Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

Today I turned 37. I don't even know how I feel about that number. But for posterity sake I want to record how the big day was spent........
Urgent care at 9 a.m.- red streaks running from my foot to my groin and intense pain in my leg signaled something might be wrong. apparently a blister that refused to heal was infected and that infection traveled into my blood stream. it was really really painful. i had to get a shot of liquid antibiotics in my hip. that was really really painful. I returned home and proceeded to lay on my couch for the next 9 hours watching episodes of the OFFICE on netflix- that was only kinda painful. What a crappy way to celebrate a person's birthday. so i decided that next week I will celebrate my birthday a few hours everyday to make up for missing any type of celebration on my actual birthday.

"mean guys"

This morning Quincy woke up in tears- she was sobbing. As I rushed to comfort her I said a quick prayer of thanks (I have felt very grateful for my opportunity to be a stay at home mom lately-this whole scene would have played out much differentenly if i was busy getting for work). Anyway after a big hug Quincy began to reveal the details of her bad dream-mean guys picked her up (I started to prepare myself for the worst- who were these mean guys and what did they do to her after picking her up that could have possibly produced this nightmare- I have watched one to many episodes of Law and Order SVU)......anyway the mean guys took her to Grandma and Grandpa Dance's house and......are you ready.......they wouldn't let her have any cookies! I breathed a sigh a relief and said another quick prayer of thanks that my seven year has been kept safe from "mean people" -
note to grandma and grandpa- please have cookies available upon are arrival. :)

We can do hard things........

I'm back.....this time long term. I got side tracked with all the other social networking junk out there and completely abandoned my very own blog. BUT I have a new purpose for blogging and renewed determination for documenting 2011 for the Peterson family. For the first time ever I am introducing a family theme (stole idea from a friend who borrowed it from another blogger). Our theme for 2011 is......drum roll please........WE CAN DO HARD THINGS BUT WITH THE LORD WE CAN DO ALL THINGS! Isn't that a beautiful statement. I have a testimony of this already. However, I forget and find myself putting my trust in man versus the Lord. AND then I get so annoyed with myself.  When I was first married I took a job as a receptionist for a not so nice guy. He was very demanding and intimidating. I was young and inexperienced. I hated working for him but given our situation it is what needed to be done. My job security depended on my ability of mastering a challenging data entry program (I didn't have the luxury of being trained by the previous employee). I prayed to understand the system and to be less intimidated by the boss. It was truly a miracle how quickly I learned the process and how my confidence increased. Interacting with that man and learning the system was hard but the Lord blessed me with the ability to triumph. I only lasted a month or two- the guy was a real ego maniac and it just wasn't worth the energy to put up with him.  Fast forward 8 years, 1 college degree and 1 child later I had another really hard choice to make. I worked at a job that I hated at first but then loved. It was an intense and demanding career. BUT the right people liked me and I was good at what I did so I excelled. I was also the main breadwinner. Quinn was finishing mortician school and we lived in Portland, Oregon. Our only child, Reece, had just turned 2 and I got the distinct impression that I needed to make some sacrifices and become a stay at home mom. This decision came after much study and prayer. It was so HARD.  I had no idea how we would live, eat or do anything. On paper, the loss of my income wreaked havoc on our financial situation. Nonetheless there was no denying that I needed to be a stay at home mom. Fast forward 10 years, 2 more kids and a move to Meridian, Idaho.  I reflect on that time and can see the Lord's hand in my life so clearly. I guess hindsight is always 20/20. I have faced extreme challenges in the last 10 years and am confident that I will continue face hard things my whole mortal experience. I want to strengthen my testimony in, and teach my children, the truth that with the Lord we can do all things. So we are kicking 2011 with a family party.....i don't know the details yet but I will share them asap. The first hard thing I am preparing myself for is the reality that my children will probably not be totally on board with this. This is new and will be out of their comfort zone (dare I mention our baby who is 4 still refuses to dress himself! and I have tolerated this in lieu of a temper tantrum). Not yelling at them to cooperate, resisting the urge to lecture them on appreciating my efforts and being patient with them will be HARD- more than I can express- BUT i am preparing now......Day ONE = January 1, 2011.

it gets easier

Tonight when i told Jamie and Todd, that Bob passed away on Monday, I didn't even cry. Tuesday, when I told Ruthie and Artie, the other neighbors, I couldn't stop the tears. We were driving home from Blackfoot when Corinne called to tell us the news. We will miss Bob very much. Corinne is staying in the house as long as her health allows. i am so glad. it would be hard to lose them both at the same time.

inquring minds want to know......

Yesterday, Trey's inquiring mind wanted to know....
what's a flat tire?
why do tires go flat?
what kind of bug is that?
can i squash that bug?
do elephant have ears?
why did the road workers paint those lines yellow?
what is reece doing at school?
when will quincy be home?
how do you spell rattlesnake?
are rattlesnakes nice?
is "poop" a naughty word?
when do i get to go to lacy's house?
what comes after monday?


Yesterday Bob's inquiring mind wanted to know......
how do i die?

and Corinne's inquiring mind wanted to know.......
what am i going to do after Bob passes away?

i guess, no matter what stage of life we are in, we never stop asking questions.

Counting my blessings

Seeking mature individual to care for our 3 children ages 8, 6, and 2 while we are at work...
3-4 evenings a week - usually Monday, Tuesday, Sunday...and some Wednesday's 

Must be able to pick-up children from daycare before 6 pm and care for them at our home in Star
Prepare dinner, assist with homework when needed, bath and bedtime routine ect.

Please call or text (number removed)

*Currently working 2 jobs so if I do not answer please leave detailed message (Age, location, desired wage, have own transportation ect.) 



i am weird, i know. sometimes for fun i browse the classified section of craigslist. maybe it's my way of staying connected to the world outside my four walls. sometimes i think the perfect part time job waits for me and if i don't cruise the job listings i'll never know. i came across this ad and it just broke my heart.  really a nanny picking up children from daycare? my heart breaks for those little children. my heart also hurts for the adults. i have to assume they don't want to be working two jobs. i also have to assume that they are working their tails off to put food on the table, clothes on their back and a roof over their heads, not to pay for a house they can't afford or cars they can't afford or any part of a lifestyle they can't afford. i have to assume that it breaks their hearts to have their babies picked up from daycare, fed dinner and bathed, by a nanny. but you know what they say about assuming........
at this moment i feel very blessed. we don't have much, money included. but it's 6:23 p.m. and my 3 year old is laying on the floor singing songs to ME. my 6 year old will soon return from a play date and tell ME all about her fun. and my 11 year old is showing off his football skills to his dad. soon our little family will gather around the kitchen and eat a dinner prepared by ME, even if it's cold cereal.

Tribute to Morrison's

Dear Blog: Three weeks ago we found out that our dear neighbor and friend had cancer. WHAT? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN I inquired? Just last week Bob was replacing some weather coverings on his roof and was full of life and now he lay on his couch, hardly able to carry on a conversation, he gets so winded. NO details. We don't know anything. Bob started losing feeling in his legs so he went in to get that checked. CANCER!
Two weeks ago: Bob gets oxygen and the type of cancer is confirmed: lung cancer. What can we do to help? Please let us help you, I cry. You have always done so much for us it's the least we can do. Bob is crying too. He doesn't want to impose on us. "Too bad"! I say. We are helping. Corinne, his wife, broke her back several years ago and can't drive or vacuum or stand for too long. Bob was her primary care giver. NOW WHAT? I demand to help- and they finally relent. I get to do their grocery shopping, clean their house and Reece gets to mow the lawn. They insist on paying for the cleaning and mowing, even though i made these really cute all inclusive service coupons for her birthday gift, and encouraged her to redeem them. They don't understand how important performing these acts of service (although they are paying) are to me. They also don't understand Why? Why would I, the busy mother of three make time to serve them. Well, let me tell you.....
Nine years ago when we bought our house Bob came over the first day he saw us. He told us he helped the previous owners with all their maintenance needs so he knew our house like the back of his hand. if we needed help he was there. Who knew that initial encounter would blossom into such a friendship. In the last nine years Bob has helped us do more and borrow more (he has every tool for any job) than I can count. Bob is 83 and if he hasn't seen it or doesn't know how to fix it then watch out. It probably can't be done. Every year Bob grows "us" a garden. Jelly belly's are kept stocked so my kids and any other neighborhood kids that tag along- can come over for a sugary treat. Trey has his very own special stash of suckers as Bob and Corinne didn't want to risk Trey ingesting a peanut butter jelly belly (he has severe food allergies). No one else gets suckers except Trey. Who DOES that? Bob.
This week: Oncologist delivers the horrible news: two months, maybe less. hospice came today for the first time and it was very overwhelming for Bob. They mixed up his medicines, talked to fast, talked to Corinne and NOT him. He is frustrated and sad and I cry when I am over there. I tell him that we are so sorry and that we love him. Bob has family and they live around the area and they are helping BUT i want to help too. I want them to know how much they mean to us. I will try not to impose too much but helping them gives me a sense of purpose right now. It makes me feel like what I am doing matters. I don't get that same feeling from serving  my own family (cooking dinner, doing laundry, scrubbing toilets, grocery shopping). I don't know why. Maybe it's because my family expects those acts and aren't so appreciative. Feeling appreciated and valued.......Isn't that every stay at home mom's plight? I digress......
no pictures. Bob says he's not having his picture taken for anything!  i asked him if i can come over and orally record some of his family history (he is always telling stories). NO- no one cares about my life is his response. i wish he would change his mind. i try to explain to him that generations to come will care. then i reminisce about my ancestors. do i care about their lives? not right now but i may in the future, when i have more time. what if i made the time? what could i learn from their histories? I digress......
funeral arrangements  have been made and quinn, only quinn, is to handle all the details. this service will be hard for quinn but Bob's family will be in good hands. quinn is good at his job. two months is too generous. bob has deteriorated so quickly already in just 3 weeks. i have literally witnessed the life being sucked out of him. he has no fight in his eyes. i think just worry for Corinne. Bob is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but hasn't been active for over 63+ years. This makes me sad too. does he know that after he passes through mortality his son, that died at age 19, will meet him? does he know that when Corinne's turn on earth is over he will meet her again? do they know that sacred ordinances can be performed on earth that will bind their family for eternity? I digress......
Tonight: Corinne couldn't find one of the medications she needed to give Bob. Hospice is coming tomorrow to review everything. I tell her I can come tomorrow while hospice is there and listen to the instructions and then at night if she can't remember i can help her. she indulges me and says i can come over all the while Bob is yelling in the background something about why would a mother of 3 want to burn herself out on two old people.....BLAH BLAH BLAH.
Well Bob let me tell you.........what goes around comes around. and that includes acts of service.