Museum of Natural History

After our time in the Park, we headed over to the Museum of Natural History. This is suddenly a very interesting place to kids because of the movie "Night at the Museum". They couldn't wait to see the dinosaur, the monkey, and the statues. We had a really good time and plan to go back - it's a lot to see in one day.

We look like a normal family here, but it doesn't last long.

The ocean room was really cool. They have a full scale blue whale hanging from the ceiling.

It was all down hill after this picture. I can't take my husband anywhere.

Central Park

We were supposed to go to the shore as a family last week, but it was only in the upper 60's and we had to change plans. Instead we went to New York and visited Central Park for the first time. It was fun to walk around and see the turtle pond, the reservoir and all the interesting people. The kids just enjoyed climbing on the rocks.

I couldn't believe how big some of the rocks were.

Taylor always insists on taking pictures of us. I really appreciate it, because we never think to do it as I continually try to get the kids together.

At the Turtle Pond.

There was a turtle with RUDY painted on his back. I'm sure there is a story to go with this that we are not aware of, but the kids thought it was great.

We may have found her sport

Cami has really figured out how to hit this summer and wants to play softball in the spring. I played from the time I was five until I graduated High School - so I'm pretty happy about this! It cracks me up that she insists on wearing a skirt, even when she wants to practice hitting. Cami does everything in her own way.
One of the things I love about her is that she is so positive about everything and doesn't get frustrated. You can't really hear it, but after each miss she tells herself "almost" and just keeps on smiling and trying. She can do that 20 times and never get upset and eventually she gets into a hitting groove. Go Cami!

High School Musical 2

Yes, we had a High School Musical 2 Premier party. The girls were all counting down... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, hooray! About 2 seconds later we heard thunder rumble and the satellite went down.

Unbelievable!

That happens about twice a year and it HAS to happen in the first minute of what could possibly be THE most important movie to ever preview for young girls around this country (Really, that's what their expressions were screaming as they all turned to look at us in that moment). Instead of saying anything, Ed went directly to the computer to check the weather situation and I began calling any neighbor I suspected could have cable. None were home and after 5 agonizing minutes the movie was back on and all was well. (They just kept reassuring each other that they would catch the replay of the first five minutes tomorrow.)

They really did have a good time and I am a fan of any movie this popular that has no bad language or inappropriate scenes. I mean come on - they're singing and dancing and the kids love every bit of it! (By the way, in case you missed it, Troy and Gabriella's relationship survives the turmoil of summer jobs and a scheming rich girl. All is well at East High.)

Congrats'd

I took the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam this week and... PASSED! Why am I so excited? Because, due to a mix-up, I thought I was not going to be taking the exam this testing period and would have to wait until December. Imagine my surprise when I received a letter stating that I was approved and must complete the test in the next THREE WEEKS! I read every page of my review book and answered over 2,000 practice questions during the last few weeks. My brain was so overloaded that I was sure I was going to fail and spent the last few days on the verge of tears (my poor family). Needless to say we were all relieved when I passed. Cami said the family prayer before bed and said "...and bless mom to feel congrats'd on passing her test." Thanks sweetie, I do now.

(Will I be going back to work? Not anytime soon... although I do have all three kids in school full time now. We'll just have to wait and see if the perfect, flexible, convenient job presents itself. Does a job like that really exist :)

Lacrosse Camp

Taylor went to Lacrosse camp this summer and had a blast. The ages ranged from 5th grade all the way to 9th grade. Taylor loves a challenge, and the fact that she was almost half the height of many of the girls did not stop her from going after the ball. At the end of camp she received the award for 'Most Competitive' and Grammy got her a shirt that says it all.

Cami's Birthday

Cami had a wonderful 6th birthday! She had a party at a gymnastics place and had lots of fun with her friends. The next day we all went with her to the mall to get her ears pierced. She was very brave and loves wearing earrings. Happy birthday Cami!

I accidentally bought trick candles - it took us a minute to realize why she couldn't blow them out!

The kids all had a great time running around in the gym.

This is the "what have I gotten myself into" look moments before getting them pierced.

This is the "I am so proud of my new earrings" look a little while after.

Unsupervised

What happens when you leave two twelve year old boys unsupervised in the kitchen?

Eggs Explode,

glasses break and slice through ipod headphones,

and I'm not sure what happened here, but the bowl ended up broken. Dallin and Ben were quite a team in the kitchen. Better to learn these lessons now and look like pros on their missions!

Temple Trip

Ben came to Philly with us for scout camp and stayed for about a month. He and Dallin both turned 12 this year and got to go on their first two temple trips together. I don't have a picture from Louisville, but here is the one from Washington DC. What a blessing to have cousins to go through these experiences with!

Emmery's Baptism

Emmy was baptized while we were there. She wore the same dress that I, Janeen, and Taylor wore. Grammy made it for us and it is special for our girls to wear it. She looked beautiful and it was a wonderful night for everyone, especially Emmy!

Old Friends

We had a chance to see some old friends on our trip. It's nice to have moved from somewhere where we still get to visit at least once a year.

Dallin's friend Ben. Our whole family still misses him after two years!

The Hunt family and the Sherman family after an afternoon of fun.

Cami and Melina went to preschool together and look forward to seeing each other every year - so cute!

Fishing with Uncle Jack

Great Uncle Jack is an expert fisherman. The kids love to fish in the pond with him when he comes to visit. We were lucky that he was in town for his 50th high school reunion while we were in Indiana. The kids caught over 50 fish and he even cleaned and cooked them for us. It was a fun adventure! The only drawback is that everyone has to kiss the first fish they catch - and there is no getting out of it with all the cousins around :)

Cousin Fun

We had two weeks with cousins in Indiana and the kids had a blast. It was crazy - but we wouldn't have it any other way. Here are a bunch of general pictures of them together!

Where have I been?

I'm back! July was not my best month. I'll give you the short version
and we'll all move on and not look back :)

June 16-29 : Trip to Indiana

July 2-7 : Recovery and Scout camp

July 10 : I had biopsies of the stomach and small intestine. (I have been seeing a lot of specialists about chronic stomach pain and problems)

July 18 : Gall Bladder removed (outpatient surgery)

July19 : Complications take us back the the ER that evening (we'll just leave it at that - trust me you don't need/want to know any more)

July 20 : Appointment with surgeon - may need to do a follow up surgery.

July 21 : Back to the ER. As I walk through the door my surgeon walks past, sees me and tells them to admit me under him. Second surgery.

July 22-30 : Totally wiped out and in bed. Forever grateful for a mother who insisted on coming to help - even when I told her not to come. Reminded of how wonderful my husband is and how much he loves me (even if he is a little squeemish). Touched by so many wonderful friends who stepped in to help our family while I was down and out.

July 27 : In the midst of trying to get back on my feet I received the results of the biopsies which confirmed the diagnosis of Celiac Disease. This is an autoimmune disease in which your body forms antibodies to gluten (wheat, rye, barley products). These antibodies attack mainly your intestine but also gall bladder and other organs. The only treatment is to eat a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life. I have begun this and have received lots of emails and tips for great recipes and websites. Let me know if you find any!

So... I have had a lot to deal with in the past few weeks and will continue to adjust to a new lifestyle over the coming months. On the positive side, my gall bladder no longer hurts and I have the hope of no more stomach problems as the damage heals with my new diet!

I'll try to get caught up on our life as best as I can in the next week or so! I missed hearing from you all!