Updates on the sicky

Yes, I mean me. The drama continues :( Last Sunday night devin rushed me to the ER after I had been feeling very weak, dizzy, and short of breath for an hour and then fell to the ground when I tried to stand up. I didn't pass out or loose consciousness, more like my muscles wouldn't work. My entire face, hands, legs and chest were numb....even my mouth, I couldn't hardly open it to talk. It literally was THE scariest thing I have ever experienced!! I tried so hard to concentrate on breathing, and not totally freak out while tears just streamed down my face. When I got to the ER and they saw I couldn't hold my own head up, or talk they went right to work. In probably 5 min or less I had an IV in, blood work off to the lab, and EKG, and who knows what else. They found that my potassium was extremely low (good is 4 and mine was 2.5) which apparently your body can't function, or survive without potassium? So they admitted me to the hospital to get my potassium up and my blood pressure down. My BP spiked two weeks previously which NEVER once have I had high blood pressure, not even elevated!! They think the low potassium was caused by the medication I was put on to lower my BP, but I was only on it for three days, so I'm not entirely convinced. I was there for two days, every test was done and I was told your fine, open the shade, let some sunshine in, go for a walk and you will be good as new.(did I mention the ER Dr said I had hyperventalted? Yeah studying to be an EMT I don't know what hyperventalating is?!?!) I was also told, after explaining my frustrations of all my medical issues over the past year, that sometimes people need to just stop looking for things to be wrong and they will realize that really they are fine. So here I am feeling exactly the same as I have for almost a month, collapsed again on Thanksgiving and almost again yesterday. I try to take it easy, but still keep up with the house and the kids. I'm praying for some answers soon, but trying very hard not to get discouraged. I was given a beautiful blessing at the hospital and I just keep review that in my mind. I know there are MANY people, including very dear friends of ours who have it SO much worse. I'm grateful to even be able to switch over the laundry when I can! Sure makes you grateful for the simple things in life, when all the sudden those simple things become very difficult.
(BTW, the pic of me and Brigg is him helping me plug my nose when dad smelled the room up BAD! LOL he said OH MOM, its so yucky!!!)

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It's hard being poor

Ok, were really not poor. We are able to pay our bills, for the most part, keep gas in the car, and the power on so that's not poor right? Well, my kids have moved to this new neighborhood were seriously almost all of their friends MIGHT have one sibling, but most are an only child. This has made my life a little challenging. All of them have everything, get everything, do everything.....which on one hand is super nice that they get to have fun experiences (like riding in a limo to go to dinner......when your friend turns 10!!) but on the other hand it makes me look like such a LOSER!!!! Really if we had millions there is still a lot I would still choose NOT to do for my kids, but man it really makes it hard when I stress about keeping 8 kids in clothes so they don't look like homeless children, while all my kids friends are getting more money spent on them for their birthdays than I spend on Christmas for TWO kids!!! I just hope my kids enjoy being part of a big family, and don't hate me later for it.....because I REALLY love it, money or not!!

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So brave!!

It's been 9 years since I have had short hair, and it took a lot of being brave to get it all cut off. It needed to be done, stress has made it all fall out, so while I can backcomb like no ones business, it truly was extremely thin and so damaged. At least this time I warned devin ahead if time!! When I was pregnant with Emmy and it was this long and I cut it off to my chin, I just came home with it short.........he didn't even talk to me the rest of the day he was so sad. Yes he is one of those guys who LOVES the long hair, Idk just on me, or in general? But this time I talked about for a couple days before I did it so he was prepared, still doesn't love that its short, but he said its "nice" Change is good, and I feel sassy and fresh which is nice; wish I would have done it when it was 115 outside!!!

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Mom isn't supposed to get sick

(I'm on Devins computer and somehow these are on here and I thought they were funny!)

Moms just shouldn't have to get sick......EVER! It should just be a rule when you bring a child into the world, mom never has to take a sick day. I'll be honest, 24 MAYBE 48 hours of staying in bed, watching all my shows, food being brought to me. (I really do have the best Hubby ever) After that though, I cannot stand to be in this room anymore, I want to get up and clean, I want to watch Ryker play and listen to Brigham tell me all about school that day. I want to clean the kitchen and cook dinner and put clean clothes in the closet! I know that sounds crazy, you would think a mom of 8 would welcome a week off, but I guess it just makes me feel so guilty! SO guilty that Devin is taking care of everything while I'm in bed feeling like crap! Very rarely do I hide out in my room while I'm sick, but this past week and a half I have been SO sick, and I guess after going for my second trip to the ER tonight and finding out maybe its not a non contagious sinus infection and actually bronchitis (at least that's their guess now) I'm SO grateful that Devin has taken such good care of things and kept me away from everyone, especially my babysitting kids because now I have a better chance that the kids wont get sick from me.
There IS a point to this post........I found out a very dear friend who was on the heart transplant list has now been told, because of good ol government cutbacks, that the transplant will not be paid for...anyone have an extra million sitting around? Didn't think so :(
This made me grateful not only for my silly little 11 days of being sick, but it made me even MORE grateful for being able to take care of my family. I LOVE being a mom, its the best gift I have ever, or WILL ever be given. Our dear friend cannot even stand up and toss the ball with his 3 year old son, but has to sit in a chair to do so.....makes me so ashamed for complaining about a little sickness for a couple weeks!! May we all remember how precious our time with our sweet families truly are!

Halloween 2010

AHHHHHH!!!! EVERY EVERY EVERY year I swear I'm not going to be sewing the week of Halloween, EVERY year I swear I'm going to start sewing in September, so WHY do I always end up sewing up until the last min?? I know it's my own fault, I know that I can buy costumes AND that I have bins of other costumes I have made so why not do that?? Honestly, besides the stress of it all, the end result makes me smile, it makes me feel like I'm a good little Homemaker, and really I do love doing it. I wish I made more time to sew because I love seeing the end result and I love that my kids love it! (didn't do the Darth Vader costume and the older boys ended up going on a campout that ended up with them kind of missing out on Halloween this year.....what good boys! AND Ryker and I both got sick with the stomach flu Saturday so we didn't go to the ward party and Ryker didn't even get dressed up :( Again, almost every year end up with someone sick! UGH!)

My pretty little Alice in Wonderland

My beautiful Queen of Hearts

My handsome Rabbit (not sure what the grumpy face was all about, but its funny!) And HE is the one who begged me to be the Rabbit, that was supposed to be Rykers costume but Brigham insisted he be the Rabbit.....weirdo! ;)

Pretty Princese Leia

Princess Leia and Darth Vader

Seriously could these kids be ANY cuter!!!!! I LOVE my adorable kiddos!

Never too old to learn something new

I learned something new about myself this October.....I HATE carving pumpkins! I guess I have never really done it myself, as a kid or an adult. As a mom, it has always been a Dad and kids activity and now I know why! Devin was out of town so I picked up pumpkins and thought I'm gonna play the good mom and carve pumpkins with the kids. Maybe if I didn't have to help clean out 6 pumpkins and trace out several patterns.....BLAH! No thanks! I LOVE that the kids love it, and I am glad I did it because they all had a good time, but I won't forget again that this is definitely a Dad job :)

I Love that Ryker looks so involved in working hard....not sure what he was doing, but he looks so serious LOL!

They all worked very intently making sure that each of their pumpkins turned out perfect! HOW I ended up not getting pictures of the end result I'm not sure  (I'll blame that on being a single mom that week LOL)

I'm an auntie again!!

Elise Noelle Cronin made her grand debut....and I mean GRAND debut, Halloween morning!! It was such a grand entrance because she was FOUR weeks early! We didn't even know Crystal was in the hospital, and it happened so fast for her I'm sure her head was spinning! It was the biggest surprise ever to get a text at 7:00 in the morning with a picture of Crystal HOLDING her baby with the  sentence "not a trick but a treat" How cute is that!!! We were so blessed that Elise arrived safe and completely healthy! She is the tiniest little jelly bean I have EVER seen! Weighing only 4 lbs 8oz I have literally never held such a small little baby ever and thought I was going to die! It felt like I was just holding a bundle of blankets instead of a baby! Baby Talia is over a year old, so the entire family is excited to have a new baby around again!! The kids are dying to go see her but unfortunately we have had some big time sickness over here, so until that clears up we are staying away. I do get to go spend the day Friday helping Crystal out and I can't wait! I'm already in love with this little sweet girl and I didn't have to do ANY hard work to get her here. I love all my nieces like they are my own girls and am very excited to have another one!!! Congrats Jacob and Crystal, we love you!!

She does not like to be unbundled!

I LOVE that my brother is a DAD!! It's so exciting!!

I have never been freaked out by moving a baby before!

This picture makes me laugh......I was NOT texting; I wanted my mom to take a picture of me but she couldn't figure out how to turn the camera on so I had to do it for her! I couldn't stop laughing because I couldn't get over how tiny she is!

Can I have one please??? ;)

It's funny to me that I have the largest baby (11 lbs) and now Crystal has the tiniest baby title! LOVE it!

I'm so excited to get to know this little girl more!

SheRa or SheDevil???

I think this is how every Mother wishes her kids thought about her.....NO I don't mean bc she has a rockin bod, although that WOULD be nice; I'm talking about the Mom that can do it all, bake bread from scratch, hem a pair of pants, iron every piece of clothing so every one always looks presentable, never gets angry, and is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Unfortunately lately I feel like my kids see me like this:

For years off and on I feel like everything is chocolate and roses unless Mom is around, because my kids mean old mom is the one who makes them do chores and clean their room and pick up after themselves. When mean mom isn't around its full on play time but when she shows up it's NO fun!

Today I have had enough of being MEAN MOM; I'm tired of being the bad guy, I'm tired of my kids thinking "none of my other friends have to do all this" I just can't take it anymore. I can't stand leaving for afew hours, everyone doing whatever they want and then I get back and I can see it on their faces "GREAT, play time is over" Why can't they just learn that all I'm asking is that they keep up with their responsibilities and there is NOTHING I want more than for them to go and have fun and enjoy life....they just need to get the not fun stuff out of the way 1st and then have at it!!!

SO my kids are in for a very interesting week this next week. I have thought about going on strike, not lifting a finger and see how much they like being here after 2 days of filth piled up, problem with that is that I babysit other peoples kids and I cannot have them showing up to pick up their kids and have crap everywhere! So the plan is the exact opposite.....I'm going to do EVERYTHING!! I'm letting them know, there is no more chores, no more responsibilities, just FUN FUN FUN all the time!!

I wonder how tired I will be? I wonder how much energy I will have to take kids to their friends house, or go to the store and buy milk, or even be awake enough at the end of the night to sign those last min papers they need signatures on?? This ought to be quite interesting! I wonder after a week of Mom not having a ounce of energy from doing ALL the work around here if they MIGHT decide it would in fact be MORE enjoyable around here if we all pitch in?? I wonder??