Thankful

Today has been an absolutely WONDERFUL holiday.

I spent the morning making pies. I was in charge of assigning people the things to bring, and didn't have many people for making pies, so I volunteered myself. I told my mom that I would make the cream pies (banana, coconut and lemon meringue). I baked the shells yesterday and then went to work this morning making the filling. I had never made a meringue before, so whipping up the egg whites got to me. I didn't realize that it took SO long to whip them when you have a little ol' hand mixer. After a VERY long time, I finally had my stiff peaks, and I baked them. Oh, my GOSH!! They were SO SO SO yummy.

I also volunteered to pick up my grandpa from the assisted living center and bring him to my mom's house. This was a chore.

Grandpa will go for a long time, having good days where he remembers and then he'll have bad days....today was a bad one. He spent the morning calling my aunt (one of 4 phone numbers that he remembers) to see when he was going to be picked up. She reassured him that someone would get him and that he wasn't forgotten. Then she called my mom who called me. When mom called me, I'd JUST finished my food preparations (I also made a salad and dug out a can of cranberry sauce....) and finished my shower. I promised her that I would be leaving the house shortly.

I left my boys in the suburban while I went in to find Grandpa. I had fully expected to find him in the front lobby waiting impatiently. When I entered...he wasn't there. I went to his room and found him napping on his bed.

SERIOUSLY!?

So I told him that we were going to Thanksgiving Dinner and that he would probably need his jacket because it was cool outside. He then told me that he probably didn't have one there, because he didn't live there all the time.

Um, okay?

I finally got him ready, then we slowly (and I DO mean SLOWLY) sauntered down the hallway. I told him that I would check him out at the front desk and meet him at the doors. He tried banging the doors open, but there's a code to open them (dang good thing...) I got him in the car and then he asked, "Are you going to pick up mom now?"

*Sigh* These are the moments it's hard to have a grandpa with a memory problem....

I told him, "Grandpa, Grandma died 3 years ago now. You don't live with her..." My boys, in the back seat, chimed in: Cameron said, "She's in heaven, Grandpa." Jake said, "She's in a hole in the ground."

Things were silent after that.

Soon enough we were at my mom's house, and I took in the food and then sat down to rest. My cousins and aunts soon arrived and the house was busy and full of happy noises. The kids were begging to go outside to play and the adults sat around and talked. My mom had miscalculated the time the turkey would take, so we waited an extra hour for dinner to be ready. Unfortunately, Steve had to hurry off to work, but did manage to get his food before going to work. He also took a few plates of food with him to share with his employees.

After dinner, we were all beyond stuffed, and sat and talked. I got to talk with my two female cousins who showed up. It was so fun to just sit and talk and laugh. I wish I could do that MORE often.

We ate our pie, and then it was time to go home. My grandpa had been having a VERY rough day and was in and out of the bathrooms the WHOLE time. (I swear, when he was supposed to be eating, he was in the bathroom 10 times.) He'd had an accident, and it was TIME to take him home. I didn't let him sit (it's hard to get him up off of a chair if he DOES sit...) and herded him to the suburban. I put a towel around my seat, so he wouldn't make a mess....and then I opened the door so he could get in.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't raise his leg to get in, he couldn't put his feet on the running board to get IN the car, he couldn't do it. I stood behind him, knowing that he was wet and gross, and thinking, "This is taking WAY too long....should I just push him in and wash my hands later?" I resisted the urge, and after 6 minutes of struggle, went into my mom's house for a step stool. By the time I got back out to the car...he'd managed to get in. *sigh*

I took him home, and on the way he said, "Now, remember, I need to go home." I looked at him and said, "Oh, don't worry, I remember." As I pulled into the assisted living center, he began to complain, "I don't live here....why are we here!?" "You live here, Grandpa." "I DO NOT!" "Grandpa, you've lived here for about 3 years now....I promise." "You have GOT to be kidding me!" "Why would I kid you about something like this?? Is this funny!?"

I parked the car outside the closest door to his room, and he asked, "So, do you want me to stay here until I will be dropped off?" "Nope, you are being dropped here."

I helped him in, and he feebly made his way in the door. I had to hold his hand as he walked the 20 feet to his room....then he collapsed on his couch.

As I left him I worried that he would follow and ask me more of the same questions. It's hard to tell him over and over that his wife is dead and that he doesn't remember it. I think I told him that at LEAST 5 times today. It's hard to leave him in an assisted living center when I know that he'd rather be in his own home. It's hard to hear him talk about driving himself around, then telling him that no, he can't drive, and that he really can't do much of anything.

Dementia/Alzheimer's is rough on the family as much as it is on the person who is suffering from it. I just want to cry after visiting him when he's had a bad day. I think he's beginning to forget the simple things now. (How to climb into a car.....) It's just sad all around.

I have to say though, I am grateful for my family and the love we have....and the memories we make.

Summer's Last Hurrah!!

Every Labor Day weekend, my family goes camping. It's kind of our own little family reunion of sorts. All of my aunts and uncles from my dad's side (well, with a FEW exceptions) goes hunting and camping on Labor Day weekend. We look forward to it every year.

A few years ago (when Jake was a baby) I was camping alone with my boys. I was trying to zip up our tent (the zipper was broken) and looked out to see a coyote just a FOOT away from my face. I screamed to scare the beast away and ended up scarring Cameron for life. The boy will NEVER forget the night we saw a coyote.

We almost double the size of the little city we camp at, but they love it.

This weekend will be our last summer hurrah. We won't be able to go camping after this....unless we want to freeze our buns off. We are going to eat SUPER yummy food (dutch oven ribs, chicken, cobbler...) and we'll laugh and have a good time.

The highlight of the trip for my boys is going shopping in Salmon. We hit up Kings and Alco and find some obnoxious or cool finds. The boys have already discussed what they HOPE to find.

All in all, it should be tons of fun. Enjoy your last little bit of summer before autumn really sets in. (And I get REALLY happy for the cool air and the pretty colors.)

Ever Have One of Those Sundays??

Do you ever have one of those Sundays where EVERYTHING you hear at church seems directed at you? Every prayer, every talk, every lesson seems applicable to YOUR life? This was my Sunday.

Sacrament Meeting went well. Lately I've tried to make a conscious effort to concentrate on the Savior during the passing of the sacrament, and today, it just totally slipped my mind. When the deacons were returning the water trays, I remember thinking to myself, "Wait! I forgot! Can I have a do-over?"

Once the speakers started, I DID get my do-over. The first speaker talked about being Christ's hands and responding quickly to promptings. He talked about how we say our prayers praying for someone to help us and they come and DO help us, why can't we be the answer to someone else's prayer?

Then our choir sang one of my favorite songs, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." I sang with the choir, and before going up I warned my boys to be good....Jake followed us up onto the stand and then stood at the front and peeked over the edge. Nice, my son is the ward's entertainment.

The second talk was about forgiveness. I come from a long line of grudge holders, and have perfected this trait myself. In fact, I've been struggling lately, but I haven't really mentioned it here, but I will now, because I need some help and perspective to get past it.

About a month ago, on one of our many Family Home Evenings, I had a blow up with my step-grandma. She is constantly telling me what to do, and treating me like a little kid. She's not very nice about it, and acts like she's my mom and I'm an incapable child. Well, that night, she tried to tell me something (at the same time that my own mother was telling me the SAME thing) and I got frustrated. I've held in my true feelings for years. And unfortunately, I blew up. I yelled and screamed and basically acted like a baby. I told her that I was an adult, and that I did NOT need her to tell me what to do. I can take care of my own family and she didn't need to get in the middle of it.

Now, the message is one that she might need to hear (since she is a butt-insky and is always trying to micromanage everyone around her....) but my presentation was HORRIBLE! I felt terrible. I wanted to apologize to her for yelling, but not for my message. So after consulting with some friends, I decided to email her my apology, but tell her that I will not put up with her treatment of me anymore. I meant what I said, but that I felt bad about yelling and acting like a little kid.

That was the single most SCARIEST moment of my life. I did NOT want to hurt her feelings, but I felt like I needed to stand up for myself and let her know where I stood. A week went by...she had not responded. I felt like things were going to be okay, and she was just going to let this blow over. I was relieved that we were "okay."

Unfortunately that is NOT how it ended. By the end of the week she had sent me a very nasty email saying that I was a horrible mother and wife and that she needed to tell me what to do because I was so incapable of doing it on my own.

I was hurt and angry. (Truth be told, I'm STILL hurt and angry.)

I have not seen NOR spoken to her since then.....it's very odd, and I have guilt that she is keeping herself from the rest of my family because of me.

When I heard the forgiveness talk today I KNEW that it was Heavenly Father's way of telling me that it is time to forgive her and move on. I just don't know how....it's so hard to forgive someone who refuses to forgive me (yes, in the email she told me that she will NEVER forgive me....) and someone who treats me and my family so badly. (I've been thinking over and over at how she treats my sweet Cameron....and it brings Mama Bear out EVERY time.) Someone told me that I need to let go and stop stewing over her, especially when I haven't seen her or talked to her in such a long time. That it is Satan trying to get me into his nets.

I admit that I should, but I am SO good at holding grudges. I mean, I'm amazing at holding grudges.

All through his talk I felt the Spirit tell me, "You need to forgive her. Forgiveness will make you feel so much better and you know it."

I know I do, and so in the middle of that talk, I said a small prayer that I will be able to find a way to forgive her.

Sunday School was great as well. The teacher spoke of parables and how we need to change ourselves to be receptive to truths. (Hello, I must need to do a lot of changing, because forgiveness is one of my weaknesses....)

Relief Society was probably the place where I was touched the most. I will tell you, I love my ward. LOVE them. And I've been trying to sit in different parts of the room to get to know every body and to switch things up. I sat by one of my favorite people and settled in to enjoy the lesson. Our opening song was "As Sisters in Zion." Again, a hymn that I love and that means SO much to me. I didn't have a book, so I felt the power of the words coming through my heart. It was very special.

Then the lesson was about Charity. This is something I wish I had a better grasp of. Charity is something I wish that I had for everyone, but I've been learning that I am very judgmental and I don't love everyone the same way Christ does. I've been trying to change. It's started a while ago with my younger brother, who has made so many wrong choices. One day I commented that something he loves is for "weird people" and he chastened me by saying "no, it's for people who are judged...." I have been quick to judge first and not to love as quickly. I've tried to change this about myself, and can truly feel stronger love for my brother.

During the lesson today I realized, "Charity is the answer to your forgiveness.... You need to learn to love your step-grandma the way that Christ does. Not only do you need to find Charity in your heart for her, but you need to share this love with your husband and children. They are the ones who are most deserving of your love and understanding. Treat them ALL better and you will be happier."

I spent the remainder of the lesson in tears and being chastened by the Spirit. (The teacher didn't make the lesson out to be one where you feel bad, in fact, she did an amazing job! I just took the truths she was teaching and applied them to my situations.) The closing hymn in Relief Society was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's version of "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus." As I think back to that song, I'm tearing up. It was beautiful and so true....we need to" love one another as Jesus loves [us]. Try to show kindness in all that [we] do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, for these are the things Jesus taught." It shouldn't be so hard, it should be simple and easy to follow in his footsteps.

I've tried applying these lessons into dealing with my children, and while I have fallen a few times (yes, I've failed a few times in the last few hours since church...) things are going SO well. My boys aren't going to turn to me immediately, but I believe that if I love them with the "pure love of Christ" then things will be better and I will be happier.

The best part of the day came after the closing prayer. My favorite lady, that I sat by, leaned over and said to me (while the tears were pouring down my cheeks...) "I want you to know, that whenever people mention 'Dawnyel,' I hear nothing but good things. You are so sweet and we all just love having you here." Could there not be a better way to end the day?

So many lessons learned in such a short amount of time. It's been a fantastic Sunday.

Fun Family Home Evening Ideas

Tonight we had a fantastic Relief Society meeting with ideas for Family Home Evenings. It was so fun and FULL of wonderful ideas. I want to remember, so I'm going to share a few.

• Repentance: Have the family sit in a circle around a big bowl. Make sure they're sitting on a hard, easy to clean floor. Tell them the rules of this game are that they can pick what they want out of the bowl, if they want, but they cannot look up or they're out. Slowly drop pieces of candy into the bowl above the family. Start throwing more and more until it's a frenzy, then drop an uncooked egg. Once everyone is covered with egg, talk about how we can think we're doing something that's innocent, but can turn bad. Then wash the egg off and talk about how we can be clean again after we repent.
• Write family histories...especially good to have OUR parents write theirs. Include pictures.
• Use the Gospel Art Picture Book or Kit and tell stories from the pictures. Kids can do this really well.
• Make Family Home Evening fun and not a time for lectures. One of my favorite stories of the night, the mom was frustrated with the family leaving food, garbage, clothes all over the house, so she hid chocolate balls in one daughter's sock drawer, popcorn in another daughter's closet. That night she exaggerated making a mess finding the candy and popcorn....throwing the socks in a comical manner, then in the 3rd daughter's room, she said how warm she was and took her sweatshirt, socks and boots off, throwing them all over the room. After the rooms were sufficiently messed up. The mom asked, "When you're at school, do you drop stuff on the floor and expect your teacher to pick it up?" "Do you leave your garbage all over the lunchroom table?" "Why do you treat our house this way?" It was a good respect lesson, and not a lecture.
• Memorize the Proclamation to the World.
• Write your own Family Proclamation with goals you have as a family.
• Involve children in sharing and teaching the lesson. (This is where I struggle, personally...) It doesn't matter what they teach, as long as they feel excitement for the lesson and a sense of responsibility.

There was SO much more, but this was the few things that I truly appreciated.

I'm An Auntie Again!!

After a long time of waiting, Logan Eric made his debut into the world September 13th at 6:17 pm. He weighed 7 pounds and was 19 inches long.

I've yet to see him in person, but he's freakin' ADORABLE!

Congrats to my little sister and her family.

Camping in a Hole

We decided to have our own little camping trip this weekend. Steve's family was going to have a barbecue, and we thought it would be nice to camp while Steve had the time off. Packing was a nightmare. Usually we go camping with my parents, who have a HUGE RV, and this time we had to take it ALL with us in our itty-bitty car. (Have I mentioned on here that the van is out of commission for a while? It's drivable for short distances, but anything longer than a mile away makes me leery.) We used the car-topper, and managed to fit it all snugly in the car. Thank goodness we were only doing ONE night...more than that and we might not have fit it all in.

Steve's brother found us a nice little campground, but it was windy, dusty and FILLED with earwigs. *Shudder* The boys had fun and we saw wildlife. On my way back from the outhouse (in the dark) I saw a deer. It looked at me, did a double take, then ran off. It was cool, but kinda creepy.

Then we had a fun barbecue with the family. It was a lot of fun. Jake and Cameron played with their cousin (who likes to play rough, and they're not used to it...) and I had some good conversations with the family.

We're sad it's over so soon, but glad to be home as well. It was an adventure....in earwigs. Did I mention those things were EVERYWHERE?! For example, we have a nice tent. On each of the 4 corners there is a little thing that holds up the poles. We took the tent down and had to shake out the corners and had HUNDREDS of earwigs come out. Seriously GROSS!! Then when we were at my brother-in-law's house and pulled out our lawn chairs THEY were covered with earwigs. SO SO SO gross!!

Glad to be home, earwig free. *fingers crossed*

Home Again, Home Again

Tonight my little brother returned home from his mission. It was a LONG two years and he hasn't changed much, but things here have.

He was supposed to fly home around 6:00 pm, but because Hong Kong delayed his flight for two hours, he missed both of his connecting flights and had to wait for stand-by seats. THANKFULLY he was able to come home tonight still, but not until 10:30.

As soon as he stepped through the doors, his first words to us were: "I'm FREEZING!" This is from the man who is now used to 88 degree weather ALL the time. So I grabbed my levi quilt for him and he said it helped.

Cameron is the most excited about him being home...they were like brothers.

I'm glad he's home! I just don't know how long he'll stick around. Oh, well, such is life, right?

More Kid Funnies

My family reunion is starting up. I'm SO excited. I absolutely LOVE hanging out with my cousins and their kids...it's just so fun.

Anyway, last night we had our "pre-family reunion activity." We hung a sheet in my grandpa's backyard, and watched a movie. It really was fun, but a little rough on kids who are early to bed, early to rise...

My cousin's son, Jakeb, has adopted me and Steve. He's super cute, and very much a little 3 year old boy. Last night he kept pointing to me and telling his mom, "I like her!" (How could I pass this little guy by?) So when he begged to sit on my lap, I had to let him....just had to, I was wrapped around his chubby little fingers.

While we were watching the movie, he began rubbing my boob. Then he announced, "You have BOOBS!"

"Yes, I do..."

(Giggling on the inside...)

And one more....I can't resist these funny kids that I live around.

I walked Cameron to his therapy yesterday, which means the boys had to walk too. Cam didn't have a bit of a problem, he's a good kid. Jake, however, isn't used to the long walks. He kept standing in front of me saying, "Cay-ye me! Cay-ye me!" (In case you don't speak toddler, that's "carry me.")

I told him that he was a big boy, and look, Cameron is walking...you can walk too. He agreed, and would walk along, until he got tired again.

Eventually we made it to the building, and we dropped him off. Cameron's getting to that age where mom telling him that she loves him and will miss him is SOOOOOOO embarrassing, so he usually takes off pretty quickly.

After we'd been abandoned, I took Jake out the door, and began our short walk home. He looked around for a bit, and began to crumble, literally, on the sidewalk. "CAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMEROOOOOOONNN!N!!!!"

I lifted him, not wanting him to hurt himself, and said, "He's at therapy, we need to go home. Don't worry, we'll come back for him..." Jake's wails were picking up speed.

Then I got an idea.

"Jake, do you want to go home and watch a movie?"

"NO!"

"You mean, you don't want any popcorn?"

"Co-corn??" There were no complaints for the rest of the walk home, in fact, he was almost dragging ME home.

SacTown and Me

I just returned from a fun-filled trip to Sacramento with my family. Unfortunately Steve had to work, so he couldn't go (I missed him SO much, so did the boys!) I rode with my parents and brothers in their RV. I tend to get car sick, so on the long ride there and back I took some Dramamine. Good thing it was the non-drowsy stuff...I slept a LOT!

The drive there was good, although, I got tired of watching my brothers playing a video game that is a LOT like Monopoly, long and boring, all the way through Nevada....BOTH ways. I did manage to get them to agree to watch movies a few times, which helped keep my little boys from going insane.

I was a little bummed that we came through Donner's pass at night, it smelled great, but I didn't see much. Thankfully, on the way back, I got to see how truly beautiful the Sierra Nevada mountains are. SO pretty, with such WINDY roads. Windy to the extent of nauseating....Jake puked, but only on the windy roads in the mountains.

When we finally got to my uncle's trailer park (we were going to park the RV in an RV storage area in his trailer park...) it was WAY late, and we were all exhausted. We chatted with my cousins, who were THRILLED to see us in their hometown instead of visiting US. That night, I crashed, but only so far....I had to share the one extra bed in the RV with Cameron AND Jake...let's just summarize by saying that there was much kicking and crying.

The next day my cousin, Jara, took us on a tour of the town. We went to the grocery store that my uncle and cousins work at, because the boarder guys confiscated our cherries. :( We needed more fruit. We also learned why it's not such a good idea to go shopping on an empty stomach....we bought a LOT of food. A LOT!! Then we went to see the Sacramento Temple. SO pretty, but I was dying in the heat. I immediately found a shaded area, and then we walked around a bit. It reminded me a LOT of the Snowflake Arizona temple. There were even a few lizards running around. After the temple, we went to have a picnic by the Sacramento River. The picnic was great, the walk to the river, exhausting. I now know why I do not like the heat. It wears me out and I do NOTHING! It was pretty bad. The boys played in the river for a bit, then we decided to get swimming suits for those of us who didn't pack them, and swim in a REAL pool. After visiting several stores, we were set, and went back to the trailer park to swim in the community pool.

Jake loved the water, did not want to get out...at all, and thought he could swim. Cameron stuck to the shallow end, the wall, or grabbed onto someone he knew wouldn't throw him into the deep water. After cooling off, we headed back to the RV to nap. Then we ate dinner and decided to get some free frozen yogurt at Pinkberry. The line was LONG, but we entertained ourselves. Plus, the staff brought out itty bitty cups of free samples. We each got our cups and ate them quickly, then we went back...for sleep. By the time we got back, it was nearly midnight.

The next day we KNEW we had to try In and Out....SO SO SO good. After most of us were finished eating, I noticed Cam hadn't TOUCHED his burger. That's not like him, he LOVES burgers, but he didn't even take a bite. He said he wasn't hungry, and we gave him the same lecture we usually give him, "If you're hungry later, don't bother asking us for more food, you have lunch, and if you are really hungry, you'll eat now...." Soon after that, while we were talking, Cam got sick....ALL over the ground. I pointed him toward a bush that ended up getting a taste of Cam's breakfast. My cousin, Michael Kyle, was FASCINATED by the barf, he kept analyzing it. There was a table of missionaries (3 sets, so 6 missionaries) and they were totally grossed out. Soon after Cam's incident, we left. We went back to the trailer park to rest and swim (but when we realized how soon we'd have to leave for the wedding rehearsal, we decided not to swim). Right as we were getting ready to get into cars to leave, Cam got sick again. My dad, a SAINT, volunteered to stay and take care of Cameron while we left. I am so glad he did that for me. Cam was sick a few more times that night....poor kid.

We rode with my cousins to down town Sacramento, and to the park for the wedding practice. We were warm, but it wasn't TOO bad in the shade. Then we went out to eat at Golden Corral. I had only ever been to one a long time ago, and was NOT that impressed....I sit here, a changed woman. I was very impressed and happy with the food and the results. I also got to meet up with my cousin, Lance, who I haven't seen for YEARS. I kept trying to talk to his youngest daughter, but she kept giving me a look that said, "Who are you? Why are you talking to me? I don't KNOW you!" Eventually she warmed up to me, but his other kids were very open and talkative the whole time. After dinner, I rode with Jara and my brother and Jake. We went to Jara's house for something, then we stopped to get some Gatorade for Cameron. I wanted to get some Otter-pops too, but they were out. Then we went back to Jara's house to meet her roommate. We finally got back to the trailer park around midnight. Yet another late night for Jake.

Saturday dawned bright and HOT! We went swimming, enjoying the cool pool, but by the time we walked back to the RV, we were hot and sweating again. I cleaned up the boys, then myself, ate lunch, and waited to go to the wedding.

At first we weren't going to take the RV, but then we were, then they changed their minds 3 or 4 times. Finally, we were going, IN the RV. My dad was going to drop us off by the reception center, and find a parking spot. We couldn't open the RV's door. It was stuck. We had my brother open the door for us (he rode with Uncle Mike, so he wasn't in the RV with the rest of us.) After walking the dogs around, and trying to open the hard-to-open-door, my dad gave up. Before the wedding started my parents called a lock smith to help them open the door. The wedding was beautiful, hot and sweltering, but nice. I sat close to the front, so I heard everything, but they didn't talk loud enough for everyone else to hear. After the wedding, my dad went to meet up with the lock smith, while the rest of us talked and went to the reception center. It was MUCH cooler there, plus there was food. After an hour or so, my dad and brother came back from the RV. The door was completely broken, and needed a total overhaul, so they broke the latch on the window and hoisted someone in to open the door from the inside. The reception was fun, but began to get warm. We left late, and tried to follow the directions given to us to get back to the trailer park. We missed our turn-off and ended up on the freeway to Los Angeles. My brother has GPS on his cell phone, and using that, we got back. As we were about to get off the interstate, there was a loud bang and clang. The side-mirror fell off the RV. To say that my dad was in a good mood would be a HUGE lie, to say that he was mildly grumpy would be better, but to say he was tired, and ready to be done would be completely accurate. We parked in the RV storage, in a different spot, not one meant to be parked in, but we didn't care, it was late, and we were all done.

My younger brother, who had been sleeping at the newlywed's home, decided to not stay there on their wedding night, so he slept on the floor of the RV. Early (or late) he began to be sick. Thankfully, he was VERY quiet, and I didn't get TOO grossed out. He continued to be sick the rest of the night and all through the day yesterday. Right before we were leaving, my dad, the driver, got sick as well. Thankfully, he controlled it and was fine for the rest of the trip. I know he was nauseous, but he managed to survive.

On the way home, we again watched movies and the same boring video game for HOURS and HOURS! It was a very long drive, but we made it home, safely and soundly.

I had such a blast, especially seeing my cousins and uncle and aunt (who I haven't seen since I was 15 or 16). I will miss them for our big family reunion this week.....but that also means I have MORE family to see and talk to soon!

As a side note: I DID take a LOT of pictures, but they're all on my mom's camera, and her memory card is an HD card, so I will get the pictures when I can.

Making Memories

We made a semi-emergency trip this last weekend to visit Steve's grandparents and aunts and uncles. The main concern was his grandpa, who has been active and full of life for YEARS, has recently decided that he wants to be done. Once we heard that, we made plans to visit him before he really WAS done.

We took Steve's dad with us, caravaned with his brother's family and we were off. The first day we were in town, Grandpa had just gotten out of surgery. He hasn't been able to eat much, so they installed a feeding tube. He was very weak from the surgery, so we decided to visit on Saturday. And after many wrong turns we eventually found our way to cousin David's house (a BEAUTIFUL, new, HUGE home.) We found out that Grandma wanted to get together with everyone for dinner, so we hurriedly unpacked and we were off. We had a VERY enjoyable evening with the family, just laughing and catching up. (I fell in love with Steve's family all over again, they're all SO wonderful and fun!) After dinner, we made simple plans for the next day to at LEAST visit Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda's house so that the boys could see their horses, then we went back to David's house to put the boys to bed and to talk with cousins.

That night we slept above David's garage, in his "bonus room." It was a VERY large room, but part-way through the night it got VERY cold. I wouldn't have worried about it if Jake hadn't been trying to get comfortable by wandering the room and sleeping in the middle of the floor. I kept finding him in a different place, so I grabbed the boy and had him sleep with me. It was fine for him, but I didn't sleep very well. Because of the wandering sleep, I've learned that the boy will most DEFINITELY need to be in a crib for a LONG time.

The next morning we woke up to the smell of pancakes. Steve's cousin, who is a newlywed, and a busy guy to boot, had made us breakfast. After eating, we made our way to the hospital. It was a very new facility, and we learned that they have pretty strict security. Visitors are required to sign in and wear a badge. After finding out where Grandpa was and signing in, we went upstairs to visit. He was happy to see us, but pretty groggy. We wanted to get some pictures with him, but he started getting agitated because his hair wasn't combed. I went in search of a comb for him, but couldn't find one. Luckily, Steve's dad had one and I combed his hair, but he also continued to get agitated and anxious. He had a panic attack because we had overwhelmed him.

We were asked to leave (by Grandma and Uncle Dick) and we went to the waiting room. While waiting for news from Uncle Dick about what was going on, a friend of mine came in. I was surprised to see her, because we live in the SAME town, and for her to be in the same hospital was QUITE a little miracle. Her mom wasn't doing very well, so I just gave her lots of hugs and tried to tell her of my sadness for her. We talked for a little while, until Uncle Dick came back. He invited us to have dinner at his house that night, and said he'd meet us back at the hospital that evening to lead us there. I said good-bye to my friend, and then we went in search of lunch. Once outside, we learned how wonderful the weather was. We all stripped off our jackets and just enjoyed the nice, WARM weather.

We decided to try a restaurant that we don't have in our town, and I've heard how wonderful the Cheesecake Factory was for a very long time, so we went there. Once we were seated, we had sticker-shock. But we figured we might as well give it a try. We learned that even though the prices are big, the food is just as big, and JUST as yummy. After filling our faces, we then went to visit the horses.

Once we got to Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda's house we relaxed a bit, took a tour of their remodel (due to a flooded house) and visited the horses. The boys were ENTHRALLED by the horses, which are ponies, and Jake loved them....UNTIL they made BIG horse noises. He was afraid to go near them. After visiting the horses, we played in the backyard until we needed to go to the store to stock up on a few things. We hugged them and promised to see them later (Uncle Dick had invited EVERYONE to his house) and we went to the store.

After the store, it was time to meet back at the hospital. We signed in and went to visit Grandpa, but Grandma waved us back. Apparently, they'd tried to feed him through the tube for the first time, and then he took a walk...that was just too much for him. He was very sick and wasn't up for visitors. We understood, peeked our heads in, told him that we loved him, then headed back to the waiting room. It was then that I noticed Jake was walking funny. His legs were FAR apart and he was slightly squatting. OH MY GOSH! I had forgotten to change the kid's diaper ALL day long! I noticed wet spots on the sides of his legs by the diaper, and told Steve that I was going to the car to change Jake, but I'd be back.

I took the boy outside, changed him, and then his pants, then we were back inside, checking BACK in. As soon as I filled out the sheet, I heard familiar voices, the family was coming back down the hallway. The family was coming out. I signed back out. (In and out at 5:00....kinda funny!) Then we left to eat dinner.

Uncle Dick REALLY outdid himself. He had h'ordeuvres, lasagna, salad, ham, hot dogs (for the boys), cheese sticks, onion rings, and ice cream and cookies for dessert. His little house (I DO mean little) was filled to capacity (there were 17 of us) and we all laughed again and talked some more. I got to talk more with Grandma, who is SUCH a cute and sweet woman, then I tried to keep the boys entertained while Steve played pinochle with his family. I noticed that Steve's dad was ASLEEP on the couch, and asked him if he was ready for bed, and he said he was. So I told Steve that we needed to go put the boys to bed, all three of them. He wanted to stay and play, so he talked to his cousin and they said they could give him a ride home, and I took the guys and we left. That car ride was something I don't think I'll EVER forget. Steve's dad has never really said much to me, ever. He doesn't say much to Steve either, so I just figured he was a quiet guy. That night, I turned off the radio, because I didn't think he'd appreciate my country music, and that man just opened up. He told me all sorts of stories: about how he decided to give up drinking, how he had worked as a janitor for over 40 years, his youth....anything and everything. I wished I could have taken notes. After a quick stop at the store, we went back to the house. I got the boys ready for bed, then went down the stairs to read a book and wait for the others to get home.

Once the did, I asked to use the Internet REALLY quickly, I left a note for someone on FaceBook, and then found that my friends who lived where I was visiting had been looking for me. I made a call, and set up an impromptu Girls' Night In. I went to visit them and stayed up laughing and talking until 2 am.

After almost getting lost again, I found my way back, and went to sleep. Sunday morning, we got cleaned up and went to a local Sacrament Meeting, enjoying the Easter message, then we went to visit Grandpa. After signing in, we wet up to visit him. (I had seen my friend's name on the sign in, and knew she was there, I had hoped to find out exactly what was going on with her mom and maybe give her another squeeze.) Grandpa was FAST asleep. We didn't want to bother him, so we wrote him a note, and as we were finishing, my friend's family came out of the waiting room. I hugged her again and talked with her for a few minutes. I let her know that her family was in my prayers (they still are). Then Grandpa's nurse told us that he wasn't sleeping a lot, it was mostly off and on napping, and that we should say good-bye to him. We went back, woke the poor guy up, and said our farewells. He was even MORE out of it and kept asking us where the Indians fought the white men. We snapped a few more pictures, gave him hugs and said good bye. He was so frail, and I don't know if he will ever fully recover.

It was quite the trip. I had fun, but I was also a little sad about Grandpa, and his condition. I'm just glad we made the time to see him and make more memories with him. He had insisted that we give him some pictures of the boys, and we made sure we got a cute one for him. After looking at the cute pictures he had in his room I asked him how he got such CUTE grandkids. He responded, "I have a formula." It was so sweet, and I just love him for his sense of humor.

Family Home Evening Confessions

For many MANY years our little family has had our Family Home Evening each week with my parents and other extended family members. Our usual lesson has almost always been a story plucked from the pages of the Church magazines, most often from the Ensign. When it was just us, it was fine, but then we started bringing kids into the mix, and the stories, while nice and uplifting, were WAY over our kids' heads. Family Home Evening to them was a night they dreaded. It was a constant FIGHT for us to get them to sit still and listen the the adults babble on about things that they just didn't understand.

A few weeks ago, I decided to change things up. A friend had posted a website that boasted A Year of FHE. I went to the website thinking that it wouldn't hurt to just look for ideas. I fell in love with the lessons. They were right on the kids' levels and a good review for the adults as well. We started with a lesson about showing love through our words. My sweet Cameron, who most of you know has developmental delays, was VERY involved. In fact, he followed along well and answered my questions. It was a HUGE success.

The discussion after the lesson usually drones on and on, but that week it was very good, and it was decided that giving the lesson at the kids' level was what is really needed. Since then, I've been the unofficial designated lesson giver. The lessons have varied, but we've all learned lessons.

The important thing about it all?? My kids are paying attention better (instead of running a marathon around grandma's living room) and they're starting to *get it.*

I'm SO grateful for this website, and I can say that my boys are happy too.

Mothers' Day

I had a wonderful Mothers' Day. Steve gave me a fun card (that sings Rascal Flatt's song Melt), a book about mother's of prophets and a beautiful set of earrings. I was happy to get the earrings because I was going to wear them to church with a necklace that Cameron had made for me at scouts. (With my mom's ward, not ours.) Then came Cam's present to me.

He had been with my mom on Saturday and was sneaking around to keep me from seeing his "present" for me. He really didn't need to worry, I've gotten to the point that I don't really care if someone says, "Oh, I've got a surprise/gift for you, and you REALLY want to know what it is, right??" Usually I'm pretty content to just wait until I get it.

He pulled out a red box with a black bow on it. It was a set of earrings and a HUGE necklace. The earrings were butterflies and the necklace was a flower. Now, anyone who knows me KNOWS I do NOT do necklaces. I like them, they're pretty, but I can never find one that's long enough to go around my neck, and is complimentary to my personality. I just KNEW that I could NOT disappoint my excited boy. He was really excited to see his mom wear the present he had picked out specifically for me. So I wore it. And surprisingly the necklace fit fine around my fat neck. And I think I looked pretty cute. (Gaudy jewelry and all!)

That evening I was at my own mom's house calling my youngest brother who's on his mission to the Philippines. He'd told me in a previous email that he was nervous about calling because he was afraid he'd be homesick. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. BUT we had a hard time communicating with him. His English was halting and he couldn't quite think of things to say. He's doing well, and is excited to be transferred from the office (he hopes!) And for some reason, in my weekly emails to him, I'd neglected to tell him about Cameron and the pretzel. I told him the story and he was laughing SO hard. I guess I really should remember the funny, quirky things that my kids do, so I can make him laugh like that at least once a week.

Overall it was a VERY nice day, and I'm glad to have such good kids and a WONDERFUL mother.

Birthday Dinner

For my brother, Daren. (He's now a ripe old 27 years old.) What a fun dinner. :) Gotta love my family!

Hug Your Kids

AND never let them go!!

The only other comment I have is that I'm so impressed with how at peace and calm Steve and Mindy were. I admire them and their family VERY much!

Family for the Holiday

We had quite a week with family here. First was Thanksgiving:

My nephew Jonathan.Cameron had to HOLD the baby!Grandpa was complaining about his "bald" head, so we fixed it so it was the original color! Jake wanted to see exactly who Jonathan was, and he ended up poking him in the eye. And of course, no family holiday would be complete without Grandpa cuddling a sleeping baby.
Then on Sunday we had Jonathan's baby blessing, and EVERYONE showed up.

Then we had the kids pose for pictures.

All in all it was a fun time. It makes me all the more excited for Christmas when everyone will be together again! :)

Alive? Maybe, but then again....

So this last week was an off week for us. Usually I'm at my mom's house (where I do my online-ing....) but she's had strep throat!! So we kept the boys at home, hoping that they DON'T get what Grandma has.

Then we had some family dramas pop up. It's sad, but I think we're surviving.

I just wish my husband would be happier. He's pretty upset because his mom hasn't answered his phone calls since we went to Arizona at the beginning of August!! She's told someone else in the family that she's not mad at us, but that she thinks WE'RE mad at HER! Wha'!? Um....I've had Steve call his mom every night this week, we've yet to hear from her. In fact, we had to learn yesterday of his aunt's passing from his brother!
I just don't get this immature behavior.....why? JUST ANSWER YOUR DANG PHONE!!!

********

Vent over....I hope...

And as an added bonus, here's the boy's Halloween picture. I hope to get a picture of Jake with his new teeth, but we're still waiting for one to pop out. (When that one comes, he'll have 4!!)

So....

My little brother is complaining that he's not getting any mail.

SO....I'm soliciting here.

If you want to send a sad little missionary a letter, email me and I'll get you his address.....

I wonder what he'd think if he got random letters from people from all over the country.

Currently....

Jacob is growing like a "bad weed, in a good way." I walked with the boys to church on Sunday and my neighbor (nice man) came up and said how the baby was growing like a bad weed. I added, "But in a good way, right?" He amended his comment and we had a little giggle.

Almost 3 weeks ago now, he weighed 11 pounds 2 ounces. I KNOW he's bigger than that now, but I couldn't tell you how big he is. He barely fits into some of his size 0-3 month clothes, and has moved up to size 2 diapers. I had nearly a whole bag of the size 1's but I found someone who could use them! I wanted to use the whole bag up, but the kid pooped through 3 outfits in one day. It was time to move on.

My baby now eats like a pro. Thanks to the eating, he's chunked out. His thighs are just rolls! It's so fun to have a chubby baby.

He has been trying to hold his head up on his own since the day he was born, and is ALMOST there now. He's super strong where he can stand on his legs with just a little help standing up. It's like he's got things to do and he's ready to do them.

Cameron is also growing like crazy. He's SO tall. It's insane for me to think that at one time he was Jake's size. Although he's tall, he's not big. He's still skinny and I constantly have to remind the boy to pull up his pants otherwise his butt will hang out.

My baby brother is leaving tomorrow for the MTC. I'm going to miss him, but I'm sure he'll be fine. And who knows, maybe the time will speed the way the last 7-8 years have for me. Tonight he'll be an "official" missionary, and I plan to get pictures of him with the boys so they'll have a way to remember him for when he gets home.

My uncle Ben has been taking care of my grandpa. It's been such a blessing to not be worrying about grandpa all the time. I'm sure it's not easy for Uncle Ben, but he's doing a GREAT job. I guess the new plan is that Uncle Ben will move into grandpa's house and take care of him full-time. What a great blessing for Grandpa to continue to live in his house. Even though he still doesn't remember, I'm sure the transition into this new life without Grandma will be easier in his own home.

Even though my uncle will be living with my grandpa, my OTHER uncle will be moving out of Grandpa's house and into my mom's. Uncle Aaron is handicapped and needs as much, if not more, care than Grandpa. He's told my mom on more than one occasion that he can't WAIT to move into her house. He says it will be SO fun! We'll start moving him in on Thursday.

We're preparing for our trip to Arizona. We will be gone all next week. And Steve is SO ready for a vacation. He's been planning and saving for this trip for 2 years. He really deserves it!

Otherwise, life goes on....and we TRY to keep up! :)

Something New...

I'm actually going to be able to attend church tomorrow for the first time since the mass exodus incident. I'm actually pretty excited. Along with going to church for the first time in a long time I've been given a new calling. Since several people who are in my ward also read my blog I'll keep mum until after tomorrow, but I'm a little nervous. :S

We had one of our annual family reunions today. It was SO hot! I walked with my mom to the restrooms and when I got back my eyes were acting like I'd had the sun reflected into my eyes. It was SO weird. Usually though, when you get sun-reflection in your eyes it goes away within a few minutes....this didn't go away. I told my mom, and she said it was probably a migraine. Wha?? I mean, I had a weird migraine ONCE when I was in middle school, but I didn't think I got them. But sure enough, the weird vision thing eventually covered my whole right field of vision. I couldn't see anyone sitting on my right-hand side. So my mom jumped to get me some aspirin and a caffeinated soda. (I haven't had one of them FOREVER....) I have to admit though, I did thoroughly enjoy my Dr. Pepper knock-off. I LOVE that stuff!

Soon after downing the soda (within 5 minutes) I could see again, although I still had a head ache.

It feels like the head ache is on it's way back....blech! But I know what I can do! :) Only one problem....baby boy does NOT enjoy it when mama drinks caffeine.....it gives him a belly ache. Poor baby! :(

Jacob buried himself into my mom's armpit. I guess he didn't like the sun in his face. We found it highly amusing! :P

The family reunion was fun. Steve and I ended up with QUITE the stash. I got several pretty crochetted towels and hot pads, and Steve got a cool walking stick and some yummy syrup. And shocker....we spent more at the reunion than my parents! I may just faint! :P All in all, it was a long, hot, fun day.

Why Does This ALWAYS Seem To Happen??

Tonight, while having Family Home Evening with my family (parents, grandparents, and aunt's family) I was preparing to read a story to the group. I put the footstool in the middle of the floor (between my youngest brothers, who were laying on the floor, being bums...) and I felt the stool behind my legs as I slowly let gravity take effect. As I was "sitting" my brother calls out, "Dawnyel, don't sit...." But it was too late, I was past the point of no return....I ended up crashing to the floor. I'm in PAIN!! My tailbone was broken twice before this, so falling full-on weight is NOT the best for it. The pain is shooting up my back and I'm just feeling like this is only the beginning....tomorrow will be TORTURE!

As I mentioned, I've broken my ol' bum twice before. Once when I was 6 months pregnant with Cameron....I fell down some stairs in a fifth-wheel, not realizing they were there. It wasn't much fun AT ALL!

The first time I broke my tailbone?? I was at a scout pack meeting, just finishing doing the Watermelon cheer (yeah, I remember EXACTLY what I was doing....) and I went to sit down....and kept going and going until SPLAT...CRACK!! Who did that?? Why, the same brother who pulled the stool out from underneath his pregnant sister tonight!! That's TWO!! One more and you're toast kid!!