Just passing through!

Well it's Thursday morning and I should be at the Toronto Zoo right now with my sexy hubby and our kids...but alas I'm sitting at my mom's kitchen table blogging my crazy last couple of days.

Tuesday I packed up all my stuff and was totally ready to go home. I did a little bit of last minute shopping with Jeni but I think she would agree that I was NOT into it. A little weird for me...I was just feeling crummy! Anyway...something was going on in my bowels that did not agree with me, but it was different than anything else I had ever felt before. Anyway, I went about my afternoon ignoring it, we ordered some yummy food in and I lost my appetite. I started crying because I was stressed out about leaving with a sick Drew (fever that wouldn't break) and a sick ME (who knew what was wrong). Anyway, Dad gave each of us a blessing and that put my mind at ease at least.

Well I finally got to bed but didn't get much sleep as I was up all night to and from the bathroom, tossing and turning. Finally I started feeling this pain in my back/side that was oddly familiar. After about 30 min of it I knew exactly what it was...my kidney! The last time I felt this pain was when I was 37 weeks pregnant with Taylor and the pain was so bad it put me into labour and the infection entered my blood and almost cause me to be septic. Long story and I'm sure some of you remember it. Anyway...I called Sean and he advised me to go to the hospital to get it checked out.
I think my mom and I made it to the hospital in 13 min from Cochrane, record time! The ride in was terrible and the thoughts rattling through my brain were nothing short of death by infection! Not easy to calm down when you're thinking the worst right?
Well to make a long story short...after multiple tests and ultrasounds they discovered that I had passed a kidney stone. I have never been so HAPPY to be told this! Some of you might disagree, but honestly, between passing a stone and going into preterm labour, passing a stone sounds good to me!
So now I'm feeling 100% better today, minus the constant irritation from my catheter that they gave me...I'm rebooked for Monday to fly home and we'll finish our zoo arrangements next Tuesday with the kids. When Jeni told Brayden Wednesday morning that we weren't going home that day the first thing he said was "But are we still staying in a hotel?" - Brayden has been waiting to stay the night in a hotel for so long, I felt so bad. Luckily Sean arranged his schedule to stay Monday night in Toronto so we'll still be able to fulfill that excitement for B.

Speaking of Brayden, he said the cutest thing last night. First of all, B has entered this new phase of his life which includes a LOT of annoying sounds and energy. I'm trying to let him embrace this new energy but it's almost impossible to calm him down and get him to listen to you unless you take him completely out of his aura and get him in trouble. Only then will he listen. So last night I called him over and over and over again to come and brush his teeth. Finally I dragged him by the arm into the bathroom and he started to cry of course. By the time we got him into his bed he was sad and started saying how he missed home and wanted Daddy. I got him calmed down and then looked at his CTR ring on his finger and said
"Brayden, it makes me so happy that you wear that ring everyday to remind you to choose the right"
then he said with tears in his eyes...
"But Mom, why do I choose wrong then?"
OK...I think my heart broke in two...he is such a sweet tender soul. So I explained that the good thing is that we can always do right..if we do wrong we can turn around and do the right thing after that.
So then we were saying prayers...Brayden went first and was kind of all over the place and I had to remind him to calm down (again) for prayers. When Drew prayed, near the end of his prayer he said "Please bless Brayden that he can be...(pause)...
After a few seconds Brayden whispered with his eyes closed..."Better"

I love my kids SO much! They truly bring me back to reality and help me to do better too. How can I teach them these things without doing them myself? Today I have a renewed goal to embrace Brayden's crazy annoying side and help him to release his energy in a happy positive way.
Drew's fever is gone and I'm sure he's on the mend...Taylor is happy as ever and I'm feeling way better! I know we've been blessed...I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way until way after we get home!

The mountains look amazing this morning and I'm grateful to be in a beautiful part of the world where I can appreciate God's creations!

L