Time Sure Does Fly!

 Amber's birthday cake that I made. It turned out so cute!
                                           

We had to have Amber pretend to blow her candles out, because the wind was blowing too hard to keep them lite.

 Amber is holding her big gift from us. She loves Legos.
                                 

 Andy set up a movie screen in the backyard and watched a movie with the girls.

Amber sharing birthday celebrations with her Grandma & Grandpa Dawson.

 The girls got to perform at the Miss West Point Pageant.

                                  Andy & Amber wading in Bear Lake.

                                  Erin & Andy at Bear Lake.

                                  Me and my beautiful girls wading in Bear Lake.

We have had a very busy couple of months. Amber turned 9 years old on May 27. She had an ice cream themed party at the park. I made her cake shaped like an ice cream cone. It was one of the easier ones that I've done. At the party, the kids made their own ice cream by squishing a zip lock baggie until the ingredients formed ice cream. I gave each kid an ice cream bowl and spoon and then they could add whatever toppings they wanted. We made beaded shaped ice cream sundaes for a key chain too.
Amber's Grandma Dawson's birthday is May 26 & her Grandpa Dawson's birthday is May 29 so we usually celebrate their birthdays together. She thinks that is pretty neat.

I've only had Patrick out a few times this summer. The weather was so cold and rainy in June that there wasn't very many chances to ride him. Lately I've had to fight Andy to ride him. Andy loves to ride him too.

My sarcoidosis hasn't been doing well. I have been sick since the beginning of June and finally I've gotten some new meds today to help with all the pain I've been dealing with. I have general feeling of having the flu and very tired with nausea. My feet and hands kill me, while my left knee, right achilles and hip just ache. It has been very frustrating to have this kind of pain with no relief. I saw my rheumatologist and he didn't want to put me on any new meds. He just wanted me to deal with it. I went to my primary care dr and he has helped me so much with new meds. I'm going to get a referral from my primary care dr for the U of U rheumatology. They treat sarcoidosis more in depth. I can't get into see them until at least January 2012. Crazy busy but I have to find a dr to help me.
A lot of people with this disease tend to loose weight with it, but of course not me. I just have to be grateful that my condition isn't any worse.

I've been reading and crocheting this summer to keep me relaxed. My family has been camping, but I haven't gone on every trip due to my health. My poor kids and husband have to deal with a sicko and it makes me feel so bad for them. None of us asked for any of this, but I have to do my best to live my life. If I can get this pain under control than I can be more of a participant in everything.

Mother's Day

Me and the girls on Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day. My hubby and girls gave me roses and Dove chocolate. We went to lunch with Andy's parents and sister Terry at Taggart's. It was very yummy and it was nice to see them all. We gave Betty a hanging outside plant and a stamp that can be used to block out addresses on magazines and such. We than went to my parent's home and I gave my Mom a darling turqoise jacket and cami inserts. My brothers were there and we had a nice visit.

                                   Andy, his Mom & sister on Mother's Day

My Mom wasn't in a good mood, she has a lot on her mind about having to have surgery and she isn't sure what dr she will choose. We don't give Mom a chance to have her bad times, we all seem to think she should always be able to handle everything and that she never needs support once in awhile. My brothers and Dad tend to not have a sensitive bone in their bodies. I need to be the one to take the time and give her some support, she is always there for me and now it is my time to give back.

My job has ended and I am missing it. I really enjoyed doing something different and the friendships that I had made. I also enjoyed having that time away and making some money. I actually liked working swing shift, but it was really hard on my family and it did add some stress to me worrying about things getting done. I will continue to look for another position with the IRS.

 Now I am trying to figure out what to plan for the girls for summer. They want to take basketball and acting camp, but it costs money and I'm not sure if we can afford it. We are also trying to decide about doing the summer movie club too. The movie club is at the same time as the camps will be. I will have to talk it over with the girls and have them decide what they really want to do. I'm glad that they are interested in doing so many things.  Amber also wants to take golfing lessons so again we need to decide.

I've also been planning Amber's birthday party. It is going to be an ice cream party. I'm just worried about having a good turn out. Her birthday is always on Memorial Day weekend. As always I just plan and hope for the best.

I did buy a new spiral curling iron and I love the curls that it made. Check out the pics of the girls.

                                                          Amber

                                                 the back of her hair

                                                              Erin

                                               The back of her hair.



Frustration and Being Grateful.

Brian, Erin, the Bunny, Amber, Savannah after the Easter Egg Hunt!

My Easter weekend was very nice. We enjoyed a fun Easter Egg Hunt at Jeff and Michelle's and we than ate a yummy dinner at my parent's home. I do enjoy seeing my family and watching the interaction. The weather was sunny but cool. The Easter Bunny brought the girls each a basket. Erin received a Webkinz, the angora bunny. Amber received a Monster High doll, Ghoula. My girls are growing up so fast and it really comes into focus for me during all the holidays. I see them maturing and I'm getting nervous to be a parent of tweens and than teens.

My Dad had knee surgery a week ago to repair a torn ACL. He was doing well, but into day 3 he came down with an infection and became very sick. The doctors weren't sure where it came from in his body, the incisions were healing fine. He is doing so much better now and he can even walk on it. It always makes me nervous seeing my parents have medical problems.

My job is going to end sooner than I want it to, but the flow of mail has been slower than usual this time of year. I was really hoping to have worked for most of the 90 days that I was hired for. I have not been terminated yet, but the talk through the grapevine is that it is coming soon. In the long run it will be better for my family that I'm done working before the end of May. It is hard to keep track of all things the each member is doing and keeping up with their needs when I am away working. It was a good time to experience the effect of how working outside the home has on my family.

I've come to the realization that at my age I have little patience for disrespect in the work place and I think a lot of that happens these days. Being back in the work force is just not for me right now, possibly in the future when my girls are raised. In this crazy world, I need to be here for family in every way. It's their time and not mine right now. There is a season for everything and enjoying the moment is what it's all about.

Look What I Got!!

Finally after almost 20yrs. of marriage, I get to start using my china on regular basis. I received my china, crystal and sliverware as my graduation from high school gift. I think I've used it maybe three times since then. I've wanted a china hutch and new dinning table for forever and now I have them. We bought them from a lady in Riverton and they are gorgeous.

 These are my crystal goblets.

 A placesetting of my beautiful china.

 The dinning table. It feels up my whole kitchen.

 It came with a leaf to add to it, but it isn't in this pic.

The upholestry is in perfect condition.

I feel bad that couples don't get china sets like we did. I grew up using china for Sunday dinner and it is part of my childhood memories. We would go to my Grandma Liza's for dinner and always ate on china. My Mom followed by setting her table every Sunday with her china. I think keeping traditions alive is so important. The older I get the more I cherish those times with my family.

We decided after moving this furniture and unpacking my china that we are never moving. I'll just keep my cute little house.

Doctor Follow-ups.

I saw Dr. Graham yesterday and he said all looks good. He knew I wasn't really loving the incision scar so he reassured me that it would heal up in the months to come and not be too noticeable. He was very pleased with the results and said don't come back unless I have problems. He can count on it!!
I saw Dr. Mijer today and he too was pleased with the results and said to come back in two months for a check up. No meds unless I have more symptoms that can't be controled. I have to have yearly chest x-rays to see if any granalomas appear. I'm so excited to not have to worry about any more meds or surgeries.
Really, the weather is a bummer and I want to so bad go ride Patrick and enjoy the outdoors. I'm getting excited to go camping and for anyone who knows me knows that is not me. I'm hoping my new outlook on life will change the things that I really didn't like to do. Camping isn't that bad, but not my favorite thing to do. My family loves it and now I'm ready to be outside.
The girls have their Easter dresses and Mr. Bunny is ready to load the baskets. Let's hope the egg hunts are warm and dry.

Andy & the girls hiking in St. George.

Andy building our little monument.

Erin swimming and loving it!

Amber swimming with Kloe, little fishies!

GREAT NEWS!!!! OH HAPPY DAY!!!

I have been waiting so anxiously for five days to find out the diagnoses after the biopsy and Dr. Graham called and said the results showed NO malignancy only granluomas. Which interpruts into Sarcoidosis, an auto immune disease. It is usually treated with steroids, but since I'm not having any really bad symptoms Dr. Mijier will probably not put me on anything until I start feeling not so good again.
It is so hard to enjoy a vacation in St. George when I'm worrying about my results, but now I can relax. We went hiking this morning up by the "Dixie" on the rocks and a group was filming a show for Disney's Good Luck Charlie. The girls loved seeing that and seeing characters they recognize. It was a very nice morning for hiking and the weather was cool. We didn't do much so I didn't get worn out. We did get some good shopping in, but of course not enough for me. The weather is changing and a cold front is coming in so we will be in storms all the way home on Saturday. Tomorrow we head to Las Vegas to visit my Aunt Karma and do some "Honey Do" things for her and have lunch. We will not stay the night, but head back to St. George. The girls are swimming and loving the pool. We did bring Patrick down but haven't had a chance to ride him because of the wind and rain. I feel so bad that he has been left out in the weather all alone. Who knows maybe the weather will give us a break and we can go sightseeing for awhile.
I'm so grateful for good doctors and a supportive family. My husband is my rock and I couldn't get through any of this without him. My world is once again bright and cheery;0)