Snowball Fluffy Welling

The new addition to our little family:

 

For months now the boys have been begging for a pet.....any sort of pet.  Can we have a dog, can we have a cat, can we get a fish, etc. etc.   Well I have been promising them that I would get them something.  I knew they wanted something they could hold, so the fish option was out.  I knew they wanted something cuddly, but I did not want a dog or a cat. So we went to our local Murdocks to look at the baby chicks and bunnies that they sell every spring.  The boys were begging for a baby chick.  hmm.....as much as I would love to have chickens again, now is not the time.  So I walked over to the bunnies and said, how about a bunny? So we picked the one that was not huddled in a mass under the food bin.  It seemed socially independent and we liked that.  So here it is.  (It is still too young for us to tell if it is a boy or a girl.)  The boys and I collaborated on the name.

 

 

We have all fallen in love with this rabbit.  She, (wishful thinking,) is so snugly.  She loves to be held and stroked.  She seems a bit too young still to be away from her mama, and I swear she has not really eaten very much which worries me greatly.  We will see how things go. 

 

The Cutest Boys In The World!!

 

Based on their looks alone they are pretty darn adorable.  Couple that with their amazingly funny, sweet and quirky personalities and you would have to agree with me.  I have had many people who know my kids personally tell me how much they adore them, so I know all this to be true and not just a bias Mother's opinion. I have already arranged for my friend Jennifer to lay claim on one of them as her future son in law. 

 

 I was looking at her blog the other night and a picture of her oldest daughter Ainsley was on the screen.  I turned to Thayne and said, "Thayne, I have found you a wife!!" (Note: my sons are always talking about how they need to grow up and get married in the Temple and have kids of their own.)  Thayne gets this big grin on his face and says: "You've found me a wife.....where?"  So I show him a picture of Ainsley and he started asking questions about where she lived and if it was far away.  (Which.....she does live far away, and the two children have never met.)

 

I thought it was so funny how he was just totally accepting of whatever Mom chooses for him.  I know that will not last very long.  These three boys keep Corey and I going, and not just because of the intense boy energy that they exude.  They bring us sunshine when all we see is rain.  They make us laugh during times that we are more inclined to cry.  They remind us not to feel sorry for ourselves because we have them in our lives and they are more precious than anything else we could ever wish or hope for.  I love them tremendously and feel an overwhelming sense of obligation to help them reach their greatest potential as men and sons of God. I hope to do my part the best I can, as does Corey.  I am sure all of you feel the same about your own children.

 

 

 



 

About a year and a half ago, when life seemed to be at it's darkest hour for my little family, my husband and I watched this video.  Then two weeks ago, I watched it again.  It greatly touched my heart and seemed to be a fitting follow up post from what I last wrote.  This truly has become my testimony of why we go through difficult times, and why we don't always get an immediate answer to the question: "why?"......"Why God do I have to go through this?".............."Why do I feel you have abandoned me?"........"Don't you care about me anymore?"............"What have I done wrong?"

God does not abandon us in our hours of need.  If anything we turn our backs on him, because we do not trust the individual plan he has for each of us.  May we all follow the counsel given in this video, to not only accept his "course or character correction", but to seek it.

.....So it has been almost a year since I have posted anything onto this blog.  I have had a few requests from old friends asking me to please give them an update on how I am doing. SILENCE is my way of crawling into the dark hiding places of my soul and psyche so that I can "lick my wounds,"-- so to speak.  I don't like to share "bad, sad, or depressing news."  For the most part.....people don't like to hear the "bad, sad, or depressing news" either.

In a nutshell this has been an extremely difficult year for me and my little family.  I and my family have unfortunately been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism, the subject of a great deal of gossip and backbiting.  And we have experienced: sorrow, grief, anger and disappointment at the hands of family members, priesthood leaders and community members. I didn't feel very safe in sharing my burden, and it seemed that when ever I tried, things would get worse and I would find that my burden became heavier.  In addition I have been "running so fast" that I have not had time to reflect on everything that has gone on, but when I do, I become upset, and so the cycle of repressing continues.

The silver lining, and yes, there is one.  My trials and heartaches have flushed out individuals who ARE  pure in heart. (Most if not all have NOT been members of my faith.) They have taught me how to read people's motives and intentions.  They have taught me how to better comfort and aid the weary, give  help and support to the sick and afflicted, and how to succor the poor and down trodden. I only hope that I may live worthily to honor these important life lessons, not to count them for naught, but to put them into practice from this day forward.

My confession; I still have not mastered the willingness to cast my burdens at the feet of my Savior and allow his peace to fill my wounded heart.  Once bitterness is planted into the heart it is difficult to uproot again.  I have come out on the other side, with my testimony intact...but I feel weakened. There is little oil in my lamp...which is my own fault and I hope to correct it. I am grateful to my Savior Jesus Christ: for his belief in me when I have little faith in myself, for his love for my family, and the little miracles he has given to show that love, (especially when others have turned their backs). Most of all, for his enduring patience with my bitter and cold heart; which has at times cried out in anger against him. When his ways were not my ways, and his thoughts were not my thoughts and I was unwilling to bend. I wish you all well this Holiday Season and promise to not be so guarded with the friends who seek after me. 

Love,

Hailey

"Merry Christmas!!"

We wish you all a very happy holiday season. We have had a lot of changes in the last couple of months. First of all we are no longer working/living at the Prairie Inn Motel. We have secured some affordable housing, which with the help of family we are slowly fixing up. I am currently looking for new employment, and wishing we had enough funds to actually move out of Evanston all together. Unfortunately we are stuck her for a little bit longer I am afraid.

Corey's first nerve block injection post surgery will be on Tuesday, and we are hoping it will help to alleviate his pain. We have high hopes for a brighter future in the coming new year. The boys are doing well, growing fast and becoming smarter and funnier with each passing day. Hope your families are all doing well, and I apologize for not keeping everyone updated.

A long overdue post

Skipping all of the drama of the last six months.....here are the facts:

1.) We have a name, an actual diagnosis for Corey's illness. Pudental Nerve Entrapment, or PNE for short.

2.) We are being sued by the doctor who gave him his surgery back in March because we cannot pay our bill. (And because of fraudulent billing and undisclosed charges he did not recieve any money covered by insurance.) For three weeks after the surgery, corey was like a new man he felt fantastic. Then, very suddenly and rapidly it got worse and for the past 6 months he has been bed ridden and in more pain and requires more medication than he did before the surgery. I make $12,000 a year. Our portion out of pocket is over $20,000. The doctor is sueing us for $160,000 and has filed a fraud charge against Corey, oh and I shouldn't forget will seek to garnish any wages he does make. (which has been zero for almost a year now.)

3.) The lawyers we have spoken to all say not to worry and focus on getting Corey better and not worry about what this doctor in California is doing or not doing. We have found out that a group of people, seven to be exact, look as if they plan to counter sue this same doctor because he has sought legal action against them as well. They want us to jump on the band wagon.

4.) We recently discovered, through the wonders of the Internet, several other doctors that perform this same surgery. One had a post of a step by step procedure of this surgery. In his lecture, he states; that a patients symptoms will get worse after surgery then they were before. (something our doctor never told us.) Also it can take up to 2 years to know the outcome of the surgery itself, and after that time if there is still no improvement, then another surgery may be necessary. This news actually gave us hope and lifted our spirits.

5.) Another doctor back east whom Corey contacted returned our call and reconfirmed that it may take up to two years after the surgery to really know if it was successful or not, and in the mean time he needs to go to physical therapy and have regular nerve block injections. (also something we did not know.)

And that is it in a nut shell. We are just plugging along. Praying, hoping, and trying to enjoy the little things in life that make us happy. Example: three beautiful little boys who remind us why were are fighting so hard to keep it together.