Emma's Latest insight

We go into the bathroom to do hair. Emma & Mia with their loaded swimming bags, and Henry. It's a tight fit. I start working on Emma, Henry starts his climb from the toilet to the vanity. Last time he did that this morning ended in a big fall and a crying spree. I, not so kindly, pick Henry up from off the vanity, shove him at Amelia, and order them out of the bathroom.

Take a deep breath, and start working on Emma's hair. Emma, ever so nicely and sympathetically even, says "I can tell you don't feel very well, mom."

"Oh really, how's that?"

"Because when I'm not feeling well I'm pretty bossy too."

Two Dollars

I'm always trying to be a more patient mom. Sometimes without much luck.

The other day Clay was playing the piano. I could hear a bunch of "stop its" and "quit doing thats" coming from the basement, but I thought I would just let them work it out. Before long Clay came upstairs, clearly upset. He had that "I'm gonna cry because of what was happening to me and if I don't tell you right now, I just might not live another minute" look.

I stopped him before he had two words out...

"Whoa...if this is a tattle, you can tell me, but it will cost you two dollars."

"But mom, Sam..."

"Hey, if you want to tattle on Sam, it's gonna cost you...two dollars...go get it then I'll listen."

"But...{eyes brimming with tears}...I'll go get it...it's just that {blah, blah, blah}" {big brother picking on little brother.}

I patiently listen, tell him that's too bad, and send him to get my two dollars.

He was back a couple minutes later with the money.

Sam comes storming upstairs..."mom, Clay..."

"Whoa...if this is a tattle, you can tell me, but it will cost you two dollars."

"Hmmph" as he turns around and heads back down stairs.

Must not have been worth the money.

Quite a while later Sam comes running up the stairs. I'm sitting on the couch with the little kids. Sam has a wad of dollar bills in his hand and he starts dishing them into my hand as he says..."Clay did..., and Clay did..., and Clay is not ..."

I just started laughing. So, it was worth the money this time?

Henry Loves to Dance

Here's the latest clip of Henry doing the cha-cha slide with his sisters and cousins.

Dare you not to laugh. It's fun to watch how he has "evolved" in his dancing. At first he would just move however he wanted. Then he started paying attention to what the other kids were doing, and copying them accordingly. He has been trying to hop for months, and finally caught air the other day when he was doing it. That was a proud moment for the family. It's so great that it only takes a song to distract him, or change his mood. He definitely has a connection with music. Anytime the boys start playing the piano, he runs for the stairs. When a slower song comes on, he sways. He leads the music at church, and dances to the hymns. He is absolutely fabulous.

Heat Wave

It's so beautiful with the sun shining, the birds singing, the snow melting...well, mostly. It's a balmy 46 degrees outside. How do I keep them cooped up on such a warm winter day?

Maybe the snow will be gone by Easter.

They build a fort out of half of the living room too. Now that's a winter thing to do.

Sam, while building it says, "Mom, is it ok if I just leave one way out of the living room?"

{that is unless I want to crawl under the blankets}

He's so thoughtful.

This is totally not working. I'll have pictures when my computer decides to let me use the ones I just uploaded

He's Helpful and other Emma things

Emma's on my bed.

I'm ironing.

The TV is on a country music channel and a video comes on where the cowboy is throwing hay around.

"Do you know what that is mom?"

"Ya, it's pretty cool." {admittedly not really paying very much attention to the TV or to Emma}

"No he's not."

"What? I think that's cool."

"No mom, he's helpful. He's out there giving hay to the horses and no one even had to ask him, he just did it on his own. That's being helpful."

"You are right Emma" {like always}

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Last night Clay had a little league wrestling match. There were alot of people in a little space. Since Clay is in one of the top age and weight brackets, he was going to be near the end. {we did not imagine he would be THE LAST, but we knew it would be awhile.}

Emma turns around with her cheeks pink, and her hands at her throat.

"I don't feel very good"

"You gonna throw up?"{frantically pulling her to a garbage can}

She coughs and spits a couple times. {a little social anxiety?}

It was clearly time to go outside. We went with Aunt Deb outside and got a little fresh air. Aunt Deb offered for Emma to go to her house and wait there until we were done with the wrestling.

She was a bit timid, but obviously liked the idea.

That was all she could talk about this morning. She gave a play by play of what they ate, watches, and did at least three times.

"Mom, do you know how much I liked going to Aunt Deb's last night?"

"I can imagine..."

"I want to have a sleepover."

{Well, if that doesn't tell you how fun it was, I don't know what would}

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Henry's Laugh

I've seen on tv and all over the internet, videos of a baby laughing hysterically. That baby has nothing on Henry. Just wait till you see him do the cha-cha slide.

Guatemala 2011

I got to go to Guatemala with Nate this year :) My mom came and stayed with the kids, and did a little tag team with Chris to keep the kids going while we were gone. They did great!!!

And we had the most amazing time. I've been looking at pictures and hearing stories about Guatemala and its people for the last 7 years...but the reality is...I had to be there to really understand.

Mark pulling teeth. He alone pulled about 100 teeth last week.

Hirsche Smiles Foundation: the group we travel with. Asorech: the group in Guatemala who finds places for us to work. {Their main work is to teach new planting methods and create systems to get drinking water to the Chorti indian groups living high in the mountains.
The new members of our Little League Wrestling Team above Olopa

("Europa: because it's so far away"...Horacio)

This is our way up the mountains from Zacapa. When our brakes went out on the way down, we got to ride the rest of the way in that green cattle truck.
Nate would go through the line about 10-20 people at a time to diagnose. I would put that on a piece of tape so when we had a chair open, I could get the next person in line for a filling or extraction.
Getting ready to work on Monday morning. This is La Perla, the hotel where we stayed in Chiquimula. By the end of the week we called it La Hurla by the amount of hurling that went on there that week, and because everyone could hear it all.
Horacio...what a good kid. He drove us a couple of days to our locations. He's waiting for a mission call. I told him he would go to the states because he understood everything we said...just wouldn't speak in english.

Beautiful baby!!!

Friday...Up at 6:00, leave at 8:30 for Guatemala City. 3-4 hr ride. Nate mapped it out. Market until 4, Temple from 5-7:30, dinner at 8. And miracle of miracles, it worked...mostly.

We had an absolutely amazing trip!!! It was very humbling to see the extent some people traveled on foot to have some dental work done. It was very humbling to see how they lived. It was very humbling to see that...with nothing...they are very happy people. It is so true that "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."

Mosiah 2:18

And I came away feeling like the one who was blessed.

{I'll post more pictures later...the kids need me}