The BEST day in a LONG time!!

Today was awesome for 2 reasons!

 1) Anthon & I finished school today &

2) It's Sterling's birthday!!

Time to elaborate on these events!!

1) We survived the semester!!!

This was us last week.

This is us today.

Needless to say, we're pretty relieved that this semester is over- it has been a douzey!! But, even though it was extremely tough, we were blessed SO much!! I know the Lord was helping us every step of the way- we were more organized than we've ever been and were able to figure out the balance between all our commitments so we didn't feel like we were slacking in any area. Oh & did I mention we both got A's?!?! Yes, I got an A in the hardest semester of nursing school!! & yes, Anthon got 4 A's- count 'em, 4!- while working & picking up my slack around the house! Oh yes, the Lord blessed us!! It truly is a miracle & there's no way we can take the credit for it... we can only express our gratitude- it's all because of His tender goodness!! We are SO thankful!!!

 2) Sterling turned 2!!!  

 Last night, Anthon & I carried out our birthday tradition & decorated Sterling's bed. He was so cute when he woke up & saw all the balloons! He just kept, "Ooo-ing" and saying "Balloon!" while pointing to them!

Of course, Anthon & I had to go to school & take our finals, but once we were finished we took him to do a couple fun birthday things.

First we took him to Krispy Kreme to get a birthday donut.

 Then, we took him to the mall to ride the carousel.

His actual birthday party isn't until this Saturday, but we had planned to have Mom come over for dinner, cake, & ice cream. It turned out that most of Anthon's family were down here today, but were going home before Saturday so they all came over to party with us. It was a full house & SO much fun!! I attempted to make him a cute birthday cake, but it wasn't as cute as I had hoped! 

 Thankfully, Sterling didn't care!

He got so many fun presents and was so adorable to watch open them!  

 

 

We are SO thankful for this sweet, special little boy! He has all 3 of us wrapped around his finger and our family would not be complete with out him!! Heavenly Father was so incredibly kind to bless us with Sterling and celebrating his birthday was the perfect way to be reminded of just how many blessing we have!!!

Today has been SUCH a good day!!

 We are truly blessed!!

 

Goal met

My heart is full. I set a goal at the beginning of this semester. The goal was to read one non-nursing book. More specifically, to read The Book of Mormon by the end of the semester. I'm happy to report that today I accomplished that goal!

I cannot even begin to tell you how much this goal has blessed my life!! Most people who pass nursing school say block 2 is the hardest. Most people who end up repeating a block, repeat block 2. It's tough- the content & course requirements are HARD!! But it doesn't matter. "... If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me." I had faith that Heavenly Father would bless me get through this block, and I asked Him for help ALL THE TIME!! Not just with school, with every aspect of my life- my kids, my calling, my house, my marriage, my health... & He delivered! "Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you." I KNOW that promise is true! I KNOW God hears my prayers & answers them with perfect timing, in better ways than I could ever imagine! I feel so blessed from working toward this goal- almost unworthy of all the blessings I've received. All I've done is ask for what I've needed & believed that He'd help me, and I've been given SO much! Last semester, my goal was to not study on Sunday. I kept that goal last semester, carried it thru this semester, and know that I was given blessings because of my faith, but they seemed more specifically toward my academics. Reading The Book of Mormon this semester has blessed EVERY aspect of my life! It has strengthened my testimony so much!
 I know my Heavenly Father knows me! He knows my concerns, my weaknesses, my strengths. He knows what is best for me, He wants me to be happy, and all I have to do is ask Him. I asked... a LOT... this semester, & I am so happy I can't find sufficient words!

The end is near.... end of the semester, that is!!

 I haven't blogged too much about this semester, but today was my last day at clinical, so I figured it would be a good time to talk about it. I REALLY enjoyed my clinical group/ instructor & facility this semester! I was at Chandler Regional Hospital and had a lot of opportunities to see/ perform some really cool things!! Ok, maybe to some people watching operations, starting IV's or putting in a Foley catheter isn't that cool but to a 1st year nursing student, it's the COOLEST! I actually felt like I was doing real nursing tasks this semester, instead of just doing the dirty work licensed nurses didn't want to do or being a gopher! And not to brag or anything, but on my exit interview my instructor told me that I was her best student this semester... she may have said that to everyone else in the class (since the reviews were done one-on-one) but it sure made me feel good!

This was on the day I got to go to the OR and watch some surgeries! Super neat to see some operations, but kind of disgusting at the same time!

 This was my FAVORITE day in clinical! My friend, Jenn, & I got to go observe in the ER for the afternoon & saw some super cool things!! This was taken right be fore we watched a central line get put in.

My final is in a little over a week (on Sterling's birthday, to be exact) and this is how I'll be until then- Study, study, study!! Honestly, I'm pretty much OVER this semester- especially fluids & electrolytes!!! But, I think an A is in sight & it would be really awesome if I can get it... Wish me luck!!

Father's & Sons outing

Anthon took Roman to Father's & Sons this past weekend & they had a really fun time! He debated about taking Sterling, but we eventually decided that it would be best to wait another year before he gets to go... he still seems kind of young! Plus, Anthon took our friend's 2 boys since their dad had to work, so his hands were already pretty full! They went up Friday night, had dinner & a camp fire, slept, got up Saturday morning, ate breakfast, went on a little hike, and then headed home. Short & sweet! Anyway, here are the pictures Anthon took of their trip:

Roman on Saturday morning- I love that his belly is showing! Shows how big he's getting- those are size 4 pj's!

All ready for the hike, walking stick & all! I love his goofy expression!

 At the top of the hill, on the radio tower ^ & throwing rocks!

 

 Teagan, Rayle, & Roman- not sure what they're doing, but the poses are pretty cute!

 View from the top! I love that they have this special tradition every year! I know Roman really enjoys going camping with just his daddy- they get to bond in a way that they can't at home, and I love watching their relationship grow! Such a sweet daddy, & such a darling son!

Foreign body removal

Back in November, Roman fell off of a quad & got a little scrape on his hand. The scrape has since grown into the bump you see circled in red. His doctor referred us to a plastic surgeon, who suggested we remove whatever the mass was before it became an issue (by obstructing a nerve or something in his hand). We agreed & today was the big day of surgery!  

 

We had to be at the hospital by 6am, which means we had to leave the house by 5:30am. Roman was in unusually good spirits despite it being so early!

Well, he was in good spirits until they made him change out of his clothes into purple "girl" clothes and started talking about taking him away from me. Every time I'd talk to him at home about what was going to happen the day of the surgery, he always freaked out about the part when they take him to the OR & I go back tot he waiting room, so I asked the Dr. if they would give him something to help him relax before they took him. They gave him some versed & BOY did it make him relax! He acted like he was drunk- saying the funniest things, slurring his speech, having zero balance! It was hilarious- & definitely made it easier for both of us when they took him back!! When the time came, he just hopped in the little red wagon, laid down and said, "Bye, mom! See you later." like it was no big deal.

 

 This is him on the versed^ & below is in recovery when he came out of surgery.

 Everything with the surgery went great- turns out the foreign body was a cactus spine. But, when he woke up the anesthesia made him SUPER sick & he couldn't stop vomiting :(. After about an hour of throwing up, they gave him a shot to help calm his belly & he finally stopped vomiting.

 Once he got the shot, he was able to relax & fell asleep. He was snoring SO loud!! After about another hour of observation, they let us go home. He has a few stitches in his hand & a dressing over it, but I learned all about dressing changes this semester so I'm not too worried about it ;). 

As his special reward for being brave he got the helicopter Rescue Bot, Blades, which completed his set. He was SOO excited to have all of them!

He played with them all afternoon & acted like nothing had even happened this morning! I LOVE listening to him play with them! He kept saying phrases like, "Come on, fellas..." & "... Autobots, roll out!" His little imagination is darling!!

I'm so thankful that it's over & behind us! I'm especially thankful  that everything went well & that his little hand won't have any nerve damage!

Last month of being one!

I can't believe that Sterling is going to be 2 next month!! I haven't done a post on just him since he was 18 months, so I figured I might as well do one more while he's still 1! He's growing up so fast, but still seems like my little baby (course, it helps that he really is physically little- He's barely fitting into size 18 months)! His little personality is really starting to shine & it seems like he's learning/ doing new things everyday! Here are a few pictures that I've taken of him at 23 months old:

Even though he's small for his age, the boy LOVES food! He definitely is my good eater!

This is him seeing a horse for the first time... they both just stared at each other, like they were both thinking, "What is THAT?!?"

 Haha- He loves to be tough like his Daddy!!

 He's learned to jump on the trampoline... & it's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen!

 He loves to "help" do dishes, which basically consists of pulling all the dirty dishes out or putting all his toys into the dishwasher.

Independent eating= lots of messes for me to clean up, but I don't mind! Like I said before, the boy loves his food!

I sure do enjoy this boy- I refer to him as my angel child probably more often than I should, but he really is a pleasure to be around all the time! He has such a sweet/ tender disposition and is always willing to give us hugs & kisses! My favorite is when he grabs my face, kisses one cheek, then turns my head & kisses then other cheek, & repeats that several times! He is such a joy to have in our home & I ADORE him!! I'm dreading the day when he hits the terrible two's & my sweet baby days are over :( I wish I could freeze time & have him stay this way forever!!!



Easter

This week we got to take the boys to the Easter Pageant & it was a really fun experience! They loved when the angles would dance & enjoyed seeing the scenes that are depicted in their sacrament book (the gospel picture book)! During the crucifixion scene Roman looked at me very concerned & said, "Why they do that to him?! He's a nice guy!" so I got the opportunity to explain to him that Jesus did it for us. It was a really special experience, but of course left my camera at home & didn't get any decent pictures!

I did better today, though :)! Today has been really nice! Eileen went to church with us (they came down from Show Low this weekend & we did an egg hunt/ picnic with all of Anthon's sibling's yesterday). She sat with the boys while Anthon & I sang with the choir. After church we took a few pictures, made dinner, & just hung out with family the rest of the afternoon. Here are a few of the pictures we got:

 

This one was taken before church, the rest were taken after. I LOVE the colors of their shirts & ties this year!

 Such handsome boys!

Spring break!!

This past week was my spring break- & oh my was it lovely!! Not that I did anything really special (Anthon worked every day, so we couldn't go anywhere), but just the fact that I didn't have to go to school made it fabulous! Here's a little recap of what we did:

FYI I've gotten really bad at taking pictures with just my cell phone, so the quality isn't wonderful... I'm working on busting out my nice camera more, though!!

MONDAY

We had a little campfire in our backyard for FHE & talked about all our Heavenly Father's creations that we're thankful for. 

TUESDAY

Got the boys hair cut, went to lunch, & played in the back yard.

 Sterling was in rare form at lunch (being a total goof ball) & I actually was able to capture it on camera!

While they were playing in the yard, the boys bonked heads (well, Sterling's head hit Roman's eye) and turned into a shiner- Roman's first!

 WEDNESDAY:

My 29th birthday!!

I spent the morning shopping with the boys for a birthday outfit, then met my mom at Joe's Farm Grill for a fabulous lunch, then came home, put the boys down for a nap, & went to my friend's house to get my hair curled.

 That night a group of about 20 of my family members met to go out to dinner. We originally wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse, but they weren't going to be able to seat us all together so we went across the way to Macaroni Grill & had a lovely dinner!!

I keep waiting for the "birthday depression" to set in each year, but it hasn't happened yet. I think it's because I'm genuinely happy with what I have & where I'm at in life. I'm ready to make the most of my last year in the 20's!!

 THURSDAY

We went with our friend (& old nanny!) Corinne & her little guy Kamden to the zoo. It was HOT- like 90º- while we were there, so these giant snow cones were necessary!

 FRIDAY

Since the temperature was rising, Corinne invited us to go swimming with her & Kamden at her apartment. IT was SO fun! The water was a little chilly when we first got it, but felt perfect after that! I was a little nervous that Roman would relapse with his swimming, but thankfully he picked up right where he left off last summer! Sterling, on the other hand, wasn't a fan of the water. Poor kid is so skinny he was shivering non-stop the whole time he was in it, so he spent most of the time sitting on the side, contently watching everyone else swim.

 SATURDAY & SUNDAY

Gwen & her family went to California for their spring break & stopped by for a couple nights! They stayed with us and we had family over both nights- it was so much fun! Saturday we just had pizza & salad and Sunday was St. Patrick's Day so we had the traditional corned beef with veggies. It worked out really well cause the kids were all outside playing the whole time while the adults just visited!

All in all, spring break was great!! Just what I needed to get rejuvenated for the next chunk of school! two more months in school, then I'll have 3 months off!!  Looking forward to my break this summer, that's for sure!!



Sunday!!!

 This semester has been a lot more time consuming/ stressful than last- I'm gone from home a lot more (at least it feels that way) and when I am home, it seems like the focus is on all the tasks to be done. Except for Sunday! Oh, how I love Sunday!! It's the only day each week (LITERALLY) that I get to just relax, spend time with my family, & reflect on everything I have to be thankful for!!

 Like this guy! I am SO thankful for him! He went to choir practice with me today & it meant so much to me! I love him & all the does to help me out with school, the house, the kids, my calling, basically every aspect of my life!

Or this guy! He is such a blessing to me! The biggest helper, so forgiving when I'm impatient with him, & always willing to show me how much he loves me!

 & this guy! Man, oh man- I adore this little tender mercy of mine! He doesn't smile for the camera much, but he always has a smile & big hug for me, and is always up for a snuggle! I LOVE that about him- I hope he never gets too big to cuddle with me!!

 I LOVE that I have one day a week to spend with these boys, uninterrupted by all the things that go on during a normal day (errands, homework, cleaning, etc.)

Just an entire day to watch, be present, & enjoy these 3 amazing guys in my life!! How could I not love Sunday?!