Camping...Priceless

I had a chance to take the girls camping last week. It was a short trip, but it was such a great experience. I do not know if it was just being able to spend time with the kids or the memories of being together camping as a kid, but it was very meaningful to me. It was so fun and was a beautiful area.

When we found this turtle, Miss Shelly Sandy Tortoise Grubbs, Hallie said it was a blessing that my bike tire popped or we would not have seen the turtle.

I hope we don't kill this little turtle, but it has already been a blessing to us. It has been so much fun to have a new pet.

We don't even have to let it out at night.

Camping with Dad- Surprise for Mom

Trevor found out yesterday that he got today off so he took the girls camping last night. They had a great trip and came home with a new friend.

Oh HAPPY Day!!!

Campbell was about 2 weeks old when we knew something was really wrong. He was so fussy and appeared to be in pain a lot. He would grunt and groan and cry most the day and night. Then one day I was changing a dirty diaper and noticed blood. That's when we realized he had a dairy protein allergy and I (I was nursing him) had to go off of ALL dairy. If I so much as ate one chocolate chip Campbell would get sick. It was hard and I never believed I could do it but I nursed him dairy-free for 8 months.

Sometimes kids outgrow this allergy but every time we tried to give him a little dairy (we only tried 1-2 times because it hurt him so much) he would have a reaction. Well, I gave Cam some cheese a few days ago and nothing happened, I tried again the next day and still nothing... dare I hope?!? It's been 5 days with a little bit of dairy everyday and still no reaction!!!!!! I'm so happy. No more soy milk and dairy-free butter (yes, there is such a thing). No more making a separate dinner for Campbell every night. No more reading the hundreds of labels on food to make sure they are safe for him. And best of all Campbell finally gets to enjoy cheese, milk, chocolate, ice cream, yogurt etc.

Oh Happy Day!!!!

Hallie's interview on her school's "Newscast"

Yea, she's pretty much famous.

Construction begins on our new room!

We've been working really hard on our new room... okay mostly Trevor's been working really hard (he calls me Vanna White because I stand there and hand him things) but make no mistake, those huge beams didn't get up there by themselves (my shoulders have the bruises to prove it!)

This has been quite the process and we want to document the progress on our blog so we will have it to look back on (plus I know my fam loves this kind of stuff- hi fam!).

Anyway, this idea to build a room over our garage started months ago because we only
have 3 bedrooms and a large garage with a big empty attic.

First thing we cut a hole in our wall (where the door will go to the new room) big enough to crawl through but small enough to patch if we decided it was not worth it. Once we did all of the measuring we fount that in order to make it tall enough we had to build the floor lower than the attic was so the next step was to tear out all of the drywall (I know- crazy!) in the garage and start building our floor with 24 ft long I-beams.
This is a picture looking up from the garage after we took out the dry wall.


Here we are now, we have half of the floor in and it is getting exciting since getting the floor in has been quite the challenge! We still have a lot to do so we will keep posting updates but we hope to be finished by this fall and then we will need some volunteers to come try out our new guest bedroom. Any volunteers?

Tapping into my crafty side... it's been neglected for way too long!

I've decided one of the reasons I have felt so worn out (okay, and onery) lately is because I haven't done anything creative for a long time so watch out because I'm pulling out my paint, sander, and scrapbook paper... let the projects begin!

I painted this bathroom my favorite color green several months ago and added these mirrors that I originally painted white but still wanted more color and didn't know how to add it. Then my sis finished her mirrors like this with cute red paper and I thought I would do what I do best and copy her!

I just painted the mirror's frame brown, cut out some scrapbook paper, and mod podged it on. Anyway, I think it is so fun and it was so easy!!!

Any Biggest Loser Fans out there?

Last nights Biggest Loser was AWESOME! I was screaming when Kelly and Ali got the highest % of weight lost! They rock!

I can't help but be a little sad that Dan was kicked off, he was fun to watch but I rolled my eyes (yet again) as they did their "pride shout". It makes me laugh that these 4 guys think they are so cool and yet they are attacking these 2 now-little girls, how macho is that? They are a bunch of bullies if you ask me and I really hope a woman wins!! PLEASE!!

So Kelly and Ali, I'm rooting for you! Don't let those boys get to you and don't let me down!

Happy Easter!

Our Easter Books

We wanted to help the girls understand the importance of Easter and Christ's resurrection more this year so we started last Sunday and every night we read about some of the things Christ did before His resurrection and after we read we would draw a picture of what we read. I just wanted to share some of those drawings.

This is a picture Megan drew of Jesus cleansing the temple and this second one Hallie drew of Christs triumphal entrance into Jerusalem.

Megan and Hallie drew these pictures of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And Hallie drew this one this morning.

Happy Birthday Hallie-Bug

Hallie celebrated her 7th birthday a few days ago. Wow, she is getting so big. I just wanted to take a minute and share some things about Hallie.

First some funny stories:

~When Hallie was 2 she had some m&ms and was playing in a room with our little dog Belle. After a few minutes she came out of the room in tears and said, "Belle ate my m&ms. Me said 'NO!' Belle said 'Yes, Yes, Yes!'' That's when we first learned that Belle could talk.

~ When Hallie was 10months old we were watching TV and I started singing loudly and emphatically :) to a commercial that came on. I remember Hallie looked at me with a very puzzled expression then promptly took her binky out of her mouth and stuck it in mine. ...Message recieved.

Hallie is the sweetest and most thoughtful little girl I have ever known. She is always thinking about other peoples feelings. Hallie is very sensitive in many ways. I have to be very careful with my tone of voice at our house. My "yelling" (as Hallie calls it) is really just talking in a lower tone of voice and that is traumatic enough for Hallie. If anyone (including her new soccer coach or the lifeguard at the YMCA) actually "yells" at her you can count on at least an hour of tears and sadness. She doesn't understand why anyone could do something so mean.

Hallie wants to do what is right. She is quick to point out the warning signs on the grocery cart if Megan or some other kid is riding on the cart improperly. She is a rule keeper which is great when your her mother.

She is also sensitive to the spirit. She has always been.

~I remember when she was 3 years old she was laying in bed and she said, "The other night I felt my heart right here (pointing to her chest) and it felt warm and I think it was the Holy Ghost talking to me."

~Another time when she was 4 Hallie woke up in the middle of the night with a tummy ache. I gave her some Tylenol then headed back to bed. When I got in my room I could hear her little voice on the baby monitor. I turned up the monitor and listened as Hallie prayed to her Heavenly Father to help her tummy to feel better, it was a sweet experience for me.


Hallie is a great helper. She loves to help me clean (I know, I'm enjoying it while it lasts!) and to help in any motherly way possible (my dad calls it "big sister syndrome" the need to "help" the younger siblings).

She is a lot like me in so many ways and yet stronger and better than I think I was at her age. She is going to be a wonderful mother some day. But for now she is my little girl, my little 7-year-old girl and I so blessed to call her mine.

Happy Birthday Hallie!

When I got my hair cut

I got my hair cut today!! It was very fun! Now it's up to my chin it is very very short now it will be fun to have very short hair!!! I donated my hair to locks of love and they are going to make a wig out of my hair. I'm glad I did it cause it was lots of fun!!!!! I hope they like their new wig.


Kathryn's comments: Hallie is loving herself with short hair. I can't get her to leave the mirror! On the way home from the salon she said, "Everyone's going to be so astonished (yes, she said astonished), they might even faint!" And to make things even more exciting tomorrow is her birthday. She is one happy little girl and that makes for one happy mommy.
P.S. This post is dedicated to Trevor who is working tonight but couldn't wait to see the new do.

He's always watching.

We've given Meg a complex.
I think we may have emphasized the principle that Jesus is always with us and watching us too much. Yesterday (and again this morning) Megan had to go potty and was convinced that -"Heavenly Father and all the people in heaven are going to watch me."
We stood there (well, I stood while Megan did the potty dance) for 5 minutes while I tried to convince her that nobody in heaven was going to watch her go potty.
I'm pretty sure my explanation was not scripturally sound... "Ummm Heavenly Father is always watching you... except for when you go potty."
I fear that I am really messing my kids up.

Conversations over dinner

Hallie is an animal lover. She is not currently a vegetarian but she has considered it. This was our conversation tonight over dinner.


Hallie- "Megan this is an animal."
Megan- "What kind of animal?"
Hallie- "It is a chicken, you know, like a hen."
Megan- "Oooh... but, I like chickens."
Hallie- "The chicken wants a life, it wants to learn. It doesn't want to 'peep, peep'... KILL!"
Megan- "... How does Heavenly Father kill the chickens?"


This conversation reminded me of many conversations we had a few years ago when Hallie first discovered that we eat animals. We were eating steak and she asked me what it was and where it came from. I made the mistake of being totally honest and she was horrified. She still will not eat steak. Megan witnessed all of these conversations and I remember one day at preschool Megan and I were playing in the little kitchen with the plastic food and I said, "Megan will you make me a hamburger?" She said, "That is not a hamburger. It's dead cow."

Last weeks snowstorm

Last week we had record snow here (everyone we talked to said it had been 10 years since they last saw this much snow)
School was cancelled (for the 5th time this year) and the kids had a blast playing in the fresh powdery snow. They built this snow fort and a snowman and went sledding with the neighbors which I hear was awesome (I stayed home with Cam). It was fun to get a good snowstorm. Now, it is time for Spring!

Yummy

Megan must be growing because she is constantly eating lately. The other day she asked me if she could look under the stairs (where we keep our food storage) for something to eat. I turned on the light for her and went about doing other things. A few minutes later I walked in the kitchen to find Megan with a huge bottle of canola oil on the table. She said, "Mom, I want to have this." I said, "Megan, that isn't something you drink, it's oil." "YUM" she said.

Yet another Tag

I was tagged with this one several weeks ago...whoops


1. How long have you been together? We met on July 3rd, 1999, almost 9 years ago
2.How old is he? Trev turned 30 today! We are getting so old ;)
3.How old are you? 29
4.Who eats more? Trevor, but I have recently realized (from having dinners with friends) that we both eat a whole lot more than the average person!!!!
5. Who said “I love you” first? Trevor, the night he found out I was waiting for a missionary (who was coming home soon).
6. Who is taller? hmmm... Trevor
7. Who sings better? hmmmm....Me
8. Who is smarter? If Trevor is not smarter then the UofU owes us A LOT of money!!!!
9. Who does the laundry? Me
10. Who does the dishes? Me
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Is this if you are facing the bed or if you are laying in the bed ?????? I'm just asking.
12. Who pays the bills? Both of us do- reluctantly.
13. Who mows the lawn? Most the time it's Trevor.
14. Who cooks dinner? Mostly me although Trevor is famous at our house for his "mac and cheese surprise". Trevor does make breakfast on the weekends, if he is home.
15. Who is more stubborn? Well, it is certainly NOT me!!!
16. Who kissed whom first? Trevor kissed me for the first time (also on the night I told him about the missionary). I think he was a little anxious to let me know his intentions (bring it on!)now that there was some competition.
17. Who asked whom out? Trevor asked me out on our first date. We were at a party and he was flirting with my friends (which was fine with me- my missionary was almost home) then all of the sudden he stood up and walked across the room to me (we were all in a circle playing a game) and said, "Will you go out with me next Sat?" Needless to say, my friend wasn't very happy but Trevor later told me that he "felt like" he was supposed to ask me out.
18. Who proposed? Trevor proposed to me on BYU campus where his dad proposed to his mom.
19. Who is more sensitive? Trevor is more sensitive to peoples feelings, that is why everybody likes him I think. I'm learning from him.
20. Who has more friends? We are both blessed with lot's of great friends.
21. Who has more siblings? Trevor and I both come from families of 5 kids so I guess this one is a tie.

Now, for your amusement, some wedding photos... yes, I was a blonde and yes Trevor was a twig.

It's been 30 years in the making.

Happy Birthday Trevor!

A poem for you...

Thirty years ago today,

You were tiny, and cute and had little to say.

You grew to be an active toe-headed boy,

Your three sisters- you loved to annoy.

The older you grew the more trouble you made,

and it didn't help when you hung out with Wade.

But, a nice young man you turned into,

and all your dreams you began to pursue.

Then into a party walks a bleached-blond girl,

let's just say she sent your mind into a whirl.

Marriage, children, and off to med school,

Gone are the days of tanning by the pool.

Off to Kentucky and off to "room 9",

wondering what kind of trauma you'll find.

So 30 years now, three kids and a wife,

Is this how you imagined your life? ;)

So happy to have you as a husband and father to our beautiful kids. You are stronger and better than anyone (including you) knows. How did I get so lucky?

We love you so much Trevor!

Happy Birthday!!!

P.S. Megan asked me today how old you are. I said, "30" and she said, "Oh, he's going to die soon." heehee

Everybodies doing it

Hallie and Megan want in on the fun and now have their own blogs.
It's been fun so far, they can write their own posts and post their artwork etc.
We are keeping their blogs private so email me if you want an invite at kathrynsphotography@gmail.com.

Finding Megan's Voice

I've debated about writing a post on this because I think it is very dangerous to label a child but, I've had a lot of people ask me about Megan and I think it might help people understand her better and know how to interact with her.

We believe that Megan has what they call "Selective Mutism" which is an anxiety disorder where the child is so afraid of social situations that she can't physically speak. She talks up a storm at home and with her close (little) friends but as soon as someone out of that circle (even her friend's parents and some relatives) approaches her and tries to engage in conversation ("Hi Megan, how are you?") she freezes and won't say a word. When we are in public places she will talk to me if she believes no one else is listening/ paying attention to her but as soon as someone smiles at her or says hi she goes silent.

Basically is boils down to social anxiety and a big part of the treatment is to try to take the anxiety out of social situations and take the pressure away from Megan to speak as much as possible. They say to tell people to talk to Megan but not ask her direct questions ("Hi Megan, it is so nice to see you today."). Smile at her and show love and acceptance for her and not pressure her to respond to you. The idea is that if she feels safe (loved and accepted without needing to speak) that the anxiety will eventually go away and she will speak in those "safe" environments. I'm also learning that she needs to have more social experiences (anyone up for a playdate?). So, I guess that means we need to get out more. ;)

I signed her up for kindergarten this week and I am nervous but I feel like the Lord will guide us to the right people. She needs a teacher who will just love her into talking and not pressure her to perform or put her on the spot. I think if she has a great teacher and just one great friend in her class she will be okay.

I'm understanding more the depths of love a mother has for her children with this experience with Megan. I'm so worried but at the same time I have a feeling of strength and courage when it comes to fighting for what is best for Megan, for all of my children. Megan is such a blessing in our family, she makes us smile.

Random

-Thanks for the tips on cleaning my shirt. I think the stain is gone (it's not completely dry yet so I'm not positive, but it definitely looks better!)

-Hallie's prayer today, "Please help Daddy to do good at work. Please help me to have fun at school. And please help Mommy and Megan and Campbell to find something to do at home." HAHA!!

-Megan got her kindergarten shots Tuesday, all 4 of them. She flexed her muscles so hard when they gave the shots that it hurts to walk now. Her thighs are red and swollen, poor kid ...ouch!

-I've decided I have been blessed with the dearest friends. I've started a type of "gratitude journal" and I have yet to have a day that I haven't felt the Lord's love in my life through the blessing of friends. The good women that have come into my life are proof that my Father in Heaven is aware of me and loves me.

-It's official, Trevor started cutting sheet rock to get above the garage and start the new room. When I look at the big hole in our wall (and another one in our garage!) I feel a little sick but in our 8 years of marriage I've learned that Trevor can accomplish anything he sets his mind to... I just hope he gets it done before residency is over ;)

-If I catch Campbell with dog food in his mouth one more time I'm going to scream. "How many times do I have to tell you guys to shut the door to the laundry room?!?"

HELP

I spilled vegetable oil on one of my FAVORITE shirts and I can't get the stain out!
I need your ideas please!!

Auntie Kim comes to Kentucky

We had a very short but nice visit from Trevor's sister Kim last week. Hallie and Megan loved playing Sorry and Chutes and Ladders with her (over and over again)



We also enjoyed a girls night including ice cream, painting nails, and a chick flick.
And of course we had to pay a visit to the GAP clearance center where I found this hat for 99cents, it was worth the drive just for that. :)


Thanks for the visit Kim. Come again soon!

I recently read this quote and wanted to share it.

"If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full-blown blitz on women. I would keep them so distraught and distracted that they would never find the calming strength and serenity for which their gender has always been known." -Patricia Holland

Another tag

Whoops, I've been tagged two more times and just found out. Luckily for you they were the same thing so here it is...

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: That's a tricky one. Definitely my hubby and my sis at the top of the list.
C-Cake or Pie: Pie, pumpkin pie to be exact.
D- Day of Choice: I love friday! Spin class with the girls! And I get to go to bed without setting my alarm clock and dreading the early morning.
E- Essential Item (s): Wet wipes, chapstick, hand cream, and stretchy pants.
F- Favorite Color: green, any shade except forest green (it's so 90's)
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummy bears
H- Hometown: West Point, Utah but I also grew up in Indiana, Germany and Texas.
I- Indulgence(s): Almond dipped chocolate ice cream bar at Costco, Mmmmmm.
J- January or July: Depends on where I live.... But, if I must choose, then July.
K-Kids: 6 year-old girl, 4 year-old girl and 1 year-old boy
M- Marriage Date: December 29,1999
N- Number of Siblings: 3 brothers and 1 sista
O- Oranges or Apples: gala apples
P- Phobias or Fears: stage fright, snakes, stomach flu (yep, I'm scared of it)
Q- Quote(s): "Chill out" is a quote I like to use daily ;)
R- Reason To Smile: Campbell's giggle (which cannot be duplicated no matter how hard you try), Hallie's sweet tenderness, Megan's humor (that girl makes me laugh!), and Trevor's desire to make me happy.
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Six: Melissa, Mom (dad can't do it for you ;)), Marlene, Noelle, Emily, Adrienne
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I still wear a retainer at night... 15 years now. My teeth were so crooked I'm scared NOT to where it!
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Where's the beef?
W- Worst Habit: I can't think of even one bad habit ... ;)
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds (I worked in Labor and Delivery when I was pregnant with Hallie and when it was slow I would pull out the ultrasound machine and ultrasound myself! I could just sit and watch my baby forever.)
Y- Your Favorite Food: anything pumpkin
Z: Zodiac: Virgo

Book Tag

Okay, I've been tagged and this is my assignment.

1. Pick up the nearest book (with at least 123 pages)

2. Turn to page 123

3. Find the 5th sentence

4. Post the next three sentences

5. Tag 5 people

(borrowed this book from Lacey, sooo good!!!)

"They were almost dying from walking so long,"the mother told our cameras. "We will share our very last piece of bread with them." That morning , even the children joined in the greeting. The villagers donned their best outfits and danced to the sound of one violin.

"Such an arrangement will give the child access to a talking partner on a far more regular basis than most outside professionals are able to provide. It will be helpful to agree and prioritise the range of people and places to be included in the treatment programme."

I know... sounds boring. This is a big part of my life right now... trying to help Megan.

"After tracing the "u" several times, child is to make 3-5 "u"s. Help child if necessary. For each acceptable letter say- good writing uuuuu."

Wow, this post says a lot about my life right now. I'm consumed with being a mom and I need all the help (and good books) I can get my hands on.

Daddy's Girl on the Res

These pictures of Hallie bring back a lot of memories for me - so I thought I would share them.

It's only cute when you're two.

Happy Birthday Mom!

A big shout out to my mom today!

I wish we could be there to celebrate this special day with you mom.

We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

PS I found this cake on the web, isn't it awesome! I have no idea what GS stands for but we are going to pretend that is stands for "Grandmas Sweet!"...or maybe it says 65... I can't tell.