My new 'do

Past time to get a haircut. It's been several months. Yikes! So, I scoured the internet for pictures of what I'd like, and decided on one. I took it to my hairdresser, and she chopped off A LOT of hair! Yikes! I didn't realize I had that much to chop off! :)

But, I really like the end result. I can flip it up, under, flip part of it up and part under, I can make the back kind of spiky, or make it lay down flat - it's been great! And, I don't have to carry a scrunchy with me everywhere. :) I do kind of miss having long hair, especially when I see people around me with their long, flowing, gorgeous hair. But, of the short cuts I've had, I think this one is my favorite!


Before . . .

. . . & after -hmm, do I like this?

Yes, I do!

We miss you, Grandma Wanda

So, when we moved into our house, we met a woman in our ward named Wanda. She's originally from Louisiana, and her kids lived far away from her. So, she "adopted" us. My kids called her Grandma Wanda, and every now and then, she'd take us out for ice cream. We always offered to pay, but she always refused.

She had a wonderful sense of humor, loved hugs and kisses from the boys (and my hubby!), and loved me. But, she's had some health problems lately, and her daughter came out to stay with her for a while. Wanda decided that she would like to live closer to her family - her daughter, her son, and grandchildren - so she moved back to Louisiana.

She took us out for ice cream one last time before she left, and we managed to snag this picture of "Grandma Wanda" and all the boys! We love you, Grandma Wanda, and we miss you lots!

Bye Lady

I'm pretty sure she's gone. We haven't seen her since the week before Halloween. We've called the animal shelters around here, adoption agencies, asked neighbors to keep an eye out for her, scouted around in the field where she liked to hunt. We can't find her. We don't know what happened - if she got hit by a car, shot, taken in by somebody that thought she was a stray . . . We're sad.

I've hesitated even posting this, because if I do, it makes it real. I've cried many tears for my little Lady Lou. Every time I'm out driving, I'm looking for her. Scott has gone around to every neighbor in our neighborhood asking if they've seen her and to please watch for her. We've had many people tell us that they've had their cats disappear and a month or two later, they wander home. I've even had cats do that, but I'm not sure this time. I miss her. We've already decided that if she doesn't show up by springtime, that we'll get another kitten to "replace" her. Although, no kitty could replace Lady.

So, here's to my lovely Lady. We've loved her lots, played with her, laughed at her, cried while she gave comfort (to me) . . . She's been a good friend. Sly misses her, too. He's been scratching at the door more often, meowing, and just seems a little more melancholy than he normally is. We'll all miss her.

And, if she does happen to just show up one day, we'll have a party! :) Here's to hoping!


Little Lady - just a few weeks old


Sly and Lady napping with me


Hmm - how does this thing work, Sly?


Grr - Get OFF me!


Uh-oh, she caught us. Act innocent. :)


Sly & Lady - BFF


Lady on the hunt (for a red dot)


They won't let me in the house - I'll find my own way in!


RIP, sweet Lady - wherever you are

We love you.

What warms my heart?

This little boy warms my heart!

Almost every day, when I go drop Gavin off in the afternoon for kindergarten, Scottie is outside waiting for me to pull up, so he can hop in the van and give me a hug and a kiss. He'll eat lunch, and then stand at the school entrance - missing most of his lunch recess - waiting for me. He runs up to the van with a HUGE smile on his face, full of energy, and just so happy to see me. He hugs me, plants a kiss on my cheek with a laugh, tells me he loves me, then runs off with Gavin into the school.

How can that not warm my heart?


I love you my little Scottie bug!

Bear's stats

We went to the dr. of Friday for Bear's one year well-check. We debated about getting his shots, as the last few times we've gotten them he breaks out in a rash and gets sick. *sigh* Eventually, we decided to just do it and get it over with rather than spread them out over a few months.

As of today, he has a red, bumpy rash on his forehead, the rest of his body looks kind of dotted with red dots (although they're not bumpy) and he has a runny nose. I hate what these shots do to him. My other kids were just fine with shots. *sigh* Poor kid obviously doesn't feel well. Hopefully it'll pass quickly, though, so that we can enjoy our Thanksgiving holiday with my family!

Anyway, I thought I'd post his stats for the past year. It's fun to see how much they've grown!

Birth:
7 lbs. 13 oz.
20 1/2" long

3 weeks old:
9 lbs 4.5 oz.
(can I just say Wow! Two pounds in 3 weeks!)
21 1/2" long

2 months old:
13 lbs. 13 oz.
24 1/4" long

4 months old:
18 lbs. (WOW!)
26" long

6 months old:
I couldn't find his card with these stats, but I do know that he was between 19 and 20 lbs. Like 19 lbs. 3 oz. or something like that.

9 months old:
22 lbs. 2.5 oz.
29" long

1 year old:
22 lbs. 3 oz.
30" long

So, in the last three months, he hasn't really gained any weight, but he has grown an inch in height. And, it shows in his clothes! His pants are getting too short. :) *sigh* They get big so fast.

He's currently wanting to walk. He'll hold onto our hands (or hand) and walk. If he's just holding onto one of our hands, he'll walk in a circle - it's like one foot goes fast than the other. But, he loves it! I'm sure he'll be walking before too much longer. A Christmas tree with lots of ornaments and sparkly lights - hmm. I could be in trouble!

The passing of time - Bear's b-day

'Da Bear - 1 year old

Last Friday, the 12th, my Bear turned one. At 3:41 in the morning

I think he wanted to bring his day in with a bang, because he woke up crying at 4:40. He wouldn't take his binky. Or his blanket. So, I picked him up to rock him, but as soon as I did, he threw himself backward towards the crib. So, I laid him down for a few minutes, but when he kept crying, I tried holding him again. He threw himself backward again, so I laid him down, closed his door, and let him fuss himself back to sleep. He woke up again at 6:13 to start his day. *sigh* "Happy Birthday to me!"

But, we had a wonderful day. I let him open one of his presents that morning - an outfit that I originally got him for Christmas. It's 18 months. But, it's a good thing I gave it to him now - he just might be grown out of it by Christmas time. :)

He played with Gavin, and scooted around the house while I cleaned and got dinner ready for that night. When Brandon and the boys got home from school, we had him open up his presents. He had a BLAST! It was so fun to watch him figure out how to tear the paper off. I think he's gonna be a pro at Christmas!


Ripping off the paper.
"Hey, this is fun!"


Listening to S & B read "Mr. Brown Can Moo"


All of us playing with his basketball hoop


The cheesy Bear with his gifts

That night, we had Brandon's family over for a baked potato bar dinner, followed by cake and ice cream. I made a chocolate cake, shaped into a bear, and frosted it with chocolate frosting. Two jawbreakers for the eyes, and licorice for a smile. Unfortunately, we forgot to get a picture of it. It was pretty cute, though.

I gave Connor a half a yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting, and just prayed that he'd be able to handle it with his allergy. He did great! I got some soy ice cream for him and me to have, and he loved it. (Note to those with milk allergies - coconut milk ice cream is much, MUCH better than soy. Pricey, but I've decided it's worth it for an occasional splurge.) He dug right in to his cupcake and ice cream, and made a big mess of himself.


One candle - 1 year


"Hmm - what's this?"


"This is pretty good!"


"Ooh - it's cold. Wonder what it tastes like?"


"That was good, Mom!"


My sweet niece, Marissa, singing happy birthday to "the Connor"

I went and put him in the tub as soon as he was done. I've learned that if he does come in contact with any dairy, it's best to wash it off ASAP and cover him in hydrocortisone cream followed by lotion to seal it in. It worked, and we headed off to play with cousins and open presents from them.


Cute Bear in the tub.
(Look how blue his eyes are. I love his eyes!)


My super cute nephew, Terance, who is just 6 weeks younger than Connor


The Shaffer gang (minus Dustyn & Linda's family)


Terance and Connor playing with the Elmo phone he got

As we've been talking about Thanksgiving in our family and during singing time in Primary, I've been trying to reflect on what I'm most thankful for. Of course, I'm thankful for my family. My boys are priceless.

But, during his birthday week, and on thinking back on the year and a half of trying to get pregnant, and getting REALLY discouraged because we weren't getting pregnant after a VERY easy time with the other three. And then deciding that I really didn't want another baby after all, and realizing a few weeks later that I was pregnant. And then, the joy of realizing that it had happened, hearing his heartbeat, feeling his first kicks, finding out we were having another boy, and then wondering if "this is really it" during labor . . . well, I think you get the idea.

I'm SO grateful for this little boy. He has filled my time and made me smile - even when I'm crying. He melts my heart time and time again. I'm sad that he's growing up so fast, but at the same time, it's so much fun to watch him grow. Just the past few days, he's started to figure out that he can make different sounds with his mouth. It's so fun to hear him communicate with us using his sounds.

I love to watch his little scoot, his funny little scoot. The slight curl in his hair. His 8-tooth grin. I love to see him when I come home from Zumba or from the store or from choir practice and see his little face light up when he sees me. And then watch as he scoots over to me, babbling while he scoots, and then looks up into my face, his arms outstretched for me to pick him up.

I love to watch him with his brothers. They love him so much. They love to play with him, read to him, make silly sounds to get him to smile. I love how he gets so excited when he sees his dad. Or how they'll laugh together when Brandon is in changing his diaper. I love the way Connor loves the cats. He squeals with delight when he sees them. He'll pat or pet them, and then look up at us with a HUGE grin on his little face.

I'm so thankful for my little Connor Jay.

I thank my Heavenly Father daily for the addition of this little guy into our family. He was needed. I don't know why it took so long for us to get pregnant with him, but I do know that right now is the perfect time to have him. Absolutely perfect.

Documentation of C's rashes

I've decided to document when Connor breaks out in a rash and what he ate. Since we found out he was allergic to milk, we haven't had any significant breakouts. Just a dot of red skin here or there, or some eczema on his hands. His hands seem the most affected by things he eats - especially graham crackers. His fingers quite frequently have a rash on them from picking up foods. Is it possible that the food he puts in his mouth mixes with his saliva and he reacts to that somehow? Hmm. I wish I knew the answer.

Anyway, tonight we had breakfast burritos for dinner. Eggs (whites and yolks), salt and pepper to taste, and some bacon all mixed together. I gave him some of the eggs, which he really liked. So, I gave him some more. The pictures don't do him justice (he's much more red than these pictures show) but within a few minutes, this is what he looked like:


Rash all over his belly from where his hands touched his tummy


Rash that broke out into welts under his chin - that's why we're wondering if it's the bib


All over his face and ears where his food touched. (It's all over his ears because his hands started to itch, so he rubbed his hands on his ears and eyes and side of his face.)

Since he was already breaking out, we decided to test the eggs on him. (One of the things he was tested for was egg whites, and that came back negative.) So, we rubbed some egg white on one arm, and egg yolk on the other arm. There was no reaction. He's had bacon before, and I didn't put any cheese or milk in with the eggs. I'm so perplexed. I did give him a little piece of chocolate cake last night, with chocolate frosting, to celebrate his birthday, but that's seems to be a little long afterwards to have a reaction, especially where he only broke out on the places he touched.

The only other thing that was different was a bib I put on him. I got a new bib out of the closet and put that on him - (not new from the store, but new as in it hasn't been used since it was last washed.) We haven't used bibs until just recently when we started to let him pick up his own food and eat that way. I guess it's possible that this particular bib was used when I was eating milk, he spit up on it, and it didn't completely wash out. Or something. I don't know.

I never fully appreciated moms of kids with allergies and their concerns with foods they ate - until now. I just told Gavin that he wasn't allowed to touch or kiss Bear until his skin gets cleared up again. I'm constantly watching what he puts in his mouth and what he touches, and trying to watch what I eat. It's hard. I'm hoping that the dr. is right and that he'll eventually outgrow this. Or that we can condition his body to accept milk. Someday, I hope.

*sigh*

First duet and a Gorilla crawl

Scott played "Mary Lee" for me yesterday (it sounds like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to me), and was so excited when I suggested that I could play with him. So, I played a very simple accompaniment on the piano while he played his violin. He was STOKED that we had played our very first duet together!

Of course, we had to have Brandon record it, and Scott was a little disappointed that he kind of messed up in the middle, but we congratulated him for just continuing on and finishing the song.



They're also working on "Carol of the Bells" right now for their Christmas concert, and he's been so fun to watch practice. He hasn't really taken it upon himself to practice daily without me encouraging him, but the past couple of weeks, he's been so excited about the "Carol of the Bells," that he'll come straight home and practice and want to play it with me. So fun!

On a side note, Connor has started to scoot REALLY fast. And, he's figured out how to do it one handed. Apparently, it's so much better than crawling, because with his scoot, he can grab things in his one hand as he goes by. If he were crawling, he couldn't really do that! :)


Don't you love how at the end of the video, he goes in for a kiss? I do!

I'm also really struggling with the fact that his b-day is coming up - FAST. He's my baby (possibly our last one), and while it's fun to watch them grow and hit each new stage, it's sometimes sad to watch them grow. It just goes by too fast. I just want them to stay little for a while longer.

Isn't there any way to do that? Any way at all?

Lamonites, Levonites, and the dragon

Gavin, whispering in my ear, telling me what to say during our pretend scripture reading this morning:

G, whispering, "And it came to pass . . ."

Me, repeating out loud, "And it came to pass . . ."

G, "that the Lamanites . . ."

Me, "that the Lamanites . . ."

G, "killed the dragon . . ."

Me, (trying not to laugh), "killed the dragon . . ."

G, "Against the Levons."

Me, "Against the Levons."

G, "And the Lamonites . . .

Me, And the Lamonites . . ."

G, "came up . . ."

Me, "came up . . "

G, "against . . ."

Me, "against . . ."

G, "the Levon, um, ites . . ."

Me, "the Levonites . . ."

"G "forever and ever and ever."

M, (still trying not to laugh) "forever and ever and ever."

G, "The End."

Hello, 911 dispatch . . .

Scenario: Just out of the shower and barely dressed. Phone rings. Gavin walks into the bathroom with the phone. With kind of a funny smile on his face he says, "Here you go, Mom." The caller ID says "City of Logan." I almost ignore it (my hair is dripping wet, after all), but I pick up.

Me: "Hello?"

C of L: "Hello, is this Ms. Shaffer?"

Me: "Yes, it is."

C of L: "Do you have a son named Gavin?"

Me: (somewhat alarmed, now), "Um, yes."

C of L: "This is 911 dispatch."

Me (thinking): "What??? Are you serious?"

C of L: "We just wanted to call and let you know that your son had called us. He wanted to call and thank the fire fighters and police men that came and did a presentation at his school a few weeks ago."

Me (wanting to melt into the floor with embarrassment): "Oh, um . . ."

C of L: "You should be very proud of him, though. He was very polite while talking to us on the phone. He sounds like a good boy."

Me: "Oh, um, thanks." (I'm seriously about dying here. Gavin just has a huge smile on his face, and I'm trying not to laugh and be mad at the same time.)

C of L: "So, we just wanted to let you know that he was downstairs playing with the phone and had called us."

Me: "I'm so sorry, but thanks."

C of L: "No problem. Have a good day, Ms. Shaffer. Bye."

So, after I got off the phone with dispatch, I explained to Gavin that while it was nice that he wanted to thank the fire fighters and policemen, we can't just call 911. It has to be an emergency. I told him that next time he wanted to thank one of them, we should write a letter.

"Oh, okay," says Gavin. "Let's go do it right now!"

So, he heads to the computer, pulls up the notepad, and starts to type. (If you click on the pictures, they should pop up bigger.) Here's his "letter:"




Toady's translation of his letter

Crazy Hair Day & Zumba party

This past week was Red Ribbon Week for the boys, and on Thursday, they had a Crazy Hair Day. Scott chose not to participate; he's like me - he doesn't like the feeling of people pointing or laughing at him, even if it is something cool. "Look at his hair, that's awesome!" But, B & Gavin wanted to. And, here are the results:













And, I had to put one of me on here because for the first time this week, I actually did my hair - thus, it was "Crazy Hair Day" for me!



The night before, we had a Zumba Halloween party where we were supposed to dress up. And, what better thing to do that to dress up in 80's exercise clothes? :)


Big hair, leg warmers, the shorts over the leggings, the cut-off shirt hanging off the shoulder . . .


Bright blue makeup, and big red lips!!

Scooching, Spinning, and Standing

Connor's scooch



Connor spinning in his jumper. It's kind of long, but you can see how much he LOVES to spin. He does this every time he's in the jumper.

Connor also loves to hold onto our hands and walk around. He gets so excited that he'll dance and shuffle his feet while we're walking with him. He loves to scooch around, but if somebody is close by that can help him walk, he'd rather walk. I think he'll end up walking before he crawls!


Ready, Connor?


Standing all by myself!


I'm gonna fall, Mom! You better catch me!


Whee!!

Sorting Attributes

The other day at Gavin's SEP with his Kindergarten teacher, his teacher told us a Gavin funny

Says G, "Um, Mrs. ___________, I've sorted these attributes by color and size. Is that okay?"

:)

The finished bathroom

Our bathroom upstairs has needed help for a long time. When we first moved in, we noticed mold growing on the ceiling and on the wall above the shower. (We decided that the previous owner(s) didn't ever turn the house fan on while they showered, so there was no air going through the bathroom, thus allowing this growth.) The walls were cracking because of a bad paint job, and in general, it just looked awful.

But, we haven't been able to do anything about (up to this point) because we've had other projects and things to take care of. The boys rooms, the nursery, the kitchen . . . But, Sherman Williams had an INCREDIBLE sale a couple of weeks ago - 40% off ALL of their paint and stain, so we got paint for the bathroom, and stain for the deck.

So, Brandon (the tall man that he is) climbed up on the step stool and bleached the ceiling and walls, then painted Kilz primer over everything. Then, we taped off the trim, and got started. A one day project, and the whole bathroom is just transformed! Voila! We love it, and it's so nice to have a nice clean bathroom, with clean walls. It's like an actual room now!

The next thing will be to replace the floor. Again . . . mold. The floor wasn't sealed well when the linoleum was put in by the previous owner(s), and water seeped underneath. So, eventually that will get replaced as well. I'm SO looking forward to that day!

Enjoy the pic's and let me know what you think! We happen to love it!


Before . . .


Going in a circle around the room - after . . .