Monkey'n Around

Natalie decided to have her party at the gym again this year. It's the perfect place for our little monkey and her friends. We served pizza and monkey cupcakes. Monkey head cups and banana taffy for the favors. Oh, and bananas. All monkeys love bananas, right? And there was lots of monkey business...

Sienna

Makenna

Natalie was swinging from the rafters. Literally.

Ava

Sophie

Elsie

Emma

Alyssa and friend Hailey did some bigger tricks.

Lauryn

Chloe

Therese

Carson

Natalie loved every single present, which included three pillow pets and this poncho from friend, Luka. She's been wearing it ever since she opened it.

What more could this little monkey wish for?

Home Alone

Tara and I went to grab a quick bite at the Mexican restaurant down the street and we came home to Alyssa practicing her beam routine on her "beam". Evidently Natalie and Alyssa were staging their own home meet.

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

I pretty much can't get enough of her. Except when she won't go to bed at night. Or when she makes one of her signature messes. But really, I could just eat her up!

I hate it when she turns a year older, but I can't stop it no matter how much I wish her to stay my baby. She started her special day with a McDonald's big breakfast and some presents.

She couldn't wait to share her moon sand with Emma. They played for hours.

They are perfect friends, those two. Their relationship warms my heart and makes any day better. Natty's birthday just wouldn't be complete if it weren't shared with Emma.

They shared a Subway pizza for lunch.

And some girlfriend chatter.

Grandma and Grandpa gave her new Twinkle Toes. She lights up with every step.

She requested Red Robin for dinner but broke into tears when she thought the waiters forgot her birthday. Thankfully, after a friendly reminder, the singing crew arrived with the sundae and balloon.

Natty agreed to gluten-free cupcakes to accomodate her sister and Alyssa returned the love by making a really cute slide show as a birthday tribute.

No birthday is complete without the spanking machine...

Happy happy birthday, Natalie dear! Do you really have to be six?

Susceptible

Unfortunately it's become old hat. The nurse has the swab already in hand as she calls Caleb back for his appointment. Within minutes we have a positive strep culture and shortly thereafter are filling the prescription for amoxicillin.

Today's visit was the fourth of its kind in six months. That's right, four bouts of strep in exactly (to the day) six months! Yes, we always complete the round of antibiotics and yes, we always change the toothbrush. We know the drill.

Tomorrow we call the ENT to see if a tonsillectomy is in order.

Praise Mail

We've started a new tradition at our house called "Praise Mail." I once heard that praise is much more meaningful if given publicly. So several weeks ago, when we had some specific things that had warranted praise, I brought out this little mailbox. The kids were truly delighted with the special delivery.

Sometimes the praise mail has been an acknowlegement of simple things like making a bed or keeping a room clean. And I must admit that the establishment of praise mail had partly selfish motives. Sure, I want my kids to feel good about themselves, but I also hoped that the public praise would encourage the continuation of good behavior.

Other times praise mail delivers a compliment for bigger accomplishments. Like when Alyssa is the bar champion two meets in a row!

At the Hop--home meet--2/23/11

Rose City Challenge--Portland--3/5/11

Or when she sets a new school record for sit-ups...359!

Caleb got praise mail for braving a scout campout in record cold temperatures. While the local news was suggesting that people bring in their pets, we sent our 12-year-old out in the frigid (below zero) temperatures to camp for the night! I didn't sleep a wink but he came home in good spirits with all toes still attached.

Jon was praised for giving a great talk in ward conference last week. I'm going to put one in tonight for saving our girls from drowning in the hotel pool over the weekend. Thank goodness for his quick reaction. Things can go from fun to frantic so fast!

Natalie's been praised for becoming such a good reader and for being a nice friend.

Sometimes there's a lot of mail and other times just one, or even none. But that little red flag that alerts the family of an impending delivery is always exciting. So each night before family prayer, we open the mailbox to read its contents. (And we sing the Blue's Clues mail song, too. That was Jon's contribution to the tradition. I thought it was dorky but the kids love it!)

Once I even put in an item of praise for myself. :) We all need a little praise mail every now and then, right?

Bumbershoot

I didn't know that bumbershoot was another word for umbrella, did you? Thanks, Mom, for informing me. That would explain the hundred or so umbrellas that hung from the ceiling.

Yesterday, Alyssa competed in the Charity Choice Bumbershoot Invitational. With over 1500 athletes in 24 different sessions, it was by far the largest meet I'd ever attended.

My team competed on Friday. They did fairly well but with some big name competitors and super tough judges, I was a bit worried for Alyssa's session on Saturday. But I didn't tell her that.

She came out and did her thing. She placed 10th on vault, 5th on floor, 2nd on bars and 1st on beam! She ended up 3rd All-around. She did an amazing bar routine that actually ended up scoring the 2nd highest score of the whole session (58 total girls), regardless of age group. And the gymnast that scored the highest edged her out by a mere .025!

Grandma got this footage for us:
(Aside from the great acrobatics, I have two favorite moments in this short clip. First, I love the way the chalk dust flies as she grips the bars and second, her hard-to-impress Chinese coach actually claps MID routine! Yeah, that baby giant was THAT good!)



Way to go, Alyssa!

One Week Down--A Lifetime to Go!

It hasn't been without its moments of mourning, but overall, I'm going to give myself (and most especially Alyssa) a hearty pat-on-the-back for our first week in a gluten-free world.

I wasn't looking for a new hobby. And even if I was, researching, studying, shopping and experimenting in celiac-friendly cooking would not have even made my top 100. I already know how to cook, I don't want to start all over and learn an entirely new way, but sometimes we just don't get to choose our circumstances.

A lot has changed in just one week. Like the flour in my pantry.

We got a new toaster, too.

I tried making bread. Gluten-free bread is disappointing. It was moist and tasted fine, but it's hard to imagine eating a sandwich on this stuff.

So I turned it into bread crumbs instead. I used some of them to do some baked chicken and plan to use some more for meatloaf muffins tonight.

The kids really liked Betty Crocker's cookies. It's nice that she's come up with this option. But this is SO not me. I don't make cookies out of a box. Ever. Well, until now, I guess. I did buy another box to keep on hand but I plan to experiment with my favorite recipe soon.

I did banana bread and it was a big hit. This may become a staple at our house.

Because we come home late from the gym many nights, we need some fast options. We found some GF chicken nuggets, which Alyssa enjoyed, but at $6.99 for 18 miniscule nuggets, I decided to try and make my own.

They were quite good so I'm thinking I'll make a big batch and freeze them for those nights that we need to feed our girl in a hurry.

Rice Krispies are out (darn that malt flavoring), so we tried the same recipe made with Rice Chex. I'd read that the resulting taste was the same and that proved to be true. Even Caleb decided they tasted great once he got past their different appearance.

We followed up with our GI nurse practioner this morning. She gave me a copy of the pathologist's report and emphasized in no uncertain terms that Alyssa definitely has celiac disease. We have an appointment with the dietician on Thursday.

Alyssa continues to delight me with her positive attitude. I've not heard even the slightest complaint. Imagine having to completely change your diet and resist tempting gluten-filled foods of the past even though she doesn't exhibit a single digestive symptom! She says she doesn't feel any different, she's just as strong as ever. Just yesterday, she set a new school push-up record for 4th grade girls. She did 53! What will those biceps be capable of once her small intestine's healed and absorbing nutrients like it should?

As for me, I'm really trying. But I have complained a time or two. Or maybe even three. :) I'm trying to embrace this new hobby even it's one I never wanted.