Talcahuano, Chile

I have had a pen pal in Chile for about 25 years, Igor Castro. My good friend Angie introduced us to each other while she was on her mission in Chile. We wrote each other faithfully for many, many years.. Things happened like marriage, kids, life, and we lost track of each other. A few months ago i was able to get connected to him through facebook and we have caught each other up on our lives. When the earthquake hit Chile, I was so worried that my friend did not make it.. For days i tried to find any news of him and then on Thursday he sent me a note on facebook telling me he was alive! He told me of the quake and then the tsunami that hit his town, He lives in one of the hardest hit areas. His whole town is gone! It's hard to imagine that kind of destruction and he sees it first hand. I'm grateful that his life was spared, and my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones, their homes, friends and there life as they once knew it.

We arrived in Anaheim on Saturday, Checked into our Hotel and John took the 4 kids to Disneyland while I tried to get some much needed rest as I was not feeling well. Our good friends Betsy and Marisa Firth were also joining us on our vacation and when they arrived we met up with John had dinner and then John went back to the park with 5 kids and stayed until midnight:)

Sunday we got up bright and early and arrived shortly after the park opened. I was so excited and the kids were in Heaven. We decided to all stick together and headed off to space mountain:)

Betsy, Madison and Marisa waiting in line for space mountain! That was one of our favorites!

Jordan carrying Shelby after a long day of rides and lots of walking!
Shelby was starting to get sick at this point of our trip.

It was so nice to see smiles on their cute little faces the whole trip!

Madison and Jordan had a lot of fun together and became closer as siblings! This made my day:)

When Dakota was about 4 years old and Betsy lived here in Utah, He would always call her his girlfriend. And as you can see he still has feelings for her! lol

I'm still amazed that no one got lost! I was always freaking out if they were not right next to me. John did pretty good at blending in with all the other "kids" in the park!

Jordan and Madison taking a break from all the hustle and bustle! They were great helpers with the younger ones:)

Tower of Terror! That is one fun ride! Shelby will never step foot in an elevator again and not because of the ride but the movie they show before hand! lol hope she gets over that soon!

Goofy is one of my favorites! We had to wait in line to see him but, it was worth it!

Dakota driving a car like he is a pro! I was his passenger and i do have to say he needs a few years of practice:)

Madi was in heaven! She enjoyed feeling like she had her drivers licence


We had a great time together as a family and with our good friends! We don't have much time before Jordan will be out on his mission, and out on his own:( I love all my kids and I'm so happy we had the chance to go to the greatest place on earth!


Update on Shelby: She is doing much better and up running around! Now, on to the next two that have got it! A mothers work is never done:)

We are going where??

We picked the kids up from school on Friday and then told them we were going to Disneyland! The look on their faces was priceless! I have many pictures to post but, i have been very sick and so has Shelby, so i will try and post our trip this weekend. Shelby has H1N1 and 2 ear infections and the stomach flu, If she is not any better tomorrow they will put her in the hospital. So, lets pray for a speedy recovery:)

A work in progress:)

I never EVER like to put pictures of me on my blog for the world to see but, I told my good friend Lynda i would. I have a very long road ahead of me but i am down 27lbs and a lot of inches. Some days are very difficult and I feel like just eating a hamburger or junk food but, I DON"T! For those that see me often you may not notice much yet but, it's all going to come off!!

So next time you see me... I will be the BIGGEST LOOSER!

Pine Wood Derby

Dakota and John spent all day on Saturday preparing for the great Derby! It's so cute to see them working together, talking about how fast the car is going to be and how it doesn't matter if he wins, only that they have a good time!

Dakota watching his car go down the track, out of the 6 races he came in first place 4 times:)

Dakota made it to the final 6, this was so exciting!!! After the finals Dakota took 5Th place out of about 20 boys! He came over to me and said " Not to shabby Mom!" so cute! He also won the award for the most Modified Car. Good job Dakota.

My Favorite machine!

OK, so I'm finally ready to vent on my blog for everyone to see! In early November I started an exercise program that was very intense, I'm talking like 3 hours of cardio, a lot of sweat and pain! I was so into it i never even dreamed i was way over doing and actually doing damage to myself. I began to have back pain and sharp pains in my legs, I brushed this aside not wanting to break my exercise routine. On December 4Th when Madison broke her leg is when i could not pretend my back wasn't hurting anymore. I remember I was in the van holding Madison and when someone opened the door to help get her out, I was stuck.... The door flew open so fast that i screamed out in pain, I could not move..... At this point I knew I had to buck up because My daughter needed me and it was not a good night for me to crumble.. I continued to be in horrible pain the whole month of December. Lifting Madison, the wheelchair and working were making matters worse. I finally had an MRI and discovered i had a herniated disc. I was told, no lifting, house cleaning and no GYM!! What??? This can't be!! I wanted to continue, to be super woman, I had something to prove!! I wanted to loose weight , to become healthy, to live a long life, long enough to see my kids marry and have their own children.. I was devastated, depressed and lost. After seeing many Dr's they have decided that doing surgery on my back would only make it worse and suggest i have therapy 3 times a week and pain management. Surgery to me sounded like a quick fix and i liked that idea, but for me it wont work. So, my doctor has said I can do a little exercising, like the elliptical and swimming and my therapy. No lifting and prefers no cleaning..
I have decided i will do the elliptical 30 minutes a day and swimming 4 days a week. The elliptical has become my best friend!! Who ever invented this wonderful amazing machine is a genius! I have never in my life been so happy to work out! If you have not tried the Elliptical I highly recommend it, it is so gentle on your joints!
So, the next time you see me... ( biggest looser line) I hope to have lost a few more pounds and to be pain free from my back:) Thank you for all your support over the past 2 months, and as I continue on this long journey.

Happy Birthday Dakota!

Happy Birthday Dakota! I cant believe you are 9 today! You came to us almost 1 month early! You were the cutest little baby in the whole hospital! You were very tiny and had a full head of black hair. Many years have past since your birth, but the memories will always be there. You have grown into a very sensitive, loving, kind young man:) You and Grandpa John shared many birthday's together, and always had fun partying together! Hope you have a great day and a wonderful year!! Love you!

From Orange to Blue...

Madi and i took a trip to Primary Children's Hospital today. She was so excited to get that big Orange cast off! Little did we both know how horrible the day would turn out to be.

It took about 20 minutes to get the cast off. Madi was so scared the cutter was going to cut her! I had a hard time watching, but this was the easy part!!

She has lost quiet a lot of muscle and her leg was a lot smaller then the other one and had severely dry skin that had been bleeding.. The bottom part of her leg has lost blood flow and they decided at this point they needed to reset her leg in another direction. So, without any pain meds they continued to re-set her leg, and it took about an hour to get it to where they wanted.. Madi was in so much pain and I was having a heck of a time watching and hearing this. They ended up having her lay on her tummy and casting her that way.. The expression on her face below shows her pain and is a completely different face of the madi before the re setting..

We stayed there for some time as she couldn't move an inch without a great deal of pain. She is home and resting. In the next few day's they want her to start putting some weight on her leg to help bring in some blood flow. Madison, you are a trooper! Love you sweetie:)

Shelby's new look!

It was time for some new glasses, her old ones were missing, so we headed to the eye doctor. Her vision is now 20/400. He said her old glasses were not helping her anyway.. So we picked out these cut frames and they had them ready in a few short days! We also decided it was time for a cut! Shelby has very thin hair and if we keep it short it seems to look more full. I think she looks very cute! She is tired of me giving her so many kisses every day but, I cant stop, she is too stinking cute:)

Resolutions of 2010

I have decided that i can not catch up on my posting from the month of December so I will start fresh this year.
I have had a few days to think about some things i need to improve on and I decided I would post them so at some point, if I forget (which always happens) i can re read the things I'm supposed to be doing.
First, I need to work on being a better wife, being more understanding, loving ,compassionate, and giving. I will admit I'm not to good at some of these.
Second, To be a better Mother, To have more patience with my children, to do more things with them, to slow down and enjoy them.. Teach them, love them, and enjoy being a mother to my 4 amazing kids!
Third, Embrace the gospel, To go to Church every Sunday(it helps that church is at 12:30!) with a purpose and a prayer in my heart. To listen intently to the words that are spoken and to gain a better testimony of the things that i believe in.
Fourth, To get physically fit! I know this one is on every ones list and it has been one of my new years resolutions for as long as i can remember, and i have not achieved it YET! Towards the end of 2009 I had a great start but with my back I have had to quit, which has been so difficult for me!! But, I'm hoping to start back up soon and will continue to eat healthy so I don't gain back what i had lost..
So, I start with four resolutions and I will work on them daily to improve my self and those around me!!

It has been a difficult year for us at the Elegante home but 2010 is sure to bring us better times and we all have a positive attitude, which helps.

So, to all of you readers, I love you all and hope that you have a fabulous 2010!