I Will Praise You In This Storm

I tell you what, the last 6 months have been completely insane! I have now had a total of 4 back surgeries performed by 2 separate doctors as well as 3 injections in my back! All the while being on major restrictions. I have not been able to lift Ireland for going on 3 weeks now and will not be able to lift her for at least another 4. I also can't bend, lift, twist, or lean. That is a bit difficult to do anything with that type of prescription! I finally found a great surgeon who was able to decifer my nerve issues in my back and praise God, the pain was gone! I was healing great and then 4 days after surgery which by the way was the 4th of July and my bday, I woke up and literally could not walk....at all. I was in so much pain, I didn't know what the heck was going on. Mike was literally carrying me to the bathroom and having to completely take care of me in every way as well as the kids and try to work from home! Thank God, for my husband! I give him grief quite often, all in fun of course, but I couldn't have asked for a better partner and father for our kids! So, back to day 4, the doc says, "oh, she probably just over did it", ice it and take it easy! No, problem because at least point I would rather give birth through my nose than feel the pain I am feeling all throughout my body. Thursday roles around and I go to my Dr. who thinks he is releasing me for physical therapy and all is well.....then he looks at the incision! I have no fever, no signs of infection, but all he has to do is look at my back and it hurts! So, what does the ever so lovely doc do next? He pops a stitch and opens up the incision and decides to squeeze as hard as he can on either side of the incision, which according to Mike would have filled a drinking glass with about an inch of liquid....yes, yummy I know. Did I mention this was the most pain I had ever felt in my entire life!!! So, Dr, says, hope you don't have any plans for the day because you are being admitted to the hospital immediately. He didn't think I had an infection but was worried I was developing one so he decided he would open me up for the fourth time in the same location and "clean" out and liquid that was remaining. After, wanting to stab my own eyes out because the pain was so bad and the nurses wouldn't give me anymore drugs, the dr. shows up and says "hello, she needs some major pain meds" he put me on diluided which is about 20 times stronger than morphine and valum...and after about 10 minutes I wanted to marry the man for finally taking the pain away!!! So, they clean out the wound and oh, by the way we have an infectious disease doc waiting to talk to you because you have a staph infection as well as another major infection that I can't even pronounce but sounds like snuffulupagus and is really difficult to kill, but don't worry, you'll be fine! ARE U KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?????
At the time I was so drugged that I believed it was no biggie! Then at 10pm some crazy lady shows up to put in my PICC line....uhhh excuse me you are putting a catheter in my arm which then travels through to my heart, oh yeah, that sounds like no trouble at all! Did I mention I am by myself because the girls weren't aloud in ICU and so Mike was with them at home!!!! So, now I have this PICC line in for at least 2 weeks and Mike is Mr.Nurse as well as Mr.Mom. He has to give me my IV meds every night and monitors all my pain meds, and changes bandages! He has been so wonderful! On top of that he is doing everything for the girls because I am on STRICT orders from about 5 different doctors as well as all my friends and family. I am pretty sure that Ireland will go out of her mind when Mike actually goes back to work on Tuesday! She knows I can't help her and alll that girl wants is her Daddy, the poor guy can't even shower without her sitting outside the door crying dada dada! It's cute, but I am scared for what she is going to do when he leaves for work. My wonderful God send of a mother in law is coming to stay with me for 1 week and take care of the girls and me! She is one of the best women I have ever known and has the biggest heart and I am so grateful to God for blessing us with such an amazing grandma and mom! We will have about a 1 week gap where we aren't too sure what we are going to do, but if push comes to shove, Mike will take that week off, and then my grandpa is going to come stay for a couple weeks to help out! My poor girls, I can't go up or down the stairs, I can't drive, swim, or lift Ireland! I can't even vacuum! I know I should be loving it, but it has been very emotional for me and I am just ready to be healthy again! I know God is using it all for His glory though and this will be a testimony to help someone else in the future! I'm just glad things are looking up. We move back to Utah on Monday and Mike's boss is blessing us tremendously by allowing us to use his private jet to fly us from Colorado to Salt Lake, because I wasn't going to be able to drive for so long in the vehicle. Layton has continually provided for us and blessed us so abundantly through the years and again, I give all the glory to God for providing them to us and our family. It isn't very often you find a company that not only cares for their employee's but also the employee's family and they truly do!
To say the least it has been a trying few months, but we have a wonderful church and support system that has really stepped up and helped us all and I think all this craziness has actually brought our family closer and showed us how preciouse life really is! And at the end of the day we are all loving each other and loving our God and giving Him all the praise and glory and it feels us with such hope and peace that we couldn't ask for more!!!!

As far as the rest of the family goes here are a few updates:
Ireland is talking, and I mean talking!! She is also walking everywhere, she is a little unsteady, but each day she is getting stronger and stronger. She eats everything all the time, but still only weighs 18lbs and she is such a beautiful and loving baby girl! She adores Jordyn and always want's to play with her and luckily Jordyn doesn't mind one bit! Ireland is also the biggest Daddy's girl I have ever seen, I am not even kidding!! If he leaves the room she is searching, literally and calling for him, and when she finds him she claps her hands and giggles and says hi dadddy!

Jordyn is gorgeous! She is so smart and really becoming very witty! We still have some struggle with attitude, but she is getting a lot better and very apologetic when she back talks! We have decided to homeschool her this year and we are all pretty excited about it. Jordyn thinks it is the coolest thing ever that I will be her teacher and we are going to set up a "special" place in the house just for school. I keep telling her that I hope she likes her teacher this year and she thinks that is hilarious.."duh, mom, you are my teacher"

Jakey, I am pretty sure is one of the best kids I know, especially for his age. Man, he is a good kid! He is all boy, but at the same time he is one of the sweetest people I have ever known. He is willing to help anyone out even without being asked and while he was here for the summer and I had all these major problems he was the biggest help. There is no way we would have made it through without his help! And even at 14, he still loves on me and the rest of the family and isn't afraid to say he love's us! I couldn't be more proud of him! I love that kid so dang much and as far as I am concerned he is my son, always has been, always will be!!!!

Mike is my hero! I have always known that I had one of the few good ones left out there, but going through all this health issues, he has been my rock! I am so blessed to have someone willing to give up their life for me! We of course have been through tough times, just like everyone has, but we believe in the vows we made before God and really try to uphold them daily! That's not to say we don't want to poke each other in the eye every now and again, but after almost 8 years of marriage I love him more today then the day I married him! I don't know a more loyal person. Or someone who would give up all he has for his wife and kids to be taken care of! He's awnry, arrogant, smart mouth, and I wouldn't change one thing because he loves with all he's got and he is truly a man of the Lord and with that you can never go wrong! Thank you Jesus for sending me him and Jake and putting the cherry on the top with our 2 beautiful girls! I love you all with everything I have and am! Praise God for His provisions!

I will continue to keep everyone posted on the current events of our ever changing household! Please keep us in your prayers for healing, encouragement, and a safe move! We thank you all for your help and support and love!!!

Love to all and God Bless!!!!

Happy Birthday to me

The Collom's and Jordyn

Kimber and I on my bday

Another birthday came and went, I can't believe we are more than half way through 2009! This year on my birthday I couldn't even walk, literally! I had my 3rd and hopefully, final back surgery just a few days before my big day and apparently over did it on Friday because when I woke up Saturday morning I was in more pain than I ever want to feel again! Luckily, we have some amazing friends here who still chose to hang out even though I was confined to my chair and every once in a while would shriek in agony! After icing my back on and off for a few hours, I was finally able to play a game of Settlers...(of course) and eat cake! But by the time fireworks were starting I was done! Mike tucked me into bed and he and the rest of the gang headed to the park to watch the fireworks display. Happy for me Mike said he never wanted to watch fireworkd without me again! awww! Even though I was "disabled" this year, it was a great birthday with great friends! Hopefully next year we can all get together again! Utah isn't really that far away, right?! So, 30 is vastly approaching, and to be honest, it kind of freaks me out a little. Not that I think 30 is old, but, it definately means you have to be grown up and that life goes by way too fast! Mike's advise to me was to make every moment count! What great advise! Life is too short to sweat the small stuff, shoot, life is too short to sweat the big stuff!!! I trust the Lord and whatever his plans are for me and my family, I just pray that we all have many more years to enjoy and annoy each other!!! Here's to another birthday come and gone!!

P.S. Only 169 days until Christmas!! AHHHHHHH, it's coming quick!

It's MY Burffday!