"Life Is Lemons": January 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Thrill Seeker

I realize this is my third post in 30 min. I haven't posted for weeks because primary has taken over my life...lots to catch up on.

Here is a little taste of life with Mitchell on a day to day basis:

Above: Day 1 (every ten minutes)

Below: Seeing how high he can swing the light...

Day 2...

Day 3...

Day 4...

Day 5...

Day 6... (note: he is squirting himself with a squirt bottle and seems to be surprised every time he pulls the trigger)

Day 7...(as if it's not dangerous enough that he is on top of the table every ten minutes, let's wear a beanie OVER our eyes to make things a bit more exciting)

Day 8... (parents finally outsmart the toddler)

Same day...(toddler finds something else to climb on)

I don't even really care so much about the fact that we are snowed in...until I remember that every five minutes, Mitchell seems to avoid serious injury by some miracle, and then the panic sets in. How in the world can I get this boy to the ER if I need to? It's a big concern, really! I didn't even dare post pictures of him unlocking the dishwasher, taking out knifes, and playing swords with them for fear that I would be turned in to the authorities. Or, of him pulling the kitchen chairs over to the stove, opening the oven, or turning on the gas range. Thank goodness for the tie-downs...and I'm ordering safety equipment and locks for the kitchen appliances tomorrow!

Can't wait to spend a few weeks at my parents this summer, so many new things for him to get an adrenaline rush from :)

Snow in Georgia

I remember CLEARLY putting Georgia at the top of our list of places to apply to because it's warm and it DOESN'T snow! Why does the cold follow me? Why? Look at the snow...6 inches and school has been canceled for 3 days. They have no equipment to plow roads and so you can't even leave your house. I was experiencing major cabin fever today so Brie and I decided to go to lunch. We nearly died. There is a good reason people don't leave their homes and everything shuts down...it's solid ice. We made it to the Olive Garden but they only had a limited menu because the trucks haven't delivered in days. Our grocery stores are out of everything too, it's crazy.

My boys are loving it though. We didn't bring any sleds with us so I gave them my cookie sheets and they snowboarded down our drive way for hours. So awesome!

Mitchell decided to sneak out of the house and join them with no coat, shoes, or gloves. He was amazed by the snow...it was so fun to see his reaction.

Cambrie...not so good at snowboarding on cookie sheets :)

We finally found some things to bundle Mitch up with...check out his rain boots! I love nothing more than little kids in rain boots...any time, any where!

Pray for some Georgia sun so my kids and husband can go back to school and get an education!

Christmas Visitors

My parents came to visit on Christmas Day. It was such a good Christmas present! They were here for a week and we did a whole lot of nothing, it was great. We had WII competitions with the kids, played games, watched movies, etc... When my dad comes in to town, we can't do anything too crazy, he likes to stay close to home. So, we took him to Mayfield Dairy for a tour.

This next picture is of Maggie the cow. My kids LOVE touring Mayfield Dairy because of the massive ice cream cones they get to have at the end. It was right up my dad's alley too :)

George and I got to go on an over-nighter while my parents were here too. It was a much needed time away for us and we soaked it up. We went to South Carolina so we could go to the temple (the Atlanta temple has been closed for over a year for renovations). On our way, we drove through all these quaint little towns and got to stop at some fun restaurants.

We had to take my parents to Dreamland BBQ. It's dynamite! If only you could see the rib sauce on each of our faces. This place has a neon sign that says "no farting," need I say more?

And of course, we took them to Stone Mountain. We went on New Years Eve day and it was CRAZY crowded, but we still had fun.

Tender Mercies

Everyone has a story: life experiences that have either strengthened us or made us weaker and have defined who we really are. Our story is no different; George and I were both married previously to very wonderful people who changed our lives and helped us become who we are. We each suffered a tremendous loss when our spouses (Joel and Summer) died of cancer leaving us with an unfinished story of the lives we had imagined. Through the grief, loneliness, suffering, and pain we both realized that our stories were being revised and that Summer and Joel were helping in that process.

George and I met in March of 2007. We dated for a year and it was a wonderful year full of compassion, empathy, healing, and love. My dad often talks about the tender mercies of the Lord and we both know that our lives have been touched by these tender mercies in ways we never dreamed possible.

We were married on March 1, 2008 in the Salt Lake Temple. The new revisions in our story may seem complicated but to us it's rather simple. Our kids know how much we love each other and are so happy to be a complete famiy again. They also know that "daddy Joel" and "mommy Summer" are a big part of our lives and that families are eternal and we will see them again someday. George and I often joke that "we are blessed....we think!," but the truth is we have been blessed beyond measure. We've had our trials and there are still sad days but we have each other to lean on. We now have someone to share things with--it feels so good to love again!