The Importance of Sibs

As I watch our two boys play together more and more frequently (and yes, sometimes fight), I realize how very important sibling relationships are. I love seeing how the boys connect and respond to each other even at such young ages.

Aiden is constantly copying everything Asher does, trying to be just like his big brother; Asher steps in a lot of times when Aiden's about to get scolded for something and says, "He's sorry, Mommy. He didn't mean to." It's one of my favorite things about having multiple children.

I grew up in a big family. I'm the second oldest of 6 - I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers, and I absolutely love family get-togethers. My favorite thing is when everyone is at my parents' house - and with five (going on six) grandkids plus significant others, it's definitely a full house!

As we've gotten older, we've definitely become closer as siblings - there comes a time when age really doesn't matter any more. I'm 10 years older than my youngest brother, and while he'll always seem young to me (he's the baby!), I can still hold the same conversations with him as I do with any of the others. I couldn't imagine not having any one of them around. I suppose that's really what prompted me to write this post.

I've watched friends/acquaintances/news stories of people who have loved ones in the army, and I've told my husband for literally years, that while I would be incredibly proud, I'm so glad that neither him nor any of my family is in the military. The added death risk terrifies me. I know it's not a rational thought because any one of us could die at any time, but the thought of them being in a war-zone, or something similar, makes me horribly nervous.

Well, my oldest younger brother, Jon, recently joined the army and leaves for basic training very soon; that's followed by training in his specified area, and then he'll go on tour somewhere. While I'm nervous, and sad that we won't be able to see him very often, I couldn't be more proud of his decision (but I won't lie and say I never tried to talk him out of it . . .). When he talks about being in the army, it's easy to see it's the right thing for him. And remembering him growing up, it's really not surprising that he chose this path. He once told my husband that he knows it's what he wants because when people ask him what he's doing and he tells them he's in the army, he can't help but smile. That's a reassuring feeling for all of us, I think.

No one in our family has ever been too far from home - my family lives the farthest away, and it's a little under three hours! It'll definitely be an adjustment for all of us, but I thank God for all those years we had to strengthen our sibling relationships.

I've always felt a special bond with Jon because I think we're pretty similar - we love reading, are kind of nerdy about it, and neither of us really outgoing. I'll miss him.

This song reminded me of how Jon might be feeling (that's he was "called" to do this), and also how my parents and the rest of the family are feeling about this new adventure. (It's far from perfect, but I hope you don't mind.) I've included the lyrics underneath because sometimes it's hard to hear over the piano . . . Just one of the flaws. With all my crazy pregnancy-emotions going on, I'm just glad I got through it without breaking down in tears! :)

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
Til it was a battle cry
I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before
All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light
You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye
You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
Til they're before your eyes
You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

Pinterest Projects: Family Friendly

I absolutely love the idea of this project. It's so simple, and instills such a good prayer habit at a young age. Praying for others is so important, and this is a wonderful way to start teaching that to little ones.

It's called a Prayer Pail, or Prayer Bucket. The idea is that you label it with stick-on letters, and then you write the names of all your family, friends, or anyone you want to pray for on a popsicle stick. All the sticks go in the pail, and then at mealtime, you draw one out and say a prayer for that person.

Asher loves being able to pick out a stick, and he rarely forgets to do it. We say the table prayer before supper (since this is the meal we can eat as a family), and then he picks out one stick. I just think it's a really neat idea, and so easy for someone like me who's not very crafty. :)

Supplies
Pail
Stick-on letters (can be found in many varieties at lots of stores - Michaels, Target, Walmart, etc.)
Large popsicle sticks
Permanent Marker
Center the words "Prayer Pail" or "Prayer Bucket" if yours has a design like ours did; otherwise you can put them anywhere. Stick on the letters. Use the permanent marker to write one name on each stick, and you're done!

I'm not sure if ours can technically be called a pail since it doesn't have a handle, but I love it and it holds meaning for our family. When Dusty's grandma passed away, we were given a plant after her funeral, but after transplanting the plant I wasn't sure what to do with the pot. Turning it into our Prayer Pail seemed like a great idea to me - I'm so very glad this project came along because it makes such good use out of something special.

Since ours already had decoration on it, I didn't add anything else to it. But, you can certainly use scrapbook paper, stickers, or anything else to decorate your pail and make it personalized.

It's Never too Early to Start a Family Tradition (and recipe for PB Popcorn!)

I think one of the things Dusty and I were most looking forward to after we had kids was starting our own family traditions. Both of us have great memories of things we did with our own families, and I think we're hoping our boys one day have the same.

So, once Asher was old enough, we started having Movie Night at our house. Usually it's on Fridays because we're all ecstatic that the weekend's here, but I think we've probably had it on every night of the week at least once, whether it was because we were out of town, ran out of time, or Dusty and I actually had plans on a Friday night (although, to be honest, I don't think that last one's ever come up . . .)

One of the things I love about it is that Asher looks so forward to it. "Mommy, watch a noovie in four days. What should we watch? Toy Dohwee? OK!" That's the monologue I've heard about 80 times this week, but the movie has varied among "Chipmunks," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "Monsters, Inc.," and "Toy Story."

The funny thing is that it started out being just a fun tradition, but the anticipation is actually helping Asher learn a sense of time. Initially, this week, I told him we'd watch a movie in 5 days, and since then, he's gotten the countdown right every day - 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . Although, he seems to have a hard time grasping the concept that today is sooner than 1 day. Oh well, he'll learn!

The other added bonus of having a family movie night is that I actually have people to eat popcorn with me! Seems nerdy, I know, but Dusty never really eats it, and it just isn't very fun to sit there eating popcorn all by myself as we watch a movie. Don't get me wrong, I still do it; it's just more fun when someone else is eating it, too. :) Classic, butter and salt is the way we usually go and Asher, Aiden, and I gobble it up. But today, I made something a little more special that is really delicious.

However, it's sitting on the table staring me in the face right now, so hopefully it lasts until movie time . . .

Peanut Butter Popcorn (original recipe can be found here)
8 cups popped popcorn, with unpopped kernels removed
3/4 c. dry roasted peanuts
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. corn syrup
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Snickers eggs, Snickers, or candy of choice (chopped) if you want the added indulgence . . . which I did.

Boil the sugar, honey, and corn syrup.

Stir in PB and vanilla, then pour it over popcorn and peanuts.

Spread it on a baking sheet and sprinkle with chopped candy.

Take a break to clean up the fruit loops someone dumped all over the
floor while your back was turned . . . Or wait, maybe that's just me.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes and then let cool.

1. Mix popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl, and line a baking sheet with waxed paper or tin foil.
2. Bring sugar, honey, and corn syrup to a boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes. Don't boil it too long or your popcorn will be rock-hard when it's done.
3. Remove mixture from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Spread on prepared baking sheet.
4. Sprinkle candy over popcorn and put in the oven. Turn it to 250 degrees, and leave it in for about 5 minutes just so the candy can melt a little and stick to the popcorn (your oven does not have to be preheated first)
5. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Rollin' With the Punches . . . and Rolling, and Rolling, and Rolling . . .

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you were able to ring in the new year with a little more fun and relaxation than we were. Our Christmas and New Year were less than ideal, to say the least. Don't get me wrong, there was definitely wonderful time spent with family, but it was heavily seasoned with sickness and hospital bills . . .

Here's a quick break-down (or as quick as I can make it because my stories are usually looooong . . . just ask Dusty)

Dec. 22 - We headed back to my parents' house, Aiden had a cough.
Dec. 23 - Aiden's cough was worse, and he was breathing pretty hard while being active
Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) - Aiden was up at 3 a.m. crying, with no shot of getting back to sleep. Dusty left at 3:30 a.m. to drive 3 hours back to Cedar Rapids to bring him to Urgent Care . . . That's the glory of our less than stellar health insurance: ER visits out of town are not covered unless deemed "life threatening." Aiden was diagnosed with croup, and Dusty picked up a prescription then drove back to my parents' house in time for the Christmas Eve service at 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 25-27 - Healthy and happy, and headed to Dusty's parents' on the 27th and spent a wonderful evening there . . .
Dec. 28 - Dusty's mom woke up with a horrible headache and went to rest in her room. Soon, she was throwing up. Not being sure if it was due to a migraine or possible stomach flu, we debated, then decided to head home to avoid getting the stomach flu. Aiden threw up an hour after we got home, and about every 15 minutes for 2 hours. We put him to bed early and he made it through the night with no vomiting.
Dec. 29 - We gave Aiden formula, Pedialyte, and food as he would take it, as directed by the nurse, but he threw up shortly after each.
Dec. 30 - Asher woke up crying at 1:30 a.m., and we knew why. Despite my frantic cleaning and disinfecting, he got sick. I spent the rest of that night laying on the floor with him in his room, while Dusty kept an eye on Aiden, who was still throwing up occasionally. Asher threw up 5 times in one hour, and then had a little reprieve, although neither of us got much sleep - Asher because he couldn't get comfortable, and I because I was paranoid every time he moved that he was going to vomit again. I brought Aiden to see his pediatrician, and we were told he was on the edge of dehydration. She prescribed an anti-nausea medication, and said if he couldn't keep anything down he would have to be hospitalized for 1-2 days and receive IV fluids.
Dec. 31 - Aiden was able to keep down fluids and was feeling somewhat better (prayer of thanks!), Asher was slowly mending, but Dusty secluded himself at about 4 p.m. feeling ill. He came down later that evening feeling somewhat better, but with a lingering feeling of nausea.
Jan. 1 - Everyone was feeling better in the morning, and the day looked promising. Dusty secluded himself again in the evening, feeling worse than the day before, positive that the flu was coming this time.
Jan. 2 - I got up with Aiden at 6 a.m., Asher was up at 6:15, and Dusty came down to say he had had no relief and was feeling worse than ever. We went to the ER at 6:30 a.m., and discovered Dusty had appendicitis and would have surgery later that day. Surgery went well and Dusty came home that night.
Jan. 3 - Recovery for Dusty
Jan. 4 - Aiden started running a fever that wouldn't go away. He was really fussy and inconsolable.
Jan. 6 - Fever hadn't quit so I took him to the doctor again . . . just a virus, but noticed all 4(!) of his top teeth were coming in. We prepared for lots of fussiness, and were not disappointed.
Jan 16 - Two weeks after Dusty's surgery and he was given the okay to lift more than 10 lbs. HALLELUJAH!! Doing all the holding, bed times, grocery carrying, garbage, and early morning wake-ups starts to wear on me, apparently. :)
Although both boys have colds right now, I'm hoping for some fair weather for a few weeks here . . .

Things I Learned:
* I am so, so, thankful for our families - without their support and help in driving down spur-of-the-moment, I might have had a mental breakdown (okay, I may have had a few tearful phone conversations with my mom, but I could have been worse!)
* Trying to keep an almost 1-yr-old from crawling around on the ER floor is nearly impossible and incredibly frustrating
* It is possible to function on little to no sleep (at least for a period of time), no matter how daunting it seems at the time . . . but it's really crappy
* To "power through" times like that, I found that my technique is to literally not think about how bad it is (financially, emotionally, physically). I can't dwell on it, or I won't make it through and keep my sanity.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers during all of our illness - they were much appreciated, and won't be forgotten! I fervently hope all of you are having a healthy, happy, new year thus far.

Christmas Eve