Mary's Lullaby

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This time of year I always find myself reflecting back to when our sweet Sarah was sick. It usually begins a little before the April LDS General Conference and lasts till her special May 1st day. I find myself reliving bits and pieces of the difficult decisions that we made and the memories that we tried desperately to create.
I feel so blessed to have experienced every aspect of her life. Someone once asked me if knowing what I know now about how things would end with Sarah would I make the same decisions regarding her treatment again or would I not do any treatment. My answer is YES!I would choose treatment again. We were able to enjoy 3 1/2 wonderful years with her. As you can see in the video even though we had difficult times, there were many happy times and those memories outweigh the bad times.
When I hear Mary's Lullaby I am automatically drawn back into a time when I held the sweetest angel and rocked her day and night while singing her primary songs and of course "her song". The words speak my heart. Sarah now "feels the warmth on [her] cheeks from the Son," always. Someday I hope to feel that warmth with her. But for now we carry on and feel the JOY of life today!

(The words and music to Mary's Lullaby were written by our dear friend Shauna Snell)

A Day With Anna

I know the picture is a little blurry,but they were moving targets! Anna is our inquisitive, ingenious, always busy, Houdini. By 18 months she could pick any lock, climb any height, and open any childproof bottle. However, she happily smiles as she inquisitively discovers new things. This week she covered Jake in baby powder while playing the "baby powder game." While I was talking on the phone with a friend and building a train for Jake, Anna walked  up behind me and dumped a glass of water over my head. My friend was talking and I couldn't interupt her at that moment so I grabbed a blanket and started to wipe up the dripping mess. Quietly, Anna sneaked behind me again and poured another glass of water over my head, while I was saying "uh huh" to my friend on the phone. Sopping wet I gave her the glare that all mom's know so well. She laughed at me while I was trying to grab her, but she was off and running knowing she had gotten away with it because I was on the phone. When my friend was finished I said good bye. Found Anna. Put her into the bathtub. She was kicking and screaming that she did not want to take a bath! I told her not to worry she wasn't going to. I proceeded to dump a glass of water over her head. She was screaming by this point. I asked if she liked it? She obviously said no! I told her I didn't like it either. I handed her a towel and walked off, keeping my cool, but smuggly snickering inside!

The list with Anna could go on and on. There is not a day that goes by that we don't have a major mess. Spilled hot chocolate all over the kitchen because she disobeyed, lipstick all over her sleeping sisters face, marker allover her friends face because she was putting make up on her, mascara worn to church (she did a good job of putting that on!) water messes in her bedroom, making her own oatmeal, cooking on her own, coloring over Sarah's picture and frame. Best of all though was when Emilyhad friends over friday night andI had put Anna to bed, she opened her window and yelled out at a boy "Cooper, you can't be here Emily doesn't like you anymore!" Well, that was all this week! So where was the mama during all this? Usually changing a batch of laundry, folding laundry, or vacuuming up the mess made right before! 

Oh how WE LOVE OUR ANNA JOY!!! Because even with all of these acts she joyfully loves everyone and every aspect of life.

Jake playing Ref

Jake playing football coach. The thing in his mouth is his microphone

Uggg Science Fair

Emily worked on her science fair for months. It was not a pleasant experience for any of us. Because she decided to take honors Geography it lumped her into honors Science as well, not her favorite subject even though it is mine. Painfully we helped her figure things out. Ruth was a kind sister and posed as one of her model science fair participants.

This is a picture of Emily's waxed eyebrows. I know it looks like a lot of hair coming off, but believe it or not she takes that off weekly! The little hairy monkey! This is the kind of science she loves! You take bad pics with my camera and you will be exposed!

Jake the Great!

We have late church right now which means we can squeeze in the morning newspaper before church. Jake LOVES reading the sports page. He totes it around the house (and even takes it with him to church to read with his nursery leader, Brad). All of us seem to know what the game of the night was because Jake points to the pics and tells us "baa-ball", "bae-ball", "foo-ball" then with his big bright eyes dancing with delight at his new picture discoveries he says "bat". I am still working on teaching him "golf"! At Christmas Ruth got a set of clubs and Jake was all over those. My walls have a few dings from him trying out her clubs!

Jake in his favorite attire, Emily's basket ball shoes! He likes wearing her school uniform as well.

His favorite sport, teasing his sister "Aaa"

Computer Trouble

Well,Jakedecidedtoflickoffmyspacebarbuttonalongwithsomeotherkeysonthelaptop.Itmakesitquitedifficulttotype.ButIamworkingonjerryriggingitsosoonyouwillbeabletoreadmyposts!

Life is always interesting at the Bott house! If you didn't get our Christmas Card here it is! I think that about sums up our year!

TOUCH!

Sometimes I feel like I have let technology run away from me. By the time I get all my daily jobs done I rarely have much time left in my day to catch up on technology. Well, it has definitely been one of those moments lately. We were riding home in the car and I was manning the ipod touch. How difficult could it be to touch the screen and have it manuever to where I want it. Screams kept coming from the back of the car like "mom let me have it you're taking too long!"; "mom, that's the wrong song,"; "we didn't want dad's podcast we wanted Taylor Swift!"

Where was Anna when I needed her! I guess I need ipod lessons from the three year old! She can touch and move like no one I've seen. Her little thumbs can really dance! I can't imagine speedy gonzalas when she ventures into texting!

What a good Daddy

The other day I was getting ready for the day when Anna walked in with her doll all wrapped up in a blanket. She is such a good mommy. She was showing her baby to me when Jake walked in behind her with a blanket as well. He had his football all wrapped up like a baby. He was so proud of himself! He was showing me his "baby." It was all I could do to not laugh.

This week Jake has been very sick. We are waiting for some tests to come back to find out if he has some serious infection, we probably won't know till Wednesday. We are hoping it isn't anything to worry about. Saturday morning Alan had taken Emily and Ruth to early morning basketball. They were so noisy while getting ready that they woke Jake up about 7am. I tried to console him as they were walking out the door. Finally I thought I'd try to watch something while he cried. I turned the TV on and of course it was on the Mountain channel. Immediately he stopped crying and tuned right into the football game that was blaring. "Ba-Ball" was all he could say. He settled into my lap quietly and I began watching TCU play SMU back in 2008. I must say I wasn't that interested! But he was. We sat there for a good half an hour till I decided that I had had enough of watching two teams that I didn't even know what the letters stood for. My question is this, how does he know about football!?! I hope he doesn't plan on playing the game! He is definitely getting golf clubs for Christmas!!!

Jake shaves his head

Last weekend Alan came home from Korea. He had been up for over 24 hours and was feeling the effects of jet lag. He had just showered and set his razor down. When I walked into the bathroom I saw Jake with something gray in his hand rubbing it back and forth along his head.My first thought was that he had a comb and was trying to comb his own hair, ohh how cute! Until I realized it was Alan's razor that he was rubbing back and forth. He was left with this cute little bald spot! Better him than Anna right!

Baby Bumble Bees and Footballs

Anna has been learning so much during nursery. She has a great leader, Sis, Christiansen, who teaches her all sorts of songs. I usually spend the week trying to figure out what song she is trying to sing. However, last week I understood the words to "I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee, won't my mommy be so proud of me. I squishing up a baby bumble bee..." We sang the song together a couple of times. On Friday I was getting ready for the day after the kids were home from school when I heard a very loud shriek from the family room. It was Emily and so I ignored it because she usually over dramatizes everything. The screaming continued so I walked out to see what was going on. There Anna stood holding a wasp by its wings bringing it into me. She stood so proud and couldn't figure out why Emily was freaking out! I sometimes wonder who thinks up the songs that we sing to our children.

Jake came programmed to love sports. He carries a ball, bat, tennis racket, etc. around with him everywhere. We cannot get him to sit and watch Clifford or the Berenstain Bears, but when ESPN plays football, golf or tennis (women's included) he will stop what he is doing and zone in to the TV. He climbed up on my brother's lap and sat for 20 minutes just watching a football game with him. THIS IS CRAZY!!! I am definitely learning that boys and girls come very differently.

our top TEN list for summer

This is in mostly chronological order because all of these were #1! Remember we are simple people, it doesn't take much to make us happy!

#1 Family trip to Boston-Ruth is a Boston Celtics fan, I know it is just wrong! But she got her Celtics jersey she has wanted. Jake and Anna saw Boston from the most wonderful double stroller ever. It was worth all the money that I paid for it!!!!! Em, Ruth and I walked the city over. It was such a family friendly place. A couple of people asked if they were my sisters, that made my day, not so much theirs. The 3 of us got so good at the T, but we did hall the big stroller up and down A LOT of stairs because I didn't listen to the 12 year old who really has hear head on right. We visited Harvard, the Aquarium (not so good), walked the Freedom Trail, watched street dancers, ate roasted almonds from a street vendor, visited the Cappachetti's (our dear friends), CELEBRATED ANNA'S 3rd BIRTHDAY!!!

#2 Fenway Park-You can't go to Boston with a bunch of sports fanatics and not see Fenway. Because we had Anna and Jake we didn't go to a game, but just on the history tour which was very cool. Em took about a thousand pictures of the Red Sox hall of fame. Truly it was one of the most beautiful fields I have ever seen.

#3 Bear Lake with the Petersen Family-If you can look beyond the beauty of the Princesses, you will see the view of Bear Lake that we had from this cabin. It was exquisite. I wish I could describe the happy feelings that were in that cabin. These girl cousins (not to many boy cousins and very large gaps in ages makes them feel a little girl trapped) love each other so much.

#4 Tiling the basement- I know this doesn't sound fun, but it is always neat to learn a new skill with your husband. Alan and I spent 3 Saturdays together (now with Alan's loose interpretation of what a date is I am sure he is counting all three as dates!) cutting and laying about 800 sq ft of tile. It actually has turned out very nice. Someday it will actually get grouted as well.

#5 Photo Shoots with Aunt Di-Di was kind enough to take my girls, and Jakes pictures. Anna wasn't all that interested, she mostly wanted to play with Bella. Jake just wanted to explore, Emily and Ruth just wanted to look perfect, I think they did a pretty good job of that.

#6 Back to Bear Lake to see Alan's brother Dave-Dave was kind enough to do some work for a gift for me so we took Alan's parents up and spent the day with him. It was peaceful, calm, and happy. Jake explored Camp Hunt finding his first stick. Who knew that boys come with sword abilities!

#7 Jake learned how to say "ba-baaaa" let me interpret 18 month old that would be football, taught to him by his football fanatic sisters. I am still shooting for a golfer where no one will tackle my son and hurt him. If that doesn't work then maybe a punter then he will have to be fast and just get out of the way,but at least his blows would be limited!

#8 Best year ever for Summer Fun! Em and Ruth with two of their friends have run a fun camp for kids between the ages of 4 and 9. This year went so smoothly and the girls enjoyed it so much more than they ever had. Most of the days were planned well and with precision. There were a few gliches, but we call those learning experiences.

#9 Ruth got braces and her ears pierced-even though she doesn't want me to say so, she was sooooo excited to get braces! She kept begging me to make the appointment. I don't know if it is the transformation from 6th to 7th grade or the braces,but she is looking more mature.

A few years ago Emily wanted her ears pierce and I said I thought she was too young but if she read the Book of Mormon I would take her the day she finished and have them pierced. Well for the next two weeks she read day and night. So when Ruth wanted her ears pierced I had to follow the same pattern, again she read all day (not at night) till she too had finished the Book of Mormon. Moral of the story is be careful what you say because you have to follow through when you are the mom.

#10 Having one last summer with Anne. Sometimes we need to look at all the little miracles around us. We have blessing upon us all the time. And even when situations are difficult we will see the tender mercies of our Father in Heaven if we will focus on them instead of the pain and heartache that may be surrounding us. We spent a lot of time with Anne and are grateful for every memory.