Pneumonia

So far, 2012 hasn’t been the best. Actually the past month has been pretty tough. Well, now that I think about it, the past 2 months have been pretty tough. The Friday before Christmas I woke up feeling awful. I was achy and coughing. However, I wanted to make the Holidays special for the kids. So I dragged myself out of bed and up to Provo to go Ice Skating. Big Mistake!! That night while we were at dinner, I started to get the chills. We abruptly left for home. That night was horrible. I was up every other hour taking hot baths to try and warm up. We almost didn’t go to Richfield for Christmas Eve. I was miserable. I spent the day on the chair. Christmas morning came and I asked Matt to give me a blessing so I could go to Church. I got progressively worse until I had pneumonia. I spent the next 10 days in bed. I was pretty stir crazy. I told Matt I needed to get out of the house, so he loaded me up in the car. I got about 5 blocks out when I told him I needed to get back in bed. People from the ward brought by food and home remedies. I was so sick poor Bailee went to school without her hair done. I couldn’t even get out of bed long enough to help her get ready. After 10 days I forced myself to go back to work. I did okay the first week. However, the next Tuesday, I started to feel awful again, only this time it was much, much worse. Once again I spent the next week in bed. I couldn’t take it any longer, I had Matt make an appointment up at the Vivint clinic and we headed up on Friday. By Friday morning, I couldn’t stop shaking or throwing up. I scared the kids so bad that as we were leaving Jeremy said, “Mom, if I never see you again, I want you to know that I love you.” I tried to comfort him, but I couldn’t stop shaking. It was a rough trip up to the hospital, but very worth it. The doctor looked me over and gave me a bunch of antibiotics. Not to mention cough syrup, pain killers, and nausea medication. I noticed a difference the next day. Holly came down on Saturday for a college day. Matt dragged our bed downstairs and we spent the day watching Chuck and old college movies. I went back to work on Tuesday. I’m still not doing very well. It takes all of my energy to go to work for the day and usually when I get home I go straight to bed and sleep through the night. I now know what it feels like to be an elderly person. I look out the window and debate about whether it is too cold to go out and get the mail (I usually send one of the kids). Because I don’t want to get worse. However, spending so much time in bed has given me the opportunity to slow down and really contemplate my life and all my many blessings. I have never been so sick in my life, but I am grateful for the comfort the Holy Ghost and my Heavenly Father gave me during those hardest times. I know He lives and that He loves me and will do anything to comfort me, all I have to do is ask. It has been a hard couple of months for our family, but our blessings far out weigh any trial or difficulty we have faced so far. It hasn’t been very fun, but we have become better because of it, and for that I am grateful.

There’s Something About Lexie

I don’t know what it is, but I know there is something about this little girl:
EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE just loves her: 

And I think she knows it. It doesn’t take much for her to wrap you around her little finger. I don’t know if it is her smile: 
 
or is it is her cuddly, bubbly, happy attitude. I just don’t know. But everyone takes an immediate liking to her.
A few examples. My Dad. I have never seen him act the way he does with Lexie. He picks her up and sets her on the chair with him and they sit and watch TV. While babysitting, I was trying to get her to calm down and dad exclaims, “No Abby! You have to hold her like this see? She likes this.” Whenever my Dad enters a room Lexie is in, she immediately starts to wiggle her way toward him and he picks her up and they go off to do their own thing. I have NEVER seen that. Not even when Jeremy was a baby.
Another time when I was watching her the Lenharts were over and all the girls started to pick her up and cuddle and they all exclaim “WOW she is a really good baby.” And she proceeded to fall asleep in Kennede’s arms. 

When Matt got laid off and I was at work and I started to have a hard time. I would just drive home and play with Lexie for a bit and felt all better. She just knows how to make you feel loved.
Even Jeremy and Bailee are enamored with her. I checked my phone and there about 15 photos of Lexie on it. The kids just love her. Whenever we have a treat, they always set a little bit aside to take over to Lexie. 

Everyone fights over who get to hold her and play with her. She is the sweetest little girl. Once you meet her, you can’t help but fall under her spell. She is a sweet spirit from Heaven and she has infinitely blessed my life without even knowing it. There truly is something about Lexie!!

Rededication

Sunday School today was rather eye opening. It was talking about writing in a journal. President Kimball said: “Let us record the things we do, the things we say, the things we think….”
A lot of times, I don’t blog because I don’t really think that I have anything to say. Then in class someone read this quote: “Many times have I wished that my father had kept an account of his life, that I might look over it, and see his by-gone days, deed and fortune; and never did he make a scratch of a pen towards it.”
I want my children to intimately know their parents. I want them to know what we have done as a family, how we feel about the Savior, and what we think about life. Toward the end of the lesson if talked about the commandment to keep a journal. My kids LOVE flipping through the pages of the blog books I have made of our excursions, milestones, and testimonies. However, I need to rededicate myself to documenting our family’s life, so one day, when I have long since gone, my family will have a record of the goodly parents who raised them.

The Holidays

Oh man, these last 2 weeks have been awful. Last Thursday I was at work and I started not to feel so well. I didn’t have to work the next day, so Matt and I told the kids that we would take them ice skating for their good behavior reward at school. So the next morning I wake up coughing and achy. I didn’t want to disappoint the kids so I dragged myself out of bed and we headed up north. Matt had to work that day, so we met him after work and headed to the Peaks arena.

I had been taking Advil and cough medicine throughout the day, so I was feeling okay. The kids had a blast ice skating. Towards the end of the night, Bailee was even lifting up one leg and showing us how she could skate with just one leg. Jeremy was more into speed. He would zoom past us giggling at how fast he was going. They loved it:

However, I was starting to get tired, so we left for dinner. As we were at the restaurant, my aches came back in full force and I started to get the chills. So we left early for home. I was shaking and coughing. It wasn’t pleasant.
When we got home, there were several little gifts on our porch. One of which included Matt’s favorite present:

 
Yes, that says Turdhead. A local cattleman owns this farm and he knew how much Matt wanted a hat! Matt claims it was a Christmas Miracle – riiiiiight.

I was up most of the night. The next morning we debated whether or not to go to Richfield. I couldn’t even be out of the bed, let alone in a car for an hour. The kids were up and ready to go to Richfield, so once again, I dragged myself out of bed. The ride down wasn’t bad, and the annual Christmas Eve party was fun as always:

 
Then it was time for presents:
 
By now I was aching and tired and wanted to be in bed, so we left shortly after the presents. The second we got home Matt drew me a bath. We had our prayers and put the kids to bed. We had our annual Christmas Eve night together, and I hit the hay while Matt made the preparations for Christmas. The next morning the kids were up at 3:30!!! I had only had a few hours sleep in 2 days so Matt sent them back downstairs. However, they had already seen what Santa had left for them. It was hard to miss. We had to go to church that morning so the plan was to head to church and then come home and open presents. It was tough to get out of bed. Matt was a champ and got everyone ready for Church. Once we returned we started opening presents. Surprisingly, the kids were more excited for us to open the gifts they got for us and for Grandma and Grandpa to open their presents. It was a nice morning, but I spent it laying down on the floor, so I didn’t get any pictures. We had our traditional breakfast, then got ready and headed over to mom’s house. I brought a pillow and a blanket and parked it on the couch while Matt and Mom made dinner. I did remember to snap a picture of everyone around the table: 
 
The next week was spent in bed. Literally. I missed work Tuesday and Wednesday. I managed to go to work for 4 hours on Thursday, but it was too much for me and spent the next day in bed. Matt did have to work that week. Mom was awesome. She took care of the kids while I just laid in bed. She brought over lunch, and home remedies. She took care of me while Matt was working. Friday I was starting to get a little stir crazy, so I begged Matt to take me for a ride, but we didn’t go far before I was ready to climb back in bed. Ugh!! Linsey and Jenny were having a big party for New Years Eve. I didn’t want to push my luck, so Matt and I stayed home. We made it over for dinner but we headed home shortly after. We did manage to stay up until midnight to ring in the new year quietly together. Then we fell asleep. I am VERY glad the holidays are over. The kids however, want another week off. They have spent their entire Christmas Break over with Grandpa and Grandma. Bailee didn’t even want to get out of her pj’s. I’m sure it will be shock to get up and head to school. As for me, I am hoping to be able to go to work this coming week. I gotta say though, I am glad this is a new year. Last year was pretty tough. There were many challenges that Matt and I faced in 2011. But we came out the other end relatively unscathed with a renewed love and appreciation for one another and firm testimonies in our Savior. Happy New Year everyone!

Simply Grateful

I have had A LOT of emotions swirling through my brain these past 30 days or so, but I think the most prominent one would be gratitude. It’s funny how after your trial you look back and see all of the blessings in your life, and when you are actually going through them and experiencing them, it is hard to see. I was driving to work, a long commute of 1.3 miles and listening to Christmas music. I looked out the window at all of the trees that were dusted with a light snow, their branches all white and I was grateful for this time of year. Yes I know that a lot of people this time of year go CRAZY with presents and spending and Santa, but at that moment, I was grateful it was Christmas time and I could remember and reflect on the birth of my Savior.
I have looked back and re-lived certain events of the past month and I am simply grateful.

• I am grateful that I have a husband who listens to the Holy Ghost and follows promptings immediately and without question. When he found out he didn’t get the first job (a job he was 100% certain he would get), he didn’t get upset or even discouraged. He turned to the Lord and the Spirit prompted him down a path that led to the job he needed.
• I am grateful for prayer. I know that I am never alone. I know the Jesus Christ suffered in Gethsemane. Because He went through that, He knows perfectly how to comfort me, and He did. All I had to do was ask and it was immediate. 
• I am grateful for President Uchtdorf. I must have read his talk “You Matter to Him” 50 times over this past month. There were so many things that stood out to me and comforted me, which include: “No matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. What you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him.” So very grateful for Apostles of the Lord who know just what to say to help us through hard times.
• I am grateful for my family. They have helped so much. They are there to listen, to comfort, to bless, and to help in every single way imaginable. They love me and my family. They want to see us succeed and they will do everything in their power to help that happen.
• I am grateful for my friends. Like me family, they were right there for us and would do anything we needed. They put our names in the temple, they brought over ice cream, they fasted and prayed for us, they offered words of comfort, and even words of humor. I have awesome friends and I am very grateful for those that I associate with.
• The most important thing I am grateful for is God’s Love.  I couldn’t say it any better than President Uchtdorf once again: “God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.” I have put that statement to the test, and I have felt God’s love and compassion for me individually and for my family.
• I am grateful for the little things. There are so many. I am grateful we got our Christmas shopping done early. I am grateful for healthy kids since it will be a while before we have insurance again. I am grateful for the kindness of strangers and co-workers. I am grateful for food storage. I am grateful for planning ahead. I am grateful for weekday get-togethers. I am grateful to live next door to my parents. I am grateful for inside jokes. I am grateful to serve others. I am grateful that Matt gets free lunch. I am grateful for good co-workers. I am grateful for perspective. I am grateful for every day.

There has been a line from a song that has been running through my head. It is from one of my favorite shows – Forgotten Carols. After Connie Lou’s heart is changed she sings “All I ever wanted, all I ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given - I've been given what I need.” Our family has truly been given what we need. We have been blessed in so many ways this Christmas Season and for that I am SIMPLY GRATEFUL!!