Christmas lights

Yesterday the city turned on their Christmas lights.  It was a red-letter day at our house!  Ethan was prancing and rejoicing!  He ran outside to watch them, then ran in to give me a hug, all the time shouting, "Christmas!  Oooh!  Christmas lights!"  Next time, I will get the camera and make a movie, and believe me there will be a next time.  That is something I love about that boy, he loves life!  He is always excited about things like snow, Christmas lights, chickens, dogs, and many other simple joys I tend to take for granted.  

Enjoy the holiday this week!  There is so much to be thankful for!  

Once we had a puppy

One day I got an email from the Make-a-Wish foundation.  There was a puppy that someone donated and they were doing a drawing.  On a whim, I entered my name into the drawing.  The next day I got a phone call informing me that I won!  We were the proud winners of an 8 week old lab/heeler puppy.  He was so adorable.  We were smitten.  Then Carter started itching and the pup (Oliver) was piddling all over the house, and I was going to lose my mind.  So two weeks later we have found a lovely new home for our "foster" pup.  It was fun while it lasted and now we are done.  We decided as a family that even though it would be hard, we couldn't provide Oliver with the happiest life he could have.  And now I am consoling sad children and looking for a new (small) pet.  Maybe a hamster?

I keep telling myself that it takes a lot of courage to recognize our own limitations and weaknesses, right?  I think I did the right thing.  But we do miss him.

Time to be JOYFUL!

I read over the post I wrote the other day and I depressed myself!  Ugg.  Enough of that!  I have so much to rejoice about!  Today I got to spin on my bicycle in place for 30 minutes and sweat like crazy!  I also had time to study the scriptures, a beautiful thing.  I found a story about my grandpa's great grandma named Anna Larsen.  She is a true hero...
 
She was in the Hodgett Wagon Company which was traveling with the famous Martin and Willie Handcart Companies.  She was rescued with the others by the group sent by Brigham Young.  Her story is so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes and a firm resolve to be more like her.  She lost her sweet baby boy on the journey, they had to chop a hole in the frozen ground to bury his tiny body.  Her husband's feet froze and he was unable to walk for six months.  This is the part that inspired me the most, "Anna always reminded her posterity to keep the commandments.  Her granddaughter, Sarah Clawson Johnson wrote: "How often I have sat and listened to grandmother relate the sad experiences of her life, ignored and disinherited by her family because of her faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  She had come from a wealthy family and was at a finishing school in Copenhagen when she met grandfather.  Then the sad death of her baby boy, who had frozen to death and was buried in the wilderness of Wyoming.  I have asked many times, 'Grandma, how did you stand it all?'  And then in the eyes of that little determined person, I know that expression was real when she said, 'It will be worth it if my posterity will keep the faith.'"


To read the whole story go here-- 

http://dlarsen.tripod.com/larsen/histories/Johannes_Larsen.html

Jay's cancer

For those of you who want to keep updated with Jay and his journey through cancer, Darcy is blogging about it.  She is going to put updates on her blog.  The link is on the list of blogs I follow.  www.haasfam.blogspot.com

It must be February

I don't want this to be a pity party, but it feels like February to me.  What I mean is that I miss the sun.  I remember those days when I wouldn't put shoes on all day and I would have to wash my feet before bed because I had been outside in the grass.  Doesn't that sound nice?  I think this month is a low point for me every year.  Some people don't like January,  but for me it's always February.

I keep getting the feeling that Ethan's teachers think they are better mothers to him than me, and sometimes I wonder if they're right.  Hmm..  I probably shouldn't go there huh. :)

We got the results from Jay's biopsy, such disappointing news.  The tumor was bigger and there was cancer in some lymph nodes.  Yet, he continues to press forward.  He is one tough guy.  I learned a lesson about my husband last night.  As if I didn't know, I realized even more that we cope with life VERY differently!  His mom called and told us the bad news and I was crying about it.  He was crying with me when he said, "I have an idea."  Okay, what is it?  "I think we should take the closet door out of Ethan and Ruby's room and put it in our room."  What????  I said, "what are you talking about?"  He grabbed his tape measure and walked into their room and said, "I am sick of crying."  There it is.  He is such a man and a logical thinker!  I cried for the rest of the night while he measured doors :)

We made valentine's today.  It was fun to see the kids being creating.  I felt like a hero for going to WalMart this morning straight from driving the carpool, with Ruby, Spencer and myself all still wearing our pjs.  It was my one opportunity to get there and I had to seize the moment or I would have a very disappointed son tomorrow (they are doing their etiquette party tomorrow and sharing their valentine's then).

Rejoice!

We had a TENDER MERCY last night...

 Ethan was demanding independence with his teeth brushing so I stood back and let him do his thing.  After he finished he said "potty" and he pulled down his pants and diaper, sat on the potty and POOPED!!!!!!!!!

I could have cried!  He did it all by himself.  He even wanted to wipe alone, ew.  I helped him with that step whether he liked it or not :) 

And at bedtime tonight, he did it again! 

Maybe we are onto something new... just maybe... a mom has gotta HOPE!

P.S. I wish there were some more exciting font choices, these ones aren't enough for me to share my JOY tonight!

Before the update

There is the before picture of our bathroom.  Carpet and all :)