Peg Leg

This is our little broken son. I've started calling him peg leg since I can hear him coming a mile away especially on our hardwood floors.

Trying to walk- he's the picture of misery.
Yes, that is duct tape on his cast. Actually, it's gorilla tape to be exact. He had already worn through the hard outter lining within the first week so we hard to do some minor home repairs.

This is the trick James can do. He especially likes to do it at church to the people sitting behind us. It bothered me at first but now I just laugh. He's crazy. He's already figured out how to get laughs. My favorite is the first picture where he's got his eye lids flipped up and he's got a peg leg. I love the look on his face.

Emma

I'm trying this again. I just spent 30 minutes writing about the below link when an error occurred and everything was gone. Frustrating to say the least. Anyway.
Last week I saw the new movie about Emma Smith and although there were a few things about it that bothered me (ie: how the polygamy question was addressed), for the most part I thought it was pretty good. I don't think I could've taken one more dead baby. As we were walking out of the theater a woman in front of us said, "I feel like I just came from a funeral." My thoughts exactly. The film spurred me to return to a book that I'd read several years ago Mormon Enigma: Emma Smith by Newell and Avery. This is a great book in my opinion although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's testimony might be a little 'shaky' and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to a new convert or to anyone else who's a little squeamish when it comes to Joseph Smith and polygamy. Let's face it, who isn't a little squeamish when it comes to that unless you live in a compound in Texas or Utah somewhere. I digress.
Even though I was reading this book for the second time, I found myself completely rivetted. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't help but ask the typical questions when it comes to Emma and her life post-Joseph. It sounds odd, but I kept hoping and wishing that somehow the ending would change, as if history could miraculously change itself and Joseph's progenitors would embrace the true gospel he helped to restore. Alas, it wasn't to be. History has judged Emma harshly and it's nice to see that she's finally getting the recognition she deserves for bravely facing unbelievable trials and challenges. Joseph Smith was chosen as the prophet of this dispensation long before the earth was made and surely the Lord must have chosen an Emma to stand by and support him in his divine calling. I was touched by the last paragraph of the book taken from a journal by Emily Partridge, one of Joseph's wives and with whom Emma shared her home:
After these many years I can truly say; poor Emma, she could not stand polygamy but she was a good woman and I never wish to stand in her way of happiness and exaltation. I hope the Lord will be merciful to her, and I believe he will. It is an awful thought to contemplate misery of a human being. If the Lord will, my heart says let Emma come up and stand in her place. Perhaps she has done no worse than any of us would have done in her place. Let the Lord be the judge.
I hope I am able to meet Emma one day and thank her for the sacrifices that she made to help establish the kingdom in these latter days.

Nauvoo, Illinois, USA :: Joseph and Emma Smith Statues, Nauvoo, Illinois

Nauvoo, Illinois, USA :: Joseph and Emma Smith Statues, Nauvoo, Illinois

Some pictures

This is obviously pre-broken leg.
Ready for church.
We found him one morning up on our kitchen table eating a candy bar. Another time, we found him on the table holding a pair of scissors. Never a dull moment with this kid.
I only posted this picture of myself because I really, really miss this body. Only 3 months left!

Broken boy

James broke his tibia Friday afternoon. Him and Adam were going down the slide at the park and his shoe got caught on the slide and bent his foot back underneath Adam's leg. He is a pathetic little site to behold. He's currently in a bright yellow splint that goes up past his knee all the way down to his toes. He calls it his 'big sock.' He can't even crawl. He just lays on the floor and cries for help or rolls onto his stomach or back and then gets stuck. He's bored out of his mind and I feel so sorry for him. He's so used to be active and running around almost every minute of the day. I think he actually sunk into a bit of a depression yesterday because he can't do anything but sit. He's going to have a hard cast put on tomorrow and he'll have to wear it for 2-3 weeks. It's going to be a long 2-3 weeks. I'm having a hard time keeping him entertained. At least he doesn't have to undergo surgery. I'm also very thankful that he's covered by Medicaid. We would be facing thousands of dollars in medical bills without it. Thanks to all of you out there who paid for my son to receive good medical treatment. I have a few pictures but I'm just too lazy to take the time to download them to my computer and then post them here. I admire all of you who take the time to post pictures because I just don't feel like I have the time.

Sweet Baby James

Today is Mother's Day and I feel very blessed to have little James in my life. I think every mother can sit and watch their child for hours and never get bored. I watch him and I am constantly amazed by him and the little miracle he is our lives. In so many ways I wish I could be like him- carefree, sweet, innocent, pure, obedient (most of the time), loving and unreserved. I know it sounds cliche, but he really is the closest thing to heaven that I've ever encountered. He has such a sweet, tender spirit about him and has brought a strong spirit into our home. As hard as motherhood can be at times, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I feel sorry for women who choose not to have children because they have no idea how much love and joy they miss out on. I love watching James get excited about the simple things in life like a butterfly or a dandelion. He thinks dandelions are the most beautiful flowers he's ever seen and, actually, the more I look at them, they really are quite pretty. He finds beauty in everything, including a pebble and it reminds me to look for the beauty around me and to focus on wonderful and positive things in my life. It is so clear to me now why Jesus loved being around little children. He was probably able to relate to them more than He could to anyone else on Earth and they loved Him unconditionally. My little boy has made me a better person. His presence has softened me and made me more patient and loving and kind. He fascinates me. Everything about him completely fascinates me and I never thought I would feel that way about a little child. Heavenly Father has given us the perfect way to learn firsthand about the kind of love that He has for us. I love my son more than I can comprehend. I can't begin to fathom how much Heavenly Father loves us, being a perfect Father.

Mother of the Year

Well, I don't think I'll be getting the 'mother of the year' award this year. On Tuesday I took James to the doctor for a check-up along with immunizations. He's way behind on his shots and the nurse and doctor both mentioned that he was behind, like I didn't already know. James was already acting nervous just being at the doctor's office because he has a very long memory. In fact, it amazes me that he remembers things that happened six months ago. Anyway, so he was already asking to go 'bye-bye.' We were waiting for the nurse to come back to give him his shots when James took a dive onto the hard tile floor. He it so hard that I was afraid to pull him up off the ground for fear of what I would see. Thankfully, there was no blood but a massive goose egg and bruise was already forming in the middle of his forehead. His nose was bleeding slightly and, in between sobs, he would say 'bye-bye.' It was so sad because I knew his agony wasn't over yet. The embarrasing part was that the doctor had just gotten done telling me that the biggest hazard at this age are accidents.' I just nodded and smiled and pointed to a scab on his head. It was only moments later when the entire office heard a massive 'thud' and then screaming and wailing. Poor James had a really hard day. He received three shots and by the time we left the office, he looked like he'd been beat up. Poor little man.
By the way, the Colbert Report last night-- genius! His interview with the congresswoman from Guam was hilarious! I love that guy. One of the best shows on tv, next to 'the Office' and '30 Rock.' "I could stand here all day watching tv." "That's a $200 13" plasma tv." I love it!