What Jake's been up to....

I noticed that I haven't posted about Jacob in a while so Today is his day! 

This kid had a great memory! He loves to read fact books and remembers them.  He came to my bathroom to fix his hair and saw a book sitting on my bathtub titled "Elizabeth".   "Is that about Queen Elizabeth?" he asked.  "It is"I replied, she was the Queen of England a long time ago".  "I know.  Shakespeare did all his plays while she was Queen."  How many 9 yr olds know that?

He got a new bike for his birthday and he LOVES being able to ride without his knees knocking into his chin.  His last bike was a gift on his 5th Birthday and he has been riding it without complaint but it was getting a bit small.  His new bike is a nice one!  We cleaned the carpets for a bike shop on trade so Mark picked out a shiny bright blue Trek bike for him.  We have WAY too many goathead sticker plants in our neighborhood so he's already had a couple flat tires but Mark has fixed them right away so he's been able to keep flying.   
He was so excited to get his new glasses this summer right before school started but the excitement has worn off.  I have been asking him every day after school... "Did you wear your glasses at school today?"  His answer was always "Yes!"  I went into the school last week to talk to his teacher about something and my mom instincts made me ask "Has Jacob been wearing his glasses regularly in class?"  The teacher gave me a BLANK STARE and replied, "He has glasses????"    
About 2 weeks ago on a Friday afternoon Jacob came home from school grimacing in pain and said he had an accident on the playground right before it was time to come home.  He was playing on the playground: some game involving stealth and running I am sure, and one boy jumped from the slide above landing on his collarbone and then he slammed into the slide next to him, hitting his collarbone area again.  He told his teacher.  She sent him to the office. They said "It looks like it might be broken, how far is it to your home?" He replied, "Not far" and so she just sent him home.  I was a little upset that they didn't call at least to tell me he was hurt and ask if I wanted to come get him or should he just walk home.  

Mark looked at him and said "yep! It's broken.  I've seen lots of broken collarbones"  We called the doctor, they told us to come right in.  We got there, he was examined and the Dr. Said "yep! it's broken!  Go to the hospital and get x-rays so we know how bad"  We went to the hospital.  He was x-rayed.  We took the x-ray back to the Dr. office. He studied it.  He studied it.  He studied it.  He couldn't see a break.  So Jacob was sent home with a sling and instructions to stay in from recess for the next week.  The Diagnosis: A lot of tissue and ligament damage.  Jacob couldn't even lift his arm above his head.  He didn't change his shirt til Sunday.  It slowly improved and by the Next Friday he was out of the sling and feeling fine.  I said a prayer of Thanksgiving for all the cereal with MILK he eats EVERY DAY! I think this kid has some seriously strong bones. YEA!!!!
Today..... he was not feeling well and stayed home from school.   Sometimes I feel like I'm being had when he acts sick in the morning.  The coughs sound suspiciously forced and the groaning is a bit over done.  Today was different.  He had that look around his eyes; that sunken in, dark-circled look.  He was sneezing and coughing and his stomach felt "Hot" in his words.  He wasn't nauseous so I'm still not sure what that meant but he was definitely uncomfortable.  He even slept for a couple hours after the kids left for school so I KNOW he was sick.  He never sleeps during the day.   He can go to bed later than anyone and pop up earlier than anyone with energy to spare.  He seems to be back to normal tonight so I'm sure he just needed a day of rest to get back on track.  
So.... That's a little of what Jake's been up to.

a Poem for Monday

Recently someone close to me felt that their prayer had not been answered.  She was struggling to not feel betrayed and angry and left alone. I found this poem to share with her.  I thought it was so beautiful and every time I read it I feel more and more connected to the beautiful language and emotion. It's nice to hear someone verbalize so eloquently what I have felt before. I love poetry for that reason. I'd never read anything by Anne Bronte before but I have found several this week of hers that I really like.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

                         The Doubter's prayer    

 -Anne Bronte 

Eternal power of earth and air,
Unseen, yet seen in all around,
Remote, but dwelling everywhere,
Though silent, heard in every sound.
If e'er thine ear in mercy bent
When wretched mortals cried to thee,
And if indeed thy Son was sent
To save lost sinners such as me.

Then hear me now, while kneeling here;
I lift to thee my heart and eye
And all my soul ascends in prayer;
O give me -  give me Faith I cry.

Without some glimmering in my heart,
I could not raise this fervent prayer;
But O a stronger light impart,
And in thy mercy fix it there!

While Faith is with me I am blest;
It turns my darkest night to day;
But while I clasp it to my breast
I often feel it slide away.

Then cold and dark my spirit sinks,
To see my light of life depart,
And every fiend of Hell methinks
Enjoys the anguish of my heart.

What shall I do if all my love,
My hopes, my toil, are cast away,
And if there be no God above
To hear and bless me when I pray?

If this be vain delusion all,
If death be an eternal sleep,
And none can hear my secret call,
Or see the silent tears I weep.

O help me God! for thou alone
Canst my distracted soul relieve;
Forsake it not -- it is thine own,
Though weak yet longing to believe.

O drive these cruel doubts away
And make me know that thou art God;
A Faith that shines by night and day
Will lighten every earthly load.

If I believe that Jesus died
And waking rose to reign above,
Then surely Sorrow, Sin and Pride
Must yield to peace and hope and love.

And all the blessed words he said
Will strength and holy joy impart,
A shield of safety o'er my head,
A spring of comfort in my heart.

Christmas in September

Last saturday was Super saturday. Super-crafty- female-bonding- laughing-someone else cooks me a fabulous lunch- saturday.  

When I was enrichment leader a couple of years ago and in charge of super saturday,  I was floored by how much work it was to organize and prepare for.  About 2 days before the event, I and my hardworking-kindred-spirit co-organizer Judy decided it was TOO much work and next year???? Fuhget about it!   The day came.  We watched everyone enjoy creating their projects.  We watched their smiling faces as they laughed and talked with one another and we were instantly transformed.  "Of Course we'll do this again next year!!!!  Look how much fun everyone had.    OH... It wasn't really all THAT bad was it?"  

I wasn't' in charge this year.  It was nice to just go and enjoy my projects and not be in charge. Judy, my wonderful friend, is STILL in charge and I want to say thank you to her and all the other women who organized and pulled it off so I could go have an enjoyable saturday by myself.  The Relief Society presidency made us lunch.  They recreated Cafe Rio salads.  YUMMY! It was so good.  I made 3 projects and here is one of them.  I actually didn't sign up for this one but it was so cute when I got there and Candace (who supervised & prepared this project) had made a couple extra just in case..... Thanks Candace.  

I love advent "countdown" christmas decorations.  I already have a couple of them and there's one Target has carried the last couple of years and I have decided this year I WILL have it.  That's why I didn't sign up for this one but Candace said she'd like to collect enough to have one for each of her children.  I thought that was a fabulous idea so I signed up right then for her extra one.  

It's made out of a 24 count mini muffin tin.  There is a little decorated cardstock square with magnets on the back that cover each muffincup.  You can put a little card with a scripture or title of a Christmas story to read or a little treat behind the number in the cup.     

Isn't it fun!!!

 This picture is for you Judy.  She gave me a little bamboo plant after the super saturday we put on together as a gift of Thanks for all my hard work.   I just wanted you to see how big it's gotten.  I love it.  Thank you for all you did.  I know it was overwhelming and you do it every year out of pure love for the sisters of our ward.  You are Beautiful!

Shameless plug for Betsy.....

Carly and I both got haircuts last night.  Carly wanted something new and different & SHORT! I was just getting my normal haircut.  I have been going to Betsy for many many years.   She has had 3 children and I have had 4 since she began cutting my hair.   My sister Maury discovered Betsy when she was going to BYU.  She introduced her to Christy (another sister) and I  and 12 years later... here we are!  Whenever Maury or Christy is in town they try to schedule time for a Betsy cut. When we moved from Orem to Brigham City I would drive down every 6 weeks for a haircut til Jacob was born and then it became too overwhelming so no more Betsy cuts for a time.  When I moved back to Orem I was back to Betsy.  she's fun and friendly and she always does such a great job with my hair.  Carly took some pictures she found online, used them to explain what she was looking for to Betsy and voila! Here she is, all stylish and cute.  Carly had a little trouble recreating the look this morning but it'll just take some practice.  She is So Happy with her new haircut.  

So... if you are in the market for a new stylist and you like my hair or Carly's.....

Betsy works part time so you call her at home to schedule  371-8681 and she cuts your hair at "Salon on the avenue" which is on University ave between center street and 100 North on the West side. cost of a cut: $20  She always gets me in quick, usually within 3-4 days of my phone call.  You won't regret it.  She's the best!

Junior High school musical

Move over Sharpay! Get out of the way Troy! We've got our own stars in this house!

The junior high fall play is beginning.  After an excruciating week of callbacks and waiting and wondering we have the cast list!

The play:  Hansel and Gretyl

Carly: The abusive mother who sends her children off into the woods...

Carly is a bit disappointed in this part.  She REALLY REALLY wanted to be the witch because it sounded like lots of fun to be wicked!  Her 2nd choice was the dew princess because she gets to wear a fancy dress.  The drama teacher had her read several times for both of those and Carly thought the witch was a bit out of her league but really thought she might get the dew princess.  When she called me this morning to tell me her part she was genuinely happy, however, because the girl that got the "dew princess" part has tried out for all the plays and either not made it or got very minor parts yet Carly said she is really good.  This girl's family had a tragedy this summer, her mom was killed in a car accident.  Carly is happy her friend will have a chance to have a good part in this play and maybe get away from some of the pain associated with losing her mom.

Rachel:  A gingerbread cookie/village child  (There is a witch turning village children into gingerbread cookies that she can EAT!!)  

Rachel is thrilled to just be part of the play.  I don't think there are too many 7th graders in it so she's "just happy to be there".  I know she'll be a great addition. It will be fun for the girls to do this together.  

The next couple months will be busier and the girls will likely be staying after school til 5ish Tuesday-Friday.  It gets a little stressful staying on top of homework but we can do it.  It will be fun.  As soon as I have play dates I'll post them.  Of course one and all are invited to attend.

Miss fearLESS

Is she not the cutest thing???????

Last week was spirit week for the junior high.  Carly is a 9th grader now and on student council. She loves being on student council.  Monday was sporty day.  Tuesday was Disco day. Wednesday Superhero day.  Thursday (9/11) was National day and Friday was School colors day (blue/silver).  

Being on student council pretty much required participation and she had fun dressing up every day.  The only one she struggled with was disco day. She didnt' have any fabulous ideas and I didnt' have any fabulous ideas , even with "Family Fun" in my hip pocket.  So she went with nada but at school her friends hooked her up with a painted peace sign on her cheek and a headband.  Soo groovy.
My favorite get-up was  superhero day.  She has a bath towel with her name embroidered at the bottom which she has had since she was a preschooler.  It is pink so she dressed to match and pinned her towel on as a cape. She bobby pinned her bangs back & combed her hair into a sleek bun...who wants to have hair in your face whilst saving the world?  She was, in the immortal words of Samantha Grace,  "Like one million cutes!"  

Carly begged and goaded Rachel to dress up too.  ("Pleeeeaaase! you'll make a cute superhero.  pleaaaasssseee!!! come on! you're my sister and I'm in student council! you HAVE to dress up!")  Rachel was gung-ho the night before but the morning of she balked and wouldn't do it.  Reminiscent of her big sister in days gone by.

Let me tell you a little story of evolution.  The Carlybird was once afraid to fly.  She has always had it in her but for a long time she was afraid even to spread her wings lest it cause too much commotion, garner too much attention.  What if my wings are too short? too long? too wide? too colorful? not colorful enough? 

The 7th grade Carlybird was very timid.  She would only wear her hair in ponytails and wear shapeless t-shirts and jeans.  She wanted more but was afraid.  She wanted to try out for the fall play. She stayed after school for tryouts.  She came home in tears.  "I would have to sing in front of all those people.... I couldn't do it momma".  She was terrified.  Spring came.  She decided to try again.  She actually went to the tryouts but was so stiff and uncomfortable she didn't make it. But, she tried.  

The 8th grade Carlybird decided living in the shadows was not making her happy.  She wanted more.  She wanted to see what colors might shine in the sun if she spread her wings a bit.  She gravitated to a new crowd of friends.  These new friends were more outgoing, more of what she wanted to be.  She tried out for the fall play, "Pied Piper".  She MADE IT! She had a small part.  She was the woodcutter's wife.  Her character didn't even have her own name.  She had one line "Do something mayor!" She sang and danced with the other villagers.  She had so much fun.  She tried out midyear for the girl's choir, Bella Voce, and made it. At the end of the year she tried out for the premier boy/girl audition only choir, "Accapella" and made it.  She started fixing her hair and looking like a girly-girl again.  Gone were the ponytails.   Out came a little make-up and some clothes that had some trend, some style.  She was having a good time.  She was becoming. 

On National day (September 11th) she sang The National Anthem, acapella, with another girl at both lunches.  This same girl who came home two years ago in tears at the thought of singing in front of a teacher and a handful of kids trying out for a play is now singing in front of the whole school.  I snuck down to the school to hit the 2nd lunch performance after I dropped Mason off at kindergarten.  I watched her sing.  I watched her shine.  I confess, I got teary thinking of how far she's come.  The best part? She has done it herself.  The 2nd best part?  She wasn't embarrassed that I was there.  She was glad.  She told me several times while I was there and that afternoon after school, "mommy, thanks again for coming to watch me.  It meant a lot to me."

I try not to worry about high school next year.  I know there's the possibility of her pulling back again and starting the process of discovering herself all over again in the new environment she'll be in.  But, I hope that her experiences over the last couple years will give her enough confidence to keep soaring.  UP, UP & AWAAAAY..................

Samantha's new do

Yesterday Samantha got a new haircut.  She went from this.........

To this.........

I asked for an A-line bob.  We went to the Beauty college and it was a trial.  There were moments I thought I might cry.  I had to say "this isn't what I was looking for" several times, and describe what was lacking and what I wanted.  It took about an hour and Samantha was getting restless.  I finally felt I had something I could work with but was worried I would really regret my decision.  But after we got home,  I spent a few minutes with her with my round brush blowdryer, it was adorable.   I'm still not completely happy with the back.  It's not what other people's hair has looked like when they have described it as an A-line bob, but it'll do.  There's just a choppiness to the back that I dont' like but the front is cute and I can live with it and I know...... you get what you pay for.

p.s. for Christy....

Samantha has now inherited the Cheetah faux fur jacket.  She LOVES it and wears it from the minute she wakes up til she's too hot to pretend its' cold enough to wear it.....

That's nice.....

Mark accidentally messed up his computer the other day.  It was a stressful day.  Thank goodness he has the applecare plan with tech support.  He spent ALL day trying to figure out and resolve the problems and restore his computer to proper working order.  He would be on the phone for a long time then work on what they told him, then be on the phone for a long time, then work on what they told him... (repeat sentence 10 more x's and you might have an adequate picture of his day)  

He is so tenacious about focusing on getting a problem solved.  I know myself.  I would spend so much energy ignoring, being annoyed by and trying to work around the problem rather than facing it head on like he does.  He is my inspiration.  He remained fairly patient throughout the day too.  A bonus I wasn't expecting.

When it was all over and he told me he had fixed it I said......

"That's nice"

He looked at me incredulously, raised his eyebrows and countered,

"Nice?!   Nice is having a piece of toast with some real butter on it.  That's nice.

This is incredible!!!!!"

There you have it.  Now you know.  

Toast with REAL butter is NICE.

A working computer, resolved problems,  the universe once again in perfect balance.... That's INCREDIBLE!!

What do you think is nice?

Mark & Jamie would like to announce.......

The Engagement of their son Mason Edwin 

     to

*Ayden*

Daughter of Jeremy & Wendy

This might sound a little sudden.  As you all know, this summer he was planning to marry me.  But 5 yr olds... they can be so fickle.  I only wonder if this will last.  He announced a few weeks ago his choice to move on to younger territory. It's so hard to compete with funloving 3 yr olds. 

They'll be planning a summer wedding 2026.  But just for fun they had a dress rehearsal yesterday.  Their colors were yellow and blue.  Mason Gathered the biggest dandelion bouquet he could and presented it to the little bride.  

He saved one for her hair.  He had a little trouble getting it juust right but Like any adoring bride-to-be, she was a picture of patience with her sweetie-pie.

The bridesmaid threw kix

"Here babe, don't forget your boutonnière."

"Thanks Beautiful! I'd be Lost without you"

As you can see Mason's found himself a take charge woman! They're planning a bicycling tour of the southwest for their honeymoon.  A Tandem bicycle of course! 

A Special song for a Special guy

On Saturday Mark and I attended a banquet and awards ceremony put on by the Boy Scouts of America.  The Silver Beaver award is the highest recognition award for volunteers the Utah National Parks Council gives.  You have to be nominated, approved by the selection committee and have to have served for many years as an exceptional leader to receive this award.  Mark was nominated this year and received the Silver Beaver award.  

It was quite a big deal.  The banquet was held at the Wilkinson Center at BYU.  That was close for us, about a 15 minute drive but there were people that came much further.  There were scouters there from St. George, Manti, Hurricane, Cedar City, Genola, Enoch and more places I've never heard of.

They had a nice program printed up with all of the award recipient's pictures and a little write-up from the people that nominated each honoree.  Mark's read:

"In 2007 Mark took on the responsibility to lead a Kodiak course training Varsity and Venturing aged Scouts.  There were about 70 participants and the course was a great success, changing the lives of many of the youth and youth staff as well as the adult leaders.  Mark teaches Venturing at roundtables and is one of the elite leaders in Scouting today."

Here's a little extra bragging, I mean information, about Mark's scouting experiences:

 

This Kodiak course that Mark ran was the largest that has ever been attempted by one group.  It was a lot of work and was, indeed, a success.

Mark has also served on staff at Woodbadge, a week-long adult leadership course, 5-6 times and will be leading one as course director next summer.  

Mark loves scouting but he didn't always.  He hated it when he was first called as Young Men's president back when Carly and Rachel were small.  1997-1998.  He did not grow up with a strong scouting program when he was a teenager.  He had a break from Young Men's while we lived in Brigham City the next 3 years but the week we moved back to Orem, September 2001, he was called as Young Men's president again.  He has served almost constantly in that position for the last 7 years.  He went from Ward YM president to Stake YM president about a year or so ago.  

When his leaders asked him to get trained in scouting, he didn't hesitate to jump in with both feet even though he was not excited about it.  He always tries to give 100% in his callings.  As he became familiar with the program and went to the training he was asked to go to he developed a love for the scouting program.  He believes in it.  He volunteers more than he has to for his calling because he wants others to become believers too and it takes volunteers to run the program effectively.  Sometimes I have resented the time he spends  with the scouting program.  I try not to but I have at times not understood his devotion.  Over the last couple of years I have begun to understand it more and I AM proud of him and his desire to serve.  

If my man's got to have a hobby.... this is a good one.  

He does not come home drunk from scout meetings.  He does not pick up chicks at scout meetings.  He does not gamble at scout meetings.  He learns, he serves, he helps.  I can live with that.  

After a nice dinner: mashed potatoes, stuffing, pork loin w/cranberry sauce, green beans, salad and a little chocolate tart, Mark & I went to sit in an appointed location with all of the other honorees.  I was his "escort".  In rows we went to the stage where one at a time each honoree and escort walked up on the stage.  As someone read his bio from the program, they gave Mark his framed certificate and hung a silver  beaver medallion on a ribbon around his neck.  They also gave me a tiny silver beaver on a blue ribbon for my support of his service.  I thought that was nice.  We walked off of the stage, took our picture by some flags and then Mark was to sit on a raised platform with all of the other honorees while I was escorted back to my table.  

When all the honorees had received their awards and were sitting on the platform they said a few words about what it means to be a recipient of the Silver Beaver award and then a gentleman who had written a song especially for this occasion sang to them.  I noticed Mark looking over at him, smiling real big, then looking down.  I was quite a distance from him & couldn't see him really clearly to understand his expressions.   The song was a little cheesy and not something I would expect Mark to enjoy so I wondered at his smile.  

The program ended and I met him coming off the platform.  He was still grinning and whispered to me that he was having a very hard time controlling his urge to laugh out loud during the song because all he could think of was this image.......

You know... that's so unusual for Mark to find the silly side of things... He's usually soooo serious!

Almost perfect

Yesterday. On a walk.

(This wasn't like a question to answer however I wanted, it was presented as more of a quiz. He knew the right answer and it was up to me to answer correctly)

Mason: Who's your favorite kid in the whoooole world?

Me: you?

Mason: yep! (pause) .....but.... .not quite.... cuz sometimes I have to go to my room or sit on the stairs so I not quite perfect mom!

This morning at breakfast...

Mason: "So mom, did you name your first baby Dad?"
Me: "what?????"
Mason: "when you had your first baby, did you name him Dad, I mean Mark?"
Me: "Dad is not my baby!!"
Mason: "oh... I thought he was."

Living the HIGH life: part deux

More Fun at the dentist again today with Mason!

We WERE going to do things the same way today as we did them 2 weeks ago.  It all started out according to plan.  Last night I was able to get the nighttime dose of the sleepy stuff down him without too much hassle.  We decided to try mixing it with a little juice to see if it helped it go down better.  BIG MISTAKE!!! It still tasted bad and now it took a lot longer to get quadruple the liquid down him.  He must have drunk about a quart of water washing down each mouthful of medicine.  I really was expecting to wake up to a child who had wet the bed but, happy day, he kept it contained til morning. 

I woke him up, put some socks on him and we drove to the dentist.  I handed over the drugs and a cute little blond dental assistant person mixed them all up and it was time for Mason to cooperate and drink it down.  I said "he does better if we put it in a syringe and squirt it to the back of his throat."  Well she put it in a really big syringe, not the small ones we had used three times before, and tried to squirt too much at once.  I almost asked if I could do it but I'm never assertive enough in these situations. 

He gagged & spit it all over the poor girl.  sticky drippy medicine.  Embarrassed smile, "sorry" I offered.  She smiled too, a small, tight smile that superseded her verbal "It's okay" and assured me it was anything but.  

She left to clean herself up and talk to the Doctor about our "options" at this point.  I grabbed some paper towels, wet them, and cleaned up what I could of the mess on the floor.  She came back.  "I'm just sure he didn't swallow any so we can try another medicine"she said which I'm pretty sure is annoyed tight smile speak for "Just Look at me!!!! I'm drenched in Demerol and it's only 7:24am, can you and your son get a grip so we can try something else!!!!"

The something else was Verced.  The small syringe she brought out held a very small amount and worked quite quickly, within 20 minutes.  We talked to Mason for a few minutes trying to cajole him into being responsive to taking this new medicine.  "Look what a tiny bit you have to swallow!"  "it's red"  "It tastes sweeter than the other medicine"  He wasn't having it.  We finally held him down and while I held his hands and body still she had his head in her lap and forced the syringe in and then squished his lips around the syringe so he couldn't spit it out and held him like that til he swallowed.  Brave girl.  I was impressed she was willing to have another go at him.  And let me tell you He TRIED to spit it out.  He was spitting before she even got the syringe into his mouth.  These trips to the dentist are just racking up the proud mother moments for me.  Oh wait... Dr. Lund said to accentuate the positive.  I need to work on that.  

That Verced did work fast.  We went out to sit on the couch in the waiting room to watch the movie of the morning.  His eyes were drooping and then he got in stubborn drunk idiot mode and insisted on going to play the video games like last time.  He was more stubbornly insistent attitude-wise on Verced but weaker too which was nice.  He really couldn't fight me physically so I could get him to settle back down quite easily.  

When they called us to go back for treatment he was a limp noodle.  I laid him right down on the chair and he had no resistance in him at all.  He would try to talk to me but his words were slurred so badly I could understand very little of what he wanted to say.  His eyes would roll crazily as he looked around and he would grab at nothing in the air.  The dental assistant said "umm.. The Verced has some mild hallucinogenic side effects"  That would explain the grabbing.  He pointed to a teddy bear hanging in the corner "is that dog real?"   "No mason, it's a teddy bear."  A male assistant walked in, Mason's face broke into a smile and he exclaimed with arms thrown open in an airy embrace "DADDY!!!"  The assistant laughed and said "I'm not your dad but you can call me buddy"  

During the numbing injections and drilling and filling last time he settled right down but this time he sobbed throughout the whole thing.  They had warned that the Verced makes them less able to reason situations out in their mind and they are much more emotional.  Sometimes they cry, sometimes they laugh uncontrollably.  Mason definitely went the sad route.  

He cried while they worked. He cried when they finished.   He cried while they made him a yellow sword balloon.  He cried while I wrote the check.  When we got out to the car he stopped crying and asked if we could go to McDonald's right now.  When I said it was still breakfast time, they weren't making hamburgers so we'd have to wait til lunchtime he cried some more.  Halfway home he started waving and yelling "Hi Carly" while looking out his window.  I said "she sees you!  Look, she's waving at you!" and he settled down.  I was really afraid he might try to unbuckle & open the door or something.  He slept for a few hours when we got home and then we went to McDonald's for the promised happy meal.  I didn't send him to school although he was pretty normal by then.  I didn't know how long the emotional side effects would remain.  All a Kindergarten teacher needs is to have a child sobbing uncontrollably over making a crooked "C".   

Dr. Lund sent me out the door with this advice "The Verced has an amnesiac quality as well so he'll only remember what you tell him so please ... Accentuate the positive"  

What's the positive again???? Oh yeah... We're finished!!!!!!!!!!  (and if I can get a hold of some of that Verced for myself who volunteers to tell me a happy story of going to the dentist when I wake up????)

Smells to remember her by

My mom went to Wyoming recently to visit her mom.  My Grandma is in a care center right now and is 99 yrs old.  She always told me she made a deal with Heavenly Father that if he'd allow her to live to be 100,  she'd work as hard as she could on family history.   Whenever Mom and her sisters go visit they work a little at mucking out the house that Grandma loves but is not likely ever to return to and figuring out what to do with all Grandma's "stuff".  How long did Grandma live in that house mom? It must be at least 40-50 years at least.   

Mom called to see if I wanted a plant holder made entirely of shells I brought Grandma from Hawaii when I went to BYU-Hawaii in 1991.  It was nice to be asked but No, I did not.  I did want something of hers however  so I said "if you can, bring me something that will remind me of her, but please, definitely not the indian maiden plates hanging on the wall or the metal peacocks ... but something!"   She brought me the perfect something! A lap-sized blanket crocheted by Grandma in the exact blue of my bedroom walls.  It even smelled like Grandma's house when I got it. Happy memories flooded my mind.  After a few days on the chair in my bedroom I went to smell it again  and it only smelled like fresh air since it's right by our open window.  I was disappointed.  It was foolish to think it would always smell of grandma's house but I really imagined it would.  Like it would hold on to her for me.  

What was that smell anyway? knitting needles, crochet hooks, yarn, Sheafs of geneology research, binders full of grandpa's stories, binders filled with Grandma's life history, cedar shavings, bottled fruit 30 years old, birds, gingersnaps and keebler fudge striped cookies,mugs of hot jell-o on a snowy day,  home-brewed buttermilk, books, books, books, chloroformed butterflies in beautiful gold boxes, herbs, pink cosmos & Hollyhocks, fuschia 4 o'clocks, sun-warmed potting soil in glass terrariums, tiny toads, Black dusty irrigation hoses, someone teaching, someone learning  and love, always love.