RS lesson

I taught RS on Sunday and the subject was Elder Porter's talk from the October conference about a broken heart and a contrite spirit. I gave everyone a ball of playdoh to play with (I made a LOT of playdoh on Saturday-- there's about 60 sisters in our RS!) and asked them to think of how a broken heart might be likened to the playdoh. The sisters had great responses and there are many answers. Basically it boils down to this: a broken heart and a contrite spirit is similar to playdoh because both are willing to be molded and shaped by the Master without resistance. We discussed why it is sometimes hard to turn our hearts over to God and let him direct our lives. When we are willing to do this, we become humble and teachable enough to seek repentance, receive forgiveness and let the atonement take effect in our lives.

a new wardrobe

( The picture has little to do with the title.--only that Jared is in the pict and my post is about him. It's here because I haven't put any pictures on my blog for awhile and it's getting a little boring to look at -- so, there you go. It was taken yesterday.)

I swear I've practically replaced Jared's entire wardrobe in the last month. It's not only the replacing, but the fact that it seems to sneak up on me. One day I think he's got plenty of stuff and literally the next, I notice that everything is too small and he's just not comfortable. Maybe I feel like it sneaks up on me because he's the only kid without an ICE box (In Case of Emergency, i.e. hand-me-down clothes) where I can pull out something in the blink of an eye. When there's an ICE box, I've got a whole "new" wardrobe at my fingertips, or at least something to get by on till I can get new stuff on sale.

night and day

That was the difference between the ortho we saw last week and the one we saw this week. Our consultation was very informative and professional. The office was totally nice and there was a surplus of staff waiting to attend to our every question and need. It was easy to see where my money (A LOT of it) would be going -- i.e., too much staff and super nice digs! Anyway, the guy pitched us a plan we agreed with and took plenty of time to explain treatment and answer questions. He pointed out both good and bad things about Jared's current teeth alignment. We will probably begin phase I treatment this summer which includes a spacer thingy and some tooth extraction. There won't be any worry about using up the flex spending account this year! Full on braces won't be for a couple of years, so that will give us time to start an orthodontics savings account for phase II.

amoxicillin

I guess that's how you spell it. Poor little Matthew officially has his first ear infection. He was running a fever over the weekend and just hadn't been his happy little self, so when he started batting at his ears yesterday, we decided it was time to go see the doc. After a dose of antibiotic, another dose of ibuprofen and finally a peaceful nights rest, he woke up a pretty happy baby this morning and seems to be close to being back into his normal happy-all-over-the-place-destructo mode. He doesn't seem to care much for the taste of the delightful pink stuff, so getting through the whole bottle might be a challenge, but at least he's feeling better.

soccer weekend

We had quite the soccer weekend. Jared played Friday night and then both he and Ryan played games on Saturday. I think they actually won all 3 games, can't remember. Jared has been playing forward much more lately and has really been doing well. He's taken a few shots at the goal, but unfortunately, they haven't made it past the goalie. Ryan has taken a liking to being a forward with all the action or the goalie, where he doesn't get so much action -- quite the contrast. I always have to hold my breath when the kids play goalie -- I just don't want them to feel bad if they let the other team score. My parents survived the Saturday games with us -- it was SOOOO windy!! At least it wasn't cold (like Ryan's Wednesday game was, in which Mark's parents came to watch and thankfully survived as well). I'm so glad they came down to watch and we had a nice visit with them too. Of course, it's always fun to show off for grandparents!

gettin the heart rate up

Not in the usual exercizing way however. Yesterday I was called from the pulpit to share my testimony during sacrament meeting. Nothing like a swift kick in the rear to get me to do something I'm generally too chicken to do on my own timeframe! I survived and managed to say something that was coherent, thank goodness. I much prefer having time to gather my thoughts before speaking. At least it was over quick.

not impressed

Jared's first visit with an orthodontist was a disaster. However, we know we won't be seeing THAT one! Here's how it went: We arrive on time. Chick behind the desk can hardly speak English and tells us she isn't the receptionist, but that the real receptionist is in back and will be out in a minute. A good 5-10 minutes goes by before the "real" receptionist appears and informs us that she really isn't the "real" receptionist because the "real" receptionist had to go to a doctors appointment at 3:00. (Do we really need to know that?) Anyhow, she hands us forms to fill out. Another 10 minutes goes by and she comes back to get the forms. We wait again to be called back to the chair. Finally we get to the chair. Ortho apoligizes for the wait and says its been "one of those days" and my receptionist had to go to a 3:00 doctor appointment. (Again, do we really need to know that?) A quick look at teeth and then the guy pulls out the photo book of past patients and their teeth (could this be a HIPPA violation?) and what he's done to make them beautiful. Finally he decides to do an x-ray, only to tell us that the developing part of the process (machine) is broken and he can only take the x-ray, but not develop it, so we can come back next week sometime and discuss the x-ray with him. He took the x-ray. We ask if he has any idea about treatment and time frame. We are told that Jared is a complicated case, and that without looking at the x-ray he really can't tell us exactly what he would do to fix the teeth, what the time frame and order of treatment would be, or the cost. Come back next week and he'll have that x-ray developed and be able to give us the details -- NOT! We thanked him for his time and left, having been there for an hour and gotten nothing! It's a good thing it was free and there is no obligation. We got the feeling that for him and that office "one of those days" probably happens frequently. Jared has an appointment with another ortho next week and we've heard several different people say they like him. We hope WE like him too, because this looking-for-an-orthodontist process is rather a pain.

destructo-baby

This is just what Matthew gets into in the kitchen. Put your imagination to work and think of all the fun that comes from dresser drawers in the bedrooms, toy boxes, book shelves, and bathroom cabinets!

random happenings

Costco has the best strawberries right now -- we've been enjoying them for 3 weeks now and just can't seem to get enough. They're huge, and they have a wonderful flavor. Mostly we just rinse them off and eat them, but we've also enjoyed strawberry shortcake, strawberry spinach salad, and strawberry pie. Yummy!

Yesterday when I went out for a little run, the wind was blowing and my route was INTO it. I hate running against the wind because I feel like I'm working hard and not going anywhere. But when I head home, the wind will be at my back and that will give me a little boost, or so I thought, so I kept going. When I got to the turn around point, the wind stopped -- yessss stopped! The sun came out and then it started snowing -- yep, sunny snowflakes. Weird weather with no wind for added boost! Dumb wind!

We are about to enter the world of orthodontia. I've been putting off setting up ortho appointments for Jared for a long time now, and finally decided we need to bite the bullet and get an orthodontist chosen and a plan for treatment laid out. We'll be checking out 2 orthodontists in the next couple of weeks. I hope that we like one of them so we don't have to keep making consultation appointments. Jared is less than thrilled as you can imagine.

holey jeans!

This is a picture of Jacob's jeans taken back in February. I think this particular pair of jeans has been through 3 boys, so the holes in the knees are well earned and really aren't too bad considering how much they've been worn. Now try to imagine them with 2 months more wear and tear! Ryan has a few pairs that are much much worse! Once there's a hole, they get torn up quickly! There are only a few threads left in the knee area and some are completely ripped. Sometimes I'm embarrassed that they are wearing them to school, but they don't seem to care --typical boys. I am counting on Spring to rescue me from these holey jeans -- they're getting tossed out! Sometimes I feel guilty when I remember my Grandma and think of how mortified she would be that I am not patching the knees. Throwing out pants in her day would have been unheard of! Maybe I'll save some pieces for another denim quilt, and then I won't feel so wasteful. In the meantime... come on shorts weather!!

food cravings

Don't you just hate it when you're craving something, but you just can't figure out what it is? I've had a craving for something for the past coupla weeks and haven't been able to figure out what it was. I've tasted various fruits, jelly bellies, licorice, pasta, chips, etc. Nothing quite hit the spot...until today. I decided to make rice krispie treats for FHE tonight (Jared's favorite), when I thought maybe I'd also make some peanut butter ones with chocolate on top. Jackpot! Finally! I guess I have been craving sweet peanut butter. No one in this household really likes peanut butter unless its in candy, like Reese's or M&M's (which we don't eat very often anyway), or in the rarely made peanut butter cookies or fudge(a personal favorite that I discovered during my mission). So, who is going to eat this batch of peanut butter deliciousness? Primarily me, but because there are also rice krispies and chocolate involved, the boys will help me out, even Jared.

scouts

Hooray! Ryan was awarded his Wolf at last nights pack meeting! He's very excited to have patches for me to sew onto his shirt! He had a few requirements that he had to do last week at the last minute, but we got them done -- picking up trash in the neighborhood, discussions about protecting our world and other subjects, and learning and participating in an outdoor flag ceremony. I'm very glad that he earned his Wolf, but I can honestly say I do not enjoy sewing patches on scout shirts. Our next pack meeting won't be until after Jared's birthday, so he was officially "bridged" last night! He's entering a new world of scouting now. I haven't the foggiest idea about scouts and all their merit badges, campouts, etc., so this will definitely be a new adventure for me as well. I'm hoping there's some kind of guidebook -- knowing Scouting, I'm sure there is a book with a nice price tag attached as well. Jared also recieved 4 or 5 more pins last night and another compass point. He's collected quite a bit of metal this past year -- he's earned everything there is to earn this year except for one thing --and I can't even remember what that is. Check out the new red neckerchief -- he'll also be getting a new tan shirt to go with it!
We are proud of both boys and their accomplishments! Many, many thanks to the awesome scouts leaders we have in our ward right now!!

how bout them jazz

Were the Jazz awesome last night or what?! Mark got some tickets from work (not the super duper seats -- but tickets all the same) and took Jacob to the game with him. Jacob managed to talk Mark into buying some popcorn and seemed to love that the best. But, I think he really enjoyed spending some one on one time with Daddy -- he never gets that opportunity at home. Meanwhile, Jared, Ryan, Matthew & I hit the DQ. Ryan and I had blizzards (Ryan requested a large and I gave into a medium -- he ate the whole thing!) Jared requested a double cheeseburger -- keep in mind, we had just eaten dinner! I'm beginning to glimpse the reality that teenage boys might possibly eat us out of house and home. Matthew was happy sharing my blizzard!

warehouse sale

Today I went to the fun warehouse sale. I love going to that darn thing! I picked up a bunch of fun brads, flowers, and other assorted embelishments. Since I didn't buy any albums or paper, I didn't spend a whole lot, but probably more than I should have. However, since I only buy stuff like this at this sale, I don't feel very bad about it. Everything is 50% off or more -- gotta love that!