What a Great Weekend!!

This was an especially great weekend! It started out nice when Spencer and I attended a session at the Temple with our Ward. I love going to the Temple, and Ward Temple night was the best. It felt great being in a room full of people I know and love! I have a testimony of the importance of the temple, and I am grateful we are able to serve others through this work. Afterwards, we went to Applebee's for dessert and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and friendship of those with us.

Saturday was my birthday, I turned 30, and I do not mourn this at all. In fact, most people think I'm crazy when I say that I look forward to growing older. Each year I experience more and learn and grow more as a person. Birthdays are always a special day. It feels extra special when people remember you and go out of their way to say "Happy Birthday." A couple highlights from the day include a lunch date with a wonderful friend, dinner out with my hubby, a shopping trip to the mall, and free babysitting!! Thank you so much to everyone who made my day extra special!!

Today, Sunday, aside from the lack of control I had on my children in Sacrament meeting, I had a really good day at church. I truly love being with the Young Women. Speaking of, I don't think I ever journaled about my recent calling. Back in December I was extended the calling of First Counselor in our Ward Young Women's program. This means that I get to be with the 14 - 16 year old girls. This includes all the youth activities every Wednesday evening, and I am loving it! I have such great girls. I know that I am there to be an example to them, but I'll admit they are every bit of an example to me. I have a great amount of respect and admiration for each of these young women. Another plus, is being able to work closely with Winnie. She is an amazing person who has gone through so many of life's experiences. I love her lessons and learn so much from her. At the beginning of class today the girls surprised me with a beautiful hand made card and a really cute bracelet for my birthday. Those girls are wonderful!

The rest of the evening will be spent with our family. Spencer's parents are hosting our monthly birthday party and I hear she is serving ham, so I can't wait. I also plan to get my new web cam up and running, thanks Dad, so I can connect with the rest of my family. And Austin has been begging all day to play 10,000, so I'm sure we'll make that happen.

Bumps, Bruises & Breaks

A lot of people go through life never breaking a single bone in their body. Austin on the other hand has now defied all limits. 12 days after the removal of his cast on his right arm, we found ourselves back in a Medical Facility, awaiting x-rays on his other arm.

Here's what led to our visit: Yesterday after school, Austin was playing at his friends house and decided to climb over their baby gate on the stairs. He lost balance and tried to catch himself upon landing. Shortly afterwards, I heard a knock on our front door and there was Austin, in tears. After Cody's Dad explained what happened, I had Austin point out to me where his injury was. He pointed to his wrist. I thought he must have sprained it and called the advice nurse to seek help. Around 10:30 p.m. his arm had swelled and he was in a lot of pain. I decided to keep him home from school and take him in the next day for an exam.

Now normally you go to a Medical Facility to get better, but not in our case. We made this trip into town a family event. Austin and I left Spencer and the other two boys in the waiting room while we got his x-rays done. When we came back, I didn't see any of them in the waiting room. I looked puzzled and the receptionist said, "Your husband and kids are in this Triage room. Your son cut his eye." What?? I couldn't seem to register what she had just said. She led me over to the room and sure enough there was Andrew in his Dad's arm with a big cut across his eyelid bleeding. Spencer explained to me that Andrew tried to climb on to the little kids table in the waiting room, but fell and hit his eyelid on the edge of the table. The cut looked deep and could have easily used stitches, but luckily the nurse decided we could get away with surgical glue. They called for a doctor to come and clean up the wound and then apply the glue, and before they even started Austin was already freaking out. He does not do well when others are injured. From the waiting room you could hear Andrew screaming and I mean it was loud! Spencer said they had to wrap him tightly in a blanket to keep him still so they could apply the glue. That was no fun for a little guy. I hope he is not scarred by this experience!

During the chaos of Andrew's accident we learned that Austin has indeed broken his left arm. And, he is under strict instruction not to use it in any way because one wrong move could send him into surgery. He really did a number on it this time! The irony of it all is that Cameron, our most rough and tough boy out of them all, came away unscathed. Austin is such a gentle boy and yet here he is two for two. Is this the life of having boys? Bumps, Bruises and Breaks?? I hope for the sake of Austin that this will be a speedy recovery and that the pain will subside soon.

Mr. Mom Award

Spencer had the opportunity to play Mr. Mom today thanks to the holiday. I on the other hand, worked an 8 hour shift and was grateful he could stay home. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised to hear how he spent the day, and if I had an award to give him, he would get it! Here is a run down of what he did with the boys: He took Austin hunting first thing this morning; later took the kids to the park and let them play; made cookies with them; and I even came home to a clean house. To top it all off, when I walked through the door I was greeted with a hot bubble bath waiting for me. I definitely give him a 5 star Mr. Mom Award!! Thanks Spence.

Shifting Gears

A couple of weeks ago, while in church, Sandi proposed the question, "How do you know your Heavenly Father loves you?" I knew instantly what my response would be, and my response was, "because He answers my prayers." I truly believe that. I know He is mindful of my needs, and I feel opportunities are created for me at times when He knows I need them. My current work situation is a great example of this. Last summer when I realized I needed to bring in a little extra cash, the opportunity to work a great job from home was created for me. The timing was perfect. I really enjoyed the work I was doing and I felt it was a huge blessing. Around mid-December, I had the feeling that I needed to shift gears. Before making any decision to leave the company I spent a lot of time praying for guidance. I was very hesitant to leave a job that allowed me to work from home, but with the hard economy I needed to guarantee a pay check. During this time, I felt inspired to ask Sheila's husband, Brian, about the possibility of being a checker at his supermarket. Once again, an opportunity was opened up for me and I am so grateful. Brian was able to bring me on board part time, even though they didn't really have the room. With the hours I am given and also Spencer's help, I will be able to get away with minimal daycare. I am excited to be back in the grocery business.

So yesterday was my first day and I had a couple of interesting experiences happen right off the bat. On my way to work I was pulled over by a police officer for speeding through a school zone. I was going 35 mph. When he asked me why I was speeding, I said, "I know it's lame, but I am starting a new job and I guess my mind was preoccupied with that." He asked me where I was starting at, and then allowed me to go ahead so I wouldn't be late. When he told me I was off the hook, my eyes started to well up with relief. To make matters worse, later that afternoon he came into the store for lunch and I wanted to die when we made eye contact. Another humiliating moment was when the previous store manager came in to buy a newspaper from me. I recognized him and wanted to make a good impression, so I was a bit nervous. He handed me a dollar bill for his 75 cent newspaper, and I gave him 75 cents back, not even realizing it. He smiled and said, "Oh, you're giving me a tip?", and I just about died. What an impression! He smiled and said, it's okay, you're just nervous. I sure hope I didn't give anyone else tips! I've worked two days now and I feel very comfortable. Everyone is really nice and fun. I forgot how much I enjoyed checking. I am definitely a people person and I love chatting all day long and having fun. I know that we are given opportunities in our lives at times in which we need them. I have a strong belief that our Father in Heaven knows us and what our needs are. I am grateful for his guidance and direction!

Faced by a Tough Decision

Last week Spencer and I found ourselves facing a really tough decision. It involved the health of our dog, Drake. A little over a week ago Drake started acting sick. His sickness was progressive, it wasn't like it hit him right away. His food consumption gradually started to slow down and so did his activity level. When it got to the point where he wasn't eating, Spencer started to get very concerned. He monitored Drake's every movement. Our Vet recommended that we just keep him hydrated and closely watch him. After seeing no improvement, Spencer finally took him in to be seen.

We tried to get in with our Vet, but he was not available, so Spencer tried out a new one. The news we received was not good. The doctor said he could feel a "blockage" in Drake's stomach/intestines and that x-rays were necessary and it would most likely end in surgery. By the time the visit was over we were looking at a total of $900 or more, if we went through with it. Spencer was devastated!! Drake is his buddy. Needless to say he was pretty upset and emotional. Here's where the hard decision came in to play. $900 is a lot of money, especially when you don't have it. The thought of losing Drake was heart wrenching, but at the same time, we couldn't justify spending that kind of money on our dog, when we have three little boys to feed. It's sad putting a price tag on an animal.

So we decided to take Drake into another clinic that our friends referred us to, and had some x-rays taken. The x-rays did not show a blockage, thank goodness, just a bacterial infection and severely backed up bowels. We were given 2 kinds of antibiotics and told he was going to be okay. What a relief! Either the previous Vet didn't know what the heck he was talking about, or we were blessed with a miracle. Regardless, I feel so relieved that he is still with us. I would hate to be in that position again and face the hard decision of what price we are willing to pay to keep our dog with us.

Words that Inspire

Last week I was inspired by my friend Shannon. She talked about identifying a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009? It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. I have found my word! It is Balance.

The key to keeping your Balance is knowing when you've lost it. Anonymous

I really need balance in my life. I am one who hyper-focuses on one thing or another, which can really throw me off balance. As I go through this year, I look forward to this constant reminder. This is my new years resolution.

We come into this world head first and go out feet first; in between, it is all a matter of balance. Paul Boese

Ladies Night Out

I love to dance! And when my friend, Tracy, invited me to a ladies night out of appetizers and salsa dancing I was all over it. Of course I got Spencer's approval before I committed to going :) Tracy picked me up and we headed into town for appetizers at a sushi bar. I'm not a fan of sushi, but they had other great choices on the menu. We spent a couple of hours there talking and having fun until we headed to the Mambo Lounge. Aside from dancing in Mexico, this was my first time actually going to a Latin club. I didn't quite know what to expect, I asked Tracy all kinds of questions before we left to ease my mind about going dancing without my husband. To my relief it was completely harmless. When we got there I suddenly realized I didn't know how to Latin dance. Luckily, I was able to find some "teachers" and I must admit, I have never danced with so many little Mexican men before in my life. They were all very kind and friendly. I didn't feel like a piece of meat either. We had such a great time, so much fun in fact, that I didn't arrive home until 2:20 a.m.!!

Snowman Kit

A friend of mine found this adorable snowman kit online and gave it to my boys right before we had the big snow storm. It is so cool. The kit includes wooden pegs, a felt hat, scarf, and mittens. Building a snowman with Caylin & Megan was a good time, but watching the snowball fight break out afterwords was even better! I have never seen Cameron have so much fun playing in the snow before. He really picked up the concept of packing a snowball and throwing it full force at another person. Austin was a little handicapped this winter considering his arm was in a cast, but he still managed to hang in with the best of them.

He's a BIG kid now!

Our Ward has the best Nursery leader ever! For this reason I am so sad that Cameron has now graduated from Nursery, but only 4 more months until Andrew enters ... yay! To make the special entrance into Primary, our Nursery leader, Tamara, made the kids the most adorable graduation caps complete with their own certificate of graduation. They were so cute and so effective! Cameron came out of class with his head held high and so excited to be with the big kids. I am so grateful for wonderful teachers who go to such great lengths for my children! I may not be cut out for primary, but I sure appreciate those who are!

Our Holiday Season

I just love this time of year. I love getting together with family and friends and the feelings of gratitude that surround me during the holiday season! This has been a unique Christmas season though. In all of my years of living in the Pacific Northwest, I have never been able to say we had a "White Christmas." Well this year, we had a White Christmas!! For nearly two weeks we were inundated and had an accumulation of 18" or more of snow. It was a regular Winter Wonderland, and I loved it! Freeways and highways were closed, major medical facilities around the area were closed, church was canceled, and I enjoyed every minute of it! Our Christmas celebrations weren't hindered in any way due to the weather. We continued with our Ward Christmas Party at church and the kids were able to see Santa, except Cameron refused. He isn't a fan of seeing Santa. He only likes the presents Santa brings. Christmas Eve we were able to continue our tradition of bowling with friends and getting together for dinner with family. This Christmas Eve brought a new adventure for us as we ate dinner by candle light, due to a short power outage. This will definitely be a year to remember.

Christmas morning we hosted a family breakfast in our home. The food was great and the boys loved showing off their new toys and gadgets to their cousins. The afternoon was spent snoozing, playing games and putting together puzzles. Marie hosted both dinners (Christmas Eve and Christmas day) at her house this year and afterwords we played some games. I really enjoy having family so close, and having such a great level of comfort with each of them. The week between Christmas and New Years Eve flew by at an incredible rate of speed this year. Last night for New Years Eve, I had an obligation to spend a few hours at my church for our youth's New Years Eve party. I was also able to join my family at our friend, Rochelle's house, for some food, fun and games. We had a blast! Everyone, except Andrew, was able to make it to the midnight hour, and I was again impressed by how happy all the kids were despite how far past their bedtime it was. Cheers to a new year!