One year???!!!!

We made it to one year. If you want to be more accurate, one year snuck up on us. Life still hasn't slowed down, but let's be honest - will it ever? Tonight our celebration will be simple. Take out from Pei Wei, Baskin Robbins ice cream (hand packed) and we are going to watch our new Mary Poppins DVD (my choice, not Darren's) and go to bed early. Lovely. 

PS - this what we looked like a year ago. Nothing has really changed except a slight weight gain :) Dang that ice cream!

Broken ribs are a pain (in every sense)...

Things got a little more complicated for Dad at the hospital today. The staff are still struggling to find a vein for Dad to get his antibiotics, so he may get a central line. His pneumonia has gotten worse, so his stay at the hospital will be extended. And last but not least, those darn broken ribs caused some more problems!

His doctors think that during a coughing spasm, one of his broken ribs tore a hole in his left lung (OUCH). They inserted a chest tube to help repair the damage, but this is a discouraging set-back. His pain level is back up and he is discouraged about this new complication. 

Please keep Dad in your prayers.  We want him home as soon as possible. 

Newest Dad Development

Let me give you the latest Dad update:

He finished his radiation about 2 weeks ago. Over the last few weeks, he has suffered a few set-backs unrelated to his multiple myeloma (ie- broken ribs, yeast infection in the throat) but we were hopeful that he would return to the joke-telling, easy going, paperback-book-reading Grandpa Brown in no time.

We moved Dad to his  new room downstairs (which looks great!) and due to fantastic organization on our sisters' part, helping Dad with his medications is a breeze. He has a new flat screen TV, a padded reclining glider, a mini fridge and a fancy smancy new hospital bed to make him comfortable. THe best environment for a recovery and the best way to keep Dad away from the stairs :) 

However, recovery has been slower than expected. His tumors have shrunk, but he developed a blood clot in his calf and in his lung over the weekend. His appetite has decreased, and it is still difficult for him to take a deep breath (not because of his tumor but because of his broken ribs). 

Our newest development? Today Dad checked into the hospital with a bout of pneumonia. The pneumonia is affecting the upper part of his lungs and he needs IV anti-biotic-therapy but he is expected to be home by the weekend. We are hoping there will be no additional complications and a special thanks to Misha who waited at the hospital for 5 hours until they managed to find a vein to give Dad his antibiotics. 5 hours? What type of needle were they using? A straw from McDonalds? Thank you Misha!!! 

Changes for Lexi

Lexi - you get your own post about how I finally connected you to my blog.  I regularly check her blog through bloglines, but she pointed out that there was no direct link to her blog.

This has been fixed. A nice new feature is the family section.  (Lexi - being a sister - you are in the family section).  Let me say how happy I am to have a sister live so close. But since I am older, there is this nagging feeling that I should do all within my power to tease her! Thus the title :) 

I would like to give a shout out to a few newcomers in the blogging world. Welcome Nellie and Angela! You may notice that I typically list all couples with the girl's name first. This is for a few reasons.

1) The girls are typically the ones who actually post on the blog (excepting a few like Kent, Tim, Ryan). 

Okay I lied. That is the only reason. 

Birthday Boy

Here he is in all of his glory. 

Today is Darren's birthday. I felt a little bit of pressure because last year we were here:

No, that is not the zoo. We were in Kenya on safari in the Mara. Last year all Darren wanted for his birthday was to see a leopard. 

Needless to say, a trip to Africa was hard to follow but I think I was able to make a big impression with a little crepe paper, a custom birthday hat and a birthday banner:

This is how our day went. Woke up and made Darren oatmeal pancakes with buttermilk syrup. We did a little church service by knocking on doors for Proposition 8. Then we were destroyed in a tennis game by Casey and Lexi.  Our beating was followed by lunch at Fiesta Grill. Then we settled down and watched the BYU game and finally dinner at Houstons. (Which has the best ribs and hamburgers I have ever tasted!!! Two words - California Burger.)

All in all the perfect day spent doing things that Darren loves. And because he is 31 this year, I will list 31 things that I love about Darren.

1) How sweet he is

2) He is a great cook

3) He is a great example

4) He will watch chick flicks with me (sometimes without me, he watched Enchanted when I wasn't around).

5) I love his sense of style

6) I love his spiritual side

7) I appreciate how hard he works at EVERYTHING

8) I love that he helps out around the house

9) I love how smart he is

10) His tie collection (it is truly amazing)

11) How I can laugh with him all the time.

12) How hard he tries to do what is right

13) How he loves to travel

14) I love how shamelessly he likes me to scratch his back

15) I love how he never gets angry (at least at me)

16) I love how he loves to travel so much he is always planning trips

17) I love how much he loves wearing free t-shirts

18) I love how supportive he is

19) I love that he is the person I want to talk to the most

20)I love that he is obsessed with college football and basketball

21) I love that he is a great athlete (sometimes I don't like the fact that he runs a lot faster than me though)

22) I love how he is always wanting to surprise me. 

23) I love how much he wants to cuddle with me

24) I love his family

25) I love that he loves my family

26) I love his example

27) I love how he helps me simplify things

28) I love how generous he is with everyone

29) I love how willingly he does his callings at church

30) I love how he is a night owl.

31) I love him and am so grateful to spend my life with him. 

I love you Darren!

Silent Auction

Stephanie and Christian Nielson

My sister-in-laws are hosting a silent auction tonight to benefit Stephanie and Christian Nielson of Mesa, AZ.  Stephanie is the author of the blog, nieniedialogues.blogspot.com. 

They are the parents of 4 young children. Last week they were in a plane accident where they sustained severe burns over most of their bodies. They are in the hospital in critical condition and are expected to go through months and years of skin graft surgeries and rehabilitation.

I have come across Stephanie's blog in the past and was always so impressed with her style and love for her children and life. 

We don't know Stephanie and Christian, but we want to help.  The details of their accident can be found here. As of right now, their family is caring for their children during their long road to recovery, which you can read about here.  

My sister-in-law Stephanie Waite is hosting a silent auction on her site adailyscoop.blogspot.com for a Kazuri bead necklace. All of the proceeds will go family. Our family was incredibly blessed by strangers in our time of need. We want to help others if we can.  

If you can, please help us bless this family in during this dark time. Most importantly, please remember them in your prayers. 

Welcome

We have a new addition to our family. Welcome home, little Harris. 

Born: 08/21/08

Weight: 4 GB RAM 

Length: 24 Inches

Darren was concerned that I needed a better computer to blog and a bigger monitor so I can look at more blog screens at once. I am certain I will now be capable of responding to emails in a more timely manner. 

I am in love. And so is Darren, don't you think?