Trip to Price & Daddy/Daughter Weekend!

This past weekend while I was out of town with Nate in Price, Jake and Lydia didn't let that stop them from having fun. On Friday night they went to a carnival and apparently everyone in the neighborhood was there too! Lydia had a good time!
Then they headed to Frightmares at Lagoon! Thanks Watts for taking care of half of my family while I was away! And thanks for the pictures!

Then on Saturday they went to watch Miah and Caleb play football then headed to the Ute Walk, tailgating, then to the game where the Utes killed the other team! Glad they had so much fun together and Jake said Lydia was an angel the whole time even though it was football overload!

While they were doing that, I decided to take Nate and go back down to Price for the weekend to visit dad. It also happened to be the same time my brother was flying in from CA with his wife as well. My sisters Tammie and Jenny were also there so it was nice to be surrounded by family this weekend in support of dad and his condition.

I got to meet my SIL Robyn for the first time. I fell in love with her the second I met her. She is one of the sweetest, funniest people I have ever met. We just clicked and I really enjoyed spending time with her this weekend. It also helped that she was in love with Nate and Nate felt the same about her. She made him laugh nonstop; it was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. Robyn held him every chance she got, she was so good with him!! Here they are together!

When I was younger, my brother David and I would come out to visit dad in the summers and it was always so much fun to be able to spend time with my three step sisters as well. We were inseparable for those two summer months but after my father and step mother divorced I never saw Michelle, Sarah or Rachel again. It was really sad and hard on me so when I heard that Michelle was coming down to Price as well, I was so excited to be able to see her again after 15 years!

Robyn, my brother Garry and Nate

Here are the four siblings that could make it this weekend.

Myself, Tammie, Garry and Jenny

Us four with the grandparents, Ada and Bert Frandsen

I can't even tell you how good Nate was this weekend. He didn't cry once and he would lay on the floor for hours just looking around. It was so nice not to have to worry about a fussy baby on this trip! I am so lucky to have been blessed with such mild tempered kids!

Below are us five kids with dad! He's going to beat the pneumonia so they released him from the hospital. He's just so tired all the time he couldn't even stay awake for the pictures! His pain isn't really under control; it goes up and down all day long. He still has a somewhat positive attitude but it's hard to tell what he's thinking though since he can't talk and hasn't been able to since the surgery earlier this year!

We love you dad and were so happy that we could all be there for you this weekend!

My Father's Fight!!!

Two and a half years ago, my husband knocked on the door of a man who was a complete stranger to him. The man came to the door, let Jake in and allowed him to make the demand, "You need to get to know her again...you've got a grandchild that you haven't even met yet". That one knock on the door, that one conversation changed my relationship with my father forever! The next day I got a phone call and it was my dad, attempting to reconnect with his 5th child, me, after five years of no contact!

We've had a lot of heart to hearts since then and we've really gotten to know one another again and it was nice to have my father back in my life! At the time, 2 1/2 years ago, I thought it was nice having my father around again and it was great that would get to know my children. I thought it was just that simple. But knowing what I know now, I see that the Lord knows all things and that God's plan is perfect. I was put in my father's life 2 1/2 years ago, not just to reconnect with him, but to be able to comfort him and be there for him when he needed me most; during the biggest fight of his life as he battled tongue cancer.

In April of 2008, he met one of his grandchildren for the first time. This is my dad, Brent Frandsen with my little girl when she was 18 months old.
We had five good months together before he was diagnosed. Five months with no talk of cancer! It was great; great to just talk; great to hang out with no worries of death or painful tumors. Then is September of 2008, my dad got the news that changed his life; he was diagnosed with tongue cancer. He endured a painful 15 hour surgery where they cut his jaw in half then cut out almost half of his tongue and made a new one constructed of tissues from his arm. It took a lot of work to relearn how to talk and eat again. But he did! My dad has always been a physically strong man and this event was no exception. For 13 months he was cancer free.

My dad has struggled his whole life with his activity in the church. But when he reconnected with me, he spoke of how he wanted to get his life together and get back into the church. He also wanted to reconnect with his seven children. In June 2009, after 18 years of inactivity, I had the amazing experience of going through the temple with my father. It felt so good to be by his side and to know that I was able to be the example to my father. Being in the Celestial room with him was a feeling that I will never forget. I was so proud of my father that day!!!

My father was in remission for about 13 months. He could talk pretty well by this time but it still took him about an hour to eat one single hamburger. What a long and horrible recovery this was. Then we got the news in January 2010 that his cancer was back for the second time! He opted to do the whole surgery again where they take tissues from other parts of his body to form a new tongue. He also had to undergo radiation and chemotherapy treatments. This is one of the most painful surgeries I have ever seen and for him to make the decision to endure that again showed me how much he wanted to live to be able to be with his children and grandchildren for longer than this cancer wanted him to.

One on the worst times in his life was also the best. Before his second surgery, for the first time ever, all seven of his kids were together in one room all in support of our father and the surgery he was about to undergo! It was a fun night of talking, laughing and getting to know one another! What a joyous occasion amidst such sadness. Yet again, he endured another 14+ surgery and came out the other end alive. We were all there in support of dad and I knew that he felt our love!

This recovery was a million times worse than his previous one. He was a patient at Huntsman for a few months then admitted to a care center for a few months after that. He was declared in remission for only a month or so before we got the worst news ever last week...his cancer was back for the third time and there was nothing further the doctors could do to save him. He was only given a few weeks to a few months to live.

I drove down to Price, UT to be with him for a couple days and I have to say I am deeply saddened by this whole thing. I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and I know that my father's mission here on earth may be coming to an end very soon. But these past few years, I couldn't be more proud of the man and the father that he has become.

Here he is with his newest little grand baby, Nathaniel!

When I asked him how he felt about his time left he said,

"I feel I only have a couple months left. I just wish I had more time with my children and grandchildren!"

It was so strange holding my newborn baby in one arm and comforting my father in the other. Total opposite ends of the spectrum; the beginning and the end. He was just diagnosed with pneumonia but after seeing him on this visit earlier this week, I truly think he's going to pull through this. He is such a strong man and such a fighter. He never ceases to amaze me in his battle against this cancer. Anything is possible!

Here's dad and Lydia laughing together over a singing monkey. It was so precious to watch. What an amazing grandfather my dad has turned out to be! Since I was little I remember him always swinging his finger back and forth when he heard music or sang a song. He's still doing it as you can see in the picture!

My dad always did say that he would rather have a good quality of life versus a good quantity of life. If the Lord sees fit to have his journey end on this earth then I will accept it and take comfort in knowing that the Lord has a plan for each of us and I know I can be with my father on the other side for all eternity!

Here's dad giving loves to Lydia.

Dad,

You are a good father, a good person.

You are a wonderful grandfather.

You have seven children who love and care for you.

I couldn't be more proud of you than I am right now.

I'm proud of your decision to come back into the church.

I'm proud of you for becoming

the type of father I've always wanted.

You amaze me every day with your strength and determination to beat this cancer.
Be proud of the man that you have become.

Be proud of what you've accomplished

these past three years.

What an example you are to me of how

it's never to late to change;

never too late to change who you are

and what you want to become.

It's never too late to change your life for the better

no matter what your age,

no matter what has happened in your past.

I'm glad we've had these past three years together

to learn to love one another again, to enjoy eachother's company

and to gain the relationship that I've always wanted to have with you!

I love you dad! Always have, Always will!

Love Always and Forever,

Your daughter,

Erin

Birthday Parties Galore!!!

Lydia has had so much fun the past couple of weeks going to lots of b-day parties. It must be that time of year...she's been invited to 5 in the past couple of months for her little friends.
We got to go to Jane's "Tiny, tiny party" and it was so cute! Jane is such a miracle baby and we are all so grateful that she's here and that we could celebrate her 1st birthday!
Here's Brielle and Lyd's at the par-tay!

On Wednesday afternoon Lydia was invited to Kangaroo Zoo to celebrate her friend Izee's birthday! We love Kangaroo Zoo!! Lydia was kind of a loner at first having fun with just me...
Then, thanks to Tasha, Lydia made a new friend in Miley! They played together most of the time. It was so cute to watch Lydia have such a good time with her!

The birthday party crew!!!

Jules giving the cake to Izee!

And the amazing Jules handmade over a dozen blankets for each of the party guests! It was awesome and Lydia loves it. Thanks Jules!

Then on Friday night we went to Lauren's 3rd birthday. It was circus themed and Lydia LOVED it! She loved her cotton candy, popcorn and peanuts!

Riding on the teeter totter with Kiley!

Lauren's dad Cody was hilarious! He dressed up as a clown and I think he really enjoyed it!

Then he let the kids throw pies and silly string in his face!

And to top it off, the kids got to squirt him off with the hose! Good time watching that, for sure!

Thanks everyone for the invites to the parties. Lydia has loved them all and it makes her more and more excited for her own birthday next month!!!

Nate is 3 Months....The Lion King!

I can't believe this little boy is three months old already. He's growing WAY too fast...and he looks it too. Maybe it's because he's already in 6-9 month clothes and can fit pretty well in 12 month clothes as well!!! I'm in love with this smile!
I just love this little outfit. Thanks Anabel! I've been waiting for him to grow into it. Thank goodness I got it out yesterday...otherwise he wouldn't fit into it when he's actually supposed to at 6 months!
Anytime I take pics of Nate, I always have Lydia around because he coos and smiles at her no matter what mood he's in. He loves her so much already. It's so precious to see his smile the second he sees her or here's her voice!

I LOVE those dimples of his (got them from his daddy)! I haven't gotten the perfect picture of them yet so this is as good as it gets! His cheeks are super chubby so I know his dimples will show more when he thins out!

We always joke about him "thinking up plans" because his hands are always together as he twiddles his fingers. It's hilarious! Well it is to us anyway! 90% of the time he's "coming up with one idea or another", even in his sleep!

From the day he was born and they laid him on his stomach on my chest, he has been lifting his head. It's amazing the strength this boy has and how much stronger he gets every day!

This kid is ALREADY moving across the floors and he's been doing it since he was 9 weeks old! I'll put him under his favorite toy (below) and in 5 minutes he's 10 feet away from it. It's amazing! He almost rolled over the other day! I'm in big trouble with this kid when he starts crawling (which will probably be sooner than I'd like)!!!

I just love these two and I love how much they love each other already. From the moment Lydia saw him, she fell in love and has been the best big sister ever since! And Nate hasn't complained...he loves her already, just as much!

THE LION KING

Last night we were able to take Lydia out on a little date to The Lion King at Capitol Theater! We try to give Lydia as much attention as we can so when we left Nate with Rod and Sue, Lydia was actually bummed that he wasn't coming with us! I guess doesn't mind having him around all the time. This pic was at 10:15pm after the show so Lydia was a little delirious at this point. She was so tired during the show but forced herself to stay awake because she didn't want to miss anything!

And of course, Lydia behaved perfectly, sitting in her seat or on my lap just watching the show the whole 2 1/2 hours. I have one of the best three year olds out there! She's such a joy to be around and I love that she's such a good girl and can enjoy the same things that us adults do (movies, plays, 4 hour football games, etc.)!!!

I can't even tell you how much I loved this show! We all loved it! In the first scene when all the animals came down the isles and they were singing "The Circle of Life", I got chills and I'll admit a tiny bit teary-eyed! Then Jake leans over and says, "Are they lip-syncing?" Oh how I love that guy! He tries so hard to enjoy the things I do...he just doesn't have a clue though!

I fell completely in love with the music! Breathtaking! And don't even get me started on Rafiki!, my favorite character by far. Her voice was incredible; not the normal "Broadway" voice but more of that African soul (if there is such a thing)! Amazing! I could go back and see it again tomorrow it was that good! Probably in my top two shows for sure! They still have tickets so I recommend you seeing it before it's over! Thanks for the fun night family! So glad we could go together!

BBQ's, Races & Football....3 of Our Favorite Things!!

Tons of Food+

15 Adults+

13 Kids+

7 Dogs+

1 Circular Road

=

Cul-De-Click BBQ

We've had a fun few days. Last Wednesday we thought it would be fun to have what will probably be the last BBQ of the summer. Our cul-de-sac got together, ate and enjoyed each other's company. A new couple moved into the circle so it was fun to get to know them and invite them into all of our craziness!!! We were having so much fun until Lydia decided to be the center of attention and added an extra chin to her face! This pic was taken just after it happened and it was already so swollen and bruised.
It was so sad! She was riding her bike and the wheel didn't go over the lip of the driveway and she flew over the handle bars and smashed all of her weight onto her chin. Luckily it just goose-egged. If it would have split, she would have bled forever and recieved stitches for sure! But she was brave and only cried for a few minutes. Perfect timing for her to get her pictures taken on Monday!

(Sidenote: since this accident she has hit her eye on a chair, gotten a sticker shaped sunburn under her eye and fell on her face on the cement: all resulting in more scratches, scuff marks and weird shaped sunburns on her face....GREAT!)

Utah Marathon Relay

A Full Marathon

1/5 of the Pain

On Saturday morning I got up bright and early to be at my very first relay race. My friend Lynette put it together and I'm so glad she invited me to do it. It was so much fun to run in a race again after a 2 year hiatus. Lynette, my SIL Jessica, myself, Melynda and her mom Polly ran the race together. We each ran 5.2 miles, which equaled a full marathon and it was a perfect starting race for me.
It's hard to see but here's Polly handing the baton off to Melynda.
Melynda with one mile left! She is my hero. She ran her leg in like 8 1/2 minute miles. Oh to be that fast again! Maybe one day! Nice job for being the fastest member of our team!!!
Next, Ducka was off on her leg! One of the coolest things about this race is that it was for a cause that means something to me...Cystic Fibrosis. One of my friends has CF so it was nice to contribute even just a tiny bit to help. Love you Em!!!
Then I was off on my leg. I was bummed because I finished my leg later than I wanted but I need to cut myselft some slack...I did just have a baby 11 weeks ago!

My stats:

5.2.miles

52 min 5 sec

Avg: 10 min 1 sec miles

I wanted to do at least 10 minute miles but failed by a second per mile. Oh well, the best part about my training is that in the four weeks I trained, I lost 15 pounds!! Woohoo!!! It was all worth it right there!
Jake and Lydia came out to support me....well, really he came to drop the baby off so he could go to the Ute Walk at 11:30! Thanks honey!
Me passing the baton off to Lynette
Me recieving my medal!
Go Lynette...one mile left!

Our final team member crossing the finish line!!!

Our Team Stats:

Finished 85th out of 125 teams

3rd Place in the:

Women's Division "Friends" Category

Total Team Time: 4:03:43

Mylenda took the kids home so she wasn't there for the picture but here are three of the five members of the team after our race! It was lots of fun! Thanks ladies for getting my post baby butt in gear and letting me do this race with you!

Saturday afternoon we went to the Utah VS. UNLV game. It was Nate's first game and of course he was perfect! Not one peep out of him...not even when he kept getting woken up by all the screaming fans every two minutes!

And don't even get me started on Lydia. Where did this kid come from? She left with Jake and went to the Ute Walk at 11:30am so she was out in the sun doing "football stuff" for 6 hours, didn't complain once and had herself a great time in the process. And let me tell you, Jake is eating that up! He loves that Lydia has so much fun at football games and is so well-behaved! I am amazed at this child and how good she is. I'm so blessed to have her for a daughter!

Here she is with Swoop at the Ute Walk!

Here we are...Nate at his first football game (one of many in his lifetime, I'm sure!!).

Lydia had so much fun eating her cotton candy and playing with Willy!

What do you get when you ask a drunk guy to take your picture with an expensive camera? A not very good picture, that's what. How hard is it to take a picture, seriously?! So here's my blurry, up too close picture not including everyone. There were 9 of us and only 8 in the picture...hmmm (sorry Herb, you got chopped off)!!!

It was a really fun day. And can I just say how much I love watching the Johnsen boys at these games. They are seriously in complete bliss for three hours so happy and content! It's such a fun thing to see. I was smiling just watching them cheer and laugh the whole game. Just don't go to a game where they lose...that's a whole different story!!!

GO UTES!!!