Sleeping Sisters

Alice's Nursery Rhymes #2

There were four in the bed and the little one said "Roll over, roll over!"

So they all rolled over and Dad fell out!  THUD!

There were three in the bed and the little one said "Roll over, roll over!"

 So they all rolled over and Mom fell out!  SPLAT!

 There were two in the bed and the little one said "Roll over, roll over!"

 So they all rolled over and Kate fell out!  BONK!

 There was one in the bed and the little one said...

 "YAY!"

Downey's Farm Trip

The first time we went to Downey's with Kate we were stuck with these AWFUL phone pictures because we forgot the camera.  Today we took Alice and Kate to Downey's Farm - yay.  But guess what we did, we forgot the camera so we're stuck with these AWFUL phone pictures, AGAIN!!! ARGH!  We had fun even though it was really cold - the wind was crazy.  We were the only ones there though, so that was kind of fun.  Alice loved walking around with the goats and sheep, Kate did too.  I will count Alice's first trip to the farm a partial success.  Hopefully next time we'll remember the camera.  But next time will there be a goat standing on a sheep? 

 

Birthday Time

I'm glad that we celebrate birthdays.  I'm glad (generally) that there are such things as celebrations.  I love seeing friends and having happy fun!  Today we celebrated Darby's 3rd birthday and Ciaran's 3rd birthday.  I'm so glad that it worked out for us to go to both parties.  Fun times were had by all!

 

Eating Sand

I felt well enough that I kept the girls home with me yesterday and today.  The only thing preventing me from being happy about going back to work on Monday (not counting being away from my girls) is the prospect of having to do up my pants.  The bruising is YUCKY!

Today was lovely.  We played outside, we played inside, and we played outside some more.  When we played outside this morning I told Alice repeatedly not to eat the sand... this afternoon I gave in and just photographed her instead.  Someday she might be mad or maybe just grossed out.  I remember my brother Jon eating a popsicle that had fallen in the dirt under the swingset, and it had ants on it.  Kids eat gross things.

And then there's Kate bathing in the water part of the sand/water table - which really just means the mud table!  I've also given up trying to prevent them from mixing the sand with the water.  If I didn't want them to mix the sand and the water, I shouldn't have bought this table!  (The girls were bathed tonight so they both went to bed clean - yay!)

We have so many pretty flowers in our garden.  I'm so glad that the previous owners of the house planted so many perennials.  Anyone know what the flowers are here?

Kate picks Forget-Me-Nots for me.  It's pretty cute because of all the confusion with pronouns she calls them I-Forget-It-Nots.

Sometimes Kate has a hard time being a big sister.  Kate is often taking toys away from Alice, or yelling at her for something, but thankfully there are also cute moments.  They were playing at the cottage window - some sort of peek-a-boo and they were both laughing.  I should have made a video - it was so cute!

Today made me excited for the summer.  I'm so looking forward to being with my girls all day everyday!

Alice is Fifteen Months Old and other Victoria Day Related Fun

ALICE!!  I think of Alice and I think fun and busy.  She does stop moving, now I'm trying to picture when that is?  Today she stopped moving when she went to sleep and when she was strapped into her car seat and that was about it!  She is all about walking now, no more crawling for her.  She even wants to walk down the stairs the crazy kid.  I love my Allie-Boo!

Princess Kate!  Today in honour of Queen Victoria's 193rd birthday, Kate wore a crown and pearls.  It was kind of funny.

Cutie sisters!

Mom and Dad are in Collingwood this week and they invited us up for the day.  I wasn't sure how I would feel but I'm feeling pretty good and I can sit around in Collingwood and in the car the same as I can sit around at home.  Well mostly the same, the seat belt pressed a little uncomfortably from time to time.  It was a beautiful day, and after a quick trip to Walmart because we forgot to bring the bathing suits with us, Kate went swimming with her Grandma.

Kate played at the little park before and after her swim, and Alice played too but I didn't chase them around the whole time - well to be honest I didn't really do any chasing, mostly standing and sitting, but I only brought the camera out the once and that was while Alice was sleeping.

Conference Thoughts

 

The first presidency - Thomas S. Monson - prophet, and his counsellors - Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Adjusting to a new normal, trying to figure out when to do things with children, well, let's just say I'm a little slow to get organized?  Is three and a half years considered slower than slow?  I can't remember when in my adult life I started watching all of the sessions (except Priesthood) of General Conference (the twice yearly church conference from Salt Lake City), but at some point I did.  I would watch all the sessions and I would take notes.  I like taking notes.

The first General Conference after Kate was the same as always - I watched all the sessions, made my notes and then made my summary sheet afterwards.  And then, Kate got older.  Each session of General Conference is two hours long.  There are five sessions spread over Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend in April and the first weekend in October.  Watching all the sessions as an adult can be a challenge - it's a lot to take in.  As a child, well, it's just too much to ask.  It's a challenge trying to balance my needs with the needs of my children and sometimes I get very frustrated.  The last time I watched all of conference was April 2009.  This past April I was determined that I would watch ALL of conference, that I would make notes and make my summary sheet to hang up in my room to read and remember.

This morning, while Ken and the girls are at church and I'm at home continuing to recover from surgery, I finished watching the last two speakers of the Sunday afternoon session.  And I've just finished reading through my notes and making my summary list for me.  I feel happy.  This list is my personal list, it's the things that stood out to me, the things I need to work on.  I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that knows me, knows my needs and speaks to me through the Holy Ghost.  I am grateful for the atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. 

General Conference Thoughts

April 2012

·        President Monson

·         Nothing can stop the truth of God from filling the earth

·         Our Heavenly Father is mindful of each of us and our needs

·         KINDNESS

·         Everyone is in a hurry; do we pause for moments of meditation? 

·         What is most precious?

·         Come Unto Jesus

·         May your homes be filled with love and courtesy

·         Ponder the truths you’ve heard

·         Be better than you were before conference began

o   Family time is sacred

o   Baptism preparation – one on one time the months before a child is baptized (Dad time) teaching for understanding

o   The gospel and the church are not the same thing, but we need both

o   Nurture others throughout your life

o   Sacrifice – home and visiting teaching, temple service, church service, FAMILY

o   Acting even on a “twig” of faith allows God to grow it, it is never too late to build faith in Jesus Christ

o   Be kind, it’s a happy way to live

o   We need to prepare ourselves to receive the sacrament, we need to make room for the Holy Ghost and ponder on our Savior’s sufferings

o   Make a quiet book based on this talk (Robert D. Hales – second session)

o   President George Albert Smith, repeating counsel from his grandfather, once said: “There is a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s territory. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of that line one inch you are in the tempter’s power and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith [2011], 191).

o   Therefore, our daily question must be, “Do my actions place me in the Lord’s or in the enemy’s territory?”

o   Save things from the friend (stop/go)

o   President Monson – rescue those who have fallen away, those who have not yet tasted gospel fruit, do NOT judge

o   Example speaks so loudly children might not hear what we say

o   We need to read the Book of Mormon as a family

o   Don’t let emotions make decisions – can’t be influenced by the spirit

o   Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you (I need to stop judging my neighbours)

o   How do I help (When appropriate, ACT, don’t ASK)

o   Relief Society is not a trifling thing

o   FAMILY

o   Don’t deprive children of the opportunity to learn

o   Help children establish their own connection to heaven

o   Our missionary experiences have to be current

o   Reflect and record encounters of the spirit

o   Gratitude – confess the Lord in all things

o   Sometimes we might feel vulnerable and feel like we need another witness – Did I not speak peace to your mind? Remember sacred encounters

o   Am I a hypocrite?

o   What thinks Christ of me?

Goodbye Gall Bladder

The surgery was Wednesday.  Let's see, perhaps that isn't where to story begins though.  When I was pregnant with Alice I had these bouts of illness.  They would start with feeling off which would turn into feeling intense upper abdominal pain which would turn into a barf fest which would end with two more days of being horizontal.  I knew it wasn't pregnancy related - or at least I knew it was something more than just being pregnant.  It took a while to figure out that there was a pattern, and me being really slow to look after things sometimes, kept forgetting to mention it to my ob.  When I finally did mention it - at the end of my pregnancy he said, oh, that sounds like your gall bladder.

After Alice was born I had an ultra-sound which confirmed that I did in fact have gall stones.  When I went for the follow up with my family doctor she said, would you like me to schedule surgery now?  I was so taken back by her question.  I talked to a few friends and did a little bit of online reading and it seemed that surgery was in fact the only option, but I had a new baby and had no desire to have my gall bladder out right away.  I figured I'd wait a year and have it out. 

So here I am more than a year later post surgery.  I'm not feeling too badly really.  The incision below my navel is the most annoying and twinges here and there.  The gas pain is as uncomfortable as they said it would be and is unfortunately lasting longer than they said it would.  Discomfort aside I am so grateful for our health care system.  I know it doesn't always work perfectly, and hospital experiences aren't always good, but I am grateful.  I am grateful for doctors and nurses who do their jobs well.  I am grateful for nurses that work so hard to make us feel good.  I am grateful for a caregiver who goes above and beyond, who loves my kids and my family.  I am grateful for a ward family that has brought us meals and meals and more meals.  I am grateful for phone calls and emails and facebook messages from concerned friends and family.  I am so grateful for a supportive husband who is stepping up and doing it all while I'm recovering.

I thought about looking for a picture of a diseased gall bladder, or gall stones, or maybe even a still from a laparoscopic surgery, but I didn't!