Here's a few things I learned this weekend:

The abbreviated version
1.
Babysitter for 8 hours: $50

Tickets to So You Think You Can Dance:$70

Dinner with friends: $30

Laughing until you cry: priceless



2. sleep deprivation + low blood sugar + trying to teach (10) 12 year old girls in a little room = not good


3. Playing in dirt in the backyard is hazardous to a babies health, if that dirt pile is actually an ant hill.


The detailed version

1. We went to see the So You Think You Can Dance tour last night. We had a really great time. Dinner before hand was entertaining. Dan created quite the commotion by dropping his full glass of water onto his plate, breaking the plate and dumping the water onto his shorts. A couple of us got to laughing so hard that even our tears couldn't make us stop. It has been a while since I've laughed like that. It felt pretty darn good. (Val, send me some pics!)



The concert was fabulous. It was neat to see the dancers in person (albeit from very far away!) that we had watched on TV all those weeks. They performed almost all of my favorite routines and even filled the time between numbers with cheesy, well-memorized dialogue.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some dark and fuzzy pictures taken from the farthest corner of the arena,




And the kids did great with the new babysitter and hopefully we didn't traumatize her by being gone so long.

2. After a fun filled, late night, I had my first very disappointing experience teaching the girls at church today. I think it was a combination of many things (listed above) but let's just say I cried through the lesson and it wasn't because I was moved by the spirit.

3. The day just got sarcastically better when right before the home teachers arrived this evening, Luke happened upon an ant hill in the back yard and got himself eaten alive.




Oh, I cannot tell you how bad I feel for that boy. If it's not one thing it's another. The bites were mostly on one leg and one arm but the sheer number caused the allergic reaction over his entire body. He looked like a miserable pink sausage with a rash. His ears were swollen.




Even his belly button was swollen. After a baking soda bath and a dose of benadryl the nurse from the answering service advised a trip to the emergency room. That's where he got a dose and prescription for baby steroids and where he started to slowly return to his former shape and size. I just do not envy him and the pain and itching he will feel this next little while. I know how bad one or two bites are but my guess is he has closer to 40.



Poor, poor baby.

Summer Sno-Cone

First of all, I have a question.

Where oh where did my baby boy go? Where oh where could he be?



Who is this guy in new denim jeans,



and a red and blue striped hood-ie?


Seriously, I put this outfit on Luke and he immediately went from my little baby to my little boy.

A day or so later, I received this sweet sentiment in the mail from a friend. And so began a weekend of sniffling.

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up we learn to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep...I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!"

And when I read that, my mind shot to a comment my mother left on my sister's blog this summer. When I read it then, I cried. When I thought of it again, I cried. I cry a lot.

She said, "I know I'm missing the hassle part, but cherish the days---in no time you will be living on memories and videos."

And then President Monson's talk on Sunday morning of Conference was the nail in the coffin. I couldn't help but cry as he spoke. I would link his talk here, but the text is not available yet. Conference in general was wonderful to me. I didn't hear everything, of course, but I felt like I heard more than usual. I can't wait to read the talks.

Little Luke loved the music the best. Whenever a song would begin, he would run right over to the TV, mesmerized. On Sunday, during the congregational hymn, he started waving his arm around with the conductor.

It just seems like over and over again I am getting the feeling and reminder to enjoy every second of this season of our life, even if things don't seem that enjoyable sometimes. Every time I turn around, there is another little nudge, that reminds me that this time is precious.

This weekend, besides crying, we went to the county fair. It was alright, but now I am stoked to go to the State Fair next weekend.



Everyone's favorite part was the animals, I think.



Luke was very excited by the baby chicks.


But if he could have his way, he would walk anywhere and everywhere with no regard to time or person.



We paid $2 for a teeny little unidentifiable stuffed animal. He is currently living as a puppy named "Puff".




Luke had time to contemplate some of his deepest thoughts



while Ava rode the girly goose and snail ride, which went only slightly faster than real snails.



We couldn't leave without a pony ride. It was Ava's first and she loved it.



At one point she was as lopsided as her sunglasses but this nice guy came along and helped her stay on board.




We paid a visit to the horses.




Dan took Ava in the haunted house to her horror. Luckily, she was comforted by a cool treat on that hot day.




And I realized that when I look back on these days with my children, I will probably find that the time passed like the ice in our quickly melting sno-cone.

Popsicle Perfect

Luke had a milestone moment this week.




He ate his very own popsicle(s).



During this blessed season when Project Runway overlaps with The Amazing Race, we also get to enjoy the beautiful "fall" weather in Texas. Living here during these mid-seasons puts a little dent in the misery we feel during the summer.



So a few evenings ago (and every one since), we went on the back patio and enjoyed the popsicles Ava discovered in the freezer.



Luke was a happy dude to walk around and eat his treat. And I was reminded how simple the joys of childhood can be.

Wouldn't it be nice to walk around in your underwear, eating a cool treat, enjoying some fine weather?


And wouldn't it be nice to let sugary syrup cut tracks through the dirt on your arms?


And not worry that the drip from your chin was going to stain your shirt?



And wouldn't it be nice to be able to squawk like a monkey and have somebody else run inside to get you more?


I'm doing my best to enjoy it all vicariously through them.

A Letter to My Children

My Dear Children,

The ideas in this letter came rushing into my mind with a passion I could hardly contain as I laid you down for your rest yesterday afternoon. Though you don't know it, we have entered into some unsettling times. Financial institutions are failing and we are finding ourselves in the midst of an emotionally-charged presidential election. I don't know how things will play out in our country and our world, but my first thoughts are for you. My guess is that things will continue to deteriorate and if this is the situation right now, how will things be for you as teenagers? Young adults? Adults? It is easy for me to worry about you because I am your mom and I love you and want the best for you. And while things are uncertain, here are a few things that I am certain about mixed in with some good old fashioned advice.

You can do anything you want to do. You are capable of anything that you can imagine. Your choices will dictate where you end up in this world. Wise choices will bring you peace and happiness and unwise choices will bring you misery and heartbreak. This is not negotiable. Hard things will come to each of you, that is also not negotiable. And I believe that there are two kinds of trials in life. There are the trials that our Father in Heaven sees as needful for our progression and there are trials that are the result of poor choices of our own or others. My advice to you is, take the ones from Heavenly Father and don't bother making up your own. No matter the source of those trials, you are responsible for how you respond-not your circumstances, not your family, not your friends, not the government-YOU. And how you respond will mean everything. Even when you may not be able to control what happens to you, you can always control how you react.

There was a big hurricane that came our way this past month. I watched the news and saw repeated pleas from officials for those on the island to evacuate. "You could die, " they warned over and over all the while predicting that the city would be non-functional following the storm, unable to support the daily life of its residents. Transportation was provided for all who wanted it. But you know what? Some people stayed.

They just stayed in their houses and came out to walk up to the waves as the storm approached, giving excuses to the news reporters as to why they planned to stay put. And you know what else? That's okay. They have the right to decide what they will do. We all have that right.

But the problem came a day later. The hurricane hit the island directly, destroying homes and businesses, ruining everything. And you know what those people were doing that next day? They were standing in front of the news cameras , complaining, "Where is the help? We need help! We don't have water! We don't have electricity! Why isn't the government doing anything for us?!"


Do you know what I couldn't help from yelling back at the TV? "You are idiots! You did not heed the warnings! You did not take the free ride out of town! Help is coming but it could never get there fast enough for you! You chose to stay and face 'certain death'! Now how do you lack the self respect to stand there and complain about it?!"


Of course they will need assistance to rebuild their lives and homes. There will come a time in each of our lives when we need assistance and I hope that it will always be given generously. I hope the reconstruction of all that was damaged by the hurricane will happen as quickly as possible and that the suffering will be short. But that type of assistance was not what they were complaining about. They were looking for others to remedy their immediate situation, a situation which was the result of their poor decision, and asking others to come to their rescue at great personal risk. It was irresponsible.

This attitude of entitlement runs rampant in our country. Be responsible and be accountable. If I can do one thing as a mother it will be to instill in you, my children, that you are the master of your own destiny. You make a choice and face the consequences, good, and inevitably bad, because we all make mistakes. And when you do, don't even for a second look around for someone to blame or think that you are owed something.

You have a strong heritage. Your own grandparents on both sides, made their way in this world, in one common way, hard work and sacrifice. You can do the same. Don't think it will be easy, but it mosrt definitley possible.

Someone once told me that I was lucky to be able to stay home with my kids. I couldn't agree more! I know that I am very lucky. I know that there are many women who would love to have that opportunity but for different reasons, find themselves unable to do so. My heart goes out to them. Later, as I thought more on the comment I realized that yes, there was some luck involved, but that was only part of the equation, the other part being the hours of work and school sacrificed by your loving Dad. Chalking our situation entirely up to luck, robs him of the work he did to get us where we are. I promise you, if you work, you will be well on your way to getting where you want to go. Know also that hard work does not guarantee that your situation will be ideal, but neither does luck, and knowing you've tried your best can bring you peace. Hope for luck, but don't count on it and don't leave hard work out of the equation.

As a child of God, you hold within you everything you need to succeed in this life. His divinity runs through you and by heeding His warnings, you will keep yourselves in safety. You must do all in your power, including hard work and sacrifice, to achieve the things that you dream of and want the most. You must also do all that you can to love and aid and help those around you achieve the same. Don't listen to anyone who tells you, "you can't!", because "you can!" As children of God, we all can! I promise if you do all that you can, God will make up the rest and even as the institutions, morals, and status of the world fail, crumble, and fall, you will not.

I love you immeasurably,
Mom

"Mucking" and the Mystery Ears

photo from Associated Press

Dan spent yesterday in Galveston, "mucking".

It's so easy to continue our life here with power and water and no damage without remembering that mere miles from our house, a whole city lay in pieces.

Dan said that the highway is lined with boats. Boats! Boats that belong in the water! He donned his yellow "Helping Hands" shirt and his team spent the day on one house. They removed all the furniture and "stuff" and then proceeded to rip out the carpet, the walls, the insulation, the doors, the kitchen cabinets, everything down to the bones. He said that the whole house had been underwater and even the insulation in the ceiling was completely soaked.

It was a long day of good, hard work. And there will be many many more days like that ahead for the residents of Galveston. Rumor is that they will be calling on members to go down for the next 6 weeks or so. Next time Dan will have better shoes and a camera!

And today we saw Luke's regular ENT. It was a bewildering appointment. According to her both ears look "great!" and both tubes are "intact!" and his ear drum "never ruptured!"

So, three different doctors, three different opinions. I really don't know what to think. It is fairly obvious that the infection is clearing up. And as long as he doesn't have any more problems, we will be all set. If, however, he does get any other infections, I am going to have serious concerns about where to take him and who to believe.

And to add to the weird record of Luke's physical status, he cut his eye yesterday about 1 inch beneath the old scar. He was under a table at church, when the table got jostled and a leg that apparently was no longer attached,only propped, fell and hit his little face, cutting his eye. Poor guy.

I like to remember him during happier times, like this love-fest he had with my mom and few weeks ago.

I have one thing to say about these photos. A fancy camera does not a good photographer make. I messed these up and I am sad about it. A good ol' automatic saves you from the fuzzies of inexperience. Still, I love these pictures. He just loves her and spent quite a few minutes rubbing her head, kissing her face, sharing his pacis, and generally snuggling up.

Freud would be proud

It's no secret that Ava is a Daddy's girl.

She drove this point home again this past week.

Let me set the stage:

Monday 7:30pm. Luke's already in bed. Mom, Dad, and Ava sit on the family room floor for Family Home Evening.

Dan begins a lesson on families being together forever. He talks about the temple. He asks Ava, "Where did mom and dad get married?"

"The temple" she replies.

He explains that when she grows up and falls in love with someone, she can marry him in the temple, her reply was, "but I'm gonna marry you, Dad"

We chuckle and continue our discussion. She begins talking about how she is going to wear a certain dress and have a crown AND a veil because she will be a princess and she goes on and on and on.

Finally, hoping to just make one simple point and feel like she retained it through all of the princess blabber, I was holding her in my lap speaking with our faces close together. I was trying to give a quick summary and hoping that when I finished I could ask one question like, "what can you do so we can be together forever?" and she might give us a clear answer so we could reassure ourselves that she at least learned something and our FHE efforts were not in vain.

But, as I made mention again of her marrying someone when she grew up, she stopped looking into space, stopped talking about her princess accessories, looked me dead in the face and said,

"You can find somebody else, I'm gonna marry Dad."

Weekend without the Nuns

Last Saturday, we and the Marcks were looking for something fun to do and get out of the house. Many attractions we thought of were a bit out of whack as far as hours of operation and even being open at all due to the hurricane.

We decided on a miniature horse farm/monastery about an hour north of us. Getting there was an adventure in and of itself but we finally made it!

I think we were all secretly hoping to be able to see some nuns, after all, their website clearly show pictures of nuns with horses. But wouldn't you know we didn't even see one?! In talking with some of the workers there, sadly, the nun population has been decreasing as they age. Currently there were 4 nuns living on the farm and 2 were in their 90's. The man told us, "I guess it just isn't that popular to be a nun anymore." Kind of sad.

While we didn't see any nuns we did see some pretty cute miniature horses and dogs. As we drove there I explained to Ava that these horses were going to be just her size and she cut pet them. Somehow that translated in her mind to "princess ponies" which she talked about incessantly the remainder of the trip. It's all about the princesses these days. Princesses and mermaids.


Val and I were of course representin' with our big cameras, snap, snap, snapping pictures. For me there were some of the scenery, some of the animals, and lots of the kids.

Momma and Baby

2 weeks old

Jorgie and Ava brush the horse

We do have some pretty cute kids.

Lainey

Lainey and Quentin playing in the dirt

Ava being her silly self

Luke, pink and sweaty

Sweety-pie Jorgie

Luke basically walked around in his "man" shoes and could have cared less about anything else. He was hot and sweaty and glad to be on his own.


Lainey was doing pretty much the same thing.


There was also an "art barn" on the farm where the kids painted pottery.

Val and Clara

All in all a really fun day. And had our weekend ended on that note, no one would have complained.

Unfortunately, Luke had a very rough night that night, woke up with a fever, and by 8 am I was noticing some gunk dripping out of his ear. By 9:30 am that gunk had turned red, and by 4 pm, that gunk was mostly blood. I gave him the ear drops prescribed to him when he had the tubes put in, at the instruction of the on-call ENT, but by that evening, the discharge was so much, and so bloody, and his fever was even higher, that I took him to Urgent Care. The doctor couldn't even see in his ear because there was so much yucky stuff. She prescribed an oral antiobiotic as well.




The next morning I followed up with the only ENT in Houston apparently, who was not out of town at a conference. That appoiuntment is a blur, but they suctioned out his ear with a heinous looking machine and the doctor told me that the ear is badly infected, eardrum ruptured, and the tube had fallen out. He said the other ear tube is blocked and is falling out. I will take him back next week for another follow up and discuss putting the tubes back in. The thing about Luke is, he may get fussy and pull some attitude but the kid can have blood literally dripping out of his ear with a fever, and he pretty much just tools around minding his own business, playing with his toys. I think I'm gonna keep him.