SALSA!!

This is our beautiful tomato garden! This is Jim's baby. He takes very good of his tomatoes. He has done a great job, we have quite the crop of tomatoes.

Today was Salsa Day!! Everyone at home participates. (Too bad Jim & Marissa had to work) Jacquie was the photographer today. She helped a ton but didn't get in a picture. Sorry JQ. Here Riley and Andrea are chopping the jalapenos!
(Doesn't Riley look great?)

I got the fun job of peeling and chopping the tomatoes. Check out my awesome apron. Can you guess when I made it? Well, I made it in my home economics class in the 8th grade!! That was in 1981!! It really doesn't seem like very long ago :). On a side note, today my hygienist thought I was about 25 years old. She freaked out when I told her my oldest child was almost 20!!! She's my favorite hygienist. ;)

We told Riley to wash his hands after cutting the jalapenos. Under no circumstance should you put your fingers in your mouth. (or your eye!) Riley didn't listen. He had one burning tongue after licking his fingers!!

Here is the first batch!! Canning always gives you such a sense of achievement. Even though I HATED when my mom made us help her can (I'm now sorry I complained so much) I am grateful to know how to do it. My kids don't complain when making salsa because this salsa is THE BOMB!! (Thanks Lynne for the great recipe!) :)

Can you say 'RIPPED'?

Here is our little muscle builder... Andrea is working so hard in swimming. She is having a great season. If only I was better at taking pictures during the competition... I'll try harder. Andrea has a mean butterfly, freestyle and breast stroke. Race her if you dare!!

He's getting better!!

Today was Riley's follow-up appointment at UCLA. It was all good!! He weighed in at 102 pounds. That's a gain of 11 pounds-- so exciting! His doctor was very excited to see how good Riley looks and could immediately tell how much better he was!! We will now begin a slow process of reducing the medication. This will be much better than 'cold turkey'.

The best part of the day, according to Riley, was the stop at In-and-Out Burger on the way home. It was Riley's first time back to our beloved eatery... He SO enjoyed his cheeseburger with onions and no tomato!! He ate every bite and even considered ordering another-- for a moment or two (then he decided that might be pushing it... ) His doctor also signed his papers for Scout Camp-- Riley is super excited that he gets to go!!

The dinghy is seaworthy!

Jim & Marissa set sail! Look at those big swells!
Jacquie deems the boat worthy. Ella, however, is not willing to go aboard!

FREE!

You never know what a Monday morning can bring!! With the update from their dad (who let them know there was a great deal down by the mailbox) Riley and Andrea were up bright and early this morning. Down to the mailbox they went. To their amazement and surprise was a very cool boat.... and the best part was that it was FREE! They quickly grabbed the boat and carried it all the way home!

Now..... if only they could find some oars.

Logan Temple

Here are Marissa, Riley, and Andrea at the Logan Temple. It is an amazing, beautiful temple. My ancestors helped build this temple. Both sets of my grandparents and my parents were all married in this temple. This temple holds a special place in my heart. The Cache Valley was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed our time visiting our friends, The Fowers. Jim is ready to move there. Not me... I can't be tricked by the beautiful spring and summer. I know how cold and hard the winters are there! :)

Oquirrh Temple

Today we went to the Oquirrh Temple Open House! It was great! What a beautiful temple. Everything was absolutely gorgeous. The artwork was especially beautiful. Riley's favorite part was the bottled water and cookies at the end. :)

Family Vacation!

We are on vacation in the lovely Park City, Utah. It has rained every single day that we've been here. The kids are just laying around....(te he)
Andrea and Riley all ready for the Alpine Coaster!!
Jacquie and Marissa are ready for the Alpine Coaster too! Everyone on the mountain could hear them screaming all the way down!!

Marissa and Jacquie are just so happy and love each other. Andrea is not so sure about this public display of affection....

"This is the Place" monument. I had always wanted to see this in person and we finally did!! It was amazing. Especially because we drove there and didn't have to walk pulling handcarts!!

Marissa, Riley, Jacquie, & Andrea!

Oops... the kids got a hold of my camera for a little while. This is the result! If you look closely you can see the pi sign on their foreheads. An amazing talent for the wagdogz! Their dad can do it too! We are still so excited to see Riley happy and getting healthier every day. He has gained 9 pounds!! (hip, hip, hooray!) No one, of course, is happier than Riley!

We have an amazing bathtub at the resort!! There's room for more.

Anyone interested??

Prayers have been answered!

Here is Riley after 3 doses of medication for his 'paralyzed stomach.' It has been amazing to watch him come back to health each day. Riley has to eat a minimum of 1800 calories each day. He takes a pill about 30 minutes before he eats a meal. He doesn't have to take meds before a snack. This morning Riley ate 6 pancakes-- this should give you a clue on how much better he is!! He is talking, smiling, laughing, and returning to his old self. We are so grateful to have him back.

Words cannot describe how grateful we are for all of your concern, prayers, and love for Riley. It was nothing less than pure inspiration that the correct test was finally performed that gave us the answers to Riley's problem. Our testimonies of the power of prayer have been multiplied. It is wonderful to be reminded that our Heavenly Father knows us and listens to our prayers. His answer came through immediate promptings to different people. That has reminded us that we need to be diligent in following the promptings of the Spirit.

Welcome back Riley! We missed you!

HOORAY!!

We have a diagnosis!! Riley has GASTROPARESIS. Simply stated, his stomach is not pushing the food through so it is just sitting in his stomach. This website explains it very well:

http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/

Riley will start medication tonight. He will need to take a pill before he eats at mealtime. We are all happy, but no one is happier than Riley!!!

Thank you all for your love and support. We should be back to Bakersfield on Saturday.

Riley update!

Hello Friends and Family!

We finally have a regular room at the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA. The accomodations are very nice. It is a fairly new hospital. The children rooms are all private with room for parents. The chairs are not even comparable to the ones I had to sleep on last night in the ER. I will say that every aide, tech, nurse, doctor, volunteer, etc. that I have come in contact with have been very kind and helpful in every way. What a nice staff they have here. Because this is a teaching hospital I am in no way kidding when I say I have met with lots and lots of staff!

As for Riley, he is comfortable tonight. He had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy today. Both went well but last quite a bit longer than we had anticipated. Riley's
large intestine was a little harder to scope, but they were able to do it all. We don't have any diagnosis or lab results back yet.

We want to get some nutrition in him. He is on a nutritional iv, so we know he's getting some good stuff. He is in good spirits and is resting well. Thank you for your love and concern. We'll keep you posted.

UCLA

Today we met with a new doctor from UCLA. He actually comes to Bakersfield once every two months, so we were able to meet with him here. Riley continues to lose weight. This is mainly because eating causes him great pain, so he doesn't want to eat. He has lost 18 pounds. So.... on Tuesday Riley will be admitted to the children's hospital at UCLA. Here they will run more tests trying to determine the problem and give Riley some much needed nutrition. We are hoping and praying that they will be able to help Riley begin the road to recovery. Riley is hoping for this too. He desperately wants his life/health back.

Thank you again for all your calls, notes, love, prayers, and concern for us and our Riley. We'll keep you updated as much as possible.