Horse-drawn Sled!

A few years ago we decided to try our horse, Puzzle, out on pulling us on a sled! It was so much fun we decided to do it again this year. Hopefully it will be a Christmas tradition. We did this on the Wednesday before Christmas Eve. It had a bit of a rough start though, because we spent the first fifteen minutes of the activity chasing down Blue. She got scared when Marc pulled the rope through the sled and she took off running through the orchard and then through a couple yards in the neighborhood. Lucky for us, though, she stopped to visit our neighbor's horse and we were able to catch her easily once she stopped.

After that it was a little challenging to get 4 and 10 to get on the sled. 4 had a lot of fun riding by herself while I ran alongside her and I lifted and drug 10 onto the sled and ran by him for a bit too. You can see in the picture how I drug him onto the sled and laid him there. He had the coat over his face but you could still hear the muffled laughter as Blue ran to pull him. I find that more often than not, my kids are scared to do things but if I make them get past their anxiety they end up really enjoying themselves. Speaking of 10, I forgot to mention one of the things he said on the Monday we found out about Baby have FXS.

Me (holding back tears): "10 we found out that Baby has Fragile X Syndrome too."
10: "Oh, Baby, I am so happy you are just like me. (Squealing) I am so happy."

It was a good lesson learned for me.

Here are the pics:

Baby all bundled up ready to go

On our way out to he orchards

Waiting for Blue to come back

Blue's back...

That's me and Baby back there in the brush.
It was so much fun, I giggled the hole way.


13 on his fun ride

Here's 10 — he is smiling — I promise

We went till it got dark

4, the Computer Wiz

So, on the Saturday before Christmas my sister brought her daughter "Princess" over (that's her new nickname now I have decided). I heard some beeping from the study and giggling and I walk in to see that apparently 4 knows how to turn on my computer, log onto the internet and find the horse game site that they like to play on! What?

Family Christmas Party and Kris Kringle

OK, so after the long wedding day we had a family party the next day. Oh, it was so much fun!

My aunt Laura had made a compilation DVD of old home videos from '79 to '91. I loved it! The party was held at the clubhouse of one of my cousin's places and it even had a movie theater—it was set up like a real fancy theater. I loved watching the movie because it had my brother playing Santa Clause at around age 10? and all the cousins would take turns sitting on his lap. I even got to see my little sister Kirsten as a baby (My parents didn't take a lot of pictures of us because they didn't have a camera).

They also had a basketball/raquetball court and the kids LOVED that!

We ate, talked, ate, sang, ate, hung out, ate, played and well... ate! At least I did! The food is always my favorite part! (smile)

Thanks to all my wonderful family for being there! I even got to meet my cousin's son who is around Baby's age and I got a picture of them together. So cute!

Mom, having fun!

Socializing

My cousin's son and 4 were having a blast with the cool sink—I think Little Man has that look on his face because he knows what 4 can do with a water pistol! :)

Entertainment—my mom and sister have fun while I am in the other room nursing...

My uncle Eric had too much fun when he was assigned to buy a ball for the gym... Thanks Uncle Eric—it was all worth it!

Daniel and Tynelle cheesing

13 having fun on Grandma's guitar

And the one who was responsible for it! Yay! You did a great job! Thanks!

And then later that night while we were eating dinner with my brother Aaron and his wife Chelsea we had a visitor pop in the back door! 4 and 10 were so excited it was cute! 13 was there too but 18 was on gone so she missed out on the fun! Kris Kringle even brought us each a gift! Baby got a stacking toy, 4 got a Memory game, 10 got matchbox cars, 13 got a Swap it! game, 18 got perfume, and Marc and I got a DVD! How sweet! Thanks Kris Kringle. It was such an appreciated surprise visit!

And, yes, 4 is wearing tights with no skirt... I don't know, she likes it... anyway, just look at the pictures.

My Little Sister Ties the Knot!!!

So, I am finally posting about Kirsten and Jeremy's wedding day.

We all headed down to the temple where they were to be sealed for time and all eternity. The kids all waited in the waiting room while those who were attending the sealing went inside to see the ceremony. We had a bit of a wait. We were able to walk up the famous spiral stair case though and that was cool. It was such a treasured experience to look around and see all my siblings there in the temple. What a blessing. I can't imagine what was going through my parents' minds while they watched their last child get married. My favorite part was after the ceremony was complete and the Sealer called my sister by her new last name—Kirsten looked a little taken back. I think it was then that it actually hit her that she was married.

The luncheon was awesome. It was dutch oven catered and there was tons of great food.

The reception was incredible. Must have been my parents last one because they sure went out with a bang. My mom and dad, along with our good friend; Steve Keele, created the castle backdrop! All I can say is WOW! The cake was a castle, and on all the tables was a rose with a glass dome (like Beauty and the Beast). It was a Fairytale wedding.

They had dancing too. 10 was in heaven. I was so panicked in the days before the wedding because I know that my kids get really overstimulated and overwhelmed, so I expected that Marc would have to take them home early. I was proven wrong as 10 danced his heart out to all the music in front of everyone. The best part was when 10 "fainted" on the floor because that is what happens in Snow White and Enchanted—they eat the poisoned apple and fall to the floor. So, since this was a fairytale wedding he had to pull the apple trick. But, the catch was, it was during the Bride and Groom dance and right in front of the bride and groom. We couldn't talk him into getting up and out of the way—it would ruin the drama—so I drug him off the floor as he still lay "lifeless" for effect. It was quite funny, and I do hope that Doug sends at least that clip to me! (hint) I do hope that Jeremy and Kirsten enjoyed 10's novelties, because I know that he really had a good time! He even urged the cameraman (my cousin from Pointe Digital) to film him running around the castle for a bit there! (Thanks Doug, you're a trooper!) It was so much fun.

4 even wore her Snow White Dress, Baby wore a tiny a Cinderella dress and Jessie's girl wore a Cinderella dress to add into the fairytale theme! Fun! I hope I will have more pics of that later.

Here are a few.

Just married out of the temple

A blurry picture of the castle backdrop

4 and 13 dancing

Kirsten, Marc and Baby had a dance, so I had to take a pic

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X Marks the Spot...

for my three treasures.

I was getting 10 ready for school when the phone rang. I thought it was probably Jessie; she usually calls in the mornings when I am getting the kids off to school. I couldn't answer it because 10 and I were reading before he got on the bus. After he got off to school I checked my messages. It was the lab at the hospital and they said they sent Baby's test results to her doctor. I called immediately and requested them to fax the results to me.

Listening to the fax print out was long, almost like it was in slow motion. I have waited eight weeks three days for this test result.

I read the bottom of the fax searching frantically for the result. It wasn't at the bottom.

It was in the middle: This patient is predicted to be affected by Fragile X Syndrome

I thought I would be strong.

I wasn't.

I balled like a baby.

The tears covered the phone buttons as I called all of my family. Although my heart soared as 4 sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at the top of her lungs as I relayed the news. That song will now, forever, hold a special place in my heart. I think it was her way of comforting me.

The tears flow as I type.

I knew all along, I just was hoping I was wrong. I think both Marc and I knew. We just kept thinking, no, not this time.

I love her. I am so grateful for her. She is perfect, to me. I am just scared that I can't fulfill her needs.

I am scared.

I know Heavenly Father will guide me and help me, but, today, I will cry, and cry a lot.

I have so much to post, but, I know you all have been waiting to hear. I will post about all the weekend's wonderful happenings later.

Thanks to all of you, ahead of time, for your love and support.

Kids Who Count! Here I come! Did ya miss me??

Liberation and Celebration

Liberation—

No more O2 for Baby which means: no more tangles, twists, trips, attachments, machine humming, tank switching, walrus face, irremovable face stickers, heavy oxygen tank to carry, changing the tubing when she spits up in them—or gets boogers in them— Ah, liberation!

(For those of you who were wondering about walrus face, I call it that when she would get the two little tubes that go up her nose under her top lip that gave her the look of a walrus with the two tusks coming out—it was one of those things that made me chuckle out loud every time.)

Look at her sweet naked face. Oh, how I love it. To see it without anything covering it is such a sweet sight.


Celebration—

That would be two-fold. 18 has grown in talent so much, her performing is much improved, she is so fun to watch AND it was great to celebrate Christmas through great music. The Chamber and Concert Choir of her high school do such a great job. Here are some pictures of her in both her choirs. Her green dress is Concert Choir and the black dress is for Chamber.