December Part 1

So I am now starting to post pictures from December 2008. This is sad that I am this far behind... In my next couple of posts be prepared for some Christmas in July!

Blackfoot had a downtown get-to-know-you for businesses. My family and my mom and dad went for the walk and met all of the businesses in the area. It was a lot of fun!

Grandpa and Gavyn

Cayden, Nana, and Daddy

Bryce being happy as usual.

At the beginning of the walk we got to see Santa and the Wolf???

Gavyn, Cayden, Mr. Wolf, and Bryce

Here they are with Santa

....and with Mr. Wolf

The one sad thing about Christmas this year was that Cayden figured out who santa was. I don't know how old kids usually figure this out now-a-days, but I was hoping to have a couple of more years with him believing. Smart kid!

Cayden....catch up!

Okay... so let my catching up begin.

Cayden turned 8 on the 26th of November.....2008. I already posted about his birthday back in November, but I still need to post his baptism pictures. Cayden was baptized on November 29, 2008. Cayden was so excited to be baptized and I am so proud of him!

Cayden and daddy.

Cayden is definately a miniature Curtis!

Cayden and mom.

Cayden with his brothers. I love that he is always such a good example for them!

Most of the cousins who came to his baptism.

This is the family who was there.

Cayden and Keira were both baptized.

Cayden and Tyler.

CONGRATULATIONS CAYDEN ON BEING BAPTIZED!!!!!

Here are just some random pictures..

Gavyn and momma

Gavyn wanted to take a picture..he almost got my whole face!

This is Bryce being a goof again.

Gavyn and Bryce....need I say more!

Aunt Raylene and Uncle Danny

The kids taking down Uncle Tyler

Hailey, Rachael, Bryce, and McKay. These four cousins were all born in 2002. Hailey in March, Rachael in August, Bryce in September, and McKay in November.

Tyler, Jason, and Ashley. These are my brothers really trying to get the TV to work. Notice the aluminum foil....so redneck!

Mom holding Abigial. So cute!

Mayson

So, as most of you know Mayson's year mark was June 22-23rd. (I love the picture above. It always amazes me at how tiny, yet how perfect he was...) Curtis, me, the boys, my parents, and my sister Jennifer and her kids all went over to the graveside on the evening of the 22nd. We sang happy birthday, let some balloons go in the air, and my mom and sister left some beautiful perennials. Curtis and I went back to the graveside that night from 11:25 pm to 12:00 am because this was the time that Mayson was alive. At midnight we let the last balloon go. It was awesome! Curtis and I had a great talk and were able to just spend time together remembering.

On the afternoon of the 23rd the kids wanted me to take them to tell Mayson they loved them and to get the flowers so we could plant them at home. I took them over and the flowers were gone. This is not the first time things have been stollen and sadly it was not the last. The flowers were there less than 24 hours before being taken. I was so frustrated. How can someone come and take something off a grave....especially on the year mark of his death? What frustrated me the most was how upset my kids got. In the past year we have had almost everything that we have put out taken. I just don't understand it. I guess in the long run of things it does not matter, but it is just so rude!

On a happier note, I have stopped procrastinating and have finally uploaded all the pictures from my camera from the past NINE months. So, now I get to play catch up and I am so excited to do so.

Reminders...

This is a post that I really don't like posting, but I really want some of my feelings written down so that I can look back and remember them all. I really don't like showing when I am having a hard time and I really don't like feeling vulnerable. In fact, I am very good at hiding when I am feeling it, but there have been so many reminders lately that it is starting to be somewhat overwhelming. It started two weeks ago when Cayden's school had an end of the year party. Last year I was at that party helping out his teacher when...my water broke. I didn't know what it was at the time because it had been raining and because of the fact I was only 19 months pregnant I never expected my water to break.

The feeling kind of hit me out of no where and I was not expecting it. Actually, I was....but I thought I had prepared myself a little better. I guess there really is no way to prepare for reminders such as these.

Next one, baseball and soccer. I missed most of the games last year because I was in bed rest. This year I have gone to all the games, yet it still just seems different. The biggest reminder of all has been the Relay For Life. Last year I was one of the co-chairs, but because I was so sick I had to step down. This year I am the accountant and the closer it gets the harder it gets. Relay was on June 20-21 last year. I went the night of the 20th to watch Curtis walk the survivor's lap. My dad had a reclining chair set up for me under a cover and they had a golf cart ready to take me to and from the bathroom. I stayed for a little while and then Curtis took me home. I remember crying watching him walk the lap. I have always been so amazed at the courage Curtis showed while he went through his chemo and fought the cancer. He is such an amazing person and I love him so much.

The following Sunday, the 22nd, I did not feel well all day. I laid in the chair while Curtis and the boys were at church and I knew something was wrong. I didn't know what, but I knew. I had a lot of back pain and it just would not go away. We ended up going to mom's house for dinner. They served me my dinner on the couch. I finally could not take the pain anymore and asked Curtis to call the hospital to see if they would just give me a prescription for some pain meds. We were on a first name basis with all the delivery staff because in the past four weeks we had been there almost every other day. They requested I come in and that is when I broke down. I didn't want to go to the hospital again. I felt somehow that this would be a defining visit.

That day at my mom's house my entire family happened to be there. Curtis, my dad, my three brothers, and my brother-in-law all gathered around me and I received a blessing. We knew right then that our sweet Mayson was not going to be with us for long. We all knew it.

I feel so lucky for so many things that happened last year. I can see so many blessings that came from every struggle. I feel so lucky to have had our sweet Mayson with us for the 35 minutes he was here. I love the feeling of him being with us...I will never forget that. Sometimes I feel him so close to me still....I long for those moments.

The reminders are good, but they are also hard.

OUCH!

I am up late all the time because that is when I do my medical transcription typing, but tonight I am actually able to go to bed yet I can't because my feet hurt so bad....and here is why.

We decided that this weekend we would just relax and have fun with friends because we have been so busy lately. Friday night we went and hung out at Sam and Joe's house and played games which was very much needed. We LOVE our game nights! But this is not why my feet hurt...

Today we worked on the yard all morning and in the house all afternoon cleaning. This was nice to get done and I have a husband who is all too amazing at doing housework so he did the majority while he let me get some of my typing done during the day so I wouldn't have to stay up late. Sadly, I am still up late and here is why...

We had the Hawker family come by for a visit since we hadn't seen them in a couple of months. We decided to go to a field to play a baseball game with our kiddoes. After throwing out a few ideas of where to go we decided to go to the field behind our church on Highline...Highland...I can never remember the name of the street. Anyway, I had no socks and very clompy shoes on that I like mainly because they make me feel tall. After the first kid hit and I had to run for the ball I realized that this was not going to work out very well. So I went back to the infield somewhere between first base and the pitcher's mound and decided to kick off my shoes....

I stepped backwards out of my right shoe and my bare foot hit a massive pile of goat head thorns that were neatly hidden underneath the dirt. I instantly started to fall from the shear pain and my bare left foot proceeded to hit another massive pile of goat head thorns. At this point I couldn't stand and I fell onto my back end into yet another pile of goat head thorns and finally my hands went behind me to stop the fallilng motion with more of those nasty thorns waiting there for me. I froze, looked up, and told Curtis to come over. He said he'd be just a minute and I told him I needed him NOW! My voice must have sounded urgent because he instantly hurried over. Curtis, Brandon, Amber, and a couple of the kids then started pulling the thorns out of my feet while I pulled them out of my hands. When they were done with my feet Curtis helped me up and then they all went behind me and pulled them out of my behind and the back of my legs. Humiliating? YES! After they were finished I walked to the Tahoe to get the first aid kit to wipe the blood off my hands and feet and to put some goop on them.

I was able to walk for a couple of hours afterwards, but now my feet are throbbing, stinging, and feel bruised all over. I have been soaking them in epsom salt water, but they are still swollen up. Curtis and the Hawker's told me they pulled around 200-300 goat head thorns off my body with the majority being in my feet. So here I am typing away hoping that someday this story will make me laugh, but right now it is just too painful!

Busy, busy, busy...

Hey friends,

It has been awhile since I have written. Life has been busy, but the main reason why is because I told myself I would not write again until I get my camera pictures downloaded. I still have not even blogged about Thanksgiving. Pathetic I know. I may just have to give in though because there is so much I need to write about!

My family is once again forming a team together to do the Relay For Life this year. We love doing this and it is so fun watching Curtis walk the track as a survivor. We are so proud of him for all that he went through and for what a great attitude he has always had. We are holding a BUNCO FUNDRAISER, Friday, May 8th (tomorrow) so if anyone is in Blackfoot we would love to see you there. It will be at the Bingham Community Center on Sexton street at 7-9 PM. Tickets are $20.00 for an individual or $70.00 for a team of 4 people. If anyone is interested in joining us let me know.

Also, thank you for all of you who have checked up on me. You are all so sweet. Life is good, we have our good days and our bad, but overall I cannot complain!

Pay It Forward

A friend of mine has this on her blog and I thought it sounded like so much fun. So this is how it works: The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise.There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive a gift.

Its been a bad/good week

Life is hard. I have found that it is helpful to always look for the good in every situation. Here's my stressor of the week.

I have had a lot of chest pressure and trouble breathing because of it. I have also had rib pain for no obvious reason. Curtis finally made me go in to the doctor on Teusday because he was getting nervous from the fact I really was having a hard time breathing. So, Teusday I go into the doctor's office and describe all of my symptoms. The doctor tells me they are ordered a bunch of tests and that they think I might have a blood clot in my lungs.

An hour of tests are done and I am left in the room for two hours waiting for the results. The doctor comes in and informs me that they think I am having an MI, but they want a second opinion. Another doctor comes in and tells me I am going to the hospital do I want the ambulance or is there someone there to drive me. They also inform me that they think I am having some anxiety (ya think!!). So, my mom stayed with the boys so Curtis could come be with me.

I get to the hospital and am sent to the ICU (which I am later told was for over flow reasons, not urgency - good to know!) and hooked up to heart monitors and given IV's. They start having me take nitroglycerin pills and are continually drawing blood for tests. I was given the option of having aspirin or morphine (nothing inbetween???) and graciously accepted an aspirin. I spent the night in the hospital and the next morning the doctor came back in to tell me that the chances it was a heart attack were minimal because the tests were showing no damage to my heart (whew).

They tell me they think I have costochondritis which is inflammation around my sternum and ribs. It's painful and it mimics heart attacks. They give me anti-inflammatories for ten days to help start the healing process and I am told I will feel better in about four weeks and it should take about six months to totally heal. Apparently this is something that can happen in women ages 20-40 and there really is no known definite cause for it. The doctor also ordered a nuclear stress test for next week just to be sure there is nothing bad going on with my heart.

So now I am home trying to take it easy and let my body just heal. My chest and ribs hurt like crazy, but at least the medicine is making it so I can breath easier. So here is the breakdown:

BAD:
1. I was told I might have a clot in my lungs.
2. I got to sit around for three hours pondering that.
3. I was then told I was having a heart attack.
4. Having to stay in the hospital overnight.
5. Being poked about 10 times - I hate needles!

GOOD:
1. It wasn't a clot.
2. I didn't have a heart attack.
3. I came home to a spotless house because my mom handles stress by cleaning, THANKS MOM!
4. My boys and my husband have been so sweet and are trying so hard to take care of me.
5. My brother showed up tonight with some flowers. THANKS JASON and KIM!
6. My siblings have all been calling and checking up on me and we have gotten to chat for a while. THANKS JEN, DESI, TYLER, ASHLEY, and JAMIE!
7. My neighbor brought us dinner and some of the best cookies I have ever eaten. THANKS AMY and AMANDA!
8. I am now at home sleeping in my own comfy bed.

It is amazing how a bad week can turn into such a good one.

Cornell boys and Abigail

Okay, I got a new camera for Christmas (nana and pap actually gave it to me before Thanksgiving) and I cannot figure out how to upload the pictures. So, I thought I would blog about some photos from my older camera since that is all I have to work with at the moment. These are very out of order and are pictures from all over the place. So, here goes...

This is Gavyn, just being Gavyn. He's always trying to get people to laugh!

Cayden doing laundry. He loves doing the laundry. Every time the buzzer goes off he is in there instantly.

Gavyn and Bryce are always hanging out together. They will color together for hours!

SANTA BRYCE

SANTA GAVYN

Cayden had his school Christmas program around the second week of December. He did such a great job. He has always been so shy and has had a hard time getting up in front off people. This year, he came out of his shell and I am so proud of him. Actually, he was quite the little entertainer. He had a speaking part during the program and did a great job!

This is a gingerbread man that Bryce made for school. He put ski's on his feet and named him Courderoy. He is so proud of his artwork and tells everyone that he is an artist.

I forgot to take pictures of our Christmas tree this year, but we helped nana and grandpa Smith decorate their tree and I took pictures of the kids over there. Here is Cayden, Gavyn, and then Bryce.

Curtis' birthday is December 30th and he got an early present this year. I do black friday shopping every year and I LOVE IT!!! Curtis woke me up at about 2 a.m. that morning to inform me that he had just sold his stocks and wanted me to pick him up the TV at Wal-Mart from the ad. Apparently, it was too good to pass up and he wanted a bigger TV. Honestly, I just don't get it. We don't even have cable. We have an antena that gives us three channels on a good day, but really all we do is watch movies. I think our TV was big enough, but it was worth it because he was so happy.

This is one of Gavyn's many messes that he makes ten times a day. This one doesn't look so bad, but everything is soaked in white grape juice and apple juice. It was a sticky mess! It started on the counter and went all over the floor in my kitchen. I washed all the crayons and told him to clean the floor...

This is how he clean's the floor. He thinks if I can't see it I won't know its there. We always know when Gavyn has spilled something because he has tons of towels on the floor trying to cover it up. I usually end up leaving the room so he doesn't see me smiling! He is pretty cute though!

Here is Gavyn's cheese mess. I actually had already picked up most of it. My kids love cheese and are always wanting some. Sometimes Gavyn will pull it out himself and cut it himself. I caught this one early so the cheese was not too mutilated.

This is my niece Abigail. She is Tyler and Desi's little girl and she is the sweetest little thing! I started watching her in December and I love it. This was the first day we had her and I was trying sooo hard to get a smile caught on camera.

She has an admirer! My boys absolutely love her.

Ha, I caught a little one!

Isn't she adorable! I love watching her. She is the happiest little baby and is always smiling!

I'm still here...

Just letting you know that we are still here. It has been a long past couple of weeks and we are trying to get kids feeling better. As soon as I have some time I will be updating. Thanks for those of you who keep asking me about my blog!

I hope everyone's year is going great!

Contest

I found a contest going on at Kohl's with some great prizes. Everyone interested can go on to
http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/ourbrands/lanoubasweepsintro.jsp and register. All the details are listed there. I hope one of us wins!!!