Sickness

For the first time ever, all three of my men have been sick in one month. It all started one early April morning about 5 am when I woke up to Cooper screaming. I ran into his room and he was standing on his bed crying. He had thrown up all over his bed. I rushed him to the toilet and woke up Bryce to help me with the clean up. (I don't do well with throw up). Cooper was fine the next day and then it happened again the next night along with diarrhea. He kept coming into my room in the middle of the night (7 times to be exact), "mom I have to go to the bathroom". Then it turned into throw up again when I caught most of it in my hands. This only lasted for two days thank goodness. That was only the second time in his life that he has ever been sick with throw up. We are thankful for his healthy body.

Two Sundays ago, we all went to church, came home, ate lunch, and went on a walk. When we got back, Bryce was feeling really dizzy and his stomach was bothering him. Earlier in the day, he had been complaining about aching in his joints, but he had no reason to be sore. He went to bed at 7 and when I checked his head at 11, he had a temperature of 103. The fever broke in the night and he woke up with soaked clothes and he had big welts on his knees, wrists, and elbows. The following day, the hives moved all over his body. He went to the doctor and they tested him for strep and did some blood work. They found nothing and told him he looked healthy. He recieved a preisthood blessing that night and the next day the rash was gone but the fevers continued for the next 8 days. He would soak our sheets every night when his fever would break. He has also been having really bad headaches and an upset stomach, along with throw up yesterday morning. He received another blessing from our bishop where he was instructed to go to the doctor. Yesterday, they did blood work and a chest x-ray and they "think" he has onset to pneumonia. He started on an antibiotic yesterday and today (Day 12) he has an extremely bad headache and his body is really sore. Hopefully the medicine will kick in and he will be on the mend really soon. I think he is getting really frustrated and tired of being so sick.

And Clayton either has a small bug or is teething....I am not quite sure since the symptoms seem to be the same for both things. He is just so moody the last few days, running nose, messy diapers and the works.

We actually have been really blessed with good health over the years, so I guess it is our turn for a little sickness in our home.

Small Moments

As I sit in the chair and rock Clayton to sleep, I sit and cry. A few hours later, I read him his favorite book, "I Love You Through and Through" and I cry as he sits there and holds on to my thumbs as I turn the pages. I take a bath with him tonight and he looks up at me with those big eyes and I begin to tear up. The reason for all these tears is because my sister, Sherrie, should be doing these things as well. Things happen in life that make us appreciate those "small moments" a little more and help us realize that we take times like these for granted...

My dear sister, Sherrie and her wonderful family are going through some tough times right now and I can't help but ache for them. I hurt so bad for their whole family, yet the only thing I can do here in Utah is pray and think about them. I just wish I could be there to give my sister a big hug and just hold her in my arms.

Sherrie and Brian received precious, little Maleah into their family 16 days ago. This is the fourth baby that they received through adoption. They are very close friends with the birth mom and she chose them from the very beginning of the pregnancy. Sherrie and Brian were there to see the birth of Maleah, and brought her home 3 days later. After sharing, caring, and loving her for two weeks, this past Wednesday, they had to return her to her birth mom because now the birth dad wants to be involved. It would take a miracle for them to get Maleah back, because the birth dad is completely against adoption.

Sometimes we don't understand why things happen the way they do, but I know that Heavenly Father knows everything and there is a purpose. It doesn't make these trials any easier to cope with, but I think it gives us peace and hope. I am very impressed with the way that Sherrie and Brian are dealing with this trial right now. They are great examples to me. My heart goes out to them and their children and I wish I could take their pain away. I know that they are finding peace and strength through the only reliable source...our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is only person that can truly help us in these times of great trials.

This trial that they are going through has given me alot to think about. I hope that I will never take the time that I have with my kids and husband for granted. These moments that we have with them are precious. I hope my family and friends know how much I love them. I am so blessed to be surrounded with wonderful people in my life. I want each one of you to know that ou have touched my life and I am thankful for you!

All We Ask Is That You Try

Cooper is playing soccer this Spring Season. The first game was a little rough. They have practice for 30 minutes and then they play a game for 30 minutes. The first game, Cooper practiced for a few minutes and then he got intimidated when the coach took the ball and told the kids to try to get it from him. Cooper ran to the sideline and said he wasn't good enough. Sometimes, sports brings out the worse in people...like myself! I was so frustrated with Cooper, yet I also felt sad that he felt that way about himself. All that we asked him to do is just try. So, while the team playedthe game, Cooper, Bryce, and I practiced on the sidelines. Cooper had a great time and he did a great job.
When we left, we talked to him again about the fact that we just want him to try. We practiced with him the next week and we tried to focus on "building him up" and trying to be as postitive as we could with him. This past Saturday, we showed up to the field and he played the whole game. He didn't exactly know what he was doing, but he was trying and out their running around with his team, and that's all we cared about.

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Cooper's Birthday earlier this week while some of his "Hatch" cousins were in town. Cooper is so excited to be five years old! He is getting too big and growing up so quickly. Cooper decided that he wanted to have a Transformers party. This was his first "real" party, so it was kind of fun to have a theme. When the kids first got to our house, we let them each make their own minature pizzas. We put them into little groups and the kids enjoyed smashing out the dough and covering it with lots of sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. We also made some good ole' mac and cheese and the kids scarfed down their lunch.
Cooper, Ethan, and Tayson. These are some of his friends from our neighborhood and they were in his Joy School the past couple of years.
Reese, Addey, and Landon already done making their master pieces! Landon didn't understand the making of the pizzas, he just wanted to eat the cheese and pepperoni.
Jaden, Ty, and Jaxson. They decided to make the pizzas for the adults. And the pizzas turned out yummy! We had a really cool Transformers table cloth that Cooper helped me pick out.
After lunch we went downstairs to play a basketball game. The kids lined up behind the marker and took turns shooting the basketball. I think this was one of their most favorite things. They were also very patient waiting in line for their turn. It was neat to watch them get so excited when they made a basket. Next, the kids went out in the back yard to take their swings at the Optimus Prime pinata. They each got two turns and Ty finally broke it open with his power swing. The kids filled up their shirts and pockets with candy and toys.
Cooper received many nice presents from his friends. He got some transformer cars, bakugans, a soccer ball, Legos, a Star Wars DS game, a Transformers PS2 game, and some shoes. Thanks goes out to everyone for these wonderful gifts. He has enjoyed playing with them this week.

After we opened presents, we sang to Cooper and devoured the cake and ice cream. I attempted to make a Transformers cake for Cooper. This is the autobot emblem. Cooper said, "I love everything about the cake."

Happy Easter

We had a fun Easter this year. On Saturday, Bryce had to work, so Cooper and I decided to dye some hard boiled eggs. Cooper said, " I am ready to dive the eggs, Mom." This is the first time we have dyed eggs with him. He had so much fun mixing the color tablets with lemon juice and creating all sorts of different eggs. We did 8 different colors but he wanted to do more. We ended up coloring about 15 eggs. We made the eggs into egg salad sandwich and ate them for lunch on Sunday. Clayton thought it would be fun to eat them and crack them on each other.

Sunday morning, Cooper went out in the backyard to try to find his Easter basket. Bryce hung it on the satelite and Cooper walked within inches of it twice. Finally, we had to show him where it was hanging. He got a Ben 10 Toy, bubble bath, some books, "UP", and a shirt. On Sunday, after General Conference, we went up the the Wolf Creek Condos to spend some time with our family. Cooper went on a Easter egg hunt with his cousins, Jaden, Ty, and Addey. I bet they each came away with 30+ eggs and they had a great time despite the freezing cold weather. We also ate dinner up there and the food was great!

After the kids went down to the hot tub for an hour, they came back up to flex their muscles for us. These muscles shots will be fun to look back at when these boys all go on their missions!

He Lives

I just wanted to take this time to reflect on the true meaning of Easter. I am so thankful for a loving brother and Savior, who came to this Earth to teach by perfect example. I am thankful that he was worthy and willing to come here to fulfill His mission, thereby allowing me to not only be forgiven of my short comings, but also giving me the wonderful knowledge that after we die, our bodies and Spirits will be reunited again.

I am thankful that I have a Savior who knows me by name. He is full of mercy and compassion and is waiting for us to open the door and let Him into our lives. I know that He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane so that He might know the physical, emotional, or spiritual pains and heartaches that we feel here on Earth. I know that He was resurrected 3 days after His death. I know that because of Him, we can live with our families and friends for eternity if we follow in His footsteps. I am thankful for this Easter season and for the opportunity it gives me to really think and ponder about Jesus Christ and the importance of the Atonement and Resurection.