I caught these two cute kiddos playing piano. Jack was teaching Quinn how to play in middle C hand position.
One last outing with this cute girl. Maryn took off for BYU-Idaho. I will miss our tennis days and Chik Fil A runs. Grateful to know and love this girl. She will do incredible things in this life.
My cute support through all of this back stuff, plus my driver after my dual epidural procedure. We were hanging in the waiting room awaiting my name to be called. I was feeling slightly nervous and relieved at the same time. Happy to finally be at this next step.
IV is in and ready go!
After they called my name to come back for prep, Pres left to grab lunch. The procedure would take about 25 minutes, but they had to set me up with my IV and meds before beginning. While I was waiting for the room to be cleaned and prepped, I noticed there was an older woman in a wheel chair waiting for her driver. She had finished her procedure and was doing her best to answer the nurses questions. It is safe to say that she was still a little out of it. She had to have been close to 4 foot 11 inches. A cute little hispanic grandma. They told her that her ride was ready and waiting, and they started to wheel her towards the exit. As they wheeled her away she shouted a joyful "wheeeee!" We were all dying in laughter. I turned to my nurse and said, "I want what she has. Haha."
The doctor had me lay on my stomach on the table ready to go. They had to give me a little medication just to lay on my belly. I couldn't lay flat without being in pain. Once they had me set they hooked my IV port to some sweet meds to make me sleepy, but not fully asleep. Dr. Lindenberg then proceeded to tell me what was happening. He would inject the shots by using X-Ray images up on a screen. He first started with my nerve root shot because it would be the most painful. As he pushed the needle into position and released the steroid the nerve whipped my leg into a straight rod like feeling. It literally felt like a metal rod was inserted into my leg that went from the lower part of my back to the middle of my foot. I mentioned that I could feel that, and he had the nurse hit me with more meds. He then proceeded to the vertebrae area and pushed a steroid through the inflammation. At that point I didn't feel a thing. I was feeling really good from the meds he had pushed through already. It felt like the entire procedure went by really fast. He bandaged me up and I was done.
The nurse told me I could go ahead and get up and sit in the wheelchair. I remember just wanting to sleep there on the table. I asked if I could just lay a little longer and the nurse told me I had to get up and move so they could help the next patient. I felt so slow and sluggish. Everything felt like a dream. I really wanted to sleep. After they wheeled me out they told me that I could text Pres to bring the car out front. I got my phone and couldn't connect my brain to my fingers. My brain and mobility were not lining up. I could see his name but couldn't figure out how to text him. I finally said, "Do you see his name here?" The nurse went ahead and took my phone and texted Preston. He pulled up the car and helped me in. I was feeling pretty great, but couldn't figure out what I was doing. I slept the entire way home. I went straight to my bed and slept several hours after. The steroid shots didn't kick in right away which is normal. They started to work about a week after the procedure. At that point I was able to start physical therapy. I have felt incredible ever since!
Quinn is a Spell-A-Thon Bee!
Thanks to family and friends for supporting all of the kids through their spell-a-thon. They all did great and won prizes. We are so grateful for the constant support and love from fam.
Beckham's day finally came! Football season has officially started. He was SO ready for the season to start. He danced all around every time the games came on. He makes sure to tell us when the games are, who is playing, and who is out due to injury.
I caught Q looking in the telescope backwards. I couldn't help but snap a pic of this cute girl.
Another puzzle down.
Date night with this guy, haha. Face masks, foot rubs, and a movie.
Feeling under the weather so we watched church from my computer. We snapped a pic to show Pres that we were watching ;) Grateful we can zoom in for church when were sick.
Jack playing basketball while we wait to meet with his teacher. We had goal setting conferences and it was Jack's turn.
Time for swim!
Pres and I decided it was time for the kids to learn how to swim. This is one of those life lessons that every kiddo needs. It's like riding a bike. Beckham was very apprehensive but ended up enjoying his time.
Jack figured it out pretty quickly. He jumped up to a different class and enjoyed learning the different types of swim styles there are. We may have a future swimmer in our midst.
After the class the kids get to play with pool toys for the last five minutes.
Ice cream for everyone! We rewarded the kids for trying something new even though it felt a little scary.
Date Night with my guy.
It was my turn for date night. Pres and I try to do a date every single week. We swap who is in charge. This was my week. I chose a fun popcorn mix, dirty Dr. Peppers, and Dr. Mario. We had SO much fun competing with each other over old school Nintendo. We tend to do a lot of date nights in. When we choose this route it has to be after kids are in bed, and it has to still feel like effort was put into it. It needs to feel like it was thought about and not an after thought. Going out dates make it a little easier for creativity, but we are secretly home bodies, so our nights in are just as fun.
The sky looked like it was on fire!
Quinn received a few awards for academics at school!
The kids experienced their fist eye doctor appointment. They loved all of the gadgets and reading the letters. Every single one of them walked out excited about visiting the eye doctor, haha. Jack has 20/10 vision. The doc kept testing him on different things because he was so excited about it. He said it's rare to see a kid at his age with that kind of vision. His excitement made Jack feel special.
They got home and enjoyed an educational game :) I love that these three enjoy playing together.
Jack's turn for a few awards. He was very excited every time they called his name.
Our little author working hard on his next book.
I have always felt that reading is the most crucial part of learning. I am so grateful that these three enjoy reading so much. If you get them a new book, they tuck away and read for hours.
Date night at a bagel shop! These bagels were incredible. They took us back to New York. After devouring our delicious bagels we headed to a bookstore for a new book. Great date night if you ask me ;)
My new book of choice. You can never go wrong with Fredrik Backman in my opinion. Great writer.
Count down to when Pop and Grandma Spung join us for a vacation.
More swimming!
The many faces of Beckham Clark ;)
My annual trip to Utah was a success! Loved hanging with this guy.
Me and my girls! We went to a delicious breakfast at TruReligion, hung out at a cafe, and then I dropped these two beauties off at the airport.
A quick visit to BYU campus to meet up with two of my favorite girls. Abby and Alex are rocking this college thing.
After a fun photo shoot with these cuties, Bree made me dinner. Loved having my time with this cute trio.
One of the exciting reasons I was in Utah at this time, was for a photography workshop. It was so fun getting to know other photographers and to watch Breanne Weston do her thing. She is an incredible family photographer and I learned so much from her. So grateful for the opportunity to be among fellow photographers. I came away from this experience feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on next steps and roles as a photographer myself. Breanne is a miracle worker. Seeing things that most people miss and creating story telling in the most fascinating way. I will forever be grateful to have her as a friend.
After my photography workshop I got to hang with these two.
They put on the cutest little play for me and Jim.
A shot of Britt and I before heading out to her, Sash, and Swarlos' shoot. Dang I love my job!
I love going to Utah every September to capture the smiles of all the cute families in the area. I look forward to it every year. The foliage is gorgeous, the families are amazing, and the time spent with loved ones is an added bonus. I love traveling for my work and doing a deep dive into photography for a week at a time.
