Life Lately

The day after Spring break Hallee had a spelling bee.  Her English teacher held a spelling bee in each class and then the winners competed against each other.  It was first thing in the morning while I was at work, but it was Keith's day off so he was able to be there and keep me updated.

Hallee won first place! Her teacher gave her a basket with lots of fun prizes in it.  The winning word was Brioche, it was fun that it was a French word. Way to go Hallee!

Keith checked her out of school and took her to celebrate with a Swig.  

Julie was here for a few more days.  She took us out to dinner Wednesday night which was so nice.  I got to visit with her at night a few times and she got to say hi to Jonah when he called.  Ammon called Julie while she was talking to Jonah so Ammon and Jonah got to say hi too.  

Caitlyn has been keeping busy with work, school and the barn. She had fun at Ilse's baby shower.

Caitlyn and Zoey both showed up in all denim. 

Obviously Dream needed a picture in bunny ears for Easter.  Caitlyn signed the papers to lease Dream this summer.  She will work at the barn more to help pay for it and she will get to ride twice a week, which she is really excited about. 

Caitlyn loves her animals! 

Since Caitlyn changed her hours at work I have seen her more. She comes in my room at night and we are able to talk for a bit.  I'm usually watching Survivor, so that is the creepy picture in the background, ha! Caitlyn finished strong with school this semester.  She is enjoying it more and more and making more friends in her cohort. She will be an amazing social worker.  

Sometimes we put pictures of our colon polyp on our blog and that's okay! Last Monday I had my first colonoscopy.  I've had blood in my stools for months now and knew I needed to do it and really didn't want to.  I have a lot of stomach issues and pain and I'm having a lot of fatigue along with it.  Dad has colitis so I figured I might have it as well.  Anyway, I started prepping for it last Sunday and I am not being dramatic when I say it was quite possibly the worst night ever.  I felt so sick and was up through out the night.  My appointment was Monday at 12:45 PM and I was so happy that I was feeling better by then and so ready to get it over with.  They put you out during the procedure so that part isn't bad.  I'm really glad they had Keith come back when I was waking up so he was there when the doctor came to talk to us. I was still a little out of it, so it was good he was there to listen.  They found a large polyp on my colon which they removed.  They have since biopsied it and it is pre-cancerous.  Thankfully it isn't cancer, but it probably would have turned into cancer at some point.  Because of that I will have to have colonoscopy's every three years, which is terrible news! They also found ulcers and colitis in my colon.  They are doing another biopsy to see if it's colitis or Crohn's disease. Colitis is inflammation in the colon only and Crohn's is inflammation throughout the digestive track, including the colon.  My guess is I have Crohn's disease and that is what is causing my stomach issues and my fatigue. I read online that Crohn's disease can cause swelling in the lips and eyes, which would explain why I kept getting that for a while.  I have a follow up appointment with my doctor in a few weeks so hopefully she will be able to tell me more and give me ideas or medication for managing it. 

Brie had this waiting for me at work on Tuesday.  She is always so thoughtful and funny!

Hallee had dance auditions this week for the high school. I still can't believe she will be in high school next year!  She has been really nervous about them, but decided she really wanted to try out. It's a scary thing to put yourself out there to be judged! Last Monday they taught the girls three different dances that they needed to perform the next day.  Hallee came home that night emotional and completely overwhelmed. Not only was she overwhelmed with learning three dances, she said the dance moves were really hard and she didn't know if she could do it.  She was really upset and said she didn't want to try out anymore.  She was sure she wouldn't make it and she didn't even know if she wanted to make it. We tried to talk it out with her and calm her down. We assured her that we would be fine with whatever she decided to do.  She was planning on staying home from school on Tuesday to practice the dances because auditions are right after after school Monday and Tuesday for 4 hours, so there is no time to practice.  She texted me at work and told me that she decided to try out because the night before she prayed and she had a good, peaceful feeling and she knew she needed to at least try.  She was in much better spirits and spent the day practicing.  She was sad that she missed talking to Jonah on Monday nights since she was asleep, but he messaged her on Tuesday and encouraged her and told her what a great performer she is and that he admires her confidence on stage. It meant a lot to her and to me.  Caitlyn and Wyatt were really supportive and encouraging for her too.  I love to see my kids show up for each other!  Before the auditions on Tuesday Hallee asked Keith and I if she could pray with us and she offered the most sweet, sincere prayer.  She asked for help to do her best and help to accept the outcome no matter what it was. I was so impressed with her Faith.  After the auditions she came home happy. She said she didn't think she made it, but she was so proud of herself for trying. 

We got the kids Cafe Rio to celebrate! We are so proud of Hallee and regardless of if she makes it or not, this was a good experience for her and all of us.  While they ate their Cafe Rio I shared the scripture in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I asked Hallee to share her experience and we had a good discussion on having Faith in Christ instead of in outcomes. 

Hallee loves scary and intense movies so we have been watching some together. She made herself a yummy chocolate milk for one of our movie nights. 

Yesterday Wyatt and his friends went and watched the BYU verses UVU lacrosse championship game. They had a great time and Wyatt was happy that BYU won.

Last night Tiff invited me and Hallee over for dinner. Paul and Hallee had matching sweatshirts! It was fun to visit with them and play a new game. It's really hard to have Keith gone every Friday and Saturday night, so it was nice to get out.  Hopefully his schedule will change soon.