Thanksgiving Trip

Happy Holidays! This is what I like to call the crazy season. As Christmas nears I get more and more nuts. This year I’m trying to step back and just enjoy the spirit of Christmas. And if everything doesn’t get done perfectly that’s ok, right? (Mom, why did you raise me to be such a perfectionist?)

We had a fun and eventful November. The big thing was our Thanksgiving trip. It is difficult to get good, cheap flights within the US this time of year so, as usual, we went somewhere else. (It’s a good thing we didn’t try Idaho, because we probably would have been held up by the snow, always a risk out there in winter. One night in the Malad middle school is enough for me!) Anyway Scott had a trip to Spain all planned out for us. Remember how he said travel would slow down after our flight benefits ran out? Ha! He’s traveling so much for work that he has a ton of frequent flyer miles and hotel points, so we can still get around and satisfy his wanderlust.

The flight to Madrid was fine until we were landing and Meredith threw up all over Scott. It was awful, and he couldn’t take her to the bathroom because the seatbelt sign was on and we were about to touch down. Very messy and smelly. Otherwise it was ok and Noah did quite well. We had a long layover and then a flight to Malaga (only an hour) and about an hour’s drive to Marbella, where we stayed. We stayed in a 2 bedroom condo - - it was so nice to have a kitchen and laundry! It was late so we went to bed, trying to stave off jet lag. It worked pretty well, and the kids slept soundly. Meredith really did great sleeping-wise.

The next day we kind of had a lazy day recovering from the flying. It was nice to just hang out together. We’d given Noah “Toy Story 3” as an early birthday present and he watched it about a million times. He just loved it, and it was fun to see him enjoying it. Noah is very active when he watches movies, he uses his toys to act out the scenes and sings along with the music - - it’s really cute.

For dinner we went into Marbella and ate at a delicious Lebanese restaurant. Wonderful food! I’m so glad my kids are adventurous about eating! I hope Meredith grows up to be as good an eater as her brothers. After dinner we wandered around the town and looked in the shops. Marbella is right on the coast and is a very popular place with wealthy Europeans, especially those from England. The shops were very expensive, but I was still tempted by the darling baby clothes (I resisted).

In the morning we went to a little town called Ronda, which is famous because it is built around a very deep ravine. Pretty amazing views! The places we visited on this trip were a fair distance away, one to two hours, but we didn’t mind the drive. We’d rented a mini-van, and Noah had the back seat to himself, where he quietly played with his stuffed animals and drew. Meredith and Ethan had the middle seat, and Ethan’s ipod kept him happy. And Scott had his GPS, which made us both happy.

The next morning we went to the Alhambra. I’d read about it but really didn’t know what to expect. It was amazing! The tilework was beautiful. We spent a good amount of time wandering around the gardens. We got to take a tour inside, but we had to make it kind of quick because Mer got fussy. The ceilings were pretty spectacular. We also met a nice young man from England (Leeds) who took a cute picture of Noah and Meredith and later emailed it to us. We always meet such nice people when we travel!

One thing you can easily get in Spain is good pizza, pasta, and gelato, so that’s what we had for dinner. When we eat out with Noah and Meredith it is usually a pretty fast meal. We have to be able to make a quick getaway in case of an outburst. One of the things we do when we travel is take along Trivial Pursuit cards and ask questions during the meal. We make up animal questions for Noah, and he loves to answer them.

The next day was Wednesday, and we didn’t do a lot until the afternoon. We’d brought games and we had internet access. Scott and Ethan went swimming with Meredith and Noah went to the kids’ club, which gave me some time to work on my paper for my class. (I’m still working on it, it’s due December 17th.) This was the first trip where I brought along my Kindle, and it was wonderful! No heavy backpack full of paperback books! I really enjoy it for travel, although I like regular books when I’m at home. One problem with the Kindle is a lot of the books you download have typos - - one of them was entirely unreadable. Anyway in the afternoon we went to the town Mijas, which was very cute, and had a nice dinner. It was fun walking around together.

On our trip I got a little owie, Meredith bonked the back of her head into my eyebrow bone, leaving me with quite a shiner. It looks like I’ve got very vibrant green and purple eyeshadow on. And it’s still there, almost 2 weeks later! When Noah sees it he says, “yook!”

Thursday was Thanksgiving. We’ve had some unusual Thanksgivings, and this was no different. We got up early-ish and went to Gibraltar. It is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Its isthmus connects to the north with Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region and about 40,000 people live there. The Rock itself is pretty amazing, it is huge! It ended up being most cost effective to hire a tour guide to drive us (we didn’t take our car there, we parked it in Spain. You have to go through customs to get into Gibraltar.) Our guide was very nice and knowledgeable. We first went to some neat caves with lots of stalactites and stalagmites. Then we went to an area where we saw the famous apes of Gibraltar (they are Barbary apes). They were very friendly and we had to hold the little kids back a little. I was nervous, having been menaced by monkeys twice before, but this time they left me alone. We got some great pictures.
Next we visited another set of caves which were used during WWI and WWII. The whole area had been made into a museum, which was quite interesting. Our guide took us back to the main square where we had lunch and then spent some time shopping. Everything was very expensive, but it was fun to look! When it came time to go back we had to cross an active runway. This was Scott’s favorite part of the trip. There is only one runway at the airport there, and only a few flights a day go in and out. So a large street crosses the runway and they shut it down when a plane is landing or taking off. Pretty cool!

After a long day we were too tired to go out to eat (and I doubt the kids would have made it). The hotel had a Thanksgiving dinner special, but it was very expensive, and we’d had breakfast at the restaurant there and it wasn’t all that great. So instead we went to the grocery store and bought bread and crackers and cheese and salami and fruit and cookies and ice cream. Ultrafeast! A non-traditional but very fun Thanksgiving dinner, and we counted our blessings. We truly are so thankful for our family and for the gospel.

Our visit to Morocco was the best day. We had to drive to Terife, Spain, where there was a ferry that took us across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier. Morocco is part of Africa, and we were able to take pictures at the northernmost point of the continent. Our guide met us when we got off the very, a very nice man named Aziz. He also was the guide for Rick Steves, who has a travel show, and we actually saw an episode they did about Spain and Morocco and Aziz was in it! He really bonded with Noah and later sent us a couple of very sweet emails, including one to Noah for his birthday.

Ethan’s favorite place was Morocco, because the movie “The Bourne Ultimatum” had several scenes filmed there. Aziz and our driver (Mohammad) had both worked on the set of the movie, so they took us to all the spots, including a café, a place where a car bomb exploded, and the scene of a rooftop chase (Ethan and Scott actually got to go up to the rooftop!) It was very exciting for him!

Morocco is a very interesting country. It is a mixture of many cultures and religions. Officially it is an Islamic country, but Aziz pointed out a Catholic church and a Jewish synagogue before we came to our first mosque. The official language is Arabic, second is French (there is a lot of French influence there, and the street signs are in both Arabic and French). The third most common language is Spanish, and the fourth is English. The people there were all very friendly, and they were entranced by Meredith and her blond hair. One little girl came right up to her and kissed her on the cheek! And people were very friendly to Noah as well.

Aziz drove us through some of the wealthy areas, past where the king of Morocco has a palace (the capital is Rabat, which is where the main palace is.) For many years Tangier didn’t have a great reputation, but over the past 10 years, since the king came into power, it has undergone great changes, a big clean-up and more new construction than I’ve ever seen anywhere. There is a lot to recommend it as a tourist destination, including beautiful preserved land and pristine beaches.

On the side of the road was a “camel stand” for tourists - - you paid a few euros and got to ride a camel. There were 3 big ones and a baby (cute!) So of course we stopped, and Scott and Meredith, Noah and I, and Ethan all rode the 3 big camels. We got some great pictures and it was very fun. Afterwards Aziz said he’d take us to the best restrooms in Tangier to freshen up. Turns out he knew the owner of a gorgeous small hotel, and we got to go in and use the facilities (which were as lovely as promised.) Aziz seemed to know just about everybody; he was a wonderful guide. Ethan was happy because it was the same hotel where Matt Damon stayed during the filming of the Bourne movie.

We visited some very interesting ancient caves next. They are called the Hercules caves, and the outermost part was formed naturally. But the inner rooms were made by early people carving out huge flat circular stones to grind grains. You could see where some partially carved out stones were. It was fascinating.

We had lunch at a very typical Moroccan restaurant - - the most delicious couscous with a topping of vegetables and raisins, of all things. They were boiled and very sweet and tasty. We also had chicken and lamb kabobs. Then to work off our feast we walked around the downtown, including a neat outdoor market (there were plucked, headless chickens hanging up, causing Noah to ask, “What happened?”) Really cool displays of many different types of olives. The climate there is very temperate and they can grow all kinds of fruits and veggies.

Our last stop was a rug shop. It was kind of a hard sell, but we enjoyed it anyway. Meredith just roamed around on the carpets, while we learned about the different types and styles. Scott was a great haggler and we bought a small rug for a very good price, a nice souvenir of our trip that is now in the music room. We really enjoyed ourselves, especially Noah, who pretended he was selling rugs too. We were sorry to say goodbye, it was such a fun day!

We were so lucky, weatherwise, on this trip. Almost every day rain was forecast, but we didn’t get rained on at all. On the day we went to Morocco it rained as we were driving to Terife, then stopped the whole time we were out. About 5 minutes after we got back into our car to go back to the hotel it started pouring. It did rain all day the next day, but we’d planned on having a lazy day and just hanging out at the hotel anyway, so it was fine.

So our Saturday was a lazy day and then the next day we flew home. Our flights were uneventful - - but here’s a tip: never fly Iberian airlines. The food was inedible and the service was poor. Both Meredith and Noah behaved themselves, although Mer only slept about 30 minutes on the 9-hour flight. Wow, were we beat when we got home! Now we’re on reverse jet lag, where we fall asleep early and wake up at 4 or 5:00. I get so much done in the mornings, but I’m pretty useless after about 7:00 p.m. We’re finally unpacked and getting into the swing of the holiday season. We wish you all joy as you prepare for Christmas. Remember the reason we celebrate this holiday!

Thank Goodness it's nearly November

Parts of October were great, but the last 3 weeks have been pretty incredibly stressful. The first 10 days Scott and Ethan went to Peru. Yeah, I know. Amazing! Really they did have a fantastic time as you can see from the pictures. I was a little bit jealous, but I also had fun because Omi came out to visit me! She brought out lots and lots of fabric and put together some really cute quilt kits for the hume room. I had projects too. I was recently called as the new primary chorister and Omi helped me (actually she did most of it)make a really fun poster of a thumbs up/thumbs down (for when the kids are singing well, or not so well.) I made a couple of other posters too. We got a babysitter a couple of times and went shopping sans kids, which was a real treat. Amazing how many stores you can visit when you aren't dragging the kids around. But the most fun we had was with the kids. Noah was thrilled to see his Omi, even though it kind of upset the even tenor of his way. Noah likes his little routines, and I think he associated Omi coming with Scott and Ethan going, because a couple of times he told her to pack her suitcase. Maybe he thought that would bring his dad home sooner. But he really did enjoy having her visit and they had some nice talks. The one who really bonded with Omi for the first time was Meredith. They hadn't been able to spend much time together prior to this and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that Omi totally fell in love. Meredith is such a friendly little sweetheart and she gave Omi lots of hugs and loves. She is at the most fun age, learning new words, toddling around, and being so interested in everything and everyone. Her first word was hi, and she says it to everyone, including people in stores, parking lots, she just loves the world. She loves the animal kingdom too, especially dogs. Our neighbors have a very large dalmation and Mer has become very fond of it. She says "dog" and "woof woof" a lot. She also has expressed a preference for "Clifford" on PBS. I kind of hate Clifford but I let her watch it anyway, she loves the dog so much.

This morning before church I was in the primary room and Meredith pointed to the big picture of Jesus and said, "Jesus" just as clearly as could be. She did it several times, and later pointed to another picture and said it again. She also folds her arms for prayer, she just started doing that on her own. So cute! She gives high fives and fist bumps (the scouts taught her that) and everyone loves her. Ian and Brandon, the sons of my friend Darla (who babysits for me on Mondays) just adore her and want to play with her all the time. She is the joy of my life! And boy did Omi and I have some great fun shopping for clothes for her and looking at fancy little girl dresses. I recently bought a toddler bed and cute owl bedding from Target but we don't have the bed put together yet. So many things on the to-do list.

A little more about my new calling - - I love it! I was sad to say goodbye to the young women after 3 years, they are wonderful and we have had some great times together. But being the primary chorister is a lot of fun! I was kind of thrown into the deep end because the annual program was just 3 weeks after I got called (and one of those weeks was conference!) But the kids sang beautifully. Oh and Noah did such an amazing job with his part. I wrote it out for him, "Jesus said, 'if you love me, keep my commandments'" and we practiced it over and over. But you never know with Noah if he's going to do something silly. Well not this time - - he got up and said every word perfectly and clearly. He did as well as any other kid there. I was bursting with pride, and I guess he was too, because on his way back to his seat he raised up both his arms and said, "yeah!" What a doll! He works so hard and it is beautiful to see his progress. Omi mentioned to me how much clearer his speech has become.

Well Scott and Ethan got back on Monday, October 11th, but Scott had to leave again the very next day. He has been gone every week for at least 3 days. It is not easy being a single parent. The worst was week before last. Noah was sick, throwing up, all Sunday night. Ethan and I both got sick Monday night, and Scott left Tuesday morning. This was a yucky flu, lots of barfing (Ethan set the record with 27 upchucks) and terrible body aches. We were miserable, but I was better by Wednesday night. Ethan was not. He came into my room that night just doubled over in pain. He had been so stoic during his illness that I knew he was really sick. I was scared and grabbed the other kids and raced to the hospital. My wonderful friend Darla met me there and took Noah and Mer back to her house to spend the night. Ethan and I spent 5 hours in the emergency room. Fortunately his pain subsided somewhat. I was worried that his appendix had ruptured or something. He was dehydrated from so much vomiting so they gave him a lot of IV fluids, then he had to drink this yucky contrast stuff and have a cat scan. His appendix was fine but there was fluid around his liver and his liver enzymes were elevated. I had to take him to the dr. the next day, but he was quite a bit better by then. I think it was mostly caused by dehydration and not eating. Poor kid! He's fine now, but still hasn't gained back all the weight he lost. Sadly, I have.

Another busy thing we had was houseguest for a few days, our dear friends the Felsteds were moving to North Carolina. They're stuff had already shipped so we invited them to stay with us and we had a going away party for them. They have 3 kids, and their youngest, Henry, is just a few weeks older than Meredith. It was fun to watch them together. The party was a big his and we had about 40 people here and lots of good food. It went on a little longer than we'd planned, but once things get going they're hard to stop (ha ha). Mostly it was just difficult to round up all the kids! We're going to miss the Felsteds, they are really fun people.

We had 2 other parties this month - - 2 Saturdays ago was our annual Down syndrome Halloween party. I was in charge of some of it, and as in the past couple of years we had it at the church. This was the best party we've had yet, a big turnout (60 people) and lots of fun. Noah had a great time with his "girlfriends" Leah and Vanessa. He dressed up as a cowboy, and wore the awesome hat Scott brought back for him from Peru. Last night was our ward party, and it was packed with people. They had a chili and cornbread cookoff - - yummy, as well as cake and pumpkin decorating contests. The pumpkin winner had carved his so it looked like it was barfing out its own seeds and guts. Disgusting, but so hilarious! Meredith looked absolutely adorable in a little zebra costume and won 2nd place in the girls' age 0 to 6 category. She and Noah had fun trick-or-treating tonight at our neighbors' houses. I love the cute little kids who come to our door, but I hate the teenagers who don't even bother to dress up, they just show up and demand candy. I'd say no, but I don't want my house to get egged. Sometimes they're a little scary.

I'm not crazy about Halloween as a holiday, but I do love that it's Mom's birthday and we all wish her a very happy one!

It's Autumn Time!

I am so glad it's finally Fall! This was a long hot summer and I'm grateful for the cool, crisp weather. September was really a beautiful month. The kids got settled back into school and are enjoying their new classes. Ethan is doing well in his last year of middle school. He decided to do cross-country this year, since a couple of his buddies were doing it. It was not easy, he had practice almost every day after school and one to two meets per week. But he did great! I was so proud of him sticking to it. He turned out to be a great runner, continually bettering his times for the two-mile. He especially was good at pouring on the steam during the last 50 or so yards. He enjoyed it so much that he plans to do track in the Spring. Yay Ethan! Ethan is also working hard on merit badges for scouts, and continues to learn about World War II in his free time.

Noah is also loving school. He had to miss a few days in the middle of the month to go to the hospital for a "colon cleanse." It's even worse than it sounds. He had to have a naso-gastric tube (through his nose and into his stomach). He was fed gallons of solution through the tube until his entire digestive tract was empty. It took 3 days. Noah was really tough. He pulled out the tube onece, but after we stuck it back in he realized we meant business and after that he wouldn't let anyone touch it. Even though he felt sick at times he was a great patient. Thank goodness for his DVD player and Barney and Elmo DVDs.

Noah continues to study hard and his speech has become quite clear. He loves to write numbers and letters and draw pictures. It's pretty unusual for him not to have a pen and paper in hand.

Meredith is such a little doll! She is walking very well now and can go up and down the stairs. Her first word was, "hi," which is typical of her extremely friendly nature. She can also say "Mama" and "Daddy" and "nose." She loves books and has finally stopped chewing on them and started looking at the pages! She is such a sweetheart and we are all just crazy about her. She smiles constantly and likes to give high fives and fist bumps (the scouts taught her that.) She also, on her own, folds her arms for prayer. It's so cute!

Scott is traveling a lot for work, 2 or 3 days every week, usually. When home he loves to take Noah and Meredith to the gym so he can play tennis. We've also gone out to eat with friends a few times, which is always fun.

I am enjoying my graduate class (Information Literacy) more than I thought I would. I have learned so much and it's great to feel like I'm putting my brain to work. I am learning about researching, especially academic journals, and I've started work on a 20 page paper about the benefits of signing to individuals with Down syndrome (my choice of topic, obviously.) I also recently was called to be the primary chorister and have been busy getting ready for the primary program. And the Down syndrome group keeps me occupied with various activities and the bi-monthly newsletter.

It was great to take a break from all that stuff and go out to Utah for Kyle and Linzi's sealing! How wonderful to see them after so long, and it was great to see Linzi's family again (they're so much fun!) I stayed with Beebs and she and Heidi and I stayed up late talking and laughing like crazy. We also enjoyed an all-girl shopping spree that lasted most of Friday. Fun! Beebs is always such a great host and it was great to hang out with family. I was pretty bummed when I had to leave, but glad to see Scott and the kids again. Wow do I wish we lived closer together sometimes!

Love and miss you all so much!
Ali

Back to School

August was a busy month for us and a lot of things happened. The biggest happening was the return to school for Ethan and Noah. Ethan is in 8th grade and seems to be enjoying himself. He wrote a funny paper telling about himself for his language arts class - - some phrases were, "here are a few fun Ethan Garner facts," and "my brother Noah has Down syndrome with a side of alopecia," and "my family is equipped with the standard issue mom and dad." Not sure how I feel about being called "standard issue," but it was pretty funny anyway.

Ethan is doing cross-country this year, his first school sport. It requires a certain amount of effort on my part, because Noah's bus comes at the same time that Ethan finishes running, so I have to pick them both up from school every day. It's worth it though, and I'm very proud of Ethan for running, even when it's so humid and hot outside. I'm also proud of Ethan's work in scouts; he has earned enough merit badges to become a "star" scout (next is "life" and then "eagle.") He wants to get his eagle by the end of next summer, which would be great, because he'll only be busier once he gets into high school.

Noah is a big fifth-grader now. Somehow over the summer he grew taller and looks skinnier. I'm relieved he's so fit, because a lot of kids (and adults) with Down syndrome struggle with their weight. Luckily he has pretty healthy eating habits - - I don't know any other kid who likes V-8 as much as he does!

We recently took Noah in for an MRI (under anesthesia) of his lower spine. We go back to the doctor tomorrow to discuss the results. We're trying to discover the reason for his lack of sensation in his . . . bowels. Just another step in the long long road to continence.

Noah did 2 weeks of extended swim/play camp at the beginning of the month. He is really fearless about getting in the water, and I hope we can continue to work on his swimming skills. He was really excited about our annual DS picnic, but on the day it was held he got a high fever and Scott had to take him home. Ethan and I stayed and had a great time. I'm still writing the bi-monthly newsletter for our group - - I really enjoy my association with the good people that volunteer.

Scott has been traveling like crazy, he's gone this week from Monday to Friday. When I told him I missed him he said, "do you miss me or my help with the kids?" I had to admit it was a little of both. I don't know how single mothers do it! But Scott is very helpful when he is home and allows me some "me" time. He loves taking the kids swimming at the gym and they love to go with him!

Meredith is getting so big (literally - - she is off the charts for height!) She is at such a fun stage, learning new things all the time, toddling around everywhere, and babbling in her sweet little voice. She loves to sing along with music in the car and she has a funny little dance she does, too. She points at everything and says babble-words in an inquiring voice. I'm enjoying reading books to her and playing with her. She's also into everything, makes giant messes, and squawks when she doesn't get what she wants. But she's so cute that I just have to smile and give her even more hugs and kisses. Her bangs got so long that we finally trimmed them, she was looking like a sheepdog! Now her hair is a little more "styled." I love buying new clothes for her, still haven't gotten over the novelty of having my own little dolly to dress.

My own big news is that I've started a graduate program. I found an online one that I really liked - - it's a Master's in Liberal Studies with a focus on the Humanities at Fort Hays University. I have a lot of freedom and can take just one class a semester, which is perfect. I started my class on Monday and I'm enjoying it, even if I feel a little stressed out. I haven't done critical thinking and writing like this for a very long time. I'm also still learning how to use the online discussion board. But the topics are fascinating (the class is "Information Literacy: Applied Research for the Digital Age".) I have 2 exams, a 20 page paper, and weekly discussion questions. So it's a little overwhelming right now, but this is really something I've wanted to do for a long time, and in 5 years I'll be 5 years older whether I do it or not, so why not just do it?!

I'm super excited to go to Kyle and Linzi's sealing next weekend - - Scott is going to be watching the kids so I'll be free to hang out - - yay! Not that I don't love my little ones, but everyone needs a break now and then, right?

Love and miss you!

Turning 40

See my dedication?! I'm writing my family letter, even though I should be curled up into a ball weeping about turning 40. I guess I'll have to put that off until tomorrow.

Actually this has been a very nice birthday so far, and Scott is taking me out to dinner tonight, so that will be even better. The best present was picking Ethan up from camp, where he had been for almost 2 weeks. I missed him so much! It was a "Christian Youth" camp up at Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. The first week was spent at the huge campground there. The boys stayed in cabins (there were over a hundred boys Ethan's age) and did all kinds of activities: paintball, rock climbing, banana boating, swimming, archery, etc. Ethan said the food was great and he had a good time. I asked him about the church aspect of it and he said, "it made me so glad I was a Mormon because I went to chapel and I couldn't really feel the spirit." He said he was so excited to come home and go to church. One of his cabin mates had a good friend who was Mormon, and he and Ethan had some good talks about the church. Ethan said he did appreciate very much that there was no swearing or taking of the Lord's name in vain.

The second week was spent with 18 other boys hiking and canoeing all over Wisconsin. On the Tuesday Ethan crashed his bike into a tree and sprained his wrist pretty badly and got scraped up. (Of course when I saw him today with his wrist brace and scratches I felt terrible that I hadn't been there for him - - my poor baby!) He recovered ok, but had to miss out on the rock climbing, which was a bummer. The counselors were very nice and took him to the nurse so he was well taken care of. He made some great friends, and helped out a couple of boys that had special needs. I'm so proud of him, 2 weeks is a long time to be away from home, and the last week was pretty strenuous, but he toughed it out.

Noah has been going around today telling me, "Happy birthday . . . forty!" Well it is true, I am forty. Yikes! But what a great life I have, with a wonderful husband, 3 fantastic children that I adore, and great friends and family. I certainly don't feel 40!

Having a 1 year old is either aging me rapidly or keeping me young. Meredith is on the verge of walking well (she takes lots of steps, but also falls down a lot). And she is into everything! I just bought a gate for the basement so she can play without me constantly dragging her away from the stairs or other no-nos. She is a very happy girl, with an infectious laugh. Her hair is getting long, in fact her bangs hang into her eyes, but I don't want to cut them (I'm afraid I'll do a terrible job - - how on earth would I get her to hold still?) I put in barrettes, but she often pulls them out and then tries to eat them. She has suddenly gotten very picky about food, so we're trying to creatively cram fruits and veggies into her. She is a little bundle of fun and it's so great to listen to her babble. Still waiting on an official first word, but I have a feeling it will be "DAD" - - she sure loves her pop!

Noah finished up his day camp, but he has 2 weeks of extended camp coming up. Yesterday he went on a field trip to the zoo, his favorite place ever. He has become very helpful around the house - - when I ask him to pick something up or help me in some way he always replies, "okay!" or "of course!" and it is so sweet! While we were out in Idaho Noah spent 3 days and nights at "Camp River Run," a special camp for children with medical problems or special needs (most of the kids didn't have developmental delays, but they are expanding their camp to include more of them). Scott actually met the guy that runs the camp on an airplane and that's how Noah was invited to attend. It's a free camp and run by all volunteers. They did lots of fun things like fishing and horseback riding. They said Noah was great and not too homesick. He came back with two new phrases: Camp River Run and Wild, Wild West! I'm so grateful for the wonderful people who choose to work with individuals with special needs. Noah has been so blessed with wonderful teachers and helpers, who continue to inspire me with their patience and love.

While Noah was at camp, Scott and Meredith and I flew up to Spokanne, Washington, and then drove to Sand Point, Idaho, where our friends John and Cynthia have a beautiful summer home. It's right on Lake Pend Oreille, and it is truly lovely. They are such generous people, and it was so restful to be there. We ate out a couple of times, put together a fun puzzle, played Trivial Pursuit, and Cynthia and I made a fantastic pie to enter into the summer pie making contest. They were very accommodating of Meredith too, which was lovely. I wish we could have stayed for a month!

The rest of our Idaho trip was much too short, but lots of fun. I actually had to fly out a few days late because of a bad sinus/ear infection (I have learned my lesson about flying with a stuffed head - - I have had times where I truly feared it would explode in some way!) So Scott, amazing man that he is, flew out earlier with all 3 kids! They attended the Garner family reunion, as well as the mission farewell of Scott's nephew Nate. I'm so grateful for Ethan's wonderful Garner cousins and their good examples to him!

I flew into Idaho Falls on a Sunday, the same day Scott and the kids drove to Sugar City (and also Meredith's 1st birthday!) She got 2 parties and cakes! I can't believe my precious baby is already one! Wow has the past year flown by. She is so darling, taking little wobbly steps and babbling so sweetly. She claps her hands and pats me on the arm when I'm holding her. Everyone comments on her constant smile and cheery disposition. She is such an angel! I can't believe how lucky we are to have her in our lives.

We had a great time visiting in Sugar City. Dad took the cousins to Craters of the Moon, which was great. He also tried to take Ethan and Milena to cave falls, but unfortunately the cave was closed. But Ethan and Beanie had a great time anyway. Heidi and I took all the kids swimming for several hours. It was wonderful to see everyone and hang out and talk. Thanks so much for the hospitality and the birthday gifts for Meredith! I wish so much we could have stayed longer!

Ethan stayed with Scott's brother Mike and his family while we were in Sand Point. He had a lot of fun swimming and hanging out, and maybe even learned to do a little bit of manual labor by digging holes for irrigation lines. It's awesome to have family on a farm (and with animals) because it gives the kids such a different experience when they get to visit.

I'm writing the rest of this post the day after my birthday, so I can tell you how wonderful it was. Scott had arranged to take me out to dinner, but I didn't know he'd also arranged a surprise party for me at the restaurant! When we got there I saw a big table full of people, all with their menus covering their faces, and I knew something was up! It was so much fun and I felt so loved! There were thoughtful gifts and a beautiful cake, decorated by my talented friend Michelle, and best of all such a nice feeling of love and friendship. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time. It was great! And Scott also got me a Kindle (electronic reader), which I have tried out and really love! It can hold thousands of books, and will certainly change travel for me, since I will no longer have to carry and extra suitcase just for reading material. What a great and thoughtful husband! So turning 40 wasn't bad at all - - thanks to my sweet brothers and sisters for their happy wishes. I'll return to favor when you all turn 40 (it's coming sooner than you think!!!!!)

June

I can't believe the month is over! It's been busy and fun and full of mosquitos. We have had a lot of rain here, including some violent thunderstorms, and the mosquitos are worse than I ever remember them being. I've been spending a lot of time outside, too, because I've been working in the yard. There was a great sale on perennials at Lowe's and I went a little crazy buying plants. It took forever to get them all in the ground, but they look very nice! I think this is the best our yard has ever looked. Now I just have to keep it weeded . . .

Ethan finished up the school year with a bang, and stayed on the high honor roll. He had a couple of lazy weeks (although he'll tell you I badgered him to work most of the time) and now he's off at scout camp. I really miss him! Ethan is great company and we enjoy chatting and having "megafeasts" and watching Seinfeld or the Office. But I know he's having a fun time. The camp is a full week, and Ethan planned to earn several merit badges, including swimming, archery, tracking, and rifle shooting (!) At home we've been working on merit badges as well: medicine, dentistry, music, disability awareness, reading, and family life. Ethan is continuing with guitar lessons over the summer, and is volunteering as a "book buddy" at the library (he listens to a younger boy read and helps him out). He's had fun hanging out with friends and is looking forward to enjoying the rest of the summer.

Noah had one week off (during which he missed school very much!) and then started NISRA summer camp (Norther Illinois Special Recreation Association). It's 4 days a week from 9:15 to 3:15. Twice a week he goes swimming, on Mondays he visits the library, and on Wednesdays he gets to go to McDonald's and order a meal. He loves camp! On Friday's he's signed up for some fun field trips. Last week he went with a group to a children's museum in Milwaukee. Noah is Mr. Social, so the camps are awesome for him. Today he didn't go to camp so he could attend the ward cub scout day camp instead. It was a really beautiful day, sunny but not too hot, and he swam and played soccer. We have great kids in our ward who really go out of their way to include Noah in the activities. It was so sweet to watch them let Noah kick the ball in soccer.

Noah is so funny, when he's at home he likes to set up a little work table for himself. He goes through reams of paper, writing numbers and letters and drawing funny little pictures. He has a little magnifying glass shaped like a megaphone that he uses as an inkwell - - it's a hoot watching him pretend dip his pen in it. Last week he set up his table with paper, pens, a magic wand, his plastic briefcase . . . and a nasal aspirator. Guess he wanted to be ready for anything!

Little Meredith is getting bigger and bigger (she'll be one in 11 days!) Her hair is long enough now that I can put a barrette in it! She has such a sweet temperment, and is always willing to give hugs to our friends. She's "cruising" (walking around holding on to things) and I'm sure she'll be walking very soon. She loves to get into things, open cupboards, and make messes. And everything goes in her mouth. I have a missing library book, and I'm beginning to think that she might have eaten it.

One of the adoption caseworkers has parents in our neighborhood (what a coincidence, right?!) and was in town this week. She's the one that was there when Meredith was born and watched her all day. She got to come over and visit and it was wonderful to see her and show her how big our baby has gotten. Hard to believe it's been almost a year, and yet I can't even imagine our life without her!

Scott is such a great dad. We honored him with some fancy chocolate and a nice father's day dinner (kabobs on the new grill). He's been travelling a lot for work and we sure miss him when he is gone! He went up with Ethan for a couple of days at scout camp and will be picking him up on Saturday. He's still playing tennis, and even gets free lessons from one of the pros at the health club.

I got to spend a night up at girl's camp last week (well actually they didn't have room at the cabin, so the yw pres. (Sarah Felsted) and I shared a hotel room, which was awesome!) It's a beautiful camp, more like a resort really, and if it's at the same place next year I'll go for the week! Sarah and I had lots of fun talking during the 3 hour drive up and back. We really have awesome young women in our ward, and it was beautiful to see how well they were all getting along. The theme this year was "superheroes" and our girls were the "wilderness adventurers" from the movie Up. They came up with some really cute things!

I'm staying busy driving kids to various activities and working in the yard. But I still make time to read and play word bubbles on lumosity.com (check it out, it's awesome!) And I'm working on applying to a graduate program in the humanities. Got to keep my brain from turning to mush. I should probably try to keep my body from turning to mush as well. I only have one more month of my 30s left, better make the most of it!

We're really looking forward to seeing everyone this summer in Idaho/Utah!

May Flowers

It's hard to believe it's the last day of May! We're planning on having a picnic with some friends from the ward, as long as it's not raining. It really stormed this morning, but it's dry now, we'll see if it stays that way!

Scott is off playing squash with a friend, and the kids and I are having an enjoyable afternoon. Meredith is napping, Noah is coloring, and Ethan is playing a video game. I just love my kids! Here's what they've been up to lately:

Ethan turned 13 on May 16th. I can't believe I have a teenager! And so far it isn't as hard as I thought it would be! Truly, Ethan is a great kid. He has done so well in school this year, and is very self motivated. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up (specifically a "hospitalist," which is a g.p. who works in a hospital setting.) He has his college all planned out, and recently expressed his goal of getting straight As in high school so he can get good scholarships.

Ethan and I have started working on some of his merit badges. This summer is a good time to do them, because he'll only be busier once he starts high school. We're working on reading, dentistry, medicine, family life, music, and disability awareness. He's also got scout camp coming up next month, and he'll get a lot done there.

Ethan has done a lot of running in gym, and is getting pretty good! Maybe he'll take after Scott and do marathons someday. I hope he can be in cross-country in the fall, we'll see.

Noah is finishing off his 4th grade year with a bang. He has learned so much and done so well this year, I am really proud of him! He just brought a cute little "note" into me, with a picture of him and me and a spaceship. He's learning to write more, and speaks much more clearly. He and his friend Leah and I went to the movie "Shrek Ever After" and had a great time. He's signed up for summer camp and is really looking forward to it. We've worked very hard on potty-training during the last month, but unfortunately with little success. We're planning to take him to a specialist again, because there is definitely a physiological problem there! So wish us luck.

Meredith continues to grow into the most darling little girl ever! Her hair has gotten much longer and thicker. It no longer sticks up, which is kind of sad, but pretty soon I'll be able to put barrettes in it! I love dressing her up, although it's challenging, because she is a very wiggly little thing! She crawls very fast all over and get into everything (and puts everything into her mouth!) So I have to watch her very carefully. Scott loves taking pictures of her and we've got some really cute ones. The boys are so loving to their little sister! And she makes the sweetest little sounds all the time, I just love listening to her!

I recently read "Devil in the White City," about the Chicago World's Fair (and a serial killer who lived at the same time, in the late 1800s). Fascinating! I hosted book club and made devil's food cake in honor of the book. I really enjoy our book group. I also read "The Book Thief" and loved it - - Ethan is reading it now.

The mosquitos are out in full force, but it hasn't stopped me from planting my "garden" (three earth boxes with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers that I grew from seed). I've also filled some of my flower pots and have several more to fill. Ethan is my helper with watering, and I sure appreciate it. I'm hoping to get a porch swing for the back patio so I can sit out there with Meredith and enjoy the sunshine!

Love you all!

April Showers

Scott has been a real traveling man lately. He is now working for a company called Open Mind, based in San Francisco. His job entails forming marketing partnerships with (mostly) travel based companies. Or something like that. Anyway it has kept him out of town quite a bit. And then he had the wonderful opportunity to go on a "Spiritual Retreat" to Israel with our friend John and some other men (2 of whom were ministers). He was gone for about 11 days and had a wonderful time. So that I wouldn't be too lonely while he was gone, we invited Heidi and her 3 kids to come and visit. 2 adults + 6 kids = one crazy household! But it was loads of fun. Although Rowan and Meredith are a little too young to play together, they did seem quite interested in each other. Meredith kept stealing Rowan's binkie and chewing on it. Meredith is quite a bit larger than Rowan, she really is tall for her age. Beanie was a huge help taking care of the babies and allowed Heidi and me to have some enjoyable "down time." Ethan had a great time teaching Beanie how to play ping pong, she got so good she almost beat me! The cousins played a lot of board games and Tallis and Milena enjoyed playing the Wii while my kids were at school. Noah was thrilled to have Tallis around to play with. He was so excited to see his beloved cousins!

On the Saturday Heidi was here we girded up our loins and hit the road for Milwaukee (minus Ethan, who had to do mulching to earn money for scout camp.) Thank goodness for my GPS, we had no problem getting there (it's about 2 hours away). First we went to the zoo, which was very nice, if a bit overpriced. The weather was just beautiful, and the babies behaved themselves very well. Noah was a bit difficult, but he does love zoos.

We had lunch at a nice greek place, good food and it was very quiet (which was good, because we were pretty noisy!) Then we went to the art museum. I'd never been there before, it was great! We saw a beautiful tryptich, some lovely paintings, and the highlight, "Woman with Veil" by Rafael, a response to the Mona Lisa. The exhibit was extremely well done. There was a very nice children's section as well, with information about 3-D imaging. The kids got to dress up and have their picture taken, very cute! It was a long and tiring day, but I'm so glad we did it! I love having so many wonderful museums, zoos, etc. so close to where we live!

The best part was having Heidi to hang out with and talk to and watch tv with and eat food with. I'm impressed with the amount of work she puts into her home-schooling - - I don't think I'd have the patience! But the program is an excellent one. I wish Heidi and I had been able to do some shopping together, but taking all of the kids was just not a great option. Maybe another time.

While Heidi was here I went through all of Meredith's clothes so she could take the outgrown ones to Beebs. It left me with very few clothes that fit! Meredith is just growing like a weed! She is such a sweet happy baby, and we're so glad to have her in our family. She has become quite noisy, making cute and funny squawks all the time.

Noah is undergoing intensive potty-training. His teachers are really working with me on this, which is super. I spent an inordinate amount of money on special training underwear (although they are worth it, I have to say) and a device called "Flippee the toilet protector" (don't ask.) He is doing a great job staying dry, but still has trouble with #2. Your prayers on his (and our) behalf are requested. Noah is a sweetheart, he came home from church today just filled with excitement because he had candy for me for Mother's Day. He's such a loving boy!

Ethan wrote a funny Mother's Day card for me - - "You have the hardest job with the worst pay, but the best perks." I agree. One of Ethan's teachers told Scott at parents' night that Ethan has a very sophisticated sense of humor. Sophisticated for a 7th grader anyway. Ethan does have a great sense of humor and I love chatting with him. I try to read all the books he reads so we can talk about them together. I can't believe he'll be a teenager in a week!

Our Trip

I posted my pictures of this trip on facebook, so I'm not going to repost them here. This was our spring break trip to Europe.

Day 1

Sunday. After church we came home, frantically finished packing, and then took a late afternoon flight to Munich. Ethan and Noah and I sat together, and Scott sat with Meredith. She was the best traveler of us all - - not a peep out of her. She is such a happy little girl! We slept pretty well on the flight and arrived the following morning. Somehow all her diapers got packed with

Day 2

Monday. Usually after a long flight we like to head straight for a hotel, but today was a little different. The flight was the last one we took as non-revenue passengers, because our benefits expired April 1st. We wanted to leave earlier, but the flights were too full. So we had to shorten our trip just a bit. It worked out fine, but we were pretty tired and gross feeling by the end of the day! We got our luggage and picked up our rental car and then headed to Neueschwanstein Castle, about a 2 hour drive. The weather was great, sunny and cool (I don’t like it too hot, especially when we’re hiking around). Scott got a great little mini-van for us and we were able to fit everything in (amazing!) Noah sat in the far back with his backpack full of random toys. Ethan and Meredith sat in the middle row, and Ethan did a great job of looking after his baby sister. He was so helpful throughout the trip, I don’t know what we would have done without him. Scott and I sat in the front and used his Garmin (GPS) and the car’s navigation system and did a pretty good job of not getting lost. Even with the GPS I would have been terrified of driving all over (7 countries!) but Scott did great. Even on the autobahn, where cars were passing at incredible speeds. I did pound the imaginary brake a little bit, but Scott was patient with my back-seat driving, and I did help out a little bit looking for signs and things.

What a beautiful drive we had! In some ways I wish it had been later in spring, the grass was green and a few flowers were up, but not many. On the other hand there were much fewer tourists and the weather didn’t get too hot. I would love to go back sometime in late spring, though, to see the blossoms.

We parked at the bottom of a steep hill and then hiked up to see the castle. Our incentive for Noah was the possibility of seeing “the Beast” - - he just saw the Broadway show and was very excited about the enchanted castle. The views from the top were beautiful, and it felt great to stretch our legs after so many hours of sitting. We did a guided tour of the castle, which was built by “Mad” King Ludwig in the late 1800s. I was amazed at what great shape it was in. The murals on the walls were gorgeous. Ludwig was obsessed with Wagner and had several of the rooms painted to represent different operas, like Tristan and Isolde, Lohengrin, and Parsifal. Everything was quite ornate. King Ludwig may have been crazy, but he did build a very beautiful castle - - it was one of 3 he had built, and I would have liked to see the others. I was interested in learning about his life!

We got back in the car and drove on to Dornbirn, Austria.

Day 3

Tuesday. We got up, ate at the hote,l and drove to Appenzel, Switzerland. We were hoping to be able to see Sonja Elkuch, but she didn’t respond to our email. We loved the town though. We went to a couple of the most amazing florist shops I’ve ever seen (and you all know how much I’ve always wanted to be a florist). Easter is really big in Europe and the decorations were wonderful. In Switzerland, especially, the displays were so elegant and beautiful. We had a mediocre lunch (the Swiss aren’t known for their food, except for specialty items like chocolate and cheese, and everything is so expensive!) But we finished up with delicious gelato, a family favorite. And then Scott discovered a shop devoted entirely to cheese. It smelled so bad inside! Just like an old, forgotten baby bottle. But the cheese was very good and we all enjoyed our little snack, especially the boys.

We drove through Liechtenstein and took a few pictures, but really didn’t have time to stop and see much. I wish we could have seen the Elkuchs or Rudisuhlis, but maybe another time.

Day 4

Wednesday. Got up and checked out after breakfast. We first drove to Innsbruck, Austria, specifically to see the alpine zoo. Again, we had a lovely day. It rained just a little bit, but not enough to spoil our fun. Thanks to our portable DVD players, the kids were awesome in the car. Scott made some fun CDs to listen to as well. Anyway, the alpine zoo was pretty neat. It probably qualifies as the world’s steepest zoo, since it is basically built right into the mountainside. The specialty, of course, was alpine animals. They did have some farm animals too, and I took pictures of the goats, and a really ratty looking sheep. While I was doing that a cow mooed very loudly and scared Noah. He screamed and ran down the hill hollering and waving his arms. It was pretty funny. He has ridden elephants and a camel and not been fazed, but the cow freaked him out.

We saw some other fun animals, including a lovely brown bear. Noah just loves zoos, and it was a big bribe to keep him happy on the plane. We had lunch there in Innsbruck, and would have liked to spend more time there, it’s a cute little town. Our pizza was wonderful, best I’ve had in a long time. And of course we had to have some more gelato. A day without gelato in Europe is a wasted day, in my opinion.

We had to leave quickly in order to get to Balzano, Italy, before it’s natural history museum closed. There they have an exhibit of the world’s oldest man, Otzi. Ethan had learned all about him in school last year so it was very interesting to see him in real life (so to speak). He was found on the border of Italy and Austria (just barely on the Italy side). Extensive scientific tests have been done on him to show how he lived, what he ate, and what his life and death were like. Along with the mummy itself they have all of the clothing and tools found with him, as well as a fount of information about him. It was very well done, and only a little creepy.

We drove on into Italy and stayed in Padua (Padova). It took us longer than we expected to get there. We drove through miles and miles of tunnels, right through the mountains (the Dolomites). It was beautiful watching the sun set, but we were pretty tired by the time we finally got to our hotel!

The next day we went to Venice. Scott and I went 6 years ago and it was so romantic. Not so much with kids. It took forever to find the train station and park, and we’d decided to take the stroller, which was probably a mistake, since the streets are all cobblestone and there are a million stairs. It did help with Noah though, he got pretty tired of all the walking. Scott carried Meredith in our little baby bjorn and she did well. It wasn’t that fun though, because it was very crowded and I’d forgotten how much Italians smoke. And then it started to rain pretty hard. So it wasn’t the most fun day of the trip, but at least Ethan got to see Venice, and we did get some pretty great pictures. And of course we had gelato again.

more tomorrow . . .

Marching Forth

I’m writing this from Dornbirn, Austria. I wanted to get it done before we left on our spring break trip, but we were just too busy. We’re having a lazy evening in our hotel, so it’s a perfect time to write. I’m sitting here in my room with Noah and Meredith (Ethan is in the other room). The rooms aren’t very big, but one whole wall is windows and the view is beautiful. Tree covered hills, green grass, and lots of white houses with red roofs. It’s lovely.

March started out wonderfully with a trip to Utah to visit Beebs. This was one of the few trips I’ve taken all by myself. It felt weird to just pack one tiny little suitcase. I missed Scott and the kids, but it was sure nice to fly solo! I had to check in 2 big bags (Mom and Dad’s old red luggage) filled with hand-me-downs from Meredith to Elise and a bunch of cute stuff I got on a huge sale at Children’s Place for Beebs and Heidi. Also a lot of the boys’ old clothes which fit Weston and Aidan.

I don’t know how Beebs juggles 4 kids, but she does it well! It was so much fun to see her! We went shopping and I bought Meredith an Easter dress. Beebs made about a thousand pancake balls for me - - she is such a great cook (also yummy Café Rio salad!) And we had fun just talking and watching “The Office.” Heidi came down on Friday night and the two of us and Milena went to the OneHeart concert in Provo. I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much, music-wise, but it was fantastic! And thanks to Heidi’s celeb-status we had great seats. I had a blast and was also very touched by the pictures of orphanages. I feel honored to be peripherally involved in such a worthwhile organization! I’m in awe of all that Dushku does, and all that she and Heidi did to start OneHeart up. Great job guys!

Saturday was shopping day for Heidi, Milena, Rowan, Beebs, Elise and I. Boy are those babies sweet! Elise is such a little dolly, and Rowan is so good-tempered. Elise looked so tiny compared to Rowan and I missed how tiny Meredith once was. It was fun to watch Rowan’s progress because he’s so close in age to Meredith.

We had a fun lunch at Chik-fil-A, one of my all time favorites. Great food and wonderful service, and I love that they’re closed on Sundays! We don’t have them in Chicago, so it’s a tradition to go there when I’m in Utah. Then we shopped at several different places, including Target, where we wore bunny ears all around the store. Very mature. And our trip wouldn’t be complete without a trek to Costco. By the way, they now carry a type of almond snack called Mrs. May’s and they are so delicious!

Mom and Dad and Hilary and Uncle Adam came over for a while to Beebs’ house and it was enjoyable to talk to them. And Heidi and Beebs and I had so much fun playing cards and eating snacks and laughing (mostly at each other).

I was bummed that I had to leave Sunday morning before church, because I wanted to see Elise get blessed and visit more with family, but it was a good thing I did, because I had to fly through San Francisco and it took me all day to finally get home. I was so happy to see my boys and my baby! And I think Scott had a renewed appreciation for all the housework I do (I won’t mention the state of the house when I got there . . .)

The next week was my turn to play single parent, Scott had meetings in Arizona and St. Louis and then went to Paris (for fun) with our friend John. I would have been fine, except I caught a terrible cold (I think I got it from Dad!) After about 10 days of suffering I finally went to the doctor. He said my ears, throat, sinuses and 1 eye were all infected. If I’d waited to go in any longer they would have had to amputate my head! Ha ha. Poor Meredith and Ethan also were sick during the month. I’m so glad spring is finally here and we’ll hopefully all stay healthy for a while!

Scott’s parents recently were called to be leadership missionaries for 18 months in New Zealand! They are really excited to go, and we’re excited to visit them at some point. They came for a quick weekend visit in March and it was so nice to see them! We had an early Easter while they were there, just little fun baskets of goodies for the kids. It was especially nice to have Meredith’s first Easter - - we bought her some really cute little bunny ears! It was also the Pinewood Derby that weekend, so we got Noah’s car ready and went. As is traditional (for the past 5 years, anyway) I made the certificates, and also frosted cookies for the boys. Noah came in 2nd place (actually he tied) and we all had a great time.

Noah is doing well. He took a month of swimming lessons through NISRA and recently started Special Olympics track. In school they’ve been studying animals and where they live, which is right up his alley, since he loves animals so much. A recent favorite phrase is, “no way!” He says it when he thinks something is really cool. We all think Noah is really cool himself. Scott took him to Beauty and the Beast downtown and he said Noah couldn’t have been better-behaved. He was just perfect, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Ethan recently read a book about World War II and became very interested in that era. He also read a book that highlighted both world wars, and is now reading “The Pianist,” which is about a Jewish man who lived in German-occupied Poland. Ethan is a very thoughtful young man. He’s been really trying to show his maturity lately (because he wants a new video game) - - but it has been so nice! He is so willing to help out around the house and with Meredith.

Last Sunday Meredith fell halfway down the stairs before Scott caught her. So scary! It was especially traumatic for Ethan, and now he has appointed himself Meredith’s bodyguard. He sure loves his little sister!

And who wouldn’t love her. She is seriously the best-natured baby in the world. She is so cute, quite tall for her age and with less of a baby face now. She started creeping for about a week and then graduated to crawling. She loves to be active and aware of what is going on around her. Scott thinks she should be in the book of world records for best baby traveler. On our 8 hour flight to Munich she didn’t even fuss once. Somehow the diapers got packed in the checked bags and she had to use Noah’s pull-ups, but it didn’t faze her. She smiles continuously! We are so crazy about our little sweetheart!

February

Here I am, writing my family letter on the last day of the month, just like Mom asked. I'm such a good girl! We hope you all had a pleasant February. We had a fair amount of snow, but nothing like the Virginia Browns, so we won't complain. I'm getting excited for spring though! Anyone interested in going in on seeds with me? I'm planning to start my flowers/veggies indoors this year. I've never done that before, but I think our basement gets enough sun that it would work out. We'll see. I'm also hoping to get the boys involved in the garden planning.

Speaking of the boys, they are doing well. Noah had his annual field trip to "Pump it Up," a fun play-place with bouncy houses and slides. It's probably his second favorite place in the world (the first being Disney World). Noah is continuing to do well in school. Right now they are studying animals. I was asking Noah if Walruses lived in cold or warm areas, and he said, "cold, in the polar region." Wow! Noah had a great Valentine's party with the kids in his class, and brought home lots of treats that he generously shared. It's so great that he doesn't have a sweet tooth!

This past weekend Ethan went on a winter campout with Scott. I'm afraid that neither one is an avid camper, especially in the snow. They had to fill the whole car (SUV) with supplies, just for one night. I felt sorry for Scott until I realized, at an inopportune moment, that he had taken the toilet paper from the bathroom with him and hadn't replaced it. When I mentioned this to him he said that I should be glad I didn't have to put on boots and go outside to go potty. I guess he had a point. Anyway they came home the next morning, exhausted and reeking of smoke. Wow did I have a lot of laundry to do! But Ethan did have fun playing in the snow with his buddies.

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a baby shower for a friend in the ward (I visit teach her). It's her 7th baby, so she deserved a little party! It was fun, and everything looked so nice. I had yellow tulips and branches with little yellow flowers as decoration, and wonderful food: hummus, shrimp salad, crab dip, various crackers, cheese, veggies, fresh pineapple, grapes, chocolate cookies, and phyllo dough cookies. I wasn't sure how many people would come, so I overdid the food a little and we had a lot of leftovers, but that was nice too!

Right after the party I started feeling yucky - - I had gotten the flu. I was only sick for about 4 days, but it wasn't much fun, and even worse, Meredith got it too. She had a terrible cough and had to have antibiotics. My poor baby! She is much better now, thank goodness. I would much rather be sick myself than have sick kids. Thank heavens Scott was around most of the time and could take over. He has been traveling a ton lately.

Meredith is almost 8 months old now, hard to believe how fast the time has gone! She is very tall for her age, and I think I may have an athlete on my hands (I'm not quite sure how to handle that!) She is sitting up very well and is getting ready to start creeping. She is also babbling a lot, and it is so much fun to hear the sweet little noises she makes! She's doing great eating "people food" and loves crackers. Wow, I had forgotten how incredibly messy babies are when they start eating solids. I do a lot of mopping up.

So we're all doing well and hope you are too. Our flight benefits run out in April, but we do have a trip to Idaho planned for this summer. And of course you're all welcome to come here for a visit!

Art

I've become addicted to freerice.com - - they now have several kinds of quizzes, including art. It reminded me of one of my favorite paintings, "The Good Mother," by Fragonard. Isn't it sweet?

The Many Faces of Meredith

Stuff

Last night I hosted a Young Women sleepover at my house. We had about 25 girls/women. It was an estrogen-fest. Ethan hid up in his room almost the whole time. I don't blame him. This was the second annual YW conference (the first was held at my house too). And it was a great success. I love the girls in our ward, and the way they love eachother and look out for eachother. One of the girls made big decorated posterboard hearts for everyone with their names on the front and a little pocket in the back with more hearts and sweet attributes that those girls have. Everyone brought snacks and sleeping bags. We decorated fabric hearts, and then the girls and leaders took a quick trip to another friend's house and sang happy birthday to her (I think it made her day). After they all came back we had nice spiritual talks from 2 girls and 2 leaders, and then just hung out and talked and snacked. I went to bed around 1:30. There was a little noise from the basement, but it died down around 2. Last year people stayed up all night. This was better. In the morning I got up and took a shower. When I got out I discovered that Noah had woken up and gone downstairs. He was in "his" tv room, very upset with the 4 girls in sleeping bags on the floor. He calmed down after a bit and started watching "Polar Express." We had yummy tater tot casserole and fruit and OJ for breakfast. The girls looked cute and fresh, the leaders not so much. I still look older and tireder! But it was an awesome event, so glad we did it, and I think everyone had a good time. Seriously wonderful young women with beautiful personalities. I love working with them. And the leaders I work with constantly amaze me with their dedication.

Scott took Meredith to Idaho Friday afternoon. Our friends Fred and Emy lost one of their little girls (5 of their 6 children have a progressive degenerative illness for which there is no cure. 2 of them passed away a few years ago. Their story is tragic, but they are a constant inspiration to me.) I miss my baby and my hubby! Scott called this morning and said that several people were stunned to see a dad flying alone with a baby. He got all sorts of advice and help. I wasn't a bit worried, he's a wonderful father to Meredith and I know she's in good hands. I'm glad they'll both have a chance to see Grandma and Grandpa Garner and some of the cousins. Wish I could have been 2 places at once!

Trials

The missionaries came over to dinner the other night (yummy fresh basil and mozzarella and tomato pasta) and they gave a little thought at the end of the evening. They talked about the Nephites in the Book of Mormon, when they were captives of the Lamanites and we're being very harshly treated. They prayed, and the Lord said he would lift their burdens, would make them lighter. We talked about how the Lord helps us through our trials, and how trials can make us stronger and better people. How true that is! Two of the "trials" of my life were my pregnancy with Noah, and then not being able to get pregnant again and going through the ups and downs of adoption. But I can't now even call them trials! I was so uplifted and sustained through all of my pregnancy with Noah, and he is one of the greatest blessings of my life. Sure, his Down syndrome has been challenging, but I wouldn't change things. He is such a joy, a wonderful, happy kid who gets the most out of life. Because of him I have met wonderful people, learned enormous amounts of information, and become a better, more patient person. And if I hadn't gone through infertility and a long adoption process, I wouldn't now have the most perfect precious baby in the world right now.

I look at what the people in Haiti are going through, and I know that I have no grounds for any kind of complaint. I have a wonderful family and a great life. I've been following the blogs of people who have experienced trials (one is a woman who was burned severely following a plane crash, and the other is a woman whose husband had a stroke at a young age). The attitudes these women have is amazing - - so much faith! They turned to the Lord in their time of need and as a result they are stronger and better people. Great examples for me! So a good resolution for me is "no whining" because things are awesome!

More Catching Up

It was sad to see Mom and Dad and Kyle and Linzi and Evy go, but great to welcome Scott and Ethan back home. I sure did miss them! Scott has recently moved his office to a place only a couple of miles away. It's so great to have him closer, and he loves not worrying about a long commute. Scott uses some of his extra time playing tennis at the gym. He has several friends he plays with regularly and he loves the friendly competition. It's also a great way for him to stay in shape.

Ethan got a wonderful report card for his first trimester. He's now taking Spanish, and liking it. He's been playing basketball with the scouts and soccer in P.E. and getting a lot of good exercise. He's also started wearing contact lenses, mostly for sports. He helps me a lot with Meredith, especially on Mondays when I work. He watches her by himself for about an hour until the babysitter arrives. Ethan is doing great with his priesthood responsibilites. Recently a new member told me how impressed she was with his helpfulness and maturity when he came to collect fast offerings. What a great kid!

Noah also had a very good report card. I'm so proud of how far he has come in school! We had his IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting last week. All of his many teachers said how much they enjoyed working with him and how well he is doing. He loves to help his classmates and especially encourages them to get involved in P.E. Noah is a very active kid, and physically is doing exceptionally well. He would be in the regular P.E. class if he were taller, but the teachers are afraid of him getting hurt because he is so much smaller than his typically developing peers. We just signed Noah up for swimming lessons and special olympics track. I think he's really going to do well!

The month of December was busy but fun. We had several parties to go to, including the annual Down syndrome group party. It was nice to not be in charge this year!! The kids had a great time. I'm back to writing the newsletter for our group and I love it. That's definitely more where my talents lie. I'm also once again the secretary for the young women. I love putting together handouts and invitations. Recently the church revamped the Personal Progress program and the new books are great. I'm actually going to do the program myself again, and I'm looking forward to it.

I also had a work party at a nearby German restaurant. The food was fantastic, and very filling! I sure love my job and the people I work with. All of the ladies had a special baby shower for Meredith and me and it was a blast. I am so lucky to have a job I love and only have to work at once a week. It's perfect. There were many times during dental hygiene school that I wondered if I'd made the right decision, but I know that I did. It's not glamorous, but it's perfect for me. Well, I'm not glamorous, right?!

November Family Letter

Those of you who read this who aren't family members may not know that we do a semi-monthly family letter in my family. My mom has betting putting one together at least 10 times a year ever since Scott and I got married (over 16 years now!) Anyway, since I started this blog my mom has just taken my family letter from it, and guess what - - I am way behind! So here's the catch up.

The highlight of November (and of the whole year, really) was going to the temple so that Meredith could be sealed to us. We went to the Twin Falls temple (my first time there) because Scott's dad is a sealer there and could perform the ceremony. Mom got to be the person who dressed in white and held Meredith, and Dad and Scott's brother Blair were witnesses. So everyone in the family was involved, it was very special. Meredith looked so beautiful in her long white dress, and she was a perfect angel. In fact, during the ceremony itself she held perfectly still and seemed very intent on what was happening. Ethan and Noah got to attend as well, which is a pretty unusual occurrence and was very special for them. I was especially glad for Ethan because he's old enough to remember, and to plan for attending the temple himself and being sealed there someday. We spent a lot of time talking to Noah about proper temple behavior beforehand. We had family prayer before we left the house and Noah asked to say it. It was so funny - - in the prayer he said, "running, no no, talking no no" - - he knew how he should act. And he was very reverent. He loved the end best of all when everyone got to hug everyone else.

After the temple we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was so fun to have so much family there, Heidi and Devan and their kids (and we finally got to meet Rowan!) and Beebs and Scott, and lots of Scott's family. Also cousin LeeAnn, who watched Heidi's kids while she was at the temple. We especially appreciated those who had traveled long distances just to come. We went back to Scott's folks' house and talked for several hours before people had to leave. And then we left the next morning. It was a short trip, but oh, how wonderful! We are so grateful for the sealing power of the priesthood! And for adoption, which made this possible for us. (Amazing, by the way, how much there is about adoption in the scriptures!)

Only a week after we got back to Chicago Scott and Ethan left on a "trip around the world" with Scott's friend Gary. I'll let them post about their adventures. Scott knew that he couldn't just leave me here with Noah and Meredith and no company, so Mom and Dad and Kyle and Linzi and Evy all came for Thanksgiving! Mom and Dad stayed a whole week, and it was so fun to see them! We went shopping and hung out and talked and of course read books. Noah and Meredith were thrilled to have their Omi and Opa all to themselves. (Noah sometimes calls Dad "Poopa".) Kyle and his family came later and it was awesome! We played games and made sketches of eachother and laughed and laughed. I enjoyed getting to know Linzi better (we went shopping with Mom on black Friday!) and it was fun for Noah to get to know Evy. Evy seemed very taken with Meredith and was very sweet to her. We had a very nice Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings. I made way too many brussel sprouts (they're good cooked with bacon, but I over-steamed them a little). Also my jello just would not set, so we ended up with tasty strawberry soup :) Anyway it was lots of fun, and though we missed Ethan and Scott, they had a good time too.