My New Look!

You to can look like this only afte 3 weeks of boot camp!

Dad Again!

Once again I took this off of Cassie's blog....

DAY ONE...
Well today we spent the day up at Huntsman hospital. My dad received surgery. He got his hip replacement taken completely out. The doctor put in an antibiotic ball in it's place. The surgery went as well as what they expected. The goal is to get the infection gone and the pain lessened so he can continue with his Chemo treatments. We were somewhat optimistic when the doctor came out and told us he was finished. Then we waited 2 1/2 hours for him to come out of recovery. When they finally brought him up he was not himself. He was talking very strange and singing. He did not know who I was or my sister. And his right side was not functioning. This concerned the doctor. They immediately sent him to do a cat scan on his head and neck. They are not sure but there is a possibility that he might have suffered a small stroke. We will know more in the morning. Needless to say I have never had a more emotional, up and down day. With my dad pretty "loopy" on the medication we were either laughing or crying or we were laughing to keep from crying. At one point he tried to speak Spanish to the Spanish nurse...My dad does not know Spanish but sure thought he did. I hope and pray that he will recover soon and that the pain will be lessened. Time will tell.

Day Two...
As I said in the last post, my Dad had a CT scan yesterday. It showed a small mass in his brain. He just finished up with an MRI, which showed a much clearer picture of what they're dealing with. It is a small lesion (tumor) that is cancer on his brain, not a stroke. They are going to perform radiation surgery. They won't have to cut him open at all (thank goodness), but hit 5-6 different lasers at different angles at his lesion at the same time. The neurosurgeon said he feels this is all it will take to kill that tumor and prevent more from coming. My Dad will have to take steroids to keep the swelling down, and one of the side effects is massive swelling, but it's not an absolute, meaning the doctor had to tell us it's a side effect, but he's confident all will be fine and Dad can continue on with his life and there won't be any more problems. As far as the brain tumor goes. We still have every thing else to deal with. But this is good news.

I can't believe this is going on with my Dad. I guess because I am in AZ and my Dad is in UT I have a hard time picturing him in his very weak condition. Last year when I was trying to pass a rather large kidney stone I had never been in so much pain. For 4 hours I winced in pain with no comfort. Finally they gave me some drugs and I was given immediate relief. My Dad has been dealing with unbearable pain since November with no relief. No amount of drugs they give him will help. I just hope and pray that this new procedure and the surgery he had this last week will give him some sort of relief. Thanks to all for your continued prayers and support. It is much appreciated!

Look Who Torie Met!

Brandon Mull, author of Fablehaven and Candy Shop Wars, came to our school and Torie had the opportunity to meet him. She brought her book, Candy Shop Wars, and was thrilled he was willing to sign it. Then thanks to Karra who thought to bring her camera, she got her picture taken with him. She was so excited when she got home and couldn't wait to tell me all about it. I am so grateful my kids go to such a great school where so many neat opportunities are available for them.

Little Girls and Their Guitar Hero!

Porter was playing Guitar Hero with his buddies and forgot to put it away. I came into the room to find Ellie and Taralee having a great time with it. We start them young in our family.

Taralee

Taralee went to nursery for the first time yesterday. I guess she had a great time because when we came home she crashed on the couch. Don't you just love her chunky legs?

Dad Again!

Once again I took this off Cassie's Blog...

"Thanks for all of the prayers and concerns! The surgery went well. PHEW! The surgeon went into his hip and saw that there was quite a bit of infected fluid all throughout it. He was able to clean and "power wash" the hip out. The problem he did find that because the cancer has eaten away so much of the bone there are lots of little holes for the infectious bug to hide. So the chances of him having to have his hip "power washed" again is likely. They will be giving him some hard core antibiotics but with him being on chemo that is likely to fight the antibiotic. So frequent blood tests will have to be done to determine if the levels of infection rise. Does any of this make sense???? Any how he is recovering and will probably be released from the hospital on Monday if all goes well. Hopefully this will have relieved much of his pain that he has had in that area. Only time will tell. I am so grateful that my sister Tara was able to fly up here from AZ to help with driving my mom back and forth to Huntsman Medical, which is about 1 hour away. My mom will not drive in the dark, on the freeway or if it is raining or snowing, so Tara being here will help a lot!"

I feel so bad that my Dad is going through this! Every time I tell him this he always says "I would rather it be me than anyone of my girls." It is so hard not being there with him and my Mom, but with 3 sisters and my Mom by his side I am updated regularly! I sure love him and want to see this trial over! I know it will be a long road, but I feel they are finally heading the right direction.

Dad!

Once again I took this info off of Cassie's Blog...

"Well we just found out that my dad has to undergo surgery...Again. He has been in unbelievable pain for the last couple of months. His Chemo doctor has just been throwing more and more medication down him to try to ease his pain without figuring out the problem. (She is not my favorite can you tell!) Anyhow he was finally able to meet with his surgeon who performed his hip replacement. Needless to say he was extremely concerned with my dad's progression which has been NONE! It has been very frustrating to watch him in this pain and not getting any better. Well the surgeon decided to run test and he believes that my dad's hip is infected. So tomorrow he will be checked into Huntsman Cancer Hospital to undergo more surgery to scrape any infection from his hip. "

When Cassie told me this info my first thought was FINALLY someone is willing to help him. But then I realized he has to into surgery again and I am nervous for that. But if this will give us some answers we need then I think this is a good thing. I really appreciate all the kind thoughts and inquiries about my parents. It really helps us get through this rough time.

Porter Did It!

Porter was able to compete in the Arizona State Science Fair and he took 1st place in the Chemistry Division for Middle School. He used his same project that he won 1st place with at our school it was Greenhouse Gasses and Alternative Fuels. He took plant and animal matter and captured methane. At least that is how I understand it. If you want a better explanation you would have to ask him or Ron. Monday he missed school to be at the fair. He was scheduled to answer questions from the judges from 10:00-2:00. He and Ron went together, but parents had to be in a different room from the students. I am guessing this is so parents could not help with the answers the judges were seeking. He must have done a good job because he also got a medal from The US Navy and Marine Corps recognizing his project. He was so excited!

Ron was not able to come to the awards ceremony last night, in fact he got home after Porter was in bed. Porter made me promise that I would not tell Ron and that I would have Ron wake him up so he could tell him himself. Ron came in his room at about 9:45 and tried to wake him up with no success. He did get him to roll over and when he did that Ron heard clank clank. Porter went to bed with both medals around his neck. Needless to say Ron got the medals off and came and asked me what they were all about. We are so proud of him and all his hard work. He is already talking about what he can do next year.

Porter receiving his medal for 1st place!

Porter after receiving his medal! He could not quit smiling!

Porter with both his medals! Sorry for the lousy picture! When I got there I turned on my camera and found out my batteries were almost dead. Kymber and Ellie have been playing with my camera and drained the juice out of the batteries. I just changed the batteries a month ago and never thought about checking them. I barely got this picture no time to zoom in.

Guys And Dolls

Every year our middle school puts on a play. This year they performed Guys and Dolls. If you think about it this is kinda a weird play for middle school, I mean it is all about love and gambling. But this is what they choose to do and they did a great job. Around Christmas time tryouts began. Torie and Porter both tried out (I do not know where they come from! I would have never had the nerve to do something like that and I don't think Ron would have either!). Porter got the part of Nicely Nicely, the fat goofy gambler (when he got the part he said "Huh I am not fat and I don't gamble kinda funny huh?) and Torie got the part of a Hot Box Girl (back up dancer to the main character) and a towns person. Practices started late December and went through the middle of March. Sometimes they would go to school for a 7:00am practice and not get home until 6:00 pm. But they stuck it out and did a fantastic job! I was so impressed with the whole production. Every one who participated has every reason to proud of themselves! I have some video, but I have to figure out how to upload them for some reason it is not working. When I do I will share them but for now here are a few pictures.

The cast after the show.

Torie dressed as a towns person with her friend Arielle.

Porter as Nicely Nicely and Ian as Sky Masterson.

Porter and Torie! Aren't they cute!

Bryndee's $3,000 Smile

Isn't she beautiful?

No Hands!

Torie has been trying to land an areal (a cartwheel with no hands) for some time and she finally did it! Thanks to Laura for capturing it on film! Such a cool picture!

That is her coach, Riley, standing there in the black shirt. You can just see it in her eyes...Come on Torie you can do it!

Good Party No 2

Last week my wonderful friend Cherai and her family relocated to New Mexico for a new family adventure. Jennifer Shumway and I decided to celebrate Cherai and have a going away brunch for her and all her friends. It was a success! Cherai wanted to have ONE rule at this party... NO CRYING! I tried to follow, but when I couldn't keep it in I would go inside where she could not see me.

It is so weird having her gone. Not only because she was such a good friend to me and so many people, but also because her kids were my kid's friends. Torie and Sadie were inseparable, best friends from the very beginning. Kymber and Kamryn have a love-hate relationship kinda on again and off again. They would be the best of friends one day and the next they would be screaming at each other. Then there is Porter and Derek. Porter is almost 3 years older than Derek, but they share a great friendship. These pictures were taken the morning the Slades left.

Sadie and Torie! Torie is fighting back tears!

Kymber and Kamryn! This was an "ON" day!

Porter and Derek! Just good friends!

Cherai is definitely One Of A Kind! I have never known anyone quite like her. Even though she is younger than I am, I really look up to her. She is a very wise person! She has a lot of common sense! I would always call her for advice for one thing or another. She is the most honest person you will ever come in contact with. Cherai is know for being funny! Not class clown kinda funny, but someone who does hilarious things and then laughs at herself. Those of us who know her real well call these stories "Cherai-isms"! I am not going to share them here (we already shared a lot at her party) but if you ever want a good laugh just ask me about the mustache cream!

Just some random shots of friends visiting at the Brunch. The food was wonderful and there were lots of friends that came to say goodbye! I think Cherai was surprised at just how many people's lives she and her family have touched.

Jennifer telling the mustache cream story. Cherai just sitting there laughing at herself!

Marcia and Cherai

Millie and Cherai

Cherai and Ariane

Cherai and Jenn!

Jennifer, Cherai, and I! (I look horrible! I had done a lot of crying that morning and my eyes sure did show it!)

Laura, Cherai, and I! Laura lives in the house between Cherai and I. Our families did a lot of things together. Things like BBQ, Pool parties, Gardening, Christmas lights at the Temple, Trick-or-Treating, Camping, Etc. It is very hard to find a couple that both you and your spouse "click" with, but in our situation all 6 of us got along great! And to make it even better we all lived next door to each other. Can you believe how lucky we were?

Kymber's Job

Ron has hired Kymber to take care of his shirts. He has taught her how to iron a shirt properly, how to hang them up so they don't get rewrinkled, and how to sew on a button. He pays her $1.00 a shirt. What a wonderful idea he had it brings happiness all the way around! Kymber gets to make money, Ron has crisp shirts to wear, and I don't have to fill guilty that I am not ironing for him.

Maybe she could teach Bryndee, Porter, and Torie her new skills she has learned. I know for a fact she is much better at ironing then they are!

Taralee Randomness!

I was going through my camera and realized I have lots of pictures of Taralee. I love this age! I love the innocence of this age! Everything they do is new and they are so excited about it. So I thought I would share some of Taralee with everyone...

I know this is awful, but she has discovered watching TV. Hooray! I can finally load the dishwasher without her climbing in to help.

She loves to play outside! It makes her very happy and in return it makes me very happy!
Last week Taralee had an ear infection and was really tight with her breathing. So she was on an antibiotic and a steroid to help loosen her up. I don't know if it was a combo of both meds or just the steroid but a demon child replaced my Taralee. She was a beast!!!! Here she is mad at me for taking away her 5th chocolate donut. She had no patience, she was mean, she would hit, and worst of all she would not nap. It was a long week, but she is now back!

I am amazed a how early she learned to play dress up. She always has something on. It can be a hat, a tierra, a necklace, a purse, shoes or all the above.

Goodbye Party No 1

On the last Friday in February we (Torie, Kymber and I) decided to have a going away late night party for their beloved friends Kamryn and Sadie. Kymber invited 5 girls and Torie invited 4 girls and I let Abby invite a friend as well. This particular night Ron and Porter had a meeting to attend and Bryndee was hanging out at a friend's house so it was me and 15 girls (including Ellie and Taralee) all 12 and under. We had a great time! We had pizza, ice cream sundaes, junk food, junk food, and more junk food. We are all going to miss the Slade girls, but it is always fun to have a party and we are glad we could do it in their honor!

Sarah, Bella, Breanna, Kamryn, Kymber, and Ellie! If you look closely at the floor and you can see the proof of the junk food we had there.

Rori, Torie, Mckayla, Arielle, and Sadie. These girls spent most the night texting a guy that one of them is in love with! Thankfully Torie is not the one in love!

They all ended up outside on the trampoline playing some game.

Kymber and Kamryn showing Ellie how to walk on water barrels. These are the best "toy" for my kids. They spend hours walking empty barrels. Ron keeps threatening to fill these up with water, but they are so much more fun this way!
Emma and Abby! Just so thrilled to be included in the festivities!
After the meeting, Ron and Porter hid in Porter's room and played some guitar hero! I am wondering if Ron and Porter are the first to "jam" in white shirts and ties? Don't you love Porter's tongue? You can tell he is concentrating hard!

An Update On Dad!

Once again I copied this from my sister's blog. Thanks Cassie for always going with Mom and Dad to the apts and for keeping us updated....

"Today I was stressed...No wait I was a mess! I knew that today I would be meeting with the doctor to discuss my dad's cancer. He received a Pet Scan last week. A Pet Scan is an all over body scan that searches for cancer. It can detect it anywhere and everywhere. My dad had received one when he was first diagnosed with cancer. This was the second one-about 6 months apart to compare and see where and if the cancer was growing. The great news is that the tumor on his hip has shrunk significantly, due to the radiation! It is still there, but none the less quite a bit smaller. There also doesn't seem to be any cancer that they didn't already know about, which means it doesn't seem to be spreading or growing!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! They are going to continue the same Chemo treatment that he has been on and then evaluate in a few weeks. The cancer is not going away but it is not growing either. We are all very happy. Now if he can get his pain under control (he is still in a great deal of pain in his hip where the replacement surgery took place). We meet with his doctor who performed the hip surgery on Monday, with x-rays we should know more then. Any how thanks for the kind words, thoughts and prayers! They seem to be working!!!"

I Have A Passport!

I have a passport! This is kinda funny because I don't usually leave my living room much less the country! But Tara won a trip to Puerto Vallarta through her work and she invited me to be her guest! I can't wait! Thanks Tara for the trip and for a reason to actually get a passport!

Family Home Evening! What A Fun Night We Had!

We have been having a little difficulty with Unity in our family lately. Last week for FHE Ron touched on this topic in his lesson. Tonight was my turn for the lesson and I thought I would expound on the same topic, UNITY.

To begin with I had Ron write each of our names on disposable cups. It was really funny, we decided to use these same cups for dinner (killing 2 birds with 1 stone) and the kids were quite intrigued as to why each of their names were written upside down on the cups. You should have heard our conversation at the dinner table trying to figure out what all this meant. After dinner, when all the dishes (except the cups) were put away and the table cleaned we met back at the dinner table for our lesson. We usually have FHE in the Living Room but tonight we needed the flat table, this just added to the curiosity of the evening.

First I asked if anyone remembered what last week's lesson was on. I was sure they wouldn't remember because if I remember correctly last week was more of a Family Home Grieving, but I guess I was wrong. Porter and Torie remembered it and remembered it well. Then I had Bryn look up the word in the dictionary. Webster described it as ONENESS! Perfect definition! After a little discussion, we took the cups and turned them upside down (hence the reason for writing their names upside down) and built a pyramid. This symbolized our family working together as one toward a common goal of eternal happiness. Then I started complaining, bickering, teasing, etc and tapping the cups with each new negative thing till the pyramid fell. Symbolizing our family failing. It was quite the object lesson.

Then we told them for our activity we would go outside and build a "family" pyramid. But for this to work we had to work together or we would tumble just like the cups. To begin with Ron, Bryndee, and I were on the bottom and the kids tried to climb up while staggering themselves, but it didn't work. They didn't understand where to put their knees or their hands and Taralee kept running out into the road. So I volunteered to come out of the pyramid and be the official stager and photographer. Here is what we came up with.

The cup pyramid!

Ellie was mad because she had to be on Kymber's back. She LOVES Bryndee and wanted to be on her back. She is slowly learning she doesn't always get her way. After the pyramid the kids just wanted to try other stunts (compliments of Bryndee)!

Ellie and Bryndee!

Kymber and Bryndee

Porter Won 1st Place

Porter won 1st place in the chemistry division of the school science fair! He and Ron have been working really hard learning about BIO GASSES (don't worry I don't know what that is either). They made this contraption that captured the gas that was put out from plant and animal matter. He was pretty excited when he found out! He was given a $20 AMEX gift card and 2 tickets to the AZ Science Center. Torie also entered a project to see if seeds could grow in places other than soil. She didn't win anything, but she worked hard and did a great job! Lots of late night were had by all.

Porter and his winning project!
One night Ron, Porter, and Torie were working late in our room printing lots of things out for their board and I came in to find this...Torie crashed on the bed and Porter crashed on the floor, but Ron was still going strong!

I don't know who had more fun Ron or the kids!

Taralee And Her Shoes!

For those of you who know me know I LOVE shoes! I always have! Taralee seems to follow in my footsteps. If there are shoes lying around, shortly you will be hearing clomp clomp clomping around. Her shoe of choice seems to be Ellie's Pink Princess Shoes.

The Pink Princess Shoes!

The whole get up! Shoes, wand, and crown! She came out of her room all dressed up this way. She did it all by herself no one was in the room with her.

Three of her favorite things...Bryndee's Flips, 3 Purses, and her Blankie!
Torie's shoes!

I just threw this in to show how long her eye lashes are. I know her face is dirty and gross, we just finished dinner and she enjoyed her spaghetti!