# 7

I had surgery # 7 this past month but am feeling better.  Ever since I had my abdominal surgery nearly two years ago I have had difficulty with eating.  More often than not, eating would cause nausea and sharp stomach pains,  While in the hospital they ran several tests but were unable to discover the cause of my stomach pains.  I have been dealing with this issue for nearly two years and it hasn't been getting any better.  I have lost quite a bit of weight because I no longer could feel hunger and eating always made me feel sick.  It was like being pregnant but without the perks of getting a baby.
When we were in California this summer I had a really bad attack that left me on the floor for 4-5 hours with extreme stomach pain.  I finally decided to go back to the doctors to see if we could find a cause.  I have had multiple imaging tests done with everything coming back normal. I was referred to a string of doctors and finally a general surgeon.  He said that everything looked good and was within normal parameters for my gall bladder but sometimes it just causes pain when functioning.  We had been worried that it could be my pancreas so hearing that it was more likely the gall bladder was a huge relief.  We decided to take out the gall bladder and see if that improved my ability to eat without discomfort.  It not, I wouldn't be in any worse of a position that I was in currently.  We went forward with the surgery and I am pleased to say that thus far (2 weeks out) I have not had any nausea with eating!  Normally I could only eat twice a day or I was guaranteed to be sick during the entire evening.  I have been slowly eating more than two meals a day and have not been nauseated once.  I still don't feel much hunger, but at least I am not afraid to eat.
Once again I am very thankful for all the doctors who have sacrificed so much of their time to learn and eventually to take care of me and my needs.  Being married to a future doctor (only 5 more months till he is officially a doctor!) has given me a greater depth of appreciation for all those in the medical profession who literally sacrifice years of their lives to learn how to best help their fellow man.  I am so blessed to me married to such a man who wants to help improve others lives.

Summer Fun and Interview Time

It has been a very busy summer for our little family.  Rob has been busy working and has been gone a few months this summer.  I took the opportunity to go on a road trip with my parents to Washington and Oregon to visit my brothers and their families.  It was a great trip, we all had a great time.  Matthew was particularly amazed with his Uncle Erik's lego collection. Erik has entered lego competitions and done very well.  I was blown away with his creations and seeing them in person was fantastic.  A picture just doesn't do his work justice.  The best part about his lego collection is that his three kids get to join in and build with him.  He has converted his entire 2 car garage into an amazing lego room.

Matthew loved his Uncle Erik

Mommy and the boys at Silver Falls, Oregon

I spent a few days at home, and then went up to Idaho to see my sisters who were visiting from Texas.  It was great to spend girl time together making quilts for a doll house we are making for the grand kids.  The zip line that my dad installed in his back yard was also a huge hit with the kids.  For Jeffrey we used a bucket seat from the swing set to put him on the line.  The kids had a blast!

Grandpa let Jacob give the traditional tractor ride this year for the grand kids.

 Cousin time on the Warm River

 Can't get enough of these cute boys!

One of my new favorite pictures of Jeffrey

After Idaho it was a frenzy to get things ready for our month long excursion to Washington and California.  Rob doesn't get much vacation time right now so the only way he gets a vacation is to schedule a work rotation where family lives.  We were blessed to spend two weeks with my brother Alan and his family, and then with Rob's parents in California.  Matthew and Jeffrey loved all the cousin time.  Alan and Debbie have 3 boys similar in ages to my boys.  It was a real break for me because the boys all played so well together and kept each other busy and happy.  Debbie was a real help to me in getting ready to teach preschool this fall for Matthew and a few other kids.  She is really great with teaching young kids and had a lot of good materials.  I enjoyed making learning games for my class.

Jeffrey

                                                                          Matthew

Such a good looking kid!

California was a very busy and fun time for us.  We got to see Rob's grandparents and that was very meaningful for them.  We went boating a few times and I got up on a wakeboard again!  I have gotten up 3 times this summer, which is the first time since surgery.  It was tiring, but a wonderful experience for me.  I am so happy to be getting my health and strength back.  It has been a long road, but I am so grateful for all that I have learned along the way.  We also got to go to the ocean several times and we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather on the coast.   They boys had a blast at the beach.  We also went to the Redwoods, Train Town, and just had fun playing with family.  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful life, and to have so many people who have supported us through our med school journey.

Matthew 

I love this man so much!

Matthew at the San Francisco Zoo

Mommy and Jeffrey enjoying the Zoo

Matthew at Train Town

Mommy got up on the wake board!

Grandma and the boys at the Redwood Forest

Mom and the boys in the Redwoods

Another beautiful beach day

Jeffrey on Grandpa's boat

Matthew was so excited Grandpa let him drive the boat!

It is getting to the end of med school and we are very excited!  Rob has applied to be a general surgeon and now we are starting to get interview offers.  We could end up anywhere in the U.S. and are very excited to find out where we will go next year.  I am so proud of all that Rob has accomplished in school and amazed at the father and husband that he is to our family!

Fourth and Final Year!

Rob is now officially in his fourth and final year of medical school!  I couldn't be more proud of him and all the hard work he has put into school.  He will be taking boards at the end of the month and then we will begin audition rotations.  For those outside the medical community, audition rotations are when you go work at a site that you are considering for residency.  Currently Rob is looking at going into surgery.  He has loved all his surgery rotations and has gained a lot of great experience.  The downside for us is that he usually doesn't get to come home until the weekends when he is doing surgery rotations.  Time is flying for Rob, but we all miss him when he is gone.
Rob was out of town for the month of May so I decided to take the boys up to visit my parents in Idaho.  We had a great time even though it rained every day.  We took the boys to Mesa Falls, Yellowstone, the Snake River and their cousins.  Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

 I don't think we can ever get enough of sweet smile and laughter.

 Jeffrey

 Matthew is getting so big!

 We found this really cool tree that had the roots sticking out of the ground.  The boys had fun playing.

 Mommy and Jeffrey

 The boys loved the steam pots at Yellowstone.  Jeffrey decided he was going to be independent and refused to let us hold his hand on the boardwalks.

 I sure love my sweet Matthew, he is growing up so fast and has reached the age that he hates to have his picture taken, so there are fewer pictures of him on this particular trip.

Our happy little boy

 Jeffrey loves the water and can never get enough!

  I made Jeffrey this cookie monster cake for his birthday

I wonder where he gets his silly side from?

We always miss Rob when he is away working, but we know that it will pay off in the end.  We still try to have lots of fun when he is gone to help the time pass by faster.  But sometimes I look at my sweet boys and don't want any time to pass, because I love the stages that they are in.  We truly have a very blessed life!

Updates and Hopes

    It has been almost a year since moving to Utah!  I can't believe that Rob is almost done with his third year of medical school.  He will be graduating in June of 2016.  After all that we have gone through since school started, we are looking forward to graduation.  School was harder than we expected, but not in any way we could have predicted.

Rob all scrubbed in for surgery

Matthew practicing being a doctor just like Daddy

   Since moving to Utah we have spent a lot more time with extended family.  I have been blessed to spend time with my sweet grandmother before she passed away in March.  I didn't know if I would get to see her again once we moved out to Missouri for school, but we got to see her a few times.  As sad as it can be to lose a beloved family member, I know that she lived a wonderful and good life.  She was an inspiration to her entire family, and her legacy of hard work, a love for the gospel, and a positive attitude will always be remembered. It is always fun to reconnect with all the family as we gather to celebrate my grandmother's life.  I am reminded of how many blessings are in my life!

Jeffrey at the graveside

My Dad, Jeffrey and I at the grave

 My health changed our entire future.  As part of the difficulties we have gone through, we have decided to adopt!  We are very excited for this and feel that our family is not yet complete.  I can no longer have children, but we feel that an adopted child can be just as much a part of our family as our two boys.  This is a new world for us and we are excited to see what happens.  We trust in the Lord and in His timing.  If we have learned anything through our trials, it is that He is always in control and that His timing is perfect.  Time after time we were reminded of this as emergencies, surgeries, or other important events always happened on Rob's vacations, or when he could easily take time off to help out with the family.  I know that bringing in another child will change our lives again, but we deeply desire to have more children.
   We are so thankful for all the friends and family that have supported us through our journey of medical school, surgery, and all that changes that have come in the past few years.  We have been so greatly blessed to have such a great support group!
  Our boys are excited to have another sibling.  I was talking to Matthew about us adopting another child,  We told him that certain steps had to be taken before we could adopt.  We went to the doctor's office for our physicals.  Matthew was with Rob and came into the exam room after me.  As soon as he got in the office he went to the doctor and asked him where our baby was.  He told the doctor he was supposed to bring him a little sister.  I hadn't realized that he thought we were going to pick up a child.  He is so excited to be a big brother again some day.
   As I contemplate how happy it would make our family to adopt, I realize that there is so much pain and heartache for those who place their children.  I can't even imagine how it must feel to be on the other side of this equation.  All I can say is that I appreciate those who make these great sacrifices. We feel so blessed to have a family and have been taught good family values.  We know that we have been blessed with such wonderful lives, that we desire to share that with others.

Move, Mayhem and More

Well a lot has happened since my last post.  We moved to Hyrum, Utah!  I left Missouri in the beginning of May to spend a few weeks with my parents, and to let Rob take his boards without distractions.  He gave up so much time and sacrificed a lot in his education so that he could take care of our family.  I wanted to make sure that he had a chance to do well in his classes and pass the boards.  My Dad came to pick me and the boys up.  Rob and I bought a car in Utah and had him drive it out to us.  That way I would have a car to get myself around in until Rob came out in the beginning of June. 
Rachael was living at my parents house as well and getting ready for her wedding on June 14th.  It was a busy time for everyone as there was a lot of yard work to take care of before hand.  Matthew and Jeffrey had a wonderful time playing with cousins, riding the tractor with Grandpa, and just having a new place to play and explore.
Rob came out to join us in June and we moved into our new place.  It is a bit smaller than our old home, but a lot newer and very nice.  We love being back in the mountain west and couldn't be happier with our new location.
It seems that ever since we moved back this way we have seen family every single week.  We love living close to Joe and Sandy and have enjoyed getting to know them and their family better.  We have taken a vacation to California and had a great time seeing all of Rob's siblings.
This summer had been exciting for me because I have had to chance to do several things I didn't think I would be able to physically do.  I have ridden on a horse, gone kayaking, and rock climbing.  I wasn't spectacular in any of these areas, but it was a huge improvement for me.  When I came out this way in May I could barely walk up a hill because my left leg was so weak.  I still have weakness in my left leg, but I have seen so much improvement in the past few months.
I had another surgery last week.  My implant was causing a lot of pain at the site of the wire insertion.  The doctor went in and moved the wires so that they wouldn't set off a nerve they were resting against.  I am still not sure if the procedure worked because I am trying to still heal, but I have positive hopes that things will get better.  I have a lot on my mind with what to do for my health next.  I will have to do another procedure but haven't yet decided exactly what I will have done.  I have several options, but they all end in one surgery or another.  Now that I know how difficult surgeries can be, I am nervous to have another one.  It was such a strain on our family and I hate to put everyone through that again.  Rob's schedule is not as flexible as it used to be and he can't miss days like he used to, so having another procedure will put a lot more of the responsibility on me, and that is very difficult to recover while taking care of two energetic boys.
Matthew and Jeffrey are doing great at our new place.  Jeffrey started walking this past week and is growing so fast!  I love my boys!  Now for some pictures.

Hopefully the Last Surgery

I recently had my 4th and 5th procedures and they are hopefully the last for a while. I had a neuromodulator placed in my lower back. This device stimulates the nerves in my sacrum. I have a lot of internal paralysis due to the lipomyelomeningocele and complications of the removal of the tumor. If all goes well, I will regain function of some of my internal organs and have a more normal lifestyle. I don't know how much I will recover, but I am hanging onto hope that things will improve with this device. I know that I will possible face more surgeries in the future, but for now there are no more planned procedures. I have spent over a month in the hospital, undergone 5 procedures taking more than 17 hours of surgery time, and around 30 inches of external scars. Needless to say my body has gone through a lot of trauma this last year. Healing comes slowly and I will be in recovery phase until November. It has felt like every time I start to feel better from surgery, I have to go in again and do another one. I am really excited to have no more procedures on the horizon and I look forward to felling better and staying that way. Rob will be finishing up his second year of medical school in May and then taking his first set of boards. We are excited and nervous because these will have a big impact on his future education and career. We are excited to be moving to Logan, Utah in the beginning of June. We found a place in Hyrum and will hopefully be signing the lease this next week. We also bought another car this past week. Dad will be driving it from Utah out here to pick the boys and I up. We are going to be visiting my parents for the month of May while Rob studies for his tests. We felt that he would do better without the boys and I around to distract him and take up his time. I am excited to come back to Idaho for a few weeks and just play with my kids and parents.