Soakin Up Summer!

I LOVE Summer!

We've been soakin up the sun and having so much fun.

Does it get any better than lounging around in the hammock on a lovely summer night?

So many fun things to post....stay tuned

Cancer Revisited....

You just never know what life is going to throw at you.

Exactly one month ago, on March 7, a day after his 63rd birthday, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. The following week he had a baseball sized tumor removed from his colon and they biopsied everything so we knew exactly what we were dealing with. We found out that it is stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to the liver.

His outlook is not great. Statistics say a lot (life expectancy anywhere from 2-5 years with chemo). However, I know that faith is often able to tell a whole different story. Right now my dad is trying to heal and recover enough to be able to start chemotherapy. He should be good to go in a few weeks. His regimine will be to get accessed and start pre-meds at the office on a Monday, then be sent home with a chemo pump that will distribute the chemo throughout a 48 hour period (so he will be continuosly attached to the pump), he will then return to the office on Wednesday to get de-accessed (from his port inserted into his chest- just like Rylee has) and turn the pump in. He will then have the rest of the week off (but not really, because he'll be dealing with the effects of the chemo on his days "off" the pump) and do it all again the next Monday. This will be a two week cycle per month.

So....cancer is not new to me. In fact, cancer is getting very old for me. Just when we thought cancer was getting behind us, it in fact is not. Besides Rylee, Justin's grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer about 8 months ago and now my dad. We have 3 generations seeing the same oncologists. Rylee & my dad have apppointments on the same day at the same time next week. Life is so surreal and unreal sometimes.

I wish more people really understood the far-reaching effects of cancer. The toll it takes on lives. I had this epiphany at Relay for Life last year. Rylee was pretty tired, so during the survivors lap, I packed her on my back. As you do the lap, everyone there claps and cheers for all of the survivors and families/caretakers, which is nice because it's a very taxing trial. It takes a lot of sacrifice and endurance and some encouragment is nice sometimes. It was an emotional moment for me because it truly encomplassed how it feels to go through something like this. It's like this load on your back that you carry around with you and even though it gets very heavy at times, you keep going because it's not an option to just drop the load and walk away without it. The load can never be dropped, only eased and lifted by those willing to help, love and serve you.

I've just been feeling this burning within myself to figure out a way to help more in the fight against cancer. In encouraging others to give to the cause and reach out to those affected by it. I'm becoming more and more interested in links to cancer- in the things we eat, how it's packaged, etc. I'm getting more and more sensitive to the foolish things people do that have known links to cancer (like tanning, not protecting skin with sunscreen, smoking, drinking, etc.) And wondering why so many people ignore recommendations for screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies. My dad's situation could be so different if he had been getting regular colonoscopies for the last 13 years as recommended (age 50!). Colon cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death, yet it is 90% preventable! It's troublesome at times- ignorance. Cancer is affecting so many people, yet it seems that everyone feels invincible. Rylee is an innocent victim- there was nothing she or we did to cause her cancer, yet there are so many people out there willingly taking the risks or ignoring recomendations.

One of Rylee's nurses just lost her dad to melanoma last month. It started with a dark mole on his back that turned out to be cancerous. It then spread to his liver and lungs and eventually took his life. Yes, a dark mole. Have you checked lately? Why do we ignore this? Why do so many people feel that it will never happen to them or those close to them? Why aren't people more diligent in getting recommended screenings? I don't have the answer, but I hope it sparks some awareness. I'm here to shout it from the rooftops that it can happen to you- we are as normal and average as they come and it happened to us....more than once now. With no family history of it.

My heart has been breaking all month over cancer. Please excuse my passion about this subject, but it has been stirring me up. Shortly after my dad's diagnosis, my friend, Sadie Shippen Shanz, who is the sister of one of my best friends, found out that her 4 month old baby has a rare subtype of leukemia called leukemia cutis. Her baby just started chemo yesterday and it breaks my heart. I understand it all on such a personal level and feel deeply affected by what their family is going through. It's a road that I've been down and I feel their pain. It's a different type than Rylee's, so her baby, Graham, will be on a different treatment regimine and it's done in inpatient care. She and her baby will live at the hospital for 6 months! His chemo treatment yesterday lasted 12 hours. She has a two year old as well and their family will have so many sacrifices and adjustments to make. Most people just have no frame of reference for how much this affects your life. Visit her blog at http://www.sadieandherboys.blogspot.com/ to read their story so far. Their first post describes the reality of the situation. They will need help- from strangers and friends alike. They need prayers, to keep their names in the temples and are doing a fast this Sunday, April 10. Shower them with words of encouragment, send a monetary donation to help with the financial burdens. If there is any way you can serve them, do it. I cannot tell you how many times other people's willing generosity has blessed our lives- even from strangers, which almost means more. They are at Primary Children's. If you have anything to offer, if you live in the area, if you are aware of services that might help them, please do it, let them know or let me know and I'll relay it to them.

My cancer rant is finished. I hope it sparked something in you!

Please remember Don Price and Graham Schanz in your prayers and faith.

Born to Be Wild- Jaden Turns 2

Has it really been two years? Two years since we were in the trenches...trying to keep our heads above water? Jaden came in the middle of it....I don't blame him for screaming his guts out, I felt the same way! Two years has already passed though?

And now here he is- all grown up. The cutest 'lil rascal you'll ever know.

His babyhood is slipping away- no binky, no bottle, no crib and yesterday, he went pee-pee in the potty two times! He is a funny little guy. He says stuff like "Zooey Mama!" (from Diary of a Whimpy Kid), And "See ya, be ya" (meaning see ya, wouldn't want to be ya), he Sings the diarrhea song (you know, ..when you're sliding into third... diarrhea, Fhh, Fhh, etc.-he does the chorus if you can call it that), Sings Bieber's "Baby" song with some major hip rolling to go with it. He cracks us up. It's so cute too when he looks at pictures and names our family- he always calls himself my..."And there's my."

Sometimes he is perfectly sweet. He had quietly stolen Jace's Leapster away and came to his very own spot to play, uninterrupted. Jace and Rylee absolutely love, protect and adore him. They are very nurturing to him- Rylee is his second mom and Jace just melts around him. He can be very sweet to give hugs and kisses and make the older two feel like a million bucks when he wants them, or when he'll put his head on their shoulder or lay next to them on the couch or say something in a cute little pouty tone. He can also be sensitive and get his feelings hurt if one of the kids get mad at him or if he's in trouble by me. It's so cute when he has to apologize he says, " I Sorry."

But...boy oh boy- he gives us a run for our money too. He is INTENSE! If there is a mess to be made, anything to explore (he loves to touch, feel, see, try- very curious), a surface to climb upto, onto or into- he does it. This is him this summer- breaking into the go-cart race track at Riot Zone.

When he wants something, he goes for it....which I think will be a better trait for when he's older. That determination in a toddler is challenging. We are continually amazed at his agility and natural athletic ability- he is so cute to do little sports drills or to throw the ball or wrestle and can actually make a good little first and punch- he and Jace will play box and he's aggressive!

Seems like we've been through about every "phase" with him- the climbing on top of phase.
The pulling things out phase

The putting things down the vents phase.

The dumping phase. The climbing inside phase.

The running phase- into the roads/parking lots, onto the soccer/football fields. (And his little mommy chasing him back-grabbing his hand in disgust.)

Let's not forget his exploring phase. Or his michevious stage.

And of course, his "messes" phase. Here's a look at his first year.

Let's just hope that in our case, his terrible two's came early.

If not....I'd hate to see what next year brings.

Happy 2nd Birthday Bubby!

You're one of kind (or atleast you better be :))

Lovely Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

How tempting does this look? It was wonderful. Pure paradise. A dream vacation.

It finally happened- I left the United States of America for the first time in my life! Yahoo! Finally got that first stamp on my passport that's been sitting lonely in our cupboard, waiting for an adventure. Sad it had to miss Israel, wondering why I don't get away more often. It's one of those "seasons" of life things, I guess.

Justin has some good perks to his job. Required to get continuing education each year turns out to be a pretty good perk- especially when there's always so many fun places to choose from. This time we chose Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico (about 15 minutes from Puerto Vallarta). We spent a few fabulous days there back in October. {Pardon the picture quality- it's a picture of a picture we got at the resort}

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort called Vallarta Palace. And a palace it was...total VIP treatment and completely relaxing! When we arrived, they handed us a moist towel to relieve ourselves from the heat. Then they handed me a flower and gave us both a refreshing drink. I've never had such a warm greeting. :)When Jus was slaving away in classes, I got to sit poolside, reading my gossip magazines and books, completely uninteruppted, soaking in the sun and sucking up all of my new-found freedom. Loved every minute.

Especially when the pool waiter would come around and offer me a drink or one of these yummy fruit cups. It's nice to be waited on for a change. I don't know my way around drinks, but a friend had recommended I try a Miami Vice (virgin, of course) and turns out, they are pretty darn good. But...nothing beats ice water and sunshine!

Each night, the resort would host some type of show or activity. One night we attended this Mexican Circus, which was based around Halloween (since it was the week of Halloween). It had acrobats and a contortionist and this guy (who was a Mexican clown apparently) who did this bazar act with this puppet lady. A little unusual, yet pretty entertaining.

There were 5 different resaurants at the resort that you could choose to eat at. It was all-inclusive, so basically you could have whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted it. Although hard to not over-indulge, I loved the concept. Funny how cost or fear of not liking something that you paid for holds you back from trying new things sometimes. I liked trying stuff that I never had before because I had nothing to loose, if I didn't like it, I could always order somehing else. Fun to be so uninhibited.

Look how cute some of the meals (or dessert in this case) were prepared. It hardly makes you want to eat it. Of course, we spent some time on the beautiful beach. I love the Ocean- so soothing. We also spent some time in Puerto Vallarta. Loved seeing the culture and art there. Love all the bright colors And of course the shopping. "How much you want to pay?" "It's nice, isn't it." I'm not one for knick-knacks, but we found some fun stuff for the kids and a hammock that I'm so excited to put in my yard this summer. There were like 8 year old little kids working in these shops!Although we were spoiled enough at the resort, we did venture off for some real adventure as well. The zip line was a blast. Beautiful view from the top of the jungle.
Our guides were so fun and let Justin do some fun stuff- like Superman and going upside down! Ahhh- he was screaming like a girl the whole way across. So glad we got to do this.

Another adventure was going to this water park and experiencing Mexican water slides. Let's just say...they don't meet U.S regulations. Oh my goodness. This one behind us was made of pure concrete and was a total death ride. Such a thrill though. Jus & I were having so much fun and laughed the whole way down. They had this one slide that was like a toilet bowl- Justin came out with a completely scratched up back and I felt like I was going to drown when I got "flushed."

Probably a once in a lifetime experience, but we also got to swim with the Dolphins. I liked the double feet push one the best. The Dophins would come from behind and push your feet and you'd stand up like you were water-skiing on Dolphins. Here I am giving him a little shake.

Oh...and a sweet kiss for Justin. Our kids can't get enough of this picture- they think it's so funny.

We had such a great time! It's one of those vacations that are going to be hard to top. So glad we had the chance to go.

Organizing Photos

Hi friends!

Okay...so on my list of things to do is organizing all of our pictures on our computer.

Here's the story...

-Had a photo program that came with our old camera that I really loved- easy to save from, organize by date, view in files, easy to download to blog or to email from, etc. Long story short, it was really working for me.

- Then we got a new computer and for some reason, it would no longer give me the option to save from there, so it started saving my pictures to "My Pictures" on the hard drive- which it doesn't automatically organize by year/date, etc.

- With the new computer, it also has Windows photo gallery, which is fine to organize by date, but it's a nightmare to upload or email photos from. It does have a video feature, which seems fun to play around with, but I just haven't had the time to dabble in it yet.

- We just got a new camera, so I'm wondering about the Software it came with, maybe I'd like it, but then I have pictures everywhere. Currently I have some in ZoomBrowser, Picassa, "My Pictures" File and Windows Photo Gallery. Talk about a nightmare- that's why I quit blogging. No longer convenient.

So.....

Let me know what you love. Something that's easy, has a lot of options, can do everything in one spot type of a thing. It seems like I like bits and pieces of each thing.

I have Photoshop Elements (got it for Christmas 3 years ago and it still remains in it's original packaging). Is it time to open it up?...but then if I Install it and all, do I need an external hardrive? It's kindof like Pandora's box....once it's opened, you never know what it might unveil.
It could distract me (like diving into editing and creating, etc.). I don't need any distractions right now, I need to get on top of things.

Also...how do you guys back your photos up? We've always just burned them to CD's, but I don't think that will last forever and they take up a lot of space over time. External hard drives, zip drives, CD's, online site, etc.

I'm interested in knowing your systems. I tend to over-analyze things because I like getting the best result, but I don't have a lot of time to research things out. I'm more of a word-of-mouth researcher.

Happy to report that I'm making some good progress around here. If I can figure out my picture mess, I'll share some of what I've been reclaiming!

Until next time....

Oh, and I might as well ask while I'm at it. Has anyone had any horror stories of making a blog book? I really want to do this, but am a little terrified of something happening and losing our whole blog. Is there a way to back your blog up? Give me some reassurance people...and what company you like to go with.

Cost of Friendship

So, yesterday Jace came home from school. Later, he showed me a dime and a penny and I asked him where he got it from.

He said that a boy in his class had given it to him and said he could keep it if Jace would be his friend.

An 11 cent friendship. Part of this made me sad- everyone has such a desire to be included and wanted, no matter the cost.

I told Jace to give the money back and tell him that he'd be his friend for free.

True friendship can't be bought.

Snipits of Life

Seems like it used to be so easy to blog.

I'm trying to reclaim my life so to say...that explains my absence. I've been proclaiming that I'm having post-traumatic stress disorder. Maybe not officially, but it's funny now that things have settled, I feel more behind, more stressed and more out of control than I felt in the heat of all our troubles.

I swear it's the effect of seeing all that I've had to let go out of necessity. Drawers didn't get cleaned out, laundry was never caught up, things that needed decorated got pushed aside, years of photographs are waiting for my attention to put in albums or atleast print them or something. And now here I am, able to deal with it all now and it can be overwhelming picking up the pieces of two years of complete mayhem.

Lately I've just really been wanting an "easy" button. I want my house clean and to stay clean...how can kids destroy a full days work so quickly? I hate laundry...it's the never-ending job. I wish Rylee's speech development would come quicker, but as I know too well....it's a patient process and she's making progress, so I should be happy about that. I wish Jace didn't love to watch TV so much- I get stressed everytime he's sitting there, thinking that he should be more productive (beside the fact that TV drives me crazy...I don't need more noise in my life!). And Jaden.....oh this child. Seems like every other minute he's whacking someone over the head with something....or biting...or hitting...or getting into all loads of mishchief.

Basically it's life. It's not easy. Even when you get one hard thing over with, other things come along and challenge you differently. Miley was onto something when she said, "It's the climb".

So, this year...I'm trying to reclaim life. My goal for 2011 is "Life should be enjoyed, not just endured." I want to focus on really enjoying things more. Enjoy the parts of my house that are clean and organized and little by little do something everyday to improve it. Enjoy my kids, my husband, my friends and make time to plan some fun things. We went over to a neighbors house for game night the other night...had a great time. We took the kids bowling and to play games at Fat Cats for Justin's birthday...and had a great time! I always get home from these things and think, "We need to do stuff like this more often" and we do, so we are. This is the year!

I've got to get back into updating our blog. I love looking back on our memories and moments. It helps me enjoy things more as I look at the pictures and write about things. So the blog will hopefully be more regular from here on out.

Just wanted to jot down a few thoughts of where I'm at right now....just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.