Inspiring Kids

So our other friend Grace, who has leukemia and is about 5 years old, just raised and donated $7000 dollars to Doernbecher's Childrens Hospital this week! She took her wagon of money up there and in front of all the nurses and doctors made her donation. What a special kid and family!

Our other friend, Adriana who is 3? I think, just found out that her tumor is back so we are praying hard that the chemotherapy will work for her this time. She is undergoing harder and more extensive rounds. Tonight we are taking them dinner as they come home from Portland. Please pray for her.

I Am a Mother

A few days ago I started a conversation with a friend after I was asked to speak to the young women in our ward about the "divine duty of motherhood". After talking with them and telling them my own story of how I came to motherhood, my friend said you have to read this book by Jane Clayson Johnson. It's like your story but famous! The author of the book is a former host of CBS The Early Show and she left a very lucrative contract with them traveling all over the world as a lead news anchor to be......a stay-at-home Mom. She talks a lot about the sacred calling of motherhood and I am loving this book. Thank you Michelle!

Some excerpts that really stood out to me,

"I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is. To create an environment that's stimulating and nurturing, to pass on a sense of responsibility to another human being, to raise a child who understands that he or she is created from good and is capable of anything-I know for sure that few callings are more honorable. To play down mothering as small is to crack the very foundation on which greatness stands."

"I reflected often on these words of Elder Holland: 'In those crucial moments of pivotal personal history [we must] submit ourselves to God even when all our hopes and fears may tempt us otherwise. We must be willing to place all that we have - not just our possessions...but also our ambition and pride and stubborness and vanity - on the altar of God, kneel there in silent submission, and willingly walk away'"(On Earth as It Is in Heaven)

Busy Week......

Twinkle Toes was busy playing with her Pet Shops activity set/stickers. She was talking busily the whole time to Gracie who seemed quite interested and entertained.

Caleb is excited to play soccer soon....he's working on his moves in the living room.

Somebody is eating baby food now and rolling over!

My big blue-eyed Gracie Goo.

What a beautiful boy? He does whatever sissy is doing.....

Update 2/16

Grace's blood pressures have been really good lately. Her last ones were 88/50, 91/47, 91/50, and 89/59, all of which are normal for her age. And we haven't been going up on the dosing of her medication so her doctor says that if things continue this way, we are actually weaning her off of the blood pressure medication! Yeah. That is good news.

We have been to the doctor about 4 times this past week though. Her incision has gotten red, swollen, and filled with pus. The doctor thinks she may just be having an allergic reaction to some underlying stitches. So far, it doesn't look like it is infected. So that is good. The doctor just had to drain another area of the incision and hopefully it will start healing soon.

Hubert & I went on a little early Valentine's Day date. We had a gift certificate to Applebee's and one to Barnes and Noble, so we reserved our favorite babysitters and made a night of it. It was a lot of fun.

So Hubert got laid off his job 2 weeks before Christmas. Yes, what a merry Christmas. We have been managing thankfully. We're all getting used to the routine of us ALL being home in the day and we are managing not to kill each other. I sent the hubby fishing today, all day, and it is a nice way for him to let off some stress. He needs it. He has been helping me a TON around here with the kids and Grace and I am managing to work a little on my medical transcription stuff at home. We are sure glad to have guidance in our church for a year's supply of food. That is really coming in handy. We're learning how little we REALLY need in terms of money and it's a great test of using our food storage, what's important and what's not, and what are true necessities..... It has kind of given us a fresh start and time to reevaluate some of our goals and dreams. Nothing like losing your job to sort of "free you up" to possibilities.

The Grills

My Sweet Boy calls Gracie, "Gracie Grill", hence here is a picture of all the Grills. We tried to get the one boy in the picture so it would be a picture of all the kids, but he wasn't having a happy moment so it ended up being just a girl picture.

Gracie's Blessing Day

We blessed Gracie today at church. She looked so pretty in her dress from Nana. We had lots of family in attendance which was very fun. We had a HOUSEFUL this weekend. People slept in every available spot on the floor, beds, even the garage, oh yeah, that was Jack the dog. Those in attendance were Uncle Kent, Aunt Lana, Zach, Cody, Kaylee, Sadie, Uncle Phillip, Aunt Amy Lynne, Marshall, Hallie, Aunt Amy Ruth, Uncle Grant & Aunt Kiley, and Grandpa. Kaylee is staying the week and the girls are going to have a ball! Thanks for coming.....