Father's Day 2014

I've decided to make it tradition to take a photo of the kids every Father's Day, so Scott has something current on his desk at the office. We had beautiful weather and the most lush grass for our backyard photo shoot!

Cal was not thrilled about posing in the grass. 

 Ian suggested this "soccer pose" at the end, and was, honest to goodness, surprised when Scott opened the frame on Father's Day and Ian saw that this was not the photo I had chosen to print. He is such an oldest child!

On Father's Day we prepared cinnamon rolls, orange juice, fruit and a meat of some kind... But Scott is very hard to catch still in bed! He was already showered and dressed for church by the time it was ready to eat. So we enjoyed breakfast at the table together. After church he opened the kids special gifts from school, and then Scott grilled his own dinner. I feel incredibly blessed to be raising children with Scott as my partner, and I still melt every time I see Scott holding one of our children in his arms. We love you Dad!

Weekly Top 10 - Sunday, April 27, 2014

1. The boys are just completing a two week Spring Break (the kids at church keep telling me it is called Easter Break around here). We all eagerly anticipated this time away from the school routines and it has been really nice. I especially like how late in the school year it was this time -- we just finished the break and it's essentially May, with less than 7 weeks of school left. Hooray!

2. During the first week off, the kids and I made a list of activities to complete during the break. The kids came up with some fun and unexpected ways to enjoy themselves. ("Buy macaroni and cheese" was contributed by Helen, who calls it "wackawoni and cheese". Joseph suggested "dig ditches" and learn to bake, and both boys were really excited to get out their bikes. (Especially since the remaining 5 feet of snow suddenly melted three days into the break.)

3. I introduced a Book Challenge for the boys over Spring Break, and the idea was very well received. Ian was to reread the Magic Tree House series, books 1-45 (the ones we own) and he was to do it in order. At first I thought he was skimming or skipping pages, because he was completing the shorter books in less than 15 minutes. But after quizzing him after each page, I realized he is a real speed reader. It took Ian about 10 days to finish. Joseph was assigned to read the next level of Reading for All Learners books: set 4, books 1-22. Joseph was really enthusiastic about this challenge and instead of reading 3 each day, he read all the books in 3 days! I expected these books to be a bit of a challenge for him, but his reading and sounding-out has really taken off and he read this level with no problem. He even was able to read them without me -- I just did the test sentences with him at the end to make sure he learned the new words and concepts. Joseph finishing so quickly was very motivating to Ian. Once they were both done we went to Menchie's, a frozen yogurt place in town. They were so excited to celebrate their accomplishments! I was happy to see that Menchie's had a dairy-free variety, but I shouldn't have bothered -- Scott and I agreed that it had the most terrible after taste!

4. During the first week of the break we made it a priority to spend time with friends. We met up with The Honore family (Myles and Jordan are in Joseph's preschool class) and the Coopers at the church building on Wednesday, and the kids ran wild, danced to Ian's Tarzan CD, and then ran around some more at the McDonald's playplace after lunch. It was a really fun day with friends!

5. Saturday was the Branch Easter Brunch and Egg hunt, and the primary was in charge of it. We were off to a slow start because the multiple griddles kept tripping the breaker (Scott did warn me...) but eventually we had a nice breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit salad. It was well attended, and the weather even cooperated for an egg hunt outside on the property adjacent to the church building. (It snowed that afternoon though!) Joseph was thrilled to see his buddy Benjamin from school at the party.

 Joseph hates to have his picture taken, so he was running toward me....

...until he noticed I had the camera. Then he changed course!

6. On Saturday we made a bunny cake. It was a tradition we began a few years back, after Doris taught the recipe to Carrie and me. Joseph helped me bake it (in order to cross an item off the Spring Break bucket list) and the whole family helped decorate it with coconut "fur". I hard boiled a dozen eggs, but we never did get around to dying them!

7. We woke up to freezing rain on Easter Sunday, but fortunately the two minute drive to church was tame. The ice covering the trees was so gorgeous and I attempted to capture the sparkling beauty with Scott's phone camera. It was fun to run into Taralee in the church parking lot, doing the very same thing. By the time we got home we could hear the ice cracking and falling from the trees as it was sunny and becoming warm enough for it to melt.

8. Per tradition, the kids came home from church to find Easter baskets waiting on the stairs! The baskets contained a larger Kinder Egg, a small soccer ball, a binkie-like lollipop, and some chocolate. The boys also received matching ties (Calder included!) This year I didn't stress about finding Helen a new Easter dress. Since her dress arrived the day after Easter last year, and it still fit, it seemed the ideal solution. We even managed to get a family picture!

9. The Weir family was visiting our branch from Marystown and we got to have Easter dinner together. The ham turned out well, but the kids were so stuffed with candy that they hardly touched dinner or the bunny cake. The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing together (Helen loved wandering the house with Chloe, hand-in-hand, and the boys found Zia to be a very worthy wrestling opponent!)

10. We felt so lucky to have Scott home for the ENTIRE second week of Spring Break! It was hard for him to be away from the office during such a busy time, but it was wonderful to have him around. Scott got the bikes ready for the summer and took the boys for a ride to the church building. There they found a bunch of eggs that had remained hidden after the egg hunt on Saturday. They played Legos for hours, ate at Costco (always a highlight for the kids because of the soda that comes with a hot dog!) went to Menchie's, explored a new exhibit at the Geo Center with the Coopers, attended birthday parties, deep-cleaned the kids bedrooms, a few closets and the playroom, finally arranged for a replacement for my phone (if only we'd remembered that we had Apple Care a month ago...) and watched a couple movies. The week was over too quickly, but now we get to look forward to a family trip to Halifax in less than three weeks!

Weekly Top Ten - March 2, 2014

1. Ian began tennis lessons after school. There are 20 kids in his group (17 boys, 3 girls!) and they meet in the school gym for an hour each week. We signed up a month ago, and as the start date drew near, Ian fretted that he hadn't had a chance to practice before the first lesson. He's competitive, and learning a new skill isn't yet as satisfying to him as already being the most fabulous at something. Fortunately, all the kids in his group are true beginners. Now I am in search of a tiny 21" racket, and a place to practice that isn't covered in 3 feet of snow.

2. On Monday afternoon Scott heard he needed to go to England on business. On Tuesday the tickets were booked, and he left Wednesday morning. I actually prefer his trips to come on suddenly -- then I only have to get through the days he is actually gone, not 2 weeks of anxiety about the upcoming trip PLUS the days he is actually gone.

3. Since Scott's didn't have to be at the airport until 10:30, we spent Wednesday morning taking a drive to our favorite beach, Middle Cove. I had never seen it covered in snow before, plus we wanted to see if the giant sheets of ice were still hanging from the cliffs (they weren't). It was a beautiful sunny day, though just below freezing. We had some time to spare so we made a quick stop at Target for some baby wipes. Then I dropped Scott at the airport. Generally Scott takes a taxi or drives himself, so it was fun to see him off at the airport for a change.

From lookout near Outercove Rd.

4. Joseph is learning to tell time and add 4 digit numbers at school this week. He is also doing something called "story alphabet", which is essentially writing a few sentences about something that interests him and then drawing a picture to go with it. (It's nice when the Montessori terms actually describe what's going on. For example I still don't know what "pink tower" has to do with math.)

5. This week I began bringing Calder in with me when I would tuck Joseph in at night. Those two boys already have a really special relationship, and Calder just melts into Joseph when they are snuggled up in Joseph's bed. Joseph will usually sing a few songs to Calder, and then list off all the words that Calder has "said" that day. (Calder's grunts and coo's really do sound like words sometimes!)

6. Friday was Ian's last day of afterschool basketball. It was co-ed, kindergarten through grade 3, and Ian has been attending once a week since October. The kids and I love watching from the stage while munching on snacks, and I've really enjoyed chatting with the other parents. It was always the perfect way to kick off the weekend. Plus, Ian loves basketball (it's his second favorite behind football) We'll miss it!

7. Helen was waaaaaaay overdue for immunizations (her last ones were done in Texas when she was 6 months old!) I use the excuse that it's all a bit different here in Newfoundland, but really, it never should have taken me this long to figure out how to get Helen in). Fortunately Calder is already in the system because he was born here, so Helen was invited to tag along for some "needles" too. The night before the appointment the Public Health Nurse called to say that Ian and Joseph were actually due for a few each (because this province has different timelines and requirements than Texas) and she asked me to bring them along too. 

To start with, the weather was atrocious that morning. The roads had not been plowed yet, they were really slushy, and it was still dumping snow. (Ultimately we got a foot of snow that morning). We slipped and slid our way to the clinic, armed with a bag of toys the boys had packed, along with a purse full of lollipops. I was so afraid this wasn't going to go well! 

Ian repeatedly offered Joseph the "privilege" of going first, but ultimately he put on a brave face and hardly flinched for his single shot. Joseph kept nervously leaping from my lap when it was his turn, but pulled himself together and got through his three shots (barely). Helen completely lost her mind. Oh how I miss the swift hands of our nurses in Texas! They'd line up the bandaids and needles, and stick, stick, stick, then apply all three bandaids in one fluid motion. Done in 15 seconds or less. Sure the baby would cry, but it was as if they hardly knew what they were even protesting, it was all over so fast. But this! I had to resist the urge to take the next dang needle and just get on with it myself! 

Then Calder had his 2 month Well-Check. She commented that she could hear Calder breathing even over the racket the other kids were making. It's true! He still sounds terrible most days. She also noted that the creases in Calders thighs don't match up between his right and left legs. Apparently they are supposed to be symmetrical, and can indicate hip displaysia when they don't match up. Fortunately Calder has an appointment with a pediatrician next week (an "urgent" appointment for his breathing which was scheduled back in late December.) 

I loved that the Public Health Nurse sent us home with a diaper bag, a sensory blanket, and two boarbooks for Cal. Apparently these type of gifts are presented at each Well-check for the first year. 

Afterwards, we slipped and slid all the way to the boy's schools, where we were stuck behind a plow for 20 minutes, a half-block from Ian's school. I never should have sent the boys to class because by the time I picked them up they were sore, really grouchy, and long overdue for some Tylenol. All three big kids cried and carried on for 2 straight hours when we got home from picking them up. It's hard when there aren't enough arms, hands and laps to provide the comfort that's needed. Especially since poor Calder awoke during all this, and he was obviously in the worst pain of all. He hadn't had any Tylenol that day, and he cried out in pain off and on and whimpered in his sleep for the 30 minutes it took for his tiny dose of Tylenol to kick in. It was a pretty lousy afternoon, and ended with the kids eating chicken nuggets at 7:30 pm before being tossed into bed way past bedtime. Fortunately most of the days Scott was gone went far better than that one.  

8. The Primary hosted a sledding party on Saturday, which the primary kids had earned over the previous months through reverence, etc. I was dreading taking Calder out to the sledding hill in Bowering Park, especially since Scott wasn't going to be there to help. I was relieved when my counselor Krista called to tell me Saturday morning that it was then -22 windchill and that we ought to postpone the activity. I would have preferred not to be the one to make the call, but in the end felt good about the decision to play indoor games at the church and then go ahead with the pizza and root beer floats we had planned. The kids were all disappointed that we didn't go sledding, but I think they still had a good time. 

9. The kids were so happy to wake up to their Daddy on Sunday! Scott brought the kids each a bag of gummy candies, most of which Helen would later steal and eat while the boys were at school...! Scott brought me a watch that I've worn every day since! Business trips aren't alllll bad. 

Weekly Top - February 23, 2014

1) Monday was the "Family Day" holiday, so the boys didn't have school. Things are busy for Scott at work and he wasn't able to take his vacation day, but he did join us for lunch. The boys spent the day duct taping diaper boxes together and playing with Legos (Ian's had magically reappeared from a long stay in Mr. Gunny's bowels) and I made 6 loaves of homemade, home-ground, whole wheat bread. I broke off one of the handles on the wheat grinder and plumes of wheat flour billowed out the side, even while I tried to hold it together. Half the kitchen was coated in the fine powder. The biggest problem though is that I can't plug my ears from the deafening sound of the grinder while I am also holding the broken lid shut. Helen was mesmerized by the process of proofing yeast and her eyes were so wide when I showed her how the yeast was suddenly high enough to lift the towel that covered the bowl.

This should be a video of Calder's nightmare. (IE Helen screeching his name and inch from his face.)

2) On Tuesday I made a few dozen whole wheat muffins. Even though I'd eaten nearly a whole loaf of whole wheat bread the day before, I was still eager enough that I ate half a dozen whole wheat muffins. The next day, and for two days following, Calder was really congested, and screamed and squirmed while nursing. I've decided to lay off the wheat. (Update: avoiding wheat for 5 days hasn't made a difference. Cal is probably just due for a higher dose of reflux medication.)

3) Helen had her BFF Scarlett Cooper over this week while their family packed to move. The girls played the piano, fought over the same naked doll, and generally had a lovely time together while I cleaned the kitchen. They've played together since Helen was 11 months and Scarlett was 7 months -- I am so glad they have each other!

Moving a load of items to the coopers house with two cute ladies. 

4) Thursday was a snow day. There was freezing rain predicted, but it never materialized. It was a nice, boring day at home.  After delightedly dressing in play clothes, the kids spent all morning doing playdough at the counter. They had a bakery and I purchased their grossly over-priced goods. I even bought the "recipe" for Ian's cookies for $21.50 (I haggled him down from $50). This was especially a bad deal because the recipe was written in Ian's own form of Sanskrit, which I cannot even read. I hate playdough because it crumbles into a gigantic mess, and today was no exception. But everyone had a lovely day and no one even had a time out! That's as near perfect as it ever gets around here!

Making "slinky" apples.

5) I prepared and delivered a talk in Sacrament meeting on why we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. At the outset, I actually had no clue why we pray in Christ's name. It was unique experience preparing this talk for that reason, and also because I found so few resources on LDS.org to draw from. It was a really rewarding experience preparing this talk though, because I got to do a lot of thinking and figuring out based on other truths that I have a testimony of. As always, I'm glad to have it behind me!

6) Calder began smiling! We've caught him looking "pleasantly" at us for a couple weeks, but on three occasions this week Cal was sitting upright on my lap, head resting on my crossed leg, and he opened his mouth wide and then settled it into the sweetest, most sparkly-eyed smile. It looks a whole lot like his "sleeping" smiles and completely melts our hearts. Scott was right there with me twice when this occurred. It's no wonder we anticipate this milestone -- it's magical!

No pictures of his smiles, but check this out! Cal has obviously been focusing on his thighs lately. 

7) On Saturday the our dear friends the Coopers moved across town to their first house! We're thrilled for them, but I'll really miss having them 83 seconds up the street from us. It was fun to have their kids over for a playdate while Scott was helping with the move. Beautiful snowglobe snow was falling outside and they kids couldn't bare to stay indoors. We scrounged up enough snow pants and gloves to go around and they all played out there so happily for more than an hour! The rest of the day was spent playing with Magna Tile castles inhabited by Playmobile pirates while Helen and Scarlett devised ways to sneak brownies from a pan on the counter.

For snack time they all shared the counter stools. 

I stayed indoors caring for Calder, but took some pictures through the panels of glass in the door. 

8) My iPhone fell into the toilet on Friday. After spending 48 hours in a bag of rice, it is working again! I don't think the camera will ever be the same again (it has trouble focusing) but at least I won't have to give up Instagram completely. The upside of this was that I pulled out my nice camera a lot this weekend while my phone was out of commission.

9) This weekend my grandparents moved their belongings from Lake Havasu, Arizona to the SF Bay Area! They recently purchased a house near my parents home, and I am so happy to know that they will be close to family. Now we'll just have to plan a trip out to see their new house!

10) Apart from Calders baby blessing day, Cal has only ever worn pajamas. PJs makes diaper changes easier, are perfectly suited for our climate, and avoid the discomfort of having a waistband when you spend your day folded in half. But today Calder wore real clothes to church. It was fun to dress him up, and he looked adorable.

Weekly Top Ten - February 16, 2014

1) Pipes breaking /flu - We experienced another Tender Mercy this week. In the middle of the night before Monday morning I woke up with the chills, which quickly progressed to the stomach flu. I quickly became too exhausted to care for Calder when he'd wake up nurse, so Scott would bring Cal to me and put him back to bed after I fed him. Generally Calder goes immediately to sleep after eating at night, but this night he was fussy and unsettled most of the night, so Scott rocked him and soothed him for quite a while after each feeding. Scott brought Calder down to the basement playroom where they wouldn't disturb anyone, and Scott thought he heard the faucet running in the bathroom down there. When he went in to turn it off he was greeted instead by sheets of water flowing down the walls and puddles on the floor. A pipe had broken and the ceiling and walls were filling with water! He switched off the water main and cleaned up the standing water. So although there wasn't water flowing down the walls anymore, we were without water for the next 12 hours. Try not to think too much about how awful it is to have the flu without running water in the house, because it will totally gross you out.

Thankfully Scott caught the problem as early as he did! If I hadn't been sick, and Calder had a more normal night where he slept well, Scott would not have been pacing the house with Calder and heard the water. If he hadn't heard the water in the middle of the night it would have probably taken all day for me to notice it. Once the kids were up it would have been too loud to hear the water, and we probably wouldn't have gone down to the playroom again until after the boys were home from school that afternoon -- at least 10 hours after Scott discovered it. The damage was minimal, a plumber was (miraculously) available to come fix it that morning, and all while the homeowner was on vacation in Florida.

2) Valentines day at school - Joseph and Ian anticipated this Valentines day more than ever before. I found some printable cards online and put them together the night before. The boys desperately wanted to pour the Jelly Beans in by themselves, but since we were low on Jelly Beans (*ahem*, Scott) I needed to do the portions to conserve what we had left. They both had parties in class and loved passing out the Valentines to their friends and Tobelerone to their teachers. (When I asked Ian which teachers he wanted to include, he named about ten people, from the headmaster to the assistant gym teacher, to the front desk receptionist.) Fortunately their parties were on separate days so they could share the one red shirt they own. Joseph was thrilled that, as an all-day student in preschool, he got to take part in both the morning and afternoon parties!

Some of the Valentines we made, plus all the loot the kids came home with. Ian's class was also celebrating the 100th day of school, hence the awesome spectacles. 

3) Branch party - Our branch held an activity on Valentines day with an Italian dinner, loads of desserts, cookies to decorate and a message about love by Brother Haynie. There was a great turn out, and as always, our kids had a ball running around like wild animals.

4) I made Helen's hair into two braids this week and she absolutely loved it. She pointed her "braves" out to strangers at the grocery story, sangs songs about them in the car "I'm a big girl because I have two 'braves' in my hair today!", and admired them in the mirror every chance she got. She wore them three days in a row in different variations, and insisted I braid her hair for church today so she could show them to her friend Scarlett.

5) Slushy snow on Sunday -- We had freezing rain this morning, along with large pellets of hail. The wind was blowing so hard that the hail was really painful when it hit my bare legs and face. There were 12 inches of slush on the unplowed roads when we drove to church. The church parking lot was plowed during church, leaving a bank of snow behind the minivan. Scott couldn't get out until Bro. Haynie gave a push from the front end. Getting up our cul-de-sac also presented problems -- Scott said it took 10 minutes and approximately 1 million attempts to make it through the slush to our driveway. Fortunately I fared much better in the black car with four-wheel drive, although I took Columbus drive to bring the Cumby's home from church and the route that usually takes less than 10 minutes took nearly twenty in those conditions.

Our cul-de-sac with Scott's tracks -- notice how they are going sideways and every-which-way in an effort to make it up to our house!

6) When Scott arrived at church with the kids, the branch president had just discovered there was no bread for the Sacrament. Since we live the closest to the church building he asked Scott to run home and get some bread. Scott left the kids sitting in the pew with Krista Hancock (I was out picking up another family) and went home to find that we only had two slices and two heels, so he went to the Irving station and bought a loaf of bread. When I arrived at church a few minutes later and he told me all I had missed, I broke the news to him -- since I'd only brought in the cold items after a recent shopping trip, we had a loaf of bread in the trunk of the car he'd been driving the whole time!

7) Ian had a staff development day at school on Friday. He absolutely loved lounging in his basketball shorts all day, reading, playing Legos, and making a Magna Tile castle with Helen. Ian freaked out when I told him he needed to put pants on to go pick Joseph up from school that afternoon -- apparently pants really cramped his vacation-day-style. Lucky for him the weather was so nasty out that Scott volunteered to go pick Joseph up for us. Scott's done that for me several times over the last few weeks -- I love living so close to his office and the kids' schools! Scott was working through his EDO this week but came to join us for lunch. Scott comes home for lunch a few times a week, but since Ian is usually at school this was a special event for him and he looked forward to it all day.

8) Dinner with Mostafa and Missionaries -- During our first year in Newfoundland we fed the missionaries (generally one of two sets of Elders) every single Thursday. We've been out of the habit since moving last spring, but in an effort to get back into it we invited our friend Mostafa, a recent convert, and the Elders in Conception Bay South to dinner on Thursday. I made french dip sandwiches and some really nasty vegan short bread cookies with ganache. They were colored with beet juice, and looked and tasted horrible.

9) Ian lost his beloved "brown" tooth last Sunday! It has been loose for weeks, and for a few days he had been able to turn it sideways in his mouth and leave it that way. But after all the apple-eating, tying it to a doorknob, wiggling it while Scott knocked Ian's arm, and working it with his tongue for hours every night in bed, it finally came out at bedtime. (His teeth usually come out at bedtime -- its the ultimate stall technique.) The tooth was dead because I accidentally pushed Ian into our backyard fence in Texas during a game of octopus tag almost two years ago. The Tooth Fairy allowed Ian to keep his tooth in this case, because it was such a special tooth. Ian received a Toonie (worth two dollars Canadian) under his pillow. Not bad!

10) I have a disability when it comes to hanging pictures on the wall. If I can manage to buy a frame, I don't get around to printing a picture for it (which is ridiculous because I take so many pictures!) If I manage to buy a frame and put a picture in it, it will lean against the wall where I want to hang it for months or years as I debate whether it's the best spot, until we move, or someone breaks the glass and I have to start all over. But! This week I bought frames for some prints by the lovely Sarah Nielsen, and actually hung them! I love how they look hanging over Calders bassinet. Perhaps now Cal will recognize the Texas landscape when we ever make it back to the Lone Star state.

Weekly Top Ten - February 9, 2014

In an effort to revive our family blog, I'm attempting to post ten details from each week. 

1) Joseph gave his first primary talk. Scott helped Joseph write it Sunday morning, and Joseph rehearsed it several times before church. It was very important to Joseph that I stand next to him while he delivered it, but I was changing Helen's diaper when the time came (I'm the primary president, and had just stepped out for a minute to change Helen.) When I came back in he was just finishing the "questions" part, and I stood next to him while he read the rest. I was so impressed with the way he plodded through a rather long talk. He only needed help with a few words ("it can't be "know", mom, it has a 'K' at the front!) He delivered his talk with great confidence too, and was beaming when I caught his eye as he stepped down from the podium.

2) Joseph had his second Kinderstart this week. The year before Kindergarten, all students are invited to monthly orientations where they do crafts, have circle time, eat a snack, and practice being Kindergarteners, all the actual Kindergarten classroom, with their future teacher. I didn't realize Joseph would love it like he does -- he spent an entire afternoon trying to convince me that Kinderstart was now going to be held weekly, just because he wants go again! Because of Joseph's Fall birthday he misses the K cutoff in Texas by just a month, making him one of the older children in his grade. Here in Newfoundland the cut-off is December 31, meaning that some kindergartners start school at 4.5 years old. This age gap was really evident at the initial orientation when some of the children were only 3.5 years old and Joseph was already 5. He's taller, calmer, and more eager to be there than most of his classmates. Josephs buddies Brian and Oldric from preschool are attending Kinderstart with him. Joseph is especially eager to join Ian in the lunch room next year.

3) In Ian's class of 18 children, 9 or more have chicken pox! Oddly enough, all of these children have been vaccinated. I'm terrified that Ian will bring it home and expose Helen and Calder. (Helen will receive the varicella vaccination later this month, but it takes 6 weeks to build immunity.) Fingers crossed that we avoid this!

4) We received 6" or so of the fluffiest snow late Wednesday night, and woke up to a snow day on Thursday! They called it "superman snow" on the news -- so light and fluffy that it's easier to shovel. Scott's office opened at 9, and the kids had the full day off. The boys spent the entire morning doing water colors while I nursed Calder and then bathed Helen (who had water-colored her tummy green.) It was a nice slow day.

5) Scott was set to go to Norway early next week on business, but the trip was canceled late this week. I was prepared to hold down the fort while we was gone (or at least give it my best efforts!) but I'm relieved he'll be around instead. The first business trip after welcoming a new baby always scares me.

6) Calder is finally breathing normally this week. He has been on reflux medication (Zantac) for two weeks now, so we assume that he is no longer refluxing acid and milk into his nose, and that is why he is no longer congested. I have also been on an elimination diet for the recommended 3 weeks, so perhaps this is contributing to his improvement too. I've eliminated dairy, soy and eggs. I miss butter the most of everything!

Calder and Joseph went to the ENT this week. This was absolutely a tender mercy from a loving Father in Heaven. It generally takes 6 months to a year or more to get an appointment with a specialist here. Back in August a speech pathologist referred Joseph to the ENT, and sometime thereafter an appointment for February was scheduled. At the time I thought it was useless to meet with the ENT at that point -- what we really needed was to meet with an allergist, and that was scheduled for December. I know come February we'd have a newborn, and the last thing I'd want to do was to schlep everyone to an unnecessary appointment at the hospital. I planned to cancel the appointment but for some reason I didn't. Flash forward to last Sunday. Calder wouldn't nurse and spent an entire evening screaming and writhing. He was miserable, and I was skeptical that the reflux medications we'd been given were working. I had asked the family doctor to give him a more aggressive treatment (like we'd had in Texas) and she refused, saying we'd need to meet with a specialist. (Our appointment with a pediatrician wasn't until April 25. April! I knew we couldn't wait that long to get Calder the help he needed.) I was so anxious about the situation that I was having trouble sleeping and felt overwhelmed trying to care for a tiny baby who was so miserable he wouldn't eat.

It was at this point that I looked at the calender on my phone to see what our week would hold, and saw an event scheduled for Wednesday. It simply said Joseph ENT on Wednesday at 1. In that moment I realized that my Father in Heaven had provided for a tender mercy for our family way back in September. Our family doctor prepared a referral for Calder and faxed it over the morning of our appointment with the ENT. Even though Calder had a rough few days before the appointment, I knew we only had to get through it until Wednesday. On Wednesday Dr. Redmond put a scope down Calders nose (quite unpleasant) and confirmed that Calder indeed had reflux, but that it appeared the current medications were beginning to work and soon Calder would be comfortable. He gave me a few more tips to manage the reflux. It was such a relief to finally, after 6 weeks of questions, to know that there was not anything more seriously wrong (like structural deformities, etc.) that were causing Calder's constant congestion. Dr. Redmond also explained that Calder's congestion was a mix of refluxed milk and stomach acid, along with mucous that his body produced to protect is delicate esophagus and nasal passages from the stomach acid. He also explained that all of this was so far back in his sinuses that suctioning it was never going to help. It feel so much peace knowing that we have a firm diagnosis for Calder.

It was a tender mercy that we had an appointment with the very type of specialist Calder needed to see, and that it was provided for by a loving Father in Heaven so many months before it was even needed.

7) Helen says the most adorable prayers. She generally begins to pray as soon as everyone is seated at the table, or kneeling after family scripture study, and thus she ends up saying most of our family prayers these days. This week her standard prayer has changed from "Heavenly Father, Thank we a next week" to "Heavenly Father, thank we had a good day. Bless Calder."

8) I've been making all sorts of vegan dishes these past few weeks. Some have been wildly successful (like the brownies made with coconut oil!) others less so (vegan carbonera pasta, with a cream sauce made from avocados). Most days I eat a sweet potato for breakfast, and I keep a bag of grilled chicken in the fridge for lunch and dinner.

9) We held our first family MTC last Sunday, and our second today. We got the idea from an article in the Friend Magazine. Each Sunday we'll spend about an hour doing activities to help prepare our children to serve a mission. We begin with a prayer and singing Called to Serve. Then in four 15 minute sessions we: 1) Write in our journals 2) Read the scriptures (Ian reads the Book of Mormon, and Joseph flips through the illustrated version of the scriptures.) 3) Study a story in the Friend Magazine, then retell it the rest of the family 4) Watch videos on the Friend website. It's so fun! Helen was asleep this time, and it went a bit more smoothly.

10) In preparation for Valentines day this Friday, we've been writing love notes to each other. We each have an envelope hung in the dining room, and lots of hearts cut out of paper for writing the notes on. We saved them up all week and read them to each other last Sunday after dinner and will read the notes from this week on Valentines day. Joseph enjoyed cutting cool shapes out for everyone (my favorite was a Toronto Maple leaf for Scott) and Helen drew herself lots of multicolored scribbles. Our household mice even sneeked a note in to Helen, thanking her for all the crumbs she leaves for them.