Homesick and RainSticks

I have been so homesick this week! I miss our family so much. I just want to be with Andrea and everyone, especially when they are all together helping out! I was going to go stay with Andrea but realized it would be impossible to help much with my needy Kyle. He doesn't let me put him down most of the time! Even if I go into the next room without him, he throws a huge wailing fit!

 This weekend we bought a season passes in Magic mountains water park called Hurricane Harbor! Mckenzie died and went to heaven! She loves the slides and pools and water toys there! She had soooo much fun! Kyle, not so much! Kyle was scared of the huge bucket of water falling and making a loud noise! And there is not much for him to do but splash in the water. They have a lazy river, a wave pool and a ton of scary slides for adults! So Sean and I took turns playing with the kids and going on the big slides! So much fun! We are going to go every Friday! It will be a great way to beat the terrible heat this summer! It is already in the 90's and it is only June!

I have been hill training this week! I ran 2.5 miles Monday up a hill and then back down(5miles) Thursday went to the mountains and ran a mile up a huge steep trail and almost died!!! My lungs wanted to burst!!! And then yesterday I ran 3.3 up a hill and back down (6.6 miles) and was super sore after that one! Everything hurts! I like dads idea about listening to conference talks while running! I'll have to try it out!! I've lost one toe nail and I think I might lose another!

Sean got called to teach the Valiant 8 boys in primary, so now we are both in there with Kyle! Really difficult to yeah music and watch a one year old at the same time. Kyle is walking everywhere now! I made a rain stick out of a huge tube and covered it in felt to make it look like a rainbow and I had the kids stand in a circle and pass the rain stick around as we sang "I like to look for rainbows!" They loved it! It's so hard to teach the older kids music because they already know every word to every song!


I got to Skype Andrea yesterday, she is exactly like herself! Exactly! Same beautiful face, same sense of humor, same love. The only thing that is different is that she talks half as slow as before. But that will get better! I'm so grateful that the Andrea that I knew is still here. I can't wait to be with her and give her a hug!

Thursday I was talking to my friend who lives next door to me about Andrea. She opened up to me and told me that she herself was in a car accident when she was 16. She had a brain stem injury and brain swelling and was in a coma for six days. Hospital for two months! She had to re learn all the same things as Andrea. I started bawling! I could not believe how much love I had for her because of the knowledge I had learned about her past! It was like I had true charity for her because I felt the love that Christ must have for her. What an amazing feeling! That's why it is so important not to judge others! You have no idea what they have been through!!!