Sam's Birthday Parties (All 3 of Them)

We first started off by celebrating Sam's birthday at school. Molly and I went to eat lunch at school with Sam and brought him a purple cupcake (his favorite color) which he LOVED!

The celebration continued that night at Red Robin as a family (Sam's pick). I have never in my life seen Sam embarrassed. Honestly, he just doesn't get that way. But when the staff at Red Robin came over to sing Happy Birthday to him and give him a complimentary sundae, he turned red and almost climbed under the table. He had never seen anyone get sung to at a restaurant before; church yeah, home sure, but out in public? They gave him an ice-cream sundae which he thought was great and "shared" with Molly (and when I say share I mean Molly helped herself).



The next day, April 5th, we had a huge birthday party for him and all his friends at Hwang's Marshal Arts. He had taken two lessons the week before so he could learn how to beat up a "bad guy" in front of all his friends. They started with a few "gathering games," then Sam beat up the "bad guy," followed by a lesson for all the kids which Sam helped teach. Next were relays games, and finally a game of dodge-ball, kids against the parents.

The highlight for me was when Sam broke a board. It was a real board and his friends thought he was AWESOME!

I was so happy with how the party turned out. I seriously couldn't get over the fact that I didn't have to "do" anything. They took care of set-up, clean-up, activities, cake, pizza, crowd control and even the so called "bad guy" wrote down who brought which gift for Sam and what was received.

Sam's third and final party took place in Utah while we were on spring break. It was after his cousin Cassie's baptism and our good friend Trudy made him a "jungle cake." He also got some great presents from everyone. Thanks family!!!

It's All About SAM

Sam is six today!!! I can't believe it. I know that most moms say this, but it really does seem like he just turned five and couldn't get enough of Diego. In some ways it's so fun that he's getting older, in others, I miss my chubby red-haired boy.

Sam is one of the kindest, most considerate and friendly people I have ever met. He has never met a stranger, and he ALWAYS is the first to give up whatever for a sibling, friend or even a stranger. He told me his five best friends are Dad, Mom, Meg, Ben and Molly.

We are so blessed to have Sam in our family. His personality is so contagious and makes us laugh every day.

Here are some fun things that many people might not know about Sam that I don't want to ever forget:

1) Sam was born on April 4, 2002. Six weeks later, (the day before he was to be blessed) I got mastitis. I was pretty sick, and after 5 days of being on an antibiotic, and my fever continually spiking, my doctor advised me to go to the hospital. I decided to not listen to her advice, and put it off because so many family members were coming. I thought I could get through the blessing and then go into the hospital. Rusty and I knelt down and prayed and he had the strongest confirmation I should go immediately to the hospital. It was a good thing. I stayed in the hospital for four days and then for the next two weeks had a nurse come to my house twice a day to give me IV antibiotics. The doctor told Rusty I really needed to get rest and get better or I would have to go back into the hospital for surgery. Rusty really stepped up to the plate. I think he was worried I might die and leave him with a four year old, three year old and a new-born. Every night for six weeks Rusty slept in the family room on the couch with Sam in the bassinet/bouncy seat next to him. He set the alarm for 3:oo a.m. (unless Sam woke up around that time anyway). Rusty would bring Sam into me to nurse (this helped clear the mastitis) and would sleep on the bed while I did this. When I finished feeding Sam, I would wake Rusty up, and he would change Sam's diaper and go back into the family room until 7:00 a.m. and do the same thing all over again. Because of this I not only saw the great love Rusty had/has for me, but for Sam. This was a huge bonding time for those two.

2) When Sam was 10 months old he got RSV. It was one of the scariest times of our lives. Every time he coughed he sounded like he was going to die. We took him to the hospital and after only being in the waiting room for a few minutes the triage nurse couldn't stand hearing him cough and took him right back. Sam stayed in the hospital for three days. I have always been one of those moms who "take up" for her kids, but I think I took the cake for my actions on the first night of the hospital. Rusty refers to the "incident" as me going "Carnival Freak Crazy" on the nurse. I did! It was 2 a.m. and the nurse came in to give him a breathing treatment. Well, after having experience with another asthmatic child (Meg) I knew what type of medicine was the best as far as side affects. The medication they wanted to give Sam makes children hyper and, therefore, I knew he wouldn't get any sleep that night. I wanted the more expensive medication that many insurance companies don't want to cover/pay for. I started out calm in my request, but when the nurse wouldn't listen to me I started getting angry until I seriously was yelling, "Wake up the resident on call now and get me the medicine I'm requesting." Needless to say the nurse woke the resident, who was very nice and immediately wrote the orders for the medicine I wanted.

Sam had terrible asthma for a few years after this. We had to give him breathing treatments twice a day for about two years. He also had allergy shots twice a week for about a year and half. I remember Rusty and I being worried he wouldn't be able to play with other kids as much due to this, but because of the treatments/shots he received those two years, he hasn't had any asthma problems the past three years. 3) Sam has rocked himself to sleep ever since he could sit up. I'm not just talking a little rocking, I'm talking shake-the-bed, things-fall-off-the-wall rocking. The more tired he is the harder he rocks. He has a specific technique as well, that he's tried to teach all of us. Apparently, all power is generated from the hips and the hands have to be between the knees while sitting up. Most of the time, he's dead asleep while he rocks. Ben, I guess, has gotten used to it, but I do feel for his future mission companions, room-mates and wife. 4) For the longest time, Sam wanted to be a cheetah. I mean really thought he would grow up and be a cheetah after his mission. When you asked him how this would work, he would look at you like you were the dumbest person on earth and say, "the hair on my back will bet longer and go all over my body until I'm a cheetah." Sam has a really hairy back. Then we would ask him where he would live. For a while his response was, "Mom, cheetah's live at the zoo." Then it turned into he would live in our back yard and eat the grass. This way we could see him everyday. Now, he realizes he can't be a cheetah, but he still LOVES cheetahs--really any big cats. We got his picture taken with his favorite "soft guy--Cheetee" when he was 2 1/2.

5) Like many red-heads (if you're a parent of one you will know exactly what I'm talking about) Sam gets stopped all the time because of the color of his hair. People will pull out pictures to show me that they had red hair when they were young, or their grandkid has red hair, or my favorite from strangers (I've been told this multiple times), "Red hair is a becoming extinct." Really?!?! Anyway, Beginning with the nurses at the hospital, "Oh, you're the mother of the red-haired baby in the nursery;" to getting stopped countless times, I often wonder if part of the reason Sam's personality is super outgoing is because so many strangers have talked to him his whole life. On the subject of hair, Sam's "baby" nick-name was Crazy Hair (given to him by his brother Ben). It stuck up everywhere. 6) Again, speaking of Sam's hair (I guess it's a big part of Sam's personality for the last six years), after he turned one year old we always did the "buzz." The shorter the better. He's had a couple of months the last little while growing it out. He wanted it long enough so he could "flip" his bangs. I guess he's tired of trying to flip, and just told me yesterday that he wanted to get a buzz this weekend. This jacket was Rusty's when he was little. His mom bought it when she was a teenager and worked at a department store. She bought it with the hope that her little boy would one day wear it.
7) Sam's a little gross out!!! I realized this was part of his personality when he was about two years old. I looked outside at all the kids in the cul-de-sac playing to see if the kids were okay, and Sam was laying on his belly slurping up the run-off water from the neighbor's sprinkler in the gutter. Another memory is when he was about 4 and we were headed to Ben's baseball game. Sam had gotten in trouble and I told him he couldn't have any snacks at the game. While at the game I couldn't see Sam. When I began looking I realized he was underneath the bleachers eating the remainder of someone's soft pretzel. He can also burp on demand and unfortunately toot on demand as well. The one thing that I think has been in my favor with all these "gross-out" experiences is that Sam rarely gets sick. I think it's built up his immune system.

Sam just loves to always be playing. He swims for our neighborhood swim team; he plays baseball (Rusty's the coach) and plays with his brother and sisters (mostly on the tramp or scooters). He also is ALWAYS coloring or drawing. Most days, while Meg and Ben are doing their homework and practicing the piano, Sam's coloring. WE LOVE YOU SAM--HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHDAY!!!

April Fools

Our April Fools day began early in the morning. First, I must give a little background information on why Sam's April Fools joke was successful. If the shower curtain in the kids' bathroom isn't inside the tub the water comes through one of the lights in the kitchen ceiling and onto the floor. This just happened last week and, needless to say, Rusty was not very happy with two little boys. Okay, so now back to the morning of April 1st. Rusty was upstairs taking a shower and I told Sam to run upstairs and tell dad that there was water coming through the ceiling. He did very convincingly, but didn't wait for Rusty to run downstairs with a towel on and soap in his hair (as I instructed). He was too excited and had to yell "April Fools, Dad!!!" Rusty was definitely fooled!

Ben's April Fools joke began on Monday, March 31. He came home without his (new) glasses. He has never forgotten them before, so I didn't get angry--just concerned. He told me that he accidentally left them in his cubby because he takes them off before he goes to recess. So, I calmly asked him two times that evening and once right before he got on the bus the next morning to PLEASE remember to get his glasses. The next day he came home with a note on his daily planner from his teacher. It read: "Vicki, I regret to inform you that Ben lost his glasses and we have looked everywhere for them. If you have any questions please contact me." Needless to say, I didn't handle it as well as I wish I had. In fact, I made him cry. I guess it taught him never to try an April Fool's joke on mom again. Anyway, after he showed me the glasses, and I got him calmed down, I told him how "creative" he was and convinced him to play the same joke on Rusty. When Rusty read the note, he handled it much better than I did. He just calmly said, "Ben, what should we do about this?" So, it actually was a great learning process for me. I knew what the outcome would be, but Rusty didn't, and he dealt with the situation like the moto that I'm trying to live up to by Sister Hinckley, "Save the relationship."

This took major premeditation for Ben to actually leave his glasses at school, get his teacher in on the joke and, the biggest sacrifice, wear his spare glasses (that Rusty and I love) the entire night before because he knew that we would make him. I can't wait to see what he pulls out of sleeve next April Fools Day. Let's hope I handle it a little better.

Tidbits

*For dinner the other night I was grilling hotdogs and hamburgers. When I went to put the hot dogs on the grill I thought one was missing; sure enough, Molly was clutching the slimey thing in her hand while taking her third bite. Meg started gagging and making quite a production out of it, (can you say "drama queen?"), which scared Sam who thought Molly was going to die and started screaming at me. My response, "at least it was 100% beef!"

*Ben had to get his eyes checked again. We just went in September, 2007, when the eye doctor determined he needed glasses. This, of course, only happened because the school informed me that he needed to get his eyes checked (I'm so observant--hey, with four kids in a family the squeaky kid gets mom's attention, and in our family that's usually Molly). Anyway, lately Ben's been complaining of not being able to see, especially distances (I guess he learned to speak up). We discovered his vision has gotten twice as bad in just six short months. BUMMER!!! Luckily, we didn't have to get new frames, just new lenses. We also got him a pair of sports goggles so he can actually see the ball coming (this year is kid pitch and who knows where the ball is going to go).

*Meg was disgusted with me today because when she said to me, "it's snowing in Hawaii, " I didn't know what she was talking about. Apparently "EVERYBODY" knows that this means that my bra strap was sticking out (which it wasn't, but she had been dying all day to use it on someone other than her two friends that wear bras). Okay, and this came from . . .I know, school friends? Why do I have to have a pre-teen?

*Molly loves for me to whisper in her ear. I do it a few times each day and it's always the same. I whisper "I lubba, lubba, lubba Molly" (that's the way she says love). Then I tell her how great she is and how kind she is (I figure if I keep telling her one day she might be a little kinder. . .you know the quote by Goethe, "If you treat a man the way he is he will be that way, but if you treat him the way he ought to be he will become. . .). I keep whispering in her ear and end by telling her once again how much I love her. Then it's her turn to whisper back in my ear. She gets up on my lap, moves my hair out of the way and whispers these kind words every mother waits to hear, "I lubba, lubba daddy." Nice!!!

Molly's New "Blank"

As many of you know from a previous post, Molly can't go anywhere without her "Blank." This darling soft, pink blanket was made by her Granma Kathy when she was first born. Due to it being dragged EVERYWHERE and washed with EVERYTHING, it hasn't preserved its original "darlingness" (is that a word?). Anyway, Molly gets a new BLANK!!!!

Molly's package from Granma--complete with a princess on the label.

Because of the princess on the box, Molly new immediately it was for her.

She was already dressed in the pink princess dress (as always)

before we got the package off the porch, which made for aesthetically pleasing pictures.

You can honestly see the excitement in her face. She yelled "a blank!"
A hug as she's seeing if it fits as well as the "old blank."

It works. She loves it!!! There is even a gathered corner complete with ribbon.
The true test is laying on top of it. She did this non-solicited herself to make sure it felt "right." Thanks Granma Kathy!!!

Ben's Off, Off Broadway Production

Ben asked if he could do the lesson for Family Home Evening this past Monday. As a side note, why when boys want to "act" out a Book of Mormon skit do they always choose stories that involve swords, fighting or killing? Actually, now that I think about it, that is a lot of the story line in the Book of Mormon. Anyway, Ben played Nephi, Meg played Laban and Sam played Zoram. They did a great job and even quoted from the sciptures. Ben was the writer (adapted script), director, producer and costume designer, as well as picked the songs (figured out the score) that would best go along with his lesson.

After the skit I asked how can we obey the commandments like Nephi did. Sam said, "Don't kill anyone unless the Lord commands it." Okay, good lesson Sam. Actually it really was a great lesson. I am always surprised what has "stuck" in their minds from previous lessons. I was happy to especially see Sam "get it."

Laban, Zoram and Nephi

Laban gets drunk, Zoram fixes his robe.

Nephi kills Laban while Zoram looks on.

Nephi dresses as Laban and get's the "Brass Plates"

Taking a bow.

Sam and Fifth Disease

Well, Sam was diagnosed with Fifth disease today. Unfortunately, we didn't know Sam even had anything, let alone was contagious (the school called me to tell me he had a rash on his cheeks and that it was Fifth disease). So now that he has the rash, and we know what he has, he's not contagious. So although Sam has the "disease" he has never missed a day of school. Apparently, there has been an outbreak at Goshen Elementary and he's about the 18th case.

Anyway, if any of your kids have been with my kids the last few days (Meg and Ben had it when they were little, and are immune), most likely your kids will get it:). Molly has started showing signs this evening. The signs include slight fever, cold-like symptoms and rash on cheeks and trunk (Sam has a slight case because he only has the "rosy cheeks" and no rash on other parts of is body). To learn more about Fifth disease click on this.

Sorry if we will/have caused any inconvenience. I know that it totally stinks having sick kids (although Sam hasn't complained one bit) but just remember when you are cussing out the O'Brien Mob, it didn't start with us. Please don't kill the messenger.

Easter Part 2

Dressing up for Easter Meg Molly Ben

Sam

Easter Festivities

Our Easter festivities began with a little egg coloring and craft at Meg's old teacher's house (she was put on bed rest and lives in the next cul-de-sac and was DYING for some elementary age kids to come over and invited mine).

Then on Saturday we had our own egg decorating session. Molly loved it, but didn't like getting her hands wet. Therefore, she opted to just put stickers on her eggs and "command" the other kids to use certain colors of HER choosing.

Sunday the Easter Bunny came. We decided to let Molly sleep in a little. With 1:00 p.m. church she doesn't get a nap, and NO ONE enjoys the afternoon/evening if this is the case. Because the weather was cold we decided to have an indoor Easter egg hunt. The eggs were hidden everywhere. I had forgotten to count how many I hid, and am worried that we didn't get them all. Oh, well we might be finding them for months to come. It will make Easter last a loooooooooooong time.

Quotes on Easter Morning:

Sam: "After I eat this entire bunny, I'm going to throw up chocolate." YUM!!!

Molly, after misplacing her Easter basket and frantically walking around looking for it (she got a soft Giselle doll and the "Enchanted" dvd from the Easter bunny) said, "Giselle, where are you? Mom, where's my Easter Basket? Giselle, I told you to come here." I just love hearing my own negative phrases come out of my two year olds mouth.