Some Updates!

Wow, where has December gone, I swear time just flew by after Thanksgiving. Sorry it has taken me so long to update this. Been busy with Christmas shopping, wrapping, writing letters to Elder Kenny Hugie, and working, and keeping the house clean. I think I slept somewhere in all that craziness, at least a little bit. Thanksgiving was good, we ate dinner at Grandma Hancey's and then we went and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. That Saturday after we went and watched the Festival of Lights up in Preston. But we were a little disappointed but it was so cold, I think most people stayed home. On December 14th, Caitlin had her 3 month check up down at Primary Childrens. She had an audiogram, which she did really good on, she is having a hard time hearing the higher pitches, but they want to just keep an eye on that for now. She also had a MRI of her brain and spine. Thank goodness, everything came back clear and cancer free. She is doing so well, its so exciting. In one month she will be done with her chemotherapy treatments for a whole year. We have been watching family home videos of us on Christmas morning, I about cried when I saw her and her cute bald head. The girls are so excited for Christmas and can't wait until it here. We are so thankful for all the blessings and miracles we have witnesses over this past couple of years. Now if we could just add another member to our family we would be all set. We also want to wish our friends and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I always forget until its too late to make Christmas cards and send them out. Hopefully next year, but don't bet on it.

Tag, I'm It!

Well I was tagged by my Mother in Law so here goes.
1. Post your favorite picture and explain why.
I picked the picture of our family outside the temple after we were sealed together for all eternity. This picture is important because it means no matter what happens if we live worthy we can all be together in Heaven. Caitlin's cancer showed us how easily we could lose her, she is doing awesome now. But I am glad to have this assurance in case anything happens in the future.

2. Time to admit it, what is your favorite reality TV show? I like watching the Biggest Loser, its actually the only reality show that I watch. The rest have too much drama in them, and I don't need any more drama.

3. If you could go anywhere is the world where would you go? Who would you take?
I would love to go on a cruise to anywhere warm. I would take Jake with me to celebrate our years of marriage, the past few years have been kind of crazy so we haven't been able to do much for our anniversaries.

4. If you won the lottery what would the first three things you would spend the money on?
Pay off all our debt, buy a beautiful house, put of lot in our girl's savings accounts, and donate to Cancer patients at Primary Childrens and Huntsman Cancer center.

5. Your biggest regret in your life? My biggest regret is how much I hurt my family during my first marriage, for that I am truly sorry and hope that they can forgive me. Hopefully I can make it up to them with the years I have left.

6. Where has your favorite trip been to? My favorite was our trip to Disneyland this September. We dealt with a lot of crap this past few years, so it was fun to make some fun and new memories, and spend time together as a family.

7. How did you meet your spouse? Jake and I went to high school together, He had a crush on me then. But I already had a boyfriend and I married him out of high school. Four years later, after he would not keep a job and became an alcoholic, I divorced him. I then re met Jake at RR Donnelley where we both were working. We became best friends, and fell in love. He truly is my soul mate.

8. Name something that irks you? Oh wow, just one thing, I have to put two- health insurance and the fact the cost of living continues to increase but income from employment never raises.

Four Years, wow time is just flying by!

Today is our four year wedding anniversary, wow time is really flying by. We didn't really celebrate today because we used all of our vacation time for Disneyland and we both had to work today. But we are celebrating on Monday my birthday and our anniversary together. We still enjoy being together after four years and are excited about spending eternity together. I should write more but its been a crazy week and I have lots to do tonight.

A much needed Family fun Vacation

Well, anyone who has been following this blog knows that we have had a couple of rough years with a few good moments mixed in there too. But we decided that we needed a fun family vacation to recharge our batteries. So we headed to Disneyland last Thursday, we kidnapped my parents and stole their RV. The trip down was pretty long, but we made it there by Friday evening, and then went shopping at Downtown Disney. On Saturday we spent the whole day in the park, riding rides and getting pictures with Characters. Caitlin was such a trooper she made it through the whole day and didn't crash until the end of the fireworks show. We watched Fantasmic that night, it was really cool. The next day we headed to Carlsbad, to Lego land. Its was really cool what things they can make out of Lego's. Monday, we went to Sea World and watched the animals shows, we even got to see the new show Blue Horizons it was really awesome. Allie wanted to get wet so we sat on the fourth row at the Shamu show, we didn't only get wet we got soaked. Caitlin didn't like that very much. Tuesday and Wednesday was spent at Disneyland California adventure and Disneyland park. Allie favorite ride was Splash Mountain, I think she went on it four times. Caitlin liked anything where you could ride in a boat, and meeting Minnie Mouse, she even gave Minnie Mouse a hug. It was really cute. Tuesday night we also watched the new water show at California Adventure called World of Color. It was so awesome, I wish they had a DVD to buy of the show but they don't yet. Our camcorder is older too, and it would of been to hard to hold it during the entire show. Wednesday was Jake's Birthday he even got a pin that said Happy Birthday from Disneyland. All in all it was a fun vacation. I am sure I forgot a lot but I am still pretty tired from the trip. Enjoy the pictures and I will try to remember to add more later.

Girl's First day of School

Well the Girls have started school again, thank goodness, they were really getting bored at home. I have gone back to working full time on day shift. It's nice to see my friends from work again, and now I have weekends off to spend with my family. Well that's all the news from the Welchs for now.

Some fun in the Sun!

So here are the Welchs adventures for the past weekend. Caitlin finished her summer preschool and performed a program, it was really cute. She did such a good job! We went to the Preston Rodeo parade, and got a bunch of candy. On this last Monday we went to Bear Lake with my family. We rode on wave runners and played in the sand. We also went to Pickleville Playhouse and watched Bandito rides again. It was really funny, Jake and Allie laughed the whole show, then we spend the night in my parent's new RV. The next day we spent most of the day in the sun and water enjoying the nice weather. Then we went back to the campsite for Navajo tacos, scones, and roasting marshmallows. It was tons of fun, but everyone did get a little sunburned. Oh, well it was worth it.

For all eternity!

This weekend was a great one. Our family was sealed for time and all eternity in the Logan LDS Temple. It was an awesome experience to have our girls be sealed to us. We were able to have quite a bit of family there as well. Its an experience that I will never forget. Now for the blessings to come and to start enjoying eternity together.

Good news and bad news

Well lets start with the good news Caitlin had an MRI on Tuesday and everything is clear. Yeah!! Jumping up and down! Also her eyesight is good and we got all of her cavities taken care of, so hopefully we can avoid the hospital for another 3 months. The sad news is I guess we were so excited when we found out we were pregnant that we told people too soon. Unfortunately I had a miscarriage we were pretty sad and upset, but we are trying to be positive and move forward. Keeping our fingers crossed for next time. Sorry no new pictures, we are still waiting for Caitlin's hair to grow out more. A lot of people are still calling her a boy, even though she is usually wearing pink or purple. Oh well!

Caitlin's 3rd Birthday and Easter Weekend

On April 2nd, we celebrated Caitlin's 3rd Birthday. Jake and I both had to work on that day, so we didn't do a whole lot. But we did open presents and then went and ate at McDonald's, and let the girls play on the slide there. For her birthday, Caitlin got some clothes, nightgowns, a Talking Elmo Mr. Potato head doll, a Hannah Montana movie, and a Princess and the Frog Polly pocket doll set. Easter Sunday was fun we found Easter eggs and our baskets, and watched Conference. We also went to Grandma Hugie's to eat dinner and hang out with my family. So all in all it was a fun weekend. This week Allie is out of school for spring break, but since it snowing we haven't been able to do anything fun. We are planning on going to see How to Train a Dragon tomorrow. Caitlin was also accepted in the early preschool program at Allie's school, and will start next week. They will help her to continue to get stronger with her walking and other gross motor skills and vocabulary.

More Good News!

Well time for some more good news, Caitlin had another MRI scan on Monday, and it was clear. Meaning they couldn't see any cancer cells, so she is still doing really good. She is walking really good and her hair is continuing to grow. On another note, Elder Hugie (my little brother) is finally out in the field in Wisconsin, he was delayed in getting out in the field because he got pneumonia. (Poor guy- he was sick for the majority of the time that he was in the MTC. ) But I got to talk to him on Monday when he was waiting for his connecting flight out of Chicago. He sounded good, excited, and a little nervous. But he was happy to be out of the MTC. Good luck Elder Hugie, we love you and miss you! Don't forget to Suit Up!

Happy 7th Birthday Allie!!!

Wow, Allie is already 7 years old that means I am getting older and older. Oh Crap! I will just keep telling people that I am only 25! For her Birthday, Allie wanted to go the Utah Children's Museum at the Discovery Gateway. So Jake took the day off and we took Allie out of school and went down to Salt Lake City. We figured since it wasn't the weekend that there would only be a few people there. Boy, were we wrong! Three schools were there on a field trip, so it was really busy. But I think the girls had fun! Since there was so many kids there, we left for an early lunch to McDonald's. After we went back to the Museum and it wasn't so crowded then. Then we went to Build a Bear to pick out new outfits for the girl's Bunnies. I also had a coupon for a free animal, so Jake and I got us a puppy since the girls already have tons of stuffed animals. Then we went to Toys r us, and then to dinner at Golden Corral. All in all it was a pretty fun day. Allie said it was the best birthday ever. For her birthday Allie got a craft kit, a new horse shirt, a High School Musical doll, a diary, and two outfits for her Build-a- bear bunny. More good news, apparently Caitlin's hearing loss was only temporary, so as of right now she does not need a hearing aid. Also her leg braces have been cut down so they only cover her feet now. She is doing really good with walking and in preschool.

Good news!

Sorry that it again has taken me so long to post but when I explain what we have been up to, you will understand. Caitlin's line was removed on Tuesday February 9, she did very well and it only required about one stitch. After she woke up she was pretty good, but soon she was crying and wanted to leave the hospital. I don't blame her the poor girl has spent most of her little life in the hospital. It is so nice to have her line out, she loves being able to splash around in the bathtub. I have gone back to work part time, I like that I can still be home most of the time for Caitlin and Allie. I am working nights, so that is a little hard for me to get use to. Allie is still doing well in school. Caitlin started preschool on Monday, we decided it would be good for her to learn to be around other kids and other adults. Since her immune system has been low she hasn't been around other people, so she has been shy. But I was really proud of her, she did very good at preschool, we only had a problem when we had to go home, and she didn't want to leave a toy. Caitlin has a hearing test on Thursday, to gauge her hearing loss and to be fitted for a hearing aid. Other than these things we have just been watching the Olympics and working. Trying to get life back to normal.

At Last!

Well the day is finally here, on Tuesday January 26th Caitlin had her last dose of her 21 at home oral chemo, which means she is totally done with all her chemo. I want to cry tears of joy, but I am also afraid because Caitlin will not be considered cancer free until five years from now, and then still for her it will be a lifetime of worrying if we really have beat this thing. Also she will have to deal with the side effects of chemo for the rest of her life. One of these will be that she will have hearing aids. I am so glad this trial is over, I am hoping we get a little break before our next trial comes along. I am sure Jesus's arms need a break from carrying me this long throughout this whole ordeal. Her hair is slowly growing back we are not really sure what color it will be yet, or if it will be curly or straight, and she is finally walking more and more on her own. Because of her hearing loss we still have a few trips down to Primary Childrens in the near future. We are hoping to get her tube out next week or the week following, we will also continue to have MRIs about every 3 months to check for new or regrowth of the cancer. Since Caitlin is in the Up to 3 program they offer sign language classes, which we are going to attend to learn a little sign language in case her hearing continues to worsen. That for me is going to be a challenge. I couldn't even learn Spanish in high school. Hopefully for this I will be more motivated. Since Caitlin is done with chemo we are trying to get our lives back to normal, I am hoping to return back to work at least part time, and maybe I will try to start to take some classes with Bridgerland to work toward getting my associates degree in accounting. That is between running Allie to school, and all the programs Caitlin is in to help her continue to recover and work on her gross motor skills. We also have the challenge of potty training Caitlin, wish us luck. We are also hoping to add another member to our family, preferably a boy. Jake says he is already surrounded by enough girls.
I want to thank everyone who has left comments and prayed and supported our family through all this. We have greatly appreciated it. Hopefully now only happy and exciting news will appear in my future posts.

The end is almost here!!!!

Let me explain by the end I mean that Caitlin is almost finished with her chemotherapy treatments. On Tuesday we picked up the 21 days of oral at home medicine for Caitlin. We also had an appointment with the ENT doctor to clean out Caitlin's ear wax, for a little girl she sure has a lot of it, and because we don't want to cause an infection we have to be careful with almost everything. After our chemo appointment we went and got another hearing test done since this time we knew for sure that she didn't have much or any ear wax plugging her ears. Unfortunately this test still show that Caitlin seems to have a little bit of a hearing loss from her chemotherapy, so the next step is for another sedated hearing test in mid March and then she would be fitted for some hearing aids. I am a little bummed about that, but we figured we would have to deal with some of the side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. Allie is back in school, thank goodness, she was so bored at the house, some days she is a really silly girl. Jake is now on his January shift which means he has to work everyday, which sucks but the overtime money is nice. Thank goodness, he is also working day shift, so we have him home at nights with us. I am ready for the new year to start, I have made some goals for myself, and for our family. Hopefully we can stick to them, one of my goals is to drink less pop, and to exercise, I have been doing pretty good so far. I also received my first letter from my little brother, Elder Hugie. I am also hoping that I can be a good letter writer to him, another goal. Thanks to all who have prayed for our little angel. We are so looking forward for her to be healthy and done with chemo, and for her hair to grow back in. I have really missed her hair!