The Sansom Family

We found the perfect dog.  Her name is Bella and she is a Chihuahua mix.  We also happened to find the perfect house for us so we bought it.  Carl and I are now the proud owners of a dog and house.  Life is good.  More details will soon follow.

Someone already adopted Cy.  I am not sure I will ever find a dog that is as beautiful or friendly as Cy.  Only time will tell if the Sansom family ever finds the perfect dog.

Today we went to a safety fair at the mall and it was AWESOME!!!  Along with a horrifying car roll over demonstration(picture the cab of a truck spinning round and round followed by a dummy flying out of the window), and other safety themed booths, we were able to see all sorts of emergency vehicles.  Along with the standard firetruck, police car, and ambulance, we saw the MERV(the SWAT team's vehicle),the Bomb Squad's vehicle and robot, helicopters, police horses, and an armored car.  I was enthralled by the bomb diffusing robot demonstration but it actually freaked the boys out so we had to mover on.  Joe ran around the whole thing screaming in delight; he always has a great time.   Max, who is very cautious by nature, walked right up to the Life Flight helicopter and climbed in, with a little assistance from me.  I was so proud of him.  Then Carl mentioned that the Humane Society had a dog out for the kids to pet.  Joe loves dogs so we went over.  Joe was squealing with delight and petting the dog while Max smiled at Cy, the husky on display, from a safe distance.  I decided to actually pet Cy--that was my mistake.  I fell in love with Cy and wanted to take him home immediately.  As we walked away, I told Carl that I wanted Cy and he smiled a very sly smile and casually mentioned that huskies are his favorite breed of dog.  He set me up!  I don't really love animals but something about Cy spoke to me and I am sure Carl knew that would happen(he later told me that he and Joe had spent lots of time with Cy before Max and I met up with them).  So now I am researching all about huskies and their needs and I hope to adopt Cy or a dog like him soon.  As I write this post I have to just laugh at myself.  I have never wanted an animal of any kind and yet here I am contemplating dog adoption.  Oh how life (and kids) changes people.

I decided to make our blog public again because our cirlce of friends is far flung and I just want to make sure we all stay connected.  Feel free to list us in your blog links if you so choose.

As all of you know by now, I have two rambunctious boys.  I love them to pieces but they can be quite a handful sometimes.  I try to do the best I can but sometimes my best doesn't feel like enough.  Usually I get that feeling when I am hauling two screaming kids out of the store or the park and more than one mom gives me the stink eye.  At times like that, I alternately want to melt into oblivion or glare back at them and ask "What are you staring at?"  Most of the time I just avert my eyes and power through.  Do I ever regret having my kids so close together?  No. (I have been asked that by more than one person).  Do I wish I had a nanny?  No.  I won't lie, sometimes it seems like paradise but I didn't have kids so someone else could raise them.  I am a mom and I relish that role, even during the hard times. 

Getting the stink eye from strangers is bearable because I know they don't know how awesome my boys really are.  But feeling judged or actually being judged by people I know stings quite a bit.  Instead of "helpful hints," half concealed smirks, or judgement rolling off a person in waves(you know that feeling you get when not a word is said but feelings are still made quite clear), I think moms deserve a pat on the back and some encouragement.  At a quilt show, for example, Max was making his opinion known at an ear shattering decibel.  I calmed him down and one old lady told me(in her sweet old lady voice) that boys don't like quilting so I shouldn't bring my kids to quilting things while another lady patted me on the back and told me I was her hero for teaching my kids to appreciate beautiful things.  The pat on the back gave me the lift I needed to turn that moment into a teaching opportunity for Max.  So that is the type of person I try to be: the friends who lets you know that you are a fantastic person no matter what.

Motherhood has helped me learn compassion on a whole new level.  Each child has his or her own personality, complete with challenging behaviors and strengths.  I believe Heavenly Father entrusts us with these precious souls because we can teach them and they, along with refining us, can help us learn a thing a two.  Because I feel this way, I try to give moms and dads the benefit of the doubt.  We are all doing the best we can and trying our best to raise happy, well-mannered, spiritually minded kids.  Recently a friend of mine wrote about a experience she had after a tough day with her son.  It reminded me that all moms  have hard moments and we truly are doing a good job even if the fruit of our efforts is not immediately apparent.  So to all of those moms out there, thank you for sharing your struggles and triumphs with me.  Knowing that other people have similar experiences helps me be a better mom and a better, more compassionate friend. 

As it turns out, I haven't posted a picture of the boys on here for a while. After a mighty struggle with my iphone, I now have pictures available to post. I hope these will give you some insight into their personalities. First up, we have Joseph. He loves to do whatever Max does.  Joe tries his best to keep up with Max, even when he falls behind.  Even when Joe struggles to do something, he persists until he accomplishes his goal.  He either finds a way to do something on his own or asks for me to help him figure it out.  Even when I do help him with something, Joe really concentrates and tries to learn how to replicate whatever we just did.  I love his determination and thoughtfulness.

To balance out his serious side. Joe is also developing quite the sense of humor and loves to get a laugh out of Carl and me any way he can. In this instance, he decided to wear Max's underwear as a hat.   Anytime he does something that he thinks is funny, he will check our reaction before he carries on for too  long.  If we laugh, he milks it for all it's worth.  Since I took a picture of the underwear-as-hat incident, Joe now immediately puts any pair of underwear he finds on his head.  We laugh every time.  How can you not?  Look at that little face...he just melts my heart with that little smile. 



Perhaps one of my favorite things about Max is his tender heart.  Since my foot surgery, Max will frequently hold Joe's hand and lead him to where they need to go.  Max watches out for Joe and makes sure he is okay and having a good time.  On occasion, he will even come over to me me for a hug and quick hello before darting off to play.  I love watching Max and Joe become best buddies.  As it says in the scriptures, my quiver is full.

Physical terrorist? It's tough to tell sometimes.  To be fair, my dear friend who is a phyical therapist calls herself a physical terrorist in jest.  After my surgery, I had an allergic reaction to the sticky stuff used to hold on the steri-strips and the resulting rash and swelling meant that I lost all pretty much all the mobility in my big toe so I started physical therapy to help me relearn how to walk like a normal person.  I promise you that physical therapy on one's scar adhesed and swollen big toe is very painful.  Since I go in quite often to see Katie, my physical therapist, we are now besties.  While Katie is breaking through said layers of scar tissue and restoring mobility to my joints, we chat about our weekend plans, swap make up tips, talk about favorite Omaha hot spots and the like.  If it wasn't for the searing pain shooting through my foot, it would be like a girl's night.  In all honesty, I am very grateful for physical therapy because it is helping me a lot.  Katie estimates that I will need about a month and half of intensive therapy to regain enough mobility to walk comfortably and hopefully run again.  It's at the time when one's body doesn't function properly that true appreciation for Heavenly Father's masterful skills is gained.  I appreciate my good health and ability to exercise so much more now than I did before the surgery and ensuing complications.  Fortunately, my limitations are temporary and minor when compared to the trials other face but this experience has taught me gratitude for what I have and compassion for others.