Following in Mommy's Footsteps

How old do you have to be to register for a mud run?

 10 minutes later, they are squeaky clean, in their jammies, and mom is folding up her cape and starting dinner.

Neal Flies out to CA to Eulogize Grandma Barnette

Hours upon returning home from our recent camping trip, Neal boarded a California bound airplane to join his mother, sister, and family following the loss of his maternal grandmother, Ionne.  Neal was asked by his mother to eulogize Grandma, Ionne Barnette. 

Neal and his sister, Kira, shared stories collected by the family.  Following are the stories and impressions that were told in her eulogy.

Kira (granddaughter): Ionne was my grandmother.  She provided for her family and loved them unconditionally. She was very  proud of her children and and all that they had become. I feel her true calling came when she became a grandma. Her pride and joy was her grandchildren. You can ask any one of us and we will tell you just how spoiled we were. The gifts, the kisses, the hugs, the love; none of these can be measured.

Grandma was one of 2 people who were allowed to hold me when I was a baby. Being her first granddaughter, we always had a special bond. This bond remained strong until her death. Sure we had our problems, like when I realized I was allergic to her. Luckily, it turned out to be just her perfume. I remember I was so proud the day I could say I was taller than grandma. She had a beehive hairdo at the time. I said "look grandma, I'm taller than you". Her response was simple, "not until you're taller than the hair". We've had several laughs about this over the years.

My grandma could always laugh. Her smile would light up a room. I will never forget that smile. Even the last time I saw her and she didn't know who I was, I could still make her smile. You can choose what you want to remember about a person. I choose to remember her smile, her hugs, her laughter. When I close me eyes I see her smiling face. That memory makes me smile. The thought that I will see her again in Heaven makes me smile. All my chosen memories make me smile.

My mom once described my grandma as a strong woman who she greatly admired. Being a know it all teenager, I simply rolled my eyes.  As I grew into an adult I became more aware of who she was as a person. The hurts she had suffered as well as the joys in her life  My grandma had the biggest heart which was overflowing with love. She had an amazing sense of humor and we would often laugh for hours. Over the years our relationship shifted from that of grandma/granddaughter to that of friendship. We talked about everything and we talked about nothing.  I am proud to say that Grandma was one of my best friends.

Susan (daughter): She loved giving gifts. She would often give me things just because. Mom loved hercut flowers. These were a constant in her house. She denied herself many things but her hair was always done and you would never find her without her lipstick on.

Bradley (son): Obviously my memories of my mother  are endless!! But, some that I think showed her love and sacrifice for her family are the following.

I remember every year before school began, birthdays, or Christmas time - we always had exactly what we asked for (new surfboards, bicycles, skateboards) and she would go without. Even when you thought you'd opened every present, she would pull out an extra present and lived seeing the smile on your face.

She would never go shopping for herself. She was truly a saver and taught me so much about managing finances.

Also, no matter what kind of trouble Eric or I would get into she was always there to support us and take in any of our friends. All the friends called her Mom and were always welcome anytime day or night!! She will be missed by all that had the pleasure of knowing her!

Saunjia (daughter-in-law): Saunjia recalls Christmas shopping with Ionne. Once at the store, Ionne would have the clerk get her a chair. She would sit and tell me where to go to get her the things she wanted. She would often send me back for a different box or a different color item.

Royce (daughter-in-law): I have many stories from the past 35 years but I think what I want to be told most are the lessons of life that I learned from her. She taught me how to be a strong woman especially when your partner in life is taken away and you are forced to push forward alone. She also taught me how to be a strong single mom and to stand up for the needs of my children. She truly adored her children as I do all of mine.

Neal (grandson): We would go driving around on Christmas Eve looking for Rudolf. Grandma would sit in the passenger seat and point out potential sightings. We claimed to have really seen it but now think perhaps it was just an airplane. Upon returning home to our parents, we always seemed to miss Santa's coming but were always excited to see the presents he had left.

Keri (granddaughter-in-law): She was very generous in so many different ways. Despite any hardship or trials she had, she always offered her support and encouragement. It didn't matter if she knew all the details or not. If it was something you were excited about, then she was excited for you too.

She loved her family for sure. She served them in innumerous ways. Raising her babies, attending birthdays and graduations, forgiving mistakes, sharing her stories with us...Boy she was a good story teller!

She seemed to live true to what she knew. She had her opinions and wasn't afraid to voice them. She had integrity.

Perhaps because she felt like an outsider at several times in her life, she certainly made an effort to be inclusive of others. She was warm and friendly, inviting, affectionate, and was genuine in the love she gave others.

Waymon (grandson): “I flew to CA in 2010 to see my grandma before her dementia got any worse. We hadn't seen her in 10 years and didn't have very high expectations of her remembering Josh and I, but her mind was still sharper then what we expected. On the last day were were there Josh and I went and visited her by ourselves. On that days without us prompting her, she remembered both of us and would not stop smiling. It was the most uplifting feeling. We only had my phone with us but we took as many pictures as we could. I miss you grandma, and I'll always cherish the time we spent together. 

​​​​​​​​Sheena (granddaughter): How can you only pick one memory out of 26 years full of phenomenal memories of a wonderful woman. From playing dress up in her clothes and running around in her slippers to sitting around listening to stories of her growing up. My Grandma was always there with an open heart, a warm hug and a witty mind. I’ve learned many lessons from my Grandma and one of those was how to be an independent, strong and honest lady. My Grandmother will always be a major part of my life and a wonderful role model.

Ian (grandson): I remember when I was younger, I would go to Grandma’s house, and at the time the style of clothing was to have a belt so big it would hang down about a foot from the buckle. I would walk into grandma’s house and the first thing she would do is grab a hold of the dangling belt and she would tug and swing my belt until I would agree not to wear such a horrible looking belt.

As a young man I would spend lots of time at the beach, with Grandma living so close to the beach I was able to stop by and see her at least once a week if not more. She was always ready for my visits sometimes it would be just me sometimes I would have a friend or two, but one thing was for certain she was ready to talk and ready to shove more food and soda down our throats. I miss our visits and I miss you, and thank you for loving me. I love you.

Neal finished with the following: When asked what she wanted to be remembered for she shared that she was proud of raising her children, especially after Wayne had passed away. It was difficult and a pleasure all at once. She took life one day at a time, took in extra work to make ends meet, and did as best as she could to raise her four wonderful children into four wonderful adults. She was grateful to the many people who had helped her fulfill her role, in both small and large ways.

The most important things she wanted to impress upon her children and descendants were moral standards. Ionne also held that good parenting was important. Parents should give all the energy it takes to care for their children. The family and children should come first before all the other demands the world places on you. She believed that integrity was an important characteristic to develop and keep. Ionne wanted to advise her offspring that developing sound character and taking care of one’s spouse and children should be followed by being good to others. Not only will one be generally well liked, but she counseled that when one is good to others, one gets goodness in return.

When asked what her biggest regret was, Ionne, who has always enjoyed a good laugh, joked that she regretted never being a millionaire! Whatever she may have lacked in money, Ionne lived a rich life.

Our grandma took the cards that were dealt to her and played them well. She did the best she could with the life that God gave her.

"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Actually, the prize belongs to him or her, who endures to the end." --T. Monson. She endured it well.

On her 80th Birthday.  Four generations!

Neal had a great time seeing all the family that came in for the memorial.  While in California, he also visited with his dad's side of the family, splurged on Indonesian food and a Tommy's burger, and tried to be a handyman at his mom's place.  

At the end of his visit, he and Kira helped their mom as best they could as she had a planned surgery.  He arrived back home exhausted but happy.

Got Mud?

Saturday morning Keri faced her first mud run, The Survival Race!  Truly this is just an excuse for mature, civilized adults to revert back to those good old mud pie days. 

Before: Kim, Keri, and Kris

Keri was with a group of seven from her church; she being the oldest by a few years.  It just sounded too fun to pass up and a good reason to run a full load of laundry.

She ran the whole 5K (3.1 miles) and completed all the obstacles. Some of which were running in a river, crawling on hands and knees in the mud under a structure, climbing a rope wall, climbing a muddy hillside, maneuvering through webs of ropes, jumping over fire, and so forth. They ran through fields of wildflowers between many of the obstacles. They stopped to cheer each other on and really had a great time. It was a blast!

After: Keri, Kim, Aleasha, Natasha, Linsey, Kris

 

They had mud caked in their hair and ears.  Later, when preparing to shower at home, Keri found a healthy measure of mud in her belly button. How about that lovely detail! 

Update (3 May 2012): I don't know how many participated in the event but results show I placed 68th out of 206 Women in the age group 35-39 years.  My time was 50 min., 48 sec.

Keri Presents to the Board

I (Keri) was invited to speak in behalf of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) at their parent company's, LifePath Systems, board meeting this month.  LifePath Systems is a community-based, non-profit organization created specifically to help individuals and their families dealing with mental illnesses, intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. All board members are volunteers. 

I readily accepted as a way to thank them for all "Team Rhys" has done for our family.  We had a very positive experience with the developmental and speech and language services they offered and Rhys has demonstrated steady and noticeable progress.

As his mother, I shared our story from our circumstances just prior to starting ECI to our current situation and our future plans for Rhys.  In preparing my thoughts, I was so excited to see how far Rhys has come in 15 months.

When we started he was 20 months old, had 3 consonants, one or two vowels, and one true word, "dada".  He mostly responded with "mmm" or giggled to fill the silence.  He would sit for long periods of time holding a few toys but not playing with them really.

Fast forward to now and we have a little boy with an awesome personality!  Rhys now has several consonants and they pop up in the beginning of words quite often, and sometimes in the middle and ends of words too.  He is still very difficult to understand but at least we have something to work with now. 

He is producing 2 word utterances regularly and 3 word utterances are showing up more and more. He asks questions using a rising intonation (candy?). He answers yes and no questions, simple what, who, and where questions. He declines with words more often than tantrums.  He requests with words and follows up with actions if I don't understand. He follows 2 step directions. He understands a great number of basic concepts.    He can count to ten, and label his letters and pronounce many of their sounds. He is learning his colors.

He plays along side and with his peers. Imaginative play is emerging.  He takes turns and is beginning to share. 

Rhys has no cognitive delays now.  He has no receptive language (what he understands) delays anymore.  He is only borderline delayed in his expressive skills and that is primarily due to his articulation disorder which prevents us from understanding him.  He has come a long way!

In short, Rhys rocks!

As his mom, I am just so happy that he is communicating and that as a family, we are functioning better throughout our day!  He has become quite the little man.

Talking to the board was a great experience for me.  Not only did it give me the opportunity to say thank you, and practice speaking in a professional setting, but it gave me a moment to reflect on the blessings our family has received.

In attendance at the meeting was McKinney Police Chief, D. Kowalski.  He remarked important and meaningful it was to have me there.  He said they are always looking at so many other things and are so removed from the services that it really was a benefit to him to see how it is affecting families.

Practice Camping

Now that our kids are getting a little older we though we could actually have fun camping.  We were right!  On Friday afternoon we took off to Bohnam State Park, despite the intermittent rain we had all day.  We called this our "practice camping" since it was the first time with our kids.  The state park was only an hour away, we kept it to one night, and kept everything as simple as possible. 

It was a nice little state park with a small lake.  It was well wooded.  We didn't bother to check out its trails or anything because our kids are pretty young for longer distances and there was plenty of other things to do.

   

That night was pretty cool but with sweatshirts and a little campfire we survived just fine. Dinner was sandwiches compliments of Subway. We had some great neighbors that were kind enough to share a bit of their pine wood since all we had was hard oak that wasn't catching well.  We got away from the campfire for a short while to take in the awesome starry sky--always humbling.

We all fell asleep pretty easily, surprisingly.  We heard an owl at some point in the early hours of the morning.  He hooted for a long while.  Sophie ended up in Mommy's sleeping bag and Rhys ended up tunneled into his bag with his socks sticking out the top. 

Neal got a campfire started (much more easily this time) and fixed hot cocoa for the family. 

 Keri made banana nut oatmeal for breakfast.

As we finished up, Neal checked out how to tie a fishing line using his smart phone.  See, high tech gadgets have their place when your roughing it.  We had fun practicing casting and teaching the kids.  Not even a nibble, though.

We spent a little time on the swing set and Sophie taught Mommy a cool trick she picked up from preschool.

 Along the shore and throughout the camps where terrific finds for two little kids like freshwater shells, worms, rolly pollies, and sticks.

 Before leaving we took one last walk out on a well liked peninsula to throw rocks in the water.

Then Neal, like a magician fit everything just so into the trunk of the car until there was not a hole to be seen and we merrily made our way home.  Things we learned on our practice run were that we would need to bring pine, an ax, and paper towels next time and we are due to upgrade one of our sleeping bags.  Our family genuinely had a great time on our first camping trip!  

Sophie Takes the Family to Open House

The school year is nearing it's end and Sophie took us on a tour of her classroom for Open House.  Actually, she was either SUPER excited or just all sugared up from eating cinnamon rolls and brownies at Cici's Pizza (and I beleive they use the term "pizza" loosely).  Anyway, she had a blast showing off different projects and seeing herself on a class video that was running, and saying hello to friends.  We finally got to meet Ms. Paige, her music teacher. 

There was a bulletin board filled with children's answers to interview questions asked by their teachers.  They didn't put names on any of them so you had to guess your kid's by the answers.  Sophie provided the following answers:

My favorite color is purple and pink.
My favorite place to go out to eat is Jason's Deli.
My dad is 5 years old and his job is to work on the computer til 5.
My mom is 4 years old and her job is to clean house and jog.
My favorite food is macaroni cheese pizza. (Cici's)
My favorite toy is two baby hamsters with diapers on them.
I want to be a batgirl.
My mom's favorite television show is commercial shows. What?!
My dad's favorite television show is watching Berenstain Bears with me.
If I had a dollar I would buy a spider that stretches.  She owns one of these.
We got to take home some projects and we were particularly fond of this book she made.

Once upon a time a dinosaur went to the woods.

Then a tiger came and killed the dinosaur.

Then the dinosaur laid (spelled layed by the teacher!) down.

Then the dinosaur woke up.  The End.

A bloody tale filled with a hope of the ressurection?  Yeah dinosaur?!

In Celebration of Grandma Barnette's Life...

It is with reverence we announce the passing of Neal's maternal grandmother, Ionne Barnette.  She is a beloved woman, wife, mother, grandmother--a woman of faith, virtue, and charity.  We love her and will miss her until that day when we may look in each other's eyes again.  We know she has longed to be lovingly taken in the arms of her dear husband, Waymon, and son, Eric.  Rest in peace.

Ionne Gloria Lueskow Barnette

21 Feb 1928 - 19 Apr 2012

Getting a Move On

This week I had the chance to wrap up our co-op preschool's unit on transportation.  I was the lucky lady that covered boats and bikes. 

For our day on boats we introduced the topic by putting a boat puzzle together as a group. 

Then we viewed a variety of boats (row boat, sailboat, cruise ship, kayak, motor boat, etc.) and discussed how they were different and identified their parts.  We found out if anyone had ever been on a boat.  Two out of six kids claimed to have been on a boat.  Rhys got to show a picture of himself and mommy kayaking.

We read Toy Boat by Randall de Seve which is about a toy boat that gets lost at sea and, again, we identified the different boats mentioned in the story.  We also talked about their special jobs, i.e., fishing boat, ferry, tug boat.  Don't worry!  The toy boat was found by his owner.

I taught the kids two different versions of  "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" -- the tradition and my favorite: Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream, if you see an alligator don't forget to scream. Ahhh!  We paired up and held hands to row back and forth and made quite a ruckus.

During our art project we finger painted blue waves and glued construction paper triangles and half circles to create sailboats.  A yellow marker created our sun.

For snack we had apple wedges and banana halves with toothpick sails inserted and peanut butter crackers.

After a bit of free play we regrouped and to preface our science experiment, we read Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen.  This is a funny book about a group of animals that get in a rowboat--the very last being a tiny mouse. 

We then had show and tell.  Every child was asked to bring a water friendly object that they thought would sink or float.  They brought toy dinosaurs, boats, dolls, rubber ducks, rocks, and a paper clip.  We made guesses as what may happen with each.  Then we moved outdoors. 

Outside, using a tub of the wet stuff, we did our sink or float experiment and categorized the objects thus. 

Then we floated Tupperware containers and filled them with things until they capsized.  Then we enjoyed some free play.

Our day on bikes really got us rolling!  We introduced the topic by bringing a bicycle in and talking about the different parts (frame, wheels, spokes, handlebars, etc.) and their functions.  We asked if anyone had rode a bicycle or tricycle.

We then read Safety on Your Bicycle by Lucia Raatma-- a dry but informative read that was made a whole lot better with discussion and summing up.  Everyone volunteered that they had been on a bicycle or tricycle before.  They talked about the bike colors and how many wheels.

We looked at helmets which some children brought.  I explained that inside our head is our brain and what a brain helps us do.  I described it as soft and shared that it doesn't heal or get better very well.  We examined the helmets and talked about the Styrofoam and that it can protect your brain.  Using a chunk of Styrofoam, each child got a turn to pummel it with all their might.  They did not break the Styrofoam.  We decided it would do a good job protecting us.

We then labeled the parts of a helmet and demonstrated how to wear them correctly.  They had fun trying them on.  I gave each child a light knock on their helmet.  We talked about the bright T-shirts that everyone wore as a way to be seen, and many other rules of safety.

At the table we reviewed safety by gluing the 3rd step in a 3 step sequence to three different bike safety stories (riding bikes with adults present, walking a bike when crossing a street, and wearing a helmet that is fitted properly).  We talked about why these might be good decisions and what consequences not following the safety rule might bring.

For snack we ate brains!  Okay, I'm very open to trying things culinarily speaking (yes, I just made new word) but I'm not that adventurous!  Each child got half a tangerine, rounded side up.  We described that our brains are soft and we have to be careful with them and reaffirmed that helmets are a good idea.

After a bit of free play, gathered around the computer and thanks to Google images, we viewed a wide variety of trails.  We considered that there were different kinds of trails and that they could be used by different travelers (i.e., hikers, horse riders, and bikes).  Then we moved to the garage for our art project because it was too breezy outside.

In the garage large sheets of white paper had been taped down.  The kids thought it was so cool that I was putting paint all over the tires of a tricycle.  Each child got a turn to ride the trike and with a little assistance, they stayed on the paper most of the time.  This was so entertaining to the kids.  They loved it! 

After we revisited the different uses for trails, we glued trail signs for hiking, horse riding, and cycling on our twisted, paint-trailed paper.

We ended with more free play while the large sheets were cut for them to take home.  They had the option of enjoying story time as I read Bicycle Race by Donald Crews, a fast paced and lively read.  Overall, I think all the kids had a fun and positive time learning about a couple more forms of transportation this week.  I had a great time and really appreciate all that each child brings to our learning experience.

I was especially pleased with Rhys today.  I prepped him briefly before his friend began to arrive that he would have to share, take turns, and that it was okay if others touched his toys.  He did great!  He did some really good interacting today!  Way to go, Rhys!  And Hooray! for Mommy for completing a great preschool week!

Neal is Applauded

For not getting fired or quitting, Neal was recognized by Jack Henry and Associates for 5 years of service.  This is in addition to the appreciation his family shares with him on a regular basis for getting up to go to work each day and providing us with the things we need and want.  Neal was able to choose from a catalog an item that would make their acknowledgement a bit more tangible.  Excited about our plans to camp now that the kids are older, he choose a propane camping grill. 

Congratulations, Honey!  We love you and value the hard work you put in for our family.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work I Go

While the kids were in preschool today, I snuck off to an interview at our local school district and landed a job! 

I will be signing on as a contract speech-language pathologist for the 2012-2013 school year.  I wanted something I could do while the kids were in preschool, that I could turn down if it didn't fit in my family's schedule, and that would really interest me.   I told them I was primarily interested in assessing kids preschool age to elementary age and they said they would have use for me to do just that. 

The interview was a comfortable experience and I look forward to receiving a contract in mid-July.  Although Neal continues to be a fully competent provider for our family, I feel this will be a good way to keep my skills up, keep me marketable, and help with income while still being flexible for our young family.

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to receive a worth-while education.  It has been a real blessing to me and my family through the years.  Thanks mom for treating me to a career outfit for the occasion!

Joy

We are reading The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ as a family daily from cover to cover.  Because our kids are quite young we are moving at a snail's pace, but truly enjoying the experience.  Joy is watching the lumbering dance moves of my toddlers while Neal and I sing "The Books of the Book of Mormon."  Sadly, our singing is no more proficient.

Easter Week

We didn't save up celebrating Easter for just Easter Sunday.  We celebrated all week! 

At dinner each night we ate by candlelight.  To the kids it just makes it special and we enjoy the calming glow.  For the adults, it reminds us of the Light of Christ -- enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ.

We also took this opportunity to teach our little ones.  Everyday we covered a little about Jesus' role in Heavenly Father's Plan and what his last week living on Earth entailed.  We used video clips from The New Testament Stories and pictures which we posted on the playroom wall for them to see throughout the week.  We also included a few object lessons to help them understand difficult concepts such as the atonement and resurrection.  Many of the ideas came from this blog.

Sunday: We discussed the role of Jesus in Heavenly Father's Plan after watching a video clip and then posted a picture of Jesus and Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation, also known as the Plan of Happiness.

Monday: We watched Jesus Goes to Jerusalem on video.  We marched around, pretended to lie out our coats, and shouted, "Hosanna!"  We posted a picture of Jesus' Triumphal Entry on the playroom wall.

Tuesday: We discussed how Jesus cleansed the temple and posted pictures of this and of a modern-day temple (where Neal and I were married) on the playroom wall.  We talked about how we want to keep our home and bodies clean like the temple.

Wednesday: We watched The First Sacrament on video.  We discussed the importance of taking the sacrament each week.  We also discussed humility and service to our fellowmen after looking at a picture of Jesus washing the apostles feet.  We posted pictures of the last supper, modern-day picture of a family taking the sacrament in church, and the picture of Jesus washing the apostle feet on the playroom wall.

Thursday: We watched Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane on video.  We showed the kids a clean white cloth and talked about how it was clean and perfect.  We poured red punch on the table and talked about making mistakes or sinning.  We used the clean cloth to wipe up the spill.  We simply paralleled Jesus' atoning sacrifice to this object lesson.  We posted pictures of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss.

Friday: We watched Jesus is Crucified on video.  We showed the picture of the crucifixion and discussed what had happened.  We talked about how sad Mary, Jesus' mother, was.  We talked about how even when things were very hard for Jesus, He still did what was right--forgiving the soldiers, making sure his mother was taken care of.  We used a glove to teach that the spirit is what makes us alive.  That when we die, the spirit (hand in glove) leaves and just our body is left.  We showed a picture of his burial and used Rhys' paper plate tomb he made in preschool earlier in the week to demonstrate what happened.  We posted both pictures on the wall.

Saturday: We reviewed all the videos and pictures on the wall.  We talked about why Easter is a special day and what we are trying to remember on that day.

Easter Sunday: We watched Jesus is Risen on video.  We used the glove and our hand to demonstrate that Jesus was resurrected and His body and spirit were united once again.  We sang the hymns "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and "He is Risen" as a family.  We posted pictures of the resurrected Jesus talking to Mary and another picture of him appearing to the apostles on the playroom wall.  We then attended church as usual.

This week has helped our family have a better understanding and appreciation of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We feel our Heavenly Father's love as we ponder the gift of His Son.  This scripture found in The Book of Mormon has come to mind repeatedly this week: "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."  --2 Nephi 25:26

Our hearts feel so full! Happy Easter to all!