8 wins 0 losses!

A quick shout out to Mitchell... his JV soccer team at Bonanza is 8-0. Thursdays game was tough... several of the boys on the team couldn't play this week because their grades are too low (that's a whole other discussion for another post... one month into school and you are failing classes????)... anyway, they played against Bishop Gorman (for you out of towners, they are the private rich Catholic school) and they definitely didn't have any grade problems... it looked they could have fielded two teams. So, our 11 boys played in near 100 degree heat with no subs and won!! To make it harder for  Mitchell, he had a terrible cold, and still played great. We were ahead 1-0 at the half and I was so worried that they would run out of gas in the 2nd half, but they didn't. They caught a second wind when they scored again! It was a fun game... it was "pack the field" day at Bonanza and there was a big crowd there...lots of people stuck around for the jv game. It was great to have lots of Freshman girls cheering on Mitch... I am usually one of just a few parents there and probably one of 2 parents that cheer in English! 

They played out in Pahrump this morning and won 5-0 with only 11 guys! Hopefully our boys will get their grades up by next weeks games!

Good job Mitchell! 

3 Turtles! and time out for mom!

Ashley came home very excited yesterday because she bought a little turtle. I wasn't very happy because it's one more turtle for me to feed and take care off. She promised me over the phone on her way home that she would be the one to take care of it and I would LOVE it because it was so cute.... well, I have to admit that it is VERY cute. We will see about who ends up taking care of it. At least the turtles outside don't have to have their cage cleaned out... this new one lives in a little water aquarium.... that will need cleaning!

Tanner came running in for me the other day saying "grab your camera and take a picture of the turtles for your blog. It turned out that the big one tipped over his little night light and climbed up onto his little house. It was pretty funny. I don't think he knew how to get down. So we gave him a hand. They have been eating a lot lately... they must be feeling the cooler air and be getting ready to hibernate. I will keep you updated : )  

My friend Suzanne sent out an email the other day saying she had an extra ticket to "Time Out for Women" and I decided to splurge and buy it. I had a great day today with she and her sister. The speakers were wonderful! My favorite was Hillary Weeks. I need to get on itunes and buy some of her songs she sang. They were very inspiring. I was able to meet the author of one of my favorite books "Running with Angels". It's a book that Pamela Hansen wrote about her struggle with weight loss and the loss of 2 of her children and her amazing triumph of running a marathon. It's the book I read 3 years ago that inspired me to join weight watchers and lose 50 pounds. I was very sad to see that she has gained a lot of weight back, but it made me feel happy that I wasn't the only one struggling with that!

10 more days Brendon!

My sweet nephew Brendon has had a rough year. Last November he was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD). Here is a definition of the disease:

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a disorder of the upper part of the thighbone (head of the femur) that causes breakdown of the head of the femur. This is followed by new bone formation.

LCPD develops because of loss of blood flow to the head of the femur. This causes breakdown (avascular necrosis) and deformity of the femur where it connects with the hip socket. The bone reforms in the hip area when the blood supply returns to normal. During this time, the femur is soft and may easily fracture and collapse. The head of the femur heals in an abnormal shape and does not fit properly into the hip socket, causing stiffness and pain.

The cause of LCPD is unknown. It is seen most frequently in children between the ages of 3 and 12. Boys are affected about 4 to 5 times as often as girls. Usually only one hip is affected, although it is possible to have LCPD in both hips.
Symptoms include pain, limping or an uneven gait, decreased movement, loss of height, and loss of muscle mass in the thigh. Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms but may include physical therapy, a brace or cast, or surgery. Occasionally the disease heals on its own without treatment.

Brendon has been on crutches since November and the doctors have been watching him closley to decide what treatment would be best for him. They had to wait for the bone to stop deteriating before they could start to help fix it. Well, they finally decided it was done going bad, so here is my sister in laws words on what they ended up doing a few weeks ago...

Brendon was scheduled for a major surgery where they were going to cut his femur bone below the hip socket, turn it towards the socket and put a metal plate & screws to hold it together. This was the "sure" way of getting Brendon's femur "securely in the socket". He was in good spirits and ready to go at time of surgery- (I was amazed how brave and calm he seemed-- definitely more than mom!) The surgeon first injected a dye into Brendon's leg to get a better idea what the cartilage around the bone looked like. To his amazement and our surprise- he called the waiting room and reported "the cartilage looks excellent and I think cutting the bone is unnecessary at this time!" He then told us they would cut some tendons in his leg to be able to rotate the leg farther out and then cast his legs. We felt an indescribable relief at that moment- so many prayers were answered.

The reason for casting is two fold: 1. to get the the top of the bone securely in the socket during (or before) re-ossification (new bone growth) which hopefully will encourage the new ball to grow back in a better shape. and 2. to stimulate a better range of motion in the leg after the cast comes off. He could barely move his leg 10-15 degrees to the side because of tightened tendons and muscles around the diseased bone.

We are hoping a praying that when the casts come off that his bone will grow in the right place and he will be a normal 10 year old boy again! I just got these fun pictures of him today... I can't believe he has figured out how to move around with these huge casts on his legs! I've been worried about how bored he must be, but it looks like he is staying busy and happy!




Way to go Brendon! We can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!

Homecoming 2008...

Ashley got asked to homecoming on Wednesday night. She was so happy. One of the nicest boys in our ward named Brandon asked her. Take a look at the pictures to see how he asked her. I was able to catch her reaction on video.... she was pretty excited.

Of course she said yes. She created a maze through his house with string and at the end of it was a plate of cookies with the little rock on it.  Along the maze she left little notes with all of her thoughts that went through her head when he asked her. It was cute.

Best and worst of the week...

Best:
1. Mitchell's soccer team is 2-0! Way to start the season!
2. Ashley bought some cowboy boots... she wore her cousins while we were in Idaho and decided she needed some. So we went to the "Boot Barn" last night. Who knew that the average price of cowboy boots is like $200! Luckily she found some on sale.
3. Kids had a good week at school.
4. Ashley got her texting back.
5. Mitchell's classes got changed so now he has the broadcasting class he wanted.
6. Tanner won a 5th grade dance off on Friday.

Worst:
1. John's bike accident
2. I didn't eat very good... 
3. Ashley has a sore throat.
4. My house is still dirty...
5. it's still too hot to enjoy my morning run. I guess I could get up earlier... but my body doesn't like that.

Best and Worst combined:
Worst: John went to Spokane without me :( He went for work. Best: He was able to go to a party that all of our friends were at. The party was called "Because Rik is still on the green side of the grass!!!!!" Rik was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer 10 years ago this month and the doctors told him that he would live maybe 6 or 7 years. So his sweet wife Heidi had a celebration party for him. We love Rik and Heidi so much. They have taught us so much over the years as we have watched them struggle with this trial. They are rocks! Keep fighting Rik!

This is John and Rik when we were in Spokane last March.

Bad Dream?

I woke up to a phone call this morning and thought I was having a bad dream. Remember a few months ago I got woken up by a lady calling and telling me that she hit my husband while he was on a bike ride... well it happened again today. yes I am serious! This time it was John calling and he said he was fine, but could I come pick him up because his bike was broken...again. He was riding up Sahara, just past Hualuapi and a lady stopped at the end of her street and proceeded to turn left onto Sahara without looking to the left.... she hit the back tire of John's bike and sent him into the next lane. Luckily there were no cars coming. He has a little scrape on his arm is all, but his back tire is messed up. Of course I forgot my camera again! I pulled up to see 3 motorcycle police there and a helicopter flying above. I guess there wasn't much going on in Vegas this morning. John said I missed the 2 ambulances and one fire truck! Someone driving by must have called 911. The poor lady felt so bad. It was clearly her fault and she was so sorry.

I think I am going to get him a flashing neon light to put on his bike! he was wearing a bright red shirt, not sure how she didn't see him. Poor John... when i picked him up he said "aerobic exercise is overrated!" He has always been a weight lifter and has never been much into aerobic stuff... I guess he might need to join the gym and go to a spin class instead of outdoor riding!