Holden's Shaving Cream

Holden came to me and said he had a surprise for me in my room. This is what my surprise was.

Thankfully shaving cream isn't a hard mess to clean up.

Holden and his bath

Well Chris walked in from being at a stake meeting and heard Holden down the hall. He turned to see he was in the bath and started laughing. I was in the chair and I turned to him and asked "Do I even want to know?" his reply was "Probably Not." This is what we saw. Well he looks innocent but those of you who know him knows he is not, definitely not.

Enjoying his toys and left over movie popcorn from the night before. You can imagine how soggy it is now.

Poor Woody needs to be attached back to his body and all I can think of is I get to be the lucky one to clean up after him.

Stay tuned for pictures that I took after walking into my room and finding a shaving cream mess all over my bathroom floor, mirror and counter. Oh I will make it through this child.

A Wonderful Surprise

Well today my grandma called me and asked me if I would go on a drive with her out to Ivins to my step-sisters home cause she has to pick up somethings there and wasn't sure if she could remember exactly how to get there. When we pulled up I noticed they had company. I looked at the car and noticed it had California plates and I said oh that looks like Alison's car (my sister) and I just ignored it. Then I saw my brother in law jimmy. I looked at my grandma and she smiled. I asked if Alison was here and she said yes. I ran in the house to hug her and asked what she was doing here. Well she then said I have a surprise for you and we go for a walk. We stop at a house right next door and she asked me what I thought of the house. I said it was cute a little small but nice. She then smiled and said it was her house and she will be moving here in 3 weeks. I screamed and jumped up and down and gave her a huge hug. I then turned and pointed to the trailer that I saw and she said they were here to move some stuff into the house and to sign the papers.

I called my boys who are with their dad and told them and they can't wait to hang out with their cousin Chance more. I then called Chris who was at home with the other kids and told him and he was surprised too. Sloane is thrilled to have some girl cousins that live close to her now. My brother in law works for the movie industry and he will still be in California most of the time and will come home on the weekends. They have wanted to move out of California for sometime and now was the time.

This has just made my day. I keep on thinking of all the stuff we can do together now. I haven't lived near any of my siblings for 19 years. I am looking forward to having a sister close now.

My Nephew Trey

I have had a lot of people ask me about Trey lately so I thought I would put the current update of him on my blog. It was written by my mom after she had talked to my Sister Heidi (Treys Mom)

This will be a long entry...I talked to Heidi last night and she gave me a lot of information to share. She said she knows it has been awhile since she's updated but the last two days at the hospital were very long and she has been exhausted...Hopefully I will be able to share it all accurately...First off, nothing about Trey's case is text book. His reactions are unusual and have the doctors scratching their heads...the type of Leukemia he has hides in the body and is very hard to determine if it is in complete remission, which he has to be before they can do the bone marrow transplant. He hasn't had spinal taps for quite awhile due to the back pain, which helps the doctor determine his remission status, which in turn, then causes his doctor to be hesitant to move ahead.Trey is on a 60 day chemotherapy treatment plan. He has a treatment every 10 days and his first for this series was Monday (28th). He also saw a neurologist to try to determine why he is in so much pain. The dr stated he doesn't have nerve damage but found some "nerve aggrevation" which he didn't think should be causing as much pain as Trey is having. They want to do more testing and one test is doing "pin pricks", but with Trey on blood thinner they are hesitant to do it..Trey also received one of the meds he had been taken off. In previous entries two of the meds he needs to prepare for the bone marrow transplant had to be stopped. One med can cause blood clots, which it did, and the other med which is injected into the spine was stopped due to the pain Trey was having. The med usually given in his spine was given in an iv that goes directly into his heart. He didn't have a reaction until he was home where his eyes and nose swelled shut. He was also very sick with stomach pains and intestinal distress plus nausea. When he has these types of allergic reactions he can take Benedryl but didn't this time because they weren't sure it was ok until after calling the doctor and she okayed. He was doing better Tuesday but very tired.Trey's case will be presented to the City of Hope again today (Wednesday, 30th). Heidi was explaining to me about this process: A committee of doctors meet on a weekly basis and review a number of cases. These doctors may be from all over the world and meet via tele-conferencing. As each case is discussed the various doctors share from their own cases and look for similarities that may help with the treatment of the cases they review. One doctor doesn't make the decision for a transplant. It has to be a consensus of the entire committee. Anyone considered for a bone marrow transplant has to have their case reviewed by the City of Hope.When Trey is cleared to receive the transplant, he will be in the hospital two weeks before for complete chemo and radiation to prepare him for the transplant. After he receives the transplant he will remain in the hospital another 2 weeks as they monitor him and deal with the initial rejection. After this is under control he will be allowed to come home and he will require around the clock care for the next 4 weeks.Trey's donor, Raeghan will not have to have her marrow extracted. They are able to use her blood thru a different procedure that is less invasive and painful for her. She is required to meet with a social worker to be sure she is not being forced to be a donor. Heidi and Allen were required to sign papers that they will be his primary caregivers once he is home and they understand the requirements and conditions. They have to remove all animals from the home, masks have to be worn at all times. There will be limited contact with others. He has to be on a special diet and food prepared per instruction. In an earlier entry it was found Raeghan is his match, what is unusual is she is an EXACT match. There are a number of elements of the blood which determines the matching capabilities. Her blood matches completely. What is more unusual is Justine, Madison and Tristyn are also EXACT matches to one another.Another interesting aspect of the transplant is Trey's blood type will change after the transplant and will become the same as Raeghan's. I asked Heidi if the transplant could be repeated if this one doesn't work. She stated yes, but generally they are not successful.Trey feels very positive the transplant will be what he needs to beat this. He knows it will be a very rough time but he is willing to go through it. Trey is having a rough time right now. The constant pain is starting to get him down and mom says he's been kinda grouchy. He wants to be going and doing things with friends but his reactions to meds and treatments are so unpredictable it's hard to be able to do the "normal" stuff. He has plans to go to Catalina Island and a BYU game. Mom says if she or Allen can go then it's fine...They know what to do, others don't. Our hearts go out to Trey and his struggles. I know we all want to see him well again. I asked Heidi how the family was doing and she said, "We do okay..this has just become our way of life. Sometimes I have to be able to think about something else, Spider Solitaire on my phone has become a new addiction and is a way I unwind... I know when it's time to spend some one-on-one with my girls, but we're doing good. I know there are things I could do better but right now I do what I can and have to be satisfied with it." Heidi promised she will get pictures sent soon to post.On a lighter note: Kai, Trey's very sweet Bull Mastiff is a sweetheart but still a puppy..The other night as the family were all at mutual, a church meeting, Trey forgot to put Kai outside and she had the run of the house. When they all got home, Heidi heard a yell "Kai!!" coming from Madison. Apparently Kai had chewed on a library book and her homework...Heidi and the rest of the family had a good laugh about it...except for Madi..The next day Madison took a picture of Kai, her homework and the book, presented this to her teacher and said, "Look! My homework really was eaten by the dog and this is the one who did it!!" Her teacher thought it was pretty funny and had a good laugh over it!!Trey is scheduled for still more tests this week, will update as I hear results...That's all for now...

A Day at Zions National Park

No matter how many times I have been to Zions I never get sick of it. Loved being able to go with my brother Adam and his family. Best of cousins. Jayce and Holden sitting in the back of the bus when driving through Zions.

Uncle Adam, Aunt Amanda, Trinity and Jayce. Uncle Adam was being daring and went off the trail to look over the edge.

The squirrels at Zions are very friendly and want food. But there are signs every where telling you don't feed them cause they can get aggressive.

Cute little Jayce

Sweet little Trinity

Amanda and Jayce trying to make it across the river without falling into the water.

Mom and Sloane.

Mom and Holden

One of the many views of Zions that are so beautiful. I think one of our sisters weekends might have to be up here in Zions Lodge I think. What do you think sisters of mine?

Uncle Adam putting Sloane up on the big bolder in the river. She wanted to slide down it but I wouldn't let her. Cause knowing her we would of had an injury and the water was moving fast that day.

Sloane's Big Day

Well after 4 years of Sloane and I bugging her daddy to let her get her ears pierced he finally said yes. She was too nervous to ask him again so I bugged him about it and told him to think of what his daughter wants and not what he wants. We have a very good girl and she doesn't ask us for much. Well after reviewing the church website on the matter he went out and held Sloane in his arms and told her she could. She hugged him so tight and was crying cause she was so happy. That made me cry too. Daddy wouldn't come with us cause he couldn't handle it.

Here we are out front of Claire's where we are going to get her ears done.

Sloane looking at the earrings deciding which ones she wanted. She ended up picking a rainbow flower crystals. Very pretty.

Mommy filling out the consent form.

Sloane sitting in the chair getting more and more excited waiting patiently.

The technician marking her ears to make sure their even.

And here we go. Sloane says the pinches were not as bad as she thought they would be.

She now has earrings. Sorry you can't see them real well in this photo. I promise you when you see her she will love to show them off to you.

Summer Photos

This is at Malibu Beach in southern California. Tevin teasing his cousin Jayce. The family is all in the back ground. These are the last pictures of Tevin that I have.

Griffith Observatory in Hollywood. This was amazing looking over all of Los Angeles and Hollywood. Kids with Grandpa Duns.

An old train museum we went to and saw this and of coarse had to take a picture with Holden in it

The kids with the Hollywood sign in the background. I love California.

Holden and Mommy riding on a small train at the train museum.

Sloane and her cousins Rae and Trinity already starting to sun bathe at Malibu Beach.

This explains itself. I didn't even ask Holden to pose. I was standing there and noticed he was copying and was glad I got the shot before he noticed me.

All the kids at the Train Museum again.

Holden and Harrison have become best buddies. This is taken up in Hooper Utah at the cemetery where my grandpa was buried.

The kids in front of Great Grandpa Heslops casket in Hooper Utah.

It was hard to put the ones with Tevin on our blog. I miss him so much.

I hope you have enjoyed some of our snap shots we took over the summer. I will try and be more frequent.

Holden First day of Pre school

This is Holden with one of the babies I watch. She is 2 months old and her name is Zaycia. Holden loves her so much.

First Day of pre-school. Had to make a face for the first photo. He is very excited to go and couldn't wait to put on his backpack.

Our little guy is growing fast. I think he looks a lot like chris here. I will post more pics of the other kids later.

School

Well it was officially the first week of school for the boys. They all are attending new schools this year. The twins are now at Pineview High School and loving it. Chandler went to their first football game with some friends. Pineview won 39 to 6. They were playing a team from Alaska. I went to back to school night with Chandler and loved meeting all of his teachers and what his routine is. I was able to see Tevin for a minute that night. Gave him a hug and told him I loved him. He looked like he wasn't feeling well.

Harrison is now at Pineview Middle and enjoying being with some of the older kids. He loves hanging out with his friends and walking home from school. He has good teachers too. All 3 of the boys are taking a foreign language class and all 3 hate it so far. Chandler has french and I would have loved his teacher when I took french. Tevin and Harrison are both taking Spanish and have the same teacher. This teacher jumps from the two schools. I just laugh and say sorry you need to stick with it. A foreign language is required in order to graduate.

Sloane LOVES school. Her teacher is Mrs Guy. She is already a big helper in the class. Unfortunately she has already missed a day of school. She is coming down with a cold. I was hoping to get further into the school year before this happened. She hated to miss but I told her the schools have said if your child is sick just a little bit to keep them home.

Holden, our dear Holden. He can't wait to start preschool after labor day. He already has his backpack and asks everyday if he can go. Next week we have a back to school night for him and that will make him even more excited.

Chris and I are busy as usual. I now have 6 kids I babysit. Two 2 month old, a 9 month old starting in a couple weeks, 18 month old, 2 year old, a 4 year old and a 5 year old. Thank goodness they are never here all at the same time. There is only really one of the babies I have all day 4 days a week. The others are part-time. I think once a week I might have them all at the same time for maybe a period of an hour or two. But I am enjoying them. I have them call me aunt Krissy cause babysitter or Mrs Gibson etc is too formal.

Last night Chris and I got the opportunity to clean the temple from 10 to midnight. We both were exhausted but still went. I had a great time doing it. I got to clean the brides rooms and the women's locker room. My back is killing me today after all the vacuuming and bending down I had to do, but I would go back and help again in a heart beat. I thought it was funny that Chris got the job of cleaning the men's locker room.

Chris is busy with work as usual. He goes out of town a lot but always come home by 7 or 8 instead of staying the night unless it is more then 3 hours drive then he will probably stay the night. I admire how hard he works not only in his work but also with his calling. He is a great high councilman. I think he goes far and beyond what he should, but I am proud of him.

Just to give you a heads up Sloane will be getting baptised December 5Th which is the first Saturday of December. Hope you all can make it. I am not sure how much of my family will be there cause the week before is thanksgiving and we are having a big reunion at the church that weekend. I am bummed my mom and step dad wont be able to be there for the baptism cause they have to get back to Wisconsin after the holiday and start moving to Arizona. Which I am extremely excited about to have them so much closer.

Anyway, I am done rambling. I hope everyone has a great day.

Our Holden

Story 1- Holden was wearing his superman cape that Gma Gibson had made him running around the house thinking he was all that and then some. He started getting to loud and Chris told him to settle down. He then put his hands on his hips and said " you want a piece of me"

Story 2- Holden thinks he can only love one person which is mommy. Well Harrison and Holden share a room together now and have gotten really buddy buddy. Well last night Harrison tells Holden that he loves him. Instead of Holden saying I love you too he responds by saying "thanks" and walks off.

Story 3- Last night I was doing dishes and Holden came into the kitchen naked cause he just got out of the bath. I look down and he was pulling on his boy part and I asked him what he was doing? He said " I want to take my potty off" I replied by saying you can't do that buddy, then he said " I can use scissors to get it off" I laughed so hard and needless to say all the scissors are now put up very high.

He makes us laugh non stop. I hope all of you got a chuckle too.

Passing Days

I can't believe school is going to be starting in a little over two weeks. The summer went by fast. This week has been hard for the boys cause they are being youth missionaries and are unable to watch TV, listen to music, text, etc you get the idea. So I have to be creative with them. We spent all last evening playing games. Tonight they go to members houses and have dinner and teach a discussion. They were all assigned companions and they do this stuff together. They leave tomorrow to go to the open house of the temple up north. They are excited. I hope it is a real spiritual experience for them. Especially for Tevin since he is going through a lot right now, moved in with his dad and has nothing to do with me. I have missed him so deeply and hope his heart changes soon, but after having some guidance from a wonderful person I will listen to his advice. I also received a wonderful blessing from my bishop that I needed desperately. Thanks for all your prayers that you have sent my way. I appreciate them. I appreciate my husband for how moody I have been.

The next Bill Gates

Hi everyone, Sloanie has a very creative mind and is always coming up with ideas that will help her one day become the richest woman in the world. Here's a sampling;

· A balloon that won’t pop
· A Limo that has a bathroom in it and a swimming pool and if you want a drink, just press a button and have one handed to you
· A watch that has an alarm go off when your favorite baseball game is on and a small tv pops out so you can watch it
· A machine that can make a snowman that won’t melt even in St. George
· A machine that can make the sun go away if it gets too hot
· An ice cream cone that won’t melt and never runs out of ice cream

Sloanie would love to hear your comments. Hope all is well with everyone.

Misc

Well, last week was my first week of watching the new baby. She was so good and is SO tiny. Holden adores her and Sloane is a wonderful helper. The only one that got jealous of her was the 14 month old I watch Myka. When I hold Zaycia, Myka has to be held too. With watch Zaycia, her mother has been asked who is watching her cause I guess a lot of people she works with are looking for babysitters. I am capable of having 4 full time but more then that I would have to be licensed and I don't want to do that. So maybe next week not for sure yet I will get a 10 month old that I will watch just 2 days a week. I am glad they keep me busy, cause it helps my mind stay off other things that have been troubling in my life lately. And it helps me not miss Chris so much when he is gone out of town.

The boys are doing well. I get to see them tomorrow and can't wait. I haven't seen them for over 2 weeks. I hope they are just as excited to see me.....lol. I had a wonderful weekend with my brother Adam and his family. The kids played until they couldn't play no more. Adam wants to come and visit ever 2 months and so far he has done it. Can't wait to see him again in September.

Other then that we are hot and sweaty down here is southern Utah with it going to be 110 by Friday. I am not going anywhere that day. Starting to get ready for school. This summer is going by quickly.

Trey is Home!!

Well Trey is now home. My mom and sister have a website you can go to and read about Trey and even make comments to him. You will have to register with it to make a comment on the guest page. I have enjoyed reading their daily updates. This way all of you who would like to keep up on Trey can do it through this now. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/treythompson

Update on Trey (written from my mom)

I want to keep you updated on Trey. It isn't good news right now, but Trey, Heidi and Allen are in good spirits (or as good as one can be at this point in time),still in shock to some degree, but now that they know what is happening they are getting ready for the battle. I spoke to Heidi last night and this is the report so far:

Heidi really likes his doctor. Dr. Storch is very good and she is being very upfront with them. Nurses and staff are very helpful. Heidi/Allen are able to stay there at night.

Trey has started his treatments.He is on a very agressive treatment regime. He is having nausea and is very tired. He doesn't sleep well at night because the mass in his chest makes breathing difficult. There is still some fluid surrounding the heart and this is being watched very closely.He had a spinal tap yesterday and they found cancerous cells in the spinal fluid which is not a good sign. This means it has spread and can affect the brain.

They will be testing family members for compatibility as bone marrow donors. Siblings are the best hope for a match, then they will go to parents and grandparents. It isn't the blood type that matters, but other factors. This is precautionary right now, so they will be prepared if he needs it.

This is a fast growing and agressive lymphoma/leukemia. Even though it is the type that responds to treatment quite well in children, it is more difficult to treat with success in adults. The fact Trey doesn't have a spleen is also a concern.

He will be in the hospital for at least a month. This is to monitor his reaction to the treatments. He will be having spinal taps on a regular basis, but since they put him out, he is able to handle them without too much discomfort. Trey will be under an intensive treatment regime for the next 2-3 years, depending on his response.

He is very very ill and is literally fighting for his life.

He is at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Woodland Hills
The address is: 5601 De Soto Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
The phone # is: 818-719-3220, room 2106

He can have phone calls and visitors, however always call first if you wish to visit. He may be too ill to have you there. If you have been sick, or around someone who has been sick DO NOT VISIT. He has no immunity now and that would be devastating for him.

He cannot have plants or flowers in his room. He can only have fruit that can be washed well and/or peeled. Fast food has to be microwaved at the hospital. Cards, banners, books, pictures are welcome.

Heidi would prefer to relay updates on Trey through emails such as this. She appreciates your calls and texts but she can't or won't answer depending on the circumstances at the time of your call. Don't be offended, she just can't worry about anyone right now but Trey and its difficult to have to repeat the same information to each person who calls or texts.

I realize most of us won't be able to visit any time soon but just so we all know. For some, this may be info you've already heard, my apologies.

Your thoughts and prayers are so important. Thank you. I know the support of ALL family members makes a difference. Heidi stated she appreciates them and feels the strength they bring. We know Heavenly Father is in charge, as Heidi put it, and we need to have faith Trey will be with us for many years.

Nephew Trey

We just found out my nephew Trey who is 19 and someone I adore has T-cell Lymphoblastic lymphoma. It is in his bone marrow and it already is or turning into Leukemia. They will be placing a catheter into his heart where they will treat him with meds. They are also transferring him to woodland hills hospital where a children's doctor will be treating him. Please keep him in your prayers.

Home Safe

Well we had a great time in California. We went to the beach, malls, Griffith Museum and just hanging out. Thursday we had bad news about my nephew Trey who was admitted into the hospital he was diagnosed with Lymphoma a kind of cancer. We are worried about him and he is in our prayers. A mission is on hold until he gets well. We are all staying positive. We then went to the lake on Saturday with some friends and had a great time. A little too windy, sand was in everything. We had a blast riding the sea doos.

Holden is currently under the weather. He has had a temperature for 4 days now and has a cough and loosing his voice. I took him to the doctor and all they tell me he has swimmers ear, but personally I think there is something more and the doctors are not seeing it yet. So I have been giving him drops in his ears, but he is still not doing well. I will give it a couple more days and will take him in again if he is not getting better.

The boys left today for scout camp. I hope they have a great time.

New news

Well I have been praying that I would get another child to babysit and my prayers have been answered. Yesterday I got hired to watch a 2 week old little girl starting the first part of July. She is so cute. And very tiny. Her name is Zaysha (not sure on the spelling) but Sloane and Holden have fallen in love with her just after spending 5 minutes with her. I will watch her Tuesday - Friday from 8-5.

Also, there is a lot going on with me and thanks for your prayers. To help me deal with life I sometimes have a tendency to rearrange furniture. Well my family room is now totally changed around and I moved my scrapbook stuff into the family room and I am just about done with it. All that is left is to hang some pictures. So stay tuned for some photos. Also, I will be leaving Monday to see my family in California. A much needed vacation. I just wish Chris was going with us, but I understand he needs to work.

Our little Trigger

Hello everyone,

Krissy is still mourning the loss of her Grandfather and understandably hasn't felt much like blogging recently. We appreciate everyone's love, support and prayers. Krissy was particularly close to her Grandfather, having lived in close proximity for nearly 20 years. We will miss his down to earth sense of humor, his kindness, his unique brand of wisdom and his family leadership. We're grateful for the witness we have that we will see him again.

Krissy will blog more when she's up to it but I did want to relate one incident on the lighter side that is typical Holden. I'm relating this based on Krissy's description to me since I wasn't there but I'll have her proofread this blog before it's posted to make sure it's accurate.

Since Grandpa Heslop served for a brief time in the Air Force shortly after World War 2, he was granted a funeral complete with military honors where he was buried in Hooper, UT. As the military reservists were preparing for their 21 gun salute, they set down their riffles for a short time while they attended to other duties. I'm sure it's clear by now where this story is headed but somehow Holden got a hold of one of the guns (which was loaded with blanks, not bullets thank goodness!) and pulled the trigger.

Needless to say, blanks are every bit as loud as real bullets. And as soon as the shot went off, Krissy knew without question who was to blame. Holden was obviously terrified so after being comforted (and scolded) by his mother, he stayed as far away from the guns as possible (at least he gets his smarts from his mother!). Apparently everyone got a kick out of this 1 gun salute and someone (I'm not sure who) gave Holden a new nickname, Trigger.

Even though Grandpa only got a 20 gun salute instead of the standard 21, we have a feeling that he probably got a laugh from Holden's antics as much as anyone else.

Hope all is well,

Chris

My Grandfathers Obituary

Obituaries
Eldon Herbert Heslop (May 3, 1926 - May 28, 2009)

St. George, UT - Eldon Herbert Heslop born May 3, 1926 in Ogden, Utah passed away May 28, 2009 at the family home in St. George, Utah. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marilyn Belnap Heslop; children: Gayle Feaster (Michael) of Middleton, WI; Scott Eldon of Canyon Country, CA; Annette Moore of St. George; Jill Anderson (Karl) of St. George; siblings Marvin Spencer Heslop of Roy: Alan Heslop of West Weber and Patsy Call of Sunset; 20 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son David Belnap Heslop, his parents Herbert Spencer and Leila Ida Chugg Heslop, and sister Carma Leila Heslop Hunter. Eldon served in the Air Force in post-war Europe from 1945 - 46. Eldon and Marilyn were married April 1, 1949 in the Logan Temple. They have lived in Hooper, Utah; West Covina, California; Palmdale, California and St. George, Utah. He worked in the Aircraft Industry for over 17 years, working for Pacific Airmotive Corp. in Chino, CA; Convair Aircraft Corp. in Palmdale and Lockheed Aircraft in Palmdale. He worked on a number of military Aircraft including the F-102, F-106, C-5, F-86 and in the top secret programs for the (then) classified aircraft U-2 and SR-71 “Blackbird” and the commercial airliner the L-1011. He retired from the aircraft industry in 1975 and began a second career as a cabinetmaker for over 12 years. His many years of devoted service to the church included a mission in the East Central States Mission, Sunday School Teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, Seventies President, High Priest Group Leader, Stake High Councilor, Ordinance Worker in both the Los Angeles and St. George Temples and 15 years as the Stake Patriarch in the Palmdale California Stake. His Community Service included a 2 year appointment to the City of Palmdale Planning Commission and a special assignment as the Official Santa Claus for the City of Palmdale for 6 years. After his move to St. George, he served as Vice-President and President of the Cottonmill Chapter, Sons of the Utah Pioneers from 1994-1996. Funeral Services will be held Monday, June 1, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Bloomington Hills Stake Center, 1130 E. Brigham Rd., St. George, Utah. Visitations will be held Sunday, May 31, 2009 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Metcalf Mortuary, 288 W. St. George Blvd., St. George, Utah and again on Monday, June 1st from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at the Stake Center, prior to services. Interment will be Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hooper City Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of Metcalf Mortuary, 435-674-4221. The family wishes to express thanks to the doctors and nurses for their loving care throughout Eldon’s illness and to Applegate Hospice Care. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Applegate Hospice Care, American Heart Association, or American Diabetes Association.

Sadness

I just wanted to let everyone know that I wont be posting that much for the next few weeks. On Saturday of last week all of my family was told that my grandfather has only a week left to live. We have had family from out of state come and say their goodbyes before he passes. I went yesterday to the airport in Vegas to pick up my mom (this is her father). My emotions are a mess and I spend all my free time with this man who is my HERO!!! I moved to Utah 19 years ago and lived with my grandparents for a year. I have always been there for them and them for me and my family. My grandpa is a wonderful man and I wish he didn't have to leave this life but I know he is going somewhere wonderful. All my children are heart broken, but Sloane and Holden especially. These are their great grandparents and they have been the only ones that live close to us and it hurts to see their pain. Today the nurse gave him about 2 more days. We will have a funeral here but will be berried up in Northern Utah.

Also on Saturday Chandler had a bike accident and broke 3 of his front teeth. I will post pictures later but he is doing OK. Went to the dentist today, but they need more time to heal cause he is still in pain before they start fixing them to look nice again. We go back next weekend unless a funeral takes place.

Just wanted to give you a heads up so don't think we have fallen off the face of the earth.

Hmm Birthday

Well today is my 37Th birthday. I may look 37 but I feel a lot older with all the aches and pains that I have. I woke up this morning to text messages wishing me a happy birthday starting at 6:15am. I think my step dad who lives in Wisconsin forgot about the time change. Then all the kids got up and gave me birthday wishes and the first thing Holden said was "where is the cake"
he is so cute. Kids went off to school and Chris took me to lunch at El Pollo Loco one of our new favorite places to eat. Then when I was alone I had to cry for some reason. I don't care that I am 37, I am actually looking forward to being 40. But I got the cry out and then I was good.

Spent the afternoon working on laundry and getting kids from school. Chris is now gone with all 5 kids doing some birthday shopping, picking up Pizza for dinner so I didn't have to cook and picking up a white cake with whip cream frosting on it. So it will be a fun evening. I also rented the movie Taken since I have been dying to see it. Chris reminded me that the season finale of 24 in on tonight, but I told him thank goodness for Tvo cause we can watch that another time. It is my b-day and I want to watch Taken. He laughed and said OK, love ya.

Well Chris and the kids just got home. Thanks for all the happy birthday wishes from everyone.

Cruise Photos

No matter what I do my photos always end up out of order when I think I am putting them in order. But at least you will get the idea of what we did and how much fun we had. Chris just coming out of the water after a few hours of snorkeling. He loved it.

My hubby the fish. He usually doesn't go swimming very often because of his contacts, but was excited when he was able to snorkel.

There were tons of Iguanas on the Coco Cay Island. I got brave then knelt down so Chris could take a picture of me with them in the back ground.

The 3 in the center of the photo were the biggest ones we saw. We counted a total of 10 I think.

More of these nasty reptiles.

The water was so warm and crystal clear. You could walk out for miles before the water started to get deep.

View of our ship from the island.

Chris and I kicking back in one of the hammocks that are all over the island.

All I can say is this beach was heaven to me and I didn't want the day to end.

We had to take a smaller boat from our ship to get to coco cay. This is the view of us entering the island.

The boat we had to board to get to the island.

The view of Coco Cay from our cruise ship.

On the ship there is an attendant that makes up your room everyday. Well one night coming back from dinner we found this dog made of towels on the bed with my sunglasses. I thought he was the cutest.

One afternoon they were having belly flop competitions. The biggest guy did the worst flop. I was very disappointed and this skinny guy had the best flop.

Chris and I hanging out poolside getting some sun.

This is us arriving in Key West Florida. It is a beautiful town. The red building in the back in a museum and it stands out like a sore thumb.

The entire time in Key West I pretty much just shopped. Chris was getting pretty bored.

HUGE Statue in front of the art museum.

My Handsome Hubby. The homes in Key west were beautiful.

The center area of the cruise ship. This is where we had some dancing and bands play.

Enjoying our time together with no children. Having a smooch.

This is when we first boarded the ship. Miami Florida is in the back ground.

Our stateroom. They are so tiny. But it was very nice.

Top deck pool side is where we hung out most of the time and where a lot of the parties and dancing was held.

View of Miami from our Hotel window. I was looking in the water to see if I could see an alligator. Bummed that there wasn't one.

Well I took over 100 pictures on our cruise but I just thought I would show you some of the highlights of it. I highly recommend a cruise to anyone. People who usually don't think they will like it end up loving it. I hope you enjoyed the photos. Sorry it took so long to post.

Home

Well, we arrived home safe and sound and had a wonderful time. Fell in love with Key West and also the Island Coco Kay in the Bahamas. I love white sand and blue water that is so clear. Chris loved snorkeling and I loved laying out and relaxing. Saw Iguanas the size of Holden and bigger. Enjoyed the food enough for me to gain 7 pounds, but I am also retaining a lot of water cause I got burned really bad on my ankles and I am so swollen and blistered it is very hard to walk. The weather was amazing. I hated to come home but Chris was ready to get back to work. Four days of relaxation is all Chris can handle. I will post our pictures this weekend.

Now I am preparing for Harrison's birthday party tonight. He is such a sweetheart. I can't believe he is now 13. He went to his dads yesterday which was his birthday and when he came home I asked how his day was and he said good. I asked what did his dad get him. He told me he couldn't tell me cause I would get mad. I was like come on tell me. He then proceeded to remove his hand from his ear and low and behold was an earring. I said what the HELL is that. He said dad said since I was a teenager now I could do it and I talked Chandler into doing it too. Chandler came in and there was an earring on him too. I felt my blood boiling. And the anger building. I was in the process of looking for my phone to rip their dad apart and I told Harrison and Chandler to get away from me. They then could see how upset I was and started laughing and said mom it is fake and pulled the earring off. It was a magnet earring. I was about to beat both of them. Chris gave them high fives for getting me and their dad was in on it too and was waiting for me to call him yelling. UUGGGGG!!!! I told them they better not ever get one cause I will rip it right out of their ear. They were laughing the rest of the night on behalf of my expense.

Anyway, stay tuned for photos.

Saying Goodbye

Well the time has come. The house is in order. My sister in law Lynn is here to watch the kids and I am all packed. Can I say Chris isn't packed yet and he will do it around 10pm tonight. So I am here to say goodbye for a week. I will take lots of pictures and tell you all about it in a week. I want to thank those now who are going to help taking and picking up my kids from school while I am gone, so Lynn doesn't have to put all the little ones in the car to do so. I hope everyone else has a great weekend as well.

An upset mother

Our Easter was very nice. Sloane and Holden had a blast. The boys went with their dad on Saturday night. When the boys got home I could see that they were not OK. I asked them how their Easter was and they said their dad didn't do anything for them. They woke up Easter morning and got their sisters all up and were waiting to look for baskets. Their dad came out and said they did baskets on Saturday for the girls. So the boys asked where theirs were and he said that he thought they were too old. As the boys were telling me I could see the hurt in their eyes and I was doing everything in my power not to cry. I went into the other room and gave them what I got which wasn't much just a chocolate bunny, gum and a Reese's egg. I gave each of them a hug and told them how sorry I was. I also told them I would make it up to them. I also told them no matter what Easter will be here for them every year. Even knowing it is the next day I am still so angry and hurting for them. I want to go up and snatch up the Easter stuff that's left and fill a basket for each of them.

OK I am done venting.