Sunday Musings

It's been crazy busy around here, and it feels like the only time I have to sit down is on Sundays.

And, it was a good Sunday.

Today, both Josh and Joe stood and bore their testimonies -- of scouts, of Christ, of their love for our Father in Heaven.

And it was a sweet reminder to me that even though they occasionally make me crazy...I am indeed blessed to be their mother.

They are both growing into fine young men.

(And I will be re-reading this post whenever I need a reminder!)

Sunday Musings

So...I have been asked several times, by several different people where I have been.

I've been here.

um. Mostly.

It has been a busy travel season for us.

Troy and I went to London. And to Utah.

And then the family went to Florida.

And I flew to Utah again.

Did I say I'd been here?

I might have to rethink that statement.

But...for all that has happened, including halloween, Josh's birthday and Thanksgiving...I have been rather quiet.

And I'm hoping to remedy that today...and hopefully in the days to come.

Today's talks at church were all about gratitude and they really got me thinking.

One of the talks was by our very own Miss Emma, who gave her first talk in sacrament meeting and did a marvelous job.

Emma said in her talk not expressing gratitude is like wrapping a present and then not giving it.

Another speaker said that true gratitude requires an actual expression of those feelings.

And the third speaker talked about being grateful for our trials.

All of these talks seemed directly aimed at me...and I felt the need to say out loud...how grateful I am for my life.

For my trials.

For my pain.

For the adversity.

And for all the good that comes from facing down the hard things and making it out the other side.

But...more than just making it...coming out stronger.

And happier.

And feeling so richly blessed that words seems inadequate.

But...words are all I have right now.

I know we are each at different places in our lives and having trials means something different for everyone.

Sometimes we have trials and it's all we can do to survive them.

Sometimes we have trials and they seem more than we can bear.

And sometimes...when we're ready...we have trials that knock us to the ground...and by the grace of God...we are lifted up again.

Carried in His arms.

And blessed more than we ever imagined possible.

So...if you've been wondering where I am...i'm still here.

And i'm good.

Really, really good.

Thankgiving

There is so much to be thankful for today.

And I feel deeply humbled when I think of all my blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It's Magic

I know i've been impossibly quiet lately...and some have wondered where we've been.

Well...we've been someplace magical. And by magical...I mean a place filled with actual magic.

Seriously. Magic.

Doctor, Doctor

Some doctors are so good and some doctors...not so much.

The good news is Mikayla's biopsy came back negative. We are so pleased.

Thank you so much for your prayers on her behalf.

Love doctors who really care about their patients.

On the flip side, we had to take Joe to the doctor today.

He has been having really bad headaches..bad enough that they have made him throw up.

It doesn't happen a lot...but he had an episode about a month ago and now two more in the last week.

So, I made an appointment and took him in.

The doctor talked to us for a minute and then looked Joe over.

Then he said..."Well...strep throat is going around, so let's see if he has that."

uh. what?

He doesn't have a sore throat or a fever and has had periodic headaches. But you want to check for strep?

So he comes back in after about 10 minutes and says, "Well, he doesn't have strep."

well, duh.

so...he's all done with us and goes to leave and I say...uh...he's having headaches and he's throwing up and the doctor looks at me and says, "I don't think he has a brain tumor."

OHMYWORD.

I don't think he has a brain tumor either, you moron.

I think he's having headaches and they are making him throw up.

Can you give him something for the headaches?

"Oh, sure. Just a second."

Seriously.

How can a doctor like that continue to practice medicine?

We will be avoiding all future contact with this particular doctor.

Fifteen

Mikayla turned 15 yesterday. I can hardly believe it.

She really wanted to have a big party to celebrate and she wanted it to be spooky. So we went crazy with the decorations and junk food...and I think a fun time was had by all.

I know Mikayla really appreciated all her friends being there for her and making it a really memorable birthday.

Happy Birthday Mikayla!!!

Spooky

We had our ward party tonight...Troy and I were in charge.

I thought it went well and everyone seemed to have a good time.

There was a huge turnout. I'm certain of the exact number, but I am guess well over 300 people. We had 20 different chilis and I was happy to see the Englis Family take top spot..although the Dzarans only missed it by one point!

I have spent the week getting everyone's costume's ready and I am pleased with the final result.

Everyone chose a different Disney villian.

Mikayla was Cruella DeVille:

Emma was the Queen of Hearts (and I am especially happy with her costume since I sewed it myself...and was super worried about how all the piecing would work on the dress and jacket...but I thought it turned out nicely):

Joe was Lotsa Hugging Bear (sewed this one as well...and I have to say...he is probably the only 12 year old boy in the world who would want to be a giant pink bear for Halloween, but he pulled it off pretty well, and managed to figure out that he could pretty much get any girl he wanted to hug him while wearing this costume. : ) Such a ladies man...don't know where that comes from. lol!)

Josh did not attend the ward party...but he is smee (from peter pan) and I will post his photo on Halloween).

Becky was the evil queen from Snow White (this is her mean face):

And Katie was the witch from Snow White (the Queen transformed -- she got some crazy mask painted on during the children's carinval...so i'll post another photo on Halloween with her nose and basket full of apples):

Finally...Troy was Captain Hook ... although I was unable to pick up his coat before the party...so he looks a little more...Little Richard than Big Bad Sailor. (Sorry Troy!)

And I was running around like crazy, so no photos of my Maleficent costume (I will take one!) So...just a little self portrait after it was all over. (Do I look a little too excited? :) )

Strength and Beauty

Mikayla had the surgery yesterday to remove the mole from her leg. It has been sent off for a biopsy and we feel confident everything will be fine.

Mikayla is doing well, however, the remaining scar is a little more than we thought it would be.

(photo below)

We are grateful for doctors and medicine and good health.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.




Don't look if you're sensitive:

Run Emma Run

Emma is doing track again this year and super excited to have a new event. 

She is running the mile again -- which she mostly enjoys. 

But, what she is most excited about is that she is doing the high jump.

I wish I had photos -- but it was the first event of the day and I didn't get there fast enough. But, I hope to have some soon.

Emma would really like to improve her high jump height and wondered if I might buy her a high jump mat and bar.

lol.

um. no.

Things You Don't Expect

A couple of weeks ago we took Mikayla to the dermatologist.

She had an unusual mole on her leg that is growing and changing in both color and shape. We were very concerned about it.

And after everything we've been through in the last year...there is no messing around with these kinds of things.

Sure enough, the dermatologist wanted to have the mole removed and biopsied, but it was so large she referred us to a plastic surgeon.

Well...we met with the plastic surgeon this morning and he too feels we need to have the mole removed.

He is hopeful that the mole is most likely benign (thank goodness), but also feels like this is exactly the type of mole that can turn into something later in life (especially with Mikayla's family history) and should be taken care of as soon as possible.

So...in a couple of weeks Mikayla will have surgery to remove the mole. It's a good size mole and will leave her with a 2 to 3 inch scar (hence the plastic surgeon). 

She is a little nervous about the procedure, but I know she's going to do really well. 

And really, as she said, "Well...if you're going to have a big, ol scar, I guess it's better to have on your leg than somewhere else. It will be a good story."

lol. That's my girl!

So...consider this a little public service announcement and remember not only to do your own skin self checks, but also get to know your children's skin as well...so you will know when things are new or beginning to change.

Remember...it's never too early, and they are never too young.

We will keep you updated on the results of both Mikayla's surgery and the results of the biopsy.

And if you haven't yet watched this amazing video, please take a moment:

Take Two and Call Me In the Morning

Katie had her well check up today.

We had just been to the doctor last week to look at her ears and it was a fairly pleasant visit, so she was looking forward to today's  visit. 

Of course, when she found out that not only would she have to pee in cup, get her finger pricked and have FOUR shots...

She said, "Mom. I don't think this is a good idea. Let's just go home."

lol. 

But...now she's all ready to go to kindergarten next year.

And in case you didn't know...milkshakes make everything feel better.

Years and Years

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Utah.

I know. So much travelling.

And I'm thinking it's definitely worth the huge mountain of laundry I have ahead of me.

Troy and I attended our law school reunions on Thursday -- his 10th year reunion and my 15th.

It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. Everyone really seemed the same -- except we each have a lot more kids and all those kids are so grown up!

We were able to see so many old friends over the weekend.

I was able to have breakfast with Kirstin and Heidi.

My goodness...but it was fantastic to sit in a restaurant with them, play cards and laugh our heads off.

We even managed a BYU football game -- which, by the way, was the very first Troy ever attended at the stadium. (In all the 10 years we lived in Provo together, and the 2 he was single here, he never went to a game. gasp!)

And...I have to say, if we were going to go to a game, this was the one to go to.

I spent most of the game wondering what was going on...and honestly thinking there was no way we were going to win.

But...being able to visit with the Bashaws, the Oldroyds and the Browns more than made up for it...and oh yeah, we won! lol.

With so much travelling we really missed the kids and are glad to be home.

Proud Mom Moment

Last night was court of honor for the scouts and it was a big night for Joe.

He spent the summer working really hard on his scouting and went to two different scout camps to get a jump on all his scouting requirements.

Well...all his hard work paid off.

Joe not only earned his Star Scout Award, he also earned 21 different merit badges this summer.

21!!!!

Joe has earned enough award to advance to Life Scout in just five more months, and is only 3 merit badges and a project away from earning his eagle. Not bad for a 12 year old!

We are so proud of him and all his hard work.

London Eats

I know you thought I was done with London posts...and I almost was. But I had to do one last post with a few food photos.

I don't know why...but I got it into my head that English food wasn't going to be very good.

Holy smokes. Was I wrong.

It was fantastic.

And so was every single type of ethnic food we tried while we were there, including: Japanese, Polish, Indian, and Mexican.

And the desserts.

oh my.

But of course, I only have about 1/2 the food photos I should have because I got so excited when the food would get to the table that I wouldn't remember to take the photo until after I had eaten the dish!

But, when I did remember:

Meat Pie and Sticky Toffee Pudding at the Royal Oak in Windsor

Profitroles and Scones with Jam and Clotted Cream at Buckingham Palace

Ramen Soup with Spicy Chilies, Seafood with Soba Noodles, and Fried Squid

Seafood Ceviche Tostadas and Chicken Flautas at Wahauca

Strawberries and Cream Donut at Krispy Kreme (honestly the very best donut I have ever had!)

Chips from McDonalds (Troy insisted -- and honestly, they were excellent)

Gelato from Scoop

Are you hungry yet? lol.