The Little Figs

Today I'd like to thank the writers of the movie, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," for teaching my kids that it is funny to bow our heads at the dinner table and recite the Pledge of Allegiance instead of saying the prayer.

I ran across this journal entry from a few months ago. It details my trip to Arkansas for one of Aubree's surgeries. You may want to read about Aubree's diagnosis first, just to get the background.  https://thelittlefigs2.blogspot.com/2008/04/aubrees-brain-tumor.html I thought I would share it, even though it is kind of long... Yesterday I took Aubree to the Hearing and Balance Center for a hearing test (normal) and to meet with the therapist there. This therapist did all kinds of balance and motor skill testing. She had seen Aubree about two or three years ago and remembered her. She also checked her eyes and vestibular. I find myself wanting to forget about the stuff we’ve gone through. Appointments like this one are few and far between now and I think I must suppress many of my emotions about our medical situation. During and after this appointment, I cried. It just evokes many memories and the reality of the situation. I think I cry mostly because I am grateful for our o...

Yesterday at church I was sitting next to Marcus (6), tracing the lines in his palm. I said, "Why do you think those lines are there?" He replied, "When Jesus made me, that is where he sewed me up."

For the past couple of years I have heard complaints from my kids about the Principal's lunch rule. The rule says that you have to sit down as you get your food and cannot save seats for your friends. My kids call it "Assigned Seating." "Oh, Mom," Aubree (10) has said, "can't you PLEEEEASE talk to the Principal?" She argues that lunch should be her time to be social, chat amongst friends, and enjoy her break from school work. I have to agree with her. After months of complaints, I finally told her that I had to "choose my battles" with the school. I was not willing to go to bat for her on that issue. I had already fought for water to be served in the cafeteria, a bus to take neighbor kids to school, and other assorted items. I finally told her, "Either stop complaining, or do something about it." Well, imagine my surprise (and delight) when she came home from school a few weeks ago with a petition -- complete with a clipb...

I was laying on the living room floor, having a chat with my four year old. "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked him. I named off a few careers and waited for his response. "A doctor," Caleb replied. "What kind of doctor?" I asked. "Do you want to be one that checks kids, or one that delivers babies, or one that takes out tonsils, or one that checks eyes?" "The one that delivers babies," he answered. "That would be fun wouldn't it?" I asked. "Yeah, I will deliver the babies to the places they need to go. And I will give them all away, except I will keep the ones that look like me," Caleb stated. Hmmm... I think the word "deliver" had been misinterpreted. Once I started explaining what real OB's do, Caleb didn't seem very interested anymore. Maybe he'll "deliver" milk instead.

Saturday we went to my company party at a park. I just started with a new mortgage company a few months ago, so I was excited to go to their BBQ to meet some of the people that I've only spoken to on the phone. (Our main office is in Provo.) We got the directions to the park from Google, piled the kids in the mini-van, and drove to Pleasant Grove. I made a salad to contribute to the BBQ. Keep in mind that I haven't met these people yet, so I am looking for a gathering of complete strangers... We got to the park and saw a bunch of people at a pavilion. We parked the van and all piled out. We walked up to the food table and I uncovered my salad, took out my tongs, and the kids started picking up plates and getting drinks out of the cooler. After getting my salad settled, I turned around and noticed the group of people going through scrapbooks. That didn't seem very mortgage-like to me, so I decided to ask. I went up to a lady and said, "Excuse me, but could you...

If I had some advice for a mother of an elementary school child, it would be, "Enjoy the times that you don't embarrass your child." I must say that Tyler is very kind. He doesn't come right out and say, "Holy cow, Mom, you are so embarrassing!" like Aubree does. I can just tell that sometimes he's not happy that I'm hangin' around. How about the time last year when he was in sixth grade... he had forgotten to take his antibiotic in the morning, so I showed up at school with a syringe of pink stuff. When I popped in the doorway of the classroom, his teacher told me to "come right in and give it to him." Poor Tyler. He was in the front of the class and I pranced to the front with my little syringe, told him to "open up," and gave him his medication. He was very nice about it. That is why I wanted so badly NOT to embarrass him when I accompanied him on the first 7th grade fieldtrip of the year. I went and sat by him on the...