Called to Serve

My parents have been called on a mission to Guadalajara, Mexico working with the Perpetual Education Fund and the Church Educational System. They've sent eight of us kids on missions so finally it is their turn to spend their days serving the Lord. We will miss them terribly but I know what they will be doing will bless so many lives. This deserved a grand farewell fiesta so my children and I flew to Sparks, Nevada. Seven of my eight siblings were able to come join the festivities and with Craig's family living just a few miles away, we were surrounded by lots of family. What a wonderful feeling! We played and played and were completely worn out after two weeks. Craig came and spent a long weekend with us and we were actually able to get away for a night together (thanks Grandma). It's amazing how rejuvenating it is to leave behind mothering and housewife task for even just a day. Now we are back to the regular routine with the bonus of a fantastic jogging stroller that allows me to run each day even if I don't make it to the gym at 6am. Sierra and her cousin spent hours jumping on the trampoline.

One of Craig's favorite things to do at his parents home is to ride ATV's around their property. Even though it was freezing, the kids seemed to enjoy it too.

My parents and most of my siblings (one sister wasn't able to come as she's due to have a baby soon and another brother was there but was napping with his son and missed the picture)

Gideon was mesmerized by the snowfall!

Gideon's first hair cut by his Grandpa

Healthy Ideas??

I recently got a huge wake up call from my doctor and as a result I must exercise every day and eat as healthy as possible. So I need some help from all you healthy cooks and diligent exercisers out there. Do you have any great recipes or tips on how to get in a work-out everyday? These two darling little ones need me to be a healthy mom. Thanks!!

Timeless

Being three seems to be the same regardless of the decade.

My Favorite Things

Move over Oprah- here are some of my favorite things:

Craig got me these awesome storage containers for Christmas. They are air-tight, stackable and I love being able to see how much food I have.

These are microfiber cleaning cloths that allow me to use very little cleaning products. My fixtures are shiny and my mirrors are streak free (at least for a minute). I got them at Target. They were a little pricey by my standards but are well worth it.Sneaky Chef cookbooks. Since my husband and daughter's only vegetable consumption is that found in pasta sauce, this idea works well for us. I sneak in the veggies and they eat the food and I feel great about them eating a little healthier.

Teach Me Mommy is a fantastic preschool curriculum for moms like me who want to do preschool at home with their little ones. It's simple, fun and doesn't require too much prep, yet it's effective. I've done it with Sierra for two weeks now and so far we both love it and look forward to preschool.

Wow! It's pretty obvious I'm a stay at home mom from my list. On another note, last week was a big week for us: Gideon gave up the bottle for good, Sierra gave her beloved binky to a pink bear at Build-A-Bear (it worked great!), Gideon is transitioning from two naps to one and Sierra is deciding she just may be done with naps all together. Craig went back to work after a long glorious holiday at home and Sierra started Sunbeams at church. After a holiday hiatus I started running again and Craig just got called to be the Executive Secretary at church. Whew it's been busy!

From Our Home to Yours

Ok so we can't say it's a white Christmas here in Houston (it's probably 70 right now), but we did get a dusting of the white stuff a few weeks ago.

Santa Clause may be coming to town but Gideon sure doesn't want any of it.

What $1 will buy you the day before Christmas Eve (just the tree- not the presents or the clothesless children who spent the morning jumping in mud puddles and needed mid-day baths)

Merry Christmas to all!

Our Christmas Miracle

I usually don't post things terribly personal on my blog as this is the world wide web we're talking about here. Anyway, I feel compelled to share with you our Christmas miracle, albeit one from three years ago. The story begins many years previous... after over four years of marriage and a couple of early miscarriages I wasn't sure motherhood was a prospect for me. During a routine physical exam, my doctor referred me to an infertility specialist thinking some of my physical problems were due to infertility. Months later, my appointment for the specialist finally arrived and during the routine course of the appointment they did a pregnancy test. And yes I was pregnant- but just barely. In fact I was so early that the doctor was able to give me the medication I needed so I wouldn't miscarry this baby too. I was overcome with joy and thanksgiving for this miracle. A few months later I got the horrible call at work that the routine genetic tests came back positive and my baby had a very high risk of being down syndrome. I'm not sure how I made it through the remainder of my workday. Because of that test my doctor began monitoring me closely with numerous ultrasounds. These ultrasounds revealed a few weeks later that my baby wasn't growing very well at all which put me on modified bed rest. Then finally after another ultrasound (the bad kind when the tech leaves the room to get the Dr.) I was informed I no longer had any amniotic fluid and that I had to go right home and stay there until they could arrange for this baby to be born. Sierra was born two weeks later on December 15th. My only concern was that she was healthy. I didn't care about size, hair, even gender at this point. When she was delivered the operating room was eerily quiet. She finally made a little peep and I became completely overwhelmed knowing that a miracle had just occurred. I got to see her little face before they whisked her off to the intensive care nursery. She was placed in an oxygen bubble because her lungs weren't developed sufficiently yet. So for nine days she lay hooked up to all sorts of wire in the neonatal intensive care unit. When we brought her home the day before Christmas Eve we brought home a healthy though tiny baby girl. She has a small hole in her heart and a slightly deformed heart valve but that is it. I can still remember that Christmas day thinking that there was nothing in the entire world more than what I then had that could make Christmas better. Sierra continues to light our lives. She is such a happy girl with a spirit that just shines. The Lord was so gracious in allowing her to come to her family. She just turned three and as Christmas approaches I once again am reminded of what a blessing she is.

Finally- A House of Order!

Last week I decided that enough was enough. We are living in an 800 square foot apartment with all our furniture and stuff from our 2,000 square foot house + garage. Every closet was filled to the brim and every nook and cranny was filled with stuff. We decided not to move forward with the building of a new home so this apartment will be home for the foreseeable future. So I went to work and opened all the boxes (some I hadn't looked at for over two years) and went through them all. It's been a little chaotic but having a closet you can actually use is so worth it. I have sold lots of stuff on Craigslist (my new favorite thing!). We even got rid of our huge dining room table and replaced it with a more reasonable table that gives us some breathing room. We are still pretty crammed I don't have boxes falling all over the place. I didn't touch Craig's Star Wars collection but he knows that is coming some day soon...