Small Mircales

I just wanted to share a couple of small miracles which happened to me recently. Greg and I went to the temple about a month ago. I was very nervous about leaving the kids. I prayed very hard that they would behave and not want to come home halfway through the night (because nobody would be there). My nerves were put at ease, and I was able to enjoy our time in St. Louis, just me and Greg.
So, the moment we got to the temple, I started getting a massive headache. Not just one of those slightly irritating ones either, it was a whopper! I closed my eyes and said a quick little prayer. I knew that I would not be able to get much out of my temple visit if I had this pounding headache. AS SOON AS I OPENED MY EYES, the headache was gone. I was so grateful.

A couple weeks later, I went to the car wash to vacuum out the van. After finishing, I got in the driver's seat and proceeded to start it up. It WOULD NOT START. I laid my head down and simply uttered these words, "Heavenly Father, I really don't want to be stuck right now in this parking lot." I sat up, turned the key, and the van fired right up.

I just wanted to share these few experiences. It wasn't anything HUGE, but it felt pretty big to little ol' me.

Leprechaun Pee

So, the Leprechauns came...last night! The kids were gushing with excitement this morning when they discovered that the wee little guys had snacked on their candy, left a note (in tiny writing), left behind some of their treasure (some gold dollars), AND PEED in the tiny potty!

Each child received a note:

Zane's: "I looked at you in your bed...and you are a GIANT! Thank you for the treats. I hope you had a Happy St. Patty's Day. I'm pretty sneaky so the trap didn't get me this time. Pleasant dreams to you and be a big boy!-Angus O'Bartley"

Noah's: I really like your trap, but I can't be caught! You remember to be nice to all your friends and family members, ya hear? Have a Wonderful Spring. I may see you around next year!-Darcy O'Darby"

Olivia's: "WOW! What a house you have built for me. I sure wish I could stay. I've been to many a home, but never have I seen a potty so tiny! It was just my size. Thank you for the treats. Oh, and if you see any of my treasure lying around, you may keep it, just be sure to share it with your wee little brothers. I did take a bit of a nap on the bed. Very nice, and the pillow-so soft! Thank you again. Maybe I'll see you around next year, but you won't see me! Love Fallon O'Malley"

Fallon left some half-eaten m&m's on the miniature lego table Olivia built for him. I'm sure the kids are already looking forward to next St. Patrick's Day. Olivia came into the kitchen upon her discovery carrying the tiny toilet WITH pee in it. She had this shocked look on her face as she said, "The leprechaun peed in the toilet!" You would expect a leprechaun to pee green, but this was yellow! I'm sure she is telling all her friends and her teacher about it at school this morning. Noah was grinning from ear to ear after he found his note and "gold", and even Zane couldn't contain his excitement. What a wonderful morning for all of us!

WARNING: The Following Blog Post is Probably Rated PG-13....at least.

Oh. My. Gosh. I just had to write this down IMMEDIATELY!

Let me give you a little background. Zane (and Noah) call their penis a "turtle". (A very fitting name, I thought). Anyway, when Zane's "turtle" "sticks-up" he will repeatedly say, "My turtle is being a turd."

So, tonight, Zane decided he would try and go to bed without a diaper since we have been potty training (FOREVER). Today was a pretty good day with only one accident. He still has only pooped in the toilet ONCE (in his life), but to him this is success. I, on the other hand, would prefer that he not go off on his mission at 19 and have to put a diaper on to relieve himself...so we're still working on the whole process.

Anyway, after laying in bed for a while without a diaper he said quietly,
"Mom...my turtle is being a turd. I need to go to the hospital."

I asked, "What do you think they can do for you at the hospital?"

"They can take this one off and give me another one."

And that is why after he drifted off to sleep (with a diaper on) I simply HAD to come post this story.

5 Years Ago Today Part of Me Died

It's hard to believe that it was 5 years ago today that Greg and I went to the Doctor for a routine Prenatal visit only to find that our baby no longer had a heartbeat. I was 20 weeks pregnant...half way there! We had had ultrasounds and heard the heartbeat at previous visits. We had seen our baby moving around on the little monitor. But not this time. The body lie motionless. We were sent to another building to confirm. As we left that office, I could hardly stand. I leaned against the wall in the hallway and had a complete breakdown. I felt like breath had been taken from my lungs. I felt like the earth had quit spinning. It seemed like nothing would ever be normal again. We got in our car and I expressed my desire for my Savior to come and take all of this away from me. I just wanted to be with my baby again.

I thought that was the hard part. I came back later that evening, around 10 o'clock. The nurses induced labor. They had said that things would go slowly at first because at 20 weeks your body just isn't ready to give birth yet. They also said, that at some point things would probably go very quickly. After a long wait of not progressing much, the baby might just fall out. It wasn't until about 8:30 the following night that it happened...just as they had said. I gave birth to a baby weighing less than one pound. I had some visitors in the room with me and all of the sudden I knew what was about to take place. I asked them all to leave. They later said that they could hear my wailing from outside the door. I asked the nurses, "Is it a boy or a girl?"..."We're not sure yet," they replied as they hurried away with the bundle. Moments passed, I'm not sure how long it was. It seemed like an eternity. I felt some peace knowing that the worst part of it was finally over. The nurses returned with our baby wrapped in blankets. They announced that it was a boy. We held him briefly then handed him back over. They said we could take as much time as we needed, but somehow that was enough for both of us.

The Doctor came in a few minutes later. He asked if we would like to know what the cause of death was. We didn't want any tests done, but I could tell from the look on his face that he knew why our baby had died without performing an autopsy. He said that the umbilical cord was wrapped once around baby's neck and twice around his knee. The very thing that was supporting his life, had taken it.

A funeral followed a few days later and the healing process began. I am forever scarred, the pain is still there. But I know that it is all part of Heavenly Father's plan, and if I live my life accordingly, I can be with my Eli again.



Eli Nathaniel Chapman
3/10/2006

I LoVe My Husband....but I also LoVe sleep

So yesterday I was tired all day, and bedtime could not come soon enough for me. I finally got my wish, and Zane woke me up at midnight for some unknown reason. I simply picked him up and put him back in his bed and he was fine for the rest of the night. So, I fell back asleep (which is somewhat of a feat in itself). About an hour later Greg woke me up with a "Pssst....Pssst." I rolled over and that's when we both realized that he was talking in his sleep. At this point I couldn't go back to sleep because I had a tickle in my throat. Do any of you ever suffer from this? It is related to my allergies I guess and it drives me BONKERS! My solution is Chloraseptic throat spray. I got up in the dark and picked up the bottle. I didn't want to turn on the light and disturb my hubby (even though he was the reason I was up in the first place). ACKKKK! That's NOT sore throat spray...that's BODY SPRAY. Pleh, Pleh, Pleh and double PLEH! I tossed that junk in the trash and proceeded to wash my mouth out. I can still taste that nasty stuff now. I guess I'm seeing why my kids hate having their mouths washed out with soap (which I haven't done in a LONG time, by the way).

Okay, so I get back in bed and what d'ya know...My loving hubby is now SNORING.

I have heard that contractors are building homes with 2 master suites. One for the husband and one for the wife. BRILLIANT! You simply spend the evening together in one of them, then split up for a peaceful night's sleep. No more waking up every time the other person rolls over, gets up to pee, snores, talks in his (or her-but let's face it, I'm talking about his) sleep, steals the covers (although that's not an issue at our house, my husband has his own "blankie") etc. etc. I guess I'm just a brat who grew up always having my own room and never having to share a bed with anyone. It has taken me 9 years to try and get used to having someone there next to me, and I'm still not.

Please don't get me wrong. I absolutely LOVE and ADORE my husband....who wouldn't? He is awesome. But I guess I find it a little discouraging that the snoring and talking in his sleep are two things that are NEVER going to go away. Oh well, I'm sure there are things about me that absolutely drive him nuts. He is just not quite as verbal about them. I love that about him. I also love that he doesn't beat-the-ever-living-crap-out-of-me like some husbands do to their wives, although I'm sure there are times that I may deserve it. I've told him before I don't know how he puts up with me. I sure wish I didn't have to put up with me. At least he gets a break during the day. I'm around myself 24/7! Sometimes I want to beat the ever living crap out of myself. I'm a work in progress, what can I say? I am getting to where I can tolerate myself a little better than I used to so I'm hoping that he is too. Love you honey!

Olivia's First cavity

I took Olivia to the dentist this morning to have a cavity filled. The hygienist asked if Olivia knew what they were going to do to her today, "Yeah, you'll rub some stuff in my mouth to make it numb, then shove a needle up in there to make it more numb..." The hygienist interrupted, "Nah, we're just going to use some numbing gel." Olivia inquired, "So you won't shove a needle in my gums?" "No, we'll just start with some numbing gel."

They smear on the numbing gel, then proceed to 'shove a needle in her gums'. She was squirming in her chair because she could still feel the pain a little. I could see her feet were wiggling around in her shoes. Then the numbing officially kicked in and she couldn't feel it any more. The point is THEY LIED TO MY BABY. I guess sometimes I am just too brutally honest and blunt with my kids, but why lie to them? I was the one who told her about the needle because I wanted her to know what to expect. She did really well and I'm very proud of her. I took her to school about an hour late and one of the teachers saw us coming in. She asked me if I was the mama of that sweet precious girl. I said "Yes". She let me know that she just adores Olivia. (I sure wish she behaved as well at home as she does at school).
By lunch the numbness had completely worn off and she was able to eat.

I'm hoping she will take a little bit better care of her teeth and brush a little more thoroughly so we don't have to go through that again. If for no other reason than to save me the 80 bucks it cost to have it done.

More Funnies from Zaner

This is Zane: "Mom, can I play on the wii wii wii?" I think we have been doing the 3 little piggies a little too much.

Then last night, Noah was trying to help him with a game and Zane said, "Noah, this game is too hard for big boys." Like it was too hard for Noah, but Zane had it all figured out.

...And when he gets a piece of paper he says, "I MEED a PEN, REALWEY BAD!" Inspiration has hit and he needs to express himself....right away. And sometimes that means WRITING ON THE Walls, Floors, Doors, and Windows. He is quite the artist. Yesterday he drew me a picture. I said, "Is it a dog?"..."Yep, it's a FLYING dog." Well of course! It couldn't just be a plain ol' dog! It has to be a FLYING dog!

It's so fun to be his mom.