June 6, 2014

Long Time, No Blog

Oh my life, we've had an exciting couple of weeks. My parents flew in to town for Daniel's baptism, which was wonderful. The baptism was amazing, and my talk about the Holy Ghost went really well. Of course, in all the busyness and excitement of the day, I completely forgot to take pictures of Daniel in his new suit. So we're going to take some this Sunday, when he's all dressed for church.... you know, recreate the moment. ;)

Meanwhile, I just completed another four credits towards my degree. Woot-woot! I'll be teaching before I know it, which is pretty exciting when I think about it. I have my five year plan, and my ten year plan, and let me tell you what, they are looking better and better with every completed credit hour.

My mom is still in town. When my parents came, my dad could only stay for a few days, but my mom is going to be here another week. Then, when she leaves, she'll be taking Blayne with her to Arizona for the annual Tenth Year Cousin Camp. It's such a fun time for the kids in the family. They learn so many new things, and my parents really try to tailor it to the cousins that are coming. Blayne is very interested in sewing and handwork, so she has sewing lessons, and crochet classes, and things like that. Plus, she'll be on a swim team, which we desperately need. We don't have pool access, so my kids aren't the best swimmers. And you HAVE to know how to swim, because it's a very important life skill. At any rate, Blayne is super excited for her Arizona trip, and can't wait to go. She's going to spend a few days with the Bingham grandparents too, which will be nice.

Also, ALL of the kids get to go to a sleep away camp in August! They are very excited and have already started counting down the days. The camp is being put on by the MS Foundation, and it's for kids who have a parent or caregiver that has Multiple Sclerosis. My kids don't know any other children that have a parent with MS, and I think it will be really neat for them to get to meet other kids that have the same kinds of experiences. When we were feeling out the applications, there was a sheet in the very back where the kids could write down any questions they have about MS, or dealing with MS, or dealing with their parent having it... it was interesting and a little sad to see what my kids wrote. One of them is really worried that I'm going to die. (Did not know this. Can you imagine! That is so much pressure to be dealing with... and they didn't want to talk to me about it, because they didn't want to upset me, and it was really eye opening. We have now discussed this in great length and detail, and I have assured them that I won't die until I'm very, VERY old.) Another person was worried that they would get MS. (Nope, not hereditary) There were some other questions and concerns, and I think it is going to be GREAT for them to get to talk about all these things with other kids and counselors. Oh, and Thaddeus wanted to know WHEN I'm getting a wheelchair. I said, hopefully, not for a really long time, but that you never know, which is why it's important for me to do certain things, even when my body is hurting, because it needs to remember how to work.

Also, this is our most recent family pic. Aren't we attractive people?