Friday, June 29, 2012

Change can be a good thing

We received some very good news today.  It looks like Jason's insane travel is coming to an end.  As a family we have prayed for this for so long.  We've tried our best to remain optimistic while he was traveling, remembering what a blessing it has been for him to have a good job.  But we've also experienced frustration and exhaustion.  After the last travel season we both looked at each other and said the same thing, that we didn't know if we could do it any longer.  I feel so blessed and know our Heavenly Father has answered our prayers in a wonderful way.  

Although the travel was hard on our family I can't ignore everything we learned and gained.  I've learned how to manage a home and take care of four children, sometimes with help only on weekends.  I'm a much more patient person.  I've learned to rely more on my Father in Heaven during hard times when I've felt so alone.  Jason and I have a stronger relationship that grew through all of this.  I think it would have been easy for our relationship to suffer, but it didn't.  I've learned to accept the will of Heavenly Father, putting my own will aside and trusting in Him.  And of course we all gained a stronger testimony about the power of faith, prayer and patience.  Matt said to me today, "Maybe this happened because of all my prayers."  I let him know that's exactly what happened.  

We do have to say goodbye to a few perks.  Jason's car, for instance.  We've had a company car for 7 years!  We will no longer have a gazillion Marriott points.  No more flyer miles.  Funny thing though, I'm not the least bit sad to see all that go.  In fact I'm quite happy about it.  Those "perks" didn't feel like perks at all when it came right down to it.


I couldn't end this post without thanking everyone who's offered words of encouragement and especially those who have prayed for our family.  We love you all and can't thank you enough for your love and support!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The closet for naughty kids

Yesterday the kids and I were in the car when Rachel started talking about her excitement to start school in the fall.  Then she started asking questions about the principal's office.


The conversation went like this:


Me:  I got called to the vice principal's office once for something I didn't do.
Rachel:  What happened?
Me:  He just let me go.
Rachel:  If a kid really does something bad, then the principal will send you to the closet.
Me:  What closet?
Rachel: The little closet with a bed.  They lock you in if you're bad.

At this point William and I look at each other in confusion.  Then I realize what she's talking about.  Last year  William wasn't feeling well and I got a phone call from the school asking if I'd come get him.  I rushed off to the school with Rachel and Owen.  When we got to the school William was in the nurses area in a tiny room with a bed.  He was just hanging out in there reading a book while he waited.  Apparently Rachel thought it was some sort of naughty room for children.  William and I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the thought, then we set her mind to rest and let her know that there are no naughty children closets with locks.  Funny girl!


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Beautiful day hike

We thought we'd escape the heat and go for a nice day hike in Swan Valley on Saturday.  We've heard only good things about the Palisades Creek Trail and decided to give it a try. It was a beautiful hike, but is was over 90 degrees outside.  So much for escaping the heat!  Thankfully we took plenty of water because we needed it.  We had a great time though and were grateful for the many shady spots along the way.  I was proud of our kids because they kept saying things like, "Hales do hard things!" and "Hales don't give up!".  We were all rewarded at the end of the hike with a square ice cream cone to eat on the drive home.  It was a very good day!



Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Right time, right place

I have a really fun announcement to make.  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!  I'm starting school in September and will finish my education (finally!) through BYU-Idaho.  I've prayed for this for so long!  I'll be able to finish school and still be home with my kids.  Jason and I have always felt that we'd know when the right opportunity came along for me to finish school.  I have been so impatient at times though and have been skeptical that the right opportunity even existed.  I didn't think I'd find anything that would fit my schedule and be affordable.  I should never have doubted.  The BYU-Idaho Pathway program is definitely an answer to my prayers.  I attended a fireside about Pathway and also met with Pathway missionaries in my area.  In both places there was an unmistakable feeling of excitement that this program is inspired and part of the Lord's plan.  I'm so grateful that I'll be a part of it this September.  

I'm so lucky to have such a supportive husband.   When we first heard about the Pathway program I was still quite skeptical. We'd talk about it and I would list off my worries and doubts.  He was completely optimistic which eventually rubbed off on me.  I attended the fireside and applied for the program while he was in Brazil.  It was killing me that I couldn't give him the details, so I sent him a text I knew he'd get once he was on his way home.  He called me as soon as he could and immediately asked for details.  He sounded just as excited as I felt!  With four kids this just wouldn't be possible if he wasn't completely supportive.


Although I've often wished that I could have finished school years ago, I'm realizing that the timing isn't all bad and that there are some great blessings I need to recognize.  Instead of my college education being something of the past that my kids just hear about, they'll be a part of it because I need their support as well.  It's something our family will work toward together.  How amazing is that?!?  

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

There are some beautiful moments that will be forever etched in my mind and heart, watching Jason hold each of our newborns.  It's a beautiful sight.  He's an amazing father and I feel so grateful to have married such a great guy!  He's a patient teacher and a really fun playmate to each of our children.  He's an excellent provider and protector.  He'll even change dirty diapers and get up in the middle of the night for infant feedings without complaint!  I feel tremendously grateful that my sons have him as their examples of fatherhood and Rachel has him for an example of the right kind of guy to marry one day (if Jason doesn't lock her in a tower first)!  Hopefully he'll know just how much we love and appreciate him this Father's Day!




Thursday, June 14, 2012

A week in the Amazon

Jason was lucky enough to visit Brazil for the Manaus Temple dedication last week.  He loved it and although things got a bit crazy around here I was quite happy he was able to go.  He had some great experiences and took lots of pictures (he's a Hales, after all!).  I decided to scrapbook the pictures for him since there's no way he'd ever do something like that for himself.

Here's some of my favorite pages:







Friday, June 8, 2012

My terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Yesterday I told the kids that I had this great idea of having a party with them after dinner tonight. Just us, playing games, eating yummy food, etc.  Then around midnight my stomach started to feel like someone had punched me.  I reminded myself that getting sick this week is out of the question, but my body didn't listen.  I was up the entire night in a lot of pain.  I started throwing up in the morning, but was still able to get the kids out the door a little after 8am for William's first track meet.  Turns out we didn't need to be there until 10am since we had registered online.  So we came back home and I knelt in prayer begging for strength to get through the day.  We headed back to the track meet and William got started with the standing long jump.  I thought to myself, "I can do this!"  Then we waited almost 3 hours for his next event.  Waiting that long is no small feat with 3 busy children, one of them an almost 2-year old.  It had been cold in the morning, so everyone had dressed warm and I didn't bring any sunscreen.  Well, the sun came out and we were roasting.  Poor Will was in sweat pants and a long-sleeved shirt.  By the time his race started he was tired and already sweating.  He did great though.  He ran the 200 meter dash for the first time.  He's always been a distance runner, so sprinting is something he's still working on.  By the time he was finished I could tell that I needed to go home.  It was a definite feeling that even 5 more minutes would be too much for my tired body.  I threw up once while we were there and felt fine for a little while, but it didn't last long enough.  I asked William if he wanted me to come back and get him later or ask a friend to bring him home since we had friends who were at the event with their kids.  He actually wanted to go home us, I think he was worried about me.  I wanted to convince him to stay, but I honestly didn't have the strength.  I needed to go.  Immediately.  I drove home feeling like an absolute failure.  I felt badly that Will wouldn't be able to run the 400 meter he was so excited about and had trained for, I had snapped at the younger kids way too much, and I knew the party idea was out the door.  I just wanted to sit and cry.  I drove home, put Owen in his bed and fell asleep quickly.  I was really hoping to wake up feeling like a new person.  The kids were hoping for it as well, because they really wanted the party we had planned.  I actually felt worse and realized I most likely have a nasty bug that needs to run its course before I'm going to feel any better.  So there I was feeling like the worst mom in the world when William came to me, asked how I was feeling and then offered to make dinner.  No complaints, just compassion.  And I couldn't help but think that maybe I might be doing something right.  So tonight I'm trying to remind myself that even though today wasn't ideal, I still have so much to be grateful for and optimistic about.  I'm so grateful for my sweet 9-year old who reminded me of that today.
Another thought I had tonight is that everything that happened today might have been for a reason.  I've been really stressed lately about whether or not I'm a good enough mom and if my kids are going to end up resenting their childhood because of my weaknesses.  I couldn't help but think that Heavenly Father was allowing me to see that I'm doing okay.
Hopefully tomorrow will be much less traumatic for everyone.
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