Life Update!!

   Welcome back!! As true to form I never think to update our blog!! We are doing great and have lots to update everyone on!! In December last year we decided to try and buy a house.. For us and in the williston area we did the process pretty quickly..  We got approved the end of november and found a house in January and moved in on valentines day!! Needless to say BEST Anniversary and V-day gift ever!!  We seem to be settling in and loving all our new space, but with a new house comes lots to do, so we are still a work in progress !! The house is a 4 bedroom 2025 sqft home on 1.88 arces of land just outside of Williston.. It is all on level so nick has access to the whole house which he loves!!




We made our last medical trip to salt lake in may where saw the neo-natel and nutrition clinic which didn't have much to say other then to continue what we are doing.. Nick had 3 major seizures starting with the one in december..  We met with an amazing seizure doctor at MINSEP in Minneapolis in February who recommended we do an in-patient seizure study at Gillette childrens hospital.. We got back from that about three weeks ago.. The study went really good and instead of having to stay a full week we got the reduced sentence of, go in on monday and leave on wednesday!! The EEG showed constant seizure activity (low but still there).. Which means we control them with medication, but getting sick, to hot, to cold, or a major bump to the head and other things that can up-set the electrical balance in his brain can cause a seizure.. So we just have to be careful and take them as they come.. They think what re-triggered them after going 18 months without one was the pneumonia and Influenza AB he got the end of December 2012..
  While we were in Minneapolis he received another round of Botox for his legs and he had his hips x-rayed.. The x-rays showed no change in his leg/hip socket which is really good!! His legs  due to the high tone he has in them started to pull out of socket.. The lack of weight baring he does also attributes to this.. But with the Botox and more and more weight he is learning to bare it is helping to prevent them from getting worse..   The bone doc wants to see him in a year with x-rays in 6 months when go back for Botox in the spring! We go back in November for another Botox treatment He continues with his therapies and has completed summer school!! He is getting so big and continues to amaze Jay and I with his strength, spirit and will to fight!! He beats the odds all the time, starting from when he was a amazing little 1 lb 4oz baby boy who wasn't supposed to make it past the first 24 hrs.. Can't believe that was 5 yrs ago!! So the Minneapolis trip wasn't bore of all medical we took Nick to the zoo which I'm not sure who had more fun me or nick.. I mean that is a photographers heaven with lots to take pictures of.. (My battery died thats how many pics I took) Nicks favorite part was splashing in a fountain and the petting zoo!

   As it seems to be a tradition anymore nick had his cousins up for a while this summer starting with Brooke and leighanna joining a couple weeks later!! Bryan brought brooke up when he came to work the about week of June and she went home the first week July.. Stephanie and kids came to visit and leighanna wanted to stay so she stayed until the 4th when Steph and Kandi came to visit.. We didn't really do much more then the normal for our house which is therapy, and working out lol.. We took a couple trips to minot for supplies for the house and nick got a pool which he and the girls played in quite a bit.. While Steph was here on their first trip we went to lois and clark state park for an afternoon and hung around the house.. We took all the kids to the splash pad both times the company came..
 
 
 Jay continues to work hard to provide for us.. He is still pulling lots of long hours and busy weeks but he seems to be home more which is really nice for us as a family.. He hasn't had much luck with losing weight but i don't think his heart or mind is set for it just yet.. that will happen when he is ready.. He had a good checkup with his doctor who yelled at him about his weight but otherwise he is healthy.. which is good :) He is am amazing father and husband and we can't ask for more than that!!

   I am blessed to be a busy stay at home mom and wife and I love it.. I spend my time in the gym doing a MMA boot camp and just started a women's MMA class to learn more about the sport.. It is so much fun to learn but I could never do it a actual fighting level.. No cage fights for me lol.. I add that onto my Pink Gloves Boxing to keep me busy and sane.  I am learning so much for self defense and physical fitness which seems to be my passion lately.. I am going to try in the next year to get my personal trainers license so i can start to share my passion and learn more for myself.. I still love taking pictures  and am  active with the Oilfield Wives Williston group.. Which I raised $1200 for our relay for life team.. I don't have the team total yet so I'm not sure how much that is.. I love getting out and being active in the community!!  Well I believe that is all for now and hope to update you all soon!!

Saying good bye to 2012 and Hello to 2013!!

  As the year ends you reflect on the good the bad and the in-between, over all 2012 was a good year for us as a family.. Jay worked a ridiculous amount of hours over the year which allowed us to have many blessings!!

Four Wheeling out Government Draw
September

 We traveled and had some amazing adventures.. We went to Vegas in February with my parents. In March the Oilfield Wives Williston through a Charity ball to raise money for relay for life which was amazing!! We raised $4,000 at the event!! Nick, mom and I made a trip to Salt Lake City for a couple of drs. appointments in May which ended up good, (leighanna came back with us and stayed a month), we went to Rapid City, SD in June with Leighanna. We went home for the 4th of July and were able to purchase a new Four-wheeler and proceeded to break it in over the family camp!! We went to St Paul in Aug and again in November, where Nickolas started a new and exciting adventure for him as he started Botox treatments in his legs to help with his muscle tone so he can hopeful learn to walk!! He is responding quite nicely and has loosened up tremendously!! We have made that trip twice now for two treatments and have more to make in the new year!!

Pink Gloves Certification
October 

 I also became a certified Pink Gloves Boxing instructor.. I have been doing the circut style boxing for over a year now and love it so i made it a goal to become a instructor when they said the class would be in Williston, I said bring it on!! I have been working out and doing crossfit workouts for a while and love the lifestyle.. I also completed a 12wk challenge losing 12 pounds and 7 inchs.. I plan to concur another one this year with a goal to run a half marathon in lander for the 4th of July!! I have also taken up photography this year and have become popular among my friends, so i am excited about that adventure as well!!

Nick has started back with school and continues his therapy 4 times a week.. He was a pirate for halloween this year, and attended 3 parties making  out like a bandit!!

  We stayed in williston for thanksgiving and had dinner with Marc and Katrina and family!! Two days after thanksgiving we had quite a scare for our family as Jay had a minor heart attack and was flown from Williston to Minot for treatment.. He started having chest pain, on friday after thanksgiving but was on a job so he treated the pain with ibuprofen and went on his way thinking it was heartburn or something not really sure what he thinks sometimes other then he was to young to be having a heart attack..

Four wheeling government draw

He came home from the job on saturday afternoon still having the pain so he took some more ibuprofen and went to bed.. He woke up sunday morning with the pain still there so I took him in and it went from there.. They confirmed is as a heart attack, did cath scan, ekg, ridiculous amounts of blood work and a ultra sound all coming back normal.. There is a chemical your heart puts off when it is stressed, it usually hangs out at about 2, jays at one point was 22.. He was in the hospital for 3 days because he didn't have to have surgery it was a long (seemed like forever), but a short stay.. He took a week off of work going back light duty for another week then released back to full duty.. They think weight and stress caused it so he is embarking on a major lifestyle change.. We see the dr again in june and he is supposed to be down 30 lbs but has made a goal of 40-50!! He will be starting nutrisystem as soon as it arrives!!

Because of Jays heart attack we decided to save some money and go to lander for christmas as apposed to going to west yellowstone.. We all made out like bandits, Jay getting tools and toys and a brand new truck, me getting a new phone and nook, and Nick getting toys!! After we got home from lander for christmas we decided to end the year with a bang with Nickolas having a seizure caused by pneumonia, influenza ab (respiratory) and a 2 1/2 day hospital stay.. He was on a nice antibiotic cocktail, and breathing treatments which we are currently finishing up!!

Over all like I said we have had a amazing year and can't wait to see what the new year has to bring us!! Hope everyone had a great year and holiday season and enjoys the new year with all it has to offer!!

Nicks 4 yr pictures!