Look-a-likes

Guess which one is Emily.

I want to see this so badly!!

In loving memory

This morning my Grandpa Lay passed away. I knew him as Choo-Choo train Grandpa. Every time we went to visit my mother's parent's we would always see choo-choo trains on the way to their house. I remember as we drove, we would see the big sugar silos on the way and lots and lots of open fields in Sugarland, Texas.
I remember that he was a quiet and gentle man and he was extremely devoted to my grandma. I remember being a little scared of him because he was so tall and his southern accent so rich, and I didn't want to do anything to cross him. Not that I had ever seen him get upset or anything.
A funny habit he had (in my opinion) is that he loved his 'stories'. I don't think that he ever missed an episode of The Young and the Restless in the past 20 years or so...oh, and how he loved his ice cream!
As I grew older, I noticed other things about him. Every year, he would send a birthday card to us - I had always thought that it was my grandma who did that. He was an extremely hard worker and he always kept a large barrelled handgun in the back of his pants or in his recliner. Scared me to death when I first saw it. I was spending the night there when I was about 17 and I was terrified that he'd think I was a stranger walking around in his house at night. Apparently, this was not a new thing either. My parents made him lock it up when we were little so we never saw it. Oh, the good ol' days!

I am happy to say that my mom, an only child, was able to be by his side in his final moments. She told me this morning that she keeps floundering between sadness for her and happiness for him. I am a little worried about her, her plate has been so full recently, and I hope that she knows how much we love her and are here for her. I know that no one can replace her daddy, but what blessings the temple brings! The knowledge that we are sealed to our families for eternity is such a great comfort. Can you imagine the reunion? So many people on the other side have been waiting patiently to be with him again. Grandma especially.

I will miss him greatly. I had hoped that my children would be able to meet him before he passed and that saddens me that they will never know this great man in this life, but at least I know that he can see them now.

I love you, Grandpa!


PS: On a lighter note - when I was telling the boys that Great-grandpa Lay had gone to heaven, Scotty asked, "Did he walk there?" I replied, "I don't know how he got there." Then Scotty asked, "Well, what car did he take?" I love the sweet innocence of children!

Amber Alert

Has anyone received their September church magazines yet?


Is this their way of saying that we don't have to worry about our home/visiting teaching this month?

I am NOT an Animal!

Believe it or not, he fell down the cement stairs again. Pretty soon, this comment isn't going to wash anymore. We were looking at the double rainbows early this morning on our front steps. I ran inside to get Mikey when I heard Scotty start to scream. I ran out and this is what I found. He apparently had put his arms inside his jammie shirt, so when he fell, he had nothing to stop his fall.


Oddly enough, about an hour after we got back from Mikey's football game, Scotty fell down the stairs again but this time there were no injuries. Phew!

It's His Birthday!!!

It's Zack's 34th birthday today and I am so happy that I am married to such a wonderful man. Thank you, Lewis & Karen - you did a great job! And Zack, you are THE BEST!!!
He makes me laugh, smile, sing for joy, cry (in a 'laughing so hard I'm crying' kind of way), and he makes me so happy. Happier than I ever thought I'd be.
I thought I might share some of his best pictures. Maybe they'll make you smile or laugh, too! I saved the best for last - hee, hee, hee!

Girl's Night Out

A group of some of my peeps and I went to Park City for a great girl's night out. We started with a wild goose chase because the lying liars lied about where their office was relocated to - still kind of fun. Then we had dinner here - so yummy.

This was so much fun. I certainly learned quite a bit about them - there's no way around it when you jabbering away until 3:30 in the morning. So sleepy!
The hot tub was great, the stories hilarious, and the company - out of this world. You guys are great!!
The best line of the night - "How's the butt stew?!?" (yeah, a bit edgy, but how else can one find out how the hot tub is from the third story condo balcony?)

Besides the silliness and the crazies, I am grateful for the wisdom I heard from all of my wonderful friends and the devotional in the morning was very inspired - I definitely needed it!
However,I can't believe that with 10 ladies, not a single picture was taken. Grrrrr......

Suzie - you are the best, it seems to get better and better every year! Thanks again!!

Jafar

Today, Zachary and Mikey went to the orthodontist. Zachary will be getting a spacer to widen his upper jaw and then there's Mikey. Poor, poor Mikey....apparently his mouth is a wee bit too crowded.


Mikey has to have seven teeth pulled. All at once. Seven!!! His mouth will be like raw hamburger for about 4 days. Have you seen Mikey? He's a toothpick. I am afraid that he will whither away without stuff to keep him bulked up. What's going to happen if he turns sideways? He'll disappear and we may never see him again.

A new man

Scotty got his cast off yesterday! He is still a little apprehensive about using it, but the first thing he did yesterday, without my knowledge, was to play in the water outside. I guess 3 weeks without splashing around was too long of a wait for him.

Also, last Wednesday was Scotty's first day of preschool. He loves to play in the sand (much easier to do without the cast) and paint. I don't know who loves it better, him or me. This is the first time in a looooong time that I have had a clean kitchen for longer than about 3 hours.

If you want to witness the "brutal" cast removal here you go. Unfortunately, his nurse didn't believe him when he said "Ow" - then she once even tried to just pull it off. What?!? His cast apparently got water in it at some point and it became like a second skin - yummy. He still has little tiny mesh marks on his arm.

Are you kidding me?

Last night we had the awesome news that Savannah had her stint removed. She is also 'watching' TV and that her breathing tube will come out today. She seems to really like different lights and colors. This morning her doctors keep saying that they are amazed and baffled by how well she is doing.....we know why ;-)
Great news all around for beautiful Savannah. I can't wait to be able to visit her again.
Late last night, my poor mom found out that her father had a stroke and was at the ICU in Louisiana. My mom is an only child and her mother has already passed on. The most frustrating thing is that because of the HIPAA laws, she can't find out if he is near death or if he is even lucid. She and my dad are driving to his hospital today, but won't get there until very late Wednesday or early Thursday morning. That is such a long time to have to wait to find out how sick he is. My poor mom just can't seem to catch a break! No wonder she has Fibromyalgia!

Some good news!!

Yesterday, Savannah was given an amazing priesthood blessing. In it, Heavenly Father blessed her that her blood was to be commanded to flow stronger than it had been so that the clot could dissolve. She was also blessed that her brain would regenerate new, healthy cells over the damaged parts, and that she would be able to go to the temple in September to be sealed together as a family. (They already had the date set for Sept. 19th, but were unsure if they would be able to go anytime soon due to this emergency).


Well, last night, Savannah opened her eyes four separate times and looked directly at her parents!! This is so exciting! Also, during the night, though still unconscious, Savannah was moving her arms and legs around trying to get people to leave her alone and get whatever is bothering her away from her. This is even better news. She was being so active that they actually had to sedate her so she wouldn't hurt herself or yank anything out. She is actively aware that she is being annoyed by all of the tubes and her stent.

We are so happy, especially for Sarah & Juris. We love you, Savannah!

Savannah

Last night at about 9:00pm Savannah went in for brain surgery. Her MRI showed that the blood clot had actually grown larger despite being on blood thinners so the neurologists felt that surgery was her best option. Around midnight she came out of surgery and the doctors feel that everything went really well. They were able to go in through her upper thigh all the way into her brain. How amazing is that? They placed an 11 inch stent in the vein in her brain where the clot is to administer the meds and to enable better blood flow.

As of this morning she is still unconscious but her blood count has gone from 21 (the minimum should be 34) all the way up to 36!! Her nighttime nurse also stated that Savannah 'interacted' with her all night. This actually means that when they would touch her or move her, her body would respond and move to let them know that she was being irritated. Another very good sign. They are hoping that she will awake by tomorrow or Sunday if all goes well.

Thank you for all of your prayers on her behalf. It will be a long road ahead, but things are finally starting to look up - even if its just a little bit.

These are pictures of my mother, Sarah, and of course, little Savannah.

Savannah update

Well, it's been a few days with many ups and downs. On Tuesday night, Zack and I were able to go and visit Savannah up at Primary Children's. When we got there she started having seizures again so they had to sedate her heavily. Zack and I thought that we were prepared to see her, but as it turns out, nothing can prepare you to see your beautiful little niece in such a condition. Savannah is so little and needs so much right now. We touched her, spoke to her, held each other, and cried. We told her of our love for her and how the boys and Emily were all missing her and wanting her to get better. She is so little! As we went to rejoin Sarah, Juris, and my parents in the waiting room, Sarah told us that we were breaking the rules by crying. How can one not though? I have been amazed at their strength and their unwavering faith.
I think we cried nearly the whole way home. Savannah was just playing with Scotty a few days ago. I hate this!!!


Her MRI shows a large blot clot in her brain which is the reason for her seizures. They have started to give her blood thinners to make it dissolve. It does look like there is brain damage, but until she wakes, it will be difficult to know the extent. The doctors are saying that she will have to learn to walk again, speak again, and so many other things will have to be relearned. On the upside, she could make a full recovery - time is the real issue I think.
Yesterday, as I went about my daily routine, I was trying my best to think positively and keep my emotions at bay. However, there were times when out of the blue I would burst into tears. Then there were the times when I wanted to break as many dishes as I could by throwing them with all the strength that I could muster. I want to be able to sit with Sarah and her daughter, but it is very difficult to farm out 74 kids with school, preschool, piano, scouts, and football practice getting in the way. I hope Sarah, Juris and especially Savannah know how much we love them and are thinking of them constantly.

Sweet Savannah

My sister's 2 year old daughter was Life Flighted to Primary Children's on Sunday night. She was very dehydrated from a virus and was stabilized but for some unknown reason she crashed and started to have seizures. They ventilated her and then flew her up to SLC. As of this morning she is still unresponsive and there is concern of brain damage. They are going to do an MRI today to discover the extent of her problems. It seems as if everyone I know in the blogging world is asking for prayers for someone they love and now, little Savannah needs your prayers as well...if you are able to, please include Savannah in your thoughts and prayers.