This Is The Year

I'm joining Friday Five with Emmy.  Five thoughts and five pictures. Five Thoughts: 1 - I dug out my flip flops and have been wearing them for a couple of days.  I'm SO over winter and ready for spring and the outdoors. 2 - Another spring thing I'm looking forward to is Spring Break.  I cannot wait for those days of sleeping in and not having to get my kids to school! 3 - What I REALLY can't wait for is Summer Break! Camping, swimming, warm nights, longer days - it all sounds so heavenly right now! 4 - Ambria has a consultation today that could change everything.  I'm extremely nervous.  I don't want to get my hopes up - but I'm afraid it's too late.  I will be crushed if they can't help her. 5 - Soccer season is upon us.  And although I won't have any kids playing this year - we're super excited to watch our RSL boys have an awesome season! Five Pictures: My heart broke into a million pieces when this boy was stolen to go ...

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 The Boy Who Loved The Girl With The Headache Ambria's story is not over.  We still have lots to accomplish to achieve her victory over this condition that has temporarily taken over her life.  It is hard.  Life is hard.  Being a mom is really hard.  But I know beyond any doubt that my Heavenly Father loves me.  And that He loves my daughter more perfectly than I can even begin to imagine. Through all of this, I've never doubted that Heavenly Father knows what He's doing.  There is a purpose, maybe many purposes for this trial.  I want to end this series of posts by sharing things that I have learned over the course of this past year. I have learned not to judge .  I try hard not to worry about what other people think of me.  It is a weakness that I haven't overcome yet.  So this experience has been quite humbling for me.  I've often wondered how our situation appears to others. Ambria misses so mu...

Meet Justin.  He is Ambria's absolute best friend, confidant and hero. It is this boy's kindness, support, and heartfelt concern that has gotten Ambria through her hardest, loneliest times.  We are so, so grateful for the blessing he has been in her life through all of this.  I couldn't tell her story without acknowledging him, and what a huge role he has played in helping her endure this trial. Ambria and Justin have been good friends for about 2 1/2 years.  They met while both performing in the school musical.  She was in 7th grade, and he was in 8th.  Their friendship became even stronger about a year later thanks to some silly teenage girl drama (insert eye roll), when he stood up for her to some other (girl) friends of his that had a problem with his friendship with Ambria, and started saying some not nice things about her.  He and Ambria were pretty tight after that - but nothing would strengthen their bond like the trial Ambria was...

Read part 1 .   Read part 2 . The highs and lows and where we're at now. I wish I could say that since summer break Ambria has just kept improving and things are looking wonderful.  But unfortunately that is not the case. There was a time that our hopes were soaring high.  After all the physical pain and the emotional heartache, one day it all started to go away.  It was July 13th - four and a half months from that horrible night of the region dance.  Many doctor's visits, different treatments, dietary adjustments, supplements and medications later - Ambria woke up one morning and sent me a message.  She asked me to come into the bedroom where she had been sleeping.  I rushed in to see what was wrong.  She looked at me with a sort of puzzled expression and said, "My headache is gone."  I heard what she said, but that didn't keep me from asking, "What?" "My headache is gone," she repeated.  I didn't know what to think.  I wra...

If you haven't read part one - go here . Tender Mercies Throughout this ordeal of physical pain, emotional pain, helplessness and frustration - we have not been without blessings from our Heavenly Father.  There have been so many little tender mercies that we have experienced, and I'd like to share 3 that were especially needed and filled us with gratitude. Pedals for Hope Every year our 8th grade class does a cancer fundraiser called Pedals for Hope.  The students participate in a bike ride to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute .  Ambria has been looking forward to this ride since she was in elementary school.  She was heartbroken at the thought of not being able to participate, now that it was finally her turn.  Her doctor gave her the okay to go ahead and try it, provided that her pain was manageable enough on the day of the ride.  The week leading up to the ride she wanted to practice on her bike, as she had not ridden since long bef...

One year .  It was one year ago today that my oldest daughter walked away from a church dance with a headache that would completely change her life.  That's not where it all began though.  It began long before then, with a girl who had a passion for soccer, and an extremely competitive nature. I haven't posted much on social media, or at all on my blog about her situation.  I don't like to publicly dwell on and lament about my family's trials.  I don't want to seem like I'm fishing for sympathy, or like I'm needy.  Maybe I'm just too prideful and don't want to seem weak.  Also, I know of others who are going through far worse trials and I feel guilty talking about ours.  But enough people know bits and pieces of her story and wonder what exactly is going on, so I thought it was time to get it all out there.  Perhaps her story will reach someone else who is going through a similar trial and help them feel less lonely.  And it will be go...

Five thoughts, five pictures.  Easy peasy.  Today I'm linking up with Emmy for Friday Five. 1 - I have too many kids.  Seriously.  I'm not saying I'm willing to give any of them up...but with 3 of them in their teen years and involved in so many activities for church, school, and their music - I honestly need a clone to get them all to the various places they all need to be throughout the week, often their commitments overlapping each other. My oldest does drive, but we are a one car family at the moment! Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind!  2 - I will have one less to chauffer around by the end of summer.  I don't know where time went, but Kaden will be turning 18 and leaving on a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints .  I don't even know what to do with this yet.  I'm excited and proud and can't wait to see where the Lord sends him.  But I cannot even imagine life without him in this household eve...

It's been such a busy past few months!  I'm going to recap just a bit of our crazy, fun filled life.  I think I have way too many kids!  They keep things interesting, crazy and hectic!  But I have so much I want to blog about that I'm just going to keep trying to get back here, no matter how much time gets away from me between posts! The end of September and beginning of October brought the birthdays of these beautiful girls.  What a blessing they are in my life!  Ambria turned 15, and then 6 days later, my spunky Brielle turned 9 (posted a litte about that last time). Halloween came and (thankfully) went! And although I loathe the "holiday", I actually enjoy helping my kids get all dressed up. As always we had a plentiful Thanksgiving, followed by a bit of Black Friday deal snatching.  I know a lot of people are disgruntled about the commercialism of it all, but I've got to say I was able to get something really nice that was the only thing...