I have something to say about my sister...

I've stolen quite a few posts from my sister's blog, and now I have something I want to say about my sister.

Let's begin at the very beginning, a very good place to start (name that movie, Amanda!)...We begin before Amanda was ever born. I was an only child, spoiled rotten, with a really good life, but what I wanted more than anything was a little sister. I spent nine years of my life praying and begging Heavenly Father for a baby sister. In 1986, God finally answered my prayers. Amanda was almost a Christmas present (that was her due date), but I spent quite a few prayers begging Heavenly Father not to send her on Christmas (it would have really messed up my Christmas, after all!). Instead, my little sister arrived on New Year's Eve.

I wish I could say that I loved her perfectly from day one. I did love her from the start, just not perfectly. It was a difficult adjustment for me to learn to be a good big sister and share some of the lime light. And really, who can compete with an adorable baby? There may or may not have been some tantrums on my side of things. But I was fiercely protective of her. One of my best friends from high school remembers how I wouldn't let anyone hold her but me. I'm still fiercely protective of her. No one hurts my little sister! I had promised my grandpa, before Amanda was born, that I would never, ever fight with my little sister. I think I was able to keep my promise until she started talking. My grandpa loved to tease me about that all the time.

Growing up, we weren't very close. It was a huge age gap at the time. She liked to write her name with marker on everything I owned (books, homework, doll's foreheads...basically, anything that I valued had 'Amanda' with big, backwards A's written on it). I liked to torment her in any way that I could. For example, (what you are about to read is a huge confession) one time my best friend and I put catsup all over ourselves and got out a big butcher knife and convinced my little sister and brother that a killer had broken into the house and was still in the house trying to kill all of us. I made them hide in their bedroom while we sat and watched a movie, just so I wouldn't have to deal with them for a couple of hours. I'm ashamed, and slightly proud of the creativity, of my big sister tormenting.

Luckily, after my mission, when I had matured quite a bit, we found our sisterhood. What a blessing! People used to always tell me, "Just you wait. One day your sister will be your best friend." I never believed them, but they were right. She is my best friend. She is my confidante, my partner in crime, my shoulder to cry on, and my friend to laugh with. We have so many inside jokes, so many memories that we love to reminisce about together. I don't think I've ever admitted to her how hard it was when she went on her mission. I missed her so much. I didn't want to tell her how much I was missing her and make her homesick, so I would just tell her how proud I was of her (which I was very proud). What I tried not to tell her was how heart broken I felt every time I went to call her and tell her something and couldn't. It was a rough 18 months!

And now, with the boys, she's not just my best friend--she's theirs. She truly is Super Nanny. Take, for example, this past weekend. It was her birthday. What did she do for her birthday? She and my mom took care of my boys because I was sick. I think it was well after 1 p.m. and after a long morning and afternoon of wrestling Sam, that she announced, "I am now going to take a shower, if that's alright, because it's my birthday!"

She is always willing to drop everything at the drop of a hat to come and help me. Amanda has this huge heart and is always sacrificing and serving others. She is such an example to me of the Savior's love. And my boys love their Nanny. She has such a special, sweet relationship with both of the boys. I know that they will always be friends, even when the boys are grown-up. I can see Sam taking his kids some day to go visit Nanny on a regular basis.

The thing I love the most is that Amanda loves my boys as much as I love my boys. It melts my heart every time I see how much love she has for them. And my boys know it. They know that their Nanny Manda loves them with all of her heart (and that she loves to spoil them rotten!). I told her the other day that I kind of don't want her to get married and have kids of her own because then she'll love her kids more than mine! I was joking...I think. But I am amazed by her.

I guess when I prayed for a little sister all those years ago, I really had no idea what I was going to get. When God blesses us in answer to our prayers, He doesn't give us what we want--He gives us something far better. For me, that was Amanda.

You know, Amanda, I am having a good time.

More stolen posts from my sister

For Thanksgiving, my sister did a post every day for the entire month of November saying what she was thankful for. And WE made the thankful list! Yahoo! So here are three more stolen posts from my amazing sister.

Nanny tales

Day 24
Today I am thankful for my nephews, Turkey and Marmitt. They are the two cutest little boys in the world, and I love being their Nanny!
Today is Turkey's second birthday! We celebrated with him on Sunday. I came quickly to the realization that I have a spending problem when it comes to my little guys, but that's ok! Seeing how much Turkey enjoyed his presents was so much fun. He's growing so fast and learning so much. A few weeks ago when Marmitt was blessed we were all at my sister's house for dinner afterwards. It was past Turkey's nap time, so I decided that the two of us would sneak into Jolene and Nic's room for a little nap. We were both on the bed, me with my eyes closed and pretending to be asleep when suddenly I felt a little hand on my face. "Nanny, you sleepin?" Try as I might I could not contain my laughter! It was so adorable to hear that little voice ask me if I was sleeping. I tried to pretend to be asleep again with similar results, only it moved from a hand on the face to a little boy climbing on my back. My little Turkey is the sweetest thing ever, and I am so lucky to be his Nanny! There is no sweeter sound in the world than to hear "Nanny! Nanny! Nanny!" when he sees me, and there's no greater feeling in the world than him hugging and kissing me. So thankful for that little boy!
Yesterday was Marmitt's 3-month birthday. He is the same age now that Turkey was when I met him. My little Marmitt is getting so big and so fun! He has started smiling now, and as I held him the other night he was so happy and smiling at me! He is even starting to love kisses from his Nanny. Just like his big brother, this little guy has his Nanny wrapped around his finger! My little Marmitt is so stinking cute-with hair that changes from platinum blonde to red depending on the day (and probably his mood!) and the sweetest little smile and cheeks...he's a keeper, that's fo sho! I'm so excited to watch this little Marmitt grow, and can't wait until he's yelling "Nanny!" too!

The power of the Sister Rings

Day 23
Today I am oh-so-thankful for my wonderful sister, Jolene. Not everyone knows this, but when she and I were younger we didn't really get a long. There is a 9 year age gap between us, so for a long time I was the "annoying little sister" that everyone talks about (really, I was!) and she was the "mean big sister" who never let me have any fun (at least that's how I remember it!). We did plenty to torture one another back in the day, and somehow we both survived.
Fast forward to Jolene going on her mission. I missed her while she was gone, and was excited when she came home, but there still wasn't that deep connection. Then she was home, and we started to do things together. In the 18 months that she had been gone we had both done a lot of growing, and it helped us to grow closer together. Plus, she gave me a pretty awesome "sister" ring, to which she has a twin. To this day we both wear our "sister" rings to prove that we're really sisters!
I am so thankful that we both finally grew up and really got to know one another. In my sister I have found my dearest friend, my kindred spirit. For better or for worse my sister knows me inside and out-and she loves me despite my faults and shortcomings. My sister is someone I know that I can turn to no matter what, and she'll always listen and offer support and counsel. Jolene is my cheerleader, my motivator, my mediator, my sounding board, my rock, and she's a really good shoulder to cry on! We have so much fun together, and it's usually quite the adventure when we're together! Nic calls Jolene and I "surround sound" because we tend to say the same thing, at the same time, over and over again. It's a pretty decent accomplishment, if you ask me! We laugh until we cry, share our most embarrassing moments (crazy enough-plenty of mine have happened in the presence of my sister! Jolene-remember my awesome face-plant in your car?!), and share our innermost secrets and desires. Now you're wishing that you have a sister as awesome as mine! I'm so glad that I get to call her my own. Jolene is one amazing and beautiful woman, and I am so thankful to have her in my life!

"Talked to God like he was talkin' to a Friend..."

Day 6
Today I am so grateful for my brother-in-law, Nic. He and I don't always see eye to eye and we have our differences, but even when we're acting like a couple of old billy goats I know that he is an amazing man deep down. One thing that I particularly love about him is his ability to pray and actually talk to God. I love the opportunities that I have to share prayers in the Jenkins household for this reason. Nic has a way of making a blessing on the food sound real, personal, and so sincere. Hearing him pray always makes me evaluate and change the way that I pray.
My newest nephew (if you don't count Ruger) was given a name and a blessing today. I was really looking forward to this as I had missed Sam's blessing while I was on my mission. I love my nephew, Mark Emmitt Clay to pieces, and knowing that my awesome bro-in-law with his amazing gift to pray and speak to Father made it even more better. Unfortunately, due to some technical issues only the people on the first couple of rows of the chapel got to hear the blessing. I laughed as I realized that I have not heard either of my nephew's blessings (but hey, it keeps it fair!) but it's ok because the important part is that Mark Emmitt Clay was given a blessing, and I know that it was great because it came from Nic. I am so grateful that Nic is a part of our family!

A stolen post from my sister

I stole this from my sister's blog. She really captured my feelings that I haven't been able to put into words just yet. Thanks, Nanny!

Miracle Mark

If you know the movie I modified the title of this post from, 100 bonus points for you!
Now, on to the important stuff. Just over a year ago, perhaps on New Year's Day (?) I was reading my sister's blog. This is her opening to hew New Year's post: "This past year we received two thousand ten plus blessings. I'm excited for the one more blessing we'll receive this new year. I am just feeling really blessed in my life right now." As I read that I stopped and asked myself if she was pregnant. Apparently others thought the same thing too, because some friends commented asking if she was indeed expecting. I realized quickly that she was referring to the year (2010, hence the two thousand and ten blessings, plus one more for 2011) and I laughed as I told her of her almost-folly the next day. To my surprise she got really quiet and looked around to make sure no one else was around then told me that she was indeed expecting! A Freudian slip! She really did mean the number of blessings to equal the year, but it just worked out that she would be receiving one more blessing in the form of a child. Little did we know that this one blessing would lead to so many others.
Being around for this pregnancy was a lot of fun, and a lot of work at first! It was so hard to know and not be able to tell! I was in charge of making sure that my sister got to eat when we needed to at parties, and that she didn't get too tired. I kept waiting and waiting for her to make the big announcement so that I wouldn't have to keep the secret anymore! Tell she did, on Valentine's Day, which was a lot of fun. Sam started saying "baby, baby, baby" and patting his tummy, and we all started making preparations for the new little guy to join our family.
On August 23rd little Mark Emmitt Clay was born at 7:15 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 4 oz, 20 1/2 inches long. His best feature-his flaming red hair! Marmitt, as his Nanny likes to call him, is like the horse of many colors when it comes to his hair; sometimes it's strawberry blonde, red, flaming red, and all shades in between. I got to meet him the very night he was born and introduce myself, which I loved! Little Marmitt being born also meant that I got to spend some Nanny time with Sam, which I loved! We played, had tons of fun, and got things ready for when Mommy and the baby came home. It was great! I got to stay with the happy family for a few days to help everyone adjust, and then I got a new job so I had to take off for home. It was hard to leave my little guy, but a Nanny is never far away!
On September 4th I was in the middle of a long Sunday nap when my Mom woke me up. I could hear panic in her voice as she told me that our Marmitt had been taken by ambulance to Primary Children's (hospital) because he was having seizures. I jumped out of bed and in less than 5 minutes we were on the road, heading to SLC.
When we arrived at the hospital we were taken to the ER room, but everyone was gone to a test. We anxiously waited and a few minutes later everyone came back, little Marmitt on a big stretcher hooked up to machines, with Mommy and Daddy close by his side. We found out that he had bleeding on his brain, which was causing the seizures. This started a long and scary road for our little miracle boy.
Marmitt spent 13 days at Primary's, with lots of ups and downs. So many prayers were said for him, and I know that the faith of those prayers is what saved that little boy. At first we weren't allowed to touch him while he was in the PICU because they didn't want him to get over-stimulated. Seeing him hooked up to all of those machines and wires was really hard. One of the many miracles that this little boy experienced was in his Uncle J and Aunt Fishy's wedding day. Jolene and Nic left him in the PICU to come to the sealing and wedding brunch. When they got back to the hospital they found out that the little Marmitt had been graduated to a regular room-no more PICU! It was a perfect addition to that day! I know that the temples of the Lord bring blessings for those who attend, and this day was no different. Our entire family was in the temple that day, and we were blessed for it. We had a wedding miracle! There were plenty of other miracles that the little Marmitt boy experienced, this is just one of them.
Finally Marmitt got to come home after 13 days. It was a crazy time for everyone, but eventually life got back to "normal." Marmitt has been getting services from Early Intervention, and from them we learned that he is even more of a miracle. For the severity of his bleed he is doing amazingly well! He has a slight weakness on his right side, but that is it. The little miracle boy kept proving to be a miracle!
Earlier this month Jolene took Marmitt in for his regular checkup with his neurosurgery team. That was when they found out that Marmitt had hydrocephalus, also known as swelling of the brain. The doctors had initially believed that Marmitt's body would take care of everything on its own, but now it was telling them otherwise. The solution: a shunt. A shunt is a device that is surgically placed in the body that moves excess fluid from one place to another, in this case from Marmitt's brain to his belly. We were all nervous about this "minor" surgery, but excited for something that was going to help Marmitt in the long-run.
My Christmas wish this year was that our little Marmitt would be home to enjoy Christmas with us. His surgery was on the 19th, just days away from the festivities. More prayers were said for the little miracle boy, and once again, faith overcame fear and doubt. Marmitt came through the surgery like a champ, impressing his doctors and nurses. He came home as scheduled, and is doing great. It's crazy to see the difference the shunt has already made in the Marmitt boy! He was a happy baby before, and even happier now! (Minus a little minor grumpiness due to a cold...) He is truly a miracle boy! And my Christmas wish came true-the little miracle boy was with us on Christmas morning! Our entire family got to celebrate Christmas together, which is a great blessing!
I know that God hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes we go through hard times, but the Lord it with us through it all. When we are weak He is there to be our strength. The Little Miracle Boy, Miracle Mark, is proof that God is not absent from our lives. He still works miracles in our lives every single day. God loves us and showers us with his blessings.

Photos:

Top: Marmitt's hospital "mugshot"

Second: at home, a few days old

Third: Marmitt's hospital stay

Last: Marmitt 2 days post-surgery

Drama, drama, drama

***Disclaimer: I would like to blame the following occurrence completely on the fact that I had a terrible cold and was doped up on cold medicine.

On December 30th, we had plans to go out to G-ville to celebrate my sister's birthday. Her birthday is actually on New Year's Eve, but it worked out better for everyone to celebrate the day before. The initial plan was to go to a movie and then dinner. Well, I didn't sleep well the night before and woke up sick and miserable. Nic was such a sweetheart. He took care of Mark during the middle of the night so that I could get some sleep and then, in the morning, he took Sam to his parent's house so that I could get some more rest. Basically, the whole family has been swapping germs back and forth for a month, and it was now mommy's turn to be sick. I think we have all had two or three rounds of being sick.

Well, Mark and I just chilled in bed all day. Mark was a good baby and was content to just hang out while I slept. Finally around noon, I dragged myself out of bed and took a shower. We were struggling to get ready, so I called Nanny and told her we weren't going to make it to the movie but that we would be there for dinner.

Once Mark and I were ready for the day, around 4 p.m., we decided to run to the mall to buy a present for Nanny's birthday. There was this perfect Nanny hat that I had seen earlier, so I figured it would be easy enough to just run in and pick it up. We were planning on spending the night in G-ville, so that meant we had Gus in tow with us. I didn't think it would be a big deal to leave Gus out in the car while we ran into the mall, because I knew exactly where I was going and was only planning on being gone for 15 minutes tops.

I put Mark into a baby front carrier pack, bundled him up in a blanket, and we made our way into the mall. Because I have a tendency to forget where I've parked at the mall, I usually try to park in the same area, and I made a special point to take note of where we came in. We went directly to the store with the hat, bought the hat, and then made our way back to the car. By this time, my cold medicine was starting to wear down, and I was starting to wear down. Mark was done with being in the carrier so I was just carrying him wrapped up in his blanket. We went out to the parking lot and headed to where I thought my car was. No car. Strange. Maybe it was in the next aisle. We checked the next aisle and the next. We went up and down five aisles. No car. We backtracked and did it again. No car. We looked again. No car. At this point, I was exhausted and panicked. Where was my car? I saw what I thought was the truck that I had parked next to, but the stall next to the truck was empty. I began to panic that my car had been stolen. I am known for forgetting to lock my doors, and suddenly I was having visions of some punk kids just jumping in and taking my car for a joy ride. We backtracked one more time with no success. I called Nic in hysterics. My car had been stolen with Gus in tow.

Nic had been on his way to pick up Sam to bring out to G-ville for dinner, so he was close. He said he was heading my way and to call the police to begin filing a report. I called the police and told them that I thought my car had been stolen from the mall. They said they would send an officer. Then I waited in the food court. I was a complete wreck! I was holding Mark (who was super cute and smiling adorably at me) and bawling. I kept thinking of all the horrible things that could happen to Gus and it would be all my fault for being an irresponsible doggy mom. I must have been quite the picture of tragedy. A few nice people stopped to ask me if I was okay and if they could do anything to help me. They were so concerned and so nice! I wish there was some way that I could contact them! We waited for a little bit and then Nic finally arrived. He gave me a big hug and told me everything would be okay. We were both ready to beat up any punk kid we came in contact with that may or may not have stolen our dog. Nic made sure I was okay and then left to drive around to see if the car had been ditched somewhere. I could also see a police car driving up and down the aisles in the parking lot. So then I waited some more. I called my family, who were all in the movie, and left a message to call me. And I waited and waited and waited.

After what seemed like forever, Nic called me. "Go out of the food court and go out the door right next to the food court," he told me. The car was parked right where I left it, in the parking lot right next to where I was, complete with one big dog in the back wondering where on earth we had gone. I called the police and let them know that we had found my car and that there was no longer an emergency. And then I bawled in relief.

Was it extremely embarrassing? Yes. But mostly, I was relieved that all was well, that my sweet Gus was okay, and that there weren't hoodlums out stealing cars from poor mothers at the mall. And this experience taught me to be a little more responsible and to appreciate my super-hero husband who takes care of me when I'm sick and when I'm crazy!