Jared’s Surgery

Earlier this summer, Jared was working out at the gym and heard a big “POP” in his knee.  He tried to ignore it and continue to run, but the pain kept getting worse.  So he decided to take several weeks off and see if it would heal on its own.  But it didn’t.  It hurt every time he worked out.  He also started babying the knee and limping on it.  So I finally made him go to the doctor to get it checked out.  The first doctor said it was due to getting old and normal wear and tear.  I wasn’t satisfied with this opinion.  You don’t go from running a marathon with no pain to just getting old.  So I made him go to another doctor.  This doctor immediately ordered an MRI and told him that he had a torn meniscus and needed to have surgery to take care of his problem. 

So here he sits getting his knee prepped for surgery.  Jared was sad to see all his knee hair gone. 

 

 

I saw the doctor after surgery.  He said that everything went well.  The meniscus was torn more than he thought it was, but that his knee is in great shape for a speedy recovery! 

I have never been around Jared after coming off of anesthesia.  He was quite the site.  As he was being rolled down the hall, he started chanting, “Go Adrian!”  The staff worker and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.  Then Jared said, “Do you know what I’m talking about? “  I said no.  Apparently, that was something that Rocky chanted to his wife…Goofball.  When we got to the room, he proceeded to say many more things that left me laughing and rolling my eyes,  but Jared said I can’t share them with the world. 

Tammy

Jazz Game

I have always been a Jazz fan, but I’ve never been to a live game.  I told Jared that now we are back in the Salt Lake area I would like to go to a game.   Someone from work promised me lower bowl tickets to a playoff game last year, but it fell through at the last minute.  I was bummed!  A few nights ago, my brother-in-law, Adam called to see if we’d like to go to a Jazz game next weekend.  Someone in his ward had extra tickets and didn’t want them to go unused!  AWESOME!  

There is just something fun about being “THERE IN THE MOMENT” instead of just watching it from home.  Although the Jazz lost the game, we had a great time with the nieces and nephews and will look forward to more games in the future.

Tammy, Rachel, Joseph, Adam, Anna, and Jared!
Now let's go get a treat at McDonald's!

Tammy

Canning Applesauce

This year mom and dad’s apple trees produced lots and lots of fruit.  So instead of Teresa, mom, and me canning our own apples, we all got together to can.  What an experience!! 

Jared and Anna                                                                                                                            

We started cleaning, cooking, and smooshing apples at 8 a.m. and didn’t finish sealing and washing dishes until 11:30 p.m.   In fact, we finally had to quit cooking the apples because we ran out of pans and bowls to put them into.  It was quite a site and required everyone’s help.

Cindy                                                Tammy

We had cooked so many apples that Jared even had to make a late night run to Walmart, Keslers, and Ridleys to find more canning jars.  When it was all said and done, we ended up with over than 150 jars of apple sauce (50 jars per family).  Jared said that he doesn’t plan on doing this again for quite a while.  While he’s grateful to have this for his food storage, he’s not sure it was worth all the extra work.  I’m sure that once he has rested, he will look back at it as a fun time and might even consider doing it again! Lol

                                                                                                              Teresa, Mom, Cindy, and Tammy

Tammy

OUR ADOPTION APPLICATION

Today, our adoption application arrived in the mail!  We are so excited to get this process going that we immediately filled it out and went to put it in the mail.  We have set a goal for ourselves to have everything done by December 31, 2014. 

The decision regarding how to start our family has been a topic of discussion in our home for quite some time.  We have been to lots of doctor appointments and done many tests (both in Germany and the US).  We are at the IVF Adoption cross road with money being a factor.  Do we pay the money and try a round of In vitro fertilization with 50% chance that it may work or do we skip it and start filling out paperwork for adoption??  This is not a question that I thought I would ever have to face.  I just always assumed that we would conceive and have biological children.  On the other hand, Jared has a brother who has adopted three beautiful children and has known for quite a while that this could also be the way that we gain our family.  Thus, he was ahead of me in the decision making process.

Then one day, I received a note from a friend asking me, “Do you want a pregnancy/baby or do you want a family?  An eternal family.  In the end, we are all related by blood thanks to our Father in Heaven.”  This was something that I had never really thought about.  When I read this, I had an overwhelming feeling of peace come over me.  Yes, I wanted an eternal family, but I just never thought that it would come to me in this way.  Jared has been very loving and patient with me as I have “grieved” the thought of not having my “own.”  I KNOW that there are children waiting to come to our home.  I have turned my will over to Heavenly Father, trusting that HE is in control and will lead us to the children that are meant to be in OUR family. 

 

 

 

So, here we are.  Excited and ready to move forward!

JARED’S BIRTHDAY

Jared has been looking forward to this day for quite some time!  Not only was it his BIRTHDAY, but it was the day that I had promised him an answer to our future. 

Jared loves birthdays and everything that goes with it…the decorations, gifts, food, family, friends, and celebrations.  Yes, he is a kid at heart.

He left for school and received many phone calls from family and friends wishing him a happy day.  Then he came home from school to a home decorated with streamers, balloons, and gifts.  There has one gift that he was particularly excited about…a letter determining our future.  He was so excited to read his card and discover that our family was going to grow through adoption!  WHOOHOO   (this discussion is for a different post).  After opening his gifts (money, voice recorder, video game, Mt. Dew, and Reese’s Crunch bar), we went to Sizzler for a celebration/birthday dinner.   

 

After dinner, our friends, the Stoddart’s, were waiting for us to come and have cake and ice cream with them.  They were so nice.  Even though it was getting late, they let their little kids stay up on a school night and eat sugar right before bed!!