Little Chef

Sweet Cheeks has had a sore throat since Thursday.  We're doing anything and everything to distract her from the pain and to get her to eat and drink.  What is a normal life anyway?



So Long, Farewell

My "littlest" brother will be serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints starting next week.  He's going to Montana for 2 years.  We took him out to dinner on Thursday night, and then went to see him be set apart as a missionary.  The temple is across the street from the church, so we went over and took a few pictures in front of the temple.



Payoff

We've reached the stage where Sweet Cheeks has started asking me how to spell words, and then she writes them.

Yeah, I'm lovin' that!



I have also turned the girl into a list-maker.  Her Nana Bets gave her a small clipboard and notepad the other day.  That couldn't have been a more perfect gift.  Each time we've gone to a store since then, Sweet Cheeks takes her "list" and she "shops" for all the things she needs.  Then she checks it off her list.  "Carrots.  Check!  Tomatoes.  Check!  Lions.  Check!"  It's fun for her and entertaining for me.  I mean, who knew you could buy a lion at the grocery store?

Little Olympian

Sweet Cheeks just finished up a whole year of gymnastics, and now she's going to take a break for the summer.  She told me she was sad that she wasn't going to gymnastics this summer, and that her teacher was probably going to miss her.  Ha!

She is still very cautious with everything she does, but she's come a long way this year.

She did a front support, went into a birdie perch, and then grabbed the top bar and swung down and kicked over a mat.

The kids love doing back walkovers like this.

And yes, she still sticks out her tongue to concentrate.  :)

At the end of the show they stood up on the olympic stand to accept their awards.  So cute!  Yay Sweet Cheeks!



Going Places

T-Bone is doing well, but still working on getting all his energy back.  For that reason, we weren't sure how long he would last on his first day back to work on Friday.  I drove him to work that morning and then Sweet Cheeks and I bummed around the city until it was time to pick him up from work.

Our first stop was the Museum of Natural Sciences.

I'm just gonna keep it real here.  Except for a few exhibits, that place is kinda boring for an adult a 3 year old.

The butterfly room is cool until you take like 10 steps and realize that you're at the exit door already.

The second (and last) stop of the day was the newly renovated historic park.  I couldn't believe the changes.  It was already such a neat place, and now it's just that much more beautiful.

Laser Eyes

So with our big, bad protector, T-Bone gone, Sweet Cheeks was sleeping in my bed with me.  Even with her kicking me and wanting to wake up before the crack of dawn, I still slept better with her in there protecting me.  She told me that when she sleeps with 3 babies that it gives her "laser eyes" in the dark.  I figured between her laser eyes and me sleeping with one eye open, we would be safe.

 

He's A Survivor

We have been fans of Survivor for 12 years now.  Every season T-Bone watches, and thinks the people are crazy for acting the way they do when they get a food reward.

Being in the hospital for 3 weeks has changed his mind.

He keeps saying, "Now I know why they want food so bad!"

He just ate real food for the first time today since April 23rd, and he said, "That was the best hospital food I've ever had.  Whoever cooked that should go on Iron Chef."

Tomorrow is the big day.  We're bustin' outta this place, yo.

We can't thank our family and friends enough for all the love, support, prayers, and help through this time!



Happy Mother's Day

Victory

Admittedly, I am a scaredy cat.  Nighttime is the worst.  The dark just triggers all kinds of fears for me.  I went through a long period of time where I would ask the Lord to bless me with no bad dreams when I fell asleep each night.  I have a lot of vivid dreams where I am always the victim of some faceless bad guy or a snake that I can't get away from.

 

 

I guess all of this having to be the strong one lately is getting to me, because I recently had a dream where I was actually the hero. That was different!  It was really intense and scary, but I saved the lives of the 2 most important people in my life, and it felt so good. I was doing the happy cry when I woke up.

 

 

In my dream, I was on a cruise ship with Sweet Cheeks and T-Bone. Our ship was about to run into another ship so it made a hard left turn towards the shore which caused us to run aground and then roll over to the right. We went under water, but not that deep, because I could still see the light above us in the water. T-Bone and Sweet Cheeks closed their eyes and gave up, floating face down. I closed my eyes for a split second thinking that I didn't want to live without them. Then I opened my eyes, grabbed T-Bone by the front of his throat with my right hand, wrapped my left arm around Sweet Cheeks' limp body and I swam up, up, up as hard as I could toward the light until we made it.

We made it. We. Made. It.

 

 

The next thing I knew in dreamland, we were at a table eating with T-Bone's Aunt K and Uncle T, just talking about this and that, and wham! all the recent events of me saving our lives hit me, and I had a little breakdown right there. I did the happy cry where you're like, "I can't believe I was actually strong enough to make it through all that." Then I woke up.

 

 

I know it was just a dream, but it was all so vivid.  So real.

It reminded me of some other times I've had that emotional breakdown because of a victory over difficult times. Finally becoming a mother would be #1 on that list.  What a victory that was and is every day.  I love my Sweet Cheeks.  And I love my T-Bone for being my partner in that sweet victory.

This quote is from Gordon B. Hinckley:

"In my ninety-plus years, I have learned a secret.  I have learned that when good men and good women face challenges with optimism, everything will work out.  Truly, everything will work out no matter how difficult the challenge may seem at the time.  Those who move forward with faith and a happy spirit will find things always work out."

Making The Most Of It

Is time standing still for anyone else?  Our normal family life has been put on hold for 3 weeks, and it feels so weird.  I look at the calendar, and I'm like, "What the what?!"

T-Bone came home from the hospital for the weekend, but ended up back in the hospital before dawn Monday morning.  It's tough to see someone you love in so much pain!

Thank goodness he's been pain free since Monday morning when they drained 2 liters of fluid from his stomach.  2 LITERS!!!  I can't even imagine.  Now we just need his insides to prove that they're working right, and he can finally come home to stay.

Sweet Cheeks has been such a sweet girl to her daddy.  She prays for him, sings him songs (she made one up called "Here We Go To The Hospital We Go"), and even massages him.  When he was home over the weekend, and not feeling well, he was laying on the floor on a heating pad, and she wanted to be with him, so she got some ice packs out of the freezer and laid down with him.  She does this all without prompting, and it's sweet to see how thoughtful she is.

With all the sitting around at the hospital, I figured I ought to do at least a few useful things besides check email, blogs, facebook, and news several times a day.  So, I checked out and read several books from the library, on training for/competing in triathlons.  My sister has convinced me to do one with her in August while I'm visiting her in Utah.  Should be quite the challenge since we're both triathlon virgins!  I'm hoping to begin training next week.

I also finished 2 projects that have been on my desk since before Christmas.  It's about time...

The first project was some file folder games for my sister's 3 kids.  I colored, cut, laminated, and cut them out again.

I also finished up a magnetic nativity set for Sweet Cheeks.

When we get home from the hospital for good it will be spring cleaning time.  My goal is to get rid of at least 300 items from my home.  I can't wait for that!  And yes, I plan to take pictures.