Thank you, son

A few days ago I was reading my daughter in laws blog...she was talking about her oldest daughters experience of wanting to put the baby to bed and what a good job she did doing it... I was impressed with my grand- daughter and how fast she is growing up at 8 years old....but it brought to mind a memory of my son.

I didn't know my father or his family until I was 32 years old. That year we decided to attend a family reunion in Carson City Nevada to meet him and the realitives on that side of my family. So we loaded our five children aboard an eight passenger Chevy Beauville van with vinyl seating and no air conditioning and set off for Nevada on our big vacation. I don't think we were out of the drive way before shannon said..."Are we there yet?" But on with the story

Us at Hoover Dam

Our van many memories

Our family around the same time

This is one of the first pics taken with me and my dad after he came to visit us later that summer

It was great seeing this family for the first time, although at the last minute my dad couldn't make it, there were many others there. One afternoon I was busy in amidst these many realitives talking genealogy and enjoying their company when" it 'occured.

Chelsea was a toddler and messed her pants....Without even a blink Craig came and got her, took her out , changed her bottom and then brought her back and put her down. Craig was almost sixteen at the time. He didn't say anything, wasn't asked to do it,,,just did it....

This may have been taken the same day "it" occured ( What a cutie!)

WELLLLLLLL..... I had two great aunts there who were in their eighties and they just stood there with their mouths open....they just couldn't believe what their eyes had seen!!!! A sixteen year old boy picked up a baby changed her bottom.........AND WASN"T EVEN ASKED TO DO IT!!!!We were there for another couple of days with lots of activities going on but that was all these two elderly aunts could talk about and I would venture some day in the here after it will be all they say when they see Craig again.


Aunt Fay

Aunt Muriel

Craig was almost six when his first sister was born....and from then till he was fourteen there were babies in our house. Although he received great enjoyment from teasing them , for the most part he was a GREAT care giver...he loved them and yes changing a diaper probably came second nature to him when chelsea was born.....More than my aunts reaction mine was equally astounding to them.... I didn't think it was unusual....because he always did it....not that he changed ALL the diapers....but when he saw a need in the care of his sisters he usually just did it......and I guess I kinda took it for granted.....no I DID take it for granted.

So I guess this blog is really a shout out to my son to thank him for all he did to help when the girls were growing up and although I didn't always say it .... i did appreciate all his help...He was a very kind loving brother and has grown into a wondeful husband and father... and we love you dearly

Damaged...Broken....but not FORGOTTEN

In my job we use those words alot....damaged....broken....referring to children/teenagers who have been abandoned or abused by those who gave them birth. The more time I spend in the school system I realize that society is raising a whole generation of these kids. Often it makes me feel very sad as we deal on a day to day basis with behavior issues that are a symptom of these children. It also makes me afraid for the future because if our indeavors fail to "fix"these children...they will probably be the adults who commit the crimes of the future.

This week though I learned a very important lesson. I was given a supplemental position for the next few weeks to work with a five year old little boy....who has problems stemming from his first few years. The wheels of the education system move slowly sometimes as they wait for funding to have problem children seen by physcologists to be diagnosed...in the meantime they have to be in school and behaviors have to be dealt with. This little boy has been in kindergarten since september and they have been trying to find a "plan " that will work for him....this is where I come in.

My directions( in a nutshell) were to be in the classroom..prepared to have this child take his five minute time outs as directed by the teacher or to be removed from the classroom and taken to an intervention specialist. If directions were followed there were lots of rewards that I could give but only under the strictest directions.
This boy has no learning disablilites...just the opposite he is very smart probably reading at a 1st or 2nd grade level....but has an inability to focus and refuses to take directions....and may have and oppositonal difiant disorder.......sooo.
The first three days I was there he made it through the first half hour of the day and for the next two hours I would pick him up and carry him to the office probably 6-8 times or more....my forearms and legs were getting really sore as this proved to be quite a workout. and he liked to kick when he was being carried.

After the third day and no improvement I began to wonder what I could do to get him to a point where I could reward him .... I didn't think that if all he was responding to was negative attention that he would ever "get it" I came home that day feeling very heavey and sad for him and perplexed. That night I prayed for him because I knew that Heavenly Father loved this little boy.

The next morning I prayed again not only for him but for me so I could know what to do for him to help him. When I got to school an idea hit me and I approached the intervention specialist with it... I asked if I could use candy or some other small thing to help him take his five min time outs in class so he wouldn't have to go to the office...not all the time because I figured he would purposely be naughty for the teacher to get candy. He had some cards with action figures and star wars figures so he gave me some and I filled my pocket with some skittles and headed down the hallway....with a prayer in my heart.

The day started as usual the first half hour okay....then he was directed to take a time out. He came to the time out chair and sat for a minute or two then started to misbehave and I was going to have to take him out.I reached in my pocket and took out two skittles and said " If you take your time out these are yours" It worked....he completed the five min and got the reward.
Then I showed him the cards and told him if he did his work he could have a card. Well he tried but didn't complete it. but he did take two more five min time out before I had to remove him from the class....without candy. I told him that he would never know when I would pull something out of my pocket so he needed to be good and see what happened.
He still didn't make it to get his stickers or computer time.....but at the end of the day we felt like we had made a few baby steps. I was very thankful in my prayers that night

The next morning I prayed again to know what to do and headed off to school. When I walked in the classroom ....there was a sub!!!! I thought oh no what will this do to him. He came in and looked like he wasn't having a good day and greeted me with " What are YOU doing here again....you should go home!' I said a silent prayer and greeted him with hugs and smiles....
The sub had been there before and he was familiar with him so it was pretty good and we were going to the library first thing.....He was very well behaved there and when we got back to class it was already almost 9: o'clock(school starts at 8) and I rewarded him with a card.We did circle time and although he had to have a five min time out he did it earning two more skittles.
I had to take him to the office once during this time but he went straight to his chair and took his fifteen min time out without incident( he usually hid under the table and had to be held by the specialist) We went back to class and then had to take our recess time in the office....( that was a consequence if he had to go to the office he lost recess time)

We went back to class for snack time and then they had a paper to do....I sat next to him and helped him through it...then he had to draw a picture which he completed... I was estatic and let him pick another card. So by this time we only had three classroom time outs and one office trip....hallelujah! When there was about five min left I could sense he was getting distracted and I really didn't want him to fail for five min...so I cut the day short and told him to get his things ready to go home....He earned his sticker for the last part of the day( one sticker till recess and one sticker till going home) He got to have five min computer time and two chocolates from the behavior para......we couldn't wipe the smile off his face! EVERYONE gave him hi fives and praised him for his success....when he has his computer time the para asked him who he wanted to help him her or me.....HE SAID ME!

While we were waiting for his grandma to pick him up....he kept saying grandma was going to be sooooo happy! When she arrived he could hardly contain himself till she got in the building....then he hugged here and said" Grandma I had a great day!!!!!' I then told her about his successes while he beamed the whole time.....With tears in her eyes she looked at me and thanked me over and over again....As I watched them walk away hand in hand with a skip in his step I felt very thankful.

...........Now if you were to ask the professionals ....they would say the plan is finally working...I have a different feeling about the whole thing....I believe in prayer and I believe that Heavenly Father wants someone to help this little boy and if for now that someone is me.... I gladly take the challenge with His help... I only wish it hadn't taken me three days to figure it out. Once again I learn that we are ALL children of God put here for a purpose and He knows us each and every one. Monday will be a new day and I am not sure what will happen but I know with prayer He will help me know what this little boys needs are...and he is filling my heart with love for this sweet child of God.....

Random Thoughts...

Yesterday my baby turned 24 years old......








Later on this year my first born will be 39 years old.........























And what does that make me???...........OLD! Lately it seems every other day( probably not that often but just seems like it) Alan has been coming home with news of co- workers or friends of co- workers....or random people...not good news but news of massive strokes or heart attacks or being diagnosed with the C word....and they are all people YOUNGER than me....which really has given me food for thought.





This year my eldest daughter is the age I was and I will be the age my mother was when she died........


























THAT REALLY GIVES ME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!!!!!


Sometimes I wonder if I have her genetics or the genetics on my fathers side( who died when he was 62) who had aunts who lived into their nineties. I know my lifestyle is very different from my parents who were heavy smokers and drinkers...



My patriarical blessing ( given in my church to all worthy members) tells me that nothing will keep me from fulfilling my lifes mission I was sent here to do....lately I have been thinking just what does that mean and have I done it or is there something I have missed all together.


I have often wished that I was a person who had a great passion for something.....anything? That just doesn't seem to be part of my character. I enjoy many things....but passion....no. I have strong convictions....probably the things I am most passionate about are my family and my church. My children have guided and directed many of the major decisions I have made in my life whether they realize it or not.


Today I was thinking about my husband and the huge part he has played in my life. We truly are best friends.....do we ALWAYS get along....no....but we always love... I see the lives my sisters have led and I wonder without his influence,love and the gospel of Jesus Christ really where would I be today and might I have already died...and so I continue to wonder....where do I go from here?


I continue on and count my blessings every day!


This year my eldest grandson turns 12 and will receive the Aaronic Priesthood......















My second grandson will turn 8 and be baptized into The church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints


















Alan and I will celebrate 34 years of marriage.....








(this is the only pic I could find)













This year Alan will have worked for and we will have lived in the city of Olympia 10 years.



My youngest child will graduate college for the second time....( lol Chelsea)



I have the most beautiful, well behaved , eleven grandchildren of all time!!!!( just a little biased)















So you see my random thoughts of today....oh and by the way I am the world's worst blogger....maybe I should make that my passion....lol
I shall continue to wonder about the future and my lifes mission.....

Christmas Gingerbread and Children....

Family night at Grandmas....Shannon and Chelsea,Stephanie ,Spencer and three chefs made for a fun evening...Its amazing how their faces glow when they are enjoying what they are doing...Grandma was the photographer for this one....Enjoy this little video of the evenings events....

SNOW SNOW SNOW !!!!!!!

I don't know when the last time we had snow like this but I did think it was the year my dad passed away ...1990...I remember it was just before the gulf war and I couldn't find a plane or train...I had to go to nebraska by bus...Alan drove me to Bellingham in a snow storm and picked me up a week later in another snow storm...I was thinking about this and then on the news they announced that the last white christmas was in 1990...and I was right! It has been snowing here off and on since last wednesday and to this time I think we have had about 18 inches of snow...unheard of here in Olympia ...we are lucky to get an inch or two and then the rain comes and takes it all away,...My grandchildren Austen and Tanner have enjoyed a few days of sledding ..and I am sure will get a few more in...My daughter Chelsea flew home from Utah yesterday and managed to get here on the last flight before the airport shut down....we were soooooo grateful but it was a scary ride up there to get her and even scarier to get home..but we were blessed and arrived safe and sound....so grateful! Here is a little video....

Return of the Mask!

Several years ago 11 to be exact after the birth of our first grandson Jordan...His new mom requested that when ever we held Jordan we wear a surgical mask....in her defence I should add that Jordan was a difficult birth and was quite small...anyway when we held him we donned the mask..even though we thought it was a little over the top ( see pictures below)





















....Many years and children later every time Shelley sees pics like these she shakes her head in disbelief that she really did that....and we laugh over it.


Now to present day and birth of grandson # 11.....on December 4th 2008















At the time Rowan was born our five year old grandson Tanner had a terrible cough ( we thought the residual of a cold the previous weeks) As we took him to see the new baby...he started coughing at the desk going into the maternity wing and the receptionist suggested that Shannon go to the restroom where they keep a stash of surgical masks and mask Tanner up so the nurses wouldn't have issue with him seeing the baby.





These are what she found there...so cute ....so being the thrifty individual and being concerned for her new nephew and all the colds this time of year she took a handful to take home....thinking anyone who had even the sniffles was gonna wear one of these around Rowan.



With us desperately trying to keep Rowan from getting sick...with so many germs around...I think I now know how Shelley was feeling when she asked us to wear them and all these years later maybe I should apologize to her for feeling silly about the whole mask wearing thing. After having two grand children develop RSV as babies...maybe having masks on hand is not so bad a thing after all.......and when Shelley comes to visit the new baby...if she has the sniffles or a cold...she might just be asked to put on a mask.....and we can laugh over the whole thing once again....

Rain Rain Go Away

After returning home from a relaxing trip to Canada and visiting the grand kids and family I went back to work today. I did playground duty for an elementary school....the woman I subbed for's day starts at 7 am. So I was up bright and early or should I say dark and early....drove to work though lots of standing water.....spent three and a half hours in the wind and rain....it didn't let up for five minutes....watched kids get crazy in the puddles...many moms had to come with dry clothing today. Interestenly enough the sixth graders stayed under the covered play area. The only plus to the day was it ended at 1:30 and I drove home in more standing water....felt exhausted...went to bed ....woke up with a blinding headache and to find a leak in my kitchen ceiling which we are not sure where it is coming from....gratefully the rain let up and the leak was over my sink so it didn't cause anymore damage. Watching the news I realized there were many others who had a worse day than i did because of the rain....but I do wish and hope it goes away....but I am sure if it does it will only be temporary cause after all we do live in the green northwest...and green means RAIN!