Galveston

We went to Galveston, TX, back in August, but my computer has been a little bi-polar so sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.  So I am just now getting my pictures onto my blog.  I'm going to try to play catch up this week so you might get bombarded with posts.

Galveston has become one of our favorite places to vacation here in Texas.  We have made it a tradition to go down at the end of the summer with friends and rent a beach house.  The best part is we don't have to worry about the kids or find things to do.  It's the perfect way to have a relaxing and fun vacation.
Here are some of the fun highlights from our vacation.

It took all 3 men to light the grill, it was funny to watch them all attempt to do it. 

The kids were always having a good time.

The kids were patiently waiting on the balcony to go down to the ocean.

Paytie and Cooper were loading up their boogie boards with things to take down to the beach.

The Beach House in Galveston

The sand looked like poop on her suit, she's going to hate me one day for taking this picture.

This is pretty much what I did the whole weekend.

Ethan spent his day diggin this hole so he could hide inside of it.

All the kids and Dads playing football on the beach.  It was so funny to watch.

Football on the beach

I swear this dolphin and his friends were putting on a show for us.  They stayed out there jumping for quite a while.

Milan and Mark showing us their poses.  What dorks!

This was the other thing I did most of the weekend.

Mark sleeping on the hammock.  He actually fell off it.

Mark sleeping again, he really likes sleep.

The Shumards, one of the fun families we got to go with.

The men were afraid to get too close for a picture, big babies!

The women weren't afraid.

Our family on the beach in Galveston

Me and my little man Ethan

Carson, trying to catch these little eel fish

This is the whole group we went to Galveston with.  We're all so brown.  Wish that was my natural skin color.

3 little monkeys jumping on the bed

I finally talked my husband into getting me a new mattress after years of neck and back pain from our last one. The sales guy at the store told my kids that he was giving them a one time free pass to jump on my bed to break it in. Oh and they listened. I was in the other room and heard laughter, this is what I found......

Three little monkeys jumping on my bed!!!

Catch up

So I am playing catch up again.  My computer has been down for a while and for a minute it is working, so I am busily adding posts.  I still have more to catch up on, but for now I hope you will enjoy these last few new ones.  If you don't see anymore for a little while, you'll know my computer was being bi-polar again.  Thanks for reading, it is greatly appreciated.

Wendy

WENDY

16 years ago, this beautiful angel finished her earthly mission.  While on this earth, she accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime.  Diagnosed at the young age of 14 with Ewing Sarcoma, she spent many years going through Chemo and fighting for her life.  She is a hero.  She saved my life in many ways.  Her life was dedicated to serving the Lord and helping those around her.  I am one of those lucky recipents of her dedicated service and love.  I have spent the last 16 years trying to repay her by paying it forward.  I'm sure I have many more years to go before I come close, but I am grateful for her example and the courage that she showed.  I miss her everyday.  I miss her contageous laugh and smile that brightened my days.  When we are lucky enough to have someone like this in our lives, we hold on to the memories a little tighter and treasure them even more.  Wendy, I am blessed that you came into my life.  I love you!! 477

Payton's MRI

Yesterday, Payton had an MRI.  It was a follow up to check on the changes in her spine.  To start at the beginning, when she was born I noticed a small bump on her lower back.  I took her to the doctor, who then sent me to a surgeon.  They did an MRI and said it was a lymphangioma (a pocket filled with fluid).  We were told to check back if anything changed, but that it would probably go away by the time she was 5.  It didn't, it actually got larger so we went back to a different surgeon due to insurance changes and with a fresh pair of eyes, the surgeon found something suspicious in her spine.  He ordered another MRI to get a baseline to compare future MRI's to.  They called it a Syrinx or fluid in the spinal cord.  The fluid is supposed to be on the outside of the spinal cord, not the inside. 

They asked us to come back in a year to see if anything had changed.  I put it off by almost 6 months mostly out of fear that it would be worse or that the news would not be good. 

Yesterday, my prayers were answered.  The Neurosurgeon couldn't explain the results.  The fluid in her spinal cord was almost completely gone.  He couldn't explain it, but I can.  The power of a priesthood blessing and many prayers.  I saw the hand of God in our lives.  I know He is always there, watching over our every need.  He answers our prayers today.

Payton is a stong little girl and we are so blessed to have her in our family.  I love you baby girl!!!

First day of School

 I was a little unsure how the first day would end since it didn't start out so good.  It started with her waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but I was able to get her excited about school when I told her we could paint her nails.  Even after we got to school she was still excited, she even walked in tall and proud.  As we got to the classroom, she noticed one of the kids crying and upset.  That's when she looked at me, looked at the boy, then back at me and the tears started.  I picked her up to sooth her, not a good idea.  They had to pry her off me.  She had a good hold on me and my hair.  I had to just walk away and let her cry.  You could hear her all the way down the hall.  All day, I waited for the school to call, but they didn't.  When I picked her up, she was smiling and asked if she could come back.  She said it was the funnest day.  YAY!!!  A successful day!  It's been all she can talk about.  This will be good for both of us since we spend so much time together. 

I didn't get a really good picture of her because of the tears, but this was the moments right before she fell apart.  You can almost see the concerned look on her face as she's about to start crying.

She really has loved going to school.  She askes me everyday if she can go today.  I wish they stayed this excited about school.

Birthday Girl

This beautiful little girl just had her 3rd birthday.  She  blesses our lives everyday with her funny attitude, big smiles, bear hugs, and kisses.  She's almost always happy and laughing.  We love her very much and can't imagine life without drama, girly squeels, and all the frills.  Happy Birthday baby girl!!  We love you!!

After she opened each present she would stand back, pose, and tell me to take a picture.

She spent hours playing with Barbie's hair.