Hysterectomy time

Last Wednesday was the day.  My hysterectomy was scheduled for the 16th but got postponed until the 21st.  It was frustrating to have to reschedule everything from my recovery time to someone else to play the piano for the Christmas program, kid scheduled doctor appointments, and even how many weeks Janine was doing daycare in a row so I could recover. We got it all squared away though and went in 6am to get me taken care of.  

I've been chronically anemic for years.  The first time they tested for it and confirmed was while I was pregnant with Ada about 16 years ago.  They finally figured out that I probably had Adenomyosis.  My sweet Uncle Marty, who is a retired OBGYN, took a look at my ultrasound and doctor's notes and explained everything and told me my options.  Basically, it was like I had two linings on my uterus, so I bled a lot.  After my surgery they told Jer that I had a few fibroids too.  Once I'd woken up and taken a walk around the floor the doctor popped his head in and I asked about the fibroids.  He said I had lots of small ones.... then he showed me the shape of a tennis ball with his hand.  Those also cause bleeding and neither of the two conditions can be diagnosed with an ultrasound.... so I'm glad I had the hysterectomy done.  I've been recovering well.  The worst part is the pressure on all your organs of the gas that they pump into your abdominal cavity so that they can do it laparoscopically. Because I was fasting, the nurses had a hard job to find my veins too.  I had 3 nurses trying to get them.... I have 10 places they stuck me.  I've never had that problem before so that was new.

Because we were having a quiet and daycare free Christmas, Jer borrowed his Dad's big train.  Seth LOVES it.  They put it up, Seth cleans the tracks and the kids all build tunnels and fun things for the train to go through.

 

Almost there

Ada and her friend, Juliette went on a group date to Juliette's school.  Ada learned that she can have fun even if she doesn't know anyone there and I learned that dating in today's society is really messed up.

Evelyn and Seth have decided to take over the vents in the front room.  They each take one and read....

My old roommate, Kember, was in town.  I loved seeing her.  She's so sweet and it's fun to see her being the cute momma now.

Lala got restuffed this weekend as part of face repairs that I had to make. Seth helped me do it and had a great time.  We overstuffed the thing so that when it goes flat it's a little less flat.

 

Getting ready

The last day of school before Christmas break was Seth and Evelyn's STEAM day.  Evelyn had a fever and her partner has brain cancer, so we decided to keep her home.  Seth built a catapult and they tested them in the halls. 

We had some good snow storms and they've been beautiful.

The kids did their piano recitals.  They all played so beautifully!  Ada has a beautiful musicality to her music, Sam is starting to work on some new skills, Evelyn identifies with her music and Seth is so proud when he memorizes.  None of the kids had to start over or forget their songs.  They all played so well.  Seth got shy at the last minute.  His was a possible duet and both his teacher and I offered to play with him, but he grabbed Sam and asked his brother for help.  Sam was very willing to. He even sang the words to help them both keep the same timing.  My favorite moment was when the two of them hugging did a bow together.

On Jer's birthday, the kids didn't want to just give him his present.... so while he was at a meeting they made a treasure hunt for him.  It was so funny.... they kept having to shush each other so they didn't give up the spots too easily.

For his birthday, Jeremy wanted an apple pie.  So we made a steak dinner with homemade mashed potatoes and delicious pie.  It was Evelyn's first time making the dough so Jer had to tweak it a little bit, but overall it was very good.

Happy birthday my Jer.

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's Evelyn's last week in Primary next week.  I'm sad and excited. I'm sad that the little kid phase of our life is ending so soon, but I'm excited that she's going to be in Young Women's with Ada and I.  I think she will love it and she's so good at serving others.  Our YW's group can use someone so happily enthusiastic as this sweet girl.  The Primary song leader, Virginia, had each of the primaries draw the nativity.  I think she said that the one on the right was the senior primary and the one on the left was the junior Primary.  How cute is this.

I'm so happy in this moment.  Sis Wheelhouse assigned a duet between Sam and Seth; also between Ada and Evelyn.  I love hearing my kids play music.  I love even more when they do it together.

Jer is amazing.  He knew I wanted one of these and he made it happen.  Instead of the very slow filtered water thing that we never use, this is a bottle sprayer.  You put a bottle or cup upside down and push.  It sprays out the inside and you can put it into the dishwasher.  With the daycare cups, sippy cups, bottles, cocoa cups, applesauce bottles, etc... it's very handy.

Even with a dead van outside, a messy house, dirty dishes in the sink and a grouted tile floor that needs to be sealed... we had to take time to start our Christmas tradition of stories on Dad's lap.  Ada had the flu and a friend that needed some emotional support.... so she's on the other side of the room. 

Sam showing his style.  We were getting ready for our Stake Music Night.  Sam and Dad sang marvelously.  Ada was so sick, so she had to sit it out.  I only had concussion brain once during the song which is really great!  It was a very spirit filled night that ended up with a light induced headache. 

Sam and Dad also got up at 4:30am yesterday to go to do baptisms at the temple with the youth.  I'm so proud of Sam!  He didn't even hesitate when I asked if he was going to go to the morning one. (Our ward had one scheduled for before school this week and one evening one for next week.) So proud of you kid.   

 

Glady Veloz

This wonderful woman died earlier this week.  She is just a couple years older than my mom but had a brain aneurism. She is one of the women that taught me the most on my mission.  I was about halfway through my mission, serving in Manta.  It was the first time I'd served in a bigger city and it was harder to talk to people.  She did not faun over the missionaries like some people that we met.  One of her daughters was in the ward that we served in and had referred her to us. We would teach her weekly and her 20 something daughter would sit in her room with the door open and pretend not to listen.  Gladys taught school at a Catholic school.  She was a joy to teach, but she wasn't progressing.  In a last-ditch effort to teach her (we had run out of lessons and extra lessons), we held a family night and watched a video about Priesthood Authority.  She fell asleep for part of it and I figured we'd have to say goodbye for the last time. We didn't say a word, but God knew her heart and her worries.  We finished the video and told us that she was ready to be baptized.  She shocked us for sure.  She said that she had worried about the idea of the Priesthood.  She couldn't understand how God could give power to imperfect men.  God knew that and bore testimony through the Holy Ghost.  I learned that it's not the teacher, but the Spirit that converts.  She was baptized and called to work in the Young Women's.  Her daughter, Elena, was later baptized. I came to visit a year after my mission.  She didn't even have time to sit and visit because she was so diligently taking care of those sweet YW. I had knocked on her door when she was leaving to go to a Young Women's activity.  I walked with her to the church, hugged her and left. Gladys is the perfect example of being guided by the Holy Ghost, loving her neighbor and having a testimony planted in her heart.  I'm so proud of her and hope that she is having a joyous reunion with those that have gone before.  I send my love from this side of the veil and hugs to her daughters and grandkids on this side.  

 

December proceedings

Jer the chocolatier.

I was getting the daycare kids their snacks when this baby decided that she was hungry.  Seth was so cute.  He went in there without prompting and started singing to her and bouncing her.  I wish I could have recorded it, but I needed to finish feeding the toddlers and warm up her bottle before she got too desperate.  My heart took a picture though.

We did a rush to get our tree this year.  We had an hour between daycare getting out and Evelyn's dance class.  We decided to rush and get it.  Ada was late getting home from school because of play practice and she decided to stay and hang out with a friend at the elementary school playground.  We called her to get home quick.  We all got ready for dance and potty breaks.  By the time she got home and we were all in the car, we only had 30 mins to drive to Provo, get the tree, drive Evelyn to dance by our house and then home to set up the tree.  I grabbed a coat for Ada so we didn't have to wait while she went in to get one and it had already gotten pretty cold.  I told her to hurry into the car and told her that here's her coat.  She got so mad at me.  She couldn't possibly wear her coat because she was wearing her hoodie.  I told her she could wear both but not zip up the coat, and she didn't want anything to do with that answer.  We were running late so I told her to not worry about the coat and just jump in the van.  She told me to chill.  I lost it.  I just did 10 hours of daycare, got people dinner, got Evelyn ready for dance and told Sam that I'd take him to the insta-care after grabbing a tree.... then in waltzes my teenage daughter who had just come from playing at the playground and tells me to chill because she doesn't want the coat I had thought to grab as I went out the door.  I get that she's a teenager and was probably just misreading what was going on but being told to chill when I was working so hard to take care of everyone really hurt.  Teenagers.  I won't hold it against her, but I really hope she learns from it.

Sam and I got dropped off at the instacare while Dad took Evelyn to dance.  I really think that Sam had a sinus infection after having RSV for two weeks.  The doctor said that he thinks it's the flu.  He never did any nasal swabs or anything.... and I'm stubborn.   I still think it was a sinus infection.  Sam spent 2 days with a fever. We gave him decongestants and air humidifier in his room.  No one else has caught it so...Ada just caught the RSV... Sam, Jer, Seth and I all had it, so maybe Evelyn will get it next or hopefully not at all.

Ada had her Christmas choir concert this week.  She did a great job.  She's been assigned to be an alto.  She has a nice warm tone and large range, but I think she is an alto to balance out their sopranos.  You could hear them really well, but not so much with the altos.  I think Ada brings out their part in a good way.  Because I hear her singing all the time, I could pick her out, but I don't think you could just pick her out without being familiar with her voice.  I could also pick out Dani's voice.

For YW's we taught about DSLR cameras.  They are a dying breed.  Only Ada and one other girl knew about them at all.  We showed a couple tips and then let them have fun.  This is one that Ada took.

Ada and her friends Christmas shopping.

Finishing up chocolate dipping for friends that didn't make it to the party.

Sam had his band concert too.  I missed it because I had a concussion migraine.  I didn't think that a jr high band concert was the best venue for me at the moment.  Jer says he did great.

Annual grinch picture.  We forgot to get a family picture at the tree lot though.  We were in a bit of a rush.

 

Back at it!

We debated whether or not to bring back Jer's birthday/chocolate party for neighbors.  We did it for 15 years and then did a family one for 2 years.  We decided to go for it.  It cost way more this year, but we have a nice big table this time and big kids to help with prep and set up.  It felt natural to have our friends and family back in our home again.  I wished I had more time to spend talking to each person individually, but time has a funny way of running out.  And now we have delicious chocolate to eat and a wonderful birthday man to celebrate.  I love that his Dad comes every year to help.  He's so sweet.

Each of the kids got to invite friends.  Ada's friends came, and so did her cousins.

Instead of donations towards chocolate, Ada helped set up these donation funds to different charities.  

 

Biztown

Evelyn got to go to Biztown this week!  It's such a fun field trip!  Ada and I did it with her 6th grade, Sam did a makeshift one during quarantine, and Evelyn and I got to do it together this week.  I was so glad that it was a week I wasn't working.  I didn't trust myself driving on the freeway with my concussion just yet, so Evelyn and I took the frontrunner up and walked from the station to the Gateway mall. It was an adventure.  It was fun to be with Evelyn, but the train lights made me nauseous and hurt my eyes.  Evelyn got to be a teller at the bank and I was the adult in the Library.  Evelyn was in charge of investing in businesses.... so she visited the businesses that she thought were doing a good job and gave them checks towards paying off their loans. 

Evelyn was interviewed by the "KSL" people about the investments that she was making.

She was so cute and she loves everyone.  You could tell that people were genuinely happy to see her.

All of her class left and we stayed to wait for Jeremy to give us a ride.  He had a conference in Salt Lake the same day... different time, but it let out at 2pm.... just like ours.  So it was great timing.

Evelyn had fun figuring out how to play Beethoven's 5th on the musical stairs.  I was glad we decided to take the stairs down instead of the elevator.  Otherwise, we wouldn't have known that they had added musically stairs in their entry way.  So fun.

After we got home, I took a 2-3 hour nap.  I was so dizzy and nauseous!  I'm so glad that this happened after our kids were big enough to kind of do stuff on their own and I can disappear for a couple hours.