Sickness For Our Holidays

Sweet Krew on Easter

So ever since Krew has been born, we haven't been able to celebrate a single holiday.  It's been kind of depressing.  When Krew was 11 days old, it was Easter.  What happened on Easter you ask?  Well Derek spent the entire night before puking his guts out.  At 6 am, I finally called his friend to take him to the ER because it was so bad.  Derek kept almost passing out, and I was recovering from having a baby.... so if Derek passed out, I wouldn't be able to lift him off the ground without doing some serious damage to my own body.  So his friend Tyler came and picked him up and took him to the ER.  Our plans of driving an hour to see Derek's sister and brother and having a big dinner and Easter egg hunt were over! We called his brother Raylon to let him know he was in the hospital and we weren't going to be able to make it.  Raylon called me and told me that he would come pick up Levi and take him to Maricopa for the Easter egg hunt and to play with cousins.  What a relief.  I was so upset and distracted I completely forgot to set out Levi's Easter basket and to have our own little mini Easter egg hunt.  When Raylon and Emili were on their way to our house, Derek called and told me that they had to do an MRI on him.  I had no clue what I thought the Dr. needed to look at, and I started googling what could possibly be wrong with Derek.  Bad idea!  Never do that.....  When Raylon and Emili got here, Derek called and told me that he was going to have to stay the night in the hospital.  He had what was called Ileus, which means that part of his intestines were paralyzed, and weren't able to do peristalsis to move the food through his intestines.  I started bawling because I felt so bad that he was sick and in the hospital, and that I wasn't with him.  I had a 1 week old that needed me in order to eat every couple of hours, and I wasn't about to take my kids to the hospital to expose them to all of the awesome germs going around there.  If I was in the hospital the only person I would want would be Derek, and I felt awful that I wasn't there with him.  Raylon and Emili stayed with me that day instead of taking Levi to Maricopa.  They knew I needed help and I'm so grateful they were there to give it to me.

Poor sick Derek

     I called Derek's friend Jared and he and Raylon went and gave Derek a blessing.  Poor Derek couldn't sit up, or hardly open his eyes.  The nausea was so extreme that he couldn't talk, open his eyes or move.  All he could bear to do is just lay in the fetal position.  Derek threw up so hard and for so long, he popped every single blood vessel around both of his eyes.  He had 2 black eyes that were so swollen.  Raylon and Emili were so nice enough to watch Levi and Krew for a couple of hours so I could go spend time with Derek.  I was so grateful for it!  I went and sat by Derek's bed and held his hand.  I tried to distract him by telling jokes, but he couldn't laugh or he felt like he'd throw up.  And he eventually had to close his eyes and stop talking because of the nausea.  So for an hour he laid there with the most pained look on his face while I held his hand and I cried.  Seeing the person you love the most in the hospital and so sick is one of the saddest things in the world.  I had an 11 day old baby at home, I was hormonal, I was overwhelmed, and I wanted my husband healthy and home.  Derek was overwhelmed because he had a huge test in 2 days, and he had lab the next day that he was worried about missing.

Swollen black eyes from puking so hard and popping all the blood vessels around his eyes

         I went home from the hospital and I cried and cried and cried.  Derek's sister Raylene was so sweet and she came up around 9 pm to stay the night with me so I wasn't alone.  She brought 2 of her kids, food, and Easter eggs.  They did a little Easter egg hunt for Levi, and dyed eggs with him.  I cried, I was so grateful they gave Levi the Easter I couldn't.  That night I was shaking and a total mess, so Raylene held Krew and calmed him down when I couldn't.  Raylon, Emili, and Raylene kneeled down with me for family prayer that night.  I held Levi in my arms and I was completely overwhelmed with the fact that these three had been there to help me with my kids and comfort me when I was a mess.  And to visit Derek in the hospital when I wasn't able to because I was home with the kids.

Raylene bringing Levi the Easter egg hunt he didn't get

Levi getting to dye Easter eggs with cousins

       The next morning, Raylene went to see Derek in the hospital and came home and told me he was sitting up and talking more.  We were able to pick him up around noon and bring him home.  Derek was on a liquid diet and took a couple weeks to really recover and gain his strength back.
         
      Easter was hard. I would look at Facebook and just cry.  Everyone was posting pictures together with family in their cute outfits.  This year I really experienced that it's not about the cute little outfits and candy, but it truly is about Christ suffering and dying for us, so that we can repent and have eternal life.  I thought of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and that he had felt what Derek was experiencing.  This Easter completely humbled me, and I was completely overwhelmed by the fact that Raylene came to spend the night with me so I wasn't alone.  And that Raylon and Emili spent the whole day watching my kids, and helping Derek and I with all that we needed help with.  I got to experience an Easter where I felt the Savior's love more than I ever had.  So although it was awful and I never want to go through it again, it did teach me the value of eternal families.  It helped me to appreciate my little family so much more, and it taught me about the importance of service and being able to accept help when others offer to serve me.  I was shown more love and compassion than I had seen before.  I had friends calling and checking on me throughout the week.  Friends picking up Levi to get him out of the house and help Derek to rest and recover.  Friends bringing me and Levi dinner and broth for Derek.  I have literally never experienced so much love and seen so many Christlike examples.  I will forever be grateful for those who reached out and helped us.

The Ure's amazing Easter dinner they brought over when Derek was in the hospital

         The 4th of July is another story.  We drove an hour and a half to Prescott to go to the carnival, get out of the 100 degree weather, and to watch the fireworks.  Well... once again bowel movements and puking had other plans for us!  Levi ended up getting a horrible stomach ache.  He was constipated for hours crying, and he puked all over everything!  So we packed up our stuff and hiked back to our car.  Krew cried the rest of the way home, and I was covered in puke.... bleh.  I felt awful because our friends Jared and McKenna Ure were with us.  They didn't get to experience the fun 4th of July festivities because of us.  We dropped off Jared and McKenna around 9:20, and sadly the fireworks near our home started at 9, so we missed it.  On our way home we saw some cars parked at the Elementary school by our house so we pulled in and parked.  We got to see the last 10 minutes of the fireworks from a distance in our van.  So while I held Krew in my arms and I looked over at Derek holding Levi in his arms I was overwhelmed with the love I have for my family.  It was a sweet little moment we got to have at the end of a really crappy day.  Levi was done throwing up at this point, and was being so sweet.  Krew was finally content because he was out of the car seat, and Derek reached over and held my hand.  This is what's important to me.  I got to understand the meaning of the 4th of July again.  I got to realize that life doesn't always go according to plans.  But I'm so lucky I have my freedom and I get to live with my family.  I get to go to the church I believe in, I am safe and protected, and I'm lucky enough I'm here to even celebrate the 4th of July. I thought of the men who died for me so that I can live a wonderful life here in America with freedom and choice.  I went through all the millions of things I am grateful for, and it helped me to forget about all the many things I'd missed out on that day.

Outfit number 1 (this shirt is now in the garbage due to the amount of puke on it)

     Well to finish the day, Levi cried when we got home because he still couldn't poop.  We sat him on the toilet to see if that position would help, and he FINALLY pooped!  That poor kid went and laid on the floor completely exhausted and said, "I did it, I did it, I did it.  I pooped." Haha it was so sad but funny.  Our day was completed with the poop that completely destroyed the day haha.

Levi hunched over trying to poop, while crying, followed by some puking shortly after this picture was taken.  Krew crying and wanting nursed 85% of the day. All I could do was laugh and feel completely pathetic and overwhelmed.

       So folks, life isn't smooth sailing.  Life is hard.  There's sickness, pain, loneliness, anxiety, stress, worries, and so many other difficult things we experience.  But through those hard times, we can still see good.  I will say that I have been much more grateful for healthy bodies lately, and I am so grateful to know that people step in and help out of complete love.  People offer help in ways I've never even thought to offer help to others before.  I will also say that we are never completely alone.  The Savior has experienced all the pains and sorrows of the world, so that we could gain eternal life.  If you ever feel completely alone, just know that you aren't.  If you feel that no one knows what you're going through, or that no one would ever understand how you feel, remember to look to Christ.  We are never alone, we can always look to the Savior to help get us through the hard times.  Remember to pray and pray and pray, and we can get through anything.
         

4th of July outfit number 3

Happy 4th of July from Krew

So although our holidays have been really crummy..... I guess you could say I have a thing or two that I'm grateful for ;)

Birth Story

4 am and ready to have a baby!

   Well now that it's been 3 weeks since I had Krew, I think I am finally ready to tell my birth story.   I apologize in advance if it is too detailed, but hey, it's a birth story, so just expect to hear a bunch of really fun stuff!!  

    The month of March was absolutely insane around here!  The first week of March my brother and his family came.  We did TONS of stuff.  We went and hiked hole in the rock, toured Cerreta's Chocolate Factory, toured the Cardinal's Stadium, went to the Botanical Gardens, and went to the zoo.  Mind you, I was 9 months pregnant with elephant feet at this point.  I was exhausted!  That week when I went to the Dr. I was at a 2.  I also got put on a Z-pak because I had an awful sinus infection.  I felt pretty poopy. I was having tons of Braxton Hicks contractions and could've sworn I was going to go into labor the following week. 

   The following week I took it easy since I had totally exhausted myself the week before.  The 3rd week of March my sister came to town.  We took it pretty easy and she LOVED spending time with Levi every second she could get.  We went and got pedicures, it was my first time getting one, went to my baby shower my friends gave me, went to the Children's Museum, shopped, got donuts, walked around WestGate, and celebrated Levi's birthday by going to the train park.  I was only at a 2.5 this week and I was pretty upset because I was absolutely miserable.  The baby was on a nerve, pains shot through my legs every time I rolled over in bed, my feet had swollen up 5X their normal size and it was incredibly painful.  I was so done and beside myself.  My Dr was allowing me to be induced a week early because my parents were going to be in town.  When we called the hospital they had no openings until April 1, which was 2 days after my due date (I was due March 30).... I was sad because in order for my mom to be there she would have to buy a plane ticket and miss teaching school. 

    My parents came on Sunday and we had cake and ice cream for Levi with our friends.  We went and toured Derek's school, and we went to dinner with them on Monday night.  The Dr. office called me on Monday and told me that an opening had come up on Wednesday (only 2 days away) on March 25 at 4 am.  I called Derek to see if that worked with his school schedule, then I called them back and gladly told them I would take that induction date!

   The day before I was induced I was sooooo nauseous!  I was having tons of contractions and all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep for hours.  That night I would get a huge wave of nausea, then would have a strong contraction.  At 1 in the morning I finally started timing them.  The contractions were lasting 30-45 seconds and were happening every 3-5 minutes.  I timed them for an hour and the contractions stayed consistent. I was in labor... but I was going in to the hospital in two hours later so I tried my best to get 1 hour of sleep before I needed to get up and ready.

      My alarm went off at 3:15 am and I hadn't slept at all.  I was feeling so nauseous. I wasn't sure if I was nauseous from the pain, if I was making myself sick from anxiety, or if I had the flu.  At 4 am when we were supposed to be leaving out the door, I was over the toilet puking.

     When we got to the hospital, the nurse was in no hurry to get things started.  After waiting in the room for over 30 minutes, Derek finally decided to go out and tell her I needed a drink so she would come in and get things going.  Luckily Derek's tactic worked, she came in and was asking me questions, and got me hooked up to the IV and heart monitor.  We discovered that the baby's heart rate was pretty fast.  The nurse thought that since I'd thrown up I probably had a virus which was putting some stress on the baby and causing his heart rate to raise.  I was freaking out because I was finally healthy and I didn't want to get my poor little newborn sick from me.  

   My blood work came back a while later showing that my White Blood Cell count was normal, meaning I didn't have a virus.  It turns out I was extremely dehydrated from throwing up before, and that's what was causing the baby's heart rate to be so high.  They pumped me with IV fluids and finally after 3 hours the baby's heart rate was normal.  The Dr. came in at 7:30, broke my water, I gave him a high five, and he was on his way.  Then they started me on pitocin, even though my contractions were already regular.  It was just going to help things move along faster.  And an hour after they broke my water, the Anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural. He brought a student in with him and had the student find where the epidural space would be.  He searched my spine and said, I think it's here, the Dr came over and said, I think you're right.... Well gosh guys, thanks for being so certain!  The epidural went smoothly, although I did feel more pain with this one then I did when I had Levi.  

    A while later a nurse and a student came in to put in my catheter.  The student was going really slowly when all of a sudden I got extremely dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out.  I told them I was dizzy and the nurse told me I was probably just nervous and needed to just take deep breaths.  I tried taking deep breaths then suddenly felt cold and lost sensation in my hands, and things started to go black.  I looked at Derek and he mouthed if I was ok, I shook my head no and said, "I'm going to pass out right now!"  The nurse frantically told the student to hurry up and she took my blood pressure.  My blood pressure was 80/59!  That is extremely low for those of you who don't know, you're blood pressure is supposed to be 120/80.  The nurse hurried and pumped me full of IV fluids and eventually my face turned back from grey to pink and I had feelings in my fingers again.  

     From that point on things were pretty boring.  I just tried to sleep the rest of the day and they kept coming in and rolling me from one side to the other.  At one point my nurse was in the middle of another delivery and I was left on my right side too long.  I couldn't move my toes on my right foot, and I started feeling contractions on my left side.  I called the desk and my nurse came and turned me to my left side.  I was at a 9, but the baby's head was the wrong way.  The nurse put my leg up on a ball to open my pelvis up so the baby could get down into the correct position.  At this point I was miserable, I was feeling contractions on my low stomach, the left side of my body, and there were sharp pains shooting into my low back.  I called the nurse and she told me that the baby was on a nerve so she had to flip me back to my right side.  I was at a 9.5, she told me to just give a push and see if we could get the baby's head into the correct position.

    Well I pushed through one contraction, and not only was I then at a 10 with the baby in position, but I was already crowning.  The nurse called the Dr. and he got there within 3 minutes.  He asked if he had time or if he needed to set up immediately.  She told him that I was already crowning just with one push so he quickly got all ready and set up.  I pushed through probably 5 more contractions and then I had my sweet little Krew in my arms.  

   Krew Miles Dawson was born March 25, 2015 at 3:32 p.m.  He was a whopping 9 lb 8 oz and 22 inches long.  I immediately fell in love with my handsome little guy.  I cried when they laid him on my chest and we wiped him clean with towels.  I loved his dark brown hair and features and noticed everything about this boy was long long long.  He had the same cry as Levi but slightly different, and I saw that he had the same receding chin and pouty upper lip that Levi had.  I love his squishy cheeks and could seriously kiss them all day long.

My HUGE baby. Also, you're welcome for the censoring! :)

    When we weighed him and found out how much he weighed my nurse told me she knew he was well over 9 lb but didn't want to scare me.  She said that my next baby will probably be a 10 pounder. Gee that's awesome!!  After I found out how huge he was it all made sense.  No wonder why I was so huge and miserable and having so much nerve pain.  This boy had put quite the strain on my pregnant body!

  Every new nurse I had asked if I had gestational diabetes because Krew was SOOO huge.  They had to give him shots every time before he ate to monitor his sugars since he was so big.  And Krew wanted to just sleep all the time and I couldn't get the boy to eat longer than 5-10 minutes.  Because Krew wouldn't eat he didn't poop or pee within the first 24 hours so we didn't get released and had to stay 2 nights.  I was kind of ok with it though because I was so exhausted, I knew I wasn't ready to go home and help a lot with Levi.

    My recovery is going a lot better than it did with Levi.  My Dr. did a really good job at helping me not tear.  I only had a tiny little tear so only ended up with 1 stitch.  That is WAY better than what happened with Levi.  The hardest part with this recovery was because Krew was so big he bruised my tailbone coming out.  I had to sit on 2 pillows in the hospital bed, and when I came home I had to sit on a pillow at the kitchen table.  Also.... the first poop is a scary thing you guys.  The pain is real!  Haha once I got past that it has all been uphill from there.

    Krew is the sweetest thing ever!! I call him my gentle giant.  When he looks at me with those sweet soft eyes it melts my heart every single time.  He is calm and can sleep through Levi's crazy screaming hyper crazy moments.  He isn't as mellow as Levi was as a baby, but he is still pretty mellow and calm.  When the boy wakes up though, he is ready to eat and he will let the world hear it until he gets fed!!  That boy can sure make noise my word!!

Levi hugging Krew for the first time

   The hardest part has been with Levi.  He is so cute and so good with Krew it is the best thing ever.  The problem is Levi misses the attention.  He has started acting out and being naughty to get attention.  He also has anger which he never really had.  Levi never used to hit or kick, and now he's hitting me or Derek everyday since we've had the baby.  It's been so hard to know how to handle it.  Right now i've just been telling him that it's ok to be angry or sad, but he needs to talk to mommy about it instead of hit.  It has been getting better, and I think it's because of me and my reactions that he got worse for a while.  I tried to change my approach and my reaction and he turns around and makes better choices.  I just honestly was not prepared for Levi to change so much.  I hope Levi can be his happy go lucky self again, and I hope I can help him get there.

Levi not quite sure what to think of mommy in the hospital

Krew looking dapper and all ready to go home

Ready to be home as a family

Levi was so proud he picked out that balloon for Krew all by himself... and then he let go of it after this picture and the balloon popped :( haha

Safe and sound at home

My sweet handsome boys!! They make me so happy!

Sleeping peacefully at home

Snug as a bug in a rug

First family picture.  I am truly the luckiest!! These boys have my whole heart!

We made it!!

     Well we made it to Arizona!! It was not easy, and I don't want to do that drive ever again, but we made it!  We started out June 18, bright and early.  My mom came over first thing and helped with Levi so we could get work done.  While Levi napped we were able to all load, so things moved much faster.  At noonish my cousin and his friend helped load some more, and my dad came and helped load the last of the big things.  Around 2 or 3 we were done loading all the big heavy things, and we just needed to pack up the random last minute things and deep clean the house.  These last minute things always take much longer than planned.  Well around 6 we rolled out of Idaho Falls and headed to SLC for the night.  Of course, the moving truck added an extra hour, and we had to make some inconvenient turn arounds in the massive truck, but eventually we made it.  We went to bed around 11:30ish that night.

     The next morning we rolled out of SLC around 7:15 am.  The drive from SLC was supposed to be 10 hours and 15 minutes.  But let's be honest, the moving truck doesn't go faster than 65 MPH.  So our 10 hour drive turned into a 14 hour drive. 

 Let's not forget the part where Derek got stuck at a weight station, or the part where we made it to St. George at noon and the AC went out in the moving truck.  Derek had to drive a whoppping 9 hours in 100 degree weather without any AC.  He was absolutely miserable.  He ended up getting heat stroke and got really sick.  And of course let's not leave out the part where Derek stopped to try and get the AC fixed and so I went ahead.... (not knowing where I was going), and putting full trust in my GPS.  Well... let's just say I missed the other highway entrance in the middle of Las Vegas rush hour traffic.  My phone then continued to lead me on a goose chase fipping U-turns left and right with Bonnie and Ray panicking as passengers in my vehicle.  The last hour of the drive we had had it.  Levi had a melt down and was inconsolable for 30 minutes.  And... not to mention Derek's GPS took him up way out of the way rather than driving directly home the last stretch of the drive.... so that added on another 15 or so minutes.  That move was absolutely terrible.  I'm not going to lie, when Levi started crying, I came pretty close to having a melt down right there with him.  I was on edge, I was sick of being cooped up in the car, and I had had it just as much as my 1 year old.  

New house, we are in love! 

  We finally arrived at our new house around 9 pm AZ time, (10 pm Idaho time).  We were famished, and the weather was still in the low 90's.  Levi and I went into the house to check it out, and Levi took off running.  He was so happy being free and able to run from room to room and explore the new place.  I was almost in tears because I knew the beds were towards the front of the moving truck, and all I wanted to do was eat and crawl into bed.  The last thing I wanted to do was run to the grocery store and then come home and finish unloading.  When I walked into the kitchen while touring our new home there were groceries sitting on our kitchen counter.  Raylon and Emili had gone and bought us groceries, used the spare key, and left them for us.  I have never been more grateful to see food in my life.  I finished touring our cute house and I was so happy with the house.  It was much bigger than we had anticipated and it is perfect for what our family needs.  I went to look and see how big the fridge was inside and low and behold, Raylon and Emili had stocked the inside of our fridge as well.  At this point I was holding back tears.  I poured Levi some milk, fed him some food and sent him to bed.  Now for the grueling unloading of the truck.

   We unloaded for about an hour, then Raylon and Emili showed up around 10:30 or 11 with chicken nuggets and more energy to help.  Once again, I was so grateful for them.  While we were unloading in the dark, our next door neighbor showed up with a big spotlight for the truck, and a dolly.  This dolly made moving go so much faster.  We had the truck unloaded between 11:30 or 12, we made the beds, and we hit the sack around 1.  We all slept like a rock, (Or as Ray would say... a rose).  

Finally finished unloading. So tired!

  The next morning Derek woke up at 5:30 wide awake, so he decided to start unpacking.  He went to plug the washing machine in when all of a sudden he felt zaps going through his whole body..... Yup, Derek electrocuted himself plugging in a stupid washer.  Luckily Bonnie had just woken up and she followed him into the room and was there right after it happened.  Derek was ok, but it took about 2 days for his body to feel completely normal again.  Also, don't forget he got heat stroke so he was also sick with that.... it gets better.

Taking a break from unloading to play a game.

   The next day Derek and I decided to tackle the kitchen, (my least favorite part).  The cupboard space is much more limited to what we were used to and we were struggling finding a spot for everything.  Derek has super long heavy utensils used for grilling.  Derek was carrying these heavy utensils when all of a sudden the big spatula fell out of  his hand and landed directly on his ankle bone.  He fell to the ground grabbing his foot.... this might sound rude but I thought he was just being dramatic and trying to be a little funny. He was so frustrated that he got hurt once again and tried to just brush it off.  He got up and hobbled to the drawer and opened it, but the drawer was broken so it fell right to the ground and shattered into pieces.  At this point I threw my hands in the air.  I think I said something along the lines of sending Derek to a corner and to not touch anything or move a muscle the rest of the day.

First grocery trip in AZ (Wasn't fun spending that much on all new food)

   That night we went out for Ray's birthday.  We went to Rustler's Rooste, which is a restaurant built into the side of a mountain. There is a slide you go down to get to your table, delicious food, cotton candy, a live band and a dance floor.  Levi sat and danced and clapped all night, he had a blast!  Anyways... let me get back to us being a disaster.  After Derek had sat for a while in the car, he got out to walk inside the restaurant.  His foot was really hurting at this point, and he went to step, and he couldn't bend he ankle.  His foot had become so swollen he couldn't move it.  So he awkwardly limped the rest of the night.  When I was walking into the restaurant I tripped and my flip flop ripped and completely broke.  Derek and I were quite the sight trying to walk the rest of the night.  I had to drag my foot behind and I couldn't pick my foot off the ground.  I wont' lie, I was embarrassed with how ridiculous we looked.

WEEE!! Levi loved the slide!

We love Rustler's Rooste!

   When we sat down to eat, I asked our waiter for a bag of ice and he looked at me like I was a weirdo.  Derek elevated his foot on my lap and I laid the bag of ice on his ankle.  We are pretty sure he cracked the bone.  Luckily he had a wrap/boot thing at home from breaking his foot before, so he just wore that and we never went in to the Dr.

   After dinner we went to Jesterz, which is a family friendly improv comedy show.  It's basically like "Who's Line Is It Anyway?"  It was so funny.  There was one part of the show where they asked the audience members to pull out the strangest things they have in their pocket or purse.  I pulled out the bag of ice.  Everyone was laughing because they thought it was a bag with a poopy diaper inside.

Jesterz!!! Fun night!

Snake at restaurant

  After Jesterz we went and got Italian ice and gelatos at Rita's.  It was a successful night full of laughter, fun, and memories.  I  will post more later, because don't worry, there is more to write about.  We are so happy to be here in AZ, but of course it is hard to be away from family.  We love our house, the location, and all the fun things our ward does.  We were also so very grateful for all of Bonnie and Ray's help with moving down here.  We couldn't have done it without them.  Believe me.... I could not have done that drive with Levi without anyone in the car.  We are excited for all the new adventures to come.  We realize it's going to be a hard 4 years, but 4 years we will never get to experience again.  Right now we are just enjoying spending time together as a family before school starts up in August.

Phoenix temple being built 10 min. from our house!

Balancing Life

 I have been thinking a lot about health lately.  Derek and I both receieved Bachelors degrees in Exercise Physiology, and we have studied the physiology our bodies undergo while performing physical activity.  We have learned about the cardiovascular system, metabolism, hormones, how our bodies move, and how our brain functions.  The body is truly facinating, and it wasn't designed to sit around all day.  Recently, someone approached Derek and I with some questions about their health.  Our answer..... eat healthy, exercise, drink plenty of water, get 6-9 hours of sleep each night, stay close to the Lord, and continually strive to do what Heavenly Father wants you to do.  This person's response, "I hate you guys!"

Why is it that we ALL know the answers to our problems, but yet we struggle to live by them.  I have noticed that so many individuals WANT the attention of having a syndrome or diagnosis.  When someone comes to me about questions with their health, I often find that they want to find something wrong with them.  They don't want to hear my answer that they need to exercise and move their body.  They don't want to hear my answer that due to the heart disease running in their family, they need to lower their LDL's, take in less sodium, avoid trans fats, etc.



 So what about mental disorders?  They are real of course, but I promise you, if you exercise, get enough sleep, drink enough water, stay close to the Lord, and eat healthy, your mental capacity to deal with things will change drastically.  Have I ever dealth with depression, no, do I understand entirely what people go through with depression no, but I have studied the human body.  I have learned about the effects of exercise, and folks, it's a POWERFUL thing!  So many people want to jump right into taking medicine to fix their problems..... but a lot of the time medicine has side effects.  Of course, in some situations, medication should be used, but before thinking there is no other way, take care of yourself first!  Love yourself, and do the basics that you know your body needs!

So why is it soooo hard for us to abide by these basic principles?  Why is it that we all know we should exercise and eat healthy, but yet we struggle doing it each day?  Some of my excuses have been, "Levi is still asleep, I should just sleep in until he wakes up rather than wake up to exercise."  "I don't want to go to sleep, I need time to just relax and play candy crush."  Or my personal favorite, "Vegetables don't taste like donuts!"  It's incredibly easy for me to come up with an excuse, but for some reason it's so difficult to live this balanced lifestyle sometimes.  Believe me, I am the first person to admit I am not the best at exemplifying this balanced life style.  I will go through phases where I do really well, and then I will falter.  Or I can usually do well in certain areas in my life, but then really struggle in other areas.  In the scriptures, we read about the importance of diet, sleep, and staying close to our Heavenly Father.  I hope that we can each practice these healthy living styles.  Try to tell those lame excuses to get out of your head, and take care of your body.  Our bodies are beautiful blessings, and it is our responsibility to take care of them.  Something that I know helps motivate me is how much better I feel after.  I have so much more energy, and I can deal with my stresses in life.  Here are some tips that help me:  find a type of exercise that you enjoy.  Certain types of exercises are a drag for me. But I LOVE exercise when it's fun.  I love to dance, do abs or any type of core work, inner thigh work, Zumba, Pilates, hiking, biking, kickboxing, or playing any type of sport.  It really doesn't matter what you do, but it's so important to get up and move!  When I have healthy foods in my house, I snack on healthy food throughout the day.  I try not to wait until I'm desperate and overly hungry.  This helps with my munchies.  Set time aside each day for scripture time and quiet time.  I like to write in my journal and get my thoughts clear.  It helps me to handle my stresses and then I can get back to being a wife and mom.  If I wait to read scripture when I'm overly tired at night, I don't get much out of it, but if I set time aside to read during the day, I get a lot more out of it.  Scriptures are so uplifting, and I notice a distinct difference in my day.  If you have kids, it really makes exercise more difficult sometimes, but if you involve them, it makes it fun!  Stay active with your kids, they'll keep ya young!  Something that helps me immensely is thinking of my family first!  I want my family to be healthy, so I need to set an example to them.  What I make for dinner goes in their bellies, so it's important for me to eat healthy.  I hope that I can do better, and I hope that someday I can teach exercise and help educate others on taking care of their bodies and staying healthy.  I thank my Heavenly Father each day for my healthy body!  It is a beautiful gift!

Saying what I never thought I'd be saying

  Do you ever look back and read your journal/blog about when you were going through a difficult time?  Does it ever make you laugh?  Here I was just looking back reading through some of my past stresses I was going through, and I seriously started laughing.  Those stresses seem so childish now.  It's crazy when you're in the middle of going through a trial it feels like the world is going to end, and you can't see the end result.  It's funny when you're praying for an answer, and the answer you get isn't what you prayed for, but in the end it's EXACTLY what you needed.
    I NEVER thought I would say this, and I always hated the people who said this, but I really am thankful for the trials I've gone through.  Why do you ask?  Because going through those experiences has made me a stronger person.  I can handle stress/anxiety/challenges with a better mind set than I could in the past.  My testimony has grown leaps and bounds because of the small trials I've gone through.  Going through those past trials, I have learned that my Heavenly Father loves me, and that he is capable of lifting my burdens from me.  I've learned to humble myself, and I've learned that's it's possible to change.  Just because I have anxiety about things, doesn't mean I can throw in the towel and say I can't do it.  Although we are given weaknesses, we can fix them, and we can grow.  I've learned to pray over my flaws and that each day I can become a better person than I was the day before.  Something else that I am grateful for is the fact that I'm way more prepared to face my trials and challenges now than if I wouldn't have endured my previous trials.  As most of you are aware, the older we get, the more responsibilities we take on.  With responsibility comes a lot more challenges and stresses than before.  I have had one heck of a year.  There has been a great deal of change, and a great deal of stress.  I am currently enduring a trial that I never in a million years thought I would be going through.  I wish I could share it with you, and I probably can in a few months, but it is just too personal right now and effects more than just me.  Right now I am grateful for my previous struggles I've gone through then ever before.  I never thought I would be thanking my Heavenly Father for allowing me to go through those challenges in my life in order to get me through my challenges now.
    I know that when we are going through hard times in our lives it's so hard to see blessings coming from them.  It's hard to understand why we are going through them, and it's hard to see the outcome, but when we endure our trials and turn to our Heavenly Father we can grow immensely.  It is only through God that we become strong, and that our burdens can be lifted.  I am so grateful for the growth, development, knowledge, faith, testimony, and strength that I have gained through experiencing the difficult times in my life.  I hope that if any of you are struggling at this time that you can remember to give your burden up to Heavenly Father, and know that he has a plan for you and loves you.  I also hope that you all know you can come to me and I will be there with a plate of cookies and a warm hug to help you through any challenges you are facing.  I love you all and hope you are doing well!

Dental School Decision!

   Well, Derek and I have made the decision to move to Glendale, AZ!!  After a lot of prayer and consideration, we knew that our family needed to be in Glendale for the next 4 years.  We are ecstatic about experiencing year round warm weather, going swimming everyday in the summer, and living by tons of parks, malls, restaurants, museums, water parks, etc.  The other day I was babysitting and the little boy had so much energy I went outside with him and had him race back and forth in the small area of the yard that didn't have snow.  I looked down at Levi and I got so excited.  I realized that when Levi is at the stage of running around everywhere with lots of pent up energy, I can send him outside and not have to worry about bundling him up.  I will want to even go out with him and enjoy some sun rays with him.  I'm excited about going on bike rides with him, swimming with him, and going to the park to play with him anytime of the year.  

     I'm excited that we will be close to our dear Arizona friends.  It's crazy how we lived in AZ for only 1 year, but our AZ friends are like our second family.  Our AZ friends are still some of the first ones to reach out to us, and continually let us know that they care about us.  Since our friends have found out we are moving to Glendale, they are already hounding us about seeing us when we get there.  

 I know that it won't be a walk in the park.  I'm worried about never seeing Derek once he's in school.  I went to the dentist last week and the dentist basically prepped me on the fact that I won't see my husband for 4 years.... so that's awesome, NOT.  I know it will be hard being away when there are family get togethers.  I know it will be hard when Levi won't get to know his cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents etc.  I know it will be hard that first little bit when we are new and don't know a single person in our neighborhood/ward.  But I'm also grateful that we get to meet new people, and I'm grateful for the fact that we get to experience this adventure on our own.  Having gone through the experience of moving away once, I'm ready to experience the anxiety and loneliness that comes at the beginning.  But I'm also ready to experience something new and exciting.  If I had the option, I'd probably move tomorrow, but because money usually plays a factor.... looks like we won't afford to move until the dead heat of the summer.  

I'm grateful for this new adventure to come.  

 On a side note, Levi has decided to start cruising!  He uses anything to push on to get into a standing position.  He cruises along the couch, entertainment center, book shelves, chairs, people, tables, etc.  Anything he can find he will use it to help him walk.  He has a fun little toy walker that he recently decided to use.  He used to try and use it to stand up and it would slide away and he'd fall.  The other day, he finally grasped the concept and pushed straight down and was able to walk across the living room with it.  That boy is determined to be walking on his own soon.  It really is breaking my heart.  I feel like once he can walk he's no longer a baby.  Time has flown by!  I'm really started to freak out that he's already 10 months old.  He's the sweetest thing ever!  He likes to say dada and mama, sing, bounce up and down to music, wave hi and bye, give hugs, read lots and lots of books, play with his toy car, and be tickled.  It's crazy to think my life even existed before him.  He and Derek are my life!!  

ACCEPTED!!!!

Wooohooo!!!  Derek did it!!  He is accepted into 5 dental schools!! All of his hard work and dedication has finally paid off!!  All of the being poor college students, ridiculous amounts of money gone towards taking the DAT, applying to school, secondary application fees, hold fees, plane tickets/hotels/rental cars/food/etc. spent on dental interviews, and several other fees are all worth it.  Missing my husband while he stuffed his face in the books to take his DAT right after we had a newborn, and basically being a single mom for the past couple months while he traveled around to different schools to interviews is all worth it. The wait is FINALLY over!  Derek is going to start dental school in the fall and we are moving away.  We are one step closer to our goal and putting our family in a better situation.
    The road hasn't been easy.  It has been hard on both of us, and we have both sacrificed a lot to make this happen.  But I am so happy to say it's worth it!  I am so proud of Derek.  He has worked his FANNY off to get to this point thus far.  He is the hardest worker I know, and I am so grateful for him.  He says his main motivation has been Levi and I, and we are the main reason as to why he is doing this.  I am so grateful that Derek is working so hard so that our little family will be better off in the end.  Our end goal is to own our own practice, and to also travel to do dental humanitarian work as a couple.  I hope to be able to help with office work and do all that I can to help better Derek's dream.
     Derek has been accepted to the IDEP Creighton program which does 1 year at ISU and 3 years in Nebraska.  That programs we would get in state tuition so that would be nice.  They only accept 8 students into that IDEP program, so I am extremely proud of Derek!  He was also accepted into Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ, University of Louisville in Louisville, KY, Case Western in  Cleveland, OH, and MUSC in Charleston, SC.
    We do have our decision narrowed down some, but we have not made our final decision.  We have until the end of this month to make our decision.  We have been prayerful and have been putting in a lot of thought into this decision.  It doesn't only affect Derek, but it also effects Levi and I and our future children. We really do want our children to be where they need to be.  That adds some stress to the decision.
      We want to thank all of our family and friends for all their help to help us get to this point thus far!  For helping Derek study, any helpful advice, prayers, for watching Levi so I could go to work and help support Derek while he went to school or was out of town for interviews, and for all of your support!  We know that we couldn't have done it without all of you!!!
      I will keep you guys posted on our final decision, but we are so grateful we even have options!!  The stress of waiting to know if Derek would be starting school is no longer weighing on our shoulders!!   I am incredibly proud of my smart, hard working husband, and I can't wait for the next chapter in our lives!