Luke at Four

Luke at FourOn May 5th our Luke turned four. He had been looking forward to his racecar cake for a while. We had a party for him with his Grandma and Grandpa Warnick on May 4th since they were here visiting. But even though we were having a party he would still tell people he was 3. The next morning when he got up I asked him how old he was and he said 4.

The past year he has changed so much. He talks all the time now and we understand a large part of it. He acts just like the big boys and wants to do everything they do: ride bikes, build with Legos, play pretend, color, write, and pretty much everything else, except work. He doesn't like to work and he tries to get out of it by saying "I'm too tired." He can write his name by himself (he likes it to look just right too) and he can write "mom." He gets his colors, but he can't remember their names. He identifies them by saying, "it's the color of a banana or it's the color of grass." My favorite was when he couldn't remember the color orange, but identified it by saying, "It's the color of an orange." One other funny language thing: He only uses the pronoun he/his/him even for girls. We don't use she/her very often at our house.

He's all BOY. At speech he refuses to say a few words that are just TOO girly for him. He won't say "fairy" and sometimes he won't say "ladybug." But his teacher asked the right questions at first and she could trick him into saying, "I won't say fairy." Sneaky, but it only lasted for a few weeks until he wised up to the trick!

Strangers talk to Luke about his hair color quite a bit. One lady was admiring it one day and asked, "Can I have your hair?" Luke, a bit indignantly said, "No, you have your own." She replied, "But it's not your color. How do I get it your color?" He just looked at her surprised she didn't know and said, "You eat a lot of carrots!" Luke does like carrots! He'll eat a huge carrot, unpeeled straight out of the fridge. He also says that his hair is "the color of carrots, red."

Luke loves vegetables and fruits. He is a blast to shop with in the produce section. He begs for avocados and kiwi like some kids beg for candy. He had me buy an eggplant because it was purple. He tells me when were out of "leaves" (spinach) and I need to buy more. Just a couple weeks ago, when the snack selection at our house was non-existent I found Luke and Hunter eating spinach right out of the bag like potato chips while they watched a TV show--proof that kids really eat what is in the house and parents have control of what is brought home.

A good bedtime story is still at the top of the list for Luke at bedtime. He is just like the rest of the boys that need their books. I won't be surprised if he tries reading this year.

When Luke grows up he wants to be an engineer just like dad (Luke drew some really good subdivision plans on the back of an old blue print sheet)
Favorite color: All the colors, but he likes blue the best today
Favorite TV show: Curious George
Favorite Fruit: Banana
Favorite Vegetable: eggplant
Favorite book: Library books--Nate the Great

Hunter Can Whistle...

Hunter's top front teeth got a little wiggly before Christmas. He kind of wanted to lose them before Christmas but we had to tell him they had to get much loser.

Early in February I got a call from the school saying Hunter had gotten hit with a jump rope during recess and his mouth was bleeding a little bit. So I had to talk to him for a minute. I couldn't resist asking him, "Don't you know you're supposed to jump rope with you feet, not your teeth?" He had actually been swinging the rope around over his head and the handle smacked him in the face. He must have been swinging it pretty fast because his gum was really red and a bit swollen. His tooth, that wasn't too lose yet, was really lose. So a couple days later he pulled it out all by himself so he could get money from the Tooth Fairy. He was very happy to finally have another tooth come out for the money!!

Then two days later, I'm in my room and I hear yelling and crying "Thayne pulled my tooth out of my head!" Oh, Hunter was mad about it. Thayne said he didn't really do it--I hear that way too often! Well, the real story was that Thayne was playing with an ACE bandage and was trailing it around. Hunter pretended to be a dog and bit the bandage and stopped Thayne from moving it, for a second anyway. Thayne just gave the bandage a big yank to get it out of Hunt's mouth and out it came along the the other lose tooth that flew across the family room! What a way to lose a tooth!

After Hunter got over the initial shock of his tooth popping out of his head, he can't stop grinning about his cute toothless grin! And that money from the Tooth Fairy sure helps too!

Why Luke Likes to Help Wash Dishes

Luke's job at dinner time for the month of March is to help wash the dishes. He had been drying the dishes and just making stacks of the dried dishes when he was done. Then he decided to build a drum set instead of finishing. I tried to catch him jamming out and wiggling his bum to his groovy beat at the same time, but I didn't get too much of it. The first two videos are just one day after the other. Since the first week of March when these were filmed, Luke has moved onto washing the dishes. He just loves to get his hands wet. Last week, I came home to a sink FULL of water and half a bottle of dish soap, but no bubbles until Luke made them with a straw. He was taking the Lego men for a swim or boating or something. Luke was really babysitting himself because Lance was upstairs working. Luke is awfully quiet anyway when the others aren't home, so it's hard to tell if he's up to mischief or not!

Why Cannibals Don't Eat Clowns

"Why don't cannibals eat clowns?" That's the beginning of a silly little joke that was told at our house several months ago--probably before Thanksgiving. After the punch line, Lance made another little joke that our cute Thayne didn't get. He thought his dad was being serious. That lead to this next conversation a few weeks ago.

As we're gathering around the dinner table for our evening meal, Thayne says in the most serious voice, "Mom, if I get to go on a mission were I have to dress up like a clown, I'll..."

"What?" questions Mom.

"You know that place on a island where all the missionaries have to wear clown costumes so the people won't eat them so the missionaries can teach them the gospel. You know those people that eat other people."

Chuckling a reply, "Cannibals?"

"Yeah!!!" Thayne says, "those people."

Then the older conversation all comes back to mind. (See below)

"Thayne, that was just a joke."

Thayne looks confused for a second. Mom starts laughing, "Thayne, there really aren't any places were missionaries get to dress-up like clowns everyday instead of wearing suits. There really are still places were there are cannibals, but the missionaries don't go there."

"Oooooh, I get it now. That's funny." Thayne smiles at himself.

Then Lance came in and we told him Thayne's funny story.

OLD Conversation also around the dinner table:
Lance: "Why don't cannibals eat clowns?"
Some innocent, young, impressionable child: "I don't know, why?"
Lance: "Because they taste funny!"
(Children laughing at Dad's corny joke. Melissa rolling her eyes and shaking her head.)
Lance, "In fact, in some places where there are cannibals, missionaries have to dress-up like clowns instead of wearing suits. That way the people will listen to the missionaries because cannibals don't eat clowns."
The conversation took off from there with Dallin, Bruce, Thayne, and Hunter all talking about missionaries getting to wear clown suits and how they would change into their normal suits in their apartments and all kinds of stuff like that. Apparently it was a good conversation because Thayne was still thinking about it months later!

I'm so glad Thayne is totally willing to serve a mission where ever he'll be called--no matter what he has to wear while serving!!

Groundhogs Day

This is just a silly little video about a family tradition at Warnick households. Lance's mom started it. His Navajo foster brothers really fell for having "groundhog" for breakfast on Groundhogs Day several of them did not even want to try eating "groundhog." We do it every year too. I like to make the groundhog with the eyes still in them and the tails still attached, but Lance just likes the meat. They taste spicy and not like chicken. Mmmmm! I think we need to have groundhog more often than once a year!

The Blessing of Health

Two weeks ago, I went with Dallin to a youth fireside at the church. My left eye hurt so bad and bugged me all night. I couldn't wait to get home and get my contacts out. My eye was very red in the outside corner. The following day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I just hung around the house nursing my sore shoulder and my eye which I started to think had "pink eye." Tuesday I took a quick trip to QuickCare (it actually was quick too that day) and the P.A. that saw me gave me a prescription for my eye. I also had some bumps that were swelling along my left eyebrow and hairline under my bangs. She kind of wondered if I was reacting to a new hair product I had used for a few days and the eye just happened at the same time. I was feeling worse each day. By Thursday, I was much more swollen and new bumps were appearing in my hair just past my hairline. The rash was hurting too, not itching, just hurting. I finally decided to go back to the QuickCare and had Lance take me because I didn't feel like driving with my eye not feeling too good. I could still see fine, but I didn't feel alert. This time a P.A. agreed that my eye didn't look like pink eye and the rash was something to figure out. She went and got the head M.D. of the clinic to come look at me. He listened to my symptoms and asked a few questions and then said, "Well, you have a case of shingles." Oh. It is absolutely amazing that just putting a name to symptoms is a relief. It is nice to know what is going on with your body--and it's nice to know I'm not making it up! They immediately set-up an appointment 50 minutes later with an ophthalmologist. But the appointment was in Caldwell--the next town west of us. It would take about 40 minutes to get there. We made everything work out and let the boys know what was up. After seeing the ophthalmologist I started to get a better sense of how serious shingles in the eye can be. The 1st picture is Thursday, January 22nd.



Friday and Saturday were the worst days. The rash continued to swell and I was wiped out. I could barely open my eye on Saturday. The one thing about having a visible case of the shingles is that my boys could see how much it affected me. I got several comments like, "You look scary." "You don't feel good." "That looks really bad." And they were all so good at letting me sleep, doing the dishes and making meals. I feel very loved by the care that all of the boys gave me. Sunday I didn't have any new sores. Yeah! By midweek last week the blisters were pretty much scabbing over and I was starting to feel so much better. Then, of course, I picked up the cold my boys have had. Hunter and Thayne had each spent a day at home with it. Now Bruce and Luke have it too. It doesn't last too long though.


Second picture is Friday, January 23.



The worst day, Saturday, Jan. 24.


I saw the eye doctor again on Friday, Jan. 30th. I got more medicine to take for a month now and eye drops to use for 5 days. The redness if finally going away. I have felt pretty good and Friday and Saturday. But I over did it yesterday, so I was glad it is Sunday today.

I think at the beginning of January as Lance started his own company, we changed health insurance to an affordable monthly HSA plan (that means huge deductible), and we knew that January would be a tight month, I remember fasting and asking for the blessing of health this year. We have money saved in our HSA, but I really don't want to spend it--having savings is such a security for me. It was soooo hard to decide to go to the doctor because of the money part--even though it is there for that. (I hate spending money in general. I'm a natural saver.) As I've contemplated the situation and as I remembered the struggles and trials of several people: my friend that had cancer and my aunt that is going through it now; my cousin, David and his wife, Heather, who was in a coma and is continuing to recover; and of another cousin, Jennifer that just lost a sweet baby after a few precious hours of life, I realize that the Lord has many ways of blessing us. The trial of illnesses reminds me of how "feeling well" effects a person's life and abilities. I have much more compassion for someone suffering chronic pain. The biggest lesson to me though has been of faith.

Shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus that lives in your body after you have had chicken pox. It can become active in the form of shingles anytime during your life, but it is most common in adults over the age of 60. The percentage of cases each year of 30-39 year old having shingles is only 2% of the cases. Fifty percent of adults will have a experienced shingles in their lifetime. (The other 50% must have some other trial!) So this is were my trial in faith comes in. Stress is one of the factors that can lead to an out break of shingles. The whole thing of having to have doctor bills goes back to me learning to have faith in and rely on the Lord.

I knew that starting a business would be hard at this time, but I also know we have been prepared for this experience. It is hard. We are having to work together and plan together: expenses, use of the van, Lance working at home, the care of children, etc. I can't even say this is the major part of my stress either. I have a tendency to make goals mentally (not even written down--just stress out about in my head!) and try to have everything going at the beginning of a new year--the typical stuff:

Be better at

• scripture study
• praying
• keeping the house clean
• having the laundry done
• exercise four times a week
• be more organized and effective in my calling
• pay more attention to my children
• be a better piano/flute teacher
• get my students ready for festival
• learn all the accompaniment pieces for my flute students' pieces
• break the news to the parents of the students that the book they need for festival is another $20 for that month
• finish coordinating the 50th Anniversary dinner for Nampa Musicale
• get decorations for the dinner
• finish every project or craft I've ever started
• take junk to D.I.
• put good junk on Craig's list
• get rid of three kittens
• lose the last 15 pounds I want to lose
• eat better
• record all the calories it eat everyday
  
• and the list goes on and on (does this sound like anyone else's list? I bet it does.)
  

Then I lay around for two weeks and life goes on and I don't feel guilty about not working on that huge mental list. I know I need to let my body mend. My boys still had clean clothes to wear to school everyday, they all ate, Lance shopped for milk and bread, we all ate meals, I finished First Nephi, finished the book North and South that I had been reading for two months (it's up there with Pride and Prejudice), still taught lessons-my students are doing pretty well at learning their pieces, the Musicale dinner was fabulous and a friend hugely helped with collecting decorations and the shopping for them, my visiting teacher brought us dinner one night & it was a night we really truly appreciated not having to put it together ourselves, I've had more snuggle times with my boys, Lance has been "almost frantic" at work a few times with calls coming in and putting out proposals for contracts, etc. It has been a blessing to have a few weeks to breath and refocus my faith that "as we keep the commandments we will be blessed to prosper in the land." There are better days ahead, but joy and blessings can still be found through the days of our afflictions--what ever afflictions the Lord sees fit to give us at that time. Without them I would see very little growth in my life, so I'm thankful for them. I am also very grateful for the blessing of health. You have to experience sickness in order to find the joy in health.

Feeling much better: Saturday, Jan 31st.
Yeah for bangs!

Hunter is Fabulous at Six

Hunter had his Golden Birthday this year! That is the birthday when you turn the age of your birthdate! SIX on the sixth. He and Lance worked out a silly routine similar to Abbott and Castello's "Who's on First." It went something like this.

Lance, "Hunt, how old are you going to be on your birthday?"
Hunter, "Six"
"I know your birthday is on the sixth, how old will you be?"
"I'm going to be six."
"Okay, the sixth is your birthday. What will your age be?"
"1,2,3,4,5, SIIIIIXXXXX. I'm going to be six."

And Lance could keep it going with different questions for quite a long time. Hunter would play mad, frustrated, and giggly all at the same time. I wish I had recorded it. The first time was the best.

Hunter enjoyed get a new red coat, a Superman shirt and a few other things. He was good natured as I ran off to play the flute for a friends wedding (it was her birthday too) and Hunter's friends mom.

Here's his video. (Yes, someone sings the wrong name in it! It was her birthday on the 5th!)



Here's my favorite picture--Hunter Wishing, Again! He did it on his 5th birthday too.



He is definitely growing up and acting older all the time. He is a great student at school and his teacher loves him. (He got to take brownies with frosting and sprinkles to share with his class on his birthday.) It is fun reading with him because he just does it without frustration and I don't think he realizes how much he can read right now--he just reads.

Hunter also got some birthday money from his grandparents and we went shopping. He wanted another dinosaur to add to his collection of Imaginex dinos. When we got to Target they actually had a dragon in the collection. Hunter loves dragons. He has spent a lot of time drawing dragons. We check books out of the library with dragons in them. It was a great and exciting find for him. After we picked it up, we walked around Target a bit more and I tried to talk him into looking at clothes. He always gets some clothes from his grandparents for his birthday. He was resistant. His response was, "I'm tired of looking at clothes. They WEAR me out!" LOL I can't argue with a six year old that makes puns on purpose! He totally knew what he was saying with his silly grin. He's going to be a fun teenager! But we'll just enjoy him while he's six first!