Ammon's Birthday Party (Four Months Late)

I am terrible about throwing parties for my kids birthdays.

This year I promised myself I would do it.

Ammon's birthday is the day after Christmas.

A party totally didn't happen.

So I decided to do it a month later.

That didn't happen either.

I kept meaning to do it, but I never did.

One day Ammon and I were driving.

We were talking about the importance of obedience.

He had mentioned that he loved me.

I explained that I didn't FEEL like he loved me when he was disobedient.

I asked what made him FEEL loved.

He said, "If you give me a birthday party."

It just about broke my heart in two.

I really, really, really meant to!

I just hadn't done it yet.

And so once again I was resolved to throw a party for him.

Only  to have it delayed over and over again.

Then I looked at the calendar and realized it was time to throw Peter a birthday party.

I knew I couldn't do a party for Peter, when I hadn't done one for Ammon yet.

That is how he ended up having a party in April - exactly one week before Peter's birthday.

We had a Power Rangers Samurai theme.

We made swords for everyone and let them lose in the backyard.

Then we had training boot camp.

My husband taught the kids some kicks, punches, and blocks.

After they were properly trained, we had a board breaking demo.

It was a last minute addition to the party.

My husband got some boards and did some breaks with punches and kicks.

Then he took some bricks out to the yard and punched them too.

The kids all swarmed around him and took home pieces of boards for souvenirs.

Apparently the demos were the talk of the town for days and even weeks to come.

After the entertainment, we had a BBQ dinner.

Then we wrapped it up with the traditional presents, cake and icecream.

It was exhausting, but I think we met our goal:

Ammon felt loved.

Leadership In Me - Think Win Win

The boys school has an awesome Leadership in Me program.

Each month they work on a different one of Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Successful People.

This past month focused on thinking "win/win".

Really, I think this is Ammon's favorite skill of the bunch.

He has been a natural at this ever since he was super young.

When he was little he wouldn't always say he was hungry and that he wanted an apple.

He would suggest, "We have too many apples..."
And leave it to me to determine how to solve the problem.

"Ammon, would you like to eat an apple?"
Of course, the answer would be yes!

He was AMAZING at always creating a scenario 

where it would benefit ME to suggest that he do exactly what HE wanted to do...

Anyway, that isn't exactly the winwin philosophy, but I think it's related.

The award was presented by Ammon's teacher, Mrs. Douglass.

We love her!

His principle was in charge of the assembly.

I don't know him well, but the kids adore him so I assume he is doing something right.

Peter and I were so happy to clap for Ammon and be there to support him.

Peter even took a picture of me with Ammon.

I sure am proud of my boys.

(Peter received the Leadership in Me award earlier this year.)

Pinewood Derby

This year was our first pinewood derby.

It was actually a major catalyst in Andrew's decision to accept a new schedule at work.

Working nights required him to miss the pack meeting every month.

But we knew he would take time off to make it to the pine wood derby.

We realized his new shift would require him to use vacation hours for certain Saturday events.

Then we realized he already had to do that.

Nothing lost in that aspect of the change, and other things were gained.

So we made the change in his schedule and we LOVE it.

Andrew took his responsibilities very seriously in helping Ammon get ready for the race.

They sat down together and designed a beautiful and sleek racing car.

They headed to Grandpa's house to use his saws and got it cut.

They went to the store together where Ammon selected his paint and decals.

Andrew supervised while Ammon did several coats of paint.

The wheels were added and then the stickers.

After it was built, we realized we had some flaws in the design.

The cut of the car had left very thin areas where the wheels needed to attach.

As a result, the wheels were a bit crooked.

Also, the car was cut so slim that there was little room for internal weights.

They could have added weights to the top, but Andrew didn't want to.

We didn't really care if Ammon won first place.

But both Andrew and I were so worried at the thought the he might come in last.

Our car looked pretty awesome,

but we knew it had some major weaknesses that would impact performance.

So, the morning before the derby, Andrew set out to help Ammon make a new car.

It was a crazy day because he worked his job until 8:00 at night Monday night.

Then he turned around and left the house at 7:00 the next morning - only to get home around 6:00.

The pinewood derby was scheduled to start at 7:00.

It was hectic, but we were able to get the new car made.

Just before the race started, the guy asked if anyone used the white powder.

I didn't know anything about powder, but Andrew was on top of it and had gotten some for Ammon's car.

It helps make the wheels spin better, I guess.

Well, we had used the white powder.

The guy said it was junk.

He said that anyone who wants to powder their car has to do it before the racing starts.

So we went and put some black powder on top of the white powder not thinking much more of it.

Then the race began.

They rolled four cars at a time.

Two of them (belonging to brothers) didn't even cross the line.

A quick review revealed that they had used the white powder.

The guy had them go douse them in the black powder as much as possible.

My heart sank.

We had put some black powder over the white, but was it enough?

No, it wasn't.

Race after race, Ammon's car came in dead last.

Ammon was heartbroken - he had been so proud of his car.

Andrew was devestated - he had worked so hard to avoid this very scenario.

It was sad to watch.

After each race, I had Ammon come sit with me on my lap.

We had whispered conversations about it being OK to lose.

We had hugs and kisses.

He was so sad, but he handled himself well.

I could see that he wanted to cry or even throw a big fit.

But he didn't.

The guy running the race was great about making it fun and not about winning.

But it was still hard for Ammon to come in dead last.

I don't know if anyone else even realized that he lost every single time.

But he did.

It was a hard night, because we knew it was just that stupid powder.

In fact, the third place winner was one of those cars that didn't even make it on his first run.

If only we had known!!!

But we finished the races, went out for ice-cream and all was forgotten.

Well, all the sadness was forgotten.

I think I will always remember being so proud of my boy - 

Who stayed strong in the midst of disappointment.

He never gave up hope and he stuck with it until the end.

Sometimes bad things happen.

There is nothing that can be done to change the situation.

It can really stink and just not be any fun.

But whether or not you can control the situation, you can always control your response.

I felt like Ammon was able to learn that lesson this year.

If even just a little bit.

And that is what I loved most about the pinewood derby.

I'm so proud of my boy!

A Day in Pictures - Turning 9

Enjoying a special birthday breakfast made with love by Dad - chocolate chip pancakes.

I know this picture has bad lighting, but I love the expression on Peter's face.

Ammon LOVED his new electronic kit.  He whipped through the first 10 projects in a matter of minutes.  (There are more than 300 to do.)

Two of my favorite people!

Peter was DEVASTATED when he didn't get to go out for Ammon's special birthday lunch with Grandpa Derrick.  We decided to make him a special lunch at home.

Adorable cousins!

Ammon received a megazord for Christmas.  Little did the adults know that there are MORE zords it can join with.  He knew what he was doing when he picked out his Birthday present from Grandpa Derrick!

It worked out so nicely that my sister and her family were at my parents house for dinner.  We were able to sing and have cupcakes and presents and once again Ammon had a "party" in spite of his derelict mother...

Hand and Foot.

Nothing like family card games!

Enjoying Ammon's new game from Grandma Laurel

From Father to Son

For some reason, watching Andrew teach our son to mow the lawn really touched me.

It was a beautiful afternoon.

The weather was perfect.

Ammon was blissfully happy learning to operate the lawn mower.

And I felt extremely blessed to have such a wonderful family.

My little boy is growing up.

But that's OK because he has a wonderful Dad to help him learn how to become a man.

And at eight years old one of the best lessons in manhood is learning how to mow the lawn.

2nd Grade Concert

Ammon spent two years at Indian Hills Elementary.

It has been a wonderful school.

For the second grade program they were "habitat hero's".

They sang all about taking care of the earth and the animals.

It was fun to see Ammon.

He is a very deliberate child.

Where it was intended for children to get into the music and sometimes dance, he would take it very seriously and work very hard to get the steps "right".

As always, he interacts with the world more through thinking (or over-thinking) than just by being.

I also spent this whole night thinking about how much Ammon reminds me of my brother David.

I came away thinking it must be in his expressions.

I have been seeing glimpses of David in Ammon for a few years now.

But no one else really does.

Seeing him on stage, with certain looks on his face and reactions to things, I thought that was it.

But looking at these pictures now, I see David in that profile shot.

I am always bursting with pride at my sweet Ammon boy.

I love him so very much!

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.

Ammon's Birth Story Part 1

A few weeks before Christmas my sister called me in a panic - "Are you having this baby before Christmas or after?  You have to decide now!"  At the time it was really unknown, but I uncertainly replied, "Probably after."  Good thing it worked out the way I told her.  I don't know if she ever would have forgiven me otherwise...

I was born five weeks early.  As I started thinking of pregnancy in my own life I kind of thought my mom did it right.  I heard those last few weeks were brutal, and I ended up quite healthy, so why not have a baby way before the due date?  It seemed brilliant and it is what I always hoped for.  At least it was what I hoped for until  I got pregnant and found out that my due date was January 11.  Having a December birthday myself, I decided that I wanted to get that poor kid a birthday as far after Christmas as possible.  In fact, there was a part of me willing to go LATE for the cause.  Throughout my entire pregnancy, that was my goal - get as close to the due date as I can.

Other than anemia and sheer misery (haha), my pregnancy was uneventful until Thanksgiving.  We ate dinner and were sitting around after visiting when my Aunt commented on my swollen ankles.  We looked down to see my feet looking unbelievably HUGE.  We went into the Women's Center where they had me take home a 24 hour urine sample over the weekend and go back for an appointment on the following Wednesday.  On Saturday I went to work.  I was the only person in my department trained on a certain responsibility and we were in the process of hiring two new people for me to train.  After telling my co-workers about the holiday excitement my manager panicked and said that I need to teach the new people how to do my job before I got so sick that I couldn't work.  I was shocked at the implication and naively said that I'd be there for several more weeks.  That was my last day working for UPS.

When we had been in the Women's Center on Thanksgiving, I was told to take things easy, and to especially stay in bed if I had unusual headaches or other such symptoms.  The headaches came, and I worried.  I called in sick on Monday and Tuesday.  On Wednesday I went to the doctor, and after reviewing test results he put me on an official bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy.  He started talking about the possibility of delivering early and prepared me for the idea that we would probably have the baby a week or two early.

As time went on, we decided to cash in on that tax break and scheduled an induction for the last week of December instead of the first week of January.  Kara had just started dating Dale and didn't want us to have Ammon on the 27th, 30th or 31st because it would conflict with her birthday, her future husbands birthday, and her future sister-in-laws birthday.  We settled on the 29th.

For these final weeks, I was going in to the doctor and getting non-stress tests done three times a week.  Up to this point, Andy had been with me to every doctor appointment.  We finally decided that these were coming too frequently and were too routine to worry about him coming with me.  So on December 23rd I went alone.

Of course the one time I went without my husband would be the time they decide to worry.  The nurse moved me into labor and delivery and we waited for the doctor to come review my information.  They started talking about the idea that they might just keep me and deliver the baby right then and there!  Ultimately the doctor explained that they had three options.  The first was to deliver the baby immediately, but he was worried because the baby was a boy and boys lungs develop more slowly than girls.  He said if I was having a girl, he would take that option.  With a boy  he said the second option was to give a steroid to  help the lungs develop and then deliver the baby immediately.  But he really didn't want to give a steroid if it wasn't absolutely necessary.  And so he opted for the third option.  Send me home for two more days and deliver on the third.  He felt like those three days could make enough of a difference in the development of the baby that he would feel comfortable delivering without steroids.

On Christmas of 2003 we spent time at the homes of both of our parents.  In the early evening we headed home and finished last minute preparations.  Then, we headed to the hospital anticipating the arrival of our first child mid-morning the next day.

Read more about Ammon's Birth here.

Giving Thanks - Day 2

Today I am grateful for little hands.  I was walking, hand in hand, with Peter this morning as we went to drop him off at preschool.  The feeling of his cold little hand in mine was so perfect!  I realized that his hands won't always be that small.  In fact, there will come a day when his hands will be larger than mine.  And I will be grateful for those hands too.  

My children are growing much faster than I sometimes want them to.  And there are fewer of them than I ever would have dreamed.  My mom had twelve years from her oldest to youngest child - she was mothering children in ALL phases of childhood for a LONG time.  I never would have thought that I would have such a tiny 3 1/2 year window from start to finish with each and every childhood phase.  I was so disappointed when my kids were spread so "far apart" from each other, but now I am just so glad that it isn't going even more quickly!  I'm so grateful for that gap that once seemed so huge, and now seems so small.  This morning, I kissed Ammon at the bus stop to wish him a happy day.  A part of me wondered if he was getting too old for that.  Imagine my delight when he hugged me back.  I guess he's not too old for that yet!  

My boys are so very precious to me.  I love them because they are them, and I love them because they are mine.  It is such a joy to see how they grow and develop.  I'm proud of who they are becoming.  But for today, I'm grateful that they are small.

Ammon Starts 2nd Grade

My boys are growing up way too fast.

This year Ammon started 2nd grade.

We had a fun summer, but he was happy to be back in school

He had new clothes.

And a new backpack.

And lots and lots of friends to go to school with.

After school Gramma Peggy made a surprise visit and offered to take us out to lunch.

Ammon surprised us by NOT getting off the bus.

The next 40 minutes was a bit nerve-wracking as we tried to figure out where he was.

Andrew rushed to the school to see if he was there.

Peggy and I stayed home in case he magically show up.

Once Andrew discovered that Ammon was NOT at school, the office people contacted the bus depot.

From there, the bus drivers were contacted.

The bus drivers had realized Ammon was on the wrong bus and had met up with each other.

He was transferred back to the correct bus and then brought home.

Andrew got this information just in time to call me and have me run out to meet the bus.

Ammon was seemed a little uneasy but ultimately was no worse for wear.

We headed off to Red Robin and had a great meal.

All Ammon wanted to do was READ the books he had gotten from the school library.

Being back in school suits him - he loves to read and is great at math.

And he has never had another problem with the bus.

Five Stitches

You know I was distracted when I don't have pictures to show.  The same night Peter learned to ride his two-wheeler, Ammon was out on his bike.  Unfortunately, Ammon crashed and we had our first experience taking a child to the Emergency Room.  I heard what sounded like it could be Ammon hurt just outside my window.  But knowing Andrew was out there, I wasn't too concerned - until Andrew called out, "Jenny, I need your help!"

I went out to see what was wrong and found Ammon on the ground with several children surrounding him.  Andrew said, "He cut his leg and it's so deep I can see his bone."

The first thing I pictured was an accident I remember from my days in elementary school.  There was a boy who tripped on a sprinkler head and broke his ankle.  The broken bone punctured through his skin and stuck out of his leg.  The whole thing was very gruesome.  Picturing that, I was surprised to break through the crowd and find Ammon there with very little evidence of a problem.  He had a gash about an inch or so long on his shin.  It really wasn't even bleeding.  But as I peered into it I could see that there was something white and I realized that it was deep enough that Ammon probably did need to get into the hospital.

Andrew ran to his car to get his first responder kit.  He wanted to clean and bandage it, but Ammon was in pain and we are about three minutes away from the hospital, so I told him to just get Ammon some Tylenol and then take him to the ER.  (Later I was told that cleaning it would have been the right thing to do.)  I stayed home with Peter while Andrew took Ammon to the Emergency Room at Primary Children's Hospital.  Within moments of arriving, Ammon was happily playing with the Lego's in the waiting room.  He got called back fairly quickly and was given five stitches.  Andrew said that they considered giving him a sedative to help him stay calm and still during the stitches, but Andrew encouraged them to just explain in detail what they were doing.  He was confident that Ammon would stay still if he just knew what was happening.  They compromised by having the sedative on hand, but went ahead without it.  Andy said the staff was all amazed and impressed with how good Ammon was through the procedure.

Ammon came home happy as a clam.  I tried to take some video of him, but he was so distracted with the thrill of the adventure, and the new "toy" he received from the doctor.  A week later I took Ammon back to get the stitches removed and now he just has a big scab on his leg.  I don't think we could have asked for an easier "emergency" than what we got.  Over seven years into parenting with this being our worst story to tell - this experience is leaving me feeling pretty lucky.

Ammon's New Bike

After missing for several weeks, Ammon's bike finally resurfaced.

Unfortunately, a neighbor was insistent that she bought it at DI.

We decided that the easiest solution was to get him a new bike - and keep it LOCKED up.

Andrew and Ammon headed off to the store - it was Ammon's first time picking out a bike.

Somewhere along the lines Ammon picked up on the idea that this was an unexpected expense.
And so my cute little seven year old selected the cheapest bike.
The only problem was that he has always wanted a bike with a hand break.
It is the only feature that is really important to him.
And this low-end model didn't have one.

Andy took a few minutes to discuss Ammon's selection with him.
Finally he realized why Ammon was so adamant about getting a bike that wasn't what he really wanted.
He said it took several more minutes to convince Ammon that, as the Dad,
 he wanted to spend the extra $15 to get the upgraded version,
which had the very prized hand break.

Ammon came home, grinning from ear to ear.
He LOVES his new bike.

The next evening we had a spontaneous slumber party at my sister's house.
After a fun breakfast with the crew, Ammon and Carolyn headed outside for some biking adventures.
Ammon climbed the huge dirt pile and sped down the side.
Often he would sit at the top for several minutes, mustering up the courage.
But he was brave and had a blast.

Peter, Isaiah and Kylie enjoyed calmer, indoor activities like building blocks.

All Day Long

The day after getting his SEVERAL Lego sets, Ammon woke up eager to get them built.

He barely took a bite of his breakfast before he was dumping legos onto the table.

I caught him as he was dumping the third set and stopped him from adding the fourth.

We did our best to sort the third one back out,

and so he began his project with only two sets blended together.

He built, and built, and built.

ALL DAY LONG.

We had friends come visit.

But he didn't stop.

I had to force him to eat lunch.

He got the first one done, then the second and even the third.

He finished the fourth set and then it was time.

The fifth and last set - Headquarters - was the biggest one of all.

He kept working:

Seven hours, eight hours, NINE HOURS.

After nine hours of non-stop building, he knocked something over and part of headquarters caved in.

So, before I knew what had happened, he had taken everything apart.

And decided to start over the next day.

Extending the Day

Pictures taken December 28, 2010

Andy's mom has a phrase that I have come to love.

When there are birthdays and holidays she often says that we will "extend the day".

And so, two days after Ammon's birthday, Grandma and Grandpa came by to do just that.

(Truthfully, they were there to babysit.)

But, since they were coming, they brought a party with them.

Grandma and Grandpa Shadel showed up with cake, ice cream AND presents!

Earlier in the day Ammon received a call asking what kind of cake he would like.

The question was meant to determine chocolate vs vanilla or something like that.

The answer:

A Transformer cake.

Ammon is lucky to have such an accommodating Grandma.

He was thrilled with the cake that came.

This is the first year I have really seen the benefit to having a birthday right after Christmas.

Grandma and Grandpa remedied Santa's mistake.

The presents they brought were more Legos!

(Ammon literally spent nine straight hours the next day building the different sets he got.)

Andy and I weren't here, but I understand that the evening went great.

The boys even did a good job going to bed for Grandma and Grandpa.

Often when we are putting Ammon and Peter to bed I want Peggy and Derrick to come back.

Bedtime just doesn't always go so well for us.

Thanks Peggy and Derrick!

We appreciate you.