As promised, a more uplifting, fun blog post. We went to California in mid March to see Nana, and to help ease mom's daily travels to work-home-hospital-etc. It was a good trip (hard to see Nana as she was), and I'm glad we went. We were able to get together with my brother and his girlfriend Leah. They are going to make us an aunt and uncle sometime in early July. That blog post to come at a later time....
On our way home we met Janelle, Joel and the girls at Janelle's endocrinologist appointment. And as promised, definitely an uplifting, happy moment. Our daughter is cancer FREE.! That was a HUGE relief for all of us, especially Janelle. After her appointment, we all went out for a celebratory dinner-Carls Jr. There were only a few other people there, besides ourselves, so the girls pretty much had free reign of the place-as you can see by the pictures. It was a happy, freeing time.
And to not leave granddaughter #3 out...two cute pictures of her below.


Mom, Dad, Stevie, Leah, Jim and I at dinner


McKenna and Hailee running the place....


Jerricka is getting to be a big girl


Ainsley before the lemon....


Ainsley after the lemon...gotta love that face

If Our Plate Wasn't Full, We'd Be Hungry.!

Hello Everyone.!
It's been a while since I've updated our blog, and even though this is just all 'informational', I promise the next one will be much lighter, and include pictures.!
Janelle had her biopsy yesterday and for the most part, it went well. They were only able to get to the larger mass on her neck. They took three separate samples from that mass. Her doctor said they contained fluid and tissue, which she (her doctor) didn't like the looks of. She has a return appointment next Friday (the 20th) for the results. We'll keep you posted.
On a lighter, and much fun note, Janelle and Darci are meeting up with a lot of their friends in Las Vegas this weekend. They are both really excited for the trip, especially since there won't be any kids with them.! Yep, Jim and I will have Hailee and Jerricka on Friday and Saturday, then Joel and McKenna will join us later Saturday and spend the night that night, and go to church with us on Sunday. It should be an exciting weekend for everyone
On Sunday March 1st, I got a call at about midnight letting me know that my sweet 95 year old Nana, fell and broke her femur. It was a pretty bad break that required surgery. She is still in the hospital, but should be released to an after-care place soon. She does have pneumonia, but it does seem to be clearing up.
A few weeks ago I got a call that Landon was in the E.R. He was in dire pain, and from what it sounded like on the phone-I thought what he had was a kidney stone. The only problem is, he was in the wrong E.R. He was at Utah Valley in Provo, and our insurance covers better at Timp in Orem. Luckily they had only done a urinalysis, so I had him go to Timp, where they did a C.T. to verify that indeed it was a kidney stone (welcome to your dad's world.!) On a good note, he's doing very well at school. He loves the college life.
McKenna had an appointment at a second Pediatric Nephrologist office. She took a lot of time asking Janelle questions, and also did a UA. This time there was no protein found in her urine. This doctor practices out of Phoenix Children's Hospital. Such a sad place to be, because you know there are so many sick children, but at the same time such a child friendly place. I've never seen so much color in my life. Also so many fun things for kids to do. So as of right now, McKenna seems to be doing well. Something I did learn-even though the other kids' ultrasounds look good now, they can still develop PKD later in life, so they will continue to have ultrasounds for years to come.
I got into an accident on January 26th (Happy Birthday Landon.!). No one was hurt, except for the Golden Burrito (AKA the mini-van). The rear driver's side slider door is crunched in. The very next week, the transmission went out. It's now back at home with a new transmission and an ugly looking door.
Last, but certainly not least, is my poor mom. The hospital that Nana is in is close to my parents house, so my mom sees Nana at least twice a day. Mom has been sick with a cold, and probably in a hurry yesterday-and hadn't eaten anything for breakfast...so she goes to Nana before she goes to work and starts to feel faint, so she leaves Nana's hospital room. I can't remember where she was at, but the next thing she remembered was waking up-on the floor. She had passed out and face-planted it on the floor. At least she was at the right place.! (laughing WITH you Mom) She spent a few hours in the E.R. getting stitches in her bottom lip, a C.T. of the head, TONS of blood work (she had a heart attack a few years ago), then off to the dentist to get one of her front teeth fixed. (It was knocked back during the fall). Poor mom
There are also major changes happening with us-more to come on that later.
Sooooooo-I finally said to Jim "Can we fit anymore on our plate??" and he replied..."If we didn't have a full plate, we'd be hungry". Nice.
We're not looking for sympathy here, just a few prayers our way sure would be nice.! We know we're not the only ones with a full plate. There are many, many others-in much worse situations than ours. We keep you in our prayers too.
On a much more FUN note, I have started a job.! It won't last too much longer (end of April), but the pay is great, and it really is lots of fun. My friend Kim who is a dental hygienist, found out about a survey that the state of Arizona was doing. They were putting teams of three together that consisted of a dental hygienist, an R.N. (our friend Angie), and a recorder (me.!). The state's Department of Oral Health had randomly chosen 100 schools throughout Arizona and the teams were to go into elementary schools and measure, weigh, and do a scaled back dental exam on 3rd graders. There is TONS of paperwork (you'd expect anything less from the government??), and lots of travel, but we get to spend the night at fun places (OK, Lake Havasu was fun...Kingman was dirty.!), and we talk, talk, talk the entire time. We've definitely got to know each other really well.
And that's about it here. We'll keep you updated on Janelle's results next week. We love you all, and miss you lots.!
xoxo
Jim and Lisa

Traditions

I love traditions. Every family has some form of traditions, whether it's for birthdays, or holidays. We all have them and have fun keeping them going.
Christmas here was crazy, more so because there were four children ages 3 1/2 and under. We started off with our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, which consisted of stuffed shells and other goodies this year. Followed by the traditional opening of Christmas Eve pajamas. I remembered myself this year, so I got new PJs too. Let's not forget the traditional leaving-cookies-out-for-Santa. My most favorite tradition though, is when Jim reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas", and the real story of our Savior, from the Bible. I think it's the kids' favorite too Ü And then there's the traditional staying up way too late (for some of us, it was around 3 a.m., for the rest, around midnight).
We started a new tradition this year. An artificial tree.! I LOVE IT. No sap, no tree needles, no worrying about if it's going to catch the house on fire, and it was easy peasy to put up. To get that aroma of a fresh tree, I went to Bath and Body Works and bought the oil scent "Evergreen". It worked like a charm.
The little girls got a lot of super cute clothes, and fun toys. Grandpa got Grandma a Wii, and boy is my arm like jello.! Home run derby has left my right arm pretty useless.
Some of us finished off Christmas day with the most favorite tradition for some, the coveted Christmas Day nap. All is all, it was a great Christmas, and it's always fun to have all of the family here together. Hope you had a Merry one.!


In our Christmas PJs


The traditional "Twas the Night Before Christmas" story, and the real story out of the Bible


Leaving cookies out for Santa.!


The Faux Tree


MERRY CHRISTMAS.!



Hailee enjoying her new favorite toy


Nenah with her MOST favorite toys, cars from Uncle Landon


Thought I would throw this one in here since it's my blog and I can do what I want to...do what I want to...do what I want to...


My girls and their babies


Let the naps begin.!


...and to all...a GOOD NIGHT.!

A Trip Home

At the last minute, Jim and I decided to take a quick trip to California to see our families. Jim took Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week off, so we headed out Monday. Our first stop was to see Jim's family. We all met up at a yummy Mexican restaurant in our old home town of Corona. It was a fun visit, and nice to see everyone. We couldn't believe how much Madison and Chase had grown up.! You can't see it in the picture, but... Sherree had given herself a 'bowl' cut that day. She usually cuts her own hair (and does a great job.!). She also uses clippers to cut the back of her hair. Well...she kind of forgot to put on a numbered attachment and wound up shaving the back of her head.! Luckily, her hair grows fast.. Ü

Dennis, Madison, Jennifer, Jim, Chase, and Sherree

Then it was to my parents that night. Luckily my brother was on his way back from a job up north, so we got to see him that night. We also got to see him the next day along with his girlfriend Leah. We surprised Nana by showing up at her house...and WOW was she surprised.! We brought over our (Nana and mine) favorite meal, El Pollo Loco. It fits...the crazy chicken for the crazy familiy. We really enjoyed our visit, and hated to leave. She is 95 years old, but doesn't seem like it. Her body might be that of a 95 year old, but her mind sure isn't. I can only hope to live as long, and have as good of a life like she has had. I love and miss my Nana. And even better, I think my family has come to accept that I am the FAVORITE .

Jim and Stevie (yes I still call my "little" brother Stevie)

Me, Mom, and Nana

Me and Nana

HALLOWEEN AND BIRTHDAYS

Ok, so I'm a little behind....We've been just a bit busy.!
On Halloween both of the girls came here to trick-or-treat with the kids. They looked so adorable.! Have I mentioned how much I love Halloween in Arizona? It was in the 70's...wonderful.!
They all spent the night here and then we went out to 'linner' at California Pizza Kitchen for Darci, Joel, Janelle, and my birthdays. The food was good, and the time spent together was great.

McKenna in the same outfit she wore last year. Janelle bought her a new one, but as soon as Janelle brought this out, she HAD to wear it again.

Hailee is cute as a bug. A ladybug that is.!

Ainsley, our little Angel

Jerricka as a Pink Leopard. So sweet.!

Before heading out for the goodies.

We're all back home, in PJ's and pooped.!


Group shot at California Pizza Kitchen


Janelle, Joel, and a sleeping Hailee and Jerricka


Josh and Darci


Papa and McKenna


A surprise group shot...ha.!


The babies side by side. Two tub-a-lubs.!

AY MATEY.!

Oh yeah, that's us. Quite the pair huh? Hey..stop laughing, we took third place for our costumes.! We went to a Halloween Party that was just fantastic. Everyone looked so great, and it was fun to dress up, relax, and have a great time.!

Can you believe some people didn't recognize Jim? I can.!


The Lovells and the Roberts


The girls-Angie, Crystal, Me, and Trena


The Dawsons and the Brookes


The Hales


Shrek and Fiona = The Bryans


Us with our gracious hosts the Economous, Thanks Tina and Tony.!

So Long Johnny Rockets.!

Last week Ainsley had a follow up appointment with her pediatric surgeon. Her appointment was at 11:15, and we weren't seen until 2:00 (long story). But he said she was doing well, and would see her in a few months. HOORAY.!
Janelle and the girls met us at the appointment, which was in Mesa. Since Janelle's birthday was the next day, we thought we'd have an all girl sleepover. Things started off a little rough for Hailee when she fell right on her head, from the doctor's spinning chair, to the hard tile floor. OUCH. This must have been at least the tenth concussion for her... just that week. She had a black eye the week before, thanks to her sister opening a kitchen cabinet right into her eye. If she lives to the ripe old age of 2, it'll be a miracle.
We did make it home, finally. We were waiting for Grandpa to get home so the big girls (us) and the babies could go out to dinner, and McKenna and Hailee could stay with Grandpa. So off to Village Inn we go. Things started off well since both babies were sleeping. Then Jerricka wakes up, which in turn wakes Ainsley up. I've had to relearn how to eat and feed a baby at the same time. That skill was long lost in the attic of my brain. But the cobwebs are off, and I am now skilled at it once again. We had to be home by 7:00 since Grandpa had Mutual, and was getting the boys ready for the stake Camporee that weekend. What a good grandpa he is. Both of the girls were bathed and in their PJs when we got home....yippee.!
We finally got to bed after midnight (the picture of Janelle at the desk is her birthday picture of her turning 24 at midnight...HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANELLE.!)
Our ward was having a "Park Day" at our newly done park a few blocks away. It started at 10:30, and we fully intended to be there by then. HAHAHA...RIGHT.! We got there at 12:30 as it was ending. But after McKenna and Hailee were full of sand, Nena had an 'accident' (and no extra clothes), we got the heck outta there. Off to our next destination...the outdoor mall. It was lunch time and Darci wanted to get Ainsley's ears pierced. We were also hoping to find some costumes at the Disney store, or one of the other kids stores there. I did mention lunch, right? Because really, I think the three of us would rather forget it.! I also believe we are on the "DO NOT LET THESE PEOPLE IN EVER AGAIN" list at Johnny Rockets. To make a VERY long story (longest lunch I've ever had) short, ALL four kids were screaming their guts out. It was like a 15 car pile up...you know... a chain reaction. First off, Hailee was tired, and her molars are coming in. She did NOT want to sit in her high chair. Screamer #1. That led to Ainsley being upset. She doesn't like to hear other babies cry, so not only was she crying, she was screaming. Screamer #2. That in turn led to colicky Jerricka waking up and screaming. Screamer #3. If you've never been to a Johnny Rockets before, it's a 50s looking place, with little juke boxes on each of the tables. You put your nickel in and pick a song. (And some songs the employees dance to) Since it's so cheap, the music is always going. McKenna does not like loud noise, so between the music, the dancing, the babies screaming, and Hailee throwing a tantrum, she turned to her sister and yelled "STOP IT..!", looked at me, and started crying. Now, let's fast forward to our food. Strawberry shake, delicious onion rings, hamburgers, a BLT. Mmmmm..... Oh WAIT.! Melted strawberry shake, cold onion rings, soggy hamburgers, and a really soggy BLT. That was our lunch. If there were any teenagers in there (which I'm SURE our waiter was) it was GREAT birth control. Adios Johnny Rockets....
So off to the kids area we go. What is that we hear?? SILENCE. All four screamers are finally quiet. It IS a miracle. The babies are sleeping, Hailee is out cold too, and McKenna is happily eating her PB & J. Sweet....
The girls found some cute Christmas outfits for the kids, McKenna had fun in the play area, and we went to the pet store. All is well. That is, until we went to Claire's to get the babies ears pierced. We knew Ainsley was getting hers pierced, but not Jerricka. But Janelle figured we were all there, and she had help, so she might as well. Grandma took McKenna to the 'kiddie rides' (which she won't ride...she's a cheap date) while it took about an hour to get their ears pierced. They look cute, and these days it's 8-12 WEEKS of after care for those cute little earrings. Lots of work. Of course I left my camera at home that day, so no pics. I think I left my brain back at Johnny Rockets too....
Darci stayed until Saturday, which I dragged her to the Prop 102 phone bank to make a few calls. We then went with the group to Cafe Rio (yes Utahns, we have a Cafe Rio here too.!). We went home, she packed everything in the car, and she made the 2 1/2 hour trip home safely. All in all, it was a VERY fun week with my two girls, and my four granddaughters.
Next play date is Oct. 31. Darci, Josh and Ainsley are coming down for Halloween and we're having a multiple birthday party for Joel, Janelle, Darci and moi on Saturday. More pics to follow.!

Cool Baby.!


Having fun with Papa


It's past my mealtime.!!


She loves her food.! Can you tell?


The things we do for entertainment purposes...


Oops! Did it again.!


Loves her Aunt Janelle.!



Sweet cousins. Can you believe they are only 8 1/2 weeks apart??


HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY JANELLE.!


Did I SAY you two can leave?? My legs will hold you down.!


Sweet baby...


Buh Bye...see ya in a few weeks.!