Excitement, hope, sponsorship....

I've been wanting to make a difference, a real difference.  I want to make life a little easier for people out there who are hurting, and hungry, and thirsty.  For those who are sick and do not have access to or cannot afford medical treatment.  For those who long for an education.  And while I do not have the time, education or resources to make a difference on the level that is my hearts ultimate desire, I can start small and make a difference in the life of one child.  I've been searching for ways to help on a level more realistic to me and my current situation, and what I have come up with really excites me!!  Actually, Jason and I are both really excited.  As I was telling Alyssa about our plans, she cried.  I'm not sure she was quite aware of the desperate need that so many experience in our world today.  She has such a tender heart.  But as we finalized our plans, she grew as excited as we are.  She even plans on writing about it for the "Good News Box" at school tomorrow. :)
We have decided to sponsor a child through World Vision!  A six year old little girl from Ethiopia, named Meskerm.  She even has the same birthday as Alyssa!  I'm so excited to learn more about her, her family, her life.  We all are.  And I cannot wait to see the positive changes that happen in her life from our sponsorship.  I look forward to becoming great long distance friends.

It's a good day...

I woke up this morning to sunshine!  Beautiful, bright sunshine that has lit up my house all day long, I love it!  If you've been in my house, you probably know we don't get a whole lot of natural light in here.  We have no windows facing west and with the add on in the back, well it just keeps a lot of light from entering in to our main living area.  But today the whole house has just been filled with light and it makes me smile.

I love weekends.  Yes, I stay home everyday.  I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to do that.  But at the same time, it gets really lonely around here.  So I'm always excited when Friday gets here cause I know I will get to have Jason home with me (and Alyssa too) for two whole days.  Today I found out though that Jason will actually get a 5 day weekend for turkey day!!  Yay!!  I mean, I was super excited for 4 days, but 5!!!  I don't know, I'm just really looking forward to that. 

This weekend I did some grocery shopping for my new diet.  No potatoes, or derivatives from potatoes, which can I just say is SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS!  And no fruit/sugar combos.  Ugh.  I have been so frustrated.  It's quite the adjustment to make, I will eventually get around to posting another blog about it.  But today, I took my new potato free ingredients and made myself a truly glorious sandwich and savored every single last bite of it!  I didn't even miss my beloved pickles, which I can no longer have due to the crazy fact that even salt, yes salt, has stinkin' potato in it!  It tasted like heaven.

My son is currently napping... he's been napping now for two hours.  After his napless day yesterday and the crankiness that came along with not napping, I have truly enjoyed these peaceful two hours.  Yep, today is a good day.

A trip to the naturopath...

Since being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis last April, finding a good naturopath doctor has been on my list of things to do.  I'm not too trusting of most "regular" doctors and I don't really agree with a lot of medicine that is out there used to treat people for various reasons.  I don't even like to take Tylenol or ibuprofen.  It honestly just isn't good for your body.
My colitis has really been flaring for a week or so, although I have been in a mild but bearable flare for a few months now.  So I decided that it was finally time that I take a trip to the naturopath.  A few people my mom knows actually recommended this doctor to me.  Her father was a naturopath, she took over his clinic, and previously he had taken over the clinic from his mentor.  It's the oldest naturopath clinic in the United States, so I figured, why not?
The visit was interesting.  Some things were pretty typical to most doctors office visits.  Checking blood pressure, temperature and knee reflexes.  But that is where the similarities end.  I didn't even know that doctors check reflexes in your ankles.  A delayed reflex may mean that you have thyroid issues.  My ankles were good. :)  I also had my blood oxygen level tested, not sure how common that is.  Another test we did was Iridology.  I'm not 100% sure exactly what it is that she was looking for, but she was looking for some sort of irregularities in the fibers of my iris.  Different sections in the iris correspond to different areas of the body and a break in the fibers or some sort of other abnormality shows stress or inflammation in that area of the body.  Some areas in my body that show signs of stress are my liver, small intestine, lower colon, and lung (most likely due to the cold I have).   Also she noticed that I have what is almost a fluttering affect with my pupils when exposed to light.  Most people's pupils change rapidly when exposed to light and dark, mine sort of flutter back and forth.  This is a sign of adrenal fatigue which is most likely caused by stress.  Go figure.  Stress is a huge trigger for my Colitis symptoms as well.  We did a food intolerance test.  I learned that I have an intolerance to... potatoes!  Potatoes!!  Of all the things in the world.  I LOVE potatoes!  Baked potatoes, grilled potatoes, fried potatoes, french fries, mashed potatoes, roasted garlic potatoes, sweet potatoes, twice baked potatoes, veggie hungarian goulash from Old European... oh potatoes, how I will miss you!!!  I also have another intolerance, but it is only when these two are paired together... sugar and fruit.  So in a day, I can have one or the other, but not both.  This could be a tough one, but honestly it doesn't make me as sad as losing my beloved potatoes.  I am interested to see how cutting these things out will make a difference in my body though.
During the visit I also learned that I am possibly anemic, which really doesn't come as a surprise due to the amount of blood I've been losing.  I'm also vitamin D deficient, sodium deficient, and I need to really up my intake of omega 3's (funny...I just ordered some fish oil yesterday).  Going in for a blood draw tomorrow to confirm the anemia and vit D deficiency.
I go back for a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks to discuss all of the findings and set forth a plan of action to heal my body.  I'm looking forward to feeling better and getting this disease under control without the need for crazy medication.  I even got to check out the movie SICKO, from the doc office.  Cant wait to watch it.

15 month old Landon...

This age is so much fun!!  Landon is learning so much every single day and his personality is REALLY starting to develop now.  He is learning to play and pretend. He is always making me laugh, and if I'm not laughing, I'm probably telling him no. :)

Words Landon can say without prompting:
DAAAAA!!!!  (calling for his dad of course)
all duhh  (all done)
Ehhmo  (elmo)
tada!!
ditty  (kitty)
duh-duh  (doggie)
dow  (down)
buhh  (bus)
bah  (ball)
nana  (banana)
dishy  (fishy)
buh-bye
hi
ewwoh  (hello)
yes
no-no (with the finger shake of course)

I'm sure there are a few more.  And there are words he can say, but require some prompting and only if he feels like saying them. :)
Landon loves to read books, or have them read to him.  About a week or two ago, he started bringing me books that he wants to read.  I love that.  He loves rocks, and will stop to sit and play with them no matter where we are.  He loves sticks and dirt too... all of the typical boy stuff.  He is becoming a good little eater.  There isn't much he doesn't like to eat, so happy he isn't picky.  He is not big on cuddling, which does make me a little sad, he is just on the go all of the time.  If he's awake he is moving and busy.  He loves to make messes, but one of the greatest things he's learned lately is how to also pick up his mess.  So awesome!  He LOVES the vacuum and to "help" with the dishes (mostly taking the dishes out of the dishwasher while we are trying to put them in).  He also discovered the broom and enjoys sweeping.  Is it too early for him to learn how to cook too? ;)

time slips away...

I have been down right horrible at this blogging thing!  No posts in 5 months!!  And so much has been happening too!  Looks like I will have to play some catch up yet again....

Easter Pics!

Cookies, Curley's, Colitis and more...

Ahhhhh!!!  What a ride we've been on the last couple of months.  I've been dying for weeks to jump on here and dish all that's been happening around here but I just haven't had much time to sit down and actually do it.  So now I get to type out one big ol' long post about it all.  Hope I don't bore you to death. ;)

So first off... cookies, cookies, cookies!!!  This year was Alyssa's second year in Girl Scouts and so it was also her second year selling cookies.  Last year she did great and sold over 300 boxes.  This year... over 700 boxes!!  She set a goal and totally reached it and I am so proud of her!  In pre-orders alone she whooped the pants off her overall total for last year.  Many thanks to our family and friends for all of the help... she wouldn't have made it without the support of all of you.  I wish I would have taken a picture of our downstairs with all of the pre-ordered boxes.  We were swimming in cookies there for a minute. 

The last day of booth sales for Alyssa and the day that began her spring break, she came home from school and immediately broke out in hives.  Poor girl... she has had them off and on for the last couple of years and we have yet to figure out what causes her to have them.  Took her to the doc, got her on some meds and she went and sold cookies like a total trooper and then even stayed the night with a friend afterwards.  The next night, Grandma Carla came to stay with the kids.  It was my dear friend Stephanie's 30th birthday party/80's prom.  Jason and I didn't dress very "promish" but it was so much fun finding and putting together our outfits.  

The party began at Steph's house, she had drinks and snacks and a super sweet balloon arch for prom pictures.  And then we made our way to Curley's.  Jason and I never go out, so this was our first time going there.  Can I just tell you, walking through there was almost like being in Frontierland at Disneyland.  The place is awesome!  If it wasn't a bar, I would love to take Alyssa there just so she could see it.  Maybe when she's 21.  Maybe.  We had so much fun though.  The band was great, I'm not much of a dancer, but we totally got a kick out of watching all of the "older" people out on the dance floor.  Curley's is a biker bar, and aside from the group of us that were there for Steph's birthday, I would say the majority of the crowd that hangs out there is 55+.  The only thing that wasn't enjoyable was the fact that the bar is in Idaho and in Idaho you can still smoke is some public places including bars.  I had to come home and shower right away.  But we had the greatest time and it was our first somewhat official date, well, night out without kids since having Landon.  I'm already looking forward to the next date night.

We were probably one of the first people to leave, but I am happy we got home when we did.  Alyssa had fallen asleep in the living room and when we woke her up to take her back to her bedroom, she got sick and threw up and had hives again and this time all over her entire body. :(  We decided she needed to be seen, so Jason took her down to the ER and I stayed home with Landon.  They were there til 4 am.  As a result, she has an appt this Friday for allergy testing.  The kind of testing where they poke you a ton of times with different extracts on your back to see what you react to.  I'm hoping it wont be too uncomfortable for her.  And we've got a deal, that if she makes it through her appt. like a champ, she gets to go out for a treat.  I'm anxious to find out what has been the cause of all the chaos in her body.

For Valentine's Day I bought tickets to Elton John for my mom and I.  Can I just say how pleased I am that I made that decision? :)  I haven't been to many concerts lately, just cause tickets are so dang expensive.  BUT... this IS Elton John people!!  A total legend, and let's face it, the guy is not getting any younger.  I figured if I was ever going to see him, I had better do it now.  He was/is amazing!  His voice is just as great live as it is recorded and the guy can rock!  His whole band rocks!  My ears rang for quite some time after we left the arena.  I would go again in a heartbeat!

Lately, we've been dying to get out and work in the yard.  We have bigger plans for our garden this year and are anxious to set those plans into motion.  We have had the coldest, wettest spring this year, it's made it hard to get out and do much of anything.  So we have to take advantage of any days that haven't been totally soggy.  Landon had his first experience with grass a couple of weeks ago.  He wasn't too sure about it at first.  Every time he put his hand down to touch it, he immediately pulled his hand away.  We've been out a few more time since then and he's warmed up to the grass much more and now of course like everything else all he wants to do is put it in his mouth. :)

So, for the last couple of months, I had been noticing things weren't quite right with my health.  My symptoms were subtle, but the longer they lasted, I grew increasingly more worried.  I have always been a fairly healthy person.  Never have I broken a bone, been in a hospital, other than the time I ate some grapes and my mom thought I had ingested something poisonous and while giving birth to my kids, never had to have a surgery.  Never had a major horrible illness.  I've just been good my whole life.  I went in to the doc and was checked out and left feeling good about what was going on with me.  It "supposedly" wasn't anything serious and a few quick fixes was all I needed to heal this "supposed" problem.  But then the next day came and all of a sudden, not only was I having the symptoms I had the day before, but they suddenly grew 100 times worse.  Horrible, terrifying, just not good.  I decided to give it a day.  After what I had been told the day before, I was sure that it would just go away.  Maybe I ate something that wasn't right.  I had to just be something that would be gone the next day.  Wrong.  Super wrong.  So I called the doc again.  This time he sent me in for a colonoscopy.  Can I just tell you how out of place I felt sitting in that waiting room?  Everyone else there was at least 70.  And even worse, they were all looking at me like... What are YOU doing here?  I wasn't too freaked out prior to the scope.  I figured I had an infection or something similar that could just be taken care of.  But of course being me, I prepared myself for every possibility, however, I honestly didn't think I would walk out of there a different person.  But.... I did.  That day, April 12th, 2011, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.  A disease somewhat similar to Crohn's Disease, but one that affects the large intestine, rather than the small.  Something that I will live with the rest of my life.  I will forever deal with periods of flare ups and periods of remission.  And can I just say, I feel like I have been taken on quiet the roller coaster ride these last couple of weeks.  My emotions have been up and down and all around and right now I am still trying to soak it all in.  I will write a post dedicated just to this subject soon. 

A few days after my diagnosis, a friend of mine was in town for the weekend and a few of us got together for dinner.  It was just what I needed.  Get out, talk, laugh, just be surrounded by some good girlfriends.  Sometimes girlfriends are the best medicine.  Thank you ladies for sharing your ears and your hearts with me.  The next dinner date cant come soon enough.

In the middle of it all, I decided at the super last minute to consign a BUNCH of Alyssa's old clothes at the Just Between Friends sale.  I really wanted to shop the pre sale to pick up some summer clothes for Alyssa and some new jammies for Landon and whatever else we could find.  In order to shop the pre sale, you must either volunteer or consign.  I didn't have the time to volunteer this time around, so I figured I better get to tagging.  I spent 150 dollars at the presale and got a bunch of super cute stuff for both the kids and I made almost 180 dollars on the stuff I sold.  So I came out ahead... that is always good!  And when it came time to pick up the items that didn't sell, I only got back 6 items!  Yay for good deals, yay for making money, and yay for clearing out space in my house!!  Next time around, I may price my stuff just a tad bit higher and see what happens.  I was at the super low end on my pricing, compared to everything else I was seeing.  Some people's pricing was just flat out ridiculous though.  Anyway... I'm already totally looking forward to the fall sale.  I have a ton more stuff that I need to get rid of, but I am also considering volunteering too. 

So needless to say, we've had quite a month around here.  We've had our share of highs and lows, no doubt.  We've got a couple of weeks of down time.  Hoping to finally be able to get out there and get to those garden plans.  I don't want to get a late start on my planting.