January 2018

January began with the passing of the prophet, President Thomas S Monson. I loved hearing him talk and tell stories in his comforting grandfather voice. He was a shining example of humble service. He will be greatly missed. My boys were very sad. Caleb was only a toddler when President Hinckley passed away, so this is the first time he has gone through this, really. It was so comforting to know that the Lord already had a plan in place for who would next lead the church, under His direction. I could see in the past couple of years how President Nelson was being prepared to take up the task, and grew in my love for him and his devotion to doing the work of the Lord.

I started reading again this past month, which was a big deal. I had stopped reading when I got really sick last year, so it's nice to be enjoying something that has been a lifelong hobby for me. Brettley also hit a reading milestone and is officially reading grade 2 level books now. I suspect he'll get to grade 3 books before the end of the year. Caleb is now reading high school level books, and apparently asking college level questions in science class. Ty has grown to love reading so much this year, which is such a joy to see.

I began my calling in nursery and was surprised by how quickly I fell in love with it. I had been in nursery when we left Edmonton and it had never been a happy place for me there, but here I instantly felt connected to these young ones and love their sweet little spirits. They are truly a joy to be around.

I discovered bullet journaling this month. It's a system that was made for me, I'm sure. I love lists, calendars, being organized, office supplies, and this combines them all. I've been loving it!

I finally got around to making a large wall calendar project that I'd been wanting to make for the past several years. John was a big help with it.

I got to see C, L's mom, when we were out shopping one day, which was a wonderful experience.

I have started walking more, outside and doing steps inside when it's too cold or icy. I found this really cool thing where it tells you the distances between locations from Middle Earth (Tolkien's world), so I'm using that to set goals for myself.

Last weekend I attended our Stake Relief Society Conference, which was amazing. I attended 2 classes. The first was 'The Courage to be Imperfect' which referenced Elder Holland's October 2017 talk quite a bit. The second class I went to was 'Don't Look Around, Look Up' where we talked a lot about the need to look to the Lord instead of comparing ourselves to others. We all got to listen to Dr Wayne Burton talk as well as play and sing for us. There was a wonderful luncheon afterward. I'm so glad I got to have that uplifting experience.

Yesterday was Bell Let's Talk, which I actively participated in to help fundraise, but also to bring awareness about the need that still exists for more education for the general public, more research and better access to supports. Obviously, this is something that is very near and dear to my heart. Caleb had a psychiatrist appointment yesterday and he gets to come off of his last medication. It was a very happy victory to see him have come this far from where we were even 2 years ago. He is such a brave little fighter.

(Very Late) 2017 Q&A

What can I say? I'm a few weeks behind, ha ha.

1) What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?
Made a move across the province based totally on faith, joined a school council, see Queen + Adam Lambert in concert, canning vegetables.

2) Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year?
To play more games with my kids, yes. To be healthier, not so much.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4) Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my brother-in-law

5) What countries did you visit?
As usual, we didn't even leave our province.

6) What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
Better anxiety management.

7) What dates from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 7th, for sure, the night that my brother-in-law's mortal journey came to a quick and unexpected end. Also, June 16th because it was the day we finally moved to Magrath. July 4th, for the concert, as well.

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly, getting through it was my biggest achievement. I was battling some extremely big trials.

9) What was your biggest failure?
I don't know that I'd call anything a failure, they were all learning experiences. (exactly what I said last year, but it still holds)

10) Did you or someone close suffer illness or injury?
Brettley's ear was sliced open really bad in November.

11) What was the best thing you bought?
The concert tickets!

12) Where did most of your money go?
A lot went toward moving, and we had to put quite a bit in to our van as well.

13) What song will always remind you of 2017?
Believer by Imagine Dragons

14) Compared the this time last year are you more happy or more sad?
I think (?) I'm happier. I was struggling a lot with anxiety at this time last year. I'm getting a good handle on my life the past couple of weeks and I feel positive about the future, so I'm definitely improving.

15) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Learning how to manage my anxiety better. That is probably my biggest goal for this year.

16) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being depressed (?). Not a lot I could do about it, but I wish I hadn't needed to go through it.

17) How did you spend Christmas?
We did Christmas morning in our house (our nephew was here as well). Then we hosted a movie day in our garage for our most of our nieces and nephews, had supper with everyone (lasagna, garlic bread and Caesar salad) and then played Dungeons and Dragons with several of our nieces and nephews.

18) What was your favourite TV program?
Gilmore Girls (rewatching the series for the 5th time right now) and I got in to watching The Good Doctor.

19) What were your favourite books of the year?
All of the James L Ferrell books I read. They were all amazing.

20) What were your favourite treats/food in 2017?
Miss Vickie's Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Chips (as always), SASH pizza and bacon.

21) What were your favourite movies of the year?
Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them. And Moana.

22) What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 33. My dad was here that week, my brother came for a visit and I had very bad brain fog adjusting to a new dosage of my meds. Oh, I also had a few appointments that day.

23) What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?
Not struggling with severe anxiety and depression.

24) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?
If it fits and it's comfy then we're good, ha ha. (same as last year)

25) What kept you sane?
John, my niece (Charli), Aunt Christine, Alicia, Gilmore Girls and Dr Pepper

26) What was a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017?
Trusting in Heavenly Father and acting upon that trust, even when you can't see how things can possibly work out, will result in blessings that you can't even imagine at the time.
Also, don't try to fight your battles alone. Ask for help when you need it!

Finally, that severe depressive cycles won't last forever. YAY!

November 2017, Part 1

We have had cold after cold pass through our house the past few weeks. I guess that's the hazard of having the kids back in public school. I think John's the only one who really hasn't been hit by it.

Brettley asked one day if I could make him play dough. I got more creative than usual and made him chocolate play dough. He loves it!

We got the kids' school photos back and they look awesome!




Our November 7 started and ended very sadly. In the morning, our former family pet (Rogue the hamster) passed away. Later that night, we were awoken by the kind of phone call that you never want to get. Our brother-in-law in Edmonton had been in a fatal car accident. He was up north by Grande Prairie for work and his vehicle hit a moose. We were in the same ward as them for over 11 years and it has been a heartbreaking couple of weeks. How blessed we have all been to have the knowledge that we are an eternal family. We have been asking our family and friends to please keep John's sister and six kids in their prayers at this time as they move forward from this. I shared some thoughts about Mike on Facebook that I'd like to put up here as well:

"I have had thoughts swim through my head over the past few days that I would really like to share about my brother-in-law. I first met Mike before John and I were even a couple. Mike had come to Grande Prairie to visit John for August long weekend. In the years after he always liked to tease me that he had known before John and I did that we would end up married.

Mike loved his family, his Heavenly Father and his Saviour above all else. He prioritized making memories with his wife and children. He was one of the most selfless people I've ever met. He was always willing to help anyone in need and served whole-heartedly and quietly in his callings. I remember seeing him carry a whole auxiliary on his shoulders without a single complaint. Mike was a shining example of self-reliance and humility.

Mike was and is family that I love and respect very much. He will be an asset to the spirit world in teaching souls there about the fullness of the gospel that he loved so dearly. I am so incredibly grateful at this time for the knowledge that the family is meant to be an eternal unit and to know that through temple marriages our family will remain family with Mike for eternity. We love Mike and pray for his work in the gospel to continue to be amazing on the other side of the veil."

So many things have been put in to perspective for us this month about what's truly important in life. The things I'm learning are:
1) Take more photos as a family and of our candid moments
2) Take videos of each other that include our voices
3) Focus more on making memories together as a family
4) Work on being more selfless and humble
5) Give your very best to each calling you hold
6) Love everyone in spite of and because of the differences between you
7) Learn to let the little things go
8) Keep in touch with friends and extended family better
Among others...

My Latest Project is in Progress

A lot of people who know me well know that Tyrell has been asking me to homeschool him since Kindergarten. That was a rough year for us. His teacher (for 8 of the 10 months) was NOT someone I respected and we had a few situations that made me extremely angry with her. We nearly pulled him halfway through the year after one particular incident. Ty loved doing school in the afternoons at home for a while. He never forgot how much he loved it and would regularly bring up wanting to do 'Mommy School' instead of going to school. Since Caleb has started schooling at home, Ty has become more insistent (understandably, since Caleb ended up getting something that Ty has been asking for the past couple of years). He has ended up in tears about it a few times. So John and I went back to praying. Clearly, I am capable of planning a comprehensive curriculum and following through on it. When life happens and we get off track, we get right back on track and don't end up behind. We weren't sure if I could do this, but we trusted the answer that we got about Caleb, and it turned out to be incredibly accurate. Caleb is thriving! His emotions have become significantly more stable. I am becoming more patient with each day, which is something I've struggled with my whole life.

Well, we got another answer. Come fall, all 3 of our boys will be home educated. We are fortunate that Brettley's birthday is just within the cutoff date, and we are able to register him for grade 1 to receive funding for him, which is awesome! So I have been busy planning curriculum for Tyrell and Brettley, as well as our plans to keep learning over the summer. It was obvious that schooling in my room in the fall wouldn't be an option anymore, which we had been doing for the past couple of weeks. So we made a trip to IKEA, Staples and Walmart and began my latest project, which is making a dedicated learning space in half of our living room. We still need to grab another desk tomorrow, but so far we have 2 desks, white boards for each of them above their desk (I write their daily plans on them), organizers for workbooks and an open storage bin system for their different learning items (such as geometry set pieces, math manipulatives, Boogie Boards, stickers, etc).

It's not quite ready yet, but when it's done, I will post pictures of the space on here. It also includes their bookshelf, which was already there and 2 other 'shelf' units, which are for media as well as school storage. We are very much looking forward to this next adventure in our lives. The staff at the school, while expressing how much they miss Caleb and will miss Tyrell, have been incredibly supportive and respectful of our decisions, which I am very grateful for. We are truly being blessed so much as we seek for Heavenly Father's guidance in the lives of our children and follow the answers that we have been given.

Spiritual Thought for April

This past weekend I was blessed to be able to watch almost all of the 5 sessions of General Conference. John and Caleb were watching the priesthood session at home, so I caught a lot of it. I love General Conference weekend. Not just because I can stay in my PJs the whole time if I want (although it is an added bonus), but because it's just so spiritually uplifting.

This one in particular had so many amazing talks that I felt were so relevant to us. For the first time ever, I didn't take notes. I wanted to be able to focus on what they were saying so that I didn't miss anything while writing. I plan to go back over the talks and study them and make notes then.

What stuck out to me the most was how much family and the importance of it was talked about in this particular conference. It's always a big topic, but maybe I just noticed it more than usual this time or something, I don't know. It reminded me that family is very much meant to be looked at with an eternal perspective. I feel more motivated to keep helping my children learn what they need to know so that they can build their own unshakable testimonies.

One of my favourite moments from the weekend, though, was when Caleb found out that people like him can actually attend General Conference in person. He and John set a goal to go together and attend the Priesthood Session once Caleb turns 12. I love seeing his love for the gospel!

I love General Conference and am looking forward to the next one in October :)

PS
Our monthly update is in the post below this, as I just put it up right before writing this.

The Atonement

I know, I missed last week. I'll post about why in a few weeks, I hope.

Anywho, I'd rather post the thing I missed, which is my spiritual thought for the month, rather than pictures of what I've been making over the past month, so here goes.

Here in Edmonton, we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been doing a media blitz over the past couple of months. This month's "thing" was to post a picture that shows what The Book of Mormon has taught you. Here's mine:

I wrote about this to my nephew this week, who is currently serving a mission. Too often, I think we forget that the Atonement covers so much more than just sin. The peace and comfort it can give you during your trials is nothing short of miraculous. I could not have gone through several things I've been through in my life without the comforting power of the Atonement. Even when I feel my most alone, I am NEVER truly alone, and how amazing is that?

Personal Progress

So my (short) spiritual thought for this month...I've been thinking a lot about Personal Progress lately. What an amazing program available to the Young Women. I have finished it 3 times within the past 3.5 years (also finished the Honor Bee in there once) and have started it for a fourth time. It is such a HUGE testimony builder for me. I have also had the privilege of helping 3 girls finish the program very early on (2 to 2.5 years). I am absolutely certain that this program was inspired by Heavenly Father and would highly encourage any woman at any stage in her life to do it (or do it over again). I LOVE it!

Sorry this isn't longer. It's Brettley's birthday so I'm busy cooking and baking today, plus we have our annual suite inspection today and I'm also getting all of my last minute stuff done for my trip to Calgary since I'm leaving at 6 tomorrow morning.

L and What She Means to Me

I'm 2 days late. It's been a really off week in our house. I think the kids got spring fever early this year, no one has been sleeping properly and I was about ready to pull my hair out (so I just cut most of it off instead, ha ha).

So for the 4th Thursday of each month, it will be about something that's been going through my mind recently. I call it the Musings & Soapbox Moments week.

This month I decided to talk about how L is really the best thing that's ever happened to me. So just in case you've been living under a rock or are new to my blog, here's who L is. Just over 11 years ago I found out that I was pregnant. I was not married at the time. Nor was I a member of my church at the time, that happened about 2/3 of the way through my pregnancy. When L was born, I placed her with the people who were meant to be her family. At the time, it was her mom, her dad and her older brother. She now has 2 younger brothers as well. L is the only girl I've given birth to and she holds a very special place in my heart. It's probably a good thing that my husband and I have all boys, it makes her that much more special.

So I realized that it may sound odd to say that she's the best thing that ever happened to me, above my conversion and baptism, my marriage, and my sons. But here's why. I would have had NONE of those things if I hadn't been pregnant with L. It is because I was pregnant with her, that my heart was softened and I was ready to gain a testimony and join the church. Because of joining the church, that is how I met my husband and was able to be blessed with our boys.

I remember a quote from somewhere about Heavenly Father permitting hard/bad things to happen to us because He can see how much good will come out of them. Being pregnant with L was hard. Going through the emotional stress of the pregnancy was super hard. Making the decision to place her was beyond hard. Yet every good thing that I have in my life, I have because I was blessed enough to carry that girl for 9 months and help to bring her into this world. It's why I have always had the peace that I do about making the decision to place her. Because she gave me everything that she was meant to give me, but she was never meant to be mine. But I will be eternally grateful for her, because of all of the amazing things I have in my life that she helped to prepare me for.

There is so much beauty in adoption, and I'm so grateful for everything that my small part in it has given to me.

Spiritual Thought

So for my second Thursday of each month, I decided to devote it to something spiritual that's currently on my mind. This month my new thing is doing the Book of Mormon 365 (by LDS Living) on Instagram.

Each day it tells you how far to read that day (starting at 1 Nephi 1:1 on the first day) and gives you a question to ponder as you read it. I am finding this to be completely invaluable! For so long I've been able to read regularly (when I'm focusing on it), but have a hard time actually getting something out of it. It's been a struggle for me the whole time since I've joined the church. Having the section set out for me with a specific thing to ponder as I read it has helped me get more out of reading the scriptures these past 8 days that I did in all of last year, I'm sure. I would highly recommend it to anyone and I'm really grateful that a friend of mine recommended it on her Instagram. It's amazing to finally have a way to study the scriptures with a purpose!

If you're interested, here are some links:

Instagram

http://instagram.com/bofm365

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/bofm365

Twitter

https://twitter.com/bofm365

Check it out!

I'm Still Here :)

So I kind of, sort of missed last week's post. Oops! The kids were about to start a 5 day weekend and I was on Friday brain all of last Thursday. Today I'm still sort of on Tuesday brain, but it'll be okay by next week. And here we go :)

1) I am grateful for my MyFitnessPal app. Using it, I have lost 9.2 lbs so far :D It's one of a few tools that I'm using to help stay focused, but it's incredibly useful and it would be a lot harder without it. Okay, so maybe I'm grateful for all of the tools that I'm using, ha ha.

2) I am grateful for the power of prayer. It helped us get through something that could have been potentially extremely stressful this past week. Instead, we were patient for a few days as we prayed and the situation was resolved.

3) I am grateful for the snow. While other people have been complaining about the snow and the cold, I'm actually really happy. It means that for the next several months I won't have my kids bringing buckets worth of sand home in their boots. Plus, Brettley loves it, and it's so much fun to see the look of pure joy on his face when he talks about it.

So Many Blessings

Last week was kind of a huge week for me in a lot of ways. I received a lot of tender mercies from the Lord. John was home with me every day except for Thursday. Instead, my dad was with me that day to take care of my kids for me. My dad also stayed with the kids both times John and I had to go to the ER. At the beginning of the week I had no clue what was even wrong with me. I was in so much pain and had no clue how I'd injured myself. It turns out, I didn't. Thanks to someone leaving a comment on my blog, I realized that I actually had an abscess. I went in to the ER days sooner than I would have if it hadn't been suggested to me. I had amazing people helping me while I was in the ER. On Thursday evening, as our bishop sat in our living room for a visit, he was inspired then and there to give me a new calling. I will be honest, I cried tears of happiness and relief. Within a minute of him extended the calling to me, I physically felt myself coming back to life. It was that pronounced. John saw it in me too. I got the opportunity to watch almost all of the 4 gold medal games I'd wanted to watch (I missed the last few ends of men's curling when I was back in the ER on Friday for my follow up). I also got to watch the amazing hockey game when our Canadian boys beat the US on Friday with one of my friends. On Friday I was very nervous about them taking the packing out of my wound and if they'd need to repack it. I had heard it can all be extremely painful. I was so grateful that I only had a moment of pain while the packing was taken out and was grateful again when the doctor told me it was small enough and healing well enough that it didn't need to be packed again. What a huge blessing! And yesterday I started the day with Caleb. We woke up at 4:30 am to watch the men's hockey team win gold. What an amazing memory it is for me to have shared that with him. I will remember it for years to come. And then in the afternoon, during ward conference, I was sustained as the Mia Maids adviser. I had all of those girls in activity days as well as when I was serving over Beehives. I have served one of the girls in Mia Maids in 6 different callings in the (not quite) 8 years I've been in this ward. I am so grateful for all of the good things that happened to me during the past week, and also that I was willing to see and focus on them rather than just the negative things that were occurring. My testimony grew leaps and bounds during the week. I truly am blessed!

Nikki's Personal Progress 2.0

Last week I sat down and thought to myself "when was the last time I felt happy on a regular basis?". I tend to struggle to be happy this time every year. As winter starts to come upon us, I feel miserable more than any other time of the year. As I went through past October blog posts, I realized there was one year where I wasn't struggling in October. It was the year that I was working on my Personal Progress. I was so focused on growing in my testimony and relearning things about Heavenly Father that the lack of sunlight and loss of warm weather didn't really seem to affect me. So last week I decided that the time has come to start working on Personal Progress again. I got a new book from our ward's Young Woman president, who sounded really excited that I wanted to work on it again so soon after completing it (May 2012). That means it's only been about 17 months, and even less since I finished earning my Honor Bee. But I am recognizing the importance of the program and the good that I know it can do in my life.

I started working on it on Friday. I will be working on 1 value experience, 1 value project and the Virtue value project at pretty much any given time. I will focus on 1 value at a time, instead of jumping all over the place. I decided to start at the beginning with Faith. Already, I feel so much love for this program and I feel so much more peace in my heart. I am very much looking forward to learning, relearning and growing closer to my Heavenly Father.

Most Productive Dessert Date Ever

This is an extremely heavy post that I'm doing solely for my own benefit. I had a friend ask me out for dessert on Wednesday. She knew something was wrong with me (cause she's amazing) and called me out on it. I broke down and a whole lot came out about what I've been struggling with. One of those things was a man who 20 years ago broke my self esteem and it hasn't been repaired since. My friend was the first person in the whole 20 years to look my straight in the eyes and say "He was wrong, Nikki. He was wrong." I don't want to go into a lot of details about what happened because there are other people involved in the story that I don't want to talk about in this situation, but I've been carrying an obscene amount of baggage because of this man and it felt so good to FINALLY have someone tell me straight up that he was wrong.

She also said something that I've kind of replayed in my head a lot since. We were talking about how I don't know how to see good in myself and how I can only see my flaws due to my self esteem issues. She said "I wish that you could see yourself the way I see you" and went on to tell me some of the things she really appreciates about me that I don't recognize in myself.

When she asked me out for dessert, I don't think she knew that I was going to start deeply searching and trying to change a huge thing in my life after. I think we just missed hanging out with each other (cause she's the Harry to my Ron). I also know that there's no way she could have known when she asked "How are you doing, really?" just how much was going to come out. It's amazing, though, how much difference one person with a kind a sincere heart can make. I've been grateful for a while now that Heavenly Father brought her into my life, but now that gratitude is beyond words. I am so thankful that He has blessed me with her friendship at this time and has given me a friend who realizes just how much I need someone to help me feel like I'm of worth.

I guess the point I wanted to make, other than having these important things recorded for me to go back to, was to never underestimate what you could end up meaning to someone else just by caring about them.

I'll Pretend You Didn't Just Say That

Brettley had an appointment with his opthalmologist this morning. We had assumed we'd be getting a date for his second surgery. Instead we're getting sent for an MRI. When John texted that to me, my body just kind of froze and I wanted to pretend that I hadn't just read that. In the back of my mind I've known for a long time that at some point we were going to have to have one. He's 8 months behind in a lot of developmental areas and his eyes reverted back a lot more after the surgery than the doctor had expected. Therefore, we need to know if there's an underlying factor behind all of this, which his pediatrician considered earlier in the year as well. I'm terrified. About what this could mean for Brett, and for all of us as a family. It's been a pretty stressful day and I'm really grateful that I will have a chance to go to the temple tomorrow evening with the youth and find the peace that comes when I'm in the temple. I can't imagine handling any of this without the gospel in my life. I'm so grateful for it.

The Big '8'

8 is kind of a big deal in our church, as that's the age when you  can get baptized. Well for me, today is 8 years SINCE I was baptized. It's very seldom that it feels like it's only been 8 years. Prep work for camp is the only time I really feel it because I don't know how anything works for camp. Most of the time it feels like ages and ages since I became a member of this church and made promises to Heavenly Father. So 8 years ago today, I made the best decision of my life. I can say best because every other good thing that's happened since then has happened BECAUSE of that decision. I love this church, I love my Heavenly Father, I love my Savior and I am incredibly grateful for the 2 men who taught me about it all.

Listening To The Spirit

It still amazes me every time someone is very attentive to the Spirit, and probably without even knowing that they're doing it. In the past week I've had 3 friends that said things that I really needed to hear at that time. At a time when I've felt worthless, these friends have made me feel cared about and important. These past few weeks have been a big struggle for me, but it's things like this that help me get through the tough times.

Last night, one of my Beehives posted a status about me. I'd put together some binders for our Beehive presidency and she must have really liked them because they earned their own status complete with capital letters, smiley faces and a plethora of exclamation points. Right before I checked facebook, I'd been crying to John about something that I was really struggling with. So the first thing I noticed when I went on was this wonderful status letting me know that I was appreciated for all of her facebook friends to see. It made my evening so much better and was exactly what I needed at that moment.

I have some pretty awesome people in my life, and I am ever so grateful for them.

Super Late AoG

Since I didn't do the Attitude of Gratitude day when I normally would have, I'll fit it in now. In case you couldn't tell by my last post, I've been struggling with my disorder again lately. Between Caleb's behavior, lingering grief after the funeral and weather that's as bipolar as I am, it hasn't been the easiest few weeks. I'm just trying to take things 1 day at a time, sometimes even 1 hour at a time.

Anyway, here goes:

1) I am so incredibly grateful for the calling I have working with the Young Women and the strength it is in my life. It has been my lifeline these past few weeks. I have LOVED getting to know the young women in my ward better and seeing just how amazing they really are. I love the energy they have and how it gives me extra boosts. I am grateful for the little things, like one of the young women going out of her way yesterday to give me a high five as I received my last personal progress ribbon for my bookmark.

2) I am grateful for my wonderful husband who is so good to me and tries so hard to be as supportive as possible when I'm struggling. I am so lucky to be his eternal companion.

3) I am grateful for prayer and how powerful it can be. I am so thankful that I have a way to communicate to Heavenly Father how I'm feeling and to feel like I'm actually having a conversation. I love the peace that it brings me and I'm so eternally grateful to have a Heavenly Father who knows me as an individual and loves me so much.

Freezer Meals, Easter, Teaser and Attitude of Gratitude

I've been working really hard on my April freezer meals these past few days. I have 24 meals made already with 4 left to make today. For the most part, they've been pretty easy to make, although I've already decided that I won't be doing this again until I have a bigger freezer because I'm really pushing it. I also discovered that trying to transfer soup into freezer bags by yourself is really frustrating.

We started our Easter Advent yesterday. I have daily readings that I'm doing and then yesterday I did the Easter Story using the plastic eggs with the kids. I hope you know what I'm talking about, but they seem to be pretty popular. Today we are reading a picture story about the first Easter that was in the Friend magazine at one point.

I have more fun news that I REALLY want to share, but won't be able to for a few more weeks, so stay tuned. And no, it is NOT baby related.

Last, since I'm actually thinking about it today, it's going to be Attitude of Gratitude Day for March 2012.

1) I am SO SO SO grateful for the time that I had with my father-in-law. I'm grateful for such a wonderful man in my life and I'm grateful that I listened to the spirit and decided to go down to say good bye when we did because waiting a few more days would have made it too late. I love him so much, I miss him lots and I'm forever grateful that I can see him again someday.

2) I am grateful that there are so many supports in place that we can get so much help with Brettley through his delays. I'm grateful that I live in the time that I do that so many different options, so much technology and support are available.

3) I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to go to the temple this month and to do work for my great-grandmother. I love the peace that I feel at the temple and I love that I have one so close to me. I'm looking forward to our next temple trip, I already have the date set.

Where I've Been

I've been missing in action, I know. In my defense, I wasn't home for most of it. If you follow my blog regularly you'll know that my father-in-law was battling pancreatic cancer. He went into the hospital on February 29th and we knew he wasn't coming back out, so my step-dad picked up our boys on the Thursday and first thing on Friday John and I travelled to southern AB. On the evening of Monday, March 5 my father-in-law passed away. We miss him a lot, but are very grateful that his suffering didn't last very long at all and are so thankful for the knowledge that we will be with him again. So that's basically all that's been going on with us. Funeral prep and what not. We are back to reality and our routine today.

Weight, Personal Progress and Calling

You might notice that I now have a Lose It button up top. I'll be posting in there at least once a week with my progress. Also, I changed my ticker today because I couldn't resist after accomplishing my goal weight for 2011 that I made when I started everything in October.

So I realized that I haven't updated on my Personal Progress in a while. I have accomplished 18 goals and 1 value project and passed off my Virtue value. I am currently working on 2 goals and 2 projects. I have lots more fun goals and projects to look forward to in 2012, including doing temple work at least once per month.

I also got a new calling this past Sunday. I am now the ward bulletin editor and website administrator. It is almost all done at home, which will be very good for me right now. There's also a side project with the calling that I'm still working out in my head and with the bishopric, so more news to come on that one in the new year.

Well, off I go. Caleb is home from school today because he and Ty spent yesterday evening puking. On the plus side, I was able to deal with it, which is a HUGE step for me.