Thanksgiving

This year I decided it was important to teach Logan about the real meaning of Thanksgiving. So one night we traced his hands and wrote on each hand something that he was thankful for. He was so excited to tell me all of the things that were important to him. Believe it or not this little two year old came up with 50 different things that he was thankful for all on his own and he could have done more but we ran out of hands! Some of the things he was thankful for are: Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Temples, Jesus, Nursery, Music, Toys, His Potty, Chicken Nuggets, His Friend Arianna from Nursery (who he still calls a babe :) ), and so so many other things! I was so proud of him. It was so fun to see him really understand what it was to be thankful for things and how truly blessed we are! We had such a fun Thanksgiving! I am so thankful that I have been able to spend this time at home with Logan and have been able to teach him such great life lessons. He is such a sweet little boy and I love him so much!

Just a Mom?

My mom emailed me this story a while ago when I was struggling with being "Just a Mom." This is for all other moms out there.

A woman renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.

She hesitated unsure of how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a...?"

"Of course I have a job!" snapped the woman. "I'm a Mom!"

"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and in possession of a high sounding title like, "Official Interragator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out. "I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold black ink on the official questionairre.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't?) in the labratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, all buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distiguished and indispensible to mankind than "just another Mom." Motherhood!

What a glorious career, especially when there's a title on the door!

Does that make Grandmothers, "Executive Senior Research Associates?" I think so! I also think it makes Aunts, "Associate Research Assistants!"

Being a mom is by far the hardest job there is out there and it is about the most unappreciated job on top of that. We never get to call in sick or get a lunch break, we just go go go all day every day! It's about time we started calling ourselves more than just a mom. Instead we should hold our heads high and say proudly, "Yes! I am a Mother!" What a blessing it is to be trusted with such sweet little spirits to raise and teach the things of this world! I am proud to say that I am a Mother!

The Book Theif

Since I have been out of school for a little while waiting for my nursing program to start I have been doing a lot of reading, since I know I won't get the chance come January. My ward has a book club that meets once a month, they had taken the summer off, but were starting again and so I decided to read the book for this month on the off chance that I would go. Unfortunately life caught up with me and the day of book club I still had about 80 pages left to read. I knew it would only take an hour or so to finish, but just didn't have the time that day so I didn't make it to book club. So during Logan's nap today I decided to finish.

I sobbed the whole rest of the way through the book and now I totally wish Tyler or my Mom was home to talk about it! I always like to discuss my books when I'm done with them, hence the reason for book club! Anyways since they aren't home I am blogging about it instead!

The book was really interesting as it was told from "Death's" point of view. At first it really bothered me, but as you read on it just kind of flows together. It is set during the Holocaust but isn't based in a concentration camp like most of the others which I liked. I liked the fact that it was just an innocent little German girl who seemed rather uninvolved in the goings on of the war, well at first anways. It's different to see the perspective from those who were in Germany during the war, who may not have agreed with what was going on in their country but still suffered the consequences. I've always really enjoyed learning about the Holocaust because in all reality it wasn't that long ago and it is unreal to me that things like that have really occurred and that people really went through those horrific events. I can't even begin to describe my feelings about it because they are so deep, I'm not even sure there are words for them.

I read the book expecting to cry the whole way through because that's pretty typical of a Holocaust novel, but most of the book is really just about a young girl's life during a terrible time in history. It was an easy read which I like since I tend to fall asleep when I'm reading late at night so anything too complicated gets lost as I doze off.

Whenever I finish a book I get this lost little puppy feeling. I'm sad because I want more! I want to read about their stories forever! Maybe that's why I just have to keep reading and reading! What am I going to do when school starts and I have to put my books down and write papers instead?! Anyways, I'm done, but it was a book well worth reading.

A Tribute to the World's Greatest Husband!

So for the past several months I have had a really hard time getting any sleep. I finally decided that some of it was because our bed was just too firm. Well seeing as we have a two year old and only one income there was no way we would have enough money to buy another bed so Tyler took matters into his own hands!

Last night he decided to go to Walmart and wouldn't tell me what he was going for. When he came home he had about 7 huge pillows and memory foam in his hands. I thought, "Oh no! What is he up to now?!" He told me he was going to go in and fix our bed and he locked the door so I couldn't see what he was doing. When he finally did let me in our bed was about a foot and a half higher and super fluffy! He had put all the pillows and the memory foam under the bedspread (we sleep on top of it because he gets too hot under it). It was SO soft! Now the only problem is that now it's so slippery we are both falling off in the middle of the night! (At least he tried! :)

On top of all of that he slaves away EVERY single day to provide for us, that's right he works seven days a week, no day off! He's working two jobs and leaves at 11 in the morning and doesn't get home until 10:30 or 11 o'clock at night! I am so thankful that he works so hard so that I can be home with Logan. Even when all of his friends are out playing he still does eveything he can to support our little family. If that's not romantic I don't know what is! :) I love him so much and I am so thankful for all he does for us! I feel so lucky to have found him!

A Very Sick Baby :(

Around the first week in September Logan started feeling a little under the weather. We blew it off as just a little cold, we all tend to get them as the weather is changing and as most of you remember it was changing about every other day in September so I wasn't really surprised that Logan was getting a cold. Well a couple weeks went by and the cough had just not gone away. I was getting a little worried, but we were hesitant to take him to the doctor since he seemed fine other than this cough and our insurance had just changed with Tyler's new job and we weren't sure if Logan's doctor accepted it yet. (Now most people would just switch doctor's if their insurance wasn't accepted, but there was no way I was going to do that! Dr. Schmidt is by far the best pediatrician I have EVER seen and seeing as he was my mom's, and then mine, and now Logan's I just wasn't willing to switch! So I was a little afraid to make the phone call.) We gave it a few more weeks but I just couldn't wait anymore. My baby was just not getting better and since we were now well into October I decided I was taking him in.

So last Monday I woke up early and made the call about the insurance (thank heavens it was accepted!!!). I made the appointment and took him in. Dr. Schmidt listened to his lungs and they were totally clear, good news, but makes it hard to diagnose. So after some discussion he said he thought he was having some sinus problems. During the day he was just swallowing the mucus, but at night it would build up in the back of his little throat and he'd cough all night long trying to get it up! Poor little guy. Dr. Schmidt also mentioned that it was possible that he was having some asthmatic problems. I had suspected that that might be what it was so I had already started using the nebulizer he had given us the year before. He gave us an antibiotic to try first and told us to keep doing what we were doing with the nebulizer and the humidifier in his room. Well now it has been a week since we brought him in and guess what?! His cough is even worse now!!! Ugh! This kid can just not kick this thing! So now we are going to have to call the doctor again and see what he thinks we should do.

I hate when Logan is sick. He is too miserable and I worry about him SO much! Hopefully we can get him better soon so we can still take him out for Halloween! :s

Singing Time!

Logan has been going to nursery by himself now for four whole weeks! Yay! He loves to come home and tell us everything they did, who was there, what snacks they ate, what the lesson was on, what toys he played with, and especially what songs they did for singing time!

Now we can't get him to stop singing! All day long he sings "Do as I'm doing, follow follow me!" over and over again! It is so cute! He also loves "Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O!" I love going into his room and hearing him sing his nursery songs to all his stuffed animal friends!

Nursery has been such a blessing for us! Logan is so excited about going to church every week and he is learning so many good things and has made some great friends. He is growing up WAY too fast for me, but I am so proud of him! What a sweet little boy he is!

The Dreaded CNA Test

Well after stressing about this test for nearly a month and a half it is now over. It has been quite the experience and it seems like everything that could go wrong did go wrong! As part of the test we had to take a set of vitals on the other student testing with us. Well just my luck the girl was a little bit on the bigger side and I couldn't find her pulse! Such a simple little thing, but I was so nervous that it took me over 10 minutes to even find it. Hopefully the examiner goes easy on me! :S I also had to do a back rub, convert ml to oz, measure and record weight, a one man pivot transfer, and a few other little things. Luckily the scenario I drew wasn't too difficult, but you never know if the examiner is going to be in a good mood that day or not. Then after I got home I got a phone call saying that my ID had expired so the state wouldn't accept it! It has been quite the run around today trying to get it all dealt with. I hope it all works out and that I passed everything! It would be nice to have this out of the way when I start nursing school in January! Glad to have this day over with!