The Wilhelmsen Botanical Blog

So the other day Aiden asked for a banana to eat and I gave it to him.  He took one or two bites and put it on the table.  After eating lunch he said, “Hi banana, how you today?”  Where do kids get these things?

So today while we were outside I wished that I’d had our video camera.  Aiden had found a  feather and it kept blowing around.  At one point it blew off my leg and he followed it with his hand outstretched to catch it.  It kept going higher and higher with him following it until finally it landed.  Ah, the simple joys of childhood.

Here are a few pictures from our family night on Valentine’s day that I didn’t add to the post last week…

So on President’s day I had the lucky opportunity to go and get another cavity filled.  Joy…

Wednesday Aiden was pulling on his ear, distraught, and didn’t nap well.  I ended up taking him to pediatrician during their night clinic hours.  Turns out that he did have an ear infection.  He was very cuddly in the evening and very sleepy as well.  We gave him ibuprofin, amoxicillin, and some numbing drops in his ear.  He slept soundly all night and was back to his normal mischievious self the next morning.  He is doing much better now and even seems to finally be recovering from his cold.

This week I finally finished our living room curtains.  I will try to remember to take photos this week to post.  We also tried out turnips as our vegetable of the week.  We had them pan roasted and we also had bacon clapshot.  The pan roasted were only so, so, neither one of us were very enthusiastic about them but the clapshot was yummy.  It was basically glorified mashed potatoes.

Friday evening after Aiden went to bed Brandon and I watched the movie Amelia.  When I was younger I was fascinated with her and the mystery of her disappearance is still quite intriguing.  We enjoyed the movie and I thought that it was well done.  It even led me to looking Amelia Earhart up on wikipedia to see what the latest speculations are on her disappearance.  It baffles me that she would have just disappeared with no trace.

Saturday I went to our stake women’s conference.  It was fabulous.  I learned a lot of useful things and it got me excited about food storage and food storage rotation.  I attended 4 classes, one about sprouts, one about beans, one about powdered milk, and one about canning meat.  Here is what I learned in brief summary:  Sprouting is easy, but I am not a fan of how sprouts taste.  Beans can be used as a fat (butter, shortening, oil) substitute in recipes and they taste equally as good but are even softer and more moist then if you had used butter.  Beans can also be used as flour if ground up dry.  I also learned that I really like split pea soup.  Yum.  I learned that powdered milk is amazing and that you should buy INSTANT non fat milk instead of REGULAR non fat milk.  Powdered milk can not only be used as a drink but by adding  just a few ingredients it can become sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and buttermilk.  You can turn powdered milk into yogurt, and from there it can become sour cream and cream cheese.  Not only can it become cream cheese but it is DELICIOUS, FAT FREE, cream cheese!  The speaker made two cheesecakes one with all store bought ingredients and one in which she had substituted all the dairy ingredients with powdered milk ingredients of the same.  They tasted the same!  I also had the cream cheese topped with homemade jam on a cracker.  It was so smooth and delicious.  I was amazed!  The canning class was cool.  I learned that you can can raw or cooked meats and that it isn’t that different then canning fruits or veggies.  It was a good learning day.

I have also been on this kick lately to just get things into place and into habit before Lucas is born.  The reason being that I know that if we can get into the habit of things before he is born then the craziness of a newborn will be less likely to disrupt it.  Here are some of what we have worked on…   We are getting more consistent with FHE, part of why is because we have set an alarm to go off every Sunday at 8:30 p.m. to remind us, the other reason is because we do it on Sunday when there are less outside distractions to cause us to forget.  I have also started to heed the primary song, “Saturday is a special day, it’s the day we get ready for Sunday…”  The last three Saturday’s (yesterday didn’t go as well as the ones before) we have taken an hour or two of our day to sweep, vacuum, mop, and to thoroughly clean the bathroom.  I think having a set day to do these less enjoyable chores and to have Brandon’s help, will help us to get us into a good habit of doing them.  It also helps to have two specific laundry days and a time of day to be finished by.  I have split my laundry load in half and do half one day and half another.  Getting it put away is still a struggle but at least I have set days to have them accomplished on.  Dishes are still a work in progress, we do 1-2 loads a day and I feel like there are always dishes on the counter.  We have also been doing pretty good at keeping the table clear and piles of papers from becoming clutter in the house.

Today was good, church went well, Aiden is doing superbly in nursery and always seems so aloof when I go to pick him up.  It’s like oh, hi mom, just a minute while I finish up.  LOL.  We had my dad over for a dinner of pork chalupas and bean fudge.  The bean fudge was tasty but the beans give it a strange texture.  The chalupa filling was SOOOOOOOO good.  Oh baby.  It is a recipe that we will definitely use again.  This morning when I was changing Aiden’s diaper he said, “Bite the baby Lucas toes.”  (We nibble on his all the time.)  I told him we have to be gentle and soft when we bite Lucas’s toes but it made me grin inside to think that I will take a little nibble of Lucas’s toes and then I can offer them to Aiden for a little nibble.  As we arrived at church Aiden said, “Mommy’s cute.”   To which I asked, “Mommy’s cute?”  Then he said, “Mommy’s handsome.”  So I asked, “Mommy’s handsome?” and then he said, “Daddy’s handsome.”  He did a very similar thing when we got home as well and this evening as my mom got ready to leave he ran his hand through her hair and said to her, “Hair’s cute.”  Then he told her, “Teeth’s cute.”  And then they stuck their tongue’s out at each other and my mom asked, “Is my tongue cute?”  To which Aiden replied, “Yes.”  It is fun to receive compliments from a two year old.  🙂

Lastly, I am down to 6 weeks before my due date, it has caused me to try and cherish these last few moments of one on one time with Aiden.  I try to hold him a little tighter, squeeze him a little longer, and to enjoy the quiet and silly moments that we have together.  I look forward to having another little one to hold and to the times when my two boys can play together, teach,  and entertain each other but I find myself mourning the loss of undivided, individual one on one time with my first born and for the smaller amounts of it that I will have with Lucas and all of my subsequent children.  I am also slightly nervous about going from one kid to two and how all of that transition will go.  I do know one thing though and that is that I will love both my boys with all of the love that a mother can have for her kids and I will do everything I can so that they know it.  😉  Thanks for reading….

So today after we strapped Aiden into his car seat at the end of our grocery trip he started making ridiculous requests like, “I want candy, I want some peanuts.”  (Except for his one raid into my father’s peanut m & m’s a few months back he has not ever had peanuts and will not until we are certain he is not allergic or 4 years old, whichever is sooner.)  Anyway, so I randomly asked him if I should open the brain.  He replied, “yes.”  Then started repeating, “I want some brain, I want some brain, brain, brain.” over and over.  I finally had to distract him by asking if he wanted some marshmallow’s when we got home because I was laughing hysterically, almost to the point where one would say they were laughing so hard that they were going to pee their pants.  It was only so hilarious to me because Brandon had me watch this movie recently and that same day before I saw the movie Brandon was chasing Aiden around pretending to be a zombie and saying, “Mmmm, brains”.  LOL!

Oi, I forgot to write about this…  The other day Brandon had some food frying in the skillet.  Next thing we know Aiden has scooted one of his toy buckets over to the stove, and is standing on it, food thermometer in hand about ready to “test” the temperature of the food.  Thankfully Brandon is quick due to his ninja skills and swooped over to save Aiden from himself.  😉

So today Aiden did a cute thing.  I was holding him on my lap when he stood up and put his hands on my head.  Once he had done so he said, “Amen.  Get a the mommy’s blessed.”  🙂  How cute is that?

The above movie is why we LOVE flying Southwest…that and of course the lack of extra fees.  Kudos to Southwest Airlines!

I have expressed many times my desire to have a family of six kids, two of which I plan to adopt.  As I have expressed these desires I have had a variety of responses from support, to disbelief, and I sometimes wonder if people think I have lost my mind.  I have never been very good at verbally expressing my deep seeded opinions and thoughts but have had the good fortune recently to come across some things that express exactly how I feel in my heart about these very things.

First of all I will address the topic of adoption.  In January of 2008 just shortly before I gave birth to Aiden I found this quote in an article of the Ensign called, “Why Adoption?”  It helped to confirm that my desire to adopt a child was indeed a righteous one and confirmed what I have always known to be the right thing for me to do.  This quote was given as a statement by the first presidency in October of 2006.

“We … express our support of unwed parents who place their children for adoption in stable homes with a mother and a father. We also express our support of the married mothers and fathers who adopt these children.

“Children are entitled to the blessing of being reared in a stable family environment where father and mother honor marital vows. Having a secure, nurturing, and consistent relationship with both a father and a mother is essential to a child’s well-being. When choosing adoption, unwed parents grant their children this most important blessing. Adoption is an unselfish, loving decision that blesses the child, birth parents, and adoptive parents in this life and throughout the eternities. We commend all those who strengthen children and families by promoting adoption.”

Secondly the topic of a big family, I recently came across this blog and while I have zero intention of being a mother of eleven her thoughts on a big family still apply to my desire for being a mother of six.  This is what she had to say about big families…

The Big Family–A Lost Institution

Maybe because I grew up with just one brother (my other siblings were already grown), I always wanted a large family. I liked the way it felt in homes full of children. Once we got over the hump of 3 or 4, it actually got much easier. And today, as I experience the “law of the harvest” I am so grateful that I stayed the course. My life is brimming with loved ones.

Just a generation ago, large families were the norm. Most people I meet who are 50 or older grew up in a family of at least six. And they loved it! They eagerly talk about the happy home of their childhood–sleeping out under the stars, piling in the car to go to the movies, sharing a bedroom. They finish by saying that they only have two children of their own. I wonder why that is. What turned the tide of the big family? Was it the feminist movement that assured us that there was much more to life than diapers and mopping? Or was it the changing standard of living that made us believe that things were more valuable than people? I think it was a simple, subtle shift in thinking that more money and fewer children would produce quality instead of quantity. And little by little, we came to believe that the way we grew up–six kids in three bedrooms with an unfinished basement–wasn’t acceptable. I beg to differ.

All the things we want our children to be, just seem to happen naturally in a big family. They become undemanding and even grateful. They learn early to give and take. They ride together in the car and if one of their pant legs happen to touch one of their sibling’s pant legs, it’s okay. In fact they learn to lean on each other in every sense. Obviously, the budget is always stretched. Even so, everyone is excited about “another new baby”. Doesn’t it occur to them that now there’ll be less to go around . . . “less for me”? No. Because without ever having to say it, we teach them that people will always be the best part of life. And this baby is a friend forever.

I haven’t begun to mention the qualities fostered in a big family–self-motivation, creativity and resourcefulness for starters. Mom can’t be everywhere and if you need something urgently, you’d better figure it out. (No wonder Benjamin Franklin (one of 17) invented the wood stove, bifocals and discovered electricity. “Somebody better do it,” he probably thought.) There is security and self-esteem. Even when the girl at school says your pants are too baggy, your group of friends decides you’re out and the bus driver is a grouch, there’s always a friend at home–usually five or six.

And about college. How are all those kids going to go to college? So far, our oldest five children have put themselves through with only minimal help from us and no government aid. They’re making sure that the ones at home are keeping their grades up and working toward scholarships. We’ve never dealt with alcohol, drugs or premarital sex. The lessons we carefully taught our oldest children become magnified as they filter down through the family.

Feeding, clothing, driving and nurturing a large family is hard work for both Dad and me. But the greatest and most lasting lessons they’ve learned in our home, the ones that are the most deeply ingrained in their hearts, are the ones we didn’t have to teach at all. I can’t imagine how we could have. You can’t just say “be selfless” and expect it to happen. They need an environment that makes it essential.

On the night of Christmas this year, all the fun came to a sad halt when 11 year old Marielle discovered that her beloved dog, Josh, was seriously injured. The family kept vigil with her until he died. I slept next to her as she cried herself to sleep and felt inadequate to see her through this awful loss. I was unprepared the next morning, for the outpouring of love and support she received from her siblings. Natalie made her favorite breakfast. Mikelle took her for a walk. Andy made her a memory book about Josh. Dad and Nick dug a grave in the frozen ground. The whole family gathered for a funeral. Marielle was enveloped in a level of comfort and support that I could never have given alone.

I know this has been a long response but it’s a sad thing for me to watch the demise of the big family. We’ve lost something so wonderful. I can’t help but wish we could find it again.

Again it reaffirmed to me that a big family is a worthy goal and that my desires are indeed the path that I should be headed down.  It helped me to see that there will be added benefits for my children (along with added chaos) and that overall the pros far outweigh the cons.  Thank you to those people who can express the things that I have longed to express in eloquent ways so that I might use them to help people better understand where I am coming from.  Now I must be off to bed.  Goodnight!

Well, another week has passed and I am growing ever closer to be a mom of two.  This past week Aiden turned 2 years old.  We had his party on the 6th so his actual birthday was very low key.  We had pigs in a blanket with tator tots for dinner and then we cut into his Glauss cake.  My mom and her beau came and had some cake with us.

Wednesday Aiden had his 2 year check up.  He was in the 50th percentile for weight and 10th percentile on height…I don’t always believe the height measurements because he may not have stretched all the way or stood up straight enough.  His weight was around the 28 lb. mark and his height was about 34 1/4 inches.

Thursday was my 32 appt. at the obgyn.  As of today my due date is 7 weeks away and Lucas will likely make his entrance (helped out by the doc) on April 2nd.  Just a little over 6 1/2 weeks away…My appointment went well.  My blood pressure continues to be good and the baby is still head down.  The best thing was that Lucas had the hiccups when the doc was listening to his heart so I was able to hear beat, beat, beat, pause, beat, beat, beat, pause, every time he had a hiccup.  I am still measuring 1 1/2 centimeters big as well.  I also gained 3 lbs. in 2 weeks thanks to lots of birthday cake and ice cream…I am trying to take it easier on the sweets, I really only want to gain like 1 lb. a week until Lucas is born.

Friday we had big plans to ride front runner (because it was free) to Ogden for dinner and then ride it back.  Well, we missed our earlier train and by the time we got to Ogden it was like 6:40 and we wanted to be on the 7:07 or 7:37 train back south.  That didn’t really leave a lot of time for much of anything.  It was also dark by the time we arrived and the place where we were originally planning to eat was of course closed.  We ended up just wandering around until we found somewhere that I could use the restroom and then we got food at Subway.  This Subway managed to ear a great big FAIL from us while we were there too.  They were out of meatballs, tuscan chicken, one kind of bread, one kind of cheese, chocolate chip cookies and yogurt for the kids meal.  Hello!   You are in the business of FOOD, your job is to HAVE IT.  Oi.  (We also took their last chocolate milk for Aiden.)  All in all our trip was a bust but we did see an old friend and had a nice chat with him on the train on the way towards Ogden.

Saturday was the day that Brandon and I went on our Valentine’s date.  We had a gift certificate for Sugarhouse Barbecue as well as for one pedicure each that we had received for Christmas.  We sent Aiden off to my aunt’s to be tended (Thanks Vicky and Neal!) and went on our way to lunch.  Holy cow was it TASTY!  I got the pulled pork and put bbq sauce on it.  Yum!  Brandon got the buffalo chicken.  Then we got a sheet cake sundae for dessert.  Tasty!  All we can say is that we both highly recommend treating your taste buds to the food at this restaurant.  It gets four thumbs up.  Thanks Torren!  After lunch we had wonderful, relaxing pedicures (Thanks mom!) and then made the mistake of going to See’s chocolates the day before Valentine’s.  We were so close though we just HAD to stop and luckily they were prepared for the rush with plenty of staff.  Mmmm, those were some delicious chocolates.  My hubby also gave me these beautiful roses with a vase from Ikea.  We plan to use the vase for my paper roses that he made once the live ones wilt.  In the afternoon we took Aiden to get his two year pics. taken.  The staff was wonderful and very accommodating when we told them our budget.  We were able to get everything we wanted and then some.  He is just the most photogenic kid that it is hard to choose what to keep and what to discard!

Sunday we kept Aiden home from nursery due extreme runny nose and abundant coughing.  Brandon stayed with him while I went to Relief Society and then I came home and picked them both up for sacrament.  We had a delicious breakfast of chocolate, strawberry, cream cheese stuffed french toast and later in the day I gave Brandon a note, some candy, and a little salt dough heart that Aiden and I had made.  We gave Aiden a book and a chocolate.  In the evening we ate manicotti for dinner and then headed over to my aunt’s for family night and cookie decorating.  Well, that is our week.  Thanks for reading!

P.S. I realized I didn’t mention our veggie adventure this week.  The vegetable of the week was squash.  We had grilled acorn squash which was ok but not something we are eager to try again.  Later in the week we made butternut dumplings.  They tasted similar to french fries because they were boiled and then fried.  Neither of us were really able to form an opinion on them and we have extra dough so we figure we will try them again and if we like them we will freeze the extra dough and if not we will discard the extra dough.  This week our veggie is turnips!  I will let you know what we think in our end of the week news…

So today our lesson in Relief Society was Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader, and Savior.  While we were talking someone asked, how could 1/3 of the spirits who were there and lived with Heavenly Father and Jesus, leave and follow Satan.  A conversation ensued and many theories and ideas were discussed when someone mentioned that Satan was GUARANTEEING our return to live with our Heavenly Father.  He was making the promise that it would happen no matter what.  I could see how that could be extremely enticing and persuasive.  Especially knowing my personality and how on this earth I like to know the outcome before stepping into the unknown.  There are many days when I wish I could just see how everything will turn out so that I can have the strength or faith to make it through another long day or hard moment.  Knowing this about my personality and that we have very similar personalities in Heaven to what we have here on earth I also had the calm insight to reassure me that I was not even swayed by Satan.  His false promises came to me by whatever means either from Satan himself or carried along through the grapevine and I saw right through them.  They did not tempt me to join him.  I know that despite my sometimes wavering faith and testimony here on earth that I had ABSOLUTE faith that my Brother, Jesus Christ would indeed atone for my sins.  He would go to earth and die on the cross for ME.  I KNOW that in Heaven my faith was so strong that I did not doubt that my brother would do this for me, not even for the briefest moment.  Heavenly Father and Jesus love us all so much that they provided us a way to return to live with them when our time here on the earth is over.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.