Watch your back!

So, I have an interesting story. Atleast, I think it is. We ran to walmart earlier today to get some things. We had been in there maybe 10 minutes and went to check out at one of the u-scans. We hadn't used a cart because I don't want Braxton to get sicker than he already is. I told Jeff we can either carry him or he can walk. As we walked up to the u-scan we noticed that some lady was filling in the magazines at each aisle. She had a big cart on rollers. I saw $.25 bags of chips and walked Braxton over to have him pick out a chip. I told him to go and put it on the belt. Jeff was beginning to scan our items. I looked down at Braxton and thought to myself, "he is just so sweet." So I scooped him up and was holding him. I would guess about 15-20 seconds later I hear "clump, Clump, CLUmp, CLUMP." It sounded like someone running and it seemed awfully close. I usually would be the kind of person to turn around and see what was going on, but something told me not to. In fact, I remember squeezing Braxton in closer to me. Then it happened, "WHAM-O!" I felt this sharp smack right on my upper back. I took two steps forward to keep from falling over. Then I see some guy flying in the air, I hear a loud noise (which was the magazine cart and magazines flying all over the place) then I see another guy leaping onto this guy and picking him up by his jacket. They start walking off and a store manager starts running out to see what is going on. I hear one guy say, "what happened, what happened?" Some young man says, "I saw him running with the stuff so I started chasing after him and of all people, Kevin caught him."

This all happened so quickly and about that time I look down to see if Braxton is ok. He looks a bit frightened. I think the guy flying through the air and the other guy jumping on him was a bit too much for the little guy but he answered, "yeah, I'm ok." About that time I realize that my back feels a little sore but then I start looking around. The magazine lady returns, sees her cart in disarray and says to us, "what happened to my cart?" She looked at the stuff all over looked back at us and said, "who did this?" (She of course thought it was us)

The first thing that went through my mind once my brain stopped spinning was, "I'm so glad I was holding Braxton!" I'm not kidding. Just a few seconds before he was standing to my left (which is where all of the craziness happened) and would have been right in the path of these guys. Not only that ... but you know the poles in the middle of walmart that seem to be in your way all the time? (some are right smack in the middle of an aisle) Well, one was right in front of us, but up to the left a little bit. No joke, Braxton would have gotten smacked to the floor or thrown into this big metal pole. I thought of that little four year old kid that has been on the news that was tackled by a football player last week. I also realize that had I turned around to see what was going on, they also would have smacked right into Brax.

I'm not saying that anything serious would have happened. But, that is one thing about listening to the Holy Ghost. If you listen - you may never know what would or would not have happened. I'm just so glad that nothing bad did happen and that my little guy is alright.

My back is feeling fine, too. So, no worries. I'm just glad he wasn't running with a sharp object - that could've hurt a bit.

I pretend and think to myself that had I not been there they would not have been able to catch him. hahaha ...

Just another day in our crazy Cragun life! Don't forget to count your blessings :)

what is this, Mom?

I feel like such a bad Mommy. Braxton started getting sick last Friday. I thought it was just a cold. He'd get started coughing and just couldn't stop. Sunday morning I was ready to jump in the car and take him to the hospital. Well, today was the first day this week I really had time to take him into the doctor. Yesterday he got on a coughing roll and since he couldn't talk because he was hacking, he starting signing to me that he needed to go to the doctor. I felt so bad. So, OF COURSE, last night, he didn't wake up coughing once. The whole way to the doctor - no coughing. I almost didn't take him in, but thought, the worst thing they could say is he is fine. So, I took him in. I heard from a few people that strep throat has been going around so that is what I expected to hear. The doctor looked in his ears and said, "Oh, his ears are jam packed with wax, we'll need to have them flushed out." Then she listened to his lungs and said, "uh-oh. We need to give him a breathing treatment, okay?" That surprised me, but of course I agreed. After the breathing treatment she came back in and listened to his lungs again. She said, "the right lung sounds so much better. I think he just has bronchitis in that one - but the left one is still not sounding very good at all, I'm sure it is the beginning stages of pneumonia. It's a good thing you got him in here when you did." !!!! What! Yeah, so we had to bring home a machine to give him breathing treatments for the next two weeks until our follow up appointment. I feel SOOOO bad.

Braxton does really well holding the nebulizer himself

You can see, though, that he is more entertained with the television

It was cute, every time he'd cough smoke would come out of the other end of the nebulizer and he would start laughing ...

So, since that was such a depressing story. I'll tell a cute one now. Whenever we go to the library we have to be sure to have enough time so that Braxton can do the puzzles over in the children section. There are like 20 of them and he has to do them all. When we first started going, Jeff and I tried to be real sneaky and say he did them all. But, he'd walk around and find the ones that he hadn't done. So, we can't fool him. He knows them by heart, I guess. Well, one of the puzzles has animals on it. He has put the puzzle together a million times. He picked up a cow piece and pointed to the udder. This is how the rest of the conversation went:

Brax: "what is this, Mom?"
Mom:"oh that is called the udder."
Brax: "another?"
Mom: "no, an Udd-er."
Brax: "Oh, an Udd-er. What's it for, hu, Mom?"

I just kind of smiled and thought to myself .... how is the easiest/quickest way to answer this question. Right at about that moment, he smiles at me and says, "Oh, I know, it's his belly button, right?"

"RIGHT!" (boy, that wasn't so hard after all.) I guess I'm still figuring out that simple answers are good enough for small children.

Easter egg hunt

When we got to church yesterday we headed to the kitchen to set up for nursery. Braxton came in with us and helped. We pulled out our box from the cubby with our ward's nursery snacks in it. There are some other things in there like play-dough and craft items. Braxton was talking but I wasn't really paying attention because we were trying to hurry. Then I hear, "Mom! Look! Tongue depressors!" I looked up to see that he was pointing at those small popsicle sticks that you use for crafts. I started laughing so hard! I think he learned that from Blue's Clues. There is an episode where Blue goes to the doctor and the doctor tells him what everything is. That is so funny.

Then, after church we were watching t.v. and I heard Braxton talking. I thought I heard him say, "Jaden turned five." He was also looking down at his hands when he said it. You see, he went to his cousin, Jaden's, birthday party when we were home visiting for Christmas and anytime he sees the number 5 he will say that. But then I listened more closely and he said, "Jesus was died." I realized he was looking at his hands where the scars would be. He is so observant and I think it is so wonderful that the church can influence such little spirits.

Braxton went on an easter egg hunt yesterday, too. He had a lot of fun even though it was cold and SNOWING. (yuck!) But, they were just flurries, so it wasn't so bad. Here are some pictures:

Hip-a-dee, Hop-a-dee

Braxton met the Easter Bunny today! He was a little nervous, but since he had practiced with Santa a few months earlier he actually sat on the easter bunny's lap. (plus I told him he'd get candy after if he'd do it)

Easter F.H.E.

Tonight for F.H.E. we did our second annual easter lesson. I think it is a great way to tie together the fun part about easter with the real meaning behind it. (I've attached the lesson below.) Then, for our activity we colored and decorated our easter eggs. We had a lot of fun and surprisingly didn't get too terribly messy! Happy Easter Egg Hunting!

Easter Lesson:

I got this from my sister, Annette, and think it is just awesome. Here is what you need: an empty easter egg carton, 12 plastic eggs that will fit in the carton, a sacrament cup, 3 dimes, knotted piece of twine, soap, red fabric, a small cross and nail, dice, crushed rock /small pieces of rock, white cloth, a stone, and a bay leaf/some type of spice.

Put all of the items in an egg. Then put the eggs in order in the carton (I go across from top to bottom.) As you/someone opens the egg - show what item is inside and ask what significance that item has to do with easter. After the item has been discussed, read the scripture that goes with that item and see if you guessed correctly. If not, figure out what the item represents and continue on until finished.

Egg 1: Matthew 26:39 (sacrament cup)

Egg 2: Matthew 26:14-15 & Zachariah 11:12-14 (3 dimes)

Egg 3: Matthew 27:1-2 (knotted twine)

Egg4: Matthew 27:24-26 (soap)

Egg 5: Matthew 27:28-30 (red fabric)

Egg 6: Matthew 27:31-32 (cross and nail)

Egg 7: Matthew 27: 35-36 (dice)

Egg 8: Matthew 27:50,51,54 (crushed rock)

Egg 9: Matthew 27:58-60 (white cloth)

Egg 10: Matthew 27:60,65-66 (a stone)

Egg 11: Mark 16:1 (bay leaf/spice)

Egg 12: Matthew 28:6 (leave egg empty)

Stories

Lots of times when I tell Braxton I love him, I continue on with other people that love him, Daddy, Grandpa & Grandma Gregson/Fisher, aunts, uncles, cousins and Jesus. Well, the other night I was putting Braxton to bed. I told him that I loved him. He told me he loved me. Then I asked him who else loved him and he said, "Ummm - Daddy loves me, Grandma & Grandpa Fisher, Grandma & Grandpa Gregson, Grandpa Perry,"... on and on he went down the line but he forgot somebody we regularly mention, Jesus. So, I said, "Braxton, isn't there one other person who loves you a lot?" He put his index finger up near his lip and thought real carefully and said, "Oh yeah! And Santa loves me, too. Thanks Mommy."


Alright, so Braxton is still really into his letters and numbers. Recently I found out the correct way to sign numbers higher than 10, so I have been practicing with Braxton. I thought, just for fun and since we were on a roll, we'd write them out. We got to 100. Then, I knew this would be way out of his league, but I just said, if you were to switch the 1 to a 2, it would be 200 and so on, up to 1,000. I still had his attention, so I continued with 1,000 up to 9,000. I thought I should stop because I haven't counted that high since I graduated High School. Well, I doubt I counted that high in High School. (this can be proven looking at my math grades) Anyway, that was atleast a week ago. Tonight we were on the computer playing games and the clock said 7:00. Braxton got really excited and said, "Mom, look! It's seven hundred!!!" He was so excited and of course, I had no idea what he was talking about so he had to show me. He is so flippin' smart I can't even believe it. He also told daddy and me tonight that he loved the sun, the moon, the stars, all the planets and the "erf". Ummm, have any of you read the book Matlida? Her parents won't read to her so she goes to the library when she is like 4 and starts learning all sorts of things by herself. I feel like Braxton is her! I have no idea where he learned about all of those things. Hmmmm, he does have his own library card though!

Our ever-growing boy

Mr. Braxton got weighed and measured at an appointment on the 20th of this month. He has slowed down growing (a little bit.) From birth to six months he grew eight and one quarter inches! From the age of one year to three years, he was growing two inches every six months. This time, he just grew one inch. Maybe he is slowing down OR maybe he'll grow three inches by the time he is four to make up for it. Who knows! Anyway, so Mr. B is now 42 inches tall and 39 pounds. You would think I would have arms of steel by now from picking this kid up all the time. But for some reason, I don't. Here is a picture (of him, not my arms.)

Have a Great Day!

"I don't do anything for fun, I just have fun at what I do." -Dallin H. Oaks

Our last supper

Well, the time came for Bart and Marcie to head back to Utah. The time just flew by so quickly. It was so much fun having family around our neck of the woods. We hope some more people will come and visit us! (hint, hint)

The last day together, we drove around Toledo showing them the sights. Or .. err, I mean, the sight. And that sight would be the University.

The University of Toledo clocktower

Bart and Marcie posing under the clocktower

Arriving back home after some much needed groceries

Marcie and Braxton showing off their ages

Our last supper

Our trip to Kirtland

Friday, March 9, 2007, we ventured off to Kirtland, Ohio, with Bart and Marcie. Jeff and I have not visited there since we have lived in Ohio. It was a new experience for us all.

We hit the jackpot. It just so happened that the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were being displayed at the Visitor's Center, too. Yay!

So, first we headed over to the Visitor's Center to look at the "Dead Sea Scrolls" and start our tour of Kirtland.

ummm, pretty self explanatory

The Cragun's outside of the Visitor's Center


Inside the Visitor's Center

Bart and Marcie

The scrolls were found in vases like these that had been buried in deep caves:

The Whitney Home

Next, we headed over to look at the Whitney home:


After coming to Kirtland, Joseph and Emma were welcomed into the home of Brother and Sister Whitney. They later moved into the Whitney's storehouse. We were told that the Smith's stayed in Kirtland for over three years before they were able to get a house of their own.

The Whitney Home

The Parlor

This room was where Joseph would spend most of his time while he stayed in the Whitney home. That means that it became the Church's Headquarters. It is also said that the first healing of the sick took place in this room. Sister Johnson had an arthritic arm and couldn't lift her arm up past her shoulder. After a blessing from the Prophet Joseph, she never had problems with her arm again.

N.K. Whitney Store

Then we headed over to the N.K. Whitney Store:

The salesroom

Mr. Whitney was also the postmaster

another angle of the salesroom

The Back Room

This was the backroom where all of the items shipped to the store was sorted and put in their proper place. Later this room would become the first Bishop's Storehouse after Brother Whitney became bishop.

The Cellar

During the winters, the pioneers would go up to Lake Erie and chop up big chunks of ice. They would bring them back to their homes and pack them in straw and (I believe newspapers.) Then they would place them in their cellars where it was cool. If done properly, the ice would last until late August.

Joseph and Emma's kitchen in the store

Brother and Sister Whitney gave up part of their store in the back, so that Joseph and Emma could have their own kitchen. They then gave the Smith's rooms upstairs, too.

Joseph and Emma's bedroom on the second level of the Store

We were told that this is where Emma gave birth to their firstborn that lived longer than infancy.

Goodnight, Sleep tight, Don't let the bedbugs bite!

We were told that the saying, "goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" was because of the way their beds were made. Their boxspring (so to say) was just a bunch of ropes tied together. They needed to be tightened every night before bedtime due to the untightening of them during the night before's usage. The bedbug part of the saying was from the straw that was put inside the blankets for insulation. It was a good night if you didn't have little critters bitin' ya.

The town of Kirtland actually owns this table. It is said that they have records that indicate this table has always been in the storehouse, in this very room. This room was where Joseph would come to work on revising the Bible.

The School of the Prophets

This picture, and the next picture, is the room where Joseph held, "The School of the Prophets." This was for the uneducated men that were going out to serve missions. This is also the room where God the Father and Jesus appeared with a room full of 20 men. Coincidentally, only four men wrote about it in their journals. I was thinking it, but the tour guide said it, "I am just speculating here, but, I presume that not all 20 men saw them."

The School of the Prophets room, is also where Emma had to come in and clean up after all the men that spit tobacco out on the floor. After about a month of doing this, she told her husband that she didn't think it was fair and he then went into the room where he revised the bible and prayed about it. He had a revelation about the Word of Wisdom and D&C 89 was written.

The Kirtland Temple

The last part of our trip was going over to tour the Kirtland Temple. I was anxiously awaiting to see the inside. This might be very rude to say, but our tour guide didn't seem to know too much, so I was a little disappointed.

So, even though a lot of my questions went unanswered, it was amazing to think of how the pioneers built this beautiful structure. So much time and effort was put into building a "House of The Lord" and then to just turn and leave it behind. What faith they must have had. I take way too many things for granted. I am so grateful for all that they did for us.


D&C 38:32
Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with the power from on high;