Potty and Go-Go's.

Jacob has slowly been learning to "go on the potty". We are not pushing him as with his personality, we know that would not go over well. So we put the potty out, talk about it, ask if he wants to go and watch potty videos. He goes once every few days and has even told us he has to go, held it and then gone. He gets various rewards for going ranging from fruit snacks, to small candies. One thing he LOVES are yogos...yogurt covered fruit snacks. He calls them go-go's which we think is the cutest thing (isn't it though?) Anyway, tonight he was asking for his go-go's. I asked if he had to go potty. He says "pee-pee potty!" so we go try, twice, and no potty. He then asks for the go-go's but I put them up in the bathroom. He then decides to have a complete meltdown. After asking again for his treat, not getting the answer he wanted and more yelling and tears, he gets up, pulls on my arm and says, "Come on Mommy, come on! Too dark!" So I go with him to the bathroom again turn on the light and ta-DA, he finally goes. Just a little bit but he knows that qualifies. Man, when there's a will, there's a way!

Everyone Loves a Pumpkin!

Last Friday we went to a pumpkin patch to bring home a nice round pumpkin to call our own! Usually it would be a full event, rides and all, but this year we are pinching pennies. Thankfully the boys were just super happy to be picking out a pumpkin they didn't even miss the rides! Tonight when Daddy finally gets home from his long 3 days at the L.A. Convention Center, we will turn our pumpkin into a Jack-o-lantern. And fun will be had by all!











And today Zachary had his little Halloween party at school. The kids got to dress up and then parade around the park. The parents were stationed every few feet with bags of candy and the kids went around and trick or treated. Zachary had a blast! Just a few days more until the big event!

Hello God!

I was just going around and opening up windows on our second floor. (Man it sure has been hot!) As I opened one Zachary ran over and yelled out into the open air, "Hello God! I want you to come over to my house!" How cute is that?

Seriously?

So last Thursday night, the night before my Dr's appointment mind you, I was heading to bed. I rounded the corner from our bathroom into our bedroom and Craig had just turned the lights out. My eyes had not adjusted yet so I could see nothing...most pointedly the suitcase still laying on our floor. Before I knew what had happened, I was flying onto the floor and of ALL places, landing ON MY HURT FOOT!!! Not anywhere else...my knees, hands, other foot ...leg...oh no, the left broken foot. Seriously?!? I just lay there for the longest time in disbelief. I sometime truly think I am jinxed!

The next day at the appointment I told the Dr. what had happened the night before. He had been ready to just have the assistants put light bandaging on my foot after he looked at it...I was so happy to be getting the cast off and to have only two weeks left!! Then he looks at the x-rays. Dislocated. Again. "Thankfully," he tells me, "I put two screws in there so I don't have to go back in". Holy crap!!! I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He wanted to know what a suitcase was doing in the middle of the floor...sheesh...it was obviously not put away yet! He then said he was going to have a full hard cast put on and I begged him not to. Going from the expectation of having less on my foot to more was completely unbearable. Thankfully he allowed the soft cast. And I now have at least another 4 weeks completely off the foot...and that's after already being off it for FIVE!! When the nurses came back in to package my foot back up, they knew I was super upset and felt really bad. I was at the point where I couldn't talk because then I would bawl...not a fun place to be. And as for the look of my foot...horrible. Peeling, red, purple and yellow, raw in spots and just plain awful looking.

Please pray that no further injuries occur. I have been so crazy careful and I can't believe that from just a few seconds I set myself back so far. I need my foot back. I need to be able to resume all of my responsibilities and all of the extra Christmas ones that are coming my way. And, man, I just need a break! (NO pun intended!!)

Little Illustrator

When we moved into this house, the boys received our old dinner table as a craft table. They now have a space completely devoted to creativity. As a result, we have seen their drawing abilities and love for art dramatically increase over the past year. Just these past few weeks or so, Zachary has become obsessed with "making books". We thought he would have fun making the first and that would be it, but they just keep on coming! I have never seen him do something with such fervor! Now when it's quiet, I know I'll find him at the table, creating a new book. At least once a day now he comes running, "Mommy I'm done! Can you please staple my book??" He started off making a book for each member of the family. Then he started giving them themes, such as Dinosaurs or Sonic characters. It is so sweet to see how proud he is of his books and to hear him "read" them to us. He is quite a good storyteller and is very entertaining!

Thought you might enjoy some of his art work. Let him know you stopped by to take a look!





Wall-E


Sonic the Hedgehog


Shamu (One of my favorites!)




Holding a book with a Golden Sonic cover.


Taking a break to hug brother!


The illustrator, Zachary James, 4 years old.

And Life Goes On...

It has been so long since I last wrote. So many times I have thought of things I wanted to Blog about but never had the time. We have been going at full speed the past few weeks (well as fast as you can go on one leg!=0)) I guess I'll start there!

I'm still off of my foot. This Friday I have another Dr's appointment where they will do an x-ray to see the progress. I am really hoping for a glowing report!! It has been over 4 weeks now since I broke it and I am very ready to retire my flamingo status! The stitches came out last Monday which was very painful. I can't believe how tender my foot is! I am so happy to have that part over with! Prayer for the quickest healing would be appreciated!

A few weeks back Susie and Adam came for a visit. I had been looking forward to this visit since we left Colorado last March! Having my friend so far away has been a very hard thing for me to deal with this past year. People in your life come and go but she is one that I thought would always be near. Spending almost everyday together since 8th grade brought us a great, close friendship. So, months apart are not easy on me especially now that she's bringing a baby into the world! They arrived here on October 5th and the next day, we held her shower. I was really worried about pulling everything together with my broken foot but thankfully the shower went very smoothly and there were lot's of friends and family there to celebrate. I being a mother of all boys, was especially elated when they found out she was having a girl! Planning a pink shower was a lot of fun and so was shopping for a girl! I am already bursting in anticipation of baby Bella's birth in February!


That Tuesday night they came to stay with us and were here through Sunday morning. It was a great four days and wish it could have been longer! We hung out, played our favorite game Settler's of Catan while watching movies. We went to the Wild Animal Park which I was once again grateful for a wheelchair! One of the nights my other life-long friend, Melinda, came over and just the 3 of us went out to dinner! It was really nice to sit and chat with my girls and then go home and play our favorite game from childhood, NERTS. We have been playing that together for at least 15 years. So neat to have such history and longevity with friends. On Saturday, we went to the outlets for a bit and helped start Bella's wardrobe! I was super happy sitting amongst all of the sweet baby girl clothes. The clerks kept asking if we wanted a bag but I was perfectly happy to have all of the stuff right on my lap where I could look at it! That night family came over to hang out and say their goodbyes. And then it was on to more Settlers! It was nice to see Susie's growing belly, try and "talk" to Bella and constantly ask, "Is she moving much right now"? I'm sad to miss out on the rest of the pregnancy but I have made her promise to take lot's and lot's of pictures (you hear that Suze??) and we talk everyday about seeing baby Bella when she's born. I think Zachary may almost be as excited as I am!


A few days after they left, we headed out to Vegas. Craig had a convention to speak at that had been planned for months. I figured it would be easier to go with him still then to be alone for 3 days. It was a quick trip, Tuesday thru Thursday. Craig was only gone on Wednesday and the boys and I mostly hung out in the room except for a trip out for lunch. They were really well behaved and it worked out better then I had hoped. Both nights there we watched the Bellagio's Water Show. Both free and very entertaining...a great combination! The set-up inside the Bellagio's Conservatory was the best I had seen yet. It is always beautiful but they really outdid themselves. I always marvel at the beauty of Vegas in the midst of all the ugliness. If I could just take away the smoke, sex and the smoke it would be a truly amazing place!


This past Friday, the night after we got back, it was off to an Amy Grant concert! Something else I have anticipated for months! Amy has been my favorite singer since elementary school so it's always a treat to see her. Especially since she only comes in our area every few years. The concert was held at a Church in Irvine so the "smaller" (still over 3,000 people!) venue was fun too! She had recreated the exact band from over 20 years ago for her Lead Me On Tour. So all the songs she sang were from the 80's but she also stuck some in at the end that had not yet been recorded. "Lead Me On" wasn't one of my favorite albums (now if she did a "Heart in Motion" or "House of Love" tour I wouldn't be able to contain myself!) but it was Amy so it didn't matter! I love hearing her talk, always so funny. Seeing what a great entertainer she is. Hearing her sing and watching her dance. It was a fun night!

The next day was filled with soccer, snacks for both teams and a Halloween party. More fun to be had by all! Hopefully life will now slow down a bit...after Tyler's Dermatology appointment, both older boys dentist appointments...and those are all just today! And life goes on.





A part of the Bellagio Conservatory.

I Want to Have My Cake and Eat it Too

The last week has continued to be a struggle for me. The pain is still there. The struggle to figure out how to "live" this way is mounting, not getting easier. I'm just down and trying to fight myself, and the negative thoughts that seem to fill my head no matter how hard I try and push them out. I am reading Max Lucado's "Just like Jesus" and there was an entry about focusing on God every moment of everyday. That means waking with him in my mind from the moment I open my eyes at the start of a new day to ending my day falling asleep in His arms. He writes of a man who tried to achieve this...literally being with God every minute of the day. This man kept journals of how difficult it was to stay focused but that when he did he felt complete and utter joy like he had never experienced before. So much so that nothing else mattered and everything fell into place. It really stuck out to me reading that today. That I want to come out of this place of misery and even more than that, be the complete opposite, basking in his love and perfection. This is what I will continue to strive for.

May the Best Story Win...

So I have been getting lot's of questions from those I know and from complete strangers as well. They all want to know what happened to my foot and how I did it. I always say I wish I had a better story to tell...one of bravery or one that's just plain cool. So that's where you come in! Come up with an awesome story of how I came to dislocate/break my foot and leave it in my comment section under this blog. After a few days I'll try and have a vote for the Best Story and that's the one I'll tell people (first anyway!)when they ask! Hopefully this will pull some more of you lurkers out as well...come out come out where ever you are! This could be a lot of fun!

May the best story win!=0)

Our Past Days in Snapshots.

I made it to Tyler's first Awards Ceremony of the year where he received an award for being a "Creative Toucan". It was the morning the day of the surgery and I was so grateful to be there! We are so proud of our little artist!!=0)








This is Tyler's First Grade teacher, Mrs. Lance.

After the surgery Susie sent me a beautiful basket of fruit from Edible Arrangements. So SWEET (literally!) Thank you so much my friend!!







I was having a hard time sitting around and focusing so much on the pain in my foot today so I went and watched the boys soccer games. Great memories of the week before! Ugh! Really though, thanks to the invention of the wheelchair for that trip! I enjoyed being able to see the boys play!

A Pain in the Foot...

This whole experience has been a "pain in the neck" or rather a "pain in the foot!" I wanted to post earlier to let those keeping up with me through the blog know how things are, but I have been in a lot of pain. Not to mention being quite "out of it".

I'll start with the surgery. They took me in on time which was good. After waiting all day with great anticipation and an empty stomach I was ready to be done with that stage in the process. We informed the nurse, as we always do, that I am a hard "stick". Rather that it is difficult to get an Iv going on me. Like most nurses, he was quite sure of himself and declared that he would definitely get it on the first try. He told me not to move and then quite forcefully shoved the needle into my vain. This made me jump from the pain and the force. He then accused me of moving too much and said he had lost the vain....but then decided he would try shoving the needle around just to make sure. I had been trying to hold it all together for days and I guess that was the last straw. I just began sobbing. And couldn't stop. I have had such bad experiences with needles and was just so tired at that point, I couldn't hold it together anymore. He quickly decided he wasn't going to try again and would leave the job for the anesthesiologist.

When she finally came in, she was wondering why I wasn't ready to go but saw me crying and went to work at once to find a good vain. She was much more kind, gentle and motherly. Unfortunately the only good vain she could find was in my hand. She did get it the first time but had to do a bit of digging as well and almost lost that one. Thank God it took! She then gave me some meds in my IV to help calm me down as I was still very shaken. And wow did those burn! After that they told me I could walk to the surgery room. Really? Seriously? Walk to the surgery room? With the IV in my hand and the BROKEN FOOT I'm having surgery on? My goodness...so the staff was a bit...interesting.

Thankfully the Dr. seems to be very good. I feel comfortable with him and he is very caring. When I was finally in the surgery room they hooked me up to all of the monitors. Then I started to feel sleepy but was still awake enough to attempt to ask questions. Without meaning to I often fight medications that make me sleepy....I guess it's the feeling of losing control. Before I was completely out though I did feel the shots in my foot...all of them. I just remember saying. "Ow...ow...ow..." until it was over. And the crazy thing is I don't even remember falling asleep or waking up exactly. A very weird feeling. I remember feeling like someone was bandaging my foot up and thinking, "well that can't be right, that was only about 15 minutes!" But when I looked at the clock, it had actually been nearly an hour and a half! Thank goodness for modern medicine! Soon after the Dr. came over to tell me the surgery went well. The injuries were more extensive then he thought and there was quite a lot of blood, but he thinks he performed a perfect surgery. When I opened my eyes again it was to the Dr. saying I had a visitor and Craig was at my side, stroking my hair and arm as I went in and out of consciousness.

At home I was able to lay on the couch and rest all night. I was still super groggy from the anesthesia. My best friends parents, Linda and Dave, had taken care of the kids during the surgery and had dinner waiting for us when we returned. Such a huge help and a big load off of our shoulders! With their help, the night went smoothly with the kids fed, bathed and off to bed.

Friday morning I woke up in a great amount of pain. The shots had worn off and I had not woken up in the middle of the night to take my pain meds. I didn't think it was necessary. It was! I have been trying since then to gain control over the pain, even waking last night to take the meds. I wish I could report that I feel OK, but it really hurts. Much more then I thought it would. It burns and the foot is so tightly bandaged I can't cool it down with ice packs. I just pray that the pain will decrease everyday!

And if you do pray, please pray that I would stay strong and that depression would not set in. I am overwhelmed with how I am going to get through the next few months of healing. How I am going to keep the house clean, my family fed, get to the grocery store, take my kids to school, take showers, etc. Last night I had to miss a concert for Habitat For Humanity that I had been looking forward to for months. Today a festival that we had been also planning on attending for months. It is hard for me to be out of control. To sit by while other "do". Thank you for your prayers!

On the bight side Susie sent me a beautiful gift from Edible Arrangements that literally made me cry! It was such a bright spot in my dreary day! And I thank you to all who have sent me comments through email, this blog and facebook! I really appreciate each one and they always make me feel better! Hopefully I will get to posting a few pictures soon! Thanks for reading about my journey.

An Attempt for the Positive

In an attempt to fight the growing fear about tomorrow and my long recovery ahead, I thought I would try and think about the "positives" of one breaking and dislocating their foot!

1. No waiting in lines at Disneyland and I get my friends and family in front as well! Now we may actually get to go on the new "Toy Story" ride at DCA!

2. I get to see how many wonderful and caring friends and family I have.

3. I am going to have some pretty buff arms at the end of all this and ONE buff leg! (literally one....not excited about what the other one is going to look like...but this is supposed to be positive, right?)

4. I may finally lose those 10+ pounds I've been struggling with...those crutches are beastly!

5. Getting to hear my sweet boys pray for my healing. And hear Zachary talk about my using "stitches" to walk.=0)

6. I'll probably get more reading done in the next few months.

7. When I get tired I'll have a wheelchair to ride in...I've always joked about wishing I could ride in the stroller after a long night at Disneyland!

Well, that was my attempt. I should probably go and try to lay down now. That's usually when the full fledged panic sets in. When all the thoughts coming tumbling in with the silence. I just pray that God gives me rest, that sleep would come quickly and that this time tomorrow would be here before I know it. Thank you again for your prayers they helped me get through this day!

When It Rains....it Pours.

You know that old saying? Yeah, I'm there. In the flood without an umbrella. I've been feeling so overwhelmed from the arm surgery's, biopsy's, and illnesses that plagued our family for weeks. I keep saying, "now this better be it for awhile, I think I've reached my limit!" And it never is "it".

Saturday, I broke my foot. People's first reaction to that is, "Oh man! How did you do that?!" And I respond by saying I wish I had a really heroic or cool story to tell like, "My foot was run over while I was trying to save one of our boys from being hit." Or, "I was playing a game of baseball and as I was sliding into home base and bringing in the victory point for my team, I smashed my foot into the base." No such luck. The real scenario? We were running late for Tyler's 8am soccer game this past Saturday. If you take the one way in, it takes us way out of the way from the field Tyler plays at. But there is a nice, fairly short chain link fence you can hop and his field is right there! I cleared it the week before, no problem. Tyler was already over when I began my climb. I guess my flip flops (yes I was attempting to climb a fence in flip flops...it worked the week before!) were wider then the week before and wouldn't fit in the hole. My foot slipped off, twisted to the side when it landed in the slope sideways, and loudly crunched. CRUNCHED!!! I was definitely in shock and denial that I had heard such an awful sound. I had Tyler run to his field and then attempted to flag Craig down who was a ways away with the little ones. He didn't get my frantic mouthing that I was in pain so I made my way over. Long story short, I told him that I wanted to "wait it out" instead of rushing to urgent care. I sat three hours on the field through both kids games with no pain medication. Then I went home and just walked on the inside of my foot, still being stubborn about not going in (ME stubborn?)

But in the morning I finally let it sink in...the sound. If it weren't for the sound I wouldn't have been sure...maybe a sprain or something. So we went to urgent care to confirm it was indeed broken. I was to see a Podiatrist the next day. To add insult to injury (no pun intended!) Craig was leaving for New Jersey (his companies headquarters) early the next day. His trip had been planned for awhile, we thought I would just get casted, worst case scenario, and I would just figure out how to get by.

Not so easy (as if taking care of 3 little boys on crutches would have been). I went in with Jacob on Monday thinking it wouldn't take long, after all, I already had the x-rays with me. Right. The Dr. looks at the x-rays and tells me there is bad news and worse news. Definitely not what I wanted to hear. Bad news, it was indeed broken. Worse news it was also dislocated and needed surgery. I must have stared at him with a look of utter shock, terror and disbelief because he started asking me if I was OK. He ordered more x-rays to be sure and showed me that it was even more dislocated then it had been the day before. He did ultrasounds on the good and bad foot and showed me the huge difference. Good foot, nice and bright. Bad foot white and cloudy which means swollen and filled with blood. He would have done surgery even sooner, but he said it was so bad that he couldn't touch it yet. He then explained when they do the surgery, it will be to open the foot up, clean out the pooled blood and then place screws into the dislocated bone to help it heal straight. They might possibly have to put a plate in as well.

So, I go in this Thursday at 1:30 and I am terrified. I'm trying to keep from panicking but I'm just so scared and overwhelmed. After the cancer stuff I was SO ready to not be touched with a needle or any sharp objects for a long time. I go from disbelief that this is happening to getting very angry that it did. I'm trying not to dwell on all my fears because I feel myself getting depressed. Worried about the 6to 8 weeks of recovery. Being on crutches all that time when I'm already bruising on my sides and hands. The pain of the surgery, of being cut open. Of being out of commission with three small children....

So please, pray for me. For peace that I will get through this next trial without losing it. That my blood draw today in preparation for the surgery goes well and they get a vain the first time. That I will feel minimal pain from the surgery...iv's started well, not notice the shots in my foot...and that the pain meds would work after. And just that some of my fear might be taken from me...again I'm just so scared.

Thankfully Craig will be home tomorrow afternoon instead of late Thursday night as originally planned. No thanks to his airline that would neither move his flight or refund his money. He is such an amazing husband though and I could not be more thankful to have him then I am now! He's been so upset to not be with me during all of this and we look forward to his return!

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

Heidi

Goal!

Soccer season has begun and is in full swing! This is our first year with two players. Since Zachary was two years old and Tyler had his first season, he has been wanting to "have his own soccer". A few practices and two games later he is having a great time! And he has improved so much just during his second game this past Saturday. During his first game two weeks ago, he had a hard time keeping up with the ball, stopped at the edge of the field to run up a hill and take his time to examine a hole in the ground and think about what animals might be living inside, and when the other team took the ball from him he got in their face and very passionately shared his displeasure about it! This past Saturday though he kept up with the ball, didn't yell at anyone and scored his very first
goal!!!! We were so proud of him and he was quite proud of himself!



Tyler had a great game as well. When he first began soccer two years ago at age four, he had no idea what was going on! During the middle of the game he would just lay down in the field for a break. Thankfully he doesn't lay in the field now (although it was funny when he was four!) and he really tries to go after the ball. He loves to hear us cheer and that always makes him run faster. Saturday he was able to try playing goalie for the first time and that really seemed like a good fit for him. He stopped three goals!



So it is going to be a big time commitment but we are exposing our boys to different things, giving them choices. And as long as they are having fun, that's our main goal!

A Reading Frenzy

While growing up, I was an avid reader. I'm not sure that is even a strong enough term to describe it. I was fully obssesed with reading...I think that is a bit better. For every holiday or birthday, anything that required gifts, I ALWAYS asked for book certificates (remember back before there were gift cards). A stack of books sitting in my room, ready for me to devour, made me giddy.

As life progressed, I somehow fell out of my love for reading. Always so busy, so tired, so now sucked in by TV that never interested me before. Never would have thought it could happen. Now don't get me wrong, I still read over those years, it just wasn't with the same intensity, the same fervor! That is until this past week. Last week I picked up a book that I had been hearing so much buzz about I just couldn't resist. The "Twilight" series has re-awakened that love for me. Over the course of the last week I completed the first, nearly 500 pages and am over 400 pages into the next. Craig keeps smiling at me as he checks my thick book to see how much further I've gotten in the past few hours. I think I have thrown him off with my frenzy. He's always heard about my love, but never seen it like this. Nice to know there are still surprises ten years later.

Time to go read some more!=0)

Growing Like Weeds...

That's my boys. Getting bigger everyday. I still can't believe Tyler is in First grade even though he has been for about six weeks now. And how well he reads. After I picked him up from school today, we sat on the couch and he proceeded to read me book after book...when did that happen?

And last night, my "baby", decided on his own to use the potty! He walked right over, sat down and went! Up until then he had been very clear that he wanted nothing to do with it, not even because his brothers used one (which I thought would be great motivation. Silly me with one so stubborn!)I'm not holding my breath that the rest will be so easy but it was still such a "big boy" thing to do. Before we know it, we will be out of the diaper stage for the first time in over six years. I can't even fathom it. It actually makes me sad instead of jumping for joy like I feel I should be.

And again I am reminded to enjoy them while they are so young. While we are still in this "young family" stage. Because before I know it, we will be out of this stage and onto the next.

A Full Laundry Basket.

I was reading a friends blog and she had written about 2 of her daughters "leaving the nest" this week. She mentioned that for a few more days, the laundry baskets would all be stuffed full. That comment really stuck out to me. Laundry is one of the top chores that I complain about. There is just SO MUCH of it! Seems like every time I do mountains of it, and am super satisfied to see those empty baskets, they are filled again by the end of the day! But what struck me was that having those baskets full, means having my house full. It means that I have my babies at home today. None of us know how long we will be here so for today (at least=0) ) I will be grateful for my stuffed laundry baskets!

The Results Are In!

And overall, they were GOOD!! The Dr. said that the initial biopsy definitely came back positive but the results on the second set of stains came back clear! So what we believe happened, was that during the initial biopsy, everything that had gone bad was actually taken out. I'm telling myself that the surgery was necessary to make sure the margins were absolutely clear because so much was taken out, and there was so much pain, it had better of been for something! The scenario my Dr. came up with is that most likely, the "lesion" had just begun to change and turn into the cancer. When I thought about that for a bit, I realized that God was definitely watching out for me. I had that lesion for over four years! And right about when it started to go bad, I finally felt the "need" to go get it looked at. I do feel very blessed!

Now I have the steri-strips on for about another week or so. Then it will be on to scar treatment and a follow up appointment in 3 months. I am feeling a bit shaken up and am trying to place exactly why since it was overall really good news. I know in part it is because of the high recurrence rate of that type of cancer. And it's in part that I actually HAD cancer inside of me. I know I will be okay, just shaken right now. Shaken, but super grateful to be on the other side of this for now.

Thanks again for those who prayed, emailed, called and showed their support in so many ways. THANK YOU! Knowing that you have so many people there for you, especially in times like these, is truly amazing!

"I Don't Want Those Chinese to Win!"

This year we have gotten into watching the Olympics. It's been really fun and even the kids are enjoying the games, especially Tyler. This past weekend we pretty much left them on all day. Tyler came over at one point to watch when the Women's Beach Volley Ball match was on. Craig and I were fixing dinner when we noticed Tyler grumbling under his breath. He was saying "Come on USA, you can do it!" and then when the girls from China scored he yelled "I don't want those Chinese to win!!!" When the USA ended up losing, we had some explaining to do and had to actually console the little guy he was so out of sorts about it! Here's to the USA and all those amazingly talented Olympians out there! Even the little guys are pulling for ya!

Ten Amazing Years!

Yesterday Craig and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. Really hard to believe that so much time has already passed. We spent a wonderful day together in San Diego half of which was kept a surprise until it happened.

The day began with a dozen beautiful red roses, powdered donuts and a card. We had a leisurely morning, my mom came to watch the kiddos and we headed out for our day...just the two of us...the way it was 10 years ago. We ate lunch at the Cheese Cake Factory when we first got down there. Then we went and saw "The Dark Knight", which by the way, was an excellent movie! We then drove down to Coronado Island, and to the Hotel Del Coronado. We walked around for a bit and stopped to give one another a gift. Craig had been giving me gifts throughout the day and his goal was a gift for each year of marriage...so sweet! All things that he knows I love. My gift to him was our wedding album. All these years we have just had a proof book, so I secretly had the negatives enlarged and put together an album capturing our special day!
Thankfully he was surprised and we both enjoyed looking through those memories made ten years earlier.It was then time for our dinner at one of the Hotels restaurants 1500 Ocean. Super fancy!

From there came my last surprise. A beautiful hour long Gondola ride at sunset! What a way to end the night!
The weather was perfect, we were able to snuggle up and were even serenaded! I am so thankful for such a wonderful day to be together. I am SUPER thankful for a man that loves me so much and that I adore in return. I am thankful for God's protection on our marriage. That even though we married young, we still have a strong relationship ten years later. I'm thankful for our life together, the beautiful children we have created and for the days and years to come! Thank you Craig for choosing me, for completing me. I love you!

Not Much of An Update....

It's been a week and a half since the surgery. I was supposed to know the results by now, but still nothing. It's hard to wait. Even harder now that the allotted time to find out has come and gone. My patience are wearing thin. It's been over a month now of waiting for results and I am ready to be done with the waiting. I'll call on Monday and see if I can find anything out and hopefully I'll be able to know sooner then later. Thank you everyone for your prayers, it has gotten me this far! Hopefully they will carry me the rest of the way!

And for those wondering what it looked like under the bandage...here is a lovely photo! Craig really thought I should post it...look away now if you don't want to see it...oops too late!=0)




Thank you again for your prayers!