Monday, November 29, 2010

Healthy

After over 3 months of health problems including surgery, I am finally feeling like myself again...for the most part :-) The main thing is that I don't wake up in pain or feeling like it's going to take every ounce of my energy just to get out of bed and feed whichever baby is crying at that moment. I am healthy again!

When I think about all that has happened in the last couple of years, it is overwhelming. It's no wonder my body rebelled and broke down. Here are all the changes that we've experienced in the last 2 years:


  • Kent got a new job - (OCT 2008)
  • I got called as RS president and Kent as assistant ward clerk (the exact callings we had in our previous ward BTW) - (OCT 2008)
  • We bought and moved into our first home - (NOV 2008)
  • We started the adoption process - (NOV 2008)
  • Kent finished his masters thesis and graduated - (DEC 2008)
  • Forest was born and became a part of our family - (MAR 2009)
  • Both sets of grandparents (Kent's side and mine) left for missions overseas - (MAY 2009)
  • We finalized Forest's adoption and were sealed to him - (NOV 2009)
  • Found out Forest's birthmom was pregnant again and started the adoption process again - (DEC 2009)
  • I was released as RS president - (FEB 2010)
  • Forest's birthmom disappeared (and probably kept the baby) - (FEB 2010)
  • We were matched with a new birthmom due in May - (APR 2010)
  • At the end of May she changed her mind and decided to parent her baby - (MAY 2010)
  • My parents came home from their mission - (JUN 2010)
  • My sister got married - (JUN 2010)
  • We were matched to Kiira's birthmom - (JUN 2010)
  • 2 weeks later Kiira was born almost 4 weeks early...surprise!!! - (JUL 2010)
  • Kiira became a part of our family - (JUL 2010)
  • We finalized Kiira's adoption and were sealed to her - (SEP 2010)
  • ....and the rest is history....


I'm just saying that one can only run as fast as one has strength. I had been running a crazy marathon, and when I hit the finish line (adopting Kiira), my body just gave out.

But I came to appreciate so many things during my "down" time - the kindness of friends and family, my 4 beautiful children, my amazing husband who took over with the kids without complaint, and just a general appreciation of being able to do the simple things. I am a blessed woman. And I am so grateful to be back to myself again ready to face the next marathon or whirlwind or drama or whatever may come...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Railroad Park

Finally, finally I have started feeling stronger and more like my old self. I was so overjoyed about my progress that I decided our family should spend the day at a railroad park in Scottsdale on Veterans Day. We found the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park after an online search because for some reason we wanted the kids to take a train ride.

The park turned out to be a lot of fun and great deal (read "cheap"). For anyone living in the area, I highly recommend it for families with little kids. The park is free and you only pay for the train rides and the carrousel which run from $1 to $2 per person. And even the concessions were pretty cheap considering it's the only food option at the park unless you bring your own.

The park also has 2 playgrounds and a large grassy area to hang out on, a museum and even on a holiday was not overcrowded. So, what I'm saying is... even though walking around all day ended up being a little hard on this recovery body of mine, it was well worth it. Our family had a great time.




Monday, November 8, 2010

Family Home Evening

OK, all you Mormons reading this, you can skip this first paragraph wherein I will describe what Family Home Evening is. Every Monday night families in our church are encouraged to hold a family night or Family Home Evening. This usually means that Monday night is off limits to any other activities since everyone in the family gathers for singing, a short lesson or thought, and then the fun stuff - games and treats.

At our house Family Home Evening up to now has pretty much gone like this - either Kent or I will plan the lesson a few minutes before we start unless Maija has decided that she MUST do the lesson. If Maija does the lesson, we get a nice presentation on how great Jesus is and then how to read our letters, or some other mix of topics. It's quite entertaining. Then Bekah always wants to be in charge of treats and games. This worked for us since our children are so little, but I've been wanting a way to rotate who does what without spending a lot of money on something like --> this or --> this

Last Monday Kent and I finally took a little extra time to find whatever we happened to have around the house, and we put together our own little Family Home Evening craft with the kids. It's definitely nowhere near as nice as something you'd buy in a store or online, but it means a lot more to us because we all made it together.

(Note: You'll notice in the picture that Maija has the lesson for this coming Monday. Lol.)