Little people with BIG plans

On Sunday after church I asked Matthew to practice piano while I fixed dinner. To which he replied "I already have plans". PLANS? What is this, you mean the little people have plans too.
Wow I wonder how many times I crush, alter, steam roll or just plain ruin the little people plans.
This made me think of when I was a little person. Did I make plans? Of course I did!

I can remember every Sunday at church just waiting for the closing song and the last Amen so I could get home set up all of my dolls and have Sunday School Christy style. Those were GREAT plans!

I can also remember making plans to play in the water with my neighbor friend. I was wearing a pink terry cloth bikini (I looked hideous) and I thought I was cool stuff. When out of the blue my mom said we HAD to go to the store and I couldn't stay home. I through a stink fit and somehow ended up out in public with a pink terry cloth bikini top on(which all of the sudden became way UNCOOL). I cried and wouldn't come out of the car so my mom bought me a shirt with the promise that she was NEVER going to buy anything else for me EVER again. Why do I remember that? Probably because I HAD PLANS!

Last one, I had a friend staying over and we were playing barbies when my dad came in and told her she had to go home. I was so mad! And then my dad had all of my brothers and sisters and me sit in the front room and told us that our Grandma Crooms had past away. She had been sick for a long time and we knew that she was going to die soon so I remember mostly being sad for my mom. And of course feeling bad about the stink I through over my spoiled plans.

Well it's official I have decided that from this day forward I am going to make a conscious effort to ask my little people everyday......
"So what's on your plans for today?"

Here is a visual of Matthew's plans he had.

It's Super Mario

Turns out Spencer had plans of his own.

It's Kirby

They are so talented with the Legos. I love their plans, however I am having visions of Super Mario and Kirby dancing through their heads during church. At least my after church plans as a child were church oriented. Maybe next time I will suggest that they craft some sort of Scripture hero. It would definitely make for a better Sunday afternoon story. JUST KIDDING!!

The Orphanage

This is a story about Matthew:

Mom said:

In the dark of the night came a lone child (wait maybe his sister already came in once), In the dark of the night came the SECOND lone child. Mom I had a bad dream. That's all I remember!

Next morning:

Matthew said:

Last night I had the worst dream, it was really bad mom. I dreamed that we were all in the car and we were driving and then I saw an Orphanage. I said that looks like a nice orphanage. I asked why are we stopping? And dad said because we are dropping you off. I was saying No please no but you guys weren't listening. Then I woke up!

I tried to shake off the dream by remembering that we are a forever family (he really said that). It made me feel better but I still went in your room.

You said that it was o.k. and that you and dad loved me to much to do something like that. Well look at that I am a good mom even in my sleep. Oh wait, and then you told me I could sleep on your floor if that would make me feel better (now there is some serious compassion). I went back to my bed and just kept remembering that you love me.

We do love you Matthew, A LOT!

( If you are a dream analyzer, I don't want to know)

Funny of the Day

Maggie had her neighbor friend over yesterday for some fun girlie play. I love listening to children play it makes me smile. However every once in awhile you hear something that really makes you laugh.

Says Miss Maggie: I am going to be teenager, o.k.?
Says Miss Grace: O.k., I am going to be 99 o.k.?
Long pause while Maggie's ticker is ticking.
Says Miss Maggie: O.k. but you are still alive and you are my mom, o.k.?

I am trying to decide if this is a sign of intelligence or the loss of childhood innocence.

Home Schooled

I can remember when I was about 9 years old going into my backyard with my hand me down roller skates and a very small pad of concrete and schooling myself in the art of "Roller Skating". I was not very good at first but I had determination and obviously time. Can you imagine being 9 and the only thing you really wanted to accomplish was to learn to roller skate? Oh how I wish I knew then!
So back to the skating lesson. I had 2 sisters, 3 brothers and of course my moms and pops. However great they were and are their was no one there to catch me when I fell. Still I kept on going. Soon I learned to roller skate and shortly after I am sure I moved on to something else. I think maybe Chinese Jump Rope, do you remember that?

Well here I am at 30 plus and trying to figure out what I should be when I grow up. I would love to go back to school. Maybe finish my Early Childhood degree or do something else that I love. As I thought about all of the things I wanted to become I realized that for the past 12 years I have been becoming all of the things that I wanted to become in the walls of my very own home.

Yes my friends I have been home schooled!

Culinary Arts: Not much choice here! I have been reading textbooks, learning to follow directions and have had many hands on labs. Oh yes I have been self trained in the art of cooking. I have also recently began a new home schooling course titled "Healthy Cooking".

Interior Design: This has been a passion not to be confused with obsession of mine. This course has consisted of multiple videos better known as HGTV, lots of articles to read and study or you may know them as decorating magazines, there are also books I have studied and of course there is no better way to learn then trial and error (bless my dear husband). So you see I am a self learned and loved decorator.

Photographer: I love taking pictures. Recently MY LB bought me a phat camera! So began the conquest of the home schooled photographer. Most of this course has been hands on experience. Learning to work with as many free photo downloads as you can to accomplish fantastic photo edited pictures. For this course you also have a mandatory 2 hours of perusing photo galleries on the Internet.

Early Childhood Ed: After 2 years of college under my belt in this subject I have decided that 7 years of experience beats all. There is also a mandatory 1 year of volunteering in a Kindergarten class. This way you can see just what exactly it is that you BETTER be teaching your preschoolers.

MOM: That is all I wanted to be when I grew up. So what the heck? There is no other training besides homeschooling in this subject. Trial and error play a huge role in your development. Actual lives depend on your success and rely on you to continue to learn. And guess what there is no end to the education. You are a career student in the art of being a mom. However in the end there is a great reward!

So you see without even realizing it I am becoming everything that I wish to become and so much more. Of course I had to pick myself up when I fell (o.k. fall, after 12 years I still fall), unlike when I was 9 I don't have lots of time and I have to balance multiple subjects at once. But still I keep on going and my only real challenge is to keep learning and of course keep on smiling. And to think it all happened in the walls of my own home.

Oh yes, I have been home schooled!

Easter

I love Easter! Could be the feeling of Spring or it might be that I am just super excited about the visit from the Easter Bunny (he is totally cute). I have to admit I got pretty caught up in the colors, smells, tastes, toys, eggs and STUFF this year.

Decorating Eggs at Me-Ma's house

Easter Morning

My favorite pics from the "BIG HUNT"

It was easy to loose sight of that very first

Easter morning

I am thankful to Caryn for asking me to substitute her primary class for her. Nothing and I mean NOTHING brings the spirit of Easter, the Atonement and Resurrection into your heart like teaching it to young children. I think most people know how much I love to teach children but I love it even more when they teach me. Their hearts, ears and eyes were open and just absorbing the message of Christ as they exemplified the message of "becoming like little children".

When I asked if they knew the Savior loved them they all answered with a very confident "YES, he loves everyone."

When I asked if they knew that the Savior died for them again they answered "YES, on the cross"

When I asked them if they knew that the Savior lives they answered "YES, he was resurrected"

And When I asked if they knew that they too can live again after death, again they answered "YES, with Heavenly Father and Jesus"

No hesitation, no questions, no doubts and no reluctance.

Thank you so much you sweet little primary children for helping me to celebrate Easter the way Easter was meant to be celebrated.

Shout out to NURSING

Yes that's what I said "NURSING".
Last week my Kendal baby wasn't feeling well and she cried a lot. I remember holding her on the couch and I could not get her to stop crying. No cuddles or kisses could make it stop. No blanky or baby could make it stop. And that's when the feeling came and I wished more then anything that I could just breastfeed her and calm her sweet cry and stop the tears.
This was the first time that the thought of never nursing again came into play. I feel like I owe a little something to that wonderful natural nourishment that the Lord blessed me with. So here it is..........

Matthew was my first baby to breastfeed. I remember being very nervous and a little frightened by the size of my breasts. I had taken a nursing class and I thought I was ready. After Matthew was born I can remember the nurses trying to help me get the hang of it. I think one even suggested the football hold which only made me cry because I remembered the video from my nursing class that suggested big breasted women use this method. The vivid images of the video did nothing for my nursing-esteem.
After I was in my postpartum room a Lactation Consultant met with me and it was like riding a bike. Once I could do it and Matthew could do it we were ready to roll. After I got home from the hospital I can remember figuring out when to nurse and what T.V. shows would be on while I nursed. I watched more of The Nanny, Bonanza and The Heat of the Night then any one person should ever watch. With Matthew I wasn't really aware of the blessing of time that nursing gives you. I weaned Matthew at 12 months.

Spencer my second baby was my hardest. Nursing became something that I never knew it could be and I never wanted it become again "A PACIFIER". Spencer was born with three hernias and had major bowel discomfort for the first three months of his life. He cried from 6pm to 8pm every night and throughout most of the day. The only way I could get him to stop crying was to nurse. Yes, demand fed! I am sure it didn't help his stomach problems but it soothed him and made my heart feel better. I loved my baby so much and it broke my heart to hear him in pain. Despite his tears and mine nursing brought us together. I remember very vividly the surgeon coming out to the waiting room after Spencer's hernia surgery and saying "Mrs. Mecham your baby REALLY needs you ".
Spencer stopped crying all of the time but he still wanted to nurse every time I held him. Yes, I was a human drinking fountain. It got so bad that daddy had to hold him a majority of the time. At 10 months I weaned Spencer.

Maggie my third and first girl taught me about the gift of time. I had three kids at home all day and two of them were very energetic boys. Nursing Maggie was truly a gift from our Heavenly Father. Not only does it give them the nourishment they need but it gives mom the time to be with the beautiful life that she created. I remember just watching her, cuddling her and singing to her in our moments of nursing. I weaned Maggie when she was 12 months.

Kendal my fourth and last baby. In the hospital right after she was born without hesitation her and I became one. It was so natural to breastfeed her and I guess I looked like a natural because my nurse laughed and said "when you are done are you going to tie her to your back and go back to work in the fields."
Again nursing Kendal gave me the gift of time to be with my baby. However this time it gave me even more, I was depressed for the first time in my life. I was having anxiety problems, self esteem issues, my house felt like it was closing in on me and I could not function normally when life got difficult. Nursing Kendal gave me a baby. A beautiful little girl that MY LB and I created together. She reminded me that the Savior loves me and blesses my life. When I sat down with Kendal at night in the darkness of her room to nurse her everything went away. It was just me and my sweet little baby girl. I weaned Kendal when she was 11 months.

Goodbye Nursing

And

Thank you for making me feel like a MOMMY

Matthew

December 4, 1999

Spencer

July 18, 2002

Maggie
May 21,2004

Kendal
August 24, 2007

Conference Weekend

We had a "GREAT" conference weekend. On Saturday we had some conflicting activities but got in as much as we could. I can't believe how uplifting even just an hour here and there can be. I was so happy to see that they were addressing the current economy and giving us all hope and something to grasp on to. Of course we all knew the Gospel was there and our Savior Atoned for us but to hear the General Authorities saying it and knowing that their words come from a loving Heavenly Father gives such comfort.
On Saturday night during the Priesthood session we had Jenn's clan and Jolene's clan over. The ladies visited and the kids played while the dads were at their meeting. It was so great to see all of our kids together again. (I had pictures but they are GONE, boo-hoo) Our families have been friends since Matthew, Jalyn and Alli were two. Now they are nine and baptized and have at least three siblings each (Way to go Jenn for rocking that boat). That is seven years of friendship and we are so grateful for that.
Sunday conference was amazing as always and once again gave so much encouragement at a time when it is very much needed. I am extremely thankful to have and know the fullness of the Gospel and to have a modern day prophet to lead me and my family.