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!

On the mend!

It has been a very long 2 weeks, but I think Madi is on the road to recovery! They were able to set her leg and cast it without too many problems. This bright Orange cast will be on until mid January and then a half cast until mid April. Tomorrow she goes in for more x ray's where they will check the placement of the bones, if they don't look OK they will cut the cast and re-set. So we ask for your prayers that everything will be OK.
As i sit and reflect on the past two weeks and wonder how 2 broken bones can cause so many problems. I can't help but be grateful for lessons we have learned, for the faith we have, and for the friendships that have blessed our lives. We have felt the love from our Heavenly Father as we have gone through this trial. We have been blessed by our Bishop, our family, by our neighbors and our friends near and far. John and I feel strongly that Madison will heal and will be able to live a strong healthy life and continue with soccer if that is what she wants.
We have had many other things happening with the other children during the last few weeks but, have not had time to download pictures and blog about them, so with some time off work in the next few weeks i will try and catch up.!!
Much love to you all and a big Thank You for all your prayers!

Tuesday, from bad to worse!

This is poor Madison on Tuesday morning....

Madison on Tuesday night, put in an ambulance and sent to Primary Children's!

Grandma giving Madi some extra love for her trip in the ambulance. This was very difficult for me to watch. It's hard enough to see your child break a bone, but to have them be as sick as she was about ripped my heart out!

These two guys were pretty funny! they actually got a smile out of madi!

Bishop Pectol and Brother Stayner came to give Madison a blessing before we left. Bishop has been an amazing support to us during this challenging time. The whole ward has been awesome, with prayers, phone calls, dinners and cards and gifts for Madison.

I had to put this picture in, This is what she looked like when we first brought her to the hospital. She scared the heck out of all of us! We are so lucky to have her here with us today. I have a new found testimony of prayer and the power of priesthood blessings. Madison will need continued prayers for a while now, she will have her leg put back together at Primary Children's Hospital Monday morning. With all the moving around her fractures have shifted a bit. It is going to be very painful for her and we have a long recovery a head of us. She will be in a full leg cast for 4 weeks and a half leg cast for 8 weeks and then a boot for 4 weeks. That puts us into April. The doctors feel pretty confident she will be able to return to soccer in late spring.

Madi and her Bears

Madison had a very hard day yesterday and today is not any better. She has been throwing up since yesterday morning and has no strength left in her. We are watching her for the next few hours and if there is no change we will head to the ER. She seems to be very discouraged today and very sad:( I'm not sure what to do for her. She has an appointment at 8:00 A.M tomorrow with Dr. Bacon and we will know more the surgery time and what to expect. Madi received one of these bears yesterday and i got her one today, as you can see they are comforting her, if she had the strength to smile she would! Please keep her in your prayers!

Two more broken bones!!

Madison broke her Tibia and fibula last night at her futsol game. She fell and someone fell on top of her. It took 5 people to get her off the court and into the car. She was in so much pain and any slight movement sent her into orbit! We should have called for an ambulance because it made it more painful to carry her. We made it to the hospital and they immediately gave her morphine which did nothing the first round. Before the X ray they gave her more morphine and it seemed to calm her for a few minutes. When we saw the x ray we were so shocked! The fibula is broke just below the knee and the tibia at the bottom of her shin. She will have to have surgery to have pins placed to hold the bones together. We were also shocked that they would send her home! Bishop Pectol was with us along with my parents. We were able to give her a blessing before we made the trek home. After much distress we made it to my bedroom and she was able to rest for a while before we had to figure out how to get her to the bathroom. At 11:00 P.M. Shari Brown came over with a Port a potty and between the two of us we were able to slide her right on to it.. This is a picture when we first arrived! It's so very hard to see your child going through incredible pain!! I felt so helpless and at times cried myself.

We had a ruff night but we are finally on a pain management schedule and keeping on top of it! She seems to be doing a little better this morning.

We had a visit from Aunt Gail and Krystal this morning. Gail put madi's hair in a french braid, which came in handy when she threw up!! Later today i will attempt to give her a sponge bath and change her clothing! Please say extra prayers for the surgery to be a success and that she will be able to play her favorite sport in the future once again! A big thanks for those who helped in transporting her and for the many phone calls we have received! I will keep everyone updated on the surgery when the time comes!! Love to all!