No Man Can Serve Two Jedis

So for the past month or so we have been (trying) to attend 8am play practices at our church for our "ward play". Our Stake decided to have a "Dramaticus" event--ie Road-Show type plays. The result...Nine LDS love stories loosely based in different movie universes/genres. For example, our assigned theme was Star Wars, another ward had a western theme, yet another ward was assigned to make a Mormon love story in the Harry Potter reality. There were aliens, cowboys, Shakespearean actors (complete with AWESOME costumes...think professional costumer help!), BYU students, princesses and wookies (OK, just wookie sound effects). It was really fun...especially since we got to have light sabers! Mimi and Buddy were in heaven.



They were on opposite sides of the conflict and were able to battle each other, as well as anyone else unlucky enough to get in their way! For me it was fun to get back into "theater", even in such a small way!


The conflict: Evil U of Y (University of Yootah) students (in red of course) invade a BKU (Ben Kenobi University) shuttle bus piloted by the drifter Han Solo. On board we find the young (recently graduated from high school) Princess Leia, on her way to BKU with five stuffed suit cases. Han, who has been sitting the fence, dealing scriptures to the U of Y and caffeinated beverages to BKU, needs to choose a side, which he does in dramatic fashion, saving the Princess from certain destruction (she is being kidnapped by a most heinous Y student...me, bwaahaahaa--that's my evil laugh) by chopping off said evil-doer's arm with a blue light saber! Cue cheesy final number to the tune of Families Can be Together Forever. And then a final dance number to We're All in this Together from Disney's High School Musical.



Add in a few eggs (blown) a big fight scene including a thrown pie and you have the recipe for success, or at least Dramaticus success...we won Best Overall! WOOHOO!

She's too tiny to be...!

I can't tell you how many times I've heard that exclamation about Sweetsa, especially since she started walking. Anyway, about ten days ago Sweetsa had her one-year-old well-check with the pediatrician. In our visits with him during the past six months he has expressed some concern about her declining percentages. She started out at a rather average weight of 6# 15oz with a length of 18.5 inches. At one year she is 16# (~2%) and 26 inches tall(~2%). Because she didn't start out so tiny, the doctor is concerned that there might be something wrong, metabolically. So we spent some time in the lab at the hospital last week (read 3 hours!). Oh, joy of joys!

I remembered the horror of getting Mimi and Buddy's blood drawn last year during the lead ordeal, and certainly did not look forward to taking little Sweetsa in for a whole barrage of tests. As it turned out, it was time to get them all tested for lead again (to see if their levels have decreased, as hoped). So I enlisted D's help and we spent a horrible time getting the kids poked. Mimi was by far the worst, but Buddy and Sweetsa had their share of tears and screaming. Besides being tested for lead, Sweetsa also had some blood drawn for a CBC, a metabolic panel and had to get a specimen collected for a UA (that's a urinalysis, which meant we had to wait for a pediatric nurse who could do a catheter on a young child).

Tonight we finally got the results. It turns out that the lead results for Mimi and Buddy are fantastic: their blood lead levels have dropped dramatically! WOOHOO! Sweetsa's unfortunately has increased. But her first test was done the day she was born...she has eaten some dirt since then! Although her level is higher, it is still within "normal limits". But because it is higher than the first test, she will be tested again probably in a few months (Yeah, another trip to the lab.)

The other results...she's apparently been fighting a UTI. She's been put on antibiotics and will see the pedi again in three weeks (that was her next appointment for a weight check). They'll do a repeat UA to make sure the antibiotics do their job. The pediatrician is surmising that she has had recurrent UTI's and that is why she is so little...her body is using the energy to fight the infections, instead of growing. I guess we'll see. She has had several fevers without other symptoms (apparently that is one clue for a UTI in a child). Anyway, hopefully this all leads to getting some meat on her bones and height on her frame in the coming months...then she can move out of the 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers! Here's hopin'!

Which would you choose?

The one on the left was picked last night in an orchard in PG. The one on the right was purchased at a local grocery store last week.
We picked about 3 bushels worth of these monster peaches.
Anyone up for canning?

Sweet One-Year-Old

Well, I just managed to delete everything I've been working on for the last month, to remember Sweetsa's birthday. So I'll try to re-do some of it. *sigh*


I can hardly believe that a whole year has pssed since this sweet little girl came into the world! Like her older brother and sister, she didn't dawdle much, making her dramatic entrance just two and a half hours after I awoke in labor. I was just happy to make it to the hospital in time. It is definitely strange to think that we spent the first day of her life in a closet (the hospital was full to overflowing, apparently. At least the closet had a bathroom...no working call lights, but a working bathroom!) When they came to take her picture (the one above, that I love so much) we were still debating her name. She must not have been worried too much...look at that contented smile!

She's been a happy sweet girl from the beginning (hence the nickname). She's always happiest in the midst of the bunch, taking in and enjoying the chaos of our family. It is so cute when she's with Mimi and Buddy, and they are teasing her, trying to get a laugh out of her, she will start with a little grin that quickly goes to her belly laugh. And just recently, she's started tipping her head back and laughing, like a little cartoon or something!

Sweetsa Pizza loves being outdoors, and not just for the loads of dirt she finds out there! She loves the grass, the rocks, the concrete, the outside toys, and most of all everything people do outside. We walk to church most weeks, and she sits in her seat in the stroller (strapped in) with half her body hanging out so she can see all the scenery as it goes by. She waves her arms and laughs and laughs...even shrieking in delight. I love how happy she is outside!

h7yb 5bbhg hb nnb hb vbbhn vgfbgfvjk
Here's Sweetsa's contribution to the post!

Our sweetsa adds such a great dimension to our family. She is so cute and cuddly, everyone wants to hold her and help her be happy. Today she was told no a few times, and she was absolutely devastated. Buddy became so concerned about her that he went right up to her and lisped, "Oh, Weettha, it's alright, you're o-tay! We all love you!" All the while patting her, and dancing to try to get her to be happy. Unfortunately, it required a little more intensive comforting--the Mommy kind!

Mimi loves to read to Sweetsa and I think Sweetsa has picked up on the love of reading. What do you think?

Sweetsa, we love you and are so glad you came to our family! It's been a great year, and we can hardly wait for all the things you'll teach us in the coming years. Happy Birthday, Sweetsa! We love you.