Quick update on my leg... I had surgery on May 5 to remove the screw through my ankle. It wasn't nearly as bad as my first surgery and I'm so thankful for that! I have managed to finally put a shoe on since some of the swelling has decreased.. so no more boot! YAY! My fibula is completely healed which is awesome! I still have lots of painful popping in the soft tissue where I tore the heck out of my ligaments so it's still pretty sore and I haven't gained full range of motion back with my ankle so walking normal is NOT happening yet, but it will! It's just going to take some time.
I want to shout out a big THANKS to everybody who has helped me and my family out during these past few months! It would not have been as easy to take care of my family without you guys!

Happy belated birthday to my little brother Cameron who turned 16, my mother-in-law Terri, and my Mom who all had birthdays in April. I hope you pampered yourselves and had a great day!

A Special Day

Makayla was baptized on April 17. She looked so beautiful in her white, fluffy dress. She was so excited and I was excited for her! I'm so proud of her for making the choice to be baptized and I'm proud of her dad for baptizing and confirming her! John was super nervous but he did a great job. A very proud moment for a mother to see her child be baptized and a proud moment as a wife to see her husband use his priesthood and give his daughter a beautiful blessing. I'm so grateful to have the gospel in our lives and for the many blessings that we are blessed with because of it.


I want Makayla to know that you are a very special young lady who has parents that love you so much and a Heavenly Father who loves you too that you can always turn to for comfort, peace, advice.. for anything. We love you Makayla and are so proud of you!

Spring Break Craze!

For spring break this year we were suppose to be going to Disneyland, but I broke my leg and had to have surgery so we had to alter our plans. So instead, we took the kids to Boise.

We started out our adventure at Chuck-E Cheese. None of us had ever been there so it was time to take the kids. They had fun bouncing from one arcade game to the next, climbing in the tubes, and having their pictures taken with the "band."


We later went to our hotel and just let the kids swim till they couldn't swim anymore! Trust me, that was a long time! They didn't quit until 11pm! They did flips and jumps and chased each other all over.. exhausting!




We spent the next day shopping for new spring outfits. Grandma took them to the Build-a-Bear store where Carson and Brayden made themselves Alvin the Chipmunk and Makayla made a cute little kitty cat that she dressed in a high school musical shirt. They had so much fun and thought that was the coolest thing all day! You could really spend a lot of time and money in that store! Who knew they could have so many accessories!
We later visited with grandma Charlotte and then drove out to grandma Gloria's to have dinner. We had a wonderful visit and I'm so glad that we were able to catch up with everybody. We don't make it to Boise very often.

Makayla practiced her hoola hooping skills while we were visiting.

Saturday we took the kids to the Wahooz Family Fun Center. We spent 9 hours there! They played laser tag and miniature golf. It was fairly chilly that day but they road the water bumper boats anyway. They spent plenty of time riding the go-carts and then played a lot of arcade games! I got lucky and won 1000 tickets on the big bass game.. awesome.. so I let the kids split them so they could all get something cool from the prize counter. Makayla got a cool cat-n-the-hat and the boys got cool swords. We had a blast! I couldn't believe that they wanted to swim after all that! Where do they get all their energy?! I must be getting old.



Sunday, we packed up and drove to Jenny's to see her new place and then hit the road! We had a fun-filled, relaxing vacation! I couldn't have asked for more! :)

Happy Birthday Makayla!

I know I haven't blogged in awhile. I have some serious catching up to do! My computer crashed and I haven't been able to get everything back to normal. It took forever just to get it back from the company! I still cannot figure out my blue tooth on the computer so I can't get my pics off my phone to be able to add them to my posts. So, I'm just going to write for now and add pics later when I get it all figured out. Now, for catching up...

Our sweet little angel turned 8 on March 21!


Makayla has brought so much joy into our lives. She's a little fire cracker with her quirky little attitude and she just makes our hearts smile :) I don't know where the time has gone?? Seems like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms, and now, she has turned 8 and is getting ready to be baptized. She is so excited to be baptized and receive her very own set of scriptures with her name engraved on them. :)

At this point in time, Makayla is interested in riding bikes, playing games on the computer such as webkinz and barbie, listening to music on her mp3 like fireflies and party in the USA,


playing with her dolls and barbies, and running around with her friends.



She loves to go camping and ride her 4-wheeler and motorcycle


and most recently, enjoys to make cookies and cakes!



Makayla chose to have an i-carly birthday party at the park. The kids had a ball playing on the toys and running around expending their energy. She had a great party!


Thanks to everybody who came and celebrated her birth with us!

She has brought so much love and happiness into our lives and I just want to wish my sweet little one a very Happy Birthday!

AARGH!

Ahoy Mateys! Today, my sweet little boy turned 6! I can't believe how big he is getting.. and where did the time go?? He brings so much joy into our lives with his sweet smile and his quirky personality. At this point in his life, Carson is interested in many different things.. he loves to go camping and ride his 4-wheeler. He started riding when he was 3 and he tries to do some crazy little jumps now, as well as, he likes to kick it side ways when he rips around corners. He loves wrestling with his cousins and riding bikes and playing pirates and cops and bad guys.. he loves playing the x-box and wii with his uncle Cameron. He got some "real" tools for Christmas this last year and he can't wait to build a playhouse this summer with his dad.


Carson idealizes his dad and wants to do everything he can with him, especially if it involves tools or motorcycles! He just enjoys being a kid to the fullest and that makes my heart smile.



Carson chose to have a pirate themed party this year so we decked the kids out with eye patches and head peices. They had telescopes and treasure to hunt down so there was no time to waste.



The boys just got done beating the girls in a pirates treasure hunt and they were pretty excited!


Wyatt doesn't quite know what to think about that patch over his eye.


Carson had a great time at his party and we want to thank everyone for coming and supporting our little guy.
I love my little buddy so much and I just want to wish him a very Happy Birthday!

Quick Update

So I was put on an antibiotic for the infection in my leg on Tuesday. Today is Friday and I'm happy to report that the incision sight was still a little red, but the infection is no more! They finally put my hard cast on..it's purple.


I got robbed because I wanted neon green but they didn't have it :( Getting my hard cast means.. only 4 more weeks until I get a walking boot and start physical therapy.. YAY!! My leg feels like jello and is kind of shaped weird now. I've lost a lot of muscle mass and the doc said it will only get worse because I have 4 more weeks of not being able to use it. He also said it takes about 6 to 8 weeks to rebuild that muscle. That's a long time! I'm kind of scared to think about actually putting any kind of weight on my leg/foot since I've been down so long.. but I also can't wait to be able to walk again so I'm going to work hard when I get into physical therapy.
On another note, a hard cast also means that I get to practice driving this weekend :) with my left foot of course!
To gain some independence again... PRICELESS!

I went to the Orthopedic Surgeon today hoping to see the x-ray proving my leg will heal just fine, to get my staples out, and to get my hard cast. I seen the x-ray and it was great! My leg should heal without complications. YAY!


Dr. Blair's nurse took my staples out.. OUCH! I've never experienced that before and it was not fun! They have this little tool that they put underneath the staple and this piece that goes on top to bend the staple in the middle causing the legs of the staple to unlock and spread out.. then they pull the staple out. It felt like she was clipping my skin with each staple she took out! There were 17 staples! I started to feel sick to my stomach after she was done.. then I thought I was going to vommit.. then I got really light headed and was going to pass out when I suddenly just leaned over and layed down fast! I'm not sure I made that decision to lay down but it probably saved me from passing out and falling off the exam table! I guess I don't have as big of pain tolerance as I thought I did. I almost passed out when I broke my leg and tore the ligaments but that was understandable... This was just removing the staples!
Then Dr. Blair came in to talk to us. He decided he didn't like how red the area was and how swollen it still is. He told us that was an indication of infection. How does it get infected when its wrapped up nice and tight inside a soft cast?!


So now, I have to take an antibiotic, keep an eye on my leg to make sure the redness doesn't spread outside of the lines they drew or that it doesn't keep swelling! I mean sheesh.. I don't even have an ankle anymore.. just a kankle!! I will go back on Friday for a recheck. They put this splint contraption on my leg for now and with any luck, I will finally get my cast Friday!


I'm getting frustrated.. if it's not one thing then it's another. I just want to get started so I am further down the recovery road. It has been 1 month ago today and I'm kind of going crazy right now with not having any independance. I used to say, "I wish I were a kid again so I would have no responsibilites and I could just play all day, not have to worry about bills, jobs, etc." Now, not so much. I miss my independance! Just being able to run to the store if I need to or drive myself to work or anything normal. This will pass... it's just a long time to be stuck at home unless someone takes me somewhere, unable to do the things I used to do.
The good news is that I should only have to be in a hard cast for 4 weeks instead of 6, then a walking boot and physical therapy for 4 weeks, and then the next surgery to remove the ankle screw. He said I should be able to walk on my own after the screw comes out. So I'm looking at a total of 2 months! I should be all done and ready to go camping in May... YAY! I'll be soooo ready!

The Day After Surgery

I went in for my surgery yesterday at 6am. I was nervous as can be but I had a really good blessing the night before and I knew it was going to be ok. I remember them getting me all prepped and giving me the anesthetic in my I.V. and that's it. When I woke up, it was hurting really bad and I thought they hadn't done the surgery yet, but they had. I was hyperventilating and crying in pain. I wanted John but they wouldn't let him come back yet. I felt like I was freaking out. They kept giving more pain meds and I would drift in and out but I felt like it wasn't working. Finally they got the pain under control for me and I ended up sleeping there until almost 1pm. That's a long time considering the actual surgery only lasted about a half hour, maybe 45 minutes! I was super drugged up! They put a plate that's probably 6 inches long in my leg along my fibula bone and 7 screws. One of the screws goes all the way through my ankle.


I got home around 3 from the surgery center and only got a half hour of rest when the doctor's office called me and told me I needed to go back to the hospital for an ultrasound on my leg. I had this knot in the back of my leg close to my knee that was stinging and I wasn't sure what it was. It didn't feel warm or red, just felt like a ball of something and it stung bad. So they didn't want to take any chances of it being a blood clot and sent me for an ultrasound. By the time all was said and done, they didn't see one..yay.. we got home around 7 and I crashed for the night. It was an exhausting day!
I'm dreading them taking the staples out of my leg because I'm sure that doesn't feel good either and I don't even know when they do that but I'm dreading it already. I am suppose to get a hard cast sometime next week and hopefully be on my way to a fast recovery :) one can dream right?! I know for sure that I don't want to have surgery again in 10 weeks, but I can't change that either, so for now I just have to take one day at a time!
I want to tell everybody out there that I really appreciate your support and the help with meals and running my kids places. It has made this a lot easier for me knowing my family is being taken care of :) so thanks everyone! Love ya tons!

Happy Valentines Day

John and I don't do anything big for each other on this day, but we do like to get do a little something for each other just to say "I Love You"! John is the love of my life and he has been especially good to me since I've been laid up with my leg so I wanted to do something for him that was different and fun.
Michelle and I found this cute idea on the internet to make a chocolate bouquet kind of thing so we went shopping and got the stuff. Here's a pic of how it turned out.


Lucky for me, he really liked it. I've spent most of my days in bed since I broke my leg so I have felt pretty useless lately. It was nice to do something that I could do and that he really enjoyed. He thought it was pretty cool.
My brother, Andrew, really liked how they turned out too so he had me make one for his wife, Kristi, and her mom, Ella. Thanks Andy, it was nice to feel needed!
John got me this sweet, cuddly teddy bear with candies. It's just perfect cuz I needed something to cuddle in bed when he's gone :) Thanks babe!


Hope everybody had a Happy Valentines Day with their Sweethearts! I know I did :)

Ruined Plans!

I went to my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon today with the intent that I was getting a walking boot.. unfortunately, I left the office with an appointment for surgery and a whole lot of tears. :``(
Usually when you break your fibula bone, it's no big deal because that bone in your body does nothing for you... unless it's close to your ankle and then it helps support your joints...Lucky me, that's just where I broke it. This picture is of the outside of my leg where I broke it but not a great pic.. it's really swollen, bruised, and red.


So, I have that problem and another. I tore all the ligaments on the inner side of my ankle which has caused my ankle to shift. It no longer is where it is suppose to be. This pic doesn't do this justice either because you can't see all the swelling and redness but here it is.


Now I have to have surgery. They are going to put a plate and screws in to pull the fibula bone back together so it can heal.. then they are going to place a screw through my ankle to pull it back in place and hold it there so it can heal too.
I will be in a soft cast for 1 week after, like I am now, so the swelling can go down. Then they will place it in a hard cast for 6 weeks. So, 7 weeks of NO WALKING! I'm not allowed to put any pressure or weight on it at all. Then, they will take the cast off and put a walking boot on for 4 weeks and start me in physical therapy. 10 weeks from my first surgery, I get to do it again! Another surgery to remove the screw from my ankle.. but they will be leaving the plate and screws in the fibula bone for good. Essentially, a 3 month process all because I went roller skating!
My plans for Disneyland are ruined. My job requires me to be on my feet all day.. that can't happen. I can't drive. I can't even get down the stairs to do our laundry and get the house cleaned! I'm seriously upset right now and there's nothing I can do about the situation. So, eventually I will have to figure things out and work with the cards I have been dealt, but for now, this is not a good day! :(

The Biggest Loser!

We all make new years resolutions and only make it a couple weeks if we are lucky.. my family and I have changed that this year! We have decided that we need a little help with that goal we make every year..yep, you guessed it.. the goal to lose weight! So, we decided to play The Biggest Loser game together. Here are the contestants:

Andrew Casper
Kristi Casper
Breanna Casper
Linda Casper
Sarah Casper
Veronica Hughes

We all started our journey on January 4, 2010. I won't be discussing how much we each weigh of course, but I will be giving updates every once in a while on how much we have lost. Here's the first update after 1 month for the people that have weighed in so far that I know of:

Andrew Casper 9 lbs
Kristi Casper
Breanna Casper
Linda Casper
Sarah Casper 6 lbs
Veronica Hughes 10 lbs

Our incentive is this.. Not only will we be healthier and of course, happier with ourselves.. but we win the Pot of Gold! Each time we weigh in, we put $1 in the pot for every pound we lose :) or gain. My mom started out the Pot of Gold with $200 bucks! So you see, by the time we are done with our challenge in May, whomever has the biggest percentage of weightloss, will win the Pot of Gold and gets to buy a new wardrobe for their new slimmer, healthier bodies!! Pretty cool huh?!

It's really an awesome challenge to do as a family. We encourage each other and push each other along. Way to go guys! I think we are all doing GREAT!

Unfortunately, I broke my leg last week, so I am unable to do any major exercise like I was doing.. so hopefully eating healthy and doing small exercises will be enough to carry me through until I can get back on my feet! So I will be encouraging you all from the side lines for awhile.. I know you can do it and I'll be back in the game soon enough! :)

Broken Bones

Our ward had a roller skating party on Tuesday night that John and I decided to take our family to. We had a blast! Makayla has actually become really good at skating since the last time I seen her skate. She gets lots of practice when she goes with the school and has a ton of fun.



There's a game we were playing where you pick up balls and throw them at people. She picks up balls while she's skating and tosses them at people like it's the easiest thing ever.. but when I tried to pick up the balls, I was not as graceful! And then if I was lucky enough to get one, I had a hard time nailing people.. clearly not my game!

Carson was struggling but doing well for never skating on his own before. Siarah and Cameron tried to help him but he liked to just do a walk/skate. It was cute.



Jess decided to take a shot at it and skate with Carson too.. but it looks like they ended up dancing instead! Aww.. sweet!


Remember the "limbo" and "shoot the duck"? I used to be really good at those, of course I was much younger then, but these days there's no chance of that.. so I took pictures of the kids as they did the "limbo"! They did awesome!


About 20 minutes until it was time to go, we were all skating and playing that game where you stop in the middle of a number circle and if they call your number then you win a free pop. So, I was skating with Cameron and Jessica when the music stopped. They stopped in a circle and I was trying to stop with them. However, I couldn't stop. So Cameron tried to help me and I thought I had my balance but I didn't and I fell. As I was falling, I felt my ankle go to the right and instead of my body falling left like you would expect, my body went right also. I heard something snap as the outside of my foot touched the outside of my leg.. and then I hit my head on the floor pretty hard.


Yep, I broke the Fibula bone about 3 inches above my ankle. They said I broke it at a 45 degree angle but it seemed to be a clean break. So, they put a soft cast on until the swelling goes down and then I see an Orthopedic Surgeon next week. Some luck I have!
I did have a great time with my family and friends, but maybe next time, it would be better if I stayed off the skates! :)

I love this picture of my grandma... she looks sassy! And beautiful!


This is my grandmother, Eva Darlene Casper. She passed away earlier this week on January 25, 2010, age 77. I never knew my grandma when she was younger and active but I learned a few things about her at her funeral on Friday. My grandmother used to love to dance, she enjoyed crocheting and sewing, and listening to music, and camping. The craziest thing I learned was that my grandma got drunk at the age of 5! She was toasted... not sure what she got a hold of but her sister, Aloma, said it was very entertaining. Aloma had never seen that side of grandma, being that grandma was very shy and quiet. LOL!

I remember when my brother Dustin and I were younger, we were staying at grandma and grandpa's house and we had them wrapped around our little fingers. They used to take us to the westwood mall where we liked to jump on the trampolines. They used to take us to Cushmans Craft store to buy boondoggle, leather strips, and beads and we created key chains and all sorts of things with them. We enjoyed going over to visit them as kids and we have enjoyed getting to know our grandma as we have grown up and have taken our kids over to get to know her.

As I have got to know my grandma and take care of her over the last 6 years with my mom and dad, I have really grown fond of her her beautiful smile. She loved to be all dolled up with her lipstick and have her hair done and she enjoyed having people around.. especially her great grandchildren. The house could be total chaos and she would just smile and chuckle when they would run up to her and give her big hugs and kisses. My grandma was a sweetheart. She was never much of a social butterfly but she loved having everybody around her.


My grandpa Don passed away 16 years ago, leaving my grandma pretty lonely. We all would visit her, but it's just not the same as having your spouse there by your side everyday. My mom and dad finally had to move in with her in 2002 so they could take care of her. Grandma had Parkinsons disease and she became very weak, causing her to be unable to walk and get around by herself.

This has been a bitter/sweet experience. Though I am sad because my grandma is not with us anymore, I am happy for her that she doesn't have to feel pain anymore and that she has been able to reunite with her sweetheart.. and her son, my dad. I can only imagine the beautiful experience in heaven that took place as she was welcomed home. I love my grandma and I will miss her very much.


The other reason that makes this a semi-sweet experience, is that we have been able to reunite with family that we have been unable to see for years.


My cousins Marilyn and Vance, whom I haven't seen in many years. They look great!


My cousin Sabra and her husband Jason. Their son Sylas, 11, and Wyatt, 4. They have lived in Boise, Idaho for the last 4 years. They look really happy and I am so glad that I was able to see them and visit for a bit. Sabra and I used to be pretty good buddies until they all moved away and we lost contact.


My Uncle Jeff and Aunt Robyn with their 2 boys, KC and Jeremy. They live in Salt Lake City, UT. Jeff is my dad youngest brother and on the right is my Uncle Greg, with his boy Dillon sitting by Uncle Jeff. Greg and Dillon live in Reno, Nevada. He is my dads second to youngest brother.

I hope that one of these days we can have a family reunion and meet up on better terms so we can visit with each other and catch up.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! We decided to take a much needed leisure day. We took our kids bowling. It has been at least 2 years since I have bowled and it was not a pretty score! Makayla and Carson almost beat me! How sad is that?!






John's dad would love to bowl but it hurts his fingers and wrist too much... so he enjoyed himself a leisure game of pool.



Of course, John was doing better than me at bowling too. This is him showing off after getting a strike!



I hope this New Year is a better year than the year before. A year for great changes within our families. For better relationships. For great accomplishments. A year for progress. Happy New Year Everyone!