Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Yesterday around 11:00 I was loving the 56 degree weather. I had a t shirt and hoodie on and was enjoying the warmth. Around 1:00 things began to change. The wind whipped up and then it started raining. By the time I got home from errands it was snowing like crazy and the temperature had dropped over 20 degrees! Luckily I got home in time to go grab Chase from the bus stop and half of the neighborhood as well. My hopes for spring got a major slap in the face. We woke up to a winter wonderland.

It actually has turned out rather nicely though, since the kids don't have school today. I was a bit worried about what we would do all day. No worries, they are keeping themselves entertained with snowball fights,

snow shoveling,

and snow baseball.

Our poor trees out back were heavy with snow this morning.

The branches were drooping dangerously low so I had Michela go out and whack them with a shovel.

It is still coming down with no end in sight at the moment. I'd say we've gotten at least a good 6" since yesterday. The kids have now moved on to sledding down the back hill. Hopefully this will keep them occupied for a good part of the day. This might mean some time for Mom to get some things done around the house. :)

Snow basketball anyone?

The Defender

Hunter had a fun first season of basketball. He didn't want to play at first but his best friend's Dad convinced him to join the team. I couldn't believe how much he progressed in two months. He greatly improved on his dribbling, blocking, lay ups and the pick and roll.

Hunter is a pretty gentle kid so it was hard for him to be in there with all those aggressive boys, throwing elbows and swatting the ball. Here he is in the thick of it.

After watching him one game I told him to try and be more aggressive. I asked him, "If you were playing against Michela, would you let her take the ball from you?" "No," he replied, "she's mean." So I told him to pretend like he was playing against Michela every game so he wouldn't let those other boys push him around.

Dribbling down the court.

Shooting a Free Throw.

Listening to the Coach.

Hunter and his Best Buddy Adam.

Hunter was given the Best Defensive Player award at the end of the season party.

(It was a swim party, hence the swimsuit.) He grumbled a bit about always having to be the defender. Hunter is one of the tallest kids on the team so he got to hang out under the basket a lot and try to block the ball. To cheer him up I told him in the NBA a lot of guys get paid big money because they are the best defenders. That put a smile on his face. :)

Pinewood Derby Pandemonium

Hunter participated in his first Pinewood Derby last night. He and Mike were so excited to work on his car. Hunter came up with the design and Mike helped him with the power tools. They spent many nights out in the garage working away. Personally I think Mike was a little more into it than Hunter. The end result was this.

I must admit it was one of the coolest looking cars there. The Clone Trooper, not Storm Tropper for all you 80s children like me, was the final touch.

The Pinewood Derby night was crazy! There were 46 scouts there with parents, siblings and even some grandparents. I have to give it up to the Pinewood Derby DJ guy. He brought an awesome track that was all hooked up to the computer and a sound system to keep the party going. It was hilarious watching all the kids crowded around the track. It was amazing that no one got hurt by a car speeding down the track. There were a couple of close calls when some little kids decided to climb onto the track. The funniest thing though, was watching all the dads. Some of those dads were so obsessed. One dad kept lifting up the cars on the table and re-weighing them to make sure they weren't heavier than they should be.

Hunter's car won quite a few of his races but he didn't end up being the fastest of the night. That honor went to some other boys in our ward. It's kind of funny that the 2nd and 3rd spots went to our neighbors who Mike had helped out with their cars. I told Mike to not give away all our secrets! :)

The kids all had a fun night and we made it through all 46 races. Hunter was a little bummed to not be in the top three but if there had been a prize for the car with the most style, he would have definitely won!

Happy Birthday Dear Mikey!

Yesterday Mike had his 38th Birthday! Michela made the funniest card for him. It said he now needed these things; ointment, dentures and glasses. Then it said, oops, that's when you are 68. You're 38? Then you are good to go! Not exact words, but you get her sense of humor. I thought it was pretty clever.
Our friend Ben wanted to throw Mike a little surprise lunch party at Carabbas. I gave him some name ideas and thought that was all I had to do. Turns out Mike decided to take the day off and it was up to me to get him there. He kept throwing me curve balls. First he said he was thinking of going to eat lunch with Chase at his school but I convinced him to go to lunch with me. Then he decides he needs to go into work for a bit and would meet me there. So I call him at work and he says he has decided to eat with Chase instead and he's already at the school. I start to panic but then he starts laughing and says he is just teasing. He ends up coming to the restaurant with everyone from the store, whoops, there goes the surprise. He did end up being surprised though when we arrived and there were some more friends of his waiting inside. It was a fun way to spend his birthday. Thanks Ben and Matt for getting that together.
Last night the kids and I threw him an ice cream party. In our house we love our ice cream. On Monday the kids and I went to Color Me Mine and painted ice cream bowls for all of us. We decided it would be funny to give Mike a huge bowl since he loves treats so much. We pulled out about 5 different kinds of ice cream, a couple of toppings and some big spoons. It was a delicious way to end the day of celebration.Hope you had a fantastic day Mike! We love you!

Go Ahead and Jump On It!

Yesterday the kids were out of school for President's Day. I knew I would go crazy if we stayed home all day and I had to listen to them fighting and screaming. Mindy had suggested Jump On It for a fun place to go. Michela had gone there once for a birthday party but we had never gone back. It seemed like it would be way to expensive to take all the kids. Well I looked on their website and found out they were opening early for the holiday and that on Mondays it is family day so they let your whole family (up to 8 people) in for $20 for an hour of fun. What a great deal! And if you think an hour isn't long enough, believe me, it was just perfect. :)

Aria and I headed over to the little kid zone where she bounced until she dropped. I couldn't resist taking pictures of her with her little ponytail flying up in the air.

Chase got the best of both worlds. He could come in the under 4 ft. zone and go jump with the big kids too. Here he is jumping up a storm. He also went down the slide with Aria.

Hunter and Michela were trying for the big jumps. I love these pictures of Michela. She is a little more daring than Hunter, so she was giving me some great picture opportunities.

I even joined in on the jumping for a little bit. I must admit though, that I had to run to the bathroom twice in the hour we were there. Trampoline jumping and a pregnant bladder do not mix well. :)

I loved the trampolines up on the walls. The kids had fun jumping off a big block to bounce off of the wall tramps. I got some pretty silly pictures of them.

After and hour we were ready to go and get some lunch. Definitely a fun day and we will for sure be coming back for more! Chase already has this place marked for his birthday party in July.

A Sweet Valentine's Day

For me Valentine's Day started with a frantic sewing session trying to finish Aria's valentine's day skirt. I decided to make her a Nie Nie Skirt from Pink Fig Patterns and I didn't give myself enough time to finish it in a timely manner. So me! Luckily I finished it right before it was time to go to church. There was no way I was not finishing it! It turned out so cute! She looked like a little Valentine's Day Flamenco dancer. I got so many compliments. I used all pink and white fabrics and only included one with hearts on it. I wanted her to be able to wear it any day, not just Valentine's Day.

Michela's skirt went together in a flash. I just kind of came up with my own pattern for hers. I loved the pink and brown fabrics and I knew I had to make something that wasn't too ruffly or frilly. Her skirt turned out perfect!

For dinner we went over to Matt and Sara's house. We had a delicious dinner and way too many desserts. What was Peggy thinking when she brought three pans of cinnamon rolls and a red velvet cake! That cake was so good!!! Here is a picture of Aria enjoying the cake.

The sweetest thing about Valentine's day was that Bronson was home and loving it! He was toddling around, he is still a bit wobbly, but what do you expect after being in a bed for like 12 days in a row! He was all smiles and so darn stinkin' cute.

Daynen had to join in on the picture taking, he didn't want to be left out. I didn't get many pictures of the other kids, they were too busy downstairs tearing up the basement. I'm so sorry Matt and Sara!

And the best gift was a beautiful red scarf, handmade by my sister in law Megan. Peggy delivered them to us with a little note from Megan saying she wanted us to have the scarf to wrap around our neck because she wasn't there to wrap her arms around us. Isn't she so sweet?! Here are the ladies in their scarves.

What a lovely day it turned out to be. I actually loved having Valentine's Day on Sunday this year. It let us just have a relaxing day where we could enjoy the company of the ones we love best. That was the sweetest gift I could ask for.

The Lightning Thief

I just took the kids to go see "The LightningThief" today. I was forewarned that there was a little language and a couple of mature scenes before I went. I was afraid that it was going to be a horrible mistake to take the kids, but I'm glad I did. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined. There were a couple of swear words, which they could have done without, and the one scene in Las Vegas shows the kids eating some food which turns out to be mind compelling drugs. There were some mildly scary scenes which had Chase covering his eyes (he is 6 1/2) but he was fine. I had to do a lot of explaining to him about the Greek Gods and Godesses but he seemed to follow it pretty well. I would probably recommend this for kids over 8 or 9 though.
Let me just say that they left out some major parts of the story and added in some of their own ideas. If you are the kind of person who is disappointed if the movie isn't just like the book then you might want to skip the movie. Of course the book is way better, but try and show me a movie that is ever better than the book! I was also disappointed that they decided to make the kids so much older than the books. Book 1 starts out with Percy being like 12 years old. It totally changes the tone of the movie. I would have liked the movie to be aimed more at the age group of the kids who read the books, probably 8-14 years old instead of teenagers.

On it's own though, the movie was a lot of fun! There was plenty of action, it was never dull for a moment, and the characters had great friendships and loyalty towards each other. My kids loved it and on the way home they were fighting over who got to be Percy and who was going to be Grover. Michela is already excited for a sequel and Hunter is ready to dive into the books.

Oh Happy Day!

We have witnessed a miracle! Bronson is now off the ventilator and doing so awesome! After taking him off the sedatives yesterday he started to perk up. He was focusing, tracking things with his eyes, and moving around. The doctors ordered the breathing tube out.

Matt told Mike about Bronson's progress last night. He wanted to play, he was giggling, smiling and crying to get out of his bed when he saw his brothers. They got him out and he was walking!! They couldn't believe that he was back to his old self! The doctors and nurses are amazed. We are all amazed. Thank you so much for all your prayers and loving thoughts. Hopefully this means Bronson will be out of the hospital soon and back to being the fun loving, curious little kid he was. What a blessing this has been. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father and his hand in our lives. What a happy day it is!

Bronson the Wiggle Worm

We had a fabulous visit with Matt, Sara and Bronson last night. We were so thankful to our good friends the Gardaniers for volunteering to watch our kids so we could go up for a visit. Thankfully we got there about ten minutes before visiting hours were over so we got to see Bronson.

He was wide awake and scooting and wiggling around. He was kind of sideways in the crib with some cute little toes sticking out of the bars in the crib. I couldn't help but stroke his sweet little foot. He seemed to love it! He was staring up at the ceiling when I walked in but I noticed when we were standing around the crib talking that his eyes were moving around at the different voices. When a new voice would pop into the conversation his eyes would go in that direction and try to focus on that person for a few seconds. Yeah! Baby steps is all we can ask for right now. His ventilator tube was still in but Sara said he has had a some great breathing tests the last couple of days. Please pray specifically for his lungs to be strong enough to breath on his own. This would be such a big giant leap for him. He would get that horrible tube out of his throat, be able to be moved out of the PICU, and make it so much easier for Matt and Sara to hold their sweet little boy.

We had a great talk with Matt and Sara. And it was so wonderful that Matt and Mike's sister Mindy and her daughter Alyssa where there as well. It felt a little bit like being at Peggy and Larry's for Sunday dinner sitting around the table chatting. We all told Sara how wonderful and inspiring her blog has been to us and so many people. She and Matt are so touched by the outpouring of love and service from so many. They say they can't comprehend all the people who have been touched by their situation, especially so many people they don't even know. They are so happy to see the good that is happening in so many people's lives and families because of their personal tragedy. The inspired stories of people loving a bit more, being more patient, finding a new strength, gaining new perspective and being able to live a better life. What a blessing it has been to so many families to be able to fast and pray for someone who is so real to them and it has made these principles become so much more meaningful. It was also cheering to see Matt and Sara haven't lost their sense of humor. :) There were tears shed last night, but lots of laughs as well. We didn't want to leave, but we knew that we needed to get back to our own children.

I see a new light in their eyes. I see a quiet strength that is much stronger than it was before. I hear testimony that has been strengthened. I see them looking at life through new eyes and appreciating what is most important and not worrying about the small stuff.

I look at my own husband who has been a broken man for much of the week. I felt like he fell apart for a while and didn't know what to do. He has taken this so hard and he hates not being able to step in and figure out how to put the pieces back together again. The big brother in him wants to make it all better for his brother. I felt a bit alone when this all started because I was so heavy hearted but at the same time I knew I had my own family to take care of at the same time. We both couldn't fall apart, someone had to make sure the kids were fed and the laundry got done. It's been a hard week watching him deal with this. But I have felt the spirit so strongly in our house as our family prayers have become more frequent and more meaningful. I have been lifted by the snippets of conversation I have overheard when he is talking on the phone with his Dad and the sight of him on his knees in prayer. I love hearing about the "morning side" devotionals they have down at the carpet store. Mike is so thankful for a job environment where they can all come together and say a prayer when needed.

I was so thankful to be able to hold Aria in my arms last night when we got back from the hospital. I pray that Sara will be able to do that with Bronson soon. I was surprised at my patience this morning with Chase as he went through his usual struggle to get up in the morning and get ready in time to go to school. I was surprised by my change in attitude from my usual annoyance to my desire to help him, speaking softly and helping him get dressed. I am not happy that Bronson has to go through this hard trial in life but I am thankful for the opportunities it has given me and so many other people to draw closer to the Lord and to look at things with a new perspective. Keep praying for Bronson, he still has a long road ahead of him!

It's a ....

I went in for my ultrasound today. I was totally nervous just praying for a healthy baby. The kids were mostly voting for a baby boy but Aria was convinced it was a girl. On the way there "All American Girl" by Carrie Underwood was playing on the radio and I was wondering if that was a sign.

Well it turns out our little peanut is going to be a girl! The technician got a very good look and was very sure she is a girl. I was just hoping for everything to look alright. Ten fingers, ten toes.. check. Two arms, two legs... check. Heart is beating, all four chambers can be seen... check. Two kidneys, stomach looks good... check. Spine looks good... check. Brain measurements look good... check. Palate looks good... check. With each measurement and inspection of all her organs and parts I breathed a little sigh of relief. I was excited about the girl part but most excited to learn that she was developing as she should. I always get so worried right before each ultrasound. After having four beautiful healthy children I thought I shouldn't push my luck any further and that we should be done. I guess someone had other plans for us and I was so afraid that we wouldn't be so lucky this time. So thankful she looks fantastic and now I can ease off on the worrying so much.

Now Mike can breath a sigh of relief because he won't have to repaint the nursery and I loved Aria's bedding so much I won't have to sew any new bedding! It will be pretty fun having another little princess around the house. Aria is already getting excited about having a little friend to play dress up with.