What a month!

The last month has been very eventful. After Mark's birthday we celebrated Thanksgiving with My Dad, Step-Mom, and sister Lani in San Antonio. It was so wonderful! We all had fun cooking. We all went to Sea World and experienced their holiday shows which were enjoyable. We saw a few movies, caught a racoon, and just had fun being together. It was just what I was hoping it would be!

In December things got really exciting! The kids all had things going on with school, parties, and choir concerts. We had something every night. And then the inevitable happened! I fell and sprained my ankle. It is quite a funny story and I am totally to blame. I was at the kitchen table doing homework with Rachel, a common occurance, and I happened to knock one of Hunter's sippy cups onto the floor. I thought nothing of it and continued with homework. One of the kids needed something so I got up to help them. As I did I stepped on that sippy cup (the one I had knocked onto the floor), it slipped out from underneath me, I fell backwards and my foot gave out! I am sure it looked most graceful as I saw the looks on my kids faces of wide eyes and open mouths. So there I was sitting on my kitchen floor with all of my children around me and a foot I couldn't move. After I got over the shock of what I had just done I realized I needed to get to an emergency room. Andy was not home from work yet and I couldn't even lift myself off of the floor because of the way I fell. So, Jared called Andy and Andy called a friend who was home from work. In order for me to get to the car they put me on my office rolling chair and wheeled me out the door. I was quite graceful with that too. After I got to the emergency room and all the x-rays taken the Dr.'s told me I sprained my ankle and I could have a hairline fracture but that wouldn't show up on an x-ray for 2 weeks. I was given a pair of crutches and a very attractive boot to wear.

I am now 1 1/2 weeks after it happened and I can walk without crutches but I limp pretty good. I am still a sight to see and people are telling me it may take a year to heal fully. That is not the best news for me but I will take what comes I guess. Andy and the kids have been amazing with helping with the dishes, laundry and basic house hold chores. Our ward has also fed us very well. I have been very blessed with a wonderful family and friends. I meet with an Ortopedist this Tuesday so I will keep you all updated as to my healing progress.

After all of this I just laugh about it. I picture myself falling through the air and wish I could have had a video camera. I know I would have won $100,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos!

Mark's Birthday

Mark turned 9 this week. He is growing so fast. He has the funnest personality and you can't help but laugh when he is himself- crazy and hillarious!

He got several of his favorite things, some Pokemon figures, pokemon cards, and a board game. We also watched Kung Fu Panda, which has now become one of our families hillarious "stress reliever" movies because it makes you laugh so hard.

It is a tradition that I make the cake and Andy decorate the kids birthday cakes every year. Mark requested a pumpkin cake this year so this is how it turned out. It was a chocolate cake and the decorations were Reeces Pieces which are one of Mark's favorite candies.

Halloween!

These are the kids on Halloween. Jared was Harry Potter, Mark was a skeleton, Rachel was both Belle and Cinderella,Belle at the trunk- or -treat and Cinderella Halloween night. Hunter was Super Mario from his favorite video game. Of course the kids were very successful in there candy solicitaion and we have all been enjoying their spoils. On Rachel's 2nd trip out she said "Mom, this is the best Halloween ever!" The kids did look pretty good.

Pumpkin Carving

This year when we carved pumpkins we used stencils. They turned out really cool! Mark chose the goblin and Jared chose the pirate skull. They turned out great thanks to Andy's artist hands!

An Arrow of Light

Jared received his Arrow of Light last week. He finished all of his requirements in June but was not awarded his arrow until now due to the summer break from pack meetings. He worked really hard on it and had some great leaders who helped him. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments.

I had a birthday

Well this year I celebrated my 34th birthday. It was a nice day and I got a lot of my favorite things. I had brownies with ice cream and chocolate syrup, my favorite dessert. I got some earings, a puzzle, and peanut m&m's. Also my favorite things. And I got some flowers which smelled wonderful! Overall it was a great day!

Jared's Choir Uniform

Jared is in the advanced Tenor -Bass choir this year in 6th grade. This is his formal uniform. He has had 2 concerts this year so far and has done very well. I just wanted to share how good he looks with everyone!

Ike Damage After All

When it was raining the other day, Steffinie thought that she heard some water dripping. She decided to investigate in the attic and found that we had one rafter in our roof that had split in half and one that was cracked. There was no water leak. We have some individuals that are in construction and will help us repair it tomorrow morning. Attached are some pictures of tha damaged rafters.

Andy

No More Diapers!

I think that it is safe to say, after a month of no accidents, that Hunter is potty trained! I can't believe it! It is such a surreal experience. I have been changing diapers for 11 years. Can you believe it? 11 years. I still can't believe it myself! :) Anyway, I just wanted to share the great news with everyone. This is a huge milestone for us! Next milestone- A teenager! Help!

I got a Massage!

As part of my "Week for Me" I got a massage. My neighbor graciously gave me a gift certificate to a spa at the local Marriott. She said I should get a massage with it so I did! It was my first one ever and I have to say I was very nervous, but my masseuse was so wonderful. I had a glorious time just relaxing and enjoying every minute of it. When I was finished I was so relaxed my muscles felt like jello and I really wanted a nap. I have never been so relaxed in my life. The only thing I wish was better was the effects didn't last very long. By night time I was starting to tense up again and by the next day I was back to normal. Despite that, I still told Andy he needs one too! Everyone should have one! So if anyone is considering a massage GO! It is so worth it!

My Last 2 Weeks - Crazy!!!!!

Well I have had a very interesting few weeks. We had Hurricane Ike hit Houston Saturday, September 13th. That was a crazy experience in itself. Listening to the wind howl for 10 hours straight was not my idea of fun. But we survived and so did our house. Rachel started not feeling well. She came down with a runny nose and a cough. Sunday we decided to evacuate to San Antonio and stay with family until our power was restored. That was a fun drive :). We had to turn around several times because of downed trees or high water but 6 hours later (instead of 3 hours) we had made it. 3 hours later we get a call from our neighbor saying we have power. Great right? We were going to just stay in San Antonio for a few days because Andy and the kids were off of work and school. Andy had an appointment scheduled at MD Anderson for an excisional biopsy Tuesday morning that we figured was cancelled. When we finally got in touch with MD Anderson Monday morning, Andy's appointment was not canceled so we hopped into the car and drove 6 hours back to Houston.
Tuesday morning we went to the hospital expecting to have Andy's surgery but instead it was a pre-op appointment where they discussed the procedure and Andy signed the consent papers. We were told that the surgery schedule was really backed up and that we would have to wait and see if Andy's surgery was a priority. So we went home and waited to hear when Andy's surgery would be. We were both very anxious for the surgery so we could see if Andy's cancer had returned. Wednesday morning Hunter woke up with a Temperature. It was low enough that he was functional, 100 degrees, but he still wasn't feeling well. We finally got in touch with the hospital about Andy's surgery and apparently his surgery was a priority because we had to go down and see the anesthesiologist that day because his surgery was scheduled for first thing Thursday morning. So we now had 2 sick kids, Rachel and Hunter, and we had to go to the hospital for Andy. Because all of the kids were "functional" we went ahead and continued with Andy's appointment. We had a friend who watched all of the kids for us and we got things rolling for Andy's surgery the next morning.
After we got home Hunter started feeling worse very quickly. Our babysitter Chelsea said she would watch the kids, even when they were sick, while Andy had his surgery and so she came over and spent the night. During the night Jared woke up with a temperature. I was just thinking, "I can't believe this is happening right now". We now had 3 kids sick, Rachel, Hunter, and now Jared. Well we went off to the hospital Thursday morning so Andy could get his 2 swollen lymph nodes removed and biopsied. While I was there I called the kids Doctor's office to see if they were open. They were not because they still didn't have power from the hurricane the previous Saturday, but they were seeing drop in patients at another location so I was happy for that.
Andy's surgery went well and they got everything out that they needed. I brought him home and put him to bed. Friday I took Jared, Rachel and Hunter to the drop in office. Jared had an ear infection, Rachel had a sinus infection, and Hunter had strep throat. I was just sick to my stomach by now and praying that the pharmacy was open and had antibiotics in stock. Thankfully they did and the kids started the antibiotics right away. Saturday Andy wasn't feeling well. He was in a a lot of pain because his pain medication made him throw up so he stopped taking them. He had a lot of swelling in his jaw, his drain he had in his neck wasn't draining well, and his face was turning numb. I was worried so I took him to the emergency room at MD Anderson to have them check him out. The problem was clots were forming in his drain. Once they were cleared he was feeling much better and he was able to get some pain medication that worked. Within the next few days everyone started feeling better and the kids were getting ready to go back to school on Wednesday. The day before school was back in session Mark got sick. It was probably inevitable. I got him on antibiotics that day.
Wednesday Jared and Rachel went back to school. They were ready to go back! We also got Andy's biopsy results back NO CANCER!!!! Instead his has the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) concentrated in his lymph nodes. His Dr.'s have never seen it before this way. It is usually found in the blood, lungs, or urine. He has been referred to a viral disease specialist at MD Anderson that will be treating him.
All I can say about everything that has happened recently is that I am grateful to my friends who were able to help me and I am especially grateful to my Heavenly Father for never leaving my side.

Houston Astros Late Run Not Enough

Once again the late run by the Houston Astros is a little too late. The first half of the season was miserable. The second half of the season was exciting. They come up short behind the Mets and the Brewers. Better luck next year!

Once again I will have to root for another team in the playoffs. I have decided to root for the Boston Red Sox in the AL and the Chicago Cubs in the NL. Go Sox and Cubs!

Andy

First Day of Pre-School

Hunter had his first day of pre-school today. Here is a picture of him before he went.

First Day of School!

I know I am a month overdue on this but here is the first day of school picture. Rachel is in Kindergarten. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Beckering. Mark had her for Kindergarten as well. She loves school. She is developing her fine motor skills very quickly and is getting very good at writing her name. She has made freinds quickly and has been getting into trouble for talking a little too much. That's my Rachel. Mark is in 3rd grade and his teacher is Mrs. Erwin. He has been doing well despite having a broken arm. It is a challenge to write with his right hand when he is left handed. The arm brace will come off on Monday the 29th. He is working on some muscle exercises to strengthen his arm again. Jared is in 6th grade now and has 6 different teacher's. He is taking 4 pre-AP classes (Math, Science, Social Studies, & Language arts). He also has gym and advanced choir. He is also in the Math club.He is doing well in all of his classes and is really enjoying 6th grade. Right now his favorite subject is Gym because they are playing basketball everyday. They have enjoyed their "vacation" because of Hurricane Ike but will be going back to school this Wednesday. Hunter will be starting school in 2 weeks. I have already decided that those first 3 days that Hunter is in school I will do only what I want. No grocery store, no laundry, no errends. Just what I want to do! I hope I get my wish!

After Hurricane Ike

We survived Hurricane Ike! Our house received no damage. Our oak tree lost a few branches but they did not hit the house. We lost part of our fence. Attached are some pictures of the aftermath of the hurricane.

We lost power at 3 am during the hurricane. The power was out all day Saturday and returned Sunday night. (We had left that morning to go to San Antonio). It was crazy trying to get out of the Houston area. It was great for some of our friends though because they were able to enjoy our house and air conditioning while we are away.

Andy

Preparations for Hurricane Ike

We are getting ready for the arrival of Hurricane Ike. We spent yesterday boarding up our windows. The hurricane is supposed to make landfall at about 2 a.m. on September 13. It is beginning to get windy outside. We decided to ride this one out in our house.

Andy

Rachel is 5!

Our Little princess turned 5 this week. I can't believe it! She had a great day. She helped her Daddy decorate her cake. I think it turned out great myself. She went to McDonalds for her birthday dinner and then came home for cake and presents. She got Snow White and Cinderella princess barbies, a fairie doll house set, a movie and some dressup stuff. Her older brothers also gave her gifts. Jared gave her a card and 25 cents and Mark gave her a card, 20 cents, and a punching balloon. They were very excited about it. Over all it was a nice day. Rachel will be starting school in one week and is very excited. She will get to meet her teacher this Friday. I think she is more ready for her to go than I am.

Mark's Broken Arm

Well, Mark finally did it. He broke a bone. He broke his arm just above the wrist. He somehow fell off the swing in the back yard backwards and landed 5 feet away from the swing. I still can't figure that one out. He said he was trying to get off. It never set right so he went in for surgery and had pins put in to support it. He will be in a cast for the next 4 weeks, then have his pins removed. After that he will wear a wrist brace for a few weeks. He is doing fine. I still have to remind him not to jump around like he loves to do. He chose an orange cast. His favorite color! It has a window in it so I can clean the pins 2 times a day. We just cover it with the cast piece that they cut out and some co-flex tape. I am proud of him because he does very well with that. Jared broke his arm when he was 8 and now Mark. I sure hope they are not starting a trend! :)

New Blog!

At the urging of family and freinds I have started my own blog. The format is still foreign to me but I hope with more practice I will become good at it. I hope you all enjoy my amazing and busy life, as I share my experiences with you!