My new blog is: 
maxfieldjoys28.blogspot.com
That is more so I can remember how to find my new blog.....too much info going on upstairs.   If you'd like to be invited, leave me a comment.  I did just update with a few photos from Christmas.  Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Mel

New Blog

As some of you may know, I've had problems uploading photos to my blog.   Apparently, I'm out of storage space for photos.   Google wants me to pay $2.50 per month to get more storage.  Well, I'm a cheapskate, so I don't want to pay it.   I considered throwing in the towel with blogging, but I realize that I like it for letting grandparents regularly see photos of my kids and also as a way to keep a record of my life....not just the birthdays, etc, but to really get a glimpse of what my everyday life consists of.   Before making a completely new blog, I first tried deleting several photos off of my blog....it still wouldn't let me download new photos.   Next I tried making a new blog using my same email address....it still wouldn't let me download photos...all of your storage space is associated with your email address.  So, I finally took the time today to make a new email address so that I can have an all new blog with plenty of storage space!!    I'm going to make my new blog private (something I've been wanting to do for awhile).  So if you'd like to be invited to my new blog, which I would LOVE for you to be, please leave me a comment, email me or inbox me on facebook. 

Kennedy Turns 9

What do you know....I CAN download photos....apparently, just not on the side of my blog where i want to update the photos of my boys.  Whatever!

When it Rains, it Pours

So, things have been a little crazy around here. It started on my birthday. I had a fabulous day. Matt brought me breakfast in bed. He brought me a bagel with honey on it, watched me eat and then said, "Can I have some of that?" I love that kid. Kennedy made me a cute homemade card and helped Hyrum make one too. My parents had us over for dinner and birthday brownies. Oh....and I got called to be the Primary President in our new ward.


Because they just split our ward, we lost several teachers, activity leaders, scout leaders, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for this new calling (actually relieved that I am not the Relief Society President which was what people were speculating), but it has been a lot of work trying to organize the classes, closets, teachers, classrooms and all. I honestly feel at home in the Primary with all of the kids and although my teaching skills are a bit rusty, they are coming back to me. I am excited to get through the next few months and start feeling like I have a clue how things run and what in the world scouts do.


  Layne just got called to be the cub master and the 1st Counselor in the Bishopric thought it would be so great that Layne and I could work so closely!!! HA! Layne and I actually don't work well together. Heck, we can't even load the dishwasher together without arguing. I might assign another counselor to scouts to save my marriage! Anyway, Layne is feeling a bit pressured as he is wanting to start his MBA program in January, which means he has two prerequisite clases to take in the next 6 weeks. He started the first class (they are both online) three days ago and he thinks if he spends 8 hours a day until Christmas, he can finish both. Hmmmmm....this is on top of working 8 hours a day and being a husband and father. I will let you know how that goes. Once he starts his MBA program, he will be gone every Friday night and Saturday day to BYU Idaho plus trying to find time to study during the week.


Meanwhile, I finally signed up for the math class that I need for my teacher certification. Basically it is every Tuesday night in February and March from 4:30 - 9:00. Life will be crazy for a little while, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Getting Off Easy This Halloween!

 

I feel like I got away with something this Halloween....I only made 1/3 of my kids' costumes.   A few months ago, Matthew saw a storm trooper costume he HAD to have.  It was $15.  I figured that I couldn't make one for that cheap, so I told him he could get it.  Well, then of course, Hyrum had to have something from Amazon too....he found the Flash costume and I have to say that was $17 well spent!!!

Kennedy got those HUGE paws when she was 5 years old at Lagoon (it also had a mask and a tail....we lost the tail the SAME day she got it and it was devestating!)  So, she has been asking me to make her a new tail for ....let's see, about 4 years!!   I told her I'd make her a tail and then I got to thinking, "I'm not sewing anything else, I might as well maker her pants to go with the tail."   That thought turned into, "well, if I'm making pants, I might as well make a shirt and if I make a shirt, I might as well make some ears since she can't wear a mask!"  

Since I had time and wasn't totally frazzled with sewing three costumes, I did get creative and put some lighweight wire in the tail so it's completely bendable.     The ears were so easy, I wish I would have known how to make them years ago...and you can take them off the headband.   Maybe she'll want to be a panda bear or something next year.....I know how to make the ears!

I don't think Matt ended up being thrilled about his costume...especially since he couldn't wear his mask and no one really knew what he was.  He has already been planning his costume for next year.   The good news is, he knew I special ordered it for him, so he wore it with no complaints.   (whew!)

These were taken last week on the day of the School Halloween Carnival.  Glad I got pictures then because it snowed tonight at the Ward Trunk-or-Treating!

 

 

Oh...Layne is the one that painted Kennedy's face.  He used the photo of her from his open house last month as a reference and I think he did a GREAT job!

 

 

Reading Robot

 

Matt got his robot kit in the mail a week or so ago.  No, it's not really a reading robot, but if you remember this post here from July, I was having a hard time getting Matt to read.  He decided he would read and I would give him 2 stones per chapter so he could save up for a robot.   Well after he really caught the reading bug, I had to stop giving him stones.....he would be quite wealthy.  But, he did earn more stones by doing his jobs and was able to save his half of the cost of the robot ($20).   Layne ordered the robot and Matt was quite excited the day it came.

Unfortunately, Matt couldn't do a lot as the kit is geared for kids 12 and up.  There was a lot of soldering involved.  But, he still enjoyed spending several afternoons with Layne in my craft room working on this little robot.    It is actually quite cool....it moves rather fast and senses when there is something it will run into and then automatically switches direction.   I was quite impressed.

Yay that Matt is enjoying reading and building confidence in his reading too.  Yay for whatever motivation it takes to get kids hooked on reading!

 

 

 

 

Double Wedding

 

The Perfect Fall Day

Pumpkin Fairs and Puzzle Museums

 

My Little Sidekick

Candy Making

Hernia Schmernia (a novel)

 

 

     Last Christmas Eve I found a lump in my pelvis.   I spent the entire Christmas weekend thinking I was dying, naturally.  The following Tuesday when the doctor's office was open, I was prepared to go and find out how long I had to live.   But, by Tuesday, the lump had disappeared and I decided to let it go. 



 

     In the months that followed, the mysterious lump would come and go until recently it stayed almost all of the time.  I mentioned it to the PA once a few months back and she suggested it was a swollen lymph node and that I must be fighting something off.  That didn't sound right, so two weeks later I finally made an appointment with the actual doctor.  He said he thought it was a hernia and immediately set me up an appointment with a general surgeon. 

   

      Something about that title, "GENERAL SURGEON" sounds much scarier than just surgeon.  AND the fact that I don't like surgeries, like most people do, I actually considered NOT taking care of the hernia.  After all, it only hurt once in awhile when Hyrum hugged me and his head hit it or when I exercised a lot it felt kind of achy.

 

     After meeting with the surgeon, I learned that hernias can be very dangerous.  They are basically a hole in the muscle wall that then can suck in whatever organs the muscles are supposed to be holding....in my case, my intestines.  So, they can strangulate your intestines and actually kill you.   Okay, I thought, MAYBE I need to have surgery.  

 

     I asked what some of the other symptoms of a hernia are and he said that they can make you feel nauseous.  I asked if they can make you throw up for no reason to which he replied, "Sure, if they block your intestines, the food has nowhere to go and has to come back up."   DING DING DING.  Now I knew why I had randomly puked my guts up 3 times and felt nauseated several days a week for the past few years.  Okay, maybe I do need surgery.

 

     In learning more about hernias, I learned that hernias are caused by a weakening of the muscle wall until a hole forms.  The causes of the weakened muscle are many, but among them were a few that stuck out to me:  pregnancy and previous surgeries.  I guess between 3 pregnancies and 3 c-sections, I had a pretty good chance of getting a hernia.

 

     The surgeon found the obvious hernia on the right side and wanted to go ahead and to surgery on the left side also.  He said he could tell that if there wasn't a hernia there already, there would be and most people who have a hernia on one side of their pelvis, have one on the other side too.  These are called inguinal hernias.

 

       What the heck, I thought.  I might as well get the most work done while I'm under the knife anyway.   So, I mentioned a strange cluster of lumps on the inside of my upper thigh.  He knew exactly what I was talking about and called it a "lipoma".  Luckily they are just a cluster of fat cells that form with no explanation but are never cancerous.  (I know, I know, Layne says I'm completely falling apart.)

 

     The best part about this entire conversation with the surgeon was that he said, and I quote, "There is really no recovery, just don't go lifting the fridge."   Awesome, I thought.  I'll be in and out and still be able to take care of my kids and be at the Stake Harvest Fair on Saturday and no one will even know I had surgery.

 

     HA!   When I woke up from surgery I felt WORSE than with any of my c-sections.  (Granted, a sweet, new baby sure is a good distraction from pain.)  Either I'm a HUGE wimp or that surgeon has never had hernia surgery himself!!

 

    On a side note, the surgeon did mention that there is a big nerve that runs right through where they would be cutting.  He said it's usually quite visible and they just move it to the side, BUT if for some reason they can't find the nerve, he says casually, "then they cut through it and there is some numbness in that region."  

     "Numb, like permanently,"  I asked.   "Yes, permanently, but it's only the size of a silver dollar and you just get used to not being able to feel right there."

    

      Wouldn't you know it, they couldn't find that nerve!!!  They basically extended my c-section scar by two inches on either side.  The surgeon told Layne that they had to cut through much more scar tissue than they anticipated and they never did find the nerve to move it out of the way.  He told Layne I would be permanently numb more like 4-5 inches on both sides!!!  I can attest that that is true....I am NUMB.  I'm sure there is some benefit of being numb there, I just haven't figured out what it is yet. 

 

     Luckily, I had asked my mom to come stay with the kids for a few days and Layne took off work.  I have smart friends, who in spite of my telling them it was going to be no big deal, insisted on bringing me dinner.  I was so grateful that neither I nor my mom had to stress about what to feed the kids for dinner.  It was a long 3 days of getting kids out the door to school, but then my parents took the kids to Pocatello for the entire weekend so I could really rest.  It was so nice to lay on the couch, watch a movie and not feel bad that I was neglecting my kids.  Although, I have to say my kids were super sweet.  Hyrum kept wanting to come to my room to "visit" me.  He had toast in bed with me one day and just waned to be close.  Hyrum also helped me put my socks on one day.   Matt brought me drinks and meds and Kennedy helped refill my ice packs.  They were so shocked each day when they found me STILL in my pj's and looking like death.  "Aren't you better yet?" they'd say.

 

     I am finally on the mend and have worn real clothes for 2 days now.  The make up and hair will have to wait a few more days.   I admit, on Day 2, I had the fleeting thought, "I am NEVER having another abdominal surgery AGAIN!"   Let's face it, if it meant another baby, I'd do it in a heartbeat.   (However, I'd want a recliner so I don't have to climb stairs to get to my bed!)

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the Seasons of Life

 

        Probably about 5 years ago, my mom gave me a cute little glass leaf with a note that read:  "Enjoy the Seasons of Your Life".    I had two tiny kids and one on the way.  I read the note, thought it was nice, and didn't think about it again.  After all, I was so busy LIVING the life of changing diapers, cleaning crayon off the wall, wiping messy faces, making cookies, reading to my kids, and trying to get them to stay in their beds that I didn't have much time to sit and think about life at all.  

 

        Fast forward 5 years.   I have a 3rd grader, a 2nd grader and a soon-to-be 5-year-old.    Now that the kids are back in school; the days are pretty quiet.   I was looking back through some old videos awhile back.  There was one where my kids were all sitting around the kitchen table (well, Hyrum,who was probably a year old, was in his pajamas trying to climb up on the table).   Kennedy was telling some story, her hair all dissheveled and she had big, round cheeks and Matt was sitting there eating crackers in a duck costume, no less.    Oh how I miss those days.  The lazy days when no one got their hair combed and stayed in their p.j.'s indefinitely.   Days that were full of dressing up in costumes and dancing around the house.   I was telling my mom how much I miss those days of just being home and not running here and there.   She quickly reminded me of sleepless nights, diaper changing, and constant messes on the floors.   I'm glad that I remember the good from that season in my life. 

 

     I don't feel prepared for the season I've found myself in now.   I sort of thought my kids would stay little forever or that more babies would join us.   So, I am trying to find my peace in this season of life.  I am looking for the good and trying to figure out what I should be doing (mostly with Hyrum).   Yesterday, we went to feed the geese by the river.  That is definitely an activity that is more enjoyable in this season of my life than in seasons past.   It was the perfect day, we fed the geese, we strolled along the river and we chatted.   Hyrum told me that he wants to be a mom when he grows up.  I reminded him that boys grow up to be dads.   He decided being a dad would be okay because they get to play golf.  (I'm so curious where he learned that as Layne hasn't golfed in a long time).   It was nice day.  Different, but nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Haul From the Garden Tonight

 

 

This is what we got, minus the zucchini that wouldn't fit in the picture.  I LOVE my red potatoes and orange carrots.   LOTS of work for me!!

 

 

Matthew's Talk

Matt was asked to give a last minute talk last Sunday.  When I told him the topic of being obedient, he immediately thought about how we were asked to grow a garden and pay tithing.  I helped him organize his thoughts but most of it was his idea.

 

When We Are Obedient, We Are Blessed

September 2, 2012

              

 

The scriptures tell us that when we are obedient, we will prosper in the land.   This means that we will be blessed and have the things that we need.  We will also have the spirit in our in lives.    When we are NOT obedient, the scriptures tell us that we will be cut off from the presence of the Lord.     

             One of the commandments that came from our Stake Presidency was to grow a garden.   Our family planted a garden and now we are harvesting all of our vegetables.    Some of the blessings that have come from growing our own garden are:    learning how to work, spending time as a family and being able to share our produce with our neighbors.    We have also been blessed with delicious food!!!  We have had vegetable pot pie, zucchini bread, fresh green beans and just yesterday my dad made pickles.

            The prophets have asked us to read the Book of Mormon daily.   Our family strives to do this.   Some of the blessings that have come from reading the Book of Mormon are:    the opportunity to read and study the word of God and feel of His spirit daily. 

         Paying tithing is another commandment the Lord has asked us to keep.   When I earn money, I always pay my tithing.   I know the Lord will bless me to always have the things that I need.  

         I have a testimony that when we are obedient, we will be blessed.   I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

It's Time

I have thoroughly enjoyed summer.  I was thrilled that the kids didn't go back to school until after Labor Day.  However, the entire last week my kids were bored and at each others' throats.   We have had a fun-filled summer, but it is definitely time to go back to school!

 

I have to admit I was very nervous, ok moritified, at getting the kids out the door today.  Kennedy is usually making us late because she is so easily distracted (mostly by books) and Matt kept saying he didn't want to go to school and asking who invented school, anyway?    Luckily, Kennedy got ready quick and Matt stopped complaining after breakfast.   Once they saw their friends, they never looked back.  Happy 1st Day of School.  Hyrum and I got the grocery shopping done and the brownies are cooling for an after-school snack.

 

 

Last Minute Trip

Sunday afternoon, Layne decided he wanted to head to Burley to his parents.   So, we threw some clothes together and hopped in the car.    We were able to visit his grandmas, watch his niece's soccer game, ride bikes and do bottle rockets with the cousins.  It was a fun last trip of the summer.

 

 

Shell Creatures, Pot Pie and Pickles

I like long, lazy days but sometimes I really enjoy having something to "show" for the day.   Something that you can physically see and touch that shows you really accomplished something.  Yesterday was one of those days.   

 

Probably about six months ago, my mother-in-law gave my kids a bag of shells.   I put them in a safe place and planned to do something with them all summer.   Uh...hmmm....summer is pretty much ending tomorrow.  I got them out yesterday to make "shell creatures" (something I saw online of course).  I had even found "shell glue" a few months back on sale at JoAnn's for a buck fifty.   And so the creatures emerged.  By the way the shell glue really does work well with the surface of shells.   Everything adhered pretty good.

 

This is Matt's creature that I think looks a little like a sea horse.

This is Kennedy's (of course).   She was not impressed that I gave them only googly eyes to work with so she went through my cupboards and came up with what I think is the most adorable snail EVER!

This is Hyrum's creature.

This is another of Hyrum's....it's a one-eyed monster shell with crazy hair  (I think that's what he said).

Then Kennedy helped him make a snail similar to hers.

We went out to the garden yesterday and got a lot of veggies.  I decided to make a Vegetable Pot Pie.   We used onions, potatoes, green beans and purple carrots from our garden.   The kids helped cut out the embellishments for the crust.  I must say it was pretty tasty.

AND while I was making pot pie, Layne was making dill pickles.  I love when husband decides to tackle something and I don't have to do anything.   He invited the 11-year-old neighbor boy (who always looks bored out of his brains) to come and help.    That kid was so funny.   He had no idea that pickles come from cucumbers.   Layne and I both chuckled when Layne asked him to grab the dill and he said, "what's the deal?" 

Layne was originally going to make refrigerator pickles, but realized we couldn't keep 5 jars in the fridge indefinitely.  So, he built his own canner.....he placed several lid rings on the bottom of a large stainless steel pot, put a little water in the bottom and then set the bottles on top of the rings.  It worked well and everything got sealed.   The artist in him decided to throw in a few carrots from our garden to make it look nice.   

 

 

Rainbow Toast

 

Kennedy saw this idea for "rainbow toast" in the friend magazine.  The kids were thrilled to make it and I have to say it was pretty slick.  You just put food coloring in a little milk and paint it on the bread, then toast it.   **I sterilized my kids watercolor paintbrushes with hot water first!

 

 

Quick Trip to Island Park