Welcome Kjel

Intense, empowering labor; beautiful delivery; perfect baby.


Congratulations Brookie, Steven & Gage!


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sympathy pains

We all know what they are ... and, at least for me, I usually associate sympathy pains with pregnancy. When I was in labor with my first child in Utah, my sister in Michigan had horrible stomach cramps. (let's don't get into the husbands-gaining-weight-during-preganancy-thing) So anyway, Brooke has been having contractions and dilating bit-by-bit off & on for a LONGGGGG time now - about a month. During this time I've had some little sympathy pains for her. I was with her for several days, went home for the weekend, then came back. While home for the weekend I was pulling into our garage and BAM - a contraction. It's true! At first I was "holy cow - what in the world?!" Here's the thing: lucky me, I think I'm at the glorious stage of life where there will be no more periods! So it took me a milli-second to realize this was some weird sort of sympathy pain. Just one contraction is all I had. Anyway - the past couple of weeks with Brooke I've had hot & cold flashes, upset tummy, fatigue, aching joints and cramps. Yes. Then last night I felt a little something above my lip. It was weird - a little pinchy sort of thing. I reached up and touched it and ... well, like I said, I'm at a new stage in life. So at first I didn't recognize it for what it was. A PIMPLE.


WHAT???? I haven't had a pimple for years! Right there, above my lip - identical to the location of Brooke's little zit from last week, a monstrous eruption was occurring. Ugh. I zipped into the bathroom and smothered it in toothpaste (something I read) and hit the sack. This morning it's a mere shadow of last night's horror ... but now my eyelid is sporting a new eruption. ENOUGH! Let's birth this baby!


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Real Wisdom

I don't know where he came up with this - his mommy, Brooke, says she thinks it's a combination of phrases from "Meet The Robinsons" ... But WOW - having a 2-year-old walk up and say this to you can really make you think!

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I'm not going to pay an extra $13

**Did you know you can fly from Las Vegas to Idaho Falls for forty-something-dollars INCLUDING taxes and fees? You can. It's crazy. Sometimes you can find an even cheaper fare - I once got a ticket for $19. But now the airlines are tacking on fees for everything. You know what I'm talking about: checked luggage, seat assignment, early boarding, food ... and now, even carry-on bags cost. So with the airline I recently flew on, I could carry one personal bag that will fit under the seat. I'd have to pay $13 to bring a carry-on. That would have increased my airfare by 20%. I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I crammed a TON of stuff into my personal bag (the one my sister gave me from Bath & Bodyworks a couple of years ago).




In that bag I fit: clothes for a week, a new baby blanket for Brooke's baby, little action figures for Gage, toiletries, my iPad, my purse, and two freshly baked loaves of bread. It's true. It all fit.
Oh yeah. And then I don't know what I was thinking when I got to the airport and bought a bottle of water. There was no where to put it. So I drank it all.




When I got to Brooke's and Steve's house and started to take things out it was like the bag threw up. Everything completely spilled out. But I did it! I saved my $13!
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I've Been Thinking on Creating

Life takes practice. Every aspect does. I'm with Brooke who will be welcoming in a new baby soon. She's practicing for childbirth - going over things in her mind, reading, talking with her husband-coach, sitting right, eating right, and on and on. She's practicing for the birth.




When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to do was play with my dollies. I rocked them, read to them, fed them. I was practicing to be a mommy.




I caught Azure more than once on this last short trip, outside on the tree-swing. I wondered where her thoughts were taking her. Was she practicing passing math? fixing Sierra's hair for a date? making Gage laugh? I know her mind had taken her someplace far and deep because most of the time I was watching her, she didn't see me.




Last month Sierra went skydiving. Although it was a tandem jump she still had to practice.




Life is like that - we practice everything before we perform it. Whether it's a quick rehearsal in our minds, or a steady rhythmic repeat of actions for days, nothing happens that we don't practice first. It makes me want to fill my mind and my actions with good things - good practice that will lead to a good life. I love this poem by James Allen from "As A Man Thinketh":
Mind is the master power that moulds and makes
And man is mind; and evermore he takes
The tool of thought, and shaping what he wills
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills
He thinks in secret and it comes to pass
Environment is but his looking glass
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Why I haven't Been Blogging

If only we all lived next door to each other!


I mean, all the people I love ... parents, siblings, children, nieces, nephews, friends ... I wish I could instantaneously be with people I love. But yikes! If my ancestors could hear me complain about a 2 hour plane ride - they'd want to shoot me. (that's a cute little ladybug in Azure's hair)


So anyway, I can't be with everyone all the time, but I'm blessed to be able to be with many of them often. These last couple of weeks, and moving on into the next couple of weeks, I'm a couple of states away from home with my oldest daughter.


She's expecting baby #2 to arrive any day. But all of us who have been pregnant know what "any day" means ... So I'm actually loving the wait. It gives me more time to enjoy this little family! And it meant that my husband and other 2 daughters were able to spend a couple of days with us too. I think you'll all agree that family time trumps blogging time.


Hope you're all having a beautiful May!


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MOTHER'S DAY GIVEAWAY

Last week I mentioned Lia Collings' book

CHOOSING MOTHERHOOD

Since then, I've read the book cover-to-cover and can tell you that whether you're a new mother, hoping to be a mother, have a special mother you like to think about, or you're a great-grandmother, this book is worth reading and worth sharing.

Filled with experiences from many mothers, each experience unique, each compelling, each well written ... this is a great "take a minute to get off your feet and relax" book.  You can read it cover-to-cover, or just open up and take 5 minutes to read one short experience.  I love Amazon because you can take a peek inside the book.  Here's one of the short vignettes from the book.  The book may be purchased on Amazon OR Lia has offered a 25% discount if you purchase the book directly from the publisher and enter code SZ7387Q4 

I have 3 ... YES 3 autographed copies of this book to giveaway!

Giveaway Instructions:

*  Leave a comment ... any comment. 

Extra Entries (each requires a separate comment):

*  Be a follower of this blog

*  Leave a comment about some of your thoughts about motherhood (remember, separate   comment for the extra entry please)

*  Facebook about this giveaway, linking to this post

*  Tweet about this giveaway, linking to this post

*  Blog about this giveaway and send me a link to your post

*  Email friends and family about this giveaway

*  Read an excerpt from the book on Amazon and then review that excerpt there 

Good luck everyone!