And This Too Shall Pass....literally!

Wow, what a whirlwind of a week we have had!!!  This is a pretty long post, but lots of people have asked about what's been going on...so here we go!!

It all started with preparing for our big cross country move to VA.  The movers came last Tuesday-Thursday to pack all of our belongings and load them up into the truck to be carried to our new home in Virginia.  It was such a crazy three days and I was SO thankful for all of our friends who helped take care of the kids while Josh could get loose ends tied up at work & I could be there to make sure the movers did their job well ( which they did great).

Caleb and Michael riding their bikes before they get packed....

Caleb decided to pick me some flowers <3

and Rachel too!

It was tough getting the boys to sleep on the floor...Caleb told me that " Floors are for walking on, not sleeping on.  Cozy, comfy beds are for sleeping"...lol Thankfully I had 2 ipods that did the trick :)

Rachel wanted to ride her bike too!

Two of Ethans best friends came over to tell him goodbye!  They all promised that when they got older they would be Air Force Pilots and get stationed in CA together....super sweet!!

Good-bye Mt. Home....off to VA!

Since all of our things were not in our house anymore the plan was to stay in TLF ( temporary housing on base) until our housing inspection the following Monday.  Well, when we go to check into TLF they tell us that they have a room for us for one night, but then they messed up on our reservation for the rest of the time.  Instead of putting us down as a family of 6 with a dog....they put us down as having 6 kids and no dog.  So that did that mean...it meant they didn't have any dog friendly rooms available for us on base, so we were going to have to go downtown and stay at the Best Western ( which is about 20 mins from the base).  So we repack all of our belongings we were personally carrying and head to the hotel.  That was Thursday afternoon.  We went to eat and by the time we got to the hotel I wasn't feeling too good.  I just chalked it up to being tired from the packing, etc and went to sleep.  We all woke up the next morning and went to eat breakfast.  During that time, I told Josh that my side was hurting a little and wondered if I had pulled a muscle or something.  Josh went to work for his last day and then plan was for me to take Ethan to golf lessons on base, get the boys hair cut, and run some more errands.  Well, I got all the kids and Daisy ( the hotel's rule was we were not allowed to leave her alone) in the van and headed toward the base.  By the time I got about 5 mins down the road, my side was hurting so bad I could barely breathe!!!  It truly felt like I was having back labor, it was that bad!!!  I immediately called Josh bawling and said something is really wrong.  So, I met Josh on base, dropped the kids off with him and went to the hospital.  By this time I could barely stand up to walk because of the pain.  The nurses grabbed a wheelchair and sent me to the back.  Long story short, the ran a CAT scan and found out that I had a 6mm kidney stone in my left kidney, a small one in my right and apparently I have gallstones too!!!  I was like seriously...anything else!
  After the diagnosis the doctor said that they wanted to give me some medicine to see if it would help me pass the stone.  The only problem with this is that if it didn't pass by the weekend they wanted to do surgery on Monday....but that was the day we were all planning to leave to go to our new PCS station.  Things were looking really bad.  They have me the medication, plus some Percoset to control the pain and sent me home.  Then things just got worse....I was up all night in extreme pain and vomitting...it was bad!  The next morning, I went back to the base hospital in lots of pain. They ended up sending me by ambulance to Boise to see a urologist.  Again, to make a long story short...they were civilian doctors and the fact that we would have no place to live after Sunday, all of our belongings were on the way to VA, and we were scheduled to leave on Monday, did not matter to them.  In their eyes it was not an emergency "Just an inconvenience" ( as they put it), they could give me medication to control the pain and I could have surgery on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when they could get me in.
  This is when Josh and I had to make a decision.....the plan was either they give me the strongest medication to control the pain that they could (so that I could still drive...we have two vehicles) or ask Josh's mom if she would fly in the next day to be a substitute driver so that I could have some really strong medication that would make the trip at least bearable for me.  So Josh immediately got on the phone and called his mom!!  Now, I am truly blessed with one of the best mother in laws in the world!!! She didn't hesitate to help us out.  All she needed to do was to make a phone call and see if she could get out of jury duty!  Well, while all of this was going on, I told Josh I really think I need to go to the restroom. Wouldn't you know that when I went I passed the stone, right then and there!!!!  I have never been so happy in my life!!!!  For one, the pain immediately went away and our travel plans could go on as planned!!!!  We all were SO excited and the doctor's were amazed at how big the stone was and the fact that I passed it!!!
  All of that happened Thursday-Saturday....Sunday after church we all headed to the house to clean before our final inspection on Monday.  Our plan was to clean all weekend, but with everything going on we only had Sunday afternoon.  In the end, Josh's mom still flew out ( we thought she would love the trip and I was still not 100% ) and helped us with the house too!

We were so happy to finally have everything packed and the house clean!!!

By this time it was 7:30 pm and we were all acting a little crazy!!!

Our house number at Mt. Home..

  I just want to personally thank you all for the prayers that were sent our way and for our friends who stepped up and helped us with our kids.  It meant the world to us!!
 

Until Next Time,
Michelle


 

Fathers Day Tribute..

I am truly blessed to have two amazing men in my life....my father & my husband.   I found these poems this week and would like to dedicate them to the both of you.  I love you all so much....Happy Fathers Day!!!

A Father . . .

A father is God’s gift to all
a pillar of strength and love
A man of divine character
a man from up above

A father holds a newborn babe
in tenderness and awe
He knows the child will find his way
and bless us, one and all

A father prays for God’s great hand
to lead him in his labor
He asks that God protect the child
and keep the child from danger

A father cherishes each gentle kiss
that falls upon his cheek
He hopes each child will not be lost
but a wise man’s counsel seek

A father watches every struggle
and winces with each loss
He knows the child must have trouble
to grow at any cost

A father knows a lesson learned
is better than one missed
His patience and strong support
brings the child joy and bliss

A father looks with pride and smiles
as his child succeeds
He knows that God provides all things
an earthly child needs

A father sets the mark
of how a child should love
And shows by his example
a glimpse of God above-Auther Unknown
I love you and am SO proud to be your daughter!!!!

The Best Man I Ever Knew

When we married, I saw you as perfect,
The ideal husband and more;
I thought I knew all about you,
All the things to love and adore.

But when you became a father,
I saw new qualities to treasure.
You enrich all our lives in fresh ways;
As a dad, you bring so much pleasure.

Our children are forever blessed
To have a father like you,
And I love you more than ever,
You’re the best man I ever knew.

By Joanna Fuchs
Josh, our children are truly blessed to have you as a Father....we love you VERY much!

Until Next Time,Michelle

Friday Favorites...

TGIF!!!!!  Wow, this week has just flown by!!  We have been so busy getting things ready for the movers to come...can't believe they will be here in 4 days!  I cannot tell you how excited we are to get back on the East coast and see our family & friends....most of whom we haven't seen in a year!  We will miss the dear friends we have made here in Mt. Home, thankfully there is Facebook and we can keep up with them!

Ok, on to Friday Favorites...this week I just have one....Pinterest!!  If you haven't heard of this, you should really check it out!  Basically, it's a virtual pinboard.  It lets you organize all the things you find on the internet onto boards.  The best thing is that you can browse other peoples boards and find the neatest ideas!!!  Things you've never thought of!  Plus, it is super easy to use.  First you go request an invite to join.  Then you will have to download their software that lets you pin things.  Then you are set.  Anytime you see something you like, you just click pin it, place it into the category you want and boom it's there!  They also have an app you can put on your smart phone that lets you pin on the go!!   I'm serious it has become more addicting to me than Facebook...imagine that ( lol)! So, if you haven't joined in, hit the link above and take a look!


Until Next Time,
Michelle

Wordless Wednesday....

Until Next Time,
Michelle

Idaho Portraits....

Josh and I decided that before we left Idaho we wanted to get some pictures of the kids made to remember our time here. Of course I knew who to ask.....my friend Melissa, who owns Melissa Gephardt Photography in town.  She is AMAZING and I knew she would do an awesome job!

This week I got to preview the pictures and place my order!  Honestly, they were all so good that it made it really hard to choose!   I  loved the fact that she had a program that placed the pictures in a wall group so I could see what they would look like on my wall.  I am such a visual person and need something to look at...it really helped me in choosing what I wanted to get!  I also got me a little something special....a leather tote bag with a picture of all the kids on it :).

Here's a sneak peek of the picture display she came up with and the tote bag....can't wait to see them in person!!

This how they will look on our living room wall...the three pictures with all the kids will be on a canvas and the single pictures will be in dark brown picture frames...now I just need to find a cute, brown letter C :)

Super excited about this one.....

Until Next Time,

Michelle

Rachel's Dance Recital...

Whew, what a busy weekend!!  Rachel had her end of the year dance recital last night and did such a great job!  This year she was on a competition team, so between that class and her ballet/jazz class, she had a total of 4 performances.  I really liked how the studio broke the dancers up into two different shows.....one at 3:00 and one at 7:00.  It made the recital not so long, even though Rachel was in both shows.  Thankfully, she only had to do one performance in the first show, so we left right after that to go home and get the rest of the family. So needless to say, it was a rush of dancing and changing outfits, but she had a blast!  Now that it's all over we can focus on getting ready for the big move.  Can't believe we have 15 days and we will be leaving!!

I love my little dancer...

The stage backdrop...

First performance of the day....think pink!

She loved her roses....

Daddy's little girl....

Ethan was very excited to go see Rachel perform....they truly are best friends :)

Ethan and a friend of his from the base, Cameron

Second dance of the night...Mermaid Ball.  We were very proud because she had a little solo dance in this piece!  She did great!

The end of a long day....Rachel we are SO proud of you!!

Until Next Time,

Michelle :)