Today actually started in the wee hours of the morning. Sarah spent most of the night being awakened every hour or half hour for uncomfortable things to help prepare for her colonsocopy. After morning vitals, we were visited by the oncologist (the doctor doing the bone marrow aspirate) and she said she'd see us at 1:15. We were obviously confused, since we had been preparing all night for tests at 7:30 a.m. They were planning to run them together since she'd already be under anesthesia and in the OR. They had originally scheduled them separately, then together in the morning instead, and somehow didn't get the message to oncology. In looking at the schedule, the teams decided the later time worked better for them. We were beyond frustrated with the inconvenience and stress this caused Sarah (not to mention serious lack of sleep, and no food or drinks now til afternoon). I expressed our frustration to the poor innocent nurse and resident, and then realized that it was already decided, and there was not much to do except be positive and try to help her cope. We passed the time pretty well with a morning nap, a visit from Aunt Kathy (Steve's sister) and a game of doodle dice. Before we knew it, the time had come.
All Sarah remembers is talking with the anesthesiologist, getting some "relaxing" medicine, and telling me goodbye. The next thing she remembers is waking up in her room, 4 1/2 hours later, feeling sleepy, but pretty good. Even though it makes her a little weepy, versed is a pretty great amnesia-inducing drug! The procedures actually only took about an hour and a half, and all went well. There will probably not be any results for about 48 hours, but she handled them beautifully, and the doctors were able to collect all the cells and biopsies, and see everything they needed to. She is pretty comfortable and now receiving a broad-spectrum antibiotic in her IV while we wait for answers. (No reason to sit around wasting any more time, huh?) Hopefully, by Friday we'll have the answer to this puzzle that has been so aggravating these past few weeks. I'm frankly a little nervous about the results of these tests. I'm scared that they still won't find the answer to her inflammatory markers and mysterious fevers. When I decide to be positive and hope that they really will solve the puzzle with these tests, I'm kind of scared of what they will find. I know that's the goal, and what we've all been praying for, but the unknown is not something I'm very eager to face head-on these days.
Steve is home with the kids, being a daddy, mommy, and candidate, catching up on the last 3 weeks away from home, and putting together Halloween costumes and a City Council campaign. Mom has helped a lot after school, and continued being the wonderful Grandma she is. The kids are so happy to have him there, and as much as they need him, and he needs to be there, it was so hard today to be apart. Sure hope we don't have very many more of these "hard" days ahead.
Today Sarah is grateful for anesthesia and for good doctors that know what they're doing. I'm thankful that there were no bad surprises or complications and that it's all over for another day. I'm also thankful for our family and all the wonderful things they're doing for us to help us through this tough time.
Today we learned that just because a day starts out bad, it doesn't mean the whole day has to stink. Today ended up being a pretty good day, thanks to our Father in Heaven for sending (in various ways) the comfort and love He has promised.
Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Daily Blog - PCMC Day 24
At the suggestion of a member of the Rainbow Kids team, I decided that I am going to post on our blog every day now, at least for a while. I hope this will accomplish a few things for me and my family...
PCMC Day 24
Sarah is doing pretty well today. She is feeling a little more sleepy than she has been, but it's been a pretty good day otherwise. Her tummy is a little smaller and she still has some diarrhea and fever, but her appetite is still really good, and she's pretty happy, considering we're still here. She is no longer receiving any antibiotics right now, with the assumption that the bacteria that's causing the fever will be able to grow better if it's not sterilized by the antibiotics. They have assumed the fluid in her belly is what was infected, and there were inflammatory markers and elevated white cells, but the cultures didn't grow. So, with no antibiotics on board, they are repeating a bunch of tests for common intestinal illnesses through blood and stool tests. At this point, we're hoping for some more symptoms to rear their ugly heads, cultures to grow something definitely yucky, or for things to just taper off and get better.
Tomorrow, she is going to have a bone marrow aspirate (collection of bone marrow cells through a needle) to rule out salmonella and a few others that sometimes "hide" in the bone marrow. While she's sedated, they will also do a GI endoscopy and colonoscopy to "see" what's going on inside and can do biopsies of anything weird at the same time. She's pretty nervous about new tests like these, but will be sedated and safe, and I'm confident she will do fine. The hardest part is the unknown, only second to how weepy and tired the sedation makes her feel.
Today we're grateful for fun distractions like games, puzzles, Teen Night and a long walk through the University of Utah campus.
Today I learned that there is not pathway or sidewalk that takes you just around the hospitals, and that taking care of yourself is not neglecting someone else.
- Provide daily updates for our family and friends to know what's going on through Sarah's current hospital stay.
- Help me journal this experience in our life a little better and more accurately.
- Give me a place to write my feelings and insights into what this experience really is to me, and how it affects me and the people I love.
- Help me take a few minutes every day to reflect on blessings we're receiving and things we're learning through this experience.
PCMC Day 24
Sarah is doing pretty well today. She is feeling a little more sleepy than she has been, but it's been a pretty good day otherwise. Her tummy is a little smaller and she still has some diarrhea and fever, but her appetite is still really good, and she's pretty happy, considering we're still here. She is no longer receiving any antibiotics right now, with the assumption that the bacteria that's causing the fever will be able to grow better if it's not sterilized by the antibiotics. They have assumed the fluid in her belly is what was infected, and there were inflammatory markers and elevated white cells, but the cultures didn't grow. So, with no antibiotics on board, they are repeating a bunch of tests for common intestinal illnesses through blood and stool tests. At this point, we're hoping for some more symptoms to rear their ugly heads, cultures to grow something definitely yucky, or for things to just taper off and get better.
Tomorrow, she is going to have a bone marrow aspirate (collection of bone marrow cells through a needle) to rule out salmonella and a few others that sometimes "hide" in the bone marrow. While she's sedated, they will also do a GI endoscopy and colonoscopy to "see" what's going on inside and can do biopsies of anything weird at the same time. She's pretty nervous about new tests like these, but will be sedated and safe, and I'm confident she will do fine. The hardest part is the unknown, only second to how weepy and tired the sedation makes her feel.
Today we're grateful for fun distractions like games, puzzles, Teen Night and a long walk through the University of Utah campus.
Today I learned that there is not pathway or sidewalk that takes you just around the hospitals, and that taking care of yourself is not neglecting someone else.
Monday, October 24, 2011
My October Gratitude List
Since things have been less than ideal in our lives this month, I thought I should share some of the things we are grateful for these days... (in no particular order, and most likely not a very complete list)
- For Primary Children's Medical Center - that the hospital is only 2 1/2 hours away, for incredible doctors and nurses that really care about Sarah, for specialists and cooperative teams trying to solve her problems, special teams like Child Life and Rainbow Kids, and that one of its purposes is to keep kids happy while they have to be here
- For the love, prayers, support and visits from our extended family, friends, ward family, and acquaintances
- That Steve's boss has been so understanding and flexible to help get us through this and keep his focus where it should be right now
- For Steve's friends that have helped with his city council campaign in his absence
- For home teachers that have mowed our gigantic lawn more than once
- That my mom is retired and has been able and willing to "move in" to take care of my kids so Steve and I could both be here as much as possible, and for my dad for helping and supporting her (and us)
- For Steve's parents for providing us with room and board, and wonderful meals, and company
- For Relief Society leaders that have completely taken over my calling so I could focus on my family
- For all of the "love" that has showed up on our doorstep... hospital snacks, presents for Sarah, meals, treats, Halloween surprises, cards, and money to help us through this stressful time
- That we have good insurance and Medicaid for Sarah so the hospital and doctor bills haven't caused any extra stress
- For social workers that arranged a room for us at the Ronald McDonald House and other reimbursement programs to help relieve some of our other financial burdens
- That my sweet sister-in-law sewed Bryson's Halloween costume so I wouldn't have to
- For our patient children at home that haven't complained, but pray every day that we'll be home together again soon
- For technology (like videocams and skype) that allow us to "be with" our kids sometimes
- For Steve's sisters that planned a "surprise Hawaiian luau" to brighten Sarah's otherwise frustrating and disappointing weekend
- For the family members and friends that have come to visit, bring meals, do crafts with Sarah, and brighten our prolonged stay at the hospital
- For our sweet daughter Sarah, and her incredible example of faith and long-suffering
- For our Heavenly Father's love and care, His plan, blessings, and tender mercies
- For our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His infinite love and atonement that grants us the strength to endure and the grace sufficient to overcome
Monday, April 25, 2011
Young Women Broadcast... Live!
As Sarah was approaching her last few months in Young Women's, I felt like I needed to seize the opportunity to take the girls to Salt Lake to the Young Women Broadcast and see it live. I've wanted to for the past few years, but as a stake leader, felt like we needed to stay here and support local viewing and dessert... looking back, I'm really not sure why, but just never did it. Well, not having that reason anymore, I decided it was something we just HAD to do, and since Steve agreed with me, we just did it!
I arranged with the Stake Presidency to get tickets and we took a Saturday trip to Salt Lake on March 26th. The girls had decided to take turns riding in the front and choosing the music. We sang along, laughed and talked non-stop the whole way. We stopped along the way at Kim's Fashions in Layton (to buy $3 earring/necklace sets) and then to the Olive Garden for lunch. Rachel and Sarah both had raviolis (Sarah had portabella and Rachel had cheese), and I had the Venetian apricot grilled chicken (only 6 WW PlusPoints and so delicious!) We went over to the Layton Hills Mall to shop, but after Rachel spent all her money at the first store, we just walked around to see what a real mall looked like.
When we got to Salt Lake, we spent a long time looking for a place to park, and then walked to Temple Square. We tried to visit the Relief Society Building, but it was closed. The girls (in anticipation of a beautiful "spring" day) weren't dressed warm enough for the cloudy, windy, cool weather, so we didn't wander as far as we had originally planned. We walked over to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and saw the "hats" display they had in there. We rode the elevator to the top and took some great pictures. We also walked through the family history center. I think the girls were impressed.
We went over to the Conference center and got our tickets and decided to just change clothes and wait inside for the hour and a half until the meeting started. We ended up with amazing seats--being there so early, and enjoyed the time to sit and relax for a while. I loved the value-colored banners they had hung by the organ pipes with the three symbols (laurel wreath, rose, and beehive) on them. The touches like those and the beautiful spring flowers and grasses behind the podium created such a great atmosphere for such a special meeting.
The meeting was so great. It is so different being there, watching it live, and feeling the spirits of all those beautiful daughters of God surrounding you. The love emanating from those beautiful General Young Women leaders was almost tangible. I love the videos they show in the middle of the broadcast that depict the righteousness and virtue of beautiful young women living the gospel all over the world. I have such a soft spot in my heart for these sweet daughters of God and my eyes often swell with tears of gratitude when I hear of my girls and others keeping the commandments and living the gospel so steadfastly. When the meeting was over, and President Monson and his counselors left, he spent quite a while waving at all those sweet girls. Then I was overcome with gratitude, and with tears streaming down my face, I testified of his calling and told the girls that I hoped they understood how blessed they are to have this gospel...to have the direction and resources they need to navigate this crazy world. There are so many around them that don't even know who they are, let alone why they're here or where they're going. After that, I hugged them each for a long time and told them how much I appreciate their goodness and example and that they wanted to be there with me. Oh, how I love my sweet daughters. I am so honored and grateful to be their mother.
It was funny, walking quickly down the sidewalk back to our car, we noticed that all those girls, moms and leaders (including us) were waking arm in arm or hand in hand, like they felt a closeness that they didn't want to let go of. We hurried to the car (it started raining) and headed home. Sarah rationed the Cadbury Mini-eggs (simply protecting me and Rachel from ourselves) and then went to sleep, and Rachel sat in the front seat with me and played DJ as we talked. The snow storm on the way home was interesting. As we went over the Malad pass, we had horizontal snow clusters coming right at us. Visibility was almost zero, so I slowed to a mere 35mph and followed the tail lights of the car in front of us, hoping that driver could see better than I could. We made it safely home, and went to bed tired, happy, and grateful.
I arranged with the Stake Presidency to get tickets and we took a Saturday trip to Salt Lake on March 26th. The girls had decided to take turns riding in the front and choosing the music. We sang along, laughed and talked non-stop the whole way. We stopped along the way at Kim's Fashions in Layton (to buy $3 earring/necklace sets) and then to the Olive Garden for lunch. Rachel and Sarah both had raviolis (Sarah had portabella and Rachel had cheese), and I had the Venetian apricot grilled chicken (only 6 WW PlusPoints and so delicious!) We went over to the Layton Hills Mall to shop, but after Rachel spent all her money at the first store, we just walked around to see what a real mall looked like.
When we got to Salt Lake, we spent a long time looking for a place to park, and then walked to Temple Square. We tried to visit the Relief Society Building, but it was closed. The girls (in anticipation of a beautiful "spring" day) weren't dressed warm enough for the cloudy, windy, cool weather, so we didn't wander as far as we had originally planned. We walked over to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and saw the "hats" display they had in there. We rode the elevator to the top and took some great pictures. We also walked through the family history center. I think the girls were impressed.
 | ||
| The Salt Lake Temple and the Conference Center from the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building |
 |
| My beautiful daughters and the temple |
We went over to the Conference center and got our tickets and decided to just change clothes and wait inside for the hour and a half until the meeting started. We ended up with amazing seats--being there so early, and enjoyed the time to sit and relax for a while. I loved the value-colored banners they had hung by the organ pipes with the three symbols (laurel wreath, rose, and beehive) on them. The touches like those and the beautiful spring flowers and grasses behind the podium created such a great atmosphere for such a special meeting.
 | |||
| The Conference Center. We loved the YW banners hanging above the doors. Such a nice touch that made the girls feel so special and important! |
 | |
| We were only about 14 rows back, on the side where the Prophet enters and exits. We were so excited to be sitting so close we could see actually see the wrinkles on his face when he smiled! |
The meeting was so great. It is so different being there, watching it live, and feeling the spirits of all those beautiful daughters of God surrounding you. The love emanating from those beautiful General Young Women leaders was almost tangible. I love the videos they show in the middle of the broadcast that depict the righteousness and virtue of beautiful young women living the gospel all over the world. I have such a soft spot in my heart for these sweet daughters of God and my eyes often swell with tears of gratitude when I hear of my girls and others keeping the commandments and living the gospel so steadfastly. When the meeting was over, and President Monson and his counselors left, he spent quite a while waving at all those sweet girls. Then I was overcome with gratitude, and with tears streaming down my face, I testified of his calling and told the girls that I hoped they understood how blessed they are to have this gospel...to have the direction and resources they need to navigate this crazy world. There are so many around them that don't even know who they are, let alone why they're here or where they're going. After that, I hugged them each for a long time and told them how much I appreciate their goodness and example and that they wanted to be there with me. Oh, how I love my sweet daughters. I am so honored and grateful to be their mother.
It was funny, walking quickly down the sidewalk back to our car, we noticed that all those girls, moms and leaders (including us) were waking arm in arm or hand in hand, like they felt a closeness that they didn't want to let go of. We hurried to the car (it started raining) and headed home. Sarah rationed the Cadbury Mini-eggs (simply protecting me and Rachel from ourselves) and then went to sleep, and Rachel sat in the front seat with me and played DJ as we talked. The snow storm on the way home was interesting. As we went over the Malad pass, we had horizontal snow clusters coming right at us. Visibility was almost zero, so I slowed to a mere 35mph and followed the tail lights of the car in front of us, hoping that driver could see better than I could. We made it safely home, and went to bed tired, happy, and grateful.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Bryson's Progress
One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my thoughts and feelings about having special needs children, one with health needs and another with psychological needs. I hoped by putting these thoughts into words I might help someone else someday that is walking a similar road. Unfortunately, I don't do a very good job of keeping those updates coming when things are going so well.... Here is a long-overdue update about Bryson.
I heard a few weeks ago that the term, "Aspergers Syndrome" is no longer valid, and kids with those symptoms are now part of the umbrella of "High Functioning Autism". Doesn't really matter to me, the diagnosis a few years ago is what got him the help he needed, and getting him the help he needed made him higher functioning than I thought possible.
On October 13th, the day after his 11th birthday, he was officially released from his occupational therapy, having met all of the goals we created with his therapist, and no other new concerns or deficiencies presented themselves. We were excited and so proud of him for accomplishing so much in just over a year. He was sad about not going to therapy anymore, because he loved Tonja and loved learning and practicing his new skills. She gave him an hour of undivided attention and listened to him talk (greatly encouraged him, really) about his day, his worries, his successes, and his preferences as she worked on strengthening his muscles, balance and coordination. It was kind of hectic for me, going every other Wednesday for over a year, but Bryson and I really enjoyed our alone time in the car driving there and back for each appointment. Sharing that time together was pretty special for both of us and we loved to talk about and celebrate his successes (always with an Arctic Circle ice cream cone on the way home).
This TumbleForm "Swing" was one of Bryson's favorite things. He nicknamed it "Tumbleweed" because it reminded him of a horse and he tumbled from it often! He also loved throwing the medicine balls into the small trampolines to play "bounce back". He got pretty good at it and could catch the heavier one while standing on one foot. By the time he was released he had learned how to tie his shoes (again), throw and catch with one hand, and how to skip, hop, and climb. He climbed up a rope ladder and a rock wall, and loved being up so high. (He was so afraid to climb even 2 feet off the ground when he started his therapy.) It was absolutely amazing to see the confidence grow in our little boy in just a year. I think being successful and getting stronger, plus having something to do that was all about him, was so good for him. Tonja always talked with me, too, giving suggestions with his sensory issues, resolving the frustrations at home, and offering new ideas for school and homework. She said once that she loved having him for a patient because his parents were engaged in his development and his therapy continued with us at home. Why would we not follow her suggestions and reinforce her teaching? Oh, how we love Tonja, and will be forever grateful to her for teaching us what to do to help our sweet, special son. He's a different kid than he was a year ago...confident, comfortable, successful, and even happy!
We also love our special eduction teacher at his school, Mindy. Like Tonja, she does her job with such loving care and concern that it doesn't even seem like she's doing a "job". She called me a couple months ago because she was concerned about Bryson's math scores, and we met for over an hour to talk about that and some frustrations with homework we were experiencing at home. (Because of his diagnosis, he has an IEP and accommodations at school to give him the added support he needs to be more successful. He attends a charter school whose philosophy is that when children are in a safe environment with accelerated learning opportunities, they will rise to the challenge and excel. It's a philosophy that works, even for kids with learning challenges. He still struggles at school, but is getting the help he needs to understand concepts and actually catch up to where he should be.) He was struggling specifically with the tasks of completing his 12 or 13 math problems each day and putting his spelling words in ABC order. It just took FOREVER...(like until bedtime). Well, we went back our 3rd and 4th grade method of having his math problems transferred from the book to the paper for him, as it seems that he was getting lost between the book and his work several times for each problem. And I think she's brilliant with the alphabetical order thing.... Bryson is a tactile learner. If he can manipulate it, he gets it. So, deciding he could show his understanding of the concept with 10-12 words just as easily as with 20, she started making him 10 word cards for him to manipulate until they're in order and then just write them down in a list like he has them placed. Pretty smart, huh? I never would have come up with that! Anyway, he also goes to early morning study hall at 7:15 three days a week to have someone help him correct and fix his math assignments. These accommodations alone has reduced homework time from 4 hours (not kidding) to about 1, and he works independently at his desk in his room, is self-motivated, successful, and again...happy!
I am so grateful for the people in my sweet boy's life that have helped us help him. I can't imagine how frustrating life would be to have a brain that processes things differently from the rest of the world (or so it seems) and not be able to understand why things are so hard and uncomfortable all the time. Oh, how I love my sweet little angel boy, with his happy, forgiving, loving disposition. And how grateful I am to have found help through the suggestions of loving teachers, doctors, therapists, friends and family.
I heard a few weeks ago that the term, "Aspergers Syndrome" is no longer valid, and kids with those symptoms are now part of the umbrella of "High Functioning Autism". Doesn't really matter to me, the diagnosis a few years ago is what got him the help he needed, and getting him the help he needed made him higher functioning than I thought possible.
On October 13th, the day after his 11th birthday, he was officially released from his occupational therapy, having met all of the goals we created with his therapist, and no other new concerns or deficiencies presented themselves. We were excited and so proud of him for accomplishing so much in just over a year. He was sad about not going to therapy anymore, because he loved Tonja and loved learning and practicing his new skills. She gave him an hour of undivided attention and listened to him talk (greatly encouraged him, really) about his day, his worries, his successes, and his preferences as she worked on strengthening his muscles, balance and coordination. It was kind of hectic for me, going every other Wednesday for over a year, but Bryson and I really enjoyed our alone time in the car driving there and back for each appointment. Sharing that time together was pretty special for both of us and we loved to talk about and celebrate his successes (always with an Arctic Circle ice cream cone on the way home).
This TumbleForm "Swing" was one of Bryson's favorite things. He nicknamed it "Tumbleweed" because it reminded him of a horse and he tumbled from it often! He also loved throwing the medicine balls into the small trampolines to play "bounce back". He got pretty good at it and could catch the heavier one while standing on one foot. By the time he was released he had learned how to tie his shoes (again), throw and catch with one hand, and how to skip, hop, and climb. He climbed up a rope ladder and a rock wall, and loved being up so high. (He was so afraid to climb even 2 feet off the ground when he started his therapy.) It was absolutely amazing to see the confidence grow in our little boy in just a year. I think being successful and getting stronger, plus having something to do that was all about him, was so good for him. Tonja always talked with me, too, giving suggestions with his sensory issues, resolving the frustrations at home, and offering new ideas for school and homework. She said once that she loved having him for a patient because his parents were engaged in his development and his therapy continued with us at home. Why would we not follow her suggestions and reinforce her teaching? Oh, how we love Tonja, and will be forever grateful to her for teaching us what to do to help our sweet, special son. He's a different kid than he was a year ago...confident, comfortable, successful, and even happy!
We also love our special eduction teacher at his school, Mindy. Like Tonja, she does her job with such loving care and concern that it doesn't even seem like she's doing a "job". She called me a couple months ago because she was concerned about Bryson's math scores, and we met for over an hour to talk about that and some frustrations with homework we were experiencing at home. (Because of his diagnosis, he has an IEP and accommodations at school to give him the added support he needs to be more successful. He attends a charter school whose philosophy is that when children are in a safe environment with accelerated learning opportunities, they will rise to the challenge and excel. It's a philosophy that works, even for kids with learning challenges. He still struggles at school, but is getting the help he needs to understand concepts and actually catch up to where he should be.) He was struggling specifically with the tasks of completing his 12 or 13 math problems each day and putting his spelling words in ABC order. It just took FOREVER...(like until bedtime). Well, we went back our 3rd and 4th grade method of having his math problems transferred from the book to the paper for him, as it seems that he was getting lost between the book and his work several times for each problem. And I think she's brilliant with the alphabetical order thing.... Bryson is a tactile learner. If he can manipulate it, he gets it. So, deciding he could show his understanding of the concept with 10-12 words just as easily as with 20, she started making him 10 word cards for him to manipulate until they're in order and then just write them down in a list like he has them placed. Pretty smart, huh? I never would have come up with that! Anyway, he also goes to early morning study hall at 7:15 three days a week to have someone help him correct and fix his math assignments. These accommodations alone has reduced homework time from 4 hours (not kidding) to about 1, and he works independently at his desk in his room, is self-motivated, successful, and again...happy!
I am so grateful for the people in my sweet boy's life that have helped us help him. I can't imagine how frustrating life would be to have a brain that processes things differently from the rest of the world (or so it seems) and not be able to understand why things are so hard and uncomfortable all the time. Oh, how I love my sweet little angel boy, with his happy, forgiving, loving disposition. And how grateful I am to have found help through the suggestions of loving teachers, doctors, therapists, friends and family.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Scared for Sarah
A couple of weeks ago, we had a scary few days. Sarah started complaining about swelling in her feet. I didn't pay much attention for a day or so until she showed them to me the second night. Her poor little ankles were gone. She had a leg that just turned into a foot...no ankle bones, no curves, just swelling from her knee to her toes. This is one of the "watch for" symptoms of her PLE. There wasn't any swelling in her toes, her fingers, or her face, so we just thought we'd "watch" it for a few days. By the 4th day, she was still very swollen and uncomfortable, and the swelling didn't seem to get any better overnight or when she wasn't on her feet. So, I called her doctor in Salt Lake and he ordered labs to be done that day. I was very antsy (and so was Steve) to know the results from the blood work, but had to wait til around noon the next day before we knew anything. Her albumen level (the only one I could remember what it was supposed to be at) was down to 2.6. It was at 3.8 last time she had labs done, and the doctor wants her around 4.0. (Normal...for a "normal" person...is 4.5 to 6, I think.) Anyway, when she was soooo sick a couple of years ago with her PLE, her albumen levels dropped clear to 1.8 or something like that. When I heard that number, I was immediately overcome with fear that we were headed down a road I didn't want to travel...and with only 3 months left of high school. The fear caused by memories of that time period threatened to choke the logic and reality right out of me. After a period of being held tight by Steve, and some tears and fears shared with him, I calmed down and decided my smart, level-headed husband was right...that we needed to wait til we talked to the doctor before we panicked. The next day was Friday, and I still hadn't heard from him. Worrying that we'd have to go a whole weekend without any action, and seeing that the swelling was not getting any better, I called back to Primary Children's and left a sort-of-frantic message on the voice mail. Within an hour, I had a call from the nurse and then a call from her doctor. He said that although the albumen and total protein numbers were lower, they were not horrible, and since she didn't have any of the other symptoms — overall swelling, vomiting, diarrhea — we'd just treat the symptom and hope it takes care of itself. He had us give her an extra dose of lasix (diuretic) that she's already taking two of each day to see if the swelling would go away. He also said that infection or illness on her can affect the careful balance in her body and cause a flare-up of her PLE. (She has had several viruses and two sinus infections in the last two months.) By the next day...the VERY next day, her ankles were almost normal again, and have been fine since. We kept her on her extra lasix for a week, and when we took it away...everything was okay. Just like that, another sweet miracle and answered prayers were ours. She said to me the other day, "Mom, I've never been so grateful for my skinny chicken legs as I am now." I wish I could express how very grateful I am for them, too.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
St. Patrick's Day
I have a mom that absolutely loves holidays...every one of them, except maybe Halloween. But, that never stopped her from decorating and making us the most amazing homemade costumes (and I always felt bad for kids who had to buy theirs at the store). I'm not quite so gung-ho as she is, but because of her, I love holidays too. The big ones are wonderful celebrations and require much energy and preparation, all of which is worth it. But the simple ones, like St. Patrick's Day, are fun to celebrate, too, and require only a little creativity (or childhood experiences like mine).We began the morning of March 17th with some of Steve's choice bagpipe music blasting through the intercom system to wake the younger kids. I already had green chocolate chip muffins baking in the oven and green eggs and ham (what my mom ALWAYS fed us on March 17th) on the stove. The milk was already dyed green in the boys' lunches and I welcomed them to my kitchen with a cheery "Top of the mornin' to ye, laddie!" as each of the boys entered the room. (Of course, the night before, I made sure they were all wearing something green, knowing their big sisters would be sure to check first thing.) The boys each smiled and hugged me, cheered for the green muffins and eggs, and Josh and Nathan even danced a jig or two in the dining room while I finished cooking breakfast. I was a little concerned for the girls, though. Their eye rolling and only near smiles all morning made me wonder if there was something wrong with their faces. Perhaps they think they're too old for that stuff now, being so mature and all, but I know inside they were laughing and somewhat grateful to have a mommy as silly as me. I sent them all off to school and work with the phrase, "May the luck of the Irish be with ye today!" ...More teenage eye rolling, but this time with real smiles.
The next day (because the actual holiday evening was way too busy for us) we went to my mom's house for her traditional St. Patrick's Day Dinner... Corned beef and cabbage, cooked carrots, green jell-o and green juice. (It's gotten better over the years, she used white grape juice this year, and real corned beef brisket - it was always kool-aid and a tiny can of corned beef when we were kids. She also added my sister-in-law's Scarborough potatoes to the menu...yum!). I brought cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was amazing to me, even only 5 weeks post-knee replacement, she still had the house decorated with shamrocks, green tablecloths, Irish buttons to wear, green horns to blow, and every tiny detail taken care of (including writing down how many Weight Watcher's points each item on the menu would be). As much as she does, you'd think we were Irish or something. (I think my great-grandmother was half or quarter Irish, but I'm really not sure, so I hope I didn't lie to my kids...)
I smiled a huge smile as I told her about our morning celebrations and shared with her how much I appreciate the kind of mommy she was while I was growing up, so I could have these traditions, and re-create those same memories for my kids. ...And now I wonder how many of my siblings had green eggs and ham for breakfast on March 17th...?
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Chocolate Extravaganza!
After the article about Rachel appeared in the newspaper, a very kind lady from the Pocatello Community Charter School called and invited Rachel and Sarah to be vendors at their annual Spring Fundraiser, The PCCS Chocolate Extravaganza! People pay a fee to get in, and then get to taste everything chocolate from truffles to crepes, to shooters, mousse, and cookies! They also have an auction to raise more money. The Sweet Treets girls brought 200 Oreo Truffles as samples and had the opportunity to advertise their business with these samples, business cards and fliers.
The most awesome thing about it all was that the lady that invited them to be vendors at their event actually paid for the truffles Rachel made. It was so generous and kind. I'm quite sure nobody else got that offer. I got to go with them as their "adult chaperon" since there would be alcohol served there. It was really fun to see people's reaction to these sweet little truffles...and girls. People were so kind and complimentary, and so friendly. It was a good experience for the girls to be able to learn to "sell" themselves, be positive, friendly, and go out of their way to talk to strangers. (Something I don't recommend in other situations!) They were so good at it, they were given the "Spirit Award". There was competition for best presentation, best drink, best non-dessert, and "People's Choice". This was decided by votes (dollars) put in a jar on each table. The girls got so excited each time somebody came by and dropped a bill in their jar and told them they were their favorite. They didn't win that, but their "votes" earned another $14 for the charter school. It was so fun!
It was also through the newspaper article and this connection to the charter school's fundraiser that the girls have been invited by Stephanie and Neal Alston to their shop in Old Town Pocatello for the First Friday Art Walk in April. They will be at Alston Ink on April 1st giving out samples and selling Easter Bunnies and other Sweet Treets and doing more of that "talking to strangers" I referred to earlier. Should be a fun event as well, and such a good advertising tool for them. The people of Pocatello are so thoughtful, generous and kind... Thank you, Pocatello!!
The most awesome thing about it all was that the lady that invited them to be vendors at their event actually paid for the truffles Rachel made. It was so generous and kind. I'm quite sure nobody else got that offer. I got to go with them as their "adult chaperon" since there would be alcohol served there. It was really fun to see people's reaction to these sweet little truffles...and girls. People were so kind and complimentary, and so friendly. It was a good experience for the girls to be able to learn to "sell" themselves, be positive, friendly, and go out of their way to talk to strangers. (Something I don't recommend in other situations!) They were so good at it, they were given the "Spirit Award". There was competition for best presentation, best drink, best non-dessert, and "People's Choice". This was decided by votes (dollars) put in a jar on each table. The girls got so excited each time somebody came by and dropped a bill in their jar and told them they were their favorite. They didn't win that, but their "votes" earned another $14 for the charter school. It was so fun!
It was also through the newspaper article and this connection to the charter school's fundraiser that the girls have been invited by Stephanie and Neal Alston to their shop in Old Town Pocatello for the First Friday Art Walk in April. They will be at Alston Ink on April 1st giving out samples and selling Easter Bunnies and other Sweet Treets and doing more of that "talking to strangers" I referred to earlier. Should be a fun event as well, and such a good advertising tool for them. The people of Pocatello are so thoughtful, generous and kind... Thank you, Pocatello!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Grateful for my Journal - Our Family Road Trip
When we went to Alaska this past summer, I had each of the kids decorate the cover of a dollar store sketch book and use it as their travel journal. It gave them something to do in the car, but is also a precious reminder of the things we saw and did on our incredible journey. Because the kids were doing this, I also brought along a journal (you'll remember that even though I love writing, I'm not much of a journal-keeper). I'm so grateful that I did this time. I didn't realize how crazy life would get during the months following our trip, and here we are, six months later, and I'm finally sitting down to share our journey on my blog. Without my messy car-vibration altered writing scratched into my journal, I wouldn't remember even half of the details or feelings I've just read about as I sat reading, smiling, and remembering our incredible family road trip. I thought it would be more appropriate to pre-date the entry in my blog so it was more chronological, so I picked a date in July, 2010, shortly after our return.... Our Family Road Trip <--- click this link to travel back in time....
Monday, December 27, 2010
2010: Our Year in Review
If I was into sending out Christmas letters with our postcards, I would have sent a letter that was way too long, bragged way too much about my wonderful family, and still wouldn't have even touched on the enormous amount of gratitude we feel for all we've been blessed with this year.
I do know, however, how much I love reading about all of my treasured friends and loved ones' families, so for those who took the time to search out my blog to see what we've been up to, here's our year in review (and what you would have read, had I sent out a Christmas letter this year)....
The two most exciting things we can share from 2010 is our family vaction this summer and our move this fall. We spent the first half of the year saving our pennies and in June, we packed up our Suburban to the very top (not kidding) and drove to Alaska. We spent almost a month traveling through Canada and Alaska. We drove about 8,000 miles in our car, rode to the top of the Space Needle, hiked a glacier, saw the ocean and lots of wildlife, caught our “first fish”, rode a ferry, dug up clams, played with cousins, swam in a hot spring, camped in the rain, and had many other grand adventures. We had a wonderful time together and have so many happy memories! In August, a wonderful opportunity and blessing was dropped in our lap, and we took it and moved forward with faith! We moved moved into a new pre-loved house that is just perfect for us! It has lots of room inside and out, and is absolutely beautiful! We really like our new ward, and love that we have so many new friends already. We've all adjusted pretty quickly, which helped our new house feel like "home" almost from the very first day. It's just where we're supposed to be!
Steve (our Daddy) still works for U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson. He loves his job, and also had an opportunity to help his boss get re-elected by working part-time at night and on weekends on the primary campaign. By June, he wasn't quite busy enough, so he accepted the Mayor's appointment to fill a vacant seat on the Pocatello City Council. It's been an eye-opening experience, and as much as he loves working with the other members of the board, he's really had to make some tough decisions and then stand behind what he feels is right and best for Pocatello. We're so proud of him. As entrepreneurs do, he's also found time to pad the family income with his direct mail business which helped out a lot during the campaign season (and our move) with 65,000 pieces of mail we designed, had printed, labeled, and sent out for several candidates. He has also been crazy busy this year getting our old house ready to rent, working out the little kinks in our new house, serving on a couple of other community and state boards, spending incredible quality time with his family, and tinkering in a couple of other business ventures. He was also recently called as the Cub Master in our new ward. He really likes having the opportunity to be the "funnest" 10 year-old in the ward!
Julia (Me, the Mommy) still loves being a stay-at-home mom. My kids are my life and I love that I have the opportunity to be totally involved in their activities and schools. This was also a year of change and growth for me as I discovered and learned much about myself and developed many new physical and spiritual strengths. I end the year much healthier and happier than I started it, and much more the person I want to be. I spent a few months preparing for our trip and then a few more preparing to move. It's been a crazy year, but so many blessings have been thrown our way, I know that the Lord has watched over and blessed me to be able to keep up and be the kind of mother and wife I want to be. On our 3rd Sunday in our new ward, I was called to serve as the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. In the short time I have served there (almost 2 months now), my heart has been changed, and I've seen the Lord's plan for our family start to unfold. As you can guess, I haven't had a lot of spare time for hobbies this year, but I still love baking, blogging, and reading, and playing with my family the most.
Sarah (17) has had a pretty good year. It's been a healthy one (heart-wise) with relatively little action in that department. She found out this year that she has a pretty severe case of Scoliosis, which has caused much more heartache and many more challenges, but takes it all in stride and remains her sweet little self. She is a senior in High school, and is beginning the new year with college and scholarship applications dancing in her head. Besides our family trip and moving, the highlight of her year was attending EFY at BYU-Idaho. It was such an amazing experience for her and she came back a changed teenager! She loves to spend time with our family, and all of her extra time with friends (live or on Facebook).
Rachel (14) has become the best traveled member of our family. In March, she went on the American Heritage Tour with other 8th Graders in the community. Her favorite things were spending time in New York City, and seeing "Wicked" on Broadway, and making so many new friends! She earned all $3,000 herself (with help from her terrific parents) and had a wonderful experience. She also started high school this year and absolutely loves it! Being in a "real school" now, she can wear make-up, "real clothes" and make many new friends. She stays busy with piano lessons (taking and teaching) and friends, and thoroughly enjoys having her own room!
Bryson (11) is in 5th Grade now and still loves school. He was recently released from his occupational therapy and had grown and matured in such amazing ways. We hardly ever see evidence of his Asperger's anymore, and his confidence is apparent in his constant smile. His drawing talent has continued to blossom as he draws everything from the most detailed dragons you've ever seen to cartoon mice with goofy grins. He absolutely loves scouts, and earned his Arrow of Light just before we moved. His new scout leaders are amazing and he is looking forward to camping and many other adventures in the spring with his new troop. With our move came a whole handful of friends just down the street, a few he already knew from school. Having so many friends to play with all the time is a new thing in his life, but just one more blessing that came with our new house.
Joshua (7) is in 2nd grade and has discovered the joy of reading. He loves non-fiction the best, and any information he can gather about space, electricity and mysteries of the natural world are the best. He still loves to take apart and build things, but has discovered a new love for science experiments. He loves to draw, too, but his drawings are usually of mechanical or body systems, or data charts from his experiments. He also loves to play the wii, run around the yard, and play with his brothers and friends.
Nathan (5) is spending his last year at home with Mom. He is such a fun boy. He spent the first part of the year being a pirate, and the last part of it being a scarecrow. He often changes several times a day, and mom has to be careful to keep up. He also loves to draw and shows much promise of following in his big brother's footsteps. He started sounding out words this fall and has recently "published" his first book, "The Wizrd of Pos." He also loves running errands with Mommy, reading books, visiting Great-Grandma Mangum, and following his brothers around and playing legos with them.
Our family has been blessed beyond measure this year, and knowing that our Heavenly Father loves and watches over us is among our greatest treasures. We are so grateful for our forever family and all the amazing things that have happened this year to help seal our bonds of love and friendship. We pray that you, our family and friends near and far, have also felt the love and blessings of God rest upon you this year. We love you and hope you all have a merry Christmas and an amazing new year!
I do know, however, how much I love reading about all of my treasured friends and loved ones' families, so for those who took the time to search out my blog to see what we've been up to, here's our year in review (and what you would have read, had I sent out a Christmas letter this year)....
The two most exciting things we can share from 2010 is our family vaction this summer and our move this fall. We spent the first half of the year saving our pennies and in June, we packed up our Suburban to the very top (not kidding) and drove to Alaska. We spent almost a month traveling through Canada and Alaska. We drove about 8,000 miles in our car, rode to the top of the Space Needle, hiked a glacier, saw the ocean and lots of wildlife, caught our “first fish”, rode a ferry, dug up clams, played with cousins, swam in a hot spring, camped in the rain, and had many other grand adventures. We had a wonderful time together and have so many happy memories! In August, a wonderful opportunity and blessing was dropped in our lap, and we took it and moved forward with faith! We moved moved into a new pre-loved house that is just perfect for us! It has lots of room inside and out, and is absolutely beautiful! We really like our new ward, and love that we have so many new friends already. We've all adjusted pretty quickly, which helped our new house feel like "home" almost from the very first day. It's just where we're supposed to be!
Steve (our Daddy) still works for U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson. He loves his job, and also had an opportunity to help his boss get re-elected by working part-time at night and on weekends on the primary campaign. By June, he wasn't quite busy enough, so he accepted the Mayor's appointment to fill a vacant seat on the Pocatello City Council. It's been an eye-opening experience, and as much as he loves working with the other members of the board, he's really had to make some tough decisions and then stand behind what he feels is right and best for Pocatello. We're so proud of him. As entrepreneurs do, he's also found time to pad the family income with his direct mail business which helped out a lot during the campaign season (and our move) with 65,000 pieces of mail we designed, had printed, labeled, and sent out for several candidates. He has also been crazy busy this year getting our old house ready to rent, working out the little kinks in our new house, serving on a couple of other community and state boards, spending incredible quality time with his family, and tinkering in a couple of other business ventures. He was also recently called as the Cub Master in our new ward. He really likes having the opportunity to be the "funnest" 10 year-old in the ward!
Julia (Me, the Mommy) still loves being a stay-at-home mom. My kids are my life and I love that I have the opportunity to be totally involved in their activities and schools. This was also a year of change and growth for me as I discovered and learned much about myself and developed many new physical and spiritual strengths. I end the year much healthier and happier than I started it, and much more the person I want to be. I spent a few months preparing for our trip and then a few more preparing to move. It's been a crazy year, but so many blessings have been thrown our way, I know that the Lord has watched over and blessed me to be able to keep up and be the kind of mother and wife I want to be. On our 3rd Sunday in our new ward, I was called to serve as the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. In the short time I have served there (almost 2 months now), my heart has been changed, and I've seen the Lord's plan for our family start to unfold. As you can guess, I haven't had a lot of spare time for hobbies this year, but I still love baking, blogging, and reading, and playing with my family the most.
Sarah (17) has had a pretty good year. It's been a healthy one (heart-wise) with relatively little action in that department. She found out this year that she has a pretty severe case of Scoliosis, which has caused much more heartache and many more challenges, but takes it all in stride and remains her sweet little self. She is a senior in High school, and is beginning the new year with college and scholarship applications dancing in her head. Besides our family trip and moving, the highlight of her year was attending EFY at BYU-Idaho. It was such an amazing experience for her and she came back a changed teenager! She loves to spend time with our family, and all of her extra time with friends (live or on Facebook).
Rachel (14) has become the best traveled member of our family. In March, she went on the American Heritage Tour with other 8th Graders in the community. Her favorite things were spending time in New York City, and seeing "Wicked" on Broadway, and making so many new friends! She earned all $3,000 herself (with help from her terrific parents) and had a wonderful experience. She also started high school this year and absolutely loves it! Being in a "real school" now, she can wear make-up, "real clothes" and make many new friends. She stays busy with piano lessons (taking and teaching) and friends, and thoroughly enjoys having her own room!
Bryson (11) is in 5th Grade now and still loves school. He was recently released from his occupational therapy and had grown and matured in such amazing ways. We hardly ever see evidence of his Asperger's anymore, and his confidence is apparent in his constant smile. His drawing talent has continued to blossom as he draws everything from the most detailed dragons you've ever seen to cartoon mice with goofy grins. He absolutely loves scouts, and earned his Arrow of Light just before we moved. His new scout leaders are amazing and he is looking forward to camping and many other adventures in the spring with his new troop. With our move came a whole handful of friends just down the street, a few he already knew from school. Having so many friends to play with all the time is a new thing in his life, but just one more blessing that came with our new house.
Joshua (7) is in 2nd grade and has discovered the joy of reading. He loves non-fiction the best, and any information he can gather about space, electricity and mysteries of the natural world are the best. He still loves to take apart and build things, but has discovered a new love for science experiments. He loves to draw, too, but his drawings are usually of mechanical or body systems, or data charts from his experiments. He also loves to play the wii, run around the yard, and play with his brothers and friends.
Nathan (5) is spending his last year at home with Mom. He is such a fun boy. He spent the first part of the year being a pirate, and the last part of it being a scarecrow. He often changes several times a day, and mom has to be careful to keep up. He also loves to draw and shows much promise of following in his big brother's footsteps. He started sounding out words this fall and has recently "published" his first book, "The Wizrd of Pos." He also loves running errands with Mommy, reading books, visiting Great-Grandma Mangum, and following his brothers around and playing legos with them.
Our family has been blessed beyond measure this year, and knowing that our Heavenly Father loves and watches over us is among our greatest treasures. We are so grateful for our forever family and all the amazing things that have happened this year to help seal our bonds of love and friendship. We pray that you, our family and friends near and far, have also felt the love and blessings of God rest upon you this year. We love you and hope you all have a merry Christmas and an amazing new year!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas Blessings
I just tucked five of my most amazing blessings in bed on this beautiful Christmas night, and headed to bed with tears streaming down my face and a giant lump in my throat. I felt I just had to take a minute to record the gratitude I feel gushing from my heart. I am so blessed to have such amazing children. They are so eager to do what is right, so happy to serve, so thoughtful and kind (most of the time), and very forgiving (the rest of the time). They love to learn, thrive on love, and love to make me smile. They each have such different personalities, and I wouldn't change a single thing about them. Those individuals are so very extraordinary I am so thankful for each of them, and so grateful that they are mine - forever. I went back into their rooms and told each of them that tonight...that I was thankful that Heavenly Father gave them to me and that they were part of our family. That's when the tears and lump started forming. What a great way to end a wonderful Christmas day. Now I get to crawl into bed with their father - the love of my life, my best friend, and the other greatest blessing in my life - and snuggle down in his arms and cry with gratitude some more. I can't believe how much my Heavenly Father must love me to give me the privilege of loving such choice people, and helping me realize it again tonight. I'm still sitting here wondering if it's the tiredness from getting up at 5:00 this morning, the lingering sweet Christmas spirit we started the day with, or the nyquil I took to help me sleep thorough my cold, but whatever helped prepare me for this experience tonight, I'm...well, ...grateful.
Friday, October 15, 2010
A New Adventure...
It's been such a long time since I've posted again... so much to catch up on! But, the most pressing matter at hand right now is the move into our big, beautiful, newer home on Fairway. It was interesting how it all happened. We weren't really looking--joking about moving occasionally, mostly to get a rise out of the girls--but thought eventually it would be nice to have a larger home, with more room. I've always wanted to be the "kool-aid mom" as my friend put it. I just wanted to be the kind of mom and have the kind of house I grew up with, that all the kids' friends want to be there. I just like to know where they are, and what they're doing. Anyway, Steve's friend is a realtor and called him to tell him that this house he was selling had been on and off the market for two years now, and that it had just been reduced another $20,000. (First listed two years ago at $319,000 and now down to $189,900!) He said it would be perfect for our family and we just HAD to look at it. So just for fun, we did.
...And we fell in LOVE! I couldn't believe how I could picture our family living there, our stuff in certain spots, and how much fun we'd have with all the extra space and entertaining possibilities. It kind of "felt" like home. So, we went home and looked at the budget, considered all the possibilities, fasted and prayed, and made an offer on the house. We asked for 90 days to allow us to take care of our house, we pay the asking price, and they pay our closing costs. We didn't expect it, but they actually accepted our offer.
Then, we had the problem of the house we'd been living in that had a lot of updating that needed to be done. We were currently on year 2 of a 5-year plan to remodel and fix it up. So far, we had put in new carpet and painted the whole upstairs except the playroom, kitchen and the bathroom. So, we kicked it into full gear, and in a month painted the bathroom and kitchen, tiled the kitchen and entry way, put in laminate flooring, a new sink, and tub surround in the bathroom, ripped out ancient carpet on the stairs and hallway downstairs and had new carpet put in, finished and painted the walls in the hallway downstairs (it was still sheet rock for all these years), and fixed up the bathroom downstairs with new texture, paint, and trim. In the process, we decided that we'd just rent this house for a couple of years, instead of trying to sell it. Much more work and money to sell rather than rent, and if we wait for the market to recover, we may be able to get enough out of it to cover our mortgage.
So, here we are, 66 days into our contract, and we are scheduled to close next Wednesday!! We are so excited about the new house, change of atmosphere, changes in our family, and the adventure of it all. We're sad to leave our ward (and stake) and sad to see our house go to someone else. We've lived here for 14 years, and it's the only house and ward our kids have known. It's comfortable and we love it here. So, as excited as we are for our new adventure, we are having a harder time being released from our stake callings, leaving behind people we might not have occasion to see anymore, and saying goodbye to our wonderful neighbors than we thought we would have. Thankfully, though, the kids will be going to the same schools and being only 8 minutes drive-time from where we are, and with some effort, we'll still keep in touch and get together with our friends. The girls can't wait to have a party and spread out through the house and yard. They'll have a giant back yard with a deck, the sun room, the game room, and the family room, all in my view, but not in my space. It will be absolutely perfect for all the friends.
It's got some amazing extras inside, but looks like a pretty modest home outside. I like that it's not "showy", but it's beautiful and we're grateful that the prior owners had money to add so many fun extras (like the cherry wood cabinets, gas fireplaces, wrap-around deck and intercom system). We'll have a huge garden area, and beautifully landscaped yard (with a waterfall and stream, raspberries and an apple tree), a 2-car garage, lots of storage space (walk-in pantry and food storage room, plus a potato cellar), a master bathroom and walk-in closet (both I've wanted all of my married life), and 6 bedrooms (or 5 and an office for Steve). Here are some pictures...
...And we fell in LOVE! I couldn't believe how I could picture our family living there, our stuff in certain spots, and how much fun we'd have with all the extra space and entertaining possibilities. It kind of "felt" like home. So, we went home and looked at the budget, considered all the possibilities, fasted and prayed, and made an offer on the house. We asked for 90 days to allow us to take care of our house, we pay the asking price, and they pay our closing costs. We didn't expect it, but they actually accepted our offer.
Then, we had the problem of the house we'd been living in that had a lot of updating that needed to be done. We were currently on year 2 of a 5-year plan to remodel and fix it up. So far, we had put in new carpet and painted the whole upstairs except the playroom, kitchen and the bathroom. So, we kicked it into full gear, and in a month painted the bathroom and kitchen, tiled the kitchen and entry way, put in laminate flooring, a new sink, and tub surround in the bathroom, ripped out ancient carpet on the stairs and hallway downstairs and had new carpet put in, finished and painted the walls in the hallway downstairs (it was still sheet rock for all these years), and fixed up the bathroom downstairs with new texture, paint, and trim. In the process, we decided that we'd just rent this house for a couple of years, instead of trying to sell it. Much more work and money to sell rather than rent, and if we wait for the market to recover, we may be able to get enough out of it to cover our mortgage.
So, here we are, 66 days into our contract, and we are scheduled to close next Wednesday!! We are so excited about the new house, change of atmosphere, changes in our family, and the adventure of it all. We're sad to leave our ward (and stake) and sad to see our house go to someone else. We've lived here for 14 years, and it's the only house and ward our kids have known. It's comfortable and we love it here. So, as excited as we are for our new adventure, we are having a harder time being released from our stake callings, leaving behind people we might not have occasion to see anymore, and saying goodbye to our wonderful neighbors than we thought we would have. Thankfully, though, the kids will be going to the same schools and being only 8 minutes drive-time from where we are, and with some effort, we'll still keep in touch and get together with our friends. The girls can't wait to have a party and spread out through the house and yard. They'll have a giant back yard with a deck, the sun room, the game room, and the family room, all in my view, but not in my space. It will be absolutely perfect for all the friends.
It's got some amazing extras inside, but looks like a pretty modest home outside. I like that it's not "showy", but it's beautiful and we're grateful that the prior owners had money to add so many fun extras (like the cherry wood cabinets, gas fireplaces, wrap-around deck and intercom system). We'll have a huge garden area, and beautifully landscaped yard (with a waterfall and stream, raspberries and an apple tree), a 2-car garage, lots of storage space (walk-in pantry and food storage room, plus a potato cellar), a master bathroom and walk-in closet (both I've wanted all of my married life), and 6 bedrooms (or 5 and an office for Steve). Here are some pictures...
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Part of the front, with its beautiful new paint job |
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| Part of the back yard |
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| Half of the sun room (door leads to deck) |
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| Formal living room |
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| Kitchen |
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Joshua & Nathan's room (On the condition that we get rid of the flowers ASAP) |
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| Steve's office, upstairs |
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| Master bedroom, upstairs |
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| Master bathroom |
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| Master walk-in closet |
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| Main bathroom, upstairs |
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| Game room, downstairs |
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| Family room, downstairs |
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| Rachel's room, downstairs |
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| Sarah's room, downstairs (she's kind of excited) |
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| Bryson's room, downstairs |
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| Kids' bathroom, downstairs |
We're so grateful that except for a little bit of "left behind" stuff to go to the DI, it's ready to move into, as is. We want to do some re-decorating and updating in some of the rooms, but those things will happen in time. We'll also have some very empty rooms for a while as we save up for furniture to fill it. But, we're so excited to move in and fill up all the space. (I'm sure it won't take as long as I think. We've got a LOT of stuff!!)
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Our Family Road Trip
As taken from my journal, and pictures added...
June 9, 2010
Yesterday was the first day of our family road trip to Alaska. We've been saving and working extra hard for the last 6 months so we'd have enough money to not go in debt for our vacation. It feels good to have actually earned this trip.
We drove from Pocatello to Seattle in one day, stopping only 3 times for bathroom, gas and food breaks. We couldn't believe how good the kids were. Nathan sat in his car seat and drew all day as happy as could be. He almost filled up a 100-page doodle pad. The kids watched movies, we played a game of virtual hide and seek and sang some obnoxious travel songs. We had a fun and very happy day, considering how long we were driving. We stopped in Auburn, just east of Seattle.
Today we're going to see the Space Needle and up to Vancouver. We saw some beautiful country across Oregon and Washington. Some of the mountain passes in Oregon were absolutely gorgeous. Northern Washington, like near Auburn and Seattle, were so green...waterfalls on the freeway. It is so beautiful here. So green...
June 10, 2010
In the last day and a half, we've ridden to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, crossed the Canadian border, ridden a ferry to Victoria, slept in a hotel by the ocean, visited a famous 100 year-old Victorian castle, had lunch with some local totem poles, and barely missed the ferry back to Vancouver by 5 minutes and had to wait 2 hours for the next one--first in line.
The kids are still doing well. Most of them (everyone but Sarah) have a runny nose and various stages of some viral thing--coughs and runny eyes... but they're such good kids.
The Space Needle was a fun stop. We have tow kids very afraid of heights--Sarah and Josh. Sarah actually considered staying at ground level--until she realized she'd be all alone for about an hour and Steve insisted she come. She loved it up there and felt very good about "conquering" her fears. Josh was totally fine, after seeing on the way up that the construction of it was solid and sound, until I suddenly lifted him up to see over the bar. He grabbed my neck and started to cry when he buried his face in my neck. I felt so terrible scaring him like that. Not sure what he thought I was going to do, but I guess his security was gone the moment his feet left the "ground". Nate was so excited to see the Space "Meedle". Little Einsteins went there in one of his movies and he couldn't wait to go there himself. It was so cute!
The border crossing was an interesting event. They pulled us out of line and made us go inside where yet a 3rd officer asked questions about us and our travels, looked over our paperwork (passports and birth certificates) yet again, and made us sit and wait about 10 minutes. Then he called us over and told us to have a good trip and gave back the papers. And just like that, we were back on the road--in Canada. One thing we learned through that experience...Canadian border patrol officers are very serious. Not even a smile cracked with Steve's light tone...like when they asked if any of us were traveling with over $10,000 in cash and he said, "No, but that would be nice...." Stone face... It was weird. The kids were a little nervous about being in trouble or arrested, but we decided it was either a routine random pull-out, they didn't like Steve's tone, or they couldn't believe all 5 kids really belonged to us! :)
The hotel was a welcome rest that night after the ferry ride across the ocean to Victoria. We made macaroni and cheese and little smokies in the kitchenette in our room and went to bed early. The next morning, we got ready, had breakfast, and went to see Craigdarroch Castle. It was really cool. The kids like museums and the house was restored beautifully....incredible woodwork and stained glass. It was so pretty.
June 9, 2010
Yesterday was the first day of our family road trip to Alaska. We've been saving and working extra hard for the last 6 months so we'd have enough money to not go in debt for our vacation. It feels good to have actually earned this trip.
We drove from Pocatello to Seattle in one day, stopping only 3 times for bathroom, gas and food breaks. We couldn't believe how good the kids were. Nathan sat in his car seat and drew all day as happy as could be. He almost filled up a 100-page doodle pad. The kids watched movies, we played a game of virtual hide and seek and sang some obnoxious travel songs. We had a fun and very happy day, considering how long we were driving. We stopped in Auburn, just east of Seattle.
Today we're going to see the Space Needle and up to Vancouver. We saw some beautiful country across Oregon and Washington. Some of the mountain passes in Oregon were absolutely gorgeous. Northern Washington, like near Auburn and Seattle, were so green...waterfalls on the freeway. It is so beautiful here. So green...
June 10, 2010
In the last day and a half, we've ridden to the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, crossed the Canadian border, ridden a ferry to Victoria, slept in a hotel by the ocean, visited a famous 100 year-old Victorian castle, had lunch with some local totem poles, and barely missed the ferry back to Vancouver by 5 minutes and had to wait 2 hours for the next one--first in line.
The kids are still doing well. Most of them (everyone but Sarah) have a runny nose and various stages of some viral thing--coughs and runny eyes... but they're such good kids.
The Space Needle was a fun stop. We have tow kids very afraid of heights--Sarah and Josh. Sarah actually considered staying at ground level--until she realized she'd be all alone for about an hour and Steve insisted she come. She loved it up there and felt very good about "conquering" her fears. Josh was totally fine, after seeing on the way up that the construction of it was solid and sound, until I suddenly lifted him up to see over the bar. He grabbed my neck and started to cry when he buried his face in my neck. I felt so terrible scaring him like that. Not sure what he thought I was going to do, but I guess his security was gone the moment his feet left the "ground". Nate was so excited to see the Space "Meedle". Little Einsteins went there in one of his movies and he couldn't wait to go there himself. It was so cute!
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| Boys exploring the straw maze we found at the Seattle Center |
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| Playing in the fountain at the Seattle Center |
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| A view from the top |
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| Joshua felt a lot better by the back wall, just "facing" North instead looking down over it! |
The hotel was a welcome rest that night after the ferry ride across the ocean to Victoria. We made macaroni and cheese and little smokies in the kitchenette in our room and went to bed early. The next morning, we got ready, had breakfast, and went to see Craigdarroch Castle. It was really cool. The kids like museums and the house was restored beautifully....incredible woodwork and stained glass. It was so pretty.
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| Rachel playing the antique Steinway |
We stopped at a park (I think it was Liberty Park) and Steve took the kids to see the totem poles while I made sandwiches. Then we got back in the car and headed to the ferry port... and missed it by 5 minutes. We passed the next 2 hours watching a movie and Steve and I tried to rethink our steps to make up for lost time and figure out how far to drive today.
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| A view of the Parliament Building from the park (Victoria is British Columbia's Capitol) |
The second ferry ride was much better on the way back. We learned about the play area on deck 6, got there early enough to sit together and by the windows, and took a walk outside on the deck to see the water below us. It was much more fun and went a lot faster. The very cool thing about the first ride, though, was the group of orcas, or killer whales (don't know which) that we accidentally saw surface on the trip over to Victoria. That was really cool. After dinner, we hit the road again for another 5-hour stretch to Williams Lake, BC.
The road is windy through the mountains--such beautiful country...tall, tall mountains, tunnels through them, trees--all kinds everywhere--and waterfalls down the side of the mountains. I hope the rest of Canada looks like this. What a beautiful place God's world is. How blessed we are!
June 16, 2010
We arrived in Houston, Alaska on Monday, the 14th. Our last 3 days to Alaska we pushed hard, drove fast and spent whole days in the car. Because of all the rain, we stopped each night to sleep at a hotel. The pickin's were pretty slim in a few of those little towns. Williams Lake had a hotel with only 1 non-smoking room left. It was old and run down ("junky" as the girls called it) that smelled like stale Indian food. There was a restaurant in the hotel. But it was a place to lay our heads that had a shower and a flush potty. The next day we traveled to Fort Nelson--about another 12 hours in the car--and got in about 12:30 or 1:00 a.m. The hotel we picked that night was really nice and the last 2 rooms they had available were adjoining rooms. We wish we'd had more time to enjoy that hotel. It was really nice. The next night we stayed in Whitehorse--the capitol of Yukon. We stayed at an economy hotel that was nice and clean, but older, and they only had 1 non-smoking room available. The boys slept on the floor in sleeping bags there, too. We drove through so fast, we didn't really get to see the towns or anything, arrived late, slept in, left and drove all day. Some of the roads were pretty windy, but after Watson Lake, the Alaska Highway was pretty straight for awhile and so beautifully groomed. It was an amazing drive. Can't even describe how beautiful, and the pictures we took really don't do justice to the scenery.
We also saw a lot of wildlife those 4 days: bears... black and maybe a grizzly, moms and baby cubs (they were so cute!), two wild horses, moose (and 1 baby with a mommy) elk, bison (buffalo, also with calves), sheep (dall sheep with large round horns) deer, and a ptarmigan (arctic grouse) among other birds, lots of seagulls, geese and... (of course) mosquitoes!
The last stretch of our driving was after we stayed Sunday night in Tok, Alaska. The Westmark hotel there was really nice, too. There was lots of room for the boys to run--and run they did. I called Shaunna (our phones finally started working again, now that we were back in the US) and sat in a porch swing enjoying the fresh air. The kids slept in our room with us--it was big enough they brought in 2 roll-aways the girls used. We made dinner in the room and watched a movie together before we fell asleep.
Oh! Sunday it rained most of the day. We had decided to stop and set up the camp stove and eat hot food we already had so we wouldn't have to buy anything but gas along the way. Well, it rained and rained, and finally we saw a rest stop and Steve said he'd cook (warm the chili) in the rain. When we stopped, the rain slowed to a sprinkle, and by the time we had all the stuff out, it had stopped completely. IT stayed away until we had cleaned up and started back on the road again. Thais trip has been full of little miracles like that--the only rooms left at midnight being adjoined rooms or non-smoking, rain stopping while we explored Seattle or made lunch, seeing orca whales when such a thing is very rare on the ferry. We have been abundantly blessed on this trip. Safe arrival after 6 days and 3,000+ miles of highway and no problems--with the car or the kids. They passed around a snotty nose and hoarse voice but are all mostly better now.
We had a very warm welcome by the Lees ("Welcome to Alaska" posters and everything) and are so happy to be here playing with them. Their house--the log home they built--is absolutely gorgeous and it's hard to not be just a little bit jealous. There is enough room for an extra family when you put boys and little ones on the floors and couches. I went on an incredible 4-mile walk with Shaunna yesterday to the river and back. The cool air was invigorating and it was fun to have such conversation and fast pace. I could really get used to doing that in the mornings, and being in this beautiful piece of Heaven.
Today we're headed to the Kenai Peninsula to camp. We're going clamming and to see Exit Glacier, take the kids to the Sea Life Center and Steve and I are going deep sea halibut fishing on Friday. I'm really excited, but a little nervous, too. It's wet and rainy today, so I hope the sun will shine down on us soon and will enjoy our stay near the ocean so much more. Landon (my nephew) asked Heavenly Father to bless us that the sun would come out so we wouldn't be so miserable. Hopefully that's part of His will today. :)
June28, 2010
It happened. The rain stopped all while we went clamming, walked to Exit Glacier, through most of our fishing charter, and on through the week. It has amazed me this whole trip that the rain has stayed away just where or when we really wanted or need it to. With the exception of a rainy camping trip--rained most of the night, both nights--our every hope and wish has been granted. It's like Heavenly Father has blessed our trip and wants us to have the best time we can--it's been so amazing!
Well, my journal was in the car all while w were at Shaunna's and I was so busy having fun and playing that I didn't write while we were there. So, here's a recap of what we've been up to at Shaunna's house (hopefully I'll write more someday and fill in the gaps)...
Monday: arrived in late afternoon, kids were bounding off walls, so excited. Grand tour of Lees house... so beautiful!
Tuesday: Stayed home and played all day, slept late, lots of resting, washed and repacked for Seward trip
Wednesday: Left at 7am to Ninilchik to go clamming, Nathan got cold, Josh got stuck in wet sand and soaked, and so did Sarah (fell in helping Landon get unstuck), Bryson came in cold, and Rachel stayed out for the long haul. We had a great time, though, and I was surprised they all touched the clams and played as long as they did--it was really cold. Luckily, Shaunna had boots and waders to take care of everyone in both families. Bless her! Drove to Seward in rain. Camp set up, no rain again til after dinner.
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| We called Rachel our "Gap Girl" |
Thursday: Hike to Exit Glacier and Alaska Sea Life Center
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| Branson, Landon, Rachel and Sarah / Carston, Joshua, LaKell, Bryson and Nathan |
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| Nathan and Carston were "bad scouts" and kept leaving the trail |
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| Tickling the anemones and starfish |
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| Nathan was so excited to see real jellyfish. He watched them forever! |
Friday: Kids camped in rain with Lees, Steve and I went on halibut fishing charter. So fun! Caught my limit of halibut, 3 rock fish and 1 silver salmon--I was the only one on the boat that caught a salmon--felt pretty proud of that one! Such a great time and beautiful, calm ocean. Saw orcas, dolphins, puffins, and sea lions, all in their natural habitats--definite bonus. Cleaned up camp in rain and drive home. Home late.
Saturday: Recovered, cleaned up, played, took 4-mile hike (around the block) with Eric and all the boys, rode tiny train--Nathan and the other boys loved it!
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| Rachel, Branson, Sarah, Bryson, Josh, Carston, LaKell and Nathan - Missing Landon |
Sunday: Church and Father's day. Treasure hunt for dads with matching ties, clues and "X marks the spot". Moose backstrap steak for dinner and pies for dessert. Nice day. Incredible husband. Love him SO much!
Monday - Reindeer farm, "Snotty" kept sneezing on us...yuck! Kids were much less timid than expected--especially Nathan. He was so cute petting the babies and feeding those huge mouths from his hand.
Tuesday: H2Oasis water park in Anchorage, fun double seated tube water slide--Rachel and I loved this! Pirate ship, shallow pool, lazy river, etc. Our kids were done way before the Lees, but we all had fun. Introduced the Lees to "Dippin Dots" ice cream (one of Steve's favorites) and went to see Toy Story 3--cute movie, just a little intense for little ones in one part. Laughed a lot, loved it! Movie theater gave us all coupons for free popcorn and small drinks--fun to each have our own! :)
Wednesday: Steve and Eric took the boys fishing at the Johnson's in teh Lees' ward, nice ptople--let the kids ride the paddle boats and they caught tiny fish--first one for Josh. Girls went shopping in Anchorage, souvenir shops downtown and the mall.
Thursday: Independence mine--explored old mining camp. Hatcher's pass--beautiful. In the morning Steve and I went to Wasilla. He got the car serviced, vacuumed and washed for our trip home while I went to visit Sarah Noel--nice visit, she seems happy in Alaska. Washed clothes, bought groceries and packed.
Friday: Loaded the car and crammed in a canoe trip at the lake down the road, and roasted hot dogs and s'mores for lunch that we wanted to do all week, just before we left. Always came home too late, to bed too late, slept in too late. That Alaskan midnight sun is pretty crazy on the body.
Oh! I forgot...Sunday night, late (10:30pm to 4:00am), Eric and his friend, Rod, took me and Steve salmon fishing on some rivers and creeks to get our kings. It was a slow night, no bites, but beautiful, peaceful, incredible, and I became a great caster! :)
Headed home now. Sad, but anxious. I just can't believe it's over already!
Friday night, we stayed in Tok, Saturday night in Teslin, and last night in Fort Nelson. Sarah and Bryson got coughs while we were at the Lees, so they've been feeling yucky--Sarah's been throwing up the last 3 days (with the coughs). Now Steve and Josh are coughing, and Josh and Rachel have both had earaches. It appears it's time for us to return home and get ourselves back together again. Kids are still doing well, considering the long days of driving and not feeling very well. To Edmonton tonight (seeing the largest mall in North America tomorrow morning), stopping at the Sign Post Forest and for a dip at Liard Hot Springs along the way, and then to Kalispell, Montana the next day, and home the next, if all goes according to plan.
...and that's where my journaling ended. I'm really not a very good journal writer. Obviously, we returned home safely, were really glad to be in our own beds again, and everyone got well again. You can tell by the pictures we had a good time on the way home, too. We had such a fun time together, and still laugh when someone mentions some of the funny little things that happened on our trip. The time we spent playing in the car was among some of our favorite memories, and everybody's been a little different since we got home. The kids became very aware of the little miracles that seemed to happen every day, sometimes several a day. It was definitely one of the best things we've ever done for our family, second to being sealed together forever and starting this family in the first place!
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