September Newsletter & Slideshow

https://picasaweb.google.com/103753336633055957263/2014_09Slideshow

Hamilton Newsletter

September 2014

FAMILY:  September was great – getting back into routines and – toward the end – the weather finally cooling down. The first weekend in September, we headed up to SLC for Caden’s blessing. We got there early enough on Friday to relax, which was good, because Saturday was busy! Grandpa Potts & Heidi went for a run (& saw a beautiful rainbow!!) then we went to the NAMI walk at Liberty Park in honor of Aunt Al Thea (we had pictures of her pinned to our backs). After that, Jason took the girls to the Comic Con to see all the neat things there and to visit Joseph at his booth, selling fake guns. They were there for most of the day, but had a great time! Sunday was Caden’s blessing and it was wonderful to see family & friends & celebrate our cute nephew/cousin! We also had a little celebration for the September birthdays at Trisha’s. On the 4^th, Jason took the girls to Watchdog Night – they had fun playing and eating pizza! The 9^th was McKinley’s Magical Birthday – she turned 9 on 9-9! See her section for details J On the 13^th, Heidi & Grandpa Potts ran the Cedar City ½ marathon! Also, Heidi’s friend, Robyn, stayed with us overnight & ran too! Unfortunately, Grandma Potts was sick & couldn’t come. Grandpa was so nice to watch the older girls for a bit so Jason & Heidi could go on a little lunch date to the French Bakery. Thanks Grandpa!! The 14^th was the Primary Program & Grandpa stayed to watch – our family sang Families Can Be Together Forever at the beginning of the program. Each girl had a speaking part and Ireland got to sing Baptism with the other kids in her class. They all did great & It turned out really neat.  On the 22^nd, we headed up the canyon for FHE to see the fall leaves. It was just beautiful up there & the girls had a wonderful time gathering leaves & then playing at the playground at Woods Ranch. On the 23^rd, we went to the library as a family & enjoyed choosing books, then listening to storytime. It was all about Pirates & Ireland & Kezia made hats and eye patches & went on a treasure hunt! On the 26^th, we headed to St. George & Keeley was so sweet to watch the girls while Jason & Heidi went to the temple for the first time since Noelle was born. It was wonderful & much-needed! Afterwards, we celebrated Piper Ballou’s 4^th birthday with cake & ice cream. On the 27^th, we headed over to the pumpkin festival. There had been a lot of rain, so they moved it to the rodeo grounds. We got there late, so we didn’t get to see or do much, but the girls still had fun taking pictures, making foam Halloween decorations, going “fishing” for prizes, and picking up a home depot kit that they each worked on the next day & finished – 2 birdhouses and a bug house J That night, mom & McKinley went to the women’s conference. It was wonderful!  Our garden has been producing like crazy this month & we are enjoying LOTS of large tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pear tomatoes, red & yellow bell peppers, onions,  & peas. Our watermelon & pumpkins are also taking over our side yard & should be ready soon! It has been fun to get a “harvest” this year. We had a dentist appointment at the end of the month – the good news is that McKinley is cavity-free (great job McKinley!) while the rest of us need to go back L  

JASON:  Jason enjoyed going to Comic Con & seeing all the costumes and characters. He especially enjoyed going to a seminar about the creation of Lord of the Rings. Jason enjoyed the Watchdog night at North Elementary & signed up for 2 days of being a watchdog (going to the girls’ school and helping out) On the 13^th, After the half marathon, Grandpa Potts took Jason to the SUU homecoming game. Unfortunately, SUU lost, but Jason had a great time & really enjoyed the game. Thanks Grandpa! Jason started his new fleet job at the end of the month. He changed locations – he’s now over by the airport – but so far he is enjoying the work environment, getting to know the people he’s working with, and understanding the systems and programs they work with. He has been working long hours as he tries to tie up things at his budget job and transition to the fleet job. There has also been some rearranging in the Young Mens program & Jason is now going to work with the Varsity group.

HEIDI: Heidi finished the 8 week challenge the beginning of September with a total weight loss of about 20 pounds. Yay! She took 4^th place, so no prize money, but she was just glad to lose weight & be healthier! The half marathon was a great race. Unfortunately, Heidi lost her dad before the race started & didn’t catch up to him till mile 8! By that time, dad was losing steam. They ran together for about 4 miles & then dad told Heidi to finish it off. In the end, Heidi finished at 1:44, 13^th in her age group. Dad was only a couple minutes behind & got 2^nd place in his age division. Great job Dad! Heidi also enjoyed a nice hike with Noelle & Kezia one beautiful morning – she hiked the upper Alpine Pond trail & had a wonderful, soul-filling morning J Heidi has been working hard getting read for winter. She did a freezer meal swap with some friends at the beginning of the month & filled her freezer with 24 meals! Yay! And then the next week, she canned & froze a whole lot of pears and peaches with her amazing friend Diane. She also hit the caselot sale & got some great deals. It feels great to have a full freezer & pantry! 

McKINLEY:

 -HAPPY 9^th BIRTHDAY McKINLEY!! She was excited for her magical birthday this year – but had a hard time deciding what she wanted. In the end, she got a HUGE marble maze construction thing from Grandma & Grandpa Potts, some magnetic earrings & nail polish from Aunt Trisha, some foam stickers, a Simon Swipe game, and a huge art set from mom & dad. Grandma Devenish got her some clothes & she also got some money from Aunt Kim! Aunt Keeley got her a treasure box with a notebook & a multicolored pen. For breakfast, McKinley wanted cocoa pebbles, for lunch she wanted a grilled cheese/ham sandwich, and for dinner we went to KFC! Afterwards we had cake & ice cream J She got to wear her crown to school & got a nice card from her class. SO fun to have a 9-year-old!  About 2 days before her birthday, she started making each member of our family a beautiful drawing of a different animal & she gave it to us on HER birthday. SO SWEET! Thank you McKinley!

-McKinley is enjoying third grade so far – she really likes her teacher Mrs. Heap. However, she gets frustrated that her class seems very loud and rowdy. At recess, she likes to play with Jaycee, Lindsay, Kalyn & sometimes Ireland J She is in the highest spelling group & they are pretty challenging words! She’s also in the highest math group!

-For Activity Days this month, McKinley helped at the Care & Share to sort food & take a tour.

-Apparently, McKinley has inherited her dad’s greasy hair & skin. She’s started to take showers every other day & mom bought her some face wash.

-Mom went to McKinley’s SEPs at the very end of the month. Mrs. Heap was so praiseworthy of McKinley! She talked about not only what a great student she is, but what a great leader. She said one day she will be an old woman & see McKinley’s face in the newspaper J

-Unfortunately, a couple boys said some very inappropriate things to McKinley at recess. One called her fat & the other said very inappropriate things to her. Mom talked to Mrs. Heap about it & they are working with those boys.

-McKinley was the only one that had NO CAVITIES at the dentist this month! Great job McKinley!

-McKinley used almost all her birthday money (almost $40!) at the book fair. She bought a book about dogs, a book for her cousin, books for her sisters, & some erasers.

-McKinley started 4H this month. It’s an after-school program where they get to do lots of fun things. This month, they played legos and did tag games & cops & robbers. She likes to play with Dannan during 4H.

IRELAND:

-Ireland still is enjoying 2^nd grade – she loves playing with Drew and Mahina at recess!

-One morning while mom was fixing Ireland’s hair, she asked if there were any cute boys in Ireland’s class. Ireland said “Are you kiddin’ me?” Ummm… apparently there aren’t.

-One day, Ireland said “I’m never gonna be sexy when I grow up! Never!” Not sure where she got that from, but it was actually good to hear because she seems to be the one that likes to push the limits with wearing sleevless shirts and high heels.

-Ireland has struggled lately (again) with using her hands instead of her words with her sisters. Sometimes she sure seems like a bully to them. We are working with her on it and trying to role play and try again.

-When we were at the temple, Ireland was jumping on the tramp doing flips. Apparently, she landed on her neck. She was in a lot of pain for a few days afterwards, but is back to her rambunctious self. We are thankful she is okay.

-We are really proud of Ireland’s SEPs! She is the TOP READER in her class – scoring at a 4^th grade level! GREAT JOB Ireland! She struggles a little bit with Math but is doing well there, too.

-Ireland had 4 cavities at the dentist this month L We bought some brand new brushes & floss to help her get motivated about brushing.

KEZIA:

-Apparently, Kezia was a little disappointed with the Watchdog Night at North Elementary. She thought there was going to be a party with a pizza piñata (as in, pizzas coming out of the piñata). Looks like we have an idea for next year ;)

-Kezia is very tuned in to the times when mom is having a hard time concentrating. She will pipe up and say “mom – you need a rest! Can I have screen time now?”

-Mom came in one day when the girls were taking a bath to find that Kezia had brought a life jacket into the tub. Safety first! ;)

-We have loved all of Kezia’s amazing artwork. She is constantly drawing pictures and writing notes. One of our favorites was a drawing of a car, which Kezia informed mom “it will take you to what you dream about.”

-Kezia informed mom one day that she was changing her name when she grew up. Mom asked her what she was changing it to & she replied “Rosetta.” Kezia also informed her that she was going to make the house next door into a castle and live there.

-One day, Kezia was making a card & asked how to spell Happy Birthday. Mom asked who the card was for & she said “Myself!” Someone is a LITTLE excited about their birthday next month. She also has made multiple lists of what she wants – a piniata, balloons, cookies, cake & ice cream, presents, etc.

-Kezia is still loving preschool. We now carpool with Paige and a boy from Paige’s class, Spencer. She’s had fun making new friends & even got Hadley’s phone number.

 -Kezia continues to amaze us with the words she can read. She is definitely at a Kindergarten+ level! She also will do addition out of the blue! Mom was baking & had 6 eggs & asked Kezia to get 2 more. Kezia came back in and said “So – you need 8 eggs all together for that recipe?”

-Mom has loved having more mommy & Kezia time. We have played puzzles, made her name by gluing cereal & pasta, colored & Painted this month!

-Kezia had to turn in a paper all about her favorite things. She said her favorite food was macaroni & cheese, her favorite book was Can’t Sleep without Sleep, her favorite movie was The Lego Movie, and her favorite color was pink & purple.

LINK:

Link’s brick was finally placed at the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia. We are so thankful for all who contributed to it & hope to visit it one day. Mom has really paid attention lately & noticed that truly there is not a day that goes by that your name isn’t mentioned, our baby boy. We talk about what you would like, what you would not like. How you would get along with your baby sister. We saw quite a few rainbows this month & thought about you in every one!! You are so precious to us – we miss you SO much! Especially as we get to see your sister accomplish the milestones that you never did. It is so bittersweet. We love you our duder-dude!!

NOELLE: -

-Noelle turned 5 months on the 8^th!! The days leading up to that day were particularly stressful, but we are SO thankful she has reached this milestone & look forward to many, many more!!

-Noelle FINALLY seems like her tummy issues have lessened – she is definitely spitting up less. Although… at the beginning of the month, mommy went to give her a kiss & she spit up right into her mouth! Yuck!!

-Noelle has really been working on her thumb. She is really good at getting it in her mouth & sometimes she’ll suck on it, but she hasn’t really figured out how to use it as a comforting measure yet. She still mostly wants to binki to be soothed. She also has really started chewing on her thumb.

-Noelle is pretty fond of paper as of late. As in, crumpling it all up and trying to eat it.

-She is getting pretty great at sitting up all by herself. We usually need something soft like the boppy around her just in case she falls over, but she’s really getting the hang of it!

-Noelle is pretty much in the “oh, that’s cool. But how can I get it into my mouth?” phase

-She is also starting to get into the arching-the-back-when-I-don’t-want-to-be-here phase. Especially in the Bumbo. She is quickly outgrowing it.

-Noelle is pretty much like clockwork when it comes to sleep. Not every night, but most nights, she has a dream feed at 10-10:30, then is up at 3 to eat & then up at 6am. It seems to be more because of habit not hunger, so we will work on getting rid of that 3am feeding soon.  She still sleeps in the Sleep Guardian at night.

-Noelle started solids at the end of the month & is really loving them!! Her favorites so far are orange/banana and sweet potatoes J

-Her naps are usually at 9am, 12ish, and around 4. She was starting to take longer naps in the afternoon, but lately hasn’t been.

-She is quite the talker – and it doesn’t sound like just random babbles either. She is really starting to use lots of vowel combinations!

-She still doesn’t love tummy time. She has definitely mastered rolling over from her tummy to her back & she is rolling to her side all the time, too, but doesn’t really roll from her back to her tummy yet.

-We all love our Noelle! She is just getting to be such a fun age ;)

-We finally sent the Snuza in to the company to get fixed because it was draining batteries every 2 weeks & sometimes dying in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, the company was not very good to work with (at all), but eventually we did get a replacement & are so thankful to have a working Snuza!

-She really loves her sisters & smiles and laughs at them all the time. Constantly, we talk about what Noelle will be like when she grows up – the clothes she will fit into, the colors she will like, etc.

-We usually call her Noelle-my-bell J

-Noelle loves her jumper & exersaucer!

The "F" word

Yesterday, it happened. 

I wondered if it would happen one of these days, but I wasn't quite prepared when I heard that repulsive word. 

My 9-year-old daughter came home from school yesterday and said that a boy at recess called her FAT. 

At the time, I wasn't sure what to say. Of course, I have read things about self-esteem, about children's body image, but in that moment, all I could think about was what I would do & say to that boy if he were standing in front of me. 

Shoving those thoughts aside, I tried to be calm and I asked her if she told her teacher. She said she didn't have time, but she would try to tell her tomorrow. When she told me what had happened, she wasn't crying. She wasn't especially angry. It was actually more of a frustrated, but questioning statement. I told her she knew she wasn't fat, right? I told her that we all are different sizes - some people are bigger, some are smaller. That's how we're made. Honestly, we didn't have a whole lot of time to talk about it - we were late for a dentist appointment. (side note: just once, I would really like a sitcom life, where my child comes and asks me an important question or tells me something significant and I am just sitting there, reading a magazine or something. And I can calmly put it down and take some uninterrupted time addressing the issue and talking it over. And we hug. And then we both go our separate ways knowing that it has been discussed & solved. Yeah. Right.)

Since then, that conversation has been swirling in my mind & heart. This is such a sensitive issue & I really don't want to mess up here. The consequences for messing up are far-reaching. 

I know. 

I won't go into details here, but starting at about age 10, I started having body image issues. And, while I was surrounded with people who truly loved me and wanted to help, there were some things they said or did that actually made the problem worse. It wasn't until I was in my 2nd year of college that I finally started truly seeing myself as more than a number on the scale - and until my metabolism finally stabilized after all that dieting. That is a long time - a DECADE of some of the most important years of my life - spent berating myself, belittling myself, and thinking I was less because I weighed more. 

So - you can understand why I approach this with a bit of trepidation. Simply saying, as I did "you know you're not fat, right?" doesn't make everything better. The seed has been planted. The threshold has been crossed. And even if she hears it no more from that boy at recess, there is a very high probability that she will hear it elsewhere. The thing is, she is overweight. It's true. It's the reality. She has always been bigger, and now that she is maturing, it is more apparent. I believe part of it is genetic - she has a different body type than her sisters. And part of it is personality & choices. She has never really gotten into sports - she has been more of a music/art loving girl. She likes to eat. While her sisters are somewhat picky eaters, she is not. While I have to work to get her sisters to eat a couple bites, she is asking for seconds and sometimes thirds. 

So - what do I do? 

We usually tell her to eat a big helping of salad and some fruit and drink more water if she is still hungry. But usually - yes - she is still hungry after that. 

How do I handle a request for seconds without making it an issue?

In our home, we don't use the word skinny. We use the word healthy. We have talked to her - and our other girls - about how eating too much is unhealthy for our bodies. But, again, I have tried not to make a big deal out of anything. To my knowledge, she doesn't hide food, but I have heard it getting to that point and I don't want to be there. I don't want her to see food as the enemy - as I did for so much of my life. And I still have to fight that mentality. 

It hurts my mother heart that she is starting to understand the unfortunate reality that many people care more about what you look like than who you really are. 

That kid at recess, and others she has and will come into contact with in her life don't SEE HER. 

They don't see how last night she gave up her big bed to her little sister because she wanted it & she slept in her sister's toddler bed. 

They don't see her beautiful drawings of colorful tigers, fairy villages, and people she loves. 

They don't hear her practicing piano without help because her mother is musically impaired. 

They don't see how she makes breakfast for her family, complete with personalized notes for each of them. Just because. 

They don't read the wonderful stories she writes about princesses, queens, heaven, and fairies. 

They haven't seen how at the times when her mother's tears fall without end as she grieves the loss of her son, she has stayed by her side. Holding her. Crying with her. Not leaving her until she is absolutely CERTAIN that she is going to be okay. 

They don't see that. 

I'm worried that she will be that girl. You know - the smart one or the one with the pretty hair or pretty eyes, but FAT. I cannot even tell you how badly I HATE. THAT. WORD. 

The articles say be the example! And we try! I just completed a half marathon. We try to go on walks and to the park as a family. We hike. There is a fruit bowl which is always filled. There is a vegetable tray with fresh-cut veggies. We always try to have a vegetable & a fruit at every dinner. In fact, we just completed an 8-week healthy challenge that she participated in. I know we can always do more - but we're trying.  

The paradox here is telling her that she is more than a number on the scale. Her worth is NOT tied to her pants size in any way. Heavenly Father, Jesus, and her family love her without end, no matter what. Comparing herself with others never helps - it only hurts us. AND! And she needs to take care of the precious body she's been given. She needs to not eat more than is needful. She need to exercise. She needs to limit the amount of sweets she's eats. 

I would appreciate insight here - especially from those of you have have dealt with this before. How did you do it all without turning it into an issue, a label, something that will haunt her for years to come? She is so young. I lover her so much. I want to deal with this the right way & not screw up! THANK YOU!

August Newsletter & Slideshow

https://picasaweb.google.com/103753336633055957263/2014_08_Slideshow

Hamilton Newsletter

August 2014

FAMILY:  We truly enjoyed the last bit of summer this month. The first week of August, Heidi & the girls headed up to SLC to spend some time with family & friends. We enjoyed playing with cousins, having a baby shower for Aunt Trisha, going to a spaghetti dinner in GG’s neighborhood, having a sleepover at the Edwards, meeting our new nephew/cousin Caden! Having dinner with the Matthews and Warrens in Herriman, having ice cream with mom’s cheerleader friends, having a picnic in Murray Park with cousins, mom going out to dinner with her friend Gayla from high school, getting to meet some SIDS moms & kids at the Cottonwood Splash Park & then mom going to a nice dinner with the SIDS moms. Whew! It was a busy, but way fun time in SLC. The 12^th was back-to-school night at North Elementary & we all went to meet new teachers, see classrooms, and sign up for some things. The 14^th was McKinley & Ireland’s first day of school – so far they are really enjoying it! On the 16^th, we decided to go on an impromptu hike up Cedar Canyon – to the Alpine Pond Trailhead. The sun was just going down & the colors were BEAUTIFUL! It was just a perfect night & a perfect hike. Unfortunately, on the way back home, we hit a small deer L It didn’t do any damage to our van, but the deer didn’t make it. L  The 21^st – 25^th was McKinley’s big Seussical Play! She performed 7 times (including 2 matinees), so there was a lot of running around, but we are so proud of her! The 22^nd was the night that we went as well as the Hamiltons, Devenishs, Reeds, and Potts. It was SUCH a cute play & she did a great job! The Vogts came to see her as well J The 24^th was Kezia’s start date for preschool. This year her teacher is Mrs. Clara & she is loving it! On the 27^th, we headed to East Canyon Park with the Bealers. The kids had fun running around & playing (& getting muddy!).The last weekend in August, Labor Day Weekend, we headed up to Yankee Meadows for some camping. Unfortunately, our truck had some issues and had to be towed to Cedar, but we are thankful that a man was able to come tell Heidi about it (she was up the canyon while it happened), and we still were able to enjoy our time up there – hiking Henderson Hill Trail (lots of cows!), roasting LOTS of marshmallows, going fishing at Yankee Meadows Reservoir, playing baseball, riding bikes, playing games, coloring, eating yummy food, whittling sticks, and meeting a new friend named Ocean! It was a great weekend!

JASON:  While Heidi & the girls were up north, Jason did some “honey-dos” and also went fishing up to Kolob Reservior and catfishing at the Lake at the Hills J Jason got some good news about his job this month – he got a detail job doing fleet management. It should last 3-4 months. We are excited for this change & thankfully he will be able to stay in Cedar! Jason was a big help with McKinley’s play this past month. He picked up from practices most nights and helped out with the kids and ushering for 2 of McKinley’s performances. Jason & Heidi have been reading the afterlife book “Embraced by the Light” this month & it has been really good.

 

HEIDI: Heidi really enjoyed her time up north – getting to meet with so many friends & family –not to mention getting to see her brand new nephew Caden! She really, truly enjoyed meeting & connecting with some of her SIDS mom friends. They went out to eat at the New Yorker & were there for FOUR hours, just talking! It is wonderful & healing to be able to share, learn & understand. She is so thankful to her mom & sister who helped out so much with the girls while she met with friends. It was a scramble to get everything ready for school this year & she really didn’t feel prepared. It seemed (yet again) that the summer went to fast & she wasn’t ready to have her children gone all day. It has been nice to get back into routines, though, and she enjoys spending more one-on-one time with Kezia & Noelle. She continued the 8 week healthy challenge & it is ALMOST over! She doesn’t think she will win, but she has lost over 10 points, so she is excited about that! She also got to get in a couple training runs with her dad – one was down Butterfield Canyon (super-steep!) and one was down Cedar Canyon. It was nice to not have to do the long runs alone.  Heidi also enjoyed reading “The False Prince” this month.

McKINLEY:

-McKinley enjoyed going to Salt Lake & getting to sleep over at Michael’s & she LOVED getting to see her Herriman friends, Jack & Lizzy J

-This month was McKinley’s BIG PERFORMANCE of Seussical! She really did well! Her costume was SO cute – and she was so animated when she sang. It was fun to see her solo at the end, too “I do not like them Sam-I-Am!” J Unfortunately, the combination of the stress of play practice & starting school (she was up at 7:15 for school & had to go straight to play practice after school, not usually getting home till about 10) proved to be a bit too much at the end & she had quite a few tears & meltdowns. The week after the play was over, we had her go to bed at 6:30 to have some much-needed “down time.”

-We had some last-minute confusion with which teacher McKinley was going to have for 3^rd grade. They originally placed her in a 2/3^rd grade class, but mom & dad didn’t feel like she would get challenged enough & the other class was full, so it was Mrs. Heap’s class that McKinley was placed in. She was worried about a boy named Austin bothering her, but so far she has had a good experience in Mrs. Heap’s class. Her whole classroom is decorated with a jungle theme & there are monkeys everywhere J

 -Even though Joshua had basically given up on the kids 8 week challenge, McKinley kept going. It was so nice for mom to have a partner to share the challenges with & even though it was hard for McKinley sometimes, she really did a great job & didn’t give up! Great job McKinley!

-McKinley continues to enjoy playing the piano whenever she gets a minute. She has about 4 songs memorized. We hope to get her in lessons soon. Great job McKinley!

-McKinley still deals with a lot of fear every night. She will tell mom she’s scared. She has a list of about 20 things she can do (read scriptures, listen to primary songs, etc), but she doesn’t always want to do them & she just has a hard time some nights – even after Grandma tried to help her, too.

IRELAND:

-Ireland is in 2^nd Grade now! Her teacher is Mrs. Willden and so far Ireland has really enjoyed her class.

-One day mom took all the girls to Walmart & let them each pick an outfit for the first day of school. Ireland looked for a dress, but they didn’t have the exact one she wanted. She said she wanted twinkle toe shoes instead. Mom told her if she got the shoes, she wouldn’t be able to get a new outfit, but she didn’t care. She wanted the shoes! So – she got the shoes!

-At the back-to-school night, mom was with Ireland going down the hall & Ireland saw someone in the hall & ran up to her & yelled “Hey – I forgot about YOU!”

-Ireland seemed to have a hard time at the end of the month with McKinley getting all the attention because of her play, so she was pretty naughty – breaking things and making huge messes L

-One day, Ireland said “Mom – you and dad are TATTERPATED!” (as in, twitterpated) J

-On Sundays, we usually get out the nice China to eat on. One Sunday Ireland said “We’re going to eat off the Chinese plates tonight” J

-We watched a video online about a woman doing the Ninja Warrior obstacle course. She was really amazing. Ireland said “Mom – you could totally do that! You were famous in gymnastics!”

-August was Ireland’s turn for her lunch date. Mom got to take her to Arctic Circle & then to The Fix for some ice cream! Yum!

-Ireland’s eczema seemed to get worse this month so we’re trying to stay on top of the hydrocortisone.

KEZIA:

-Kezia loved going to Salt Lake & seeing her cousins. When we were at GGs spaghetti dinner, there was a girl that came up to us & asked what the names of our girls were. We told her & when we said “Kezia,” she said “that’s my name, too!” She even pronounced it exactly the same way! We had to get a picture. Don’t know when that will ever happen again!  

-Kezia says she wants to be a princess when she grows up. She’s says she’s changing her name to Aurora. Mom asked her what she will be if she’s not a princess & she said “A mom. And I will go to the beach and lay in the sand & eat cotton candy.” Amused, mom asked her who will do all the cleaning & laundry & errands while she is at the beach. Kezia said “My husband.” And mom persisted by asking who would then pay the bills. “A friend!” she replied. Makes so much sense!!

-Mom had bought some hydrocortisone cream for Ireland’s eczema & put it in the bathroom. One day mom found the hydrocortisone opened & on the counter. Mom came to Kezia & asked why she was playing with it. Kezia got big eyes & said “that’s not the toothpaste? I brushed my teeth with it! I thought it tasked funny…”

-Kezia probably comes into our room at night 4 out of 7 nights a week. Mom will usually look over to see the rocking chair moving. Kezia tries to sleep in it. She will go out of the room & come back in & then finally sleep on the futon. When we ask her about it the next day, she usually doesn’t remember anything. One night Kezia came in & slept on the futon. Noelle was having a hard time –crying. We could hear Kezia softly singing. Mom thought she might have just been singing in her sleep, but she said she was singing Noelle’s goodnight song to help her sleep.

-Kezia says she’s going to name her child Rosetta.

-There was a picture where mom had woken up & still had makeup on. Kezia pointed to the picture & said “Mom, you look scary in this picture.”

-Lately, Kezia has been talking a lot about mom’s “carriages” (miscarriages). Whenever we talk about how many people we have in our family, she always counts the “carriages.” J

-Kezia started PRESCHOOL! She has Mrs. Clara this year, but she also gets to see her teacher from last year, Mrs. Kristie and Mrs. Lynette, which she LOVES. She already knows a couple people in her class – Emi Daniel and Hadley – and we get to carpool with her friend Paige Hillstead. The only thing that makes her sad is that she can’t go every day like her sisters L

-Kezia earned a date this month! She chose to go swimming & then out to Sub Zero with mom J

-Kezia says “grateful for this wonderful world. For these beautiful trees. And for the earth.”

LINK:

It was so neat this month to meet more families that have lost babies to SIDS. We sat & talked about you, Link, and about all the other baby boys up there with you. We can’t help but think you all play together and come together to help & support your moms & families through the missing of you. There have been quite a few babies join you on the other side this month & we hope you will welcome & love them as well. We love you. We miss you. We talk about you every day. Daddy & mom have been reading “Embraced by the Light” & it gives us a lot of comfort about the glory that you are living in on the other side. We haven’t been good with family history lately & we are so sorry, baby boy. We hope to get back into it once Noelle reaches 5 months old.

  

NOELLE: -

-August was a stressful month for mom with Noelle being the same age as Link when he died. We are so thankful she is still with us.

-Noelle is getting so good at grabbing her feet. She likes to grab her toes & turn to the side. She still rolls from her belly to her back, but hasn’t really rolled from her back to her belly yet.

-She is still our spitter-upper. Mom is trying to keep bibs on her more.

-Noelle still loves to get her hands in her mouth whenever possible. One time she was taking a bath & mom was washing her hands & she stuck them right in her mouth – bubbles & all. She wasn’t sure what to think about that!

-Noelle is getting to be a pro at all her toys – she hits the toys & makes the music go on her overhead gym – she can also spin the middle rattle. She can pull the cow on her chair & make it sing “old McDonald” and she is getting really good at the exersaucer, too!

-She still sits in the Bumbo at the table when we eat & she is definitely getting more & more interested in food. And – don’t put anything close to her because she will grab it & spill it!

-This month, we moved Noelle from her little vibrator chair to the crib. We moved the crib right by our bed. We also got a sleep guardian. It’s a blanket that fits on half the mattress like a fitted sheet and then there is a thing that you can strap them into it so she can’t roll over. It does provide peace of mind – especially with the Snuza on her. And we have the video monitor on her pretty much all the time as well. We have let her cry at 5, 10 & 15 minute intervals. It’s hard since she’s right next to us in bed, but it makes comforting her easier. She also sleeps with a little floppy dog that can hold her binki & she does like to watch the mobile.

-Noelle usually naps in the portable crib, the regular crib, or the swing.

-She still eats every 3 or so hours. She seems to be better with going longer. She fought the bottle for a while, but she seems better at taking it lately.

-Her hair coming in seems to be a bit lighter than the hair on top. I guess we’ll have to see how her hair turns out!

-Noelle LOVES to stare at the picture of our family taken on the day of Link’s blessing. She will just look up at it, stare, and sometimes babble to it. We’re pretty sure she was there & recognizes that day!

-Noelle LOVES to be outside – she loves to watch the cars on the freeway from our deck. She loves to swing in grandma’s hammock on her deck. She loves to hang out when we camp.

-Noelle has quite a few songs that we like to sing to her. Her goodnight song is the most important:

(sung to “The First Noel” J )

Noelle, Noelle our sunrise girl

You bring such light to our whole world.

Noelle, Noelle we sing to you

Your goodnight song, know we love you.

Now rest your head, our little one.

We’ll see you when the night is done.

A couple other songs we sing to Noelle:

Noelle, our bell (sung to Michelle by the Beatles)

Hello, Hello – primary song

So, she’s a big of a spitter-upper (sung to “fixer-upper” from the movie Frozen)

5 months

5 months old. 

Noelle is 5 months old today. 

I was so anxious and stressed-out when she reached the actual day of Link's death, but not until she has now hit 5 months do I feel like I can breathe a little easier. Her brother was so close to reaching 5 months. For the past year and a half, every time a mother would tell me that their child was 5 months old, my heart would feel a stab of pain. Why did their baby get to reach 5 months old and not mine? I have been so obsessed with making sure she reached 5 months old. I know the SIDS risk is far from over at this point, but she is getting closer and that makes me a bit more hopeful. Last night I could hardly sleep. At 1:30 when she woke up to eat, I was almost in tears, just thinking, OKAY. Okay. She has finally made it to 5 months old. She will LIVE. 

I can't really even begin to describe the emotions over this past month. It's been like a huge, heavy weight pushing down on my chest. I didn't feel like I could breathe. Even with the Snuza on her. Even with the video monitor on her all the time. Even with the Sleep Guardian, I would check on her. Again & again & again. I HAD to see her chest rising & falling. I HAD to hear her breath. I HAD to make sure her color looked all right. It's horrific, the effects of March 26, 2013 still have on my heart and mind. I mean, I am looking at her, seeing her beautiful smile, thinking "oh, she is so sweet." and then the next thought -  "maybe that smile is her telling me goodbye?" and my heart would start racing. I would take a cute video of her, or hear a song on the radio & think how perfect it would be in her funeral slideshow. These are NOT things a normal mother thinks. Yet... it is life after losing a child. Your mind and heart are NEVER the same. 

Holding Noelle these past few weeks. Seeing the things she's doing - the sounds she's making. My mind processes all these things and automatically compares it to my time with Link. This is the way he felt in my arms before he died. These are some of the sounds he was making. This was how his skin felt against my lips as I kissed his cheeks again & again & again. There are moments when I  think "Well, he was only 4 months old. People have lost children much older than that." But I look at Noelle & think "She is as much a part of our family as our 9 year old daughter. She is a little PERSON!" And I cannot fathom losing her. And it makes my hurt & longing for Link that much deeper. 

I pray that now that she is 5 months old, I am able to actually ENJOY her a little more. I feel like my sole purpose has been to keep her alive. There is a part of me that has been guarding my heart against her, saying "don't get too attached! It will hurt more when you lose her!" (again - NOT things a normal mother thinks). Of course, of course I am too attached. She lodged herself into my heart the moment I found out she was coming. But now that my fear is a little lessened at losing her, I hope my heart will open up that much more to enjoying her. 

Noelle truly does bring light into our family & our home. I believe her brother watches over all of us, but takes especially good care of our sunrise baby girl. I have a large picture of our family on Link's blessing day right by my computer. She sits on my lap a lot when I type & she will just stare up at that picture. She loves to talk to it as well & I cannot help but think she recognizes that day and was present when that picture was taken. I tried to take a picture of her looking at it, but this is as good as I could get. Can you see her reflection? 

We love her SO much. And my heart is daring to believe that we will get to witness all the milestones that we never got to see her brother reach. WE LOVE YOU NOELLE!! Happy 5 months! :)

July Newsletter & Slideshow

https://picasaweb.google.com/103753336633055957263/2014_07_Slideshow

Hamilton Newsletter

July 2014

FAMILY:  Whew! We’re already well into August & just sitting down to write this! That is about how it’s been this summer – too busy to even think! July started out, of course, in Richfield for the 4^th. The parade was wonderful and the kids had fun getting snowcones afterwards in the park. Grandma & Grandpa fed us wonderfully, as always, and we had fun watching the kids light fireworks. The 5^th was Ireland’s birthday & we spend half of it in Richfield and half in Cedar. She got to open some fun gifts and have a water party & then we headed to Cedar where the Potts side cousins were showing up. Aunt Cindy made her & Joshua an awesome Lego Movie cake & she got to open more gifts. Sunday, July 6^th, was Noelle’s blessing day. We are so thankful for everyone that showed up to support our family. It was a beautiful blessing and we are grateful to be able to have Noelle in our family. After the blessing, the Edwards family stayed for a few days while Jason headed out to his 50-mile scout hike in the High Unitas. The girls had fun with their cousins – swimming in the lake & the pool, flying kites, sleeping outside, watching movies, and having fun! Also- they got to take turns with mom sleepovers while daddy was out of town.  On the 10^th, we had the Bealers & Andersons over for an impromptu dinner J And on 7/11, since we don’t have a 7/11 in Cedar City, we flipped a coin (heads – right, tails – left) until we got to the first gas station, which was Maverick. There we each got an Icee (close enough to a slurpee) & enjoyed them while we headed to the Renaissance Faire at the Main Street park. It was a lot of fun! The girls went on bounce houses, made crowns, and enjoyed seeing all the booths. Ireland bought a beautiful fan and McKinley bought a whistle that sounds & is shaped like a bird. It was a fun afternoon! On the 17^th, we met daddy at the cemetery and had a wonderful picnic at Link’s bench. On the 19^th, Grandma & Grandpa Potts come with Adiahah and Nathan – friends from London & they stayed for a few days while they went to Bryce Canyon, Zions NP, and the Shakespeare Festival. It was wonderful to meet them! They also joined us for FHE and it was neat to share more about the Plan of Salvation with them. On the 24^th of July, we went to the church for the annual Pioneer Day breakfast & then we headed over to watch the parade. McKinley got to be with the Seussical Float & it was so fun to see her in the parade! Afterwards, we walked over to Mike’s Food Hut & got some lunch. On the 25^th & 26^th,   we headed up to the Benson cabin for some fun with our friends! What a great time was spent around the campfire, 4-wheeling, horseback riding, fishing, boat riding, and visiting!  On the way back to Cedar, we dropped off the 3 older girls in Richfield to spend a few days with Grandma Devenish. They had fun going to a cabin and meeting new friends! & mom and dad had fun meeting for a lunch date and enjoying some (relative) peace & quiet J Also this month we’ve gotten to eat some of the vegetables from our garden! Lettuce and sugar snap peas have been growing in abundance. Yummm!

JASON:  Jason’s big 50 mile hike was the 2^nd week of July and he really enjoyed it, though he said it was not easy. When they dropped him off, they said he caught the most fish out of anyone! (didn’t surprise us ;) He said the views were incredible and it was neat to get to know some of the guys better.  Jason has been quite the handiman – fixing his phone screen that Heidi broke while running. Great job! Jason helped chop some wood at the Benson cabin at the end of the month & his back seemed to pay for it for the next week or 2 L

 HEIDI: Heidi enjoyed an 8 mile run on Independence Day morning & is now up to over 9 miles, preparing for the half marathon in September. When Cindy was here visiting, they decided they needed a boost in motivation for eating & exercising, so they decided to set up the 8-week challenge. We had about 10 people sign up & the winner will get around $200! It’s been good for Heidi with customized weekly challenges and it has helped her get more workout time in when she otherwise wouldn’t have after long nights with Noelle. Unfortunately, Heidi had more cell phone trouble this month. First, she jumped into the community pool after Ireland, who was really struggling, and ruined her S4 phone. Then, she borrowed Jason’s phone to go running & tripped & fell and smashed his screen L

McKINLEY:

-McKinley continues to work hard in her play practice. The songs are fun to listen to & McKinley’s costume is so cute! We can’t wait to see her perform next month!

-McKinley had a hard time when her daddy left for his scout hike. She didn’t sleep well and had lots of fears. One night she was looking at Link’s memory book and just started sobbing. She begged to watch Link’s funeral slideshow, so we did. She sure misses her baby brother.

-One of the things McKinley likes to do is have mom print out the lyrics to one of her favorite songs (like Every Little Thing, by Mindy Gledhill) and then she copies – handwritten – the lyrics to a sheet of paper & practices the words.

-Ever since we got the piano from our neighbors, we have been impressed at how McKinley has taken to it! She has learned about 6 songs and knows them by heart and has also started playing songs she likes by ear. Her grandmas have helped her learn and we are hoping to get her into piano lessons in the near future!

-McKinley got to meet a new friend that was her age while visiting with Grandma Devenish – she had a lot of fun!

-McKinley & Amanda Neff have been pen pals again this summer. McKinley is playing pen pal hangman with her. It’s so fun. And Amanda is getting a baby sister soon too!

-Adiahah did three braids in McKinley’s hair while she was here. So cute!

-One day McKinley decided to make crowns for our entire family. They were SO SO cute & creative!

-Daddy helped pull out another one of McKinley’s teeth! Ireland lost one that night, too! The tooth fairy was busy! J

IRELAND:

-We had a couple real scares with Ireland this month. The first was at the Main Street Park in Richfield. There were a lot of people & she was at the park. We were on the sidelines watching her, but she didn’t see us & went looking. She was terrified & a nice lady found her. Thankfully, Ireland remembered her daddy’s phone number & we were able to get her back in our arms again. Then, a couple weeks later the Edwards were swimming with the girls in the pool. Mike was in the pool, too. Mom went to go tell Ireland it was time to get out so she could go to gymnastics. Ireland went under the rope, but the current from the lazy river kept pushing her into deeper water & she was really struggling. Mom jumped in (fully clothed) & grabbed her. Thankfully she is just fine… however mom’s phone isn’t! We are just glad that Ireland is safe, though. We sure love her.

-We can hardly believe it, but Ireland turned SEVEN years old on the 5^th! She got to have tons of fun with family since we spent the first part of the day in Richfield with her cousins on daddy’s side & the last part of her birthday in Cedar with her cousin’s on mommy’s side! Some fun gifts included Lego Friends, a Barbie fishing pole, a My Little Pony game, a cute shirt, a dress –up wedding dress, some cute new white wedge shoes that she picked out with Grandma & Grandpa Potts & MONEY! She had SUCH a fun birthday & Aunt Cindy made such a cute Lego movie cake for her & Joshua! For breakfast, she wanted Krave cereal, for lunch she wanted Ramen Noodles & for dinner she wanted pizza!

-Ireland finally cashed in on the date she earned with her date points. She decided to go fishing with her daddy & caught a big catfish!! J

-One morning Ireland woke up & came right to mom to tell her about her dream. There were blue gems and she had superpowers. And then she was in a shoe store and there was a huge octopus in one of the shoes!

-When Adiahah and Nathan came, Ireland came to mom & whispered “do they just go tan a lot mom?” J (they’re black)

-Ireland is really having a great time with her gymnastics and has started doing handstands and cartwheels all over the house! She can now pull up on the bar by herself and do a cartwheel on the beam! Yay Ireland! She can also do a front flip and front handspring on the trampoline J Her teacher talks to mom about what an awesome, strong girl Ireland is!

-Daddy helped Ireland pull another tooth this month! He pulled one of McKinley’s as well on the same night!

KEZIA:

-One of the things Kezia has been doing lately is shortening lots of words. Instead of saying “fish,” she just said “fi” and instead of saying bike, she’ll just say “bi” and expect you to guess what she means.

-The girls wanted to play in the water on the bottom deck, but we couldn’t find the spigot to the water bib. Kezia said “Maybe the wasps took it!”

-Kezia took swimming lessons this month – the first lessons she’s had! She really had fun & was so sad when it was over. She did a great job, though, and her teacher said she had no problems going in the water. In fact, she maybe was going under the water a little TOO much instead of listening to her teacher ;)

-We stopped at a place to eat in Gunnison & Kezia ordered a grill cheese sandwich. She didn’t finish it all & offered some to dad, but then pulled it away & said “No – dad! You can’t have it! It’s a GIRL cheese sandwich!”

-Mom asked Kezia what kind of lessons she would like to take & she said “hula hoop lessons.”

-Kezia got to go on a lunch date this month with daddy – she went to IHOP & she was more excited than a million trillion to get to go on a date with daddy.

-We had watermelon one day & Kezia told mom she was going to plant some watermelon seeds in the front yard. Mom kind of smiled & said okay. They have done this many times with many different seeds, but this time Kezia was consistent with watering it & what do you know? We have a little watermelon plant sprouting in our backyard!

-The night that daddy pulled a tooth from both Ireland & McKinley’s mouth, Kezia was pretty bummed. She wanted to have her dad pull her tooth out, too – even if they weren’t ready!

LINK:

We enjoyed picnicking at your bench this month, our baby boy. Mom had a few rough days this month – just missing you. Wishing we had our baby boy back. She even forgot to pay for groceries because she was in grief mode! L We did get to see some sweet rainbows this month that reminded us of you & your life. Your sister, McKinley, sure missed you and cried over you. She insisted we watch your funeral slideshow & we were all in tears by the end. We love you our duder-dude. Always & forever.

NOELLE:

-3 months this month! Noelle is growing every day!

-The 6^th was her big blessing day. She was pretty fussy for some of it, but she did good for the most part. She looked so beautiful in the dress that her sisters had worn. We feel SO very blessed to have her a part of our lives.

-She is starting to really drool & blow raspberries with her lips. It’s so cute!

-She’s doing this open month thing where she just sits there with her mouth open in this smile J

-Noelle easily gets a pretty bad rash in her neck if we’re not vigilant about cleaning it out.

-She is getting better at tummy time and has started rolling over from her tummy to her back!

-About halfway through the month, (like her siblings) Noelle stopped sleeping as good at night and has gone from waking up 1-2 times to waking up 3-4 times. L Mom is reading “The No-Cry sleep solution” to see if we can help her sleep without the tears.

-She is still eating about every 2-3 (usually more like 2) for about 6-10 minutes.

-She is really starting to kick her feet and get really excited about things. It’s SO cute!

-Noelle has really been giggling this month – she seems to be ticklish on the top of her thighs and by her collarbones. Her laugh is so sweet, but we STILL haven’t caught it on camera! She always stops when we get it out!

-She still has plenty of dark hair, but she’s lost a lot in the back & really has the old man hair going on, though she has a lot on top. The hair coming in, though, doesn’t look as dark, so we’ll see!

-She has generally been fussier this month – wanting to be held for naps & not wanting to be put down. Usually if we get her down for a nap, it’s only for about 25 minutes before she wakes up & won’t go back to sleep.

-We still love to hear her “talking” – it’s so so cute! J

-She’s still sleeping in the little vibrator chair in our room, but we are working on transitioning her to the crib.

-She still LOVES to shove those fingers in her mouth!