Our Little Family

Dec 21, 2008

Giving to a family in need

We had this great opportunity this year to do Christmas for a family in need. What a wonderful thing to be able to do. I find so much joy in doing things like this for others who need it so badly. Josh's side of the family decided instead of drawing names this year for each other they would put all the money together and give it to some one who needed it more. Thank you thank you for this wonderful idea, it was great. Josh and I knew this family who needed help with Christmas so it worked out so well. Josh dressed up all snow camouflaged and his sister Jaimee and her husband Travis and his brother Jon helped him deliver the gifts. It was so exciting for all of us. We had been explaining to the girls who the gifts were for and why, so it was fun for them to come with us to see the excitement it brought this family. We stayed back and watched from the car with the lights off while Josh and his siblings ran the huge boxes up to the door and rang the doorbell and ran. Josh stayed behind the car and waited and listened to them and the Mom could not believe it she was so filled with joy and the little boy read the name tags and said "Mom they are from Santa" I had wrapped all the gifts and put each child's name on them and from Santa, I am so glad I did that is so fun for those children. Oh how I would have loved to be in their home last night to feel the love that I am so sure filled there home. There was a lot of love sent in those packages and a lot of love given to those who participated in giving the packages. So much fun, something that I hope we can do every year and I hope you all can start doing something as a family like this as well. It was worth it!!

First time playing in the snow!

The girls love the snow!!! I know it is so cold and miserable but they sure love it. I wait until Josh is home to play outside with them because he is like a big kid and loves to play in the snow as well. We got the famous pink snow machine out of storage for the winter and the girls were very excited about that. Maddy and Kynzee started making snow angels and sweet little Kenna had to figure out a way to lay down in her huge snow clothes so she could make one too. It was so fun to watch them play with each other and have such a great time in the snow!! That is one good thing about winter the kids LOVE it!

Kenna loves babies

Kenna is now 20 months old! I cannot believe how fast it has gone by. This sweet little girl of mine loves babies so much, she can spot a baby from a mile away it the grocery store. When we drive by a car and she sees a baby car seat she will start yelling "baby, baby". In church today we couldn't even stay in Relief Society because she was trying to jump over the seat and get the baby behind us, it was not a good thing, then she started yelling at me and telling me "No" because she wanted the baby, it was terrible. I always bring a baby to church with us but she likes real babies more :) She will be a very sweet little mommy someday.

What next?

So I went in and met with the Dr who deals with all the stomach things and he wants to do an endoscopy and colonoscopy of my insides because of the bulge in my stomach that was on the CT Scan. He said that it had nothing to do with the cysts and it needs to be looked at because of the horrible pain I am having,not to mention that fact that every time I eat something the pain gets worse and worse which tells them it is the stomach.He mentioned a few problems that could be going on but I am not going to dwell on any of them until he tells me for sure. So Jan 8th is the big day for that, he said to plan on three hours and they have to put me to sleep, that's a big fear of mine let me tell you!!! Really a HUGE fear in fact, not good, I am just a big chicken anyway. Then I thought my liver counts from my liver failure have been getting better well, he looked at my reports from my blood work and shook his head at me and told me they were not good and something was going on somewhere. So he drew some more blood AGAIN!! and I will have results back on Tuesday. If the blood test are still bad and they aren't showing any improvement, I will be scheduled for a liver biopsy. They wanted to do a biopsy a long time ago but said it was too dangerous because when your liver doesn't work right you don't clot like you are suppose to so you can bleed to death. Well so now that is a scary thought for me. Like I said I am a BIG chicken. My belly from the outside is starting to look better I am not nearly as big as I have been, so that is a good thing. I shouldn't have a belly like that unless there is a baby inside there :) :) At least that's what I think. So I am going in a week to see if the cysts are gone which I think they are because of how good my belly looks. Who knows I don't seem to know much of anything anymore. When I think things are good I am always wrong. The Dr. said the sleepiness that I have that is soooooooo bad is probably from the liver function not good. I sure hope they figure something out fast I am beginning to worry way too much lately. I am just hoping for the best and hoping that I will be able to stay calm.

Dec 18, 2008

What is wrong with my belly?

Those of you who haven't read the post below this one you better read it first!

After waiting so patiently (not really but I tried) The Dr. finally called me and my belly sure looks likes this for a good reason. First off all I have a cyst the size of a large grape fruit on the right side of me and another one the size of a tennis ball on the left side of me and also the remains left in me of on old cyst that they think has just popped and was probably the size of the big one in me now. Both of these cysts are touching each other in my belly and have pushed everything up inside me and how caused a lot of problems and definitely a lot of pain. So the Dr. said these can be hormone related cysts or bad cysts. They are going to watch me closely over the next couple weeks and see if the cysts hormonal, if they are they will go away, if they aren't they wont go away just get bigger and then they will do a biopsy of them to see what they are. The Dr. really thinks they are hormonal because of the third one that they can see has gone away. All the nasty symptoms that I have been having like sleeping all the time, night sweats, headaches, they have all been related to the cysts messing up the function of the ovaries in my body. I am looking forward to the miserable huge belly and pain going away soon. The CT Scan was questioning something in my stomach, so I have to make an appointment with another Dr. to have a scope of my stomach so they can see it more clearly. It's probably a stomach ulcer :) I worry so much about everything it wouldn't surprise me. This year has been kinda rough on me. But I will wait and see what that Dr. says. Isn't it great to be a woman :) Really it is and today I am counting my many blessings that this problem is so fixable. I am so thankful for the blessing I have in my life and for the opportunity I have been given to be a woman and to have healthy children. I really am blessed. I am so grateful for all of my friends and family who prayed for me and who have called and been so good to me. I could not ask for better people to have in my life, thank you and you mean the world to me. Life is hard for everyone at times and I don't think it ever gets easy, but when we all have so many people around us who love each other and take such good care of one another life is easier. Thank you.

Dec 12, 2008

No I am not Pregnant!!!!!

Yeah that is my belly you are looking at! Okay so I know what you are thinking because I have had people tell me. I LOOK PREGNANT! I don't just look a little pregnant I look like I do when I am seven months maybe even eight months pregnant. But I am not pregnant so please don't ask me when the baby is due. I sure wished there was a baby in there but there isn't I had the Dr. check believe me. So why does my belly look like this when it normally is very flat. Well........I am not sure. I have not been feeling very good for quite a while and I have pericarditis which is fluid on the heart and they think maybe the fluid is now in my HUGE belly. I had an ultrasound done and it is showing a large amount of fluid with a lot of black shadows that they don't know about, it could be scar tissue from my c-sections. We just are not sure, but we do know its not okay. I have been having a lot of chest pains and pain in my belly. And this HUGE belly grew very fast. This is so frustrating to me. I have a special kind of CT scan on Tuesday to find out for sure what is going on and they drew 8 viles of blood today. So I hope and pray that it is nothing but if it is something it can be fixed very easily. So I am warning you family and friends I am a little bit sensitive to this matter if you see me at church or on Christmas don't ask when the baby is due :(

Sweet cousin Emma

I got to babysit my niece and nephews (the ones that lived with us during the summer). My little Kenna just loved baby Emma, she didn't want to put her down she wanted to hold her the entire time she was over. We had a lot of fun and the kids sure loved having them back in the house even if it was just for a few hours.

Dec 2, 2008

Gingerbread House!!

If you have never made a gingerbread house you really should try it!! We had so much fun making a gingerbread house with the girls. This is something they will remember forever, and Daddy even had fun helping us. What a fun Christmas activity!!!

The Sock Monster!!

My Grandma makes these huge stockings for us, they are knitted and they have our names on them. Every year someone has to take the stockings and put them on their legs, arms, head, you name it. Well this year Maddy had them all over her and came to me and said "I am the sock monster and I am going to eat you" I turned around and this is what i saw. Maddy is so fun, she makes us laugh every day, and she had us all laughing at this, even little Kenna thought it was funny funny! :)

The Christmas tree!!

We got the tree all decorated and ready for Christmas. This is always so much fun for the kids, it was a wonderful day. The girls are so excited for Christmas and this just made them even more excited. The girls have a pink Christmas tree for their bedroom and they put all their special little ornaments on it, they love waking up to their cute little tree every morning. Usually we can't put ornaments on the bottom half of the tree because I always have a little one running around that just takes them off the tree. Kenna has been so good so far and has only touched the tree a couple times. We might just be able to keep the tree fully decorated this year. I love Christmas time, I love the tree, the lights, the music, the love that I feel in my home, I just love every part of it. It seems like it takes forever to get here for me. I need the extra little happiness that Christmas brings and I am so glad it's here!

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! It was such a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the kids played outside, it was great. My family came over to my house for Thanksgiving this year, it was so nice to have dinner with them at my home and enjoy such a wonderful holiday. My girls had so much fun playing with their cousins, it was truly a perfect day. I couldn't believe how nice the weather was, I mean how many Thanksgivings can you think of that we have been able to go outside without freezing? I can't think of very many. The kids loved it!! I have so many things to be thankful for. When I think of some of the things in my life that I would like to be able to change, that I don't like, or that I struggle with, there are not very many. But when I think of all the things that are great and wonderful that I am so thankful for there are too many to even count and that's what matters most. I am so thankful that I had such a wonderful Thanksgiving, I treasure the good days that I have in my life. I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving as well.

Kenna enjoying her yummy dinner

My niece Taya enjoying her yummy dinner too

Kenna and Taya are two weeks apart in age and they just love each other so much it is fun to watch them be such good friends.

Maddy and Kynzee with their cousins Jani, Jaden, and Alyssa eating dinner on the little people table!

Kenna running as fast as she can and so thankful to be outside and out of the hot house!

Aunt Katie!!

Look at my brother Nick, he is such a good Uncle outside playing with the kids, we sure do love him!

Jani and Alyssa enjoying the nice sunny day on the swings

Uncle Nick pushing Kenna, she didn't want him to stop, she was having so much fun.

Nov 24, 2008

Picture Tag!!

This one's for you Shalyce..........

Fourth folder, fourth picture is.............

Kynzee Kate about 6 months old, she was a chubby chubby baby that's all I got to say!

I tag everyone on my list!!! Lets see all your old pictures. :)

Cousin Ashton's Birthday Party

Oh aren't birthday parties so much fun?? We sure like them. My kids love them! We don't get together as often as we should as a family so it is nice when a birthday comes along because then we get to have a party. We celebrated Ashton's 2nd birthday and my whole family was there. I got a picture of all the little kids (except for Taya and baby Emma) but we still had quite a line, aren't they so fun? Look at all those kids riding bikes, laughing, and having tons of fun, I love it! we had a wonderful weekend. I love being so close to family they mean the world to me.