Primary Carnival

For the past few months, the kids in our Primary have been busy earning carnival tickets by being reverent, bringing their scriptures, and memorizing the Articles of Faith. Today was the day that they got to redeem them at our ward's Primary Carnival!

Adam ended up with 23 tickets! Go Adam! He worked so hard to memorize the Articles of Faith (he got 1-9 done). I'm so proud of him! And since I volunteered to run a booth at the carnival today, Grace got to participate, too. They had so much fun playing different carnival games, throwing water balloons, getting their faces painted, and eating hot dogs and snow cones!

As If We Weren't WT Enough...

So, it's bad enough that Grace occasionally runs outside naked. And that Adam answered the door the other day in his underwear. And that once Grace threw up on a couch at RC Willey and I used my jacket to clean it up. And that while giving the missionaries a ride home the other night, our door handle broke off.

But tonight we were playing outside when Grace had to go to the bathroom. She ran toward (what she thought) was our door, and while trying to get the door open (while I was trying to get her back), couldn't hold it anymore and peed on their doormat!

I don't really know these people and I had no idea what to do. Seriously. Do I knock on their door and say, "My daughter just had an accident on your doormat? By the way, I'm Allison. Your neighbor." Pour some water on it and call it good? Sneak it home and wash it? What?

We have some questionable neighbors (living in the 'hood after all) and I didn't want them to freak out on me, so I chickened out and just grabbed her and went home.

I feel seriously bad, because I know that I would be upset if some kid peed on my doormat! But I wasn't sure what else to do.

Sigh...

I just know that the level of white trash that we are currently operating at just got bumped up a notch. Seriously.

The Children's Place Sale

FYI: The Children's Place is having a a huge summer/spring clearance sale. Plus, I used a coupon code and saved an additional 15%.

I'm always up for saving some money! I scored Adam some new school shoes for less than $10 and shorts for less than $5! Seriously... can't even get shorts at D.I. for $5. Okay, I can't find shorts at D.I. for him period. Six-year-old boy shorts are just not suitable for re-sale. :)

So happy, because the clothes portion of school shopping is done. And I got it done for less than what I had budgeted!

http://www.thechildrensplace.com/

Coupon code: FA79

Another Little Miracle

I've been thinking lately about the little miracles and blessings in my life, especially during difficult times, and President Eyring's conference talk in October 2007. His admonition to "write them down" has had me thinking about this blog lately. So, I'm going to be recording the blessings, miracles, and tender mercies from a loving Father in Heaven as they happen to us, in hopes that our family (and yours) will be able to see that Heavenly Father's hand is in our lives.

I'll try not to make it too tedious, long or over-emotional. Something that I'm very good at, by the way.

In April, Mike's side started hurting pretty badly. He went to the doctor who, over a period of time, ordered x-rays, ultrasounds, and blood work. When the ultrasound came back with the results of an enlarged liver, spleen, and kidney, he ordered a CT scan and more blood work.

Words like fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, and cancer were thrown around.

I began seriously freaking out, because:

1) I kinda like the guy and I really didn't want anything to be wrong with him and

2) He brings home the bacon (and the health insurance) and we kinda, sorta need those things :)

We've been praying and fasting and trying to have faith that everything would be okay. On Tuesday he went to the doctor to get his results, and everything came back completely normal.

No enlargements, swelling, gallstones, or tumors. His blood work was perfect. And his doctor said that everything was fine... he looked, well, really healthy. He's not even experiencing pain anymore.

While I don't know that anything was seriously wrong to begin with, I know that things were enlarged and no longer are. I know it's because Heavenly Father heard our prayers. I am so thankful for His tender mercies.

My Own Little Miracle

One of our cars is completely dead right now (has been since the whole car-dying-at-the-doctor incident). But, since we've been blessed with having 2 cars, one not working wasn't a completely huge deal.

Ask me how big of a deal it is in 3 weeks when it has to be registered. :)

Anyways, we've been relying on the one car, which (unfortunately) began overheating and leaking ridiculous amounts of radiator fluid. It normally wouldn't be a big deal to replace the cracked radiator, but with the whole expensive-baby-coming thing, a new $200 radiator kinda was.

It was enough to make me cry.

Though, really, anything makes me cry these days.

Last Sunday a few members of our ward saw that our car was leaking. And even though no one in our ward knows that I'm pregnant nor that things are extremely tight with us having to make payments on the baby and all,* Heavenly Father does.

Saturday afternoon, a brand-new radiator was dropped off at our house by our RS president.

It made me cry some more.

I think that trials/tough times stink as much as the next person. But, through my trials I have been able to see Heavenly Father's hand in my life. And that the world is full of good, good people who act for Him.

It's my own little miracle.

*I know that's a tacky way of putting it. But, that's what my doctors are having me do. So. Tacky, yes. True, yes.

Did I Mention...

... that Grace has been completely out of diapers for a little over a month?

... that it's been almost three weeks since she's had an accident?

... that she has had no problems when we're out in public or at church (my biggest fear)?

... that this is the first time in over 6 years that I haven't had any diapers to change and it's wonderful?

... that 4 people who now use the bathroom in a 1-bathroom apartment is not a good thing?

... that I'll take the squabbles over who's using the bathroom first and the constant banging on the bathroom door over changing diapers anyday?

A Little More Pregnancy Stuff

Some more stuff about the baby.

I'm going to stop soon. Promise.

- This will be baby #3.

- They will have all been born 3 years apart: '03, '06, '09

- They will all have been born in 3 different cities: Phoenix, Flagstaff, Las Vegas

- So far, this pregnancy has been so good. Not one bit of sickness or tiredness or awfulness. If it wasn't for the fact that pretty much anything makes me cry and the little wiggles inside of me, I would have no idea that I was pregnant. I think it's a tender mercy from Heavenly Father.

- I had wanted to keep it from the kids as long as I could, telling them just before my 17 week ultrasound. However, 2 weeks ago I got a UTI, and had to bring them to the doctor with me. When the nurse asked how many times I had been pregnant, I replied, "5." I didn't think Adam was paying attention at all. When the nurse left however, he said, "Mom, I know that 2 babies died. And Grace and I make 4. Where's the last one?" And he wouldn't let it drop. At all. So, I had to tell them about the coming baby in the oh-so-cozy atmosphere of the doctor's office. Not exactly how I pictured it.

- Adam is ridiculously excited about it being a boy. He and Grace came to the ultrasound, and when the tech said it was a boy, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I know. I told you so." He asks me about 500 times a day, "Mom, how many boys are in our family? And how many girls? And now who rules the family?" He's loving the boy thing. He's just tickled that the baby is going to wear all of his old clothes.

- Grace loves the baby. She has woken up every day since I told her by asking where her baby is.

- Though she LOVES babies (and she really does), she's also a mama's girl and extremely jealous. I'm a bit worried about how she's going to do.

- The whole family went to the ultrasound. Mike and I thought it would be a good experience for everyone. It was. It was an especially good experience for Mike's patience, as Grace was more interested in applying ultrasound goop to her tummy than seeing the baby on the t.v. screen.

- I have to have a repeat c-section, so the baby will be born before my actual due date. Adam and Grace both came 3 weeks early, and I was hoping for another one of those. But, I guess recent studies (bah!) have come out saying that babies should stay in as long as possible, even if there lungs are ready. So, my doctor doesn't want to go too early. I was hoping for the last week of November (Thanksgiving week), because Adam is out of school that whole week. But, that puts me 3 weeks out, and my doctor is saying one. Which isn't too bad, because Adam will just have one week of school then before he gets out for winter break. We'll see.

- As far as names go, Adam wants "Christafuss" (no idea how to spell that-he's been obsessed with this name he made up for a while now), "Jack," "Jake," or "Christian." Grace likes "Icka" and "Anna." Mike and I have no idea yet.

Okay. I think I've got all of the pregnancy stuff out of my system. Well, blogging about it constantly, anyways. Regular blogging to resume soon. :)

Feelings on Pregnancy

(If you haven't already, read last night's post here first. Otherwise, this might not make sense.)



So, much of the reason for the secrecy regarding this pregnancy is that it took me a good while before I could come to terms with it.

Which pretty much makes me a horrible person. I know. But, I'm being honest here.

I pretty much cried the entire two months after we found out about baby #3.

Why?

- Because I didn't know how we were going to make it work.
- Because I felt guilty over crying over not knowing how we were going to make it work.
- Because I feel pretty inadequate in the parenting area.

- Because I felt guilty that a third baby would take away time from Adam and Grace.
- Because having just 2 children + a husband overwhelms me much of the time.
- Because I felt guilty for being overwhelmed at the thought of three children.

- Because so many people can't have children. And I felt ungrateful.

- Because our insurance is a big, fat pain.

- Because my doctor wanted me to go to a perinatologist (because of problems with the first 2 pregnancies).
- Because no perinatolgists were contracted with my insurance.
- Because after my visit to the OBGYN, I found out that they were not contracted with the insurance (after both the doctor and insurance told me that they were. Grrr.).

However, after the first trimester my hormones settled down a bit. And I stopped crying quite so much.

So many things about having a baby don't make sense. Like not having the $10,000 or so that is our responsibility for the pregnancy + birth. And not having a place to live after the baby is born (no more than four people are allowed to live in our apartment). And the whole "I don't think we can fit another carseat in our car" thing.

Minor details, really.

So, I don't know how things are going to work out there.

BUT, I have come to a conclusion that has helped me come to terms with our surprise. And feel peace and joy and excitement about being pregnant and welcoming another sweet spirit into our family.

Because I realized that I do know one thing without a doubt.

That Heavenly Father wants this little spirit to come to our home now. And I know that He knows how it's all going to work out.

And that makes the rest of the stuff that I don't know seem okay.

(Oh, and the rest of the reason for the secrecy? Having a big secret is just plain fun.)

Surprise!

A few months ago, Mike and I received the biggest surprise of our lives.

And now, it's your turn to be surprised.

{profile @ 17 weeks}

Coming December 15th.

{face}

Aren't surprises fun?

P.S. It's a boy.

My Cute Blog

My super-talented sister-in-law designed our blog background and header, and I've got to give some props to her. Doesn't it look cute? I seriously love it. It makes me happy when I check our blog now and see all of its cuteness.

Yeah, I don't know why I check my own blog.

But I like that it looks cute when I do.

Thanks so much, Kristi!

Freedom...

At the end of June we had our big quarterly Enrichment. It took all of my time/thoughts/energy for several weeks.

On Sunday I had to give the lesson, the preparation of which took much of my time/thoughts/energy since finishing up Enrichment night.

I woke up today with a sense of freedom.

No more (huge) Enrichment nights until September and no more lessons until November. I felt very content with the thought of spending more time with my family. Getting some crafting done. Having some fun. Focusing on other (less time-consuming) aspects of my calling.

I laid in bed for about half an hour, while the kids still slept and Mike was at the doctor, revelling in the thought of having so much free time.

The bills were paid, the laundry was caught up, no one was sick. I felt so happy and free.

And then Mike called from the doctor and told me that the car had died.

The freedom was nice while it lasted.

:)

It's Like Learning How to Ride a Bike

Mike showing Adam how to balance properly when beginning to ride. This could explain why he fell off of his bike so much on his mission. Just sayin'. ;)

Back in January, Adam's class made New Year's Resolutions.

His was to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels.

He had actually been riding a bike without training wheels for a while. The training wheels were so bent, that they really didn't touch the ground. He wanted to make it official, however. So, last March I took them off and told him to go for it.

He tried. And fell. And tried. And fell.

Over and over.

I knew he could do it, but he wasn't confident enough.

So, he put the bike away for a while.

Last week, he decided to try it again.

And today*?

He did it.

We are so proud of him!

*Yeah, we let our kids play outside on Sunday, people. It's called appreciating the beautiful world that we've been blessed with.

It also allows us to keep the 6th commandment. If all of us were stuck in our small apartment all day long, someone would surely be killed.

Fabulous Fourth!

We had a wonderful 4th of July!

Mike's boss invited us over for a barbeque at his house, and we had a GREAT time. The kids played on the slip-in-slide, which Adam loved. He would slide down, run to me and say, "Mom, we have GOT to get us a backyard so we can have one of these" and do it again. Over and over. Too cute. We played ping-pong, darts, and basketball and ate a yummy dinner.

I was in charge of dessert.

Firecracker Cupcakes with Pop-Rock Sprinkles and Mike's Favorite Cookies

After dinner, while it was getting dark, the kids had fun with sparklers.

And when it was dark the men boys had fun with the real fireworks. :)

It was a wonderful day. I'm so thankful to live in this country, and for all of those who have fought for and continue to fight for our freedoms.

Happy 4th everyone!

Behind My Kitchen Cupboard

About two months ago, I told Mike that plastic freaked me out and that I wanted to switch all of our plastic cups to glass.

And even though I seriously doubted that he was listening to me as I ranted about the ill-effects of phthalates, dioxins, and BPA on one's health (because, really, not an exciting thing to listen to), I remembered who I was talking to and quickly added, "I really want them to be brand-new. And match-y. So, I'm just going to save up for them."

Because I know where he works.

(Not that there's anything wrong with buying used glassware, people).

A month ago he proudly came home with brand-new cups me.

They are made of glass.

They are brand-new.

And they do match one another.

But, they are not what I had in mind.

Apparently Kenya's Cakes of the Stars went out of business recently, and donated all of their new merchandise (shirts, mugs, etc.) to D.I.

Lucky me.

On a bright note, all 38 only cost $3.

And I definitely won't mind when one breaks.

And they are the perfect size for brownies or cake in a mug.*

Unfortunately, they are also super ugly, and I have to explain to all our visitors why we are advertising Kenya's failed business venture.


It's made for a good laugh, anyways. :)

*Mix up your favorite brownie/cake mix or from-scratch recipe. Pour into greased microwave-safe mugs until 1/2 filled and place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave 1 minute for gooey, 2 minutes for done. Serve warm with spoons. Refrigerate any leftover batter.

Best Hot Fudge Sauce. Ever.

I first made this recipe in January for our Enrichment Ice Cream Social. It was a hit. It's seriously rich and seriously good. I thought it would be fun to share it before the 4th of July... it would be great on homemade ice cream. Actually, it would taste pretty good on just about anything.

Larene's Hot Fudge Sauce
(recipe from According to Kelly)

3 sticks of butter
1 large can of carnation evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
12-14 tablespoons of cocoa
2 lb. bag of powder sugar

Directions:

Combine butter, milk & vanilla in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until butter is melted. Add cocoa and sugar. Mix. Once it is mixed well, pour it into a blender to mix out all the chunks. (You may need to do this in two batches... be careful because the mixture will be warm and you want to allow for it expanding in the blender because of the heat).

Keep warm in a small crockpot (this works best for me) or re-heat on the stove.

Be prepared for everyone to love you. A lot.

Swim Lessons

Adam has been BEGGING to take swim lessons since last summer. All year long, he has asked if he could this summer. I looked around and signed him up at our community center and he took lessons these past two weeks. Adam did SO great! I was a little worried about him, because even though he LOVES the water and loves swimming, he tends to get really nervous and panics when his feet can't touch the ground.

However, he was like a little fish! He had a great instructor and had no problem listening to her and trusting her. He learned how to float on front/back, turn over, retrieve objects underwater, do the survival stroke, swim underwater, and the crawl.

Last Friday was his last day. After taking their test, they got to play on the slides and have fun. He had a blast! And he passed Level I Swim. Yay, Adam!

Grace did not do as well during swim lessons. Even though I was SO happy about Adam having so much fun, I dreaded going everyday and fighting her. She didn't understand why Adam could swim and she couldn't. So, our days at the pool involved:

- Grace stripping down to her underwear and running for the water the second I looked away to watch Adam

- Grace screaming, "I 5! I go to swim. Now!" Over and over.

- Grace stomping on ants and laughing as they died.

- Grace getting upset and throwing her book/toys in the water.

- Going on lots of walks around the pool.

Adam really wants to take Level II swim, but I don't know if I can handle Grace. There aren't any classes for her at the same time, and I feel bad that she has to sit in the hot sun, watching Adam have fun in the water. Frustrating.

Even though Grace didn't fare as well, I'm glad that we did it for Adam. Mike took him swimming on Saturday and he is so much more confident... he only screamed, "I'm drowning! Save me! I can't breathe!" twice this time! :) Normally he screams this whenever the water goes above his head or his feet leave the ground at all.

We're so proud of him!