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Adam Turney: What is for dinner tonight?
Me: (Casually) Oh, it's really good, it's a Parmesan bake!
Adam: Is it another meatless meal?
Me: Yes.
Adam: Then what's in it? What is the Parmesan baking on?
Me: Eggplant
Adam: (crestfallen) Eggplant?!?!
Me: (smiling guiltily) Have you ever had eggplant?
Adam: It's purple.
Me: That doesn't make it yucky.
Adam: It's. Purple.
Me: *smiles and shrugs.
Me: (Casually) Oh, it's really good, it's a Parmesan bake!
Adam: Is it another meatless meal?
Me: Yes.
Adam: Then what's in it? What is the Parmesan baking on?
Me: Eggplant
Adam: (crestfallen) Eggplant?!?!
Me: (smiling guiltily) Have you ever had eggplant?
Adam: It's purple.
Me: That doesn't make it yucky.
Adam: It's. Purple.
Me: *smiles and shrugs.
He's trickier to trick than the kids. My last vegetarian meal I told him was a cheesy pie, but really it was a tomato pie. It was VERY good, and Hannah was the only one that didn't care for it. I love experimenting with food!
I've never seen her so excited to learn anything. We've been outside all day so she can practice riding her bike. She told me earlier she had blood coming from her mouth. I thought she'd crashed on her bike so I started to inspect and discovered that her TWO front teeth were loose! She's been waiting for this day a LONG time! She said "no more training wheels and two loose teeth!?! This is the best track break ever!" (Forget about the Disneyland, San Francisco, Utah, and Island Park trips that we took over the last year).
Last August Adam Turney took Sam to the urgent care for wheezing. Our kids have always had asthmatic problems, so it was nothing new. When they showed up the urgent care doctor wouldn't care for him because after taking one look at him he said he was too severe and had to go to the hospital immediately.So Adam took him to the ER because the urgent care doctor wouldn't treat him and at the hospital they gave him a steroid shot, monitored him for a bit, and sent him on his way. We just got our final bill and that stupid ER visit cost us over seven hundred dollars out of pocket. Seriously. Our insurance is the worst.
Hannah decided to read Charlotte's web. It's a fifth grade level book, but she's cruising along, and answering all the comprehension questions I'm throwing at her. We are at the doctors office and she's focused amid the chaos.
When I learned of the LDS church's new policy on baptizing children being raised in same-sex households I was floored. I'm still confused, and struggling to wrap my brain around it entirely. This article definitely helped clear things up. I didn't realize it wasn't a brand new policy, that it was already in effect for children who come from polygamist or Muslim families.
My first reaction was shock. My second was a scripture that immediately came to mind "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
This is definitely going to be a struggle for the church and a lot of members. That's all right. For some it will be a trial of their faith and for some it will be the catalyst that grows their faith as they prayerfully seek answers. As for me? I'm choosing faith amid my questions. If you are wondering about this new change I encourage you to read the article.
I love when I catch Sam in the act of doing something naughty and he immediately reaches up to me as if to say, "Thank goodness, Mother. You've rescued me from this precarious situation that I've found myself in through no fault of my own." *Bats long lashes over innocent looking puppy dog eyes.
We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight and Adam got to introduce them to one of his favorite missionary traditions, the Tim-Tam slam. It's where you try to suck hot chocolate through a Tim Tam cookie before it disintegrates. Aside from uplifting gospel discussions we also talked about our mutual love for Harry Potter, (one of the Elders was named Elder Potter and I had to bring it up). When Elder Potter asked me how big of a fan I was I said "On a scale from one to ten I'm probably nine and three quarters." He enjoyed that--haha. They were probably the best companionship we've had since we had sister missionaries!
I'm so annoyed. I took Sam to Super Cuts and paid $13 dollars for a haircut I could have done for free. I say I could have done it because it looks HORRIBLE. I don't know what her deal was, he sat absolutely perfectly still the entire time. She wasn't thrilled about being assigned a baby and then said she'd have to stop cutting his hair if he got fussy or moved too much, but if you've ever met Sam you know he's the most chill guy in the world. I asked Adam if he noticed his hair cut and he started teasing me about what a bad job I did because he didn't know it was a "professional" cut. That's the last time I make that mistake.
dy to apologize. Paige struggles to write her name, in fact, she learned how to write Hannah's name first, so she sometimes puts an H in there or something. So Paige is writing her note and signs P-I... (sometimes she spells her name Pige) so I helped her put an A between the P and the I. I think she got confused because she then wrote P-A-I-N. Which, given the situation, was an unfortunate mistake... I had to help her fix it to a G so as not to scare her poor friend off forever.
I have a few loads of laundry to wash and fold, bathrooms to be scoured, floors to be vacuumed and mopped and a whole free morning to accomplish those tasks, but I also have three kids who are growing up too fast, so we took a spontaneous trip to the Discovery Kids Museum. I told them we had to run to the store real quick for milk (which was true) and then surprised them. Hannah said, "We can stay here!?! But we do need milk!" It's true. But we need this more.
I'm grateful for my husband. Marriage was never supposed to be easy for anyone, but I have to say, with Adam it's not that hard. Adam is completely selfless and kind to me. He's raised his voice to me once in ten (plus) years. He's always trying to improve himself as a husband, father, and teacher. He makes me want to be better because of who he is. He never lets a day pass by without telling me that he loves me, and that he thinks I'm beautiful. Even when I'm up 35 lbs and cranky sweaty pregnant. He is a nurturer to me and our children. Parenting has always come naturally to him and he's never once backed away from a crying baby at 2am or a dirty diaper. He has a lot of education which would allow him to be in administrative positions where he'd get more recognition or money, but he's consciously chosen to remain as a teacher which allows him more time with his family. Because of his degrees he's been able to provide well for us and I can be a stay-at-home mother. Aside from all the wonderful things that make him a great family man, he's just fun to be around. He cracks me up all the time, he is a great conversationalist, and he's interesting (when football isn't involved 😉) I love this man, and he's the number one person I'm grateful for.
I am so grateful for Hannah. Seven years ago Adam and I came to each other and said that we'd both been feeling strongly that after a few years of marriage it was time to have a baby. Little did we know I was already pregnant, and the day before Thanksgiving 2008 I found out I was going to be a mother. Hannah has been a light in our lives from the minute we found out about her. It's an incredible honor to watch her grow up and become a little lady. She is incredibly reliable and I can trust everything she says. She is always very concerned with being appropriate, and making good choices. She is very silly, and loves to joke and try to make people laugh. She acts like a mother to her siblings, which is annoying a lot of times, and I have to remind her she's the sister, but it can be extremely helpful. I love that we share this intense love for reading, and that she can read so well. I love that she enjoys math of all things and I hope she doesn't discover my hatred for it for a long time. She has many friends, and can make them so easily. If you haven't noticed, she is tiny. She's in the 3rd percentile for height and 20th for weight. She has blue eyes just like her uncle Sean, her Grandma Phyllis, and her Granpa Alan (that's it!). She has princess hair and a beautiful smile. She's the oldest grandchild on both sides by a lot. She's a joy to be around, interesting to talk with, and I'm the luckiest mom around.
I literally just looked down at my belly and was horrified. How did I let this happen? How long have I been out of control? When had I gotten so big? Oh yeah...I'm pregnant, it's okay. Seriously. It was like the most bizarre moment of my life. Pregnant brain at it's finest.
I'm grateful for my Paigey-pie. P is for Paige and passion. She is my big hearted girl that produces lots of volume and intensity. Of all my children she is the mommy's girl. She is creative and artistic. She doesn't have a lot of time to learn to read or write, because she's too busy making up stories and drawing characters from them, like the hand monster, which is a tiny monster with millions of hands, a long, spiky tail, a tiny head, and lots of babies in her tummy so we'll never escape them. As expressive as Paige is to those she's close to, she tucks her courage in her pocket when she goes to school or music class. She's not quite as confidant without me around. She loves to tell me every detail about her life while I'm not there, her school day, her classes, her dreams... I never have to miss out. I love Paigey's self confidence. She thinks she has the most beautiful name in the world, the most beautiful hair in the world, the most beautiful fashion sense in the world. In fact, she always loves to pick out her clothes, shoes, and accessories. Sometimes she even asks to pick out mine, and I let her, because this girl's got style. Unlike her sister she's tall. In fact, she and Hannah can share clothes. When Hannah gets new clothes we pass the others to Paige. She says, "I hate being the lucky one that gets so many clothes! Hannah gets all the new ones!" Oh dear. Her chocolate brown eyes always get the best of me, and she always makes me laugh. I love this kid with all my heart and I can't believe I'm so lucky to be her mother.
I'm grateful for my son, Sam. Isn't he handsome? Sam brings such an immense joy to each of us in our family. The girls are so protective of him, they love to spend time with him and compete for his attention. As for his parents, well, we just adore him and we can't ever be angry at him. He is a talker, unless he's around strangers, then you can't get one word out of him. He loves his blanket and his teddy bear. He also loves cars and trucks and balls. He sings Let it Go hourly (I'll never escape Frozen) and the Paw Patrol theme. He's a huge show off, and always calls for me to watch his tricks, then hurries and looks back to see if I'm watching and what my reaction will be. He has a big, joyful laugh. He loves to watch football with his dad. Or talk about football. Randomly while watching he'll get excited and shout "touchdown!" I'm so grateful for this guy and that he filled a hole in our family.
We took a quick trip to California to meet our nephew Nolan, and for Adam to stand in the circle while Nolan's daddy gives him a name and a blessing. He's a handsome little dude!
We've had a LOT of trips this year, and we aren't done. My kids are troupers, but they are growing pretty tired of driving. (In the last two months we've driven to California three times and we'll be heading to Colorado and Utah very soon. February is the only month in 2015 that we haven't gone out of state for one thing or another.)
I suggested we sing some road trip songs and I started to sing "99 bottles of milk on the wall" (the G rated mom approved version). When I started singing "98 bottles of milk..." Hannah asked, "wait...are you going to go all the way down to one? Maybe we should start with ten." 😂😂😂.
Now we are playing mental Uno. I suspect Adam Turney of cheating.
Adam is watching football. I'm reading a book. We are holding hands, even when we wander through our own little worlds. He's also driving me wild with that beard and beanie. #sexywinterAdam
I'm grateful for this baby boy. I haven't even met him yet, and I love him fiercely. Pregnancy isn't the easiest thing for me, for most women, really. Maybe you struggle with conceiving, or miscarriage after miscarriage. Maybe you get super sick and miserable like me the first part. Maybe it's sciatica, exhaustion, headaches, stress, depression, round ligament pain, high blood pressure, etc. maybe you have to go on bed rest. Maybe your deliveries are difficult or your post-partum recovery, or depression again. Whatever it is, pregnancy is HARD. Motherhood is harder. And yet, here I am, doing it a fourth time. Why? Because with all the dangers and pains associated both physically and mentally in conceiving, carrying, delivering, and raising a child there is no pain or anguish on this earth that comes remotely close to the otherworldly love and joy you can experience from being a parent. Whether you get there on your own or you have some help from IVF or other fertility treatment, a surrogate, or birth mother, the love is real and the joy is all encompassing. I think the real miracle of life is that it is 100% possible to be able to feel so much anger and disappointment yet love and compassion at the same time as a mother. So even though it's a struggle, I'm grateful for my son, whose face I haven't kissed yet, and I'll wait anxiously for the coming months for all the joy AND the sorrow he will bring me. No matter what, he's worth it.
"No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child."
Me: What do you want for dinner tonight?
Paige: macaroni and cheese!
Hannah: cereal!
Paige: cereal!
Me: I was going to do grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.
Paige: yeah, but cereal.
Paige: macaroni and cheese!
Hannah: cereal!
Paige: cereal!
Me: I was going to do grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.
Paige: yeah, but cereal.
I don't know what possessed me to ask. Maybe I was hoping they'd say "no thanks, we aren't hungry tonight." Amateur move, Melissa.
Sam has had this weird rash on his hands (both of them) for 24 hours. We've ruled out hand, foot, and mouth disease (there is no fever, no pain, no sores). To my knowledge he han't touched anything unfamiliar. I'm not going to take him to the doctor just yet, I'm not in the mood to pay fifty dollars to be told we need to spend another thousand on allergy tests. Has this happened to anyone's kids? It's not really bothering him.
How a hotel extravaganza works as a family:
-Daddy books room with two queen beds for mommy/daddy and daughters.
-daughter #1 keeps touching daughter #2 with her feet, hands, breath, etc. arguing ensues.
-Daddy and Mommy separate the girls. Daddy sleeps with daughter #1, Mommy sleeps with daughter #2, or, "the face sitter."
-Son watches all activity unfold with rapt attention, occasionally interjecting himself.
-daughters calm, son sits in the dark loudly singing "Let it Go" and reenacting the one and only scene from a video his grandparents sent him earlier that day.
-Sometime between 10-11 pm everyone miraculously falls asleep.
...
-daughter #2 starts coughing
-son immediately pops up in his pack 'n play "hello" he say. "Help me. Stuck."
-Mommy looks at the clock 6am. It's a miracle! Her children slept in!
-Mommy realizes they are in a different time zone. To their internal clocks it's still five am. All is well.
-Daddy books room with two queen beds for mommy/daddy and daughters.
-daughter #1 keeps touching daughter #2 with her feet, hands, breath, etc. arguing ensues.
-Daddy and Mommy separate the girls. Daddy sleeps with daughter #1, Mommy sleeps with daughter #2, or, "the face sitter."
-Son watches all activity unfold with rapt attention, occasionally interjecting himself.
-daughters calm, son sits in the dark loudly singing "Let it Go" and reenacting the one and only scene from a video his grandparents sent him earlier that day.
-Sometime between 10-11 pm everyone miraculously falls asleep.
...
-daughter #2 starts coughing
-son immediately pops up in his pack 'n play "hello" he say. "Help me. Stuck."
-Mommy looks at the clock 6am. It's a miracle! Her children slept in!
-Mommy realizes they are in a different time zone. To their internal clocks it's still five am. All is well.
This morning we woke up in a Days Inn on the side of a freeway but tonight we're sleeping in a Ritz Carleton in Vail, where we will repeat said process gladly several times.
Vail is beautiful, and it's so great to be with the family! Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving and I have a lot of gratitude right now for this family of ours. It's so fantastic to watch my children play with their cousin Hanley, and their aunts and uncle. I am feeling pretty great after a good workout with Amanda Morgan Turney, and I was even able to keep up with her. Life is good!
We are thankful for Nana and Papa! They say a family that plays together stays together, and the Turneys sure know how to party! We love tagging along on adventures with them, and we've had an awesome week in Vail in the lap of luxury at the Ritz-Carlton resort. They were so generous to share a week with us, and we've made some great memories!
Hannah: Good morning, mommy! What should I do?
Me: Just lay back down for a minute, we'll all be awake soon.
Hannah: (flabbergasted) It is SIX SIXTEEN! I can't lay back down!
Me: Just lay back down for a minute, we'll all be awake soon.
Hannah: (flabbergasted) It is SIX SIXTEEN! I can't lay back down!
The audacity of a suggestion that she sleep in past six am.
We are heading home from vacation now. We've been experiencing car drama and a bathroom break about every thirty minutes. Thankfully the kids are being angels and the roads are pretty much clear (and our car is still under warranty)!
I remember driving home from California in 2002 with my grandparents. We were stuck on the I-15 driving past the Las Vegas strip for over an hour. It was June, and my Granpa turned off the AC so that the car wouldn't overheat. I remember my 16 year-old self, sweating and moody, looking out the window towards the stratosphere thinking, "what a miserable place."
How funny now, almost 14 years later that the sight of the lights of Las Vegas gets my heart pumping with joy and brings the biggest smile to my face. Home means Nevada!
We finally made it home after stopping 9 times during our 11 hour drive back from Vail, Colorado, and dealing with our van going crazy (all the gauges stopped working, the dash indicator lights were constantly turning on and off, the entertainment system wouldn't turn on, and the wipers wouldn't turn off for 2 hours).
I feel sad this morning. Last night we went to Sweet Addiction for one last hurrah before Chelsea moves to Reno (then onto Texas). Chelsea was my first friend when I moved to this part of town. She swooped in and invited me to be a part of her group, inviting me to dinners, Bunco nights, and nerdy game nights with her and Shawn. Some of my favorite memories include watching musicals together (especially the day before Paige was born), Bachelor nights, her making fun of my night driving, serving in callings together, midnight movies, gooey popcorn, our big girls weekend, Criss Angel, many talks and back and forth texts, inside jokes, Friends references, and eating...a lot of our memories include stuffing our faces. I'm going to miss my family photographer, who has captured every precious moment in the last six years from family photos to birthday parties to my newborn's pictures. I was browsing photographers on the Internet last night, and none of them (in my opinion) do as good of a job at capturing the spirit of a family as well as Chels. They are too busy trying to capture the art or chasing trends. Chelsea makes us look good, and puts up with my silly kids and grumpy husband. More than my photographer I'm going to miss my friend. After we dropped her off I had a hard time stopping my tears, and I made Sheena promise me she wasn't going to move, ever. It's hard, I've had a lot of friends come and go in Vegas, and many GOOD friends (Stacey, Kim, Mindy...) but never in a million years did I think the Manns would leave too. You will all be greatly missed. At least now we have a reason to visit Texas!
Today was Sam's first day of nursery, a day I've been looking forward to for approximately 18 months. It was a little sad to leave him and I wondered about him the whole time. When I went to pick him up my friend Emily told me that he walked out when all the parents started showing up, and thatAdam had been there earlier. I started looking around to see if Sam was wandering around, not really clear on what Emily had said, if Sam had left, or if Adam had taken him. I was starting to get concerned but then I got a text from Adam saying they were all waiting for me in the van, so I went out to the van to join my family. When I got there Adam asked, "Where's Sam!?!" I didn't even say anything, I just ran back into the church and started looking, every worst case scenario running through my mind, particularly the one where he wanders out to a giant parking lot where a couple hundred families are puling out. I ran inside and the nursery leaders are already looking for him. I told Bishop that he was missing and he started looking too. Apparently he'd gone into the chapel and wandered up to the front and then left out the side door. With the nursery leaders, bishop, parents, and a few others looking for him he was quickly found and like a big dummy I burst into tears I was so happy to have found him. Needless to say, it was an adventurous first day, and when I picked him up the little stinker started laughing, like he knew he'd done something naughty. I'm so grateful for the bishop, and Emily and Michelle, who were wanting to find him almost as much as I was. Now we know he's a flight risk, and I think next week will go a little better, haha!
The girls are frosting the sugar cookies, and I'm pretending it's not making me anxious because they are making the biggest mess in the world.
Baby is still a boy, and a very handsome one I might add. He's healthy and squirmy! 19 weeks to go (an eternity!) until I meet my little Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore Turney!
