Snowman

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman . . .
Once there was a snowman, not-so-tall . . .


In the sun, he melted, melted, melted . . .
In the sun, he melted; now he's a snowball.


Here's a picture we just got from someone in our ward of Rachel and Eddy at our ward's "A Night in Bethlehem" Christmas party. We all dressed up in Middle Eastern garb and had dried fruits, nuts, and pita bread. A few people thought Eddy was dressed up to be a lamb, which certainly would have been appropriate for the evening. Apparently, it's supposed to be a bear outfit, but we've heard some people call him a bunny in it, so it's really anybody's guess.



We woke up one morning after the first major snow of the season to find that our car was converted from sedan to wagon style. More cargo space!


The look on a child's face about 5 minutes after his parents gave up trying to get him to keep his gloves on.


A few rare moments with Eddy's fingers OUT of his mouth.


After putting Davy to bed, Rachel was cleaning up the living room and found what fun it can be to see what the most recent adventure was for Davy's toys. This one involved the baby Jesus being transported somewhere by truck bed. Who needs a donkey?

Don't Grow Up So Fast

I get these little emails every week from babycenter.com that talk about developmental milestones and suggest activities to do with kids at certain ages, etc. Sometimes I look at them, sometimes I don't. I looked at one this week for Davy's age and was taken aback that now he is considered a preschooler. I guess after the second birthday they are no longer toddlers, but I was not ready to have a "preschooler" in the house! (And I'll blink and have a teenager.)

As I write this Davy is immersed in pretend play with a castle and knights set that was a Christmas hand-me-down from some friends. I thought he'd have to grow into the toy, but the minute he spotted it in my closet behind some clothes (the kid has eyes like an eagle--I forgot to put it out for Christmas morning and then was going to save it until next year but brought it out after his irresistible, "oooooo, a castle!") he has been helping the knights take rests, hug each other, shoot the cannon and fight each other.

We had a dance party the other day after dinner to get some wiggles out before bedtime. I put on some oldies to rock out to, and said, "Davy, shake your bootie!" He looked at me with a perplexed expression, then picked up one of Eddy's baby booties from off the floor and waved it around. He had no idea why I was laughing so hard, but joined in anyway.

Davy is NOT toilet training/learning, but he loves to sit on the toilet and read books about potty training. The other day I was making dinner and heard Davy whining about something, but was too busy to go and check that minute. I thought he was frustrated with some toy that was not behaving the way he wanted it to. When I finally went to see what was the matter I found him fully clothed but fallen into the toilet bowl--his bottom all the way through the seat and very wet. I should have run for the camera, but I didn't think of it in the moment, and the poor child had suffered long enough. Surprisingly he is not afraid of the toilet and still likes to "practice" with my help.

Merry Christmas 2010

We had our first snowfall of the year on Monday, just hours after I completed the grocery shopping for the week. Whew! If there is anything I dread more than grocery shopping in the rain, it is doing so in the snow. But I do love a good snow when I don't have to go anywhere. Davy and I enjoyed a little frolic in our backyard/driveway while the baby slept cozy and warm inside. Davy really wanted to "sweep" (shovel) the snow, but was content to just walk around in his boots for a time and get his first taste of the cold stuff.



And while being mostly stuck inside the house, Davy's entertained himself and us by helping out with some clothes sorting (out with the too small stuff and in with the 6-month clothes for our not-quite-yet 3 month old). Davy does get fully dressed every morning--I promise! But by the end of the day we're usually missing at least one article . . .


Here's evidence that our requests to share are being listened to, at least sometimes. Davy shared all his new Little People nativity pieces (from Aunt Erica) with Eddy. So sweet.


Eddy's Christmas Eve pictures:




I remember being sick many Christmases as a child, and I guess Davy decided to join in the tradition. We had a very loooooong Christmas Eve night as Davy was ill with a horrible cough that kept him awake and throwing up all night. We changed several sets of sheets and blankets and pajamas before he finally fell asleep, but only if Collin or I were sleeping next to him. And if he rolled over and coughed once he went into another coughing fit that lasted an hour until he could relax and fall asleep again. Poor kid. Poor parents. This was our first real all-nighter with a sick kid and it was much more grueling than any paper-writing all-nighters I pulled as a college student. All that laundry and singing lullabies with a hoarse voice really take it out of you! This morning was fine, as Davy was back to his almost usual self. I removed any sugar and dairy from his diet for the day (he's too young, luckily, to know that you are supposed to gorge on chocolate for breakfast on Christmas morning) and he loved opening his presents and playing with his new stuff. Then we watched movies the rest of the day and generally took it easy. Davy in his TV stupor (and he's still sick, so that's most of the glazed expression), Collin enjoying the political incorrectness of Disney's Peter Pan, and Eddy enjoying Daddy time:


I love being Santa Clause! In between cleaning Davy up after him being sick, we set up Christmas in the living room. One of the times Davy was sick after 10:00 we heard him saying in a sad, weepy voice, "Mommy, I need towel . . . " and then in a completely different tone, "Oooooooo!" He had spotted the tunnel and tent and was ready to go play. Some Christmas mood pictures:

Merry Christmas to all!

Squished

Oh, no! Even the baby has been marked! We were given this onesie by a Deloitte partner, naturally. Well, we'll be proud to wear the green dot, because we are so grateful for Collin's job.


Eddy's found his lower lip and sucks on it almost constantly through the days. I think he may even be teething, even this early, because he has been a drool machine!


Edward does not love his doctor-prescribed tummy time, but occasionally I'll let him (against doctor recommendation) sleep on his tummy, which he loves. Go figure.


About a week before Davy's second birthday we had a big joint birthday party for the five boys in the ward who were all born within a month of each other. It was SO MUCH FUN! The moms divided up the party planning responsibilities, so it was easy-peasy for us, and also simple enough for the kids to have a blast. There were cars and trucks in one room and an indoor bounce house in the other. There were some healthy snacks, and then we rolled out fondant like play dough and cut shapes to decorate a bakery-quality cake that is the talent and hobby of one of the boys' nursery leaders. Davy, of course, went off on his own for the first while to the playroom downstairs (he is obsessed with downstairs playrooms--apparently all the cool kids among his acquaintance have their playrooms in the basement) and found a hat and a fireman.


He did enjoy the cars and trucks, as well, and wanted more cake after his own big slice was eaten. He ate a lot of fondant, too, as we were rolling it out and cutting shapes, so he was on quite a sugar high for the rest of the party.


The bounce house was the star of the party, and of course I don't have a non-blurry picture of them playing.



Ready to go outside?! Let's get some clothes on first . . .


I tell Davy at least three thousand times a day to GET OFF THE BABY, but it hasn't sunk in yet. The problem is also Eddy, who giggles and smiles at Davy while being sat on half the time, encouraging the behavior. Sometimes I admit I have to put myself in the "quiet corner" (time out) for a few minutes to get calm again after the twentieth time in ten minutes I have to send Davy--all the while laughing--to his room. You'll say, "well, just put the baby up high!" Doesn't work--putting Edward on the bed is even worse because then David is jumping on him, and I've found Davy on the swing on top of the baby, and he'll climb into any port-a-crib thing. So as long as I'm holding the baby he's safe, but sometimes a mom just has to change a diaper or set the baby down to get dinner out of the oven. And I try to distract the toddler with another activity or game, but three seconds later all he wants to do is entertain himself by squashing the little one. What to do? Anyway, here's a picture that shows some positive progress. Next to the baby, even if on his arm, is better than standing on his stomach or sitting on his head. And all too soon Edward, if he continues at the rate he's going, will be bigger than David and can hold his own against his brother.


Now a little moment about me! I'm the Activity Days leader for the older girls in our ward, and we just (almost) finished a quilt that we will be giving to a sister-ward in Haiti. The girls embroidered a square with a design of their own making, then I sewed the squares together and we tied the quilt this last Thursday. It was fun for me to see the girls work together and do something pretty significant with the skills we've been practicing (threading a needle, sewing, knot tying, etc.).

Look Who's Two!

Incredible how these last two years have flown by, and now Davy is a running, chattering little person with personality, preferences, and opinions about everything. We sure love this kid! He's been practicing saying how old he is and trying so hard to make his fingers cooperate to make the sign "2." But he's certainly growing up too fast, as evidenced by one time when we asked him how old he is today and he replied, "sixteen."

Eddy, 2 months

Edward had his two month appointment last week. He was a brave boy for all that poking and prodding and all those shots. He weighed in at 14 lbs 2.5 oz, so we're doing just fine on weight gain! I think he was 25 inches long, but I don't remember all those numbers as well as with Davy. Partially because trying to keep a toddler off the doctor equipment and a baby from rolling off an exam table is plenty to keep a mind occupied! Anyway, he's doing well in the health department, despite a few minor colds that keep cropping up. These pictures are from a few weeks ago, with Eddy in the blessing outfit. He is a little bigger in it than Davy was, in part because of the weight thing, but also because he was older due to the fire situation that prevented us from getting pictures at the same age as his brother was. No matter. He's adorable all the same. I think the photographer lady thought I had "done" his hair on purpose, because she kept trying to crop it out and I kept saying, "keep it!" We love that his hair sticks up, but we certainly don't have the time to blow-dry it that way. Anyway, enjoy!






My two boys. Not the greatest picture, but I love that my two boys are there. Davy will walk around the house carrying two stuffed animals over his shoulders and saying, "two boys, mine two boys." But this post wasn't supposed to be about Davy. So, back to Eddy. You can see that waking up and seeing these smiles of Edward's is a great joy. The best natural pick-me-up possible! Even in the middle of the night . . . I woke up the other night--not because I heard the baby mewing for milk, but just because I happened to be rolling over--and saw Eddy wide awake and grinning at me. I melted, even though I don't want to encourage too much of that three-in-the-morning wakefulness! Regardless, he is a truly beautiful baby at any minute of the day.

Picture Dump

To be honest, I don't have the energy to comment much on these pictures. Just needed to get them up here.

I often find Eddy being smothered under piles of stuffed animals and this doll I made for Davy when the baby was born. Davy loves his brother, but I think loves his equipment more. He has major swing and bouncy-chair envy. We're finally to the point where he just plays with the stuff instead of wanting Eddy out. Hence the stuffed bears and tigers who get to ride on the swing with Edward.


Cute David, coming home from the park on a surprisingly nice late-Fall day.




Eddy's getting more bright-eyed every day. He loves watching me and Davy go about our day around him. Soon he'll be joining in!


Davy got to go to a Belmont High School football game on Thanksgiving day to watch the game and the band play. He is obsessed with that baseball hat and wears it all around the house and often out on errands and trips as well.


Too bad about the shadow, but Edward's cute admiring look at Davy.


Everything is a hat these days.


Finger painting mess.


I don't know what he's worried about--Davy is in bed and can't jump on him.

If anyone can figure out what Davy is saying, let us know. We still can't understand that last part.

Angels Surround Us

After the fire destroyed our apartment on Beech Street, we soon realized that we were going to need to find another place to live. In the meantime, we also needed to salvage what we could of our stuff, clean all our stuff, and find a place to store our stuff. So much stuff!! We were so blessed to have salvaged almost everything we owned and everything that was important to us (pictures, journals, scrapbooks). Our clothes were distributed around the ward (which was a tiny bit weird, actually--but that is not to say we were ungrateful for this service! And it must have been distasteful, as our clothes reeked.) and washed up just fine. Most of my pairs of shoes were lost, though. (So sad!) I had bought some new boots the day before at the outlet mall in Wrenthem and showed them off in the mother's room at church to some of the ladies there. On the morning after the fire, when we were not yet sure what all was usable, our bishop's wife--who had heard how much I liked my new boots--volunteered to drive out to Wrenthem to buy the same pair of boots for me. Luckily my brand new leather boots were saved. But the offer was incredible all the same. This is just one example of so many like instances of incredible thoughtfulness and service. I think I cried more from happiness and overwhelmed gratitude than from sadness, after that first night.

We had so many generous offers for temporary housing and (embarrassing to say it) had our pick of places to live. We accepted our home teacher's offer for several reasons. One of them was that they have five boys (one two days older than Davy) and Davy would fit right in and revel in the activity of the house. And he did fit right in. Laura took our son and adopted him for the week, bathing and dressing him when I was physically and emotionally unable to even think about such duties. Jesse and Laura are both incredibly down to earth and very fun to be around--great traits for anytime but especially in this situation.

Our Relief Society President became my second mother for the week, making sure to give me a hug when she saw me, telling me to take a nap and eat and since I was so newly post-partum she was also was on the watch for any signs of depression.

My visiting teacher took on the full time job of taking care of our stuff and getting it ready to be used when we should find a new place to live. She marshaled forces from her family and the ward to clean our saved furniture, toys, books, pictures, etc. with disinfectant wipes. It was a stinky, messy job but it remarkably turned into a party. It was so fun to see so many of my Activity Day girls there with their moms doing service--on a school holiday, too!

On the Sunday when the fire happened, Collin was packed and ready to fly to Pennsylvania the next day for two weeks for work. His team was kind enough to not require him to go, and to do what work he could from "home." So Collin was able to be with us and start taking care of the immediate needs of getting stuff out of the apartment, stopping the mail, and looking for a new place. We found a few listings on Craig's list and other similar sites. We looked at them, but were not impressed. They would do, but would not be equivalent or better than our previous situation. Then a kind member of our ward referred us to a real estate agent who had done some work with their extended family and had a good relationship with them. We contacted her and she was very kind and attentive to us. She mentioned to us that someone from California (one of the extended family members whose house was sold by the agency, we assume, and with whom we've had little to no interaction) had called to ask that everything possible be done to get us into a home in Belmont as soon as possible. She pulled in her contacts and within a day found us two suitable apartments to look at. Then we had a choice between two good places--one in our current ward and one barely over the border into another. It didn't take long to make our decision. I'm sure there are lovely people in the other ward, but we knew that we needed to be as close to home as possible.

So we signed a contract the next day for a new and nicer apartment. And the next morning, Saturday, several mini vans and suburbans moved our boxes and bookshelves in. It was the fastest and easiest process for a move that we've ever been a part of in the several moves of our marriage. There was no place to sit down in our apartment (we'd lost all the fabric furniture to water and smoke damage) and at one point during the morning I found the nice young woman who had been holding Eddy sitting on the toilet seat to rest her legs. I spent much of the day with Eddy in the sling, nursing him while orchestrating placing and unpacking of boxes. Finally, our RS President had her husband bring over an old armchair from their house so I could sit down to feed the baby. Ahhh, that felt good! We had so many small miracles that day, like a family in our ward who had a gently used top-of-the-line king sized Ikea mattress that they wanted to give us. My cousins brought dining chairs and bath towels. Two of our good friends brought enough groceries to stock our pantry and refrigerator--even my favorite peanut butter and jam!

We have been more blessed than I can even describe in words. I can't remember or don't know all the angels and miracles that surrounded us in this circumstance. I almost feel that this wasn't really a trial--not nearly what it could have been. More than anything, I feel that this was an opportunity for our Heavenly Father to show us how much he knows and loves my little family, and for our ward to draw close together in service and eternal friendship.



Davy loved helping hang pictures, open boxes, and running around in the furniture-less, spacious apartment. He took all the change in stride, which was a blessing. There were a few moments where the stress of it all--the different houses he was staying in, the distracted parents, the lack of toys (until they came back after being run through a dishwasher), etc. caused some behavioral issues, but overall he was a trooper. And now we know why Eddy was born such an easy baby! He has been a sweet dear through it all. The video below is at our home teacher's house, as a reminder that the joy in life is often in the moment, as toddlers are so brilliant at showing us. Your house can be in ruins and the next moment you are playing on the floor with a child and life is good.

New Beginnings

For those of you checking back to see what's been going on since we lost our home, please be assured that we are doing well. Amazingly well, actually! We have found a new, great place, and have been blessed by so many miracles big and small. We will be posting a detailed post soon, but first we have to get set up with internet at our new home. So in the meantime, thank you for your prayers and love.

Fire!

On Sunday, November 7 at around 4:30 pm we were sitting in our living room relaxing. Collin was working on something for his Young Men's calling, Davy was playing trains on the floor and I was nursing the baby and dozing in the chair. Suddenly we heard a commotion just outside our front door and banging and the doorbell ringing. I thought it was some fun family from our ward doorbell ditching us a plate of cookies. Collin went out to investigate and half closed the door behind him to give me some privacy.

I went back into my half-doze, then jerked awake as Collin came barging back in the house and said in a voice I have never heard him use, "Rachel, get out of the house NOW!" I immediately obeyed him, and pulled Eddy away from his meal, grabbed Davy's hand and ran out the door. It wasn't until the boys and I were on the sidewalk outside the house without shoes or coats that I looked up and saw the flames and the smoke billowing out of the back of our house. I yelled to Collin, who had run back inside to grab his work computer and phone to call 911, to get a blanket for the baby. We were then joined by our upstairs neighbors, whose apartment was on fire. We went across the street to stand on that sidewalk and I started to cry.

Then sirens wailed as police cars blocked off the road several blocks on either side. Fire trucks arrived seconds after and firemen jumped out to start putting out the fire. Hoses were rolled out and the fire was contained a few minutes later. The police kept moving us further and further down the block. I'd wrapped the baby in the blanket Collin brought out and some nice lady asked if she could hold him, because Davy kept wanting to wander closer to the action to see the fire trucks and firemen. So I handed off Eddy and picked up Davy. He was shivering and another nice stranger put a big blanket over both of us. Our upstairs neighbors were watching in shock as their home burned, and I went over to the wife to give her a hug and tell her things were going to be okay. We both cried together for a while. Her small boys, six and seven, were watching. The youngest was crying and I gave him a hug and asked the older boy, who was not crying, if he was scared. He said he was and I told him that I was too.

At this point I realized that Eddy was still hungry and both boys were cold. The house was still in flames, but I told Collin that we needed to get the boys away and inside. The nice lady who was holding Eddy walked with me to our good friend's house, just down the block. Collin went back to "help the firemen," as Davy keeps saying. (He stayed to see what happened.) We arrived on the doorstep of our friend's home and asked if we could rest there until we knew what to do next. Emily dashed into action and didn't stop taking care of us and the situation until we had to leave the next day.

After putting Davy down to sleep that night and getting the baby all set to be left with Emily for an hour, I went back with Collin to the house to see what might be saved. It was dark and cold and starting to rain outside. Several firefighters in full get-up escorted us inside our home with flashlights. It was damp and smoky and drippy and awful inside. We scurried around grabbing scrapbooks, journals, and important pictures off the wall and stuffing them inside trash bags. The bishop and many other men from the ward were there to carry stuff into a waiting van.

The next day Collin returned to see what else might be salvageable. We were lucky to recover most of our clothes (that were washed by women in the Relief Society. One sister said it was like a camp-fire on steroids smell.), several pieces of wood furniture, kitchen utensils, and most of the books. Mattresses, couches, and all our food is gone. Our neighbors lost everything. Here are some pictures of the house:

This is the back of the house, where the fire started.

There's nothing more spooky than a boarded up house with left-over Halloween decorations on the front porch.

What a mess! Fireman boot prints all over the floor and pillows. Not that I think they should have removed their shoes before entering my house!

This damage happened overnight. Yikes! I was a little shocked to see this, even though Collin had warned me a wall fell down. I have to say, I got the worst stomach ache from being in this place. The smoke and the mildewy smells, and the emotional distress were too much for me. I never want to go back in the apartment.

I was baking a cake to bring for refreshments for an FHE at a friend's house. I was so afraid that I had forgotten to turn off the oven and that I was responsible for the fire. I had remembered to turn off the oven, but it's funny that that was the first thing that came to my mind in the moment. You know you muse in Sunday school about the things you would grab if your house were on fire. Yeah, well, I can say that from experience your mind just goes blank as you stand there watching something completely out of your control.

The ceiling in several rooms was caving in and cracking.

Again, we really had very little damage to our things. Here are some pictures of the destruction upstairs:

We were in the news! Here's a link to an article on the fire: http://belmont.patch.com/articles/update-beech-street-fire-accidental

This has been a sad, emotional, tough couple of days. Still, we have been flooded with help, love, concern, and faith. We have witnessed our incredible family, church, and community in full action. Forces have been marshalled to assist us and the other family. I wish we were on the giving end of this service, but we are so grateful and humbled to be receiving it. Within minutes of arriving at Ben and Emily's house diapers and toothbrushes and shampoo arrived from wonderful neighbors and friends. Since then the clothes, shoes, coats, diapers, meals, etc. have poured in. Thank you, thank you!