Fun day at the park!

We all decided we wanted to go hang out at the park that is right next door to us on Saturday. The kids played on the playground, played tag with Nick, also raced Nick, and lost every time. They also loved the swings. We really had a good time. The kids made sure to make some faces for me while I took their picture. Later that night we came home and enjoyed some pizza together, went for our nightly walk, and then settled down to watch Kung Fu Panda as a family. It was a delightful day. It was Amber's first overnight pass with us, and it went really well.
Mia making faces
Amber just being happy
Amber just getting done sliding down the pole

Mia just had fallen off the monkey bars
Mia on the swing
Mandy on the monkey bars
Mason on top of the slide

The funny things kids do!

Nick and I were just sitting on the couch, and the kids put on his shoes and just started being really silly, and funny. He started having them do push-ups in his shoes, and stand at attention, and they were just so cute. We were all laughing so hard. I had to pull out my camera, and take pictures of this event. I wanted to share them with you.


Just being wacky
Giving a special pose
Mason attempting push-ups
Mia attempting push-ups

Good News for the Madsen House

Well Nick finally transferred to a new unit. He is now part of the 1st Brigade 4th Infantry Division A Company BSB. The best news is they will not be deploying this year. That means Nick will be staying with us for a bit longer. Whew that was close. Our family is elated with this news. We were starting to wonder if this transfer was really going to happpen. You can only imagine my relief. It's been hard watching other military wives go through what I thought would be our fate. I can only say that if you know a military wife and their husband is deployed do whatever you can for them. I have a new respect for these women, and children. This is so hard for them. I am humbled by what I have seen. The soldiers are not the only brave ones. These military wives and children left behind need to be recognized to.

I also wanted to give an update on Amber, she is doing really well. She is working on her level 3. I am pretty sure she is going to get it. Which means she will get over night passes at home. I am so proud of her for what she has accomplished in such a short time. I think she is on her way to coming home.

My liver functions are still doing awesome. They said someone that doesn't have a diseased liver could come in and get the same results that I am getting. I am so excited by this news. We just need to get my other health issue's under control and I have a good chance at living a lot longer then they had originally expected. That's good news for me.

Kids are all doing really well sorry for the short update but I'm not good at blogging.

A fun Sunday

Mason and Mia Dancing
Isn't that adorable
Deuces
Strike a pose

The kids got all dressed up and begged to go to church this last Sunday, so I thought I would take pictures of them. They were adorable as usual. First they had to make faces, then Mason and Mia decided they had to dance. It was cute. We took them to church and Nick dropped them off like usual and came home. We got a call from the bishop about a half an hour later informing us that it was stake confrence and it had been over for over an hour. Talk about embarrassing! The bishop actually got a big kick out of it and invited Nick to join church next Sunday. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did.

Our Fun Friday!

It's been awhile since I have written it's been a little crazy around here. I have been feeling very tired, and very weak lately and haven't had the energy to do much. I went to see my docter though and we discovered that my thyroid was coming back slightly high apparently means it's slightly underactive. So because I was feeling weak, dizzy, tired, muscle aches, and depressed. All symptoms of thyroid they made the decision to try me on thyroid medication. I am very happy to report that in less than a week I am feeling less tired, no more dizziness, muscle aches are going away, and the depression is lifting a little but the best part is that I have already lost 3 lbs. Oh ya thyroid makes you gain weight. I also had that symptom. I didn't really have to write that though. I am really excited to be feeling better. The other good news is that somehow I have got my liver enzymes down to just barely above normal. This is a huge improvement from being double of a normal persons. This is a good indicator that the way I have been eating is helping my liver to heal even though I have been gaining weight. Which means I am prolonging my life from the 5 years they were giving me if I changed nothing. So yesterday's doctors appointment for me was very good news.

Nick had a picnic for his Brigade yesterday. They were thanking the soldiers. It was a great picnic except it was very cold. They were serving yummy food, beer, had a live band, were playing dodge ball, volley ball, and tag football. They had playgrounds for the kids, and little activities for them as well. I was really impressed with how our soldiers were being treated. It was very nice to see. The picnic was cut short because it started snowing/raining in the middle of it. Nick and I luckily missed the bad weather because we had to cut out a little early for my doctors appointment anyways.

We were going to go see a baseball game with Mason's scouts but it got canceled due to the bad weather. Luckily the kids school saved the day though because they were having a carnival. So we went to that instead. Mandy and Mia got fake tattoo's and the kids raced on scooters, we had hot dogs for dinner, and did a cake walk. Mandy and Nick won the cake walk and brought home a plates of cookies each. Then we came home and everyone wanted to wrestle mom. It really was a fun family day.

Today we are looking forward to grocery shopping, and visiting Amber. Amber is doing so well right now. We are really proud of her. She is learning some really good skills, and her attitude has been really good. She is currently working on getting a pass right now to come home for her birthday, and it looks like she is going to get it. We are excited about it.

Nick heard again that he would be transferring units but we still don't know which unit or when. It does still sound like he will be staying with infantry though. We were hoping that would not be the case but we are just going to be thankful for what we are getting.

This week at the Madsen's

We went to Utah this last week, and it was so wonderful to see family. I don't remember when my spirits have been higher. The trip went really well even with getting Dysentery. Our family left on Sunday morning, and made it safely to Utah Sunday night. We stayed with Nick's parents, and were so happy to see them. We had some really yummy spaghetti, and watched as Mia picked it apart as usual. We didn't sleep very well that night probably just because we missed our bed so much. We got up the next morning and headed out to my mom's house. I got big hug's from both of my parents, my dad didn't let me go. It meant a lot to me. I really love my parents, and it was nice to feel so loved. We caught up, had dinner, threw a small birthday party for Mason, and Mia. Shannon and the kids showed up for the party, and we had a great time. My mom did these really awesome assesments with Nick and I. I learned a lot. It was hard to have to say goodbye again. I really didn't want to leave. The next day I went to lunch with my brother Jake, and just about everyone showed up. Everyone in my family except my parents were there. My mom hasn't been feeling well though, and I'm pretty sure we wiped her out the day before. My friends even came. It was really awesome to know so many people wanted to see us. I got to see my new neice, and nephew as well. They are so adorable. We then later headed over to my best friend Tammie's house where we just hung out, and chatted like we used to. It felt so nice. Then we went back to Nick's parents house where we had another birthday party for Mason, and Mia. Most of Nick's siblings came, and we had a great time. The next day we hung out with friends from Ogden, and checked on our house. It was really hard to see my house. It made me realize how much I really wanted to be living in it. We went to lunch at Del Taco, and headed to my sister Sarah's house. I had a great time at Sarah's house. My nephew's are just so adorable, and had me laughing, and smiling the whole time. I got to chat with my sister, and spend quality time with her. I loved it. Nick had a great time with her husband Adam. It was later that night that things went sour for me. I woke up in the middle of the night very very sick, and stayed that way the whole night. The next day I begged Nick to take me to the ER because I could not go back to Colorado in that state. The ER informed me I got Dysentery, and had it pretty bad. They got me all fixed up though, and I went back to my wonderful sister's house who had watched my kids for me the whole time I was sick, and slept like there was no tomorrow. The next day I felt like I had been hit by a truck but was well enough to travel home. Poor Mason had to spend his birthday in the car, but I gave him presents and that made up for everything. So as you can see we had a great experience.

A tribute to the two people I lost that touched my life.

I want to pay tribute to two really wonderful people. These two people were amazing people that touched my life in ways that i will never forget. They were both my hero's in different ways. I love them both so very much, and they left a big hole in my heart when they left.

Elizabeth May Qualls

You were always such a wonderful friend to me. I could not be sad around you because you went out of your way to make me laugh. Your laugh was infectious. You always knew when I needed you, and didn't hesitate to drop everything to come to my rescue. We laughed together, cried together, did crazy things together, created the best memories together. When we lived 300 miles apart it didn't matter it only made us closer. You let me be there for you, and you were always there for me. You weren't just a friend you were a sister. You were a family member that I got to choose. You got me through some of the most challenging times in my life. You never let me down. You always knew the right thing to say, and you never turned your back on me even if I did something wrong. I admired you so much. The strength you had while you went through cancer was amazing. You laughed, even when the pain was stremendous, you reached out to comfort people who were afraid, even though you must have been more afraid then us, and needed the comfort even more. You were fearless. I will never forget your courage, I will never forget you. You will always be in my heart. You are an amazing friend, and I will always cherish the wonderful memories you were kind enough to give to me. Thank you for just being you, and for loving me. I love you my Lizzer. I always will, and I will always miss you!

Justin Ray Robinson

Oh my dear Justin. How can I ever thank you for everything you have done for me. You have always been such a hero to me. You picked me up whenever I was down, you helped me realize that i deserved to be loved, and that I could be loved. You showed me how to be loved. You always made me feel like I was the most wonderful person on the planet. You just had the ability to build me up. You always accepted me for who I was, I didn't have to change who I was, or act any differently I could just be me, and you were ok with that, even loved me for that. We could talk, and joke about anything. We could make any mistake, and not have to live in fear that the other would judge or be angry. Our relationship was so unique. You always encouraged me to be the best I could be, and always made me feel like I could accomplish anything. You helped me through some really hard times, and allowed me to help you as well. You were one of the loves of my life. Thank you so much for helping me through the 4 months without Nick, and through all the hard times in my past. Thank you for being my best friend for 20 years, and for always being there for me. Thank you for always being willing to help me move, and listen when I needed to talk, and for all your wonderful advice. Thank you for all your love. I love you Justin, and I am devistated by your passing. I will miss you the rest of my life.

Our Christmas Vacation

My wonderful husband came home on my birthday December 12th from AIT which is short for Advanced Individual Training. It was the best birthday present I think I have ever received. He had been gone 4 months to the day. Our reunion went very well, and our relationship only improved with our seperation. We both have a new appreciation, and respect, and deeper love for each other. It was the hardest thing our relationship has ever had to endure but it was also good for us. I'm just so happy to have him back. He has changed a lot. He has a lot more maturity, and his goals have changed quite a bit. The kids are so happy to have him home as well.

Nick received his orders, and was ordered to Fort Carson, Colorado. He was asked to report Christmas Eve. We were a bit unhappy with the date, but it worked out ok. We celebrated Christmas with our families on December 21st, and it was an awesome Christmas. One we will remember for the rest of our lives. Having our husband, and father home made this the best Christmas we have ever experienced. We enjoyed sharing it with both our families.

We spent the morning with Nick's family. We had Christmas breakfast which was super yummy. They made breakfast casseroles. They consisted of hash browns, with eggs, and chunks of either ham, bacon, or sausage. I had never had breakfast casserole before but really enjoyed it. We then cleaned up and listened to the kids sing Christmas carols, play instruments, and then sang Christmas carols all together. Then we opened presents, and called it a day. It was a lot of fun.

The afternoon, and evening was spent with my family. We spent the afternoon taking family pictures. I was really excited about that because we hadn't had a family picture in a long time. Then we had a wonderful family dinner. We had the kids open some presents, and the adults played a white elephant game. Then the kids played a left and right game which my son had a little melt down over so he didn't play. We just gave him his presents. Then we exchanged presents between the family. It was a wonderful day. We really enjoyed that time.

Our families mean so much to us. I am posting our family pics with this entry. I hope you all have a Happy New Year.