When Brigham was in the 2nd grade he would talk about a kid named “Laman”. I wondered, who was Laman? About that same time, I started finding notes (in careful 2nd grade penmanship) in Brigham’s backpack, asking if Brigham could play and listing a phone number. One day, as I was picking up Brigham from school, a darling boy came out with Brigham. He introduced himself as Eammon and asked if he could play with Brigham at our house. I was thrilled. I finally met “Laman” and more importantly, Brigham had a friend to play with.
The children at school, and in our neighborhood, and in our church ward are all very kind to Brigham. Some even reaching out to be his friend. It can be a challenge at times for his peers and even adults to know how to act around Brigham. Eammon is different. Eammon treats Brigham like he would treat his brother or any of his other friends. He truly has become part of the family. He has even accompanied us on several different family outings. On many Friday nights we have made an exception of our family “no sleepovers” rule for Eammon. Sadly we had to end the sleepovers when Brigham's nights started getting so tough and RR and I started sleeping with him instead.
I love that Eammon loved all of Brigham’s toys. I think sometimes I bought toys thinking how Eammon would like them and how he could help Brigham to enjoy them too. Eammon helped Brigham’s pirate ship, castle, and cowboy town to come alive. When Brig would tire, Eammon had no problem just hanging out watching a movie or reading a story with Brigham.
We have learned that Eammon loves apples and Basmati rice. At one time Eammon was into the Beatles and wanted to play the guitar. He has tried lots of sports. He often invites Brigham to his games. Brigham is one of Eammon's biggest fans and is always asking me what number Eammon is. Eammon asked Brigham to say the prayer at his baptism. He also includes Brigham at all his birthday parties. One of Eammon's classes at school is a Peer Tutor class where he gets to work with Brigham and others in the special needs class. Eammon is never embarrassed of being friends with Brigham. Eammon and Brigham are growing up and their lives are at much different stages now. We don't see Eammon around our house as often anymore but we know their love and friendship is true, genuine and forever.
Tonight Eammon came over with his mom. He told us that his dad has been bringing home comic books for him to read. He said that he has been thinking a lot about how these heroes remind him of Brigham. He decided to capture his feelings on paper. Brigham, RR, Eammon and I went up to Brigham’s room. With Brigham by Eammon's side on his bed, Eammon read his tribute to his hero. It was a beautiful and emotional moment for all of us. RR and I don’t have words adequate to express what Eammon has meant to Brigham and to us. It is almost as if they had a special relationship before they came here to earth. Eammon is an extraordinary young man whom we all love dearly. Thank you Eammon.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Computer whiz
Hi Jenn
I really wish I was a computer whiz. Instead, I feel like I am the complete opposite. I am hoping that this blog thing will help me out. It is forcing me to learn some basic computer skills that don't seem very basic to me. Emily knows more than me. I have a feeling you are in the same boat when it comes to technology, in fact, I know you are so I am encouraging you once again to start a blog even if it is just to teach you how to use a computer. I notice that you still haven't figured how to comment on any of my posts. It's okay. I know it takes time. I still can't figure out how to change the date on my last post. I started a new post with one sentence and then didn't finish it for 5 days and then when I went to post it - it was the wrong date! It drives me crazy being the wrong date. I don't bother asking RR. He will just tell me to figure it out and that that is the best way to learn. I wish I could ask you but never mind. I will ask Sarah.
I can't believe it is already Thursday and I haven't blogged anything about my week. I need to fill you in. Once again I am too tired to blog tonight but stay tuned for tales about me saving a dogs life, old faithful in my front yard, and my class on the dangers of solid waste.
love you so
I really wish I was a computer whiz. Instead, I feel like I am the complete opposite. I am hoping that this blog thing will help me out. It is forcing me to learn some basic computer skills that don't seem very basic to me. Emily knows more than me. I have a feeling you are in the same boat when it comes to technology, in fact, I know you are so I am encouraging you once again to start a blog even if it is just to teach you how to use a computer. I notice that you still haven't figured how to comment on any of my posts. It's okay. I know it takes time. I still can't figure out how to change the date on my last post. I started a new post with one sentence and then didn't finish it for 5 days and then when I went to post it - it was the wrong date! It drives me crazy being the wrong date. I don't bother asking RR. He will just tell me to figure it out and that that is the best way to learn. I wish I could ask you but never mind. I will ask Sarah.
I can't believe it is already Thursday and I haven't blogged anything about my week. I need to fill you in. Once again I am too tired to blog tonight but stay tuned for tales about me saving a dogs life, old faithful in my front yard, and my class on the dangers of solid waste.
love you so
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I wash Brigham's bedding frequently
Sister Jenn,
I have slacked in the blogging world. Mom is awesome. She emailed me wanting to know if everything was okay. She was worried that I haven't blogged. I didn't think anyone cared. Thanks mommy for reading. I have left blogging until night time and then I am too tired and so lately I just go to bed with out doing it. Speaking of bed. The other night Brig slept in our bed. I had washed his bedding but it didn't quite make it back on his bed by bedtime. I wash Brig's bedding frequently. RR said he thinks Brigs likes our bed better anyway. Brigham shouldn't. He actually has the most expensive bed in the house. We got a tempur-pedic bed for him to help with his sore joints, muscles and bones. Grandpa Gene's sister passed away and Gene inherited her bed that moves up and down. Gene generously offered it to Brig to help out when he is congested and having a hard time sleeping. We mixed the two beds by keeping the bottom part of Genes bed so it can go up and down on an incline and put the tempur-pedic mattress on top for comfort. It is a deluxe bed! How could he like our bed more? I don't know if I agree with RR on this.
Emily also has a tempur-pedic mattress. She inherited it too. Let me explain. I bought a waterproof mattress cover to protect Brigham's expensive mattress. The company guaranteed that their mattress cover had a life time warranty. I was a true test for this poor mattress cover. Remember, I wash Brig's bedding frequently. After so many washings it started wearing out and we had a few times where the mattress cover didn't do its job. I thought that I better get a new one. I called the company and explained what was going on. They asked me if urine had gone through onto the mattress. "Well yes, a couple of times", I replied. "Okay, send us your mattress cover so we can check it out", they said. So I did. They called me and told me that they were going to replace my tempur-pedic mattress with a new one and they were sorry about the trouble. How amazing is that? I promise, I just called for a new mattress cover but in addition they gave us a new tempur-pedic bed! They even replaced it with the newer version. Now that is customer service! I hope that company is in business for a long time. I should advertise for them. When they came to replace his mattress I asked what they were going to do with this perfectly good mattress that maybe just has a little pee pee on it. (what mattress doesn't have a little pee on it?) They told me that they sell them. I asked for how much? I think they said for a couple hundred dollars or something like that. I just remember that it was a ripping deal and that we should seize the day, especially because I knew whose pee it was. So that is how Emily inherited her nice tempur-pedic mattress. I guess she should be grateful that I wash Brig's bedding frequently.
I will have to share with you more about our sleeping habits in another blog. I sometimes wish I had a movie camera set up to video us at night because our nights are just too hard to describe accurately with words. I will quickly say that besides Brigham - Emily probably sleeps in her appointed bed more than any of the rest of us. RR and I are famous for playing musical beds at night. Ella likes to join in too. It literally has been years and years and years since I have slept through the night. It hasn't always been this way. Before I got married I slept well. When I would go down for the night, it was for good. I never woke up until morning. Then I got married. RR would always get up at least once a night to use the bathroom. I am a good sleeper but a light sleeper so RR would wake me up on his nightly expeditions. I guess he was just slowly preparing me for what our future held. Brigham's toughest time is at night. Good news: our nights have been pretty calm lately. So grateful for that. Go Brigham!
I need to appreciate the washing of my son's bedding. I really don't mind at all. I know the day will come when I will wish that I could do it again.
Good night
Post Script
Pretend like I have photos of my children sleeping in their beds posted here. My camera card is not cooperating. I really need my friend Sarah to help me. She is a guru.
I have slacked in the blogging world. Mom is awesome. She emailed me wanting to know if everything was okay. She was worried that I haven't blogged. I didn't think anyone cared. Thanks mommy for reading. I have left blogging until night time and then I am too tired and so lately I just go to bed with out doing it. Speaking of bed. The other night Brig slept in our bed. I had washed his bedding but it didn't quite make it back on his bed by bedtime. I wash Brig's bedding frequently. RR said he thinks Brigs likes our bed better anyway. Brigham shouldn't. He actually has the most expensive bed in the house. We got a tempur-pedic bed for him to help with his sore joints, muscles and bones. Grandpa Gene's sister passed away and Gene inherited her bed that moves up and down. Gene generously offered it to Brig to help out when he is congested and having a hard time sleeping. We mixed the two beds by keeping the bottom part of Genes bed so it can go up and down on an incline and put the tempur-pedic mattress on top for comfort. It is a deluxe bed! How could he like our bed more? I don't know if I agree with RR on this.
Emily also has a tempur-pedic mattress. She inherited it too. Let me explain. I bought a waterproof mattress cover to protect Brigham's expensive mattress. The company guaranteed that their mattress cover had a life time warranty. I was a true test for this poor mattress cover. Remember, I wash Brig's bedding frequently. After so many washings it started wearing out and we had a few times where the mattress cover didn't do its job. I thought that I better get a new one. I called the company and explained what was going on. They asked me if urine had gone through onto the mattress. "Well yes, a couple of times", I replied. "Okay, send us your mattress cover so we can check it out", they said. So I did. They called me and told me that they were going to replace my tempur-pedic mattress with a new one and they were sorry about the trouble. How amazing is that? I promise, I just called for a new mattress cover but in addition they gave us a new tempur-pedic bed! They even replaced it with the newer version. Now that is customer service! I hope that company is in business for a long time. I should advertise for them. When they came to replace his mattress I asked what they were going to do with this perfectly good mattress that maybe just has a little pee pee on it. (what mattress doesn't have a little pee on it?) They told me that they sell them. I asked for how much? I think they said for a couple hundred dollars or something like that. I just remember that it was a ripping deal and that we should seize the day, especially because I knew whose pee it was. So that is how Emily inherited her nice tempur-pedic mattress. I guess she should be grateful that I wash Brig's bedding frequently.
I will have to share with you more about our sleeping habits in another blog. I sometimes wish I had a movie camera set up to video us at night because our nights are just too hard to describe accurately with words. I will quickly say that besides Brigham - Emily probably sleeps in her appointed bed more than any of the rest of us. RR and I are famous for playing musical beds at night. Ella likes to join in too. It literally has been years and years and years since I have slept through the night. It hasn't always been this way. Before I got married I slept well. When I would go down for the night, it was for good. I never woke up until morning. Then I got married. RR would always get up at least once a night to use the bathroom. I am a good sleeper but a light sleeper so RR would wake me up on his nightly expeditions. I guess he was just slowly preparing me for what our future held. Brigham's toughest time is at night. Good news: our nights have been pretty calm lately. So grateful for that. Go Brigham!
I need to appreciate the washing of my son's bedding. I really don't mind at all. I know the day will come when I will wish that I could do it again.
Good night
Post Script
Pretend like I have photos of my children sleeping in their beds posted here. My camera card is not cooperating. I really need my friend Sarah to help me. She is a guru.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Brigham - Non-Partisan
I felt like you needed a photo with this blog post. I should have taken a photo of us at dinner tonight but I didn't so you get this one. I took this photo this week just to prove to you that the flying Donkey/Elephant wasn't just a fluke. That toy is still flying almost every day. Next I need to get video of him chucking it out of the tub and post that. Maybe Brigham is trying to tell us that he is very worried about the upcoming election. Nemo the fish has been getting a little attention from Brig lately too. Nemo is not quite out of the tub. I think Brigham likes him. Post Script: If you click on my posted photos, they look better and you can see the rich details like my dirty bathroom floors.
Good Evening Sister!
This was supposed to be a Good Morning blog. My plan was to write to you every morning and get it out of the way. Well, I am realizing now I should have called my blog - Happy almost midnight sister! I am not a night person and shouldn't be writing anything that is supposed to make sense at this time of night. I will have to go back and edit all of my posts later. I did ask RR if that was okay and legal to do. He laughed. I guess it is my blog and I can do what ever I want. Mom even offered to edit my posts for me.
We loved having you over for a non planned dinner tonight. It reminded me of the old days in our south provo homes. Wish we could do it weekly. So good to see Maddie. It is also great having Hillary around.. She helped me tons today with organizing my files. Oh I dream of "having a place for everything and everything in it's place."
I am not used to having open time without children. Today I felt spoiled. I got to go to lunch and hang out with my dear friend Janette Taylor. You remember her right? Two of her children passed away from MPS III. Shawna and Jonathan. I have always felt a bond and special connection with Janette. She has been a great strength to me with caring for Brigham. She has been down a similiar road. I also got a surprise visit today from my new friend Sarah Wiley and her darling little girl June. She brought me homemade green salsa from the tomatoes I had shared with her and a bag of chips. RR and I were fortunate to meet Scott and Sarah through Daniel. He has been talking about them for years. Great people and family. You would like her.
Everything I want to write about will take too much effort from my brain and fingers. I am falling asleep. I will try to write earlier tomorrow. It is too latadjgfhakdgf;kjadfj.
Loves to you
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I-600A filed!
Hey Sis!
I know I already talked with you on the phone today but just for journal keeping sake I will record that today we filed our I-600A form. Yea!!! The immigration office is up in Salt Lake. I feel bad going on a good car drive up to Salt Lake without taking Brig so Grandma Argie came along and waited in the car with the children so I wouldn't have to bring them in with me.
The immigration office was a bit intimidating. There were guards at the door that sent me first through a metal detector. They had me wait in this waiting room until they called my name. I don't know why but being there made me sort of feel like I was guilty of something. I felt the same way when I had to go to the Police Dept. for background check letters. The waiting room had asians and latins who I am sure were in their process of getting their citizenship so they could live the "American Dream". So many of us take our citizenship for granted. The man who eventually helped me was really nice. I felt much lighter as I left. It feels like the ball is rolling now for our government. Hopefully Ghana will get the ball rolling on their side.
Quick run down of day
5 am - Randy goes to the temple
6:30 - Emily and Me up
7:00 - Emily's piano lesson by Becky Perry. This is emi's 2nd time. Becky is great and even comes to our house.
7-8:00 Feed/Bathe Brig and Ella
8:00 - Pick up G-ma Argie, take Emily to school and head for SLC
9:20 - Immigration appointment (well at least that is when it was supposed to be. I had to wait awhile)
10:15 - Drop off essential oils to Mark at the H.S he teaches at. Rob so graciously donated the oils for the AHF "friend"raiser.
11:30 - Feed Brigham and Ella lunch.
12:30 - Take Brig to school (We missed the bus because of SLC)
1:00 - Drop off Ella to school.
1 - 2 ish - Run errands.
2 -3:00 Try to work on computer while it crashes every two seconds.
3:15 - Hilly comes over to wait and get Brig off the bus so I can go get Ella from school.
3:30 - Load up Brig and Ella and take them to Costco.
4:20 - Pick up Emily from school (on tuesdays and thursdays she stays for an art class)
5:15 - Drop off Emily at BYU for her ASL (American Sign Language) lesson.
5:30 - Make tomatoe tuscan salad for R.S. garden party. (I have lots of tomatoes to use)
6:15 - Pick up Emily and Jessica. Take Jessica home.
6:30 - Attend R.S. Garden Party that was held inside because of the rain.
9:00 - Children, prayers, bedtime etc.
10:00 - See if computer will give me better luck. Check/respond to emails/write blog
Good Night sister
I know I already talked with you on the phone today but just for journal keeping sake I will record that today we filed our I-600A form. Yea!!! The immigration office is up in Salt Lake. I feel bad going on a good car drive up to Salt Lake without taking Brig so Grandma Argie came along and waited in the car with the children so I wouldn't have to bring them in with me.
The immigration office was a bit intimidating. There were guards at the door that sent me first through a metal detector. They had me wait in this waiting room until they called my name. I don't know why but being there made me sort of feel like I was guilty of something. I felt the same way when I had to go to the Police Dept. for background check letters. The waiting room had asians and latins who I am sure were in their process of getting their citizenship so they could live the "American Dream". So many of us take our citizenship for granted. The man who eventually helped me was really nice. I felt much lighter as I left. It feels like the ball is rolling now for our government. Hopefully Ghana will get the ball rolling on their side.
Quick run down of day
5 am - Randy goes to the temple
6:30 - Emily and Me up
7:00 - Emily's piano lesson by Becky Perry. This is emi's 2nd time. Becky is great and even comes to our house.
7-8:00 Feed/Bathe Brig and Ella
8:00 - Pick up G-ma Argie, take Emily to school and head for SLC
9:20 - Immigration appointment (well at least that is when it was supposed to be. I had to wait awhile)
10:15 - Drop off essential oils to Mark at the H.S he teaches at. Rob so graciously donated the oils for the AHF "friend"raiser.
11:30 - Feed Brigham and Ella lunch.
12:30 - Take Brig to school (We missed the bus because of SLC)
1:00 - Drop off Ella to school.
1 - 2 ish - Run errands.
2 -3:00 Try to work on computer while it crashes every two seconds.
3:15 - Hilly comes over to wait and get Brig off the bus so I can go get Ella from school.
3:30 - Load up Brig and Ella and take them to Costco.
4:20 - Pick up Emily from school (on tuesdays and thursdays she stays for an art class)
5:15 - Drop off Emily at BYU for her ASL (American Sign Language) lesson.
5:30 - Make tomatoe tuscan salad for R.S. garden party. (I have lots of tomatoes to use)
6:15 - Pick up Emily and Jessica. Take Jessica home.
6:30 - Attend R.S. Garden Party that was held inside because of the rain.
9:00 - Children, prayers, bedtime etc.
10:00 - See if computer will give me better luck. Check/respond to emails/write blog
Good Night sister
Monday, September 8, 2008
Ella starts her formal education at the "Y"
Ella waiting patiently for 1 pm to come.
The moment she has been waiting for! She even got tagged.
Mr. Brad the teacher
Friends at first sight.
Home again and celebrating with some chocolate fondue.Good Day Sis!
I just dropped Ella off at school. Her FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL! She was soooo excited. She didn't even want to eat breakfast. Not normal. While she was putting away her "spoons" (her job) she told me that she was so excited for school. I told her we would go to school after lunch. She then told me that she didn't want to eat lunch and would eat after school. I did get her to eat something.
I had hung on to Emily's old backpacks. Good thing. Ella loves them. She wore her backpack all morning long rotating between two different ones: Disney Princess's and Ariel. The Ariel backpack won out in the end.
She was so brave for the big drop off. We found her name tag, her cubby for her backpack, took a picture with her new teacher - Mr. Brad, kissed her good bye and I was off. No tears or anything. "Just okay Mom, see you later." I left and thought my baby is in school. I had to go check on her one more time just in case she was nervous now. I went in and found her playing by herself in the treehouse. Snapped a few photos and before I knew it Danielle appeared. They asked eachothers name and then were instant friends. Wow! How easy. Ella had a friend. I could go home now.
I now have 2 1/2 hours without children Monday - Thursday. Well at least until little Ruby comes. Speaking of Ruby, I feel much better this week about everything. I have come to terms that this adoption is different than Ella's. It is going to take time. We are meeting with the immigration office in Salt Lake tomorrow to file our I-600A form. We just need to pray that our form moves really quickly through our government system and that Ghana will get their work done on their end. I found out that the form I thought that I could have sent in months ago was not the case. We did need our Home Study first so we haven't wasted time other than that I wish we would have started our home study back in May.
RR gave me his nod on Ruby for the baby's name so Ruby Anne Reneer it is. Having a name already picked out is a first for our family. Well you know that usually our children go unnamed forever. We are getting faster in our old age. It seemed like Brigham wasn't named for a couple of months. Emily was a least for a couple of weeks. Ella was maybe a week. And Ruby isn't even born yet! As for Yaw, I have heard that sometimes children like to get an "american name" when they are adopted. We will let Yaw decide. We are hoping and praying that we can bring them home by christmas. I would love it and so appreciate it if you really would go with me to help me bring them back home.
Love you so,
Jules
Friday, September 5, 2008
It's Friday!
My UPS package
An eraser and bath sponge on a stick (not a toilet bowl scrubber)
Animals that you can wear in your hair
Care Bear socks
Barbie Plate
Final choice... Dora tatoos!Good morning sister
It is friday! I love fridays. I feel different on fridays. Last friday Ella, out of the blue, asked to go to the dollar store. What a grand idea Ella. I love the dollar store. I get to tell my children that I will buy them one thing of anything they want. They get so excited. (Except for Brig, he could care less) Poor Ella though, can't make up her mind. It got to be comical so Emily I started taking pictures of all her dreams because in the end the deal was that she could only end up with one item, she can have the rest in photos. I posted some of her desires. Emily ended up with a huge "big mistake" eraser for school. She also bought a little book light with her own mula. Ella ended up with "Dora" tatoos. I don't think it was her best choice but it was her choice.
It is friday! I love fridays. I feel different on fridays. Last friday Ella, out of the blue, asked to go to the dollar store. What a grand idea Ella. I love the dollar store. I get to tell my children that I will buy them one thing of anything they want. They get so excited. (Except for Brig, he could care less) Poor Ella though, can't make up her mind. It got to be comical so Emily I started taking pictures of all her dreams because in the end the deal was that she could only end up with one item, she can have the rest in photos. I posted some of her desires. Emily ended up with a huge "big mistake" eraser for school. She also bought a little book light with her own mula. Ella ended up with "Dora" tatoos. I don't think it was her best choice but it was her choice.
I also got a package last friday. The UPS truck pulled up. I got excited. Maybe RR bought me a surprise! I should have remembered that I had ordered Brig's pullups and gloves earlier that week. My surprise ended up being rubber gloves. I had to laugh at the condition of my box of gloves. It is probably good that the package only had rubber gloves in it. (see photo) I do have to say that I am so grateful for these gloves. Brigham's poopy changes would be miserable without them. I still am holding out that one day I will get a different surprise in the mail.
Today I am waiting for our Home Study to come in the mail so we can get a copy to Ghana. I am also working on getting the I-600 Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative form filled out but first have to find out if I need to fill out the I-600A - Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition before that. Oh I wish I had been more on top of this and had known to send these forms in months ago. RR keeps assuring me that God is mindful and has a timeline. I saw a brand new baby the other day and it has triggered many emotions in me. It is killing me that our little baby is going to be born in a couple of weeks and that I won't be there. It is breaking my heart that little Yaw is bonding with this foster family only to be taken away again and this time to a whole new culture and family.
I am learning through life that when we have to struggle, sacrifice and work hard for something we are so much better for it. We also appreciate and love the outcome even more. With Ella we had gone through years of invitro, miscarriages, a baby we thought we were going to be able to adopt and then that falling through. Shaylee came into our life and let us bond with Ella before Ella even came to earth by letting me take her to her doctor appointments, birthing classes, and of course letting us be there for the birth. I think going to the effort of hours of pumping, trying to get milk for nursing helped too. Now that Ella is here I realize that all those years were so worth it and added to the incredible journey that it has been. I know if it would have been easy it would have been a much different experience. So maybe it is okay that this is a hard long unsure process and that I often wonder how this is all going to turn out. Logically it seems insane. Our plate of life seems so full already. RR's job is still so unstable. We are living off of money that we got from refinancing our home that originally was supposed to go towards other much desired and needed dreams. So you ask "Why are you trying to adopt these two little souls right now?" And all I can say is... because we believe we are supposed to. I feel like we are living on complete faith right now. I don't know what the future holds but we seem to keep going forward. These little children will be a miracle and a huge blessing. I better get going on those forms.
Love to you sis. Thanks for your constant support through everything.
Jules
Today I am waiting for our Home Study to come in the mail so we can get a copy to Ghana. I am also working on getting the I-600 Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative form filled out but first have to find out if I need to fill out the I-600A - Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition before that. Oh I wish I had been more on top of this and had known to send these forms in months ago. RR keeps assuring me that God is mindful and has a timeline. I saw a brand new baby the other day and it has triggered many emotions in me. It is killing me that our little baby is going to be born in a couple of weeks and that I won't be there. It is breaking my heart that little Yaw is bonding with this foster family only to be taken away again and this time to a whole new culture and family.
I am learning through life that when we have to struggle, sacrifice and work hard for something we are so much better for it. We also appreciate and love the outcome even more. With Ella we had gone through years of invitro, miscarriages, a baby we thought we were going to be able to adopt and then that falling through. Shaylee came into our life and let us bond with Ella before Ella even came to earth by letting me take her to her doctor appointments, birthing classes, and of course letting us be there for the birth. I think going to the effort of hours of pumping, trying to get milk for nursing helped too. Now that Ella is here I realize that all those years were so worth it and added to the incredible journey that it has been. I know if it would have been easy it would have been a much different experience. So maybe it is okay that this is a hard long unsure process and that I often wonder how this is all going to turn out. Logically it seems insane. Our plate of life seems so full already. RR's job is still so unstable. We are living off of money that we got from refinancing our home that originally was supposed to go towards other much desired and needed dreams. So you ask "Why are you trying to adopt these two little souls right now?" And all I can say is... because we believe we are supposed to. I feel like we are living on complete faith right now. I don't know what the future holds but we seem to keep going forward. These little children will be a miracle and a huge blessing. I better get going on those forms.
Love to you sis. Thanks for your constant support through everything.
Jules
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Automatic Windows
Chris's cool red car
Me and Ella's 3rd day in a row of trampoline bonding
Our hungry photographer, Wesley
Ella wants you to pretend that this horse is a pink ponyHey Sister,
Did you know that our brother Chris is taking Italian classes at BYU this fall? Yep, everyday from 8 to 9 am. He told me that on the first day of class they had to pair up and practice with another student, asking eachother basic questions in italian. Chris was asked how old he was and responded 45. His partner said no that is not right, thinking that chris didn't know his italian numbers. I guess he didn't think a 45 year old man would be in his class. Parking at BYU can be a pain so Chris tried parking at our house today. His car was behind our van so I drove Emily to school in his little red sporty car. Ella decided to join us. She thought this car was so cool. After we dropped off Emily at school, Ella requested to sit in the front seat with me. I know this isn’t the safest place for a child to ride but I could tell that she was into this car and wanted to experience it from all seats. It was like a new toy. While in the front seat, she pointed to the handle that opens the window and asked me what it was. It made me laugh out loud that she seriously had never seen a manual window opener handle (i don't even know what to call it). I told her what it was and she just had to try it out. She then asked me how long we got to keep Chris’s car. She was disappointed when we went to pick up Emily from school this afternoon and the little red car was gone. I think Chris is parking here tomorrow and for the rest of the semester so that should make her happy. It is funny to think that when we were young automatic windows weren’t automatically in all cars. At least not in all of our cars.
After getting Brigham on the bus, Ella and I kept up with our tradition for the week by jumping on the trampoline. I was wishing that I had a picture of us and thought, wouldn’t it be nice to have a personal photographer following our family around photographing a record of our life? Just then Wesley came to play. He will do. I gave him the camera and told him to take pictures of Ella and me. He did and they even turned out okay and what is even better, I didn’t have to pay him. Well I did feed him some watermelon.
It was good to see you guys tonight. I love it when you come by. Wish it was more often. Stephen, ahhh! I mean Spencer is soooo amazing. How does Hillary stand it? I love his aura. I hope she does too. Thanks for letting me have a weepy moment about our little ghanian children. It is seeming more and more real and getting emotionally harder and harder to not have them with us. Please pray for them.
Love you
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Full day
Naughty Dog
My Helper
The log I removed by myself
The still okay monkey
My beautiful tomatoes! (click on the photo so you can see how amazing they are)Good Evening Sister
I just read my blog for yesterday. Kind of dumb. Sorry. I don’t think you are reading any of these anyways. In fact, I don’t think anyone is. Maybe that is good. You know that saying, “Dance as if no one were watching” Well maybe I should say, “Write as if no one is reading”
While I drove Emily to school today, RR fed Ella breakfast. He is really bummed about her eating habits. He claims that she use to eat anything we put in front of her. That is true however, she was young. He insists that our horrible eating over the holidays a couple of years ago ruined her. RR wants us all to work on eating really healthy. “Only the best food for our bodies” So the last couple of mornings he has locked Ella in her high chair and served her a bowl of fruit (peaches, bananas, oranges, watermelon) Ella loves her “cereal n milk” so this bowl of fruit was quite the change from her bowl of cheerios. Yesterday morning she took 1 maybe 2 bites of a peach slice and that was it. RR had strategically locked her in her high chair so she had to stay. RR had told her that she could have cereal or toast when she was done with her fruit. After she had sat in her chair for probably close to an hour she convinced me that she wasn’t hungry and that she would eat her fruit for lunch so I let her out. By lunch time she was really hungry. She gobbled up her turkey, peaches, carrots, yogurt, and I even got her to eat a few slices of cucumbers. This morning, same scenario as yesterday. She gobbled up today’s lunch too of peaches, and tuna fish sandwiches. So I guess if you starve your kid then they will eat what you want them to eat.
Big day for Ella. We were invited to check out her pre-school and meet her teacher Mr. Brad today. She was so excited. I even pulled out the iron for the occasion and ironed one of her little dresses. I decided that while I had the iron out that I might as well iron an outfit for Brig and why not me too. Hey it is a big day! We all got cleaned up and ready to go. Parking is crazy on campus so we decided to walk. Brig prefers this anyway. I was rushing to get to the open house on time. I smelled a poop. Of course, that always happens when I am rushing. I told Ella to hold on and that I would change him sooo fast. Brigham is getting harder and harder to change (One day I will have to dedicate one of my blogs just to that subject). With out giving you too much detail, I had poop on my ironed skirt and shirt, poop on Brig’s ironed shorts, and poop all over him. With Ella still waiting outside by the wheelchair for Mom, I quickly wiped down a not very happy son, he had "IT" on his hands, tummy legs etc. A bath would have been a good idea but no time for that. I got my squirt bottle of my “purify oil” and squirted him all over hoping that it would disinfect and make him smell okay. I grabbed some non ironed shorts for him, scrubbed my skirt and shirt, put some “Whisper oil” on me, just in case I missed a spot and smelt like poop, and was off hoping that I didn’t lose too much time with this pit stop.
We made it to the open house. Ella’s teacher seems like a good one. Her classroom has one wall completely covered in 2 way mirrors so students can observe what is going on in the classroom. I want to go observe. I bet students have stories to tell. They should write a book. Ella’s classroom is great, however, I think she is more excited about the playground outside. Did you know that I went to preschool at BYU when I was little? I totally remember it. It was at the Harris Fine Art Center. The playground was on the patio and I remember loving it too. One memory that sticks out is when they brought in a huge Boa constrictor snake to our classroom. We learned the "I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor" song. Ella’s playground fun was cut short when we had to go get Olive. I got a call on my cell phone from a BYU student telling me that our dog was on the loose. Darn that dog! She has been so naughty lately. It kills her that she can’t go with us on our walks so she jumps the fence. Hilly called me right then and was headed to our house so she picked up Olive for me and took her home. Thanks Hill Dill.
We ate lunch and got the Brigster on the bus. Ella and I have been solo for the last couple of weeks while Brig and Emi have been in school. It has been fun and will end shortly when she starts her school next week. I jumped on the trampoline yesterday with Ella and we had so much fun that she wanted to do it again today. Jumping on the trampoline (RR told me I can’t write “tramp”) is a workout! Or maybe I am just really out of shape. It was a great 20 minutes. I killed 2 birds with one stone. An awesome exercise for my knee and more importantly, I got to just play with my silly Ella.
We then worked in the garden. Well, Ella sat and ate carrots and dip at her little blue table while I heaved a huge log out of my tomato patch. We have this big ole dead tree up in the corner of our yard. Make a Wish was originally going to build Brigham’s tree house in it but thought it might be dying and decided against it. Good thing. It really is dead and I have been worried for the last couple of years that it is going to fall and crush our fence, or tree house, or small child. Tree cutter downers told me it would cost hundreds of dollars to remove it. We didn’t remove it. This last rain storm a couple of days ago brought down almost half of the tree. I think while we were all sleeping. It could not have landed better. It didn’t touch the fence, tree house, or any children. I was kind of hoping that it would have taken down the cement orangutan that looks like a naked old man from behind but nope, he is still okay too. It did snap the pipe that holds electrical wires for the tree house and destroyed my tomato patch. But hey, I think we saved some money.
After I got part of the tree out of the garden Ella and I rescued a bunch of tomatoes. I didn’t realize all the different varieties that I had growing. Red with green stripes, green with green stripes, orange, yellow, bell shape, huge shape, etc. They are so pretty and cool that I just had to share with friends.
I just read my blog for yesterday. Kind of dumb. Sorry. I don’t think you are reading any of these anyways. In fact, I don’t think anyone is. Maybe that is good. You know that saying, “Dance as if no one were watching” Well maybe I should say, “Write as if no one is reading”
While I drove Emily to school today, RR fed Ella breakfast. He is really bummed about her eating habits. He claims that she use to eat anything we put in front of her. That is true however, she was young. He insists that our horrible eating over the holidays a couple of years ago ruined her. RR wants us all to work on eating really healthy. “Only the best food for our bodies” So the last couple of mornings he has locked Ella in her high chair and served her a bowl of fruit (peaches, bananas, oranges, watermelon) Ella loves her “cereal n milk” so this bowl of fruit was quite the change from her bowl of cheerios. Yesterday morning she took 1 maybe 2 bites of a peach slice and that was it. RR had strategically locked her in her high chair so she had to stay. RR had told her that she could have cereal or toast when she was done with her fruit. After she had sat in her chair for probably close to an hour she convinced me that she wasn’t hungry and that she would eat her fruit for lunch so I let her out. By lunch time she was really hungry. She gobbled up her turkey, peaches, carrots, yogurt, and I even got her to eat a few slices of cucumbers. This morning, same scenario as yesterday. She gobbled up today’s lunch too of peaches, and tuna fish sandwiches. So I guess if you starve your kid then they will eat what you want them to eat.
Big day for Ella. We were invited to check out her pre-school and meet her teacher Mr. Brad today. She was so excited. I even pulled out the iron for the occasion and ironed one of her little dresses. I decided that while I had the iron out that I might as well iron an outfit for Brig and why not me too. Hey it is a big day! We all got cleaned up and ready to go. Parking is crazy on campus so we decided to walk. Brig prefers this anyway. I was rushing to get to the open house on time. I smelled a poop. Of course, that always happens when I am rushing. I told Ella to hold on and that I would change him sooo fast. Brigham is getting harder and harder to change (One day I will have to dedicate one of my blogs just to that subject). With out giving you too much detail, I had poop on my ironed skirt and shirt, poop on Brig’s ironed shorts, and poop all over him. With Ella still waiting outside by the wheelchair for Mom, I quickly wiped down a not very happy son, he had "IT" on his hands, tummy legs etc. A bath would have been a good idea but no time for that. I got my squirt bottle of my “purify oil” and squirted him all over hoping that it would disinfect and make him smell okay. I grabbed some non ironed shorts for him, scrubbed my skirt and shirt, put some “Whisper oil” on me, just in case I missed a spot and smelt like poop, and was off hoping that I didn’t lose too much time with this pit stop.
We made it to the open house. Ella’s teacher seems like a good one. Her classroom has one wall completely covered in 2 way mirrors so students can observe what is going on in the classroom. I want to go observe. I bet students have stories to tell. They should write a book. Ella’s classroom is great, however, I think she is more excited about the playground outside. Did you know that I went to preschool at BYU when I was little? I totally remember it. It was at the Harris Fine Art Center. The playground was on the patio and I remember loving it too. One memory that sticks out is when they brought in a huge Boa constrictor snake to our classroom. We learned the "I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor" song. Ella’s playground fun was cut short when we had to go get Olive. I got a call on my cell phone from a BYU student telling me that our dog was on the loose. Darn that dog! She has been so naughty lately. It kills her that she can’t go with us on our walks so she jumps the fence. Hilly called me right then and was headed to our house so she picked up Olive for me and took her home. Thanks Hill Dill.
We ate lunch and got the Brigster on the bus. Ella and I have been solo for the last couple of weeks while Brig and Emi have been in school. It has been fun and will end shortly when she starts her school next week. I jumped on the trampoline yesterday with Ella and we had so much fun that she wanted to do it again today. Jumping on the trampoline (RR told me I can’t write “tramp”) is a workout! Or maybe I am just really out of shape. It was a great 20 minutes. I killed 2 birds with one stone. An awesome exercise for my knee and more importantly, I got to just play with my silly Ella.
We then worked in the garden. Well, Ella sat and ate carrots and dip at her little blue table while I heaved a huge log out of my tomato patch. We have this big ole dead tree up in the corner of our yard. Make a Wish was originally going to build Brigham’s tree house in it but thought it might be dying and decided against it. Good thing. It really is dead and I have been worried for the last couple of years that it is going to fall and crush our fence, or tree house, or small child. Tree cutter downers told me it would cost hundreds of dollars to remove it. We didn’t remove it. This last rain storm a couple of days ago brought down almost half of the tree. I think while we were all sleeping. It could not have landed better. It didn’t touch the fence, tree house, or any children. I was kind of hoping that it would have taken down the cement orangutan that looks like a naked old man from behind but nope, he is still okay too. It did snap the pipe that holds electrical wires for the tree house and destroyed my tomato patch. But hey, I think we saved some money.
After I got part of the tree out of the garden Ella and I rescued a bunch of tomatoes. I didn’t realize all the different varieties that I had growing. Red with green stripes, green with green stripes, orange, yellow, bell shape, huge shape, etc. They are so pretty and cool that I just had to share with friends.
After my workout on the tramp and moving tree branches I gave myself a quick bath with diaper wipes and was off to Brig’s IEP leaving Ella with Erica our neighbor. Brig’s IEP’s are so much different these days. IEP=Individualized Education Plan. I use to dread them because I felt like it was me against the staff. It always felt like a huge battle. Many times I would be in tears. RR and I thought that there would be no way we would send Brig to Jr. High. It seems like such a tough time of life for kids and we thought that no way would there be a place for our son there. Well… it has been a huge blessing. The IEP meetings are great. I actually feel like we are a team. I feel like they really care for Brigham and want what is best for him and they are willing to do whatever it is that he needs. You are supposed to set goals in IEP meetings. I told them that the goal I wanted them to work on was to get him to smile everyday. They actually wrote that down! Oh I love his teacher. I swear I thought I saw tears in her eyes. What a difference. Brig is so simple these days. He just wants to ride his bike through the halls so they let him. The staff said that they had more than a hundred students wanting to sign up to help in Brig’s classroom this year. The teacher told me it is because they all want to be with Brigham. She also told me today that there are two new students in his class who are deaf and sign. She said that they have given Brigham a sign. They make the letter “B” and then do the sign for riding a bike. I really think Brigham enjoys going to school. He is gone from me for about three and a half hours. It gets him out of the house and doing things he enjoys. Those students and teachers are blessing Brigham’s life. I also know that he is blessing theirs.
RR had his bishopric meetings tonight so was gone. I was able to visit with and give Cindy Clark a hug. Her and her husband just got back from being with their daughter Stephanie in Arizona since the plane crash almost 2 weeks ago. Stephanie’s husband Christian got his tubes removed so now he can talk. He is still pretty drugged so no real conversations yet but he is going to be okay. Stephanie is still fighting. The Clark family is amazing. Stephanie is amazing. It won’t be easy and they have a long way to go but they will get through this experience and be more refined and beautiful than ever.
Emily and I ended our night by doing her dance stretches that she learned today in school. It was fun. It makes me want to do Yoga. I have said that forever but I really do think it would help me. I feel all tense, stiff, tight and bundled. If nothing else it was good to laugh with Emily. I know I need to lighten up. I need to work on having more fun with my kids. My knew goal at home is to make sure I laugh and smile with each of my children (and RR) every single day.
RR is home now and it is really late. This entry is way too long. Love you so.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Lunch Box Tins
Well our Labor Day didn't end up being very laborous. I think the big rain storm made it difficult for us to get up and get going. We stayed in our pj's, watched movies, and slept for the first part of the day. Our belly's were calling for food and in keeping with the lazy day theme, I suggested we go out for lunch. We grabbed some pizza and since the rain had stopped and the sun came out we went to a beautiful new park that the city built up in Sherwood Hills. Some bees were joining us for lunch. I didn't notice that one had got underneath the piece of pizza that I was feeding to Brigham. It stung Brig's lip real good. I felt so bad for him. Like he doesn't have enough pain already. I wish I would have had my lavender oil with me to take the sting away. Ella and Emily enjoyed the play ground. Emily challenged RR and I to the monkey bars. Boy did RR and I have a tough time going across. It kills your hands and reminds you how out of shape you are. The beautiful new tennis courts made RR and I want to start playing tennis.
We then headed off to find Hilly's new basement apartment. It was great to see all of you laboring. We think Hilly and Sariah's place is awesome. What a great time of life for them.
Just for the record, we did end up laboring a bit. We started the broken sprinkler pipe project in the garage. The problem was found and now RR is debating how to fix it. Could be major but hopefully not. Emily and I were able to work on a puzzle, (i love puzzles and could work on them all day long) had a quick family council and then ended our day by all of us going on a walk to the Creamery. I am depressed with how cool the weather is getting. We had to wear jackets! It seems to me like our winter was so long and summer so short.
On our long trip to Oregon a month ago, we stopped somewhere in Nevada for gas. Emily saw a Beatles lunch box tin that she thought was so cool and begged for us to buy it for her. She said that she would even pay us back. I think the price was something like $18. Ella, following exactly in her older sister’s footsteps, found a tin that she couldn’t live without either. Ella’s being a Wizard of Oz tin box. Living in lean mode, with very few paychecks coming in, I thought $18 was way too expensive. I noticed on the bottom of the box that the company was in our own Salt Lake City. I convinced Emily that we could find it much cheaper back home. She wrote down the name of the company and we were off. Ella, of course, was in tears but we knew they wouldn't last for long and that her desire would be soon forgotten.
After we returned from Oregon, we realized from our research that we should have just bought the tin box in Nevada. We looked up the company and even registered to get these products at wholesale. Much to our disappointment we learned that the initial minimum order is $250! Sorry Emily. I am still working on trying to find her one. Emily is forgiving. Ella, not so much. She found the catalogs they sent to us and found her Wizard of Oz tin box and lots of other stuff. She is still requesting daily that she needs this tin box to take to her new school. She is also asking me to call her “Dorothy” and wants me to call Olive “Kate”? And while we are mentioning Ella’s desires, she really wants to take dance/ballet with her friend Marguerite. Pleaasssseeee Mom!
We then headed off to find Hilly's new basement apartment. It was great to see all of you laboring. We think Hilly and Sariah's place is awesome. What a great time of life for them.
Just for the record, we did end up laboring a bit. We started the broken sprinkler pipe project in the garage. The problem was found and now RR is debating how to fix it. Could be major but hopefully not. Emily and I were able to work on a puzzle, (i love puzzles and could work on them all day long) had a quick family council and then ended our day by all of us going on a walk to the Creamery. I am depressed with how cool the weather is getting. We had to wear jackets! It seems to me like our winter was so long and summer so short.
On our long trip to Oregon a month ago, we stopped somewhere in Nevada for gas. Emily saw a Beatles lunch box tin that she thought was so cool and begged for us to buy it for her. She said that she would even pay us back. I think the price was something like $18. Ella, following exactly in her older sister’s footsteps, found a tin that she couldn’t live without either. Ella’s being a Wizard of Oz tin box. Living in lean mode, with very few paychecks coming in, I thought $18 was way too expensive. I noticed on the bottom of the box that the company was in our own Salt Lake City. I convinced Emily that we could find it much cheaper back home. She wrote down the name of the company and we were off. Ella, of course, was in tears but we knew they wouldn't last for long and that her desire would be soon forgotten.
After we returned from Oregon, we realized from our research that we should have just bought the tin box in Nevada. We looked up the company and even registered to get these products at wholesale. Much to our disappointment we learned that the initial minimum order is $250! Sorry Emily. I am still working on trying to find her one. Emily is forgiving. Ella, not so much. She found the catalogs they sent to us and found her Wizard of Oz tin box and lots of other stuff. She is still requesting daily that she needs this tin box to take to her new school. She is also asking me to call her “Dorothy” and wants me to call Olive “Kate”? And while we are mentioning Ella’s desires, she really wants to take dance/ballet with her friend Marguerite. Pleaasssseeee Mom!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Labor Day
Good Morning Sis!
Our sprinklers do their thing during the night. We have noticed in the morning that there is a residual of water on the floor of the garage. Of course we have ignored this issue all summer long. Last week Ella and Wesley requested to run through the sprinklers. Well we saw first hand what was causing the water. Not good - A broken pipe that happens to be located inside the storage area of our garage. To big to ignore anymore. So even though it is raining, I think I will try to talk RR into laboring on Labor Day. Poor guy, plumbing seems to put RR into the worst mood. Hope all goes well. You know that old homes are full of surprises. We could be opening up a can of worms. This task involves us taking out the portable storage shelves and everything on them. It is a big job but I don’t mind because it will give us a chance to organize and get rid of a bunch of stuff.
Yesterday Ella was looking at some photos of Brigham when he was younger. I could tell that she was having a hard time recognizing and believing that it was Brigham who was doing those things. Brigham’s life is becoming so simple. He is doing less and less. He is also becoming more and more dependent on people to help him through life. It makes me sad that she never knew him when he could do so much like jump on the tramp, ride on his zipline, play in his tree house, run, talk, sing. RR and I were talking last night as we were lying with Brig that we have forgotten so much. We know that we are towards the end of Brigham’s life. I panic and am emotional and wish that I would have done a better job of capturing and recording our life with him, with all of our children. The simple every day things. I assume that you have similar feelings as some of your children are grown and leaving the house. I am so grateful for the photos and videos, words that we do have. They help trigger memories. I know that one day soon these will be all we have of him. A goal that I have had forever is to get my photos organized. I would love to turn them into books. Brigham loves to look at photos of his life and relive these memories. I need to get on it so he will be able to benefit from them before he is gone. Maybe that is what I should do for him for his birthday and Christmas. He really could care less about anything else. What a pure boy he is. I wish I was more like him.
So…. I guess until I can get my books made, this blog will be our family’s journal. Why am I sharing my journal with my sister? I don’t know. As mom always says with her journal pages, “You don’t have to read this”. I do think it would be pretty awesome if all of us kept a blog of our happenings. Your's could be "Life on Dry Creek", Mom's "Life on 3215 North" Never mind. Call your blog what ever you like. It would keep us more up to date on each others lives and at the end of the year we could print it all up and bound it in a book and ta da! We have a family history. What do you think?
Our sprinklers do their thing during the night. We have noticed in the morning that there is a residual of water on the floor of the garage. Of course we have ignored this issue all summer long. Last week Ella and Wesley requested to run through the sprinklers. Well we saw first hand what was causing the water. Not good - A broken pipe that happens to be located inside the storage area of our garage. To big to ignore anymore. So even though it is raining, I think I will try to talk RR into laboring on Labor Day. Poor guy, plumbing seems to put RR into the worst mood. Hope all goes well. You know that old homes are full of surprises. We could be opening up a can of worms. This task involves us taking out the portable storage shelves and everything on them. It is a big job but I don’t mind because it will give us a chance to organize and get rid of a bunch of stuff.
Yesterday Ella was looking at some photos of Brigham when he was younger. I could tell that she was having a hard time recognizing and believing that it was Brigham who was doing those things. Brigham’s life is becoming so simple. He is doing less and less. He is also becoming more and more dependent on people to help him through life. It makes me sad that she never knew him when he could do so much like jump on the tramp, ride on his zipline, play in his tree house, run, talk, sing. RR and I were talking last night as we were lying with Brig that we have forgotten so much. We know that we are towards the end of Brigham’s life. I panic and am emotional and wish that I would have done a better job of capturing and recording our life with him, with all of our children. The simple every day things. I assume that you have similar feelings as some of your children are grown and leaving the house. I am so grateful for the photos and videos, words that we do have. They help trigger memories. I know that one day soon these will be all we have of him. A goal that I have had forever is to get my photos organized. I would love to turn them into books. Brigham loves to look at photos of his life and relive these memories. I need to get on it so he will be able to benefit from them before he is gone. Maybe that is what I should do for him for his birthday and Christmas. He really could care less about anything else. What a pure boy he is. I wish I was more like him.
So…. I guess until I can get my books made, this blog will be our family’s journal. Why am I sharing my journal with my sister? I don’t know. As mom always says with her journal pages, “You don’t have to read this”. I do think it would be pretty awesome if all of us kept a blog of our happenings. Your's could be "Life on Dry Creek", Mom's "Life on 3215 North" Never mind. Call your blog what ever you like. It would keep us more up to date on each others lives and at the end of the year we could print it all up and bound it in a book and ta da! We have a family history. What do you think?
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