And when she was good, she was very, very good...

But, when she was bad, she was HORRID!

What to do with a little girl who:

1. Always wants mommy, but mommy doesn’t always want her.

2. Doesn’t go to sleep at night until AFTER everyone else is asleep, and she’s turned EVERY light on.

3. Uses language she’s not supposed to like “I hate you. You dumb. You stupid. Stop it! Be quiet!You're so mean. Butt…”

4. Wastes cold cereal nearly every day because she pours too much when I’m not looking.

5. Loves to tease at the worst times, like when I’m on the computer or when I’m totally exhausted and trying to put her to bed.

6. Throws a huge tantrum whenever she doesn’t get her way.

7. Laughs when I take extreme measures like spanking or yelling.

8. Is unrelenting and insistent that I read “another one” when story time is over.

9. Won’t stay in her room during bedtime or quiet time and kicks the heck out of the door if I lock it.

10. Screams at her brothers if they look at her without permission.

11. Tells her brothers they stink.

12. Goes outside and wanders over to the neighbors by herself without us knowing.

13. Screams for ice cream, candy, or any other junk she thinks might be lurking about.

14. Doesn’t eat the food I prepare.

15. Repeats herself over and over so many times, it makes my head spin.

16. Refuses to sit on the toilet, no matter what the reward.

Naughty or not, I’m so glad she’s ours. Life wouldn’t be complete without little Lu!

Aging

A few weeks ago, I had an MRI done on my back. That was a strange experience. I’m not really claustrophobic, but started to get a bit uneasy when finding myself in such tight quarters for 30+ minutes. I began to understand how some people totally freak out from the confinement and refuse to proceed.

Another thought I had while lying there was of my one-month old, first born son, waking up during his MRI and the hospital paging Brad and I to come and get him back to sleep. What an unnerving experience that was for us as new parents to await the results. Come to find out, he had developed a bone infection in his left arm and right hip and needed immediate surgery. For six weeks, he was given IV antibiotics through a PIC line. The doctors told us infections such as his could damage a growth plate within 72 hours.

For the next two years, we made regular visits to the orthopedic surgeon for x-rays and follow up. Fortunately, Spencer made a full recovery. Two of my favorite memories from our hospital stay are seeing Spencer smile for the first time and watching his fascination for a mobile above his bed. He smiled at all the doctors and students that came to prod and poke him nonstop. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with my little boy.

Anyway, as far as my back goes, I’ve had pain since 2000, which has progressively gotten worse. The MRI showed spinal degeneration and bulging discs. The good news is, I finally know what’s wrong. The bad news is that I have arthritis and pain in my back, which affects me every day. I’m hoping to find a physical therapist who specializes in the lumber spine who can give me specific exercises and stretches that will help alleviate the pain.

Yard work

We had mulch delivered on Wednesday. Lucy and I enjoyed watching the truck dump it right in the middle of our driveway. I spent three hours in the morning getting it spread around the front landscaping. It was a beautiful day and very therapeutic for me to be out working in the yard. Lucy started out shirtless, except for a Home Depot apron. Then I worried about her getting burned, so I covered her up. Right before we started working on the mulch, she stepped on the scooter wrong and took a hit in the nose,which caused it to bleed. Once we got that taken care of, she loved loading her bucket full of mulch and spreading it around.


After nearly an hour of being really helpful, she started leaving the yard. So I strapped her into the car seat in hopes of her falling asleep. It worked. She ate a little sandwich and was out in five minutes. That was great, because she got a good nap in and I ended up getting several hours to myself to work in the yard, and do snack and dinner prep before the boys got home at 4:30pm.

So, Wednesday evening, we had our FHE activity. I thought the boys would love loading the wheelbarrow and dumping the dirt around. But, before they started loving it, they had really bad attitudes and were bickering like crazy. I called Brad from the backyard for reinforcement and he did what only a good, loving father can do- took them into the garage and gave them a royal chewing out. It made me laugh for a couple of reasons. One, because I didn’t have to do it, two, because I don’t get why they bicker over such stupid stuff, and three, because here we’ve set out to have a great family activity together and ten minutes into it, the whole family, minus me, is being chewed out in the garage.

Amazingly, after that, the boys did great and we did have a good time together. We spent another three or four hours spreading mulch and getting the whole project done. We’ve lived here four years and this is the first year we’ve replenished the mulch. It looks really nice. I really love our landscaping. The original owners did it right. There’s hardly any maintenance and the bushes and trees are gorgeous this time of year.

Long car rides

We try to make the best of them, since we've been making 12-hour car trips to MN (to visit grandparents) usually twice a year for the past eight years. Obviously, toddlers have the roughest time because they get bored. Fortunately, (for car rides), we're growing out of the toddler stage. Our boys were phenomenal, but Lucy was in hysterics quite a bit, saying, "Mommy, look at me! I want to get out and kiss you. I want to hold you (meaning, she want's to be held). Please, let me OUT!" It's agonizing to listen to. After doing everything possible to console her, I was grateful to have earplugs handy. Both Brad and I slipped them in to take the edge off. But, beyond the car ride, we had a wonderful trip.

The main purpose of the visit was to witness the sealing of our adopted nephew, David, to his parents. It was beautiful! Brad’s dad was able to perform the sealing, which made it even more special. Then, we headed next door to the church where David was given a name and a father’s blessing. I was so glad to be a part of all of it. What a special occasion.

We also celebrated our dear little Lucy's 3rd birthday while there. She loved blowing out the candles on the cake and getting a present from grandma. And, true to form, she managed only to eat junk food nearly the entire trip.

Minnesota is absolutely gorgeous this time of year- trees and lakes everywhere. The boys always love to walk to a lake nearby Brad's parents house and throw rocks, etc. Of course, they always promise not to get wet and dirty and that lasts about five minutes. Before you know it, they've stripped down to their underwear and they're swimming in the lake. I can't blame them. I'd want to do the same thing if I were younger.

One of my favorite things to do each time we go is walk on the trails. They have miles of trails that wind through trees and lakes, and for me, it's so peaceful and therapeutic to be out in the fresh air getting exercise. This year, I brought the boys' rollerblades, thinking they'd just love roller blading on the trails while I walked. But, boy was I wrong. My anticipated hour-long repose turned into an hour long bad attitude and complaining session. By the end, one of the boys had taken his roller blades off and thrown them into the bushes, vowing to never to take another walk again. So, there went my great idea. I still enjoyed walking, but next time I'll go alone.

Brad's parents live in a perfect location for kids. They have at least an acre at the end of a quiet culdesac. So, we had a few quiet days just playing catch, climbing trees and running around the gorgeous backyard. The kids spent several hours outside each day, which I loved.

We also went down to the St. Croix river where we watched the boats and walked along the waters edge. We saw two giant St. Bernards, which were fascinating to look at. And then grandpa thrilled everyone with a trip to the local ice cream store where everyone enjoyed massive scoops of ice cream. We sang happy birthday to Lucy and she was in heaven as she gobbled down her goods.

And, last, but not least, I forced my family to pose for a few pictures for memories sake. They cringe when I even mention pictures or pull the camera out, but someday, they'll thank me for capturing these treasured moments.

Mothers Day

Today has been a nice Mother’s Day. I’m so grateful for my own wonderful mom. She has been such a great example and strength to me throughout my life. She’s always put motherhood first and instilled in me a desire to do the same. I’m so grateful for the time we get to spend together and the ability to be able to pick up the phone and call her. Heavenly Father blessed me with an amazing mom.

Brad has also made today really nice for me. After church, I came home and took a nap while he made a delicious dinner of grilled chicken and oven roasted potatoes. For dessert, he made an impressive chocolate, peanut butter filled cake, with a ganache frosting. Very rich and yummy! Apparently, he clipped it out of the newspaper during his hospital stay last week (due to a blood clot in his leg). I mean, what else was he going to do all day, than think of all the nice things he wanted to do for Mothers Day- right? :)

After dinner, Brad had us gather in the family room. He and the kids all said one thing they appreciated about me and gave me a homemade gift. Brad surprised me with an MP3 player (which he bought on the way home from the hospital). I’m going to download a bunch of Spanish stuff, General Conference talks, etc to listen to while I'm exercising or working around the house.

It was rainy and cold yesterday, but we needed the rain. Our backyard is in full bloom. I've always loved being able to look out the kitchen windows and just see trees. It's so peaceful and beautiful.

Camping

Friday evening, the boys really wanted to sleep outside, but there were supposed to be serious thunderstorms and we didn’t want a tree falling on them, so Brad set up a tent in the basement and they loved it. They each had a huge bowl filled with popcorn, pretzels, and corn chips and a huge stack of books. We had scripture study in the tent and then Brad read a few more chapters of Johnny Tremain to all of us.