One Proud Mom

Our three oldest children spent the weekend competing in various activities, and I have to admit that I'm mighty proud of their efforts.


BRONSON competed at the Region Drama competition on both Thursday and Friday. The one-act plays were held on Thursday, and we were able to drive over to Hurricane to watch Bronson perform with the cast from Desert Hills. He was great (especially as the "evil dad"), and their ensemble took 1st in Region - beating out Cedar, Canyon View, and Hurricane. Yes, HURRICANE. Those of you from our area know Hurricane's reputation in drama; it was quite an accomplishment for Desert Hills to beat them! Friday was the individual competitions, and Bronson competed in pantomime. He was also selected to go to state in this event.


KRISSIA attended her 1st track meet, held at Pine View on Saturday. The coaches only had her run one individual event, as she is still recovering from her leg injury. It was the 800m run, which is two laps around the track. Krissia was so worried before the race began that she would come in dead last, but she was awesome! Krissia beat the other girls in her heat by a good 5-7 seconds, and we believe she came in around 12th place out of the 72 girls participating in that event.


JEFFERSON attended a stake camporee Friday night/Saturday morning. The different troops competed in "Outdoor Olympics". Jefferson was the only one from his troop to win an individual medal from his troop; he was awarded for his efforts and expertise in reading and using maps and compasses.


And what was Mathison doing this weekend while his brothers and sister were so busy? He spent it just chillin' at the park :)

An Alliterate Fellow

Alliterate: To show alliteration (using several words close together that begin with the same letter). Not to be confused with illiterate, which is the inability to read or write.

Okay, as this post is about Mathison, it's obvious that I will be the one doing the alliteration - not him. I just couldn't pass up the clever word play for the title :)

I discovered the idea of combining alliteration with pictures on another blog a few weeks ago and just had to try it out! I'm using pictures taken from our park adventure posted about in our last blog. Here is what I "caught on camera":
considering


checking


cheerful


concentrating


caged


contemplating


comrades


captivated


charming


closeup candid

Sunday at the Park

A week ago Sunday, our family invited my sister Shawnee and her husband Tyson to spend the evening with us. We enjoyed dinner, games, and a trip to a new park in St. George that caters to older kids and teenagers (okay, the adults enjoyed it too!). Who knew there are so many ways to climb, bounce, twirl, etc? Here are a few of the pics from that afternoon:

Jefferson enjoying one of the many walls to scale.

Mom and Mathison at the top of a very tall slide.


Krissia spinning on one of the "twirly" chairs.

Bronson doesn't look too happy to have been caught trying the "kiddie" bouncer.

Krissia and Shawnee taking a break.

Daddy stealing a kiss from Mathison.

Krissia and Mom spinning on another contraption.

Bronson and Krissia perfecting their "balancing act".

That's MINE!

As a typical two-year-old, Mathison asserts his possessive nature several times a day; the phrase "That's mine!" has become part of our regular routine.

However, Mathison took things to a whole new level a few days ago when I asked Krissia to check and see if he needed a diaper change. As she tried grabbing the back of his diaper, Mathison whirled around and smacked her hand away. Giving her the dirtiest glare he could muster, Mathison yelled,

"Krissia, that's MY bum!"

Although it is a very cute bottom, I don't think Mathison needs to worry about anyone trying to take it away from him :)

Mathison's Surgery

Mathison had his surgery Tuesday; everything went well and he is recovering nicely at home. We stayed overnight at PCMC, where I remembered just how much I hate trying to get any sleep at a hospital.

Actually, after only 36 hours he was back to his very active self! We are supposed to be keeping him down and quiet for 5-7 days; he was feeling so well today that he was outside jumping on the trampoline. Don't tell.

One week prior to Mathison's surgery, I started having second thoughts about doing this procedure. However, it sounds like it was a good thing we went through with it because the doctor found several areas where the mucosal lining was damaged and chronically infected. Those are now removed, and once his sinuses have a chance to heal we are hoping it will help him stay infection free for a long time!

Here are some pictures we took while at Primary Children's:
Mathison knows what a stethoscope is for.

Getting "high" - Mathison had been given a tranquilizer just prior to his surgery to help him from becoming overanxious. It was hilarious!

In the recovery area.

Mom holding Mathison as he tries to "sleep it off".

Here We Go Again

We are headed to Salt Lake City tomorrow with Mathison, who will be having sinus surgery at Primary Children's Hospital on Tuesday. We were supposed to have this done one month ago, but Mathison got bronchitis a few days beforehand, forcing us to reschedule. A few days ago Mathison started showing some of the same symptoms as his earlier illness, but is now feeling much better due to a blessing and some essential oils therapy.

The doctors will also do some blood work at this time to determine if Mathison has the same immunodeficiency that plagued Jefferson up until a few years ago. If he does, this would explain why someone so young is already having problems with chronic sinusitis. Part of me is hoping for an answer, while part of me is dreading the results. The years that Jefferson suffered with his IgG deficiency are not happy memories for our family, and I don't know if I'm up for a second round.

Mathison will be kept overnight; we are hoping to be home Wednesday evening. The hospital has public access to computers, so I will try and update on how things go on Tuesday.

Wish us luck....

Why Don't I Learn?

To keep my mouth shut.

I'm talking about NOT jinxing our family by saying things like "Oh, we've all been so healthy lately".

Or, more recently, "Krissia has not had any injuries from track".

The DAY OF my last post, Krissia came home from practice early, complaining that her calf hurt. Not a big deal, I thought. Just pack on some ice, throw in a couple of ibuprofen, and she should be good to go.

Unfortunately, the pain was growing much worse every day - hitting the point where the team trainer for track advised she'd better sit this first meet out.

So, we have yet to make it to a meet. Next time I'll let everyone know AFTER the fact how she does in her first track meet, rather than jinx things beforehand!!

So Far, So Good!

Krissia has now been practicing with the track team for two weeks and has not sustained any major injuries.

Last year, she broke her elbow on the third day of practice when going over a hurdle.

I'd say we're doing pretty well!

Maybe I should knock on wood...just in case :)

Krissia has decided she is more of a middle distance runner, and will be competing in the 400m, 800m, and 1600m in her first track meet this weekend. She is staying FAR AWAY from the hurdles for now.

Krissia accidentally discovered she is pretty good in a field event....the shot put! She surprised everyone during practice when she threw a qualifying throw on her very first try. Although Krissia is about half the size of a typical shot putter, she has some very strong shoulder and back muscles due to her swimming. I'm sure she'll draw plenty of puzzled glances at the meet :)

For those of you who live nearby, the meet will be held in Hurricane on Friday. We'd love to see you there!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

These are my grandparents,Thell and Elaine Gubler. I think it's wonderful that my children have a set of great grandparents still alive!

We visited them on Sunday as part of Bronson's school assignment. He was to interview someone over 75 years old about World War II, and my grandparents fit the bill.

We began the interview with only Bronson and myself in the room; someone had to keep Mathison entertained and quiet in the nearby kitchen because it was being recorded. DEl had that task, and Jefferson and Krissia were with him, steering clear of the "boring school assignment."

When my grandfather began to speak, things changed quickly. As he and my grandmother shared many fascinating memories and insights about their lives during World War II, my other children began to trickle in. The evening ended with everyone clustered around Great Grandpa and Grandma; even Del and I were taking turns with the baby so we could also get in on the conversation.

It was a wonderful hour that ended all too soon. We really enjoyed the sharing of their experiences and wisdom with our family, and hope that these "great" grandparents are around for many more years to come :)

One of my grandmother's ration books from World War II:

Caught in the Act

First, let me clarify; actually, I was able to catch this little guy BEFORE the act and turn it into something positive.

Mathison is notorious for peeing soon after I put him in the tub, so I decided to try something different today.

I sat him on the toilet before putting him in the tub and....TA DA!

Does this mean he's ready for potty training?

I don't think so; he didn't really seem to care about going in the toilet and has already forgotten about this morning's accomplishment and candy reward.

However, if I can continue to occasionally "catch him in the act", I'm hoping it will make our potty training experience a little easier when we try it in a few months :)

Fire and Ice

No, this post isn't about mine and DEl's different personalities.

It isn't describing our relationship, either.

It's the name of an annual fundraising event held for Dixie College that we recently attended.

The food was great, and we were able to bid on a few of the less expensive items. I was especially excited that we ended up with a 3 month pool pass for about 40% of the original cost!

Just to give you an idea about how formal this black-tie affair was, couples could attend to the tune of $250.

Luckily, our way was paid because DEl was part of the evening's entertainment.

I guess you could say he literally "sang for our supper" :)