Coming Soon...

 

more pictures from "Grandma Camp" and Art City Days!
The last day of Grandma Camp I brought this picture I had taken the day before and had each of the children there sign their name around the picture. The kids arranged a surprise for her -- they asked me to get her to come out the back door onto the patio where they threw handfuls of flower petals up into the air to come down over her like confetti. Then they presented her with the bouquet of flowers and the framed picture.

Beautiful Day... photo video

Happy Birthday, and Happy Baptism!

 

R. and N. had their 8th birthday today, and also chose to be baptized and become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. N. wore the same baptism dress that 40+ other little girls have worn, including me, two of my sisters, and tons of cousins, friends, friends of relations, and a handful of nieces. It is a little worn these days, but the dress knows exactly what it is doing by now, lol. R. wore a new dress Suzette made and I think she said that it will be replacing the old one as the "run around" baptism dress. Josh baptized both girls and their Dad, Matt, confirmed them. I may even get around to adding more pictures later.

Picnic at the Park

Today we had a picnic in the park and the kids got to play with some cousins. I realized a few hours ago that I got toasted! The girls have been outside enough already that they're really just tanned, but I got a pretty "good" sunburn! Oh well. It was nice anyway :)
Today was also little C's birthday -- you can see him standing up so he can totter around. I can't believe he's a year old! Happy Birthday little C.!
(and as a side note -- I heard from my doc and I have yet another CT scan scheduled for tomorrow. I will find out on Monday what the final... or at least the next...word is.)

BYU Museum of Art / Bean Museum (no beans involved)

Today was our first weekly summer "field trip". My girls are so excited! We don't get to go next week cause of... shocking, I know... another doc appt. for me >rolls eyes<. The girls had a great time, though they were a little "enthusiastic" at times (read: exhausted and cranky Mama). It wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't in so much pain, but more on that in a moment...
Let me find some pictures:










After running a few errands (more on that in a few days, sorry to leave ya hanging, but it's a surprise and I can't say it here or it won't be a surprise anymore!) we got home for a bit. Sabrina managed to break one of my fancy decorative pot thingies by my front door -- the kind that costs $55 or something like that. I paid $5, of course, but it's a matter or principle! Then I had my visiting teaching to do -- so my partner and I dropped off the 5 little girls between the two of us at my neighbor's house (she is RS president so she'd offered to babysit while we do our visiting teaching). When we got back there were all 5 of our kids plus one of the neighbor's all lined up on the porch swing eating Popsicles. It was so cute! Yes, I did blur the faces of the not-my-kids cause they're not mine :P



The less interesting and non-photogenic news that I just have to get out of my system is this: I STILL have a kidney stone. Same dang stone. Yes, I have had the stone for going on 7 months now. Yes, I have had "extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy" And not only once either! I've had dozens of doctor's appointments, innumerable xrays, two ct scans, two "surgeries"... (they call lithotripsy a surgery even though it isn't invasive. It does include general anesthesia and a fair bit of pain, so I guess it makes some sense.) and the same stone is still there. It is smaller, but still there. And the pain? DEFINITELY still there.
I work very hard to not rely on pain meds, but sometimes there's not much of a choice. Since it has been so long, though, the nurse practitioner I've been seeing decided it's time for something other than lortab. He says that the stone "isn't causing the pain" because it's "too small and not obstructing". He thinks it's a case where there's a nerve that's too excited about hurting so it just won't calm down even though there is no cause anymore -- in his opinion.
However... since I've also been diagnosed with IC (interstitial cystitis) I'm on Urelle on occasion. It's one of those fun ones where you can tell when it has passed. The last couple of times it has taken 3 or 4 days to pass where before it took 5 or 6 hours. So he says there's no obstruction. I say... uh, are we SURE?! I don't want to zap a nerve to make it shut up if we really ought to listen to it!
So now I"m waiting to hear back from the actual doctor (who I have seen too) so I can get his feedback before I commit to chronic pain therapy. Michael isn't too happy about it either because he read this story the other day which understandably made him a little nervous.
I don't think I"m gonna lose any limbs ;) I just want to make sure we're following up on what my body is trying to say. As Michael put it -- if a girl with her organs all mixed up in her body can live to reach 6 where the doctors said there was "little chance she would survive birth", then just maybe I could have a now-small kidney stone that causes a great deal of pain. Ha.
Okay, I think I've vented enough now. Time to see Michael off for his business trip. (ain't that the icing on the cake?)

End of the year

This week marks the official end of the school year. Yeah! Boo! I have mixed feelings about the whole thing obviously.
Lizzie's program was a week or so ago. They sang songs and she and one other child had a little "graduation" hat to wear since they're going into kindergarten next year.







Kate had her "author's party" at school last week. Each child prepares a portfolio of writing throughout the year (each child in the whole SCHOOL that is). At the author's party parents or someone for each child is invited to come. They serve popcicles and everyone spreads out on the back lawn of the school and reads the stories or other writing work that their children have written. One of Kate's stories was about Grandma Spendlove's funeral. It was very sweet.







So now we're in for summer vacation! Too bad Michael will be uber-busy most of the time. But the girls and I will have a lot of fun. We're planning to go to the zoo, attend the ward's play group at the park weekly, and work on some fun projects (depending on my energy level) at home. I've got to get a routine planned out for the summer so we have something to keep us busy so we don't get bogged down in boredom or driving eachother nuts instead of having fun.

Yesterday and the day before I attended high school graduations. One for each of my two oldest nephews. I can't believe they're graduated from high school now! They've both already been accepted to BYU to start in the fall. (I hope the campus stays standing -- the stories of each of their fathers together during those years are great fun as long as you're not the one living with them, lol.)
Congrats boys!!!

I can't say I'm proud of my husband.

Somewhere recently I heard a talk that mentioned the fact that "pride" (see also: proud, proudness, prideful, pridination, etc.) is never used in a positive fashion in the scriptures. As an example *they* (I don't know who!!!) pointed out that when Heavenly Father has introduced His Son he says "In whom I am well pleased" instead of using the colloquialism "Who I am so proud of". I cannot for the life of me remember where I heard it, but it really made me think. So I try to adjust my terminology to be in line with propriety.
What all that boils down to is this: I can't say I'm "proud" of my husband.

I am amazed at what he has accomplished. I am astounded by the things he can do. I am impressed with his determination, his drive, and his focus. Mostly I am humbled by the ways the Lord has blessed him, and through him our family.

Several years ago we were discussing employment and bosses and companies and we started talking in very general terms. We started talking about the absolute ideal situation. Like that could ever happen, right? To have a job you love, in a position you enjoy, with a compassionate boss in motivating environment just doesn't happen does it? As many of you know all too well, we have been all over the map in the employment view of things. I want Michael to enjoy his work. I know it will be work and you gotta do what you gotta do, but I'd rather sacrifice physical comfort (not necessities, but comfort) in order for him to do something he doesn't dread waking up to most days of his life. We have, in the course of events, consulted with the Lord with all our hearts to know what Michael should do and where he should be. Yes, some of the decisions may have seemed odd; but as we look back and discuss each of these changes and attempts in varying fields we can now see choices, lessons, and a series of events all of which were necessary for us to get where we are now. It has been frustrating, exhausting, financially challenging, etc., but I wouldn't change any of it. Those trials led us to where we are now. Without the Lord's guidance we could not be in this situation.

Okay, so I understand that Michael is the one who is employed outside the home, not me, but I still use the term "we" pretty liberally. I've actually always been quite involved with what Michael does at work. I know the people he works with, the projects he's on, the good the bad and the ugly. I also live with the schedule required (everything from 16 hour days to graveyard shifts and even the occasional more standard schedule) and the financial outlay. So I'll use the term "we" if I want to :P

So where did this whole novel stem from? Well, yesterday Michael was promoted to "General Manager" of the company. The rest of the company was instructed to take his words with the same weight as The Boss and told that he is the one who will handle most of the day-to-day issues so Rex (The Boss) can keep his attentions focused on the big picture while he works with various specifics. More than one person responded that they had been expecting the title change for some time now. It really doesn't mean a whole lot of change for us. Michael has been more or less doing the job for some time now. And no, there's not big raise attached to the title or anything like that. Truly it's more a clarification or an updating of title.

We feel extremely blessed for Michael to have this opportunity. He loves the company he works for. To be part of a family-oriented honest company is truly wonderful. Michael actually loves his work. No, not every day is fantastic. Not all clients are nice. Not all workers have been stellar. But hey, as a mother I love my job and sometimes the kids are real pills, lol. It's the big picture. To be given the opportunity at all has been incredible. To be honestly judged on his merit and to be given the chance to set and reach for certain goals at work has been very fulfilling for him. He is uniquely talented at coding and at management and in client relations and this position lets him enjoy each of these talents. Yes, it's busy. But it's a good busy. :)

I'm very pleased with my husband ;)

(and I love him too!)



The Home Office