My sister is sealed

My sister Sherron was able to be sealed this October!

We love her new husband, Nate!

This is a testimony that you can find a forever love after divorce, and you can find love after your 30's in this state!

She is so happy, so we are so happy!

The day Liv got MRSA!

The girls had a day off from school.

Josh took the day off, since the weather was warm.

We decided to let the girls choose a place each to visit.

Isabel choose liberty park.

Eva choose classic skating.

Fun right?

Wrong!

We are pretty sure Olivia got MRSA at classic skating. Notice her short skirt without leggins (dad got her dressed). Lots of exposed skin to allow MRSA, a antibiotic resistant bacteria, to colonize on her skin.

Once you have been in contact with the bacteria it will stay on your skin unless killed by some very strong measures; regular soap and water will not do. Any time you get an open wound after you have the bacteria on your skin, it will infect the wound and it is resistant to most anitbiotics.

We went to classic on Mon. On Wed. she had what looked like spider bites. Thurs. we went to the doctors and started antibiotics right away. Fri. she had a HUGE infected area 4in. x 2in. that was very painful and very red. I can't imagine what it would have looked like if we had waited a few days!

Unfortunatly, after 15 days on the antibiotics, just before we started the bleach baths, she had a new wound and it started again. Another round are strong anti's. We had kept some of the leftover antibiotics and were able to start her quickly on them, thus the new infection didn't get as big. The bacteria had colonized on her skin, speading to new places. The only way to get rid of it is to put her in bleach baths 3x's a week for 6 weeks; and polysporin up all of our noses 2x a day for 5 days.

My advice to all: if a place looks yucky, it probably is. Wear clothing to protect you in such places, and WASH, WASH, WASH, after being anywhere with yuckiness!

Also, our doctor said to start the bleach baths after the anti's were done. My advice is to start them right away, to kill the bacteria and not let it colonize!

Cast on - Cast off

After 5 un-fun weeks on!

The cast came off!
The pins came out four weeks later!

1st day of school 11'

Isabel in 5th Eva in 2nd.

Time flies! They are holding up their fingers, 1st day of 5th and 2nd.
Eva walking into her first day, with one of her best friends right behind her. I love when chance give you a lucky break like a best friend in a class.
(Eva lost her first top tooth the night before.)

Isabel with her teacher, notice the poor arm. She started school off with being unable to write with her right arm... but she is doing well!

Lagoon - Aug.

Josh's company have a Lagoon day every year. Hurray!

I love Lagoon!

We were able to meet up with my sisters family. Which made a good day even better. My kids love her kids, and Isabel and Brock were born on the same day, and their is a special connection, they love to be together. Olivia and Elle are only a month and half apart and they are such a cute pair of giggling girls, they just love to be together... so it was such a fun memory.

At the end of our day. Poor Sophi is spent.
The gang before we head home.

So happy together!

Always our first ride. I don't know how much longer Bella will be able to get into it.

Cool clothes for hot sun.

Bella and the broken arm

Josh out of town!

On my way home with two exhausted children, from night games.

Isabel walks out from our neighbors back yard, and says 'mom I did something to my arm and it feels funny!"

I look over, and her arm is clearly broken. It goes straight, down, straight. Yikes

She had simply tripped.

Thankfully Josh's parents were able to stay with the other kids, and a friend came with me to the hospital to hold Sophi.

She broke bones in her forarm, and they were unable to set it, so the next day she had surgery to place rods through the bones.

Needless to say we have bumped up the calcium intake at our home.

It has been a long arduous process of recovery!

Sophia - first solids

Sophia barely over the high chair!

Awwwww!

Lame - 24th of July

We gardened!

Fireworks!

Lame!

Next year will be better!

Sabrina - July

So my super cute niece came to visit for a few days in July. My girls were in 'big' girl heaven. They couldn't get enough of her.

What a fantastic girl! Sweet and patient with my girls, helpful, great manners, and what a babe!

We went to temple square, cowabunga bay, the gateway, and the whole fam took her to the mountains.

Olivia, for weeks after, kept asking for sabrina!

Babe-a-li-cious!
Love their Sabrina!
Dinner at the garden!

Grandma, and grandpa, the christiansons, the de la cruz's, us and sabrina!

Notice olivia and elle, they were SOOOO dirty!

Children's parade - 24th of July celebration

Our stake was invited to the childrens 24th parade this year.

The children get to walk in a parade, and then their is a free carnival after for them.

We had a great time!

Faces painted!
Eva was SOOO cute, she kept waving at each side like a parade princess, sweet and innocent!

The girls in their gear!

Our ward!

Fourth of July 11'

I LOVE the Fourth of July!

We go to the Hot air balloons early in the morning and watch them rise.

Hit the Provo parade, with my sisters, and this year Josh's niece (who has a baby just a few months older than Sophia).

Then we go to the 'Brick Oven' and get lunch, walk the grounds at BYU.

Then we went to Josh's sister Esther's house. Fun.

At the parade.
Loud! Gabbie and Nicole!

We take pictures at the Indian, every year.

The whole parade group.

The girls on Esther's front porch!

Liv on their tire swing. Quissentially americana!

June - St. George - Jodie' s wedding

My niece Jody was married this summer in St. George.. a great opportunity to take a few days for a small vacay.

She was a beautiful bride!

Notice her head piece. I think it is my favorite out of all the weddings I've been to.

Her dress had pockets, how cool is that.

Her grandfather was able to marry them. Awwww.
The girls love to see 'married girls'.

The cousins!

The bride and family.

Sisters, sister in laws and nieces!

We went a few days early. We took Josh's parents with us.

We took a tour of Bringham Youngs winter home. The tour guides did a wonderful job, my kids were totally interested.

(When we got home, we went to take a tour of his home in Salt Lake; what a drastic difference, they had nothing interesting to say.. knew none of the information you'd be curious about...)

Of course when you go to St. George you HAVE to go to nielsons frozen custard. Yum!

Eva's 7th Birthday

Eva turned 7 on May 25!

She wanted an "American girl" doll for her birthday... that was all she got from us.. pricey-crazy!

So we themed her birthday party around that.

The girls were to bring their favorite doll.

They made RED, WHITE, and BLUE necklaces for themselves and their dolls.

They played a relay game where they had to undress their doll, tag their team mate, and then dress their doll. VERY funny.

Then we played, a kind of "American girl' guess who.

With

a

Red, white, and blue

Birthday cake!

The relay!


Cake on her REAL birthday!

Eva's Dance recital - May

Eva is really graceful and really knows how to get her body to move the way she wants it, dance is a great fit... To bad it takes a small forture to have your kids in things!

The gang: Eva, Abby, and Jane!

Abualita was a dancer when she was young, we would love for her to teach the girls the dances from Mexico!

Sophia's Blessing

It was a beautiful day.... and this is the ONLY picture I got that day.... Not a pictures with the family or grandparents....

But she does look really, really sweet!

Isabel's 10th B-day

Isabel turned 10 on a Saturday, April 30th.

We woke her up with a sprakler pancake breakfast.

Then as a surprise, I took her to the mall and got her ears pierced. (I had told her she had to be tweleve). She was really excited. Then we shopped to spend her birthday money (she wanted to choose her gifts this year.) She bought a dress and a jacket.

It is AWESOME when they want to spend their money on practical things!

I kept telling her I didn't think a birthday party was a good idea this year, because we were going to have Sophia blessed the next day... but all the while I planned a surprise party for her, they came over while we were at the mall. Josh had the girls hide and they jumped out when we walked through the door. She was TOTALLY surprised.

She wanted a 'Nancy Drew' party.

I sent out invitations par the theme, and had the girls go on a 'treasurery hunty thingy' .

It was fun and I think the girls all liked it. I think I had 22 girls here. Whoa!

You would have thought I would have gotten a picture of them all, but unfortunatly I only got pictures with Bella and each friend with their present, so I am posting at least one of the cute girls so you can see Bella in her birthday attire.

Easter 11'

The Easter Bunny leaves a trail of jelly beans at our house to lead the children to their Easter Baskets. The girls waiting to follow the trail.

Baskets overflowing with yummy treat!

Our FOUR girls a BRIGHT Easter day!

Sophia's 1st bath

We usually shower our babies, it is easy, and keeps the cord from getting to wet. Sooo, this was her official first bath at home.

Eva lost 2nd tooth

Age 6, 1st grade.