Update

It’s a breathtakingly gorgeous day today.  The perfect Fall day, the kids have been outside with neighbor kids all day.  We’ve always loved where we live and loved our neighbors, but we haven’t always had a lot of other young kids on our street, and now we have several neighbors with young kids and it’s the best thing ever.  Not only is it wonderful to have happy, occupied kids, but I feel like they’re getting a childhood we thought only kids 30 or 40 years ago g0t.  They run around from yard to yard, building forts, making up games, negotiating their way through the occasional conflict.  I just love those days when none of the kids watch tv, play video games or on the computer – just good old fashioned, wholesome fun.

I am also grateful to be finally getting some relief from three weeks of neck/back and arm pain.  It’s been a long few weeks.  I had been going to physical therapy where they diagnosed me with a muscle strain in my back.  After several weeks of that and still having terrible symptoms, last Thurs. I finally went to a chiropractor.  He took an x-ray and told me the root of the problem was a  pinched nerve in my  neck.  After an adjustment that day my back and neck felt so much better, but my arm was in constant and intense pain.  I went back yesterday and he adjusted me again and for the first time in three weeks I was pain free!  I was hesitant to go to a chiropractor, but I’m SO glad I did.  I have so much empathy for people who live with chronic pain or illness.  I don’t know how they do it!  It’s a terrible feeling to not be able to take care of your kids and basic responsibilities.  I’m so thankful for Brennan and my Dad for giving me a priesthood blessing and for all of Brennan’s help, he’s pulled a lot of extra duty, and my parents helped us out so much at a very busy time for them.

Anna has also been a huge help, watching the little ones for me while I went to physical therapy or chiropractor.  She’s also been really sweet and sympathetic when she could tell I was miserable.   The other night for Family Home Evening, she taught a lesson she’d made at Young Women’s.  It was a really neat object lesson and you should have seen the looks on our kids’ faces.  They were IMPRESSED.  It cracked me up and made me think perhaps we need to step up our usual simple lessons.   Anyway, Anna’s been a little overwhelmed with homework lately, but for the most part still seems to enjoy school.   We’re so grateful for such a sweet, helpful, kind oldest child.  We love Anna.

Abigail is blessed with two darling best friends, Paige and Emily.  They have remarkably little drama and genuinely love and adore each other.   They’re both in our ward too, which makes it really nice.  Whenever she can’t play with Paige or Emily, she’s happy to play with our younger neighbor girls.   She just started piano lessons and I’m so excited for her to be able to love and appreciate music even more in her life.  She’s my right-hand girl, always helping me with Squashy, or tracking down Nate and Ben for me.  We love Abby.

Nate is currently on a basketball team and loving it.  Last week he made his first basket of the season right at the buzzer.  He was so excited.  Tonight he gets to go to an NBA game with Brennan.  He’s still completely obsessed with sports and will talk about them for hours if anyone is willing to listen.  Last week was our primary program and I love to watch Nate sing.  He sings with everything in him.  He’s completely sincere and I have to wonder how many years of that we have left.  I hope a lot, but I’m going to enjoy every chance we have to see him while he’s still not concerned about being too cool.   He is so good to Ben, he sometimes crosses that oh so fine line of playing to teasing or wrestling to hurting with Benny, but can almost always get him to laugh within 30 seconds of his outbursts.  Ben adores Nate, we all do.  We love Nathan.

A few weeks ago, Anna was watching Joshy outside.  She had him in the garage while she searched for something.  She turned her back to him long enough for him to sit on one our plasma cars which he paddles himself forward on with his chubby legs shockingly fast.  He has no fear and went right off the edge of the cliff of our VERY steep driveway.  Ben was down at the bottom of the driveway and saw Joshua and his predicament.  While the older kids watched frozen with fear, Benny sprang into action.  He ran towards Josh and managed to stop the plasma car sending Joshy into the bushes which ended up being a whole lot better than the street, a car or the concrete.    Joshy cried for about 10 seconds and had two little scratches.  That’s just so Ben, he’s always been so dialed in and aware of everyone around him.  Abby and Ben each had a speaking part in our primary program.  I knew Abby would do great, and she did.  I wasn’t sure what Ben would do.  He stood up there and took a look at the huge congregation and smiled.  I could tell he momentarily forgot what he was supposed to say, but one of the teachers prompted him and he did it perfectly, with complete confidence.  We love Benjamin.

The story above is also very telling of Joshua.  The child has NO fear.  If I would let him he would wander off on his own every chance he got, no matter where we are.  He’s not intimidated by strangers or strange places or steep driveways or anything.  He’s such a good-natured, friendly little guy and he has even finally started saying his first word – “uh uh (uh oh)”  He says it a LOT, but we’re not tired of it.  Every morning when he wakes up, we go in to him saying “uh uh” pointing to his binky down on the floor.  He loves animals and makes a funny growl whenever he sees one.  He’s just in the stage of life where every little thing is such an exciting discovery.  How lucky am I to have gotten to discover things like bubbles, ladybugs, airplanes, dogs, etc. right alongside 5 of the cutest kids on earth?  We love Joshua.

We also love our families and friends.  My sister and her husband have been out of town for an entire week and while I’m happy for them, I’ve hated every minute :)  Then my parents went out of town and I’ve realized how spoiled I am to have them both so close.