Halloween Party

We have such a blast at the Economou's Halloween Party each year we're able to go. As always, the Economou's throw a great party, and it's so much fun to see everyone's costume choices that go along with the theme for that year. This year was "Famous Couples". Jim was Zorro, and I was Zorro's girlfriend...(do you know her name??)....Anna Maria Verdugo. Don't worry, I didn't either. Thank goodness for Google.

Zorro and his chick.!

I let my hair grow out...(don't I wish.!)

Lucy was pregnant.!

Love this picture of Evan and Crystal

Cute famous couples

Cortina 3rd Ward's First Annual Fall Festival

October 2009, Cortina 3rd Ward's very first Fall Festival, aka Halloween party. This is the first, and only year to date, that we held our Fall Festival inside. The next two years were held outside, which has turned out really well with our Arizona weather, plus less mess to clean up.! This year though was a lot of fun. Each class in the Young Women and Young Men did a 'booth' in a classroom. They all were lots of fun, and the kids had a blast. We continued our traditional chili cook off, which feeds all that come.

So festive.!

Our Beehives went all out with a Haunted House

Yes....this is our Bishop

A few hundred of our closest friends Ü

Fall 2009 - Try Not To Laugh at My Ineptness

This is my attempt to try to catch up. I have officially become a lazy blogger. Yet looking back last night at my early blog entries, there were things that came from my own fingers that I wouldn't have remembered if I hadn't typed it out. So.....here it goes.

Josh, Darci, Jim and I took Ains to the Vertuccio Farms to pick her pumpkin.


Grandma, Ains and Darci

The Bentley Fam

Ains picked the perfect one.!

Ains hitchin' a ride

Nice.....

Does this really require an explanation??

Janelle's Quarter Century Birthday

Red Robin is my oldest daughters favorite place to eat. That's where we celebrated her 25th birthday, which came shortly after her thyroid removal. Lots of reasons to celebrate that day.!


For having four kids, four and under, they do pretty good. We don't stand out too much


Ains, do you want a little bit of french fry with your Ranch?


Nice....


This is what too much studying does.... Just kidding Josh, we're proud of you.!


Singing to my birthday girl. How is it possible for 25 years to go that fast?


My sweet, beautiful baby girl. Yep, I still call her my baby girl.


Aunt Darc and Jerricka




It's always a good day when we all get together. Love you guys.!

McKenna, Sisters, Mom, Grandma and Papa go to the Pumpkin Patch

A fun day with McKenna's preschool class at the Pumpkin Patch


The first thing we learned was what the veggies were, and then we got to pick them



A fun ride with Hailee in the lady bug barrels.!



Nena's little friends in preschool



I love the look on McKenna's face. "The animals will do WHAT??"



Grandpa, Mommy, and Hailee finding their little pumpkins in the patch



Nena found two perfect pumpkins. A great day.!

Pictures are Worth a Thousands Words.....

They say that pictures are worth a thousand words, so that will save me a LOT of typing. I've been a very bad blogger. So over the next few days I will just post recent (and maybe not so recent...) pictures, and write captions underneath. Then maybe, just maybe, I might try to be a better blogger. No promises though....

The "C" word......

When my kids were little, I told them they couldn’t say the word “hate”- they had to use the word “dislike”. Well, let me tell you…I HATE the word cancer. That word is life changing.
Within 24 hours we found out that my mom has breast cancer (ductal carcinoma) and my oldest daughter Janelle has thyroid cancer. If you look at my March 11 and March 22 blog post, that will catch you up to speed about Janelle. For months we thought she didn’t have cancer. So Janelle not wanting to have surgery, put it off. She had her reasons for not wanting to do it, and that was her personal decision. Recently Joel and Janelle talked about going back to Utah so Joel could go to school. Jim and I had been putting our little two cents in here and there about how we felt about having it removed since it was discovered. After all, her endocrinologist told her she wouldn’t know for sure if there was cancer in there unless it was removed. Since they probably wouldn’t have insurance while he was in school, she decided to go ahead and have it removed. Last Tuesday (October 6) she took the plunge. While on the operating table, the piece of thyroid (right side) and nodules were sent to the pathologist to look at it. If cancer was found they would go ahead and remove the entire thyroid. No cancer was found-in the nodules- the only thing that was looked at by the pathologist. (Not sure why) The first thing Janelle said to me when she came out of anesthesia was “See, I didn’t need this surgery”. I was still relieved it was done.
Now, let’s move to my mom. My mom had found a lump on her breast and got right in for a mammogram. She’s always been good about getting her yearly mammograms because she’s already had three biopsies. (which had all turned out negative) This time they took additional views plus an ultrasound. Having worked in an X-ray department for 6 years I know when the radiologist comes in and says that the mammogram and ultrasound doesn’t look good-he/she’s pretty positive that it’s cancer. But hey-Janelle got a clean bill of health, so we were hoping the goodness would spread. The office said they would know in 3-5 business days. Two days later they called with the news. Ductal carcinoma. Shocking. Unexpected. She meets with the surgeon tomorrow, so a surgery date will be set. Hopefully soon.
That was Thursday night. Friday morning Janelle was feeling good enough to take her two older girls (we had Jerricka) to the mall and have a little fun. She got a call from the surgeons office asking her to come in right away. That’s never good. She had a strong feeling what they were going to tell her. She called us. We’ve now gone from relief-to sadness about my mom-to overwhelmed about our family situation. They confirmed what she thought. Cancer. It wasn’t in the nodules that they had done the biopsy on, it was actually in the thyroid. Back to the O.R. Yesterday they removed her entire thyroid. She was able to go home last night, but this time the surgery was a little more difficult. The pain is more intense, and I think just the sheer knowledge of what’s to come doesn’t help. She’s on Tums daily for a week since her calcium was down. It’s easier to google the word thyroid so you can see what it’s functions are, then for me (who really doesn’t know exactly myself) what it’s functions are. I just know you really need one, but you can live without one-on medication.
So her future now is - she has a follow up appointment with the surgeon in two weeks to go over the new pathology report on this past surgery. Then an appointment with her endocrinologist to discuss treatment, (she’ll most likely have radiation and won’t be able to see her family for a week) diet (she’s on a low iodine diet right now), a PET scan, and what she can expect in the future. She’s been told she can expect to feel basically like crap the next few months until the treatment is over, and the medications have been regulated.
People say “thyroid cancer, it’s one of the most treatable cancers there is”. It’s true. As the person who has it, it’s still the “C” word. As a mom, it’s totally devastating to hear that your child-no matter the age- has it. I completely understand when parents say “I would rather go through it myself than see my child suffer”. I would do it in a heartbeat.
I’ve done my bawling, I’ve felt sorry for myself (even though it’s not about me.!), and I’m ready to do whatever it is my mom and daughter need me to do. Thank you SO much for the prayers, emails, love and concern. We’ll keep you updated.! xoxo xoxo