Pre-School Graduation

They had a great year of pre-school. It was perfect for Sophie and Sage... They learned so much, became artist's, went on fieldtrips, made great friends, and loved their teachers. They were sad to see it come to an end, but excited to start kindergarten next fall, coming way too fast. The teachers made a darling scrapbook for each student, full of pictures and memories throughout the year. Sophie and Sage look at them every day. They also made packets with fun learning activities to do over the summer, Way to go Silver Pups! The cap and gown took the cake!

Taken it easy...

Big thanks for your nice comments and concerns for Paul. We appreciate your good wishes and prayers!

It's been a bit of a whirlwind. Paul had an MRI on his knee last Thursday, we'll receive the results on Tuesday (aah, to have a Dr.'s 3 day a week work schedule, shouldn't complain, I'm thankful for all they do, just anxious to hear the results). It takes a lot to keep Paul down and he went back to work last Tuesday, swallowing the pain. Coming home early most days in pain with major swelling, but he's able to ice it often and rest every chance he gets. He gets around fairly well with his brace and crutches and can even drive, barely. He's hanging in there and staying positive. In the midst of all this, I came down with a chest and head cold, coughing that kept me up half the nights. Ya, quite a pathetic pair. Felt bad I wasn't 100% to take better care of Paul & family, it's been so long since I've been sick, it had to be now.

I wondered how the girls would do during all of this, they love to get out and have fun. I was pleased to see them understand that daddy is hurt and mom is sick, so they were patient but would often ask, "are you all better now?" It was sweet to see Sophie, out of the blue, go get a glass of ice-water for Paul while he was elevating his leg. And Sage, although she says she's too old for naps now, come lie down with me while I was resting and end up napping with mom just so she can be close to me. They have been happy and helpful. Nick was busy with work, swim team, & school, but I can't thank Josh enough for taking over, preparing meals, and filling in where needed. He is always great to help. And Trevor, as always, played and enjoyed the girls like he does. They can't get enough of Trevor, he's the coolest thing in their eyes!



Sophie and Sage dressed themselves and did their own hair today, notice how Sophie chose her favorite color, not pink- RED, and Sage dressed in fashionable layers, sporting her favorite Beijing olympic T-shirt on top :) They must've put 5 things in their hair, fancy girls.

We had a low-key and very delightful BBQ on Sunday...

A dessert 'to die for', thanks Danny & Lindsay. What a good time, just what the Dr. ordered!

And thanks Kathy for taking my boys to the Bee's Baseball Game Friday night. They had a great time and I was able to get some things done. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends, at home and blogging friends!

Maria Sue Chapman

Our hearts and prayers go to the Chapman family for the loss of their 5 year old daughter, little Maria, who lost her life in a tragic accident yesterday.

My heart aches for their loss. I'm grateful for all they've done in the adoption world and Steven's sweet reminders to always cherish our children through his music and example.

If you haven't seen the Cinderella song (a favorite of ours) he wrote after a long and tiring night, grab a tissue and click here.

Click here to read more about Maria and leave your condolences.

Pray for comfort and peace for the Chapman family, I can picture little Maria dancing with Jesus in Heaven. Families are Forever!

Sophie & Sage turned 5!

I'm only allowing 1/2 hour to post...

Sophie top & Sage bottom, showing me how old they are.

I wish I could say it was a perfect day. I knew it would be a challenge with Paul out of town and all that was going on, but I was prepared to make the most of it. Sometimes life throws you a few curve balls, or a great big one.

The morning was great. Sophie and Sage were so excited, they counted down the days to May 18th to turn 5!... Their first surprise was a birthday serenade from their brothers. They were so cute and a little camera shy as I video taped it. They're used to the camera in front of their faces, not the camcorder. Then they had their first Belgian waffle with strawberries & whipped topping, Josh made sure they had extra whipped topping. Delicious!

They're having a b-day party in a couple weeks, but they were thrilled to open a few gifts now... some water wings & pool toys (opened the pool on Saturday, it was so nice and warm :), a cd player for their bedroom, a white musical handmade doll, and their own pink CTR ring. They felt so special and couldn't wait to show everyone and tell them how old they are.

Church was a bit of a nightmare, at least the first part. With Paul gone, me conducting the music & singing, the boys passing the Sacrament, that leaves Trevor and the girls to sit reverently with no adult supervision. Wishful thinking! I even arranged Nick to help with the girls instead of blessing the Sacrament this week, but he was catching up on his sleep right there in church (can't blame him too much though, he didn't get home from work until after 1 am last night, large parties at Boondocks). Anyway, I'm sure the girls are working on their conducting skills and want to join the choir. When they saw me up there singing with a group of ladies, they ran up and started jumping and calling for me right in the middle of our song. I quickly gathered them and flew out the side door for some quiet time in the hall.

But who can get upset with these cuties for very long? They normally do well at church. I was touched by all the offers to help, and didn't even mind the chuckles at our expense, just felt bad for the disruption. One neighbor even rushed out in the hall and offered to be with the girls so I could go back up & sing. It was so thoughtful, but by the time I got back I would probably join in the last verse. We were shortly back in & sitting quietly. This ward is the best!


Happy Birthday Sophie & Sage, you are truly loved!

Last, please keep Paul in your prayers... Right after I put the girls down, I got a phone call from Paul. He was on a desert trip with the guys from work and wasn't expected back until Monday. He had an accident on his bike and was on his way to the ER. So sorry Paul, you know how I felt about this trip. We spent hours in the Emergency Room. No broken bones, but he's banged up and he blew out is knee- knee effusion, ACL/MCL and possibly LCL, 3 of the 4 ligaments are possibly detached from his knee, it's like jello and he can't walk on it. He's seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow and he'll most likely need reconstructive surgery. So sad.

Well, I've gone past my 1/2 hour allotment. I love my family. I'm sure there will be some big challenges ahead, Paul can't even drive or really dress himself, for now anyway. I hate to see him in pain. Does anyone want to buy a motorcycle? Paul just got it a week ago. (of course I'm kidding, I wouldn't wish this on any of you)

As hard as this is, I know it could be worse. He had his helmet, padded jacket, gloves, & boots on. He was so blessed when, shortly after this happened, a man & his family came driving down the river bed in his truck. He was even a firefighter EMT. He got Paul out of the mountain safely. I can't thank him enough. Paul was definately watched over.

Go Sun Devils!

This was Trevor's last game. They broke their winning streak when they lost the second to the last game this season. On the way home Trevor said, "at least we broke a record... first time we lost in two years." Way to keep it positive Trev. Their coach did an awesome job again, he was Josh's old coach a few years back.

Trevor's & Sun Devils biggest and silliest fans!

Good sportsmanship! (well, except the kid in the red that wouldn't shake any ones hand, just noticed his hands locked behind his back, too funny)

After half-time and enough cheering from the girls, they can hardley wait to ride their scooter around the field! They go about half way, get nervous about being so far, then turn around and rush back, they are so fast on these things!

Sophie in My Little Pony helmet, Sage in the pointy one (bottom)

Happy Mother's Day

I always feel so blessed on Mother's Day, but this year I felt especially blessed.

We had a relaxing morning, Paul & the kids made pancakes and gave me some leisure time, then showered me with gifts.


The kids gave me some adorable homemade cards and Paul gave me an I-Pod, just what I wanted! Thanks so much hon! Trevor wrote this cute poem and mounted it on a pink bookmark...

Mom

Creative, Confident


Caring, Hardworking, Reading


A very Active Woman


Smiling, Playing, Cooking


Friendly, Principled


Person

Isn't that sweet? Even if he did exaggerate ;)

After church, we had a fun time visiting Mom & Mike. The kids always have a great time with their Grandma & Uncle Mike (and Grandma & Grandpa)! They enjoyed looking at old pictures and trying to gather eggs from the chickens. Mom liked her large potted flowers the girls helped pick out for her.

Then we met at M & D for a nice dinner and fun with cousins and family. Mom loved the skirt & top we got her. We had a delightful time, as usual. I am so grateful for our family & loved ones! Hope every one's Mother's Day was wonderful! Especially those waiting to bring home their precious baby, big hugs from Sophie & Sage.

Happy 40th B-day Paul!

Before I do my Mother's Day post, I must share Paul's b-day celebration...
Paul was a day away from being a Mother's Day present, 40 years ago (the big "4 0" Bwa, ha, ha). This year, his b-day landed on Mother's Day, dang, who pampers who? Kidding. To keep him from suspecting anything, we celebrated early and surprised him Friday night...

Paul mentioned he didn't want a big to do, so I took him to the Old Spaghetti Factory (a place both Paul & I worked in our teenage years, oh the memories :). He had know idea our fun families were their waiting.

Then, we met back at the house for cake & goodies, friends, gifts, fun, and watched the Jazz beat the Lakers- yahoo! It was a splendid celebration- thanks everyone for making it special for Paul. Honey, you do 40 very well!! Wishing you another great 40 years!

I also surprised Paul with a slide show of him growing up. I put it together fast and it turned out nice, he loved it, but I'm making some final touches. He was such a cute kid, I just might share when I'm done. The girls were all giggles when we sang Happy Birthday to Paul as he blew out the candles, fun celebration! Happy Birthday hon.

Almost done with Pre-school

click to enlarge

Hard to believe Sophie and Sage are almost done with pre-school, only 3 classes left. Silverpups was a good choice for our girls- not too long, not too many days a week, and if you look close, one instructor per child, can't beat those odds! They loved it. After Christmastime, the director of the pre-school asked me how strict I want them to be with S & S, to get them ready for kindergarten (loved the open-communication for a pre-school). I told her I want them ready for kindergarten, so they definitely need structure, but emphasized "in a loving way" as I crossed my fingers. The girls went through a short time saying they didn't like pre-school anymore, Of course, it's when the director was getting the instructors to enforce & teach more instead of play with them. I didn't observe much throughout the year (try not to be a helicopter mom) and it's the few hours of my week I have that's my time. But I did observe after hearing this and they were fine. It was so cute when I peeked in to see all the kids on the rug and a friend in between Sophie & Sage, and Sage had her arm around her friend. Now they are sad to see pre-school come to an end and ask why they can't keep going. I just hope they like kindergarten as much, Silverpups will be hard to beat!

They've already met their kindergarten teacher, he (yes "he") seems very nice and good with the kids. I wasn't sure, at first, about them having a male teacher for kindergarten. But after orientation, meeting Mr. Matt, and mother's intuition- I think it will be great! Sophie will especially like it (daddy's girl). He was very sweet with Sophie & Sage, and all the children. They feel so big and can't wait to go to the school Josh & Trevor attend!

Wish I could take her place...

Sage had to get stitches tonight :(.

I gave the kids (Trevor & the girls) 5 more minutes to play in the yard before coming in for dinner, they were having so much fun. The next thing you know, Trevor walked Sage in and she was literally full of blood, all down her face, neck and front of her dress, even in her eye. I must have gasped when I saw her, my heart skipped a beat, which made her start crying intensely (she was very serious but didn't start crying until she saw my reaction, oops). I got her cleaned up and although it wasn't as bad as it first appeared, she had a nice size gash on the top of her forehead, I knew she needed stitches. Yes, I cried, not in front of her of course, thinking of her getting stitches, not knowing how she would handle it all, and wishing I could take it away and go through it for her.

Paul was still at work, the boys had a friend over, and I was still getting dinner on the table. Talk about stress! I toughened up and quickly put Nick in charge at home, talked Sophie into staying home, reinforcing her that Sage will be ok, and ran Sage to the ER. Two hours and 4 stitches later we were home and ready for bed. They took very good care of her. She held my hand tight the whole time, but she did amazingly well. While we were waiting, I told her that Trevor had to get stitches once. Her first question was- "Did he cry?" Hmmm... "no, he didn't even cry." I told a fib. At first, the Dr. was going to use a glue to suture it together, but after a closer look, decided he better stitch it up. Sage was nervous, but she didn't even cry! I'm sure it hurt and stung like crazy right there on her forehead, but she held still and was very observant with everything, trying to look at her forehead. The medical staff was so proud of her and thrilled at how tough she was and easy to work with. There were four of them standing around her at one time, the nurse said, "she doesn't need any of us here (to hold her down), but she is just so cute and tough.
After listening to Sage & I talk, the Dr. commented "she's not only beautiful, she's smart too." ( I know, you thought he was talking about me, lol) As much as I loath Emergency rooms, I'm so thankful for all they do. I'm also very grateful to have answers to my prayers, that all was well with sweet Sage, it could've been a lot worse.

I'll be buying some cute hats for the summer, to keep the incision covered (a lot of sunblock for swimming, plus someway to keep it covered in the water, any ideas?). It shouldn't leave a big scar. Sage was very happy to bring home a purple teddy bear, coloring book & crayons for her and Sophie, sucker, stickers, and a bag to put it all in. They took good care of our girl.

Thankful Thursday

Check out the the girl's new bunk beds... They are thrilled (it's been about a week now). They both like the top bunk, so they generously take turns each night sleeping on top (soon they'll switch once a week on the day their sheets get washed, but for now it's nightly). The best part is, we finally have space to move around in their bedroom. Thanks Paul! I know what a pain it was to put together. I bought them at a unique furniture/clothing store while the girls were still in China, I'll never do that again- came w/ wrong parts, the sizing wasn't standard, etc. But you made it work and made it safe, thanks hon. They love their new bunkbeds!


Painted Lady Butterflies! The kids enjoyed taking care of the Painted Lady Larvae I ordered, got the idea from a friend. They watched them grow into Catterpillars, spin some silk, enter the pupal stage and harden into chrysalids (cocoons), then watched them emerge into beautiful butterflies! They were intrigued. They named all five... Sagefly, Sophiefly, Trevorfly, Joshfly, & Nickfly :). We thoroughly enjoyed watching this transformation, I even used it as part of our FHE lesson as we released them (lifespan is only 2-4 weeks), reaching your goals, going for what you want!

Love the top left picture of conversation between Sage & Uncle Mike, and Sage wearing his glasses.

Sophie very interested in the pictures of Jenny's children on her ipod :)

It was so nice seeing Jenny (Paul's sis) and Bruce the other day while they were in town. It was a good time. I'm thankful for our families, they always make our children feel so special!! Each night, Sophie and Sage pray for pretty much each of them individually!

sweet secrets for sisters...

I'm thankful for girl time with my daughters... Dad and the boys were gone to a scout meeting so the girls and I had a charming, cozy Tea Party. They are such a joy!! Of course, I love time with my boys as well, it's nice to have both!


I'm thankful that Spring has sprung! Although we're having a cold streak, my tulips have bloomed, and Sophie & Sage are blossoming more each day!

Doesn't get much better then this... (from Sage) S & S love to surprise me and bring a smile to my face. They melt my heart!

Last, big hugs to Danny & Lindsay! Glad the boys could help you move the other day, although we really wanted to throw away the keys so you couldn't leave. You will be truly missed by our whole family!! We'll come see you in LA for sure. Congratulations on finishing this part of your schooling and doing soo well!! This song's for you, from the boys (I'll never forget your whole car bouncing to the beat in St. George). The girls like it too, although I've changed some of the words when we sing it ;) Love you guys!