JACK

"He is the delight of my eyes, and the darling of my heart."

Need I say more? Happy birthday, Jack!

Woodward Family Party

Last night was my family (Woodward) Christmas party. It was delightful. I have the coolest family. The food was divine, the entertainment was joyful (talent show from the grandkids), the gifts were too generous, and the pageant was funny.

The kids totally get into the pageant and talent show. My niece was supposed to be Mary for the pageant, but Ellie had her heart set on being her, so we had two...and I was the donkey for Ellie. I think I was pretty nice to participate :). The kids all get dressed up. I left my camera home, so my sister took these and sent them to me. Hopefully my brother will send me some of Jack. Ellie's in the middle on the little couch.Ellie holding our newest little cousin/nephew, Charlie. He's SO loveable!

Johnny

Happy Very-Belated Birthday to our Johnny! Poor guy has had a crappy year, so we were all very glad to say goodbye to 43, and hello to 44!! Okay, he's going to KILL me for being so open about his age...but I'm just glad he made it to 44! And, he looks AMAZING for his age...most people are shocked to know he's no longer in his 30s :).

Anyway, the first half of his "43" was full of fun adventures in Maui, Dominican Republic, and Alaska...and those are just the few that were not close to home :).

Then it all came to a crashing halt in July. Poor guy. I haven't been good about giving updates lately...I guess it's because it's not great news. He's still suffering from terrible headaches daily - yes, daily. We've had some good news that his brain abnormalities continue to heal. But last week we learned that John has "IGG Deficiency Disorder". Basically, John's immune system is compromised and can't fight off infections like most people. So, it increases his risk of getting meningitis again and other life threatening infections. However, there are good treatment options. John may have to start a monthly routine where they take his plasma out and replace it with someone else's infused with immunoglobulins. We really don't know much more, or what to expect, but John now has an immunologist (in addition to his infectious disease specialist, neurologist, etc...) who has run gazillions of tests on him this week and we will get the results the first week in January. Then we will have a better idea of exactly what we're dealing with.

I'm not going to lie. This has been rough. It's been so hard for John. He wants to feel good, and he wants to have the energy he used to. I actually think it's been years since he really felt good. It's taken huge a toll on him physically and emotionally. I'm just so grateful for good medical care. He has the best doctors.

It hasn't been a walk in the park for me either. But, I'm very optimistic. John will get better. He will feel more healthy once he starts treatment. Eventually, I hope to have the old Johnny back. The one I married six years ago. I'm confident that will happen.

Happy Birthday Johnny! I love you!

My Little Bug

MY LITTLE ELLIE.

This time of year is such a sweet time for me. I love that my Ellie was born so close to Thanksgiving. She is my little sweetpea. I never understood my capacity for love until she was born. She has given my life meaning that I didn't realize was possible. I am so grateful for the sacred opportunity I have to be Ellie's mommy!! She delights my soul and makes my heart sing! Happy 4th Birthday, Bug!!

Pictures from October

Here are some recent pictures I've wanted to post...

Jackson and his cousin Lilly at Gymboree class. Aren't they so cute?!

No, my sister and I didn't talk prior to class about orange shirts and jeans :).Ellie at the Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Patch

Ellie in Midway
at the Scarecrow Festival

His shirt says it all.

Gardner Village

Ellie aboard the pirate ship at Engh Gargens

Maze at Engh Gardens- My kids loved this!

Ellie's dance class - Halloween week

Yes, we won best costume...

This Is It

"THIS IS IT" = 2 hours of pure bliss. Loved it.

Yes, I've always been a fan...even when it wasn't cool. Admittedly, I'm a nerd.

Oh, and I have another post completely finished but have been unable to load pictures....my new computer rocks. Okay, not so much.

October Update

So here's the latest with John. A few weeks ago a "nodule" was found on John's lung after a chest x-ray. So, they repeated the x-ray to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't a fluke, so they ordered a CT scan and told us it is likely and infection that his current round of antibiotics isn't killing, or it's cancer (which isn't likely because he doesn't have the risk factors for it). In the past, I would have completely blown the whole thing off. But I have to admit, I was a little worried after what we've been through. So was John. But, great news! It turned out to be nothing concerning at all. Just a little something they'll keep an eye on, but nothing to worry about. What a relief!



Friday night John had another MRI on his brain. We're still working on a few things there. But, John is doing so well! He went back to work on Monday!!! I think to most people, he is completely back to normal. He puts on a pretty good face. And he is doing awesome...but I see that he's not 100% yet. He hasn't had a day yet without a headache. And he gets worn out really easily. But, he's doing great.



We've had a fun October. John and I went to a Halloween costume party and won the costume contest (pictures to follow!). The party was so fun!



Then the next weekend we took the kids to Midway and went to another party with some of our Park City friends. It was great!



Ellie started a tap & ballet dance class this month and absolutely loves it! I wasn't sure how she would do because she's not really 'girly', but she wants to go to class every day. This week the kids dressed up in their costumes for class. It was really cute.



Jackson continues to be a punk. It's a good thing he's got me so wrapped around his finger! He'd be in big trouble if he weren't so cute!



We've taken the kids to do a few fun things for Halloween. Here are some pictures for the month...

Well...the pictures will come eventually. My computer has to go back to the shop AGAIN for the 3rd time since I got it in August because every time I try to put a picture on my blog, my entire computer freezes. It makes me crazy!!! So, no pictures yet. Maybe next week :).

Daddy - Daughter weekend

Ellie & Uncle Mike

Cottonwood Lake

On a hike with Daddy

A few weeks ago, John took Ellie to his family cabin in Star Valley, Wyoming. Ellie loved all of the attention she got from her Uncle Mike and her Grandma & Grandpa Evensen. They had a great time!

Jack should be in a TON of trouble...

Such a PUNK!!!

When I walked into the bathroom, I was suppressing a laugh and ready to get mad at him...the problem is, John walked into the bathroom 10 seconds after me and starting laughing his head off and ran down to get the camera. So, again, Jack thinks he is so cool. Yes, that's MY lipstick. All I can say is that I was putting Ellie to bed. Where was John? I'm not sure :).

Recent Pictures

These pictures are out of chronological order, but who cares?!

I left the kitchen for 3 minutes and Jack had climbed up onto the counter to get a treat...He thought he was AWESOME and had just accomplished the most amazing feat. Such a punk.

THE ZOO

Not sure why of all the animals, Ellie wanted to ride a seal. And not sure why Jack had to ride with her...

DISNEYLAND!!

Ellie's favorite ride - the "red rollercoaster" in ToonTown. We went on it at least 7 times...after that I lost track...

The Love of Ellie's life...She was SOOOO shy!

Everytime we go to Disneyland, I take Ellie's picture at this door. She's getting SO big!