SARAH PALIN RALLY!!!!

I cannot tell ya'll what a great time we had. Below we have posted pictures and explanations from the event but I have to tell you that we came away excited and felt great to get to be a part of this history making campaign. I loved it when we were part of the 8000 people who stood and said the pledge of allegience and sang the National Anthem. It was wonderful to hear all those people sing. Made you feel proud to be an american. We also heard from our NC Senator, Elizabeth Dole, and our Republican Governor candidate, Pat McCroy. It was a great day and night! We got home at 11:00 p.m. last night and it was worth it!

From the beginning to the end it was so much fun! We got there 4 hours early and this is PART of the line that was in FRONT of us! We didn't mind though! We had a great time talking to everyone and enjoying being part of the event!

Emily thought her pink McCain hat was the coolest and she is showing off her ticket to get into the event. Those were priceless that day as there were a lot of people that weren't able to get them and wanted to be able to get in. They had an overflow area that people could watch it on the screen but it was much more fun to be inside.

Here is a picture of all of us waiting in line. We got to know people when we were talking in line and it was fun! We loved all of it, even the waiting!
Here is a picture of Makayla and Emily with their "lipstick" on! We tried to get Terry to wear some as well but she declined. We are still waiting in line!
I took a picture of this bumper sticker this man had behind us in line because I knew that Jeff would love it. I took it for him! Isn't it great...and appropriate??? hahaha!

Here are the buttons we collected while at the rally. We all chose which one we wanted and then brought them back home to those that didn't get to attend the rally. I loved them all!
We are FINALLY made it in! We were sitting up off the floor and to the side so that we had a good view of Sarah Palin. If we wanted to be on the floor then it was standing only and we really didn't want to stand for the whole 5 hours we were in there! It was fun where we were as well! I'm showing off my Country First sign!

And finally...we got to see Sarah Palin! I have to tell everyone that she is as genuine in person as she seems to be on TV. We loved her speech and were so impressed with how she connected to all of us. She stayed at least 30 minutes after her speech just to sign autographs and talk with the people that were surrounding her. Emily really wanted to get her to sign her hat but we knew we couldn't get that close with everyone else around!

She is blowing a kiss into the crowd! It was so cute to see her do that to the little children!

General Conference!

Wow...that is about all I can say...general conference was so good and so much of it that I needed to hear. All the talks were uplifting and reminded me that in these perilous times there is only one source that we can turn to that will help us thru...our Savior. I am so grateful for our leaders who teach us, counsel us, and give us hope and perspective about this life. As I listened to President Monson this morning I was so grateful for his message and how we can change for the better. It has made me want to be better and given me the courage to be a little better everyday. How grateful I am for this week-end. It has been a week-end full of enrichment and has put life back into perspective for me! I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know it has the power to change lives for it is continually changing mine for the better!

Jean's Birthday Surprise!

As most everyone knows, yesterday was my birthday (44 years old...eek!) Anyway, it was rainy and chilly but everyone tried to make it the best day they could for me. I loved all my gifts but I have to show off this one from Jeff. Yesterday, as I do on most special occasions, my thoughts were on Noah and how much I missed him not being here. I am married to the most wonderful man who understands me more deeply than I even realize and he knew how down I have been for the last few weeks. Yesterday just seemed to bring all of that to the surface and last night we went in different directions with the kids...Michael and I went to pac meeting and Jeff and the girls went to the temple. I just didn't feel like it was anything more than another day. Later that night though, when Jeff and the girls came in he said he had saved the best gift for last...and I took a picture of it below. He told me when I opened it that when I look at it he wants me to know that this is Christ bringing Noah back to me one day. The tears fell and my other children all beamed because they knew I would love it and we all look forward to having our family complete again. Anyway... it is a very special gift from my sweetheart who knows just what I need all the time and goes out of his way to make sure I have my needs met. I love him with all of my heart and he really is my rock and my hero!

Family Update

Well, there really isn't that much to update about. This past week Emily has been battling a cold which I think she is finally starting to get over. School has started and is in full swing...Michael is doing great, so is Lauren but she likes to gripe about it. Emily stays busy with her online studies and is doing quite well. She is gearing up for a final exam in her history class which she will need to take next week. Jeff is very busy with his new job...he has been having to travel a lot so between that and church meetings this past couple weeks, Jeff is swamped. We are all looking forward to this week-end when it looks like there is NOTHING on our calendar so we can take a break and have some family time together! Other than that...there really is no new news from this front. We are grateful for our blessings and try everyday to see the hand of the Lord in our lives (which we do!). If something exciting happens then we will post again before long! Until then, everyone have a great day!

Fun Time

Yesterday, Jewel and I took the kids to a rally for Elizabeth Dole (our senator in NC running for re-election)! It was a rally for veterans and we went to support both! The girls really are getting involved in the politcal process this year (how could they not with me as their mom???) and Mikey came along because he had to...hahaha (we took him out to dinner afterwards...good way to get him to participate)! It was fun to see both Senator Elizabeth Dole and Senator Bob Dole together. I was able to help the kids see a little of what an election year is like! We got signs and bumper stickers and felt like we were involved! The girls are anxious to do more now so we will continue on our quest of learning about the election process and hoping to bring victory to the candidates we feel are better qualified at this time to lead! This is the best way to teach the kids about our government system and how it works plus have fun along the way. I tell everyone that I found my love for politics when I was 15 years old and campaigned for Granddaddy when he ran for sheriff! That was the most fun summer I can remember...it was also the only time I have ever campaigned for a democrat..hahahaha! Those memories were fun ones and I hope my kids will learn the importance of voting and having a voice in our democracy! We have a lot to be grateful for in this nation and I never want my children to take for granted the liberties that we have been blessed with! I think Granddaddy would be pleased at how involved we get....he's the one that started it all with me! Thanks, Grandaddy....I love and miss you!

Good Day!

I love Sundays! They are the best day of the week for me. I get to go to church, have a great family meal (we always eat the same thing every Sunday...roast, mashed potatoes, butterbeans, carrots, corn on the cob, rolls, and brownies for dessert), take a nap, and enjoy my family. What better day could you have than that???? Today was fast and testimony meeting at church and it was so uplifting. All the lessons were great and I felt the spirit all day. I am grateful to have so many blessings! I am glad that Momma is feeling better and her back is healing. I am grateful that Jeff got a good job and is finding joy and fulfillment in his new position. I am grateful that I get to homeschool my kids and teach Emily seminary. I am grateful for the blessings that flow into my life everyday. I am also grateful for the challenges that help to keep me focused on doing what is right. I taught in Relief Society today and I talked about standing as a witness...I repeated a poem that Momma used to tell us all the time so I will share it with everyone. It goes, "Oh, you're writing the gospel, a chapter each day, by the words that you say and the things that you do. Men read what you write, whether faulty or true. Say, what is the gospel according to you?" I may not have gotten the words perfectly right but that is the jist of it. I try to remember that each day and teach my children to always stand for truth and right. I just felt like expressing the blessings in my life because I have felt so good today. I love days like this...when you see the blessings despite the trials. To all my family and friends...I love you! Thanks for sharing your lives with me! I hope everyone has a good week!!!!

Tagged!

Okay, Kim...this is for you since you tagged me:

3 Joys:

Jeff
My children
The gospel

3 Fears:

Mice
Losing Jeff
Not being righteous enough to be with Noah again

3 Goals:

Organize my house so it's easy to keep clean
Be an efficient home school mom
Eventually add on to the house and have a fenced in backyard

3 Obsessions/Collections:

Politics (I can get carried away...I can hear you all laughing!)
Shoes
Anything that is Noah's (clothes, pictures, whatever)

3 Random Surprising Facts about me:

I am becoming more like Jeff everyday
I love doing family history...it intrigues me
I never end a conversation with a family member without saying I love you!

5 People who are tagged:

Emily
Lauren
Michael
Jewel
Stacey

My Opinion!!!

Okay...so now I know this might not be a popular post with some of you but as you all know, I have an opinion about things so here goes. While I do believe that Governor Romney would have been the BEST choice for this country as President and when he didn't make that, then Vice President, I am happy with the choice that McCain made. This morning after I scoured the internet for clues before his VP pick was announced and saw that it was becoming very clear who it was going to be, I was at first upset then I decided to make it a matter of prayer because I take these things so to heart. I prayed that I would know by my feelings the will of the Lord and that I would get a feeling one way or the other about Sarah Palin. Well, as I listened to her speak today a good feeling came over me. I know that she has negatives about her and I have heard them all but I also believes that she has a lot of positives as well! I like how principled she is, I like how she continues to be a mom while she serves her country in this capacity and I like that she has some fire in her! I think she will be able to hold her on and I believe that she can be a quick learner in things that she isn't experienced in. She balances McCain's ticket and I will be voting for McCain because I can't stand for Obama to win...it is scary for me! I know there will be some that disagree with me and I guess that is what I love about this country....we can all have our points of view and express them! In the next few months we will get a clearer picture of Sarah Palin and I hope I won't be disappointed but I will follow Romney's lead and throw my support to this ticket! I believe it is the best one and as a woman and a mother I like that she can multitask so well! So...there you have my opinion for what it is worth! I'll keep following things closely and will be fair (not balanced probably...hahaha...but fair) and I think we should all give her a fair shot!!!!

Yeah for the new Family Search site!

Beth thanks for telling me about this site! I went on it and was so impressed once I re-registered and saw how easy and great the church has made it for us to find our ancestors and coordinate who has found who! It is so wonderful and I had a great time filling out information and thinking about how much family history I have left to do but also how much more organized we will all be now! This is a wonderful tool that I hope everyone will use! I'm going to get busy now.....

My 2 Cents!!!

Okay...so everyone knows how much I get into politics every year and this year I have had very mixed emotions about this election! I was very disappointed when Mitt Romney did not get the nomination and have been practically uninvolved ever since! I have been reading a lot lately though about how a lot of people regret their decision of not voting for Mitt and now are hoping beyond hope that McCain picks him for his VP! That would be great and if that comes to pass then I will go and volunteer my time and effort to help McCain win! It will re-energize me in this election year and I get really excited about this stuff sometimes to my kids dismay because I don't mind speaking up about how I feel! So...with that said, you all know where I stand! Not that anyone cares one way or the other..hahaha...but I do like to have an opinion about things and I have an opinion about this for sure! I guess that is my 2 cents worth!

SISTERS!!!!!!

For the last two weeks I have been able to have both of my sisters come up and stay with Momma to help her in her recovery from back surgery! I have so enjoyed their company as well! I don't often get to spend one on one time with them as our lives are all so busy and we live in different states so it was a real treat for me to spend some extra time with each of them. We talk on the phone almost everyday which I love to do as everyone knows and it keeps us close but getting to visit with them in person is so much more fun! I realize as we get older how much more alike we are and how we all think alike. I love being able to finish their sentences and laugh with them about nothing! Even when we have had our differences we are able to see the others point of view and love each other no matter what! I am so blessed to be the youngest because as I have always said, I have three mothers! I am grateful for our honesty, openness and our ability to love each other unconditionally! I am thankful that in my worst moments, they are only a phone call away and I know because I have seen them do it that they will drop everything to come to me when I need them most! I have always felt like I had "built in" best friends that have seen me at my best, at my worst, and know all my secret dreams and my insecurities and love me just the same! I am so thankful I have daughters that I can pass this unique and one of a kind relationship on to! If there is one gift that God gave me early in my life....it is my sisters! They are the ones I turn to when times are too difficult to bear alone and they are the ones I look to for an example of how to handle situations. They are also the ones I laugh with, cry with, scream at sometimes, and emulate always! Libbi and Kim...I love you! When I hear the word, sister...I always smile and am grateful that Heavenly Father sent me the best!

Good Friends are gifts from God!

Today has been a good day and I have been in a reflective mood. I have thought back today over the last year of my life and all that I have experienced. I think one of the sweetest things that has happened to me is the joy I have experienced in having good friends. I have been blessed to have many good friends and find great joy in my bonds of friendship and love with so many. I have thought today about 2 friends in particular who have walked a very long and lonely road with me this past year. Teri and Jane have gone above and beyond even what a good friend is and have experienced every high and every low with me along the way. I have called them at all hours and they have responded. I have received phone calls from them at the moment that I most needed to hear another voice. They have come to me no matter what was happening in their life and they have stood by me as I have shed tear after tear and have cried with me. They have celebrated the days when I was able to laugh and smile and they have buoyed me up on the days when I felt like the world was closing in around me. They have cheered the smallest steps I have made and they have walked with me down into the lowest lows that I could go. They have not left my side for a minute and they continue to be a great source of strength and love for me and they remind me of all that is good in this world! Thank you both for being the most valiant friends I could have and for never giving up on me. Thank you for giving with all of your hearts and connecting with mine! You will always be my heroes and have set for me a perfect example of what true friendship is all about! I know we will be friends thru eternity and I love you both! Thank you for this past year...I would not have made it without you both by my side! I will be a better friend because you have showed the way it is to be done!!!!!! Friends are wonderful!!!

Jean and Jane

Jean and Teri

A THANKFUL HEART!!!!!

I have some really great news....Jeff got a GREAT job which he will be starting on August 25th! Along with his new job he will still be continuing his consulting job until its completion and we feel totally blessed! We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for hearing and answering our prayers in a most wonderful way! Thank you to everyone who has prayed, fasted, put our names in the temple and been a complete support to our family. We know that your prayers combined with our own have brought about a wonderful miracle for our family! I am counting my blessings today and am thankful for the faith that Jeff has displayed this entire time. We are better off than before and we see the Lord's hand leading our life in this new direction! All I can be is thankful!

MIKEY!!!!

LaNelle suggested I take some pictures of Michael's badges and beads that he earned at day camp so I took a couple of him and then of he and Jeff because they went together! Jeff said and I quote, "Why do we need pictures...we both know we were there!"....gotta love my sweetheart!

Michael with his badges, belt loops, and bead necklace

Michael and Jeff

Mikey's Cubscout Day Camp

Michael had a great time at day camp this year. He and his dad left early Saturday morning and were gone all day. They played softball, used a compass, did archery, worked on Faith in God, and other things that I can't remember. Michael came home with lots of badges, beads and great stories to tell. He and his dad had a fun filled day and were pretty tired when they came dragging in! Michael enthusiastically shared all the events of the day and I was happy that he had a great time. I sent the camera with Jeff but he said he didn't have time to take pictures (now I know why I am never in any pictures because I am the picture taker in our family...hahaha!) Oh, well...I probably should have gone for a little while so I could have gotten some pictures of Michael but I don't like to stay outside all day....I know, I know...lazy!!! It was a great father/son day!!!!

Update on Momma!

Momma's surgery went very well. Nathan, Libbi, Kim, David, and I all went with Momma to the hospital at 6 am on Thursday morning for her surgery. They gave her a shot before surgery to calm her down and we all got to go back and see her before they wheeled her off. She was very happy after they gave her the shot. Her surgery lasted about 4 hours or so and so we went to the surgery waiting room to wait. Since we were the first ones there we put all the comfy chairs together and made like a little living room. Bro. Pete Deaver and Teri Hanna came and joined us. The surgeon came out and talked to us and told us that Momma had done very well during the surgery and he felt like she would get a lot of pain relief from the procedure over time. We waited another 2 hours before we got to see her but when she came up she was awake but very pale. Even though she was really out of it, she still wanted Kim to brush her hair and put on her eyebrow pencil. Libbi took some pictures so she will have to put those up on her blog as I forgot my camera. Libbi stayed with Momma around the clock from Thursday night until today. Nathan and I went back to the hospital yesterday. Libbi told us that they were giving Momma blood because her blood pressure and hemoglobin were too low. She had more color yesterday which made me feel better. She sat up yesterday and walked around the room which was VERY impressive because that was fast after the surgery. They told her that she would not need to go to rehab because she was doing so well. I spoke to Momma this morning and she sounds much stronger. Libbi said that they were going to give her two more units of blood because her hemoglobin is still low but that she is doing really good. She sat up this morning and walked so we are happy she is doing so well. Nathan will spend the day with her today and then I will go spend the night with her tonight. They have now switched her from IV pain medicaton to oral so she is definitely moving in the right direction! She may even get to go home by tomorrow and at the latest on Monday! Thanks everyone for all the prayers for my mom! The Lord is surely watching over her and we are so very grateful!

Our Birthday Fun!!

We had a fun filled day of birthday celebration! Michael had a great day and Grandma and Gramps treated him (and us!) to dinner at Fuddruckers where he chowed down on Chicken Tenders and Frenchfries...2 big helpings of them which he is now regretting...hahaha! He also got some great gifts which were money from Daddy Tom and DeeDee, Nerf football and Nerf basketball from Mom and Dad, Money from Emily, a "Harry Potter" wand made by Lauren, dinner out and LOTS of tokens to play games with from Grandma and Gramps! We enjoyed not only celebrating Michael's special day but we also celebrated with Noah as we bought and released a smiley face balloon (his very favorite) up to him! (A tradition we started last year while we were visiting with Aunt Kim and her family!) It is a great way to spend a moment out of the day to celebrate with Noah! Thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate as well! We know that Noah smiled brightly today at the love that was sent his way! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL AND NOAH!!! What a blessing you both are to our family!

Michael with Gramps and Grandma

The kids eating at Fuddruckers

Michael with his cake!

The cupcakes that the girls made for Noah!

Michael with his presents!

Michael with his nerf basketball and goal his dad got him!

Jeff and the kids with the balloon for Noah!

Jean and the kids with Noah's balloon!

Michael sent Noah's balloon to him!

We watched as the balloon went straight up in the sky until it disappeared!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BOYS ON JULY 28TH!!!!!

Monday is a special day, it's the day I get sing Happy Birthday to you! I can hardly believe that Michael is 10 years old and that Noah would be 7! Time has gone by so fast! We will celebrate Mikey's birthday by going to Fuddruckers (his favorite hamburger spot because they have the BEST fries as Mikey says) and we will go purchase a Smiley Face Balloon to send up for Noah! What a special day this is for Mom....I got the best two boys in the world on the same day...aren't I lucky????? HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL....you are a great blessing to me everyday! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH....Mommy misses your smiling face everyday! I LOVE YOU BOTH!!!!

Mikey's new ride!!!!

Michael loves his new bike car! It is an early birthday present...we decided he needed it to keep up with his sisters and their bikes...too bad he didn't have it when we were on vacation! He has had a ball with it and rides it up and down the street and around the cul-de-sac all the time. His dad and I rode on it and it KILLED us...it is a great work-out. We keep telling Michael that he won't be toting around extra pounds if he keeps riding this thing...hahaha! We thought we would show everyone this cool twist on bike riding! Jeff loves it and thinks he would like to build one now....you know Jeff and anything that has wheels...! Jeff may have to ride this to work if gas keeps going up......hehehe!

A fun remembering game...come on everyone!!!

Here's a fun game...



1. As a comment, leave on my blog a memory of you and me (and even if you don't know me that well, you can tell how you know me).



2. If you do, I'll assume you are playing the game and go to your blog and leave a memory...

Ready, Set, Blog!!!!!!

Soup, Anyone????

Today we got together with Teri Hanna and Makayla and put together some Stripling Warrior soup to can in jars. We made enough for one pot a week for 3 months. We all had a good time putting it together and were pretty pleased when we saw all our jars filled and ready for our pantry. It was fun to see the kids all helping and enjoying the process. Thank you, Teri for sharing your wonderful talent with us and helping us all to be more prepared. My pantry is looking better and better and it is a great feeling to be obedient!

Michael putting his ingredients in his bowl
Michael, Emily & Makayla filling up their bowls

Makayla and Teri filling up a jar!

Our finished product...we were so pleased!

ONE YEAR....One very very long year.....

One year, 52 weeks, 365 days...I can hardly believe that a whole year has gone by and I haven't seen, touched, or felt the sweet smell of my precious little Noah. As I write this the tears begin to fall. I have learned a lot about grief in this past year. I have learned that you don't go thru these neat little stages one at a time. Grief comes in waves and it comes when you least expect it. It has come when I have been walking in Wal-Mart and seen a monster truck that Noah didn't have yet, anything with Cars on it, pajamas I would have picked out for him. It has come in the Dollar Tree when I have seen the smiley face balloons and remembered how I could never go in there without coming out with one because Noah just had to have one. It has come when I have been riding down the road and seen the "oreo" cows that Noah loved so much on the side of the road or turned on my 80's cd and I could hear Noah saying to "turn on the new radio Momma, turn on the new radio". It has come at 3:00 in the morning when I just opened my eyes and sleep left me and I would cry the rest of the night. It has come at church when I have seen other mothers sitting with their children Noah's age and trying to get them to be still. It has come during the day when I am cleaning the house and I run across a stray toy, a stray sock, a little cup or spoon. It has come when I have been at family gatherings and knew that there was one missing from the chaos. It has come when I walked on the beach at Lakewood Campground or rode in the golf cart and knew how much Noah loved being there. It has come at all different times and sometimes it is so overwhelming I can hardly speak or catch my breath. Other times it comes softly and tears gently fall. It has never left me for 365 days. It has been my constant and most unwelcome companion. Then in this last year I have found my faith...it has plunged me forward, it has gotten me up in the mornings, helped me make it thru the days, been my constant source of strength and my most welcome friend. I have found solace and peace as I have sat in the Celestial Room of the temple and asked for strength. I have found comfort and peace in Jeff's arms and in his unwavering faith. I have found bits of joy in my other children as I have watched them progress this year as they have found their faith and had their testimonies strengthened. I have found what the meaning of true friendship is as there have been those that have walked with me every step...have held my hand, cried with me, rejoiced with me, held me up when I couldn't stand, sat in the temple with me, and run to my defense at every turn. To you who have walked with me, cried with me, listened to me, called when I so desperately needed you, and gone as far on this road as you could go with me...thank you...you have made this year easier to bear because you were here no matter what and I love you with all my heart. This year has been full of seemingly overwhelming challenges and yet there have been moments when I could truly feel the Savior very near. I have cried on my knees for help, for comfort and told the Lord I could go no further and He has answered me with comforting peace. I have put my hand in Jeff's and together we have walked with faith, with hope and with the knowledge that we KNOW we will see our precious little boy again and we will raise him. I have learned to go forward and put my trust in the Lord even though I can't see what is ahead. I have learned that all the hurting has not overwhelmed all the joy I have had of having Noah. I have learned that faith is more than just believing, that it takes action, it takes courage and it has required me to keep going even when I just wanted to stop. I have learned that strength comes from within and it takes a lot of praying, fasting, and getting up and doing to find it. I have learned that the most precious things I have on this earth is my family and no matter what we will always be together. I have learned to trust in the Lord's will and accept it no matter how hard. Most of all I have found that my memories have sustained me and helped me to keep going. My beloved Noah will always be with us whereever we go. I feel his presence so often with me. I can close my eyes and see his beautiful smile. I can stop and feel his hand in mine sometimes and it makes me smile! I know in my heart that each step I take in doing what is right is one step closer I am coming to Noah. I miss him more than I can put into words and this past year I have found that the closer I am to the Lord, the closer I am to Noah. He will always be my baby and I will always be able to close my eyes and see his beautiful brown eyes and his great big smile. I hope no one will ever forget my rambunctious, beaming, beautiful, and oft times screaming meemee, precious little boy. He is moving forward and I know he wants us to do the same. I love you, Noah....you are forevermore my baby and you are always in my heart.

THE TREK!!!!!

We went today and picked up the kids that went on the pioneer trek! The stake asked all the families of the kids that went to come and bring white handkerchiefs to wave the kids in as they came into the "Salt Lake Valley"! As they came walking thru the lines that we had formed we all sang "Come Come Ye Saints" and waved our handkerchiefs. They cheered and smiled as they walked and pushed their handcarts along. The kids were dirty but beaming! They had a great time and we were glad that Emily had the experience. She said it was hot, dirty and at times really hard but she would do it all again in a minute! We were so happy to hear about her experience and know that she grew closer to the Lord thru it! Way to go Emily....you made it! She drank nasty water, ate stuff that she didn't know what was and even had some grasshoppers to eat along the way, got sick on the first night and kept going...she proved to her dad and I that she is one tough cookie who rises to the challenge! We are very proud of her!!! The first thing she did when she got home was hit the shower...then the bed! Ahhh...aren't we grateful for those wonderful modern conveniences????

Emily walking into the "Salt Lake Valley" among the cheering crowd!

The Zebulon Ward Youth who went on the trek with some of their leaders!

Emily and Aunt Jewel who came along to welcome her back!

Michael and Emily with Bro. Duncan who played Brigham Young!!!

All the youth and leaders from Zebulon and Knightdale who participated in the trek!

Our Myrtle Beach Vacation

Below we have posted some pictures of our vacation this year. We had a good time with our extended family and enjoyed seeing everyone. It was a sun filled 2 weeks and we came home a little redder (we don't tan in our family...hahaha!) and closer as a family. We spent our last week there just being together as a family and enjoyed spending our time with each other. The kids had a great time and had all kinds of fun around the campground. We took advantage this year of all the activities that the campground had to offer so the kids had a great time being there. We didn't do a whole lot of outside activities but we had a great time just hanging around the campground. We have now had to come back to reality and get on with our life. Jeff and I have complete faith that the Lord will lead us where He wants us to go from here. We are grateful for the many people who have loved and cared about our family and who are praying for us. We are thankful for the men that Jeff worked with at Constrata who were good to our family over the years and we wish them the best. We are looking ahead to the future with great faith and know that the Lord's promises are sure. We hope everyone has a great summer!

Emily with "The Terminator"

Michael with "The Terminator"

Michael playing "Dance Dance Revolution"

Jeff and Michael driving a simulated race car

Emily and Lauren on the go carts

Lauren and Uncle Floyd in his convertible

Getting a smile from Jeff in the trailer

Daddy Tom at the trailer

Kim and our family out to dinner

Jeff and Jean at Planet Hollywood

Libbi and Pete with kids at the pool

Libbi and Momma at the pool

Two of my beautiful nieces suntanning!

Gramps in the shade at the pool

Katie and Lauren at Aunt Kim's house

There are no words...

There really are no words to describe our experience with Elder Bednar on Sunday. We were grateful for the opportunity we had to meet with him and for Lauren to have the chance to talk with him. He has the spirit with him so strong and it was wonderful the way he allowed Lauren to speak what was on her heart. It was a special experience and one that I am sure our family will remember for a long time. We are grateful for the Lord's blessings in our lives and grateful for such a direct answer to prayers. We are most grateful for President Wilford who was led to set up the meeting with Elder Bednar and we are grateful for his wonderful and dedicated service to our stake. We love you, President Wilford and you have been the perfect example of not shrinking in the face of overwhelming challenges. Thank you. We had a perfect Sunday and left to come on vacation feeling overwhelmed with gratitude and humility. We have learned a lot about living a higher law this week-end and we are trying to be a little better each day.

MY ONE OF A KIND BEACH BAG!!!

How do I begin to describe this wonderful one of a kind beach bag that Beth made for me to go the beach with??? I have looked and looked for the perfect bag that fits all of my needs and I have never been able to find one so I was talking to Beth about it one day and she told me that she thought she could make me one. I told her all that I wanted and below you have a picture of my perfect bag! It has a zipper at the top to zip up the whole bag. A zipper pocket inside to hold small things, zipper pockets on either side and a zipper pocket in the front. It also has pockets on each side for water bottles. I have the perfect bag and I know it will be the envy of other people who need to carry as much as I do! Beth...thank you, thank you, thank you...how you did it with your brood, I'll never know but I am glad you did! Okay...everyone, below is my perfect one of kind original beach bag! I LOVE IT!!!! Isn't it great????

WE ARE ON THE WAY HOME!!!

To everyone who has prayed, fasted, called and been a complete strength to us...we say a great big THANK YOU!!! We have felt the Lord's hand blessing us as we are now coming to what we hope will be the end of hospital stays for a while! We are going home today and then leaving in less than 2 weeks for a wonderful beach trip for 2 weeks. We are all getting excited about it and I can tell you that we need the rest and relaxation or more esp...I NEED THE REST AND RELAXATION!!!!! I am looking forward to being back home with my family and Lauren is as well. She has had an extremely tough hospital stay this time but in the end I think we will all be better for it. She is a tough young lady who understands the power of prayer and faith and we are grateful for the knowledge we have that helps us get thru tough times. Myrtle Beach here we come!!!!

Where to go from here....

Well I have good, actually great news....the colonoscopy showed that the colon was perfectly normal and showed no signs of disease or inflammation or anything. Dr. Freeman said that she is going to go back and look at the lower bowel study with the radiologist since it showed that she had narrowing in her ilieum. Anyway, it is great that it is normal but at the same time we are now back to square one with trying to figure out what this pain is from. At this point I feel like we should just put her on some medication to calm down her muscles or stomach or whatever and send us home. I suppose we will be talking with the doctors and get some kind of plan from them but I can't imagine that they will keep us here much longer or at least I hope they don't. We all need a vacation right now as much as we need answers...the vacation I believe we will get...the answers I am not sure about anymore. Maybe we should call the show "Mystery Diagnosis" since we seem to be in the middle of one.

FINALLY....AN ANSWER!!!!!!!

Well...we finally think we have found the reason for all of Lauren's stomach pain. Not to go into a great lot of detail but they believe that from the test they ran this morning (see below entry for what that was all about) that it looks like Lauren has inflammation and narrowing in her colon area which is the cause of all this pain. They will be doing a colonoscopy on Tuesday to look and get some biopsies so they will know how to treat it. I spoke at length with both Dr. Muenzer and Dr. Freeman (the GI doctor) this afternoon. We are so grateful that Heavenly Father has answered our prayers in a most direct way. We are hoping that when they look at her colon that what they suspect is what they will find. Lauren is feeling really bad this afternoon so Dr. Muenzer said that if he has to increase her pain medication thru the week-end to get her out of pain while they are preparing for these tests then he will. I'll update once we have more information but for now at least we are going in the right direction. They also said that this could explain why she had pancretitis as well! As always we love Dr. Muenzer because this has been his suspicion from the beginning....we so trust him!

Long Morning...

This morning they took Lauren down for an upper GI study with small bowel follow thru. Let me tell you...it was awful! Lauren had to drink 3 cups of this barium stuff that they flavored chocolate and then they took all these pictures as it went thru her system. She had to lay on her side then we got her to walk up and down the hall while she was in pain, then we came back in and they laid her down and pressed on her stomach until she was crying so bad and begging me to make them stop that I could hardly keep my composure. I silently prayed that the Lord would ease her pain and help her have the courage to get thru the study. She did make it thru it and we both heaved a great sigh of relief when they said it was over. We came back, she took a shower and she is now sleeping comfortably after some pain meds. They are going to be doing another Ph Probe on Tuesday to check her reflux again... Dr. Phillips wants a current one done before he does surgery. There are still some other tests that they can do but we are just hoping that we are all done with testing for today. Lauren will more than likely sleep the rest of the afternoon as she didn't have a great night last night and she is very tired. Keep praying for us...we surely can use all the prayers and good vibes being sent our way that we can get!

Tagged.....by Libbi!

1. Pick up the nearest book
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the next 3 sentences
5. Tag 3 people and acknowledge who tagged you

Okay, Libbi tagged me...This book is on the shelf next to me in the hospital...It is the scriptures...So here goes..."And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold."

I tag Kim, Jewel, and Shalene.

No, UNC is not our home.....

But it sure feels like that these days. We had to bring Lauren back in yesterday. We were supposed to come over here today for an appointment with Dr. Muenzer but since Sunday, Lauren's stomach pain has gotten worse and the medicine didn't seem to be helping so after talking at length with Dr. Muenzer and then Jeff and I going over everything we came to a decision to bring her in. She was in terrible pain yesterday and Dr. Muenzer was adamant that we bring her in. They still don't know what is causing the pain but they are more determined than ever to figure it out. I have no idea how long we will be here but I told them yesterday that they have 2 1/2 weeks to figure it out because we are going on vacation on June 14th. Please pray that we will get to the bottom of this and we will be able to go on our vacation. They have consulted the surgeons at this point and more than likely they will be doing surgery here soon. I don't have any details right now...just pray for my little Lauren and ask the Lord to direct the doctors so they will know what to do. We would really appreciate it. Thanks! For those of you that want this information....Lauren's telephone number is (919) 966-2493 and her room number is 6C03.

The Art Auction

Well, before anyone asks..no, I wasn't able to get any pictures. They took one of Lauren there with their camera and if I get a copy of it then I will post it. The place was very crowded and it wasn't that big so I wasn't able to get any good pictures with my camera. They had Lauren's picture on the wall along with a short biography about her as one of their featured artists. She had three pictures there being auctioned off. We only stayed about 30 minutes so we left pretty early into it and I looked at the papers under her art to see what the bids were so far. She had one picture that they had bid $30.00 on, another one had a $20.00 bid on it and the last one had a $25.00 bid on it. We don't know how much they actually ended up selling them for. I hope they will let us know. All of the money went to help the NC Children's Hospital which we are pleased to help. Lauren was very excited about her art and we hope that she will continue to learn and pursue this avenue because we do believe she has real talent. We were pleased that she had a good time and we celebrated with a trip to an ice cream parlor across the street from the art gallery (they were serving wine and cheese there so we passed that up for the good stuff...ice cream!!!) They were very happy that Lauren came to the auction and came out to the truck when we left to thank us for coming and bringing Lauren. It was a pretty snazzy affair with all those artsy people and I am quite sure we stuck out like sore thumbs...oh well! It was a cool experience. Well, Michael said he wasn't all that impressed and he was glad when we went to the ice cream parlor...hahaha! We all enjoyed that part probably the most!!!

EMILY GOT HER PERMIT...SHOUT HOORAY!!!!

Everyone stay off the roads!!!! hahaha! Emily got her learners permit today! What a great day for her. She was so excited when they told her she passed and she got the permit in her hands. I even let her drive me home from the DMV...a nervous experience for me but she did great! I can still remember when she learned how to walk and now she is driving...where does the time go???? Now our days will be filled with driving...maybe I should take up drinking...hahaha..! I am not old enough to have a child that can drive or at least I don't think I should be! We are very proud of Emily...she is way excited and we share her excitement! Another driver in the family...more errands for her to run....higher insurance to pay....oh my! Jeff will look forward to the day when she can drive her own self to seminary in the mornings....there is a bright spot to this driving thing! Good job Emily !!!!! (And no, there is no new car around the corner...sorry!!!)

Mothers Day...a mixed day!

This year was another one of firsts for me...it seems like every day is another first I have to live thru. This day proved to be a lot harder than I had imagined it to be. I guess unless you have lived thru what Jeff and I are living thru then it is hard to imagine being in my place. I have four wonderful children (three on this earth who I love more than life itself and love spending every moment with and a fourth that I long for every single day!) I guess you miss the one you don't see the most. Kim told me that she cried after she talked to Will...it is hard to be away from your kids on a day like Mothers Day. I cried because although I have my other wonderful children and they are wonderful, I didn't have my baby. All I have are pictures and a card that Noah made for me last year on Mothers Day. I looked at it and the tears fell over and over again. I barely made it thru church...everyone seemed to sense that it was a hard day for me and were extremely sensitive to my feelings...I appreciated that. Jeff gave me a yellow rose at church...Noah's favorite color...even he teared up as he watched me at church...he felt my pain and could not make it easier and he knew that. I didn't think it was going to hit me this hard but it did and the pain is overwhelming. I took down his hand and foot molds they gave me at the hospital and ran my hand over them. They are so small and every little line is visible. I felt physically sick at not having him here. Life is hard sometimes. Thank you everyone who called me and e-mailed me...you understood my pain and I felt your love....it helped me get thru it. I love you all so much and I appreciate your love and concern...it made a not so good day a little more bearable. I will one day have a joyous and happy reunion with my sweet little boy and my tears will be turned from sorrow to joy....I look forward to that day.

Poor Pugslie!!!

Well, we got Lauren home and then we had to take Pugslie yesterday in to the vet to have her spayed. She did really good but we all feel sorry for her since she came home. She has to wear this cone over her head for 7 days to keep her from biting or licking her incision site and she is in some pain...we are giving her pain medication and that is just making her woozy and tired. When I took her outside to the bathroom yesterday after she got back from the vet she took a few steps, wobbled and then fell over in the grass. It was funny to watch but I felt sorry for her. I picked her up, carried her inside and layed her on a blanket where she stayed most of the afternoon and then Jeff took her out last night and then laid her in her crate before we went to bed. She is still laying around this morning and likes one particular place on the couch the best so we let her lay there. We feel sorry for her with this cone around her head but the vet told us that she had to keep it on. Lauren decorated it with stickers...I don't think Pugslie cares...hahaha! We will be glad when she doesn't have to look like an alien dog anymore...poor Pugslie! (Jeff says poor him for having to pay for all this stuff...hahaha!)

HOME SWEET HOME!!!!

A very short post to say that we are finally HOME!!!!!! Yeah!!! We were thrilled when the doctors let us go today and we have been smiling ever since. I am so happy to be home and Lauren is as well. It was so good to walk into our house and be with my whole family and in time for family home evening night as well. This will be a great family home evening! Lauren is still recovering some from the pancreatitis but she is doing so much better than she was! Anyway...thanks everyone for everything you did for us....the visits, the phone calls, the cards, the e-mails, sending food to our house and esp. for all the prayers that were sent up! Thank you does not seem like near enough! We are so glad to be home!!!!!!

A Funny Story

I have been thinking about this story with all of the interest lately in Lauren's art talent and I couldn't help but laugh...about 4 years ago (when we still lived on Church Street) Emily had learned how to massage our feet, shoulders, and hands and everyone was always asking her to give them a short massage. We suggested that Emily could earn some extra money if she would charge people to do that so she made this chart that said "Foot Massage - 10 minutes - .25 cents, Hand Massage - 10 minutes - .15 cents, Shoulder Massage - 10 minutes - .30 cents." We thought that was cute and everyone said that was very reasonable so then Lauren wanted to get in on the act and she also made a chart that said, "Normal Drawing - $1.00, Black & White Drawing - $1.50, Western Drawing - $2.00, and Family Picture - $5.00" We just looked at her chart and said, "Well, you aren't giving a service, do you really think people are going to pay that much for your drawings...give us a break!!!" We took her sign down because we told her that she couldn't charge that much for pictures and she should just do them for free or charge a dime or something. I guess she knew even way back then that art is EXPENSIVE and that is probably why we don't own any paintings...hahahaha! Oh well, that was so typical of Lauren and we have laughed about that a lot of times. If she ever becomes famous one day none of us will be able to afford her high priced art...hahaha! Something to think about.....!

My little artist...

Just a short blog to let everyone know that Lauren is becoming quite the little artist up here. They got her to paint a picture to auction off at an art exhibit on May 17th at an art gallery here in Chapel Hill (which we will be going to!) She was very excited about that and they also wanted a picture of her and a little background so she can be one of the featured artists (this art show is to raise money for UNC Children's Hospital.) So we were happy about that...but this is the part that I think is so cool..when we first got up here a few weeks ago and you look out the window from Lauren's bed you can see the clock tower on the UNC campus. Lauren thought it would be a good idea to draw a picture from her viewpoint of the clock tower so she did. We taped the picture to her front door. (If you go back and look at a previous post with a picture of her door and click on it to make it bigger you can see the picture of the clock tower.) EVERYONE that passes by her door makes a comment on the clock tower picture and how good it is; esp. when they come into the room and look at it from out the window. I am not very artistic so I thought it was cute but you know, not a big deal. Well they came down today and asked me if they could have that picture off of her door to auction off as well. They were so impressed with it that they felt like it would be a big hit at the art show. I let them have it but told them that they had to scan a copy for me and send it to me. I usually am not one to brag too much about my kids (they are all wonderful, but you know, every mother feels that way about her kids) but I just had to share this with everyone. I am really proud of her and how she pours her feelings into all her artwork which shows in the details and the colors that she uses. I don't know a thing about art but I must say that one day I am going to be very proud when she becomes a celebrated artist....! Jeff and I both think she has real talent. I'll post or get her to post some scans of her art when we finally get home...which I am hoping will be tomorrow or Sunday...we will let you know!

There is an end in sight...finally!!!!

Lauren is doing a lot better. Her pancreatic enzymes are continuing to come down and she is feeling a lot better. The doctors will want her enzymes to be normal before they feel really good about letting her go. She still has pain when she eats solid food but we are slowly coming back to that. They have switched her from iv pain medication to oral as she can now tolerate them without throwing up. She can come home on those if need be. She is drinking pediasure or carnation instant breakfast to help give her nutrients while she is easing back into eating. She is out of the room a lot during the day now at the doctors request so that she can build her strength back up. She walks up and down the halls, goes to the "teen room" and we walk around the hospital downstairs. She is glad to be feeling better and we are glad to see an end in sight. It is looking more and more if she continues to do this good that we will be able to come home at some point this week-end. We may even give her some cornstarch tonight...we are making slow but steady progress. We will be glad to get home and back into a somewhat normal routine. Michael had his appt. with Dr. Muenzer over here yesterday and he got a good report...other than he now has to lay off of the fried foods. He wasn't too happy about that but Dr. Muenzer was strict on that point so we are all going to have to improve our diet...it will be good for us all! Life is beginning to look up and we are now looking forward to our vacation next month...we will all need it.