The girls ~ Grace edition

My favorite conversation that happened today

Annie: "Oh mom, I forgot to tell you, I finished Counting by 7s today."

Cam: Before I can answer and with a totally confused look on this face,
"How do you finish counting by sevens and why in the world did you even start?"

I might have laughed for a very long time.

August phone pics

(I think we would be safe to call this edition, Linn's sky obsession. And some other stuff.)

 It is crazy to me that regionals was just a month ago. Man, it seems longer than that.
But here is the proof it was indeed at the beginning of August. And this picture shows

our Annie girl ready to go. Her horse Shylo, maybe a little less ready at this point.

 That entire day of regionals was spent sloshing through the mud. This picture makes

it look moderately messy. Not so. Not so at all. Those pants will never be the same.

 The sky the other night on a drive. Oh my gorgeous.

 Jacob asked me to plan our date last weekend. So I went the fancy route and 

we ordered take out and ate it at a pavilion at a nearby park. I absolutely loved it

 and so hope we will make it a regular tradition during the warm weather months.

And a picture of my walking moon. There is something about

the moon in a sky that is just waking up that makes me so happy.

Nathan boy

Oh this picture. Oh this boy.

Three things about this young man right now:

1. When his hair looks awesome, the day is a good one. Apparently this was a very good hair day in his book. Hence the thumbs up.

2. He suddenly looks a whole lot older than he did just a week ago. My baby is growing up and I still shake my head with wonder at how fast it is happening.

3. His eyes have been gray, since not long after he was born. Just a few weeks ago, they turned green (greenish-gray, but still predominantly green). It repeatedly shocks me after almost four years of seeing those amazing gray eyes. But oh man, I love it so much, as he has now joined Campbell and me in the eye department.

We all love him. A lot + a lot.

She has the best daddy ever

Someone is a little proud of her climbing trick.

Six

I don't think a whole lot about six children being quite a large family.

Until I see the lunches lined up each evening before school the next day.

Love him

"Mom, I just drinked two cups of water and when I was drinking my two cups of water

I said to myself, 'I'm drinking two cups of water for good hygiene.'"

I have no idea in the world where he got this word and how he decided

this was the context, but it made my day. Oh this boy makes me happy.

This girl

My very early mornings include this little sweetheart. I'm so blessed.

First day of school

Fastest summer ever. 

I didn't even get the chance to want them to go back. 

But ready or not...here go my favorite tenth grader,

 eighth grader, sixth grader and second grader.

Love these kids so much.

Random much?

I've mentioned before that I sometimes like to title our photos. 

This one would be Little, Blurry Girl with Dirty Feet on a Rock. 

Or The Day I Realized the Camera was Truly Broken.

Speaking of non-functioning cameras...ours no longer is. I'm so relieved. When we 

got it back from the camera shop who fixed it, I found several photos taken by the

 technician to check how it was working. This one among them. And I wanted it on

 the blog to both remind me how grateful I am for a working camera and how much

willpower I am exerting by not driving myself to said camera shop and begging them

to let me do a little reorganization. Simmer down little OCD brain. Simmer down.

If you are looking to borrow a few paper cups, you may want to try another house.

Ours are apparently occupied. In related news, evidently paper cup towers cause strange

finger pointing and open-mouthed thumbs up. Who knew? Not me, says the Linn.

These six chicklets spent quite a while helping their dad get the yard and garden

lovely and ready for a new week. (Not pictured, sweet Jacob mowing the lawn.)
I'm not to the point where I can help with this kind of stuff yet, so I feel overly

thankful that everyone else works so hard to make it happen. I love my family.

Cute girls and beautiful quilts

This darling seamstress worked hard all summer and made this beautiful, denim quilt

as a project for one of her Personal Progress goals. Her Young Women leaders made

sure the girls had at least one weekly meeting to devote to working on their quilts.
It was such a happy thing for our Annie and we are so thankful for good leaders who
go out of their way to make sure time is spent on great things. Mostly, I am so proud

of this sweet girl and what she chooses to do with her time. She is artistic to the core.
I love watching what she chooses to create, but more than that, I just love being her mom.

Our yearly trip to Lagoon

Jacob's work gave him passes to our nearby amusement park. And because I'm

still recovering and need to be careful, I stayed home with the two littlest and
Jacob took the four oldest for several hours of fun. They absolutely loved it.

I love this picture so much.

Evening at the park

Someone idolizes her big sister

Big brothers

We were checking out the new library in our town and I suddenly realized I didn't

 know where Grace was at. I retraced my steps back a few shelves and came upon

 this little bit of sweetness. And my mother's heart melted into a giant puddle.

On a much less mushy note

That last post was definitely the most important of the two, but I still wanted to share this one, because well, I like to write. And since this is our family history, I wanted to include this for posterity. You know, so they can be bored out of their mind. Only a joke. I'm actually including it for no reason at all. But since this is my space to share, here it goes anyway.

So, in addition to being grateful and overwhelmed with everyone's kindness, I've learned a few things about myself from having to be calm and still and take it super easy for the last many days. And here, not in any way by popular demand, they are. And in no particular order.

1. I can take it easy if I feel strong enough that it is important that I do. Just because I haven't done it in 38 years, doesn't mean that I couldn't do it this time. And I have. We are on day eleven folks and even Jacob has been impressed with how lovely of a patient I have been.

2. That being said, with each day that passes, my good patientness slowly goes away. I'm still being incredibly obedient (as far as my personality goes), but I'm pretty much done with it all. I'm doing everything in my power to keep this up until Friday, which will be two weeks after the surgery. We will see if I have enough strength to be lazy for 3 1/2 more days.

3. I really, really, really love to read. As in, I-think-I-have-a-sickness love to read. And yet, when I have unending hours to read, I don't enjoy it as much as I think I will (or even read as much as I imagined I might). It is almost like the challenge to find time to read is a part of the thrill (once again, yes, I know I'm sick in the head). And believe you me, there has not been a challenge finding moments to read.

4. That being said, I'm getting close to finishing my fourth book in 11 days (and the one I am on is almost 500 pages, so no lightweight hardback there), so I guess that I'm not totally ignoring reading during my down time.

5. I really am not a big fan of TV. I've always known I was someone who didn't care that much about it, but honestly, I have barely been able to force myself to watch it for more than a few minutes each day. I've had a couple of series that I have enjoyed watching on Netflix while I walk or run on the treadmill and I was positive I would love watching those without the annoying exercise part. But I was wrong. I haven't made it through a half of an episode of either since the anesthesiologist put that mask over my face.

6. I'm a really boring person. Holy cow, I just read the five items above and sweet waffles, someone help me out in the exciting department. Snore. Fest.

Nevertheless, there you go darling friends of mine. I know you have just been dying to know about the items above, so rest your minds on the subject and know that as you suspected, I am one strange duck.

But most of us already knew that didn't we?

See. I told you I've been lazy.

Unbelievable kindness

In the last seven days, I have been the recipient of so many, many acts of kindness. It definitely feels overwhelming to me and fills me with gratitude.

From so many darling friends bringing dinner, to flowers from a sweet neighbor, to flowers and more than one night of dinner brought by my incredible sister-in-law that just moved here (and definitely didn't need one more thing to do with her time), to my cute sister mailing a book to me (I think she might know me a little) and a movie for the kids, the kindness just keeps on coming. My parents have come more than once to bring lunch and make sure I was okay, as well as calling multiple times a day. And Jacob's parents called from their mission to see how I was doing. My Relief Society president has checked on me, visited me, insisted on more meals being brought in then I wanted to allow and has just been amazing. My visiting teachers have brought food and both they, and our home teachers, have come to visit and have repeatedly asked what they could do to help. In addition, several other family and friends have offered to help and have emailed and texted to make sure I was recovering well. All of them have been willing to do anything for us, if we needed it.

And Jacob and our kids...I don't even have words for the love they have shown me. The way the kids have stepped in quickly to help without being asked. The way they have tended each other as long as was needed, especially in the first few days when I was sleeping a lot. And Jacob Allen. Good grief, I hit the jackpot when I married him. He has gone above and beyond in a way that I honestly don't even know how to describe in words. He hasn't just done the minimum as a husband and dad (although that would have been wonderful and I would still be grateful), he has been no less than amazing. He has done everything in his power to make the last week and a half, happy and good and stress-free for all of us. (Well, likely except for him, but he hasn't shown it.)

It truly brings me to tears to think of the unbelievable kindness that has been extended to me. I'm reminded me of a talk I love by Elder Joseph B. Wirthin. In it he says:

"Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental characteristic of the noblest

men and women I have known. Kindness is a passport that opens doors and 

fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.

Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others."

I feel so blessed to have so much goodness in my life--so many who are willing to reach out to me at a time when I have been able to do so little in return.

In addition and mostly, I have felt God's kindness to me in ways that have felt profound and even tangible. I have felt His understanding of the struggle I have gone through with having to do so little and be so still. I have felt the way He has guided this particular time in my life (I do know He always guides my life, but sometimes it feels so obvious and beautiful) in a way that has overwhelmed me with gratitude. As I sit typing this all, with tears in my eyes, I just can't believe that I get to be one of His daughters and that He treats me with so much benevolence and goodness.

Oh I'm blessed. Much more than I deserve. I am so thankful.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each one of you. I'm so grateful for you in my life.

Floating about untethered

Monday morning, I woke up to my sweet husband telling me goodbye. Because I was 

doing well in my recovery and neither of us had any worries of something going wrong 

while he was gone, Jacob had decided to make sure that I did absolutely nothing for
the next several days by taking the kids on a little vacation. Without a single bit of
help from me (helpfulness since my surgery has been non-existent), he made sure
everyone was ready for the next few days, by not only packing everything for seven
people, but making sure the house was incredibly clean. The kids hugged me goodbye,
Jacob kissed me goodbye (reminding me not to do a single thing while he was gone)
and suddenly I was standing alone in my family room looking at this scene:

The house was perfectly clean, all of the laundry was done and there was literally

nothing for me to do. And so, trying to be a good patient for the first time in 

my life, that is what I have done for the past three days. Absolutely nothing.

And yet, spending several days with just myself has become a little on the lame side and

I have been anxious for Jacob and the kids to be home. As in, really anxious. I didn't tell 

them that, but maybe they sensed it or maybe they felt the same way, because I just got

a text from Jacob that they will be here in a few minutes. I feel giddy with excitement.

Today has been one of the harder days of my recovery. It seems like out of the blue I have felt

really weak and light-headed--almost like a horrible case of the flu I can't shake. And maybe

 because of that, or just by coincidence, I have felt more emotional than I have for many days.

I didn't really understand any of it until I was writing back and forth by email to my

darling friend in Boston. And mentioned to her what I had been feeling today and that

 I didn't quite understand it, but just knew how excited I was to have my family home. 

When her reply came to me a little while later, it brought me to tears.

You will undoubtedly feel much better when everyone gets home. As much as

you needed the rest, they are your life and what keeps you most grounded. 

Floating about untethered would make anyone light headed. :)

Yes. Yes. And yes. That. Exactly that. 

I'm so blessed. With amazing friends, with incredible kids and with a

husband who treats me like I am the best thing that ever happened to him. 

When actually, it is the reverse that is true. 

I'm so blessed.

Surgery, recovery and my incredible husband

This past week I had a bit of a surgery performed on me. And I'm so very thankful to be on

the other side of it and not waiting for the day to finally arrive. I snapped this photo the evening

after it happened, just to document my overly swollen hands (lots of IV fluids) and how grateful

I felt for it to be over. Also, around the time I took this picture, I was starting to feel a little

better. It was a rough few hours following the surgery, since my reaction to anesthesia and

 morphine are not normal in the least. And the combination made for an entertaining few hours

of pain and not being able to keep anything down. Did I mention I'm glad that part is over?

I also took this lovely photo of my swollen feet. Not because I need further documentation that

the nurses gave me a lot of fluids, but because of what I had wrapped around my legs from before

the surgery began, until I was discharged from the hospital the next day. One of the biggest

concerns following surgery is blood clots. So they put these lovely accessories on your legs to

keep air moving in a massaging motion and to keep the blood circulating on a regular basis.

It was delightful. For the first 20 minutes or so. But even when it became overly repetitious,

 I was so thankful to know that the likelihood of blood clots lessened greatly with these lovelies.

Oh if I had only thought of these six children ago. Before I spent the night in the hospital after my 

surgery, Jacob brought me a package of these ear plugs. And boy howdy, did it make a difference

in how I slept that night. No one sleeps well in a hospital (at least no one I know). And I'm such

a light sleeper that it feels like an extra long night. But these little things truly made a world of

 difference and in between times that the nurses checked my stats and came in to see how I was, 

I slept pretty peacefully. Anyone spending time in a hospital in the future, I highly recommend.

The last thing I wanted to document about my hospital stay was my IV pole. As strange as it sounds,

there was a very specific reason for it. Somehow I ended up with one of the ICU machines (no, I did 

not spend any time in the ICU) in my room. And every time I got up to walk around, I saw the other

side of the IV and those three letters caught my attention. Of course the surgery and hospital stay

were a little stressful and involved quite a bit of pain and discomfort. But each time I saw those

 letters, I felt grateful to the deepest part of my heart not to actually be needing such serious help.

It definitely kept everything I was going through in perspective and kept my heart thankful.

And now, I have been home for a couple of days and am resting and resting. And resting some 

more. Jacob is truly incredible and thoughtful beyond words and has not only made sure I do

absolutely nothing, except rest, read and sleep, but has acted like it is his pleasure to take care

of the house and the kids and well, everything. I have two stacks of books that I am slowly 

getting though (I imagine I'll get through them a little faster when the pain medication no 

longer needs to be taken and my brain isn't so foggy). And our kids couldn't be any more

 sweet or helpful. They are constantly making sure I sleep and read and help not at all.

 I'm so grateful for my life. I'm so thankful for good doctors and good hospitals and so many 

blessings attached to both the past few days. Mostly, I feel emotional when I think of the 

millions of ways my Heavenly Father has blessed me, from being completely at peace that 

this surgery was the right thing for me, to Priesthood blessings that touched my heart and

 brought me incredible calm, to the privilege He has given me to to be married to

 someone who cares about me like he does and shows it in every way possible

I love my life. And am so very, very thankful for it.

Another afternoon boating

Handsome

I was positive that if Jacob ever grew any facial hair, I would not like it at all.

I was wrong.

This is one of the very few times in our marriage he has grown a goatee. And I love it.

A lot. It is gone now (which makes me sad), but beard or not, I adore this guy. A lot.

Third

Somebody got her ribbon for the region competition.

Third place as a county isn't too bad I'd say.

Regional competition

Our Annie had such a great day today. She did well in all of her events, but seeing her get

a PR in both barrel racing and pole bending did something to my heart. This girl is truly

amazing. And we love her like crazy. What a happy, wonderful, exciting, exhausting day!

Flaming Gorge

Jacob took this photo while he was with the youth at church most of last week. I love 

it so much. And not just because I am obsessed with the sky, but because it happens 

to be taken at the place that Jacob and I had our first kiss. Seventeen years ago next 

month, we were in a group of friends that took a trip to Flaming Gorge. Just a

 few months later, we were married. And my life has never been the same.

Or more incredible.

Date night

Tonight, for date night, Jacob and I took the boat back to where it is kept, near his parents' house.
Jacob had driven it down to use for a few days at a multi-day activity with some of the youth in our
ward. He and Cam returned home this afternoon from several days of fun. Instead of our typical date,
we decided that driving a couple of hours together sounded like a great plan. And we were right.
It honestly was so relaxing and just wonderful to talk to Jacob. I loved being with just him. 

Our friend, Lane, loaned us his truck (thanks Lane!) to haul the boat back and when we returned it, 

he was teasing Jacob about finding something a little more exciting for a date night. I jumped right

in to tell him how fabulous it was. I never get tired of talking with Jacob. I kind of adore him. A lot.

We filled the boat up with gas before we headed out and I couldn't help but snap this
quick photo of my handsome husband. After he finished and came back to the truck
 he asked me, "Did I just see you taking a picture of me through the side mirror?" 

Um, yes. Yes, you did. 

He wasn't surprised.

And a photo of the sky on the way home.

Beautiful sky. Beautiful night. Beautiful life.

I love Jacob Allen.

July phone pics

 Oh my word, the cuteness is too much.

 An evening at the temple with Jacob. I love the temple.

 This riveting photo was taken by yours truly while waiting for Campbell to be finished 

with the final test of his online driver's ed course. That boy worked hard and it definitely

wasn't the easiest class. But less than ten minutes after this, he returned. He passed.

 Darling Annie getting Shylo ready for another 4-H competition. When I took this photo, I 

immediately loved it. Then I uploaded it and got a closer look at Shy's eye. And laughed a lot.

A few days ago I sat on the porch with my two littlest chicklets and watched the rain and

listened to the thunder. Just after this photo, Nate turned around and said in his excited voice, 

"Mom, I just rememorized something! Thunder and fireworks are the same because they are loud!" 

Oh good grief, that is definitely my new favorite word. I love these small moments so, so much.