Ty update

Ty is home and doing great. In fact, after Ty woke up from the surgery, he asked Daddy, "When am I going to get my tonsils out?" I am so glad that he is pretty much unaware of what was done. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Prayer request

Ty is going in for his tonsillectomy tomorrow and we could sure use prayers for a speedy recovery and a calm mom.

Also, Arick's favorite pet frog died today. He tried so hard to be brave and not cry, but as soon as I hugged him, he couldn't hold back the tears. It just broke my heart. We will get a new frog soon. We had some crickets that died within 24 hours of buying them, and we believe those crickets that the frog ate before we discovered the problem, led to his early demise.

My little model

Brianna was a great sport today and let me take lots of photos of her in Nashville. The session was mostly a bust due to equipment failure, but I did manage to get these shots.

Ty's interpretation

For dinner tonight, I served sushi (my friend Cristina came and taught me a favorite family recipe, it is delish) and fresh pineapple. When Arick asked what we were having, Ty quickly jumped in and said "Porcupine-apple." Can't argue with that one.

You're Invited

Just a little note to let our friends and family know, that you are more than welcome to visit us here. I would love to play hostess to new visitors.

Papa and Grandma

Andrew's parents came for their first visit to our home this last week. We had such a great time together and the kids loved having them here. Some highlights of the week, included:

-Family Home Evening with Papa beating us all at a memory/visualization game (with ease I might add) and eating Andrew's yummy cookies.

-Visiting the Civil War site where much of the Battle of Franklin was fought.

-Having them here while Andrew and I received new callings (I am the new Relief Society second counselor and Andrew is the Ward Mission Leader). Papa was also able to participate in my being set apart, which was a special moment for me.

-Eating tasty fried green tomato BLT sandwiches, yummy fried chicken and fried okra at the famous Loveless Cafe.

-Brianna and Grandma having a late night party reading all of the joke books that grandma has sent Bri over the years.

-Watching Planet Earth and snuggling with Papa and Grandma.

They left for Utah this morning and we are missing them already. We are so blessed to have such loving family.

Our home part 1

Well, I was able to finish 90% of my spring-cleaning list before my in-laws arrived. I still have some vertical surfaces to clean, some vents to vacuum and some touch ups to do, but I may leave it for a rainy day. Here are the results and I am glad to finally share some photos of our home.


Here is our master bedroom. We do plan on painting the walls a different color soon. I haven't found the wall art or the lamp that I want in my bedroom yet. The glider is being replaced with a black recliner in the next couple of weeks. We are just waiting for it to be delivered. Eventually, I would like to hang sheers on the windows and get a rug. Ella and her crib (I know she is 19 months but I get nervous being away from her) will finally move to the room she shares with Brianna.

On a side note, the bedroom furniture was delivered this last week and it means the end of broken plastic drawers and baskets to hold our clothes. It is so much easier to keep our room tidy now! I love my bedroom so much. I hate leaving it and so does the rest of the family. No matter how many times I tell my kids that the bedroom is for Mom and Dad only, I still find them in there lounging on my bed, reading books, and watching t.v.



This is the living room. Our plans for this room include more seating, a coffee table, and a rug. We will have to move the piano to another part of the house and shift the bookcase to where the piano is for those plans.


This is our dining room that we made into the office/craft space. We do wish there was a door to hide the mess but at least it doesn't get in the way of family life now.


This is our bonus room over the garage. It is the one room that I don't feel the need to keep as clean since we do a lot of playing here. I will share a picture of the other half of this room in the next post so you can see all the things we do in this room.

All in all, our home is coming along nicely. A lot of the plans I mentioned could take years to complete, but that is what makes the process so fun.

P.S. Papa and Grandma arrived safely . . . the kids are beyond excited!

Spring Cleaning

Twice a year I get in my spring cleaning mode. I clean as many nooks and crannies as I can stand, try to get everything put back into its proper place, and sort through clothes, getting rid of those things that are worn out or are too small. It is, at the least, a seven day endeavor and I feel so great when I am done.

Here are some interesting facts about my current spring cleaning (all numbers are estimated as I often give up counting when I get to a certain point):

25+ batteries and I have no clue if they are dead, used or new
Over 40 blankets(many of which were baby blankets and are now being donated)
21+ pairs (and sometimes just one in a pair) of gloves/mittens (which only get used a few times now in TN)
At least 150 pens and pencils in about 15 different places. That would explain why we could never find one when we needed it.
Lots and lots of coins (I will add up the total later and edit this)
Easily over 1000 items that were not in their proper place.
16 times today that I have asked the kids if they are done. 16 times that I have heard "No".
Over 20 socks that were finally reunited with their mates. Woohoo!
4 boxes leftover from moving have been emptied and crushed. I swear these boxes just appear out of thin air.
All Library books have been located, phew!
We are still missing 3 things on my "to find" list and it is driving me nuts!
6 garbage bags full of broken items and various other junk.

And just to make sure that you don't think that I do all of this by myself. Andrew is a big help too. Andrew has been patching up the wall dents and doing touch up painting. He has refinished the top of our kitchen table that looked awful (thanks sweetheart, it looks beautiful!), he has helped organize the medicine cabinet and the garage, and he put in a new garage door opener. Now if only my kids were that helpful! Getting my kids to help has been a huge tug of war but I am winning.

Ty's tonsils

Andrew and I took Ty to the doctor on Monday to discuss his sleep apnea and snoring. Ty's tonsils are definitely a problem so we have scheduled surgery for March 25th. The doctor thinks that his tonsils are partly responsible for his slow growth and the swollen lymph node that has been on his neck for 2 years now. Hopefully this will help alleviate the problems. This will be the first time any of our kids will be under general anesthesia so I am a bit nervous. Ty is four and should handle the recovery well, unlike his Auntie Jamie who just had hers removed and had a rough time. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Just one of those days

I am a very happy person but I still have those days and today is one of them. In the last 24 hours, I have made too many mistakes, I am exhausted and overemotional, and a bit overwhelmed. I just wish I could crawl back in bed and stay there until tomorrow.