Avoiding Housework

This post is going to be very random - just catching up on the things that have been happening in our family lately. Boring for all of you, I know, but I need something for posterity. I have a huge to do list to get done by Tuesday night as I go in for surgery and a couple day stay at the hospital on Wednesday. I need a break and I thought that doing a random catch-up blog post would be just the right dose of medicine to then kick my butt back in gear!

1. A few weeks ago, our dishwasher broke. I know that at some point, all dishwashers (and other appliances) eventually reach their end and die. However, my house is 2 1/2 years old and when it was built, a new dishwasher was installed. Of course, the warranty on the dishwasher is only for 2 years so I am just out of luck. We paid $60 for a repair man just to come out and tell us what he thinks is wrong with it. As soon as he left, my husband was convinced that the guy was wrong. I will save you all the details as to why the repair guy (who does this for a living) is wrong and my husband's assessment of the problem is more right on. However, it will cost me $212 for the repair guy to fix his idea of the problem. I am not going to spend that kind of money at the current time to fix my retarded, relatively new dishwasher, so hand washing it is. Joseph does get the dishwasher to work sometimes, so when it decides to cooperate, we take advantage of it.

2. LEXI IS WALKING!!!! Finally, the kid is walking everywhere. A huge thank you to her physical therapist, Sima, for coming every week to help her overcome her delay. If anyone is looking for a good pediatric therapist, let me know. We absolutely love Sima and are so appreciative of all the work that she did with Lexi. For the official record books, Lexi will be 18 months on the 1st of November.

3. My current obsession is coupons, rebates, and sales - all combined together. It is amazing the deals that you can get and the money that you can save by taking the time to research, cut coupons, and shop sales. I could write forever on this topic so I will stop now. However, I am tempted to take a picture of all the items I got for free this week thanks to Walgreens Easy Saver Rebates and Rite Aid's Single Check Rebate.

4. Joseph and I spent the beginning part of the week in Sun Valley - just the two of us. A HUGE thank you to Jake and Lisa for taking the girls for us and taking such great care of them. We so appreciated the needed getaway. We went courtesy of Sun Valley Adaptive Sports. They really pulled out all the stops for our couple days there. We ate like royalty, mountain biked, hiked, got nails and a pedicure (well just me), got a couples massage, and enjoyed fantastic company. Joseph and I also got a lot of time alone to work through some things. We spent time reading the scriptures together (more on this in a minute) and having intellectual discussions on spiritual matters. I feel like I got to know my husband (of 5 years) on a whole new level.

5. Speaking of scriptures, the last two weeks have really increased my testimony of them. Joseph and I have been going through a lot lately and we have both really made the effort to be more consistent with meaningful scripture study. The results have been amazing. My burdens seem so much lighter and I am so much happier. To anyone who is struggling with something right now (which would be pretty much about everybody) - OPEN YOUR SCRIPTURES!!! You won't regret it.

6. Another blessing of the last couple weeks is that I have been busy with work. I am so thankful for the outpouring of blessings from my Father in Heaven. I think that I feel them the most when I am facing my most difficult trials.

7. My parents got home from their mission. It has been great to hang out with them. My parents are my best friends (aside from Joseph) and I am so thankful to have them home. I appreciate their example in serving a mission (and with everything else in life). I know that it was hard to be away from family but they were so committed to serving the Lord!

8. Paige turned 4. I will do a post just for her and how she truly was and is my miracle baby. I am so thankful for her and I love her so much! Don't worry - I consider Lexi to be a miracle baby also. I love her just as much. On Lexi's second birthday, I will do a post just for her. Paige's birthday was pretty low key since the weather sucked. We just hung out at home and opened presents. That night we went over to some friend's to watch the BSU game and celebrate birthdays (our friend was having a birthday as well).

I think that sums up the major stuff that has been going on in our life the next few weeks. I hope to catch up on blogging pictures while I am recovering from surgery. For now, I must get back to the endless housework that is haunting me!