You Too?

I've been a little sleep deprived this week, and it is my own fault. I can not blame it on small children. I have only myself to blame, well, really I blame myself and U2. Ken and I went to the U2 concert in Salt Lake on Tuesday. I love music, I love shows and concerts, I loved attending this concert with Ken. I lost 1.4 pounds last week, I am giving partial credit to the concert- I danced, danced, danced. I had a blast. I am pretty sure Ken did too, he didn't dance too much, but I didn't expect him too, it was his first real concert experience after all. We didn't bring a camera, so I can't show you the awesomeness of it all, but believe me, it was AWESOME.

I have now seen U2 in concert twice. Once in 2001 (when they were 39-41 years old) and now 2011 (when they are 49-51). I am thinking that every 10 years they should come play a concert, wherever I happen to live, and I will happily attend. I will dance and sing right along with them when I am 44 and they are 60, and when I am 54 and they are 70, I know they will ROCK for as long as they possibly can, Bono is proof, he called himself RoboBono- since he has a new back!

Man, it was a good concert, I hope I get to see them again someday.

I do it Myself...

Last Sunday J picked out his own clothes, he chose gray pants and a blue polo shirt that matched, I was very proud. Then he chose a tie......not what I would have picked, but hey, the kid is picking out his own clothes, so I helped him put on the tie.

Then he chose some blue, green, red and yellow plaid-ish socks.
What a sweet boy he is! And Yes, I let him go to church just like this, I even forgot to brush his hair, so this is exactly what he looked like when we arrived. About half way through Sacrament Meeting he decided to take of his tie, it was about this time that I realized I hadn't brushed his hair and I kind of pushed his hair around with my fingers for a while until it looked like it might have been combed, once, maybe. My baby is growing up so fast.

When the cousins come to town.....

When cousins come to town...... we show off all our tricks- Baby B has been practicing this one, secretly, for a while now. I now have to admit that I recently found the baby face down on the floor, while still buckled into this chair- I blamed J for pushing his brother over....oops, looks like he figured out how to push himself over. He (Baby B) is pretty happy with himself.

When the cousins come to town.....we have Big Dinners! Ken likes to take pictures of us eating, I decided I would post one- Adults are outnumbered by children quite often when the Cousins come to town. Do you like my Bib-I figured, Spaghetti + White Shirt= Kate needs a Bib/Apron.
When the cousins come to town......we copy their hair styles. We had the Tim and Liz Wheeler family here this week with their children, two girls, S and W and one boy Sp. This morning J was watching W get her hair done, she wanted piggy tails, and so did J, so I gave him some.
Aren't those the cutest little piggy tails you have ever seen on J?

J also gave into some positive peer pressure, as far as potty training goes, with all these kids around who DON'T wear diapers, J actually asked to go potty several times, and DID and he also wore underpants for a while- something he hasn't wanted to do in weeks. YEAH!

We hope the our cousins come back and visit again.

When Mom's not looking....

Last night we had Chicken Parmesan, with spaghetti and marinara sauce. It was good. While we were all at the table J donated a couple of noodles to his brother, I was okay with this, there was no sauce there would be no mess and the baby could try eating noodles. He like them. After dinner, Baby B stayed in his highchair while I started on the dishes, as I was clearing the table I discovered that J had given B even more of his meal after I had my back turned....

Baby B has been cleared for almost all foods and I must admit he really seems to like spaghetti, his skin and highchair tray were a bit stained, but he was very happy.
So I am thinking B will start trying more and more of our regular table food. By the time he is a year old, he will be a total pro.

Secret Identities

I put baby B down in front of the mirror this morning while I got his brother changed and ready for the day. I have been introducing him to his mirror friend for a couple of months now, but this was the first time they were ever left alone together. They had a great conversation. I think they like each other.

Then there is J, he secretly wants to wear diapers FOREVER. I tell you, I am ready for him to be potty trained. He acts like he is ready and he even humors me sometimes, but most of the time he just tells me when he needs to be changed. He even climbs up onto the changing table and waits. He looks pretty GQ, while waiting too, I think. Arms behind his head, ankle resting against his knee.....

Then there is me. On Sunday J announced "Daddy, You Fireman!" Ken asked if he, Daddy, was also a Super Hero. "No, Daddy Fireman" I asked if I was a Super Hero and to my surprise J said that I was. I also discovered that I could fly. Who Knew!

So while we were on our trip in Idaho, Ken and I made some goals to help us get our basement more organized and this week we worked on the things we have stored in our guest room. I found my Croatian Flag, I decided I wanted to find a way to use it, so I brought it upstairs. The next morning J found the folded flag. He picked it up and turned to me and said "Mama, what dis?" then the flag unfurled and J gasped and said "You a Super Hero! Dis yo Super Hero Tape!" Later in the day he wanted me to wear my "Tape"-p.s. J dressed himself that day- and I had just finished my workout. I must admit, it is a pretty great cape. Though I don't plan to use it as a cape, I am thinking maybe I will fly it out front on days special to Croatia.... Lijepa Hrvatska! I am also thinking we need a French flag and of course an American one too! But back to my Super Hero Status.

So, if my super power is being a great Mom, then what should my Secret Identity be?

Spring Sprang!

They did it, the flowers on the trees started to bloom! If only it wasn't raining 75% of the time. Last weekend I did take a moment to visit with the flowers. I think they were pleased. These are some pretty pink flowered trees down the street from my house.

J is getting pretty good at singing songs, one of his favorites (or my favorites really) is Popcorn Popping- So I tried to point out that Popcorn was popping EVERYWHERE! It is true, they are not Apricot trees, but these little white flowered trees are all over in our neighborhood. So if you hear J scream POPCORN as we drive past, it's probably because he sees a tree.

And here are my Lilac's, I love how they smell. Lilac's make me happy, I hope to have them near me wherever I live.

So there you have it, Spring has Sprung. Digital Proof. I also planted our garden last week. Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Sugar Peas, Strawberries, Spaghetti Squash and Crookneck Squash. I am hoping for a good harvest this year.

I also put some marigolds in amongst my veggies, it just seemed like a good thing to do.

9 Months!

Baby B is 9 months old now! He is quite the character and we love him lots and lots and lots!

He weighs 24 pounds and 1 ounce- which is the 92nd Percentile.

He is 30 inches tall, which puts him in the 93rd Percentile.

Here are some of the things Baby B likes to do.

He likes to sit! And sit and sit and sit! He likes to play with and taste anything he can get his hands on. His brother J does not appreciate the fact that B likes to play with toys, J still thinks he is the only one who should touch the toys.

He likes to eat- and is learning how to feed himself! He loves Finger-foods, but he is kind of a little glutton and tries to get as much food into his hands as possible, then only a few pieces of the food actually get into his mouth. So for now I try to only give him 2 or 3 bits of food, all spaced far apart on his tray.

Here is a picture of his first time eating non-pureed mixed vegetables. It is also when I figured out that I can't just plop down a bunch of food. I pick up a lot of veggies off the floor that day, but B had tons of fun, so it was worth it.

Our Little B still likes to be swaddled and have his head covered when he sleeps, I think this is his quirkiest quirk. I do my best to make sure his nose and mouth are not covered, but he has been known to get his hand free, reach up and pull the blanket down farther over his face.

And Finally- B's favorite thing to do is play with his brother. I love hearing the big belly laughs that J can magically produce from his little brother. J also knows how to get his brother to cry, I am working on getting him to understand that Mom like to hears laughing much better than crying. J and B rough house- I never expected this, BUT, B likes it when J sits on top of him (most of the time) and B loves to sit on top of J- though I have to help to get that to work.

The Turner Girls

On a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago, my father wandered around his house and quietly talked to each on of his daughters. Looking over his shoulder to make sure our mother wasn't nearby he asked "Would you come to our Church on Mothers Day?". We all said yes and we were all sworn to secrecy. My little sister Wendy came up with a great idea- we would all get there 15 minutes early and create a little daughter "nest" for my Mom, so she would be surrounded by her progeny. Well, we are not very good at arriving early, so rather than Mom walking in and seeing all of us, most of us walked in one by one after she was already there. But I am pretty sure she still knew how much we love her. Even Grandma Turner came!

Here we are, Me, Jenette, Carrie, Laurie, Grandma T, Mom, Abby and Wendy. Aren't we pretty?! It was a great Mothers Day!

Ken and I attended part of the Sunday meetings for our local congregation before heading up to my parents. We were all prepared, we had our lunch packed with ice packs, we had food for the boys and we even had extra play clothes for after church. We didn't anticipate J's diaper giving out- completely- on the 17 mile drive from our church to my parent's church. But it did. Never fear, it is okay for a kid to wear jeans to church sometimes, it is more important that we were there than us looking perfect right? So I grabbed the jeans for J out of the diaper bag and he and I headed off for a quick change of clothes.......it wasn't to long before I realized that instead of being 3T pants I was holding 18 Month pants.

Good thing J is skinny, he fit perfectly- width wise- into those 18 month jeans, lengthwise it was a different story. But he was still pretty cute. He even went to the Nursery class at Grandma's church and made a Mothers Day gift! It is a flower (or grass) in a cup. It is growing! I am so excited to see exactly what it is.

The Worth of Souls

I have heard and read, and I believe, that "The worth of souls is great in the sight of God"(Doctrine and Covenants 18:10), but sometimes I forget that I am one of those souls, and just as bad, at times, I forget that other souls are just as precious as mine. I have a feeling that this is a very human problem, not just a Kate problem.

I have noticed over the past few years of my life that I am not the only one who struggles. I am not the only one with issues, emotional or physical, real or imagined. I have a wonderful family, we are weird. There are things about my family that most people would consider "skeletons" and they would hide them away in their deepest darkest closet. But I have discovered that every family is weird, there is No Normal! Or maybe Weird is Normal. Either way, every family has its very own set of problems, its very own skeletons. It is how we deal with our weirdness, our differences, that makes us who we are.

Some of us put on a happy face and do our best to make the world believe that we were raised by perfect people who taught us to lead perfect lives and we are now raising perfect children. Putting up that kind of facade can't be fun, in fact I am willing to bet that it is completely depressing. Others of us think that our weirdness, our mistakes or our sins, or even worse the mistakes or sins of the people we love, make us unlovable and unworthy. I think this is actually quite common but it too is a false belief, and sadly it keeps many of us from progressing and becoming the amazing people that God intended us to be. I think at times of my life I have fallen into this second category. I don't feel that way much anymore..... much.....

I've been thinking about this today. This last weekend was kind of hard, emotionally, and this morning I was wondering why. Why? Self Talk! Here is a peak into my mind.

I have been doing great with my weight-loss, I have been eating well and yet I haven't been denying myself the yummy things in life. I have been learning great life lessons and I believe I look GREAT! I had to go buy some new clothes and I am now in a size of clothes that I have never worn. I was feeling great, feeling beautiful, feeling quite stylish. That is I felt good about myself until I saw a friend who is currently at her goal weight and looks amazing, she had to have been wearing clothes that were half the size of the clothes I was wearing. Suddenly I felt FAT! WHAT? The switch flipped so amazingly fast that it scared me. I was stunned. Fat? Well No, I am not overweight anymore, I am average weight. Stupid negative self talk.

I am running and I am doing great- for me- I am running faster than I ever have and I am running farther than I ever believed possible. My average speed is about 10:45 seconds per mile, I figure that is around 5.5 miles per hour. I am currently working on increasing my speed and I am thinking that by my half marathon in September I will be running at 10 min per mile or 6 miles per hour. So why is it that when I talk to people who currently run 6mph, or faster, I feel so slow? It's self talk. I wouldn't let a stranger talk to my children this way, why do I let myself talk to myself this way?

Now, one of my skeletons that I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM talking about is the fact that I have been to counseling. I am an anxious person, I am prone to depression and anxiety but I am a smart person (with smart Parents) and when I was in my late teens and early twenties, I sought help, I went to counseling. I believe I am a better person for it. I am not a broken person because of it, rather I am less likely to break. I learned a lot about myself. I learned that I lie to myself. I learned that I don't have to believe or agree with the silly little things I tell myself. I also learned that there is no reason to compare myself to anyone other than myself. So lets take a step back and look at my two examples.

I feel great about myself, I believe that I am healthier today than I have ever been (in my adult life). I think I look great, sometimes I see some part of my body or catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I do a double take. Is that really me? I have nothing to thank for my success but hard work and prayer- yes I do believe that prayer has a lot to do with my success in this endeavor. If I compare myself against myself, then there is no other way to feel than successful and amazing. I am proud of my friend, she has worked hard, she looks great. I am proud of myself too, because I am doing great too. If I compare my running against my own track record- I am setting new personal bests every week or two. I am doing things I never would have believed were possible. I am setting goals for myself that years ago would have seemed insane, but now, they seem reasonable, they are appropriate and achievable goals. When I look at it that way, I am AMAZED! I feel great.

I thank God for making me weird, for giving me problems and stumbling blocks. I thank Him for making me imperfect. It is because of my imperfections that I have come to know Him better, it is because of my mistakes and my sins that I have come to truly understand the importance of my Savior, Jesus Christ, in my life. It is because of my failings that I have come to understand just how much my soul is worth to my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I am of worth to them, and because I am of worth to them it is worth it for me to love myself, it is worth it to me to love all the other imperfect people in my life.

Yesterday was Mothers Day. I have a wonderful Mother. She is the right mother for me, she is perfectly imperfect. I have been reading her journals, and I have discovered that we are very similar. I love knowing that I am like her. I love reading that her house didn't get cleaned and that she had so many things to do and sometimes there just was not enough time. I love reading that sometimes she slept in and went to bed early. I love reading those things, and so much more, because I have those same feelings about myself and my life sometimes. I am not alone, in fact I am in great company.

So I guess what I am really saying is, if you are ever feeling down, feeling like someone is better than you, remember that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, and that means you! You are of great worth. No matter how weird you are, you are worth it.

Budding Artist....

J got a hold of the camera today, his first picture was of his brother

Then he changed his focus and started taking self portraits. He put the camera on the piano and was desperately trying to set the timer....he couldn't figure out how to do it. But his many attempts produced some pretty cute pictures.

So without adieu, Little Buddy J's latest exhibition.

"Blue Eyes and a Smile"

Can you see how hard he is thinking? Someday he is going to figure out that timer.

"I can't see you"

For this one he thought he had done it, and he was running and saying "Get Ready" what he had done was change the flash to Red Eye Reduction. Pretty Smart Kid.

"Oh Yeah, I'm Cool"

"This is my Bright Shiny Finger!"

The End

Stay Puft

Someone gave the baby Marshmallows yesterday. He liked it.

Hint, that Marshmallow dealer, he is about 40 inches tall....

"Mom! Have you tried these? They are AMAZING!"

Oh, I failed to mention that it happened twice. It seemed like anytime I left the baby alone in the same room as the dealer I would return to find this........ Baby B is addicted. I am pretty sure that if he was given the chance, B would love to be the newest Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

So, if you ever find yourself down a dark alley with this guy.......

Don't be scared.....

Just give him a Marshmallow.

I'm a Winner!

So, if you run a race and come in first then you win.....right? What if you are the only runner in the race? I say you are still a winner and as such, I am a Winner too! This last Saturday, the last day of April, I completed a goal, I ran a 10k. I had decided to run the "Earth Day 10k" that South Jordan puts on each year on Earth Day, but then I heard about the "Hope For Sarah 5k" and I decided that I would run that race instead. The race was a fundraiser for Sarah O'Gwin, a friend and neighbor. I like the earth and everything, but I like Sarah better, I think she is a good cause. So I asked if I could run the 5k course twice, and when the day and time finally came, I did!

We had lots of friends and neighbors there and I asked one of them, Scarlet, if she could push the boys while she walked. I love my boys but I wasn't sure what the course would be like and I wanted to give myself the best chance possible of finishing the 10k, I didn't want to suddenly find myself staring at a huge hill, running and pushing my 80 pounds of baby-love and stroller in front of me. I think it was a good decision. In the end the boys actually did their own 10k. Scarlet pushed them while she walked the 5k, then I saw some other friends, Susan and Karen, who came late, and I asked if they could watch the boys while I stretched a little. They said they were going to go walk the course and they took the boys with them. Check out these cute little racers, they were great sports! Seriously? How cute are they!?!?

So here is how my race went, what I discovered about myself as well as how my Women's Conference inspiration trickled over into my race.

I got a great gift from my sisters for my Birthday- it is a Garmin Forerunner 205 runners training watch. It tracks 3 very important things for me, my elapsed time, my pace and my distance. I have been happily using it for about 5 weeks now and I don't know what I will do when it dies or if I ever lose it......it is a powerful tool for me. Anyway, I pressed start as the race started and I took off. When you are in a pack of people you just start to run. I overheard someone say "Why is everyone running so fast?" and I looked down at my watch and it told me my pace was 8:30 per mile. Yeah, I average 10:45 per mile, so I dialed it down a notch, I wanted to make sure I could run the whole race. I started to realize that when I got near other runners, either because I was passing them, or they were passing me, my speed increased. I train pretty much alone, so this was kind of surprising to me. I tried hard to keep my pace consistent and I eventually found my rhythm and happily settled in for the race, the 1 mile mark came pretty fast and so did the water stations.

The race was an out and back course and the water was at mile 1 and 2. The water station was manned by a troop of Boy Scouts. (The course was also pretty flat- thank goodness- I was still glad not to have to push the boys and be able to just run.) As I past the water at the Second mile I thought to myself that I would be grateful for the water at mile 5. My plan was simple and it worked quite well. I ran the 5k, and when I got to the finish line I turned around and started the course again. I got to wave at the boys as I ran past them during my Fourth mile, eventually I ran past all the people who had been walking the 5k and I was suddenly alone. I found my self on a slight incline, the only way I knew that it was an incline was because my pace had slowed down and I was having to push myself, it had been this way on my first time through the course and I knew that eventually I would turn around and have the benefit of a gradual decline. As it was I knew that the water station was not far ahead and I decided that instead of running past and grabbing a cup of water I would stop, maybe chat with the Boy Scouts, hydrate and then continue on. When I was about 100 feet from the water station, the Troop drove past me, my plan was foiled, there would be no water and no rest stop. I kept running. It was a perfect blessing, a tender mercy.

As I ran, alone, through the fruit trees of the McMullin Orchards, a thought kept pushing its way to the front of my mind. "Keep Running, Keep Going" I had thought to stop, but there was no reason to stop, there was no water. "Keep Running" I thought about Women's Conference, about the necessity of action. I thought about why I was running. I set the goal to run a 10k because I need to make major changes in my life, I need to be healthier, I need to lose weight, I NEED to do everything I can to get OFF the fast-track to type 2 diabetes. I made the choice, I chose to run, I chose to set goals for myself, a 10k in April and a Half Marathon in September. I put in the time, I trained, I prayed and begged God to protect my knees, to teach me what I needed to do to stay healthy enough to complete my goals. I have felt his guidance as I searched for ways to stretch properly and as I discovered cross training workouts that would strengthen my knees and help me in other important ways (i.e. arm strengthening weight routines that help me easily handle my 24 pound 9 month old). I saw a need, I took action, I told God what I was going to do, I asked him to help me and then I went about to do it. So as I ran, as I heard the "Keep Running, Keep Going" I began to cry, happy little tears. I knew I was exactly where I needed to be, running alone on that country road. God knew exactly where I was and he was cheering me on.

I finished my race, I ran the entire 6.2 miles. I didn't stop. I crossed the finish line at 67 minutes and 25 seconds. Not bad for a first 10k, and pretty much right in line with my training pace.

I sought out my friend Sarah after it was all over. I told her about my experience running the race, how for the first part I was with everyone, but then for the majority of the second half I was alone. I thought about her. Sarah has Cancer. She is also a wife and mother of two young children. Sarah is running a race of her own, and I am pretty sure that she sometimes feels like she is running it alone. Sarah once asked her Doctors how long she should expect to live, and she was told that as far as they knew, she was currently the longest living patient with her type of cancer. She is running her race, and right now, she is winning. I told her about Women's Conference and the idea that we need to act, we need to move forward and trust in the Lord that if we are going the wrong way he will stop us. I told her about my feelings while running alone, about they joy of the thoughts "Keep Running, Keep Going". I told her about how I had planned to stop, but that my plan had been foiled and how I realized it was a wonderful thing. I told her that I believed with all my heart that we have to just keep moving, as long as God lets us live, as long as God allows us to fight for our lives here on the earth, we must put our faith in him and recognize the trust he has placed in us, and keep moving forward, keep running our race. When the time comes that he stops us, when the time comes that he changes our course, when the time comes that we leave this earthly race, we will be prepared, we will Trust HIM.

I am grateful for Sarah, I am grateful for her family and friends who put this race together. I am grateful for my solitary run through the fruit trees. I finished that race, I completed that goal. But I am still running, I am still moving forward, I have more goals to focus on and I hope that every step I take adds a day, full of joy with my family, to my life. If that is not what God intends for me in the grand scheme of things, then so be it, but for now I am right where I need to be. I will keep going.

This is what we looked like after our 10k's. See the mountains? It snowed the night before the race. It was kind of cold. But it was worth it.

P.S. In the 4 months since I set my goal to run this race and started to train for it, I have lost 20 pounds. Exactly what I was hoping would happen. My next goal is a half marathon on the 3rd Saturday in September. My 3rd goal is to reach my goal weight by November. And though I have never put it in writing, I think my next goal will be to maintain (+/- 5 pounds) my goal weight for another 9 months- after which I hope to get pregnant so that would mean my next goal after that would be to have the healthiest pregnancy I possibly can. I like goals.

So there you go, that is how I won a 10k! YEAH! I'm a Winner!

Random Acts of Kateness

I am sure some of you wonder "What is it like to be Kate?" Well, it is not all Fun and Games, not all Sunshine and Roses....well, wait, it really seems to be most of those things recently. I have lead a very blessed life over the past week and I figured I would share with you some of the fun that is (or was, since it was last week) Kate Wheeler.

On Monday I made Jam! ME! Well, J helped too, I hear "I help you" a lot from J and I figured he could help me make jam, he was interested in smashing strawberries for about 90 seconds and then he moved on to other stuff and eventually he moved on to nap time, and it was during nap time that I boiled the pectin and sugar and finished making the jam. Freezer Jam is AMAZING! I get all the joy of making jam without having to understand the canning process. In fact, it was so easy that I made more jam on Friday night! It looks good, doesn't it. ....mmmmmm..... Strawberry Jam.

We had visitors this week. The Scott and Kim Wheeler family came to town, all 8 of them! We welcomed them to our home and let them hunker down in our basement. They had lots of fun visiting with random friends and family members, and on Wednesday we had a meal here at our house and we added to the numbers and fun by having Steve and Melissa over as well. I like cooking, I like trying new things. And on Wednesday we, Kim, Melissa and I, made Teriyaki Chicken (with brown rice or Chinese noodles and LOTS of fresh vegetables and pineapple) and Hot and Sour Soup. I LOVE hot and sour soup, and I usually just buy a mix for it, but the mix is slightly expensive (for me) and so I haven't had any recently. I now know that it is pretty simple to make and it was really yummy too. See how excited I am to eat it! mmmmm, it was a good meal with wonderful people.

On Thursday and Friday I got to go to Women's Conference at BYU. This is my 3rd year attending and I LOVE IT! Seriously, if you haven't ever gone, plan now to go next year. It is the last weekend in April and it is a fabulous experience. Ken has made it a priority for me to go, I love that! (Thanks Ken) He even took Thursday off work and watched to boys, in payment for his services I got him a very very very nice new BYU Sweatshirt. Lucky Guy.

The past 2 years I have been blessed to go with my Sister in Law Tiff and her Mother and Sisters. I hope to one day talk my Mother and Sisters into coming with me. I know they would love it as much as I do. I came away this year with a couple of very strong impressions. It is interesting to me how I can pick classes to attend that have very different topics yet come away from those classes with almost identical inspirations. This year what I learned was that I need to act- I need to move forward. I need to understand that Heavenly Father has a lot of Trust in me, and so he expects me to make decisions and move forward and not constantly ask him and sit and wait until I KNOW that he wants me to do something. I need to study it out, pray about it, then ACT! If I am going down the wrong path, I can trust that the Lord with stop me. I heard that message over and over again. I believe it is true, I believe I am learning how to be pretty good at it too. This wasn't like a slap across the back of the head, saying "Kate, you really need to do this" it was more, "Kate, you know this, keep going, you are doing great, I am here with you, keep going!"

I have more to say about this, but I will save it for my next post- the one about the 10k- you know you want to read about that one!

Big Boys

A week ago, Saturday, I let J dye some eggs. He was in heaven, and his hands were blue.

I didn't help him too much, I made the dye and I put the eggs in, initially, so they wouldn't splash too much and J took over from there. He rolled the eggs around in the dye so that they would be colored evenly. And then he surprised me by moving the eggs around to different colors. His eggs turned out quit well.

We had a full day that day, after coloring eggs we went to a 1st birthday party for cousin A. Then we ran over to an Easter egg hunt. J is getting good at all things candy related, and egg hunts are very much candy related. He needed absolutely no help to know what to do. On the way home from the Easter egg hunt he gorged himself on the candy. Before we arrived home he had thrown his baseball basket to the floor of the car and he didn't ask for candy for quite a while after that. Too much of a good thing can make you sick.

We had a Wonderful Easter Sunday. I, being the only girl in the family, got a new Easter dress. It was white and so I spiced it up a bit by making a green ribbon belt with a big pink flower, I also got a cute new green necklace to match. Here is proof that we all looked really cute. But Easter isn't about looking cute, is it?

No, Easter is about our Savior Jesus Christ! It is a day for us all to remember and celebrate that Christ the Lord is Risen from the Dead. I love my Savior. I am grateful for all he has done for me and all that his gospel brings into my life. I can not express just how much I love him, how much love I feel from him. I celebrate Easter one day a year, but I hope that I remember him and honor him every day.

And, in parting, let me share this last picture. This is how I found J after a nap one day. He isn't in his bed, he had placed all his books and stuffed animals into the crib, then climbed into the crib and slept there himself. My Big J is sometimes jealous of my Baby B. I think this is normal. I am trying my best to make sure that both of my boys understand just how much I love each one of them individually.

Oh, and he also put on a tie, all by himself. Who knew that nap time was a formal occasion?!

Strangers with Knives

A week and a half ago we took Baby B up to Primary Children's Medical Center for his first surgery. He was the Perfect Patient! We were in and out in under 4 hours (closer to 3, If I am remembering right) and all in all it was a pretty good experience, even though I did have to hand my precious baby over to strangers with knives.

So, here's the rundown. We arrived at the hospital and checked in at Same Day Surgery at 7:30 AM. This is because Baby B is little and they didn't want to make him fast for too long. It was interesting to me to see who was there at 7:30, B was the first Baby on the schedule, but there were 4 or 5 other children there prior to him, all of whom seemed to be physically or mentally impaired in some way, it made me happy to know that the hospital considered not only age, but other factors as well, when they schedule surgeries. After waiting for a little while B was Weighed and Measured- would it surprise you to know that we have a healthy, big and tall boy? We were given some hospital jammies to put on him, which he enjoyed.

I call this "Preparing to be Superman", he looks like he can fly, doesn't he?

"Mom, I need to do my crunches!" He kept doing crunches during his pre-surgical physical, the Nurse Practitioner was quite impressed.

I got to dress J in his hospital jammies before his surgery 2 years ago, so Ken got to dress B. He did a good job, don't you think?

So, B was declared healthy enough for surgery, and after a little more waiting he was taken away from us and we went to sit in the parents waiting room. Dr. Hill, the ENT, told us that he would put the tubes in first, then he would take a look at B's adenoids and if they were abnormally large- as he suspected they would be- he would take them out. He believed the whole process would take 30 minutes. He was right. Within 30 minutes he was consulting with us in the waiting room, and we were told that Yes, the adenoids had been taken out. Not much more than 15 minutes later I was ushered into the Post Anesthesia Care Unit where I sat for 5 or 10 minutes with B while he came out from under the anesthesia. He did very well. Compared to my experience with J at this point, B did 1Million times better. He was able to keep his Oxygen levels stable and was sent to Post Op quite Quickly.

We had to stay in Post Op for about an hour, because B had been given Lortab and they wanted to make sure he didn't react badly to it. He was given some clear liquids to drink and he kept them down. In comparison- J threw up 2 or 3 times and we had to keep waiting and trying again. Ken and I came prepared to be vomited on- we had extra clothes for us packed out in the car just in case. B was kind, what a good boy he is. And so after the appropriate amount of time B was released from the hospital and we headed home (via Aunt Deb's house and a party which we attended there while B napped)

Does this look like a boy who has just had surgery? Well, he did!

Thanks to Aunt Deb and Grandma Turner for taking care of J while we were at the hospital. And a special thanks to everyone for all your prayers and support. As I said a little earlier, it is very hard to hand your baby over to strangers with knives, but I feel like I was blessed with comfort and a feeling that everything would work out. And it has.