Tender Hearts

A dear friend in our ward passed away on Friday.  She had an aneurism and swelling on the brain.  She woke up Friday morning with a headache and numbness.  Her parents gave her pain medication and told her to lay down.  Her mom went to run errands.  She went to the bathroom.  She had a stroke and went into a coma.  Her dad broke into the bathroom to get her when she didn't answer him.  They called 911, the hospital tried to relieve the swelling and bring her out of the coma, but she never came out of it.  She passed away that night.  It was incredibly unexpected and another heartbreaking death for all who knew her.

I realize after writing all of that how incredibly heartless and factual and empty it sounds.  It doesn't do justice

So in the midst of all of it, I decided I need to do better about documenting the small things, not letting life pass by and having a record of the moments that make us smile and during which our lives are changing in the process of this journey.

The other day, I was making something in the kitchen.  I must have dropped something or something because I suddenly heard Isaac let out a sigh of disgust and say, "My Atlanta! Ugh!" I turned to see him shaking his head in disgust before walking away.  Careful the things you say!  Children will listen. And learn.

The other night before family prayer, we were reading the scriptures and trying to put the stories in context for the kids.  Suddenly Isaac got really serious and climbed on my lap and said, "But, Mommy! Where the scriptures come from?"  I said, "What?"  And he repeated it.  He really wanted to know where the scriptures had come from.  And we had a talk about prophets and how Heavenly Father teaches us.  Is he really two?

We made dinner and cookies for the Mohun family (it's their daughter Chloe who passed away suddenly).  I decided to make peanut blossom cookies because we had some Hershey Kisses from Easter Candy sales in our freezer.  I got the twins to help me by having them unwrap all the chocolates.  But I explained to them that they couldn't eat the chocolate because we were taking it to Chloe's family because they were sad that Chloe had gone to live with Heavenly Father for a while.  Off we went on our cookie-making journey.  Suddenly, I heard Abby say, "No, ISAAC! No eat the chocolate - it for family!" And I glanced over my shoulder to see Isaac popping a chocolate in his mouth and Abby very lovingly unwrapping the one in her hand.  I told him that Abby was right and reminded him that we were making cookies to serve them a little and show them we love them.  Then I told Abby she could go ahead and eat a chocolate, too.  She said, "No thank you, Mommy!  It for Chloe family - I no need it."  Be still my heart!

And last but not least, our nine-month-old Brianna has taken her FIRST steps and throws a fit if I don't give her a sippy cup just like Abby and Isaac have.  She is so big and such a joy in our family every day.  She watches everything they do and imitates it as much as her little body allows her to.  And I am sure in her mind, she is already up and running right along with them, wherever they go.  Already the thinks they are playing tag when she is crawling down the hallway and they come running towards her!  She giggles and turns as fast as she can and starts crawling away from them, them passing her up almost before she even gets turned around and moving again.  And about that time, they've turned around and are heading back her direction -- repeat the giggles of delight and fast turn around to "run" away from them!  It really is so much fun just watching and listening to them as they are starting to learn they can play with her and discovering the joy of making her laugh, without really realizing what they are doing that is causing it! 

Life's Important Lessons

There are a few things we try every day to teach our kids.  To say please and thank you. Not to hit. Not to take things that aren't yours, or even things that are yours when someone else is playing with them at the time.  Tantrums are never okay - using words and explaining your feelings is always more effective.  Sometimes it's okay to simply say you are sad and sometimes you just need to ask for a hug or to be held or cuddled. Naps aren't just for when it's dark.  Time out isn't always fun but is sometimes very necessary. Grown-ups don't always do things right and sometimes require as much patience and forgiveness as children.  You should say I'm sorry when you hurt someone, even if it is an accident or they are just tired and having a hard time.  When someone says I'm sorry you should accept it graciously, with a hug of course.

And then there are the fun lessons like yesterday when I taught the kids how to eat ice cream out of an ice cream cone the RIGHT way: by biting off the bottom and sucking it through, of course.

And tonight, well - when you are wearing white and still learning to eat, you should take off your white shirt before eating a burgundy popsicle.  And there's always time to do TWO fun things at once - like eating popsicles while playing with toy ambulances. And when learning to stand/walk, it is always nice to have something constant, steady, and immovable to hold onto. Lessons learned.

Father's Day Preview

We took pictures of the kids to send a picture to our dads for Father's Day.  Here are just a few of them!  We're still playing with a few others.  So Orlan - Nique - anyone else - don't tell Dad! ;-D  Everyone else, now you can't say I never post pictures! ;-D  And there are a few things we learn from this: 1) We know how to have fun doing things that really aren't that fun. OR 2) They have one Hil-LAR-iouS mom!  Either way, the gift of laughter is alive and well in the Chaffee house!  And I'm LOV-in' it!

The Things You Say . . . are Unforgettable!

Abby and Isaac got started on our long haul to update them on their shots about two weeks ago now.  Isaac had the HARDEST time - I could hear him screaming in the waiting room!  Abby did a lot better.  Dave said she cried, but she handled it in stride and didn't even have to be "wrestled" to the table.  When Isaac and I went back in to get Abby -- first of all, I was VERY impressed that Isaac went back in.  He was actually REALLY concerned about Abby and Brianna.  And then I saw Abby and gave her a hug and she said, "Mommy - that doctor not very nice!  He NOT listen and obey!" Of course we had the talk that the doctor didn't hurt them, the shots did; but the shots are to help them not get sick.  But it was SO cute the way her mind worked!

The other night we were kneeling for prayer.  Isaac wanted his shark!  And of course, we don't have toys during prayer time.  But it really disturbed him that he didn't know where to find it and we wouldn't just jump up and go look for it for him.  Finally he calmed down for prayer.  Daddy prayed, Abby prayed, and when it was Isaac's turn he simply said, "Heavenly Father - I very sad - name of Jesus Kist, amen."  After that, we searched the whole house over to find that shark!

Abby and Isaac were eating dinner last night. We have a rule now that we sit at the table for a half hour with them.  Then, if they don't want to eat - they can get down.  And if they want to keep eating, they can but we can then get up and start cleaning up.  It saves a LOT of contention and just makes the whole mealtime experience feel so much nicer!  As I loaded the dishwasher, Isaac was done and got down and started to play.  Abby was not, however, and WANTED to keep eating.  But Isaac started taunting her with his toys, trying to get her to come and chase him and play with him.  She scolded him for that, "No - Isaac - I still eating, Isaac!"  Then he grabbed her favorite toy -- her horsey!  And she fell apart.  Through her tears, once I got her to settle down a little bit, she told him, "Isaac - you makin' me sad!"

I was having a hard time finding something to wear this morning for church -- yep, still fighting through those fun pregnancy pounds!!!  At one point, I tried on something and yelled when it didn't fit.  Isaac was in the bathroom and said, "Uh-oh.  What happened?"  I told him that I couldn't find anything to wear because nothing was fitting me.  He pointed to a skirt and said, "How 'bout THIS one?"  I said, "This one?" and pointed to it.  He said, "Yep - yes. There you go, Mommy!  It fit you!"  His triumphant smile was unforgettable!!!  He just KNEW he had solved all my problems and was the best son in the world for having done it.  Of course, it also made me smile!

As I got ready for church today, Isaac and Abby came into the closet singing, "Follow the Prophet" as they followed each other in circles around me.  Then Isaac took the blocks he was holding in his hand and put them, one on top of the other, on the counter next to me.  He got really excited and yelled, "Look, Mommy!  Temple!"  I said, "Is that the temple?" half laughing at his creativity.  And he smiled that "I'm so proud of myself" smile and said, "Yep - that's the temple!" and then laughed like he had said the funniest thing in the world - then he left.  A few minutes later he came back in and said, "Mommy, please make-em Isaac hair handsome."  And so we did!

Dave decided we were going to camp in our back yard, since we have been rained out and stormed out and distanced out of every other camping trip we have planned in the last few months.  He took a VERY proud Isaac out back to help him set up the tent.  And that became a fun fort for the rest of the day!  Then, just before dinner, we were going out to grill chicken sausages and noticed the VERY dark, looming clouds!  Another one bites the dust!  But we're determined!  We'll make it one of these times!

Out of Reach and Within the Lines - The Ever-Developing Minds of Two-Year-Olds

Isaac and Abby LOVE their toy animals.  And by toy animals, I mean expensive figurines that Great-Grandma Larson just HAD to buy them for their birthday last year and even sent them home with more every time we visited.  This last trip home, after Great-Grandma Larson passed away, Grandma White bought them a set of baby animals.  And what used to be Isaac's thing (playing with them for hours on end) turned into Abby's thing.  She loves to match up the families and will even corral them in so they are all facing the center in a nice circle, huddled together for safety or company or whatever else her little mind makes up. 

For Christmas last year, Dave's brother bought them a horse lego set.  And man did Abby FALL IN LOVE with that set!  She cannot get enough of her Hu, Hu, Forseys (she has a hard time saying horsey, but we keep practicing - and she's getting better)!

So in the last few weeks, she has developed quite the fascination with the baby animal horse that is brown just like the "Mommy Forsey" from her Leggo set.  Problem: There is one brown colt from Great-Grandma Larson and one black colt from Grandma White.  And the Lego horsey is BROWN.  You see where I'm going here, right?  So she HAS to have the brown baby horsey to have a complete FAMILY of horses in the corral.  And that would be okay if the black colt weren't just a little bit bigger than the brown colt and, therefore, the ONLY acceptable baby horse for BOTH of the twins.  I have taken both colts away on more than one occasion because they couldn't stop fighting over them and would NOT take turns playing with the brown baby horsey.

Today Isaac innocently walked into the office where I was editing some pictures.  He handed me an almost empty wet wipe tub.  He said, "Mommy - please put up!" and pointed to the TOP of the bookcase.  I was confused.  I said, "You want me to put the wet wipe container up here?" and pointed to the top of the bookcase.  "Uh-huh. Yeah."  I took it from him and looked inside en route to the top shelf.  There I saw two wet wipes wrapped around and over one baby brown colt.  I was amused but still complied with his wishes to put the "empty" container up. 

As soon as I had it on top of the bookshelf and said, "There you go, Buddy!  It's up!" he got the most satisfied look on his face.  He looked toward the office door and said, "Mommy!  Now Abby no get horsey!" HA!  Wow the thought process that must have led up to that one!

And not to leave Abby out of today's post . . . . My little girl is growing up just as quickly and is so incredibly SMART right alongside her brother!!!  We went on a date last night - the first since our anniversary in December (except for the adult session of Stake Conference, which doesn't really count).  I laid out coloring books and the matching game and books to read and showed the babysitter their toys and plugged in the "broken" television in case she ran out of ideas.  They colored for a while, then played, then watched Dora and Diego.  And I noticed when I came home that the sitter had sat down and colored WITH them because a portion of the pages were very neatly filled in, within the lines of the images they were coloring.

Tonight as I made dinner, Abby sat at the table coloring.  When I went over to see how she was doing, I saw that she was very focused, coloring as carefully as she could in tiny little scribbles so she could stay WITHIN the lines!  And she did a fabulous job!  And I don't know why looking at and thinking of that beautiful coloring job has brought tears to my eyes all night long.  But it has!  It still is! I'll have to post a scan of it!  You would be proud, too!

And Brianna stood without holding onto anything for a few seconds and even took a few shuffles forward with the bus filled with blocks that Great-Grandma Larson got for the twins for their birthday last year. She'll be walking by the end of the month, mark my words!  That is one DETERMINED little girl!  I LOVE it!

Sheesh - all this talk of things from Great-Grandma Larson is making me wonder if they're going to have any presents to open next year now that she's gone!  I'll buy one from you, Grandma!  I'll wrap it and take a picture for you, too!  Thank you for doing such a FANTASTIC job of loving my children while you were alive!  I miss you!