Day 197-Wednesday

My arm has been killing me lately and so I am going to jot down, for 4 days, in one day tonight because I am back home and it is feeling pretty good tonight.  So onto Wednesday!  Wednesdays I work most of the day, so most of my happy memories are either going to happen at work, or I am not going to have the best day and then I am going to have to try to find them somewhere during the time I am at home.  Thankfully happy moments happened everywhere today...so onto my bullets!

• I got to see a lot of my kids make progress today.  It is a really good feeling when you work and work and then have many break throughs all at once.  Many 2 year olds were talking up a storm today!  One child that I have that mostly whispers, if he talk at all, was verbalizing and pointing and talking like crazy today!  I loved it!
• My child from the last session of my day was amazing!   She sat in my lap and followed all of the directions I gave to her to color, or circle, or label a picture.  At the end of the session, she gave me a great big hug and her mom said "Wow that was an amazing session today!" It feels so good to have days with my kiddos like the one I had today!  I am truly blessed to work with God's little ones!
• After work, I headed to Chick-fil-A and we did a family dinner there.  It was nice to not cook tonight and the boys were so excited to eat chicken nuggets lol.  We also had a coupon for our dinner, so dinner turned out to be 9 dollars total for all of us! Not too bad!

Well we are down to a little less than a week to go before surgery.   I am really looking forward to the next couple of days.  They should keep me distracted from what is coming next week.  Well, on to making lists and getting e-mails out to other people!

Day 196

Oh my goodness today was a busy day!  We didn't even get some of the things accomplished that we were supposed to! 

I started off my morning in physical therapy.  Since my next surgery is coming up, I only have one more time left.  It feels SO good to get my arm and shoulder massaged...happy moment for me indeed!

After PT, I came home and took the boys to school.  It was a really cold day out today after having been warm for the past few days...crazy weather!  So Connor and I headed to Starbucks and got a hot chocolate and then went to visit my dad at his work.  We had a nice chat and Connor had fun rough housing with Grandad as usual.  My dad gave me some items that he is donating for a church auction in our congregation that is going on this week.  I went to the person's house who is in charge of the auction and his wife was home.  We had a wonderful little visit and got to chat.  We haven't had the chance to talk in a long time, and I am so glad we did!  She is such a beautiful person on the inside AND outside and I feel so blessed to know her.  After we dropped the items off, we went to my other friend's house and visited with her and her daughter for a while.  She has Lupus and it was cold out today, so we made hot chocolates (yep, my second of the day) and sat at her kitchen table while the kids played.  We had a really nice visit and I hope we get to do that again really soon!

Then I picked Joel up from school, went grocery shopping, came home, and plopped down on the couch for a few minutes before it was time to cook dinner! WHEW!  Somewhere in there I put Connor down for a nap and made a phone call....busy busy busy!  Dinner was really great though and I am glad I had the energy to make it!

Here we are on Tuesday night.  One week from today I will be in a hospital bed again.  I hope this surgery works my friends!  I pray that my arm can finally heal and that I will be able to go and do the things I have so longed to do for so long!  I hope when my arm heals, that we can welcome a puppy into our home again.  The boys love dogs so much and I want to be able to provide one for them.  Well, time to take a bath...nope, didn't shower yet today lol wasn't time for one!  Then off to bed and I start my crazy Wednesday schedule! I am thinking Chick fil A for dinner so that I get a bit of a baking break!  I hope all of you enjoyed your family time, wherever you are.  Have a good night!

Day 195

Ok don't know why this didn't post yesterday, but here it is!

I am so tired these days! I feel like each day melts into the next.  Happy moments for today, bullet form!

• had a nice breakfast with my boys this morning and then off to school for Joel.  Connor had speech therapy early today with a new girl and I think he is coming along...so happy about that!
• went to work and had a good time working with my kiddos.  When my kids make progress it seems like time goes by more quickly.
• David made dinner for us tonight...it was delicious and I was so happy to have a prepared meal when I got home from work...now I know how he feels when I cook!
• We put the kids to bed and after about 5 minutes, got them back OUT of bed and did our first ever "PJ run" It was so fun!  We took them, in PJs, to Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  Joel was so excited when we got there and we sat and ate our doughnuts and did a family home evening lesson.  I can't wait to see what our next PJ run will be!  I hope this is a tradition that the kids will remember for a very long time to come!  It was great to get out as a family and when we got home, the boys were in bed by 8 PM...not too bad!

So today was a busy day, but a good one.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.  Hopefully tonight will bring me lots of sleep and happy dreams...I could use some good Zs right about now!

Day 194

The new week of March is here! I am really looking forward to watching Once Upon a Time tonight, so I must blog and then be off, but first, some happy moments to share.

Church was so wonderful today.  It was Fast Sunday and as such, people got up to share their Testimonies.  It was so wonderful to hear from great people who love the Lord and who are struggling with trials but enduring and KNOW that God is there with them...it strengthened me to hear others say that. 

I also taught my primary class again.  It was so nice and the kiddos were so reverent and sweet today.  I got to teach them that Jesus once was a little child like them and go over some of the food that baby Jesus probably ate.  They had a lot of fun going through some of their favorite foods...I told them they didn't have cheerios 2000 years ago, so he probably ate some other bread to keep quite during his time at church.  It was a lot of fun and I am so happy with my new calling!

We came home and I got to take another Sunday nap...catching up on sleep I missed during the week is really nice.  We headed out and had dinner with my parents and brought Joel back home with us.  He had such a good stay with Grandad and Grandma!  I got Joel's school work ready to be packed away tomorrow morning...it is fun being a mom and doing little mommy jobs sometimes.

I am grateful for the day of rest today.  I am so happy I have this wonderful week to look forward to and to get so many things DONE before next week.  Hopefully I can accomplish everything I need to and enjoy my time with friends and family.  I am so thankful I am able to type quickly again...it gives me hope to know that if I got my hand back in 2 months this last time, hopefully it will not be long before I am a typing fool next time as well.  Well, on to watch my show.  Have a good night all!

Day 193

What a beautiful Saturday it was today!  The weather was magnificent and it would have been a crime not to get outside and enjoy the day!

Our morning started out with waffles made with a recipe on the Trader Joe's Buttermilk carton.  YUM!  I added some sliced strawberries and syrup and we were in waffle heaven this morning!  David had a dentist appointment so Joel, Connor, and I sat and ate waffles and watched a morning of Phineus and Ferb....such a funny show!


When David got home we piled in the car and headed to the beach.  We stopped at a park above the beach for a while to attempt to fly some of our kites we own.  Unfortunately the wind was not too constant, so the kites made it up and then back down.  The boys had SUCH a great time rolling down the grassy hill, trying to fly the kites, and watching the ocean.  I had a fun time sitting on a towel watching them run around...sitting on a grassy hill, watching my children, looking out over the Pacific Ocean....such a peaceful moment!

After a while, we headed down to the sand and Joel went out with David to throw rocks in the water while Connor and I stayed back and made sand castles.  Well, I made the castles and Boo-zilla stomped on the castles almost as fast as I could make them.  There was no shortage of giggling on his part as he destroyed each of my creations...such a boy!  Connor and I joined David and Joel for a while, but Connor is NOT fond of the water rushing over his feet.  He proceeded to cry and yell "UUUUP" so we didn't stay down by the water for long.  There were many happy moments and fun memories made today.  I hope it isn't too long before we go back to that park and beach...it is SO beautiful there!

After Connor went down for a nap and my parents picked Joel up for the night, I went out to dinner with my friends Tara and Jen.  We had a wonderful time chatting and eating chips and salsa.  We had not been out on a girl's night out in quite a while and Tara brought her little baby girl with her.  We had fun taking peeks at her and watching her sleep...such a precious baby!  It was so nice to catch up with my sweet friends and I am so thankful for those relationships.

Well, tomorrow begins the week before my surgery.  I have SO much that I need to do...like pre-op blood draws and doctor's appointments.  Hopefully I can get everything done and organized so that by next weekend, I am ready to play and enjoy my last few days of having both hands!  Have a wonderful night and I hope you enjoyed reading my happy moments as much as I loved LIVING them!

Day 192

Friday is here again.  Well, I got the surgery scheduled today.  Never when I started this blog did I imagine that I would only have had just 2 surgeries when I began the blog and now I will have had FOUR during these past 192 days.  Wow...so let's break that down...4 more surgeries in the past, say, 200 days....that is averaging one surgery every 50 days...so I am still keeping up with my average of one surgery every six weeks!  HOLY COW!  I was just telling David last week that I was so happy to be done with having one surgery every six weeks...guess not....oh dear.

Today was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining so bright outside, I got to get up, get a shower, and get dressed up all pretty for my MOPS meeting today.  Today was Tea and Testimony and I had the wonderful opportunity to share my love of God and Jesus with all of the women.  I shared my love of praying and how it has been the lifeline to God that has kept me sane for so many months.  It helped me so much to share my testimony and I felt so much more spiritually prepared for the days that are coming. 

After that wonderful MOPS meeting, I picked Connor up from his little MOPS group and we headed home.  We got Joel from school and went to McDonald's so they could play for a while.  Joel had a Cat in the Hat hat on his head and his face was painted like a kitty cat in honor of Dr. Suess's birthday. SO CUTE!  He had a really fun time at school and when we were at McDonald's it was time for him to go play.  He says to me, "ugh, MOM I can't go play looking like a kitty cat, what if the other kids see me and think I am a little freaky?!"  I couldn't stop laughing!  It was so cute....lucky for him there just happened to be another kid who's face was painted with cat whiskers and a nose lol...he wasn't the only one after all!

We came home and Connor went down for a nap.  Joel and I went for a walk while David practiced the piano and Connor slept.  We watched some kids play t-ball at a park and Joel was so interested in watching them play!  Hopefully we will get to take him to a ball game this summer...his first one...how fun will that be? 

I am so happy today was Friday.  This week is over.  I have one week to prepare for my surgery before it comes.  My mind is still trying to grasp that I am having surgery.  I feel so foggy minded about it.  It is just a shock still I guess.  At least I know the WHEN so I can start to prepare emotionally for it now.  Well, have a good weekend and hopefully tomorrow will have some fun happy moments to post!

Days 190-191...a bit of a blur really

I walked past the computer last night and thought "What's the point....I am NOT happy, and I am tired." But today I woke up and realized that the POINT is to look back each day and find the joy.  There wasn't much, not gonna lie, lol but I did have a good day with my boys.  They behaved and were kind to one another.  We went to a fundraiser at a restaurant for Joel's school and he got to see his teacher there.  His smile and joy for us going to that fundraiser meant a lot to me.  He was so excited to see school friends and everything worked out that we had a lovely family dinner together.  Also my mom had a Pampered Chef party that I went to and got to see lots of people that I love dearly.  I will also be in possession of more kitchen tools soon...that makes David happy!

So day 190 had its happy moments, and I will take em!

Day 191
Today, wore my PJs a lot again today.  I woke up and went to physical therapy where my arm got massaged...that is pretty much a highlight of my days these days.

But today, I had more happy moments and I am glad to have a place to write them down and look back and remember.  We did breakfast at a restaurant this morning.  Connor and I shared a waffle and he was delighting in telling me, "More waffle mommy..." over and over and over lol.  After our waffle eating session, we went out on the patio area where there is a water fountain.  Connor took great joy in throwing in penny after penny in the fountain (I let him do about 6 today) and he loved running around the fountain after each toss.  It made my heart happy to see how much joy can come out of a water fountain.  I used to feel the same way, and it made me think of ALL the quarters...my grandmother was wealthy what can I say....that she gave me to toss into a fountain at the old Buena Park Mall.  It was a two story fountain and I LOVED tossing coins in!  I hope my grandmother got as much joy watching me as I did with Connor today.

We picked Joel up from school and had some lunch at the park.  Joel got to play with some friends and then we headed home.  Connor took a nap and Joel got to watch me cook dinner.  We get produce delivered to our door and with said produce I made an amazing potato leek soup tonight!  Joel liked it!  If that were my only happy moment of the day, I would take it and keep it in my heart.  He liked the soup I made and didn't complain but COMPLEMENTED me instead!  WOW!  When I have to hear almost every single stinkin night "Is this something I have had before?  Because if not, then I am NOT going to like it!"  I am just so thrilled he ate it and thought it was good! LOL It truly is the little things!

After dinner I headed out to the LDS Temple for a session.  I spent a lot of time in the Celestial Room after the temple session.  I sat on a big, fluffy, couch and read scriptures and prayed.  I did this for the better part of 30 minutes.  I prayed for help to heal my arm.  I prayed to help my family through this next round of mommy pain.  I prayed that I wouldn't feel so alone and sad.  I prayed that I would be worthy for any of the blessings I asked for in the other prayers.  When I was done praying, I looked up and there was my old seminary teacher from high school.  He has worked at the temple on Thursday nights for a long time now, so every now and then I will see him if I visit the temple on a Thursday.  It was nice to see him, particularly this time because the last time I had a bone graft from my hip was when I was in his early morning seminary class in high school.  I felt very comforted by seeing him and felt that I had received part of an answer.  That I need to go ahead with this surgery.  I still don't know if this is going to heal my arm, but I believe that is where the faith portion of my prayers need to kick in.  I hope that I can keep up the attitude of moving forward and finding the joy for just a while longer.  I know there is no point in being so sad over all of this.  It is going to have to get fixed whether I find the joy or not....so I am going to try a bit harder, dig a little deeper, and breathe.  Have a good Thursday all.