Saturday, October 31, 2015
Halloween 2015
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Seth's First BYU game
We are here. At Lavelle Edwards Stadium and Seth is on cloud 9! Just the environment here is enough to make him go crazy! So many BYU fans, he loved it!
It was actually really hot for my prego-ness. So here I am trying to cover my head for some shade, despite my nerdiness. But at least it was not cold, huh? I spent most of the time chasing Collin up and down the stadium for drinks, or bathroom or food...but I was okay with that because I had some intense back pain that really left me unable to sit for long periods of time. #pregoprobs
We were up pretty high in the stadium but BYU scored like 50 some odd points, so Seth was pretty excited just to be there and soak it all in.
So grateful for Cameron and Lisa and family who joined us for the game!
These are the 3 kids who had the cosmo kids cards which is how we got in!
Everything's better with cousins!
OCTOBERNESS
These pictures were from a business trip to Montana for work that Cordelle went on. Beautiful city in Montana.
He came across this enormous statue (looks like Christ) turns out its some saint woman. Anyways, pretty crazy to see when your not expecting this giant lit up statue in the middle of the darkness.
Cordelle has been wanting to get the screw out of his leg forever. It gets hit on things, gets swollen...and its just a pain. It was a quick same day surgery with an awesome recover. He barely needed ibprufen and was walking on it all day!
October also brings General Conference, which we LOVE! Cordelle knows one way to keep Jaq occupied is to have her do his hair. So he purposely didn't cut his hair when he REALLY needed to so she could have at it during General Conference.
Collin found his halloween costume in the cosutme bin. Done.
Made this from Scratch! That's right. Even cut up and cooked the pumpkin. Unfortunately I ate WAY to much of it and felt sickly. But it was delicious.
Found carrots like this in our garden this year. Cordelle challenged Jaq to eat this entire carrot after dinner and he would clean her room. Well it took her about an hour, but she did it, a little nibble at a time and Cordelle was seen cleaning up her room that night.
Colin made him self an almond butter and jelly sandwhich one day. Although somehow he also found the cinnamon and thought that would be a good topping to his sandwich. I was actually impressed that he got it all out.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Seth's 3rd Grade field trip to Zions
So news of the field trip trickles into the house and Seth is SO excited. But what he is even more excited about to my surprise is if I will come with him. Now naturally as I am 5 months pregnant and leaving for Salt Lake later that day, I was sorta looking for an excuse NOT to go. It seemed strange he was so adamant on me coming....I even asked him if he was nervous about something or someone going, to which he responded, "No mom, it would just be really cool to have your mom go on a field trip with you." Well at that I couldn't possibly say no. How many more years will my little man want me to go on his field trips with him? Oh he just melts my heart.
Seth, Ethan and Cameron
Miss Irwin and Seth's class at the Emerald Pool.
Watched the movie about Zions in the theater at the visitors center!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
UEA camping!!
October also brings UEA break. A time that as a kid we always went camping because my dad was a school administrator and always had time off. Recently we decided to start joining my family in their campouts. This year, even though my kids didn't have the same time off of school, we pulled them out and took them to be with my family 4 hours away in a beautiful place called Onion Creek outside of Moab and Arches.
Isn't it beautiful? I love that Cordelle used his new camera to catch some of these views.
Check out this tent? My sister Krista recently bought this! Talk about a home away from home! So much space!
Thank heavens Tallie brought a bucket full of cars to which Collin stayed and played with all day long with Beckham. How cute is he with his sunglasses?
You know normally my mom UEA camps with a lot of neighbors and friends but this year for some reason no one could come and so it ended up just being my family! It was so fun and beautiful! I love camping with my family. Everyone was there except for Brett and Tiffany because they just had a baby delivered early at 29 weeks, so that is understandable.
We went on a 5 mile hike called Negro Bill right outside of Arches and got to this beautiful bridge. It's hard to see that is really is an arch because its right next to a mountain but it was so pretty and the kids, all 5 miles, were awesome and since they were with their cousins, I didn't hear them complain once!
Everyone that made it to the arch.
We then, went on another small hike right outside of Moab (mostly a local swimming hole) that was about a 1.5 miles. But we found this awesome waterfall, well actually Neal and Brittlyn found it and then we followed them. :)
Unfortunately Jaquelle rode back with Alexa to camp after the first hike so she wasn't with us on this hike, but here is Cordelle and I and the boys!
Collin started getting tired towards the end of the 2nd hike and we had to pretend we were ninjas the whole way back to the car but it was entertaining and kept him distracted.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Seth's Peanut Allergy
When Seth was like 2 he had a tiny bite of a peanut butter sandwhich and his lip started to swell. When he was 4 or 5 he took a bite of a peanut butter granola bar and his throat started closing, tongue started swelling, and he started to become sleepy and not getting enough oxygen. Luckily, we had had him tested for a peanut allergy and had an epi-pen that we gave him at the Dr.'s office. This was our first real experience knowing that Seth had a pretty severe peanut allergy and we did everything in our power to make sure he knew and that those around him knew he couldn't have peanuts.
Over the next couple of years, Seth grew in fear of the allergy as well. He started avoiding any kind of sweets, especially homemade goods when he didn't know who made them or IF they possibly could have peanuts in it. He was afraid of accidentally eating them, and probably rightly so. In 2nd grade it all came to a head.
Seth started acting weird. He is normally the kind of kid that wakes up and just gets his morning jobs done, is focused and responsible. But he was just "off". He was reading slower, dawdling around and was overly emotional. One day I came home with some cinnamon rolls for him from the Hub and I thought he would have loved them, but he said he didn't want any. Well this just didn't make sense to me, so I jokingly kept badgering him asking him why? Because it was right after school, and he normally loves cinnamon rolls. And he kept being all silly and coy like he had a big secret to tell why he was not eating them and I couldn't figure it out. He'd get giggly and just say never mind or no, I don't want to tell you why. Anyways finally, it hit me and I said, "Seth are you afraid this has peanuts in it?" And he just broke down sobbing!! And I was like whoa! Where is this coming from? I tried to comfort him assuring him it didn't have any peanuts in it and he didn't have to eat it if he didn't want to or felt uncomfortable with it, but he still wouldn't really talk to me about it. And we had to kind of leave it at, "Ok Seth, whenever you feel comfortable you know you can talk to me about anything you are worried about." But he was closed up like a book and didn't want to talk about it with me. Frustrating!
Well so I knew there was a deep concern there, but I wasn't settled that that was all of it. He continued in his "off" behavior and started to avoid all brown foods even like cooked chicken. Well one Monday while I was praying and meditating I knew there were still a lot of fear and anxiety for him regarding peanuts and I just didn't think it was right. I prayed about what I could do to help him. I suddenly started getting ideas for that night's family home evening. One thing led to another and we ended up having a "very inspired" family night on Trusting in God. It was one of those incredible family home evenings where your kids are really listening and totally get it. We told the story of Meshack, Shadrack and Abednego and how they trusted in God completely and they were protected in the fire. I wish I could remember everything but it was really cool. Even Jaq randomly raised her hand and said, "I think you need to do 3 things. Trust God, pray to God and love God." And I was like, um, yea. That is exactly right. Profound coming from a 6 year old. Anyways, Seth kept raising his hand to comment and then getting embarrassed and saying, I'll tell you later. He wanted to talk but didn't like the setting of FHE to do it. He was anxious to go to bed so we could talk. So I went in and asked him what he wanted to talk about. He proceeded to tell me that a couple weeks earlier a neighbor boy told him that I had told another boy that if Seth ate peanuts or peanut butter he would die. Like instantly. He was so nervous about dying! (Suddenly I started to remember how often he had brought up death the last couple of weeks and everything started to totally make sense to me. Matter of fact I can remember one day we were having a spiritual discussion and with tears in his eyes he looked at me and said, but if I died I would still see you in heaven one day right? I mean, heart breaking! But i was so glad to finally know where this was all coming from.) Anyways we talked about it. And I told him I never said anything like that and sometimes kids make up things. But I also went step by step through what would happen if he did have peanut butter or peanuts. And although it could be life threatening, it was not immediate. There was a time period where his body would send out antihistamines which might make his throat or tongue swell. But that there was time to get to a doctor and time to get help before it escalated to a dangerous situation. He then asked me if his heart slowed down if he had peanut butter? I told him I had no idea. But that sounded like something that could happen. He then proceeded to tell me that in his brain he thought that this is what happened. Because when your heart stops you die. Suddenly I began to remember how much he has been working out lately, running, doing sit ups etc. And he continued to tell me that is why he likes exercising, because it speeds up your heart so you live longer. It all made sense. His fear of dying, the peanuts, the exercising to keep his heart pumping. And I was so grateful for the opportunity to give him truth, to correct those incorrect thoughts and beliefs in his mind. I explained that hearts are made to last 60-100 years even when people don't exercise. And while exercising is good, God made our hearts to help keep us alive for a very long time. I could literally see his body take a deep sigh of relief at all this new knowledge. He wasn't going to die, not right away anyways and not from peanuts and not from not exercising. What a weight had been lifted. A couple of times the next day he even told me, "I'm so glad you told me I wasn't going to die if I ate peanuts." :) And I was SO grateful to a God who listens and the Spirit who taught me how and what to say to help this big burden. We have a long way to go to fully over come this fear of his allergy but this night was pivotal. So grateful we can tackle this without those huge fears.
Well long story short, (haha, I know) over the next 6 months we talked a lot about trusting in God and he made an effort to fast every fast Sunday for Heavenly Father to take away his Peanut Allergy. **Yes i know as a parent, you get nervous with these types of requests, because what if it never went away? But If he was willing to fast, I was not about ready to dampen that with my doubts, so I did everything in my power and knowledge to help as well.
At his 9th birthday I told him we could go and get him re-tested for peanuts just to see. When they called back with his results, they told me he was at a .34. Well this didn't mean anything to me so I had them pull up the results of the first time to have something to compare it to. The nurse did so and then was vocally surprised at how much it had changed. Apparently the first time he was tested back in 2008 he was at a 6.75, or what was considered high risk. And now at a .34 he was not even considered low risk. If he ate peanuts he might just develop a rash or something. I started crying, knowing what had gone into it like Seth's fasting and prayers. When I told Seth, he was so excited! He couldn't stop telling people! What an experience. I doubt he'll still eat peanuts because he thinks they stink, but the fear is almost completely gone for him to accidentally eat something. I am so grateful today for fasting, for Jesus Christ, for knowledge, for tender mercies, for faith....for miracles.
Over the next couple of years, Seth grew in fear of the allergy as well. He started avoiding any kind of sweets, especially homemade goods when he didn't know who made them or IF they possibly could have peanuts in it. He was afraid of accidentally eating them, and probably rightly so. In 2nd grade it all came to a head.
Seth started acting weird. He is normally the kind of kid that wakes up and just gets his morning jobs done, is focused and responsible. But he was just "off". He was reading slower, dawdling around and was overly emotional. One day I came home with some cinnamon rolls for him from the Hub and I thought he would have loved them, but he said he didn't want any. Well this just didn't make sense to me, so I jokingly kept badgering him asking him why? Because it was right after school, and he normally loves cinnamon rolls. And he kept being all silly and coy like he had a big secret to tell why he was not eating them and I couldn't figure it out. He'd get giggly and just say never mind or no, I don't want to tell you why. Anyways finally, it hit me and I said, "Seth are you afraid this has peanuts in it?" And he just broke down sobbing!! And I was like whoa! Where is this coming from? I tried to comfort him assuring him it didn't have any peanuts in it and he didn't have to eat it if he didn't want to or felt uncomfortable with it, but he still wouldn't really talk to me about it. And we had to kind of leave it at, "Ok Seth, whenever you feel comfortable you know you can talk to me about anything you are worried about." But he was closed up like a book and didn't want to talk about it with me. Frustrating!
Well so I knew there was a deep concern there, but I wasn't settled that that was all of it. He continued in his "off" behavior and started to avoid all brown foods even like cooked chicken. Well one Monday while I was praying and meditating I knew there were still a lot of fear and anxiety for him regarding peanuts and I just didn't think it was right. I prayed about what I could do to help him. I suddenly started getting ideas for that night's family home evening. One thing led to another and we ended up having a "very inspired" family night on Trusting in God. It was one of those incredible family home evenings where your kids are really listening and totally get it. We told the story of Meshack, Shadrack and Abednego and how they trusted in God completely and they were protected in the fire. I wish I could remember everything but it was really cool. Even Jaq randomly raised her hand and said, "I think you need to do 3 things. Trust God, pray to God and love God." And I was like, um, yea. That is exactly right. Profound coming from a 6 year old. Anyways, Seth kept raising his hand to comment and then getting embarrassed and saying, I'll tell you later. He wanted to talk but didn't like the setting of FHE to do it. He was anxious to go to bed so we could talk. So I went in and asked him what he wanted to talk about. He proceeded to tell me that a couple weeks earlier a neighbor boy told him that I had told another boy that if Seth ate peanuts or peanut butter he would die. Like instantly. He was so nervous about dying! (Suddenly I started to remember how often he had brought up death the last couple of weeks and everything started to totally make sense to me. Matter of fact I can remember one day we were having a spiritual discussion and with tears in his eyes he looked at me and said, but if I died I would still see you in heaven one day right? I mean, heart breaking! But i was so glad to finally know where this was all coming from.) Anyways we talked about it. And I told him I never said anything like that and sometimes kids make up things. But I also went step by step through what would happen if he did have peanut butter or peanuts. And although it could be life threatening, it was not immediate. There was a time period where his body would send out antihistamines which might make his throat or tongue swell. But that there was time to get to a doctor and time to get help before it escalated to a dangerous situation. He then asked me if his heart slowed down if he had peanut butter? I told him I had no idea. But that sounded like something that could happen. He then proceeded to tell me that in his brain he thought that this is what happened. Because when your heart stops you die. Suddenly I began to remember how much he has been working out lately, running, doing sit ups etc. And he continued to tell me that is why he likes exercising, because it speeds up your heart so you live longer. It all made sense. His fear of dying, the peanuts, the exercising to keep his heart pumping. And I was so grateful for the opportunity to give him truth, to correct those incorrect thoughts and beliefs in his mind. I explained that hearts are made to last 60-100 years even when people don't exercise. And while exercising is good, God made our hearts to help keep us alive for a very long time. I could literally see his body take a deep sigh of relief at all this new knowledge. He wasn't going to die, not right away anyways and not from peanuts and not from not exercising. What a weight had been lifted. A couple of times the next day he even told me, "I'm so glad you told me I wasn't going to die if I ate peanuts." :) And I was SO grateful to a God who listens and the Spirit who taught me how and what to say to help this big burden. We have a long way to go to fully over come this fear of his allergy but this night was pivotal. So grateful we can tackle this without those huge fears.
Well long story short, (haha, I know) over the next 6 months we talked a lot about trusting in God and he made an effort to fast every fast Sunday for Heavenly Father to take away his Peanut Allergy. **Yes i know as a parent, you get nervous with these types of requests, because what if it never went away? But If he was willing to fast, I was not about ready to dampen that with my doubts, so I did everything in my power and knowledge to help as well.
At his 9th birthday I told him we could go and get him re-tested for peanuts just to see. When they called back with his results, they told me he was at a .34. Well this didn't mean anything to me so I had them pull up the results of the first time to have something to compare it to. The nurse did so and then was vocally surprised at how much it had changed. Apparently the first time he was tested back in 2008 he was at a 6.75, or what was considered high risk. And now at a .34 he was not even considered low risk. If he ate peanuts he might just develop a rash or something. I started crying, knowing what had gone into it like Seth's fasting and prayers. When I told Seth, he was so excited! He couldn't stop telling people! What an experience. I doubt he'll still eat peanuts because he thinks they stink, but the fear is almost completely gone for him to accidentally eat something. I am so grateful today for fasting, for Jesus Christ, for knowledge, for tender mercies, for faith....for miracles.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
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