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?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
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!
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!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, January 18, 2010
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?!
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?!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Whine Flu
Ugh - - this has been a sick month so far. Actually it started in October with colds for both Ethan and Noah. Then Ethan was sick several days last week, and Noah got sick too. They were both sick a day and then fine a day and then sick a couple of days. I took Noah to the dr. and he got a prescription for Tamiflu and an antibiotic. I do think it was the piggy flu, because he had all of the requisite symptoms, including throwing up. Fun! Poor Noah is such a snuggle-bug when he's sick that I do enjoy it. He doesn't get grumpy, just a little clingy. Anyway we kept him home from church today because he still had a pretty gnarly sounding cough, but he hasn't had a fever for over 24 hours, so that's great. He is sitting in the TV room watching the finale to "Much Ado" over and over and over. What a funny kid!
Ethan had an interesting project for school - - a model of a plant cell. It took a lot of ingenuity, but we used plastic eggs, clay, fun-foam, paint, bubble wrap, push-pins, bouncy balls, toothpicks, a hollow spherical thing from a bowl of potpourri and lots and lots of hot glue, and I think we came up with a pretty darn good replica. If he doesn't get an A I'll be ticked. Teachers should realize that parents have to get heavily involved in these projects! I wasn't about to let Ethan get his hands on the glue gun, I had a hard enough time with it myself!
Ethan continues to work hard in school and play hard with his friends. He's got some buddies that live near enough for him to ride his bike to their houses, now we just have to get him a bigger bike! He is doing bowling in gym, and plays football with friends. He's reading Don Quixote now and writing a "dark" story about the Italian Mafia. A lot of his friends have "air soft" guns, which shoot little rubber balls (tiny ones) - - a cannister of compressed CO2 makes them shoot. He really wanted one and I said "no way no how." Fortunately there are some great nerf guns out there. I'm ok with that. I hate guns, but I remember when Ethan was about 2 and bit his sandwich into the shape of a gun and was playing with it. I don't know how he ever even saw a gun, all he watched was Barney, but I guess the shooting thing is just a part of male DNA.
More later . . .
Ethan had an interesting project for school - - a model of a plant cell. It took a lot of ingenuity, but we used plastic eggs, clay, fun-foam, paint, bubble wrap, push-pins, bouncy balls, toothpicks, a hollow spherical thing from a bowl of potpourri and lots and lots of hot glue, and I think we came up with a pretty darn good replica. If he doesn't get an A I'll be ticked. Teachers should realize that parents have to get heavily involved in these projects! I wasn't about to let Ethan get his hands on the glue gun, I had a hard enough time with it myself!
Ethan continues to work hard in school and play hard with his friends. He's got some buddies that live near enough for him to ride his bike to their houses, now we just have to get him a bigger bike! He is doing bowling in gym, and plays football with friends. He's reading Don Quixote now and writing a "dark" story about the Italian Mafia. A lot of his friends have "air soft" guns, which shoot little rubber balls (tiny ones) - - a cannister of compressed CO2 makes them shoot. He really wanted one and I said "no way no how." Fortunately there are some great nerf guns out there. I'm ok with that. I hate guns, but I remember when Ethan was about 2 and bit his sandwich into the shape of a gun and was playing with it. I don't know how he ever even saw a gun, all he watched was Barney, but I guess the shooting thing is just a part of male DNA.
More later . . .
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