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Well it has definitely been awhile since the last time I posted here so I will try to catch you up on my summer!

First off we found out that I am pregnant with our 4th child which on Sept 21st ultrasound showed it to be 95% a boy. I have been very very sick and is the reason I have not been online much.  I have the luxury of having Hyperemesis gravidarum which only 0.3% - 2% of pregnant women get.  I had this with our last child as well and is really not fun.  So far as I am half way through the pregnancy I have learned the ER staff’s names, favorite colors, and favorite foods because I have had to go in many many times for  IVs  and other complications.  Good news baby is perfectly healthy and growing at the expected rate.

My mom came up for a visit for the 4th of July.  The girls had so much fun with grandma at the local 4th of July fair.  They won 2 fish from a game where they throw ping pongs into a bowl.  The fish are now huge and taking up a good amount of space in our fish tank.

Later that day we went to our usual firework viewing spot and watched the amazing show that the town next to us puts on.  The girls of course love fireworks and get so excited.  The spot we go to fills up fast  so we left about 4 hours early to get there and set up.   We thought our youngest we not like the loud noise but she did just fine and even tried to grab and eat a few of them.

Before Grandma left we had to go to the zoo which was also so very fun.  The zoo has done a lot of work and added some pretty cool stuff.  They now have a fountain that kids can play in and get soaked. (yes we all ran through it)

Our favorite summer event is the PepperFest.  It is a local festival that has been going on for a very long time.  The Parade which is obviously the best part comes down the road that we live on and is basically in our front yard.  The girls have a blast they get a ton of candy and plenty of toys.   After the parade we go down the block to the actual fair where they have rides and food.

We moved!!!!   When we found out about the expected baby the first thing that we said was time to move.   The house we lived in was a bit to small for our family and with the addition it would be to little space to live so we decided to go looking for a new home.   Well we found a place (2 blocks away) that I didn’t want to pass up and we decided to move on in.  The 2 older girls share the master bedroom which is huge and the closet could be a room itself.  Yes they are spoiled they even have the master bathroom.  The new place has 2 living rooms and a fireplace that I love.  We now have plenty of room for our large family and everyone loves the new place.

I wanted to share some of my favorite times with my Mom!  She is a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart.  I thank you Mom for being who you are Happy Mother’s Day!

1996 we drove from Tucson Arizona to Long Beach Washington.  The whole way we drove up the coast and stopped at some pretty cool places!  

First stop we made was the Grand Canyon.  If you have never been to the Grand Canyon yes it is a big hole in the ground but its pretty cool to see up close and personal.  If you looked straight down from the railing it is quite the drop and a bit scary if you don’t like heights.  But it is very cool to actually see deep into the Grand Canyon and the rock layers are just amazing.  I remember at this spot I was pretty interested in the squirrels.  They would practically let you touch them.

Next stop was the Flintstones Bedrock City.  We didn’t spend much time here but I remember it being pretty cool. Of  course who wouldn’t find the Flintstones cool I mean come on.  I don’t have a picture of my Mom here but here is one of Fred and I.  Don’t we look cute?

Here we have my Mom  in front of some water some where!  I have no clue where but it was part of this trip.

We stopped at many more places on the way but when we finally got to Long Beach we had some pretty darn good times.  My favorite part was when we would ride the horses on the beach.  The horse I liked to ride was JJ.  He was a young fast horse who liked to play around a lot.  The horse my Mom rode liked to stay in the back, but JJ and I were all over the place.

Finally I wanted to share a picture of my Mom and I that I just love.  My Mom took me to Vegas a lot growing up.  I would go to the theme parks at MGM and Circus Circus but my favorite trip was when we went for conferences and shows.  Here is a pic of us at the Harrahs hotel and casino.  We saw the show Spellbound and had an absolute blast.

Just like the title says, it’s a Happy day!  It has been quite some time since  I got some good news.

My dad and I at the OK Corral in Tucson for my grandparents anniversary

I want to tell you about the biggest inspiration in my life, my dad.  I have always looked up to my dad growing up as a kid and even more so now as an adult as he is the reason I became the person I am today.  

This afternoon I found out that he is cancer free for the first time in 2 and 1/2 yrs.  CONGRATULATIONS DAD!  I am so proud of you!   As most of you know I am a self proclaimed daddy’s girl.  Unfortunately I do not live near him, he lives in AZ!  Not being able to give him a hug when he needed one  has been the hardest thing  for me to cope  with over the last few years.

You always here about those stories of car accidents, hurricanes, freak accidents, cancer etc, and say that won’t happen to me that won’t happen to my family.  Well I remember the day my dad called to tell me he had cancer.  I was crushed and didn’t believe it I couldn’t believe it.  After he told me I didn’t know what to do I knew nothing about cancer.  I felt so helpless living 1,827 miles away, all I could do is tell him how much I love him.  Now that some time has passed by since the first day he told me I have learned a bit more about the cruel heartless bitch that will stop at nothing to destroy anything in its path.   I know how hard it was for my dad to call me and tell me that he had cancer or that it was back or that it was here for a 3rd time.  The strength and courage it took him to explain things to me, the gut wrenching dr. appts, surgeries, chemo, radiation, and just the mental aspect of having to deal with it is simply out of this world.  I have shared with many of you the journey that I have taken with my dad through this time and passed his updates to those who cared (especially Andy), thank you.  I am now able to happily say my dad is cancer free!  

I would like to encourage any and all of you to visit my dad’s blog where he shares his experiences.  http://windowintoahovel.blogspot.com/

Cheers, I love you dad!