2022

 It's hard to believe that it is already the year 2022.  So much is happening in my life.  My oldest daughter has moved back to San Antonio and is working at a bank.  She has her cosmetology license, but doesn't want to work in that industry right now.  Jacob left San Diego and has moved back to Utah where he is working as a waiter. He is so good about keeping in touch with Dwight.  Michael is nearing the end of his undergrad studies at BYU and is getting married on May 7th to a very kind woman, Heidi, who he met at BYU after his mission in Argentina.  Johnathon has done awesome on his first year at BYU. He really does the "adulting" thing quite well, which isn't at all a surprise to me.  My youngest daughter is having a strong academic freshman year in high school.  She is so intelligent, but seems to be rethinking the plan to take all advanced placement courses next year in hopes that she can lighten the homework load.  Ryan has had a major year, which you have probably heard about already.

In case you haven't....

In November 2021 Ryan had a T2 to pelvis spinal fusion.  It was a very hard decision to do the surgery and we postponed it for a long time. First, we postponed because it just didn't seem to be the right time to do it. Then the surgeon said it was the right time, but when we fasted and prayed about it, we didn't feel it was the right time.  So, we postponed.  Eventually, it was just the time. It still didn't feel good, but we felt at peace about the decision.   

That's interesting, right?  Interesting how sometimes a decision can still feel really hard, but we can feel at peace with the decision.  

The surgery went really well. He had a tough time with his adrenals after the surgery, but some testing post-op showed that it was just a response to the extreme stress of the surgery.  We are very thankful for that blessing.  He has been healing remarkably well.  We have one area of concern:  the hooks at the top of the spine have pulled away from the spine.  If they stay where they are, it'll be okay.  If they continue to pull away (think of it like a zipper), then he will have to go back in for another surgery.  We are praying that it will stay stable. Well, honestly, I'm actually praying for it to be healed.

This is a tough surgery and it takes a long time to recover from the surgery. He was about to be back in his chair the day following the surgery, but the bones and everything need about 6 months to heal. So, we are not out of the woods and won't be for a few more months.  Honestly though, sometimes with Ryan -- maybe with life -- it just feels like we're always in the woods -- and sometimes the woods are okay, because they're beautiful and serene.

What do I mean by that?  Well, it's hard to feel lost in the woods and to feel like you're wandering around in the woods.  But, I don't feel lost.  I feel like I get to spend lots of time with Ryan, and that time feels special to me, maybe sacred.  And, I feel guided or directed in those woods.  So, although it is exhausting at times and sometimes it feels very isolating, it really is very beautiful and serene in the woods.  

I just want Ryan to feel joy and to experience all the good things in the world.  So, it is nice to be out of the woods sometimes too.  

I hope that makes sense. 

Goofy Children

What is it?

The kids are always asking for soda and yesterday I was at this great store where they had some wonderful fun flavors of soda.  It's always fun to try something new right?

Reading Restaurant

Deborah's class did a "Reading Restaurant" tonight.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but it was really awesome!  When we arrived at the classroom, Deborah was whisked away into the classroom while all we waited outside with all the other parents.  After a few minutes of listening to busy, excited sounds escaping from the room, each of the parents were individually invited by the hostess (aka the teacher) to join their little chef.  

Our chef was darling!  It's amazing how big she's getting!

She had prepared a menu for us.  The "appetizer" was a sample of her story writing; the "salad" was another example of her story writing, the entree was a story that she wrote about EACH member of her family.  For dessert, we had a choice of three of her favorite books to choose from.

The video below is her reading one of her favorite books.  You have to turn up your volume pretty loud in order to hear her and there's a lot of background noise; however, if you listen pretty closely, you will hear that she's using a funny voice. It was a book about an Italian family and their pizza business.  It was really, really funny to listen to her talk. 

Enjoy!

Shots

We have a tradition in our family that whenever someone gets a shot (or shots), we let them choose between getting donuts or ice cream.  It was Johnathon's turn to get 3 immunization shots, and let me tell you:  he was impressive!

No one likes getting shots, right?  He was a little freaked out when they first mentioned shots.  It's been a few years since he's had to have any, but then we talked about how we have choices about how we'll respond and how we respond can often affect our experiences.  We talked about how if we get really tense when we get shots, it actually can make it more painful, but taking deep breaths can make it a bit better.  BUT, I reminded him that it was entirely HIS choice how he wanted to respond.  Then I sat down and continued the discussion with our wonderful pediatrician.  Meanwhile, Johnathon CHOSE to watch a BrainPop video on Immunizations. 

When the nurse came in to give Johnathon his shots, Johnathon was totally calm, smiling and really did SUPER!  I was amazed and incredibly proud of him!  Johnathon, being the super intelligent kid he is, recognized by beaming face, and immediately negotiated an extra half hour of computer time AND ice cream.  :)  But, since it was early in the morning, and the HOT sign was on at Krispy Kreme, we stopped by to get a donut and returned to school with the promise of ice cream after school.

After school, Dad suggested picking up all of Johnathon's favorite mix-in's to make homemade shakes at home.  So, that's what we did.  He choose Twix, Butterfingers, hot fudge, caramel syrup, and oreos.  Then he topped his shake with heavy whipped cream and cherries and sprinkles.

Snow Day

Today was a snow day in southern Texas.  No, we didn't have snow, but we did have a lot of ice and since we don't have any thing to deal with the ice and no one really knows how to drive on it, we all stay home.  The whole city shuts down and we get to hang out with our families.

Deborah and I talked about Random Acts of Kindness and what kinds of things we could do for others that don't cost money.  While looking for ideas on line, we found several projects on Pinterest that were lots of fun.  Be watching!  You might just be the lucky recipient of her extra kindness during the next few weeks!

We also found this fun Valentine's day craft from HandsOnAsWeGrow.com 
 

Remember, I'm not really the crafty type.  So, when I say it was easy, you know it must be E.A.S.Y!  I really liked the way it turned out.  Here's ours:

Monsters

Dwight shared this on his Facebook status tonight.  I thought it was so typical of both Dwight and Deborah that I just had to keep it forever.  Here's what he said:

So the other night it was time for my youngest daughter Deborah (age 7) to go to bed, but she was taking her time.
Me: "It is almost 9 o'clock. That is when the monsters come out."
Deborah: "I'm not afraid of monsters anymore. I got rid of them all."
That's my girl...

Jumping In

Yesterday Deborah discovered that it's more fun to jump into the water without me catching her.  So, the first thing she wanted to do today when we went to the pool was jump in with me video taping her so that she could send the video to Daddy.  She was SO excited for Daddy to see her jumping into the water!  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to send it to him while we were at the pool.  But, I told him all about it and he was SO proud of Deborah. 

This video is for Daddy ...

Deborah ...

Deborah just had to try it...

Questionable Reading Materials

Today I was having a conversation with Dwight & David about some questionable material assigned for an English class. As we discussed my opposing arguments, Johnathon said, "Would you read that if the Savior were in the room?" and then Deborah, quoting lyrics, said, "If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do? Would I think of His commandments, and try harder to be true? Would I follow His example? Would I live more righteously if I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?" 

Seems to be a great standard to live by ....

Day 1: Whew... Success.

We made it through the first day of school! And, the best part ... everyone, me included, had a GREAT day! Whew! Jessica wasn't thrilled to take pictures this morning, but she at least let me snap one quick picture before school.

David worked hard to give me a "mildly interested" look, until he had to sneeze. The sneeze made for a really funny picture, but I decided to stick with the approved pose.

Johnathon was so excited for today! His first words to me when he got off the bus today were "Best Day Ever!"

Deborah ... Well, Deborah was given the assignment to decorate this face. The teacher called it a happy face. Deborah calls it a baby face. Even after I explained that it might be a representation of her, she would just giggle and call it "Baby Face."

Tonight when I was tucking her into bed, she said, "Mom, I'm a Kindergartener, and I have the BEST teacher."

Ryan seemed anxious to return to school today. Thankfully, Ms. Nelda is still able to go with him.

Overall, it's been a great day, with only one small hiccup. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even more smoooooth. :)

Happy 4th Birthday, Ryan!

This weekend we celebrated Ryan's 4th birthday!  Can you believe he's already 4 years old?

We enjoyed a great lunch and a fun party! 

 And, yes, Ryan even had a tiny taste of chocolate cake.  :)

The party was fun for everyone!

 About half way through the party, Ryan started to seem a bit apathetic toward the gifts.  We then noticed that he was a little bit tired.  So, we put the party on hold until he was better rested.   Then today we finished opening the rest of his presents.  I'm not sure who's enjoying his new CD player the most -- him or Deborah.  :)

It's been a great 4 years!

 A lady who doesn't know me very well once made a comment that was at once accusatory and apologetic to me that I had Ryan.  I was so surprised by her comment that I didn't even know how to respond to her.  I have since thought many times about her comment.  I have thought of the many things I wish I could share with her.  Things that she obviously doesn't know, about Ryan, about my family, about life.  I've tried a few times to share the joy that she obviously doesn't understand that comes with having Ryan as a member of my family.  But, it never seems to come out quite right.  So, tonight, I'll just say... knowing all that I know today, I'd do it all again! 

Happy birthday, Ryan!  I love you!

Oh, Deborah!

Deborah and Johnathon have been taking swimming lessons this summer and they are doing a great job!  Johnathon has mastered swimming without holding his nose (which used to be a huge obstacle) and is now working on various swimming strokes.  Deborah is overcoming (again) her fear of going under water and has become really good at blowing bubbles and kicking. 

This week we were at the pool and I realized that I had forgotten to put Deborah's hair into a pony tail before leaving the house.  After searching through the pool bag, all I could come up with was one of my head bands, but no pony tail holders. 

I started to put it on her and she grabbed my hand and said:

"Mom, I'm NOT that KIND of a girl."

Now, I might have understood that response had the head band looked like this:  

Or, even this:

But, it was just a SIMPLE, basic get-my-hair-out-of-my-face kind of head band, like this one:

So, I said to her, "Deborah, it's one of Mommy's head bands."

And, she promptly replied, with a look that I really wish I had a picture of:

"I know.  YOU'RE one of THOSE girls."




Oh, Deborah!

Back To School

You probably know that I've home schooled for the past 13 years.  Last year we did Texas Connections Academy for Johnathon and David, which technically is not home schooling, but I still had 3 children home with me all the time (except on Tuesdays when they spend most of the day with other homeschooling friends). 

Well, are you ready for this?  This year everyone is going to school!  Are you super surprised??? 

Ryan is going back to the same PPCD class, which we loved.

Deborah is going to Kindergarten at the same school, which she is SO excited about.

Johnathon is going to attend 4th grade also at the same school. He's happy about it now that he learned one of his friends is also in 4th grade at the same school.

David is going to be a Freshman at the High School.

Of course, Jacob and Jessica will continue going to High School.  Jacob is a Sophomore and Jessica will be a Senior.

AND, I'll be going back to college, too.  With everyone else back in school, I've decided it's time for me to finish my degree as well. 

So... it'll be a HUGE change around our house.  I've NEVER had all the kids in school before.  I'm not even sure how to manage it.  I'm sure I'll be asking some of you pro-Mom's how you handle different things that come up during the school year.  It'll be interesting.

It was a hard decision to make, but I feel it's the best for each of the children right now.  So, let's just hope I can handle it.  ;)

We Are Now a Complete Family

Deborah is thrilled to finally complete our family. Every member of our family now wears
... or at least should wear glasses or contacts.

And, doesn't she look smart and beautiful in her new glasses!

Call Kevin

Last summer Deborah was going under water at the pool, but this summer she has regressed.  Do your children ever do that? So I decided to put Johnathon and Deborah in swimming lessons. They were both doing well ... until the swim instructor who decided to HOLD Deborah under water past the point of comfort.

I don't know what he thought he was doing. He was a new instructor. New to her and new to instructing.
 
Long story short.  Deborah is no longer willing to go under water at our pool.  But, she is willing to play in the water without her floaties.  Just enough to make me nervous. 

So, today we were just about to leave the pool and she was playing in a large blue ring when she slipped and I saw her go in under the water.  I was standing right on the edge of the pool.  My first instinct as a mother was of course to pool her out, but then I realized if I acted in panic, she'd be scared about going under.  She was only in water that's about 2 feet deep.  All she needed to do was stand up. 

And, she did.  She stood up with a look of shock on her face and I smiled at her and said, "Wow! You did such a good job!  I'm so proud of you!"  I could see the confusion on her face at first.  She was actually not intending to do that and she was really not happy about it.  She was really wanting to cry.  But, then there was a hesitation. 

I helped her get out of the water and said, "Hey, who do you want to call to them about that?  You did such a great job remember to blow your bubbles." 

Then she shocked me.  I was expecting Dad or Nana or Papa or Jessica or Aunt Joyce.

"Kevin."

I must have had a look of confusion or shock on my face.  She said, "What?  I haven't talked to him in a while."

So, we called her cousin Kevin.  Thank heavens Kevin is a great guy!  After a couple of rounds of phone tag, she was able to be congratulated by Kevin and her sense of accomplishment was complete.

Thanks, Kevin!  We love you!

Celebrations with Deborah

Today has been a sweet day with Deborah.   She painted this beautiful rock. 

We have celebrated her successes today and it's just been a good day!

Sweet Prayer

In Deborah's night prayer tonight, she prayed that Ryan would never get sick again ... "even right before he goes to Heaven."  Isn't that sweet?

My Current Excuse for Being Late

The other morning I went to run what should have been three very quick errands.  "Should have been."  It took an hour longer than I anticipated.  This seems to be a common pattern lately.  So, I thought I'd go public with the issue.

If I'm late, there's a good chance that you can blame this:

Yes, the roly poly bug, or as I would like to call them ... a PILL bug.  Why is this harmless little bug causing me to be late?  Because apparently they need to be rescued. 

Every where we go, Deborah has to stop to rescue each and every PILL bug from any potential dangers.  She's even developed her own little technique.  She first scares them so that they will roll up into a ball so that when she gently tosses them out of danger they won't get hurt.  Then the toss.  It's always a gentle toss. It can't be too hard and she always ensures that they will land back on the dirt and grass where she is confident they really wanted to be.

It's kind of sweet, but it's making me a little crazy.  I hope this phase ends soon.

PS  Do you think this is a result of me telling her that I'm really not going to have the other 8 children she wants me to have?

Biopsy Results

The results from Ryan's latest biopsy are back.  You may remember that they took 2 small chunks of muscle from his right thigh at the end of January.  The results are back.  There was low mitochondrial activity, but nothing diagnostically significant.  Therefore, he is negative for Mitochondrial Disease.  Some of the test results are still out, such as the copper results. 

We have an appointment with the Metabolic Geneticist next week where we will discuss the test results in more detail and what to do next.  I'll be sure to keep you posted.