The Big Day

So...the big day has finally arrived! Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary party is tomorrow. We are so excited for all the fun to finally get here. A luau is planned with lots of food and authentic island entertainment.

It is amazing to me that it is possible for people to stay together for 50 years. That's major commitment and dedication. Thanks Mom and Dad! I was one of the very few kids in school whose parents were not divorced. You have both been great examples to me and I appreciate all the hard work and sacrifice it has taken you to raise 8 children and keep our family together.

Have You Gone Private?

If you have gone private in the last couple of months and you are part of my blog list I would like to be included in yours again! I was without internet access for several weeks and during that time I know some have gone private and I missed the announcements. I'm sad that I can't read your updates anymore. HELP!

A Much Needed Reminder

As I mentioned in my post titled "Here we go again" I had a pretty miserable night. The next day I felt much better, but still not quite up to par. I hope that happens soon. I'm ready to be normal again. Saturday afternoon I was reading emails, blogs and checking on my facebook friends when I noticed I had been tagged in a note by my niece. I decided to check it out since the other things she has written have been pretty good. Here is her note just as she wrote it on facebook. I did this with her permission. She is grateful for the publicity!

"SO..here's what I woke up and decided to do today. I've never really written anything religious before, per say..and I didn't intend it to be that way when I started this. but sometimes, things strike you in a certain way and things happen that inspire you to do something. It's probably going to be added to and tweaked and played with, and posting it here can be sort of scary for me...so...if you happen to like it...I guess that would be pretty cool :]

Trudge on, weary foot soldier, while your world is torn apart
When the winds and rains and outright pains ne'er seem with you to part

And consoling word becomes hardly heard; merely duct tape to the heart.

Trudge on, weary foot soldier, when you feel you cannot stand;

For when you cannot, and you feel distraught, inner strength you must demand.

Keep the will to wear and endure the tear, and life's plaguing reprimand.

Trudge on, weary foot soldier, when you cannot keep the pace

Of worldly trials, when simple smiles are stolen from your face.

Grasp His redeeming, all-esteeming love and saving grace."

There have been a few moments during the last couple of months that I have felt like saying "I simply can not do this! Please take me now. The pain is too great. I can not carry on." When I read Elise's poem my eyes filled with tears and my heart ached. I know that my Heavenly Father will never give me more than I can handle. However, during the darkest and most painful moments I tend to forget that He is still with me and helping me get through. It makes me sad and feel a little guilty that during this time when I should be feeling extreme joy and happiness I instead feel intense pain and discouragement. Simple smiles are being stolen from my face. I need to "grasp His redeeming, all-esteeming love and saving grace". Thank you Elise for being willing to make this public and to let me post it here. It has helped me get through the days since I read it. You have an amazing talent and I hope you will continue to share it with us.

It really is no surprise to me that this sweet little girl...

Has become such a phenomenal young woman...

Just Plain Cute

I was cleaning off the computer desk, well attempting to anyway and I came across a note I had written a while ago.

Me: Why are you so ornery today?

Zoe: Cuz I hungry!

The way she says hungry cracks me up. Huuuuuungry! A hard "h" with a drawn out "u". I hope to get it on tape someday.

Glenn had plugged his Zune into the computer the other night and Zoe grabbed it and said "We will, we will rock you!" She loves that song.

Question...

WHEN WILL THE RAIN STOP?

I usually enjoy a good rain storm. I like how it smells just before or right as the first few drops fall. I like the sound of the rain as it hits things in it's path. I like playing in the rain with my kids. I like it when the thunder crashes so loudly it makes me jump and scares my girls into my lap. The flashes of lighting that not only light up the sky, but also our apartment are always exciting.

The last couple of weeks have been full of rain. Almost every day. The girls want to play at the park, but we can't because it's all wet and muddy. They want to play on the patio, but can't because of the lightning. And Wyoming rain isn't quite the same as Houston rain. It's cold. We can't go play in it because we would be frozen. The roof of our covered parking area is metal so when it rains it sounds more like a running river than a gentle rain fall. It's loud.

Glenn has been going to the different plants and off site locations lately and his truck is completely covered in mud. I'm just waiting to get the call from him saying he's stuck in the mud somewhere. Hopefully that day won't come. Maggie is still a little freaked out about our last adventure. We talk about going four wheeling up some trails and she very strongly protests. I think we ruined her adventurous spirit and desire to explore & discover. Sorry Maggie! Sometimes our best plans just go horribly wrong!!

So along with all the rain and not being able to play outside comes the delimma of what to do. How do I entertain two little monkeys all day in a small apartment? My solution for the last few days has been McDonald's. The girls get to play in an enclosed (somewhat) area where I can keep track of them and I get to be inside sort of by myself. It's worked out pretty well. I just wonder how many days it will take before the employee's know my name and have my order waiting for us when we get there. I guess we are going to give it another try today. The rain has stopped at the moment, but we still have no sun to dry things up.

Can we please have a little break in the gloomy weather for a day or two of sunshine?

Here We Go Again

Last night was one of the worst nights ever! We all went grocery shopping and before we got home I started having some stomach pain. After all the groceries were put away Glenn decided to take the girls to the park for a while. I got to stay home and lay on the couch. The pain was increasing in intensity and I decided to try taking something. What could I take? I called Kristie to ask her if it was alright to take Pepto. She had no idea. I called Mom. By this time the pain was unbearable and I was a total mess. I'm surprised Mom could understand what I was calling for. I asked her if she would call a nurse hotline for me to see if Maalox was acceptable to take while pregnant. That was all I could find in the house. She called me back and said they don't recommend it and to call the doctor. I could barely speak through my sobs and tears so I knew that wasn't going to be possible. During the time it took Mom to call the nurse and return my call I was hanging over a bucket and crying with each disgusting hurl of my body. I was finally able to get myself off the couch and into the bathroom to try and clean up a bit and then Glenn and the girls came in during my second round while hanging over the tub. Unfortunately I was not able to get to the door quick enough and both girls came into the bathroom. Zoe was so sweet and concerned. She said "fo up Mom?" I answered yes and told her my tummy really hurt. She then asked me if I needed a "ban aid". It was the cutest thing ever, but I just couldn't do anything but cry.

Glenn called the doctor's office and they told him that Pepto was the only thing they recommend so he packed Zoe up and took her to get some. He got home and got the girls to bed and dosed me up with Pepto. After a few shots of the pink filth I decided I had better just go to bed and see if I could sleep. Again, I almost had him take me to the ER, but decided not to. I don't know anyone here well enough that I would feel comfortable calling at 11:00pm to come sit our girls. Even if I did find someone that would be willing Zoe would blow a gasket if she woke up to someone strange in the house. So once again I pushed through a horrible night of intense pain and nastiness. I plan on calling my OB on Monday to see if she will talk with me about it and see what she thinks I should do. Of course these two times this has happened it has been a weekend and the only option for help is the ER. I hate hospitals and I have no idea what this hospital and staff are like. I've only visited one person there and that was after she had her baby. Not an emergency situation.

Needless to say I'm terrified! I don't know what this is and I don't know if it could be affecting the baby. So if anyone out there knows of an insurance company that will accept pregnant women OR if you know someone that has loads of cash they would like to share let me know!

That Aint No Etch-A-Scetch!

This is one doodle that can't be undid!

I realize this is a terrible picture, but believe me...it's a baby!
Due January 5, 2010

The Story...

Mother's Day pretty much stunk. For me anyway. I've already posted what happened then so here is the rest of the story.

I have been dealing with some kind of stomach yuck for almost a year. During Glenn's first business trip, while we were still in Houston, I got pretty sick and every few days my stomach hurts terribly and I can barely function. Not cool with two kids to take care of. So I figured Mother's Day was one of those days. It was worse than normal and I was very close to having Glenn take me to the ER. However, with no money in our bank account and no insurance to cover costs I decided to suffer through one more day. I had Glenn and my Dad give me a blessing and then we headed for home.

Monday was not quite as bad but still very nauseous and just too tired to do much. Glenn had to go to one of the plants that day and since he was going to be driving past the house he picked Maggie up and took her to school. YEAH! I didn't have to get dressed and leave the house. Tuesday morning I was almost normal and decided I was well enough to make a run to Park City to take care of some banking and pay a few bills. My last stop was the Home Depot and before I left the parking lot the vomit monster was back with a vengeance. I got Zoe and I some lunch in hopes that would help. Not so much. I made it home without leaving any trails along the way and spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the couch.

I still felt very nauseous Wednesday morning, but tried to do things anyway. That just made it worse. Maggie had a half day so I picked her up and we went to lunch with Glenn. I had decided by this point that I had to buck up and face the fact that I needed help. I was going to find a doctor and deal with the bills as they came. Very scary, but I was done. On our way home from lunch I stopped at Wal Mart to get a pregnancy test. I wanted to be able to tell the doctor without question or hesitation that no, I was not pregnant. Just imagine my surprise when I saw this...

I quickly packed the girls back up in the car and we took a drive to visit Glenn at work. I called him when we got there and asked if he could come down to the car. He came right down and I told him that I had made a discovery that he just had to see for himself. I showed him the test and with total shock and disbelief in his eyes he said "seriously?". Well I'm not sure how I could have faked it so yeah, seriously!

Now I know there are plenty of people out there that would ask how we could be surprised by this. If you know how it happens how could it be surprise? Well, considering everything we had to go through to get both Maggie and Zoe neither one of us thought we could accomplish this simple task without the help of a team of highly trained professionals.

So I am still in the first trimester and pretty much hating life. This has been the worst so far. I was pretty bad with Zoe, but this one for sure takes the cake. Today was my second ultrasound and it confirmed that the due date is January 5th and there is only one baby. Although I do look like I could be carrying a litter there is only one!

Almost Better

I am feeling better. Thanks to all for the concern. However, we still don't have internet access so I can't blog! Very Sad. I do have lots to talk about and share, but I don't have the time at this moment. And I have three rolls of film to develop. It pains me to blog without pictures! Hopefully more to come soon.

I am alive and well!