Mom Remembers

1. Starting from the end of the week: Scott's trach was removed this morning!  He no longer needs any assistance to breathe and can speak normally. 2. OK, going backwards: My sister and her husband were here over the weekend.  Brianna was so helpful at the hospital, making sure that Scott was getting adequate care and prodding the process along.  And Collin was an angel at home, playing with the boys and keeping them entertained.  They taught Mom and I to play a game called "One Night", which is a spin-off from "Werewolf" that was actually pretty fun.  Watching Brianna and Collin interact was bitter-sweet for me; they are so cute together.  I am so glad that my sister is happily married. 3. The Scott-highlight from Sunday was that he got off the ventilator!  At first, they gave him supplemental oxygen through a little mask over his trach but gradually that was weened away until he was able to breathe without any support. 4. Monday, Scott got out of ...

1. Church on Sunday was so refreshing.  I've never felt so desperate for the spiritual nourishment of the gospel--or so relieved to receive it.  The hymns, especially, were a great source of comfort. 2. Asa and Sara, from our ward, came to visit me on Sunday afternoon.  We had a lovely conversation and then they took Toby away for a dog vacation.  They are planning to help me train Toby as a potential service dog--or at least a helpful dog for Scott.  Asa also says that he will help get the attic finished for Scott before he comes home from the hospital.  I am so grateful for their friendship. 3. When I went to visit Scott Sunday night, he had his eyes open.  He was moving the hand that I held and opened his eyes really wide whenever I left his field of vision.  I was so happy to see him awake--and every day he got a little more alert. 4. Monday, the kids and I went back to our normal routine.  We still have a bit of homeschool to finish u...

Carl came downstairs this morning with a playsilk and asked me tie him a cape.  Then he announced: CARL:  I've been thinking about parachuting. ME:  You mean you want to go sky-diving? CARL:  Yeah. ME:  You should ask your Uncle Tim about it.  He has gone sky-diving before. CARL:  Really? MADDY:   (enters the room)   What are you talking about? CARL:  My Uncle Tim!  Mom says he's gone sky-diving, which is another word for parachuting.  And he's  still alive!  I know!  I've seen him.

These are Carl's responses from a worksheet he did in primary on Mother's Day. All About My Mom My Mom's name is  Momy  She is  30   years old. Mom and I like to  wash dishes  Mom likes to say, " I love you Carl " My mom really loves  sleeping with Dad  She likes to eat  chikin  She likes to drink  milk  My Mom's job is  work at home  If she had time, she would lie to  write her book  Mom is really good at  writing  If I could go anywhere in the world with her, we'd go  camping  I love my Mom because  she is awsum 

Goals for Soren: * focus on his own schoolwork while Mom is helping other kids * stay quiet during lessons and adult conversations * keep his bed dry at night Goals for Carl: * obey instructions cheerfully * play nicely with Sven Goals for Sven: * stay in bed at night * finish potty training * follow reasonable instructions given by his older brothers Goals for Leif: * eat some of what we are having for dinner * no shrieking! * regular naptimes and bedtimes Goals for Carolyn: * finish writing novel * pray for missionary opportunities daily Goals for Mom: * attend to positive behaviors, reconnect when things are going well * start school promptly in the morning and don't multi-task * supervise tooth-brushing morning and night

Yesterday was Michaelmas, the holiday that (as Soren put it) "no one celebrates but us."  I think that's one of the things I love about it.  Since no one I know celebrates Michaelmas, there is no commercial pressure attached to it.  That means that the only expectations are the ones we create ourselves. I asked the boys in family council on Sunday which traditions were most important to them, so we could be sure to meet their expectations.  Thankfully, no one said "presents!"  So there weren't any.  The traditions that were mentioned were:    1. checking out dragon books from the library    2. decorating the house    3. making dragon bread    4. sharing the scripture story in Family Home Evening We did those things so--hooray!  Expectations met. I have my own personal expectations, of course.  I like to tell my Kindergarten story of St. Michael and the star children.  I like to sing songs abou...

This year, I turned thirty.  And you know what?  I am really happy about that.  I feel like I have been doing "thirties" stuff for a long time and that I have totally earned the official promotion.  I'm thirty.  It sounds a lot more mature than twenty-nine.   Although, I'm not sure how "mature" it is to worry about how mature you sound.  And right on the tails of my big 3 - 0, Carl turned 7.  The jump from six to seven seems almost as huge to me as the jump between twenty and thirty.  Seven is approaching big kid territory--and Carl is totally ready for that.  He's learned so much  in the past year.  He can now do chores without being reminded, read, carry his youngest brother, make meals, and drum up his own neighborhood playmates.  This year, he made the transition from being a fully dependent member of our household to being a very helpful contributor.  It's awesome. To celebrate: 1. His Grandma, Gra...

Oh, how I welcomed Midsummer with open arms this year!  I was ready for summer: no school means time to write, time to plan, time to swim, and time to rest.  The kids went with wide-open eyes into our media fast and I had a plan to teach them lots of skills and chores.  I love that summer is unique in all the year; at least for stay-at-home moms and kids, it is a gift of time large enough to explore different skills and new ways of being. And, of course, we kicked off summer with our traditional camping trip.  Here's a recap: 1. We went somewhere new this year: Lake Le-Aqua-Na.  It's a man-made lake in Lena, hence the silly name.  I find it ironic that even though I associate Midsummer with the desert, we will probably always camp near water now that we live in Illinois.  The fun thing about choosing a campsite this year was that we made it an item of business for our (newly-formed) family council.  We voted not to return to Apple River, th...

CARL:  When we get home, can we sit in the fridge? MOM:  No.  The fridge is for keeping food cool. SOREN:  And you could freeze in there! CARL:  But you don't understand how hot I am! I am as hot as a toenail on fire! MADDY: I know; I was almost cooked to a rotten chicken.

The boys are all eating breakfast together in the kitchen.  (Today it's eternal bowls of cheerios.)  I'm studying the scriptures in the other room, wondering if I should move to sit on the vent, where it's warmer.  Then I overhear this comment, from Carl: CARL: Some people are so poor, they don't have any brothers.  They are so unlucky.  But we've got exactly the opposite of that.  We have a lot of brothers!

I have been blessed in the last year by many experiences that are spiritual in nature.  My faith in God and His miracles has grown as the voice of His Spirit has testified to me.  I know better than before of the reality of an unseen world and the love that reaches out to me from that place. Because of that growth, Easter held extra meaning for me this year.  Christ's triumph is real  to me--and so is the hope I felt this season.   Hallelujah . Our family's celebrations this year included: 1. Soren and I kicked off the season by watching the world's largest virtual Hallelujah chorus , a project produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  That was an amazing way to get into the celebratory spirit. 2. This was our first Easter in our own home.  We set up the Easter table in the dining room.  This is one of my favorite traditions: we decorate a table with symbols that remind us of Christ and keep a candle burning there in t...

Leif made the switch this week.  You know: the switch to walking. He took his first steps in January.  I didn't see them; I was teaching Sunday School and he was with his beloved Nan.  But he was happy enough to repeat the feat given marshmallows as an incentive. After that, "walking" became a game Leif and Scott would play almost every night while I made dinner.  But Leif would try to get away with as little walking as possible.  He would crawl to Scott, then climb up his pant legs and try to reach the marshmallows from the safety of that grip.  It usually worked so he didn't have much reason to improve. The cutest thing about the process this time was watching the way Sven and Carl responded to Leif's attempts.  Carl liked to playing "walking", too and would offer whatever bits of snack might tempt our little toddler.  We would all laugh whenever Leif clawed up Carl's pants; it seemed like they would both knock over!  As Leif got bett...

I have been looking forward to Christmas at my parent's house for months.  My mom goes above and beyond when preparing to welcome company and, as a result, her home is the most comfortable place in the world. While looking forward to our visit, I was reminded of a very old talk given by Neal A. Maxwell that reminded me of my mom.  He said that "When we return to our real home, it will be with the 'mutual approbation' of those who reign in the 'royal courts on high.'  There we will find beauty such as mortal 'eye hath not seen'; we will hear sounds of surpassing music which mortal 'ear hath not heard.'  Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother?" Yeah, my mom makes coming home feel like that.  And since it had been five years since I'd gone home for Christmas, my excitement for the holiday this year was almost as great as when I was a child. Here are some of my favorite mem...

I fried SPAM for the kids this morning.  Unfortunately, I fried it a little longer than they like.  It was slightly toasted on one side, which is perfect for me but is "burnt" to them.  They know they are not allowed to complain about the food but Carl always likes to comment anyway.  He used his most cheerful voice to pay me a false compliment: CARL:  Wow!  This SPAM is really well cooked! SOREN:  Yeah, it has carbon on it.  That's because SPAM is organic. Thanks, boys.

We are all painting at the dining room table (big mistake, I know).  Carl picks up Sven's (mostly) dried artwork and exclaims: CARL:  Oh, wow!  Did Sven do this? ME: Mm-hm. CARL:  It looks real!  Was it fingerpaint? ME: Mm-hm. CARL:  It looks like a real tornado, sideways, on the grass.  I never knew that he could paint that good!  It looks awesome!

Michaelmas came like a breath of fresh air this year.  It brought certain pessimistic ruminations to a screeching halt, reminding me once again that God is at the helm and His victory is assured.  Michael and his angels have fought and conquered the dragon once before; with the help of our Savior, we will do it again.  My faith is refreshed and my courage is bolstered. Here is what we did to celebrate: 1. Yesterday, we went apple picking at a my husband's sister's friend's grandma's house.  She has more apples than she can pick and so we took a bucket and brought home plenty for our needs.  The trees were so full, it only took about 10 minutes for the kids to gather enough good apples to fill two buckets.  Soren got the idea that he might like to sell some apples so he filled up his shirt, too. 2. Then, yesterday evening, Scott helped me make boffer swords.  They were surprisingly easy but used a lot more duct tape than I expected.  We...

Happy birthday to Carl!  He is six!  He woke up this morning and told me that he could feel his legs growing in the night.  That's because he's getting bigger! Here is what we did to celebrate: 1.  Most importantly to Carl: there were presents!  He opened up the present from his Grandma first thing in the morning.  It was a great big lego set.  He hurried upstairs to put it together.  But soon enough, he figured out that some of the pieces were missing.  It looked like someone had opened the box in the store and removed the minifigures.  So (at 8 am in the morning), the whole family piled into the car and went to ShopKo to return the set and get a replacement.  Carl was very worried that they would just put it back on the shelf and some other kid would have the same disappointing experience but the shopkeeper assured him that they would send it back to the Lego cooperation to be fixed.  Happy, we hurried home so that the bo...

Sometimes, it seems like nothing is happening in my life.  But when I am keeping a journal, there are a million things I want to write about.  That’s a little daunting.  It makes me not even want to get started because I know that I could just write forever.   I was thinking today, though, about memories.  Our memory is so faulty.  Someday, my children will be grown and I will only have my patchy memories to hold close.  I am grateful for the everyday things I have recorded about them.  I haven’t done enough of it, though.  And so today, I want to write about my kids. Carl is very excited because his birthday is tomorrow.  He was antsy about it all day today.  He kept climbing up on the piano bench to shake the birthday present from his grandma and guess which lego set she bought for him.  Mixed with the pre-birthday excitement, he also had more than his fair share of upset today.  He tripped in the kitchen during...

Sven:  I think the pioneers went to Illinois. Soren:  No, they went from  Illinois. Carl:  To Utah. Soren:  And there, Abraham Lincoln said "This is the Place."

I have long wanted our family's midsummer festival to be a celebration of balance.  My motto every year has been: "Just enough is more."  I have tried to pare back on the excess in my life and make more room for the simple pleasures. But this year, I took to heart more than I ever have before.  Something clicked and I finally "got it".  I was so excited to slow down and do less--not just for the weekend camping trip but for the whole summer!  Maybe even for my whole life. So I made a list of things that I was going to give up for Midsummer.  I wanted to make more time in my life by doing less stuff.  For starters, I was going to be done with homeschool after Midsummer, whether or not we finished our reading list.  Also, I was going to forgive my chore and blog post back log.  And I decided to take a break from potty training Sven and put him back in diapers for the summer.  Plus, midsummer marks the beginning of our media-free summer...