connections--- at school, at church, family connections. We spent every holiday at my grandma's house- all of us cousins. I loved it. We were your typical middle class family. (plus a drug addicted, but otherwise amazing mother).
Well, my mom died and within 2 years- everyone disappeared. My aunts, uncle, cousins, grandparents on both sides, my mom's best friends and everyone at church (we were largely shunned). We were no longer invited to Christmas at my grandmothers. My father had offended them all. At the time it didn't bother me. I was a pretty independent soul. That was 3rd to 5th grade.
But life moves on. When I was 18 (give or take), I drove down there from Abilene with my brother Chuckie. We were visiting my father and my aunts (who we hadn't seen in close to 10 years). We decided to go see my grandma. Well, when we got there they barely let us in the door. My Uncle Ricky yelled at us for 4-5 minutes before they let us in.
That's right, I hadn't seen her for almost 10 years and she barely let us in the door. And that was the ONLY interaction I had had with my grandmother since I was 10. So when my Father called and she wanted me to come to her wedding in Arkansas (which would have cost me up to $1000 for flights and hotel), my immediate reaction was some combination of feeling hurt (because they were so Rude), feeling betrayed (dumped, abandoned), feeling pissed that she would expect so much from me when she treated me so badly, and overall used that she only wanted me there because she just wanted to have a family member at her wedding and I was the only one. I immediately said "no". But it was pretty important to my father, which caused me to feel quite conflicted about the thing. She was a member of the church and should have someone at her wedding. And I was her granddaughter (supposedly).
It caused me to take a good hard look at why all of these people disappeared and what I could do to ensure that my son would NEVER be left alone like we were. WE were in serious poverty, basically inches from the streets for years before my father dumped us at my Aunt's house. Where my cousin smoked crack in my front yard. I had a friend who took me to church and mutual every week (Thank you Melissa Crockett). Simply going to church kept me protected from a lot of what was going on around there- kept me from being taken advantage of--- too badly at least. My brother wasn't so lucky.
The combination of these things and the pressure to have another kid. Ian's 2.5 now, so every other day someone asks me when we will have another. I think it's rude!!!!!!!!
Anyway- I think I've recently made peace with all of this. At least for now. But If I've been quiet, that might have something to do with it. Dave and I have been working hard to get our life in order. We're doing great! We've come a long way. In June, we conquered the last bit of our credit card debt- which was HUGE a year ago. (Roughly a mortage payment worth each month.) Now we are saving and using that mortgage payment worth to pay off our cars, student loans, and house. We'll get there. We're doing great! Life feels a lot more secure now.
Co-writing
Sorry it's been so long.
I guess I've gone through a quiet phase here. Largely due to the fact that--- well, I have a very active 2.5 year old who insists that I keep up with him. :) He's amazing. We really enjoy him. We've been co-writing alot lately.... I do the drawing and the physical writing of the words, and he tells me what to draw and write. It frees him of all of the physical and linguistic difficulties of writing so he can just create. He loves it. It's been amazing what this kid has created. This kid has some great stories to tell! Of course most of them are about Thomas and his friends. "Thomas is pulling Annie and Clarabell all over the Island of Sodor". "Thomas has a funnel and a big separate coal tender at the back." Not too shabby for a 2.5 year old. I'll try to get Dave to help me attach some of his pictures.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Sea World
It occurs to me that we haven't posted in a long time :). We went to Sea World (San Antonio) in May. Here are the photos. Cheers.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Two- In all its glory!
You know. Ian is amazing. He really is just a delightful little munchkin. He is 2 (and 4 months). And with the age comes a vocabulary that is pack full of "my", "mine", and "no." He even says "no" to things that he wants. He truly is TWO in all it's glory! Thank goodness- he balances out the "my" and "no"s with a sincere, overwhelming gratitude. You need to know, that Please was literally the first word we taught him, but I had NO idea at the time, how valuable the word would be. People adore the kid- even with the "my/no"s because he is just happy and grateful. Almost as frequently as he says the above stated indicators of age, he produces, "Please" and the brightest, warmest most grateful "Thank you". He also has a nice, sincere "Sorry" when necessary. As a two year old, he's just learning the nicest way to say/do things. But he certainly knows how to show others love and gratitude. I am grateful. It sure makes the two year old developmental characteristics more palatable.
He is doing all he can to assert his independence while still keep his mama close at hand. Yesterday we took him to Battleship Texas. We wanted him to get on the boat- so he wanted to get off. Later, we wanted him to get off the boat- so he wanted to stay on. I LOVE IT! I get it man. :) You see, what he doesn't know is that his mama is just as determined/independent/ rebellious as him. When I watch him assert his independence, I just smile (and of course, re-direct him back). When I look back at my life, I realize that it is that fiercely independent streak that helped me to survive and to stand up and do what was right for me no matter what. (To this day, my father still spites me for that characteristic ;) When I see it in Ian, I just smile. I'm glad to know my kid's got a little "umph" to him. That "umph" will help that kid through a lot of disappointment in life. We all have to face our share of it. I'd rather my kid press forward through it and find solutions when things are tough. It's truly beautiful to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in charge, but I don't mind the temporary difference of opinion.
They always tell you how tough it is to have a 2 year old. It's got its challenges, but I love it! I can't imagine that little boy being any more wonderful or fun!
He is doing all he can to assert his independence while still keep his mama close at hand. Yesterday we took him to Battleship Texas. We wanted him to get on the boat- so he wanted to get off. Later, we wanted him to get off the boat- so he wanted to stay on. I LOVE IT! I get it man. :) You see, what he doesn't know is that his mama is just as determined/independent/ rebellious as him. When I watch him assert his independence, I just smile (and of course, re-direct him back). When I look back at my life, I realize that it is that fiercely independent streak that helped me to survive and to stand up and do what was right for me no matter what. (To this day, my father still spites me for that characteristic ;) When I see it in Ian, I just smile. I'm glad to know my kid's got a little "umph" to him. That "umph" will help that kid through a lot of disappointment in life. We all have to face our share of it. I'd rather my kid press forward through it and find solutions when things are tough. It's truly beautiful to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in charge, but I don't mind the temporary difference of opinion.
They always tell you how tough it is to have a 2 year old. It's got its challenges, but I love it! I can't imagine that little boy being any more wonderful or fun!
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