family pic

family pic

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Ever wondered how to support Saylor???




As many of you know a highlight in Saylor's life is skiing. Its a big deal to her and to us. A magical gift of movement and wonder that leaves her on a high that we cant seem to create any other way. Something seemingly impossible creating a wave of fresh cold miracle!

You may also know that the program that makes this possible is Wasatch Adaptive Sports @ Snowbird. Without them we could never provide this experience for her, nor would she be as good as she is! For many years now they have been so generous in what they have done and made possible for Saylor, endlessly blessing her and our family.

Every year in March they host the Steve Young Ski Classic as their big fundraiser for the year. The success of this event is crucial to the vitality of this program! Not only does it raise the funds to make this program capable of blessing Saylor and others like her it provides the participants of the program a fun ski race to participate in. Something Saylor anticipates all season long!

Last year she was so excited to go and suddenly a few days prior went into kidney failure and landed herself in the hospital. I was devastated and she was too! It was a break your heart kind of week, all I could think of was that she would miss this ski race that was so important to her. Well another year has come and gone and next week {cross my fingers} she will get to participate again!

EVER WONDERED HOW YOU COULD SUPPORT SAYLOR? We have never really been the kind of family to put our hands out or ask for financial support but if there was a program that we felt strongly about this would be one of them! So here we are ....

In conjunction with the fundraising surrounding this event Wasatch Adaptive Sports will be doing a raffle drawing on Monday March 19 2012. All proceeds will go to WAS as these items have all been donated. What is in the pot to win? Things like ...

2012 winter week lodging at iron blosam lodge @ snowbird!!!!
Ski & Snowboard clothing & accessories {top of the line!}
Dinning gift certificates
Spa & Salon services
and so much more!

I happen to have raffle tickets and Saylor would love to sell you some in hopes of supporting the program that supports her! You can get 3 tickets for $5!!! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE PRESENT TO WIN!

If you are interested, please email me asap with the amount of tickets you would like and when you want to meet up, or mail up, or exchange up funds as well as what name, phone number, address, and email you want on each raffle ticket. {studiostems@gmail.com} You can also FB comment or message me!

Regardless I just want to say how much I appreciate all the support we get on Saylor's behalf. We know how immensely blessed we are to have her and to experience the miracles we do everyday, and often times those miracles happen through our experiences with those around us. Thank you for your support!!

Friday, March 2, 2012

The Lion of March

I figured as March roars in upon us that it was time for maybe just a generic update of some kind. With some fun visuals as always. I hate that I think of great things to share and write about and then loose them in the chaos of so little time in my life. So here is what I got today ... and for now its all I got to give to you my dear blog ...



Ill start with yours truly. This is a ginger wasabi flower I made back on the day I turned another year older and wiser while at happy sumo eating sushi with the love of my life. I am well. Cultivating floral creativity as always and enjoying the editorial job that UBB continues to be. But nox is really what has me engaged, engaged in love. I cant get enough of what it is to be a new mom again and how different it is this time around. I recently battled mastitis, a scary thing for us given my previous history, but got over it relatively well and am so proud to say that through the stress and difficulties surrounding breast feeding I am still at it! A huge feat in my opinion! Other than that I am just managing the usual obligations, requirements, stresses, and schedules of my unique and amazing family.



This is the most current picture of Nate I can find. Confused ... well I dont really see the man to get a pic of him! But I bet you wish I could because the "dude" has lost nearly 30 lbs and is sleek and yoked up! Yep thats right you read that right. You see all it took was this .... a competition. Engage him in a little competitiveness in the way of a biggest looser comp among his high-school friends and he will kick trash no doubt, and of course win at all costs!

Aside from his usual time at home now being stolen by the gym and the biggest looser comp he is occupied as usual this time of year with wrestling and all that it requires of him as a coach and USA employee. Gone a lot. But what can I say, it is his passion!



Storie has been busy as ever being a "tween" and turning 12! She had 3 full days of celebration and fun! Starting with a Saturday out on the mall with who else but her birthday twin Mattea! For those of you that dont know Storie and Mattea were born on the same day in the same hospital to moms who have been friends since elementary school! The girls played bigger and better courtesy of Jamie and shopped till we all almost dropped. And we enjoyed a bit of Asian cuisine at PF Changs. We topped the night off with bowls of fattening and delicious ice-cream. Their own little birthday date!



Stories was "dying" for a friend party. She has not had one in several years. Her lazy mom thinks its too much work and cant keep her perfectionism at bay to keep it all within a reasonable price. Anyhow I gave in this year so a few days later I took Storie and a group of her friends to the mall {again} for a scavenger hunt. And we had a BLAST of a time. Epic tweener BDay party if I do say so myself. They had to find people, products, or services and take images of them to complete the hunt. Things like a member of the group in a highchair at the food court, or wearing all animal print. Or like in this pic finding a couple holding hands and asking for a pic with them. How cute is it that they picked THIS couple. It melted my heart. We finished the hunt off with some shopping for jewelery at Forever 21 and lunch at Spaghetti factory.



Then her actual birthday finally arrived and we did something ubber special! When I turned 12 I couldnt wait to go to the temple, so on my actual Bday I was able to go to baptisms for the dead. I had told storie this years ago and since then it has been a goal of hers. I cannot believe she is now 12 and old enough to go to the temple but I am so grateful that she is worthy and that her testimony and understanding are so much deeper than mine at that age. So Nate and I accompanied her to the Provo temple for a spiritual experience never to be forgotten. I observed while Storie and Nate performed baptisms for two deceased sisters anxiously waiting for this day.

She is still busy busy busy with swim team, meets, violin, and snowboarding!

I bet Stocktons occupations and accomplishments will come at no surprise ...


He continues to sharpen his athletic wrestling skills with the work out schedule of a pro-athlete and a tournament schedule that has him in a different part of the country every weekend. I have been able to watch a little more this year. Still makes me sick but I see the necessity in this as a parent. And I have even come to realize that in certain moments it was crucial for the balance between nate and stock for me to be there. I feel that we have grown closer and I enjoy his sweet little man spirit.



Our little Jae bird. Saylor is doing well and for the most part her health is stable. She has struggled with a few little colds that hit a respiratory challenge and she is working with the new changes that come with her new stoma. More than anything we have come to realize the pain of what is emotional pain rather than physical. I always knew that this would be the hard part for me as her mom. From birth it was what scared me most. Not to say the physical challenge of the body, her body, is not hard, it most certainly is. But I feel so capable of that and she seems likewise. The emotion that comes with more awareness and acknowledgement and the progression of life hurts deeply. Unlike the physical I have no idea how to help her navigate this nor how to even help myself. We fly by the seat of our pants I suppose.




as in years past Skiing is the highlight of saylors wihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnter existence! Thanks to Wasatch Adaptive Sports! Amelia has become one of her best friends and a source for conversation that she likely will not have with anyone else. I am so grateful for the spirit and character behind WAS and who these people are and what they do for her. She looks forward to it like it is disney land. But in this funny quiet manner. her shyness i suppose. As some of you may already know, a documentary producer is putting together a turning point episode together about WAS and saylor will be included in that documentary. Cant wait to see. In addition to that she is getting pumped for the steve young ski classic here in a few weeks and cant wait to "race" someone!



How hilarious is this pic!? oh love this kid. He is almost 6 months old now. It has gone by so fast and I just sometimes want to stop time so badly. With the exception of the still difficult beyond belief nights! Remember when i said he was in the crib? well no more, he has reverted back to his old ways. My inability to let him suffer I am sure is the conduit. Doing well though, healthy for the most part. He is just now suffering from his first cold and it seems to be staying mild, uncomfortable but mild. He is the light of every day for every one of us. We miss him most when apart and his personality makes us all fill with joy! I cant imagine how empty we would be without him! A flirt, a comedy, a smile, a good giggle, he is all this and more {most of the time}. Quirks about him, his little hump move he does to wiggle himself out of things he doesnt want to be in! ahhh it is so funny! The fact that he will laugh at, with, and about anything! His lashes are getting longer and his eyes a more crisp blue. And his body is a chubby happy richness of baby that cannot be resisted.