PROM 2011

Prom has arrived yet again and here is the most gorgeous couple..yes I am biased but Kendra and Christian are cuties!!!

They started off by going to the local gardens in one of the only times it was not raining that day(yahoo for timing)!!!

After the pictures they loaded onto a bus for untold adventures. A local church put together a clean prom which I am grateful for their efforts in providing a good wholesome time for my teen...thank you thank you!!!

Since I had no idea where or what they were doing this is the report I received when he arrived home. They first went to Bay City to Jacks and had a fabulous dinner of steak or chicken. Then piled back onto the bus and were driven to Frankenmuth to Barvarian Inn where there was a boat waiting for them on the river and this is where they had the dance portion of their night. After a couple of hours of dancing and having a good time they changed from their fancy clothes and returned to the bus. Once on the bus they were taken to Saginaw to a local arcade called Kokomos and they played laser tag as a group and then games. Then you guessed it back to the bus for their final destination back to the church where they played Sardines and other games wrapping up the night. They really did have a fun night and one more prom under my belt with untold amounts of future proms to look forward too!!!

I am FINE!!!

* don't read if you don't want to hear about feminine issues

Starting in July of 2009 I missed a period and then another month went by no period and not pregnant either. Then surprise right on my normal schedule it arrived and then October was the same. Then a no show again in November and December with an on time appearance in January and February. I was starting to sense a pattern and then by sudden surprise on the 1st day of Spring Break I passed possibly 2 of the largest and reddest blood clots I had ever seen. It was kind of scary to be honest but nothing more followed really a bit of spotting until a few days later when blood was dripping off my feet. Of course it was a Friday night and the on call doctor seemed less than concerned so the weekend was spent running to the bathroom with my more than helpful husband following behind cleaning up my trail of blood. It was frustrating but David kept it light and humorous with such comments as, "I hope no one gets murdered here because a CSI team is going to have a heck of a time figuring it all out." This continued through the next week and on Thursday I started to keep track of how many tampons and pads I went through in 12 hours(7-7). By noon I quit wearing tampons because they were falling out about every 10 minutes so by noon I went through roughly 25 tampons and 10 pads and that was 5 hours in. At 7pm I called and left a message for my doctors nurse saying how many tampons and pads I went through in 12 hours...25 tampons and 40 pads. I of course was called back first thing in the morning and was seen that day. I was sent to the lab so they could run a bunch of tests and was sent to get an ultrasound. I was put on some meds for 10 days to stop the bleeding(it never did but it wasn't as bad)and after the 10 days I was supposed to have what they call a withdrawal bleed and it wasn't so bad the first few days and then with blood dripping off my feet I called the doctor again and was seen immediately my test were not so great and so I was given some different medication and referred to a ob specialist and off for another ultrasound. By the time I had an appt with a specialist my gums and nails were almost completely white..not good! The new medicine along with an almost liver killing dose of ibuprofen the bleeding finally stopped after 37 days.... woohoo!!!

So my summer started out by meeting with the specialist and that went fine and I was sent for more tests and another ultrasound( a quick note ultrasounds are fun if you are looking at a baby). I came back a few weeks later so they were sure I was not pregnant and they did a biopsy(this was not too bad) and pap smear..all the results came back fine(it is not fun to wait for test results to see if you have cancer not fun at all) and I was scheduled for a 6 month follow up and a 4 month dose of a lovely drug that causes you to have a withdrawal bleed every month. Th's medicine is horrible!!! You take it for 10 days and then not for 14. I works like this you get addicted to it and then you quit taking it and the withdrawal from it causes you to bleed..sounds fun huh? This was taken over 4 months and that last month I honestly didn't think I would make it through..because every month before after 14 days I would take it again ahhhh drugs! The last month however was the end of the cycle so we are talking shakes, sweats, cramps..anything you have read about a drug addict getting clean this was me and it was Christmas time..I can say this our tree was up and eventually decorated!

I had my 6 month check up a few weeks ago and there was a spot!!! All my other tests had come back fine. I even after a year started my period all on my own with no drugs and now there is a SPOT GAK!!! It was decided to have it removed right then!!! I was ill prepared to have a surgery right then but it was happening. They don't put you out for this type of surgery nor do they numb you. I had no one there to hold my hand or drive me home so I was a bit taken aback but put on my game face and prepared in the roughly 15 minutes(this included prep time) I had for an operation. I go into a very happy place during medical procedures even when I am in labor and it is a very serene calm place and so I took a deep breath and went there. The prep was quick..but not quick enough and then I was ripped quite quickly out of my serene little world by the most incredible pain. They had accidental cut the entire length of my vaginal wall on their way up to remove the spot. Now the removal of the spot was painless but the cut of the vaginal wall not so painless. After that was all done...I went home and I went to bed and that is just were I stayed for the day! I have finally healed up from all of that mess and am feeling great I even started my second period on my very own YAHOO!!! My test results came in the mail yesterday and everything came back normal. I have a checkup in 3 months but I am free and clear from any type of biopsy or pap smear for a year and NO CANCER.

Why do I share all of this you ask? I think we too often go around and act like everything in our lives is perfect...I know even during this time I did...when someone would ask how I was doing the answer was always fine. I would sit in Ward Council and hear of the needs in the ward and say nothing because I was fine. Did I sit around and mope or cry during this time not one tear..there was some worry at first but no tears no fretting because I was fine. It wasn't until a few days after my last biopsy I realized I am not fine! Why did I keep doing everything I was doing? Why didn't I delegate more? Why didn't I take help that was offered? Why didn't I ask for help when I needed it? And why did I always say FINE? Why do I always say fine? Why do WE always say fine? Did you know the number one lie women tell is saying they are fine!!!

What I have learned through this experience is... I guess I want to start off by saying we should not start going around and complain all the time not at all...but when someone asks with sincerity how are you the answer does not have to be fine if it isn't. We can be honest without divulging our life story. We can ask for help when we need it and when we do ask for help be clear why you need help again you don't have to divulge your life story but sometimes when you need help it is necessary to say why or just might not get it(I have learned through experience). Take help that is offered EVERYTIME even if your house is a mess!!! Our lives for the most part are fine but when they aren't it is okay to slow your life down. Take a real look at your life and figure out what your priorities are and what makes you happiest and do those things with help, delegate what you can(it isn't going to fall apart if you don't do it, now it might not be done how you wanted but it got done and that is what is important),and it is okay to not be FINE because how many of us are fine all the time!

Picky Eater NO MORE

I have read so many times it is the parents that make picky eaters and I am here to say this is NOT true. Every other one of my children has been a picky eater...and I can say this is not a fun thing to deal with as a parent. You try to decide what road to take..do you insist they try everything or cater to their favorites, do you let them sit at the table until they fall asleep so they will just try something...... do you battle or not.

I decided to give my children one bite of everything and they had to eat the one bite and then they could eat more of whatever they wanted. This worked fabulously for my older picky eater but the younger one not so much but I am a persistent type so we kept pushing forward with the plan and somedays dinner would go untouched, I would be frustrated, he would be crying..you can picture the whole scene LOVE AT HOME right?!?

Well my persistence paid off..YAHOO! This week we had salad and he grabbed the salad tongs and grabbed himself some without me even asking him too. Today for lunch he ate celery, carrots, broccoli, raisins, strawberries, and a cheesestick. So for all you parents out there with picky eaters...the battle can end, just be persistant!

I FInished I Finished!!!!!

Currently I am the Primary President at church and I had challenged all the children to read The Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I knew this would be difficult but a doable task and when they accomplished their goal they could write their name on the brass plates. I of course wanted to be a good example and have it read first so I came up with a 6 month plan to accomplish my reading surely finishing before any of the children.

2 weeks went by and I start hearing reports of children being in Jacob...AHHHHHHHHHH..I am still in 1Nephi I thought. I knew I needed to step up my game quite a bit. I started staying up late at night, getting up early in the morning, if all my children were at school I was reading. Somedays up to 6 hours.

This past Sunday I asked the children how they were doing on their scripture reading and then I made a huge mistake and didn't realize it until later. I told them I would have it read by the next Sunday(tomorrow)and I was in Alma chapter 20 to be exact. It is by far the hardest book for me to get through and roughly half way through the Book of Mormon. Now I could have went back to them and said I mispoke but that would not be me, I dug in staying up even later and getting up even earlier and on Thursday I decide I was going to finish it. I was up and read for 3 hours before getting the children ready for school. I came home and read for over 2 hours. I picked up Jensen from preschool and got him lunch and read. He went to Snoozeyville(this is what we call naptime, yes he loves to go to Snoozeyville not every day and he is going to be 6 in June)and I read. I read until the other children came home from school and picked up the teen and I read some more and 10 minutes after my David came home from work I had finished!!!! It felt great!

The spirit of the last few weeks has been a sweet experience I would not trade for anything. I however am now ready to go back to the more casual study of scriptures. I am grateful for the scriptures and the great blessing they are in our life!

Pinewood Derby 2011

Semester Break 2011

For semester break we(the teenager)drove to Great Wolf Lodge for a couple of days of rest. We had a blast staying in the Wolf Den and playing and playing and playing. I of course took no pictures of any of that but on our way out we always stop at the Bear Claw for a treat and I snapped a picture:



It was winterfest there and so it was all decorated like a winter wonderland and actually snowed a few times a day there in the lobby.


My children love Great Wolf Lodge and one of the things they love to do there is play Magiquest(look closely at the picture you can see magic wands in hand). They run around the hotel finding hidden treasure, talking with knights and fairies, and fighting dragons. David loves how much the kids love this activity and wish we had one closer to home!

Christmas Morning 2011

It was a great day and we stayed in these jammies all day, even for our Christmas Dinner...I am sensing a new tradition!

Our Littlest Chirstmas Tree

David's Play:

Making of a Gingerbread House

At my childrens school all of the 2nd graders gather inthe gym and make gingerbread houses. Her is david's creation:

Princess Cooking Class

Awhile ago I posted about Pirate cooking class well a month later there was a princess cooking class and her she is with her tiara, apron, and treats:

Rewind to Fall

We spend a lot of our fall watching this:




and this:



I have been a mom for 17 years now and 13 of it I have been watching my children play soccer. Christian and Julianna however love it and it has been a joy as a mom to watch them do something they love!

Here We Are Again

Two Sundays ago I left for a early morning meeting which was the start of one of my busiest Sundays I have encounterd in a long time. When I arrived home from the meeting 4 out of the 5 people were running fevers not just little fevers we are talking 103 so what I thought was going to be time home to take a rest ended up being a get things undercontrol before I leave for what ended up being 8.5 hours. By the time I arrived home all children were nestled snug in their beds and I was quite relieved that I would be able to sleep in in the morning due to illness of children. Then an hour passed and I started to lose my voice which is always a bad sign and I went to bed and there I stayed until I decided I would not be sick anymore and that was Thursday, I got up and went and did some things and soon after I realized this was a bad idea and back to bed I went until Sunday, with 2 ill counselors I knew I had to buck up and get ready for church. I made it almost through sacrament meeting feeling good and then it hit me I was still sick and feeling a bit dizzy and exhausted. I went to shake it off and short of almost losing my voice during Sharing Time I had been blessed with feeling perfect. I made it through Sunday and was excited for a new week to catch up on all things domestic and to be a contributing member of society again.
Monday was great! I did some catching up and with the impending snow storm we decided to make family home evening a prepare for the storm evening. The kids were great help and we had fun as a family. We tucked all the children in short of the homework finishing teenager and made our plan of attack to the store(which I had imagined would be a mad house, it wasn't). As we were putting our coats on I hear coughing from one of the bedrooms which had been typical since the fever instances of this one child and then I hear it again and I realize it is not a cough cough it is a vomit cough and vomit there was..... dad grabs and runs said child to the bathroom there was a trail to prove it! Off go the coats and the shower and washer and steam cleaner are all in use. Over a hour later we are now putting our coats back on and are off to the store now exhausted and knowing it needs to happen tonight even if it is 11:30 at night because I am going to be at home with sick children all week. One by one they fell and so did the snow. We spent our snow days with puke pails and vomit vats. I was quite glad there was no school because by the time I was ill I was not driving anywhere. A Primary activity was delegated from my bedroom with me shaking and delirious from a fever and it went fabulous(thanks ladies) and today I woke up and was already to attend church and then there was this little voice that said you stay home and REST!!! and that is what I did. I stayed home and I snuggled my kiddos and we napped. With Super Bowl approaching I quickly whipped up some food for my teen who loves this Sunday(the only Sunday he watches football all year unless we are at Grandpas)and the only Sunday I make some of the yummiest(junk) food.

Here we are again 2 weeks since it all started. We still have one sick child and Monday is ahead to "catchup" and do you know what I learned during this last 2 weeks..I will always be catching up on something that is how life is, somedays you just need to stay home and rest, I don't have to do everything, and food that is whipped up at the last minute from food storage tastes just as good as food that was planned out and researched and fret over and surprisingly enough I came up with a new recipe in it all. So to all that have had a week and you say Here We Go Again...pay attention you just might learn something!

Introducing.....

my new project blog. It is called Sweet Serendipity. Jewels of a Child will still be here for all of our family hijinx but for all of my projects go to:

sweetserendipity23.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Julia

SLEDDING 2011

Who knew you could snowboard down a hill on a saucer...Christian apparently.



David getting ready to go again!



Jensen having so much fun! He never had been sledding before so it was so fun to see our typically hesitant boy to grab his sled and fly down the hill. I am not saying it didn't take him some time to go down again, it did but eventually there was no stopping him.



Dad and Julianna worn out.....



and here she is having fun again!

Like Him or Not.....

these were inspired words by our President:

"These men and women remind us that heroism is found not only on the fields of battle. They remind us that heroism does not require special training or physical strength. Heroism is here, in the hearts of so many of our fellow citizens, all around us, just waiting to be summoned"

"As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let’s use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy and remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together."

"After all, that’s what most of us do when we lose somebody in our family -– especially if the loss is unexpected. We’re shaken out of our routines. We’re forced to look inward. We reflect on the past: Did we spend enough time with an aging parent, we wonder. Did we express our gratitude for all the sacrifices that they made for us? Did we tell a spouse just how desperately we loved them, not just once in a while but every single day?"

"So sudden loss causes us to look backward -– but it also forces us to look forward; to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us."

"We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives. Perhaps we question whether we're doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order."

"We recognize our own mortality, and we are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame -– but rather, how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better. "

"And that process -- that process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions –- that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.
And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us. "