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Sunday, August 30, 2009

My week from Hades!

Pardon the long post, but this has been a long week. I'll start by saying that you don't want to look at a few of the pictures if you have a weak stomach. It's been a ROUGH week for us and that is saying the least.

Tuesday - I walked Justin and Kennie to school. It was Justin's first day and he was so very excited. Came home and decided to go work out. I went to a place that has a children play land next to the work out machines. There is no one watching the kids, but you can watch while you work out. Well, I will spare all the details, but Maggie got her finger stuck on the bottom of the treadmill. After a few seconds, I figured something was wrong. By the time I got to her, she was bleeding pretty bad. She punctured her fingers (birdie and ring finger on her right hand). She also had quite a bit of skin shaved off. I took her to the ER and they did an x-ray that showed no broken bones or foreign bodies, so the wrapped it and sent us home. She had a GREAT nap and is healing. I think she severed her tendon in her birdie finger because she won't move or bend it at all. We will have an appointment with the hand surgeon in the next week or two and she will need occupational therapy in the near future.
While Maggie was taking her nap, the delivery company came to deliver my brand new couches. One of the movers carries my love seat in by him self. Hello?? Then, that same mover, while they were bringing in the sofa SLEEPER tripped over a curb and fell backwards and dropped my couch on his ankle. He busted his ankle and busted my couch. OH!

Wednesday - Nate woke up screaming at 2 in the morning. Aaron went in his room and he wasn't in his bed. He had walked into the closet and closed the door behind him. He was trapped. Then about 10 minutes later he was screaming again, so I went to check on him and he had fallen down the stairs. He was 5 stairs down sprawled out head first with his feet touching the top landing. Later in the day, Kennie and Justin had Dr. appointments for perscriptions so they could go to school. I had to take all 4 kids because Aaron was busy doing his work stuff.

Thursday - At 2 am, Nate woke up screaming and when I ran into his room, he was throwing up all over. So, I got it cleaned up and it happened again about an hour later. Maggie had a doctors appointment with the wound care doctor at 10, so off we went to that. (He said that Maggie's fingers are looking better than he expected and she should be okay.) Well, I ran to target real quick to get my mom and mother-in-laws birthday presents. On the way home, Nate started throwing up all over again. TONS!! It was gross and it was everywhere. I pulled over on the side of the road (on the military base) and took him out of the car, stripped him down and threw everything away. I wasn't even going to mess with it.

Friday - Nate woke up again at 2:30 am throwing up more. (I am not going to go back and edit, but Nate was also pooping out of every diaper. We seriously went through 7 outfits each day.) I had the walk through with the new property manager of the old house. I refused to cook. I was beat. After we put the kids to bed, I painted the first coat of paint on the 3 walls in our bedroom.

Saturday - made it through the night without Nate throwing up!! Still pooping everywhere (more of that in a moment). I finished the 3 walls in our bedroom and after our VERY expensive Costco run, we taped and I painted the first coat on the 4th wall. Let that dry during dinner then went up to paint the 2nd coat. The time was 7:30ish and I had just finished the 2nd coat. I was admiring my AWESOME paint job when Kennie knocked over the NAVY BLUE paint (at least 1/2 full gallon container) on the BRAND NEW carpet. Oh, my heart stopped. So I wouldn't beat him, I sent him to bed. (Pretty easy punishment if you ask me!) Aaron didn't even want to try to clean it up. He just said we would pay for new carpet when we moved out. I wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet, so I worked for the next 2 hours with our Bissel (LOVE LOVE LOVE this) green carpet spot cleaner. Aaron worked for another hour while I swept, mopped and cleaned the kitchen from dinner. We let it dry with the intention of doing another round on Sunday night.

Sunday - (Just when you thought we have had it all!!) We are at church. I had just finished Sunday School in the nursery (Maggie doesn't function very well if not in nursery and she is not quite old enough, so we take her in and play with her in there). It was Aaron's turn. He was sitting in there and I was chatting with the neighbors when I hear Aaron screaming at me. I look up and see him and Justin (Aaron was holding Justin's head) and blood. I couldn't believe it. I am VERY grateful for adrenaline because if I didn't have any, I would have had a nervous breakdown right then and there. Instead, we rushed Justin to the ER for stitches. He was walking back to primary from his class when another boy cut in front of him and made him trip. He fell into a metel fire hose box and smashed above his eye. He only recieved 1 stitch because it isn't very wide, but it is pretty deep. He was a trooper and didn't even cry. His word of the day is numb. We talked all about it in the ER. Thanks to The Stone's for taking care of Nate and Kennie while we were in the ER.
Typing this, I am in awe of all that has happened. I hope you don't mind me recording this here. If I had even a little bit of time to myself, I would write a book. But, seriously, when am I going to do that?

I will say this - I am done. I am ready for a small break. I just want to get my boxes unpacked, sleep in my bed for a full night and be able to sit with my kids and read a book or even maybe spend a few hours in my scrap-room. (Still in boxes!) At this moment, Aaron is playing with his new toy (a power drill) to keep Maggie out from under the sink so she will stop eating the dishwasher cubes. I know, call me crazy.

Through this all, I am grateful for so many things. I am very grateful for the support of the friends (few as they are) that I have in Alaska! I couldn't have made it through this last week without the knowledge that I could call. I haven't called much, but I knew I could if I needed too. I am thankful that we are in our home and that we are finally getting settled. I still miss Ohio and my "old life" like crazy, but I am starting to feel a peace in Alaska. I know the Lord has us here for a reason, and I will try to fulfill my mission here with my head up high. I am grateful for the friends and family who are living close enough to the spirit to know that I needed a call or an e-mail. You know who you are. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Mostly, I am thankful for my dear sweet husband. I don't know how I would have made it through this difficult time without him. He hasn't been home a lot, but the time he is here, he is always trying to make it better. He doesn't complain too much and is always trying to make me smile. If you can imagine, this week has been hard, but he always manages to do it. I am so grateful that he chased me and that I listed to the spirit. He is perfect for me. I love you dude!!

Now, I am not ready for a full reveal, because we are not done, but I thought you would like a teaser. So, here is a picture of our room and the living room! The first is our living room. It's a dark sage green with our Chocolate new couches. You can see the quilt that my mother-in-law helped me make. (Some would say that will earn her eternity just for putting up with me,) but I really loved doing this. Stay tuned for my table runner that I did all by myself!! When Aaron say me making the quilt, has asked if this was my attempt at being homly. Funny hunny!!
Next is our bedroom. 3 of the walls are "Bamboo" and the other wall is Navy Blue. If I can find it, our duvet cover will be cranberry along with the curtains. It's an Americana theme!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Alive

Sorry for the emotion in the previous post. While reading my book (The Continuous Atonement) the night I wrote the post, there was a very powerful section on Anger that really helped me get a handle on my emotions. What a good book that was!!

So, we are alive and in the new house. I still need to clean bathrooms & vacuum upstairs before turning the keys over.

We have unloaded and started the unpacking process again. We have the toy room unpacked (the 1st one to get done!) and the kitchen is mostly done (only dry food left). We are more than 1/2 done on the master bedroom and the kids rooms. We have been painting (watch for the reveal soon!) the living room. The new furniture will be delivered tomorrow and hopefully we will get it all together soon! It is difficult getting used to paint after white walls all our married life. We are going to paint our bedroom at the end of the week and the toy room next week. The kids want to pick out a color.

Anyway, watch for pictures soon!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Anger

I know, anger is of the devil, however, I need to express some anger so maybe I can move on. Once again, I am taking away the comment feature for this post. I don't want to hear that I am strong enough to make it through. I know that I am. I will make it through, but for now, I am angry. These might not make much sense!

  • Why can't we be given a little glimpse of the why? I know, then it wouldn't make us stronger, but if I knew why, it would make it easier to endure the hardships.
  • I am angry that I had faith in human kind and trusted someone. If I would have pressed harder or waited longer or even prayed harder, maybe the answer would have been different.
  • I am angry that the person I trusted cares only for themselves. I go out of my way to help others. This person could care less of what me and my kids are going through.
  • I am angry that my children have to adjust to a move, once again. They just met friends. They have loved riding their bikes outside and playing with the neighbor kids. They were looking forward to a good school year. They love the kids at church. Justin has 3 or 4 boys his age in his class. We enjoyed dinner with them on Sunday, and the kids had a Great time. The adults even played a few hands of Scum.
  • I am angry that we don't know it all. If I knew it all, I wouldn't have to learn lessons.
  • I am angry that I have had to do 2 "boy" jobs today. I took out the Recycle Can and mowed the lawn.
  • I am angry that I turned my alarm off this morning and didn't exercise. (Although, when I was mowing the lawn, I was grateful I didn't excercise this morning. I wouldn't be able to move right now if I did.)
  • I am angry that it is 7:17 pm and I have to spend the evening getting things together for the movers to not pack tomorrow. I am angry that I have to spend 3 nights without a bed (my kids too) and living out of a suitcase again. Seriously, it has only been 4 weeks.
  • I am angry I have to leave one of the only friends I have in Alaska. (There is more than 1 - however, it's been really nice being so close.) I will miss you Staci!
I know that this is for the best, but I find myself overwhelmingly alone. Who likes moving? I don't. Here I am, preparing for the nightmare again when I just unpacked my last box not 2 weeks ago. I find it so very hard to be patient and understanding when I feel like my life is falling apart around me. At times, I feel as if I can't breathe.

Medical school (Maryland) was very hard for me. I found myself praying every night for my "cup to pass," but it never did. What did I expect, really? For the military to give Aaron orders to move us in the middle of medical school? I mean, hello! However, night after night, I would cry my heart out to the Lord only to feel like my prayers and needs were being ignored. I can look back now and see that I was not alone. I grew more than I ever though possible in those 4 years. However, that doesn't make those lonely nights any easier. I find myself looking towards those lonely nights in the not-so-far distance.

I once again feel that urge to pray for this "cup to pass." I would love to wake up tomorrow morning and have dreamed this whole nightmare. We could stay in our home, with all our stuff. We could put up our pictures and candles and nice things. I just figured out how to get myself where I need to go.

Anger is such a weird thing. I hope now, I am able to pack and get everything ready for the movers tomorrow. I have often been told that my life should be a book. So many crazy things happen to me. At this point, I don't think anyone would believe that this really happened! I think I need to go study scriptures for a little bit or something. Maybe that will help.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Wow! It's only 10:42

Wow! It's only 10:42 and look at what I have already done today:

  • scheduled termination of water/sewage
  • scheduled termination of Electric
  • scheduled termination of trash/recycling
  • called and waiting for return call for tv/phone/internet
  • left messages for 2 friends & mom
  • attempted to make Dr's appointments for boys to get paperwork filled out
  • EXERCISE!!
  • Showered
  • Ate breakfast
  • Cleaned up breakfast
  • Did a load of laundry
  • paid bills
  • kids dressed (Maggie 2 dirty diapers!)
  • put Nate on the potty
  • made bed/straightened up room
  • sorted laundry (I did 9 loads of laundry on Saturday. UGH!)
Hoping that means today is going to be a good day. I am getting up early to excercise hoping that my days will go okay this week. It's going to be a week from HADES so every little bit helps. School starts for Kennie, packing Wednesday loading Thursday unloading Friday and unpacking Saturday. Any bets on whether I am able to get everything unpacked on Saturday....maybe I won't even do a single box. We'll see!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Check it out..

Check out the new pictures of the kids on the side of the blog. Each one fits his/her personality so well! Kennie is doing what he was told to do..."smile". Justin is being his cheesy self! Always my poser. Nate is goofing off and doing what ever he wants to do and Maggie is making everyone laugh. Oh so perfect!

On another note, we are moving again. Next Wednesday we will start packing up the boxes. Thursday will be more boxes and Friday we will load, transport and unload. Since no one is really close enough to help, we would appreciate any prayers you could send our way. It is going to take all I have to do another move. We are staying in Anchorage, but just moving to a new neighborhood. When we told Justin about our move, he cried and cried. He had finally stopped and then Aaron mentioned we would be attending a new ward....he turned it back on again. Oh brother!! Anyway, he has said many times that he is going to miss Colten. Nate still insists he is going to come play with Colten every day. Stacie, I think you might assume responsibility for another child.....

That's it for now. I will probably not post for another few weeks. School starts next week and then we are boxing, moving and unboxing. Wish me luck!!

Monday, August 10, 2009

July photo shoot

We took pictures through Maggie Quackenbush while we were all in Utah. They turned out great. Take a look!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Random Thoughts

Tonight, we were eating dinner at Red Robin and wishing that we had kept the kids home and eaten Taco Soup again because they were out of control when this Lady (probably my moms age) came over and thanked us for how well behaved our children were. We both politely said thank you and after she left just looked at each other in shock. Really?? She said that it was nice to see that people still had control over their children and taught them how to behave. I wanted to ask her if she needed glasses AND a hearing aid. We were both in shock. Aaron said he had noticed her staring at us, but thought it was because the kids were acting crazy. Not being good. Oh, funny!

In other news, we are almost finished with the boxes. Aaron got both cars in the garage yesterday. Oh, and ya, Aaron bought a car. He got a 2002 Chevy Blazer. It was very nice to be able to pay cash for it and not have another car payment! Hopefully, from here on out, we will be able to pay cash for all our cars.

I am doing very good with my weight loss. I have become very aware of how much of what I am eating. I am making smarter eating choices and making the effort to work out. I am anxious for Monday's weigh in. Hopefully I can pull some big numbers. I always do better if I can see results quick!

Kennie starts school on the 19th. We have an appointment to have Justin tested to see what level he is on and where we should put him. I am sure there will be more news to follow. Well, off to bed. Hopefully the kids will sleep in again in the morning so we can as well!!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Weight Loss Goal..

To my weight loss friend,

Yes, you know who you are. The game is on!! The first to lose 35 pounds gets the stated prize. I am a competitive person, so I will do better if I am in a challenge. (I also do better with a friend doing it with me...hint hint Stacie!!) Anyway, no need to leave a comment to reveal yourself. Just send me an e-mail to know that we are on!! You can see my tracker on the side of my blog. This way, I am accountable. You can see, I have already made progress.

Your friend! Sassy

P.S. If there is anyone else that would like to join me, just let me know! Shelby, you don't count though!!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Rant part 2!!

Okay, just a few things tonight since it's late....

#1 - I realized tonight that we have been here 1 week and 5 days. (Yes, I am counting!!!) Okay, we sitting in Costco (YEA!) eating lunch and I realize that there are only a handful of people I would recognize. BJ & Stacie (but they don't have a membership), Laura & Heath (they don't have a membership either), Kathleen (A Dr. at Aaron's work who lives in Eagle River and wouldn't be shopping in my neck of the woods anyway), Chris & Linda (good Dr. friends from Ohio) and Ron & Arianna (From medical school, also just moved up here). That is about it. Only 1 set of people from our ward. When we were in Ohio, after 2 days, I would have known at least 15 families or more. Oh, I want to go back to Ohio.

#2 - I WANT MY VAN! Seriously, why does it take more than 2 weeks to get a car from LA? (That's in California.) It took 5 days to get to Seattle and then 5 days to get from Seattle to Tacoma. WHAT??? Oh, I could spit nails! I realize that I really need to scrapbook to get some of this aggression out.

#3 - Not specific to Alaska, but I was standing in the line at Fred Meyer tonight and could have thrown something at the couple in front of me. They had 2 orders. #1 - 3 gallons of whole milk and eggs. This is a WIC transaction. Order #2 - 5 gallons of Ice Cream, 3 bottles of Chocolate Syrup, 3 bags of peach ring candy, a beard trimmer and a package of crackers. Okay, seriously?? If you can afford 5 gallons of ice cream, you should put them back and buy milk for your kids. Why, if you can afford it, does the state of Alaska have to provide your ice cream for you?? Oh, sometimes Government programs really don't do what they are intended for.

Now that it's 11:25 and the sun just set, I am going to go to bed and hope that I am not up with Maggie until 2:30 tonight!!