Blessed!

Some days feel like more than a trial while others are a blessing. Some days feel never ending while others whiz past. Some days we lose our will to press on while others give us strength, courage and hope. Some days what starts out as one of these things, by night fall turns into all of the above.

I have had my fair share of good days and bad. But recently I experienced the most bittersweet day. My youngest, who is 11 months old, was scheduled to have an MRI at Primary Children's Medical Center. The MRI was to be done on her brain. We had just come home from Washington a day or so before so Jess was not able to take work off to come with me. So my Mom came with me and my little sister watched my other sweet children while we were gone. They expected us to be there for 4 hours. As I said my prayers the night before I asked Heavenly Father to give me the strength and courage I needed to face this day. The MRI was schedule for 6:30 a.m. and I had to be to work later than day as well. I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through the MRI and then have to go to work two hours later. Miracles Happen! There are Angels in all of our lives watching over us, I truely believe this with all my heart and soul.

We arrived at the hospital right on time. My sweet Mother and I started out talking about a book she is reading that I have read in the past several times called "The Secret" on our way to the hospital. After the nurses gave my baby the IV and then the sedation medication, they took her to the MRI room we were not allowed to watch the MRI but we were told where her recovery bed would be and about how long it would take to run the test. My mom and I grabbed a drink and went out to the tables and chairs and chatted in the morning sunshine. We talked about "The Secret" and how it intertwined with our religious beliefs and how it works and what we are doing in our personal lives to make it work for us. It was the best conversation for me and we did talk a little bit about my family's vacation to Washington. Then we went back to the recovery room to wait for my baby to wake up. She did great and was a little trooper the whole time. There was another baby having an MRI done as well. The mother and grandmother were still gone when several doctors and nurses started showing up, pulled the curtain between us and working with this baby. My heart sank, I knew this was not a good sign. My mom and I continued to talk about being positive and little miracles and little "secrets" that happen in life. I was facing the door way when this mother rounded the corner, the look on both her face and the grandmother's said enough. My baby was waking up and almost to the point where I could take her home. At first I just wanted to get out of Dodge because I felt like I was an intruder there and that I was making it worse with my baby who was waking up and who didn't have tons of people working on her. The mother and granmother embraced and tears streamed down their cheeks and my heart hit the floor. It was then that the Spirit confirmed to me that my baby would be okay. You may say that should make me happy, and it does, but I knew the heartache this mother was facing and I felt guilty that my baby was more okay than her baby was. It was a very humbling experience for me; bittersweet. Even though my youngest is not out of the woods just yet and is still in physical therapy, she is progressing and doing well. I feel blessed! But before I went to work that night I prayed and gave my thanks to Heavenly Father but I also prayed for this other baby and the parents/grandparents for miracles to happen with them as well.

Washington Vacation

We took a family vacation to the Olympic Pennisula the last week in June. It was beautiful, fabulous and just what I needed and I think Jess did too. We left early Friday morning and drove all day to the Seattle area. We stayed in Bellevue. The next morning/afternoon we had to get our car fixed but were back on our way around 2pm. We rode the ferry over to Bainbridge Island and drove up to Port Townsend, then to Sequim, Port Angelas and finally over to Forks (where our condo/hotel was). We saw amazing sites, played in the tide pools, rain forests, on the rocky beaches and the sandy beaches. Did some hiking and missed out on a few hikes that we wanted to go on, saw some snow and freezing temps up at Hurricane Ridge along with wild wind. We had some rain, lots of sunshine and mild beautiful temperatures. We visited a few Native American Indian reservations. The Makah Rez has Cape Flattery which I think was one of the highlights of our trip along with the sandy beach just down the road from Cape Flattery. The other highlight was we stopped at every LDS temple along the way. I will post pictures later of the books that I am making for the kids. The books will have pictures of them in front of every Temple we visit from every family vacation from here on out. In the fall we are planning a Utah temple tour. I think the kids have had fun this summer :)!!

Giveaways!

OK! I am super EXCITED! Yes I am on vacation but I need to post about something super amazing. First.... there are several bloggers giving away a Silloutte. You will want to check out their blogs. Here is a list of them and you'll want to visit each one because they all have amazing projects. My list of projects just tripled.
They are all blogspot dot com's:
Tater tots and Jell-o
Oh, hell-o, Friend
southern hospitality
Thrifty decor chic
giver's log

So go have some fun this weekend and know that I will be busting out the projects after I win one of these babies!!! Think happy thoughts, right :) plus it will totally make my day when I win one :)!!

Biggest Loser

My in-laws designed their own Biggest Loser game for the family to play. It has been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. Jess and I have lost a lot of weight as well. No I have not met my New Year's Resolution weight loss goal but that goal is for the entire year. But I will tell you this I am well over half way there in-fact I may be closing in on three quarters of the way there. I have dropped another pant size :) and I am getting very close to dropping another hopefully this weekend. My pants are falling down and I am having to pull them up constantly :) this is a good sign!

These pictures were taken on Mother's Day at Temple Square. We had so much fun with my kiddo's, you'll have to check out the family blog for those pictures.

One thing the Biggest Loser has taught me is that I LOVE ZUMBA. It's tons of fun and you don't even feel like you are working out. So I am going to become a Zumba Instructor :) and start teaching too. It's a lot of hard work, but fun and rewarding too. It's much easier to take the class and just follow along than to actually teach the class.

Exercising!

I'm terrible at updating this blog, but I'm getting better at it. Jess and I are still going with the biggest loser game his family has set up. We started on Jan 4th and got off to a slow start because we weren't sure we would have time for it. You see Jess is still in school full time and he works full time. I am a full time wife and mother plus I work part time. So I thought I would just break down our life for you real quick to show you how hard it has been to make time for this and how we seem to not have time for anything else.
Jess works full time usually 4 tens; Tues- Fri then he has school. He has a few on-line classes (which takes discipline to do) and he's in the middle of his "physcially have to be there for" class. Then on top of his full time schooling he has flight labs. These are not included in his full time school schedule. He tries to fly on Monday's and Saturdays at least 2 hours flying and 2 hours ground. Then he has to take care of 4 children (ages 8,5,3 & 9 months) while I am at work. Which is 4 days a week. Jess also gets flight time in on Tuesday and Friday's now because the sun is up longer. And because his "physically have to be there for" class is only a few weeks long (like 5) then he had to go to working 5 eights and he has school 4 days a week on top of everything else. He is packed solid-- try to find time for this man to excercise ontop of sleeping-- he needs his sleep so he can fly safely and oh yeah his job he is on the road 90% of the time driving through mountain passes and on dangerous roads. So his sleep is extremely important. Just so you all know though... he has been off of Dr.Pepper and all soda since January.

Then there is my day. I have two kids to get to school Mon-Fri by 8:45am. And I have to get them up, fed and moving in the morning. One is in Kindergarten so I pick that child up half way through the day. I work Mon, Wed, Thurs in the afternoon and evening then Saturday is a 6 hour shift that switches from early, mid and late shift depending on the week. I am a hair stylist so I have to "get ready" for work. I have to be showered, hair dry and presentable and makeup on and finished. I can't go to work with a wet ponytail and no make-up on looking like I just rolled out of bed, I'd get fired. It's not easy getting ready for work with three kids all needing lunch and the baby wanting attention and all the million "little" things that go along with kids and babies. I have to carefully plan this out so that I can have everyone ready to leave to get to the baby sitters and me to work on time. Then there is laundry for 6 people, one being an acid reflux baby who spits up a ton and on everything. Dinner, which I try to have made before I go to work to make it easier on Jess. Dishes need to be done, floors swept and vaccumed and bathrooms cleaned; beds made and rooms cleaned. Visiting Teaching and home teaching and church callings. Cubscouts and soccer (two games a week and one practice a week) then there is dance starting up in the summer, once a week and play dates for the kids and their friends. Grocery shopping since we do need to eat. Mowing the lawns and weeding the flowers and veggie gardens. Well baby checkups and not so well kid check-ups. Broken bones, head injuries and elbows too.

It all adds up and this is just an overview. Somehow we have found time to exercise and have made a real lifestyle change. I have found a new "aerobic" class I love called Zumba. It kicks your trash literally. I have been doing other things as well and now that the weather is getting better outside it is easier to rack up the points I think. I have found ways to incorperate my children into it so I am spending time with them as well as exercising. They are more aware of being physically fit as well. But I am a little worried that it is becoming an obsession and I am hearing my 8 and 5 yr olds saying some things that concern me. So we are having to combat that as well. But all in all I am feeling better and Jess says I am looking a lot skinnier since having baby #5! Horray!!! I am almost ready to down size another pant size and Jess's shirts are all way too big on him now. So exercise and a healthy diet really do work wonders.

Snowing

In the last week it has snowed three maybe four of the 7 days. All I can say is "Are you Serious???" For real, where where you snow three months ago when it was freezing and we wanted you around? I am so ready for Spring and Summer to be here. So Bah Hummbug to you Mr. Snow's a lot in Spring! BOOOOO!!!!

Okay I am over my ranting about the snow... maybe :)!! Just a quick update I took a Zumba class and loved it. I've convinced Sarah to come along with me as well. I am slowly catching up on all of my projects that I have going on and I found some unfinished ones too so just when I thought my list was getting smaller it's really growing more than I want it too.

9 Years

As of March 13th Jess and I have been married for 9 years. We celebrated by taking the kids to Grammie and Bubba Gramps for a mini vacation for their own and we took off for an overnight stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Midway called the Johnsons Mill B&B! It was fabulous. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart and here's to many more :)!!!