The 4 Ellisons

Really?

2011-06-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

So, OCTOBER?!?!?! That is just pathetic. I read a quote by Gordon B. Hinkley that talked about writing down our life happenings. I have been living so much life that I have put aside preserving it. How bad of me. I need to simplify, by entries. I don't know if this is possible for me but I need to remember that this is to be a book of remembrances for my family. So, here I go.

It is summer 2011. Aaron is now 5 and graduated preschool. He is so tender hearted. His teacher Mrs. Waker was always sharing with me how he would help the other kids in his class. One of his little friends is in a wheelchair and Aaron can't talk about him enough. When he is cheerleaded along the way his abilities are boundless. He is doing so well. He is a joy to be around and a true little spit fire. He loves walking the halls of church after the 3 hour block and saying hello to EVERYONE and asking how there day was or what they're doing that week. Bill laughs because he knows he doesn't get it from him. I'm convinced that through osmosis or something, he got Papa T.'s love & excitement for life and like Tiger, wants to share it with everyone.

Olivia. Wow. Where do I even start. She is now, finally, just a girl. Not the girl with cancer. Not the girl with limitations. Not the girl with the port. She is 7, she is smart, mature, good natured, a natural nurturer, and loving life! She finished 1st grade and is ready for... college! No, but truly, very bright. Thanks to a great teacher, Mrs. Smith her reading level soared this year from early 3rd grade to 6th grade along with comprehension. Her math skills leave a math lover mom proud as she is excelling there as well. Thanks to a new friend she met this year in her class she was pushed into her first sport experience. SOFTBALL! She loved it and so did Bill and I. We even got team shirts! After her first game she tried emailing Papa C. "Today was the best day of my life. I had my first softball game and I was 3 for 3!" (I cried when I read it. What a huge relief in my life, as a mother to know that your daughter finally can have all the life experiences "normal" kids have.) This picture on the left is after her first game. Pure joy! She even tried sliding into home. Softball is a big thing here and the fields are gorgeous. She had a fabulous coach and picked up the basics very nicely. She's excited to catch up with all that she's missed out on (her port was taken out the last week of January, which gave her the go ahead to PLAY!). She wants to continue softball in the spring but will take this fall to give soccer a try. She claims that she loves to run. A few times we have found her running laps in front of our house down the street. Her form leaves much to be desired but the desire in her heart is what matters. In early February she ran the 1mi fun run for Make a Wish. She had a blast and made her want to run even more.

I have been trying some new things of my own. In January I was given the opportunity to go with a girlfriend for a girls' weekend trip to St. George Utah. They were old friends who get together yearly and this year my friend graciously invited me to come along. I had a great time and even, at the last second, decided to run a 1/2 marathon. It was exhilarating to run past the 8mi marker. I have never run more that a 10k and the most I had run recently was 2 mi on Thanksgiving day! The rest of the mile markers were just as exciting as I kept telling myself, "I can't believe you're doing this!" I finished in 1:24, not fabulous but hey, I didn't even plan on running. My heart and lungs didn't have any problems, and besides my hips being sore the next day, I felt pretty proud. But in the pounding of the pavement, that I hadn't trained my body for, at some point I ended up tearing 2 tendons in my right foot. So a couple of months later after several relapses of pain I ended up in a walking boot for a few weeks and therapy for a month. BLAH! No fun.

I did finally certify to instruct group fitness classes at the YMCA. And due to some unfortunate circumstances of the bootcamp instructor I now have my own bootcamp class. It's a lot of fun but very challenging. I try to not repeat things which leads to long nights researching new/fun ideas. My class is growing in numbers and I'm starting to get the more fitness intense patrons which is a good boost for my confidence. I also have been subbing for spin classes and a body sculpt class. I really love the spin class but I'm finding my confidence in sculpt as well. Unfortunately I haven't been on my bike since last summer besides one 12 mi ride I did a few months ago. I still find it exhilarating to get on it and go, it's just another one of those things that I haven't made the time for.

I have also put my green thumb to the test. And while I am currently battling mushrooms, my garden is looking quite good. We planted, from seed: green beans, green onions, lettuce and carrots. All look like they're doing very well. We've harvested lettuce several times already and while the family doesn't care for the variety we planted, it is quite bitter, it still looks pretty. We even have beans! From starts we planted basil, cilantro, tomatoes and peppers. I killed 3 of 4 starts on the basil but was able to nurse the 4th back to health and it's doing well. The cilantro is a bit lack luster but we've been able to use it. The peppers and the tomatoes, well, there's always next year. We also got the back yard redone. Note to self: never again get a yard then a puppy. Always get the puppy first. It's looking good though. I was very proud of my "solo" successful plant of a honeysuckle to replace the semi-dead one. It is doing very well and starting to bloom.

Bill is doing great. He has been working out a ton and while he says he still doesn't like it I think secretly he does. I at least like seeing his confidence boosted. I'm not gonna lie, I also like his new physique! He had a long stint in Hawaii over Christmas. 2 weeks with Obama, and then 1 week in Rio de Janeiro in March, so needless to say, his tan is doing well. He's really enjoying his work and while he's not quite sure where he wants to go with it right now, he's doing well at keeping all options open. Hence, the working out several hours a day. He's made some great friends in the office and so for the past several months our date nights have been spent hanging out with work buddies and their wives. It's been a lot of fun getting to know such a great group of people.

October

2011-03-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

October started off with a VERY quick trip to Redding on conference weekend. Up on Friday the 1st and back home on Sunday the 2nd. Our actual destination was Red Bluff but being that it was my dad's 66th birthday we stopped in to say hello. We got to see the Reasbecks and watch Chandler play flag football. The purpose for our trip was to witness Grandpa Bill's baptism. What a wonderful occasion it was. So very special to see Bill baptize his father, just as his grandfather had baptized him 13 years ago. The spirit was so strong. Such a testimony of the joy the fullness of the gospel can bring into someone's life. Olivia was even able to play "Come Follow Me" on her violin that she had been practicing for the primary program. After the baptism and confirmation we had dinner back at the house and were joined by Sam, Nikki and the boys. Even though it was a lot of driving for a short period, it was WELL worth it. We were very blessed to have been a part of it.

My girlfriend, Jennifer Dresser, came down with her oldest son, Jeffrey for a soccer tournament. Her mom came with her to help with the drive and her little one, Jillian. It was so fun to spend some time with them AND to watch Jeffrey play. This is what happens when you give your camera to a 12 year old boy! Gotta love him. (Among other things, I think he's practicing the ASL alphabet that the kids taught to him.)

The kids decided to forego a traditional Halloween this year and save the money from costumes to put towads a trip to Disneyland. We did get Halloween shirts and orange spray paint for their hair. They had fun class parties on Thursday and then because of Nevada day on Friday we left right after school and headed down to San Diego.

We stayed for a few nights at Bill's cousin's place. Wyatt and Brigid were fabulous hosts. Wyatt took us to a park next to the beach where we visited for a while before he headed off to work. The kids and I had brought our bikes so we took a bike ride along a trail up to the back of Sea World, where Wyatt works, across the lake. From there the kids and I grabbed a picnic lunch and ate it up on the temple grounds.

We met up with Brigid and she took us to her school halloween carnival where the kids had a
blast playing all thegames. Afterwards we went to Chevy's for dinner and then prepared a magic

show for Uncle Wyatt back at the condo. SO MUCH FUN!!! Aaron did the ball under the 3 cups and was very confused when he himself couldn't remember which cup it was under. Complete with costumes and all! Wyatt got his finger exercise with TONS of balloon animal/creations.

The next morning I awoke to this scene. The boys making delicious pancakes. I didn't know that 1 homemade pancake could taste so different from another. I now, after all my life, have a new pancake recipe. Good job boys! We even had fresh strawberries!

Saturday we spent the day hanging out. We joined up with Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Kara and went to a park. Wyatt had to work, but Brigid and Matt played great with the kids despite his recent broken hip from a car accident over the summer. He
even got a feel of what dad's deal with when Aaron insisted he needed help in the restroom. Good job Matt, you pass the test. It was nice for me to chat with Kara, something I've never been able to do up until then. Lunch was at a chinese restaurant and then dinner back at the condo. Wyatt and Brigid skipped out of previous plans to stay with us which was such a blessing. The seven of us had a fabulous evening. The kids loved

playing the Zingo Bingo game that Matt had brought as a present to Aaron. So much laughter. What a great night.

The next morning the kids and I woke up, got ready for church, packed the car and attended a local sacrament meeting. It was good to be in church. Then off to Los Angeles to stay with Uncle Bob and Aunt Deann in preparation for our trip to DISNEYLAND!

Peaches

2011-03-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

In September, a girlfriend of mine, Syrissa, and I ordered 150lbs of peaches from a peach truck delivering from Utah. Since I had grown up with canned peaches I wanted to give it a shot. And
since Syrissa never had them growing up she was up to the challenge. We did end up selling one of the 6 boxes so we canned, froze, made jam with, and ate 125 lbs of the most delicious fruit on this earth. I bought a great new canner that...well, everyone I talked to said it was great. And I'm sure it was, we just really didn't know what we were doing. Over a period of 3 days we sliced and diced and boiled and peeled and mixed and sealed and wha-la, BEAUTIFUL SWEETNESS! I think we ended up with 15 jars of canned peaches, 12 jelly jars of freezer jam (made by Bill), and 4 gallon size ziplocks of frozen peaches for smoothies and cereal, each. The best part of it all, when we opened the first jar, I took a bite and literally felt my mom give me a hug. They smelled and tasted like my childhood. I knew my mother was smiling at me and quite proud of her "Sunshine Rae Rae". I donated all of my bought canned peaches to the boy scouts. I just can't do them anymore.

Air Force One

2011-02-28T22:43:00.001-08:00

On the 22nd of October President Barack Obama flew into Las Vegas for a quick campaign boost for Senator Harry Ried. We may not agree with the man's politics or why he was in our town, but the special treatment we got in the end was, regardless a very memorable moment. While getting ready for the president's arrival, Bill's time with family was put on hold for a good 2 weeks. (Bill was the lead for this visit.) Because of this, the kids were very excited to see a part of what their daddy does for his job. To get to see the President's plane land and have the chance of "meeting" him was icing on the cake.

After a very busy sky and then silence for about 10 minutes, we finally saw the jet land. Obama's plane was behind schedule and so as the 17 select few of us waited off to the side of the tarmac there was a great sense of disappointment as he headed straight for "the beast" after de-boarding the plane. Katherine, another agent's wife, yelled his name and waved. He paused for only a moment and ran over to our small gathering, Secret Service in tow. He shook EVERYONE'S hand. It was funny, nobody knew if they should shake hands or take pictures. Because I had shaken his hand previously I was more interested in the picture but wasn't quite expecting the quickness. I did manage to get this FABULOUS picture of the President with Aaron.

This is how it all went down. President shakes Aaron's hand and Aaron, without being prompted for a response says, "My Daddy protects you!" President Obama takes a step back, tousles Aaron's hair and says, "Oh, really?" leans back smiling at Aaron. Aaron, rightfully proud of the moment turns to me and "CLICK!"

Pretty darn cool.

TNT!

2011-02-28T22:38:00.001-08:00

Such a handsome boy. Aaron had a super soccer season. He had a great friend on his team, Ali Jolley who could really score. Aaron did his best to keep up and scored several goals a game. One game in particular he scored 7 goals! At the end of the season Grandma came to watch and all he could do was run up and down the field smiling and waving at the side lines. Through the frustration of confusion Bill and I laughed a lot. It was so fun to get so excited for these little guys. Grandpa came for the last game of the season but poor Aaron was sick and throwing up so we had to miss it. Grandpa made him feel good anyways. It was a great season and we all look forward to him playing in the spring.

New York

2011-02-28T21:45:00.001-08:00

September, 2010: How lucky of a girl I am to have the opportunity to fly to New York with a fabulous friend, to stay with my best friend (my hubby, while working the UN summit) in a hotel paid for by all of you tax payers :) for a week! WOW! What a blast. A huge thanks to Natalie B. for watching Aaron and Livi, and all the others who helped out. We had a FANTASTIC time. We even had our cab fare from the airport to the hotel paid for by 2 business men who joined us to cut in the 20min long line curb side. What a cheap way to travel. That just meant more money to shop with. Which is what we did the most of. Me, not much of a shopper, but when you're with someone having fun, why not? We hit a lot of boutiques and discount stores. Got great jeans and cute tops. Even found clothes for our hubbies and kids. We told Bill, "Next year when we come, we're going to do more sight seeing and just a minimal amount of shopping." He sent me home a day early. He told me, "You've spent all my overtime, time to go home." He was a great host. Even shared his double size bed with me and let Syrissa have her own. (I thought Syrissa & I might've had to share.)

Syrissa Jolley accompanied me, and then technically Bill accompanied us. This is in front of a great Mexican restaurant off the beaten path. A local from the plane tipped us off to some great local places to eat. And we did surely do A LOT of that! YUM! We did the famous Gray's Papaya hot dogs. Black & White cookies, pastries, great pizza at a restaurant recommended by Natalie B. and dinner at Carmines family style Italian dining. Among many others we also went to Chelsea Market for a lunch of yummy soup. Thank YOU Charlie M. for that tip!

In front of Central Park. "Bill, we are at the 'corner' entrance to the park, by the horse statue!" I can admit when I'm wrong... but who knew how many horse statues could be at 1 park?

"Wicked" on Broadway. So cool!!!

While Bill & I took advantage of great ticket prices for the play, Syrissa was a good girl and took advantage of going to the temple. She literally had to RUN to make it into the session. We found it later on our bike ride around Central Park.

We met up afterwards for the most FABULOUSLY FANTASTIC cheesecake of all time! It was too heavenly to describe. I never knew food could make your body tingle! :) Juniors is now my destination for NY. We also ordered potato pancakes, Bill remembered a friend's mom making them in grade school. (I believe I had the strawberry swirl...ahhh divine!)

And what is a trip to New York without seeing Lady Liberty? We decided to go the quick route and take the Statton Island ferry for FREE. We got to see all the beautiful sights, and keep moving.

Our last morning in the big city. We wanted to see Central Park, so, we rented some bikes and cruised in style. It had been a while since Syrissa had been on a bike, but she remembered just fine. The traffic made her nervous. Thank goodness I was used to it from riding at home.

Cathy, correct me on this one...St. Paul's? We passed it every day. We stayed at the Double Tree Metropolitan and to get to downtown, aka time square, we would go by this cathedral. One evening Bill and I did go inside of it. It's been under construction for a while, but what a beautiful piece of architecture.

I am such a lucky girl!

Aaron, present day.

2010-11-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

I feel the need to put a bit in this, our family journal, about how our kids are. Aaron started another year of Pre-School through the district this year to receive speech therapy and help with some fine motor delays. His teacher, Mrs. Waker, always tells me that "Aaron really is way too smart for this class." I just smile and nod.

Aaron has and continues to be our sweetheart. He is so full of love and compassion and he wants to give it to anyone who is around. He calls our 14 yr old neighbor, Jared, his "bff". And was in tears just the other day when Jared was out playing basketball with some of the bigger kids in the neighborhood. "Jared doesn't want to be my friend anymore. He only wants to be with the big kids. I'm not big, I'm only 4!" Bless Jared's heart. I told his mom about how sad Aaron was and the next day Jared invited Aaron over to play on his gaming console with him. Today I saw him bringing Aaron along while a few of the older boys were playing hide-n-seek in the neighborhood.

Along with Aaron's deep compassion comes immense emotions. He was absolutely FURIOUS yesterday when we went to church and he did not have scriptures! "Take me NOW to the bookstore and buy me SCRIPTURES!" All through sacrament meeting. Until of course he got up to bare his testimony. It was his second time, the first time being last month with Dad. This time he went up with Olivia. He says next time he's going on his own. In primary he's funny to watch. He'll raise his hand for any question and then lean forward to me and say, "What's the answer?" One time a guest speaker was talking about the mission call he had just received and asked the kids, "How old do you have to be to serve a mission?" Aaron blurted out, "19"! I was impressed. But I really shouldn't be amazed at what comes out of his mouth anymore. His teacher said that she was talking to his occupational therapist and had said, "In the beginning I just thought he was l-a-z-y, but..." Aaron quickly cut her off and said emphatically, "I'm not lazy!" In Bed Bath and Beyond the lady told me what I was looking for was in the "cleaning" aisle. Aaron pointed to each of 3 signs in a row and said, "There it is, cleaning". He was right on.

He rides the bus to and from school and actually enjoys it this go around. It's a short ride both ways. His pick up driver's name is Ms. Shiela and she mistakenly always calls Aaron, Lucca (the boy who is picked up after Aaron). One day she opened the bus door and said, "Goodmorning AARON!" and started laughing. I was confused. She told me that the previous day, as Aaron was getting buckled up with the help of the bus aid, Ms. Lily, when he said, "What if I called you Ms. Lily all the time?". Ms. Shiela thought that to be a good point and has never missed his name since.

Aaron tells me he loves me out of the blue all of the time. He'll be washing his hands, eating lunch, watching tv or sitting on the toilet. "Mom, I love you."

He is a BIG kid too, or so people tell me. At 44" he weighs 48lbs. People look at him compared to other 4 year olds and assuming the size they go to pick him up and, "Ugh!". Yeah, he's thick. When it turned cool the first time a few weeks back I told him to put some jeans on for school. He came in barely even able to pull up his size 5 Levi's. He's got his dad's "birthing hips", I call them, and those monstrous thighs. Dad tells him all the time he's going to be our middle line backer and we'll travel all across the country to watch him play for his university. (Nothing like setting high expectations.) Aaron's caught on. Yesterday when he just walked in the door from church, he hadn't even taken his shoes off yet, "Dad, Let's watch FOOTBALLLLL! Who's playing? Who do we want to win?" Would I love it if he was that excited about church? Of course. But you have to admit, it's pretty darn cute. He knows his strength and is very aware of his "size". Admittedly probably because he hears us talk about it frequently, other people comment on it often as well. But he will go up to a boy who is smaller than him and just stand there inches away from his face. Just staring. Once I even saw him push a boy in the chest with his finger and say, "I'm bigger than you." AAHHH! I couldn't believe it! I have a bully!

His favorite song to sing as of late is Nephi's Courage. He only knows one part and he sings/yells it with all his might. (He does it so vehemently he goes red in the face. "I WILL GO, I WILL DO THE THING THE LORD COMMANDS!" Over and over and over again. I guess it's better than what he used to sing/yell, "COME FOLLOW ME THE SAVIOR SAID!" (The drill sergeant voice matches Nephi's Courage a little better. Somehow I can't picture the Savior yelling "come follow me".

All in all he is my sweetheart. My mom had told me, when we were thinking of the name Aaron, that it is a soft name and that it might "affect" him. I can't think of a more perfect name for him.

For Time and All Eternity

2010-11-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, August 5, 2010 Angela Claycamp entered the Oakland temple along with Matthew Van Duren, and with loved ones watching, knelt across the alter to become married on earth and sealed in heaven. It was a wonderful ceremony and very touching.

Tuesday, after Grandpa's house, the kids and I drove down to Sacramento to stay with the Dressers and picked Bill up the next day from the airport on the way to Oakland. We all stayed at the infamous Holiday Inn (where the rest of us Claycamps stayed the night before our weddings) and went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. (Once again, Krazy Glue to the rescue as Aaron tripped and fell into the back of a chair causing his lower right canine to go through his lip... hardly any

scar!) The four of us all chose different cheesecakes, and I loved them ALL! The Richins were all there, sans Eric, finishing out the last few months of his mission in Baton Rouge, LA. Karen and Andrea and Kira made the trek out as well. It was great to see everyone, and meet Matt's family.

I drove the bride, Gretchen and Kristi to the temple Thursday morning with great precision in only 20 minutes. We all three were given permission to be Angie's escorts. What a beautiful blushing bride. Mom was definitely missed but she was very much present.

It was cloudy outside which I felt bad about but it kept Angie cool and made for fabulous pictures that our Uncle Randy and his son-in-law Justin took. Then off to Jan and

Don Preston's house for a luncheon and swimming in the pool. (Jan and Don and set my parents up on a blind date!)

Matt and Angie took off for a night together in Napa Valley and the rest of us headed back up to Redding to finish getting ready for part II. The reception.

Friday we took a bit of a breather and enjoyed some R & R at Whiskeytown Lake. I don't know why we don't go there more often when we visit Redding. It was so much fun. Ryan brought out his parents' patio boat and took us over to the rope swing. I couldn't believe my eyes and Aaron and Olivia (with a little more coaxing needed than Aaron) swung out over the lake and dropped into the cool water. I was peer pressured into it and will admit that it was a fun rush.

Saturday was busy getting ready for the reception. I had to stop and get a shot at the med clinic. Apparently I had got poison oak when I fell into the bushes on my maiden voyage of mountain biking earlier in the week. Oh man, did it ever itch. Across my stomach on my arms and even on my face! I had forgotten how bad it gets.

The reception was very nice. Everyone stayed and enjoyed themselves. The kids loved running around and playing on the grass of of the country club while the adults visited. TONS of yummy desserts and fresh fruit for a chocolate fountain. The photographer got great photos of everything.(Hopefully I can get a few of them for myself.)

CONGRATULATIONS ANGIE AND MATT!

Summer in Redding

2010-11-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday, before Bill flew home from the Redding airport, we got to have breakfast at the soon to be VanDuran home and go to Matt and Angie's ward which happens to also be the Reasbecks' ward.

We spent most nights out in Palo Cedro with Bill's Aunt Tenley and Uncle Jim. The kids loved "swimming" in their hot tub as we sat sweating in the Redding heat watching them play. On Tuesday, the 27th, Tenley took us to a wonderful waterfall right below Mt. Shasta along with a little hike from which we could see Mt. Shasta and the start of the Sacramento River. We had a great picnic lunch where the kids and I tried fresh mango for the first time. I am sad to report that none of us cared for it. We even stopped for some soft serve ice cream at a little roadside diner.

We spent the night at my brother, Garrett's house. I got to babysit their 4 kids while they spoke on being "Fun and flirty" at a church activity. We swam til it was too dark to see and then the 4 older kids rinsed off in the shower together while I got the 2 little girls in their pj's. I got a great video of the kids doing chants in the shower. We went to see The Wizard of Oz in the Anderson River Park with the Claycamps as well.

We also visited with Grandpa Bill a few times. We learned that he had attended the LDS church the previous Sunday and had been meeting with the missionaries for a while now. They had simply knocked on his door and he invited them in, remembering how he would've wanted his

son treated on his mission. I rejoined him for church on Sunday the 1st where I was able to bare my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and the importance of the temple. It was very richly emotional and we were able to share a very special moment together. The following Tuesday the kids and I went back down so that they could do a woodworking project with Grandpa and also I was able to join in on a missionary discussion. We too had a wonderfully intimate discussion.

We played at the Reasbeck's and spent the night there. I finished sewing my skirt, Livi's dress, Kristi's blouse, Chase and Aaron's pants, Gretchen's zipper on her skirt and a hem on her blouse... I even glued Chandler's eyelid back together. Krazy Glue is amazing, he doesn't even have a scar!

Fishing with the Cabezuds

2010-11-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

When we got back from camping, Bill flew home to work and the kids and I stayed in Redding to have fun and help get things ready for Angie's wedding. I really tried to take advantage of our time in Redding and spend some time with loved ones we don't see all that often. Monday, July 26th, we went with my dear friend Natalie Cabezud's parents, Frank and Pat, fishing in their boat on the beautiful Shasta Lake. I don't remember the last time I saw the lake so full. Frank admitted it was hard finding his way around without the usual landmarks (they were all underwater). Pat packed a fabulous picnic dinner complete with all her wonderful foods I remember as a child. Yummy sandwiches and delicious cookies... YUMMM! At first the kids weren't terribly interested in fishing. Frank set some lines and we swam. Livi couldn't get enough of the water and had a ball puttering around with Pat. Aaron couldn't decide if he wanted to fish or swim so he kept bouncing around, loving every minute of it. The life vests for the kids were a little on the big side, but... we made do.

Once we decided to hunker down and really get to business Frank was ready for us. He had bought out Target of a fishing lure that he claimed was the best. Unfortunately he did lose one, but boy

was he right on its effectiveness. Out of maybe 30-45 minutes of total fishing time, Olivia caught 5 fish, all of which were "keepers". Pat said that Frank is not the average fisherman. He doesn't like to touch or eat them. He has developed quite the grab, twist, flick method for dehooking his fish and getting them back safely in the water. The kids were loving it. Every fish caught had to be touched by both of them and each time they would squeal. By the

end Livi was staring soberly at them as she fingered their tiny metallic scales. Aaron did catch 2 fish and wouldn't dare tell a "fish" story of

how big they were. He was proud of his 2. Or was it 10. Maybe 20. The number kept changing. Olivia was so funny though because as Frank drove, Pat and I caught up with one another and Livi would tell us she caught one. We wouldn't believe her but sure enough... there was a fish. After the 2nd time of us telling her it was probably just a weed and she and Frank pulling up a fish, she didn't even tell us any more. Our conversation paused as we looked over and saw Olivia reeling in a fish all by herself! It was an absolute blast to be with them. It was so fun to catch up with the going on's of the Grant community and hear how everyone is doing. I am so blessed to have people in my life who truly love me and my kids and whom we can love and be with in return.

Camping 2010

2010-11-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture. From left to right: Ellisons, Reasbecks, Dad, & Claycamps. This is our spot at the beach. We do the same thing every year. Suckers for tradition? Yes. But more than that, it's what we did with Mom.

How we manage to bring more stuff every year is beyond me but we did. This year we had the luxury of a fabulous new bike rack and a "coffin" as Grandma called it for on top of the car. With Annie in the middle seat and wedding gear on top of the camping gear we were packed to the brim. The trip up must've been just fine, I don't remember it one bit. As for the rest of the trip, I'll keep it simple... (lots of pictures, small amounts of text).

Friday morning, I do remember, it was Olivia's LAST CHEMO APPOINTMENT!!! YAY!!! And then we hit the road...16-17 hrs later and 2 days we arrived at the coveted camp spot of #38 in Millcreek Campgroud in the Del Norte Costal Redwoods of Crescent City, California.

Crabbing on the Pier (Emily is such a cutie)

Kristi and baby Abby

Playing games back at camp. I LOVE Livi's hair!

Our little man LOVES and thrives on affection. So darn cute. I was pleased with myself this year and did not use a blow dryer or any make-up. One might think, "Who uses those things while your camping???" Oh, it's been bad. One year we actually brought a generator for the hair dryers! I think I pulled off the natural look pretty good.

Happy 10th Birthday Evan! Double digits...WOOHOO!

The grandkids love their Uncle Adam and Aunt Gee. Of course cool gadgets always help.

Both kids were successful with 2 wheels this year.

What's a trip to the beach without Aaron laying in the sand. I think this year was his cleanest to date. Playing at the beach always includes some digging/building of sorts. This year we added some new depth to the whole beach experience and incorporated some sports. Soccer was a huge hit and then some volley ball. Ryan thought he had purchased a volleyball net, not a badminton one. Ah well, ya can't win 'em all. It was a lot of fun regardless.

Front: Chase, Emily, Logan. Back: Dax, Livi, Ethan, Aaron

The younger kids enjoyed playing down in the creek bed. (This is everyone, sans our youngest Abby, 6 yrs and younger. It was Daxton's first year camping with us, and actually first time camping. He looks a little overwhelmed here, but he had a good time.)They would throw rocks into what was left of the dried up pond. Apparently not all the campers were as fond of our kids playing on their own and letting us adults sleep in 'cause the ranger came down to our sites and told us to zip it! 9 o'clock is not that early!

This was one of those precious moments that I know my mom was watching. I love seeing my brother being tender with his girls.

Hiking (Livi. I think I take these beautiful trees for granted.)

Livi being her hammy/sassy self while Adam ponders if the Chinese ever did use "chinese handcuffs".(Thanks to Dad's friend, Sue, who joined our group this year and brought along some fun things to try out.) And of course, Aaron enjoying his food. Another of Sue's fun things!

The tide pools were really good this year. The best weather we've had at the pools for as long as we remember. Aaron and Livi with their finds.

Aaron and Ethan sunbathing

Bill and that wretched Celtics sweatshirt. I threaten to burn it every year. This year I will admit, I reminded him to pack it. Yes, tradition. The green is actually growing on me. Much like kelp on the ocean rocks.

Mine and Gretchen's possibly first official camp picture. Chase is cute too.

Grandkids!

Oldest to youngest, starting on Rt in back: Evan, Code, Chand Livi, Logan, E-Man, Aaron, Dax, Chasers, Emmy, and Abby(in Cody's arms). 11 great kids!

Ellisons

She wore her Cancer Shmancer shirt for this day. Back at camp we had a special celebration. This day, Thursday, July 22, 2010 was the last time Livi had to take chemo pills!!! We bought a cake at Safeway and had a bit of a ceremony. I helped Livi write down everything that she was "throwing away" with her pills. Things like, limitations of cancer, loosing her hair, not being able to play sports, fasting for spinal taps, meds, surgeries...etc. We filmed it. She then threw the list in the fire and poured her remaining pills in a box and smashed them with a hammer. Some of the shot out of the box and we joked about coming next year and finding a giant hairless chipmunk who ate Livi's chemo pills and steroids. After a good beating she threw the box in the fire and we clapped as she watched the sparks. I'm not sure about everyone else, but for me, the tears were definitely rolling.

, Ryan, Bill, Cody, Chandler and I went on a bike ride along the original Hwy 1. It was a good ride and very difficult for the boys but they pushed through and made it, only walking up one fairly steep hill. I laughed when Bill asked if that's how hard my rides are. At parts of the road you could see, through the overgrowth, the old road. FUN.

Packing up is always a chore, but we are getting better. The kids are helpful by playing with one another. Livi and Ethan kept Abby happy.

Ethan, Aaron and Emily

Every year we have taken a picture on our last day in front of this tree in front of campsite 38. I think next time the kids will be on the ground!

We've tried a new tradition the last couple of years. It's seeming to stick.

Lunch at Samoas Cookhouse just outside of Eureka. It's a bit out of the way but good family style food and we're not cooking it! Bill did some worthwhile life skill teaching. Chan caught

on rather nicely. Everyone had a great time. I lost a filling... and Livi was lovin' on Aaron!

Until next year...

Life with the Bonds

2010-11-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

When we arrived home from Seattle, we had 3 days to prepare for a week at our friends, the Bonds' house. Mom and Dad were going on a getaway and asked if we could stay at their house and watch over their 5 kids, ranging in age from 15 down to Livi's best friend Zoey who is 6. We even took Annie who enjoyed playing with their dog Princess and learned to swim in the pool. When you throw a dog in water and watch them sink deeper and deeper it is a relieving experience to watch them resurface. I don't know about the Bonds, but my kids had a fabulous time. Bill was actually able to join us for 1 or 2 nights in which the girls LOVED him throwing them into flips. Being around the pool all week wasn't exactly a bad thing either. Aaron and Livi both became quite the little fishies. They even liked most of the meals I prepared, 3 out of 5 isn't too bad.

Seattle

2010-10-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

On July 1st the 4 of us boarded a plane and flew to Seattle, WA for a much anticipated vacation. Bill's mom and stepdad Tiger had planned this trip with Tiger's brother Frank and his wife, Terry. Frank and Terry live just outside of Seattle and have recently bought a house that sits on Lake Washington. Bill told Aaron about this trip on our way home from Redding over Christmas vacation. No joke, Aaron has been asking every single week since, "When are we going to Seattle?" Bill's brother Sam and his family were there, Tiger's boys Bob and Bryan and their families were there as well. It was such a great vacation. We flew in late Thursday night and came home Tuesday afternoon. The weather, even though July was cloudy and cool... perfect. I can't wait to do it again!

The kids were soooo excited to go on a trip with Dad. The airplane made it even better. FYI: Livi's hair for the most part fell out again. Instead of being baby smooth like before, it started growing back before she had completely lost it all. But there were just a few shaggy chunks, so... Wednesday evening, I sat her on a barstool in the driveway and used the clippers down to a six. Our goal was to leave it as long as possible but to even it all out. SHE LOVED IT! She kept moving her head back and forth in front of the mirror and rubbing it. We are so blessed. If we could all have a little bit of her attitude about all this cancer junk... (sigh).

It was fabulous to have everyone together. The kids love being together but then to have Grandma and Papa T and Uncle Frank and Aunt Terry and the aunts and uncles... WOW! At times all the excitement and bodies flying around the room was a little too much for Grandma, but she relished in seeing everyone together.

Aunt Terry took us to Ivar's Seafood on the pier by Pike's Place Fish Market. It was quite the experience and we all got a crash course on how to YELL our order and how many to the cooks on the other side of the tall counter outside. We loved it. Terry made sure that Grandma made it through the experience.

Aaron, Livi, Josh, Cody

We couldn't resist buying something at Pike's Market. The kids picked out a great sized crab. Aaron ended up eating most of it. Josh had wanted one too, so Sam and Nikki bought one for him to carry as well. Little did we know that he thought he was getting a pet. When it came time to eat it you could just tell on his little face that that was not OK!

I don't know if it's because we live in the desert, but I could not get over the vibrant color of ALL THE FLOWERS! And the amount of them!!! My goodness, and so CHEAP! I love Seattle.

The honest to goodness original Starbucks.

Aaron took a little ride on the golden hog for luck, while Livi slept in the baby stroller.

Aren't we cute?! This particular market is Pike's Place Fish Market became known for their "fish throwing". Unfortunately we didn't really see the long bombs we were hoping for, but I did like how they would shove the money in a tennis ball to chuck it to the cashier.

Sam and Cody posing just in front of the Market with the bay behind them.

A stop and tour of Uncle Franks retirement "hobby", Eight Bells Winery.

What little boy could withstand the urge to jump off a dock into a lake? Who cares if the water is in the 60's. Aaron wanted to get in badly and even when we let him feel the water he said, "Oh, that's cold! Where's my swim suit?" Boys will be boys. Dad was a

great sport and jumped in first to catch him. His face when he came up out of the water was priceless. Aaron did not need any convincing. He couldn't get enough. After his first submersion he came up and was so shocked the poor kid couldn't even breathe. All he could do was grasp for Dad and

say, through tightly gritted teeth, "COLD!" Yeah, you said it. Olivia does not like to be out done. But she is much more like me... cautious, we'll call it. Bill patiently waded in the water waiting for her to jump. The more people encouraged the more scared she became. "Oh dear" was muttered many times. In the meantime, Aaron jumped in a couple more times by himself. After a good 3-5 minutes she asked, "can I do it?" To which I replied, "Girl, you conquered cancer, you can do anything." She nervously rubbed her bald little head sighed and took the plunge. (I got video of both.) We did go kayaking the next day. I missed the blooper of the century while I was inside getting into my swimsuit. From what I heard Bill was in the kayak and Aaron was getting in or vice versa... anyways, their kayak tipped and they both went under. Classic. Livi paddled around with me while Bill took Aaron. Very relaxing.

Aaron could not get enough of Uncle Bob, and his food, or Great Uncle Frank and his boat. Or perhaps, just Uncle Frank himself. Frank had a little shadow all weekend that continually asked if

they could go out on the boat or check on the boat. I don't know who had more fun with it, Aaron or Frank. No matter to Aaron if nobody else was going out on the lake, he wanted to go. Frank took us down to see Bill Gates' house and Aaron was so at peace that he fell asleep on the floorboard. It was a good 20min drive. He then went BACK when Frank took Sam to see the house. (That's how we got this picture.) At one point the boat had started acting up and so Frank docked it and would fiddle with the engine and constantly check the gas gage when out on the lake. Aaron took charge of this task very willingly. Frank even showed Aaron how to skip rocks. Little boys find heaven on Lake Washington. I told Terry that I'm going to have to send

Aaron up to stay with them for the summer when he's old enough.

Aaron's love for the boat does not discount Livi's excitement for the experience one bit. She loved helping Frank look after the engine and drive. Frank was so great. He would let Olivia sit with him and drive. Actually, really DRIVE! More than a few times I would start to worry

that
we were getting a little too close to shore and Frank would casually place his hands back on the wheel and guide her back on course. On the trip out to Gates' house Livi was literally falling asleep at the wheel. We motioned to Frank and he took over from there. Surprisingly enough it was Olivia who kept wanting to go faster on the float when it was being towed behind the boat. That too is like me. Don't try to get me to jump into the water if I'm high up or it's cold, but once I'm in I am very much in my element. Bill got in

on the action and wowed us all with his wake boarding abilities even if he did it in furry black boots with hot pink piping!

Fourth of July was done right, starting with a wonderfully patriotic breakfast. And ending with an incredible meal of fish tacos, a la Terry and fireworks out on the lawn, a la Uncle Bryan.

Most nights were spent with the four brothers reliving their childhood days. I learned a very important lesson that weekend... my husband while he may be quite and seemingly well reserved is quite the instigator. Tall tales of shooting bulls in the balls with bb guns, "Code Reds", and stringing rope across the river to clothesline boaters... oh yes, my husband's ideas! Grandma could not believe all that went on. It was great!

Left to right; Bryan, Bob, Bill and Sam

On Monday, Bob and DeAnn flew home, and Bryan and Krista and their new little on Edyth drove back home. So with the rest of us it was off to see "the narrows". It was such a great

place. The boats came in from the ocean and the gates closed. The water lowered and then they were let out to Lake Washington. The boats coming in from the lake waited while the waters raised and then they were let out to the ocean. We saw a ginormous yacht complete with hot

tub and all. Next to it was a tin fishing boat with a dad, mom, and two kids. It looked like it could sink at any moment. But, everyone was happy. Quite the dichotomy.

We ate our picnic lunch, watched the fish at the ladders and saw a magnificent coast guard ship.

We were very lucky to attend a Seattle Mariners baseball game with Frank. Nikki, bless her heart, stayed with Mom and Terry to watch the kids while Bill, Sam and I went with Frank and planted ourselves in the seats he's had for over 20 yrs! Just past 1st base 3 or 4 rows back. SafeCo field was beautiful.

Tuesday, Sam and Nikki and the boys, as well as Grandma and Papa T. left early in the morning

and our flight was later. Terry took us down to the beach to see the ferry. We took her out to lunch in a little mexican restaurant, visited their house (the lake house is going to be torn down to build their "dream" home) and then took a quick stop at the space needle.

Bill got out of the car to take our picture and then back in the car to go to the airport.

Looking back on this last day, I think Aaron was a very sad little boy. He wouldn't smile for any pictures... he did NOT want to go home. We are so grateful to everyone who made this trip so fabulous. Even all those we didn't get pictures of. (I need to be better at that.) So to Whitney, Taylor (Frank & Terry's girls), Nikki, DeAnn, Krista, go figure all us women... we love you. Thank you!

June

2010-09-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

June started off in a good way with my sister Angie and her then fiance, Matt and his little boy, Daxton, visiting for the weekend. They went to one of Aaron's soccer games with us. We of course had Sno Cones, did slip-n-slide, street hockey, the park at night (the only time it cools down to 99 instead of triple digits) and installed a basketball hoop. The four of us adults also got to take advantage of my Aunt Tammy coming to town and went out on a date on the strip. It was nice to be out with my sister and Matt.

Bill, Jared, Alex (Jared's dad)

The basketball hoop was purchased by us and two other neighbors. Jared, with limited help

from the dad's, dug the hole, the guys all poured the cement and EVERYONE has been loving it. We only received one letter from the association but after writing back and explaining that it builds community and helps promote exercise the left us alone.

Aaron had his last soccer game on Saturday the 12th and enjoyed a cupcake cake that we had picked out for the team.

On Wednesday the 16th my dear friend Natalie Cabezud flew in to town. Funny story, for whatever reason I had it in my mind that she was coming Thursday so when she called Wednesday and said her flight was a little behind I thought, "What?! It's an entire day early!!" Luckily Natalie was coming to see us and not our house, because needless to say, it was NOT ready!

Aaron with Calvin Powell

Livi with Lori Powell

Friday night we went camping with some friends that we met through school. Megan, Mike and Matt are triplets in Livi's class and belong to the Webb family. Jackson was also in their class and is a Powell. He brought his neighbor Gage along as well. (To the right is Misti Webb with Jackson, Livi, Mike, Gage, Megan, and Aaron.)

And of course we all brought our dogs who are as good of friends as our kids. Harley is a golden retriever like Annie, but red, and belongs to the Webbs. And Baxter is an English border collie who thinks Annie is his girlfriend and... a sheep. It's so fun to watch all the kids and dogs play. Needless to say we were all very dirty and Annie was more brown than white. It was a great overnight camp trip up to Lee Canyon at Mt. Charleston with tons of good food (we made cobblers!) and lots of great company. Livi and Matt were content just being together and us adults couldn't be sure but sensed a possible first crush. TOO CUTE! (Ahhhh! Aren't they too young?!

Left: Livi, Matt, Jackson, Aaron, Mike(in back)

The next day, Sunday, was my birthday and Father's Day. I wanted to celebrate my birthday with the ones I love so on Saturday evening, Bill, Natalie, the kids and I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3-D. It was Aaron's first time in a movie theater. (Aaron kept his 3-D glasses and wore them to church the next day. He said they helped him see better.) It was a great movie. Beforehand we had enjoyed pork salads from Cafe Rio, YUM!

Sunday, I woke up to a wonderfully decorated house with birthday signs EVERYWHERE! (Thank you babe and Natalie!) Natalie came to church with us to church and then we opened presents.

These were of me "opening" my gifts... most girls would be excited if it were a pink nightie or something fun. For me... anything exercise related is fabulous! Poor Bill. He even tried to make it a little more girly by getting pink, but these pale legs simply couldn't handle it. Black goes with more anyways.(The shorts were from Bill, the apron from Natalie, and the kids, with Natalie's help, made me a bracelet and necklace.)

For Father's Day the kids and I picked out new swim trunks and shirt. SCORE! He actually liked it!!!

Ice cream sundae's for dessert, with homemade brownie's... HEAVEN! and then an evening trying to figure out how to properly install/use my "real" birthday present: a fully swinging bike rack that goes on the hitch and holds 4 bikes! It took 3 of us with BA's, and a video from u-tube to figure the darn thing out. But we did and I LOVE IT!

The next day, Monday, Olivia had her very last spinal tap for chemo treatments!!! So great that Natalie could be there with us. Luckily Aaron was able to hang with some friends for the appointment. I was glad to be able to get these pictures as they are a good reminder of what I hope to never see again. I still remember when it was all so new. How my heart ached when I saw her drug induced tears. How I giggled when she would ask through almost impossible to understand slurred speech, "Mom, how'd'u do'at?"

Me: "How'd I do what honey?"

Livi: "How'd'u have chu (2) nozes?"

Me: "Does mommy look funny with 2 noses? That's funny. It's just your medicine."

But now we are done with the yucky sedations and have 1 more chemo treatment left in July.

Unfortunately good things come to an end as well and Natalie flew home after lunch at Jason's Deli.

The rest of the month was spent playing in the late evening 'til 9 or so at night outside with the neighborhood kids. We have come to accept our very small backyard and appreciate what it has given us, a large driveway at the end of the street where all the kids congregate. SO FUN! Poor

Aaron though, on the night of the 23rd, it was late in the evening and the kids were playing hide-n-seek, or something. It was dark. Aaron went running across the street and tripped. The only thing that caught him was his face! Poor guy. I don't remember the last time I saw/heard

him cry over an injury, and especially this much. As with all face injuries there was a TON of blood, but we were able to assess the damage and get him cleaned up. And only a week before we got to see Grandma... what was she to think?!

May

2010-07-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was sweet. It was the first time Aaron was able to sing in sacrament meeting. And both kids had made little art projects for me in school. Bill and the kids took care of me and let me relax. We even got a beautiful picture in front of the beautiful jasmine that everyone said wouldn't bloom because of the amount of sun. Well, it bloomed fully and was gorgeous and smelled so sweet.
Livi was able to be part of a reading program at school called Accelerated Reader. She was the only student in Kinder, or first grade to participate. Her teacher, Ms. Lee set a goal for her on how many points to earn (depending on the difficulty of the book, a higher point value is assigned). She reached her goal of 7 points from January and got to join her teacher for lunch at school. It was a really big deal because she's in half day kindergarten. Ms. Lee even bought a cake for them to share.
We joined the YMCA and all became very active with our exercise. Bill has been sticking to a great work out regimen 5 days+ a week at 24 hr Fitness at his work. Since joining the Y I've been grateful to be back at a gym with good classes, good teachers and fun people, something I've missed ever since leaving Cal Fit in Sacramento. The kids have enjoyed, basketball and swimming after my classes. They also are able to participate in Kids Yoga, Cardio Blast and Kids Step. The classes are so much fun to watch, I never get my reading done.
With the nicer weather finally here we attempted to get moving in the morning on time to ride/walk to school. This was our first attempt and last for a while. The kids wanted to do scooters. Livi hit a wet spot on the street from the water trucks constantly spraying to keep the dust down from the construction of the middle school further up. Well, water on the street just means oil slicks and Olivia hit it hard. Flat on her belly/face in the middle of the cross walk. Luckily we were just crossing the street from our house so we were able to get home, bathe, and get in the car in time for the bell. Even her arms and legs were black! (I never was able to get it out of the shirt completely.)

Our "gardening" this year. It made the front look pretty. The kids love to pick out and plant the flowers and I love talking to them about Mom as we do it. The kids also wanted to plant seeds that they've acquired as of late. One Sunday afternoon, they were insistent and Bill and I wanted to nap. We woke up to the kids having planted our garden bed. They had dug holes, 1 for each pouch of seeds, and poured the entire contents into the hole. I explained why that wasn't the proper way to do it and we'll have to redo it if we want any growth. Much to our surprise I found our garden be full of what I thought were weeds one morning. I pulled out a handful and realized, these aren't weeds. Upon closer examination I saw this! We couldn't believe it. We hadn't even been watering them. Apparently there was just enough overspray from the sprinklers. I guess we did garden after all this year!Snow cones with the neighbors and movies projected on the neighbors' house have been a blast throughout the month. Our 1st annual Memorial Day neighborhood BBQ was a great success. With the learning curve thrown in, next year will be even better.

Playing basketball at the Y one day, with the kids, Aaron accidentally pulled Livi's hair. She hardly even noticed, but this was the result! We had suspected for a while that it was falling out again but this was proof. Every brush stroke would leave me cleaning out the brush. So, we called a girl from church and asked her for some help. Katie did a great job. And more importantly, Livi LOVED it! So sassy!With great weather lots of fun is to be had outside. This leads to tired little boys who will steal a nap anywhere they dare. We are now very careful with him in the tub. Luckily I wasn't the one getting Aaron in the tub this night. I usually will let him turn it off when he's ready. Bill, thankfully, wasn't so generous. It was kinda creepy to watch his arms and legs floating.
Soccer was a huge contributor to that fun outside. Aaron did really well. He was great with his teammates and helped encourage the more shy kids on the team. He scored two great goals in one game and 1 or two more in subsequent games. He surprised Bill and I with how well he followed the rules and understood the game. He never tried to kick the ball once out of bounds and always turned the ball towards the right goal before pursuing it. He was aggressive for the most part but what he did the best, and what the coach always wanted him to do, was to "get the ball down field!". What a GREAT first season. (Halfway into the season Bill started looking up pop warner info for football. Aaron can't wait 'til next year when he can play. Pads, helmet and all! BRING IT ON!
May was a very windy month, as usual. Unfortunately it only got stronger the night of the father son campout for church. The boys went, took pictures of each other, ate some Dorritos, and came home. After stopping for some Slurpee's, of course. They were meant to camp out at Red Rock but Bill said it was nearly impossible to hear anyone talking and even he was having a hard time standing up. It turned out better that way because I was flat on my back with a double ear and throat infection and we had painters coming to complete the interior of our home the next day. (Still haven't taken pics of the finished product... need to do that. I'm thrilled with how it turned out.

Wedding Bells

2010-05-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

(left to right: Katie, Stephanie, Me, Andrea

Anna, Chloe, Voni, Angie, Lorraine, Karen, Kira)

I was fortunate enough to be able to rent a car and drive up to Provo, Utah (area) Thursday morning to attend a bridal shower that my Aunts were throwing for Angie and then help her look for wedding dresses on Friday. Yes, Matt VanDuren asked, and she said yes! She also said "yes" to the dress! (No peeking!)

The shower was great. I got there at the exact time it was starting. I thought I would have an hour to spare... forgot about the time change. Boy did I get lucky. Fantastic food! It was great to see Angie and to listen as she shared her experiences with Matt to Mom's sisters and some of our cousins. We all got teary eyed when she shared about our conviction that Mom helped them find each other.

Friday, while we shopped, Liz Williams, my dear friend, joined us for the searching. It was fun to have a quick visit with her as well. Saturday, it was back in the car for the lonely 5 hour car ride home. Glad I went. Glad to have been there for my baby sister. SOOO HAPPY FOR HER!

Dinner Guests

2010-05-05T00:30:00.000-07:00

My mom's sister, Yvonne and her husband, Randy, along with Katie and Alyssa stopped by our house on that very busy Saturday night. I was worried about all the events of the day but thrilled with the visit we were able to have. We had an awesome taco salad for dinner and great conversation. The kids LOVED being with Katie and Alyssa, as well as playing with my Aunt Voni and Uncle Randy. It was fun to have Bill around with our guests too. They got a kick out of the funny stories he's already piling up with his job experiences. We love having company. Friends and family visiting us reminds us of how blessed we are.

Alyssa, Aaron, Aunt Voni

Alyssa was in a softball tournament for her college. The reason for their trip to Vegas.

Katie and Livi. They could've crafted all night.

Uncle Randy held Livi when she was only 1 month old. She slept on his chest for over an hour. Such a great big cuddly bear. LOVE HIM!

It's really fun to be around Mom's sisters. They all remind me of my mom in such different ways. The way my aunt Yvonne scrunches her nose and eyes when she laughs... ohh mom.

GO SEA SIDERS!

2010-05-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

Aaron was able to get on a great soccer league through parks and rec. It's 6 weeks with 1 game and 1 practice per week. The coaches are parent volunteers and also double as the ref during the game. I really like this aspect of it because the coaches take the time to teach during the play of the game. We really lucked out by getting the coach we did. Mike Tighe loves the game and his intensity shows. It's somewhat comical to watch as you can see him reminding himself that they are 3 and 4 yrs of age and not the star athletes he has envisioned. They chose the name Sea Siders for the team. It's a nick name of a team from Britain. (The coach's wife is from England.) The games consist of 4 quarters of 6 minutes each. Welcome to the world of little league sports. We are THRILLED to be here.

In the first game we learned several things about our son. 1.) He needs bigger shorts. 2.) He needs shin guards. I didn't think it would be an issue at this age but every time he got in a group I was cringing. 3.) He's pretty darn good.

He had several breakaways where he took the ball all the way down the field with the rest of the players behind him. Coach was very excited about this, as were we. Going into the game Bill was making me promise not to be too loud. I, several times, had to remind Bill to keep it down. It was SUCH A BLAST! The score ended up being 2-2 with the other team scoring all 4 points. The other team was all hispanic and looked as if they had been playing soccer since birth. They could dribble very well and kicked the ball HARD! It made us laugh. At one point there was a lot of excitement that Aaron had scored a goal. He had brought the ball down field and then it went in, but no one could see. It turned out to be the other team, but we were excited for a while. Funny things are bound to happen with this age. One of the boys on Aaron's team is on the younger side of 3 and very timid. He did not want to be on the field. When his dad started calling to him, "Mikey, get the ball!" Mikey ran to the sidelines and picked out a nice shiny blue one amidst all the practice balls.

Of course the best part is the snacks!

Of course my camera skills need improvement. By the time I realized he was breaking away and got the camera filming things had changed.

3 in 3

2010-05-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

I took Livi in for her regular chemo appointment on Monday, April 26th. It was her 4th from the last final chemo appt. and low and behold, her port was not working. The saline was ballooning in her armpit and making her cry out in pain. They sent us over to the hospital to do a line study and see if the line was broken or clogged. They say it happens quite regularly. So, off Livi and I walk to Sunrise Hospital, right across the street. Bill, of course had just flown out of town that morning to Iowa, and so Bill was set up to go to the Hulme's house after school. Michelle Hulme, and the whole family for that matter, SAINTS! The staff finally got Olivia back to x-ray and decided to bring in an "expert" to make sure the port was accessed correctly. This irritated me. I said, "You mean that you think the people who access these ports everyday all day don't know how to do it as good as your nurse?" "Well, blah blah blah blah blah..." The nurse comes in. I tell her that all the fluid is pooling in her armpit and it really hurts. She figures that since the saline is going in that it is accessed correctly and then proceeds to flush it again. She can't even figure out what to do. Remember, this is the "expert". I first have to show her how to take the red cap off the end of the line that is there to help keep the line clean, and then she can't get it to flush at all. The whole time I'm floored. I tell her, "You have to unclamp the line.!" ARGH! Then she starts to flush. I tell her to be careful, it's only going to pool and it hurts Livi when it does it. She pushes about 20cc's before I say, "Okay, that's enough. It's clearly not working and doing just what the doctor's office said. You're hurting my daughter. You need to stop!" UGH, I hate nurses and doctors who are too proud to admit they haven't done something before, or that they are still learning.

Enter in the x-ray tech and the doctor. Together they can not find the clot/bulge in the line. They are moving Livi all over the table and can't find it. I look at the screen and the big black spot and say, "Is that it right there?" "Oh yeah, there it is." UGH!!! To listen to him explain what happened with the line is somewhat comical. I know enough about her line by now to know what he is saying doesn't quite fly. We get back to the oncologists office and I share the wonderful experience... it makes for a good laugh. The real reason of why it wasn't working, and remember, ports stop working all the time, but of course, this is my daughter, and my daughter likes to be different. A sheath had formed over the end of Olivia's line. The sheath grew so large that it followed the line clear back to Livi's armpit. The fluid was being pushed through the line, out of it, into the sheath and following the line back to the end of the sheath(the armpit) and pooling. They had never seen this happen before. Of course, like I said, we like to be different. Surgery needed to happen. A new port needed to be placed for her 4 more rounds of treatment and the follow up checks that would happen til February 2011.

The surgery was supposed to be for Wednesday, so Bill, after going out for steak dinner Monday, flew home Tuesday before his first shift of work. (In essence, he flew to Iowa for a steak dinner all on the government's dime. Gotta love those tax payers!) The best part of all, Livi's surgery wasn't able to be scheduled 'til Friday.

3 surgeries in 3 years

Regardless of timing, it was a good thing Dad was there! Don't forget Misaroo II.

Waking up has never been easy for her.

Having the breathing tube really hurt this time. The popsicles offered some relief.

What a great little brother. Bill had gone to pick him up at the house while Livi was in surgery.We had to leave the house at 5:45 so our angelic neighbor Becky, after sending her daughter to seminary, came down to be with Aaron. She bathed him and got him ready for Bill. The boys went shopping to get Liv and new DS as hers had been taken from the doctors office after an appointment. We warranted a surgery as a pretty good excuse to replace her beloved Christmas present. Bill said that the whole time shopping for the game system, Aaron never once asked for one for himself. Only wanted to know how Livi was doing.

When they got to the hospital, Bill went back with Liv and I waited a short time with Aaron. He was so concerned for her. When they wheeled her out in the wheelchair he went running to her screaming her name.

Bill got the car, I carried Livi, and Aaron rode in the wheelchair. A trip down to the oncologist's office for the chemo they forgot to order for the hospital on the other side of town and then home. We all slept for a couple of hours. My visiting teachers brought dinner and I took Aaron to his first soccer practice. Livi threw up a couple of times, once while Dad was outside, she was all alone, poor thing. But had no problem getting to the toilet either time. (Kinda sad when a 6 year old knows that feeling so well.)

Saturday we all went to Aaron's first soccer game. Livi looked great. After soccer we went to Color-me-mine for a Make-a-Wish pottery painting and then from there Livi went to her friend's birthday party at the park. (Writing this now I can't believe she did all that. I can't believe we let her. It's amazing how strong kids are. It's amazing the determination you gain as a parent with an ill child to not let them miss out on life.)

Thank you Grandma for the flowers. They really did put a smile on her face.

GREAT JOB LIVI!

Stubby

2010-05-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

As usual with things like this, the photos do not do it justice. And of course it happened when we were trying to get out the door. Sunday morning, crazy trying to get ready for 9am church, Bill's downstairs getting things in the car, I'm finishing up my makeup, kids are keeping themselves entertained... and that's when the problem starts. I hear Bill coming up the stairs and Livi harshly whispering, "Hurry, hurry, daddy's coming!" SLAM! "AAAHHHHHH!!!!!" (What the heck?) Bill pulls Aaron out of the dryer screaming in agony. Livi was coaxing him into a "cool" hiding place when things got rushed because "daddy was coming" and fingers didn't clear the door jam of the dryer when she decided to attempt to close the dryer door. His poor little finger got very large and purple and crooked. A couple nurses at church looked at it and thought it looked good. I splinted it for a couple hours after church and by the evening the swelling had gone down tremendously. Very tender though.

The following Saturday he had a soccer game in which he fell on it... that did NOT look good. I ended up going to an orthopedic for my knee the following Monday and they did an x-ray of his pinkie. They said you would really be able to know if it was broken or not because it was in the joint, but it seemed okay. He probably hurt the growth plate and so now will have a stubby pinkie. I guess there's worse things to have. Poor guy!

Tour de Summerlin

2010-04-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

It came. My big 80 miler came and I did it! It was great. Friday night we went to a team dinner at Paymon's Mediterranean Cafe, one of our sponsors and filled up on carbs. Bill and the kids were all able to join me and Livi even prepared a little speech. Melissa, from Candlelighters, who we were riding for, had asked if Livi would stand up and say "Hi" to all the riders who were going to be at the dinner. Livi wanted to say a little more. She sat down at the computer and typed this out, with little help from me, and with that only on spelling. For future references I want to stress that the ideas were completely hers.

"My Name is LIVI and my brothers Name is Aaron he is very funny. I try to teach him things like time. And the special thing is he helped me with my cancer. I appreciate all the things that Candlelighters does to help the cancer kids. I appreciate how you are helping Candlelighters raise money for the cancer kids. The money that you raised helps families like mine. When I was sick, Candlelighters paid for my TPN. It was the food that went into my port. They also gave money to my family for gas and food while I was in the hospital for a long time. I’m so glad that you are all doing the race together. GOOD LUCK!!!!"

Unfortunately she froze in front of the crown, about 40 people large, so I ended up reading it for her. I started to cry at one point and was reminded at how real the last 2 years have been. (Lately with things going just fine, the "craziness" of it all has been tempered.) Everyone was very gracious and thanked her for her words.

I was nervous getting to bed that night. I wanted to make sure everything was ready to go for the morning. I had gone shopping earlier that day with Aaron to get all my nutrition for the ride and Bill picked up some Gatorade, so I was set. Alarm was set for 5:30, a friend, Joel, from the team, got to the house at 10 til, we loaded up and drove out to the start in Summerlin. The two of us had decided to ride together as it seemed that our riding levels were closer to eachothers than the other team members. It was very cold to say the least, but with the forecast calling for mid 80's by noon we knew we wouldn't want any extra clothing so we dealt with the cool morning temps.

The ride started and we were able to make it to the middle of the pack. Neither of us had ever ridden with a group before. We couldn't figure out why everyone was going so slow. We were on the downhill part of the course and COASTING! Why are we coasting when this is where we can make up the time of the more strenuous climbs later on the route? I didn't think my odometer was working correctly because no way were we going 25 mph on a slight downhill grade COASTING! Well, come to find out, that drafting thing is quite amazing. I pulled out of the pack, alongside, and quickly lost my place. We met up with a gal that I had met through my riding buddy Rhonda Cook, and yes my computer was working properly. In a group of about 70 riders, there is a serious draft. We enjoyed it for the first 10 mi or so and then stop lights separated us out. The first 4-5 mi we had police helping us through the lights but after that we were on our own. It was a fun atmosphere, and I ended up riding more with Tammy than Joel due to miscommunication but I was more than happy with my performance. I hit my target time of 5 hours and kept my avg speed at 15.5.

Bill and the kids met us at the 35 mi mark to give Joel and I full drink bottles. It was fun to see

them and I was grateful that they put the effort into coming. They left from there to take Aaron to his opening day of soccer. They were to run drills and get the teams figured out. After his soccer they came back to the ride, I had just finished and was getting my lunch. They had Qdoba Mexican Grill cater for the riders and their families.

The kids ate ice cream. I enjoyed the tacos and started to relax.

That night was the Elders Quorum BBQ at the park so not a lot of down time was acquired. It was a good turn out but I was more than happy to be home.

I felt really good about the ride and didn't have any problems except that my legs felt... tired. My muscles weren't sore or anything. My saddle was a little sore, to be expected I suppose, but my legs were soo tired. By Tuesday I felt fine.

In addition to meeting my physical goals, I exceeded my donation goals. I raised $1040.00 thanks to all my friends and family who gave and even pushed their friends and family to give. And yes, I am doing it again next year.

Welcome to the Donation Page of
Rachel Ellison

Thank you for your involvement!

Enter Donation Amount Here: *Currency shown: US Dollar $

My Fundraising Goal:
$1,000.00

Money Raised to Date:
$1,040.00

If you are unable to donate online, please print out a donation form.

... because Candlelighters helped us fight.

I have signed up for a challenging fundraising initiative, called "Riders for Candlelighters Kids". This is a team of beginning to intermediate cyclists who are training for 14 weeks for the Tour de Summerlin bike event on April 24th. This event is an 80 mile bike ride throughout the streets of Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. This charity allows us all to give a little to make the suffering from childhood cancer less and living life a real goal.

I wanted to take this opportunity to help an organization that helped us through Livi's battle with Cancer. Our whole family struggled with the effects of cancer and were given much support from Candlelighters. Many services, treatments and other expenses were covered thanks to all the hard work that this foundation does. Please help me give back!

I will be counting on Mom to push me from behind on my 1st 80mi. ride.

Goodbye training wheels!

2010-04-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Only 1 year ago, in March we had taped Aaron's feet to the pedals of his bike so that he could learn to pedal without breaking. Now, look at him go! (While Dad and Aaron practiced, Livi ran along side up and down the street to get her exercise. She never complained once about Aaron using her bike. And that's how they do it. They cheer each other on, don't get bummed when one gets the next best thing. We are blessed.
The video says it all.

Sweet Treat

2010-04-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

I could be talking about either thing, Cathy or the fruit. I guess in this

instance, I am talking about both! My friend (I guess I should say "our" friend), Cathy, from Chicago came to visit Las Vegas. She arrived in town with friends on Wednesday and extended her trip by a day to stay with us Saturday night and attend church with us "again" on Sunday. I laughed when she asked me if it would be okay if she came to church "again". As a "thank you" for letting her stay she had this SPECTACULAR Edible Arrangement delivered to us on Friday. It came only a couple of hours before we left for camping, but I can assure you it didn't look this pretty for long. I called Cathy to thank her, she gave the go ahead and the kids

couldn't slow down. Yummie! The kids both agreed that they should call her Aunt Cathy because she loves them so much.

Saturday, when we got back from camping, the kids and I picked her up from Aria (Bill was doing a run). She too enjoyed the goodnight button and the comfortable bedding. Cathy enjoyed it so much that she even ordered their pillows! Olivia set up a restaurant complete with entertainment, violin and a song that her and I sang. Cathy treated us to a fun dinner at Red Robin. She had never been before but remembered it from our birthday blogs. She understood why we did kid birthdays there.

Sunday, after church Livi and Aaron put on a sock puppet show complete with scenery. Aaron practiced riding his bike without training wheels, and Bill got smacked with a swinging tennis

ball while trying to pose for a picture. The weekend ended way too soon and I had to take Cathy back to the airport not knowing when our paths would cross again. We both feel very fortunate to have had these two visits so close together (she came in December 2009). I hope for Bill and I to go back to Chicago in the next year or two and catch a Cubs game in the spring. Thank you Cathy for loving our family. Oh, by the way, glad I was finally able to give you your Christmas present. We love you!

Warm Springs

2010-04-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Friday, late afternoon, we took the opportunity to go camping with some friends to a campsite 1 hour away from our house owned by the church. It's a very large camping grounds owned by the church and for a minimal fee you have access to all the amenities. Camp sites, volleyball, pavilions

at each site, restrooms, a creek/warm spring that you can "hike" through, and a pool that is filled once a week with the water from the hot spring. It was a lot of fun to be there. We have only done an overnight camp out once or twice before, and it was a lot of fun. We made tinfoil dinners as a dry run for our Claycamp Campout this year. Pretty tasty with chicken, pineapple, bell pepper, red potatoes and onion. The next morning we

opted out of pancakes, too much work, and snacked on eggs, bacon and donuts! YUM!

This pic is Aaron, Livi and Ashlyn Wood(Dad, Jason, in the red shirt.)

Livi, Caitlin and Andrew Hogan(Dad, Barrett, in the blue shorts with little sister Lacey.)

My most favorite part, and probably the rest of the family would agree, was the river hike. We did it twice and both times the kids had a blast. Mike Scofield, the gentleman on the right with the swaggered pose toured us through the property as his parents had served a service mission there for several years. (The current was pretty strong and at some points we had to grab hold of the kids to keep them from being swept away. Most definitely somewhere I want to go back to.

Aaron was cracking us up. He would NOT let me get a picture of him. He was having such a blast and for whatever reason didn't want me to capture it. So this is his, "I don't want you taking my picture" face, not to be confused with his "I'm not having any fun" face.

Meanwhile...

2010-04-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

... our credit card company is starting to worry as they see purchases up and down California as well as purchases in Washington DC then Prague in the Czech Republic and then in DC again. (When Bill got home and had to explain our recent travels, listening to him on the phone I started to laugh. It did sound comical.

I liked this one of confession, so not what I'm used to.

The cathedral.

Very gothic looking.

Gretchen said that when she was there, everything was very old looking. That did not seem the case to Bill. A lot of revamping and restoration going on.

This is one of the postcards Bill got. Its the calendar in a clock.

Anyways, Bill's trip to Prague was great. He enjoyed seeing the sights and he did get some great pictures. He didn't necessarily know all the time what he was taking pictures of, but I'm happy he got pictures. He even got one of himself! Gretchen had been able to go there after her senior year to sing in various cathedrals with the school choir and so Bill wondered if the cathedrals he saw were the ones Gretchen had sung in. I had done some asking around and researched some online to find what to do/see/buy while in Prague. Bill thanked me for it and actually used my found data. (I will definitely be doing that for him from now on. While Gretchen was there she had bought me a marionette. I thought it would be really neat for the kids to have them too. So Bill got each of them a "traditional folk" marionette and me 3 hand painted eggs. Perfect, just what they're known for. He also brought home a couple of postcards (can't always rely on the mail service, we learned that from trying to send postcards home from Cancun) and of course, the magnet.

Overall, I asked Bill how he liked it. He said that he would like to go back with me sometime. Not a place to have as a destination, but definitely a place worth spending a day.

Redding

2010-04-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

The car ride was actually a lot like running or riding my bike for any great distance. The first couple miles are always the worst. In this case the first couple hundred miles were the worst, but once we really got into it, it was great. Annie only threw up twice. Once on the backside of the console and onto her bed, the 2nd time I was able to catch it in her puke bucket. Yes, my dog has a puke bucket. Luckily, with the sedative on board she was finally able to relax and drowse through the drive. The one disconcerting thing was that she didn't pee the entire trip. A dog with a possible full bladder is very... worrisome. The kids, like normal, never complained and found the stops to be full of excitement. We never were able to quite figure out the best way to let everyone get a potty break "legally". I would leave one of the kids in the car with the dog while I took the other to the bathroom. A few times I let the kids escort each other while I gave Annie a long break. The kids also enjoyed some of the freedoms I used to enjoyNeedless to say Heavenly Father was watching out for me and my little family. We did stop for a picnic lunch in Bakersfield at a nice big park and let everyone run. (Still, Annie didn't pee!)

In Sacramento, about 9 hours in we stopped for dinner at 2 different fast food places. Livi wanted Taco Bell and Aaron and I got In and Out. Annie was IN my lap drooling while I paid for the meals. She hadn't eaten since the previous night. The kids and I decided to do a last minute drop in to Sam and Nikki's house in Natomas (a suburb of Sacramento) and eat dinner there. It was a lot of fun to see Livi, Aaron and Josh all playing together. It was 8 or later so Cody was already in bed. It was great to catch up and at one point I was very tempted to take their offer to stay but knew if I did it would take forever to get going the next day. We forged on and pulled into my dad's driveway at 12am, 13 full hours later. Excellent timing with all our stops. Like the many times my mom had driven all 5 of us kids across the deserts of Nevada to visit our cousins in Utah I was able to pay it forward and take my kids to see their cousins in California. It was a good feeling.

The week was FABULOUSLY FUN! I even had a chance to get in a good ride while I was there. The cousins all had a sleepover at the Reasbeck's and played everyday together. Dinner with Papa T. and Grandma. Kite flying with Grandpa and Nana. And the baptism... wonderful. Olivia cried, hysterically at times, throughout the baptism. I couldn't figure out if she was missing Granma or it was because Daddy wasn't there??? After the baptism ended she was able to collect herself enough to say, "I'm just so happy Cody made the right decision." Wow! That's our spiritual one, right there!

On Sunday, the drive home was uneventful, thankfully. Annie did well, still didn't pee; the kids were fantastic. The next day was Monday and back to school. I'm so glad we were able to go. I'm thrilled I was able to follow my mother's example and make that sacrifice for my kids. It was a sacrifice, but to see the joy that my children experienced that week enveloped in the joy of COUSINS... I would do it again in a heart beat. Oh yeah, we are doing it again in July, but that time Bill will be with us.

If Mom could, so could I!

2010-04-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Bill left and took the camera, this was the last picture I was able to take before his trip. I definitely wanted pictures of Prague as opposed to my week at home. I made this bunny cake for Easter dinner that we were having at the Hogan's house. Friends from church were kind enough to invite us and still let us come even though Bill had to back out. The kids and I watched morning session of General Conference together and then headed over to watch the 2nd session at the Hogan's house. The Holladay's and Allred's also joined us for dinner. This cake started my theme of, "If my mom could do it, so could I." I remember Mom making this cake but never liking the marshmallow creme frosting??? So I used cream cheese frosting. The kids all loved it. I also made Frog Eye salad, Mom's specialty. I had never made it before either. And much to my dismay... I should've listened to the little voice that had been haunting me ALL week! "Check the Acini di Pepe!!!" Yeah, I looked at it, it was in my cupboard. The same box that Adam used 2 years ago to make it for Easter dinner at the apartment. So, Saturday night, after the cake is done, I go to make it and low and behold... not enough Acini de Pepe! I could've died! I remembered 5 years ago, Easter in our Sacramento home when Mom and Dad had come down to join us with the Williams. I had searched all week for that stinkin' blue box from Rozonni... I don't quite remember who ended up finding the little balled noodle. I drove to Smith's ready for this to become a whole night quest. NO LITTLE BLUE BOX!!! UGH. I stood there staring for at least 3 minutes, which of course felt like eternity. What was I waiting for. Like by staring could actually make something magically appear. Mom must have been whispering in my ear because I decided to check out the "specialty" rack and there it was tucked behind some orzo... a little brown bag of Acini de Pepe. It wasn't Rozonni but I know mom would've approved. WHEW, crisis averted. And well worth the stress. The Frog Eye was a huge success. I loved watching the adults as they all tasted it for the first time and rolled the little bits of pasta on their tongues, with a look of, "What the heck is this ball?"

(Side note: Annie had been giving us problems. We had been trying to retrain her to do her duty in the rocks in her soon to be dog run on the side of the house. The beautiful grass wasn't quite that anymore. Well, you can teach an old dog new tricks, just be ready for starting from square one. I had put her up in the laundry room with the baby gate, like normal, before we left for the dinner. I came home to check on her and let her out about 4 hours later. A time totally doable by her, if she had been going to the bathroom regularly. I walked in and was smacked in the face with the smell of... we'll leave it there. All over, ALL OVER the kitchen floor. And a pee puddle the size of Lake Mead! But where was Annie? She was back in the laundry room behind her baby gate! NASTY! Got it cleaned up and back to the party. That's THE first time I've shared that story.)

We ate dessert. The kids had the bunny cake and we adults ate coconut cream pie and then we went our separate ways. I had decided to do it!

We got home and fervently started packing for Redding. A 12 hour car drive with just me and the kids and a dog who gets car sick.

The reason behind the insanity... my brother's son, Cody was getting baptized on the following Saturday. I had been lamenting for months about not being able to go. Bill said to me, I'm going to be gone, the kids can miss a week of school. They would love to see their cousins and it's important to you to be at the baptism. I was so scared of the drive that when I called to tell my dad I was coming I started crying. I kept telling myself, if mom did it, so could I. The previous day when I had my 60 miles ride I kept thinking to myself, "This is hard, but I'm doing it. I CAN do hard things." Much like the car ride ahead of me, I knew I could do hard things.

Livi had a chemo appointment the next morning. Dan, a good friend from Bill's work, hung out with Aaron and Annie in the parking lot of Dr. Bernstein's office while I went with Liv to her appointment. An hour and a half later, after a quick prayer that Livi's port would start working, Dr. B's mighty push to get the blood draw, and we were on our way to Rdg.

Connections with the Easter Bunny

2010-04-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

As typical with Bill's job instead of planning for a holiday we plan for Bill going on a trip. Of course we can never be sure if he's leaving or not we just wait for him to call and let us know. This time he called us on Thursday to tell us he was leaving Sunday morning for Prague! (That was actually more warning than we have had in the past.) Cool for him. Cool for us too. I took Aaron out to lunch to celebrate the extra bit of cash flow, all the cool pics and the neat treasures he would be bringing home. Being that he was going to be leaving Easter Sunday we told the kids about his special connection he has with the Easter Bunny. He would call Big Ears himself and have him come to our house a day early. So, Friday evening, Bill came home a little early and we colored eggs. (Getting a picture with only 2 kids looking at the camera is hard enough, I don't know how my mom did it with 5!) The kids were both pretty adamant about doing Easter at our house this year, which in all, is only the 3 time we've ever had it at our house since we've been married. I was glad we did it at our place. It was fun for the kids and it makes memories that much more real.

(I don't get it!? NOT ONCE CAN THEY BOTH LOOK AT THE SAME TIME! It's quite comical.

(This picture was when Aaron discovered a Reese's chocolate egg in his basket. Officially our entire family's favorite candy!) I was

training for my big bike ride so that morning I rode 60 miles and got home much later than had planned due to my riding partner getting a flat. I got home and while I got cleaned up Bill took the kids to get the oil changed. While they were gone the Easter Bunny came and hid all the eggs and left baskets full of goodies. It was a BLAST watching the kids discover their basket goodies and find eggs. They were SOOOO EXCITED with every egg that they found.

Immediately after the last egg was found Bill brought two packages in from the mail. Grandpa and Nana had sent Aaron and Livi Easter boxes. How much more excitement could two kids take?

Friends

2010-03-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

One of the things I miss most from Sacramento are our good friends the Dressers. Their oldest son, Jeffrey had a basketball tournament in town the week that we were on spring break so we were able to get together and enjoy our friendship. It was the first time that we were able to meet their new addition who is now 7 months old. Jillian is their 4th child and 2nd daughter rounding off their family beautifully. Aaron was

in heaven with Jeffrey and Jordan. Juliana was able to spend the night once with Olivia. We weren't able to watch Jeffrey play in his tournament, but we did get to watch him practice with his dad at the gym in our church building. I was amazed at the dedication of an 11 yr old. He seriously has some mad skills. And what was even better was the fact that Jeff, dad, could drill him

HARD and Jeffrey would just keep at it. It was fabulously therapeutic for me to have Jen here for even a short time. I can't wait for fall when the soccer tourneys are in town. WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

Kitchen Renovation/Re-do

2010-03-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of February it was raining a lot. "A lot" here is every day it rains all day and the total rain fall is 1/4 inch! Anyways, it was enough to do some damage. I noticed our kitchen floor was... mushy, we had a leaky seal in our slider door. After WEEKS of renovations, it took way longer than it should have, we have a brand new slider, and brand new laminate flooring which was installed a million times better than the original, new baseboards, trim and new paint. All at no cost to us since it was the builders fault for the leaky door. So, this is our 2nd free kitchen floor. NICE! (The mildew testers that ripped up the water damaged areas did such a poor job that more of the floor needed to be replaced. AND, when they took out the old flooring they scratched the existing floor all the way to the garage. Too bad they didn't carry it out the front door!)

Growing Up

2010-03-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

For Livi's 6th birthday, Grandpa and Nana gave Olivia a gift card to Home Depot for her to "remodel" her room. The room has yet to be completed but we knocked out a huge chunk by redoing her closet. Everything is now accessible by her. Upon making more room in her room, and making it work better for her, she decided to sacrifice some of her things from when she was "little". Dolly, who was given to her at her baby shower by her great Aunt Debbie was given final hugs and sent on its way. As well as her princess trunk stuffed to the brim with dress up clothes and her princess jewelry box stuffed with jewels. I was surprised that she wanted to get rid of these things. I knew she didn't really use them except for when friends came over, but I was happy that she was able to let go of some of her younger play times. WOW do they grow up fast of what?!

Cancun

2010-03-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Marriott Casa Magna

(March 1st through the 6th)

Let me first start off by reminding myself of why we were so fortunate to go on such a FANTASTIC trip. Rachel, you were husbandless for 7 months! Yes, nearly 3 years later Bill and I were able to reap the rewards of his training and vacation for 6 days in the beautiful Caribbean. I really could not believe the colors that were so perfectly painted onto that canvas. The sand with the lightest hint of tan fading into the shallow pale blue waters and then on to the amazing turquoise hues of the Caribbean Sea. Breath taking. Had my mom ever seen it in person, she never would have come home.

Man, am I lucky or what?!?! What a great view. Perfect guy, perfect beach...

The locals said it was the coldest winter they've had in YEARS! It was high of...72. But we still laid out by the pool everyday in hopes that the clouds would separate and our skin could be kissed by the sweet sun. (In between the clouds we would quickly cover with extra towels.)

On Wednesday we walked a few miles down the beach to get to the flea market and some malls. I was determined to find great shells for the kids. Well, along our walk I found a great conch

shell and decided to lighten its load by rinsing the sand off of it. As I waded into the ocean Bill must have been searching for sharks because the next thing I know a huge wave and just kissed my face "good-morning" and drenched my body. Bill didn't even see it. I couldn't stop laughing

at myself. And the conch, I ended up trading mine for one under a stair case where a bunch had been piled up. It was just as heavy but in better repair. The shopping was fun. We went through two malls that have all the regular stores that you'd find here and then caught a bus to get further on down to the flea market. This is where we bought the kids souvenirs.

We stayed by the pool until at last Friday, our last day came and

the wind had died and the sun was shining and we ventured out to the sand. We let our youth come back to play and swam in the ocean and tried out body surfing. It was a blast. We swam out to the buoys, to see what we could see... still just a lot of ocean. The sun did start to play

peek-a-boo so we made it back up to the pool deck where we ordered the tastiest
burgers ever, poolside. HOW FUN! What a treat to have such a perfect day. Later we went out to a Thai restaurant on site. I had never had Thai and Bill wanted me to try it. It wasn't bad. This day we finally got color.

Bill, a little too much on his trunk, I said he looked like a strawberry. For me, it was my legs and my back. I'm pretty sure I had Bill put sunscreen on my back...hmmm?! That night in bed even the sheets were a little too much for our lobster crusted bodies.

Tuesday we did zip line tours at a place called Selvatica. There were 12 different zip lines through the jungle. Bill said what I was thinking, "I wish there was more to look at than just... trees." But I suppose it is the jungle. According to the staff we just missed the monke

ys. They say they come out and hang around the lines at lunch time. We did our zip tour in the morning and then had the opportunity to swim in a cenote, a natural pool in the jungle. Pretty cool if you didn't look at the garden hose... it couldn't have been supplying all the water, perhaps just pumping water up for the planted vegetation?.?. Bill did the bigger zip line into

the pool where the little one was enough for me, even though my feet were practically touching the water by the time you let go. The water

wasn't too bad. A little cold but I stayed in for a while. After our swim we went back to

the hut and had fajitas, YUM, and watched video of our group from throughout the day. Bill and I both were able to do some of the lines upside down which was a fun experience. We both bought shirts for memorabilia, Bill's states that, "I did it upside down" and has the jungle trees upside down. Great experience and would highly recommend it to anyone. (They even said they could accommodate kids as little as 3 years old.)

I loved being able to see coconuts on all the trees. Not everything in Cancun is different, they still have McDonalds which we took advantage of for a cheap meal one night, but I even took a picture of that because it was in CANCUN! We bought the kids mexican candy bars and other souvenirish things. A shirt and pajamas for Aaron, a swim cover up and bracelet for Livi and of course post cards and shells. (The post cards...argh the post cards. I wanted to mail them home so they would have all the neat stamps on them. Bill, being practical, said, "No, we'll get home before the cards." Well he let me win and gave them to the front desk to mail, we've been home almost a month and still no cards. I'm pretty sure they don't travel by donkey anymore... ARGH! They were great. One was even of the coast line and our hotel was front and center.

On Thursday we took an all day excursion to the Yucatan and saw one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza Pyramids. It was incredible to stand at the base of the 31 meter pyramid and learn only a small part of it's history. (The largest one is in... Brazil, I think, and stands at 90 meters!!!) Even more incredible to tie it to everything we know from the Book of Mormon and the ways that people worshipped. The

mayan culture was fascinating to me and if given the chance I would love to go back and study it from the church's view. Something that was so different to me was that the mayan people are a small people and look very much like the chinese. Because they are small, they build things, well, small. (It was just really funny to me. I don't know why. When you're having such a great time joy is found everywhere. Even in small bathroom stall doors.)

They said that the concrete that was under foot was all the ruins that had yet to be uncovered. The mayans built cities on top of cities. When crops would die they would move to new territory. Only to come back many of years later and rebuild on top of what was already there. Many of the buildings were ruined due to french explorers who heard of "Mayan Treasures" so they used dynamite to get in to the temples and other buildings. The treasures were the bodies. The french were obviously disappointed but it helped archeologists discover once hidden rooms.

This was the observatory and to build it took mind boggling calculations. The sun comes through the door shown at an exact time of year, one of the solstices, I think. Everything about the pyramids had to do with the calendar. The main pyramid, above, has 91 steps on all four sides = 364 days with the 365th day being the last step up to the temple on top. And on and on and on. It really was incredible. It's also said to have perfect acoustic sound and has had several famous singers perform. Pavaratti was one I remember and Elton John was due to perform for the spring solstice. There is a fun echo that is heard if you clap near the base of the pyramid you can hear a bird calling back to you. In another courtyard of sorts one clap would echo 7 times.

7 and 13 are very important numbers to the mayans. The information was all very amazing. There were peddlers along the way that were selling everything from marble carved domino sets to

jaguar heads, jewelry, pot holders, etc. we bought the kids each a pyramid. AND there were iguanas everywhere. This one on the left, was next to the the cenote that I'm kneeling in front of, on the right. I walked past again, later and wasn't paying attention, the lizard moved and scared me so bad I nearly fell over.

Our tour guide was fantastic and after the tour we were able to relax at the Mayaland hotel and enjoy their buffet lunch and dancers. The food was just what I needed to satisfy my authentic mexican food craving.

On Saturday it was time to go home. We enjoyed one last deep breath of ocean air from our balcony, from which we had heard the ocean crash on the sand every night we were there, and then headed downstairs for one of the highlights of the week, which we benefitted from 3 times... the breakfast buffet.

Needless to say we didn't lose any weight on this trip. Between the buffet, the pool side service and room service, oh yeah and the icecream shop downstairs, we ate like kings. WHAT A BLAST! Thanks babe. I'll vacation with you any day. It was awesome. And all within budget, I LOVE IT!

And then to come home to this! And this wasn't even comparable to the decorations that flooded our garage or our kitchen, banister and bedroom door! Thanks Dad and Sue for helping the kids have such a great time while we were gone.

... and then she was SIX!

2010-03-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Six, really?! WOW! I think she's catching up to me, however that would work, I'm not sure, but my goodness. Olivia really had a fun birthday. This year her birthday fell on a Thursday which meant she was able to experience something I never had the luxury of, cupcakes at school, ON HER BIRTHDAY! I felt awful about it though.

Livi was insistent that she wanted chocolate cupcakes and her teacher, Ms. Lee is so

good to Olivia and, bless her heart wouldn't say no, but chocolate and Kindergartners don't mix.

(Oh, the stresses of being a teacher, I remember them all too well.) We were extra meticulous with clean up.

This picture is one of the new outfits Grandma sent, that Livi HAD to wear to school the next day. You can tell how much she loves it. The jeans, so Olivia. She started doing that a while back, on her own, and now the thought of putting leggings or tights on just seems strange. I love it. She totally pulls it off and makes it cute! I just want to know where she gets the idea of a pose like that? (I suppose it's Vegas culture seeping in!!!)

We were all happy that our company had arrived, but Aaron was ecstatic!

Dad and Sue (dad's significant other) got in late that night so we opened up family gifts and had cake and ice cream with them. The next night they took us out to dinner at Famous Dave's, it's a BBQ place, only after the Roadrunner roadhouse we had raved about had apparently gone out of business sometime in the previous 1 1/2 weeks?! Olivia made sure to wear her gold medal birthday medallion that Dad had cut out and we had painted, to dinner so that the servers would be sure to recognize her as the birthday girl. The waiter was so nice about it he brought a sundae for the whole table to share!

Loved this picture. There was one "good" picture but this one is great. The kids personalities show through so much. Aaron, all about the food (like his mom), and Livi, so in to her poses that she knocked me out! Bill's always looking suave.

The next day, Saturday was the much anticipated birthday party.

We had made invitations and sent them to her friends and were planning an Olympic themed party with olympic games to play.

I wanted this picture because it catches Livi in her "shy" moment. It's very subtle and watching her no one would even know that she's embarrassed about what's going on around her. She could be talking to you just fine but, there she goes with her left hand, to tuck her hair behind her ear, and she'll do it again and again. LOVE IT! (Also, notice the purse on her right

shoulder. A new birthday present that she had just opened from Ellie Gardner, a jean skirt purse. She wore it every where the next few days, even to church.) The picture on the right, yep there goes the left ear tuck, just as we're starting to sing "Happy Birthday" on her birthday night.

Olivia's choice for cake was my mom's recipe for a quick cherry cheesecake. I tried to convince her for a long time to let me make a cake for her, but she wanted the cherry cheese

cake that we had made for Valentine's Day. So, that's what we did. By far the easiest birthday dessert ever. I did make the graham cracker crust from scratch, and we made it "American-ish" by adding blueberries. In the end, Olivia and our family loved it, the girls, not so much. Oh well.

She had 8 girlfriends that came (2 weren't in time for this cute photo op.) and they all had a fun time. The games we played were, speed skating, long jump, javelin throw, shot put, and bob sled.

Natalya, spinning on the left, and Brea on the right, are doing the shot put, with a cotton ball. Megan, in pink, just threw her javelin, a toothpick.

Ashlyn, on the right,
and Zoey on the left

are bobsledding down the stairs in a mummy bag. (Zoey went too fast for me to hold on to). And Aaron was thrilled to show all the girls how to do our version of speed skating, running and sliding. I fortunately am spry enough to have

demonstrated all the sports as well. This is my speed skating and bobsled run. Although, I wasn't quite prepared for how fast the bobsled would actually go. WHOA!

Every olympian needs a gold medal, so as the girls came to the party Olivia draped around their necks gold medals that said, "Olivia's Gold Medal Friend". After each even the girls got gold, silver and bronze hershey kisses and at the end they all stood with their dum-dum bouquets lifted high in the air, for one final pose. (Once again, what's with that pose?!)

What can I say about Olivia that I haven't already said. She amazes us all the time. She started playing the violin in January and actually made me cry while I listened to her do a duet of Twinkle with her teacher on the piano. She's doing Suzuki method, so those who are familiar with it know that Twinkle isn't your average Twinkle. Practices are sometimes a struggle but I remind her that it is her choice to be playing and that if she doesn't want to practice she needs to go call her teacher and tell her she won't be in for lessons the following week. This gets her every time. Sad, but true, when she's really in trouble, I threaten taking away her violin and she cracks. I did take it away once and one would think the world was going to end.

She is dramatic but with that drama comes intense emotion. Emotion for good, for bad, and for the spiritual things in life. I took her to an photo gallery at the new City Center down on the strip and showed her a photo of where we go camping. I said, "Oh, look. There's where we

camping every year. That's where we would go camping with Granma. (Appropriately it's called "God's Garden" by Robert Lough Jr.) I kid you not. She cried for the next 10 minutes over that photo. She had even found it in the book that was on display for sale and sat there and sobbed. I had to keep wiping the tears away so they wouldn't spot the page in the book. I was finally able to tear her away, but as soon as we got home she drew the picture. Which leads to another thing about her... so very ARTSY CRAFTSY! She loves making little art projects. Our recycling bins are her treasure boxes. She made these robots completely unassisted after watching a Curious George episode about robots. So fun! (There's the hip.) The strings are to control the robot's arms. And to tell you the truth, I'm a little concerned, I said she made these completely unassisted... how the heck did she cut out the eye holes??? Let's just say, for good parenting sake, Yeah, I did that part. ?!?

Olivia has really been enjoying reading Judy Blume lately. She's into the series, "The Pain and the Great One". It makes her laugh so hard she's cried. I love that.

Her love for her family is great but she needs to be reminded often to love her brother. She is already a teenager when it comes to sleep. We know not to wake her unless it is imperative. Aaron is so excited in the mornings and doesn't want to wait. When Livi is screaming with a raspy throat, "Aaron, GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" we know he wasn't as patient as he should've been.

Livi, (which she told me that she wants to go by now), we love you and everything you give to our family. Happy 6th Birthday princess.

While we were gone...

2010-03-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

My dad and his girlfriend, Sue, came to stay with the kids while Bill and I enjoyed our trip to Cancun. Bless their hearts, they definitely got more than they bargained for. Livi had a chemo treatment scheduled for Tuesday after school so Dad took her in. Well her counts had fallen to ZERO! No one at the office could believe it. She was put in quarantine for the week. Sue and Dad were so careful with her. She didn't go to school, and when they went to a store one of them would stay in the car with her and watch movies while the other went in to purchase items needed. All that being said they look like they had a blast. Ironically, when we got home late Saturday night, Dad was complaining of his sinuses. Sunday morning Sue took him to an urgent care and discovered he had a viral infection! So, while they were keeping Livi "safe" they were actually submitting her to a 24/7 hot zone. Dad felt so bad they came home from the urgent care and left straight away. We were bummed. After all was said and done, Livi continued to amaze us... absolutely no immune system and she did not get sick. WOW, thanks Dad and Sue, the kids are still talking about how fun you are.

Serious Protection

2010-02-20T20:56:00.000-08:00

These were some of the Uniform Division that were in from DC. We saw them waiting for their shift down in front of the elevators to our room. They asked if the kids wanted a picture with them. I knew Bill would be "funny" about it.

President Obama was FINALLY coming to town after saying he would come to see Vegas' new City Center since it's opening in December. Well, Bill was able to do some great stuff and we, in turn were able to benefit immensely. Bill was lead for the motorcade and so needed to be available at any time and thus

was given a room at the City Center's Aria. Very nice, very modern, very cool. I picked the kids up from school, packed our overnight bag, picked up a pizza and headed down to the strip. The room was really neat with a lot of new age features. At one point we were

watching TV with all the lights on and EVERYTHING went black! The curtains even started to close. Aaron started chanting in his nervousness, "Uh-oh, uh-oh" while Livi started screaming, "Aaron hit the 'Goodnight' button!" Too funny. Aaron especially loved the phone in the bathroom. Actually, to the kids both phones were amazing... they had cords?!

The Aria is connected by tram to the Belagio and so of course we rode it, a lot! (It would've actually been faster to walk, but where's the fun in that?!) We went to

the conservatorium, watched the water show, and ordered gelato, yum! One of the agent's Bill works with, his family was also staying the night, so we hung out and saw the sights with them Thursday night. Crystals is an upscale mall with a

lot of neat architectural design. People kept walking down these stairs not even knowing what they were walking on and why everyone seemed to be looking at them until they got to the bottom and turned around. SOOO PRETTY! Bill met up with us that night in the room. It was interesting sleeping with the 4 of us in a king size bed, but oooh, those pillows and that mattress... heaven.

Friday morning, I had decided to keep the kids out of school and enjoy the day together seeing the sights and exploring. We found the more artistic side of the strip in two museums in City

Center. The Chihuly museum was AMAZING! I'm not too interested in glass sculptures, usually, but I could not stare at these long enough. Livi was just as amazed. Aaron kept wanting to go. The next museum brought tears to our eyes. Rodney Lough Jr. is a nature photographer and does incredible work. Once again Aaron was anxious to be on our way as I ooohed and aaahed over every print. Admittedly I was hoping to see a photograph of the California coastal redwoods. What we found was even better:

A picture of the DEL NORTE coastal redwoods... that is where my family has been camping since I was 2 years old and where we continue to camp now every year. It's where my children were introduced to camping, it's where they've been with my mom! I explained to Livi and

Aaron that the picture was of the place where we go camping with Granma. The name of the photo was perfect, "God's Garden". Olivia started to cry, so did I. We stared at it for quite some time and then Livi found a book that was for sale. We used the index and found "God's Garden" in the book. Livi stood over it for quite some time sobbing. I had to keep wiping her tears away so they wouldn't splash on the pages.

We made our way back to our hotel room, got our bags and headed home. It was strange leaving the strip. I really felt that I was leaving a vacation behind. What a great mini vacation. (The first thing Olivia did when we got home was to recreate "God's Garden" for herself. I love that she loves art, very much like my mom.

VALENTINES

2010-02-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, the 10th, Livi invited a friend over to help us make Valentine cookies for the ward primary activity.

Mike helped make the cookies, and the next day, when we went to the activity, we took Mike and his triplet siblings Matt and Megan. (I iced 4 dozen cookies, we were short by 3 dozen! Luckily the seminary teacher in our ward let us use her cookies. We piped the names of each of the kids on the cookies.)

Sunday was Valentine's Day. The kids chose and bought with their own money Valentine gifts for each other. Livi got Aaron a bag of white, pink, and red gum-balls. Aaron bought Olivia Valentine socks. TOO CUTE! I wrote a love poem to Bill. We got the kids boxes of chocolates and Bill gave me roses. We had my homemade chicken alfredo with broccoli for dinner with Mom's quick cherry cheesecake for dessert!

The Birthday Boy is F-our

2010-02-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

A tradition that we had in my house growing up was birthday cereal. I love doing it with

my kids. They wake up on their birthday to their favorite kind of cereal. Who wouldn't want this tradition with the pure joy that comes with it?!

WOW! What a cute kid. Aaron was so excited about his birthday this year. The actual date was on a Sunday so his party was to be held on Saturday but he took cupcakes to school on Wednesday and gymnastics on Thursday. On Wednesday at school he was given a birthday badge that said, "It's my Birthday". Aaron was thoroughly confused. He knew his birthday was Sunday the 31st, we'd been telling him that for the last 3 weeks, but then why did the badge only his shirt say that it was today?!?! "Am I F-our today?"

We couldn't resist bringing cupcakes to church on Aaron's actual birthday. It was so fun to watch his shy up while the primary kids all sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

By the time we had cake on Saturday and cupcakes in his primary class on Sunday, a birthday dessert at Lindo Michocan on Monday (a favorite mexican restaurant of ours) and yet another birthday "burger" with an ice cream sundae at Red Robin later in the week (compliments of Gee), it was safe to say that Aaron's 4th birthday was memorable.

Branson Reeve, Andrew Gardner and the birthday boy

This year we decided to let him take some friends to the Mini Gran Prix or the "go carts" as we

call it. He invited his two little buddies Andrew and Branson, and their dads. So Bill and Aaron set off Saturday afternoon to pick up the other

party goers and head to the go carts. Livi and I stayed home to get ready for everyone coming over. The families of the boys who went to the go carts as well as some other friends were going to join us for cake, ice cream and presents. When the boys got home there was much excitement in the air. They seemed to have had a lot of fun. I am so grateful to Bill for having taken the pictures of the events. They rode the go carts and then the airplane ride and the big slide. Apparently Aaron was the only one of the 3 boys who enjoyed the giant slide. All week, leading up to his party he would tell anyone who he knew, who he saw, that they were invited. The boys were invited to the go carts and he would tell the girls, even his teacher, Mrs. Powers, "You can come to my house for my birthday cake but only boys at the go carts." So fun!

"Do I have the coolest dad or what?!"

The cake was a huge hit. Aaron, after having seen a race car cake was sure that he wanted a motorcycle cake on a race track. So...

...the awesome cake (1/2 chocolate, 1/2 yellow), with the ramp made out of yellow.

He loved it. He kept telling me "It's AWESOME!" It was pretty awesome, everyone at the party loved it. I love being able to do such cool stuff for my kids. (Thanks mom for adding that to our lives.

Aaron was so much fun to watch open his gifts. Everything he got was so spectacular in his eyes. A coloring book and crayons, games, horse shoes, a "hoppy ball", crocs and a kite from Mom and Dad, books and a leapster game from the Ellisons, snazzy clothes from Grandma and Papa T. He loved it all.

My favorite is always to watch him open what his sister got him. Big score on the Bat Mobile!

I've been trying to make holiday pillow cases for the kids for every holiday. I thought a Birthday pillow case would be fun. It served better as a chair cover though. In the middle of the night our sensitive sleeper wanted it off his pillow, he said that it was, "too scratchy". It was a cute idea anyways.
Aaron's choice for his birthday dinner was our homemade pizza. (Good choice!)
Brother and Sister Hirschi are Aaron's Sunbeam teachers. He absolutely adores them. Sunday evening they brought a bag full of birthday presents! So fun!

What can I say about our "sweet love"?. He always has been and remains so very tender hearted. It is something that Bill and I make a conscience effort to remember and to tell others because he is so rough and tumble, it's easy to forget his soft side. And it is just under his skin. Currently he weighs about 44 lbs, is 42 inches tall and wearing, pretty comfortably, a size 5 in clothes. He loves meeting new people and talking to them. He of course always asks their name, first and middle, and how old they are. It doesn't matter how many times he asks you, he'll ask you again. But don't confuse this repetition with forgetfulness, Livi has found her match in the memory bank. At four years old he can spell out simple beginning-middle-ending sound words like; cat, dog, car, red, etc. and easily knows colors, shapes, letters, head locks and body slams. Oh yeah, wrestling is a favorite past-time of his. His favorite time of any day is a good wrestling match with Annie and Dad. Aaron is excellent at letting us know when he doesn't think something is fair, and even better at letting us know when we're "not making [him] happy". He is very quick to obey when requested to help with Annie and loves electronics.

We've recently started paying him an allowance... "TV tickets". He has a chore chart and gets paid his tickets according to how many of his chores he gets done. 1 TV ticket = 1 show. If he does ALL his chores he gets 5 tv tickets for the week. (Plus a ticket for each night that he sleeps in his own bed for the entire night, which he has yet to accomplish for a week's time since we moved into this house 1 year ago! Since we started this 2 weeks ago, he's earned 1 ticket for sleeping in his bed ALL night.) He discovered the loop hole in the tv time though. He figured out how to watch his favorite shows online. (He showed Livi how to do it the other day!) Up until then I hadn't been collecting tickets for computer time... something needs to be adjusted. I told him, "Aaron, you need to play with something other than electronics."

A: "What are electronics?"

M: "Things that have batteries or plug in. Go play with your blocks or your Geo Trax."

A: while kicking his feet and flailing his arms, "But MOM! My Geo Trax have BATTERIES!"

He got me there.
Aaron got this lion from a friend of Grandma Susie's upon his birth. It came with a counterpart, an elephant we named Eli, but recently Aaron gave it to Daxton. (He wanted Daxton to have a friend to sleep with at Papa's just like he does.) His lion, Leo as it was named, has been his comfort and friend forever. He has taken him on every trip and he has been lost several times. My favorite was when he was lost on Wall St. in NYC. Bill ran back several blocks and actually found him. We almost left him on the NY subway as well. There's no more stuffing in the little guy and his nose string had to be snipped when one morning I found Aaron (maybe 18 months) crying at having twisted his finger in the loop so tightly it was turning purple. Everyone who knows Aaron and has spent any significant amount of time with him also knows Leo. Tonight he told me, "Leo is my best friend. He makes me happy."

What a treat to have in our family. Aaron, we all love you so much. Your Granma Claycamp would be so proud of who you are and the love you give to those around you. The tender heart you have and the gentleness you show to others... Aaron, those qualities come from your granma. Happy Birthday big boy!

Disney On Ice

2010-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Thank You Grandma!!! Bill was gone and I was looking for something fun to do with the kids on Saturday afternoon. Grandma pulled through. She bought tickets to Disney on Ice as part of the kids' birthday presents. YEA! It was so fun to take them to such a magical experience. Next time mom, you'll have to come down and take them. You would've loved to see the smiles in their eyes, in person!

The princess meet and greet turned out to be the princess standing on stage waving at all the kids. Livi and Aaron had brought their Disney autograph books for Princess Tiana but this was as close as they got.

Good picture skills Liv.

I thought the Cars was so super cool. They were actually driving on the ice!

Ursula was fabulous!

Tinkerbell was Livi's favorite. It was so colorful.

Thank you Grandma. What a special treat for the kids!

Perseverance

2010-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

(For the life of me I can't get this rotated properly.)

This is what Mrs. Lee, Olivia's kindergarten teacher,wrote to me regarding Olivia receiving the citizenship award for the month of January.

she has been selected as one of the students of the month for perseverance (for obvious reasons). She is a great inspiration to me, even if no one else knows about her battles. She handles every hurdle with such grace and control. I really admire her, so when it came time to select for perseverance it was a no- brainer. :)

Great job babe! We are so proud of you.

Annie, Annie, Annie

2010-01-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Upon agreeing to get a dog Bill and I had a pretty good understanding of it's just a dog. If anything big (as in $$$) was required we would probably just let her go. Yeah, we had NO clue.

Bill is Mr. tough guy and still tries to pretend that, "she's just a dog", but behind all that "muscle" is a lot of heart. To bring in the new year and new determination to exercise regularly Bill and Annie have been running together every morning. It's funny to see what a big effect it's had on Annie. When Bill leaves for work in the morning she lays by the front door and whines for a little while, and when he gets home she cannot get enough of him. They love to wrestle together and Bill is the only thing that can get her to bark. They really go at it. He'll do body slams and "punch" her and flip her around. She really gets goin'. It'll be interesting to see when her muscle more fully develops what she'll be able to give back.

Saturday night, Janurary 9th, this routine wrestling match was underway when Bill did his customary body slam on Annie and we heard a "crack"! Instantly Annie was yelping and wouldn't put any weight on her right fore leg. I quickly called the vet as Bill was yelling, "I broke her leg!", Livi was bawling and Aaron was trying to "see". By the time we were able to get through to the on call doctor she seemed fine. We took it easy for the rest of the night(see pic above). Bill was real upset at the thought that he may have broken her leg and we decided that perhaps we should look in to pet insurance after all.

Well, Bill left Sunday morning for a quick trip to L.A. and Annie was sad. She wasn't eating much and her energy level wasn't quite the same. Bill came home on Tuesday and while they started their running back up Annie's appetite just wasn't quite right. We feared that she had swallowed something that just wasn't coming out this time. (So far she had given us back 8 socks "forwards" and 2 socks "backwards".) Friday morning she threw up while whining at our bedroom door and then threw up breakfast... not easy to clean shag carpet! (Yeah, gross.) That was it, she was going to the vet. Something wasn't right. (I had flash backs to the penny stuck in Livi's throat for 5 days when she had just turned one.) Pet insurance hadn't come soon enough.

The vet took some x-rays and couldn't exactly tell what was in her stomach but could definitely something was in there. (Bill was curious as to whether or not it showed a broken leg. It didn't.) We decided to do the surgery. (We could've done a barium scan but that would've been an additional $600. So we opted to put that cost towards the surgery, throw in the spay and be done with it.)

One small fistful of "debris" (aka: rocks, sticks, and mystery white foamy substance), a check for more than our mortgage payment and 3 days later we have... a big puppy (38 lbs to be exact) attached to a "collar of shame".

While Annie was in the hospital many prayers went heavenwards from our sad hearts. Tears trickled down my cheeks at the overall "experience", Olivia bawled and Aaron did his hysterical fake cry. I had to calm Olivia down and explain that I wasn't scared that Annie would die, I was just sad that she had to be away from us, and I was sad at how much money it was costing to have Annie taken care of. I explained to the kids that we would just have to be more careful how we spend our money over the next couple of months until we can get back what the surgery cost. Olivia said, "Like maybe not have so many birthday presents?" I said, "Yeah. Maybe Annie could be one of your presents this year." Livi smiled really big. She liked the idea. She turned to Aaron, who was sitting next to her at the island eating lunch and said, "Aaron do you want Annie or lots of presents for your birthday?" Aaron, without missing a beat, responded with a full mouth of sandwich, "I don't want Annie. I want lots of presents. Annie bites me!" I was so caught off guard I almost lost my own mouthful and Olivia started to cry even harder. (I can't help but laugh at it now as I'm writing this. Oh Aaron.)

We all visited with Annie on Saturday. Admittedly she was happiest to see Bill. I got teary eyed... again and promised to come see her Sunday before church. (Seriously, what is this dog doing to me? It is just a DOG!)Sunday, I got to the hospital in good time as she was just coming back from her morning walk. (I.V. and all.) She looked really good. Everything was set for her to come home on Monday. When we picked her up from the vet's it was almost comical the amount of emphasis the doctor put on "NO ROUGH HOUSING!" (They obviously remembered the broken leg call.)

While Annie was gone there was a definite tranquility in our home. That, coupled with the lack of flying fur, made for an enjoyable weekend. But Bill agreed, that it just felt like something was missing.

It was really good to have Annie back home with us. It's hard that she can't go running with Dad for 10 days, we are definitely feeling her energy level hitting all time highs. It doesn't help that Dad's gone and it definitely does not help that it's been raining all week! A very over energized dog + a very obtrusive elizabethan collar makes for a lot of bruises. Even the once teary eyed Olivia asked,"Could we just let her stay at the hospital 'til she gets the cone off?" We'll make it through. Annie is actually beginning to be quite talented with her cone. She will drop her bone down into it, swing her head in large circles so that the bone is spiraling inside of it and then fling her head up in the air catapulting her bone across the room; where she then proceeds to pick it up and do it all over again. (I will say, it is quite pathetic to see her trying to scratch behind her ears when all she is scratching is the cone.)

1.) Annie trying to get close to Aaron. 2.)Annie didn't think she was close enough so she decides to sit on Aaron. 3.) Aaron surrenders his chair to Annie but not before long Annie is lying on Aaron on the floor. 4.)Aaron is proud that Annie can no longer "get to him".

This sequence of events has happened before, to Olivia. Olivia didn't find refuge in the laundry basket. She ended up sitting on Annie's pillow with her.

Cute kids

2010-01-15T23:58:00.000-08:00

Just to catch up on some of the cute/funny things that have been heard/seen around our house as of late.

Olivia set up this surprise tea party for Aaron complete with crackers and "soup"/water, all

by herself. She had me keep Aaron distracted while she worked on getting it ready. We became engrossed in... something, I can't remember what, and then she got upset. We apologized and they had a terrific time.

I get 2 days a week with Aaron where it's just me and him for the 2 1/2 hrs that Olivia is in Kinder. It is so fun to be with just him. When the two of us are together he is almost like a completely different little boy. I need to remind myself that the cleaning/chores can be done later, childhood needs to be done now. There is no "later" for these precious years. Between the two of us playing Rockband, on the "No Fail" mode, or playing with his Batman Cave Aaron has said to me on several occasions, "Mom, do you know how much I love you?"

M: "How much do you love me?"

A: "18 miles" said proudly with a huge grin on his face and then a very intense kiss where he is squeezing my cheeks and pulling my face so hard into his for such a long period of time I wonder how bad the bruising will be. What a little love! My mom was right, the name Aaron is more of a tender name... we couldn't have gotten it more right. And I couldn't be happier.

Olivia is moving right along with school and is starting to be challenged with her sentence length. The other day she had to write a one page story about a sentence of her choice from a list given on the page. (With the size of lines the story ended up being only about 10 sentences long but nevertheless, she wrote a story all by herself. The proof that she did it all by herself came in the proof read. She was writing about it snowing outside, "Annie ran so fast that she was so dizzy that she almost went in the street." I tried to help her hear how funny it sounded that there were 2 "so's" in the same sentence and what could she do to change one of them. She was determined that it didn't sound funny, she did an audible and repeated it for me to hear. (Yes, that is how she talks, I can see why it doesn't sound funny in her mind.) I explained that just like the Book of Mormon is written very nicely and not like how we talk, usually we try to write "more... nice". We decided to try "very" instead of the 2nd "so". She read through the sentence, "Annie ran so fast that she was very dizzy..." "Yeah mom, I think that sounds good. So and very are the same thing." I didn't have anywhere else to go, "Sure honey. That sounds great."

Aaron's bus riding days have all but ceased. He tears up when we even talk about it. He HATES being the last one on the bus. We don't understand what it is but it was getting to the point that when he'd wake up in the morning he'd ask if it's Monday? or Tuesday? or Wednesday? If it was Tuesday he'd hop out of bed and cheerily get ready for school. Monday or Wednesday, "I don't want to go to school." I'd drop him off at school he wouldn't let go of me, it brought me to tears myself. So, I now pick him up on Mondays and Tuesdays and he gets to play his Leapster on the bus coming home on Wednesdays. It's been a bit of a stressor on Olivia. Monday and Wednesday rides/walks home from school was the only alone time the 2 of us ever got for the week. We're working through it though.

A big complaint the kids have lately is, "Olivia gets to go to school everyday!" and "Aaron doesn't even have to go to school everyday!" The grass is always greener... Fortunately this is only really a problem when Livi feels as if her 11+ hours of sleep wasn't quite enough or when she's on her steroids. It's definitely not a good thing that now we have 9am church. "Why do we have to go to church so early?! I already have to wake up so early for school!" I try to patiently explain to Olivia (somehow she is Gretchen's daughter) that her cousins start school at about the time she has to wake up. Too funny. Too early, to already be complaining about waking up for school. Really, is 7:30 really that early? Gretchen?!?!?

9 years ago...

2010-01-06T23:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was mine and Bill's 9th wedding anniversary. As I explained it to the kids. "Today is special because 9 years ago mom and dad went to the temple to be married forever so that we could have you two here on earth with us." Aaron asked, "So what are we going to do? Where are we going for dinner?" Olivia said, "Ohhhh, and then, let's see... that was January, my birthday is February,... you had me one month later!" Not quite.

Bill and I recently discussed changing our anniversary celebration to August. We don't have anything happening at that time of year and January 5th is just so close to all the holidays... (I guess if we did that though Olivia would really be confused as to when she was born?!?!) Regardless, neither one of us feel pressured to do anything spectacular, which actually ends up working well for us.

Technically Bill did book a vacation for us on this day... the two of us will be relaxing for a week in Cancun later in the year!!! That's pretty spectacular.

The kids got excited about all the candles I bought for a bubble bath and wanted to know if they could join us. They had their candle lit bath the following evening. I love our kids. They love to be excited. I love that they are first hand witnesses of mine and Bill's love for each other. Life is so good to us!

Holidays with Family

2010-01-04T20:47:00.000-08:00

Early Saturday morning, on the 26th, at 4:20am to be exact, we pulled the car out of the garage, crossed our fingers that we had everything, and set out for our 12 hr drive to Redding, CA. Not even 20 minutes into our trip we learn that Annie is really not cut out for the car. She puked all over her blanket. So, on the side of the 95 southbound we remember what we forgot, rags and paper towels. We got it all worked out and the next time she threw up, 2 hours or so later I was prepared and caught it in her bowl. Besides that, the trip was pretty uneventful. The kids did fabulous as always and only stopped to pee twice. We had packed food for breakfast and lunch (even milk in the cooler for breakfast which we later forgot was there and then we had a stinky problem at Dad's, but nevertheless,) and so didn't even have to stop for food and only refueled once. We rolled in to Dad's at 4:22 pm. Nice drivin' babe.
The most eventful part of the day, aside from Annie, was bath time. While I cleaned up dinner, Bill washed the kids and I hear, "Rachel..." I go to the bathroom to be confronted with Bill holding Olivia's tooth in his hand. Apparently he had been washing her face and possibly pushed a little too hard. Oh well. It had been loose for weeks. 2 down... plenty to go.
Sunday we all went to church at Redding 5th ward, all except the Reasbecks. (My dad's ward, the same ward I spent my entire childhood in.) It was good to be there. Bill gave me 1/2 hr of visit time but even if it had been 4 it would never be enough. Then we were off to lunch at Mom and Tiger's. Sam and Nikki and Josh and Cody were there as well as Bryan and DeAnn. It was good food as always, great company and fantastic gifts. Bill made the calendar for his mom this year and did a great job. He only left off Cody's birthday which wouldn't be too bad except that was also the one present that was left at my dad's. Poor Cody didn't get to play with his barking puppy. Good thing he's only 1 and couldn't tell the difference(We ended up dropping it off on his doorstep at 5am on our way back home to Vegas. We got Josh a Razor Scooter, that we know he will master before long. Josh and Aaron each got Leapsters from Grandma and Papa T and Livi got her Nintendo DS. Thankfully DeAnn had received one for Christmas too and was able to help Livi navigate her way through some basic ops. Sam and Nikki gave us an annual family ornament and Mom and Tiger gave us a new stereo, iron, & bike gear for me (one can never have enough). Bill gifted his signature piece, the Whitehouse Christmas tree ornament and we visited for the afternoon. Bryan was lots of fun and brought his Nintendo Wii over for the kids to play with. FUN!
Afterwards it was off to Papa's where everyone was meeting up for dinner and the gift exchange. We got dad a bowling shirt with his name embroidered in it (although because of the script, admittedly it looks more like "Dan" than "Don"). Aaron had Ethan and got him cowboy boots. Emily had Aaron and got him a baseball mitt, baseball and bat! (He loves his "real" bat.)
Livi had Emily and because my idea of making matching dresses for the girls didn't work (the dress turned out gorgeous, it just won't fit for a year or two), she game her a ball popper. Evan had Olivia and got her a hoola hoop, jump rope, and a handball. (Everything she needed.)
It was so much fun to see everyone. For Bill it had been a year since he's seen everyone. We couldn't believe how big the little ones had gotten. We loved Chase's "cheesy grin". You ask him for the "cheesy grin" and he gives it to ya! (He looks so much like Evan when he was little.) And Emmie's eyes, whoa, look out!

Angie, Garrett, Me, Bill, Livi, Matt

The evening was spent rocking out to Band Hero. Angie's boyfriend, Matt, and his son, Daxton, were able to join us too. SO MUCH FUN!

Even Kristi was able to breakaway from Abby (2 weeks old) and get in on the action. Thanks for the assist Bill.

Aaron(3), Logan(5), Daxton(3) and Livi(5)

We even let the kids have a turn, even though it was mostly the adults rockin' the stage. (Bill even tried out his vocals. You go babe!)
Sadly enough the picture taking pretty much stopped after this. We got 1 picture of Grandpa Ellison with the kids when we went down to Red Bluff for the afternoon on Tuesday. Bill got a gun vault, I got more bike stuff :), the kids got clothes, books, bird house kits (built by Grandpa) and an awesome homemade picnic table. (On the roof of the car it made for a loud 9 hours. The last 3 something shifted and we no longer could hear the incessant hum/roar of the wind ripping through the tie-downs.) Helen/Nana was given, for tradition, the Whitehouse ornament and we gave Grandpa a "knife" for his new lathe.

Annie had tons of fun with Dad's labs, Daisy and May. (It has not been easy for her not to have the land to roam here like she did there.

Thursday, New Year's Eve our kids spent the night at the Reasbecks, they got a sitter, the Claycamps got a sitter and all the adults went out for dinner at Guadalajara on Cypress and then back to Dad's for games. I encouraged Dad to have a lady friend that he's been chatting with join us so everyone had a date. Dad and Sue, the Reasbecks, the Claycamps (+ Abby, of course, and Emily, who's been a little clingy since the arrival of li'l sis), us, Angie and Matt, and Adam and Mauni. (Adam's girlfriend Mauni flew in to Redding that day from Salt Lake.) It was a great night and fabulous company. I don't pretend to know what will happen of developing relationships but Bill and I agreed that it was a little strange sitting at the kitchen table playing games, all 14 of us, thinking of the possibility of this one day being our family. I thought a lot about Mom and how she was having/getting to watch this from a different perspective... I could feel her smiling down on us. I know she would be pleased at the choices we all are making, no matter how difficult at times they may be.

Friday, New Year's Day we spent with Bill's dad's family. The Ellison gift exchange was at David and Debbie's this year. It was a lot of fun with fun conversation and a fabulous spaghetti lunch. Sandra was there to help host, along with Jim and Tenley, Dad and Helen, and Justin. Aaron and Olivia loved the attention given, as they were the only kids there. Aaron opened a gift that had been wrapped by Uncle Jim in an inflatable boat box. The expression of sheer joy on his face as he excitedly called to his sister to come see what he had got... quickly diminished as he discovered a plant stand on casters. We told him it was a skateboard. Livi made a beautiful purple bracelet that ended with Aunt Debbie and we also made a Christmas wreath that ended with Uncle David. The kids particularly enjoyed playing cards with Aunt Debbie and a treasure hunt with Aunt Tenley.
Friday night Bill and I, and our kids, along with Adam, Mauni, Matt and Angie all went to Angelo's Pizza. For Bill, Angie, Adam and I it was a bit of a chance to reminisce of the old days. Angelo's is where we always had our after city league sports pizza parties. Bill still hasn't found the pizza parlor here that fits this place in his mind. (I don't think he ever will. He'll always want to go back and play the same arcade games that have been there for over 20 years.) It was great nostalgic fun.

Saturday, Bill took Aaron down to his dad's to pick up the picnic table while I took Olivia to join the rest of the cousins at the movies. We saw "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2". It was a cute movie and Olivia loved it! Afterwards the 4 Ellisons went with Adam and Mauni up a canyon past Keswick Damn to shoot. Garrett and his boys were able to join us as well. We didn't have much time, it was getting dark and we were to meet Dad and Angie for "Monte Carlo" bowling that evening. All the kids got to shoot Bills gun, which they all thought was super cool. Garrett's boys even hung on to his casings. I shot Garrett's rifle that had "no kick". "No kick my ***" I said to Garrett as it blew me backwards. Good thing I was sitting in the bed of his truck. (We shot at bowling pins dad had picked up from the alley after a new shipment came in. Apparently this was Olivia's most favorite part of the whole trip.This is the story she wrote for her progress report assessment of what she did for winter break. At first glance I thought the bullet was heading for a simple human shape but then remembered, the bowling pins!

Bowling that night was fun. Livi and Aaron did really well just watching and later ended up bowling some frames of their own. I won $3, I think, Dad won $25 (?) and Mauni won $5(?). Bill had a chance several times but the pressure of winning a buck or fifty cents was just too great and he'd choke. :) It was a lot of fun. And even more fun/funny to see Dad in his element. He knew everyone there, and they all knew him. It was great.

Sunday morning we were up and out by 3:30am. We had to pick up a leapster kit at the Costco in Bakersfield because Aaron's had simply quit working. Bakersfield was the only store in all of California, Nevada, Utah that had one left. Turns out, it was the batteries... who'd have thought that the "rain bath" Aaron gave it to "clean my leapster" would've wrecked new batteries. I suppose it does make sense. !!!

Once again Bill was a fantastic driver... I try, I really do. I just can't stay awake, even with caffeine. Good thing I have a good man.

Christmastime Part II "At Home"

2009-12-25T22:39:00.000-08:00

This year Bill and I decided to start Christmas traditions with our kids in our own home. Monday before Christmas we joined efforts with another family from church and became Santa's secret elves for a family with a little less to go around this year. It was really fun to be able to go shopping with my kids and watch them get excited about buying the presents for the other kids. Then when the door bell ditch went south (no one was home) the excitement really picked up when Bill was caught knocking on the door! (They pulled into the drive as he was about to run.) With all said and done it was a great experience and we are very blessed to have been able to do it. Wednesday night Bill chauffeured the kids and I around the community so that we could deliver baked goodies. And then it was on to Christmas eve.

We wanted to start a traditional dinner and I think we hit the nail on the head with our first effort. Bill originally suggested crab/lobster, I don't really care for it so we compromised with clam chowder. Bill's mom gave us a killer recipe that everyone wanted 2nd's of. (Souper easy with a great secret ingredient.) That, along with fantastic bread, a flavorful salad, and a toast with sparkling cider amidst candlelight.... what a great way to start the celebration.

Being home, I didn't want to give up on doing the nativity like we always do with my family so we decided to do our own. Livi was Mary, Aaron a shepherd, I the angel, and Dad was the narrator/ "kings"(although watching the video I think an AR slung around his shoulder would look more fitting than a gift for the baby Jesus. (He looks like the Arabian bad guys right out of the movies.) I'm sad I didn't get a picture of us all in costume, my mom would've been proud, but I am thrilled I got it on video. I laughed so hard I cried. Bill couldn't stop laughing either. The subsequent ones, in years to come, will be just as priceless I'm sure. (Bill threatened me to never post it anywhere... I think it would make a great U-Tube video!)
The kids got the plates of goodies ready for Santa and his reindeer and then sprinkled reindeer dust in the front landscape. We sat together in front of the Christmas tree and read "The Night Before Christmas" and sent the kids off to bed. Bill got to wrapping and I got to making... CINNAMON ROLLS! YUMMMM!

Christmas morning we woke to an incredible surprise. Annie had thrown up 2 of Aaron's socks! While Bill put her outside to clean up the mess (luckily it was contained to where she sleeps in the laundry room) she hacked up 4 more! She seemed to be doing fine but we called the vet a little later just be sure. When I told him that our 5 month old retriever had thrown up 3 pairs of socks that morning, in shock he said, "3 SOCKS?!" "No," I said, "3 pair, 6 socks." He was dumbfounded. He said he had heard of a lot of things but that was a first. They had been swallowed whole and we don't know how she did it, but... like I said in the Christmas letter, she's got a thing for Aaron's socks. And yes, all 6 of them were Aaron's. Needless to say, piles of laundry are no longer left on the floor while waiting for the washing machine.

The kids were thrilled to see their plump stockings waiting for them on the banister with their new Christmas tree ornaments, but more excited to see that Santa had left an engraved dog tag

for Annie. (Boy do they love her. And boy did Annie LOVE her bone.) We opened our stockings first and then watched each other as presents from Santa were revealed. Livi got a Razor Scooter and a Polly Pocket doll. Aaron got the Batman Cave. To say he was excited would be a huge understatement.

I was more than thrilled at what Santa brought for me: bike tools, a set of whicker hampers (we've been using Bill's that he had in highschool, I'm kinda sad to see it go), and a bag all to myself of Lindor Chocolates. (To me, that is happiness!!!) Along with a beautiful dress coat and Jewelry tree from Bill I was set. Santa brought Bill a game system storage ottoman that conveniently fits all the pieces to the new Rock Band game that was also delivered by the Jolly ole' Elf. Too bad I forgot the batteries to the remote control helicopter I got him, he had to settle for playing rock band. We all had a blast. Even the Batcave was fun for all.

Livi's favorite saying as of late is, "Yea baby!" (I don't know?!?!?)

It was so fun to watch the kids open their gifts. Aaron was so excited about his Batman Cave but one would think that every present he opened was "the one" that he'd been waiting for. The joy on his face was tremendous to behold. He LOVED the present that Olivia got for him, Connect 4. He also got new headphones, a handball, some books, slippers and a new coat.

Olivia's Christmas was a bit nerve wracking for mom and dad this year. We had decided to get her a violin and to start her in lessons. She had expressed some interest but we were nervous of how she would really feel about it. We got it spot on! I caught her several times throughout the day looking at her new instrument and asked her what she was doing. "I'm just dusting it, Mom." She couldn't wait for me to show her a rhythm that she could play on it. That along with the aforementioned items, some books, slippers, and a jewelry box from Aaron; we had a happy little girl.

And in case we all weren't happy enough as it was, we had homemade hot chocolate with my ooey gooey cinnamon rolls and oranges and orange juice for breakfast. YUM!(In my mind we had oranges... where are the oranges?!?)

The rest of the day was fantastic. We all stayed in our jammies all day and hung out. We cleaned up, and started to get ready for our trip to CA the next morning, but mainly we played games. Olivia completely dominated in an honest game of Monopoly. I say honest because no one told her when to do what or what to do and she kicked our booties. At the end she had "hired" Dad, who was the first to go under, and then who had lost Aaron's fortune, to be her consultant while she put me in the poor house. The trick, the same old one we all know... Park Place and the Boardwalk. She had hotels!!! Pleased as punch and rightfully so.

Christmas Correspondence 2009

2009-12-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

As 2009 is quickly becoming a memory I am blown away at how long ago 2008 seems. After all, it was just last year we moved to Las Vegas. Just last year our family was tested beyond our wildest imagination. Just last year we were a family of 4! Now, in 2009 we have seen much, done lots and grown by 1.

We were lucky to enjoy much company of loved ones this year and we ourselves were able to get out and travel some as well. In March we were fortunate to have Olivia’s “Wish” come true and we were sent on a vacation to Walt Disney World. It was so great to be there as a family and spend that time focusing on one another. We all had such a blast. (I thought it particularly nice to be on a trip with Bill where he didn’t have to be working. I know he enjoyed it too but was sad to not be able to calculate all the per diem!) In June Bill and I found ourselves without kids for a whole WEEK! We took some alone time at his Aunt Katherine’s condo in Jackson Hole, WY. What a fabulous place. We definitely will be returning… often! The kids enjoyed the break from us just as much, I’m sure. My two sisters and Dad made that end of it happen for us, and for that we are greatly appreciative. In July we packed the kids and the car, and drove up to the Oregon border to do our annual coastal redwoods camping. Bill stopped short in Redding as he couldn’t get the time off but the kids and I went and LOVED being with all of our family (and visiting with loved ones along the way). We are excited for next year and the prospect that Daddy will be joining us. Lastly, before our Christmas trip to Redding of course, October 3^rd found us in San Diego for Bill’s cousin’s wedding. “Uncle Wyatt” married Brigid Shaw and threw a spectacular party. It was a great weekend trip and we were fortunate to be able to be a part of it.

Summer found a brave little three year old boy who was not in any way shape or form afraid of the water and who had to be saved from drowning several times. Who after each, very scary time said, “I did it!”. “Did what?” was my question. These same pool experiences found a determined little 5 year old girl proudly swimming without floaties, above water! The kids also discovered new modes of transportation. While Livi and Dad took on the challenge of two wheels on a bike, Aaron tried four wheels on a board. Both did very well and Livi even got to ride her bike to school a couple of times in the fall. Aaron amazes us with his ability to not get hurt, or at least complain about his injuries. His balance is decent but he’s not scared of anything. (He seems to do better with the scary things. ie. jumping off big “cliffs” into pools, or skateboarding down the driveway. The poor kid was absolutely traumatized when he couldn’t ride Splash Mountain.)

Olivia is still in remission and continues her chemotherapy but we finally hit a mark where we feel like we can start counting down. Seven more months!!! She’ll finish in July. She is doing so great. Since her surgery to clean up a cyst and remove her gallbladder in February there haven’t been any hiccups. Now she is simply able to enjoy the “fun” part of having been diagnosed with cancer. She has been able to attend several Candlelighter and Make a Wish functions. One of which she “modeled” for and had her picture used as advertisement in a local magazine. She is loving kindergarten and thanks to a fantastic teacher has begun her lifelong pursuit of good literature. Her real passion is in creating. She will have no less than 2 or 3 craft projects going at any one time. She’s full of spunk and drama and keeps us on track with all things spiritual. My favorite quote of hers, recently was, “Mom, I just feel like I always need to learn more about Jesus.” We just look at her in amazement and think, “Where does she get this stuff?” … she is keenly aware that she is a daughter of God and what that means.

Aaron is such a kick. He is so FUN! He does and says the funniest most random things and to him the world is better because of it. My world is definitely better because of him. He reminds me how to love and be tender. When he is caught sneaking into our bed he’ll say to me, in his small cute innocent voice, “But mom, I love you very much.” And when asked what his favorite part of “Home Alone” was he says, “When the grandpa sits with the little boy at the church.” Yes, this is my tender hearted Aaron. He is so aggressive, has one volume (loud), and can throw a tantrum at just about anything; but his feelings and how he lets them show are so sincere and often times bring tears to my eyes. He’s been attending pre-school for his speech and while the bus has been a challenge for him he loves his teacher and is always very excited to tell me how his day was. If we don’t ask him right away he’ll say, “Ask me how my day was.” This is after, of course Livi and him exchange bone crushing hugs, and he asks how her day was. He loves to meet new people and quickly makes them smile. While he keeps us on our toes, he is the heart of our family.

Annie came to be part of our family in early October. And while we never thought we’d be “those” people, we are in fact including our dog in our Christmas correspondence. She is an English Crème Golden Retriever and currently 4 ½ months old. She fills a very different place in each of our hearts. I never thought I could attach to a dog but after 4 short weeks I was in tears at having to leave her at the vets’ for a reaction she had to her shots. (Not many could relate, so I called my dad. He laughed.) The kids are happy to be around her and while she plays tenderly with Olivia, she grabs on to Aaron’s tushie and holds on tight while he runs through the house. Bill is her biggest challenge in wrestling and for me she is just right. The hair around the house takes constant care, and she can’t keep Aaron’s socks out of her mouth but for us she is great.

Bill is truly enjoying his job and the different assignments he is tasked with. It’s fun to see the excitement he feels as he talks about a case or the latest trip he’s been on.

As for me, it’s been a great year. I’ve really enjoyed cycling on the road with friends and getting to meet a lot of new people. I’m starting to learn what “has” to be done and what “needs” to be done and loving the outcome. With great friends and a fun church ward, Vegas living has been good to us this year.

For all of you who get the urge to visit, please do. And for those of you who have, come again soon! And still, for those of you who can’t stand the thought of the desert and its surrounding mountains, keep in touch on our blog: www.the4ellisons.blogspot.com, maybe the pictures will urge you to change your mind.

Wishing you all the best in 2010!

Love, the Ellisons

Sweet Release

2009-12-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Bill, what a great guy. In late October he told me of some flier miles he had with Jet Blue and told me to pick a place that I'd like to go for a trip by myself, without the kids. My first thought was to Chicago to visit Cathy. But then she decided to come out here. So, to be fiscally responsible I decided to use them on a trip I would've taken with or without the points and attend my sister, Angie's, Nursing School graduation.

Bill still had to work the week I was gone, which was Tuesday, 12/15 - Saturday, 12/19, and actually ended up having a pretty hairy schedule. But between his determined mind to let me go and with the great help of loving friends all worked out nicely with the kids.

I was counting down the days from a month prior to my solo trip. If nothing else I was ecstatic to be flying without kids to entertain and the thought of being able to do whatever I wanted at whatever hour in the night because I didn't have kids to wake up to was simply euphoric. The trip definitely lived up to every expectation I had set for it.

Things I got to do:

I met Angie's boyfriend, Matt. They are great together.

I got to hold my new baby niece, Abby Lynn Claycamp, and my other niece, Abby's big sister, Emily. (Congrats to Garrett and Kristi, they are both beautiful.

I attended Angie's graduation ceremony with the family and went out to dinner after at a little Italian restaurant, Girronda's.

After dinner we bowled for 3 games... did I mention no kids?!

It was a very special day aside from Angie's graduation as well as very emotional. On purpose I am not paying attention to the dates of this blog because I choose not to remember the "date" but, Angie's graduation date marked 2 years of my mom's passing. Her best friend Jan Preston and Jan's husband Don, whom introduced my parents to each other, came up for the graduation from Fairfield. Even though it made Mom's absence that much more real it was fun to be with them. They even went bowling with us and Don P. really started to pick it up quite well.

Thursday I spent the day with Adam and Angie Christmas shopping and chatting. It was so fun to be on their "level" again. (To be able to sit and talk with them and not have to worry about my mommy responsibilities.) Thursday night I spent as the seamstress. Hemmed 3 pair of pants, a dress and a slip all for Friday (temple clothes).

Friday Angie went through the temple for the first time. Gretchen and I were fortunate enough to be her "escorts" and so got to help

help her and just, be with her. And then, to have all of my immediate family with me in the Celestial room. Cool. The really neat thing was that we ALL, even Mom, had been in that Celestial room together before the Sacramento temple was dedicated. It was so great to all be there together especially at that time of year.

Now, to clear up some questions that may have arisen in your mind... no, Angie is not engaged

to Matt. But it's not so much a matter of "IF" more a matter of "WHEN". Until there's a ring on the finger, no talk is being done. We're all waiting anxiously on pins and needles and are all pretty convinced that Angie and Matt finding each other had much to do with an angel on the "inside" of the "other side". (Great job Mom.)

After the temple we all ate at BJ's in Folsom, got out of there at 11pm, and Angie and I crashed at Matt's just around the corner so that they could take me to the airport the next morning.

True story: As I'm flying out of Long Beach (connector flight from Sac to Vegas) I was chatting with a gentleman who sat next to me. It was a pretty empty flight, but apparently when the flight attendants do their little speech, they REALLY want you to listen. The guy stopped mid-speech, came up to us and told us to be quiet or we could exit the plane! WOW! We were both flabbergasted and didn't know to laugh, be embarrassed or be ticked. I think a trifecta was the result.

This was the same airport on my flight to Sac that I asked the gate attendant where the airport was to which she replied, "Right here." I thought she misunderstood so I asked, "No, like the baggage claim, security checks, vendors..." She reiterated, "Right Here." No joke, if you haven't seen it picture... 2 oversized portables. That's it. To get to and from the planes you walk across the path of other planes!!! Quite the experience. And yes, I loved my first flights on Jet Blue.

Bill was great and brought the kids into the airport to pick me up. It's so fun to have your children run up to you yelling "MOMMY" in public places. It makes you feel 10 feet tall. I smiled at Livi's hair, all disheveled and ratty with a headband stuck awkwardly into place. R:"Is this how you did her hair all week?" B: "YEP!" R: "Awesome!"

The nativity outside of the Sacramento Temple, for the Christmas season.

Thanks babe for being so FANTASTIC and encouraging me to take this trip.

I told Bill that now I'm going to need a trip every year. He said that that's fine as long as I don't schedule it for when Obama's coming to town. Yea, I'll make sure to check with his secretary next time!

Christmastime Part I

2009-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

How did Bill get the lights on the second story? By hoisting a ladder onto the roof, by himself of course! What a man won't do for his Christmas lights. (A neighbor also was able to help with his ginormous ladder for the far right.)

Of course this is a busy season for all and not that mine was any busier for any particular reason... Early in the season we had the opportunity to listen to a prophet's voice, President Monson's voice to be precise, and I really took his message to heart. Sure I wanted to do it all, the decorations the baking the parties the cards and the list goes on. For the most part I did accomplish everything I wanted to, just on a very different time schedule. (ie. I have yet to seal my Christmas card envelopes... they may be Valentine cards, but they are coming!!!) All that being said, it was a FANTASTIC season!

First things first, we put up our tree. Our loving neighbors let us borrow their artificial tree

this year. We figured it probably to be a good idea because we were leaving for California the day after Christmas. While it didn't quite hold the "natural" beauty of the season, it was a beautiful tree.

On several different occasions we decorated sugar cookies with friends. I have become very fond of freezers, make one big batch and the love keeps on goin'! This time was at Ashlyn and Ellie Wood's house where we watched the First Presidency's Christmas message.

I was able to make another quilt for my brother, Garrett and his wife Kristi who was having their 4th, their 2nd girl.

For our ward church Christmas party we did a "Providence version of The Polar Express". (Providence is our current ward's name.) We all went in our Christmas p.j.'s and brought our homemade with handpicked material by the kids, Christmas pillows and blankets and laid out in the cultural hall to watch an abbreviated version of the movie with some great add ins. For instance, when the main song is played it cut to a previously recorded tape of some of the kids from the ward singing that song. (Livi was able to volunteer for this. It was fun to see her face seeing herself up on the big screen.) We ate all sorts of "movie" food, like hot dogs, popcorn, candy, etc. but the best is when the passengers were served sweets on the train they paused the movie and brought out carts of hot cocoa for everyone. In addition, when the train pulls into the North Pole and Santa arrives... yep! St. Nick walked right through the doors and gave all the kids a candy cane and a bell from his sleigh! It was great. Bill was unable to attend but easily understood by the kids; he was providing protection for the Big Guy himself at St. Jude's Childrens' Ranch just outside of the city.

We were able to attend a Make-a-Wish Christmas party at the "Magical Forrest" downtown on

Wednesday the 9th. They had face painters and balloon artists and a gingerbread house town and Santa and Cinderella and rides and food and ... Terry Fatone! Dad was able to join us after work and despite the bitter cold, I think we hit a high of 35 that day (I know you're laughing at me Cathy), we had a great time. The kids even walked to the top of and slid down the "giant banana slide" (that's what I call it, the one that freaked me out as a little girl was yellow!) all by themselves. I was a bit worried for Olivia, she looked like she might loose her dinner at one point but she came off with a huge grin. Aaron... well of course he wanted to go again.

When I RSVP'd they asked for the ages of the children attending. For Aaron I obviously put age

3. The gifts were wrapped and given according to age, great plan I thought. Until I discovered they lumped the ages from 18 mos - 3 yrs! So Aaron got a See 'n' Say. I just laughed, I should've said 4. Much to my surprise, he LOVED IT! Who knew? I sure didn't. Livi, while standing in line to see the jolly elf, had told me that from Santa she wanted a Barbie. Well, I guess someone heard.

Aaron was more excited to see Cinderella than Olivia. Who can blame him? She was really cute.

Terry Fatone won a season of a hit tv show, "America's Got Talent" and thus landed his own show on the strip. He didn't do a lot on stage but met each guest individually. Very talented ventriloquist.

It was so very fun to see the kids having fun with Dad. We are so happy that he loves his job, but we love it when he can share in our day.

On Saturday, the 12th we went to a Candlelighter's Christmas party. This is the party where Aaron won the scooter...(see the previous post for more details.) What I didn't mention is that we were able to "convince"/remind Aaron that he really wanted a Batman cave and that he could ask for that from Santa. He marched right over to the Santa on the premises and told him of his new wish. Whew, crisis averted!

Cathy, you know how to make kids smile!!!

On Sunday the 13th our dear friend Cathy from Chicago (I feel as if that is her real name "Cathy from Chicago") spent the entire day with us. She had come to Vegas to meet up with some friends for the weekend but carved Sunday out just for US! It was so great to see her again and to give her the chance to actually meet Aaron and Bill. I picked her up at the Paris and then she went to church with us and had dinner with us. It was great to have Cathy join us for church. We both thought the "women's meeting" about friendship was very... perfect/timely. For dinner we had additional company as well. My brother, Adam and his girl friend, Mauni, were in town. It was a fun and yummy evening, and so great to be able to spend that time with Cathy. (For a refresher as to how we met Cathy, read my post from last year, November/December, and our trip to Chicago. It still makes the two of us tear up, and laugh, when we talk about it.

You are so great! Come anytime.

(As not to confuse myself/posterity: I am writing this in the first weeks of January 2010 but wanted to keep the chronology accurate.)

Black Friday

2009-11-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

In keeping with tradition, that Bill and I haven't been able to keep for the past 2 years due to job restrictions, the two of us headed out at 'O dark 30 on the day after Thanksgiving. We weren't hugely impressed with the deals out there but we were able to score on some pretty good deals, one of my favorites was the 99 cent poinsettias from Home Depot. (We got six. Although I wanted more, I couldn't convince Bill of where I would put them.) We were able to find a "preowned" Nintendo DS for Livi for 70 bucks, thanks Grandma. We heard that Santa was able to take advantage of the sales for some Razor scooters and the much anticipated Batman Cave that was topping Aaron's list. (It only started to top Aaron's list after he won the aforementioned scooter at a Candlelighter's Christmas party... go figure. Go figure, Olivia gets the cancer, Aaron gets the huge basket of toys! I suppose it all equals out in the end. She handled it without any ruffled feathers.)

The two of us had a good time together, even if my line cutting experience was suppressed by the presence of Metro cops on duty! Thank goodness Bill has that sense of human decency to wait in line like everyone else... I do vaguely remember him saying to me, "Go do that line thing that you're so good at."

All of our shopping bliss was made possible by my cousin, Sarah who had come in to town with her daughter, Samantha and Sam's friend Ally. The two girls had a weekend soccer tournament that enveloped most their time but it was nice to have family visiting! (That was for all you who secretly read our blog and haven't yet got the guts to come see life here first hand. If you come you can sign a waiver for me to leave your picture off of the blog... yea, probably not.)

One last splurge of the day: as we pulled into our community there were window washers at the model homes. I talked them down from $80. to 30 or $40, I don't remember. But it was fantastic. (There's no way we could do what they did especially as quickly as they did it.)

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

This was the first Thanksgiving we've officially had away from family. (Last year's festivities were celebrated in a diner in Chicago, so that didn't really count.) Being that it was our first time I was excited to have our neighbors, the Bustillos' over to share in the fun. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase some pretty fall table linens and Livi and I made great place card holders and even pretty napkin holders. Bill made his delicious spinach dip and along with other goodies that our neighbors brought, we had a great food to munch on during the football game. (The Cowboys played the Raiders, the two teams that our neighbor and his son LOVE!)

I was excited to be able to make all the traditional foods that I grew up with. Mashed potatoes and gravy (mashed potatoes that morning kept well in the crockpot), sweet potatoes (cooked the night before), and Mom's stuffing. YUMM-O!

Livi tore the bread on Wednesday and while I mixed the ingredients Thursday morning I caught myself inhaling deeply over and over again. I actually said out loud, to no one in particular because Bill was out playing with the kids and Annie, "Ahhh, this smells like Mom." Not that my mom smelled like stuffing, but the smells reminded me of her. I even added some craisins to the out of the bird mix and LOVED it. It all turned out so perfect (Thanks to the no less than 10 phone calls to Gretchen). Even the gravy was yummy. All was so good except perhaps the turkey that never fully cooked. Some parts cooked and some didn't. The dang popper thingy never popped and my thermometer said it was good! AHHH! We were able to carve parts and stick it back in. All in all good stuff. Thanks to Terry and Alex for bringing the rolls, cider and pie. Along with the fun game we all played afterwards (Cranium), what a fantastic holiday!

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-11-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Bill turned 31 today!!! We are so happy that we were able to celebrate with him.

When he came down stairs this morning he found this "X" box on the table with a note inside. I told him the kids had wanted to get him an X-box for his birthday.

The note read: "You're going on a treasure hunt. The X will mark the spot. Follow the clues so you don't get lost."

He was led to the back yard, out the front door and around the downstairs.

Finally he ended up in our linen closet.

The anticipation was great.

The outcome was wonderful!

(Already enjoying his new Modern Warfare Limited Edition X-box 360.)

Bill, we love you. We love that you love your job, and we love that you love your family. Thank you for being you! May all your wishes come true.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Babe!