WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES

Sorry guys if you don't want to look at a ton of pictures than leave this blog immediately!!

We just came back from New York and it was pretty great! All of the shopping in NY is amazing. We didn't actually do a ton of it but it was interesting to see all of the famous places you always hear about. We went and saw Tiffanys, FAO Shwartz, the Apple Store, Macy's, Bloomingdales and of course the American Girl Store.

New York...Wow what a place! My friend Karen was working in Boston and was able to meet us in NY and be our tour guide. She was great and so helpful...Thanks Karen!!! We were able to visit Ground Zero (there was this little church across fromGround Zero that housed all of the firemen while they slept in between their shifts, that was really amazing and touching to see all of the missing posters and tributes to those who losed love ones that day), the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, China Town, Little Italy, Central Park, the Manhatten LDS Temple. We also got to see the show Mary Poppins on Broadway...That was incredible!!! The driving in NY is absolutely crazy, it is what you see on TV and more. No lanes, no blinkers, no laws. Luckily we had a driver most of the time. Or else we walked and walked and walked and ate and ate and ate. It was a blast. We had beautiful weather, a little chilly at night and early morning but otherwise, beautiful!!! And of course there was the Rachael Ray show. It was so crazy, what a different life. Valerie Bertinelli and Rachael Ray were so great to us, just as kind, warm and down to earth as they appear on TV. What an experience we had, this was such a great eye opener for our girls.
But I tell you they were sure grateful for the slower pace of where we live.

Tim Mcgraw recently wrote a children's book so that is what the Rachael Ray show gave to my girls, they also got the snack of the day wich were
chocolate covered pretzels.

We had a blast at the Rachael Ray show. They picked us up from the airport in a black Cadillac SUV, with a sign that read "the Kerbys". We had a car and driver most of the time in NY. When we got to the studio, they brought us into this conference room, fed us fruit and sodas and then wisked us off to hair and makeup. Then we went backstage and waited for our turn. Before us was Tim Mcgraw. We met him and yes he is as good looking in person as he is on TV. That was way cool! They had us sit in the front row, showed the taped footage from our home and our kids school (If any of you choose not to watch it that would be very ok with us. It's quite funny but we do look extremely silly and what they say about the camera putting 15 pounds on a person...try 50 pounds I looked terrible...oh well now it's out there for the world to see.) Then Rachael Ray and Valerie Bertinelli asked us some questions and laughed alot. I am really hoping for a positive show, I think it will be. (I hope we don't appear as crazies) They hugged and kissed us and then we had some photos taken by their photographer with Valerie and Rachael and then we were on our way. Oh and by the way the show will be airing on Wednesday Nov. 5th.
Feel free NOT to watch it!!!

We loved seeing the Manhattan Temple, it was amazing the difference between being outside the Temple on the noisy street and walking inside. Raegan and Kalli thought it was pretty neat.

We Absolutely LOVED Central Park.

Lets just say that we ate from one end of NY to the other. We had to try everything and everything was SOOO GOOD!!!!

If you ever have the chance to try a deep fried OREO please do, it just might change your life!

Then there were these cornbread and mozzarella cheese things called something like Mozzarepas, oh my heck they were to die for (and if you eat to many of them you will die)

Then there was Serendipity's, YUM, YUM, YUM the Frozen Hot Chocolates are so yummy. They had amazing sandwiches too!

Oh how we LOVED Patsys, it was delicious! (this is our friend Sara Borg, she was one of our EFY counselors. She lives in Manhatten and met us for dinner and helped us use the subway, thanks Sara!)

All in all it was a fabulous trip. My other kiddos did great with my sister Stacey and my mom...Thanks so much for all of the help! We came home to happy children, I don't even think they missed us!

A Witch, A Cowboy, A Patient and A Monkey

Andrew (cowboy), Dad (patient),
Max (monkey) and Sydney (witch)

Max LOVES his Grandpa, he kept kissing him.

Max would not hardly let us take him away from "Bumpah".

We took the kids up to the hospital to see Grandpa tonight. Sydney and Andrew were determined to wear their Halloween costumes. Max was so excited to see "Bumpah" he wouldn't hardly leave him alone. My dad looks good. Since the surgery he has had 4 extra units of blood. We are still waiting to see where to next. We think he will be going from the hospital to a rehab facility possibly on Tuesday and then hopefully be home this weekend. Then on Friday he begins his radiation treatment on his hip. We are down one step in a long process.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!!!

Our Day With Valerie

We had the greatest day. Seriously it was so much fun. Today the crew came from NY to film our family with Valerie Bertinelli. What a blast. They even flew in a makeup artist from Las Vegas and I got to get my face air brushed. No flaws in this skin today! And as for Valerie, she could not have been more pleasant. So nice! She spent about three hours with us. She was so kind to the children oh and speaking of my children they were so well behaved (maybe it was our bribe to take them to Chucky Cheese if they were all good, they definitely earned it!)
It really was a day out of "Hollywood!"
Something that my children will probably never forget!
I can't wait for NY!Valerie getting her makeup touched up in my kitchen

Valerie with my kids in the front yard, they loved her!

Valerie right before she left to go catch a plane,
She was as nice as she could be!

I will let you all know when it will air, probably in about a month.
Stay Tuned!

Happy Happy Birthday Mom!!

October 16 is my mom's birthday. Not much of a birthday if you consider sitting by my dad's hospital bed while he is recovering from major surgery, but you know what...She wouldn't have it any other way (unless my dad was healthy of course). My mom always jokes that she is Florence Nightingale (the nurse) so lately my dad has called her "Flo". My mom has been such a strength to my dad, it is sweet to see the love they have for one another.

Here are a few thoughts I have of my mom:

*She always and still does, makes the best rolls.
*A clean and organized home has always been important to her.
(why did that not rub off on me)
*She adores her grandchildren and enjoys their funny ways.
*She is concerned about everyone!
(a little bit of a Nervous Nelly but we love it!)
*She is an amazing decorator. Her home always looks great and smells good too.
*She likes to travel, see new places and people watch.
(we have loved our trips with grandma and grandpa)
*She has a genuine love for her family and enjoys being around us.
(at least it seems that way)
*She is fun and nice and so funny and I love her
(this is what Tyler said)
*She likes to ride the rides at the amusement parks and plays a mean game of air hockey!
*She is extremely honest, with her what you see is what you get!
*She the best bargain shopper, I remember going to the "Fashion Gal" and getting a ton of new school clothes because mom would go on the "buy one get the second for a penny" sale. She could always find the deals!

I am so grateful for a mom who always taught me to tell the truth, be ethical in all things and to see things for what they are. She also has taught me compassion especially as I have been raising my own family. "I appreciate your example of complete love and sacrifice especially with what you are experiencing with dad at this time"
Happy Birthday Mom! I Love You!

Quick Update on my dad: His surgery today went as expected. They were able to get about 85% of the tumor out. They will radiate the remainder that is left in the hip. The doctor had to rebuild the back of his socket with cement and screws. He did receive about 2 units of blood through transfusion. He is recovering after a long day. Thank you to all who offered prayers on his behalf, we definitely felt them! On a side note it was quite funny when he came out of the anesthesia the nurses asked him if he knew where he was, his reply was "yes, I am at the D.I." he had all of the nurses in stitches. He then told them that he was at the "Dog D.I. or maybe it was the Cat D.I" he also said that he did not want to eat any dog food. We had a pretty good laugh.

My Dad is the Mystery Man...

Here is a quick update on what is going on with my dad and his cancer. Last week he had what is called a PET Scan and a Scope. The Scan is really the last test they can do on him to try and figure out what type of Cancer he has. Today the Doctors were able to show us the scan over the computer. It goes through his entire body, major organs and glands. The result of that was nothing that we don't already know. It is in his hip, lung and a few glands, but his Heart, Liver, Pancreas, Stomach and Kidneys all are clean, they look great! (Due to the cancer he has lost 30 pounds since the picture above.) They still cannot figure out where the source of the cancer is. So right now his condition is labeled "Cancer of the Unknown Primary" which is only about 5% of all cancers, very rare. They admitted him today up at Huntsman Cancer Hospital to start his prep for his surgery on Wednesday. Today they are doing an Embolism which is where the doctors cut off all blood supply to his tumor in his hip (about a 2 1/2 hour procedure). Then on Wednesday he will be getting a full hip replacement and a removal of that yucky tumor. That procedure will be about 6 hours. Then he will have a recovery in the hospital anywhere from 5-10 days. His healing at home will be about 4 weeks. After the 4 weeks then the doctors will discuss what type of Chemo he will be on. They only have two to choose from. They will try one type for about 2-3 months and then x-ray to see if the cancer is shrinking. If that doesn't work than they have one more to try. We still have a long road of waiting. Please keep him in your prayers, especially on Wednesday.

I will update as I know more.

Tyler's Last Game of the Season

Tyler, #12
(serious how cute is this kid!)

Tyler, Talmage and Conner

Tyler LOVES to WIN!

Tyler had his last soccer game tonight until spring. He loves this sport, well Tyler really loves any sport. He is a natural little athlete. I am wanting to try him in something else next year but I am not so sure I can convince his dad of it. (Chad plays vicariously through Tyler)
Way to go Tyler, you had a great season.
(mom is ready for a break, one less carpool on my list for now)

Guess Who is Coming for Lunch????

Well I just got word that in a couple of weeks I will be welcoming Valerie Bertinelli into my home. She is coming to spend the day with me and my family. Oh My Heck!!!! I am a little in shock right now and am at a lost as to what I am supposed to do to get ready. This is even crazy for me. Apparently she will be spending time with Chad and I and then with our kids. Then they (the producers) think it will be alot of fun for her to spend some time with all of us. Holy Cow even our

Family Home Evenings don't last that long, trying to get the kids to sit still for five minutes much less a couple hours!

What a crazy time for our family,

WHAT A BLAST!!!!!

Start Spreading the News...

Well it is official, we are going to be on the Rachael Ray show. The producer just called me and they are flying out Chad, me, Raegan and Kalli in three weeks. They are paying for it all. We think we will extend our trip by a couple of days to be able to see all that we can.
WOO HOO!!! Who would a thought? Not me. Chad asked me at the beginning of the year if I could go any where, where would I want to travel this year. (he was just curious, not alot of $$$ prevented much traveling this year) Anyway I told him I really wanted to go to NY! Our neighbors left today and invited us to go with them but we just couldn't afford it this year. But hey lo and behold Rachael Ray happened and we are getting to go for free!!!!
(yes at a cost of looking ridiculous, but FREE)
Yippee!!!! I will let you all know when the show will air.
(Well that of course depends on how ridiculous we actually do look)

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER A DULL MOMENT!!!

Brother Spencer, Bishop Kerby, Brother Norman

Today I lost my husband...To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!!! Chad was set apart as the bishop of our ward. We have known for a while now but had to keep it hush hush. We belong to what I think is the best ward ever, we really love our neighbors and our ward members. This ward reminds me alot of the Lyn Rae ward I grew up in, in AZ. We have a ton of youth (over 100) and a large primary as well. The people are really good, kind members of our church. I am grateful to have a husband who is willing and able to serve in this capacity. I love Chad and am happy to be his wife. People keep asking me how I feel about it and my answer to them is "I am so excited for the blessings, everyone prays for the Bishopbric and their families, I can't wait for those prayers!" My kids have mixed emotions, some believe that they will never see him again and then others are so excited for this. Kalli said that she already told a boy that if he doesn't leave her alone she will talk to the Bishop about him! (good ole Kalli)

Needless to say this past week has been by far one of the craziest we have had at our home.

Whew, What A Day!!!

Tyler getting his microphone on ready for his interview

The kids swinging in the backyard, camera crew taping it all.

Max found a buddy in the lighting guy, he loved those big lights.

Chad taking a breather between "takes" during his interview.

Raegan during her interview.

We had quite the day. Today was the day that the film crew came and filmed our family for the Rachael Ray show. They showed up at 7:00am and left at about 5:00pm. We are exhausted! The kids were very well behaved and really listened and followed directions until towards the end, they were all getting a little pooped out. So was I! They did interviews with each one of us and then filmed our crazy family and the crazy things we do. I do not know yet when it will air or what happens next, maybe New York? Keep your fingers crossed, I will keep you posted.

Family Fun

On Monday evening we decided that for family home evening we would take a drive up through the Alpine Loop to see if the leaves had started to change their colors. The drive was beautiful even though the canyon was still pretty green, the air was clean and crisp. We stopped to have a picnic at a lookout point near the top. It was fun to just enjoy our little family and get away from the hustle and bustle of our life. We plan to take this drive in a couple weeks, by then the leaves should be perfect,
I love fall!!!

He is still a mystery...

Today I went up with my parents to Huntsman Cancer Center to meet with the tumor doctor. Well after the biopsy last week they have determined that he will need a total hip replacement because the cancer has eaten away at the bone. He (the doctor) said it looked as though there had been termites in there. The bone is so bad that they have to create a new part out of cement and something like re barb but not. The Hip Replacement Surgery will be on October 15 up at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital. He will be admitted there for about 5-7 days. At that time they will also remove the tumor. They also discovered that the tumor is not the source of the cancer and so they are passing him onto a new doctor. A "Gut" doctor. They believe that the cancer is somewhere in his GI tract. But are still unsure where it is. So next Monday he has an appointment with that doctor and a possible scope that will go down his throat and check all through his GI tract from above. So here we go again...Hurry up and Wait! We are still feeling positive, this appointment today went well, we feel like they are at least narrowing the search down. But we are quickly beginning to dread Mondays since that is when every appointment is. My dad is recovering pretty well from his biopsy, still pretty sore because where the tumor is they had to move around some muscle and make a great big incision. It is located near his Sciatic Nerve which makes that nerve "angry" and causes some pretty bad discomfort. But he is off his pain meds and is looking better.

Quick update on Rachael Ray: They (film crew and field producer) are coming to my home Friday at 6:30 am. They will be doing the interviewing and filming here until about 12:00 then we will head over to the elementary school for some filming there. Pretty Crazy!!!!

WELCOME TO OUR HOME RACHAEL RAY!

Wow my life is busy lately, I mean really busy. I feel like I have a whole lot on my plate right now with my dad's health, kids, carpools, budgets you know just crazy day life. Well let me back up a bit. I enjoy Rachael Ray, I always have. I have enjoyed her shows on the food network and I especially enjoy her daytime talk show. Well one day during the summer I decided to check out her website. On her website there were some questions posted so I decided to answer one of them. The question was
"Do you have embarrassing parents,
if so tell us about them"
I thought this was kind of funny because I don't have embarrassing parents but my kids sure think they do, especially Raegan. So I write a response and tell them about how Raegan thinks Chad and I are SO embarrassing. (what 10 year old girl doesn't think her parents are embarrassing?) Well that was that and I didn't think much about it, until I received a phone call a few weeks later from Meredith, the senior producer of the Rachael Ray show. She wanted to know all types of info on my family. She wanted names and ages of my kids as well as recent photos emailed to her. Then she wanted to know specifics on how we have embarrassed our children. She had me email her whatever stories I could think of. Then she called Raegan and talked to her for about 15 minutes. That was about 2 months ago. Well we hadn't heard much else, so I kind of put it in the back of my mind. Well last week I get an email from Meredith telling me that things are in the works and would it be ok if her crew came here to my home in a couple of weeks.
WHAT...AHHHHH...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!
(my mom asked if part of the deal was to send a cleaning crew first, gotta love her)
She also asked if she could get the principal of my children's elementary school's phone number so she could set up a time to film my kids there. So next Friday, in one week we will have a camera crew in our home filming our family. They want background stories of our family. We will have to reenact our embarrassing times. Then there is a possibility that we will be going to NYC to be on the Rachael Ray Show. I know this is wild!!! I will post more as I know. I just hope the saying isn't true about the camera putting 15 pounds on you, because with all of my stress these days I've done that to myself and I don't need any other help with it.
So wish me luck and
PLEASE SEND A CLEANING CREW ASAP!!!

Update on Dad

Today I went with my parents up to Salt Lake to the Huntsman Cancer Center. It really is a big, beautiful facility. After finally seeing the Dr (we only had to wait 4 hours) he has decided that he will do an open biopsy on the tumor on my dad's pelvic bone this Wednesday. He (my dad) continues to be a mystery to the Doctors. Because they found cancer in my dad's lung but it is NOT lung cancer they have traced the cancer cells to his liver. But his liver looks clean and healthy. Then they find this tumor (11 centimeters long) on his pelvic bone. So the doctor thinks he needs to go into that tumor and get some tissue from it and see if they can trace it to the lungs. I think they labeled him "super complex". The doctor/surgeon he is working with now is the best. He is the number one tumor specialist for Huntsman. So we feel he is in good hands. After the biopsy then the surgeons and doctors will meet on Monday and have a "Treatment Planning Conference" where they will discuss his case specifically and see what they think the treatment and plan should be. So we know nothing more now but feel very confident in who is working with him. Now we are on to the waiting game...again. Thanks for your prayers and support...Keep them coming!

BYU Cougars Vs. UCLA

Wow what a game on Saturday. 59-0 It was crazy! Chad and I just kept looking at each other and saying "you have got to be kidding me". Any way we had a great time and Chad's brother Lance and his wife were able to join us this weekend from AZ.
Lance didn't think those cougars were half bad.
GO COUGS!!!

Fun Times

With everything that has been going on with my dad I haven't really been in a mood to blog but I need to. This week we kind of get to sit on pins and needles until we know more concerning the cancer. But I need to do things to keep my mind off of it, INSTEAD of Baking! It's pretty pathetic, my sisters and I are TERRIBLE emotional eaters, When I get stressed, I BAKE.

I BAKE really bad things for your body like brownies, cookies, cakes, muffins (all with chocolate of course) whatever new recipe I have been wanting to try, I try them all. I have gone through so many chocolate chips in the past two weeks its ridiculous. I am not talking about the little bags of chocolate chips I am talking about the primo, large, massive bags from Costco. So to keep me OUT of the kitchen I am blogging.

We had a great time going to the Real Salt Lake soccer game with friends and neighbors. My kids thought it was so cool and had a blast with all of their friends. Chad was able to get about 20 tickets from a friend so we all went and took the kids. Last Sunday evening while Chad was in meetings the kids wanted to do acrobats in the front yard (the weather has been beautiful here) I love it when my kiddos play together and find things to do that include each other. I do enjoy having my kids so close in age for this reason.

Then finally Andrew started preschool. He goes three days a week with two of his best buddies, Isaac and Gabe.Happy Baking!!!

A Heavy Heart

I am writing this with a very heavy heart. As some of you know my parents returned home from their mission in New York in February of this year. Since they have been home my dad has had numerous health issues. A blood clot in his hip, constant coughing, weight loss just to name a few. Well this past week his Pulmonary (lung) Dr. requested that he get a biopsy on his lungs to find out what was there, she had seen some unusual spots on them and was concerned. Well the report is in and the spots are Cancer. Not lung cancer but another form that is coming from another source in his body. So this next week he will be undergoing some more x-rays as well as more testing to find the source of the cancer. He is scared. My dad has always been the picture of perfect health, he exercises, eats right. I hate that he is going through this. My mom is a trooper. She is being so strong, he has always taken care of her and now she is taking care of him (he hates that).
I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who knows each of us and is aware of what we are going through and that he is there to comfort us during hard times. I feel peace. I know our family will be blessed and taken care of during this time. Please keep him in your prayers and hopefully this next week the doctors can figure out a way to "ATTACK IT" (the cancer) as my mom puts it.
Hug your family, love your parents, kiss your kids!

What do ya think????

OK everyone I am debating something. I am trying to decide whether or not to make my blog private. It has been an inner battle with myself for a while now. There are lots of reasons to go private but it's been so much fun reconnecting with old friends and new friends. AHHHH what should I do? If I do decide to go private I would need all of your email addresses to invite you to it, but do I really want to?
Give me your input and let me know what you think...