An Eventful Anniversary

 With my ulcerative colitis I need to have a colonoscopy every 2 years and lucky me that was this year. I scheduled it just before school started so Hallie could stay with the kids. As a side note I never thought we would get to the point that we could leave our kids without a babysitter but here we are and Hallie does a great job. So Matt and I got up and headed to the surgical center first thing in the morning. I got checked in and they called me back to change into my gown and put my iv in. Once they started the procedure it went really quickly(mostly because I was asleep). Dr Porter came in pretty quickly after and I was still out of it but he said that all went well and the scope looked great. I was relieved on many levels as its always a concern for disease but also that all the work I have been doing with Red River was working and helping. 

After I woke up a bit more and changed back into my clothes and we went to grab some lunch. While we were at lunch we started talking about our anniversary the following week and if there was anything specific we wanted to do to celebrate. We started talking about how we have wanted a massage chair for as long as we can remember and how our plan was to buy one once we moved int o the house but we ran out of money to do that. Then Matt said lets go buy one...today...right now. I thought he was crazy but said we could go check them out and see what they had. The one we went thinking we would buy ended up lacking some of the features we thought it had. Ultimately we bought the level up model and they scheduled to have it delivered the following week...on our anniversary. It was for the sure most expensive thing we have done for our anniversary. And I told Matt I hope we don't regret it. For now we're just going to enjoy getting to relax in it. We decided to put it in our room so it wasn't somewhere that it would get played on. The kids have been really great with it and have enjoyed it as well. 

Primary Bubble Party

 Every summer the primary puts together an activity at the bishops house in which they play in the water and bubbles. It is something all of my kids look forward to every year..this year was no different. They provide lunch and this year they did mac n cheese, chicken fingers, and donuts. What kid wouldn't want that?

Liam initially was terrified of the bubbles but warmed up with some help from the girls and I. Then he had a melt down when we needed to leave.

Hallie Girl's Camp Year #2

 I'm still learning to be ok with my kids being gone from home for a chunk of time. This year when Hallie went it was a little easier but leading up there was a lot of discussion and uncertainty. When I first heard that for girls camp they would be running the river my initial response was absolutely not. I grew up running the river and I know the effort and knowledge it takes to make sure that everyone in the boat stays safe when the river can be quickly changing and unpredictable. I talked to the leaders and they were able to answer some of my questions but seemed like wait and see was also their answer to things I wanted to know. I kept asking and as it got closer I was really thinking Hallie wouldn't go or just would go and not run the river. Ultimately a couple days before camp I had been praying about what to do and how to handle the situation and I had the feeling that I needed to give Hallie the opportunity to make this decision so we did. She decided she wanted to go and each run she would make sure to pray and if she felt like she shouldn't go she would stay back at camp. And off she went.

Every year they have a "terrible" fashion show. Initially Hallie refused to participate but I guess when she got there she changed her mind. Because the other ward is so small they attend camp with our girls and Hallie found a partner in one of them. They were the runners up for the competition.

As you can see she ran the river! That's her in the front riding the raft like a bull. The communication was limited but she would occasionally get a message or a picture through telling me how much fun she was having. She said she felt good the entire time and I found out later that she ran the river every time they went. 

I hope that Hallie was able to build her testimony getting to be involved in camps like this and still having fun as well.

Imagine Dragons

 Hallie came home several months ago and couldn't stop talking about Imagine Dragons and how there was going to be a concert and how cool it would be to go but she looked up to see how much tickets were and they were over a hundred dollars a seat. She didn't say much after that but I talked to Matt and we decided it would be a super fun surprise for her birthday so we bought tickets and planned for her to bring a friend. We figured she'd want to bring Paityn so we made arrangement with Paityn's parents and got them in on the secret. I went to pick up Paityn and she rang the doorbell at our house to surprise Hallie....she was for sure surprised. The day of Liam wasn't feeling well..running a fever, had thrown up. I was worried about leaving him but Maddi was planning to babysit and I figured if he would be good with anyone it would be her so we headed out to dinner at Tucanos at Gateway.

Near the end of dinner Maddi called and Liam was sobbing in the back ground. She said he had been crying for a while and he wouldn't calm down. His fever was climbing again and she wanted to know what to do. I couldn't even pretend to enjoy the evening with him at home miserable so we made the quick decision to have Maddi drive and meet us and Gracie would go in my place to the concert. Since there was no way either of us could make it the entire way without missing the concert. Gracie was thrilled and Emy was devastated that she couldn't go as well. Once Maddi pulled in and Liam saw us he started laughing and crying it was heartbreaking. We traded quickly and Matt and the girls headed back to the concert. They missed the preshow but got there just a few minutes before Imagine Dragons took the stage.

At different times it would rain and then it would clear up. I'm so glad it didn't rain the entire time so they could enjoy the concert

They got these color wristbands that lit up and pulsed with the music

Meanwhile once I got home I got the kids bathed and to bed. Liam still ran a fever but acted ok the rest of the night I think he just needed his mama. Matt and the girls had a great time and Hallie said she was super surprised and loved every minute. It was fun that Matt and I got to have apart in both Hallie and Gracie's first concert experience.

Liam Fight with Cancer-2 1/2 yrs Cancer Free

 Although the news is good scans are still always so tough. Liam now understands enough to know he doesn't like the hospital or the things that happen there. We were lucky and got an early sedation appointment so he got to come in his pjs. This go around was a CT scan which in a lot of ways has been nicer than the xray/us because the hard part is basically just when they take him to sedate him. The team has now figured out a good process where they take him and get him to sleep before they put in his iv or draw labs. It's always hard when they take him but overall its better for him. The waiting after they take him is torture it feels like minutes are hours. This was the first set of scans that I had Xanax and I took a couple of them to help me get thru. When they came to get me she acted like it was urgent which made me freak out inside but they just wanted me to be there before he was awake. It strange how you over think everything in a situation like this. I love when he starts to wake up and just wants to be cuddled. I feel like he's safe and I can protect him in this situation where I have no control.

Once he was good and awake we headed up to the clinic for our appt. Today was a day full of firsts. It was out first day in the newly remodel clinic. Dr Fluchel had also relocated to a Washington Children's hospital since our last visit so he was no longer our dr. I was anxious for all of the above. As I sat in the clinic watching the families that have cancer as part of their story. People from all walks of life..no one asked for this but each of them seemed like they were trying their best to make good out of a bad situation. A mom sitting nearby struck up a conversation while we waited. She showed me how to pull up Liam's results while we waited. I can't even express what a God sent that was that I didn't have to sit in suspense of the results. The results were great and for the first time since we started this journey the report didn't even note any mass. Again its strange I feel very strongly that Liam's time with cancer is over and that he will live a long and healthy life but that doesn't seem to calm the fears while sitting in the waiting room.

Shortly after we were called back and told that our new Dr's wife had had a baby and he was out so we would be seeing a different Dr that day. It was actually one of the Drs we saw while we were in treatment one weekend. He seemed great but specialized in a different cancer than what Liam had. We met with both him and his resident he recited what I had already read on the report. He said that even though the report didn't mention anything that he assumed that it meant nothing had changed but there was probably still a small area of scar tissue that would remain. I asked if there was something they could give me that I could give to Liam to help with the anxiety and he was shocked we didn't already have something so we walked away with both a prescription for Xanax and acyclovir for Liam's oral herpes. They examined Liam and then we were on our way. I'm always relieved to leave Primary's with good news and a chance to get back to normal life for an extended period of time. At this point we will come back in January(6 months from now).

Liam has wanted a fire station for some time but they are kinda pricey so I have been dragging my feet but we told him we would buy him one to have after scans. For a couple weeks he would tell everyone how he was going to get a fire station for being good at scans. When we got home Matt was good enough to help Liam build his fire station. I laid on the couch watching and before I knew it I fell asleep. Scans take a toll on all of us in different ways.  

Now he is a very happy little friend and we are happy to report our little miracle is 2.5 years cancer free. I love this little boy more than I could even express. He is my partner and my little buddy that is my shadow and I wouldn't have it any other way.

July Random

 It no secret we love sleep at our house. That would be one great thing we love about summer. Occasionally Liam climbs into bed after Matt leaves for work and I don't mind.

Another one of the library activities was a pirate camp. They had a full size pirate ship brought to the library and the kids got a chance to climb on it. They even had real pirates to show the kids around

Inside they had various activities that the kids rotated thru. They had games, crafts, and snacks. Im so grateful for a library program in the valley that plans fun things for the kids

Ogden Pioneer Day Rodeo

 This rodeo has become a yearly tradition. I have always loved the rodeo. There are few places that I feel more patriotic than when we are at the rodeo. We usually go on Tough Enough to Wear Pink but it didn't work out for our schedule so we went on Patriotic night. This year they did something a little different and had several military men and women carry out and spread the American flag. It was huge and an awesome site to see.

For some reason I forgot to take a family picture but managed to get a picture that everyone is at least in. We went to dinner before and the kids ate well so they each got to pick a treat to have. Im sure you'll never guess what they picked

Such a fun night with our little family. Im so grateful for all the men and women that have fought for our freedoms and the sacrifices they and their families have given for people they don't even know.