Bittersweet

I have spent many days in Utah this year but this time is different.
I love it here

It is where I grew up

and

although I have been in Nevada for almost 20 years, this is home. 

 The mountains are showing signs of fall, the grass is green and the flowers are in bloom.

I feel at peace here as I look out over the valley and see 4 different temples in every direction.
I am reminded that indeed Families can be together forever.

I am excited and happy and devastatingly sad.

Words are hard to find but tears are plentiful.

My dad and siblings have all traveled from four different states to be here.
My Tyler will be coming home from Little Rock, Arkansas.
He received permission to graduate early.

This is an important time for our family and it could be
considered a historical event.

However, just as we are gathering together here, there is an incredible reunion taking place in heaven.

How happy my mom must be holding her son in her arms again.

It is bittersweet.

I just wish someone would explain it to my heart.

Lonnie D.

My big brother lost his battle with ALS this morning at 9:12 am. He was the best big brother a girl could have. I will miss him more than anything in the whole wide world. When my mom died, Lonnie was the one that kept our family together. I have never known a day without him in it. and I'm not sure how I will go on without him now.  Lonnie called me Sisty-babe when I was born and he still called me that when I would see him.  I loved spending time with my big bro.  Every girl should be lucky enough to have a big brother to help and support them through life.  We could talk for hours about anything and everything.  My heart is breaking into a million pieces. I love you Lonnie, you are my hero.  You are the strongest man that I know, you gave a valiant fight and you endured to the end.  I will always look up to you I love you with all my heart, might, mind and soul.

Mom's back to work

I'm not gonna lie...

this week has been rough!

I don't know what possessed me to go back to work
(besides the money)

All I learned this week is...
Hospital orientation is long and boring.

I am glad it is over!

  

Since Russ was working tonight
and
I didn't wanna cook because I am dead tired!

I love you Sonic! 

Laughter is the best medicine

Torri & I have been to 12 appointments in the past two weeks since she was released from the hospital. Yup, you read that right...twelve. To say we are exhausted is an under statement of the year. 

Each time we leave the house Torri begs me to take her shopping. She doesn't care which store, she just needs a little cheering up and she thinks retail therapy will do the trick. Since I don't have a wheel chair for her, this is not something I want to do and I keep saying NO way (remember, it takes 10 minutes just to get this girl out of the car and into a doctor's office. In fact, after seeing how slow she is, people keep offering her rides in wheelchairs to get her back out to the car.  I'm not complaining...I'm just sayin'). I finally let Kate & Torri talk me into bribe me into taking them shopping. We stopped at the party store since it is a relatively small store compared to the mall or Target. These girls had a blast! We all laughed harder than we've laughed in a long time.

Here are a few pictures of the girls trying on masks and goofing around.

Blowing out the candles

Kate wanted a "Nothing Bundt cake" for her birthday this year but she also wanted cupcakes.  We compromised with bundtinis which are a tiny bundt cake the same size as a cupcake but taste yummy like a bundt cake.  A few weeks ago, I bought a silly cupcake tower to display our Halloween cupcakes.  We decided to try it out for Kate's Birthday.  It was not only fun but made it a little more challenging to blow out those 14 candles. Happy Birthday KateLyn Brooke, I hope this is a magical year for you.

KateLyn's Magic Birthday

Kate turned 14 on September 14th.

Since Tuesdays are always super busy (Weston has football & Cub Scouts, Kate has YW, Jordan has college classes) we asked Kate where she wanted to go for dinner before all the craziness started.  This girl is so sweet & easy going...she chose CiCi's pizza.  It turned out to be a great idea because we all met there, ate dinner and then split up to our various activities.

Later we met back at the house for cupcakes (bundtini's) and ice cream.  Since this is a special year for Kate, she gets to have a huge party with all of her friends next weekend.

These girls know how to strike a pose

Why is it the guys will never cooperate and give me a smile? 

Sometimes I have to squeeze them to get a smile

Or bribe them

These girls are not just sisters, they are bestest buddies

Bryce met us between college classes & Torri was happy to see him.

This girl loves clothes so she got plenty of them

She also got some new shoes & jewelry

After dinner, Westy & Kate played a little MarioKart in the arcade

Random pictures from this week

It took me several days to get this picture of Torri walking
with her old lady walker.  

Torri opening her awesome package from Rowdy, Tasha, Wyatt & Danger

They sent her all of her favorite things to keep her
busy while she's home.  Books, movies, snacks,
play doh, lotion, bandaids &
even a snuggie monkey just like Rowdy's.
This was just what the doctor ordered because it
lifted Torri's spirits and put a smile on her face.

My cute Jordan

Yes, that is Willy's pink phone that he is taking apart

Braydon just chillin'

Jordan hanging out with his friends 

It is comic relief having them around the house

Torri fighting with the insurance company and trying to
settle the claim on her car

KateLyn cooking dinner

Jan came to visit Torri with some pretty flowers to brighten Torri's day

Weston doing homework

You've had a bad day?

I was driving home on the freeway the other day and this is what I saw.  Wow, next time I think I'm having a bad day I will quickly realize that maybe it isn't so bad.

Taking time to smell the flowers

Home therapy came twice this week and they managed to get Torri up and walking.  She has a long list of exercises to do for homework.  It is amazing to me that just three months ago Torri was dancing with her dad at her wedding and now she needs a walker to walk.  She can only make it part way across the room before she is exhausted.  We are learning to appreciate the small things this month.  Life has a strange way of making us stop and smell the flowers. 

Fantasy Football

I can tell it is fall, not because the air is crisp and the trees are changing colors.  Nope, I know its fall because the only thing my guys talk about is football!  Argh...it's gonna be a long season this year!  The guys each have their own fantasy football team, they have even enlisted Bryce to be a part of this craziness.

Princesses & Fruit

Torri was thrilled to get a very special delivery today. The McAvoys sent her a yummy edible arrangement. I've never seen someone get so excited about fruit and princesses. It helped to lift her spirits and made her day a little brighter which made me happy.  Priscilla always knows exactly what my kids need. She's just awesome like that.

Awesome helpers

The other kids have been awesome since Torri & Bryce have been staying with us.  They are a super big help with Torri and will help walk her to the potty and Kate helps her get dressed and comb her hair.

Home from the hospital

Torri was released from the hospital Tuesday night. Wednesday we spent the entire day on the phone contacting Neurology offices & arranging home health physical therapy & nursing. It has been super crazy getting everything set-up. Thursday we went to see her Primary care doctor and he was fabulous. He called and spoke to a Neurosurgeon while we were there and they made us an appointment for the next morning (something we weren't able to do ourselves until October). However, Torri's case is baffling to the doctors and many of them are determined to figure out why she can't feel her left leg and why she continues to have muscle spasms.

Friday she met with the Neurosurgeon & a pain management doctor. We really liked them both. They ordered another MRI (this time of Torri's brain & cervical spine) and they made an appointment for us with a Neurologist on Monday who is supposed to be a genius. He comes highly recommended by the other three doctors and our Physical therapist. We are anxious to get to the bottom of things.

Labor Day 2010

Instead of having a BBQ and swimming, we spent Labor day with Torri at the hospital.

KateLyn is super sensitive to Torri's needs and wouldn't leave her side

I keep telling Bryce this is not a good way to start off as newlyweds

This is true love

Torri's trip to the hospital

Since Torri's car accident on August 3, she seemed to have made a remarkable recovery.  In fact, the past few weeks she has been back working full time and she started a full load of college classes last week.  Friday night Russ & I met her and Bryce for dinner & a movie.  She says she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary that day however, later that night she was awakened with terrible back pain and muscle spasms.  No amount of medication would relieve the discomfort.  Bryce took her to the ER and they did repeat X-rays (thinking she may have a bulging disk or spine problems).  The X-rays were unremarkable.  The nurses gave her pain medication and sent her home.  Saturday afternoon the pain was back with a vengeance.  This time her left leg was numb down to her knee and she had shooting pains from her back down both legs.  Bryce and I had a telephone intervention and made her go back to the ER.  By the time they got there the pain was unbearable. They took her in for an MRI with the hope of finding the cause of the problem.  The MRI took almost two hours to complete and by the time they were finished she started having these odd muscle spasms throughout her body.  The only way I can describe them is they look like a seizure only she is alert and oriented. It is awful to watch! Immediately they decided to admit her to the hospital and medicate her to make the jerking stop.  Every three to four hours around the clock she has had to endure these muscle spasms. The MRI is inconclusive and we cannot get a straight answer as to why she is having these spasms. They are now saying she needs to see a Neurologist since the numbness has now spread down her entire leg and has made her unable to walk without dragging her foot. The pain continues around the clock. She was released today along with a bag full of medication and muscle relaxers (this is my child that wouldn't even take Tylenol for a headache).  They have scheduled a home-health nurse and physical therapy to come to our house tomorrow to reteach her how to walk and do basic things. She hates using a walker to walk and keeps telling me she feels like an old lady.

The whole ordeal happened so fast that we are wondering what to do now.  There is no way she can work and go to school full time in this condition.  Bryce goes back to work tomorrow and I am thanking my lucky stars I have not started my new job yet.  Will life ever calm down?

How skinny is too skinny?

The other day Russ needed to fix something in the back of the TV.  He didn't want to take the entertainment center apart or pull the TV out and Weston was at school.  Usually he gets this job because he is the smallest in the house...or is he?  Jordan piped up that he could do it.  I bet him money that he couldn't...I LOST!  I cannot believe this eighteen year old is 5'9" and only 110 pounds. We measured this small space and it is only 5 inches wide. How does an adult fit through a space that small?  Good grief, get this guy some ice cream!