The testing begins...

Scott had his day-long appointment at the UW Hospital on Wednesday. Things went well. They have started the preliminary screening process for donors. It should only take a couple of weeks to test the willing volunteers.

I voted that we start a kidney match pool. Anyone who wants in, puts up $1 per entry. You guess who's going to be the best match. The winner (the person/people who guessed correctly) wins the pot. If multiple people "guessed" that person, then they split the pot. What do you think? Ethical or not?

Help!

We need address for Christmas cards. If you'd like a card, and you haven't already sent us one, then please email me and give me your address.

My email (that I check) is stephanieswainston@hotmail.com.

Thanks!

Cheetos night

Sadly enough, the boys don't get Cheetos very often. I personally don't like cleaning the orange off Alex's entire body, or out of his hair.

Lucky for the boys, I have at least one night a week out of the house, so Dad gets to feed them. Look how happy Alex is to get some Cheetos.

Britt & Nephi

It was lots of fun to have Nephi and Britt spend a few days here. Sadly enough, this is the only picture I got of Nephi. Anyways, they make a cute couple, don't they.

By the way, nice outfit Britt!

Burrrrrrrrrito

Alex has learned to roll his R's.

Wii

Kale got a bonus at work, so we were finally sucked into the world of Wii. I do have to say, we love it. It's been great exercise, as well as just pure entertainment.

Above: Kale and Danny boxing

Danny & Crystal were our first guests to participate in the fun. I think Danny had a great time, but I'm pretty sure I had more fun watching him then he had doing it.

Above: Kale and I boxing (yes, I won!)

Above: Britt & Kale running

Pics coming soon!

Hopefully I'll get around to posting the recent "happenings". Until then, I do have some good news.

Scott (my brother featured in the kidney ad:) has finished his preliminary tests required to begin appointments at the transplant clinic in Madison, WI. Meaning, next Wednesday, at his appointment, hopefully we'll get some kind of time frame regarding: When will those willing to donate be tested, and possibly even guesstimated transplant time frame. I'm very excited. I've always felt such a close connection to Scott. Maybe it's because I'm his closest match! It looks like we might be finding out in a few weeks or so. :)

I know I'm making light of the situation, but I really am excited to get moving on this. I want him to have as normal of a life as possible, and this is the next step for that. Love ya Bro!

Hopefully I'll have some Thanksgiving pics to post in the next day or so. We were blessed to have Brittany and her boyfriend (Kale's friend from high school) come up and spend time with us and the boys. The boys loved it! They can't wait to see Brittany again at Christmas. I'm sure they'll be disappointed that "Uncle Nephi" (yes, Nephi is his real name) won't be there. They really enjoyed having him around, also.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This year, we have so many things to be thankful for. I'm trying really hard to concentrate on those things, while we miss our family so much. It's hard being away from everyone, but we're grateful that we have family so wonderful, that we actually wish we were with them today.

Thanksgiving is a hard holiday for me. It has been for the last four years. Why is it that anniversaries of events seem to bring back very vivid memories? It was four years ago this Saturday that we were in our car accident. Whenever I think of it, I still tear up. Will the pain of the horrible memories ever go away? I hope so.

Even though the traumatic memories are still VERY vivid, so are the good ones. I am still so thankful for everyone that helped us during that terrible time. We were so blessed with wonderful family, friends, and even physicians. We were definitely taken care of in Utah, and once we arrived home in Iowa.

Just this week I let someone borrow our baby boy clothes. I gave them just the 3-6 months and the 6-9 months clothes. The person delivering the clothes was amazed that we had SIX boxes of clothes. I don't think we bought more than two of those outfits ourselves. After our accident, we were given so many things to help us prepare financially and emotionally for our coming baby. Since we didn't have to worry about getting our home back in order, or getting ready for the baby, (some amazing people did it for us) we could focus on Kale and getting him better.

I have so many blessings to be thankful for today. The Lord really does know all. Yesterday I heard someone say that the way to live a long life is to not stress over things. He said, "The Lord is taking care of the entire Universe, I think I can trust him to make my life as it should be. Why should I worry?" I'm going to try and remember that. The Lord really is in charge, and as long as we follow what we believe in, and try our best, he will pick up the rest. Either via emotional strength given to us as needed, or via other people.

Ok. Now that I've rambled on long enough, I hope everyone really does have a great Thanksgiving!

Kidney needed - part 2

Ok. I posted my brother's "ad" as a joke, and to poke fun at him for still not having a wife. (Yes, I know, I'm mean.) For my defense, he did agree to let me post it. His exact words were, "whatever." So there.

Anyway, thank you for all the nice replies and offers for kidney donations. Right now, he is still in the testing phase. After that, family members who are willing to donate will be tested. We're fairly confident that we'll find a match there. If not, maybe I'll post an actual add for a kidney needed.

Until then, sorry if we've offended anyone. This was meant out of fun, and not as a real advertisement. I'm sure you will receive blessing by just being willing to offer your help to a stranger. You are amazing people.

Oh yeah. We do still welcome prayers. :)

BFF

Remember when you had BFF's when you were a kid? Since my family moved so much, I seemed to have one wherever I went. Well, my BFF in Platteville, WI was Twyla Baker. The year I moved from Wisconsin to Utah, she moved from Platteville, also. We kept in touch for probably another year or so, then lost touch.

Thanks to the wonderful Internet, I found her! It's so much fun finding out where her life took her. I'm so excited to get to know her again. She lives pretty close to my brother and his family, and only about 1 1/2 hours from my parents. Hopefully I be able to make a trip out to WI within the next year and see her in person.

How many of you are still in contact with your BFF's?

More Halloween Fun

We went to a carnival at Pinehurst Elementary School. It's such a fun thing to do. For $2 per child you get more tickets than you can possibly use. Each game is just one ticket, and they get a prize plus candy once the game is completed.

They had games that ranged from fishing, picking ducks from the pond, bowling, golfing, squirting water guns, and their favorite, Plinko. It was so much fun! Thank you Danny & Crystal for going with us. The boys loved having you there, and it made it so much easier for us to keep track of both of them!

Brenton was a dragon this year. Does it look familiar? He was the same dragon last year. It was his choice (at that particular moment) He went from wanting to be a witch, to a ghost, and then back to his dragon.

We had a duck costume that fit Alex. (Brenton wore it two years ago.) However, Alex was scared of it, (we did try a couple of other costumes, he was also scared of them) so after fighting him for about an hour, he went in his pajamas that were supposed to be underneath his costume. Oh well. We'll hope for better results next year.

Halloween @ work

***Edited, see below***

By popular request, I've got some pictures of some of my Halloween antics from this year. We have a costume contest and pumpkin decorating/carving contest at work. I managed to place first in both this year! Woo-hoo!

Here's the costume. Ten internet cookies to the first person who knows who I'm dressed as and leaves a comment.
Here's the winning pumpkin.

And a couple more I brought for the heck of it: Mr. Jack Skellington and a poor guy that got in trouble with the mob:
Thanks to Steph for helping me put it all together (especially the gloves!)

**EDIT**

My identity has been discovered! I was shooting for Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, director of Muppet Laboratories:

Ok, Beaker is a great guess (Beaker is Bunsen's unfortunate Lab Assistant). But I'm a stickler, so I have to award Martin his prize of a good pat on the back and ten tasty cookies:

Utah Pics

Even though our Utah trip, wasn't really planned for fun (it wasn't really planned at all!), we were able to spend some wonderful time with family. The first few days we were there, we went down to Salt Lake to spend a few days with my sister's family. My parents were staying there. (They were waiting to hear from Scott on whether or not they should head back to AZ.)

We went bowling one day. They had the really cool bumper bowling that we've done before, but they also had these cool racks that the little kids could just roll their ball down. My boys loved it! Even Alex. It was a lot of fun. Alex almost lasted an entire game.

Alex and papa (my dad)

I love this picture, just because of size difference.
This is Alex with Nikki's husband Vinny. So cute!

Brenton & Grandma (my mom)

After a while, Brenton wouldn't let anyone help him.
He did a pretty good job.
As Brenton says, he is "so strong!"


We decorated cupcakes at Nikki's house. Talk about a mess.
The boys really liked it.
Brenton actually liked the decorating part,
Alex just liked the frosting.

Above: Brenton & his cousin Kiara. They played SO good together. I don't think they fought even once! When we left to go back to Logan, both of them cried. Whenever Brenton says a prayer, whether it's a blessing on food or night time, he always blesses Kiara. He really misses her.

We started out giving both of them butter knifes.
(Yeah, I know, such a smart mom, huh.)

When we took Alex's knife away, he still wasn't done with the frosting.Above: My favorite picture!

I am really glad that I got to see my parents. I miss them daily, and I really wish we lived closer. My boys miss their grandparents! I have such great parents. I'm so glad that I know I can still depend on my parents for whatever I need.

We did spend a good deal of time in Logan before coming home. I was terrible, and didn't get any pictures. (Sorry Patty & Britt!) I am so grateful for Kale's mom, and for all her help with the boys. They miss her and their Aunt Brittany.

Home

They made it home! It's such a relief. Welcome home Scott. Enjoy Wisconsin.

Wife & Kidney Needed

Wife and kidney needed. A+ or O+ blood types are a possibility.

I am a college graduate with and amazing family.
(My sisters are by far my favorite in the family.)

My brother's not so bad either.

I have amazing parents who take care of me whenever necessary,
and completely spoil their grandchildren.

I'm great with children, and would like to have some. How many? As many as my future wife would like. I'm flexible.

If interested, please send a letter of application, including three personal or professional references, to ___________________. My sisters are providing the screening process. You will be contacted if further information is needed. Thank you.

Update

My grandma had her surgery. It went really well. She made it through, and came of the vent. very quickly. She's an amazing and stubborn woman who will out live us all.

My mom and brother are still in between AZ and WI. I talked to them a bit ago, and they're a couple of hours outside of Des Moines, IA. I think they're making great time considering they are towing my brother's car behind my parents small SUV. My brother has been feeling pretty good most days. I guess today isn't one of those days. It will be nice once they're home and can start dialysis.

Update & Cheezy Post

My grandma is having surgery tomorrow. I know things will go according to the Lord's will. She is still in our prayers.

My brother and my mom are in the process of driving from Yuma, AZ to Oshkosh, WI. My brother has had to quit his job and move in with my parents. He will start dialysis when they arrive in Wisconsin. (As long as his body holds out until then. If not, he'll start dialysis at the ER they arrive at somewhere between Yuma and Oshkosh.) Once stabilized, he will start the process of preparing for another kidney transplant.

His last transplant ended up with two uncles fighting over the chance to donate his kidney. It seems that the fight has already began for this one. My mom is pretty insistent that it will be her to donate. My brother-in-law is also stating it will be him. My mom is pretty feisty when necessary, but my brother-in-law is a former BYU football player...hmmm...who will win the fight? I don't know, but it should be interesting. :) Actually, I think there are numerous people who want to be tested, so we'll just wait and see who's the best match. Thanks for all the prayers for our family.

All of the recent events with my family have caused me to reflect on past events. Some events were not so happy, examples:
-The evening of our car accident, where I was told my 30 week pregnancy was going to end, my baby might not survive being born that early, and that my husband might not survive the night due to his injuries.
-The evening shortly after Kale and I were married, where we found out my brother Scott was in kidney rejection, and was going to have to suffer all the same trials he'd already suffered once before
- The day about a month ago, when we learned that Scott's kidney functions were starting to go up, and he would once AGAIN have to suffer all the same trials he'd already suffered twice!

But also, I've been able to reflect on some happy times during those previous trials, examples:
-When my Aunt Karen and Uncle Bruce told me they were going to follow my ambulance down to McKay Dee hospital in terrible weather, so that someone was with me when I delivered my premature baby.
- When the Kale's surgeon the night of our accident, told me that everything would be okay. He said he would find out where Kale was bleeding from, and repair the damage. (I was told this while our hospital beds were wheeled up next to each other so we could say goodbye.)
- When our baby was born and he was a healthy baby boy.
- The day we found out we had so many wonderful family members willing to donate a kidney to Scott, even knowing that the surgery is much harder on the donor than on the recipient.

Obviously, I could go on and on, and on, but I think I've already done that. I am so grateful for the family I have. For the extended support we are given. I'm glad that our Heavenly Father is much smarter than I am. Some of the decisions I made in my life, would've been completely different had it not been for his help. With past decisions, I didn't always understand why things had to be done the way they were. I wasn't always happy with how things ended up or why things had to be the way they were, but as I move on with life, I discover more each day about why things happened as they did.

I have the best family ever. Extended and immediate. (Immediate includes my husband's family of course.) I couldn't have asked for a anything better.

Update

Sorry, no pics yet. We are still in Utah. My grandma is taking us on a roller-coaster ride. I'm waiting to see how she does in the next couple of days.

As for my brother, he's not doing so well. My mom headed back down to AZ to be with him. Please keep him (and my stressed out parents) in your prayers.

Tagged

Answer the questions with one word (or a little more) and then tag three people.
1. Where is your cellphone? counter
2. Your significant other? missed
3. Your hair? red
4. Your mother? caring
5. Your Father? funny
6. Your favorite thing? MY children
7. Your dream last night? violent
8. Your favorite drink? Red cream soda
9. Your dream goal? secure
10. The room you’re in? Patty's
11. Your hobby? scrapbooking
12. Your fear? loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? living by family
14. What you’re not? outgoing
15. Muffins? cinnamon crumb cake
16. One of your wishlist item? Video Camera
17. Where you grew up? Logan, St. George, Ohio, St. George, Wisconsin, North Logan
18. Last thing you did? eat
19. What are you wearing? PJ's
20. Favorite gadget? computer
21. Your pets? cat
22. Your computer? slow
23. Your mood? anxious
24. Missing someone? Husband
25. Your Car? big
26. Something you’re not wearing? soocks
27. Favorite store? Michael's
28. Like someone? Kids
29. Favorite color? Green
30. When was the last time you laughed? one minute ago
31.When was the last time you cried? today

I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet.

Update

Things here have been busy, and for the most part fun. I had a great trip to CO to visit an old college roommate. Kale's mom came up and helped with the kids while I was gone. It was a great trip. I came back rejuvenated and ready to be a "nice" mom. (I don't think I'm very nice to my kids most of the time. I'm really trying to work on it.)

Once back, my relaxation ended. My brother is sick in Arizona (nothing I can do, just worry), and my grandma fell and broke her leg, and is in the hospital. She's been put on comfort care only (meaning no more medical intervention).

The boys and I are heading to Utah in a couple of minutes to see my grandma & the family that is there. (By boys, I mean me, Brenton & Alex. Kale is staying home.) My good friend Crystal is riding down with us. Her daughter had a baby last night in Pocatello, ID, so we'll drop her off there.

Anyway, as soon as I have a free hour or so, I'll try to post pictures from the last little while. Until then...

Stubborn

My mom said that I was extremely stubborn as a child. I guess I'm getting my payback. Alex is extremely stubborn. When he starts to throw a fit, there is no distracting him. He WILL throw the fit, it's just a matter of how long.

This fit was started by me taking my cell phone away from him. He actually climbed up on the table to get the phone (yes, he knows better). I took this picture after 30 minutes of screaming and crying. It lasted an additional 60 minutes. (Mom, I guess I'm getting what I deserve.)

Superboy!

You know how the superheroes all wear their underwear on the outside of their clothing?

Alex found a pair of Brenton's underwear and wanted to wear it. He kept trying to put it on by himself. Since he already had his pajamas on, at first I wouldn't help him. He kept following me around the house and crying. I finally relented.