When you were my age . . .

I found this little questionare in a very old Friend magazine and thought it would make a great post (more for my kids to learn more about me than for my friends) You are also supposed to have your kids fill it out about themselves. I am going to try to answer it for each of my kids ages.

1. Did you have a pet? What was it? Up to age 7 we had an inside white poodle dog named Frosty. After he died we got a outdoor, black lab named Mindy. While I was still in elementary school we got our first cat: a calico we named Rudy (but we called Kitty).
2. What was your favorite thing to do when you had free time? We got a trampoline when I was 6 and Rebecca and I would play on that for hours. We also played dress ups and Barbie's a lot.
3. What was your favorite snack? ice cream or homemade chocolate chip cookies.
4. Who was your favorite friend, and why? Rebecca has always been my favorite friend. When we lived on Redmond Ave we played with our next door neighbor Matt Silverman constantly. Then we played with Susan Shelton when we moved to Graystone.
5. What was a difficult challenge you faced, and how did you overcome it? I had to have a tutor during the summer after Kindergarten because I wasn't ready for first grade and my Mom didn't want to send me to summer school. I also remember having trouble learning multiplication but my Mom worked with me doing flashcards so I got lots better and became one of the fastest in my class at them. So I guess I struggled in school and had to work to keep up. Sadly, I didn't always work my hardest to improve and just coasted through with barely acceptable grades.
6. What kind of clothes did you wear? Whatever my Mom bought me. I remember shopping at Mervyn's. My Mom also would take Rebecca and I to try on dresses and then would go home and make them instead.
7. What was your favorite Primary song? I think I have always loved "I am a Child of God" and still sing it when I need to get some bad thought or whatever out of my head.
8. What is your favorite memory about your parents? I'm not sure of a favorite. I have many good memories. We spent lots of time in the summer traveling to Utah. I remember sitting up in the front part of the motorhome with my parents singing along to Neal Diamond songs with the rest of my siblings too. (like "Coming to America")
9. Who was one of your favorite Primary teachers? What do you remember about him or her? When I was probably in Kindergarten I had a teacher (I can picture her but can't remember her name) who gave me a tiny white New Testament. I thought she was such a nice lady.
10. What was your favorite family tradition? Every Sunday we would have dinner in the dining room. Lots of times Rebecca and I would be in charge of setting the table and we would make "fancy" centerpieces. My favorite holiday family tradition would probably be opening presents one at a time on Christmas morning so we could see what we all got. It was fun to see and also to anticipate what our next gift would be.

That's the list. Now that I've answered them I can think of lots of questions I think my kids would like to know about my life growing up. I should write them down and make a new list.

Verbage

I took this fill in the blank from my cousin, Krystal's blog. I tried to just put the first thing I thought of and not over contemplate it. This is what I got:

1. I love my husband.
2. I fear that I am not doing my best.
3. I crave chocolate.
4. I dislike confrontation.
5. I honor my country and am so glad that I live here.
6. I discontinued tanning.
7. I require at least 7 hours of sleep.
8. I refuse to quit eating what I want.
9. I think I spend too much time at the computer.
10. I perceive that there is more to life than the internet.
11. I disengage when I am feeling frumpy.
12. I reject rated R movies.
13. I loathe cleaning tubs/showers.
14. I worry whether I am really being a good Mom to my kids.
15. I enjoy reading a good book.
16. I contemplate what I could do to be better Mom.
17. I cherish time with Rebecca.
18. I pray that I am doing enough to make it to the Celestial Kingdom.
19. I value good food.
20. I instigate often
21. I mock boys in saggy pants showing their butts & boxers
22. I regard my Dad for being so successful
23. I struggle to get everything done
24. I respect those with more spiritual understanding than I
25. I wonder when I will get our house built
26. I look forward to a tropical vacation (we don't have one planned)
27. I treasure snuggling with my kids

Chelsea's 6

I was so happy when Chelsea came into our family. We had just moved to West Richland 11 days before and I was in heaven in my big, brand new house. I loved our neighborhood and my new double stroller and I walked around the block multiple times a day that spring and summer. I think between that and having stairs and just loving living in the city I lost the baby weight pretty quick. Chelsea was an excellent baby which helped too. She slept well and rarely spit up. (She changed around the time she was 18 mo and decided that for attention or something she would throw up everytime I put her to bed (for 6 mo) so that she could get out of bed and hang out with me or not nap) I try to forget that period of time though. Eating her 1st birthday cake above and after a haircut at age 3 below

So onto her birth story. Sadly, I was turned away once when I thought I was in labor with her (how embarrassing). On her due date I was finally induced. I think I was at the doctors office for a checkup and when they checked her heartbeat it was low or under stress or something and sent me over to the hospital. It was my first delivery where I got an epidural that worked. (Collin: no time for one, Morgan: didn't work- only my feet/legs were numb) Dr. Anderson was so funny and told me a story while he delivered Chelsea (I think to distract me) about how his son was stabbed by a knife in the dishwasher while wrestling with an FHE sister at Ricks. I remember asking Dr. Anderson if she had a tiny head like my other babies (Collin and Morgan were both 5 pounders). He said no and so did Cameron. She looked so big when she came out and she definitely didn't have a little head. She weighed 8 pounds and seemed huge. My parents who arrived around the time she was born came over to see us with Collin and Morgan. (I'd have to say trying to remember the birth story was a bit difficult-I need to refer to her baby book but it's packed away right now- I also can't find the CD with the pictures of her at the hospital so that's why I don't have that picture on here)
This picture was taken on her first day of preshool her 2nd year (age 4)

Chelsea has been a joy to raise. She loves to play with her sisters. She is well behaved and does well in school. She lets everyone know and feel loved. She went through a phase which she isn't out of: She would tell me multiple times a day or hour "I love you, Mom." Sometimes at night I would get mad at her (kind of) because she'd get out of bed ten times to tell me this. Still when she wants to talk but doesn't know what to say (especially when someone is over or were hanging out at someone else's house) she'll come over and say um Mom . . .I say "yes" then she pauses thinks for a minute then out comes her usual "I love you!" and runs off to play again. I've had teachers tell me how sweet and loving she is and she has told them she loves them too. She is a bit timid to try new things but once she does she gives it her all (like skiing). I think she is beautiful and kind. I am so glad I get to be her mom!We celebrated her birthday on Sunday which was a good thing since she wasn't feeling like celebrating by Tuesday when she had her horrible rash (and a fever that night). I stayed home from church with Collin(who was sick) and Mia. While home I set up for Chelsea's family party - I bought this festive table clothe and even bought a helium tank so I could have balloons during the 4 hours on Thursday which I didn't have sick kids home from school. I made her cake which was not too pretty close up but she thought it was cute and she helped put on the m&ms. We had dinner, opened presents, played apples to apples kids and then had cake and ice cream. We are planning a friend party but had to postpone it due to illness. Hopefully all will go well and she'll have that party the day before Easter.

Happy 6th Birthday Chelsea!

Sick Kids!!

Collin had a cough for probably 3 weeks with no other symptoms. Cameron was sick before that. Then Chelsea got a fever/swollen tonsils that looked like it was possibly strep throat. Who knows what it was though. I took her into the Wahluke Clinic in Mattawa and after looking at her throat for a few seconds the doctor said "looks like it could be strep" and gave me a prescription for amoxicillin. The checkout sheet said "tonsillitis" so who knows what she had. They didn't do a strep test or anything. Some people might be fine with this but I really wanted to know if she had strep. She has had it twice before and I took her in there in December and they did the same thing. Sent her home with the Rx but no real diagnosis. I will NOT be taking my kids in there again. So after 4 more days of a low grade fever she finally got over that (although her tonsils are still swollen) and went back to school late on Thursday. That afternoon Collin came home with a fever of 101.5 and his horrible cough has continued. He had to miss his band concert which he had prepared a solo for (he plays the trumpet). We had to postpone Chelsea's 6th birthday party due to illness.

Mia keeps telling me she is sick but doesn't really seem to be. I think she just wants attention and the medicine. She love medicine for some reason. I usually give her a vitamin as her medicine. Morgan -my child that rarely seems to get more than a stuffy nose- has made it through this month healthy. Although her grumpy mornings probably make up for being sick. She is always tired and her clothes never fit right in the morning!

Collin is home sick again today with a fever of 100 and still coughing. I have called our real Dr. about Collin today but haven't heard back. It doesn't seem like something I should take him in for or get Rx for but I thought I should at least ask what I should do or if something bad is going around. And Chelsea stayed home again because she woke up this morning with tons of bug bites (I think) all over her body. She was too itchy to go to school she said. Which I can hardly blame her. I immediately washed her sheets in hot water. The strange thing is that Mia shares a bed with her and she doesn't have a red itchy dot on her.


So I know I should be thankful that my kids have only mild illnesses. But I have cabin fever! I am sick of being home. . . Not being able to plan anything right now. . . I didn't go to church. . . I haven't had a real date night in a month. I am sick of my kids being sick. I'm over it!!!!!!!!!!!! When is it going to end?


************Well, after my Mom read this post she called and asked me about the kids. She asked if I thought Chelsea's rash (it had definitly spread and didn't look like bites anymore) was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin? I thought that if it was that it would have shown up before day 7. But after the nurse called to talk about Collin (he has an appointment tomorrow), I told her about Chelsea and she said that for sure that is what it was and that it usually takes that long for it to build up in her system and react. So she should still be rashy, and itchy tomorrow for her 6th birthday!!! Poor Chelsea.********************************

Farmer Collin

Cameron had a few more pictures of Collin running equipment. We had only 3 hours of school on Wednesday and Thursday last week so Cameron and Collin decided his time would be better spent planting wheat. They were also removing a road this month from a field in Othello so that they could put a pivot on it. Collin ran the bulldozer for a while.

Future Farmer

Actually, I don't think that even is the case. He isn't a future farmer . . .he's already a farmer. He loves to run equipment. Today he was spiking the hay field next to our house and I took him out some lunch. Since the girls were playing at a friends house I was able to ride in the tractor with him for a while. I'm amazed at how well he knows how to run equipment and do what he is supposed to be doing. He really is going to be an excellent farmer (if that's what he still wants to be when he grows up). And he should be an excellent driver for that matter when he turns 16 with all the experience he has already!

Kindergarten Program

Chelsea's school put on program showcasing some of the songs that the kindergartners have been learning this year. It was called "Gettin' down with Mama Goose" and they had costumes and sang 10 jazzed up versions of some classic nursery rhymes. It was very cute but VERY crowded. I'm sure they gym far exceeded the capacity of people who were supposed to be in there. I am very thankful that the Zirker's were kind enough to share some of seats with us so that we didn't have to stand and the back or sides like many people did. The lightening in this place and all my pictures turned out horribly. But here are some of the best that show Chelsea and her friends in action!

Chelsea, Katie and Luke

Haircut!

Mia has the thinnest hair of all my kids. I have been letting her grow it long but I just couldn't stand it any more. It was so thin and whispy and never looked really good when it was down long. I have been thinking about it for weeks or months maybe that I wanted to cut it at least shoulder length so that it would look thicker. So today I did just that. I gave up cutting my older girls hair because it's so thick that I could never get it to look straight anymore. But I figured I could manage a straight line with Mia's thin hair. Here are the pictures. I think it looks better. Not perfect. I think I could have cut another inch off and not hate it. I think Mia is happy with the results also.
Everytime I try to post this picture blogger turns it sideways. I give up!Doesn't she look cute checking out her new do!

It's Great to be 8!

I was very impressed last night when I took Morgan to the "It's great to be 8" meeting to prepare us for her upcoming baptism. The primary presidency did an excellent job putting this together and sent Morgan home with some fun things to get her excited too! Not that she wasn't already. In case you can't see in the pictures she received: a white towel with CTR and her name embroidered on it, a huge candy message, a CTR ring, a temple necklace (the boys got a tie tack), baptism pencil, bookmark, gospel standards poster, small pictures plus a fun activity booklet. So if anyone who helped put this together reads this: Thank You for making Morgan's baptism day extra special already. Now I just have to find the perfect dress. Any suggestions?