Last Monday, Big Daddy had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia. It was a planned surgery and what we thought would have a relatively easy recovery. Because of how late Ben’s surgery was and that his surgeon was not able to do the surgery laproscopically, he was admitted to St. Luke’s and we figured we… Continue reading The Answer to What’s Going on with Big Ben
You know you have a big family when a regular sized bag of Krusteaz isn’t enough for Saturday morning breakfast…not even kidding. Forget boxed cereal. I’m pretty sure that only feeds three or four. Not to mention the cost of convenience foods multiplied by many! We would literally break the bank if most of our… Continue reading Feeding the herd: Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes
4am on Tuesday morning Boden and I hit the road. Our appointment was scheduled for 6 hours later in Salt Lake. I don’t think I slept the night before — I was worried I’d miss my alarm and I was excruciatingly nervous about the outcome of the appointment with Dr. Butterfield that we had waited… Continue reading Boden Update — SLC Primary Children’s Trip 1
When Mark died, Ben was only 8 years old. They were best friends and buddies, and he was Mark’s little shadow. And, he didn’t cry. We were worried. I sought advice from a counselor, researched a little on the internet, and then followed my mom instincts. “If I had been sleeping on the couch, I… Continue reading 7 Ways to Help Your Kiddo Cope with Grief (& helps for big people, too)
Last Monday, after several days on a ventilator, I said goodbye to my Dad and watched him slip peacefully in to the eternities. It’s been hard…and surreal…and exhausting…and heartbreaking…and tender. We are grateful for our faith and knowledge we have of eternal life and while we are devastated that we lost him here in this… Continue reading Saying Goodbye
We have a herd of athletes in our house and there are three things we run out of on a regular basis — food (teenagers eat…a LOT), Deep Blue rub, and ice packs. Throw in a mom with a bum back, a kiddo with some muscle issues, and a very active herd of little kids… Continue reading DIY Ice Packs
No, this isn’t a how-to lesson on insect fumigation and getting rid of ant hills. Instead, this is a post about how I learned to help my adopted children talk to me about their early childhood trauma and abuse. After 8 rages in 9 days, we were at our wits end on how to get… Continue reading Ant Hills
