Teddy girl

 So Teddy is sick. A week ago she threw up but I thought it was because we had given one too many hot dogs at our backyard BBQ.  She has been lethargic all of this week.  The past couple of days she hasn't been eating or drinking and I couldn't get her to go running with me last night- so I knew she wasn't feeling well.  The plan for today was to leave at 5:00, when Kent got off work, to head to Boise and finish up the drive to Utah in the morning.  I took Teddy in to the vet today to get her checked out before we left town. Her mucus membranes were white so they ran a blood test which told us she's losing blood somehow. She's in the pet hospital hooked up to an IV for fluids and nutrition. They want to run the IV all night and do a complete blood test tomorrow. I feel so bad knowing that she is in a cold room, alone (I guess it sounds like her accommodations out in the garage, right?).  There are a few things that could be causing her red blood count to be low; she may have an auto immune disorder, it could possibly be she that she ate an onion (I saw an onion in her vomit- sorry for sharing that information), or possibly that she came in contact with rat poisoning (which could be likely since my dad put rat poison on my garage shelves for mice several months back- but they are placed where Teddy couldn't reach). No matter what the cause, we aren't leaving for Utah until tomorrow. I knew we loved Teddy but I didn't realize just how much we love that sweet, shedding ball of fur until we had to walk out and leave her at the pet clinic. She wanted to follow us out the door and it broke our hearts.  I'm praying it all works out ok in the morning. Ella said "Someone might've prayed for Teddy already and she's going to be fine"  Then again, she also told me today that, 'Cannon's wife is going to have to feed him through his feeding tube.'   Anyway, I've been looking up online what they think Teddy might have- it's called Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia. If it is so, it does not look good.  I hope for better news tomorrow.  The vet thinks it is very serious. I'm praying he's wrong.  I remember when Teddy found her way into our lives. . . through the garage door.  This little ball of fur joined our family just one week before we received the diagnosis of our little Cannon.  I can't help but think somehow Teddy is here for a reason.

Angels Among Us

There really aren't words to use that can describe the feelings of honor and humility I have as I post these pictures and think about the blessing of holding these beautiful babies in our arms.  Jeff and Carly have been dear friends of ours since undergrad at BYU.  Jeff and Kent served their missions in Guatemala together and stayed in contact when they got home.  Our lives have paralleled each other more than we would ever have thought they would.  We were fun friends as young childless couples at BYU and then we both started having children and moved on to dental school. We went to Florida and they went to North Carolina.  After dental school we moved up to Sunnyside and they went on to Orthodontic specialty at University of Washington in Seattle. Whenever they drove from Seattle to Utah they would stop in and let the kids play for awhile and then get back in the car on their way.  Months before I got pregnant with my third child, Cannon, they got pregnant with their third child, Samantha.  We both gave birth to beautiful special babies and since have learned many things about ourselves such as; what it means to be told your worst nightmare is now your reality, how to function in life with close to no sleep, feeding tubes, oxygen machines, hospital visits, endless appointments at Seattle Children's hospital and even a trip to the NIH.  Above all we have learned the miraculous blessing of having an angel in our home.  We have witnessed the beauty of our older children looking beyond the physical limitations and seeing the significants of a little smile or the lifting of their arms.  Kent and I were so happy when we heard they were coming through for a visit, since it has been over two years since we saw them last. Samantha has a rare condition call Joubert's Syndrome. Not only that but it is coupled with another extremely rare disease.  There are only 3 other cases like Samantha. She is writing her own history and let me tell you- she is amazing!!! 

Pony Dip

Ella loves her pony cookbook she got for Christmas.  Every so often she wants to make a recipe out of it.  Luckily they are easy enough for her to do them with a little help.  This time was peanut butter and chocolate cream chip dip.  Yum.  Once the fruit was gone, Ella went ahead and dipped her fingers in it and licked the dip off.  

Time with Laura

We were so thankful to have Laura here with us.  We hadn't seen her since Christmas and Cannon has changed quite a bit since then.  It was an emotional reunion for her when she saw that he has lost so much weight.  His poor little wrists and joints are much tighter and more contorted than when she last saw him.

She soon realized that even though he looked more fragile and weak, his health has been stable and we couldn't be more thankful.  We have his medications mostly regulated and he is more comfortable and able to sleep better than he used to a few months ago.  We are so glad he doesn't scream all the time so it is easier to get out and enjoy family time such as confetti fireworks.  Kent went to the store to get fireworks to light off for the Fourth of July.  He lit the string on one and ran back to join us on the sidewalk.  The flame blew out.  No explosion.  He lit the second string on the second one and ran back to join us on the sidewalk.  The flame blew out.  No explosion.  On the third one, Ethan accidentally pulled the string out and out came confetti!!  Haha.  Kent didn't buy fireworks, he bought confetti poppers!  We had a good laugh. Luckily we had plans to go watch the firework show that the High School was putting on anyway.

Here we are bundled up like Christmas to watch the Fireworks.  It was freezing!  Cannon has two blankets and a hat on.  Laura ended up holding him in the car and they watched through the window.

Before Laura left she worked through the night to make these beautiful curtains for our front room.  We have only lived here for five years so we thought now is as good of a time as any to "finish" the decorations.  We were up until 3:30 in the morning and Laura had to leave at 5:30 in the morning to catch her flight.  That is one dedicated woman!  I felt horrible that I was forcing her to do me such a big favor.  I hope she will come back to visit again after the treatment of slave.  

Look how they just complete the look!  Thank you Laura.  You are amazing.  We miss you!

Weekend to Seattle and Leavenworth

After surviving girl's camp, Kent, Laura and the kids came to Ensign Ranch to pick me up on the way to Seattle for the weekend.  It was great to see the kids again- even if they were still in pajamas with bed head.  Who was I to judge?  I had been sleeping with mice and slugs for the last four days. (I'm so thankful Laura is even more of a photo junkie than me.  I didn't bring my camera and so she took all of these pictures on her camera.  It was nice to live outside of the camera for a few days and still have someone capture these memories).

 They were glad when we got to the hotel so they could go swimming.  I was glad when we got to the hotel because I got to take a hot shower.

 Kent's old mission companion, Steiger, was in Seattle on business so we were able to meet up with him.  We went on the Ducks Tours and had a riot!

I ran back to the car to put the parking permit in the window and when I got back (2 minutes later) Kent had purchased duck whistles for the kids.  Fun at first.. .but only at first.

 It was really fun to drive down along the pier and then through downtown and then end up ON the water!

 This is the home they used to film "Sleepless in Seattle"- darling show.

 After the tour, we dropped off the boys to watch the Mariners play at Safeco field.

The next day we went over to the Space Needle.  This year is the 50th Anniversary of the Space Needle so lots of people were there.  We decided not to wait in the line to go up to the top, but just played around on the grounds and walked through the shops and enjoyed the live music.

 We had to take a picture in front of the Magnolia trees because it reminded us of Florida.

 Kent then surprised the kids by taking them to Rainforest Cafe for lunch.  We even got to sit right next to the huge aquarium which kept the kids entertained the whole time.

Volcanoooooooo!

 The weather was cold and rainy so Laura took Cannon back to rest at the hotel while Kent and I went with Ethan and Ella to the Family Fun Center for laser tag, mini golf, go-kart racing and arcades.

Of course swimming was a must after such a busy day on the town.
 The next morning we went to Pike's Market and had a great time!

 We stopped in at this Bakery for a little treat.  Look at that cookie scoop! This is my kind of cookie!

 We decided we needed some fresh fruit smoothies to wash down the pastries.

 Ella found a horse to take a little ride on. Shocker.

 Since the weather was still rainy, Kent opted to stay in the car with Cannon while we went through the market.  We made sure to reward him with a nice treat.

 On the way home from Seattle, we made a little venture through Leavenworth.  Laura had heard about this town and we knew she would absolutely love it.  The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed the live music and beautiful views.

 We stopped in at the Chocolate shop for a few tasters (and a few purchases as well).

 In the gift shop we found these hilarious Squirrel Underpants!  Why do the kids look like they are not having the best vacation? Well, that can be explained with this- in the store previous to this one it was full of glass ornaments and figurines.  Ethan and Ella were being silly and happened to knock over a box of ornaments that shattered on the ground.  They were sent out of the store (by their parents) and were told they will be doing jobs to earn money to pay for the damages.  We were lucky that they only broke two ornaments at $10 a piece. $10 a piece might sound like a lot but some of those figurines were nearly $1,000 so I considered us blessed.

 To liven up the mood we went into the hat shop and tried on different hats.

 Grandma picked out this hat- this is about the ONLY time you will see Laura "crabby". She is always so bubbly and ready for a good time.

 We stepped into a fun little restaurant for lunch and I ordered the fondue.  Fun to look at eat, fun to eat!

 Dessert at cold stone wraps up the perfect day in Leavenworth.

 On our way home, we had to go back to Ensign Ranch to pick up my car from where it was parked for Girl's Camp.  I made them drive back into our campsite to see the conditions where we camped.  These are the A frames that the girls slept in.  No doors or windows so they attached tarps to keep the wind and weather out.

 Can you imagine just sleeping on a shelf!

 I was "lucky" enough to be in a tent- set up right behind the big tree.

 The kids did one final stretch by playing some football before we got back into the car to head home.