Time to Graduate~

Graduation- the act of moving from one milestone to another, usually done in education.

OK well this isn't Webster its me but like every mother I dreamed of getting the perfect picture of my child getting their diploma and looking at me and smiling and me getting the best shot. Ha ha ha the universe has a sense of humor. I had 2 graduations Thursday, I had 2 chances to get it right. I got it wrong both times. Lexi graduated from Kindergarten in a cute ceremony befitting the attention span of a kindergartner short and sweet. They still all got called up by their teacher (stood on a stool) and then got their certificate. Well most of the kindergartners weren't sure what was really going on or that all of us crazy parents had been waiting to get that perfect picture. At our school you have to be there at least 30 min early if you want a parking space where you don't have to hike and you actually want to see what is going on. I was there a perfect 30 min early (good thing cause I don't walk fast and far isn't even a thought yet) got a great seat on the second row, a picture that is so blurry that I kept it for posterity even though its not really that obvious that its really Lexi. I am including the next best picture ....

Admit it she is in very cute form and she matched her black hat it style. Papa Henrie got to come to this graduation she was very excited to see him. She got even more excited when we got to her classroom and she got all sorts of treats from her teacher and all her old work that showed how she had progressed through the year (of course the candy was the most important).
Coulton's 6th grade class had a great celebration befitting their oldness. They had a great slide show (which had a bunch of pictures of our "Cole") . It also presented a great opportunity to get it right---right, to many kids all coming up to the stage at the same time, and standing in front of the teachers and well at least this is him with his diploma.
So in 2 years I will have another opportunity to get the perfect shot. I hope to have this perfected sometime in the next 5 years before Coulton really graduates. Wish me luck!

Lets Dance!

Well at the kids new school they do an end of year dance festival! All the kids get to learn a dance and dance for the parents. They held the dance festival out on the playground, and it was very warm sitting on the blacktop but it was great to see everybody dance!

Mara and the entire second grade danced to "We're all in this together" from High School musical 3. She did such a great job but kept hiding behind the kid next to her or facing away from me so pictures of her face where hard to come by!Coulton and the entire 6th grade did the "Cha Cha Slide" he was towards the back and had some really cute girls that where dancing around him, but he actually was a pretty great dancer!

Taylor and the 4th grade did the Virginia reel to "Turkey in the straw" which is a lot of coordination for 4th graders! They did so great and looked like they were having tons of fun doing it! Of course when it cam to what she was going to wear she was worried that Mom didn't know what was "Western" wear, But seriously we lived in Wyoming for almost 7 years I think I know what is western, and she looked very cute in her western wear if I do say so myself!

Lexi and the afternoon Kindergarten did "Splish, Splash" which was perfect for kindergartners! They must have practiced a TON (or maybe it was their teachers sitting in from on them helping) but they were excellent dancers. She of course was her adorable cute self for the entire dance!

Possiblities

Well after 6 continuous days of having these severe allergy attacks, I have gone one full 24 hour period without one! Which means that they will finally be discharging me from the hospital today! I am pretty sure that this will not be the end of this especially as they still don't know what causes it and they have to slowly take me off all of the medications. But not only will I get to go home I will get to help my kids have a bit more normal life as they go into their last week of school. I am so glad that it happened this close to the end of school, because there wasn't much homework to make sure got done and this close to the end it wont affect their grades. But only being able to talk to them on the phone because we didn't want them here when I had an attack was really hard on all of us. Andy has been so wonderful, as well as trying to work he is also trying to hold the kids together and write an excruciating Final paper on the brain and how it reacts to different mental diseases. I hope that I will be able to regain my strength quickly but as of yesterday 4 laps around the nurses station was my limit so we will have to see. I would like to thank everyone for all of your prayers and for those who have offered to help it really means alot to me. I am sure that the next couple of weeks are not going to be normal, but they will be exciting!

Just Breathe~

Breathing, Its something that I must admit that before this week I really just took it for granted. The fact that they had drugs out there to help you breath never really entered my consciousness. But today after my 5th severe allergy attack, my 5th shot of epinephrine, and my 5th recovery, its amazing how much I like to breathe. I am sitting here in my hospital bed (cause I keep trying to go home but I keep having to come back), I just survived another attack, and I am so grateful for the fact that they have drugs out there that make your throat stop closing up, your lungs release their tightness and the hives go away. On Friday night, my hands started feeling funny I thought that it was nothing I had just given the kids a bath got to warm, something, I was sure that it wasn't a big thing. Then I started to itch on my legs, I had just shaved the day before and I figured it was just razor burn until I looked, and saw the welts of tons of hives. Andy was at Father and Sons with his dad and brothers so I called Heather to see if I was just being a hypochondriac, took some benedryl, and then my throat started to close up on me. Heather came and drove me to the hospital and Peter woke up and came over to sleep on my couch to be with the girls ( and yes Pete I noticed that you picked up my house and I really can't thank you enough for it!). Saturday night however would prove more exciting, we went to family dinner and by the end of it I was starting to break out in hives again. We went out and got my prescriptions and took them home, Andy got the kids in bed, and I started to feel like I was going to die. The itching of the hives was so intense, and then my throat started closing off, and then I scared my husband to death by having my eyes roll back up into my head and passing out. I am sure that it also scared the neighbors as the Fire engine, ambulance, and police care pulled up in front of our house with their lights flashing. They took me to the hospital and they gave me another epee shot, and checked me into the ICU. Sunday night I was still in the hospital and I had yet another attack, I was so glad that i was where they could take care of me immediately, and that I could breathe again. Monday we found out that the hospital that I had been going to was not a preferred hospital on my insurance so, I checked out and Heather picked me up and took me to her house, which turned out to be a good thing as just 3 hours after I left the hospital I had another attack (yes this is #4), we went to the hospital that would take my insurance and got yet another shot of epee, and all of the trimmings that go with it. They released me from the ER 5 hours later only for me to return 5 hours later with my first double attack. Thanks to the work that they had done just a scant 4 hours earlier they were able to calm things down with an albuteral treatment and not more epinephrine. They also checked me in and had an allergist come in and examine me and give me another form of treatment. Its nice to know that I am somewhere where they are going to take care of me. My attack tonight was another bad one but there where on top of it so quickly and I got alburterol and Epinephrine at the same time (which for those of you reading this you will be grateful for spell check as you cannot read the way I have typed it with my heart doing a marathon) . i hope that they will be able to find what is causing this or at least find a way to turn this off but I have to go at least 24 hours without having an attack before they will send me home. But I am so grateful that I can breathe and it is going to be sometime before I can go past 8pm without giving thanks for the opportunity to do so. So if you are looking for me in the next couple of days I am not going anywhere but Timpanogos hospital, but they are taking very good care of me. I love you all

Aunt Jennie's Wedding

Well I might have captured a bit of the family photgraphy prowess. But then when you have a canvas such as my kids and the Temple its not to hard! We had a wonderful Saturday celebrating Jennie and Sean getting married. The kids love being able to be "in" the temple while they wait for all of the grownups.

Being on the Temple grounds is really an amazing experiance, there of course where tons of brides (but none as beautiful as Aunt Jennie!) lots of color from all of the spring flowers, and the bright Saturday morning sun!

This is the first glimpse they got of the newly weds! They were both glowing, as well they should the ceremony was beautiful and they had the most wonderful sealer.

One of the best things about the Salt Lake Temple is that you get to go right up to the doors (Lexi wanted to open them and go in!) But there is something magical about being able to go up and put your hand on the doorknob that our pioneer ancestors sacrificed so much to make sure that it was there for us.

They whole day was such a whirlwind after we left the temple we got to go to the luncheon. And then we got to take a short break at Grammies until it was time to go to the wedding! At the Wedding Coulton got to help take the presents, Taylor and Mara got to help clear the Tables, and Lexi passed out napkins. Mom was in teh kitchen helping Grammie make sure that the Dessert table was full, and Dad was out makeing sure that no Monkey business happened! We didn't get home until after 10 pm but it was worth it for such a wonderful day!

Shades of the past

If you look closely at this picture you will see the little girl who is pouting in her closet. Mad at the world, everyone hates her, you know the drill. We couldn't find her but had to take a picture when we did! I say shades of the past because not to long ago another little girl (who looks surprisingly similar to this little girl) Did the same thing.

In a closet, no cleaner than this one, my little sister Amanda would hide in the closet to escape, and all of us "old kids" who didn't understand and who where ruining her world. Maybe its a youngest thing (after all she is my baby) or maybe when you are mad at the world it just helps to go to where everything is all about you (because well that is all that fits!). Not to mention when you are this small no one else could fit in there, so its just a you spot!

Needless to say it didn't last very long but I guess that there is something to say for getting all of the pout out!

Picture Tag

1. Go to My Documents/Pictures

2. Go to your fifth folder

3. Go to your fifth picture

4. Blog about it

5. Tag five people

OK I have so many pictures on so many folders in

sticks and CD's and so on and so forth but this is the 5/5 picture that I have on this computer at this time! :)

This is my Lexi opening her Christmas PJ's at Papa and Nana's house on Christmas eve. We have a great tradition of the kids getting new PJ's on Christmas eve. The last couple of years we have combined our tradition with our New Nana Lauraine who has the same tradition but hers is so much better and includes modeling and its very fun because the grownups get in on it too.

And since I don't know how to tag people here I will just leave it to you to post your own wonderful pictures!