Peaceful Slumber

Babies keep life interesting. You never know what habits they are going to take on, keep, lose, change, or develop. What schedules they are going to form, adapt to, or when they will mix them up completely.

When Amy started to drink from a bottle, the only way we could get her to settle was to commit the cardinal sin of laying her down all a-slirp. She would drink that milk down and quickly give way to blissful slumber. She would then wake up for a 2a.m. feeding and repeat the process. This lasted all the way until well after her 1st birthday. She was our first baby to wake in the night consistantly, even after 4months of age. So, we gave in too tired to do otherwise. After all, sleep is too precious right? So when we gave her that bottle, it was happy magic. That sweet baby would grab that midnight snack, be done with it in seconds, and let sleep again take over until well around 8a.m. Anything to keep our precious babe happy...

Those feedings have been long since forgotten and Amy has decided, contrary to Dr.'s beliefs since the beginning of time, that her nightly bottle is no longer a necessity. She pushes it away and prefers Mr. "D"  (pictured above) for naps, and Mr. Ted (her teddy bear) for bedtime.

She grabs him

 hugs him to her with a smile...and falls peacefully into dreamland. We much prefer this new habit,

                                                                  for she seems to be in such peaceful slumber.

Back to School!

Picture collage customized with Smilebox

We Remember

September 11,2001 will always be especially significant in my mind. It happened soon after our long awaited 3rd baby was born. I had become a new mother for the 3rd time after waiting five long years in wonder as to whether our family would ever have an increase. We had Steve's parents staying with us as they usually did to help out when we had a new baby in the family. It was a time of contentment and joy in our little world. We were quite oblivious to the events of the nation around us as we enjoyed and celebrated the special occasion of our new bundle of absolute joy:

Then, 13 days after Jeremy's birth, Dad Alger told me about hearing something tragic and how it should be on the news, quite unsure of the details. He thought he'd heard it was in Seattle at the Space Needle. When I turned on the television, it was all over the place, the vision of the tragic event that now took place 10 years ago. Each year as I reflect on that event, I am reminded of a song sung by Country star Alan Jackson called, "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning",

 I have never and doubt I ever will forget where I was and what I felt when the world truly seemed to stop turning as I stood in astonishment at what I was beholding as the news broadcast what had just happened that morning to thousands of innocent people, affecting millions of lives forever. Even now when I watch the news that described the event, my heart sinks, my knees are weak making me need to sit down and the uncontrollable desire to weep and possibly bawl overcomes me, as it did that day. It is an everlasting reminder that we as a nation need be united as a people. Tragedy marks the climax in any relationship whether it is a national, personal, worldwide, or eternal one. It marks strength or weakness. Progression, or destruction. It is the test of strength. To me, this is what took place on that significant day. A test to remind us where we are as a nation, a people, a society, and individual families in value and embodiment. It reminds me annually to check where I am spiritually and whether my priorities are in line. Today as I think of that tragic, yet heroic event of those that sacrificed so much on the line, I am grateful for my faith, those I love, and for the blessing to know that this world is just a temporary state of something far better in the life to come. That  the Savior is truly our Redeemer, how blessed we are, and that we live in this great Nation. We are so incredibly blessed. 

He Got It!

So...

          He got it.

It's official. Tyler has his permit. The milestone you're anxious for yet, a little wary of. But truthfully...

I have to say that it was rather impressive how well he drove us home from the DMV. (*sigh of relief) He's rather good!

It must've been all that operating of motorized wave runners at the river in California this summer. We knew it would be worth the sacrifice of sending them off for three weeks for something.

Poor little hand

The other day I was vaccuming the stairs when I hear Justin urgently calling to Amy. He ran to her and told her to get her hand away and had pulled at it by the time I realized what was going on. Amy had stuck her hand under the vaccum and the beater bar had burned off the upper layers of her skin. I immediately sprayed it with dermaplast which helped quite a bit, and gave her a dose of children's tylenol.It was a sore looking red for the first couple hours and then started it's healing process whith a sweating ooze. She would wimper and hold up her hand for me to kiss it throughout the rest of the day. I would then kiss it and offer up another prayer for her.

                                                 { This is what it looked like 2 days after it happened. }

The cringe and shivers that go through my nerves each time I reflect on the incident cannot be described. I ache just thinking about it and am incredibly struck with the way she can still look at me and smile, despite it all.

A similar incident happened to Michael when he was a baby and I vowed it would never happen again. I cannot describe how I feel now that it did.

A similar incident happened to Michael when he was a baby and I vowed it would never happen again. I cannot describe how I feel now that it did. I'm so thankful for the amazing ability of healing and the knowledge that the Lord answers prayers because although the pain was intense, Amy was able to sleep well and long through the night. What a blessing.

I'm So Blessed

Taking the kids to swim lessons yesterday I checked my phone after finally paying attention to it's consistent notification of message beep (this can get really obnoxious!) and was filled with gratitude when this is what was displayed in my "recent calls".

All these names of people I love and hold so close to my heart. I am so blessed!

The other day as we were driving to the community pool, Jeremy said in an amused and enthusiastic voice,

"oooH, a flying hair. Those are rare."

 

 His friend and I got a great laugh out of that. It's such a breath of fresh air to have somebody so easily amused and optamistic.

 I think that is a gift.

 He's always been a great joy.