Happy Birthday Buddy Boy!

Yesterday was Nathan's birthday. He giggled and got all excited each time someone told him happy birthday, so he knew something was special. I made him a Chocolate Beet Cake. Everyone loved it, except for Curtis, he said it was OK, just like most healthy things I make. I felt good about feeding my kids beets and freshly ground whole wheat flour and agave instead of sugar.

Nathan sure loved the beet cake!

He got a wooden train set from Ikea for his birthday. He loved it so much he played with it for two hours straight. We had to put him to bed kicking, screaming and holding on to his trains. His love for trains, cars and trucks has really grown over the last couple of weeks. There is hardly a moment that he does not have a car or train in his hands throughout the day.

Nathan is growing up so fast! We love him so much!






Happy Birthday Buddy Boy!

He kept saying "Again!" and got to blow them out over and over again. So fun!

What Do I Do With All These Art Projects?

Audrey keeps bringing home page after page of special art projects she has made at school. I don't have room for them on the fridge, so I came up with this solution:

Magnetic Strips!

It was very simple, first I found 1 1/2" by 24" metal strips at Lowe's (they come in all sizes). They are actually called straps and are in the hardware section.

I cut fabric strips twice the width of the straps, in this case 3". Then I Mod Podged the fabric to the straps and put a layer on top and bottom.

Then I made magnets using large glass pebbles, Amazing Goop glue (or E6000), scrapbook paper and small round magnets.

The holes in the straps made it possible to just use thumb tacks to hang them on the wall.
Audrey loves having a place to display her art work and it is out of my way! =)

Things I might have done differently:
Pick a cuter fabric
Glue an extra layer of white card stock to the back of the scrapbook paper circles, so the magnets don't show through to the front. I guess the glue makes the thinner paper a little see through.
Someday I might add a 4th of 5th below. The strips are already full! =)

Year in Review

What a year! How did I jam so many changes into just 365 days?

Nathan turned one, he learned how to walk, talk, jump, and "ride" a bike. The age from 1 to 2 is so fun!

We moved in March, we love our new home and are getting to know our neighbors. I am still not as comfortable as I was with my old ward, but it will come. It just takes me a long time to make friends.

The stress of the move caused me to get optic neuritis, which lead to an MRI and an MS diagnosis. Not long after, my sister was also diagnosed with MS and my Aunt Wendy ended up in the hospital with her worst MS exacerbation. She is still in a nursing home. What a crazy time for my mom. I think she took it harder than I did.

I completely changed how I eat. I started on the Best Bet Diet, which a lot of people have success with slowing their MS symptoms with. Then I tried out totally raw and then started adding in some cooking, but high nutrition foods. I would now call how I eat Whole Foods, no processed, 60-80% raw and I avoid all "bad" foods. I am really enjoying it and learning more each day.

Because of my diet changes I have lost 60 lbs! In March, when I was depressed and had no energy I desperately wanted to lose weight, but I felt it was impossible, but worth a try. It is hard to believe I lost that much just this year! I have a 20 lb goal for this coming year.

My sister Alaura stayed with us for the summer. It was so nice to have her around. She helped out with the kids for all my doctor appointments and was great company.

Audrey turned 4 and started preschool. She loves it and I feel she is very ready for kindergarten next year.

I got pregnant, quicker than expected, but still exciting. It only last nine weeks. I am still a little sad about it, especially since I am still not pregnant again. Maybe this year...

Curtis got a pay decrease, which led to a new job. He is basically doing the same web programing, but for a company that we feel has a better future.

We went on a dream vacation to Hawaii! I thought it would be years before we got the opportunity, but we found a deal we couldn't pass up and I reached my 60 lb weight loss goal. What a wonderful vacation!

This year should be a good one. We need to rebuild our savings, so we won't be doing anything fancy, except maybe some medical expenses. I will hopefully be tested in a couple weeks for what is called CCSVI, a lack of drainage from the veins that drain the brain. I will than pursue a fix for the problem. We also hope to have another child at some point. Either way it will be exciting and wonderful.

Lots and Lots of Hawaii Pics...Enjoy!

We had an absolutely wonderful time in Hawaii last week, on the island of Kauai. I was spoiled in every way, time with Curtis, 80 degree weather in December, good friends (Brad and Debbie Welch, neighbors at our old house in West Valley) to share it with and lots of fun things to see and do. I really couldn't have wished for a better vacation.

This is the view from our patio, just a few steps from the ocean! There was a really nice bike path that ran along the shore for several miles. We rented a tandem bike and took turns with Brad and Debbie riding to a really nice beach up the rode.

We had lots of quality, romantic time together and no kids to chase thanks to my awesome mom, in-laws and neighbors. Thank you so much!

We spent the first day, Sunday, going to a craft fair, church, and playing shuffle board, a tradition we started on the last vacation we took with the Welches. We also planned our next trip together: Disneyland in 3 years with our kids. I really love traveling with Brad and Debbie. I think Curtis and I would have gotten a little bored all by ourselves.


We really enjoyed body boarding. I felt like a little kid going back for more and more.


Brad and Debbie had fun too. =)


Thanks to Debbie winning a catamaran boat ride, we got to see dolphins jumping right alongside our boat and we snorkeled and swam with sea turtles.


The boat was supposed to go up the Napali Coast to see the huge cliffs that rise from the ocean, but there were record breaking 50 foot waves.
The south side of the island was calm and beautiful.

We kayaked down the Wailua River and then hiked to Secret Falls.


I loved the beautiful smaller falls on the way.


And swimming in the large pool at the bottom of Secret Falls. It was refreshing. The falls were so powerful that it felt like I was in a hurricane when I was up close. It is not a good idea to stay under them long, rocks and logs can fall and cause major damage.


The hike through the jungle to get there and back was awesome. The temprature was perfect and the scenery was gorgeous.


We spent a morning listening to a timeshare presentation so that we could get $100 off our airplane ride. We did not buy anything.


Brad got to see a whale, but the rest of us missed it. It was not quite whale season yet.


The island was beautiful from the land, air and by sea. You can't go wrong on Kauai!


We hiked to Queen's Bath on Friday. It is a large pool formed by lava rock.


The hike down was once again gorgeous. I just love beautiful waterfalls.


This tree had a huge branch hanging out over the shore.
I loved climbing it and sitting with the waves rolling in below us.


We flew into O'ahu on Saturday and saw the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor. It was a somber place. I learned a lot about how it all happened those many years ago.



We drove around the whole island, saw the Pineapple Plantation, beautiful scenery, lots of hot surfers and the Laie Temple. Honolulu was too big and confusing for us. We prefer the laid back, small town feel of Kauai.


We got dinner at a small hole in the wall restaurant where they piled boxes in the dining area, couldn't figure that one out, but the food was cheap.

We were welcomed back by SNOW!

I am so grateful that we got such a good deal on everything, especially the condo. I am grateful that I was able to lose a lot of weight and feel a little more comfortable in a swimsuit, only 2 pounds short of my 60 pound goal, for which the reward was Hawaii. I am so grateful that I had plenty of energy and am feeling practically normal. I am grateful for the quality time I got to spend with Curtis and that Brad and Debbie were able to come with us. I am grateful that my kids did so well while we were gone and for those who cared for them.
I am so lucky! =)

Curtis's Big Reveal!

Curtis has been working tirelessly on a new website. He had this great idea several months ago, building a site where people can make their own matching game using photos and videos and then they can share it with friends and family. He launched it today and it turned out great.
You can build your own matching game for free! You can also have it professionally printed or pay for the pdf to print it yourself. You can become a fan on facebook or follow on twitter.
Go check it out!
www.MatchTheMemory.com

Audrey is Reading!

The other day I got out a beginning reader and went through the lessons with Audrey. She caught on so fast, I was surprised how well she read without much coaching. I asked her if they had been teaching her how to read in preschool and she said no! I guess she is a lot like her dad. He was reading fluently before he started school and skipped kindergarten because of it.



This morning she asked me, "Can I say heck or hell?" She couldn't remember which was ok. Curtis said, "You shouldn't say either." Audrey responded, "You mean I shouldn't say either one!" We laughed because a four year old was trying to correct our grammar.

Audrey wanted some water in church today and instead of asking nicely she whined, "Wa-wa!" (which is what Nathan used to say for water.) I told her to talk like a four year old, so she said, "Agua!" She has picked up on a lot of Spanish words and uses them often, sometimes she even signs and says the word in Spanish. I guess English is just too simple for her.

Yesterday my mom was talking about the special protocol for an MRI that my sister Alaura and I will be getting next week. It is a new test to look specifically at the veins, particularly the ones that drain the brain. The insurance company can only recognize it as an MRA, which looks at the arteries, not the veins. Audrey piped in, "That's because they don't know what an MRV is!" Mom, Alaura and I laughed so hard. It is amazing what kids hear and understand.

Alaura did a language analysis on Audrey a couple of weeks ago and concluded that Audrey speaks at the level of a seven year old. She amazes us everyday with how smart she is and the things she comprehends. I think kindergarten might be a little boring for her, but she will still love it.

Yet another blog...

So, I really want to keep track of, and share, all the things I am learning about ways to help MS and to spare all of you who are not interested, I have created a new blog. I hope to be adding to it whenever I come across things that I find interesting and helpful and probably updates on my progress and feelings. You are welcome to visit it or follow it. Let me know if you would rather be on an email list and I'll add you to it.
Thank you all for your comments, support and helpful suggestions! =)

www.mymsnotes.blogspot.com