Sunday, November 1, 2009

Gratitude



I am so grateful for my Savior and my husband. Words cannot express how I feel right now, but I will try.


It has been a hard week. I'm so glad it is over, and have hope that next week will be better. On Monday Shayla woke up with a fever, so we snuggled her up in the van as we drove off at 7am to take Tyler to the airport. He had a business trip all week and wasn't getting home until Saturday afternoon. Well, to make a long story short, Shayla passed her fever/flu on to Garrett, and then me and then Grant, and I was taking care of sick kids all week, and not getting much sleep. I'd fall asleep, only to wake up with a sick child, finally get him/her back down, start falling asleep when someone else would wake up and we'd start the whole process over again. By Friday morning I think I was delerious. That's when Tyler came home and rescued us. He is my hero. He asked me if I wanted him to come home, and I told him no, we'd be okay, and I knew he still had things he needed to be at through Saturday. He got off the phone with me, scheduled his flight home and called me back saying he was coming home anyway. How I love my man. He knew I needed him here more than I could say. He got home, picked up my Tamiflu prescription, tucked me into bed, then tucked the rest of the kids into bed and took care of them all night so I could sleep. I slept for 10 hours straight and felt human again when I woke up. Everyone was feeling so much better we were still able to enjoy Halloween and all of the festivities and candy that come with it. And although Garrett has had a relapse today and his fever is back, I know that we are on the mend.


I was studying about Faith in Christ last week and that was such a blessing. I think it was the only thing that got me through. I read that faith is a principle of action--both mental and physical. I thought about that for a long time. What is mental action? I've always thought about the physical action, to act on the promptings and answers we receive, but mental action is a bit more abstract to me. I think means that our thoughts are more powerful than we think. That our faith in Christ needs to be so solid that even when we don't get the things we pray for and desperately need, that our faith should be strengthened in knowing that our Heavenly Father has something even better to teach us and give us through our trial. That thought helped me immensely last week. I tried to thank my Father for the strength to take care of my kids, and for the perspective to know we would eventually get better, and we would make it through. And then when I couldn't do it anymore alone, he sent my husband home to take care of me.
I know my Savior lives and is aware of my every need. He has felt every pain or sorrow I have ever felt, and he understands and loves me perfectly, imperfections, weaknesses and all. I know my prayers and heard and answered in the way that will be eternally best for me. I am blessed.
One of my favorite scriptures: Romans 8:31-39
"31 ...If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I actually took this pic earlier in the month, no snow on Halloween night
Little Red Riding Hood Shayla, Vampire Ty,
Bam-Bam Grant and Raphael TMNT Garrett
The kids had a blast trick-or-treating with Tyler, even though it was in the 30's
and I had fun passing out candy to the neighborhood kids.
And we now have a years supply of candy on top of our fridge.
The best kid holiday ever invented.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Staycation

I balanced the camera on the stroller sun-visor, and set the timer--it started slipping but we kinda got the shot!



"Think Happy"
I think they are doing just that


The kids had a 5 day weekend for the WEA, and we planned to go up to Duluth and visit Lake Superior, but the weather was below freezing, and we wimped out.


Instead, we decided to play right here in our own backyard. We had a great time going to the Mall of America and riding all the rides one day, and then played at the indoor WaterPark of America the next. We also spent a day getting projects done around the house and then had a nice relaxing Sunday together. It was such a great family week together.





Grant was such a good sport--there weren't many rides he could do, but he had fun just hanging out with me and jumping everywhere he went.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Happy Birthday, Love!

Happy Birthday, love!!! I have a feeling 33 is going to be a great year.
Presents and breakfast in bed
Grant helped Tyler blow out his candles


Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I know I'm REALLY pregnant when...





1. A little kid walked up to me at church, stared at my belly, pointed, patted my belly and said, "Hey, is there a baby in there or what?"


2. Grant ran across the room to give me a big hug, and his head bounced off of my belly before his arms could wrap around my legs. I laughed pretty hard over that one!

3. Painting my toe nails counts as my workout for the day. I'm talking break-a-sweat-work-out. Really.


4. I try to squeeze between the wall and chair at the table and get stuck.


5. I cannot listen to certain songs (okay, pretty much any song that involves love, kids, patriotism, beautiful melody, etc.) on the radio without tears flowing down my cheeks. Truly a driving hazard.


6. I would give anything to sleep through the night--3am wake up calls are the norm.


7. The perpetual food spilled on my belly, or the line of water on my belly after doing the dishes or washing my hands.


8. I have to turn sideways to do the dishes.


9. My walk is a waddle, no matter how hard I concentrate on walking normally.


10. Belly button...where'd ya go?

11. The men who think it's okay to rub my belly while they talk to me. Would they ever do that to a non-pregnant woman? Of course not! But really, what's the difference, it's still my body.



About the photos...(BTW, these are NOT photos of me--just the best of what I found when I googled "huge pregnant belly.") Notice the sweet baby foot in the photo below--amazing! The first photo I will look at when I'm feeling particularly huge--it could always be worse.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Fun with the Hackings

Courtesy of some creative friends of ours--who knew we had such a cool name?!!

Definition of the Hacking Family:


When they are eating between meals, they are Snacking Hackings.



When they are piled up together, they are Stacking Hackings.



When they are going on vacation, they are Packing Hackings.



When they are fighting, they are Smacking Hackings.



When they are hunting, they are Tracking Hackings.



When they are flirting, they are Macking Hackings.



When they are at war, they are Attacking Hackings.



When they are poor, they are Lacking Hackings.



When they are encouraging others, they are Backing Hackings.



When they are celebrating Easter, they are Cracking Hackings.



When they are being kidnapped, they are Sacking Hackings.



When they are talking a lot, they are Yacking Hackings.



When they are sailing up wind, they are Tacking Hackings.



When they are playing the mole hitting game at the fair, they are Wacking Hackings.



When they are lazy, they are Slacking Hackings.



When they are polishing their Sunday shoes, they are Blacking Hackings.



When they are feeding ducks, they are Quacking Hackings.

Monday, September 28, 2009

The Minnesota State Fair

This was our last hurrah of summer. Oh, the food we consumed. All fried and on a stick. We enjoyed everything so much we forgot to take pictures of it. We enjoyed fried cheese curds (my fav), grilled chocolate sandwiches, brat burgers, garlic fries, fresh rootbeer, chocolate milk, ice cream and cotton candy. What's not to love about the fair?


Riding the bus from the park-n-ride to the fair

Strangest freebie at the fair--yes, it is Maple Bacon flavored chapstick.

How did THAT get past the focus groups? Yuk!




Horses




Cows



Grant LOVED this ride. His laugh was infectious and I love re-living this moment.





Garrett doing push-ups for the Army



Ty doing push-ups for the army guy (for a free t-shirt)Grant just enjoyed watching the girls do push-ups :)




Milking the fake cow




Cotton Candy




Grant wouldn't even try it--I think he thought it really was cotton.




This is how we all felt by the end of the day.



Amazing bike/skateboarding show



Screaming, laughing, no-hands good time