Blueberries & cucumbers

Tuesday we went to a friend's house in our ward and picked blueberries. Yesterday I washed them and got them in the freezer. We plan on picking more. Also, this couple offered us something that seems to good to be true but they say it's really true. It's really too good to pass up. Details to come in a later post.
Well, we pickled the cucumbers from our garden. This was my first time trying something like this by myself. Results coming soon.

The cucumbers before their bath.

The cucumbers after their bath with all sealed lids. So far so good. We'll taste them tonight.

Well, our friends from Southern Utah finally made it to PA. Heath and Deric both did their undergrad work at Southern Utah University and now they're doing their grad work here at Edinboro Univ. of PA. We're excited they're here. Well, it's summer in this small college town, PA and it's quiet in the mornings. Most of the kids are home for the summer. When I go running early it's me, the birds, and the rabbits (and sometimes Noah). Although it is summer some of the leaves are already beginning to change. I can't believe it. It's still July. I have only had to turn on our AC a few times.OK, time for truth: Most people that live in PA always say PA and never Pennsylvania. I have learned to identify a catalpa tree, maple tree, and oak tree thanks to Heath. My electric bill for last month was $26 and my gas bill $23.60 (It's NEVER EVER been that low)...it's true. Asher is in the 75th %tile for his height and the 3rd %tile for weight (he's on the chart now, yippee!)

Asher doing his therapy

This is just a short video of Asher at his occupational therapy appointment. I just wanted to show you how he can move his right arm. Asher gained 3 oz and now weighs 12 pounds 13 ounces. He's getting there slowly but surely.

"Patient endurance permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord and our faith in His timing when we are being tossed about by the surf of circumstance. Even when a seeming undertow grasps us, somehow, in the tumbling, we are being carried forward." -Neal A. Maxwell

Picks from our garden

Well, we payed a visit to our garden today. There were a few cucumbers and some green beans ready for picking. The zucchini is from Sister Householders side of the garden and they are huge. Zucchini bread here we come.

Asher ate 26 ounces yesterday. This is by far the most he has ever eaten. Before that it was 21 ounces. Hopefully he'll start putting on the pounds and not just the ounces :) More truth...I'm almost 30 and still a picky eater, I have skittles in my food storage, My husband thinks I have too many decorations, I like watching The Office (and so does my almost 3 year old), I think Will Farrell is funny when he's clean (I mean really funny...same with Steve Carrell), and sometimes I have the urge to blow a bubble which explains my secret stash of bubble gum. Anyway, we are off to pick blueberries.

A blessing...truly

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Asher just started doing this funny tongue thing and I got it on video. Also, in this video you can see that he doesn't use that right arm very much. I just wanted to say too that Heavenly Father answers the prayers of pleading mothers and not only does He answer the prayer but then he blesses her with the ability to look around and see others and their struggles. Then it's realized that the cross she had to bear was not so heavy after all.

Puttin' on the ounces!

Things are finally calming down around here a little bit. Asher is starting to eat 5 to 5 1/2 ounces per feeding and he pooped today on his own for the first time in about 2 weeks (no suppository required). He is throwing up way less and when he does throw up it's not as terrible. He weighed in last week at 12 pounds 10 ounces (a 2 ounce gain from the week before). Puttin' on the ounces! My little baby is 6 months now. I can't believe it. Also, I had some pain in my eyes last week (an inflammation of the muscles behind my eyes) which is resolved now after seeing the eye doctor and getting some drops. Trials are WAY better in hind site. It's hard for me to keep up with Noah's new words. He has really just taken off.
So, we bought a soft serve ice cream machine at a yard sale for $5. Below are some pictures of our first time using. it. We also went to a tractor show that Noah loved. They had some big steam tractors and Noah couldn't wait to get to those. He was "choo choo" ing all the way. Well, I have a crying baby in the other room so better end this. Just want to say that my husband is a good man. I had a doctors appt this morning and when I came home he had the boys dressed and the dishes done. Also, I have a new friend. I'll tell you all about it later. Also, I'm back into my emergency preparedness and am excited about canning vegetable from the garden and other things too. a end! (that's how Noah says "the end")

Makes you wanna get a soft serve ice cream maker , eh?

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My little Asher

So, I made it know that Asher was a little guy.  Well, he still is. He is having a hard time gaining weight. He's got acid reflux and the pediatrician at Shriner's said that he was eating smaller amounts because of the acid which resulted in him not getting to the "hind milk" (the milk with all the fat in it). After a few tears (OK maybe a lot of tears) and a phone call to my mother I decided that the best thing for the little guy was to switch him over to formula. I wanted everything he was taking in to have a good amount of calories. Asher has been throwing up (I don't mean just spitting up a little) pretty much his whole life (almost every day). I thought maybe formula would help decrease that and the doctors suggested putting rice cereal in the bottle too. That didn't help so then the dietitian at Shriner's said to try soy formula.  This actually helped quite a bit with the throwing up but not so good for the bowels. So, then he was constipated and started eating less again. Then back to Shriner's to the pediatrician who suggested a bigger nipple on the bottle and pears and or prunes. I tried it and it's working great so far. He's eating between 4 and 4.5 ounces per feeding (improving from 3 to 3.5 and sometime 2.5 a feeding) I'm feeling like a first time mom again. I hope this time we've got it all figured out. I call the occupation therapist, the dietitian and the pediatrician at Shriner's my "Dream team".  They all work together to help Asher. They are so nice. I HEART SHRINER'S! Anyway, my friend Michelle let me borrow this bumbo chair for Asher. He's so stinkin cute in it I had to take a picture. Noah is doing better all the time with his speech. My favorite thing he says right now is "ma ee, nice" (mommy nice) telling me to be nice. He can also say whale, cat, water, please (ease), bye bye Sue (his speech therapist), kids, and his newest sign is sorry. 

Thanks Michelle!

A VOICE OF WARNING!

"The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people of Noah." - Ezra Taft Benson

"For the moment we live in a day of peace and prosperity, but it shall not ever be thus. Great trials lie ahead...and we must prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually..."

- Bruce R. McConkie

"We will see the day when we live on what we produce." - Marion G. Romney

"The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat."

- President Brigham Young

"The great blessing of being prepared gives us freedom from fear, as guaranteed to us by the Lord in the Doctrine & Covenants: "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30)

-L. Tom Perry

"We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a week's food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. As all of you recognize, this counsel is not new. But I fear that so many feel that a long term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Amber waves of grain.

Ok, not so much grain but corn. I was just thinking that here in PA the fields are either covered with snow or with corn. Also, I've never seen a purple mountain. Anyway, Noah and I played a game of tag in sacrament meeting today. I was holding Asher in the back because he was a little fussy and Noah decided he was going to start running around. So, I handed Asher off to some friends so I could get a handle on Noah only Noah sees me coming and thinks we are playing a game. He started laughing and screaming like he would at home if I were chasing him. I finally "chased" him out of the room. Whew! What am I going to do with that boy. So, yesterday was Independence Day and we went to our Bishop's house. It was 65 degrees and the Bishop was the only one crazy enough to get into the pool. Noah did sit on the edge and put his legs in. The Bishop is a great bishop he's really funny and openly admits he's got a case of ADHD which he should be medicated for but chooses not to take the medicine. He pulled Noah and Heath around in a little cart behind his lawn mower and Noah thought it was the best. It was our 4th of July parade. Also, we knew we would leave before it was dark so we let Noah hold a sparkler around 5 pm. Not quite as cool but he liked it. He was highly supervised. Noah is really talking a lot more. Yesterday when Heath picked him up his shoe came off and he said, "oh, no, my shoe!" He also likes to say aw why (alright) , I did it. 

God Bless America!

Good Night

Today is gone. Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one.

Every day,

from here to there,

funny things are everywhere.

-Dr. Seuss

That's life.

OK, here we go (crack the knuckles). I think this post will be about a bunch of things and not one thing in particular. Noah's sign language skills are improving. He's able to use a lot of the signs on his own now without encouragement and the most recent sign he learned is wrestle (one of his favorite things to do with Heath). Speaking of Heath, he's been working some lately cutting down trees, feeding a chipper and other things I'm sure. He usually comes home smelling like a lawn mower with dirt everywhere. He's been studying up on trees and when we are driving down the road sometimes I hear "blue spruce, oak, maple, sugar maple, cottonwood", and "some stupid fruit tree" (making fun of his boss who thinks fruit trees are stupid). Although he does really really like his boss Dan. It's been raining a lot the past few days (which is good for our little garden) and it's very humid so we can't hang clothes up to dry down stair or they will never dry. This morning in the back yard there was another deer but this time she had 3 babies with her. Heath lovingly calls her supper. The babies were so cute pouncing around. It's just neat to watch. Speaking of red meat. OK, so the truth is that the doctor wanted to check my cholesterol and guess what? It's high. I'm not going to say how high because I would be too embarrassed but I couldn't believe it. I really don't eat butter or too much red meat (we mostly eat ground turkey).  My problem is dairy and eggs I think. Two things that I love and eat all the time. So this morning I had a breakfast burrito made with egg whites, no cheese and a little taco sauce with no cholesterol. Did you know that there is 170 mg of cholesterol in 1 organic, large, brown egg? I think only people with high cholesterol know that. Did you know they sell egg whites in a little carton? Convenient. Heath thinks it's funny and loves to make sure I'm not eating anything with too much cholesterol. I told him he should go get his checked. He said noway because then I would watch what he ate. Anyway, it's true that tummy time is a lot more enjoyable while watching Blue's Clues on the computer and also true that my husband has called me a square on more then one occasion.