I am so excited about the new year. So many things happened in 2010 that made the year kind of a downer for us. I am so optimistic that 2011 will be better. I can't wait! I thought it would be fun to make a list of all the many things that happened in 2010.
January, February, March and the beginning of April: I was plagued with awful morning sickness. Well, night sickness mostly. Eww. I was crabby and miserable and probably really hard to live with.
Mid-late April-I felt better, but also said goodbye to a precious angel.
May, June & July-wasted my summer away desperately trying to lose the weight I gained when I was pregnant. I did it, but that is no fun either.
August-had a crazy month of family & Weddings. Fun, but busy! Also, my baby turned TWO! That was hard for me!
September-ran into some medical issues that had us and my Doctor believing we would probably never conceive another child. We also found out that if we did, we are at very high risk for having another baby with Down Syndrome or another chromosomal problem.
October-We found out that I am pregnant! Due in June! On the down side, October was also when the morning sickness showed it's ugly face. Much more bearable this time with the help of a little white pill called Zofran. What a relief to not throw up everyday!
November-Family reunion over Thanksgiving! It was so much fun. Daniel has a very large family, so we were able to use the cultural hall at the church. The boys played basketball and we had a family friend who is a photographer take pictures.
On a not so happy note, we also found out in November that my Mother in Law will soon be leaving us for a year to go on a mission for the Church. While we are trying to have faith and we know what she is doing is good, we are still really struggling with this. Ethan loves his Grandma. He won't understand, and I am afraid he won't remember her. I know he probably will, but it is still sad. It is also sad for us. She has been there through every trial and happy time in our life. She will not only miss the birth of her grandchild, but she will miss a good portion of the 1st year of the baby's life. We depend on her so much, so this is really a huge struggle for us.
December-Here we are! We finally got to go to Great Falls for Christmas! It has been the 1st time in YEARS! It was kind of sad because my Mom and sisters aren't there though.
I have a sister I really worry about, and that has caused a lot of tears this month. December has also been a month of illness. Ethan has been sick more this month than he ever has! It has been awful!
I convinced myself that I wasn't going to announce my pregnancy...for a loooong time. It was especially hard telling the few close friends who knew about September's problem. I had JUST sobbed on their shoulder and the next month I'm pregnant! I felt like an idiot, but oh well. We didn't know! I realized today, that if you saw me you would know, so I might as well come out of the closet. I have run into people that I feel wanted to say something but didn't. And keeping a secret gets old. And I don't like feeling like I'm being starred at. Other than family, co-workers and a few close friends we haven't told anyone. I actually JUST told my parents at Christmas. Last but not least, Ethan has been the highlight of our year. He is just so darn cute and is getting smarter everyday. I don't know how we would have survived the year without him!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Confession
I have a confession to make. (Other than the fact that I am a really bad blogger. Life is just too busy!)
Here it is: This is my least favorite time of year. I don't hate Christmas. I actually like what the actual purpose of the season is. However, I feel that there is way too much focus on Santa and presents and not near enough focus on the birth of our Savior. There is nothing wrong with children getting excited about Santa and all the fun stuff, but I just think it gets out of control. To be honest, I haven't decided how we will introduce Santa to Ethan. He has presents under the tree and he will get his stocking filled, but he is too young to understand that they came from "Santa." I hear people talking about getting kids all these gifts from Santa, and I just don't know how I want to do it next year when he will have a better understanding of it all. Santa is not real, and I don't know if I want to tell him "Santa is coming tonight!" I don't want to take the fun out of it, but I also don't want to talk him into believing something that isn't real. When I was a child, I don't ever remember TRULY believing that Santa was real. I pretended to believe it because we got presents from him. I guess I have a whole year to figure it out. Same goes for the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy, but they aren't near as famous.
Back to why I dislike this season. It probably sounds crazy, but this is a really sad time of year for me. I anxiously await for it all to be over. Don't worry, I'm not a total downer. We decorate, I bake, and do all the normal things people that like the Holidays do. I just get tired of wearing a happy face when on some days I just want to cry. I think it is great that this is one of the few times a year that people focus on those in need and many people are very generous. The thing is, those people are in need ALL YEAR. Many of my family members included. I have family who I see suffer so much and who do need help. I just wish I had the money and resources to help them. I do what I can, but it is still hard to see family suffering and struggling to house, feed and provide for their kids. As a parent I can't even fathom how heartbreaking it is not to be able to provide gifts because providing food & shelter is a struggle. This time of year just makes it more sad. That is the main reason I don't want Ethan to get lots of big gifts. It is really hard not to spoil our only child, but in the coming years we are going to be very careful that his Christmas memories are not about lots of gifts, but about being with family, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, ect. He will still get presents, but I want to keep everything very small and simple. So there. Merry Christmas everyone. And bah-humbug. :)
Here it is: This is my least favorite time of year. I don't hate Christmas. I actually like what the actual purpose of the season is. However, I feel that there is way too much focus on Santa and presents and not near enough focus on the birth of our Savior. There is nothing wrong with children getting excited about Santa and all the fun stuff, but I just think it gets out of control. To be honest, I haven't decided how we will introduce Santa to Ethan. He has presents under the tree and he will get his stocking filled, but he is too young to understand that they came from "Santa." I hear people talking about getting kids all these gifts from Santa, and I just don't know how I want to do it next year when he will have a better understanding of it all. Santa is not real, and I don't know if I want to tell him "Santa is coming tonight!" I don't want to take the fun out of it, but I also don't want to talk him into believing something that isn't real. When I was a child, I don't ever remember TRULY believing that Santa was real. I pretended to believe it because we got presents from him. I guess I have a whole year to figure it out. Same goes for the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy, but they aren't near as famous.
Back to why I dislike this season. It probably sounds crazy, but this is a really sad time of year for me. I anxiously await for it all to be over. Don't worry, I'm not a total downer. We decorate, I bake, and do all the normal things people that like the Holidays do. I just get tired of wearing a happy face when on some days I just want to cry. I think it is great that this is one of the few times a year that people focus on those in need and many people are very generous. The thing is, those people are in need ALL YEAR. Many of my family members included. I have family who I see suffer so much and who do need help. I just wish I had the money and resources to help them. I do what I can, but it is still hard to see family suffering and struggling to house, feed and provide for their kids. As a parent I can't even fathom how heartbreaking it is not to be able to provide gifts because providing food & shelter is a struggle. This time of year just makes it more sad. That is the main reason I don't want Ethan to get lots of big gifts. It is really hard not to spoil our only child, but in the coming years we are going to be very careful that his Christmas memories are not about lots of gifts, but about being with family, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, ect. He will still get presents, but I want to keep everything very small and simple. So there. Merry Christmas everyone. And bah-humbug. :)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Daniel's big 3-0!
Here is a sneak peak at Daniel's surprise birthday weekend. Much more to come. We had so much fun!!! Elisa and Tamera surprised Daniel by coming from Utah and we all had a great time.
-Friday night we ate at the Rib & Chop house, and everyone else went to Kyle's Football game afterwards
-While we were at dinner a good coworker friend took him out to a potato farm. He got to ride in a farm truck and came home with lots of potatoes. He was so excited to show me his "special" potato. It was a funny looking deformed one.
-Saturday-we went to Rocky Creek Farms and saw all the pumpkins. They had a small petting zoo and Ethan had a blast. He got to "drive" a tractor on the way to the field. Those pictures are on Elisa's camera so I will post them when I can.
-Saturday night we had Daniel's party at the park. We had cake, played games and had fun trying to get the candy and toys out of the pinata. There were many strings hanging from the pinata, and one of them was suppose to release the candy. Well, none of them worked. The boys ended up throwing footballs at it and it got beat against the tree until it opened. Whatever works! What a busy fun filled weekend we've had!
-Friday night we ate at the Rib & Chop house, and everyone else went to Kyle's Football game afterwards
-While we were at dinner a good coworker friend took him out to a potato farm. He got to ride in a farm truck and came home with lots of potatoes. He was so excited to show me his "special" potato. It was a funny looking deformed one.
-Saturday-we went to Rocky Creek Farms and saw all the pumpkins. They had a small petting zoo and Ethan had a blast. He got to "drive" a tractor on the way to the field. Those pictures are on Elisa's camera so I will post them when I can.
-Saturday night we had Daniel's party at the park. We had cake, played games and had fun trying to get the candy and toys out of the pinata. There were many strings hanging from the pinata, and one of them was suppose to release the candy. Well, none of them worked. The boys ended up throwing footballs at it and it got beat against the tree until it opened. Whatever works! What a busy fun filled weekend we've had!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
I have been all emotional lately, and I can't pinpoint exactly why. I know I have been in a spiritual rut for the past few months, and am actively trying to bring myself out of it. We had a speaker in church on Sunday say something that really hit me hard.
Not a direct quote: Does your child know more about Thomas the Train than he does about Jesus, or the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den?
I honestly didn't get anything else out of that talk, and it took all that I had not to start bawling my eyes out. Ethan knows every Car's character and most all the super heroes. He can even spot the Blue's Clue's Dog from a mile away! He can point out Jesus, but I know we haven't spent enough time providing for his spiritual needs. We do Family Home evening almost every week, but we don't put enough time into preparing a lesson. We usually read a few Book of Mormon or New/Old Testament stories, and end with ice cream.
However, we are getting better at involving him in our nightly prayer. Sometimes he does really well. He will usually kneel with us, (or crawl all over us) and say, "Amen" in the sweetest voice humanly possible. Some nights, he'll yell and talk through prayer. My favorite thing so far:
Daniel had just started praying, and Ethan yells "Amen!" mid prayer. Daniel barely got through the rest of the prayer without laughing. It really was funny!
I decided to take some time and read over “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”
Again, it got me all emotional. This part really stood out:
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."
I want Heavenly Father to be pleased with the way we are teaching and raising our son. That puts a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. I have a lot of work to do, and I'm not going to let Satan make me feel inadequate any longer! Check back with me in about 17 years to see how we did.
Not a direct quote: Does your child know more about Thomas the Train than he does about Jesus, or the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den?
I honestly didn't get anything else out of that talk, and it took all that I had not to start bawling my eyes out. Ethan knows every Car's character and most all the super heroes. He can even spot the Blue's Clue's Dog from a mile away! He can point out Jesus, but I know we haven't spent enough time providing for his spiritual needs. We do Family Home evening almost every week, but we don't put enough time into preparing a lesson. We usually read a few Book of Mormon or New/Old Testament stories, and end with ice cream.
However, we are getting better at involving him in our nightly prayer. Sometimes he does really well. He will usually kneel with us, (or crawl all over us) and say, "Amen" in the sweetest voice humanly possible. Some nights, he'll yell and talk through prayer. My favorite thing so far:
Daniel had just started praying, and Ethan yells "Amen!" mid prayer. Daniel barely got through the rest of the prayer without laughing. It really was funny!
I decided to take some time and read over “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”
Again, it got me all emotional. This part really stood out:
“Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."
I want Heavenly Father to be pleased with the way we are teaching and raising our son. That puts a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. I have a lot of work to do, and I'm not going to let Satan make me feel inadequate any longer! Check back with me in about 17 years to see how we did.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
With the warm weather that we have had, I have found it hard to resist ice cream. I find it particularly hard to resist Cold Stone & Dairy Queen. Looking up the calorie content makes it a lot easier! I thought I would share some of my findings. Thank goodness for the new mini-blizzard! I can indulge and not feel as guilty! I am only including my favorites:
Dairy Queen:
Oreo Brownie Earthquake Blizzard
mini-430 calories
small-660 calories
medium-880 calories
Cookie Dough Blizzard
mini-420 calories
small-710 calories
medium-1020 calories
Butterfinger Blizzard
mini-340 calories
small-470 calories
medium-740 calories
Reeces PB Cup Blizzard
mini-370 calories
small-530 calories
medium-760 calories
Oreo Blizzard
mini-350 calories
small-550 calories
medium-680 calories
Cold Stone:
French Vanilla Ice Cream with Brownie, Fudge & Caramel
Small-688 calories
Medium-891 calories
I have to stop right there. I like Cold Stone too much. It's a good thing their location is really inconvenient and we don't go there very often!
I feel as though I should keep going...Just so fast food totally grosses you out...if it doesn't already.
Mcdonalds:
A Big Mac Value Meal (with diet or no soda)
920 Calories
OR
Cheeseburger Kids' Meal (with diet or no soda)
531 Calories
Chicken Nugget Value Meal with BBQ sauce (with diet or no soda)
890-Calories
6-Piece Chicken Nugget Kids' Meal with BBQ sauce (with diet or no soda)
557-Calories
(deduct 50 calories if you don't use sauce)
Do you want Coke?
Small Coke:155 calories
Medium Coke: 203 calories
Large Coke: 310 calories
How about the "healthier" items?
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
420 calories
"real fruit" smoothies
278 calories
Ok, I'm done. I can't take anymore.
Dairy Queen:
Oreo Brownie Earthquake Blizzard
mini-430 calories
small-660 calories
medium-880 calories
Cookie Dough Blizzard
mini-420 calories
small-710 calories
medium-1020 calories
Butterfinger Blizzard
mini-340 calories
small-470 calories
medium-740 calories
Reeces PB Cup Blizzard
mini-370 calories
small-530 calories
medium-760 calories
Oreo Blizzard
mini-350 calories
small-550 calories
medium-680 calories
Cold Stone:
French Vanilla Ice Cream with Brownie, Fudge & Caramel
Small-688 calories
Medium-891 calories
I have to stop right there. I like Cold Stone too much. It's a good thing their location is really inconvenient and we don't go there very often!
I feel as though I should keep going...Just so fast food totally grosses you out...if it doesn't already.
Mcdonalds:
A Big Mac Value Meal (with diet or no soda)
920 Calories
OR
Cheeseburger Kids' Meal (with diet or no soda)
531 Calories
Chicken Nugget Value Meal with BBQ sauce (with diet or no soda)
890-Calories
6-Piece Chicken Nugget Kids' Meal with BBQ sauce (with diet or no soda)
557-Calories
(deduct 50 calories if you don't use sauce)
Do you want Coke?
Small Coke:155 calories
Medium Coke: 203 calories
Large Coke: 310 calories
How about the "healthier" items?
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
420 calories
"real fruit" smoothies
278 calories
Ok, I'm done. I can't take anymore.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Lurkers?
I'm just curious...who is actually reading my blog? I would like you to identify yourself. :)
When I made my blog public, I made the decision to not add any photos. Anyone who I am comfortable viewing my photos is a friend on FB. There are too many people from my past that I don't want in my business. If they do find my blog, at least there aren't photos. I'm not a good writer, and don't have many interesting things to write about. It still feels good to type it all out, even if nobody reads it!
When I made my blog public, I made the decision to not add any photos. Anyone who I am comfortable viewing my photos is a friend on FB. There are too many people from my past that I don't want in my business. If they do find my blog, at least there aren't photos. I'm not a good writer, and don't have many interesting things to write about. It still feels good to type it all out, even if nobody reads it!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
So Blessed!
I probably sound like a broken record, but I really do have the best husband ever. Ethan fell ill on Tuesday, which made me a nervous wreck. Not only is he the best husband, but he is the best Father ever. I am also grateful for a mother in law who will drop what she is doing to come rescue us when Ethan or I am sick. Did I mention she lives 3 hours away? She stayed with him the 1st day, and Daniel took time off to stay with him today. Why did I not stay home? As you may have read in a previous entry, work is crazy until September. I have not been getting my normal Wednesday off because there is 1-2 people on vacation at a time. I have not been a happy camper! It makes me extra grateful that I have a husband who is able & willing to take time off to care for our son. Not all dad's would do that. He really pulls his weight when it comes to parenting. I don't do anymore than he does. He's the best. That's all.
What do you do when you fall off the horse?
You get back on, right? I fell off a week ago. (The healthy horse) To make myself feel better, I have a list of reasons why:
-August 6th: We went to Great Falls, and went to the Fair, and I HAD to eat at Taco Treat!
-Steven & Jess's wedding was on August 7th, and things were just crazy busy...with lots of good food involved!
-We had a family birthday party for Ethan on August 8th. We had to eat cake with him!
-August 10th: Ethan came down with a stomach bug at daycare. I went into worry & stress mode and ate whatever. We had pizza, and ice cream that night. (Daniel & I did...the poor sickie got crackers and Popsicles.)
The good news is, I haven't missed working out! I'm still sitting at my 20 lbs lost. It is time for me to get going again! Even though I haven't gained, I still feel blah. I just feel so much better when I eat better!
Even better news: The bug Ethan had was very short-lived! Thank goodness!
-August 6th: We went to Great Falls, and went to the Fair, and I HAD to eat at Taco Treat!
-Steven & Jess's wedding was on August 7th, and things were just crazy busy...with lots of good food involved!
-We had a family birthday party for Ethan on August 8th. We had to eat cake with him!
-August 10th: Ethan came down with a stomach bug at daycare. I went into worry & stress mode and ate whatever. We had pizza, and ice cream that night. (Daniel & I did...the poor sickie got crackers and Popsicles.)
The good news is, I haven't missed working out! I'm still sitting at my 20 lbs lost. It is time for me to get going again! Even though I haven't gained, I still feel blah. I just feel so much better when I eat better!
Even better news: The bug Ethan had was very short-lived! Thank goodness!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)