Amazon Sunday Deliveries

There has been a recent emphasis in the LDS church on keeping the Sabbath Day holy and making it a delight. It has been addressed in General Conference, in our Stake Conference, and at the ward level.

So I found it interesting when I went to buy something on Amazon and it said it would be delivered on Sunday. And there was a text box proudly exclaiming "Sunday deliveries are now available in your area!". I didn't want it delivered on Sunday for two reasons. One, I don't need to have the distractions of the world being delivered to my front door on the Sabbath. Two, because I don't want to be the reason someone has to be out delivering packages on Sundays. So I didn't buy the item, and I guess I will just have to stop shopping on the weekends.

I did email Amazon about my concerns. I'm also concerned that my Subscribe and Save items may be delivered on Sundays occasionally. I asked if it would be possible to choose to exclude Sunday deliveries. I'm not too hopeful, but it might help if they hear from more people who don't want Sunday deliveries. So, if it's something you don't appreciate, let them know!

I do find it interesting how the world pushes back after divine counsel is given. I'm very grateful to have living prophets who guide and direct us!

*UPDATE*

I got a great email back from Amazon. They said they have passed on my email to the appropriate department for consideration because they do value feedback from customers. So email them if you don't like Sunday deliveries!!!

In the mean time, you can individually stop weekend deliveries by going to your Account (www.amazon.com/your-account) and clicking "Manage Address Book." Find the address you want to adjust and click "Edit." Then select your weekend delivery preference from the "Weekend Delivery" drop-down.

Birthday Celebration

P1 had an awesome birthday, and it seriously felt like Christmas. We had a fun-packed day with family, friends, treats, and presents.

P1 got a Duplo train set, a Duplo giraffe set, Jake and the Neverland Pirates bedding, and some nice dinosaur books.

 

 

 

 

Grandma and Grandpa who are on a mission sent him a kitchen play set! They both love it!

We had friends over for a birthday play date. We had 10 kids come, and it was crazy but fun. P1 shed a few tears because all the other kids liked his new toys so much. We had some yummy Halloween treats, and the kids really liked them! We love all our amazing friends!

P1 helping with his cake. He wanted a Belch Mountain cake. Belch Mountain is the name of the volcano in "Jake and the Neverland Pirates". His favorite episodes are the ones that include Belch Mountain. I made a honey cake that I could eat. I also made honey frosting, but it didn't turn out super well. So next time I should just buy frosting, and not eat it. The cake was good though!

I painted the pumpkins more for Halloween, but they turned out to be great party decorations!

We had a yummy dinner of dinosaur chicken nuggets. Then family came over for cake and ice cream. P1 got lots of fun books and toys. I think his favorite was the giant etch-n-sketch pad. He didn't want to open any other presents, he just wanted to play with that one!

 

Playing with his cousin. P1 loves his cousin, and I'm glad that he could be there for P1's birthday!

Thanks to everyone who helped make his day so special!

3 Year Facts

P1 had his 3 year check-up. He did great for the doctor! At first he was shy, but by the end he was laughing and showing off for the doctor. The flu shot did make him really sad though. I think it was harder this time for me, because he was fully aware of what was happening. And he looked at me like "how could you do this to me?" But as soon as I showed him the suckers, he forgot about his owie.

Stats:

31 lbs 4 oz (42nd percentile)

37.75 inches (56th percentile)

I can't believe he is 3 already. Three years since I became a mom. I look at pictures and already wonder what happened to my chubby little baby. These past 3 years have been amazing. P1 has brought great purpose, joy, and happiness into our lives. He has also helped me to stretch and grow as he has tested some of my limits. But really, he is the sweetest little boy. We love his orange hair and dimples. I love how concerned he is about the food I eat, always asking if it will make me sick. He loves to tell you stories about Jake and the Neverland Pirates, especially while he is trying to go potty. It's cute how animated he gets! He loves to play with his Legos, and pretend cook. His favorite animal is a giraffe. Favorite color is still orange. Favorite show is "Jake and the Neverland Pirates". He is a good big brother, and is getting better at sharing his toys with his sister. He really is a very good boy, and I'm so grateful to be his mom (or "ma" as he calls me now).

P1 as a newborn.

1st birthday:

2nd Birthday:

3rd Birthday:

For Health and Strength and Daily Bread

I met with another GI doctor at the U of U Hospital to get a second opinion. It was very helpful, and we will try an increased dose of my current medicine before we rule it out as an option.

I also met with a surgeon at St. Marks. After 2+ hours of waiting for my appointment, I finally got in. I really liked the surgeon, and it was good to know what my options would be. Surgery would be a 3-stage process, with 3 major surgeries taking place over a year period. Each surgery is 3-4 hours long, plan on 1 week in the hospital, and 6 weeks of recovery. So that's a good 1/3 of a whole year I would be out of commission. So hopefully we don't ever have to go there.

With my diet, I haven't really identified any other triggers. There are a lot of different diets out there that have supposedly helped people with colitis. The frustrating thing is that many of them are conflicting. I have felt somewhat like Joseph Smith did as a young boy trying to decide on a church. "What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together?"

Thankfully, the Lord has revealed to us some things about health. I have studied the Word of Wisdom a fair amount over the past year. It's amazing how simple it is compared to all these other diets. I also loved President Uchtdorf's conference talk where he said

"Sometimes, the truth may just seem too straightforward, too plain, and too simple for us to fully appreciate its great value. So we set aside what we have experienced and know to be true in pursuit of more mysterious or complicated information."

So I have been trying to trust more in the Word of Wisdom. I have been adding grains back into my diet, and we have been trying to eat less meat. I am still avoiding milk, sugar, and processed foods. So just trying to eat real, whole foods with no added sugar. I do use honey as a sweetener.

When I first started adding grains back in, I was a little frustrated because I felt like I was doing worse. But then my aunt gave me some great information on how soaking and souring grains improves their digestibility. Basically, different cultures all over the world soak and sour their grains. But here in America we believe in instant everything. So we've lost that preparation of grains. And as a result, we have more and more people who can't eat grains.

Here are some links if you want to learn more:
Be Kind to Your Grains
Preparation of Grains

Also, baking bread with natural yeast helps break down wheat for better digestibility. I have really liked the book "The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast" by Caleb Warnock and Melissa Richardson. And after many failed attempts, I finally have a thriving yeast starter thanks to my visiting teacher!

I don't believe grains are bad, but I think it is possible that the way we prepare them makes a difference in how well our bodies handle them. I also think it is important to get out of the "instant food" mindset. Yes, it can be hard with small kids, but I think it is important to spend time on the food you eat. It becomes a part of you. You only have one body. It's one of the main reasons we came to earth, to receive a body. So I think we should take a little more time, energy, and thought in preparing the food that we eat. I think that could solve a lot of health issues that exist in America.

Also, I think we should take a little more care in the medicines we take. Ibuprofen can make colitis worse. I came home from the hospital with a newborn baby and a bottle of ibuprofen, and I think that was a contributing factor to developing colitis. All medicines have known and unknown risks, even over the counter ones. Take care with what you put in your body. A few months after developing colitis, I felt impressed to stop taking birth control pills. I have since read many claims that it could be a contributing factor to developing colitis. Whether it is or not, I'm not sure, but I feel better about having one less drug in my body. This book was very helpful and informative on natural birth control. It takes a little more time and effort than taking a pill once a day, but I think it is worth it.

Anyway, I've been learning lots! I'm not perfect at any of it, but I'm trying to slowly incorporate some of these things that I have been learning. I've been feeling well, and hope that it continues!

Pumpkins!

We took a day trip down to my grandpa's pumpkin patch with my parents. We had a lot of fun! The kids did great in the car.

We stopped in Nephi for lunch. I didn't order a frosty, but somehow P1 still ended up with one.

When I was growing up, we would go down to the farm every October and pick lots of pumpkins. We were quite spoiled and could basically carve as many pumpkins as we wanted to. I haven't been to pick pumpkins for about 10 years, and I forgot how much fun it is!

 Photo-op at the farmer's market:

P2 would put her head down and pout whenever we tried to take her picture. And when we were at the farmer's market, she stopped and put her head down on the nearest pumpkin bin and pouted because we walked away without her.

The kids had fun in the pumpkin patch, but after they helped pick a few of them, they were content to sit and play in the car.

At the pumpkin patch, they plant 150 acres of pumpkins. It is amazing how many pumpkins they have. This year they planted 74 types of pumpkins, and also many types of squash. It is simply amazing! So many fun and beautiful pumpkins!