In the Words of a Prophet

Ezra Taft Benson addressed Congress over 40 years ago. His message could not be more clear or ring more true at this time. Take a few mioments to hear his words and keep this quote in mind as you watch;

Truth will ultimately prevail when there are pains taken to bring it to light.-George Washington

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I love knowing and feeling the security that comes from the men who stand as beacons of truth and as men of God to warn us of that which we cannot yet see. There have been many throughout history and also leading up to the present day. The portant storm is upon us.

Thanks Clancy for sharing this gem! Once again you always have just the right stuff (and I aint talking about those silly NKOTB!)

On the B Side: I am grateful for those willing to stand for truth even when it means being unpopular or the bearer of bad news. I am also grateful that truth will always prevail as this has been proven time and time again throughout history!

Sir Mix A Lot Would Have Hit That!

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

This was the sound that never came. All I could think about was Aunt Fanny from Robots. If you've seen the movie you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The picture pretty much tells the story. Mark and I met at the QB today for lunch and afterwards I proceeded to look at a few things for the baby. While in the store a larger older lady who was standing behind me and bent over to look at something. As soon as she did her big bottom pushed me directly into the corner of a shelf. It hurt like a mofo and Adi was not happy!

I'm certain she barely noticed as she only said, "oh" but I seriously had to go sit down because she knocked the wind out of me. It hit Adi's bum and pushed her down which only caused me to contract and her to rise up and push her little bum up into my ribs. Neither one of us enjoyed Mrs. Big Bottom's inability to judge her size or the fact that she was not equipped with the beeping noise indicating she was coming towards us! I would be mad but I was just thankful that that thing wasn't loaded!

On the B Side: I am sure she had no idea that she bumped us as hard as she did and definitely no idea that she hurt us so I wasn't upset about that. It's just that I'm clumsy enough on my own and really don't need anyone else's help making a mess of things! Some times it's just nice when people say, "Sorry". So thank you Mrs. Big Bottom for this painful reminder today!

PS - I look so much hotter as a stick figure!

In the Words of the Smashing Pumpkins...

Today is the greatest!

I picked up Adi's car seat! It's so super cute and makes me even more excited! She dropped last night and so we're getting closer all of the time. On top of that I met up with Shell for dinner, had some amazing grilled asparagus/steamed brocolli, killed my urge for bread with oil & vinegar AND scored a killer pedicure!

Thanks Shell for the royal treatment tonight!! I can now rest assuredly knowing that my feet will be as cute as feet can get during delivery (and now with the new seat at least I know they'll let me bring her home!!!) Get ready to play some serious catch ;)

I also was able to have lunch with Michelle and Mike today. She looks fabulous and her spirits are soaring despite her continual struggles with MS. The experimental treatment has given so much quality of life back. She is only the 13th person in the US to have it done given the intensity and frequency of her attacks. She is driving again and off to San Diego this weekend and I really am so excited for both she and Mike!

Sarah, I did greatly enjoy your sick and twisted randomness and I don't feel bad about interupting your workout! I got a good laugh without dry heaving so I'll forgive you!!! And just so you know, hairby did die. I'm not sure what motivated you to think of me but the fact that you put so much thought and energy into such a crazy little thing actually made me smile!

On the B Side: It feels good to laugh. It feels good to have friends. It feels good to have painted toe nails. It feels good to keep life simple.

Brother Bear

Yes, it's a Disney movie that was released in 2003. It's actually one of my favorites simply because of the touching story line and fun sound track. Admittedly it did teach my two year old son to yell, "shut up" based on one of the scenes with the rams yelling across the valley at each other. I wasn't super happy about that because not only did Dayton repeat it, he knew how to use it! So Clancy, I would have to say that bears may just be my favorite animal!

Regardless, my point here is that the story line starts with a Mama Bear defending her cub. This principle is a reality and as a Mother I feel it in full force. I never want to be the kind of parent who defends their children to the death right, wrong or indifferent but I do want to be the kind of parent that loves her children unconditionally and supports them in every instance. It's a difficult balance and perhaps an unrealistic goal but nonetheless I am determined quite naturally to defend them.

I can tell you that there are times that trigger the Mama Bear principle quite strongly and I become a less than pleasant person only focused on defending my child. If you have children you likely understand what I am struggling to articulate. Here is a brief synopsis of the background and the most recent incident that put me into attack mode. RAWWWWRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

Dayton has really been struggling lately. It started a week ago last Tuesday and it's difficult as a parent to feel so helpless and not just be able to fix things for him. We aren't sure what has caused this and are looking at both behavior and medical causes to better understand and help resolve the heart of Dayton's issues. He's always been a sensitive little guy. He's sweet. He's tender. He's friendly. He's helpful and normally he listens very well.

For whatever reason he has become defiant and aggressive. He has a hard time listening and is also struggling getting along with others. He's become frustrated, angry and is extremely hard on himself. We're exploring various causes and haven't been able to fully understand what causes his outbursts. I hate not being able to make everything better.

Today was the first day it was apparent at school. Unfortunately I knew it was only a matter of time given the frequency and intensity of his melt downs. He got kicked out of class for his behavior and the only thing we really knew was that he was upset that he didn't get to "serve". We weren't sure what that meant and his teacher was already gone for the day.

I got a call tonight that did not excuse his behavior but certainly did explain it. He innocently asked me why I didn't come to his luncheon (he was at his Dad's when he called). I wasn't sure what he was talking about and inquired some more only to find out that there was a parent luncheon at his school today. It was so that the children could serve their parents lunch.

I was heart broken. Here he thought that we just didn't come. He was worried that it was because he has been "bad" and then he apologized for not telling me about it. That was an even bigger clencher as I certainly didn't want him taking responsibility for it. All I could picture was Dayton at school feeling sad because nobody showed up for him. Again, I'm not condoning his behavior and still don't really know what happened but I'm sure I understand where it came from.

What made me furious was the fact that his school did not communicate this with us. We stay on top of the calendar, we talk to the teachers and I am always looking for events that they post outside of the classroom. I physically felt angry about this situation based on the fact that he's already been struggling and then to have something like this happen made me sick. I wanted to scratch someone's eyes out and had a few choice words that came out of my mouth.

I called the school immediately simply because I wanted to understand and couldn't wait. The director answered the phone, I identified myself and proceeded to ask if there was a luncheon earlier today. She responded affirmatively and I expressed that I was upset because we were not aware of this event.

Her response, "Well, I don't know why you didn't know because everyone else did."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Did she really say that to me? Yes. Yes she did. EWWWWWWW.

I asked her how it was communicated, she said she didn't know and I asked if I could speak to someone who did. Again, there was no notice, nothing on the calendar and nothing posted. She came back and said a note was sent home on Thursday and notice given on Monday. Dayton was not there either of those days and she let me know if was my fault for not knowing.

WHAT THE HELL? I wanted to reach through the phone and wring her neck.

I cannot tell you what kind of tale spin that this put me into. My child suffered unnecessarily because once again their school failed to communicate. Nevermind that I spent 20 minutes in his class this morning talking to his teacher. Nevermind that we always have a crowd present to support Dayton. Nevermind that they knew that he wasn't there those days. Nevermind that none of this was mentioned when we were told was kicked out of class. Nevermind that they didn't even bother to call when there was a problem.

Needless to say, I am still angry. Yes, I have my angry eyes on. The Mama Bear in me isn't thinking nice thoughts. What's hard is that the actual teachers at their school are really good. The problem lies with Management and we have continually suffered through their communication break downs as they fumble around senselessly. The two women who run the office should NOT be allowed to interface with others and certainly not passionate parents.

Honestly, we are always engaged with their happenings at school. We stay on top of things, we help out. We donate supplies and always provide treats, etc. We know the other children by name and are always involved and present at the events. We talk to the teachers, we attend conferences and seek feedback. I'm just done and hate that this happened today and the Mama Bear in me is up in arms big time.

On the B Side: I realize that I get pretty emotional about this kind of thing. Mostly I hate that he is hurting. I hate that I can't just make everything better. I hate that garbage like this happens. Luckily Dayton is able to understand things when we explain why nobody was there for him and I am glad that he was brave enough to ask me about it. He's so sensitive and internalizes so much. I hope that we can continue to foster a safe line of communication as I think it's critical and the only way we can really understand what's going on with him. I do so love my little guy and just want to see him live, learn, grow, be secure , be happy and feel confidant. Why can't we just wrap those kind of things up in a box with a pretty bow, hand it over and call it good??

Cookie?

I am a Republican and I have in fact in the past voted straight Republican to the dismay of those around me. Some called it ignorance, I called it convenience/civic duty. However, this year I will NOT be voting Republican (not to save my life) and did get quite a chuckle out of this.

On the B Side: I really dislike that things in our country are so political and think we have wasted in insane amount of money on campaigning and such. Despite the bad taste in my mouth with the impending election I am glad that we have many liberties and freedoms as Americans and I look forward with hope to the future of our country despite all of the craziness in the world and all of the bi-partison contention!

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow?

It already has! Last week was...shall we say...trying? I could just call a spade a spade and tell you it "sucked rocks"!! Here's a crazy run down of the events that kicked my big pregnant butt! While these are not all sucky events they did keep us busy!

-Car was stolen and subsequently recovered after a crazy day of events chalked with Cops
-I ended up being admitted again given the stress & am on watch for kidney stones (ugh!)
-I puked for the first time ever during a pregnancy & subsequently called in sick
-Kayla had Graduation
-My Dad flew in & the kids and I drove around for 2 hours (still love you Jazzy!) waiting with Ellie in her undies and Karate top & Dayton with crazy diarrhea
-I suffered through week 3 of a sinus infection & got a crazy crop of cold sores IN my nasal cavity
-Dayton had protein in his urine and was diagnosed with Pox that will endure 2 years
-We prepped for the wedding & I bought a dish set that I ended up returning (still love you Jazzy!)

On top of trying to work full time, manage a home and maintain some sort of sanity being 8.5 months pregnant it hardly suffices to say that I was less than a beaming ray of sunshine! Looking back I can see the following;

-We did get the car back
-I didn't have a pre-mature delivery
-I was able to sleep my entire sick day away
-Kayla's graduation was surprisingly painless with Mark's ex and her fam
-I got to spend quality time with my Dad & even spent Father's Day with him
-Dayton's urine resolved itself
-Jazz and Micci's wedding was absolutely delightful and full of all kinds of JOY!
-My sinus infection didn't get any worse and the cold sores were invisible to others
-My job allows for flexability & I ended up working very little

Nonetheless, I was super excited to jump into this week! Despite the fact that our housing situation has finally and completely fallen through things still feel good. The kids are healthy, D's birthday is our next big event, I've started shopping for Adalie, my cold sores are no longer raging but healing, I've been in the office several days this week and got a ton of stuff set up to get my Marky healthy.

On the B Side: I am so grateful for the sanity and comfort that the people around me bring (often without knowing it!). Thank you Shell for listening to me vent, cry and for always helping me with the kiddos. Thank you Clancy for driving all the way down to SLC. You have no idea how refreshing it was to spend time with you and Dust. It is the special people in my life who have become my family and choose to put up with me that make all of the difference! THANK YOU! xoxo

Weeks 34 and 35

Baby cakes is getting plump! The fat deposits are now beginning to offer form and fullness to her skinny arms and legs. She takes up most of the room in my uterus, so there is a lot less room to move around. Her lungs are now completely developed and producing surfactant, a substance that will help in the exchange of oxygen in her lungs. She is now approximately 18 inches long and weighs about five pounds. If she were born now there is a 99 percent chance of the survival!

She is head down facing the left and has not settled down all that much! When she moves around it is very obvious to all. She can control her own movements and body temperature at this point. We had some significant events occur this week putting us closer to actual labor! I see the doc again on Monday and hope to keep the weight gain down to less than 10 or 12 pounds!

On the B Side: I can't believe that our lives are about to change all over again! This pregnancy has been trying but it has gone by quickly and our baby girl will be here soon enough. I am completely unprepared as I really didn't plan on doing this again. Ready or not, she's about to change all of our lives forever!

Lock Down!

Unfortunately I have had a few good reasons to lock down my blog. I suppose it's for the best but it is kind of troublesome!

On the B Side: I am grateful to be able to document regular happenings as it is well kown that I don't remember anything day to day let alone moment to moment!!

The Big Day!

Yesterday was Jazz and Micci's big day! Last night at 5 PM they exchanged vows in a beautiful ceremony. We were all outside in the warm sunshine and the snow capped mountains served as a beautiful back drop. There is much to share about their special day. They are off to Cancun and we are all pretty exhausted!

It was a long week and as much fun as it all was I'm excited for a little less excitement!

Happy Father's Day to all!

On the B Side: I am so grateful to see my little brother so happy! He and Micci truely bring out the best in each other and I was honored to be a part of their big event! It feels so good to see someone you love so much find someone to love and someone who loves them. They are a perfect match!