Halloween, finally!

The kids were monkeys this Halloween. I'm not sure they even needed the costumes, but they sure looked cute!

Funny Livy

This is how Livy uses a bucket. One day, I couldn't find her, so I called out her name. She came around the corner and down the hall with this bucket over her head! She is soooo goofy and I love it!

My Chad

It seems like I've lived a week in the last 43 hours. I'm still in shock, obviously, but feeling some peace and comfort, too. There's nothing I could say about Chad that those who knew him didn't already know. Our love was one of a kind. I've never had anyone love me the way he did. I didn't know that I was gorgeous, cute, funny, wonderful, spiritual, or anyone to take notice of, until I met Chad. He saw who I really was and who I was trying to be. He helped me let that out for others to see too. Although I feel like we have been married for a long time (13 years), it seems like now, it was only a short time. Chad and I were like "peas and carrots" (Forrest Gump). I am grateful for an eternal perspective at a time like this. We had a lot of difficult conversations over the last three years regarding the possible outcome that has now become reality. We reminded eachother that forever was a lot longer than the 50 or so years we had hoped to have. I remember when we were first married, we were excited that we had a shot at making our 50 year anniversary because we got married so young!

I hope to see many friends at his services Wednesday and Thursday. His obituary is available for viewing online at www.deseretnews.com.

I don't have many digital pictures of Chad and I before we had the kid, but these two that I've used seem appropriate. The one above is from a trip to Vegas that we took about 1 week before he got sick in March of 2006. The one below is from a trip we took to Colorado over Memorial Day this year. The location is at Flagstaff in Boulder, Colorado. It's where we went on our second date.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House

We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House with Chad's cousin, Kami, and her family. They were out visiting from Wyoming. We usually don't get to see them very much and this was a great way to spend some time together.



The fountains were the best part of the whole experience . . . well, at least for Livy and Bridger!

Ellyse and Saydria were a great help and the twins really liked them.

Charlie and Livy became fast friends!

The fountains at Gateway

We did so many things this summer and I have yet to post them! My sister, Heidi, came out over the 4th of July. We did a lot of water things and going to the fountains was one of them!

Chad's Treatment

I just wanted to post an update and some information regarding the treatment that Chad is undergoing. Chad has been down for about 2 weeks with severe pain. One of the tumors on his liver is pushing out in his back. He actually has a visible bump - not a good sign. We went to his new oncologist, Dr. Frame, who we LOVE. He worked quickly to get Chad's pain under control and develop and action plan. Dr. Frame thought now would be a good time to try out Cyberknife.



We went to Cyberknife (pictured above) earlier this summer for a second opinion. The doctor there, Dr. Reilly, said that Cyberknife would be a great option for Chad when his tumors became symptomatic. So, we called Dr. Reilly up last week to get started. Chad's first session was Wednesday, and he will finish on Friday.

Let me give you some background information so you can appreciate how wonderful this is for Chad. Chad did traditional radiation treatment for two tumors in Dec 2007-Jan 2008. It took 14 sessions and almost 4 months to recover. Traditional radiation tends to treat a larger area rather than just treating the tumor. As a result, the side effects are more severe because the radiation is killing healthy tissue along with the tumor. This treatment was successful for Chad and seemed to keep a couple of the tumors at bay for one year.

Cyberknife is so wonderful because they can focus the beam of radiation to the diameter of a pencil versus the diameter of a large cereal bowl. The treatment from Cyberknife will hit only the tumor and Chad only needs to go in 3 times for treatment. Cyberknife is able to give more radiation in one treatment because it is only hitting the cancerous tissue.

To say it has been a tough year is an understatement. But, good things have come from the trials. We found a wonderful and caring oncologist and already had a connection at Cyberknife. These two things have made the last two weeks almost bearable.

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Invoking the hosts of heaven through your faith on our behalf is a great blessing to us and to you. We'll keep you posted on Chad's recovery. Chad loves e-mails while he's down. It helps him to feel connected, so send as many as you like!

Trip to Colorado

We went to visit my Grandparents in Colorado over Memorial Day. My cousins came too and we had so much fun! Our first stop was to my Grandma and Grandpa Spiva's graves in Fort Morgan.




Hangin' out at Grandma and Grandpa Lee's house.

Uncle Rick

Livy, Bridger, and Natalie

Uncle Steve and Aunt Cindy

Grandpa and Jim

Nick, Amy, Wesley, Uncle Andy, and Chad


We went on a hike at Chataqua Park in Boulder. It is so beautiful there. These were my old stomping grounds during high school.

Bridger is chasing a petrified squirel.

These last two pictures were taken at Flagstaff, which just above Chataqua Park. This is where I took Chad on one of our first dates.

Bridger's First Haircut

This actually happened in May, but hey, "better late than never"!

What a handsome and brave boy! He was 15 months to the day for his furst haircut. Olivia is now over 18 months and no where near needing a haircut!

Mother's Day

I know I'm totally late! It has been a very busy Spring. I just had to post these pictures. We went to my mom's on Mother's Day and the kids found these glasses. They were an instant hit! We've found that our kids will wear anything if we think it's funny.

Livy

Bridger

Paper or plastic?

Okay, I know that we are bombarded with "Save the Earth" ideas everyday. It seems like a big task for us average folk. I can't afford to buy all organic, I don't have time to hand wash all of our laundry, and I'm sure I'm not physically fit enough to ride a bike with my kids in tow all over town. I needed to start with something small, practical, affordable, and something I'd actually continue to do. So, I decided to start with the plastic grocery bags.

I bought one or two bags a during a couple of trips to the store. I now have four bags. I was sure I would need at least eight bags because I usually fill 10-14 bags each week. Well, I went shopping today and look at all the food that fit in my four bags! It only took 2 trips to unload kids and groceries instead of four or five. I just keep the bags by the back door or in the car so I have them when I go shopping.

The take home message is, for $4 dollars I am now a little more earth friendly. And when I'm asked "Paper or plastic?", I say neither!

Happy Easter!

We had a quiet but fun little Easter. I was sick so I stayed home with the kids while Chad went to church. I was so sad that the kids didn't get to wear their cute easter outfits for church, but I dressed them up just for a small egg hunt in our front yard.

Bridger was so surprised to find candy inside the eggs. Once he found out they opened, he just wanted to goods!

It was hard to get Livy to grasp the concept of the buckets. She kept trying to carry all the eggs in her hands.