Oh, make up your own title ...

Okay, where did I leave off?

So, I wrote the letter to the missionaries. And emailed a copy to the Ward Mission Leader (so he'd know what was up). When I gave it to one of the elders at church, he's all, "SWEET! Thanks!" And... well, I just looked at him with an expression quite like this: O.o <-- See how there's no smile? And one eye is all BOGGLING. Yeah. There may have even been a quirked eyebrow.

Haven't heard anything back. However, I have a feeling that either they will or they won't be a little more considerate and effective in managing their schedule in regards to the members of the ward that volunteer to feed them.

It's kind of a crapshoot, though.

What else ... Oh. I was asked to talk to the Singles' Branch Relief Society (the women's class, for those of you not fluent in Mormon-speak) about eternal marriage ... and how Michael and I met, blah, blah, and how I feel blessed.
I brought in three pictures: One that went our with our wedding invitations (We're on a slide! We're so cute!), one from our wedding (We're KISSING!), and our last family photo last fall (where I have practically BLACK hair ... I wanted a change. :P).

And I talked about my crap dating record in high school, how I went to college with hopes of finding a husband (but I DID have a backup plan of being the crazy cat lady living in a Victorian house with 98 cats ... since 99 would just be TOO MANY. No, really. I had it ALLLLLL worked out. Well, except how to BUY that house ...) ...
And, well, you'd almost have thought I was doing comedy stand-up in that church lesson. I know that I have a  ... singular, per se, look on life ... but gosh, these gals were quite entertained.
I mean, I DID work to be spiritual when I could. I have a testimony of eternal marriage and the importance of being sealed together in the temple. I love that, as long as I am faithful to the covenants that I've made with Heavenly Father in the temple, I am GUARANTEED to have these blessings. And this even goes for the blessings that I received when I was sealed to my parents when I was a child.
I have a family where our relations are not just "till death do you part." And I love that. I love that my children will ALWAYS by my children (With all the frustration and effort I put into my relationships, I'm glad they are going to last.) ... And, as an added bonus, as long as I am faithful, I am promised that THEY will always come back to the church. (And, as a girl who has quite a few friends who've strayed from the proverbial fold, it comforts me that their parents have that reassurance.)

I mean ... it never made sense to me that God would command us to create families and these loving relationships only to end them when we leave this life. I'm just saying.
... And, if I may be so bold, it never made sense because that's NOT how it's supposed to be.

Also, I think it's lovely to KNOW FOR A FACT that my husband thinks I'm worth the sacrifices that he had to make to be worthy to be married and sealed to me in the place I've ALWAYS wanted to be married.
(And vice versa. I could have made many decisions that would have made me unable to attend the temple, without time and repentance ... but he knows that this was a priority for me, too. ^_^)

I can testify that our Heavenly Father loves us. And He wants the best for us. I know that He has commanded that we be sealed to our spouses and family so that these loving, familial bonds need not be broken at death. He wants this for us because it is a GOOD thing. It will give us joy. It will help increase our love for each other.

(At the same time, I will admit that not every marriage will work out. Even ones sealed in the temple. My mom's birthday present this year, the one that made it most memorable for her, was receiving a letter from the First Presidency of the church -- President Thomas S. Monson, our prophet; and his two counselors -- granting her a temple divorce from my father [who left the church over a decade ago] and giving her the freedom to be sealed to my stepdad. ... and I have other friends who've seen their marriages not work. But, I will say that I've received many blessings from being sealed in the temple. And I would be thrilled if everyone could receive them. They make me happy. I want everyone to be so happy.)

... Since Sunday, what's happened?
Let's see ....

I was productive and set up a doctor's appointment for the kiddos (need a new shot. Ugh. I TRIED to get everything done on time. But one was EARLY! So they need another. I have a feeling that I'll need to take them out for ice cream to make it up to them. :P

We have dentist appointments set up. They'll have theirs before they start school. I'll have mine after they've been in school a couple days.

I got to go to the OB. Set up a new appointment for next month ...
Also did the first of two tests for the Sequential Screening (check the nuchal ["New-KAHL"] tube for any threats of being born with something like spina bifida, run blood and urine tests to rule out any genetic issues [like Trisomies or something]) ...

The ultrasound was different ... there's only one in there, so I'm amazed at how much room the bean has. But the nuchal tube (when we could get the bean to cooperate. Ha. Takes after me. Ha.) looked normal. Yay.
Little Bean moved around, was swallowing, had his/her arms thrown up over his/her head ... like I do when I sleep. Ha. I got to see his/her brain, spine, ribs ... It's a very different experience having just one in there.

The blood draw (when I made it to the right floor. Oy. SO -- the ultrasound is done on the FIRST FLOOR. The LAB is on 2. I got mixed up and went to 3, the one where my OB's practice is. Then I had to go back to 2, THEN I started to head over to the side of THAT floor ... and then had to turn around and go back to the elevator and go to 3. *sigh*) was fine. I can't look when I get pricked. But once the needle's in (and, OH, my darlings ... I forget that Blood Drive needles are SO MUCH THICKER than these. This was such a tiny needle, since they only needed to fill, like, FIVE tiny vials ... Instead of a pint bag and THREE BIG vials.), I'm fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.

Then I got to do a "clean urine catch." For this, you take your little cup, a piece of gauze, and a wet wipe. You clean your bits (front to back), wipe away the wet wipe residue with the gauze, make sure your cup is open ... and you start peeing in the toilet, move the cup in so that you're catching mid-stream pee, and move the cup away so that you FINISH peeing IN THE TOILET.
I always end up peeing ALL OVER my hand.
EVERY TIME.
(But, as my OB assures me [and I assured myself every time I have to clean up pee ... or when I'd change my son's diaper and he peed in my face that ONE time ... and Dad C cracked up. Can't blame him, really], healthy urine is sterile.)  ... But still, I worked to wipe off the outside of the cup as best as I could for those poor lab techs. And I washed my hands REALLY well so I wouldn't have pee-fingers. Gross.

My OB visit went fine. I'm down to under 200 pounds. Yup, I've lost a bit of weight. Since I've been so nauseated. And I got to talk with my doctor about ... regularity. So I'm now drinking at least one glass of *shudders* Citrucel a day. Ugh.
I've found it easiest to get down later in the day. And with some crushed ice added before I mix it in the blender. It's a fiber smoothie.
And just writing about it is turning my stomach this early in the morning. Ugh.

But it was a good visit. My blood pressure is fine, the bean's moving around and has a healthy heartbeat (160 bpm, iirc. From both the ultrasound AND the Doppler).

My mom and I took the kids to Target. Bucket got Barbies (Barbie and Stacey roller-skating). Bruise got a new Lego game (NINGAQ, in case you were DESPERATE to know). I got deodorant, that GREAT Citrucel (blech), and a Zeno Blemish Reducing tool.
I have to say that it works. I've been breaking out a ton. And I've been working at washing my face with cleanser and my Derma-New brush. Then using a Microderm treatment (with the microderm scrub head on my Derma-New). THEN a little 1-minute peel Olay product  ... and my right side of my jaw was all SWOLLEN from all the zits. Ew. ... But, after only using it 3 times, the Zeno has really helped. My face is almost clear. YAY!!

Wednesday was mostly the regular ... Volunteering after McDonald's (since all the nausea I've had, my appetite is SO much smaller than normal. And I don't crave sweets. It's so odd. I mean, I don't recommend morning sickness as a diet tool, but if I can keep this up, I might just be a healthy weight after this pregnancy. And it'll be good to not eat HUGE portions.), then ordering pizza.

Oh! Monday night, the local library had a special presentation. The Reptile Man (OregonReptileMan.com) did a presentation. And it was pretty cool! Lots of snakes and lizards. And a few turtles. And a Gila Monster! (I don't think I've ever seen one in person). And a small alligator. ... The kids liked it. They liked it enough that while I volunteered, my mom took them to the second show on Wednesday.)
He does birthday parties and things ... It would definitely be worth looking into. He's really good with his animals (he's been handling them for 38 years) ... and he's REALLY good with the audience. He was HILARIOUS.

That's really most of what's gone on ... Oh, I did get sorta-fitted for my Savior of the World costume (in December, if I haven't mentioned it, we're doing Act 1, the nativity story). At least, I know my fabrics and how they'll be used. Since I'm pregnant and my measurements will be changing in the next three months, they're not going to sew it until MUCH later. ^_^ Can't blame them. I still need to find sandals. But that's okay. Who knows? Maybe my feet will get wider ... hopefully nowhere NEAR as wide as last time (With my preeclampsia, my feet swelled so BADLY. I normally wear around an 8 or 8-1/2. I had to buy a pair of size 11 loafers, and the tops of my feet were like overly-stuffed pillows out the top. Ugh.)

In other news, I'm feeling better. Much less puke-y. My neck still hurts, especially in the mornings ... but it's nothing that I can't deal with.

We got woken up around 3 AM with thunder and lightning. The kids slept through it all. But there was TONS of lightning. Sometimes, it'd even flash DURING the rolls of thunder. Pretty cool.
Freyja-cat wasn't bothered at all. I gave her some loves (since she was on the bed, snuggled against my legs) and she wasn't fazed at all. She's a good girl.

Oh, one other bit of fun ... was it last week or this week? Can't recall. But Bruise and Bucket were roughhousing in the living room and Bruise caught the back of his head on a corner of the TV stand. There was blood. But not for long. He's fine. No concussion or anything. Phew. ... I think it was last week.

I also need to turn in the kids' summer reading program sheets. *sigh* Work, work, work.
And, since we don't know when the kids' bento boxes are going to come in, we might need to buy them back-up lunchboxes. But, besides that, we're just about ready for school. PHEW!

So, yeah ... how's YOUR week been??