For Thanksgiving, we had my immediate family, Amy and Kris and their two kids, David and Alicia, my mom, Tammy, Burke, Katriel and Taylor. The food was plentiful. We ended up with so many leftovers! That was alright. The leftovers lasted us clear through Sunday. It was awesome!
Ashley had a good day Thanksgiving day. When Katriel came, she was delighted! The two cousins played dress up, did crafts, played music. They had so much fun together. It was good to see Ashley able to play and have fun for a little while. She even came with us to Shopko later that night. By the time bedtime came, Ashley was exhausted, but seemed to be holding alright. Her appetite wasn't good throughout the day, but she felt hungry enough to eat a small serving of potatoes and gravy and turkey.
Friday morning Ashley wasn't good. She woke up feeling very tired and her poor stomach was really gurgly. She didn't eat breakfast, didn't feel like it. We decided to do an activity that wouldn't require much energy. We pulled out our gingerbread village and worked on that for a while. Katriel and Ashley had a good time trying to get the pieces put together. You wouldn't think such a small thing would turn out to be a big project, but it was. We finally got all the houses assembled and let them dry. For a bit, I was beginning to wonder if I really was 10% smarter than that stinking village. (0:
In the afternoon, we had a nice surprise. Our wonderful social worker had arranged for a Santa Claus to come visit the house. So at 3:00, here came jolly old St. Nick. (0: He was such a nice man, who was very entertaining. Ashley doesn't believe in Santa Claus anymore, so at first, she was a little reluctant to have him come. It all worked out. He let us take pictures with the children and he told them wonderful stories. The younger kids, especially, were spellbound. I was so glad we were blessed to have such a fun opportunity.
In the early evening, my mom needed to make a run to the Book Nook and then a quick stop at the store to get some missing items for dinner. We made homemade chicken and noodles, which I was praying Ashley might be able to eat. Ashley was super tired so. She stayed with Tammy. We weren't planning to be gone for long. The rest of my siblings were on their way to the house, and we needed to get dinner done as quickly as possible. As it worked out, it took longer than planned at both Fred Meyer and the Book Nook. Chris, Jessica, their three kids, Dawn, Jaxon, and their other daughter, Alyssa, and my dad, got to the house before we returned from the store. The house was very loud, and Ashley was feeling poorly. She fell apart. When I got home, she was sobbing in the bedroom. Her body was aching all over. She was struggling to breathe. Her stomach was churning. It was awful! My siblings took over the rest of dinner, and I went in to take care of my angel.
She was in enough pain, she wanted morphine and atavan to calm her nerves. I helped her into the bathtub. The warm water helped with the body aches. For the rest of the night, she stayed in bed. Part of my family went out to Amy's house. In fact, sweet Amy ended up with most of the kids. With the noise level more under control, Ashley started feeling a little better. The medicine also helped I am sure. We were still up really late. Ashley had a hard time falling asleep. She was so desperately unhappy! I held her for a long time while she cried. She told me she felt like a really bad person. When I asked her why, she told me it was because she was so tired of hurting and suffering. She said she was upset that it hadn't been a good day, and she was afraid Heavenly Father would be unhappy with her for not being patient enough. She was trying to be strong, but she told me it was so hard! She said, "Mom, I am so tired of being sick. I am tired of hurting. I just want to feel good again. I need to be more grateful for this trial."
Talk about melt your heart right out of your chest! I know Ashley suffers a great deal more than she ever lets on. I know she deliberately doesn't tell me things because she doesn't want me to get upset. She has done that many times in the past. Her kind compassionate heart doesn't want anyone to be unhappy because of her, in any way shape or form.
Saturday was not a good day. Ashley again woke up exhausted. She stayed in bed for most of the morning. Amy and Dawn took some of the kids to see G-Force, but Ashley didn't want to go. I didn't either. We had so much to do to get ready for the baptism. And, the movie was in 3D. I can't handle motion at all right now. My dang ear is still infected. It has been well over a year now that I have been fighting off an infection in my left ear. It doesn't hurt too bad, but when it gets really plugged, I have horrible problems with dizziness and vertigo. It is a big problem I am contending with right now. I knew if I went to G-Force, I would get sick so fast! Yuck!
Jessica and I made a quick run over to Burlington Coat Factory to see if we could find Spencer a suit. I should have bought one by now, but it is really hard to find time away. We didn't have any luck, but we did find Alexis some darling dresses. Man it is fun to buy little girl baby clothes!!
When we arrived back home, Jason's grandma and grandpa had arrived from Utah. A little while later Jason's half-sister and his step mom came for a visit. Then it was craziness, literally, clear up till the time the baptism was to start. The grandkids were spread out between two houses. We had to figure out who was where and who needed what clothes taken to the church. Ashley was really sick. She couldn't get out of bed. She tried to get into her dress, but she had nothing left. She literally laid on the floor and sobbed. We all encouraged her to go back to bed and rest, but she was so worried she would hurt Spencer's feelings! We finally convinced her it was the right thing for her to stay home.
After several more funny adventures that I won't take time to mention here, the baptism started. It was a beautiful service and the spirit was so strong! Both Kasey and Spencer radiated with happiness. There were lots of members there from Amy's ward. For those of you who don't know, Kasey is 11, so it was so neat for him to see so many there, supporting him in this righteous decision. (0:
After the baptism, we went home to figure out what to eat for dinner. We originally wanted to go out for dinner, but with our sweet angel so desperately sick, we decided to go for take-out. Well, more adventures and two hours later, we finally ate dinner. I can't believe how tired everyone was by the time we all went to bed. I don't think the boys have ever fallen asleep so quickly!
Sunday morning, once again, Ashley was very sick. She didn't rest well. Her stomach was hurting. I was trying my best to take care of her. How wonderful it was to have so many family members here helping not only with Ashley, but with the dinner preparation. We had to feed my whole family again, so there was lots to be done. The saying, "Many hands makes light work" rang true. In only a short time, the food was cooking. The desserts were prepared. The living room was re-assembled and picked up. All the mattresses and blankets were put away. I never could have finished all by myself. What an amazing family I have! (0:
We went out to the confirmation, came home and ate, and then one by one, our family members headed back home. It was an amazing weekend! The kids had fun. Us adults had a blast talking and laughing and being silly. Everything worked out perfectly. Ashley didn't fare so well, but hopefully, in the coming week, we can rest her up so she will feel a little better.
Hope Thanksgiving was wonderful for everyone!!!
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