Grateful for life

This was one of those moments where you are grateful for health and safety. Let me just say that we were not in that truck, but right across the street, we were waiting on the corner for the bus just a moment earlier. The young man driving the truck and the other driver were both okay. Hayden's bus had just picked him up and had driven down the street when I heard a horn honk and then "crash." I turned to see the truck hit the telephone pole and roll. I called 911 and helped the man (CERT training at work!). Then as trained professionals arrived and I stepped back, I looked at my two kids still in the stroller, and was so grateful that nothing happened to them. I'm also glad it didn't happen one minute earlier when the truck could have hit Hayden's kindergarten bus. I think I will be a little apprehensive about standing on the corner from now on.

Food storage

I've felt the urgency lately to work on our food storage and preparedness. Has anyone else felt that way? It's getting scary-all the things going up in price. I can't even order wheat through the Church website right now because they are backed up due to the wheat crisis. Even though we've never had that much extra money to work on food storage in the past, I still feel like we have "eaten, drunk, and been merry." What will happen tomorrow?

On a more cheerful, positive note, Serena is really expressive now. Yesterday Serena and I were sitting on the floor with Connor and something he did made her giggle! It was so cute. It was one of those moments you just want to bottle up and pull out when you're having a bad day or in twenty years when your kids are having real problems.

Easter Eggs

West York has a really nice Easter egg hunt at our park every year. They divide the egg hunt into 3 seperate age groups so that the younger ones get a chance to have some eggs. Connor took a minute to figure it out, but soon got the hang of it. His age group was really cute because the kids don't really know what's going on yet, so their not so pushy. Hayden's age group knew exactly what was going on, and had no mercy! (Parents are not allowed inside this one.) Hayden had a little basket that he filled up quickly, so I put about ten eggs in the pocket of my sweatshirt so he could go back out. As he did, another kid ploughed into him and knocked him over and all his eggs spilled out of his basket. (It's like I was watching it in slow motion.) Suddenly, other kids noticed more eggs on the ground and dove for them-they took almost all his eggs before I could get to him and grab some. I gave him a hug and he said "I'm okay, with a crying face." Two moms had their boys give a couple of eggs to Hayden-to which I am so grateful. I don't even think they were the ones that took his eggs in the first place. I understand those kids who took his eggs didn't realize what they were doing, I just felt so bad for Hayden. Anyone who knows him recognizes his sweet, gentle and thoughtful personality. As I was watching this scene I thought about him as he grows up in this cold, cruel world and that things will happen to him that I have no control over. It was an introspective moment. Later we had fun painting our Easter eggs.

St. Patrick's Day gathering

This year our family and the Christensen's went over to Jamie and Andy's house for our Irish (pot luck) dinner-Corned beef, cabbage with swiss cheese, potatoes, Irish soda bread. That was my first Irish dinner and I liked it-at least once a year! We all had a lot of fun and I think we will do it again next year together. The hats that the kids have on were hand-made by Hayden and Mike the day before and sprayed painted by me this morning. They turned out pretty authentic, and only cost us a dollar to make! Not to mention that Hayden enjoyed every minute of it.

Backing up a little

I actually thought I had posted about this brunch already-oops! Lauren (pictured below) and her hubby Larry were the hosts of this splendid event. They have a beautiful home and have done a good job of combining the necessity of having a "kid-friendly" home for their two little girls, and a home for adults to entertain and converse. I don't think my home is like that. It's just for kids, not adults! We had delicious food, but the best part was just catching up with old friends. These are all friends of mine from high school that we try to get together a couple of times a year. It's great to see how we have changed, and how we have stayed the same. I think we all get along because we have all moved in the same direction. We have our 15 year class reunion coming up in May. Oh, I feel old! Ashley (holding Serena), Paige, Amber and her daughter Georgia.

Hayden says the funniest things!

He said two things yesterday that made me laugh. The first time was when he and Connor were pretending to talk to each other on the phone. Connor picks it up and screams in it, then Hayden says "Oh, it's a sreamer, I'm going to hang up now!" Then last night Connor had taken some stickers that Hayden was using. When Hayden took them away, Connor said "pease!" Hayden responded "no" two times to his request, then the third time he said "You know Connor, just because you say please doesn't mean you always get what you want!" He's such an adult!

My Poor Mom

Mom started getting sick with the flu last Wednesday. She went into the hospital last Saturday evening for dehydration from the flu and a high fever. She stayed in day after day without any improvement and the list of symptoms was getting longer. By Wednesday morning, they finally decided to get some tests done. Turns out she has the flu, a urinary tract infection, and pneumonia! No wonder she felt like death! So they pumped her with antibiotics, breathing treatments, and tried to get her to eat. It is now Good Friday and she is finally starting to eat solid foods again. It doesn't look like she will be out for Easter. She really misses the grandkids and I know seeing them would cheer her up, but she is too contagious, especially around Serena. I'm just glad she has illnessses that she can recover from relatively quick. Thank goodness for modern medicine!