Belated Easter

Oops! I meant to post these pictures a while ago. Actually - I was kind of hoping to re-do Easter. We were so rushed that the pictures just didn't turn out that great. Oh well. It was just a little too bright.

First Place

This year for a school fundraiser we had a 5k race on the Jordan River Parkway trail. The kids were supposed to collect pledges and then complete the race. I had told the kids that they could not ask their grandparents for money unless they were going to finish the whole race. We went a couple of times to practice/train. I wasn't sure how I was going to do but I could tell that they had much better endurance. I warned the kids to not start off too fast but Teague was right off the starting line. He ran the ENTIRE way. And he took first place in his age group and 25th overall. And even better - he loved it.

Elise stayed ahead of me most of the race but a little over half way she was really struggling with a side ache. I hate those things. So I ran/walked with her the last little bit. She was a good sport despite the fact that she wasn't feeling too hot. We were both able to run across the finish line. I won't tell you what place we took but we were also happy to have finished.

**UPDATE: Elise also took 1st in her age group. She felt bad that we didn't give her as much attention. That was my my fault.

Worm Busters

How gross is this? After all our spring rain, I went down to our basement and found it crawling with WORMS. They were big too. And they were quick. Teague and I watched one worm make it from the basement door across our basement. So today, Gavin and I took the shop-vac down and did a little clean-up. Gavin takes this kind of work very seriously. This is his kind of work. Hopefully, Kenyon will be able to do whatever is necessary to fill the gap where the worms are sneaking in. 

Kenyon Update

I have neglected to keep this blog up to date. It is hard to know what to say about how Kenyon is doing. He is a trooper but to be honest - he is getting really sick of this whole thing (and so am I). He is so tired and weak. We are trying to fatten him up and get a little strength on him but it is slow. The steroids, diabetes, and low counts have really kept him down.

He is able to work - a lot. That is a blessing. It keeps him busy and he is able to provide for us. I am very grateful that his job is so good to him and that he can do it from home.

Lately, Kenyon has been VERY frustrated by his lack of taste and he can't tell if food is hot. It is so strange. Hopefully it goes away soon. It makes it hard to get him to eat much when it isn't enjoyable.

I thought that quote from Pres. Monson was so interesting. I don't know if I have it right but something like..."The Lord will shape the back of the burden placed upon it." ? Sometimes I think we both struggle with this challenge, and yet so often I feel like we are able to handle it so much better than we could imagine. We have definitely been strengthened and blessed to handle more than I would have thought possible. But that is only when we put our trust in Him. Blessings do come.

True Meaning of Easter

I love this video from Elder Holland's recent conference talk. It was the perfect to watch with kids after church today.

CAN'T WAIT!!

I am so excited for Thursday night. I know I am probably the only ER fan left on the planet. It's OK. I also admit that ER is no longer what it used to be. It is time for it to end. Sad but true. But, I LOVED this show. It has been a good Thursday night friend for the last 14 years (I didn't watch season 1). Thanks to my friend Leah - I got hooked back in our Provo days at Raintree. We used to put in our VHS tape on Thursday nights. When we had all our homework done then we could turn on ER.

Kenyon is probably happier than anyone that this show is ending. He has had to endure it for the past 11 years. He is sick of it. There have been too many episodes where he has to give me the "This isn't real" speech. I know it isn't but it kind of seems real. And I have shed a few tears. I'll admit it. He only has 3 more hours to endure - and probably he will just work anyway.

Didn't you just love that original cast of ER?

PS - Kenyon continues to make small improvements. At least it isn't steps backward. He is trying to get back some strength. Slowly increasing his diet. The funny thing (but not really funny) is that he can't tell if his food is hot. Everything seems cold to him. Isn't that strange? He can see the steam coming off the food and it still feels cold. Plus, his taste is kind of messed up which makes eating less enjoyable. The biopsy results all looked good - no detectable signs of leukemia. So hopefully we can keep this GVHD under control and we will make it out of this ordeal.