Scout Advancements and Awards

April 18, 2012

One evening while Andrew was working, Peter and I went to Scout's with Ammon.

He had earned all sorts of awards and was even advanced to the rank of Wolf.

We were super proud of him and I was sad that Andy couldn't be there.

Even though I get a "mother's pin", it is really the dad in this house that makes scout's happen.

We were so excited to tell Andrew about Ammon's achievements.

We were surprised to find that Andrew was upset by the news.

Knowing much more about scout's than I do, Andrew knew there were several at home requirements that we hadn't worked on with Ammon.

While he didn't want to take Ammon's sense of success away, he also wanted to make sure Ammon felt pride in working for his rank.

This was an experience I hope Ammon always remembers.

After fretting over it for a good time, striving so earnestly to do the right thing, Andrew sat down with Ammon to have a talk.

Andrew explained that Ammon hadn't done anything wrong.

He hadn't been deceitful in obtaining his rank.

But we also showed him that there were things we still needed to do before it was truly earned.

We had recently asked Ammon to read a children's book about integrity.

Drawing on that, he understood the concept and agreed that he wanted to have integrity with his rank.

And so despite having the badge in hand, Andy and Ammon went to work on meeting the remaining wolf requirements.

I couldn't be more proud of both of them!

The Red Dragons

Pictures taken April 14, 2012

My sister organized a fun little soccer team that included Peter and two of his cousins.

A third cousin was invited to join but opted against it.

Peter LOVES soccer.

He played last fall and was thrilled to be back in the action for Spring.

Peter's team, the Red Dragon's is very young and inexperienced for their league.

They are playing against kids as much as 2 years older than them.

Peter was the first member of his team to make a goal.

It was such an exciting moment!

He kicked and down the field and into the net.

Immediately cheers erupted on the field and off.

His arms both shot straight up in the air to signify victory.

And then - the sweetest thing.

In his glorious delight, he ran straight to me and gave me a high five.

I was so excited to share in the moment.

Sadly, Andrew was at the temple with the Elder's Quorum, so he missed it.

But Peter was happy to tell the story over and over again to all who would listen.

I love seeing the way his face lights up when he's out on the field.

5 for 5!

Pictures taken April 12, 2012

Every time I asked Peter what he wanted to do for his birthday, he had a different plan.

So, despite my best intentions, we went another year without a well-planned party.

But of course we woke up the morning of his birthday and wanted to celebrate.

We picked out his favorite cupcakes from the store and invited several of his friends to come share them with us.

I realized that five year olds don't need you to plan games and activities.

These boys spent hours just running around, playing, and having fun!

Chili's

Pictures taken April 10, 2012

My brother is a waiter at Chili's.

They often have coupons for kids to eat for free.

When they do, my sister and I like to take our kids there.

A lot of time Dan is our waiter.

This time he actually came in on his day off work and ate with us.

We had lots of fun.

The kids got balloons, loved their meals and then dog-piled on Danny when it was all done.

Sadly, this is where Ammon lost his pocket knife.

But other than that, it was a great night!

Natural History Museum (II)

Pictures taken April 9, 2012

My sister arranged for the family to go to the Natural History Museum together.

As it turned out, several family members weren't able to make it at the last minute.

But we had fun with my mom, my sister and her kids (including two extra foster kids) and us.

On this trip I was really struck with Ammon's love for learning.

He is so at home in a museum where there is so much to see and discover.

Peter had fun too, and enjoys the hands on exhibits.

It was a great outing.

(And did I mention we went for free?  My sister always finds the best deals.)

Easter

Pictures taken April 8, 2012

Easter morning was filled with fun family time.

The Easter Bunny thought Ammon was getting old enough for some trickier hiding places.

But it's true what they say - people don't look UP.

He had a hard time finding some of the eggs that were put up high.

It was fun.

Peter was excited to get a compass - he'd been asking for one.

Andrew was excited to give Ammon his first pocket knife.

Both presents turned out to be a disaster.

Peter broke his compass at my parents house later that evening.

My mom happened to have another one she was planning to give him.

He broke that one too.

The next day or so we went out to dinner.

Ammon left his knife in the restaurant and we never saw it again.

So basically, Easter had some awesome gifts, but ultimately, they were both a bust.

After church my Grandma hosted a dinner at my parents house.

I was relieved since I had been so busy the previous week I hadn't planned any food.

My brother David came with his wife.

It's always fun to see my brothers.

The kids always climb all over them!

It was a fun holiday!

Getting Ready for Easter

The day before Easter was a fun, but busy day.  Andy spent the morning helping my brother move into his new house.  The boys played while I helped unpack the kitchen and then we headed out to a birthday party for my cute little nephew Quincy.  From there we rushed to my mom's house where we hurried and colored eggs before the annual Easter Egg Hunt began.  I already missed carving pumpkins for Halloween, I couldn't skip the eggs!  Fortunately for me, my Grandma was planning to make deviled eggs so she bought the eggs, boiled them, gave them to the boys to dye, we took them home for the Easter Bunny to hide, hunted them, peeled them, and brought them back in time to make the deviled eggs for Easter dinner.  It worked out quite nicely.  (Thanks Grandma!)  We got done with our eggs just in the nick of time and all of the cousins arrived for the big hunt.  We had all the grandchildren plus two foster care children that were staying with my sister.  My mom did 28 eggs EACH which added up to a LOT of eggs all over her yard.  In the past, the eggs have always been hidden in the back yard, but this year we overflowed into the front yard as well.  We had tons of fun and the kids all LOVED the prizes my mom had for them.  (Note the picture of Peter blowing bubbles and wearing sunglasses - both items courtesy of the egg hunt!)

One thing my aunt did this year for Easter was provide her twin boys (who are preparing for their missions) with eggs containing testimonies of family members.  Here are the testimonies my boys contributed:

My Testimony

By Ammon Shadel

A testimony is something you know is true.

I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus live.

My Testimony

By Peter Shadel

I know that the Holy Ghost will come to you when you are eight years old.

I know that President Monson is a true prophet.

(I think he will be our prophet forever.)

and last, but not least, here is the testimony I shared:

I know Heavenly Father is real and He loves His children.  He is aware of us and knows our name.  This sounds so simple and yet when you consider the intimate knowledge He has of EVERY person who ever has and ever will live on this earth, it is astonishing.

I know Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer.  His obedience and sacrifice makes it possible not only to gain eternal life, but exaltation as well.  Through the power of His Atonement, my heart has been healed from pains and struggles.  Through Him I can be sanctified and justified.  The power of His love is miraculous.

I know Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is organized through revelation and the laying on of hands.  He translated The Book of Mormon which testifies of the Savior’s divine mission and His will for us.  It is true scripture.

I know that President Monson is a prophet of the Lord.  He has heard the call of our Heavenly Father and obeyed.  He leads by example and most importantly through revelation as He fulfills the will of the Savior.  Ours is a church guided by our Lord and Savior.  We are blessed to have His guidance and teachings made clear through modern day revelation.

The church is true.  Living the teachings found therein brings joy, peace and comfort regardless of the trials and circumstances in life.  In my life I have been strengthened and healed by the power of the Atonement.  I have been led by the Holy Spirit and guided as to the things I should be doing by a Heavenly Father who knows my situations intimately.  I love the gospel!

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

Patient/Family Liaison

It's only been a few weeks since I've felt compelled to find volunteer opportunities.  I just happened to stumble upon two things that sounded like a great fit for me, but I didn't know what would come of them, so I didn't want to say anything too soon.

The first opportunity that got the ball rolling was to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA).  I just found out more about that today and am excited to get the process started.  It will entail a background check that is expected to take 6-8 weeks as well as a series of training classes that don't start until May.

The other opportunity I wanted to pursue is with Primary Children's Hospital.  The first time I went to their website, the only volunteer openings they had listed were for Hospice.  I thought that was something I could do and considered signing up.  But by the time I went back to their website, many of the other positions had opened up.  I looked through the various descriptions and was really excited about the possibility of becoming a Patient/Family Liaison.

The practical functions of this position is to meet with newly admitted families and let them know about the showers, beds, cafeteria etc to help them know the resources available to them while their child is in the hospital.  The sideline function of this position is to be there to ask how they are doing and lend a listening ear to a family who is probably dealing with some pretty emotional and overwhelming circumstances.  I am really excited about being involved in this way.

I had to submit my resume and it was very nerve wracking.  It's been more than five years since I applied for a job. Fortunately I had to update my resume for a class earlier this semester so with just a few minor tweaks it was ready to go.

I heard back from Primary Children's Hospital immediately (the next day) and was scheduled to go in for an orientation/interview.  It really was much more of an orientation.  The only real question that seemed to potentially disqualify the candidates was if they lost a child in the last 12-18 months.  Obviously that could be really triggering to be at the hospital watching families going through difficult medical issues.  Fortunately, I haven't had to endure that sort of experience, and I was cleared to go forward with the volunteer process.

I need to finish some online training, get a drug test, and show evidence that my immunizations are complete.  I was told to expect the process to be 2-4 weeks.  Once I finish those steps, I'll be working Monday mornings from 9:00 AM until 12:00 noon.  I was kind of nervous about what kind of time commitment to expect and was thinking that I really didn't think I could do much more than one shift a week.  I was excited that the weekly three hour shift was exactly what they schedule.

It is amazing to have these things really happening.  This has been a crazy busy week with the two different meetings for my volunteer opportunities as well as the General Training for Relief Society downtown.  Juggling all this with the regular school responsibilities and my family has been fun.  (My house has been a wreck all week despite being cleaned really well on Monday morning.)  I'm looking forward to the experiences these opportunities will bring into my life!

Cooking Contest Practice

Ammon's scout troop has been working on their cooking badge.

They are just about finished, and to celebrate what they learned they are having a cooking contest.

Ammon is taking this contest seriously.

The rules say that he has to make something completely by himself.

He decided he wanted to practice cooking alone.

He took on the task of making chocolate chip cookies.

I showed him where to find the recipe (on the back of the chocolate chip bag) and got out of the kitchen.

He did everything!

He set up the BOSCH.

He measured out all of his ingredients.

He mixed the dough and put it on the pan.

He preheated the oven.

He timed them and got them in and out of the oven.

Oh, but wait.

I did help.

I helped EAT them.

His cookies came out completely delicious!

I hope he makes more soon.

I was so proud of him for taking on the challenge and doing such a great job!

He is my amazing Ammon.

I so totally adore him!

Hot Dogs and S'Mores

The weather this weekend was absolutely beautiful.

We decided to take full advantage of it.

We borrowed my parents fire pit to roast hot dogs.

My brother and his family were there as well.

My grill-master husband also cooked up hamburgers for the adults.

After dinner, Andy helped the kids roast marshmallows to make s'mores.

We had great weather, wonderful family memories and good food. 

Life doesn't get  much better than this!

New Car

In a decade of being married, Andy and I have only ever had one car that we didn't own outright.

We made extra payments on that car and owned it before the five year loan was up.

Unfortunately, Andy was in a car accident with that car.

It was totaled.

As we tried to figure out what to do,

recognizing that we value not having a car on debt,

we started to see things a little bit differently.

We noted that the interest on car loans were cheaper than the student loan debt we had recently accumulated.

And that the interest on a car loan is simple vs the student loan complex interest.

Although it took a minute for us to wrap our heads around it, it actually seemed to be more financially savvy to put our insurance payout into our student loans rather than towards a new car.

We decided to go for a while without a second vehicle.

But the time has come when a second car seems like the best situation for us.

We began to ponder how to make this happen, and the solutions came.

We were so happy with our last car purchase, that we mimicked it.

Andy did a great job finding a wonderful deal on a 2010 Hyundai Elantra.

We are excited that it also happens to have some great perks - especially the sun roof.

After spending all day at the dealership, the first order of business was a family drive to Park City.

We stopped at Taco Bell for dinner after securing what we came for - 

Oakley stickers for Andy to put on his car.

(Yes, he is THAT crazy about Oakley!)

It's only been a few days, but we are already so happy with the flexibility of a second car.

And we are loving that Andy is back in a "commuter" vehicle for going to work

rather than guzzling through insane amounts of gas in the Explorer.

It's been fun!

Spring

 

Well, I've been waiting and waiting for Winter to hit.

I finally realized it's not just late like last year.

It just really isn't coming.

And suddenly it's Spring.

Bring on the neighborhood BBQ's!

 

Peter loves to be outside.

He has a lot of energy and likes to have room to run and play.

 

Ammon decided he was hungry while we were all out playing.

So he went inside to make himself a snack.

He returned, quite pleased with is new invention:

Peanut Butter and Ritz sandwich.

He loved it!

Both boys have had several PB&R sandwiches since then!

 

And we've continued to enjoy our time outside.

Stretching Our Taste Buds

It seems like I've been hearing about Bountiful Baskets for years.

I've had friends, neighbors and even family members tell me about it.

And everyone thought it was great.

I was hesitant to give it a try.

My family is very picky about our produce - we don't branch out much.

And bountiful baskets exposes you to all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

But I reached a point where that risky exposure became a benefit.

I am a picky eater,

my husband is even more of a picky eater,

and my children are turning into picky eaters.

I decided it was time to stop the trend.

I tried introducing some basics into our home.

Crazy, exotic thing - like broccoli.  (haha)

I was met with some serious moans and groans.

Then I had yet another friend mention her love of Bountiful Baskets.

And the solution hit me.

Let "the basket" decide what new foods we would try.

That way it wouldn't be "my fault".

It was brilliant!

And it's gone really well.

Andrew has been incredibly supportive.

He picked up that first basket and told me of his relief when he saw the broccoli.

What a complete paradigm shift that was for him!

But he recognized it, unlike some of the other items in the basket.

He has been willing to try everything.

Years ago we used to enjoy watching Fear Factor together.

It was hilarious watching Andy pump himself up to eat brussel sprouts.

He told me he felt like a contestant on that show.

(And he acted like one too.)

But he overcame his "fear" of the scary vegetable and he ate it.

We tried three different recipes for our kale.

This smoothie was one of our experiments.

An orange, two bananas and one little leaf of kale.

Andy decided it would taste better if he created a good presentation.

And so he got out these glasses, sliced the oranges and made it just so.

We are going on our 4th week of getting a basket and it's continuing to be great for us.

Relief Society Outing

My Enrichment Counselor planned a Relief Society tour to

The Church History Museum.

She scheduled us to go on a Saturday morning.

My parents are docents in that museum every other Saturday.

I called my mom to see if she would be there.

Not only was she going to be there that day, she was the person in charge of planning tours.

So she planned to be our tour guide.

It is a great museum.

I remember taking it for granted as a kid.

When I was in Texas, I REALLY wanted to go there again.

When I moved back to Utah, I started taking it for granted again.

(Isn't that how it goes, sometimes!)

A lot of the ladies in our group had never been there before.

It was great for them to see what this building was all about.

My mom shared some neat stories about the women in our LDS history.

It was a great outing!

Thanks, Shae, for planning it.

And thanks to you, Mom, for being our tour guide!

Natural History Museum

My mother-in-law decided to sponsor a trip to the Natural History Museum.

(She, Andrew and I were all free so it just meant paying for the boys.)

It was a fun activity.

It's a new building and even though it is so close to us, we'd never been.

The boys LOVED it.

There were so many things to see and explore.

Despite spending a few hours there, I feel like we barely scratched the surface of the museum.

It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Thanks Peggy!

One Step

"Strengthen home and family."

These are the words that have been beating in my mind like a drum as of late.  Every breathe, every heartbeat, every moment I am consumed with the thoughts, "strengthen home and family."

The words are familiar to me.  They are the purpose of Relief Society (the women's organization in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).  But now they are becoming personal.  These words aren't just generic ideals, but a specific directive to me, with individual meaning.

Three years ago I began my journey seeking a college degree.  I started back to college pursuing the degree that was my obvious choice: Psychology.  But once back, I felt driven to pursue another personal goal of mine - a Computer Science degree.  Either way, my plan was to spend three more years finishing my goal.  If I went the route of Psychology it would be one year to finish my BS degree and two years of grad school.  If it was my Computer Science degree, it would be three years to finish the undergrad.  Or, as it turns out, I could spend three years towing the line of both and feeling that little progress is being made with either.

Still, I tried to follow the promptings I received as I selected my path each semester.  And although the progress in school has felt minimal at best, I have felt myself being a student of the Lord through the experiences and opportunities He has granted me during these times.

Shortly after I became the Relief Society President in my ward, my path seemed more clear.  I came to realize that my involvement in a women's organization where my opportunity was to help, serve, and teach was what I was passionate about.  My calling as president is expected to be about one year.  I realized that when a year was up, I wouldn't be done.  I came to understand that I want my life work to be about helping women.  That by helping women, I would be strengthening homes and families.

But as time went on, I continued to struggle with the idea of "giving up" in my pursuit of a computer degree.  The next semester I signed up for two classes that would benefit both degrees, and Calculus that does nothing for Psychology, but is a personal goal.  Ever since I was a little girl watching a high school aged neighbor come get tutoring from my dad for her calculus class, I wanted to finish calculus myself.  Sitting at the table, watching him help her with her math problems, I decided I wanted to be the parent who could tutor my own children and wouldn't need to send them to the neighbor.

I kept thinking that as long as I finish this calculus class, I might as well take the next one.  And if I take the next one, I might as well take the science requirements.  And if I take those requirements, I might as well finish the computer science degree.  I just couldn't let it go.

Then my grandparents needed some help and I was fortunate to be in a situation where I could be there to offer some of that assistance.  I was reminded how much I want to work with people - to help and to serve. I have continuously debated because people with computer science degrees can fulfill these goals.  They can help and serve and bless the lives of others.

But finally - FINALLY - after three years of struggle, I feel confident in a direction.  Personal revelation has given me an understanding of what Heavenly Father wants me to do.  I have taken school slowly because of Peter's young age.  Next year I will continue to go slow and finish off my Psychology degree over the two semesters.  This will be his last year before attending school ALL day.  I hope to enjoy this time with him even as I finish my own goal.

It is time for me to start preparing for graduate school.  This means volunteer work and service opportunities.  I am so excited.  I have been hesitant to get involved in anything "extra".  I have already felt pulled too many directions and unable to be as present in the home as a wife and mother as I wish I could be.  And now, I am finding a peace that is telling me that the time is here.  

A month ago I didn't have room for these things in my life, but suddenly Heavenly Father is telling me it's time.  I am grateful to know that Heavenly Father knows my name and is willing to guide me.  For years I have struggled to decide between two degrees, and I just haven't known where to go.  For years the answers I had kept me connected to both degrees.  They kept my progress minimal in a way that allowed us to live where we live (which requires student status at a certain number of credit hours each semester).  Had I selected one or the other degree, we would be done by now.  But Heavenly Father sent us here, to our friends and neighbors because he knew this was where we could grow and learn in the ways HE wanted us to.  And now, after the trial of our faith, He is giving me the next step, which is to finish my BS in Psychology next year.  And while doing that, I will be working to strengthen my own home and family as best as I can and also hope to serve others through volunteer opportunities.  (I have two or three options in mind already and I'm excited to see which ones come to fruition.)

It is a neat thing to feel the Spirit of the Lord directing you day by day.  It is amazing in a different way, to feel the answers coming to the questions that linger for years.  I have been blessed by both and feel awed and grateful to a loving Heavenly Father.

I still have questions.  My path is not completely clear.  But I know that I am one step closer to becoming the person Heavenly Father wants me to be.  And that just feels good.

Hollywood Connection

After our fun day last September at Hollywood Connection, I faithfully watched for another deal to come along.  My intention was to take a group of boys for Ammon's birthday party.  In the end, he wanted a more traditional party, and so we went, once again, as a family.  It was a blast!  My boys love miniature golfing so that was the first order of business.

Last time we went to Hollywood, we didn't even think to go skating.  This time we were there longer and enjoyed getting the skates on.  I was an avid skater in my childhood, so I still marvel that I have two boys who are so completely unstable on skates.  It's my fault, though.  They just don't get the exposure to it that I did.  I am always thrilled to see them on skates.  We've always done ice-skates in the past - I really think this may have been the first roller skating experience for them both!)

Of course we spent hours on the rides.  The bumper cars was still a favorite.  The boys loved the roller coaster too.  When we went in September, I was healing from my back problems and was overly optimistic about things.  For the most part it was OK, but I did hurt it on the roller coaster.  Six months later I still struggle a lot with my back so I was a lot more conservative with what I did.  Mostly I watched.  This meant that the boys ended up going on things alone sometimes if Andy was on a different ride with the other child.  I'm sad I couldn't sit next to him, but it was fun to watch Ammon ride the roller coaster all by himself.  He is growing up so much!  Later, Ammon and Peter rode together without either of us.  I love what great friends they are.  It was a really fun day!

Biking, Scouts and Silly Putty

Pictures taken February 21, 2012

Towards the end of last fall, Peter's bike went missing.

This was a major problem because he LOVES bike riding.

Still, winter was coming and we hoped it would show back up.

It never did, and with the mild winter, we finally broke down and got him a new one.

He was THRILLED beyond belief.

He is big enough to get the bike in and out of our home on his own.

He is very careful to keep his bike in his bedroom whenever he isn't riding it.

He is a cute, responsible little guy.
(Who, like his brother,  is growing up WAY too fast!)

Pictures taken February 22, 2012

One of the older guys in Ammon's scout group earned his Arrow of Light.

The set up an award ceremony and all the boys received the belt loops and pins they had earned.

Ammon was advanced to a Bobcat.
For his first ceremony, he got to participate in the color guard by carrying a flag down the isle.
Peter and I almost missed the ceremony because Peter uncharacteristically fell asleep.
We finally decided to take him but he really didn't wake up.
(Until the end when they served cookies.)

Ammon LOVES scouts and Andrew has worked hard with him to do all sorts of extra things.

I know nothing about scouts and so was surprised when I got an award.

I was called up to the front with Ammon and he pinned ME with the "mother's pin".

Andrew was slightly bitter since he is the one who really earned it.

But considering the name, he decided he didn't want the pin anyway...

Pictures taken March 1, 2012

The other day Ammon was playing with some silly putty he got at his birthday.
Peter was feeling left out.

We could have gone to the store to buy him some.

We could have told him to tough it out.

Instead, we went to the store and bought the stuff to MAKE some.

It didn't turn out quite the same.

And it dried out the next day.

But it was fun and made him happy.

He is lucky to have a dad who does such fun things with him.

Picture Dump

For Christmas Andy's parents gave him and the boys some money.

The three of them went shopping and they came back geared with Nerf guns and accessories.

They had so much fun warring around the house with each other!

On Ammon's birthday Andy's parents came to visit.

Andy and I were still feeling under the weather so we kept things low key.

We ended up visiting for a while.

Then we had dinner at Panda Express and ate cupcakes there.

Ammon's Baptism
January 7, 2012

On January 7, 2011 Ammon was baptized.

It was a special day and we were so happy for all the extended family that was able to join us.

We had a nice family dinner at the church afterwards.

Having turned 8, Ammon also started scouts.

He LOVED getting dressed in his new uniform and has enjoyed his meetings.

Peter has become known as my bottom-less pit.

He eats and eats and eats and then eats some more.

One of his favorite snacks, lately has been ice cream cones.

Can't you just see how much he LOVED ice cream!

He must have some of that Rosemann blood.

(In my family my mom's dad gets credit for our love of ice cream.

When we were young and he came to visit we remember him buying ice cream daily.

Every night he would have two 1/2 gallon containers for us to choose from.

And by the next day they would be gone and he'd go get more.)

In January Peter finally got the snow he had been waiting for.

Santa had brought him snow pants, gloves, boots and a snowboard.

But winter didn't provide snow this year.

He had so much fun getting out on his snowboard.

He was really good at it too - a total  natural!

We only had about three days of snow before it melted again.

But you'd better believe Peter was out on it every second he could be.

He had a blast!

One afternoon Peter and I decided we needed an activity.

So we went to the Church History Museum together.

My mom was actually doing some stuff there as well, so we were able to see her.

Peter had a fun afternoon playing and enjoying the various activities.

Peter's class took a field trip to the Aquarium.

He hadn't been since he was pretty little.

He really enjoyed it.

Andy and I were both able to go with him.

He really loved petting the manta rays.

The penguins were awesome and we saw them at just the right time.

They were going crazy diving in and out of the water.

It was fantastic!

Valentine's Day 2012

Valentine's Day was really fun this year.

I always think it is so hard to find a babysitter on this day.

But this year I asked my mom for a special favor as a birthday present.

(It also helped that my dad had to be out of town on business.)

We had a gift card to the Olive Garden, so that's where we went for dinner.

We got there and the restaurant had a 45 minute wait.

I was so glad Andy made reservations.

We walked right in to our seats.

After dinner we went to watch Celtic Nights at Kingsbury Hall.

We came home and Andy followed our annual tradition of making me chocolate covered strawberries.

It was a great evening.

Our ward had a family Valentine party.

We had games, food and dancing.

The people who planned it did a GREAT job!

The decorations were awesome.

It was lots of fun for all who came.

Last night Andy and I were able to go out for Stake Temple Night.

We attended a session at the Salt Lake temple.

We went to dinner at the Lion House afterwards.

And that, I think, catches us up for the past three months.

:)

Christmas, New Years and Ammon's Birthday

Nunes Family Christmas Party 2011

Every year we enjoy Christmas parties with our families.

With my family we had games, crafts, gift exchanges and great food.

It was especially fun to have my grandparents there.

This was their first Christmas with us in Utah.

Shadel Family Christmas Party 2011

With Andy's family we had the children act out the nativity.
Peter was Joseph (a tribute to his middle name) and Ammon was a wise man.

We had a buffet of desserts and another gift exchange.

Aunt Kara made all the boys hats that looked like Angry Birds.

They love them and have had lots of compliments since wearing them.

Christmas Eve 2011

On Christmas Eve we saw Arthur's Christmas with some of Andy's family.
We really enjoyed the movie.
Afterwards we went to my parents house.
My sister Rebecca came over and we exchanged gifts with my parents and grandparents.
We also enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner.
One of the gifts Andy received was a fondu pot.
You can see from the picture that he is THRILLED!
Ammon received his first Monopoly game - he is so into games right now.

Christmas Day 2011

We had a great Christmas morning.

We opened presents and the boys were each thrilled with the things they received.

We enjoyed going to church and feeling the nice Christmas Spirit there.

Sadly, Andy and I ended up with a flu bug and spent the rest of the day feeling pretty lousy.

We learned that the best time for parents to check out is the day when the kids get new toys.

The boys spent the afternoon and evening playing and having tons of fun

While Andy and I drifted in and out of sleep.

Christmas Break 2011

Over Christmas break we went ice skating as a family.

I think I enjoy ice skating more than the rest of them, but we all had fun.

By the time we left, Ammon was pretty comfortable skating around the rink himself.

Peter was capable but not comfortable alone.

I'm betting that by next year they will both be able to do quite well.

New Years Eve 2011

We spent New Years Eve at my sisters house.

The kids have so much fun playing together.

I love to take every opportunity we get to let them spend time with each other.

This was the first night we played Forbidden Island.

Ammon loved it so much that Carolyn, Kylie and Isaiah bought him the game for his birthday.

(Which had already past, but we hadn't had his party yet.)

The kids stayed up all the way until midnight.

Uncle Jeremiah lit some fireworks before we headed home.

The boys were asleep almost as soon as they were buckled into the car.

New Years Day 2012

In addition to Andy receiving a fondu pot, my sister Rebecca did as well.

(Ironically, these were gifts from different people so it was a fun coincidence.)

My brother Joe and sister Katy already had their own fondu pots so we decided a party was in order.

We had four different chocolate dips.

There was a buffet with just about EVERYTHING you could imagine putting chocolate on.

It was yet another fun night with my family!

Ammon's 8th Birthday Party

We had Ammon's birthday party at our church, which turned out to be awesome.

We had so much space for kids to run around, which was good for the 13 of them!

Andy was at work during the party, but thankfully a great friend of mine volunteered to help me.

I don't know how I would have managed without her!

I think the party was a great success and hope Ammon has great memories of it.

About Ammon

(This was written about Ammon on his 8th birthday.)

Happy Birthday to my sweet son!

Ammon has an adventurous spirit that he brought with him to this world.  Before we knew I was pregnant, it was made known to us that I was going to have a boy.  We knew he would be called Ammon and as a couple, Andy and I prayed for him by name every day from the time my pregnancy was confirmed.  I think he must have been excited to get to this world.  As a spirit, he visited my mom while she was on vacation in Colorado.   He made himself known to Andy's mom at the temple.  I know he was so very eager to come to earth.

He had a rough entry coming into the world.  On Thanksgiving I was assigned to go on bedrest.  He and I were both monitored closely from that point forward, but even still he was born via emergency C-section 16 days early.  I remember holding him in the hospital and watching him adjust to his body complete with hunger pains, gas etc and having the distinct impression that he was struggling with the experience.  Even as a new-born infant, this life was harder than he expected, and for all the enthusiasm he had to get here, it seemed as though he was caught off guard and extremely overwhelmed with the reality of mortality.  Once he caught his first breathe, he was never critical, but somehow I felt that he went through this process of struggle and made a choice, again, of whether he was going to give up due to life being so much harder than expected, or if he was going to face it head on and live life complete with the unexpected challenges that would come his way.   I felt like he made the decision to make the best of living in a world full of opposition - to face the difficulties with strength, and to enjoy the beauties with passion.

As he grew, it became quickly apparent that Ammon is a boy of tenderness.  He has a lot of love and is never malicious.  He is getting old enough to be a student of the gospel and is beginning to gain greater understandings of our Heavenly Father, of the Savior and of the Plan of Salvation.  In these past few months his kindness and level of obedience has increased.  I repeatedly see him making good choices simply because he has developed the discipline and moral compass to do so.  As parents, Andy and I have spent many recent nights talking about what a pleasure Ammon has been and how we are so impressed with his behavior.

This boy is so very very special and I feel so lucky to be his mom.

Happy Birthday, Ammon.   I love you more than anything!

Ammon's Birth Story Part 3

I've been hoping I could convince Andy to get on and write about what happened since I was so incoherent the night of Ammon's birth, but I honestly haven't even asked him yet to do it, so I'll just write what I know.

Andy was terrified.  I know that much.  He and I were about to enter into parenthood together, and all he knows was that I have been miserable and have had a lot of concerned health workers coming in and out of the room all evening while I was barely coherent.  Then he was told that it was serious enough that they had to take me in for an emergency C-Section and that I would have to be put under for the operation.  Add this to the fact that his greatest paranoia/fear in life is to have his wife die during child birth, and he was a complete basket case!  Fortunately, when he called my mom to tell her what was happening, she immediately braved the (literal) blizzard outside and headed towards the hospital to be with us.  He said that he knew she wouldn't be there in time for the surgery, but that just knowing she was on her way made him feel A LOT better.  I don't think he's ever forgotten how much he appreciated her support that night.

Andy says that Ammon took a while to cry for the first time and the doctor and nurses were really worried about him.  Over the years I have heard Andy describe the overwhelming helplessness he felt watching.  Suddenly he was torn as in one direction he saw me unconscious on the operating table with my guts literally on my stomach, while in the other direction he saw people gathering around Ammon waiting for him to breathe.  The relief when that first cry came was tangible to everyone in the room and I think that to this day, those moments of Ammon's birth are the single most terrifying experience of Andy's life. 

The morning after Ammon was born the on call doctor made his rounds.  I was sitting up in bed feeling great and just visiting with Andy and whoever else may have been there.  The doctor looked at my chart, looked at me in surprise and almost with a gasp said, "You're the one Doctor Froerer was so worried about!"

"I am?" I questioned.  At that point I was doing fine, and the discomforts and fears of the night before had already begun to fade into the past.  Again, at my six week check up, as I took for granted the birth of my first child, my doctor sat me down and said, "I don't think you realize the seriousness of what you went through."  And I didn't.  He tried to explain it to me, but the words never really sunk in.

It really wasn't until 2 1/2 years later when I got pregnant with Peter that Andy and I decided we should look into it.  What was that issue when Ammon was born?  HELLP Syndrome?  Maybe we should look it up and find out if we are at risk for that again...

At the time and from our search it looked like it was not something we needed to worry about with Peter.  (Which is actually different than the information I am seeing now.)  HELLP Syndrome stand for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, and Low Platelet count.  There's a lot of technical terms but what I understand of my specific situation (and maybe I am wrong, but this is my understanding) was that my liver and spleen were starting to shut down and the reason I had to avoid the epidural was because they were concerned it would cause internal bleeding that they would not be able to control and could lead to death.  Wow!  No wonder I was feeling so terrible that night!  It wasn't what I expected labor to feel like because I never actually went into labor.  I was too busy DYING...  At the time we researched it, everything we read said that HELLP Syndrome requires IMMEDIATE delivery of the baby regardless of how far into the pregnancy the mother is.  We were so grateful to have been 37 weeks and have such great hope and ultimate outcome for our precious baby boy.  We were also so grateful to have been at the hospital when everything went south.  Since this experience, my mother-in-law actually knew someone who developed HELLP Syndrome during her pregnancy and although she and the baby ended up living, the mother spent several months in a coma.

Ammon's birth was an adventure, to be sure.  The more I understand about the things that happened that night, the more amazed I am that Andy had to go through that experience more or less alone.  I have always been so grateful for the wonderful medical treatment we received.  For years Andy talked about watching the doctor stitch me back up and knowing first hand what a really thorough job he did.  When Ammon was a few months old, Andy met a couple who had concerns about a second pregnancy because the doctor in their situation did not stitch her up well and that carelessness had led to severe complications.  I don't think Andy would ever trust another doctor besides the one we had.  For Peter's C-Section, I was awake.  There were two surgeons there and the other one actually commented on how perfectly stitched I had been.  He looked over to Dr. Froerer and asked, "Did you do this?"  My doctor acknowledged that he had and was again complimented on his work.  Andy was always amazed that he would come in at 3:00 in the morning, after Christmas, and take care of his patient rather than leaving me to the on-call doctor.  He did a great job and gave us a beautiful little boy who we have enjoyed an amazing eight years with!  I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life loving this amazing child of mine.

Read my tribute to my eight year old Ammon here.