Christmas Fun at the Pool

This last weekend we took a last minute trip up to the Dells. We got a really good rate on a condo, took up food for dinner and breakfast and spent Friday and Saturday swimming away. Here are some pictures.

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Finally Snow

It's been unseasonably warm in Wisconsin. In fact, November was one of those record warm Novembers. We did have a little snow just before Thanksgiving, but it was gone awful fast. The kids put out a bowl to catch snow for snow cream, but we didn't get enough. Well last week we got our first real snow fall... okay a snow fall enough for snow cream and for Ben to get paid to shovel our walk. However, on Monday Ben was complaining about how little snow there was 'cause he wanted to play in it.
Fast forward to today. More snow when we woke up. Snow cream again. But it's supposed to really wail on us this afternoon and all day tomorrow. The kids can't wait for the snow plow to plow the dead end street. It usually packs it up into a huge hill and the kids have a snow fort in it all winter long. Until then they've been sledding down our sloped lawn.
Rachel bundled up Moroni and took him out to play. He really likes and tolerates being out in the cold. Most two year olds I have will go out for about 5 minutes and then want back in.
I was helping Sam into snow pants and snowboots and a coat. Then I steered him back to the garage to go get some gloves. He said, "Do I really need all this stuff?" Yeah, Sam, ya do!

A Cell You Can Eat

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

Today I made a cell that you would be able to eat. Though I advise you not to because it was made out of all kinds of grows things put together. Though I like bread, Jello, grapes, bananas, and carrots. I don't like them together. The first thing I did was I went down to the storage room and got lemon jello. We mixed it up and then I put one bag in a plastic cup. The plastic cup stood for the cell wall. That one was the plant cell. I filled it with half of the jello and then I took my other bag and put it in a bowl (so it didn't spill) and I poured the rest of the jello into it. That one was the animal cell. The bags stood for the cell membrane and the jello would stand for the cytoplasm. Then I took the dried prunes out and we cut them open. The prunes would be the nucleus. I took some carrot shreds and stuffed the dried prunes with it. the shredded carrots stood for the chromosomes. Then I put one stuffed dried prune into each bag. Then I took one piece of bread and rolled it till it was really thin (like a tortilla). I folded it up a bunch. Then I cut it to squares. That was the ER. Then I took dried prunes and cut them up like raisins. Then I stuck them in between the bread. Those were the Ribosomes. Then I put one of each in the bags. Then I took some thin slices on banana, stacked them on top of each other and put some in each bag. The banana slices stood for the Golgi body. Then I put in some mandarin oranges. The mandarin oranges stood for the mitochondria. Then I got some grapes and put them in the plant cell bag. They stood for the chloroplasts. Then I tied them up and put them in the fridge to freeze a little. When I pulled them out they were my own edible cells. :D ~ Rachel

The Unit Box

When any of the kids (school age) complete a unit, they can pick a prize out of the unit box (or a can of soda or an ice cream). Sam completed a unit in Math today and we went out to the freezer to see what kinds of ice creams there were. Upon choosing a popsicle I let Ruth have one with him.

Sam said, "Ruth when you get older you have to complete a unit to get one... you can't just ask. That's what I used to do when I was a child, but now I have to complete a unit."

Special Delivery

Delivering Adam was SO exciting! Doctor Cardwell, who reminds me of Bruce Willis and my Brother-in-law Jim Butts - because he's tall, bald, and amazingly calm under pressure, asked me if I wanted to do the delivery. So as the baby started to crown, I kept wondering when I was supposed to jump in. But once the head was ready to emerge, the doctor stepped back and let me ease the head out of the baby chute. Then I had to turn the head to the left and press down so that the shoulder could emerge. Once the shoulder was through, Adam just slid right out. I pulled him out the rest of the way and he laid there on the bed while the doctor suctioned his mouth to clear out the baby juice. Then I handed him to the nurse and we went over to the warmer to clean all vernix off him. He occasionally cried, but calmed down right away and just laid there.

It was an amazing experience - if any of you have a doctor who is willing to let you do the delivery - you should definitely do it! The doctor stays right there to assist (so that you don't mess up). I was rather nervous about doing it, but Doctor Cardwell was so calm and helpful that I was able to just enjoy the experience without any worries.

Adam sleeps a lot right now and doesn't really cry much - he's a very contented baby and seems rather snuggly. The kids are SO excited. Ruth refused an opportunity to go jump on the trampoline this morning so that she could protect Wanda and the baby 'from lightning'. The whole family is thrilled to have Baby Adam finally join us.

I'm off work for two weeks to help Wanda and then I'll be off every Monday and Friday to help ease her back into the normal schedule. Wanda is up and moving today (she just went to the store for blue balloons) and seems to be recovering quickly. She's sore from the after-contractions of course, but she doesn't complain. We're looking forward to her mother visiting in a few weeks.

Name Change

After much discussion, voting, debate his full name is:
Adam Jacob Husted.

Baby's Here!!!

Pictures are still to come, but thought I would send a quick announcement.

Jacob Husted arrived at 4:18 PM, today, September 15, 2009. Knowing he was coming early I asked Robert how much he thought the baby would weigh. He guessed 7lbs 10 ounces. Wouldn't you know, he was exactly right! Jacob is 19 inches long and so far is a really good sleeper (then again, so was Ruth her first night. hehe).

Exciting Part: Robert got to deliver him!!! How cool is that! We'll post pictures later with Robert's account of the delivery, but for now... all is well.

Eyes

Ruth: "Mom, I'm rolling my eyes. Look!" (She tilts her head to the side.)

Happy Birthday

Mary: Daddy, how old are you?
Daddy: 2 x 21
Sam: I know, I know! Is that somewhere in the hundreds?

Bugs

This morning I was watching Moroni on his tummy. Usually it's his favorite position for coloring, but he wasn't coloring. He stood up and I realized he was holding an earwig. Eeewwwww!

He was so cute. He held it between his little thumb and forefinger of his right hand and would place it into the palm of his left hand. Then the bug would scurry around to the back of his hand and start up his arm. He would pick it off with his right hand and place it back on the palm. The bug then proceeded on the same path it had before with Moroni removing it back to his palm again. It was so entertaining to watch this procedure about five or six times.

Then he put the bug back down on the floor, he'd touch it, pet it, pick it up, put it down. You get the picture. Mary, Robert and Rachel were soon watching this with me. It was the cutest thing (Rebekah was just grossed out and wanted us to kill it). I left to go help someone with something and left Rachel with instructions to squish it once Mo was done. I then went back and told her just to release it outside. I figured it deserved its life after the torture Moroni was putting it through.

If you look closely at the picture you can see the bug escaping to the back of his right knuckle.

Paint

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

Moroni got into the paint today. Note the lovely orange and red hair, the inked-hands, and the oh-so-guilty look! Ruth had finger-painted the downstairs carpet, couch, boxes, and her brother!

I'll Be Back

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

Mo just thinks he's one of the boys.

Where?

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

I woke up and told Robert, "Wow! Mo stayed in his bed all night!" Robert said, "No he didn't. I got a picture of where he ended up."

Final Count

Our Saturday total at the Lemonade stand brought in $67.25. That brings our grand total for pediatric cancer research to $167.50.

We're quite excited to send the contributions in to the Original Lemonade Stand. Thank you Mount Horeb and Blue Mounds!!!

Lemonade... Again

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

So this afternoon we camped out at Millers and Sons (in Mt Horeb) and raised $91.85!!! Much more than yesterday. Our grand total is now $100.25.

More Lemonade

The kids were excited that yesterday afternoon the lemonade stand made $8.40. Today (Friday) we'll be at Miller's and Sons from 2pm - 7pm. Tomorrow we'll be at Miller's from 8am - 5pm.

Lemonade Days

We will be hosting a lemonade stand this weekend to benefit Pediatric Cancer Research. If you would like to stop by and visit on Thursday, it will be in front of our home (pictures to come).

For Friday and Saturday... Stay posted. Robert is working on a more public venue for us!

If you would like to learn more about Alex Scott and the original lemonade stand you can visit her homepage. If you would like to donate online you can visit our virtual stand. If you would like to donate time (volunteer to help us) just contact me via email.

Baby's Movin'

I'm almost 18 weeks and can now feel the baby move! Those first flutters are soooo exciting. I know they get more powerful and even uncomfortable later... but feeling the baby move and grow is my favorite part of being pregnant.

Yeah!

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

Can you believe it?!? Moroni went to sleep in his own bed (with the help of Joseph). This isn't 'he fell asleep on my bed and now we've moved him to his bed'... it's HE WENT TO SLEEP IN HIS OWN BED!!!

Where'd You Go?

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

Okay, so my son who refuses to say more than five words (the only word he says on a regular basis is "mo" for "more), loves to play peek-a-boo. In the last couple of days when I throw the blanket over his head says, "Where'd you go?"

First Haircut

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

Okay, so my camera has been missing for quite a while and it's been driving me crazy. Fortunately Ben found it yesterday at the end of conference so I now have pictures to share with everyone again!

Here's Mr Mo for his first haircut (3-12-09). Initially I just thought I would shorten the length so it wouldn't be so long and trim around his ears, but it didn't look right, so he got a regular old haircut. This is his 'before' shot.

He really didn't mind getting his hair cut at all. He even seemed to enjoy the clippers. (Ben for the first 5 years of his life screamed every time he had to have his hair cut.)

The 'after' shot isn't a good picture since his hair is still wet from the haircut, but you get the idea.

Felicia, we love you!

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Originally uploaded by mom4k12

I remember this picture. It was taken about a year ago at the BYU book store. We had taken Felicia to sign up for classes (and pick up a giant mug for Daddy). She was NOT happy about going!
I'm so happy that things are better for her. It was so fun to go to Utah to visit (and even stay with her for a few days). We love you!!!

Things you can get in a K12 box!

Are Ear Infections Contagious?

Okay, so I know they're not, but honestly!!! And why can't everyone get sick all at once? We've had this cold going around our house (and of course it takes a few weeks for everyone to have their turn with it). Moroni came down with an ear infection middle of last week and we ended up at the doctor for some antibiotics. Then we went to the dentist and Sam sucked his lip swollen. After a day or so it started to ooze yellow so we took him to the doctor for some antibiotics. At that point the nurses were commenting on how much they'd seen me lately - I'd also been in the last couple of weeks for my ankle (fell down the stairs) and Ruth, Sam and Moroni's well child visits (of course all separate visits). This week it continued. Rebekah woke up Monday with an earache and after a couple of days (she hasn't had a cold or anything that would have me thinking ear infection)it was getting worse so we took her in to the doctor yesterday and came home with some more antibiotics. Joseph woke up this morning with a bad earache so in we went to the doctor's office yet again! Dr Gay told him that he had a blistering ear drum and that he can expect it to continue to ache for a couple of days even with antibiotics working on it. Who's next?

New Beginnings

Here's Bekah's talk from New Beginnings:

I was asked to choose my hero, so I chose my best friend, Hope. She has so many qualities that are great, but i was told to pick only one: obedient. Obedient fits in to our young women's virtue; choice and accountability. In Joshua 25:15 it says,“Choose you this day whom ye will serve;...but as for me and my house, we will serve the lord” and the statement for this virtue is,”I will choose good over evil and will accept responsibility for my decisions.” And also, in Job 36:12 it says,”But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.” So obviously it is a good thing to obey! And also, another. In 1 Nephi 3:7 it says “And it came to pass that I, Nephi said unto my father: I will go and do the thing which the lord hath commanded, for I know that the lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” This verse is very meaningful and shows us how obedient Nephi is.

President Monson, in one of his general conference talks, stated “How exceedingly difficult it must have been for Abraham, in obedience to God’s command, to take his beloved Isaac into the land of Moriah, there to present him as a burnt offering. Can you imagine the heaviness of his heart as he gathered the wood for the fire and journeyed to the appointed place? Surely pain must have racked his body and tortured his mind as he “bound Isaac … and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And … stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” How glorious was the pronouncement, and with what wondered welcome did it come: 'Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.'”

This small paragraph shows how obedient Abraham was to almost slaughter his own son. I think this is a good Christ like quality for us all to have. By being obedient, we could help out other people too and be heroes to them. Like if your mom asks you to do the dishes and you do, that is being obedient, and believe it or not, you can be your mom's hero too. In the personal progress program, You can set goals to help you become obedient.

The personal progress program has helped me become a better person. And I hope it can help many others and help others in the future too. I know the church is true and I close in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Celery Stick?

Ruth tried a celery stick.

"It has grass in it! We don't eat grass."

Grass and Other Discoveries

Okay, so I still have to get pictures, but I thought I'd share the fun! Ben says, "Whoa! Mary, look at how much grass we have!" Does that say something about our winter?

Saturday night Ruth is in the buff on her way to the shower and tells Robert, "See this (pointing to her breast) and see this (pointing to the other breast)? They're going to grow big someday!"

Aftermath

I felt so bad for Sam when he came to me in tears yesterday and said, "Mom, my lip's growing." At first I had assumed that it was the numbness of his lip (he'd been to the dentist for a filling), but then I realized that he'd been sucking on it while it was numb. It looks absolutely horrible. Go ahead and click on the picture!

Gratitude

My girls asked if they could start adding to our gratitude list. I think it's a great idea!!!

Ben and Dad

24 Hours Later

Ear Infection

Doncha just feel bad for my little guy. As if he hasn't had enough! He should be feeling a lot better by this time tomorrow. Aren't antibiotics wonderful!

Oh What a Night

We woke up at about 1:30 this morning to the sea lion sleeping next to me. wouldn't you know it, Moroni has Croup. I picked him up and he felt kinda feverish. I immediately took him outside in the below zero weather to get some cold into his lungs for some relief. My kids never had croup until we moved to Wisconsin. Don't know if it's related, but it's NOT fun.

The cold only helped the barking. I brought him back in and he was shivering. I tried to hold him and his breathing was really labored. I got a blanket and wrapped him really good and took him back out into the cold. Then Daddy took him out into the cold. Then I took him back out into the cold. I laid down on the bed next to him and he was a little better, but his breathing was still labored.

After we sat and listened to him for a while, we gave him the ties on the blanket (that's his comfort cue) and he tried to settle down to sleep. BUT... then the gagging and vomiting started. It was all over me. I carefully got up and stepped into the shower holding him while he kept going. It was so chunky. I started to gag. Robert came in and asked what he could do. I was already vomitty (is that a word)so there was no point in contaminating him too.

I stripped he and I down, cleaned the chunks off of the shower floor and sat in the warm water with him. He actually started to drift off to sleep so I just held him for a while. I think the moist air might have helped his lungs better than the cold that the doctors all tell you to do.

Anyway, we cleaned up and got dressed. Robert got started on the laundry while I was in the shower... What a Babe! I went to get the Motrin and took his temp (102.2 under the arm). We laid down in the bed and while Mo wasn't breathing ideally, he was still considerably better than before. By the time we all got back to sleep it was 4am.

Moroni slept in this morning (good for him) and is coping quite well for being sick. I hope tonight is better. Usually the second night of croup is worse. Keep us in your prayers.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Yeah I know. I never have time to post (or check on other posts for that matter). I'd like to be better, but really, there are other priorities that are higher right now.

Thursday was Ultra Chilly. The high for the day was -7 and they closed the schools. It wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't have woken up to a broken heater! What a day for the heater to break. We would have just started the fireplace and gathered around it, but it was on the fritz too. We called the gas company out and, long story short, they fixed them both and we are much warmer. Yesterday the high was 3 and the schools were closed again. It's already warmer today at 15, but our high today is supposed to be 23! Maybe we'll go sunbathing if the snow stops?

BIG NEWS: We are expecting #9! I've told several people that now Ruth can be Seven of Nine. We debated on whether or not to share this news so early (we just found out Wednesday night)... but I'm no good at secrets.

The baby is due on Sep 20. Robert's worried that this messes up our pattern. Ben' birthday is the 21st, Moroni's is a week later on the 28th and Rachel is a week later on Oct 5th. I just told him that if the baby comes 6 days early (yeah, right!) we could still have our weekly pattern. Since 4 of our children will have a birthday within a month of each other I reflected on what was so unique about conception time. I guess it is just Robert having the time off around Christmas/New Years and it being so cold that there's nothing else to do. *wink*

We are all excited here. When we told the kids they were literally jumping up and down with excitement. They keep asking, "Have you told so-and-so?" I think they like spreading the news too.