Day 161

So not a bad day today...just a long one.  Aladdin got a claw removed and we went from trying to get to bed around 8 pm tonight to being LUCKY to get to bed around one.  We had to RE-wrap his bandages...now this cat is special.  He is loving, adores the kids, snuggles all night, and usually a well tempered animal.  But get him ANYwhere near a medical facility and the cat goes bonkers!  He tries to EAT his way out of a cone, the vet has to wear special gloves to put him in a special box that gasses him to sleep JUST to check his general health!  So getting his claw removed today was a big deal, and then he ate the wrapping off of his paw!  So with extra thick work gloves, David and I proceeded to re-wrap the paw...only took 3 hours lol.

Work was good today.  I had a fun time with the itty bitty kiddos.  After work, we sat down around the table and had a fabulous meal that David prepared.  I LOVE Mondays when we get to eat at the dinner table.  We do this other days of the week too, but to me, starting the week around the table as a family just makes me so happy!  After dinner, I put in a batch of cranberry/orange scones and we began Family Home Evening.  Our topic was "what are good things to pray about and what are things that we should NOT pray for"  It was great to have Joel AND Connor participate.  We sang a songs, had opening and closing prayer, and then ate the most delicious scones from Stonewall Kitchen!  It was a great night and I am so happy we ended today as a loving family.

I am really happy tonight.  Really tired and hoping Aladdin feels better, but we have him snuggled down in a blankie in the laundry basket...and he is ONE happy kitty right now....mostly due to how much sedatives we had to give him to calm him down lol.

Well, off to bed and looking forward to a little sleep and hopefully my under eye cream keeping the puff and dark circles to a minimum.  Have a good night all!

Day 160

160 days of sunshine so far!  Finding the joy is fun!  Good Sabbath day today!

We started off our morning by trying to wake up and get out the door to church...we made it on time and my arm made it through all four songs today.  I have a feeling I am getting close to being done with this wonderful calling.  My left arm was never supposed to lead the music lol.  I have been left HANDED and right ARMED my whole life.  I am so proud of my left arm taking over this past year while my right arm was incapacitated.  It just doesn't feel as good and gets SO tired when leading a really long song...we shall see :)

Church was wonderful and I got to see people that I only get to see once a week and chat with them.  It was nice to catch up with some people and arrange future get togethers with others.

We came home and I put Connor down for a nap and watched a movie in my room with Joel. He REALLY likes how our bedroom is turning out.  Such a cute kid.  After the movie was over, Joel went down to hang out with David and I took a nap...SO needed it!
We did dinner with my parents and then home and baths for the boys.  As we were saying prayers tonight, Connor tried to repeat every word in the prayer that I was saying.  So I slowed down and let him follow along so he felt like HE was saying the prayer.  When we were done Joel said "wow that is really impressive how far Connor has come!"  ADORABLE!  Joel went over to Connor and hugged and kissed him and told him he did a good job praying....OH that they could be that way ALL of the time!  At least it was one of those happy moments that is seared into my mind forever...so sweet!

Well tomorrow is another Monday.  If you are reading this, pray for our little family this week.  Lots of news coming and it all BEGINS tomorrow.  We are hoping for a very SPEEDY resolution on some of our conflicts and we should find out Tuesday how it all went.  Until tomorrow, happy thoughts to all and keep finding the joy!

Day 159

My happy moments started early this morning!  First, my friend asked me if I wanted to go on a walk with her....exercising is hard because I don't like doing it alone and I can't find the time.  So this morning was the perfect time to go!  This particular friend and neighbor just happens to work for a company called Coach.  When I dropped my last 5 pounds, I told her there was a certain purse/bag I had seen that I wanted.  She was able to snag it for me at a great price!  So on top of getting to see my friend, her dogs, AND her new cute baby, I also got a bag with a box containing my new purse!  YEA!  It has SO much room in it, but looks small.  I am excited to try it out tomorrow....women....lol

So I had a lovely walk with my friend and got some much needed exercise and girl talk in.  I have been very blessed to be around wonderful people three days in a row now and getting to talk and share life with them. 

We were able to redo some of our room today.  We now have our old downstairs TV upstairs, the new TV installed downstairs, and the dresser moved around.  Next up is getting a painter and getting the bed here.  So happy to have the room looking slightly like what it is going to look like in the end!  AND when the room is finished, that means we will be celebrating our 10 yr wedding anniversary....all happy things!

We went to my parent's house and had dinner with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and niece tonight.  It was fun (other than Connor and my niece fighting over a book....2 yr olds....) and we had a nice meal and a good time visiting.

We came home and put the kids to bed.  Joel behaved SO well that we got to do kiss and song time tonight, always a pleasant treat to hear "I love you very much Mommy" at the end of my day.  So now I am off to bed.  Church in the morning and then hopefully a good long nap!  Happy Saturday and let the new week begin!

Day 158

Friday, Friday, gettin down on Friday...everybody's looking forward to the weekend....so bad I know, but I couldn't help myself!  I am so so so happy that Friday is HERE!
I started my morning at my Mothers of Preschoolers meeting where we sat at our tables, ate yummy food, and prayed for one another.  I SO SO needed this at the end of this week.  Tissues abounded today and I was grateful to be there to support other women in their time of need as well.  We had a really fun activity where we took a piece of candy out of a bag and that candy corresponded to a question on a game that was made up.  Some of the questions were faith based, and others were really hard to come up with answers!  We had a wonderful time laughing together and planning our next Mom's night out...coming to this happy blog soon!

I went home and Connor and his babysitter were still out at the park, so I had a few mommy moments to myself to pick up downstairs and make phone calls and other things I CANNOT do when my two year old is attached at my leg lol.  Connor came back home and it was lunch and then nap time for him.  I picked up Joel from school and we sat on the couch while Connor took his nap.  Joel and I read stories and played games on the tablet while snuggled up.  I even got a, "I really like this mommy."  I really liked it too....because you KNOW that isn't happening in just a few short years!  I will take the happy snuggle moments now!

After the kids went to bed, David and I did a mini date night downstairs with a television show and some chamomile tea for me.
 I am so happy to be here on this Friday night and have the next week stretched out in front of me.  It is going to be a fun time this next week with the kiddos and I am looking forward to all of the fun MAGICAL moments that are headed our way....and that's all I have to say about that.....

Thursday Day 157

Today was a good day...a really really good day to begin the end of a really really bad week.  I have been so depressed, felt so alone, and been so sad all week...and that is no way to feel when I have a HAPPY blog to type in at the END of those days! LOL

Joel and Connor were both in really good moods today...happy!
My visiting teacher texted me and we met for lunch.  I got to talk with her about her life and my life and everything in between.  Eating mexican food and letting it all out...it...was...lovely!  I didn't feel alone and I felt good at the end of the lunch.  It is nice to feel supported and loved by other people.

David came home early so I could get a nap in before I headed for the Temple.  I was so tired from everything going on this week.  He took the boys out to the pool and water play area that is walking distance to our home and I slept for 2 hours...blissfully slept and dreamed...SUCH a happy Mommy moment!

I helped David get the boys dinner and get them ready for bed and then I was off to the LDS temple!  I got there and it just happened to be the night that my old congregation was visiting!  It was so great to see so many ladies that I loved so much in my old ward.  I sat in the Celestial room and hugged and cried with them.  That is how heaven is going to be my friends.  Everyone is going to be dressed in white, in a beautiful place, and have the opportunity to see people that you loved here on earth.  It was a blessed evening and it was JUST what I needed for the end of a really bad week!  I am so thankful that I am being watched over by my Heavenly Father each day, and when I am in tears and whispering "please help me to make it through the rest of this week" he sends me angels galore to carry me through!  I am filled with joy and gratitude tonight.  May all of you be so lucky to have dear friends and loved ones to lift YOU up in your time of need.  :-)

Day 156

So I checked the stats report on my blog today.  I don't like to check too often, because not knowing how many people read my blog a day (and usually the number is around ONE) is fine with me.  This blog can be read by anyone or no one...it will still be here for me to enjoy!  I have officially reached almost EVERY single continent with my blog!  That is pretty neat!  Now if only I knew someone who lived in Australia and Antarctica...that would be cool to have every continent having someone who read my blog!  Still have some time left so we will see!
Started off my day feeding the kiddos breakfast and rushing out the door to work.  I picked up Joel from school and had a nice chat with him, got him lunch and was able to give Connor hugs and kisses before heading back TO work.  I don't see the kids too much on Wednesdays, but helping other kids is really rewarding and I am grateful that the boys are in good hands!
After work, I came home and set up the house for my Pampered Chef party.  I have a wonderful friends who has been my consultant and dear friend for many years now.  We always have a fun time when she puts together great food!  After the party, we always talk about our kids and Joel and his progress with his sensory disorder.  Nancy is a bit of an expert on the subject since her child has a sensory processing disorder and Nancy was studying to become an occupational therapist.  She always gives us great tips on how to deal with Joel and his quirks.  It was so great to see so many good friends, eat wonderful food, and talk talk talk the night away! 
I am so thankful for the dear friends that I have that have been so kind to me and thoughtful this past week.  I am so grateful that I can be there for my friends when they need me as well.  Life is not always easy, but this quote came to my mind yesterday and it has stayed all day, "be kind and friends will follow."  I know this to be true.  I am grateful for the opportunities of kindness in my life and that friends come with emotional support in phone calls, wonderful e-mails, and hugs.  I am grateful AND happy for all of it!  The happiest moment of all is that today is Wednesday and tomorrow is Thursday...this week is almost DONE!

Day 155

Today is over! I made it!  Happy!
Got up this morning and headed out to Physical Therapy...I like physical therapy!  It makes my arm feel better AND when I am flaring in the morning it helps me loosen up for the day...all good things!
I had a babysitter today so I took advantage of my boy-free time and headed to the mall for some retail therapy.  Not sure if I was HAPPY shopping or not, but I like what I got.  Emotional shopping...I don't gain weight from it AND I am already walking it off by just DOING it lol.
We had a nice family dinner at home (now, when I say NICE, don't picture some Leave it to Beaver moment)  my version of a NICE family dinner is mommy not having to scream for the thousandth time "JUST EAT IT!" No negotiations on how many MORE bites it will take before the table can be vacated, and absolutely NO "but I don't LIKE this!" tonight...so NICE dinner moment.
I got to watch one of my favorite shows after the kiddos were in bed and drink some chamomile tea as well.  I am ready to head to bed and try as hard as I can to get away from yesterday.  Many things are still looming, but it helps to have prayers said for me and it helped to take some "me" time today to clear my head and try to push past the depression.  I am really alone in both situations.  David can be with me part of the way, but it is my arm and I am the mom.  Hopefully my arm will heal, and with the other situation, well...no good is ever going to come from it.  Lives will be destroyed and all I can hope for are consequences to actions made.  Doesn't sound very happy, but maybe when this whole thing is OVER, we can feel some peace and not have it brought up every few weeks with a phone call :-)  Thanks for reading....happy Tuesday all.

Day 154

Time to blog and then hit the bathtub with a tablet and some Gilmore Girls...it has been that kind of day.  Just a busy day with lots to get done, little time to do it, and lots of bad news...but that is NOT what this blog is about...through it all, there were happy moments, and it is here that I can write them down and hold onto them with both hands through these very very very difficult times.  Ok, just a quick sidenote of it all a) Joel possibly has some weird staff infection or who knows what b) ZERO progression in my X-ray today c) got a phone call that I have been waiting for since September, our court case is beginning and I am aloud to talk to the judge before he makes his sentencing and give a victim's statement...yes I WILL be doing that...and that is all I can say to those of you who know what that's about.

So happy moments:

Lunch with the boys was great!  I enjoyed some soup and they got sandwiches.  We had a nice time talking and eating and watching the rain pour down outside.  Very metaphor day today lol
We had a great family dinner tonight and then after we did a nice Family Home Evening lesson on the Book of Mormon and God's love for us.  It was nice to have the boys quiet, Connor snuggled on my lap while I gave the lesson, and FEEL God's love as we sat around our dinner table as one happy family.
-I had a pretty good work day.  One of the itty bitty kiddos waved and gave me a HUGE smile and said "Bye Bye" it made his mom tear up and reminded me WHY I love doing what I do so much....happy!
-Well thus ends my monday.  Physical therapy tomorrow and hopefully some peaceful happy rolling moments headed my way.  I felt really alone today, and I know I am not...I can see the green patches of those who read my blog and I feel loved.  Thank you for stopping by the happy challenge as it WAS a challenge today, but I did it!

Day 153

I am not gonna lie, typing my post ON the actual night it happened is so nice!  My hand is getting much better and I am typing and not having to RE type so much!  Hopefully I can keep this going and get back on track with my blog!  The reason I typed a few blogs at a time was because I am left handed, therefore I WROTE my moments down and then typed them out when my hand felt the strongest....which was usually mid-day and not right before bed.  Tonight, I am feeling good and happy to be happy blogging away!

I got to take a nap today...that was SO nice!  It has been so cold lately, and getting to snuggle down under a nice warm blanket and heating pad felt so good!  I woke up to a little 2 yr old placing a box on my head whispering "uh oh!.....oh no...mommy.....mommmmmyyyyy" lol!  It was pretty cute when whispered like that.

I got to go to church and enjoy a session that was broadcast from Salt Lake.  The boys behaved pretty well for the 2 hours we sat there and I am happy we learned some lessons on faith, praying with our family, and other church principles.

Two football games watched in one day....hasn't happened in YEARS, but it happened today.  The team I wanted to win sadly gave the game away, but the Superbowl should be interesting this year.  It was nice to watch the game with my dad at my parent's house and have the boys yelling TOUCHDOWN and screaming right along with me "THROW THE BALL!!!" Such a nice Sunday family activity LOL.  I texted with my mother-in-law for most of the second game as well...it was a really nice bonding time and made me happy to have the chance to root for the same team...even though they lost!

Tomorrow begins another week of craziness and busy times.  I don't know when the slow is going to happen, but I am going to try to manage it all as best as I can and try to soak up the joy!  Have a good Monday all!

Day 152...SATURDAY

Oh what a gloomy, rainy, day today!  It was great!  I stayed in bed for a quite a while this morning and the kids stayed in PJs almost all day today.  We cleaned SOME, but mostly hung out at home.  Joel and I were thinking of going to Legoland earlier this week but that was out with the rain.  Maybe next week.  Joel had a friend come over and they had a great time playing and going from room to room and toy to toy!

Life today was pretty boring, but that is a good thing!  We snuggled on the couch, took naps, played Words with Friends, and finally got dressed up enough to go to one of our local eateries for dinner.  Now we are home and the boys are headed to bed. We also did a Skype session with David's parents.  It makes me laugh because they get a tiny window into what our lives are like 24/7!  The boys are always EXTRA crazy when they are on camera for the grandparents.  I am happy that David's parents get to SEE them though...technology is great!

Not sure what else is going to happen tonight, but I am happy and grateful for all of the rain.  I DO need to do a couple of loads of laundry so I GUESS I should go do that...or not...you know tomorrow is another day :-)

Day 151 FRIDAY has arrived!

I am so thankful it is Friday!  I have been so busy this week!  Example, I was SO busy today that while filling up my car with gas, I got Connor dressed at the same time!

I started off my day by spending time with my mom, great aunt, and her caretaker at my grandmother's old house.  We cleaned out my grandmother's closets and donated her clothes and threw out other things.  We took a break for lunch and had a lovely day together.  I wasn't sad going through my grandmother's things.  It was fun to go through her clothes and remember what outfit she wore for my wedding, for Christmas' long ago, and other special occasions.  A big bonus was that all the clothes SMELLED like my grandma!  My memories are linked INTIMATELY with smells and it was so nice to take in the scent of my grandmother and feel overwhelmingly happy.

I made dinner for a family in my ward tonight and made a dinner for my kids and a babysitter as well....two dinners in one week...I MUST be getting better!  So sad I haven't cooked lately, but that is going to change with each day that I get stronger!  David and I went out on a date and we ate at a restaurant that we usually go to with the kids....what a change to be FREE from them and eat hot food lol.  We came home, had the kids put to bed, and watched a Redbox movie and ate popcorn and candy in bed...such a cheap, happy, moment! 

Time for bed and time to let the weekend peace wash over me.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow so I think I will do my best to stay in PJs and keep warm and cozy!  Happy Friday!

Day 150!

Wow, 150 days down....can't believe that!  Where has the time gone to?  David says we should have a white board in our house and have "days since last hospital visit" with the number of days on it!  Funny!  I cooked a family dinner tonight!  ME!  All by myself with no assistance.  It felt so good to be so independent and make a meal for my family!

Before our family meal, the boys had a dentist appointment today.  They did a great job sitting and getting cleaned...NO tears makes a happy mommy!  After the appointment we headed to the Irvine Spectrum and had lunch and shopped and rode the carousel....a special treat for them being so good at the dentist!  Joel told me "I had a really great time mom."  That is what it is all about folks!  Quality non crying, screaming, fighting, time with my two boys was so nice!  So nice that it made it so easy to make a meal for my family and have a great dinner.  I got to watch a lot of my favorite Thursday night shows after they were in bed as well.  Nothing major or life changing to make me happy today.  Just simply little things that added up to one great day!

Day 149 Wed

Bullet form happy moments for today folks....

• Work was good but I was SO tired!  I took a 20 minute cat nap in my car....so peaceful!
• We had a nice family dinner at home with left over Chinese food and spending a little bit of time with everyone together was great
• It was a MOPS mom's night out just over at one of our local club houses...we hung out, talked, ate, and had a BLAST!  Happy moments were making new friends, meeting new people, and hearing lots of great stories from the ladies I already knew.  I am so grateful for that wonderful group of women!

Today was simple and fun.  I am grateful for being part of my little community and little family.  So many reasons to smile.

Day 148 Tuesday

Well, today was the first day in a couple of days that we have had no rain. My hands are grateful and happy!  I have been flaring pretty badly lately, but this morning, waking up early and heading to physical therapy really helped!  Here is to my arm getting stronger and my hand getting more mobile each day!
I dropped Joel off at school and then went to my  first meeting for PTA as the corporate sponser for the Jog A Thon....I am old enough to be a PTA member...holy cow folks!  I remember when my MOM was on the PTO lol it was a bit surreal being there, but I think it is going to be a lot of fun!

It was a busy but fun day today. I took Connor to speech therapy after my meeting.  He is improving so much!  Then we came home and played and ate lunch.  He is really into playing choo choo trains right now so we did another turn around the tracks. 
Ok so not such a happy moment today, but for sure something funny when I look back on it.....someday.....Connor has gotten into the habit of  pulling food items off of the shelf in our garage and sets them JUST under my tires.  Thus far today on TWO separate occasions, because I was in a hurry both times and dumb enough to believe the second time that he had LISTENED to me, I ran over cans of Tomato Bisque soup and then boxes of cake mix....powdery substance and tomatoes ALL over the garage due to tire tracks and popping plastic.  UGH!  SOMEDAY it will be funny....

After a long busy day, I had Chinese food delievered....that made me HAPPY!  We ate just a tiny portion and have enough for dinner tomorrow...good times!  Well, time to get ready for bed and begin again tomorrow. Looking forward to soft snuggle pillow time!  Night all.

Day 147

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!  Well...most of us in the house are happy...ok half to be exact.  David is home sick...he finally caught the flu we all have, and Joel has had THE worst attitude today!  So it was just me and Connor off on adventures today.
I took Connor down to the kid part of my dad's work and he was entertained for the better part of 2 hours from being chased by the employees, hanging out with my dad and uncle, and playing.  We brought In and Out to eat there as well so it was a successful adventure!  I wore him out and had a great time listening to him giggle and scream!

We came home and Joel had a much better attitude.  We set up the wooden train set in Joel's room and the two boys and I played for a while...it is fun to get on the floor and play again!  I can actually get back UP without assistance...it's the little things I tell ya!

We did bedtime stories and kisses all around.  One of my happiest moments was watching my little men sleep and tucking them back in.  I am blessed.  I love listening to them breath and watch as their little eyes flutter as they dream.  Here's to Joel's attitude improving with some sleep!

Day 146 Sunday

I can't believe I am pretty much half way through to the 365 day mark!  It amazes me that this is still going, even with a pretty damaged hand!  I am proud of myself and also grateful for the strength I have to type...this has been a really good habit to have!

So Sunday, got up bright and early and both boys were sick.  David stayed home while I went to church and performed my duties of leading music.  It was great!  I didn't feel like I was going to pass out, and it was nice sitting up on the stand singing my heart out once more! 

It was so nice to see so many people I had not seen in a while because of my latest surgery.  I had a nice time in the women's meeting and the lesson was simply wonderful!  We are also studying the Book of Mormon this year, we do this in Sunday school once every four years, and how I love the stories and learning about what God wants from us.

I came home and the boys seemed to be feeling better.  We did dinner with my parents and had a great time visiting.  Joel does not have school tomorrow so he was able to go and spend the night with my parents.  HAPPY!  It is amazing how much faster one can get to bed when only putting ONE child down for the night.  I hope he has a good time with Grandma and Grandad!

Well that is all for today.  May each of you have a blessed sabbath day and find the last happy moments of the weekend!

Day 145...all caught up!

I can't tell you how good it feels to be all caught up once more with my precious blog.  This blog means so much to me.  It is a precious journal of all the joy I have found in all the trying times of this season in my life.  I am so thankful my hand is starting to work a bit more now so that I can type a little faster!  HAPPY!

Today was a day of staying home and cleaning.  We accomplished a lot!  Lots of laundry washed, lots of carpets vacummed and cleaned via the Rug Doctor, and one of the cats even got a bath...we were on a ROLL!

Joel and Connor BOTH took naps today!  David and I got a break in the cleaning and got to watch a bit of TV together...always nice.  We also went on another date for dinner and a movie...it was nice and unexpected to get TWO in one week!  I will take all of the happiness and smiling times I can get!

Well, tomorrow is church and Joel will get to spend the night at Grandma's oh boy!  No school on Monday so we are going to have to think of something FUN to do!  Hope you all have a great Saturday night and soak up some happy times!

Day 144 Friday the 13th oooh!

Well, we began our morning at 3 AM with Joel getting sick and David waking up at 8 to go out and get the Rug Doctor from the store to clean up our carpet....Joel was 12 INCHES from our linoleum bathroom floor! LOL

I had a babysitter coming to watch Connor and David stayed home.  Joel stayed in his bed and watched movies and drank water.  I got to go to my MOPS meeting for a couple of hours.  That REALLY helped me re-charge my mommy battery!  The topic at MOPS was on patience and it could not have been a better topic for me to hear and then come back home to the front line of flu war.

I am so glad I got to be there for Joel all day!  I gave him food, helped him watch movies, and got to be the mom who takes care of someone sick...sort of a happy moment for me because I was the caretaker for the first time in a long time!

I ended my day with a cup of herbal tea and a few quiet moments.  Showing love by serving others is so nice.  I was so happy and peaceful tonight.  It was a rough day because of things with David's work and things at home, but being surrounded by my precious little family put it all into perspective for me.  There is NOTHING else that matters.  If David should lose his job, he will find another one...God will provide for my little family.  If I am so tired I can't move, I WILL find the strength somehow.  We can make it through by keeping to our mantra of finding the joy....it has done so well for us thus far!

Day 143 Thursday Jan 12

So many happy memories on this thursday!  I visited so many great friends and had so much fun being WITHOUT my children.  Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that was the case after being home sick with them all week!

• First off, I visited with my dear friends and former co-workers at the old Elementary school where I worked back in the day.  They are truly some of the most wonderful women on the planet and are certainly some of the most down to earth, without wordly pride, hard working people I know!  We had fun chatting and catching up and I loved showing them pictures of the boys.  I miss those ladies, but I am so glad we got a chance to visit!
• After my visit at my old work, I was off to lunch with one of my favorite people and dear friend, Lynn.  We spent over two HOURS chatting at a table at a sandwich shop that was a favorite place of mine back in my early working days.  It was so nice to catch up with my friend and laugh...such a happy moment!
• After my lunch happy moment, I drove down the freeway to visit my husband at his work.  I haven't visited there in a couple of YEARS now so it was nice to see all of the changes he made in his office and catch up with him during the day.  There is this show called the Big Bang Theory  that is all about physicists and what they do.  The more we watch it, the more David and I BOTH realize how alike the show is to him and other physicists in real life!  He was working on a lot of things that look just like what the guys on the show work on and write on their white boards at home.  I am so proud of my smart PhD hubby!  He worked SO hard this week helping others and putting in 12.5 hour days....he is such a good example to our sons!  I had to stop over at my Grandmother's old house to check on something and visit with my great-aunt.  After that, I called David at work and asked him if he wanted to do dinner, and that's what happy moment came next!
• We did dinner at Downtown Disney and saw a movie there as well.  It was a GREAT impromptu date night and it took us back to the old days of us living in our tiny apartment in Anaheim and doing downtown Disney for our dates.  We had SO much fun there today that we decided to bring the boys back and visit Disneyland (Connor's first time) and stay the night and do California Adventure the next day...happy moments from that coming soon!

So today was a busy day but one filled with joy and blessings from the many people in my life!  I am so thankful for good friends who care about me and have been there for me so much these past few months!  Happy to be that likable :)

Day 142

Some happy moment bullets brought to you today by one and a half hands :-)

• had a GREAT breakthrough at work today with one of my little kiddos! It isn't often that I have a HUGE change in the speech of a client.  Usually it happens gradually over time.  Today, however, this kid went from telling me maybe one word each session to pointing and imitating EVERY word I was telling him to say!  It was great!
• I had a nice meal with the family at Chick Fil-A after work tonight.  It was nice to sit and visit with David while we watched Joel and Connor have fun on the play area with other kids.  We came home and they went RIGHT to sleep!  I got a few extra moments of quiet in the house...thank you play area!

That is all for today.  Life is going by at a normal pace right now.  I am grateful for normal, mundane days....oh how I have missed them!

Day 141

So the hand is a bit tired tonight.  I did a lot of laundry today and LOTS of picking up Connor.  Onto the happy moments and then bed!

• at Weight Watcher's, I got my 40 pound bookmark today!  Thanks to all of the surgeries and my recent bout of the flu, I am 9 pounds from my goal weight and almost there to a healthier me...and I can also check that resolution off my list as well!
• I spent a lot of time hanging out with Connor today.  He behaved himself while I took Joel to OT and we had fun reading books and listening to him say all kinds of words was great!  His vocab is really growing!
• While Connor napped, Joel and I went online to look at Veggie Tale games and had fun snuggling on the couch...good Mommy time!
• I made a meal....all by myself today!  David and Joel and I all liked it....little Connor woke up from his nap on the wrong side of the crib lol.

It was a good night hanging out with everyone after a long day.  David worked 12.5 HOURS to get a project done at work...oy!  I am proud of him and his work ethic though....the project is done!  Well, work tomorrow, but I get to go to lunch somewhere fun so that is good! Night all!

Day 140

Well, I am all caught up tonight!  Feeling much better as well so that is good!  My hand is beginning to type a bit faster as well so that TRULY helps me with the blogging online instead of all on paper.  I am so grateful I am able to keep this going.  It has meant a lot to me to continue my happy moment journaling each day.  It is a gift that I can look back on for many years and laugh and enjoy....so here are today's good times!

We were still a bit sick this morning so I got Joel off to school and put Connor and myself right back to bed.  We both slept until around noon lol.  I made myself a pot of rice and was able to eat it and not get sick!  I picked Joel up and had the strength to make both boys some lunch.  It was nice to sit and talk with Joel after school.

Later on, I went to work and enjoyed my time there a lot.  I have such good kids that want to work to get better and the parents are great!  AND I turned in my time card which means my paycheck is coming soon...YEA!  The medical bills from last year are slowly but surely getting paid off and it feels great!

So there is a bit of a back story, but Joel had a "fake" birthday party tonight.  My dad needed to film and get photos of a kid having a party so he could show a company his business that deals with kids.  In 48 hours time, I was able to find about 20 kids and other workers got cake, pizza, and balloons!  I didn't get to see too much because I had to work during most of it, but it was great to see the people who turned out for it!  I think fun was had by all!

Tonight I got to snuggle with the boys and do story time.  Last night I was too sick to be up for it, so it was nice to be able to do it tonight.  I love that they still love snuggling w me!  I am going to milk that as long as I can!  Well that is all for today.  Look at how much I typed!  I am proud of my hand!

Day 139...ugh

Woke up feeling yucky this morning.  Well, found out Connor had the flu when we got him up.  Then I starting heaving.  It was a LONG day.  ONE happy moment.  Everything David did for us.  He even made me an egg and went out to the store to get Diet 7UP.  Bless that man!  AND, I kept the egg down!  HAPPY!  Good night all...uuuuuuugh!

Day 138

What a fun day! Today was all about family!  We got up bright and early and headed down to Camp Pendleton Marine base to go look at helicopters with my MOPS group.  The boys had a BLAST climbing in and out of the two helicopters, and we learned one had been shot down in Vietnam! 

After our tour there, we were able to go to a private beach on the base...we felt very special...and eat our picnic lunch.  The beach area had a playground that the boys had to be DRAGGED off of just to eat!  It was nice sitting with friends and watching our kids play.  It was such a peaceful family time.  The sound of the waves, the sand on our feet..and food lol...all made for a really fun time!

We came home and ALL took a long nap!  What a perfect Saturday!  I am so thankful for family moments like the one we had today.  There was constant laughter and awe...just watching Joel and Connor see those helicopters is something I won't forget for a long time!  Now if we could only get back to that beach someday! LOL

Day 137

LOTS and LOTS of beautiful, happy moments today!

• I got to walk Connor to a play group today, and then I walked Joel to school and I took the long way home.  If I can find my walking shoes, I am looking forward to taking several walks next week.  Working out, here I come!
• I had the happy moment of finding my phone, but only after losing it lol.  I also undid all of the cleaning that I did yesterday in my organizing my room happy moment, so hopefully tomorrow I can say with happiness that my room is once again clean.
• I got to talk to lots of friends today, and that always makes me happy.  But two moments stick out the most, and brought me the most joy.  The first one was finally getting to see my friend after she had her baby, and getting to finally meet her baby.  It was a very nice moment, and I got to learn a lot about child birth (to C sections does not give you much child birth experience, so I always have questions).  It was nice to see my friend Jen there too, and I also got to see her one more time today.  I love bumping into my neighbors!  The second moment I had today was getting to talk to my friend Lynn through emails and texts.  I posted on here a couple days ago about the Spoon Theory, and she was able to get a lot out of it with her family.  She sent me a beautiful email that brought tears of joy and made me feel good that the Spoon Theory is going forth, continuing to help people with chronic pain.
• We ate dinner together as a family at our dinner table, and David did the whole thing.  lol.  There is this book I keep seeing at a card store called "Porn for Moms."  I'm not fond of the title, but the first picture is a man vacuuming while feeding a baby a bottle.  David cooking dinner and setting the table and getting the drinks for all of us.  Nough said.
• Bath time and prayer time is always an interesting experience in our home.  You never know what attitude you're going to get from either one, but tonight was pretty funny.  As we were praying, Connor wanted a toy and I saw him through one open eye, so I moved the toy away from him.  He clenched both fists and started to get really mad, but then looked at David praying and folded his arms and bowed his head once more.  I made sort of a snort sound trying not to laugh during the prayer, and Connor says to me, "Bless you."

I am appreciative of my husband for typing this.  He is true to my blog, and writes down every word I say.  Bless him!  Looking forward to the weekend, and I hope you all have happy weekend moments too.

Day 136

bullets for today....

• I got to walk to pick up Joel today and I wasn't totally sweaty after doing it!  Maybe I am ready to take the next step and start walking for exercise again??  I also saw my friend Jen as we were walking and she walked with us to pick up Joel.  It gave us a moment to see what it will be like when we have our two boys, who are just a couple of weeks apart, go to school in a few years...but not TOO soon :-)
• I spent most of the day cleaning my room and doing laundry and organizing...it felt so good to be so domestic!
• We had dinner with my parents for a belated B-day dinner at one of our favorite restaurants with a Tepanyaki style dinner.  For dessert I got their bread-pudding....it is delightfully SINFUL and I didn't have to count ONE calorie since it was my "birthday cake" hee hee
• Joel said bedtime prayers tonight and it was so sweet.  I love it when my little boy prays!

One more blog to type and my hand feels like it is going to fall off!  Might have to get some help for the next day lol.  I am grateful for small happy bullets though...

Happy 31 to me and day 135 to you!

Today was my 31st birthday!  Today is the day I left 30 behind me, and all that year 30 brought.  I began my day by unwrapping my first gift, and it's not what you think, unless you're on Facebook, and then you saw the picture lol.  That's right, today I got my stitches out of my arm, pulled ceremoniously and quickly by a nurse whose only words to me were "take a deep breath in."  Then it was over, the stitches were out, and I didn't feel a thing.  Happy!

I was able to go to breakfast this morning with a lady from church and her daughter.  I had some happy moments talking with her and getting to know her better.  It was so kind of her to take me out to breakfast!  The next part of my day, I spent cuddling with my children and watching them enjoy the blueberry muffin I brought back from breakfast.  Those kids make me so happy.

On to lunch.  My dear friend Nancy, who is also my long-time Pampered Chef consultant, took me out to lunch today down to San Juan Capistrano.  We enjoyed good food, great friendship, and just had the best time on a girls' day out.

I came home and spent a little more time with my little ones, getting some giggles and kisses in.  We got this new toy that is a dog that says either Connor's or Joel's name, and they are both obsessed with it.  They don't fight over it, they just both really enjoy the songs played and hearing their names said by the dog lol.  Then it was off to work.

After work, we were supposed to go to Coco's to dinner, but on the way there I realized I didn't want to eat anything at Coco's.  So I called David and told him I wanted to go to a BBQ restaurant that has brisket nachos.  David wholeheartedly agreed, possibly because it's my birthday and the birthday girl is always right lol.  On the way there, Joel was upset because we changed our plans from Coco's to this new restaurant, and he also had it in his head that we were going to Wendy's for my birthday dinner lol.  So as he's carrying on in the back seat, David and I are saying nothing, and he finally says to us, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"  Little Connor, in his quiet voice, politely says, "Noooo."  LOL.  It was a really cute moment!

We got to dinner and got to sit in a pretend jail cell, and the kids got to draw on the wall in crayon.  Not sure which was the bigger hit for the kids, but it certainly made them behave (for the most part).  When I came back from dinner, I found a birthday present on the porch.  I had just been telling David I was going to light a candle and take a birthday bath, and what do you know?  It was a great-smelling candle in the bag.  Thank you Kellie!  I also got a surprise in the mail, a delayed Christmas present turned into a birthday present from a dear friend in my rheumatoid arthritis support group called RARA.  It was a pair of spoon earrings.  There is this story for people with autoimmune diseases called the "spoon theory", and we all know it well, so the earrings were kind of an inside reference.  You can find the "spoon theory" anywhere online, and lately I have been almost completely out of spoons after breakfast lol.

Overall, I feel very blessed this day.  I'm grateful to my mom who gave birth to me, because it is kind of a big day for her as well.  I am grateful to the many friends who sent birthday wishes my way, and I am grateful to my precious little family for making my evening so wonderful.  Today was filled with an overabundance of happy moments, and that makes me very happy.

Day 134

I have had insomnia for 3 days now!  I took and Advil PM...two actually...tonight and I am hoping it helps w my pain and helps me to sleep! 
 I got to help Joel get ready for school today!  Got his bag with his snack and hw all ready.  I felt like a real mom!  I fed both the boys breakfast as well....go me!  Today it was about being happy over my small accomplishments...like typing that word! 

I am almost done with my continuing ed units!  I found a place I can watch recorded sessions and get CEUs online...too cool!

We got to go out to eat tonight....the kids ate for free and I didn't have to cook...happy mommy!

Well that is about it for today.  Short, but good moments.  Taking it one day at a time and I am REALLY looking forward to turning 31 tomorrow...GOODBYE 30!  I wish that I knew what I know now....when I was younger.....

day 133

• We got to clean up all of our Christmas decorations today!  Happy because I got to rearrange the furniture in my home and I really like how it turned out!  Very grateful to the sister Missionaries who helped David clean as I used my good hand to point to where things belonged!

• We took a break from cleaning and took the boys to Chuck E Cheese.  It was Joel's last day being off of school and I wanted to do something fun!  We collected lots of tickets and ate pizza and Connor got to ride a bunch of the kiddy rides!  Smiles all around and it was really helpful to have David there taking one kiddo on an adventure while I took the other.

I am typing this up because I think my fingers could use the practice! It hurts and takes a bit longer, but happy to be doing it!

I played with both of the boys a lot today and we did puzzles, giggle time, and reading.  I even got to hang out during bath time and when they got out of the tub they had me smell their hair and feet to see how clean they were....too funny!

Tiny little happy moments that help with the intense physical pain....that is what it was about today :-)

Day 132 NEW YEAR's EVE published 12/31/11

Tonight we were surrounded with good friends, good food, and the joyous news that our neighbor's baby had been born.  The boys had such a fun time playing at our neighbor's house, and we did the whole 9 PM Happy New Year's thing.  It was fun to watch the boys blow noisemakers, sip apple cider, and get really excited about the countdown.  I even got three kisses at my "midnight."  When I came home, I sat down and thought about this past year, all that has happened, and for the first time in a really long time, I made some New Year's resolutions.  So in no particular order, just how they happened to get out on paper, here are the resolutions:

1. Keep finding the joy... I learned a lot last year, but this was my most important lesson that I learned, and I am going to everything I can to keep it up.
2. Finally get to my goal weight... I am just 15 pounds shy to get to a healthier me, and maybe now that my arm is on an official mend, I can finally work out this year and get to my goal.
3. Get a dog-it's time.
4. Visit friends I said I would last year... but then last year happened lol.
5. Take five to ten minutes a day per child to read or just sit and play.  I realize that that may be a pathetic resolution, but in this day and age of crazy busy, I think it's good to have a goal of ten minutes of alone mommy time.
6. Appreciate my husband more.  I'm working hard to let the little things go, but I need to improve more.
7. Go to the temple at least two times per month.  I really hope I can achieve this goal because going to the temple brings so many happy moments and brings me peace.
8. Get back up on the horse that threw me off... This is not a crazy resolution, I do not have some sort of brain damage, there is the saying to literally "get back up on the horse," and I intend to do so.  Something I need to do for me.
9. Redo my bedroom and have some "me space."  I work really hard on keeping the kids' toys out of my room, but I think once we redo the bedroom it will be a little easier.
10. Remember all that 2011 taught me, appreciate it, and go forth as a changed person to help others in THEIR "2011" years.

I would like to think that none of these resolutions are very lofty or so large and unachievable.  I hope by next December, I can look back at this day and this blog and check off all ten resolutions.

Day 131

Since I write better than I can type right now, I have been doing my blogs each day, but then I am going to have to type them every other day.  And so we begin this blog on Friday...

Well, I am going to try this on my tablet tonite.  It takes a while longer to type, but these days  I am not good typing on the computer with my hands.  My right hand is still fairly paralyzed so it makes it difficult to use a keyboard.  Since i am usually a good typist, I don't have to hunt and peck too much because I know where the letters are!
Today was a good day!  We started out by picking up the items at my dad's work, and the boys got to play at the kid's area in their PJs!  That was pretty neat!  The boys had so much fun getting help from their Grandad, and I had taking pics of all!
We came home for a bit and then Joel and I did a mommy and son afternoon at the movies.  We saw Arthur Christmas.  It was a cute story about dysfunctional holiday famlies with some kid stuff thrown in.  Joel really liked it and he enjoyed his popcorn and Dibs.  I really enjoyed our snuggle time!

David and I went on a date with my parents and we had a nice time eating at Chili's, and then we went to the movies and saw War Horse.  I only used two napkins to wipe my tears, so really I did much better than expected!  We had a really nice Friday and lots of family happy moments.