Isn't It Great to Be a Mom?!?!

I have said before that my greatest joy is being a mom. I am so blessed to be able to have two wonderful, fun healthy children to enrich my life and make my world a better place. I also must say that I have the greatest mom there is, who is so selfless and loving. Always makes sure everyone of my sisters and I have a date with our husbands regularly by babysitting and helping us out 150%. My mom has a wonderful example to follow also in my Grandma! My grandma is the same way and very tender and loving. I have to say that my mother in law is absolutely the best mom too. I truly don't know what I would do without her. I am surrounded by the best of the best.

I know so many wonderful mom's, and everyone single one of you reading right now, has a quality as a mom that I love and hope to emulate.

There are so many mom's that touch my life daily.
I HAVE HAD QUITE A RIDE SO FAR! A FEW MEMORIES I HAVE OF GREAT TIMES AS A MOM...in a slide show.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO YOU!

Thank you for your influence and example to me by being such great mom's!!

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.Chewed on.Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests. Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her/him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love,
the heartache, the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Girls Night Out!

Since I haven't been home to get my invitations out I decided I had better post it. Hopefully you will get a paper invitation soon. They are sitting on my table. (ho hum)
FRIDAY, MAY 16TH FROM 5:00PM TO 8:00PM - MY HOUSE
Come and see all the newest products from, Scentsy, Lia Sophia, and Creative Memories. Consultants from all three will be available for questions.
(My sister is now a scentsy consultant)

No pressure to buy, just come and have a fun night out. Children are welcome,

Zach and Ali are always looking for friends to play with.

Grandma Has 80th Birthday Party

My grandma is the sweetest ever. I love her so much. We had a fun filled night at the Golden Corral in Midvale. Lots of Family and Friends were able to come.

My grandma has always done everything with us. Vacations, Movies, Parties, Holidays, Dance Recitals, Music Recitals, School Plays, No matter the occasion Grandma is on the front row with a smile and you can always count on her for support. My kids call her Kalawaia (which is her last name). Alicyn and Zachary know just what I mean, because she is at everything they do also to support them and cheer them on just like she was for me. She also has this secret handshake and will slip money in your hand on special occasions. I could write 10 pages about her. Grandma thanks for all you do and for the great example you are to everyone. We would be lost without you!

I LOVE YOU GRANDMA! Your birthday celebration was great!

Thanksgiving Point Field Trip to the Farm

Miss Lisa has fun field trips for the kids in her class.
Zach and I had another great day together.

Eh? Sonny

I feel it's time to publish my hearing issues. Especially when my boss on Thursday told me that he has really noticed a difference when he walks by my office, says something and I don't even respond to him. He just thought I was ignoring him, didn't want to chat and started to take it personal. This really made me wonder how many other people I was offending without even knowing!

When I was 16 I went to the Ear Nose Throat Specialist (ENT) to have my hearing tested. I noticed in school that I couldn't hear the teacher. My hearing tests showed that my right ear was severely below normal and the doctor thought he could fix it with surgery. He told me that I would need to wait until I was 18 for surgery. So I returned to see him when I was 18 for surgery, and there was too much bleeding in my ear for success. He sent me to the University of Utah Hospital to a specialist, the otologist there. Dr. Parkin was able to do the surgery, however, I still couldn't hear at normal levels, so I had to be fitted for a hearing aid. I wore it regularly until I was on my mission. Wearing a hearing aid outside is just awful, when the wind blows, because it is like a microphone in your ear.

In January of this year I noticed that there was something wrong with my left ear, currently my hearing in that ear feels like it is blocked by something. Not an actual object, but it feels like I am trying to hear through a cotton ball. So I went to the doctor again to have him look, and clean my ears out. He did a hearing test and both of my ears are severely under normal hearing levels. My left ear is now worse than my right ear. Not something I wanted him to tell me. I was hoping there was just a lot of wax built up and that would be the end of it. However, when he bypassed the bones in my ear and tested the nerve, my hearing was normal. So there is hope.

I have been officially diagnosed with Otosclerosis.

What is otosclerosis?
Otosclerosis is the abnormal growth of bone of the middle ear. This bone prevents structures within the ear from working properly and causes hearing loss. For some people with otosclerosis, the hearing loss may become severe.

How is otosclerosis treated?
In many cases surgery is an option for treatment of otosclerosis. In an operation called a stapedectomy, a surgeon (otolaryngologist or otologist) bypasses the diseased bone with a prosthetic device that allows sound waves to be passed to the inner ear. It is important to discuss the risks and possible complications of this procedure, as well as the benefits, with the surgeon. In rare cases, surgery can worsen the hearing loss.

One good thing that I must say out of all this, I can sleep through Dave snoring. LOL! I asked the doctor if he would write a note to my husband and tell him that my hearing really is poor...I am not ignoring him. He did write a note to Dave, and we both laughed. The doctor thinks he can improve my hearing with surgery again. He did tell me that there is a possibility of the surgery making me totally deaf so we need to do one ear at a time. First we will have to do a CAT Scan on each ear because the nerves for your face are connected very closely. If he feels it is possible to do surgery without issues then we will proceed from there. I would hate to lose my smile or something similar. So hopefully with surgery, a stapedectomy done to both ears I will be able to hear again.

So far I don't have plans on when I will have surgery, so until then please don't think I am ignoring you if you talk to me. I REALLY CAN'T HEAR, especially if there is background noise.

How does otosclerosis cause hearing impairment?
Otosclerosis can cause different types of hearing loss, depending on which structure within the ear is affected. Otosclerosis usually affects the last bone in the chain, the stapes, which rests in the entrance to the inner ear (the oval window). The abnormal bone fixates the stapes in the oval window and interferes with sound passing waves to the inner ear.
Otosclerosis usually causes a conductive hearing loss, a hearing loss caused by a problem in the outer or middle ear. Less frequently, otosclerosis may cause a sensorineural hearing loss (damaged sensory cells and/or nerve fibers of the inner ear), as well as a conductive hearing loss.

How do we hear?
Hearing is a series of events in which the ear converts sound waves into electrical signals and causes nerve impulses to be sent to the brain where they are interpreted as sound. The ear has three main parts: the outer, middle, and inner ear. Sound waves enter through the outer ear and reach the middle ear, where they cause the ear drum to vibrate. The vibrations are transmitted through three tiny bones in the middle ear called the ossicles. These three bones are named the malleus, incus, and stapes (and are also known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup). The ear drum and ossicles carry the vibrations to the inner ear. The stirrup transmits the vibrations through the oval window and into the fluid that fills the inner ear. The vibrations move through fluid in the snail-shaped hearing part of the inner ear (cochlea) that contains the hair cells. The fluid in the cochlea moves the top of the hair cells, which initiates the changes that lead to the production of the nerve impulses. These nerve impulses are carried to the brain, where they are interpreted as sound. Different sounds stimulate different parts of the inner ear, allowing the brain to distinguish among various sounds, for example, different vowel and consonant sounds.