Utah Wrapped Up

Eric's farewell was Sunday and it was really nice. It was fun to see everyone from the night before again and actually get a picture with my cousins. It was great to be able to spend time with each other on a happy occasion and also to once again partake of great food back at the house. Eric had a few friends come over after church (about 100), we all said our goodbye's and well wishes and headed over to my Aunt Karen's for dinner.

Uncle Randy and his daughter, Alyssa, along with our cousin 

Natalie and the kids played outside with their new lab puppies.

Dinner at Aunt Karen's house is always a treat. Comfort food is always found here at its best. Roast, potatoes, carrots and

 gravy, of course. For dessert, "Daddy Bill" (my Uncle Bill) made chocolate shakes for the kids and we enjoyed tapioca, in honor of Dad being there. Thayden and Trevin were so much fun to play with. Livi and Aaron had a great time with them. I was able to spend great time catching up with more of my cousins, Aaron, Andrea, and Kira(pic on right) always make me laugh. All of us enjoyed a fun evening.

Kira and Andrea are going to do a 5K race in November in honor of Olivia so while we were 

there Livi helped paint their shirts for the run. They will definitely be the best dressed at the race!

The following day was Monday and it was time to head back home. We got dad a return flight to Utah for Tuesday as he was going to stay longer but I wanted help driving home. Dad treated the kids to pumpkin picking on our way out of town. Down the street from my Aunt's house a lady had her entire front yard filled with the beautiful orange gourds.

Thank you dad! We had such a great time! And, thank you to all our loved ones in Utah, of which there are too many to count. We love you all and are so glad to have been able to visit with most of you!

GREAT TIMES

What a treat to have been able to get together with the girls from Hurley Ward and catch up on life! I had such a great time seeing my friends. We met for dessert at a restaurant in Sandy, just south of Salt Lake City, Utah. Luckily, Jessica, in red, happened to be in town for the weekend from Oklahoma. Lisa and Liz live in the area. Liz's husband Sean, watched, and put my kids down for me so the night could happen. Thank you Sean. I guess next it will be Mike's turn to watch my kids! Girls, thank you for clearing my mind for the evening.

We came to Utah for my cousin Eric's mission farewell, but we were able to get more friend time in and stay with the Williams. Their little girl Kate was too cute. She even let Livi and Aaron borrow some of her babies the night before while Sean babysat. 

Olivia and I helped my Aunt Yvonne and cousin Katie, get desserts ready for the family dinner that was to take place the night before the farewell, as well as for a get together of friends following church the next day. Needless to say, she enjoyed herself immensely!

Believe it or not this is Aaron having fun. He's "smile(ing) big for the camera!" The other cutie that Aaron seems to be terrifying is one of my cousins son's Corbin. (They are about the same age.) This picture was taken at the family dinner Saturday night the 18th. It was a Nielsen family dinner, which is my mom's family, most of them were there. It was bitter sweet. So great to be around so many reminders of mom, and so hard to be around so many reminders of mom.

My cousin Alyssa is sooo good with kids. She herself is only 17 but acts as if she's had decades of experience. She had all the younger cousins and great grand kids captivated by different games and activities. Olivia LOVED playing this hand slap game with all the girls. Funny how in our family there's only 2 girls, in my mom's siblings families it turned out quite opposite.

After the games Alyssa and a few of the younger cousins, Natalie, Maddison, and Chloe, took the great grand kids downstairs to play dress up. Aaron could not resist. To his own defense, like always, he was true to his manhood and chose blue. Olivia couldn't just throw on anything, like the other girls (Hannah, Emma, and Gabby) she had to coordinate, and it had to make sense. My hard work apparently is paying off! 

I couldn't resist. He had SO MUCH FUN! As if you couldn't tell.

Sharing the Love

What a great time we had last week with my dad being in town.  Olivia was scheduled for appointments at the oncologist office every day of last week (except Monday) with Tuesday being an 8 hour day, so Dad agreed to come down and help out. Originally we weren't even sure if Bill was going to be in town, turned out he was for the majority of the week, but it was great to have dad here regardless. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing the reunion the kids have with him at the airport when he comes in for a visit. Aaron's little legs can't run fast enough and Livi's loves can't last long enough. She would snuggle with her papa 'til the end of time. We picked him up Saturday afternoon, after which we picked up a sitter for the kids and Bill and I took Dad to The Cheesecake Factory for a belated birthday dinner. And of course we had to order dessert! Yum! I strayed from the cheesecake path and was not disappointed in the least with their Strawberry Shortcake!!! It was Dad's first time there and he seemed to have enjoyed it as well. True to himself Bill ordered the Snickers Cheesecake and thoroughly enjoyed the indulgence. Sunday we all enjoyed a nice day at church. Not only was it nice to have my dad there but Bill also! Wow! What a special day. Sacrament meetings are still very hard on dad, understandably so, and it didn't help that the whole meeting was spent singing hymns which we could always catch mom doing, even if she didn't realize it. All in all, a good day. Monday was fantastic, Bill surprised me with having the day off, so we all went bowling. Dad has joined a bowling league as of late, which is so great for him to get back into something he enjoys so much and I was doing considerably well until Bill puffed up my ego and I leveled out. Olivia, after bowling the first couple of frames with our help decided she wanted to do it by herself. She bowled a 49! And Aaron...oh cute Aaron. He had to be like Livi. He would stand up at the line and push Bill or I away saying, "No, Gaggy(daddy), me go". He would've done great had he not fowled on practically every frame. We all had a great time. We ended the day with homemade chicken pot pie, which is now a staple in our meal plans and a special treat for Papa, Carmel Pecan Crunch Apple Pie! YYYUUUUMMMO!!! 

Livi did very well on Tuesday. She was receiving a new type of chemo that's re

ally hard on the kidneys so they had to insure proper hydration, hence the long day. We arrived at 9 and left at 5! We were kept busy with crafts and iPods and visitors. Karen from upstairs came and we played an intense game of Old Maid, and then Stephanie and Todd McMillan came to visit. Bless his heart, Todd was much more interested in the game consoles than playing cards with Livi, but the thought was there.

Wednesday was the best. We got to share our love of the canyon with Papa. In all the times he's been here, we've never had the chance of going to Red Rock; the kids were insistent this time. Even Aaron says, "hah-king (hiking) Re' Rok!" Who can resist. It was beautiful weather and a great chance to see some new sites. This time we parked at the second site in and hiked back down behind a huge boulder where we found a large sand pit practically untouched, that day, by humans. 

It was neat to have dad there to help identify the different animal tracks that we discovered in the soft red sand. When we saw the prints of a bird I asked Olivia, "What animal do you think made those prints?" She thoughtfully responded, "Umm, maybe a chicken!" I was impressed

 that she thought bird at all! Other prints that we saw were: a large cat of some sort, a snake and...Livi and Aaron prints? It was lots of fun to see the kids so excited about sharing this special place with their papa. Aaron discovered his love of the camera and even "posed" for the camera. It was also great to see Dad's

youthful side come out when he had to climb on his hands and

feet to the top of this rock because of how steep it was. It was also really fun to see him relax. After he learned our ritual of free exploration (with obvious limits) he 

didn't try to reign Aaron in. (There's really no point in trying. He's cautious when he needs to be and he's confident in how his body moves.) Olivia was great and climbed the steep rock almost completely on her own.  We are so glad to have spent this time with my dad. At one point Livi said, "Grandma would've loved this place." I think that's one of the many reasons that I love it. Mom loved the outdoors and adventures.

Bill left Thursday to prep Reno for President Clinton's appearance, he would be back on Monday. In turn, Dad and I packed the car Friday morning and headed to Livi's 4th and final appointment of the week in hopes of good blood results. We hoped to beable to continue our trek north to my cousins mission farewell in Orem, Utah.  Obviously from the next post being pictures of us in Utah we were able to go. 10 minutes into the trip north the kids were needing all sorts of attention so we pulled over and dad drove the rest of the way there and back again the following Monday. The kids would've been just fine except the portable DVD player was having issues...thank goodness for iPods! They each had their "own" and got to watch what they wanted. Aaron was happy watching his 1 episode of Backyardagains over and over but when Livi decided to take a 3 hour nap I indulged him in some variety and passed Livi's Pod to Aaron. It took us a quick 5 hours driving only 5 mph over the limit and the kids did great! Both ways! Thanks a ton DAD!

Catch Up

So, some quick blurbs with cute pics to help me catch up on what's been going on in our little world. 

My dear friend Lisa Lovell came with her oldest son Easton for a quick visit several weeks ago. They were able to

 extend their trip to St. George by going a little further south and visit with us for an overnighter. We met Lisa and her family when we lived in our first Sacramento ward, as it was theirs and many others as well. We lovingly referred to it as the newlywed or nearly dead ward. What great fond memories I 

have of the Hurley ward. Anyways, it was such a treat to have them with us. We were pleased to share with them a piece of our heaven, Red Rock Canyon. I don't think Easton shared the same enthusiasm with us about the rocky terrain.  He wasn't so interested in climbing up high...but really who can blame him, it takes some getting used to.

So as to be expected Livi's counts fell and we were put in "quarantine". Lucky for me I acquired strep at the same time so I was the one wearing the mask this time. This was probably a good thing though because it gave Livi the chance to be the one reminding me to put on my mask. One day into it, Bill was finally home for a night and low and behold Aaron got a 24 hr flu bug. Lots of puke...EVERYWHERE! I don't know what I would've 

done had Bush 43 kept his plans to come to Vegas that night!!! As mentioned in an earlier post, Livi was confined to a hotzone but remarkably made it out unscathed. However, with Olivia being in "solitary confinement" the last couple of weeks we got creative on what to do with our time. The kids have come to enjoy watching movies on the portable DVD player with a 7 inch screen while the 42" screen sits just beyond the yellow sheet. I remember everything being cooler in a fort. Now if we can just keep Aaron still long enough to watch the movie. Popcorn helps but...it is Aaron we're talking about! When I had strep and was wearing my yellow mask Our upstairs neighbor came down to say hello and saw me matching our fort (yellow fort, yellow mask). She said she wanted a picture to catch how pitiful we all looked, I kinda wish we had captured it on film. It was a pretty low time. What can you do?!

Livi has thoroughly enjoyed the IPod that was sent to her by loved ones. This is Bill trying to get there attention to say goodbye before a trip. Sorry Bill, they've got other things on their mind while eating breakfast!It brought about a new phrase in Aaron's ever increasing vocabulary, "Me IPod". Which is easy enough to understand, just a little strange coming out of a 2 year old's mouth. He's been put on electronic restrictions being that he can't seem to breathe without it. For the record, Olivia has hers and Aaron's, well Aaron has seized mine! I wonder what it'll be like running to "The Backyardagains" theme song?

Poor Aaron...in a way I guess it's a good thing considering he's had this problem since mid August. He was finally "diagnosed" if you can call it that, with eczema. I'm thinking I need to find a new pediatrician for my kids. Everyone knows the story with me questioning the pediatrician with whether or not Livi could have Leukemia and him repeatedly assuring me that it wasn't, well, strike 2! We saw him for Aaron's rash 3 separate times each time me voicing  my concern of eczema and each time him saying "no, it's not". What am I paying him for? We went to a dermatologist who barely glanced at this kid squirming out of irritated skin and said, "Oh, he has eczema." Well there you have it. I'm now on the market for a new pediatrician. I wonder, since Dr. B's NP, Jeni, wrote the script for my strep, can I just adopt them as my family GP? I don't know how an oncologist could pass as that for insurance purposes. Any ideas out there let me know.

May I just say, I love this picture! The first Sunday of October was General conference for our church, which means we get to watch a broadcast from Salt Lake City. So after the morning session, I, thanks to DVR, recorded the 2nd session and took the kids up to Red Rock. Bill had left that morning for duty...somewhere, I don't remember where, he's been everywhere lately. Anyways, what a great day. Just the kids and I and we did truly explore. We parked at a new site, the 3rd spot in and just started climbing rocks, led by our fearless leader Olivia. I don't think she knows she has cancer and severe pancreatitis. She forges the trails (we actually didn't follow any trails) and suggests that we go further. Aaron, rests every chance he gets and Livi just keeps going. I ALWAYS end up carrying Aaron back to the car, but not Olivia. She amazes me with her strength. She's such a trooper, we even had to dig a latrine, in which she commented, "Mom you are the best! You always have everything we need!" I'll pat myself on the back for that one...I did feel 

pretty well prepared. Have I mentioned how much I love Red Rock?!

This was great fun! We had unexpected visitors from our home town of Redding come visit Las Vegas for a anniversary/double birthday celebration. My girlfriend, Natalie's 

parents, whom I've known since I was 3, Frank and Pat Cabezud, were celebrating in Vegas and called the kids and I to come join them for a day at the pool of Mandalay Bay. It was fantastic. The kids and I swam with Pat in the pool and then Livi went with them to get lunch for us all. The best burger and fries I think I've ever had. Then, while Livi napped, Frank took Aaron on the lazy river and gave Pat and I a good chance to catch up. It was so great to be included in such a fun day. Livi slept for a good

couple of hours, hence no pictures of the princess, but we all had a great time. It was fun to see Pat and Frank playing with my kids as they are soon to be first time grandparents! Congrats to Brian and Meg!

This has been a lot to review, but what a great month we had. Lots of fun memories!!!

Apple Season

That beautiful time of year when the leaves start to change and our family starts thinking of our annual trip to Apple Hill, which is a little outside of our travel range this year.  This year we visited a different orchard of sorts, the "Apple" Store. Yes, today Bill bought a Mac! I'm a little nervous to say the least...Bill and I both keep looking for the right click on the mouse, but I think we'll get comfortable and learn to love the new member of our family. It does seem like a huge step, we have to relearn everything we've been taught for the past 12+ years!!! Anyways, this purchase was not completely expected, last week I was bugging Bill about how frustrated I was getting with our computer that kept freezing and lagging in basic commands and then low and behold as of Sunday the darn thing wouldn't even turn on. Bill was convinced I had sabotaged it. When we finally agreed to buy the Mac (with much pushing from me and persuasion from our neighbor) I said under my breath, "It really didn't take as many cups of water as I thought to fry the hard drive!" Bill just glared at me with a smirk on his face. And so here we are, somewhere between not knowing how to do more than type and having such great pictures to share. We'll get there.

A quick synopsis as to Olivia and her condition. She is doing remarkably well. She has this week off from treatments YEAAAA!!!! We don't even have to do the daily 7 pill crush! It's amazing what you can find that's worth celebrating. It comes at a good time too, Livi has really been upset with having to take all the meds all the time. I think of how much I hated having to take my pill every night, she has morning and evening regimens to follow! YUCK! Her counts fell very low, as to be expected, with her white blood cells barely recognizable, so we were isolated last week, which turned up back firing. It was like living in a hotzone. I had strep and Aaron had a 24 hr bug of vomit and fevers! Miraculously, Livi escaped unscathed! What a fighter! Today, I noticed a big drop in her energy level so I drew her blood, took it in and then went over to the hospital for a blood 

transfusion. Her hemoglobin had fallen to 7.8 (normal, I believe, is around 15). All of this was to be expected. The good news is we were able to catch it right away, they don't do

 transfusions until below 8, and now I know that her other levels have started to climb which means she is on track to continue with the end of this phase's chemo for next week! This was a huge relief. My dad's coming down to help with next week's treatment because it is 4 days in a row with the first day being 8+ hours in the office. If she was to be delayed...ugh! (WOW! Look what I just did! I actually figured out how to get a picture off my camera and into my Mac! Where's my diploma?!) Anyways, as you can tell the kids had a blast! (NOT!) Who could blame them. From the time we left home until we returned was 6 1/2 hours! Aaron did really well considering the less than roomy conditions that were provided. At least we had a private room, about 1/3 the size of a normal hospital room, but it had a bed and a T.V. so we survived. Olivia 

was great also. She cried a couple of times wanting to go home but who could blame her. We were able to visit with her PICU nurse Lisa. Just seeing her made me cry! All in all it was a good day, and if nothing else Livi got a good boost and we got some cute pictures! 

As I get more time I'll update on all the excitement to fill in the gaps. My journaling has been sadly on hold due to the computer issues but we're now back on track!

Livi was able to enjoy a phone call to Papa. I love it when my dad makes her laugh!