PLEASE JOIN OUR FAMILY...

In honoring Benjamin's Life

June 11th at 11am

Held at:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Old North Main Street in Laconia, NH

Please wear bright colors

MY HEART 'RUNNETH OVER'

SUNNY SUNDAY

First there was ONE

And then TWO joined in

Two became FIVE

and FIVE became SIX

and SIX became...

MANY

because MANY is much more FUN

Then the FUN ended with ONE...

And the MANY went home.
The END.

MIMI'S VISIT AND STEVIE'S TRACK MEET

Mom came up to help me on the day of my procedure and as a bonus she was able to see Kaleb's track meet, Kayla's choral concert AND Stevie's track meet.  Two days of FUN! :)  She stayed overnight on my couch and woke up looking like someone PUNCHED her in the LIP!  She says she got bit.  Either way she looked awfully cute with her fat lip.  Took almost half the day to shrink back to normal.

Stevie competed in FIVE events.  She's an animal.  She did the 100 m hurdles, 4x100 relay, high jump, long jump and threw the javelin.  She's never done any field events before.  (the fifth graders get to compete in two track meets during the season)  I think she did really well considering.

Getting ready to HIGH JUMP.

(probably my favorite event to watch her in)

She was the lead leg for the 4x100 relay.

Hanging with Mimi before it started.

Taking off in the LONG JUMP...

She jumped a whopping 9feet 6inches.

Thanks for coming Mimi!!!

(some footage of some events.  I was sad I didn't zoom in closer on the hurdles.  She's the one closest to the left of the screen...you can't really see her until almost the end - sorry)

HE'S THE MAN!

(The award was a surprise so we arrived incognito...behind a cluster of balloons.) 

 Kayla and Mimi looking cute

(article in the Citizen today)
"Orton, who is a master patrolman and the department's school resource officer (SRO) at Laconia High School, was praised for his "exceptional work" as the SRO and also for his "dedication to duty and professionalism."

As the SRO, Moyer said, Orton has fulfilled and exceeded "our expectations with his passion and commitment to this role."

Orton has taught classes with students, attended numerous sporting events and made himself highly visible and readily accessible to LHS students, said Moyer.

"Officer Orton has improved the relationship with the police department and the school and has us working in a close collaborative effort to ensure the safety of the student body and maintaining the laws of the state."

That relationship was evident, the chief continued, in a recent incident involving a juvenile at the Pine Street bus stop who had what was described as a handgun but later was determined to be a pellet gun. Moyer said Orton was "an instrumental part of bringing this case to a quick and safe conclusion and ensuring the safety of all involved."

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

May I present to you the City of Laconia's Police Department

 OFFICER OF THE YEAR!

It's true.  At this very moment Steve is being honored.  It was a surprise.  He didn't know it was happening or that he had been nominated.  Don't you worry.  If I get out of my procedure in time and if I'm un-loopified enough, I'll have pictures to document this monumental event.  I'm proud of you Steve.  

You can be my HUNNY tree anytime! ;)

RIDICULOUSLY LARGE...

for a ridiculously CUTE kid.

#13

Kaleb had an AAU tournament today.
He did GREAT!
I'm proud of his efforts.

As a reward we stopped at the 'Ridiculously Large' Ice Cream place. The sizes were kiddie, regular and ridiculously large. Kaleb opted for the latter.

STEVIE

I look at these pictures and want my youngest 'abled' child to stay just that.  YOUNG.  She's 11 now and is fast approaching the teenage years which fast become a blur.  I love that she still goes outside and sits in the mud to make mudpies.  I love that she laughs so hard with me she almost pees her pants.  I love that she still has so much energy that it's hard for her to sit at a basketball game because she'd rather be climbing.  I love that she smiles when she works or that she sees the beauty in her shadow.  I love that she still has that child in her and I hope that she always will.

ANOTHER TRACK MEET

I went to another track meet of Kaleb's yesterday. He had a great meet. Took two first places and one second in his events. He's had a rough go of it lately in other areas of his life so it thrills me to see him so successful in this one.

AND...

He does it again!

A LITTLE AAU BALL

(The video is of Kayla making both free throw shots and a nice shot from a great pass inside)

100 M HURDLES

MORE FUN

A few months ago I woke up feeling nauseous.  Not a good feeling.  The last two years around this time I was newly pregnant.  I figured maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me?  But then it continued...and my stomach was hurting.  Food didn't feel good.  My stomach always felt full and yucky.  There was pain in my upper right quadrant.  I started to suspect gall bladder.  But I didn't fit the mold.  I finally went to the doctor a couple weeks ago.  He agreed with me...he suspected a "sluggish gall bladder" too.  He sent me for an ultra sound.  I knew it wouldn't show anything because that picks up stones.  I don't have stones.  After that came back normal, he sent me for a HIDA scan.  Then I got to see the surgeon today.  We've become good friends.  "Have you  missed me?"  I asked him.  He put a chest tube in me early last year when I had a pneumothorax and also did my thyroid surgery.  He's a good man.  I appreciated that he listened to me as I told him that something is not right.  The HIDA scan came back normal so it just might not be my gall bladder.  But he says in the end it still could be.  He wants to do some more basic testing before jumping into surgery.  He knows that I've had a couple blood transfusions in the last two years.  Hepatitis is possible.  A simple blood test would rule it out.  Thankfully it came back normal.  I was slightly panicked when he said the word "Hepatitis".  I go in for a scope on the 20th to check for abnormalities, inflammation, etc.  After that comes a CAT scan with contrast dye.  He wants to leave that last because of my history of kidney failure.  The contrast dye can be rough on the kidneys.  After that it's back to the drawing board.  Until then...I live with this nausea.  I remember after going through my emergency hysterectomy feeling so devastated.  It was so painful to think that I would never be pregnant again.  BUT...there is always an upside, right?  The nausea.  I would never endure nausea ever again.  I surely wouldn't miss it.  I still don't.  Especially now that it's back.  And this time I don't have a cute bundle at the end of 9 months to look forward to.  Maybe the bundle in the end will be my gall bladder.  I'd be okay with that too.  I just want to feel good again.