Spring Break

Last Friday, we packed up the kids and drove to Grandma and Grandpa's house for part of Bryan's Spring Break. Which by the way, does NOT correlate with Easter anymore, why? It's not cool, School. Not cool. It would have made it even nicer of a trip if we could have spent Easter with family. Regardless, we still had a fun time.

Bryan and I went on an actual date for the first time in months. You'll never believe the extraordinary fun that we had. I mean, come on. Does it seriously get any better than wandering around furniture and appliance stores, dreaming about the things we will actually be able to buy in a few years, and making fun of the hideous things that, I assume, must be bought bysomebody out there? And then going through the McDonald's drive-thru for a shamrock shake and a chocolate chip cookie that we eat in the parking lot next door? No. It does not get any better than that. Especially not when you top it off with an hour's worth of driving to and from the store, which we filled up nicely with talking back and forth. Ha! I love our lame dates. We actually did have a nice time though. Don't make fun.

And we all had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Our kids slept relatively well; better than they've managed to before at Mama and Papa's house (what Jeanie calls them), which helped us all enjoy ourselves much better. I run a lot happier on 7-8 hours of sleep, even if it's interrupted, than I do on 4-5.  We all gained about ten pounds or so in the 4 and a half days we were there (Grandma keeps us well fed). I saw and talked to old friends at church. Jean got to play for hours upon hours with her aunt's Barbies. Bryan got to relax and put away school for a few days. And Alex reveled in the dozens of new things to play with, climb on, and eat (like chocolate pop tarts for breakfast). Completely worth the drive! Even with the four of us and our german shepherd crammed into our Dodge Neon.

As much as I loved being there with family, I gotta say, i hate packing and unpacking. Especially for four people. It's very stressful for me: Am I forgetting something for someone? Why do we need so much stuff? Do we have enough stuff? And running over and all around my house a hundred times, grabbing all the things we need. Also, I'm ready for someone to invent the teleporter . . . anyone? If I could just skip the part where we have to endure the crying of our children because they can never be satisfied with anything in the car for more than three minutes, that'd be great. There's only so many toys I can pack (or am willing to pack) in the car, and only so many songs I can sing to keep a 1 and 3 year old entertained for more than a few hours.

There was one thing I did forget to pack: my camera. I am bummed that we didn't get any pictures - especially of the last day. We went to an arcade and the kids were adorable with how much fun they were having. With our winning tickets, Jean bought a pack of giant Smarties, a tiny soccer ball eraser, and a black rubber snake. All of which, she picked out on her own. I understand the candy, and maybe even the eraser (which she promptly lost before we made it home). But the snake? It's a scary snake. It's got the tongue and some scary teeth, with its mouth wide open. And she loves it. Whatever, weirdo. As long as you are happy, you can have all the creepy rubber snakes you want. Anyway, since I forgot the camera, here's a picture of my cute kids from a couple of weeks ago. I sure love them.

March 7th

Yesterday happened to be a pretty significant day.

My handsome little son "turned" 18 months old. What?!?  I seriously can't figure out why time keeps passing so quickly. It's one of those things that people always have to tell you - one of those things that grates on you every time you hear it. It's as if they cannot help themselves and the words just fall out of their mouths when they talk to someone with young children. "Enjoy this time with them because it'll be over before you know it."  "Cherish this time, it goes by so quickly."  "They'll be grown up and in college by the time you blink your eyes." You know why people say this?  Because it's true.

I mean, look at that kid. Look at that cute backpack. You seriously can't tell me that you didn't smile when you saw this picture. Everyone in the family had a backpack but him and he was always trying to sport one of ours, but of course Daddy needs his, and Jean was not a fan of sharing her's. So, we let him pick one out at Walmart the other day. He loves wearing that thing. 

Yep. He's my man. 

Yesterday also marked both mine and Bryan's 21st anniversary of our baptism and confirmation. As we said that out loud, we couldn't believe how long it's been. I guess we are growing up quickly, too. And yes, we share the same anniversary. Also, another crazy tidbit:  we were due to be born on the same day as well. He came early and I came late. How's that for "connected from birth?"  Just kidding. I'm not that weird. I just think it's a neat fact that we share. And I'm really, really glad that we did eventually meet and end up together. It's been an amazing ride. 

Making Memories

One of the, let's say, "conveniences" of being a parent to a newborn and toddler, is that you can almost guarantee they won't remember anything from that part of their lives. If you happen to have a not-so-great parenting moment, it's probably okay. If you slip a bad word out, you're in the clear. If you walk around in your underwear, so what? But then, all of a sudden, they are mimicking you. You may hear that naughty word come out of their mouth in their cute little voice. Usually at an inopportune moment. Or maybe, when you ask them to pick up a toy, they may tell you, "Not right now, I too busy." And of course you automatically kick yourself for ever using those words to them, or even in front of them.

But at the same time, watching my little Jean pick up on the good things we try to teach her, is one of the most rewarding feelings I've experienced as a parent.

I've been watching her lately, realizing that everything that happens from here on out, has the potential to become a memory for her. That realization has made me a lot more aware of the things I do, the things I say, and any other things she is exposed to. It also makes it fun to watch her experience things, play pretend with her toys, and interact with other people. Particularly her little brother. I wonder which moments she is stowing away to call on later. Which memories are she and Alex going to laugh and cry over as they reminisce about their life as kids?

I love that Jean and Alex have become such good friends. They push, hit, and scream at each other sometimes, but for the most part, they love each other. They laugh, hug, and play nice more often than not. Just today, I lowered my rear view mirror to look at them in the back seat, and saw them holding hands across their car seats. Something that happens often, but makes me feel all good inside every time I catch it. I hope they stay good friends through life. It would sure make this mommy happy.

I Need a Break

Anyone who knows me, knows that I've been dealt a crappy immune system. I call myself defective and joke that because I am the youngest of seven kids, I got the leftovers of health. My greatest challenges in life have been physical. For example:

At six weeks old, my entire tiny body (rather, my large body. I was almost ten pounds at birth) broke out in horrible hives due to an allergy to my formula.

In elementary school, I got Valley Fever, putting me out of commission for about three months or so.

In high school, I was in a car wreck that broke my pelvis in several places, leaving me completely bed ridden and dependent on others for everything.

Just after high school, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I had been losing around half a cup of blood a day for almost a year. That's the equivalent of giving blood every four days or so. My doctor didn't understand how I was alive at that point.

After giving birth to Alex, I wouldn't stop bleeding. Bryan came to check on me in the hospital bathroom, and said it looked like a scene from a horror movie. There was blood everywhere. He came in just in time to catch me as I fainted. I then enjoyed a nice blood transfusion, which of course I had a reaction to.

Anyway. With these things and many others happening, I've kind of resigned myself to a fate of Ill-health. But these last few weeks have been ridiculous. It started with an ear infection (which I have chronically). Then, my tooth that I really need a root canal on -but haven't yet because of money - became infected (again), leaving me with lots of pain and a swollen face. Before that cleared up, I caught some kind of chest cold, leaving me with no voice and a bad cough. And now, just as I'm starting to get over my cold, I came in contact with something that I am apparently allergic to, and got a nasty reaction to it. Two nights ago, I started itching and swelling everywhere. We only had children's benadryl in the house, but I drank some anyway. It helped a little, but the next morning, I woke up looking like WIll SmIth in HItch. We bought some adult benadryl, and I've been faithfully taking it every four hours. I'm slowly getting better, but I'm still pretty swollen in my arms, hands, knees, and feet. Red, itchy, and extremely painful big welts all over, I am not a pretty picture. Here's to hoping it goes away very, very soon.

I know we all have our different trials, and I wouldn't trade my life with anyone else's. But during weeks like these, I certainly wish for a little bit of a break. One good thing though, is that it makes me very grateful for the times that I am healthy and strong.

Gosh, if all you know about me is my last few posts, I sure sound like a downer, don't I? I assure you, I love my life. I've just been recording the latest events, and they all seem pretty depressive. I'll work on telling and showing the wonderful parts of my life, because there is much to share!

Useless Quirks

Do you have anything you are anal retentive about? Anal retentive. What does that even mean, anyway? I have no idea. But I do know that I have many, many things that fall under the category of things I am indeed anal retentive about. The problem though, is that it is never over anything important. Why can't I have anal retentIveness over being on time? Or how I look and what I'm wearing when I go out in public? Or doing my visiting teaching? Or flossing?

No. I'm obsessive over things that have no bearing on anything. Ridiculous, non meaningful things. If the dishes are not stacked up a certain way, with all of the food rinsed off of them before I begin washing them, I cannot begin washing. If my kids' toys are not put away in their correct spot during clean up time, it naws at me until my eyes and head start twitching, and I finally move the dumb thing to its right spot. Which is pointless because in six minutes or less, one of my kids will pick it up to play with it, or drop it on the floor somewhere else.

I am betting that my worst, most annoying thing I'm anal retentive about (at least to my husband), is the sheets and blankets that cover me. If they are even slightly bunchy, I must fix them immediately, or I won't be comfortable. If the sheet is pulled up higher than the quilt around my shoulders, I get up and fix it. It doesn't matter if it's 3 o'clock in the morning; I will get up to fix it. I cannot sleep when the bedding is not laid out nice, smooth, and even. It drives my husband up the wall.

I need to find something useful to become obsessive about.

Sick Days

Today, I am thankful for my husband.

I used to think that it was awful to be sick. But now, I can't curl up under the blankets and watch movies all day - or for several days - until I feel better. You know, there's these little critters that climb all over me, begging for food, drinks, attention, and things to do. It's tiring enough without adding a chest cold into the mix.

But Bryan has done so much to make it easier for me. Quietly and without complaint at the extra work. For example, yesterday, I never made out out of my pajamas. It was one of those kind of days. Bryan went out and bought some cough medicine (the first REAL cold medicine I've had in four years because of pregnancies and nursing babies. It was a big event for me), brought home breakfast, did the dishes, made dinner, and spent even more of his precious studying time with the kids. This morning, he got up with Jean and Alex at 6:30. Yes. 6:30. My children are crazy morning people, and I hate it. Anyway, Bryan let me sleep in a bit, and again, took care of breakfast and dinner, and handled time outs. And at the end of the day when energy was low, he was there to help get bedtime routines rolling.

I couldn't ask for a better care taker. I love him. And I love that he's mine.

Moving Forward

 We made it to school! About seven months ago. Once plans kicked into gear preparing us for our move, I let my shiny new blog fall to the back of priorities. The very back. Then, after we were all settled into our new home, a routine started. One that obviously and unfortunately did not include the new blog.

But here I am, re-prioritizing. My inspiration? My oldest sister. If I had to write a paper entitled, "My Hero," I'd write about her. 'Cause seriously. Anybody who knew her and her story would be inspired (more on that later).

If we're being honest, moving here was not easy for me. I take that back. The move was cake. Living here has not been easy for me. In the five years Bryan and I have known each other (is that all?), we have, for the most part, always been together. As in, physically next to each other. Since moving here, though, I only see him probably a grand total of one hour a day. And that's on a good day. The rest of his time is taken up by classes, lab, and studying; leaving me feeling like a single parent. Which we knew was coming! None of that was a surprise. The surprise is, how difficult it is to live in the moment sometimes. Preparing for something and experiencing something, are two very different things. Living somewhere far away from any family or friends of any sort, with two very young children, and no husband except at dinner time and during the night while I'm asleep, has really sort of beaten me down. Without going into details, this, very likely, has been the hardest part of my life. But I'm getting better at it. And things keep moving forward.

I called my sister today to wish her a happy birthday, and once again, was blown away by how incredible of a person she is. She busily mothers her seven children, and all that that entails (multiple schools, music lessons, soccer, swim lessons, play dates, chess tournaments, cooking, driving, etc.), her husband is a bishop (this and a full time job probably keep him away longer than Bryan), she is a doula - an aid/coach/support to woman in labor, she keeps a clean house, fulfills her church callings, maintains her friendships, so many other things I'm forgetting, and to top it all off . . . she has leukemia.

Now. Not to discredit my hardships and stress - because they are very real, and really quite hard sometimes - my sister is the kind of person you look at and think, "if she can do it, I certainly can." So as I stood there tonight washing another mountain of dishes by hand (because we have no dishwasher - *whine*), with a stupid sore throat and a cold, after a long tiring day of whining, loud, and ever energetic children, I thought to myself, "I can do it. Things are not as hard as they could be. I sure love my sister."

So here we are. Moving forward.