A sad, sad day :(

This afternoon I received a phone call from Tyler's pediatrician. She was calling to let me know what our next steps would be on solving this allergic issue with Tyler. At his four month visit we will be doing some blood work to figure out what he is so severely allergic to. In the mean time I am to not eat any kind of dairy, peanut butter, shellfish, etc. WHAT???!!!! Not eat any dairy! That includes milk, cheese, and most importantly CHOCOLATE. How can anyone not eat chocolate. I told her I would do my best to avoid dairy, but I already know this is going to be very, very, very difficult for me. But if it is what I have to do to keep Tyler healthy, than I will. She said the more he is exposed to milk products than the worse his allergy can become.

Does anyone have any good recipes that do not include dairy products? I would love to hear them.

So You Think You Can Dance!

SYTYCD starts tonight! I love, love, love this show. It makes me wish I had kept up with my dance lessons. There are so many amazing dancers out there and I love to see them perform and to watch the amazing things they are able to do with their bodies. It truly is an awesome show, and if you have not seen it before I encourage you to tune in tonight on FOX.

Last season one of my favorite shows was done by Danny and Anya. They danced a beautiful contemporary dance to the song "Apologize." Enjoy!

I'm In The 30 Club!

Friday was my 30th birthday, Yikes! This was not a birthday I have been looking forward to. 30 just seems old to me, and I do have an occasional backache which only solidifies my thinking!

Looking back on my 30 years of life so far, there are some things I have accomplished that I feel are worth mentioning.

1. Overcoming my fears of an audience and performing on stage in the Nutcracker. The last year I performed in the Nutcracker I danced entirely in point shoes. This was something I feared because I was not all that confident in my ability to do so, but I remember after I performed I truly felt it was the best I had ever danced. I was so proud of myself and relieved that I was able to dance a perfect dance.

It was here in my ballet classes that I feel I learned that I could do anything I set my mind to, and I also learned to have more confidence in myself.

2. Graduating from seminary. This was not an easy task, especially when it required waking up at 5:00 in the morning. 4 years of early morning seminary really can take a toll, and I know there were some days when my body was at seminary but my mind wasn't! But I did graduate and that I am proud of.

3. Getting married in the Temple. I found a truly amazing guy who has really brought the best out of me. Clint is a wonderful husband and such an awesome dad! He always finds time to play with the kids and to make them feel special.

4. Graduating from college. Getting a college education was never a question. I always knew that I would finish college and earn a degree and for that I have my parents to thank. My parents never asked us "if we would be going to college" but it was always "where are you going to go for college?" Education has always been important in my family and I am grateful for that.

5. Giving birth to 4 amazing kids! That sounds like so many, 4 kids! My children are the world to me and each of them have incredible personalities and are unique in their own ways. They make me feel wonderful and important. I am so grateful for them and for the opportunity I have to be their mom.

Scary Day

Monday afternoon we had a very scary moment in our home. We had given Tyler a bottle of formula (I do normally breastfeed but I had to step out of the house for a moment) which he had taken one other time before. Within 30 minutes of his feeding his whole body broke out in one big rash and then his face swelled. I have never seen a babies ears swell so large. They looked like a wrestler's ears.

Things started to get even worse and Tyler turned white as a sheet and his lips turned blue. He was barely breathing and I hurried and called 911. The paramedics got here in a few minutes and didn't even try to work on him at the house. He needed to get to the hospital ASAP. At the emergency room they gave him a steroid to help open his airways and relax his lungs. Within a few hours his rash had disappeared and his color began to come back.

It was a very scary moment for all of us, and I am so grateful to my neighbors who ran over to the house to help. They came and took the other three kids so we could go up to the hospital. I am also so very grateful to my Heavenly Father for protecting my little boy and allowing him to stay with us. Prayers are answered.

Now our next step is to have some allergy tests done to determine what Tyler is so allergic to that would cause that severe of a reaction.

Two Months Old!

Mystery Illness

After a fun weekend in Idaho, Mom and Dad and my little family returned home to Utah. Sunday night my mom and I started feeling sick and were up most of the night on the toilet. Yuck!

Monday I talked to my brother-in-law, Luke, and he informed us that his wife and little boy were sick as well with the same symptoms as well as another brother. And then last night I found out that my father-in-law and one more brother were down too!

We have concluded that this illness could be one of two things: Food poisoning or just a 24 hour bug.

Now we are just waiting to see how many others come down with this mysterious illness.

Locks of Love

Macy has been growing her hair out for quite a while now for the purpose of donating it to "Locks of Love." She finally had the 10 inch minimum needed to be able to donate, and over the weekend she chopped it off.

Macy's Aunt Emily cut off the ponytail and gave her a cute bob. Thanks Emily!

Macy has such a giving heart and really wanted to do something special for someone less fortunate than her. I know some little girl is going to be so excited to have a wig made out of Macy's hair. Way to go Macy!

(Disclaimer: Sorry about the direction of the video, again! I figured out what my problem is. I have been turning my digital camera sideways to take the video and my camera does not know how to flip it. Now I know this for future reference and I will do my best not to put a crick in the necks of my readers again!)

Tyler's Baby Blessing

On Clint's side of the family the population of grand kids is growing. Two weeks before Tyler was born Clint's brother had a new baby boy and six weeks after Tyler was born another grandson was born to Clint's sister. Because of how close in age the babies are we thought it would be easier to have all three of them blessed at the same time.

So we headed up to Idaho to bless Tyler since two out of the three are in Idaho. My parents made the trip with us and we had a fun time together. It was a really special day to have three cousins blessed together and to be able to share that special day with everyone.

Getting 3 babies to cooperate at

the same time is not easy!

Mom and Dad Visit

Mom and dad came out to visit over the weekend and while they were here we visited the Golden Spike Monument. The kids had so much fun watching the trains go by and it was fun to watch them jump and scream every time the whistle blew. Abby would get scared and run every time it would blow!

Jeanessa Visits!

A week ago a close friend of mine had a 5 hour layover in Salt Lake City. Jeanessa and I were very good friends while I was attending college at Oklahoma State University. We have stayed in touch for over 10 years now and she is truly a friend close to my heart.

While she was here I took her to Temple Square and showed her all the historic sites downtown has to offer. For lunch we ate at the Garden Restaurant and enjoyed the awesome views.

What Is This?

Last Tuesday I noticed a slight bulge in Tyler's groin area and decided it was something that needed to be checked. So Wednesday I took him in to see the pediatrician and from there I was sent to the Emergencgy Room at Primary Children's Medical Center. After an evaluation we were informed that Tyler had a hernia and would need an operation. I stayed the night at the hospital with him Wednesday, and Thursday morning he had surgery to repair two hernias. Our little guy was quite the trooper and has bounced back perfectly. The picture was taken during the surgery and shows the needed repair.

We are hoping this next week will be an uneventful one!