Updates on the Family

My time flies! Important milestones for my kiddos are:

Tanner- graduated high school! We are so proud of him and honestly.....didn't think he would make it, but he made us proud and completed. In the fall he's going to go to CSN to take some core classes. He's interested in criminal justice and wants to be a police officer. Maybe in January I'll send him to UNR which is where he wants to go. For now, he is trying to get a job and will FINALLY get his drivers license when he turns 18 August 13. Yes, people....they grow up way to fast!




Madison-will be going into the 8th grade next year. She was able to go to YW camp this year, yet due to high winds, they were sent home after two days. She still loved it and we get the pleasure of hearing her sing her camp songs nonstop! Madison also had her dance recital at the end of June. She did really good. We've also changed dance studios which I'm really excited about. It's closer to home and more focused on actually "dancing" than competitions. She loves YW's and has started babysitting.She also is now wearing braces which look really cute!



Camryn- will be going into 2nd grade and is sad that school is out. She loves school and I'm shocked by her awesome ability at reading. She uses expression and loves picking out hard chapter books to read. She reads every night to me and Jaxon. Camryn has also started taking piano lessons. She LOVES going and tries really hard to practice all the time.



Jaxon- my feisty 4 year old. Still skinny as a rail, yet loves to eat! He finished pre-school and speech for the year which he loved. Jaxon loves to swim, play with dinosaurs, legos and batman cars. He loves to watch Spongebob and Family Guy (I know) with his dad.



Paul and I are doing really good. Paul was fitted with really good hearing aids so now he can hear! Work has be picking up and we've been spending all of our "free" time at Disneyland. We have annual passes so it's actually a pretty cheap trip when we go. I'm enjoying the last few weeks of summer. It seems I was on the go my entire vacation, yet love having a break.

I'm Coming Back!!

I really do like to blog...really I do, yet it frustrates me when I get so behind that I choose to just not do it. Plus, it seems like it takes forever for my pictures to download which aggravates me even more. Eventually, I'll be back to share our fun happenings for the year.

Kris

Disneyland....Again!

I am a Disney fanatic! Paul and I want to quit our jobs here in Vegas and go live in CA just so I can get a job at Disneyland. Seriously! Why oh why can't Jaxon love Disney? We took most of the kids a couple weeks ago for 3 days and Jaxon was Miserable! He cried pretty much the entire trip and really put a damper on things. Everything scared him and even though we forced him on a lot of rides he still cried so nope, he doesn't get to go again for awhile.

Yes, we ARE that couple!!!



This was Jaxon's look ALL the time! He hated the rides!!

My Pretty Little Teenager

 

My pretty little girl is now a full fledged teenager. Yep, Maddie is now 13 and yep, we can ALL tell!! Watch out...moods are occurring in this household on a daily basis. Nah, I love this pretty thing tons and enjoy our conversations, going to the movies, and sharing our love of shopping together. I look forward to many more years with this wonderful daughter of mine. Happy birthday Madison Patsy!!!

Sad Post, But Crying Can Heal?!

It's amazing to sit back and recall the setbacks that can occur in your life. I have a pretty amazing life...wonderful kids, awesome hubby, a good job that I love, friends that I LOVE, family who loves me unconditionally, and pretty OK health. It takes a loved one to pass away where you really start to put life into perspective and vow to do things a bit different even though you think your life is going along fabulously.
My dad died last week. I knew it was coming, yet as I write this two weeks later, I'm feeling more distraught about his death than I thought I would be. Dad was diagnosed with throat cancer December 17. Smoking heavily for over 65 years will do that to you. Because I'm the only child that lives in Vegas I became the sole caregiver for my dad and really didn't mind doing what I had to do to help him. For 5weeks my dad did radiation daily and chemo once a week. I was amazed that he seemed to be OK after doing these treatments. He never got sick and after 2 weeks he was able to drive himself to his treatments.
I could tell at the beginning of February that these treatments were taking a toll on my dad. His weight was plummeting. He lived on Ensure that was fed thru a feeding tube because he couldn't' swallow. Having at least 6-8 Ensure's a day is beneficial to a human being, yet my dad insisted on only having 4-6. Soon he also lost his voice and could barely whisper or resorted to writing notes.
On February 15 he drove himself to the hospital due to his oxygen levels being low. His chemo doctor had requested that he go and be checked in. I was called because my dad needed to have a tube put down his throat which he was refusing. Yep, he had a DNR and I was the lucky one that had to sign off on it. Hardest day of my life!
Like me, my dad is very stubborn as I tried to tell him that I didn't have to sign this form and having a tube put in would prolong his life. He still chose not to. Four days later my dad passed away due to respiratory failure brought on by tonsillar cancer. As each day went on his health worsened and his brain just wasn't getting enough oxygen. On the day that he died my mom and I were able to tell him goodbye and let him know that we loved him. I could tell that death was near. Hospice nurses see this all the time and all of the signs were there. An hour after we left he peacefully passed away to play in heaven with his daughter Patsy and his mom/dad.
The past two weeks have been so surreal to me since you really don't plan on burying a parent. It's expected, yet who really thinks about it? My dad had a beautiful service in Kanab, UT and is buried in Mt. Carmel, UT next to his beloved mom and dad. My sis Patsy is resting peacefully 18 miles south. I planned the entire funeral (with a little bit of help from my prec...;)) and buried my dad with dignity and letting people know that MY dad was loved by many. Yes, he had his addictions and didn't have the greatest relationship with some of his sons. He even has grand kids that have never met him. Sad, I know. I loved my dad for who he was, the example he set for me whether good or bad, and am so grateful for the relationship that he had with my kids. They loved their poppa and he loved them hard. I love you dad and will always be your Krissy!!
So am I going to try and live my life differently? Yep, life is too short and I plan to take advantage of life a little bit more. Hope you can to! I'll post pictures of my dad and his awesome funeral shortly.

Disneyland Birthday

My birthday month rocked! Paul and I escaped to Disneyland by ourselves for my birthday. It was the best weekend ever! Love going with my kiddos, yet we were amazed by how much fun we actually had without them. In fact, I would definitely recommend it! Love my hubby!


We probably rode Space Mountain 100 times. It was called Ghost Galaxy and had a burning ghost chasing after you. Loved it!! Loved the girl in front of me. She looks like she's going to puke!!
Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite set up at DLand. Love everything about it!

Mom gave me the best gift by taking care of my kiddos, yet I came home to roses and more presents from my kiddos. Maddie even made me a cake....if you want to call it that!