April Showers Bring ... Worms?

Our next door neighbors have been getting their garden ready and the other day their oldest daughter came to my door with THE BIGGEST WORM I HAVE EVER SEEN! I honestly didn't know that worms could get this big! She couldn't stop laughing at me when I told her I had to get a picture. But my boys weren't home and never would have believed me if I hadn't taken the picture. When they got home and I showed them the picture they wanted to go out and find it again!

4th Grade = Recorders!

Connor has had the joy this year of learning to play the recorder this year. The recorder concert is always a fun one! The kids look forward to it for like forever! They play their recorders and sing some songs and we all have a good time!

I always have fun going to this program because it brings back memories of my recorder days at Westland! I was able to get a video done for this program but I don't know what I did and now I can't get it to download. One of these days I will get this figured out!

Julius Caesar

Every year each of the 6th Grade classes at Westland do a Shakespeare play. Jaxon's class did Julius Caesar this year! For weeks he has been asking for white sheets, swords, bright colored belts, fake trees. I think he was going to provide costumes for everyone in his class single handed! It was so much fun watching these 6th graders do Shakespeare! What a wonderful learning experience for them. I think Jaxon will defiantly have a better understanding of Shakespeare then his mom! They all sheets wrapped around them as togas. They made pillars out of upside down five gallon buckets and carpet rolls! How cool are these kids! Their teacher, Mr. Sagers said they came up with all the ideas for the sets and everything! They painted, learned lines and worked really hard to get this all together. The mom messed up and didn't have the camera ready to get his big speech, but trust me he did a wonderful job! We are very proud of you Jaxon!

Westland Elementary Does Broadway!

Jaxon and Porter decided to participate in the Spring Choir at school. This meant being at the school at 7:30 am two days a week. And they didn't miss a day! And it was all them! They were so good. Not once did I have to remind or push them. They remembered and got themselves out the door on time every choir day for three months even the days that were different because of short weeks and such! And they both did a wonderful job!

We decided not to put the picture up of Porter picking his nose! But it was a nice reminder to him that someone is always watching!
Jaxon was very careful to make sure and stand very "cool" the whole program!

Star Student!

Jaxon is a defiantly my star student! Kindergarten thru 6th grade he has gotten this award. It has been called a few different things but all comes down to the kids doing good things! I am so proud of you and the many things you are so good at. You have improved in everything you have ever put your mind to. I do not know what I would do without you! I know you will go on to do good things in Jr. High too!

Helmet Update!

I need to warn you that the pictures in this post are kind of yucky! I don't know if everyone has problems like we have with the helmets, but this has not been an easy road. One of her problems areas is a slight bump on the back of her head. You combine that with the fact that she has her daddy's skin and you have problems! The helmet was putting too much pressure on the back of her head and caused an irritation and the irritation grew and grew until it caused infection. So we had to take the helmet off and leave it off until we could get the swelling to go down and the infection to come out. We have started to put it on a couple of hours at a time, but I am afraid we are going to be fighting things like this the whole time we are doing the helmet. We wouldn't say no to any and all prayers for this to go as quickly as possible!

This is how swollen her head got.

The yellow stuff running down the back of her head is the puss! I told you it was yucky!

Alot Can Happen In Two Years!

On Saturday March 28th my cousin Jake Schauerhamer got home from his mission to the Philippines, Quezon City Mission! Jake was more then a cousin to our family. I got to baby sit him quite a bit when he was little. He was more like a nephew then a cousin. My aunt Penny (his mom) was how Jeron and I met! He has always been good with kids and my kids have always loved him. And then when my brother left on his mission he became more like an uncle then a cousin. My brother was the third missionary to leave between Jeron and my siblings and no one had come home yet. Connor was convinced that when people left on missions they never came home again so Taylor leaving was really hard, and Jake stepped right in and became the uncle!When Jake left we didn't know just how much things were going to change while he was gone! Boy do I love e-mail! We got to send him a very fun message that our family was growing! He probably thought it was an April fools joke (because that is something he would do!) if it had been anywhere near April 1st!

I had so much fun watching Jake and Maycie meet! It was love at first sight for both! We are so glad you are home safe Jake!

A Very Special Day!

I am a little late getting this post done, but better late then never, right! On the 29th of March we got to brave the spring storm and headed to Logan for Jeron's sister Ashley, her husband Jeff and their sweet baby Thomas Jeffery for his baby blessing! It was a wonderful meeting! As I have watched Ashley and Jeff with this sweet spirit from our Heavenly Father I couldn't help but think of Ashley as I have watched her grow up! I found a picture of Ashley at the hospital when I had Jaxon and couldn't believe this little girl was a mommy now herself! Jeron and I have been married long enough that I have gotten to watch Ashley go from a little girl (who thought she was VERY grown up) to a very beautiful woman (who IS very grown up!) Thank you Ashley and Jeff for letting us be a part of your very special day!

3...2...1...BLAST OFF!

At Maycie's 4 month Well Check our Pediatrician noticed that her head shape was A-symmetrical and that she has what is called Torticollis. She would always look to her right and tip her head to the left. This was something we had noticed and were not too surprised. Our Pediatrician recommended we go to see a Physical Therapist. So we started physical therapy once a week. The Physical Therapist wanted us to see a Plastic Surgeon. The Plastic Surgeon wanted us to do a soft form helmet. So we got in and started the process of the helmet. And when I say process I mean process!
I had to take her in for the the "pre-visit" visit. Jeron and I had to write a letter to the insurance company telling them what we had been doing to correct the problem on our own. There is nothing like writing a letter that makes you feel like you have to prove yourself as a parent to people who don't even know you or your child. They had to take all kinds of measurements and pictures. Then we had to wait for the insurance company to tell us if they would pay for it or not. When this all started at her 4 month visit my first thought was "Oh no, she is going to have to wear a helmet." When the wait for the insurance company started I had come full circle to, "Oh no, they aren't going to pay for the helmet." We did end up having to call. I should say Jeron had to call. I tried and got no where! Jeron had the helmet approved by the next day! Then we went in and had a soft cast mold done of her head. It was just as bad as it sounds! They took plaster like they use for casts and put it all over her head. She didn't even cry until the very last piece when he had to hold it in place. I told the guy that it was no wonder kids do okay with the helmets, they are nothing after doing the mold!

We went today to pick up our newest accessory! She has adjusted really well. There was a little girl in just before us that did not do well. I started to get nervous. They left without the helmet on because it was making her so upset. Maycie didn't even seem to notice it! I have been so proud of her. She has handled it all so well. The physical therapy and poking and prodding. She did hit a point when she didn't want anyone touching her head at all! But for the most part she has been taking this all in stride!

I have the cutest neighbor ever. She made a ton of bows for Maycie when she was born, and when I found out we were going to be doing the helmet I asked her if she would help me figure out a way to put bows on it! You know me! My girls gotta have there bows! Yesterday she brought me 5 bows "just to get me started!" Holly, you are the cutest! We decided she looks a little like an astronaut so she must be destined to end up in space! Aim high sweetie!

All Dressed Up and No Where To Go!

Okay! Most of you know that our family LOVES to go snowmobiling! I have been going pretty much every winter for almost as long as I can remember. The kids have all been within there first few months of life, Connor was only a month old for his first ride! This weekend was supposed to be this years trip and Maycie's first time out. Well, as things go LIFE got in the way. We have all had a cold and this last week it made it to Maycie. After ALOT of back and forth we finally decided that it just couldn't happen this year. We were all very disapointed. Mommy cried that Maycie wouldn't get the same "first ride" as all the other kids had gotten. Jaxon did the tipical teenager "I'm not going to show I'm disapointed" routine. It didn't hit Connor until after we were supposed to BE snowmobiling. Porter said family prayer Friday morning (the day we were supposed to leave) and blessed that everyone else would be safe and have fun. Then he sat down on our bed and looked REALLY sad. See it is my (Brook's) grandparents that have the snowmobile's and they live in Burley ID. Part of the deal is that we get to go to Grandma and Grandpa Snowmobile's (Perkins) house. Porter looked at Jeron and I and said "we don't get to go to Grandma and Grandpa's and it is like the only time we get to go to there house!" And then the tears came. It was good to know that as much as they love the snowmobiling, they love everything about the trip!

Part of Connor's disapointment came from he didn't get to ride his new snowboard! He got a snowboard from Mom and Dad for his birthday "knowing" he would get to use it when we went snowmobiling. He was very bummed out! Ridding it down a grass hill just isn't the same!