New Video for Aspen

McKenzie and I are headed off to New York in the morning! We are so excited!

I just added a new video to Aspens blog and will add a new post about her diagnosis when I get back from my trip! The best thing about seeing all of the pictures of her is seeing that even though she was sick and spent most of her time in the hospital, she was still just a normal, beautiful baby! Somebody forgot to tell her how sick she was, because most of the time she didn't act like she was sick at all! She was so happy and smiled so much! It was easy to fall in love with her!!!! Enjoy the video!

Aspens Post

Finally for any one interested, I have put up my post of Aspen's first 6 weeks. It is very long, I am sorry, but I still feel like I left out so many details of what went on at that time, and I may add more as I remember things. I wish we had, had a blog back then, because everything would have been recorded and I would have loved to have all of those details!

Family Night Bowling

Last Monday night for Family Home Evening we were going to take all of the kids skating,
but when we got to the skating place it was obvious that every one else in Utah County had decided to go skating for Family Home Evening also. It was packed with a line coming out into the parking lot. We thought of maybe a movie instead but then Autumn came up with the idea of going bowling! So we dragged our big family into Jack And Jill's Bowling to do some fun family bowling. We could only get two lanes so Summer, McKenzie and I decided not to bowl so there would be enough room for everyone, because we also had 2 of Scott's nephews and his niece.
It was o.k.though. Summer and I took pictures and McKenzie was just happy to sit and text on her phone. She said she doesn't really like bowling so much, where as I am not crazy about sticking my feet into shoes that a lot of somebody elses have worn. Yuck!
It ended up being tons of fun. James, Scott and Bobby were so competitive!
Everyone else were just having a good time. Hunter did want me to mention though that he beat both Autumn and Daniel! James of course got first, followed closely by Scott and then Bobby.
I don't remember how the little guys did, other than Dakota beat Noah and Noah was not happy!
He is sure that Dakota cheated!!!!

Scott giving Dakota some pointers!
Dakota thought bowling was so fun sometimes he would bowl even when it wasn't his turn!

I love Noah's face!

Hunter!

Daniel! He got so frustrated he just started lobbing the ball!
I think he actually did better when he didn't care!

Autumn goes bowling all the time with her college friends!
You wouldn't really know it though!

So much concentration from Bobby!
More like determination!

Scott just seemed to have a good time.

James! There was no way he was going to let anyone beat him!

Dakota the ball hog!

Summer the camera queen!

McKenzie doing what she does best! Texting!

I actually took this picture on the way to bowling!
They are so cute!

It is always fun when the whole family gets together and has a good time!
It was a great family night! We are still going to try and go skating,
we just might have to pick a night besides Monday!
I can hardly wait to see James, Scott and Bobby racing around the rink
to see who is the best and fastest skater! I don't think they will ever grow up!

Bunny Houses

Noah stayed home from school on Monday,
(actually he has been sick the whole week)
Dakota came up and they made Easter Bunny houses.

Noah's house!
Dakota says it is girly because he has pink on it!
Noah doesn't care. He says he will just beat Dakota up!! :)

Dakota's house!
Which he thinks is a little more manly with all of the BLUE! :)

They did have fun even though they are both so competitive with each other!
They really are more like brothers, and they fight like brothers!

A Fun Day of Skating

A couple Saturdays ago James brother in law had his 58th birthday and so they rented out the skating rink for a couple of hours. We took the boys and it was so much fun.
None of our younger boys had ever been before. Daniel didn't really like the skating but was able to use his rip stick. Bobby lives right down the street so he even came and did some skating.
James of course forgot that he was 51 and skated like a teenager, but he didn't fall like a teenager, and was bruised for a few days after he biffed it pretty good!
It was a lot of fun, and the kids who originally did not want to go, can hardly wait to go again!

Bobby was funny! He use to play ice hockey and said that ice skating is a lot easier.
Skating would probably be easier if his pants weren't so tight!!! :)

Noah did a pretty good job for being his first time.
He was a little nervous and didn't really like falling so much. But who likes to fall?

I even skated a bit when I wasn't taking pictures!

James racing his brother Wayne (out in front) like they are little kids.
Wayne is actually a few years older than James.

It was fun to see the boys all having so much fun together!

We can hardly wait to go again and take the girls and Summer, Scott and Dakota!

Aspen's Newborn Video

Although I have not finished my post for Aspen's blog, Summer asked me to put her video of the first 6 weeks of her life on the blog. I it is now posted and you can get to it from her blog button on this page. I hope to have more posted later today!

Happy 9th Birthday Aspen!!

Birthday Girl Aspen!

We Love you!

As I post pictures of Aspen's 9th Birthday
I really wish with all of my heart that I could post pictures
of a 9 year old little girl who is very excited for her birthday,
her cake, her presents...................
All the things that make little 9 year old girls happy!
Sadly that is not the case.
Instead, I get to post pictures of a cake with candles being blown out by her brothers,
presents being placed at her grave sight,
and balloons being set free with the hopes they will find their way to Heaven
where Aspen might gather them one by one!
We love Aspen!
We miss her everyday!
Especially on her Birthday
We are so grateful that she was born into our family.
And so grateful for the time that we had with her.
We celebrate her birthday today
and hope and pray that she had a wonderful Birthday in heaven
and that her balloons arrived safely.
(She always loved Balloons)
...................................................................

I am putting together a blog about Aspen.
It is mostly for my children so that they might remember her.
I was hoping to have some things ready to put on it today for her Birthday,
but it is a bigger task than I thought, and actually quite emotional,
as I have been loading pictures and making a video,
reading my journals, and going through medical records.
It would be a lot easier if I didn't already know
how the story ends!
Hopefully in the next few days I will be ready to post some things.
I will probably post in sections, as her life seems to be divided up in
hospital stays, and before her leukemia diagnosis, and after.......
I have been working on her first 6 weeks,
and will go from there.
You can view her blog by clicking on her blog button on this page.