Football Season Rapidly Approaching...

Can't wait for the football season to start again... I had to break out all of my t-shirts again... Yes almost every t-shirt I own is ASU...

Random Quote...

"Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it's very important that you do it... Because nobody else will... Like when someone comes into your life and half of you says you're no where near ready but the other half says make her your's forever..."




Often times I hear quotes that really hit home, that have a special meaning, or that I just really like... I ran across this one today as I was watching the movie "Remember Me".. (What an awesome movie).


 As a good friend would tell me "You and your movies".... Lol

Pictures... Pictures... Pictures

My good friend Brandi is working on her photography skills so I became the subject of the day. I am not a big fan of my picture being taken but I agreed... So here are a few pictures from today...

Each Day is a Blessing...

Many do not realize that every day I wake up, it is a miracle that I am still alive. Most do not know how sick I am and have been, and actually how lucky I am to still be alive... I have survived 2 heart attacks, 2 mini-strokes, cervical cancer, sepsis, and so much more... I continue to battle each day for my life with failing kidneys and a recent diagnosis of vaginal wall cancer... (The vaginal wall cancer was all surgically removed and I am currently at a wait and see step to see if it returns. If the next check up shows it has returned we will discuss further treatment options.) 
A few days ago I was released from another 7 day hospital stay but during my stay 4 of my kids were brought up to visit me... I normally do not allow the kids to visit me while I am in the hospital (I do not like for them to see me so sick and hooked up to all kinds of machines) but we all really missed each other so I gave in...

During their visit these 2 pictures were taken...

Kimberly, Me, Alexandra, Dillon, and Kaylee (upfront of course...)

Kimberly and I

As one of my favorite quotes says, "Dream as if You'll Live Forever, Live as if You'll Die Today"...

I have so much more to see and do and accomplish before I can go but I try my best to live each day as if it were my last...

Happy 7th Birthday Kaylee Marie!!

I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by and want to know where the last 7 years have gone. 7 years ago today began a test of my faith, patience, and many emotions. When Kaylee was born (via c-section) she was so perfect and little but my instincts kept telling me something was seriously not right. She couldn't stay warm, couldn't breastfeed, was jaundice, and made a really weird grunting noise. I keep telling the doctor's there was something wrong with her and they kept arguing that there was nothing wrong with her that I was just being a paranoid over-protective mother. FINALLY when she was a couple of hours old and me starting to get irrate (not me) they put her in the nursery/NICU for observation and testing...
Within a couple of hours after tons of lab work and chest x-rays, I learned she was born with a collapsed lung. That was the last time I was able to hold my baby girl for several days.
On the morning of July 16th she had her very first Air-Evac (medical helicopter) ride over to Banner Desert Medical Center where she spent the next 2 weeks fighting for her life. Upon landing at Banner Desert and entering the NICU unit her 2nd lung collapsed and they almost lost her. She spent 6 very long and agonizing days on a ventilator. It was one hurdle after another.. I was hospitalized in 1 hospital (for having a c-section) and she was in another. My wonderful doctor actually gave me a 4 hour pass on Kaylee's 2nd day at Banner Desert so I could go and see her and be with her. I will never forget the 1st time I saw her on life support in the incubator; tubes everywhere, iv's, her little eyes covered. It ripped my heart out. My precious baby girl so fragile and fighting for her life. I was not able to hold her but I could touch her. I don't think I had ever cried that much in my life until I was wheeled into the NICU and seen her. It took me along time to get to her incubator, I was a complete wreck. At one point I was told to say my good-byes because she wasn't going to survive. I have never felt so helpless and scared in life... Just the thought of losing her sent me into a fit of tears. After 6 days on the life support and in a drug induced coma, doctors were finally able to wean her off and she then spent 4 days on nasal prong oxygen but again had difficulty when they would try and wean her off. At 2 weeks old she was FINALLY able to come home.
A couple months later I almost lost her again but this time to RSV, where she spent another 4 days in the hospital.
At 11 months old she was diagnosed with a hemangeoma tumor on her nose right between her eyes. Unfortunately her's was on the inside of the skin and I was told she would require surgery to remove it. After 3 month visits for over a year, the pediatric facial/plastic surgeon said that she did not require the surgery as her body ended up absorbing the tumor. The bad part of the tumor was it weakened her eyes, which did require eye surgery to repair the weakened eye muscles.
With everything being said, Kaylee is and has been in GREAT health since her eye surgery in 2005 besides the normal colds and flu's.
I couldn't ask for a better daughter and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. She is only 7 but she thinks she is 18. Lol (The joys of raising daughter's) I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for her as she begins 2nd grade and the next chapter in her life.

Happy 7th Birthday Kaylee Marie!!

Happy 10th Birthday Dillon Anthony!

(Okay so I am a day late in posting but hey I'm here doing it now...)

So 10 years ago, my sweet, not so little boy anymore, was born. What an event that was. His actual due date was to be, July 4, 2000. I checked in to Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center (Known as Banner Thunderbird now) in the afternoon time as instructed to prepare for my c-section. (I was getting an early start since surgery was going to be so early on the 4th.) When they went to do the amniocentesis, there was no fluid which meant that it was time for an immediate c-section. Within one and a half hours little Dillon was born. Every year Dillon reminds me that his birthday was "supposed" to be on the 4th of July and not the 3rd. It is so amazing to see the changes Dillon has made in the last 10 years... As an infant he cried all the time unless he was held and we could not go out to eat in restaurants as he cried the entire time. It didn't matter if we fed him right before we left or while we were there. At exactly six weeks old we almost lost him to a fever of 104 but thankfully to the quick action of doctors and Phoenix Children's Hospital he survived. As he has grown he is quite the little gentleman.... He loves to play baseball and does so well at it, he loves to read "Diary of  a Wimpy Kid" books, playing Nintendo DS, PSP's, and all of his other electronic video game systems. He is such an awesome son and I cannot wait to see what this next year brings for him.

Happy 10th Birthday Dillon Anthony!!!