doctor's orders

thursday night i started getting the chills.

i knew what it was coming, and it didn't look good.

i spent the evening with evan and some friends at his fraternity house.

and when i got home i was shivering and burning with fever.

i couldn't get warm... and needless to say i had the most terrible night.

friday morning evan got lunches ready and drove the kids to school and even got a treat for carmen's  class for her b-day.

by some miracle i got out of bed, had a shower , took isabel along and drove to the doctor.

i went to two clinics and were all booked for the day!!

i tried a third, and had to wait for 1 1/2 hours to get in.

the doctor said i might have mononucleosis... please nooo!!

so she send me to have some lab work done.

thank goodness it was empty and i had it done right away.

i picked up the kids from school and went straight to bed.

evan got back from school, mowed the lawn with our new lawnmower and packed his stuff for work this weekend.

i made some dinner and drove him to the base.

of course i would get sick and he would have to work!!

at 3am carmen gets up with a pain in her jaw, she said. i though she might be getting her molars, but when she pointed at it, i knew it was and ear infection. and she was boiling hot! GREAT!

the next day we all went to the doctor again.

way to celebrate carmen's b-day!!

this time we had to wait for 2 good hours!

i took the kids to mcdonalds....

apparently it wasn't enough to have 3 kids entertained for that long wait.

my lab results showed that i didn;t have mono, so she prescribed me some antibiotics for my tonselitis and carmen has a nasty ear infection, so she was put in antibiotics as well.

when i got to the pharmacy they said i had to wait for 45 min to get the medicine!

I wanted to cry!!!

trying to get 3 restless kids out of there was even more frustrating.... so i did cry then! we were all crying in the car for good 15 min.

serioulsy, you don't want to be sick and be in a waiting area with 3 kids for 3 hours!!!!!!! and if you do, well, then it will make you cry too!

i didn't wait for the medicine, i drove home, and the kids fell asleep on the way there.

i carried them inside and succumbed into bed. 2 hours later i woke up, called up my neighbour, asked her to watch the kids while i ran to the pharmacy.

i even had to wait for 15 min!!!!

crazy!

i got to get some groceries. load up in yoghurt and easy lunches for the kids.

sunday i got a visit from my visiting teacher, brought the kids dinner and a soup for me.

it saved my life.

at 8'30 evan called me, he needed me to go pick him up.

i couldn;t find my car keys.

i was getting more and more frustrated. i knew isabel had gotten them to play and who knows where they could be!

carmen said we could say a prayer, she did and she turned around and found them!!!

we had been over that spot all that time and hadn't seen them.

know can say God doesn't answer prayers?? they won't convinced me!!

so we got daddy :D and everyone fell asleep on the way home.

that was my weekend.

your jelause aren't you??

Thanks Giving.... Giving Thanks!

Every time that it's time for a family gathering... I dread it a little.

Evan has a HUGE family!! And LOTS of kids... which makes MADNESS around the house.

I have to cook, clean, organize, to later do more cleaning, and more organizing... and you know who does all that.

ME!

(well, Tracy is always always cleaning with me).

It just means a lot of work for me... but for some reason I always get excited!

So I got my mom's recipe for turkey, and even though I only had it marinating for a day instead of three, the turkey was AMAZING!

there were mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes ( with roasted marshmallows!!), curried broccoli and cauliflower ( we were not sure if traditional Laura would have approved of this one ;P), corn, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy and hot, fluffy buns!

Pumpkin pie, cherry pie and ice cream for dessert.

( I didn't have any.... I never can after dinner, but don't worry, I have a pumpkin pie and an apple one I made left that I'll be having today :P).

SO I have many things I can give thanks for:

I didn't screw up turkey,

I have a big house to get family together,

and a new Clarke coming to the clan :D!!!!

(Not mine, Delanie's!!!)

I told you!!! SO many things to be grateful for!!! 

Al Natural

I know, I know... you hear laura is going to take some pictures of you and you might go and put some make up on...

i don't know why... maybe I just thought I would get away and just have the kids pictures done.

but i ended up getting some shoots.

she has given me these ones.

I like them.

raw.

natural.

nothing to hide.

imperfections...crazy hair and all...

that's me.

( I can't look like a model ALL the time ;P)

And that's my handsome babe :D

just as we are...

Children

My children are 24/7 in my mind.

The ones I have here with me, and the ones that are still to come to my family.

When people see me with my 3 ( very handfull, at times) kids, they think I am crazy, but when I tell them I still want more, they are absolutely convinced that I am NUTS!

For some reason I can't understand, I've always had the reaction from people ( it is painful, i say painful...even more when it comes from people you love). Thank goodness I've always have felt love and excitement when announcing my pregnancies from others around me.

Last April I received unexpected news... I was pregnant.

I wasn't ready.

So I thought.

But I just can't help it.

I love to be a mother and I trust God... so I started getting excited.

But then, I had a miscarriage.

It was more devastating than I thought. 

So since then I've been thinking about my circumstances.

I had to make the most difficult decision I've ever made.

The degree of difficulty increased the intensity of my prayers.

We've decided to use birth control that will stop us from having children for 5 years.

The plan is to have two more after those 5 years... although we might just wait three or four... or until we feel it is time.

There is a part of me that had some shame... and I've been dragging it for a while... until...

General Conference.

Elder Andersen

Here, LISTEN

Nobody designates the number of kids I have to have, or when to have them. That's between me and my husband and the Lord.

He is the only third party accepted in my marriage.

I have learned my lesson.

I didn't wait to have my kids, i had 3 in 4 years.... I didn't care about my career, I only cared about my calling.

I didn't care about money circumstances... I only cared about treasures in Heaven. 

I believe I still care about those same things now that I am waiting to have more children.

Pte Hinckley said: “"Build solid homes. I don't care about the size, I care about the spirit." 

While I don't agree it is to be used as an excuse, let God judge between you and me. And let us raise our kids as the heavenly, chosen spirits that they are.

I always think of how much I need them more than how much they need me... the truth is that I've learned more from them than what I could ever teach them.

look at them, look at them!

 Look how beautiful they are.

(thanks to auntie laura for the photoshoot)

Watch Your Step

Every year there are two things I look forward to.

One of them happened last weekend.

General Conference.

This time is the best two days, better spent hours of one's life.

I promise you there is always something in it for YOU, especially and uniquely said for you and to you.

So I invite you to hear, HERE

In between sessions I saw this video for the first time.

I felt the need to share it.

You can't give enough warnings about the destructive power of pornography.

And yet people still view it as nothing to worry about.

Like it is only a problem if you have a family, but something it is ok for single people to practice.

I say, NO. It will destroy you. I t will destroy any meaningful relationship you will ever want to create... even the holiest of all relationships, only second to God's : the relationship between husband and wife.

I believe in God, and I believe in love.

True love.

Love in its most purest form... in the form of families.

I know that families are mean to be eternal. That we can and are meant to be together forever.

So, listen to the words of a living prophet... and be sure he is speaking truth.