Payton's 2 1/2 year after treatment scans

Tomorrow is Payton’s 2 ½ year after treatment scans. Where does the time go? We are so grateful that Payton has recovered so well from his surgery 4 months ago in April. Payton learned a great deal of faith and prayer through this past surgery. I remember him waking up in the middle of the night crying because he was in a lot of pain and he would say, “mom, hold my hand and pray that I will feel better.” He then, would quickly fall asleep and be fine. Payton on several different occasions will suggest that we have prayer. This past week Savannah came home with a stomach bug and Payton was really concerned about her. I was busy in the kitchen getting Savannah a drink. When I returned to the bedroom I found Payton saying a prayer next to Savannah. He said, “Help my sister to feel better because she doesn’t want to be sick anymore.” I immediately had tears rolling down my face. When Payton finished his prayer, I asked him what he was doing. He replied, “Mom, we have to ask Heavenly Father to help us when we are sick.” I was really taken back that my five year old was telling me this. Payton is such a true blessing in our family and I fully believe that he is here with us for a purpose. What amazing faith he has at the age of 5.

Back to Payton’s scan’s tomorrow. Payton will have an ultrasound, chest X-ray and Echo/EKG tomorrow. We are so excited that we no longer have the CT scans and MRIs. I am extremely happy that he doesn’t have to be sedated anymore as well as be exposed to as much radiation. Our oncology appointment with Dr. Bowman is not until Friday, so it will be a long week waiting for results. We are staying very optimistic for cleans scans and a good week.

First Day Back To School

I am feeling really emotional as Payton is getting ready to start Kindergarten. I recall feeling so scared and unsure if I would see this day come. What a crazy few years our life has been. I still look back and cannot believe that Payton went through cancer, radiation, surgeries, chemo, and a possible scare relapse. At times it feels like such a blur. We are all doing well at moving on and putting it behind us. At times like this when I recall wondering if I would see him attend Kindergarten it brings it all back again. I am so truly grateful that I have Payton with us today. There has not been a single day that has passed that I haven’t poured my heart out and thanked Heavenly Father that I have my little one with me. Payton to me is a constant reminder to be thankful for all the little things in life. I am thankful that I am his mom. I am thankful for all the time that I get to spend with him and cannot seem to every get enough of him. Payton asks me a question every day which is “Mom, why do you like me so much.” He says, “You kiss me a lot every day and you are always so nice to me.” It’s like I have a pair of sunglasses on and I see things through different eyes. I don’t think that will every change. Payton is so precious. Chad and I look and Payton and then look at each other all the time and I always know that we are thinking the same thing. How truly lucky we are to have our little guy. We just eat up every moment that we have with him.

So back to today, I am sad but also feeling so amazingly grateful to see my little guy attend his first day of Kindergarten. My family wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have Payton as part of our lives. Even though I am sad that this means I will get to spend less time with him, what a great day it is.

Bear Lake

We arrived at our cabin in Bear Lake and Grandpa and Grandma had everything set up and ready to begin our Sports Spectacular Event. The kids were really excited to spend time with each other. Grandpa and Grandma had sports shirts, lanyards, hats and water bottles for each of the kids. The rules and schedules were explained.

The kids were given a sports pass to put on their lanyard. The kids could earn 1 sticker by participating in an event and 2 stickers by winning a competition. The stickers were placed on the back on their lanyards. Once the kids earned so many stickers they could go to the dugout. The dugout had prizes for the kids to choose from. Each prize was on a point system of 1, 2 or 3 stickers.

The kids also received a rubber duck to put on their lanyard. The kids could earn additional ducks for good sportsmanship and for helping do chores without being asked. During different times of the day Grandpa and Grandma would do something called “feed the ducks.” The kids would get a certain amount of treats for how many ducks they had earned. Every duck looked different and Grandpa had an exact match of every duck. Everyday Grandpa would place a different duck on his lanyard. If at any time any of the kids had a duck that matched Grandpa’s duck and they were to notice, they would receive a dollar bill.

Grandpa and Grandma also had a Sports Gnome. Every day Grandpa and Grandma would hide the Gnome and give the kids clues to find it. The kid that would find the Gnome would get to pick out a $5 Gift Card.

The kids competed in a hula hoop and double shot basketball competition today. It is great having everyone together.

Summer 2010 Sports Spectacular

The kids were super anxious for their summer trip to begin. The summer theme this year was Sports Spectacular. We arrived in Utah and Grandpa and Grandma kicked off our sports spectacular with a cookout, cotton candy and games. My sister Jennifer drove in from Arizona with her three kids: Noah, Riley and Ella and her new husband Kevin with his children: Kari, Kirsten, Kaitlin, and Trevor.

The kids were all really excited to see each other. Payton and Ella enjoyed exploring Grandpa's garden. They picked raspberries and were so cute conversing back and forth. It reminded me of how much I enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

A fun afternoon with the Arizona cousins

We were all so excited to see my sister’s kids come to Texas to visit. It’s hard to believe that it has been a year since they moved from Texas. I cannot believe how much they have all changed in a year. Where does the time go? It amazes me how you can get kids in a room together and they can pick up and you would never know that they were ever apart. They all immediately started playing and chasing each other around. It felt like old times and it was great. I am so happy to see that they are all so happy and doing so well.

Summer Fun at the spray park

Our ward has a play group and this week we met up and went to the spray park. The kids had a great time playing together. I think that every kid complained at least once that someone was spraying them. We had to remind them that they were at a spray park and that is what happens. We had lots of fun spending time with friends.

On behalf of Zhu Zhu Pets and Mom Select we were given the opportunity to have a Kung Zhu Party for our son Payton and in return give our opinion on their new product. I had two very excited children when a huge box arrived at our door. I remember the excitement about Zhu Zhu pets around Christmas and how hard they were to find during the holidays. It wasn’t until after the holidays that I could find them for my children. Since my kids don’t have real pets they love these realistic, interactive, plush hamsters that talk and move around.

Payton was excited that the Kung Zhu Pets were geared more towards boys and are along the same line of the Zhu Zhu pets, just more appealing to boys.



We received a box of everything needed to host this party with the new Kung Zhu Pets. The box was fully equipped with hamsters, playset, and accessories. It took Chad just over an hour to set up the entire arena. The kids have been anxiously waiting to have their party and wanted to wait for their cousins to come from Arizona. Savannah has been so excited that she even made blankets for everyone’s pets. The cousins finally arrived and it was time to have our party. The party was a hit and each child was very excited to pick out their own Kung Zhu Pet and battle armor or tank. The children’s ages ranged from 3 to 12 years old; a good mix of ages so I could get varied opinions. From youngest to oldest, they seemed to have a great time and were very interested and excited.

Kung Zhu hamsters are split into two battling groups called Special Forces and Ninja Warriors. The hamsters look and sound like regular Zhu Zhu Pets but are transformed into ninjas and warriors once they are sent into their main training grounds with the smart chip technology.

They are powered by placing the Kung Zhu hamster underneath the smart chip and letting it go. As the tanks move forward, they do separate things. One tank has grabbing pincers, while another has missles that fire. There are four tanks in all. Battle Armor is also set on each hamster, giving them a special boost when battling.







Overall I would give these pets a great review. My kids have enjoyed playing with them. I love that you can play with just the pets alone or add in any number of accessories to mix it up. The kids had a lot of fun with just playing with the Kung Zhu pet and a set of armor, and the vehicles are really fun, too. Payton’s favorite addition piece would be the battle arena. He likes to put his pet in there and battle Savannah’s pet. They push each other around, do tricky spins, and try to “win” by knocking the other Zhu Zhu over.



A huge thanks to Mom Select and Zhu Zhu Pets for the box of Kung Zhu Pets, armor and accessories; the party was a huge hit and all the children love them. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to participate in your program.