Since You've Been Gone...

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, but it's not because nothing has been going on. It's actually been because there has been too much going on, and some of it fairly big. The biggest thing, I think, was that I had a major surgery on April 29th. A hysterectomy to be exact. I've never had any surgery of any kind, and really didn't know what to expect. Things went really well, and the recovery hasn't been terrible. Turns out it takes a lot longer than I thought to get back to normal though. I'm still not quite there, but I'm approaching it, I think.

Maisie's Welcome Home sign, after I returned from surgery

My family has been amazing, bringing meals and taking kids, being supportive in general. And Teag has been absolutely fantastic, taking on the lion's share of all household/kid related duties. I've never once heard him complain. In fact, he's always the one urging me to take it easy, and not push things. He sent me this adorable video when I was at the hospital over night, in case I was feeling lonely.

When Mother's Day rolled around a few weeks after my surgery, he went out of his way to spoil me, trying out a new recipe that I think will be a favorite for years to come. A feta and asparagus frittata, with sausage and mixed berries. So good!

And speaking of Mother's Day, the Relief Society of our ward did a really cute Mother and Daughter tea party the day before, where everyone was supposed to wear their fanciest hats. Obviously, I have plenty of daughters, so we all got dressed up and enjoyed some tasty finger foods and herbal tea.

I shouldn't say the herbal tea was enjoyed though. All three of the girls tried it, but not one of them liked it. Rory was also traumatized by the contents of one of the finger sandwiches, and wouldn't eat it, despite the fact that she hadn't even tried it first.

The offending sandwich? Turkey with a cranberry and cream cheese spread. Oh, the horror! She is by far our pickiest eater. The best part though, was after she ate it and decided it wasn't that bad. All that drama for nothing. And speaking of Rory, I wanted to post a picture of her prize winning artwork, from the school's annual Art Night. Rory won first place for her diorama.

The theme was "Who is your Hero?", and she chose me, then drew pictures of the ways that I help her. I love the simplicity of Rory's drawings, but how emotive the faces of her characters are. I thought she did a great job, and I was very proud of her. Maisie and Danyn both won first place as well. Maisie wrote an essay about her cousin Caitlyn being her hero, and Danyn drew a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. giving his "I have a Dream" speech. I'm proud of all of them for their hard work, and creativity.