Catching up....Again!

I know it seems like all we've been doing around here is breaking bones, but believe me, a lot of noteworthy things have been happening that I haven't taken the time to blog yet! For instance, Samuel participated in our family's final Pinewood Derby. (Chris is so thrilled to be done with this rite of passage!) We attempted to "swirl paint" his car and followed the demo's for swirl painting guitars online and it turned out pretty cool. We didn't quite get the look he was aiming for, but it was cool nonetheless. Caleb participated in All-District Band. This was his first year trying out on the clarinet, so he was excited to make it. In the past he has gone on the bass clarinet and there is a lot less competition.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit and helped celebrate Caleb's 16th birthday. Unfortunately, this was right after he broke both arms, so it wasn't quite the celebration he had in mind. And he found that turning 16 for a boy is somewhat anti-climatic when all our your friends who are girls who you might consider asking out on a date don't turn 16 till summer! Oh well, there is still time....

We took Grandma and Grandpa on a walk down by the river on President's Day. It was fairly nice weather, so it was fun to get outside after all the cold. Of course I was holding my breath because Caleb was all over those rocks and I was afraid that he would end up falling in the river and ruining his casts!

Chris and I went with Savannah to her "Eight is Great" fireside where she learned all about being baptized. She was so excited to go to the fireside because she has always wanted to go to a fireside, but then found it to be not quite as exciting as she had anticipated because there was no fire and we didn't roast marshmallows. No wonder she has been jealous of her older siblings all these years!

Samuel attended two levels of district championships for swimming. He ended up bringing home a gold medal and a 7th place medal (I don't know what color that is). Sadly, it was not a good measure of what an incredible swimmer he has become because he got sick two weeks before district champs, missed a full week of practice, and lost 7 lbs. and he really wasn't back up to par by champs. He was on the verge of qualifying for State Junior Olympics in 5 events but only ended up qualifying in 1, the 200 IM. He goes next weekend to compete in that, so stay tuned for results!

And then there were two.....

We are cautiously wrapping our last boy (Samuel) in bubble wrap since he has State Swim Championships in a few weeks and a cast would not be a good thing!

Joshua apparently broke his thumb last Thursday playing basketball. He favored it a bit and we just thought it was jammed. He practiced lacrosse for 2 hours on Saturday, playing goalie with no complaints. But once it was all done, he was miserable. I went out a bought a little splint thinking if we just rested it, it would get better, but no luck. By today it was still causing him so much pain that we decided to get it looked at.

The orthopedist did a double take when he walked by the room and saw me there. He said "weren't you just here?!!" Then he saw Josh and said "oh, it's a different kid!" Fortunately for Joshua, the doctor is a former lacrosse player, so he gave Josh permission to keep playing and practicing!

The Snow Sports Merit Badge

Sometimes, scouting can be painful.....like when you walk 50 miles and then bike 50 miles and then canoe 50 miles all so you can get the mega-50 miler award....


AND expensive.....like when you have to buy a new bike or backpack or lightweight sleeping bag or ski gear because you don't have the things you need to participate....

But it looks like by far, the most costly, most painful merit badge for Caleb is the Snow Sports Merit Badge!

The phone call from Caleb at ski patrol went something like this....

Caleb: Mom, can you get me Bro. Roberts cell phone number (this would be the merit badge counselor who dragged himself up to the lodge with a fever and chills and curled up on a chair waiting to DIE so that he could be there and support the boys in completing their merit badge! Now that's sacrifice for you!)

Me: Why, did you break something? (totally joking at this point)

Caleb: Um, yeah, I hurt my wrists. (completely nonchalant like its no big deal)

Me: REALLY?!! Are you serious?!!! How bad is it?!! (enter slightly hysterical mom tone of voice)

Caleb: I don't know, their just hurt. MOM, can you just get me his number?

So I give him the number and hang up. We hear nothing for 3 hours, during which time I have assumed that it must be no big deal because no one has called us back. Sometime after midnight, the boys get home from their evening snowboarding session. Caleb has a splint on one arm and nothing on the other. Both are swollen. My assessment is that one is possibly broken and the other is probably sprained. It is in the wee hours of Sunday morning, so I decide the best thing to do is to put a brace on the unprotected arm, give him some ibuprofen and put him to bed.

The next morning we went to church. There have still been no tears from Caleb. He is pretty much solidly stoic about the whole thing. He is able to wiggle fingers on both hands which is encouraging. I go out after church and buy a brace for the other hand so we can take the lousy makeshift splint off (why in the world we have THREE braces in our home and they are all for the LEFT hand, I have no idea!) We decide to wait it out till Monday morning and take him to the orthopedist.

Lest you think I am the bad mother, let me explain. We have been through 4 broken arms up to this point in our family. Two of them happened after hours and two during office hours. Every ER visit ends in an xray, a splint and a referral to the orthopedist the next day.....oh and a bill for about $3000! So, if I have the splints, I just really can't see wasting the time and the money to go in and get the xray (which the orthopedist typically repeats anyway because it is not up to his standards) to know for sure it is broken. So, we waited. Caleb took some more ibuprofen but was not on it around the clock. He even played the piano with his left hand a bit.

Monday morning came and I took him to the orthopedist. It appears that the radius on both arms is broken. His left arm is a straight break which should be easy to heal. He will be out of that cast in about 3 weeks. His right arm has a diagonal break. It is the one that is casted higher in an effort to immobilize the arm and hope that as the swelling goes down the bones don't slip. He goes back in 10 days at which point they will decide whether or not he needs to go into surgery for manipulation. At the very least, it will need to be re-cast because the swelling will have gone down and the cast will be loose.

All I can say is HE BETTER HAVE EARNED THE MERIT BADGE!!!!

Going Back To Work....

A lot has been going on around our house these last few months. Chris has come up against some challenges at work that he felt threatened his job security and I found myself back in the job market in an effort to provide something to fall back on if he were to lose his job.

It was not a comfortable transition for me from stay at home mom to job seeker. Initially, I was scared to death! It is amazing how difficult it is to step out of your comfort zone and go on an interview when you haven't done something like that in 17 years! There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears poured into the job search.....okay, maybe not blood, but definitely ALOT of prayers!

We are so fortunate in our church to have LDS Employment Services. I cannot say enough good things about the advice and help I received from our ward employment specialist. He walked me through writing a resume, filling out online applications and even did a mock interview with me. It went a long way toward helping me feel at ease throughout the process.

I applied for a part-time job with the health department about 30 minutes from here. It seemed like a good place to start since that was my first (and only) job as a dietitian. I was under no illusions that I would be called to interview.....I figured it was just such a huge step to fill out an online application, so that was one hurdle crossed for me. I was shocked 3 weeks later when they called me to set up an interview. And I guess I was a little excited too.

Then all out panic set in! I had always been so sure of myself as a dietitian. I was at the top of my class in college and got accepted for the best internships. My reviews were always stellar. And yet now I found myself feeling incredibly insecure. What if I didn't remember things? What if my vast volunteer experience wasn't viewed as worthwhile? What if I no longer measured up to workplace standards? And what if I *gasp* made a total fool of myself?!!!

The night before the interview, it started to snow....I mean REALLY snow! I am not the type of person who goes out driving in the snow. For years I have been the one who stays home for 3 days till everything melts, and now I was faced with the prospects of a 30 minute drive on possibly icy roads to make a good impression. Add to that the fact that my children were now all home from school due to the storms and it more than flustered me. The interviewer called and gave me the option of doing a phone interview, but I felt like I would make a better impression in person, so I prayed for safe travels, left my kids home to play Wii and headed out into the cold.

The interview was nerve-wracking! I was given several case studies and had to analyze them and make a dietary plan on the spot. My technical skills were absolutely rusty! There were some things that came back easily (like how to chart using SOAP format) and other things that slipped my mind till the next day....at which point I thought "I am such an idiot! I can't believe I forgot that!" But the good news is, IT CAME BACK! I left feeling rejuvenated and realizing that yes, I still really do love dietetics!

I did not, however, think I would get the job. It was a longshot. It was also not a very good fit for our family. The position was a travelling position and the hours were anytime between 7 am and 8 pm. When you try to fit that in with a husband who is travelling and 5 kids in 5 schools with only 2 of them being picked up and dropped off at home, it does not really work.

Christmas came and went and I did not hear back about the job. I didn't even bother to call and check on it. Things settled down some at Chris' work. My children got sick and I found myself cradling Savannah in the middle of the night and thanking Heavenly Father that I didn't have to worry about going to work the next day. We spent all day together with me revelling in the opportunity to serve her and love her and care for her while she was sick. For two full weeks, I had someone home sick every day. What was I thinking??? There was no way I could have gone back to work!

And then today they called....

The job has not been filled and they wanted to know if I was still interested. I didn't know what to say. Was it an answer to our prayers that we would be able to provide for our family? Or was it a test to see if I would compromise my stay at home motherhood? I struggle because I know that eventually I will need to go back to work, and for most of the world, it looks like the time is right when your kids are all in school.

But somehow I feel like my work is not done here at home....there is mothering yet to come. There is something necessary in the simple act of picking your 17 year old daughter up at the bus stop and shuttling her 5 minutes to work. It is a crossroad, and I want to be there, at least for these last few months before she leaves home forever. There is something to be said for sharing warm brownies with a middle school boy when he opens up and wants to tell you about the people who picked on him today, the two A+ grades he got on tests and the one B that he was a little discouraged about. If I had not been there today, I wouldn't have seen his vulnerability and been able to encourage and build him up. There are the moments spent in carpool, the chances to have friends over, the follow up on chores and homework assignments, the presence of a mother in the home. It is still necessary; and maybe even more so now that they are older.

So, no, I don't think the time is right for me to be going back to work. Not this job, not this time. The professional me is a little sad, but the mother in me is rejoicing in the continued opportunity to be at home.

It has been a worthwhile process. I am looking differently now upon things that I need to be doing to maintain my professional knowledge and skill set, ways to build my resume with relevant volunteer service, chances for continuing education that I might not have been able to take advantage of with babies at home are now more doable. For all the stress these last few months have brought, I am grateful for the things I have learned in the process.

Retraction

As much as I hate to admit it---

It was NOT the red velvet cake!!!

A full week later, the stomach flu has gone through 4 of the 7 members of our family. I was down in bed with it for two days. It was complete and utter misery! You may think I am a bit melodramatic, but I was convinced I would be better off dead for a good portion of that time! The only ones left unscathed are Shelby, Chris and Joshua. Who knows how long they will hold out?

As for me, I am still not eating red velvet cake......

The Curse of the Red Velvet Cake

There is a story from when I was about 5 yrs. old that has taken on epic proportions in my mind. It involves a birthday celebration for my little sister Shannon, red velvet cake, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and the entire family throwing up all night long! If you have ever seen red velvet cake on its way back up, you would understand why a five year old would think it looked alot like blood! For years, in my mind, the blame for the miserable night was placed squarely on the red velvet cake/mint chocolate chip ice cream combination. I refused to eat either of them because I was certain they would make me throw up!

As I got older and was studying nutrition in college, I realized that what we probably experienced as a family, was a case of food poisoning that had nothing to do with the cake or the ice cream, but was actually caused by something we ate for dinner. The funny thing is, no one remembers what we ate for dinner! In the past few years, I have finally been able to eat and enjoy mint chocolate chip ice cream again, but red velvet cake continues to turn my stomach.

Now I am grown and have children of my own, including a 17 year old daughter who thinks that red velvet cake sounds absolutely scrumptious! It started somewhere around Christmas....

Shelby: "Mom, have you ever had red velvet cake?"

Me: "Yes, and I would NEVER eat it again!"

Shelby: "Why not, does it taste bad."

Me: "To be honest with you, I cannot even remember what it actually tastes like.....but it looks like blood when you throw it up!"

I shared with her the story, which she laughed off (mostly because she hadn't been there!), but failed to convince her that there was no reason to try red velvet cake. The next day she came home from her job at the grocery store with a red velvet cake mix and a container of cream cheese frosting.

I continued to try to discourage this desire of hers by putting the cake mix in the back of my pantry where it wouldn't be noticed every time she got something out. It worked for a month, but yesterday Shelby decided it was time to make the red velvet cake!

She chose to make it as cupcakes, but I would not be tricked! I glanced over a few times while she was adding the ingredients; the water and oil made it look suspiciously like throw up. I informed her then that I would NOT be trying her cake. When the baking was finished, Chris and I had to leave for a fireside with Caleb. She rounded up the little kids for a taste test. I was glad to be leaving!

When we got back home, I could tell it was not a huge success because there were lots of cupcakes left. I warned Shelby that if anyone started puking during the night I would be blaming it on her!

Somewhere around 2:00 am, Savannah stumbled into my room crying "I just threw up!" I rolled out of bed and went up to her room to find red velvet cake throw up splattered across her bed, blankets, stuffed animals, all over the wall and dripping down along the wall to the carpet. It did, indeed, look suspiciously like blood.

In your rational mind, I am sure you probably see this as an unfortunate coincidence.....I do not.

There will be no more red velvet cake in this household!

My Most Embarrassing Moment

Thanks to Blue Lily Photography blog, I have been inspired to share the story of my most embarrassing moment in an effort to win a free photo session. I wouldn't do this for just any contest, but these guys are INCREDIBLE photographers and I have admired their work for several years while I have been lurking around on their blog, so the least I can do is relive some embarrassment, right?!!

When I was about 9-10 years old, my mom served as president of our church women's organization. During this time, we spent A LOT of time at the church while she was having meetings or organizing and preparing for different activities. My brother and sisters and I became very familiar with the building and loved to play in it. While we were never allowed to run and play in the chapel, mom didn't mind if we played in the gym, hallways or classrooms. As children, we spent many hours fantasizing about what it would be like to buy the church when they built our new building and turn it into our home. We had big plans for the indoor gym (roller skating rink), stage (platform for the aspiring models and actors/actresses we were to become someday) and even baptismal font (hot tub)! We took turns picking which room would be each of ours and naturally decided that the little kids' rooms would all be in the downstairs portion of classrooms, while ours would be upstairs (because we were so much cooler than them....).

Anyway, it was during one of these long afternoons at the church that our imaginative play gave way to a game of hide and seek. After exhausting all the best hiding places, I decided to go into a classroom and climb up into the windowsill (which was about a foot wide) and pull the curtains shut behind me. That way if anyone looked into the classroom it would just look dark and empty. It was a great hiding place! I heard them come looking for me, but I was NOT getting out! They would have to find me!

I was standing up there on that windowsill feeling pretty darn proud of myself when the light turned on and I heard voices and chairs being opened up. I peeked out through the crack in the curtains as discreetly as I could and realized that the classroom I was hiding in was now the setting for our church youth group meeting! These kids were several years older than me and oh-so-cool.....And I was the dorky little kid hiding in the window!

I was determined not to let them know I was there. I figured I could outlast their meeting if it would spare me the embarrassment of being discovered. It was a very surreal experience standing up there in that window. My heart was beating a million miles a minute and I was up about 4 feet off the ground peeking down through this crack in the curtains willing them with all my might to finish up and go away! The longer I stood as still as I could be, the more I realized that I needed to use the bathroom!

Things were not working in my favor. I could hear my mom and brother and sisters calling for me out in the hallway. I knew I was going to be in A LOT of trouble for making them all wait, but the thought of opening up those curtains and climbing down from the window mortified me! Eventually, the urge to pee outweighed even my fear of embarrassment, so I threw open the curtains, jumped down to the ground and yelled excuse me as I ran out the door! I could hear the room erupting in laughter behind me, but I didn't care.....I went to the bathroom, then I got out of there as fast as I could! I have never played hide and seek at church again!

Fortune Cookies....

Chris went out to eat with his team from work last night at a Chinese restaurant and got this in his fortune cookie:

You will move to a wonderful new home within the year.

What does it all mean?!!!

Cooking Mama

Who needs video games and easy bake ovens when you can be the REAL thing?!! For Christmas, Savannah got the cutest apron and several packages of Betty Crocker mixes (muffins, brownies, and cookies). She has absolutely loved cooking and it has been fun for mom to spend time with her!

It was one of her favorite gifts! (Ours too, for that matter, because we all get to sample her creations!)

Joshua's Birthday

Poor Joshua.....his birthday always gets fit in between Christmas and family celebrations and chaos.....but he is a good sport! Since we were travelling to Granny and PawPaw's and they had a cake for him, he decided to just open presents on the morning of his birthday and wait on the cake until the next day. He was thrilled to get his first Airsoft guns and some ammunition! Finally, a step up from nerf guns! Later that day, he invited his friend, Nate, over and they went and played at LaserQuest for a few hours. Then it was into the car for a long ride to Granny and PawPaw's for the family Christmas celebration. Because Shelby had to work, I stayed behind and brought her down the next day. Joshua wanted us to be there for his birthday party, so he waited to have it the next day when we got there.

Granny and Aunt Cathy had arranged for a friend to make a lacrosse cake for Joshua. He was so excited about his cake!

It was so much fun having cousins around to share in the party! No one else gets to do that! Because Joshua was turning 12, we arranged for his ordination ceremony to be done at the church where we were visiting so that his uncles and grandpa could participate.

It was a very small branch out in the country in North Carolina. I think we about doubled the size of their congregation that day!

Chris was able to ordain Joshua as a deacon before Sacrament Meeting, so they asked Joshua to help pass the sacrament. He was given the section where we were all sitting and it was neat to have him pass to us! Joshua is such a good boy. He is very conscientious about doing what is right and we are so proud of the choices he has made. I appreciated the dignity with which he passed the sacrament.

Years ago, when I was struggling through all the miscarriages, I read the account of Hannah in the scriptures. Like Hannah, I was begging God to send me a child. I vowed to dedicate this child to the Lord, if He would just let me have a baby. I was not surprised when I found out Joshua was a boy. I felt such a kinship with Hannah that it just seemed right that I would have a boy too! We chose the name Joshua because it meant "gift of God", and that is just what he was. I remember holding him in my arms and being overwhelmed with the feeling of peace. As he has grown up, I have tried to teach him the things he needs to know, to hold up my end of the bargain, to dedicate this child to the Lord. Like any mother, there are times when I question if I have done enough. I know there is always more that I could do. Joshua's goodness is evident to everyone who meets him. He continues to bring a feeling of peace into our home and I know that Heavenly Father is so pleased with the young man he has become.

We love you, Joshua! Happy Birthday!