Hello part 3

We are so grateful and blessed. We are all so excited for "Flippie" to join the family. It's still surreal and hard to believe it's actually happening. I'm so thankful for the many tender mercies with my health. It has made my trust in God increase and my testimony grow.

My heart bursts with joy and gratitude every Flippie moves. Flippie is so strong. I first felt Flippie's movements at 15 weeks. Flippie got her/his name from all of the ultrasounds. He doesn't stop moving, always too wiggly, the techs always comment and laugh. As many of you know we decided to not find out the gender, which is pretty exciting. And we're not dying to find out all the time. (My gut feeling is that it's a boy)

Hello part 2

Heavenly Father had a time line, and those couple of days where I had the overwhelming symptoms, my heart softened and changed. So we started again. With in two weeks, I started feeling awful again. All the time. I was experiencing daily migraines. Saw a Nuerologist, got an MRI because of the severity of the sudden onset of migraines. I've had them before, just not consistently. Started migraine medications, migraine massages, diet changes and everything with no relief. This went on for over 2 months. I had made an appointment with my OB 8 weeks in advance. That appointment finally arrived.  Talked about some testing to see why nothing was sticking, with the idea that the multiple surgeries may have left too much scar tissue. Dr ran blood work like crazy. I was towards the end of my cycle so there was a small chance I was pregnant. Too early to tell with a home test. So he checked that as well. 

2 hours later I learned I was 3 weeks pregnant! That was on October 21st. So I stopped all the migraine meds immediately. And we started with blood tests to see if the Hcg was doubling as often as it should. First test was 45, five days later, it was in the 5000's! I couldn't believe it! I knew then that this was actually going to stick! in the following days, another amazing tender mercy, my migraines stopped. They just stopped. I had occasional mild headaches, and even more occasional migraines. (It was 6 weeks until I had my next one!)

So there is the story of our journey. 

The next question, how am I doing? I'm actually pretty great. I had a small kidney stone back at the beginning of January, but everything else I'm experiencing is normal, typical ams common. Not usually heard in the medical vocabulary when describing me. I have had mild morning sickness. My biggest complaints are my ligament pain that started at 8 weeks, and here at 24 hasn't gotten better (bought a belly band today, don't know why I didn't get this amazing thing sooner!!!). The pain is hard because a trip to the grocery store causes my pain to spike. But I'm managing pretty well I think. My other problem has been food aversion. Severe food aversion. I have never experienced anything like this before so it's been a learning curve. I've lost 40 lbs since being pregnant. That hasn't been an issue, until now, at my 24 week visit, I need to maintain or gain from now on. So on days where I can't eat, protein shakes! And on days I can? Protein shakes. We need to make sure I'm getting enough. The food aversion has gotten better in the last week, but it seems to come and go. 

Ash and Maci are thrilled for a new sibling. Maci is curious and excited, Ashton is thoughtful and concerned how this will all work out. 

Well hello! Part 1

It's been a long time. I don't really look at blogs anymore, so I don't remember to blog. I thought I would share pregnancy info and updates since I'm asked all the time, and those that read my blog are the ones who care and want to know! 

So, some frequently asked questions and answered:

Yes this pregnancy was planned. It's a big gap in ages, but I'm excited for the age difference and excited for the adventure. Took us a year and a half to get this little babe, with a couple miscarriages in between.  For a long time I felt we were done. We even started looking into a hysterectomy to try to get rid of my pain. I spent a few weeks fasting and constantly on my knees before I approached jeff and told him how I felt. I was definitely afraid. My biggest fear was the difficulty of the pregnancy. As you know my pregnancies with Ash and Maci were 10 months of misery. They were both so physically hard. My next fear was the pain that I've been experiencing since 2012, that has never been diagnosed or even gone away. 

Once we had made our decision I went to the dr straight away. With my PCOS and endometriosis the dr put me on metformin. I had been on this when trying for Ash and had a lot of side effects. However this time, a tender mercy. Most of my daily pain lessened dramatically, and even many days were non-exsistant! The other miracle was for the first time in my entire life, I had a normal by the clock cycle, AND I ovulated on my own! No pills or shots even required! After 5 months I was pregnant, I couldn't believe it! Then at 5 1/2 weeks, I miscarried, on Christmas morning. However, I didn't cry. My heart was broken, but celebrating the birth of the Savior, and time with family took that pain away. I did cry the next few days as I was feeling ill from the miscarriage, but I still felt hopeful and gratitude. Besides with Ash and Maci, I miscarried right before with them, and before I even had a normal cycle I was pregnant again. 

After 1 year of trying and nothing. I gave up. I was done with the constant counting the days, disappointment. So I started birth control. After 2 weeks on that, we were on a family vacation. I was ill in the car, I was nauseated, I was sore. Then it clicked. I was pregnant! We had a false negative test, which didn't bode well. Then I had a cyst rupture that was severely painful so I headed to the ER. Tests showed that I had miscarried as well. I was only 4 weeks. However it was a blessing. Heavenly Father had a plan, and I needed more patience. 

Best Summer Ever!!!!

We started the summer with a bang! The second Ash finished kindergarten, we picked him up and drove to Moab! Jeff hadn't been since he was 12, and I had never been! We went with our good friends Jenn and Nate Kay, and their kiddos, Logan and Cecily! Jenn has a nice fancy camera so we got some great shots. Here a sample of our trip!

 On the way home, we detoured to Goblin Valley State park. It was truly facsinating! It was Ashton's favorite part.

 Logan, Maci and Ash

 Queen of the Rock!

 It was really really hot. It was 104 in Goblin Valley!

 Dead Horse Point State Park! Beautiful views of the Colorado River. I definitely want to take a boat tour the next time!

 Kids had a blast climbing and climbing and climbing!

 Jeff and Maci at a look out point on our way to Dead Horse Point

 Hiking up to Balanced Rock

 Coming back from Double Arches.

Under the Double Arches

 There is a straight drop cliff right behind me. It was a nice short but steep hike to get up there.

 Under Double Arches

 Kids loved the red sand. And boy does it get EVERY WHERE!

 We bought a camelback for the kids, which was smart! Ash did a good job keeping hydrated.

 Jeff took the photo. Balanced Rock behind us.

 Cutest kids!

Balanced Rock





All the other pics of our summer adventures are still on my phone. Yes, I became one of those people that only take them on their phone anymore! At least the camera quality is excellent on iphones.

This summer has been the best. We have been soo lucky to do so many wonderful things as a family.
We got the Seven Peaks passes, and Zoo passes. So we've gone to those many times, and it's fun and different every time! We've gone swimming, to local parks, splash pads, Gateway fountain was always a good quick fun time.

In June we went to Moab, which included Arches NP, Dead Horse SP, and Goblin Valley SP; Jeff participated in the Foster Care Foundation Chalk Art Festival~ sponsored by Mattress Warehouse, he also had a Huge show on the 21st and it was a huge success! We hit the Utah Arts Festival in which Jeff had free tickets because he was chosen to paint a City Weekly box. As usual, we hit the Festival every day and saw and enjoyed new things every day. We went with the kids every time too. Each time they got to do something different, the kids art yard where they can play real instruments, make crafts, hear stories. Another day they got their faces painted. Another day they got to pick a toy, they both got a handcrafted Bow with arrows (plastic and foam). We added a couple pieces to our family art collection.

In July we had a fabulous 4th. For the whole week we went over to my parents every night and had pop-its (us Toblers are obsessed with them) and fireworks. We also bought a new car! Yippee! We traded in the old Malibu, we had it for almost 10 years, for a newer family car! We got a 2012 Murano and we (I) love it! July was filled with lots of family time. Kids and I did fun things as much as we could. My babysitter also quit so I was bringing them to work with me nearly every day, so we did lots of fun things to make up for it. Another exciting bit, was my nephew Dane was born! He is a sweet little angel and such a content baby. Its such a joy!  In Mid July, Jeff went to NYC for a week! A fellow artist had a pop up show out there, so he went to go to that and make connections, and fulfill his dreams! He went to most of the big museums, including a private tour with previously mentioned artist of the MET! He took thousands of pictures and brought back some fun souveneirs! It was an expensive trip, and so that is why Jeff went without me. But he promises to take me back one day.

Just after Jeff got back from NY, we went on a family camping trip at Smith and Moorehouse. We took my parents canoe and strapped it to our new car with new sports racks. It was a wonderful family trip. We didn't do as much hiking as I hoped, but it was so much fun. We brought Kingsley with us. He had a blast. He was a great guard dog. It was so fun to see him at the lake. Right away kids were wading in, and Kings was whimpering, not liking being left alone. He finally took the plunge and jumped right in. We took him on the canoe with us too. There were canoers and kyakers right by us, and he was so eager to chase and play with them every time they left and came back to shore. Upon coming back to the shore in our canoe, he jumped out and swam to our neighboring canoers. It was so funny. He is such a playful and friendly pup.

A couple days after getting back from Camping, we went to Lagoon! Our kids had never been, and it was a fun prep for our upcoming trip to Disneyland. Lagoon-a-beach was pretty disappointing after going to Seven Peaks (even though it was the Raging Waters' seven peaks!!!). Maci couldn't go on any slides, and the lazy river was so low you had to have a tube. The one slide I went on, the gal that started you off, pushed me down backwards, and the first turn I fell backwards off of the tube, slammed my head and rode head grated down the slide. I couldn't stop myself the flow was so fast. Then I hit a pool before the next section of the slide. My head hurt, my sunglasses broke, and they wouldn't let me get off the slide on the emergency side stairs!! (where the life gaurds are standing) I was so furious,. The rest of the trip was great. We didn't hit any major roller coasters but it was fabulous.

In mid July I chopped off 7" of my hair! It was so long, and because it was summer, it was way to hot to do it. So many didn't even know it was as long as it was!

August we continued to go go go. We played and played, and started to get read for school. Jeff was prepping for his Open House and "Studio Warming" in his new studio downtown! It's been great having that space. He goes and works there is 9 to 5, and frequently has models, meetings, and show opportunities. We bounced back to Lagoon and second time!

I have had much more anxiety with Ashton starting 1st grade as opposed to Kindergarten. He is taking the bus too! I had lots of crazy dreams, and the normal ones were me forgetting his lunch, or getting him late to the bus. But the first week was great. Ash did suffer a migraine at the end of the first day, but that didn't change his view. He has been excited about the bus, made new friends on the bus and in his class, and been eager to learn. All summer he was having some private tutoring on his reading. That has helped a lot and been a great blessing.

Maci started daycare the week Ash started school. She loves it. She loves preschool, the activities and all the fun daily routines. She only goes 4 days a week. She threw a fit the day she didn't get to go! Glad my kiddos are loving school! This last week we hit the Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient History for the first time. It was lots of fun. We saw a movie there too in 3D about the evolution of flying dinosaurs.




I'm so grateful for the fabulous summer we've had. It's been great for us to have so much family time and building family memories and traditions. For the first time, I haven't wanted it to end. There has been so much I still want to do. It will just have to wait until after school. But now that fall is approaching, Im excited for all the fun plans we have! In september, Jeff and I are going to the Diana Krall concert! And in October, Jeff has another art show, and then we're going to CA/Disneyland for a week with Laura! Then for our Halloween party this year, we're doing a FAMILY party! Life is great and exciting!

Great Grandma Hale

Dorothy Bair Hale

1917 – 2013

Dorothy Bair Hale lived “as if death were nowhere / in the background” (Li-Young Lee), welcoming her children and grandchildren into her home with love, a listening ear, and often some strawberry ice cream.

Her many strengths live on in her children: Jill’s flair for home-style cooking, Janie’s love of animals, Jackie’s strong devotion to family, Hunter’s nonjudgmental nature, and Richard’s empathetic soul.

Dorothy was an avid reader and shared her love of learning with all of us. “Remember you can learn about everything there is,” she wrote, “if you learn to read good books. Also you gain hours of enjoyment.”

Dorothy was born 95 years ago on Dec. 22, 1917 to Hyrum Francis Bair & Wilda Ella Johnson. She met Ellsworth Hunter Hale, Sr. while working at his father’s restaurant, and they were married on Sept. 27, 1937 in the Salt Lake Temple. Their posterity includes their children—Hunter & Ida, Richard & Mary, Jill & Don, Jackie, Sally (deceased), Janie—24 grandchildren, 66 great grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren.

After 8 years of dialysis, Dorothy graduated on Jan. 30, 2013. She has made a difference. We love her very much and miss her kind light.

The Hale family would like to thank Dorothy’s second family at Central Valley Dialysis, as well as the medical personnel, friends, and ward members who prayed and cared for our beautiful grandma. Thank you!

Funeral services will be held Monday, Feb. 4 at 11am, with a viewing prior to the services from 9:30-10:30am at the Forest Bend Chapel (7784 S. Highland Dr.). A viewing will also be held Sunday evening, Feb. 3 from 6-8pm at Larkin Sunset Gardens (1950 E. 10600 S. Sandy).

More drama

So I'm having another 'surgery' on jan 30th. My IUD is embedded in the wall and has to be surgically removed. Procedure only takes 20-30 min and I do go under anesthesia. Down time is 2 days. Hooray for that. So I still have pain all the time. And I have come to a conclusion. My tumors never hurt. I would have never known they were there except that I hurt, and all this time it was really because of the IUD not the tumors, and they could have gone on for who knows how long growing and causing problems. So it's been a long long road, but it was all for the good. I'm confident that after this last procedure life will be normal!!!!

Updates

Sorry for the serious lack of updates. Life and the holidays proved to be hectic and we're still not slowing down!

The surgery went well, was successful and I recovered we'll. I still had a lot of pain all the way through the end of December. (The surgery was November 9th). I was becoming quite discouraged because I couldn't do hardly anything without the result of pain.

With my complete inability to exercise, I gained weight, and felt down, so ate my feelings. I got cleared to start exercising again, but to take it really easy and listen to my body. I started back at the gym last week and I feel great. (I also got a Bosu from my mom for Christmas so I'm super excited!! Pilates here we come). It's been a very exciting week. My energy levels are also a little odd still, waiting for the exercise to help kick that up again!!!

I did make another trip to the ER on dec 20th, hours before Jeff and I were heading out for our anniversary getaway. I has another large ovarian cyst rupture completely unrelated to the tumors. The plan is to remove my IUD this week and go back onto regular old birth control pills to regulate my hormones. I'm eager for this 6 month saga to end!!!

I'll post on Christmas and our getaway soon.

10 Years!!!!

Jeff and I celebrate our 10th anniversary today! I can't believe it's been 10 years! Where does the time go? It's been a wonderful ten years.


Here are some other numbers for you.

In the last ten years:

We have moved 10 times, living some places as little as 5 months, and as much as 22 months.
We have had 4 pregnancies, which resulted in 2 beautiful children.
We have had 4 different cars.
We have had 2 pets.
We have been accepted into 4 arts schools across the nation, none of which we went to.
We have had 4 major surgeries (and as you know 3 were this year alone!)
Katie has worked for her dad for almost 6 years, Katie worked at Select Health for almost 3 years



Now the things we can't count:

How many paintings Jeff has sold
How many times Jeff has bought me flowers
How many times we've been to the temple
How many times we've laughed together
How many times we've cried.



It's been a wonderful 10 years.

THE surgery

So the surgery is tomorrow. I'm as ready as can be.

Scheduled for 5 hours. Will have an appendectomy for sure and de bulking of the tumor. One thing I didn't understand fully until now, was the location of the tumor. It is in the exact same spot.  Which proves that previously the tumor ruptured because of the biopsy, but wasn't properly removed, so that's why it came back.

The other possiblities include a colon resection if the tumor has created a hole or 'infected' the colon. She feels an ostomy is not likely which is great. There is a good chance they will open me up beyond a laparascopy. Possible to remove ovary and a tube, small small small chance of a hysterectomy. They will do biospies and such during the surgery to determine they health of tissues and organs.

Have a good feeling, no worries, kids are set and I've got great family members helping and great ward members.

Another health blurb and update

For over two weeks I have felt HORRIBLE, yesterday I was finally feeling good (and feeling good does still consist of some pain). What a good day to feel better too! We had a super busy Halloween! It was fun too, but I'm glad it's over.

Surgery is one week from tomorrow. Last time I was eager, ready to rip out whatever and move on, This time there are many unknown factors. Had a CT scan last Friday. Results show my cyst/tumor is twice the size it was in September. They're not sure exactly what it's attached to or the cause. So as we draw closer I'm getting anxious, do I need help for 2 or 3 weeks? or just 1? I feel like I have so much to do, and so little time to get ready.

I know everything will be just fine, all will work out, it's just the normal anxiety and then some. My prayers are always for my doctors. So that they will have open minds, they will remember their schooling, they will find answers, and to know what to do to help me feel better.