The power of a hug!

   There has been a lot on my mind as of late, normally I would post these things on Facebook. But this time the post would be WAY too long, so I figured I would blog it. Since the horrible massacre at Newtown, Connecticut, I have had a really hard time with what happened at that elementary school. I've never been this emotional over something like this. Yes, I get sad and feel bad for the victims. But, usually, by the end of the week, life goes on and I feel fine. This time however, I cried all day Friday (since the moment I found out), I cried myself to sleep, and on and off from Saturday to today, I have broke down. I don't know what has caused this emotion I have a few ideas though. First, I could be PMSing. Second, Matthew is about the same age as some of those beautiful children and it hit me that it could've happened in this nice small sweet town of New Castle and he could've been taken from me. Third, it is possible that I'm prego and really hormonal (doubt that I am though, so don't get all excited because we aren't even trying, LOL). And, fourth I keep picturing those parents not being with their child. Not being able to hug and kiss their babies. Not being able to see them on Christmas morning and their expressions of excitment while ripping open their presents. It is truly devistating to me.  Now I am starting to drag on so I will get to the point before I start crying again. Today was the first day kids went back to school since the shooting. For some reason I am feeling like I was part of the shooting and that I also lost children that day. So, I was a nerveous wreck since he left our van and walked into the school (and yes I held up the line and watched until he was inside). When I went to pick him up after school let out, I felt much better. I was still sad, but better. And the thing with me is I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. And what happened next proves this. As the teachers started bringing our kids to our vehicles I was so overwhelmed. The teacher that brought Matthew to our van noticed me through the window. Instead of leaving as soon as Matthew got into the van she lingered a bit to see if everything was okay (I wasn't crying...yet). Then, without warning, Matthew gave me the biggest, tightest hug EVER (which are usually few and far between). I hugged him back and got EXTREMELY choked up. The teacher was still watching this and then told me, "Definitely needed one of those today, huh!?" I was so choked up I could'nt respond, so I just nodded. Then she said, "They are such sweet kids." I completely agreed. Matthew always seems to sense or notice when I need those sweet hugs.  I also wanted to thank her for her sweetness and for everything she does as a teacher, but I had the biggest lump in throat ever! But, I think she got the message (because of the whole heart on sleeve thing. LOL). That whole exprerience helped me out so much. I love how Heavenly Father shows his love through children. I really needed that hug from Matthew and He knew that. Now I feel I will be okay. No more crazy woman. LOL! I know this all may sound strange, but I really needed to let this out.    

Awards...

November 28, 2012

Awards...

I know I just updated my blog yesterday, but I completely forgot that Aubrey nominated me for this...so here it goes.
So, it's called the Liebster award.



Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the people you tag with the award.
3. Choose 11 bloggers (with less then 200 followers) and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them about the award (social networks accepted).
5. If you have not done so already, follow the tagger and visit at least three nominees. Spread the love!
6. And remember, no tag backs!


11 things about myself:

1.  Hmmmmm this is kinda hard. I love surprises.

2.  I used to be a morning person....until I had children.

3.  I LOVE pizza!

 

4.I love doing tons of different things at once. Like painting one thing while crocheting another, while reading a book and baking something....all in the same day. But the weird thing is, I can't stand having too much to do in one day. Let me clarify...I don't like being obligated to do a million things in one day.

 

5.   I LOVE LOVE LOVE working out, I just wish I had the time/energy to do it. Maybe when the baby is a little older and I get more sleep, this can be accomplished.

6.  I'd do anything for my family to make them happy.

7.  I secretly would LOVE to be photographer.

8.  I'm way too trusting of people. Even after being buglerized and having my debit card stolen from inide my home....I still trust people completely. :/

 

9.  I wish I was a neat freak so my house could be clean...for once.

10. If I could, I would read ALL DAY LONG....oh wait, I have done that...on more than one occasion.....oops. Mainly because once I start a book (even if I don't like it) I have to finish it at one time. My mind is too scatter brained to try and remember what happened when I stopped.

11.  I get stressed out way to easily but it's only because I care a lot about the people around me...even strangers. Along with the stress though, I have eternal joy from my children. They make me so so happy!

 

These aren't Aubrey's questions, they are Whitney's:

1. Favorite candy? I'm not a huge fan of candy (I prefer fruit), but if I had to choose....I guess I like Milky Ways.
2. What's one thing you'd change about yourself?  My self esteem. I would love to...love myself. :P
3. To cuff pants or not to cuff pants? That is the question.  I prefer to cuff....because I am too broke and lazy to tailor my pants.
4. Favorite type of crafting?  I don't have a favorite. I like to do it all....except scrap booking, because I suck at it. Hahahaha
5. The best book you've read recently?  Hands down, the Tiger's Curse saga!!!
6. Favorite way to unwind at the end of the day?  Watching TV and or playing a game called pixie hallow my friend got me hooked on (Thanks Shanilee!!! LOL), it is actually a game made for kids, oh well.
7. How did you meet your husband?  At a single ward pool party. Ironically when we met I was trying to set him up with the person who gave me this award. At least I think that's irony (I never really learned the true meaning of that word).
8. Hot cocoa or hot apple cider?  That's a really hard one for me. I love the cozyiness of hot cocoa but also Love the tartness of apple cider. But, I will go for hot cocoa...only because it's that time of the month where I crave chocolate (sorry for the TMI).
9. Do you hang-dry your shirts or dryer-dry them? (odd question, I know, but I'm kind of OCD about my laundry)  Dryer dry....I don't read the tags because I hate squinting. Hahaha

10. Biggest pet peeve?People who don't use the right spelling for Yay, Yea, Yeah and Yumm vs. Um (I have a cousin that rights "Ummmm" for everything on Facebook, instead of "Yummm") drives me BANANAS!!!!!!
11. Favorite holiday?  CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Now for 11 more questions.....

1. What is your all time favorite movie?

2. When making pizza do you put the pepperoni first and then cheese or visa versa?

3. If you had a choice, what would be your last meal before you died?

4. What is your favorite TV show...if you watch TV?

5. Josh Groben or Micheal Buble (sp?)?

6. What is your favorite quote?

7. What is your most embarassing moment?

8. What is your most memorable "Ah-Hah" moment?

9. What is your favorite baked good?

10. Team Jacob or Team Edward....and if your are a Tiger's Curse fan, Team Kishan or Team Dihren (Ren)?

11. Can you name of few of your favorite things?

 Okay and now for the nominee's!!!!!

I choose, Shanilee, Dina, Leighanne, Coty and Calista. I can't think of anyone else, so if I forgot you, go ahead and pass along the award. ;)

 

I know it's been a while but wow! I haven't even had time to breath it seems.  I have so much catching up to do....so here it  goes. One extra long post coming up! :)

Well since the first day of school so much has happened. I have some cute pics though, so yay! First off is Halloween. This cute picture was taken by a friend of the family at our first ever annual Halloween Party. We had so much fun! Although Kylie decided to be repunzel on actual Trick or Treat night. Which for some reason Newcastle never has their trick or treat on Halloween night (unless it falls on Saturday), I know...weird. But besides that, I LOVE NEWCASTLE!!! I love our neighborhood, the small town feel (yet we are only a stones throw from the city), and I love our church branch (soon to be ward). Anyways, the next pictures are of the girls and Matthew at his first ever school Halloween/Fall party. We loved it. After the party we went straight to trick or treating on Main street and then on to our neighborhood (which EVERYONE from Blanchard and Newcastle come to trick or treat), which was super crowded. Nathan couldn't come with us because he had to work (as usual :( ). So I took the kids around using my new bike and trailer. We finally had to end the evening early with Payton having a blowout. LOL! Regardless, the kids still made it home with pillow cases full of candy.

After all of the sugar and fun, things started to go down hill. First it started with Matthew getting really sick and Payton having a cold. He was out of school for three days and having a fever of 102.9 (on and off) for 2 days. Then Kylie got what he had except she had a temp of 103.2 (on and off) for 2 days. Then when she was finally getting over that, she started itching really bad. For 4 days in a row she kept breaking out in hives (somewhat randomly). I couldn't figure out what the problem was until Monday morning when I was getting everyone ready for school...... 

 

I was putting Kylie's hair in pigtails when I saw something crawling on her scalp. At that point I screamed, then I started saying some not so appropriate words (which I then appologized profusely to Kylie who was looking at me like I was a crazy person). I then heard Nathan about to leave to take Matthew to school. And, being the athletic person I am (hahaha), I sprinted to Nathan in half a second and yelled at him to stay right there. Of course his response was, "Why?" And that is when I told him....

"Kylie has LICE!!!" GGGRRROOSSSSS!!!!! I HATE LICE!!!! Since we didn't know if Matthew had it or not, he had to stay home from school. I then immediately started the de-licing process. I did the research and found out that the lice were causing her to break out in hives. I first called EVERYONE who may have been in contact with Kylie the past week, then I started the laundry, bagged up every toy in the house and put them in th gerage, cleaned out the van (including the carseats), vacuumed, mopped, and treated the older kids hair. And treating their hair meant....CUTTING their hair. So, yes, Kylie's BEAUTIFUL locks were cut. I felt a little bit me die as I chopped of the most gorgous hair ever (yes it's a little dramatic, but OMG I love her hair)! So, here is before....

 

.....and after. :(..........

 

So, I am going to back track a little bit. Before all the sickness and parasite drama, I did get to participate (for the first time ever) in the election process. I voted for the first time ever. And, never before have I ever felt so much love for being an American and having so much freedom. And also having the right to vote at all. I am forever grateful for living in this promised land (heart swells with pride).

 

 

So moving on (sorry, this is really starting to turn into a novel...oh well). After voting, and the election, things all of sudden got really stressful on our family (mostly me), and that doesn't include the ickyness that has been floating around. So Nathan did something for me that is TOTALLY uncharacterstic of him. You ready for this? He suprised me with suprise ROMANTIC (that being the key word) weekend WITHOUT the kids. It felt like we were dating all over again. And it couldn't come at a better time because I was at the end of my rope. He had lit candles and placed them all over our living room, and set up a candlit table and ordered Swadly's BBQ (which I had told him I had been craving for a while now). I was completely shocked...and loved every minute of it. He also suprised me with seasons 1-5 of Psych (which we both LOVE). So we sat and had a Psych marathon, and the rest is history ;)

Of course, right after that lovely weekend is when I found Kylie's lice, so I'm glad I had a nice break before the poo hit the fan. LOL!

So after taking care of the lice, Payton then got sick. And, she got it worse of all. She had a temp of 104.6. Luckily I got it under control and she started getting better. But then, alas, my nose starts to run. And, before you know it, I had a temp of 102. AArrrggg. It has been the month that never ends. Hahaha (I only laugh to keep from crying). So, while having this high temp I have to give Kylie a second treatment because the first hair treatment didn't kill all the lice (I definitely got them all the second time). Yeah, I passed out after spending three hours hunched over coming my daughters extremely thick hair. Luckily the girls were tired too and decided to take a 2 hour nap with me.

Unfortunately through all this crud, Nathan got a phone call because his father was in the ICU with Gianne Barrette (sp?) syndrome. It is one nasty thing to fight. In a nutshell, his dad was numb from the waiste down and couldn't walk. He is home now and on the mends (thanks to some wonderful doctors and lots of prayers).

 

Well, I think it's time for some good news....."It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!" Nathan is hanging Christmas light on our house in this pic (it's the first time we've ever hung lights). He did a great job!

Here are some pics of my centerpieces I thought of (thanks to pinterest).

 And the most important news to share, is that Nathan was called and set apart as second counselor to the Blanchard Branch Presidency (soon to be Blanchard Ward). It's going to be interesting sitting by myself on Sunday's, but I am excited to see what this new calling will bring our family. :) So that's all for now. I know it was a super long post, but hey, at least I finally updated right? ;)

 



Just....yuck!

Sorry ahead of time for this post. I just need to vent. So if you aren't in the mood for my word vomit (as my friend Shanilee would call it, LOL :)  ), then don't read.....

  My sour mood all started last night as I was doing some research online. You see, I have three beautiful children (all of whom I am extremely greatful for).  Some of you readers know that my last baby, Payton, my six month old, caused my body some harm. I tell every one that I am built to give birth to babies and that I am so not built to carry them! I have been induced with all three of my children because of my petit frame (in other words I HAVE NO ROOM). With Payton I developed Diastasis Recti. In lamens terms, My stomach muscles have separated completely. In fact, you can fit a little more than two fingers in between my muscles (I just measured last night). The only way to fix it, is with a tummy tuck. Which is cosmetic surgery. For those of you that don't have this problem....all I can say is that it SUCKS! It hurts my stomach when I bend over sometimes, and My back hurts because my muscles aren't there to support my pelvis and spine. Which causes me to have bad posture and will eventually cause my spine to curve. After doing the research I have come to find out that because it is a cosmetic surgery, most if not all insurance companies will not cover the correction. No matter the problems they cause, they simply won't cover it because it happens to a lot of women and because it doesn't cause any significant health issues. So pretty much I have to deal with it or pay about 7K out of our pocket! And, to top it off, I still want to have one more child. So I keep agonizing! Do I destroy my body more for one more spirit in this world? Or, do be selfish and stop now? And, this condition causes my belly to bulge and causes extra fat and extra skin to hang out. So, naturally I am absolutely disgusted when I look in the mirror. Yet, it could all be fixed by one surgery. If only I were rich right? :(
  Anyways, on top of all this self image crap, I have a sink full of week old nasty dishes, two dirty kids room to clean, a nasty dining room that needs to be sand blasted because it's covered in so much filth, laundry needs to be done, the back porch needs to cleaned, I need to vacuum, organize the linen closet, give the baby a bath, pick up Matthew from school, wash the windows, tell Kylie for the MILLIONTH time to STOP SUCKING HER FINGER AND STOP TWIRLING HER HAIR!!! I also need to clean out the fridge, clean the counter tops, clean the kids bathroom, and plan Kylie's birthday (which is three or four weeks). And, it's already 1:00 and I STILL HAVEN'T HAD A SHOWER....... IN THREE DAYS!!!! It is soo one of those overwhelming days that I just want to throw in the towel and eat chocolate ice cream ALL day!!!!!! Oh and cry! Sorry for the rant, but I sooooo needed to get that out.

My little Dill weeds first day of school. ;)

 

My oldest "baby" finally started school and I cannot be more excited! Matthew is just as excited, if not, more so! I love my little man and am so proud of him. It's only been only two and a half weeks and it's already been full of "adventures." He has also had one really bad day but the rest have been super fun. As soon as I pick him up, he is bursting with stories of the day and what he has learned. I did want to homeschool him but, I guess homeschool isn't for everybody. Public school is exactly what he needed!

As for his bad day at school, he came home with a HUGE black eye! When I asked him what happened he simply said, "Oh the monkey bars hit me in the face...Mommy I need to practice more so I don't miss again and get hit in the face." LMBO! He gets me rolling sometimes! Unfortunately that night after he received the black eye, he also started throwing up. Apparently the black eye wasn't the only thing he brought home frome school. :( So the next day he stayed home from school and stayed in bed all day.  

 

Now on to these adorable pictures of Matthews first day!

 

Kylie was so excited for her big bubba...she was a little upset that she couldn't join him and that her best friend wasn't around to play with her. We are still struggling with Matthew not being around, but now that we are ALL healthy again, maybe now we can go out and do some Mommy daughter bonding, and have some fun! 

 Matthews brand new classroom! Him and his classmates are the first to be in this classroom, since they just finished building this school. It is beautiful! I especially love the library (it even has a teepee or a HUGE couch to curl up on and read)!

 The last photo I took before I left. LOL he really wanted me to leave so he could enjoy his first day! Like I said, he really is ready for school!

 And here is an extra little picture of the ever adorable "miss" Payton (as Matthew calls her). Oh I just love those cheeks!!! And that smile....my goodness it doesn't matter what mood I'm in. Once I see her smile I can't help but return the favor. She smiles ALL the time by the way.....ALL...THE...TIME!!!! LOVE IT!!!

 And here are some family pics we took.....

 SMOOOOOCH!!! Oh how I love this man! ;)

 My LOVELY family. Oh this picture gets me. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my family!!!!

Oh my how time flies!!!!!

 WARNING: Oober long post!!!!!!!!!

So I am finally posting Payton's foot correction progress. The last post had weeks one and two...these photos are....Week 3....

...........Week 4......

....then she had surgery and was put into a hard cast for 4 weeks and this is after those 4 weeks....

Then she was put in another soft cast for 2 more weeks and this is the picture of her corrected foot finally free from casts. I took this pic before she got fitted for her foot braces. It looks like a normal foot. I tried to upload a video of her in her braces but my computer/internet is being retarded and slow. :( The braces are a NIGHTMARE! But they will keep her foot from going back into a club foot. She has had the braces on for a month now. She has to wear them 23 hours a day for 2-3 more months, then she will only wear them for 3-4 years while she sleeps (only). Despite all of this, she is by far my happiest baby! She ALWAYS smiles, she started smiling earlier than the other two. It definitely helps me not stress out so much that she is so happy. Oh, I also get to add physical therapist to my long list of mom responsibilities. After every diaper change I have to manipulate her foot by pushing her foot into a 90 degree angle to stretch out her achilles tendon. So, this is one tired Momma!

Here are just some cute pictures of Payton as she grows.

Here are some cute pics of Matthew and Kylie....Matthew reading to Kylie...

....and a random one of us out and about running errands with Daddy.... 

 Here is on our 5th Wedding Anniversary on St. Patricks Day. We decided to celebrate with the kids and took them to the St. Patty's Day parade in bricktown.

 Here are some pics of the kids at the Science Museum. They LOVED it! And, through Nathans job at Kimray, we get free passes into the museum. So, we can go anytime we want, it will definitely come in handy this summer!

 Kylie decided she wanted to paint my nails. This is the first time ever painting nails...I think she did amazing for her first time...and for a 2 1/2 year old. :)

 We also celebrated Matthew's 4th birthday. He specifically asked for a Thomas cake so this is what I came up with at the last minute. The Thomas is actually a bubble machine.

 

 More Pics!!!!! 

Here is Payton in her blessing dress

 And more random pics. :) I hope you enjoyed my attempt to play catch up. LOL The kids have grown up so fast! Now I have to get back to playing wife, chef, maid, coach, advisor, taxi driver, entertainer, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, secretary, accountant, and so forth....in other words, I have to get back to being MOM!

More about Payton and stuff

Well it has been a busy week and a half already, it feels like it has already been a months! Payton is going to have a very active first month of life. She is going to see the dentist for the first time at 3 weeks old, LOL! She is also going to have a new cast every week for a while. She is doing really well so far with her first cast. It doesn't bother her too much. She will randomly scream out for a second sometimes, but I think it's because she wants to kick her foot and can't. She gets over it pretty quick though. Here is a picture of what her foot looked like before the cast. I thought I'd try and post pictures of her new cast each week. So here is before....

......And here is after (this was taken the day she got the cast on). The doctor was SUPER nice and went on and on about how good Payton's pediatrician was for sending her in ASAP. He said most younger Pediatricians will wait to send them in (for a club foot), so they can keep an eye on it to see if it will correct itself. When it probably won't and by the time children are sent in for their foot to be corrected it is not good. It takes longer to correct, longer you wait, because babies are so flexible, it's easier/faster to correct. Her doctor says she should be 100% corrected before she walks or maybe even crawls. I just LOVE our pediatrician, she was actually Nathan's doctor when he was a kid as well.

Anyways, I will try to post her new cast pic this Thursday (if things aren't too hectic and I'm not too tired).

 And here is  a picture of Matthew holding Payton (he actually asked if he could hold her then insisted I take a picture...he's so cute). The next two pictures are of the two older kids trying on Daddy's new motorcycle helmet. They LOVE to take rides with Daddy down the street and back. They also love to wear his helmets LOL!