My favorite daisy

As a child it was my role to play the family tomboy. I loved getting dirty, climbing trees and riding bikes. I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress. I thought makeup was stupid and babies were annoying. It was cool to hang with my older brother and I enjoyed catching frogs. I remember telling my best friend that I thought flowers were stinky. What a lost child I was! :)

Today my favoritest hobby in the whole world is gardening and I love flowers. After I had been married for several years I realized that I needed a hobby. My interest in gardening didn't come until after we had built our first home. That first summer after moving in we started planting. We planted all kinds of stuff. A lot of it died but some of it didn't. I planted shrubs, trees, perennials and annuals. The plants that died were replaced with something else. I just kept planting stuff. The next spring I had to move some of the perennials around because they were too tall for here or there or too short. It was just a kind of trial and error system.

However, the great thing is that I loved it. Being outside has always been in my blood and working in the yard my personal therapy. Then a miraculous thing happened. I started recieving compliments, "your flower beds are perfect", "the best yard in the neighborhood". Wow, what a self-esteem booster. I would just tell them that I didn't really know what I was doing (because I didn't) but that I loved it. I learned a lot those first couple of years and I am still learning. In fact I keep telling my neighbor that her gardenias look great, when in fact, they are geraniums. "Oh sorry", I say "I knew it started with a 'G' ". Duh!

I've done some research on daisies because that is my favorite flower. It is so beautiful but casual and I love things that are casual. This is what I've found:

There are over 20,000 different species of the family Asteraceae, which is sometimes referred to as the family of daisies. Daisies are a star-like flower. Some members of Asteraceae, such as many lettuces and sunflowers, are not thought of as daisies, but they share many of the same characteristics.

Daisies include not only the blooms most people are familiar with, but also popular health herbs such as Echinacea and arnica, and many edible plants such as artichokes and endive.

The true daisy--that with which the name originated--is the English daisy, Bellis perennis. The word "daisy" is a contraction of the phrase "Day's Eye," and references the fact that English daisies close at night and open their petals again at daylight. English daisies have white, off-white, or sometimes slightly pink petals and a yellow center, with green stems and leaves.

Oh, did you know... Chrysanthemums are daisies too!. Many Chrysanthemums appear very similar to the English daisy, with white petals and a yellow center. Others come in decorative colors, ranging from vibrant pinks and blues to deep purples and reds.

My 3 most favorite daisies are:
1. SHASTA DAISIES
2. BLACK-EYED SUSAN
3. PAINTED DAISIES

The greatest thing about SHASTA DAISIES is that they come in all sizes and shapes. Here are 12 of the most common.

GLOSSARY
1. ‘Crazy Daisy’ 24 to 28 inches tall; 2- to 4-inch double flower; simple or quilled creamy petals.
2. ‘Chiffon’ 48 inches tall; 2- to 3-inch double flower; frilly “cut” creamy petals; long blooming.
3. ‘Aglaia’ 28 inches tall; very sturdy stem; 3- to 4-inch double flower; frilly white petals.
4. ‘Little Miss Muffet’ 12 inches tall; 2- to 3-inch semidouble flower; pure-white petals.
5. ‘Summer Snowball’ 28 inches tall; 2- to 3-inch fully double flower; creamy-white petals.
6. ‘Silver Prince’ 36 inches tall; very sturdy stem; 3- to 4-inch single flower; pure-white petals.
7. ‘Alaska’ up to 36 inches tall; 4- inch single flower; pure-white petals.
8. ‘Becky’ 24 to 36 inches tall; 3- to 4-inch single flower; white petals; late and long flowering; very heat-tolerant.
9. ‘Chuck’s Delight’ 36 inches tall; 4-inch fully double flower; frilly pure-white petals.
10. ‘Esther Read’ 15 inches tall; 3-inch double flower; pure-white petals; early, long-blooming flowers.
11. ‘Marconi’ 36 inches tall; 2- to 5-inch double flower; pure-white petals.
12. ‘Brent’s Choice’ 36 inches tall; 4- to 5-inch single flower; pure-white fringed petals.

The Reverse Walker

After months and months of hard work, lots of therapy, practice, practice, practice, stretching and PATIENCE Crew is taking some steps on his own. We are so proud of him. As you can see from the big smile on his face that he is proud of himself too! He teaches us so much. Crew is a lot of fun! About a week ago, I took him outside with his walker. His brothers and neighbor friends were cruisin' around on their scooters. He was so motivated and started cruisin along with his walker. He was able to take 8 or 9 steps on his own before getting off balance. I hold onto his back belt loop and walk along with him. Throughout this whole time Crew had a giant smile on his face. The kids in the neighborhood are so good with him. They would come up to him and give him words of encouragement. He understands so much and it helps him when they do this.

There a 2 neighbor friends about a year older than Crew. They are so cute with him. They come over and "help" take care of Crew. They give him toys to play with and push him in his little car. When he is in his stander they stand there and play with whatever he has on his tray. It is adorable. They are just toddlers themselves and come over to say, "Hi (T)rew" which is so cute because they can't make the "K" sound!

Recently, I have been leaving Crew in the nursery. Finally, they have enough helpers in there that I feel like I can leave. He has been doing so good and we didn't even have any separation issues. We take his little wooden Rifton chair. His nursery buddies are good about keeping his tray stocked with toys and stuff. During bubbles time the kids in there run around like crazy maniacs popping the bubbles and stomping on them. They reach out and try to catch them with their hands. Well, Crew just sticks out his tongue and tries to catch them that way. Yes, as you can guess the other kiddos in there have decided that this is the cool thing to do. So funny!

Developmental Milestone

The coolest thing happened- we have reached a new milestone with Crew! The other day S & H got down a box of little matchbox cars. They played with them for several hours. Later, I sat Crew in the big recliner chair with the box of cars next to him. He played with them but not the way you would expect. He just kind of stirs them up, picks each one up then drops it, looks at another- throws it, takes them all out of the box then puts them back in, out and in. Well, after quite some time I think it's time for something different. I pick Crew up and he suddenly starts screaming, arches his back, cries louder. He's throwing a fit, a 2-year old temper tantrum. I love it! I am laughing because it is so age typical. I love it when something like this happens. It makes me feel so happy knowing that he has hit this developmental milestone. So.... I test it out again today. I put him in the chair, he plays with the cars. After about an hour I pick him up and what do you know.... he freaks out again. LOL. I put him back in chair- he stops crying. I talk to sister on phone for 45 minutes while he plays happily. I CELEBRATE! OPEN A DIET COKE AND KICK UP MY FEET. Little Crew has taught me so much and celebrating the little things in life is one of them!

This little man is so much fun. His personality is so happy, curious, and fun. We went to some friends home for a BBQ yesterday. They have 2 dogs. A big dog and a little dog. Sorry, that's all I know about dogs. Anyway, he is just loving these dogs. He watches everything they do and giggles . Crew wants to be mobile and is working so hard. He is walking back and forth (with me holding his hands) chasing the dogs. He was constantly on the move the whole time we were there. He even kissed the big dog right on the mouth. I couldn't believe it! Where did he learn this. We don't have any pets! He definately has a love for animals. Hmmmmmmm...... I wonder where he got that from?

Feeling Old

Look at this handsome boy. This picture was taken on his birthday. Wow, nine years old! The other day S was complaining that his shoes were getting too small. I said "they can't be that bad... Santa brought them to you for Christmas. When we were kids (dad and I) we had to wear our shoes until the soles were falling off and our toes poked out the end.... blah blah blah." So we put our feet together to compare sizes. My feet weren't a whole lot bigger, so to make a point I said "let me try them on". I then proceed to put my foot in his shoe. Okay now I didn't have any socks on but I was able to get my foot in there and lace them up. I ran around the house trying to convince him that they aren't too small. The next morning S puts on his shoes and says "Hey thanks mom you stretched them out!" Consequently, I am feeling a little old because to tell you the truth when your child's feet are nearly the same size and he is practically up to my chin it simply makes one feel old.

I'm trying to combat this aging process with a little exercise. I've been walking 3+ miles everyday and working out at the gym twice a week. I didn't think I was in very good shape but when I went running last night (1st time since December) I was able to run the entire 3 miles without stopping including the hills. One of these days I'll blog about the ladies in my muscle tone class. They are an interesting bunch.
Well, the bug is awake so I guess that's it for today.

Soccer Firsts

Having fun? This is an important question coming from my yellow yellow H. And the answer this season is YES, YES, YES! Wow! What a season it has been. Major improvements and lots of fun. H was able to play for the U6 level this year. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day and almost a little too hot. At this age level they play the short field version with 4 on 4. Since their are only 4 players on his team they all get to play the whole game. The smaller field gives each child many opportunities to kick the ball and score. Also, many many chances for "throw ins". This has become one of H's favorite things. One particular game he made such a point to retrieve the ball EVERY time it went out of bounds. It didn't matter if his team had the throw in or not, H would chase after the ball often times tackling another player to get to it first. I was a little embarrassed that my child was getting so physical and we had to have a talk. But I couldn't be too hard on him-- after all.... he is just HAVING FUN which is a nice change from last year.

This season was H's first for MAKING GOALS! It really clicked for him this year and he was able to score several goals almost every game. What a great opportunity for building self esteem! Yeah!

H's, best friend, J was also on the team. This is great! These two little guys are so much fun together. They are funny little kids and after one game H made this comment "Since J is so good at making goals I just pass the ball to him". WAY TO GO TEAM!

Crew's therapist brought us some new equipment- a creepster crawler made by the Assistive Technology lab at USU. After Crew's gym class we came home and tried it out. He loves it. After going up and down the hall 4 times around the kitchen table and around the bar a few times he seemed to be getting the hang of it. At first he wouldn't use his legs much but by the end he was moving them forward one at a time and pushing off with his foot. I just help by putting my hand by his foot so he has something to push against and yelling out "LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT" like a drill sargeant. It sounds mean but he likes it and it helps him stay focused. He still needs to learn how to kind of push off with his knees. My knees were sore by the time we were finished.

We are loving the "Signing Time" DVD's. I've learned a lot and so has Stockton and Hunter. Yesterday while we were watching, Crew signed "hat" and "glove" which I thought was interesting because we haven't exactly been working on those words.

I love the song on DVD 6 "I'm Really Good". It has these cute kids with special needs and my favorite is the little boy who is running across the ball field in his little walker while she sings "I'm really good at running". So sweet!

Here is a quote from a mom whose son has CP and cystic fibrosis: "If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it." Jodi Hansen

Later,
Mel

my 1st blog

I decided to start my own blog. Wow! Hopefully, this will be a fun way to journal and also keep family and friends updated on our families happenings, achievements, and ups/downs.