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Around Christmas time, we had a special evening with the boys where I gave them a framed picture that I found earlier in the year.  It is a painting that was in our Church's magazine last summer.  It is of Joseph, Hyrum and Samuel Smith (one of the Samuel's that our own SPS is named after).  Much is known and discussed about the close relationship of the brothers, Hyrum and Joseph Smith.  But it was neat for me to learn of the devotion and love of another brother, Samuel, including this story…

On June 27, 1844, while still living in Plymouth, Samuel learned that his brothers Joseph and Hyrum, who were in Carthage Jail with John Taylor and Willard Richards, were in danger. Samuel headed toward Carthage with a 14-year-old boy driving a wagon. On the way they met a mob, which attacked when they learned Samuel was Joseph Smith’s brother. The boy headed to Carthage with the wagon, and Samuel escaped into the woods.

He made his way home and “acquired a horse noted for its speed.” His six-year-old daughter, Mary, remembers this moment: “My father came into the house in much excitement, and said … ‘I think I can break through the mob and get to Carthage’ and immediately he mounted the horse and was gone.”

As he neared the town, a man and woman escaping in a buggy told him his brothers had been killed. Samuel rode on at great speed. Some of the mob, expecting his return, had hidden in a thicket. They chased Samuel, shooting at him. A bullet passed through the top of his hat, but Samuel, an excellent horseman, outran them.

Samuel was the first Latter-day Saint to arrive at the jail, but by then Joseph and Hyrum were already dead. The violence was over, the mob had retreated, and Samuel had a piercing pain in his side.

Samuel helped Willard Richards take the two bodies and the severely wounded John Taylor to a nearby hotel owned by Artois Hamilton. That night Willard wrote a letter to Emma (Joseph's wife) telling her that Joseph and Hyrum were dead. Samuel’s signature appears alongside that of Willard Richards and John Taylor.

The next day, Samuel, Willard, and Artois took the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum in two wagons to the Mansion House in Nauvoo. Samuel drove the wagon carrying the body of his brother Joseph. A guard of eight men accompanied them.

On July 30, just 34 days after Joseph and Hyrum died, Samuel died. His young daughter Mary remembered how “silence gave way to sobs” after their father passed away. His cause of death was listed as bilious fever.

Two things strike me when reading this…

1.  That in the space of only two months, Lucy Mack Smith lost three sons.  I cannot imagine.

2.  These brothers were loyal, kind and devoted to one another…risking life and limb, and making the ultimate sacrifice for one another.

It is this message that I wanted to teach to my boys, and this is why we have this picture framed where they can see it often and hopefully remember the example of these three brothers.

Turns out I have a loyal following of worriers who read my blog! 🙂

Thank you for making me feel like I'm not the only one.

And to relieve you of having to worry about us any further, here's the story:

We have been concerned about Caleb for quite some time.  He's often lethargic, pale and fatigued.  He has headaches, poor appetite, and gets sick a LOT.  His tonsils are HUGE all the time. 

Last Wednesday he started running a fever.  Thursday fine.  Friday fever.  Weekend fine.  Tuesday fever.  And then Wednesday he woke up with a VERY swollen lymph node on the left of his neck…it was causing his face to swell.  And I'll be honest we were alarmed.  It was almost the size of his fist.

So we took him to the pediatrician.  She immediately thought it was strep that had spread to his lymph gland.  So she ran that test – not strep.  So it was one of three things: 1) an infection of his lymph gland, called adenitis 2) mono or 3) lymphoma.  So she sent us for lab work, where he almost passed out, but was very brave and mature about having 3 large vials of blood taken.  (Reward: Frosty)  She also put him on antibiotics.

So for the next 24 hours I did some reading (and some worrying, as I mentioned).  Symptoms for lymphoma and mono are VERY similar.  Fatigue, fever, swollen gland (or mass), loss of appetite.  Caleb, Caleb, Caleb.  Another one listed for lymphoma is night sweats, which Caleb is notorious for.  And even Wed night when I went to check on him, his pillow and bed were drenched with sweat, even though he had no covers and no shirt on.

So I tried VERY hard not to worry about something that I had no control over.  And I tried to "not go there" quite yet.  But I'm a planner and a researcher by nature, and I did both.

Thankfully we got a call from the pedi's office on Thurs morning saying that his white blood cells looked normal (CBC and metabolic panel), which told us that the lymphoma was ruled out.  Relief. 🙂

On Thursday we also saw an ENT who agrees that his tonsils need to come out, and confirmed that the swollen lymph was a secondary infection draining from the tonsils.

This morning the doctor called and said that the EBV antibody test for mono was positive.  But showed that the infection has been in his body for a while and is hopefully on it's way out.  Which means that he has had mono without us knowing it.  We don't know how long he's had it, or when he'll be "better".  There's nothing we can do for it (other than rest).  It sure explains a lot of symptoms!  And it makes me feel justified for all of the months that we've wondered and worried about his health.

So – we are feeling much better about things today.  We're thankful that it's nothing more than mono.  And thankful for all of you who have worried along with us.

At 9:50 last night I got a phone call.

Phone calls that late usually contain news – bad or good.

This phone call was news of the BEST kind.

It was my brother Mark sounding very proud of himself, almost giddy.

And when he asked if Derek could get on the phone too, it was all I could do not to cry.

But instead I made a joke about having to climb the stairs.  Why do I make stupid jokes at inopportune times?

And when we were together with Mark on speaker phone, he revealed to us that Anne too was on the phone and they revealed their news:

"We're engaged!"

I screamed and was doing carpet angels.

And then they told us the story – the romantic way he did it (it's their story, so I feel a little funny telling it – but let's just say it made me very proud to be his sister!).  And the ring (I saw it on-line) – the RING!  And she was surprised – completely surprised!  At the Anatole hotel – in a ballroom – with a table – all by themselves – with candles.  The cool thing – that's where they met – at the Anatole hotel, in a ballroom, at a table, for a dinner.  And then they danced – to "Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson", which will be her new name.

SO romantic.  And perfect.

And I could NOT be any happier for them…my cup overfloweth.  For him.  For her.  For all of us who get to bask in the glow.

We love you, Mark and Anne.  Congratulations!

My little brother's gettin' married!

   

 

He's cute.  Just because he's mine.  Just because he's not camera shy.  Just because it's fun.

That's why we had this little photo session last Friday.

 

 

 

 

I love his little muffin top!

 

"Show me your muscles!"

Theme:  The fruits of our labors

The hosts: Misti and Angela

The menu: Mango Mojito (a yummy drink), Stuffed Yellow Squash, Wheat Bread with Apple Butter, Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parmesan-Chive Foam, Spinach Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Mango and Chicken Pasta, Duck Breast with Prune and Date Sauce, Grape Sorbet, Chocolate Resurrection Cake with Raspberries and Vanilla Sauce

 

 

Real fruit candles!

 

 

 

The hosts!

 

Anne and Mer

 

The gifts: A fruit tart and a pear "box" with Harry & David chocolates

Lively discussion and delicious cuisine made for a lovely evening…as usual!

"the bloody steak".

Caleb Smith, Valentine's 2009

This is how my repentant e-mail to the teachers and principal read today…sad, really. 🙂

Subject Line: Box Top Lady, You're Fired!

Dear Forgiving Teachers:

In the interest of full disclosure I must confess my latest "goof".  But
thankfully it will not result in utter chaos and anarchy at Ashley (at least I
hope).
Here's the bad news:
1.  Despite turning her whole house upside down looking for them, the Box Top
lady (that would be me) lost her hand-written totals for the first 1/3 of the
box tops that came in this semester.  That means for some of your classes we do
not have an accurate count of your Box Tops if they were turned in prior to Feb
6th.
But here's the good news:
1.  We didn't lose the Box Tops themselves!
2.  We have the totals that were more than 100!
3.  Many of the children still wrote their names on the back, and we were able
to re-count those.
4.  We still had the baggies themselves with the teacher's names written on and
have given a credit of 10 Box Tops for each baggie.
5.  It did not have any real bearing on the top 3 winners (what a relief!),
because those were turned in after the 6th and were significantly more than the
other classes, even after the credits.
6.  MOST of the Box Tops that were turned in came in after the 6th, and they
have been fully counted.
7.  We made over $650!

If you've read this and thought…"Lady, I have better things to worry
about…like TAKS, and the flu, and the current recession", I say "thank you".
🙂 BUT if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. 

We'll announce the winners this Thursday at the morning announcements.

7:30 am – meet at an elementary school on the west side of town for the UIL Spelling Test (his coach was Caleb's kinder teacher, my former neighbor!  Results on Friday)

9:30 am – run to McDonald's for a breakfast treat to celebrate learning 600 words in 6 weeks (and although I hate McD's any other time of the day, I will say I have a special fondness for bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits!)

10:30 am – soccer game, 42 degrees, 30 mph winds, a VERY cold momma who spent the second half of the game in a friend's car, watching from a much better vantage point – we won!

4:00 pm – ice a cake and make a caesar salad for B&G banquet because mom is busy preparing for Sunday lessons (he did great!)

4:30 pm – attend Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet to celebrate the "birth" of Scouting

6:00 pm – picked up from the Banquet by Nana and Pops (after a quick change of clothes).  They take him to dinner at Posado's and a piano concert featuring his piano teacher's teacher (who also used to teach my mom in the 70s!) at SMU; he LOVED it but apparently fell asleep towards the end sitting straight up in his chair – I don't blame him!

At the beginning of the year, Caleb would come home telling us about a boy that sat by him in Kindergarten that did some "funny" things (Caleb's words).  We soon learned that Jax has some special needs and had his own "helper" or aid that came to the classroom.  We encouraged Caleb to be a good buddy to Jax and set a good example for him.

Well – now these two are TIGHT.  In fact, when Caleb was sent home from school again on Friday with another fever, he worried that because Jax was out of the room when he left, he would wonder where he was. 

His teacher always has them sitting together because not only is Caleb a great friend to him, but also a big help…encouraging Jax to do the right thing. 

I'm proud of this social kid that is such a nice boy!

I love Valentine's now that I have a whole bunch of boys to love.  And boys that love me back.  Doesn't every girl want boys to love her – and I have a posse of them!  How lucky am I?!

First I attended the boys' school V-day parties:

 

We had a fun party with friends on Fri night, and went for sushi with friends afterwards.

I made a trail of paper hearts and M&M's from the boys room, down the hall, down the stairs, through the living room and to the table so they could find their Valentine gifts…Cowboys shorts and a sought after Star Wars video game for the big boys, Thistle Blocks for Samuel (a childhood favorite!) and balloons.

And we had our traditional strawberry soup and chicken parmesan with friends on Sun evening, followed up by a game of Apples to Apples.

It was a great Valentine's weekend…