Check out the tongue on this beast! One of our last days in NC we went on a safari. It was so incredible! We rode on a wagon while all sorts of animals approached and we got to feed them. It was such a neat experience for the kids. Who knew that someone in NC would decide that it was a perfect place for a safari?
We were lucky and got to see Peter Breinholt while were visiting. Michelle orchestrated the whole thing. It was funny, when Michelle originally asked if we wanted to go, I couldn't for the life of me figure out who he was. I recognized his name but that was it (I blame my meds :)). Anyway, as soon as the concert started I felt like I was 19 and back at BYU. I instantly recognized the music. We somehow scored front row seats. It was really cool for Spencer to see the guy playing the fiddle. I bought two CD's after the show and we listen to them constantly. Every time we get in the car Ella asks to hear "her" song (You Wear Flowers), Spencer's favorite song is "What About." It was a fun night.
It seriously has taken me WAY too long to post these pics. I love this one of the kids. Ella was chasing the two boys threatening to lick both of them. I love that as she catches Michael and licks him, he also has his tongue out.
Our first day in NC we went outlet shopping which we adults loved, but the kids hated. We had promised them that the next day would be about them. The first activity they wanted to do was play tennis. 
I think most of the frustration stemmed from the fact that they couldn't play as well as they did in their mind. Braxten was the only one who stayed happy most of the time -
I did get one smiling picture -
Isn't she sweet! Maddi is so fun to take pictures of because she actually looks at the camera and smiles!
Luckily, Aunt Michelle saved the day by bringing bread so we could all go feed the ducks. The kids LOVED doing this and ate a lot of the bread themselves - so hunger probably played a part in the earlier grouchiness:
That night we took the kids to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny. Ella took one look at the bunny and decided she wanted no part of it (can't say that I blame her!). Here's a pic with everyone else:
The kids and I spent Spring Break this year at Scott and Michelle's house in North Carolina (Lance's brother). If you are ever lucky enough to get an invitation there definitely make sure you go - or do what I did and invite yourself! My MIL was also visiting at the time so it was nice for the kids (and me!) to get a chance to see her this year. Lance had to work so I made the trip solo. My kids have reached the age where traveling in the car is actually almost enjoyable. They were so excited to see their cousins. When we got home Spencer told Lance to start looking for jobs in NC because he needs to live next to Michael.
Anyway . . . the next couple of posts are going to highlight some fun stuff we did while we were there.
A couple of weeks ago I went on a fabulous date around the world all in one night!
I had noticed that Spencer really needed some time alone with me so I set up a date night with him. He was completely mortified that I kept calling it a date so of course I had to loudly say it often. I am such a good mom. We started the evening by going out to dinner together. The restaurant we wanted to go to was closed because of a power outage so we drove around until we found another. We went to a wonderful little Italian place. Spencer completely floored me by ordering spaghetti and meatballs instead of pizza. It was so much fun to sit and spend time with just him. I love his quirky sense of humor and observations.
After dinner we went to the Stake YW/YM Multicultural Night. Each ward was responsible for one country. They have a competition to see who can do the best job. They put together displays on the country, games kids could play on the spot, food, and at the end of the night had to do a skit representing the country. It was months and months of work but it was well worth it. Spencer and I had a blast!
Here are some pics from the night. Spencer is standing in front of part of the Thailand exhibit. The rest are of the YW and YM from my ward.
Elder Ballard must read my blog (just kidding)! He quoted the quote from Anna Quindlen that is on my sidebar. I really liked his remarks. Not sure if I'm in the "young mother" category since I've hit my 30's but this definitely was one of my favorite talks this conference.
So this post will be all about ME. Not much to update in the way of the kids. Spencer is full on into the baseball season - why do I always forget how busy this makes us? Ella is still into the word "poop." And last, but not least, Lance is busy with work and getting ready to go to San Francisco. Now onto me . . .
(warning - this is an insanely long boring post about my health issues the last week- you may not want to read.)
I saw my OB/GYN on Thursday. She resolved all my issues about starting the Nuvaring. It's a risk for me to use because of my migraines but I really need to get the endometriosis under control. After talking to her, she sent me immediately down 8 floors to see my internal medicine doctor and get a shot of Dilaudid. I've been putting it off but she said I had to get my pain under control because the pain was causing my blood pressure to increase. My OB/GYN doc said my pain has gotten so much worse because the endometriosis has probably infiltrated my nerve endings. My doctors consulted with each other, while I lay on the table in immense pain, and decided I need the surgery soon. I'm dreading it. The surgery I will have will be open instead of laparoscopic because they need to be able to pick up my liver and remove the endometriosis under it. So it will mean a much longer recovery time. I am trying my hardest to get it scheduled soon so the kids will both still be in school while I recover.
In the meantime, my doctors have started me on a low dose of Elavil that is supposed to help control the chronic pain and prevent migraines. Sounds great, huh? They forgot to mention that it turns you into a walking zombie. I have never slept this much in my life. I'm told this side effect will wear off but some people say it never does. In addition to this, it's another pill that should put 20 lbs on me in the first month or so of taking it. I'm really really trying to put things in perspective and realize that it is much better for my kids and husband to have me up and functioning than for me to be thin and in pain. I need to tape that somewhere so I can read it frequently.
I'm off to bed now so I can tackle another week of soccer, baseball, scouts, work, YW, etc. Wish me luck :)
Nate Lawrenson (from Confessions of a CF Husband) turned 27 today. This afternoon they got a call about new lungs for Tricia!! She is in surgery right now and will be until 2 or 3 this morning. What an amazing blessing. Please pray for Tricia, her family, and the family who lost somebody today!!!!!
I almost hesitate to post about some of the books I've read because I am afraid I will lose all credibility when recommending books. I'm sure you know what books I'm talking about - fluff. The kind of book you read when you really don't want to have to think about anything at all. When I'm in the right mood, I love fluff books. I'm actually a really temperamental reader. I always have 15-20 books checked out from the library because I never know what I'm going to be in the mood to read. I usually read several books at the same time. Lance laughs when he sees what I come home from the library with. This latest excursion I got 5 regular fiction books, 2 nonfiction crime books, 1 memoir, 4 Christian fiction books, 2 medical books, 1 vampire book, and 2 semi romance novels (they aren't really romance novels, it's just what I've been calling them to bug Lance, romance novels are a little too risque for my taste, these are good clean love stories :) Maybe I have reading ADD - is there such a thing? (J/K) Onto the reviews . . .
s#14, 15, 16 - The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. These books are pure fun. I couldn't put them down. My friend Irene said it best, "They are like candy." The books are set in the Pacific Northwest and follow a lonely teenage girl named Bella who falls in love with a vampire. Never in a million years did I think I would read a vampire novel. Just not my cup of tea. But these books definitely transcend that genre. My MIL recommended them to me. I was a little apprehensive but once I started reading I couldn't stop. I love it when I get so caught up in a book that I don't want to do anything else. Another great thing about these books is that they are completely clean. I love it when an author is able to tell a great story without using foul language or sex. Anyway, get ahold of these books if you can - they are wonderful fun.
#18 - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - Another great book. I have had a lot of luck recently reading books I have thoroughly enjoyed. If you liked Memoirs of a Geisha, you would probably really like this book also - it reminded me a lot of it. The book is set in 19th century China and follows the lives of two friends who grew up together. They stay in contact through their writings on a fan that they exchange. The writing is in a secret code that only certain women have learned to read. I found it fascinating to read about the lives of Chinese women in that time period.
#19 - Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife by Irene Spencer. This memoir was fascinating. I have never read anything about polygamy so when I saw this in the new biography section, it caught my interest. Irene Spencer was a fourth generation polygamist. She fell in love with somebody else before she was married and almost eloped with him but felt too strongly about polygamy to abandon it. She was married in the 1950's and was the second wife to a man who eventually went on to have 8 or 9 wives. They lived in Mexico in abject poverty with no running water, electricity, or indoor plumbing, she even had dirt floors most of the time. Irene is a feisty vivacious woman who I could relate to while reading the book (except for the polygamy part and watching like 25 kids at a time). She stayed with her husband until he died. She ended up turning away from polygamy but I felt (with my limited knowledge about polygamy) that she gave a fair account and not just a bitter one. I liked this book so much I read it all in one sitting.
#20 - The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Fowler - I did not like this book. I got halfway through it and then realized that I really didn't care about any of the characters or what was going to happen so I stopped reading it. That's pretty rare for me. The premise is approx. 6 people start a book club that reads only Jane Austen books. As they discuss each book the author tells the backstory of one of the characters. You come to realize that each character represents the modern day version of one of Jane Austen's books. In premise, I think it's great, but I found the stories too contrived and boring. I just didn't care. To be fair, I'm not a big fan of change. So someone interpreting what the modern day version of one of these classics would look like, just doesn't do it for me (although I did love Clueless). I was really disappointed as I have heard so much hype about this book. You might still want to read it, it seems everyone loves it but me.
#21 - "Are You There Alone?" The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates by Suzanne O'Malley. So I've been addicted to Law and Order lately - all three versions. Seems I cannot get enough crime TV. I have Paxil to thank for that. The antidepressant that I take for chronic pain makes me numb to horrific scenarios. Anyway, Rusty Yates' new wife just gave birth to a child so he is back in the news. I always wondered about this case and how something so horrendous could happen. What I found interesting about this book is that she gives the timeline leading up to the deaths of the children. I didn't know that Andrea had been in and out of mental institutions trying to get help. I didn't know that her last hospitalization for 14 days right before the murders, the doctor only saw her twice and refused to prescribe the antipsychotic that had worked for her in the past. This book left me feeling very sad and frustrated. There were so many opportunities to help this woman, if just one thing had been done differently you cannot help but to wonder if those poor babies would be alive today. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone with young children [unless you happen to also be numb to the world from antidpressants like me :) ].
