Answered Prayers

Carter had a scout campout. I was helping him get ready to go. We said a prayer for safety and protection right before his ride was supposed to come. After praying, I felt like I should get him some allergy medication, and I threw in some quick dissolving Benadryl. Bill called me today and said that he was really grateful I had thrown that in along with his regular slower acting medication. Carter had had a severe reaction, possibly to peanuts the other boys were eating next to him. (Carter had told me a few times the last few weeks of school that he seemed to be having reactions to peanuts other kids had at lunchtime. I should have taken him more seriously!) I am so grateful for answers to prayer and promptings of the Holy Ghost!

Remember when Avery blamed her poopy diaper on a bee about six years ago? Sadie has regressed in her potty training, and today, she followed in her big sister's footsteps.

Me: Why didn't you go in the potty?

Sadie: I did go on the potty. Something else pooped in my pull-up.

Me: Really?

Sadie: Probably it was an ant.

Hey Diddle Diddle, The Cow Jumped Over the Fence

It's my last day of steroids, so hopefully I will start sleeping again. I never fell asleep at all last night, so today I am kind of loopy. At church, the organist was not having the best day, and it kept making me giggle. I completely understand because I have had those kinds of days where I keep messing up, but it still struck me as funnier than it should have been every time a wrong note was played or when he got completely lost one time. (Remember that I have that neurological condition that makes me overreact and laugh harder than is normal sometimes, and then think how much worse it would be when I haven't been sleeping much at all for a couple of weeks and not at all for the last night.) Then, Bill told me he was 90% sure that he left the iron on, so he left in the middle of church to make sure our house wasn't burning down. He didn't come back for a long time, so I felt a bit worried that it really had caught on fire. Once he returned and was sitting by me again, he said that it took so long because he had to call the cops because one of the cute baby cows in the field next to our house had jumped the fence and was wandering around the neighborhood. He said the cop got here in less than a minute, so we've got a great emergency response time for wandering cows. He said Sadie had told him before we left to go to church that she saw it jump the fence, but he didn't believe her. Well, hearing about the cow made me laugh even harder. I was not very reverent in church today, but at least Bill temporarily saved a cow, until it jumps the fence again and makes its way to the highway and gets hit by a car.... I had no idea cows could jump that high. It's probably a five foot high fence where it got out! 

And before we even went to church, Bill and I were laughing really hard because I couldn't find anything to wear that didn't make me look five months pregnant. I'm retaining so much water from the drugs! 

Blind or Paralyzed?

I love when Sadie makes up her own songs. Here's part of one from the other day. "I know Jesus is so rea-oh. And he's so friendwy, and he wuvs me so much. Pwease don't take my Jesus away."

Would you rather be blind or have your legs paralyzed? I probably won't get a choice, and one day I'll probably be both, although maybe not with all the advances that are still in testing right now! So, of you had to choose, which would you rather be? What is your reasoning? Right now, even though it's hard this week to not be able to walk, I think I'd probably choose to have my legs paralyzed. I'm frustrated to not be able to move, but I would adjust to not walking and using a wheelchair, etc. to get around. I may not see quite well enough to drive, but I can still read and see my family, and I don't want to lose that! 

(Update since I forgot to finish writing the post before: I got on steroids really quickly, and I am getting better way faster than I have in the past. My aunt had told me that starting steroids right at the beginning of a relapse makes a huge difference in how fast she gets over her relapses, but the previous times, everything was just so slow getting processed that I hadn't been able to start on steroids until I had been having problems for weeks, so it took months to get better the other times.) 

Sometimes I make jokes about not being a full capacity human, and it's sort of true. I'm tired all the time, way beyond what's normal for a tired mom, which I also am. I don't get much done around the house except laundry. I can't drive anywhere. I'm too tired to fix my hair very often. I can't exercise at the moment, so the only things working at full capacity are my jeans. I forget that while I may not be able to function at full physical capacity, I still have full value as a person. It's hard to get over the mindset that I'm only worth as much as I accomplish. I never think less of other people who can't do things, but I almost always think less of myself for not living up to my own expectations. I need to remember that God doesn't have the same expectations. He just expects me to do my best, whatever that is. I already know these things, but I'm not very good about actually implementing these thoughts and feelings. I need to be a better example to my kids of having a good attitude more of the time. I think they've seen my cry too much the last couple of weeks. I'm blaming my mood on the steroids and possibly not having enough chocolate, specifically chocolate cake. Also, spring break is not much fun when we are stuck at home! 

Vacation planning always gives me energy, so as you're answering the blind vs. paralyzed question, also give me ideas for vacations. You get two suggestions each, one family vacation idea and one couples vacation idea. If you are the first person to suggest the idea we pick, I'll send you a $10 Amazon gift card.