Parker and Westin!

Dan's older brother Travis and his wife Amy went to Vegas for a few days and we were lucky enough to get their boys Parker (4) and Westin (2) for a few days. They are so dang cute... and Westin calling me mom was sad and endearing at the same time. He missed his momma! 

Dan knew the first order of business after getting back to our house with them was to build a fort! We don't have a lot of boy toys... but Uncle Dan knows how to make it fun! 

 We have a dinosaur that Dan just had to have a few years ago at Target... and the boys love it!

 And we have some "little people" Christmas toys...

 And Dan got this remote control helicopter they thought was awesome too...

 Westin...

 He wasn't asleep... but he sure like snuggling with my leg!

 And then the fun really got started when Dan brought out the Nerf guns....

 And they "took out" Santa's Reindeers!

 Snuggling with Westin...

 Love, Love, Love these boys!!!!!!

Heber's Surprise Birthday Party!

McKenna decided a while ago that it would be fun to throw a surprise birthday party for her friend Heber. (He lost his dad a few weeks ago... so this made it even more meaningful.) Kenna called several of his friends and told them to come to the Jack and Jill Bowling alley in Lehi on Saturday the 20th. (His real birthday was on Sunday the 21st...)

 His sister Kara drove him down blindfolded...which made him very nervous!

 We stayed for a little while and then left so they could have fun without parents hovering over them! One friend Zack got there as we were leaving so he isn't in any of the pictures. 2 others were out of town for Fall Break... but the ones that came had a blast! We headed to pick up our nephews that were staying with us for the weekend and to see our neighbor Tyler who was back in the hospital again!!!

 Here is one of the scoreboards... thought it was funny... Heber is "The Bomb"...

 His friend Jake... McKenna also knows him from EFY... and Kamree... so beautiful!

 I thought this was hilarious! Look how much taller Heber is than Dan!

 Jake and Heber "Photo Bombing" Kenna and Kamree.

They had a GREAT time... so glad McKenna thought to do this for him! Later that night was Kenna and Heber's first official date. His sister and brother-in-law were supposed to double with them, but ended up not being able to, so guess who they met at Olive Garden? Dan and I, Courtney, and our 2 nephews, Westin(2) and Parker (4). Awesome? Not so much for them... but they were good sports!

UV Rays Swim Meet October 19, 2012

Courtney had the opportunity to compete in the UV Rays swim meet in Provo last Friday night. Kenna stayed home so she could continue to recover... so Dan and I headed out with Courtney for a night of fun. She LOVES swimming and has found a new event that she loves... the 100 IM. That is 25 of each of the four strokes... and she did awesome!

 The Provo pool...

 Replenishing after a night of swimming! Her tongue turned blue... she thought it was pretty hilarious! It does make you wonder what they put in that stuff?.....

Good job swimming fast "little fish"... love you HUGE!

The "Fun" Continues...

Wow. That's about all I can say. I finished my last post and within days a whole new adventure began... this time with McKenna. On Friday night, the 12th, McKenna said she wasn't feeling that great. Her stomach really hurt... but this didn't entirely surprise us because she had finished most of a 44 ounce Pepsi that day. She NEVER drinks carbonated drinks, so it didn't surprise me that she wasn't feeling well. 

The rest of the weekend she seemed to go downhill... and by Monday morning she didn't want to get out of bed. She was complaining of horrible pain on her lower right abdomen, and she had some serious stomach issues going on. I was confusing the 2 symptoms thinking they were one and the same. On our way home from swim practice I called to check on her and she told me that she needed to go to the doctor as soon as I got home. Dan was going to be late that night so I went home and grabbed her and we headed to the Instacare. After being examined they figured out that there were actually two different things going on... but the pain in her lower right abdomen really concerned him and did a blood test. Her white blood cell count was through the roof. The doctor told us he thought it was her appendix and that we needed to go immediately to the Emergency Room. The other symptoms could be figured out later on.

We called Dan from the parking lot and headed to our house to get him. When I pulled in a few minutes later I was shocked to find our home teacher already there. (He ROCKS!) They gave her a blessing and we headed to the ER. I called my parents on our way and they headed up to meet us there. The doctors were convinced it was her appendix. They put in an IV and got her as comfortable as possible before sending her back for a CT scan. When we finally got the results later that night we were shocked to find out that it wasn't her appendix... that the pain looked like it was coming from a cyst on her right ovary that was rupturing. In addition they saw what looked like an area of "colitis" in her intestines. That would explain the other symptoms. The doctor looked  shocked that we weren't over-joyed at hearing the news that it was ovarian cyst. I explained my situation and that it actually concerned me MORE that it was a cyst. In fact I almost started crying right then and there. 

The next morning, first thing, I called my OBGYN and scheduled an appointment at 2 pm. A few hours later Kenna yelled frantically to me that she had a lot of blood in her stool. I almost lost it. I called her peditrician and we headed out the door. They examined her and told us they needed a stool sample to send to the lab. She couldn't on demand so we took the items needed with us and headed to my OB. He talked with her for awhile and then did an exam. When he was finished he told us that he really didn't think she has my issues and that if it was a cyst causing the pain that he wouldn't get concerned unless it happened again. He then scared me to death by saying that he wasn't convinced that it wasn't her appendix and that a CT scan is wrong 1 out of every 5 times on that diagnosis. Lovely. He suggested we go back to the ER.

After talking to Dan we decided it was better to be safe than sorry, and headed back for another fun evening at the Riverton Hospital ER. They couldn't do another CT scan so they did 2 ultra sounds. They were convinced after those that it was a cyst on her ovary and not her appendix. They also spent a great deal of time on the phone with a GI specialist. He wanted us to come in the next day... and she was able to give a stool sample finally! It had improved from the one earlier in the day, so that was a relief. They sent us home...

The next morning we headed to the GI Specialist and he was wonderful! He reassured us that this was most likely a one time event and not chronic colitis. Of course if it didn't continue to improve or came back then he would need to do a colonoscopy.. but he felt like based on her past health she was fine. What a relief!!!!! She was down the next few days but improved more and more each day. The amazing thing about this experience? Her attitude. She would tell me repeatedly that she was going to be okay. That everything happens for a reason. That she has faith and knew that our Heavenly Father knew what she was facing and would help her face it with courage and hope. That is truly who McKenna is. 

Her Young Women's group surprised her with a "Heart Attack" on our front door with get well messages on them and some flowers. Love all of you!!!!  

 Heber brought her some flowers... and Courtney gave her the stuffed animal. So cute....

Now if we can all stay healthy!!!! No more hospital visits please!?!

September 2012...A Month to Remember.

As seen in my last post... September started out great with our Labor Day road trip. I am so glad we took that little adventure! Little did we know what was headed our way just a few days later. 

On Friday night, the 7th, we received that dreaded phone call at about 9 pm that night... my parents were in the emergency room and something was REALLY wrong with my Dad. We rushed down and found someone to help Dan administer to my Dad. Thank goodness for Priesthood blessings! 

We found out within a couple of hours that they would be doing surgery on him in the morning to remove his gallbladder and that he had a VERY serious sceptic infection. They were also very concerned with his breathing... something we have been worried about for awhile... but it would be addressed after the other things were taken care of.

LONG story short... he spent the next 10 days in the ICU and another 2 on the regular floor of the hospital... on a respirator for the first 3 or 4 days in the ICU...not leaving the hospital until Tuesday the 18th. His gallbladder was so bad that it had started to erode the wall of his abdomen. They were really worried that it was cancer and the surgeon told us that he had only seen one that was worse than my Dad's. Thankfully the pathology report came back negative... prayers are answered. We got the results 4 weeks after losing my father-in-law to pancreatic cancer... I was grateful we weren't going down that road again! He did develop pancreatitis but that improved and he is now eating a normal diet. I spent all but 2 of the days at the hospital with him and my mom... and I am so grateful to my sweet husband for supporting me and making that possible! (And Kenna and Courtney! And of course the neighbors that brought in a few meals... it gave me one less thing to worry about! Love you!!!) 

 My cute mom... spending the day in the ICU... just a few doors down from her room in January!!! I told them we are done with the hospital! No more ICU visits for any of us!!!! When the nurses recognize you that can't be a good thing!! She is doing great... and although not able to run a marathon again at this point... can run about 6 miles!

 Also this month... our adorable neighbor Tyler began what has been a trial of faith for his sweet family. There is nothing harder than watching a child have to endure pain beyond imagination and not have any good concrete answers for him. The only thing we could do is make sure he knows how much we love him. He is family to the Floyd's...period. We have known him from the day he was born... and loved him that long too!! (His sweet momma too!!!) One of things we did was make this huge poster to hang in his hospital room. I went up while he was in surgery and we hung it up. Little did we know that he would be the talk of the hospital... apparently no patient has ever had one as cool and big as this one!

 And several of us ladies made sure that Caryn would have some treats...

 Caryn and her adorable boyfriend Alan... this guy is awesome! Not only was he there the entire day of his first surgery... but he has been there to help make this difficult time a little easier for Caryn ever since. They are such a cute couple! I won't post any pictures of Tyler... but this one I couldn't resist! She looks amazing!

 This one is from a different day... as of yesterday Tyler has had a total of 5 surgeries!!!! Poor little man! Papa (the BEST grandpa ever!) , Alan, Caryn, and Dan passing some time playing cards...

 McKenna's friend Heber also lost his father after a long battle (10 years) with cancer this month and we attended his funeral on the 29th. It was by far the most amazing funeral I have ever been to. The Stake Center was packed...with people even sitting on the stage... AND was broadcast to another building. Two general authorities spoke along with family, his current bishop, and former bishop. It was so powerful and we left feeling like we had just attended a session of General Conference. While this month has been challenging... we sure spent a lot of time in hospitals!... it has also been a month that has strengthened my testimony and made me grateful for the good in my life. Things may not always go the way we want or plan... but I KNOW that we are not alone in our trials and challenges. I know that the Lord's hand is always in our lives... even when we don't recognize it. I wanted to end this post with a happy picture of my girls. I can't imagine what I would be without these two! They have been amazing this month... both of them fasted twice on behalf of others....once as part of a ward fast for Tyler. And they didn't do it because we told them to... they did it because they wanted to and they have faith in the power of fasting and prayer.  (However, not an easy task when you have to go to school and watch everyone else eat!) But I know that they have had their testimonies strengthened by these experience as well... and we know that our pure testimony comes AFTER the trial of our faith.