Please, let this be the last one....

Lachlan and Jeff headed to the hospital. It was really early, but she had her backpack all ready the night before. She really is a professional when it comes to pre-op. She always gets excited to see the doctors "her friends" at the hospital.

This last surgery was intended to fill in the last little hole in her left eardrum with a 'fat patch'. It is literally a small piece of fat that is grafted over the hole. We LOVE her ear doctor. He has been so good to L and I think that she thinks that he is wonderful. Her ears don't hurt anymore and she has perfect pitch.

Post-0p is a lot less fun. She is so brave. As you can see, her two front teeth are also gone. Dr. D had to remove them because they never healed. Some of you will remember how rotten and broken her two front teeth were when she was adopted. They were capped, but were never able to heal properly. She looks different, but I think that she is glad to get rid of them. She never really could do anything with them (like bite or chew) because they always were sore and bleeding.
She is holding her two front teeth and a sticker. Honestly, she would have surgery once a week if she could get a sticker or a band-aid. Jeff told her at the hospital about the tooth fairy. She was very excited. She told him that maybe she would get some 'dollars'. She does love a good financial reward.
Home at last. No suckers. No candy. A donut? Sure, why not.
The tooth fairy brought her some 'gold dollars' and 'paper dollars'. She started yelling in her room at 7AM, "There's money in my room!" She was so excited she was shaking and had it all laid out on her bed in the dark! It was so cute I almost bawled!

We are so proud of how well she has handled all of these surgeries. We are certainly hoping that this will be the end of the rough start. [sigh of relief]

No. 4

Lachlan's birthday celebration included a trip to the playland at the FunPark, chinese food, and a big girl bed. She is growing up so fast. We are so pleased to see the amazing progress she has had this past year. She has worked really hard. Her determination is one her her strengths.

I recently stumbled upon some video footage that Susie took that first night in China. I am incredibly humbled by how much Heavenly Father has blessed her to overcome some incredible challenges. I was amazed at how I could hardly remember the frail and horrible condition she was in, but I don't forget how overwhelming it felt at the time. Her aunt Susie has been such a support to me and a special friend to Lachlan. I always get choked up thinking about that special bond.

Here she is...take a good look at those expensive teeth she is sporting, it will be the last time you see them!!

Big girl bed. She was so excited to be a big girl...even gave up her 'sucking blankets' (hallejuah!). She specifically asked for a kitty cat bedspread and sheets with paw prints--may God continually bless Target for meeting that request.
Celebrating with Chinese food!

This kid loves her dad. There was never a kid who loved someone more...

Chinese kids love noodles. Not a cliche'. A fact.

September Before October

I can't post our Halloween pictures until I get Labor Day up...

We had the first annual Judd Ranch Labor-free Campout this year. It was fun to have everyone there. I'm not a great camper, but Jeff took the kids nearly every weekend for the entire summer. The kids LOVE it. Even when they aren't camping they are building 'campfires' with Jack's Lincoln Logs or roasting hot dogs over the side of the couch.

It's not really that I don't enjoy being out-of-doors. I like that, but I am a horrible sleeper in a tent. It mostly amounts to me laying there praying that somehow I will fall asleep or at the very least, have an out-of-body experience so that time will move faster for this one night. I did bring an air mattress, which helped, but only slightly.

I know that this collage is as ugly as sin, but I couldn't figure out how to blend it properly. I have been trying to extend my Photoshop knowledge, but I don't have a lot of time to practice. Hence, shoddy craftmanship.For what it's worth, I was quite surprised to see these photos of Lachlan posing for her NRA membership card. Jeff took these...and for the record she loved holding that gun in one hand and her baby doll in the other. It was like a cover shot for a Joan Wilder romance novel. She takes after her aunt Sara because she likes to pull the trigger with her eyes closed. There were lots of 4-wheeler rides. Grandpa came to rescue the kids on the hike up the road--it is much easier to get back to camp this way. This is Lachlan riding with her Uncle Shane. Lachlan LOVES to 'drive'. She loved it so much that she actually wore a blister on her hand. She told her dad that she is going to need some driving gloves next year. Camping with cousins. The kids are still talking about Chris and Brook and playing in the trailer with Nanny. Erica came with the twins. She perched them up on a log to feed them. Camping with my family involves a lot of cards, food, book reading and puzzles. I chose to bring a 500-piece puzzle of a lighthouse in Maine. Mom brought the puzzle to me after a trip there a few years back. I hadn't ever taken the time to put it together and I figured it would be fun. This was not a fun puzzle. It took hours. Several hours. I began to question whether it was possible to finish it at all--we all took turns staring at the pieces until our eyes were crossed. (Notice in the beginning it is daytime)
Susie finally finishes the puzzle (notice the nighttime!). I've got to hand it to her, the last 20 pieces were awful. You literally couldn't decide if you should just jam them down and make it work. Once it was completed I threw the whole thing in the fire. Shortly after that, Jack threw up all over our sleeping bags and we hopped in the truck and spent the night at Nanny Nancy's house. It's probably the first time I've been excited that someone puked on my bed.

Jack throws one last stick on the fire. Notice the sour puss look on Lachlan's face. She was one grumpy grumper that morning. Ahh, nothing like the fresh air to make you want to get a good night sleep!

Inspired by Texture

I taught myself how to add texture to photographs. Oh, how I love it!!
Summer photos, I have big plans for you!

Harvest Results

I like gardening. I like fresh fruits and vegetables. I really can't even explain the level of self-fulfillment that I have when I take it from this to something that can be preserved for a season (a very LONG season). There aren't many things that you do where you can see the results--for me, canning is about instant gratification. It's my own little version of food pornography.

The best part is that this year I only had to purchase peaches. I grew everything or was able to harvest it from a friend who had too much (a big thanks to Mary for the apricots and Janet for the apples).

Canning Totals 2009

• 7 pints apricot jam
• 7 1/2 pints chili sauce
• 38 quarts peaches
• 12 quarts tomatoes
• 12 pints tomatillos
• 8 pints jalapeno jelly
• 1/2 pound sun-dried tomatoes
• 24 pints of salsa
• 15 1/2 pints sweet relish
• 15 pints Bread and Butter Pickles
• 15 pints plain applesauce
• 8 pints cinnamon applesauce
• 9 pints plum cinnamon applesauce

Can I hear some applause? All good peep shows end with applause.

A Sick Person's Mind

I get premonitions. You're either going to believe that last statement, or not, but if you really know me you will know that I get premonitions.

I dreamed about the H1N1 virus. I had a strong urge to get my kids in to be vaccinated.

I'm not an alarmist, I just had a premonition.

Turns out, I was right.

(there was a large section of this post that has been deleted by the author. I'll spare you most of my personal comments and summarize the rant by saying, "get your freaking kids vaccinated and quit watching the 'experts' on YouTube." Seriously, if you are a REAL doctor you will not be posting your latest research on YouTube.)

deep breath.

The deletion was brought about by the fact that I've had the opportunity to read the Op-Ed section of the Trib all week. Man, people are losing their minds left and right because they just can't let things go! I know that people love gays, hate gays, want to ride their bikes on the freeway, saw too many inappropriate movies with their kids, want access to porn in a public library, think that the end of the world is coming because General Conference said so... BUT do we need to get so riled up about it that we publish 4000 letters to the editor trying to convince every other person to feel the exact same way??

Honestly, the worst paper in the world for this is our local liar. After this past week, I would have told you that every lunatic west of the Mississippi lives in our town (okay, maybe we could even narrow it down to just Smithfield and Hyrum)--these people will never be pedophiles, drunk drivers or even F-bomb droppers, but I'm quite confident that they are more angry, more filled with hate and discontent than any doped up, formerly abused, son-of-a-bitch saying neonazi ever will be!

Truthfully, the emotion that comes creeping up in my throat (along with the bile) most oft is embarrassment. Why? Because I'm living in Utah, that's why. You can pretty much hang your hat on the fact that the worst offenders are "Sunday go-to-meetin'" kinda folk. AND that puts us together in the majority of the rest. AND that is embarrassing. If I lived somewhere else, you could push it off as just 'crazy talk', but here, it's just the talk.

And I am sick of it. I'm embarrassed by it. I'm appalled by it.

And I'm asking all of you letter-writing angry people to just calm down.
Hit the delete button.
Turn down the volume on Fox News, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh.
Let's turn up the volume on civility. Sing a few hymns.
I don't know, maybe a few of you just need a little more exercise or something...

or just a good case of the swine flu to get you to think about the big picture.

It's Comin' on Christmas...

they're cuttin' down trees, puttin' up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace...

ahh, Joni Mitchell, it's already 45 degrees outside right now. The first freeze is eminent. Summer is officially over and I am incredibly melancholy. Yesterday I sluffed church. It wasn't premeditated or anything like that, I was already late and I started to pick up the kids' junk that was snaking down the hall and the next thing I knew I was knee-deep in a 4-garbage-bag de-junking. It was so serious an affair that I actually got rid of the toy box. Suz and Miner came and hauled it off to their place tonight, in fact. Good luck with the largest hider of garbage ever created.

The kids think that we've purchased all new toys for them. Not true, we just haven't used these particular items in over a year, which was the last time I ever let them open up the toy box.

I also cleaned out the kids drawers. All summer they have been wearing clothes that no longer fit, but I justify their continual usage because they are currently clean. I filled an entire 15- gallon Rubbermaid tub. It wasn't until I pushed it into the catacombs of the basement that I paused to wipe back a tear through a ragged sigh.

Time marches on.

Oh, I wish I had a river that I could sail away on....

There are certain clothing items that invoke a visceral attachment. Something you ache to hold on to for an indeterminate length of time. Not just the clothing, of course, but also the small child within them. The end of summer means that those clothes have been outgrown, finished their purpose, and now a new phase begins--one where they are older, more independent, less childlike.

It's a double-edged sword.

Lachlan is working through the difficult time of getting rid of her blankets. It's not really the blankets that we object to, but rather that she sucks on the edge of them. It's become a pacifier and it's time for her to break the habit. To say that last night was rough, is an understatement. She told Jeff tonight, "Dad, it's hard to go without my blankets. I get scared of the dark in here and I don't like all the monsters." We gave her a teddy bear to snuggle, but it is going to take some time.

So much of parenting is just a complete guessing game. You don't have a clue what you are doing. I've found that about 3/4 of the time I'm spewing off rules and regulations and I don't even know if we really need them. And the remainder of the time we probably ought to have some frame of function, but I am so mentally, emotionally and physically spent that I couldn't care less if they are robbing the 7-Eleven!

Do you ever wonder how different things will be when the spring comes?

Am I ready to just get rid of the baby clothes? And what the hell am I saving them for anyway?

I don't want to go back, but I'm not really sure if I want everyone to move forward.

Oh, summer, just a few more days. Make it last a little longer.

Norman Borlaug

Ever heard of him? I'd dare say that most have not. He didn't exactly relish the limelight, although he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Norman Borlaug was the "Father of the Green Revolution". There are some who now say that the green revolution was the impetus for the agricultural disasters that we face today...hum, I'd hate to say that there was one cause for such a complex situation. What I know for sure is that Norman was a man who believed that everyone had a right to eat. To be fed. To raise their children and have a chance at life.

During his lifetime, there were people who didn't feel the same way.

Ever read Malthus? The Malthusian theory stated that population growth would spiral out of control and that eventually there wouldn't be enough food to feed everyone on the planet. That's the part that most people know, the other part is that if you happen to be in an country that has fallen on famish times, then it would be better for the rest of us if you just passed on to the next life. Ultimately, leaving enough food for the rest of us who just happen to have a currently better circumstance.

The theory was heavily on the minds of people in the 1960s. People were waking up to the state of the environment in the United States and really looking at how food was going to be grown on a global scale. There were massive famines in South America, Southeast Asia and throughout Russia. Norman went to work to hybridize plants that grew in critical environments. He was a brilliant plant geneticist. He worked in the fields with the day laborers. He loved the people. He paid for some of those day laborers to go to college, and eventually they became incredible plant scientists and agronomists. By some accounts, he saved nearly 1 billion people from starvation.

I've heard him speak about his experiences. I believe that he did what needed to be done. For better or for worse, he made a difference to people in countries with a very small voice. As a mother, there isn't anything that you won't do for your child--and I am grateful that other mothers were spared the anguish of watching their children starve because of his lifelong dedication to making it so.

He died on Sunday.

May he rest in peace....or at least in a giant field of corn.
More of his story can be read here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090913/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_borlaug

The Fate of Mankind

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would not take the garbage out!

She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans,

Candy the yams and spice the hams,

And though her daddy would scream and shout,

She simply would not take the garbage out.

And so it piled up to the ceilings:

Coffee grounds, potato peelings,

Brown bananas, rotten peas,

Chunks of sour cottage cheese.

It filled the can, it covered the floor,

It cracked the window and blocked the door

With bacon rinds and chicken bones,

Drippy ends of ice cream cones,

Prune pits, peach pits, orange peel,

Gloppy glumps of cold oatmeal,

Pizza crusts and withered greens,

Soggy beans and tangerines,

Crusts of black burned buttered toast,

Gristly bits of beefy roasts. . .

The garbage rolled on down the hall,

It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . .

Greasy napkins, cookie crumbs,

Globs of gooey bubble gum,

Cellophane from green baloney,

Rubbery blubbery macaroni,

Peanut butter, caked and dry,

Curdled milk and crusts of pie,

Moldy melons, dried-up mustard,

Eggshells mixed with lemon custard,

Cold french fried and rancid meat,

Yellow lumps of Cream of Wheat.

At last the garbage reached so high

That it finally touched the sky.

And all the neighbors moved away,

And none of her friends would come to play.

And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said,

"OK, I'll take the garbage out!"

But then, of course, it was too late. . .

The garbage reached across the state,

From New York to the Golden Gate.

And there, in the garbage she did hate,

Poor Sarah met an awful fate,

That I cannot now relate

Because the hour is much too late.

But children, remember Sarah Stout

And always take the garbage out!
Shel Silverstein, 1974

And so it begins...