Broadway Beat

 Back in March all the 4th grade kids at Summer's school participated in what they call "Broadway Beat".  They learn a bunch of songs from Broadway shows, and then preform them at a concert for their parents and school.  Summer was so nervous and tried everything to get out if it (she says she has "stage fright").  But in the end she did it...and was so proud of herself...and had the best time.  When it was done she said "I wish I could do it again".  I'm so proud she faced her fears:) (It's hard for me to look at pictures of Summer during this time because she looks so sick and thin)

Spring Break 2024 Highlights

 The kids came home!  Number one highlight for sure!!!

We spent a day in Seattle with Jordan and Mikel 

We went for a walk at North Creek Park where Tyson found an Amazon gift card on the ground, picked it up and gave it to Summer.  When we got home, Mike looked it up and found it  had $500 on it!!  Needless to say, there was a lot of discussion on who should get the money haha.

Every time Kya comes home, we have to get a lot of wedding errands in too!

We printed these board prints from Walmart and they turned out so cute!!

We STRUGGLED to find the right shoes 

(she ended up ordering some cheap ones from Amazon that worked out perfectly...after spending HOURS driving around trying on so many shoes)

Just us three girls at the tulips this year.  It was nice to go with only people who wanted to be there:)

Met up with the Leavitts for dinner

Summer found a bird's nest with 3 little eggs in it.  I tried to get her to leave it alone, but she persisted and ended up bringing it home and trying to hatch them under a light in Tyson's room.  It didn't work.

And the weather is getting warmer:)  Stormi is sure enjoying that!

How about Savannah Georgia?!

For at least 10 years, (probably more) we've tried to do a trip with Darren & Stacie and Ross & Nicole (Mike's old college roommates and their wives), but it has never worked out...until now!

We met up in Savannah, Georgia of all places.  Darren and Stacie were going there for a golf tournament and Ross and Nicole live just a few hour drive away.  For us, it was a bit more of a sacrifice.  

Flights to Savannah were super expensive (because of the golf tournament), so we ended up booking a flight into Atlanta (3+hour drive away).  But, hey, we had been trying to do this for 10+ years, so we were going to make it happen.  Finding someone to watch Summer was another dilemma.  I reached out to my family, to see if anyone could come down to watch her, but they had other things going on, but could watch her if we brought her up to Canada.  So we added a 4 hour drive (2 hrs each way) to the beginning and end of our trip.  Yikes, I was starting to get a little negative about the whole thing.  Then Darren sent us the bill for the house we were staying at...holy cow another super pricey part of the trip (who knew Savannah was such a touristy hot spot).  On top of all that, we had just started this health crisis journey with Summer and I felt terrible leaving her.  When it came time for Mike to drive her up to Canada, she was sobbing and saying she didn't want us to go.  It was torture.  I just felt so bad and even contemplated canceling the trip and having Mike go without me.  

Anyways, Summer got dropped off and we got on a plane.  And it was a FANTASTIC trip.

We ate great food (I tried grits for the first time!), went on some fun tours (even a nighttime ghost tour through a cemetery...did you know Savannah is the most haunted city in the US??  I didn't), the boys played pickle ball...and we did a lot of catching up and just chatting about life (my favorite).  And the whole thing was probably exactly what I needed.  And my family took such good care of Summer.  They each took a turn with her at their house and sent me pictures of the fun they were having.  When I came back to pick her up, she didn't want to leave.

Summer's Tummy Aches

Around the end of January Summer started complaining about tummy aches...just about every day.  It was usually at bed time, or right after eating and it wasn't going away.  I booked an appointment with the doctor, but as the appointment approached, Summer seamed to be feeling better.  Well, the stomach aches came back, along with a sickly look, and some weight loss.  I booked another appointment and kept it this time.  When we finally got in to see the doctor, we found out that Summer had lost 15 lbs in just 4 or 5 months!  The doctor ordered a ton of tests, but seemed unworried and assured us that "when the test came back normal" we would dig deeper into possibly celiac disease or possibly anxiety.  

The tests did not come back normal.  As the results spilled into the app on my phone over the next few days, just about every single one was abnormal.  I was so scared.  From my google research, I was sure Summer had leukemia or something equally terrifying.  We were scheduled to meet with the doctor in 2 weeks to discuss the results, but I couldn't wait.  I messaged my doctor on Friday afternoon and she immediately called me (I am so grateful for such a wonderful doctor).  She reassured me that the results did not point to leukemia, and the only abnormal result that concerned her was the Thyroid numbers, which pointed to something called Grave's Disease (a treatable autoimmune disease).

Thus started our endless journey of doctor's visits and blood draws. Eventually Summer was diagnosed with both Celiac Disease (after an endoscopy) and Grave's Disease (leads to hyperthyroidism--which explained the weight loss). It has been a long few months figuring it all out.

We have cut out gluten, Summer has to take pills daily to regulate her thyroid, and we have routine blood draws and doctors visits.  Summer is looking and feeling herself again.  While I am so grateful what she has is treatable, I am also a sad for my little girl.  Both Celiac and Grave's she will have through her entire life.  She will be dependent on medicine.  It's all a little overwhelming for a 10 year old to deal with.  Summer has been such a trooper through it all.  She absolutely hates needles, and had a few near panic attacks when having her blood drawn.  This last time, she was so brave and barely fazed by it.  She's learned what she can and can't eat, and always asks if things have gluten and is so responsible.  I know she will be a stronger person because of this struggle, but at the same time, I wish she didn't have to go through it.  I love her so much and am grateful I get to help her, love her, and support her through this journey.

We Funny

Is there anything better than laughing?!  Laughing and talking with family and friends is my absolute favorite thing!  And Jim Gaffigan is my very favorite comedian:)  Mike and I have seen him live about 4 or 5 times, just because when tickets go on sale, I can't resist.  We got to see him again this spring--yay...even though just a couple weeks before we got to see Trevor Noah, haha.  Thank goodness we have a trusty babysitter that lives just 8 minutes from The Paramount (thanks Jordan & Mikel).

Here we are the first time we saw Jim Gaffigan.  I think it was 2010 in Los Angeles.  I was trying to find a picture from each time we saw him but I couldn't!  Just the first and last haha.

And Gaffigan April 2024

And here's what Summer is like to babysit:)

February Love

 Jordan's 23rd Birthday

Every year on the kids' birthdays I look through their baby books.  I remember this little baby so well, yet it's hard to believe this is the same Jordan.  Crazy how it feels like a lifetime ago, yet just yesterday all at once.  

Her cake turned out a little more "Valentine's" than I planned, but it was still delicious.

We tried a new Taplas restaurant for dinner that wasn't great, but we had a great time and I'm glad we tried it. 

Super Bowl Party

Jordan and Mikel came over to watch the super bowl with us, so we made a bunch of yummy food.  It was an intense game, but luckily the Chiefs managed to win in overtime (and we got to see Taylor Swift in the crowd)!

Valentine's Day

I have been feeling a little down about only having one kid at home, so I decided to do a little extra for Summer for Valentine's day this year.  I left her a little gift each day (she called them "bed gifts") of the month leading up to the 14th.  Then on Valentine's Day I did a little scavenger hunt leading her to her gifts.  She was so excited.  We may have to do it again next year.

My sweet ministering sister (Sis. Fife) brought me this cute little rose bush for Valentine's Day (and put a little flag in since I got my citizenship the day before).  It was extra special because I had just read in my journal from when I was 8 years old that my grandma had brought me a tiny rose bush for my birthday:)

And of course my "real" valentine:)  Here's us a BYU where it all began.  My dad insisted on doing a photo shoot on campus and at the temple in Provo.  None of the pictures turned out great (I was barely pregnant and not feeling well), but I am grateful we have them.

 Flowers from Mike:)

Thanks goodness for February, jammed between January and March, to keep me going;)

Louis--My first "Grandson"

 Jordan and Mikel got a kitten!  

His name is Louis, and he is adorable and crazy all at the same time!  

We love him already:)

Everyone was very excited to see him when they picked him up

Family of 3!!!

Little model in his new apartment!

Snuggling with his momma:)

Yawning

With his crazy Auntie Summer

Auntie Kya snuggles

If this is a little taste of how fun it is to be a grandma, I can't wait!

We the people...

 I have lived in America for almost TWENTY EIGHT years!  

It's about time I became a citizen, right?  Actually, for a long time I thought I would never become an American citizen.  But slowly over the years and years and years, I just started to feel more American than Canadian (and that wasn't until a couple years ago).  I guess that's what happens when you live somewhere for so long.  

This year, my Canadian passport was going to expire, so I thought I better make my choice.  Do I renew my Canadian passport and Green Card or do I take the plunge and get my citizenship.  I decided it was time.  

$700, a 10 minute interview (plus a few weeks of studying), and a 15 min swearing in ceremony, and I am now an American!

I was not expecting to get sworn in right after my interview (because Mike's wasn't when he got citizenship in 2011), so I was kind of sad to just be there by myself.  So all my pictures are selfies haha.