Determination, Dairy Queen, and Deer

To celebrate super report cards, we decided to take the kids out for ice-cream. They had the special treat of getting a DQ Blizzard -- something they rarely get to have (usually they just get a small cone). They worked hard, and I am really proud of their hard work and determination. I am especially happy for Sammi this semester. She has had one "B" her entire school-career, and it was in band (she plays the clarinet). This semester -- after a lot of effort and practice (and horrible squeaky noises!) -- she raised it to an "A". Way to go! They both did super, and I am very happy with their ability to work hard and make it happen. Well done, children. Good work.
While eating our Blizzards, we decided to go for a little night-ride -- at Sammi's request. We headed to the foothills, a common "ride" our family takes. We had our Family Home Evening lesson while driving around in the car. The lesson was on honesty and integrity. I love discussing these things with the kids. Now that they are older, they have some really great thoughts and experiences to share. It was a great conversation . . .

Then, out of nowhere . . . a HUGE deer slammed into the side of our car! It was a Buck, with large antlers. We all screamed because it was so weird and abrupt. We were just driving through neighborhoods, going super slow, and it hit us hard. (The deer ran into us, not us into it!) I made some sort of strange shrieking noise -- it hit right by my window. This is the second time we have encountered a deer in our poor little car. Last time we really nailed the deer (it died), AND our car (it was smashed and needed $1500 worth of work). This time, luckily, it just left a small dent. But it is amazing how powerful those animals are!

Anyway, if you are out and about, keep your eyes peeled . . . they really sneak up on you!

Never a dull moment.

Apple Cider Vinegar

I have recently discovered the miracle of Apple Cider Vinegar. I am sure there are thousands of uses for the stuff, but in my home I have used it for a few things, with great success.

The other day, I was scrubbing the toilet -- using a Lysol product. It was not working. There were still stains and crud, that would NOT come off. I went to the Internet to research vinegar products (because I know vinegar is AWESOME!). I read that if you pour Apple Cider Vinegar in the toilet and leave it there overnight -- the crud should wipe right off.

I happened to have Apple Cider Vinegar, so I gave it a try -- but I did not wait all night. I just waited a few hours. And miracle of miracles -- it WORKED! It got the nasty brown crud out of the toilet! Hooray! I was SO HAPPY and EXCITED I did a yea dance! I thought the build-up would never go away.

If you have a nasty toilet . . . give it a try! (Obviously, it cannot remove damage, just crud.) But it worked fantastically for me!

Another use for Vinegar:

(I used White Distilled in this case, but Apple Cider should work -- it is all about acidity)

WART REMOVAL

This was a miracle discovery from about 3 years ago. Daniel had really bad warts on his fingers. He would suck on the ends of them, keeping them moist, allowing the warts to fester and grow.

So, we would dab vinegar on his warts, and then put a little vinegar on band-aides, which he would wear day-in and day-out for 2 weeks. (The vinegar should be on the warts at ALL times.)

After just a few days you could see the warts "dying". He said it burned a little bit, and that is normal. I admit, it was kind of awesome to see them turning black and rotting away. After about a week and a half or so . . . they were completely GONE! However, we kept putting the vinegar on for about a week or more after, to make SURE and kill the root of the problem.

It was SUPER! I was SO HAPPY! And so was Daniel . . . no expensive doctor visits, just $3.00 worth of vinegar and a box of band-aides.

In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the dad recommends "Windex" for everything . . . in our house it is Vinegar! Seriously, if you have weird things that need fixing, look into it . . . Vinegar just might be your answer!

Sick and Stuff

OK, so I was not trying to be a bummer in my last post or anything -- but I have really been feeling low lately. A weird low. More than pregnant/stress/whatever low. Last night, I noticed my throat was sore, and today, I am not feeling so hot. I think I am sick. And I am OK with that. I can own sickness, and deal with it. I am just sick . . . not grumpy/lazy/poopy for no reason. I will be sick, I will get better, and I will move on. :-) No more on that lame stuff.

On another note . . . my sister, Kary, updated her blog, and she is going to be more consistent in updating it from now on. Right, Kary? RIGHT. Go to: www.karyskorner.blogspot.com. She is my sister and she is awesome. If you want to know more about Alaskan life . . . she lives it!

Also, if you have a blog, then I HIGHLY encourage you to update it more often than just once a month/year! Just remember blogging is not all about the comments and whether or not you think people are reading. It is a history of your life, your family, and it is a fantastic way to document life and time. I have been blogging for almost 6 years now, and I love it. Before blogging I kept a journal with pen and paper, almost daily -- so it was a natural move for me. Now I just need to start printing off my blog to book and I will be good to go!

And one more thing . . . I recently read a blog of a woman who has thousands of followers. This particular woman (a mother) had a very negative tone, she was very pessimistic about life, and even God. And yet, she attracts SO MANY to read her thoughts and words, daily. She even makes money off of her blog -- quite a bit of money. I left her blog feeling saddened and not uplifted, at all. Her blog makes you feel like it is OK to be bummed-out and lame all the time. It got me thinking . . . I may not have thousands of people who read my words and thoughts, likely I have just a handful of readers -- but if only ONE person is uplifted by anything that I say, than it is worth it. I have determined that it is far better to uplift the one . . . than to depress the thousands.

I want to spread that thought to everyone who has a blog. Use it for GOOD. Use it for THE ONE. (You never know who that might be!) You don't have to be fake, or perfect, or glamorous (I hate reading those blogs), just be YOU. Be honest in what you write. Share your feelings. Share your life and let it uplift others. I have personally been deeply impacted by some of the thoughts and feelings that I have read over the years. Sometimes I have even changed my life because of a quote, a poem, a song, a life-story, even a simple thought. You never know what power you have for good. To possibly change a life? That is powerful!

I do believe that in each of us there is a light to share. And I mean in EACH OF US! That means YOU! Hiding that light does absolutely no good. Sharing your light could make all the difference to someone, somewhere . . . it is worth it. So get writing people . . . someONE is waiting!

Forget facebook (which is there one day and gone the next, and is generally depressing and a bunch of garbage, anyway!), and get back to blogging!

*Note: I use facebook for one thing . . . to send people to my blog. :-)

Baby Update

I went to a specialist for Henry's kidneys. I am getting a little worn-out of explaining things in detail, so here is the quick low-down:

• Henry has messed-up plumbing. His kidney's are full of fluid, one of the tubes from kidney to bladder are split in two, and there is a blockage in his bladder, keeping the flow from functioning properly



• I SHOULD be able to wait to give birth until he is due -- as long as his fluids are looking good. If his fluids (amniotic) begin to decrease too much, he may need to come out early



• I will be meeting with the Doctor, often, along with a urologist, and another specialist



• There is a likely chance Henry will need surgery after birth. They will do tests on him right after he is born, and then determine the plan of action



• After birth, surgery, etc., Henry should be good to go with no problem



• It will be hard, but it will be OK

Right now I feel tired. Super tired. I wake-up in the morning, and I just want to lay back down. I know my fatigue has to do with stress. (Not just baby stress, a few other things, too.) I tried to go for a walk the other day, but it ended up putting a lot of pressure on my lower-region, and it just hurt. Normally walks/being outside is how I relieve pressure, but right now I just can't do it and I don't even want to!

I hope the next few months go by quickly . . . my grumpy is taking over my happy. And I really don't want to look 7-10 years older.

The Truth Hurts

Sammi had some informative parting words for me this morning. She was on her way out the door for school when she said:

"Mom, when you smile, you look about 7-10 years younger . . ."

"But when you are grumpy, you look about 7-10 years older."

Ouch.

What's in a Name? What's in a Face?

As you know we have chosen the name for our 4th baby (Charles chose it), and that name is: Henry Jones van Ormer. We might, maybe, possibly, call the poor lad Indiana. (It depends if he is born with a whip in his hand.)

Well, interestingly enough, I was doing some family history work on Charles's side of the family, and I came across this fine man (pictured below) . . . he is Charles' great, great, great grandpa.

His name?

William Henry Jones, also known as "Henry Jones".

He was born in the state of . . . where else?? You got it -- Indiana!

Yeah, I thought it was awesome. Henry Jones, from Indiana. So, not only are we naming our baby after a fantastic movie character, but we are also naming him after his own great, great, great, great grandpa, and nicknaming him after the state he was born in -- and I can get behind that! :-) Henry is not sounding so bad to me now . . . (I was NOT behind it 100%).

What's in a face? OK . . . so another discovery were these photos. The photo below is of Henry Jones' family. The man with the arrow over his head is Benton Weaver Jones -- Charles' great, great, grandfather. He is a nice-looking fellow.
And then there is this photo (below) of the same Henry Jones' family -- a little less formal (they were all farmers).
Now, I believe one of the farm-boys is Benton Weaver Jones (the guy with the arrow over his head -- Charles' great, great, grandpa -- from the above picture), but which one?
Can anyone pick out who he is?? I really don't know . . . but going from left to right, the third guy over might be him? I sure wish I knew! What a bunch of strapping young men -- all related to Charles. No wonder Charles is so good-looking. :-)
It is weird how I can see him in their faces . . . I love that.
I love that our faces exist in the faces of our ancestors -- and they are in ours. There is something really special about that.
So, is anyone super at face identification? Is there an App. for that? :-)
Any guesses? Which one is Benton? Which one is Charles great, great, grandpa??
(Oh, and I'm loving the bottles in their hands . . . I'm thinking it's not root beer.) :-)
This is why I love the search . . . I love the finds! Finding family history pictures is like finding buried treasure.

Baby Henry Update

CHEESE!!!

Why is Henry smiling at us?

(In case you could not see the smile -- I pointed it out for you below)

Because he knows what fun we are in for!

During my appointment today, the doctor let me know that his kidney's are progressively dilating. He is sending me to a specialist next week, who will help determine the severity, and also a plan of action (if necessary). Henry is also measuring big -- which is no shocker to me -- but his stomach is a little bloated. As it stands now, he is measuring about a week ahead of schedule. Henry may be a whopper, like Daniel (Dan was over 9lbs, a few weeks early).

Anyway, I don't know much more than I knew before -- but I should know more next week after talking to someone who specializes in this kind of thing. Of course, the kidneys could still correct themselves . . . in or out of the womb.

The doctor mentioned a possibility of early delivery, for the health of the baby -- about a month early, or so. Only time well tell. For now, I will be visiting the doctor every two weeks to keep an eye on things.

When I first found out over a month ago, a Voice whispered to me, "It will be hard, but it will be OK, don't worry." So, I'm not worried. This is NOT supposed to be life-threatening, or anything -- it just adds some adventure to the pregnancy and birthing process. There is a very likely chance that all will be well. Worst case is that it may take some corrective procedures to get there.

We hope for the best. Come what may . . . and love it. :-)

Cracked Heels

Have you ever had cracked heels? OUCH!
For me they come during pregnancy. (Extra pressure on my feet.) Sometimes the cracks can get SO deep, they burn, and cause a lot of pain. This happened to me after spending the day in the kitchen baking bread -- too much time on my feet. Not a good idea.

Charles helped me get some of the extra skin off from around the crack (can't reach my feet), and then I put on my magic healing cream.

I applied generously, and then wore clean socks overnight. By morning, my feet were A LOT better! No more pain.

I love this stuff . . . I'm all better now. ;-)

Patient and Determined

Being patient and determined are two qualities I really admire. On Christmas day Sammi spent the whole day building their new Harry Potter LEGO castle. It took ALL DAY and each section was divided in little baggies with instructions. It was a challenge, but she was patient and she made it happen. Then, later that night, I went in her room and found that she had taken apart the ENTIRE castle! It was in a huge pile on her little desk. She said she had enjoyed putting it together so much, she wanted to do it again. Ugh.

My first reaction was not good. I freaked-out! I just could not understand why she would take it all apart, after working so hard to create it! It was horribly out of order -- no numbered baggies to help build it again. It was just a BIG mess! Truly, it would take a miracle to ever see the castle rebuilt. It was a HUGE pile of LEGOS -- little tiny LEGOS.

And then, last weekend . . . Daniel became determined to be the one to make the miracle happen. He brought the pile of LEGOS to the dinner table, and he began the process of finding EACH PIECE out of the mess. He had an instruction manual, but that was it. He had to find each piece by it's appearance. It was a serious task and challenge. The LEGOS were out on the dinner table all week -- we just ate around them. Daniel would work on it in the morning before school, he would work on it after school, he worked on it whenever he had a spare moment. He was SO focused. It was amazing to watch.

Finally, yesterday . . . HE DID IT! He found every last little piece and made the castle rise from the ashes. It was a miracle! When he was finished he was SO PROUD of himself. (We were all amazed!) He said he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. It was so cute.

After he finished he said he felt so good . . . he felt like he should do the dishes. ??? It was hilarious.

I was amazed to watch him, so determined, and so patient through the process. To stick with the same project for that long was quite the feat! Nothing is impossible if you can just breath and work your way through it! Thanks Daniel for reminding me . . . :-)

Tucanos -- Mormon Happy Hour

Mormons don't drink . . . but we do EAT!

A few years ago, on a trip to Utah -- we went to Tucanos for the first time. (If you are not familiar with Tucanos, it is all you can eat MEAT. They just keep bringing it to your table, until you BURST!) We were lucky and we got to the restaurant before lunch time. By the time 12:00pm rolled around (in Provo, Utah), there was a line out the door, and around the corner. That is when I labeled Tucanos, "The Mormon Bar". (I know I am just assuming that most of the people in line were Mormon, but sometimes you can just tell, ya know?)

Note: I think 99% of the people reading this blog are LDS, but for the 1% who may not be -- we are supposed to be moderate in all things. Food tends to be where we over-indulge. Well, at least, food is where I over-indulge. Oink! Oink!

Meat. Lots of Meat.

It was good at first, and then your mouth just gets salted-out.

And then you wash it down with sugar . . . Raspberry Lime-Aide -- Yum!

Last Friday night was definitely an "indulge" night. Every year Tucanos sends us a birthday card for a free meal in your birthday month. Our good friends also have birthday's in January, so for the past 2 years we have made it a date.

Yum! Yum!

The men were particularly happy about meat. Though, I must say, meat has been a strong craving of mine, so I was happy to satisfy the hunger.

Enjoying the night out. Our first dinner date-night in like a year? (There is my crazy-hair again!) :-) Our fantastic friends: T-Diddy (Tyson) and Rachelle (she is about to have a baby any time!) Love them!

We thoroughly enjoyed our "Happy Hour".

Good food. Good friends. Good times. :-)

Sometimes "indulging" (in moderation, of course) can be just what the doctor ordered!