Sending 2011 out with a Texas size bang! {day 3&4}

Thankfully we started off day 3 of our trip a little more lax, a little less early, and with people that we love very much. We needed a bit of a slow down. Love this baby pic of the two boy cousins Kyler & Nox at breakfast.

After Peyton & Hallie conquered a pediatric dentist apt and Heather taught me a little bit about the necessity of a fountain soda vs a can at home soda we ate a yummy lunch, prepared by none other then the talented and lovely Heather O'Brien, and headed out to Sea World for the remainder of the day!

This is about as cheezy and I get, max Audrey cheese! I heart sea world! I love water animals and they astound me, captivate me, draw tears even! So I was truly excited to experience this adventure. I found San Antonio Sea World to be a tad different then San Diego where there are a lot of exhibits and places to go watch the animals, more zoo style, San Antone is more ride and show style! Its glam so to speak.





We all had a great time! Saylor enjoyed every minute of the Atlantis roller-coaster not once but twice and that is the whole caboodle of us minus heather, me, two babies, and peyton. Even Hallie rode that thing! Heather, aaron, me, storie, & stock rode the steel eel! And storie was scared out of her pants, she ducked down to the floor the whole time! fantastic coaster and a good hiatus from being the mom to a new baby, if even for just a few minutes! Coasters just make me feel young and carefree again, who doesn't like that feeling?!

For my friends with disabled kids, did you know that Sea World offers disabled individuals a 50% off ticket a long with their caregiver?! really = one free pass.

Next day started out slow too with a little sleep in and some lax time at the O'Briens pad. A little spiritual insert here. In all my planning I could think of no better time for our families schedule to go do this, and I knew nate really wanted to visit aaron in SA. BUT it was hard to match up aarons schedule and unfortunately he could not get anytime off during our visit, so i just prayed that somehow they would get to spend a bit of time together, and as it turned out ... prayers answered! Aaron came home much earlier then usual and was able to get away from the hospital relatively easy both days we were there! so day 4 we just chilled until aaron got home around 230. and then we headed out the door for a night down town!

we went to "the river" but before that, a little stop off at none other then the ..... ALAMO!



Remember the Alamo? Well I dont, but anyhow it was a fantastic old building with great character and symbolism. We actually picked a horrible day to visit downtown san antone as it was the evening of the Alamo bowl and there were just you know maybe 60 thousand extra people and their cars! it was a bit stressful with 2 strollers a wheel chair and 7 kids! But it was fun to see and no regrets!



Its all lite up at night during the holidays so also just a little extra cheer! We ate out in the most true mexican style we could fine, because that was nates wish all along and my dismay, @ casa rio on the river and then we boarded a boat to join the ranks of what tourists do in this grand western city. It was lovely though because where else can you get that much history in 30 minutes? really truly fascinating, the architecture and engineering were divine and i found myself very intrigued by the history, must be getting old!



it was night and i only had my camera phone so good pics were few and far between but this building looks quiet interesting from this particular angle. almost like a sheer flat single wall. and this tree ... its the oldest and tallest of its kind still standing today.

Unfortunately the evening ended with us boarding our trusty Honda Odyssey and heading in a new direction for new adventures on day 5 and sending the other O'Briens back to their normal lives. But we sure did have a lovely time with them, and we most definitely appreciated their hospitality! Not to mention the priceless cousin moments!

Sending 2011 out with a Texas size bang! {day 2}

*Before I get started with day 2 .... NEW music on the blog for 2012. As per the request of several peeps. It is only 13 tracks, but 13 very delightful tracks!

We began the day early in the morning in order to arrive at one of our bigger destinations before the evening drew too late. First on the docket was a stop off in an area that may put us at risk for alien abduction, Roswell NM. I fully intended on stopping and touring the silly alien museum but instead we counted the aliens on all the business signs and read about the myths and legends regarded here in this cooky town and only stopped for gas. The kids were being really good, Nate had figured out our end of day 2 destination and I think he was antsy as all get out to get there! sigh ... oh well not all the plans can work out perfectly.

Between Roswell and our next destination {were we did get out!} we experienced are very own episode of ice road truckers. We were also carrying expensive and valuable cargo, only difference was we were in a Honda Odyssey. Apparently NM had experienced some sort of crazy storm that led to unusual amounts of snow for them. They were so ill prepared for snow removal and de-icing the roads that around 100 miles of this particular leg was like skating on ice. I counted several dozen cars off the side of the road abandoned and we passed a dozen or so accidents, some already being attended to and others waiting. It was frightening, really truly some white knuckle driving.



Nate is a really good driver and has driven some harsh conditions in all his journeys, he got us through the ice and onto dry road before we hit .....

FORT STOCKTON TEXAS!



I myself was particularly giddy about this one. Finding a stop on our journey such as this just screamed fun no matter how po dunk it was. I did some research and found out the actual fort in the town Fort Stockton was still in tact and could be toured. By the time we got there it was mid-day, we had all been in the car around 6 hours and our little nox was proving to be the sweatiest baby {along with the sweetest} that we have ever created and filling is clothes and car seat with poop, everyone needed a potty break and some fresh air and this was just the right place.

Though this likely is a popular tourist destination {if you were to ever be a tourist in this small town for some odd reason}, not another soul was there besides the Indian woman at the museum desk who actually was pretty clear about her loyalties.



This history of this fort in short is that the military built this as a camp essentially to house traveling militia and serve other purposes not as front line as one would expect. The fort exchanged hands between the military and Indian tribes a number of times and so the name also changed several times. With these change of hands came a few battles as well. Today the main hall and a few bunk houses exist as well as a church, graveyard,jail, and some leadership housing.



I myself took a special liking to these captains homes that are now privately owned and renovated homes on the Fort property.




we all got a kick out of Nox's little noggin in this soldiers cut out and we used the time outside to catch some sun and air this little man out a bit.





Saylor's chair was dissembled and buried in the car so she was forced to walk, we saw this as a good thing but when she got tired stock the rock took over. Here you can see their happy smiling faces and the church {now painted turquoise} in the back ground. There was still a "jail" so to speak on the premises as well and I loved the old Texas wood original door.

The city of Fort Stockton has acquired themselves a mascot, the roadrunner. We found this especially funny considering that the mascot of the kids elementary school here in Provo is the roadrunner, so we couldn't help but stop by and take a pic next to the giant enormous replica of this strange and exquisite animal, apparently native to Texas.



We left Fort Stockton rejuvenated and ready to get to our next destination which held the primary reason for our journey. When I was contemplating destinations I knew that my hub would really like to visit his brother in San Antonio, he talks about it frequently. I contacted heather my sister in law and we did what we could to figure out the husbands schedule and plan this little surprise. It was a little comical at times, both Aaron & Nate became suspicious but it was still fun to pull off a bit of a surprise. Nate doesn't show emotion much and I wouldn't say he did on the trip either but I could sense his excitement and anxiousness the closer we got to San Antone. The kids were all thrilled as well, they adore uncle Aaron & aunt Heather. We were set to arrive around 7 at night and we wanted to surprise Aaron in a fun and unexpected way rather then just showing up at his house. So with Heather's help over text we planned a little Costco size surprise.

Heather got Aaron to go to Costco with her and so we pulled in and proceeded to appear as though we were shoppers and happen upon them. Aaron caught a glimpse of Storie first and wondered if he could believe what he saw then we came around the corner and surprised him. One of the most fun moments of the trip! Good times, memories!

We were all starving so we let Aaron lead the way to something we would not be able to find in Utah. Food was on Nate's mind, the kind you cant find anywhere but Texas. So we experienced Rudy's!



Some good down home BBQ with down home sides. A chain that is found in various places in the big T accompanied by a gas station usually. With your choice of meats this dining is family style and comes with an entire loaf of bread and any drink you want in the gas station, they are all the same price bottled, fountain, or otherwise. We put our pin on the map, we just couldn't help ourselves!

All the adrenaline from excitement led to a late night for the kids and an even later night for the adults :) end of day 2!

Sending 2011 out with a Texas size bang! {day 1}

2011 was an epic year for my family, {though we haven't had a mild year for nearly a decade} this year brought a plethora of challenging but exquisite adventures and exciting new chapters in our book. Like many other people, at the end of a year and the beginning of a new one contemplation arises. As I reflected on what has made my year special, what makes my family strong, and how to represent something more for Christmas I came up with an idea. Not many things I could gift my kids would last a lifetime and I wanted to give them something that would, AH HA! a memory!

Then I got to thinking about how often I have thought about time over the last year and how fast it goes by, I seem to have a constant realization upon me that I am indeed running out of time to create precious childhood nuggets of laughs. So my idea expanded into a trip, a vacation of sorts but more a memory making endeavor. So I Put my planning and organizational skills to the test and began to create a secret trip full of clues, surprises, and experiences hoping that on the other side of the trip little phrases of comical speakings would become part of our lives, laughs would be had for years to come, and smiles of glee would emerge when this trip was thought of. Crazy right? Perhaps even lofty! I do have a new baby {not easy to travel with} and Saylor is still not 100% stable and good to go from surgery, Storie is exhibiting new teenage behaviors we have not adjusted to, and Stock tends to act like a 2 year old still when he is too tired! But something inside me whispered it would all work out, I trusted my spirit and went for it. Truth be told I knew there would be some bad moments, there was bound to be a little ornery-ness here and there but hey, all part of the memories right?!

Christmas morning my family got an envelope that said something to the effect of "Merry Christmas we leave tomorrow on a trip!" And detailed out the clue based affair and how it would go down along with a few rules. We left the next morning and started with this clue...

"we are headed to a place made of entrada rock, a geological wonder filled with formations shaped by eons of weather."

Because we left at about 4:30 in the morning we arrived at one of the two best times in the day to be at arches, sunrise! My kids have never been to arches and this gem of a place right close to home holds some of the most extravagant natural beauty on earth. I was excited for them to visualize in wonder. I knew this adventure would not take us much further then the road and a few look outs with a new babe and Saylor in tow, but it somehow felt like enough.






My personal fav spot ... the 3 gossips overlooking the courthouse towers, more appropriately renamed by a friend the "3 judges".



I was thrilled with the fascination and entrapment these natural wonders held in my kids eyes. I know that the modern day kid might find things such as this boring or assess little value, though I would hope for more in my parenting skills. This was a bit of a pay off. I knew then that the next destination would also be a hit!

On our way to destination #2 we took a little detour just a block or so off the main road ..



A modern day temple leading us to an ancient one!

MESA VERDE - a gem I myself have never visited {at least that I can remember, sorry 'rents}. We just couldn't get enough of this place. We ended up here several more hours then I had planned or anticipated but it felt so right so we just enjoyed. Many of the actual hikes to the dwellings were closed for the winter but the drivable loop and look outs were all open as well as the main dwelling behind the museum and visitor center. Even though it was paved its quiet steep and a bit of a long walk. Saylor trooped through it like a champ!







The mystery and intrigue of the genius of this ancient culture is so extraordinarily captivating. Its hard to describe in words.



This particular ruin has no doors to take one in or out and appears to be some kind of a place to worship, a temple so to speak. A fascination of symbolism and engineering.

The remainder of day 1 was spent driving to Albuquerque to rest our little buzzed with excitement brains. Thank you priceline for a 5 star hotel for $45!

Thanksgiving surgery

For those of you that havent received the full run down, or if you have and didnt understand, here is the essentials behind Saylor's recent adventure.

As many of you know Saylor has two stomas in her stomach. One is to access her bladder and the other is to access her bowel. When we had Saylor's "new" bladder put in part of her bowel was used and after that procedure she was never the same. While many SB kids do not have bowel or bladder control due to paralysis the bladder surgery compounded this existing problem by creating a contraction problem with her bowel muscles. Basically they no longer would contract and move her waist through her very well. She also did not have much control over them when things did decide to move through. Because Saylor is so high functioning and exists pretty mainstream in the world and with her peers we found it essential to fix this problem. Thus the bowel stoma. We have had it for several years now and it has served its purpose well.

For about the last year we have had a lot of pain and exterior problems with the actual stoma site, not its function. They seemed to escalate just as we had the baby and shortly thereafter it was obvious that something needed to be emergently done. It was almost as if her body was rejecting the "door" to the stoma. Vascular scar tissue was all of the sudden building up, immense bleeding and pain was a nightly routine. Her surgeon removed the "door" late oct just before Halloween. But we all knew she wouldn't last long without a replacement before her system backed her up and cause more serious problems. Luckily he did have a plan that would hopefully fix the problem, create a new stoma, and get us back on a healthy track for her.

We all had scheduling factors to consider and with a new babe I was very nervous about how we were going to do all this. With wrestling started and Nate's demanding schedule with work also options were limited and I knew I couldnt pull this one off on my own with Nox. So it came down to Thanksgiving. Yep we chose that time ... and Saylor gracious surgeons worked around us!

Bowel surgery is a challenging and risky type. It usually includes a clear liquid diet for days prior and a "clean out" perhaps the worst of it all actually. Saylor actually handled the clear liquid diet at home pretty well considering and complained very little. We made fun things like jello jigglers and ate candy jolly ranchers with sprite.

Admission day came though and our little world was turned upside down! I ventured on this one day on my own with Saylor and babe. Full of nerves I arrived to find that we were getting a "luxe" room for how hospital rooms go and the nurses to be very supportive of my predicament. Saylor was very nervous and full of extreme anxiety. Something that would prove to be a companion for days to come. In fact I think one of the hardest things about this surgery was the mental part for Saylor and watching her struggle through it.

The picture above is saylor eating a slushy with the dreaded NG tube down her to clean her out. It was a long day full of sad words and discouraging times but with the loving arms of our Savior, lots of tears, and prayers by us and others we made it through to surgery the next morning.



Surgery day was likely the most relaxed day of the entire week stay. Saylor was not in pain and was very comfortable. Mostly out of it the whole day. She did not require much from us and It was such a relief to have a little bit of a respite break. Surgery was long but went well.

The days to follow brought a lot of pain and more anxiety. Every spectrum of pain was present for Saylor and several for Nate & I too.

Hard times and Holy places really says it all and maybe even an understatement. These are the times though that I realize are my most cherished in so many ways. A time of growth and perspective. A time of sweetness and pain that thins the veil here on earth.

It reminded me how connected my children are and were as she wanted them and they wanted her. The kids were mostly banned from the hospital, minus little babe for obvious reasons. Some tender moments of comfort and cheer.



I went home every night and came back every morning and Nate played the live in the hospital primary care giver for the first time in 8.5 years. Kind of a strange roll reversal but it was actually really nice for both of us to get a taste of the other side. He nurtures her differently then I do ... he does it by putting on purple capes and doing crafts with her and then becoming kind of a hardened coach when it was time to get up and get moving!



Many of you have asked me "did it work" I dont yet have that answer for you. We are not using the new stoma as that whole area needs a lot of time to heal. But soon we will start using it with a small volume and a few months I should know. What I do know is that our lives and mostly Saylors have had less pain since the removal of the old door then we have had in a years time. So it was worth it for that alone. I hope that the new system brings her function and physical peace.

Like all our adventures with Saylor, I expect this was a necessary trial for us all and that good will come of it.



I am so grateful for the immense amount of support we received. For prayers and well wishes. For fasting and temple roll placement. For food and visits. For caring for our other children. For errands, leaf raking, and emails from those we never expected. It is sometimes hard to be the recipient of service, but it too has its blessings and lessons. We pray that you all will be blessed for your kind acts of charity and know that we love and appreciate you.

The G Tree

This year at our house during the month of NOV we had a GTree in the house! A gratitude tree that started off bare and eventually finished its days off like this. First time tradition that will never be lost, it was a fun and a beautiful experience. The girls helped me make the leafs and we left a vase with the leafs and sharpies near the tree all month, everyone was free to do as much or as little as they wanted and to write what they wanted. The only rule .... no reading the leafs!

Thanksgiving day would be a lovely day to read the leafs but for our fam this year we read on the Sunday after T-day. We spent T.day at PCMC and i just decided it would best to wait until we were all home gathered around our own table eating together. And i am grateful i did, it really extended the season a bit for us.

All the leafs were meaningful and touching and i couldn't believe the mature perspectives of my kids. They continue to amaze me. And some of the leafs left us rolling with laughter. Good times!

new appreciation for newborn photogs

I have a good deal of photography friends and that many more acquaintances! I even know my fair share about the industry and had been told before that newborn photography was difficult! In no way did I not believe this notion I just really had no idea how difficult!

I used the same amazing photog {sweet memory gardens} for this shoot as my maternity shoot. I have so much fun with angie and can really relate to her on a personal level and I adore her newborn and baby work, it really is her niche. But i pushed her and therefor my own experience out of the box. At angie's studio the conditions are prime for newborn shoots, its warm and all the props are there and angie has this experience down to a science. I really wanted shots here at my home though and thought that it would still be ideal and all because it was home right? Not so much! Here are the shots I just couldn't live without ...




I really wanted to snug the little bug into one of our bookcase cubbies. I love to read and I just have been thinking about this shot for months now. We waited a bit until he was a few weeks old because of the whole oxygen/monitor thing and even here he is still on the stuff we just had to sneak him on and off to get shots without it. He barely fit in the cubbie, they just grow so darn fast! Just in the nick of time.



angie was so darn sweet that she made a itty bitty wrestling singlet for us knowing that nate was really into wrestling and we got these shots just for him. She simply is the very best!




I personally love these two and this one as well ...


It had been a very difficult and challenging day for me personally and i was frankly nothing shy of a big mess so our original plan to have a whole family session was shot done by my down trodden looks and nates lack of good scheduling. It worked out to get a shot of all the kiddos though, an especially charming one!



angie was with us for 5 or 6 hours and was so patient as we juggled a fussy ornery baby, nursing, 3 other kids, changing bums, oxygen, and monitors. I wanted to cry eventually! I had no idea that getting just a few shots would be so traumatic and difficult and take so much time!!! I marveled however at angies patience and her ability to calm a baby that wasnt even hers, she has a serious magic touch and really knows what to do positionally and how to make it all doable and comfortable. Newborn photogs really work for the money! holy moly!




because we are friends angie also let me know that this was especially difficult and though most newborn shoots are a challenge that she found nox to be a bit more fussy then the fussiest of kids she has shot. kind of made me feel bad, and good at the same time! it wasnt just me after all thinking he was so challenging. i love that she can be honest with me too!



We also got this shot below our Anthony Robles quote on our wall. It was important to me for emotional reasons. I have blogged about this quote before but really it meant a great deal to me during the pregnancy. deciding to endeavor on this journey to bring nox here was a difficult decision and then a blessed surprise. But it was really hard and anthony's words reminded me a great deal of the pleas to my Father in heaven that i uttered so frequently. "make it hard, just make it possible ...."

and last but not least a little gem to send you off for the holidays! a photoshoped work of genius.


Nox is healthy and doing quiet well considering the rough start we got. I really feel like he is settling into our little fam delightfully. He is now just over 2 months and is weighing in over 10lbs and 21 inch long. He is eating well and breathing well too! what a relief. We still have to be so cautious with him in the coming months but we are so grateful for all the love, support, prayers, amazing pediatrician and the blessings that have come.

and to you my friend angie ... you are so truly sweet and charitable. I simply adore you and can think of no other friend in your industry i would have rather have gone through that day with!

Photography credit: sweet memory garden

House arrest

This post is long overdo, i fully intended to write about these things before now, our lives are so full of things to write about and share, i cannot keep up! so here it goes ... though its a little dated!





As you might assume from the previous post coming home with accessories initially did not feel overwhelming, and let me just say up front even though it became overwhelming i of course would still have rather of come home, i would take any sweet child of mine at home over the hospital any day regardless of the situation.

It took some serious adjustment to deal with all the tanks, tubing, and monitors. Not anything like having a healthy newborn at home. We have experienced a good deal of fun accessories of this type at home but believe it or not, not this particular kind! I soon realized that the baby was not at all mobile. I couldn't carry him from room to room to get anything done or check on other children. In fact moving him was quiet the endeavor. The face stickers were torment and the tubing up his nose was too. constant pulling and replacing of numerous facets of equipment accompanied by even more constant beeping. I think we might also be completely incompatible with monitor sensors, we seemed to burn through those at a rate that was alarming to our home health care company!

it didnt take long for me to come down off my high of being home and crash into the new arrest that i had found myself in. In the mornings it was so difficult to get baby and car seat and all his equipment out the door along with 3 other kids, all their homework and school needs, a wheelchair and crutches and myself ... just for 5 min to take them to school. fun times. repeat again at the end of the day! if i ever was any kind of a recluse it did not compare to what i became over the month of O2 at home!

We spent a lot of apts at dr laurets office as he patiently worked through some serious reflux issues, weight gain and growth issues, and the obvious respiratory issues. days still felt long like they do in the hospital, i wondered {even though i knew better} if we would get to a "normal" place in time. I even felt guilty about my anxiousness and impatience, i know many families go through much more then we do and deal with these very same things much longer then we do! heck in some respects i had been through much more then this, i dare say i was struggling for my usual strength and patience.



our time did come to an end and though he seemed to be starting at a snail pace he sped up and we got on our way. He came off O2 and monitors the second week of October, freeing us all! It felt {feels} so good! we still have respiratory concerns, especially as we head into RSV and cold weather season and he still is very much in a cautionary state but all seems to be headed in the right direction.

Whats to come ... well the most darling ever newborn pics from the craziest newborn shoot ever & 2 month old stats!

On a side note: our sweet saylor has also been dealing with some serious health challenges as of late. Our period of rest and stabilization with her has ended. She gets admitted to PCMC tomorrow and will have surgery on tue the 22nd. should be a fun thanksgiving in the hospital. a first for our little family. I can think of no better way to spend at least one gratitude day in my life, i have so much to be thankful for! i will update fb with her condition and eventually the blog.

much love.