The Forgotten Carols

Last night I took Micah to The Forgotten Carols. Just him and me. I got tickets for his birthday so we also went to TGI Fridays for dinner. He ate more than he usually does (He ate all of his fries and most of mine. He liked them because they were "extra salty."), and when I asked if he was full yet he said "I can't be full. They haven't brought me my ice cream yet." He was so excited for them to bring his ice cream, but when they sang to him he just stared at them with a half-pity smile. It was pretty funny.

When we got to the play we found out that our front row balcony seats were actually on the third row. This is because they have a huge wooden railing that prevents anyone on the first two rows from seeing the stage. Bad engineering. But it was okay because we could put our coats on the seats in front of us and put our feet up. I could see pretty well, but Micah had a hard time seeing part of it so he sat on my lap for about half the show. It was funny because the baby kept kicking Micah whenever he leaned back. I really enjoyed the show, and Micah really liked it too. I think it was about 45 minutes too long for him though. At the end he was pretty restless, so I was glad that the couple next to us had moved at intermission. I think Micah's favorite part was getting candy at the intermission.

It was the 20th anniversary for the Forgotten Carols. I had been to the show about 15 years ago, and I was surprised at how it had changed. Not huge changes, but it has evolved into a bigger production with more people. Michael McLean even added a new song this year. It was a fun experience to share with Micah. It was great to spend some one-on-one time with Micah with no interruptions from other things. I've decided that I need to do this kind of thing more often with my kids. Thanks, Micah, for a wonderful night!

A Little Bit of Fall

I have had this bucket for a while, and just didn't know what I wanted to do with it. A few weeks ago I decided I wanted some fall flowers to arrange in it. I was in Hobby Lobby and came across these gorgeous peonies, and I knew they were the flowers I wanted to use. So I bought them and a roll of ribbon, and went to work. A little while later I had this lovely creation. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

So Blessed!

I have the greatest friends in the world! My friends have helped me out so much in the last few weeks. As I was eating a lunch of Cafe Rio the other day, I was realizing how great my friends truly are. One friend called out of the blue and said "I'm bringing you homemade Cafe Rio tonight!" Even though she had already brought sandwiches for my family the week before, there she showed up at my doorstep with all the fixings for a delicious dinner! With enough leftovers to have it several more times the rest of the week! And another friend has brought me dinners, books to read, cherry coke, and has come to check on me almost every day. Oh, and she drives my kids to school! And she came and vacuumed my whole house! Other friends have brought dinners in, taken my kids to school, come to visit me, and call me to see if there's anything I need.

I am so grateful to live in such a great neighborhood, where I have fabulous friends! I have felt so much love and support during this difficult time. Thank you to everyone who has helped me and my family.

My mom has also helped out a great deal. She's come to help with kids, make dinners, clean, etc. I am so grateful for parents who love and support me, and live close enough to help out.

I couldn't post about being blessed without mentioning my sweet husband! Dustin has been so sweet and helpful. He's taken time off work to take care of me and the boys. He's made arrangements with neighbors to get the kids to and from school. He's made sure that I'm not doing anything that I shouldn't, and made sure the neighbors check up on me too. He gets the kids to do extra chores because mom can't. I know he loves me and the baby, and wants everything to be okay for both of us. I am grateful to have such a wonderful husband, who loves me and our family unconditionally, and does whatever it takes to take care of us. I'm thankful that he honors his priesthood and can give me blessings when I need it. I'm also thankful for my three beautiful sons, who have been so great and understanding during all this. I love my family with all my heart! I couldn't do this without them!

Maybe I should note why I have needed the extra help. I am pregnant, and have had some complications. The doctor put me on bed rest for about two weeks, and then told me that I needed to stay down as much as possible for a few more weeks. I'm getting better now, and have been slowly getting my energy back. I have been told by the doctor that I can start getting back to normal (slowly!), but if I have any more problems I need to get back down immediately.

Just when you get settled...

...Life throws you a curveball. Things have changed in our home again. Our Japanese exchange student went home last week. Anji was with us for three weeks. Yesterday, our foster daughter was given the ok from the judge to go back to her mom. Sha was with us for about 4 months. We will miss her. She became part of the family and there's a little bit of an empty spot now. We are happy for her to be able to go back and we hope everything will turn out well in her life. She is a sweet girl with lots of potential and we wish her much luck and happiness in the future. We hope we were able to be good examples to her, and we hope we taught her everything we were supposed to while she was here.

Best Friend

Thirteen years ago I married my best friend. I am grateful to have Dustin in my life. He is a wonderful husband and the best father I know. I'm glad to say that he is still my best friend. When I hear others talk about their spouses I am always reminded at how very lucky I am. He is hard-working, determined, and brilliant. He loves to learn, and is constantly reading and learning new things. He has an amazing spirit and I am grateful to have a husband who truly honors his priesthood. He always looks for the good in others, he doesn't have a bad bone in his body. He is such an example to me of being Christ-like. I married the best man in the world, hands down. And I get to keep him for all Eternity!

Happy Anniversary Dustin! I love you more and more each day!!

Change

Yesterday during Fast and Testimony Meeting, a member of the bishopric spoke about change. It made me reflect on the many changes in my life recently. Change in my family (adding a new daughter), change in my church calling, change in extended family relationships, change in priorities. Life isn't constant. It's full of change. Some change is for the better, some not so much. I am grateful for the change in my life. I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow. I'm grateful for the change in my children, even though it means they're growing up. I'm grateful for the gospel, and for it being the one thing that won't ever change.

Favorite Song

I think Xan's favorite song is Pump It by Black Eyed Peas. He will walk around the house singing "Pump it, Louder. Pump it, Louder." It's pretty adorable! You should see him dance to it too!