One Lucky FUTURE Mrs.Harris!!

Drey LOVES to cook. He's my little helper in the kitchen. If I teach him to make something once, from then on he can make it on his own. So far, he can make spaghetti and meatballs, scrambled eggs, bacon, blueberry muffins, grilled cheese sandwiches, pancakes and biscuits. This has come in handy on more than one occasion when I've been deep in my studies. I can just say "Hey Drey, wanna hook up the family with some scrambled eggs and bacon for dinner?" Nine times out of ten he jumps at the chance and makes a delicious dinner. Today Drey wanted to learn how to make cinnamon rolls...from scratch. It's quite a process and I was sure he would lose interest somewhere along the way but he didn't! I let him do each step and now that he knows...I have no doubt he can make them on his own in the future. (Pretty good investment of a few hours of my time if you ask me.)

He rolled out the dough...this part was hard for him to focus on JUST rolling out the dough and not forming it into volcanoes or submarines.

He then applied the cinnamon/sugar mixure....don't worry I made sure he washed his hands well through the entire process.He rolled them up and cut them into the right sizes to let them rise.... While we were letting the rolls rise, I taught him how to make the perfect frosting.Once they were all done cooking Drey put the finishing touches on his afternoons work....All done!!! Our house smells of heaven right now. After dinner and baths tonight we all tasted Drey's work to see how he did. I'm not joking or exaggerating when I say that they were the BEST tasting cinnamon rolls I think I have ever tasted! Cinnabon has nothing on Drey! Once we were all done Drey said "Mom, when I get married I'm gonna make my wife homemade cinnamon rolls and spell out 'I love you' with the dough." Thus the title of my post....that's gonna be one lucky lady!
It's going to take every ounce of willpower that I have to not go in and partake of another one. Ok...I'm not gonna lie...I'm eating another one.

Happy

Well, it's been awhile since I updated the ol family blog. Some might say that I should be studying instead of blogging ....and they would be right. I just wanted to do a quick post of some pictures that make me smile and some things that make me happy.


My handsome son...who likes to talk to me. Weird and unexpected. I thought teenagers were supposed to be moody and private. Gage loves to tell me things...what girls he thinks are "hot", what girls he thinks are weird, what 8th grade drama is going on at the moment, things he thinks are funny and things that are bothering him. He's a keeper. My silly Delly who has a new talent...sucking her nostrils shut. She had the whole family rolling on the floor laughing the other night as she demonstrated her newest skill. My hot hubbs. Yes, he was just diagnosed with Bells Palsy on Sunday but just because you have a half paralyzed face doesn't mean you can't work it like you got it.... and he's got it. He's getting better, by the way.

These two girls love each other...and that makes me happy. They build forts together and go on "adventures" in the backyard together and end up in the same bed together during nighttime thunderstorms. I'm glad they each have a "sissy". Avery is such a good big sis to Delly (who follows her example in everything she does!)

Drey....to know him is to love him. He's unique and quirky. He can entertain himself with nothing more than his mind. Give him a piece of paper, some tape and a paperclip and he'll create a sculpture. You'll never meet a kid who loves cereal more than Drey. He's a one of a kind.


Things are going well over here at the Harris house. I just finished my third week of Block 3 nursing school and I love it! I'm learning so much every day. I feel like this is the happiest I've ever been in my life. I've always been happy and blessed but I love my life right now. My scar on my neck is healing nicely. We're all healthy (with the exeption of Joey's face....poor thing). Both Joey and I have callings that we love. The kids all love their teachers and schools. We have the greatest friends and family. All in all...life is fabulous!

The end.

Mom? Who's Mom?

While I was having my surgery my kids were sitting around, pacing the floor, worrying over my health and safety, missing me terribly and counting the hours until we could be reunited.....Haha! Yeah right!!! Actually, I would be surprised if any one of them thought twice about me the whole week we were apart...and I'm so glad! I would much rather they were just having fun and loving life. While I was in the hospital, and for a few days after I got home, my awesome sisters (and brother-in-laws) took all my kids away for one last summer adventure. Tia and Justin took Gage with them on their wards Scout trip. They went white water river rafting in Wyoming (say that fast three times). Gage had the time of his life and has not stopped talking about it. Here are some pictures kindly taken by my sister. She took pictures the first run and rode the rapids the second run...so these are the pictures from the first time down the Snake River. I think the close up of Gage's face really shows the depth of his concern and worry for me. :)

They also stopped in Salt Lake to see the temple. My brother who works for the church was there and they took this awesome picture together.

While Gage was on his river adventure, my other sister Mindy and brother-in-law Eric kindly took in my other three kids. Avery, especially, has really had a hard time since they moved to Fort Thomas. Every single Sunday as we leave for Sunday dinner at my parents house she still asks "Is Sadie gonna be there?" One day she'll get it through her head that they MOVED! So she was really excited to spend a few days up there. They had a great time! Sure, Avery got a tooth knocked out within a couple hours of being there...but that's just how they do up there. You gotta be tough to live in the country. They had so much fun eating popsicles.....And playing with playdough.......

And catching baby horny toads and baby lizards......

And getting to wash the town fire truck to prepare for the 24th of July Parade.....(supposedly these pictures are of the fire truck being washed but it sure looks like something else entirely...I don't know, maybe it's just me.)
The kids even got to be IN the 24th of July Parade. They felt very important I'm sure!

Thanks again for showing my kids the time of their lives! They loved it and I loved resting and recovering from surgery in a QUIET and CLEAN house! I owe you guys!!!!

Good news.

I had my appointment this morning to get my stitches out and to get the results of my tests. I was obviously really nervous to get my results. If tests showed cancer I was facing more surgery as well as cancer treatments and worst of all...I wouldn't be able to go back to nursing school in three weeks! If it showed NO cancer, that's it. I'm done. I go on with my life and go back to school and put all this behind me. I wanted to be told it was benign SO bad but I was mentally preparing myself to hear the worst. I halfway expected to hear that I had cancer and I was going to be really proud of myself about how well I was going to handle it. I was going to be stoic and brave and calm and then fall apart later in private. So when he said "Well, the good news is that everything came back benign"...I almost didn't know how to react. I only practiced my "bad news" reaction! I felt like I wanted to cry and I KNEW if I looked at my mom I would lose it so I just kept my eyes on the doctor. Once we left, my mom and I both fell apart in the elevator. We got some looks but I couldn't hold in the tears anymore! I felt so relieved and happy and overwhelmed with gratitude that I'M DONE! I don't have to think about this anymore. I don't have any doctors appointments to go to in the near future! I've been to over a dozen appointments these last few months and now I'm done! Just like that! I don't even care that I look like someone tried to murder me. I'm embracing my scarred neck. ( I may have to purchase a cute necklace or two..I think that's fair.) Gage said the scar looks like a smiley face...and it does! Thanks to everyone who was rooting for us to have good news. Thanks for everything...everybody! I can't even believe that we're this lucky to have the greatest friends, family and neighbors in the world! Tonight I'm tired and my neck hurts and I have a headache but I'm one happy chicka!

Before and after pix....

WITH stitches:

WITHOUT stitches:

A pain in the neck.....

The surgery is over and done with! Yea! It's such a relief to be home and still alive and to have that nasty tumor OUT of my neck! The last few days have been pretty crazy. To recap....

The night before my big day, my parents took Joey and I out to dinner. All the kids were farmed out to different family members so I could have a few days after the surgery to recover and rest in peace. ( Thank you guys!!!!) We went to eat at Sweet Tomatoes and it tasted so good to me! I knew I wouldn't be eating for awhile so I savored every bite! When Joey and I got home from dinner, my friends Shelly and Lisa came over with an "anti-boredom" package to help make the recovery time easier. It had magazines, a book, candy, a blanket, ect... They're the greatest! Thank you ladies!

The night before surgery, I layed awake most of the night feeling sick to my stomach. I couldn't take any sleeping meds so I just lay there listening to Joey sleeping like a baby...not a care in the world! :) The morning couldn't come soon enough! I just wanted to get it over with. We had to be at Tempe St. Lukes by 8AM to check in. They told me I could shower and put on deodorant but NO makeup or lotion or anything like that. It's bad enough you have to have surgery but then you have to feel all disgusting, too! I was really tempted to put a little lotion on but ultimately I followed the rules. Joey took a picture of me in all my glory right before walking out the door....(it's hard for me to post all the following pictures but this is my journal and I want to document it. Sorry if it's disturbing to anyone!) Once we got to the hospital, my stomach calmed down a little. They took me back to pre-op and got me hooked up to an IV and made sure I knew that really really bad things could happen during surgery. They went down the list...bleeding, infection, permanent loss of voice or permanent hoarseness, collapsed lung, heart attack, death...ect. Then I had to sign "consent" that said I still wanted to go through with it. I actually DIDN'T want to go through with it but I knew I had to.
They gave me a cute hat to wear and Joey snapped one last picture before they wheeled me back to the surgery room. Cute, eh?

I don't remember much else after that. I remember getting put on the table and the anesthesiologist saying "goodnight" and then waking up 4 hours later. I woke up with a horrible headache and really really hot because I had blankets piled up on me. I could hear my recovery room nurses talking about who should take their lunch break first and I was desperately trying to open my eyes or move so they would know I was awake. It's a strange feeling to be completely paralyzed like that. It seemed like forever that I was trying to tell them I was hot and to take the blankets off me. Eventually I gave up and just went back to sleep. I woke up in my hospital room. That first day is all kind of a blur. I remember having a horrible headache all day and intense pain when I tried to swallow. I had no voice. When I would try to talk it was just a scratchy whisper. It hurt to try to talk so I just didn't talk unless absolutely necessary. At one point the nurse came in and asked me if I wanted to go for a walk in the hallway. I was like..you gotta be kidding me lady! That's the LAST thing in the world I want to do. Then she mentioned that she didn't want me getting blod clots and I remembered WHY it was important to walk after surgery. I say no thank you to blood clots. That's all I need! So I got up and walked. Joey and my mom were good about documenting all my achievements. It FELT like an achievement! Who knew that just walking a few steps down the hall could be so difficult? I know now that this whole thing will make me a better nurse. I will understand now why it's so hard to get up out of bed after surgery. How all you want to do is lay there and NOT move! I think I will be more patient and understanding where as before I had no idea what surgery is like and how much it wipes you out. The second day I woke up feeling much better. I was still in a lot of pain but I felt my brain was less hazy. I think all the drugs had finally worn off and I could think more clearly. I was able to get up and brush my teeth and wash my face. I ate a couple of bites of scrambled eggs and passed on the cream of wheat. No thanks. I tried it but I couldn't get it down. It hurt to eat so I just didn't!
Right after breakfast, Dr. Mendelson came in to take out my drain and talk to me about the surgery. He said the tumor was bigger than they expected or anticipated. He had to make my incision bigger than he had originally told me it would be because he needed to be able to get it all out. He said due to the fact that it was so large, it will take a week to be tested for cancer. Next Wednesday I get the results of the tests back and I will know if it was cancerous or not. If it is... I have to have more surgery. If not...I'm DONE! I can go on with my life! He told me I need to use my voice and not baby it. I guess the nerve to my voice box was in the way and it had to be moved and he was a little concerned it might have been damaged a little. He told Joey there was a possiblity that I would have permanent hoarseness. As much as it hurt, I forced myself to use my voice and not whisper. Yesterday, my voice came back completely and I was so relieved! Occasionally it will go out but for the most part my voice is back. Today is three days post-op and I feel pretty good. My neck hurts like the dickens..especially when I try to turn my head, but I can swallow without too much pain and I can talk! So I'm good!

Thank you to everyone who cares about me and my family. Thanks for coming and sitting in the waiting room and being bored! Thanks for the cards, the calls, the cinnamon rolls, the flowers, the emails, the dinners....everything! Thank you for taking my kids away and doing fun things with them so I could rest and recover in a quiet house! I can't thank you all enough! I will let everyone know what I find out on Wednesday! Hopefully it's good news!

Check out that BAD BOY scar!!