Sick

We don't get sick very often so I think I need to document when we do. Tristan came back from swimming lessons shivering as usual yesterday but this time he had a fever. He still has it today and his throat is a bit sore so he doesn't want to eat. He's so so thin, I don't like him to not eat. He feels better when the Advil brings his fever down but miserable when it comes back up. If he's not better tomorrow I may take him for a throat culture. My kids have never had strep that I know of. Whatever it is, I hope we don't all get it. I worry too much when they are sick which is probably why I'm still wide awake. I'll go check on him a few times before I fall asleep. I was super proud of him for swallowing an Advil tablet today. He hates the taste of the kids kind. Lidia still won't swallow pills. We all stayed home from church today. I didn't want to spread germs. Everyone without fever will be going to school tomorrow though.

He did a good job at swimming lessons. He and Avery are not swimming like little fish yet but they are improving.

Aiden tests for his yellow belt Saturday. Say a little prayer for him. He's been working so hard to get it. He can do all of the requirements, as long as he can remember it he should be good. We will work with him this week.

Our dishwasher is not cleaning well lately and tonight leaked a puddle of water in the floor. I guess I need to study up on dishwasher repair. I am not buying a new one unless I have to.

Cory got a stupid ticket last week for so called careless driving because the cop just didn't like how he changed lanes in a hurry to make the freeway exit or something. There was no specific violation. I guess it will be the cops word against his when he fights it in court. It's a really expensive ticket and labeled as a misdemeanor. Cory is so mad about it. He has requested to see all of the so called evidence before appearing in court next month. Cory doesn't stress easily but this is stressing him out.

We have all of the evaluation reports back and Aiden was diagnosed with Aspergers, stress disorder, math ld, and capd. It's basically a bunch of paperwork professionally stating his strengths and weaknesses and suggestions on how to help him succeed. I am glad we did this and I think Aiden is too although I don't think he really understands it all. I basically told him that he doesn't need to worry about autism because he is not autistic but he does have some things about him that may seem like autism because certain aspects of his learning and development are happening more slowly than other kids so he may have to work hard now but he will eventually catch up. He is a really bright kid when he can put his anxieties aside. Avery and Aiden are being observed by the school speech language pathologist. She is working on things to help them with their capd issues. Everyone has been very kind and helpful in this process. They should both have IEPs in the next month or so.

I may have to go out and buy myself some reading glasses. I have noticed significant vision problems lately when trying to read up close. I have to hold things at least a couple of feet away to focus but if it's too small I can't read it that far away. I'm getting old!

OK this excites me

Looks like this is where we will be spending our first month in England while we find a house and wait for our things to arrive. Very Charming! http://www.tenvig.co.uk/536.html

At the foot of Cleeve Hill, the ancient village of Prestbury is the setting for what must be one of the most attractive groups of cottages in the Cotswolds.- a range of 19th century farm buildings, set around an attractive courtyard with its own meadow and converted with great skill and flair to provide outstandingly comfortable and well appointed accommodation.

We survived!

We didn't forget about our talks, well I had to remind Cory that's what we were doing Saturday. I was up a bit late finishing writing my talk and preparing my primary lesson but then I couldn't fall asleep until nearly two and then Cory woke up (which he never does) at three and didn't fall back asleep till 5, so we were tired when the alarm went off at 7 and I hit snooze and got up 45 min later. I hate how I have a hard time sleeping if I have anything going on the next morning. That is why I try to fly out later in the day when I travel because I'm terrified of missing my flight and don't get any sleep the night before. Anyway, I took up like 15 minutes so Cory only had to fill about 10. Our topic was the premortal Christ. I spoke about the war in Heaven and the creation and Cory spoke about His premortal teachings in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon and how they differed and why. Maybe we are done with speaking in sacrament for a while now, or until we move into our new ward in Cheltenham.

I use my ipad for all this church stuff and love not carrying around loads of stuff. I read an article recently about text books being on ipads. I would love that and so would my kids. I'm not sure how modern England is in schooling though. I was recently told that they make the kids write with fountain pens and the teachers do care about penmanship so that will be a change. The also write in joined handwriting instead of cursive so my kids will have to learn that as well.

Cory mentioned yesterday that his patriarchal blessings says something about him doing family history work and that he remembers his mom saying that she didn't see that happening unless it was able to be done on computers. Well that has come to pass. He is doing a little here and there on the computer and we plan to do more in England. Pretty cool. Cory got out his blessing and was reading it and said that he never thought about how that phrase in his blessing could mean he would be doing some family history in another country.

Tristan and Avery are doing better with their swimming, especially since I got them goggles. They are very proud of themselves. Cory says we should skip future lessons though and just take them swimming more often and he will teach them. The problem is swimming somewhere that's not crowded. Open swim hours at the pool are usually busy. It's fun when we go to a hotel somewhere because we are usually the only ones there.

Aiden is doing well in karate and just might be ready to test for his yellow belt Feb. 4. I hope so. It would be a good boost to his confidence. He's looking good with his moves. Cory helps him practice and Aiden corrects him telling him he's not squatting low enough and stuff. I like it when kids correct their parents, part of growing up.

It's Chinese New Year! Happy Year of the Dragon! We will have to eat Chinese food today. mmm

Strange Winter

This season feels confused. We have had only two snow storms and got just a few inches and now we are having several days of rain. We usually have rain in the spring and fall, not winter. Some areas have had flooding. The ski resorts got snow at least, they need it. Winter restlessness is setting in though and the kids are starting to fight more. Drives me nuts. I would love to send them outside to play for a few hours. Everyone is wondering if we will just have a mild winter or if it will hit late and spring and summer arrive late. Who knows?

Micah is getting married April 28 and all of my family is flying out. I'm very excited to have them all come visit especially since we are leaving May 17 and may not be back for several years. This position is three years but if they will let us extend two years so Lidia and Aiden can finish high school there I'll take it. This position does not give you trips home like the ones in Asia do. Cory also loses his extra language pay so I'm a bit nervous about the money and banking and fees and stuff but everyone says it will be fine. I hope my house rents out easily. Stinks that Cory's missing his family reunion in July but he has to report in May. We probably won't see any of them for a long time. We rarely get visits or phone calls from anyone anyway. When your kids get school age their lives just consume yours and you don't have much time or energy left. We treasure the weekends and usually just sit at home and relax.

People ask me if I am excited to move. I say that I will be when we leave. Right now I am stressed. I could not think much about it, like Cory, but then I would not be happy when moving time came and I was not prepared. I am looking forward to the green and the humidity. My skin is very dry and itchy this winter. There are many lovely places I am looking forward to seeing. However, right now I look around and see my house and all of our stuff that I want to go through and sort and organize and some throw away. We've been here about five years. That's a record for us. Moving every couple of years forces a regular tidying. Let's just say it's well over due even though I do go through some things regularly. I am not a pack rat.

Lidia is supposed to have another riding lesson tomorrow if the weather cooperates and Aiden has a belt class. He is working towards his yellow belt. He has class M-Thurs. nights for 45 min and they have belt classes the three weeks before belt test. He will be doing well if he gets it this soon. If not he can retest in three months. He is doing well in class and seems to enjoy it. He is more timid than some but that's ok. This will be a really good thing for him and it's fun to watch too. Avery and Tristan are in swimming lessons and Tristan was not cooperating and Avery was scared to get his face wet so we went back after lessons so Cory could work with them in the pool. Avery tried wearing goggles and put his head under water for 5 seconds! This is a great accomplishment. He has been so scared for so long, always saying that he can't get baptised when he turns eight. Well we have made progress and I think that by November he will be able to dunk his head without goggles. Tristan is so very stubborn so I'm not sure how much Cory got out of him but I think he did try swimming a bit. They will not force your kids to do anything so Cory is going in the water with them at the next lesson to make them cooperate and pass off skills so they can move up to the next level.

It seems that the only thing that motivates my kids are video games. So I am using it the best I can. If they do something good they earn a few minutes of game time and if they are naughty they lose some. They can only cash in on Friday or Saturday. It works pretty well. Tristan was very busy after school today getting caught up on assignments so that he can play tomorrow and he has been doing chores on the weekends. It's a miracle!

I went to see Carrie and Emme today. They are doing well. It's hard to believe my kids were ever tiny little newborns. Feels like a lifetime ago.

Cory and I have to speak in church Sunday on the premortal Christ. I knew they would get us before we left but would have liked an easier topic. I hope I don't forget to write it and wake up Sunday morning freaked out with no talk.

Roll Tide!

I don't watch much sports, not much tv in general. I was aware that Bama was having a good year though and was looking forward to the BCS championship game. Cory and I watched it live on espn.com and I was impressed. They were in control of the whole game. The players and coach played smart and consistent. There were some LSU fans shown on tv with priceless looks of shock on their faces during the game. It was a shame when some started leaving early. After all the fieldgoals it was great that they got a touchdown.
I am so happy that AL won. Roll Tide!
We are all wearing our Bama shirts again today.
Woo Hoo! #1 again!
The south may not get some things right but they sure do know football!

Sweet surprise

I woke up this morning to the news that Carrie had her baby at 4:11 am today which is three weeks early. Sweet little Emme Verlee Oliver barely made her entrance at the hospital. 15 minutes later and she might have come in the car. Carrie has never gone into labor early before and was induced with the last two so it was a surprise. She didn't get an epidural of course but was a champ delivering her quickly. Emme weighed 6 lbs 6oz and was about 19 in long. I went to see them today at the hospital and they seem to be doing pretty good and will probably go home tomorrow evening. The older three have a sweet little sister that I'm sure they will all want to hold lots. She'll be their little doll. Sean is a cute and giddy proud dad. Carrie is happy too and will be even more so once she gets home and gets some rest. I forgot to take my camera up so I took this one from Sean. Congrats guys!

Lots of babies this past week. Cory's sweet cousin Caitlin had her baby boy, Dylan, this week and my neighbor Cori had a boy, Hudson, and my neighbor Laurie had twin boys. I don't know their names yet. I'll find out tomorrow when I take them dinner. Seems like so long ago that I was going through that baby phase. I won't lie, I don't miss it. I had my turn and now I enjoy watching others have theirs. We are enjoying a different phase of life. They each have their pros and cons.

Feeling a little sad

I thought it would take longer to find people interested in taking my dogs since there are a gazillion dogs listed in the classifieds on ksl but I had 5 contacts in the first day. I didn't feel good about the first guy but I liked one other family. I took the dogs to them today so we are missing them. I could have waited longer but I kept going back and forth in my mind about what to do and then finally made a decision and knew I better do it soon or it would just get harder to do. Plus I wanted to be here in case it didn't work out and I needed to find them a new home. I don't want someone taking them, deciding they don't want them and then dumping them at the pound or something. I want them in a home where they are loved and cared for and where we can stop by and check on them if we want. This family is totally fine with us doing that. We have shed a few tears and will more I'm sure. It feels a bit strange without them here and I'm sure it will feel strange when we give the bird away too. I'm not gonna lie, I don't miss the rabbit and I won't miss the hamster. Shannon wants the bird but we'll have to find a home for the hamster if he's still around in a month or two. I took the dogs to be groomed Wed. and bought new collars for them (they chewed their old ones off) so they were clean and pretty going to their new home. Heavenly Father, please watch over Duke and Millie and help us not be sad but be happy for the new owner & kids.=)

no sickies please

We are very fortunate to rarely get sick in this house. This past week I have heard of some people having the stomach flu and Cory and I both had a couple of days where our tummies didn't feel quite right but nothing bad. Now Lidia says she feels bad so I let her stay home. She doesn't fake stuff so something must be up. I just make them stay in bed all day if they don't go to school. Avery has said his stomach  hurts a few times and he spit up once but that's it. We'll see. Maybe some germ is making its rounds in our house and we are trying to fight it off. Maybe we'll sit in the sun and sip green smoothies this afternoon.

Aiden starts martial arts this week and the younger two boys start swimming lessons. I've got to get those two to swim! It's a safety issue. Pray for us. This will be Tristan's third time in level two, he's stubborn, and Avery's first. I told Tristan that he has to be a good example for Avery and show him how to do things. Hopefully that will work. Tristan likes to be the leader. Tristan at least likes the water. He just gets cold and has a hard time floating becasue there is no fat on him. Avery still refuses to dunk his head and has a fear of it. Lidia has sore legs but is still looking forward to her riding lessons.

I am still going through things little by little trying to get rid of things we don't use anymore and haven't for years and likely won't need in the next three. Cory doesn't like to see me give away some things but I'm not holding on to things like college books that he hasn't touched since college anymore especially since most of that info can be found online now. Boy how things have changed since I was a kid.

I'm giving Micah most of my old furniture that's down in the basement. He'll need it. I think they are going to live in Lisa's uncle's guest house. It seems to be where all the newlyweds in their family live for a while. He's nice to let them. They are getting married April 28 in the SLC temple. Micah has finished his BS in Biology at the U and is working on getting into dental school. He is going to take a year off from school so Lisa can finish her BA this year and he is working full time at Kohls again.

I may have found a good home for the dogs. I will take them there this week and keep in touch with the family and see how it goes. The reality hit us yesterday and we cried. It's the right thing to do though. I feel good about it. I hope we have an easy time selling the car too.

Happy Birthday Lidia!

Can you believe Lidia is 14?! She is such a sweet girl and we are so happy she is part of our family. She is starting to act a bit teenagerish with lots of silly comments and sarcasm but that's OK. Her birthday surprise is riding lessons. She doesn't show a lot of excitement outwardly but she is very happy about it. I took her for her first lesson today and she did very well. They were impressed and thought she must have had lessons before. Yes, she did have lessons for a few months when she was like 7 or 8 and has ridden with Aunt Tracy a few times but today was her first time learning about trotting and cantoring and riding English style. Saltaire has a lot of horses in the barn. Lidia was in heaven. Oh and she said the horse has the same name and looks like a horse in a book she read. I'll have to ask her which one. I like that she needs good posture when riding. I'm always after her to sit up straight. Now maybe she'll be motivated to do it. It's also quite a work out on the legs. I think hers felt a bit noodley when she got off after riding an hour.

After breakfast we told her about the riding lessons and gave her a few goodies for her birthday like a shirt with horses on it, pants, sunglasses, a headband and some Skylander game figures she wanted. Then Shannon came over and they played and we ordered pizza for lunch and had cupcakes. After the riding lesson we met up with the Andertons at the dollar movie and saw Happy Feet 2. It's family night on Mondays so the whole family sees it for ten bucks. Good thing too because that was one of the worst movies I have ever seen...so stupid. I didn't love the first either. 

At the movie we saw some friends there that we have not seen in a while and it was so nice to see them again. They are foster children that have lived in our neighborhood and been good friends of our kids but they were taken out of the home and are awaiting placement elsewhere or for things to improve to come back. I have been thinking about them a lot. They were at the movie with the center they are staying at and seemed well. Tristan was sad to hear that Carsen wouldn't be living here anymore and wanted to see him and his fortune cookie at dinner said that he would have an unexpected visit from an old friend and then it came true! Tristan sat with him during the movie and we talked to them for a minute after. I pray for those kids. It's sad what turmoil so many young inncocent children go through.

We also stopped at the IFA store to buy Lidia a new riding helmet. She wore her old one for the first time in a long while today and it was pretty tight on her noggin. She is going to be taking lessons about once a week so we thought she better get one that fits. 

Back to school in the morning! I hope I can get to sleep and get up early. I've been staying up late and sleeping in over the break.