Christopher's Chronicles

Trying to figure out how to get my blog up and going. My sister is a pro at this so she is giving me some tricks to get this figured out. Crossing my fingers!

2011-06-09T14:59:00.001-05:00

Amazing

2011-01-29T13:01:00.000-06:00

Sorry this is sideways! But this is too inspiring (at least for us) to not share!

Christopher is now gaining the confidence to walk up and down the stairs by just holding on to the rails!

And he has managed to put my camera on a "sepia" mode so my video looks funny! One smart little boy I tell ya!

anything is possible

2011-01-19T17:44:00.003-06:00

Love this of my kids! Christopher is learning so much!

We were told he would have major learning disabilities due to his Hydrocephalus.He is quite the opposite! In fact... when being evaluated for Special Needs pre-school he almost didn't qualify. You need to qualify under 2 different categories. Apparently being (extremly) physically handicapped is just not gonna cut it!
Interesting huh?

Project ELI.avi

2011-01-03T20:57:00.001-06:00

this is amazing...I got this from my friend Adrienns blog. All that look at my blog and wonder about Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalous this is a great video. This is exactly what we went through.

Along with so many families, we didn't know anyone else with this diagnosis. We were so scared and no where to turn but to our Heavenly Father. With his help we became stronger than we ever thought we could and our little Christopher Rudger was born, and our lives changed forever.Our lives changed for the better.

Since the moment Our little Christopher was born I decided I wanted to be a source of strength to any family that needed my help. Any mother who felt scared and alone, I wanted to help. I have come across some amazing Mother's through this experience who build me up and make me a stronger person as well. It's been an amazing journey so far.

All about Chris

2010-12-12T20:09:00.003-06:00

OK So I am changing it up on our blog. 3 years ago My friends helped me start a blog so I could keep my friends and family updated on the progress of Our little Christopher. And for some reason I have gotten distracted from that. I think now more than ever I need to blog about Christopher's life because I hope that some mother out there who has just found out their son or daughter will be born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalous will find strength and hope through our experiences since Christopher's Birth.
It's amazing that Christopher has been in our family for 3 years already. It's been a whirlwind, but it has been an amazing journey. I am so excited to watch this little boy grow up and eventually turn into a man. And what a man I know he will be. The sky's the limit for him.
In the last year Christopher has made many changes. He has learned to use his walker perfectly as if it is just part of him. He goes anywher and everywhere with it. He is now talking in full sentences, it is so fun to be able to carry on a conversation with him. He started preschool in October, and there has been so much growth there. Biggest thing now is his learning how to use his 4 arm crutches. He does not like them much right now, but he is improving every day.
So, this is going to be the way I am going to Chronicle Christopher's growth and adventures in life. Please follow along because I'm telling you this little boy is inspiring and our family is so blessed to have him be ours.

best friends and brothers

2010-08-18T18:58:00.003-05:00

spencer started Kindergarten today! Christopher is not quite sure how to take it either. His best friend will be gone now every day. Thank goodness we are starting with baby steps, he is only half day this year. I tell you though when we left Spencer at school all Christopher would say was "Get Spencer"..."where's Spencer". Made me pretty sad. If Chris is ever in a bad mood, or he's not feeling like doing his PT or he doesn't want to go to bed... he just needs his big brother to turn his mood right around. Spencer can convince that child to do anything. Thank goodness he convinces him to do good things and not bad! :).
So This is going to be a new adventure for Christopher, daring to try things with out his big brother by his side all the time. It will be good for him, and for us I think. This will be the first time that It will be just he and I...We will get some serious bonding time, and I am really looking forward to that. The only thing that makes me sad is that my kids are GROWING UP!!!! Emily is now an 8th grader, and James is in 7th. There is no picture of the two of them because they only let me take one quick one of them on my phone...PUNKS! I'll get a good one of them and post it soon though. I love my 4 beautiful children so much. I know I say this alot but Rob and I are so lucky to have these very specific special sweeties. We are so grateful!

newest family picture

2010-08-01T20:40:00.004-05:00

I have been trying forever to upload these pictures to my blog!!!! Hoping this finally works. This is the newest picture of my family. We were on vacation for a month this summer visiting family. We were actually together with ALL of my brother's and sister's (there are 6 of us), our spouses and all of our children. We were all together to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. My Dad's wish for the last few years was to have the whole family together for a family portrait.We were able to acomplish that, and we are so excited about having all these new pictures of everyone. OOh I'm telling you we had the most amazing time with everyone. Now that we are home and settled I am going to be able to blog all about it. Lots of amazing memories to perserve. But, Here is the first of many pictures to share.....My kids sure are growing fast.

Christopher update!

2010-05-24T21:57:00.003-05:00

What a CRAZY month we have had here at the ETCHELLS! I just wanted to catch all who is interested up on everything that is going on with our little Christopher.
We had a SB clinic and he is improving fabulously with his MAD Walking skills :)!
Doctors are so stinkin impressed with his mobility. They have been waiting for him to start using his legs more so they could sort of determine his level of mobility. The best news I could ever hear was when the Doc said next step after the walker will be the for-arm crutches, and after that he just might be able to walk with just braces! Now I am not holding my breath on the last part, we will just patiently wait and see.
Now with every bit of good news comes some bad news right? Christopher's bladder is not doing so swell. It is now time to start the cathing. I knew it was only a matter of time though. Robert and I just took the news like...well we had a great 2 1/2 years without it! Christopher had to have all the extensive testing done on his bladder, and all the results came back worse than the time before. I tell ya, they wasted no time at all! I did not leave the hospital that day without learning how to cath my son all by myself. I will admit I was pretty darn scared. But, you have to think to yourself... what are my options?" Their are no options, so put your big girl pants on Becky and deal with it. So that's what i'm doing, dealing with it. I have to admit some days I deal with it better than others. Today, has been a pitty party day. But, i think I have to allow myself those days in order to endure. I have to get the tears out and move on. I don't want people to think I am this solid as a rock person and I never break down, because I do break down(just ask my husband)! It's ok though.
So, after a day of cathing my son every four hours Rob and I woke up at three in the morning with Christopher having a 104 temp. and being completly lathargic. We tried waking him up, but he would just look uncomfortable and try to fall back asleep. We called the Dr. and we were on our way down to Children's before you knew it. They always send us there if he has these symptoms because you never know if it is a UTI or a shunt infection. Kind of nerve racking to say the leaste. So gratefully we have our Emily to come lay in our bed and be there if Spencer wakes up. We were in the ER for about 3 hours, and he had a pretty major UTI. But they just told us go home give him his antibiotics and continue cathing him every 4 hrs. Seriously I was so nervous to cath him after that, because you never know if you are the one doing harm to him. Again though, what are my options? Just suck it up and do it. He is doing much better now, and I think I am less nervous now too, which is a very good thing. We just keep praying that we are doing the best we can for our precious little gift.
I just never thought in a million years that I could add to my resume....expert Catheter putter inner :). But if anyone needs help with cathing Let me know!I guess that's looking on the bright side right?

Christopher's shunt

2010-05-05T18:28:00.003-05:00

This is just for anyone interested in what a shunt actually looks like from the inside! So amazing that this device keeps our Christopher healthy and alive. I tried to scan the part that coils around his intestines but it wouldn't scan...will keep trying. There is actually enough tubing in his stomach to last until he is grown. Isn't that awesome? We just got back from clinic today, lots od new information! I will save it all for another day because we are BEAT!!!

Special Child

2010-04-30T20:13:00.002-05:00

Special Child
by Sharon Harris
You weren't like other children,
And God was well aware,
You'd need a caring family,
With love enough to share.

And so He sent you to us,
And much to our surprise,
You haven't been a challenge,
But a blessing in disguise.

Your wining smiles and laughter,
The pleasures you impart,
Far outweigh your special needs,
And melt the coldest heart.

We're proud that we've been chosen,
To help you learn and grow,
The joy that you have brought us,
Is more than you can know.

A precious gift from Heaven,
A treasure from above,
A child who's taught us many things,
But most of all - "Real Love"

This completly sums up our love for our Christopher! It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. We are so grateful that heavenly father chose us to be his family.

april fools day and a little therapy

2010-04-24T21:22:00.004-05:00

Emily thought it would be a fantastic idea on April Fools day to try to FOOL mom and Dad by putting Casts made of toilet paper on all the boys. She had it all planned! She put the casts on and coached the boys on what to do, then came up to give mom and dad the bad news that all three boys had broken arms!The little boys were so cute they were totally hamming it up (Christopher was so stinkin funny)! Spencer seriously thought he had us fooled! It was so dang cute I'm glad we got some pictures of it!

Christopher is really taking to his walker, and we couldn't be more proud of how hard he works at it. He is still having a hard time turning it to where he wants to go, he pretty much just goes in a straight line until either he gets stuck or we move him. I thought a really good place to go on a rainy day would be Toy r us! It was awesome, he was totally distracted and walked everywhere to look at all the fun toys. I swear he walked for over an hour! This picture is Christopher taking a break playing with the Train table. He is really getting around! A very proud Mommy and Daddy moment!

"Where can I turn for peace"

2010-04-18T19:40:00.006-05:00

Ok, so please bear with me on this as I am still thinking this all through in my head! My sister Julie is such an amazing wonderful person. She is my Oldest Sibling and is one that I gain alot of support and strength from. She inspires me. The other day we were talking on the phone and she was telling me about a stake Relief society conference she was asked to speak at. The topic is on Scripture study. She asked me from my perspective what I would like to get out of a talk like that. I told her that I want to know how with everything I have going on during the day I can just find some quiet time to read my scriptures. Not just read but STUDY! I mean I don't want to read a certain amount of pages for a goal, I want to really find time to study them. What could I do? So she called me back the next day and said that she had been thinking about my question and really felt impressed to call me about some things she thought of. She said " Ok, so you are a mom of 4 children! A teenage daughter that is facing a lot of peer pressure issues right now, a 12yr. old son your worried about be bullied, a 5 yr. old son and a 2 yr. old son with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalous. Your husband always has unexpected health problems and has been laid off from yet another failing company and you are the primary president.And your trying to find time to study the scriptures? ". At first when she said that I thought Ya... exactly I am totally justified in my frustration. She didn't even have to say anything else to then make me think " the thing I should be finding time to do the most is Scripture study! Where I can find answersto so many of my daily struggles, and where I could find peace"! Who do you think is trying to keep me away from reading those scriptures? Yep...I think you all know. He's the one trying to tell me my life is too crazy for any REAL scripture study. Interesting huh?
My sister then said, you don't need to sit down and read for a certain amount of time. Find a scripture and disect it! Keep your scriptures open to that verse for as long as you want and ponder it, read it and re-read it until you truly know the meaning of that scripture.Now who couldn't do that? What's neat about that idea is that so often we read and we never get much out of it. But, with this we read it until we do. I Love it! And Boy do I love my Sister!!!
As I was thinking of this today a song came into my mind, so I will share it with you too.

Where Can I Turn for Peace? 129 - Emma Lou Thayne (© 1973 LDS)

Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice, I draw myself apart, Searching my soul?
Where, when my aching grows, Where, when I languish, Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who, who can understand? He, only One.
He answers privately, Reaches my reaching In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching. Constant he is and kind, Love without end

Continuation from last post.

2010-04-11T19:22:00.002-05:00

So, I really wanted to post this talk because of the message. I am now the mother of a beautiful,outgoing, fiesty, sassy, loving and compassionate 13 year old daughter. To tell you the truth...I'm struggling a little bit with how to best parent her at this age. She has become quite the well liked girl at school. The only problem with that is alot of those girls are not ones i would choose for her to hang out with. I know that I cannot choose my daughter's friends, but i can certaintly teach her how to be a leader and not a follower.
Emily has recently been invited to a few different things that has left me slightly stressed out. I know that I cannot always say no to her for fear that one day she will just flat out rebel on me. She was invited to a birthday party(A Sleepover). The party was at the sheratan Hotel in town. At first I was like HECK NO!!! But as I talked with the mother and thought about the situation more I decided to let her go. Later she told me the girls were planning ( behind the parents back) To watch a very inapropriate movie. I saw on Emily's phone a text to one of her friends that that was not a movie she was aloud to see...what should she do? Her friend told her to lie and not tell her parents about the movie. Her response: I don't lie to my parents! Her friend then said: Well I'll watch another movie with you then. I was so proud of Em for that. I knew she would be ok. Plus we texed eachother the whole night anyway. By the way... they ended up not watching the movie anyway.
So her next adventure was an invite to watch a movie with a bunch of the same girls and then walk over to eat at Red Robin after.Only problem with that is I'm not ready to just dump my daughter off somewhere and hope for the best. Not to mention walking to Red Robin would be after 9 at night.So Robert and I said Yes she could go, but we would be making a date night out of it as well. We watched a different movie at the same time, and ate at the complete other side of Red Robin at the same time. She then texted me and said "Mom...All the girls want to go to an ice cream place now, Can I go? I said " do their parents know? She said no, they just are not telling them. Which then Rob and I said...say bye, it's time to go! The troubling thing about that whole night was Rob and I were the only parents there out of those 10 13 yr. old girls. What are parents thinking? Seriously! I know that we may be a little annoying with my daughter right now, but she gets to do these things and we know she's safe! So I think that a pretty good compromise right? I am just grateful Heavenly father sent me only 1 daughter and the rest sons! How do you mothers do it with so many daughters? You have my complete respect!

"Your Happily Ever After"

2010-04-10T17:49:00.004-05:00

My Beautiful daughter Emily

I have been wanting to post this wonderful talk ever since I first heard it. Emily (my daughter) and I heard this talk from President Uchtdorf at the General Young Women's meeting a few weeks ago.Please take the time to read this, i promise you it will give such perspective to your life and to your loved ones lives. I think of myself, My daughter even my sons when I read this. It truly is an amazing message.

Your Happily Ever After
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

My dear young sisters all around the world, I am grateful and honored to be with you today. President Thomas S. Monson and all the leaders of the Church love you; we pray for you, and we rejoice in your faithfulness.

Over the years I have been exposed to many beautiful languages—each of them is fascinating and remarkable; each has its particular charm. But as different as these languages can be, they often have things in common. For example, in most languages there exists a phrase as magical and full of promise as perhaps any in the world. That phrase is “Once upon a time.”

Aren’t those wonderful words to begin a story? “Once upon a time” promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princesses and princes. It may include tales of courage, hope, and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words “And they lived happily ever after.”

Isn’t that what we all desire: to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, to live happily ever after?

Today I want to draw your attention to something very significant, very extraordinary. On the first page of your Young Women Personal Progress book, you will find these words: “You are a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father, prepared to come to the earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose.”1

Sisters, those words are true! They are not made up in a fairy tale! Isn’t it remarkable to know that our eternal Heavenly Father knows you, hears you, watches over you, and loves you with an infinite love? In fact, His love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of “once upon a time,” complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love. And, most glorious of all, He offers you a gift beyond price and comprehension. Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”

But such a blessing does not come without a price. It is not given simply because you desire it. It comes only through understanding who you are and what you must become in order to be worthy of such a gift.

Trial Is Part of the Journey

For a moment, think back about your favorite fairy tale. In that story the main character may be a princess or a peasant; she might be a mermaid or a milkmaid, a ruler or a servant. You will find one thing all have in common: they must overcome adversity.

Cinderella has to endure her wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She is compelled to suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule.

In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle becomes a captive to a frightful-looking beast in order to save her father. She sacrifices her home and family, all she holds dear, to spend several months in the beast’s castle.

In the tale “Rumpelstiltskin,” a poor miller promises the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king immediately sends for her and locks her in a room with a mound of straw and a spinning wheel. Later in the story she faces the danger of losing her firstborn child unless she can guess the name of the magical creature who helped her in this impossible task.

In each of these stories, Cinderella, Belle, and the miller’s daughter have to experience sadness and trial before they can reach their “happily ever after.” Think about it. Has there ever been a person who did not have to go through his or her own dark valley of temptation, trial, and sorrow?

Sandwiched between their “once upon a time” and “happily ever after,” they all had to experience great adversity. Why must all experience sadness and tragedy? Why could we not simply live in bliss and peace, each day filled with wonder, joy, and love?

The scriptures tell us there must be opposition in all things, for without it we could not discern the sweet from the bitter.2 Would the marathon runner feel the triumph of finishing the race had she not felt the pain of the hours of pushing against her limits? Would the pianist feel the joy of mastering an intricate sonata without the painstaking hours of practice?

In stories, as in life, adversity teaches us things we cannot learn otherwise. Adversity helps to develop a depth of character that comes in no other way. Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy.

Let me share with you a personal experience I had as a teenager while our family was attending church in Frankfurt, Germany.

One Sunday the missionaries brought a new family to our meetings whom I hadn’t seen before. It was a mother with two beautiful daughters. I thought that these missionaries were doing a very, very good job.

I particularly took notice of the one daughter with gorgeous dark hair and large brown eyes. Her name was Harriet, and I think I fell in love with her from the first moment I saw her. Unfortunately, this beautiful young woman didn’t seem to feel the same about me. She had many young men who wanted to make her acquaintance, and I began to wonder if she would ever see me as anything but a friend. But I didn’t let that deter me. I figured out ways to be where she was. When I passed the sacrament, I made sure I was in the right position so that I would be the one to pass the sacrament to her.

When we had special activities at church, I rode my bike to Harriet’s house and rang the doorbell. Harriet’s mother usually answered. In fact, she opened the kitchen window of their apartment on the fourth floor and asked what I wanted. I would ask if Harriet would like a ride to church on my bicycle. Harriet’s mother would say, “No, she will be coming later, but I will be happy to ride with you to church.” This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but how could I decline?

And so we rode to church. I must admit I had a very impressive road bike. Harriet’s mother sat on the top tube bar just in front of me, and I tried to be the most elegant bicycle driver over roads of rough cobblestone.

Time passed. While beautiful Harriet was seeing many other young men, it seemed that I could not make any headway with her.

Was I disappointed? Yes.

Was I defeated? Absolutely not!

Actually, looking back I recognize that it doesn’t hurt at all to be on good terms with the mother of the girl of your dreams.

Years later, after I had finished my training as a fighter pilot in the air force, I experienced a modern miracle in Harriet’s response to my continued courting. One day she said, “Dieter, you have matured much over these past years.”

I moved quickly after that, and within a few months I was married to the woman I had loved ever since I first saw her. The process hadn’t been easy—there were moments of suffering and despair—but finally my happiness was full, and it still is, even more so.

My dear young sisters, you need to know that you will experience your own adversity. None is exempt. You will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. You will learn for yourself what every heroine has learned: through overcoming challenges come growth and strength.

It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.

There are those among you who, although young, have already suffered a full measure of grief and sorrow. My heart is filled with compassion and love for you. How dear you are to the Church. How beloved you are of your Heavenly Father. Though it may seem that you are alone, angels attend you. Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone.

If you ever feel your burden is too great to bear, lift your heart to your Heavenly Father, and He will uphold and bless you. He says to you, as He said to Joseph Smith, “[Your] adversity and [your] afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if [you] endure it well, God shall exalt [you] on high.”3

Enduring adversity is not the only thing you must do to experience a happy life. Let me repeat: how you react to adversity and temptation is a critical factor in whether or not you arrive at your own “happily ever after.”

Stay True to What You Know Is Right

Sisters, young sisters, beloved young sisters, stay true to what you know is right. Everywhere you look today, you will find promises of happiness. Ads in magazines promise total bliss if you will only buy a certain outfit, shampoo, or makeup. Certain media productions glamorize those who embrace evil or who give in to base instincts. Often these same people are portrayed as models of success and accomplishment.

In a world where evil is portrayed as good and good as evil, sometimes it is difficult to know the truth. In some ways it is almost like Little Red Riding Hood’s dilemma: when you are not quite sure what you are seeing, is it a beloved grandmother or is it a dangerous wolf?

I spent many years in the cockpit of an airplane. My task was to get a big jet safely from any part of the world to our desired destination. I knew with certainty that if I wanted to travel from New York to Rome, I needed to fly east. If some were to tell me that I should fly south, I knew there was no truth in their words. I would not trust them because I knew for myself. No amount of persuasion, no amount of flattery, bribery, or threats could convince me that flying south would get me to my destination because I knew.

We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! And He has created a map for you; He knows the way. He is your beloved Heavenly Father, who seeks your good, your happiness. He desires with all the love of a perfect and pure Father that you reach your supernal destination. The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ and “stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places.”4 All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father. Trust Him enough to follow His plan.

Nevertheless, not all will follow the map. They may look at it. They may think it is reasonable, perhaps even true. But they do not follow the divine directions. Many believe that any road will take them to a “happily ever after.” Some may even become angry when others who know the way try to help and tell them. They suppose that such advice is outdated, irrelevant, out of touch with modern life.

Sisters, they suppose wrong.

The Gospel Is the Way to Happily Ever After

I understand that, at times, some may wonder why they attend Church meetings or why it is so important to read the scriptures regularly or pray to our Heavenly Father daily. Here is my answer: You do these things because they are part of God’s path for you. And that path will take you to your “happily ever after” destination.

“Happily ever after” is not something found only in fairy tales. You can have it! It is available for you! But you must follow your Heavenly Father’s map.

Sisters, please embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ! Learn to love your Heavenly Father with all your heart, might, and mind. Fill your souls with virtue, and love goodness. Always strive to bring out the best in yourself and others.

Learn to accept and act upon the Young Women values. Live the standards in For the Strength of Youth. These standards guide and direct you to your “happily ever after.” Living these standards will prepare you to make sacred covenants in the temple and establish your own legacy of goodness in your individual circumstances. “Stand . . . in holy places, and be not moved,”5 regardless of temptations or difficulties. I promise you that future generations will be grateful for you and praise your name for your courage and faithfulness during this crucial time of your life.

My dear young sisters—you who stand for truth and righteousness, you who seek goodness, you who have entered the waters of baptism and walk in the ways of the Lord—our Father in Heaven has promised that you will “mount up with wings as eagles; [you] shall run, and not be weary; and [you] shall walk, and not faint.”6 You “shall not be deceived.”7 God will bless and prosper you.8 “The gates of hell shall not prevail against you; . . . and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”9

Sisters, we love you. We pray for you. Be strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your “once upon a time” is now.

As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I leave you my blessing and give you a promise that as you accept and live the values and principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, “[you] will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.”10 And the day will come when you turn the final pages of your own glorious story; there you will read and experience the fulfillment of those blessed and wonderful words: “And they lived happily ever after.” Of this I testify in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Beautiful Back

2010-03-31T23:42:00.003-05:00

So, I often get asked questions about what my little guy's back looks like. People are filled with so many misconceptions about Spina Bifida. I really get asked if his Spine is actually sticking out of his back...I really do! I think people think what is underneath his onsie is something frightning. I would much rather share with people everything there is to know about my son's special needs than keep it a secret and have them assume the worst...you know? I hope this is making sense!
Christopher always has a onsie on because I hate having anything elastic directly on his skin. I'm sure it's not a problem seeing as though the latex is underneath fabric..but it really bothers me. So my point with that is no one ever see's his back. I just want people to know that his back is just like everyone else's only he has a scar...I just love his little back. I am so grateful that Christopher was born in a time when We could find out while in Utero his condition, and that we had plenty of time to perfectly plan his arrival and have him placed in the best hospital under the best care where he could get the surgeries he needed to be as heathy and happy as he truly is today. So to me that scar on his back is the most beautiful thing in the world. Yes he has a large scar on his back and yes he has a pipe in his head( As one Adorable 4 yr. old innocently pointed out...sorry Mel). But because of them my son is able to lead a very normal life! So here is a picture of Christopher's back straight out of the bathtub.I can get away with these pictures now but not for much longer. He is too young to oppose of them right now! :)

My three sons

2010-03-26T22:31:00.003-05:00

James had a huge band concert tonight. I have never seen this boy look more Handsome. Gosh he sure is growing up fast. He will be 12 in May! Mutuel, passing the Sacrament.......crazy to think he is already this old. What a blessing James is to me. He is the dream son I tell you. Never Disrespectful and always wanting to make sure I am happy. Seriously one of a kind. Now when it come to 2 of his siblings that's a whole other story, which only makes him Human right? He is so fabulous though with his "Baby", he would bend over backwards to do anything for him. Anyways, here are a few pictures from tonight.

foodie favorites

2010-03-10T13:33:00.005-06:00

Ok, These are INCREDIBLE! And they are Spencer's absolute favorite thing. When you make these you must double the recipe, because I promise you if you dont you will regret it!
I adapted this recipe from a great blog called kaitlin in the kitchen. She has fabulous recipes...go check it out. But, make these rolls first!
OOh, and i am going to start posting my favorite recipes on this blog from now on, so maybe i will be better at it. My sister is inspiring me.

Six Cheese Stuffed Garlic Bread Bites

Ingredients:
1 Package Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Warm Water
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Teaspoons Salt
3 Teaspoons Olive Oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
8 Ounce Package Six Cheese Blend (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, fontina and romano), shredded (Cloby Jack is wonderful too)
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Teaspoon Dry Italian Seasoning
3 Tablespoons Butter (I put about 5 tbs. in...I love butter)

Optional - Marinara or Ranch, for serving

Directions:
Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Add salt, olive oil and 2 1/2 cups flour. Attach dough hook to mixer, and kneed about 1 minute on medium low speed. Continuing on medium speed, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. If dough is too dry add another 1/2 cup of water and continue to kneed. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top and bottom. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled. Punch dough down, and take a ping pong sized piece of dough and make an indention for the cheese and fill each with 2 tablespoons of cheese, then take all sides and pinch them together to completely close the cheese in the dough ball. Place pinched side down in a greased pan. Repeat until you have used all the dough. Melt the butter and then add the garlic and Italian seasonings and mix well. Brush butter mixture over top the bites and bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 450 degree oven, or until they start to turn golden brown

Our little Dryer Dweller.....and " I DRAW?"

2010-03-08T20:59:00.004-06:00

Here are some cute new Pictures of our little Christopher. Gosh he is so stinkin cute...if you don't mind me saying so! Christopher is so into drawing lately. The first thing he says when he wakes up in the morning is "I Draw Mommy, I Draw Daddy?" So we get out the pencils and pens and paper ans he starts drawing away. He concentrate's so hard when he is doing it too. I love this because this is one thing he can do in his life with no difficulty at all. I am invisioning my son to be an amazing artist one day!

And..If we are wondering where our Christopher has dissapeared too one of the first places we look now is the dryer! He loves climbing in their. It takes him a while to climb in, but the satisfaction on his face after he conquers the climb is priceless!

yum,yummy,yumminess!

2010-03-04T18:34:00.002-06:00

I am so addicted to this salad. This is my friend Colleen's salad, and my friend Lorilee recently made it for a Relief Society party and it reminded my of it's yuminess! So of course I must share! Make this and I promise it will tickle your little taste buds!

Superb Spinach Salad (Alice Drake)

1-2 bunches of spinach (I only used 3/4 a bag)
1 head of lettuce
3/4 pound mushrooms. sliced
3/4 pound grated swiss cheese (I used 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1 red onion chopped (I forgot this)
1/2 bacon browned and crumbled
1/2 cup slivered almonds cooked in 3Tbsp sugar until crispy and brown (I browned mine in butter since I am staying away from sugar)

Dressing
1/3 cup vinegar
14 cup oil
1/8 cup yellow mustard
3/4 Tbsp poppyseed
3/4 Tbsp minced onion
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

mix dressing in a blender or with a whiskilee recently made for a relief society get together and reminded me of it's yuminess! So I of course must share! By the way...I have made it twice since then :)

2010-02-26T16:54:00.004-06:00

My Sweet girlfriend Lorilee gave me a link to a blog she thought i would like. I think it's called "enjoying the small and Simple things". I'll have to get the link on my blog because I so relate to this cute mom on every level. The first post I read of hers was how she just hated the poem she got about Holland. Now all of us Mom's who have children with special needs knows about this poem. Some of you take it and embrace it, and others of you relate it to the very day that you got the news of your new little one. I am one of the moms who did not love it. Although i know it means all good things,the day i read it was probably one of the worste days of my life. Now what came of that day turned out to be one of the BEST things in my life. But I will forever relate this poem to My worst day!
Here's the poem.... "Welcome To Holland"

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland!

AS I continued reading this blog I read a post that had this poem in it. She got it from someone who left a comment on her blog.( I think that everyone should always leave comments because they never know how they may help someone with their words...I am trying to make sure I do that now). Now, I love this. I am going to put it all over my house. It is so important to enjoy the days that are quiet and relaxing. Because you never know when the next one will come. Right now My "normal" days are very far and few inbetween, but I do appreciate them when they come. I swear this poem was written just for me. Today my husband let me sleep until I woke up on my own....Can you believe I slept until noon? When I came down stairs he said "Feel Better"? He knew that I needed that. I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!!
We both have been pretty stressed latley with this whole JOB thing. Yes we are again facing the terribleness(Not sure if that's a word) of the economy again. His new Company Is doing awful...But that's a whole other story. Needless to say, YES we are again looking for another job. But, alot of you out there know exactly how this feels right. Things will get better again I know they will. We Just have to enjoy those "Normal" days when they come right?

"NORMAL DAY"

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day, I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."

LOVE THIS!

Another great Quote that gives me perspective!

2010-02-17T19:58:00.002-06:00

"The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of a life of continuing peace and happiness. Sadness, heartache, and disappointment are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be. When the lesson you are to learn is very important, trials can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding. It is your understanding and application of the laws of God that will give your life glorious purpose as you ascend and conquer the difficulties of life. That perspective keeps challenges confined to their proper place--stepping-stones to further growth and attainment."

By: Richard G. Scott

I post these quotes because they truly help me put things into perspective. I Joke and say that I can't handle anymore that comes my way...that my family has had enough crud throwm at as. But, I would be a fool If I didn't notice all the tender mercies that come from our trials. I know that I will always have trials, that's what makes us grow. I just hope that I will always be strong enough to "Get back up when I fall"!

Quotes that give me strength

2010-02-15T17:33:00.000-06:00

"Life's journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles, pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings. Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed: the courage to say, 'No,' the courage to say, 'Yes,' Decisions do determine destiny. The call for courage comes constantly to each of us. It has ever been so, and so shall it ever be."
- Thomas S. Monson

That's Enough

2010-02-13T15:19:00.001-06:00

I think i need to change my blog description of our family from "Bring it on" to "That's Enough Thankyou very much", because I think i am being taken way to literally!!!!

bladder/kidney update....chicken pox and 14 years!

2010-02-03T10:52:00.003-06:00

What a crazy few weeks we have had at our house! We have been fairly healthy around here as of late, but just as you start thinking that....the bombs start dropping! We were first greeted with the lovely stomach flu (my personal favorite)! The only ones victim to that was Spencer, Emily and I. I was glad the rest of the gang got away from it.Then, we had the much anticipated ultra sounds and scans on Christopher's Bladder and Kidney's. I always get so nervous at the appointments, but as my brother(a pediatrician) recently told one of my sister's "It's time to put your big girl pants on and deal with it"!That was so funny to me...Love him. But, I think my big girl pants have been permanantly fastened on for quite some time now.It's just the way it has to be.
Everything went really well with his Dr.s appt..Although it shows his right kidney is still swollen and he is still showing to have reflex on that side...it has improved!!!! The tech doing the scans was taking forever, because to her everything looked abnormal. But, When looking at the comparisons with the Dr. From 3 months ago, they look so much better. So we walked out of there with big smile's on our faces. That was a good day.
Then, another bomb drops!!!! I was noticing some bumps on Christopher, One on his Head and one on his tummy. I just watched them to see how they changed, and the next morning I took off his jammies and they were everywhere! I took him to the Dr.s and he has Chicken Pox!!! OOH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!But, Remember my big girl pants are on so I am taking a deep breath and I am dealing with it rather calmly i should say.They have him on antibiotics, so that should help lessen the severity of it. What a stud he is I tell you, He is just as happy as can be even though i know he must be miserable.

On top of all of this today Robert and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. I don't know how much celebrating we will be doing with all the stuff going on at home! But, as I look back on these last 14 years, I think MAN We have really been through alot together.But, We are such a great team, that when trials come our way we have been able to meet them head on together. I am so grateful for my sweet husband. He is truly the best there is, and he just keeps getting better and better!

King Arthur's Birthday!

2010-01-19T13:57:00.004-06:00

So, my lovely sister Julie posted this wonderful memory on her blog yesterday.

"I can't forget to wish you a Happy King Arthur's Birthday today before it's over!

(Okay, I know there's no King Arthur's Birthday...but we "celebrate" it in our family! Here's the deal...my sister Becky had a little planner book when she was about 8 years old. She left it open on her bed, and like a nosy, much-older sister would do, I looked at what she had written there...important things needing to be accomplished by an 8-year old...and there I gleefully discovered "King Arthur's Birthday--no school!"

Of course, she had mistaken Martin Luther King Day for King Arthur...get it?!) Our "celebration" of the day usually entails calling or emailing my sister and never letting her forget it!"

I guess through the years I have given my family more than a few times to giggle at my expense. Julie always told me that when I get married my wedding gift will be a book of "Beckyism's" to give to my Husband. Although she didn't give Robert a book she sure told him all my stories! Thanks Jewels for Never letting me forget those fabulous memories and for passing them down the line to share with my children and nieces and nephew's! I sure appreciate you:) !!! Really I do though!

I love my big brother

2010-01-15T09:16:00.002-06:00

Christopher is always doing whatever his big Brother's are doing! So adorable. I am so glad Chris has brothers(and a sister) that just adore him! Makes me a very happy Mommy!

I'm pathetic

2010-01-13T18:36:00.002-06:00

Ok, I totally have to admit that I am going to a book group tonight and I never even read the book! I'm seriously going to just hang with the girlies and Eat yummy food! Ok now I'm a big enough girl to admit that's pretty pathetic!
All my friends have on their blog a "Book List" of their favorite Reads and their Most recent Reads. I just have lists of my favorite foods and the most recent foods I have enjoyed! Again...pretty Pathetic. So this year as it is one of my New Year's resolution's I want to start reading Books! I think the only Claim to Fame I have is "the Work And The GLory" Series, And I think My friends are all sick of me saying I read those Books! I loved them though, I just haven't gotten back to reading anything since then. The only thing Other than Church Stuff I read are...Can you Guess?.....Cook Books! PATHETIC!!!
So I'm asking all of you out there to help me out and give me some Book ideas that will Capture My attention from the very beginning. And then maybe I can put a "Book List" on my Blog! I would be so proud of myself.

bring it on indeed!

2010-01-03T20:31:00.005-06:00

Well, I am now the new primary president for our ward! Shocker...I know! But, truly I am so excited for this new challenge. I was reading some things and I came across this fabulous quote that I just had to share...
“All we ask of you is that in the hearts of these children who come under your watch, care and direction, you will so inspire them that nothing in this world will be dearer to them than the Gospel.” - President Ezra Taft Benson
That is alot of responsability put onto our shoulders isn't it? But I am grateful for the oppurtunity and trust My Heavenly Father has given me to teach his children.
And Boy do I have an awesome bunch of ladies that I get to work with.I don't know how I can fail in this calling with them by my side.
Christopher is in Nursery now, Spencer is in CTR 5 and James is now the Big man on Campus, so I am happy that i Can be in there with them every week. Also I think that whenever you are in a calling you can add your own special touch to things and I think I will be able to help teach these kids to have compassion for others with special needs. There aren't many kids in our ward with Special needs, but the ones that do have such a beautiful Spirit about them it's amazing. And I hope that all these kids will be able to see that in them (And really...they already are so good with them, it's neat to watch).
The one song that I have always loved Long before Christopher was born is "I'll walk with you". Here are the lyrics to the song, makes me cry every time i hear them

"If you don’t walk as most people do,
Some people walk away from you,
But I won’t! I won’t!
If you don’t talk as most people do,
Some people talk and laugh at you,
But I won’t! I won’t!
I’ll walk with you.
I’ll talk with you.
That’s how I’ll show my love for you.
Jesus walked away from none.
He gave his love to ev’ryone.
So I will! I will!
Jesus blessed all he could see,
Then turned and said,
“Come, follow me.”
And I will! I will!
I will! I will!
I’ll walk with you.
I’ll talk with you.
That’s how I’ll show my love for you".
Words: Carol Lynn Pearson

This song means alot more to me now with Christopher! I love it!!!
So here we go...on with new and exciting challenges. I am crazily really looking forward to them. And by the way any of you former Primary Presidents, If you have any advice I would love it!

Here you go jewels!

2009-12-29T22:33:00.002-06:00

My sister Julie asks me whenever we are on the phone what the latest Spencer Funny is! I'm telling you he is the funniest kid ever. The things that come out of his mouth sometimes are just priceless! I'm sure you all have one of those in your families.
Over this Christmas break our little family has been playing ALOT of Monopoly together. We are having a blast...when Dad doesn't kick our little hiney's. Anyways, if you haven't played this game with a 5 year old I highly recomend it. They are old enough to get enough of the rules to play, and they are so funny!!! So tonight we were playing and Spencer Just landed on one of Robert's properties...that of course had a Hotel on it, and Spencer shouts out "OOh yeah..I'm a LOOSA......that means GOOOOD in Chinese"! The kid just comes up with these things so randomly it's halirious. Anyways, if you don't have a Monopoly game go and get one and play it with your youngest kids, I promise you will not regret it!

We got our white christmas... for sure

2009-12-27T18:37:00.003-06:00

Boy did we get snow! My kids were wishing and wishing for a white christmas this year, and Christmas eve they sure got it! And even more on Christmas. So much so that Church was even cancelled today! We all know that doesn't happen very often. Today though Robert got Christopher all bundeled up to play with him in the snow. He was so cute in all his Snow clothes. Gosh, I'm telling you...he is the cutest stinkin kid ever. How did I get so lucky to be this boy's mother. I will be forever grateful that's for sure!

Then, spenc was outside sledding with his buddy Alex from next door, So he put Christopher on a sled too(which made me kind of nervous), But he loved it so much. By the way how cute is my little Spencer? That Boy would live outside 24/7 if he had the oppurtunity.

I've said before how amazing Spencer is with his Baby Brother. He hopped right on the back of the sled without anyone asking and just held on to his Brother so he would be safe...Love him!

I think what I loved the most out of this was Robert! He looks for any oppurtunity to have Christopher feel like a big boy, and to have him join in whatever fun everyone else is having! Christopher will never be left out or left behind in anything because of his daddy!
Have I told you before I have the BEST husband in the world?

try, try again!

2009-12-19T21:03:00.002-06:00

I love this picture of my Emily. What a beautiful girl she is becoming. Emily has been in the choir for the last two years at her middle school, and she really has a beautiful voice. I'm not just saying that either....the girl can sing. She has tried out for several thing in the last 2 years and either hasn't gotten the part or has just been part of an "ensamble" group. Needless to say she started feeling rather defeated. She started thinking maybe she couldn't sing that well and that's why she is never chosen for solo's or speacial parts in the musicals. I kept telling her it takes time. I remember trying out for so many solos in choir and not being chosen... it is kind of a blow to the ego. But I kept trying for some crazy reason and finally I was chosen for parts and solo's. I told Em that her time would come.... and it finally did. She got a part in her Christmas Concert. She called me from school when she found out, I just loved the excitment in her voice, it was priceless.
But I think the lesson learned here was Keep trying even though you feel like giving up. Because if you don't give up It will pay off in the end. I'm so glad for this experience Emily had, but even more I'm glad that she didn't get everything she tried out for...because I think it makes her appreciate it so much more.

determined

2009-12-13T22:10:00.002-06:00

Ok so I have been talking about how great Chris is doing with our slide. He can climb up the three steps and slide down. I have taken videos of this and I cannot get them to post!!!!! But yesterday I found an amazing find on Craigslist. I have never purchased anything on there before....but I found the most fabulous Little tikes Jungle climber for $50....regularly $250! So Rob went and picked it up he assembled it in the basement today for the boys and Christopher is in hog Heaven. It is quite a struggle for the little guy to get from level to level to reach the slide, but he never gives up and he get's there all by himself. We are so excited for this new climber. I swear anything to build up that little boys muscles I am all about, because the bigger he gets the harder it is for him to get around, so we just have to keep getting him stronger and stronger...and he is! The last picture is of him on his new little walker (actually this is a loaner) Ours is on order so it wont be ready for another 6 weeks or so. Pretty exciting stuff for us Etchells I tell you!

compassion

2009-12-01T13:32:00.003-06:00

I got a call from the assistant principal at the kids school last week, Instantly I thought ooh no what did one of them do? But it was for Emily and has actually been doing fabulous things. Each month at their assembly they award a few kids with an award for a virtue that they feel exemplifies that virtue. This month was the virtue of Compassion. They wanted to recognize Emily for her compassion towards others!!! I started crying if you can imagine. Going back to 2 years ago when we found out about Christopher having Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalous the first thing that came out of Emily and James' mouth was how worried they were of people making fun of him. I told the kids that it would be our job to make sure they don't, and if they did we would be their for him to cheer him up. We are his Cheer leaders. I had always hoped that from this experience we have been given that my children would become more compassionate people. That if they saw other people having a rough time, or if they were being made fun of they would have the strength to stick up for them and befriend them. For this very reason is why Emily was awarded today, I could not be more proud as a mother. This truly will be forever a highlight in my life! I am so very grateful for my Emily Anne!

christopher is 2!

2009-11-29T21:39:00.008-06:00

Our Christopher is 2! Can you believe this? This last week has been filled with so much reflection and it is very hard for me to keep the tears in. This little boy is such a blessing to our family. He had quite a tough entrance into this world 2 years ago, but with the help from his Heavenly Father he is such a bright adorable little two year old now.We are so proud of him. He is actually stepping up 3 steps on his little slide and then sliding down on his tummy. Which all of you mommy's with cuties like mine know how truly hard that is for him....but he does it. And it is so amazing to watch. He will do it 15 times in a row, and yes it's tiring, and yes it's difficult but he loves the fact that he can now do something his big brother does.... and that's the fuel that keeps him going.
I guess one of the biggest lessons We as a family have learned since the moment we found out about Christopher's Condition is that time passes by. You can get through anything with the help of our Heavenly Father, no matter how difficult. It seems like when you are knee deep in your trial you feel like you are never going to get out of it, but you will...just have faith and you will I promise. And you will not believe how much stronger a much stronger you will be!
Thankyou to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers for our Christopher, we will forever be grateful

Sorry...I'm gonna make you leave a comment!

2009-11-24T18:09:00.002-06:00

Since I have professed over and over again how much I love to cook and find and try new recipes I need your help! Which means you may actually need to leave a comment if you don't mind. I want new thanksgiving recipes! Especially new ways to bake my Thanksgiving turkey! I know we all have our "Must Have's" every year, so I want to know what those are for you. My sister julie (You can find her blog link on the right) has already posted on her blog 2 of our family must have recipes, Banana salad and Mom's yummy yummy rolls! I will post a few more recipes tomorrow as well to share with you!
Thanks guys, I hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving Holiday.This year we are by ourselves no family with us, but they are surely with us in Spirit, and I know that Our Thanksgiving tables will all look pretty much the same...Holidays are all about tradition!

Love, Becky

you gotta check this out!

2009-11-22T19:45:00.004-06:00

If anyone wondered anything about Christopher's Disability please check out this fabulous website. Thanks for finding this Adrienne. I actually remember reading about this family in People magazine last year. I love what they are doing for our cause. This Will bring on some tears though I'm just warning you.

http://sophiesvoicefoundation.org/home.htm

or you can just type sophies voice and it will pop up too!

Fun family visitors

2009-11-17T11:05:00.009-06:00

Robert's sister Susanna and her super cute family came and visited us last week. We had such a fun time with them here. They stayed a week... but that week went by way to fast. Our kids were so excited for them to come they were having a countdown to their arrival. Spencer the night before they came started crying because they were going to leave in a week! I said buddy they haven't even gotten here yet....as you can see we don't get our family out here near as much as we would like. I'm glad susie Jeff and Natalie finally got here because now they can officially go home and report that we do not live in the land of OZ after all. I think people imagine us living in a large field of corn rows. Really it's just as cool or even cooler than southern cal. (where we are from).
I think we were able to acomplish everything on their list. Their list consisted mainly of church history sights and bbq joints. We got all of that done and then some. The greatest part of the trip I think was just watching the kids play together and just chilling out and having great conversation!
Natalie is about 6 months older than Christopher, and as I have mentioned before it is always hard for me to watch all the kids Chris' age and even some younger running circles around him while he just sits there and watches. I don't think that will ever be easy for me to see. But my sweet niece Natalie one night really wanted to play with her cousin Christopher so she started crawling everywhere with him. Christopher had soo much fun. Everytime he stopped...she stopped. Then Christopher would motion to her "let's go", and they were off again. So precious. As small a moment that was I think that was the highlight for me, seeing the pure joy on my son's face was priceless!
Here are a few pictures from their trip here(thanks susie for posting them)! And thanks Dottl family for the visit. We are excited already for your next visit!

Spina bifida clinic

2009-11-14T09:46:00.007-06:00

Well, We have been a little crazy around here so I have been a little neglectful on my blogging. I will try to catch up though. Christopher had his Spina bifida clinic last week that we go to every 6 months. On a whole it was a pretty good day. We were there though from 7:45 to 1:30. Chris was not a big fan of that. The nice thing is that we stay in one room and all the doctors and specialists come to us. He is almost 2 so the challeng there is christopher having the whole "stranger anxiety" thing going on. But, we worked it out and we got everything done. Robert was able to work from home that day (thank goodness) so Spencer got to stay home with Daddy!
We saw so many cute kids there that we haven't seen before. Lots of little boys. We saw one adorable 7 yr. old boy who was in a wheel chair ( he had no mobility in his legs at all) he was the funniest thing. When ever Christopher started crying he would play peek-a-boo with him to make him happy. Christopher love it. He was just a happy easy going kid. It's cool seeing boys that are older than Christopher with SB it kinda helps me imagine what he will be doing a few years down the line. Another little boy we saw there was 4 1/2 and he was cruising around with crutches. He had a little more mobility than the other little boy. I can see Chris kind of being like that. Although they say Christopher may be able to at some point walk with just his AFO'S (braces), which would be awesome. Anyways, I talked to this mom quite a bit, it's always nice to talk to mom's that are going through the same things you are. But, this mom's story started out a lot different thatn mine. She went into labor with her little guy without knowing he had Spina Bifida Or Hydrocepholous! Could you imagine that? Not being prepared at all!?! She gave birth and it wasn't until a few hours later that SHE not the doctor's noticed the lesion on his back.... WHAT? How does that happen? So of course he ended up with Spinal menengitis because they didn't protect his spine from infection at birth. What a great mom though, she is just making sure her little guy has the greatest future possible.... and he is such a happy little boy too.
The last mom I met was a new mom of a 4 mo. old little boy. This was her first child. You could tell everything was al little new for her. But, with all these mom's we have one thing in common..... We will fight to the bitter end to make sure our son's have everything they need to have the brightest future. This mom was getting ready to have her 4 mo. old have his 3rd shunt revision surgery. Bless her heart, that would be so hard to handle. I hope and pray this shunt takes and works perfectly for him. We talked a while, and I just felt like giving her my email so that we could get to know eachother.I feel like I have a little more experience with all of this so if I could help in any way I would love too. I knew no one that went through this before me. It is a very lonely place to be I will tell you that!
Anyways, So Christopher's bladder is looking a little worse than last time. He still has reflex on one side and a little swelling. We will just monitor a little closer and in 3 months if it is worse we will have to go back on antibiotics or maybe start cathing. We shall see!
Also they casted his feet for new AFO's which he hated!!!! Last year the AFO's cost us $1,700 after our insurence paid their portion. This time we were a little nervous to get the total.... but our new insurence ROCKS!!!!!!! Our portion is only $300 and some change! We could not believe it. So exciting. Then we also got a prescription for a reverse walker and therapy to learn how to use it. it's going to look like this

It is so tiny and so cute! The greatest thing about it is he can be on the same level as all the other kids. He never plays with the other kids because he is crawling and they are walking. That really breaks my heart, so I am really excited for him to be able to start walking. And we know he can do it because of the walker his daddy made him for home. Which by the way all the doctor's thought that was awesome. My husband is amazing!!!!
Well, I'll stop for now but that's our update. I have alot more to talk about so I will post again soon. To all you mom's that have kids with Spina Bifida that may read my blog... let me know who you are! I would love to get to know you and share stories with you all. I think you are all amazing women! Every mom is an amazing woman though :0)

another thinker

2009-11-01T20:59:00.002-06:00

We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

yah... chew on that one for a while. :)

I think we as women need to take it easy on ourselves. We have way too much on our plate to worry about what the rest of the world is doing and how we can keep up with it all.
We need to be happy with the talents and strengths we do have, and enjoy sharing that with others. We also need to be accepting of others talents and strengths and learn from them. Gosh, if we could do both of those things wouldn't we be happier and just more relaxed. I think so!

I just love Sister Hinkley.

love this!

2009-10-26T21:26:00.001-05:00

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

spencer...spencer...spencer!

2009-10-17T21:28:00.003-05:00

i think I have mentioned before that my son spencer thinks i have a magic power. He thinks i can see through walls! He thinks that of course..because that's what I told him. Is that bad? About 6 months ago or so we were having issues with him not telling us the truth on a few things that we already knew about. We needed him to tell us the truth so that we could give him the lesson " you get in more trouble for lying than if you just tell the truth"!
Well, we couldn't get it out of him. Finally I told him I already knew what he did because I can see through walls. He totally believed me. He asked " can you see through ceilings too?" (I'm thinking, he must do some sneaky things upstairs so yes, I can see through ceilings too!!!). So we resolved the issues and we really have had no problems with him lying since. He always comes right up to us and tells us what happened immediately. And in return he has learned that we can resolve anything when he is truthful to mommy and daddy.
So, we have not talked about the "seeing through walls" thing for some time. And by the way, I can only have that magic power with my kids. But you know I remember as a kid if my parents thought we were fibbing about something they would have us stick out our tongue. If our tongue was green that meant we were fibbing. If it was pink we were all good. They told us that they were the only ones that could see the green on our tongues. That really worked for them, and this is really working for me so I'm sticking with it as long as I can.
Tonight Spencer was in the family room with Christopher and I was in the office. He kept kicking a ball around really hard, I kept asking him to stop but ofcourse he did not. Then as you all can imagine I hear a big bang and then a huge crash. I kept my cool, Spenc walked in the office and said "Mom" I said I already know. and he said...I know. I said why? And Spencer said because you can see through walls. YES!!!!!! We went in looked at the damage, picked it up, he said he was sorry and I gave him a hug. He knew he was not in that much trouble because he told the truth. Now some of you might think I'm a little crazy making him think this, but I think i am just pure genius and you are more than welcome to use it on your own kids if you want too:0)

a daddy invention

2009-10-09T15:55:00.002-05:00

Is this amazing or what? Christopher is almost 2 and he of course is not walking on his own yet... but there are no walkers/ push toys out there that are stable enough for our little guy to strengthen his legs with and to practice walking.
Of course we could get a walker for him, and we will.... but that takes time and lots and lots of money. So, in the mean time daddy created this little walker out of pvc pipes. It is so amazing! He took Christopher to Lowe's with him to measure his hand to all the pvc pipes ( we wanted his hand to fit perfectly around it). Then he brought home a tall piece of the pvc and cut it down to the perfect height for Christopher. he made the legs wide enough and long enough so he could not tip over....Once he had it together Chris was off and walking with it in no time. Every day he gets better and better, and walks longer and longer. The great thing about this walker is it was fast to make and it cost us under ten dollars. Can you believe that? It's great because lots of families cannot afford expensive equipment, yet they have to in order for there kids to grow and progress. This is a great way to have their kids get around in there home. Anyways, we love it, and I am so proud of my husband. He would do anything for his kids. He is always thinking and thinking of ways to help make things as easy as possible for our little Chris. We think he is Superman!

Christopher's "Exercise Lady"

2009-09-23T19:34:00.003-05:00

Here is our little spunk in action. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful PT working with Christopher every week. She is AMAZING! Her name is Laura,but Spenc likes to call her " the exercise lady"! We just love her, and so does Christopher. The coolest thing is seeing how much she truly loves him back.
Laura comes to our house once a week for an hour, and it's amazing the progress he is making every week. We might have to slow it down to every other week soon though. It's a little bittersweet because we wouldn't get see Laura as much... we would really miss the interaction Christopher get's with her. But, the sweet of it is that he is improving so much he may not qualify for weekly visits. I cannot complain about that.
See,he is doing pretty much everything other than walking, and that is going to take some time of course. Laura seems pretty confidant that he'll be walking by the time he's 3... how cool is that! We just need to work on strengthning his leg muscles as much as possible, and that job is up to us. He is so much stronger than he was even last month. He walks with Daddy holding his Hands. He knows the process of walking we just need a little more strength in those cute little legs. Anyways, there's a little update on our little guy. Oh, and he is talking up a storm too. The cutest is when we call his name from another room and he replies with "what?" Sooo cute.
Sorry if some of the pictures are a little blurry, took them on my phone.

My Sister........... ROCKS

2009-09-17T13:10:00.007-05:00

Ok, anyone who takes the time to kindly read my blog needs to take another second and hop on over to my sister's blog. You will love it.
Now my mother has always been the most amazing doll maker, well everything maker, for that matter. My Sister Julie has always been great at crocheting, needle pointing, knitting, but it has just been the last few years that i have seen this new excitment and energy about her with her new found talent. She is a stinkin fabulous Artist. She calls it card making, but I'm telling you it is ART. Every card she makes is INSANE! I frame them. I can never dream of just using them as a card,it does not do them justice at all.
I of course did not inherit any of this talent... I can barely sew on a button. But, that's ok with me because I am lucky to be the reciever of such beautiul creations.
so, take a look and leave her a comment, she is new at this blogging thing and I know she loves it when people take the time to leave a comment.

thanks guys..... but really you'll be thankng me because you will love her stuff!

http://avintagechic.blogspot.com

by the way, a link to her blog is on the right of my page just down a bit

Crochet Not Croquet !

2009-09-16T11:27:00.003-05:00

James...What would I ever do without this sweet boy? He is the most tender kind hearted boy in the world. But, somtimes he has a hard time listening to all of the directions on a project or maybe not reading some of the fine print on important things, or sometimes maybe he assumes he knows something when possibly he does not.
So, James comes home on Monday not a very happy camper. I asked him what was wrong. He told me that at school they found out the club they were going to be in. Going back a bit, every kid has to join a club that the teachers lead. They are able to look at every club and write down their top 5 choices. From that they will pick the club they will join. So James was not thrilled that he got his #5 choice. He said " I get to be part of the Croquet club"! (with a fake smile on his face). I said that's not bad... it could be fun! He said "ya but, I read it wrong because it's actually the Crochet club)! (now with tears in his eyes)! What do you do at this point as a mother? I'll tell you what I did.. I grabbed him and hugged him and giggled and giggled on the inside the whole time. IS THis not going to be such a fun story to tell his kids one day? That's at leaste what I Kept telling him.
Not to worry though, he did get out of the CROCHET club. The only club left was the PUZZLE club. Although he was not to thrilled about this he gladly took it!

helping daddy in the yard

2009-09-06T20:46:00.003-05:00

Christopher is growing up so much these days.... he's talking like crazy and he is as sweet as can be. He's probably the only kiddo we have ever let get so gross and dirty.... but as Robert said " We never thought he would be able to get around like this, so he can get as dirty as he wants"!

There really is "no place like home".

2009-08-30T18:59:00.003-05:00

It's been such a crazy last few weeks, but it is finally slowing down here at the Etchells!
Thank goodness too. I think one more week would have possibly cracked me completly.
Although I think I have been saying that for a few months now. So, I guess I did ok.
We are oficially staying here in Olathe Kansas. Rob was layed off from his job (like thousands and thousands of others) in May. Right when the kids were getting out of school for the summer. We had no clue where we would end up for the next school year. I thought for sure we would be moving. We looked on the bright side and thought, well if we have to move maybe it well take us west closer to our family. That would really be great. We have been away from family for 7 years now, and it's pretty sad when you only get to see them about once a year. The other thing was Our very close friends the Speyer's up and left us and moved to Utah!!!! How dare they :)!! But seriously the thought of being here without them was sad to think.
We had some really good connections as far as jobs go so we thought it probably would'nt take to long to get another job..... ya right. It doesn't matter how good a connection you have in this economy.... if there's no job's, there's no jobs. Robert is so amazing though, he was so positive through all of this. The kids were great too. Ya, they went through sll the ups and down's of moving and not moving. They would miss their friends here, but they were excited for the potential of meeting new friends. I think they just needed to know for sure one way or the other.
This whole process took 4 months! I know people have to wait alot longer than that, and that just makes me so sad to think.
rob got a few phone calls from YRC, a great transportation company based here in Kansas. They were really excited to try to get him on board with them. Rob was really excited too, because it's a company he has really been looking at. The whole process took quite a while before he actually signed on the dotted line, but it finally happened. Robert's first day of work was the Kids first day of school too. I would be such a fool if I did not recognize that as a beautiful Tender Mercy from our Heavenly Father. I knew that he was watching over us the whole time.
So, we are here in Kansas for our 8th year... and we are going to make it the best.
Thankyou to everyone for loving us, and helping us through it all. It sure would have been tough to do without you. And Speyer's We miss you And wish that you were only on vacation.

Charity

2009-08-09T19:03:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful lesson in relief society today on Charity. I am sure alot of you had the very same lesson. We talked about Joseph Smith and how happy and optomistic he always was. He was so enthusastic about life and the growth of the church. People always surrounded themelves around him because he was so loving and joyful. We obviously know that one of the reasons he was like that was because he was filled with the spirit of the Holy Ghost, he just beamed with light even in his darkest hour.
This is how the people of the church of Jesus Christ generally are ( If they are filled with the light o Christ). The people that I surround my life around certaintly are. They are so willing to serve, and to help people in their time of need. If someone they love ae huring... they are too. if someone is happy...so are they.
I try to surround myself around those that are not envious of others or that get jealous of the things others have that they don't.
And if their are those that are like that I think you just have to try to love them more.
When Christpher was born we were surrounded by and loved by these kind of people.
I had friends preparing me for the dreaded c-section I would have. We had family fly in to be with us ( our parents, and my beautiful sister Julie). people came and surrounded me with so much love when my son and husband went to Children's Mercy for Christopher's surgeries. I was never alone, friends came and just took care of me and my family.
The reason I share this is because when I finally went in for my 6 week check-up my Doctor said so many Nurse's and Hospital staff and Doctor's have been asking about us. They said they felt such peace and love when ever they came into our room. It makes me cry every time I think of this. It's because Heavenly Father took care of me and my family. The spirit of the Holy Ghost was in my room. Because Heavenly Father Just sent me such an amazing gift, and I knew it. I was happy even when things were so tough. It's hard not too when you are surrounded by so much love. I love that the Church of Jesus Christ Of latter Day Saints teaches us to love and have charity in our hearts and to serve all that we can. I only hope that I can do for others as they have done for me.

How lucky am I to be apart of this family.

2009-07-29T14:32:00.003-05:00

My amazingly wonderful family minus some very important people : Greg, Malinda, Sam, Madi, Grant, Jenny, Eddie and Baby Connor or max ? And Sam(Steve and Karen's Sam)!!! We love and missed you very much. I am so lucky to call you all mine!!!! Thanks mom and Dad for raising up such an amazing group of people. Love you all!!!!!

from the mouth of my little babe.

2009-07-26T22:58:00.002-05:00

We are back home from a wonderful almost month long trip with family.... I will blog all about it later, but while this is still fresh in my mind I need to write about it so I will always remember it.

Grandma was talking to Spencer yesterday before we left and she said " Spencer,who is going to take care of me when you leave and Grandpa goes back to work, I will be all by myself"?
And Spencer's response was so innocent and priceless, he said " The Holy Ghost Grandma"!
Just like, of course didn't you know that.
love it when our kids remind us in very gentle ways that our heavenly father loves us, and he is always there.

A new way of thinking

2009-06-28T19:40:00.002-05:00

I love it when I can fully enjoy Sacrament Meeting with the kids obeying themselves, and I can just sit back and listen to the speakers. Today we had some really good talks too. There was one quote that really stood out to me that I wanted to share. I could even put it on vinyl ( as I always say to my sister).
The qoute was this: " Come what may and Love it"!
Now, I might change it up a bit for me with experiences I have had in my life thus far and say: " Come what may and embrace It". I think after you embrace what comes your way then you can find the good from it and love it. Does that make sense?
Sometimes i think it makes sense to me, but then I write it down and I wonder if people understand what I am saying. Ooh well though.

After we were able to embrace the news of our sweet little Christopher's future we were able to see the good things that would come from it, it became part of who we are, it was then our "new normal". And we loved everything good that came from it. We had so many Tender Mercies come our way, and we continue to see tender mercies daily.
Christopher is growing stronger and stronger every day. He is becoming smarter and smarter as well, he just has a way of making us SMILE every time he looks at us.
Sure More crazy things will come our way but I know as a family we will embrace them, and we will grow.
Christopher is starting to cruise around the furniture. He is so proud of himself, we are so proud of him. He does struggle with his little feet, since he cannot move them or feel them, as I'm sure you could only imagine the difficulty he would have trying to stand. But, he does it. He works a million times harder then we do and he never gives up.
So maybe that could be Christopher's Motto in life " Come what may, embrace it....then love it." At leaste that will be how I will help him approach the obstacles that no doubt will enter into his life often. And with that way of thinking I am confident he will be able to do amazing things in this life, and I'm excited to see those things happen.

our little trip to Branson

2009-06-24T20:33:00.002-05:00

I think I have been going a little stir crazy since summer got here. we have had a lot going on for the older two with girl's camp for Em ( post about that later), and scout camp for James. Rob has been Gone as well helping out with both of their camps, and that totally left me without a car last week. We sold one of our cars, so we are a 1 car family for the time being (not for long though). Anyways, the little boys and I were home ALOT together, without much to do. We were really missing Daddy, Emily and James..........and the Car.
So when everyone got home, I suggested we get the heck out of Olathe for a few days and go on a little road trip. e went to Branson Mo. and stayed at this fun hotel that has an indoor waterpark. We had a blast.It was a very lazy trip filled with Swimming, swimming and more swimming. Christopher even had fun. On our way there we stopped at Lambert's. Lambert's is this super Casual, Country "Family style" (very important)restraunt. We have gone a few times now and love it. They are famous for tossing their yummy hot rolls at you upon request. The kids love it. Spencer's goal was to catch 4 before we left..... And he did of course. Em and James caught a ton too. They are soooooo hot, so sometimes you get smacked in the face or back if your not paying attention, and it can hurt just a little :),
Just ask James and Rob.It was so fun to get away for a while with the family. It was very simple and very basic. We did nothing outragious or major, and yet we made some fabulous memories. Isnt that what it's all about afterall.
We don't need to spend a lot of money to make lasting memories. And if their is anything positive that can come out of this recession i think it would be that. Don't you agree?

My favorite Spencer-ism to date.

2009-06-07T20:52:00.002-05:00

Spencer: Mom?

Mom: What Spenc

Spencer: Toots kinda remind me of tornados.

Mom: ................ ok!

I guess it kinda makes sense. It is so hard not to crack up during those moments.
sorry, had to share.

Only Temporary, I promise Mom!

2009-05-27T20:02:00.003-05:00

Rob cut the boys hair today and left only this on Spencer's head today!
He said if their is anyone's personality that would suit a mowhawk it would be Spencer's.
We thought he would want it shaved off right away, but no, of course not. He does know that it is only temporary, and it will be shaved off before church on Sunday morning.

Gratitude!

2009-05-17T19:47:00.004-05:00

My beautiful daughter had her first opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting last week.
Yes, it's very hard for me to believe she is 12 and is a young woman old enough to be a speaker in Sacrament Meeting!
Well it was Mother's Day, so Emily Wanted no help from me, Only Dad! So, I gladly went to bed and left them to figure out the talk (Crossing my fingers just a little).
Her topic was on gratitude for Mother's. I just loved that she was given that topic...maybe it would just give her a tiny reminder to have a little more gratitude for her very own Mother...Me! I must say though she s a pretty darn good kid. Robert and I are so proud of her and how she is growing up.
Anyways, She was so nervous to be the first speaker, but let me tell you she was amazing! So confidant and beautiful. She gave such a lovley talk. Rob wanted me to know that the last part of her talk when she said Something about me she did not write any of that down, she wanted me to know that it was coming directly from her, and she meant it. Ok, that was the best Mother's Day EVER!!!!
In her talk she had some Quotes that I though were so neat on Gratitude :
David O. McKay said: " Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts".
Joseph B. Worthlin said : " Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. Thy tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable". I think for sure that is one to live by.
I started thinking after her talk that you know, things do kinda stink right now, we don't know what lies around the corner for our family. We could be anywhere by the end of the summer. At leaste I have hope that we will have some answers by then =). But, if we are somewhere new and different I will always have the 5 most most important people in my life with me where ever I go. I am so grateful for that!!! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us families, so that we don't have to endure our trials and tribulations in this life alone. And we can share every happiness in this life with them as well. Things never seem so tough when you have a support system like your family. My brother's and sister's, cousins, Aunts and Uncle's, Parents, grandparents...even friends become so much a part of your family. I cannot imagine where we Would be without them all. How lucky and grateful our little Etchells family of 6 are.

Christopher Mastering the stairs at 18 mo.

2009-05-11T20:24:00.006-05:00

this is Christopher's newest achievement! You can see the struggle he has trying to climb the stairs, but it is so amazing to us to see how determied he is to do it. With this kind of determination he can acomplish anything I know it! ( sorry for th annoying laugh,that must have been Robert's,could'nt hve been mine =) )

"Sweet baby James"

2009-05-07T10:01:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to Our James Douglas! 11 years old, I can hardly believe it!
Now James is probably the biggest fan of all things Nintendo there is. He has all there Systems, and he knows all the latest news about new games coming out. He even wants to go on his mission to Japan, because that's where Nintendo is made. He is a funny kid.
So he was super excited to find out that the newest Nintendo system the "DSI" would be out just in time for his birthday. We told him that was so cool, and we would get it for him if that's really what he wanted.
Then he knew that both sets of grandarent's always send him birthday money, and he thought he would get a few games to go along with it. He had it all planned out. But he is learning as he get's a little older that sometimes plans have to change.through this recession I think everyone is slowing down on spending. And Our views on what is important and necessary change as well. We thought for sure we would still get him the Dsi but maybe he could add his Grandparents birthday money to it as well. I was not quite sure how he would take it. But he was thrilled and happy to hand over his money.
This little boy is such an amazing kid. He is ready for anything.The possibility for moving is Huge right now, and the kids love it here. So when we told them that we may be moving he said " Mom, I've been thinking, I think moving would be Bittersweet. Bitter because we would have to leave Kansas,our house and friends, but sweet because of all the new neat things that could happen". (did that just come out of my son's mouth)?
When he said that Emily and I just looked at eachother in shock. He's a pretty cool kid.

I love my James, I am so proud of his choices he makes in life, and his sweet personality. He is going to turn to be such an amazing man one day.

I need your recipes!!!!!!

2009-04-30T17:07:00.002-05:00

I need your help! If you somehow stumbled across my silly blog can you do me a favor?
Leave me in the comments your favorite recipe. I would really love it.
I am in a total rutt(?) right now, and I need some fresh recipes. I need to update my cooking blog too and I will totally put them on there. Come on girls I need ya.
I love sharing favorite recipes, tried and true ones. It'one of my favorite things to do. And if you all put your recipes on here we could probably get the beginings of a pretty yummy cookbook! How fun would that be? So help a desperate mom out would ya? Thankyou tons :)

A quote to live by!

2009-04-29T11:08:00.000-05:00

by: David S. Baxter

"At . . . moments of crisis and challenge, some choose to abandon faith just at the time when it most needs to be embraced. Prayer is ignored at the very hour when it needs to be intensified. Virtue is carelessly tossed aside when it needs to be cherished. God is forsaken in the all-too-human yet mistaken fear that He has forsaken us.

"The truth is that our only safety, our only security, our only hope is to hold fast to that which is good. As the mists of darkness gather around us, we are only lost if we choose to let go of the iron rod, which is the word of God."

we need a little extra happiness in the house right now, and these pictures sure make us happy

2009-04-24T17:18:00.002-05:00

Christopher being a big boy in nursery! He loved it!!! He did a geat job on the chair for snack time too. The other picture just makes us smile, he looks so cute with this hat on, he know's it too!

Christopher Update

2009-04-15T19:38:00.002-05:00

So I have been told I need to update the bog about Christopher's progress, So here we go!
Actually there is really alot to talk about. Chris is constantly showing us that he is a fighter. He just amazes us with the things he does. He is crawling on all Fours all around the house now! He actally snuck into the bathroom yesterday and threw a plastic Easter egg in the toilet! Rob and I just thought "you go boy"! Throw as many eggs in there as you want, just nobody flush the toilet please.....:) I have never been more happy to fetch something out of the toilet, Who would have thought?
Our Pt has been wonderful with Chris, she just loves him too, and I think that makes such a difference. Chris is Standing by himself for long periods of time, and he is learning to bare(sp?) weight on each leg seperatly ( which is FANTASIC).
So the goal right now is trying to get him to go from his knees to a standing position, and He will, he will get there. From there it will be walking, how amazing that will be.
So, he is 16 almost 17 mo. old now which is so shocking. Time has gone by so fast. But, a few weeks ago I realized next month he will be in nursery!!!! That kind of got me a little nervous. All those little kids in there bonking him on the head...yikes! Then I thought about snack time and sitting at a table! I haven't even tried him sitting on a little chair like that. So we have been workng on that. He sits there really well, he has great balance. The only thing is getting on and off.
I have talked to friends about my worries and some have said " have him wear a helmet in there". ( to protect his shunt). And that scares me the most I think. But, I'm not going to make my little guy a target! So other options/thoughts were having a leader in there just working with him. I would love that, but I don't know if that would happen. He is the only one with Special needs in Nursery, so these are things people haven't thought of. But, I do really love the Nursery leader in there, and I know she will keep him safe. I just love the people in our ward. Plus, I don't think Dad will be leaving him alone in there for a while :)
So there you have it, if you are still reading this? Our Little guy is doing awesome. We never thought little things like throwing things in toilets would be so great, but they sure ae for us. Now, if Spenc, James or Em do this that would be a totally different thing of course! Christopher is really teaching us to enjoy the little things in life. Those little things sure bring us so much happiness.

This is going to be my boy!

2009-04-09T19:44:00.002-05:00

The Deacon with the Big Smile,” New Era, Jul 2005, 14

Zayne Callahan’s big smile reflects his brave, strong, intelligent spirit. He doesn’t let spina bifida stop him from passing the sacrament, playing the violin, and participating in school productions.

The first thing Zayne Callahan can remember is living in the basement of an orphanage in China. He had been there since he was a baby. Zayne later learned that he was kept in the basement so people who came to the orphanage to adopt children wouldn’t see him.

“I was considered an embarrassment because I was born with spina bifida,” Zayne says. Spina bifida is a birth defect that made his legs weak and prevented him from walking normally. “I wasn’t able to go to school or hardly even learn the Chinese language because the people at the orphanage didn’t think it was important to teach a child with a disability.”

Zayne was seven years old when John and Wendy Callahan—his future parents—first saw him on a videotape of Chinese children waiting to be adopted. When the photographer passed the camera over Zayne briefly, he smiled and waved. That action won the hearts of his future parents who recognized his brave, strong, intelligent spirit.

That was five years ago. Now, Zayne is a deacon in the Lolo Ward of the Stevensville Montana Stake. When he turned 12, he wanted to fulfill his priesthood responsibilities by passing the sacrament. That was a big challenge for a boy who must use crutches to walk.

Originally, Zayne tried to pass the sacrament while balancing on his crutches. When that didn’t work, he decided to use his wheelchair instead. Now Zayne passes the sacrament by placing the trays on his lap and wheeling down the aisles.

Zayne works hard to fulfill his other priesthood duties too. An older member in his ward says she was impressed when the young men went to her home to pick up rocks as a service project. She found Zayne sitting on the ground putting rocks into a wheelbarrow. He had laid his crutches down because they were in the way, but his disability didn’t stop him from serving just like the other boys.

According to his father, Zayne doesn’t waste time feeling sorry for himself. If he wants to do something, he figures out a way to do it. He played a lead part in the school production of Red Riding Hood. He was the head wolf and led a pack of wolves onstage, his crutches keeping time to the music. He is also an accomplished violinist and pianist. While playing his violin, he has to sit on a high stool rather than stand like most violinists, but that doesn’t distract from the beauty of his music.

No matter where Zayne goes or what he does, people notice his good example. One classmate summed it up by saying, “He’s that boy with the big smile.”

Spencer Clayn Big Boy Etchells!

2009-04-08T18:24:00.004-05:00

So My super cute, crazy 4 year old said today " mom, when will dad get home, I need him to take my little wheels off my bike"! So Dad finally get's home and take's the "little" wheels off his big boy bike, and I am not kidding you within 20 min. that kid was up and down the street all by himself. He was totally freakin us out though. He was stopping and starting back up again, ad turning around while still on his bike. I'm sorry but My kid Rocks!!!! By the way, this is the same kid that thinks he has the name "Big Boy" in his name. He think's he is Spencer Clayn Big Boy Etchells (Seriously)!!!
I think this little boy was never destined to be the baby of the family ( as I have always said). He loves to be big, and to do crazy exciting things. But most of all he loves to be the protector of his baby brother.
We are so lucky to have this little guy ( I mean Big Boy) in our family.

spring, where the heck are ya?

2009-04-05T18:28:00.002-05:00

Now, I am one that loves winter.I have loved the cold weather and all that comes with it. But, even I say it's time for it to go!
We thought it was gone a few weeks ago but, we got a very unexpected snow storm last Saturday. We had already put our winter stuff away. Although we had fun with it, we were happy to see it go the next day. Rob even made new shelves in the garage yesterday and stored everything away (again) and not to be retrieved for at least a year. Spring was here, the kids were playing outside and wearing shorts even. I was getting excited for warmer weather if you can believe it!
Guess what? It started snowng again today!!!!!!! And we should get more of it tonight and tomorrow. Can you say CRAZY TIMES!!!!!!!
The kids are going to have to put socks on their hands to play cuz those gloves are gone baby! We refuse to give in to this craziness any longer.

Zoo with friends/crazy chris

2009-03-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

My funny bunny

2009-03-22T20:55:00.007-05:00

chris thought he was so tricky hiding in the tube. He just learned how to shush too. I think Em and I did this for a good hour with him. we just love this kid. Can't get enough of his cuteness.
I think that of all my kids though (of course)!

tricks and talents!

2009-03-18T16:58:00.002-05:00

These are just a few amazing things my little boys can do! I know don't be jealous if you cannot personally do these things, it's ok! My boy's really got it going on. They really wanted to share with you their tricks and talents, because they know they got skillz baby!

a whole new world

2009-03-07T11:16:00.002-06:00

Chris loves looking out the window now that he can get up there. He crawls on his hands and knees now. Had to get it on video to show you all. I hope the sound works this time. Love to all of you.

Happiness

2009-02-26T22:34:00.000-06:00

Today has brought back so many memories!

2009-02-24T22:07:00.005-06:00

Today a sweet new friend of mine just gave birth to a beautiful little boy. We found out and met (over the phone) under very unusual circumstances. We both have boys with Spina Bifida. I know I have mentioned this in my blog before. 2 ladies that I know are in her ward in Texas, and they gave her my info. She is such a neat lady, and I hope to meet her one day in person.
Anyways, this really got me thinking today, even though we have never physically met I feel such a bond with her. We are both Mothers being delt the same kinds of challenges in life. Who knows, maybe we were soposed to connect so we could help each other out with certain things, that not many understand. And the really neat thing is we share the same faith, so we handle things very similarly.
Anyways, I guess I just think it's so neat that Heavenly Father places certain people in our lives to ease our burdens a little bit, So that we don't feel so alone when times are tough. I hope this makes sense?
Looking at adrienne's blog and seeing the pictures they took today just really brought me back. Her family is in our prayers tonight! I know I could not have made it through this last year without so many sweet people praying for me and my family.

These pictures I posted were of me and Christopher the day he was born.

Sometimes my daughter reminds me too much of myself.

2009-02-17T21:41:00.002-06:00

so Em and I are watching American Idol tonight and all of a sudden she says "um Mom, I think I made a mistake")? I look at her wondring what she's talking about and I start cracking up! The girl totally taped up her eye brows.Why on earth would she do that? I guess she was a little bored maybe? I made her let me take a picture. She was not very thrilled but she knew she deserved me posting it on the blog.
Everyone who knows me well knows that My life is filled with many, many moments of stupidness! So of course it would rub off a bit on my girl.

it's tagging time

2009-02-17T21:30:00.003-06:00

My friend Lorilee tagged me. The rules are to go to your file folder and pick the 4th file and the 4th pictures and then tag 4 friends. This is obviously not all that old. Chistopher is probably around 6 mo. old. But this is the 4th file and 4th picture. I love this little monkey.

I tag Dani,Lisa, Marla and Karen Lynn

Check me out!

2009-02-17T13:42:00.000-06:00

Robert pulled this old car out of storage yesterday thinking Christopher might like it. Um ya I think that could be an understatement! He loved it. He did not want to get out, and he just sat in there forever with a huge, proud grin on his face letting me take pictures. This little guy truly blows me away. He is now crawling on his hands and knees! He is everywhere in the house, and he just loves to explore on his own. I can't even explain how amazing this is for him.
Thanks for everyone's prayers for our Christopher. We love each and every one of you.

one of my favorite things

2009-02-14T19:10:00.003-06:00

I love walking into a room and watching all of my children snuggled together, being happy and watching a movie. It just makes me smile. I love being all home together tonight on Valentine's day having a family night.
some people say that the most wonderful and peaceful place for them to dream up being is on a beach chillin and watchng the waves crash.But for me it is exactly this: All my family home together healthy and happy. That's what brings me peace.

The Monster Truck Ralley

2009-02-11T17:09:00.001-06:00

Daddy took the big boys to the Monster Truck ralley this weekend. Spencer has never seen anything like it! I think the kid loved every second of it though. Every day I hear more and more about what happened. What cute boys I have. I am so glad that they have a daddy that loves to spend time with them and loves to help create fun memories for them. We are pretty lucky to have him.

every day there's something new and exciting!

2009-02-05T18:17:00.001-06:00

I love this guy! He just keeps getting better

2009-02-03T15:18:00.005-06:00

I never could have imagined the challenges we would face together in our marriage, but we have faced them all head on and I think became much stronger from them. I never could imagine going through this life with someone other than my sweet husband. Yes, he is a punk sometimes but I am too :)

Rob is the best father and husband I could have ever asked for.
Bring on the next 13 years!

13 years!

2009-02-03T14:55:00.003-06:00

Thanks For sharing Larin, loved it

2009-02-01T13:25:00.002-06:00

Cellphones vs. Scriptures

( I stole this from my cousin Larin's blog, it is awesome) Thanks for sharing Larin!
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Scriptures like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried them around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to get them if we forgot them?
What if we flipped through them several times a day?
What if we used them to receive messages?
What if we treated them like we couldn't live without them?
What if we gave them to kids as gifts?
What if we used them as we traveled?
What if we used them in case of an emergency?
This is something to make you go hmm... where are my Scriptures?

This kids a stud and he totally knows it!

2009-01-30T10:07:00.001-06:00

one more amazing thing for the day from our Christopher

2009-01-26T18:19:00.003-06:00

Our little stud man is crawling!!!

2009-01-26T16:51:00.005-06:00

James' night!

2009-01-25T16:03:00.002-06:00

James did such a good job on his car with his daddy! They had so much fun working on it together. You should see how sleek this car looked too. Pretty stinkin sweet. In the picture of the row of cars James' is the 3rd from the left.
Rob was not feeling very good that night but, there is no way he would miss the races. We were all there to support James, and his little Brothers were pretty proud of him. Spencer was hanging out with all his buddies trash talking them all saying"My brothers gonna beat your brother"! Pretty cute. It was a fun night.
Even though James didn't win All his races(he won 2!), he learned that you need to be a good sport, and congratulate those who did win.

James' Pine Wood derby night

2009-01-25T15:46:00.001-06:00

What an amazing Kid I've got!

2009-01-22T09:40:00.003-06:00

Well I actually have 4 amazing kids. My little Christopher is trying so hard to crawl and he is almost there. We were told he may not crawl at all, or at least not for another year or so. This little guy is so stinkin determined it's amazing to me. If there is something he wants from clear across the room, he will get there no doubt. It is very cool to watch, he just never gives up.
With our help now he stands up while locking his knees and he holds it there for about 10sec. or so. That may not sound amazing, but trust me it is, And he is so proud of himself when he does it too. With Spina Bifida you don't know the severity of the disability until they start hitting or missing mile stones. So right now they are telling us that yes, he will walk but he may only need a brace for his right foot. His left foot is alot stronger. Now that's not to shabby at all.
Emily, James and Spencer are just the most amazing brothers and sister! They work right along side Rob and I to help Christopher achieve these goals. They work on exercises with him and cheer him on when he is trying so hard. How can Christopher not succeed when he has siblings like these?
I just love being a mom to these four fabulous kids!

"yep that's right I'm almost there"!

2009-01-22T09:33:00.001-06:00

My Mom

2009-01-17T20:20:00.004-06:00

I have to brag about my mom for a minute. She just made us this amazing chess set for christmas. Actually the pictures I took of it does not even do it justice. She made each and every piece from scratch. Each one totally unique. She made a set for all of us kids. This will for sure be something we will cherish forever.
My Dad is so funny, he told us he would pay us $400 if we gave it back to him.( he just wanted us to know how hard my mom worked on them, and he wanted her to feel good too). What a great Daddy.
I wish I had my mother's talent, but I don't and that's ok. She has been teaching all her grandaughter's how to sew and create magical things like her and they are becoming pretty amazing too. For Emily's 11 birthday my parents gave Emily a sewing machine ( because Emily is trying to follow in her grandma's footsteps). She is getting really good. I will have to post some of the things she has made.
At least my mom's creativity rubbed off on my daughter, and for that I am grateful.

My moms newest creation!

2009-01-17T20:15:00.002-06:00

Vacation in California

2009-01-07T21:31:00.003-06:00

We just got back from California a couple days ago. We were there for 10 days. It was such an awesome time. We spent it with all of Robert's side of the family. When Rob and I were packing up we thought we had actually done everything we wanted to do.
I got to go back to N.P. and showed the kids my house, and my schools I went to. My parents moved to Utah a few years ago, so my house is no longer mine. Kinda weird. But, Our BYU sticker from 100 years ago is still on the Bonus Room window.
Then we went to Camarillo where Rob and I lived when we first got married. That's also where Emily and James were born. We got to show them their very first homes. Pretty neat. We of course had to eat at in-n-out cuz their is no better hamburger joint anywhere in my opinion. My kids are now fans too! Especially James, He totally downed a double double in no time at all!
Then we went to Santa Paula where Robert grew up. His parents moved too, so his house is no longer his either. But, all of his family still live in town. We got to visit with everyone. Aunt Susan and Uncle Steve and Kiely. Larin, Dave and their cute boys. Kasea, Dustin and their 4 kids (they are so big now!) And Marnie and Steve and their 4 kids. We all played at Marnie and Steve's. We also got to see Aunt Luana, Uncle Dean and Gerry and Matt.
We spent the night at Marnie and Steve's on New years, and Rob got to go on a ride along with Steve. Rob had the greatest time. What a cool experience for him. Thanks Marnie and Steve for always bein the best! So loving and sweet. We love you.
We also got to visit with Grandma Dune. She had all the fun games out for the kids to play with when we came, and she always sends the kids off with a treasure. We just love Our Grandma Dune.
The whole rest of the time we were at Robs folks house. We had such a blast just hanging out with his parents and sisters. Marianne stayed there the whole time as well, and James and Josh got to be such great buds.
We got to see the nieces we have never met, they are so beautiful, and they all got to meet Christopher for the first time. Oh ya, we also squeezed in Disneyland somehow. But, I'll write about that later. What a wonderful family I married into. They are nothing but the sweetest most loving people, and I am so very grateful to be apart of their family.
What a wonderful trip we had!!!!

Our Christmas Vacation!

2009-01-07T20:28:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T15:42:00.002-06:00

I cannot believe it is Christmas eve! Where has the year gone? This has probably been one of the craziest years of our lives, but also one of the greatest!
We have our little Christopher with us, and he is growing up so healthy and stong! Emily, James and Spencer are the best siblings in the world to him. Every time they come near Christopher, not only do they light up when they see him, but his little face lights up as well, he loves to be near his sister and brothers.
I just hope that we can all look back at this past year with thankfulness, and gratitude for the blessings we have recieved. I think it is so easy sometimes to throw ourselves a little pitty party, and to dwell on all the negative things that have happened to us( Because I'm sure we all have that list)! But, if we really look back we can see all the many ways we have been blessed through the good times and the bad.
We are heading to California tomorrow to be with family.We are so excited! It has been years since we have seen some of them.The kids are so excited to hang out with all of their cousins,Rob and I are too. Robert has the greatest cousins in the world that he was able to grow up with like brothers and sisters.We get to see them all along with all their cute little kids, and we can't wait to play. We of course can't wait to see Rob's sister's and parents too. But all of this goes with out saying right?
Anyways, Love to all of you that read this blog!
Have a Merry Merry Happy Christmas!

Some Holiday Happiness

2008-12-18T22:43:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Amazing!

2008-12-14T22:12:00.004-06:00

I talked with a mom today who is expecting her little guy in 10 weeks. He has Spina Bifida just like Christopher. She lives in Texas which is the crazy thing, how did I get in touch with her? Well here is the interesting story, and you tell me if this is just a random coinsidence or if Heavenly Father maybe had something to do with this.
About 2 weeks ago My friend Lynette called me and said that she just got off the phone with her mother- in- law Diane, and was wondering if I might be willing to talk with a mom in her ward that is expecting a child with Spina Bifida. ( I hope this all makes sense)? Of course I said I would love too, Lynette said "I already told her you would be happy too). She knows me pretty well. So Lynette gave her Mother-in-law my blog, and email and everything else so she could learn about our experience so far with Christopher. At that point I was really looking forward to talking with this mom, because Of course I totally know what she is going through. But, I also knew that she might be so overwhelmed with things that she might not be ready to talk to me. I know I was that way.
Then, Lynette got an e-mail from her m-i-l and said that another person in her same ward talked to this very same mom about us! (what?)! that is way to crazy!!! Ok, I hope you are still following me :] . This other other lady is Bitsy Speirs, I knew her In California. She was in the Stake young womens Presidency when I was in YW's. She was Awesome. all the girls loved her. Anyways, they moved to Texas, which is where Robert, my husband served his mission. He served in their ward, they took him and his comp in and took great care of them while they were there. Rob and I never knew eachother until after he returned from his mission, so it was neat that we both knew Bitsy. Anyways, after his mission Rob's parents have been keeping in touch with the speirs, and so That is how Bitsy knows about Christopher. ( I told you this was crazy)! So, Bitsy gives her all the same info that Lynette's m.i.l. gave her. ( the mom's name is Adrienne by the way :} ).
It blew my mind that This Mom that I never had any idea about was aproached by two different people to contact me. Do you think we were soposed to connect for some reason? I do. Like my sister said, It doesen't matter how big this world is, Heavenly father knows how to take care of each and everyone one of us, he knows what we need when we need it. We can all be instraments in the lord's hands to help him take care of his children, just like Bitsy and Diane did. Hopefully Adrienne and I will be able to help each other out with all our new expierences, and challenges that come our way as mothers of these fabulous little boys.

AGHHHHHHH!

2008-12-11T13:40:00.004-06:00

Ok, how do I blog about this? Maybe I will just start and we will see where it goes!
yesterday morning we started off the day with taking Spencer to the dentist at 8 a.m. , Emily didn't want to take the bus yesterday cuz it was snowing so Rob took her. I told Rob to be back by at least 7:40 so I could get Spencer there on time. James had not gone to school yet and Chris was still sleeping. So, I told James to wait until Dad got home before he took off to school. ( he had 1/2 hour still). Rob of course did not remember to bring his stinkin cell so I could'nt get a hold of him, he didn't even bring his wallet so I new he could'nt go far. I was starting to get a little worried too. He should have been home at least 30 min. by now. It was snowy and icy, and all I could do was think about the worst possible things. When Spenc went in to the dentist I started calling James like every 5 min. To see if he was home yet, no, nope, not yet mom! Do I have to go school today mom? Yes James! Anyways, It was 8:30 by now. I started to call the police departments to see if his car was off the side of the road. I called Emily's school to see if she made it there safely (she did). Finally at 9:15 I called James and Rob answered. Do you have any idea what he said? Oh, I forgot about the Dentist, sorry babe! (sorry? whatever)! He was sitting at the freaking gas station reading a news paper!!!!!!! So, I hung up the phone. I thought he was bleeding on the side of the road somewhere! He just laughed at me and thought I was crazy! That's a husband for you right ladies? By the way don't tell my husband I vented on my blog! I do love him very much, but he seriously can drive me crazy sometimes!

Christopher's first braces!

2008-12-03T15:17:00.002-06:00

These are Christopher's new braces. They are quite the sweet set up. He is not sure what he thinks of them yet though. They are great, they will help him keep his feet in the right position so he can learn to walk. We need to work on the crawling first though. This kid is so determined to get around, he is scooting and rolling everywhere, he will be crawling before we know it.

Cool Chris!

2008-12-03T15:10:00.001-06:00

Just had to post this, he thought he was pretty cool. He totally kept them on once we showed him what he looked like in the mirror

Froggy cake

2008-12-03T15:04:00.002-06:00

My friend Colleen is pretty great. She made this cake for Christopher in like 2 hours. It was so dang cute. She just started decorating cakes about 6 months ago too. She does such a cute job. Anyways, we had to do a froggy cake because that is Christopher's " thing" . Thanks Colleen for making it so fun.

Happy Birthday Christopher Rudger Etchells, We love you

2008-12-01T16:51:00.003-06:00

Our Celebration of Christopher's first year of life. We are soooo grateful for this little guy. He completes are family and is the last piece of our family puzzle. What a fabulous piece he is too. He has changed all of our lives for the better. He makes us laugh and smile, and he helps us to recognize the simple joys in life. Thankyou to everyone who has kept us in your thoughts and prayers this last year, we truly have felt all your love. What a time of reflection I tell you.

He did It!!!!

2008-11-16T17:17:00.004-06:00

Look what Our Christopher can do? We have been working so hard on this with our pt and he finally sat up on his own. He has to work so hard to do it too. Bless his little heart, he just get's so proud of himself when he finishes. He sat up for the first time yesterday and has been doing it a million times . Not only is this milestone amazing Physically for him but mentally as well. It's a process for him to sit up and he had to learn it. He is truly a thinker and a smarty pants. We are so proud of our little guy. ( especially when we were told he may never be able to do this)!

I was just thinking yesterday about my patriarchal blessing. In it it says ; " take time to enjoy the simple things in life, for in them you will find true happiness". I really have found true happiness with all the sweet simple things this little guy does. And all of my other beautiful children as well. They are all such blessings in my life. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending these specific children to Robert and I. They were meant to be ours there is no doubt about it.

Our new cooking blog!

2008-11-04T09:37:00.003-06:00

Ok guys, you need to check out me and my sister Julie's new cooking blog! I have wanted to do this for a long time, so check it out http://sweetandsaucysisters.blogspot.com and ell me what you think, or if you have any cute ideas or recipes please share, I would love to know them!