Thursday, April 25, 2013

Rachel Had a Birthday!

Everyone shout, “Hooray!” because Rachel had a birthday.  Perhaps you’re wondering how old she is?  This should help…

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Rachel is our silly, sweet, tender, spunky, smart, and amazing 6-year-old.  We love her to pieces!

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How many 6-year-olds do YOU know that like anything to do with broccoli?!?!  We are lucky to have such a fun girl smack dab in the middle of our five kids.  I love all of Rachel’s overly-dramatic expressions, so here comes a photo bomb so you can enjoy some of them.

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Teddy Graham love!

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Flip-flops?  Seriously?

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Ooooh, is this really what I think it is?!?!

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So excited about getting the same bouncy toy that Daniel got for his birthday!

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We love you Miss Rachel!  Your tender heart and thoughtful expressions brighten our days.  We’re so glad you’re part of our family!!

………

And now, because I couldn’t resist posting these ones…

She wants one for her birthday too!

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And so does he.  But he may need to work out a few things with gravity first.

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He just wants an umbrella (which would involve completely dismantling it, I’m sure).

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And this kid…well, he can have anything he wants with that smile in his arsenal!!

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Glasses It Is!

Daniel saw the ophthalmologist in March, who told us that Daniel is very farsighted, but we will wait for glasses until next year.  Honestly, I was relieved we didn’t have to fight that battle yet.  (Selfish?  Yeah, I know.)  But the more I thought about it, the more it ate at me.  If the kid can’t see, why wait?!?  So after talking with the doc., we decided to go with glasses now.

Daniel’s nearly non-existent nose bridge made it hard to find a pair that fit him right.  So we decided to go with MiraFlex.  They’re made completely of plastic that is bendable.  There is a strap on the back the keeps them in place, so they actually stay where they’re supposed to.  And there are about 20 different color choices (yeah, not good for me).

I didn’t think Daniel could get any cuter.  Boy, was I wrong!

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And so far, so good (mostly).  As long as he is busy and engaged, the glasses stay put.  I can tell a difference in what he’s doing, too.  He seems more balanced, he’s more accurate and, oddly enough, I swear he’s making more noise.  I’m so glad we didn’t wait a year and take the easy road!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Party Like You’re Two!!

Two years ago, I was snuggling a brand new baby.  Little did I know then what a ham Daniel would turn into!  This kid is so full of personality, he’s nearly bursting at the seams!

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All the attention from siblings and Grandma and Grandpa was just egging him on.

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I know this is not the greatest picture, but can you see the excitement?!?!  LOVE!!!

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We let Daniel dig into his own cake again this year.  He taught us a few things.  First, a little caution goes a long way when a grown-up hands you an entire plate of cake.  Best to make sure it’s not broccoli hiding under all that frosting!

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Second, once you’re sure it’s OK, please remember that cake is best eaten two-fisted!

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Third, there’s never a wrong time for a round of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”

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And last, but certainly not least – no matter how difficult it may be, don’t forget to at least ACT like you’re having fun!

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We love us some Daniel!!  He is such a hoot and a true joy to have in our lives.

Some of his latest accomplishments:

  • Almost full-time walking
  • He loves to do the actions for “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” as well as “Popcorn Popping”
  • He signs milk!
  • He’s initiating communication by signing his wants

We have been blessed by Daniel’s presence in our family more than we can ever express.  Happy birthday little dude!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Happy Tax Day!

We made it!  Our family has now survived 12 tax seasons (aka: 10+ weeks of too many hours without Jared), and we’re glad to see this one done!  I think he worked more hours this year than any other...and every year I wonder how that can possibly happen!  I’m guessing he averaged between 77 and 80 hours per week.  So proud of Jared for all his hard work – and still making it home to see the kids a couple of times a week.

Just for fun, here is a list of random statistics relating to taxes.  (I got them in an email and have not researched them at all, so believe what you will.)

  • The Gettysburg address is 269 words, the Declaration of Independence is 1,337 words, and the Holy Bible is 773,000 words. However, the tax law has grown from 11,400 words in 1913,  to over 7 million words today.

  • The IRS sends out 8 billion pages of forms and instructions each year.

  • 300,000 trees need to be cut down every year to produce enough paper for all IRS forms and instructions.

  • American taxpayers spend $200 billion and 5.4 billion hours of their time to comply with the federal tax laws each year. That’s more than it takes to produce every car, truck, and van in the United States.

  • The IRS employs 114,000 people; that’s twice as many as the CIA and five times more than the FBI.

  • 60% of taxpayers must hire a professional to get through their own return.  (I happen to know a really good one if you need a referral!!)

  • Taxes eat up 38.2% of the average family’s income.

  • Taxpayers spend more on taxes than they do for food, shelter and clothing combined.

We hope your family gets to enjoy Tax Day as much as ours!!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

My Wish

I’m going to get a little personal today.  The whole process of “getting it out there” can be so therapeutic, and I need that today.

Most of you reading this blog know that I have Crohn’s disease.  (If you want to know more, CCFA.org is a great place to go.)  I was diagnosed just before I turned 21, during the summer before my senior year of college, after struggling through sickness for a good 6 months.  I was so sick.  So, so, so sick.  But somehow I managed to drag myself out of bed every day and attend all my classes.  It got to the point where all I could eat was a little cereal for breakfast, as long as it was soggy enough to slide down my ulcerated throat.  That was it.  Day after day.  I’d come home from school and collapse into bed, sleeping for 4-6 hours before getting up to change my clothes and go to the bathroom.  And then I’d crawl into bed, shivering with a fever and doubled over in pain.  And I’d sleep some more and get up to do it all over again.

I was so relieved to have a diagnosis.  And at the same time, completely scared and overwhelmed.  Along with the diagnosis came lots of tests (colonoscopy, barium study, blood work), lots and lots of medicines, lifestyle and dietary changes, and the realization that I will likely never be cured of this disease.  While I knew it certainly wasn’t a death sentence, for a naïve 21-year-old it felt pretty close.

With the help of my doctor (who I loved dearly) and my parents (I love them dearly too!), I was able to get things pretty much under control.  When I could actually eat again, it was like a whole new world opened up to me!!  I had to take it slow and learn which foods I could tolerate and which I couldn’t.The first time I got to eat a hamburger again was heaven!  And then I realized that greasy food really wasn’t a great thing for me.

I have gone through a lot in those nearly 16 years (yikes!!) since my diagnosis.  Marriage, surgery to remove one foot of my small intestine, 5 kids, several moves…just to name a few.  I’d say my disease has been much easier to deal with than most who have this disease.  I have typically responded well to medicine, and surgery put my disease in remission for a long time.  But I’ve had my struggles, and continue to have ups and downs.

As I get older, and realize more what this disease means, I find myself a little frustrated.  Along with Crohn’s disease comes joint pain, fatigue, mouth sores…all sorts of weird and annoying little things.  And medicine and continued tests.  (I’ve had more colonoscopies than most people will ever have in their lifetime, times two.  I’m only 36.)  I feel yucky fairly often, and am usually pretty low on energy.  My body hurts almost all the time.  I try to work through it and just keep moving.  Most days, I can do what I need to and hardly bat an eye.  Other days, I spend most of my time lying on the floor by my kids while they play, and we eat cereal for dinner.

I look at other moms and wonder, “What would that be like?  To have the energy to do all those fun things with your kids?  To have your body work right and not hurt all the time?  To just BE?”  I know it could be worse.  Really, I do.  And I also wouldn’t wish this disease on anyone, even the most vile person.

I know I can’t wish for this disease to be magically cured (though I’d take it if I could), so I won’t waste my wishes on that.  I have learned some valuable lessons from all of this, and I don’t think I would have learned them any other way.  So maybe that’s why I have this disease. 

But I do have one wish.  I wish everyone could understand what a blessing it is to feel good, to be healthy.  I love the days when I feel good.  I love how I feel.  I love what I can do.  I wish every other person could know that feeling and not take it for granted.  Even when they don’t work right, our bodies are such a blessing.  Having them work like they should…well that’s just a little bit of heaven!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The Park

It’s Spring Break ‘round these parts and the weather is gorgeous!  I needed to get out of the house today, so we grabbed lunch and took it to the park to eat and play.  Along with the rest of the valley, it appeared!!  We managed to get a few minutes on the swings and slide amongst the masses (seriously!) of people.  Glad I brought my camera along, ‘cause I think I got some great shots.  See for yourself!

Little D. has always loved the swing.

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As has Rachel.

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And Emily.

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Today we found out just how much Daniel loves the slide!

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My all-time favorite!!  I think we need to get him in for a haircut!!

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Happy SPRING!!!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Happy Easter!

We couldn’t have asked for a better day.  We hope yours was great too! 

We are so thankful for the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We know that He lives and and loves each of us with a perfect love.  We are thankful that, because of Him, we can return to live with God and that we can be together as a family forever.

And now…some pictures from our day.

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