A Scary Terry Life

October so far....

2011-10-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

So things just never go as you plan. However, I have decided to just give up trying to go back and try to catch everything up from the past and just keep up from now on. There for this post will be October so far (fitting for the title right?).

Zach has been playing soccer again this year with his wonderful VIP team. I love this group. They really are out there to have fun and enjoy what they are doing. This is the 20th year that VIP has been a part of the AYSO program so next weekend they get to go to the REAL game again. They will play on the field at half time like they usually do, but unlike the usual, they will get to be on the field before the game to escort both REAL and whoever they are playing out onto the field. It should be a lot of fun.

Grandma Jean has let Josh help decorate for Halloween. He thinks we need a bunch of blow up decorations in the front yard like the neighbors, though luckily settled for orange lights. He also painted some jars like a jack-o-lantern and a ghost (thank you pinterest.com for fun ideas!).

Last Tuesday Grandma and Grandpa Terry came and took the boys to the pumpkin patch. They had a blast riding around in the wheelbarrows and picking out the biggest pumpkins they could find. Josh has been pretty upset that I wouldn't let him carve it yet but once I explained it would be mush by Halloween I think he understood.

The not so fun part of October came last Wednesday. Zach was scheduled for what we thought was going to be a pretty simple dental procedure. He has to be sedated since he won't cooperate otherwise so it was up at Primary Childrens Hospital. Once they got the x-rays though it turned out they had to pull out 8 molars that couldn't fall out on their own and one of them had to be dug out of the bone (not fun!). Now we have to take him to an oral surgeon to find out if more has to be done to get his teeth to grow in. Thankfully now he is doing better and got to go back to school today.

Well, the next 2 weeks will be full of Halloween parties and the game so I will post more soon!

Goodbye Mrs. Warr

2011-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

This has been a hard week. Josh had the most wonderful kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Warr that we have kept in touch with since leaving that class. Unfortunately she found out last year that she had cancer and this week she passed away. Since 2 of my nieces had her before Josh and Quinn was in her class this year, we decided that we needed to do something special for the kids to say goodbye. My sister Shauna and I had the kids each write a note to Mrs. Warr and we attached it to balloons and then we took them up the the kindergarten playground and let them say goodbye and release the balloons. It was very special and I think meant more to them than trying to sit through a funeral. As the kids all said, "We love you Mrs. Warr, have fun in Heaven!"

Update through pictures

2011-09-24T22:29:00.001-07:00

This will take a while but instead of rambling on about everything we did this summer, I thought it would be more fun to just show you! Starting with these 2 events. The Hope Kids Royal Ball and Cub Country!

Favorite Song

2011-09-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to add this to the playlist but they don't have it available. I know I am overdue for an update and I will do that in the next few days but I really wanted this on the blog. This song as touched me so much over the last little while. It was written by a father whose son was going through cancer. If you get a chance please listen to it. Its called He's My Son by Dallyn Vail Bayles , but her are the lyrics.

Down on my knees again tonight,

I'm hopin' this prayer will turn out right,

See there is a boy that needs your help,

I've done all that I can do myself,

His mother is tired,

I'm sure you can understand,

Each night as he sleeps,

She goes in to hold his hand,

And she tries, not to cry,

As the tears fill her eyes.

Can you hear me?

Am I getting through tonight?

Can you see him?

Can you make him feel alright?

If you can hear me,

Let me take his place somehow,

See he's not just anyone, he's my son.

Sometime late at night I watch him sleep,

I dream of the boy he'd like to be,

I try to be strong and see him through,

But God who he needs right now is you.

Let him grow old,

Live life without this fear,

What would I be,

Living without him here?

He's so tired,

And he's scared,

Let him know,

That you are there.

Can you hear me?

Am I getting through tonight?

Can you see him?

Can you make him feel alright?

If you can hear me,

Let me take his place somehow,

See he's not just anyone, he's my son.

Can you hear me?

Please don't leave him,

He's my son.

WE ARE BACK!!! Biking and Bowling and even Fishing

2011-06-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

After an exteneded break from blogging I have made my fabulous return to the blogging world in order to keep everyone up to date on our amazing lives. So far this summer (if you can call it that with the weather we've had) the boys have been very busy. Lets see, we will start with our oldest boy:

Christian is still employed with Morgan Stanley and while he actually only works 5 days a week it sometimes seems like he is glued to the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I guess thats the price I pay for having a smart husband that the team just can't do without. Right now though he is looking at having a pretty nasty surgery done in mid August and we are just waiting for the doctors office to schedule the pretest that has to go with it. In his spare time, he help my parents maintain their yard, takes the kids bowling, fishing, helps me with Zachs therapy, and watches the boys so that I can fulfill my many scout positions.

Melody: What can I say but that life is complicated? I still go to our old ward (did I mention we moved in with my parents again) for Zachs and Joshs scouts. Zach is a Webelos and Josh is a Tiger and this was the only pack he could be in. This is on Wednesday night so I am a leader ther for Josh. Then on Thursday afternoons I am the Den Leader in my new ward for the Wolf pack. Then on Thursday night I am the Den Leader Trainer for the District. Its crazy with 3 scout positions but I love it! When I'm not doing Scouts I'm trying to keep the house clean, taking kids to swimming lessons, going to physical therapy for my back and neck, helping Zach with his physical therapy, and trying to help the kids enjoy their summer.

Zach has continued to blow us away with what he has been able to do. Since he is no longer in the wheelchair, therapy at home this summer is a lot more fun. Basically I have been getting out his bike or walker and letting him go up and down the street until he gets tired. When I first started with the bike he could only go 10 minutes, tonight he went almost 30. It was incredible! He starts his summer school program next week but will miss the first day because he is going to be going to Cub Country with the Scouts (Lucky me, I get to go to!). He loves to go bowling. We use the ramp for his ball but he just walks right up to it and pushes the ball down then waits while someone gets him a new one. He knows how the systems works. Hes also really enjoyed going to some new movies but I think his favorite was Mr. Poppers Penguins as he danced through the entire movie.

Josh has been having a great summer. He has loved having so many boys living so close that he could play with. The minute that I will let him, he is at the door trying to find a friend to play with. The past week we started swimming lessons. He isn't sure he likes this but I think it is something that he needs more than anything. Like his big brother, he would much rather be out fishing with dad, bowling with the family, or riding bikes with his brother. He is very excited for Cub Country as well and is very close to earning his Tiger.

Well, thats us for now, but I promise I will keep this updated from now on!!!!

Zach and Josh fishing with Dad and Grandpa Brian

Bowling with the cousins!!!!!

Josh as swimming lessons!

Bike riding boys!

Part 2 -- California Trip Pictures

2010-08-23T09:17:00.001-07:00

Our trip to California was definantly one we will never forget. Day one we starting out at about 7am. We were making good time and reached St. George at around noon. We decided to eat lunch at the park by the temple but when we were getting Zach out of the car his feeding tube broke. We ditched my parents and Josh at the park and headed for the ER. Just a heads up, unless you are over 65 the St. George hospital does NOT know how to take care of you. After sitting in the ER for 4.5 hours, with them unable to do anything, they finally scheduled a time for us to have the tube replaced at a hospital in Vegas the next morning. Off we went for Las Vegas. By the time we got there and got set up it was getting late. We tried to go to the strip to see some of the free shows, but both kids fell asleep and it was time for bed. Early the next morning we got up and got Zach and Christian off to the hospital and my parents and I took Josh over to Circus Circus for the free shows and to play some games. At the hospital it turned out they had scheduled Zach for a surgery, not just a simple tube replacement. Finally at 4pm Zach was back and we were in the car headed for California. We finally arrived at our campground at about 10pm and got the camp set up and kids to bed. The next morning we woke up to discover that the hospital in Vegas had neglected to fill the balloon that holds Zachs tube in and it had fallen out. Once again, we sent Christian and Zach off to the hospital and the rest of us headed for Disneyland. Luckily, the hospital in California was great and had Zach in and out in just 2 hours and they were able to join us quickly. Disneyland was great with Zach and even gave us the pass that is usually reserved for Make-A-Wish kids that let us bypass all lines (even the regular wheelchair lines). It was really busy because all the new shows were opening. That night we got to see the new fireworks show (poor Zachy fell asleep waiting for it to start). The next day was spent at California Adventure where we got to see the new show "World of Color". It was a great show, but once again, Zach fell asleep waiting for it to start and didn't get to see it. Josh loved going on almost all the rides. The only one he couldn't go on was the big roller coaster in California Adventure but got over it pretty quickly. He LOVED the Tower of Terror and kept assuring the older man waiting behind us that it was scary. After 5 days of Disney it was time to pack up and head home. On the way we stopped at Calico Ghost Town. The boys had a good time panning for gold, and Josh loved making a leather craft in the leather shop. After that we kept driving until we reached out campground in Leeds. We stayed just the night and finally got home the next afternoon. Overall, it was a great trip that started off a little bumpy but ended great.
Who else can say they visited 3 hospitals in 3 states in 3 days!

Part 1

2010-08-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

Since it has been so long since my last update, I am going to do this is sections so that each part isn't too long. May was a busy month for us. Zachs surgery was just one thing. It was also Mothers Day, and Chrsitans and my birthdays. While Christian is proudly telling everyone he is 40 because he doesn't want to have to have another birthday for awhile, we are both actually 31 and proud of it. Both boys finished school and were sad to say goodbye to their teachers.

Zach had to say another tough good-bye. His sweet, sweet girlfriend was moving to New Mexico and we were invited to her going away party. He just wanted to be next to her the entire time. Josh also had to say good bye to his best friend in the whole wide world Radley as he was moving to Idaho.

Since this brings us up to June, my next post will be about our trip to Disneyland and the woderful adventure that was!

Zach and the amazing marble

2010-05-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

Why do my kids like to see if they can give me heart attacks? Last Tuesday as I was getting Zach ready for school he started chocking and quit breathing. After sitting him up he started to breath again but seemed to be having a horrible time. I couldn't see anything in his mouth or throat but Christian and I rushed him to the closest hospital. That's where we got this lovely x-ray or the marble in his windpipe. First they were going to transfer him to Primary Children's but when the doctor saw this x-ray he came running out to the ambulance and refused to let us move him. If the marble had moved even a fraction it would have completely blocked his ability to breath! They rushed him into surgery and, thankfully without a tracheotomy, managed to get it out. I would think he would have been bothered by this but he doesn't seem to be. We have scoured the house looking for and throwing away all the marbles we come across (Josh was very sad to see Hungry Hippos disappear) but he seems to keep finding them. Since then I have already had to take 3 more out of his mouth. Whats next!?!?!?!

Wizard Of Oz

2010-03-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Today was such a fun day. Zachary's school took on a big project of putting on the play "The Wizard of Oz." The kids all had so much fun and all looked so cute. Zachary's class were the munchkins and he was very proud that he got to hand Dorothy flowers!

Pictures and update

2010-02-15T14:23:00.001-08:00

Zach at the pumpkin patch

Josh at the pumpkin patch

Leaving to go Trick-or-treating

Visiting his girl friend Isabelle

He misses Mrs. Penny

Josh found the pickle on the tree!

Zach got a new bike!

Okay, so there are some pictures to get through the end of 2009! So much is always going on that I seem to be really bad about keeping this site updated. Early in December I started having worse stomach/abdominal pains than normal. It got to the point that I was swelling so bad that I looked pregnant. After 2 ER visits and a regular doctor visit I started the Celiac diet. My amazing cousin Cami helped me with everything to do with the diet, giving me recipes and things to try. After awhile on the diet the swelling was gone but the pain was not. I know it will take months and maybe years to repair damage done to my body from eating the gluten all this time but the doctor still seemed worried. In January I finally had an appointment with a GI doctor. He ran a slew of blood work and had me come in last week for an EGD/Colonoscopy. What the found was .......nothing. He took several biopsies and removed a single small polyp but basically all he can tell me so far was that my stomach and intestines look inflamed. That's it. Swell. So now I'm back on the diet and trying to ignore the pain daily while trying to keep up with the kiddos. On a happier note! In December Zach finally received his Wolf for cub scouts! He actually earned it earlier but we kept missing pack meeting. He should have earned his bear pretty soon now. Josh turned 6 in January and we took him to Classic Fun Center to celebrate. He is doing well in school though we are still fighting with the ADHD meds he takes. We started a new one that he has to take twice a day but it really seems to be making a difference. I keep waiting for it to snow enough that I can take the boys sledding. Josh has been begging all winter but there is never any snow on the hill to go. Hopefully soon or he is going to go mud slidding.

Has it really been that long?

2009-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am just really horrible about keeping this updated lately. For now, I am just going to update on what has been happening the last 2 months and then I will post pictures later.

In October Christian has surgery to repair a deviated septum. The surgery went well although he had a massive panic attack when he first woke up. He hasn't officially admitted it, but I think he is very glad he did it. The boys loved Halloween. Josh was Darth Vader, with the mask that actually let him do the Vader voice, and Zachary was a pirate. I took the boys up to my Moms neighborhood to let them trick-or-treat, and let Christian stay home and have some peace (his surgery was only 3 days earlier). That night though, Josh spiked a fever of 103. We took him to the doctor 4 different times, had chest x-rays and blood work done, and he ended up missing 2 weeks of school, all over a sinus infection. The fever lasted for 13 days, never going lower than 100.5 and they had told me it was the swine flu. Stupid on call doctor sure got that one wrong!

On November 29th my sweet little Zachary turned 9 years old. He was spoiled rotten, of course, by all his family and really enjoyed mashing cake all over. For a special, belated, birthday treat I took him today out to the new school on the west side to visit his favorites teachers and friends from the last several years. He was so excited to see Penny and Amanda! He was smiling all day and dancing around in his chair. They were so good to let us spend the day in their classroom and he especially seemed to enjoy the kisses he got from his little girlfriend Isabelle. It has been hard for him to be seperated from them this year and I'm really glad they were so willing to let us come visit.

I hope to post pictures soon, but with the way things have been going, Happy Holidays!

I give up!

2009-10-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

I know I promised an update long before now, but there never seems to be any extra time. Since I am so overdue I will only blog about NOW and try and post past stuff a little later. Both kids are back in school and seem to be doing well. Josh LOVES kindergarten and HATES having to go to bed early. Zach is doing well though it is obvious he misses his friends, teachers, and girlfriend that went to the new school. He isn't quite as excited to leave in the morning but is doing well all the same. We had the chance to go down to Zion this weekend with Christians family. His Mom and Dad treated us to stay in an incredible hotel, more like a condo, right at the park entrance. We only had to walk out the front door and across the bridge to be inside the park. The boys had a blast hiking and playing with Grandma and Grandpa and Kennedy. On our first day we got to go on an outback Safari ride where they take you above the canyon and into a little ghost town. It was neat to see it that way, though I got major car sick! I had the chance to scare the heck out of Josh on one of our hikes. In Zion it is not uncommon to have a tarantula cross the path right in front of you. It has never happened to us before but this time there were 3 of them in a row. Josh was looking at one of them from a distance when I snuck up behind him a gave him a little push to get closer. He screamed at the top of his lungs and the spider jumped toward him. Although they were still nowhere near each other, I think I almost gave him a heart attack and he RAN as fast as could to get away from the spider and "Mean" Mom. While we were there, the family treated us to a movie on the big screen and we got to see Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs in 3D. It was hilarious (or I was exhausted) and the kids loved it! Thanks Mom and Dad Terry for such a fun trip!!!!

In front of one of the buildings in the ghost town

We are ready to hike!

The boys on the Pa'Rus trail

Checking out the river on our hike

The kids all earned their Junior Ranger Badges

On the way home we stopped at a trading post with a petting zoo and old fashioned buildings, wagons, and other fun things

June

2009-07-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

The last few months have been crazy busy with camping, scouts, sickness, family outings, and everything else! I have finally decided that I couldn't put off updating this blog any longer. I am going to do this by months since it has been awhile and hopefully nobody will get sick of reading it. In the beginning of June we packed up the family and headed off to good ol' Tooele for a camping trip and so the kids could go to camp Hobe. After setting up camp we headed over to our friends, the Reed family, for dinner and some fun. The kids had a great time playing together and Cristi had made an excellant dinner! Then it was back to the canyon where we let Josh roast marshmallows before making the kids go to bed. The next day was the first day of camp! Camp Hobe is an excellant camp set up for cancer kids and their brothers and sisters. Since Josh isn't old enough and Zach can't stay overnight we had signed them up for the daycamp. They were both very excited and loved all the activities, like swimming, crafts, singing, and story time. While the boys were at camp Christian and I spent the day driving back to Sandy to pick up Zachs swim float (luckily we made it back in time for swimming at camp), trying to find a Fathers Day present for Christian, and looking in a fun little scrapbooking store. After we picked the boys up from camp we all went bowling. The boys love to bowl and we all had a lot of fun. After that we met back up with the Reed family and went to a really fun public pool that even had a waterslide. The kids were sad when it was time to head back to camp but they needed to head to bed for camp the next day. After dropping the boys off for their second day of camp, Christian and I headed back and packed up all the camp stuff and put down the trailer. Then it was back to wandering around Tooele trying to find something fun to do. We ended up going to lunch and back to the scrapbooking store! Then we picked up the kids and headed on home.

After that excitement we spent a couple of quiet days at home and then it was time for Cub Country! I got to be one of the leaders, so Zach could go, so we dropped off Josh as Grandmas and headed up the canyon to Fort Wilderness. Zach had so much fun! They had some really neat activities including panning for gold, learning to rope and use a whip, and his all time favorite BB guns. I was afraid he wouldn't like the noise of the guns but he was so excited and threw an absolute fit when his turn was over. There was a very nice counsler up there that took Zach on as his special buddy and made sure that he was able to do everything.

Sadly that night Zach started getting sick. As we soon found out there was an outbreak of swine flu at camp Hobe and my luckly little boy was one that had brought it home. After he had been sick for a couple of days I ended up with it as well. Luckily, the doctors treated Christian and Josh so that they didn't get it, but it made for a long two weeks being under quarentine until it was gone. The rest of the month we just played at home or at Lagoon. I'll post about July within the week!

A bad joke?

2009-06-20T20:47:00.001-07:00

I got to hear some very unwanted news today. Zach has swine flu. When the flu first hit the US, we were joking that with our families luck one of us would get it. Unfortunately that turned into a horrible joke. Zach has it bad, Josh is starting to show symptoms, and I'm just dreading it hitting Christian and I. I'll post something happier later, but for now, please keep Zachy in your prayers so that we don't end up in the hospital.

Part two--Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands

2009-05-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Part one of our trip to Moab--hiking in Arches

2009-05-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

New do's and soccer stars!

2009-04-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

April has been a crazy fun month. I know I didn't post anything about Easter but this is more fun. For awhile now Christian has been teasing me that he was going to give Josh a buzz cut. Sadly, this last week he actually did it. While I don't like it much, Josh is thrilled with it. He thinks hes big stuff having such short hair.

Last Saturday Zach's team had the opportunity to go to the Real soccer game and play on the field at half time. It was a little cold but the kids had a blast. Zach even got to score a goal!

Great Vacation!

2009-04-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

This past week has really been a fun one. Last Wednesday we loaded up the kids and headed down to Zions for a couple of days. We had decided in December that we wanted to take a bunch of camping trips this year and this was the first one. After a very long drive (thank goodness for Game boys and TV!!!) we arrived at the Zion River campground in good ol' Virgin Utah. The campground is fairly new and an excellent place to stay. After we set up the trailer and roasted some hot dogs for dinner we took the kids over to play Candy bar bingo. There were four games and my boys won two of them. Then we took them in to the little lodge there and let them play pool. Josh thought he was pretty cool stuff and I'm just glad he didn't rip the green. Zach liked taking the balls and throwing them down the holes. After that it was bed time for the night. On Thursday we headed up Zion for some hiking. There are only a few trails that are actually considered wheelchair friendly but we decided to try Weeping Rock. It was paved all the way up and at the end, where there were stairs, Zach got out of his chair and Christian helped him climb. The boys loved it! The we did some more hiking and went back tot he campground to swim. Both boys loved being in the pool. Zach had his new swim vest (like they use at his school) and we bought Josh some arm floats and they both cruised all over the pool. When we were worn out we went back to camp and had dinner and roasted marshmallows. Friday we went back into Zion and hiked the River walk. This is a great trail for the boys and they love throwing rocks in the river. There were a ton of squirrels (with no fear of humans) and one even walked right across my foot. They would come right up to people hoping for food. This trail took awhile and we ended up hanging out at the lodge for a little while. We checked out a couple of rock shops for the boys collection and then went into Hurricane for dinner and a movie. When we got back we finished off the marshmallows and packed everything that we wouldn't need the next day. On Saturday we got up and while Christian finished packing up the trailer I took the boys over for craft hour. They got to color Easter pictures and they each made a cute bunny magnet. Then Christian rejoined us and we let the boys participate in the campground Easter egg hunt. Both of them had a blast. After that we headed up to Zion for the last time. We started down a 2 mile trail and about a third of they way down, it started pouring on us. The boys had their coats on but Christian and I ended up soaked. Even though we were wet this was probably the funnest hike we had. Zach loved it in the rain and danced the whole way down. After that we went back to camp, changed, loaded up and headed home. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait until next month for our trip to Moab!

What a crazy month!!!

2009-03-27T13:30:00.001-07:00

This month has been so crazy. One day my kids are wearing shorts and literally the next day we are back in long pants and coats. It has also been a busy fun month for the kids.

Easter came early to our house this year. We had gone to IFA to buy hay for the piggies and see the newborn chicks and ducks. I just happened to look over and see a cage with two tiny little bunnies in it. The one had been sold but the other was so CUTE!! Christian calls me a sucker because the minute the lady let me hold it I knew I had to bring it home. It is a mini Lop and mini Rex mix and is so soft. He loves to cuddle and give kisses too. We named him Honey Bunny and his nickname is Bob because every time he runs around he bobs his little head up and down.

Zachs soccer started again this month. He has really missed playing and was very excited when I got out his uniform. Shauna is still being his buddy (THANK YOU SHAUNA) and he loves it! This week they worked for awhile on taking shots at the goal before their actual game. When we got home from his game the only part of his uniform he would let me take off was his shin guards. In April he will get to play with his team at the half time of the Real game.

Last night was Zachs Blue and Gold banquet for Cub Scouts. Zach absolutely loves scouts and was happy and dancing all night long. He earned his first bead toward his wolf along with several belt loops, pins, and patches. They also had the Space Derby and Zachs ship took 2nd place. We let both boys make their own rockets so that Josh wouldn't feel left out and now I just need to by the hook so they can race them at home as well.

The big Cub Scout!

2009-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

January Zach was able to start participating in cub scouts. He absolutely loves it! In February he was able to earn his Bobcat, along with several other patches, belt loops, and pins.

Part 2

2009-03-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

Meeting our new cousin Elijah. Josh loves to hold him and try and make him smile, Zach just wants him to play this little piggy!

Playing catch up with pictures--Part 1

2009-03-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

We had these pictures taken back in November but I kept forgetting to post them.

10 YEARS!!!!

2009-03-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Hooray for us!!! Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary!!! I know I have a lot to catch up on in this blog but I just had to shout hooray!

Love This

2009-03-02T18:05:00.001-08:00

Our life update

2009-02-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

We haven't updated for awhile because thankfully everything has been pretty quiet around here. We've all had a little bug that seems to have finally left us (knock on wood!). Zach started scouts and really seems to enjoy it. We've had to modify the goals to something he can actually do, but he really is getting into it. He just earned his Bobcat and will get his patch at the pack meeting later this month. They had a school "dance" today for Valentines. All the kids looked so cute dressed up and stupid me forgot to take my camera with me. Josh could care less about what day it is, as long as someone is giving him candy. Both the boys have enjoyed getting to meet their new cousin, Elijah. He is such a cute little boy and we absolutely love him! Anyway, I'll post more later when I have something to add!

Joshuas Birthday

2009-01-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

What a crazy month! Joshua turned 5 on the 13th and had 3 different parties. His first party was a combination party with my family. He and my Mom share the same birthday so we got together with all my family for dinner, cake, ice cream, and presents. It was a lot of fun and he was excited that he got to celebrate with Grandma. Then on his actual birthday he got to have his very first friend birthday party. He wanted a Blues Clues party and I had a blast planning it and making decorations. We had to have it at my Moms because our apartment isn't big enough to hold all the kids. There were 13 kids there all between the ages of 2 and 5 (what was I thinking?). They played games, including Blues Clues, opened presents, and had cake and ice cream. Josh made out like a bandit with all the presents! Then on the Friday we had another joint party with Christians family. His cousin Kennedy's birthday is the day before his so we got together for dinner, presents, and once again cake and ice cream (needless to say, the diet went out the window this month!). The kids had a blast playing with balloons and having a huge silly string fight!

Quick post

2009-01-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know I am over due for a post about Joshs long birthday plans and party and I promise I will get that up here soon but for now just some very exciting news! We got Zachs one year off chemo MRI's this week and he is cancer free!!!!

BEWARE OF THESE SPIDERS

2008-12-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we noticed Zach had a small bump on his arm. It kind of looked like a little zit but we decided to leave it alone and watch it. By Sunday morning it was a deep angry red about the size of a nickle with the white blister and a black dot in the middle. His poor little arm was all swollen and he was not a happy boy. Christian took him to the doctor (I love our Doctor, the only day they aren't open is Christmas day) that day and its a good thing. When the doctor drained it there was a big pea size ball of black/grey poison along with a bunch of pus and liquid that came out. Nasty right? Anyway now he is on anti-biotics and we have to watch and make sure he doesn't get a staff infection from it. We discovered that the spiders in our place are called Yellow Sac Spiders and are one of the 4 poisonous spiders found here in Utah. They only bite when they feel threatened so we think he must have rolled on it in his sleep. Keep your eyes open for them!

Christmas!!!

2008-12-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

Wow what a month this has been. I can't believe everything we have done. Lets see, on my last post I ended with the Hope Kids party so I'll start from there. Saturday night we drove out to Tooele to visit Christians best friend. We always have a good time getting the 2 families together. We had dinner and played games while the kids went through every toy they owned! On Sunday we went over to Terry's house for a visit from Santa Claus. He was so cute with the kids and we were very excited to have our friend Erin and her family come as well. The kids were all so excited to see Santa and he even teased Josh about being good!

Monday and Tuesday were spent getting ready for the big day. On Christmas Eve we spent the morning cleaning up and getting food ready for that night. Then in the early afternoon we went over to my parents so the boys could open their presents and visit for awhile. That night we were off to Christians families for dinner and songs. We had a good time visiting with everyone and singing silly songs but then it was home to get ready for Santa. Josh was so excited to put out the reindeer glitter (oats and glitter) so they could find our place and to hang Santas magic key on the door (since we don't have a fireplace). He was even willing to go to bed so that Santa could come. Zach wasn't so willing and stayed up until midnight. Christmas morning was a whirlwind as Josh ripped open presents as fast as could and then wanted to help Zach open his. We had to open every box and scramble to get batteries in toys for the boys to play with.

Later in the morning we headed back to my parents for Christmas breakfast with all my sisters and their families. The kids were all so excited that they talked more than anything. We had a really good time and then went back to Christians parents for the kids to open their presents there.

All in all it has been a crazy, busy, holiday season but we've really enjoyed all them time spent with family and friends!

Busy week!

2008-12-20T13:08:00.001-08:00

The holiday is definitely getting busier! This week we have had one thing after another. Wednesday was Josh's preschool program and party. It was cute and he actually sang the songs unlike last year. Then we had to tour his class to see everything hes been working on. Friday was Zachary's party at school. I had put together a DVD of pictures of all the kids and had it to their music so they played that and then we had treats there and looked around. That night we ditched the kids with my parents and went to the Neil Diamond concert. This was part of Christians Christmas/promotion and I think he really enjoyed it. Today we woke up early for the Hope Kids party! They took us to Bolt 3D and then over to the Mayan for lunch, activities and Santa. Josh had a blast (Zach slept through it!). I'm a dope though and completely forgot to take my camera. Hope everyone else is having a fun holiday season!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-13T21:15:00.001-08:00

The holidays are definitely a crazy time of year. There is so much going on that you hardly have time to stop and take it all in. This past week is no exception. Friday night we went with Christians family to Zoo lights. It was so cold with the storm coming in but we bundled the kids up nice and warm and had a blast. I wasn't sure it would be worth it but the zoo actually did a really good job. Some of the light scenes were really incredible. Sweet Aunt Shannon bought each kid a light toy that they carried through with them. They were all so excited and not one of us thought to take a picture! Today we woke up to a blizzard! It was the Angel Hands Christmas party so we braved the roads. This is an incredible group that has welcomed Zach in. Its actually a group for children with rare diseases but they have luckily let us be among those. They took us to Hollywood Connection (there are little rides, roller skating, mini golf, laser tag, and an arcade) and gave a a card for all the rides and attractions we wanted. They also provided lunch and had Santa come for the kids. At the end they gave everyone a pass to the connecting Ritz 15 theater so the kids and I went and saw Delgo. Zach really liked the movie, Josh was more interested in the treats. A very busy but fun time.

Tonight was our annual night of gingerbread house decorating with my family. We always get together and have dinner first and then get set on the decorating. Zach was more into un-decorating out house and shoving the candy in his mouth as fast as he could. Josh ended up doing most of the work and decorating a cookie for himself. All in all, it was a lot of fun. Its always fun to get together with family and find out what everyone else has been up to.

November!

2008-12-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been. Between family visits, Thanksgiving, and birthdays I haven't had a minute to blog anything. So, here we go playing catch up.

Christians brother and his family came down from Washington to visit for a week. This meant a lot of fun family get togethers. Their first night here (Saturday) we celebrated Zacharys and Aunt Shannons birthdays, and decorated gingerbread houses. On Sunday we went to my familys to celebrate my dads and Zacharys birthday. Zach had a great time smearing himself with chocolate cake. Then we had a day off before it was back to the Terry family house for our first Thanksgiving dinner. The kids made turkey headbands and then promptly destroyed them with playing so hard. After dinner Grandma gave all the kids their first Christmas present, matching jammies! The next day we Zach got to have a birthday party at school! We took in a pull-string pinata filled with sensory toys and a balloon for each kid. The teachers let the kids spray everyone and everything with silly string and they all had a lot of fun! On Thanksgiving we went back to my families for a big dinner. The kids all had fun playing games and just hanging out with each other. It was nice to have an earlier dinner though so we weren't so stuffed at bed time. Friday we spent the day putting up the tree and hanging our outside Christmas lights. On Saturday we headed back to Terrys for the gangs last night in town. Earlier in the day I had fallen down the stairs and hurt my leg so I got to be there on crutches. Neil and Annie went to go see Body Worlds and since all the kids wanted to keep playing we took them back to Kangaroo Zoo. We hadn't been there for more than 10 minutes when poor Shannon fell off one of the boucers and dislocated (and fractured as we later found out) her shoulder. I hobbled around watching the kids while everyone else helped Shannon to the car so they could take her to the ER. We ended up staying for awhile and then piled back in the cars to head back to the house for dinner and to wait for everyone else to come home.

Finally everything has settled down a bit though with all the Christmas parties coming up, I don't think it will be long before everything gets crazy again! Just a note, my leg is still sore but I have been off the crutches for a couple of days and I am doing good! Hope everyone else had a great holiday!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm really slow about posting this. These pictures are from our wards halloween party, going to see the witches at Gardner Villiage, Josh's school parade (Zach was sick for his), and trick-or-treating.

Favorites

2008-11-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

8 favorite T.V. Shows
1- Greys Anatomy
2- House
3- Chuck
4- Heroes
5- Fringe
6- Amazing Race
7- ER
8- My Own Worst Enemy

8 Favorite Restaurants
1- Market Street Grill
2- Olive Garden
3- Red Lobster
4- Wendy's
5- East Sea
6- Chilis
7- Bambara
8- The Pie

8 Things that happened yesterday
1- Got kids dressed
2- took Josh to school
3- wrapped Christmas presents
4- watched a movie
5- worked on my afgan
6- gave kids a bath
7- put away clothes
8- fell asleep watching Scrubs

8 Things I look Forward to
1- Zachs soccer games
2- fun activities with the kids
3- Christmas
4- movie popcorn
5- A good book to read
6- lunch with my Cancer Moms group
7- Date night with Christian
8- Vacations!

8 Things I LOVE about Fall
1- The colors
2- nice and cool
3- Halloween
4- Fun things to see around town. Witches at Gardner Village, Corn mazes etc
6- trick or treating with the kids
7- Snow! except on the roads
8- Time with family

8 Things on my Wishlist
1- Travel with my family
2- get completely out of debt
3- Get the kids through school and missions
6- Getting to go back and visit Italy
7- Cure cancer (especially childhood cancers)
8- Write a novel

8 people I tag
I don't know who to tag so if you are reading this, consider it done!

Tagged!

2008-11-08T20:44:00.001-08:00

I promise I will update more current events later but for now I have been tagged. You take your 4th picture file and the 4th picture in it and post it. This is of Zach (when he was still going through chemo) and one of Shaunas girls. Shauna, please comment and tell me if you know which it is. Also, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged.

Pumpkin Fun

2008-10-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Friday was our family pumpkin day! Every year we get together with my family, have dinner, and carve pumpkins. While the adults to most of the work and the kids run around screaming, its still always a lot of fun. I started by taking my kiddos to the Maybe Family farm and pumpkin patch. Its a cute little farm and they sell their HUGE pumpkins for what everyone else charges for small ones. They had fun climbing on the hay bales, walking through the rows and rows up pumpkins, looking at the old tractor, and of course picking out the best pumpkins to bring home.

That night we went to Grandmas with everyone else to carve. I don't let my kids actually carve their pumpkins. Since Josh would most likely stab me and Zach can't really control a knife we use the Fright Lights. Its kinda like LiteBrites. They hammer in the pegs and you put an LED light in the pumpkin and they light up just like regular ones. Both boys had a blast hammering their pegs and Zach didn't want to give up the hammer when he was done.

Camping in October?

2008-10-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, Christian has been begging to go camping all year and so we finally went over UEA weekend. It was a lot of fun, but such an ordeal!

We got everything packed and ready to go on Thursday night so we could leave early on Friday. We were taking Christians parents tailer so that we would have some warmth and electricity for Zachs pump. We left home at 10am and got went to pick up the trailer (we could only drive it during the day). When we got there, there was a problem with the electrical hookup and we didn't end up leaving until noon. Then we got stuck in traffic for over an hour near Provo. We finally got to our campground in Snow Canyon (by St. George) at about 7. By the time we got everything set up and ready to go, we decided we were going to drive into St. George and get some dinner. About this time Zach thought it would be a good idea to get sick. He spent the next 3 hours throwing up and having a horrible time. Now we were so frustated that we decided we were going to come home first thing in the morning. Luckily Zach slept well and woke up bright eyed and ready to play. We decided to give it a shot and took off for Zions. We stopped at a litte petting zoo/picture stop along the way and the boys had a blast feeding carrots to the goat, llamas, deer, and burros. There was a bunch of old time buildings that you could take pictures in front of as well. After we left there we had a quick picnic at the park and then headed into Zions to hike. We spent most of our time on the Riverside Walk (a paved trail thats not to steep for the wheelchair). Josh insisted we stop and take pictures almost every 5 feet. When we had had enough hiking we drove back into St. George for dinner then went back to camp and roasted marshmallows. On Sunday we got up early and headed out by about 10. We finally got to Christians parents (to drop off the trailer) at around 6. It was a lot of fun, but way to long to be stuck in a car with kids!

99 Things

2008-10-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

99 Things...
I thought this was a fun one... I copied it from Shannon-

Here is a list of "99 things..." the ones that I have done are in Blue.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Italy
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (does half way count?)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34.Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language- (Do I have to be fluent?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Which ones have you done?...

A quiz for Josh

2008-10-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

My sister had this on her blog so I decided to see what Josh would say. Some of the answers are pretty typical of a four year old and some of them made me laugh!

1. What is something mom always says to you? No
2. What makes mom happy? Being good
3. What makes mom sad? stepping on her foot
4. How does your mom make you laugh? tell me funny jokes
5. What was your mom like as a child? play
6. How old is your mom? 2
7. How tall is your mom? 9inches
8. What is her favorite thing to do? making necklaces
09. What does your mom do when you're not around? I don’t know
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Rock star
11. What is your mom really good at? scrapbooking
12. What is your mom not very good at? spanking my butt
13. What does your mom do for her job? cleans
14. What is your mom's favorite food? rice krispies and spaghetti
15. What makes you proud of your mom? makes me happy
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Roger
17. What do you and your mom do together? go on rides
18. How are you and your mom the same? freckles
19. How are you and your mom different? "Jesus makes us different"
20. How do you know your mom loves you? because she gives me kisses

Farewell Chocolate

2008-09-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Chocolate passed away today, September 29. She was a good pet and we will definately miss her. Both her babies are pretty upset that she isn't in the cage with them anymore and Josh doesn't quite understand. We tried to explain when Sweat Pea died and tried again tonight, with the theory of a hand in a glove, the spirit living on even though the body is gone but he came back by telling me (Christian was talking to him about it) "Mommy, Chocolates hands are dead but her fingers are still alive." I little morbid but he was so sincere that I just couldn't help but laugh!

Crazy Days!

2008-09-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

September is just flying by and so many things are going on that I haven't had time to post anything! Our family has definately had its ups and downs this month. Both boys are in school which they love (and Mom likes the few minutes of quiet too!). On the 7th we went up to George Washington park with my family for a picnic. We took the boys bikes, their soccer nets, and a fun game called Ladderball to play with. Zach loved riding his bike and playing soccer with the cousins. Josh was so busy running between all the activities he was absolutely bushed by the time we packed up and headed home.

For those of you who don't know, back in June during a CT of my abdomen for my cysts that happened to find a growth on my lung. After talking to a pulmonologist they decided that it was just scar tissue (from way back when I had my blood clot) and would do a follow up CT later on. That CT was on the 8th (a Monday) of this month. I wasn't worried (because they told me I had no reason to be) and they told me I should hear from the doctor by Friday. Tuesday morning I got the call from the doctor saying whatever it is had grown and they were scheduling me for a special test, called a pet scan, to test for cancer. Now I was freaking out! They squeezed me in for the test that Wednesday. The test takes almost 2 hours to complete and then it was back to the waiting game. THANKFULLY the test came back negative. Which means they still don't know what it is, but it is NOT cancer!!!!

Christian had a business trip this month and spent 3 nights in Columbus, Ohio. While he was there he got to attend the Broadway showing of Lion King. While he was there, Zach had his MRI and brain tumor clinic. We are happy to say he is still cancer free!!!

Well, that's been our month in a nut shell. Hopefully things will calm down a little for us, but somehow, that just never seems to happen!

Joshua's first day of preschool

2008-09-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Josh has been so excited that we was finally going to be able to go back to school like all the other kids. We took him to the 30 minute meet and greet where we parents learn what the kids are going to be doing only to find he is in class with 2 cousins we never see. Johnnie Peterson and Isaac Broackbank. He was a little nervous the first couple of days but now seems to really enjoy it.

The "Mormon Bus"

2008-09-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I finally replace the van. I'm still really sad that it had to be done but I love my new car. Its a 1993 Suburban! Its absolutely huge and the kids love it. Zach likes looking out the window at all the cars below him and if I roll the window down, he'll stick his foot out. Josh thinks its cool because its new to him and he has more room to explore. It doesn't get the best gas mileage and costs about $150 to fill but it will get us where we need to go!

Fun Times

2008-09-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday my mom and I decided that we were going to be brave and we took my kids and Shaunas 4 kids on Trax to go to Temple Square. It started out just great. The kids were all excited to ride the train. Josh hasn't been on it since he was a newborn and Quinn had never been. When the train finally got there the kids rushed on and instantly started fighting over who got to sit next to who.

Zach abstolutely LOVED the train and was dancing and kicking his legs the entire time. Unfortunately the other kids soon became bored with the constant stopping and starting and were ready for something else to happen. When we finally made it downtown we walked over to Temple Square. Zach and Josh were excited because they love to walk around and look at all the fountains and statues. We started by going into the visitors center. The kids were all really good and sat quietly and listened. Then we headed out onto the grounds. Sadly at this point they had decided that they were hungry and bored and wanted to go home. We tried to stick it out for a little while and take some pictures, but eventually we gave in and headed back to the train. The ride home was quite as all the kids were tired. Zach was mad when we got off the train to go home but I think he forgave me. All in all it was a fun day, just a little more than my mom and I could deal with on our own!

Young love!

2008-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Josh has a new girlfriend! Kiriann moved into our complex a couple days ago and the two of them are together constantly. She is a cute little girl, and luckily only 1 year older. They are perfect for each other as she also has an older brother with dissabilities. Josh wants to do everything with her and even tells people she is his new girlfriend.

Back to school pictures

2008-08-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

These are actually from Zachs second day of school, but his first day taking the bus. He wasn't sure he wanted to ride until he was actually on. Now he seems to like getting on the bus.

Back to school

2008-08-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it is already time for school to start. Zach had his frist day today and was so excited to be back. As soon as we walked through the door he was ready for me to be gone and to play with his friends. I can't believe he is technically in the 2nd grade! Josh starts school next week (preschool) and will be going 3 days a week! What am I going to do with myself while they are gone. Am I actually going to have to start cleaning more?

We're Back!

2008-08-22T12:33:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I know I haven't posted in ahwile but it has been a crazy couple of weeks.

July-- For the 4th of July the boys and I went up to Deer Creek with my family. Christian had to work (as always!) but we still had a lot of fun. Josh discovered that he LOVES the jet ski! He really likes to push the gas and as soon as your going fast he lets go and gives whoever is riding with him whiplash. Zach really enjoyed the jet ski too. He kept trying to lean over and reach into the water. That night we met up with Christians family and had a huge BBQ. In between the 4th and 24th we spent a lot of time at Lagoon. Both boys absolutely love it! For the 24th we were back at Deer Creek for more Jet Skiing. I couldn't ride because my pain had just started and so Josh and Zach conned everyone else into taking them out on the water.

August-- On August 2nd we got to go back to the beach but this time with Christians family. My parents were nice enough to bring up their jet skis and let the Terry's have a try at them. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and Kennedy and Josh had a blast in the sand. I was finally able to get into the doctor for the pains and they decided I needed surgery. On August 15th I went in and they were able to remove all the bad junk! On the 17th we headed for Bear Lake (I know, not the smartest move after just having surgery!). We got their around 2 and hung out at the campground my family was staying in. Christian took the boys swimming while I layed in a beach chair and talked to my mom. When all the cousins fianlly got back from the beach and swimming we had a big dinner and then we headed off to our hotel (Thank you Christian for not having me camp!). The next day we all met at the beach where the kids played and rode the jet skis all day. That night we went to a Chuck wagon dinner and a melodrama at the Pickleville Playhouse. Sunday we went back to the campground where they had free minigolf and both boys gave it a try. Then Josh went on a bikeride with his cousins and Zach hung out and played pool. He really liked putting the balls down the holes and got mad when he ran out. After that we had lunch at the park and then headed back to Salt Lake.

Well, that about covers what we've been up to the last 2 months. Zach starts school on Monday and seems to be looking forward to it. Josh doesnt start until the 5th but he will be going 3 days a week this year! They did total my van so I am looking to buy a new one.

Zach on the jet ski with Christian

Josh playing on the beach with Carter and Quinn! They had so much fun!

Zach playing on the beach. He loved reaching over and digging in the sand!

Zach and Josh trying out mini-golf!

Playing catch up with pictures

2008-07-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

I posted a while back that I would put Zachs soccer pictures on here and I just barely found our old camera where the pictures were. This first picture is of Zachs cute team and the special needs team from Vernal. They came up so Sandy for the last game and to play at half time of the Real game.

This is Zach taking the ball down the field for a goal!

Finally is a close up of Zach and some of his team mates posing for the group picture.

Water Fight!!!

2008-07-11T14:05:00.001-07:00

It was such a hot day that Josh really wanted to have a water fight. I took him over to my Moms who was tending Shaunas kids and let them have at it!

Sleepover

2008-07-03T16:44:00.001-07:00

I've been promising Josh for a long time now that his best buddy, and cousin, Carter could have a sleepover. We finally decided to actually let them this week. We started by picking up a two-man tent for the living room. Then I took the boys to Burger King to eat and play while Christian set up the tent. After that they played around the apartment until it was time to go to the drive-in. We took the boys to see Wall-E. Unfortunately the movie seemed to be just to long for them and they ended up running all over the place instead of watching it. I was very excited that they fell asleep in the car but they woke up when we carried them in the house. Then it became them needing one thing after the other until they finally both crashed at 2:00am with me sleeping on the couch. They both had a lot of fun, but I don't think we'll be having anymore sleepovers for awhile!

Camp Hobe

2008-07-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

The boys were really lucky this year and were able to attend Camp Hobe. This is a camp for cancer patients and their siblings. They had all kinds of activities like swimming, crafts, singing time, and field games. The top picture is the end of camp sing-a-long. Josh has been singing the songs ever since and just making me laugh. The middle is their "Team" picture. These were the kids that they spent the most time with and their counselors. On the bottom is all the kids and counselors from the day camp.

Josh says his favorite activity was swimming and from the grins I'd say he loved it. He also really liked the fact that there were big water guns for each kid to use. The big cheesy grin is when he was singing his new favorite song, "bubble gum."

Zach seemed to love all the activities. His counselor for the pool thought he was hilarious because Zach kept giving him "titty twisters!" One of their crafts was sand art and he loved to rip the paper and eat the sand. At least he was having fun. The girl counselor was Zach's favorite. She was really cute with him and made sure he was involved in everything.

All in all they had a blast and we can't wait to go back again next year!

Farewell Sweat Pea

2008-06-30T22:13:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little girl, Sweat Pea, passed away Sunday June 29. We are all very sad as she was the perfect pet. She loved to snuggle and was kind to both the boys. We will miss her!

Husband Tag

2008-06-23T17:36:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'll play. I've been tagged with this a couple of times so I guess I better do it!

What's his name?... Christian James Terry

How long have you been married?...9 years, 3 months!

How long did you date?... 1 year and 2 months

How old is he?... 29

Who said 'I love you' first?... He did

Who kissed who first?... I kissed him

Who asked who out first?... Technically, I did. It was a blind date but it was for my sorority dance

Who proposed?... He did

Who eats more?... It really depends on the day, but overall I think we are about equal

Who is taller?... He is- but not by much.

Who is smarter?... I like to think we are equal, but he did get his bachelors degree and I only got an associates

Who does laundry?...We both do. However, he always leaves it for me to put away (which I don't!)

Who does the dishes?... Both

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?... Christian

Who pays the bills?... Christian does all the bills

Who mows the lawn?... We don't have a lawn, but he mows his parents lawn

Who cooks dinner?... I do most of the time, however, dinners are defiantely better when he does.

Who drives when you are together?... Christian, even if I want to!

Who is more stubborn?...Me, hands down!

Who is cleaner?... Neither of us are clean, but he does more cleaning than I do.

Who has more siblings?... We both have 2.

Whose parents do you see more often?... It used to be mine (when we lived there!) but now I thinks its a toss up.

Ok- so that's that. If you are reading this- consider yourself tagged too.

Cherry Hill Fun

2008-06-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was our family reunion (Melody's side)at Cherry Hill. We all went up on Friday afternoon and set up camp. While the adults were setting up camp all the kids were running around like crazy. Zach really enjoyed trying to pick up every little stick and put it in his mouth (Mom didn't enjoy that part). Once we were all set up, I spent almost an hour filling water balloons that took less that 5 minutes for the kids to have popped! That night we had a big dinner with all the cousins and then had to wait until it cooled down a little to climb in bed. Saturday was spent at the water park. Josh, my usual little daredevil, had to try out the regular water slides before we could do anything else. He would laugh the entire way down and then jump off and yell "AGAIN!!" After awhile though I decided it was time to join Zach and Christian. Zach loved the small kids splash park. They had fountains that only shout up a couple of feet and he loved the way they felt on his feet. We were able to just wheel him right in in his wheelchair (the water was only about 1½ feet deep) and he thought that was great. Both the kids liked floating around the lazy river and splashing in the pool. After hours of playing in the pool we went back to the campsite for another big family dinner and then tried to get the kids to settle down for bed. It was so hot though that they wouldn't go to sleep until after midnight and then they both got up as soon as the sun came out. It was a long weekend but tons of fun. Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures we were so busy playing! Hopefully next time we'll remember!

Little Adventurer

2008-06-15T20:39:00.001-07:00

Joshua is still my little adventurer. We decided on Saturday that we were going to have some Mommy and Josh time and headed off to Lagoon. Now I am really tired of just standing and watching him go on the boring little kid rides so I told him he had to go on some of my rides. I let him pick the first one and he picked the Rock-O-Planes! He absolutely loved it and wanted to stay upside down the entire time. Then he threw a fit because he isn't tall enough to ride Wicked so we went on the HydroLuge twice in a row. I really felt old running after him for a couple of hours though and we called it quits for the night. Why is it that the parents need the energy but only the kids get it?

So Much!

2008-06-09T14:42:00.001-07:00

So much has been going on that I just haven't had time to post anything. The end of the school year was crazy. Last minute field trips with Josh's class, school programs, and setting up the summer program for Zach. We did have a fun memorial weekend though. We went down to Cedar City on Friday right after school. Since our hotel had an indoor pool we had borrowed a special float from Zachs school so he could go swimming. They had a blast! We were in the pool for almost 2 hours adn they were still mad when it was time to go in and go to bed. Saturday we had lunch with some friends in St. George and then headed to Zion. The boys loved driving through the big tunnel and Josh kept insisting we stop so we could take his picture. That night we spent more time in the pool (and had the same fight when it was time to get out!). Sunday we went to the graves there (all or Christians family) and then headed back to Zion. We hiked to the lower emerald pools and just had a lot of fun. There are only so many trails that we can push Zachs chair on be he just loves it! After we were through hiking we went back to the hotel, swam again, and got ready to leave the next morning. Monday we headed out but went by way of Bryce Canyon. We didn't get to do much there because the weather was crazy! It would be perfect weather one minuted and snowing the next. Needless to say we didn't dare take the kids on any of the trails. Anyway, now we are just trying to adjust to summer life. Both boys are sad they don't have school but are looking forward to are many camping trips we have planned and their special day camp they get to go to. Hope everything is well with everyone!

In the Spotlight

2008-05-09T15:36:00.001-07:00

This week Josh was in the "Spotlight" at school. This is how his poster was.

Finally

2008-05-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

I finally have a diagnosis. After 2 years of going into the ER with chest pains and being told everything from it being all in my head to me being a "Drug Seeker" I finally got a doctor to give me an echo. It turns out that I have a nasty inflammation around my heart. I have to take 600mg of Ibuprofen for 2 months and it should clear it up!!!!

Soccer

2008-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day. Zachs school sent home a flier last week about a special needs soccer team. We thought we would go today and watch a game and see if it was something Zach could do. When we got to the field the coach came right over to Zach and invited him onto the field so he could try it out. Zach LOVED it! There were 3 other kids in wheelchairs and everyone plays with a "buddy". They let him play the entire time and after he threw a fit when I was trying to get him in the car because he wanted to go back to the field and keep playing. We signed him up for next season, which starts in September, but the coach said he was welcome to come and play again next week with the team.

Disneyworld

2008-04-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

God Bless The U.S.A.

2008-04-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

For Zachary's school program his class was assigned to do a song that represented America. They chose to do "God Bless The U.S.A." All the kids wore camouflage and carried American flags. As the song played they proudly waved their flags and were so proud of themselves. There weren't many dry eyes when it was over.