Slacker

This last month really has been a good one- just a lot of traveling and laziness has kept me from posting much.

1. My new rocker/recliner. I found an AWESOME dark brown rocker/recliner for the babie's room! I got it on sale at RCWilley Outlet for just over $200 and it is SO COFORTABLE. It's really big- bigger than I'd probably normally like- but last night I had both boys in it with me reading a book- so its great that way, and it doesn't look too manly like most "lazy-boy" type recliners. In fact, I think it will go really well with the new white, brown, and soft teal and pink plan I have for the room. Best of all its more than half the price of the one I'd been saving my money for!

2. Such a great trip to Washington. I didn't realize how badly I needed a WA fix. It was so good to be "home". Say what you want about the rain and gray skies of WA- there's no prettier place in the summers as far as I'm concerned. If I go home in the fall/winter I do miss the sun- but summers?! GORGEOUS! And to just chill at home, at the lake, the beach... HEAVEN!

3. Our peach tree! It's producing a lot less this year- but hopefully our young tree will quickly catch up before this one dies (the little one did produce a few this year, but they came early and were low, and Roxy snagged them all). Seriously- I love having fresh peaches for free!

4. My husband. We celebrated our 6 year anniversary August 5th. We're in a real sweet spot in our relationship right now. I adore him, and he seems pretty in love with me too! We just don't get bugged or frustrated with each other at all. He makes me laugh and I think he's super hot and am so happy he sees past all my imperfections! All marriages go through ebbs and flows- I think ours is more constant than some (thankfully) but ours is definetly at high right now beyond the normal good. You would think with things as busy and crazy as they are it wouldn't (what with business, a new eMBA program, expecting another baby, YM president, etc) but there's no one else I'd rather be doing it all with.

5. My sweet boys. I just LOVE these kids. Some times they make me nuts- sure- but really- they're just the coolest, cutest, smartest kids on earth as far as I'm concerned. I can't wait to see what our little girl will be like!

6. Our basement- we've been finishing this off and it's finally coming together. My laundry room/ craft room is actually looking pretty dang good, the cold storage is great, and the toy/game room will be wonderful as well. We just have to put the floor in the toy room and do the trim work- then we can set it up, and I can start painting Josh's new room, move the boys, and paint/decorate Naomi's room. A lot of work yes, but its the kind of stuff I love.

It only makes you stronger...

I'll be honest- we've run into a little bad luck as of late. Luckily we're all safe and sound, and surviving. I know this seems totally counter-productive, but I'd like to start with a list of my WORST things. Hey- I'm trying to just laugh it all off, and really it just goes to show that things aren't THAT bad- since many others are dealing with much difficult and long-term issues.

1. Roxy. Roxy ran away the other morning. Our fault for not having reinforced the fence that we knew was becoming weak, and for not having replaced her collar that she broke off a while back. Luckily we found her at the shelter after a $60 fee and a ticket for no tags. Then we took her to Bear Lake with us- where she was sprayed by a skunk- resulting in a need to take her the vet, the groomers, and our Tahoe for a major detailing and deodorizing. Total estimated Roxy expenses this month? Over $300.

2. A bad vacation. Bear Lake sounded like a quick, cheap getaway- we even had a free campsite to stay at (a family from our ward had a group site with lots of room). But when the biggest storm in 20 years came up minutes after putting our boat in the water, and flooding our boat we were lucky to keep it shallow enough that after the storm subsided we could finish bailing it out and anchor it down till the next morning when we could tow it off the lake (then engine was swamped and would not start). No one even had a chance to put sunscreen on- and so everyone (except for the boys thank heavens) got sunburned and didn't sleep too well. Roxy got sprayed by a skunk (see above), our boat cover shrunk and we had to stop twice on the way home to resnap it, and we almost ran out of gas between service stations while coming home. The boat is still at the shop- may possibly need the entire engine replaced.

3. More stuff breaking. Just as we try to tighten our budget to afford Jake's eMBA program it seems like everything is breaking. The motor on Jake's car window, the AC, Jake's bike, light fixtures, etc.... luckily so far we've been able to fix these things (or find temporary fixes at least) by ourselves.

4. The hardest of all. The hardest of all is one that I haven't yet told a lot of people about- it was a very personal trial, and one that I'm just now ready to start to document. I won't go into detail here- it'll get a post of its own on my baby3 blog- but basically our 20 week ultra sound revealed a few things of concern for our little girl. We were told that she had two "soft markers" for Down Syndrome. We had to do some blood tests and wait TWO DAYS for the results. The FABULOUS news is that the blood tests came back in our favor and immediate concerns are now gone. 1/5000 chance that she'll have DS- which is better than average. The "abnormalities" found are actually found in 1-2% of all babies and should resolve themselves without any affect on her- but the whole experience life-changing.

NOW ON TO THE BEST THINGS!!!!

1. We've made it through all of those things. Thanks to prayers, help from others, hard work and sacrifice we've managed to keep smiles on our faces!

2. 2 Timothy Chapter 3. Read this last night- what an AWESOME chapter. The world is too much with us- and ME!

3. Good food. Jake wanted to attempt his first dutch oven cooking on our trip to Bear Lake- and it was the highlight! I made this recipe the other night- substituted orange zest (what I had on hand) for the lemon zest, used half oil half applesauce, half whole wheat flour and half regular flour, oatmeal and coconut instead of nuts, and only one heaping cup of sugar instead of 1 and 1/4 and it was really yummy!

4. New habits. We're on a new schedule in trying to allow Jake study time, as well as time for all of us to get everything else done too. Going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 6am (boys go to bed earlier and wake up later). Jake's also eating breakfast, packing healthier lunches, and trying to get to the gym during lunch- which has drastically improved his energy level. It's all going pretty good so far!

5. Project time, and lots of help/deals. We're finishing our very basement so that we can move the toy room down there, and move Josh into the "toy room" so Dekker can move into his room, and free up the nursery. The basement is divided into a new laundry room/craft room, cold storage, and play/game room. Jake's brother Rick finished his last week of work and still had some time before medical school and so came and worked for a week doing all of the framing, electrical, insulation, and drywall- WOW that gave us a jump start. I found a great deal on cork flooring for the game room area- and saved on shipping since the store is based in WA and we can bring it back with us next month- and I found doors and some other things discounted on KSL to help keep costs down.

Magic!

Lately Josh has been talking about "magic" a lot. I think it stemms from a book was have called "My Mom is GREAT!" Which refers to a mom as magic because she can find things, and fix things, and other simple things. It's cute to see the things he describes as magic. There are so many- that I wish I were better about writing them all down- but a couple of my favorites:

1. Jesus is magic. And he's had a couple of reasons why. My favorite- because he put a baby in Mama's belly and knows when its time to help the baby come out.

2. The sun. He was telling me the other day that the sun follows him. "Really?" I asked. "Yes. See..." and he walked around glancing up at it as he moved "...its always there". Then said, "it's magic, huh?" I can't remember exactly how the conversation went from there- but I remember I was reminded of children's wisdom when he told me he thought Jesus was how the sun stayed so bright. "You're right Josh. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the one who gives the sun and all the world all its 'magic'."

3. Me! Whenever I find something,or make something, or at other random timse he'll exclaim, "Woa! You're just kinda magic, huh Mom!?" It may be a little self indulgent- but I'm glad he thinks so- and so I jus say, "I guess I kinda am."

4. Capes. Josh has yet to actually call them magic- but they're magic to me. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE seeing my two boys run and swoosh around in them. Dekker especially is so pleased with himself. He always has to have it centered on his shoulders and watches it swoosh behind him, or will turn around with his hands on his hips showing it off to others. It's super cute.

5. Babies. What miracles they are. I'm REALLY excited for a little girl!

Catching up

1. Lots of thoughtful Birthday wishes on my Bday.

2. A GREAt trip to Yellowstone with safe travels, fun, good company.

3. Jake got accepted to UofU Executive MBA program. We thought it was a long shot since he applied so late- but he got in! I kinda feel that a big reason I went through my MA program application process was to get him thinking seriously about it again. 21 months of hard work and sacrifice ahead of us- but I kknow it will be worth it.

4. Two adorable sons. I LOVE my two sons!!!!!!

5. The temple

6. The scriptures

What a FUN weekend!

1. Friday at Dairy Days. I took the boys up to Dairy Days at the Thanksgiving Point petting zoo. It was lots of fun with ice cream and chocolate milk samples. Ice cream and butter making and other fun activities.

2.Friday/Saturday girls getaway. My birthday gift from Jake was a night away with the girls. We rented a condo up in Park City. We relaxed at the hot tub, ate pizza and snacks, played games, watched chick flicks, did pedicures and stayed up late and slept in (me not so much- my body is just too used to waking up at 7:30)and went shopping at the outlets for hours before grabbing lunch and heading home. It was really nice.

3. Father's day. Yummy breakfast. A walk to the park. Delicious dinner. Even though it was all in Jake's honor it was enjoyed by all.

4. Men/Fathers. In a world where gender roles get confused and down-played, where a lot of time husbands are portrayed as lazy, unintelligent, and crewd- I'm so thankful that there are still great men out there who work hard every day to show just what strength and power comes when a man lives up to his potential. I'm especially grateful to the father of my two boys. They adore him- and I'm so glad they do. He is a great example for them to follow. He is kind, loving and hard-working. I am very blessed.

5. "Chocolate". This is my favorite word that Dekker says these days. He pronunciates it so well- and almost with a hint of British accent or something. I love it!

I've been a slacker

1. No training wheels. I think it is so incredibly cool that my little four year old has learned to ride a bike with no training wheels already! I posted a pic and video on our photo blog. That was from two days ago. Yesterday he rode and practiced a ton more, and he's doing awesome! He still needs a little help getting going- but now he and his friend Lexi can even help each other start out- so we don't have to start him out and chase him around anymore. It's so cute to see how happy he is to have learned it too.

2. Swim lessons. We're doing swim lessons this week and next through Orem City. I accidentally signed up for the indoor classes- but since the weather has been so abnormally cold for this time of year its been a good thing. Last year both boys were more hesitant- but this year they both LOVE IT! It also gives them something to look forward to every day.

3. My garden. Again because of the weather, it seems a little slow starting this year- but we are already enjoying fresh lettuce, green onions, cilantro, and green beans from the garden- and I'm finally starting to see little tomatoes forming on my tomato plants!

4. My husband. Jake is such a good father and husband. I've seen so much growth in him this year, and I know its in large part, do to an increase in faith based actions. He's so smart and hard working too. The majority of Magellan and iFusions revenue comes from the health insurance industry. Because of all the changes, and even more because of the many proposed changes, he is being very forward thinking. He's always saying he "hopes for the best, but wants to prepare for the worst". He's done such a good job providing for our family, and because we've always tried to be smart and consistant with our budget, and because the Lord has protected us from some possible bad choices we are in a very good situation to feel secure even during these difficult times.

BTW- I'm encouraging him to start a blog discussing health care. Because he has worked in the industry for these last 6 years, and because his job is basically trying to make it as affordable for people as possible- he has a good perspective and good ideas. He gets so frustrated that no one seems to be addressing the real issues. The more we read and talk about it, the more we see the lack of understanding for the way the industry really works and the flaws inherant in the system. The problem is not so much availability of health care, or even the PRICE- but instead the COST and lack of insentive for personaly responsibility for the cost. Price, and cost are very different. Jake really outlines it well- but just as a simple example: If car insurance worked the way health insurance did- we'd all be driving around the most expensive cars, with the best upgrades. We we would only go to the best and fanciest mechanics for maintenance, and would pretty much do any and all things the mechanics recommended to us- because we'd only have to pay a "$10 copay"- and we would never really investigate all our options and costs. Car insurance is much more affordable than health insurance- yet the amount of risk and cost per driver is a lot closer to that of a health insurance patient than you think (especially because car accidents often result in insurance companies paying for MEDICAL bills). The biggest difference is that individuals are aware of the COSTS (AND OPTIONS SURROUNDING THOSE COSTS) involved in regular maintanance of their cars, and what type/class of car they drive.

My biggest fear

One of my greatest fears is that something traumatic would happen to one of my kids. Yesterday I got a phone call from my mom telling me that one of my cousins three kids took a traumatic fall and was life flighted to Primary Children's Hospital (from Eagle Mountain) in Salt Lake. She was playing in the play loft above their garage swatting at flys at an open window. When the screen gave way she fell out the window hitting her head on the windshield of their car below and then landing on the concrete slab. The good news is that she was concsious when they found her and that the tests at the hospital reported that not only was there no apparent damage to her brain stem or spine, but that there were no broken bones beyond her fractured skull. Little Cassidy is able to move all her limbs and is somewhat responsive. The dangers are that she slips in and out of conciousness and there is obvious head trauma that still needs to be evaluated. Blood clots formed on the frontal lobes but they will have to monitor her until the swelling goes down to really asses the extent of the damage and what they can do to repair it. They are concerned of course about continued bleeding and swelling in her brain.

1. Family and prayers. This is not the first time I have witnessed the incredible charity of the Williams family as action and faith is put forth to asses a family member in need. There was a quick move to make everyone aware, prayers offered up, and names put in the temples within hours of the accident. As soon as I got off the phone I knealt and offered a prayer- when Jake got home a few minutes later we knelt as a family and offered a prayer as well. My other cousin Natalie and I spoke and shared what news we had heard and discussed what needs/way we might be able to help ou the family. Everyone is keeping them in their thoughts, prayers, and doing what they can to help during such a traumatic experience.

2. Health and safety of my family. It is the easiest thing to take for grantid when you have it. I constantly thank Heavenly Father for the protection we've been blessed with, and pray to be free of such trials. There are no guarentees of course, we don't always understand just why such trials may come, but I am ever thankful that as yet I have not had to pass through such a trial. As stated above- it really is one of my greatest fears.

3. "What did you just call me?" On a much lighter note- the other day I called Jake by "Jake" and he asked, "What did you just call me?" I had to laugh because it really is true that about the only time I call him that is when I'm referring to him with someone else. Both he and I are accostomed to calling each other by nick names; "Sweetie, Sweetest, Love, Lover, Lovest," or "James" or "Jacobito". I'm thankful our communication and tone allow for such terms of endearment all the time.