1st annual Yosemite Lakes camping trip 2010

June was a fun month. We ended the month with our first annual Yosemite camping trip. It could not of been a better first camping experience for our family. We drove there on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday morning. So a total of 3 nights. We did not know how the boys would do, so we were playing it safe.

I'm not gonna lie, getting there was INTENSE, it took a total of 7 hours, that is including all detours and stops that we made. Kaden threw up twice and Austin screamed and dry heaved for the last hour or so. I was beginning to get that "is this really worth it?" feeling and then... we got there!
As soon as we got out of the car, everything changed. Just the smell of the air changes your mood instantly, then you look around and see streams, rocks, trees and it's all just so pretty. The camp ground was beautiful. It was about 15 miles outside of West entrance to Yosemite on the S fork of the Tuollomne river. The sun was shining, kids were playing in the river, there was dirt and trees everywhere, the boys were in heaven!!! Since we were only going to have 2 non driving days there, we had to make the most of the time. Mike made me proud wife on Thursday and accomplished something incredible, he hiked Half Dome!!!!

He did it with Stan, Melissa, and Bob. They left at 6:30am and didn't return to the camp site till after 9pm. That day I stayed at the camp ground with the boys and we just played in the dirt, went on "nature hikes" and relaxed. Friday morning came around and I really was just wanted to chill with Mike, play with the boys, play cards....Mike had other plans and he wanted to take me on a drive into Yosemite and maybe go hiking a bit. I just was not in the mood, but Mike and Melissa convinced me that I needed to go and that I wouldn't regret it, so I did. Melissa offered to watch the boys while we took the drive. Let's just say, that was the turning point in the trip for me. I could not believe my eyes. It was breathtaking and beautiful! My worries, gone... Stress, gone... It's just not possible when you see the views. Mike and I hiked up to Mist Falls and took some pictures. We started to really miss the boys and headed back to the camp ground. We cooked together, sat around the fire, laughed, cried, got super dirty, got absolutely no cell phone service, really never knew what time it was, got eaten alive by mosquito's, made s'mores, bonded... It was just what we needed and we will definitely be doing it again next year. Thank you Melissa, Stan and Nolan for inviting us and helping us make these dear memories with our family.

Fathers Day 2010

Happy Fathers Day Mike!!!!!

We are getting ready for our first camping trip with our boys, so Father's Day for Mike yesterday was spent getting ready for our big trip. We are taking the boys to Yosemite. I know, we are brave!!!! :) This is the very first time they have been camping, so this is very exciting. As children, Mike and I both spent many summers camping with our families. We have so many fond memories of camping. I realize now how much work went into those trips and now have a new appreciation for what my parents did for us. Mike did get to sleep in yesterday, which if you are a parent, you understand what I true gift that is! That is all I wanted for Mothers Day this year...We have somewhat of a tradition going for Mike, on Fathers Day morning we always make him bisquits and gravy. Mike spent the rest of the day working in our yard and trying to get all our gear together. We are meeting Melissa, Stan, Nolan, Sadie and Colby up there. They have been there since Saturday. We are just so excited to be out in the wilderness with the boys. I can't wait to see how they do. I'm sure they will love it and they will be right in their element with all the dirt and sticks.

I will post pictures and let you all know how the trip was when we return. Pray for safe travels for us! Traveling anywhere with a 2 year and a 4 year old is always an adventure...

Thank you Mike for being the best father and husband! You really do amaze me with your dedication to providing for our family and loving us while your doing it. We are so lucky to have you! We love you!

Happy 4th Birthday Kaden

It seems like yesterday, well maybe not yesterday, but at the very most last year that Kaden came into our lives. He is our firstborn, our bubba, our silly little man. We love him so much and he is going to be 4 tomorrow! What?! How did that happen so fast?

He has blessed our lives every day since the second he entered it. He makes us laugh with the silly things he says and the funny faces he makes. We couldn't love him more than we do!

Love you Kaden! Happy 4th Birthday to our firstborn boy. You will always be special to us.

The boys have been sick with really bad colds for the last week. They started to get sick last Friday, the day Uncle Bobby and Auntie Stace were coming into town. Kaden had to miss his little friends birthday party. I wasn't sure if I should just not say anything and hope he didn't remember, or if I should break the news to him. I thought it would be better to just tell him the truth. He had been looking forward to this birthday party for weeks. He was devastated that he was going to miss it, but I just told him that we couldn't risk him getting anyone else sick or him getting sicker. I think he really understood the reason behind it, because after that he was just ok with it. He has really been doing a lot of deep thinking lately. He asked Mike the other day if we were going to live forever. So sweet, complex and innocent of him. I just love hearing his questions and trying our best to answer them. Luckily Mike got that one. :) He has been asking tons of questions about God, I can tell that it really fascinates him to think of all the possibilities and just figuring things out. He is very smart, I can't get anything past him these days.

I have gone back to work 2 nights a week and I love it. It is so great having some time to contribute to the family, and also to just have time away from all the craziness. It has made me feel so refreshed.

My Mom has completed her 4th chemo treatment. She had it yesterday and it all went well. The good news is, her CA-125 blood test, which is a cancer marker blood test they do for ovarian cancer, has gone down from 51 to 11. The doctor was happy with that because the fact that the # is going down means that the chemo is doing its job. The not so good news is she will most likely have to complete all 6 treatments. Due to the type of cancer she has, they are treating it rather aggressively. When they did her surgery, the first thing they did was an abdominal wash. They basically squirt saline solution in there and suck it back up and send that sample off to the lab to determine whether there were cancerous cells floating around. Some cancer cells are really easy to spot and others aren't. She has clear cell carcinoma, which means that some of those cancerous cells look a lot like any other healthy cells. So it is really hard to spot those cells and distinguish them from any other healthy cell. This type of cancer, if not treated properly will often times come back. We are hoping and praying that 6 treatments is enough to knock this out and just be done with it for good. While talking to my Mom yesterday about how her treatment went, she mentioned how eye opening it is being in a place like that. She said she is shocked at how many young people she has seen in there being treated for cancer. It is really has no boundries and it affects the young and the old. It is crazy and so scary. This makes me really appreciate everyday, to love my family more, to just look at even the simplest things differently. It is so cliche to say "live each day like it was your last", but it's so true. Going through something like this with my Mom has really opened my eyes to how fragile life is. To live each day to the fullest and truly appreciate the things we have. To find the good in even a bad situation. I remember back to my Mom was in the hospital after she had had her surgery. She was pretty drugged up and whoozy and I don't even know if she would even remember that day if she tried. We were all pretty upset about the news, it was the evening we found out that it was indeed ovarian cancer. We were all trying our hardest to be strong for her, to not let her see the tears that wanted so bad to drain from our eyes. She looked at us all and reassured us that everything would be ok. She mentioned this verse in the bible....

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

She believed that then and she still believes that now. I truly believe that is what gets her up everyday and out of bed, when she doesn't even feel like she can. She is amazing in more ways than I could ever write on here. If you know her already, you know this. There is not one person that meets her that doesn't love her. I remember when i was young, she would make friends in the line at the grocery store. I would come up to her and she would introduce me to someone and I would be like oh how do you know them, and she would say I just met them in the line. You can't meet her and forget her, she is just special and you can see it right away. I love her dearly and she has taught me so many things throughout my life, more things than she probably even knows. I know that she is the reason that I have so much love inside me for others, that I am a great mother to our boys, that I can sympathize and be sensitive to others. Thank you Mom for the gifts that you have given me, for they are truly invaluable.

Since Christmas

First of all, where in the world has the time gone?!!! Does anybody else find it a little crazy that it is FEBRUARY!!! I haven't posted on here since before Christmas, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed with the big project of updating on everything that has happened since Christmas. I will do my best.

We had an amazing Christmas this year. Excited doesn't really capture what the boys felt about Christmas. Let's just say they are both still talking about it and asking when it will be here again. It's almost impossible not to feel and partake in their joy as it is completely infectious. We wrote letters to Santa, baked him cookies, left carrots for the reindeer, drove around and looked at Christmas lights nearly every night in December (slight exaggeration), cut our own tree, decorated it while listening to Christmas music, visited with Santa more times than one, opened up new pajamas on Christmas eve, spent Christmas eve with our family, cooked a big breakfast on Christmas morning, sang Christmas songs till we couldn't sing anymore, ate tons of goodies, made tons of goodies, gave baked gifts to our neighbors, decorated the inside and outside of our house with all the Christmas decor, some old some new, overall I can safely say that we accomplished our mission in making Christmas memorable for our boys. I have a feeling that it will just get better and better, but this year gave us a glimpse of the innocent joy and love that Christmas can bring to our children.


Since the boys can't stay up till midnight and don't have any concept of SLEEPING IN yet, we didn't really celebrate New Years eve the traditional way. We were all fast asleep in our beds by midnight. The boys way before that...and while everyone else was celebrated a new year, we were catching up on sleep. I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Year...

Since the holidays have come and gone, it seems like time has been in fast forward. I swear last week was just Christmas. Kaden is going to school still Tuesday and Thursday mornings and still loving it. He has made some friends and has his first birthday party to celebrate with friends that he has made. Austin and I continue to spend the time while Kaden is at school doing things together. We have taken walks with friends, gone to the library, gone to the park, wondered around the pet store, and have really enjoyed the one on one time together. The boys have been playing so great together lately. They are finally at ages where they can lose themselves in imaginary land and play their hearts out. I'm not gonna lie, there is still lots of fighting over toys and squealing arguments, but overall, they really do play well together.We have spent many January days hiking with our family and spending time together enjoying this beautiful place we call home.

Austin has been talking so much lately. The other day he walked up to me and said "Howdy Partner"....He will also climb up in my lap and say " I lub you mommy...and best friend". It really is the cutest thing you have ever seen. His personality is just so funny and we love him so much.

Kaden continues to be the one the sweetest boys I have ever known. He is very sensitive and loving, a total momma's boy. He is hilarious and makes us laugh daily. He makes funny noises, makes up funny words, shakes his booty and distorts his little face into the funniest faces. He is one of a kind and we can't get enough of him. Sometimes I want to go into his bedroom when he sleeps and kiss him. He wraps his arms around us and tells us he loves us and just says some of the cutest things you've ever heard.

My Mom has completed her 3rd chemo treatment and she has to do a least one more. She looks great and feels good for the most part. She has her treatments every 3 weeks, she has about 7-10 days of feeling very low energy, has bone pain, and she has had some pretty bad headaches. However, she does have some really great days in between where she gets recharged for her next round of chemo. Overall, I think we all feel pretty blessed that she is taking the treatments so well. She had labs done last week for her to be tested to see if she carries this certain "cancer gene", and from there we will know a little more about the cancer that she has and also what precautions need to be taken for her future health. Also, if she does come back positive, I will most likely covered as well to have the test done, which will allow me to be monitored much more closely in my life. So there is a little update on her. Continue to pray for her, as she still has good days and bad days. She continues to inspire me. I am so thankful for her.