Belated Birthday Post aka Nikki Turned 33

So I feel like I'm not blogging often enough. This is the only journal I keep for myself and our family, unless you include things like Facebook and Instagram. I realized that I did fact about Caleb and Ty for their birthdays, but I didn't do facts for me about mine (probably because I was in a medication fog at the time). So I'm doing them now. My belated 33 facts about myself for my 33rd birthday.

1) Growing up, my favourite colour was blue. In the past 10 years it changed to purple, as that's the colour for pancreatic cancer awareness. Plus, purple is awesome!

2) My state of mind is almost always directly related to how clean or organized my house is.
3) When I was upset about something as a teenager I would deep clean and rearrange my room.
4) I don't really like chocolate, never really have. Most of it gives me toothaches.
5) I have a slight obsession with Dr Pepper. Okay, I'll own it, it's more like an addiction.
6) I have acquired a cat since moving to Magrath. It was sort of a family cat before that occasionally showed up here, but now (especially since it's snowy and cold) he's over here hanging out more often than not. His name is Webster and I love him.
7) I am severely terrified of mice. Like, whenever we've had mice in the past (thanks, town homes) I left home until it was 'safe' to come back. This might be one of the reasons I love having Webbie around so much.
8) I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was 19. I am deeply grateful for the perspective that being an adult convert gives me.

9) I am currently growing my hair out. It has been short for years, but it's too hard to maintain it as short as I like it and the wind down here demands the option of a ponytail.
10) I love sour or salty snacks. Miss Vickie's Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar chips are probably one of my favourite snacking foods of all time.
11) I reached a huge milestone this year. I have accepted and embraced my current weight and size. It has lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders and I wish I'd done it years ago. Nevertheless, I'm grateful to be at this point now.
12) I currently hold a position on my boys' school council.
13) This summer I went to my first concert ever with a good friend.

14) I have an incredibly diverse taste in music. My playlists include everything from classical to alternative, country to punk, gospel to metal, and several other genres.
15) I love baking, I just am not a fan of doing the dishes afterward.
16) I have made homemade perogies, pickled beets, nylysnyky, cabbage rolls, sausage and sauerkraut. I love my Ukrainian ancestry.
17) I find quads boring because I grew up driving a trike and I miss being able to steer that easily.
18) I have driven a combine and harvested canola before.
19) I have always be a pretty good shot with firearms. My uncle was so sad the day I declared I wouldn't hunt when I turned 12.

20) I am incredibly allergic to canola pollen. I have to take Benedryl every night and alternate between daytime allergy meds during the days to be able to function when it's in bloom.
21) I was a cheerleader in grade 12.
22) I don't eat anything that lived in water. Fish, shellfish, seaweed, any of it.
23) I am very sensitive to the smell of pineapple, particularly if it has been canned.
24) I started reading at the age of 4 and have loved reading ever since.
25) My favourite book, contrary to what most people think, is not a Harry Potter book. It's To Kill a Mockingbird.
26) My favourite movie is Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Extended Edition.
27) I am not good at auditory learning. If I don't see it happen or read the words, I have a hard time retaining what was said to me. It cracks me up that I love music so much and am so good at understand the lyrics, because it totally goes against how this usually works for me.
28) My favourite food is bacon. I LOVE bacon!

29) I have 2 people from mine and John's first primary class that I still keep in touch with. They have become dear friends and like family to me. They are now 18 and have become amazing young adults.
30) I intentionally don't put my kids in activities outside of church ones because I hate the idea of being an over-scheduled family. Our lazy evenings and weekends are precious to me.
31) I love reading books that help me learn more about the gospel. This year I've really been enjoying the books written by James L. Ferrell.
32) I had a Cabbage Patch Doll while I was growing up. Her name was Winifred and I called her Winner. I saw a Cabbage Patch Doll identical to her on a TV show this past week and it made me super excited. I think John wasn't sure what to do with me.
33) I love playing Dungeons and Dragons. We had an amazing group we played with in Edmonton. We still play together online, but I sure miss gaming together in person and having yummy treats along with it.

We Got A...

The boys had a great last few weeks of their school year. They maintained the exact same grades that they both had back in March. Both teachers commented to me about just how much progress Caleb and Tyrell have made this year, which is always awesome to hear. Last week all 3 boys were at my mum's. Brettley managed to bust his chin open and had to have it glued shut while he was there, but apparently he was very brave and handled the whole thing incredibly well.

I have been doing well. We went to the park and were out for almost 4 hours straight on Monday. I forgot that my meds make me more susceptible to effects from heat and sun and I got a bit of a sunburn. The boys have been doing chores each day to earn spending money. They also have educational work that they do on John's work days.

Our biggest news is that we got a family pet. While the boys were gone, John and I decided to check out a couple of pet stores to just price out a hamster and all the gear for that. John held a hamster at Petland and I was a goner. She is so adorable. She is mostly black with a bit of white fur on her belly and her name is Rogue. She is very loved by all of us. Caleb helps change her food and water as well as helping to keep her cage clean. Several people have been shocked that I am able to tolerate having her, given my extreme fear of mice. Because her tail is so short, my fear is, thankfully, automatically able to register that she is not a mouse.

I forgot to mention it as I caught up before, but a couple of months back I was told that I have a gallstone as well as fatty deposits on my liver, the results of my abdominal ultrasound. To deal with the fatty deposits, I was ordered to lose weight. It has been almost 9 weeks and I have managed to lose over 16 lbs so far. As for the gallstone, I had the option to have surgery as a preemptive strike before it becomes a serious issue and I decided to take that option, so I meet with the surgeon later this month.

So that's our update for now. Hope you're having a great summer!

Attitude of Gratitude Day

Let's see how well I can do this with one hand while the other is feeding the baby. *Little known fact about me = I am hopelessly stuck on home row typing*

1) I am grateful that Brettley slept through the night for the first time last night. It's a tiny bit sad since it's a reminder that my last baby won't be a tiny baby forever, but far more exciting than sad. I am also grateful that John has done almost every single night feeding with all 3 boys. I am so blessed. (For the record, we have that arrangement for a VERY good reason, not a selfish one, just in case anyone who doesn't know the reason is wondering)

2) I am grateful for Brettley's super cute smiles. He loves to smile at Mommy, his crib aquarium and his fish mobile on his swing. His smiles light up my world when they come. Brettley is so stinkin' cute!

3) I am grateful for my new home and how much better I feel here. I feel safer here and happier. I am not paranoid about mice getting in like I was before:) I am very glad to be here.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. We're very much looking forward to Brettley's blessing on Sunday.

Attitude of Gratitude Day and the Mouse

It's been a fun few days. We found a mouse in the house during the night on Monday, so the boys and I spent all of Tuesday, that night and all of yesterday until after supper at my dads house. I did discover that the sensitivity I have developed to cigarette smoke apparently bothers me more than mice though, since we're back home even though we still might have the mouse (I hate townhouses for that). Now I am semi-sick and Ty's cough is really bad again.

Anyway, moving on, it's Attitude of Gratitude Day, so here she goes...

1) I am grateful that John has tried really hard to support me through my irrational fears. He doesn't feed in to them or agree with them, but he realizes how much they bother me and tried to help me to feel better. I love having such a wonderful husband.

2) I am grateful that my contractions that I was having earlier last week are down to a minimum again and I don't have to worry quite as much anymore. I can't believe that there are only 50 days until my due date (which no one expects me to make it to anyway). It still is kind of feeling surreal.

3) I am grateful that my kids slept in until 7 this morning. Caleb has been waking up at 5:30 or 6:00 lately, and usually waking Ty up with him, so it was really nice to be able to rest a little longer this morning, especially because I didn't sleep very well last night. They may drive me bonkers some day, but I love my kids so much.

Well, that's about all for now, I suppose. Hope you have a wonderful weekend:)

Day 10 & Attitude of Gratitude

SOMETHING YOU'RE SCARED OF

No pictures today because I'm in a rush to get this posted, but mice, bats and birds are big ones. However, my biggest fear would be the unknown.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

1) I am grateful for getting to hear Brettley's heartbeat twice this week and knowing that everything's going well with him. Heck, I'm just plain grateful for him, as I shouldn't have been able to have anymore kids and Heavenly Father has blessed me so much that I'm able to have him.

2) I am grateful that I get to go on a double date tomorrow night to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the IMAX. I've been looking forward to this movie for months and months now, and I'm so excited that it's finally here.

3) I am grateful that I have been able to keep the main floor of my house clean every day since I royally messed up my hip on Monday to get it super duper clean. It's such a nice feeling to go to bed each night knowing that I'll walk downstairs in the morning to a nice clean kitchen, dining room and living room.

Yeah, that's about it for today. It's been a busy one:)

Day 3 and Attitude of Gratitude

YOUR SIBLINGS AND PARENTS:

My dad, Henry (Matty), lives right here in Edmonton. He was a financial clerk for many years for the military. He retired from the military early in 2006 and now works as a civilian for the military in the health services dept (I think).

My brother, Kyle, lives in Calgary. He works for Indigo and is in the process of getting ready to move into more of a management position next year. He also attends school part time where he's working towards his Bachelor of Management (I think that's what it's called) and in spring 2009 he recieved his diploma in management studies from MacEwan. Kyle has been in a long term relationship with Danielle for over 5 years now, and we really love her. She is currently in her last year of Interior Design at Mount Royal and also has a management studies diploma from MacEwan from 2008.

My mum, Jo-Ann, lives in Wainwright. She was a supply tech in the military until 2001, when she retired to move back to Wainwright (and to Bob). She had a few jobs until she settled into the job as the main admin assistant in the Health Services dept on the military base as a civilian (the military must be a black hole, ha ha). My mum can do pretty much anything that's even remotely crafty and do it very well. I wish I had that skill:) Anyway, she live with my step-dad, Bob, who is the electrical shop foreman on base.

I also have a step-sister, Kirby, who is 6 months younger than me. She also lives in Wainwright and is working at a clothing store.

JOHN'S SIBLINGS AND PARENTS (I've shortened the town/city names to give them a bit of privacy)

John's parents live in M-town. Dad was the town adminstrator before I met him, but retired. He now serves on the town council. Mom was a registered nurse before she had John and now serves in the Family History Centre and volunteers at the school a lot as well. They love to travel.

John's oldest sister, Kathy, lives in PB. She is a reporter for a newspaper and loves travelling and especially taking her nieces and nephews to Disneyland.

Next is Debi, who lives in C-town. She works nights at 7-11. She and her husband, Delin, have 4 kids.

After John is Heather, who lives here in E-town. She stays at home and juggles taking her kids to school, dance and other classes. She and Mike have 6 kids.

Last is Amy, who lives next to Mom and Dad in M-town. She also stays at home and strives her best to be a wonderful homemaker (we think she does amazingly well). She and Ryan have 4 kids.


ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
1) I am SO grateful for 2 wonderful girls who both finished their Faith in God award requirements last night at Activity Days. They are amazing and have worked so hard to get these awards. C and A are the kind of girls that make me love my calling and look forward to going to our meetings. Last night was C's last meeting. A has 2 more left to go. I will miss them lots, but I know that they will have a blast in Young Women.

2) I am grateful to learn that there are things in this world that bother me more than mice. One of those things being second-hand smoke residue making my kids and I sick. It's always nice to be reminded that I have my priorities a little straighter than I thought I did.

3) I am grateful for wonderful men and women have died and risked death to give me the freedom that I enjoy today.

Hope you have a great Remembrance Day and observe the 2 minutes of silence.

Happy To Be Home

What a rough few days. The boys and I spent 2 nights at my dad's. The stay itself was relatively okay but because my dad is a smoker and there is smoke residue in everything it made both of the boys and I sick. Not so much fun.

The weekend was a lot better, though. We went down to Magrath. Caleb and Ty had a blast playing with their cousins. It was nice to get down for a visit, even if it was a super quick one just to get the baby clothes. Our next visit will be for a week, so that will give us lots more visiting time.

The mouse has apparently decided to leave on it's own because we haven't seen any sign of it at all since Thursday morning. I didn't much care, I was coming back home last night whether there was a mouse or not. I'd rather be scared than get the boys and I sick again.

Last night I went through 5 garbage bags worth of baby clothes. I will be Goodwilling 1.5-2 garbage bags worth since I don't think Brett will want fuzzy super warm winter clothes in July and August.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be back home and that I now get to buy some cute little baby shorts since we don't have any for the first 6 months. Hope you have a great week:)

Attitude of Gratitude

I'm having a hard time being grateful today, which means I probably need to do this more than usual.

1) I'm grateful to have my dad living close to us and always willing to help out when we need it. The boys and I are staying at his place while John wages war against the whole 1 mouse that decided to take up residence in our home. I don't think I've ever explained the mouse thing on the blog before. I have a very nasty irrational fear of mice. I don't call it a phobia because seeing pictures and movies doesn't bother me (unless it's an infestation or something), but if there's a mouse in my house, I hightail it elsewhere. The few hours I had to spend in my house with the mouse yesterday were full of being paranoid and super nauseous.

2) I'm grateful that I'll be able to go to Magrath tomorrow for a couple of nights. I miss our family down there so much. I wish it could be a longer visit, but it's just a quick one to pick up all of the baby clothes that we have stored in my in-law's garage attic. (On a side note, I have the best father-in-law that there is. He is amazing and I'm always really grateful for him.)

3) I'm grateful for the strength that Heavenly Father gives me to get through times that I'm sure I wouldn't be able to get through on my own. I have been so blessed since making the choice to follow the Lord, and I am so thankful that I was introduced to this wonderful better way of living life. I've lived without the gospel and with it, and I can honestly say that a life without the gospel is definately not a life worth living once you've tasted both.

Hope you all have a great weekend and keep your fingers crossed for us that our little rodent friend meets his death very soon.