Where were you at 1:30AM...

So while I was in the hospital recovering from surgery, Adam was in charge of the kids at home. He put everyone to bed and went to sleep with Tommy (in our bed). Then he woke up the next morning after a nice long refreshing night of sleep... wouldn't that have been nice if that was the whole story.

Apparently around 1:30AM my sweet neighbor Ali was taking something outside and heard crying across the street. She looked and who do you think she saw trying to get back inside the house? You guessed it , Mr. Tommy.

Hmmm... I wonder why I came home from the hospital soo quickly.

Thank You

I'm as close to speechless as I can get. I am drugged so that probably helps with my lack of words.

I am so thankful for my friends and family. There have been times in my life where I have felt so alone as I go through a trial. But I have never felt as surrounded by love as I do at this point in my life. My friends are the real deal, the genuine article. My friends do not find it necessary to be in my "ward boundries" to help.

I have been left speechless. What have I done to deserve this much love. I mean it. I don't think I am "unlovable", but I never thought that people cared this much. I have people calling to watch children, I have people calling to bring meals, They want to bring movies, they want to clean. I have family members driving from across the state.

So thank you. Thank you for finding time to help me through this cruddy experience.

Back by Popular Demand

So I've decided to be like Pollyanna, I am going to find the happiness in having a fractured leg... Because I am going to be that PERFECT wife that you all think I am.

Top 10 Reasons to be happy about my Crappy Leg:

1. I have been able to reinstate my membership to the "Laziness Club". This club of course was invented by me and a friend of mine when we were in High School. We both now have children so you are automatically kicked out of the laziness club once you reproduce, because as hard as I try, you can't be trully lazy with children. HOWEVER, now that I can't walk... I am lazy again.
2. I got to eat Chinese for lunch. You might ask how that is something positive or has anything to do with my leg, but I don't have the answers for you. All I know is that on Thursday I wanted Chinese for lunch, but nobody else did, so I didn't get it. BUT today I got it. I think it's because people think I'm pathetic right now. (I'd have to agree with them too.)
3. My mother is with me. You see she was supposed to go home yesterday night, but obviously you can't leave the cripple.
4. A Vacation from the kids. I thought that my surgery was going to be some sort of quick out patient procedure, but it seems that I will most likely be there for 2 or 3 days. Last time I checked they don't let kids sleep with you at the hospital, so that means 2 nights without my cute little monsters.
5. I will get a nice long scheduled nap, known as surgery. I am almost 100% guaranteed to sleep through the whole procedure.
6. Kelly has not left my side. Whenever she is home she sits by me and waits for me to need something. She gets me water, snacks, breakfast, and lots of hugs and kisses.
7. I automatically win ANY argument by default. Who is going to yell at little old me??
8. I get a constant supply of happy pills... which I apparently need. Yesterday, I had some sort of nervous breakdown which included me yelling things like "Just take the whole leg" and "I don't think I will ever be happy again". Once the doctor uped my dosage, I haven't had any more of those erratic outbursts.
9. I have always wanted my leg to look like a giant Banana... well that is just totally made up and untrue, but I was running out of positive things and I really wanted to make it to ten. Oh well! Maybe next time.

It's a bird, it's a plane... No It's just Tommy and a Giant Banana. Poor Poor Foot.

Fracture

I am temporarily out of service. I fractured my ankle today in several spots. I go in on Monday to determine when we should operate. I am drugged so I can't really type.

Love, Jen

Little Known Fact:

When I was 14 my BFF and I thought it would be cool if we could get the bottom of our feet sunburnt. She said her Dad did it once, and didn't have to go to work the next day. So we thought we should try it... Yes I was that dumb.

We laid by the lake with our feet up in the air for over an hour. (We would take them down to rest occasionally)(But imagine 2 teenagers laying on the ground with their feet straight up in the air)

Our feet did not get sunburned, but the rest of us did.

I did miss school on Monday, but it was because my body was so burnt it hurt to move.

Stupid Jen. Lesson Learned.

Last Sappy Post of the Week... I Promise

So I know I have already filled my sappy post quota, but I felt that it was necessary to add one more. I know that I talked about my wonderful hubby, but I don't want anyone to think that I have forgotten my Daddy.

I've actually been trying to find the right way to describe my feelings for him, but it'a quite hard. It's not something I talk about often, it's just always been one of those "understood" relationships.

I have always known that he would be there for me. Always always always. He is not one that cries much or has those "sentimental talks", but you know that he's got your back.

He's like the owner of the baseball team. You know how you always see the manager out on the field giving their advice and telling the players what they should be doing... That position goes to my mother.

But the owner, now he sits up in the box and watches. This is his baseball team, he has everything invested in this team yet he sits and watches. Sure he send messages down when necessary, but he knows that the "Team" is in good hands. He knows he has already done everything he could to set them up for Success. My Dad is the owner. All of my Dad's decisions in life have been to help improve the "team" (meaning me and my sisters).

I still remember when my Dad lost his job when I was in High School. He was strong and solid. He might have been torn up on the inside, but he was my Hero. I needed to know that everything was going to be okay and his example was strong and clear.

I could go on and on about him, but that's not the type of guy he is. If he reads this, he will be sitting there getting red in the face thinking "I can't believe she's saying this". That's part of what makes him special.

Dad, Thank you for being an example of strength and love.

Happy Father's Day.

This is the same Dad I grew up with. He would roll around and play with us, just like he does with my kids. He just gets up a little slower now.

He also has the same talent as Adam. Maybe someday we should have a contest to see who can fall asleep quicker.

Because He Makes Snow Angels

Because He thinks I'm Beautiful, even when I don't.

Because He Can Fall Asleep ANYWHERE!

Because He Lets Me Dress Him Up

Because He is Always there for his Children. From the moment they are born.

Because He Still Makes Snow Angels

Happy Father's Day, My Hot Tamale. Thank you for my babies, Thank you for your hard work for our family. I'll stop now, because you keep bugging me to come upstairs.

Love you more.

Jen

March 2004

So in March of 2004 Adam , me and the 2 monster girls (Kelly and Paige) went to a conferance for Adam. He was there for Chemical Engineering stuff, and I was there for rest and relaxation... or so I thought.

I remember when he left the hotel for his conference and I decided to take Kelly and Paige to the indoor pool by myself... I was so bad at it. I had a 5 month old and a 2 year old and I was trying to carry everything and get shoes on Kelly, keep Paige from crying, make sure I had the hotel key, keep ME from crying. I'm sure you get the picture. I was a wreck. I realized this wouldn't be restful, or relaxing or fun (for me).

Once we actually got to the pool it only got worse. Kelly didn't want to get her face wet, Paige wanted to drink the pool, I wanted to hide my tears in the pool, I had to take my glasses off and I couldn't see a thing. It lasted for what seemed for ever, but was probably only 30 minutes.

Then taking 2 wet cranky girls back up through the lobby to get to our room, was even worse than getting down there. I remember thinking "How does any mother go anywhere?"

Jump forward 4 years to Tuesday June 10th, 2008:

I took 4 children to a wading pool and fountain and had a picnic lunch (with friends). I went Solo. I had no husband with me. I did it and not only did I "survive" I succeeded. I enjoyed myself, my 4 children had a great time, there were no major outbursts, and no heart attacks on my part. I was a ROCKSTAR!! (I'm kidding of course)

But honestly, I remember sitting by the pool with Preston, thinking "Look how far I've come." It's not often I get to reflect on my growth in the midst of a challenge.

What's funny is ever since this past Tuesday, I've been thinking about my growth over the past few years. I've come a long way.

• I remember when I just had Kelly and I would get so stressed I would call Adam while he was at School and tell him that I quit, that it was his turn to stay with Kelly and that I would go do his Chemical Engineering classes.

• I remember moving into our house when I was 9 months pregnant with Paige and having a nervous breakdown, because we couldn't fit our basement couch in the basement, so the MEN decided that my livingroom should be in the basement.

• I think back to all my trips to STL alone. The stopping at rest-stops to nurse Tommy and then running into the bathroom with 3 children attatched. Throwing snacks to the back of the mini-van so that I wouldn't have to stop the car.

• Moving away from my support system when my 3rd monster was just one month old. I had no clue how anyone managed without a family as supportive as mine.

• Surviving Adam's first 2 years of Dental School. He would leave soo early in the morning and Saturdays were dedicated to his studies.

Now I know that I have a lonnnng way to go, but I don't think "we" focus enough on our growth and strengths enough. I think "we" are far to eager to find our shortcomings and flaws.

I know that on that day back in March 2004 I thought I was the most fumbling, unimpressive mom out there.

I now know that while I'm no Mary Poppins, Super Nanny or Ronnie Autry, I'm not half bad and I'm all they've got so I better not let them down.

How many eyebrows do you have?

With Summer approaching, My hair needs a change

I can't reach my hairdresser... which seems kind of strange

I've called her by phone and by email

But all of this to no avail

So yesterday I picked up my tweezers.

I plucked and plucked, then yelled, "OH JEEZERS!"

I looked in the Mirror, Oh what did I do!

My one eyebrow now looks like two.

Elder Holland was a Rockstar!

You would have thought he was a rockstar, by how excited I was to meet him. Remember we live in Missouri, so I don't get to see apostles walking their dogs, or Prophets at football games. We don't even get to meet " the friend of a friend of a Prophet's Uncle" very often. So last night was a big deal to me.

Adam said when he walked into meet Elder Holland, Elder Holland's first comment was "You guys really had to reach down into the Aaronic Priesthood to find a clerk" (cause he looks so young), Adam immediately responded with "That's funny, cause on the way here I was thinking, I feel like a Deacon passing the sacrament for the first time."

So dinner was great. My friend Kelli, had told me beforehand that it was going to be a light dinner, so honestly I wasn't expecting much. Actually I was just expecting some salad with pieces of chicken on it, but it turned out to be a huge salad, with all sorts of fun things on it, like eggs and avocado, and chicken, and peppers and mushrooms (you get the picture).

So here it what I like about Elder Holland. He seems like he really cares. Even if he doesn't you would never know, because he really comes off as if he cares about you and your life. He asks questions about you and actually seems interested in the answers.

During dinner he asked Adam, what our baby's name was. Adam confidently replied, "Tommy"... I thought that Adam would realize his mistake and fix it, but that didn't happen. I said, "Actually, it's not, it's Preston", so apparently even Adam gets a little tongue tied around Amazing Individuals. I'm just happy that he remembered his own name.

Honestly the talk given by Elder Holland was even more amazing than my dinner. Beforehand, I really wondered if it would be much different, than any other talk, but it was wonderful. Adam took great notes during that talk, here are some of my favorite comments:

• We are under covenant to sacrifice. If it is not the sacrifice you wanted then maybe it really is a sacrifice

• On Trials: Endure and save yourself for days of happiness ahead. We have been happy and we will be happy again. This is the church of happy endings.

• Still on Trials:. Endure. Stiffen your shoulders and square your back. If you can’t make an ounce of progress, plant your feet and stand. It will get better.

I really liked hearing that when you are in the middle of a "storm", that it is enough to just try and hold your ground. That you don't always have to be "moving forward". I hope I can be reminded of this, during my next hard time... whenever it comes.

So, thank you Elder Holland for a wonderful visit. Thank you for remembering my name and my children's names, thank you for smiling and taking the time to care. Your visit was the highlight of my month.