Jared

Jared is finally healthy so now I can go back and talk about how unhealthy he has been for the last couple of months.

Starting the end of May...
Jared went to Joplin after the tornado hit to do some clean up work with other members of the stake.  Unforunately for him, he got poison ivy during the clean-up, which is he EXTREMELY allergic to.

I cried when I saw the way his skin reacted.  Blisters over blisters.  It was mostly on his arms.  It was very painful and uncomfortable for him for about 2 weeks.  Well, a little less thanks to some steroid prescription meds.

And then in June, Jared managed to get himself REALLY sick by eating goat meat.  He later found out that the meat he ate had been butchered and laid out in the heat for over 24 hours before it went into his mouth.  His little food adventure made him sick for about 3 weeks.  He wasn't keeping anything down and was losing a lot of weight.  I got really worried, especially as he kept going to work & kept doing school at night until the wee hours of morning, etc.  He was running on literally nothing.

The turnaround happened right at 3 weeks.  Jared had just been up all night (again) throwing up and what not and was lying on the floor in the bathroom in the morning when I found him.  He wanted to go to the hospital, he told me, but he didn't think they would do anything for him.  So, we were looking at making an appointment with a GI doc.  This was all on a Sunday.  Sick as he was, Jared got dressed up in a suit and tie and went to church.  While there, he got a blessing of complete healing.  He hasn't had a problem since.  A true miracle!

We have been under a lot of stress these last couple of months and I'm honestly surprised that he is holding up as well as he is now.  I attribute a lot of it to healthy eating and lots of running!  And of course, more blessings than we deserve!

Hello!

Does anyone check this anymore?  I know I have been terrible about updating!  It's been a busy, busy summer.  I will try to update the blog, but in the meantime, here is a quick update.  From youngest to oldest.  (Yep, I'm older than Jared. By 6 months).

Miss Suzy Kaye.

Suz is 10 months old on Friday.  I can't believe how fast time is going with her.  Her current trick is standing.  She will be walking before too long- she wants to bad.  I catch her practicing in her crib.  It's cute.  She also started waving this week.  If you say HI to her, she will wave.  Her hair is kind of starting to grow.  Red as ever.  I never would have thought!  She is a cutie.  LOVE her facial expressions.

 Noah "the man" Beckett.

I love this little guy so much!  He is turning 3 in 2 weeks.  He has been talking about it non stop.  He really wants a rocking chair for his birthday.  Don't ask me why.  But if you ask him what he wants for his birthday, he will say without hesitation, "A ROCKING CHAIR!"  So, guess what?  Jared and I found him a rocking chair last week at a flea market.  It's an awesome little kids rocking chair!!!  I love it!  I'll post a picture of it later.

Noah's current loves are:  LandyCane (Candy Land), Reading, Drawing, Running (he just got a new pair of "racing shoes"), and making us laugh.

 Jer Bear

Jared is amazing.  He is still working full time and is also in the final stretch to get his Bachelors degree.  6 more weeks.  We could not be more excited!!!  Although these next 6 weeks are going to require Jared sleeping next to nothing and me giving up all social activities that occur at night so that I can babysit while he does homework/studies, etc!  But it will be worth it when he is done.  In his free time, Jared loves to run.  He's decided to do another Marathon in December with his brother, Caleb.  He also has a 5K and 10K coming up in September and October.

Muah.

I took this picture today as I realize I hardly have any pictures of myself.  I'm here in my "house clothes."  Spending the day cleaning, organizing, playing with the kids, making homemade chocolate chip cookies, planning Noah's birthday party, reading, etc.  I like days like this.  They are few and far between with how busy we have been.

More updates coming soon! xoxo

My Family

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss



Everyone minus Dad.  Kallie, me, Mom, Carson, Kyle, & Cody



I really miss my family today.  Like more than normal.  My parents and brother Carson were just here for a week and left on Friday.  We had so much fun!  Took the boat out, went to Branson- Silver Dollar City, outlets, went golfing, swimming, out to eat, played game, drove up to Joplin (devastating), and generally had a wonderful time.

Pictures to come.

May Update

Not quite sure where May has gone. I think I'll give May the yearly award for "Fastest Month Ever." That is until December comes. We have been busy. But we've been having fun too!

Last weekend, we went to Branson with some friends and stayed in a cabin and then spent the next day at Silver Dollar City. It was awesome! We are happy to have Season's Passes there this year. We plan on going again next week when my parents and brother come into town.

The only thing that made me sad about Silver Dollar City is that Noah is too short to go on the kids rides. He can only go on the baby rides. It bothered me so bad that I measured all his friends at playgroup, which was at my house last week, and they are all tall enough to go on the rides. Just not Noah. It makes a mom sad. :(

Anyways! This next thing should get a separate post. But I'm playing catch up, so here it is now. I took my first SEWING LESSON! Well, technically I took a sewing class in high school, but I was really good at asking the teacher for help a lot and she ended up doing all the work for me. I don't know how it got into my head, but I decided recently that I wanted to sew pillowcases for my whole family to take camping. Pillowcases are one of the easiest things to sew. So, I called up my friend, Jessica, who happens to teach sewing lessons and we had a blast! I can't believe I am saying that. So, here Mom, these pics are for you. I know you could never imagine your daughter on a sewing machine. Well, I am! And I even know what a bobbin is! (sew-ers, don't laugh!)

 Jared and I have been spending a lot of time running in our new double jogger. We take it out most nights and go on an hour or so run. The kids usually fall asleep and it is amazing! We have good talks, stay in shape, and it puts the kids to sleep for us. Easy!




I've also stayed busy this month preparing piano students for their recital, which is this upcoming Saturday.  Recitals are always a lot of work and I'm always glad when they are over, but I love them at the same time.

Jared went to Joplin this weekend to help in the relief efforts.  He mostly moved big trees and cleaned up debris.  He came home with lots of cuts and what appears to be poison ivy on his arms.  Poor guy!  Anyways, he couldn't believe the damage that Joplin received.  It's hard to believe how close we were to the tornado (45 min).  What a sad situation.  I have a hard time thinking about it and reading the news because it makes me cry.

I've been also keeping busy this month with my two callings at church.  One is Ward Humanitarian Leader.  We made hygiene kits for the people in Joplin.  The other is Activity Days Leader.  We had a gardening activity a couple weeks ago.  So, naturally, we decide to dress up like bunnies and plant aloe! 

The last, but most important thing I've been doing this month is taking care of these little yahoos.  We are working on potty training Noah and trying to keep enough food around for Suzy.  ha ha kidding.

We are loving life and getting very excited for Jared to graduate so we can see him more.  August is the big month.  I remind myself everyday that I can make it til then.  It will be so weird for him not to be doing school everynight from 8-midnight and on the weekends.  But as you can see, we are enjoying life in the moment too.

Time Out for Women

I am getting behind on blogging again.  But I am going to take that as a good thing.  Because if I'm not blogging, that means I am busy doing other things, not involving the internet.  I have been feeling like an internet junkie lately and I don't like it.  And neither do my kids.  So, you'll most likely only catch me online during the week at night after the kids are in bed. 

Anyways, last weekend!  I went to Oklahoma City with some friends.  It was a blast!  We went to Time Out for Women aka a big Deseret Book Commerical.  It was good though and it was a great get away!

Summer Wreath

I don't think I've ever been known for being super crafty, but there are some things that I do like to make.  I really wanted a pretty spring/summery wreath for our front door, but couldn't really find what I had in mind, especially not in the price range I wanted.

So, I just made it.

26 dollars.

Wa-la!

Bonuses of being a mom

Mother's Day.  It already seems like such a long time ago.  But Mother's Day last Sunday was good to me this year.  I think Jared wanted to make up for the last few Mothers Days that we have had together where he did not make me feel special ("You're not my mom").  So, he spoiled me rotten!  And I loved every second!

I got the one thing I asked for:

(My floors are looking good!)

And something that I wished for, but never expected to get!

Now I REALLY feel like a mom.  This bad boy is hardcore!

In addition to great gifts, breakfast, a poster, a singing card, a great church meeting, and a cookout with the family, I got to hang out with these little people:

Lucky me.