Piano Recital

My boys had their annual piano Christmas Recital. They each played two songs. Before playing their song, they went to the front of the room and spoke into the microphone. They stated their name and which song they were going to be playing.
Evelyn loves music, and gets even more excited when it involves her brothers. Whenever they practice the piano, she'll swing her arms around in a dancing fashion. When they are through practicing, she will cry and insist that they get back to playing the piano. It really is a wonder that we get anything done around here.

Mikey's second song was "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". If you don't know Mikey, you should know that speaking to strangers, especially groups of strangers, is not his strong suit. In fact, one of the reasons I first started considering homeschooling was that he was very socially immature, he wouldn't look at people or communicate with them.

Imagine my surprise, and joy, when I heard, "Hi, my name is Mikey. I am playing 'We Wish you a Merry Christmas'....fell free to sing along".   I couldn't believe it, but I loved it and tried to sing as loudly as I could to support him.

Roger is a very good pianist. He also enjoys making up his own music. He wrote an awesome song which he called, "High School Song", because it reminds him of how he thinks a high school dance would be.

When we first got to the recital, unknown to me, Roger asked his teacher if he could play his song. The programs were already printed up and there were many numbers. His teacher told him that he couldn't play it this time.

When you give a kid a microphone, apparently you give them power. When Roger went up to introduce and play his second song, he said, "My name is Roger. I will be playing two songs. the first is .... and the second is one that I wrote, 'High School Song'." He then went on to play both songs.

Next time the O'Neil's will not be allowed to use microphone.

A Letter to My Children

Dear Children,

I sit, surrounded by a messy house. Clothes, especially socks, are strewn around me, toys are everywhere to be stepped on, and I hate to look closely at any wall/corner/door of my house because there are streaks of dirt, hand prints, and chipped paint that shows the wear and tear of our home. There are couch pillows on the floor, and a foul odor coming from your rooms. The noise level in our home is quite high. There are screams of excitement, shouts of frustration, sounds of people running around, and lots of sound effects coming from your mouths.
I use to be cute and stylish, now I am lucky to be wearing a clean shirt. White snot streaks plague the shoulders of my shirts, and I only seem to notice that they are there after being in public. Speaking of going out in public, it is something that is not easy. Just the idea of getting loaded into the van can send a wave of exhaustion over my body.
For Mother's Day today, I requested that I be able to take a nap, only to find someone coming in every 15 minutes to complain about someone, ask about something, or seeking comfort. If you can imagine, I didn't quite get the rest I was desiring. Restful, uninterrupted sleep is now something I experience only in my dreams.

Today is my 10th Mother's Day as a mother, and let me tell you, I am not the same person I was 11 years ago. But I will say, I would not change a thing. I love seeing your smiles, hearing your laughter. I love cuddling with you, I love to hear your voice, hear your ideas - even when I don't quite understand them. I feel your frustrations, I feel your pains. I cry when you cry, I rejoice when you rejoice. I love teaching you, I love reading to you. I love when your trying to be funny, I love when you're funny though you're trying to not. I love holding you close, I love when you play with my hair. I love seeing you play together, I love when you hold or play with your little sisters. I love your imaginations. I love seeing you grow and develop, I love to see your progress, yet I am always saddened with each milestone for it means you are closer to becoming an adult.

You may mess up my house, you may mess up my hair, but I wouldn't change a thing. I love you. I love you so much. I loved you as babies, I loved you as toddlers, I love you as the children you are. Though I love to see who you are becoming each day, my only wish is that I could pause time, for it seems to be going by way too fast. I love my moments with you, I love your noises, I love your hand prints - even when they are on the windows. I love the dandelion weeds you pick for me. I love your excitement about life. I love your trust in people, I love your giggles, I love watching you walk, watching you run. I  love your facial expressions. I love your hope, I love your sense of reality, I love your faith, I love your determination. I love your creativity, I love your energy, I love your hands, I love your toes, I love the way your face scrunches when you are concentrating, I love seeing your enthusiasm about a new book. I love celebrating your birthdays, celebrating your life. I love your utter acceptance and love for me, I love your compassion for one another. I love your optimism, I love your joy.
This Mother's Day, I am grateful. I get to be a mom, I get to be your mom, and I love it. 
Thank you for being my child. Thank you for not only enriching my life, but for changing it.

Love, Mom

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween

 This year, in my efforts to scale down our activities as much as possible, we only had a few Halloween activities. We had:
1- Ward Trunk-or-Treat
2- Homeschool Hangout Halloween crafts (Thanks to Jenn)
3- Halloween Hayride at Lake Farm Parks (Awesome. The girls and I stayed home this year while the boys went. Good thing too for it was windy and sleeting and freezing)
4- Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood

Okay, that may have been more than I thought we were doing

Not wanting to worry about my kids' costumes after having a new baby, I attempted to get all of my kids' costumes picked out before I had Iralee. I say attempted for I was successful, kind of.
My mom had gone shopping with Mikey and Roger to pick out their costumes. Mikey had picked out a dinosaur costume. But once he was home and tried it on, it was awkwardly too small. Mikey liked it, so I tried being accepting of it. But I eventually decided that Mikey was too old to go around looking awkward. Just before the Trunk-or-Treat, we went to the store and got him a new costume.

This year for Halloween we had:
A Jedi Knight

A Glow-in-the-dark Skeleton

A Wolverine

A Spiderman

It was windy and raining during Trick-or-Treating

Little Red Riding Hood

And a Halloween/Pumpkin Princess

 The weather decided to get really nasty for Halloween. It wasn't freezing, but it was raining and very windy.
It was scary

 Evee was not impressed that I was not going to allow her to go Trick-or-Treating

But her brothers promised to share their candy with her

The girls and I passed out candy to all that came to our door

  I will admit, Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I hate the SCaRY aspect of it. I'm also not a huge fan of my kids getting buckets of candy, not only because it's unhealthy, but because it is a potential danger to my house and carpets (even though I have strict rules of not eating outside of the kitchen). But, I do love passing out candy. I love seeing the little kids all dressed up, and it can be a good opportunity to get to know your neighbors better. Too bad we only had about 10 Trick-or-Treaters.

 The girls enjoyed passing out candy as well....I think.
Evee sat in her Bumbo-like seat for over an hour!

 And she looked good doing it

 Iralee didn't help much, but she too looked good doing what she was doing.

After we were all done with Trick-or-Treating, the boys got out of their wet costumes and into their pajamas. Our tradition is to watch a movie while the kids have free-reign to eat all the candy that they want in hopes that we won't have candy around our house for the next year.
This year we watched the 2nd Harry Potter. The boys were super excited about this, especially since the older three have read it. William just finished it yesterday so it was still very fresh in his mind. The three younger boys got a little nervous near the end, but then Grant exclaimed "This isn't even real! You can't turn people to stone and have them not turn gray!" Wow, glad he has a good grip on reality.

The Rest of the Family

It may come as a shock, but we do have more going on in our lives than just Evee.

Though Evee is a HUGE part of our lives, and an incredible joy, the world doesn't completely revolve around  her. Here are some things that have been going on in our household and in my head (not sure which one is more dangerous).

My due date for this baby was Saturday. No surprise that I have gone over my due date, especially since the last two were at least 10 days late. Though I do have my mom here until the 9th, so if I could have the baby before then, it would be most helpful.  It will be a struggle to take care of two babies, but I am sure that we'll survive.
My biggest complaint is that I have been sick for the last 3-4 weeks. I have some sort of congestion and cough. I'm not sick enough to be knocked off my feet, but just enough to wear me down and cause me to not feel great or energetic. I am just grateful that Evee didn't/hasn't gotten it.
We never found out the gender for this baby. Todd absolutely hates that fact. He feels that finding out the gender is like a half-way present. In some ways I agree with him, but there is some fun in not knowing for sure and trying to prepare for either.
Todd

Todd has been working a lot, and I am trying to get accustomed to his schedule. I love that with the ER Todd is never on-call, but the constant shift of his schedule can be difficult. In the same week he can work several overnight shifts and day shifts.  No two weeks or two months are the same. I try to accommodate our family's schedule around when Todd is home and available, and this can be challenging for us all to have an ever-changing schedule.
I am so grateful for Todd. He is such a wonderful father, husband, and friend. This last week Evelyn has had two bad blow-out diapers while sitting in the exersaucer. Both times it was Todd who discovered it and cleaned it all up. It brought me so much joy to see him grab Evee and rush her to her room to clean her up. The latest one was discovered less than 10 minutes before the nurse was to show up. Todd could have easily justified leaving Evee in her mess and allowing the nurse to clean Evee up upon her arrival. I was so touched to see that Todd was not concerned about trying to "get out" of cleaning a big mess, or even trying to put on a presentation that we keep a clean household, but that he was sincerely concerned about the comfort of his little girl, regardless of how disgusting it was for him and no matter that he got his own clothes soiled in the process. I have always appreciated seeing the sacrifices Todd makes for the kids, and even for me.
Mikey

 I am so grateful for Mikey. He is incredibly helpful and obedient. He will offer to carry the diaper bag for me, or offer in other ways. He is very good at doing what is asked, as long as he doesn't forget. He is getting better at reading (something he has struggled with, his comprehension is amazing, but his reading wasn't as good as I would like). He just finished the 3rd Harry Potter book, and loved it.
Right now Mikey is very interested in plants, loves reading about them, looking at them, learning about them. I saw some bulbs at Costco and offered to buy them for Mikey. Instead he paid for them with his own money, and when I paid for the tax, mostly because I didn't want to try to figure out how much the tax was, Mikey was sincerely grateful and kept thanking me. He counted down the days until he could start planting the bulbs, and when he did plant them, he made a plan of their placement.
I don't know much about gardening, and have been known to kill many plants. A more knowledgeable woman from my congregation had Mikey over for an afternoon to work in her garden. Mikey had an incredible time and came home with a couple of plants that he has been diligent in their care.
Roger

Roger has always been a very spiritual boy. Even from a young age he demonstrated an understanding of the nature of God that always amazed me. Roger is not a perfect child, but I can usually discuss his actions and intents with him using deeper character and spiritual reasoning.
Roger is very passionate and can get angry very easily, and I can physically see the struggle he has as he tries to be in control of himself. After getting upset with something, Roger went to his room and got out his scriptures. Afterwards he brought his scriptures to me. He showed me Moroni chapter 4. He said that he was upset and decided to read his scriptures so that he wouldn't feel the bad feelings in his heart. He said that when he read:

"they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them."

that he was filled with the desire to have Christ's Spirit to be with him and wanted to do what was necessary for that to occur. 

William

One day William asked Todd to take the training wills off of his bike. Todd went out, took them off, helped William onto his bike and let him go down the driveway....and that was it. William has been riding his bike ever since. He and the neighbor boy have the same bike and they have a great time riding around together.
Todd overheard William tell his neighbor friend about Evee. William said, "She has a trach and a g-tube. She's had a rough life."
Grant

The day after William got his training wheels off, he came into the house with his bike helmet on, carrying a wrench. He went to Todd and informed him that Grant wanted his training wheels off. I was skeptical that Grant could do it, but Todd was willing to try. Shortly after Todd had gone outside, I went out to check on the progress. Apparently Todd had the same experience with Grant that he had with William. He immediately started riding. In a matter of two days, we went from having two with training wheels and two without to 4 without training wheels and none with. 
Grant continues to say hilarious things that crack me up. After Todd had made a fire in our backyard, Grant exclaimed that it was the best day in his "whole...entire....life!"
Whenever my boys says that they are bored, I reply with, "Only Boring People are Bored". This is something I had come up with to show the boys that boredom is an attitude choice and weakness of the mind. Someone had mentioned being bored, so I replied with my saying, in which Grant responded with, "Mom, stop saying that! You're freaking me out."

The boys are playing soccer again (like they do every spring and fall). Last year they were on four different teams, and all the games were one after the other (9, 10, 11, noon) at different locations. After just 2 of the games I felt exhausted and just died that I was only half way done with the day's games. Saturdays were something I did not look forward to, and I actually enjoy soccer. This year Mikey and Roger are on the same team. Their game is the same time as William's (at a different location) then followed by Grant's game. Though it means I have to miss one game each week, it is so nice not having to watch four hours of soccer. 

If we didn't have enough to worry and prepare for with a new baby on the way, we decided to get new countertops. It is something that we have been planning to do when Todd was done with his Residency, but I was willing to wait until things were calmed down.
Our kitchen sink has been leaking the last year or two, causing us to have mold buildup underneath it. Not wanting to deal with it any longer, Todd requested we get the new countertops now. He nor I understood how involved of a process it was nor the potential time it could take. Fortunately we found a company who was not only far cheaper than any other competitor, but upon finding out that I had less than a month of my pregnancy to go, was able to get our countertops installed in less than 3 weeks from start (us looking at granite slabs) to finish. We had the countertops installed 3 days before my due date.
Just before our old countertops were ripped out, I decided to get the permanent markers out and let the kids have some fun.

It was great to see their creativity. Todd said that we should have let them do it a long time ago for it was great to look at.

Here's the finished project (we still haven't chosen a backsplash yet).

Mystery Solved

For the past few months we have found my running magazines on the floor of the bathroom instead of the magazine rack that is in front of the toilet. This has been a frustrating for all I really need is another mess. And really, why does someone just throw magazines on the ground?!
This week we found the culprit.
It is Mikey.

At first I thought he was reading them while going to the bathroom, then was being too lazy to take care of the magazines after he was done.
I was wrong.
Mikey did not like seeing the immodest pictures on the covers and was trying to make it so he didn't have to see them. Yes, the pictures of girls in their running clothes is what I am talking about.
I guess I'm glad that he has high standards.

Utah/Mexico

After getting into Utah and spending a few days there with my boys, we drove down to Mexico. My brother lives in a place called Rocky Point, Mexico. It is a 12 hour drive from my mom's house, and the drive is a long deserted desert.

 

 On the drive down to Mexico, we did stop at a park and let the boys stretch their legs and play

 

Our first day there was Sunday, so we found a local congregation. We didn't understand much for it was all in Spanish, but it was cool to see people that have the same beliefs as us even though we live very different lives.

My brother, who is a wonderful person, does not share our beliefs. Without realizing that one way we keep the Sabbath Day Holy is by choosing to not swim, he invited my boys to go swimming with him that morning. 

I was still in bed, reading the scriptures when I heard this invitation, and I was disappointed that I hadn't been able to discuss with them that it was Sunday. Mikey, already realizing it was Sunday just ignored the invitation. The other three boys came running into me, asking if it was okay for them to go swimming with my brother. 

I said a quick silent prayer and prepared for their questions. After they asked me, I told them that it was their choice, but that they must first listen to me. I reminded them that it was the Sabbath, something that they had not realized. I reminded them that they knew what our standards and beliefs were, but that they could choose what they were to do, all without any consequences from me. I did ask them to allow me to tell them about a story I had just read that morning. I had read a General Conference talk that told the story of an Olympic runner that had refused to run on Sunday.

Roger had no question of his choice, he said to me, in his very sincere voice, "Mom, I really want to go swimming, but I know it's more important to follow God's commandments".

William was a little more unsure of his choice. I suggested that we pray. After our prayer, he said, with sad tears in his eyes, that he wouldn't go swimming. I gave him a hug and told him that I understood his sadness, but that I was very proud of his choice.

When my brother realized the predicament that he had put my kids in, he sincerely apologized. Even though it was a difficult experience for some of my kids, I thought that it was good for it pushed them to choose for themselves.

Grant had a little crush on my cousin Ivy Ellen - not that I blame him. If you look closely, Grant has a big scab between his eyebrows. Whenever my kids visit Utah, I swear that one of them has the physical bad luck of getting hurt repeatedly. This time was Grant's turn.

 We joined in the fun of a beach dance party (kid friendly) one of the evenings. The Limbo pole was pulled out and William and Grant participated in Limbo for the first time in their lives. They loved it. Grant got to the last round. I think it helped that he's short.

 We spent a lot of time at the beach

 And missing Evelyn. Luckily Todd sent lots of pictures

 We went out on the ocean twice on this boat. It was amazing. We saw dolphins

 and sea lions.

 There was an island that had hundreds and hundreds of sea lions. The old, dominate males stayed up on the island, protecting their territories and letting out loud barks. The young "teenage" sea lions were playing in the water, coming close to the boat, curious to see what it was.

 We caught a lot of fish

 The captain even caught a shark! He was having a hard time reeling in his catch, so we knew it was a big one. I was on the back of the boat, helping William with his pole, when all of the sudden I felt like I was in a scene from Jaws. A Great-White-looking shark swam by the boat, with something by it's gills. The captain's hook had gotten attached to the shark's gills. This shark was huge! Surprised, and somewhat scared, I grabbed William close to me. The shark got away, thankfully. A very surreal moment.

 My brother lives in a town home that is associated with these two towers of condos. They have many pools and a beach. And all of this in the middle of a desert with town being 30 minutes away.

 

The beach was perfect. When it was low tide, there were coral banks that the kids were able to search around and look for sea life. When the tide was high, the waves still weren't too crazy. I was never nervous about my boys swimming in the water and being swept away.

 The sand was really nice and easy to walk on, yet there were so many sea shells to be found! It was a perfect beach, in my opinion.

Mikey drew a picture of a sea lion in the sand

Paradise

Found a Sea Star

Even while having such a good time, we missed the rest of the family

 

I did some school work with the boys, using the sand as a white board and sea shells as counting chips. The boys loved this and kept asking for more school work.

The pool was awesome, looking over the beach and ocean

 

 

Our last night, we went to dinner with my dad and brother (Rob) at a neighboring resort. During the meal my brother was quite impressed with Mikey's knowledge. Rob started asking Mikey what he knew about different subjects. Mikey did an amazing job of having some knowledge of anything that Rob threw at him. Even the other boys started contributing their knowledge. Rob became more and more impressed.

 

We did have a great time, but we did leave part of our heart (and family) in Cleveland. Thank goodness for Facetime, it helped a little bit.

We spent two more days in Utah before we flew home. During that time I was able to go to the temple, and visit my grandma as well as aunt MayBeth.

I had told my boys about my dad's business that he had started when I was a child. The last night we were in Utah, I had my dad take us on a "tour" of the schools that he started. We ended up taking my brothers three kids as well and my sisters girl. It all started here:

 

an apartment building in which my family rented two apartments, one for the business and the other to live in. The one we lived in was one bedroom, all while my parents had four young children.

As they became more successful, my dad purchased this manor.

Isn't my mom a hottie?

Here we are in the gym

My mom was sad to see my boys go. She had been watching them for 5 weeks! But I think her house was happy to be a little quieter and cleaner.

While I was gone, a family with an M-CM girl stopped by the hospital. This little girl (I am told by Todd) is super cute. The similarities is also very awesome. The girl is a 7 year-old girl named Evelyn and she has three siblings, all older brothers!

Overall, I was glad that I went to Utah. It was a good chance to have a break, and a great opportunity to spend time with my boys.

I came home with 4 ninjas