Update

So it has been a few days since I have written. I had surgery on Tuesday and it went well. I now have a metal plate screwed in my wrist. I am grateful that it went well and that I do not have a hard cast on my arm. Recovery is going well and I am grateful for that too.
Natalie has been a big help and I just adore her.
So I still am typing one handed but it seems to be working well.

hard to be grateful....keep looking

Ok so I am trying to sit on the couch and type one handed. It seems to be working ok…well..today I am grateful for having my surgery scheduled tomorrow quite early. I am up first thing in the morning and for that I am grateful. Today my arm hurts, my tail bone hurts(really really really hurts), my head hurts, my back is giving me trouble, nothing is on TV, I am sick of sitting on a doughnut and not being able to use my arm and it seems hard to find something to be happy about. Then I came home early from work, saw a smile from my super great wife(I joke that she is doing everything now so seems to be a super hero, my own personal Xena! Boy oh boy ) then Maggie woke up from her nap and she came out in the arms of her mom, saw me and smiled. My life is sooooo coooool.

Velcro rocks!

It has been one week since my battle with the killer wasp.(it sounds better that way). I have discovered that tied shoes are over rated, so are pants that fit snug. (try doing up the snap or button of your pants all one handed)
I have also decided that Velcro is an amazing invention. It should be on everything! Try opening a new box of cereal one handed...

Once more I have to say that I am so grateful for my wife. She has been a big help.

No brain no pain...

So I guess my wrist is worse than I first thought. I will be going in Tues to have a metal plate put in my wrist. I asked the specialist how many breaks I had to which he smiled and said that a better answer would be to tell people I shattered my wrist.
But even with the pain and the trouble I am having I am still grateful.
-I am happy it is my left hand and not the right
-That it is my wrist and not my leg or worse
-I have an extremely supportive wife who I adore
-I guess have a very high tolerance to pain since the dr says I should be screaming

The biggest pain is not being able to help take care of the baby like I would like too.
But I am learning how to type one handed pretty well now

Thoughts on being one handed

I am so grateful to have 2 hands. True one is not working now but that just makes me the more grateful for when it does....I am heading to the specialist to see if I need a pin etc.

yup "I told ya so..."

Well I went to instacare today since my arm is not getting any better. Turns out that I broke my wrist in 3 places. I have to go to the ortho specialist Wed morning.
I am grateful that Nat did not say "I told ya so" since ""I told her we did not have to go to the emergency room Sat night. She also did not get upset when I told her that our sanding the deck with 80 grit sandpaper would make it smooth enough. She already put one coat of stain on it.
She is so great...I totally do not deserve her.
Randy on the other hand could not wait to say I told ya so...Kids.

Feeling useless but not

Ok, so with only one good arm I really feel useless. I always never understood why my dad always wants to help when I go over to do stuff. But now I do. It is hard to even do up my pants up, hold Maggie, do dishes, (thanks Randall for helping out) roll out of bed, etc. Nat had to help me put on my shoes this morning. I am proud to say that I did my own tie today. (I was sitting on the stand for Stake Conference I looked down and noticed that the bottom part of the tie was a lot longer than the front piece. I just tucked it inside my shirt)
But I am grateful that it hurts less today than last night.
I really don't know how tomorrow is going to go but...I will get through it.

Stupid but blessed

Ok so here I sit typing with one hand. Let me explain...we had a large group of wasps who decided to start to build a nest right outside our side door and next to the rain gutter. I got some spray...the foaming kind that should kill instantly and encases the nest.
I went out to spray, the foam look so good as it covered the nest. Then I saw a wasp come flying out of the foam and I thought "Oh crap, it doesn't work" and I started to back petal and tripped falling backward. I hit the cement on my butt and then my wrist.
The good news...I don't think I broke it, but it sure started to and swell up.
So I ran to the hose on the lawn to get cool water on it.(ok I waddled cuz my butt hurts like crazy) I then came in and pulled out the first aid kit and wrapped it up then iced it and rigged a sling.
Tomorrow is Stake Conference so I get to sit on the stand wrapped up. fun oh fun
but I am grateful that I did not break it or worse...crack my butt.

Boring Day at Work

So, today as I sit here at work, not really wanting to be here, I notice that while I have a lot to do that I am bored. It is kind of nice for a change to have things quiet. My client has not called with problems, the phone banks seem very quiet and the team is just plugging along doing invoice after invoice.
No problems or screaming = boring. I am grateful for that. It is giving me a chance to catch up with some items that I have not had the time to dig into.
It also lets me update this blog while here at work.
So here I sit with the old TV show Conan playing in the corner of one monitor while I pour over spread sheets and emails.
Good thing it's Friday!

Legally a Bradford!

This morning as of 8:18 am Maggie became legally ours!. We had our finalization of the adoption this morning and I could not be more grateful. Nothing really has changed, it is just knowing that she is ours. The judge said "I have signed the decree and this adoption is final" (I almost started crying. ok I did cry)
As we were standing there getting pictures with the judge he leaned over to me and said that he was happy for us and has 3 adopted children of his own. I think the only time judges allow pictures in court of them selves and the people that appear before them is during adoptions.
I am also grateful for our lawyer. Being in court is official and very legal type talk but when all is said and done she is ours!

Memories

Today as I drove into work my mind was going over what I might write today for this blog. I really couldn't’t come up with any one thing. But as I thought over things I was reminded of a lot of things I have to be grateful for in my life. My wife, my kids, job, house…everything.
So today I am grateful that I can be grateful.

Project Minded Wife

So I worked from home today in order to take care of our leaking washing machine. It is always nice to have time at home. Natalie decided that this afternoon was the time to start painting the entry way and stair way. Of course I make drips so she did the work. Also today as we walked around every time I blink she was added something new to my to do list. I am grateful for that, since left alone I would not get around to the list that fast.
Also, she is a good painter and I hate to paint.

A baby's laugh

OK , so we went to Nat's parents today and found that Maggie loves to laugh at a certain McDonald's toy.

We have had a busy weekend with an adoption conference and this is just what I needed to hear at the close of a busy weekend. (Maggie spent Thurs night till Sat afternnon at Laurie Jo's and Josh's. Thanks guys)

I am so grateful for my baby's laugh.

Home Cooked Meals

One of the nice things about having Nat be a stay at home mom full time is the dinners I am now getting. I love food and Nat has come up with some really great meals.
I am grateful for her willingness to want to stay home with the baby as well as taking care of me.

Breath Mints

As I get older I seem to have the need of breath mints...well at least I think I need them. The kids often tease me that when I die they will make sure I have a few in my pocket for the viewing. I usually only use them at church. But in thinking about it, how much do we take this simple creation for granted. This is one of the many small things that make our life easier, well, at least better for those that have to talk to me at Church.

Her Puppy

Now that Maggie is almost crawling (she scoots and army man crawls very fast) the dog has taken to hiding under the table or on a chair when she wants to be away from Maggie. However, I am grateful for how much the dog puts up with from our littlest family member. Maggie loves the dog. Camping they even spent time close together as you can see.

Sleeping at Camp

This year at camp Nat and Maggie stayed in a cabin a bit away while the boys and I stayed at camp. Being lazy we decided not to set up the big tent so Cody slept in his car and Randy and I slept in Hammocks he had brought home from the West Indies. I must admit my family (yes everyone) thought we were nuts. This first night was OK, the second better. We draped a trap over each one to help keep in heat and the rain out. Yes it rained a little on the second night. It was awesome to lay there the first night as clear as anything and to look up at the stars. It was so humbling to think about it all. I am grateful for the hammock as well as my sons encouraging me to do it. (of course when I mentioned I might go to the cabin my dad called me chicken so that helped.) Maggie loved the hammock in the afternoon. Of course we didn't leve her there alone but as the wind blew the trees and rocked her she did well.

a tired smile

Tonight I am very tired from a weekend of family camping (more on that in the next few days)

I was looking through my picture files and saw this one...even though I am tired and my muscles hurt it still made me smile. For that I am grateful.