Megan's Visit

Chuck's sister, Megan came for a visit over Valentine's Day weekend.  Megan lives in Utah right now.  She is a Super-mom with 5 kids + 3 foster kids= 8 kiddos!!!  She was able to sneak away for a few days for a little well-deserved R&R with family.

Megan gave Chuck this Cardinal's leather jacket for his Birthday.  Chuck loves it!

 

Jackie and Megan were best friends growing up.  Jackie came over to hang out for a little while.  

On Valentine's Day, Charlie gave his first talk in Sacrament Meeting.  He got to choose the subject, and he chose to speak about Education.  He did a really great job!  I was so proud of him.  It was special for him to have his Aunt Megan and Granny here to support him.  

Cheyanna loves Granny, Rocky and Ruby.  It was great to spend some time with Megan, and the best part is that they just found out that they are moving back to AZ this summer!  It'll be great for the cousins to live close by again and for us to all be able to hang out on a regular basis.  Now if we can just get Lindsey and CJ to move back to AZ, Chuck's whole family will be here!

Cade's Field Trip

I went with Cade's class on a field trip to see the play "Bodyology" at the Orpheum Theater.  Here is our group: Tylee, Joleigh, Sam, Cade, Justin, and Mitchel (jacket over his head).

It was a cute play, and the kids seemed to like it.  Then we went to a park to play and have lunch. 

 

  This is the first field trip I have been able to go on this year, because all the others have been on days that I had class. It was fun to spend the day with Cade and his class.   

Cheyanna's New Do

Cheyanna used to have very curly hair until she turned 5.  Then all of a sudden, it was straight and stringy on the top, curly underneath, and overall messy looking no matter how often I brushed it.  So we decided to try a much shorter hairdo and see if it is more manageable with her difficult hair type.  I cut it much shorter than I intended to, but I like it this length, and she does too.  

It is easy to flip it out or curl it all over--it is much more manageable.  I'm so glad Cheyanna is so easygoing and she was happy with the haircut! It is fun to try something new, and hair always grows back out. 

Cade's new glasses

A couple of weeks ago, Cade and Cheyanna had spirit week at school.  For Pirate Day, Cade dressed up like a pirate, complete with an eye patch over his right eye.  By the end of the school day, Cade realized that his vision in his left eye isn't so great.  So I took Cade and Cheyanna to the optometrist, and sure enough, Cade needed glasses. 
 

Luckily, Cade had been really wanting glasses, so he was THRILLED!   

 

His vision isn't too bad, so he only needs glasses to see things far away.  He doesn't need to wear his glasses all day, but so far he has been wearing them all the time and loving every minute of it!

 

I'm glad he likes the glasses.  He is a cutie pie either way!

Oh Tooth Fairy...

Have we got a tooth for you!  Cade had an extra tooth behind his front teeth on the roof of his mouth.  His orthodontist wanted it removed so that the roots wouldn't interfere with the growth of his incoming permanent teeth.  So he went to the dentist looking like this...

 

And he came home from the dentist looking like this...

They just yanked the tooth right out!  Cade was so super brave.  I was proud of him.  He barely flinched when they gave him the shot of novacaine, and he didn't even blink when the dentist yanked the tooth out.  After months of being called "snaggletooth" and hating that extra tooth, and then days of worrying about the pulling of the tooth, all of a sudden it was out!  Cade said, "Holy Cow! That was it??"  Cade was so happy to have it out, and he enjoyed showing off the tooth at school to all his friends.  It wasn't nearly as traumatic as I thought it was going to be, and his mouth healed so quickly.  Several days after the pulling, his mouth looked like this...

We're still waiting to see if the tooth next to Cade's right front tooth is going to grow in without any intervention, or whether we're going to have to do phase one braces to move that right front tooth back into place and out of the way so the tooth next to it has room to come in.  His next ortho appointment is in April, so we'll decide then whether he needs braces or not.  Fun, fun!  In the meantime, the tooth fairy had better pay up because this is one unique tooth she'll be adding to her collection. 

Charlie is a Star

In scouts, that is his new rank--Star.  Here's a picture of Charlie with his dad after his last Court of Honor. 

Mindful Eating

One of the great things we've learned about in Group Therapy class is called Mindfulness.   It is kind of hard to explain, but it is basically focusing our energy and attention on the present moment, which helps us disengage from habitual, unsatisfying habits and behaviors.  We did this quick and simple exercise in mindful eating together in our group, and I did the exercise at home with my family at the dinner table, and it is really a good experience.  It helps me to really think about what I am eating and why.  It helps me to appreciate the goodness of food, and to think about where the food came from, and how it got to my table.  It helps me to avoid the mindless eating that is so much a habit for me.  Anyway, just thought I'd share in case you want to try it.  The next time you're about to eat something, first try...

ARRIVING AT THE FOOD: We realize that we are in the presence of food, and that we have careful work ahead.  Before each meal or snack, we take a moment and simply notice the food and consider it.

AWAKENING TO THE FOOD: We notice every aspect of the food itself before, during, and after eating it.

TUNING IN TO THE BODY: We pay attention to our own bodies as we eat.  We notice the movement of the muscles, limbs, fingers, lips, teeth, and tongue.  We tune in to our level of hunger.  We're in touch with need for food and we know when to stop eating. 

That's it.  Simple steps to take, but they can make a huge difference in our enjoyment and appreciation of food, and can help us overcome mindless eating habits.   Sometimes a small change of perspective can make a huge difference.   

Pinewood Derby

Carson's last Pinewood Derby was January 23.  He is a Webelos this year, so it is his last chance to race a car at Pinewood Derby.  Chuck let him do a lot of the cutting, sanding, and all of the painting this year. 

 

This year was the first time I have ever enjoyed a Pinewood Derby.  Ever.  Every other year, I managed to spend the whole time stressing about the details, the refreshments, and awards.   This year, I asked for help making the refreshments...these cute little twinkie and swiss roll cars.  

My friend, Karla was really nice to make all of the swiss roll cars, so I just had to make the twinkie cars. 

That was a huge help, but other than that, the thing that changed was just my perspective.  After surviving a stressful semester of grad school, I realized that Pinewood Derby is not so stressful after all.  I can make a choice to run around worrying about all the details, or I can just watch the race, and enjoy the day.  I chose to enjoy it.  It was fun to watch Carson race his car.  His car was pretty middle-of-the-pack this year, but he had a smile on his face the whole time, and I was proud of his ability to enjoy the experience no matter how his car was performing.  I probably wouldn't have even noticed that last year (or the year before...)

So Carson had a fun time.  Chuck and Carson were able to spend some one on one time together building the car, and we all got to enjoy the race, the awards, and the refreshments.  Our Stake runs the Pinewood Derby for all the wards, and they do a great job with decorations, set-up, and organization.   Anyway, it was a fun day, and it made me aware that going back to school has changed me and is helping me be a better person in other areas of my life. And I am so proud of Carson.  He is such a good kid, and I feel so blessed to be his mom.