Update

We spent the day in Tucson yesterday because we finally got Connor in to Orthopedic's for his scoliosis consultation. It took weeks for us to get an appointment and when we did, they had to double book us, which means we were pretty much had to be treated like a walk in. It was such a loooonnnnnggggg wait.

The Dr. took a look at Connor's X-rays and told us that it wasn't severe right now. But because of the amount of progression Connor has already for his age, the Doctor said that he was pretty much sitting on the fence about whether or not to be concerned about it at this point. He said that Connor will still be growing for the next 4-5 years and scoliosis depends entirely on growth. It's a growth thing.

Connor's spine forms an S shape with a 35 degree curve on the top and a 24 degree curve on the bottom. The Doc said that they start to get concerned when the angles start to go over 3o degrees. At 45 degrees they start considering surgery and 50 degrees or more they will do surgery.

So, for now all they can do is monitor it. We have to go back every 6 months to determine the rate of progression. The Doc said the best thing to do to try and stop the progression was some kind of physical therapy. He said he could write a referral for it but, also said doing things like Yoga and Pilates would be just as good. Jon has an inversion table and the doc said that would be great for Connor too. Anything to increase his flexibility will help slow down progression and hopefully stop it altogether.

Fun at the Rodeo

Friday night we went to Fort Huachuca with some friends
to see the Cochise College Rodeo. The kids had gotten
coupons for it at school ans were soooooo excited to go.
We had been having wonderful weather all week, we
thought that we could handle this adventure. A cold
front came in earlier that day bringing with it cold and
gusty canyon winds, but we braved it. The kids had a
great time. Connor was especially fastinated by the
bucking bronco's. We ended up leaving before it was over,
because it just got too cold for the kids. So, we missed the
goat tying and the bull riding. We made up for it by stopping
off to get some hot chocolate to thaw our bodies out piece by
piece. I did take some pictures. Some of them are not
so great because of the glare from the lights but,
I did the best I could.
I hope you enjoy them.

Hayley's Birthday

We had a small family party for Hayley's 10th birthday this year. As you can probably tell from her pictures, she was very satisfied with all of the goodies she got this year. I let each child pick out what they want for their birthday dinner. Hayley chose to have shrimp and sushi for her birthday dinner. So, we decided to try grilling the shrimp. I think they turned out pretty well. Hayley also does not like birthday cake, so every year I bake a giant chocolate chip cookie and decorate it. She loves it and looks forward to it every year. Our Hayley is growing up. Kids sure don't stay little for very long. We are so happy to have Hayley in our family. We love you Hayley!

Jon's 40th Birthday

Jon's 40th birthday was on February 19th,
so we decided to have a birthday BBQ to celebrate
this milestone in his life. We had a great turn out
and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, especially
Jon. Oh, and yes people are wearing shorts in February.
It's Arizona!

New Years Resolutions...in February!

I know, I know it's a little late for New year's resolutions. But it is never too late to make a commitment to improve upon ourselves. I keep thinking about the scripture verse in D&C 109:8

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;"

Every year that seems to be our family's motto. We are constantly striving to to these things and raise our kids in a righteous home. This year I want to make that scripture a little more personal and apply it specifically to me. This is the year that I want to work on myself. I want to organize myself more spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. If I can better myself, then I can be a better wife, mother, leader and teacher.

Now, finding a place to begin. That's a challenge! But I am willing to take it on!

The Mom Song

My friend Becky sent this to me via email. I thought it was hilarious and just had to share it with all of you moms out there. Enjoy. I hope you get a good laugh out of it.

New Years Hiking

Some friends of ours invited us to go hiking on New Years Day this year over at the Coronado National Park. It is about a twenty minute drive from our house. We hiked up to the Coronado cave and went exploring. http://www.nps.gov/coro/planyourvisit/caving.htm We had to climb down about 20 feet to get into the mouth of the cave. The kids had an absolute blast, even Alison. We thought she would be scared because the cave is quite dark, even with flashlights. But, she is our fearless one. Nothing scares her. She was so dirty from playing on the rocks and in the dirt, but she had fun. I think we will need to invest in a child back carrier for future hikes. Alison rode on Jon's shoulders most of the way up to the cave, but she almost jumped off. Scary! The kids want to go back again, so next time we go I will take the camera in the cave with me. I didn't take it inside this time, because I wasn't sure how the conditions were.

After the cave, we drove up to the overlook and Jon took some of the kids on a trail up to the top of the mountain. You can see the US/Mexican border from the overlook. There is a very distinct black line. We only live about 15 to 20 miles from the border.

To top the day off, we all went to the Diner, a fifties style restaurant, to have dinner and milkshakes.

There are so many places to explore here. This area has so much history. I'm hope that we can take advantage of that while we are here.