It' been FOREVER!!! (A little more than a month in review)

I am finally posting again! (This one is for you Gina!) I have been unbelievably busy lately and have put off blogging for a while. I have decided to do one long blog instead of separating them out. Hopefully you have a moment to sit and read. It's going to be a loooong one. A lot has happened in the past month or so and I have a lot to write. Here goes it!

Quentin received his Arrow of Light at the September Cub Scout Pack meeting. He is officially done with Cub Scouts. It was quite the ceremony. They really spot light their achievements and follow their path through cub scouts, talk about their progress to get where they have gotten and paint different colors on their face for each requirement that they have been awarded. I cannot believe that he is in 11 year old Scouts and is starting camp outs and merit badges. I have a lot to live up to with my mother-in-law who has '6eagles' on her licence plate because she had 6 boys receive eagle rank. Jeff said that if we don't get in gear, she'll probably take over and will have to change her plate to 7eagles! ha ha! I am excited for him to enter into this program and start progressing to that accomplishment.

The first Saturday of October, we woke up to endless snowing that day. It ended up snowing about 4 inches!!! Who gets snow in OCTOBER anyways??? I love Idaho Falls! That day, there were branches off trees like you would not believe. I wish I would have gotten pictures of that. All over town, huge trees were injured by the snow that fell. The fact being that the leaves hadn't fallen yet and as the snow collected on the leaves that day, the heaviness bent the branches down so far that they broke. Luckily, we only had a few come off our willow tree, but all through town... branches down! It was a pretty incredible sight. That next day, we were talking about it at my parents home and my brother was talking about how the trees weren't prepared for the snow yet because they hadn't lost their leaves. He then mentioned how there is a time and season for everything just like the scriptures say...I had thought about this earlier that day too about how incredible nature is and how it prepares itself for each season and how the changes need to happen in a particular order to receive the proper progression in their life. This is true with our nature also. Just as a child learns to crawl first before walking.
It seems as if I am in a "season of winter" time in my life right now. Everything isn't necessarily sunny all the time-in fact, every time I turn around it seems to get a little darker for one reason or another. I am not sure what I am to learn from the challenges that have come my way recently, but I know that with all that has happened, I am learning to be patient. I am an instant gratification type of person and for me to have to wait is not an easy task. However, just like those branches on those huge trees weren't ready yet for that snowfall, I know that I can't force things to come quicker than time itself can bring.

With all that crazy talk above, let me fill you in on my dear husband Jeff. We went to Utah last month to go to a Doctor down at the University of Utah. We were pleased to discuss our options with him and also to feel not so alone with Jeff's situation. He shared with us that there were quite a few men that he had seen with this exact problem. Thank heaven there are others in our boat, with an unfortunate twist that he still had no resolution for us. He sent us home with some medication for Jeff to try. He called it a nerve blocker/ anti-inflammatory. It hadn't really appeared to be working until a few days ago, Jeff told me that he thought that his pain was getting a little less intense. My heart about leaped out of my chest with happiness. That was good news. He's wondering if he is imagining it, but regardless, whatever works right? We did however spend the beginning of our week this week in the emergency room. Sunday (his b-day also) he came home from Florida (for business) with extreme abdominal pain which they temporarily diagnosed him with diverticuli (sp?) It is a bowel disease. I am still not sold that that was what was wrong with him. We will go see a specialist to confirm. On Monday we were in the emergency room again with the same pains. So...on top of everything else he has to deal with, he has an extreme stomach ache! NICE! On Tuesday, while I was working up in Rexburg, my mother-in-law got a call from my bro-in-law Travis who works with Jeff telling her that Jeff had had another seizure! Is it ever going to end??? I was worried, but not as worried as the first time because we had done this once before, I didn't have to watch it this time, and I was more familiar with the situation. It was again the medication-the doctor reassured us about that. We are working through everything, although challenging, it brings us closer together and understanding that this too shall pass!!

Last weekend my friend (in the red, with her mom and sister) had a scrap booking event to raise money for the children's cardiomyopathy foundation. Her daughter was diagnosed with this disease and so she is passionate about this cause, and therefore I was so excited to help her with this event. She did an amazing job with organizing a really neat evening with lots of fun prizes, yummy food, lots of scrap booking, & great conversations with friends. Check out this website to find out more. http://www.childrenscardiomyopathy.org/


Halloween was yesterday. Can I just say that it was a light among the darkness!!!? WE HAD SOOO MUCH FUN!!! This is why people have kids! Quentin was an ARMY guy, Calli was a Devil/Angel, and Mack was a very active Ninja! I especially loved Calli's outfit. Amazingly enough, Idaho Falls was having an extremely beautiful day/night and we for the first time went house to house for a couple of hours. It was so great! Prior to the house hopping, we went to the Trunk-or-Treat at the church where everyone just goes from trunk to trunk getting a very large amount of candy in a small amount of time. Don't be late, or you will miss it! Jeff and I enjoyed watching the kids run up and down the streets hitting every house possible to get as much candy as possible. We got tired before they did. We eventually just followed them around in the car while they walked the sidewalks. Mack never quit running! It was so much fun! Did I say that already?

All in all it has been an eventful last little while for our family. I am grateful for my husband and for my sweet little children who keep me smiling and laughing everyday of my life. My little Mack tells me every day just out of the blue that he loves me at least two or three times. Keeps me moving forward and reminding me that the small things in life are the important things.

Last but not least, check out this video of Mack at Preschool and check out
my adorable Nephews!!!! Because I have a paranoid brother, I will leave their names out-but my brothers name starts with an M. These three beautiful boys are his children. Aren't they dang adorable???