Orange you glad?

Missed church today 'cause the girls are sick. I really wanted to enjoy that extra spiritual boost I always get from Stake Conference, but here I am at home, taking care of my sweet little girls! I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to feel of the spirit today, but boy was I wrong! The rain is really beautiful! The birds are singing, the flowers are nodding in the gentle rain, the sun is completely hidden so it is darker than it should be. Inside, we are eating day-old burritos from taco bell, tangerines and oranges, and marshmallows.




While cutting the oranges, I thought many things, that may or may not be worth sharing, but here it goes...
First thought: these smell great!
2nd: i love the color of oranges!
3rd: isn't it beautiful how symmetrical oranges are!
4th: isn't it cool that they are packed with good fiber and nutrients for our bodies!
5th: how did God know we would need oranges during the winter season?
6th: He is so thoughtful and mindful of our needs.




I turned to look out the window and saw a white bird fly by. (most likely a seagull) The beauty of the white bird against the dark sky, the trees waving with the gentle breeze, the small dots of rain on the window...it all spoke to me that He does love and care for us! I am grateful for these simple reminders of His love!




I sure am glad for oranges!

cyber plates

Have you seen how many mormon bloggers there are? I was curious and did a google search and found this:



I believe it is called the "Bloggernacle"!

I am sure this doesn't even come close to representing all the mormon bloggers accross the globe! What a wealth of interesting information. Some funny, some not. Some educational, some not. Some spiritual, some not. But most are just the personal records and histories of faithful LDS members who have been told, since childhood, to keep a record of their lives. {That's what I'm doing!}

Can you imagine someone, somewhere in the future of our Earth's existence trying to recover all of these cyber-records and trying to compile them into a record of our time? Weeding out all the goofy stories from the testimonies? It is a funny premise for a book that I will never write, but still think it would be, could be funny!

8 is great!

Hard to believe it has been eight years since this sweet little bundle came into our lives! After having two boys, I was so thrilled to have a little lady join the bunch! Immediately, I saw the many differences between boys and girls! And it wasn't the difference in the colors they wore!

Just for fun, here's the story of Miriam's birth:

Three weeks before she was born, Miriam was presenting in the breach position, which inspired our very c-section happy doctor to plan for us to deliver our baby by cesarean. She explained to us that doctors do NOT deliver breach babies in the old fashioned way anymore! We also learned, at this time, that some doctors are very proud of how many women they have sliced and stitched, and like to brag about their high number of successes, and look for any opportunity to add another tic to their slates! But we weren't interested in this form of delivery, unless it was an absolute emergency! We had good cause too! Since William was in his final year of grad school and didn't have any extra time to help me at home for the six weeks following the surgery, this was NOT an option for us! PLUS, We had two kids aged 3 and 2, lived on the second floor of a four-plex, it was icy outside, it was a long time 'til spring, I didn't want to be stuck inside unable to go anywhere for six weeks, I didn't want the epidural, I didn't want a sore belly, I didn't want to not be able to lift things,... the list goes on!

The doctor gave us one last option: VERSION! We waited one week and went back for this procedure, which is painful and a waste of time! This form of mommy abuse is where the doctor pushes and prods your pregnant belly to get the baby to move. Like I said, it's very painful, but still better than c-section! The doctor did her best, but Mir just wouldn't move, so we reluctantly scheduled a c-section for the following week. I didn't lose hope, though! I just knew she would turn on her own! The night before the set surgery, William gave me a blessing and promised that I would not have a c-section. We went in to prep for the surgery and really disappointed our dear doctor when she saw that Mir had flipped. William and I WERE SO RELIEVED! But we were also sad, in a way, that we didn't get to meet our little girl, yet. So, we walked to the chemistry lab from the hospital (fyi:January in Wisconsin=cold) talking about the slight let-down of not being able to hold her already! But mostly, we were in awe of the wonderful answer to our prayers and special blessing. We felt so blessed and loved!

Then, we waited patiently for labor to finally begin. I remember walking all the malls in Madison with my mom and my two little guys, waiting and hoping for things to get started. It seemed like weeks, but it was only one week later that she decided to come. Labor pains woke me up at 6:30, admitted to the hospital at 8, and delivered at 10:30am. In my opinion, it was a picture perfect, natural delivery. And I will never forget the first time I saw my sweet little girl. I felt an instant bond with my precious little babe! I was so glad she had been a good girl and turned so I wouldn't have to endure the cesarean. I was also glad that she let me get plenty of sleep the night before showing up! See, she has been an example of obedience even before birth!

Of course, in true Thomas tradition, she didn't get her name until right before we left the hospital. Both Aaron and Jacob thought she should be named Gowwee for no apparent reason. We all laughed about that for a while, but then we got serious and decided to name her Mary. Then we finally decided that Miriam was more fitting.

Since that day, eight years ago, we have thoroughly enjoyed this funny, spunky, smart, sweet, loving, obedient, did I say funny?, adorable, thoughtful, soft-spoken, book-worm, I mean girl! Since that day, we have been so blessed to have Miriam in our lives! Love you Smeeks and Happy Birthday!



Just look at that sweet little face!






Maiden Miriam~Halloween 2008 in the costume I made for her



She's my girl!



Miriam turns eight tomorrow!

Catchup!

NO, not the red sauce you dip your fries in! Just need to catch up on what is going on over here. You know, Christmas, New Years, etc. We did celebrate, and we had a great time! Here are some photos of our fun! they are in reverse order with New Years first and Christmas last.

celery for breakfast

yep! you read right! I am eating celery for breakfast. It is plain and simple:

GLUTEN free diet=not much fiber

Despite eating really healthy lately, I still need more fiber. I have tried beans, raisins, salad, carrots, sweet potatoes, the list goes on. AND nothing works better than celery! nothing! BUT maybe I will try some of these:






BUT what I really wish is that we still had some of these:



Can't wait to start the garden again!