We just got back from an amazing week in Florida.  Monty has been wanting to take a family vacation for a while, but I was worried about taking the kids out of school.  However, about a month ago I had one of those moments when I thought...WHY NOT!!  Life is way to short to not drop it all and go play.  And boy did we enjoy playing! 

We left early on September 11th.  The boys were pretty excited about going on a plane.  It was a good thing they were excited because we got them up about 3:30am to leave for the airport.  It was kind of humbling to fly on September 11th.  I made sure the boys all wore patriotic shirts and we talked about that day a little.  When we landed in Florida we got our rental car and were ready to enjoy our adventure. 

Makai is so big-- getting into the car on his own.  It was nice to take a trip without a baby.  Well, an little baby.

Happy to be in Florida!!:) 

When we got off the plane we were pretty hungry so we went to get something to eat.  Tyler ate a fish sandwich which was very surprising, or should a say mature.  He said, "We'll you can't be this close to the ocean and not try some fish."  Monty and I agreed with him. The three of us enjoyed some fish that night.  Then we found our hotel and went for a swim in the pool.  The water was so nice and warm and we had the pool all to ourselves.  After swimming we decided to go get some dinner and take a walk around Coconut Cove Florida.  It was a fun little town.  Kyle however didn't enjoy it very much.  He wasn't feeling so good.  Poor guy.  Later that night he got sick.  Of course.  We can't have a vacation without 'a bug' tagging along.  It's like a curse.   

Day Two:  After waking up it was nice to hear Kyle say he was feeling better and wanted to eat.  We all got in our swim suits and headed out for a fun filled day.  We decided to have breakfast at a bakery in Miami.  Miami is full of fun little bakeries with tasty treats.  Monty and I had a Cuban type breakfast with black beans and some type of beef on a corn meal type bread.  Then we went to Key Biscayne.  That is when we fell in love with the beaches of Florida! 

Just as we got there we saw this Iguana. 

Then we saw a wild Peacock!

The boys were in Heaven.  After all, they LOVE birds and animals.  Kyle also found this coconut and thought it was so cool.  He kept it with him for most of the trip in fact.  I think he even named it. 

The water was amazing! First off, it was WARM! Second the waves were not crazy strong and you could go out rather far and still be just waist deep.  I went out with the older boys a good distance from the shore while Monty stayed closer to the shore with Trey and Makai  and they jumped the little waves. 

Trey found this piece of coral in the water.  Pretty cool!

The boys were so excited by the birds they had never seen before, but read about it books.  I was so surprised by how many birds they knew! 

 We wanted to find a place for the boys to snorkel, so we went to a different place on Key Biscayne. 

Here the water was even warmer and so calm.  Not a wave to be seen.

Tyler getting his snorkel ready.

  It wasn't the most amazing spot to snorkel, but a good place to gain some confidence.  While there we saw some schools of fish, a crab, sea urchins and Tyler and Kyle saw a shark!

Kyle loves to snorkel.

Kory loves to float!  Monty told Trey if he learned to float he'd get him a snickers bar.  Interestingly enough that's all it took.  Before too long Trey was floating like a pro in the water. 

I thought it was so cute that the boys were snorkeling and Makai was playing in the water.  This shows how shallow the water was and we were pretty far off the shore.

I could have watched the boys play in the water forever.  It was a perfect afternoon!  

 After I put the camera away Kory and I went out for a snorkel.  I loved the moment when we came up for a break and he said, "Mom, I'm swimming!"  He was doing so well I had totally forgotten that a month ago Kory couldn't swim.  Now he does great and was even snorkeling!  It was a tender moment to float side by side with him and point at fun things we saw in the water. 

On the ride to the hotel we had some tired kids!  Kory was a good sport!

While driving to our hotel we discovered that Tyler had left his glasses on the beach in Key Biscayne.  NOT COOL!  It was a good 30 or 40 minute drive back to the beach to get them, but thankfully the tide was not strong.  They were a little hard to find, but we found them.  A blessing for him. Also,while driving back to get them Kyle saw three Macaw's on a roof of one of the buildings.  That was pretty neat.  Oh, and that night dad did deliver on his promise to Trey.  However, they decided to get Krispy Kreame donuts with milk instead. (That night I didn't feel so good.  The bug continued it's trip.)

Day 3:  I felt much better the next morning, thankfully.  We got up and got some breakfast.  Monty did some work that morning which was fine because Tyler wasn't feeling so well as the bug joined attacked him AND it was storming outside.  This was our Everglades day. 

It was raining SO hard it was as if you were in the shower when we got here.

Tyler--not feeling so well.  But, for the record I gave him a granola bar just after taking this picture and he felt much better.  Since, I'd had the bug I knew how it worked.  Once you threw up you were fine so I knew he just needed some food. This is a good photo for the reason that it does show it was cold.  Or, I guess I should say cool. 

There is something a little chilling about taking a walk and coming across this!

 

 

 

Totally clueless!

Felt a little safer around this guy!:)

All the boys took there turn trying to climb a tree. 

None of them were very successful.  They all blamed it on...

the tree being wet from the rain.

But Makai didn't have a problem!

The Everglades were not Monty's favorite.  For some reason Mosquitoes LOVE him!  He was getting eaten alive by those bad boys.  We were going to take a boat ride in the Everglades, but Monty just wanted to get out of there.  I don't blame him.  They loved Makai too, so it was good to leave.  We just went back to the Hotel and went to the pool.

 

 

 

 Day 4:  Day 4 we drove down to Key Largo.  I've heard of Key Largo since I was a little girl and listened to the Beach Boys sing about it, but never knew where it was until we started planning this trip.  We drove around and learned about the 'Keys' this day.  We were all kinda tired and had a low key day! We found a fun little beach with a lagoon and a park.  The older boys did some more snorkeling and Makai played at the park.  We had some pizza that night in the hotel room and watched a movie.  After dinner I couldn't find Trey, but then found him...he was smart and had put himself to bed rather early. It was a perfect hotel room with a washer and dryer so we were able to get our clothes clean.  We also reserved our boat for the following day.  

The older boys watching a movie.  Kory being a good sport again!

Day 5:  We got up early to get to our boat.  Monty got a good orientation on how to drive a boat and we headed out to sea.  This was a new experience for all of us. 

Ahoy there!

Our caption and his first mate.

Makai wanted NOTHING to do with the life vest.  Until the boat started to go.  Then he stopped crying and held on!

I thought the boat ride was so fun, up until we stopped the boat.  It was rocking back and forth and suddenly 4 hours seemed like a REALLY long time!  Kyle jumped into the water with Monty.  Trey and I were sitting on the side of the boat looking at the horizon trying to hold on to our breakfast!  I was proud of the three older boys for jumping in and if I would have let him Makai would have been in the water too.  He kept saying, "I go in the water with Dadda."  They all really wanted to snorkel, but the water was not good for it.  At this point I was ready to take the boat back.  I kept looking back at the land and longing for it.  We decided to change locations and asked Kyle to get back in the boat.  Just after he got in Monty saw a shark.  That's when I was sure we need to go to a new spot.  This is when I learned about a new thing called a 'sandbar'.  Hello.  I will forever love the sandbar!

Out in the middle of the ocean is a piece of sand.  We just threw down the anker and jumped into the water. 

The water was about 5 feet to 6 inches deep on the sandbar.

Smiling because the boat was no longer rocking!:) 

We had to watch this boy like a hawk!  He was so content in the water and would just walk around and wonder.  Sometimes he would walk into water that was just a little too deep.  He was so happy in the water.

Enjoying snorkeling!

Always finds something cool.

Headed back to land.

A boat is a great way to get a kid to sleep!:) 

  After our boating adventure we got lunch at a place called Craig's I think.  They claimed to have a world famous fish sandwich.  They said you could get it with 'dolphin' or some other fish.  Then we found out dolphin was really mahi mahi.  And it was a pretty good sandwich.  After lunch we headed to Naples.  Driving through Florida you realize how flat it is.  Seriously...flat as a pancake!  However, it's also really green and really wet.  Beautiful.

Day 6:  Sunday.  We started the day having a little devotional in the hotel room.  We had each of the boys share something about the gospel and sang a few songs.  Then we decided to go collect some shells on the beach.  Napels beaches are full of shells!  I've never seen so many shells in my life!  We also saw two bald eagles flying which surprised all of us.  However, we later learned that Florida is the second highest state for bald eagle sighting only second to Alaska.     

Something funny happened while we were at Napels.  All of the sudden Trey screams out, "AHH!!!"  I take him to shore and we discover he'd been stung by a jellyfish.  I know because I got stung too.  Trey is our dramatic child and was screaming, "I'm going to die!!  I'm going to die!"  People were staring at us.  I was trying to tell him he was going to be fine and wasn't going to die, but he wouldn't have any of it.  He was convinced he was going to die.  Finally I told him, "Okay Trey, maybe you will die and I guess so will too because I got stung. Surprisingly this caused him to stop crying.  He told me I wasn't going to die and that convinced him HE wasn't going to die either.  Trey!  Then we drove to Sanibel which is where we spent the rest of our trip.

Day 7:  Our goal for the day was to find a shark tooth.  Our neighbor had told us you could find shark teeth on Sanibel Island and we wanted to find one.  We spent the morning hunting for one, but had no luck.  We took a break and went to the pool.  As fun as the ocean was, pool water is always a little more refreshing.  Maybe because there is no sand.  On Sanibel we found a pretty fun Wildlife refuge and took a tour of it.  We thought we'd see a few more birds than we did, but when we ran into a fellow bird watcher he told us the winter is when the birds are most plentiful.  I guess we'll have to go back!;)  We ended the trip with a nice walk along the beach.  We never found a shark tooth, but Monty found a full horse shoe crab which was a pretty cool souvenir.

Thanks Florida for an amazing vacation!!

   

First week of School

We had a great first week of school! All the boys are enjoying the school year so far.  Tyler is loving Middle School and seems to have adjusted to the new environment quickly.  He thought there would be at least one teacher that wasn't nice, but informed me he was wrong...they are all nice.  He's pretty excited about having band this year. 

He picked the french horn.

Although it doesn't sound like 'music' to me yet, Makai loves it!  He dances to the 'honks' and begs for more!:)

Trey had no problems starting school. I walked him to school the first day, but he could have cared less if I was there of not.  He dropped his backpack off at the door and then ran to the playground.  I saw Kyle find Trey on the playground and put his arm around him.  That was the reason I was there I think...so I could see that.  Kyle is stepping up to the 'oldest brother' position and takes it seriously.  I'm glad he watched out for Trey.  Trey really enjoys hop scotch and is rather good at it. 

Ready for Kindergarten!

 Kyle started 4th grade and has the same teacher Tyler had for 4th grade.  We really like her so we were excited about that.  Kory has the same teacher Kyle had for 2nd too.  Kory likes her.  I think it's gonna be another good year.

 Since all the boys are at school this leaves just me and Makai till 11:45 when we pick up Trey.  He had quite the wake up call when all his brothers left, but he handled it.  He's pretty good at playing alone and it's easier to take just one kid places so we stayed busy this week.  He has a very different personality than Trey.  He will just go to the toy room and play with toys and sing.  Trey wants to be played with!   

Makai asking me "Mom, where are my brothers mom?"

I feel very blessed that the first week went so well.  Monty gave all the boys blessings before school this year.  They always look forward to getting their school blessings.  It was pretty special.  Here's to another school year.

Nana got Married

This weekend we drove to Las Vegas to watch Nana get married.  It was a quick trip, with every minute packed with excitement.  We left Friday afternoon and arrived in Fillmore Utah about 11:30pm.  In the morning we were able to see my grandma and sing Happy Birthday to her.  She turned 87!!  My uncle Todd was there as well celebrating with her, so we got to talk to him for a couple hours before finishing our drive to Vegas.  Shortly out of Fillmore, we ran out of gas.  That's when we learned the gas meter on our car doesn't work.  However, it couldn't have happened in a better place and we felt so blessed it didn't happen in the middle of the Nevada desert!  We made it to Vegas about 2:00pm and started working to get ready for the wedding which was suppose to begin about 6:00pm.  There was so much to be done when we got there it was kinda crazy, but everything managed to work out fine.  We didn't get to the church till about 5:00 and Cindy and I helped Mom get ready.  She looked beautiful in her dress.  She sewed so much for the wedding making table clothes, seat covers, sashes, 3 dresses for the flower girls, and a pulatasi for Cindy and I as well as having to make some adjustments to her dress to make it a little more modest.  I must say it was all worth it.  Her wedding was beautiful!  We are happy for her and welcome Luaiva to the family. 

My parents, brother Andy, Nikki, and nephew Grant drove up for the wedding.  It was fun to see them and meet Grant.  He's a stud! 

It took a while to clean up from the wedding.  We didn't make it home till after 1am so we were a little tired, but it was all worth it to see Nana happy. 

Dustin and his family decided to make the drive to Vegas when they found out we were going to be there.  It was super nice to them to sacrifice a day at the beach for a day in Vegas!  It was nice to see them and we had a great talk while eating a delicious breakfast.  Thanks DAD!!

After meeting them it was time to drive home.  We began the drive about noon and made it home about 4am.  We were so tired, but it was a fun weekend!  Now Summer is coming to a close and it's time to get back to school.  Tyler starts Monday, Kyle and Kory start Tuesday and Trey starts Wednesday!!  Let the fun begin!! 

Congratulations Nana and Luaiva!!  We hope you are enjoying your new life together! 

Pemphigus Vulgarus

Pempha what? !  For a little over a year I have been struggling with a burning mouth.  At first I thought it was just allergies to certain foods, but as time went on more and more foods were burning my mouth and the constant pain started to take it's tole.  Eating became a chore more than anything and it hurt to talk, and brush my teeth.  I stopped being able to eat and drink so many things I began to worry about my nutrition intake.  I knew my body wasn't getting the nutrients it needed.  However, the worst part was I couldn't even eat a piece of chocolate without burning.  This was when I realized it was time to take drastic measures and go to the doctor!!:)
  I tried to self medicate for about 6 months, but mid March I decided to go see a doctor.  The doctor thought it was a yeast infection and put my on medication to treat it, but after two weeks there was no change.  I then went to a dentist who prescribed another yeast medication.  Like the first--no results.  I went to a periodontist who prescribed a third yeast medication and once again...it didn't help.  I decided to go back to my primary care doctor and she took a culture to see if she could decide what type of yeast it was so we could see what medication would work.  The culture came back saying it wasn't a yeast!  Huh...that explained a lot!  She referred me to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor.  The first time I visited him he didn't think there was a real problem and told me I should have my permanent retainer removed and change toothpastes.  Well, that wasn't very helpful either, but I must say I'm very glad to have the permanent retainer out of my mouth.  About a month after following those orders my mouth continued to get worse, so I decided to go back hoping the second time he'd take me more seriously.  I figured he might as the damage in my mouth was much more visible.  When I went for the second time he was shocked.  He gasped when he saw my mouth and said, "Oh yeah...I see."(I almost started crying when he said that, but I held back the tears).  However, he didn't have the right lab equipment to test it and so he got on the phone with a dermatologist here in town who has better lab equipment and got me an appointment there.  The following day I went to his office and they took a biopsy of my tongue(which wasn't the funnest thing ever, but was necessary).  About a week later they called me back with the test results.  Apparently I have an auto immune disorder known as Pemphigus Vulgarus (PV).  In about 50% of the cases it is exclusive, or begins, in the mouth.  Basically, my body has made an antibody against itself, which results in blistering.  It is a chronic condition and left untreated can be fatal(more due to infection or of course malnutrition).  However, they do thankfully have ways to treat it.  The dermatologist had me come in for a second biopsy(wasn't any more fun the second time) and he sent that to the University of Utah for confirmation.  Those tests came back the same with a 95% chance that PV is what has been causing the issues for the past year.  He put me on medication before the second set of tests came back and within a short period of time(like three days) I could taste food again.  Not only could I taste food, but food wasn't burning.  MIRACLE!!  There are some drawbacks to the medication I am on, but for now I am just thankful to feel normal again.
This experience has taught me a lot.  I am definitely humbled.  I've always had a very healthy body and almost thought doctors were for 'sick people', me not being one of those.  Huh.  Well, I am sure thankful for science and modern medicine because NOTHING I was trying was working!  A lot of things can be fixed by diet and exercise, but some things can't.  I admit sometimes I just focus on the negative aspects of my body but now I realize the blessing of simply being able to taste, see, smell, feel, walk, run, hear...the list goes on.  I am thankful the doctors were able to diagnose the problem because from what I have read the sooner it is detected the better.  I am hopeful that it can be put into remission.  I am thankful for the blessings I have.  I am thankful I have insurance and doctors who have the knowledge to help.  I am humbled to think that each day is a blessing.  When you have a doctor tell you a condition you have can be fatal if left untreated, it makes you realize what a blessing everyday is.  I'm really not trying to be dramatic, just thankful for life.       

Ready for Kinder

Trey had his Kindergarten physical this week!  He was so grown up and manly for the appointment acting like a perfect gentleman as the nurse and doctor talked to him.  However, he totally broke down when it was time to get shots.  I've come to learn that Trey has an imagination that makes his life really fun, but makes fears greater and hopes bigger than reality.  For example, shots.  In his mind shots were going to be the worst thing ever, so the tears began way before the shots were even in the office.  I told him that when he was done he'd say they were not as bad as he thought they'd be, just to show him that sometimes our minds can lie to us.  Sure enough, he screamed bloody murder before, during and after his shots, but not very long afterward he said, "Mom, they weren't really that bad."  He got some Spiderman stickers as a reward and when he got home he got a Popsicle as requested.  Anyway, we are excited that he's ready to start Kindergarten!  Good job Trey!  I still have some work though.  During his eye test he did fine, but when he was suppose to say the letter he said the sound instead.  He's much better at his sounds than he is with the name of the actual letter.  So, my goal this month is to make sure he knows the letter names before school starts.  

Potty Training--AGAIN

So, Makai is 2 1/2 and thus we decided to start the potty training.  He started mentioning that he wanted to pee on the toilet, so reluctantly we began.  He's more than smart enough, just sometimes he has trouble remembering.  I can't say he is doing GREAT, but he's doing well.  Since he's my 5th I'm in no hurry for him to be perfect.  We have yet to leave the house without a diaper, but sometimes he does come home dry.  I just figure why add that stress when we don't need to.  Anyway, my favorite part of potty training is how he looks in underwear.  What a stud!

Good Job Makai!!

Makai has another favorite past time--Dancing!  He loves to listen to the ipod and get his grove on.  In this picture he is dancing to 'Barbara Streisand'.  His favorite song is a song he calls 'Apache' by The Sugar Hill Gang.  He started dancing to it from the Just Dance game on the Wii, now he doesn't need to Wii.  The song starts and he goes to town.  So cute!

Pie

Tyler--the mane of many projects.  He decided he wanted to make a pie this week. This morning we tackled the project and the Lemon Meringue Pie looks great.  We can't wait to have it tonight after dinner.  I wanted him to take the picture alone, but he said I needed to be in it because he couldn't have done it without me.  Thanks for the idea.  I love you Tyler.