Utah Adventure Con't. / 4th Of July Parade

Happy 4th to everyone! Celebrating the 4th in Utah is alot different than celebrating the 4th in AZ. Our day started at a parade in Provo. Thanks to Chad we had great seats (he got there at 4:00am to save them for us). The kids actually got to Provo at 6:00am to see the hot air balloon launch. This is something they have never seen before and were fascinated with it. The parade was very enjoyable. I don't usually care for parades, but maybe that has something to do with sitting in 110 degree heat. The weather that morning was really nice and it was fun just sitting and visiting with so many people.

Even Taralee got into the spirit of the 4th waving her flag.

These are all the kids in our group. My kids, Cassie's kids, Shelley's kids (Cassie's sis-in-law), and Banka's kids (Cassie's other sis-in-law). We had quite the group. They all did really good for being so many.

Ellie and her flag!

Ellie and Andrew stood on the side lines and waved their flag at all the floats that went by. They were so fun the watch!

This is Ellie and Dad walking back to the car. I thought it was so cute seeing them holding hands I had to get a picture of it. Don't they look cute in their festive colors!

Utah Adventure Con't. / The End of Basketball Camp

Well Porter survived B-Ball camp and he even had a great time. He even wants to go back next year and stay in the dorms again. I hate to say I told you so Bug, but...

I was able to go down to BYU and watch him play a game. As luck would have it his team was playing against Prescott's team. Porter and Prescott have always been on the same team so it is natural for me to cheer for both boys. Well the first quarter of the game Porter and Prescott were guarding each other so being Porter's mom I couldn't cheer for the boy guarding my son, it was kinda weird encouraging Porter to be aggressive against Prescott. Luckily after the first rotation they played at different times. So when Porter was on the court, Prescott was sitting out. This way I was able to cheer them both on. I felt much better about this! In the end there always has to be a winner, and Porter's team won. Hooray for the Bug!

On the last day of camp I was able to attend the awards ceremony (not because I am a good mom, only because I got there early because I was not quite sure where to pick him up) and I was glad I did though, Porter received an award. Only 2 boys out of each age group got acknowledged and Porter was one. He had no idea he was getting an award. I wish I could have taken a picture of his face when his name was called. It was priceless!

In this picture Prescott has the ball and Porter is to his left.

Even after the game the 2 boys are still best buds!

Porter receiving his award from the head coach of the BYU basketball team. His team also won champion tee shirts for something a kid on his team did. The problem was they only had XXXL size left. In this picture he has the shirt on. I guess he has a really cool PJ shirt now.

At the end of the camp with all his "Goodies" He looks pretty happy!

The Beginning Of Our Utah Adventure

It has been a while since my last post, lots of things have been going on. Summer is officially off to a good start. My kids have really enjoyed the summer movies at the theatre. We have been spending lots of time with friends at their pools. Thanks Shumways, Hubbards, Kendalls, and Hardys, your pools have been a lifesaver! Bryndee has been busy with cheer at the high school. I don't think she realized how much hard work it was going to be. Porter was able to participate in a 2 week basketball camp at the high school. It is so good to see him active in basketball again.
This past Saturday the kids and I got up really early (4:00 am), loaded up the suburban and headed up to Utah. We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time. We got Porter signed up for basketball camp at BYU and Bryndee signed up for EFY at BYU. The problem is Porter is the 1st week in July and Bryndee is the 3rd week in July. We had planned to go up as a family and have Ron fly home after a week and fly back and bring us home. Silly us for thinking our well thought out plans would work. When Bryndee made cheer, our first wrench was thrown into our plans. Cheer Camp was the same week as basketball camp in Phoenix. The second wrench was Ron took off 2 weeks in June to attend the Trek, Scout camp, and Girls camp. When he went back to work there was no way he could take off again that soon. So I got to drive 7 kids (Porter's buddy Prescott came with us to attend the same basketball camp) 12 and under to Utah by myself. It actually went really well, only 1 stop. A quick thanks to my parents, who live in Utah, for letting all of us stay with you. I have 2 sisters that also live in Utah and my kids are having a great time with their cousins. We attended church with Cassie Sunday morning. It was kinda funny Cassie's husband's calling does not allow him to attend his home ward, so with my 7 kids and Cassie's 6 kids we had 2 single women with 13 kids all sitting together. Makes for a fun Sacrament Meeting.
Monday morning I headed off to BYU to get Porter and Prescott registered and settled into their dorm room. Everything went really well. We didn't even get lost, thanks to Cassie.

This is Porter and Prescott just after they registered. Poor Porter I ordered the wrong size shirt, it is kinda small. Sorry Bug!
We were able to let Porter and Prescott room together. Here they are in their empty dorm room. It didn't even dawn on me to send snacks with them. as we were walking down the hall every room we came to was filled with lots of good stuff to eat. I told the boys to make friends with their neighbors and mooch off them. :o}
After lunch it was time for me to leave them. I think it was harder for me than Porter. He looked too small to be left alone on that big campus. Porter was nice enough to give me a big hug and kiss when he left. Thankfully he has not grown too old for that.

For those of you who know Porter, know he is a "nervous nelly", and when he is tired his nerves go in overdrive. Well Monday night I get a call from him in tears. He is too worked up to be able to relax. "What if I can't sleep at all tonight? What if I don't wake up in time tomorrow? What if I am too tired to do well in practice tomorrow? (and my favorite) What if someday I make the NBA and the practices so long I get too tired and can't do it?" After awhile I got him calmed down and was able to go to bed. The next night when he called he told me he was doing much better and had a good day. Thank goodness, I don't think I could have handled another long night of trying to encourage him.

While we were up here in Utah Bryndee went to her cheer camp. She really enjoyed it. I wish I could have been there to watch her do her stuff. The school did really good in their competitions; they got 5 blue ribbons, 1 purple ribbon, and a trophy. Great Job girls!!

While Porter and Bryndee are at their camps the rest of the kids and I are just enjoying our family. Lots of movies, swimming at the local pool, and just hanging out. So far our Utah adventure is off to a good start, but I sure do miss Ron.

Ellie!

Today is Ellie's 3rd birthday. Sometimes I look at her and think has it only been 3 years, then other times I can't believe it has all ready been 3 years. She has by far been my hardest toddler. Before her I never believed in terrible 2's. But Ellie has done more and I have had to deal with more with her than all my kids combined. But that is part of her personality. She is spunky, witty, strong willed, independent, and very curious. She also has a killer laugh! It is so contagious, when she starts you can't help but join in with her. So this day is for you Ellie! Happy Birthday sweetie! We sure do love you! Ellie I do have one question for you...When are you going to use the "Big Girl Potty?"

Ellie making her famous "funny face"!

Ellie and her cousin Dyllin. When these 2 are together watch out!

Remember the infamous nail polish incident. This was not the first and I am sure will not be the last.

This is Ellie's favorite past time. She loves to jump on the trampoline with the hose. She will go out by herself and play for hours. Wouldn't you love to know what was going through her mind while she is playing?

Scout Camp

This past week was our ward's scout camp. Porter was finally old enough to attend. He was so excited to go. They went from Monday June 16 to Friday June 20. Because girls camp was Tuesday to Thursday of the same week and only a couple miles away Ron got to participate in both girls camp with Bryndee and scout camp with Porter. It was great that he could pop in and out of each camp when needed. Too bad we did not get any pictures of girls camp, but Bryndee had a wonderful time. We really have some great leadership in our ward with the young men and young women. The scout camp was so well organized and executed I think Porter completed 5 required merit badges. What a wonderful opportunity for him.This is Porter and his friend Porter Severtson. My Porter is the one in the purple suns hat. These 2 boys are so much alike. They are in the same grade, they have alot of the same interests, and they both are just good kids. They both love scouting. Both boys are on track to have their Eagle before they turn 14. It will be wonderful not having battle him when he is older and other interests are more important to him.

One of the badges was "Wilderness Survival". The boys were required to build a shelter that they could sleep in that would shield them from the elements. The two Porters worked together. I think they did a terrific job. Too bad my Porter would not sleep in it. He is deathly afraid of spiders and the older boys were teasing the younger boys trying to freak them out about bugs and spiders. Porter got too worked up and would not sleep in his structure. He ended up sleeping with his dad in his tent leaving Porter S. to fend for himself. I think the next morning my Porter felt pretty bad leaving Porter S. alone.

I guess where they were camping this road had been closed for the last few years and just recently opened up a couple months ago. I think they need to rethink just how safe this road is. Ron and Porter were traveling and got stuck. Ron tried to turn around and felt the shoulder give way. He had Porter climb over him and slowly get out on his side. Ron put the emergency break on and got out himself. Brett Woods came with his truck and after a long ordeal, he helped pull Ron out. You can't tell by this picture, but it is a very steep drop off. Ron said there were 2 trees down below that he would aim for if he were to go off all the way. He thought it would be better to hit a tree and stop with a crash than to go down and crash at the bottom. What a choice to make. Ron really felt that he and Porter were really watched over. He is still amazed to have gotten out without a scratch on them or the truck he did loose a mud flap though. We are grateful they said their prayers that morning!! All in all Porter said he had a great time, and can't wait till the next camp out!

Taralee

Taralee is growing so fast. My neighbor just had a baby Monday morning and I went to see him yesterday. What a beautiful baby. When I saw him I could not believe the difference 8 months makes in a baby. I realized that it has been a while since I have posted pictures of her. So without further adieu...Taralee in the limelight!

When Bryndee was a baby we would put her "plug" in upside down and she could flip it with her tongue. Taralee just sucks it upside down. Isn't she intelligent?

She is scooting everywhere. Sometimes she gets up on her hands and knees and crawls, but she is much faster at scooting. This week she has learned to pull up to things. Today I was in my room and I hear her crying. This is what I found. She pulled up to my hall table and tried to climb in and got stuck. She was not happy when I didn't rescue her right away and had to grab my camera.Kymber did this to Taralee's hair the other day. I came out of my room to find her like this. Taralee and Kymber were quite pleased. She kept it on for a long time.

Just a cute picture of Taralee. She is always so happy.

This is Taralee today. Torie's school teacher just had a baby and e-mailed Torie a picture. Torie wanted to get a picture of her baby and e-mail it back to Mrs. Rumore.

We Made It Home From The Trek!

Well we made it home from the Trek safe and sound. 4 years ago Ron and I had the opportunity to be be a "Ma and Pa" on our stake's Pioneer Trek. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I really enjoyed it. We are still pretty close to 2 of our "kids", when ever we see them they come running up and give us a great big hug. When I heard they were having another Trek this summer I wanted to go up and experience it again but on the other end of it, I wanted to be a "Fly on the wall" so to speak. I decided I could help with the cooking and still be a part of the experience but not have to walk . I made a great choice. I got to get to know some of the kids in our stake and had a terrific time. Ron really didn't have any assignments, just to mingle with the "families" and get to know more people in the stake. Bryndee was assigned to the Brobry "family". I know Michelle Broby pretty well and was excited for Bryndee to be assigned to such a great family. She really enjoyed herself, but seemed to be really quiet (more so than usual). I found out later she didn't feel very good, her legs were way sore, and she started coughing pretty hard so her chest was sore. I had forgot that the day before we left she had her first real practice with her cheer squad. They worked their tails off, with the main focus being strengthening their legs. So she was already on Advil before she even left for the hard hike. But after a while she started loosening up around her family and they got to know her. And by the way, the food was wonderful. There was no starving kids on this trek. :o}

It was so cold the first 2 days. We had 50MPH winds those 2 days, so needless to say we did not look too cute in our "pioneer clothes" with many layers on top. This is the only picture we got of Ron, Bryndee and I together. We look like we are just camping. Bryndee's hat got destroyed by the wind right when she got there so I gave her my hat. Because I had worn the hat already for 1/2 a day, and I have short hair my hair was awful. So I got to wear this fun bandanna on my head the whole time there. Aren't I a great mom sacrificing my beauty for my daughter? Bryndee ended up not wearing my hat because the wind kept blowing it off her head. I had to get a picture of Ron in his "goofy" hat. He insisted on wearing his hat this way, I don't know why? I think it was to get comments from the kids but who knows?
This is Bryndee at the hoe down. It was really fun to see the youth out dancing "pioneer" dances and playing pioneer games, like stick pull, hatchet throwing, candy making, and shooting guns. I never got the exact count on the miles the kids walked, I heard 18 miles and I also heard 22 miles. There was a point when the men in the families are asked to go serve in the Mormon Battalion and the women are left to pull the hand carts. This is a very humbling experience because this point in their hike is very difficult, the trail is very rocky and very steep and the women and girls have to pull by themselves and the men and boys stand off to the sides and have to watch. I was so proud of the girls they did great. Bryndee did not even complain. This is also so hard for the boys and the men to sit and watch their mothers and sisters struggling. After half the carts made it to a certain point the boys are asked to help the girls. It is amazing to see the desire these boys have to help and the gratitude the girls have for the help they receive. The picture above is a group of carts just crossing over "Rocky Ridge". This is the hardest part of the trail. It is a very steep and rocky mountain they have to push the handcart up and over. The only way to make it to the top is to really work together. It was so neat to be down at camp and then look up a see a mass of people and handcarts appear out of nowhere.
This is a picture of Ron and a couple of the men that were a big part is pulling this whole Trek off. This was such a great experience for Ron, Bryndee and I. I am so glad we were able to experience this together and I look forward to the experience I will have with my other kids.

PS.. Thanks to Rosalie and Tara for their help and willingness to stay with my kids, and to Shelley Conway for having Porter stay with Prescott. I could not have experienced this without your help. Thanks Again!!!!!

Happy Birthday Torie

Happy birthday to my darling Torie. Today she is 11 years old. I can't believe she is getting so old. Torie is my helper. If I ever need help with Taralee, Torie is the one I can count on. Torie is always asking can I help you with dinner. Too bad her mom doesn't like to have help in the kitchen. :o} Torie is a very happy person. Torie is known for her smile and contagious laugh. If she gets started laughing it is hard to get her to quit. We are so happy to have her in our family. I love you Lou Lou! You are WONDERFUL!!!

Happy Birthday Ron

Happy 39th Birthday to my wonderful husband! Ron is such a loving and kind husband, father and person. I can honestly say that he has never raised his voice at me. I cannot say that about myself. I love the relationship he has with his mom. He has nothing but pure respect for her. He is alot of fun to be with. The kids love playing and messing around with him. He is so busy right now that we don't get to see as much of him that we would like, but when he is here he is here for us. Thanks Ron for being the man that you are. I love you!

A-

Bryndee is a Seamstress

I told you that Bryndee wanted to sew one of her pioneer dresses. We took 2 afternoons and I showed her how to cut a pattern and how to sew a dress. She caught on pretty quick, but doesn't she always on everything she tries. I think she was pretty amazed at how easy this dress was to make. Maybe she will want to try something a little harder next time. Who knows she may take my job as the family seamstress. Grandma Nelson would be proud of you Bryndee.The serger was pretty scary for her at first but then she caught right on and went to town.
The finished product! I think she looks great!

The Past Couple of Weeks!

Taralee is awake for a while so I will take advantage of the time and catch you up on the last couple of weeks. On May 17 my girls had their gymnastics performance. The older girls have been taking from Angela's Flip Zone for the last couple of years and are really progressing. This was Abby's first year at gymnastics, and she loves it.

I love Angela's Flip Zone because at alot of gyms you have to pay a $50-$100 costume fee. Angela wants to keep it simple she only charges $20 and likes to keep her costumes modest.

Last week we had 2 graduations. Abby graduated from kindergarten and Bryndee graduated from 8th grade. Silly me did not bring my camera to Abby's graduation so my friend took pictures of Abby for me she just has not sent them to me yet. When I get them I will post them at that time. It was kinda neat having one child at the beginning and a child at the end. While at graduation I had a realization... When Bryndee graduates from high school Taralee will be graduating from kindergarten. I will really experience the beginning and the end then.This is Bryndee and Joselyn her best friend. Too bad next year they will be at different high schools :(

Because it was Memorial Day weekend we decided to visit Ron's mom. We went on Saturday and stayed untill Monday. This is the first time we went to church with his mom in a long time. It was nice being with her.After chruch we went to Ron's Grandma McEuen's house. It had been 2 years since we had seen her. She is 96 years old. When my Grandma LaRue died I realized I did not have any pictures of Grandma with my kids. What a disapointment that was! So we were sure to have our camera with us when we went to see Grandma McEuen. We sure enjoyed our visit. Mike and Raime and their girls came also. Grandma McEuen with my kids Grandma McEuen with Mike and Raime's girls

After Grandma's house, Rosalie wanted to put flowers on Clyde's (Ron's Dad) grave, so we drove out to the Pima Cemetary as a family and just visited around Clyde's grave. After that we went back to Rosalie's house and visited some more and just watched the kids play. It was really nice spending the weekend with Ron's family.

Ron and Porter just starting an intense checkers game.

Tuesday we had Torie's b-day party. She choose to get pedacures and get ice cream. A fun time was had by all.

Torie was really sad that Sadie was in Israel and missed out on her party. Sorry sis I was just not organized enough to have the party before school was out. There is always next year.

Today Bryndee and I spent sewing her pioneer dress. She has a goal to sew her own dress for the Trek that is coming up next week. She is bringing 3 dresses, I made 2 and she is making 1.
Here she is in one that I made her. I think she looks pretty cute. When she has finished her dress I will post a picture. I get to go up to the Trek as a cook. Thanks to Rosalie for coming to our rescue with the kids again. I also made me some dresses but I don't look as cute as Bryndee so a picture is not needed. Ron will also be going the Trek. His duity is just to be there around the youth and deliver a talk when asked to. I am looking forward to going, Ron and I will sleep in a tent with all the camping comforts we have aquired over the years. We don't have to rough it like the youth and the ma's and the pa's. I will let you know how it turns out.

Which Princess Am I?

You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

My House Is Too Small!

It has been a while since I have posted. Brenda called me this morning and wanted to know what was up. Why wasn't I posting, surely things have been going on? I really couldn't give her an answer except I have been busy. She quickly reminded me that I have been able to take time to read other blogs and comment on them so surely I could take a few minutes and post. After contemplating this matter, I came to the realization that I can't post because my house is too small. That makes a whole lot of sense right? Well since Taralee has come in to our family she has not had a place of her own. She sleeps in a porter crib (which I believe is the best crib for a baby to sleep in because no matter where you go your baby always has her crib and sleeps wonderfully) and this crib gets moved from room to room depending on what room is open when she needs to nap. While the kids were in school, she would sleep in Ellie's room at night and Bryndee's room during the day. But now that Bryndee is home during the day and needs her room, Taralee has gotten moved to my room. The computer has also gotten moved to my room temporally (it has been a month now ) because we don't have room for the computer either, but that is another story. While Taralee is asleep I can't go into my room and therefore I can't post. So for Brenda and all you out there who has missed my words of wisdom, I am trying something new. I turned on the bathroom fan to cover any noise I might make, I kept the light off so I am typing in the dark, and I am typing so very softly. This is not very convenient or time efficient, but you do what you gotta do. :)

Who Is Out There?

I woke up to a wonderful surprise this morning. I had 2 comments on my last post from 2 dear friends that I have known for years that I don't see very much. Susan (Sue), and I have known each other for over 20 years. Her and I were roomies at E. A. Allyson and I have known each other for over 30 years. We grew up together. We were cute little girls together, we went through the gauky years together, and we were onry teenagers together. My family moved the summer of my 8th grade year so we went to different high schools, but have remained friends over the years. With both of these ladies I keep in contact with them by phone calls a couple times a year, exchanging Christmas cards, and a lunch or dinner date once a year. When I read their comments and realized they have started their own blog I was thrilled. I can now keep up on the comings and goings of their families, and they can keep up on mine. Apparently Sue has been reading my blog for quite some time and has not commented until now. This got me thinking... How many of you out there are reading my blog and I don't even realize it? How many old friends, family, neighbors, even friends of my sisters that are reading about the Derrick Family? Please leave me a comment and let me know who is visiting. I would love to get in contact with more dear old friends. Thank you! I can't wait to learn more!

My Family

Yesterday was Mother's Day and my Birthday. Everyone I talked to thought it was a bummer to share these two day. Then Porter would say "If you think that is bad, feel sorry for Grandma she had to be in labor on Mother's Day." Good ol Porter gotta love his honesty. Ron took the kids shopping Friday night at Target. Bryndee and Abby went away from the crowd. When they were done with their shopping, they went to find Ron and the other kids. Bryndee said "Abby we need to find Dad so lets find dad by looking for his hair." Abby said "OK so we need to look for black and white?" If you can't tell by this picture Ron's hair sure is turning grey. That's OK, I like the distinguished look.

Yesterday was the first time in a long time that our family enjoyed church together. We even drove in the same car. Because Ron is the 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency when he is visiting our ward he has to sit on the stand. The only exception to this rule is if the 1st counselor or the Stake President is also visiting, then he gets to sit by us. So yesterday he even got to sit with our family. It was so nice. On the way home I asked the kids to stay in their church clothes for a while. I called Cherai and asked her to come and take a picture of our family. This is the first picture of our family complete. I have lots of pictures of the kids, but not any of the kids with Ron and I. I know I have a large family, but I just don't think about it being big until I see all of us together. That is a lot of kids, but I would not have it any other way.

Motherhood

I just got home from a wonderful Enrichment Night that our word put on. It was celebrating motherhood. The Relief Society put together a cute video featuring children from the ward. They asked them questions like What do you love about your Mom, Tell me about your Mom, and so on. Porter said "My mom has a lot of kids". He is a sentimental little boy. But honestly there is nothing more touching than the innocence of a child and the love they have for their mom. We had a wonderful dinner that was served to us thanks to Brenda P. Of coarse it was delicious, everything Brenda does is fabulous! On the table there was a quote that I had never heard before. I loved it and wanted to remember it, so I am going to blog it.

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed some one's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Sister Marjorie Hinckley

Father's and Sons Outting

As I read other's blogs everyone is commenting on their Father's and Sons outing. So I thought I would comment on ours. May 2nd and 3rd was our Ward's Father's and Sons outing. Porter looks forward to this outing all year long. Ron and Porter usually attend from Thurs. to Sat. but this year they would only be able to go up overnight because of all the time off Ron has already had to take for other things. Ron got a call Wed afternoon while at work and was informed he needed to be at a job site in Mexico Thursday morning, and stay there till the problem was fixed. Because of this the Father's and Sons outing was scratched. Porter was pretty disappointed. We had numerous neighbors offer to take Porter with them which he considered, but then he started to have problems with his asthma. He really started feeling lousy and we decided he should stay home so no one had to worry about him. So this year we didn't get to participate in the Father's and Sons. But that is ok because this Wed through Fri Ron and Porter get to go up to Prescott for Science Camp. They are both really looking forward to this. I went 2 years ago with Bryndee and really enjoyed it. I hope they have fun.

Guess Who is Who!

Yesterday Kymber and Abby were playing together (nicely I might add not fighting can you believe it) and they decided to dress like twins. When they did I could not believe how much they looked alike. Kymber is 3 years older than Abby and they are pretty much the same size, Kymber is a little bit taller. Anyway from the back it was hard to tell who was who can you tell?

Bryndee did it!

Bryndee made JV cheer at the high school. Yes I did say high school, my little girl will be going to high school next year. Am I really that old? She has been working really hard and her hard work paid off. Only 2 freshmen were put on the JV team and Bryndee was one of them. I have mixed feelings about this new phase in our lives. I am excited for her and the new experiences she will have, but yet I am going to have to let her go out on her own more. Not to mention how busy this will make her and me having to drive her everywhere, but good grades are promised and we will keep her to it. Good job Bryndee we love you!

What happened to things calming down?

I should have never opened my mouth and said " Now let things slow down so we could live a normal life". That simple phrase caused havoc on our family. About 2 weeks after my surgery, I started feeling really good. In fact I sent Ron with Kymber and Porter to Safford to help his mom with some things around her house. On Saturday April 13 I woke up feeling kinda weird. As the morning went on I started to get really uncomfortable on my right side. I thought I must have over did it the day before. But the feeling became painful. There was no relief to the pain I was having. I called Tara and asked her to come over and help with the kids, and called Cherai and had her take me to the hospital, and called Ron and asked him to come home. Four painful hours later they finally gave me drugs through an IV and did a CT scan and discovered a very large Kidney Stone that was stuck right above my bladder. The hospital I went to did not have the right kind of DR. to treat me so I had to take an ambulance to Banner Desert. Once I reached the hospital, and they saw the size of the stone they determined that I needed surgery to remove it. So on Sunday April 14 I went under again to remove the stone. The Dr decided I needed a stint ran up to my Kidney to help me pass any other stones that might be lingering. Honestly the stint was the worst part of the whole ordeal. I can feel right where it is at, and it is not very comfortable. I get to go in today and have it removed. Happy Day. Once again I am so grateful for wonderful people in my life. Thanks Rosalie for dropping everything and coming here to help with the kids. Sorry you got sick while you were here, I hope you are feeling better. And like before thanks to Tara who is always willing to step in and be my kids 2nd mom. We are so lucky to have you so close by. And thanks to wonderful friends and neighbors and family who kept me in their prayers, wasted their Saturday morning to come and give me a blessing, and kept my family fed. Sorry 9 is a lot to feed. I am very anxious to start feeling better and get my energy back. This whole ordeal really taught me to appreciate my health. Even though we are not sure what caused this, I am very aware of what I put in my mouth. Hopefully my family and I can make an effort to become healthier. We will see. :)

What a wild few weeks we have had!

The last month for my family has been crazy! I don't even know where to start, I guess from the beginning so here we go...I told you about our trip to California and Disneyland and we had a wonderful time. We were supposed to come home to a relaxing spring break, a week to get caught up on missed homework and hanging out with friends. No such luck. On March 19, 2008 we were surprised to hear that my nephew James got married. He married his love, Tabathia. We knew they were getting married but were not sure when. We are excited for him and his new adventures in life. Tabathia had a little girl from a previous marriage and now James is a daddy. We are already enjoying the stories of James' adventures as a daddy. We are all anxiously awaiting the time we get to meet the two newest members in our family. Welcome Tabathia and Olivia.

James and Tabitha March 19, 2008

On that same day we got a call in the evening that Grandma had died. It was bittersweet news. We will miss Grandma dearly, but are so happy to know where she is and that she is with Grandpa again. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father's Plan, it is truly a plan of happiness!

Grandma on her birthday!

During our spring break all of my family except Ron caught a terrible virus. It was the one that gave you a terrible sore throat, and an awful cough. If you came into my house all you would hear is coughing in a chorus. It actually became quite funny to listen to it. Ron and I would wake up to one of the kids coughing and we knew exactly which one it was. We can tell their coughs better than we can tell their voices on the telephone. Grandma's funeral was going to be here in AZ so most of our family had to travel and have a place to stay. Cassie stayed with her sister-in-law, Leslie stayed with her mother-in-law, and Mom, Dad, and Stacey stayed with me. They were brave to come to a house with so much coughing and so many fevers going on. I was quite nervous for them to come to my little house with my large family, but everything worked out. Thanks to Bryndee, Porter, and Ellie who gave up their rooms and beds to accommodate everyone. On March 26, 2008 we had Grandma's funeral. It was wonderful. Because Grandpa's body was never found, we never had a funeral for him. Grandma's wish was to have a memorial service for Grandpa at her funeral. It was such a nice service. Grandma and Grandpa had 3 kids, and 12 grand kids. At the funeral all kids and their spouses and all grand kids were there. We were trying to remember a time when all the grand kids were together and I don't think anyone could come up with a date. After the funeral, we went back to my house for a luncheon for all the family. We really enjoyed catching up on everyone and their family and their lives. What a wonderful family reunion we had in honor of Grandma and Grandpa. That night all my sisters and Bryndee got together and played cards till late in the night. We had a really good time together again. The next morning everyone would be traveling back to their homes so they could be back on the road Friday this time to Colorado to be with Leslie's son Jake to go through the Temple and to be at his farewell. Jake has been called to serve in the West Indes Trinidad & Tobago French speaking mission.

The LaRue girls (Cassie, Stacey, Tara, Andrea, and Leslie)

After the funeral and before the luncheon, I had to take Taralee into the doctor's office. Her coughing was still very deep and she had been on breathing treatments since California. She would wake up choking at times because of the flem she had. Taralee was going to accompany me to Colorado and our flight was scheduled for Friday morning at 6:30 am, hence the reason for concern. Taralee's breathing was OK just alot of flem, but what we didn't realize was she had a double ear infection. Because of the pressure on the ears caused by flying and the fact that I was still sick (I had also gone to the DR and got a heavy duty antibiotic for a sinus infection and an inhaler to help with my breathing), Ron and I felt it was better for Taralee and I to stay home. It was a hard decision to make, but in the long run I believe it was the right one.

Jake at the Denver Colorado Temple - What a terrific missionary he will make!

My family said Jake's farewell was wonderful. He is already a missionary, by inviting at least 20 of his friends that are not of our faith to hear his talk. I was told the spirit was very strong and he did a wonderful job. I am sad I did not get to be there with him. Sunday after the farewell my Mom and Tara took a flight back to AZ (my Mom lives in Utah) so my mom could be here to help out my family while I was in the hospital. On Tues. April 1, 2008 I was in the hospital to have a hysterectomy. Luckily the antibiotic helped out and I was well enough to have the surgery. Everything went well and I was in my room starting to recover by 1:30 pm. At 2:30 pm Ron had to leave me at the hospital and have a MRI done on his head. He had been having terrible migraines for 3 weeks. The Dr wanted to make sure there was nothing developing on his brain. We got the results and everything is clear. The Dr said his migraines were a cluster kind of headache and they would go away soon. I am happy to say that they have gone away. The only problem is we don't know if and when they will come back, and what causes them. I came home from the hospital on Thurs to a spotless house and a tired Mother. My mom has never experienced Ellie before and was a little nervous after the nail polish incident. She got a lesson in Ellie 101 and passed with no major incidents. She even had time and energy to give Torie a perm. It looks wonderful! Thanks Mom for being here to help Ron and I really appreciate it.

Torie happy to get a perm from grandma!

Saturday and Sunday April 5 and 6 was General Conference. What a wonderful Conference it was! I was proud of my kids they were pretty good at watching all 4 sessions. Porter got to experience the Priesthood session. At first he was a little sad when he realized he had to watch to 5 sessions and the girls only had to watch 4. But after it was over he told me he loved it and can't wait till Oct. Maybe it is because he gets to go out to dinner after with just him and Dad. During the Sunday afternoon session, Tara was playing with Taralee and discovered she has her first very sharp little tooth. She is such a good baby she never complained while it was cutting through. This now brings us to this week. I was a little nervous having my Mom gone and Ron and Tara gone to work and the kids all at school. This left me at home with Ellie and Taralee. I am not suppose to pick up anything, or do anything. I was not too worried about Ellie, all I needed to do was lock all the doors in the house and she was confined to the family room and her bedroom, not too much damage could be done in these rooms. I was concerned with Taralee, and her needing to be picked up to be put her in her bed, and being held while feeding her. But thanks to a neat little travel bed I found everything went alright. This bed is basically a little box that has a mattress in it. It can be put on the ground so I can just drag her blanket over to the bed and lift her in while still in a sitting position. As far as feeding her I drag her blanket over to the couch, sit down and lift her up to my lap. It has all worked out great!

Taralee in her "box"

I am recovering pretty well from my surgery. The hardest part is not doing anything. But I am told by many people that if I will be careful in the first couple weeks the recovery is much better. I am also told that after all is said and done I will be surprised at how lousy I felt before. I have to say I have wonderful family and friends. I received many visits in the hospital with cards and flowers, numerous dinners brought into our home, wonderful friends that take my kids so I can lay down, and a wonderful Mom, Sister, and Husband that have picked up all the slack I have left behind. Thanks so much I love you all. Now please let things slow down so we can live a normal life (if you can call the Derricks normal).

Did they peg me or what?

If you can't read the caption it reads: Seven children...and one demented adult!!!!!!