This last month has been a whirlwind of activity in our home. The week of Christmas I came down with a nasty cold and was pretty much a slug for the whole week. Yes, a slug, slime included. Thankfully by Christmas Day I was back to feeling almost normal and had about 2 days of energy before I came down with a stomach bug that lasted for about 3 days. That one was mostly just nausia and nothing more, but it was enough to keep me on the couch and lazy. Needless to say, I was very happy when I was finally feeling completely normal and able to give our little home some much needed attention.
Despite being sick the week before, Christmas was great for us. Our Christmas actually started on Wednesday when we were "forced" to go on a much needed date so a couple teenage girls could spend some time with our much adored children. We went to dinner and did some last minute shopping. Sure I felt like I had sludge pouring from my face and I was in a slightly congested fog, but I still had fun with my awesome husband. :) Anyways, on Christmas Eve, just as we were suiting up to head out to the in-law's house, we got ding-dong-ditched. Some very kind and wonderful person or people decided we needed a few more presents under our tree. It really shows us that people are aware of how hard things are for us and that we have a lot of people who care about us. We think we know who it was, but we figure it probably doesn't really matter. We are greatful and we feel such love. It always seems like when we are needing a little extra help, it always shows up in the most unexpected ways and I always feel the Spirit so strongly. I know Heavenly Father is keeping an eye on us. He's not going to forget about us and when we need a little help, He will always send a "Good Samaritan" in our direction. We have been so greatly blessed these last 4 1/2 years and we know that without the Lord's help, we probably wouldn't be where we are now. We make sure to thank Him everyday for all that He has done for us.
One other thing that happened on Christmas Eve was a short visit from my brother Justin and his wife Morgan. Even though we saw them at Thanksgiving, it is always so wonderful when we get to see them again so soon. They are currently living on the farm, so we only see them when we go over there. They were headed to the Seattle area to spend Christmas with Morgan's side of the family. The boys really enjoyed climbing all over Justin and I'm pretty sure he had a great time letting them use him as a jungle gym.
On Christmas day, as soon as we ate our breakfast, we packed up most of the presents and headed back over to Mom and Dad Q's house to open presents and spend the rest of the day with family. Jackson was so excited he was trying to open everything he could get his hands on, whether it was his or not. He was being such a turd, he actually had to sit in time-out a time or two for not listening(not that not listening is anything abnormal for him, I swear his ears are made of lead sometimes). Owen had a blast opening his presents too, but was trying to follow his big brother's bad example and was bound and determined to leave no gift wrapped. Despite all that it was a great day and everyone was very pleased with everything they got. Neither Jeff or I could think of reasonably priced gifts to get eachother, so several days after Christmas we compromised. He'd been wanting a new game for our Wii and I wanted some snap pliers so I could put snaps on the cloth diapers I'm making. Since they were about the same price, we each were able to get what we wanted for Christmas, even it was several days after the actual day :) The boys favorite toys were a couple remote control cars from my sister and a train track set that we gave them. We don't really have a good place to use the cars, but we make do and the boys love every minute the get with them. As for the train track, it is constantly being rerouted and remade and taken apart and knocked over and just overall loved. Not a day has passed without me tripping over some peice of train track. We love Christmas :)
On a sadder note and going back a few days, on the Tuesday before Christmas, my mom called with some very upsetting news. My cousin Eric and his wife Jenny, who are probably the strongest and most amazing people I know, woke to find their 14 month old had died of SIDS during the night. His funeral was on the Tuesday after Christmas and was probably the most uplifting service I can imagine even though I started crying as soon as I walked into the church and saw all the beautiful pictures of Andrew on display. Jenny talked about little Andrew's personality and how his relationships with his siblings were so different, yet so special. I can't exactly remember what Eric talked about, but I know as soon as he stood up, I felt this amazing calm and I felt so comforted. Having met Andrew only a couple times, I know it probably isn't as hard for me as it is for those who knew him better to cope with the loss of such a sweet little boy, but knowing that they have been sealed together as a forever family has brough such comfort to all of us. Eric mentioned that they now have more reason than before to be as Christlike as they can possibly be because they now have someone waiting for them on the other side, someone who will still be very little and will be needing parents to guide him as he grows. After the service, we all went to the cemetary and all the children who were there, released balloons. It was so beautiful and we were so greatful that we were able to attend. Because of the funeral, we were able to spend time with some family members that we don't see often enough. All in all, even though it was very sad, it was also wonderful, if that makes any sense at all.
Our New Years Eve was extremely uneventful. I don't even remember what we did, but on New Years Day, Jeff came down with the cold that I'd had and spent the entire day in bed sleeping. Thankfully, he was able to recover much quicker than I and was back to normal again by the following Tuesday. I think being able to sleep all day without having little people to look after is probably why he was able to get over it quicker than I was. I wish I had that luxury! :)
This last week has been a flurry of fabric, thread and my trusty sewing machine. I've been working on making a pattern for some cloth "pull-ups" because Owen has decided he is ready to use the potty. So far, I've made 3 "prototypes" and I think my first attempt(which I started but didn't finish until today because I though it was useless) was actually the closest to what I'm hoping the finished product will end up like. It's a bit snug, really bulky, and just looks strange, but I think it's usable, as are the other 2 I made. The 3rd one would be super cute if I'd done it just slightly different, but right now I think it looks kinda crappy. I'm just glad that I have snaps to use now instead of using Velcro. I hate Velcro.
Today I had another prenatal appointment and everything looks good. We're measuring a week or 2 ahead of where we should be, but I personally don't think it's going to make a difference. With both Jackson and Owen, my measurements changed so much all the time, I'd be small one month, then big the next, then small the next, then normal, and so on. I learned that going by size just wasn't a good way to determine anything other than that things were progessing as they should be. My babies were still late and will probably always be late, and for this reason I moved my due date back a week so I'm not so anxious when the "time" has come and gone. I know for most women, the second half is the fun half, but for me it's always been the more miserable half. I don't really get much morning sickness, but I get big fast and I'm all out in front. Oh, and my babies all seem to be football players and they think my bladder is their football. Or soccerball, take your pick. Anyways, things look good, baby's heartbeat is around 140 bpm, he's fairly active and hates it when I pick his big brothers up. I guess they squish him just a bit too much when they sit on my belly. Imagine that. We're all getting too big to be picking up or be picked up, so that needs to end anyways. Maybe getting an unexpected kick in the bum will cause big brothers to quit asking to be picked up...:)
Well I hope you'll all forgive me for posting this late, but like I said, the last several weeks have been a bit crazy. Also please excuse the lack of pictures, I gave the camera to Jeff and hoped he'd actually use it for more than a paperweight, but oh well. I guess I'll just be happy with the ones he took, even if I look like a blimp and you can't see the boys faces. I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years and I hope that you will all be able to keep whatever resolutions you made for the year. Love you all!!
