Days Like These

I hate days like today.

I was getting the kids ready for church, about to fix Madilyn's hair when Garrett came over crying. I put him on my lap and rocked him but he didn't calm down. Then he reached for his blanket and I saw his arm. He'd fallen against the fireplace and the skin was hanging off the back of his hand.

I ran it under cold water while trying to call Jeremy on the phone. He was already at church for meetings. Turns out he didn't have his phone on him and no one at the church answered any of the three numbers I tried. Meanwhile, Madilyn with Emma following, ran and got the first aid kit and was getting band aids (I didn't even have to ask she just did it.). But we were beyond band aids.

I am so blessed that my in-laws live 5 minutes away and were at my house within 3 minutes of my call. Celeste took the girls and Richard drove us to the emergency room. Jeremy showed up at the hospital not long after we got there.

He has 1st and 2nd degree burns from the back of his hand up to his elbow. He's doing remarkably well with it wrapped and otc pain medications. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll sleep through the night.

BUT days like today remind me to love my family a little more, hug my children a little tighter, and remember that we're watched over.

2010 - A Year in Review

Yeah I know its coming a little late but I've accepted that there are somethings I will not be punctual on like blog posts and Christmas cards (actually I decided not to send those at all this year) and save the punctuality for important things like getting Madilyn to the bus stop. In general I don't think its necessary to do a year in review because its a blog right? You can just go back and read the entries to see what happened.

But this past year was a 'special' year. A defining year, if you will, in which our lives changed and will never be the same.

Two things.

First, fire. Yup. No surprise there. Your apartment building starts on fire and gets condemned and life changes. But I think what changed my perspective the most was the way the fire made me see the love of the Savior for me and my family.

For example, in the first few days after the fire it was stressful and surreal. Luckily our insurance company paid to have people come in and pack up all our things, clothes and all. Sounds great, and it was, but it was extremely hard to watch complete strangers packing up all our belongings - the junk, the personal, and the private. As it turned out the ladies who packed up our things were members of our church who used to live in the same ward we do now and knew Jeremy's dad. It was one small tender mercy but it brought a peace of mind we sorely needed. So many things similar to that happened all throughout our 'fire' experience. Friends and neighbors, some barely acquaintances, offered help and support that we never expected.

People are good. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. Something bad can usher in something good.

Second, Garrett. True he wasn't actually born in 2010 but he started it at 5 months old, when his personality really started to shine. I don't know how to explain exactly what he has done for our family.

He is sunshine.

He is joy, happiness, and laughter simply by being himself. We were happy before he came but looking back I can see we were missing something I just didn't realize it was two feet of car-lovin' boy. Madilyn said to me once, "Garrett makes everyone in our family happy." Yes he does.

2010 was different. Hard, frustrating, but good.

Start the Day Off Right

Here's how my Saturday began -

4:45 am - Jeremy gets up
5:10 am - Jeremy leaves for youth temple trip
5:30 am - Emma wakes up and wants to sleep with me
6:30 am - Garrett wake up and comes to sleep with me
7:15 am - Madilyn wakes up and wants to lay next to me - Here's how the conversation went
"I want to lay next you."
"Honey I already have kids on either side you'll have to get a blanket and lay by my feet."
"I don't want to lay by your feet I want to lay next to you."
"You can't but you can lay by my feet."
"No I want to lay next to you."
"Sooooo, what do you want me to do?"
Silence.
"I want to lay next to you."
"Get a blanket."
"No." Madilyn starts doing her wind up for throwing a fit, feet start stomping, shoulders shake.
"Madilyn go to your room if you're going to throw a fit."
"I don't want to."
"I don't care if you don't want to, go!" (This was in a loud whisper mind you because the other two were asleep.)
More jigging and wanting to lay by me. Finally goes to room to start crying and screaming at the top of her lungs "Why do I have to be in here! I don't want to be here! I want to lay by you! Why can't I lay by you! I'm scared in here!" Over and over until Emma wakes up. Then Madilyn comes back into my room not whispering at all.
"Why can't I lay by you?"
"Because your brother and sister are already laying by me. Do you want me to kick one of them out?"
"Yes. I want you to kick one of them out."
"I'm not going to do that. Go back to your room."
"Why can't I lay be you!"
Emma's now awake so I get out of the bed and Madilyn runs back screaming to her room. I march in and give a not very nice lecture. Garrett's now awake and crying. Madilyn is crying and screaming. I shut her door which makes her scream louder.
7:25 am

Awwww, starting the day off right.

List - Guilty Pleasures

• fruit snacks - I can't buy them for my children because I eat them all...in a day.
• any show with 'star' in the title - Star Trek, Stargate, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc.
• Betty Neels romance novels - a little known harlequin author who happened to write 130 books that are almost all the same and yet I can't stop reading them
• pencil sharpeners - I don' know why either.
• blank books - Can you have too many? I think not.
• video games - Its like the fruit snacks, I don't have many games because I can't have many games.
• thrift stores
• fabric - There I admitted it. Even before I started sewing I always wanted to buy it for something.
• library - How can you not love the library? Everythings free!

There you go. I can't help myself.