Odd blessings

So we've had kind of a funny year as far as insurance goes... We had Sammy on a 80/20 insurance and after all was said and done we still paid about $5000 out of pocket.  The next month our insurance was changed to a high deductible HSA account... so we would have to spend another $5000 out of pocket before the insurance would pay for anything.  It sounds like a bum deal until I say that the previous insurace covered the OBGYN that I trusted and not the chiropractor... and the HSA one now doesn't cover the OBGYN but it does the chiropractor... who I have needed to see at least 6 times in the last two months because my SI joint went out forever ago and I never got it fixed properly... so my other SI joint went out two months ago... a regular chiropractic visit on my previous insurance would have cost about $150.  On this one it's about $28.  Talk about timing.

Nightmare, or not?

We wondered when we started calling Ada "Ada bug" if she would end up being called "Ada bug" for the rest of her life.  I guess not.  Her twin two year old cousins have decided that her name is "Bug"... and she answers to it... so I guess it is.

belly buttons

So during bath time today Ada started shortening "Sammy's belly button" to "Sammy's button"... so it's now official... Sammy has a button.

Monkeys

So we got excited for Halloween today... Jer's sister Emily and their family threw a Halloween bash at their home.  It was so fun!  I loved talking to everyone, and I loved seeing all the kids dressed up in their costumes.  Here are some of the pictures that I took.  (Yes my kids are the sock monkeys, Jer saw these outfits and just couldn't resist... he never asks for our kids to wear specific things... and I thought it was dang cute to have him so excited about what the kids should dress up as... besides the costumes are dang cute as well.)

Three little monkeys right before we left for the party.

Jer and Sammy... Jer got some guff for not really dressing up for the party... the monkey on the shoulder should make him a monkey's uncle or something... right?

Ada and Grace.  Grace was dressed up as a skunk and it was so stinkin' cute (no I didn't mean that to be funny.)

Nice face there Jer!

The "mommy corner".  Jer had Sammy so I could take pictures... but this was a fun corner to watch.

Love it!

Climbing Tree

Isn't every kids dream to have their very own climbing tree?  We have a marvelous one... but I'm a little nervous that it is seeing it's years.  There are several big cracks down the top of the trunk.  Anyone know an arbolist?

Swine Flu

People have been asking me about being sick... here's what I read the symptoms of the Swine flu are...

"The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever."

We weren't totally sick but we all had these symptoms... minus the fever and vomiting.  So, yes I'm sure it was the swine flu, and no... I don't think it's that scary of a virus right now.  Just annoying.

Literal Answer

Since this last conference I've been more determined to really work on getting my personal scripture study in more than I did before.  I prayed for help and that I'd be able to find time in my busy schedule.  The next morning... Ada got up, we got her food, got her ready for the day... then she went to go get a book to read like she usually does... but she came back to me not with her favorites... "The Little Engine that Could" or "There's a Wocket in my Pocket"... but with the Book of Mormon.  She gave it to me and said, "Mom, read." And so I did.

Family links

So I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite links on my blog. 

For those interested in photography...

http://claryphotos.blogspot.com/  This is my sister in law... yes she is amazing.
http://www.rozephotography.com/#  Cute stuff.
http://achaquejourmaphoto.blogspot.com/  Not really a photography blog, but kind of fun and creative pictures.

For those interested in literature...

http://www.fictionpress.com/u/593024/Akhdar  This is a fun site for people who like to write but don't write full time.  My favorite story on this link is "Little Green Man Plumbing".
http://www.brandonsanderson.com/  My current favorite author... though I don't think I'll read his "Gathering Storm" one... I really like his other works though.

For those interested in quilts...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6813487&ga_search_query=meetmeinstlouis&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
The whole etsy site is fun to browse... I like to look around it, but this link is the link to my sister's current stuff for sale.  She usually has between 5 and 10 quilts listed.

And for those of you interested in blogs...

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ I've been following this one for months now and I'm very impressed.  This amazing woman went from being a good mom to being an amazing, humble example.

I have quite a few favorite family blogs... but I'm not sure that they want them publicized. 

Sunday

Because we had the Swine flu this week, we were asked to stay home from church... It was sad in one way, but very nice in another.  We really tried to focus on our kids and just get rested so that we weren't stressed and we'd be ready for this next week.  Here are some of the cute pictures from our games that we played. 

Jer and Sammy... two of my favorites.

Sammy 4 months old.

Yes... I'm the pink lump underneath.

Dad's a playground!

Love these guys!

Sweet boy!

I love these guys!

Dancer girl.

"Twirling"

Playing piano.

Sweet face!

Sammy

What a sweet boy my Sammy is growing to be.  He does the whole body smile thing every time that you look at him.  He holds my hands while I feed him... he's come to love applesauce. He watchs Ada play and has a look on his face that clearly says that he'd be there right with her if he could. He loves to play with his hands clasped in front of him, and my favorite is that he loves to play with his hair and ear.  Cute boy!

PS... we all have the H1N1 virus... so please don't feel the need to stop by unexpectedly. (We're all doing fine, just don't want to spread it.)

Be Careful What you Say

It's definitely at the point where it's not just the tone of voice but also what you say that she pays attention to.  The other day she was asking for a snack after she finished her breakfast... I told her no... she asked for gummy bears... I said no... and then she asked for a fruit snack... and I said, "You just want sugar don't you..." For the next ten minutes I had to endure Ada saying, "I want SUGAR!" Whoops.