March 17- Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

We started the morning with a bowl of Lucky Charms (I left a note on the box for Darin that said “I’m so LUCKY to be married to a CHARMing guy like you!”)

After breakfast we had a playdate with Matthew’s friends Daxton and Evelyn. We had a little lunch together with green punch, green celery, sandwiches with green toothpicks, a fruit rainbow, with a jello pot of gold at the end.










In the afternoon Matthew and I built a green Leprechaun house and played with green playdough.





For dinner we had corned beef and gabbage with beer…or apple beer…or I guess it was just apple juice.




And of course we ended the night in green p.j.’s and read a St. P day book!

(Does anyone have a St. Patrick's Day book that they love? This was the only one that I own, and I'd think there would be a better one out there.)

3.14 – Happy Pi Day!!

We had chicken pot pie, chocolate pie, I ran 3.14 miles, and we read verse 3:14 out of every book in the Book of Mormon for FHE! Do you have any other fun pi day activities?

Thanks Mom!!

Thanks mom for the tickets!! It was a WONDERFUL ballet, and WONDERFUL to get out!! Thanks a million Darin for watching the kids!! BEST HUSBAND EVER!!

Great job to Jenna, Caroline, Anna, Lindsey, and Aubree!!! You were all amazing!!

I Love to See the Temple!

We took Lindsay out for her first walk! It was a beautiful day!! We went up and walked around the Bountiful Temple. Matthew especailly loved it.






Matthew thought it was so funny when he would step on our shadows!

Happy Lindsay and Happy Marti Gras!!

Sorry I left a lot of people hanging on the Lindsay update. We went into the doctor on Monday and we didn’t end up getting a CT but the doctor measured and felt her head and thought it was looking good. Her incision is healing up nicely too. With her new incision she has a perfect “L” on her head for Lindsay!! If she ends up needing another surgery I am going to request they make the incision in the shape of a “G” so she can have her initials on her head!! Ha ha!! How awesome would that be? I was a little bummed that the shaved off more of her hair, but I am more thrilled that she is doing so well!! We will be going back in two weeks for another check up.



Since Monday went so well we had a celebration party on Tuesday for Marti Gras! However, according to my niece we didn’t really have a party. Our conversation went something like this.

Rachel: What are these hats for?
Me: We had a party at our house last night!
Rachel: Who came to your party?
Me: Uncle Darin, Matthew, Lindsay, and me.
Rachel: That’s not a party!

I’m still going to call it a party though. When I can’t take Lindsay out of the house, and we’re supposed to limit visitors I get cabin fever pretty bad, so we had a party with the all of the people who happen to live here. Matthew and I made these awesome hats and mask. For dinner we had gumbo and King’s cake. It was a fun night even if it was simple, and we learned a lot about the history of Marti Gras!








And I had to add in this little gem. Matt and Lindsay taking a nap together

To my Angels

“I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with-here, now, every day… indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.”
-Elder Jeffry R. Holland-

Thank you to all of my angels!!

We do other stuff besides hanging out at the hospital!

On Sunday, February 21st Darin gave Lindsay a name and a blessing in our ward. Darin’s uncle died this past week, so his parents flew in from the Philippines for the funeral, so we decided to bless Lindsay while they were here. It was perfect day, and Darin gave Lindsay such a nice blessing. It was beautiful. After church, our family came back to our house for a breakfast. We had tons of food, and EVERYTHING was DELICIOUS!! We had breakfast casseroles, cinnamon rolls, muffins, fruit, juice, and milk. Thanks so much to everyone for your help with the breakfast.

Here are a few pictures of Lindsay in her blessing dress. It is the same dress that my sister and I were blessed in.





Our family of four.



Eating the yummy food!





Here is some of the candy I used for the downstairs table centerpiece that I don’t think anyone even saw. Ha ha.

Isn’t she such a beautiful girl!?








We had a fun President's Day in the snow! In honor of President's Day Darin and Matthew made an Abraham Lincoln and George Washington snowman.





Then they transformed those snowmen into Darin and Haylee snowmen and added a Matt and a Lindsay snowman.



Darin also took Matt for a ride on his sled



And Darin and I went skiing in our back yard!



It was a GREAT day!

Home Again!!

We brought our little Lindsay home last night (Tuesday) Yay!! It is soo sooo nice to be back and to hold my baby without a million wires, cords, monitors, IVs, etc. attached to her!! So here is a summary of the last few days.

Sunday, February 27th

Lindsay had her surgery Sunday morning and they did the surgery with the intention to poke a hole in her ventricle to make a new canal, but if they didn’t have a straight shot (without hitting her pituitary gland or hitting an artery) they would just go ahead and put a shunt in.


(Darin and Lindsay right before the surgery).

It was a long wait while she was in surgery, but when she came out she had no shunt and no drain!! However, this surgery only has a 30% success rate, so there is a 70% chance we’ll still be back In next month to get the shunt.

She was REALLY pale when she came out of surgery, and she had her yucky orange soap all over her body (because they were preparing for the shunt), and she has blood matted to her hair (which is a major bummer because we can’t bathe her for a week), but we were SOO glad that it went well!!

Around 5:00 she was still pretty sedated so my family talked me into going home for my birthday dinner! My whole family was SOOO nice and everyone made my favorite dinner!! (Flank steak, funeral potatoes, asparagus, brussle sprouts, my favorite salad, and my mom’s awesome rolls!!)

(Mom always sets the table so cute for our birthdays!)

(about to blow out 26 candles...that is right! I am officially old).

My brother brought me back around 7:00 but we weren’t allowed to go in until 7:30 (they have pretty strict rules in the NICU). I stayed with Lindsay for a while and right as I was about to go home she threw up and kept crying and crying. It was a pain cry not a hunger cry and it just broke my heart. Around 11:00pm I headed home and bawled all the way to the car, I bawled the whole ride home, and bawled most of the night. I don’t think that there is anything much worse than coming home without your baby. I don’t have any idea how moms can stay in the NICU for months and months.

(Lindsay after surgery but before coming out of sedation. Doesn't it look like she's almost smiling in this one? What a cutie she is!)

Monday was a GREAT day!! She ate well, she slept well, she was on less pain medication, she was breathing well, and she even gave us a few smiles!! It was a wonderfully happy day!
Tuesday she got another CT, and showed that her ventricle hadn’t shrunk at all (bummer) but her cyst did shrink even more.

We have another doctor’s appointment with a CT on Monday, and then another appointment with an MRI in 3 weeks. I asked the doctor when we will know if the surgery worked or not and he said if we can make it to the 1 year mark we should be in the clear! (I know most mothers want to enjoy every second with their baby, but I cannot WAIT until her first b-day…I am not a patient person).

So, now we just have to wait and pray that she is in that 30% that has a success story. Until then we’ll just hope she doesn’t throw up, or have her head grow too quickly, or get dehydrated, or urinate too much, and eat well, keep that canal open, etc., etc., etc. Thanks so much for all the sweet notes, messages, gifts, cards, visits, etc!! We love you all sooo much and appreciate all the support!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! I seriously am beyond amazed at everyone’s kindness!! I wish I could list all of our tender mercies and answers to prayer, but they are ENDLESS! Thanks again everyone!!


Back in her own bed!