A
very public shout out to my hubby today....He is soooo good with our
kids. He changes diapers, helps get jammies on every night, helps with
meals, helps with bottles, helps give Clover her shot every night, helps
with Clover's oxygen, reads to the
kids, plays with the kids, comes to Clover's therapy whenever he can get
off work, comes to doctor's appointments, and he is always talking
about how much he loves the kids and how cute they are. He teaches
others about PWS, he sits on the floor every night with Clover and says
in a cute voice as he stands her up, "use your muscles!" He builds
blocks with Henry and shares his cereal with him in the mornings. The
kids adore him. They both squeal in delight and run/roll to the door
every time he gets home from work. I am soooo lucky to have him by my
side in this journey. Thank you my dear for being the best thing
ever!!!
We got really brave and decided it was time to take the kids to Utah. They did as good as they possibly could have during the long drive. We made it as far as Ogden Canyon before Henry officially decided he was DONE being in his carseat.....so...the last 45 minuets of the drive was a real doozy.
It was great to be able to see our family. It has been too long.
While we were there, we were able to bless the kiddos. Curtis said a fabulous blessing for both babies and it was a very special and touching day. It was also Mother's Day, so that was extra neat.
Here is our attempt at getting a family photo of us after the blessing...
This was their first time on grass....they weren't very impressed.
It was great to visit with the grandmas and grandpas. I sure love my family!
This trip also marks the first time Clover or Henry wore summer clothes. Oh happy day! They are SO cute in their shorts!
Four years ago today Curtis and I were in a terrible car accident.
You've heard the details before, I know. But I can't help but reflect back on that day.
A car came into our lane and we collided head on at about 60mph.
I had never experienced such pain in all my life (and hope I never do again). I felt like I was dropped from a tall building with only cement to break my fall. I was in pain from my head to my toes.
We spent a week in the hospital with injuries that included broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a collapsed lung, bleeding kidneys, cracked vertebraes, broken tailbones, and swollen, black and blue feet....and not to mention poor Curtis had a head full of gouges and glass from hitting the windshield.
That first night in the hospital, I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw a car crashing into me.
I had stressful dreams from there-on-out. For about 3 years.
When looking back at our accident, a lot of memories flood my mind. Memories of the ambulance ride to the hospital, memories of the emergency room...doctors coming in and out...nurses never leaving my side...worrying about Curtis...getting a CT scan, the daily chest x-rays...the liquid diet...using the nurse call button, etc. There was so much going on.
The one thing that stands out to me though was the love and support that was shown to us during this time. It was overwhelming. It began immediately following the collision. Passersby came to our aid right away. They called 911. They put blankets on us. Sat with us. Comforted us. Told us we were going to be okay. One guy who was on scene even contacted us weeks later to see how we were doing.
We had just moved to a new state only six months prior....so...we didn't know very many people from our new town...but we never once felt alone. So many people reached out. People from our community who we hardly knew called us at the hospital to check in on us and to let us know they were praying for us. People came to visit us (even though the hospital was an hour and a half from town). People sent emails daily. Our friends from Utah called and sent messages of love and support.
When we got home, the love and support didn't stop. People brought us food. People came and sat by my bedside and cared for me while Curtis was at school. People sent us money to help with the bills. My boss donated her own 2 weeks worth of paid vacation time to me. People sent letters, people prayed for us, our families braved the Wyoming cold weather to come and care for us.
I will never ever forget the kindness people showed to us. It changed my life.
I think about our car accident a lot.
I have my daily reminders with my constant back pain, my two bulging ribs and my bouts of anxiety when driving. But, I also have a greater appreciation for life and what is really important.
Today I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful my sweetie pie is alive with me. I am thankful for the wonderful people who continue to touch my life everyday with their kindness.
This world is full of really good people...and for that, I am grateful.
Friday was my grandma's birthday. And well, since I think she is pretty spectacular, I thought I'd write a blog post just for her.
Ten reasons why my grandma is soawesome.
She's hip.
She's pretty.
She's fun.
She's smart.
She has amazing work ethic.
She is so incredibly nice.
She is so incredibly selfless.
She's a good cook.
She drives a minivan.
She stays up-to-date with current events. For example, during our Christmas breakfast, she leaned over and asked me if Katie Holmes really kicked Tom Cruise out of the house.
PS: I would love it so much if one day you and Shannon could come soak in the hot springs with us.
I just returned home from a week long trip involving all things summer.
camping fishing family reunions BBQs tubing down the river tan lines thunderstorms fair rides cottoncandy etc, etc
Isn't summer the best!?!
We had such a good time. We are always torn at the end of these trips....we want to stay and never leave, but we also are ready to be home.
Here is just a tiny portion of our trip in pictures . . .
c a m p i n g
We went camping at Brooks Lake near Dubois, WY. It is probably the prettiest place I've ever been. We were at 9,000 feet and the mountains still towered over us.
Curtis was finally able to fish for the first time since moving to Wyoming 4 years ago.
Isn't this gorgeous?!?
c o u n t y . f a i r
Lane and Elisa
My darling niece, Elisa. I wanted to put her in my pocket and bring her home with me. She's adorable!! You wouldn't guess from her face in this pic, but she really did enjoy this ride. :-)
Clark and Elisa on the big ferris wheel.
There's nothin' like a small town county fair!!
Have you ever seen such a thing? The goal is to pick up the pig and put it in the barrel in something like 60 seconds. Then all the kids are sprayed off with a fire hose.
t a l e n t . s h o w
my ever-so-talented hubby juggling croquet balls.
Notice all the tie-dye?
Our family is just cool like that. Plus, families who tie-dye together, stay together!
Lots of things didn't get captured on film due to my camera dying.
Other adventured included . . .
Sleeping in a tent for 4 nights straight.
Tubing down the Salt River where I may or may not have ran a stranger over with my tube causing their tube to float away down the river. The stranger may or may not have given me dirty looks the rest of the way down the river.
Visiting with friends who we haven't seen in ages and drooling over their adorable kids. They were so cute I was tempted to just gobble them right up for dinner.
This past weekend my in-laws came up to Thermopolis for a visit. Lucky for me, they are great and I enjoy being around them.
We gave them the grand tour of our town. It's always fun to be reminded of what our town has to offer.
Sometimes, I get in these moods where I'm not sure that our town has anything to offer....it's small...really small. The only fast food places we have to eat at are Taco Johns, Subway and McDonalds. That's it. Not to mention we only have one stoplight. One.
So, as I said, it's a good reminder that this town actually does have stuff do to. Fun stuff too. Plus, it truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
One of my most favorite things to do here is drive around the State Park. It's oh so pretty. Especially now. It's so green from all the rain we've had...and now it has hundreds of purple wildflowers at every turn.
Isn't it just beautiful?
Plus, we get to see buffalo...just 5 minutes from our house...buffalo. Here we are driving past a small family with 3 teeny tiny babies (small for buffalo anyway). One of the babies was probably only a week old (if that). It was kinda scary being this close. Towards the end of the film, you'll hear me whisper, "oh my gosh, Curtis, go!" We were so close to the babies and the mommas didn't like it one bit.
Also at our State Park is a swinging bridge that hangs above the Big Horn River. S-C-A-R-E-Y. If you hate heights, you would NOT like this bridge. I hate heights, no, I loathe heights...I even have nightmares about heights. I usually opt out of crossing the bridge, but I decided to be brave and impress the inlaws. I took the camera along to give you a feel of what it's like crossing this thing. If you listen closely, you can hear the squeaking noise of the bridge as it bounces.
We also made a visit to the State Bath House. It's a facility at the State Park that has soaking pools were people can come and soak for free for 20 minutes in the hot mineral water. These waters are known to be "healing waters." The water used in the Bath House comes straight from the mineral hot springs. No chemicals or cleaners are added to it...so it has the awesome scent of sulfur. It was pretty fun. We had never been before...it was much nicer than I expected. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, which are both very clean and nice. Don't worry, I'll spare you of our pasty-white chubbiness and not post pictures of us soaking. :) (just FYI, nude soaking is not allowed...so yes, we were wearing our swimsuits...or rather, our bathing suits...he he).
After our soak at the Bath House, we crammed our smelly sulfur bodies in our car and drove 30 miles to Legend Rock to see Petroglyphs. We really did smell...it was kinda funny. Anyway, the Petroglyphs were pretty cool. Some are said to be 11,000 years old. (don't ask me what the figures are above the eagle???)
On our way home from Legend Rock, we came across these 3 horses at a creek near the side of the road. We stopped just to take a quick look at them and two of them walked right up to our car. One even tried to stick his head right in our car window. What social horses!! They were so cute...and they look like they have been rolling around in the mud. If I wasn't afraid they were going to try to eat us, I would have reached out to pet them.
And lastly, on Sunday afternoon we went to the Car Show that was in town. It's always fun to be outside on a nice day and walk around the park and see cool old cars.
Doesn't Thermopolis seem like a fun place to visit? Come on up and we'll give you the grand tour...and then we'll eat at Taco Johns together!!
Today is the day to celebrate mothers. I am lucky to have such great mothers in my life. Today I am thinking of each of them . . .
Jody - my mom. She is one tough cookie. She got pregnant with my oldest brother when she was only 15. By the age of 17, she had two little boys to care for. Could you imagine? She's been through a lot in life and has taught me so much through all of it. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for her.
Some of my fondest memories of my mom are her coming to ALL of my softball games and cheering me on. She was my biggest fan. In high school, she was always willing to help me ask and answer to dances (you know, you can't just ask someone to go to the dance...you have to get all creative and do something crazy like fill their bedroom with balloons and hide your name in one of them). I think she got a kick out of all that stuff. My mom sacrificed a lot for me (and my brothers). She definitely didn't have a lot of money, but she still took me shopping and even bought me the expensive Levis I thought I just had to have.
She still supports me in all I do. She is an amazing mom! I love her so much and I'm so happy she's my mom.
Nedra - my grandma. I'm lucky to be so close to my grandma. She helped raised me after all...that just shows the type of person she is...selfless, kind, hard working. She is always helping others. She is in her 70's and she still works everyday. She doesn't have to, but she does so she can use the money to help others. She is a saint, seriously.
I think I developed my fear of heights from my grandma. The picture above is me and her on top of the Space Needle in Seattle. She was so afraid and didn't want to get close to the edge. The closer she got, the more her knees grew shaky. I laugh every time I see that picture.
My grandma has been a big part of my life. I have her to thank for so many good things that have happened in my life. I love her so much and I'm glad she's my grandma.
Susan - my mother-in-law. Susan is so full of life and adventure. She is always up for a good time. I mean, just look at her in that picture. She is having so much fun! Plus, she can totally rock out on the organ...like nobody's business.
When Curtis and I were discharged from the hospital after our car accident, Susan jumped right in her car and made the 6 hours drive to Laramie to take care of us. She wouldn't take no for an answer. I don't think we would have survived had she not been there...I'm not kidding either. She was there at my beckon call while Curtis was frantically trying to catch up at school (it was his first year of law school). It meant so much to me that she would be there and do all she could to make things better for me.
A funny memory I have about Susan stems back to one of the first times I met her. Curtis and I had only been dating for a short time. I went to Vegas with my family and brought back a gift for him...a shirt from the Coca-Cola factory with the Coke logo spread out across the shirt. Little did I know, Susan was NOT a fan of any caffeinated beverage. She didn't appreciate the shirt much. I'm glad she still gave me a chance. I think she's cool with the whole thing now. :-)
I seriously couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law. She is so wonderful and I'm glad she is in my life.
See, I'm a lucky girl. I'm so thankful to have all of these women in my life.
Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there. The world wouldn't be the same without you!!
We recently returned home from a family reunion in Yellowstone. Aren't family reunions great?!? There is always fun to be had . . . especially with the Cheney bunch.
Yellowstone was beautiful! It was my first time visiting the park and it was everything I had hoped for.
Here are many, many pictures of our adventures at Yellowstone . . .
w i l d - l i f e :
smiling for the camera.
now he's just showing off.
taking a dip.
I had no idea buffalo liked to swim ... or that they even could swim.
Caution: GRIZZLY crossing.
g e o t h e r m a l - w o n d e r s :
hot pots.
mud pots.
These were pretty cool. You can't tell very well by the picture, but they are puddles of mud that are boiling and popping up. They make all sorts of loud plop, plop noises.
Old Faithful in all her glory.
waterfalls.
c u t e - c u t e - c o u s i n s :
Aren't they adorable? I just love them so much.
and isn't she the most cutest thing you've ever seen? I just wanted to put her in my pocket and bring her home. I couldn't get enough of kissing those cheeks.
Yellowstone was beautiful and the company was delightful.
Thanks Cheney family for a fun, fun family reunion. You guys are the best!
"I love technology, but not as much as you, you see. But I still love technology. Always and forever (tear, sniffle, sniffle), always and forever." . . . [Kip, Napoleon Dynamite]
Here is the thing about technology...it is always changing. Therefore, it can be hard to keep up with...especially for the older crowd.
For example...
Last week, my grandma, grandpa and aunt went to good ol' Costco to buy a new tv. They found one they liked, brought it home, and began to set it up. They pulled out the "tv", pulled out all the cords, and then pulled out a "DVD."
grandma: "What is this? [puzzled and a bit annoyed] Now we need a DVD to set up this tv?"
They put the "DVD" in their DVD player and continued to try to hook up their new "tv."
After awhile, they gave up and called my 18 year old cousin to come help.
He shows up, takes a look at things, and realized quickly what they had done.
"I think this is a computer monitor."
"A computer monitor?" "How could this be a computer monitor?"
The guys at Costco had a good laugh about this during the exchange process.
Don't worry grandpa and grandma...we still love ya.
I probably would have done the same thing (wink, wink).
I finished Of Mice and Men last night. Sad, yes, but it was also very real for me.
George knew that if Curley and the rest of the guys found Lennie first, they would torture him and eventually kill him. George loved Lennie and cared about him. To prevent Lennie from suffering anymore than he had to, George killed him before the other guys could.
As I finished the book, I couldn't help but think of my brother. My brother, Shane died a year and a half ago following a severe heart attack. He was in a coma and on life support for 2 weeks before he died. My family loved and cared for him so much that we had to make a decision to end his suffering and unhook him from his machines. He died 5 minutes later surrounded by family.
I think that George did a very noble thing. Earlier in the book, Candy (apprehensively) let one of the other guys take his best friend (his very old and ill dog) out in the woods to shoot him. Later on Candy told George that he should have shot his dog himself...that is wasn't right to let someone else do it. I think this is how George felt about Lennie. They were best friends and George loved Lennie enough that he needed to be the one to kill him.
I enjoyed this book, however, I think my next read will be a little more uplifting. Any suggestions?
Because my grandma is super awesome [and because she is a faithful reader of my blog], I wanted to do a special birthday post just for her.
And yes, this is the same grandma who dreams about Brad Pitt.
Dear Grandma,
Thanks for being so awesome. Thanks for being so incredibly generous and so selfless.
Thanks for letting Curtis and I stay at your house over Christmas and thanks for cooking us all that wonderful food. Curtis (and I) sure did love that clam chowder!!
Thanks for being the best grandma ever!! We are so, so, so thankful to have you in our lives and we love you so, so, so much!!
Hope you have a veryHappy72ndBirthday!!!
Love, J and C
My grandma really is the best. I bet she would really, really love it if you guys all wished her a happy birthday! :)
I love this time of year! I love Christmas, I love spending time with family and friends, I love that my anniversary is just 2 days after Christmas, and I love getting ready for the new year.
We had a great Christmas. We were able to spend time with both of our families as we played games, ate great food, opened presents and enjoyed each others' company.
Curtis and I had a wonderful anniversary! 6 YEARS!! Can you believe it? We enjoyed lunch together, went shopping, bought some fancy new pans (that we have been wanting for awhile) and then we enjoyed a fun night playing games with family. These past 6 years have been the best ever!! I'm the happiest I've ever been and I'm so thankful to share my life with Curtis. Thanks babe for 6 wonderful years and I'm looking forward to many, many more!
You know what else is exciting about this post? It's my 100th post! Yay for blogging and yay for my 100th post! And yay to all of you and I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you all the best in the coming year!
Here's the thing about my family...we love soda. My mom pretty much lives on Diet Coke, my aunt's pretty much live on Diet Coke, and my grandpa and grandma have to have their daily sodas as well.
So... I was doomed from birth.
Going to "get a drink" (as we call it), is a daily ritual for my family and has been for as long as I can remember. We load up in the car, drive down to the gas station, fill up our mugs with soda, and then we drive around town as we sip our cold, refreshing beverages. It's fantastic.
As much as I try to not drink so much soda, when we come down for the holidays, I can't help but put my soda restraints on the back burner and bask in the daily drives and soda drinking with my family.
Is this weird?
Every family has their weird things they do, right?
This is what my family does. We drink soda. And it's awesome!
On a side note....you wanna here how cool my grandma is??
She had a dream that she was good friends with Brad Pitt. BRAD PITT! They were great friends and spent the day talking about their lives and where he is living these days. Do any of your grandma's dream about Brad Pitt? Do your grandma's know who Brad Pitt is? I thought that was pretty darn sweet! My grandma rocks!
I am loving this holiday season and I wish you all a very MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!
Today Curtis argued in front of the Wyoming Supreme Court. How about that?!? And he did awesome! I didn't actually watch the argument, but I know he did great...because that is just how he is. I bet the judges were like, "wow, who is this guy? He is awesome."
Curtis has been crazy busy with finals these past 2 weeks in addition to preparing for this argument. It is all finally over and I am so happy. He is too. Now he can watch all the Cops, Walker Texas Ranger, World's Wildest Police Videos and all the other trashy tv shows he likes. He deserves it though...so I will let him. Actually, Walker Texas Ranger isn't trashy...just cheesy. Plus my grandma loves that show too, so when we see her next week, I'm sure Curtis and her will be talking about good ol' Walker and his partner Trivett...just like they always do. :)
It's good to have my husband back. Things are just more fun with him around.
We are excited for Christmas and we're looking forward to seeing our families soon.
In summary...
Curtis = AWESOME / done with finals / Supreme Court Pro / Trashy TV show advocate
Jen = happy / proudest wife ever
I love Thanksgiving! Today has been such a great day. Our day went something like this...
First, we got up and fed our neighbor's chickens. We are taking care of them while they are out of town. I'm thankful for such great friends (we love you Kristi and Clay) and for the opportunity to feel like, for just a brief moment, that I live on a farm. Just look at how much fun these chicken are!
Then we fed and played with their cat. I'm thankful that I got to hold and cuddle with this furry little creature. Look how cute she is.
Then we came home and made these. I'm thankful for the 2 eggs that the chickens laid. They came in handy for this pumpkin pie.
Then, we talked to both of our families on the phone. I'm thankful for our cell phones and to be able to talk with our families as often as we do. Our families are the best!!
Then we just hung out and relaxed for a bit. I'm so thankful for this Thanksgiving break. I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with Curtis just lying around, watching tv, listening to music, taking naps, doing anything we wanted and not having to think about school or anything else for that matter.
Then, when we were done relaxing, we started on dinner. And guess what? We didn't have turkey! Instead, we had....Salmon! We figured that since it was only us 2, we would spend our money on salmon instead of on a turkey. Did you know that turkey wasn't even eaten on the first Thanksgiving? We just heard on the radio yesterday that they ate duck and fish. So, we felt okay about not having turkey and having fish instead. Don't worry though...we still had stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy...and PIE!
I'm thankful that I had someone special to share this holiday with. We weren't able to spend Thanksgiving with our families, but we were able to spend it together! And it was awesome!
Now we are just relaxing some more and getting ready for bed. We are going to bed early so we can hit the big sales bright and early tomorrow morning!!
I just love this time of year. It's probably my favorite time of year! And today was great! I mean, how many of you can say you got up and played with chickens? CHICKENS! (Except for you Kari, he he).
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Gobble!Gobble!
