We had a Fabulous Fourth

The kiddo's watching the parade begin
...and patiently awaiting the candy!

Diamond baby with mama checking out some floats

Motorcycle man ready for the bike parade at church

O girl riding in the bike parade

Auntie Brit & Uncle Ben joined us later for some fun in the sun

Mama & O taking a break by the pool

Brit & the girls box sledding before the fireworks

Ben & O get some super speed

Daddy & the girls lost their box and kept on..."bum sledding!"

We finished the night off with some 
super awesome fireworks at the stadium

We had a super awesome 4th and fun with family...how about you?

Christmas 2010

Snacker was more excited to give 
than to receive...he insisted mama open first!

"Just one hug and you'll fall in love!"

Batman made a quick appearance Christmas morning

New books always bring a smile to Bryce's face!

Diamond baby got a little gift opening help 
from her 80's rockstar/princess sister.
(She gets a little help playing with the toys as well!)

Snacker loves the new Wii game (and his new camo boxers).

oUR SuMmer...PART 2 - Utah

After weeks of fun in CT we took a 10 day hiatus back at home before growing restless for more summer adventures, so we hopped in the car and headed out to visit Bryce's family in the West. Our adventures in Utah included a camping trip to Bryce Canyon, a hike to Stewart falls, a day at Snowbird summer resort, swimming and canoeing at the rope swing, a day on the town with Grandma Dorothy, a joint birthday celebration for Grandma Lilon and the Snack, hanging out with family, visiting old friends, pool parties, BBQ's, picnics, museums, Ghost town exploring, rock climbing, eating out, eating in, eating too much!  And so much more. We spent lot's of time with Auntie Jessica and our newest cousin cute Baby J, and we even got to see Auntie Brynn & cousin Har, and Auntie Chrissy for a day or two on their trip out from the east. Grammy and Grampy took lots of time off work to party with us, even my sister Heather popped in now and then. So it was a full trip!  And it completed our "family fix" for a while...until we grow restless for more adventures.

Summer Adventures Part II - Utah

Thanks everyone for a 
super fantastic fun Summer!

oUR SuMmer...PART 1 - Connecticut

It's been a while since we've been able to get away on any Summer adventures - since Bryce is generally teaching Summer classes, but we fell through an unexpected window of freedom this Summer...so we took full advantage of it!

It's hard to sort through and select pictures from our many, many adventures, but for the sake of holding onto the memories I will try to briefly relive our some of those moments here.

Summer adventures Part I - Connecticut

We did it all; pool, parks, family get-togethers, hiking, boating, fireworks, a trip to The City, a night at the circus, a day in Newport, a weekend in Vermont.  The kids had more fun than they could dream of. We loved every minute with everyone, and we can't wait 'til next time!!

Newness

A new year brings a renewed resolve to return to blogging...a return to documenting the moments of importance in the lives of this little family!  This means, as well, that I must resolve to procrastinate less, and simply enjoy life more.

The end of 2009 brought many enjoyable moments. The birth of our 3rd child at the November was certainly one of those "moments" - rather literally. She came in what they call a "rapid delivery" - less than 20 minutes from when I signed in at the hospital. And she has been welcomed well by The Snack and O-girl - as well as a few other family members. Bryce's mother joined us two days after delivery to help us ease into life with three children. She took great care of us and we literally could not have functioned without her!! My sister Heather arrived in time for Christmas lunch (after getting stuck overnight in a freak snowstorm while driving down from Utah). And my sister Britney and her husband Ben came just in time for some New Years eve fun.

Bryce says this Christmas was our best one yet...we had the gift of a beautiful healthy baby girl, we had the joy of watching two happy little kids on Christmas morning, and we enjoyed the first white Christmas in Texas in over 80 years! Who could ask for more?

Superman's kryptonite

Superman & big brother (on a good day) driving around the hospital

Recently our family had our worlds turned upside down. At the end of May my 2 year old nephew "Superman" was diagnosed with cancer. After many tests and surgery it was determined that he has a rare form of cancer called Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney - a cancer affecting only 20 people per year, and I think my brothers own words voice perfectly what went through all of our minds when we heard this diagnosis,

"When I think about it, it seems almost preposterous that my son would be one of those few. Like most people, I've seen people from a distance that get very sick, or lose loved ones tragically, or have children stricken with cancer or other severe maladies, and I've rarely if ever seriously considered the possibility that it could hit so close to home. But on the other hand, I have always had the thought "why not me?" or "why not us?". In other words, I've always known that nobody is immune to great trials, and I guess now I know it more than ever. There is one thing I have learned from seeing other people face similar trials, and that is that there is always a bigger divine purpose, a greater life lesson to be learned."

This trial, for my brother & his wife and family, is huge. Juggling the lives of 6 children is challenging enough, and added to that now is a two year old going through chemo. We all know the difficulties of dealing with a young child who simply has a fever or common cold, now imagine the ordeal of trying to get medicines/catheters/needles/food/drink etc. into a child who is suffering with every pain and trial imaginable. And yet each day my brother and his wife share with us what they are going through, and each day it is one of the two of them who is reminding us to have faith and trust in Heavenly Fathers plan for us. Their strength and faith is almost incomprehensible at a time like this...and yet it is certainly not misplaced.

There are a few words which the wife of my other brother shared with everyone, which I never want to forget, and so I will share them here,

"When my dad had his stroke he went through surgery the first night. If it had been successful it would have made the recovery much quicker. I remember thinking that the surgery was the answer. It wasn't successful and my mom taught me a great lesson of faith. She related a story from Judges 7 where the Lord told Gideon, as he was about to go to battle, to reduce his army from 10,000 to 300 men so that they could see that it was the Lord who would save them. I learned that sometimes things have to look pretty bad so that we can see the miracles from the Lord. We aren't saved by man but by the Lord. No matter how bad it looks or what the medical research says, "Superman" can be healed completely. My mom was reminding me that we only listened to the doctors with one ear because we know that the Lord's power is great. It didn't really matter what limitations they were putting on the recovery because with faith and the Lord's power there are no limitations."

Isn't it easy to let ourselves rely too heavily on man and forget where true power and true healing comes from. Right now Superman is struggling with the early phases of chemo, and with adjusting to a life that is entirely unfamiliar to him. The miracles at this time are small and simple, "Superman drank 4 oz. of juice today" or "Superman took most of his medicine without a struggle." But we are certainly praying for the big ones as well, like that Superman won't lose his hearing due to the form of chemo he is going through, and of course that the cancer will leave his body entirely and that the small lesions they've found on his brain and spine will not also prove to be cancerous. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people praying daily for Superman (one of the bounteous blessings of belonging to a church such as ours) which makes it easier to have faith that the will of the Lord will come to pass. Please, if you feel so inclined, add your prayers to ours in behalf of Superman. And there is a website I can direct you to, which my brother and his wife update daily, if you know them or us and would like more information/updates.

Below I am including an MR image of one of the tumors...it is unbelievable.

This is a "cross section" image of Superman's abdomen. The lower circle surrounded by the white horseshoe is his spine. The large smooth grayish mass to the left is the tumor(s). The cluster of multi colored shapes to the right are his organs. Unbelievable.

"Where am I?"

Shaka want's to know where I am...and so do I!!

It's so hard to get back into the swing of things after vacation (I think I left my brain in Utah). I look around my house and can't even figure out where everything goes in order to put it away! But despite the mess, the piles of mail, and the missing family & friends out west, it is nice to be back home.

We had a fabulous vacation. It seems there is never a shortage of things to do when we go to Utah. Bryce & The Snack can't get enough of the mountains etc. and I never tire of spending time with family. I was especially excited about being able to spend time with two of my sisters on this trip since they are in Utah & Idaho going to school. And it was nice to be able to make a short trip up to Idaho to see (and introduce Bryce and the kids to) some relatives I haven't seen in around 10 years! We covered a lot of ground on this vacation, had a lot of fun times (including two weddings), and took a TON of pictures! So I'll try to share a few (of the 562) with you....so check out the slide show...

My family ROCKED the 80's!

No doubt about it...you all wish you were as cool as this clan! Is there anyone out there who can claim that the 80's didn't "claim" them at some point, in some way? Even my dad was totally rockin' his Magnum PI mustache! Gotta love old pics. I'm in Utah right now hijacking my sisters computer...and she's got all these terrific old pics on it, so I couldn't resist sharing...so...can you tell which one is me?

Blessed...

Our lives are blessed...

• Bryce gave Baby O the most beautiful blessing last Sunday - words from his heart for our beautiful baby girl.



• She is healthy, happy, and brings joy into our lives daily.



• Grandma Lilon & Grandpa Jim drove many, many hours to be here this week and to share the special day with us.



• Baby O wore the same blessing dress I (and my sisters) wore when we were blessed, thanks to my mother's labor of love in restoring it.

Love to Brit

She's Back!

My youngest sister...little Brit (a.k.a booger) just returned yesterday from her mission in "South Africarolina" (she served a year in South Africa, then for safety reasons they closed South Africa to sisters, so she finished up in South Carolina).

Brit, we're sorry we can't be there to give you hugs and kisses in person, so we're sending our lovin' via blog. We're so proud of you and can't wait to see you!!

Best kept secrets...

Believe it or not my friends, but I can keep a "secret." This was a particularly hard secret to keep especially with so many of my blogging friends having babies...but I did it! I suppose it helps that I have a paranoid sort of fear of sharing TMI via blogs, but none-the-less, here's the latest...I HAD A BABY!

It's hard to believe it actually happened. The labor was...not fun...but surprisingly a heck of a lot easier than with my first...is that standard procedure? After my 16 hours of labor (a full hour of just pushing) with The Snack I was in bad shape, but this time, in comparison, it was a piece of cake (if we can ever refer to labor in that way) only 7 hours (with an epidural) and 3 pushes and there she was. I was so happy when she came so quickly that I was like laughing when I was done...I was truly ecstatic!

This is a pic from a couple hours after delivery. The Snack loves "Baby O" and is so excited that she is finally here. Bryce did a really good job preparing The Snack to be a good big brother, so we've been blessed not to have to deal with jealousy...so far! I wish I could say we've also been "blessed" with no sleep deprivation...but I guess we'll have to work on that one!

A Vacation....from the Vacation

Oh yes...there was certainly snow!

I'm back. Golly it's been over a month since I last posted, I guess I needed a little break. We went back to Connecticut for 2 1/2 weeks over the Christmas holidays. It was a great trip...but as these things go, the real vacation was needed when we got back home! We departed for our trip thinking 2 1/2 weeks was a looooonnggg time, but the time passed too quickly, and the loooonnngg list of things we thought we'd have ample time to do while we were there quickly was forgotten! The best part of the trip was simply hanging out & playing games with the fam. I don't know why we try to plan so much when in the end there is nothing better than laughing our heads off playing Cranium or Scattergories etc! And the truth is, trying to get 26 some odd people (and believe me we're "odd")to go out to dinner etc. is quite a feat. Next time, guys, lets just go to a lodge where the best thing to do is simply relax and play games!

Some Favorite Photos:

Dad-n and The Snack huddle together to keep warm while we're waiting to see Santa Clause (fortunately for us this day it was slightly warmer than the single digit temps we experienced later in the week).

Some of the Grandkids help Grandma & Grampa tell the Nativity story.

Christmas morning Auntie Heather helps The Snack get excited to open Christmas presents.

My little Guitar Hero rocking out with Uncle Willie.

Grandma following The Snack through a tunnel at Mystic Aquarium (The Snack LOVED this place!).

7 Random..."Things"

Another Tag I'm waaaaayyyy behind on! This one wants me to list 7 random things about myself...but I think this will be more fun (cackle cackle [evil laugh]).

So, I'm one of 7 siblings, and gheesh...without a doubt, they are the most random things in my life! And 'cause I love them so much this post is dedicated to them. So all this may bore the rest of y'all, but I hope the fam. will enjoy it!

Sibling #1 - “LainaKay” - as she is known to the blogging world. This is her in her “natural state”…in front of a computer screen designing something spectacular and amazing. She’s a whiz and a half at everything she does. She has a vocabulary that could top any politicians (she could write their speeches). She’s an artist, an interior decorator, a party planner, and a connoisseur of everything from pizza to perennials. (hey laina, can't wait for CT and Skippy's Dare!)

Her secret - you may just find her secretly rocking out to Def Leppard in her car.

Random fact about Laurel in relation to Laina – I used to be able to make her laugh until she cried. I haven’t tried this in years, but it’s the gosh darn best thing in the world!!

Sibling #2 - “Jar-head” - Don’t be fooled by the picture, this guy is making the big bucks as a quantum molecularus noputulus magolicious bolifulosolure…or running some kind of computer programming company (one way or the other it’s all Greek to me!). He’s a true Einstein, an avid reader, and a sports fanatic. Again, good at just about everything he does, even art, go figure.

His secret – he can get just as engrossed in the back of a cereal box as a Louis Lamore novel! Either way if the fire alarm goes off you'll have to carry him out on your back while he reads...and he still won't notice.

Random fact about Laurel in relation to Jar-head – I wouldn't consider myself a genius like he is…but we both graduated college Suma Cum Laude…so maybe if I were a guy I’d at least rank up there with the big boys.

Sibling #3 - “Shaka” - Yes, that’s me kicking her butt in a serious rollerblading competition. We rarely played together as kids (she was busy with boys and friends and boyfriends) but we have a lot of fun playing as adults. She’s not afraid to try anything, mountain biking, snowboarding, rollerblading, rock climbing etc…all my favorite things. She’s fabulous in a kitchen, somehow her cookies always come out just right and of course mine never do.

Her Secret – well…you can read her post to find out all her deep dark secrets. But my favorite one to tell is the time she ate all my stash of chocolates from under my bed and told me it wasn't her. Well…I should give her the benefit of the doubt, I suppose it could have been some of her friends!

Random fact about Laurel in relation to Shaka – In high school people used to say to me, "you're not Shaka's sister?!" with complete surprise...yeah....she was a bit cooler than me.

Sibling #4 – “Wonder boy” – He gets the name not just for his pseudo breakdancing skills, if I have a question about everything and anything…he’s the guy I go to. A sponge of useful as well as useless information he could win any game show.

His Secret – he’s the biggest conspiracy theorist I know…but such a comedian about it too! If you don’t think the squirrels in the trees are trying to get you…he can convince you they are! (oh, and he’s afraid of sand too)

Random fact about Laurel in relation to Wonder boy – growing up we were the best of friends…and the worst of friends! Inseparable…even when we were beating each other up. Wrestling with him is where I got my big muscles from!

Sibling #5 – “Brezo” – Let the record state…this girl is crazy random. Laying under the wheel of this wagon, dangling from trees, boxing bears, wrestling alligators…ok maybe she’s not that extreme, but she’s certainly a wild one! And randomly enough despite all that she’s got this organizational know how thing going on. She’s the guru of clean. Don’t mess with her perfectly organized space, ‘cause she’ll know it in an instant. If you need someone to organize your life she’s the one to call!

Her Secret – She's terrified of "old people"...and yet they LOVE her.

Random fact about Laurel in relation to Brezo – I may be an old timer now, but I think I can still school her in basketball, and baseball, and football, and soccer, and lacrosse, and...etc. (yeah you heard me, Brezo, the challenge is on!)


Sibling #6 – “Booger” – We could go with “cute as a button” or “guy magnet” but I generally like to refer to her as something more endearing like Booger – she’s perfect. And I mean perfect. It’s like she can’t go wrong. Smart, attractive, great at everything, friendly to everyone, kids adore her, guys worship her, other girls hate to love her etc. She eats right, she exercises, she reads books by Stephen R. Covey and Dale Carnegie. She loves public speaking so someday she’s going to make a lot of money…and I just hope to be somewhere on the receiving end of it (I’m hoping this little plug helps)!

Her Secret – she’s a bit of a ditz…but it works for her! So I think it’s just another one of those things she has perfected!

Random fact about Laurel in relation to Booger – here she is even on a ski lift looking perfect and cute. My mom often reminds me that one of my claims to fame as a kid was teaching all the neighborhood kids "mad skills" like how to ride two wheelers. Well, I taught miss Booger to snowboard, and the crazy little chick had perfected…and surpassed my abilities within the first day!

And I make 7. I fall smack dab in the middle of all these crazies...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

A little treat

Our little M&M family. I saw this on another blog, and thought it was so cute. So The Snack and I had a little fun creating our own M&M characters (note the "yellow bus"...The Snacks favorite addition to the picture). We each are holding an item we absolutely cannot live without. Yes ice cream is my item. Gotta have it. Can't live without it. If I started to get fat I'd work out twice as much just to be able to keep ice cream in my daily diet! The Dad-n is an artist, so that's an easy one. A paint brush...which of course is coming very close to painting my hair! Typical of a true artist...not only does he create beautiful paintings...he's also prone to create quite "beautiful" messes at times. Fortunately he now has his own studio (hallelujah). And for The Snack, a music lover just like his dad-n, a little guitar. This kid is always hoppin' and boppin' and begging me to "sing loud" in the middle of the grocery store. He's the voice in the back of the chapel at church singing "BOB THE BUILDER" at the top of his lungs long after the sacrament hymn has ended!

As for this family we're, without a doubt, peanut-butter M&M's. Unfortunately the Dad-n and I both adore the peanut-butter kind, so I'm not able to hide them and hoard them all to myself. But then again, maybe that's a good thing...I mean it's already enough work just to keep ice cream in my diet!

So...what kind of M&M would you be?

p.s. If you want to create your own M&M characters click here.

Inevitable...

Some people call it Murphy's law, and it doesn't matter what you call it...it happens! So one day my mom is commenting to me about always keeping a change of clothing in the car for my son. I think to myself, "yeah, that's smart, but I've never ended up needing it sooo..."

Ok, so then THE VERY NEXT DAY we're down at the art museum, and it has this incredible reflecting pool almost surrounding the whole building (like a magnet for The Snack). We've been there several times before, and Snack likes to look at the water and be close to the water...but this time was different...


He goes around the corner and my mom is following him and suddenly....SPLASH! So...did she push him in to prove her point or what!? ;) (LOL) Moms...go figure...are they always right? I like to think I am!

The Snack attempts to dry off after his little dip