This week's update

Finally got my results for this week, we're down to 54.3.  (Last week was 92.8).
Very excited!

Thanksgiving 2012

We changed our plans for Thanksgiving - instead of going to Utah, we stayed here.  We were going to join our family members that live here, but we still have sick little ones.  So, we made our own Thanksgiving feast.

Jace prepared and cooked the turkey.  We tried putting ice packs on the turkey breast before cooking, and it really worked to make the white meat moist. 

We also had these favorite foods (all homemade from scratch):
Cranberry relish
Cornbread stuffing
Our favorite mashed potatoes (Grandpa Hahn's recipe)
Chicken noodle soup with homemade whole wheat noodles (& our own chicken)
Maple pecan squash
Gravy that didn't thicken
A relish plate & dip made by Abby

For my meal, I had carrot juice, salad, and a few bites of each food that I prepared (just to see if the flavor was right.  Okay, I had a few extra bites of the butternut squash.  It is my very favorite.  But I was careful.) 

We had a great time preparing the food, Jace & Spencer played some football, everyone except Abby & me watched a football game, Bob worked on several projects, we took care of kids who were throwing up again, and then we enjoyed our yummy feast.

Mallory took this picture of our Thanksgiving meal

I am happy to report that we prepared all that food, and all the dishes were washed and put away before eating.  There's something fun about trying to keep all the dishes washed while preparing a huge meal.

Now the sun is setting and Andrew, Abby and Taycie are cuddled in blankets with me on the couch reading the Thanksgiving Story while everyone else is gone playing football.  We just blended up some raspberries with coconut, avocado, and a little stevia.  It was a yummy treat that I was able to enjoy today.  When everyone gets home, they will enjoy the pecan pies that Jace made. 

I am thankful for so many things today that I feel my heart will burst.  Some of the top ones are:

• My health, and the things that I've learned about health this year.
• My husband.  He is everything a real man should be, and I love him so much.  He loves me unconditionally and is so loyal and true to our marriage.  And his smile still makes my heart go pitter-pat. 
• That I know how to cook.  I was grateful this morning to realize that even though our plans changed, the thought of making a big Thanksgiving meal doesn't make me feel overwhelmed at all. 
• That Bob was offered a temporary job, starting Monday, until he finds other employment.  I was really worried about our finances for the upcoming month, and this came just in the nick of time.  I'm in awe.
• I'm thankful that families are forever.  Yesterday we attended the graveside service for Richard & Amber's sweet baby Adelaide.  The rain, sleet, and wind matched our broken hearts, but thank goodness we know that they will have that little girl in their family forever.  If we didn't know that we will see her again, it would be unbearable. 
• The big blessings: the gospel, the Savior, the scriptures, this country, my family.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Grandma abuse?

Abby was walking on my back tonight.  I was talking to Courtney, and I said "I can remember walking on my Mom's back." 

Abby stopped and said:  "You walked on your Mom's back?  That's awkward!" 

I said "Well, Abby, you are walking on your Mom's back."

She replied:  "Well, walking on a Grandma's back is awkward!"

This week's result

The hcg level hardly dropped at all this week.  It is 92.8 (last week was 99.1).  I'm pretty worried.  My doctor says it is fine as long as it dropped, but I haven't heard from the oncologist yet. 

I haven't gotten much sleep until last night because I've been up with kids throwing up every night  since Saturday, so maybe the lack of sleep is to blame.  We're going to have saltines and soda for Thanksgiving I think. 

Grieving

Bob's cousin's son Richard lives near us, and he is closer to Bob's age, so he is more like a cousin to Bob. Richard and his wife Amber and their two cute boys come to all our family dinners and get togethers and we love them.  Yesterday Amber went to the hospital to have her sweet baby girl.  There were major complications, Amber's uterus ruptured, and their beautiful baby girl passed away.  We are all stunned and we grieve for you, Richard and Amber.  We wish there was some way to ease the burden.  We know only Heavenly Father can ease the pain so you are in our prayers. 

Headstand Contest

 Zach stayed up for 4 1/2 minutes, and won for his class.  After the last competitor fell down, Zach waved his legs around and spun on his head to end it. 

 Mallory did well and stayed up 1 1/2 minutes.

 Spencer stayed up for 10 minutes, and won for his age group.

The rest of the family had so much fun being at the gym.  Usually all the kids take classes, but this year I kept the three youngest home while I'm getting better.  Taycie and Abby liked this big slide, and Bob had a blast with the trampolines and foam pit.

That's Bob in the air, doing a flip thingy.

End of the year football party

 This year Bob was Spencer's head coach for his Grid Kid team.  Jace was an assistant coach.  They had a great season, if you count how much they enjoyed it.  Even though their team only scored one touchdown, they all want to be on the same team next year.

 They went to iJump and had pizza, a highlight dvd, and awards for their end of year party.

Homemade Soap

 Andrew, Abby and I made homemade laundry detergent the other day.

 Andrew shredded the soap

Abby added the Borax and Washing Soda.  Then we mixed it up.  That's all there is to it.  It seems to be working great, and it costs way less than store-bought detergents.  You can google homemade laundry detergent and there are oodles of pages containing the recipe. 

Our Autumn Party

 We really don't celebrate Halloween here, but Zach was feeling left out and wanting to go trick or treating, so I knew we needed to do something fun. In years past, we'd always had huge Autumn parties with our friends, but I was certainly not up to it this year.  Instead, we just had a party with our little ones because our older children were off at parties with their friends.  

 We did apple bobbing, ate popcorn, and played the game "Pit". 

 Abby needed a smaller tub for her apple bobbing.

 Taycie was really getting in to it. 

Courtney got home from her costume party around 9, and Mallory took this picture of her.  She was dressed as a princess, because she let Abby choose what her costume would be. 

I'm turning orange...

 I'm actually turning orange from all the carrot juice I've been drinking.  It's kind of funny.  I probably look like I've been fake tanning, but it is just from all that juice.  I drink 1-2 quarts a day.  2 quarts is my goal, but usually I drink about 1 1/2.  Comparing my skin to others kind of makes them look pale.  After noticing this, Bob started drinking more carrot juice too. 

My palms and feet are where the color is the most noticeable

I remember when my brother had a friend in college who tried to turn himself orange in a couple of weeks by eating nothing but carrots.  He had a website and everything.  As I recall, it didn't work very well for him.  Maybe he didn't stick with it long enough.  

Here's another person who recovered from cancer who turned orange.

Funny thing, it doesn't worry me at all, I kind of like the healthy glow from the orange color.  So, hopefully these pictures don't worry anyone.  The color will fade as soon as I decrease my carrot juice intake.

Happy Birthday to You!!!

 Courtney turned 14 at the end of October. 

What an amazing influence this girl has on our family.  She is sweet and tenderhearted with a spunky little sense of humor that makes us laugh.  She is talented and ambitious and such a perfectionist.  I remember when she was a baby, she would cry if we would leave a cupboard door open or leave something out on the counter.  Now, when it is her turn to do the dishes, she washes them thoroughly, organizes them in perfect rows, and sorts them by color.  (Okay, not by color, I don't think.)  She has a million purses and bags which are perfectly organized and have everything in them that she would need to survive for weeks. (Like hairspray and makeup).

I have to include a few pictures of her silly side:

Courtney has always been so excited to grow up.   Turning 12 was a huge milestone that she looked forward to for months, and she immediately began wearing makeup, and high heels every day for weeks after turning 12.  When she got her ears pierced, she described it as "the happiest day of my life!"

Courtney and a few of her best friends, Sierra, Arianna, and Keziah

 Courtney is a good friend.  I remember wondering if she would ever have any friends because she was so shy when she was little.  But she attracts lots of wonderful friends and she truly loves them all.  She comments to me all the time about what she loves about each one of them.  She sees the best in everyone.  It really bothers her if any of her friends do things they shouldn't.  If she sees them being mean to a younger sibling, or telling things that aren't true, she always talks to me about it.  She lifts others and helps them to be better. 

Kiera, Iliana, Keya and Courtney

Courtney has a desire to do what is right and to be obedient.  She believes in the gospel.

She is easy to raise in so many ways.  When she was little, she would burst into tears if we would simply tell her we were disappointed in her.  And that hasn't changed much.

Courtney is an amazing influence on her younger sisters.  Abby has adored Courtney ever since she was an infant.  She would often want to go to Courtney more than me.  Sometimes being Abby's favorite can be exhausting, because Abby is a bit demanding of Courtney.  But Courtney is so sweet with her.  She gets up in the night to help her use the restroom or get a drink, does her hair almost every day, and plays with her, dresses her up, etc.  In fact, Courtney is so kind to all children.  Anyone she babysits loves her so much.  Last summer she had a preschool class that she planned all on her own, bought snacks for, and planned fun activities, songs and stories for the cute students in her class.

Courtney, you are a beautiful girl.  I've learned so much from you. 

Courtney recently started ballet.  She is so beautiful and graceful.

Courtney and friends at a recent homeschool group potluck dinner & pie night