Lightning

Josh went to play-group this morning and then we had the play-group girls over to our house for a couple of hours. Jared went to a scout activity after school to the Art Museum which he really enjoyed. I dropped Janelle off to her piano lessons and picked her up because of the rain. She started lessons about a month ago and is doing really well.

Janika came home early from her play rehearsal at the High School. She told us that two high school students were struck by lightening right outside the school and so they closed everything up and sent everyone home. The lightening strike made national news. Apparently the two teenagers stood under a tree to get out of the rain when the strike happened. The entire volleyball team saw it happen. Janika was there but was thankfully inside for her rehearsal. The teenagers were both knocked to the ground and were unconscious with smoke coming off of them. One of the teachers immediately started CPR until help arrived.

Much of the student body fasted and wore their Sunday best the next day. It has now been a week and the boys are still in serious and critical condition in a hospital in Las Vegas. Such a sad thing. We are continuing to pray for them.

Here are some little tidbits I learned about lightning today. I already knew to stay away from trees and other tall objects but I didn't know some of these other hints. If you can't get inside then a car is usually safer than being outside as long as you aren't touching any metal. If there is no shelter in sight then stay in a clearing away from any trees and crouch down on the balls of your feet making yourself as small a target as possible. Keep your hands off the ground. Don't lie down since that makes you a bigger target. Pray! Also, don't take a shower in a rain storm. Take lightning seriously!

72 Hour Kits

This is what we did for FHE tonight. We thought it would be a nice tradition every conference to update our 72 hours kits. Six months from now we can pull them out and the kids can eat the treats during conference. Then we can replace the food and water. We still have a ways to go before they are as complete as they need to be but at least it is a start.

We have had rain and thunderstorms on and off this past weekend. Tonight's rumble of thunder provided a perfect ambiance for our quest for preparedness. The kids had a lot of questions about emergencies and why we needed to have 72 hour kits. The discussion caused a bit of worry in our sensitive 7 year old and we had to assure her that everything was fine, but we needed to be prepared in case anything ever happened. We still have lots to do to become more prepared for emergencies but it is nice to have this little piece done!

Jenna's Two Year Check

I brought Jenna in for her two year check up and Josh came along for the ride. We had to make a dash from the car since it had started to rain by the time we arrived. Jenna and Josh love looking at the huge aquarium filled with unique colorful fish that sits in the waiting room. Jenna looked so cute and big standing up on the scale and next to the wall to be measured. She is still little -- just 24 pounds and 32.12" -- 12th percentile for weight and 11th percentile for height. She was a perfect angel until they poked her with the needles. It was all downhill from there.

Usually she recovers fairly quickly from the shots but this time she had a hard time. She got three including the flu shot. She cried all the way home and her leg seemed to really hurt when I lifted her on to my hip. We came home and I cuddled with her in front of signing time with a hot pad on her leg. Later that night she woke in the middle of the night crying and was incredibly hot. I kept her home from her play group the next day. Her fever came and went over the next few days and then Josh came down with the same thing on Friday. Weird! I wondered if it was from the flu shot but it doesn't seem like it would show up five days later (for Josh).

Happy Birthday Jenna!

My baby is TWO years old today!! I gave her several cute little dresses for her birthday. The kids gave her...um.... random items from their toy box. Hey, it worked so well last year, we thought we would try it another year. I simply said, "go through your toys and choose something you can give to Jenna for her birthday!" They were SO excited and started choosing out gifts and putting them into gift bags. All morning the kids kept asking, "When can Jenna open her presents?" Finally in between conference sessions we gave them the "go ahead." Josh gave her his toy alien, a penny, and a rubber band. Jaiden gave her some stuffed animals and a nightgown. Janelle gave her a bracelet and a popper. Later on we had cake and ice-cream. The elders and our other kids ate most of her birthday cake while she was napping (see post below). But we saved her a piece and as soon as the candles were lit she immediately started blowing! She knows just what to do after watching all of the other birthdays in this house -- she even sang the birthday song! Since it is her birthday I think it is a good time to write a little update about Jenna. Besides, I will need this for her history in a couple of months. Jenna is such a delight! She talks really well and will repeat about anything you tell her. Only she doesn't say "Yes." Instead she says "Hi" with a little lilt at the end making it sound a bit like a question. Sometimes we will tell her to say "yes" and she will say with perfect clarity, "yes!" but then we ask her, "would you like some milk?" and she says, "hiye!" "Do you want your blankie?" "Hiye!" Do want to go outside? "Hiye!" Jenna LOVES signing time. When we first introduced the "Signing Time" DVD's we referred to it as "baby" since the DVD's start out with a baby giggling. The name stuck and now several times a day Jenna will say, "I want baby!" which means she wants to watch "Signing Time." And I usually give in and then feel guilty about it since I know babies are not really supposed to watch TV. She can sing along with the songs and do all of the signs. Jenna also loves to play "peek-a-boo" and "roll your hands." She loves to have stories read to her and will point out all of the things in the book by name. She loves to be tickled. If I tickle her back or arm or leg and then stop she will pick up my arm and put it back in the tickling position and say "tickle arm!" We took the crib down a couple of months ago and put up her toddler bed. She usually sleeps in her toddler bed but will sometimes sneak into bed with her sisters who share her room. I now shut her door at night because when I left it open a few times I would wake up in the middle of the night to find her standing by my bed with her blankie attempting to climb in with me. I couldn't believe a one year old could navigate her way to me in the dark in the middle of the night! She has a hard time going to bed at night and so I find myself giving her a bottle to help her fall asleep (another one of those guilty things because I know I need to ditch it completely -- especially now that she is two). Jenna loves to dance to music. She also LOVES to play with her big brothers and sisters. As soon as they are home from school she is with them -- playing with the toads, jumping on the tramp, dancing in the basement, playing hide-n-seek, and playing house. Jenna loves to be outside. Jenna also loves to play at friend's houses. I can't believe she is old enough to do that! Jenna loves shoes. She will find Janika's high heels and put them on and walk around in them. She looks so adorable! Jenna also loves phones and will pick one up and start chattering away. Jenna likes to be big. She can climb up a regular bar stool all by herself. We had to take down her little hook-on high chair months ago because she refused to sit on it. She likes to unload the dishwasher (even when the dishes are not clean). She likes to help put clothes in the dryer and absolutely beams at the praise I give her. She loves bracelets and necklaces and she loves to have her nails painted. She is ALL girl (except for the fact she likes to carry around the toads). Jenna also loves hats and is constantly walking around with a hat on her head. Jenna like to look at the pictures of our family. She points to each one and says each name..."Daddy...Mommy...Jaka...Jase...Jawed...Nelle...Jaiden...Josh...Nenna!" (I especially love the "Nenna!") We love our little baby girl. She gets in to everything and I have to change her clothes several times a day, but soon these hectic toddler years will all be a thing of the past. Until then we will hang on to that big smile -- with holes where teeth will soon be -- and keep on tickling her just to hear that sweet little giggle! Happy Birthday Jennalee, we love you!

Missionaries!

We have good news! We just received some missionaries that will be serving in our Deaf Branch! Maybe you have heard that we now have a St. George mission. The mission president lives about five minutes from us. Rick has been trying for awhile to get missionaries here to serve in our branch and the news of a new mission here provided him with just the motivation to push things along.

Well, we have good news and bad news. The good news is...we just got missionaries!! The bad news is -- they are not deaf and do not know sign language. Well, one of them has had a few years of High School sign language (which is why they chose him to be transferred to our area) but he is a little rusty. His companion doesn't know anything beyond the alphabet. But they are jumping in with both feet (and hands) and we will be praying for a miracle of the gift of tongues (hands). We know the lord will bless them and this area.

I didn't know until the morning session of conference ended that they were coming over for lunch, but luckily I already had a big turkey dinner planned and so we had plenty of food. They also brought two other elders with them. Rick decided that our lunch should be "sign language" only -- no talking. I think he is really into this "baptism by fire" thing. As you can imagine, it was a very quiet lunch. . The nice thing about sign language meals is that our children are also very quiet. So after eating and struggling to communicate Rick finally announced that everyone could talk again. Suddenly everything became noisy. Then Rick assigned the elders the mountain of dishes. Thanks Elders! And thanks to Janika for lending them your aprons!

They stayed for the second session of conference and a yummy dessert of apple crisp and vanilla ice-cream. We also dove into Jenna's birthday cake (sadly she was asleep but we saved her a piece!) The missionaries were right down on the floor playing with the kids who lapped up the attention. It will be nice to have missionaries around. Rick has often bemoaned the fact that you just don't get to know the missionaries in Utah. He got very close to certain members on his mission and still maintains those deep friendships to this day.

Welcome Elders!!

Janelle's Presentation

In Janelle's second grade class, each student was given an assignment to interview and make a poster presentation on a member of his or her family, or friend. Janelle chose to do hers on Janika. Actually at first she was going to do it on Jase. She even interviewed him with intriguing questions such as, "Have you ever been in love?" "Did you have friends when you were two?" and "Have you ever been to a chocolate factory?"

But I am glad that she switched to Janika. No offense Jase, it is just that "my sister gives me manicures, does my hair, and bakes me cookies" sounds a whole lot more sweet and sentimental than "my brother scares me with his fake skeleton, gets irritated and rolls his eyes when I pray too long, and grumbles at me when I can't keep up with him on the Wii." Not that she said any of those things -- but it happens. Now in his defense, I realize that Janelle could have also come up with many wonderful things to say about Jase.

But since she has always had a sweet sisterly bond with Janika, I think it made for a nice presentation. It was fun to watch her give her talk about her big sister. She obviously idolizes her. Janelle was animated, verging on silly -- not a speck of intimidation or shyness in her skinny little body. Great job Belle!

Jaiden's First Grade Class

Each of the classes at our school started out the school year with an Intern from Korea and each week the Interns switched classes. Our kids seemed to really grow fond of their sweet Interns and would tell me all of the exiting things they learned about Korea. Jaiden came home one day with a folded paper fan -- her neat written in Korean along the side. Janelle came home one day with a sweet little note written to her (in English) from her Intern in small, precise, beautiful print. Each of the Interns chose an "American" name such as "Miss Lucy,"or "Miss Monica," probably to make it easier for the kids to pronounce. Here is a class picture with Miss Lucy. Now all of the Interns have returned to Korea. We hope they all become wonderful teachers someday. Our kids miss them.