Here is my attempt to catch up and I hope I can do this year justice. While 2013 has been full of health problems for me (Stemming from last year but we'll get to that), it has been a spectacular year for my family. We have had many challenges but so many blessings to go with it.
January was filled with basketball. We had four children playing—thankfully on three teams instead of four. They were fun to watch. Jakob scored the most points on his team and the others worked very hard on their teams. I'm a proud mama!
The end of January was our second annual Australia Day party. I had a few recipes I wanted to try out so for our ward cooking class, I invited everyone over. We made meat pies, sausage rolls, and lamingtons. We had a good turnout and we all had fun. Plus, it was amazing food if I say so myself...
Two days later it was time for the main event. Steve was chasing kids between basketball games and getting the last minute items for that night. That meant I spent the rest of the time making even more sausage rolls, meat pies, pavlova, anzac biscuits, and lamingtons. Gaye came over to help keep me sane and help where it was needed. By that night we were ready to go. Steve added shrimp, lamb, and ginger beer to the mix. Other people brought dishes and it was quite a party!!
February
February came with a bang - in the form of the flu for a couple of us, strep for a few others and one awesome Blue & Gold banquet. No, seriously. It was AMAZING. But I get ahead of myself.
We got to see Emily get baptized and Riley get blessed the first weekend in February. Both were great experiences. In between those, we went to a BYU basketball game. It was tons of fun. The game was good, the company was better and we got to try Irish tacos. Yeah, I don't know what those are either. But they were amazing!
As Relief Society President I felt like the Lord had a lesson to share with the sisters. We got special permission to have all of the men take over the women's callings so the women could come and listen. No pressure for me, right? Okay, maybe just a little.
One thing I'd heard a little of is depression was running rampant. I knew of that was because of the time of year but I also think we are very hard on ourselves as women. I wanted them to know how amazing they are. That they're not forgotten and that they're not invisible. I used Elder Uchtdorf's talk of the Forget-Me-Not. His talk is here. Along with that talk, I wanted to use the blog post about Drops of Awesome. That post is here. The object lesson in that blog post was unbelievable. The response was amazing and even when I knew what was coming, it still hit me hard. I was also able to use a song my sister wrote. I need to get her permission before I post it on here but it flowed right into it. I only hope that I was able to help a few sisters feel just a little better about themselves.
This year one of my goals was to get published. I believe that was goal last year as well... Anyway, I begged and begged and got the chance to go to LTUE. It is a fantastic writing conference where I learned a lot and got some great ideas for a book I wanted to write. I met more friends and caught up with other friends. One of the days happened to be on Valentine's Day so after meetings were done, Steve met me at La Dolce Vita for dinner. We love this restaurant. It's our favorite. And thankfully it was right down the road from us.
The next night I got a ride from my friend, Donna. The awesome thing about this was 1. we got to talk on the way home and 2. she met up with friends go get gelato with a bunch of authors. You can have your movie stars and your musicians, I love my authors. I felt humbled, thrilled, and scared to death to be among them. Plus the basil lemon gelato was to die for.
The next week was the Blue & Gold Banquet I spoke of. They had a medieval theme which is right up my alley. I love all things knights, princesses and castles (thus the latest book I wrote). We ate from tins with no utensils. They fought dragons on bikes with jousting sticks. They were knighted. Seriously, I loved it.
The part I didn't love was that at home during that time was a little boy with a 103 degree fever. Jakob doesn't mess around when he has a fever. he quickly goes high and stays there. Steve picked him up and took him to his doctor appointment where we found out he had strep. Awesome.
Friday we found out Steve also had it and we put him, me, and Gavin on antibiotics (I dont think Gavin ever got it actually). The bug took into March to finally leave our house. We were on lockdown mode except for basketball (and only for those past the contagious stage) and my calling (also after I was past contagious).
Writing group was still a big part of our lives during all of this. I can't forget that. It was my sanity. I could go, get my writing critiqued, and then go home to fix it. It was my date night with Steve and we loved it.
March
March 1st was Heidi's birthday. And she was lucky enough to spend it with strep. Andy also had to miss his field trip because of strep. Thankfully neither got terribly sick and we spent the day with just us. Heidi got her gifts and we kept any of the stuffed animals away from her until she was past being contagious.
She got a princess dress, a unicorn (It's so fluffy I could die! ~ Despicable Me) and several other toys. She loved her gifts enough that she didn't mind having to wait a few more days before Susannah could come over for her birthday party.
Around that time Steve got a new job with Apex. he had to go to a training that hit the first part of March. Right around when I was starting to feel junky again. Awesome, eh? Okay not really.
I was having a rough time with emotions and they were right there on my sleeves. I could go from happy to bawling to angry in a split second. It was hard for everyone. When I knew I'd have to miss writing group, it was hard.
That same week Steve left, it was getting close to Jakob's last game. I was going to have to miss writing group for his practice and I was having a hard time with it. I wanted him to go but I really wanted to do my thing too. I needed it. Well, that night at practice his coach wasn't there but left his grandson in charge. His grandson who was a bully the entire season. He enjoyed bossing people around. I asked Jakob if he really wanted to stay because I knew it would be rough. He decided to stay. I went home to make dinner before going back to get him.
Practice was as horrible as he thought it would be. But instead of fighting back or getting discourage, he and another boy went to another part of the gym and practiced shooting. He was able to stand up for himself. I was quite proud of him—even as I felt worse for myself. My selfishness was unbelievable by that time.
We stopped by to pick up Andy and I had Jakob go get him. I thought just for that moment I could bawl my eyes out. Get it out of my system so I could go back to being strong for my kids. But that's not what happened. Oh, I sobbed all right. But just then a knock came at my window and it was Andy's scout leader. A chess board had been broken and she felt horrible so she came to apologize. What she didn't expect was to see me as a basket case. I was embarrassed as I had to explain myself and she offered to have me come over to talk. I wish I had taken her up on it but I didn't.
Jakob felt horrible but I told him I was proud of him and I wouldn't have miss this opportunity for him to become stronger for anything. I just needed to vent and then I was fine. Or so I thought.
The next day he went with me to a signing while Andy watched the kids. We hurried in, hoping I could catch Dan Wells so I could slip back out and make it to my meeting with the bishop. Except that when we got there, we found out it was a huge Q&A and there was no way it was going to happen. We listened until the last possible second and then walked up to the front row, handed the books to my friend Donna and slipped out. Again, stupid tears poured down my face and Jakob had to be there mop them up. I made it back and slipped into my meeting where I sat in agony because the pain was so bad.
We ordered ultrasounds and went over them where of course they found nothing. Steve came home from his work trip to Virginia where he got to do some training on a new software product that he is supposed to be working with and in between he also got to spend some time with our friends Terry and Anne and their family. I took all the kids to the dentist each Monday to get them past their exams and fillings. Heidi had good healthy teeth and she was amazing!
Ethan had to go on valium again for a cavity or two but he did really well. Gavin and Ashley also had cavities. Andy had none but he got caps on his and Jakob had no cavities. We did get to take the three oldest to an orthodontist to find out whether they'll need braces. All three will at some point. Wonderful.
I was avoiding the dentist for myself like the plague, sure I had at least one cavity. Thankfully when I finally did cave and go in(on my birthday!), there were no cavities!
Anyway, back to March. I still fought feeling horrible and continued with writing and my calling. I was getting edits done on my book and getting excited for LDStorymakers coming up in May. Yes, that was two months early. Yes, I was going crazy by the time it actually showed up.
We took the kids to get their eyes checked. Can you tell Steve started a new job so we were catching up on medical stuff? No? Oh, fine. Well, that's what was happening. Anyway, Andy had to get glasses (which he never wears), Ethan will need some in the future, and the others are awesome. I got me some new glasses and I'm loving them. They're more "me."
Jakob got to be in a book trailer that month as well. It was an amazing chance for him and he loved it. Charlotte took the kids while Steve did a scout training and I took Jakob so it was our little thing. He got a book and poster for doing it. We gave the book to my nephew as a thank for babysitting.
April
April came along with more appointments and general conference. We'd had a lesson on great ways to help your kids listen in conference and at church so I went with a few ideas from the other women in our ward. I got some blocks and let the kids build temples. I had no idea how into it they would be.
Jakob's multi-colored temple lasted a couple of months before taken down by a toddler but I want him to rebuild it when we can get our hands on more white legos. It was amazing!
For Spring Break we went to Idaho and spent a few days there. It was really nice to relax. We left Tuesday night so I could get back to calling stuff, appointments, and so Steve and the kids could see his parents while they were up in Orem for his dad's surgery. They had dinner in the hotel and played games. I went to writing group.
I went to a few different doctors, hoping to find someone that would help me figure out what was going on. This included instacare (no clue what to do), family practice (Sure it was endometriosis and recommended an OB), said OB (Told me I was crazy and there was nothing he could do and it had to be the bowels), and I wanted to give up. I had never been so frustrated and I hurt. I had no idea what to do next so I decided to prove the dude wrong and made an appointment with a GI doctor. They couldn't get me in for a couple of weeks so I waited.
This year was our lucky 13th year anniversary. Steve surprised me with dinner at La Caille. It was amazing. The atmosphere was amazing, the food was amazing, being with Steve was awesome. I'd love to go back—when we can afford to again. We had escargot, caviar, and all kinds of yumminess.
After going through many edits, beta readers, hair pulling, and more editing, I got to the point where I felt I could submit my book about a leprechaun who stole a girl's luck. I'd been working on the book for over a year. A chance to enter a blog pitch contest came up. I took the chance after encouragement came from friends on the website iwritenetwork.com and entered the contest. I felt good about it but pushed it aside, not wanting to jinx myself.
I used the distractions of baseball and birthdays, and owies to keep myself from thinking about the contest. I knew LDStorymakers was also coming up and if nothing happened with this pitch contest, I could at least get the story more polished at the conference.
We share a birthday so we had family over for dinner. We had dinner and yummy Costco cake. This was after my dentist appointment, her well-child, and she would have had soccer but I vetoed it for the day. It was fun spending time with my sisters that day.
May
Ashley's baptism was Saturday, May 4th—the same day I got confirmed 27 years before! We'd wanted to go to another baptism that morning but it was too crazy to get to both. Ashley's baptism was the first of the three where I got to be at the top of the stairs to wrap my newly cleansed child in a towel. Her giggles and bright eyes were enough to know that she felt the spirit during that baptism. I marvel at the girl she has grown up to be!
 |
| Ashley didn't get a birthday cake but she got a baptism cake! |
My mom was able to do the talk on the Holy Ghost and we had our nephew, Adam, lead the music and Charlotte played the piano. It was a special day for sure!!
We fed the families before they had to head off to their various activities and we headed off to a birthday party with our friends. It was a lot of fun to spend time with them. Such a busy, special, wonderful day!!
The next week I went to a GI appointment and they scheduled an a colonoscopy. I doubted they would find anything but I was willing to do whatever to help myself feel better. I was determined to be healthy while at storymakers.
But during that time I had the exciting news that my pitch was one of the choices and I got to send in my full manuscript! I was thrilled. And scared to death. I started to make last minute changes to make sure everything was perfect.
Storymakers came along and I was amazed at the confidence I had going into it. I made lots of friends, including three other women I roomed with while I was there. The classes were amazing and I learned so much. I did boot camp the first day with Lisa Mangum and it was invaluable. I got to hear other amazing stories and got some great critiques.
The toughest class was when I had to hear a panel of agents and editors tear my first page apart. I was determined not to get frustrated with it and took notes, hoping to make it better. Truthfully I was never happy with that first two paragraphs and that's what they were hardest on.
That night my family came and picked me up. We went to have dinner for Mother's Day and I was so happy to be with them. The next morning was Mother's Day and it was a great day. I woke up to breakfast in bed, gifts from the kids, and a rewritten first page of my book. Steve had taken on the task of trying to rewrite those paragraphs because I was so stuck. He was brilliant. I didn't use everything he suggested but he got me on the right track to make a stronger story. I got it written up and sent off to the publisher, praying something good would come from it. I got an email back saying it could be 60-90 days before I heard anything. Great. Waiting. I don't like waiting!!
The next morning I got another email from the acquisitions editor saying she'd do her best to get back in two weeks. I could do two weeks. Kind of.
Colonoscopy came and went. And seriously, its the worst torture anyone can ever go through. Seriously. And it came back completely normal. There was nothing wrong. SHOCKER. They decided to send me to yet another doctor in Salt Lake but I was still willing to do it if it meant getting better.
We were in the middle of baseball and soccer for the kids. We had a few days throughout May where we had three games and a practice all at the same time. It was pure insanity but we survived.
Jakob had a big weekend and an even bigger birthday. He went to a friend's birthday party that Saturday and then on Sunday he turned twelve, got the priesthood, and grew up super fast. It was amazing to see the difference. We didn't have time to make a cake so Jakob got an ice cream cone with a candle in it.
Poor Ethan's tooth became infected a few days before his birthday. They couldn't find any reason why it would do that but we had to give him meds for it—which he would promptly throw up. We had to give him very small amounts at a time and bribe him to do even do that. The first night was the day before his birthday and he was so miserable. He slept through the baseball game where he was supposed to give out cupcakes for his birthday. I handed them out and carried him back to the car. My poor boy. :(
He was feeling much better for his birthday and we were able to celebrate. He still wasn't perfect but it was a major improvement. I had been distracted enough that Ethan didn't get a cake. He got a Root Beer float that we put a candle in. Catching a pattern here?
The next weekend was another big weekend. We went to St. George to spend a wonderful two days with Steve's family. We stayed overnight and headed off to the temple bright and early. We got to be with Adam for his first time through the temple! Steve even got to be his escort which was a great experience for him. We had dinner afterward at a park. It was a fun time but super short, and Steve got his neck tweaked wresting with Adam. We can't wait to get back there soon. OH, I forgot to mention that this was also Steve's birthday so he got to go hang out with Adam, Aaron, John and Ron. It was a great way for him to spend his birthday and it totally made his day special.
We went home that night because Jakob had another big day. He got to pass the sacrament for the first time and he gave his very first talk in Sacrament Meeting. He did an amazing job with it. I was very proud and a little floored that my boy was getting so big!!
We left right after Sacrament meeting and rushed off to Idaho for Memorial Day. Charlotte shared a song with the family that she'd written about our family heritage. We had a good evening and the next morning we got up to visit the cemeteries. It's a big thing for my family and it was awesome that my mom had printed off pictures of the different ancestors we were visiting. We enjoyed our time there before having to go home again. Yes, we went to St. George and Idaho and back within just a few days. It was crazy but it was wonderful to spend time with so much family!
We were finally to the last week of school. I say finally but really it came too fast. Jakob had a sixth grade graduation and then I had to take Ethan to the dentist where we found out that his tooth was just fine.
For the last few days of May we took Andrew and Sabrina so that Jerry and Kira-Fire could go to a wedding in Colorado. It was the first time that they had ever gone anywhere without their kids. It was fun to have Andrew and Sabrina around. We took them to a parade in the morning and they all had fun gathering up candy. Despite the fact that the kids next to us kept stealing all the candy and kept going out in the road far enough that they were getting hit by instruments as the marching band walked by, we made it through and had fun.
That evening I was mowing the lawn and started feeling very sick. I sat down and the kids bring me a coconut water. It helped somewhat but I was still really weak. I spent most of the rest of the day on the couch, with aches and feeling horrible. Steve took the kids out to watch fireworks and I watched what I could.
June
Around midnight while we were watching a movie, Sabrina threw up in her sleep. We got her up and into the bathroom and cleaned up the mess before cleaning off Andrew as well. We finally went to bed and watched more of the movie before the pain in my stomach got bad enough that I couldn't breathe. Steve took me to the ER and we waited for results. I had a CT scan and they found ... nothing. They did find a vein that was swollen by my kidney but that was it. The IV helped me feel much better but otherwise, nothing came from the trip. And as of the date of this blog, we still haven't seen the rest of the movie.
Something wanted to keep me from giving the lesson that Sunday. I wasn't going to let it win. I showed up a few hours after leaving the ER and was determined to give a lesson. I did it on priorities. I used three different talks and at the end I issued a challenge. I cut out Facebook for a month and I wanted others to join me in a challenge. I had a few people thank me afterwards and I hope it did help them. I did mention that there were a few times I would need to be on Facebook because I had a blog post I needed to add and I still hadn't heard back from the publisher and hoped I'd get good news.
Oh yeah, Jakob got to fast offerings for the first time! He enjoyed it but he said it was crazy because he got two routes, one at the top of the hill!
And speaking of good news... A few days later on June 7th, I decided to write to the editor to find out if they had any news to share with me. She wrote back and told me that they were preparing everything and I'd hear later that day.
Okay, I could do this, right? I could wait just a couple more hours? I had writing group that night and I really hoped I would hear by then.
Which I did. I was sitting on the couch (exactly where I am now) and got the email. My book had been accepted! I managed to get those words but I couldn't say anything else. I could text, mention it on chat, and yes, throw in on Facebook, but otherwise I couldn't say anything. Gaye called me screaming in my ear because she was so excited and I was glad she could say something because I couldn't. I had friends doing happy dances for me and still I sat there.
I got out of my stupor for long enough to get to the writing group and share my excitement there. We had milkshakes on the way home and by then it was starting to kick in. I signed the contract that night— and then again in the morning because it didn't go through correctly.
The kids had their games and team pictures the next morning. When I say morning, I mean Andy's were at 7 am. Awful!
Jakob was made 1st counselor in the Deacon's Quorum. It was cool to see him take that duty on as well. My little boy was all grown up! He also got his first cell phone after his check up. It was payment for making him get one more shot for jr high. Okay, not really but that's what he bargained for.
Tuesday the 11th, Ashley went in to get her ear tubes out. She was tired of needing ear plugs and the times she would get infections, it was because water got in through the tubes. It was good that she went in because polyps were forming behind the ear drums. She did an awesome job! We weren't allowed to take her anywhere her ears could pop (so no St. George and no Idaho!), swim, or let her blow her nose.
I went to my appointment with the doctor in Salt Lake and he decided to put me on medicine for IBS. We both knew it was a slight possibility and that the next option was going in to find out if I really had endometriosis. I lasted a week on the pills before I called begging for the number of the other doctor. We got set up for the endo doctor for July 3rd and I was hoping for answers.
Baseball ended with a bang. The kids did awesome. Steve/Jakob's team lost in the tournament, but Andy's team went on. They were in first place going into tournament and did awesome. They lost the last two games but still went on to the UBBA tournament in July. They all did an amazing job. And seriously, Heidi rocks as a baseball player. If I can figure out how to implant the video, I will.
We spent most of June between baseball and doing sprinklers. Lots of sprinklers. We helped Gaye get her yard ready and it felt awesome to be done. We pulled up all the rock, put down the sod, moved rocks again, and then worked on sprinklers. From 7 am to 11 pm on the 29th of June, we were working on sprinklers. We finished on Tuesday and her grass looks awesome! I love doing service. We'll forget the rest of the mess that went with it, okay?
A few other things we were able to do in June but I forget what days: We went to Oz the Great and Powerful at the American Fork Theater for free. It was a lot of fun! We went to Trafalga and to Seven Peaks with the Ellises to celebrate birthdays. I helped clean out a house and I babysat for Jeff and Rachelle so they could go to a movie. Gavin lost his first tooth! He was so excited.
July
We made it! July 3rd I had an appointment with the endometriosis specialist. I was hoping I wouldn't be told I was crazy yet again. Instead, when I handed him the photo, he immediately showed me all the places I had endometriosis in one small area. He also said "Nice appendix, did it get taken out?" Wait, what? He told me he hated talking surgery on the first appointment but I needed the appendix and everything cleaned. I walked away wanting to cry in relief. We set a tentative date for July 30th and I left.
I went home and we got a few things done before we went to Despicable Me 2 with the kids. It was hilarious. The kids were laughing the whole time. Except for Heidi. She was scared for some of it but she still laughed a lot. It was priceless!
July Fourth came and I chose to use my first Facebook post to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July. Ever since coming home from Australia, it has meant just a little more to me.
We worked on sprinklers with the Ellises during the morning and then went home to get ready for Charlotte's family to come. We had chicken, potato salad (Gavin said "Why are we having potato salad if it's German??" Silly boy), salad, cookies, and other yummy foods. After we'd eaten tons and watched our fill of Studio C, we headed over to the park to watch the fireworks. At the park we can see from Alpine to Springville and I wish I could have gotten it on tape. It was amazing. There were fireworks everywhere, like little blossoms lighting up the night.
The next morning was Gavin's birthday. Steve and I had to pick up his presents that morning and let him unwrap them. He loved his gifts and yet again, no cake. My poor kids!
I went to writing group one day at Tristi's house while Steve took Ashley to a practice that was canceled. He came back for the last two chapters that were read. I'd finished my book for critique group! I asked Tristi and Heather if they wanted to be part of the launch party and Tristi suggested I put in a request to move up my release date. As it was, I would release in June which would be hard to celebrate a leprechaun book in June.
The next morning I wrote an email and my friend (And soon-to-be editor) relayed the request on. By Sunday, I received the welcome letter, letting me know that I would get to release the book in March! So we are looking at March 15th. I filled out all the info for my book. My blurb, biography, acknowledgement, title cover, etc. So exciting! By that time I was able to jump for joy instead of staring at my computer in shock.
Friday night we made an impromptu trip up to the mountains with the Ellises. We had foil dinners and the kids ran around the campground. It was so much fun! I'd wanted to go camping before I had surgery and this was the closest we got but it was awesome.
Saturday we played softball (found the bat I want too...!) and then went to a yard sale. Each of the kids found something they wanted. Heidi has Lambie that she won't go anywhere without. It was adorable. We took the items home and went to the Ellises to work in the yard. They used the trencher and dug several trenches. I did some errands (including grabbing pizza) and then it was time to take the trencher back.
We went to the outlet stores to get some shorts and socks for Steve, and shoes for the two older boys and then took the kids to Johnny Rockets. It was amazingly good and the kids all ate their food. We also grabbed what we needed for Jakob's scout camp.
Sunday morning I met with the Bishop to help him know what was going on with my surgery so he could choose what to do with my calling. We had a good talk and I walked away thinking I might in there for a while.
Jakob went off to scout camp for the week and it felt like a little piece of me went with him. I love my boy. I was told he was a great kid that worked hard and always had a smile on his face. I was also told he liked to be the one to start the fires...
Monday night Steve gave me a blessing and while he blessed the children to be watched over, and my home to be watched over, he didn't mention my calling. I was surprised and I knew something was coming. It was also around this time that Steve and I started talking about moving. We both began to feel like it was time but weren't sure what to do. We found a house in North Ranch that we really liked but couldn't get any information on. We were a little open to looking in other places but wanted to pursue that one (which didn't end up happening). We decided to see where it would take us.
Tuesday we took Andy to his baseball games. He had one at noon and then another at 6:00. Because it was in Spanish Fork, we didn't want to come home in between. Poor Andy's team. They got throttled 17-0. Andy got an awesome catch though. I was proud of him! He worked very hard.
We went to Shopko to grab a new outfit for Ethan (gi shirt and sweat pants were not good for 95 degree weather) before going to Orem to get the oil changed. We got our car washed and then headed back toward Spanish Fork. We still had a couple of hours so we went to Costco to get a couple things. We got the kids a treat before we went back to the game. I was a little worried about the weather that night. There was a storm brewing.
We saw one of the guys from Kid History there but the kids were too scared to go and say hi to him. Silly kids. It was probably for the best anyway.
The game started and so did the rain. It came down hard. I'd only felt that wet a few times and those were in Australia. The game was postponed so we went running for the car. We were on our way home when we got a phone call telling us to come back because the game was going to keep going. We got back to the diamond and lost the game 19-2. Ouch. We got home and warmed ourselves up, knowing we would be back the next day. I worried for Jakob because I knew that the storm had passed by him. We watched it circle the valley before coming back to us.
The next day I took Ashley in to her ear appointment. Her left ear had zero pressure so we worry that she might have to get tubes again but we're hoping she won't. She was given permission to swim without ear plugs and we were happy because we were heading to Idaho that weekend.
We went home and Steve and Andy left for Andy's baseball game. We didn't go that day because Steve would be continuing on up to scout camp to stay with Jakob for the night. We played and Xander came over to play. The kids watched a movie before they went to bed.
Thursday morning was Andy's tenth birthday. It was spent having Steve fix a tire, working and then we went to look at a couple of houses. We all leaned toward a model home but didn't want to make any decisions. We got home so Steve could work for a while and then went to get Jakob from scout camp.
I was so happy to see him! He got so many hugs when he got to the car. Andy told me having Jakob come home was the best birthday present he could get. Of course he was also happy with the scooter, BYU hat, and iPhone (our old one that doesn't work as a phone). He declared it as the best birthday ever. And no, he didn't get a cake either.
Friday morning we left bright and early for an appointment for me. Steve stayed in the car with the kids and I went in for the pre-op. We left soon after for Idaho. We got there just in time for lunch and naps. I took the kids swimming and Steve stayed home to work. Poor guy.
The kids learned a lot while swimming. Andy was doing flips and Ethan started swimming for the first time. Ashley almost passed the swimming test but kept panicking when her ear would hurt. Heidi had a ball playing and put her face in a few times.
Saturday morning Jakob got up early and went with Grandma, Kristen, Brittany, and Jonathan to run the six mile race. I worried for Jakob because he hadn't practiced much but he did great. He got an hour and twelve minutes. He worked hard. He got second in his age group.
The mile was next. Andy ran his heart out and got third place over all and first place for boys in his age group. How awesome!! Ashley, Gavin and Ethan all worked hard. Ethan fell near the beginning but because he was with Steve and I, he kept on going. He was a tough kid! Steve soon took him ahead and I stayed with Heidi. She worked so hard! Such a cutie pie. She ended up getting third place in her age group. She was so excited to get the prize.
We had breakfast before going home to rest for a couple of hours before going swimming. Steve got to go this time. Ashley passed her test with the help of cousins and aunts and Grandma cheering her on. She was so excited! Ethan started doing the front crawl which was so cool! By the time we were done, I could tell I was burned. Big time.
We headed over to the parade and waited for it to come. Jill was sweet and bought ice cream cookies for the kids and Steve got us an Italian ice. My favorite. The parade was fun and they got so much candy! Heidi was only half awake for some of it and Ethan slept for half before waking up to play Jakob's iPad.
We had a scrumptious barbecue that tonight and watched the kids play before heading off the rodeo. By that time I was in pain from the sunburn and not feeling well from being in the sun for too long that day.
The rodeo was fun and the fireworks were amazing. Although Heidi didn't think so. She stayed in a ball on my lap the whole time.
Church was nice that Sunday. Heidi wasn't too sure about nursery until I told her she would be with my Uncle Ernie and Aunt Lyn. She decided that would be okay and stayed. I was distracted for some of the time with the knowledge that I was being released that day. I'd gotten the call on Thursday. It was a strange feeling. It was when I got released that the feeling that it was time to move hit hardest.
We went home that night so we could make it back for Andy and Gavin's appointments the next morning. Heidi did not want to leave and screamed until she fell asleep. When she woke up and realized we were almost home she screamed that she didn't get to say goodbye to Grandma. Never mind that she'd been screaming when she had that chance...
Andy and Gavin's appointments the next day went well. Everything looks good. They're both skinny but Gavin's BMI matches up a little better. Andy had to go get his thyroid checked. Either he was so skinny, it showed up well, or he's skinny because his thyroid was so messed up. He was very brave during his blood test. After a few errands, we headed home.
Tuesday Steve took Jakob to the allergist (allergic to tumbleweeds and grasses) and I went to a general surgeon to talk about my appendix. It was a very confusing appointment but he agreed to be there for surgery that Friday the 26th.
I got home from that before turning around to take Gaye down to get her car. We looked at a house in Lehi before dropping her off and then went to take Ashley to her practice. After we dropped her off, we went to look at another model before heading to Walmart to let the boys pick out what they wanted from Grandma and Grandpa Hardy. They picked out a game and some legos... and a reese's candy bar.
We got home just in time for Jakob to run off to scouts, I went to get a calling and then I walked to the new RS president's house while Steve went to get Ashley from practice. It was bittersweet handing off the binder and keys. I'd had them for fourteen months! I got home to some amazing food and we looked over house plans that night. We went to bed knowing a few houses we wanted to look at.
We called first thing and found out that the house we wanted to see didn't have a model around but there was one that was close. We found out where it was and hopped in the car. We took a tour and fell instantly in love. We knew it was the house plan we wanted. We went straight back to the office and signed the contract for the house.
I took Gaye and Kira-Fire down to the house again and got their "approval" before Jerry came and looked around. We waited a little longer before Charlotte got there and I showed her around. Afterwards, Gaye and I followed Charlotte up to the lot we'd be taking. So much space!! We will go from 1/8 of an acre to 3/4 and I am ecstatic.
We got home in time to get dinner ready and went over to the Ellises for the 24th of July. We watched fireworks and talked houses the whole time.
Thursday I worked outside, getting a few things done before surgery the next day. I also read a book for the rest of the day and loved doing nothing.
Friday morning Steve and I headed off to Salt Lake for surgery. We were supposed to be there at 9:30 with surgery at 11. They finally came to get me at 1:15. I am now appendix-less and they got a lot of the endometriosis. I woke up in pain but with no nausea and I was thrilled. With the no nausea. Not the pain.
We had dinner brought on Friday and then again yesterday. Both meals were so amazing! Yesterday Gaye came and visited me all day long while Steve took the kids to the Ellises to do the sprinklers and lay sod, then went to Costco and count soccer balls. Crazy day!!
That brings us today. Maybe now I'll keep up a little better!
No comments:
Post a Comment