Four eyes...

When I was a kid I always thought it would be fun to have glasses and then I entered grade school where the kids somehow turn into some of the meanest kids...I then decided that it would be torture to have glasses and get the nickname "four eyes"...somehow that's the best kids can come up with and they think it's the most clever.

Upon taking Bryant to the eye doctor yesterday for his yearly eye exam he told the technichian that he has a hard time seeing when he's reading.
What??!?!
That is the first I've heard of this...when the tech. left the room I promptly asked Bryant if he was telling the truth and if he thought glasses were cool, to which he answered yes to both questions. I started into a rant that he had to tell the truth to the doctor or there would be serious concesquences if not. If he lied just to get glasses his eyes would be worse and his head would always hurt because he wouldn't be able to see with something he didn't need. He humbly agreed to which I inwardly cheered victory!

After the initial exam with the doctor he immediately stated that he had all the questions he had answered...I was puzzled. He said that Bryant really did have a difficulty seeing up close and would need bifocals-my heart fell and then I was embarassed with myself. My son will now be four eyes-which he will handle well, I'm sure and he will be wearing what OLD people wear (sorry to the elderly that read this)! The doctor calmed my inward fears of looking like an old, welfare child saying that the style Bryant would be getting would be an almost invisible line and that by getting them this early in life his eyes would train quickly and he should outgrow the need for bifocals/reading glasses.

After what was to be a simple exam, we picked out some super cute-excuse me, handsome-blue frames and spent $100 that wasn't initially in the budget. Good thing there's a two year warranty on the frames and lenses-he just better not lose them...

He should get them in a few weeks and I hope I can get a picture or two on here...he's going to be one handsome kid-even more so than he already is!

Hello??

Anybody there??

I hate to admit it, but I feel kind of lonely these days (the vain side of me is coming out)...no communication through this blog makes me think my efforts to go private were not so fabulous. In trying to "hide" some personal information, I think I've lost all my friends in the blogosphere...is it worth having a private blog?? is it even more retarded to take the privacy off? hmmm...just curious if anyone reads this...not that it's super spectacular or anything, but just curious.

Let me know what you think...if there are any readers out there.

Peachy Keen

I'm sure the previous post was getting annoying to you because it was really bothering me, but I don't have anything super interesting or new to share.

We attended our new ward yesterday. It was a little awkward, but I think we're supposed to be there...not necessarily becuase we are needed in any particular way, but just because we are where we are supposed to be and we will follow the counsel of our leaders and attend church where we should attend.

The kids are such good sports about change. There are moments when we have discussions about why we moved and "when we move again", but overall the kids are so resiliant and for that I am truly grateful.

We are all adjusting to the new school schedule still. For some reason, it's been a lot harder this year than last to get into the routine, but we're managing to at least get to school on time-sometimes we just end up getting there later than usual-ha!

I am getting excited and nervous for October-we get to find out what we are having and for some reason I am especially anxious about the whole process. Probably because one of us usually has an inkling as to what we are having, but we are both incredibly not feeling any vibes...so I declare "it" is an alien and "it" will therefore be known forever as "It"...lol

We are doing pretty O-K with everything. No worries about us, we are past any and all depression (at least that you will all know about) and hopefully should have some fun posts to share in the coming weeks-I am so sorry this is becoming more of a journal and less with pictures...I just don't have access to the right computer with the software and it's kind of bugging me...oh well.

"Labor" Day

Saw this floating around on the web, thought it was pretty clever.

How long were your labors?
Bryant-9hrs. 15min
Kayelynn-3hrs. 12 min.
Sarah-6hrs. 9 min.
Lydia-3 hrs. 30 min.

How did you know you were in labor?
Bryant-contractions started at home about 7pm, went to hospital-they sent me home, I went back an hour later-the contractions were pretty much the "hint"
Kayelynn-induced, meaning they broke my water, my body did the rest
Sarah-induced, they broke my water, my body did the rest-really slowly.
Lydia-induced, they broke my water, my body did the rest

Where did you deliver?
All of them were born at Madison Memorial

Drugs?
Bryant-demerol x2 (that stuff makes you loopy)
Kayelynn-Nubain
Sarah-Nubain x2
Lydia-Nubain, 1/2 dose, mostly none

C-section?
None of them

Who delivered?
Bryant-the midwife (Helene) I had briefly met once
Kayelynn-the midwife (Helene) that delivered Bryant-I was very impressed with her following my wishes
Sarah-Helene, barely
Lydia-Helene

How long were you pregnant?
Bryant-39wks. 4days
Kayelynn-38wks. 4 days
Sarah-39wks. 2days
Lydia-38wks. 6 days

How much did they weigh? (bonus)
Bryant-8lbs. 8oz.
Kayelynn-8lbs. 13oz.
Sarah-9lbs. 13oz.
Lydia-8lbs. 6oz.

It's No Fun Being Poor

...now before you think I'm being all negative (again), just keep reading.

This is the talk we had in Relief Society today and it hit the spot, so to speak. What great counsel we receive from the leaders of the church-it's a fabulous read!!

Elder Marvin J. Ashton was assigned the topic for a BYU devotional back in 1982. Reading it seems as if he could have given it yesterday (it's amazing how the words of yester-year seem to apply just as much today as then).

It’s no fun being poor. It is much more fun to be rich. I hope we will see that we can be rich if life’s ledger is filled with daily entries that show bottom line totals including sound moral conduct, uprightness, and incorruptibility.

He states 10 "commandments" to follow to "avoid being poor".
1. Thou shalt not lose a friend or cease being one.
No man is useless while he has a friend. No man can declare personal bankruptcy if he has one friend.
Very often friends are lost because we are unwilling to pay the price it takes to maintain them. It was Emerson who said, “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
No matter what the conduct or negligence of others may be, we cannot afford to yield in our sincere efforts to be a friend. Very often our family members and friends need our friendship
most when they least deserve it.

2. Thou shalt honor thy character and protect it from self destruction.
We are poor in character when we think getting by is a substitute for doing our best. Virtue, action, and truth properly blended in life make a person rich.

3. Thou shalt not deceive.
Whenever deception is encouraged, the promoter is the greatest loser. He must bear the responsibility for those he injures.

4. Thou shalt not compromise they principles.
All of us should constantly remind ourselves that character is education properly applied. The sharing and encouraging of truth on a continuing basis shelters one from poverty.
How rich are those who can live by worthy principles and manage the results!

5. Thou shalt love thyself.
The worst form of defeat is to be conquered by self.
We should teach, particularly ourselves, that nobody is a nobody.
A person is poor when he places despair over hope. A person is poor when he fails to remember who he really is and forgets his relationship to God, family, and self.

6. Thou shalt be honest.
A person is poor when he thinks honesty is a policy instead of a proper way of life.
Mark 8:36, read this.
Without honesty there is no foundation upon which to build.

7. Thou shalt not wrongfully exploit others for personal advantage.
Those of us who knowingly give ear to dishonesty in any form are moving in the direction of poverty.

8. Thou shalt not believe that repentance is an announcement.
Repentance is not an announcement.
It is improved conduct.

9. Thou shalt not stay poor.
It's not fun being poor, but no one has to be.
Through prayer and action God helps us avoid being poor.

10. Thou shalt not allow thyself to be managed by money.
A person who allows his money to manage him instead of him managing his money is poor. No matter how much or how little we have to live on each week or month, it needs to be used wisely. We need to decide on a budget and live within it.
Things generally turn up for those who keep digging. Financial disaster can be avoided if we learn with others how to help ourselves.
No one needs to apologize for his success in financial achievement if the means of attainment have been honorable and he knows how to wisely use what he has.

After the pity party I served myself yesterday of why's, what if's this was the answer to my prayers. I am so grateful for the direction and advice and counsel given by the leaders of our church. It is so easy to forget the way of life we should live within the church as the world is so in-our-face. What a fantastic reminder to all of us. To get the full feature, you can read it here.

I hope your Sabbath was as uplifting as mine this first Sunday of September.

Oh the places we'll go...

...Birthdays, school, Boise and doctor's visits...

Bryant is all about walking to and from school with the neighbor kids and enjoys taking a lunch from home-I'm not sure how long this will last, I can't believe my mom packed a lunch for us every single day from kindergarten to our senior year in high school-I don't think I can be that creative or dedicated. He started out the week a little unsure how the days should work and got a little too excited about playing after school instead of coming home, but we got it figured out. He is a true boy and will only tell us the "cool" things that happened in the day.

Kayelynn is doing fabulous! Her teacher is super surprised at her ability of concepts, letters, numbers, etc. She is the only one in the class that will respond to the teacher and stay on task. It's kind of funny. She is going to be great in Kindergarten next year!!

Sarah was a little worried about the first day of preschool, but adjusted really well with it. She blended right in and only had a tiff once toward the end of class when someone wanted the toy she was having. Not a big deal, but it was at that time that her attention span was starting to waiver. Good thing she only goes two hours. She had a fabulous birthday-it ended up being a little more pink than Mermaid, but she was okay with it as she was the one requesting what/how she wanted. She received her very own Razor scooter, pink-just like she has been wanting all summer since I found two in a yard sale...her Grandma gave it to her and she was so, so excited!! She is such a mature 3 year old. I still worry about her sometimes with her health, but I think we'll keep doing what we know keeps her content and yet still do some research.

Jake surprised us with a last minute, quick vacation to Boise so I could get school clothes for the kids. I confess, after trying to go school shopping to find just a dress, jeans and new shoes I about had an anxiety attack in the store when there were no dresses, the jeans were $15+ and shoes were just as much as my shoes are!!! The receipt showed half a month's rent with just 6 items (okay, that could be an exaggeration, but only slightly-can you tell I haven't bought clothing at full price in a very, very long time, somewhat embarassing, but not)! I seriously about hyperventalated and died. I now understand why my mom hated school shopping for us! I can do groceries and not freak, I've figured out the coupon world, but clothing is another obstacle to overcome. I told Jake that since the kids were still small enough we needed to hit up the quarter sale in Boise at the 2nd hand store (Other Mothers-I hope the thought of another's clothes on my children's backs don't disturb you...they grow too fast to buy too many new things, and I can't afford/handle it). So, he took us to Boise and I was able to get just over 100 items and only spent $26! Now, THAT I can handle, it even included 6 pair of shoes!! After washing the clothes we discovered one of them had $2 in the pocket!! We even got some money back ;) To get more of a stock up on clothing I think we will be going again in October and hopefully be able to get enough clothing to get through the winter! It is totally worth the time and gas money to me because then I get to spend more time with my family too!!

While we were in Boise I canned apricots, apricot jam and 21 bottles of green beans-it's been about 5 years since I've done that. It's making me want a home and garden that much more. I hope that wish comes true this year!! (at least the home portion, the garden will have to wait until next year-I'm not that off-even if I do feel like it).

We are still getting into the morning routine for school-as none of us are morning people. We are getting the very last of the pictures hung and figuring out how to more effectively use our space. All is on hold for a few days as after arriving home from Boise late Sunday night we discovered Monday morning that Sarah and Jake have both come down with strep throat. I am just sanitizing everything to hopefully keep the bug from spreading and keeping the two of them as comfortable as possible. Then to reconvene with our daily routine!