Day 7: I'd Give My Right.. Arm

[too exhausted to proof read. maybe later.]

I don't feel like I can write very well tonight. I usually type from Jimmy's laptop from the comfort of my own bed while my legs scream at me. Tonight I am sitting on a wooden kitchen chair at the desktop that's breaking down.

Meal 1 & 2: Hamburger with lettuce and some peach or orange. (I know, I'm creative.)

Meal 3: Pork loin (I forgot to cook the cauliflower) and I don't remember what else I had. I was kind of snacking on mac nuts and almonds again. Oops!

A sister in the ward took time out of her busy day at work to start up this yummy crockpot pork loin meal. SO, so thoughtful! It was fun to talk with her and get to know her a little better. It's always wonderful to have adult conversation, too, ha ha!

{energy}

I woke up this morning worrying that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed until 10:30 again. My legs were heavy, but Jimmy left early to go to York, so I just had to grin and bear it today. Super lightheaded getting out of bed at first, but I was OK after that. I felt amazing! My legs were still sore and I was a little tired, but my body was so energetic. I wanted to do SO much today, but I focused on the boys today. Last night as I read more about the 29 Gifts, I thought about what my gift for today would be. You can read about it on the 29 Gifts tab, but I chose to teach and play with my kids today. They wore me out by 2:30pm, but it was so worth it! I'd give my right arm for those two! Ok, probably just both my legs. ;)  Enjoy the pictures of the fun we had... it has been MONTHS since I've been able to get the energy to do this. Loved every minute of it!

Joey is eating candy in my bed. That's how much I care when I'm tired. >.< But, the good news is that the Christmas/Halloween candy is gone! Jae at least will still ask for fruit, but Joey won't know much about candy in this house. :) I hope this energy continues because it's exhausting to make meal after meal. Ha, even for someone who has a healthy body! And, the boys will stop asking for candy. :)

Jae is working on his Thomas worksheets:

I love the way he draws his "lines":

 (Sorry for the upside down photo.)

He colored his laminated coloring page of himself. I enthusiastically asked, "Who is that?" He smiled so big and said, "Jae man!" That's right, buddy. :) 

The boys enjoyed watching the snow/rain/sleet pellets fall from the sky:

 Working on the alphabet and sounds with Joey:

Aa>Aquarium>Point to fish>"Ish"

Dino>Point>"ROAR!"

Dog>Point>"Mow"

(gotta work on cat vs. dog)

Ff>Fish>"Ish"

Lion>Point>"Roar!"

Everything else is a "didda" or "dooduh".

Art time:

These two aren't turned right, but I asked him what the name of each picture was. 

For sale, starting bid $1.

 "Pump Air" by Jae

"Froshgunk" by Jae

Jae wanted a birthday cake.. wouldn't stop telling me he wanted that and a birthday. I asked him what he wanted his piñata to look like. "McQueen? Thomas?.." He thought carefully and said, "a pwesent!" Ha, of course.. why not make it look like a big present? :)  Sad part is, he has 5 more months. Either sad for me to keep hearing it or sad for him to keep waiting.

We looked through the gluten-free almond flour cookbook I borrowed from Bonnie. He chose "tawwot take" over "tuptakes"! I was impressed! He loooves carrots! We will make carrot cake cupcakes as soon as we get the rest of the ingredients. I ventured to Walmart tonight; feelin' risky! I couldn't find grapeseed oil, agave nector, and coconut flour (which they probably didn't have). I texted Bonnie and called Jimmy, but forgot to check for the responses because my legs were killing me by then.

I really feel like this diet is helping me get better along with the Young Living Essential Oils. Thanks, Bonnie & Quin! I know, I know.. I never thought I'd be "one of those" people, but I am starting to be. Jimmy's fond of Thieves and Lemon, but soon he will be a believer (not to be mistaken by a Belieber even though he has posted a Beiber meme on my FB wall one time...ew) and we can do without most, if not all OTC drugs. And, I never thought I'd be "one of those" paleo-diet people either. Thanks, Mom! ;) I feel so weird buying that {organic} stuff, but if it's helping me feel better, by all means... I'm going to buy it. I just can't wait to put us all onto healthier eating! There are really some awesome recipes I want to try (without telling Jimmy what it is) and see if he likes them. The {only} thing I miss is sticky rice. I don't get tempted to eat it because I know I can try to add it back in later, but I'm Asian.. it's.. in my blood? Ha ha..

So, overall it was a pretty dang good day. The boys ate all their lunch and I was much more calm today. Well, until Joey body-slammed into me multiple times tonight. I made Jimmy take him. He didn't listen very well because that's where the multiple times comes in.

{amazing}

I'm super {amazed} by the sudden change from yesterday to this morning. It was like night and day (sorry, had to be punny). I feel so blessed as I've struggled through this for so long. (Most of the time not even knowing what was going on.) It was amazing to feel almost normal again. Busted through 4 hours of energy today with my boys and enjoyed every minute! It makes me sad to think about all of those months, days, and moments that I missed out on. I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father who hears my prayers. Jimmy gave me 2 blessings recently and both times he said, "I bless you that your body will heal so that you may be able to take care of your family." I believe in the power of the Priesthood and am grateful to have it in my home. I know this isn't the end of my bad days, but having this day with my handsome, adorable, funny, crazy boys made me SO happy! I thank you for your prayers, too! I know Jimmy and I weren't the only ones praying for my health.

Thank you.