A Good Day at Clinic

It has been a while since we have had a good day at clinic but today was great! Jared gained 1/2 pound, his labs look pretty good, and the best part is that his BK virus levels have dropped! Yeah, the Leflunamide is working! The doctor was reviewing what we had talked about and then he paused as if he needed to say more but couldn't think of anything else. He looked at Jared and then said that he wonders what he has next up his sleeve. Jared has sure been keeping them hopping. And miracle of miracles, we don't have to go back to clinic for 3 weeks! We still have to go up for weekly labs but we are making progress. Jared was as happy as can be and everyone was laughing and excited to see how energetic he was. It is so great to see him feeling better!

Memories

When I was about 10 years old my sister Rachel, and I went with my Dad to Colorado where he was interviewing for jobs after just recently graduating from law school. I have many fond memories of that trip and felt so great hanging out with my Dad. It was night time as we approached Denver and I remember being in awe at the amount of light that was radiating from the city. The buildings seemed huge, and Rachel and I would try to see the top of them from the car window. I remember my Dad buying us a bag of Jelly Bellies (the first ones that we had ever had), and waiting in a reception area of a large building where a nice receptionist gave us pop. We felt like we were getting the VIP treatment!

We were staying with my mom's cousin, Vivian who lived in Colorado Springs. My Dad had to get up early the first morning we were there for more interviews and Rachel and I were staying with Vivian for the day. I remember feeling really scared when I woke up and dad wasn't there, but then I walked down the stairs into the kitchen and all my fears disappeared as I saw a glorious breakfast waiting for us. Cousin Vivian had made Swedish Pancakes or Crepes for breakfast and they were absolutely delicious! Rachel and I had never had them before and we LOVED them! She had them filled with cottage cheese and had berry preserves drizzled over the top. We had a wonderful day that day and our fears quickly left as this kind woman entertained and loved us that entire day. That was the only time that I have ever seen Cousin Vivian but her kindness (and her swedish pancakes) have always been treasured memories.

Today, I took the kids to my parents house for dinner. As we were eating, the phone rang and guess who it was? It was Cousin Vivian and she was hoping to stop by to visit! It had been years and years since my Mom had seen her too, and it was such a surprise to find out that she was in Utah and hoping to stop by. Well, Vivian is as sweet and as kind as I remember her from when I was 10 years old and it was wonderful to see her again and I was excited to tell her about how much I still think about that trip. She is so genuine and beautiful, and though she is much older, just as I remembered her. Cousin Vivian, thank you for the love and kindness that you showed two young girls. I will never forget you and I pray that I can be as positive an influence to those around me, as you were to ten year old me!

SKITTLES!

The kids and I have been wanting a cat for a long time, however Jeff is quite allergic to them so it has never been an option. A year ago I started researching different cat breeds that are better for allergy sufferers and I found out about the Siberian Cat. The Siberian cat breed is a natural breed that is originally from Russia. They are long haired, big, beautiful, friendly cats and the best part is that they tend to be hypo-allergenic to many allergy sufferers. After a long search and a really long wait on the waiting list we were able to pick out a kitten from a breeder in Salt Lake yesterday. He is so cute and we will probably be able to bring him home in another 2-4 weeks. The kids were soooooo excited and didn't want to leave him behind. They AMAZINGLY agreed on the name Skittles on the way home and so we are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest member of our family! We still aren't positive that Jeff won't have problems with him, but we are really hoping that it will work out. We'll be bathing him once a month and brushing him often and he won't be allowed to go outside, hoping that these steps will help with the allergies. I think that this little kitten will be such a great thing, especially for Tyler. His anxiety still tends to hit the roof sometimes and every time he is with a cat he just calms down so quickly. I'm really hoping that it will be therapeutic for him. Hopefully he will be a permanent member of the family soon!

Happy Anniversary!

It is Jeff's and my 13th wedding anniversary today! Wow, I can't believe it has been that long! I don't feel any older and yet time seems to be flying by as usual. I couldn't let this day pass without saying how grateful I am for my wonderful Jeff. I am truly the luckiest girl in the world and I love him more now than I did the day that we were married. The past 7 years have been extremely challenging but we have survived! There have been many tears shed in sadness and in happiness and I know that there will be more, but I can handle anything with Jeff by my side. He makes me laugh when I take life to seriously and he is so patient with my many imperfections. He is the best Daddy in the world and our kids absolutely adore him. I am so grateful for the blessings that he has brought into my life and I am grateful that we can be together forever! Here's to eternity Jeff! I love you!

Magic in the Air!

Jared has figured out how to navigate the stairs! He climbed up them three times today! We have been working on teaching him how to crawl up the stairs and then to bum scoot down them for a while now without any success and for some reason it has clicked all of a sudden! Wahoooo! He is so proud of himself each time he does it and claps and smiles and does a little happy dance to celebrate. He has also pulled himself up to standing a few times this weekend which is another miracle! There has been some sort of magic in the air the last few days because all of this change has suddenly come so quickly. It is so nice to see him accomplishing these things that we have been working on for so long! Way to go Jared! You are amazing and I am so proud of you!

Happy 4th of July!

We spent the 4th up in Star Valley Wyoming at Jeff's family reunion. It was beautiful up there as usual and cooler!!!! It was nice to see everyone and to spend time with Jeff's wonderful family. We went to the rodeo, the parade, saw a lot of fireworks and ate and ate and ate! We ended up coming home a day early because Jeff's allergies were so bad up there. It is hay cutting season and boy did it do a number on poor Jeff. It is actually amazing that he managed to grow up in that! It was a nice trip but as usual when traveling with kids, exhausting!

I was doing some reading over this holiday weekend on the blessings and responsibilities that we have in our wonderful country! I don't think that I truly appreciate how blessed we really are to live in this country. I have travelled to many countries and seen so many different cultures and governments, but it is still hard sometimes to truly remember how blessed we are. Over the last couple of years I have been reading the Prelude To Glory series and I have truly been amazed at the events that took place during the Revolutionary war. There was no possible way that our country could have become what it is without the many miracles that took place during that time. Our Heavenly Father had his hand in each and every step of the process. Without him, there is no way that our country would exist as it does today. It is often so discouraging to see how wicked and hateful many in our nation have become. It often scares me because I know that our freedoms can be taken away if we are not worthy of them. I found this quote by Elder L. Tom Perry that has helped me remember what we need to do as citizens to maintain the greatness of our country.

"We are fortunate to live in a choice and promised land. It will remain free and blessed as long as its people remember the God who gave them life and this free land. We must remember that the family is the basic unit of a strong society. We are all part of God’s family; and as our Father, he expects us to build strong family units. It is in the family that the basic morality and righteousness should be taught that will keep America free. Each member of every family plays an important role in America. For several thousand years throughout this land the great fathers and mothers, the noble sons, the patriot sons, the choice daughters have forged America into what we have today.
It is America’s conscience that has preserved her. America is beautiful only when she is good, when children are laughing in her streets, and love abounds in her families. Without this conscience, civilization crumbles."

I pray that I will be able to do my part in teaching my children about the blessings of living in a free nation and the role that our Father in Heaven played in making this possible. Without this freedom we would never have been able to receive the blessings of the restored gospel. It is hard to even comprehend what life would be like without these blessings!

Silly Jared

Jared has been absolutely hilarious today! He is definitely feeling better and he is busy and so talkative. At dinner tonight he was tickling himself and saying "tickle, tickle, tickle!" He was laughing and we were laughing which made him laugh even more. Then he started imitating any sound that Tyler or Alyssa would make. He definitely knew that he was the center of attention and he was! We were all laughing along with him. He has such a cute, sweet little personality and it is so good to see him feeling better. Although this transplant experience has been intense, and will continue to be so, it is all worth it when we see him so happy and energetic!