Friendship

Last night our fhe was reading/discussing the first presidency meeting in the Nov. Friend magazine. We talked about how Christ wants each of us to be a friend to others and it makes Him happy. One way was to help others to come to church. This was perfect because since July, I have been picking up a family and bringing either their 3 girls or occasionally adding their mom and little brother. K will get a little disappointed because she has to squeeze in the seat with someone else. We talked to the kids about why we are doing this. We are doing this to help them out (they only have 1 car that dad takes to work on Sun.). We do this because it is what Christ would have us do. We're not looking to receive any awards or be praised by other people. We're not looking to higher our status, but to do the right thing.

When we were done with our discussion, K said we should make a Friend Chart of those that we helped that day. She made columns for each family member. My list and L's list were the shortest. Mine listed the name of a friend (I had her two youngest girls over - one played with L and the other is just older than B). L's listed only the friend he played with. K's listed 6 friends from school, Dad's list was Mom, K, L, and B. B's was the best: (Her friend), Dad, Mom, K and L. Except Dad's name had been crossed off. During dinner, as Dad fed B some food, she bit his finger several times with her small, but very sharp two bottom teeth. For that she had not been a friend to Dad.

I thought our impromtu fhe was great to remind us of being a good friend and why we do it. I was thinking of talking about Thanksgiving and being thakful, but we had a great time remembering to be a good friend and looking to help others out. This time of year is when we most reflect upon the gifts we have been given, but I think we also need to find the joy in helping others and spreading happiness. I love when my children are more excited to give something to someone else than what they are going to receive themselves. I am thankful for the blessing to have freedom of religion and be able to worship our Heavenly Father, but also being able to teach our children about Him and His beautiful plan.

Wedding Day

What a wonderful day!  K got out of going to school to be a part of this special day.  We got ready and headed down to the temple.  My cousin was gracious enough to come down to watch the children while F and I were in the ceremony.  The kids enjoyed walking around the beautiful grounds.  The ceremony was fabulous, I always love being in the temple.  Following the ceremony there were numerous pictures taken!  The bride and groom decided to have all the family pictures taken at the temple and not at the reception.  The weather couldn’t have been better for late September.  It was in the high 70’s.  After pictures we went close by for the luncheon and small program.  Our new sis-in-law’s mother, sister (and family), father, as well as a few other family members, travelled here from out of town to attend the wedding.  Her sister and husband have 3 girls close in age to our own children.  Our little brood and theirs became friends here and continued their friendship on our trip up north. 

That night we gathered at my in-laws ward building for the reception (which I helped to decorate the day before).  The family was assigned the task of food.  It kept us busy all. night. long.  Running around making sure things were out on the tables, cooking in the oven, and that the kids weren’t getting into trouble – their task was to receive the guests, take their gifts, and give them a thank you gift as guest left. We had a wonderful time dancing, seeing friends and family, while joining with a new family.  We are grateful for the wonderful woman chosen/accepted to be the newest member of our family! Needless to say, we were quite exhausted when we got home – around 11 pm!  But it was worth it! Did I mention I was grateful to finally come around because I had spent the last 2 months working on making 3 of the 4 bridesmaids dresses? 

My Girls!

Just a few little up dates on the going on's at our house. K just finished 1st grade! She had a great year and lots of fun. We couldn't be more proud of her perfect report card. She is growing up into a young lady - scary! The last week of school, K kept telling me who she wanted to have as her 2nd grade teacher, and was so excited when she got that teacher. It will be an exciting new adventure because all of her good friends are in other classes. I have been pretty bummed though because I found out a few months ago that one of K's best friends who has special needs, would be transfering to a special needs school. I haven't told her this and don't want to. When I was asking about her friends and what teachers they had she had to say this about her friend. "She is in another class. I thought we'd always be together." That just made my heart melt! K has been a great friend to this girl and teachers, other students, her friend's mom, and myself have noticed the impact K has had.

K has been growing her hair out for a while and had decided she was ready to have it cut. I had suggested to her to donate her hair like I have a few times. K kept asking if I had made an appointment for her, and finally the weekend of Memorial Day, she had her hair chopped off. She had 9 inches cut off and still had hair long enough. We will be donating her hair to Pantene's program which requires at least 8 inches. K could have done 10 inches for Locks of Love, but decided to let her keep a little bit more of her hair. She looks so beautiful!

The last week of school, the entire first grade did a program. K had been singing the songs for the last few weeks, so we have all learned the songs. I can't believe how fast the last year has gone - or to have a child getting ready to enter 2nd grade and prepare to be baptized!

As for Baby B, we have reached the fourth month! She weighed in at a whopping 18 lbs! No wonder my arms are beginning to show some definition. She is such a happy baby who laughs and smiles. Baby B recently discovered she has toes and love to try and grab them.

We have a little toy she can kick while laying down. Occasionally she gets so worked up, she will have turned herself a good 90 degrees and not be able to kick at it anymore. One Sunday, while we were eating lunch, I looked down at her to find that not only had she shimmied 90 degrees, but that she was on her stomach! Just a fluke. She is not a rolling baby...yet. She naps great during the day, but night time sleep...or lack of it, is making me a little sleep deprived. Most nights I only get about 3 hours at the longest stretch, with her only getting up 2 times. For Father's day, she gave F and I a great present - only waking once each night for Friday and Saturday nights. I felt so renewed on Sunday. I have tried to give her a binky and wrap her up tight, but she just cries louder and is a bit offended at my actions (it does work sometimes). I have been spoiled with the sleep habits of the other two children, now Baby B is giving me a run for it!

Big investments...

Ten years ago, F invested his hard earned money into a truck. This said truck has served us well. It has driven countless miles (not really countless, at least 106,000), taken trips from Lake Powell to Yellowstone, hauled many moving boxes (mostly others), pulled boats and atvs - and occasionally other cars. Sadly, it gave up as it was driving up the canyon pulling our little boat as F and his brother were headed to go fishing. The next Monday, F received the bad news that the engine was done for. Our options were to replace the engine, or call it quits. We chose the latter. F was (and still might be) in mourning for his first love. Our truck was lovingly named "Mater" by the kids. When we had it towed back to our house it was definitely Tow-Mater. We were down to one car that fits our family. Our plan when we had the baby had initially been to buy a vehicle to replace the truck later this year. Well, that plan was out the door and we began our search. After looking online in the classifieds, visiting a few of the local dealerships, all we could find were used cars that were top of the line and more money than we wanted to spend. We really did not need the bells and whistles of leather seating, dvd players, and all the extras - not to mention most of them had high mileage. Finally we ended up at a dealership in the next county over and found just what we were looking for. We test drove it and loved it. After price negotiations, we got the price down to where we wanted it and drove home with a new big rig for the family. So without further ado, introducing "Prime" named after Optimus Prime because of the color and size. We couldn't be happier! Except we are sad to see have to sell Mater.

For FREEEE?!

Last night, soccer was cancelled for K due to the large amount of rain that had fallen from the sky that day, but the Family Night that was put on by the city parks & rec and the fire dept. was still on. The had it at the park K plays soccer and has a skate park. We loaded up and snuggled up for the cooler weather. We knew that at this particular event there would be bike helmets for purchase ($5!), and they would also be raffling off a number of helmets. The first thing we did was got 3 tickets for the kids and entered the raffle. We were going to walk to the pavilion to purchase some helmets, when we noticed the raffle was about to begin. They read off a number of numbers. Low and behold, we had not one, but two of our tickets called. After the raffle, we headed over to the pavilion, sized the older two and myself for bike helmets. In L's words, he has a "cool red helmet." Up until this point, he had not had a helmet of his own. I also got a "cool red helmet" and K got a purple helmet - all for only $5. We spent some time learning about fire trucks from the firemen and L was excited to see all of the tools they have, he even (with help) held the fireman's axe. To our advantage, the rain had discouraged a number of people from attending, but there was still a good crowd. After the second raffle, and our third number not called, we headed home. We are now ready for summer riding!

Overheard at Our House...

are some gems from L. He is a thinker and learns quickly. Here are some examples.

In most of his prayers he includes,

"Please bless us to know what is right, and what is really right."

Most recently he added, "Please bless us to follow God's plan."

and last of all, over dinner the other night, he explained to us in detail how a fountain we had seen that morning in our local home improvement store - worked. He told us how the water comes out through the lion's mouth and also the three spouts, travels down to the bottom, where it is sucked up and starts over. (not his exact phrasing, and the fountain was not running). I asked F if he had told him about this, in which, he had not. I asked L how he knew all of the this.

His answer,

"I just knowed it."

He keeps us on our toes.

Happy, Happy Birthday, K!

7 Things We Love about K:

1. She is sensitive and kind to everyone.

2. She is loving toward L and Baby B.

3. She plays the piano very well.

4. She is a great reader and student.

5. She works hard.

6. She is a big help around the home.

7.She is a great example to others.

K just recently celebrated her 7th birthday! She was (and always is) so excited for her birthday. This year, we were prepared. I had mentioned to F that K's birthday was coming up, he reply was "We need to figure out what we are doing." My answer, "We've have all of her presents already." Knowing we would be having a new baby in the house, we got all of K's presents before Christmas when we were already out shopping. That's how it is most years. Whatever she doesn't get for Christmas, we give for her birthday. It has made things a whole lot easier, especially this year. For her birthday, we took her out to dinner the night before to the restaurant of her choice, The Mayan. We had a great table right in the splash zone of the divers. F's sister came along with us.

For her birthday, K requested a Rapunzel from Tangled birthday cake - specifically asking for the tower to be on the cake too. I was in for a real challenge, but I always love the outcome. I searched the Internet for pictures to help out for weeks before. I finally found a few pictures to help out. I really do think it turned out nicely - for an amateur cake decorator.

F's brother, his friend, and sister came over for dinner before the rest of my family came over for presents and cake and ice cream. K loved being surrounded by her family, but if you ask who came over for her birthday, she'll say, "My cousins." She loves to be with them and they all have a great time together. We gave K some new shirts, a Tinkerbell movie, the game Scrambled States of America, and a large Disney art set. L gave her a few new Littlest Pet Shop pets. From other family, she got a Strawberry Shortcake Manicure set, more clothes, and a kit to make Friendship bracelets. F's parents were island hopping in the Caribbean during this time, so they came over later that week when they were home and had recovered from jet lag. They brought K a doll from St. Lucia, some clothes, nail polish and hair clips that change color in the sun. Now for a few sunny days!

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Hi, Honey. How was your day?

That's a loaded question. Especially when you had the Tuesday I did.
It started off pretty early in the morning - how about 1 am. I was up with the babe until 2, then hubby was up with her from about 2-3 am, which I then took over until almost 4. Back up a 3rd time at 5, then I was finally able to get about 2 hours sleep.
I got the kids up and K ready for school. Because of the snow and the cold weather, I have been driving down the block and around the corner to take K to the bus stop. This day, it was treacherous since the plow had not made it down into our subdivision. We got to the bus stop and the kids waited, and waited, and waited. About 10 minutes after the bus was supposed to be there, a lady drove by to tell us the bus had gotten stuck at the stop just before ours. So, I faced the roads and drove K to school.
A little while later, I had fed Baby B and just as I was lying her down, everything I had just given her was out and all over the bed. Luckily, I was holding her, so I tilted her to the side and was able to keep it off of her. I got the bedding off and rinsed before L's friend came over. We had set up a crib in K's room and that is where Baby B took her morning nap.
About an hour later, L was in the bathroom and starts freaking out. This was accompanied by sounds of flowing water. Which was the toilet over flowing. I ran and grabbed some towels to clean up the water and also spent time trying to unclog the toilet.
The afternoon was fine, especially since L went to a friends house and Baby B & I were left alone. After L came home, my niece and nephew came over. We love having them over on Tuesdays. When it was time for K to get off the bus, I looked out the window and watched. I can see when the kids are walking down the street, but no kids. I kept checking and still no kids. Finally, I packed Baby B in the stroller, got shoes and coats on the three other little ones and away we went. As we got to the end of the street, no bus. We continued to wait. Our neighbor came down the street looking for her daughter. I tried calling the school to find out where the bus was, but no one answered because it was after hours for them. My neighbor called the district and found out that a child on the bus had been pushed, hit his head, and passed out. Because of this the bus couldn't leave the school and the fire dept. & an ambulance came - delaying the bus. As we found this out, the bus finally showed up. About half an hour late, but glad everyone was taken care of.
The last and final thing - probably the smallest of them all. Dried toothpaste on L's carpet. He said it was on his blanket and got on his floor. Next time I hope he will tell me.
It was quite the day. I'm tired us thinking about it. Good news though, Baby B slept better last night and we had not problems with the bus or big messes. Some days though....

Baby B

Just over 2 weeks ago, we added a new member to our family - here to be known as "Baby B."

Because I don't like entries that include "too much information," I will list some highlights of the day.

*Elected to be induced 2 days after due date, night before was having lots of contractions.

*Mother-in-law came to our house to take care of the kiddos.

*Arrived around 7:30, by 8:30 I was getting my IV - nearly passing out twice.

*Delay getting started until 9:30 b/c of IV incident.

*Labor for 7 hours with little progress before deciding to get epidural and water broken.

*After all that, within 2 hours, Baby B was born!

*Dr. called her a "chunker." Which was correct since she weighed over 9 lbs. She was born with chubby cheeks and a double chin!

I was relieved the day was done, and she was here. F's family brought K & L over to the hospital later that night and they were able to see their new baby sister. With how big Baby B was, I am certainly glad I chose to be induced. I wouldn't want to know how big she would have been, had I waited any longer.

L ended up with a cough that night and the kids were kept away while we were in the hospital. Our families were so wonderful to take the kids for us. For the next week, we kept L away from Baby B. He was so good to stay away, and since getting better, he loves to touch her head and hands, give her kisses and hugs - of course, after he has washed his hands and asked. He is such a sweet big brother.

K has been wonderful as well. Her first day back to school after Baby B came home, she cried because she wanted to stay home with everyone and not go to school. Almost every moment she is right next to Baby B, wanting to hold her, kiss her, and play with her. I have to tell her to leave Baby B alone so she can sleep. Lately, K wants to go to bed when Baby B does. Yesterday, K helped me change Baby B's diaper and get her dressed, K's going to be a great helper when Baby B gets a little bigger.

As for the hubby. I couldn't ask for a better man. He was home for the first two weeks, which was wonderful. He would help out in the middle of the night if Baby B was fussy, plus he was up early with the kids and got K off to school each morning. He took L on errands, did the laundry, made meals (mainly lunch because our neighbors and families have brought us dinner), and watched Baby B so I could catch a few minutes of sleep. Our routine has been disrupted, but we are slowly making a new one.

Baby B is a calm, beautiful baby. We are all so glad she is a part of our family and love her to pieces!

Tra-di-tion....Tradition!

Since about high school, I have been out on Black Friday to do some shopping. It all started with socks & poinsettias at Fred Meyer with my mom. I guess you could say I was her shopping cart side kick. I would push the cart, while she battled the crowds at 6 in the morning. The last few years, it has grown for me to getting toys and gifts for the family at different stores. Some may say this is crazy, and more will think so after reading what this year was like.

It all started on a cold and wintery Thanksgiving evening. My sister and I had made our list of items we were seeking and the stores in which we hit. Our first stop was going to be the midnight opening at Wal-Mart. We didn't get there right at 12, but shortly thereafter. We had to park quite a ways away. When we got into the store, all the carts were taken and filled by hundreds, if not thousands of people already in the store. After fighting through crowds and grabbing the few things we needed, Mel had got into a line and I looked around a little bit more. The lines were endless....yet we made it through. Just as we were heading out the door, with our purchases being checked against our receipts, Mel says, "I've got to see this." As she said that, three employees ran past us. We step outside to watch the employees run after some kid who apparently had shoplifted. I don't know if they caught him, but I sure wouldn't have been running through the icy parking lot at 1 am! Mel and I went our separate ways to grab a little bit of shut eye before our 4 am appointment at Target -this is where the fun begins!

I couldn't sleep, but what I did get was filled with dreams of strategy and how we could get in a get what we needed efficiently. This time, we were at Target about 3:40 am. As we walked to the entrance, we found it to be a long, long, long line to get into the store. We decided to wait it out in the car and return closer to opening time. At minutes before opening, we took our place in line, behind three teenage boys wearing their flannel pajama pants, parkas, knitted hats and 2 of the 3 were wearing cowboy boots...wish I had a picture, they were lovely outfits! It took about 15 minutes to walk the entire line and get into the store. Mel and I set out to get our purchases. First, I picked up a razor scooter, then an easy bake oven, some glove/hat set for the kids, and went to find a pyrex set I had been eyeing. When I got to the pyrex there were only three left, so I tried to juggle it in my arms...did I mention I did NOT have a cart?? So, then I was ready to get in line which sent my back to the place I started on the other side of the store. When I got in line, there was a man taking pictures of people in line...I don't know if I became one of them, I hope not!
The pyrex set was so heavy, I put it on the ground and began to kick it forward as we crept along. Target had the line weave all through the grocery section and I was in line a long time before we even hit the groceries. The man who had been taking pictures had seen my overflowing arms and attempt to scoot my items took pity on me and asked if I could use a cart. I told him it would be great. A few minutes later he returned to the line with a few carts, gave one to me, and carts to others in line who needed one. What a nice man! Saved my day. My sister came and unloaded her things into my cart and dashed off a few times to look around more or exchange things she had found. It took forever to get throught the line, but much easier with the cart. When we did make it to the end, Target had blocked off the check stands with boxes of items that were on their Black Friday Sale. One of the large stacks of boxes were pyrex! I wish I had know after all that struggling and kicking around the pyrex! Could have saved me a lot of hassle and strength!
We made a quick stop to Toys R Us and then on to Smith's Marketplace for socks and pillow pets. I was not a fan of pillow pets and was not going to get them for the kids, but caved. Smith's had them at the same price as all the other stores, but their's came with a $5 gift card to Smith's, that was good enough for us. We ran into some friends along the way, one at Target and Smith's. Just as we were getting ready to leave Smith's we ran into our Mom - there to get some socks of course. We made it back home around 9 am. F and I went through the purchases of the night, figured we were set with most of the stuff we needed for Christmas and I headed off to bed for a few hours sleep. Whew...can't believe we survived.

Oh, did I mention I did all of this while being nearly 8 months pregnant?? I must be crazy.

My, How Things Can Change in a Year

Last January was drastically different than this year. We had just found out few weeks before that I was pregnant and excited to add to our family. But the joy didn't last long. I went in for a first appointment and no fetal pulse could be found. I ended up having an ultrasound to confirm that something was wrong, and the pregnancy wouldn't last. By the next week I had a miscarriage and to say the least, we were devastated. It still brings up a lot of emotions.

About a week and a half later, I began to have chills, hot sweats, and other flu like symptoms. After talking with my mother, she encouraged me to call my doctor, which I promptly did. Since it was late evening, he advised me to wait for the morning to see how I was doing. The next morning, things were worse. I called F home from work, called the doctors office again. By 10:30 am, we had dropped the kids off and we were in the doctors office. Dr. told me I needed to have a blood draw and an other ultrasound, we headed straight to both those offices. At around noon, F and I gathered up the kids from my parents' house and headed home to wait for the results. A few hours later, I found out I had an infection and we were making arrangements for surgery. We dropped the kids off before 4 pm and headed to the hospital. I was checked in and ready for surgery by 5. With all the waiting, recovery and all that, It was about 9 pm when we picked up the kids and headed home. After all that, I was feeling so much better the next morning. I feel that the entire month of January was consumed by these events, and even still. I am very grateful for the wonderful support of my husband, my family, and for a doctor who was there to help me through it all.

As for this January, it is the complete opposite. I have had a wonderful and healthy pregnancy and the new year brought in the 36th week, last month of pregnancy, yet again, many doctor visits. We couldn't be more excited to bring another child into our family. I feel it has been quite a long time coming and can't believe that in the next week or so, we will be able to hold our little girl. I am not always the most patient person, and this waiting game is crazy. Now at 39 weeks, our house is ready. We have the clothes, blankets, burp cloths, and towels all washed and put in their place. I have bought diapers, wipes, and some other necessities to get us through at least the first month. We have the bassinet ready to be set up, the car seat base in the car (mainly to help the kids get used to it being there). Not to mention, I have completely taken the entire car seat and stroller apart and washed every square inch of them and covered them to keep them clean until they are used. I have my bag packed and have registered at the hospital. There is a list of contacts and a school schedule for K up on our fridge with a magnet from the hospital with important numbers. I have made arrangements with people to be "on call" to take the kids, whether it be the middle of the night or during the day. I feel we are ready for bringing a new one into our family, but for now we'll wait.

Fred Bateman

Frederick Thomas Bateman

1916-2010

Frederick Thomas Bateman passed away Dec. 24, 2010 from complications of prostate cancer. He was born June 5, 1916 in Alpine, Utah to Joseph Alberto Bateman and Ada Gunn Bateman. He married the love of his life, Eunice Belliston August 13, 1942. His marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple June 8, 1944. Fred played football at East Hight then played at BYU. He was captain of the team and All Conference. He loved watching all sports. He also loved to play golf, play pool and go fishing. He could always tell you where the fishing was the best. Fred served in the Army Air Corp. during World War II in Okinawa. He worked for Safeway as a butcher, then meat buyer for over 30 years. Fred was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served in many capacities including, Bishopric and High Priest Quorum president. He adn his wife served as tour guides at Welfare Square and later served a mission in Cleveland, Ohio. He made many life-long friends. Survived by his three children, Shirley (Steve) Ericksen, Marv (Sharman) Bateman, and Bob (Sherie) Bateman, 12 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, parents, and seven siblings, Max, Virginia, Bertha, Bryce, Berniece, and two infant boys.