An Unexpected Blessing

I can't believe I am only a week away from having another baby.  In some ways it feels so unreal.  Most of the pregnancy I had to go through the motions just to get through it.  This  baby was, to say the least, quite the surprise.  When I found out I was pregnant I was scared to death of how I was going to get through it. Pregnancy and I do not mix.  With the other two I was so sick at first then there was always something to add to it like kidney stones that always made things interesting. Also with only being 9 months out from having brain surgery I was worried about how my body would handle it all. I was still trying to heal from the surgery and now my body was growing a baby.

However, with this pregnancy I have been so blessed. I was not nearly as sick this time around as I was with the previous two.  The hardest part was that I had to immediately stop taking all the medication I was on from brain surgery. The first month was really hard.  It was like I was going back to the first month of having surgery. I had a lot of headaches without the medicine, but as time went on the better I got and for the most part I am doing pretty well.  I have my bad days but I am learning how to deal with them.  I was also worried about when it came time for the delivery. I was told that I could push but not a lot of excessive pushing so I don't hurt anything in my head. It makes me nervous, but they are just going to let me labor and where it is my third baby my Dr. is hoping she will come out easily. Nevertheless, I am still a bit apprehensive.  Oh and I forgot to say it is girl. Cassidy and I are pretty excited, but Ben is still getting use to the idea of being out numbered in the house.  But we all know she will have him wrapped around her finger just like Cassidy does.

One Year!

What a difference a year makes. One year ago today, I went in for brain surgery to remove the tumor in my head. Without a doubt, this past year has been the most difficult time of my life. For 6 months after I was recovering from surgery, I only saw Ben on the weekends as I was in St. George and Ben was finishing up law school at BYU. Nonetheless, I had the unconditional support of my friends and family, both immediate and extended. Then once Ben was done with school, I still did not see him much as he spent all of his time studying for the Bar exam. This past year has been tough on both of us. We have learned so much about ourselves and each other. It would be impossible to sum up all we went through and all we learned in the past year, but one thing we know for sure is that God has a hand in all of our lives, and as we trust him he gives us the help and strength we need. Hard times are a necessary part of life, and as we pass through them, we learn so much, and we learn how to really enjoy the good times. To top things off, Ben just found out that he passed the Utah Bar Exam this morning. A year ago today, things could not have been much worse...today, things could not be much better. What a difference a year makes!

10 Months

I can’t believe I have almost hit my 10 month mark. It is crazy how fast the time has gone by. Things are getting a little bit better.  I have to take things one day at a time because each day is different of how I feel. I never put in my first post that they left a hole in the back of my head. The Dr. told Ben and my mom that they had to leave a piece of my skull out the size of a quarter. They said the reason why they didn’t put it back in was because in the back of your skull the skull will not fuse back together so the bone would just float there and never grow together. So now I am left with this hole that I was told was the size of a quarter but my mom can stick her whole fist in it. So I would say it is not the size of a quarter. I wonder if I didn’t have the hole in the back of my head if I wouldn’t have so much pain. So if you see me with my hand held up to the back of my head it is because it feels better to put pressure on the hole.  They told me they wanted to wait longer to see what happens before they put a plate over the hole. I am ok with it because I really don’t want another foreign thing in my body. I also have a pretty stiff neck from were they cut down my neck and the hole in my head make it really uncomfortable to move my head.

This is what the shape of my head looks like now. It shows how much bone is really missing. Thank goodness for hair to hide it.

I had a MRI a few months ago and they told me that my brain stem is bent. They told me that this is also another waiting game to see if it will fix itself.  So it has all been a waiting game. That has seemed to be the most frustrating part. I hate not having answers. Things have got much easier. I have been taking care of my kids since January.

Even though I can say this has been one of the hardest thing I have ever went through, I am constantly reminded of how blessed I truly am.  This whole thing could have ended up so much worse. I don’t have cancer. I have heard so many different stories of brain tumors and most are cancer. I feel so lucky and blessed. I just have to get through the pain and I feel so blessed I don’t have to go through chemo on top of it.

My hair has grown back a lot. I wish it would grow faster because I am now in an awkward stage. I can’t really pull it up because I have all the hairs hanging out. I was very lucky though and my hair is thick enough that as long as the wind isn’t blowing you can’t even tell my head was shaved underneath.

Graduation

Ben finally made it to graduation day. We knew that Law School would be a long, hard road for the both of us. Hard for him with all the time and studying. Hard for the kids and I for never seeing him. He has been soooo amazing through this whole thing. We had no idea how hard it really was going to be. Starting with the end of his first year and into the second with me being so sick and pregnant with Cael. Then into his 3^rd year with the brain tumor. He has not had it easy. But on top of it all he pulled out with amazing grades. His amazing determination and by the grace of God he was able to finish. Just one step left, the Bar the end of July.

We were able to fly back to Syracuse NY for his graduation. I was a little nervous of how I would handle the trip but it wasn’t bad at all. Ben's parents also came back with us. We had a ton of fun seeing our friends again. It almost felt like I never left. It is crazy to think how we will all now go our separate ways. Hope we will always stay in touch. After graduation we went down to NYC with Ben's parents. Had a ton of fun and at last made it to a Broadway show. Every time we went to NYC before we always had kids with us so it was hard to go. I finally was able to see Wicked. It was awesome, I would recommend it.

Cassidy Pre School Graduation

Cassidy actually ended up attending 2 different pre schools. I signed her up for one in Springville and she went to that one for 2 weeks before we found out about the brain tumor. Then when I spent time with my parents in Enterprise my mom was able to get her into the Pre School at her elementary. Then when we went back in January she continued to go back at the Springville Pre School. Since we were gone to NY when Cassidy’s pre school ended in Springville, the Pre School in Enterprise invited her to come graduate with them.

Grandma Singleton

My Grandma Singleton died March 15^th. She had been fighting cancer the last 2 yrs. She was my role model.  I never heard her complain one time and she was sick often.  It seemed like we would take turns of who would be in the hospital. When they first found her cancer was when I was pregnant with Cael. It seemed like we were always in the hospital at the same time. I would go in for being so dehydrated or passing kidney stones and she would have to go in for another surgery or from being so sick from the chemo.  She decided to quit chemo a few months before they found my brain tumor. The chemo was making her so sick we all wondered if the chemo would kill her before the cancer. She was able to regain a lot of strength after she quit. In fact when I came to stay with my mom for those few months my grandma was right there helping me. I knew how tired she was and that she didn’t feel good but she would never tell me or let me know. All she wanted to do was help me. She would come help take care of the kids while my mom went to work. We would have not survived without her help.  I feel so lucky to have been able to spend that extra time with her. She was one amazing lady.

My Curve Ball

What a journey I have been on. Thanks for all your prayers and support. You never know when life is going to throw you a curve ball, and for me, it was pretty scary for a little bit. I am sure many of you have heard bits and pieces of what has happened, but to cure your curiosity, I will tell you in my own words exactly what went down.

A few years ago, I started having really bad headaches (don’t start freaking out just because you too have bad headaches there is more to the story). About the same time, or soon thereafter, I also would get dizzy really easy. (I thought I had vertigo). Sometime around when this all started, parts of my face and lips were going tingly on and off. At that point I decided to go to the doctor. He advised me to get an MRI, but the insurance we had would not cover the cost of an MRI, so we decided not to get one at that time. Soon thereafter, we moved to New York for my outstanding hubby to attend law school. The symptoms never went away. They would constantly come and go. I again went to see a doc who sent me on to a neurologist. He sent me to physical therapy for vertigo. It didn't help. Even the therapist said I wasn't the usual vertigo patient. I got pregnant with CaeI and then got kidney stones. I had so many other pains and discomforts that I did not pay much attention to what was going on with my head. After Cael was born, he was such a bad sleeper I contributed it to not getting any sleep. The longer it went on the worse everything got. Headaches, earaches, jaw pain, feeling like I had a cavity. Just didn't realize what was really going on.

Ben applied for BYU law school this summer and we thought the chances of him getting in were like 10%...never thinking we would get in. Well to our surprise, he got in but we didn't find out until the first of August and school started the 20th of August. So we made a fast move from NY to UT. We got settle into our new apartment. Things were getting worse with the dizziness and it was getting to the point that my face would go numb. It felt like I had just got out of the dentist and my checks, lips and tongue were trying to come un numb. It was a weird feeling. I was trying to find a doctor to go to but everyone I tried was booked for a few weeks.

A few weeks later I went and played volleyball with my friend Rachel. It had been a while since I had played and figured I would be a little bit rusty. Well the longer I went on playing, the harder I found it to even find the ball in the air. Every time I looked up I was so dizzy I couldn't even see the ball. It was then I realized just how bad things were getting. The next day I made a ton of phone calls and was able to get into a doctor that next week. I went in on Monday September 10. I told the doctor all my symptoms. I figured since I had gone through this step before, he would send me to a neurologist before he would send me for an MRI. Well to my surprise, and blessing, he said let’s get you scheduled for an MRI to see what is going on. I was so happy. I thought for sure I would have to see more doctors before I reached that point.

I was scheduled for the MRI Wednesday morning, Sept 12. I went into have the MRI and the tech asked me if I was nursing or pregnant because they have to put a dye in you that shows all the nerves. I told him I was nursing. He went and talked to the Radiologist and he thought it would be ok if I didn't do the dye. They would just get scans of the brain then I wouldn't have to worry about pumping and dumping. I was put in the tube trying to take deep breaths and trying not to think about the small space I was in. Anyone that has had an MRI done before knows what I’m talking about and I was shocked by how loud it was. About 15 min into the scan they pulled me out which I thought was weird because they told me I was going to be in there for around 30 min. When I got out, the tech came up to me and said, “Because you are having vertigo, the Radiologist wants to put the dye in so we can see all the nerves. The tech was acting kind of strange the whole time after he pulled me out and I wasn't sure what to think about it. He then put me back in and said it should take another 20 min.

After finishing, I asked the tech how long it would take to get the results. He said if your doctor does not call you by tomorrow you make sure you call him. So I left not knowing what to think. I knew the tech couldn't tell me anything but he was sure acting strange. By the time the afternoon rolled around I still had not heard anything. I kept telling myself, well no news is good news right? I figured if something was really wrong they wouldn't have let this whole day go by without calling me. That night we took the kids swimming and never heard from anyone. That brought some relief. My mom and I both believed I would have got a call if something was wrong. The next day I did my usual day. In fact, I remember that day I felt really good. My head wasn't hurting, I wasn't tired and I had more energy than usual. I was thinking to myself, I feel really good today. That is a good sign. Everything is ok.

That afternoon, Sept 13, at about 4:00, Ben came walking in the door. I was so happy. Ben never comes home before 6:00. It meant we had a little time to go outside and play with the kids…we don't get many afternoons together. Ben was home maybe ten minutes and my phone rang. I looked down and saw it was the doctor office. Right when I noticed the number my stomach just hurt. I went into the back room to answer it. The doctor was on the phone. He said, “We have your results from the MRI.” He said, “I hate doing this to you on the phone but I don't have much choice. It looks like they found a tumor.” He said, “The good part is it is on the outside of your brain so it is easy to get to. It is about 2mm by 3mm.” I don't even remember what I said back to him. I was in so much shock. I walked into my closet and dropped to the ground. He said, “We need you to go to the ER as soon as you can get there. I have just talked to the surgeon that is on call. He has looked at your scans and wants you to come now.” He then informed me that the doctor that was on call that day was one of the best and I would be in good hands. I hung up the phone not even crying but in shock and Ben standing by me knowing something was wrong. I tried to tell him the best I could what I had just been told. Sitting in my closet in tears, both of my kids came in. Cassidy put her arms around me and Cael just sat right in my lap. It is crazy how kids can sense when something isn't right.

After Ben calmed me down, he got on the phone and called my friend Rachel and asked if she would take the kids. She was my life saver that day. At least I knew they would be ok with her. We grabbed a bunch of stuff and headed out the door. Ben made all the phone calls. There was no way I could even talk to anyone on the phone. He called my parents who were at my nephew’s birthday party. I felt so bad because I knew it was going to ruin it all. They were in St George and had to drive back to Enterprise to get all their stuff because they didn't know how long they were going to be gone and then headed to Provo. After dropping off the kids, we headed to the ER and checked in. I was told they would be waiting for me and the doctor was in surgery and would be with me as soon as he got out. They took us back to a room and we probably waited there for the doctor at least 2 hrs. Thank goodness Aunt Karla came and visited while we waited…she help lighten the mood. You never know what you are going to see setting in the ER so at least we got a little bit of a show ha ha.

After what seemed like forever, the doctor came in and looked at me and said, Wow, you look good.” I was shocked by the response. I didn't know how I was suppose to look. He then asked me to stand up and walk in a straight line. I had never really tried to do that for awhile and to my surprise I wasn't good at it at all. You would think I had been drinking or something. Then he had me do a bunch of other things to test me. He then had me follow his finger with my eyes back and forth. He said to my family, “See, there it is.” As my eyes were following his finger, my eyes would bounce…they wouldn't move back and forth smoothly like they should. I thought to myself, “Well that explains the dizziness.” After he got done doing that, we walked over to a computer were I saw the scan of my head. I sat down and was in shock after looking at it. I was told the tumor was only 2 mm by 3mm that is like the size of a cherry or something. As soon as I looked at the scan, I knew it was much bigger. He told me the reason I had to come in today is because the tumor was so big it was pushing on my fourth ventricle and starting to close it off. I didn't know a dang thing about the brains but I was learning fast. The fourth ventricle has fluid that runs up and down it and if it gets closed off, it means big trouble. He said I was lucky I had not passed out yet for how small of space was there. If it would have closed off, it would have caused a lot of brain damage, and in my case, it was only time before it was closed. He told me that these kinds of tumors are usually benign 99% of the time but we would have to get it out to make sure. He said this is a big tumor so I’m not sure what I will find when I get in there. There was a chance I could come out with a droopy face on the left side, hearing loss in my left ear and a lazy left eye. I will admit it was hard taking this all in. I remember thinking to myself, when am I going to wake up? This isn't happening to me. This is not my life. Somewhere in all the middle of it, I heard on top of it they were going to have to shave my whole head. WOW!!!!!!!! It was a lot to take in. I was going to come out looking like a totally different person and in the back of my head wondering if I was going to come out at all after looking at that picture of the tumor.

After the doctor got done explaining everything to me, he was standing to my side and came around to the front of me and just looked at me. I looked up at him and he said, Are you ok?” I said “I’m in shock. This is a lot to take in.” He said, “I know. That’s why I want to make sure you’re ok.” He then started to talk to his assistant about what day to do the surgery, Friday or Saturday. He said, “I have to talk in Stake Conference Friday night so I would like to do the surgery Friday morning so I can make sure you’re ok before I leave town Sunday. It was then I learned that my doctor was in the Stake Presidency. He asked if it was ok if he prepared his talked during the surgery. I told him as long as he was talking to God while he was doing it, I didn't care at all. After that I felt so much peace come over me. I knew I was in good hands and I knew I was going to be ok.

After talking to the doctor, I was admitted to the hospital and was started on steroids to help shrink the swelling. Not very often does the ICU have patience that can walk to their beds…I was one of the few. They had me stay right in the ICU. That made it a little hard because normally they will not let kids in but thanks goodness they made an exception for me. Aunt Karla went and got my kids and brought them to see me one last time before my surgery. It was an emotional time because I knew things were going to change after that night. I was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and didn't want to scare my kids. It was hard to hold Cael with all those tubes.  My parents finally made it and were shown the scan. As time went on we found out by word of mouth that I had the best surgeon in the area. He is top ten in the nation. I think that night was the longest night of my life. I don't think I slept for one minute.

I made my dad take this pic of me the night before so I could compare it later to see if I had a droopy face

After what seemed like forever, 6:30 finally rolled around. Ben and my mom were there with me when the doctor came in. He said that he had gotten a good night’s rest. He said, You are prettier and younger than most patients I see. But that also means you are a young mother and that puts a lot of pressure on me. But I like pressure.” They wheeled me down and I was told Ben and my mom could wait in the holding room with me. When we got down to the OR floor they stopped and said we would need to say goodbye here. We were shocked and then they wheeled me off to a room all by myself to wait for 45 minutes. That’s a long time to sit and wait with your thoughts. They took me in about 7 am and wheeled me out about 1:30 pm.

As the surgery progressed, word would go out to my family about how the progression of the surgery was going. I remember them waking me up and asking me to move my tongue around. As far as they could tell, there was no nerve damage. By the way, the tumor ending up being the size of a baseball. I will never look at a baseball the same way. The doctor thinks that it was a slow-growing tumor that I have had for about 3 years.  I stayed in the ICU for two days. The first day felt just like I had had my head cut open. I was on a lot of meds and so I felt yucky. I had about eight different tubes running out of me. They had me up and walking the first day. The morning of the third day they moved me to a room. The bouncing of the ride about killed me. Doctor Riechman had no mercy and ripped the bandage off the incision site before I even knew what he was doing.

The day following surgery

I was in the hospital a week. Talk about feeling lucky that I didn't have a saggy face and they ended up not shaving all of my hair. Just leaving what they needed leaving me something to work with. I didn't realize how lucky I really was until I went back to get my stitches out. When my mom and I walked in and she told them Marsha Wilson is here to get her staples out every head in the office looked up. They asked my mom how I was and where I was. They all knew my name and my scans had been passed around in the office. The PA came in helped take 32 staples out of my head and he kept commenting on how good I looked and that my face isn't droopy. He asked if I wanted to see my tumor and pulled out his phone. I said, “My tumor is on your phone?” He said, “Well it is one of the three biggest tumors that I have ever seen. I use this for educational purposes. I wouldn't have missed that surgery for nothing. All your nerves were glowing there in your brain stem.” As my mom and I walked out, we looked at each other and said I think I dodged a bigger bullet than I realized.

My 32 staples

My nice scar and shaved head

After three weeks I moved down to So. Utah and I started noticing my incision was getting squishy and I felt like there was a brick on the back of my neck. I got in so much pain that we went to the ER in the night. They did a CAT scan and saw that the fluid hadn't gone down. Fluid had filled the baseball size hole and was supposed to absorb itself. It had gone down about half way when I went to So. Utah and then it just didn't keep absorbing like it should have. My doctor was in California so I had to wait a week for him to get back and decide what to do with me. We went back up north and after testing, he decided it was best if they put a shunt in. He had thought about putting one in at the time of the surgery but because I was young he decided to see if my body would take care of the fluid without it. On Monday, Oct 15, they went back in and put in a shunt that will stay in for the rest of my life. It has a pressure value that drains the fluid off. It goes from the top of my brain down by my left ear, down the middle of my chest and drains into my abdomen. They told me I would be in the hospital for two days so I thought it would be an easy surgery. They didn't explain that if it drains too fast, the effects that I would have would, in a sense, be like a brain trauma. I ended up staying until Friday because the pain caused so much stress I threw up every time I stood. They told me my brain had to adjust to having lots of pressure to no pressure and even my heart had to adjust to how much blood it sent to my brain when I stood up. It felt like this surgery was harder than the first. The doctor told me this is not like the flu. You can't just expect to recover that fast. This is going to be a long journey.

I am now three weeks out from that surgery and each day is a little better. I have to look at the small progresses and take everything in baby steps and use lots of patience. This has been the hardest road I have ever traveled. It is so hard to watch other people taking care of my kids. It is so much harder being the receiver than the giver. Looking back at how everything has fallen together, I feel so blessed because I can see the Lord's hand in it all. From the moment of Ben getting into BYU, right down to the day I got called into the ER causing me to get the doctor I did, it is clear to see the Lord's hand in it all. I can't imagine going through this and being in NY. I hope there are no more hiccups and my progress moves forward. Through this trial I have had so much support from family and friends. I have really felt your support and hope one day I can repay you all.

Cael's Blessing

We were able to go home for Christmas. It was a little scary flying home with Cael only being 6 weeks old but he did so awesome. He slept the whole time both ways.  We also were able to bless him while we were there. He is such a studly little man in his outfit. Thanks to Grandma Joeen and great abilities of sewing.

 

 

Our Little Man

Things have been so crazy the last few months I haven't had much time to post anything. Gosh it sure is a big change to have 2 kids that is for sure. I am feeling lucky to get a shower in for the day. Forgive me for the long post but i use this like a journal.

Even though it was a very long 9 months for Ben and I it is all worth it in the end. Let me point out it was probably a lot longer for Ben than me with all the complaining I was doing. At least I have the best hubby ever who can handle it. Lets just say we made way to many visits to the hospital. The first 4 months I was so sick I had to keep getting IVs to keep me hydrated. Then after that it was the kidney stones, next the gestational diabetes. Lets just say it is a very mean thing to put a prego woman on a diet with no sugar.

They decided it was best to start me a week early because of the diabetes and the kidney stones. Even though it wasn't what I really wanted to do to walk into the hospital and ask them to put me in more pain, it was for the best. We went to the hospital the night before the 3rd and they hooked me up with some meds. I was there for 4 hrs still only dilated to a 2 so the Dr's decided to give me another dose before changing the medication. Well 30 minutes later I thought I was going to die! I was getting contractions together every 2 min. I had to beg them for the drugs. So they checked me and I was dilated to a 5. Yes that means they could give me some drugs.

They called my Dr. and she didn't want them to give it to me until she got there. I guess sometimes the babies heart rate will drop after an epidural so to be on the safe side she wanted to be there first. Well about 20 min later she showed up, checked me and informed me that it was too late, I was already at a 9 and couldn't have the drugs. Can you just say shoot me now!!!!! I really thought I was going to die. I knew there was no way out of this one. At least he came fast. They told me that I went from a 9 to delivering him in 7 minutes. I guess I better be careful if I ever have another baby not to wait around to decide if I am in labor or I just might deliver at my home......

Cael Benjamin Wilson was born on November 3rd weighing in at 7lbs 13ozs. Only 2oz heavier than Cassidy. Not too bad for having gestational diabetes. Just grateful he wasn't any bigger that is for sure. Also I am here to say since I have experienced both now, natural labor is a lot more painful than kidney stones. I can say kidney stones are a really close second though that is for sure.

So here in NY they do things different. A lot different. You have to share your recovery room and that was awful! It was like staying in a closet. How are you suppose to recover when the girl you are sharing the room with has her 2 yr old son in the room the whole time trapped in a tiny space? Can I say torture? How is anyone suppose to recover like that? I was just grateful they only made us stay one night and not two.

Since I was started early, it messed things up with when my mom bought her plane tickets to come out here to help me. Thank goodness my sister flies for free so she was able to come out and help me until my mom could get there. Let's just say my sister ended up being the biggest life saver ever! A couple days after I was home, I just didn't feel right. I went back to the Dr and they informed me that there was some placenta left in me so I needed to have a D and C. I really couldn't believe my luck. So the next day I had to go in for surgery. I was just grateful my sister was there to help take care of my kids.

Halloween

This year for Halloween, Cassidy insisted on being Bell from Beauty and the Beast. She looked ridiculously beautiful. Our ward did a trunk or treat and we had alot of fun and scored a lot of candy. Hopefully Ben and I can resist eating all of Cassidy's candy.

Baby......

So I will spare you all and not post too many pictures of my big belly. But look how cute Cassidy is. She loves to give kisses to her little brother. She continually feels my belly and talks to him. It amazes me how much she understands or at least I think she understands about what is really happening. This is her giving him a big kiss when I am 35 weeks pregnant.

In this picture, I am 37 weeks at the Dr. office where I swear I live these days...always waiting for the Dr. It is really boring, so I took this picture to entertain myself.

Lake Ontario

For Labor Day weekend we headed up to Lake Ontario. We had so much fun. I couldn't believe how warm the water was. It was so great; we felt like we were at the ocean but without the salt water. Just looking at the lake it reminds me of the ocean because it goes on forever....

The sand was amazing. I could pretty much say it was the softest sand I have ever felt. As you can tell from the pictures, the sunset is breath taking. We had a lot of fun and will for sure return!

Summer came and went

Well...summer sure did fly by. We spent almost three months in Utah, and we are now back in Syracuse. We enjoyed our time and had a tun of fun with our friends and family. Ben enjoyed his internship in Salt lake. He enjoyed the lawyer he worked with, and he learned a ton from him. it was a good experience, but it was hard for both of us because we only seen each other on the weekend. We are very greatefull for all the people who helped us out (Sam and Kristine, and Jess and Andrew especially!!) When we left Syracuse, I was only 14 weeks pregnant, so we did not think we would find out what we were having until we went back to New York. But, thanks to a bought with Kidney Stones, I had to go to the hospital, and while I was there I had the doctor to take a peek. Kidney Stones are no joke...that was a lot of pain, but it was worth it to find out what we are having. Benjamin is getting his wish, can you believe it is a boy? I still have a hard time believing it and still wont until i see him with my own eyes. As you can tell we are very excited. we will now have one of each. All i can say about being pregnant with a boy is they seem to be a pain from the start...just kidding.

We where very busy playing this summer with lots going on. Of course we never miss the 24th of July festivities in Enterprise. If you have never attended it is highly recommended. Cassidy loved the parade. I don't think she has ever got so much candy at one time in her whole life. She walked away with a whole bucket full. They also have races and we had been practicing for this event for a month getting her all hyped up for it. Well when it came time for it she got all nervous to many people around her and wouldn't run. I was so sad she is a fast little runner.











While we were there, we Celebrated Cassidy birthday. I still cannot believe my little girl is 3. It really does seem like yesterday she was a baby. Of Course her request for her birthday cake was Elmo. That is the kind of cake she had for her last birthday and that is one of the things she didn't forget about her birthday last year. My family all went to Midvale to my Brother in law's family cabin for a couple of days. Cassidy birthday happen to land on the same weekend so it worked out great. We were able to celebrate it with my whole family. This year she realized what presents are, and she had so much fun opening them.

Uncle Luke trying to blow out her candles from across the table.

Cassidy pretty much wore out the 4 wheeler. I think everyday we spent in Enterprise cassidy demanded grandpa to give her a ride.

Crazy Few Months

So it has been a long time since I updated my blog. Life has been to say the least a little crazy lately. First about 2 months ago we found out that Ben got an internship for the summer in Salt Lake. We have been so excited because this meant that we would be able to spend the summer in UT yea!!! The only hard part is the fact that we will only get to see Ben on the weekends because Cass and I will stay in Southern Utah with family. We will survive somehow. I figure it can't be any worse then it is now with how busy he is with school. This is a great opportunity and to top it off we get to be home for awhile.

The other crazy thing in our lives right now besides finals is we are pregnant. Yea!!!! We are so excited but only 13 weeks along and it has been quite the ride and not even half way through. This pregnancy I have been way sick. I was sick with Cassidy but not this bad. I took meds with her and it helped a lot. With this one I take meds and it only takes the edge off. At one point I got so sick and dehydrated that they put me in the hospital. Now that wasn't fun at all. At least it was only for 24 hrs, but it was a long 24 hrs. lol I am just so grateful at that point it wasn't during finals for Ben. He has been my life saver.

One surprise I got out of it all and wasn't expecting with all the other crazy things going on with my family at home was my mom flew out to help me for a couple days. Ben and my whole family kept it a secret that she was even coming. So one Saturday morning Ben tells me he was going to go to the store to get me some food so I would be okay while he went to school to study. Well 30 min later he comes back in the door with no food but, even better, my mom. Boy was i shocked. Of course Ben took pictures of me. I will only show you the one that doesn't show my face because I look so bad. It was so nice to have my mom come out and help me get back on my feet. It was so hard to see her leave. The only thing that made it easier was the fact that I was going to be able to come home a month later.

So that is what has been going on with us. Crazy but getting better. We now just have to survive finals and we get to go home yea!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy Weather in Syracuse

So all i can say about living here in Syracuse is the fact that i don't think i have ever seen such crazy weather. Between the snow and the rain you never know what you are going to get. Last week it started to rain and thunder pretty loud. We had had so much rain the past few days i didn't think much about it. Then all the sudden it started to rain really hard and the wind started picking up. I took a look out the window to see how much rain was coming down and this is what was going on the corner of my street so crazy. I walked outside to take pictures and the whole neighborhood was outside. While standing there watching it all, my next door neighbor told me she just heard on the radio that a tornado had hit the town that was about 25 min away from me. So crazy, just great full it wasn't by us.

Trip to New York City

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We decided to get out of Syracuse for a day. You feel a little trapped here with all the snow, so we headed out for the weekend. It was a little on the cold side, but it was so worth it. We had a ton of fun! I love NYC; there is always something new to see. We had to bundle Cassidy up like a burrito. Surprisingly she stayed like that without throwing a fit. She realized how cold it was without all the layers, and she too was happy to be out of the house. As we were waking by Time Square, we spotted Elmo. I was excited thinking that Cassidy was going to love seeing him; however, when we got closer she saw him and started to scream. I was surprised by her reaction. I should have known that she would have said he was too big. The rest of the night she kept saying, "I don't want to see Elmo."

We were able to go to church Sunday morning which was cool because the Manhattan ward has their meetings in the Manhattan temple (same building). So we were able to go inside the temple to go to church.

We went to a huge toy store that Cassidy loved. Wish we could have been able to afford something in there. We picked up a tiny stuffed animal half the size of a hand, and it cost $50.00. Cassidy also loved ridding on the subway. She thought it was pretty fun ridding on the big trains. I forget how much there is to do in NYC. We could have stayed there all week and never got bored. I guess it is a good thing it is only 4 hrs from were we live.