It is not a tumah!

So for those of you who haven't heard , I had surgery a couple of weeks ago. And yes, I pretty much have felt like I had a head on collision with a Mac Truck, just as the nurse actually warned me I would. I was in the hospital for 4 days, and I've been home (pretty much) since.

Several items of good (or just silly) news that came with having surgery:

1. (And you have to say this with an Arnold Schwarzenegger accent) "It is not a tumah"
2. "Every day in every way I'm getting better and better".
3. They let you drive those cool motorized shopping carts at Target if you have just had surgery. (All I could think was PLEASE don't let me see anyone from High School) I threatened to get some cool scooters like that for the boys when they hit high school next year, they even have a basket for their back-packs, and they could plug them in when they get there, and I don't think they could go fast enough to hurt themselves too bad. I thought I was hilarious, which was probably because of the meds. (see #9) The boys, however, didn't think I was so funny.
   
4. I will forever be more sympathetic to women who have c-sections. My incision was similar but a little bit bigger -- ooooo was that TMI? (Too much information in teen-speak)
   
5. Some of my very favorite people have come to see me.
   
6. My kids are doing pretty much anything I ask them to do (we will see how long that lasts)
7. The Relief Society Rocks! Thank you so much to everyone who blessed my family with dinners, etc.
   
8. Eddie is the most supportive amazing husband ever, but I did have to tell him "You are so lucky that you don't have ovaries" and his not-so-funny comeback was "you are lucky...you barely do anymore either"
9. I am not taking any more prescription pain pills. If I have had any really strange conversations with you over the last couple of weeks I apologize....... but at least this time I had a good excuse. I did learn that I have adverse reactions to Morphine but the Lortab was a party while it lasted.
   
10. Stairs are not my friends, so living in the basement has been more confining than I ever thought it would be. But the upside is that it is nice and dark, so I have been able to rest a lot.
    

Anyway, all in all I am doing much better. Christmas is definitely different when you can't do much, but it really was a wonderful day. I will post pictures as soon as I can talk someone into going upstairs to get me the cord to plug the camera into the computer.... dang it, the kids doing everything I want thing seems to be wearing off.

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jordan is going to Canada, Eh?

I feel so strange, and happy, and sad, and proud to see my brother Jordan leaving on his mission. He is so excited to go to Canada, and he hopes to find many people to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with. But I am most proud and excited of the fact that he has his own testimony and that he has a personal relationship with Christ. He has turned out to be such an amazing kid.

Jordan is the baby of the family and I have often said that I felt sorry for him because instead of having brothers and sisters he has about 5 sets of parents that get after him. He is also only about 5 years older than E.J. so the two of them have always behaved more like brothers than uncle and nephew. He has been a good example to all of the kids.

When he was set apart as a missionary the Stake President asked if any of us had anything that we would like to share with him. All I could say was "I am so proud of you, Jordan, and I hope you know that we are standing behind you all the way. " I love you, Jordan. We all love you, and are here for you! We are praying for your safety and strength every day! Stay safe, eh? And make sure you write, eh?!?

Kids Pictures

In between family pictures my sister-in-law Libby also took pictures of the kids. She has a great eye for photography and I LOVE how they turned out as well:

My Greatest

Treasures

Call Me

Mom

Family Pictures

Our Thanksgiving weekend was really crazy since it was also my brother Jordan's farewell that Sunday. (He is leaving on a mission to Canada)

We also decided that since we had the whole family together we better get family pictures taken. The Photographers name is Mary Clark, and she is AMAZING!!!

Here is one of the entire Ferguson Family including all of my brothers and their wives and kids along with my parents:


Here are a couple of just our family:

Wrestling Season

This is really weird, but I am excited to say that the wrestling season has started! Many of you know that Eddie retired from coaching a couple of years ago because he was missing so many of our kids' activities. But he also said that he would go back to coaching if our kids decided to wrestle. Well guess what? The boys are now freshmen in High School and much to Eddie's excitement (and my dismay) both of them are officially on the J.V. wrestling team at Hillcrest High School.

I have to say I have been watching wrestling matches for years, Eddie started coaching when I was pregnant with E.J., but it is so much more stressful when someone you love is competing. It is a really harsh sport, and my heart beats so fast and my palms sweat and it is all I can do to try not to panic and scream goofy things and embarrass all of them.

Both Troy and E.J. are doing really well so far, with a couple wins and a couple losses each.

Here are a couple of pictures from the first match of the season:

Thanksgiving!

Have I ever said how much I LOVE Thanksgiving? It is absolutely my favorite holiday. I was looking through this last month's pictures and just had to add this post.

My Top 10 reasons I love Thanksgiving:
10. Feeling Blessed. Thanksgiving gives me the chance to feel grateful for all the blessings that we have. Nothing feels better than a thankful heart.
9. Collard Greens and Candied Yams - two foods that Eddie makes and that I wasn't sure about at first but now Thanksgiving just isn't the same without them.
8. Pumpkin Pie. Need I say more?
7. Turkey-induced Naps. Can you ever get as good of a nap than on Thanksgiving?
6. Making Grandma's Rolls. My Grandma Black made the best rolls in the world, and I am so glad that she taught me how to make them. Although I still haven't perfected this, it is one of the few things that I bake at least once a year. The kids and I love rolling and cutting them out together.
5. No guilt. I think that one of my favorite things about this holiday is that it's not about stuff. There are no presents, no crazy schedules. Just thankfulness.
4. Playing games. And watching everyone else play games.
3. Spending time with my brothers and their families. It still amazes me that my funny brothers have all grown up to be such good men. They are all doing good things with their lives, and I love to spend time with them. And my sisters-in-law are some of my dearest friends.... I wasn't sure at first about all these girls coming into the family, but they all amazing women who are teaching me so much. And if I could top that off, it is that I have the CUTEST nieces and nephews in the world. (I love being auntie Heather)
2. Celebrating my Parents. All I can say about my parents is that they should be sainted. There are not any better people on the planet, and I feel blessed to be their daughter.
1. Hanging out with my family. I have the absolute best family in the world. I feel so blessed to be in love with my best friend, and the cool part is that HE loves me TOO! I have wonderful kids who constantly amaze me with what good hearts they have.

So that is why I think Thanksgiving ROCKS! I hope that all of you enjoyed the holiday as well, and that you have a very Merry Christmas Season!

Birthday (Pan)Cakes!

Sariah turned 9 the day after Halloween, and since Halloween was on a Friday, we decided to have a slumber party for her that night. The girls went trick-or-treating with us then came back to our house to watch not-scary movies. We put mattresses on the living room floor and all the girls settled in to watch a movie, it really was fun. In the morning we had birthday pancakes and then spent a while in the hot tub.

Overall It was a really fun party. I just don't understand why we call them "Slumber" parties. I think they really should call them "Stay awake all night" parties.

Sariah Blowing out her Candles...

Sariah with her best friends Farrah and Lexi!

Halloween!

Ok, I know that it is almost Christmas, but I still haven't posted Halloween pictures. Sariah was the only one of the kids that really dressed up, and she was a "Spy" The costume was actually a 1920's Gangster, but she turned out pretty cute. I am having trouble getting the pictures from my camera to upload, so here is the best one off my phone.



The rest of the kids (E.J. , Troy, and Shelby) Dressed up just enough to go to our "Trunk or Treat" and get as much candy as barely-dressed-up-teenagers could talk people into giving them.

Eddie and I were Barack Obama and Sarah Palin.

My mom had entered me in a Sarah Palin look alike contest with this picture:

Anyway, I picked up an Obama mask for Eddie for Halloween and we got a ton of funny comments. I'll tell you what, we learned more than we ever wanted to know about all of our neighbors' political views, but it was fun.

Here's the only picture we got of the two of us, but I don't think it turned out very well. We both look a little crazed, but then maybe that was part of the charactor, huh?

Anyway, that was the first part of our Halloween. The rest of our night was way more scary, because the teenagers all had a boy/girl party to get to, PLUS we had planned a slumber party on Halloween night for Sariah's birthday the next day. Screaming and freaked out 8 and 9 year-olds AAAAACCCCKKKKK!!! But that story will have to wait until the next post...

Boot Camp Graduation

Eddie and I had the coolest experience last weekend. Eddie's sister Charlene invited us to go to San Diego to be at our nephew Marco's Boot Camp Graduation. It was absolutely amazing. Over 500 young men were graduating, and it was awe-inspiring to see them march out onto the field behind the American flag with the National Anthem being played by the Marine Corps Band. As the last echos of the music bounced through the air I felt incredible joy and gratitude at the blessing of living in "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave".

It was really nice, with all of the negative messages being broadcast between the presidential candidates, the war in Iraq, and the mess that the economy is in, just to be reminded that we are so blessed to live in the United States of America. We live in a country with freedoms and blessings and prosperity that billions of people throughout the world can only dream of. How amazing is that?Marco is right in the middle. He lost about 20 pounds while he was there and had to buy new pants because the ones he arrived in were WAY too big.

Here is Marco and his mom Charlene, you can't see her "Marine Mom" tee-shirt. She was so proud of her Marine.

Whew...What a Summer!

What a Summer!

I can't believe that it has taken so long for me to post again! This summer was crazy, but soooo much fun! We did a lot of traveling, camping, laughing, crying, cuddling, playing, and working. Anyway, I know that I should have been posting these as we went along, it is so much to cover all in one post, but here are some highlights:

Meet our new son, Troy!
Now we are 6!

Troy is our son E.J.'s friend who has grown up across the street from us. After his father passed away last year he asked if he could come and live with us. It didn't work out at that time, and he spent the last school year living with his Grandparents, but in June he came over to our house the last day of school and stayed! We bought a new bunk bed and dressers for E.J.'s room, and he moved on in. It has been fun to have him here, we have had to work out some kinks (Poor kid had to get used to new rules :)) and legalities with the guardianship, but we have now been named his Custodial Guardians and it looks like he is here to stay! We are so happy to add him to our family! What a huge blessing it is to have him here! (We have also added, or I guess become part of, the Gillen family, with Troys aunts and uncles and his beautiful Grandma Iris. They have been an amazing part of all of this as well!)

Then there were 8...

I joked with friends during the summer that I started the summer with 3 children, in the middle had 6, and ended up with 4. Eddie's nephew Donielle (Charlene's son who is 15) came from Kansas to spend the summer with us, spending about 6 weeks, and his niece Taneisha (22) moved out here from North Carolina to go to college, but sadly had to go back home. We did get to take Donielle on some adventures with us (he thinks we are crazy for camping) and it was a fun summer with a full house. There were days, though, where it was all I could do to not run screaming from the house. And then there were days when I sent them screaming from the house while I ran rampant with a bottle of febreeze. (3 teenage boys in a bedroom... you don't even want to imagine) I have to admit that several times during the summer I felt like the little old lady who lived in a shoe, who had so many children she didn't know what to do.

2008 Summer Travels...

Orlando
We spent a week in Orlando, Florida with Eddie's brother Red and his wife Sophia, and thier girls (we celebrated Whitney's 16th birthday!) Eddie's sister Charlene also came with her older son, Marco (just before he went into the Marines... keep him in your prayers!) We had a great time cooking, swimming at the water park, swimming at the hotel, going to Disney World and Universal Studios, and just hanging out. It was really nice to spend some time with the Gist side of the family. One of the highlights of the trip was getting to have an evening visit with Troy Wright, one of our very closest friends from New York. Another highlight was eating Charlenes' fried chicken. She can seriously cook.

Black family Reunion

For those of you who don't know, my mother's maiden name is Black, so this was a family reunion celebrating what would have been my grandpa Black's 100th birthday. Having a "black" side of the family and a Black side of the family has always been a source of humor for our kids, and I have to admit...it was kind-of funny to see Eddie running around in his "Black" reunion tee-shirt. It was a really nice reunion. We camped for 4 days at the "Monticello Dude Ranch", and spent most of the time relaxing and enjoying family. My mom and 4 of her brothers were there, with tons of their kids and grand kids. We had a float in the Blanding 4th of July parade, which the older kids thought was pretty dorky (or at least they couldn't act like they were enjoying it) and the little kids had tons of fun.

Scout Camp
The week after we got back from the Black family reunion it was time for Scout Camp! Eddie went up with E.J. and Donielle because there weren't enough adult leaders. Troy spent the week at Lake Powell with his Dad's side of the family, so he missed camp, but it was good for him to be where he was. When they got back from camp I asked the boys if they had fun and Donielle goes "NO!" and stomps off into the bedroom. Minutes later they were in there laughing about the skits and singing scout camp songs (something else you don't want to imagine) so I am pretty sure it wasn't the worst time he ever had. E.J. finished up most of his Merit Badges and is now only 3 away from his Eagle Scout.

Yellowstone
See, I told you it was a crazy summer! We spent the 24th of July weekend in Rexburg, Idaho, were my oldest brother Jackson, his wife Libby and their three boys Isaac, Ben, and Jared, live, and spent a day and a half in Yellowstone. My parents, and the rest of my brothers and their families went as well. We only camped one night up near Yellowstone, and spent the other nights at Jackson and Libby's. They have a beautiful home there in Rexburg and we all just kind-of piled in. One of Libby's neighbors asked where she was keeping all of us, and I think her reply was "everywhere". Yellowstone and the surrounding area was gorgeous, and we got to see elk, a bald eagle, and buffalo. One buffalo walked right past us down the road like it had been built just for his personal use. Traffic was backed up behind him for at least a mile. The best part, though, was spending the time with the family. I feel so blessed that my brothers married the most amazing women! I love them dearly, and each of them has amazing gifts and talents that I treasure. They are truly some of my best friends. Plus they keep making the cutest nieces and nephews for me to cuddle and love (keep 'em coming, girls!)

Young Women's Camp! (again)
I know I said in my last post that I had been released as the camp director, but I was asked to go up with our ward Young Women, including Shelby, of course. It was SO MUCH FUN to be at camp and not have to be in charge. The stake theme was "Quest for the Best" and our ward theme was "The Kingdom of the Armed and Dangerous". I am so glad that I was able to be with Shelby for her first camp. We had a great week learning to look for the best in ourselves, in others, and in the world. We had this great moose that lived not far behind Shelby's tent, though, that kept freaking all the first year girls out. And Shelby LOVED her first snipe hunt. (I hurt myself a little when I dove into a bush after a snipe, but hopefully it just made it a little more authentic)

A week after girls camp Shelby and Sariah were back in school, and E.J. and Troy started the week after that, so that was the Gist Family summer in a nutshell! Crazy, huh? Can I just admit one thing? It is sooooooooooo nice to have the kids back in school....

Girls Camp

Well, It finally happened, I finally got released as the stake camp director. I loved the calling, but it was definitely a hard one too. I love the whole camp experience, and it has been fun to watch the girls in the stake grow over the last 5 years. They are so amazing. Young Women have so much to deal with now, everything seems so much more complicated. I loved planning activities that were empowering, and that helped them gain self-confidence. I loved planning activities that helped them learn how to recognize the spirit, and I really loved to plan activities that helped them build their testimonies of their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I guess I loved it because all of those activities did all of those things for me, too.

So anyway, I had about 4 days to think about how weird it would be to not go to camp, but then I was called as the Beehive adviser, so I am now really excited to get to go to camp (and have all of those amazing experiences) without having to be in charge. (woo-hoo!!!)

I wasn't sure about accepting the calling as the beehive adviser, mostly because Shelby is a beehive, and I really don't want to be the overbearing mom who can't let her kids have their own lives, but so far it seems to be going ok. We worked out a few code-words so that she can let me know if I am being "totally embarrassing". My friend Jenny is the Young Women's president, and she keeps teasing me that the only reason I was called was because I have a Suburban and I can drive everyone to all of the activities. It is kind of fun to drive through the neighborhood and pick up all the girls, so if that's my whole job, I can handle that.

Last Tuesday for our activity we learned how to make our own lip-gloss, flavored and everything... it can't be better than that, right?

General Conference

Our whole family was able to go to the Saturday morning of General Conference on Saturday April 5th. Kids can't go until they are 8, so this is the first time that we have taken the whole family.

The lines were really long that morning to get in, and there were a ton of people trying to get tickets, I felt really blessed that we got to go.

It was such an great experience to be there to sustain President Monson. The spirit was so strong that I felt like crying and yelling hallelujah all at the same time. I hope the kids will always remember the experience, I know I always will.

Hawaii, aHHHHHHH, Hawaii

So I know that I really should be cleaning my house, but it is really way more fun to think about Hawaii. We got to spend 5 days there in February and it was absolutely WONDERFUL. The time off was needed (at least by me) after the stress of opening the new store and the fashion shows. Eddie's cousin Ryan is stationed there and invited us to come and stay with him, and my dad gave us some buddy passes, so we went relatively inexpensive. We spent 1 day surfing at Waikiki, 1 day at Haunama bay snorkeling, and a a day and a half at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was like a dream.

The Beach!!!!

Sariah (green shorts) and Shelby (in red) head into the ocean

E.J. decided that the boogie board wasn't going to cut it,
and talked his dad into renting him a full size Surf Board.

Eddie and Sariah getting ready to Snorkel

Shelby Boogie Boarding

Luau at the PCC

Eddie playing the drums in Tonga

Shelby in her Lei

Sariah's 2008 Wrestling Season

Sariah's Wrestling Stance

Sariah and her Daddy

Well, another wrestling season has come and gone. Sariah had another great year, she only lost one match, for a season total of 7-1. The kid that beat her had pinned every one of his opponents until Sariah, and she only lost by 2 points. She continued to shock and delight everyone who watched her wrestle, by the last meet she was drawing good-size crowds to her side of the mat. She was the only girl wrestling in our region, and she loved being "THE GIRL" out there.

Way to go, Sariah!!! We love you!!!

Seattle Fashion Show

Some of the Models

This would be me trying to get cute 3 minutes before the show is supposed to start. (Yes, Eddie is trying to be patient... trying being the operative word)

Eddie and I went to Seattle on Feb. 16th to do a Modesty In Motion fashion show there. It went really well. The attendance wasn't as big as the Utah show, but the Models were all just so darling. We had been invited up by the Seattle Stake of the LDS church, and we had models from 3 stakes and from other denominations as well.

I was so nervous about doing a show where I had never met the models, couldn't do fittings (we had to get measurements for them and go from there) never seen the building, didn't know the area, etc. But it was absolutely amazing to watch the show come together just perfectly. It was really a miracle that it went so well. The thing I always enjoy about doing the fashion shows is watching the Young Women come out of their shells, and watching their "a ha" lights go on when they realize that they are beautiful. All of the sudden they walk taller, step lighter. I love that.

So looking back on it, I am really really really glad that we did the Seattle show. Would I do it again? Probably not. But then everyone says never say never..... and you never know, maybe it is like childbirth and the memory of the pain and stress will wear off in time.

Signing On

Ok, we are jumping in... here is our first attempt at blogging. We are a little nervous, but here goes...

Our latest excitement was the trip that Shelby and I (Heather) took last week to see the show "Wicked" in L.A. We have been planning this mother/daughter trip to celebrate her 12th birthday in December, but were not able to go until the end of January. It was so much fun. My sister-in-law Libby and nephew Ben and our friend Carol also went with us to the show. We spent the next day in Disneyland before heading back home. It was so fun to have some time for the two of us to make memories together. (I told Eddie I have to take advantage of this time while she still likes me) It was also really nice to get out of the snow and enjoy the semi-sunshine of California (we had to wear coats at night, as you can see, but I'm not complaining).

This week Eddie and I are heading to Seattle to do a Fashion show there. We are really excited, and really nervous since we can't just run back and get the things that we forget (and as you all know, I tend to forget things) Wish us luck!