Mission Accomplished

 

This is a (not-so-great) picture of my great-grandmother.  She was a pretty neat lady.

 

She lived with my grandma and grandpa for a number of years after her husband died.  I think she spent most of her days crocheting.  She made doilies and afghans and more doilies.  I was mesmerized as I watched her hands create the intricate stitches.  Even in her advanced years, she made it look so easy.  My mom had taught me how to do a basic chain stitch as a young child.  Watching my great-grandma, I realized I wanted to be able to do what she did.  As the aging process took over, though, she was unable to teach me.  So my desire was pushed to the corner of my mind while I finished high school and college.

After I got married, I remembered that desire I had and decided to do something about it.  I checked a few books out from the library and taught myself.  I found free patterns on the internet and created my first doilies.  They certainly weren’t anything special and were obviously the creations of a novice!  But I kept at it.  I did a pink and white baby afghan for Emily when she was a newborn and it turned out beautifully!  The more I tried, the more I found that I really enjoyed crocheting.

I have made many doilies, baby shoes, a few scarves, Winnie the Poo, several rugs made from strips of fabric, a blessing dress for Rachel, a number of hats, and I’ve edged around a few blankets.  I’ve also done the names of family members in filet crochet.  I think I sort of have an addiction!

A number of years ago, I got a doily pattern book from Jared as a Christmas gift.  Most of the doilies were large and challenging…and I couldn’t wait to get started!  I knew as soon as I looked through the book which two I would create.  When they were done, I would frame them and hang them in my home.

All these years later, and my work is done!  And I couldn’t be happier about how they turned out!

 

They’re just set on the back of the couch for now.  I need to decide where to hang them (and what else to do in the room to liven it up).

 

This one is my favorite.

 

But I really like this one too!  (Blurry picture…)

 

I like to think that my grandma would be proud.  I am so thankful that she got the spark started inside of me.

Memories of my Grandma

 

My sweet Grandma, who lived an incredible 82 years, passed away yesterday.  I am so thankful I had the opportunity to see her one last time just a few short hours before she passed on to bigger and better things.  As I lay in bed last night, the memories of this marvelous woman flooded my mind, and I promised myself to record them while they are fresh.

Grandma was a fighter.  She overcame so many physical trials in her life and always managed to keep a smile on her face.  I don’t ever recall a time when she wasn’t smiling.  Even on the day of my Mom’s wedding last year, when it was cold outside, and she was ill, she managed to smile and looked so happy.  In the face of pain and uncertainty about her physical well-being, she just kept going and kept flashing that beautiful smile.

Along with her beautiful smile came the humming of a song or the whistle of a tune. I believe music was a part of her soul.  She loved to sing and had a beautiful alto voice.  Wherever Grandma was, there was music.  And how she LOVED to hear her kids and grandkids and great-grandkids make music!  I will never forget the way she looked when she watched anyone make music.  It was her own little heaven on earth.

She was so proud of her family.  It was so neat to see her literally glowing as she watched one of her children or grandchildren perform or be recognized for something special, or just participate in a life event,  She gloried in the successes of those she loved and readily shared them with those around her.  She was truly a person possessed of charity, loving without thought of reward.

Grandma made me feel like I was her favorite grandchild.  Even though there were 20 grandkids, I knew I was at the top of her list!  She and Grandpa were at almost all of my Young Women sporting events as a teenager.  She attended my concerts and recitals, and she loved to hear me play or tell her about what was going on in my life.  She always had a compliment or an encouraging word.  “Way to go, Heather,” in her most exuberant and happy voice, is a phrase that I’m sure I will hear in my mind forever. 

Grandma was one of BYU’s two biggest and most loyal fans (Grandpa being the other).  She faithfully attended every basketball and football game with Grandpa (and Harvey and Marion) for more years than I can even count.  If my memory serves me, she didn’t miss a game until she had her first hip replacement.  I can still hear her singing the Cougar Fight Song!  As I talked with her yesterday, her eyes lit up when I asked her about the most recent BYU basketball game, and she was even able to tell me that they won!  I loved when I got to be the one to go to a game on their extra ticket.  There was always a sandwich to eat, possibly a can of root beer to drink, and an enjoyable and memorable few hours.  Even the time spent in traffic after the game was fun, as we listened to Paul James on the radio!

She was an amazing cook.  I recall many Sunday pot roasts, birthday cakes and sloppy joes at her house.  But the one thing she made that stole my heart was raisin-filled cookies.  Oh my!  Those were MY heaven on earth!  She knew how much I loved them and always seemed to have some around whenever I was there.  When she had her hip permanently removed and spent her days moving about in her wheelchair, she managed to cook from her wheelchair.  I was speechless as she happily cooked up hamburgers for us while sitting in her wheelchair!  She was an incredible canner as well.  Every year, as the harvest from her garden would begin to pile up, Grandma would be found hard at work bottling tomatoes and peaches and apricots, putting up her delicious pickles, and drying fruits.  If I had a jar of her pickles, I think I would proudly display it on my shelf as a reminder to me of the amazing person she was.  (And I’m kicking myself for not taking the time to do pickles with her.  I hope one of my aunts knows her recipe and will teach me!)

I’m pretty sure my love of games was fostered at Grandma’s kitchen table.  She loved a good game of cards!  She taught me how to play SkipBo and No Peeky, and I know she loved Rook and Pit as well.  She was patient as I learned, and so much fun to play with.  I’m pretty sure she purposely lost a few games just so I could feel the joy of winning.

Grandma was also a poet.  I don’t think I can recall a birthday card or homemade Valentine that didn’t have one of her signature poems.  I hope I have at least one saved somewhere, as they are truly priceless treasures.  Right up to the end of her life, she remembered the birthdays of all of her grandkids, and even her great grandkids.  There was always a card in the mail with well wishes and a few dollars to go spend on “anything you want!”

And I can’t leave out her ability to sew.  It seemed that most of the time we would visit, her machine would be on the table.  So many were the beneficiaries of her baby sleepers and booties.  My girls treasure their Grandma nightgowns.  And there was often a quilt set up in the basement.  I adored the BYU outfit she made me when I was a young girl, and I wore the sweatpants she made until they were literally nothing but threads. 

I love my Grandma so very much.  My words can never adequately paint the picture of Christ-like love and service she offered for so many years.  I can never fully express what she meant to me and those around her.  I look forward to the day when we will meet again, and for now I am smiling about the incredible reunion that must be happening on the other side of the veil. 

Could This Be Possible?

 

One of Daniel’s IFSP goals for more than the past year (I think) has been to get him ready to potty train.  So he needs to start letting us know when he needs a diaper change.  I have laughed every time it comes up, because I know he’s not anywhere close to potty training.  And none of my other kids ever let me know when they needed clean diapers! 

My personal opinion on potty training is WAIT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.  I forced potty training on Emily after Josh was born (she was probably right around 2 years old) because I was so sick of all the diapers.  It was a NIGHTMARE!!  But I was not wise enough to stop and take a break.  We just kept going.  And I think we were all miserable because of it.  I learned my lesson after that and waited longer with the others and it turned out so much better.

Back to Daniel.  He has never shown that he even realizes or cares if he is wet or poopy.  He’s not a fan of diaper changes, so he’d probably be fine to avoid them completely.

Today, when I picked him up to take him to bed for his nap, he grabbed his nose.  Every time he is poopy, I grab my nose and say, “Peee-ew!!  Stinky!”  He grabbed his nose!  AND…he was poopy!  My boy, who is not quite 34 months old, AND who has difficulty communicating AND who has Down syndrome let me know that his diaper needed to be changed!!!  It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is something that sticks with him.  Even though I absolutely dread the thoughts of one more round of potty training.

Lessons I’m Still Trying to Learn

 

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.  I hope this old mama can at least remember a few lessons to help her hang on to the tiny bit of sanity she has left!

Lesson #1:  Cutting vegetables for pot pie is a good thing.  Leaving them unattended is not a good thing.

 

Anything left on the kitchen counter MUST be pushed at least 10 inches away from the edge.  Otherwise Mom gets a little cranky.  But the magic of this little mug sort of makes me forget that lesson.

 

Lesson #2: Rolled paper roses seem harmless enough…

 

…until you multiply them by around 200.

 

Then they turn into hours and hours (and hours and hours) of work and terribly sore fingertips.

Projects that involve more than 10 rolled paper roses should be avoided.  But having this to show for it kind of makes me forget about those hours and sore fingers.

 

This concludes today’s lesson.  I hope you have found our material to be beneficial.

Help Wanted

 

This is Rachel’s note to the tooth fairy last night:

 

(Dear Tooth Fairy, you didn’t come to me last night.  I was hoping that you would come to me tonight.  From Rachel)

That is one epic Tooth Fairy fail right there!  Our Tooth Fairy is so lame!!  It’s high time we look for a replacement.

Tooth Fairy Requirements

• Must be punctual.
• Good working memory.
• Being sneaky and creative are a must.
• Must have significant cash flow, in the form of dollar bills, available at all times. (Lots and lots of quarters are acceptable.  Pennies, dimes and nickels are not.)
• Must be able to start ASAP and willing to work late-night or early-morning shifts.
• No pay.  (But blessings in the form of toothless smiles are abundant!)

This is the 7th tooth Rachel has lost, and the 5th since starting 1st grade.  Three of them have come out during school!!  Whoever gets the job is going to be worked to the bone!

A New Era

 

Daniel started preschool today!  Doesn’t he look studious!?!?

 

For now, his school is two mornings a week.  It is run by his early intervention program, and is held on campus.  We are so lucky to have our program run through the university.  It gives us a few extra perks that most others in the state don’t get.

It was really weird for me to drop him off and have 2 hours by myself.  In some ways, I feel like I’m abandoning him.  Imagine yourself taking your typical 1-year-old to preschool twice a week.  That’s kind of where I’m at with this, as Daniel is functioning like a 15-month-old kid in most areas.   It’s a good stepping stone for both of us to be ready for the real deal when he turns three.  At that point, his early intervention program ends and he gets picked up by the school district.  He will go to school Monday through Thursday for 2 1/2 hours a day!!  Baby steps are good!

His teachers love him and said he had a great day.  I think he may have even gone the entire time without his whack-a-mole style love taps!  I’ll take all the progress we can get.

Feeling Crafty

It’s soooo cold.  And wintery.  Oh, it’s January?  I swear it’s the longest month of the year!  January should be its own season.

I heard that today is called “Blue Monday,” because by now most people’s resolutions are a thing of the past.  Hahaha…ha…ha…??  Really?  They’re that short-lived?   And THAT is why I haven’t been big on making resolutions in the past.  I said “IN THE PAST!!”  I made some this year.  Just three.  And they have nothing to do with a gym or food.  Hopefully they’ll last longer than a measly 6 days.

I find it kind of ironic that, in my craft craziness over the past couple of days, the major color theme has been BLUE.  And I finished my project today, on BLUE MONDAY.  Feast your eyes on the blue monday wreath, which is hanging so proudly on my front door.

 

I like it.  A lot.  And I don’t feel one bit blue about it.

Happy January!!

So Long, 2013

What a year it was!  And, personally, I’m glad it’s in the past!  Here’s a summary of the year for each of us:

Jared: valuations, sprained ankle*, car troubles.

Emily: eighth grade, TEENAGER, music composition

Josh: sixth grade, 3 stitches, boy scouts

Rachel: first grade, tooth fairy’s biggest customer, glasses

Caleb: kindergarten, tonsils/adenoid and tubes, NO major injuries

Daniel: TWO (!!), tonsils/adenoid, tear ducts

Heather: Crohn’s disease, primary music, caulk

 

*The sprained ankle was so epic that it deserves a picture.

 

OK, it’s so epic it deserves TWO pictures!

Christmas Day 2013

A peak into our morning.

More presents than we know what to do with!

 

Excitement!

 

Reading.

 

Rolls…of the orange variety.

 

Yes!  Just what I wanted!

 

Candy.

 

super-Heroes

 

Relaxing.

 

Impressed.

 

Still so sleepy.

 

Thrilled!

 

Math-time fun.

 

Amazing (and slightly annoyed at a camcorder that wouldn’t work)!!

 

Stuffed.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas 2013

I’m always amazed at how quickly Christmas comes…and then goes.  We talk ever-so-fondly about the Christmas we had last year…THAT Christmas!  It came with lots of memories, but it’s not a year we want to repeat.  We did make time for the fun things on our list this year, though.

First up was our annual FHE drive to see the lights and get a treat.  We tried some different neighborhoods this year and found plenty of delightful displays.  My personal favorite is a street in our stake, near the tree farm.  There was a house with red and green landscape lights shining onto snow-covered trees.  A gorgeous display that was topped only by a huge tree circled in red lights a little further down the road.  It has been a joy to see the giant pine tree in Evelyn Eliis’ yard all lit up every time we drive north.  And we all adored the 12-foot reindeers we saw at a house in Hyrum.  Add that to the houses surrounding ours, and I think we will all be sad when the lights are dimmed this year!

Gingerbread houses were a beautiful success this year.  I learned my lesson from a few years ago and made them small this time.  And I let Jared do the melted sugar glue.  Everyone got their own house, and we had plenty of candy – and lots of extra cookies - to go around.  I think we all got a little sugar buzz!

 

I take what I can get with this kid.

 

Toes, anyone??

 

We had tickets to attend the Christmas Concert at the Conference Center, but reluctantly decided to let someone else use them.  It has been my goal this year to spend more time as a family.  So we opted for the Westminster Bell Choir at the Tabernacle – something we could all attend together.  We met up with some good friends, enjoyed the concert, and then had a great time cleaning the sinks (TWO of them!) at Angie’s afterward.  I think the employees may have been glad to see us go!

 

Of course there were parties.  Several of them.  We had a breakfast and visit with Santa with our Down syndrome group.  Rachel and Caleb loved Santa.  Daniel did not!

 

 

Jared and I attended his work party, which was held at Rickenbacker’s Restaurant.  It was a pleasant evening with good food and some fun stories.  Jared was given a new (toy) car by his employers, as he (WE) had more car troubles this year than should be allowed in a single family!  We’re crossing our fingers that we’re past all that now.

We had a Christmas party with my side of the family on the Saturday before Christmas.  The kids LOVE being at Grandma’s house, and they love all the fun things she has for them to do. 

BINGO!!

 

Daniel loved this cute bat he won as a Bingo prize.

 

Christmas carols around the piano.

 

Talent show.  Emily played – and Rachel and I sang with her – a song she composed recently.

 

Daniel leading us all in a rousing round of “Yay for ME!!!”

 

After this party we hurried back home for Jared’s extended family party.  We had to rush to make it (and ended up being 30 minutes late), but we got there.  The kids loved running around the school it was held at.  We had some good food and fun learning about the past.  Jared was one of two winners in the family trivia game, so we got to bring home an adorable snowman craft as a prize.

 

We rushed to get the neighbor gifts finished and delivered.  I made a nativity that looks like these (a picture borrowed from the internet)…

and a bit of homemade candy that is still making me happy to eat!

 

For Christmas Eve, we started a couple of new traditions.  First was our snowball flinging contest.  It seemed to be a natural thing for the boys, and the girls struggled.  A lot!  Needless to say, Jared was the winner.  By a long shot.  But Josh definitely held his own!

 

Our second new tradition is a Shepherd’s Dinner.  We ate shepherd food – homemade pitas, jerky, dried fruit, nuts, goat cheese, pomegranates – and sat on the floor in front of the fireplace with the lights dimmed.  We skipped the shepherd’s clothing for this year, but it’s going to have to make an appearance next year.  We talked about what that special night all those years ago must have been like and how it would have been to be there.  Then Jared read us the Nativity story.  It was a big hit with everyone.

After exchanging sibling gifts and putting on the new PJs, we all settled down for a long winter’s nap!

 

Merry Christmas!  (Stay tuned for our Christmas day post.)