The month of Febuary (better late than never I guess)

More typing than pictures this time. I will send you to a link here that has the best picture of the most wonderful pink party ever! Celebrating Des' last day of chemo. We had our family there (except our Texas fam)Waiting for that last round of chemo to stream through Des' body and then it was time for the BELL RINGING. When a patient finishes chemo they get to ring a bell on the way out. There was video taken and pictures, but I have to tell you, I was in the prime place to get an awesome picture of her ringing the bell and I had the camara all in postision and ready to shoot and instead of hitting the button to snap the shot, I hit the off button. So hence I did not get the prime picture :( And let me tell you ring it she did, she pulled it right of the wall and down on to little Abbies hands, but all was good, She just hung it right back up onto the bracket that it came out of and Abbies hands survived. (you can see that in the video on that link.)
I stayed with Des' family for a week then headed home.

We had birthdays (previous posts) and of coarse Valentines Day, Ron and I went to dinner for Valentines day and had chocolates and chocolate covered strawberries and a carmel apple to last us for a few days.
Then on the 28th I headed back up to SLC to help her get a few things done before her surgery on the 29th.
The morning of her surgery (she needed to be in there by 6 am) I had planned on staying home with Ellie so she could just chill at home.(because that is Ellies favorite thing to do) But by 10 o'clock I was going crazy not being at the hospital. A relative offered to have Ellie come play if needed. So I showed up on her doorstep because I did not have her number. Thank you Tara for helping out. I then went to the hospital, now really what could I do at the hospital, abbsolutly nothing, but did I feel better being there? YES I DID!! We were told that it would be a 6 hr surgery, I think it was a little after noon time when the surgeon came out and told us (Mark and I) that all went well with the surgery. He said that the plastic surgeon was taking over and that she.... he hesitated for a while and then said "how do I say this....ah she is kind of a perfectionest" Now in my mind that is not a bad thing when they are working on my daughter. I was really happy to hear that. He said it like it was a bad thing.
It was, I think around 4 or 4:30 pm by the time they got her in her room, we were actually up there already waiting for her. When they rolled her into the room, my heart broke knowing what she had just been through. Looking at her she said she felt like she had been hit by a bus, which I am sure it felt like it. I stayed for a bit and kissed her on her cute fuzzy head and then I left to go get the kids so they could come see their mom.
It was a windy day all day and of course it blew in a snow storm. So as I was driving home it started to snow. I got home and there was pizza waiting to be and can I say pizza, Marks boss brought FIVE yes 5 boxes of pizza bread sticks and cinnemon sticks. We had plenty to eat. I recieved a text from Mark saying I shouldn't bring the kids up and just after that text I got a call from Des saying it was really snowing so not to bring the kids up. Little did I know that Mark had left for a minute and Des did not know that Mark had text me and Mark did not know Des called me. Spirit speaking to the parents of 4 anxious kids wanting very badly to see their mommy. But we did the next best thing, we skyped with Des. When we connected Ellie was on my lap and Josh was there, Emma walked around so she could see her mom and the tears started streaming down her face (she is our little tender heart). She had a hard time seeing her mommy with the oxygen tube in her nose and then you know skype, it really does not make us look our best. But Des took the tube out and she seemed to be alittle better. Abbie too was having a hard time.

This cancer journey was not in MY "mommy plans" at all, as we know sometimes we get things we don't sign up for. I know with the help of our Savior we can handle things that we don't think that we can. The Lord knows us and He know how to shape and mold us to become the person we are ment to be. We just need to let Him do it.
The many many prayers offered in the behalf of Des and our whole family are much felt and appreciated.

A short note about the first of March I already posted our birthday in March but on Des' birthday we had a birthday party for Abbie she turn 8 two days after, so that meant that is was birthday party year. Des having just been out of surgery two days, she recruted help from family and friends to throw this party for Abbie she had 8 little friends over and we did pedi's for them as they watched "Princess Diaries" picture here. This was one tired grandma when that party was over. But Abbie had a good time and that is what matters. The rest of March will come when it happens. ;0

Happy Birthday Desirae

What a deal having your birthday 2 days after your surgery. But we are are so happy that all went well with the surgery, now for the recovery time.

A little about Desirae, she is our first born, I had a dream about her when I was pregnant with her and dreamt she was going to be a cute little dark headed baby (this was before ultrasounds) and when I first held her in my arms it was like I had already seen her because of my dream. She was a good baby. When she was around 3 we gave her a little fisher price cassette player for her birthday, with some music tapes. She carried that thing around with her where ever we would go. It was on in the car, at home or anytime we would allow it to be on. At home she would line her dolls, and stuff animals up on the couch and she would preform for them. When Brit was born she would had her to the mix. I am sure that is where her singing began and it just kept getting better and better. When she was 4 I started her in piano lessons it was called the Yamaha method, a parent would go with and there would be 10 to 12 students at one time. it was a great way to learn when being so young. She continued to get better with her piano as well. For the most part Des was very easy going, but I soon learned that I couldn't say much to her in the mornings before school, SHE was not a morning person. She always took charge her being the oldest, that was her duty and she still does a wonderful job of gather us together to have fun, that is when we are together. She always called herself the trial child, I think we did a pretty dang good job with that trial child right? A little story about her; I walked in the living room and the music guard to the piano had been unscrewed and was on the piano bench. I looked at Desirae and asked that very dumb question "Who did this?" Well you know what her answer was "Brittany did it." Ok I know I am not the smartest person but Brittany was 6 mo. old at the time. So that was not at all possiable, but she would not back down she insisted that Brit had done it.

She now is the mother of 4 beautiful children, is a very crafty person, LOVES having some project going at all times. She is a wonderful daughter, wife and mother. She has had a pretty ruff 6 months and a few more to go. But I know that with the Lords help she has come through this challenge hands down. She has put up a good fight.

We LOVE you and wish you as Happy of a Birthday that you can possiable have. :)

Happy Birthday Burtany :)

So I have to explain my post title, Burtany is what Brit's friends called her when she was younger, and it is now what Luke calls her. He told her Happy Birthday Burtany!!!

Brittany is now celebrating her 2nd anniversary of her 29th birthday as she puts it.

Brittany was a very active little girl, I remember her gruff little voice when she was around the age of 2 to 4 she had what they call screaming nodules, if that gives you any clue to how vocal she was when she was younger. She loved being around as many people as she could be around. She was a talker, she would be talking even when no one was listening to what she was saying.

She loved candy and could sniff it out no matter where I would hide it. No matter how discrete I was trying to be out opening some candy without her knowledge, she could smell it. She LOVED to tease her sisters and brother, and she still enjoys teasing her nieces and nephews.

She now is a wonderful wife, and mother of 3 1/2 very active children, well 3 active children the other one is not quite there yet.
Brittany lives very close so we are able to spend a lot of time together. We have fun getting together for shopping, lunch, going to the park or hiking.
We hop you have a very happy birthday. We love you!!!

Happy Birthday Netters

I can't believe that our little Netter Betters was 16 months old when we packed up everything and moved South. Living in SLC and needing a change in our lives we moved to Leeds, I know that we were/are suppose to be here for some reason. Now she is a beautiful young lady, a wife, a mother of 2 1/2 cuties and a farmer :). For the most part Danette enjoyed living in the country (until she became a teenager like all the others) she loved all the little critters that she would find in the field, all the insects, she loved running around with no shoes. so it was good we moved where it was warmer. We ran a little grocery store in Leeds when we first moved here and Danette was known as the little spring lamb, because she would bounce around the store like a new born lamb. She was bound and determined that she was going to marry Crocodile Dundee (Paul Hogan) she loved watching that movie when she was little. She loved being in her room by herself and would entertain herself for hours. She was always my calm child and a peacemaker in the family.
She now loves where she lives (Texas) she has traded in insects and critters for a donkey, 8 cows, 3 goats a dog some cats and soon to have some pigs. We miss her cute little family so much. We love the few times a year that we can get together.
Love ya Danette, Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Dan the Man

I am a slacker in posting Daniels birthday blog this year. I know that he probably does not even look at my blog but I feel like a slacker mom for not posting this earlier. OK I will give my self a little bit of a break because I was driving home from SLC on his birthday. But no excuse for the rest of the time. Did make it home in time to eat dinner with him, he invited us, his old fuddy duddy parents to eat with their friends, for his birthday. Thank you Danielson it meant alot to be able to be there to celebrate with you. Then Sunday I fixed a dinner for him to celebrate with family. On his menu was........Pork chops, rice, green beans, fluffy jello salad and his favorite Chocolate cake with home made chocolate frosting. I through in an oreo pudding cake just for fun.

A little bit about Dan

When he was a little boy;

*He loved playing cars and would get very angry if someone stepped on his road and wrinkled the material. Of coarse he put his roadway right in the walking area. :)

*made a few trips to the ER and always at the drs office with him.

*when leaving his sisters in charge if we would go out, and if a sister would make him mad he would climb out his window after being sent to his room.

*when he would do something that would make his sisters mad at him, he would always make them laugh and then they would be even more mad that they were laughing because they were suppose to be mad at him.

*he loved to dance, I can still see him dancing in his MC Hammer pants that I made him.

He was a fun little boy to have around, he brought new toys into this house of all girls (except for Dad)

As he grew;

*can say he didn't like school much (still doesn't)

*he still liked to make people laugh and was very quick with come backs

*loved to film and would write scripts and have neighbor kids be the actors

won't go into his teenage years. I would like to keep this a positive post. :) But we love him all the same.

Now he is a wonderful husband, and a very good daddy. He loves his cute little family. He works hard to support them, he is always trying to come up with ways to better his window business. Still loves to film and looking to get into that business somehow. He is a writer, has a very active imagination. His brain is always thinking of new things. You can tell when you have triggered his brain into thinking of something, with something that you have said to him.

We love him very much and glad that he is close by so that we can feel of his sweet spirit.

Chemo 101

Had an experience today that I never really thought I would ever have, never really thought about it I guess. We go through life and live each day, having all kinds of experiences.
Then there is that bump in the road of life that turns us in a different direction than we had planned or in this case never would I have planned this for one of my children.
On Tues Jan. 10 I drove up to SLC, took my mom home because as I said in my last post she came and spent about 2 weeks with us after Christmas. It was fun having her spend some time with us. I came up to be with Des for her 3rd and next to the last round of chemo. I am so excited that she is nearing the end of this portion of this part of her journey with breast cancer. She is about 1/2 way through, by the time she is finished with surgeries and radiation it will be about 11 months to a year, from the time she found out that she had cancer.
Going with her today to be her chemo buddy :) was an experience, I can't really say it was exciting because of what it is that is happening to everyone in the room. I looked around and there were many chairs with men and women in them that was hooked up to bags of chemo streaming through their bodies. There was a man across from us that was having this poison going through his body, for the most part he was sleeping, but then he would wake up and use his little bag that he held in his hand to throw up in, as his wife (I am assuming it was his wife) had tears in her eyes, it made me wonder what his prognosis was. If he was just getting chemo to buy him some time. Then a cute little lady sitting next to Des was very spunky and man could she move, she needed to visit the little ladies room, she jumped up, unplugged herself from the power and strolled her bags with her and she was moving pretty fast for her age. (to and from the ladies room) A very pretty lady sitting on the other side of us, still had a very pretty head of hair, I could tell she was in very good shape, she had a marathon magazine on her table. I wondered if she was going to lose her hear or just what type of chemo was going through her body.
The best part of this experience was sitting next to my sweet daughter going through this very hard thing, looking at Pinterest and blogs with her, something we both enjoy doing. I know that I make chemo sound like a bad thing in which i guess if you look at it as poison going into you body it is a bad thing, but it is the thing that is saving my daughters life, it is killing the real killer, which is the cancer. It was interesting to watch the nurses as they would hang the bags, they would glove up and put on a cover thing over their clothes to hook the people up to the chemo, my thought was "you have to put on all that gear, and you are putting that stuff through my daughters body, how is that possible."
The whole process of this chemo thing is just an amazing thing. I am so so thankful for the medical technology that we are blessed with today. That Desirae is able to go through this very hard thing to be able to continue to be the daughter, the wife and mother that she is.

December 2011

I can't believe the year 2011 is gone, it went by so fast. I always heard that the older you get the faster the years fly by and I turly believe that.
To finish out the year with the month of December, we started off with cute little Ellie' birthday which I do not have any pictures because we where here skyping with them. But she is a big 5 year old girl now. Getting excited to start school in the fall.
As always we are all busy shopping and preparing for that big day at the end of the month. I had to make sure I had our Texas family taken care of in time to get their package shipped off so they would have it in time for Christmas.
I got a wonderful cold during this time which is never to fun.
We also celebrated Logan' 8th birthday, he was looking forward to getting baptized at the end of the month.
Des went in (wed 21) for her 2nd round of this 2nd treatment of chemo, as far as I know she did better than the first round, she never complains at least to me. She is such a trooper, taking this challenge and hitting it head on. I actually recieved a phone call from her on the 21st, we had a great long talk about anything and everything. (little did I know she was keeping me on the phone for a reason)
Ron and I were heading to Vegas Wed afternoon to pick Sharise up from the airport. While talking to Des I recieved a text from Danette asking me if we had recieved the package that she had sent about a week before. I told her "no not yet" she text back that she would have to check on it. About 15 minutes later there was a knock on the door, I was still talking to Des. I went to the front door and I could see little faces looking in the window, thinking maybe it was neighbors dropping something off I opened the door and there on the other side was my cute Texas family, Danette, Chad, Carly and Sam. (have a video but it won't download) I think I was kinda in shock, because I didn't cry and I usually do when things like that happen. So needless to say we didn't leave quite so early to go pick up Sharise. (they had to bring back the gifts I sent to them in their luggage) She was to arrive in Vegas at 11:55 that night. It was fun seeing her in the airport, it has been since Aug. that we have seen her. Then on Christmas afternoon our SLC family came. It was the best Christmas present ever to have my family all together.
Christmas Eve night we had Sharise, Danette' family and Dan and his little family spend the night. Grandpa read the night before Christmas to the kids before we opened the traditional PJ's, got the kids settled in bed and played some games, then Dan took Sharise to do his paper route with him. Around 2 in the morning Dan came in with little Haiven, she had been throwing up and was one sick little girl. Grandpa and Dad gave her a blessing. It was fun getting up Christmas morning, having some little ones here to watch their excitment of Christmas. We did our Chritmas morning thing, had some breakfast and got ready to go to Church. Love going to church on Christmas to remember what this season is all about. Remembering the birth of our Savior, in which I really tried to focus on as I was preparing for Christmas. Brits Family joined us at Church and then came here for more presents and food. Back to when Des arrived, we opened a few more presents and we was able to do a little Nativity in which I have been wanting to do for so long, Grandkids finally to the point we could pull it off. I loved watching them preform the nativity. We had fun being together, even though a few of us shared little Haivens flu with her on Tues. Our Texas and SLC family left on Wed.
On the 31st was Logan' baptism, it was a nice little service, can't believe he is 8.
We were going to celebrate Haivens birthday that day as well, but Chantelle decieded to celebrate on Mon. because she was still not feeling to good. So we had a fun little celebration on Mon for Haiven, she is such a cutie, she loved everything about it except when everybody started singing to her she was not to sure about being in the spotlight. (pic below)
We took Sharise back to the airport on the 2nd to return to Texas, she is loving it there. As much as we miss her it has been a good thing for her.
My mom rode down with Ron' parents on the 28th so she could be here for the baptism. She is staying till the 10th, she will ride back up with me when I go up to SLC to be there for Des' next round of chemo.
That is the month of Dec. for the Fowlks'. Looking forward to 2012 and the expantion of our family.

Thurs. after Sharise arrived we did our traditional Gingerbread (graham cracker) houses.

Grandpa reading "Twas the Night before Christmas" to the kids. I love this picture.
Our first Fowlks Family Nativity, what cute kids we have :)
Random Pictures
Here's our big 8 year Logan.
Haiven looking at everybody singing to her in the first pic and not liking it in the second pic. :)
She was loving the cake and knew just what to do. I was worried that she might not keep it down but she did. She was lovin the frosting. 2011 was a good year, even with the shocking news of Des having breast cancer, it has been a growing experience for me. Learning more fully how to rely on our Savior for comfort and using His atonement. I have been so blessed with a wonderful husband, children, son in laws, daughter in law and grandchildren. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!