Parker's Surgery

Parker had surgery on September 3rd to repair a communicating hydrocele. The condition is fairly common and the procedure went smoothly. We had to be down at the surgery center by 8:30am. Parker could have no food or water which was devastating because Parker loves breakfast. As most of you know, Parker is not an "easy going" child. He wants what he wants, period. So, that being said, he was not a happy camper in the waiting room. We were only there 10 minutes when one of the office staff pulled me aside and said there were complaints that he was being too loud and that I needed to "please take him out in the lobby." Ok, whatever, I took him out in the lobby...until he found the drinking fountain. I went back inside, pretty frustrated by now, and asked them what I was supposed to do. I can't wait in the waiting room because we're being too loud. We can't wait in the lobby because Parker can't drink before surgery. So, they stuck us in a room in the back and shut the door on us. Needless to say, I was NOT impressed with our treatment. Have they never had an upset child come in before? Maybe one that is scared, hungry and in an unfamiliar place? Once they took him back for the procedure, which was after 10am, things were fine. He was only gone for about 45 minutes. When I went back to recovery to see him he was sucking on an otter pop ready to go home. Usually the kids will have some after affects from the anesthesia; they'll be really tired and sleep for several hours... not Parker. He was trying to run around and be crazy right off the bat. He slept for maybe an hour and a half and other than that, you'd never known he had surgery. -That boy makes me tired :-)

This was taken about an hour after we got home. I love how his leg is propped up on the couch.

Eventful Summer Part I

I have really struggled with writing about my summer this year. It has been very eventful. Some of my most fun and painful memories all in such a short time. We have done lots of camping, which we love, with friends and family. Chad & I also took a no kids trip to Havasupai. We had a group of about 25 that went down together; some old friends and some new ones.

Part of the Crew

Havasupai holds a lot of mixed feelings for me now in light of all that happened during that trip. We hiked down on a Friday morning and had lots of hiking, playing and relaxing on our "To Do List" for the weekend. We stayed in a lodge down there as opposed to camping. Friday was a pretty lazy day, after we hiked down of course. Some went to check out the falls, others like me, took an uninterrupted nap. Friday night was a blast. We all congregated in one room and laughed until we were so exhausted we couldn't stay awake any longer! Saturday a group of about 10 of us decided we would hike down to Beaver Falls. That's about 8 miles from the village. The trail that leads there is not well marked. One must pass across the river twice, climb ridiculously made ladders, and scale rock walls to stay on the right path. After we reached the falls we spread out to try to find the best way down the rocks to the water when my sister in law, Alisa, slipped and fell about 12 ft.

Our guitar playing hero, Patrick

She actually fell on a man, Patrick, who was sitting on a ledge below playing his guitar (I know, seriously) who grabbed her leg to keep her from tumbling into the water. So much happened so fast from this point that it's hard to put it all here. Some hiked all the way back to get help and have a helicopter dispatched, others went back 6 miles to the campground for more water, and others knelt down where they were to offer prayer, not knowing what else they could do.

Jason (Alisa's husband), Me, Steve, Patrick & Rueben giving the thumbs up.

I was fortunate enough to be down on the ledge with Alisa. She had hit her head and was bleeding, she was most definitely in shock and had a severely broken ankle. Those of us with her kept her awake and talking. That was no easy feat.

It was amazing to watch the helicopter pilot maneuver down into the canyon. He
had no more than the propeller blades width on either side of him as he
descended. Seriously amazing!

About 6 hours later a helicopter that was given wrong information about where we were and was flying around trying to find us FINALLY appeared. We all gave a HUGE sigh of relief. Soon Alisa would be flown out of the canyon to the hospital, given lots of pain meds and everything would be fine... The helicopter medic repelled down, strapped Alisa to the backboard, zipped her up in a bag, hooked her up the the helicopter when the pilot decided he didn't have enough fuel to fly Alisa out of the canyon and with night coming on, didn't have enough light to safely rescue her.

Preparing for the rescue.

It still makes my heart sick to think of her spending the night out on that ledge. Let alone doing it with nothing but Motrin for pain! Since there was nothing else we could do we left Alisa for the night with the medic and her husband, Jason for the long 8 mile hike back to the village, in the dark. As soon as I walked away from her the emotions of the day started seeping in. I knew I had 8 miles to go and didn't have the energy for crying...yet. By the time we made it back to the lodge it was well after midnight. We were met by the rest of our group who had waited up to make sure we got back alright. Everyone was exhausted.

The following morning we learned that Alisa was flown out and taken to Las Vegas were she was taken straight into surgery. She suffered a concussion and shattered her ankle.

Alisa after her initial surgery before her trip home from her Las Vegas.

This is by far not the end of the story, but I think it will do for now. Heavenly Father's blessings were poured out upon us during this trip and are undeniable. About an hour after Alisa's fall, we were happened upon by two fire fighters that were able to assess Alisa's condition and they stayed with us the entire time. They even stayed the night up on the ledge above to offer assistance if needed. The man on the ledge, Patrick, that kept Alisa from falling in the water turned out to be a tour guide. Without him there is no way the rest of us would have been able to find our way back in the dark. Alisa has shared many times how the prayers of those back at the lodge sustained her through that awful night. There is no other explanation than the intervention of our Father in Heaven. I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge I have that even when things seem really bad and we don't know what to do, we can always turn to Him.

Anderson Reunion 2008...you may want to sit down for this one.

For the last 17 years my family has gone camping in the White Mountains for the Anderson Family reunion. It is so fun to spend time with family we only see this time each year.


A picture of the meadow we camp near. It's really awesome because we camp on the side in the trees then the kids can run and play and we can see them from camp. We've been coming to this spot for the last 12 years.


Russell with his Uncle Joel. He was learning how to drive all by himself.


I love this picture. My dad and nephew Cooper.



Here's Parker pitching one of his fits. He's a pro. Nobody would pay any attention except his cousin Cade. I guess you take the sympathy from where ever you can get it.

In this 1st picture, Parker is trying to whistle like his grandpa while sitting on the quad. He loved sitting on the quad but he was very selective with who he would ride with. The last picture is kinda dark, this is my niece Kinley, Parker & Janey.


All the boys went shooting in the meadow. Here's Russell shooting a 22.


My uncle made a game called "Washers". It kept Parker entertained a lot of the time. Basically you throw the washers and try to make it in the holes for points. Pretty fun!


Some pictures around the campfire. My brother Joel with his son Rigdon, my nephew Cooper providing the bunny ears and Brielle cracking up on the right. -Russell whittling wood and his cousin Cooper.


Janey & her cousin Brielle. This was Brielle's 1st time camping. She had a BLAST!


In the meadow the kids played softball and volleyball. It was so awesome to see Parker playing and interacting with his cousins. Very out of character for him.


My dad brought his fishing boat and Parker used it as a jungle gym.


Here is Janey with my Uncle Richard. He is notorious for "eating" ears. I remember him "eating" mine when I was a little girl.


The only picture I'm in & I had to take it myself. My sister-in-law Nicole & I. She is a tough cookie! Camping in a tent for 3 days with 3 children and 7 months pregnant. She would've made a great pioneer.


The only picture I have of Chad...he had to come back during the week to work -thanks honey, you're the best!- Here he is being silly as usual. He is always cracking me up!

P.S. A heartfelt thank you to all of you that have been so supportive during the last several weeks. With Daxton's passing I'm so grateful to those of you that helped me take care of my family by bringing meals, babysitting, listening or giving a hug.

I absolutely love this picture. This is the way I remember him...

In Loving Memory...

Daxton Douglas Kunz
Daxton Douglas Kunz born on May 31st 2007, went back to his Father in Heaven on June 9th 2008. He was special to all those who knew him with his big blue eyes and his rosy cheeks. He is survived by his father and mother, Doug and Brittany Kunz and his 2 sisters, Savannah and Mikenna. He was loved by all his grandparents, Craig and Margaret Walter and Ryan and Ranae Kunz, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. We will miss our chubba wubba and baby brother. A viewing will be held Friday, June 13th from 6:00-8:00 PM at the LDS Mesa East Stake Center, 2228 E. Brown Road, Mesa. Viewing will also be Saturday, June 14th from 10:00-11:45 AM, with services to follow at 12:00 PM at the Mesa East Stake Center. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Daxton Douglas Kunz Memorial Fund, Wells Fargo Bank, Account No. 9612719972. Bunker's University Chapel handled the arrangements.

Kindle

Wow! So a friend of mine introduced me to the "Kindle" last night, and I'm speechless. This has moved to numero uno on my wish list! As many of you know, I love to read. I can't finish one book without knowing what I'm going to read next. Check out the video...Wow! I just don't know what else to say.....

Chad here, and I say that it is extremely awesome. After you see the the video, check out the price tag and see why it is going to stay on Trisha's wish list for a very long time, or until she earns enough money through odd jobs around the house. I believe $2.00 per bathroom, $2.00 for weed pulling, maybe a few dollars for being nice to our children. You know little by little.

Now for my rebuttal. Chad will do anything for a clean house so apparently I will be doing "chores" now...at least for a little while (until I get my kindle). Anybody have any odd jobs for me to do? I guess I should just stand out on the corner with my sign "Will Work for Kindle".

...And I didn't even cheat!

Take the Quiz
I knew we were meant to be...
(Chad's a little upset, so I have to do his too...)

Take the Quiz
She is on Chad's "List" after all, so I guess I'm okay with it.
(Don't tell...but Chad really wanted it to be Brad too.)

Reflections of Christ

For those of you that haven't made it to the Visitor's Center yet to see the "Reflections of Christ" display, here is what you're missing. This video doesn't do it justice. I would encourage all of you that can to go see it quick before it's too late.

Swinging & Easter

My kids love to swing! Janey's been teaching Parker how to swing on his tummy and he's just getting the hang of it so I took the camera outside and got a couple of good shots of him. Parker loves to be outside so we spend quite a bit of time in the backyard. The back door just stays open most of the time so the kids can go in and out. Janey will go out there and just start singing at the top of her lungs, usually primary songs, and I just laugh because I know the whole neighborhood can hear her. She's such a funny girl.

The Easter Bunny made it to our house this year...again. Just like always, but Russell was more worried on Saturday night about getting to bed early than he is on Christmas for Santa! He was up at the crack of dawn on Sunday (6:30) and he took the liberty of waking Parker too. And as I'm sure you all know...when the baby's awake so is the rest of the house, ugh! Finally at 7:00 I let him go out in the family room to see and what do you know...he came (like always)! I didn't take any pictures on Easter (I know I'm a bad mom), but we had a good time. Our ward had a great Sacrament Meeting program, lots of songs. Then we headed out to the Belnap's for dinner. It was nice to relax and visit with family.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy PaRkEr

Parker turned 2 yesterday! We had a fun party with grandma & grandpa and a few friends. Here are some pics...