What a Summer!

Well, it is officially summer. The kids got out of school the last week in May and so far I am not looking forward to this summer AT ALL.

Right before summer I had surgery to have a growth removed from one of my fallopian tubes, and was down and out of it for a couple of weeks. But after my surgery the Dr. tells me that there is another problem that she suspected but wasn't sure about until she went in and "looked around". So I have to go back in for surgery in July to have a total hysterectomy. FUN FUN FUN!!!! So I will be looking at a 6 week recovery from that one, and spending 2-3 days in the hospital. But it will be so nice to have all of this pain behind me, and not have to deal with it anymore.

Then, a couple of weeks after my surgery I take the boys into the dentist to find out that Conrad needed one tooth filled and two pulled. And Spencer needs 1 filled, 1 root canal, and one tooth pulled. And to top it off Spencer has this insane fear of the dentist so we have to have him completely sedated for all of this (which the insurance will not cover). And to make it worse they can not get Spencer in until August because the anesthesiologist is booked until then. So he is walking around with two gaping holes in two of his teeth. (And yes I mean gaping it is very obvious when you look in his mouth.)

Then, 2 1/2 weeks into summer and Conrad crashes on his scooter and breaks his arm. So he is now sporting a cast and looking forward to lots of signatures on it. He will be wearing that for at least 3 weeks, maybe longer. Which ruins my plans of taking them to the water park and pool all the time to keep them out of the house and from getting bored.

So to sum it all up our summer is completely full of injuries, illness, and lots of medical bills. And we are only on week three. I hope summer is going better for all of you.

skull face video

Spring Break

Well, the boys are out on Spring Break this week. And I have to say it has been a very crazy week for us. Monday was pretty normal, we stayed at home and I tried to get some work done, while the kids did chores and played. But Tuesday... Is another story. I woke up at 6:30 in a lot of pain. And after learning that the pain was so bad that I couldn't walk, or move without pain I told Justin I needed him to take me to the hospital. So after spending all day there in the ER and having tests done. They sent me home, but I was feeling much better (yes the Morphine helped). But not before telling me that I have a large cyst that is and may continue to cause me pain. But it should go away on it's own. Wednesday and Thursday I played catch up from not working on Tuesday. And today, I need to play catch up on the household chores that I have let go all week.

But the weather has been amazing high 70's and we are back to wearing shorts, and loving the fact that we live in a vacation spot. We wish you could all be here to enjoy the weather with us. Hope to see you soon.

The Doctor's office

As some of you have heard I took the boys in for their well child check up's this last week.

I learned that not all immunizations have egg white's in them, so needless to say Conrad was the lucky recipient of 2 shots. (the standard for 11 year olds) He squirmed and tried to get away from the nurse so that she wouldn't give them to him, but alas he got them anyway.

Then Spencer needed a couple of little procedures done. Both because he has enurices and caprices. One they wanted him to pee in a cup. And two abdominal ex-rays.

He was terrified to pee in a cup certain that it would hurt. Or that this meant that they were going to do some other form of painful thing to him because of it. So he kept refusing to do it. I had to pull him off of me, and try to convince him that it wouldn't hurt and all he had to do was go to the bathroom. Then I had to hold the cup for him, because he didn't want to touch the awful thing. And he is still upset that he had to do this.

As for the ex-rays. The tech was already gone for the day by the time that we got over for that part of the process, so we have to go back on Monday. But he is already telling me that he won't let them do it. He doesn't want them to do anything to him. Because he is sure that it is going to be painful. I'll keep you posted on that.

Boy Scout's

Conrad went on his first official BOY scout overnight camp out. And I survived.

I have not let me kids have sleep over's so this was a big thing for me to let go of control and let him go on his own. He had a lot of fun, and took his own tent so he and one friend slept in his tent, while everyone else was in another tent. He passed off a lot of things that he needs for his first badge, and I am very proud of the young man that he is becoming.

To my sister's (everyone of them)

For there is no friend like a sister

In calm or stormy weather;

To cheer one on the tedious way,

To lift one if one totters down.

To strengthen whilst one stands.

Christina Rossetti

THE PRINCIPLES LIST... MY BOYS!!!

Well, I just want to say that I am so proud of both of my boys. They both made the Principles list this last semester, for having straight A's. They are both thriving at school, and loving the learning aspect of it. I think homeschooling them for a year really helped them to have a greater respect for their teachers as well as for how much easier it is to work at school, versus home.

They are both getting a challenge at school, yet enjoying it. Spencer's teachers have learned that he learns differently, and they have learned that he learns quickly. So all in all they are doing great. And I am so proud of them.

Things have been a little crazy around here. Some good and some not so good, but for the most part we are looking forward to 2010. We look forward to my business taking off, and the boy's are looking forward to having a great year.

Merry Christmas!

I have been slacking a lot when it comes to blogging lately. And I am sorry about that.

We are all doing well, here in Arizona. We love the winter's here, and after my trip to Salt Lake City, I don't want to move back there any time soon.

I am looking forward to the Holiday's and the Joy that comes from everyone you meet. This time of year I notice that more people are going out of their way to be nice to others, and that warms my heart to see. I would like to challenge everyone out there to do something nice for another person everyday, and see what comes from it. (I think you will be surprised how happy it makes you.)

With that said Happy Holiday's from our family to yours.

A Month of Thanksgiving

As I look back over this year, I am grateful for so many things.

I am grateful for children who want to be good, and want to help the family out.

I am grateful for a husband who is supportive, loving, and kind.

I am grateful for a father in Heaven who loves me for who I am, and helps me when I truly need it.

I am grateful for having a job that I love to do.

I am grateful to my family for being there and being supportive to me when I need it most.

I look forward to this next year and the joy that it will bring with it.

I Love you all!

Thanks for being in my life!

www.angellasant.com

As I have mentioned before I am now a licensed REALTOR. And on Saturday I became HUD certified, which means that I can show and bid on HUD owned homes. So if anyone wants a free list of HUD owned homes let me know and I will hook you up (even if you live in another state.)

Justin has been diligently working on putting my website together, and it is coming along beautifully. I am so lucky to have him to do that for me. While it is still in the making keep in mind that we will continually be working on improvements to the site. But feel free to check it out anytime that you want. www.angellasant.com

I am so excited to be working in the Real Estate field and look forward to the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise with anyone who needs it, in Arizona or out. Just know that I can not represent you in another state.

Spencer

So some of you are wondering how and why they would diagnose Spencer with bipolar disorder. And I understand how some of you may be concerned about him having that "label" put on him at such a young age. So I am going to explain things as best I can here.

As you may know he has a history of violence at school, he has been expelled, and suspended more times than I want to count. Every one who works with him including us has always said that he is the sweetest kid and loves everyone, but when he gets mad or frustrated it is like a switch turning in his brain, and he completely changes personality. He has no control over what is happening, and what he is doing.

Now look at Casey... And ask yourself if she had gotten the help she needed at a young age would it have helped. Without that diagnosis I may not have been able to get Spencer on an IEP, and he would have continued to get thrown out of school for every little thing. Which is a huge hit to his self esteem, especially when he has no control over it. He would not be getting an education, because they would continue to try to keep him in a large classroom. (Where he does not learn because he gets overwhelmed by the noise, the kids, and the environment. Not to mention his learning style is completely different.)

During the testing process to put him on an IEP he was tested academically, and as far as that went he is actually on the gifted side of things. In fact reading on an 8th grade level. He is the kind of kid you show him something once and he just knows how to do it from then on, he doesn't need to repeat the same material for a week, like the average kid (including Conrad). So he gets bored with the material, really fast. On top of all the other complications that come from his disorder.

As a parent it is my responsibility to help him. For us that meant that he needed this, in order to force the schools to do the right thing. As sad as that is, they would not work with me until I had that diagnosis (even though they should have done this years ago). Now I understand that many of you think this is wrong to have him "labeled", however, we did what we needed to do to get him the help he needed.

After Casey's funeral I took a long hard look at the approach that my parents took, as well as a long hard look at the approach that we had been taking. And then after listening to spencer say that he wanted to kill himself repeatedly over the summer, we made the decision to take him in and have him evaluated. That was in July, it was August when we finally started to feel like we were getting somewhere.

So to put it bluntly after losing Casey the thought of losing my son because I didn't get him help when he was young enough to listen to me was too much. So in part I did this for my own sanity, as well as, looking out for his future.

3 MONTHS???

Apparently I have neglected my duties to my blog fans. I am truly sorry for the lack of blog posts since July. So here is a quick update.

I started Real Estate School, and completed the classes in September. I took the State and National tests on September 29th and passed. I signed on with the broker at Arizona Premier Realty Homes and Land. Then I finally got a call back from a job which I had applied for in early August. So I start working at Banana Republic on October 7th. So I will now have a part time job at Banana Republic as well as my full time job as a REALTOR. I am hoping that the little extra income will help relieve some of the stress that we have been experiencing as of late.

Justin is working on his last class needed to get his Bachelor's degree. And is scheduled to finish that later this month. Not to mention the 60 - 80 hours a week that he is putting in at work. So he has been busy.

Conrad is doing well in school, and enjoying public school again. He is learning that kids can be cruel, and he needs to just blow them off or talk to a teacher if he is having a problem. He is a great kid and I so enjoy watching him learn new things and grow. (But he is growing up too fast!)

Spencer has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and so after some not so pleasant discussions with the school, and a lot of meetings we are getting him an IEP so that he is protected at school, and the school is protected. It has been interesting reading all the legal documents around the IDEA, IEP's, 504 plans, and FERPA.

I have learned so much these last three months that I feel excited to keep learning. I can't believe how much our lives have changed in just 3 short months. What a blessing it is to have the Lord on my side to help me deal with all the changes.

Casey

This is a mural that one of Jake's friends painted in honor of Casey. (Jake is standing in front of it.) We were all touched by this, knowing that this must have taken a great deal of time and effort. Thank you so much Noah's Ark for allowing this to be painted on the side of your building.

My sister, my friend!  Casey you will be truly missed by all who knew you, and will be loved dearly forever.  Take care of yourself, and watch over us.  

bla bla bla!

I am realizing that it has been a long time since I last posted, so I will give you all a quick little update.  We have been busy busy busy.  Justin has had to go into work at 3 am 3-4 days a week and still isn't getting off until 5 pm so when he gets home he is dead to the world.  I have been taking the boys to karate 5-6 days a week, they still have scouts once a week, and we have been trying to participate in all the ward activities... which includes pool day once a week, and a field trip once a week.  And of course we are still doing school on top of all of that.

Conrad is also hiking a lot trying to prepare for the 5 mile backpacking hike... we even got him new shoes for it yesterday.  And next week he will be going on a 3 mile hike with his scout den... he is so excited.  

All is well and we are all happy, we just keep busy.  

Web Cast Volume 2

Spencer and Conrad in Web cast.

Easter Weekend!!!

Justin took this picture in Midway, UT. It was such a great photo I had to add it in here.
Amy is too funny! She made everyone laugh.
Spencer loved the easter egg hunt. We have missed it more years than not, so it was great to be there for it this year.
Spencer, a golfing frog, and Conrad in Midway Utah.
From left to right Casey, Denise, Bethine (aka mom), me (aka Angie, mom, chicken, that one red head), Lindsay (aka LOO), and Jenny. (And notice that I am not the shortest in the picture.)

Abby is soo cute. And isn't this what Easter is all about anyway. Kid's dressed up in easter best and looking for candy to eat that will get their clothes dirty.


Jenny can still do a toe touch... I know I am too old to do that!

Spencer's Baptism

Spencer is now officially a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was baptized by his Uncle Josh Kerby, and confirmed a member of the church by his Grandad Burt Needles all on Saturday April 11, 2009. He was so excited that all day after the baptism he kept saying "Mom, I'm baptized now!". I am so happy for him. Congrats Spencer!

THE THRONE

Okay so I have been house hunting with Casey lately, and we came across this house.  To start out with we walked in (the front door is missing completely),  and right to the left of the front room is the master bedroom... this is a picture of the master "bedroom" your throne is right there in the middle of the room for whenever you need it.  Okay Okay so the house is only $40,000 but I don't know if I'd live there... but Justin and the boys are really excited about this house and would love to live there.  What do you all think?  

Spencer's web cast...

Spencer has recently decided that he is going to produce a web cast, and this was one of his first shows ... I just had to share. So enjoy!

Spencer answers back!

Thanks to Jenny, who copied from Kristy, who copied from Ruthann, for this silly questionnaire.

Spencer answers back.

1.  What is something I always say to you?

How Cute!

2.  What is something Dad always says to you?

Something about me being a monkey.

3.  What makes me happy?

Privacy!

4.  What makes Dad happy?

His house.

5.  What makes me sad?

Opposite of Privacy.

6.  What makes Dad sad?

No house.

7.  How do I make you laugh?

You Don't!

8.  How does Dad make you laugh?

Sack me up in a blanket and toss me on the couch.

9.  What was I like as a child?

Focussed on your work.

10.  What was Dad like as a child?

Focussed on Computer Classes.

11.  How old am I?

38!  (OUCH!!!)

12  How old is Dad?

35!

13.  How tall am I?

Probably 5 feet.

14.  How tall is Dad?

7 feet.

15.  What is my favorite thing to do?

Blogging.

16.  What is Dad's favorite thing to do?

Doing his work!

17.  What do I do when you're not around?

I don't know!

18.  What does Dad do when you're not around?

?

19.  What am I good at?

Blogging.

20.  What is Dad good at?

Fixing Computers!

21.  What am I not very good at?

Video games!

22.  What is Dad not very good at?

I don't know!

23.  What do I do for a job?

Blog.

24.  What does Dad do for a job?

Work on computers.

25.  What is my favorite food?

Corn.

26.  What is Dad's favorite food?

Vegetables!

27.  What makes you proud of me?

Putting together our blog.

28.  What makes you proud of Dad?

Doing his job.

29.  If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?

Marian on Lego Indiana Jones.

30.  If Dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?

Indiana Jones from Lego Indiana Jones.

31.  What do you and I do together?

Be a family

32.  What do you and Dad to together?

Play.

33.  How are you and me the same?

Our hair is the same.

34.  How are you and Dad the same?

We like jokes and we're funny.

35.  How are you and me different?

By our clothes.

36.  How are you and Dad different?

By our clothes.

37.  How do you know I love you?

Because you always say it!

38.  How do you know Dad loves you?

Plays with me.

39.  What do I like most about your dad?

I don't know!

40.  What does Dad like most about me?

I don't know.

Well I guess I am a lot older then I thought!  Most of these made me laugh... but others I half to admit made me a little sad.  

privacy...

So I have decided to follow suit and make my blog private, so those of you who wish to view my blog please add a comment containing you email address so that I can add you too my list,  I plan on making this change within one week.  Thank you all...

Changing Times

Well some of you have heard and some of you have not... So here goes nothing.

Justin will be changing jobs and get this COMPANIES!!!  He got a call last week about a position at Apollo Group, and after meeting with them and talking to me he decided to take the position.  So he will be moving on.  

He is really excited because they will pay 100% of his tuition, and 80% of mine and the kids.  So when you add up the fact that Justin loves to go to school and could go forever... this totally makes sense.  

Needless to say we are very excited, and look forward to the new adventure.

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

Just so everyone knows I HAVE BEEN BUSY!  I doubled my kids school work load in order to get them completed by the end of the year (or at least close to it).  Which means that instead of 4-5 hours of school a day we are doing more like 8 or 9.  And on top of that Justin in going to school full time and working full time.  So I am truly sorry I have not been posting as often as maybe I should.  

And on another note this last week a friend of mine passed away.  She was only 27 and had a massive heart attack in her sleep.  So I have been a little saddened on top of all of the work.  However, I now am more grateful to be alive and for all the opportunities that I have to spend with my boys.

I am truly grateful for all that I do have in my life, and all that I still have a chance to do.

Love you all!

Spencer is getting baptized

For those of you who haven't heard yet... Spencer has decided to get baptized.  After a lot (and I mean a lot) of debate we have decided to do this in Utah Easter Weekend.  He is going to be baptized with his cousin Aaron Ellefson on April 11th in Herriman, UT.  (We will be joining their Stake baptism for this so it will be a little confusing and may be a long process, so please bear with us.)  

Spencer is very excited and it should make our Easter Weekend a little more memorable.  We are hoping that everyone can join us for this special occasion.  

Can you believe this?

The other day I caught the boys laying on the couch like this watching TV and couldn't help but get proof that they DO love each other.

Thanksgiving What a Blast!!!

Thanksgiving day was crazy this year... we went to the Needles' for dinner and as of yet I still don't know how many people we crammed into that house but it was a lot.  We had David and his family, Tim and his family, Denise and her family, our family, Jake, Casey, Jenny and her family, and Lindsay with her family.  

It probably would have been a blast too, but I had a migraine that day so I spent the whole day hiding out in the dark.  

But that night a bunch of us went to see Twilight, and it was awesome.  (It is a chick flick though!)  I think this is one that I will have to buy when it comes out, m

ostly because that is the only way I will get Justin to watch it.

And on Friday morning I got up to go shopping with Crys-

tal, and on a dare from Casey did my hair in a mohawk... I still can't believe that I did it, but it was funny just to see Justin's

 reaction to it if nothing else came of it that was worth a million bucks. :-)

Conrad and Spencer at the base of what looked like an old temple or church building.  This was in a small town somewhere in the middle of nowhere Nevada.  

4 4 4 tag

Okay Jenny you asked for it... here is my 444 tag.

-  Go to your pictures folder

- Go to the 4th folder

- Upload the 4th picture

- Tag 4 of your friends

I tag Denise, Deb, Jenny Needles, and Nicole

8 Things tag...

8 T.V. Shows I like... well Hero's, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Ghost Hunters, The Office, SNL, Ghost Whisper, Charmed reruns.

8 things I did yesterday... teach the kids school, go to Costco, go to Deseret Book, worked on preparing my Relief Society lesson, watched Emma My Story, folded laundry,  did dishes, helped the kids build some three dimensional wood puzzles.

8 things I am looking forward to... The boys being old enough and get along enough to leave them home alone for a couple of hours, Christmas, Spencer's Birthday (His baptism, and confirmation), Scout Camp next summer (three days to myself), well that's all I can think of.

 

8 things I wish for... my kids to not get into trouble at school, true family unity, company, the economy to bounce back, peace and harmony in my home, a self cleaning house (ok I stole that from Deb.), to be debt free, to be able to really travel.

8 people I tag... Denise Mangum, Nicole Sant, Jenny West, Jenny Needles,  and Steph Madden

Our 2009 Toyota Prius

We sold our truck two weeks ago... some guy came to the door and offered to buy the truck from us (Angie was not home at the time), and Justin told the guy what we thought would be a fair price for the truck.  After some thought the guy agreed and said he would be back later with the cash.  When Angie gets home shock sets in and we get to work trying to figure out what car to replace the truck with.

So the next day we go car shopping and after test driving several cars and a lot of discussion, we settled on a Toyota Prius.  The dealer offered us a great deal on a white 2008 package 4 (even though we only wanted the package 2), so we agree and sign the negotiation paperwork.  They come back and say that the car they were going to sell us is sold, however they have some coming in on a truck some time during the week.  And they happened to have the color and package that we wanted coming in, so we agree to the prius coming in and put our deposit down.  

After several days of only having one vehicle to get both of us to work, and the kids to school we get the call that our car is in.  So we plan on going in to pick it up when Angie gets off work.  While Angie is at work Justin gets a call from the dealer, it turns out that they messed up again.  We had put a deposit down on a 2008 Toyota Prius in the Desert Sand package 2, but they got in a 2009 Toyota Prius in the Desert Sand package 2.  So they agreed to sell us the 2009 for the price of the 2008 that we had agreed on purchasing.  

Spencer Jumping off the HIGH DIVE!

Spencer only went off the high dive a couple of times, he was more interesting in just playing in the water.

As you can see it was a bit overcast, so the pool was pretty empty.   It was easier to get pictures of the kids without the crowds, and a lot more exciting for the kids to have room to really play. 

The Water Park in July!

Conrad coming out of one of the water slides, here at the Anthem Water Park.  He wanted me to go down to, but I was not about to leave my camera sitting on a chair while I went down a water slide...  maybe next time.

Spencer and his cactus!

Today we all went for a bike ride to the big park here in Anthem.  We let the boys play in the water for a while then headed home.  Well, on our way home Conrad and Spencer's tires rubbed against each other and before we knew it Spencer had ridden right into not one, but two cacti.  The Suguaro is what caused all of the scratches on his leg, and the Jumping Cholla on the far right put cactus spines in his front tire.  Justin pulled two spines out of Spencer's leg that had gone in at least an inch each.  Spencer  was tough and still pushed on a little further while Justin went to get the van to pick us up.

A day at the park

After a lot of time being stuck in the house this summer I decided to take the boys to the park.  Today was overcast, and monsoon season has set in, so the temperature was down quite a bit.  So the boys played in the waterfalls, and tried to catch fish (without a fishing pole).  They didn't want to leave, but it was starting to get dark and the batteries in my camera were dead.

Spencer was not excited to have pictures taken with his brother, but loved to pose for the camera by himself.  Conrad was just happy to play and have pictures taken.

Spencer and Spongebob?!?!?

Spencer loves spongebob so much that he will search the washer and dryer everynight looking for his spongebob pajamas.  He has two different pair, however, this is all he wants to wear.  With the exception of the church vest that he is wearing under his pj's in this picture, and has worn nonstop for over a week (with the exception of yesterday when I insisted on washing it).  You just have to laugh when you see them go through these phases and remember doing the same thing yourself as a child.  

Conrad and Spencer respond to all comments made to them.

The boys both like to respond to all comments made directly to them.  This is a picture of Conrad responding to a question asked to him regarding him shooting the bow and arrow at cub scout camp.

WHAT'S UP WITH US!

Well, we have finally made the switch to a mac.  Can you believe it?  We are so excited to play with it and learn all of the new functions, of how to use it.  So far we have been having fun fighting over who gets to use the computer, and play the most.  

The kids even want to get on and play, we have some great parental controls on the mac that lets us set how long they are able to log on each day, and which hours they can or can not get on the computer.  Conrad is excited to play chess on the computer.  

Spencer, just wants to have fun...NO MATTER WHAT!

Cub Scout camp for Conrad

Conrad at Cub Scout Camp last month.  Spencer and I were lucky enough to go and spend one day with him, and see what he did there.  He had a lot of fun, and made some great friends.  It was earlier in the summer so it wasn't into the 100's yet, but it was still hot enough that they had the mister's on and we tried to stay hydrated. 

Conrad and Spencer pulling Ethan Sant around!

Conrad and Spencer worked really hard helping Cory and Cherise move into their new place.  They played with Ethan for hours on end.  It was a tuff job, but somebody had to do it.

Justin still scares all the girls away!

Justin at Kenyan and Nicole's Wedding trying to get his niece Niki Madden to give him five. (Don't worry she knows better!)