It's Been A While

Things have been a little crazy around here the past few months and I have been horrible about posting.  I will have to play catch up in several posts.

Starting with April...

I have graves disease.  I have had this for a long while.  I have worked with the doctor for the past 5 years to get my thyroid under control.  I have had half my thyroid removed.  Didn't fix anything.  Taking medication has been a mess.  I found that I can't tolerate the most commonly prescribed and better for you medication.  I have lived in the - your thyroid is fast- take medication- normal, but I felt like it was slow- go back to doc- your thyroid really is slow- take a break from meds - thyroid is fast take meds - it slowed down too much- stop meds - to it is normal and had a year off - to back a really fast again.  Needless to say I think all this slowing and speeding up has messed a lot with my metabolism and it is just freaking out right now.  In April after I got the news it was fast again, we decided to take radio active iodine to kill off my thyroid and just control my thyroid by medication only.  I went and had my thyroid radiated on April 15.  That was fun!!!    I had no contact at all with anyone.  Kyle had to move out of our room and I couldn't be around anyone for 3 days and then limited contact for 5 days.  I was told I could feel nauseated during this process.  My throat felt like I had a golf ball stuck in it and my throat was dry.  The day I could be around my family, was the day the nausea started of course.(That lasted about a week)  I was hoping for a super power, but of course, nothing.  I thought that would be a perk to the radio active iodine.  A girl can dream, right?   I went on Wednesday (June 1) and had blood drawn.  Still waiting for the the results and hoping it took.  I definitely don't want to do that again.  I feel really tired and my appetite has changed and I of course have gained weight(boohoo) so, I am hoping for the best.  

Hannah got to come home on April 22.  She finished her 2nd year in school and did well.  Woohoo!  Go Hannah!  Her birthday was right before she was supposed to come home, so we celebrated when she got here.

She is the big 20!  I can't believe it.  Since she is living in an apartment away most of the year, she is building her movie collection.  We got her a blu-ray player and all the Harry Potter movies.  She has also bought movies with her birthday money.  That will be a work in progress, but she is loving it.

She wanted strawberries and cheesecake factory cheesecake.  Yum!!!

Easter came and went and I have no pictures to show for it.  I didn't buy Easter clothes. ( for reason above).  I didn't feel well, that darn nausea, but I am glad to have all of the kids at home.

Welcome To The Family Tomater

Savannah got a car on April 11.  We have been looking for one for a while trying to find a good deal and to get a car so that Savannah would be comfortable driving it for her test this fall.  We also wanted Hannah to have something to drive this summer while she is home.

Since the VW Beetle was redesigned (back when Savannah was little)  She has talked of wanting a slug bug.  The thought that people would be slugging each other while she drove around makes her laugh.

She has named her car Tomater.  Her favorite character in the Cars movie was Mater and she said that she would name her car after him.  We laughed a few weeks ago having this conversation, that if she got a slug bug, it would be round like a tomato and the name Tomater would be fitting.  Her dad and grandpa went to pick up the car while she was a school and that evening when they got home, she was surprised to receive her Tomater.

This picture is the only one I have.  We had bad weather that day with storms and tornado warnings.  It was still raining, but I had to get a picture of this momentous occasion.

Zachary

Zachary got some teeth pulled on March 10th.  He is seeing an orthodontist and we are trying to prevent any major orthodontic procedures.  They gave him laughing gas.  He was quite entertaining for about an hour after.  Here is a little shot of what he was like.

He could not stop laughing.  He thought everything was funny.

We Were Pirates

Ahoy young mateys -- 

If treasure ye be seeking 

There's learning to be had 

At a meeting we'll be teaching 

Of treasures good, none bad 

So join your fellow pirates 

And your parents for some fun 

We'll be searching out the treasure 

Ye lassies will see how it's done

-from our New Beginnings invitation

This year for New Beginnings we went with a pirate theme.  We wanted it to be a fun night, but one that the girls could feel the spirit as well.  

We went to the church the day of, to decorate ahead of time.  Here it is complete, before the girls arrive all decked out in pirate wear.  

We had the serving table decorated as well with black table cloths and treasure chests with coins and gold and silver glitter and treasure maps.  I forgot to take a picture.

Below are the girls singing to start things off.  I was trying to get all of them and I don't think I did. oops:(

The girls also did a pirate skit that was cute.  It focused on treasures and what treasures they should be seeking.  I don't think I got any pictures of it.

the yw presidency and the Bishop 

I would like to thank Zachary for letting me borrow his Jack Sparrow Sword.

most of our yw leaders

the whole gang

We managed to keep the scouts and the young men out of the gym during our program.  It is always hard when food is involved.  We had cup cakes and meatballs and veggie trays and fruit.

Once all of the young women and parents had eaten and we were visiting, this happened.

You could tell when the food was gone because they left the table and went to where the girls were, to visit.

For the record... we didn't care that they ate the food.  It made clean up easy.  I just thought it was funny and told the story of how it typically goes in our ward.

Blog Updates And Snow

 Well, as you can see I have been trying to get this blog up to date.  There really has been no excuse for my not updating it, after all we have used I think 9 snow days this school year and it has been an unseasonably cold icky winter.  Maybe that is why I haven't felt like blogging. 

 Too depressing. 

 Don't get me wrong, I love when my kids have snow days, but I am tired of this cold. Usually if we get snow it melts pretty quick and it is sunny and only cold for a short period of time.  This mess started in December before the kids even got out for Christmas and it is still going on.  The kids have been out of school for the past two days because of snow.  

The good thing is that Zachary has had a cold and run a fever since Tuesday night, so he only missed Wednesday, so he will have less make up work to do.  The bad thing about it,  he didn't get to play in the snow.  He loves that.

It hasn't all been bad, we have played the Wii, and watched movies and stayed up late and slept in and just enjoyed spending time together. (except for when S & Z fight because they have been couped up together too long. Not fun!)

Just tired of the gloomy, cold weather.  Bring on the sun!

Things are looking up.  I think... I hope... Please weather people be right.

It is supposed to be in the 60's next week. Heat wave!

I don't think I am a winter lover.  I certainly respect the people that live like this every winter, only get a lot worse.  I don't see how they do it.

Music City Bowl

I don't have much to say about the game.

We went, it was cold, we had a good time until the end.  

The kids wanted to go, so Kyle got us tickets.

Our view of the Nashville skyline from our seats.

Hannah and Savannah

Savannah trying to make her Uncle John face.

The boys

I took this for Hannah.  She had her camera but, I don't think she could get this shot.

The band was amazing.  They did the circle drill and wowed everyone.  That is the first time I have ever been to a ball game where the fans stayed in the stands and cheered for the band.  I wish I had gotten pictures, but Hannah did, and posted them on her blog.  Nothing beats the Pride of the Southland Marching Band!

 The three amigos.  

There she goes again trying to make the Uncle John face.

I wonder if I will ever get a shot of all my kids smiling?

Christmas 2010

I know I am way behind, but....

The traditional Christmas morning photo.

I am sure my kids will be thrilled I posted this one.

SORRY KIDS :)

I forgot to take my camera or even take pictures when I had my camera with me.  I'll do better next year?

This was a fun Christmas.  Hannah got to come home.  Yay!  We didn't get to see her for Thanksgiving, so we were ready to see her.

Also, this was the first year in a while that all of my brothers and sisters were together.  We had a great time.

Also, for my whole married life, Kyle has been allergic to something at his mom and dad's house.  He spends the day we are there for Christmas out on the front porch or sitting in the kitchen(the only room in the house that he could breath okay in).  Then two boxes of tissue and at least one asthma attack later (at least two days after we would get home) he would finally get better.  Kyle's parents, every year (before we come) have tried everything to make things better for him.  They have deep cleaned everything -taken furniture apart and bleached and cleaned each piece, vacuumed everything in sight, dusted, had their duct work cleaned, etc.  Nothing seemed to work.  

This past year, they replaced their AC unit.  We show up for Christmas and Kyle can breath.  He was able to go in the family room and watch football and gab with everyone.  So the AC unit was the culprit and now it is gone and we had a blowing your nose and asthma attack free Christmas.  Yay!!!

I am sure my sibling will love this.  We had a ugly Christmas sweater contest this year.  Of course I forgot my camera, but lucky for me and them, I had my handy dandy phone.  The lighting was bad in the room, so my pictures turned out grainy, but I have to share the fun we had.

Aren't they cute?  

They look like they belong in a Christmas movie.

I have to say that Matt won the competition.  Candace bought the shirt he is wearing to wear under her vest.  I guess Matt wanted to compete, so he wore the shirt.

I just have to say that Jamie's sweater was by far the most unique I have ever seen.  To truly appreciate this beauty, you have to see it from both sides. There are no words to describe it.  Who comes up with these things?

Side A

Side B

Are you confused?  So were we!

Their hubbies didn't compete in the contest, so they posed together.  I think I have actually seen people wearing sweaters like these beauties.

The whole gang.  

They posed together and then we voted.  I think we all laughed until we cried.  Definitely funny stuff!

To finish off Christmas Day, we got a visit from Grandmama in her Titans jersey.  She had just gotten it and was excited to have something Titans.  We all loved seeing Grandmama.  Thanks Uncle Joe, for driving in our first white Christmas in 17 years, so that we could see Grandmama.