I can’t seem to part with my sewing machine the last couple of days.
I never thought I would be that into sewing. But, I am loving it!
Novalie is going to rock these pants! So fun to make!
How cute are these socks??!! I am afraid of how many pairs I will make.
The blue one is sparkly blue and the pink one is corduroy. They are so cute and so easy! Total cost to make….$7.23. AND I made zucchini bread. Novalie is going to be happy when she gets home from school!
Novalie started 2nd grade today. Wait? Second grade? That isn’t possible! Seriously, time goes by too fast. She looked beautiful today and lived up to her nickname. Her hair was wild and unmanageable like a t-rex and her clothes were bright like sunshine. My little sunshine t-rex.
Let’s back up a day. Novalie had several invites for playdates yesterday, but she was so cute in saying, “no thanks, I am going to have a special day with my mom.” She is so sweet and she loves her mommy. We had an incredible summer and yesterday was a great ending to it.
We went to the movies and saw Nanny McPhee Returns. It was a good, cute movie. As you can see, Chill joined us.
Went out to lunch at Costco. Novalie loves, loves their cheese pizza. Did some shopping too. It is the only store Novalie enjoys shopping at.
We got our traditional day before school manicures. The last 2 years, we have just done them at home. This year we went and had someone else do them. Novalie loved it. She has already asked to go again and get both a pedicure and a manicure and we just had it done yesterday! I think I started her on the joy of pampering yourself. Just another fun thing we can do together! Just a side note that I have been thankful for today…..having one child makes it possible for us to do all that we do together. I realize if we had several children, this post would be dramatically different. I feel extremely lucky for all the one on one time Novalie and I get with one another. We have a truly unique relationship that I thank Heavenly Father for every single day.
We carried on our tradition of last year. Novalie helped me make her favorite dinner which this year consisted of macaroni salad and green beans. Kevin gave her a beautiful and comforting father’s blessing. We went to back to school night and then ended the night with ice cream!
Novalie and Alexis at back to school night. I told Kevin to switch the magnets on the lockers so they could share a locker this year. He did much to their squealing delight.
I could not sleep last night. I just didn’t want today to be here already. This year was so much better than last year. Novalie cried for the past several nights that she didn’t want to be away from me. I waspreparing for a repeat of last year where her teacher had to drag her away crying. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. She didn’t want to go, but as soon as she saw her friends, she was fine. She told me I could go when I wanted to just hang on a little bit longer. When she got home, she was full of stories about her day. She liked her teacher and thought she was nice. It took her about 30 mins to calm down enough to go to sleep tonight. I know she had a great first day of 2nd grade! HOWEVER, as she was falling asleep, she said, “I don’t feel so well, I think I need to stay home from school tomorrow.” Day 2, I tell ya! Little stinker.
Now really, let’s get to what today was really about….me! I didn’t cry when I left Novalie at school. That is HUGE! HUGE! I have not had a moment to myself since summer began. Well, okay, I took a nice long nap when I was visiting my sister on a Sunday afternoon which was heavenly. Minus that, my little energizer bunny has kept me running to and fro this summer. It was a blast, but I am tired! So, today I was actually looking forward to sitting in a quiet house doing nothing. I still had the nervous stomach and anxiety of Novalie being at school, but that never went away last year, so I imagine I will live with it again this year. I was doing fine. Enjoying my sitting, then I got a google alert that my niece posted a new blog post (thanks Erin 
). That cute little Carly! Everything she wrote about Carly I could have written about Novalie at that age. The similarities are crazy! So, I got sad and missed Novalie something awful, had myself a good cry, looked at old pictures and marveled at how fast she grew, then got back to my sitting. Pretty good for me….pretty darn good!
2nd grade. Unbelievable.
Novalie is currently taking diving lessons. Another step to being on a swim team. When she puts her arms up above her ears, I am amazed at how defined her arms are. She is one strong powerful girl. I hope I am helping her to use that strength and power that Heavenly Father has blessed her with in a good way.
The amazing thing about diving lessons??? The other 2 kids (one girl, one boy) were adopted AND the instructor was adopted. How cool is that??!!!! I love that Novalie has experiences like this. Where she can feel the same. Where I can hear her say, “I was adopted too, isn’t that cool? My Mom is the best, is yours too?” Warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes. Novalie and the other girl became fast friends and they have a playdate tomorrow.
I had Novalie signed up for a different session of diving lessons, but at the time felt like we should just wait until the last session. So, I changed our schedule and look at the blessing we have received. I have an extremely grateful heart.
Novalie is very hesitant about diving. She says she feels like she is going to flip and hit the wall. I told her in the car today that she would get it as she keeps practicing. We then had a much deeper conversation about how Heavenly Father guides our choices sometimes even if we don’t understand why right away. But, blessings come when we choose to follow the inspiration Heavenly Father has given us. I don’t care if she never dives again because right now at this time in our life, she needed so badly to be among a group of adopted kids.
Pure awesomeness!
Bbq with friends. Novalie hearts Stuart!
School music concert. The theme was "oceans" so Novalie's dolphin dress was a hit!
Novalie is on the top row. Her music teacher is fantastic!
With her friend Alexis after the concert.
Kevin had a birthday. Handsome @% year old.
Waiting to go on a field trip with her class!
BEAUTIFUL GIRL! I LOVE YOU!
At Science Center. Novalie loved this guinea pig!
Novalie hit the jackpot two times in a row on this game at the arcade. She was on cloud nine!
She has been trying for 4 years now to win enough tickets to get a stuffed animal at the arcade. Because of her 2 jackpots, she won a stuffed animal. You can see her excitement! LOVE IT!
We said good-bye to our Taurus. Simon snuck into the picture. Our Taurus was good to us. Always got us where we needed to go safely.
The poor Taurus just couldn't make it on its' last trip. Kevin and Novalie waiting for the tow truck to arrive.
This picture was taken on my phone at night with no flash. However, you can see the smile on Novalie's face as well as Bolt. She needed Bolt to keep her safe because she was a little nervous at first, but ended up loving the tow truck ride. Thank you Bruce!
We did finally make it to MT. Swimming at the hotel with her cousins!
Playing at a park in MT with cousins. She is so sweet!
Her 1st grade class had an author's night. Here she is reading her creative writing story, "Unicorns" to her class and parents. It was fantastic!
Reader's Theater. Novalie was the 2nd billy goat in "Three Billy Goats Gruff." Super cute!
Novalie's school desk with the 3 creative writing stories she wrote this year. "Cats," "Unicorns," and "My Hamster."
Novalie's 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Nelson. Fantastic teacher, Novalie just loved her.
Celebrating her summer birthday at school!
With one of her best friends, Alexis!
Cupcakes and punch! Yummy!
Novalie won a bike at school! All the kids that read for 20 minutes each day in the month of May were entered into a drawing for this bike. Novalie was the lucky winner! She deserved it!
Novalie and Alexis caught a mouse they named Lucky. Novalie is feeding it cheese. Later it was a tasty meal for the cat.
YAHOO! Last day of school!
Celebrating the start of summer vacation with her best friend, Adam!
Anna, Adam, Novalie and Bella! Love them!
I really like my new doctor. He took the time to listen to me and order the test that I knew I needed, but dreaded….MRI on my brain. After my second visit to him when he couldn’t put his finger on my symptoms, he asked me what has been going on in my life besides the physically symptoms. I did the whole, “my life is really good, nothing too much going on.” But, somehow he got it out of me and when I started, I couldn’t stop. At the end of my life summary of the last few months, I thought to myself…”WOW, that is a lot of CRAP!” (couldn’t think of a nicer word) And the doctor thought the same thing. He said, “now it is all coming together”. Only took me 2 weeks of having zero balance and a TON of headaches (one that lasted for 6 days with no relief…not fun) to go see the doctor. But, hey…I am fine right?
So, the MRI results were good. I didn’t have a tumor, swelling or infection in my brain. I didn’t have a stroke which if you read the symptoms of a stroke, I had every last one of them. I did have a small bright spot show up in the front part of my brain that shows up in people who get migraines. I don’t get migraines, which is what I told my doctor on visit #2. At my appointment, he said, “yes, you don’t get migraines, instead you get stress/tension/migraine headaches. All three wrapped up in one! Oh come on, my life is not that stressful….which my doctor replied with, “did you just hear all the things you spouted out to me.” Ummm, okay, I will be quiet now.
He gave me 2 medications which got rid of my 6 day headache. Thank goodness! And thank you Doctor! He asked me how much caffenine I drink. I down played it with a couple of cans of diet coke a day….hey, at least I don’t drink coffee! He said, no more diet coke! I quit diet coke in December and started again in March when things just weren’t going my way. It is now day 4 with no diet coke and it is all that I can think about. The heat doesn’t help because I want a perfect diet coke from McDonald’s for only $1 and they fill the cup with ice just like I ask. Anyway….that is not going to happen because I will not give in. The doctor said no foods that induce headaches, especially chocolate. That one is easy for me. Exercise 5 times a week. My appointment was on Thursday and I did the treadmill Friday and this morning and bike ride Saturday. Doing good there and I know I have to keep it up. The doctor also told me to eliminate as much stress as possible from my life. Can’t do much about that one because life is life and I function better under high stress, but I have been doing a lot of reading and praying to react differently to things that happen.
Basically, I am trying to make some big life changes without the changes being stressful. I will be healthier and I won’t have a stroke or a brain aneurysm. I can do that. I will do just what the doctor ordered.
1. Warm sunshine!
2. Good friends!
3. Doctors and Surgeons – Kevin’s surgeon did a picture perfect knee surgery on him. My doctor who will hopefully have some answers. (No pictures of that – thank goodness!)
