Day 220

General Conference day one today.  Twice a year our church leaders hold a conference where each of the 12 Apostles and the Prophet, and many other church leaders, speak to us.  It is a time to gather as a family, feel the spirit, and learn.  Today was exactly like that.  We woke up, made breakfast, and listened to the first session.  There was a wonderful speaker today who discussed trials.  Sometimes you feel a talk was meant just for you, and that's how I felt about Elder Eyring's talk today.

There is a 2 hour break in between sessions, I got to go grocery shopping for the first time in 3 weeks...David is home to help carry the groceries in, so HAD to do it then!

Connor went down for a nap and we listened to the second session of the conference.  Then at 5 Pm, David was off to the Priesthood session (the part of conference just for men where the talks usually consist of the Prophet and leaders telling the men how to be better husbands, better fathers, and how to help others...good stuff!)

Somewhere in the day I got a nap.  I just finished watching the DVRd portions of conference that I missed because I was sleeping...yeah for playback!  Overall it has been a great day!  The spirit is here in our home and our children are behaving pretty well.  Lots of calm, happy, moments today and I am grateful for that.  I am really looking forward to the speakers during the morning and afternoon conference sessions tomorrow!  I hope everyone has a restful night and happy moments to all tomorrow!

Day 219

Happy Friday all!

Here we are at the end of another work week.  I started out the morning by heading out to MOPS.  It was so great to be back!  I had such a nice time chatting with women, catching up with moms I haven't seen since my surgery, and getting to know my MOPS mom table better.  Prayer time was very special and I am so grateful that each time we do prayer time at our table, I am able to express what the Lord means to me.  Today he is my listening ear.  I pray morning and night and am so grateful for my open line of communication with him!

Connor had so much fun at MOPPETS and even got an "I just love him!" from his MOPPET leader...good to know my child behaves well with OTHER adults lol.

We headed home and Connor actually fell asleep an took a nap!  First one in DAYS!  Ever since we changed his bed to a toddler bed, it has been an absolute nightmare getting him to try to sleep or take a nap.  So we finally put a child lock on the inside of his bedroom door so he can't open the door.  It only took a few times, but he slept until 7:15 this morning and took a 2 hour nap today....YEA!

I went to the dentist today....no cavities and my teeth look good!  HAPPY!

My friend Christina brought dinner tonight and the kids dined on quesadillas while David and I enjoyed chicken enchiladas...so nice!  We are blessed I tell ya!

After dinner, I took Joel with me to Staples and then to Baskin Robbins for dessert.  I looked up movies on my phone and found that Mirror Mirror was playing in about 45 minutes at our local movie theater.  So I called Dave and asked if I could take Joel.  He said he was fine with watching Connor, so off we went!  We were the second people in line when we got there and we got perfect seats!  I think I love taking my kids to the movies because I love watching their reaction to the movie more than the movie itself.  This movie had sword fighting, so of course Joel was enthralled.  It was just such a great date night with my little 5 year old!  We had a great time and I feel so lucky to be his mom.  He is all snuggled in bed, and Connor is too.  Time for me to head to bed as well, but I am thankful that I am able to type out my happy moments and be able to look back on my treasured memories with a smile.  It was a wonderful, but busy, day today and I am so thankful for all of the help we are receiving on a daily basis.  Someone came while I was at MOPS and cleaned up my home and did some laundry.  I am continuously amazed at how I am surrounded by angels each day!  I hope I can remember all that has been done for me and TRY to repay the kindness of others as much as I can someday....but first, let's get this arm healed!  Good night all!

Day 218

MUCH better day today!  My headache is practically gone, and I was able to get out and about!

 I dropped Joel off at school and Connor off at the babysitter.  I still can't do too much with him, and he has so much fun there, so off he went!

I stopped at our local cafe for a Thursday waffle for breakfast and was able to join a couple of ladies from church at their table.  We had a lovely visit and such a nice time talking!  I am so grateful I saw them because one of them helped me set up a dish cleaning and laundry cleaning help chart for Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I so so appreciate the help and am hoping that WITH that help that will come, my arm will heal that much faster!

I went to a nail salon and got a pedicure and eyebrow wax....it felt lovely having that alone time and so nice to relax and not have my head pounding!

I picked up Joel from school and we went on a lunch date.  He was so excited to get an ice cream sundae for dessert!  We headed back towards home to pick up Connor and then headed home.

Today was a very pleasant day with lots of happy memories.  I am so thankful for all of the good, wonderful people helping me on this journey to heal my arm.  That is almost what this blog has been about!  It has been 11 months now....almost, since I broke my arm.  I have had so many blessings and been so fortunate to see the good that can come from something not so good.  I pray that I can continue on this path of positive attitude and hopefully my joy and happy moments can rub off on others that are not enjoying happy times.  It isn't easy...just read yesterday, but there is so much GOOD to be enjoyed, and I hope that I can continue to find it each day.

Day 217

Not such a great day today.  One of the worst migraines I have ever had....on a happy note, had my first diet soda (for medicinal purposes ONLY....because I went back and forth and after throwing up and wearing sunglasses IN the house, I decided on IT versus excedrine migraine) in 3 weeks.  It made the headache go away, and I was able to go to work this afternoon so YEA!

We had someone bring us dinner tonight and I am eternally grateful for that!  We sat down at the table and had a nice family dinner.  Then it was time for bed.  So I am heading to bed, but just wanted to share my few happy moments of the day.  I am grateful that even on the worst of days, there are happy moments to be had!  Night all!

Day 216

Today went by with a flash!

The boys were gone for most of the day with play dates here and there.  I am so so appreciative of that!  If I can just keep my arm from doing lots of things...like parenting lol...maybe I don't have to keep having do over surgeries because I am doing too much!

Joel was off to an afternoon play date and Connor and I went and visited at a park with some MOPS moms and their children.  We had fun blowing bubbles, meeting other moms, and watching the kids play.  Thankfully, several moms helped Connor on and OFF the swings...at least I had help so he could still do what he loves!

When we came home, I had the makings of a REALLY bad migraine, so I snuggled down into bed and David made the kids, and me, dinner.  He brought me up dinner on a tray...so sweet!  I got to read the kids bedtime stories in bed and snuggle with them for a while...so even though my head was killing me, I did get some snuggly happy moments in!

I even get to go to bed early tonight!  Here is hoping for a pain free day tomorrow!  Night all!

Day 215

Happy Monday!  It was a busy day today, but I have been mostly pain free...so that is good!  And I was able to get back on a sort of regular schedule.  I got to drop Connor off at playgroup and pick Joel up from school....small Mommy steps, but good ones!

I have been helping my mom and her friend do more paperwork at my dad's work.  There is going to be an audit soon, so all of the paperwork needs to be in great shape for it...we are double and triple checking it at this point.  It takes a LONG time, but it will be worth it!  My dad also pays me to do this and we could really use the money to help pay for daycare and medical needs, so I will do what I CAN :-)

I got to go to my work work today and work with the kiddos again...it was nice to be back and so nice to get to feel productive.  I have a minimally physical job, I sit and talk...that is pretty much it.  I then write in a folder what I sat and talked about...not too bad!  So it was good to get back into the swing of things.  Pretty sure David is wishing I could wash dishes and do laundry too, but hopefully taking it easy, I will be doing that permanently soon!

I then went back to my dad's work after dinner to continue to help with the paperwork.  We had fun eating peanut butter M and Ms and laughing because my teeth turned blue!  It was all girls so we talked and did paperwork at the same time...a nice night out!  I came home and David gave me a neck massage...so good!  Time to take a very large pain pill and head to bed.  I have people helping me with the kids tomorrow, so I am going to try to get some rest and take it easy...I am also growing a uni-brow so I am thinking eyebrow wax is in my very near future!  Have a good night all! :-)  I am grateful for my days of sunshine...a friend reminded me of that in an email today..I hope you hear my happy moments and know that I am feeling joyful through all of this.  There is so much sunshine in the world to enjoy!

Day 214

I got to go to church today!  I lasted One hour and 45 minutes before I couldn't sit anymore and had to head home, but I lasted for quite a while and I am really proud of that!

It was so nice to see so many wonderful friends and lots of people complimented my cane lol.  It is one I inherited from my grandmother.  I bet she didn't ever think I would use it as much as I am, so thank you Grandma for the cane!  It has REALLY come in handy!

We went out to dinner with my family tonight to a really yummy Mexican restaurant.  The chips were great, the salsa was amazing, and the food was wonderful...if only I had been able to order a Diet Coke with lime...it would have been perfect.  If this bone heals, than it will have SO been worth it to be Diet Cokeless for a few months!  It is the big picture I am focused on! Well, most of the time anyway lol.

I got to come home and snuggle down in my PJs and watch some TV shows.  It has been raining all day, so it was nice to be so cuddled up.  The kids went to bed pretty easily tonight....meaning Connor only crawled out of his toddler bed about 3 times tonight...oy!  When I get the time I have GOT to get a child proof door knob to put on the inside of his door.  He isn't potty trained yet, so it won't be a problem if he can't open his door...maybe that will give him the encouragement he needs to get back in bed!

Well, that is all for this Sunday night. Time to crawl into bed and get some sleep!  Tomorrow begins a new week!

Day 213 Saturday

Well, I spent the day today doing paperwork for my dad's business.  That is pretty much ALL that I did today.  It was nice to come home to my boys and David and enjoy a meal and some resting time with ice packs. 

Cathy went home, and we will miss her so.  She helped us SO much and we are so grateful for that.


Hope you all had a fun Saturday doing something for others or something you love!

Day 212

Whew, busy but good day today.  I started the morning by stopping by my physical therapist and getting appointments for the next week.  My shoulder and neck are starting to hurt, so hoping my PT can work her special magic on them to help my arm heal...happy shoulder and neck, happy arm!

Then we went off to the chiropractor to get my neck adjusted some more...it felt so good!  Then we went to the mall and walked to my favorite store...Coldwater Creek.  I showed my MIL around and she found a few things that she wanted to purchase...of course I then found a few things as well...some stores are just dangerous that way.  I was pretty sweaty and worn out by the time we left so we headed up and did lunch at Nordstrom Cafe.  It was a delightful lunch of soup and a berry bowl...something I would never in a million years get to eat with my children because the soup would be cold and the berry bowl would be warm lol, but we had a nice, girly, time chatting and enjoying the peace that was ours with Connor at a play date and Joel at school.

Connor came home and I took him up for a nap and took a lovely nap myself!  Cathy got Joel from school and then we headed to my dad's work.  My mom and dad watched the boys tonight so we could take Cathy out for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...I got to drink something OTHER than water...lovely Raspberry Lemonade, and split dinner with David.  We had another nice, adult, dinner.  The kids came home and we were all happy to see them.  Joel asked Cathy, "Aren't you exhausted?!"  she told him she really wasn't, lol can't imagine why?  It was a nice last night with my MIL as she is traveling home tomorrow.  I am on my own next week and a little hesitant about it, but I know I have people to call who can help me do laundry, people to help me with the kids...really I only need help ONE day next week so that isn't so bad, and people to help ME if I really need it.  I am blessed to be surrounded by so many lovely friends!  I am so grateful, too, that my friend's husband's surgery went well today.  Haven't heard much, but I know he is recovering, and that is so wonderful!  Blessings to you all and happy dreams!

Day 211 Thursday

Sometimes my blogs don't get posted till the next day, so I want people to know this is Thursday's official blog, even though yesterday a blog got posted.

 Lots of rest today.  So many people are helping me and I can really feel myself healing this time and hopefully I can continue to ask for help and get the help I need to succeed in getting this arm better!

Joel and Connor had playdates today, so nice for them to get out and play instead of staying home with a mommy who basically stays in bed with ice packs on my arm and hip.

Cathy made an amazing dinner from a recipe I got off of Pinterest. It was delicious and the kids loved it!  She worked so hard and truly has a big appreciation for what her daughter-in-law does with the husband and kids on a daily basis....not gonna lie...it feels good to be appreciated, and I hope she knows just how much we appreciate her!

After dinner, we gave Cathy some cards and served her birthday cake.  The boys loved singing happy birthday to her...lil Connor even chimed in!  It was a nice little evening and then we sat on the couch and watched Tangled for a while.  A very nice, mellow evening!  I am grateful for quiet little family times like the one we had today...makes for lots of simple happy memories to write down later!

Day 210

I am still amazed...210 days...wow.  I am so thankful that through all of this, I am still finding those happy moments to jot down.  Today was a BUSY day and I am feeling it tonight.  Hoping to slow down A LOT tomorrow.

We got up and took the boys to their daycare place.  It is a lady's home and they love it so much there.  It will be a nice break for me and for Cathy today.  Connor has not been behaving too well for her and I am wondering if it is because he understands a bit more about what is going on with me now.  He keeps pointing to me saying "mommy two owies?" I wish mommy didn't have any owies lol but I hope we can all look back on this time and remember how close it made us.

I went to the doctor today and got an X-ray of my arm.  A very happy moment for me when the arm looked like it was all ONE piece and not split into two.  If it can just stay that way for even a month, that will be the longest time it has looked like that, and I think it will have a real chance at healing...happy happy thought!
  Nice pic eh?

So after the doctor, Cathy and I enjoyed a kid free lunch down at Panera Bread.  Oh HOW I love their soup in a bread bowl!  I recently made their broccoli cheddar soup, so I was analyzing each bite of my soup to see how I can make mine better the next time I cook.

We came home and I rested for a bit. I finally finished the Hunger Games trilogy.  Interesting book. It was a happy moment to know that I have had so many chances to read lately.  I don't ever get to read as much as I would like to, so it has been nice to read through three books and feel a sense of literary accomplishment!

We met David and Joel after Occupational Therapy down at a BBQ restaurant near the beach.  It was SO yummy, as usual, and the boys behaved pretty well.  David had to take Connor out to the car once, but he settled back down and ate some of his meal, some of Joel's meal, and then proceeded to feed Joel a lot of his french fries.  It was a pretty cute moments "Here Joely"  he would say.

We drove home and the boys got a bath and I pinned some more.  There is this website called Pinterest...what an incredible website!  It is full of fun ideas and recipes and I find myself on that page a bit longer than I should be.  I am hoping when I am all healed up that I can use Pinterest to get me motivated to lose weight.  Like for every pound I lose, that is an extra 15 min on Pinterest, something like that.  I have gained a bit of weight this time, but laying in bed all day and then eating out does not make for a very good weight loss combination, but I AM motivated to lose it!

Well, the kiddos are all snuggled down.  My precious children.  What happy moments they give me, in between those OTHER moments they give me.  I am so grateful to be able to walk better now so I can sneak into their rooms and watch their precious sleeping faces.  Well, tomorrow is Thursday, almost the end of the week!  If I can keep up the really good treatment of my arm, and keep receiving the help that I have been, I really think there is a chance for the bone to heal this time...fingers crossed and good night all!