"Come what may, and love it!......Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result." ~ Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

June 28, 2009

A frog in the garden.




On Friday we picked weeds from our garden and it was a great time. We found a frog that Noah was hesitant to hold but warmed up to in a hurry. Noah's first real frog he's ever seen outside a pet store. We had trouble deciphering between weeds and vegetables and just hoped that we were pulling the right thing. Noah helped a lot with putting the weeds in the wheel barrel while stepping on all the veggies. We learned the importance of picking weeds regularly. Our garden is at a friends house and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get there. It makes it a little harder. 

Also,
Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
D&C 130:18-19

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June 26, 2009

Five months old.


So Asher is five months old today. I can't believe how time is passing. He's such a cutie pie and I love him. He has kept me busy going in and out of waiting rooms, seeing doctors and on my knees in prayer. I have grown so much. I have learned to have more faith in my Heavenly Father and his plan for my little family. I have learned to have more charity for others and not to judge so quickly. I have learned to be more grateful for the things I DO have and to not focus so much on what I think I need. I have learned that humming to a baby is just as effective (if not more so) than singing to a baby and you don't have to perform in front of a live waiting room audience. And I've learned to ALWAYS get a second opinion. Thanks to everyone that cares about us and mom we don't mind the phone calls. 
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June 20, 2009

A busy boy!


So, lately Noah has been busy.  He threw Asher's car seat down the stairs (well, more pushed it down the stairs). He broke the closet door, he put thomas the train sticker on the bouncer, his foot, his face, my back, in the kitchen sink,  on the table, the chairs, in the printer and on the bath tub. He has fallen down our 1/2 flight of stairs at least 3 times sense we moved here and yesterday he was playing outside on the deck and came inside to bring me a bug (a non-threatening sort of bug, still alive). Thursday night he came to me in a shirt and his diaper (he had removed his own shorts) and was trying to take off the diaper. Heath finally figured out that he wanted to sit on the potty. So, we took him to the potty and the little guy did his thing. I thought maybe he'll potty train himself. WRONG-O! I told him to tell me when he needs to go but that hasn't happened yet. That would have been too easy (more like a dream).  I want to wait a little longer anyway for his speech to come a long. They say once you start you can't go back. His speech is improving. Some favorite things he like to say are, "I gotcha", "I got it", "Where'd he go", "ing" (for swing), "ash" (either outside or Asher) and for some reason "no". He signs drink, help, thank you, more and with some encouragement potty. 

So, the other day I had to go get some blood work done and I took Asher with me. They said,"Is it for the baby?". I said,"No, for me this time." They said, "How was your trip?" (referring to the trip to Utah). and "How were the kids on the flight?" I thought to myself...man, I really have got to stop hanging out here. 

So, I'm getting back into using coupons. I mean, I do use a coupon when I can but there is no Albertson's here in PA so I gave up for a while.  But I'm proud to say that I just got 50 FREE 4x6 print pictures from CVS and $15 to a local grocery store called Giant Eagle for watching a short video on line. I know I won't do as well as all you Utah people but I'll get what I can. :) Anyway, if you know of good deals send em my way.

June 17, 2009

June 16, 2009

Asher, silly Noah, long day, Heath running, and rice cereal. WOW!

Just a cute picture.


PUSH!
PULL! That thing just won't budge. 
I came downstairs yesterday to this. Noah is so silly and has been doing the funniest stuff. And don't worry those are Asher's.
Just another cute picture.
This is Heath after working 13 hours for the tree service with no lunch (well a package of peanut butter crackers).  He was so dirty and dog tired. He wasn't too excited about me taking this picture. 8am-9pm. I'm glad he's such a hard worker. 

Noah seems to think it's neat to clean his chalkboard off with his hands then wipe it on his face. Nice chalk beard. 
Proof that Heath is capable of running. 




After the run. 



Asher eating his rice cereal. Doesn't love it yet but does anyone? 

June 13, 2009

I looked out the window & what did I see?

So there we were sitting at the breakfast table and Noah points and says, "Wha es dat?" (What is that?). Heath and I both look over and out the sliding glass door, beyond the deck and right to the edge of the wooded area. What did we see?  A doe? A deer? A female deer? That's exactly what we saw. It was pretty cool watching nature happen in our own backyard. Heath was so proud that Noah spotted his first deer at 2 1/2.   

June 11, 2009

An update on Asher's arm and Jaundice

Here are some pictures and a video of Asher moving his right arm. This is my first attempt at a video so it's not awesome but you can tell what's going on. I wish I had done some in the beginning so you could really see how much it has improved.  The doctor said Asher is doing well and making good progress. He said there is a good chance for him to get full movement of his arm and that it would probably take about a year to resolve. 


The jaundice has improved. The results came back from the blood test and his billiruben score is 1.4 which they say is within a normal range so he doesn't have Gilbert's disease.  Also, Asher is a little guy. Yesterday at his appointment he weighed 11 pounds 10 ounces (he's 4 month's old now) that's the 1 percentile for weight. The doctor said that it's good that he's on the chart and that his length is good (36th percentile) and his head measurements are good (26th percentile). He's a skinny guy. The doctor wants to check on him in a month.  I think I'll start some rice cereal soon to bulk this little guy up. My mom said I was a skinny baby so there you have it. 

June 10, 2009

PROVIDENT LIVING, PASS IT ON!

To pay debts and avoid future debt requires faith in the Savior, Elder Hales said. "It takes great faith to utter those simple words, "We can't afford it." It takes faith to trust that life will be better as we sacrifice our wants in order to meet our own and others' needs. 

A quote that I found inspiring. That's all I have to say about that. 

June 5, 2009

S'more please! Also, somebody help me potty train this kid.




Ok, so we have a really cool fire pit in our backyard. Heath and Noah started a fire last night and we made s'mores.  We didn't have any skewers or even metal hangers so we used sticks with the bark shaved off the tops. Heath promised we wouldn't die.  So far so good. 

GAME ON!  I'm seriously ready for Noah to be potty trained. The poopy diapers have always made Heath want to spew but now man, ... I'm done! Please, I need some tips.  I'm not even sure how to start. 

June 3, 2009

Gilbert's disease and other things too.

Today Asher had a doctor's appointment at the Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. This appointment was for his jaundice. He had breast milk jaundice which got better by not nursing him for a little while (12 days to be exact).   The jaundice has never fully gone away. The specialist that we saw today thinks that Asher has Gilbert's disease (pronounced 'zheel-BAYR').  They needed to do a few more blood tests to confirm. Today they took the blood from his arm. Sad! They usually take it from his heel. The good part about taking it from his arm is that it was faster and they didn't have to do any squeezing. Plus the lady taking the blood called me Ma and gave Asher a camo band-aide. Anyway, there is no treatment for this disease but the only symptom of this disease is a yellow tent to the skin when you get stressed. The Children's Hospital is new and nice.  The waiting room is huge. I have been in and out of so many waiting rooms in the past year. There is really a lot to be learned in a waiting room.  
Well, we are still getting moved into the new house.  We really love it so far. There' s  lots more room for Noah to play, the kitchen is bigger, the dishwasher has a sanitize button, there are ceiling fans in the bedrooms and there's a cardinal that comes and sits on the rail of the deck throughout the day. It does have a certain smell we are trying to get rid of. Our table sits by the back sliding glass door that looks out to the wooded area behind our house. Last night I had to institute a 'no binoculars at the dinner table' rule. We'll see how long that lasts. 

and this is the house. Yes, it has a pink door. I'm thinking of painting it red. Pictures of the inside (for my mother mostly) coming soon. 

June 1, 2009

My favorite sister!

OK, so she's my only sister but she's still my favorite. I just wanted to share a few things about my sister Melissa because I have been thinking about her a lot lately.  She is always thinking of others. If she knows or even thinks someone is in need she is always helping and working on solutions to problems. She has done countless things for me. Some of them done anonymously but found out through some intense investigative work. She's a little shy sometimes and very humble. She does the best research.  If you need to know what the best kind of anything is call her. She's a good mom. She exercises regularly. She's smart and I love her. I won't post a picture this time because I know she doesn't like it. But watch out lady! The pictures I am posting are random.

Baby Asher

These are Heath's BCG's (birth control glasses). He's HOT!