Viva Las Vegas!

Holy cow! The last almost two months have been such a roller coaster! This job is crazy and insane, and so much fun, and challenging and trying and wonderful! Seriously I feel like I spend so much time trying to figure out how I feel about it, because it's like all of the above, all the time.   I LOVE that I get to spend all day with my boys!

Since starting this job we've had multiple different things we've had to deal with, including girls:

running away
getting in fights
getting suspended
failing tests
aliens
getting arrested
having other random kids in our house throwing eggs
UFOs
Teaching
teaching
teaching

Ok, so not all of the above, but some, or most, or none.


Ok but seriously have you ever cleaned raw egg out of industrial carpet? Kill me now. It took me more than a week! Listen and listen closely, SALT. It is your best friend, poor a TON of it on the egg while it's still fresh. Let sit. Vacuum up later when dry.   When in doubt, add more salt.


So teaching and the girls take up most of our time, as it should since we're both working full time. But we do get to spend a good deal of time with the other couples in the other homes which is the coolest part of this job if I'm allowed to say that. There's a couple two homes down that is also LDS (there's a total of three LDS couples in this job and the program ops is LDS and our supervisor.) has a baby that's 5 weeks older than Bowen and is super hippy, like us me. LOVE. We call each other and rant and talk about our babies and cloth diapering and breastfeeding (yes Bowen is still breastfed) and our babies being sick, and getting each other sick and all of us sick, and oh heavens I'm so glad that they're here. I'm not sure I could do this job some days without them.


Speaking of illnesses, we've been sick lately, which has been SO MUCH FUN! Not. Bowen was first by vomiting all over our bed, in the middle of the night. Then Shaun and i each caught it, for just a brief period of time, and then last week I was SUPER sick for three days. Ended up going and getting a couple of bags of fluids at urgent care and some zofran because I couldn't even keep water down. I some how managed to keep that illness to myself, thankfully! I was thinking we were over it all until Bowen got a fever tonight, but he seems to be doing well now. And my immune system is holding up well enough. So we're all good there.

I'm sure this is wonderfully boring to all of you out there, but it's nice to be able to see how far we've come, both in this job and in our lives and with our illnesses. I think I'll be sure to thank Heavenly Father one more time tonight that I'm not sick any more because that sucked.

The culture shock is wearing off slowly but surely. I think it helps that we don't go anywhere near down town most days, unless we're going to the main office, which is pretty close. But I have to remind myself frequently that this is a job and we're living here, and not just visiting, like I keep thinking...... oops.

We're super bummed that we're not going to be with family this holiday season. It's hit me really hard this year, because it's my first not being able to go home. Who would have guessed how much that meant to me? Because I didn't.

But life goes on, and so do we!

I've got many thoughts, on many things, but it's late and I must be going to bed now. Hope you enjoyed the update,

Love,

Kirsten, Shaun and Bowen!

It's a Girl(s!)

No, I'm not pregnant.

We'll be fostering girls as part of our new job. We're so excited!  We got to meet them this past weekend and it was incredible. We both cannot wait to start working with them!   I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with my self. I'm not girly. I've never been! And now I'm supposed to be this female role model for 6 girls! I may go crazy! :D But it'll be a good crazy and I'm excited to learn and for the adventure that waits before us!

And this is about where it ends. Information that is. As part of our new job we've signed a confidentiality agreement. AKA we can't talk about ANYTHING in relation to our new job. So the information begins and ends here.

Vegas was incredible! Really. Everything was a whole new experience. I'm a southern Mormon girl. I've lived in the south, and in Mormonville of Utah. That's it. Vegas was a huge culture shock for me. And the only thing more crazy that Vegas billboards was Vegas drivers!!! Oh my gosh. I thought we were going to die so many times!  I'm excited to get out of my comfort zone in so many different ways.  I'm excited to start a life of service, so much more than I'm currently doing. No longer will it be service projects here and there, notes in the mail and phone calls to help organize things. We'll be living and breathing service. I cannot wait for that.

While we were in Vegas we had the opportunity to go to the Vegas Temple. It was such an incredibly sweet experience for me and words cannot quite express what happened within those walls.  I'm really just overwhelmed sitting here thinking about it. EVERYTIME I've gone to the temple something has happened that has let me know that Heavenly Father is aware of me. And this time was no different. From the very first  baptism I did as a 17 year old to my endowment to our sealing to every other ordinary time. Things like that make the Plan of Salvation real for me. How could I not believe in a God when he's so tangible at times like those, and these?  I know I don't talk about church much, and that's kind of a derivative of my family life growing up (me and my family have a don't ask, don't tell rule about religion). But tonight, I cannot seem to let myself stop these words from pouring out, so please, bear with me a moment as I get this on paper.

These last few months have been nothing but a witness to me of how much Heavenly Father is aware of me and my personal needs. I'll be the first to sheepishly admit that I do not turn to him enough, but that is my own weakness.  From the very first Relief Society Meeting our first Sunday in Tallahassee when we had a guest speaker come and talk about continuing our education in what ever means and ways possible for our individual situations to being called to teach Primary to a little girl who's family I silently judged from my pew.  And upon getting to know her and her family I felt humbled by this little girl and her family and their faith. Who was I to judge when I didn't have a clue of their situation? (This lesson I've been taught too many times. I'm trying, Heavenly Father, I'm trying, I promise the more you keep teaching the sooner I'll learn it. ;)  )

I feel as if these last few months have really been a test for me, and my faith, personally. Not collectively or globally. But me, personally. Because of the parenting lifestyle I (we) have chosen I've felt like I've some how gotten involved in a group of people that made me feel like a hypocrite for believing all the things that I do, and raising Bo the way we are and yet still believing marriage is between one man and one woman.  Like it was the "cool" thing to do to not believe in the gospel and some times that was really difficult, and it sounds so trivial written down like that, but when you're constantly being surrounded by people who are trying to convince you of this, it becomes very difficult and burdensome. I've had many conversations with myself and with Shaun about what the heck I was doing. Why are we so strong in our beliefs and really getting back down to the core of the issues at hand. It was extremely helpful and needed. I've distanced myself from most of those people now, sadly, because here I am, yet again, losing/distancing myself from people because of my beliefs.  But I'm learning how to be active in a community of women and mothers without losing who I am. And that's a lot more difficult than it sounds. But I'm SURE that ability will come in hand in the coming months as we start to foster children.

Back to the topic at hand. More or less what I'm getting at is that Heavenly Father puts us in places as certain times in our lives for reasons, sometimes unseen, but other times it's so obvious it cannot be missed.  Shaun has often questioned our move here. But for me, it was plain to see. And even if we just moved here for 5 months for me to learn these things, I'm thrilled.  I'm go glad that Heavenly Father loves each of his children enough that he'll move them across the country to teach them such simple lessons!

Ok. So sorry for all that. Maybe someone else needed to hear this tonight. Maybe not. Maybe this is just for me, to look back on in a year from now, and say, Oh, yeah! I remember now.

Good night guys!

Kirsten

That one time I was in the news

So another thing I did while here in Tallahassee was organize The Big Latch On. And the local news interviewed me! Which I thought was so cool. Everyone who saw it thought I did really well. And I thought I didn't sound like an idiot, which I consider a success!!!

Any who, if anyone is interested in the article, here it is, it used to have a video clip attached, but I guess not anymore. So you'll have to take my word on the fact that I didn't sound like an idiot, though I'm also quoted in the article! :D

Enjoy!

Busy Little Bees!

We've been so busy the last few weeks. First and foremost,


WE GOT THE JOB!!!!!

I don't think I've been so happy about a phone call in my entire life! We put our lives on hold for this job. Really. Shaun stopped applying for other jobs, I didn't attend orientation for school here in Tallahassee (did I not mention I was going to be taking classes this fall.... oops?) We sat around the house, waiting by our phones. For WEEKS. Waiting to hear back about this job, and what the next step was, etc etc etc. I'm SOO glad that part is over.

What started as a "hey, Kirsten, I need you to fill out this application for a job." turned into a hey, you're moving to Vegas in a month! Welcome to the next chapter of your life! It was a month long process of lots of waiting, lots of Shaun, CALM DOWN (he was sooo excited he was like a new puppy for WEEKS about just the prospect of this job.)  But hey, next week we fly to Vegas, to see where we'll be living for AT LEAST the next 18 months of our lives!

Don't you remember how much I hated moving? Yeah, we'll be moving to Vegas into a temp apartment for a couple of months, and then moving again onto Boys Town campus, and then we'll have to move again once we leave the job. Uh.... I hate that part of the job... MOVING, but hey, I'll take it.

Shaun's so excited for this job, and honestly, I am too! Who would have ever thought I would have been excited about being a parent to teenagers when I'm just a few years removed from the situation myself.

I know a lot of you guys don't know much about my teenage years, but I'll suffice it to say, they were not pleasant. My senior year was one of the worst of my entire life, and that's saying something, given I spent more time my junior year in the hospital and in dr's offices than in class.   I was talking to Shaun about this, and not going to lie, I was beginning to doubt how good I'd be at this job based just off that fact. I can't show them how to have a great teenage years/time, because I didn't have it myself. And then I got to thinking about it. My life lacked stability, and that's EXACTLY what these kids need, and what we're being hired to provide. I'm going to be able to sit down next to theses kids and say, you know, I don't know the extent of your life, and how bad that this has been for you, but at the same time, I can honestly tell you how much having some grounding helped me. How much having someone in my life supporting me and my decisions has helped me.  Like I said in the interview, I want to be that difference for someone. And I'm excited about that opportunity.


Luckily this time around moving won't be so bad, since 90% of our life is already in boxes! (YAY!) But still. I hate the idea of it. I've never been big on change. And going from a town of 250,000 people to almost 2 MILLION is a HUGE change. I'm a small town girl. One of my life goals is to live in a cabin in the mountains where you can't get cell service. ;) That sounds like heaven to me.




Ok, so that's big, and new, and exciting, but there's other things going on in our lives, and I'd like to just touch on them for a second.

First, we went to the allergist, (FINALLY), and had Bowen tested. Well. That was stupid. Can I just say that? (The allergist tried to convince us that Bo's eczema wasn't eczema and that it was just because he drools when he's teething, even though he's got eczema all over his legs, and arms. What the what? Regardless, we've got two pedi's and a dermatologist backing us, so we'll continue to treat the eczema and ignore this random quack doctor!)   We came with a list of things we thought Bo was allergic to, and he tested negative on all of them. But, I had one of the foods (banana) a couple days later, guess who reacted? Yep. So we'll just continue doing what we've been doing. Avoiding. Because had he actually tested positive for these things, that would be the course of action. Though we do think he's less sensitive to shrimp, which Shaun's thrilled about.

Things Bo's allergic to, for the record:
Banana
Shrimp
Sesame Seeds


And thus we continue on.


Also, I've finally got the ball rolling on a group I've been trying to start here in town, (thanks to some very lovely other ladies). Which is like a catch 22. I Love the fact that it's finally started up, and it was a long time coming, but now I'm leaving and I feel like I won't get to enjoy the fruits of my labor! Speaking of labor, the group is for women in the postpartum period of life, regardless of how old their baby may be, to talk about and process their birth and their depression, if that's something they're suffering from, and all other related things. This was something I was a part of in Utah and benefited greatly from and decided to try and bring something similar here to Florida, after noticing a need within the community.   ***Confession time*** I had a traumatic birth. If you don't have a clue what on earth I may be talking about, I highly recommend reading this post from another blogger. It's not something I talk about, often, or hardly ever, actually, but I don't think that's healthy, so here I am, blogging about it to the world.
 
But the whole birth story is for another post, that I promise is in the works.

Thanks for reading the crazy long post,

Kirsten

Family Post: Happy Birthday Bo

If you're confused about the title, please see the previous post)

A week ago today was Bo's Birthday! I cannot believe that it's been a year since this sweet little boy entered our lives.  We had a small family celebration on his day, and then had a small part with close family and friends on Saturday. His party was construction themed, and I think it turned out really great!

Here's some pictures.

This is me with one of my very close friends named Candace. She's in Qatar teaching for the next two years. I'm going to miss her, and the way she tells it like it is. 

Banner

These are the Rings. Daddy Ring works with my mother, and Mama ring, and Baby J are friends with me and Bo. So glad that they made it.

This is Sister Holland holding Bo, while they watch a video of him playing peek-a-boo.  

Cake Publix made.

Taking Bo's clothes off so that he could "eat" his cake. The next two photos aren't the best, but I love his little face and how happy he is to be naked!

He was NOT having it.

So we took him out, and he painted my shirt. 

Once he started to get the hang of it, we put him back in his seat.

He ate none of it. The chocolate on his lips is from us trying to get him to taste it.

The end result.

Here's just a couple more pictures of some decorations. These last two are still hanging up because I love them so much.

We've had a crazy last few weeks where our life has been put on hold for the job that we're interviewing for tomorrow.  I don't have a clue when we'll know about whether we got it or not, but it has to be soon. Training starts the 10th of September. 

We're very excited about this job possibility. It would be a huge advantage for Shaun and what he wants to do with his life long career.  I'm up for the adventure and the opportunity to help at risk youth. 

We hope you guys keep in touch with us, regardless of how this turns out. We thank you for your prayers.

Love,

Shaun, Kirsten and Bowen

A Change

In the near future you will notice a change coming to this blog.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to make a blog, just for me. And I've done that, I made the blog, but I've been horrible about keeping it updated.   So I've decided to make this one a little more personal.

What this means to you: You'll get a little more "raw" look into our lives and my thoughts in particular. You might not agree with some of it, and I understand that, I'm not asking you to agree, or even read them all. Just letting you know that a change is coming.

Post specifically about the family will be titled "Family Post:.."

When I found out I was pregnant with Bowen my life changed forever. And I feel like I've been hiding everything that I'm passionate about, and I don't want to do that any more.


One of my first "New Blog" posts will be the Birth Story of Bowen. This one may take a little while for me to get out, and once you read it, I think you'll understand why.


So that's it. More frequent posts. More open and honest and "raw" posts. Same blog.

Thanks guys!

Hair Cut

Today was a bitter sweet day in my life. My little boys hair finally got the point it NEEDED to be cut. It was so long in the front it was in his eyes. So we piggy backed on my dad's haircut appointment, and well, just check the photos.

 Before

 During

 Turned to screaming

 So we stopped half way through, and I finished once we got home. :D

 Sir studly. :D

 I HAD to keep some of his hair. HAD to. 

 I love this little face. 

This last photo is one I've been trying to get for a while now. Papa George and Bo have a tradition of doing "SO BIG" frequently during the day. If Bo gets REALLY into it, he makes this face, squinty eyed, huge smile, back arched. I love this little boy. :D


This past week was crazy one. The Brems did a great job on why this week was soo nuts. <- Please, go read. We packed for 3 people for a week in less than 30 min. It was INSANE, and I never want to do it again. Ever since we have left Utah, we have felt pulled back. It was so hard for all of us to leave Chad this last time.  Our life is still so up in the air. It'll be nice if we ever get to settle down. Shaun keeps telling me I need to get used to a nomadic life style. I keep telling him he's crazy. This has been our life for the last two months. Crazy.