Blue Door Window

Does it really take staying home from church with everyone sick to catch up on blogging?

The ward needed a last minute musical number for the Christmas program. It was fun they had this ready and could play together.

Surprise visit from Grandma Daleen for Elle's birthday.

Elle's hair and nail birthday party

Cape Henlopen, Deleware

We went with the Hawleys and the Christensens

Ivy tagging along during summer swimming lessons

Elle worried about her first meet, after a high five from coach Jen she was ready

Mason, one of Elle's best friends

Ronda asked Sebby if would he would be her mock lesson student for the Washington DC teacher training conference.

She loves him. He hangs on her every word.

Trip home to Utah! Thanks Melissa for the fun welcome home!

Loved the pianos at Grandma's house

When Sebby saw Grandma Shurtliff, he cried and hugged her for almost ten minutes like this. It was darling. He loves her so much even though we don't get to see her often.

Grandma Shurtliff meeting Ivy

It's unsafe, but it's tradition. Elle gets to drive home from Grandma Shurtliff's house to Grandma Daleen's house- two blocks, on the back roads. Mom doesn't let me have any say in it.

Watching cousin Tanner's baseball game with all the cousins

So happy to be with our cousins!

Wow, mom let me sleep. Felt so good. When I woke up I found them talking on the front porch in their pajamas.

Grandma Chiq at the Whitier Center playground

The Polls. We never laugh (or cry) harder than when we're with the Polls

Elle and Sebby finding their favorite rock on the temple

Elle can't stop dancing

Ivy asleep mid-day in the warm sun at Grandma Daleen's cabin. That about sums up how great it is there- lazy, lazy, lazy.

Swimming at the pool at the cabin, overlooks Bear Lake

Dinner with uncle Don L and aunt Suni. Don wiggled his ears and Sebby was a fan for life.

Visiting Grandma Chiq at her school- so fun to see her classroom

Bumped into the Wells (New York friends) at the swimming pool

Swinging with Nat

Aunt D.D.

Playing duets with Mr. Frost. So glad we made it a priority to see him on our last trip home. I flew home for his wife's funeral, but this is the last time our kids saw him before he died. We will miss him every single day of our lives.

Visiting Robby's grave

Grandpa Warren's grave

Spencer Family Reunion

Ran into Dennis Hirst (piano professor) at the Lewiston parade. We planned our trip home around this parade. So much candy!!!

Drove past my house on Quarter Circle Drive. Didn't get to go to South Cache for a picture of my fastest mile plaque (seventh grade- 6:05 mile). Ethan told me my plaque is still up!

Talent show at Leah's

Grandma Chiq and Grandpa John glow in the dark dancing to Thriller- we were all dying laughing at such funny grandparents!!!

Last look at the Golden Toaster before they tore it down- makes me remember Jami Leishman, Janelle Anderson, Nicole Lundberg, 'I will survive dance', Ann Bailey, Ritchie Harris (I fainted in that chapel right onto him in sacrament meeting!) and so many other friends and memories there.

We act like we didn't grow up with these mountains in our backyard because we are just so amazed every time we walk outside Grandma's house and see them.

Met up with Kelly Stewart. Wish we hadn't gotten behind leaving town so we could talk longer! We miss the Stewarts in DC!

Walk around temple square

Back home and saying bye to some favorite missionaries.

Slip 'n Slide at Mary's house

My two darling students moved- these boys were the highlight of my week

Ari's birthday party at Folkmans

Ari's pinata

Ivy is our spontaneous kid

Movie night with Kailen and McKay (laurels). It was the first time that I felt really really old compared to them. We watched Sleepless in Seattle and I loved it and they were falling asleep.

Pool party at Bowlers. Thanks Cari!

Sebby's birthday party

Ivy turning 2, and not liking the candle flame

I dropped a glass bowl in the kitchen. It shattered and flying pieces of glass cut Ivy's hand and face. Sad trip to get stitches. She was crying, smiled for a picture, then kept crying.

Elle, looking suddenly older

Best swim coaches ever

William's birthday party

Gabe and Elle figuring out the auto harp that my mom sent us. I love it when she cleans house and sends stuff our way.

Kevin Hawley's party at Greenbrier Lake

I watched Jared's kids for the day so he took out Ivy's stitches to say thanks. Nice trade.

Howard Co. Fair. That's Gabe and Elle reaching out to each other.

We run into the Krewsons every year at the pig races!

Trip to Deep Creek, Maryland. Dying to go back.

This picture is going to live on forever. This is what Sebby's hair looked like after a windy ride on the boat. It stayed up like that until he jumped in the lake.

Thanks, Derek. He drove the boat all day.

Ivy slept in the crook of Gabe's arm like this for two hours. She falls asleep anytime she's around the water.

View from our cabin of Wisp Ski resort, and all the the little kiddos on scooters

Seb on the mountain coaster with Jen

Cari and Rob enjoying nature. :)

The hot tubs were the best part of the trip, except I didn't dare sit in it at night with all the bears around. I didn't want any surprise guests.

The group of cabins we stayed in. Perfect for a fun trip together (and not pitching a tent)

Camden yards

We're lame and don't even know who this guy is. Some famous Ravens player that everybody wanted their picture with. We got a picture with him for Ethan and Tanner.

Elle and Sebby trying to get on the Kiss Cam

Abby Fetterman- I could adopt her!

Birthday party for Sarah C!

Perrins lived here, moved away, moved back, moved away and moved back again.
Glad they're here to stay!

Ivy's favorite person in the world- our neighbor Joe.

Jeff Hanni came to visit for a day

Ivy loves her dad. She watches him drive away for work and cries.

The Hartricks! Down from NY for a weekend trip! I miss Lourdes SO much!

Dinner at the Stuckis. Thanks to Kailen and Brandon we got to eat slowly for once.

Visiting Michelle before her baby was born. Our kids never want to leave her house. It's a kid's dreamland- horses, pool, running free, twins, Michelle's cooking.

Beautiful Michelle. We were meant to be together forever- an hour drive away is all.

Happy Birthday, Cari!

We had a dream boat trip planned with the Finnigans and the Krewsons. Bishop was going to take us out onto the Chesapeake Bay for dinner and the sunset. Stu was worried about the storm clouds and cancelled the trip (he said that getting struck by lighting in a boat wasn't on his bucket list). Right after we cancelled, the sun came out and it was the most beautiful evening ever. This is us crying about our cancelled trip at Baskin Robbins, and then heading over to the Bishops for some karaoke. I hate karaoke. But, I love watching Mary do it.

A great trip to Boston. Our hotel overlooked the Charles River and Harvard- loved watching the sculling team.

Boston Children's museum

We auctioned these Red Sox tickets at the youth camp fund raiser. Thanks Bishop for the best seats behind home base! We'd been listening to Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond for months before our trip so we could sing our hearts out!

Ivy just starting to get sick and swollen and we didn't realize it.

Foul ball!

Loving the T

View of Harvard from our hotel window

We hung out on Harvard campus. Elle asked us what everyone was doing in chairs in a circle out on the lawn. We said, "Being smart together." So, we wanted to be smart together, too.

Duck tours

Kids getting to drive the boat with Dr. Quack-enstein

Boston Commons. We stayed there almost the whole day.

Ivy getting a little more swollen each day.

She was suddenly so sick our last day in Boston. I hid her as much as I could from the stewardess on the plane so we could just get home on the short hour flight and get to the hospital. We got home, dropped our bags and went to Urgent Care. By 4 am the next morning I took her to the ER. They took her by ambulance to Georgetown hospital. We were in the hospital for a week with a rash, swelling, dehydration, urinating bood, blisters all over her skin, protein in her urine. She was the mystery patient. These are pictures of her looking much better, after losing four lbs of swelling, but still sick. I wish I had pictures of her the first day. She didn't look anything like herself.

Ivy kept smiling for pictures and then would collapse and cry right after each one. It wasn't fun in there. Every time the nurse came in Ivy would say, "No thank you, bye." We knew the trauma doctor there. He came and drew Ivy's blood from her artery in her wrist for us after 13 (painful) unsuccessful tries from the Pediatric ICU nurses. She was too swollen to find to her tiny collapsed veins.

I spent most of the time in the bed with Ivy. She couldn't walk because her feet were too swollen, she didn't want to be in the rocking chair or she'd throw up, and she wouldn't sit or sleep in the crib alone. So, we were both patients it seemed like. This picture makes me weepy because Colette saved me that day. She was with me for the worst blood draw attempt yet (which made me so sick). I love this picture of her wiping Seb's face, and the amazing volunteers who came and sang to Ivy for an hour. I couldn't thank those volunteers enough for lightening the mood for awhile.

Wow, nothing like bumping into old ward friends across the hall at the hospital. Scott's newborn baby was having problems. We met up in each other's rooms every night to catch up on how things went that day. They told us which dryer in the laundry room lasted longer than the others and which floor had the best vending machines.

When I told the infectious disease doctor, and the immunologist and the nephrologist that I didn't understand anything they had just told me, this was their "dumbed down" diagram for me. Oh........now I get it.

Kailen came to visit. This was her dying over the Georgetown rugby players lining up for a game outside our window.

Ivy could finally walk after six days. We made a trip outside and it felt so good. Georgetown is so beautiful.

Dona and just about everyone else in the ward helped me so much. I felt like we were just in this exact situation not long ago, needing so much help, when I had cancer. The ward really does become family. They did so much to help while my mom was on her way to Maryland.

Love/hate relationship with teaching hospitals. Residents poking their head in every 15 minutes, but they loved Ivy so that made up for it.

Since that first trip to the hospital, Ivy has had several less severe recurrences. We've visited the kidney doctor, infectious disease, allergy and immunology, and rheumatology. No one has a definitive diagnosis yet - but it seems to be something kidney-related. We're just supposed to get labs done every few months and keep following up.

When we got home, Ivy fell asleep early so a neighbor girl came over so we could go to Ken Bowler's birthday party for an hour- felt nice to do something not stressful after a long week at the hospital.

My kids were begging me for snacks on the long car drives back and forth to Georgetown for appointments. Ivy was usually asleep so I never stopped to grab something. One day I found this basket on my doorstep from Dani Gardner. A basket full of snacks. How did she know exactly what we needed? I couldn't believe it. I remember crying and opening the Ritz crackers and then everything in our life was suddenly fine.

Visit from the Finnigans on my birthday

Stuckis brought me flowers, as if they hadn't done so much for us already.
My kids LOVE Kailen.

The best and nicest and most delicious birthday cake I've ever had from Ninon McGinn. We were so worried about Ivy I forgot it was my birthday until Cari came over with a treat during the day.

Waterford Fair. We love this guy. He serenades us every year.

I told Gabe I was going to poke my head into the art gallery, and Mary told Stu she was going to poke her head into the art gallery. We died laughing when we bumped into each other there.

Stu with his great hat

Ivy looking and feeling a lot better

I missed my dad when we were making pots.

Little Max Johnson. Sweet little guy. Looks like his Grandpa.

Visit from Chuck Summers! Loved this Elder when we lived in New York.

I asked Elle and Sebby to quietly wake up Ivy for her doctor's appointment.........

Brandon came over for lunch. Our favorite lacrosse star!

Measuring lesson from Steve Creasy. They live a few doors down and dote over our kids so much. Best neighbors.

Halloween

Hurricane Sandy. These trees fell in our backyard! We heard the cracking and got everyone to the basement to sleep that night. I didn't sleep much though, after hearing the trees falling every once in awhile.

You NEVER know what these guys are going to come up with!

McKay is so great. I was so lucky to have her in my laurel class. I'm glad we know her before she's famous someday. She's going to invent an artificial heart and spinal cord.

Trying to get Elle to pull her first tooth!

Recital- Ivy has to bring along her little violin. She feels left out.

Sebby told someone they had to move over so he could stand by Elle. :)

Sebby's creation - a homemade quiver

Double dipping on Thanksgiving Day. Stuckis house and Ortiz's house.

Nice taste in clothes, Kailen!

Ivy helping Joe paint his front door

Thanks Mary for the hammock! We lived in it all fall and plan to be there all summer.

Ivy has a five minute lesson between Eleanor and Sebastien's lesson every week- just to feel included. She didn't want Sebby to leave her side her first lesson.

Neighborhood party for Joe

Elle's first harmonic

Ronda demonstrating 'swing, open down, drop D on thumb-side corner'. It's all in the knees and the back, she was explaining- wanted him to feel it happening.

DC Visitor's Center concert with Jenny Oaks Baker and Alex Sharp from Celtic women. Alex told me her next concert was at Kent Concert Hall in Logan, but I probably hadn't heard of it. :)