November 22nd

I know, I've slacked again. *Sigh* This whole sick husband thing, finals, and holidays takes more of my time than I anticipated.

On Saturday I was grateful for The Cheesecake Factory and my besties. We went to lunch to celebrate me growing older (Ugh) and had a fabulous time! I just love their stuffed chicken tortillas!

On Sunday I was grateful for my ward; more specifically my bishopric. I am grateful for their kindness, compassion, and optimism. They are such dear sweet men and I admire them so much.

Today I am grateful for my car, its heater, and its almost-new tires. I'm ready to brave this winter weather! Bring on the snow!

November 19th

Yesterday I was grateful for my INCREDIBLE mother. Yes, I know I've mentioned her a time or two in recent posts. I came home from 3 very long days in the hospital to find my house clean, my oven scrubbed to spotless perfection, and a hot meal simmering in my crockpot. How does she always know exactly what I need?


I am also extremely grateful for my in-laws. Amidst all of the drama, they were so gracious and offering to help us in any way possible. My sweet father-in-law actually got our grocery list from us, went to the store, and brought us everything we were in need of. Then he took the time out of what I'm sure was a busy day and drove it all down to us from Layton. I appreciated it so much he'll never even know!

We are so blessed!

November 17th

As I sit in Jason's cold, dim hospital room, I am grateful for a myriad of things.

I am grateful for:

• My husband. His strength, his valor, and his perpetual optimism. For anyone that knows me, they know that I HATE staying in the hospital. I despise being woken up every few hours, I loathe the uncomfortable hospital beds, and hospital food leaves a LOT to be desired. I don't know if Jason has just become accustomed to it or what, but these unplanned hospital stays don't even seem to phase him anymore. He is my hero.
• Wi-Fi. Yes, I know it sounds silly, even petty at this point. But I sincerely appreciate that I can be here at my husband's bedside and still get my homework done so I can stay caught up with my classes.
• Capable doctors, caring nurses, friendly aides and technicians. I have never had an experience as comforting and reassuring when it comes to dealing with the medical profession as this one has been.
  
• AMAZING FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I am so so so grateful for all the concern and support that has been shown by all those who love and care about our little family. I am especially grateful for Karyn. She was my knight in shining armor yesterday. I have the tendency to behave like an emotional basket case when faced with the unknown. Karyn dropped everything to run to my aid and help me with Emee. I am also deeply indebted to my younger brother Josh. When everything happened yesterday he drove four hours round-trip to come and give Jason a blessing. His actions were the type that make me so humble. I hope that if I were in the same situation I would behave with such compassion. To add to the list, I am so thankful for Cortney, my mom, and all the others who have offered to watch Emslee. Hanging out in the hospital is a difficult task for a curious, adventurous toddler. I am grateful beyond words that she gets to play at home with people she loves who love her back.
• Phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to each individually, but I sincerely appreciate knowing everyone's thoughts and prayers are with us.

Thanksgiving Posts cont.

I totally slacked on my posts of gratitude this weekend. My weekend was jam-packed with wedding addresses, a sick hubby, and my cousin's mission farewell.

Friday I was grateful for clean bathrooms. It takes a lot of work to get them there, but I LOVE the smell and feel of a clean, disinfected bathroom!

Saturday I was grateful for Hobby Lobby. How I adore that place! I bought a bunch of different colors of satin, which I made into gorgeous flower clips for Emee's hair. They are to die for!

Sunday I was grateful for my family. I got to attend my cousin Koster's mission farewell, and it was so much fun to visit with my cousins, aunts, and uncles. Then I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my parents and Todd. It was a great day.

Today I am grateful for a working dryer and washer. I usually try to do laundry during the weekend, but with everything that was going on, I ran out of time. Today I have washed, dried, folded, and put away SIX loads of laundry. I don't know what I would do if I ever had to traipse all my wash to the laundromat. I am so blessed!

November 11th

Today I am grateful for my sisters, both the ones I am blood-related to and my friends I consider to be sisters. They are always there for me, buoying me up, laughing with me, and sharing my struggles.
Today has been an especially taxing day, and when my aggravation level rose to the level of an almost-inevitable implosion, it was my sisters that helped me through it.
Love you ladies!

November 10th

Today I am grateful for chocolate. Nope, this isn't a deep, thoughtful, awe-inspiring one. But chocolate certainly makes me smile and can make everything in my world right.....if only for a moment. :)

PS-I definitely think the lady in this photo has the right idea!

November 9th

Today I am grateful for the best job in the whole entire world! I love being a stay at home mom. I love love love watching my daughter learn and helping her understand this amazing world around her. I love being here for her laughter, her tears, her questions, and her hugs. I don't know what I would do if I had to entrust her care to someone else. I am so grateful that I am her Mommy!

I heart Thanksgiving!

Seeing as how we're a week into November, I wanted to start my "posts of thanksgiving." I plan to post something on my blog every day that I am grateful for. I have so many blessings in my life. Let my posts of appreciation begin!

Today, I am grateful for my husband and my little Emslee. They always make me smile, and brighten my day. Jason is an amazing daddy and husband. He works so hard to support our family and plus he goes to school full time! He is amazing! Emee is the sun and the moon to me. I never knew I could adore someone as much as I do her.
I am so blessed!

Halloween 2010

For our Halloween this year, I decided to make Emee a Dorothy costume. At first I was planning on buying her some ruby red slippers from Target, but the smallest they came in was a size 5. (Ems is only in a size 4.) So I decided to make her some instead. With some red paint, lots of glue, red glitter, and some handy Shellack I was able to make her the cutest little shoes! For only 6 bucks our little Emee turned out to be an adorable little Dorothy.
She had so much fun going trick or treating. She thought it was the best invention ever! We traipsed around our neighborhood in the rain and filled her little basket with all sorts of sweet treats. We also went to our ward trunk or treat earlier in the week and she got a basketful just from that. She was on a sugar high for 3 days straight!
She had so much fun, and we thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Halloween with her. What a little doll!

Va-nan-ah

Katie and Sevannah were able to come for a visit, and we had such a good time! I only wish I had taken more pictures - I was a complete slacker! Our little ladies had so much fun playing together, and Emee even cooked up a little nickname for Sevannah - Vanannah. Cute huh? These two little girls are a couple of the funniest, most adorable kids around! Just love 'em!

SpUd DaYs

Every September Shelley, ID hosts Spud Days, a celebration of - you guessed it - potatoes! There's a parade (with oodles of candy,) tons of booths full of yummy fair food and wonderful handmade finds. This is the second year we've gone and we really enjoy it!

Emee absolutely loved the parade! She thought running after candy was the greatest thing EVER! (And yes, the picture on the left is her mouth full to the brim of candy. Shh...don't tell her dentist.) :)


Emslee and Grammie Jo, enjoying the parade.

Aunt Jannie and one of her biggest fans. Sorry about this pic, Nick, it was just too cute to pass up.

One of the booths had a bubble machine, which equals HEAVEN for a little girl. Her Grandpa pointed it out to her and she was smitten! (Notice the half-eaten corn dog in her hand. Deep-fried fabulousness!)

Emee playing in the bouncy house. She wasn't quite sure what to think of it, but she did decide she liked it after a moment or two.

Two of the cutest little ladies in the world, going for a fun-filled ride around the ball park. Emee had a blast!

GO PHS INDIANS!

Go number 60! Our Todd plays defensive and offensive line for the Preston High Indians! We have had a great time attending a few of his games and have loved watching him play! These photos are from the Preston v. Bonneville game, and yes the scoreboard says 34 to 6. It was a great game!


Grammie and Grandpa with two of the world's cutest granddaughters, watching the Indians stomp the Bees!

18 months!

Emslee is officially nursery-age! She has grown up so much in the last few months, it is amazing! She is completely self-sufficient, and even convinced that she can diaper herself. (I'm trying to convince her she may as well just potty train. It's a work in progress.)
At 18 months, Emslee:

• loves, loves, LOVES puppies and babies! She is obsessed with both, and begs to see YouTube videos and pictures of them all the time. She is in heaven when around a baby. She loves touching them, talking to them, and cuddling them.
• talks like a little grown up. She surprises me every day with at least two new words, and her pediatrician tells me she is extremely advanced in her vocabulary for her age.
• is a complete neat freak! She has to clean everything she sees, including other peoples' feet, her baby doll, etc.
• loves to read! She will grab her doll, a book, and sit on the floor and read to her baby. She is so adorable!
• is a DANCING QUEEN! Anytime music comes on, no matter where she is, she starts dancing. Case in point - today in sacrament meeting she started dancing to the hymn "Be Still My Soul." Appropriate? Probably not. Funny? Definitely.
• is quite the aspiring artist. She loves to draw pictures and beams with pride when I hang them on the fridge.
• may as well be a fish. While I'm getting ready in the mornings, she insists on sitting on the counter and playing in the water in the sink. She loves baths and going swimming at the rec center. She would be happy as a lark if she could live in the water!
• is a brilliant mimic. She copycats everything she sees. (I guess I need to be super careful what I do and say around her....)
• adores ice cream. She is definitely her father's daughter. When she sees Jason headed for our deep freezer, she gets almost beside herself with excitement.
  
• could change her name to Evil Knievel. She is such a daredevil! Just the other day she was standing on the bed, and she spread her arms out like wings and proceeded to walk RIGHT OFF THE EDGE. She nearly gave me a heart attack! She, however, thought it was downright hilarious. Crazy girl.
• still has every one of us wrapped around her cute little pinky finger. She is the center of our world and she loves it!

Stem Cells = Happy Heart

Today Jason and I met with Dr. Amit Patel, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the University of Utah. I read about a clinical trial he's doing for patients with congestive heart failure, and was excited by the prospect of not just "managing" Jason's heart failure, but actually curing it.
Over the past few weeks, we collected and sent in all of Jason's many medical records and today we were able to finally meet with Dr. Patel.
So far, Jason meets all the requirements to qualify for the research study. In this study, they extract bone marrow from the patient and send it to a biosciences firm where the stem cells are cultured and grown for 12 days. Once the strong cells have flourished, the patient is brought back in and the stem cells are injected into the damaged heart muscle via a catheter. The cool part is, these stem cells have actually been shown to repair the heart muscle. Nothing like this has ever been a possibility before. It's amazing how far medical advancements have come, even in the last 5 years.
Jason signed the pre-screening consent form today, and now the sponsor has to approve his participation. We should hear back by Friday, and if he's approved they'll start doing tons of tests on him to make sure he meets all the physical requirements.
I am trying so so hard not to get excited about the possibility of my husband being strong and healthy again. We've faced so many disappointments, and I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
So can I just cross my fingers, just a little?

If you're interested, here's the link with the news article and video clip about the study:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9861660

Back to school already?

I was looking at the calendar today and realized that my semester starts again a week from Wednesday. Argh! I feel like summer semester just barely ended, and I don't feel quite ready to start up again.
I am, however, ready to feel the satisfaction of getting my degree. When I decided to stop going to school, I vowed to not return until I was really, totally committed to succeeding. After 6 years, that time has finally come!
I think my grades from Summer speak for themselves.
Intermediate Writing - A
Marriage and Family Relationships - A
Natural Disasters - A- (I know, stupid A minus)
Fitness for Life - A
Yes, I just posted my grades on my blog. What can I say? I guess it's a showing of why I haven't been blogging as much as I should. ;)
So since I only have a little over a week before school starts, I've decided to spend that time SEWING! I found fabulous, adorable fabric at Joann's today for only 1.99/yard! Amazing! I bought enough to make Emee three dresses and a skirt for myself for only 16 bucks! You can't beat that!
I'll post photos of my projects once I've finished. Yay!

A bellybutton fixation...

My little girl is OBSESSED with her bellybutton. Buh-Buh is one of her favorite words, (which apparently is short for button.) She will ask anyone she knows if she can see their belly button, and will play with theirs or hers for hours on end. Such funny things fascinate her!

Happy Birthday to my honey!

On August 3rd, Jason turned 29! I keep reminding him that 30 is just around the corner, and he doesn't appreciate that very much. :)
I hope he had a good birthday - I tried hard to make sure he did! I surprised him the morning after his birthday (because he wasn't working that day,) with a round of a golf with his friend, Justin. Jason hasn't been golfing in around 3 years, so it was nice for him to be able to get back on the course.
When he came home, we had a nice breakfast of waffles and bacon. Then, unfortunately, he had to go to work for a measly two hours. Lame! After he was done working, we ran some errands then had a yummy steak dinner (thanks to Josh and his buddy Andrew for manning the grill.) Following dinner we went to see Despicable Me - such a cute movie! After the movie we came home for presents, cake, and ice cream.
Happy birthday Jason! We love you!

The 24th of July

Happy Pioneer Day!


The Bountiful Pioneer Days parade was on July 23rd. Jason had to work so Emslee and I went to the parade, just the two of us. She had so much fun watching the horses trot by and loved trying to catch the famous parade candy. She was all decked out in her patriotic sunsuit (made with love by her Aunt Jan,) and she really enjoyed herself!
PS - isn't the first photo funny? That's what Emee does when we tell her to 'smile!' Funny girl!

Happy 4th!

For the fourth, we trekked up to Shelley and spent a nice, long weekend with Nick and his family, my parents, and Todd (can't forget Toddie.) We had such a great time with our "mini-vacation." The parade in the morning was surprisingly freezing. It was windy and just plain cold. Emslee kept cuddling up to me to keep warm. Thankfully, by the time the parade was over it had warmed up and we were able to enjoy the rest of our day.
We had a great spot to watch the Idaho Falls fireworks, which are amazing by the way! It was a great weekend and we had a fabulous time celebrating our nation's birth!




Our Patriotic Little Lady - aren't those leggings so cute?!


Emslee just loves giving kisses, to anyone who asks. Such a sweetheart!

Hogle Zoo and Grammie Jo

At the end of June, we went to Hogle Zoo with Grammie. Emslee absolutely loved it! She had so much fun looking at all the animals. The monkeys were her favorite part! It was such a hot day, and I thought we were all going to melt but we made it through. (The snow cones and water bottles really helped.) ;)