Sickness

EE looks rather happy in this picture but he hasn't left that spot all day long. He is so sick. He is so sick that he isn't even complaining. He just sits there and watches cartoons. It has been nice because I am sick too. Normally if I am sick, it doesn't matter because this little guy is always going, but this day was nice because I got to rest.

Shadrach is sick too but doing much better than everyone else. Because of his Asthma, they often put him on a steroid to get over his colds because he coughs himself into asthma attacks. I feel asleep during Enoch's nap time. Shadrach is such an awesome boy. He is so good and so responsible I can let him do his own thing and he always makes good decisions. When I woke up, I noticed he had little read dots all over him. ( You can barely see them) When I asked him what happened, he didn't know. We finally figured out that while I was sleeping he poured himself a glass of sugar free cool aid and it splashed every where. He cleaned up the counters, but didn't realize it was on his face, foot, and hand. ( and yes I am watching the Cobert Report in the background - the best show ever)

Poor Ali has been board out of her mind with everyone sick. No one can come over, and we can't go anywhere. You might be asking why she has a piece of paper stuck to her face. I didn't need to ask. I knew right away. (Mothers and daughters think a like) It is her microphone. She was singing Justin Bieber(sp) for the umteenth time. She can't hold a mic because that would mess up her dance moves, so she has one of those ones that are on your face. :)

Cousin Zoe came for the day

Presidency day was a fun day. Zoe came to play. Ali had school but Shad did not. This is a big group pile up they thought was fun.

They all decided to march around the house. I thought about keeping Ali home from school but didn't. She got to play with Zoe for an hour before school and then over 2 hours after school. I think I made a good choice. Shadrach and Zoe had fun playing together the rest of the time.

Dance Party. We always have "dance parties" when people come over. It doesn't make a mess, and it wears them out. :)

Shadrach- 2005

The fall of 2005 was very stressful. I think the most stressful time in my life so far. We had just moved to Lebanon. We mistakenly thought it would only take 2 weeks to fix our house up enough to be livable. It really took more like 4 months. It was SO dirty and plus we had trouble getting the big projects done because we kept running into problems. Greg had only been working for a few months. He felt a lot of pressure and stress to preform well at his job. The person he was replacing was someone he knew from High School, and he was being replaced because he couldn't "cut it". Greg would be stressed because there was so much to learn to balance at work. ( Now, he loves it: It just took time to figure out.) I was student teaching. I had to put Ali in Day Care -- Something I had sworn I would never do. My heart was broken. I felt like I had broken one of my biggest goals in life, and I was only 21. PLUS student teaching was AWFUL! My teacher was a good teacher. I am glad I got to see her teach, but she was a perfectionist and everything I did was WRONG. And not just a little wrong. If she told me to sing more educational songs during singing time, the next week she would scowld me for not singing enough fun songs. I was so insecure. I felt awful. I would come home exausted and pick up Ali from day care and start to clean the kitchen so I could cook dinner ( I had to clean it every day because of all of the construction going on in our house). Ali was covered in dirt from crawling around on the dirty floors for the same reason. I was so stressed that I got in a huge fight with Greg's mom. I don't even know what it was about. I just remember screaming a whole lot-- which I don't think I have ever screamed that much in the last 5 years.
Ok that was the back ground information.
One day at church we were sitting in church. It was a normal Sunday. A new family (Milocovics-sp-)had moved in and they were assigned to speak. When their little boy got up to speak, I didn't really hear a word he said. But I didn't hear other words either. Something odd happened in my mind. Something that had only happened one other time (When I met Greg). Feelings and thoughts came into my mind- but they were not words. I will try to put them into words now. "A little boy was waiting to come down to our family. It was important to have another child soon. He was going to do many important things. He was going to be pale and sickly. He was going to have pale skin, pale eyes, and pale hair. I was going to worry about his health but I would be blessed with knowledge to know how to help him. All of his health problems would be ok by the time he reached adolescents." I just remember crying. Crying and Crying because I was so stressed out. I couldn't have another baby right now. I did tell Greg about it but I decided to ignore it. The next Sunday the same thing happened and the Sunday after that. Soon I almost dreaded going to church because I knew the feeling would over power me. Then I started feeling it before I went to bed at night. After around two months, I surcame to the prompting. I decided we needed to listen to the spirit even if it didn't logically make since. I didn't tell anyone besides Greg. I thought I sounded like a crazy person- I still sort of think that. I still will not say for sure that this little boy is Shadrach. I just know a little boy was waiting and another child needed to be born. Maybe he is still to come. But so far, Shadrach fits the bill. And what a blessing Shadrach is to our family. I am glad I did not wait to have another baby. Ali and him are best friends and I think it it because they are so close in age. That is why I believe.

My neighbor's kids came over on Thursday. Her house got flooded!! What a head ache! I am so glad I don't have to deal with that. Shadrach and Enoch enjoyed having friends over. This was the DANCE PARTY we had.

Playing in the kitchen with Polly Pockets.

Playing with Cars.

Family Home Evening 2/14/2011- YMCA

So we threw planning to the wind for Family Home Evening. Greg bought a Family Membership to the Y on Monday morning. We have been wanting to do it since it opened but I had too much trouble committing that much money to it. (typical) So Greg did it for me. We both thought it would be fun to take the kids swimming for Family Home Evening. Well, fun was one word for it. When they found out that is what we were doing, it was like Christmas and vacation put together and on steroids. They were SO EXCITED! There was tons of screaming and Greg and I thought we were going to lose our minds. It took forever to get everyone dressed and out the door. Here is a picture of Greg trying to find Shadrach's shoes in the shoe bin. It was the only one I took because I didn't want to risk getting my camera wet.

They loved the pool, and it was a work out!! Ali knows how to swim but it has been since summer. It was either 2 on 1 or 1 on 1. Greg and I switched about every 10 min. All three wanted to do their own thing with one of us, so it was busy. Everyone had fun.

Song:A Child's Prayer ( picked by Shadrach- We sang in the car on the way over. Greg and I always "fight" about how to start the song. He starts it too high and I start too low. I started this time and Greg switched octaves half way through and was singing the same notes I was.

Lesson: NONE

Dessert: NONE - There was almost mutiny because there was no treat! It was Valentines day and every child had more than a pound of sugar in them. I thought they didn't need a dessert- BOY WAS I WRONG!! Luckily they were so worn out from swimming that they all passed out as soon as we got home.

College-2002

My freshman year of college, I got really depressed. Things just weren't going right. I am embarrassed to say that most of it probably had to do with a boy. We had broken up, and I just had trouble getting back on track. I was so depressed. I was also still struggling with the fact that Jason Kirton had left the church. He had such big dreams and was going to do so much good. It hurt me inside to think of the things that would never happen now. Also, I respected Jason. He was my best friend. My best Friend since 2nd grade-- for really 10 years. That is longer than I have even known Greg now. He made me have my doubts. He made me believe that the Spirit, I had felt so many times, was all in my head. That during a testimony meeting, I was working myself up, and making my brain realise endorphins to feel that way. He said that often times people feel that feeling on a football team or even at summer camp. Which is true- I have felt really strong feelings like -I stress the word like that at camp and I know other people have had feelings like that about band.
I was not only depressed inside; I was mad. I am not sure why I was mad but I was. The anger burned in my heart. Full of hate and bitterness one night, I started to read my scriptures. Why? I am not sure. Habit? When I have my life in order one of the things I always do is read my scriptures every day. I was trying to put my life back in order, so I got them out to read so i could check it off of my list of things to do before bed. I was reading full of this raging darkness that was inside of me and then suddenly.... the feeling started from somewhere deep inside of me. It started out small and just grew stronger and stronger. The calm quiet peace slowly destroyed the bitterness that had been inside. It almost exploded out of me by the time I was done. So much so that I started to cry sitting at my desk in my room with my scriptures open. I don't remember what I read. I wish I did. But I don't think it was important or meaningful at the time. I felt the spirit not just whisper but tell me "It is true" I was not planning on feeling the spirit. I was planning on reading 1 chapter in the scriptures and then continue on being bitter as I got the rest of my to do list done. BUT then the spirit came. It testified to me that all the things I have been taught are true. I did not make it up in my head. I was not causing endorphins to be realised. I did not work myself up. It just happened. After that I changed. I started serving others and doing positive things. I volunteered to be a reading couch for a little 2nd grade boy, I joined Big Sisters, I volunteered at Habitat for Humanity once a week, I joined Liberal Arts Student Council, I assistant directed "To Kill a Mocking Bird", I prayed every day, I read my scriptures, and I became the branch Sunday School Teacher. Soon after this I was happy every day. I replaced that sad time with things that were good and made me happy. It was one of the best things I ever did. I am so thankful for that night when I read the scriptures and the Spirit spoke to me and told me to hold on even though I was in a dark place. That it would get better and that I need to hold on to the rod-- because looking back now I think I almost let go. That is why I believe.

Things I love about Shadrach and things I love that he says

Shadrach
4 1/2 (Feb 2011)

• He has so much going on up there in that brain of his. You can just see him thinking about stuff. He is my ponderer.
• He still loves to cuddle. He has no problems hopping on your lap and snuggling for awhile
• He loves to watch shows like "How it is made" , "Food Tech" , and "NOVA" which most adults might not like to watch but he is glued too.
• When he plays, he is always making explosion sounds. We have asked him what these explosions are, but he just gets really embarrassed. Every toy is played with the same way.... it makes explosions. It can be men, cars, blocks, and really no toys at all. They just exploded.

1. Walking home from preschool he asked me this. "I just don't understand how the sun can shine on the whole earth at one time. How does it do that?" So I explained how it didn't and about night and day and winter and summer.
2. Driving to church he looked at the window and said, "Those are telephone line and electricity lines. They go to everyone's house all over and give them phones and lights so they can do things." I have no idea how he knows this.

4 1/2 (March 2011)

• "Mom, I just think you are exquisite." I think he got this from Word Girl ( T.V. Show) but I can never know for sure.
• (Looking at the trash can) Shadrach: "Are these ForceFlex trash bags?" Me: "No" Shadrach: "Oh, well you should really use ForceFlex Trash bags. They are a lot better." Commercials really influence him.
• Me: "Did you know that Jesus died and that he lived again?" Shadrach "Yes, because he can rise with living breath." This is from the primary song "He Sent his Son" that we learned in primary recently.