Green Eggs and Ham

Beret has ALWAYS loved the Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham. So today when the kids were asked to dress as their favorite book character, it was an obvious choice to go as Sam-I-Am! So, naturally, we didn't start working on it until 10:30 last night. (That is another story, which I won't get into!)
We took one of Reed's t-shirts and altered it to look more like the fringy outfit Sam wears. I kind of made up this hat pattern, which is of course 10 sizes too big! (Hey, my kids typically have big heads, and he was in bed so I could not measure!) Oh well, its very Seussical. The eggs were easy--I used some Sculpey and knocked them out in two minutes. The ham? That was Reed's area. He used some foam stuff called "Stuff It"--its this weird substance he uses to fill cracks and reattach the headlight when I have a minor car accident. (ha ha...only a few of those!) He shaped and sanded it, glued it and painted it, until we have the finished green ham! If we had more time and no need of sleep, we could have found a way to put a big fork in it, glue whiskers to Beret's face, etc. But, maybe another year!

Carly's Surgery

Carly is now sporting sixteen screws, which together with metal bands, are holding her growth plates on the femur and tibia closed.

Last spring the school district did a scoliosis screening, and we realized Carly's right hip was higher than the left, putting her out of alignment. We did follow-up x-rays, and found her right leg was slightly longer. We let it go for 6 months in the hopes it would even out, but at her follow-up we discovered it had gotten worse. We learned that both the femur and tibia are longer on the right. Because they estimate she has about a year or so left of growth, we decided to "staple" the growth plates, to allow the left leg a chance to catch up. As you can see, they aren't really staples! A lot of hardware, really.
She had the surgery on Sept. 25th, and is still recovering. She's had a lot of pain once the nerve block wore off. Its still too hard to put weight on it, but we started Physical Therapy yesterday. She is pretty much camping out in our room, since its on the main floor.

After surgery, they had her in a brace to keep it from jerking and hurting her.

In recovery, with Dad. She was mostly just upset with how stiff and numb her leg was. It felt like a big log, she said.

I had to have photographic proof of this moment! Carly willingly snuggling with her brothers! She was actually pretty cheerful that first day...before the nerve block wore off...

Carly's sweet friend, Anna, has spent hours entertaining her in the days since surgery. Her visits, and the visits of other friends, have kept her sane. (Reed and I, also, because she tends to be happier during these visits than when she is just with us!)

Supportive brothers

Carsten just started learning the violin, and he was showing us the first few notes he'd learned...

Unfortunately, his audience was not as supportive as he might of wished!

"Fertility Party"

The little miracles...

On Sept. 19, we attended the Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine's bi-annual Baby Reunion. Its a chance for families who have successfully conceived through the fertility treatments offered by Drs. Foulk and Slater. We are big fans, since three of the five children are here through their assistance! Beret, David, and Beck are our fertility babies, and we feel so blessed to have the high tech clinic in our own city, and for the wonderful care we received. It may sound strange to those who have never gone through the fertility process, but for veterans in the fight to conceive, its really a lifestyle that nobody but fellow infertiles can relate to. That is why its fun to get together with other families and hear their stories, see their successes, and just relate!
The Baby Reunion is lots of fun! A catered picnic in the park, bouncy jumper things, face painting and balloon animals, and give-aways. You get to see LOTS of twins, and even some triplets or a set of quads! They are so cute. Our kids had a great time, as usual. There were some funny moments however... Like while we were en route to the picnic, Reed was on the phone with our neighbor, and he said, "Well, I better go. We are on our way to a fertility party." At which point I'm waving my hands, loudly exclaiming, "Its not what it sounds like!" Then the next day at church, Carsten was telling his class about the picnic. His two male teachers later recounted that when they asked him to explain what it was for, he responded, "Its a party for the doctor that got my mom pregnant with my brothers." ....Yeah, that has made the rounds of the ward by now!

Carly with her face painted.

Is this not the cutest bunny ever?
We are very fortunate, and very grateful for all of our babies. We are also grateful for those who helped us financially to have the twins--David and Becky, for whom they are named. Obviously we try not to call Beck Becky, so he doesn't sound like a girl, but I find it cute and interesting that lately David calls him "Becky"! Funny!

July...Catching up!

Greg, a good friend of Reed's from UPS was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 25th. He has been quite an inspiration to Reed, with the amazing change his life has taken. He was able to baptize his sons a week later!

My nieces, Sadie and Shelby with Beck at the park. They came up from UT to celebrate a very special day in OUR family! My brother-in-law, Pat, was ALSO baptized a member of the church! This was a long-hoped for event for us- seven plus years in the making! Now we are all anxiously awaiting next July when we get to see them sealed together as an eternal family in the Boise Temple!

My sister, Juliana, after the baptism

Meg and Dad. Dad was able to be here for the baptism, and to perform the confirmation. A month later, on another trip, Dad was able to give Pat the Aaronic priesthood.

The happy family after Daddy's baptism service. (Doesn't Meg look beautiful? She's so happy)

Some of the Nokleby Nuthouse alumni! Elders Tryon, Weatherston, Chastain, and McMurdie! They were all able to attend the baptism. Elder Tryon played the piano, Elder Weatherston sang.
The family with Pres. and Sis. Yardley, the Boise Mission president. We just love them, and we were so grateful that they attended Pat's baptism. It was great to introduce them to my Dad, and my sisters.
An Apache helicopter landed in our church field in July for our Cub Scout pack meeting. It was definitely a cool experience! The kids absolutely loved it! It was very impressive to see it landing and taking off. We attracted lots of attention in the neighborhood, and they were able to stay a long time for everyone to see and touch the helicopter, and talk to the pilots.

Marik, David, and Caleb under the belly of the beast! Checking out guns, naturally!

Marik and David

I can't believe we've had these blocks in the garage for 5 years! They are the most popular thing in the house, most days. The four boys can spend hours playing and building "dassels" (castles). They are very creative, and its fun to see their imaginations at work!

Carsten and David touching the ceiling

Is this darling or what? Beret wanted to take a picture of Beck, and he got a perfect shot!
Phew! That sums up the month of July in a nutshell....

Purple Marker Mayhem

So, David and Beck got a hold of a purple marker during nap time. I am sorry (now) that I didn't take a picture of the room. Oh my... Have you ever read Harold's Purple Crayon? Harold has nothing on these two. So, the beds, the walls, the CARPET, and most of all, the BABIES were covered in fancy purple artwork. By the time I got the camera, they were already cleaner, but they had marker all over both sets of legs and arms, and on their faces. Anywhere the clothes covered were safe (oh, did I mention their clothes were covered?). Unfortunately the water turned purple!

The best part was I was on my way out the door, and left my poor sister-in-law, Christine, to handle the mess! Luckily we all got a good laugh out of it. I blame Elder Tryon, who first introduced "body art" by writing messages on their bellies for me to find!

From Boys to Men...

We are nearing the end of our two years as a missionary housing family, and we just said goodbye to one of our first two elders, Elder Alisa. He came to us in August of 2007, as a fresh out of the MTC greenie! This week he goes home, and its amazing to see the growth!
All of our elders have taught us, and I am just using Elder Alisa as an example, but look at the difference between the boy and the man! The difference isn't all physical, of course. We saw his testimony grow, his spirit, his confidence, and his abilities as a missionary of the Lord. We are so proud of you! Some day we'll make it to Hawaii to visit...
(You can see a big difference in the sizes of the kids, too, can't you?)