These are some of the videos we have taken, but they are actually kind of out of date, the kids are growing and changing so fast. I'll try to get some good video of all their new tricks, but it's chaos to try to get them to sit down and talk, or do anything for more than a minute.
Here's Nathan performing his repertoire of sounds, he's such a boy, and loves anything that roars, has teeth, or a sword.
Eva singing twinkle twinkle, she's actually got the words to this down now, but she loves to sing, sometimes songs of her own composition. Almost every morning when I wake up, she's in her bed, talking and singing to herself.
Eva and Nathan love to play together, and have the typical push/pull relationship of all siblings, but Eva is such a sweetheart, and I love the way that she worries about Nathan, and keeps track of him. Whenever one of them gets in trouble and has to sit in time out, we have to keep the other one from going over and comforting them because they are sad.
Eva is definitely a girl, and she knows that pulling the DADDY DADDY card is a sure way to play on her soft touch Dad. I know I'm gonna have a hard time with this little girl, she's getting good at manipulating her dad at such a young age.
Eva had just burned her finger on a lightbulb, and she is so funny about kissing things better, and whenever she wants attention she'll start manufacturing ouchies so that Mom and Dad can kiss them better. She's a little sweetheart.
Nathan here is pretty distracted, he just had been singing his favorite song, the wheels on the bus, so he has a hard time talking about anything but the wheels on the bus. He also loves taking the bus to his preschool, and on election day Jordan and I told Nathan that we'd be going to his school to vote. He was so excited, but was heartbroken when I told him we were driving in the car to get there. He wanted the bus, and nothing else would do.
These two videos do such a good job of conveying the Eva experience, and her capriciousness is endearing, and frustrating sometimes as well. She loves to flit here and there, dispensing hugs and kisses, but never wanting to sit and cuddle unless she's sad or scared.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Baking on Sunday
Last but not least, here is one more post. Today Nate and Eva helped make lime bars and were really excited about cracking the eggs. While the bars were baking they cracked a couple of extra eggs and I scrambled them up for the kids to eat. Eva was not a fan - she brought me a handfull right out of her mouth, but when I said no thanks, being more disgusted by scrambled eggs myself than her messy handful of egg, she stuck them in Nate's bowl. Funny how I also gave away my scrambled eggs to my sister . . . but I was 16!
Nate's First Day of School
Nate has speech and physical therapy needs due to his health challenges, and when he turned three he qualified for a special preschool program. He gets to go on the bus (no worries, they have special seats :) three days a week for a couple of hours and all of his services are incorporated into fun activities with other kids and with specialists. Of course, his teachers think he is super cute. Nate is really benefiting from the class the same way he did at play group, but it is harder on Ben and I because he comes home signing and saying new words and at first we have no idea what he means! Each day his speech improves, and we are so proud of him! Last week Nate went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch and came home and told me all about animals! I guess there must have been a petting zoo with chickens!
Nate's Birthday
Nate's was born on September 19, 2005. I became pregnant again pretty soon after Nate was born, and Eva was just as anxious to get out of my belly then as she is anxious to get out of her car seat now! I went into the hospital at 28 weeks after months of "bedrest" with preterm labor (Nate was in the hospital on and off, Ben and I were at Alpine - you get the idea). We celebrated Nate's first birthday while I was there, and a couple of weeks later, Eva was born on October 7, 2006. This year I made a little cake for Nate on his birthday and then the family came over the next Sunday to have a big cake and open both Nate and Eva's presents.
Nate was really excited about making a wish. He thought really hard and wanted "more fire." Grandpa Lehnhof lit a candle in Nate's own piece of cake a few times and caught this cute picture for us.
Eva really loves the little cheetah she actually picked out at the zoo a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with her recent adoration of Baby Jaguar from "Diego."
Nate received this really cute tool set from his Aunt Steph and Uncle Manuel. It was really fun to open presents this year because each present was a big hit! "Diego" toys and train accessories were among the favorites.
Just catching up . . .
According to most people summer is officially over, but since it remains pleasant in Utah for a while after school starts, until the first stormy weekend of fall arrives, I am usually oblivious. So, now I face the reality that we didn't go camping, take the kids to Seven Peaks, or go on all of adventures I planned! Of course, some of my more ambitious ideas will hold until next year, and luckily there are still a few more nice days ahead. Here are some of our favorite moments from the last month or two. I'll have to post a few times to fit all of the pictures.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Ben emerges from seclusion...
It seems like I've been keeping a low profile, as it's been a been a particularly difficult stretch in our lives. It's funny, but as I look back at the last few months, I'm grateful for the opportunity and experiences that we've had, as they have pushed us in directions we may never have considered. I'm now attending Utah Valley University, pursuing a degree in Computer Science and programming. I love my classes, and have really been having a good time spending lots of time with Nathan and Eva.
As many of you know or may not, I watch local and national politics, and I tend to get very passionate about getting across my point of view. As I was thinking a few days ago, many of the girls that I've had will be voting in this election, which really scares me... So I thought I'd start a blog where you can ask questions that were off limits, and I'll also occasionally write on things I care about. I'm thinking about what I write as though I'm writing these letters to your girls. I'm really trying to really teach principles of what I believe, rather than focus on specific candidates or parties. I also plan to write about spiritual things, and hope that if any of you want to ask me questions, for advice, and for you to tell me why I'm wrong. I'm hoping that this will become a conversation, and I hope to respond to your comments, and you can leave them anonymously if you want. No question is really off limits, and I'll be posting on the blog http://lettersfromben.blogspot.com
I really hope to hear from all of you, I miss and care about each of you. Please keep us informed about what you are up to.
Ben
As many of you know or may not, I watch local and national politics, and I tend to get very passionate about getting across my point of view. As I was thinking a few days ago, many of the girls that I've had will be voting in this election, which really scares me... So I thought I'd start a blog where you can ask questions that were off limits, and I'll also occasionally write on things I care about. I'm thinking about what I write as though I'm writing these letters to your girls. I'm really trying to really teach principles of what I believe, rather than focus on specific candidates or parties. I also plan to write about spiritual things, and hope that if any of you want to ask me questions, for advice, and for you to tell me why I'm wrong. I'm hoping that this will become a conversation, and I hope to respond to your comments, and you can leave them anonymously if you want. No question is really off limits, and I'll be posting on the blog http://lettersfromben.blogspot.com
I really hope to hear from all of you, I miss and care about each of you. Please keep us informed about what you are up to.
Ben
Sunday, August 10, 2008
WAY back on the 24th of July we took the kids to the carnival in Spanish Fork. Nate and Eva both loved the train - I know you can really tell by looking at the solemn pictures, but you'll just have to take my word for it!
At the ferris wheel we were surprised when Nate pointed and asked over and over to go for a ride. At first we just laughed, but then we saw that there is a special bar for younger kids. We're big believers in letting Nate do everything other kids his age can do, even though he is small, and so as soon as we knew it was safe for him to go, Ben was in line and Nate was ecstatic!
Over the holiday weekend the kids were able to go up Payson canyon with their cousins and Chris and Kate and had a lot of fun throwing rocks in the stream, walking across logs, and playing in the dirt.
So, to close, here are my favorite moments from the last couple of days:
On Thursday Nate didn’t feel very well and was lying on the floor watching “Diego.” One of the complications of Nate's imperforate anus repair is that he sometimes gets constipated. Nate tells us when he has stomach cramps by saying, 'Help! Poop!' Eva was wandering around being a nurse and giving Nate toys, patting him and saying “honey” and “don’t cry.” Nate had already moved on and was engrossed in his show. After a minute of being ignored, Eva laid on the floor next to Nathan, started groaning dramatically, and yelled "POOP! Poooop!"
Yesterday I started looking at Halloween costumes online because last year I waited too long and the costume I wanted for Eva was out of stock. I explained to Nate, “For Halloween you get to dress up like a shark or a monkey and say, ‘trick or treat’ and then people will give you candy!” Nate stared at me like I was crazy so I started to tell him he could be a lion, but Nate gave me an even dirtier look, threw his hands in the air, and said, “NO! Tiger!” Apparently he already has big plans.
Lately we have been teaching Eva to say her own prayers. Today when the sacrament prayer began Eva folded her arms, bowed far over so her head was in her feet, and started mimicking each line of the prayer until halfway through when she called out, "AMEN!"
At the ferris wheel we were surprised when Nate pointed and asked over and over to go for a ride. At first we just laughed, but then we saw that there is a special bar for younger kids. We're big believers in letting Nate do everything other kids his age can do, even though he is small, and so as soon as we knew it was safe for him to go, Ben was in line and Nate was ecstatic!
Over the holiday weekend the kids were able to go up Payson canyon with their cousins and Chris and Kate and had a lot of fun throwing rocks in the stream, walking across logs, and playing in the dirt.
So, to close, here are my favorite moments from the last couple of days:
On Thursday Nate didn’t feel very well and was lying on the floor watching “Diego.” One of the complications of Nate's imperforate anus repair is that he sometimes gets constipated. Nate tells us when he has stomach cramps by saying, 'Help! Poop!' Eva was wandering around being a nurse and giving Nate toys, patting him and saying “honey” and “don’t cry.” Nate had already moved on and was engrossed in his show. After a minute of being ignored, Eva laid on the floor next to Nathan, started groaning dramatically, and yelled "POOP! Poooop!"
Yesterday I started looking at Halloween costumes online because last year I waited too long and the costume I wanted for Eva was out of stock. I explained to Nate, “For Halloween you get to dress up like a shark or a monkey and say, ‘trick or treat’ and then people will give you candy!” Nate stared at me like I was crazy so I started to tell him he could be a lion, but Nate gave me an even dirtier look, threw his hands in the air, and said, “NO! Tiger!” Apparently he already has big plans.
Lately we have been teaching Eva to say her own prayers. Today when the sacrament prayer began Eva folded her arms, bowed far over so her head was in her feet, and started mimicking each line of the prayer until halfway through when she called out, "AMEN!"
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Trip to the Reservoir
Today we went up to the Spanish Fork Reservoir with Grandmpa and Grandpa Lehnhof. Nate and Eva had a lot of fun playing in the water and sand with their cousins Dylan and Colin. Eva kept saying, "Dylan, Colin," over and over again. I am sure KATE can describe the Spanish Fork Reservoir in a very witty, enlightening manner - there were a few interesting people there. Yet, I will definitely be going back frequently - it is free, nearby, the kids love it, and as much as I love going to a really great pool with a slide, sometimes in the summer it is better to get outside in a lake! Plus, I fit right in with "interesting."
I just have to say, it was really fun to take pictures of Colin!
Eva really liked it when Ben buried her legs in the sand. Eva is our little fish - Ben took her out in the deeper water by the hands and she just started kicking on her own. She was laughing hysterically!
Dylan in the oldest cousin and Nate and Eva really like to copy him!
PARENTING 101:
Sometimes it is hard to not laugh at Nate when he is being "naughty." Today he was throwing sand towards the other kids, so we went and sat on the concrete and I demonstrated how to play with the sand and then had him show me so I knew he understood.
I confirmed, "You understand we don't throw sand at people?"
Nate's reply: "NOPE!"
So I tried, "Do we throw sand?" thinking maybe he misunderstood the question - since he just demonstrated to me how to play with the sand nicely.
"Yep!"
"So you understand what will happen if you keep throwing sand?" (no treat on the way home since we were on our second time out for this offense)
"Yep!"
We practiced a few times, but throwing sand is just so tempting and it satisfies such curiosity! Nate was very sad when he lost his treat, so I knew it was just the right consequence . . .
The moral of the story is to remember when you are at Dairy Queen that you told your little boy he couldn't have a treat. I remembered that SMALL detail a little late when I was uploading this picture! Hmm . . . seems like I taught this concept recently . . .
I just have to say, it was really fun to take pictures of Colin!
Eva really liked it when Ben buried her legs in the sand. Eva is our little fish - Ben took her out in the deeper water by the hands and she just started kicking on her own. She was laughing hysterically!
Dylan in the oldest cousin and Nate and Eva really like to copy him!
PARENTING 101:
Sometimes it is hard to not laugh at Nate when he is being "naughty." Today he was throwing sand towards the other kids, so we went and sat on the concrete and I demonstrated how to play with the sand and then had him show me so I knew he understood.
I confirmed, "You understand we don't throw sand at people?"
Nate's reply: "NOPE!"
So I tried, "Do we throw sand?" thinking maybe he misunderstood the question - since he just demonstrated to me how to play with the sand nicely.
"Yep!"
"So you understand what will happen if you keep throwing sand?" (no treat on the way home since we were on our second time out for this offense)
"Yep!"
We practiced a few times, but throwing sand is just so tempting and it satisfies such curiosity! Nate was very sad when he lost his treat, so I knew it was just the right consequence . . .
The moral of the story is to remember when you are at Dairy Queen that you told your little boy he couldn't have a treat. I remembered that SMALL detail a little late when I was uploading this picture! Hmm . . . seems like I taught this concept recently . . .
Great Deal
I LOVE these new pictures of Nate in the shopping bag! Nate must just understand we really got a great deal when we ended up with him!
Not to be outdone, Eva had an adventure today, too, but it was a little messier:
Not to be outdone, Eva had an adventure today, too, but it was a little messier:
Monday, July 7, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Nate and Eva
I keep thinking I should wait to post because what is another post without pictures, but I kept having problems with our photo software and Ben assured me it was something I was doing . . . until our hard drive started to have problems! Of course, being a genius computer science major, Ben caught the problem just in time and backed everything up, and had a new hard drive installed in no time, but now we have to load all of our music, pictures, and everything else back onto the computer.
So, I give up and will eventually post pictures, and in the meantime here are ALL of the adorable things our adorable kids are doing to entertain us!
Nate blows us away every day with all of the new things he is learning. It is amazing to see him so happy and active. Today I heard little noises from behind the sofa and when I looked over it I realized Nathan was "reading" a book out loud. My heart just about stopped - seeing Nathan do such simple kids things is just such a huge deal to me!
Nate loves to go 'side to play in the sunshine and with the hose and balls. The balls frequently roll into the future flower beds, which are lined with rocks, and Nate says, "stuck!" about every five seconds. I take about ten balls outside to keep him busy so I don't have to run after the ball the whole time, but he tends to prefer his "Cars" and "Backyardigans" balls - he is very particular.
Last month Nate had his annual speech evaluation, but since we moved the new therapist came anyway to do a brief assessment and said that his scores show significant improvement in such a short amount of time. Of course, we already know that because Nate is saying Diego, poop, and chips - all of the important words, of course.
Another relief is that we found out yesterday that Nate has a pretty strong UTI, but we really caught it just on instinct - he really didn't have obvious symptoms. Of course, there is a little concern that his body is adapting, but I think right now it is outweighed by the fact that for the first time he has a more serious infection and he is still eating and playing, he isn't in the hospital, he isn't throwing up and losing weight, and his kidney fuction is really minimally higher than his baseline. Even with this infection we haven't had to use his GJ feeding tube to give him overnight feeds in over a month. Nate has a new pediatrician because of the move, and we went to meet him on Monday, only to discover that his name didn't just sound familiar - he has treated Nate many times at PCMC. Just two days later we noticed Nate's subtle symptoms, and we knew he would listen to us when we said something was wrong because so few doctors can see the whole picture with Nate. The specialists all have their niche, and with the exception of a pediatrician here and there, a different doctor treats him each time he is hospitalized because there are just so many doctors in and out of PCMC.
EVA is still our little performer. This morning she threw a fit for about fifteen minutes because immediately after breakfast she wanted a sippy cup with milk. Eva was told that if she decided to calm down she could have grapes and water. Eva did stop crying for about a minute to ask for candy, but when she was shown the water and grapes again, there were a few more minutes of Eva throwing herself around the kitchen. Ben and I are holding strong using our fabulous training from dealing with tantruming teenage girls, and we know it will be a few times before she learns that the screaming won't get her what she wants, but her voice is really shrill! It is definitely easier to hold out when it is other people's kids!
We like it better when our sweet Eva sings us songs and dances! In contrast with Nate, who loves TV just a little too much, Eva could care less. The only show she watches is "Baby Signing Times," and let me tell you, it is real entertainment to watch her dance around and sing "Baby time, shoe, shoe, shoe!"
Eva is our little helper, too. Whenever she sees us sweeping she goes into the pantry to get the dustpan and holds it for us to fill and then takes it carefully to the trash can to throw it away. If I ask Nate to clean something up, Eva runs past him to do it herself and gives me a big smile! Eva is also Nate's biggest fan - every time she sees him she says, "Hi, Nate!" and whenever she leaves a room she says, "Bye, Nate!" Eva also sweetly gives Nate kisses on the forehead. We think it is adorable, but sadly, Nate isn't thrilled. This morning Eva gave Nate a nice kiss and then Nate started whining and pointing at his head where she kissed him just like he does when he has an 'ouchie!'
Our cute kids are just going a million miles a minute, and I could write so much more, but Ben wants to get on the computer so he is telling me I can post later with pictures :) You can thank Ben for stopping me now, because if you thought this was long, just know I could go on a lot longer!
So, I give up and will eventually post pictures, and in the meantime here are ALL of the adorable things our adorable kids are doing to entertain us!
Nate blows us away every day with all of the new things he is learning. It is amazing to see him so happy and active. Today I heard little noises from behind the sofa and when I looked over it I realized Nathan was "reading" a book out loud. My heart just about stopped - seeing Nathan do such simple kids things is just such a huge deal to me!
Nate loves to go 'side to play in the sunshine and with the hose and balls. The balls frequently roll into the future flower beds, which are lined with rocks, and Nate says, "stuck!" about every five seconds. I take about ten balls outside to keep him busy so I don't have to run after the ball the whole time, but he tends to prefer his "Cars" and "Backyardigans" balls - he is very particular.
Last month Nate had his annual speech evaluation, but since we moved the new therapist came anyway to do a brief assessment and said that his scores show significant improvement in such a short amount of time. Of course, we already know that because Nate is saying Diego, poop, and chips - all of the important words, of course.
Another relief is that we found out yesterday that Nate has a pretty strong UTI, but we really caught it just on instinct - he really didn't have obvious symptoms. Of course, there is a little concern that his body is adapting, but I think right now it is outweighed by the fact that for the first time he has a more serious infection and he is still eating and playing, he isn't in the hospital, he isn't throwing up and losing weight, and his kidney fuction is really minimally higher than his baseline. Even with this infection we haven't had to use his GJ feeding tube to give him overnight feeds in over a month. Nate has a new pediatrician because of the move, and we went to meet him on Monday, only to discover that his name didn't just sound familiar - he has treated Nate many times at PCMC. Just two days later we noticed Nate's subtle symptoms, and we knew he would listen to us when we said something was wrong because so few doctors can see the whole picture with Nate. The specialists all have their niche, and with the exception of a pediatrician here and there, a different doctor treats him each time he is hospitalized because there are just so many doctors in and out of PCMC.
EVA is still our little performer. This morning she threw a fit for about fifteen minutes because immediately after breakfast she wanted a sippy cup with milk. Eva was told that if she decided to calm down she could have grapes and water. Eva did stop crying for about a minute to ask for candy, but when she was shown the water and grapes again, there were a few more minutes of Eva throwing herself around the kitchen. Ben and I are holding strong using our fabulous training from dealing with tantruming teenage girls, and we know it will be a few times before she learns that the screaming won't get her what she wants, but her voice is really shrill! It is definitely easier to hold out when it is other people's kids!
We like it better when our sweet Eva sings us songs and dances! In contrast with Nate, who loves TV just a little too much, Eva could care less. The only show she watches is "Baby Signing Times," and let me tell you, it is real entertainment to watch her dance around and sing "Baby time, shoe, shoe, shoe!"
Eva is our little helper, too. Whenever she sees us sweeping she goes into the pantry to get the dustpan and holds it for us to fill and then takes it carefully to the trash can to throw it away. If I ask Nate to clean something up, Eva runs past him to do it herself and gives me a big smile! Eva is also Nate's biggest fan - every time she sees him she says, "Hi, Nate!" and whenever she leaves a room she says, "Bye, Nate!" Eva also sweetly gives Nate kisses on the forehead. We think it is adorable, but sadly, Nate isn't thrilled. This morning Eva gave Nate a nice kiss and then Nate started whining and pointing at his head where she kissed him just like he does when he has an 'ouchie!'
Our cute kids are just going a million miles a minute, and I could write so much more, but Ben wants to get on the computer so he is telling me I can post later with pictures :) You can thank Ben for stopping me now, because if you thought this was long, just know I could go on a lot longer!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Update
In case you were wondering (because I know you all fervently read our spellbinding blog), our family has been in the process of transitioning out of the group home as I move on to a new position intervening in troubled families within their own homes and Ben returns to school. We have mixed feelings because the last three years have been a wonderful experience for us, but we really intended to stay at this job for just a year or two, and so it is good for us to move on. I took Eva to work with me for the last time this weekend and after all of the peace and quiet and individual attention Eva has received during our move it was exhausting to be reminded of how overstimulated she is around ten teenage girls competing for attention! On the other hand, it was sad when it was time for the girls to say goodbye, probably more so for me than for Eva or the girls! So, in the midst of a mixed up time, here are the highlights of the last month or two:
Nate has made tremendous strides recently. He is walking steadily and jabbering away. Nate has also started really eating which is a huge step because we anticipated that it would take several years for him to really learn to eat well and we would have to spend a lot of time coaching him because of the problems with his esophagus. Nate is a little miracle kid with all that he has faced and overcome already! He has really figured out on his own how to drink with his food and cough after he eats to clear the sounds of his Striders. The other day I gave the kids tiny cubes of cut up carrots and Nate swallowed one of the cubes with a swig of water just like he was taking a pill! We are crossing our fingers that it won't be long until his G-tube is a thing of the past. It is such a change to see Nathan play so much! In the past because he was so tired all he wanted to do was watch movies. Now he wants down off of the sofa so he can horeseplay with his dad, run around, and play with his dinosaurs (Nate's newest obsession besides Fritos and Shrek).
Eva's vocabulary is growing daily as well. My kids are so different from each other that I feel like Eva is really another first child. It is amazing to watch her copy our words and to see her building language and understanding. Eva is a blessing in many ways, but she has a special role in Nathan's life as he watches her form words and copy the sounds she makes. Both of the kids started saying "mine" recently, which is shocking, I know, since this fall Eva will be two and Nate will be three. Eva is sweetly mischievious, and it is hard not to laugh when she is sneaky. Eva has starting hiding when she has something she knows she is not supposed to play with, and if she is cornered by a parent asking for the object she'll throw it as far as she can and then run away. The other day Eva was banging her cup at dinner and I asked her to stop, and she did right away. I told her she did a great job listening. Then Eva banged her cup twice on the table, stopped, and with a proud smile said, "Good girl!" Demonstrating that Eva knows both what she is not supposed to do and how to stop is a frequent occurance.
Both of the kids love the cat at Grandma and Grandpa Lehnhof's house and chase it around saying, "kitty, kitty." They also love Salem Pond and feeding the ducks! And it is amazing to me that somehow my kids have a sixth sense for permanent markers - you'd think I leave them all over the place, but somehow they found the huge marker I have been using to label moving boxes in my purse and decorated the sheets on Nathan's bed in record time. I am so grateful that the Pottery Barn Kids duvet covers I adore and saved up for were spared!
Ben is back in school taking 19 credits and working hard. If you heard that Ben was a notorious underachiever, times have changed. Ben breezed his way through his first years at BYU with little studying and neglected homework, but now he is a serious student and studies every night. He started the semester a week late and caught up and even worked ahead in most of his classes. Ben went to school to take a math test and found out that the class was behind the syllabus and that he completed hours of extra math homework! I am confident that he is now going to graduate at the top of his class in no time!
I am just enjoying the time with my kids and with Ben. It is amazing that even though I have been working 40-50 hours a week, I have spent more quality time with my family than I did working from home 50-60 hours a week. I am grateful for the blessings associated with our mission of sorts for the last few years, but I am cherishing new experiences, such as our first homemade family dinner with the kids less ten girls a few weeks ago. I forgot how easy it is to cook for just a couple of people and I might actually start experimenting again! Although I'll never be able to top Ben's talent in the kitchen, so I hope he is able to squeeze in a few dinners for me every once in a while!
Believe it or not, that's the short version of a busy couple of months! Later I'll post some cute new pictures of the kids.
Nate has made tremendous strides recently. He is walking steadily and jabbering away. Nate has also started really eating which is a huge step because we anticipated that it would take several years for him to really learn to eat well and we would have to spend a lot of time coaching him because of the problems with his esophagus. Nate is a little miracle kid with all that he has faced and overcome already! He has really figured out on his own how to drink with his food and cough after he eats to clear the sounds of his Striders. The other day I gave the kids tiny cubes of cut up carrots and Nate swallowed one of the cubes with a swig of water just like he was taking a pill! We are crossing our fingers that it won't be long until his G-tube is a thing of the past. It is such a change to see Nathan play so much! In the past because he was so tired all he wanted to do was watch movies. Now he wants down off of the sofa so he can horeseplay with his dad, run around, and play with his dinosaurs (Nate's newest obsession besides Fritos and Shrek).
Eva's vocabulary is growing daily as well. My kids are so different from each other that I feel like Eva is really another first child. It is amazing to watch her copy our words and to see her building language and understanding. Eva is a blessing in many ways, but she has a special role in Nathan's life as he watches her form words and copy the sounds she makes. Both of the kids started saying "mine" recently, which is shocking, I know, since this fall Eva will be two and Nate will be three. Eva is sweetly mischievious, and it is hard not to laugh when she is sneaky. Eva has starting hiding when she has something she knows she is not supposed to play with, and if she is cornered by a parent asking for the object she'll throw it as far as she can and then run away. The other day Eva was banging her cup at dinner and I asked her to stop, and she did right away. I told her she did a great job listening. Then Eva banged her cup twice on the table, stopped, and with a proud smile said, "Good girl!" Demonstrating that Eva knows both what she is not supposed to do and how to stop is a frequent occurance.
Both of the kids love the cat at Grandma and Grandpa Lehnhof's house and chase it around saying, "kitty, kitty." They also love Salem Pond and feeding the ducks! And it is amazing to me that somehow my kids have a sixth sense for permanent markers - you'd think I leave them all over the place, but somehow they found the huge marker I have been using to label moving boxes in my purse and decorated the sheets on Nathan's bed in record time. I am so grateful that the Pottery Barn Kids duvet covers I adore and saved up for were spared!
Ben is back in school taking 19 credits and working hard. If you heard that Ben was a notorious underachiever, times have changed. Ben breezed his way through his first years at BYU with little studying and neglected homework, but now he is a serious student and studies every night. He started the semester a week late and caught up and even worked ahead in most of his classes. Ben went to school to take a math test and found out that the class was behind the syllabus and that he completed hours of extra math homework! I am confident that he is now going to graduate at the top of his class in no time!
I am just enjoying the time with my kids and with Ben. It is amazing that even though I have been working 40-50 hours a week, I have spent more quality time with my family than I did working from home 50-60 hours a week. I am grateful for the blessings associated with our mission of sorts for the last few years, but I am cherishing new experiences, such as our first homemade family dinner with the kids less ten girls a few weeks ago. I forgot how easy it is to cook for just a couple of people and I might actually start experimenting again! Although I'll never be able to top Ben's talent in the kitchen, so I hope he is able to squeeze in a few dinners for me every once in a while!
Believe it or not, that's the short version of a busy couple of months! Later I'll post some cute new pictures of the kids.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Nate Walks!
Today Nate took his first steps without his walker! We tried to get pictures, but by the time we thought of it he was pretty worn out from us making him do it over and over again to show everyone in the house!
Nathan started working with a specialist to help him walk and crawl right before he turned a year old. After a few months we switched specialists and started taking Nathan up to the Primary Children's Rehab Center in Bountiful. They are so great with Nathan! Nate is also in speech therapy there, so we drove up twice a week for a year. In December at Nate's progress review he met all of his goals for the year, which included cruising and crawling, and walking with his walker. Nate's new goals are to stand confidently without his walker and take some steps without his walker in the next six months. I think we are on our way!
Nathan started working with a specialist to help him walk and crawl right before he turned a year old. After a few months we switched specialists and started taking Nathan up to the Primary Children's Rehab Center in Bountiful. They are so great with Nathan! Nate is also in speech therapy there, so we drove up twice a week for a year. In December at Nate's progress review he met all of his goals for the year, which included cruising and crawling, and walking with his walker. Nate's new goals are to stand confidently without his walker and take some steps without his walker in the next six months. I think we are on our way!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Late Easter
Easter morning this year was really fun, but we had a mini photo crisis, which is why it has taken me so long to post pictures. The girls volunteered at the city Easter egg hunt this year, so the kids woke up at 6am to see their Easter baskets. Since it was early, we didn't really worry much about taking pictures, and planned on taking more pictures at the egg hunt. When we arrived, we realized we forgot our camera! Ben and Nate drove home to get it, but by the time he returned (only 5 minutes after the hunt started) all of the kids had picked up the eggs! Eva was pretty tired at this point from waking up early, and wasn't really interested anymore. I still planned to take pictures of Eva and Nathan in their cute Easter outfits, but then they were both sick on Easter Sunday! So, next year I will do a better job, but for now here are a few pictures.
When Nate and Eva discovered candy inside the plastic eggs, they reacted differently. Nathan carefully tried to open each egg, while Eva gathered as many as her arms could hold and ran to her dad to open them for her! Eva liked Nate's Easter basket better than her own, which was interesting since she picked almost everything in her basket out herself the week before Easter!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Eva's Mess #3
Of course there have been many messes since our last messy post, but this one was pretty good. Today while I was in the shower, I knew something was going on because Eva wasn't bringing me toys and lotion from under the bathroom sink every five seconds. I checked on the kids to discover that Nathan (being a helpful brother) figured out the child lock on my desk drawer and Eva found a marker - a sharpie, to be exact. After I took it away and Eva threw a fit, I told her we were going to have to wash her off, so she climbed into the bathtub with all of her clothes on!
Friday, March 21, 2008
I love taking the kids outside to play! Until this year Nathan didn't like to play outside, but now that he is more steady on his feet, he is all over the place using his walker or walking toys for support. Eva loves to run around and sing, make faces, and jabber and then stop to make sure I am watching. I think I will take way too many pictures of them outside this year . . .
Eva likes to play Peek-A-Boo behind our fence. It was just too hard to get good pictures because she moves so fast, and as soon as I get into place to shoot she sees that I have "found" her and moves to the other side of the fence!
If we are outside and Nate sees a puddle, he will use his fastest walker-walk to get to it and then he will stomp and crawl around in it.
Eva likes to play Peek-A-Boo behind our fence. It was just too hard to get good pictures because she moves so fast, and as soon as I get into place to shoot she sees that I have "found" her and moves to the other side of the fence!
If we are outside and Nate sees a puddle, he will use his fastest walker-walk to get to it and then he will stomp and crawl around in it.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sneaky Nathan
Nathan, has been watching the secret agent episodes of Backyardigans, and now uses his finger to tell us to be quiet. He also uses it to make sure that nobody talks during moment of silence (at meals we call the blessing moment of silence for "political correctness" in the group home).
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Cute Videos of the Kids-
Eva is such a little girl, and has started to accessorize by stealing Mom's clothes, makeup, brushes, and hairbands. The funny part is, when you buy Eva her own stuff, it's just not nearly as interesting. As you can see, she sometimes doesn't get the difference between putting something on her head, and wearing it.
We've tried to get Nathan on video, and sadly this is best of 6 takes, he was just too excited to see himself on the computer, and he likes watching us make the signs more than doing them himself. You can tell Nathan is distracted, because he was late on the sign to say "It wasn't really so," Normally he loves wagging his finger at us, even doing it the line before, but that time he was a line late!
Eva is such a ham, she lives with too many girls that hang on her every antic, and it shows in this video. She sings, nods, claps, plays peekaboo, and makes sure that we are watching the Eva show.
New Pictures
Last week we had a couple of days where it was 60 degrees (right before it snowed on Saturday) and we took Nathan and Eva outside to play. Eva loved it! Nate gave us mixed reviews. At first he enjoyed walking around, but he can crawl faster than he can walk, so after a few minutes of crawling around in the driveway he decided he didn't like it so much because his hands were all full of tiny rocks. Eva wanted to stay outside and kept running away when I started to get cold and was ready to go inside!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Play Time
Nate and Eva started a new game when Nate is in his walker or a riding toy - Eva pushes Nate around! Afterward Nate gives Eva a hug to say "Thanks for the ride!" Lately Nate and Eva are being very nice to each other. Eva gives Nate his pacifier when he is sad and Nate gives Eva his leftover snacks. It is very sweet . . . I hope it lasts a while . . .
By the way, the reason Nate does not have pants on is because he is walking around so much they fall off! Sometimes when he is really active his diaper will fall off, too! He is doing a great job of gaining weight now that the worst of the winter flu and RSV season has passed, but even with the little tummy he is developing his legs are just longer than his waist so his pants are always a little loose.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Eva's Fits
I don't have pictures yet, but I just have to say that Eva throws the most hilarious, dramatic fake tantrums!
The other day I was in the middle of something and Eva finished her snack and wanted more. Eva could see I wasn't really looking, but out of the corner of my eye I could see that she was slowly laying herself on the floor. Eva used to just throw herself down and hit her head, so she is learning to be careful. Eva waited until I finished and she had my full attention and then started kicking her legs and scream hysterically. I told Eva to stop yelling and stand up and ask for what she wanted nicely. Eva immediately stood up, stopped crying, walked over to the fridge, grabbed the handle, and said, "Cheese?" as if nothing had ever happened.
The other day I was in the middle of something and Eva finished her snack and wanted more. Eva could see I wasn't really looking, but out of the corner of my eye I could see that she was slowly laying herself on the floor. Eva used to just throw herself down and hit her head, so she is learning to be careful. Eva waited until I finished and she had my full attention and then started kicking her legs and scream hysterically. I told Eva to stop yelling and stand up and ask for what she wanted nicely. Eva immediately stood up, stopped crying, walked over to the fridge, grabbed the handle, and said, "Cheese?" as if nothing had ever happened.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Jordan's Book of 2007
I really don't care for New Year's. I am not one for recaps of the year, resolutions, and the month of January. So my tribute to 2007 is simple: Ben and I decided that this month we would write about the best books we have read this year. Over the past few months I have been reading Jodi Picoult books almost exclusively. I started reading them because they are simple and well written, I could stop and start easily, and they are easily accessible at Wal-Mart, which is almost the only store that sells books in Tooele. Since I considered the books light reading, I was surprised when I fell in love with the book Harvesting the Heart. I purchased it when Nate was in the hospital and hesitated because of the title. I thought it sounded ridiculous, and the "tender" mother-infant graphic on the cover didn't help. Yet when I read the book, something about it really touched me and I just couldn't put it down. I love the author's clear, descriptive style of writing, her exploration of marriage in this and many of her books, the evolution of characters I often don't like at the beginning of a book and make sense to me at the end, and the honest way she portrays flawed humans.
I am sure Ben's pick for the year will be more intellectual, with a philosophical analysis! In the meantime, if you are in the mood for an experience that will leave you thoughtful and serious but not depressed or ranting about politics and religion, I recommend Harvesting the Heart.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Eva's Mess #2
I have a sneaking suspicion that this may become a regular feature on our blog, the catalog of little Eva finding fun things to make messes with. Of course Jordan had just put Eva in a cute new sweater outfit, and Jordan went to go find an outfit for Nathan to wear. Eva is just so excited because she is now tall enough to take things off the table. Now it must be something in the Lehnhof genes, but this is what Jordan and I returned to a few minutes later.
She just couldn't get enough, she kept laughing and then taking another drink.
My favorite part of this next one is the half lidded eyes that look like an addict getting their fix. They just seem to scream "Oh yeah, that hits the spot." I think I've seen that before somewhere before with Diet Coke.
Of course, Eva couldn't keep the excitement of having Coke to herself, she decided to show her brother her prize. He was excited too, and decided he would "share" it with Eva.
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