The Flake's

COUSINS!

2010-03-09T12:56:00.001-08:00

My kids are so lucky to have tons of cousins to hang out with!

Roasting by the fire!

Jaxon, Derek, and Ethan! little buddies!

They wore each other out!

Easter 2009

2010-03-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Shannon and Brenda and Rhett and Jeanette and their families were here. We did Easter Egg hunts at Lyndi's park.

We decorated Easter Eggs!

I didn't talk enough pictures.

Princesses and Super Heroes!

2010-03-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Princess or Super Hero????

Lots of Company!!!!!

2010-03-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Uncle Keith

Making cinnamon rolls with Grandma Jensen

Uncle Randy and new niece Bella! :)

Hailey LOVES uncle Keith. She talks about him no-stop!

Summer Fun!

2010-03-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

I came home to find Derek and Hailey running through the sprinklers in their underwear! They were having a blast! Good thing their Dad is in charge sometimes because I would have never let them do that! :)

One thing I love about Arizona is all the swimming we do!

We spent most of this summer swimming with Emily's kids. They were having a blast with Uncle Keith!

Jayden at Swim Team!

2010-03-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Jayden turned out to be a really good swimmer! And he loved it!

Quite the Ladies-Man!

MaMa.... One of his many fans! Judd's mom.

My 10 Year Reunion

2010-03-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is one of my best childhood friends, Chantelle. We went to elementary, middle and high school together. We met up for lunch and caught up on each others lives.

The Girls

These were my best friends in High School. We have kept in touch and I love all of these girls!

MOM Get it Right!!!

2009-04-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today, as usual, I was in a hurry to get my kids off to school. So I got both sets of their contacts out to put them in their eyes. Somehow, (this has never happened before) I put one of Jayden's contacts in Hailey's eyes. She was telling me, "Mom I can't see", over and over. I just thought she was trying to complain so I went on to put Jayden's contacts in. That is when I realized what I had done because one of Jayden's contacts was missing. So I asked Hailey which eye she could not see out of and fixed her problem. Then I put Jayden's contacts in. Then he starts complaining that he can't see. I thought he was messing with me but I was wondering if I hadn't got it right with Hailey. Finally, he convinces me to check his eyes. I had put both of his contacts in the same eye. Luckily it was nothing damaging. I was wondering if I was loosing it. Shhhhh, Don't tell the eye doctor that I did that. I will be more careful from now on.

Do we celebrate April Fools Day in Heaven??????

2009-04-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Hailey!!!

I love this little girl so much but I truly wonder sometimes if she will be the end of me! Her due date was supposed to be on the 25th of March but she would not come and then on the 31st of March the doctor finally induced me and she still didn't come until the next day! April Fools Day! I was so worried that the joke would be on her for the rest of her life with a birthday like that. But I really wonder if the Joke is on me. Heavenly Father has a sense of humor right???? She is so stubborn and independent. Hard for me! Luckily she is all worth it. She is so sweet too! I just love her so much and hope I can overcome my weakness to be the mother she deserves. I know she will need her independent personality in her life...I need to help her embrace it.

This little girl loves Animals and thanks to the Hastings her birthday dream came true!!! We were able to go there and ride horses! We brought our family and I let Hailey pick two friends, she picked Indi and Reese. Luckily, they could come on Family night! Katie really spoiled Hailey, letting her go around as many times as she wanted! Thank you so much Scott and Katie!!!!

Hailey has been playing a lot with her friend Reese! She has not really had a friend, where they play at each others houses. She has always played really well with her cousins, but it is nice to have someone in the neighborhood to just have over to play for a bit. It is a definite milestone for her.

Happy Birthday my sweet Hailey!!!

Hailey's party wasn't on her birthday so I took her and Reese to McDonald's to eat and...

Play!

Spring Break...Funny Story

2009-04-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Jayden loves his cousins so much!.... all of them. Well, during spring break he was with Megan and Kayla the whole week. One morning Jayden said to me, "Mom I have a crush on Megan." "What!" I said. Then I had to explain to him that he couldn't have a crush on his cousin. Funny! I know that he has had crushes before, but I didn't know he knew what a crush was. Yikes!

My sisters boy Jaxon is only two months younger that Derek and they are really starting to love playing with each other. So Cute.

My kids, Lena's kids, and Emily's kids at the park. I had them all by myself. They were so good that is was fun.

Snowflake Memories!!

2009-02-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

Because it was Jayden's Birthday this weekend we went to snowflake to see one of Jayden's best friends and cousin. We all love Maeser because they have so much fun together!

Jeanette made these shirts for the boys. The front says Best Cousins and the back says Their names. Jayden loved the shirts and wanted to wear his shirt everyday. He wore it two days in a row, and then I had to wash it the night we got home so he could wear it the next day for his birthday.

This is all the kids around Rhett and Jeanette's huge beautiful table. I love how my kids have so many fun cousins!

Jeanette made awesome food all weekend, notice below! This is Judd and his cute brothers!

It was nice for Judd to have some time to play with the kids without distraction. He is such a good Dad, our kids adore him.

Thank you Rhett and Jeanette for a fun weekend!

So Nice of My Kids to HELP! It makes it go so much quicker...NOT!

2009-02-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

My kids really love to help with everything! Only when your plumber loves your kids this much do they get to help fix the toilet and the bath tub!:)

Uncle Clint is a good sport, as I sat there and took pictures while he handled it!

Because Hailey threw the screws down the drain Clint had to turn this into a two trip fix and make a run to the store. These pictures are of the second trip....He still let them help:)!

Is your plumber this nice?????????????? Or Cute...from what I hear the women love it when they call a plumber and CLINT shows up....watch out Lyndi. Lyndi found this out in spin class when the instructor was going on and on about her HOT plumber only to find out later that her plumber was Clint. Be carful you never know when your plumbers wife is in your class...oops!

We LOVE Uncle Clint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Post Today, I Promise! The SNOW!

2009-01-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

While we were in Utah for Christmas the kids were out in the Snow everyday....ALL day! The boys built a sledding hill, in my parents backyard, that the kids could slide down. They loved it!

Derek didn't last as long as the other kids outside, but he was sure cute in his gear.

Judd and Jaren playing with the kids on the hill.

Jayden and Aubrey going down the hill together!

Hailey never could keep that ear warmer on her ears! It didn't seem to bother her though.

Jayden has so much fun with his cousins. I love that he has so many to be around!

It is never too cold to jump on the tramp!

Jaren spent most of one night pulling all the kids in the sled around Grandma's backyard. They just wouldn't let him stop. He got his workout in that night. Who needs a hill when you have Uncle Jaren.

Christmas Time! Better Late that Never!

2009-01-15T13:41:00.001-08:00

I put this at the top because it is so funny. Us girls thought it would be funny to wrap some lingerie and put it under the tree from my Dad to my Mom. My dad just played right along, it was hilarious!

These are the cute boys in my family. I have six brothers (Mark missing in the picture) and one brother-in-law so far, also my cute Dad, and my HOT husband. J/K...really he is hot though. :)My little brother Stephen had knee surgery the Friday before we came so this is what it took to get a seat in the house.

Jayden's school had a store this year and he was able to buy presents for his family and Grandparents. This was one of the highlights of my Christmas. He was so excited to give the presents that he picked out. This is him giving his presents to my parents. I thought it was so sweet.

Christmas is so much fun when your kids are small and they get so excited! I love it!

Santa left all the stockings on the couch!!!

On Christmas Eve we all opened PJ's. Hailey got kitty PJ's and Derek and Jayden got matching Batman PJ's.

Some of the gang in their PJ's.

Elder Keith Jensen comes HOME!!!

2009-01-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

We had a huge group at the airport to meet my little brother when he came home from his Mission to Florida. It was the 23rd of December so we all got an early Christmas present. We were sure EXCITED, especially the little kids!

Keith was really excited too.

We all rode in my brothers RV to and from the airport. It was a blast to be all together! The kids all wanted to be by Keith.

This picture was not posed. This is really how my little brother is. He is always playing with the kids and they adore him. It has been about two week since we saw Him and Hailey still asks to see him every day. WE LOVE YOU KEITH!

Escape to Mexico!!!!!! FINALLY!!

2009-01-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

At the first part of the year Judd surprised me with a Cruise to Mexico for our 8th Anniversary! This is one of the Formal Nights on the ship!

We had a really fun group including: my big brother Jaren and his wife Britney, their friends and now ours Natalie and Paul, Some of our closest friends Jill and Paul, and my parents. It was such a great group of people. Britney dominated the karaoke doing her dances. Everyone on the ship knew her. I was surprised that people weren't getting her autograph. Jill and Britney both made it to the final competition for Karaoke superstars...Jill made it because of her skill singing and Britney because everyone loved her. It was so fun. Jill also made it to the championship ping pong match...she is quite the multi-talented girl. Everyone was so much fun to be with!!!

On Judd's 30th birthday.....that's right I said 30!!!!!.....we were at Mazatlan. This was my most fun port. We tried a little bit of everything. We kayaked out to a private Island and explored. We tried some para-sailing (very cool but a little scary)! We also did boogie boarding. It was a blast!!! Happy Birthday Judd!!

Me and Jill......Miss you tons already....When is our next trip???

Judd and I Celebrated our 8th Anniversary!! and instead of telling you all how much I love him I will just show you!!

Judd would kill me for this... He hates PDA!!! I love it...especially the lady in the background looking at us!

This is the whole gang on one of the formal nights.

We stopped at a scenic view on our way up to the Zip line place. We did the mountain top to mountain top extreme zip lines. There were 12 of them ranging from 200 and something feet to 1600 and something feet. It was a blast!! They wouldn't let us tack pictures...they wanted us to buy theirs for 40$$.

Last but not least of my memories from the trip is our new friends Kim and Mike. We had so much fun getting to know them and I think we will stay in touch. They were so nice and we just clicked right from the start. Kim and I met during the lifeboat drill on the first night. Don't they look like so much fun. Miss you both:)!!!

Some of our Family Photos

2008-12-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

Kevin and Emily took these pictures!! They are getting really good at picture taking!! Lucky us!

Jayden's First School Program

2008-11-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

Jayden's first school program was so cute. It was all patriotic songs to celebrate Veterans Day. It was nice that the 4th grade and the Kindergarten were combined for the program; we were able to watch Eden at the same time.

I was on the front row watching and during the flag ceremony I was trying to help Derek and Hailey and Jayden yelled out to me "Mom you are supposed to put your hand over your heart!!" It was really quiet and many around us knew who he was talking to. It was really embarrassing!

Detroit Trip Two!!!! Results! Emotions!!

2008-11-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

This trip was full of sleepless nights, stress, and being on the Go! I am really glad it is over and WE SURVIVED!!!! This is how my trip went...

FRIDAY NIGHT: Halloween...fun, fun, fun, but we get to bed too late!! Way too late!!!

SATURDAY: 4:30 AM wake up to catch our flight!! WAY TOO EARLY!!!!!
We were traveling most of the day Saturday. Bonnie picked us up from the airport and we got to their house about 5PM.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Jayden and I were up all night. He was crying because his stomach hurt. NO SLEEP! Really, I mean none!!!! He said he was praying all night to Heavenly Father to make his tummy stop hurting.

SUNDAY MORNING: Go to Church!! Jayden slept through all three hours. NO SLEEP FOR ME. But church was a great experience! Bonnie and Lynn serve in a Downtown Detroit ward and it was fast and testimony meeting. I knew it would be interesting when the first testimony the lady was using the word Jack___ over the pulpit. After Church we spent the day hanging out with Bonnie and Lynn. I really don't know what I would do without them. Thanks for taking care of us again!!!!!

SUNDAY NIGHT: Jayden crying again, this time really bad about stomach pain. Jayden asking why Hevenly Father didn't make his tummy feel better. Lynn takes us to the ER.... after about 3 hours, a urine test, and x-rays.....we find out Jayden had lots of gas in his tummy. Poor Jayder-bug. RELIEF.....then anger...dang...how much will that cost us!!!! Our medical bill are enough already!!! We finally get to bed about 12:30 or so.

MONDAY MORNING: 4AM Hailey wets on their sleeping bag, blankets and floor!!!!! Wake up and wash her and try to clean up. REALLY, REALLY tired!!!!! Try to get more sleep.
We had to be at the Hospital at 11:30 for check-in.
The procedure went well and the staff was really quick. We got right in which was nice because Jayden and Hailey we both fasting!

The kids came off the the anesthesia really well. Actually, it was like they had the best nap in their life. They were full of energy and ready to eat then play!!! I was ready for bed!! Bonnie took us to Red Robin - Jayden's choice, and we got full, WAY TOO FULL.

MONDAY NIGHT: The kids get lots of energy out outside with Bonnie, THANKS BONNIE! At about 11PM the kids finally fall asleep and I think we will have a nice night to sleep...event free. PULL-UP for Hailey just in case.

TUESDAY MORNING: 4AM, on the nose, Hailey wets and it leaks onto the bed. Dang!!! Up bathing her and washing sheets. She hardly ever wets anymore, I don't know what was up. By the time I was done with that I only had 45mins until my alarm would go off. We had to be up, ready, and packed, to leave at 7:30AM. More tests at the Doctors office and then strait to the airport to go home.

TUESDAY: Hours of tests and waiting at the Doctors. The kids are restless and tired of being still. We grab Subway and then off to the Airport to catch our flight. Bonnie took me to the Hospital and the Doctors and stayed with me. SERIOUSLY an ANGLE!!!! I promise it wasn't as much fun as it looks!!

After a long flight we make our connection in Denver and I thought I only had a hour to go. When the flight attendant announced just under two hours for the flight I started bawling. I was tired not only from the lack of sleep and the traveling but from all of the mixed emotions. I didn't know if I could handle much more. Luckily, Jayden and Hailey fell asleep.

When we get there I was thinking YES.... finally!!!!!!! I had to pour water on Jayden to get him to wake up and we headed out to the curb. Judd was going to pick up the kids and then drive around while I got the car seat and the bags. We get to the curb there was no Judd. The kids were crying, they wanted me to hold them. Through the glass doors I see the bags coming out so we run in and get them. Jayden continued crying because he was so tired and I wanted to cry but I was too mad. We come back out to the curb ...still no Judd. My cell phone was dead, OF COURSE! We wait 41mins on the curb for our 15min ride home. Needless to say I was a little angry!!! Don't worry, Judd was really sorry and we already made up.

This is Jayden and Hailey waiting. If I could have fit I would have been on the curb with them. Too bad for Judd I have a picture ....one of his worst husband moments ever.

RESULTS: Hailey had no fluid behind one eye and only a little bit behind the other!!! One of her retinal folds had flattened out and the other was reduced by 50%. Yeah! The Surgery worked! Great news!! .... BUT....I understand something now that I didn't understand before. Hailey has an under-developed posterior (back) of eyes. This under-development is causing the pressure in the eye which is causing the Retina to detach.

I knew all that but this part I didn't know. Along with this under-development she has Fovial Hypoplasia. Which means under-developed Fovia. The Fovia is your central vision where your optic nerve leaves and where all vision signals come. This can cause reduced vision and there is nothing they can do about it. FRUSTRATION!!! I thought that if her retina layed back down she may have normal vision with her corrective lenses. She is seeing 20/100 right now and may never see better than that. I don't want to sound un-grateful, I am really glad that her retina is responding to the treatment, but just bummed to understand the other effects of her problem. Dr. Trese still can not tell me what he expects for her long term. He said there is just not any research to go by.

Jayden has the same structural problem with his eyes with the small back of the eye and the under developed fovia. He does not have the presser problem though, which is good news. I was not prepared to hear anything about Jayden. He is seeing about 20/60 right now. In the exact words of Dr. Trese..."He will live a very high functioning life, he may not want to be a micro-surgeon or a jet pilot but there are many other jobs he will be able to do. He probably will not drive." Disappointment!!

Good News: Hailey did so well at her office visit that Dr.Trese thinks he can do the tests next time without putting her to sleep. My next visit is on April 7th and I don't plan on thinking about this whole thing much until then!!!!!

Thanks to all of those who have been praying and fasting for my kids and their eyes. We love you all so much and have really needed all your support. Special thanks to Lyndi and Leslie for watching Derek and taking care of Judd while I was gone.

Happy Halloween!!!!! A Little Late....

2008-11-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

This was my favorite Costume of the Night!! Michael Phelps!! This little boy was so cute in his little speedo and cap with 8 medals. Only in Arizona would this be possible.

My mom was here to pass out candy!! We really enjoyed having her for the holidays. We were so glad Vivi is doing better so she could come play. We miss you mom! We had fun trick-or-treating with my sister's family.

The Group!!

Jayden's class dressed up as Dalmatians for their school parade. He had fun making his costume!

Hailey had a party at school and she got to decorate pumpkins. Emily, Mom, Abby, Jaxon and Derek all came to celebrate with her. The Kids had fun!

Hailey and her friend Tanner

Beautiful Cinderella!!! Jill this picture is just for you:)!!

Our ward party is always amazing with horse rides....!

booths and games...!! A balloon-man....!!

Food....! Friends....! And much more...!!

Jaren, and Emily and their families were able to come!!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love all the treats and how it brings a neighborhood together. I only wish I didn't have a huge bag of candy to resist now!! Anyone what some candy????

Halloween Party!!!

2008-11-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

Judd and I dressed up for Shannon's Halloween party as Drew and Mimi on the Drew Carey Show. We tried to turn Judd's hair blond but it turned Green!! Hilarious!! Thanks Shannon it was a blast!

Some of the Girls.

Austin Powers and Girl

This one wins costume of the night!! Russ shaved his head to look like Dr. Phil. AMAZING!

I love my little Derek!!!!

2008-10-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Derek or to MOM??? Seriously he just wanted to potty train himself. Saturday he just told me that he wanted to go potty in the toilet. I thought that he would just sit there and play with the toilet paper and the flusher. Nope he was ready and he did it. His birthday was his first day in underwear and he did really good. We went to the movie and he even told me he needed to go during the movie and then really went. Lets just pray that it sticks!!!!
We went to the movie with a group of friends! Derek liked waiting to go to the Movie better than the actual movie!
My little boy is two! Happy Birthday Derek!!! We had a family party for Derek and Uncle Kevin who share the same birthday!! Happy Birthday Kevin!!
I really love this little kid so much!!! He always makes me laugh and everyone around him. He is just what I need sometimes to keep a smile on my face. He is such a good kid, really an angle!! He loves to watch Barney and play with his J.J. and Hailey. When we are driving in the car and we see a bus, Derek will sing, "The wheels on J.J.'s bus go round and round". If you ask him if he wants something he will say, "yes my do". He loves to talk to people on the phone. He is so sweet and I love him much!! I just wish he would not grow up so fast!!

Conference weekend!

2008-10-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

YUMMY!

How do you like to EAT your Cupcake?

We had a great conference weekend, especially since we got to spend it at my brother Jaren's house! Not only were all the talks great & uplifting so was the company. We had great soup made by my sister Emily, and even better bread by Britney (haha just kidding). That night dinner was delicious to, with steak, chicken...the whole works. Then there was the strawberry "cupcake" birthday party, as Hailey called it for cousins Vivian, and Abby. It was quite the hit, with great treats, party sacks, games, and roasting marsh mellows later that night. Hanging with the family is always fun. Here are the photos for your enjoyment.

My Trip in Detail

2008-09-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is Bonnie and Lynn Alvord, Katie Perry's Parents, and the people who totally saved me. I went there knowing that they were going to give me a place to stay; but they gave much more. They acted like I was one of their kids home to visit. They picked me up from the airport and took me and stayed with me at all of my appointments and Hailey's Surgery. Lynn is a Doctor so his listening ears were really helpful. Lynn had the week off work and we had a lot of fun, when we were not at the Doctors that is. I really love these guys and I know that Heavenly Father used them to answer my prayers and ease my burden.

This is Grandma Alvord. She is Lynn's 93 year old mother. Hopefully she doesn't mind me telling her age. She was so sweet to Hailey, and always concerned with us being comfortable. Hailey would go in and talk to her and play in her room. Hailey loves her. One time she was in asking Grandma how come she can't walk and why she hunches over. Grandma just laughed and explained it to her. She was such a good sport.

LOOK at this BREAKFAST!!!! YUMM. Notice that Hailey is eating sugar cereal...the second that she said that she didn't want that and she wanted Trix it was in front of her. They spoiled just like Grandparents do.

We went to a Metro-Park, they call it. It was beautiful. I loved taking pictures of Hailey here because she had her contacts in. She loves Bonnie.

Look at the huge trees and my beautiful daughters eyes. You'll have to click on this one to really see her blue eyes.

There was a little place with snakes, turtles, bees and other animals. Hailey loves animals.

This is right before her surgery. She looks way too excited! Poor thing. My mom, Kit Cook, Judd's mom and Lyndi all sent toys and things to do for Hailey. Everything was really nice to have because it gave her something to do. She had to wait all day. She was Dr. Trese's last patient and she had to come fasting. It was 4PM before she got taken back for her exam and operation.

Lynn playing with Hailey to distract her.

This is Hailey after her surgery, she has to wear those metal eye protectors every night. She hates them, so I have to wait until she is asleep to put them on. Her eye are really fragile because he went in through the front and dissected clear to the back to take the piece of sclara out to make room for the fluid to drain. We don't need any extra scar tissue causing extra problems.

The first 24 hours after the surgery were really hard. She had a really hard time coming out of anesthesia. She was freaking out and the nursing staff was in a hurry to get us out of the recovery room so they could go home. They sent us away and she was still thrashing all over and trying to gouge her eyes. She had been freaking out for about an hour though.

We walked out and I held her in the lobby while Bonnie went to go get the car. Lynn went back up to get something I forgot. While I was waiting there, and Hailey was screaming and trashing, three women came up to me and told me it would be okay or asked me if I was okay. It must have looked terrible. Anyway, I was so tired and I wanted her to have some comfort. So right there I just said a prayer out loud in her ear. Short and to the point. Heavenly Father please comfort Hailey. She stopped crying almost immediately and when we got in the car she feel asleep. The first night was so long she kept waking up and crying and she sleep most of the night in my arms. Translation-no sleep for me. The first morning Hailey didn't want to open her eyes but before that night she was doing amazingly better.

I don't know what day this was but you can see one eye bled out and the other one didn't.

Tuesday before we left we had another check-up. They took pictures of her retina to see if any fluid had already gone down. I was disappointed to see that she still had the big bump in the middle of the retina but the doctor said to give it more time. We go back on November 3ed for another Exam under anaesthetises so he can really see if the surgery worked. When I go that time I have to take Jayden to also have an exam under anaesthetises, just to be safe.

Lynn and Bonnie's house was beautiful and very breakable. Bonnie is an interior designer and their house is decked out. I was very happy when we left and Hailey had not broken one thing. Thank goodness!!!!

Tender Mercies of the Lord as Rich Larsen would put it.....

1- At the first check up Dr. Trese said, "It's interesting that you are here today because I was just researching this exact thing in London last week and I just got done writing up my research yesterday." Then I asked if her condition was common and he said that it is extremely rare. I know that was the Lords hand directing him to research that particular condition.

2- We also found out that if everything looks perfect, on November 3ed, when he checks her that she will need to come back 3 times a year to be checked. She will have to be put under every time. That is the only way he can see her whole retina and the fluid layer beneath. Right before I left my second follow-up appointment Dr. Trese's fellow doctor, Dr. Walsh, came in and told me that he is taking a job in Tuscon with Dr. Javid (The retina doctor who first saw Hailey). Dr. Walsh has been training with Dr. Trese for three years and he doesn't start until August next year in Tuscon. This is really good because he can learn all about Hailey and watch Dr.Trese and then maybe take care of us closer to home in the future.

3-Another tender mercy of the Lord in my strengthened faith. One of the hardest things through all of this process has been wondering if I had faith at all, not to mention faith for my daughter to be healed, or faith to receive the direction on what to do. Through reading my scriptures, prayer, priesthood blessings I have more faith than I ever had. Even though this road with her is going to be hard, I have been guided to the right place and I know Hailey is getting the best care, no matter what happens. You may have to keep reminding me that I said this.

4- All the love and support is for sure a tender mercy. So many have helped make this easier on us. Thank you all so much.

Special Thanks

2008-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I would have done with out Lyndi. She had my kids for the whole 12 days that I was gone. As if that wasn't enough she came over while I was gone and cleaned my house top to bottom. She also had a cake, balloons, and flowers waiting for Hailey. My sister Emily brought us dinner.

Derek could not wait one more second for a bite of that cake.

Jayden made us a sweet welcome home card.

Lyndi's kids and Jayden made this welcome poster for us.

The night before we left Lena and Stacy had us over for dinner. They also went all out! The kids made a Get Well Soon poster and They had a special cake for Hailey. We are seriously spoiled!

Hailey's Update....

2008-09-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update on Hailey.....

She ended up having her surgery on friday. When the Doctor did his exam he found that she had significant retnal detachments... more than what we saw on the previous exam, so he wanted to go ahead and do the surgery instead of opting to do just the drops.

During the surgery he made scleral windows. The sclera is the white part of the eye, and he took part of it out to make room allowing the fluid to drain. She's doing very well. She had a follow up check today that went well, and has another check up on Tuesday. If everything looks good we get to come home! She then we will have to come back in four weeks for a post op check up to make sure things are moving along as planned.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words! We are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family supporting us through this.

Tuesday's Exam!!!

2008-09-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today was really good. I feel totally confident in the doctor out here. He wants to take Hailey into the OR on Friday and do an Exam on her. He wants to do a Florscine Angiogram and a OCT. He says that she may have fluid between her sclra and her Retina causing the Retina to Detach. If the Retina is only detached where we see the fold then he would like to try giving her eye drops to decrese the fluid and pressure in her eye before he trys surgery. If, on Friday he sees more detachments during her Exam he will go ahead and do the surgery then. Then he said we will have to see if any permenent damage was caused by the evusion (the medical term he used). Katie's parents are taking care of us out here. Really, I love them already. What a blessing they have been. They are totally fun and easy to be around and they really are taking care of me like I was their own. Great People. I'll do another update on Friday. Thanks to all. Seriously, thank you everyone for taking care of me. Best case senero: We can relieve the fluid and the Retina will lay back down and Hailey will see beter. Worst case: He finds it is really a true Retina Fold and then I don't know what. He is 90% sure it is the first. He was just unsure if the Retina would be fine or not.

Thanks so much!!!

2008-09-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

Kara reminded me that I needed to explain the picture. My kids made the cake and Jayden thought is was hilarious to make me an old lady. He was laughing his head off. He likes to playfully tease, thanks to Judd. Hopefully that's all it will always be. In the picture: Jaren, Britney and Me and our kids. :)

Okay, so I feel kind of stupid blogging my birthday but it was so great I want to tell everyone thanks. I was really not looking forward to my birthday this year and for those of you who know me very well, that is not normal. I was dreading September and my birthday meat that it was hear. Anyway, so many people made an effort to make it a special day and it was one of my best birthdays that I can remember. In the morning I went out to send Jayden off to school and my sister Emily was waiting outside with a gift and hug. That just started the day off really well. Then Lyndi, my sister-in-law, took me to lunch. All through the day I was getting calls and visitors wishing me a Happy Birthday! Then later that night Jaren and Britney came over for pizza (my favorite). We had so much fun laughing and telling stories. It was just what I needed! The whole day was so great!! Then the following week a bunch of my friends took me to lunch. I love you all so much and I feel all of your support and love. Thanks to all who took time to spoil me this year. All the celebrating and distractions was just what I needed to pass the time until I leave. And don't worry Dad I won't expect this next year!

MY YEAR SUPPLY!!!

2008-09-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

I finally took time to get my year supply! The kids loved helping Judd and I fill the buckets. They played in the empty bags and loved melting the dry ice afterwards.

Hailey Started Pre-School

2008-08-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Hailey was so excited to ride the bus just like her big brother! The bus picks her up right at my door and then drops her off right at my door. I love that!

This is her meeting her teacher Mrs. Newby. She seems really nice, I'm sure Hailey will love her. I went to an IEP meeting for Hailey (a meeting where they talk about accommodations she might need) anyway, they put a bunch a books in braille and a braille type-writer in her classroom. She will have a teacher for the vision impaired teach her one-on-one for 20 mins. every week. They said that it would be good to introduce her to braille just in case the worst happens. Hopefully she'll never need it.

This is how Hailey watches T.V. ! I hate it when I see Hailey doing something like this because it reminds me how badly she sees.

Random Happenings

2008-08-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

A few of my friends and I did a triathlon in Showlow last weekend. It was seriously one of the most fun things I have done in a long time....A much needed break from all the stress. I found that a "little girl time" can be the best thing for a stressed out mom. Thanks girls, you did great.

I bought a bag of clementines at Costco and my kids ate the whole bag in three days. They like them and everything but they were gone as soon as the kids realized they didn't need help to peel them. Even Derek could peel one on his own. It was hilarious!

Jayden got his contacts!!!! I was really excited for him. He loves them too. He has been so easy to deal with, he just opens his eyes and I can take them in an out. He does way better than Judd and I did when we went to the training. (We had to learn on each other first so we could do it to our kids since neither of us have ever had contacts) Hailey wasn't able to get her contacts yet. Her prescription is just to thick and her eyes are so small still that the angle is too sharp. The Doctor has tried two brands so far but they haven't worked. He is trying one more lens so cross your fingers for us.

My sister Emily, me, and Britney (my sister-in-law), on our date night. We went to Famous Dave's. The food was really good, although we all felt like we were stuffed in a crowded cafeteria. Afterwards we weren't ready to go home yet so we went Shopping, we really just wanted a quiet place to talk longer. Anyone have any good spots they go to "hang out"?

Swimming all Summer

2008-08-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Derek always says that he wants to go swimming but he doesn't like to get in the water. I don't mind at all, it actually makes it easier to watch him.

My kids love to play with their uncle Colt. He is awesome because he actually plays with the kids and you can tell he enjoys it...most of the time.

First Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Jayden had his first day of Kindergarten. He was very excited! He walks to the bus with his friend Casey and her big brother, he thinks he is such a big kid.
I am really excited about his class. There is about 8 kids in there that he is already friends with and he loves his teacher.

I'm Going to Detriot

2008-08-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have an appointment with Dr. Trese. I am so nervous that my legs get weak when I think about going to Detroit by myself and all the decisions I might have to make. I am awful with directions and I get to the airport at 8PM with a 40min drive to the Hospital housing that I am staying at. I have thought about getting a shuttle to take me so I don't have to worry about getting lost late at night. Me, in a big city, driving who know where.....SCARY. I am also terrified of making the wrong decision regarding Hailey's eyes. If the Doctor says that he would like to try a surgery, I will likely have to decide right then. She already has those surgery dates set up on the 19th and the 23rd of Sept. just in case. The receptionist said that is how Dr. Trese does it with out-of-state patients. If Hailey does need surgery I will be in Detroit until Oct. 8th, giving her eyes a chance to heal and giving the Doc a chance to make sure things go well. I am so exhausted and am day dreaming of more care free days, if there is such a thing.

Today Hailey had a screening for special needs placement in the Gilbert Schools preschool program. Of Course she got in but it was very emotional for me to see all the accommodations available to the visually impaired. I have very mixed feelings. I was very grateful that they had such amazing accommodations and at the same time upset that we even had to talk about her needing them.

It's days like today and many of my days lately that I miss my mom. My kids get their blue eyes from her. This is an old picture at Jayden's 4th birthday so about a year and a half ago.

Frustrated, Hopeful, Scared and Disapointed!!!! What a Rollercoaster!!

2008-07-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my brother called and said that the Doctors from the Mayo want to operate on Hailey. They want to try to cut or thin the inner front of the eye to make room for her growing Retina so it wont fold anymore. If it works it could prevent future retinal folds and help her vision to stay the same. It would not do anything for the fold that is already there...just to be clear. Now I just got another call from the doctors in Tucson saying they want to see Hailey and Jayden back early next week to do more tests. Here we go again.....

As much as I love seeing my cute kids in their glasses I was really excited for them to get their contacts. I am really disappointed! I just got the call that they are not going to be able to make their contacts. Their was only one company that will even make contacts in the powers that they need and the Doctor said that their eyes are just to small, that with that kind of curve and kind of power it just wont work.

When Hailey was trying the contacts on and we found that they didn't fit the Doctor had her read the eye chart. She was seeing quite a bit better just having the prescription on her eye. I was really excited about that, and now she can't get the contacts. This really stinks!

Derek plays dress-up by putting on glasses! He wants to be just like his older brother and sister.

The Library Events are really cool.....who would have thought!

2008-07-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many reptiles we got to see at the reptile show. I guess these are all this mans pets...yikes!!! Thanks to the Liberian who put my kids on the front row so they could see!!

The kids even got to pet the giant snake. I cant believe they did it!

MY BROTHER"S HERE!!!!! 2 down only 6 more to get here!!! Come on Fam...AZ is the best!

2008-07-31T14:45:00.001-07:00

My brother Jaren, His cute wife Britney, and their three kids are here! Jaren just graduated from USC in pediatric dentistry and will be practicing in Phoenix. He was top of his class and is a perfectionist, if anyone wants his number.

His wife Britney is so much fun and is quickly becoming one of my best friends! Thanks Jaren for bringing her to us. We love you Britney!

I only had a picture of their baby, surprising because his girl are really photogenic...adorable. He has a 4 year old girl Clara, a 2 year old girl Vivian, and baby boy Dalyn. Derek loves him already as you can see. I'm sure they will be buddies.

Happy 30th Birthday Emily!!!!

2008-07-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun this weekend with my sister for her 30th birthday! My parents surprised her and came to visit from Utah! I didn't have any good pictures of them...darn! Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!!

Em, I think you are getting too old for individual candles!

We made my sister Queen for a day and took her to lunch and to get a pedicure. You cant see it but her crown has the number 30 on it. She wore it all day. She is a good sport!

My niece Kayla really fell asleep this way. We must have tired her out will all the festivities!

What could I say about this picture.... I just wanted to post it because I think Derek is so cute! This is Derek on Emily's birthday (ha ha). We have a joke in my family that applies here...kinda. There are nine kids and we have twins at the end and they are in all the pictures. We always say.... "oh, there is Stephen and Stephanie on my 10th birthday and there they are again on my 16th birthday...I wonder what they were doing on my wedding day. Lots of pictures of them. They really are the most interesting though....we all love them so much, so we are glad they are documented on all our special occasions:)!

2008-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

HAPPY PIONEER DAY

The whole group at the Rodeo!

The Pioneer celebration came early this year on the 19th of July. We went to Snowflake and we had a blast! Friday morning Judd went to a Golf Tournament with Clint and the boys while all of the rest of us went to the Flake reunion (barbecue and Rodeo).

When Hailey wasn't mauling the Dog, she was playing with her cousins Jessica and Camille.

Watch OUT for the bull!!
The rest of the day the kids had so much just being free to do whatever they wanted. Jayden played the whole day with his cusins Maeser and Brendon. Hailey spent her time outside with the dog......big surprise...not! The girl is crazy about dogs. Later that night Judd and I went to watch Tyler, Judd's friend, compete in the real Rodeo. It was crazy!

Thanks for running Lyndi!!

Saturday morning was the Fun Run. Lyndi and I ran it together. The terraine was rough. The race was on the Golf course Trail which in gravel and they had the sprinklers on all night so it was muddy gravel (not too smart). There was also a lot of large hills and small hills, hills the whole darn time. It was hard but Lyndi and I both got a medal for our age group.

Derek and His Bestest Friend Aunt Lyndi "nin ne"

Like usual Hailey found a dog to pet!!

Some of the Group Waiting for the Parade to start!

Time for the parade! I love the parade but I always get a little sad too because my kids can never pick up the candy fast enough. My cute little nephew Maeser, who is almost six, was giving ALL of his candy to Hailey! So sweet! Then Maeser was standing right in front of a piece of candy and Jayden picked it up. I told Jayden,"Maeser was going for that piece so why don't you give it to him." Maeser yelled out, "No Bekah I was blocking for Jayden so he could get it."

SO SO SWEET!!! I love Maeser!!

Blossom Fashion Show (part of the pioneer festivities)

After the parade I got roped into doing a fashion show with my friend Jacque. I was so nervous, and right before I wanted to change my mind and back out, butI didn't and I ended up having a lot of Fun. There were 13 girls, we wore three outfits each. They did our hair and make-up. Alot of time but really fun. The fashion show was for a local store called Blossom, they have one here in Mesa too! Cute stuff. I bought two of my outfits.

Good thing Derek is so cute and Clint and Lyndi's family love him so much or else we may have been walking home!!

Saturday night all the Adults went out to dinner and then Lyndi and Clint took Derek and I home. Lyndi had to leave to get Kalyn back to go to EFY and I wanted to come home and see my parents who were visiting from Utah. On the way home Derek got carsick and threw up all over Kalyn and the car. I felt so bad. Then when we were almost home I realized that I forgot the key to my house and I was locked out. I was so excited for my bed too. Dang! Luckily I had Lyndi.

2008-07-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

This is my new hair cut! This is the first time I have had bangs since elementary. We will see if I can style it by myself today. yikes...

I cut off a lot of hair !!!! It feels so good!

Thank You!!!! Thank You!!!! Thank You!!!

2008-07-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, the last two days have been really hard!! There has been little sleep, little eating, lots of testing, a lot more worrying, but even more prayers and love than I could have imagined. So many have helped make the past two days a little easier. Thank you so much to my sister Emily who got a babysitter for her kids, and dropped everything to come with me to Tucson, I could not have done it without you! Thank you also to Lena, who fed my family the night before I left and then was waiting in my driveway with gift bags for me and each of the kids when we pulled out to leave. Thank you to Jeff and Mary, who opened their house to us while we were in Tucson, that made a huge difference. Thank you to my sister-in-law Brittney who came and spent the day babysitting Derek so I could finish with my last two Doctor appointments. Thank you so much to all those who fasted and prayed for us. Thank you to all of my friends and family who have listened and been there to comfort me. Lastly, thanks to all those who have offered their help, I really appreciate it. I can see the huge support group that will be there to rally around Hailey and help her through this difficult trial she will have to face. We all love her so much!

Details of the Tucson Trip

2008-07-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

We ended up leaving early Tuesday morning instead of Monday. I was a wreck on Monday, I let my worries and lack of sleep get the best of me. We woke up Early on Tuesday at 5:30AM and left by 6:30AM. (way early for the kids) The first appointment was the Retinal specialist to see Jayden and Derek. He did all the same tests on them as he had done on Hailey. They are both clear!!!!!! I would have been shocked if Derek had the problem, but all the Doctors told me that Jayden would most likely have the same problem as Hailey because he is also very farsighted and has bi-lateral Ambliopia too. My stomach was sick. I was just sure Jayden was going to have it and his Retina were perfect. HUGE RELIEF!!! After this appointment Emily and I took the kids to Jeff and Mary's house (relatives we have only 8 miles from the doctors office). We ate lunch and let Hailey and Derek take a quick nap.

2008-07-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Next It was off to the Pediatric Opthamoligist for more tests on Hailey and to get a new prescription for Jayden and Hailey both. Last time Dr. Banuelos didn't want to give them a new prescription because she was unsure of the Retinal Problem. Hailey had a few tests done and I'm not sure what all of them were for. But she had an ultrasound on her eye where the doctor confirmed her diagnosis of posterior nanopthalmos. (a rare condition causing a small or deformed back part of the eye) She was so good during all of her tests. The ultrasound test took at least 30 minutes and she had to be very still and close her eye just right while the Doctor probed the whole eye area. Everyone was impressed and I was relieved that she didn't need any sedation to do the tests.

After the tests the Doctor was talking to me and the kids were playing about 5 feet away in a kids area. All of the sudden Jayden comes up to me and tells me that he cant find Hailey. Me and 4 or 5 of the staff including the Doctor were looking for her...scary. (this was a huge building with halls and rooms galore) The resident doctor found her hiding under a chair in the next lobby over. So after waisting 10 minutes of the doctors time I very sternly told them to stay right here and play while I finished talking to the Doctor. They usually are very good at staying by me, I don't know what was up with them. Not more than 5 minutes later I look over and they were both gone. So we went searching again....This time we found them in the men's bathroom, and yes I had to go in after Hailey. If they hadn't been so good for all of their test that may have been it for them. I was so embarrassed!!

Both Doctors in Tucson think I should see a Pediatric Retinal Specialists in Michigan, Dr. Trese, to see if he can help Hailey. They say once I get his opinion, I have gone to the top, He is the best of the best. The next morning my doctor in Utah, Dr Abrahms, called. I told him that they want me to see Dr. Trese in Michigan. He told me that Dr. Trese is a friend of his and that he has already been emailing information on Hailey to him. Right now Dr. Trese is in China doing research so when he gets back he will have all the images waiting for him. Most of them can't be emailed or faxed. Dr. Abrams said that if Dr.Trese can help me he will be able to tell by looking at the images. The images should tell him more than what he can see by looking at her in person. So now we have a diagnosis but we are back to waiting.

2008-07-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today it was off to the optometrists. The Doctors in Tucson helped me find a good Optometrist close to me house. This will be nice since they will be getting contacts and this may require frequent visits. I am really excited about the contacts. I have heard it is hard at first. Once they get use to the contacts though they will be able to do things like lay down to watch a movie without their glasses bothering them and wear goggles while swimming like all the other kids. Jayden is really excited for that. I have been told that getting contacts will improve their vision a little too.

For all you wondering...

2008-06-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have entered the world of blogging out of pure necessity. I am trying to find a way to update all of our loved ones without spending my entire day in explanation on the phone. So here it goes.

When Jayden was about 3 years old we found out that he had a condition called bi-lateral ambliopia. This means that his vision signals coming to his brain are weak and the brain can ignore his eyes. He is also very farsighted which does not help the ambliopia. They told me that the condition was genetic so we immediately had Hailey checked out too. She was 11 months old when we found out that she also had this condition. Because Jayden was already 3 years old and not been treated yet his eye muscles developed wrong causing his eyes to cross. He had to have eye muscle surgery to get his eye aligned right. After the surgery one of the eyes was doing better than the other so we had to patch him for a year and a half. The Doctor said that we caught Hailey's problem so early that she would not have all these problems.

When Hailey turned 3 in April she was finally old enough to take her first eye exam. To my dismay she was only seeing 20/200 visual acuity (that is legally blind) through her lenses. The Doctor told me that there was nothing we could do about it and that the poor vision was just a part of her being so farsighted and having ambliopia. I was so upset with his diagnosis and just did not feel right about doing nothing so I took her up to Utah to have her prescription checked. I ended up seeing my doctor's tec who told me that he felt her prescription was off and referred me to a Doctor in Tucson and U of A. The Pediatric Ophthalmologist in Tucson found swelling on Hailey's retina and sent me straight over to a Retinal Specialist who did some laser and Digital images of Hailey's eye. He found some kind of growths or folds on the Retina right in the center on the visual cortex. He was stumped. As a Retinal specialists he had never seen this before. He told me that the growth or fold would make Hailey's vision blurry and that to his knowledge there was nothing he could do for her. He said that he would do some research and send the case out throughout the world to see if any other Doctors had seen this and could help. We have been waiting on pins and needles!

This morning the Doctor called and said that she thinks that Hailey has Posterior microphthalmos. This would be a non-treatable deformity of the back of the eye. Which means that the front of her eye is normal and the back is too small. As her eye has been growing and developing her retina, which lays on the back of the eye, has been growing normally with the front of the eye. The back of the eye is not growing normally and the retina is running out of room and starting to bulge and fold. The really scary thing about this diagnosis is that the eye doesn't stop growing until age 8-10 years old. The Doctor said that when rare things like this come up she has to be just like an attorney who builds a case and then proves it. So basically she is still not sure. I have an appointment for Hailey and Jayden both on the 8th of July. She thinks if what Hailey has is a birth defect that Jayden will have it too. She will also do some more tests to confirm or throw out that diagnosis. In the mean while, I have sent her records to my doctor in Utah, to my brother, who is a doctor, at the Mayo in Rochester MN, and to two Pediatric Retinal Specialists in LA and at Stanford. Now we can wait, which is torture, and pray, pray, pray. Thank you to all those praying with us. We love you all.