TENDER MERCIES

As my brain is many places today I felt with all the turmoil and challenges it would be a good time to update this category again.

1) STILL HAVING A JOB - P sent me an email yesterday morning to tell me about his day - that he had been given a presentation about company lay-offs and cutbacks - and then watched and he and other co-workers were asked to come one by one to find out about their futures with the company. P works for a company that is known world-wide. Never in all the time he has been there do I remember a time like this when the company has had set backs. We have been very blessed that he has been allowed to keep his position at work and that he does have a sufficient work load. It is a great blessing for us to know that we will have the $ that we need to support our family.

2) PAYCHECKS - Things have been very difficult for us, as it is for many right now. We have been scraping the bottom of the barrel just waiting for things to be in place to meet all of our responsibilities. We have struggled with that the last little while - we appreciate all of you who have been so patient with us. Today we were given another blessing when Preston's check posted a day early, allowing us to meet immediate needs for our family

3) APPLES - Our family loves apples of just about any kind, but esp red and green. Recently the girls have re-discovered them. C has beeen eating them non-stop since getting her braces off, loving every huge bite she can take. K has decided that she likes RED apples again, and I am thrilled as she has become my more choosy kiddo when it comes to food. It is nice to know that she is willing to pick a healthy snack when she gets the "munchies" at night while she is doing homework.

4) SILLY KIDDOS - Esp my 2 yr old. I have been contemplating making a title of a new post "naked as a jay bird" because he has been such a challenge lately. He has finally discovered how to undress himself - completely - and usually does so at the most inoportune time or out of the blue. Just when I think he is settled, he comes prancing in the room perfectly content that he has stripped himself to nothing. At first I resorted to putting his diaper on backwards - but that didnt seem to do the trick. I have come to the point where he is just in his zipper, snuggy PJ's 24-7 so I can put them on him BACKWARDS. He cant get to the zipper and thus he stays dressed! I seem to remember all of the other big kids going through this same stage too but cant seem to get my brain to remember what I did for them. For now it seems to be working for K and as long as I know he is warm and dressed then that is good for both of us.
The other thing he did recently was put himself down for a nap - right in the middle of the office floor. He was running in and out with his favorite blanket and pillow and chattering and the next thing I heard was lots of quiet and deep breathing - I looked over and there he was, totally zonked out. Of course I had to grab the camera - I will be sure to post that pict soon along with some others.

5) K IS ALMOST 6 MONTHS! It is hard to believe that she is going to be 6 months old in just a few days. She is getting so big. This last weekend she surprised P when he noticed that she was sitting up all by herself on the rug. With his crazy work and drill schedule he hasnt been around her enough to see all her new growth. She is really good at sitting up and playing with toys. She can also control when she falls over - it isnt just a solid bonk anymore, more of a slow flop...
She also has TWO bottom front teeth coming in. That probably explains why she has been so fussy this last week. I found the 1st one awhile ago and then discovered the 2nd one had broken through her gum this week. She is also growing out of clothes again already - it seems we are washing the same outfits over and over until I can get up in the storage area and get down the next clothes box. I also need to finally find her some cold weather shoes or socks.
Our one challenge is that she still is not interested in eating "real" food. Every time we try she just sticks out her tongue and spits it back out - all over herself and whoever happens to be helping her. The rest of the kids ate at lots of different ages so it is not such a big deal. I seem to remember when C was a baby that things kicked in around Thanksgiving because of all the soft foods available. Maybe that will be the trick that works for K too.
She has her 6 month check-up next week and it will be fun to see how big she really is. I will be sure to post more after her appt.

6) SCRIPTURE CHALLENGES - We have been having a hard time with scripture study lately and one day my brain got a new idea. A challenge for the kids to see if we could do better on reading.
Everyone was given their own calendar to keep track of their reading. The big kids need to read 20 minutes and then report to me or P and then record their reading. The little boys get read to and then they can earn a sticker for each day they are read to or that they look at our scripture picture books. There are weekly prizes for the kiddo with the most days reading and a big "grand prize" at the end of the month. It seems to be doing the trick as I have had the big girls studying just about every day and actually reporting, in detail, what they have studied. It has given us a new incentive and we are all working towards making better habits and better success with gospel study.

Well, there is more to write - but little K is not napping again today. She has been so fussy this week with her teeth and I think that the swing has finally died (if she isnt rocking, she usually isnt sleeping). I will try to post more soon.