Peacock Pictures

While we were waiting for Thomas' speech appointment, I took the children to the park nearby.  Sam and Mariah were enamored with the peacocks there and Sam borrowed my camera.

Celebrate Good Times... Cuz It's about time!

Cinco De Mayo was especially festive around here.

Mimi wanted to have a bbq since spring is finally here for sure and also because my brother-in-law was in town from Virginia for an interview.

That's him in the hat.

Not the goofy one, that's my honey.  The other one.  The camera-shy one.

There he is.  See what I mean?  Festive.  Anyway, guess what?

He got the job!  You know what that means?  

That means his wife, my husbands one and only sister whom I love to pieces and their kids whom I also love to pieces will be here this summer.  They'll be here for good!

There they are!  On the left!  Here they'll be soon!  YAAAY!

Trikes and Tricks

"Mom, if you ever see me crash like that- Don't think I'm ok.  Even if I get up.  Because I'm going to fall over some time."

This is what Sam told me this evening as we were rehashing the events that took place earlier at the park today.
The event started innocently enough.  I texted my Sister-in-law and coaxed her to bring her kids out into the windy, cloudy, 50 degree weather so we could have some fun.  We thought we'd let the kids loose on the equipment and we'd walk on the track around them for some good exercise.
Like an idiot, I thought bringing Thomas' tricycle to the park would actually be helpful; that Thomas would be able to keep up with us as we walked around the track.  Brilliant plan!
You can probably tell where this is going.  But I'm going to give you the details anyway.  It's therapeutic.
Thomas did love having his trike there.  He went around and around the track, MUCH faster than the two of us, distracted as we were by baby hats, water bottles and general gabbing.  And who am I kidding? What person is fast enough to keep up with a 3 year old with a quarter mile of paved track that covers some impressive slopes?
Now, you'd think that I'd catch on to the warning signs.  Thomas tried to go downhill a few times and he tipped over into the grass.  I should've put the trike in the car, but I kept talking and adjusting John's stroller.
Warning sign number two:  Sam, who is boy first and wise second, started "helping" Thomas go faster.  That's right.  Now I did get a little antsy.  I think I hollered something like, "Sam!  Safety first!" And he nodded and blurred past me and I mumbled something about how reckless my boys are.
I'm pretty sure my Sister-in-law was politely thinking that red flags were being waved all over the place.
But I kept gabbing and fussing over the water bottle.  My mind was on the babies getting cold, and Thomas not running off and whether the kids were going to stay where we were much longer.
Sure enough, they didn't want to and Thomas and his brother started triking to the part of the park where we couldn't see him, or Sam.  Yet another sign.  When we spotted them again, I should've punished them by putting the trike in the van, but I didn't.
I tried to brush it all off like a sensible yet experienced mom, and we decided to follow them (after they zoomed out of sight again) and I started to feel the burn in the process.  Ah!  This is turning out great!  I even told my SIL that I just need to let go and let the kids be kids.  I even made a joke about not wanting to go to the emergency room.
Well, pretty soon here comes Thomas back down the path toward us, giggling and trikeless.  We started looking everywhere for Sam.
We finally saw him.  He was completely on the other side of the park.  I see him mount the trike at the top of a large slope featuring a succession of bumps and obstacles.  And Wheeeee! he flew down the hillside and I'm pretty sure my narration (cause that's all I'm good for by that point) went something like, "He's going to biff it."
And he's gaining speed, his 9-year-old legs awkwardly angled away from the miniscule handlebars, streamers flying.  He looks like a circus bear of a boy, hurdling down the hillside on a vehicle that might as well be a unicycle, and the pedals are wheeling at a blinding speed.  His face is gleeful, his cheeks rosy as the wind whips through his hair.  The ride lasts all of a second before I see those gangly legs thwap down in a panicked attempt to brake at the first bump.  Across the vast sea of grass, I can see all is lost!  The tiny front wheel stalls. I see my speck of a 9 year old arc over it in a tangle of limbs.
Right on cue, I say, "He's hurt." And I start toward him.  But lo!  He stands up, looks around and picks the trike up by the seat.  I can't tell-  is he laughing? Well, he's moving, so that's good.  But my narration needs more info, so I decide to shout "Are you ok?"
He doesn't hear me.  Instead, he lumbers onto the grass next to the track where he crashed, throws the bike down and basically swoons down next to it.
I know what that means, even from the other side of the danged field. He's hurt.  And now he knows it.
I run all the way to him, thinking as I go:
"He's hurt, I think.  Can't be too bad.  But what if it is?"
"Dang Him!  I told him to be careful!"
"I thought it would be Thomas that would get hurt."
"He's waiting for me.  He knows I'll come"

When I reach him, he's crying with blood in his teeth.  I know he's bitten his lip or something, but it doesn't look too bad.  I ask him what happened, but what I really mean is what was hurt?
 He tells me his arm hurts and my stomach drops.  Because a little scrape, I can fix, but his arm doesn't appear damaged.  What's more, when I mention the blood on his mouth and the scrape on his chin, he tells me he didn't hurt his face, just his arm.  That means he's hurting alot.  That means broken,  I think.
  He's  crying and scared.  I ask him to stand, but he refuses.  I check him over again.  Legs are unscathed.  Well, the scabs covering them aren't from this,  anyway.  So I ask him to sit up and he does.
By the time we get halfway to the van on what may have been the other side of the world, Sam wants to stop walking.  My baby is screaming at my SIL and the girls are still wandering everywhere, playing.
I make an executive decision * FINALLY* and ask him if he wants to lay down so I can gather everyone in the van and come back for him.  He goes for it.  So, many worried girls, a reluctant toddler and a screaming infant (and that danged tricycle) get all loaded up.  My SIL is a champ and is offering to follow us to the Dr. or to take everyone to my house.
I gingerly load Sam and we head to the Dr.. Over the phone, he tells me to go to the E.R.
Great!  Just where I was saying, not five minutes ago, that I did not want to have to be.  And it's all my fault!
My SIL offers to watch everyone while I take John and Sam to the E.R.
It's really really sweet of her.  I owe her one.  Especially since my house is filthy!  And covered in peanut butter, which is essentially poison to her daughter.  I feel anxious about that.  And whether they'll be able to find a good dinner for her in my non-peanut-free house.
Luckily, along the way, Sam's pain seems to lessen, (possibly due to the Tylenol I'd given him when we stopped at the house) and I call his dad.  Thank goodness for his dad.  He's had experience with his own broken arms and he tells me that the symptoms sound like a sprain or a bruise.  I'm relieved, for Sam and thinking of my niece, too.
When we get home, Mimi, concerned and wise, tells us her guest is a nurse.  What are the odds?  Are we blessed or what?  We have him take a look at it and he says it's hard to tell.  But it doesn't seem obviously broken.  To ice it, watch it and see.
But in spite of ice, tylenol and ibuprofen, he didn't really seem to improve until I  began treatment with chocolate milk and cartoons. And of course, TLC- the cureall.

So, like I said, it was eventful.  But there's more!
We saw some baby robins in a hollow tree in the park! So, it wasn't a totally bad idea!



But forget about me ever taking that trike anywhere again!

Family Picture

By JCPenney Portraits.

This is a photo of a photo, but it's done!

Mariah's knuckles and knees were scraped up the day before.  John had fallen and conked his noggin so it was red too.  Matt and Sam had fresh haircuts and there were a few more minor disasters, but we got everyone to look the same direction for more than a minute and I count that as a success!  

Horesback Riding Lessons for Mariah

Mariah had her first riding lesson today; something she'd been looking forward to since her birthday.

We traded a nanny goat to our friends for 10 lessons.  

---That sounds completely hick-ish, I know.  But, it was a fair trade, I think.

We've been friends with this family for about 4 years now and they have twins Mariah's age.

This lesson was especially special because it was the twins' birthday and they invited Mariah and Sam to come play and have cake.

But the horseback riding was definitely a highlight!!!

She will be riding Doodlebug, the pony for her lessons.

He was pretty patient and willing, considering.  So was Mariah.

First, she learned how to lead and care for the horses.

She learned how to tie a horse knot to secure the animal to the "hitching post", as it were.

She learned to brush and curry them and clean out their hooves. (That last wasn't her favorite part.  It's very difficult for a small person and messy.)

But she was a trooper and did a great job for a beginner, I thought!

(Incidentally, their shirts matching is a complete coincidence.)

Next, she helped bring the tack and saddle.  She said that was the thing about horses, they come with so much stuff!  She was smiling when she said it, though.

Our friends said we might not get to the riding part today, since there was so much to learn, but Mariah got to ride after all!

Surprisingly, she was a bit nervous and shrank up once the pony actually started moving.

That was unexpected.  She is usually so fearless!

But my friend and i agreed that a little fear is healthy.

She learned to sit straight, to use her legs to keep her balance, to look where the horse was headed and to not shout woah! every time she thought she was going to fall off!  (ha ha)

Her best friend (one of the twins) and her big sister took her for a ride on a bigger horse, a sweet old pinto named Annie.

While Doodlebug was still saddled, Thomas thought he'd have a go.  He was a natural!  But he, too, said woah a few times.

Soon, Mariah was feeling more at ease and the girls all went for a long ride while I gave the oldest sister a violin lesson.

After much cake and icecream, it was time to leave.  A great memory made and more to come!

Speech for Thomas

Monday, we went to Bolivar for a speech evaluation for Thomas.
The room was full of all sorts of toys and LOTS of balls!  He thought he'd gone to heaven!

He was asked to point at various objects.  I learned alot!
Firstly, I am sooo glad Matt took the other three children shopping during the evaluation.  Thomas has a very short attention span, especially when there are balls everywhere.  The last thing he wanted to do was sit and look a pictures with some strange lady (she was really nice, btw).
 SO, it was like wrestling and very very painstaking convincing and work work work!, but we got him to show her what he could and could not do.
I learned he didn't really understand the word "not".  I also learned he actually can make some sounds.  Like "ck" and some "r" sounds.
I hadn't told the woman that I had suspected that Thomas had autism, but she very tenuously suggested it.  I think she was worried about making me upset, especially if I hadn't expected it.  But quite the contrary, it was satisfying to have an expert make a similar assumption.  It's like puzzle pieces fitting together.

She told me he qualified for speech therapy and that we'd be seeing much more of her in the future.
Meanwhile, we're waiting for a phone call from a neurology clinic in Columbia so we can get an appointment for him there.  Hopefully we're on our way to getting more communication tools for him and our family!  I'm also hoping he'll get help with his development in general.  He's a bright, active boy, but these things could really help us function and get going in life!  YAY for progress!

Easter Happiness

Saturday we dyed eggs.  Amazingly, the brown eggs dyed just as well as the white.

Mariah and Sam discovered the joy of "triple dying"- using more than one color.

Thomas loved it!

He drew "T" for Thomas himself!

Easter morning, the children woke before us, (surprise surpise!) and found that the Easter bunny had stashed all their eggs in hiding places all around the room.

He also left the traditional cadbury eggs, chocolate bunny and jelly beans.

He left coloring books with each basket AND an illustrated Bible stories book.

While we look at pictures of "The Hunt", I want to brag ...er... tell you about how Sam and Mariah saved the day in Primary.

I had told them about the Easter story the night before and we went over it again using their new Bible stories book.  As we did, I realized I needed their help with my Primary Sharing Time lesson.

I had been planning it for a couple months, knowing it would be important for the children to learn about the savior's resurrection on Easter Sunday.  I had planned to have a few adults come dressed as characters from history who had seen the Resurrected Christ.

It seemed to be falling apart when, not just one, but all the adults ended up calling and saying they couldn't make it.

I was worried about how I was going to keep the children's attention.  There were additional problems: an absent counselor and a couple teachers, John's cough acted up, etc.  I was a bit frantic.  In a last minute decision, I asked Sam and Mariah to play the parts.

I didn't have time to coach them, but I just figured I'd bring costumes and sort of "interview" them so the story would get told, but they wouldn't have to remember much.  

Well, when it came time, I had them dress up in an adjacent room and I called Mariah in first. 

She came in, robed in brown and wearing a soft green veil.

 I introduced her as Mary Magdalene, a friend of Jesus'.  

Me: "Now I understand you were at the tomb after Jesus died?"

Mariah: "Yes" fidget, fidget.

Me "How did you feel?" (I said, thinking it was going okay after all.  Then Mariah surprised me.)

Mariah sighs "Can I tell you the story?"

Me (Slightly hesitating) : "Sure"

Mariah: faces the audience and licks her lips "Well, I'm sure we all know how Jesus was crucified, right?"

We all nod

Mariah: "Well, I'm going to skip that part" (She skipped her fingers across the table next to her)

Well,...I went to the tomb... to take care of Jesus' body.

But it was gone.  I couldn't find him.  And I started to cry.

Then, I heard a voice.  It said, "Woman, why weepest thou?"

(At this point in her sweet, clear and heart-felt oration, my jaw almost dropped! But I fought it and stayed in character as she continued...)

I said, "Tell me where they have taken his body and I'll take care of him."

Then he said my name.  "Mary"

(I got goosebumps and tears welled in my eyes.  This part of the story was always profound to me, especially because of my name.  My mother hung a picture of this moment in my childhood bedroom.  I used to imagine how special it would be to be the first one to see Jesus again.  And here was my daughter, telling this story with such complete comprehension that I was relaxed and able to feel the Spirit as she spoke)

I knew it was Jesus....

Me : And what did you say to him?

Mariah: .... um...

(I had taught her that morning that it sounded like Rub bone eye.  I rubbed my arm and touched my eye. And she got it!)

"Raboni.  It means Holy ...Savior-"

Me: (Well, holy master but no complaining here.) Thank you, Mariah.`

Glowing with pride, I sent her back to her seat to listen to Sam, who was next.  He emerged decked out in his dad's long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves of which pooled around his elbows and he carried a black book of mormon that matched a hairbow I had pinned under his chin. 

 I introduced him to the children as Joseph Smith.

As I did so, he surprised me by heading to the podium and opening his scriptures.

Me: So, I understand you had a problem?

Sam (straight into the mic): Yes, I didn't know which church to join.

Me: And what did you do about it? (I fully expected him to say " I prayed about it")

Sam: I read in the scriptures "If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God". So I went deep into the woods where noone was, and I prayed."

Me: And what happened to you when you prayed?  ... Did you get an answer?

Sam: Well, something really bad happened first.  I was so ...it was awful!

Me: Did something have a hold on you?  Something bad?

Sam: Yes!  I was feeling a darkness...

Me: Why don't you tell us in your own words (pointing to verses 16 and 17 in Joseph Smith History) what happened?

Sam read: 

16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

Me: So the pillar of light made the darkness leave?

Sam: Yes

Me: Tell us more...

Sam:

 17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

Me: So you actually saw Jesus Christ after he was resurrected?

Sam: Yes

Me: Would you like to bear your testimony about that?

Sam: No, thank you.

Me (trying to keep it together): That's okay, we can read your testimony in the Doctrine and Covenants, where you say, "This is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him, that He lives!"

I was so proud of my children.  They had been listening!

They understood!  They could tell it in their own words!

I was soooo glad I hadn't called in sick, like I had planned!

I finished by bearing my testimony to the children.

I'll share it here, too.

I know Jesus lives.  I haven't seen him, but I have felt his care and power in my life.  I know that he gives us joy and I have hope because of him.  I can hope that we all will be resurrected someday and I'll be with my family again.  Because of him, I can trust that all will be made whole and well and right.  Because he suffered for my sins, I can have peace.  Because he lives, I can ask for his forgiveness and mercy.  I can lean on his grace and power and trust in it- not only for myself, but for the sake of my children.  How grateful I am to know-  He lives!