Today Alex had his second speech therapy session. It was pretty similar to the last one, only this time instead of doing the "th" sound, he did the "sh" sound. He started getting pretty frustrated with that one and felt like he couldn't do it, so he refused to try for a couple of minutes. We did get him to start trying again and he did fairly well with it. He definitely needs to practice more with it, but he'll get there.
I ended up taking Daniel to the doctor this afternoon too. I hadn't been planning on taking him there when we started the day, but decided I should call the doctor this afternoon.
Daniel has been getting kind of a splotchy rash for the past few days. The spots come and go fairly quickly. Some are raised like a bug bite or hives and some are just red splotches. After Katie asked what was going on with him (and after he looked pretty bad this morning after his bath), I decided I should call. They said to bring him in, that it could be from the shots he had last week or it could be from his cold or something else.
When I took him in, I was sure that his splotches would all go away and they'd think I was just being insane. Luckily (or not), that wasn't the case. The nurse noticed them pretty quickly and so did the doctor.
The doctor at first thought he had probably picked up Roseola on top of his cold, but after examining his hands, he said it wasn't that, it was a viral (not contagious) rash caused by his cough and congestion. He called it something that started with a c, but of course I can't remember it. He said they typically last a week or two, so if he hasn't gotten over it within a week to take him back.
So at least it wasn't something that we really have to worry about and it's not something that is bothering him.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday School Lesson #36
So I've decided that since I teach Gospel Doctrine every week, I'm going to try to do a post each week with some of my early thoughts on that week's lesson. The thoughts probably won't be organized very well and will probably ramble quite a bit, but hopefully they will help me begin to get organized as I start to actually get the lesson together. Feel free to skip the post if you'd really rather not read it, since I'm sure they could get a bit lengthy. If you decide to read the post, feel free to add comments with thoughts you've had or questions that come to mind; they could help me organize my thoughts even further and you may have an insight I didn't even think of. Or if you had the lesson already, there might have been something brought up in your class that you think might be good to share.
This week's lesson (covering 3 Nephi chapters 1-7) begins with a fable told by Elder George A. Smith, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I'll just put the story in as he told it, since it is probably clearer that way.
“A man, traveling through the country, came to a large city, very rich and splendid; he looked at it and said to his guide, ‘This must be a very righteous people, for I can only see but one little devil in this great city.’
“The guide replied, ‘You do not understand, sir; this city is so perfectly given up to wickedness, corruption, degradation and abomination of every kind that it only requires one devil to keep them all in subjection.’
“Traveling on a little further he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying to get up the hill side, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse looking devils.
“ ‘Why,’ says the traveller, ‘this must be a tremendously wicked old man, only see how many devils there are around him!’
“ ‘This,’ replied the guide, ‘is the only righteous man in the country and there are seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path and they all cannot do it’ ” (in Deseret News, 11 Nov. 1857, 7:287).
I think it would do well for all of us to consider how many devils it would take to turn us out of our paths.
As a little review, last week's lesson talked about Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy to the Nephites in Zarahemla. He prophesied of the signs of the Savior's birth and told them that they would come in 5 years.
There were basically two groups of Nephites; those who believed Samuel the Lamanite and those who did not. The group who did not believe was the larger of the two groups. The ones who did not believe had decided that the time was past for the sign to be given of the Savior's birth and began to openly mock those who continued to watch for the signs. They even set a date where they would kill those who believed if the sign didn't occur by then.
How hard would it be to remain faithful under those conditions? Imagine yourself going out every evening to watch the setting of the sun, hoping that this would be the night that it would stay light. Your hopes would fall each time the darkness came. And imagine that your next door neighbor was one of the unbelivers; that every night he would watch you go back into your house, a little fallen, and yell out to you, "Give it up! Can't you see that it's not going to happen? Come join us. Think of your children and your family. Are you really willing to let them die because you're holding onto a belief that's so foolish?" Imagine this happening night after night. Would you be tempted to give up hope? I think some of us may be living under these conditions, in a way. We may have people at work, neighbors, friends, even family members who tell us we're being foolish for believing what we do. They may mock us and make fun of us, or even just tell us, "Oh, it's not a bad thing. Why won't you just come with us this once?" (As an aside, last week we talked about Satan being kind of a salesman with only one product to sell: misery. He packages it in ways to make it look desirable. One of those ways is by making it look like something everyone is doing, something that will make us happy. But ultimately, it is just misery. "Just this once" can cause us to buy into Satan's pitch.)
Then imagine that one night you go out and watch the sun go down, but it stays light. Imagine the joy you'd feel as you'd realize that your belief and your hope wasn't all in vain. One day we will all be able to feel that same joy. We will know that our belief and our hope wasn't in vain. It may or may not come in this life, but it will come.
I always think it's interesting what it says first about the unbelievers when they saw the sign. 3 Nephi 1:16 says, "And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand." Their first thought wasn't that they were wrong and that Christ really was coming, it was that their plans were all messed up. They weren't going to be able to get rid of all the believers after all.
They did eventually think of what the sign meant and began to repent and do what was right. Peace came into the land, at least for a little while. It didn't take long before the people began to make excuses for the signs, saying that they were made by men or that it was by the power of the devil, to deceive the people.
President Ezra Taft Benson in referring to the beginning chapters of 3 Nephi said, “The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior’s visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior’s second coming” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 3; or Ensign, May 1987, 4). As we study this part of the Book of Mormon, we can find things that will help us to remain strong and faithful in a world where the majority are living in ways contrary to what we believe. The next few chapters give us some good tips for doing this.
"Lachoneus, the governor, was a just man and could not be frightened" (3 Ne. 3:12). We need to not let fear govern our choices. How would your choices be affected if you made them based on your fear of losing friends or a job? Would it be easy to give in and not remain faithful?
Lachoneus also told the people to cry to the Lord for strength. Prayer can be one of the biggest helpers we have. When we have the strength of the Lord with us, nothing can overcome us.
The people gathered themselves together in the center of their land. As we surround ourselves with others who share our beliefs, we can gain strength from their support. I think it's significant that they gathered in the center of their land. It's much harder to fight Satan on his land than when we are firmly in the right.
They built fortifications and placed guards around to keep watch. What fortifications can we make in our lives? We have the scriptures, the words of modern-day prophets, prayer, service, church activity, etc. All these things can make us stronger and help us resist the temptations that may come. I personally believe that one of the strongest of these is studying the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. As we study the scriptures, we can learn God's will for us and we can feel his Spirit more. Great promises have been given to us as we seriously study the Book of Mormon.
They did all they could to obey the words of their govenor, Lachoneus. As we strive to follow inspired leaders, we will be protected.
They repented of their sins. Last week we talked about how one of the most important steps in repenting is turning to the Lord. We can stop doing things that we're not supposed to do, such as smoking or drinking, and still not repent. It's when we truly humble ourselves and turn to the Lord to align our wills with His that we really gain the blessings that come with repentance. And as we repent, we gain strength to help us resist all temptation.
They were "strong with armor" (3 Ne 3:26). What armor are we commanded to wear? Why is it important to put on the whole armor of God and not just parts of it?
When the Nephites and the righteous Lamanites did all this, they were able to defeat the Gadianton robbers and lived in peace for a while longer. But again, they began to forget and contentions arose and the more part of them fell away. As we read later, the more righteous part of them are the ones who survived the destruction at the coming of the Savior. If they had remained faithful, they would have been able to see Him come and would have been able to hear His words and feel His love.
We are waiting for the coming of the Savior today. While we wait, Satan is going to try to turn us to wickedness as he did the Nephites. Will it take just the one little devil as in the story to make us turn from the path of righteousness or will it take a whole army to try? We can be successful. We can remain on the path. If we find ourselves straying off, we can find the help and the strength and the answers to find our way back, where we will be welcomed with open arms.
This week's lesson (covering 3 Nephi chapters 1-7) begins with a fable told by Elder George A. Smith, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I'll just put the story in as he told it, since it is probably clearer that way.
“A man, traveling through the country, came to a large city, very rich and splendid; he looked at it and said to his guide, ‘This must be a very righteous people, for I can only see but one little devil in this great city.’
“The guide replied, ‘You do not understand, sir; this city is so perfectly given up to wickedness, corruption, degradation and abomination of every kind that it only requires one devil to keep them all in subjection.’
“Traveling on a little further he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying to get up the hill side, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse looking devils.
“ ‘Why,’ says the traveller, ‘this must be a tremendously wicked old man, only see how many devils there are around him!’
“ ‘This,’ replied the guide, ‘is the only righteous man in the country and there are seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path and they all cannot do it’ ” (in Deseret News, 11 Nov. 1857, 7:287).
I think it would do well for all of us to consider how many devils it would take to turn us out of our paths.
As a little review, last week's lesson talked about Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy to the Nephites in Zarahemla. He prophesied of the signs of the Savior's birth and told them that they would come in 5 years.
There were basically two groups of Nephites; those who believed Samuel the Lamanite and those who did not. The group who did not believe was the larger of the two groups. The ones who did not believe had decided that the time was past for the sign to be given of the Savior's birth and began to openly mock those who continued to watch for the signs. They even set a date where they would kill those who believed if the sign didn't occur by then.
How hard would it be to remain faithful under those conditions? Imagine yourself going out every evening to watch the setting of the sun, hoping that this would be the night that it would stay light. Your hopes would fall each time the darkness came. And imagine that your next door neighbor was one of the unbelivers; that every night he would watch you go back into your house, a little fallen, and yell out to you, "Give it up! Can't you see that it's not going to happen? Come join us. Think of your children and your family. Are you really willing to let them die because you're holding onto a belief that's so foolish?" Imagine this happening night after night. Would you be tempted to give up hope? I think some of us may be living under these conditions, in a way. We may have people at work, neighbors, friends, even family members who tell us we're being foolish for believing what we do. They may mock us and make fun of us, or even just tell us, "Oh, it's not a bad thing. Why won't you just come with us this once?" (As an aside, last week we talked about Satan being kind of a salesman with only one product to sell: misery. He packages it in ways to make it look desirable. One of those ways is by making it look like something everyone is doing, something that will make us happy. But ultimately, it is just misery. "Just this once" can cause us to buy into Satan's pitch.)
Then imagine that one night you go out and watch the sun go down, but it stays light. Imagine the joy you'd feel as you'd realize that your belief and your hope wasn't all in vain. One day we will all be able to feel that same joy. We will know that our belief and our hope wasn't in vain. It may or may not come in this life, but it will come.
I always think it's interesting what it says first about the unbelievers when they saw the sign. 3 Nephi 1:16 says, "And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand." Their first thought wasn't that they were wrong and that Christ really was coming, it was that their plans were all messed up. They weren't going to be able to get rid of all the believers after all.
They did eventually think of what the sign meant and began to repent and do what was right. Peace came into the land, at least for a little while. It didn't take long before the people began to make excuses for the signs, saying that they were made by men or that it was by the power of the devil, to deceive the people.
President Ezra Taft Benson in referring to the beginning chapters of 3 Nephi said, “The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior’s visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior’s second coming” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 3; or Ensign, May 1987, 4). As we study this part of the Book of Mormon, we can find things that will help us to remain strong and faithful in a world where the majority are living in ways contrary to what we believe. The next few chapters give us some good tips for doing this.
"Lachoneus, the governor, was a just man and could not be frightened" (3 Ne. 3:12). We need to not let fear govern our choices. How would your choices be affected if you made them based on your fear of losing friends or a job? Would it be easy to give in and not remain faithful?
Lachoneus also told the people to cry to the Lord for strength. Prayer can be one of the biggest helpers we have. When we have the strength of the Lord with us, nothing can overcome us.
The people gathered themselves together in the center of their land. As we surround ourselves with others who share our beliefs, we can gain strength from their support. I think it's significant that they gathered in the center of their land. It's much harder to fight Satan on his land than when we are firmly in the right.
They built fortifications and placed guards around to keep watch. What fortifications can we make in our lives? We have the scriptures, the words of modern-day prophets, prayer, service, church activity, etc. All these things can make us stronger and help us resist the temptations that may come. I personally believe that one of the strongest of these is studying the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. As we study the scriptures, we can learn God's will for us and we can feel his Spirit more. Great promises have been given to us as we seriously study the Book of Mormon.
They did all they could to obey the words of their govenor, Lachoneus. As we strive to follow inspired leaders, we will be protected.
They repented of their sins. Last week we talked about how one of the most important steps in repenting is turning to the Lord. We can stop doing things that we're not supposed to do, such as smoking or drinking, and still not repent. It's when we truly humble ourselves and turn to the Lord to align our wills with His that we really gain the blessings that come with repentance. And as we repent, we gain strength to help us resist all temptation.
They were "strong with armor" (3 Ne 3:26). What armor are we commanded to wear? Why is it important to put on the whole armor of God and not just parts of it?
When the Nephites and the righteous Lamanites did all this, they were able to defeat the Gadianton robbers and lived in peace for a while longer. But again, they began to forget and contentions arose and the more part of them fell away. As we read later, the more righteous part of them are the ones who survived the destruction at the coming of the Savior. If they had remained faithful, they would have been able to see Him come and would have been able to hear His words and feel His love.
We are waiting for the coming of the Savior today. While we wait, Satan is going to try to turn us to wickedness as he did the Nephites. Will it take just the one little devil as in the story to make us turn from the path of righteousness or will it take a whole army to try? We can be successful. We can remain on the path. If we find ourselves straying off, we can find the help and the strength and the answers to find our way back, where we will be welcomed with open arms.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
First Speech Therapy Session
Alex had his first session of speech therapy today. He was a little nervous at first, so he had me go back with him.
The first thing his therapist Trisha had him do was to go back with her to the closet to find a game to play. He saw that they had "Don't Break the Ice" and said, "My grandma and grandpa have that game!" Of course that was the one he picked. She grabbed some flash cards that she'd need for the session too.
Trisha took us back to the same room where she did the evaluation last week and had Alex climb up in his chair. She asked him to pick out which pile of cards he wanted to work with first and he picked out the one with the ghost on it. So he got to start working on the hard "g" sound. He had a little bit of trouble translating the single sound to words. He would do the sound correctly, but when it came time to put it with words, he would go back to his usual way of saying it, like saying, "doe" for "go". Trisha decided that was going to be too hard for him to start with, so she switched to the "l" sound after she let him work on just doing the g sound for a bit while playing the game he had picked out.
He did pretty well with the letter l sound, but it's more visual, so he could see how he was supposed to do it. They went through the flash cards and then played "Go Fish" with them and practiced saying words with the l sound. After he worked on that sound for a while, they worked a little on the "th" sound, which is another visual one. He can get them pretty well when he pays attention and makes himself do it.
After they worked on that for a bit, she took Alex to another room to have him pick out a game to take home (it's a printed paper with more "l" sounds that we get to help him do).
Alex seemed to enjoy his session. He was pretty wiggly through it and kept tapping his feet and bouncing a bit. When he'd hold still for a minute, he'd say the sounds better, so maybe his hyperactivity is part of his problem with articulation. It will be a while before he says them all right automatically, but I do think it's a good thing we're taking him in now for the speech therapy.
The first thing his therapist Trisha had him do was to go back with her to the closet to find a game to play. He saw that they had "Don't Break the Ice" and said, "My grandma and grandpa have that game!" Of course that was the one he picked. She grabbed some flash cards that she'd need for the session too.
Trisha took us back to the same room where she did the evaluation last week and had Alex climb up in his chair. She asked him to pick out which pile of cards he wanted to work with first and he picked out the one with the ghost on it. So he got to start working on the hard "g" sound. He had a little bit of trouble translating the single sound to words. He would do the sound correctly, but when it came time to put it with words, he would go back to his usual way of saying it, like saying, "doe" for "go". Trisha decided that was going to be too hard for him to start with, so she switched to the "l" sound after she let him work on just doing the g sound for a bit while playing the game he had picked out.
He did pretty well with the letter l sound, but it's more visual, so he could see how he was supposed to do it. They went through the flash cards and then played "Go Fish" with them and practiced saying words with the l sound. After he worked on that sound for a while, they worked a little on the "th" sound, which is another visual one. He can get them pretty well when he pays attention and makes himself do it.
After they worked on that for a bit, she took Alex to another room to have him pick out a game to take home (it's a printed paper with more "l" sounds that we get to help him do).
Alex seemed to enjoy his session. He was pretty wiggly through it and kept tapping his feet and bouncing a bit. When he'd hold still for a minute, he'd say the sounds better, so maybe his hyperactivity is part of his problem with articulation. It will be a while before he says them all right automatically, but I do think it's a good thing we're taking him in now for the speech therapy.
The State of Our Public School System
So last night we were going to the church for the Primary program practice. There's a school across the street from our church and I really, really wished I had brought my camera. I even debated going back for it, but I didn't think I could really justify the time and gas money just to feed an obsession.
Anyway, on their marquee they had written, "Indavidual Picture Day" and listed the date. I think it's a sad, sad thing when our public schools' staff can't even do things properly. Before you know it, all the signs will be in text speak and no one in the nation will know how to properly spell words, let alone properly construct a sentence.
Bryce wanted us to go tape a sign to the school doors gently reminding them that "individual" is spelled with an i. I wonder if it would have done any good.
Anyway, on their marquee they had written, "Indavidual Picture Day" and listed the date. I think it's a sad, sad thing when our public schools' staff can't even do things properly. Before you know it, all the signs will be in text speak and no one in the nation will know how to properly spell words, let alone properly construct a sentence.
Bryce wanted us to go tape a sign to the school doors gently reminding them that "individual" is spelled with an i. I wonder if it would have done any good.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
15 Month Check-Up
Daniel had his 15 month check-up today. Alex and Chris wanted to come to the appointment with me and faithfully promised that they would be good, so I let them tag along. And they were fairly good for it, so I didn't regret taking them, even when we got there a few minutes early and still didn't get to go back until about 15 minutes after the time we scheduled for the appointment.
Anyway, Daniel is 23 pounds, 3 ounces and 31 inches tall. He's at about the 25th percentile with everything, so he's growing well. Of course, that means he's only about 5 pounds lighter than Chris now, so it probably won't be too long before he passes Chris up.
Daniel has a bit of a cold with a runny nose and a cough (it could be because he's been trying to cut a tooth or two, but we'll call it a cold), but luckily, he doesn't have another ear infection with this one.
He seems healthy and is about where he should be developmentally. He did get 2 shots today, which he wasn't happy about. The funny part was watching him cry after the first needle was taken out of his leg. It was like he was thinking about it a minute and decided, "Hey, that hurt." He fought the nurse a bit more with the second shot, since he knew what was coming.
So all in all, Daniel is a happy and healthy 15 month-old boy.
Anyway, Daniel is 23 pounds, 3 ounces and 31 inches tall. He's at about the 25th percentile with everything, so he's growing well. Of course, that means he's only about 5 pounds lighter than Chris now, so it probably won't be too long before he passes Chris up.
Daniel has a bit of a cold with a runny nose and a cough (it could be because he's been trying to cut a tooth or two, but we'll call it a cold), but luckily, he doesn't have another ear infection with this one.
He seems healthy and is about where he should be developmentally. He did get 2 shots today, which he wasn't happy about. The funny part was watching him cry after the first needle was taken out of his leg. It was like he was thinking about it a minute and decided, "Hey, that hurt." He fought the nurse a bit more with the second shot, since he knew what was coming.
So all in all, Daniel is a happy and healthy 15 month-old boy.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Speech Therapy
You may remember way back towards the beginning of the year when I posted about taking Alex to get his hearing tested because his doctor thought he sounded like he was probably a bit slow developmentally in his articulation of words. His hearing turned out to be fine, luckily. When the nurse was handing me the paper with the referral information on it, she told me that it would probably be a while before we could get him in for a speech evaluation because they have a waiting list. She told me that and I promptly forgot that there would be two separate evaluations.
So last week when the speech therapy place called to say they had an opening in their speech therapy and to call them back to schedule Alex for his evaluation, I was a little surprised. I ended up putting off calling them back until yesterday. I figured that it really wouldn't hurt to at least get him evaluated to see if they thought we needed to work with him on articulation. They had an opening today at 11:45, so I scheduled him for then and I took him in.
I've said it before, but I don't think I can say it enough how much I appreciate having Katie close by and willing to watch the other kids for me when I take someone to an appointment. It really makes it a whole lot easier to take one in and be able to talk to the doctor (or therapist) without other distractions. Especially for something like today, where she had to listen to Alex talk and listen to how he said things. If I had the other kids in there with me, they probably would have made that just a bit difficult. Although if I had them with me, I'd probably have had to stay in the waiting area with them while Alex went back on his own.
So anyway, we went back into their little evaluation room and the therapist brought out a book with pictures and had Alex tell her what was on the pictures. Pretty simple, and gets him to say all the sounds where there are typically problems. Alex has a few sounds he needs work on, like when he says "tar" for "car" and says "bacuum" instead of "vacuum." When he got through all the pictures, the therapist went over the sounds she noticed he did incorrectly. She pointed out that he did get all the sounds right at one time or another, but did need to work on some. And she did say it's possible that part of his problem with articulation is because of how large his tonsils were, that when he was learning how to talk, he had to learn to talk around them. That's not definitely the reason, but it could be.
So the results of today's evaluation is that now I get to take Alex back there every Friday for some speech therapy. She said she didn't think he needed to go twice a week, which is always good news. We'll be taking him once a week and hopefully he'll start to self-correct. Eventually we'll cut it down to every other week, and then just a home program.
I just hope insurance will cover most or at least part of the cost. :)
So last week when the speech therapy place called to say they had an opening in their speech therapy and to call them back to schedule Alex for his evaluation, I was a little surprised. I ended up putting off calling them back until yesterday. I figured that it really wouldn't hurt to at least get him evaluated to see if they thought we needed to work with him on articulation. They had an opening today at 11:45, so I scheduled him for then and I took him in.
I've said it before, but I don't think I can say it enough how much I appreciate having Katie close by and willing to watch the other kids for me when I take someone to an appointment. It really makes it a whole lot easier to take one in and be able to talk to the doctor (or therapist) without other distractions. Especially for something like today, where she had to listen to Alex talk and listen to how he said things. If I had the other kids in there with me, they probably would have made that just a bit difficult. Although if I had them with me, I'd probably have had to stay in the waiting area with them while Alex went back on his own.
So anyway, we went back into their little evaluation room and the therapist brought out a book with pictures and had Alex tell her what was on the pictures. Pretty simple, and gets him to say all the sounds where there are typically problems. Alex has a few sounds he needs work on, like when he says "tar" for "car" and says "bacuum" instead of "vacuum." When he got through all the pictures, the therapist went over the sounds she noticed he did incorrectly. She pointed out that he did get all the sounds right at one time or another, but did need to work on some. And she did say it's possible that part of his problem with articulation is because of how large his tonsils were, that when he was learning how to talk, he had to learn to talk around them. That's not definitely the reason, but it could be.
So the results of today's evaluation is that now I get to take Alex back there every Friday for some speech therapy. She said she didn't think he needed to go twice a week, which is always good news. We'll be taking him once a week and hopefully he'll start to self-correct. Eventually we'll cut it down to every other week, and then just a home program.
I just hope insurance will cover most or at least part of the cost. :)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Dentist appointments again
Well, it's been six months since the boys went to the dentist, so it was time for them to go again.
They have a cute little play area in the waiting room, so I figured the boys would stay occupied while each took a turn going back to get their teeth cleaned and examined. Unfortunately, Ben was nervous to go back by himself, so we all got to go back together.
Despite Daniel crying the whole time and the boys not being able to leave things alone (they kept moving the light, playing with the instruments, going through the box of toothbrushes, etc), it went fairly well.
They all picked their flavor of polish after Ben and Alex got their x-rays taken. Ben picked mint and Alex and Chris both picked fruit punch. Chris was especially impressive as he sat still for his examination and cleaning and was very cooperative.
The good news is that none of them have cavities this time, so that was it for the next six months for them, unless we decide to take Ben in sooner than that to get the sealants on his permanent molars (they said we should wait a month or two for that, but can wait until his next cleaning and examination). So it will be another 6 months before I have to go wrestle them all into the dentist's office again. I'm sure it will go way too fast.
They have a cute little play area in the waiting room, so I figured the boys would stay occupied while each took a turn going back to get their teeth cleaned and examined. Unfortunately, Ben was nervous to go back by himself, so we all got to go back together.
Despite Daniel crying the whole time and the boys not being able to leave things alone (they kept moving the light, playing with the instruments, going through the box of toothbrushes, etc), it went fairly well.
They all picked their flavor of polish after Ben and Alex got their x-rays taken. Ben picked mint and Alex and Chris both picked fruit punch. Chris was especially impressive as he sat still for his examination and cleaning and was very cooperative.
The good news is that none of them have cavities this time, so that was it for the next six months for them, unless we decide to take Ben in sooner than that to get the sealants on his permanent molars (they said we should wait a month or two for that, but can wait until his next cleaning and examination). So it will be another 6 months before I have to go wrestle them all into the dentist's office again. I'm sure it will go way too fast.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
First soccer games
Yesterday Ben, Alex, and Chris all had their first soccer games. They were pretty excited to be able to get into their uniforms and head to the park where their games were.
The boys in their uniforms before we went to the games:
Ben and his friend Kyle who is on his team:
Alex's game started at 11:30. We looked at the map from last spring for the field layouts for where each game would be, but weren't sure that it would be the same as it was then, so we left a little bit earlier than we normally would, just to make sure we knew where we should go. When we got there, we found that the field layout was pretty similar to what it was in the spring, so we found his field pretty quickly.
I got to watch Alex's game for a couple of minutes, but then I had to walk with Ben over to his field for his game that started at 12:00. It took Alex a minute to get into the game, but he did really well and even scored a goal for his team. At his age, they don't keep track of the score, but Bryce said it seemed to be a pretty close game.
Alex warming up for his game:
The kick off at Alex's game:
Ben's game was not a close game. The team they played had been playing together for a couple of years, and you could tell. And they were all a head taller than most of the boys on Ben's team. So yes, they lost badly. The score ended up being something like 21-1. With the rules the way they have them, when a team gets behind 5-0, they get to add another player. When it's 10-0, they add a second. Ben's team had their whole team out there and were still getting trounced on. Ben said it was fun to play still though.
Ben warming up for his game:
Ben's game in action:
There was a bit more of a break between Ben's and Chris's game, so we were able to take the other boys home and give them some lunch before I went back to Chris's game. I will say right now that watching 3 year-olds playing soccer can be quite entertaining. There were a couple who would get into it and actually play and try to score, but there were more who would get a bit distracted by the goal posts, the other team's cheering section, or the grass. Chris was definitely one of the latter. He tended to not pay attention to where the ball was or what anyone else was doing. He did pay attention when the other team's coach had them kind of huddled on the field and was talking to them, for he went up and started talking to their coach. He did do his job to try to get the ball and jumped on it so no one else could get it. With the under 4 teams, they tend to be a little lenient when they hit the ball with their hands, but do draw the line at the kids picking up the ball and running down the field. That happened more than once. Chris's team did end up scoring about as many goals as their opposing team (again, score isn't kept for this age), mostly thanks to a kid on his team named Colin. One other kid on Chris's team scored and Colin scored about 10 goals.
The pep talk before Chris's game:
Chris getting ready to play:
Chris's game in action:
So all in all, it was a pretty fun day of soccer. It will be fun to see what next week's games bring.
The boys in their uniforms before we went to the games:
Ben and his friend Kyle who is on his team:
Alex's game started at 11:30. We looked at the map from last spring for the field layouts for where each game would be, but weren't sure that it would be the same as it was then, so we left a little bit earlier than we normally would, just to make sure we knew where we should go. When we got there, we found that the field layout was pretty similar to what it was in the spring, so we found his field pretty quickly.
I got to watch Alex's game for a couple of minutes, but then I had to walk with Ben over to his field for his game that started at 12:00. It took Alex a minute to get into the game, but he did really well and even scored a goal for his team. At his age, they don't keep track of the score, but Bryce said it seemed to be a pretty close game.
Alex warming up for his game:
The kick off at Alex's game:
Ben's game was not a close game. The team they played had been playing together for a couple of years, and you could tell. And they were all a head taller than most of the boys on Ben's team. So yes, they lost badly. The score ended up being something like 21-1. With the rules the way they have them, when a team gets behind 5-0, they get to add another player. When it's 10-0, they add a second. Ben's team had their whole team out there and were still getting trounced on. Ben said it was fun to play still though.
Ben warming up for his game:
Ben's game in action:
There was a bit more of a break between Ben's and Chris's game, so we were able to take the other boys home and give them some lunch before I went back to Chris's game. I will say right now that watching 3 year-olds playing soccer can be quite entertaining. There were a couple who would get into it and actually play and try to score, but there were more who would get a bit distracted by the goal posts, the other team's cheering section, or the grass. Chris was definitely one of the latter. He tended to not pay attention to where the ball was or what anyone else was doing. He did pay attention when the other team's coach had them kind of huddled on the field and was talking to them, for he went up and started talking to their coach. He did do his job to try to get the ball and jumped on it so no one else could get it. With the under 4 teams, they tend to be a little lenient when they hit the ball with their hands, but do draw the line at the kids picking up the ball and running down the field. That happened more than once. Chris's team did end up scoring about as many goals as their opposing team (again, score isn't kept for this age), mostly thanks to a kid on his team named Colin. One other kid on Chris's team scored and Colin scored about 10 goals.
The pep talk before Chris's game:
Chris getting ready to play:
Chris's game in action:
So all in all, it was a pretty fun day of soccer. It will be fun to see what next week's games bring.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sunday School Thoughts
I'm just warning you now that this will be a long one and probably ramble a bit. You may get to the end and think, "So what was the point?" Sometimes this just helps me kind of organize my thoughts and remember the thoughts I've had.
As I keep thinking about and preparing my Sunday School lesson for this coming Sunday, my thoughts keep swirling around two main topics: how the Lord brings back and uses and is aware of those who have fallen away; and what it truly means to be saved and to have faith in Christ and be truly converted and what we need to do to have that.
Today I'm going to focus on the first of those two thoughts and leave the second for another post on another day. Lucky you.
The scriptures are full of examples of people who either didn't believe in the first place, or who for one reason or another had fallen away and were eventually brought back or brought to believe. Paul is one. The prodigal son is one. Alma the elder, Zeezrom, Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah are some. The scriptures do not always tell us the motivations of those people for not believing, persecuting, and/or leaving.
We know that Paul, when he was known as Saul, was a high-ranking Pharisee. To believe would have meant the end of his high status and regard in the community and the church. He not only persecuted and imprisoned many believers, but sent many to their deaths. He was not someone you would expect would ultimately give his life for his belief in Christ.
While the prodigal son was simply a character in one of the Savior's parables (I say simply, but don't mean to make the parables less than they were), we can learn something from him. He took his inheritance early and left his home in order to live the high life, to live as he wished - in a manner which probably seemed to him to be free and popular and unrestrictive. How many of us know people like this or have been like this at one time or another? He eventually lost everything he had - his friends wouldn't help him, but left him destitute. He returned home where his father welcomed him with open arms.
With some like Zeezrom and Alma the elder, they lived among people who had broken off from the main group of Nephites and eventually became wicked. Their way of life was considered the norm. They both became believers after being taught by prophets and missionaries.
Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah had fathers who were of high standing and authority in the Church and the community. They went "about to destroy the church of God" (Mosiah 27:10), and led many people away.
One who is not often mentioned is a man named Aminadab. Many people probably don't even know who Aminadab was. He had dissented from the Nephites and lived among the Lamanites. He was present when the Lamanites went to the prison where they held Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, with the intent to slay them, only to find them encircled about by fire. A dark cloud overshadowed them and they heard the voice of the Lord telling them to repent and to seek no more to destroy His servants (to read it in greater detail, go to Helaman 5 in the Book of Mormon). They were frozen with fear. But this one man, Amindadab, who had once been a believer, was able to turn and look to see the faces of Nephi and Lehi shining like the faces of angels and saw them talking to someone they could see. He was able to tell the other Lamanites to turn and look, and when they did and then asked what they should do, he was able to tell them what they needed to do to get the dark cloud to disperse.
It is so incredible to me that the Lord knew that this one man, weak though he was - he had not been like the Ammonite warriors (last week's lesson), he had fallen away, this one man would be present and would be the means of helping 300 souls come to Christ.
In an earlier post, I talked about becoming scattered as we physically move away from the homes and families we love. For many of us, and I'm sure for all of us at one time or another, this scattering can be much less tangible than a physical move. We can feel ourselves drifting far from those around us as we doubt, wonder, and sometimes choose to do those things that we have been taught to not do. None of us are perfect and we all struggle at one point or another. But there are times when this kind of spiritual or mental scattering can also help preserve us.
We can be like Aminadab who, though he had fallen away, was able to be in the right place at the right time to be able to give others and especially himself a firm resolve to do what was needed and to gain a stronger faith in Christ.
It may be a long time between when we begin to doubt and when we finally are in the right place at the right time, longer sometimes than we think it should take, but the Lord knows each of us. He knows what we need and He loves us. He will give us many opportunities and gives us many people who love and care about us and are willing to help to no longer be scattered, but to be gathered in once again and feel the peace of the Gospel.
As I keep thinking about and preparing my Sunday School lesson for this coming Sunday, my thoughts keep swirling around two main topics: how the Lord brings back and uses and is aware of those who have fallen away; and what it truly means to be saved and to have faith in Christ and be truly converted and what we need to do to have that.
Today I'm going to focus on the first of those two thoughts and leave the second for another post on another day. Lucky you.
The scriptures are full of examples of people who either didn't believe in the first place, or who for one reason or another had fallen away and were eventually brought back or brought to believe. Paul is one. The prodigal son is one. Alma the elder, Zeezrom, Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah are some. The scriptures do not always tell us the motivations of those people for not believing, persecuting, and/or leaving.
We know that Paul, when he was known as Saul, was a high-ranking Pharisee. To believe would have meant the end of his high status and regard in the community and the church. He not only persecuted and imprisoned many believers, but sent many to their deaths. He was not someone you would expect would ultimately give his life for his belief in Christ.
While the prodigal son was simply a character in one of the Savior's parables (I say simply, but don't mean to make the parables less than they were), we can learn something from him. He took his inheritance early and left his home in order to live the high life, to live as he wished - in a manner which probably seemed to him to be free and popular and unrestrictive. How many of us know people like this or have been like this at one time or another? He eventually lost everything he had - his friends wouldn't help him, but left him destitute. He returned home where his father welcomed him with open arms.
With some like Zeezrom and Alma the elder, they lived among people who had broken off from the main group of Nephites and eventually became wicked. Their way of life was considered the norm. They both became believers after being taught by prophets and missionaries.
Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah had fathers who were of high standing and authority in the Church and the community. They went "about to destroy the church of God" (Mosiah 27:10), and led many people away.
One who is not often mentioned is a man named Aminadab. Many people probably don't even know who Aminadab was. He had dissented from the Nephites and lived among the Lamanites. He was present when the Lamanites went to the prison where they held Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, with the intent to slay them, only to find them encircled about by fire. A dark cloud overshadowed them and they heard the voice of the Lord telling them to repent and to seek no more to destroy His servants (to read it in greater detail, go to Helaman 5 in the Book of Mormon). They were frozen with fear. But this one man, Amindadab, who had once been a believer, was able to turn and look to see the faces of Nephi and Lehi shining like the faces of angels and saw them talking to someone they could see. He was able to tell the other Lamanites to turn and look, and when they did and then asked what they should do, he was able to tell them what they needed to do to get the dark cloud to disperse.
It is so incredible to me that the Lord knew that this one man, weak though he was - he had not been like the Ammonite warriors (last week's lesson), he had fallen away, this one man would be present and would be the means of helping 300 souls come to Christ.
In an earlier post, I talked about becoming scattered as we physically move away from the homes and families we love. For many of us, and I'm sure for all of us at one time or another, this scattering can be much less tangible than a physical move. We can feel ourselves drifting far from those around us as we doubt, wonder, and sometimes choose to do those things that we have been taught to not do. None of us are perfect and we all struggle at one point or another. But there are times when this kind of spiritual or mental scattering can also help preserve us.
We can be like Aminadab who, though he had fallen away, was able to be in the right place at the right time to be able to give others and especially himself a firm resolve to do what was needed and to gain a stronger faith in Christ.
It may be a long time between when we begin to doubt and when we finally are in the right place at the right time, longer sometimes than we think it should take, but the Lord knows each of us. He knows what we need and He loves us. He will give us many opportunities and gives us many people who love and care about us and are willing to help to no longer be scattered, but to be gathered in once again and feel the peace of the Gospel.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Another busy holiday weekend
We had another busy, but fun, holiday weekend. On Friday, Jill, Josh, and Tyler came up to visit. The kids all seemed to have a blast playing together. And of course, the first thing they did was to swim for a while in the pool. I think it was after 10:00 when we finally got them to go to bed.
The boys playing in the pool
Chris wanted his picture taken when he got out of the pool
Saturday was Chris's 3rd birthday. In some ways it has seemed like Chris has been 3 for a while now. In other ways it's still strange that the 3 years have gone by so fast. He was very excited that he had more cousins up visiting on his birthday. We all went to the zoo in the morning, which is one of Chris's favorite places to go.
Here Bryce is holding Daniel on his shoulder and the kids are by him while they're looking at the monkeys
Ben and Alex are checking out the bald eagles
Ben and Alex measuring themselves against the penguins
Chris, Tyler, Alex, and Ben by the komodo dragon
Josiah, Josh, Alex, Ben, Daniel, Chris, and Tyler in the giant nest
After the zoo, we went to McDonald's so the kids could play on the playground for a while. Chris was very excited because he was able to climb all the way up on his own for the first time. It's because he was 3 and was finally a big boy. After McD's, we came home where the boys all got in the pool again while I finished decorating Chris's birthday cake.
Chris's cake
He really wanted cupcakes, but we didn't have enough cupcake wrappers, so he picked out the Winnie the Pooh cake instead. He was pretty excited about the cake. After Jarom and Katie, with Josiah and Dennis, came over, we got pizza for dinner, then did the cake and ice cream and let Chris open his presents. He says that his favorite part of his birthday was getting the presents. Of course, his older brothers have played with his toys more than he has. He did get a new sleeping bag for his birthday and slept in it that night. He thought it was good fun.
Chris blowing out his candles
Chris waiting for his presents
Alex handing Chris a present
Chris checking out his new scooter
On Sunday we did our usual church thing and came home and had a fairly relaxing day. It had gotten quite a bit cooler on Sunday, so even if we were the type to go out and do things on Sundays, it was a bit too cold for that.
Jill and her boys left on Monday morning and the kids were sad to see them go. Their sadness was alleviated by the fact that Amy and her kids were coming to stay with us Monday night, so they knew they would be able to see more cousins. They seemed to have a good time playing on Monday night.
Of course, this morning, Ben was a bit sad that he wasn't able to play with them longer because he had to go to school. He didn't think it was fair that his brothers would get to stay home and play. They didn't get to play a lot longer than he did though, since Chris had a doctor appointment for his 3 year check-up this morning.
Chris was actually pretty excited to go to the doctor today. He loves to stand on the scale and thinks it's fun to find out how tall he is and all that. He is 36 5/8" tall (the nurse said 3-6 and 5/8", so at first I thought she meant that he was 3 1/2 feet tall) and weighs 28 pounds. He was 30% for height and about 13% for weight. So while he's still skinny, the good news is that he's maintaining his spot on the growth scale and isn't back down on the low end of the chart. Chris looks and is pretty healthy. He has had the issue where his one testicle has lots of fluid in it and so is much larger than the other, so his doctor is referring us to a pediatric surgeon. The doctor said that they do recommend getting that taken care of if it extends past infancy. He said there's no rush though. Chris got one shot today (the second dose of Hep A) and had to go get his blood drawn so we could check his iron levels to see if we can stop giving him the vitamins. He said that usually the problem doesn't persist, so he's thinking we will be able to stop supplementing him with those. (The doctor's office just called and his bloodwork all came back normal, so we can stop giving him the vitamins!)
After Chris was so good with the shot and the blood draw, I told him that we could go to McD's for lunch again today. He wanted to go back to the one with the playground and play for a bit, so we did. Alex and Chris were both very good there and listened and did exactly what I'd ask them to do, so despite being by myself, it was nice to take the 3 boys out for lunch.
The boys playing in the pool
Chris wanted his picture taken when he got out of the pool
Saturday was Chris's 3rd birthday. In some ways it has seemed like Chris has been 3 for a while now. In other ways it's still strange that the 3 years have gone by so fast. He was very excited that he had more cousins up visiting on his birthday. We all went to the zoo in the morning, which is one of Chris's favorite places to go.
Here Bryce is holding Daniel on his shoulder and the kids are by him while they're looking at the monkeys
Ben and Alex are checking out the bald eagles
Ben and Alex measuring themselves against the penguins
Chris, Tyler, Alex, and Ben by the komodo dragon
Josiah, Josh, Alex, Ben, Daniel, Chris, and Tyler in the giant nest
After the zoo, we went to McDonald's so the kids could play on the playground for a while. Chris was very excited because he was able to climb all the way up on his own for the first time. It's because he was 3 and was finally a big boy. After McD's, we came home where the boys all got in the pool again while I finished decorating Chris's birthday cake.
Chris's cake
He really wanted cupcakes, but we didn't have enough cupcake wrappers, so he picked out the Winnie the Pooh cake instead. He was pretty excited about the cake. After Jarom and Katie, with Josiah and Dennis, came over, we got pizza for dinner, then did the cake and ice cream and let Chris open his presents. He says that his favorite part of his birthday was getting the presents. Of course, his older brothers have played with his toys more than he has. He did get a new sleeping bag for his birthday and slept in it that night. He thought it was good fun.
Chris blowing out his candles
Chris waiting for his presents
Alex handing Chris a present
Chris checking out his new scooter
On Sunday we did our usual church thing and came home and had a fairly relaxing day. It had gotten quite a bit cooler on Sunday, so even if we were the type to go out and do things on Sundays, it was a bit too cold for that.
Jill and her boys left on Monday morning and the kids were sad to see them go. Their sadness was alleviated by the fact that Amy and her kids were coming to stay with us Monday night, so they knew they would be able to see more cousins. They seemed to have a good time playing on Monday night.
Of course, this morning, Ben was a bit sad that he wasn't able to play with them longer because he had to go to school. He didn't think it was fair that his brothers would get to stay home and play. They didn't get to play a lot longer than he did though, since Chris had a doctor appointment for his 3 year check-up this morning.
Chris was actually pretty excited to go to the doctor today. He loves to stand on the scale and thinks it's fun to find out how tall he is and all that. He is 36 5/8" tall (the nurse said 3-6 and 5/8", so at first I thought she meant that he was 3 1/2 feet tall) and weighs 28 pounds. He was 30% for height and about 13% for weight. So while he's still skinny, the good news is that he's maintaining his spot on the growth scale and isn't back down on the low end of the chart. Chris looks and is pretty healthy. He has had the issue where his one testicle has lots of fluid in it and so is much larger than the other, so his doctor is referring us to a pediatric surgeon. The doctor said that they do recommend getting that taken care of if it extends past infancy. He said there's no rush though. Chris got one shot today (the second dose of Hep A) and had to go get his blood drawn so we could check his iron levels to see if we can stop giving him the vitamins. He said that usually the problem doesn't persist, so he's thinking we will be able to stop supplementing him with those. (The doctor's office just called and his bloodwork all came back normal, so we can stop giving him the vitamins!)
After Chris was so good with the shot and the blood draw, I told him that we could go to McD's for lunch again today. He wanted to go back to the one with the playground and play for a bit, so we did. Alex and Chris were both very good there and listened and did exactly what I'd ask them to do, so despite being by myself, it was nice to take the 3 boys out for lunch.
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