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Today I was contemplating the pain and loss I felt when we were struggling to start a family.  I thought of one night in particular.  I had taken a pregnancy test and it was positive.  Ryan was driving truck at the time so he was gone all night.  I prayed to Heavenly Father and thanked him for the opportunity to feel like I could have a family even if it was for one night.  I already knew.  The next morning, it was as I expected, a false positive.  I then started thinking about all the tears I cried, all the times my heart ached to have a family of my own.  My mind then wandered, as it frequently does about every three seconds, to all the challenges Ryan and I have endured throughout our marriage.  Some were are own doing, but the major ones were not.  It took almost 5 years to get our profile up for adoption, between us, we have been laid off of four jobs, all at what feels like the most dire times.  We have endured illness, surgery, and almost losing both Dylan and I.  We went through days of knowing that Maya was born but not knowing if she would come to our family and weeks without knowing what would happen with our little Dylan. We have gone through financial hardship, and hospital bills that were more than some houses.  We have struggled with finishing school for both Ryan and I.  We have had to pack up our belongings and move back in with our parents, something that know one above the age of 18 ever really wants to do. 

Now comes the amazing part.  As I was thinking about all of this, I realized that Ryan and I have always been taken care of.  We have always had sufficient for our needs.  We have felt the love and kindness of others in our most broken times, and we have felt our Heavenly Fathers arms around us when our hearts ached.  We have been able to pay our bills, and have a roof over our head.  Our children have clothes, and are feed.  We have our precious little Maya bugs, who I would have waited for for eternity if I needed to and our sweet birthmother Tiffany joined our family whose love and sacrifice is something I will always admire.  We have our sweet little Dylan, who works so hard to accomplish the milestones he is asked to do and has no repercussions from being so premature.  We have always been able to find jobs, while not exactly what we dreamed of, they have always paid our bills.  By moving home, I have been able to stay at home with our babies, something that I wanted more than anything.   I just feel so blessed by my Father in Heaven. 

What a great day!

So yesterday was not a good day for me.  I didn't feel good and Dylan was very needy.  I went to bed so frustrated and said a rather quick prayer about my frustrations.  Well, today was one of the most fun days I have had in a long time!  We went to a birthday party in the morning at this place called Just Kiddin' Around.  It is a giant play place that is gated in so the kids can't accidentally wander off. Maya had a blast and Dylan spent his time playing with his aunt Kylene. 

Maya loved the little stuffed kitten and took it with her everywhere.

Then we went with Ky and Beckham to lunch at McDonalds. Maya wanted to be a big kid, but got stuck. Then I showed her the little kid area and she was perfectly happy over there. We came home for naps and Ryan was off of work early! I went to girl's night dinner at Cafe Rio, then met Ryan and the kids back at a place called the Farmstead. It is a corn maze with lots of activities for the kids. Tonight was Amber's school night, so we got in for only four dollars! Amber, Ella, Clay, Ky and family, and Bryson, Heather and Owen all met us.

Maya loved her first pony ride.

Ella had fun too. 

She thought the goats were hilarious.

Amber had to kiss a pig. 

 We went on a tractor hayride, and rode around in the barrel.  Maya and Owen loved the tunnel slide. I don't know what it was made out of. 

Maya loved the corn.  She could have played in there all night.  We met Clay, Ky, Beckham and Kres in the corn and they informed us of the little train.  Obviously I had to have Maya ride it. :)

Daddy rode with Maya on the little train ride. 

And proof that Dylan came too.  :)

 

 

Summer Summary

This summer we:

Experimented

Got new toys

Helped around the house

Had fun

Took care of our animals, even at breakfast.

Grew a little. 

Swam, even in our pajamas.

Really loved socks.

Played in the fountains in Meridian, and downtown at the the farmers Market.

Threw rocks in the Boise River.

 

Went on a lot of adventures. 

 

I love my family !

My Sweet Maya Bugs

For those of you who are unsure of what Maya has been faced with lately, here is the story.

I went in for Maya's 18 month well baby.  During her visit, I explained to the doctor that Amber thought Maya was drinking a lot, and I had no idea since she was my first.  The doctor asked how much she drinks a day.  She drinks about 10 sippy cups a day, and that is usually when I have cut her off.  My doctor explained that most parents that say their child drinks a lot, usually are wrong.  Maya drinks a lot.  So she ordered standard blood work and a diabetes test, which came back negative.  Her blood work however, came back abnormal.  She showed high levels of electrolytes in her blood and something in her kidneys. 

She was asked to come back for more blood work, urine sample, and ultrasound five days later.  The blood work showed her electrolytes have doubled in a week, which is abnormal for a healthy child.  The ultrasound showed abnormalities in her kidneys.  They thought it was reflux and scheduled an x-ray, that I thought was an ultrasound for today.  Thank goodness for my mom coming to the first appointment without me asking her too, and my mother in law coming today, with out me asking her too.  I have been a nervous wreck, so obviously helpful to Maya.  :)

The point of today was to see how much urine was refluxing back into the kidneys and for how long it stayed there.  They catheterized her and pumped dye into her bladder.  Maya was very brave and did really good today.   I am very proud of her.  The x-ray's showed no reflux!  This is good.  She still has hydronephrosis in both kidneys.  She has an appointment with a nephrologist in August and he is suppose to be very good.  Incidentally, her appointment is the same week that Dylan gets his eyes checked.  I will keep you all informed.  :)

Ryan's Family Reunion

It is time for Ryan's annual Family Reunion at Smokey Lodge by Alturus lake.  I love this location, since my grandpa helped build the cabins, so I always think of him.  Ryan's family has activities for each night.  It was raining when we went up on Friday night, but that was ok because it is Kickapoo Rootbeer and Pinata night. 

 Kickakpoo Rootbeer is rootbeer that Ryan's grandpa used to make.  He always added dry ice that comes out a spout on the top.  Its a big tradition, and Maya and Dylan got to experience it for the first time this year. 

 Since it was raining, Ryan's cousins developed a creative way to entertain the kids.  Maya loved the table slide, but it took her a little bit to have the courage to go over to unfamiliar faces.  She had no problem going down the slide. 

 View of the fog during a brief moment of no rain.

 We sat outside while we could, and Maya wasted no time getting into the dirt and rocks. 

 Dylan was the first to go on the pinata.  He HATED it and cried when everyone cheered. 

 Maya, however, needed no help and ran right up and started whacking away. 

 We shared a cabin with Eric and Lyndsay, Ryan's brother and sister-in law.  This made me ultra sensitive to all the noise my kids were making.  Maya has never been camping, and I tried to make her as comfortable as possible.  We brought up her special tags, blanket, puppy blanket, sheets, port-a-crib, etc.  She screamed the first night, as soon as we tried to put her to bed. By screaming, I mean the entire camp heard her. All night.  We ended up letting Dylan sleep in her crib, and rocking her to sleep/having her sleep on top of me when she finally fell asleep around 4 am.  She hated the cabin.  In the morning, she cried and cried as soon as she realized she was still in it. 

 We went to the fish hatchery with Ryan's brother Bryson and sister in law Heather and Maya's favorite cousin Owen.  They are little friends.  Owen was far more interested in the fish than Maya, but she still thought it was fun. 

 Until it was time to go. 

 Then we went to Redfish Lake and let Maya play in the water.

 We met back at the lodge for lunch then went to Alturus for a few hours.  Maya could have spent the entire day in the sand and water.  She was not very happy about leaving but I knew she really needed a nap.  We drove her around for an hour so she could get a little sleep before Bingo night.  (I won a few books for Maya).  It started to storm, then let up enough to roast marshmallows.  Maya loved the fire.  We decided that night to let her stay up for as long as possible.  Owen brought Maya a little lantern and Grandma Lind gave her a glow stick.  That night went a lot smoother.  We let her play with the lantern and glow stick until her eyes couldn't stay open.  That night there was a huge thunder and lightening storm, not to mention the monsoon outside the cabin.  I now understand rolling thunder.  It was so loud it shook the cabin.  Maya and Dylan slept through the whole thing! 

 Happy camper in the morning walking in the rocks. 

 Sunday we went to the dredge and the ghost town Custer.  Ryan and I took the tour.  It was fun for one time, but I wouldn't go again any time soon.  Dylan hated the front pack, but Maya stayed pretty entertained. 

 An old bath tub in Custer in one of the cabins.

 Arguably Maya's favorite person on the trip, Uncle Eric.

 After Custer, we had lunch packed up and went home because Maya and Dylan had well-baby appointments on Monday morning. 

Two happy babies playing at home. 

Happy 4th of July!

The morning of the Fourth, Ryan and I got the kids ready and went with Amber and my dad to the ward breakfast and flag ceremony.  Maya was really excited to be awake so early, but after a little while, she warmed up.

They had a firetruck there for the kids to check out.  The kids loved climbing on it.

 Family Picture for the fourth.  After breakfast, Maya and Dylan hung out with Grandma Lind while Ryan, his dad, brother Bryson, sister-in law Heather, and their son Owen (1 year) all went up to the lake to jet ski.  Ryan and I had a great time.  Then we went to his parent's house for a BBQ, followed by a neighborhood party at my parent's house for fireworks. 

 Maya was not scared of the fireworks and even wanted to try the sparklers.  She loved all the kids and sitting with her aunt or grandparents. 

 Dylan was scared of the fireworks, so Grandma took him in after the first couple of whistling pete's. 

 Friday, the kids went bowling with Kres, Beckham, Kylene, Amber and Ella.  Dylan was really unsure about all the noise at the bowling lane. 

 Kres bowling with the ramp, and Beckham cheering him on!

 Kres, Beckham and Ella after someone hit a pin. 

 Maya having a blast with Amber

Maya bowling for the first time.