Friday, November 14, 2008

Home Again, Home Again

My Doctor just came and told me I finally get to go home. Yea!! Now I am just waiting for the nurse to take care of my discharge which will take about an hour. I can not wait to see the kids. Dad is picking me up and I am going to go to their house and take a LONG shower and get rid of that wonderful hospital smell. Let me tell you it is NOT fun to go for 4 days without a shower! I have never been so excited to rip cardio leads and tape off of my skin!! I will get to spend some time with the baby and then it will be time to pick up Angelina from her play date and go home. Then I will get to see Ryan and Audrey when they get home from school.

After 4 days in the hospital here is the deal. They don't know. Great uh? The only test that came back positive was for strep. Strep? I don't even have a sore throat and I have been on an antibiotic for 8 days because of the pneumonia. How is that possible? But back to the migraines. They have no idea what is causing them. But the DHE IV treatment worked to break the cycle. So if it happens again that is what they will give me. Fortunately I can have that done in a Neurologists office. Unless it gets really bad again then back to the hospital I will go. They are putting me on Lyrica and Frova and we will see what happens. Gotta love it uh? We'll see how this goes and hopefully it will work. Not that I wanted something to be wrong but it would be nice to have a definite cause and be able to get rid of it and be done. For now we will continue the guessing game and hope this latest set of drugs will be the miracle!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Nickolas Fizz??

Angelina has started calling Nick, "Nickolas Fizz."
We are not sure where this came from or why.

Trick or Treat!
Never too young to get candy for mommy and daddy!

Just Chillin'


He was talking up a storm!


Smile!



Gregory, leave my head alone!

Who Is That Masked Warrior?

Your never too old to dress up. Gregory decided to come with us trick or treating. He startled quite a few people! BTW he didn't trick or treat, just hung out with the adults and Juno!



The ninja has my baby!!

Happy Halloween!!


















For Halloween the kids decided they wanted to be characters from Star Wars the Clone Wars. Ryan was Captian Rex, Audrey was Ahsoka and Angelina was going to be Padme'. As we were getting ready for our Ward's Halloween partry I was putting on Angelina's costume. Well it came up really high on her neck. All of a sudden she is screaming, "Help me!! I am dying!! ALCK!!! It is choking me to death!!
I can't breath!!!! Get if off! It is killing me!!! So we made a last minute run to Target and came up with Supergirl. Everytime some one would say "It's Supergirl!" She would say "NO! It's Angelina!" Nickloas wore a skeleton t-shirt that glowed in the dark. Angelina said it was so we wouldn't lose him trick or treating.










Nickloas' first Halloween. All bundled up to get some candy.













Audrey's Big Day



Audrey was baptized October 25th. It was a beautiful baptism and we were surrounded by friends and family. We are so proud of her for her decision to be baptized.




Audrey is wearing the dress that my 4 sisters and I were baptized in. Angelina can't wait until she gets to wear it!



Audrey and Daddy





Audrey, Angelina, Nickolas and Ryan

At the baptism we decided that since everyone was already there, we would bless Nickolas. It wasn't until halfway through that I realized the blessing gown we have blessed all of the children was at home sitting on the back of the couch. So Nick was blessed in what he was wearing. Hopefully he won't hold it against us when he is older! :)




The Family

Audrey with Nana, Uncle Gregory, and Papa



Audrey and "our friend" Jenni



Alex, Jay, Spencer, Nathan, Susan, Sarah, Audrey, Lauren, Ryan, Angelina, Ken and Nickolas

I forget how tall our family really is!!!








Already behind...

So I am already behind and haven't even been at this blog thing for very long. I could list all of the good excuses I have beginning with the fact that since we live in the boonies and have dial up it is hard to blog at home. Ken promises that we will get satellite Internet soon. So at the moment since I am laid up in the hospital I am going to use their wi-fi and try to get caught up! Oh yea, Tuesday I had the mother of all migraines. No kidding, after 18 years of migraines this was the worst one ever. After calling the Doctor he decided it was time to be admitted to the hospital, have tests and get me on an IV migraine treatment. Well, 3 days later they still don't know what is wrong and maybe they will let me go home tomorrow. I have to be migraine/headache free first. Who knows how long it has been since that has happened!! Then I get to go home and start more new drugs to see if they will help. Susan-I still think the benign brain tumor would have been the way to go!! I am missing my kids something awful, especially the baby. But they are in good hands. Daddy has been great even though work and school are crazy for him right now. Times like these I am extremely grateful that we live near my parents and that we have some really great friends who love my kids like their own. So here we go, catching up.....

Audrey's Hero

Saturday, October 25th Audrey was baptized. She turned 8 in September but she wanted to wait until Uncle Jay was home from deployment and since he was coming home the middle of October, Audrey decided she would wait a few weeks to be baptized. Now Jay is Audrey's hero in more ways then one. Since she was a baby she has loved any guy in a uniform. When she was 2 she used to carry around a picture of Jay in his dress uniform. At 3 Aunt Susan was teaching her how to tell who was ranked what by their uniform. One day while visiting Jay and Susan, Jay beat us home and answered the door in his jeans and t-shirt. Well, a meltdown ensued, and Susan made Jay put his uniform back on for Audrey! When Jay deployed for Iraq a picture of him in camo with a big gun went on our fridge with an "I Love My Sailor" magnet. It is still on there even though Jay has been back from Iraq for 2 years now. In fact when Jay came home from Iraq we went up to visit and while at the hotel we went swimming. Well Audrey was not a good swimmer at the time and was drowning. Superhero Jay jumps up, jumps into the pool and rescues Audrey. Her comment later was, "He really is my hero!!"

Yes, Jay we love you. Even me-go figure! We pray for you when you are away and are always thankful for your safe return.

I continue to find it amusing that even though we are not in the Navy and Jay is, we still plan our families major events around the Navy's schedule. I guess it is our way to be patriotic.

Monday, October 13, 2008

BOO!





So the other day I am sitting in the family room feeding the baby and reading a book. Angelina comes walking in the room all hunched over. She calls this her old lady walk after her great-grandma. She says,
"Mom, are you looking at me?"
"Yes I am Angelina."
All of a sudden she jumps up with her hands in the air and yells "RRRAAAA!!!! I AM HERE TO SPOOK YOU!!" Good thing I was sitting down or I might of dropped the baby. She was covered head to toe in baby powder. Whatever possessed her to rub baby powder all over herself I do not know. It was even funnier when later I went into my bathroom and slipped in baby powder that was ALL over the floor.

Friday, October 10, 2008

You're Going Where?

September 27th, after 2 weeks of my mom and dad trying to beat each other to the mail box, my brother Gregory received a big white envelope in the mail. Otherwise known as his mission call. It was an overwhelming and amazing experience to be able to be a part of. We were at my parents house hoping that it would be the day “it” finally came. Gregory met the mail man at the mail box and took the stack of mail from him. Looking at his back we could not tell if it came or not. When he turned around, he just started walking down the driveway. Mind you we are all standing at the window staring at him. Finally he holds up that big white envelope. Screaming ensued.

We had to wait 15 minutes for Ken and one of my sisters to get there. So we all go out on the deck, better cell phone signals. Dad called my sister in Atlanta. I called our good friend Susan and on my cell. Susan’s husband Jay, who is in the Navy and was in port in Cyprus, called Ken’s cell phone. (Ken calls Gregory a friend stealer because Jay and Ken are best friends and 16 years older than Gregory but yet Gregory is good friends with Jay and Susan as well. Of course they have known him since he was 7 years old.) So Gregory opens his letter, flips it over and covers it with the envelope. He begins reading it and with each word you could feel the spirit more and more. Along with his voice getting louder and more excited until he finally reads Albania Tirana Mission.

He is going to Albania. So we are all wondering where in the heck is Albania? Thank goodness they enclose a map with the mission calls nowadays. Plus Susan has a world map on her dining room wall and she and her kids had run over to it to try and find it. So she was trying to tell me where it was. So for those of you who have no idea where it is, it is across the Adriatic Sea from Italy’s boot, above Greece and next to Yugoslavia. He of course will be learning Albanian. Gregory will report to the MTC January 21, 2009.

I am very proud of my brother. He is an amazing young man. It has been such an inspiration to see him and his testimony grow this last year. He is a wonderful example to those around him. He is going to make an AWESOME missionary. I am thrilled that my son wants to be just like him. I look forward to hearing all about his mission and the trying and rewarding experiences he is going to have. He will be so blessed for making this decision. We are going to miss him something awful. Especially Ken. I am not sure what he is going to do while Gregory is gone. They are close friends and brothers. Sometimes I have to remind Gregory I am the blood relative!

Talk about a small world in the church though. Susan’s sister-n-laws Grandparents served a humanitarian mission in Albania in the 90’s and opened the mission. A friend of ours in our ward served her mission there and was one of the first sister missionaries. They did not even have Albanian Books of Mormon then. My Bishops parents served the last half of their second mission in Albania about 4 years ago. Another Sister in our ward was over there when it was still communist helping with adoptions. So Gregory has several people he is going to be talking to, to hear all about the country he will call home for the next 2 years. The stories he will have to share when he comes home to us.

Our Family


So to catch everyone up on our family….

Earlier this year Ken was laid off from his job. Believe it or not this was actually a blessing. We just didn’t know it. After 5 long months of unemployment he finally got a new job in the end of August. He now works for a great company and he actually loves his job. It is such a relief to have your husband come home after a stressful day at work and still be happy.

Ken is in grad school getting his MBA. He will graduate in May. I have to say that I for one will be glad when he is finally done with school. Of course he will be too!! It has been a long road. A few years ago he went back to school to finish his undergrad. He was going to school full-time and working full-time. It was very stressful on him but he still made time to be dad and hubby. I am very proud of him and all of his hard work. I don’t think that I could have done it if it were me. He is such an example to our children.

Ryan is now 10 ½ years old. He is no longer our “little man.” For those of you who knew him as a baby he still has the deep voice! He is in 5th grade. He is a busy young man. At school he is in the school choir, on safety patrol and just got elected to student council. He loves to play basketball and the piano. He is also in scouts. Like most boys his age he loves to play computer and video games. He is an avid reader. I still don’t understand how he can read 5 different books at the same time and keep then all straight. Thankfully he loves to learn and has a great teacher this year and she is really challenging him. He wants to grow up and be just like his Uncle Gregory.

Audrey just turned 8 years old. She is our “little mama.” Not only does she take great care of everyone but she likes to boss everyone too! She really is a wonderful helper though. She is in 2nd grade. She loves arts and crafts and gets great use out of our craft room. Audrey is very creative. She has been leaning how to make jewelry this year and is very good at it. She has been wanting to take yoga and will be starting classes next week. She can hardly wait. She wants to start playing soccer too and will begin that in the spring. She decided that dance just was not her cup of tea. She too takes piano and enjoys reading.

Angelina just turned 4 years old. She has more personality then she knows what to do with. She makes us laugh. A LOT! She too is a wonderful helper. She loves to help clean. The chlorox wipes are her favorite. Anytime I walk into the kitchen she wants to know if it is time to cook. She will get her little red stool and stand at the counter help with whatever I am making. She says she wants to be a good “cooker” like mommy. Angelina started preschool this year. She goes 2 days a week and seems to really be enjoying it. She says that music time is her favorite. She is taking creative dance again this year with her “bestest friend Em”. Angelina is always dancing around the house and singing. Two of her favorite shows are Dancing with the Stars and American Idol! Wonder what she will be when she grows up.

Our latest addition is Nickloas Kenneth. He was born August 22 weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 in long. He had a rough start but is doing really well now and is happy and healthy. He is a really good baby. The kids all love him and fight over who gets to take care of him. Ryan tells Nickolas all of the things he can’t wait to teach him. Angelina tells him all of the things of hers he is NOT allowed to touch when he is bigger! Tonight she had a fit when Ken used her pink blanket for Nickolas. She came running into the kitchen yelling that baby boys do not use her PINK blankets! Nickolas mostly just lays around letting everyone else wait on him, eating, sleeping and doing unmentionable things. He does cry on occasion!

Me, I live the busy life of a mom. I spent this year pregnant. Pregnancy is not my friend. But I am so extremely thankful and blessed to have my 4 wonderful children. I just need to remind myself of this when I am losing my mind. I broke my leg again a few weeks before having Nickolas. So that made life interesting. The kids tracked out 2 weeks later and have been back in school for 2 weeks now. I am just now getting the house put back together and beginning fall cleaning. I realized yesterday talking to a friend that the holidays are right around the corner. The kids changed tracks this year so we will have the month of December off. That will make things more relaxed this holiday season. I look forward to being able to enjoy the season a little more and do all the fun things you plan to do with your kids and never have time to. Hard to believe that another year is flying by. So check in now and again and see how we are doing. We would love for you to let us know how you are and what you and your families have been up to!

Friday, October 3, 2008

I'm Fluent in Sarcasm.

So, being the more technically-savvy member of our duo, it's fallen to me to create this blog. Lauren will probably do more of the ongoing stuff, however, so ignorance will not be an excuse. We do hope you enjoy your stay, despite our current lack of content. Feel free to bombard Lauren with your comments.