An Actual M&M photo

Can you believe it? An actual photo of Mark and I without one of us being cut off. Bryce took this picture at our niece's wedding. It's hard to believe that she got married. She was in our wedding almost 11 years ago. It was a beautiful wedding. She got married at Point Loma University on July 3rd (which is Annie's actual birthday). It was really sweet of them not to forget Annie. They had a birthday brownie for her and everyone at the wedding sang Happy Birthday to her.

Once again, Annie didn't have a birthday party. So, this Thursday we are having a very last minute birthday party for her at the park. I'm sure it will be fun. It's actually pretty exciting for us to be able to have an outside party for her in July. This would have never happened in the desert.

Hormones

Ever since having babies, my hormones have never been the same. I loved the fact that I would go to the doctor and wonder why I felt horrible and gained weight, and they would most always dismiss it as "as we get older....our bodies change." WHAT??????? So my punishment for getting a year older and being blessed with children was to become fat....whatever.....I wasn't buying it. It seemed that every time I got off the pill I would lose weight incredibly fast, get pregnant, gain weight, lose weight incredibly fast, then when I would go on the pill I would gain again. It's been a roller coast fat game! Then I had an emergency hysterectomy.....that pretty much has screwed me up since. I finally got some answers at an endocrinologist-my hypothalamus doesn't function properly (hormone regulator in lay terms), and my metabolic reading is that I burn 2100 calories at rest. What in the world? I should be a twig. However, my brain doesn't read that, so instead I subject myself to shots every day in my stomach no less, and I am doing and feeling much better. My ANA levels are high, which means at the time of the blood test, I am positive for lupus. I get a kick at how God only gives us what we can handle....well He obviously thinks I can handle quite a bit.

Crappy I tell ya, but I am alive, and I'm thankful for that.

Cookies with Grandma

AHHHHH! Making cookies with Grammie. We went out to the desert so Mark could work at Belk Farms for the day, so we had the opportunity to spend some time with Grammie & Grampa. Grammie of course spoiled the kids by letting them consume as much sugar as they possibily could. They were bouncing off the walls after the "cookie" day as they call it. Oh well.....that's what Grandma's are for. These are memories I'm sure they will remember for years to come.