Lately it feels like life has just been about getting from one day to the next. I haven't really been doing anything besides keeping the kids from making too many messes. I mean, I have done a few things - we planted a cherry tree on Friday, we had our Easter egg hunt on Saturday, the Primary kids sang a special song in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, Jeff went back to work yesterday. But I feel like I've been just wandering around wanting something to do, but not really motivated to do anything.
But that has now changed - I have something to do and motivation to do it! Jeff's sister Joy and her family are going to be temporarily moving to our house, until they are able to move down to California with Jeff's parents. And they're coming on Saturday. So my job is to get the house ready. I've already moved Zaylee's and Thomas' mattresses up to Audrey's room. Now I need to clear out the kids' rooms of toys and trash and random other clutter to make room for Joy and her family, and get the rest of the house looking nice. Family room, living room, bathrooms, closets - they all need to be cleaned up and organized so that we can make their stay here as pleasant for everyone as possible.
We don't know for sure how long they will be staying with us - they're waiting on their tax refund before they can move out to California. But however long they're with us, we're glad that we have the opportunity to help them out and spend this time with them before they leave Utah.
And I'm excited that I finally have something to spur me on - I only have until Saturday to get the house ready!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Update
I thought I should drop an update, after leaving that post about Jeff's appendectomy up for so long.
Jeff came home this past Wednesday. At first he was very weak and couldn't eat very much. Because he hadn't been able to eat for a whole week, his stomach had really shrunk. He would get full after just a couple of bites. But since then Jeff's appetite has returned, and he's making up for a week of not eating!
We're still having to make sure that the kids don't jump on Jeff's stomach. He still can't really lift the kids or have them sit on his lap when they're wiggly. But he's improving a lot. He has even been able to cook a meal - he made crepes for breakfast on Saturday, and boy were they good.
Okay, that's about it. I need to go put together some breakfast now.
Jeff came home this past Wednesday. At first he was very weak and couldn't eat very much. Because he hadn't been able to eat for a whole week, his stomach had really shrunk. He would get full after just a couple of bites. But since then Jeff's appetite has returned, and he's making up for a week of not eating!
We're still having to make sure that the kids don't jump on Jeff's stomach. He still can't really lift the kids or have them sit on his lap when they're wiggly. But he's improving a lot. He has even been able to cook a meal - he made crepes for breakfast on Saturday, and boy were they good.
Okay, that's about it. I need to go put together some breakfast now.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Jeff
As many of you know (from Facebook and/or phone calls), Jeff had an appendectomy on Wednesday. Thought I'd sit down and write out all the details.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff started complaining of a stomachache. I didn't think much of it, but by Wednesday morning it was much worse. Lots of pain, plus he had been unable to keep any food or liquid down since this all started. He asked me to go to the store to get some sprite in an attempt to help him feel better. When I got home, he was curled up on the floor moaning, and asked me to take him to the ER.
At that point, Thomas was about to get out of preschool, Zaylee was still in the van (I had brought her to the store with me), and Audrey was waking up from her nap. So I threw some diapers and stuff into the diaper bag, got Audrey ready and buckled in the van, then helped Jeff get dressed and into the van. We stopped at the school to pick up Thomas on the way to the hospital.
There was a brief wait in the ER waiting room, then they took Jeff in to assess his condition. The kids and I stayed out in the waiting room. The kids got to watch TV in the children's wait area, and a nice lady got a couple snacks for them from the vending machine. We were finally allowed back to see Jeff, who was feeling a bit better since they had him on morphine.
I had to take the kids home, because they were getting antsy and hungry. So I got them home, changed diapers, fed them, and then my neighbor came over to be with the kids while I went back to be with Jeff.
There was a lot of waiting, and Jeff was in a lot of pain. The Elders Quorum president and one of the young men from the ward came over the give Jeff a blessing, which was very much appreciated. Immediately after, he was taken to have surgery to remove his appendix. The EQ president got me some lunch from the cafeteria, and I settled in to wait while Jeff was operated on.
The operation went successfully. The surgeon was able to remove the appendix from three small incisions instead of having to completely open Jeff up. They removed about a liter (!) of pus from his abdomen. Wow, that's half of a two-liter bottle. No wonder he was in so much pain.
I stayed the night with Jeff that first night. Jeff's sister Joy and her daughter Marilee spent the night with the kids so I could be with Jeff. And ever since then, Jeff has been recovering in the hospital, on antibiotics to prevent infection and morphine to help with the pain, and I've been trying to stay sane here at home with the kids. We've visited Jeff a couple times. The kids are always happy to see Daddy, but it's hard because he can't get up and play with them. They can't even give him hugs and sit on his lap.
It's been kind of hard the past couple of days. The kids and I miss having Jeff around. The kids are acting out a bit more than usual, and my depression has been flaring up. But Jeff should be able to come home soon, which we're really looking forward to.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff started complaining of a stomachache. I didn't think much of it, but by Wednesday morning it was much worse. Lots of pain, plus he had been unable to keep any food or liquid down since this all started. He asked me to go to the store to get some sprite in an attempt to help him feel better. When I got home, he was curled up on the floor moaning, and asked me to take him to the ER.
At that point, Thomas was about to get out of preschool, Zaylee was still in the van (I had brought her to the store with me), and Audrey was waking up from her nap. So I threw some diapers and stuff into the diaper bag, got Audrey ready and buckled in the van, then helped Jeff get dressed and into the van. We stopped at the school to pick up Thomas on the way to the hospital.
There was a brief wait in the ER waiting room, then they took Jeff in to assess his condition. The kids and I stayed out in the waiting room. The kids got to watch TV in the children's wait area, and a nice lady got a couple snacks for them from the vending machine. We were finally allowed back to see Jeff, who was feeling a bit better since they had him on morphine.
I had to take the kids home, because they were getting antsy and hungry. So I got them home, changed diapers, fed them, and then my neighbor came over to be with the kids while I went back to be with Jeff.
There was a lot of waiting, and Jeff was in a lot of pain. The Elders Quorum president and one of the young men from the ward came over the give Jeff a blessing, which was very much appreciated. Immediately after, he was taken to have surgery to remove his appendix. The EQ president got me some lunch from the cafeteria, and I settled in to wait while Jeff was operated on.
The operation went successfully. The surgeon was able to remove the appendix from three small incisions instead of having to completely open Jeff up. They removed about a liter (!) of pus from his abdomen. Wow, that's half of a two-liter bottle. No wonder he was in so much pain.
I stayed the night with Jeff that first night. Jeff's sister Joy and her daughter Marilee spent the night with the kids so I could be with Jeff. And ever since then, Jeff has been recovering in the hospital, on antibiotics to prevent infection and morphine to help with the pain, and I've been trying to stay sane here at home with the kids. We've visited Jeff a couple times. The kids are always happy to see Daddy, but it's hard because he can't get up and play with them. They can't even give him hugs and sit on his lap.
It's been kind of hard the past couple of days. The kids and I miss having Jeff around. The kids are acting out a bit more than usual, and my depression has been flaring up. But Jeff should be able to come home soon, which we're really looking forward to.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Finally, a new post, and lots of pictures
So I've realized that it's much easier to post occasional Facebook updates than to sit down and write a full blog post. So I haven't blogged for a while. But Mom has mentioned that she would rather read blog posts than hear about Facebook posts from my sisters, since she isn't on Facebook. So, this is me writing a blog post!
A couple weeks ago we went up to Idaho to visit my family. Jeff had a couple days of work during that week, so the kids and I flew up on Monday Tuesday, and Jeff drove up on Friday. Yeah, we were supposed to fly on Monday but the plane was having trouble so we turned around mid-flight and had to go back to Salt Lake. We ended up getting bumped to a flight on Tuesday. The full story is much longer, but I don't want to relive it, lol.
Anyway, after the flight adventure, we had a great visit with my family! For me, a great deal of the visit was taken up by hat-making. I made myself a really cute hat a few weeks ago, and brought it with me. Janelle requested that I make her a hat, and before I knew it, everyone wanted one! I ended up making hats for Janelle, Marie, Samuel, Rheanna, Mom, and Michelle. I had such a blast making all those hats, and everyone else had a blast choosing fabrics and buttons, and wearing their new hats.
On Sunday evening, Jeff and I had a big bake-off. We both wanted to make a special dessert before we headed home the next day, but had different ideas of what to make. So we turned it into a competition. Jeff made a vanilla cream pie with whipped cream and strawberries. I made cheesecake-layered brownies with boiled peanut butter frosting. Here's the breakdown:
In the end, there really could be no clear winner. Both desserts had good points and less-good points, but both were really delicious. Jeff's was fresh and light, mine was dark and rich. They complemented each other wonderfully. That being said, I think mine won. So there.
Like Michelle said on her blog, the she and I both came home with a bunch of fabrics from Mom's plentiful supply. I haven't had time to use any of the fabric yet, though, because I also came home with a few bags of yarn and have been having fun with that instead. I'm working on an afghan for Mom, which is about halfway done, and I started a little blanket for Janelle. I'll have to wait a few months before I can finish it, because I need to know whether to make it for a girl or a boy. ;-)
Just a few more random pictures.
Okay, I think that's about it. There's more that's been going on, like ants in the cat food, FHE with some families in the ward, feeling super sleepy all the time, and finding our missing cell phone in Jeff's lunch bag. But you can read about those things on my Facebook page. ;-)
A couple weeks ago we went up to Idaho to visit my family. Jeff had a couple days of work during that week, so the kids and I flew up on
Anyway, after the flight adventure, we had a great visit with my family! For me, a great deal of the visit was taken up by hat-making. I made myself a really cute hat a few weeks ago, and brought it with me. Janelle requested that I make her a hat, and before I knew it, everyone wanted one! I ended up making hats for Janelle, Marie, Samuel, Rheanna, Mom, and Michelle. I had such a blast making all those hats, and everyone else had a blast choosing fabrics and buttons, and wearing their new hats.
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| Nelle and her new hat |
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| Marie loves her polka dots |
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| Samuel enjoys his red hat with a big black button |
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| Rheanna loves her flowered hat |
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| Mom and Michelle, both wishing I wasn't taking their picture |
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| The hat that started it all |
On Sunday evening, Jeff and I had a big bake-off. We both wanted to make a special dessert before we headed home the next day, but had different ideas of what to make. So we turned it into a competition. Jeff made a vanilla cream pie with whipped cream and strawberries. I made cheesecake-layered brownies with boiled peanut butter frosting. Here's the breakdown:
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| Jeff's pies had a lovely presentation. Very fresh and pretty. |
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| My brownies looked rather plain in the pan. |
 | |
| After cutting, Jeff's pie proved to be a little on the gloppy side. |
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| My brownies, on the other hand, held their shape perfectly. |
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| Side by side, mine has the definite advantage as far as looks. |
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| Dad enjoyed his job as one of the taste testers. |
In the end, there really could be no clear winner. Both desserts had good points and less-good points, but both were really delicious. Jeff's was fresh and light, mine was dark and rich. They complemented each other wonderfully. That being said, I think mine won. So there.
Like Michelle said on her blog, the she and I both came home with a bunch of fabrics from Mom's plentiful supply. I haven't had time to use any of the fabric yet, though, because I also came home with a few bags of yarn and have been having fun with that instead. I'm working on an afghan for Mom, which is about halfway done, and I started a little blanket for Janelle. I'll have to wait a few months before I can finish it, because I need to know whether to make it for a girl or a boy. ;-)
Just a few more random pictures.
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| Cutie-pie cousins Daniel and Audrey |
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| Zaylee LOOOOVES her Aunt Rheanna |
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| Zaylee on the car ride home |
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| Thomas, what a cheerful little guy |
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| Audrey was fussing until she noticed me taking pictures of her |
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| There were some awesome cloud formations on the drive home. This picture is SOOC. |
Okay, I think that's about it. There's more that's been going on, like ants in the cat food, FHE with some families in the ward, feeling super sleepy all the time, and finding our missing cell phone in Jeff's lunch bag. But you can read about those things on my Facebook page. ;-)
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