Digging for Daisy...

Well, after several days of using Ethan's old training toilet, donning gloves, and digging, we just wanted to announce...




Eureka!!




After every BM episode over the last several days we have performed a ceremonial digging for Daisy Duck. This morning, Ethan said,
"Mom, I need to go poop." and started for the bathroom. Then he turned back and peeked his head into the kitchen with a raised eyebrow and asked,
"Will you dig for Daisy Duck?"

"Absolutely." ("I'd be happy to" was the first thought that came to mind, but it didn't seem completely honest)

And so, dig I did, and find her we did.

And after a Clorox bath, Daisy got to pose for a few pictures, and then reunite with her friends in the Monopoly box. Man, are we having too much fun, or what?





Yep, that's her alright. Same duck.



These are my two favorite Ethan quotes from afterward:

"I'm so glad we got Daisy Duck out of my tummy, Mom."

"I get to use the big potty again!"


Stay tuned for more adventures! H
Hopefully the next few fun stories won't involve ambulances...

My first 911 call...

So this is the Mickey Mouse 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Monopoly (a cute gift to Kyle and me because my mom told me never to settle for anyone who wasn't as good as Mickey, and Kyle, of course, passed the test and wrote a story about Mickey and Minnie and read it to me as part of proposing... )



Anyway, this is the game.

And instead of a hat, a shoe, a thimble, an iron, and a wheelbarrow as the little pieces, this edition has

Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, and...

...and Daisy Duck.

You see her in there? Yep, that's not a sticker, folks. That's Daisy Duck. Sitting inside my son's belly.

What a day.

So Ethan and I decided to play Monopoly for the first time ever during Jake's nap this afternoon. We of course modified all kinds of rules but Ethan was able to roll dice, count dice, move spaces, count money, and go to jail. He even grasped the concept of the get out of jail free card and couldn't wait to land on the policeman again so he could go to jail and get out right away. It was a lot more fun than I even thought it would be.

Once Jake woke up, I told Ethan I was very worried about all of the little pieces and my mother radar started to freak out about little houses, dice, and silver figures getting stuck in a little throat. So, we cleaned up most of the game and Ethan said he wanted to play for just a little bit longer on his own. I said that was fine, and decided to just hold Jake in my arms until Ethan had a few more minutes to let the characters talk to each other and march around the board. Two of my original plans for the afternoon had fallen through, and I was just sitting wondering to myself, "hmmm, I wonder what we're going to do tonight..."

Suddenly Ethan came over to the couch with his eyes WIDE open and started gagging. I started patting him on the back, and tried to figure out what was going on. Ethan choked for several seconds, with a look of complete horror on his face, and then screamed as the object went down, down, down, his esophagus.

My memory is a little bit hazy since there was so much adrenaline, but I know I called 911, and by the time the ambulance came Ethan was breathing fine but was really scared. I filled in a few pieces of the story by asking some questions, which he tried very hard to answer while he was crying and shaking.

"Did you swallow it?"

"Yeah."

"Was it one of the pieces?"

"Yeah... I don't know if it was Mickey or Donald."

"Why did you put it in your mouth, Bud?"

"I dropped it."

"Were you holding it up high?"

"Yeah, I was holding it up here and it fell."

So from what I can tell, he was lying on the ground on his side, zooming the pieces up in the air having them fly around and talk to each other, and all of the sudden, Daisy Duck went from his fingers straight into his throat. Poor kid! When he actually swallowed it he was so mad--he was shaking his head and stomping his feet and saying NOOOOOOO!!!

Anyway, the paramedics came and checked him out, and by then things looked pretty much okay, but they asked me if I would like him to be seen at a hospital to take an x-ray. He said sometimes, if objects are sharp they can cause tearing in the intestines, or there are a few other risks. I really hate to cry wolf as far as hopital visits go, so I called Kyle to see his opinion and he said that in the dental clinic at school, if anyone ever swallows a crown or anything like that, you always do an x-ray just to be safe. So, a friend came and grabbed Jake, and Ethan and I rode on an ambulance to the hospital. By then he was totally calm and I felt a little bit guilty as he looked around and started talking about how cool everything inside the ambulance was. Be it known that for Christmas this year Ethan got a play firehouse with a firetruck and firefighters and he has two different firetruck movies that he can quote almost word for word. So, a ride in an ambulance could practically have been a birthday present. James, the paramedic/firefighter who was taking care of us was showing Ethan all of his cool stuff and asking Ethan if he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up, etc. I almost wanted to say, "Hey, let's not make this too fun! I don't need him to stat swallowing things on purpose to get a cool ride in an ambulance!" But at the same time I was grateful that he was helping Ethan not be scared and have a good time.

Anyway, the rest of the story is fairly uneventful, other than the incredibly supercool x-ray we got that shows Daisy Duck, clearer than even the bones themselves, sitting right there in his tummy. Here it is again:

So, everyone is okay. Unless Ethan suddenly starts to have bad stomach pain or vomiting, things will run their course and the doctor said after we fish it out of the toilet we can clean it off and put it back in the game. Hmmmmmm..... or in the baby book, he said. :)

And to think, I was so worried about Jake. That's life for ya, huh?

Well, we're counting our blessings...

This guy is incredible.

Wow. This is a video of a man with no arms or legs motivating people to get back up when you fall down. Humbling, inspiring, and amazing.





I love at the end that he can witness of "God's glory, and grace and perfection." Even in his mortal condition, and quite possible because of it, this man can proclaim that God is perfect.

Thank you, Nick Vujicic.

We Love You, Grandpa Ricks!

Well, right now I feel so many different emotions on so many different levels that I am overcome and it is all coming out my eyes.

Kyle's Dad had a stroke on Christmas Day and has been in the hospital for the last two days. We have been receiving play by play updates about his condition from loving family members who have included us, though far away, in what has been going on. This afternoon, things took a turn for the worse and Philip passed away at about 11:00 Eastern time tonight, right after he was able to hear goodbyes from his children who were in other states.

While Kyle was telling his Dad his final "I love you" and "goodbye" I was struck with several different thoughts:

How can you even express to your father how much you love him? How, in just a few short seconds, can you make the words "thank you" encompass an entire lifetime of sacrifice and love and example and love?

How, with just words, will we acquaint our boys with their grandfather's wisdom, and courage, and steadfastness?

I am forever indebted to Philip Ricks for raising the man who is the father of my children. How could I ever repay him? All we can do is continue his legacy... We will. We are.

Kyle's brother told us on the phone, just after Philip passed away, that "there is an overriding feeling of happiness here." He said, "It feels very hard, but yet very RIGHT." We all feel peace that God was involved, that the doctors did the best they could, and that things will be okay. Mom is, as always, an incredible rock who is trusting that the Lord will strengthen her.

I am astounded by the almost tangible love I have felt expressed between all of us during the last several hours. I consider myself truly blessed to be part of a family full of so much faith, strength, selflessness, optimism, and love.

We will miss you, Dad. But we will see pieces of you in each other, and in our children. We will share funny memories and great stories and laugh and cry as we remember you. We will savor the joy that we feel when we're together, and thank you forever for it. And when we hear the angel choirs at the second coming singing barbershop, we'll know they put you to good use up there. :) We love you!

Here is what I think Ethan would say if he could:

Dear Grandpa:

Thank you for all the 4-wheeler rides and for letting me follow you around while you work. Thanks for letting me climb on your tractors and on your "Frank." (harvester). Thanks for all the times you came up to me and said, "Hey, Ethan!" Thanks for all the tickles, hugs, and Sunday dinners. Thanks for teaching my Dad how to be a real man--I'm gonna try to be like you when I grow up.

Love, Ethan

A few what we've been up to's...

1. I LOVE storytime and bedtime. I found a great list of kids' Christmas books and requested as many of them as I could at the library. Since we got the tree up we have been reading stories by the tree and then turning off all the regular lights to sing carols by the tree. When Ethan is all snuggled up in a blanket with me singing "Glo--o--o--o---ria" with me I am pretty sure life doesn't get any better than this.

2. We got to see lights at the zoo! And trains, and penguins, and the holiday dolphin show. We are sticking around Indiana this year and so we are making sure to capitalize on as many special Indy sights as we can.

The downtown Central Library is also AWESOME, by the way, in case anyone was wondering.


3. Ethan is very excited to see if Santa will bring him a Monster Truck. I think I might be even more excited.


4. Kyle survived finals! And now he has a few more days of seeing patients and then a nice little break. Only three more semesters of life in Indiana and then off to who knows where...

5. Jake is a climbing maniac. Onto the chairs, onto the table, up onto the toilet, up onto the couch, into the dishwasher, grabbing blind cords, grabbing blinds, grabbing knives, falling off things... I love that little guy. And sometimes, he drives me absolutely bonkers. I'm always ready for naptime, but I'm also usually ready for him to wake up and come play. :)
He likes to put his hands up in the air when we say "Touchdown!" which Ethan also did at around his age. Somehow, though, he actually thinks it means "all done," so sometimes when he wants to be out of his high chair he puts his hands up and says, "TA dah." It's hilarious and adorable.






6. We have our first ever Ricks Family Jesus Box. My mom did this with us as many years as I can remember--you wrap a box and but a bow on it and it is a present for Jesus. As you do nice things for other people throughout the month, you write them down on little pieces of paper made to look like presents. Then, on Christmas morning, after breakfast and before opening the post-Santa presents, you unwrap "Jesus Box" and go around and read the nice things everyone did! I am looking forward to instating this tradition in our family this year. :) Love you, mom!

7. Kyle and I are surprising each other this year for the first time ever since we got married. Usually, since spending money is such a novelty we each have a very specific and rather picky list of what we need to buy, so it has seemed silly to try to buy a surprise gift. This year, we let go of all that and we have surprises under the tree. I wonder what they could be...?!?! I could get used to this. It's fun!

8. My last A1C was 7.4--the highest I have ever been. (a number that helps you know an average of your blood sugars over about 3 months.) The higher the number, the worse prognosis for all the bad things diabetes can do to your body over time. I've been trying my hardest, but pregnancy, nursing, and being done nursing have really required constant change to my basal and bolus rates. Long story short Kyle and I are on a quest to get tighter control and re-find the right ratios. This is an in-depth, time consuming, detail oriented, discipline requiring, life consuming, please get all the holiday treats away from me kind of an endeavor. It's about isolating variables and testing what happens when you don't eat, when you do eat, while you're asleep, etc. to figure out what you need to change. My dad said a lady in his ward who is now blind told him, "I didn't control my diabetes. I didn't know that this is what would happen."
This is a giant pain. But it beats going blind and losing feeling in my feet.

9. Some friends gave us some hand-me-down clothes for Ethan including some spider man pajamas. They were a huge hit.

10. Life is good. Tiring, crazy, chaotic, frustrating, and yet fulfilling, inspiring, peaceful, and full of small miracles. I love how Christmas returns you to the familiar, yet always brings something new each year.

I cried in the car today to Amy Grant Singing:

"I know it's true, time doesn't stand still
Many things can change, but we know some things never will
The memories we share, the songs we always sing,
The mystery of life; the hopefulness this season brings.
And I have a dream or two--maybe they will come true..."

It's a miracle every year all over again.

Ethan Mageethan

Check out this handsome guy! Is it just me, or does he look at least 8 years old in this picture??!?!

Well, Ethan's latest craze is figuring out words that rhyme. At lunch yesterday, we sat and ate and he would say, "what rhymes with...bars?"
"Um, cars, mars, ours..."

[big grin, and lots of nods.]
"What rhymes with...say?"

"Day! Say! Play! Pray! May! Lay!"

This went on for about at least 20 minutes.

And he's asking--do wind and window rhyme? Or do they just sound the same?
What a cute kid.

Kyle asked Ethan the other day, "are you ready to read stories?"

He said, "Yep. Ready bom beddy."


Here are some of the latest and greatest other things he has said lately:

I listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio sometimes and when he is talking about people and their choices to put things on credit cards they won't be able to pay off, and get into houses way bigger they can afford, etc. he calls it STUPID. Ethan and I have had to discuss why Dave Ramsey is allowed to say that word and it's been a fun way to talk to him about being smart with money. I said, "well, it would be nicer to say 'that's not very smart," but Dave Ramsey can say stupid because that's what it is to rack up tons of debt on a credit card. So one day Ethan said he wanted to pretend he was Dave Ramsey and I said, Okay. A few minutes later he screamed,

"That is so STUPID!"
and I gave him the hairy eyeball.
He looked at me innocently and said,
"But I'm Dave Gwamsey!"


Also, thanks to Dave Ramsey, one of his favorite things to do in the car is to say,
"Ready to scream debt free, mom?"
"Yep."
Okay, mom... 3, 2, 1..
I'M DEBT FWEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

Oh, how I wish we were really debt free. :) I think by the time we pay off all of our dental school loans we will probably have to call in to Dave's son to get to scream it on the air. :)


One night, as we were sitting by the Christmas tree talking about Jesus being born, I reminded Ethan about when Jake was born and we talked about what he remembered, etc. We talked about babies coming out of mommies and he said,
"But how are babies born? There's not a hold big enough for babies to come out."
My first thought: Yeah, you're telling ME, kiddo.


[as we were sitting down to have a treat after a Family Home Evening where we acted out the Christmas story with his little manger scene:]
"I say unto him that we shall have a treat. And it will be called Ice Cream."


"I was gonna watch the helicopter movie, but I changed my mind. I put on my 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' mind."
[just for the record, he abosolutely LOVES that movie. I have been Amy and he has been Nick for like 3 weeks now, and likes me to dance with the mop and rescue him from the "yucky water." His stuffed dog has been Quark, and his super soaker is the "shrunk machine." I love how imaginative the movie is, but I'm not all for the rude comments and attitudes of the kids. I don't really need my 3 year-old running around saying, "blow it out your shorts, Ron." So we're trying to act out the fun stuff without really watching the movie again... and I thought Disney would be safe!]

One day Ethan was having trouble zipping up his jacket. He was on the stairs, and I was up changing Jake's diaper. I heard him, very calmly, state his problem and then say,

"I'm going to say a prayer."

I can't remember the exact prayer but it was short and sweet and to the point. I came down to help and he said,

"Heavenly Father answered my prayer."

How cute is that?
Later that night, he told Kyle:

"When I can't do something, my mom gets sends to me by Heavenly Father to help me."

Oh, the volumes I could fill with all the hilarous things Ethan says. That'll have to do for today. Stay tuned...

My sarcastic advice.

So my awesome friend Rachel posted this on her blog a little while ago:

"I truly admire people who are healthy. And I don't mean people who are on a diet--I mean people who have a consistently healthy lifestyle, who don't gorge on french fries, brownie batter, and doughnut holes every chance they get; people who eat fruits and vegetables--and actually like it; people who have no problem saying, "No thanks!" to the cookie tray that's passed around at church gatherings, not because they are trying to lose weight but because they recognize the dangers of eating excessive sugar, and they take care of themselves.

I WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.

The question is...HOW??? How do you change who you are?? How do you change what you value and crave? How do you change your entire lifestyle?

I need help. Please give me advice."









And this is what came out when I went to post a comment to respond.

Oh and as a preface, let me just say 1. I don't claim to be the healthiest eater on the planet and 2. this is meant to be mostly funny, slightly informative, and I guess a teensy bit self-pitying. :)

Okay, here it is:
You know, if you really want to “change your life” and become a health nut, boy do I have advice for you—Become type I diabetic! The greatest part about this disease is that it takes all the fun out of eating of almost any kind, but especially of anything with high sugar or carbohydrate content. So normally if you look at a plate of brownies you will begin to salivate and think, “wow, those look so good!” But if you are lucky enough to be type I diabetic you won’t even get to the salivation point anymore, because when someone says, “would you like a brownie?” this is what will go through your head:

“Well, if I were going to eat those I would need to prick my finger and draw blood to check my blood sugar. If I’m over about 160 it’s gonna be a bad idea for today because I’ll only get higher if I eat them. If I’m at a good blood sugar I could maybe go for it today, but I’m not sure exactly how many carbs would be in one. Most boxes of brownie mix have about 12 servings of about 35 carbs each, but most people don’t cut their brownies into exactly 12 pieces, so I would have to guess. So, I can guess somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 carbs, which I will need to put in a square bolus since the fat content is fairly high and that slows the digestion. Okay, so, 35 carbs, so that means I would need about 1.3 units of insulin, and I’ll probably set the bolus to deliver over an hour and a half so that it will match the slowed digestion rate. If there are actually more than 35 carbs in one, then I will be high in a few hours which will make my eyes burn, give me a headache, and be overall bad for my body and my future health. If there are fewer than 35 carbs in one, then I will be low in a few hours which means I will get hot yet sweaty, shaky, feel incredibly irritable, possibly dizzy, and like the whole world is closing in around me and my brain is getting covered in saran wrap. Then I’ll have to check my blood sugar again, and then eat glucose tablets to get it up quickly so I can resume normal life. If I need to drive somewhere in the next little while low would not be good. When I’m low I have a tough time taking care of my kids. Okay. So she just asked me if I want a brownie. Um….

“No thank you.”


So the trick is that you have to view all yummy food as a potential blood sugar spike. Then, as you get educated about what high blood sugar can do to your body—kidney failure, blindness, neuropathy, gangrene, etc.—you will look at the brownies and think:
“Dialysis.
Braille.
Seeing Eye Dogs.
Amputated fingers.
Um, no thanks.”



So that oughtta really help for the saying no aspect, and then as far as changing your entire lifestyle and who you are, man this diabetes thing will do it ALL. You will get to either give injections or be tethered to an insulin pump 24/7 that you get to re-stab into yourself every 2 or 3 days. You won’t use future exercise as an excuse for gorging on junk food because half the time when you exercise you will have to eat as many calories as you burn, just to keep your blood sugar from going low. Or you’ll have to stop sooner than you want to because you can’t see straight and you feel like you’re going to fall over. AND, you will get to spend tons of money on insulin, pump supplies, and testing strips, and a lot of time with doctors, endocrinologists, diabetes educators, and dieticians. Once you have an entire section of your bookshelf dedicated to manuals—all of which you have read and marked-- about diabetes management and nutrition, you might find yourself eating a little less junk food. If you’re like me, anyway. The girl who used to buy a bag of E.L. Fudge cookies for a road trip and down the whole thing. Man, those were the days. 

Oh, and just for the record, I let my body overrule my overanalytical brain tonight and I ate 2 cookies at a friend's house and a few small spoonfulls of cookie dough. And, you guessed it--I got low, and kept my boys awake way later than I was planning to because I couldn't drive home until I was lucid. Worth it? Shrug. Sigh.

Sunday: Stomach Flu x2

Kyle and I both caught the bug at the same time.
Saturday night, around bedtime:
"Wow, I don't really feel good."
"Yeah, me either."
"Nauseous?"
"Yeah."
"Hmmm, well, maybe I'll see you in the middle of the night!"
"Yeah, goodnight."

2:30 a.m: leaning over twin bowls. Cute, huh?


And in the morning, talk about an adventure in parenthood.
Jake, following us around, whimpering for breakfast.
"Do you think you can cut him a banana, honey? I don't know if I can handle it. I think I'm about at an 8 right now in terms of throwing up."
"Okay, I'm only at about a 6, so I'll do it."
start cutting the banana...lean over the bowl for a minute or two....keep cutting... I love Jake, I love Jake, I love Jake...

Suffice it to say it was a very LOOOOOOONG day. And of course we survived--but man, that is NOT on my list of things to do ever again. Thank you, Tiffany, for taking Ethan to your house for a little while that night so he could finally hang out with someone with enough energy to play with him!

And, my favorite quote of the day, from Kyle:
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather throw up with than you."
Awww, shucks. Thanks, dear.

Oh, and just for the record:
Tuesday: Stomach flu x1--Ethan got it after we did. In the middle of the night he staggers into the bathroom and cries-- "my tummy wants to come out!" Yep, that's a pretty good description of how it feels. He was a trooper, and I think we're all on the mend.

May next week bring shorter days and more adventures outside the house. :)

Unchronological account of Halloween...

Yeah, it's December. I know. But either way, this is one cute duck, huh?

And, a mysterious, stealthy, and super fast DASH!
Ethan made sure to tell everyone that he was "Dashal Robert Par" and for at least 2 weeks before Halloween Ethan would say "We're the Increbidohs! I'm Dash, and you're Violetmysister, and that's Mister Increbidoh and that's Jack Jack." (I'm not sure why he didn't have me be elastigirl, but maybe he thinks force fields are cooler than super stretchy legs?)




Halloween was before daylight savings and it was so warm and so light that it almost felt like we were having a nice summer evening and letting the kids dress up just for fun. :)

Ethan's friend Trace was Elvis. Hilarious and priceless.

Trick or treat!

Hanging out with friends! (notice the lollipop. always the lollipop. Ethan is very aware of the difference between Halloween and every other day. He shovels those lollipops in like there's no tomorrow. Because, well, tomorrow mommy will say, "nope.")

And Jake and Indie were lost in a very deep conversation...

And, my favorite...

The INCREDIBLE stunt--Dash climbing up the doorway!

Yes, that IS the incredibles theme song you are hearing in the background.

And yes, that is Ethan saying, "I'm proud of myself!"

It's the most bittersweet time of the year...

Well, we have officially welcomed Christmas! Our tree is up, and the carols are playing. And there is joy. Still, every year when I usher in the season by playing my favoritest Christmas CD's, I can't help but be just a little bit sad. I love the ideal that Christmas is a time to be "home for the holidays" and that it's the "most wonderful time of the year" and that we will always get to have the "perfect ending to a perfect day," but real life doesn't look like that for so many families. I remember in the first few years after Lindsay's death when I would listen to Amy Grant sing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" there were days I found myself crying so hard i couldn't breathe. I would think, It used to be the most wonderful time of the year, but now, trying to carry out old traditions without her feels like stabbing myself in the heart. We didn't dare begin new traditions and leave her behind, but how could we really take joy in gathering around a 6 person table of traditions with only 5 people and a big empty space? But I also cried because I felt guilty that I couldn't shake off my own pain and selfishness and embrace the true meaning of Christmas.
As life has moved forward for me and I have gotten married and had children of my own, it has gotten easier to feel "complete" at Christmastime, but I still have a melancholy feeling the first time I start to hear Christmas music. Tonight I felt an aching to go back in time--back when Lindsay and I sang Christmas songs together, back when I was too young to see how complicated and demanding real life is. Yet at the same time, as I danced with jake to the light of the Christmas tree, I felt joy in HIS innocence, and joy in his chance to feel the magic of Christmas as a child. I thought of how God and time and love and experience have healed the raw, open, wound I felt for so many Christmases in a row without Linds. And that reminded me to rejoice that Christ was born, that he suffered for our sins AND sorrows, and that the atonement has the power to lift us, over time, from darkness to light. That is not just a nice bedtime story--it's REAL.
But then I thought of a woman I know whose husband's funeral is tomorrow, and she is left to get her 5 children through what everyone else will be calling "the most wonderful time of the year." I can imagine the pain, the hole in their hearts, the uncontrollable tears that will come at the times they used to be happy together as a family. I ache for them. And for everyone whose circumstances are not a "picture print by Courier and Ives."
But in all of that, and whatever it is for any of us that leaves us with a gaping hole at Christmas time, I always end up coming back to the reality that JOY is not the absence of suffering--JOY is the presence of God. And that is why we sing "Joy to the World!" That is why we can sing it evey year, whether through laughter or through tears--we can sing "Joy to the World!" because the Lord has come. He will never leave us comfortless. We may not always be able to gather all of our loved ones close on Christmas Eve, but if we focus on the real reason to celebrate--the coming of the Savior into the world--we can be filled with a love that transcends geography, transcends time, transcends all of our mortal limitations.
I feel closest to her when I'm closest to Him.

"Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, Love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord at thy birth, Jesus, Lord at thy birth."

"We Were All Yellow..."

Ethan woke up this morning and saw the streamers and balloons and said,

"Whose birthday is it?"
And I said, "Aunt Lindsay's!"
He said, "Oh! Is she going to come over here?"
And I said, "Well, she can't. But we get to think of her all day today and remember how glad we are that she was born."

And think of her we did. And we had so much fun.


Preschool was at my house today so we had a a party brought to you by the color yellow and the letter L (which was our assigned letter for the week! It was perfect.) I promise all three of them had lots of fun though this picture doesn't capture it. We got to pop lots of yellow balloons with secret messages about what L is for.

L is for...Length! We measured how tall each of us is, and

how far it is from the back door... ...to the front door!

L is also for Light (which we learned about in a dark bathroom with a flashlight), L is for Laugh, L is for Love, L is for Lindsay, L is for Bert and Ernie's "L" song, and of course, L is for Lollipop.

Fun with yellow paper and smiley face stickers on one of Lindsay's poems..

And L was also for Lots of yeLLow siLLy string!!

I planted crocus and narcissus bulbs in my front yard as a present that will open itself in the spring! (Thanks mom!)
(and Kudos to Ethan, who took this picture! I might actually start putting pictures of myself on this blog now that he can help me!) The tree in front of our apartment decided to celebrate too, by letting the wind blow off almost all the rest of the vibrant yellow leaves to carpet the grass in the appropriate color.

Oh, and L is for Lid. I sent my yogurt lids in to "Send Lids to Save Lives."

Then, we went to the Barlows for piano lessons. Ellika made sugar cookies with yellow frosting, and after lessons we popped yellow balloons to find music theory questions to answer.

These are my 4 awesome students!!

And the non-students who get to play with each other while we have lessons... (and eat cookies!)

We had butternut squash soup and cornbread for a yellow dinner. What a day! Here is the yellow Ricks clan. Kyle wore scrubs for his Oral surgery rotation this week, but you can see the yellow shirt underneath...

So here are some of my final thoughts at the end of an incredibly beautiful day.

I realized today that I really do love to teach. I find so much joy in planning how to convey an idea and make it fun and memorable--and even more joy in carrying out the plan and watching students "get it" and grasp on and get excited. I was reminded today that motherhood is the ultimate teaching career and even though instead of working on lesson plans I spend my time changing diapers, shopping for toddler clothes, folding laundry, wiping up spit up, planning meals, grocery shopping for meals, making meals, cleaning up meals, bathing kids, mopping floors, picking up toys, and scrubbing bathrooms--I realized that there are lessons for ME in all of those tasks, and oh so many lessons for Ethan and Jake as we muddle through and try to accomplish all of those things together. God, the greatest teacher of all, has worked on His lesson plans. And I can imagine the joy He has as He watches me learn and sees me get excited about what he's trying to teach me.

I love people. I love that each person is unique and has an individual way of thinking, speaking, laughing, learning, and interacting. I love watching people come together and put their differences aside while at the same time combining their differences to make the whole thing better.

I love that my house was an absolute disaster all day and it didn't even phase me today because I felt real love and real joy for the people I interacted with and thought of today.

And the L word I pondered about all day long:

L is for Legacy.

I am so inspired by way life works and the reality that all of us will die, but that we will each leave a legacy behind us. Lindsay's legacy of love and spontaneity and introspection and joy is such a special part of my life. My parent's legacy of love and faith that they passed on from their fathers who passed on from their fathers who passed on from their fathers...When I read the scriptures I think of the legacy of faith that the prophets have given to us, the legacy of understanding who Christ is, and why He came, and what He taught. I think of the legacy of freedom that we enjoy in this country, earned by more sacrifice than I could ever comprehend. I am stunned by the thought that I really do stand on the shoulders of so many giants. Wonderful people, most of whom I have never met, who have lived and loved and believed and sacrificed --hoping that those who come after them will get to enjoy the legacy they left behind.

So happy National I Love You Day. To you, to the giants whose shoulders we stand on, and to Linds. I'm thankful for the gift of life that we get to unwrap every day...

In Loving Memory...

Lindsay planted sunflowers in her garden in the backyard--and named them Sally, Bert, and Merf. :) She took the seeds from those flowers and planted them in pots for a few of her close friends. She wrote a letter to each of them about having faith, and about nourshing your faith like a seed and gave them the potted sunflower plant.

Here you can see Sally's "granddaughters" which my mom carefully saved as seeds for several years and then planted in 2003 at the perfect time so that they were in full bloom for my August wedding.

And, since Lindsay couldn't stand in the reception line, we did the next best thing: we brought a memorial garden to the reception! This is my brother, Zach, giving her a few flowers.





For all of you who never got to meet Lindsay, here is a glimpse of her quiet beauty.

And, on the other end, a glimpse of us singing "Pierre" at the top of our lungs at girls' camp one year.

Lindsay had a goal to climb every "Fourteener" in Colorado (Mountains that are over 14,000 feet high). If she had lived long enough, I'm sure that she would have.

And here's a glimpse of how unwittingly gorgeous she could be while at the same time silly and spontaneous.

We love you, Linds!

Thank you for a rich garden of memories to get us through the long winter until we get to see you!

National I Love You Day!

Howdy All Y'all.

Well, the yellow time of year has come again. :) Some of you already know this, and some of you don't, so here is the low down:

This Tuesday, November 18th, is National I Love You Day!

Let me tell you why.

My sister Lindsay brought 17 years of light and joy into the world. She loved flowers and gardens, and especially sunflowers. She planted sunflowers in her garden in the backyard, named them, and sang to them and read them stories as she watched them grow. She wore yellow gloves to school that she called her "happy gloves." She lit up the world wherever she went. She visited friends on tough days and read them Dr. Seuss books. She wrote poems about the silly and the sublime. She sang about all of her favorite things. She climbed mountains. She brought light, hope, optimism, and joy to our lives.

Lindsay passed away on December 28th, 1997 in a car accident. Since that tragic day and tough time for our family, we have found hope by developing living memorials to her that remind us of her spunk and enthusiasm for life. Her birthday is November 18th, and over the years our celebration of this day has turned into what we call National I Love You Day.

So, on this Tuesday, November 18th, I would like to invite all of you to celebrate National I Love You Day with us!
Any or all of these things would be acceptable ways to celebrate.
(Or come up with your own ideas and tell me about them!)

1. Wear lots of yellow including but not limited to shirts, socks, shoes, jewelry, hair ribbons, gloves, and scarves.
2. Think about people you love who have died, and remember the light and joy they brought and still bring to your life.
3. Think about people you love who are still alive, and the light and joy they bring to your life. Tell them you love them and how they have touched you.
4. Pass out cookies, yellow smiley face stickers, or inspirational quotes to your co-workers, neighbors, or friends.
5. Be a rebel and start listening to Christmas music a week early.
6. Buy and deliver a flower for someone who is having a tough time.
7. Ponder on the meaning of Christ truly being the light of the world and what it means for us to let our light so shine.
8. E-mail me or post a comment and tell me about the fun things you wore or did to celebrate!!


Here are a few highlights from past years...

This was at Madison High School in Rexburg, ID where I did my student teaching in the choir program. Two students at the high school had been killed a few months earlier and so we made it a day to remember them too and spread love to everyone else. It was a day I will remember forever. :)

I love those guys!!

And this was last year which wasn't QUITE as yellow...

But it was on a Sunday and I got to teach the Young Women lesson and so we celebrated and talked about optimism, and agency, and our power to choose to be happy no matter what our circumstances.
I love these guys too!

So if this sounds fun to you, jump in and celebrate!

Happy National I Love You Daying on Tuesday, November 18th!

Love Em

Ethan's New Truck!

Well, this is the new excitement at our house.

We started out with a jeep (from the dumpster) that had no battery that we could pretend with in the backyard and push around for walks when mom and dad had LOTS of energy.

We have now graduated to a real power wheels Chevy Silverado that actually drives. (Thank you to Kyle's classmate at school who has older boys who don't use hers anymore!!!!!)
It feels like Christmas! Ethan ABSOLUTELY love it.









Ethan can switch the gear to make it go forward or in reverse and he understands how to steer even in reverse to go where he wants to go. I better watch out or he'll be asking to drive MY car in a few months...

But for now he's in heaven!!