T H A N K F U L !

So thankful to make it to November. I love this month! November is the last month of autumn, the month of our only boys birthday, and the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year! So excited for the holidays, road trips, thanksgiving, trips to the city, tree picking, spending time with family, snow, and all that this season brings. I am particularly thankful for this guy right here, who makes these things possible. He's such a hard worker and wants us to have the best time as a family. Even in the smallest way. He's so great, and patient when it comes to me telling him what are plans are going to be on this day, and that weekend! He's just the best! I love him, and look forward to the holidays with my family. I hope that they are just as bright as these lit up pumpkins! 

For Jon.

I've know Jon for more than 25 years and I'm so grateful to have met him! I am thankful that he served in my hometown as a missionary while I was investigating the church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints, and that we instantly became friends. So thankful that the church had our paths meet once again when he returned home from his mission, and after dating for a few months became his wife! He works so super hard to provide for our family, and to make sure we are taken care of. He has a great love for The Lord,  is compassionate, caring, a great cook, and an amazing father to our four children. He truly is my best friend! So thankful for you Jon!

three generations.

I'm not sure how often my father in law reads my blog, but I am hoping that if he happens to read this post in it's entirety that he won't take it too personal, and that he will laugh. I honestly don't think he will because for the past 22 years he never seemed to take anything personal, and I think that is a good thing. 

Marrying his son was the best thing that ever happened to me, and after living with him for 20+ years I have to say that he and his dad are like two peas in a pod. They are goofy, and love to talk a lot. They are very personable, helpful to others, have a lot of knowledge with the scriptures, and have compassion for others. 

It makes happy knowing that with these two wonderful examples Noah will be just like them. It also makes me wonder how what kind of attributes he'll inherit! Goofy ones? I think Noah is on the right track, and that's a compliment! 

Pictures like these are priceless, and bring me a lot of joy. Simply because I didn't have any pictures taken with my father, and there is a reason for that. He was never around, and I think that is why I want to remember this day with these three wonderful faces. 

When I texted this picture to Jay he mentioned how he wished he would have taken a picture with his dad when Jon was little. Even Jon mentioned that they never took one when he was little with his dad, and grandpa.

Sometimes we don't think to take advantage of the time spent with family members, and in taking a simple photo that can be passed down to our posterity. I don't have any pictures of different generations on my side of the family, and I guarantee that this picture taking of different generations will continue. 

It's so important, and a beautiful moment when one sees a picture of different generations. These days it doesn't happen very often.

Looking forward for more pics of three generations on their next visit!

Gout & more love expressed for my better half

Question...

Do I express enough love that I have for my better half on my blog? 

I certainly hope so because he's been getting a lot of it at home lately. This picture was taken last week. Over the weekend he woke up with his right foot inflamed, swollen, and engorged. I thought it was because we walked the streets of Philly for too long with the flip-flops that he wore. He actually thought I might have kicked him so hard that I bruised his foot in the middle of the night! (I do that sometimes so he can stop snoring, but I wouldn't kick him that hard enough to bruise!) I had no idea what it could have been. All I know is that the the day before we walked the streets of Philly he woke up the following morning with severely bruised looking toes (no I didn't take pictures of his foot!)

This whole past week has been...let's just say different! I feel so bad with what my better half has gone through in the past two months...a fractured elbow, and now this. 

Well, after going online and reading up on all the symptoms, and having various people looking at his foot at work it turned out to be GOUT! I never thought that he would ever get that! EVER! He's always been a healthy man, but you just never know when something out of the ordinary will just creep up on you. He has changed his diet, and has lost a few pounds. He was already losing weight to begin with by walking home from work for the past couple of weeks. He obviously will not be doing that anymore until his foot is completely healed from the gout. I know that gout is something you don't want to mess with, and luckily it's curable, and that there is treatment. I didn't like reading the things that spur it on, but it looks like both of his grandfathers had it. So there is the history of where the gout came from. 

Another thing we read online is that grapes and cherries help for the gout to subside. Luckily there is a place called Verchios Produce where I bought about 4 pounds of cherries for three dollars!! Hey...if you know where to shop for produce you'll get the best deals, and farmer's markets are the best! Then again you can't put a price tag on my better half's well being. I would have paid five bucks for just one pound of cherries! 

I'm thankful that we caught it in time, and for the kind doctor that prescribed him those little green pills. Word to those for anyone with gout history in the family: it's painful, but curable. If swollen put ice on it until you get in to see the doctor. Take a lot of ibuprofen for the pain, and eat a lot of cherries and grapes. Stay away from red meat, and tomatoes. Gout is common in men more than women (thank goodness), and try not to stress. Watching your diet is crucial in cases like this! 

Oh yes...my better half is over 40 and believe me this freaked him out just a bit. So there will be even more changes in our eating habits. 

Eat more chicken, chicken chicken, and fish, fish, fish!

Take care of your health! 

Thundering rain, a sprained elbow, and a visitor.

Something happened to my better half yesterday that hasn't happened to him since he was about 16.

While I was at Target with my girlfriend yesterday it began pouring rain. The rain came down really hard, and after it let up we decided to go home. As I was entering the house I didn't hear Noah laughing, or any kind of commotion. I called out to them, and they both came walking out of the bedroom subdued. Apparently Jon was running to every room to roll all the windows down due to the rain, and ran up the stairs to close all the windows. We have very steep & narrow stairs and as he was walking down with Noah by his side his flip flop bent forward (don't ask), he lost his balance, but managed to save Noah in the process by throwing him across the room on to the couch. He scraped his knees landing on his elbow, and couldn't move it very well. He was stubborn at first, and told him that we should have gone to the ER but he wanted to wait a while to see if the pain & swelling would subside. It didn't. I then called my girlfriend, and she immediately came over to pick him up, and drove him to a nearby clinic.

He came home wearing a sling, and it looks like he might have broken his elbow. He is seeing an orthopedic specialist on Tuesday, and we will find out more to see if it's fractured. I have to admit I was a little frustrated when that happened to him, and I feel terrible. I felt so sad for him because he won't be able to ride his bike to work, or run around & play with Noah. Luckily he is off for the next five days so that will give him time to heal. We're hoping that it's just severely sore, and not broken!

Noah has been so patient and sweet throughout this whole experience. It's as if he knows his daddy is in pain, and so he kept his distance from coming near his elbow. He constantly kept kissing it as Jon was trying to relax and take it easy.

We also had Jon's high school buddy who was his best man at our wedding came over to visit with us from Utah. He was in town on a sales convention, and he took the time to come over to see us. I really enjoyed his company, and it felt as if we had a home teacher visiting us...in a very good way. It had been about eight years since we've seen him, and we were talking about spiritual things, our families, and comparing life in Jersey to Utah. It was a very pleasant visit, and hope to see him and his family again soon.

In spite of a thundering afternoon with pouring rain, a sprained elbow, and a late dinner having Don come over all the way from Utah sure put a smile on all of our faces.

Thanks Don for making our whole evening!

To the Father of my Children...

Father's are wonderful people 

too little understood

And we do not sing their praises

As often as we should...

But Fathers are just wonderful

In a million different ways,

and they merit loving compliments

And accolade of praise,

For the only reason Dad aspires

To fortune and success

Is to make the family proud of him

 And to bring them Happiness...

And like our Heavenly Father,

He's a guardian and a guide, 

Someone that we can count on 

To be always on our side. 

This poem best describes you babe, and I am grateful that you chose me as your wife to be with for eternity. We have a special bond that can NEVER be broken!

You truly are my BEST FRIEND!!!

You are such a hard worker and no matter how tired you are, every time I feel the need to get in the car and just get out of Jersey, you don't question it... you just do it. We will pack in all the kids and drive all hours of the night. You do it because you know it'll make me happy, but most of all because I need it. 

You are the greatest example to our children, and to me. I can't believe we have known each other for a total of 20 years! You've taught me to be patient with others, and to let the little things go. You are teaching our daughters how to handle stressful situations as they get older and because of the kindness, patience, peace, and unconditional love you unveil...they are following that example. 

I LOVE that you have a strong testimony, and are not afraid to share it with others.

I admire the time you take in preparing and taking your calling as Seminary teacher very seriously...yet at the same time really enjoying, and having fun with it.  

You truly are rare, and there are NOT a lot of men out there like you.

I thank you for all the times you've listened to me vent about my day after having spent long hours at work.

 I thank you for the advice you give me when I need it.

 I thank you for always being there for Noah & the girls when I need a little time to myself. 

I thank you for always carrying your children on your shoulders no matter how big they get.

I thank you for helping me have beautiful baby girls..

 especially a beautiful son!

But most of all, I thank you for being like our Heavenly Father. Like Him, you are our guide as patriarch in this family, and I appreciate that more than you'll ever know.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...MY LOVE!