Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Loving Heavenly Father

first of all i want to say thank you so much to all of those who have showed concern and prayed for kyle's mom. two weeks ago when i posted about the return of her cancer, the situation was extremely bleak. doctors were pretty sure there was nothing they could do for her anymore and she didn't want to go through chemo again. we scheduled family pictures, unsure if this would be the last family pictures she could be in. we made sure that there were pictures taken of her and kyle's dad, her and the grandchildren, as well as with her two girls. last weekend she went in for a more thorough scan of her liver and then of her lungs. she is CANCER FREE! what an unexpected relief! the spots that they thought they had found two weeks previous were of no concern. doctors were shocked.

i am so thankful for a loving heavenly father who places us in families where we learn and grow together. i know he is with us when we go through hard times mentally, physically, and spiritually. he is mindful of our sorrows and fears. and while he will not always give us the answer we desire, he is always with us and sends his spirit to comfort us in our times of need. i have lost several family members very close to me from cancer and and other conditions. even though i have knowledge of the gospel and eternal families, these losses were, and are still very hard, and at times have been seemingly unbearable. i can't imagine how those without knowledge of the gospel are able to bear their burdens. i am so thankful for the atonement, for my heavenly father, and for this miracle that has happened to our family. and again, thank you for all of the prayers and love you have shown.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Crafting Sorrows

i found another craft blog today. i saved the link so you can check it out too. i could sit and read these blogs for hours on end. how are people so stinkin creative? it's really not fair. i get so excited reading these blogs and seeing the ideas they have. probably should stop moping (sp?)and try some of them out. problem is once i am done, where do i display them? my house is tiny and already has too much furniture and nick-knacks. second, where do i store them when they are not on display? i have already used up all my storage space plus more. thirdly and most important. the craft blogs i find are made by women who see potential with all kinds of things from thrift stores. okay, this last one is actually two different problems. #1 - i don't have the eye for seeing potential and #2 - kyle would probably be frustrated if i start spending what we are trying to save for a house and such. which, sadly, i understand that frustration.

i need something to do while my baby is sleeping. something constructive, useful, and cheap. maybe one project a month. then i won't end up with too much "junk" too fast and it would go easy on the pocket book. i could even give them away as gifts. (that reminds me. this christmas, kyle and i are having a homemade christmas. that way the season is more about the giving and quality of the gift than the spending. i have a few ideas of what i want to do for him, but would appreciate any suggestions. remember last christmas i made him a quilt? something like that.) so if you think of any crafts i can do to help me get off my butt, i would love you forever. that should totally be more than enough incentive for you.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Bet You Didn't Know

we had several adventures while we were gone. some that we would repeat and others that we would not.

-my car is out. we found out that the car's computer is dead. good news though, it will only cost $1500 to replace it. yeah, you heard me right. the mechanics want a pair of poor, starving students to fork out $1500. easy. next?


-addison is now drinking juice on a regular basis. juice or water that is. last week, i noticed that addison had gone two days without a bowel movement. i caught her trying to go, but in so much pain that she couldn't. poor girl. her face would turn the darkest red i had ever seen and then she would start to cry. i wanted to cry for her. after calling my mom, we packed up and went to her house where she had suppositories ready. (i remember those from when kinsey was a baby. sniff sniff.) so my mom worked with addison while i gave her juice and tried to comfort her. about ten minutes later, she was done and we gave her a bath to cool off her sore bum (left). sad day.

-addison was introduced to grandma and grandpa mckay's backyard. we jumped with her for the first time on the trampoline. (don't worry, we were very careful) she LOVED it!
she would proudly smile at the picture taker as she bounced high. afterward we laughed at out silly hair and snapped some quick family shots. she also loved meeting sadie and sinder, the family dogs. but quickly tired of their tongues. grandma and grandpa's swing set was also a new adventure to be repeated often.


-grandpa mccleve thought addison would like to appreciate chocolate as much as he does. on the same day as addison's unfortunate diaper happenings, my dad thought he would cheer he up a little more with his favorite addiction: melted chocolate chips. he was dipping strawberries in them and saw addison watching him. so he dipped his finger in the bowl of chocolate goodness and gave her a lick. maybe two. she made a sour face and her body twitched like she got a shiver, but in the end i think she enjoyed it. what do you think?


-my cell phone is lost. i have gone almost two weeks with out a phone. kyle and i don't have a land line because we have cell phones. much more practical when you can only afford one or the other. kyle and i are both annoyed at loosing it. he can't call me during the day to see how i am doing, nor can anyone else. i have realized these past two weeks how much i have come to rely on this little modern convenience. thankfully we have insurance.


PS. for those of you that didn't know, kyle's mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in may of 2007. since then she has undergone surgeries and chemo several times. last week, we found out that it has come back for a third time on her lungs and liver. we will find out it's extent in the next few days. i know kyle's parents would appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Home Sweet Home!

i have never been more greatful for home! words can't even express how divine it was to sleep in my own bed last night. what a wonderful feeling! of course, we have a mountain of laundry to catch up on, mail coming out our ears, and a completely empty refrigerator, but all that pails in comparison to the sheer joy of being at home. looking around right now, i am surrounded by chaos but i'm feeling on top of the world. why? yes, you guessed it, because i am home. amazing what an affect your own home has. in the month of july, we were only at our house for the first five or so days. i can't think of a better way of making anyone appreciate their own home. after finishing up the two weeks at my parents house we went straight over to my aunt and uncle's to house sit while they took their kids on a week-long road trip. it was great to be able to use their fun pool, big screen tv, huge home, and incredible hot tub for the week. and even though my home is completely opposite from theirs, there is nothing like home!