Game Over

***Please insert twenty-five cents to play again***

Or not. Seriously?????
Today was one of those days that only happen to other people. It started fairly normally. We went through all of our daily routines. All was well, the sun was out and the kids were smiling. I had no idea I was going to be up against one serious round of Grand Theft Auto! This day truly felt eternal in nature. Here is the reader's digest version...

While at the office I received a call about a vehicle we have for sale. Being only minutes away (and suffering through crazy contractions) I agreed to come home so the potential buyer could test drive it. She and her young friend patiently waited for me to arrive, were very inquisitive and friendly. They handed me their keys as collateral and returned within minutes and made an offer.

Mark was in a Managers Meeting all day so I told them I would call them back this evening after speaking with him about their offer. They left and within less than 2 minutes the doorbell rang. DING effin' DONG. I thought they had perhaps returned as surely they didn't have time to leave. Nope.

A lady out of no where appeared and asked to drive the car. Not only am I a moron but I am a naive moron. She gave me some strange song and dance, offered up way too many confused comments and handed over a title for collateral. I asked her many questions and told her the car was for sale when she insisted she had errands to run and would be back by 6. It was 10:30 in the morning. Hello McFly????

Again, I told her that the car was for sale. She asked zero questions and flashed her CA driver's license. She apparently had arrived on foot and stated she lived nearby when I inquired. She had the audacity to tell me that I looked trust worthy!!! I hesitantly gave her the key for a test drive when she said she would be back immediately. I watched her walk to the car, proceed to use my anti-bacterial wipes to clean the steering wheel and console. THE NERVE.

I knew immediately I was an idiot. I called the SJ Police. They immediately patrolled Walmart and came to the house. I began the police report and the officer was called away to an emergency. I called Mike (step Dad) who came over toute suite with my Mom. I completed the police report, made copies and called my insurance agent. I had been informed by the officer that because I accepted collateral it could not be considered a stolen vehicle. I didn't cry. Oh no. Not yet.

I also called the girls who had originally test drove the car and that stated that they had seen a lady at the corner wondering around looking at fence and acting weird while they were waiting for me to arrive. They were sweet and helpful and obviously not associated to freak momma.

Three hours had passed since dishonest psycho stole the car. The officer returned and went over the report. He was called away and told me to call him in the morning. By this time it was 2 PM and my Mom and Mike left. I opted to head to a local Justice Center to address a warrant for an unpaid speeding ticket (I was going 5 over, please) Yes, I was speeding and yes I didn't ever do anything about it so I was accountable. This is the part when I cried as worker chick there was worse than awful and should not be permitted to interface with the general public. Whew, now that that's off my chest...

While I was there I get a call from a dude with a thick accent who wants to buy my car. I thought for sure it was another scammer from KSL as heaven knows we've had a ton of them contact us. I wasn't very nice and told him that the car was not for sale. He grew agitated and finally said, 'Lady, you are right here in my car lot. Why won't you just tell me the truth?'

WTH?! I told him that the car was stolen 4 hours prior and tried to get the address but I couldn't make out his English. I called SJ dispatch immediately who took the info and proceeded to tell me it was out of their jurisdiction. They would need to coordinate and would try to have officers get there from another area. In the mean time I called my Mom who immediately made a mad dash to the car lot. I called my brother to have him meet her as she was emotionally charged and obviously going to confront a criminal. All I could think was gun, knife, dirty needle. Ugh.

I called car dude back, he said she was trying to trade the car in, that she was still there and that he had customers so I needed to leave him alone! I made my own mad dash for the cheesy/sleazy car lot down town and was greeted by my brother. The story I got was a wild one that seemed even less unlikely. My Mom pulled in behind dirty chick parking her in and got out only to begin SCREAMING at her. Keep in mind that my Mom is a School Psychologist and also teaches anger management!!!

Yucky gal kept trying to feed her stories only to be told to SHUT UP repeatedly by my Mother at crazy volumes while all of the Sales dudes gathered. Dirty girl says she is going for a walk and my Mom gets up in her grill and goes chest to chest with her. My brother shows up to see all of this and witness the crazy stories icky psycho was spewing. She came up with all kinds of lies and even threw her arms in the air and pulled the God card. Excuse me? It there NO accountability left in this world?

Police arrived and detained her. SJ Police arrived, get fed all kinds of additional lies and arrested our dirty deceiver. Yes, hand cuffs and all and she was tossed in the back seat of the cruiser. She had a revoked CA license and all kinds of tracks up and down her arms. There was zero remorse as the cruiser drove away and she screamed at me from the back seat. The police told me very little so I literally know jack squat but we do have our car back and I will have to go to court.

Ironically we had until 6 AM tomorrow morning at which point the car would be officially classified as stolen and our insurance company would immediately kick in and cut us a check. I worked out all of the preliminary details and really didn't expect to see the car again. I was kind of excited and we were going to make some money in the deal. Wasn't in the cards for us!

The car lot tried to swing a deal to buy the car but it didn't fly. We went to leave and the car wouldn't start. We jumped it and were finally on our way. On the way home Mike broke down in it because it was out of gas. Are you kidding me?! That was yet another fiasco that just made it all the more painful!

Special thanks to the following heroes today;
Mommy Amy - She took DD to his doctor's appointment and hung onto the kids all day during my drama. She was supportive and also the one who said that I should call the police ASAP. Mike - I didn't even have to ask him to come over. He immediately volunteered and stayed with me the remainder of the day. He went out of his way to make things easy for me.
My Mom - For taking the day off of work, chasing down and confronting a criminal. She's one determined mo fo and kept things light which made it easy not to cry!
Jazz - For making sure Mom didn't totally lose it! He jumped in quickly and made sure my Dad got a good laugh out of it all! Rock on.
Office MW - He was super busy but made time for this. He followed up and took care of business! The kids are excited to meet him tomorrow morning before school when he comes to pick up grungy gal's cruddy title.

Mark and Michelle both get a big fat boo from me. Their work schedules don't really work for me! ;)

On top of it all I went into major pain over dinner while at Leatherby's after a day chalked full of contractions. I drove straight to the hospital and baby cakes was deemed well after careful monitoring. The contractions were irregular, they found blood, ketones and protein in my urine. I never do anything normally. There's definitely a pattern here. Regardless, I'm home. I have my babies with me and I'm so ready for bed! If I had more energy I could make this story more creative, detailed or humorous but I'm pretty much done for the day.

On the B Side: Wow, I'm sure I have learned a lot and I'm sure there is lots to be thankful for but right now the sunny side of things isn't what sticks out in my mind so much. What I really don't understand is how people can be so dishonest and take advantage of others so carelessly. Really?

Pieces of Peace

Obviously I can't sleep tonight given the cold that is now in day 5. Today started as one of sadness as I learned that Kristin had lost her sweet Mother last evening. I doubt that the fact that she had been ill for some time brings little comfort or preparation to she and her family during this difficult time. While there are few things that bring comfort during times like this there is a knowledge that does help us understand and allow peace fill our heart.

Click here and push play for some quiet peaceful moments that will flood your eyes, ears and heart. This is one of my all time favorite songs that was introduced to me in the MTC by Brandi Harmon (Soeur Harmon) that she felt quietly explained her emmergance back into the light.

On the B Side: I am grateful to know that death is not the end, that life is eternal and that we will see our loved ones again. It's reassuring to know that the end of this life marks yet another necessary step in our eternal progression. It's easy to get so caught up in life that we forget to look at the big picture. This clip reminded me of the things that are most important all over again.

Let the Games Begin!

We're getting super anxious for Jazz and Micci's upcoming wedding! It is less than a week away now and we are all brimming with excitement! We asked the kids the other night what Micci's new last name was and they were a little befuddled. We proceeded to ask what Jazzy's name was and first they came back with "Uncle" and then "Jazzy" but his last name seemed foreign to them since he isn't a Packer or a Stott!

My Mom and I went to Dillard's today and found her a stunning outfit and I was able to talk her into heels as well that will be killer with her new threads! We went out to dinner tonight with she and Mike as well as Micci and Jazz. It was really nice to all be together. My Dad flies in on Wednesday and that is also super exciting for us as we haven't seen him in almost a year :(

I still need to get the girls black shoes to accompany their pretty flower girl dresses and figure out what they heck we are going to do with their hair. Dayton is happy about his "penguino suit" and we'll rehearse on Friday night at Micci's Aunt's. This is the third wedding for the kids so they think they are little professionals!

Jazz and Micci are both elated and cannot wait! They started moving their stuff into their new apartment. Jazz is still with us and Micci is still at her apartment in Provo. We are going to miss having him here with us but are so excited for him given the great happiness he has found. Their bed was delivered today and they hit IKEA for some other necessities today. Everything seems to be in place and ready to go for their special day! It will be a busy week for everyone.

On the B Side: I am so happy that Jazz and Micci have found each other! They really are darling together and there are few things more satisfying than feeling the joy they create together! It's hard to believe my little brother's life is about to change in so many wonderful ways and he totally deserves it!

Graduation x2

Both children graduated from La Petite Academy in their respective classes. Ellie successfully completed her Pre-K class and Dayton successfully completed Kindergarten. Both of them have gone full time and spend the entire day having fun and learning! Here's our little Beanie girl with Grandma and Grandpa Mikey and here she is with her favorite friend Hannah

Her class sang the song about the baby bumble bee with a cute little prop that they had made and Miss Rose also had them sing a South African song about two little birds. It was a super cute presentation and Ellie was beaming! Here she is getting her diploma from Miss RoseLater that day we attended Dayton's graduation. They sang a slew of songs including the Star Spangled Banner and did sign language to "What A Wonderful World" (which was super darling!) He wasn't interested in wearing his hat but loved the formal ceremony with his friends!
Here is a picture of him with his teacher Miss Kari and his friend Logan
and here he is with Logan and Ariana
They both have really enjoyed and done well at La Petite. Their teachers have been great and they have each learned a great deal. They remain at La Petite now as Dayton prepares for 1st grade at HP and as Ellie prepares for Kindergarten at LP.

On the B Side: I am so proud of them both! While it hasn't been easy for me to be away from them nor has it always been easy for them to adjust to their lives at school it has brought many blessings. They are both well adjusted and developing socially, emotionally and intellectually. It feels good as a parent to see them do so well. There is never a shortage of love or support in their lives and I think that makes all of the difference! A huge thank you to the many who make up the wonderful support system that is theirs!

PS -I suck at taking pics but I'm working on it ;)

33 Weeks and Counting

Yes, Adalie and I have made it successfully past our 33 week mark. I have all the amniotic fluid I am going to have and the amount will remain consistent until delivery. Adi's brain continues to grow, and increase the size of her head(hopefully it won't get too big!) She continues to develop fat deposits under the skin (hopefully not too many!) and changing the color of her skin from red to pink. She is approximately 17.5 inches long and weighs a little over four pounds now. She does get the hiccups quite often which is a weird sensation but so dang cute!

I was at the Diabeteic Clinic to meet with the nurse this week and I also had an appointment with my OB. I've been managing my diabetes with diet and exercise as to avoid insulin. However, some how I managed to lose another 3 lbs. That puts my total weight gain around 7 lbs. Ordinarily I would think the weight loss was a sweet deal but right now it makes me nervous. Adi is super active and her heart rate is good but I can't help but worry.

After my next appointment with Doc N we will begin weekly appointments. I will feel better about that. It's funny because when we got married Mark really wanted a baby. Again, I was always told that I could not bear children (proven them wrong twice now) and actually was informed that my brain tumor was active again so I really thought it was out of the question. Mark was not open to the thought of adoption at that point. For whatever reason it happened and I got pregnant against all odds again.

We had really hoped to have two back to back since the age gap would be somewhat significant relative to our other children (5 years). I loved having D&E so close together (15 months) and really thought it would be wonderful all over again. Tonight for the first time I sincerely realized that my health will not permit this. Each pregnancy has brought additional complications to my already compromised and complicated health. It was a sobering thought but one I realistically accept.

On the B Side: I am grateful for the blessings that have come into my life. There is so much to feel hapy about and there is so much that cannot be explained or understood and simply must be accepted and embraced. I want to enjoy the remainder of this pregnancy knowing that this is the last time I will have this beautiful experience. Despite the struggles that have come I love knowing that I have enough strength, enough energy and enough health to bring another little spirit into our family.