Sunday, July 29, 2012

Baby Shower Time

It seems so funny to be writing this post since I was just holding my friend's 4-month old baby, but, since I'm super behind on posting, it's a baby shower post, haha!!! In February though, we were able to have a baby shower with all our friends for my best friend growing up, Tiffany and her cute little guy Tristan!!! She had him on March 19th, and he's the cutest little guy...has the cute little chunks, with the little rolls they get on their legs and arms, he's super strong, and just such a cute and fun baby!
The shower was so fun! It's always a blast to be able to have an excuse for all of your friends to get together, have lots of yummy food, and then to watch her open all the fun baby presents was great...I love little baby stuff--all the clothes and everything are just so cute, little, and fun!!!
Here are pics from the shower:

Tiffany--so cute all pregnant with little Tristan!


Britney Schultz, Jill Barker, and Kelsey Lattin


Annie Banz


Sarah Nielsen and Denise Shelton


Tiffany opening some of her fun presents...





All of us that were able to make it (in the back, from the left, Jill Barker, Kelsey Lattin, Denise Shelton, me, Sarah Nielsen, and Annie Banz; in the front, from left, Britney Schultz and Tiffany Stahl)

Best Friends...

Janet and Kara's Visit...

While I was in the rehab center in January, I got a HUGE surprise, my little sister, Kara, and my step-mom, Janet, came for a visit from California!!! It was SO GOOD to see them!!! I'd talked to them on the phone, sent letters and pictures back and forth, emailed, facebooked, sent packages, and everything; but we hadn't physically seen each other for about 2 1/2 years, so it felt AMAZING to finally see each other again and give actual hugs, sit and talk together, and everything!!! I LOVED it!!!
They came out to the rehab center for the morning and we spent it visiting, catching up on things, laughing, and taking pictures together! Then, that evening I was able to leave the rehab center for a little while, and we went to my oldest sister Janeice's house and all of my older sisters, most of their families (a couple of the kids and husbands couldn't be there because they were sick), my step-mom, little sister, and I spent hours just sitting and talking, laughing, and taking lots more pictures of all of us together!!! It was such a great and fun evening!!! When it came time to leave there were lots of tears with the hugs and good-byes, but it was just an AMAZING weekend that I am SO GRATEFUL I was able to have!!! I'm SO GLAD that they were able to come up...I MISS them and LOVE them TONS!!!
Here are pictures from their visit:

My little sister, Kara, and I...




All of my sisters (in the back, from left...Jessica, Jodi, and Janeice; and then in front, from left...Jill, Kara, and I)

My brother-in-laws and step-mom were taking pictures with all our cameras and my brother-in-laws were getting into being "photographers" and telling us what to do--this was the 'strike your model' poses and things...haha--it was so funny, we were all bursting up laughing between pics (and in some pics)

Funny faces...

Kara with all of my our nieces and nephews that were able to make it (in the back, from left, is Corey...Janeice's son and Justin...Jodi's son; then in the front, from left, is Sammy...Jessica's daughter, Ashley...Janeice's daughter, Kara holding Abbie...Jill's daughter...Jon and Jace...Jodi's sons

Transitional Rehab Center and Health Update

This past December I learned what a "Transitional Rehabilitation Center" was! The beginning of December I went in for surgery on my low spine--I had what was called a bilateral pars defect...which is where there the little "processes" (bony segments) that come off of the main bone column of my spine were fractured on each side. We'd tried physical therapy, bracing, medicine, time, injections, and everything but they wouldn't heal on their own and the pain wasn't going away, so they went in the beginning of December to put rods and screws in to hold things in place and to make a graft as well for the bone to grow together and fuse a couple of the vertebrae together. I had the surgery done, but things didn't go quite as planned with going home after a few days of being in the hospital; and so they sent me to Pine View Transitional Rehab where I stayed for about 5 1/2 weeks!
I was pretty nervous at first, not knowing what a transitional rehab center was...Honestly, I thought it was going to be like a nursing home, but this place was not at all what I expected! The staff (all the nurses, food staff, the rehab staff, and everyone) were all super nice, I had my own room (which was huge and super nice), and everything was nice....They had a menu they'd bring each week with what they had for breakfast, lunch and dinner (which was all very nice food--dessert and everything), I would go to physical therapy and occupational therapy for at least an hour each every day (that would get tiring but the staff was awesome and hilarious), they had activities everyday (Sunday was probably my family and mine's favorite which was always donuts and hot chocolate for all the visitors and everyone :) ), they had a nice fireplace area to go sit, and since it was over the holidays they had Christmas trees and things all decorated and  up everywhere! My family was SO AMAZING...they would come in ALL the time to visit and make me feel not so homesick (especially being over the holidays)!!!! My nieces and nephews made me TONS of pictures that we hung up all over my room, my sisters would come and sit and visit, help me with things, and stuff (and when I was able to go out once a week for so long, they would take me out on little trips), and my AMAZING mom was there almost every single day (I think there was only like a few days she missed and it was because she might have had to work extra late--otherwise she'd come straight from work and visit, over the weekends, and everything)...she would help me with my hair, play games, bring me movies and clothes, just sit and visit, and everything!!!
Here are a few pics from this "adventure":
My niece's Ashley (Janeice's daughter--on the left) and Abbie (Jill daughter--on the right) bringing me pictures they drew...so cute--I loved laying and looking at all of them taped up in my room!

My sister Jessica and I...it was her birthday while I was in the rehab center, so my family all came out to me so that I could celebrate her birthday with them!


My neighbor Peyton and I...my sweet neighbor Kate came out with her cute daughter Peyton to visit, and Peyton just crawled  up and layed next to me in bed


All of nieces and nephews with me...(from the left Jeremy, Justin, Jon...three of Jodi's boys, Abbie...Jill's daughter, Sammy...Jessica's daughter, Ashley and Corey...Janeice's kids, Jace...Jodi's other son, Kaleb...Jessica's son, and then I'm holding Nixxon...Jill's son)



Barkley and I (my mom brought my dogs out to see me ...they ran and jumped straight up on the bed) :)


My nephew Nixxon (Jill's son) and I


My nephew Jon (Jodi's youngest son) and I



Then, after coming home the end part of January, I was home for about a month, and then ended back in the hospital and then back in the rehab center. I was diagnosed with what is called Arachnoiditis...this is where the nerves in my spine, instead of running freely up and down your spine, mine (in one area along a couple vertebrae--where the surgery was) have stuck to the side of my spine along the bone. So they tried remicade, physical therapy, no physical therapy, different medications, steroids (which is why in these pictures I may look a bit different--a little more "swollen"), and everything to try to help to pull these nerves off the bone and fix this. I was in the hospital and rehab center for about a month this time--coming home the end of March.
Here's a couple pics from that time around:

My cute nephew Nixxon (Jill's son) came to visit...I love his smile--it lights up his entire little body and the entire room!

Gotta love IV's and blood draws


Quick pic in my room


Since than, I've had some up's and down's health ways--with being in the hospital a couple of times (no more being in the rehab center), but things are going pretty well right now! We're getting things stabilized and under control! The arachnoiditis hasn't gone away, so they're looking at putting in what is called a nerve stimulator to help with the pain and things. The nice thing is that they can do a trial before impanting a permanent one, so they can test it to see if it will work or not! So I'm supposed to go in for the trial the middle of August. Otherwise though, things are going well. I know that we go through things to build us up and make us stronger (although trust me, that does not mean I do not have my days where I break down and get frustrated, cry, or things), I look at things that others go through and I'm grateful that I have what I do, and I know more than anything that the Lord has blessed me with AMAZING family and friends who constantly help to strengthen me, build me up, and help me through anything and everything...they are my part of my daily tender mercies whom I love DEARLY!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Baptisms and Ordinations....

It has been so neat in the past 9 months I have been able to watch the power of the Priesthood and the ordinances of the Gospel so much in my family, and I am so proud of the family that I have, I love them so much, and I am so grateful that I am sealed to them for time and all eternity!!!

First, this past December (and the only one I have pictures from...sorry--I need to work on having my camera with me more!) was my nephew Kaleb's baptism! He turned 8 in November, and in December my brother-in-law Jake baptized him!

Kaleb all dressed in white and ready to be baptized:

My Sister Jessica and My Nephew Kaleb:

Then, in January, my little brother Taylor turned 16 was ordained a Priest in the Priesthood!!! I'm so happy and proud of him!!! Since he's 16, he's now also driving, dating, and working!!! It's so crazy to think he's already 16, but I'm so proud of him and how hard he works!!! He's such a great guy!!!

Next, was April...In April my oldest nephew (my sister Jodi's oldest son), Jeremy, turned 12 and was ordained a Deacon and received the Priesthood!!! It is so amazing to be able to hear him talk about going to young men's, having scout camp this coming week, giving a talk as a youth speaker, and things...he is such a sweet young man and is growing up so quick and I'm so proud of him!!!

Last but certainly not least, in May, my nephew (Jodi's son), Jace, was baptized!!! He turned 8 in April and was baptized by my brother-in-law Jack in May. It was such a fun experience to go and watch him be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost! Just to watch the power of the Priesthood and these ordinances of the Gospel take place! I'm proud of Jace!!!

I am SO GRATEFUL for the power of the Priesthood!!! The power and strength that it has had on my life personally, and as I've been able to watch it in my family and other's lives as well!!! I know that this Gospel is true, without a shadow of a doubt, and it has been such a great experience to watch these ordinances and the power of the Priesthood playing such a big part in my family throughout these last months!!!

Passing on Traditions...

Don't you ever just love looking back on things you remember doing all the time as a kid and just smiling?! Those "I remember..." moments?! I love them!!! I've decided some of those just can't help but getting passed on!!!
One of those takes place every year about a week after Thanksgiving (although the treat is actually for Christmas time). I used to go down to my Grandma Anderson's each year and we would spend the ENTIRE day making these mint chocolate cookies (they seriously taste just like the girl scout thin mint cookies)!!! I absolutely LOVED it and would look forward to it every year!!! The only difference between than now is that, than we used to make literally almost 800 cookies or so--enough for our ENTIRE family to have a bunch their house...all of my grandma's kids, the grandkids would have some, and she had to have some at her house for when everyone would come by--and now, we make some for our familiy--my sisters and their families, the neighbors, us, and things. These cookies though, so easy and so fun to make!!! You melt chocolate (we do some dark chocolate and some milk chocolate) in an electric frying pan...then you'll want to have your pans ready to put the cookies on so you just take like cookie sheets and put a piece of wax paper on them...now for the cookies, take Ritz crackers and cover them in the melted chocolate, place them on the cookie sheets, once the cookie sheet is filled you place the cookie sheet either in the fridge or freezer so that the chocolate can harden, once the chocolate is hard (you want to make sure it's nice and solid--not sticky or anything--so it doesn't melt while you're pulling them off), you pull the cookies off the wax paper and place them in like a brownie pan (lining them up in rows), then when the whole brownie pan is full you'll take aluminum foil and place it between the rows of cookies, take cotton balls and put pour mint extract all over the cotton ball, place the cotton ball along the aluminum foil (usually like 2-3 cotton balls in each row), cover the pan, and let the cookies sit for a couple weeks....the mint flavoring soaks into the cookies and makes them chocolate-mint cookies!!! DELICIOUS!!!
So this year one of my nieces, Sammy, came over and learned how to make them! She spent the day helping my mom and I make them, and it was so much fun! Here's some pics of our day together:
Sammy working on getting the chocolate to melt...

My Mom ("Grandma") and Sammy (my niece) together....

 Does this not look so good....I just want to dip like everything into it! :)
 Sam wanted to do some funny pictures...


 Sammy and I together...

My other time I got to enjoy passing on a tradition actually happened just this passed week. When I was little I remember making homemade bread with my Grandma Anderson all the time! It was always SO MUCH FUN to go down there and spend the day together and we'd make bread throughout the day--making the initial dough, kneading it out, going in every so often and pushing it down, and then finally putting them into the pans to cook...and she would always make little loaves of bread for us, the grandkids, to bring home (besides the larger loaf for the family to share)! So the other week my niece and nephew, Kaleb and Sammy, were over while my sister was at a meeting, so for our activity we made homemade bread!!! It was so fun and actually didn't turn out too bad (I liked it at least and ate plenty)!!! But more than anything, it was so fun to tell the kids how I used to make this with my grandma, and then watching them knead the dough and stuff, we cooked it and made them each their own little loaf of bread, and then they got to take it home! It was a fun day!!! :)

Halloween

I know, pretty pathetic when you're updating your blog in July and you have to go clear back to last Halloween, huh?! But I got some cute pics from our family halloween party, so I wanted to go clear back and update everything! :)
So each year we have a family halloween party where everyone gets to dress-up, we usually have like pizza, breadsticks, and stuff, and then the kids get to go around and play games. My mom plans these fun little stations with games (bowling, drawing faces on little cut-out pumpkins, dropping witch fingers into a jar, and guessing how much the pumpkin weighs--and then whoever is closest wins the pumpkin) for the kids to play, and when they finish the game they get a cute little prize from each of the stations (example: candy, spider rings, etc...). It's so fun and so cute to watch all the little kids!
Here are some pictures of my sisters' and their families all dressed up for the party:
My sister Janeice and her family

My sister Jodi and her family
My sister Jessica and her family
My sister Jill and her family

I didn't get a picture of Taylor, my mom, or I.

Then, after the pizza, games, and things we decorated sugar cookies--ghosts, bats, cats! Maybe it's how soft they are, how they just like melt in your mouth, and then the fact of adding frosting on top of that, but I absolutely LOVE sugar cookies!!!
My youngest nephew Nixxon absolutely loved this...he was hilarious just going to town eating them after they were decorated and had frosting all over his cute little face--such a funny kid!

Sammy was so cute on decorating things just right and making them look so cute!
A couple pics of everyone decorating their sugar cookies....


It was such a fun party!!! I always love any type of excuse for everyone to get together!!! :)