Post Surgery Catch Up

Been a bit since I've blogged.  Having my surgery threw everything for a loop for awhile.  It is all getting back to normal though, so it's time to get back to putting my thoughts out there.  :)

Things went well with my foot surgery.  I'm still in recovery mode, but hoping that in the end the pain will be gone.  It does seem to be getting better, so I am very hopeful!  I can almost walk down stairs like a normal person.  Stairs are still one of the most painful things to navigate.  That and standing for longer than 5-10 minutes in one place.  It no longer hurts just to put shoes on, so I take that as a good sign.  I have to say that I am very grateful for my sweet husband and my kids throughout my recovery.  They have taken such good care of me and each other. 

Christmas went well.  Thanks to one of my bff's and my little sis I was able to get all the presents wrapped.  The kids all loved their presents and had a great time putting together all of their Legos.  We have Middle Earth in Legos at our house!  They have had a blast playing with them and I love it.  My hubby got me Merry Christmas Alex Cross by James Patterson, a sketch book, and a drawing kit.  I haven't broken them out yet, but I am really looking forward to it!  I haven't drawn in a while and I miss it.  My mom gave me two notebooks full of family history stuff.  One of the coolest presents ever!  I am enjoying the chance to go through them and read about my ancestors.

Angel had to do a family history project for school.  The notebooks my mom gave me were a big help!  Angel put a lot of work into her project and got the highest grade possible on it.  She learned a lot about her grandparents when she interviewed them.  We're hoping to frame the family tree she made.  We are wanting to print off pictures of different family members back many generations to hang around the family tree. 
A couple weeks ago our elementary school had a mother/son bowling night and a father/daughter dance.  The boys and I had a fantastic time going bowling.  Technically they bowled and I took pictures while cheering them on.  My foot isn't quite up to bowling yet.  After bowling we went out for pancakes and ice cream.  It was a great night!  The next night was the father/daughter dance.  The girls got all dressed up fancy and had beautiful wrist corsages.  They went out to a mexican restaurant with their dad and their uncle, who was Angel's date for the night.  At the dance they posed on the red carpet, went on a horse drawn carriage ride, ate some tasty chocolate dipped fruit, and danced the night away.  I am so glad that we have a school that provides us with these types of activities.  They are truly memory makers!

We've got the Blue & Gold banquet coming up this week, the Destination Imagination tournament for Picasso and Princess the following week, and the first Rapids home game of the season that night.  We're really excited about these things.  I love being able to support my kids in their endevours and spending time with them.

That's my recap post surgery.  Now it's time to help Picasso make cheese quesadillas for lunch as we are spending the day snowed in while the blizzard is blowing outside.  I truly love my life.  It isn't perfect, or stress free, but it is fantastic.

Getting Ready

I am scrambling to get everything ready for Christmas in the next three days.  I'm having foot surgery on Friday and want to have everything done before then.  I just don't want my husband to have to worry about any of it.  Presents are all purchased, just waiting for one package from Thinkgeek.com to get here.  I've gotten about half my presents wrapped, so I've got a good start!  I picked up the pictures for our Christmas cards today.  One of the pictures on it turned out really dark, but not enough to make me reprint it.  The rest of it looks good.  So three more days of craziness, then down for a bit with my foot.  Hopefully though within a couple weeks I'll be feeling much better! 

Things aren't always perfect, but they have been good.  We have been very blessed this year.  That doesn't mean that it is always easy, but it's those hard times that make us stronger.  At church yesterday we were talking about faith, about how we are continually tested.  It's like refining metal.  You have to take out the dross (the impurities) otherwise the metal won't be as strong.  During heating it rises to the top.  So when we go through something that is hard, we can either come out the other side stronger having taken the "impurities" out or we can come out weaker by letting it get us down.  I'm often asked how I can be so happy when I'm always in so much pain.  This is pretty much why, I refuse to let it beat me.  If I push through it, continue to live my life to the fullest that I can, and try to do so with a good attitude I will come out stronger in the end.

Happy December!

Happy December!  So far no snow, which is a big bummer.  Still it is December and it should be a really good month. 

My bff of over 20 years is visiting this weekend.  He's actually here for a NFL game with his son, but they are staying at our place so it counts as a visit.  Funny enough he and my sweet husband have never met!  We've been married almost 14 years and he's never met one of my best friends ever.  They've met now and get along fine, so life is good.

I am having surgery on my left foot in a couple weeks.  Doesn't seem like a "really good month" thing, but I am hoping it is.  If all goes as expected the surgery will greatly reduce, if not elimate, the constant pain I am having in that foot.  So a good thing. 

My sister is coming to visit!  She is coming out for a few days after I have surgery to help out with the kids.  I am so excited!  I love her lots and miss her.  The kids are all really excited to see her also.  She won't be here long, but I'll take anything I can get. 
Disney on Ice is this week.  I can't wait to go and share in the magic of the show with my kids.  It will be a great night spent together as a family.

Christmas is coming!  We'll be getting our Christmas tree this weekend.  I love watching the kids all fan out to find the perfect tree.  The discussions about which one is best and why.  The smell of the pine and just the beauty it brings to my home.  It will be fabulous.

I will be wrapping presents soon.  I love wrapping up the presents to put under the tree.  The excitement that comes with the unwrapping.  The tape, the bows, the tags, the paper are all just so much fun.  Yes, I did just say that tape was fun!

Christmas Eve is always spent at my mom and step-dad's house with the family.  We eat yummy food, we put up the nativity while my step-dad reads from the scriptures, we sing Christmas carols until we can't sing anymore.  I love Christmas Eve at my parents!  Then we will head home where the Christmas jammies will be opened.

Christmas is Christmas.  It is wonderful and magical.  Full of love and wonder.  The Spirit that surrounds it is amazing.

Last, but not least by any means, is Archer's birthday.  That boy will be a teenager!

So HAPPY DECEMBER!  It is going to be a really great month!  I hope yours is too.

Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas.  Not because of the presents, though they are nice, but because of the magic of it all.  I love the beauty - the snow, the lights, the trees.  I love the music - the silly songs, the hymns, the choirs, the orchestras, my kids singing at the top of their lungs.  The Christmas movies; I'm a sucker for those.  I love Santa Claus.  I love the time spent with family.  The joy on my children's face. 

Picasso said his favorite part of our family Christmas party is the nativity.  All the grandkids get pieces of the nativity, baby Jesus being the coveted piece.  Then my step-dad reads from the scriptures of the birth of Christ.  The kids put their pieces on the hearth of the fireplace and their part is read.  It is one of my favorite parts too.  Afterwards we sing Christmas songs until we can't sing anymore. 

Christmas morning was fantastic.  It was spent at home with just us.  The kids were SO excited.  They were literally bouncing up and down.  Princess kept shouting "it's just what I wanted!" as she opened her gifts.  I was even able to surprise Archer, who at almost 12 is getting harder to surprise.  He's looking forward to building his Parallax Boe-Bot with his dad.  After presents we went to church.  The service was beautiful!  I did mention how much I love the Christmas hymns.  :)  My in-laws came for dinner and it was a blast.  My mother-in-law made the kids all amazing quilts!  We played card games and just enjoyed each others company. 

Our new day after Christmas tradition is going to be going to the water park.  We had so much fun today at the pool!  Spending so much time together has been fantastic.  Hubby has to go back to work tomorrow, which will be weird; we'll miss him. 

I hope your Christmas has been wonderful and that you enjoy the above videos from the Piano Guys, Jon Schmidt, and Steven Sharp Nelson.