How my day went yesterday

It's a funny story. Okay, really it's not. But I keep trying to make it into a funny story...possibly because its one of my biggest fears-my kids left on their own with an unresponsive mother. But I keep trying to make it lighthearted so that I won't feel the terror of "what if".

Yesterday, I told Emma that she and Liam could have an Easter candy after he got home from school (Yes, I horde them). Liam came home and with in five minutes Emma was begging me for candy with the whole, "you said!" Darn kids and their elephant-like memories--when it comes to candy, that is.

I was sitting on the couch when I gave into her request. I stood up and walk into the pantry in the kitchen, and grab the candy. I suddenly felt light headed, and thought "hu. I better hold on to something," as black swept over my vision.

Someone began moaning, a horrible unearthly moan. I could hear my kids screaming and crying in the background, before I realized that that moan was coming from me. I found that I was laying on the cold, hard floor, and my face was screaming in pain. I pushed myself up to my hands and knees as I felt a warm drizzle fall from my nose. My eyesight came back just in time to see red splatters of blood splash onto my tan vinyl.

That's when I realized I had passed out. My kids still screaming, crying and running in and out of the kitchen, finally brought me back to reality. I stopped moaning and said, "I'm fine. It's okay. I'm okay. Liam get me a tissue."

As I reassured my children that I was fine and gave them hugs, I couldn't stop the tears from filling my eyes a seeping out onto my checks. My face throbbed. I called Tony and told him what happened and twenty minutes later he came home to still tear-ridden wife.

We contemplated our choices, and ultimately the fear of being home with my kids and passing out and not waking up, drove us to urgent care--I had to know what went wrong.

We dropped off the kids at a friends house (thank you) and headed to urgent care. From there they told us they didn't have the equipment they needed to check me out, and they were nervous about my blood pressure, so they sent us to the ER.

A few moments later I was in a hospital robe with a heart monitor, blood pressure cuff, and IV. (Mind you, I've had all my kids at home. I've never been in a hospital for myself, that I can recall, except the day I was born...and I can't really recall that :))

After hours of blood test, CT scans, and neurology test I was told that I was mostly fine. All blood test were negative (Including the pregnancy, hahaha now I have proof Mom Bundy ;)) and I passed everything with flying colors. Except for my nose, which was broken, but still in place. The low blood pressure (which I've had all my life) didn't worry the doctor. They said it was just a fainting episode, and that I may or may not ever have one again. They said it was from standing up quickly. I asked how can I prevent it, and they said stay hydrated. I wasn't dehydrated, they had tested for that, but I just need to stay hydrated (??? yeah, I don't get it either). The doctors where excellent. They were very kind, and gave me advice for if it ever did happen again (aka sit down :)).

It scared me. I don't ever want to scare my kids like that again. I don't even want to think of the possibilities of if I had hit my head harder, or fallen somewhere worse.

But now I live with a lightly bruised broken nose, that I am told will get much worse before it gets better. The bruising is slowly bleeding into both my eyes, so that I will end up with a bruised nose and two black eyes. It's awesome. And I teach sharing time this Sunday, which is going to be extra awesome with all that bruising.

"Hello children, do you want to learn about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel?"

"Ahh!! Monster!!"

But I am excited, if they do turn black, to take a picture and label it "This is what happens if you use your face to catch yourself instead of your hands." It's a moral of the story type thing. :)

Easter

Friday, before Easter, we decided to dye eggs. You've never met a boy who was so happy to be given an egg and a crayon. He thought it was super cool to color on the egg...until he discovered the egg could be cracked/smashed. Then he just spent the rest of the time smashing the egg.

Liam and Emma enjoyed the dying also. They got to choose the colors they wanted, color on the egg with crayon and then dye it.


Saturday our apartment owners had an easter egg hunt. They were about 30-ish kids there and a bizzillion eggs. Liam left with his basket/bucket overflowing. And the other two kids did pretty good too. After the egg hunt they had a giant scary bunny-man that all the kids could have their pictures taken next to, and they handed out another small basket of goodies to each kid. So their are perks to living here :)


Sunday morning the kids came down to find their awesome easter baskets. Each got a homemade bunny. Liam and Emma got jump ropes and fox got a ball, along with other treats.
Then the egg hunt was on. Fox only got about three eggs because when he found an egg he would sit down and fiddle with it until he could get it open and eat the treat inside (or be disappointed with the lack of edibles inside).
Liam has turned into a pro egg finder. But Emma gave him a run for his money.





And finally the Easter bunny brought us some new fish (cringe). They are currently named Optimus Prime and Jesus (said the spanish way ei. hay-suess :)) fish. However, we are looking for a new name for Jesus fish before we get struck down by lightning. If anyone has any suggestions.
Tony gets to clean and handle them.

Destined to do Great Things

Yes, it is 1:18 in the morning. Caffeine does crazy things to my sleeping habits. I only took one excedrine around 7 tonight, and here I am, 1:18 in the morning and my mind whirling. Stupid caffeine. :)

But when I'm up this late I often have deep thoughts...either that or sleep deprived, crazy thoughts...

Tonight I've been thinking about President Uchtdorf's conference talk "Waiting on the Road to Damascus." Particularly his single statement about sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: "It is not easy. Some would rather pull a handcart across the prairie than bring up the subject of faith and religion to their friends and co-workers."

As I've thought about this I've considered how absurd it is, but how true. Often times we rever the early saints because of all that they withstood and did. They walked thousands of miles pulling handcarts. They endured tourment, bullying, and even death because of their beliefs, and trying to find a place where they could exercise their beliefs freely. They were driven from their homes, sometimes in the dead of winter, and forced to find somewhere else. Their trials were unbelievable-reverable.

But so are ours; in a very different way. The pioneers knew what they believed. They stood for it. They lived for it. They died for it.

Today we are hit with different challenges. Confusion and chaos run rampant through the world. It affects us, and it affects our children. The values that have been lived and revered as wonderful and good for thousands of years are now being stomped on by modern civilization. The ten commandments are being spit upon and mocked. Honor thy father and mother? My father and mother lived in the past. They don't know how to keep up with the modern world, how to tweet, how to work a computer or a cell phone; they don't know what they are talking about. My parents are crazy.

The seven deadly sins are becoming sought after delights. Greed? Wait, does that mean more money? Sign me up!

Pornography and immorality is being pushed at us every time we turn on the television, computer, sometimes even look at a billboard.

It's scary. But the scariest part is that its not being done suddenly in a way that shocks us, its seeping in slowly. We are getting use to one part and then slowly introduced to the next. If the pioneers saw what we are allowing into our lives- our homes, I have no doubt that they would be horrified.

Don't get me wrong. I am extremely guilty of all of this. It makes me sad. But how do I walk away from the world?

A few weeks ago, after relaying a sacred experience to my mom, she replied, "Well, this just shows me that you are destined to do great things." After I hung up that remark stayed with me. I pondered about it for many days, and ultimately I accepted it. Yes, I am destined to do great things. It's not a conceded moment, its the truth. I am destined to do great things. God did not send me here to do mediocre or "okay" things. Absolutely not. I am here to do great things. That is my destiny.

So would I rather pull a handcart across the prairie then live in the bombardment of evil today? Honestly, yeah, probably. I have no illusions that that task would have been easy, or simple. But I would be more actively living what I believe and not constantly have me and my family hounded by immoral, unchaste, evil beings and influences.

But I'm not. God sent me here at this time. God sent me here at this time to do great things. It's time I realize that, and start living up to it.

A dumpster miracle

Remember this post, where I told you of my secret yet awesome new ninja skill of dumpster diving? You know the one where I got a beautiful head and foot board for my bed? Yeah. And do you remember how I told you I tried to salvage a dumpster-dived couch but it smelled to sickly of smoke? Well after we, sadly, took the couch back out to it's pitiful ending by the dumpster, we checked a few hours later and the couch was gone. We were hopeful that some one else would have success with cleaning it and the beautiful couch would find a happy new home. Well, come to find out it was my friend who helped me find the couch in the first place. Her husband does maintenance and cleaning for a living and couldn't let the couch's smell beat him without taking a hit on his pride ;). So a few months, and much washing and airing out, later, look whose back with our happy family.

That's right, this is the beautiful couch that was out by the dumpster. Dumpster diving pays off I tell ya.
And what of our old awesome, burnt orange couch?

Well it's still in our living room, but being used as a fort.

While I await the day we find a truck and get the darn thing out of here. (Our awesome home teacher is helping us take it out tonight! I think)
Aw, all is well that ends well in stories of happy dumpster dived couches.

Oh, and check out my sisters awesome craft blog for MY newest crafting creation. You'll be impressed...I promise ;)

Playing in the Mississippi

I don't know if you've heard, but this year in Davenport, they are expecting record flooding.

They've been filling sand bags for the last couple of weeks, to prepare for such a catastrophe.
They expect the Mississippi to leave her banks and crawl up the shores
Affecting houses
And roads.
As I was reading one of the flood warning sites it said,
If you come across a flooded road, turn around and find an alternate route
And then ended with the catch phrase, "turn around, don't drown!"
I don't know who's coming up with their catch phrases, but
I think they should get a raise for that little gem.
The flooding has begun, and it could be devastating
but it sure made for one fun, warm, Saturday afternoon.

On a side note: It started out as a "We'll just dip our feet in it," and ended up with children riding in the car home in only underwear. Now thats what I call a good afternoon. :)

It's always fun when Grandma and Grandpa come! Hooray!!

This past week Mom and Dad Bundy came and visited with us over conference! It was a fantastically fun week! We went to the family museum (and I slacked and didn't take a camera) and Tony took off Friday and we headed down to Nauvoo, where we saw these beauties

Liam was not a real big fan of them :)

Then while Grandma and Grandpa went into the temple we got some food. You gotta love Liam's face :D

...and Emma's face :)

Then we switched, and Tony's parents took the kids while Tony and I went to the temple. Afterwords (while he called to see where everyone was), I had to take some pictures of my hot man. Seriously? When did he get so attractive? Gggrrr

Later in the week we went to the John Deere world headquarters. No trip to Iowa is complete without seeing some type of John Deere :)

We also had fun hanging out at home and watching conference.

Emma in Grandpa's boots

Oh, yeah, and they bought us ice cream. Any body who buys us ice cream is welcome to stay at our house! :)

Spring Break

Oh, I am so behind on blogging. :) Last week was Liam's spring break. He was extra excited to have "not just a week, 9 days, mom" off. Then we all were super-D-duper excited to hear that Grandma and Grandpa Bundy would be coming into town the end part of the week. Here are pictures of what we did the beginning of Spring Break, before Grandma and Grandpa came.

First off, Liam left this awesome note for me. He kept having problems with writing his numbers backwards so he and I worked on it.

[Mom translator]-Mom, thank you for showing me one through ten, how I can write my numbers the right way. Cutest thing ever? I think, yes!

Next we when to the Putnam museum. It usually cost moocho money, but luckily our library does this awesome thing were they have passes that you can check out like a book. I just happened to come across said pass and we got in for free!! (Which is lucky. If I would have paid for it I would have been extra mad. It was fun, but so not worth the money they were asking for :))

Tony, Liam, and Emma in front of old timey Iowans :)

Emma and a frog puppet

Liam and a fox puppet

And just Fox :)

Fox with a fox...and Dad

A creepy albino pocket gopher. (Seriously? They have like 12 stuffed animals at the museum and one of them is this creepy guy. It made us laugh pretty hard)

Us being fierce as polar bears

A real Indian! (that's what he called himself) It was pretty creepy. We were walking downstairs to the basement when the drums started playing and the real Indian started sing his war songs (which are creepy in themselves). Emma started flipping out, and even when we saw what was making the noise she still didn't like it (notice her hiding in the corner :))

Japanese armor

A mummy

On Monday was our friend's birthday party. So we headed over to incredible pizza to party!!

The whole gang