Rebekah

I just noticed I haven't posted much about Rebekah lately. She is a mostly happy little 3 year old who is trying very hard to keep up with Brigham. She recognizes about 20 letters of the alphabet and talks like she's four. She told a lady in the grocery store today (with a very stern face) "Those are our eggs." :) The lady only looked at them. She likes to help me with my work and is beginning to actually help more than hinder. She has FINALLY learned to stay in her bed and go to sleep at night!! (It only took 14 months.) She recently got a new bed. We got her a twin when Hyrum grew out of the crib and gave her toddler bed to him.

Rebekah is such a blessing in our lives. She has a very strong will, so we are trying to teach her as much as we can while she's little so that she can be a strong force for good when she grows up.

Catching up

This past week has been catching up time for me. I've been trying to catch up on spending time with my children, catching up on house work and organizing that has been put off for 6 months, catching up on lost sleep.

I had forgotten how nicely my children can play together without Marc around to disrupt their play constantly. They will go and play for 30-60 minutes at a time and I am able to get so much of my work done, that I'm catching up on 6 months of neglected work rather quickly. Before, I was having to stop what I was doing every 30-90 seconds in order to keep the children from destroying things or hurting each other. Well, after all our behavior intervention, by the end, I was able to work for sometimes up to 5 minutes at a time, but never even close to 30!

As for the reaction of the children to Marc leaving, they are glad he's gone. Every once in a while Brigham will cry that Marc took _____ home with him. (a shirt, or a toy) I think Hyrum misses Marc the most and just doesn't know how to express it, but he's been doing well too. I am so glad that Marc going home hasn't seemed to damage the children emotionally as I was afraid it would.

Catching up on everything has been nice.

Good-Bye Marcus

Well, the moving date was moved up a day. So, today Marcus left us for his biological family. I have such mixed feelings about this move, I'm having trouble processing the mixed emotions. I am happy for him and his family- that they get to be together. I am relieved to not have to deal with his obnoxious behavior anymore and to get a chance to teach my children appropriate behavior without the constant influence of a child with serious behavior problems. I am very sad to see him go. I am worried about how he's going to be raised for the next 15 years. I am afraid all the work I have done and all I have taught him will be undone. I worry that he won't get the nutrition that he needs. I ache for my children who are going to realize more fully in the next few weeks what this move means to them- a loss of a brother. Sometimes I feel like crying to think he's gone. Sometimes I feel like dancing a jig because of the freedom of not having to have "line-of-sight" constant supervision hanging over my head, and I won't have to kiss ugly bite marks on my babies, and I won't have to plug my ears all the time, and I won't have to take him to all of his appointments all over town. BUT, there is an empty bed in the boys room, there is an empty seat at our table, and there is a scared little boy out there wondering why he can't see his "Daddy," "Mama," Brigham, Bekah, and Hyrum anymore- Wondering why no one sings his "I am a Child of God" to him at night- Wondering why no one knows what he's talking about when he talks about wanting to be a missionary and go to the temple- Wondering what he did wrong to lose 5 people he loved.

Marcus, if you ever read this, know that you were loved by us, that we miss you, and that we hope you have learned enough to become a strong, happy, healthy boy. Even though you turned our world upside down and drove us crazy- we still love you.

Brigham's Dance

Brigham has this crazy dancing that he does when he's happy and full of energy. I managed to catch some pictures of the silly faces and moves that he does. Usually he's singing a made up song at the same time too.

Hyrum's bluff

Hyrum is starting to develope a sense of humor and he gets us laughing regularly. He started this thing where we ask him to give us a high five so he lifts his arms way over his head and holds them there to create suspense.

Then he brings them down and just when you think he's going to give you that five you've waited so patiently for...

He pulls up his other hand and gives himself a five instead.

It's hirarious and makes me laugh everytime!

Painting pumpkins

Looks like Hyrum tried to paint his head as well as the pumpkin.


On Saturday Timothy helped the kids paint their pumpkins that they got from the pumpkin patch while I made dinner in my pumpkin.


Timothy painted "creepy" music on his pumpkin.
They all had a good time, but we were cleaning up paint for quite a while after wards.

Trunk or Treat

Our church had a trunk or treat activity on Friday, and that's all the trick or treating the kids got, but it was more than enough. (Marcus was sick for the trunk or treat, but his mom got to take him trick or treating on Halloween.)

We have a Cowboy...

A Fairy Princess...

And a Lion...
Happy Halloween!