Spring Break 2011

While dad went back to work for the first time since his surgery, the rest of us had a little "stay"-cation for Spring Break.  It was great! We did something fun every day. Of course I forgot my camera everywhere we went, but I had my cell phone cam...not as good but got the general job done.

On Monday we couldn't get going until after noon, but we went to an indoor rec center and went swimming with some neighbors. It was a great place and great fun. Our poor little baby boy was terrified of all the noise, people and water for the first hour and just clung to me burying his head in my chest. But then he really warmed up and had a grand time.

Then we went home and I taught my daughter how to ride a bike. She picked it up quickly.

On Tuesday we had some old friends over and the moms went out to lunch. It was fun to catch up with them.
On Wednesday we dropped dad off at work in Salt Lake City and headed over to the Planetarium. We saw a show on Black holes and explored the exhibits.

Then we met dad for lunch at the Lyon House Pantry on Temple Square.

After that, he went back to work and we met up with some other old friends at the Church History Museum. They had a special exhibit for kids upstairs but we also enjoyed the other parts.

Finally, we walked over to the Church's Conference Center and took a tour...ending up on the garden terrace roof. It was a good full day.

On Thursday we took it a little easier and went to see a movie. We saw "Gnomeo and Juliet." It was cute. The theater we went to has $3 tickets and $1-$2 drinks, snacks, and popcorn. All of us got in and got popcorn and drinks for a total of $20. NICE! Then we even got 2 free boxes of candy because of a mixup with the seating (you choose your seat on the computer screen at the box office, but I guess some of us chose the same seats at the same time so we let them move us.)
On Friday we dropped dad off at work again in Salt Lake. Then we drove over to Branbury Bakery and had donuts together before heading off to the Tracy Aviary where we spent the rest of the morning. It was an expensive hour and a half, but worth the educational value and experience. The kids enjoyed the birds and especially enjoyed getting to feed them.

Then we went up to my sister's house north of Salt Lake to spend the afternoon with cousins. On the way home, we stopped at Taco Amigo for dinner (one of dad's and the kids' favorite fast food places) and then let the older kids camp out back in the trailer.
On Saturday we wrapped up the week with a backyard campout...hot dog roast in the fire pit, games, and of course smores (ending with the kids sleeping in the trailer again).

It was a great Spring Break (now I need a break)!

Thoracotomy and Double Lobectomy

We've had some crazy things happen health-wise. And through it all, we've seen the Lord's hand. We know HE loves us and watches over us and has been laying the foundation for this miracle for years. He knows all, sees all and guides and directs the faithful. He put into our lives the people who could help us and make this miracle happen. From my brother, to the specialist, to the surgeon and helpful family, neighbors and friends. God has provided all.

We found out on the 3rd of March that my husband had a mass in his right lung (we had seen it on an earlier CT in November but were waiting for a second one to see if it would grow or go away). They thought it was about the size of a peanut. My radiologist brother expertly and quickly read the CT for us (thank you!) and advised that we get in to see a specialist.

At this point, we were reminded (via a third party mention of the doctor's name on facebook) of a specialist in Pulmonology who my husband had served in a Bishopric with 12 years ago. This specialist wasn't taking any new patients, but when we called, he quickly scheduled and appointment for us the next business day. Because of his connections and time as a doctor and the capacities he'd worked in, this specialist took care of everything from that point on. We saw him on a Monday, he preformed a bronchoscopy on Thursday, he called with biopsy results (all non-cancerous, thankfully) soon after, and scheduled an appointment with the best surgeon the following Tuesday. We KNOW that the Lord put this man in our lives so long ago to be the trusted, guiding hand at this time.

So Thursday, March 17th, (St. Patrick's Day), we arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am and began the prep for surgery. I kissed my husband and saw him wheeled off to surgery. It was a long day and a long wait. The surgery took 9 hours. It turned out that the rare carcinoid tumor was much much larger than expected. The middle right lobe of the lung had completely collapsed and grown abscesses and pustules. The lower lobe had tumor branched out into/onto it and there was a lot of scar tissue amongst all the lobes of the right lungs. The surgeon upon opening him up didn't think he'd be able to save any of the right lung. But he worked really hard for 9 hours and was miraculously able to save the upper right lobe. We thank our Father in Heaven that this man was sustained, guided and directed during the surgery.

The recovery at the hospital was tiring and difficult but again, the Lord blessed him to progress in his healing faster than expected and he was discharged from the hospital on Monday night. Each day has gotten better since. While we were in the hospital and the first days home we couldn't have made it through without help from our parents and family. Our moms selflessly served hour upon hour...making food, taking care of kids, buying things at the store, etc. We feel so blessed to have both parents living close by.

There are so many other seemingly small things that the Lord has blessed us with during these last few weeks we are in awe. Most of all, we are humbled by the sacrifice our Savior Jesus Christ made for each of us and the suffering he endured as he atoned for the sins of all mankind. We know we are loved.

Getaway!

Before the impending surgery of the following week, we took a little overnight trip to a resort in Midway, UT. I had a book signing at a conference at the resort so we were able to capitalize on the conference hotel room rate. The next morning we went into Heber and had breakfast at Chicks...an old diner there. It was great to get away. I can't thank my mom enough for watching the kids and waking up with the baby to feed him through the night.

School Spirit Week

The kiddos love school spirit week...days where they don't have to conform to ALL the uniform rules. I missed taking pictures of sports jersey day and decades day which bums me out, but I got a few of the other fun days. Enjoy!

Crazy Hair Day - ELECTROFIED!

SILLY!

Hat Day

 getting baby bro in on the action

Meeting Great Grandma

I took our sweet baby boy to finally meet his great-grandma on my dad's side. He snuggled right up and was the perfect little boy. We got to visit with his grandpa, my dad, too.

Kyukido Tournament February 2011

Our boys are getting better and better at Kyukido (a mixed-martial art). They participated in a tournament and did very well. Our oldest is on track to get his black belt in May and our younger son just advanced another belt. Here are some pictures from the tournament.

6 months Old Already

Our little baby boy is growing up far too quickly. I miss his snuggly stillness as a tiny baby...he's adorable now, but a little more inquisitive and wiggly. I took these photos to document his 6 month stage. If you'll notice, I did trim his hair up.