Myla's 1st Birthday Party... and Mom

Most of you know I have been backed up on my blog for some time.  I let it get behind.  And then... I just couldn't write.  This is the post that starts to explain why. 

My sweet little niece, Myla turned one this month!  So all of the family was fortunate enough to meet up for her first birthday party.  Such a blessing.  We all came to Rachele's home in Tri Cities.  Devan and I stayed with our families in hotels and the rest crashed at Rachele's.  Rachel rented a fun gymnastics gymnasium for the party.  Such a perfect idea for our crowd since we are a family of many ages, but all a bunch of acrobats in some fashion.  It was a blast. 

However, while there, Mom was severely uncomfortable.  She felt a lot of pain in her abdomen, hadn't had a bowel movement in days, and wasn't able to eat much because of it.  She started to have a yellow hue to her skin before the party.  We wanted her to go to the Doctor right away but she didn't want to miss the party she had come so far to attend.  So she came along as we went to the gymnastics party, stayed to watch Myla eat her cake and ice cream at the house, and then she wen to the E.R.

These were pictures from the day before- we had a picnic at the park and ate ice cream while watching a movie in John and Rachele's theater.

At the party.

Mom's last picture looking well.  I snapped it with Levi's camera while he played gymnast.

Such a cutie pie.

Levi snuck this one.

April flew home with Levi, who arranged to take a few extra days off of work to go to Alaska with her so she could get back to school while Mom and Dad flew to Salt Lake in hopes to get into the Huntsman Cancer Institute. 

My texts are the green ones.

So off I went to allow Levi to get back to New York for his job and April and I tried to hold it together while we waited for more news on Mom.

Photo courtesy of Levi

Ashton's Birthday and Skiing Tamarack

A friend of ours was talking with Todd at church right after the New Year.  As Todd was lamenting that we wanted to take the family skiing for the first time over the Christmas Break but never got a free window of time to do it with all the madness the holidays did to our schedule, the friend said, "Hey go stay at my cottage in Tamarack!"  We didn't know he had one!  But it was vacant at the moment and with school not starting for just a couple more days, it was perfect... as long as we could leave immediately.  So after church we loaded up winter clothes and away we went. 

We were shocked how few people were at the ski resort the next day.  Boise schools must have gone back in session.  We were the only ones who signed up for group lessons so it was more of a private lesson.  By two hours, the kids and I were doing alright!  The one and only other time I had ever skied in my life was when my dad (an awesome skier) took me ski jorring up a mountain in Hatcher's Pass (Alaska) - thats's where the dogs were harnessed and leashed to me to pull me up the mountain.  Then, at the top, he said, "See you at the bottom!", and off he went.  With no instruction I rode the mountain on my back side.  And I didn't really feel like skiing... ever again.  Lessons were key for me!

We ate at a pizza place one night that offered home made chocolate chip cookies and milk.  Yum!

This ski trip happened over Ashton's Birthday.  He said it was an awesome birthday, skiing!  He turned 9.  One more year and double digits!  I love this boy of mine!  He turned out to be a one great skier!