Brotherly Love

Last night, I walked into the kitchen to find Brandon and a bag of vitamin C drops. They were all unwrapped except for maybe three, and Brandon was busy getting ready to denude those ones as well. I asked him (calmly-I was so proud of myself!) what he was doing.

"Nadia and I want cough drops (the vitamin C drops) and I am finding Nadia a pink one because that's her favorite color." He didn't care what flavor or color his was, but was looking through all of the drops to find his sis one that was pink. I couldn't be mad at that. So I helped him find the last pink one in the bag, sent him on his way to help Mario collect star bits in Mario Galaxy, and started to wrap the rest of them up. I took this picture before I finished just because I like remembering what a thoughtful little boy we have.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Benjamin has a new word in his vocabulary. It is "Aha!" I think it means yes or that you have done well. Like when he is offered a banana at breakfast. "Aha!" Or when he runs into my parents' bedroom after my dad has come home and starts to point to the bag of gummy worms on the dresser. Dad will pick them up and, "Aha!" The best is when he talks to you in Klingon and you've actually figured out that he's told you he wants a bath or to play the Wii. "Aha!"

Brandon has been surprising me lately with more hugs. I love hugs. He will come sit by me and give me one in the middle of a movie or when I am reading. He also has taught Benjamin to roar like a dinosaur. I like hearing the two of them roaring together and that it's not a loud roar, so they can do it all they want.

I also am surprised with Nadia. She is such a great reader and a smart girl. She has also been really patient with the boys lately, and helps them out when they need it. She really is a good girl and big sister.

Maybe they need to have some ice cream tonight for being three of my favorite people.

Three Cheers For Aunt Marlene

Clifford, my darling husband, has an Aunt Marlene. She decided to adopt all of the Sharp grandchildren as her own, and for Christmas she gave them Visa gift cards that they could use anywhere. They were a huge hit, and today, my children finally got to spend them.

We had tried to use the cards before, but Nadia and Brandon turned into wild and crazy children and we left with nary a toy for them. Yeah, Cliff and I are mean that way. Today was attempt #2, which went much better. They both used up their cards and got what they wanted.

Brandon decided to get the Hot Wheels T. Wrecks car set, and roared like a dinosaur while it was being set up. Nadia chose Wedding Day Barbie and an accessories set for her Cabbage Patch mini dolls. They now have a very cute and color coordinated living room.

Can you see the looks of patience on their faces while mommy takes a picture? The look of, "Just open this already, it's been three whole minutes since we got home and I NEED TO PLAY!!!"

Benjamin got a card, too. He now has a new ball and Thomas the Train shirt, which he points to and says, "Tata!" until you acknowledge what it is. There would be a picture of him, but he found a hidden cache (his) of markers and proceeded to draw all over his head and face in blue. Was there a BYU game I didn't know about? Needless to say, it is not a pretty sight, and we all know what a clean and organized mother I am. Okay, stop, I can hear you laughing.

THANK YOU AUNTIE MARLENE! WE LOVE YOU! :)

Bad Day

WARNING! KIND OF GRAPHIC AND DEPRESSING POST!!!


Today I went to the doctor to make it official that I am having a miscarriage. They did the measurements and everything to check on the fetus, and it didn't make it past 6 1/2 weeks. It was hard for them to find anything at all in there, so it was probably an abnormal pregnancy. There were also striations (?) or bands in the placental sac that were a VERY bad sign and very rare. The bands act like fishing net or elastic bands and can strangle or cut off limbs. I will most likely never see it again in my lifetime, let alone any future pregnancies, I was told.
So it is actually a blessing that it is happening. A bit of a sad blessing, but let's face it; I KNOW it could have been a lot worse. This time it's more of just a disappointment instead of feeling devastated, and I am very grateful for that.

The Year In Pictures

This year brought some big changes to the Sharp household. We bought a Wii, and play it all the time, especially in the winter when it's too cold to do anything else. Nadia and Uncle Scott now have a bowling grudge match (Nadia is the pro), we love to play MarioKart with Aunt Lauren who lives in VA, and Rock Band just rocks. There was a bit of controversy over Mario Galaxy, though. Apparently, Daddy was supposed to save Princess Peach while letting Bowser win. Hmmm, haven't figured out how to make that happen yet.

Someone in our family joined the Army this year. Not the little boy featured above, but my brother Jacob. He is currently in Basic Training which will last for 6 weeks, followed by specialty training for his job (called AIT) which will be for about 6-8 months, depending on the start date and how many people are in that class. His family can't follow him there, and so they are still here in the ward with us until this summer, most likely. After AIT he will get his first assignment, which at this point could be just about anywhere the Army has a Patriot missile unit. Jacob will be the one to tell them who and where they are firing at.

Benjamin decided to grow up this year. Yes, so did the others, but Benji is no longer my little baby. He is now a toddler who wants to be independent. Which is always a messy phase, for the boy as well as the mother. Nadia is getting older too, as evident by the Red Shoes, which she wears around the house EVERY Saturday. I realized the other day that she will be getting baptized this year. Isn't she still 4? Brandon will be starting kindergarten in August, and while he still has a little problem saying his R in some words, he sounds so old to me. It is just crazy to see how fast things change in one little year span.

We also had a few family additions this year. One was our dog, Jewel. She has been a great fit in our family. The dog above is Sampson, a basset hound who belongs to my mother. Dad doesn't claim him at all. The three of them have been living with us after my father found a new job in Blackfoot and are STILL trying to sell their house about a year later. They have the worst luck with houses. We are glad they can be with us, though.

It will definitely be fun to see what surprises come in the new year, and we are glad to have the family and friends we do to be with us when whatever comes our way gets here!