Challenges

Do you ever feel like there are several challenges which hit you all at once. That is what I have felt like these past few days.

Lydia has been having a hard time seeing so we took her to the eye doctor. We found out that she is slightly nearsighted, but we have also found out that her eye muscles are spasming and making it VERY difficult for her to see at times. This of course effects reading, watching television, school and everything. The doctor is hoping that glasses will help correct the problem. We have ordered glasses for her and hoping they will arrive soon.

We have had some major challenges with our house that have sapped our energy, time, and money. I won't go into details about this one but I will be very happy when this issue is resolved. It has been emotionally and physically draining.

I came home to a very sick husband yesterday. I really hope he gets better soon and that whatever he has does not spread through the family.

I know things will get better but it has made it hard to get other things done, especially my church callings. I was supposed to meet with some newly called den leaders and this hasn't happened at all. Also, I haven't been able to do my visiting teaching. Perhaps it will just have to be phone visits this month.

I am looking forward to general conference and I know it will help uplift my soul. I am grateful for all the blessings that I have and will be happy when I feel like I am on even ground again.

"Can Chemicals Kill You?"

Adelle came to me yesterday while I was working and asked me "Can chemicals kill you"? My girl is very inquisitive so I answered right away "Well yes, certain chemicals can kill you". I suddenly started to wonder why she was asking me. She goes on to explain that she thinks she may have drank some 409. Adelle had spilt some root beer in the kitchen just earlier in the day. I had asked her to wipe it all up and then to spray some 409 on the area and wipe it again. She has done this before with the table and hasn't had any problems. She informs me that she had left her cup sitting on the floor while she was spraying and had drank the rest of her root beer. She was very worried that she may have drank some 409. I proceed to ask her a series of questions "Did you taste the chemicals" to which she answers "No". I take her into the kitchen to show me what she is describing. Suddenly she bursts out "I DON'T WANT TO DIE". My poor child! I had to comfort her and assure her that it is very unlikely that she drank much and that she will be just fine. I proceed to have her drink a very large glass of water just to be sure that she will be alright. She talked to Wes later and he again assured her that she wasn't going to die. She responded back "Well of course I will, but not till I'm old. I have a long life to live".

You have to love kids :)

Grateful for the Lord's Apostles

We had our Stake Conference this last week and we were very blessed to have Elder Ballard attend and be our main speaker. I made a point this time to attend the adult season and the regular session. I usually only go to the regular session with my girls. For the Saturday night adult session I arrived an hour early to make sure I had a good seat. Honestly, I probably could have arrived a little later, but it was nice to be there enjoying the calm of the chapel and reading from the scriptures.

Also in attendance for the Saturday night session was the Salt Lake City mission president and his wife, and Elder Keach (sp?) who is one of the area seventy. It was a wonderful meeting! The first thing that struck me was the volume of singing. I had never heard a sound so amazing in our little, local chapel. There were so many people in attendance that when we sang the opening song I was deeply moved. It made me think of a heavenly choir of angels!

Speaker after speaker motivated and inspired me to do even better in my life. Elder Keach spoke of three things that we can do when difficult changes come.

1. Humble ourselves and seek Heavenly Father's guidance.

2. Get Involved and Serve Others

3. Heavenly Father will Guide us along.

He did point out that these things will take place in God's own time, his own way and his own will. He said that the Lord's promise to those that are faithful is - Be of good cheer for you are little children and I will lead you along and my angels will be around you.

From there Elder Ballard spoke. He was so warm and humorous. I have never heard him make jokes before, but it was nice to feel like I knew him better. He discussed the importance of family and how the family is under attack. He went on to counsel mothers and fathers to love their children. He instructed fathers to be loving and kind. He advised fathers and husbands if they are raising their voices to their family that they need to stop it that night. He instructed mothers not to raise their voices to their children. Here Elder Ballard threw in some humor and said "I know you are thinking But Elder Ballard, you don't know my children". He also counseled husbands and wives to kneel down every night and to give a prayer of thanks to Heavenly Father that they have had one more day together. He said husbands and wives should take turns saying the prayer.

From there he went on to counsel grandparents to make memories for their grandchildren, especially memories centered around the gospel. He told wonderful stories of his own family and those things they have experienced.

I loved to listen to him speak and felt the spirit so strongly. I loved being able to sit so closely to the podium and to be able to have Elder Ballard look into my eyes as he was speaking. It meant a lot to me. It helped me remember the eternal perspective in my life. All of my silly worries about work and other mundane things melted away. I came home to my family so happy and grateful.

The next morning I woke up very tired but I didn't want to miss the general stake conference meeting. Lydia was with her dad for the weekend so she was unable to come with us. Adelle and I got ready and left the house early to walk to the the local high school (my old school in fact). Our Stake Center is currently being renovated so we held the meeting at the high school auditorium, which in some ways is very strange. I performed on that stage so many times and to come back to attend church there is well a little odd. In fact, my old choir teacher was there running the sound booth.

We got to the meeting about an hour early and Adelle insisted that we sit on the very front row right by the stage. We saved our seats and mingled with some wonderful people, some that I hadn't seen in a long time. The meeting began and Adelle colored while I listened intently. Members of our stake presidency spoke. The president of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and his wife spoke as well. Elder Keach spoke again. He directed his words especially to the youth and his talk was absolutely wonderful.

Our last speaker was Elder Ballard. He first started out by remarking how wonderful it was to have the children there in attendance. You could hear babies and toddlers talking and crying, but he made a point to say how glad he was that they were there. He said it is important that children come to meetings because it develops a wonderful habit of attending church. He then directed his thoughts mainly to the women, which I loved. He spoke of how important women are to the Lord. He cited two stories from the bible to emphasize this point. He first spoke of the woman of Samaria who was at the well. He then read from the bible the story (see John Chapter 4). By the way, I loved that he read from the scriptures more than any other speaker. He said that Jesus for the first time proclaims that he is the Messiah. Elder Ballard pointed out that this wonderful news was first told to a woman.

He then referenced another story from the Bible when Jesus Christ rose on the third day after his death. He said the first person that Jesus Christ spoke to after he was brought back to life was Mary, a women. Elder Ballard advised us that women are precious to the Lord and hold a very special place in his heart. It touched me deeply to be reminded how precious we are as daughters of god. He advised men and children to respect and honor the women in their lives and if this hasn't been done that we should apologize to these women.

He also spoke of how important it is that we listen to the spiritual promptings in our lives. He relayed several stories of outcomes he has had when he has listened to the promptings. He first shared a story (one that I must have heard in conference before) about when he was a Bishop. He had felt a spiritual prompting late one snowy evening to go visit a widow in the ward. He ignored the prompting thinking he would go early the next morning. When he arrived on the doorstep of the woman the next morning he learned that the sister had passed away. He promised himself from that moment on that he would never ignore a prompting again. It reminded me that I need to live my life in a way that I can receive spiritual promptings and when those promptings come I should listen immediately.

At the end of the conference Elder Ballard advised us that he wanted to leave early with the Stake President to go to the overflow building to speak briefly to those who had not been able to be in physical attendance at the meeting. They were receiving the meeting through a video transmission. He then advised everyone to raise their hands in the air in front of them. He then asked us to move our hands up and down while he did the same thing. He then said "Now you can go home and write in your Journal I shook hands with Elder Ballard today". I think there is a great longing when a general authority visits a stake to be able to meet with them and to be near. I could tell that Elder Ballard is aware of this need, which of course can not be met for every person within the stake. I felt his love for us though and was so very grateful for the opportunity to be in attendance.

Adelle wanted to met with the Elder Ballard afterwards, but unfortunately that wouldn't be an option. Instead we walked home with a lovely sister in the ward enjoying the sunny day. I don't think I will ever forget that weekend. I am really looking forward to the upcoming General Conference as well. It really is my favorite time of the year when I can listen to the prophet and his apostles speak to me and others all around the world. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has sent us loving leaders to guide, help and to direct us. I know I am not alone.

Braxton Hicks

Braxton Hicks are one of the most interesting things aren't they? For no apparent reason at all suddenly your abdomen tightens into this rock hard ball. It isn't necessarily painful, but it isn't comfortable either. I will have days when I will get them more frequently. I wonder if it when my body is growing to accommodate my growing girl. Now that I work at home four days a week I will often sit at my computer desk in my living room, barefoot working away. I still haven't gotten to the point of wearing pajamas and not showering. Somehow the world just doesn't feel right if I haven't gotten ready for the day. Make-up is optional and there are days I choose to apply my minimalist make-up before beginning the day. I really don't wear that much anyway.

I have gotten off the point though, back to Braxton Hicks. I like to sit indian style in my computer chair and guess what I've found? They trigger Braxton Hicks contractions. Why in heavens name would that be the case. So now I need to remind myself to keep my feet under the desk instead of trying to sit all comfortable and cross legged. I also noticed that they seem to happen when I am stressed or on a day when my girl is particularly active. I think Violet may be having a dance party today. I know she can't hear my poppy Micheal Jackson music because I have headphones on. Yes, I listen to Micheal Jackson. I have mixed opinions on the man, but I enjoy his music. So there you go...it's out! I think for the time being though Violet is sleeping so I will take advantage to feel this inner peace and calm, literally. I don't feel like I am housing a mini bounce house for the moment. I sneezed a little while ago and worried that the rough jolt might wake her.

Isn't that the silliest thing? I LOVE my little baby and I promise I'm not complaining, just explaining my pregnant world. Sometimes sugar can really get her going. Perhaps I need to cut out the sugar. Really though, can one Jolly Rancher make that much of a difference? It will be interesting to see if little Violet will be this active when she is born. Hopefully she won't get too crammed these next 14 weeks, because honestly the cramped space isn't making her move less. It is only making the jabs, bounces, flutters and kicks stronger. Just call me bouncin' Lizzy! Oh...I thinks she's awake. Hello little one.

Wes' Special Birthday

Yesterday our little family celebrated Wes' 30th birthday. He has not looked forward to turning the big 3-0. He asked that we just have a quite little party with just the four of us. I made the family seafood salad at Wes' request. Instead of cake I made his favorite dessert, Rice Crispie Treats! Wes had been super busy that day in court with a case that has been very difficult. He really seemed to enjoy our love and attention. We even made sure that he had a candle on his treat. He got a special handmade card from Adelle, Lego Batman for the PS2, the Office Season 5 and money from my Grandmother.

We spent the rest of the evening playing his new game and watching a movie. I am glad we could take time out to celebrate the special guy in our lives!

Cedric's 2nd Birthday

On Saturday my sister had a big celebration for her little boy who had just turned two. All of the family gathered around at her home to eat, celebrate, and have fun. Sarah even had two pinatas for the kids to whack at. We ended up bringing home a lot of candy. I can't believe how much this little guy has grown.

He got a lot of fun presents including toys, clothes and this very special chair that is all his own. My girls had fun hanging out with family and eating yummy food. Lydia especially liked playing Matt and Sarah's new PS3. Wes was unable to come because he was preparing for a big case. It was a hot day, but I still enjoyed seeing everyone.

Happy Birthday Cedric!!

99 Days Left...Really?

I just noticed that my pregnancy ticker is showing that I only have 99 days left. I can't believe it! Violet has been quite active today and I'm happy that she is safe and warm where she is, but it is hard to believe that in about 3 months she will be joining our family! WOW!

I have my gestational diabetes test coming up in about a week and I really hope that goes well. Diabetes runs in my family and my sister had GD with her last pregnancy so I'm really hoping I won't have it. I didn't with my other pregnancies.

I have a follow up ultrasound at the beginning of October and am excited to see my little girl again.

Time is just flying by!!

Wes' birthday is today. I'll have to take some pictures and post later. I also have some pictures from my nephew's birthday this past weekend.

The Familiar Taste of Peaches

I grew up with two giant peach trees in my backyard. Every year these trees would provide bountiful amounts of fruit! We would consume vast amounts of peaches, my mother would bottle them and we would often share our harvest. I was used to the buzzing that often accompanied the later summer months due to rotting fruit and the bugs it attracted. That said, I absolutely LOVE fresh peaches. It is a rare thing to find any sort of good tasting peach in a grocery store. They are often hard and tasteless.
Last year Wes surprised me by purchasing a peach tree for our backyard. It is grafted with four different types of peaches. We got a very large amount of green fruit early in the season and Wes even picked away much of the fruit because our tree is still so small and he was afraid it wouldn't be able to stand all of the weight. The fruit that was allowed to stay was attacked by birds and wasps. I probably ended up with about 15 peaches, and I have enjoyed them immensely, probably more than anyone else in the house. Wes remarked that he thinks some of them were overripe, but that didn't stop me.

Taking a bite of the warm fruit right off the tree takes me right back to being a child again with sticky fingers enjoying the succulent treat. I hope the tree will keep growing and we will have a more bountiful harvest next year!

Laborious Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend was very busy for us. We decided to start tackling the girls new room downstairs. We spent all of Saturday organizing the room since it is currently the play room, throwing away things and bagging up other things for the DI. Wes and Lydia even managed to get our old, worn out couch out of the basement into the garage. From there we ran to the DI and then to the hardware store to choose paint. The girls chose a very bright lime green and pink. The first thing we did was wash down the walls. Then Wes taped. By the time this was all done it was evening already. Sunday Wes painted the tinted primer onto the two walls we are painting.

Monday Wes and Lydia starting painting with our bold colors.

This is the pink wall! Bright but fun! Don't worry, that is actually green tape which is protecting the trim to our strange underground door. Wes is thinking he would still like to do another coat.

The green wall! This wall actually started it's life as wood paneling and sucks up paint so Wes is thinking this wall will actually need two more coats. So much for primer and one coat of paint. We will have plenty of paint leftover when all is said and done. In fact Wes keeps thinking of ways to use the paint in our house. I have already told him our stairwell cannot be lime green. He says he could lighten it up with primer. I still say it is unlikely. We may mix some white and the bright pink to get a paler pink and then paint a wall in Violets room. We'll see.

Hopefully the project will be done soon. From there we will need to move furniture and get the room set up.

Since I couldn't paint I spent my Monday deep cleaning the house and it felt so good when it was done! I still had energy so I kept going. I did laundry, baked cookies and cross stitched. I figure I better take advantage of the energy when it comes!

Where in the White Rabbit

I was reading my scriptures the other day and came across "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass". It made me think of my project. I am taking small steps every week to get my project done and in the end I hopefully will have a great work of art to hang on the wall. One can hope right? I figure optimism is the only solution to avoid giving up.

I am slowly adding stitches to the project. I noticed last night that a stitch is in the wrong place. It should be to the left one. There actually should be a yellow stitch in it's place, not the bright red stitch that is currently occupying that square. Of course this was a stitch I made awhile ago. Now the question is do I try and snip it out without disturbing the other stitches with the same thread, or leave it be? Wes says if you step a few inches back you will never notice it. I worry of course I will always notice it and that it will ruin the shape of one of the hearts.

Oh well. I am sure I will solve the issue soon. Here is where I am currently on the project.

Here is where I was before. So as you can see some progress is being made :)

Well onward an upward. I can only get more done from here!

Week 24

Does anyone know how to take a horrible shine off of someone's face through photo editing? Wes says it is back lighting. It is probably just the pregnancy which is making my skin change in horrible ways. I even put on makeup. Is that the "pregnancy glow" they talk about? That's it...I'm just glowing. He he he! Anyway, that isn't the point. The point of the picture is to show you my growing baby belly at 24 weeks.

Here are some tidbits of my pregnancy thus far.

I have really started to become uncomfortable. I am finding it harder to bend over, walk, sleep...well you get the point. I didn't think it would start so early, but it has. Most of the time it isn't a big deal. I will suddenly realize the problem though when I bend over to pick something up and think "That didn't feel good". The honest truth is my body feels like it is stretching and running out of room. I am sure it will adapt so baby Violet can continue to grow and develop for the next 16 weeks.

I am now the slowest walker in the family where before I used to be the fastest. I really wish I had kept up with a wonderful exercise routine. I guess it is never too late to make new habits. I did exercise a couple of times last week, which I guess is something.

I can feel Violet moving a lot during the day. In fact, Wes has been able to see her moving around. He asked me one day how I manage to have someone moving inside me all day. He thinks it would be very strange. It is comforting to feel her and know she is doing well, except when she kicks really hard. I then remind my little baby to be nice to her mommy. I don't think she is listening :)

My energy levels have been really wonderful. I was working on all sorts of project ideas and keeping the house cleaner. Then suddenly my energy started dropping these past few days. I actually fell asleep on the couch last night at 9:00. I am hoping they go back up at least for the next month when I will be in the third trimester.

Someone said to me on Sunday "Are you sure there aren't two in there". I told her it was probably just my dress making me look so big and suctioned the fabric around my belly to show her. Honestly, it didn't hurt my feelings. I will look however I look and it is worth it to get my baby here. My weight gain I think is going pretty well. On Friday I weighed myself and I have gained 15 pounds so far which I think is pretty normal.

I rarely have cravings anymore. I do need to eat frequently though because I start feeling dizzy, and just not quite right! I try to make healthy choices most of the time. I like to have a high protein breakfast because it carries me further. I love a hard boiled egg and morning star breakfast patty on an english muffin with a side of fruit. Yummy!

The bathroom breaks are a little ridiculous, but I am just getting used to it. Drinking lots of water is something that helps me feel better. I also know that it helps reduce contractions and headaches. I still do get contractions on occasion, but not too frequently.

I have started working at home four days a week and in the office one day which has been WONDERFUL!! I feel so blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity. I see my family more and am able to be much more comfortable in my own home. I know I will come to appreciate it more and more as the pregnancy progresses. It has been especially good since Wes' schedule is becoming more hectic. Also, after my maternity leave I will still be working from home which will be fabulous!!!

I have dreams about Violet and enjoy holding her. This last dream she had some physical problems. I think as a mom it is pretty common for us to worry that something can go wrong. I can't wait for her to come. Well, I can because I want her to grow and because there is much that needs to be done still, but it will be nice when she is here. I am really looking forward to 3 months of maternity leave as well.

I still LOVE my doctor and think she is greatest thing ever!!!! I am not nervous for the birth at all. Perhaps it will hit me later, but this being the third time around I know more what to expect and know I am a strong woman that can make it through almost anything.

I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity to be pregnant with my little one and pray she will be healthy and strong. The girls pray for Violet at every family prayer. I pray for others that I know are struggling with fertility issues right now. I know of several women that are aching to have their own little baby. I want you to know that I am thinking of you and hope that your dream comes to pass SOON.

Well, here's to the next 16 weeks!