Jake and Amber Lane

Ashtyn is ROLLING ... Yay!!

2011-12-16T22:42:00.001-08:00

Our little girl is getting so big!! December 13th was her latest milestone. She started rolling on her own, to her tummy and back to her back. Its so weird to see her doing something like that. I still picture her as our little NICU baby weighing 4 lbs.

Being her mom has been the neatest most rewarding experience I have ever had. I love that little girl so much, more than words can express. She has so much personality and spunk. Lately she is starting to do more and more and it is amazing!! We both love her and cant imagine our life without her.
This past week has been a busy one, Jake has had a few different family members in town so we have had a lot of late nights. Vicki and Jaden are here from Alaska until Tuesday, December 20th. What a delight they are. We love seeing them. They had to fly out because Jaden has been having numerous seizures again and again, they don't know why. She has to come back in March to have another brain surgery. While we are excited to be able to see Vicki and her family more often that we normally would, we wish it was under better circumstances.
Jake and Kim & Travis and Haley with their families came up from St. George to spend time with everyone, that was nice getting together. Bobbi has had a hopping house while everyone has been here. What troopers they are for being so welcoming and willing to open their home to relatives. Spending time with family this time of year is always a little more enjoyable because you are more focused on what this season is for.
Jake has had an interesting past few days, yesterday morning he woke up early (5:30 am) to use the bathroom, and a few moments later I heard a very loud bang and then another one immediately after. I ran to the bathroom and he had passed out. He was sitting on the floor and didnt know what had happened. He hadn't been locking his knees, he said that he was moving trying to get the feeling to go away and then he held onto the bathroom counter to prepare himself, and blacked out. That is the third time he has done that in the past year or so. Its very worrisome. He went on to have a pretty normal day for the rest of it. He went to work with no incidents, came home, visited with family, worked out, etc. At the end of the day he went to take a bath and all of a sudden got a bloody nose. This would be the second one in the past two days. But this bloody nose was the grand mal of bloody noses. It bled with a steady stream for over an hour. We took him to the American Fork ER, where he was told that he had extremely high blood pressure (getting up to 186/90.) They did an EKG and checked all sorts of blood tests. Everything was coming back normal. We have a follow up appointment on Monday and hope that that may be able to answer some questions. The ER doctor did tell us that Jake may have a syndrome that causes you to pass out when urinating, but he didn't want to diagnose that until other things had been eliminated. How random... its looking like Jake may have to adapt to "sitting and peeing" like us girls!
Tomorrow is the Coates' Christmas party, and I am very much looking forward to it. It is always great to get together with everyone and visit. We only do it once a year where everyone is able to come. Even Uncle Rick and his family will be coming. There are a few that wont be able to be there. Uncle Mike and his family are out of state, Uncle Kelly is an inmate but will hopefully be with us for the next party, and Dad (Travis) is .... working.
I love Christmas, especially since I now have a little angel to celebrate with and for. I am so excited to have a child and be able to share this special season with her.
I know there is a lot to put in this blog, but I am severely behind and need to work on getting caught up. There may be a few posts of randomness!!

Our Beautiful Baby Ashtyn Arianna

2011-08-06T13:09:00.001-07:00

I was able to work for almost three weeks. And then on Wednesday June 1st,2011 I was experiencing what I thought was just a bad back ache. I went to bed really tired. I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve my bladder, which had become a very normal thing for me to do. I remember checking the clock and it was 4 am. I was thinking that it sucked that I was going to have to get up in two hours to get ready for work. I was laying in bed when all of a sudden, my pants were soaked. I thought I had peed my pants. I got up and changed and attempted to go back to bed again. And again, my pants were soaked. At this point I woke Jake up and we headed to the hospital where we were told that my water had broke and we would be having baby Ashtyn six weeks early.

I was overwhelmed with feelings of excitement and fear. Fear for my baby that was coming into the world too early, fear for myself because I didnt know what to expect with childbirth, fear for Jake and myself on becoming new parents, and excitement to finally be meeting the little girl that had been kicking me in the ribs for the past few weeks. My labor was short and sweet, unlike what the doctor and nurses had told us to expect. I was told that I would be in labor for a few hours. I made the decision to get an epidural,which was a very interesting experience. The anesthesiologist had to put mine in twice because I couldnt relax enough for him to get it into the right spot. Once he did, it did its magic. It was then that I was told to expect a few hours until my labor would start progressing. Jake needed to run home (which was about 10 minutes away from the hospital) to get our cell phone chargers and a few other things from home. He was gone for about 15 minutes before I started to feel a slight pressure, the nurse came in and checked me and said that I was to the point that I could start pushing. I had to wait for Jake to get back and once he was there, I pushed for about 10 minutes, and then Ashtyn was here!

She was born at 2:06 pm on June 2nd, 2011. Born at 4 lbs 10 oz and 16 1/2 inches long. She looked beautiful. What a miracle!!

My mom got to cut the umbilical cord and she was soo happy to be able to do that!!!!

Ashtyn was born with only slight breathing problems. Our respiratory therapist was Mr. Bentley's wife from Sanpete. It was so awesome to have someone that I was so close to be there to take care of my baby. I knew that she was in good hands. I gave birth to Ashtyn at American Fork Hospital. The pediatrician that was on call said that they were going to give Ashtyn some surfactanct to help keep her lungs inflated and they would put her on a CPAP in hopes that that would be all that she needed to help improve her breathing. Unfortunately, he felt that she was going to need a respirator inserted to help her progress to the point of breathing on her own. American Fork Hospital didnt have the capability to keep her there with her needs, so they made the request to have her transported up to IMC Medical Center in Murray. So a few short hours after she was born, she was taken away from us. I had to stay the night in the AF hospital, and let my little newborn be taken by herself up to IMC. The next morning I was very anxious to get released so that I could get up to the other hospital and be with my baby. When we arrived at IMC, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that Ashtyn had only needed the respirator for the ambulance ride up to the hospital, and hadnt needed any other oxygen supports since then. She was progressing so well! The IMC hospital had parent rooms that we were able to stay in for free while Ashtyn was critical. I cannot begin to express what a blessing that was. I spent as much time with her as I could. I couldnt get enough of her. She was perfect!! Once she started to really gain weight, the doctors made the choice to transport Ashtyn back to American Fork hospital where she was able to be closer to home. We were so glad to have her so close. She only had to spend 17 days in the NICU between the two hospitals and then she was able to come home! Jake received a fantastic Father's Day present, his baby girl came home! We were very anxious to have her home with us, but nervous at the same time. The first few days at home were very nerve racking, every little sound that she made, I was there by her side to make sure that she was still alright. At nearly 2 and a 1/2 months, I cant say that that has really changed :-). She is my perfect little baby and I simply cannot get enough of her. I love every day that I get to spend with her, and I am so grateful that she is doing so well. She is such a little trooper, and I cant help but to think that that blessing is coming from her sweet guardian angel, Arianna. We are so blessed to be able to name our baby after such a sweet little girl. I know that our baby was able to spend time with Ari while they were in Heaven together, and I hope that that bond is held throughout Ashtyn's life.

I am very excited for the opportunity we have to be Ashtyn's parents, I am excited for the journey that we have started. I love my little girl more than I could ever express. She is so perfect in every way!

Our Life as of Lately... and the Past year!

2011-08-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

Well Hello Blogger World!!! I think that it has been way too long since I have made a visit :-) I have so much that I have to catch up on.

This past year has gone by in a blur! My last blog post was announcing my first pregnancy,well that pregnancy was very short lived. I miscarried at 7 weeks. I know that I wasn't that far along, but it was a very rough time. For those of you that have had the unfortunate experience of a miscarriage you know that you feel the biggest feeling of loss and disappointment.

Shortly after my miscarriage, Jake and I moved to Ketchikan, AK. We drove the car on a 17 hour drive to Bellingham, WA, where we boarded the Ferry. It was a 3 day ferry trip from there to Ketchikan.

These are just a few of the pictures that we have from our ferry ride. We had alot of fun on the ship. It was like a mini cruise. We didn't want to pay $250 plus a night for a mini sized room to sleep in, so we slept in the theater room. They had cushions on the seats that came off and we used them as pads. I unfortunately, get motion sickness really easily and had to live on Dramamine. We met alot of neat people on the ferry ride, alot of them were retired people that we just traveling.

We arrived in Ketchikan on August 29, 2010. We were greeted by a very welcoming Ron and Vicki. It was so good to see them. I immediately started working the next day and The Gateway Center for Human Services as a Behavior Health Associate. That was an experience that I will forever be grateful for. I learned to be very appreciative of my health. I worked with many people that were struggling with mental, substance and physical abuse, and ages that ranged from preschool to adults. There were some clients that would come into our office so sad, and after having just an hour of therapy from any of our therapists, they would leave with a huge load removed from their shoulders. It was great to be part of such an amazing team of people.

We were welcomed into a great LDS ward, and we enjoyed every Sunday that we had there. They were all so great. I was called to be a primary teacher for the 7-8 year olds, and I loved it. Those kids taught me more about the Gospel than I did them.

Since I had had my miscarriage, we had been trying again to conceive, and in October of 2010, I had a positive pregnancy test. I was soooo excited. I was really nervous though, I didnt want to get myself excited and have the disappointment that followed if I were to miscarry again. I didnt tell anyone that I was pregnant until about 12 weeks along. That was a very hard secret to keep. I scheduled my first appointment and was very relieved to see a strong heartbeat. Our baby was real! That first ultrasound just looked like a little lima bean, but it was still sooo dang cute!

Soon after finding out that I was pregnant, I came down with a severe case of bronchitis. I was coughing non-stop day and night. And then I got another round of kidney stones... or so I thought! Jake had me go the ER for my coughing and pain from "kidney stones," after a quick urine test, I was told that I was only experiencing tendon stretching from being pregnant. Boy was I embarrassed. :-) They sent me home with an inhaler for my bronchitis and said to stick out with the back pain. I had spent the last week sleeping on the hardwood floor because it relieved my "kidney stone" pain. Ha ha!

I had the idea that i was going to try and do a natural birth with no drugs, but I was soon faced with reality when I found out that there would not be an option for an epidural if I stayed in Alaska. We made the decision to move back to Utah, not only because of the epidural, but that did play a HUGE part in the decision. We purchased plane tickets for me and ferry tickets for Jake and the car. The family flew Brian out to Alaska for Thanksgiving so that he could ferry back with Jake. We enjoyed a very good Thanksgiving holiday with Ron and Vicki, it was a nice send off for us. We thoroughly enjoyed spending the time that we did with them. It was great to get to know them, since I hadnt really gotten the chance before that.

The flight home was miserable, I was in the middle of my bronchitis which meant I had lots of nasal plugging. Taking off and landing made my ears pop and snap, which was very painful. The trip couldnt have gone faster. I was very relieved when I landed in Salt Lake.

Soon after moving back to Utah, my grandparents offered their basement apartment to us. That was such a great thing for us at the time, we were struggling to find Jake or myself employment. Little did we know, that was going to be nearly a 7 month battle.

In January we had to experience the loss of our niece, Arianna Lane. She had been fighting a nearly two year battle with LCH, and she lost that struggle in January. We were able to spend many hours with Ari and her family at Primary Children's hospital in Salt Lake. We were able to get to know Ari's sweet spirit, which is why we asked Travis and Haley's permission to name our baby after theirs.

For Valentines Day, my mom and Jake took me to Fetal Studios in South Towne Mall. We were there to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. It didnt take long for the technician to see that we were having a girl!! My mom had been telling me throughout the pregnancy that I would be having a girl, so all she could say was I told you so. Jake and I were both excited, it just took Jake a little longer to realize it!!

The next few months went by really quick and fairly smoothly. I made the decision to go back to Kroger in May and I was planning on working up until I had the baby, which was supposed to be nearly 8 weeks. But our little Ashtyn had other plans.

Its so totally worth it.... but scary.

2010-08-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

So we are pregnant... and we both are feeling mixed emotions, ecstatic excitement to fear of being responsible for a little human, to the financial changes that will come. There are so many changes. I have always heard that you will have really weird dreams when you are pregnant, well I have been having this one where Jake and I are sitting on top of a cliff and I have a blanket around me. I drop my blanket down the cliff and then I jump down to get it before it falls, when I jump off, I land on a bunch of large rocks, and have to balance on then to get my blanket. When I get back up to Jake, he asks, "Wasn't that scary?" and I reply, "Yes it was so scary but it was worth it to have my blanket and not let it fall.
That is exactly what I am feeling in real life right now.
I saw on a pregnancy website that its a good idea to keep a log of your dreams because it is fun to go back later and see how they related to your life at that time. This is the closest thing that I have to a diary.

We have a few new things to blog about.......

2010-07-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

So, Jake and I have made the decision to move to Alaska. We have the opportunity to go there and both of us will have jobs immediately. I am very excited to get to know Ron and Vicki more, since they are the only ones out of all of Jake's siblings that I dont know very well.
Vicki has a close friend that is opening up a rehab center for children and adults. I am going to be working with the children, and Jake will be with the adults. I am very much looking forward to this type of work. I love being around kids, and the ones with handicaps or challenges are such an example to me.
It will be hard leaving behind what I have here. My family, my job, my friends, etc. I will miss them all dearly. But I am also looking forward to a life changing experience, one that I probably would never had the chance to do without the help of Vicki.

And I said in the title that I had a FEW things to share and blog about..... both of which are going to lead to alot more blogging... yay!! The first thing was about us moving...... and the second is....

We are expecting! I know its way early to be telling people, but we are excited (well, let me rephrase that..... I AM EXCITED!! Jake is scared....) We have been trying since December, and leave it to us, to finally make it happen, when we are going to be moving.

Both of these changes are exciting and I am so glad that I can share them with you all!

Lipstick Mommy...

2010-04-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

I went and spent the day with Ari, Haley and Lori up at Primary Childrens. I had talked to Haley on Sunday to see how they were doing, she told me Ari was doing really well and that she had started gaining her weight back. I remember thinking... "Wow, that is great news..." then I get to the hospital on Tuesday... and she has her cute chubby cheeks again! She looked like a different baby compared to the last time that I had been at the hospital with them. Ari was so much fun. As soon as she saw me walk into the room I heard her mumble something to Haley in a little tiny voice, that only Haley could hear. Haley giggled and said, "she wants some lipstick..." I always offer Ari lipgloss when I am there because she is always picking the skin off of her lips and when she has pretty gloss on she doesnt do it. It was so cute that her first words to Haley when I walked in were "lipstick Mommy..." I let her keep it in her purse until I had to leave that night. Ari is also walking all over the room she is in... yes this time they actually have room to move around each other. She is so cute, she has a mini WalMart shopping cart that she puts all of her valuables in and she pushes them around her room. Haley, Lori and I have been making headbands and there were little pieces of yarn scattered around the hospital room floor, Ari would walk over to them, and her little stomach is still a little big so its hard for her to bend over, but she would bend over and pick the pieces up and throw them away. Haley says that she is a little clean girl. She likes to make sure that everything is picked up and nice. I loved spending the day with all of them it was so fun! I hope :-) that they are.... and I hope that they arent :-) still there this weekend...

Lori gave me some recipes for some healthy bread that will be good for Jake and I since we have been starting to eat better. Its 100% wheat bread, with a few extra items to make it extra delicious. I stayed up until 2:00 am last night because I wanted to try making it as soon as I got home. It was fun and the bread turned out so good. She had one that was cinnamon and raisin flavored, which I really liked, but I knew that Jake wouldnt touch it... so I used dried blueberries instead of raisins and I took out the cinnamon. It turned out really good! But I do have to say that the plain wheat one was better! So thank you Lori for being a domestic Goddess when it comes to cooking fun, new things. You are awesome!!

Conference on Sunday April 4th, 2010

2010-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

I took notes during the conference on Sunday, we didnt catch the one on Satuday because we were sledding. But I like to keep notes so that I can later reference them. I love watching conference, its always so peaceful. If you read my notes and I have mis written or mis quoted someone, please let me know so that I can fix it.
First Session:
Dieter F. Uchtdorf - I was making my breakfast during his talk, but he said one very profound and touching sentence. I feel like this is something that we all need to think of daily, myself especially... Every person is a VIP to our Heavenly Father. Wow, what power that sentence holds. I know that I need to remember that.
Richard D. Scott - Jesus gave us the path to be able to rise again. Easter is when we return gratitude for what the Savior did. LDS members can better understand what Christ really did for us, because we have complete knowledge about what he did. Jesus gave his life to break the bonds of death. He is the fountain of truth. When we obey a law we receive a blessing. The Savior had to go through the Atonement alone, not because God didnt love him but because he needed to do it alone. Use the Church as a righteous tool to strengthen the home. The best way to make a permanent change for good is to let Jesus be the center of your life.
Donald L. Halstrom - Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. No matter the cause the source of our response can change the recourse of our lives. "Come unto me all who are labored and I will give you rest," Jesus said. There is joy and pain, without one we cannot know the other. How we respond to situations can reset our direction of our souls. Fear not what man can do for God will be with you forever and ever. If you feel you have been wronged, deal with the matter directly, dont give up, turn to Christ. Never let an earthly circumstance hurt you spiritually. Let us turn to the Lord. He will forever right our life.
Cheryl S. Lant - Striving to be worthy is an example in itself. We must love the Lord with all of our hearts. As we love our families we love the Lord. Be an example. You must know the way in order to show. We may feel as if we are failing, but through the Lord we can be who we need to be and do what we need to do.
Quinton R. Cook - "Ye are my deciples if you show love one to another." Our focus has always been on the resurection of the Lord. Repent and become a Saint through the Atonement. How we interact with others is a measure of our love for Christ. We need to be respectfull of others and love even our enemies. Sacrement meeting is the holiest of all meetings of the church. It shows our commitment to Heavenly Father to remember his Son and to renew our baptisimal covenants. Spend your life tyring to be mroe loving to all no matter how strong the adversary is. Conducting yourself as Jesus lives and loves is more important than being angry. If we want to have the inspiration of the Holy Ghost we need to slow down and make time to ponder and pray. There will be times when we will be tried beyond what we think that we can handle. We are preparing for the second coming. Because of the atonement we will be reunited with our loved ones after death. There will be times when we will be tried, Seek ye the Higher.
President Monson - If a man die shall he live again? This was a question asked by Jobe. If there is a design to the world there must be a designer. There is a grand designer - God. He made cattle, beast and creeping things. Last of all he ccreated man in his image. Man the noblest work of the Great Designer. So we would have the chance to succeed he provided His Son. He went about doing good, the book of Acts. The suffering of Jesus in Gethsamane caused myself, even God, to tremble (I know thats not the right word...) from pain. If a man die... he SHALL live again. He lives, death is conquered, man is free.
Close of first session.

Russell M. Nelson - Every person who comes to this earth is a product of past parads. Methods for Temple ordinancing are improving. He spoke mainly of geneology and the importance of doing the Temple work for your ancestors.
Robert D. Hales - What is my duty to God in relationship to youth? Consistentally living the Gospel. Will my children know what I know? We lead by understandint them. We must do more than be in the same room. We need to make umpressions on their minds and hearts. It is impossible to over influence the effect parents to their children. Being there means understanding their hearts. The saddest words of tongue and pen are those that say, it may have been.
Bradley D. Foster - There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. A distraction does not have to be evil to be effective. We must never stop trying to find our lost ones. There will always be a family and church waiting for us to return. He then reads a poem by Elizabeth Achers about mothers. The love of a true mother comes to that like the love of our Heavenly Father.
James B. Martino - Five things to make us more like Jesus. 1 - He sought not to do his will but to do that of his Father. 2 - When faced with trials we must learn to not complain or murmer. But to look toward the Lord. 3 - I MISSED THIS ONE... IF YOU HAVE IT PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
4 - Let us serve and think of others. 5 - Forgive others. Be accountable for your own decisions.
Gregory A. Schwitzer - We cannot judge others but we are expected to have excellent judgement. Good judgement is needed iin making decisions that will either lead us away or towards the Gospel. Many blessings in life are missed because worldly judgements are involved. The Gospel has a long and successful record of leading people to happiness. Listen to our living Prophet. A relationship of listening requires a peaceful environment, this includes external and internal. "Peace I leave with you... let your heart not be afraid or troubled..."
Fransisco J. Vinas - 28th Chapter of Alma. Awful death will come unto the wicked. No unclean think can inherit the kingdom of God. Teach things that pertain to righteousness, there are many examples in the scriptures. Parents hold an essential role in showing their children righteousness. Speak words or righteousness, those who do this will receive rewards.
Neil A. Anderson - Our generation is said to be in the very best ever. We have been placed on earth in troubled times. The adversary is using every means possible to ensnare us. We cannot be casual in how we prepare. We must fan the flame of our Spiritual core. Do we teach that Jesus often said, "Ask and you shall receive." Jesus stands ready with open arms. Do we feel the power of Jesus' miracles? It is by faith that miracles arive. Be not afraid. Do we anticipate His majestic return? Tell me the stories of Jesus that I love to hear. Open the scriptures and discuss them. Speak more frequently of Jesus Christ. When the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, he shall not get through if you are based on a solid rock.
"Two men can do anything ... As long as one is the Lord."
President Monson - We are here because we love the Lord. We want to serve Him because we love Him. In all ways acknowledge him.
I made this blog for me, there are alot of quotes that I wanted to have somewhere permanent to be able to look for them. And again, if I have misquoted something, please let me know.

Easter Weekend 2010

2010-04-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Dona, Corey, Ashley, Linsay, Scott, Mina, Taylor, Jake and I all went ski biking and snowboarding on the saturday before Easter. It was really fun... I guess I cant really say that Dona, Mina or myself did either ski biking or snowboarding.. we stayed cozy warm in the truck and did the driving. We had alot of fun taking the pictures and watching them all come off of the mountain at the end. Some of them were really entertaining. Ashley and Linsay both took pretty good crashes at the ends, and I luckily.... :-) got both of them on video. I will figure out how to post them on my blog so that you all can enjoy them as well. It was a great weekend. We havent been to Mount Pleasant for a few months and its always nice to visit and spend time with all that live down there. We had a great breakfast Sunday morning that consisted of belgian waffles with cream cheese sauce, peaches, raspberry syrup and whip cream... crepes that consisted of cream cheese filling and blueberry topping, eggs and bacon. It was delicious.

This Easter Sunday was preceded by a trip to Arizona for Uncle Jerry's funeral. It was nice to yet again see a lot of new faces from Jake's side of the family. Jerry's was a funeral that was full of happiness. There was not lingering sadness. I am sure that it is difficult to lose him as a dear member of the family, but he is in a much greater place, and you could feel that at his funeral. The funeral was given in a very small funeral home, one that was close to the size of the Mount Pleasant house living room and dining room combined. Every bench was full and there were as many people standing in the room as there was sitting. Then... we get done with the wonderful service and go outside, where the entire gravel parking lot is full of people that came to give their respects to Jerry and his family. It was shocking to see how many people got together to say their temporary goodbyes to one person. I was touched by all of the humorous stories that so many people told about their Jerry. My favorite few were the ones about trying to flatten a bolt on a train track and actually succeeding in derailing the big train. And then avoiding law enforcement about the incident after... so cute. And then another was one about not having an actual birth certificate that states his real name, his real birthdate, and his real birth place on the same sheet. All of these stories were nice to hear so that I could have some rememberance of him since I only met him one time at the family reunion last year in Sierra Vista. I am very looking forward to the reunion this year in California and hope that I will yet again, get to see some new faces, or better yet... some that arent new!

We had a good trip with Dona, Mina, Jaymi and Krew, and Jake and I. It was a long 9 to 10 hour drive, but we managed with alot of snacking, catching up, and snoozing. I am glad that we went. I am thankful that we both have jobs that allowed us to miss a few days. I hope that this will allow those of you that couldnt be there to kind of know what the experience was like.

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would take some time to tell what I was thankful for since it is that time of year :-) First, I am so thankful for Jake. I am so hard on him sometimes and he is always so good. He is always supportive of everything that I do. He is always encouraging me to do things that make me happy. I love how happy he always is. He is such a good example of being happy for everything. This time of year is his favorite and its so much fun to spend it with him.
I am thankful for the opportunities we have to see family on both sides that we dont get to see that often. Jake is so excited to go to Mount Pleasant for Christmas. I hope that everyone can be there this year.
My grandparents were here for Thanksgiving this year. They havent been for a few years. They are not winter people so they usually take off for the winter and go to Arizona. But.... this year my grandpa has run into some medical problems and his doctors wont clear him to leave. I am glad! Not for the health problems, but I love having them around for the holidays. My grandma's food is always amazing!
I am thankful for everything that I have in my life. My family, including Jake's side, my job, Jake's job, everything that makes my life what it is. I literally have nothing to complain about... but like always... I find something. I just need to remember the things that are good and that I cant live without.
I saw the saddest story about a caver (spelunker) that had gotten trapped in the Nutty Putty Caves at Utah Lake, and he was in there for 28 hours, leading to him passing away. This was the day of Thanksgiving. How sad and heartbreaking. He left behind a little girl, and a pregnant wife. They tried for days to remove his body from the cave but the risk of sending rescuers in for him was too high. So they are sealing off the caves for good and making that his permanent resting place. They are going to let the family make any necessary landmarks there to properly respect that place. I cant imagine what that family is going through right now. Their whole Holiday season is forever changed. Stories like this are what I need to think of when I think that my life is so bad. My life is great, I need to always remember that.
The other day Jake and I were in a little tiff and I was being mad, he sat there trying to be positive and make things better, and he said "lets not make this a moment that we will later regret." At that moment I was mad, so I didnt really think about what he had said. But I have numerous times since, and it has bothered me that I didnt think about then and stop him when he was walking away.
I am thankful for the chance that we have so many times throughout this time of year to be able to help the ones that are not as lucky as we are. I like hearing about radio stations and news stations that are helping out families in need. Its so touching.
I had an idea today... that as a family (anyone who is willing) that we should all pick an Angel off of the Angel Tree and help provide a great Christmas for those who otherwise wouldnt have anything???? Any takers? It wouldnt take much but it would change the memory and life possibly of a young child or family. I think that it would be such a great experience to try this as a family! Let me know.......
I love all of you that will be reading this and hope that just like us, you had a great Thanksgiving and that great things are in store for you for this Holiday Season.

Our long day at the hospital

2009-10-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

Well today turned out alot different than what we had planned for. Or I guess we should say, yesterday, since it is one in the morning on Sunday. Around two on Saturday my side pain came back worse than I had felt it since it started. It was horrible, I have never been through child birth but I have heard from more than one person that kidney stones is worse. Man, I believe it. The immediately put me on some doritol, which is a little bit stronger than morphine. It worked instantly and felt amazing. But just like with the other narcotics, it made me itch like crazy. So to counter act that, she gave me some toridal, I was allergic to that. So lets go ahead and times the itch by like ten. haha. It was so funny. Mina, Jaymi, mu mom and Kallie had came up to bring that shock therapy thing and I didnt realize how much I had been itching while they were there. I would so much rather be itching than feel like someone is stabbing me.
Around like 7 pm, the doc came in and said that he was going to send me home and if I had to come back again, they were going to keep me and surgery was going to be the next resort. I was already feeling the pain meds wearring off and the pill form ones that he sent me home with make me sick so I cant keep them down. I asked him if it would be a pain just to go ahead and admit me so that they could keep my pain down. If I'm not hurting then I'm not straining my urethra muscles, which allows the stone to continue to move. He went ahead and admitted me and gave me some more dorital ( I think thats what its called.) Or dilantin... ??? It helped me sleep for a little while, it is now around 1:15 in the morning on Sunday. I woke up with a little pain which means the meds are wearring off. But thats good. The last time that they gave me pain med through my iv was at 9:30.... longest that I have gone. Maybe that means that the stone has FINALLY gone into my bladder, and from there its supposed to be painless. I just hope that none of the others start to move on me.
Travis sent some more texts today while I was out of it, so I have not read them yet on Ari's updated condition. Once again for my memory I am going to put them on here:
Dear Family, as we all know Arianna's sickness has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, good health for a couple of days and then an unexpected devasting collapse. Most of it has had to do with her condition of diabetes insipidus, causing sodium levels to rise and fall and dehydration to take place in a matter of minutes. Thus causing convulsions and minor comas to over take her physical body. She has also experienced a large amount of pain this last week. Pain that oxycodone and morphine had challenges to alleviate from her body. The doctors dont know exactly where the pain came from and if it will return. Her blood levels have also been very weak requiring blood transfusions. The most consistent symptom has been a fever on a daily basis. Sometimes, two and three times a day, but never with fault at least once a day. The hope is that she has some type of viral that is causing these symptoms. However, they have done and ran test after test this week and are not finding any type of virus or infection. So there is a belief that it is the LCH that is causing it. It is very important we find out, according to the oncology doctor if it is the LCH we must aggressively change what we are doing . Because it is not enough and she will rapidly decline and with studies in the past of similar situations, they were not favorable. (Translate for yourself.) Unfortunately, if it is the LCH that is causing all of these symptoms, fever and pain, the road ahead will be very, very challenging. So... they are going to start all of the tests, surgeries, biopsy, catscan, x ray etc. There are many and they are painful and discomforting. Mom, Jaymi, Lori, Jake and Amber know, they witnessed and helped with many of them. If it is the LCH that is causing it, the therapy will be mjuch more aggressive, the chemo will be more potent causing more risky and painful side effects. (She's already a radiation bomb ready to go off.) According to the doctor at this point because she is into her 6th week of chemotherapy treatment, she should not be experiencing these symptoms, if she is in remission. Unfortunately, with the chronic illness of LCH, if a patient doesnt enter into remission soon the chances of survival are less likely. Now on the other hand we are hoping that it is a virus or infection, it is is we get to continue with antibiotics and intensive care, she should be just fine, figuratively speaking. According to science and medicine, in my opinion the diagnosis is pointing to LCH. But that's not what we want. Haley and I are going to start a fast, I'm not sure what to fast for, my first thought was to fast that she has an infection or virus (never thought I would fast for that reason.) So if anyone has an inspirational intuition please share. I also think it would be great to fast for Amber and her situation (no not because of her marriage to Jake...) her kidney stones that she is passing. This situation reminds me of tough man tournaments. You know you have to step into that ring and fight, but you dont who its going to be, the 6'6" 250 pounder with years of fighting experience or the 150 pounder that all of his friends convinced him he actually had a chance. So yes, I am fearful of who our opponent is, I feel like I'm sitting in the locker room waiting for my opponents name to be drawn. I guess this is a moment in life you hope that you've trained well for. As I'm sitting here typing this into my phone I am wondering if I am prepared to fight the 6'6" opponent. Is my faith, patience, charity, belief and hope sufficient? Have I honored my Priesthood, am I worthy to commune on a divine level? What do I know about the Atonement, can I access it on a level sufficient to help Arianna bare what may be ahead of her? Is my relationship with God and Christ enough to call upon the powers of Heaven for comfort and support for Arianna to endure what challenge may come. However, my mond can not rest from the thought of, if Arianna does not make it, was I as her father, prepared spiritually, physically, emotionally and intellectually enough to do all I could to help her? And did I give her the love and care that she needed while she lived her short two years on this earth? I guess those are good questions, regardless of Arianna's situation, questions I should ask myself about Haley, Kaley, Taylor and Laney. And all of the people that I love.
Once again, I am amazed at him. He is such an inspiring person. Even with the terrifying road that lies ahead of them as a family, he took the time to mention my situation. Which compared to theirs, is tiny. I hope that they soon will be able to see the light at the end of their tunnel. I cant help but to think of them throughout the whole day everday. My heart also goes out to Vicki, of whom I heard, Jayden is not doing well. She is such a strong person as well. I dont know how she is blessed with the patience that she has. Patience is definitely a virtue that she was blessed with. She will be up here again in Utah the first week in November, I hope that during that trip she will be able to find something useful out and be able to get some treatment for Jayden that works better than what she is on now.
I am so thankful for being able to watch these spiritually strong people and be able to admire their strength, physical and spiritual.
Well my dumb heart rate machine wont stop this stupid beeping, I am sitting in the hospital trying to do by blog and I dont know what the problem is. I just got dizzy and really warm, so I am going to have to finish this later.
Thanks all you guys for your example and support.

Kidney Stones.... Ugh!

2009-10-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

So the crampy pains that I have been having for the past couple weeks have been the onset of kidney stones. I woke up Thursday night with the worst pain that I have ever experienced, even worse than when my gallbladder went bad. I know, how healthy am I? Jake made me go into the emergency room that night and they immediately diagnosed kidney stones. They gave me some morphine in my IV that didnt even touch the discomfort. So she gave me a little bit more along with something that would make me sleep. It felt so good! I went home and slept until about 11. I really thought that the pain was gone and that I was through. But.... as soon as I took my pain pills that he prescribed me, I started vomiting them back up. We ended up back in the er last night for the same thing. They did a ct scan and that verified that I did have a kidney stone that was almost to my bladder, but.... there are several more in both kidneys that could start moving. Oh no!! And on top of that, I have a cyst on one of my ovaries.
The pain pills dont seem to stop the pain like the morphine did last night. So I am going to have to lock down and try Donna's magic remedy. You have to drink 72 ounces of coke in two hours and then blend a can of asparagus and drink that at the end. She said that Corey's brother gets kidney stones frequently and does this everytime and it helps.
I would describe the pain as when it feels like you have air in your stomach and its hurts for just a second and then it goes away... except for this pain doesnt just go away. It stays... I hope that I am nearly to the end and that the others dont start moving. The pain pills that he has me taking make me itch like crazy, all over. Its driving me nuts. You feel like you have little ants covering your whole body. Especially my face.
Jake has been so cute. He brought me home some sunflowers, a little panda bear holding some grenades, and a card that says:
He came home from work early yesterday with these things. I am so glad that he did. It was nice to have the company. He is a way sweet guy. I love him!
Well today, we are going to go spend some time with Trav, Haley and Ari at the hospital and then later tonight I am going to a Witches Night Out with my sister. Halloween is by far my most fave holiday! I will definitely post some pictures from that. It will be a blast!

Travis and Haley's Inspiration and Example of Faith and Trust

2009-10-15T15:20:00.001-07:00

Today I was at work when I started to get some texts from Travis. They were so unbelievably touching. Together, him and Haley have some of the most tremendous strength that I have ever witnessed. Jake and I have spent alot of time with them at Primary Childrens and there never failing optimism is amazing. I am doing this blog mostly for a journal for myself, so for my memory I am going to post his texts on here. So that whenever I think that I am going through a trial I can read it and know that I will probably never have to go through what they are.
Family, I have to admit as of yesterday I am feeling the challenge of Ari's condition. I thought I was a super hero, numb to the situation. But the endless physical torture that she endures everyday has pierced my heart to a point of almost bitterness towards faith and the Atonement. But I know better than to go there. I do know that what is happening is in God's control, I just don't agree with it. I would rather that she moves on into the next estate as to have to continue enduring such excruciating pain. Pain that a grown man would fear, a pain you would only wish upon an evil enemy. I wonder if this financial challenge and Ari's challenge is for what purpose? I often ponder searching for an answer but find myself confused and question the power of God. But then I step back and realize that these experiences are for my own good and I realize that I have learned so much from them. My relationship with my wife and kids have grown, my gratitude for life and health have increased, my love for family and appreciation for those relationships have deeply awakened a better understanding of God's plan. I then realize that these experiences are a great blessing from God and I feel privileged for the opportunity that he has allowed me to take part of them. I anxiously gather everything I feel like I have learned and with a joyful and grateful attitude I try to go back out there and make the best of the situation, knowing with no doubt that God knows and understands and I find comfort that God is in charge orchestrating such a divine occasion. I then feel embarrassed for doubting the power of God and the Atonement. I then realize my role is simple. Its the basics, have charity, have faith, have a good attitude, continue to learn, continue to be grateful, and most important, endure the trial and never give up hope.
Dad, I really want to thank you for you and all you're doing to help with such a business disaster right now. You're handling matters that make me cringe, I am so grateful for you and you may or may not know how much you're helping me right now.
Mom, thank you for the many endless nights of support and the miles that we physically put in together in the beginning of Ari's journey. And thank you for supporting Dad with the business challenges we have right now.
Donna, thank you so much for taking care of our kids and getting them in school. I wish we would have left them in, but I guess... What do they say about hindsight?
Liz, thank you for the blog, it has allowed a lot of people to remain updated. You not only have kept them updated but with your gift of writing, you've allowed it to be inspirational and entertaining.
Vicki, thank you for your example of positivity and endurance. You've always demonstrated those two attributes our whole lives. (despite your text results.) You've always been an example to me of being positive and never giving up.
Bobbi, thank you for your support, even showing up at the hospital and noone is there.. Lol. Thank you for taking the kids, coming and getting them from Alta emergency room and for caring for them like their own mother.
Jaymi, thank you for the many endless nights at the hospital. For all the many trips you have made to haul kids.
Taylor, thank you for being you. I dont know if you know but Ari's in the hospital. Lol. (When the freak did we get ice cream?) Thank you Taylor for letting me tease and make fun of you!
Brian, thank you for your silent support, when I speak with you I feel such a love and concern not only for Ari, but for me and Haley as well.
Jake, thank you for many endless nights at the hospital. Of so much support sleeping on couches and always physically being here for support.
Amber, thank you for so many dinners you have brought, your food is so good. Your support to Haley has been very helpful. You've always just shown up out of the blue just waiting to see if there is anything you can help with.
Kim, thank you for dressing up Kaylor and sending us pictures of her, she is beautiful.
Lori, thank you so much for all you have done. There is no doubt that if there is anyone that Haley and I can rely on to receive any kind of help from, it would be you. You're so non judgmental and you're endlessly supportive of anything we do, willing to endure with a humble and grateful attitude. I am also grateful for the strength that Haley gets from you.
Haley, I dont have words to express my gratitude for you. Your example of faith and humility are not human. You never give up, you're always grateful. I am so impressed by the way you're in tuned to what Arianna needs medically and emotionally. The way you took charge the other day when Arianna was vomiting and having convulsions. You gave orders to the doctors and it was your motherly intuition that saved Arianna. I find it very important to give gratitude to people and God. I feel like when I recognize my blessings and give thanks for them, for some reason burdens are alleviated.
How inspirational and touching are those words? He shows an unreal amount of Faith and trust in Heavenly Father. I did not grow up in the Church. Of course, I always had family that was LDS and supported that religion actively. But it was never something that I really realized had such an impact on our lives. Now that Jake and I have started going back to Church together, you really do notice the little things that start to work out in your favor. I am so grateful for the people in my life, my grandparents on both sides, Mike and Brenda, and Jake's family, for the tremendous faith they have in our Lord. I cannot wait to make it to the Temple with Jake and be able to seal our life for time and eternity. It is a goal that I now know is very reachable.

A Day At Grandma's

2009-10-14T17:06:00.001-07:00

Today was my last day off.... I had a doctors appointment this morning because I have been having cramps in my abdomen for the past week and I finally broke down and went in. They are running a blood test to make sure that it is not pregnancy and if that comes out negative then they are going to see if it is endometriosis. We'll see what goes from there....
After my appointment I went down to my grandma Coates' house to visit with them. I just spent the day catching up with them and spending time with them before they leave for Arizona in the next few weeks. My grandpa has been having some circulatory problems in his legs and is going in to have an angioplasty and angiogram on October 19.
Brenda brought Cooper, Maasen and Eli over to hang out for a bit. It was nice getting to see them, I never get to. They are such fun little kids. Cooper is sitting next to me telling me that he needs to sit in my chair and play the games on Grandma's computer. He needs me to move. Ha ha. He is a cutey. I will let him have his turn now.

First Post....

2009-10-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

I forgot that I had one of these, so I am going to start using it because Vicki's book was so cute and easy.
Lately Jake and I havent really been up to much. Just working and spending time with Travis, Haley and Ari and Primary Childrens. Its been such an emotional roller coaster and we are not even her parents. But watching them have to go through such a hard trial in their life has been really hard. All we can do is be there for them, which we have been trying to do. They have such an amazing spirit about them. Its unreal to see their Faith and Strength in the Gospel. They are such an inspiration to me and how I want to be when we get the opportunity to have the Temple promises in our lives.
Jake started working at Discover Card and he really seems to like it. Now, its not working with Travis, where they could have fun time and social hours all day :-) but its a job and it pays pretty good. We are currently staying at my dads house in West Jordan. He is alone here so he had the room and that was a blessing because of all of our money getting stolen at the wedding, which was our apartment money. Living here really isnt that bad. It is going to help us get some sort of savings started since we dont have rent.
We have started going to Church and already we are starting to notice the small things that have come around. Things just seem to go alot smoother.
I hope that I can keep up with this often enough that it will be worth making a book at the end. Keeping up with everyone elses is a lot of fun. I really enjoy it.....