Feb-April Wrap Up!

Wow...a lot of time has passed by. I haven't let this happen in a long time. Considering all that's been going on, I think I have a very good excuse. First of all these pictures are going to be out of order and kind of all over the place but that's mainly because I got a new phone and lost all my pictures. So I had to take quite a few screen shots and do some crazy work to find my pictures. It's so important to me to have these blog posts so that I can turn them into my picture journals at the end of each year, so I spent quite a bit of time getting these pictures back. So....here is all that has been happening in the past few months:

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First some misc and fun things that have been happening...

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I recently had a fun girl's night out. I absolutely LOVE our ward! We have game nights every weekend, girls nights, and other fun activities going on all the time. This night was super fun and 14 of us got together and went to Oregano's for dinner. Such a fun group!

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This was way back from Valentine's Day. I found a website that makes chocolate weapons! I just HAD to order David a chocolate gun for his gift. He LOVED it and took it to work to show it off to all his co-workers. I love surprising him!

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Well, we have finally done it! After years and years of wanting to list our house and move to a larger home, we are finally able to do it and sell our house for more than we owe. So thankful the housing market is getting better. It has been on the market for just over 2 weeks now and we are hopeful we will sell it soon and be able to upgrade. We want to stay in our ward boundaries though because we don't want to leave our friends! 

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David got me a sewing machine for my birthday but I have no idea how to use it! So my friend Jami and I signed up for a sewing basics 101 class at JoAnn's and learned how to sew! It was so fun because it was just her and me and we both were absolutely clueless! We made these cute tote bags! Can't wait to sew more things!

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General Conference was a couple weeks ago and we went to my parent's house for our annual family breakfast and conference. On our way home we decided to drive by the new Phoenix temple. When we lived out there last year they were just breaking ground and barely getting the footings cemented in. Now it's making huge progress so it was fun to drive by and see where it has come! 

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Well, we finally did it! We left T-Mobile and switched to Verizon and got iPhone 5's! We had horrible service with T-Mobile and were anxious to make this switch. We were finally almost up on our contract so we ditched out 80 days early and made the switch. So happy we did and that we can finally make and receive calls consistently! 

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This was Kylee and I on our way to Natalie's Eastside baby shower. I just love doing girly things with my girl! 

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I got really sick back at the beginning of March. I had fevers, chills, and my chest was on fire! I never go to the doctor for myself, but I knew something was going on so I went. I ended up going to the Urgent Care because it was after hours, but I don't really trust those doctors. They said I had a throat infection and gave me antibiodics for strep, even though it wasn't strep. I believe that I may have had a form of pnemonia. It lasted about a week and a half, but was good after that. 

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A sweet sibling moment....Kylee helping Carter eat some breakfast!

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Back in March we had a freeze chill come over the valley and it ended up snowing in Scottsdale! This is a picture of the ball field on the reservation where David works! Crazy!

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Me and the kids taking a "potty" break during church. Haha!

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It melts my heart to see how much they love each other! 

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This was the cake at Natalie's baby shower that we put on for her. Our friend had it ordered for her. It was absolutely gorgeous! The shower was a huge success. We can't wait to welcome baby girl Miller in just a few weeks!!! 

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This was taken at the shower. It portrays each of our personalities perfectly. So funny! I love my sisters!

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Back in February we got selected to try out for the Family Feud! My family LOVES this show and we grew up watching it. So when auditions came to Phoenix, we entered for a chance to tryout and we got picked! We literally got picked to go on the show! Woo hoo! This was at the actual audition!

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We went to lunch afterwards......what a good-lookin' group! :)

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Then we got the post card in the mail 3 weeks later where we learned our family had been chosen! Now we are just waiting to hear from them again to find out when we actually fly out to Atlanta to do the taping for the show. We are so excited!!!

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Over Spring Break in March, we did a few fun local things since Dad had to work and we couldn't leave town. This was at the train park in Scottsdale. We went with the William's and Collin's kids too. It was so much fun!

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Carter watching the train go by.......he was a little excited!

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Train ride time!! 

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Now onto our Carter baby! He is 17 months old now and is becoming quite a little character. He is developing quite a little temper! It's hilarious! If you tell him no, this is the scowl and stink eye you will get in return. Oh he is such a crack up! 

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He loves his "bath-a-bath". He was so excited to take his bath on this particular day. He started ripping his diaper off before I could make it to the tub. 

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Well, Kobe Bryant had a career ending injury recently so we, natually, are getting our little man ready to take his place! Ha! 

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Carter had his second hair cut last month. His hair grows so fast! 

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The result......so handsome!!!

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Oh how he just brightens our day!!! He loves reading books and was really excited about it in this picture. 

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My grocery shopping partner! He doesn't last long without throwing some kind of fit (mainly because he hates sitting in the grocery cart), so I have to bribe him in any way that I can. I forgot to bring treats this trip so I bought a box of fishies and opened it for him at the store before paying for it. Haha! Oops! Don't worry, I did end up paying for it! 

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I just love this picture of my handsome guy! He was playing at the park where Kylee's has softball practice and right before I took this picture, he threw a handful of sand at my face. He thought it was hilarious! 

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Oh this face!!!! He makes the funniest faces but this one is the funniest of all. Whenever David wiggles his nose, Carter makes this super cheesy smile face back at him. I happened to catch it at the right moment on my camera. So funny!!!

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SOOOO handsome!!!!! 



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 Now onto the princess of the family! Kylee-Loo is our sunshine and she amazes us daily with her talents, strength, beauty, and faith. She has been going through a lot lately, which I'll explain later.

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Here she is with her dance company waiting to hear the awards after a long day of competition! Her little dance group is just darling and so talented. This is their first year competing together so they are learning as they go. But they keep improving and ranking up at each competition. So proud of her!

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During Spring Break I took my girl to get manicures with me. I've been getting gels done on my nails for a couple months now and Kylee has been wanting to get some ever since. 

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However, during Spring Break Kylee had yet another fever and showing signs of sickness. So I took her to the doctor to see what was going on. We left with no answers of course. It seems over the past 3 months we have been to the doctor a handful of times with no answers. So we left and she started feeling better later that day. She keeps having a peek-a-boo fever with peek-a-boo symptoms. 

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Our flexible little girl working on her splits. This was an exercise her dance teacher told her to do at home. She has become quite the little flexible dancer! 

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At one of Kylee's competitions, there was a hip-hop dancer from England that came to teach the girls a little hip-hop! It was so cute watching them learn how to "pop" and dance like that. 

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Now for what has been consuming all my hours and days....On March 25th Kylee was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). All the details can be read on my seperate blog: www.kyleesgbsfight.blogspot.com. It has been a hard and long journey and we know it's not over yet. But Kylee has been a fighter and has learned so much from going through this. We are so proud of her! In this picture we had just picked up an edible arrangment and balloon from Grandma Deedee and Grandpa Jiggs! She was excited and is actually smiling in this picture (it's just hidden)!



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Despite everything Kylee has been going through since she was diagnosed with GBS, she has been working so hard at home to stay on top of her school work!


 
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And her hard work has paid off! Despite missing 10 out of the last 25 days of school, she has managed not only stay on top of her school work, but she has brought two B's up to A's and made the honor roll for the 3rd consecutive grading period in a row! Oh she makes us so so proud!!!

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Life is a zoo right now but everything we are given we can handle....mainly because we have the knowledge that we have a loving Father in Heaven who gives us challenges because he loves us and wants us to learn something. We feel special to feel His love in a way we never have before. David and I are blessed with the most amazing children we could ever wish for and they teach us something new daily. We never thought we could love our sweet babies any more than we already do, but through this trial, we have discovered a whole new kind of love. It has brought us closer together as a family in every way possible. We are such a blessed family with the most amazing family and friends and ward ever! Life is amazing and we love it!

Kylee-Loo and Bells Palsy

On Monday morning (3/25), I woke Kylee up to get her ready for school....just like any other morning. We had breakfast together, she got dressed, and as I was doing her hair in the mirror she noticed that half of her face wasn't working. She said to me..."Mom, this side of my face won't smile!" I immediately went back to facebook where a friend of mine had posted a picture of herself 2 years ago when she had Bells Palsy. I mentally saw that picture in my mind as I saw Kylee's face and knew instantly that this could be Bells Palsy. I couldn't remember what it was called at the time so I called my sister in law Becky and she confirmed what I feared. I wasn't too worried though because I knew my friend had bounced back 100% and I did some research and found that the recovery rate is extremely good. So I still wasn't panicked and called my doctor's office for a visit to see where we go from here.

(I just couldn't help myself...I had to go through and post some of my most favorite smiling pictures of my girl! I miss her smile so much already and it's only been 2 days since it's been missing)

After her pediatrician confirmed Bells Palsy but then proceeded to say that it's concerning because he had never seen a patient this young with Bells Palsy, the panic started to set in. If you know me, you know that I am the biggest worry wort ALIVE when it comes to my kids getting sick. So after he said that and then sent us to the imaging place to have a CT scan to make sure nothing more was going on with her brain, I was in full panic mode. But thankfully I have a worthy husband and he pulled the car over at the imaging place and gave Kylee a priesthood blessing. The blessing was so sweet and calmed my nerves almost instantly. I immediately felt my Saviors love for me and for my sweet daughter. He loves her more than I will ever know!

After the CT scan, we just waited and waited. 6 hours later we got the amazing news that her scan came back negative and completely normal. I could finally breathe again! But not for long. That night came and it was the worst night of our lives. We had Kylee sleep with us in our bed so we could keep a close eye on her. All she did was toss and turn and cry and complain of headache pain, back pain, and neck pain. A symptom of Bells Palsy is neck pain on the paralyzed side. So she had incredible neck pain on the right side of her neck below her ear. Thankfully to an amazing friend who rushed to Walgreens to get her some tylonel, we were abe to give her a couple doses of that throughout the night. However, it didn't seem to do much. She maybe got an hour of comfortable sleep all night.

So the next day we kept her home from school so we could let her catch up on her rest. As the day went on, I noticed that the left side of her face started to look a little dull. I made her smile and try to wink at me and her face was gradually getting more and more stiff on her "good" side. By 8pm her entire face was completely paralyzed and she couldn't make any facial expressions whatsoever. She got something in her eye so she went to the mirror to try and see what it was. It hurt so she started to cry. As she cried, she realized her face wasn't moving and didn't look like it was crying. I immediately made her move away from the mirror so she wouldn't continue to panick. I however did panick and googled how common it was for Bells Palsy to affect both sides of the face. After reading that it only affects less than 1% of Bells Palsy patients, the panic was in full force yet again. I called the on-call doctor and he immediately called back and told me to take her to the ER. So we packed up, took Carter to our amazing friends who so willingly wanted to take him for us, and off we went to the hospital.

There the doctor's drew blood, took a urine sample, and ran a few tests. Her blood pressure was a little high and we found out that she has a UTI. So they started her on antibiodics through her IV, gave her some fluids to keep her hydated, and then we were sent home because the blood results came back pretty normal. The doctor at the ER said he didn't want to do a spinal tap or MRI until we met with our pediatric neurologist the next day. He said it wasn't an urgent matter and that we could wait to see what the neurologist said. So we went home about 3am and had another rough rest of the night with a restless little girl who couldn't sleep comfortably.

We went to the neurologist today and I'm so glad we did. She is the most intelligent human being I have ever met! However, with intelligence comes HUGE words that are way over my head. Luckily she spoke somewhat clearly for me and David was there too so hopefully we will have this all figured out soon. She examined Kylee and came to the conclusion that she has more than just a bi-lateral case of Bells Palsy. She ordered an MRI to take a better look at her brain, spine, and lumbar region. Kylee has a very stiff back and can't even bend over to touch her toes. For someone who is considered one of the most flexible dancers in her class, this is concerning. Her legs have been bothering her too and causing a lot of discomfort. So because of those two main factors, the MRI is necessary to take a better look into what else is going on. Either way, the neurologist seemed optimistic!

As for now, we are taking one day at a time. Her face seems to keep stiffening up more and more as time goes on. Her lips are now very stiff and she is having problems saying words that have f's and m's in them. She has trouble drinking and can only drink out of straws (but even that is difficult). Her blinking reflex is gone so she doesn't blink enough throughout the day, which means we have to continually put drops in her eyes to keep them moisturized. Sleeping at night is a nightmare! She can never seem to get comfortable and she is getting up 10 times or more to pee, due to her UTI. I find it easier to not look at her as she is talking to me because it breaks my heart to see her face staying still. I miss her expressions, her animated features as she tells me a story, and most of all I miss her beautiful smile. I can't imagine not being able to see it for 3 or more weeks to come.

Although this is difficult and very sad to endure, I am thankful that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that this is a very curable disease. I'm thankful for my faith in a loving Heavenly Father. I know He loves Kylee more than I can possibly comprehend. We feel His love and the love of our dear brother and Savior Jesus Christ. We KNOW, that even though there are cases where Bells Palsy patients never completely heal, that Kylee will bounce back fast and be smiling up a storm everyday! We are thankful for this trial and that it is teaching us spiritual lessons as a family. But most importantly, we are thankful that it is a teaching tool for Kylee. She now prayers differently and more sincerely. In David's blessing he said that this will help bring Kylee closer to her Savior, and I can already see that happening.

I cannot thank everyone enough for all your amazing support, prayers, love, and positive thoughts. We feel them on a daily basis and it is helping us get through the tough times. We know this battle has just begun and that it can possibly be a long journey ahead, but we know we can get through it by holding strong to our faith and by the love and support of all our loved ones. Thank you all so much!

Beginning 2013 with a bang!

We dove right into 2013 by going on our first cruise! It was purchased a year ago so we could go closer to our 10 year anniversary, but Carter came along and we didn't want to leave him when he was so young. But it worked out for the best because then we were able to go with 9 other couples from our church. It was the best vacation we have ever been on!

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Here we are driving to California!

We left the kids with Grandma Deede and Grandpa Jiggs. While we were there, Kylee must have snuck this little note into our suitcase because when I opened it, this is what I found. 6 days away from our babies was a long time and we sure did miss them!! 

The boat was HUGE!! And yet this was one of the smaller ships the cruise line has. I was mesmorized by it all.

On the top deck there was a little 9 hole mini golf course. The boys got right to it while us ladies cheered them on!

The first day we docked at Catalina Island and the second day was at Ensenada Mexico. Here we are docked in Mexico.

Taking a mirror pic in our room before we went to formal night at dinner.

On Catalina Island with some of the girls! We drove golf carts to the top!

This is a little out of order but this is a picture of me reuniting with our babies!!! Carter literally wouldn't let me out of his sight for the first hour we were back.

Oh man...While walking around Ensenada, we found this little gem! Of course all the guys had to pose for a picture with him. Yikes!

Catalina Island with our ship in the background! This trip was truly a dream and we can't wait to go on another cruise!

The 4th and last day of the cruise was....well....hilarious! I can say that now but at the time, it was MISERABLE! It was incredibly windy so the top deck was closed off. It was our "day at sea" so we were just floating out in the middle of nowhere. And that wind caused the ocean to be incredibly wild! The waves were unbelievable and the boat was rocking non-stop. And not just a slight rock...an extreme rock to the point where you couldn't walk without falling over. Needless to say, everyone was sick! The only relief was to be outside in the fresh air on one of the lower decks. But it was freezing cold so we all wrapped up in towels and laid on the chairs. We all felt a little better but it was hilarious non-the-less! Classic memories for life!

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After the cruise we stayed in California a few extra days. During one of those days, we finally got the chance to meet Carter's birth father. These pictures are something that I know Carter will treasure when he gets older. We are happy we got this opportunity and that they were able to meet each other.

 

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Now onto our Carter baby! This was just a fun little picture we took while in California. Poor baby almost always has some kind of scratch or bruise right in the middle of his forehead. 

We got a treadmill, which makes for Carter's new favorite toy to play with/on!

Playing with a friend and learning that it can be hard to share sometimes (bottom left). Haha!

A game we play everytime I'm unloading groceries.....peek-a-boo between each load. He loves it and it helps me to leave him in the car while I unload the bags!

He recently discovered his "button" and loves to play with it.

Put him in front of a mirror and this boy is set! I have so many classic pictures of him making faces at himself!

I heard Carter messing around in the pantry and when he came around the corner, he had a bag of potato chips in hand! Junk food junkie at heart I guess! :) He knows what's good!

And yep...this happened! First time he's done this and hopefully his last!

Our sweet miracle babe turned 15 months on February 7th. I can't believe how amazing he is and that everyday he continually makes my heart skip a beat everytime I lay eyes on him. He is our everything and we can't get enough of our little firecracker!

I am the Sunbeams teacher now and because of David's calling, I get to have my boy with me during class time with 8 3 year olds. It sure does make for an interesting hour!

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Onto our princess! Kylee is doing amazing things. She is progressing in her dance company, starting her second season of softball in a couple weeks, continuing to excel in school, and just amazing all around. We love our sweet girl!

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I attempted my first sock bun for church. I think it turned out pretty good!

Flu season has been relentless this year! It's making third and fourth rounds all around us. Luckily no one in our household has caught the actual flu bug, but Kylee did get strep (for the first time) and a mild case of bronchitis. Carter luckily only got a runny nose and a cough. But for about 3 weeks, Kylee was running fevers and coughing like crazy. So glad a new Urgent Care opened up 5 minutes down the road from us last month. Perfect timing for those late night emergency runs!

At the doctor's office. Our 7 year old thinks she is turning 16 this year. She has always acted older than her age and loves to be "older". I wish she wasn't in such a hurry to grow up.

Kylee is doing so well in her new dance company! She started this new "competition" group back in November and has her first competition tomorrow (February 9th). She is loving it and we have seen her improve so fast in her dancing techniques. Her group performed at a local High School (Combs) basketball game recently. It was so fun to watch her little group perform like superstars!

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Siblings and best friends for life!!! I love capturing moments with them together. They love each other so much and it melts my heart everytime I hear their laughter together.

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Onto other "random" pictures from the month of January. I signed up for another half marathon with some friends. I am now regretting it as I am slacking big time on my training. The race is March 5th and I'm no where where I need to be. But I love my new yoga/running pants I got from Groupon! $15 only! I wear them all the time!

I got to run in the rain the other day. It was the most amazing run I've ever had. I wish it would rain everyday so I could run in it. I felt on top of the world! Ran 5.5 miles that day but felt like I could keep going forever!

The Walkers and us had a gun safety class recently. I want to learn how to work a gun and protect my family if necessary. So we had a little instruction in the classroom and then went to the range to shoot. This was an AR (I think) that the instructor brought. Scariest thing ever to hold that in my hands and shoot it. But it was fun too!

Hanging out with my crazies at the doctor's office for one of our many visits this past month. This one was for Kylee.

And of course January brings my birthday. I am now 31! There's no stopping it...I'm diving into my 30's whether I want to or not. David was so good to me this year and bought me a sewing machine! I've been wanting one for a while now because I'm anxious to start learning how to sew clothes and other household things. I can't wait!

He also took me to my favorite place...Red Lobster! I could eat crab legs everyday!

My sisters also took me to lunch for my birthday. I love that we always make time to meet up somewhere for our birthday lunches...even though we live on opposite sides of the valley. This North place was yummy!

Another random picture of me just hanging out and being silly with my girl. I love her so much!

And lastly...I decided to be a big girl and stop biting my nails! And the only way I felt I could do that was to have my friend put gels on them. They are so short and frail. They look so sad! But hopefully after a month of gels and lots of TLC, they will look like a lady's hands and not a 10 year old girls!

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2013 has already been amazing for our family. David is incredibly busy with his detective work and will get even busier soon with Spring Training starting up soon. He tries to work as many games as he can on his off days. He loves it! I'm officiating club season right now and work almost every Saturday. It's great to have that outlet for me. I get to get out of the house and do what I love, all while making extra money for our family. In August, I have decided to go back to coaching. So I will be coaching again at Queen Creek High School. I'm so excited! It's been 2 years since I've coached. Life is busy and moving fast and we are just trying to savor everyday with our family. Life is good!