Oh, there are so many things to update on, so I will just start with our life lately.
Chris: He works so, so hard. He loves his job, and is doing amazing things for the college. We are so grateful he has a good job that supports our growing sons. He baptized Anden this summer. I am so grateful he can do that! He is such an example of a loving, hard working man. I hope our boys grow up to be just like him.
Me: I'm not gonna lie. I have been struggling lately. I am dealing with some tough emotional issues that have come to a head lately. Life just seems so hard sometimes, almost too hard to deal with. I am blessed in so many ways, and feel so ungrateful for even feeling this way. Things are looking up, though. I am just so lucky to have the husband and kids that I do!
Braxton: He is such an amazing kid! He is a hard worker. His grades are amazing. His teachers want to literally adopt him. He is such an awesome example to his brothers. He just got braces and has grown like a weed lately. He is the quintessential teenager. I am loving every minute of it!
Calvin: He is hilarious! Cal & I have such a special bond. We are so alike it is not even funny. He has good grades, and gets hugged by every 8th grade girl...every day (he's in 6th, and his older brother is pretty jealous!). The older girls think he is "adorable". I tell them they have to give me a hug before they can hug him.
Anden: Boy has this kid grown by leaps and bounds! He is an amazing reader, and loves to play outside. You'll never catch this kid in front of a video game! He got baptized this summer. He loves the gospel with all his heart! He's such a tender hearted kid, and has the cutest "jack-o-lantern smile".
Roy: My baby....He has my heart and he knows it! He is a reader! He totally wears his heart on his sleeve, and I love it cuz I am the one he loves the most. I'm eating it up while I can.
Man, I love being a mom. It is sometimes hard to remember that my family is number one. They teach me so much. They spoil me with attention, and I love them so much! I am soooooo lucky.
I can't get a pic to load, so I will just leave you with a whole lot of words.
Love~ Sarah
Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Goals
I am posting this here because I want to stick myself to it. I was reading from a couple years ago how great I felt while doing triathlons. I miss that soooo much. I miss the wind in my face while I rode my bike, and the feeling of being in great shape. I miss the friendships I made while pounding in mile upon mile of training. I miss everything about it....except for the time away from my family.
I am in terrible shape now. I feel myself sinking into a depression, and I don't want to even go there (I've been there before). I think the best thing for me to do will be to sign up for short triathlons. That way I can get in shape, do something for myself, yet still have time for my sweet boys. That's it....I am going in search of a race for me to do in the early spring of 2012. It will take me that long to get ready, but I'm going to do it!
Life has been really rough lately (when is it not?). I haven't been sleeping at night, and am get over-the-top anxious about all these trials we are having. I want to share them with you, but I am scared people who I don't want to see will inevitably see, and they will be used against me like so many times in the past. They are so tender. I don't know if I could take it!!! Can I just tell you that I thought I would get some reprieve when we moved back to Rangely, but that is not the case.
I have been so overwhelmed lately with all the suffering in the world. Everywhere I go there is pain, and death, and more pain. Last Sunday, it seemed I had witnessed so many friends and people going through hard times, then I slammed our little kitties foot in the door and she screached out in pain. I broke down! I just don't understand it. It seems that happiness is elusive, and really hard to attain, and what about animals and innocent children who suffer, purposely or accidentally, from the actions of others. All I can say is that this Heaven must be really wonderful for all this to be worth it. Actually, I do know that it is. I think it's time for an attitude adjustment for me!
I am in terrible shape now. I feel myself sinking into a depression, and I don't want to even go there (I've been there before). I think the best thing for me to do will be to sign up for short triathlons. That way I can get in shape, do something for myself, yet still have time for my sweet boys. That's it....I am going in search of a race for me to do in the early spring of 2012. It will take me that long to get ready, but I'm going to do it!
Life has been really rough lately (when is it not?). I haven't been sleeping at night, and am get over-the-top anxious about all these trials we are having. I want to share them with you, but I am scared people who I don't want to see will inevitably see, and they will be used against me like so many times in the past. They are so tender. I don't know if I could take it!!! Can I just tell you that I thought I would get some reprieve when we moved back to Rangely, but that is not the case.
I have been so overwhelmed lately with all the suffering in the world. Everywhere I go there is pain, and death, and more pain. Last Sunday, it seemed I had witnessed so many friends and people going through hard times, then I slammed our little kitties foot in the door and she screached out in pain. I broke down! I just don't understand it. It seems that happiness is elusive, and really hard to attain, and what about animals and innocent children who suffer, purposely or accidentally, from the actions of others. All I can say is that this Heaven must be really wonderful for all this to be worth it. Actually, I do know that it is. I think it's time for an attitude adjustment for me!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
It's been a long time!
Here are some pics of what we've been up to. We have had so many miracles in our lives lately, and I want to share them with you, but first let me show my cute kids off.
Andy was a wise man in the Christmas nativity. We had to improvise on his costume since most of our stuff is in storage, but he was so cute and took his role VERY seriously.
Cal stuck his tongue to a pole when it was 16 degrees outside. He quickly found out that, yup, his tongue would stick, and it would rip his skin off too!
Roy is our new Rock Star. He LOVES music, and is constantly asking me to play his favorite songs: Dynamite, Crazy Frog, and Love is Like Oxygen.
Andy has lost 4 teeth and none have grown back! Don't you think he looks so cute with his little heart?
Andy was a wise man in the Christmas nativity. We had to improvise on his costume since most of our stuff is in storage, but he was so cute and took his role VERY seriously.
Cal stuck his tongue to a pole when it was 16 degrees outside. He quickly found out that, yup, his tongue would stick, and it would rip his skin off too!Roy is our new Rock Star. He LOVES music, and is constantly asking me to play his favorite songs: Dynamite, Crazy Frog, and Love is Like Oxygen.Andy has lost 4 teeth and none have grown back! Don't you think he looks so cute with his little heart?Braxton had a birthday last week. He was ordained into the Aaronic Priesthood today. He is such a good big brother, and I can see God's divine plan in sending Braxton as our oldest. He has helped me in so many ways over the last year of Chris being in Colorado. His brothers look up to him so much. He is so fun to talk to, and is turning into such a loving, kind young man! Yup, I'm a proud (in a good way) mama!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Funnies
My Little ImpI just have to record some funnies from Roy:
1)When Roy goes to time-out, he screams like a school girl and slams the door over and over again. Nothing I have tried has worked in getting him to stop this, so today as he was screaming and slamming, I was at the end of my rope and said, "Roy if you slam the door one more time your going to get a spanking."
He stopped slamming, put his mouth at the crack at the bottom of the door and sobbing said, "mom, that's not nice. Jesus doesn't like it when you say that."
He's right, Jesus doesn't like that. Please help me Jesus, to find something that works!
2)Roy asked me if we have a hole from our mouth to our bum. I said we kinda did and gave him the long explanation. He listened intently, which he hardly ever does, then exclaimed, "AWESOME!"
Boys and farts and poop and burps. They love to talk about them. We have poop conversations several times a week, and Roy says that boys fart and girls toot.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Pain
For the past few years I have had weird things going on with my body. It all started when Calvin was a baby. I had numb, tingly spots on my back. They kinda felt hyper sensitive, like I could feel everything touching them, and it hurt. I went to a doctor in Provo, and he wanted to get an MRI done. He mentioned it could be Multiple Sclerosis. I was scared, but didn't think I would ever have anything like that. We didn't have any insurance, and really couldn't afford an MRI, so I just pretended that the numbness was normal.
Fast forward to a couple years ago. My feet and hands started going numb and I still had the numb spots on my back. I started really feeling the need to get the MRI done, but again, we were at a job with no health insurance.
Last year we finally had health insurance, and the numbness had progressed to weird electrical feelings in my legs. Plus, I would feel a lot of pain in my legs sometimes too. My bones just really ached. I finally decided to get the MRI. Nothing was there. They said I had arthritis in my neck, and maybe it was Fibromyalgia. I was happy, but frustrated at the same time. I felt like maybe I was making it all up, and it seemed that people thought I was too.
All last summer the pain increased into my abdomen, back, and joints. I just ached, especially by the end of the day. I had constant pain in my kidney area. I went to a doctor who told me I was just dehydrated. I didn't believe him, but I drank tons of water for 3 months and the pain was still there constantly.
I went to another doctor, and she scheduled an abdominal ultrasound. Nothing. I don't want anything to be wrong with me, but my pain is real. I feel like no one thinks it is valid unless there is a diagnosis stuck to my pain, and a mass growing in me somewhere.
So after an MRI, ultrasound, and numerous blood tests, I decided to empower myself and take matters into my own hands. I have been a vegetarian for 8 years. Some of the time I have eaten extremely healthy. Other times I was a potato chip vegetarian. I really didn't pay attention to vitamins, minerals, etc. I know person can abstain from meat and still be healthy, I just wasn't doing a good job of it. I discovered that I was probably deficient in several vitamins. I found out that many of our foods are depleted because our soils are depleted. I also found that we need tons more vitamins than the FDA recommends. Doctors scare us that we can overdose on vitamins, but the truth is that the drugs they prescribe are far more scary than vitamins. I also found that the vitamins I am most likely to be deficient in show the exact symptoms I have been feeling.
For the past week I have been mega dosing on vitamins. I am a girl who hates swallowing pills! But I have been taking 15 pills a day, and guess what? I feel good. Most days I can't feel the pain. It still comes back, and it took a few days to notice a difference, but I feel markedly better!
While I know this isn't a good long-term plan, it is helping more than anything else has. I am making a more conscience effort in planning the food we eat. If I am having these symptoms it makes me worried for my children. It took me 8 years to build up to this, so I am sure it will take a while for my body to get all the nutrients it needs back.
I think vegetarianism is a good thing. I don't think I will be eating meat anytime soon, but I do think we need to be more aware of our food and how nutritious it really is. I think many symptoms people have are related to the food they eat, but they just don't realize it. Doctors don't get much training in nutrition, and when they do blood work, they rarely check vitamin and mineral content.
Food for thought.
xo
~Sarah
Fast forward to a couple years ago. My feet and hands started going numb and I still had the numb spots on my back. I started really feeling the need to get the MRI done, but again, we were at a job with no health insurance.
Last year we finally had health insurance, and the numbness had progressed to weird electrical feelings in my legs. Plus, I would feel a lot of pain in my legs sometimes too. My bones just really ached. I finally decided to get the MRI. Nothing was there. They said I had arthritis in my neck, and maybe it was Fibromyalgia. I was happy, but frustrated at the same time. I felt like maybe I was making it all up, and it seemed that people thought I was too.
All last summer the pain increased into my abdomen, back, and joints. I just ached, especially by the end of the day. I had constant pain in my kidney area. I went to a doctor who told me I was just dehydrated. I didn't believe him, but I drank tons of water for 3 months and the pain was still there constantly.
I went to another doctor, and she scheduled an abdominal ultrasound. Nothing. I don't want anything to be wrong with me, but my pain is real. I feel like no one thinks it is valid unless there is a diagnosis stuck to my pain, and a mass growing in me somewhere.
So after an MRI, ultrasound, and numerous blood tests, I decided to empower myself and take matters into my own hands. I have been a vegetarian for 8 years. Some of the time I have eaten extremely healthy. Other times I was a potato chip vegetarian. I really didn't pay attention to vitamins, minerals, etc. I know person can abstain from meat and still be healthy, I just wasn't doing a good job of it. I discovered that I was probably deficient in several vitamins. I found out that many of our foods are depleted because our soils are depleted. I also found that we need tons more vitamins than the FDA recommends. Doctors scare us that we can overdose on vitamins, but the truth is that the drugs they prescribe are far more scary than vitamins. I also found that the vitamins I am most likely to be deficient in show the exact symptoms I have been feeling.
For the past week I have been mega dosing on vitamins. I am a girl who hates swallowing pills! But I have been taking 15 pills a day, and guess what? I feel good. Most days I can't feel the pain. It still comes back, and it took a few days to notice a difference, but I feel markedly better!
While I know this isn't a good long-term plan, it is helping more than anything else has. I am making a more conscience effort in planning the food we eat. If I am having these symptoms it makes me worried for my children. It took me 8 years to build up to this, so I am sure it will take a while for my body to get all the nutrients it needs back.
I think vegetarianism is a good thing. I don't think I will be eating meat anytime soon, but I do think we need to be more aware of our food and how nutritious it really is. I think many symptoms people have are related to the food they eat, but they just don't realize it. Doctors don't get much training in nutrition, and when they do blood work, they rarely check vitamin and mineral content.
Food for thought.
xo
~Sarah
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
OCD
Ok, so I'm talking about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. No, I haven't been diagnosed, but I have this theory that it's human nature to be obsessive about things. Some people are obsessed about their looks, while others may be obsessed about germs. I know it is extreme for some people and it really is a hard thing for them, but I do think that obsessing is part of our "natural man".
I was thinking about my obsession this morning as I was folding laundry. I am OCD about laundry. When I wash, I have to wash everything. I will scour the house, looking under beds, in the car. Every towel that is out, even the kids shoes are not safe. I have to do my laundry all in one day because I have to have it all done at once. And if I don't get it done that day I restart the whole routine the next morning to get everything again.
Now let's talk about folding. Everything must be folded just right. Corners lined up, and the hem of shirts must not be folded up. And the kids have to put their laundry away NICELY so as not to mess up my work of art!
I love everything about laundry: the smell, the whir of the washer, and the feel of warm clothes fresh out of the dryer. I love clean sheets. I love to do laundry!
I realize I probably sound like a nut job right now, but my point is that we all have SOMETHING we obsess over. I wanna know what yours is! Spill it!
My sister's name is Teala, and her husband calls her O-C-Deala. She is obsessive about vacuuming. She loves the lines the vacuum makes in her carpet. You can be in the middle of a conversation with someone and the next thing you know, she has the vacuum running between you. The time of day doesn't matter either. The woman LOVES to vacuum.
I think obsessing is our way of controlling something in our lives. And I don't think people who are obsessive about things hold other people to their expectations. I don't think other people should fold laundry like I do, and my sister could care less if I have vacuum lines in my carpet. Humans are weird creatures. We're a bunch of animals!
I was thinking about my obsession this morning as I was folding laundry. I am OCD about laundry. When I wash, I have to wash everything. I will scour the house, looking under beds, in the car. Every towel that is out, even the kids shoes are not safe. I have to do my laundry all in one day because I have to have it all done at once. And if I don't get it done that day I restart the whole routine the next morning to get everything again.
Now let's talk about folding. Everything must be folded just right. Corners lined up, and the hem of shirts must not be folded up. And the kids have to put their laundry away NICELY so as not to mess up my work of art!
I love everything about laundry: the smell, the whir of the washer, and the feel of warm clothes fresh out of the dryer. I love clean sheets. I love to do laundry!
I realize I probably sound like a nut job right now, but my point is that we all have SOMETHING we obsess over. I wanna know what yours is! Spill it!
My sister's name is Teala, and her husband calls her O-C-Deala. She is obsessive about vacuuming. She loves the lines the vacuum makes in her carpet. You can be in the middle of a conversation with someone and the next thing you know, she has the vacuum running between you. The time of day doesn't matter either. The woman LOVES to vacuum.
I think obsessing is our way of controlling something in our lives. And I don't think people who are obsessive about things hold other people to their expectations. I don't think other people should fold laundry like I do, and my sister could care less if I have vacuum lines in my carpet. Humans are weird creatures. We're a bunch of animals!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
My New Journal
Okay, so I'm going to start this blog thing again, but I think I'm going to be journaling more than anything. I don't want to forget any of the fun and cute things the kids do and say.
We decided not to do a Christmas tree this year. I know it sounds sad, but it's actually going to be a good thing. Our cute fake tree is in storage, and I don't want Chris to have to rummage through everything for it. Plus, the trailer is small, and we really can't fit all 6 of us in there, let alone a tree!
Here is the good news. I had this wonderful idea to make a Christmas tree so kids aren't completely without something. We are making a tree out of our hand prints. Every time we think of something good or something someone did for us or something we are thankful for, we trace our hand on green paper, cut it out, then write our good thing on it. Then we curl the fingers, and put the handprint upside down on a big sheet of white paper taped to the wall. We'll slowly shape it like a tree as we work our way up. The goal is to have a full tree by Christmas. I'll take a picture and show later. I was feeling pretty bad about not having a tree for the kids, but Anden said, "this is going to be the best Christmas ever because of this tree!"
Then, of course our stockings are packed away, so me and the kids brainstormed what we could use instead. Socks? No, not big enough. Hmmm...they finally decided on their snow boots. Pretty ingenious, huh?
I actually really like struggling through this year. I am learning so much and so are the kids. We are getting pretty good at improvising, and we'll always remember the Christmas in the trailer.
xo
Sarah
We decided not to do a Christmas tree this year. I know it sounds sad, but it's actually going to be a good thing. Our cute fake tree is in storage, and I don't want Chris to have to rummage through everything for it. Plus, the trailer is small, and we really can't fit all 6 of us in there, let alone a tree!
Here is the good news. I had this wonderful idea to make a Christmas tree so kids aren't completely without something. We are making a tree out of our hand prints. Every time we think of something good or something someone did for us or something we are thankful for, we trace our hand on green paper, cut it out, then write our good thing on it. Then we curl the fingers, and put the handprint upside down on a big sheet of white paper taped to the wall. We'll slowly shape it like a tree as we work our way up. The goal is to have a full tree by Christmas. I'll take a picture and show later. I was feeling pretty bad about not having a tree for the kids, but Anden said, "this is going to be the best Christmas ever because of this tree!"
Then, of course our stockings are packed away, so me and the kids brainstormed what we could use instead. Socks? No, not big enough. Hmmm...they finally decided on their snow boots. Pretty ingenious, huh?
I actually really like struggling through this year. I am learning so much and so are the kids. We are getting pretty good at improvising, and we'll always remember the Christmas in the trailer.
xo
Sarah
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