Fun summer weekend

We had an awesome weekend!!! It was my birthday on Saturday and we had a fun filled day!!! We went swimming with some friends up at Teton Springs and then came home and went on a little date! Drake got to spend the night at Grandma Debbie's house with his cousins!!! He was so excited and had a great time. I think he got quite comfortable in Grandma's bed... 

My super lovely cake that my sister whipped up for me:) I turned 26, which is my favorite number, which means this is going to be my best year ever!!!

 Laynie has been enjoying food a lot lately!!! She usually just licks stuff, but we have been having a problem with her sticking stuff all the way in her mouth and then she gets really mad about it because she can't get it out and she doesn't know how to eat it! Silly girl!!!

We are loving summer!!!

Tid bits

Sometimes I like to write little tid bits about my kid's personalities.... Drake got these out and told Laynie to play marching band with him. They do this all the time, but my goodness, it is loud!!! It makes them happy so I guess that is all that counts:) 

This little miss is having surgery next week. She has a mild cold right now, so we are hoping and praying that she gets better super fast so we don't have to cancel it. They said it would be nearly impossible to reschedule because there are 3 specialists that are coordinated under the same anesthesia. Anticipation is always the worst part for me. We have had 11 months off from a surgery and I am DREADING next week. I know she is a tough cookie though and will be fine. She is getting her soft palate repaired, her choanal atresia repaired (blockage in her nose), tubes in her ears, a broncoscopy, and an ECHO. She will be a busy gal in the operating room!!!
She looked way too cute this weekend in this dress not to share. She also loves her shoes and signs shoes whenever she puts them on! I think she knows about 15 signs really well right now! Her attitude has reached an all time high. She has some major attitude and pretty much gets what she wants:) Honestly, who could say no to this girl?????

Unfortunately, Drake isn't loving t-ball. He said he doesn't want to play this week. His last game was really bad. He wasn't interested at all and he required one-on-one attention the entire time. I think 3 is a little early for him to play. He really enjoys the treats after the game though... surprise, surprise!
Drake really makes me laugh. He has such a sweet and stubborn personality! He has a lot of my personality and a lot of Trevor's as well. When I was younger, I was PETRIFIED of tsunamis. I thought my house would get wiped away at any time by a wave (in Idaho). Drake has a similar fear of waterfalls. He asks me all the time if he is going to fall down a waterfall. Well, we were watching the guy tight rope walk over Niagra Falls on Friday night, and he was so concerned. He watched for 5 minutes straight and was on the edge of his seat. He was so worried about the guy. I couldn't help but laugh. He is so cute! He is also the world best 3 year old navigator. He knows where everything is in our town and knows which way is right and left. It is almost weird how well he knows where we are going. His puzzle skills are also pretty impressive. He still hasn't slowed down. He is like the energizer bunny, and goes and goes and goes.

Father's Day

I definitely did a great job in picking a good father for my kids. I couldn't have done better!!! Our kids adore Trevor and I know he loves being a dad!!! We appreciate all he does for us.

We also are so lucky to have the awesome fathers and step-dad that we have. Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there!!!

Ice cream...

She loved her ice cream, especially holding it all by herself!!! I think this was the most she has ever eaten orally at one time. Way to go Laynie!!!

Drake's first T-ball game

Drake had his first t-ball game!!! It was really cute. He is playing with some kids from our neighborhood. It is pretty hilarious, because I think there are more parents on the field than kids.

He liked being up to bat and running the bases, but being in the outfield was not his favorite. His one minute attention span was causing him some problems while he was out there, but he made it through the game:)

Drake and his good friend Mason. They have such a fun time together!!!

I had to document his very first time batting in his first game ever!!! Maybe one day we can compare this video to another one at a much later date. He spotted his grandma as soon as he got to first base and got a little distracted.

Way to go Drake. You are so cute! Go orange team!!!

Nothing new, just cute kids!!!

 These two are just so cute and sweet!!!!

I can't even believe this is my little Laynie. She can stand holding on to this and even take a few steps all by herself.  Her progress amazes me every day. So many doctors and therapists have mentioned how pleased they are with her progress and development. She is amazing!!!

St. George

We went to St. George, Utah with my mom, and Afton and her kids. We had a great time enjoying the sun!!!

The kids were awesome travellers. I was really surprised at how smooth the drive went!!!

Ready for a fun day at the pool...

We basically just hung out at the pool most of the time. The weather was perfect and we loved soaking up the sun!!! Drake swam really well with his floaties on and he loved swimming.

Laynie loved swimming also. Of course I am a nervous mamma with her at the pool. She wants so bad to just swim all over, but she can't get her trach wet so we stuck to splashing by the stairs and she got to float in this floaty a little bit too!!!

Afton and Jaxon. Jaxon is Drake's BEST friend/cousin in the whole wide world. To say Drake loves Jaxon is a huge understatement. Jax is so sweet to Drake and lets him play with him all the time. Drake was in heaven with his cousin Jaxon by his side.

Laynie sure got attached to her grandma while we were there.

Our family

My sis, my mom, and me

Love this little girl:) She was an angel while we were gone!!!

Play time!!!

Trevor went shopping and decided he was sick of his hair and bought this new wig. I think he looks super sexy!!! haha

Laynie loves to play with her daddy

My two handsome boys

Love this guy. He survived a vacation with 3 women and 4 children!!!!

These guys had the such a great time!!!

Laynie insisted on wearing her brother's undies. She is so funny!!!

Overall, our vacation was relaxing, warm, and wonderful. We loved St. George!!!

7 year Anniversary

It has been 7 amazing years of marriage!!! I am still crazy in love with you and I couldn't have picked a better man. I love you so much. xoxo 

Father/ Son Camping

Trevor and Drake went on a father/son campout last weekend with Trevor's dad and his ward at church. Trevor's dad just got called as Bishop in his ward and Trevor and Drake went to support him. Drake had a blast!!! Drake loved sleeping in the tent, eating smores by the fire, exploring the outdoors, and playing with other little boys.

He loved playing with this bow... Trevor said Drake had such a great time!!!

 He slept better in the tent than he normally does at home. He slept until 8:30 and he even missed breakfast because he was such a snoozer. That is totally not like him!!!

Just cause...

She is so cute!!!

Perfection...

Loving everything about these pictures..... The kids, the sunshine, the sunglasses, the tongue sticking out, the spider man hat, the lawn mower, the green grass, and Laynie standing with only holding on to one hand!!!!!!  

This is what a perfect afternoon looks like to me!!!

Tracheostomy Awareness!!!

It is tracheostomy awareness week!!! We took this video of changing her trach awhile ago because I wanted to remember what it was like changing her trach when someday she (hopefully) doesn't have it anymore. I debated putting it on the blog, but hopefully it will just educate!!! We definitely love and hate her trach at the same time. It allows her to have a safe airway, but on the other hand it is responsible for about 85% of her care. We are hopeful that one day she will be able to be trach free, but that will be a very long road. If anyone ever has questions about her or medical stuff, just ask because I love to answer. Don't ever feel like I will be offended if you ask. I am proud of my girl and I am happy to tell the world about her:)

Mother's Day

We had a wonderful Mother's Day!!! It was super busy with church and family dinners at both of our parent's houses. The weather was perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better day!!! We have the most amazing mothers in our lives! And I am so grateful to be a mother. My two kids make me so incredibly happy:)

Laynie sported her "I love mom" shirt in honor of Mother's Day!!! I am so grateful to be a mother to this special girl. She has made me a much better mother! Love you Laynie Bug!!!

This is my beautiful mom... inside and out!!! She is the woman that does it all and amazes me with her kindness. I am so lucky to have her as my mom! There is just no one in the world that compares to your own mom!!!

This little boy was the one that made me a mom!!! He still owns my heart and makes me laugh every day. He is full of so much love. He tells me he loves me every day!!! He was so busy all day that this is the only picture I got of him.... after being soaked by the sprinklers!!!

My grandma was the mother supreme this Mother's day. She is so loving, funny, and kind!!!

 Trevor's mom is the best mother-in-law I could ask for. She is always looking after her kids. And she knows how to feed us well. She is thoughful, sweet, and is always giving service! Love you Maureen!!!

We sure lucked out in the MOM department. We have awesome moms, a wonderful step-mom, and grandma's too! Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!

Random....

Thanks everyone who supported the CHARGE syndrome Foundation and gLockets. We earned over $100 for the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation:)

Happy National Nurse's Week!!! We absolutely feel so blessed with the two nurses we have that care for Laynie. They are AMAZING and we love them soooooo much! They give our family a chance at having a normal life and help watch over our little angel. I don't think I understood the statement, "It takes a village to raise a child," until I had Laynie. We are so grateful for the many, many nurses (and doctors) who have helped our girl:)

Laynie has been battling the world's worst stomach flu. It has been 8 days of not keeping anything down. The flu is gone, but it seriously messed up her very sensitive GI system and we still can't keep much down. Poor girl!!! We are working on some new ideas, so hopefully she will get relief from the puking soon!

Happy Mother's Day weekend! It is one of my favorite days of the year!!!! Being a mom is my greatest joy:)

Laynie and nurse Holly! Laynie adores Holly:)

Flat Charlie and gLOCKETS

Later this year our family will be participating in The Flat Charlie Project. It is a little paper boy that travels to CHARGE families throughout the world and while he is with your family we do fundraising and awareness about CHARGE syndrome. I don't think our family is scheduled to have him until December, but we can start our fundraising at any time!!!
My sister started the company gLOCKETS and she has offered to donate some of the proceeds for the next week to the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation through Laynie's name on the Flat Charlie Project. You can use the promo code: CHARGE and get 20% off of your entire order and then she will also donate 20% of the proceeds from the next week to the CHARGE foundation. Anyone can use this code, so go ahead and share it! These make wonderful Mother's Day gifts. Thanks for helping out a great cause! The website is www.glockets.com

Cutie pa-tootie

This girl makes me smile from ear to ear!!! She is full of sweetness, spunk, attitude, strength, and cuteness. I am amazed at how well she has done this far in her life. Of course, I always dream big for her and hope that she will be able to walk, talk, have friends, go to school, be able to sleep in her own room, play sports, hear something, and be able to communicate someday. But, in the back of my mind I have also wondered about her not being able to do so many things. She is one determined girl. She is full of strength and is willing to fight... hard!!! We went to three appointments at Primary Children's and the University of Utah yesterday. They all went pretty well. Her ENT (who is our favorite doctor out of her many doctors) is going to put in her 3rd set of ear tubes and do a broncoscopy to look at her airway during her upcoming surgery (soft palate) at the end June. This will be surgery #10 for our little girl. Sadly, that number isn't done growing yet. 10 surgeries before she is even 2 years old. What an accomplishment for her and a heartbreak at the same time!!! We also discussed that her trach will be with her for much longer than we would like. Still, no doctor can tell us why she needs oxygen. Hopefully one of these days she can be tube free. Laynie was quite the attraction at the hospital. Everyone would smile and mention how happy and cute she was. She does have a way of making anyone that sees her SMILE:)