Heather's 14!

It's Heather's birthday today!!  As I think back, I remember pretty much everything about her beginning was rough.  I had her three weeks early because I got really sick and had a horrible cough and literally coughed her out.  The memories of the labor and delivery are even a little hazy because of how sick I was.  If I remember right, I woke Mike up around 4:15 a.m. and she was born around 7:00 a.m.  When I got to the hospital they gave me an antibiotic IV to help me get better and I ended up having an illergic reaction to it and got a rash all over my body.  Mike also had either food poisoning or the stomach flu that morning so he kept making trips to the bathroom.  It was all very interesting.  She was healthy, though, so all was good.  Then at three months we noticed that her head had a big flat spot on the back of it.  I took her to the doctor and they realized she had "tortacolis" which is when the muscles on one side of the neck do not develop properly and prevent the neck from being able to hold the head up properly.  So, because she could not straighten her head, whenever she was in her swing or car seat her head was always in the same spot and thus the flat spot.  Our doctor sent us to see a specialist at Primary Children's Hospital and when she saw Heather she also noticed that she had "hip displasia" (spelling??)  We began seeing a physical therapist, here in Logan, who worked with her and showed us how to do exercises at home to stretch the muscles in her neck, she got a helmet that she wore every day for 2 months to help reshape her head and a hip brace that she had to wear at night for about a month.  We went to physical therapy once a week and I took her to Primary Children's every other week to have the helmet checked and reshaped (this was done with three kids under the age of 4).  When I think about it, I can't believe I was able to do it, but it all paid off.  The doctors were very pleased with her progress.  They had told us if we didn't get things fixed right, she may have problems walking or doing any other physical activity.  So at age three when she started doing ballet, gymnastics and tumbling, I was amazed at how flexible she was and that she had no limitations.  I'm very grateful to the doctors who helped her and to my Heavenly Father for blessing us through the whole thing.

A few facts about Heather:

• Heather has always been so sweet and caring of others.  I have had so many people tell me how nice and kind she is either to themselves or their children.  She is an extremely loving person.  She can't stand it when someone is being hurt or picked on and she'll stick up for them without caring a hoot about what people might think or say about her.  She is kind and forgiving to people who are unkind to her and she really can't understand how anyone could treat people that way.  And if she thinks or knows someone is upset with her, it tears her apart.  She has find out why and rectify the situation as quickly as possible.  She is a sweetheart and a great example to me of sharing the pure love of Christ with others.
• She likes to be busy and she is a doer.  She's done ballet, gymnastics, cheer, tumbling, piano, volleyball, tap and jazz dance, student council and her favorite thing ever--basketball.  She hates to sit around and if there's a project that needs to be done, she'll do it.  She loves to plan things and carry them out.
• Heather loves animals--especially dogs.  This is very unfortunate for her since I will not even consider getting one.  The only thing she wanted for Christmas was a dog but that just couldn't happen because I won't allow dogs in the house and there is no place in our newly landscaped yard for a dog run.  She's looking forward to the day when she is old enough to move out, to a place that allows pets, and get a dog of her very own.  We've gotten her so many stuffed dogs, even a life size one, over the years I can't believe she isn't appeased, but I guess it has to poop and pee on your floors, chew up your furniture and bark non-stop to make her happy.
• She is a very spiritual person.  She bears her testimony often and sticks up for what she knows is right.  Just the other day an older girl was swearing and Heather called her on it and told her she shouldn't say those words.  The girl asked her, "Heather have you ever sworn?"  Heather told her she hadn't so she said, "Why don't you just say one swear word right now.  I won't tell anyone."  Heather said she wouldn't and walked away.  The girl wasn't offended and she knew where Heather stood on the matter and I'm sure she'll respect that in the future.
• She is our social butterfly.   She has many friends.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "So-and-so is my favorite person ever!"  When I tell her she just said that about another "so-and-so" she says, "I know, but I just love her or him because . . . " and she gives me a reason why they are the greatest person alive.  She loves to be with her friends.  It doesn't really matter what they are doing as long as they are together.
• She's her cousin Alyssa's best friend (Alyssa's 5) and many other children love her too.  She is a great babysitter and loves to be with kids. 

Her second trip to Disneyland.  Because the "big kids" were off riding the big rides, she got to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad.

Heather and her friend Abby.  In Kindergarten, they were the same shape and size, had the same hair color, they both took ballet and their moms even bought them the same clothes without knowing it. 

It was crazy!!

Heather and her forever friend Sadie, even though Sadie played barbershop on her hair when she was two.

 

Ariel has always been her favorite princess!

 Crazy girl!

  

Christmas dance with her friends

I'll never understand why they like to take pictures like this of themselves

Student-Faculty game at MLMS.  She's quite the baller!

Happy, Happy Birthday to you!!

We love you!

The Life of a Farmer or Rancher's Wife

I've been reading a book about a family who lives on a ranch in Wyoming with descriptions of the mother waking early to fix a big breakfast for her family (especially her hard working husband, sons and other ranch hands) then doing the dishes, some baking and then starting in on the afternoon meal only to have to clean it all up again.  There isn't much talk of it in the book, but I'm sure in between the baking and the afternoon meal, beds were made, laundry done and bathrooms cleaned.  This was the life of my grandmothers on both sides.  My Grandma George used to say, "Girls were made to take care of boys," and that's what she did.  That saying use to infuriate me and I had a very difficult time believing she, my mother and my mother's sisters actually bought into it and did it.  But I've had a slight change of heart.  How I would love to be able to spend much of my day in the kitchen cooking great food, baking delicious treats and having plenty of people around to eat it all up and enjoy it.  I really do love to cook.  The thing that amazes me is, my grandma made those good ol' meat and potatoes meals, with either homemade rolls or bread with every one and there was ALWAYS dessert, but no one was overweight because they didn't ever stop.  None of this "sittin' behind a desk lookin' at a computer" stuff.  Come to think of it, I don't remember ever hearing my grandma say she needed to go on a diet.

A few things I would insist on still having if I moved into that kind of lifestyle, would be:  a microwave, a gas stove, a Kitchenaid or Bausch mixer, hot running water, a hand mixer, a dishwasher and, funny enough, an ice maker.  So I guess I'm not wanting to go back in time, necessarily, I just want to be able to slow my life down, get my kids to want to work hard and have pride in what they do and to be able to cook to my hearts content and not have any of the food go to waist. 

Since I have the day off, I think I'll start baking now.  So don't be surprised if some food comes your way because, unlike my grandmother, it will go straight to my hips if I eat it all and I don't have enough mouths at my ranch to put it all away.