Happy New Year!

I'm a resolution person, always have been. One year (many, many moons ago) I was so determined to accomplish my yearly goals that I made my resolution, signed it, then had the thing laminated. And I STILL didn't accomplish my goals for the year. I've been giving it some thought as to what I wanted to accomplish this year... and only one thing comes to mind, but it's not something I only just thought of, it's something I've already been working on and will continue to work on when this new year passes. It doesn't have to do with my weight (for once) or anything physical, for that matter. It has to do with my spiritual development - which will, in turn, affect the rest of me. I came across something in someone else's blog, I hope she doesn't mind me reposting it. It was just so inspiring and made me think much more clearly, that I've even written it in my journal. This is it:

"This year, I find myself thinking more about what I AM rather than what I WANT... And I know that when the end of the year arrives... it is more likely that I will want to craft a written statement that explains my world view at this time in my life... rather than write a list of things I want/should be working on. I guess I just feel like I KNOW what I should be working on, and every day I try to get a little closer... without needing to declare it in a brash, year-end promise." (italics added for the parts that really struck me)

I've come across several people this year who've seemed to lose their way, even after knowing where they were going for so long. I've come across people who claim they're "trying to find themselves" and therefore use that as an excuse to do things they normally wouldn't. This breaks my heart as I'm very close to a lot of these people. I turned 30 this year, so did a lot of my friends. A lot of them had a hard time with this. I didn't. I'm not trying to brag or say that this is a great accomplishment on my end. I'm only trying to say that I'm so incredibly grateful for the knowledge of WHO I AM. I chose this life. I chose to be a mother instead of a career woman. I chose the man I married. I chose to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I still choose it. This is me, this is who I am. And I'm proud of that. I don't need to set unobtainable goals every year in order to have self-fulfillment. I can do it every day by choosing happiness and realizing the things in this life that will TRULY make me happy, not just here on this earth, but in the eternities to come. I love my life and will always strive to reach my potential, but won't wait till another new year arrives to do so. I had to say this publicly, as it means a lot to me. I hope everyone has had a great 2008 and embraces 2009.

5 Things I Love - Been tagged again!

Ok, Becka, here it is: (I've pretty much already posted the most interesting things that have happened to me in the last month, so I'll stick with what you were originally tagged to do...)

1. I love sunshine. It's so energizing! A day can be colder than cold but as long as the sun is shining, it's all good.

2. I love how much my husband is being so helpful and understanding this pregnancy. What a good man I have!

3. I love my kids. I know that's a given, but I really do love them, so much it makes me ache.

4. I love blogging. :) I love reading other people's blogs, too!

5. I love reading. What better way to escape from doing laundry! (Not that I EVER do that.)

I'm not much of a tagging type person, so if you want to do this - go for it! :)

Links!

Sometimes I talk about things I've posted previously, but one may not know what the heck I'm talking about, so I asked an old friend of mine how one might link words to previous posts so I could refer to what I've talked about before without causing confusion. So, if you see a word in a post of mine that is a different color from others, it's a link to what the heck I'm talking about in the first place. Thanks, J! It worked! :)

Guess who's dryer works?!

Mine!! Woohoo!!!

Just over a week ago, our dryer broke. So, we bought a new one, only to find we might be able to replace the part... SO, we looked into that, and were able to take the dryer back, order the part and get it within a week (no thanks to Fedex who was supposed to have it to us in TWO days, AND we had to pick it up OURSELVES. Geesh!) which saved us a large amount of money. Well, my wonderful mechanic smarty-pants husband was able to not only identify the part we needed, but was able to successfully replace it!!! I've never been so glad to be able to do laundry! Actually, I have. Back when we bought the dryer in the first place! Yay for working appliances!!

Christmas 2008!

We had a very good Christmas this year! It's always good, though, right? We didn't take many pictures, as usual, but here are a couple:

A playing with some of his spoils...

N sporting some of her new make-up. Look out boys!

Here's one of the kids reading Santa's note:

My favorite author, Richard Paul Evans, has a little book I found on a discount table once upon a time entitled "The First Gift of Christmas". It talks about the four "seasons" of Christmas - The Advent, The Eve, The Morning, The Night. I don't want to drag on this entry, but I really want to put in an exert from this book. I read it every year and am so grateful I have it. Here it is (well worth the read):

The Fourth Season of Christmas: The Night.

Christmas Night.

As the evening falls

like the curtain on a

long-awaited show,

I hold my daughter,

just one last time

this season,

In the warm bath of the

Christmas-tree lights.

And I wonder.

Did the Yuletide parties

and gatherings fill her

with a sense of family?

Did the Christmas rituals

unite her in a shared

commonality with

her fellowmen?

Did the music of Christmas

heal her of a cynical world

and inspire her with hopes

of something greater?

Did the gifts she shared

teach her that the greatest gifts

are received in the giving?

Did the once-wrapped

presents of Christmas remind

her of a greater gift given

many Christmases ago?

And I wonder.

Is there enough awe

in my child,

enough magic left,

to save a world?

For within my heart

I lament a great truth -

That the only

promise of childhood

is that it will end.

And I wonder what

I have given her

to take its place.

And is it enough?

I can't even type this without getting all teary-eyed. This year, like every year, I'm so sad to see Christmas end. I'm never satisfied that it was good enough to let it go for another year. I've been thinking about this a lot these last few days and have come to a conclusion: I depend too greatly on the commercialness of the Christmas season to fulfill my experience of the holiday. It's not enough. I know the true meaning of Christmas and value it greatly, but I never do anything about it. I try to teach my children the meaning of it all and that giving is better than getting, but I never do anything to really teach them this. Every year is filled with threats of Santa's watching and stop that or you lose a present... what does this teach my kids?? I've written this down in my journal and will remember to do better for next year.

I hope all had a wonderful holiday and that it was everything you hoped it would be!

Our Christmas FHE

M was in charge of coming up with something for FHE the Monday before Christmas, and he had such a cute idea! We made our very own Nativity scene from craft supplies we had (and a few acquired at the dollar store)! The kids helped and it was really fun! And oh-so-messy...

This is me (made by N). The red glitter glue to the left of "me" is the baby. Very creative. :)

The finished product:

There's the star, two shepherds, two sheep, a big brown cow, a little gray donkey, and of course Mary and Joseph and Jesus in the manger.

Two different views:

Oh so glad!

Our dryer broke the other day... like died. So, yesterday, when we went to buy a new one we saw a little paper giving information on replacement parts and such... which we didn't think was possible. WELL, we bought a dryer, anyway, because they had one in stock and we didn't want to have to wait for one, but took one of these papers home to see if we could just replace the part. I'm so glad I'm married to a mechanic! M was able to identify the part we need to replace and order it to be here by Friday for $200 LESS than the price of the dryer! So, we took the dryer back last night and were able to save money!!! Woohoo!!! (I'm chalking this one up to tithing, too!)

What's in a name?

Picking out a baby name isn't as easy as I thought. We had a name picked out (Davin Peter) but just saying it didn't feel right. I don't feel like I'm carrying a Davin. I'm always anxious to get a name picked out, either due to my impatience or because I think people who wait till AFTER the baby's born to name it are weird. No offense to them. Just my opinion. So, at our family council yesterday, M and I were trying to come up with something better. Of course we were searching his Star Wars Encyclopedia (see previous post) but I really felt the name we needed wasn't in there. Not that it wasn't a Star Wars name, it just wasn't in the book we were looking at. We found nothing. I still needed a name, so I kept thinking about it. Then, last night, M was laying there very quiet... I thought he was trying to go to sleep. Then he suggested a name... my first reaction was "he'll get made fun of". But as I mulled it around in my head, it sounded better and better. Then I prayed about it (yes, I pray about names). It was indeed the right name. It is a Star Wars name, and was NOT in the book we were looking at... the middle name we came up with was actually something my daughter suggested, not a family name (that we know of) and it felt right, too. So, here it is:

Quinlan Thomas Hamblin - we'll call him Quin for short.

I looked up the meaning of the name online this morning and Quinlan is Irish/Gaelic and means fit, shapely, strong. Quin means counsel. Exactly what I was looking for! I felt I needed a name that was strong and would be the name of a leader. (I feel a special spirit growing inside me - very intimidating!) So, there it is. For sure this time. :)

The Last Day of School Rocks!

My kids had their Christmas parties today. I love how they schedule them one right after the other so I don't have to miss one or go back and forth.

This is A making a little popsicle stick puppet and posing with the completed project in front of the "Pin the Nose on Rudolph" game:

This is N posing - she hears the camera turn on and she's ready! The last one is when they were playing "Pass the Candy Cane"... they couldn't use their hands, only the candy cane in their hand. It was pretty fun to watch!

Making up for lost trials...

A few posts ago, I said "everything happens in threes"... well, one of those things was I thought I had diabetes. Since I don't, I'm thinking the universe had to make up for that to complete my theory.

Our dryer died this morning! It was working better than it has in months and then POP. Dead. Wires fried. Non-replaceable part. Super. Thankfully, at the end of that post, I mentioned a positive in my life right now - my husband's raise... which should help us get a new dryer next week. And I thought I wasn't getting anything for Christmas this year!

Dumb dryer.

Isn't it pretty?

Our tree!

The results are in!

Woohoo! I passed the test! Yay!!

Now for the waiting game

I went to the hospital bright and early this morning for a fasting 3 hour glucose test. For those of you wondering how that works, this is how:

One isn't supposed to eat after 8pm the night before (in my case, with all the church things going on yesterday starting at 5pm, I ate last at 4:30pm) (so, yeah, I was hungry) (to say the least). Then, one goes into their doctor or lab at the hospital the next morning (completing roughly a 12 hour fast) where they draw one's blood.
Then they get to drink about 8 oz. of a less carbonated, much more high fructose corn sypup-enated soda-like-beverage that when cold, is supposed to taste OK. Whoever decided that either never drank the stuff or wasn't pregnant with an empty stomach. Bleh. Oh, and you have to drink the stuff in less than five minutes. The nurse watches the clock and everything. No pressure.
Then, they draw your blood again, an hour after the first blood draw. I'm glad the laboratory waiting room had cable TV and a comfy couch.
Then, they draw your blood AGAIN an hour after that.
And an hour after that, guess what they do? They draw your blood AGAIN. (4 times total over a 3 hour period... all without FOOD and some yucky bleck stuff sitting like a rock in your stomach)
All of this just to see if I have diabetes. Don't diabetics generally do poorly if their blood sugar drops from not eating or spikes from, say, drinking some nasty sugary syrupy goo?? Maybe that's why they didn't want me to leave.....
So, this was my morning. I'm eating right now (duh) and loving it.

I should find out the results this afternoon. I hope. *fingers crossed*arms folded*knees bent*

It could happen to you...

My mom used to say everything happens in threes...

First thing that happened: the power pack in our computer died (after only a year) and needed replaced.

Second thing: not really a huge deal, but could be - I might have gestational diabetes.

Third thing: our pipes froze yesterday. And they're still frozen. It's -14 degrees here, for the HIGH. The problem: the vents on the ABSOLUTELY FREAKISHLY FREEZING COLD WIND side of the house are missing, due to said wind, allowing said wind to freeze the innards of our house i.e. the pipes. Lovely.

THE GOOD NEWS: Matt got a raise!! And our medical/dental benefits got better!!! Woohoo!!! Life is good, folks. Nothing we can't handle, right?

Maybe it was inevitable...

I had gestational diabetes with my first baby, who was a boy, but not with my second baby, who was a girl. Now, I'm having a boy again and my glucose test came back a little too high... *sigh*

SO, on Monday, at 7:30am (after fasting since 8pm the night before) I get to go back in for ANOTHER test that will verify what I'm thinking is already known. I get to be there for 3 hours. yay. fun. here we go again. Nothing I can't handle, though. It's actually almost a relief, really, because my silly thinking is this: well, if I have diabetes, I won't have the really scary pre-eclamsia. I can do without sugar and be healthier because of it and poke my fingers several times a day and all that. No problem. I've only gained 10 lbs and I read that average weight gain for this point in a typical pregnancy is at least 15, so we're good there. My baby's not TOO big, he's just right, so I'm not worried about that, either. Just a bump in the road that is my typical "normal" pregnancy-ness.

Prayers would still be appreciated, though. :) One can never have too many of those!

You wanna know, don't you?

I was shocked! I didn't know either way, but was leaning more towards girl... I'm so happy, though! Yay!!!! He's healthy and growing just as he should, which is a very good sign!! My BP's great/normal, and everything's normal so far. I did the diabetes test and should hear the results of that in a a week or less. Been there, done that, so I'm not too worried. The name we have decided to go with is: Davin Peter. Davin is from a Star Wars novel (of course), and Peter is from way back in my family history. Peder Mortensen is the one who brought his family to America from Denmark. He had a son named Peter, who died when he was 8 before he ever left Denmark. So, we chose that. :)



Here's the evidence:





So, there you have it! My boy! Yay!

What, oh, what is it going to be?

So, tomorrow's the big day! My appointment is at 10:30am and lucky for me, at 9:45am I'll be drinking that lovely orange goo that tells them whether or not I'm diabetic. Bleh. BUT, shortly after I'll be doing an ultra sound - IN 3D, no less!! Yay oh yay!

Tonight I told my kids that tomorrow we'll be able to see whether we're having a boy or a girl... N wants a girl, A wants a boy, naturally. Then, during N's bedtime prayer, she says "Please bless that it's a girl. Please bless that it's a boy. Please bless that it's a boy or a girl."

So, folks, we're set. It's either going to be a boy or a girl.

I do have to say, though, I've had TWO dreams of ultra sounds being done... the first dream was a girl. The second dream started out as a boy, but ended up as a girl as the final result. I'm good either way, as long as it's healthy and well-developed.

Yay for tomorrow!!

My Sunshine is 7!!!

Seven years ago today, at 6:43am in the morning, my stinky boy was born! I went over the memories I have of that day with my husband and it's amazing how clear they all still seem.

Here's his life in a nutshell:

The baby shower!

15 days old!

1 year old! (He loved wearing his daddy's hat and "pretties"!)

2 years old! (This is how he used to smile for pictures! Love it!)

3 years old!

4 years old!

5 years old!

6 years old!

7 years old!

All those times I've been in a public place with him wishing I wasn't... all those times I said to M "he's YOUR son"... all those times that would've made someone older and wiser say "This, too, shall pass"... all those times I had to take a time-out myself, just to keep my sanity... I'm glad I've had them. They do pass... all too quickly. It's been a life-altering, wonderful, enlightening, patience-testing seven years... and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Happy Birthday A!!!

Just an FYI

I'll be doing THE major ultra sound next Wednesday, December 10th. I'm really hoping the baby cooperates because I'll be 24 weeks and running out of patience to know what we're having. My gut won't tell me!!! I knew with my first two, but this one is just being stubborn. (I hope that's not a sign of things to come!) I'm excited because my husband will be able to go with me! I just hope it's not one of those "hey, watch what the baby can do" just for the baby to NOT cooperate. Wish us luck!

Overheard after tucking my kids in tonight:

A had a stuffed dog (christened "Muppy", by N) wrapped in his blankie and was making it say "I was just born" in what a baby's voice might sound like.... N replies "You can't talk, you were just born." Then, A, in all seriousness, says "He's an animal, he can talk."

I love my stinky kids.

Did you know?

On this day, in 1945, Flight 19, a squadron of five Avenger TBM torpedo bombers of the U.S. Navy, disappeared in the area now known as the Bermuda Triangle. (If you want to know what really happened, the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" explains everything.)


I know. That's boring. LOL

I'm showing finally!!!

It's amazing how within a week's time, I went from just looking a little pudgy to "hey, I think I might be pregnant!"

Yay!!

23 weeks on Thursday, yeah!

I'm still full!

We had a very wonderful Thanksgiving!

M's parents were here from last Tuesday to today, and we were very sad to see them leave. This is a public THANK YOU to them for coming and spending some time with us, for buying us things we needed, watching our kids so we could go "visit Santa", teaching my kids to do the dishes, making meals for us, bringing lots of food to share, and just helping our holiday week be most fun! We'll miss you guys! I wanted to get a picture of you and the kids, but, alas, I forgot. We're excited to see you again in March and will start praying now for good weather and a cooperative baby. :)

THANK YOU K & D!!! We'll miss you!!!