May Notes

May flew by!  Brandon took a wellness day to help me get all of the kids' vision checked.  We were pretty sure that at least Brandon needed glasses.  Since Ruby got hers in February he had made quite a few comments that made us think his vision had changed.  He was the only one that needed them, and I think he looks pretty handsome!  I was able to exchange the new ones I got in February that I have hated and regretted.  My new ones are SO much better.  I am so glad Dallin talked me in to mentioning it to them.  They were really nice about it. 

I was pretty busy with dress rehearsals and gathering last minute costume supplies.  I found a surprising number of lovely fedoras at DI.  The play was a 1940's musical version of The Taming of The Shrew.  It was so good!  So much fun!  They did a dress rehearsal on the 8th and their performance on the 10th.  They performed it again at Shakespeare Showdown Camp on the 20th.  I was so glad I got to go help out and get to know the kids and the other moms better. The first night there was a dance, so I got to help a few of the girls do their hair.  The counselors asked me to judge the skit competition and told me I needed to be a character.  I decided to be Rozz from Monsters Inc.  It was really fun to have the kids get me dressed up.  They made me fancy glasses and painted my nails and did my makeup.  I had a fun wig in my costume stuff.  My sister-in-law Lara was at Showdown with her daughter, and she had the perfect green dress for me to wear.  We got to judge together, and it was so fun!  She was Mrs. Gandalf.  I didn't even know she would be up there so it was a great surprise! It was really fun to be Rozz.  I think I shocked some of the kids I was chaperoning! 

Ruby's face and jaw have really been changing quickly so we realized we'd better get her in to the orthodontist.  She is missing 3 permanent teeth, so she has some serious problems.  It will be over $6,000 by the time we're done, but she hopefully won't need implants.  And one of her permanent teeth came in that they thought was coming in the roof of her mouth, so she won't have to have oral surgery to expose that like they thought she would.  She has her first appliance in her mouth right now, and it is giving her a big gap in her front teeth that is pretty goofy.  She is struggling to talk and eat properly.  Poor girl. 

Nathan's end of year concert was fun.  I'm glad he likes choir even though I don't think his teacher is nearly as good as his Jr. High one was. 

Brandon was able to advance to Life Scout, so he can start thinking Eagle.  Woo Hoo!

We forgot to take any notes about our little cat's behavior, but it soon became obvious she was pregnant.  We did our best to guess based on when she started showing and thought that it would most likely be the last week of May or first week of June.  She is a very shy and skittish cat.  She doesn't want anything to do with me, and especially not Dallin.  On Sunday the first of June (I know, but I couldn't wait to announce it...) She was looking in the garage window when Dallin and I got up to go for a stroll through the yard.  She came in the garage, mewing a lot.  She came right up to me and then walked into the house in front of Dallin.  Both things she would not have normally done.  Made me wonder....That evening, we went in the garage to go to the neighbors for an ice cream social and I heard the tiny little meows!  There she was with her 4 tiny babies.  She is a calico and I was really hoping for at least one orange kitten.  She has 3!  And one little black and white one.  It is so fun to go check on her and watch her mother them.  They are so tiny and cute.  I am happy that my kids get a summer of kittens. 

Our stake did a big party for Stake conference on Saturday the 10th.  Dallin and Brandon and Simon went to the father and son's campout.  Nathan decided to stay and run the 5K.  Ruby also ran.  Nathan took 4th overall.  The 3 ahead of him were kids he knew from school and soccer.  It was a pretty hard race because it was mostly uphill the first half and mostly downhill the 2nd.  Nathan said the downhill was actually really rough.  Ruby did really well.  I think she was the first girl in her age group to come in, but they didn't distinguish between boys and girls for the awards.  After that was  a pancake breakfast and games.  We took the boys to the adult session that night. The next day they had planned to pipe the conference into two other chapels, but it was not working in our building.  When we went down to the Stake Center, it was completely packed.  Every nook and cranny was full of people trying to listen.  There were people in the library watching it on the tiny little monitor in there.  There were people in the kitchen, too.  We ended up setting up 2 rows of chairs in the foyer and getting bits and pieces.  Definitely not the most inspiring thing, but I got a few good notes. 

Daisy has continued to have swollen glands since Christmas.  She has them pop up in different places.  Sometimes right under her ear so she feels like she has an ear infection.  Sometimes lower on her neck or on her cheek.  She has never had a fever or seemed really sick.  She would maybe have an earache or a sore throat for a few hours one day but then seem fine.  She would occasionally mention a bad taste in her mouth, so I figured she was having sinus drainage, but again it never lasted very long and she never had a fever.  She also complained of a really bad toothache a couple of times, but then it would go away for weeks at a time.  I was trying to support her immune system with herbs and oils, but I'm notoriously inconsistent with those things.  The Friday before Showdown, her tooth was hurting really bad again.  I thought it would be just another come and go thing.  It wasn't.  By that night she couldn't sleep, even with lots of ibuprophen in her.  She was pretty miserable on Saturday as well.  I wasn't sure what to do.  By that night, I was extremely stressed out about leaving for Showdown if she was not well, but wasn't sure she was sick enough to take to the emergency room, plus what would they do for a toothache?  She was still acting pretty normal other than the pain that we were managing with iburprophen.  There were no visible signs and no fever.  Nathan also had a giant wart he had been treating with dry ice that had begun to ooze and smell bad.  It was pretty stressful for me to think of leaving kids that could need medical attention.  I prayed and prayed that evening to know what I should do.  We all got blessings.  I decided that if there was no improvement the next day, I would find someone else to go to Showdown.  In the middle of the night, I was awakened suddenly with the thought that Daisy had a sinus infection.  I thought back to all of the symptoms, and it made sense.  I had had sinus pain earlier that felt like toothache and talked to my dentist about it.  He said it is pretty common because those sinuses are right above the teeth.  Everything came together in my mind, so I thought it must be the answer to my prayer.  Early the next morning when she awoke for pain medication, I noticed that that side of her face and cheek were swollen, and under her eye was darker than the other.  I have plenty of experience with my own sinus issues, so it seemed to be another confirmation that it was sinuses.  We got her into the urgent care as soon as they were opened.  The doctor listened to the symptoms and agreed it was a sinus infection.  He prescribed amoxicillin for 10 days, thinking that it would work well since she has not been on antibiotics very much in her life.  Her pain and swelling continued to get worse that day, but the Dr. said it could take up to 3 days for her to feel better.  I was just glad she was on antibiotics and felt that it would be okay for me to go to the camp.  Later that day, she showed me that a bump was rising on her gum just above the tooth that was hurting.  Great.  So maybe it IS a tooth!  By the next morning, it was about as large as a small pea.  Dallin texted the dentist, hoping he could somehow manage to get Daisy there and still fulfill his busy work schedule for the day.  I talked to a friend and signed a release and gave her the forms in case she needed to take her to the dentist.  Stressful.  By this time I was loading kids in my van and wondering again if I was being completely ridiculous.  I felt I should go and all would be well.  It was.  Daisy was able to rest.  Ruby did well with the kids.  My neighbor was happy to help out.  Dallin finally got ahold of the dentist after 6pm.  The dentist had already had a crazy day with no lunch break, but he told Dallin to meet him at his house.  When he saw Daisy and felt that the lump was somewhat soft, he decided he needed to take her back to the office for an X-ray.  There was nothing.  Absolutely no explanation for the lump or the pain.  Her teeth looked fine.  No sign of cavity, her permanent tooth in that area was still a year or so away from growing in.  That was very disappointing and disturbing to Daisy.  She was really hoping for some answers!  The pain slowly got better over the week of antibiotics.  By the time I got home, she was not needing ibuprophen except at night.  Then she stopped needing it.  Because of Memorial Day, we missed her last couple of doses.  The pain returned.  We had her finish up the rest of the medicine for the next few days.  The pharmacist said there would be leftovers, but we just had her finish it up.  Last night, she accidentally bumped the bump with her toothbrush.  It is slightly smaller, and has divided into two bumps.  She says it looks like a bum. :)  It bled a little, and she woke in the night with some pain.  She was able to go back to sleep without medication.  She showed me last night that she has a cyst-like bump on the lower back part of her head and it hurts.  What in the world???  She already has an appointment with the dentist on Monday.  I hoped today I could at least consult with the chiropractor, but I didn't hear back until it was too late to make another appointment.  He can't see her till next week, so I guess I'll take her in tomorrow.  Weirdness.

Not Room Enough To Receive

I see.

I am learning to notice, to pause, to appreciate.

But how can I record when the moments demand all of my attention?

The windows of heaven are open and the blessing moments are spilling, flowing, rushing.

Pouring down upon me and around me, carrying me away.  

Gifts of long eyelashes and chubby hands

Of foot pain and sinus headaches that remind me of his suffering and therefore his love

Of gloriously beautiful views of the lake.  A different color every day--always beautiful or at least interesting.

Gifts of stumbles and tiredness and problems I can't solve.

Of the grass.  The lovely soft green grass that was only imagination when we moved here.

Of kids hurting from bullies, from toothaches, from sick stomach, from giant warts, from imperfect parenting.

Of homemade love notes and creations with staples and tape and cereal boxes that overflow my kitchen and my heart.

Of soccer games and concert and play and Shakespeare camp.

Of hours gathering costumes and hours away from babies and hours of pure enjoyment with youth.

I was alone once.  There atop a mountain tending a fire.  I saw or heard no other person.  Alone.

But I saw that there was much to notice.  Leaves emerging from dead looking branches.  Clouds moving quickly across a blue sky.  An owl hooting.  The fire--it was truly licking the logs. 

I was not alone. 

As I noticed all that loves to be noticed, I remembered each of my children.  Memory photos flicked across my mind.  Moments captured but impossible to describe. 

I was noticed. 

They love to be noticed by me and I love to be noticed by Him and he loves to notice even hairs on my head and logs being licked. 

As stars appeared I wondered about His home and which way should I look to see Him?

All ways.  In every direction.  In all of the moments.  In all of the gifts he sends.

In conversations with friends where we both leave feeling edified.

In spontaneous family soccer games in the back yard.

In months and months of enduring the failure to get up and do the routine.

In the satisfaction of slow mornings full of snuggles.

In the thoughts expressed two-year-old fashion.  Remarkable.

In the worry.  Will he be okay without mommy milk?

In the disappointment that weaning does not mean full nights of sleep.

In the pleasure of hearing his voice from his little room, speaking so clearly: "I'm ready to snuggle, mom." 

"I need a drink because my milk all gone."  9 words!  I think he is a genius!

In the new look of two kids now in glasses.

In orthodontic bills over 6 thousand dollars!  Really?  Even there?

Yes, because I know He will provide.  He will show us the way.

In the surprise of a snowblower gift.  A gift of generosity that will help us look forward to winter even while spring snow still gleams atop our mountain. 

Our mountain is so beautiful in spring.  All shades of green below, rising to purest white, topped with bluest sky.  I live in such splendor!

Cars and washers and the roof need fixing.

The plants are dying in the garden.  I can't seem to keep up with it all.

But I am growing.

...