Ashley's having surgery

My sweet little Ash kept getting sick this Fall... 104 degree fevers, coupled with being very tired and not wanting to eat... which stresses me out since she typically has a surprisingly great appetite for a teeny tiny 39 pound, 7 year old girl :) Thankfully there was one other little thing I noticed with each sickness - her urine smelled particularly strong. Each doctor visit resulted in a positive urine culture for a urinary tract infection. She took antibiotic after antibiotic and was sick again within days of finishing the latest prescription.

Our doctor sent us to Cardon's Children's Hospital to have x-rays and a test done.






The test was not nearly as fun as the pictures appear, in fact it was pretty awful. (At one point she yelled "Mommy, Help me! Save me!" ...Yes, I cried.) The test is called a VCUG. A catheter filled her badder with a radio-contrast liquid. Then the radiologist, using real time x-ray, watched the contrast enter her bladder and looked at her anatomy. We watched as the contrast moved up one of her ureters and back into her kidney. This is called Vesicoureteral Reflux - which means that there is a problem with the value system where the ureter connects to the bladder and it is allowing the urine to travel from her bladder back up to her kidney causing chronic kidney infections. This can be dangerous because it can cause scarring and damage to the kidney. They also assign the reflux a grade from 1-5 depending on severity, one being the least. Ashley's reflux was given a 3.

Usually this problem is discovered when children are much younger, as they are born with the valve defect. In this case they often will out grow the defect. Given that Ashley is 7 and the grade of the reflux, our pediatric urologist felt that surgical correction would be the best treatment. It is an open surgery where an incision will be made in her lower abdomen and the ureter will be rerouted in the bladder to prevent the reflux.

Ashley is having surgery Monday, December 19th at Phoenix Children's Hospital. We will check in at 8am. The surgery will begin between 9:30 and 10am. It is a 3 hour procedure. Ashley will be in the hospital for 1-2 days after the surgery.

Yes, I am feeling stressed, worried, anxious... She is my baby girl... and this is not fun. I will be so glad when this is behind us and she is dancing and twirling around the house again. Please say a little prayer for her, for her doctor, and maybe for her mama too.



XOXOX --Wendy

wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'

My little sis Amber got married! She has dreamed of this day more than any girl ever has, and boy, was it ever a joyful and beautiful occasion. Her photographer snapped away at my house while the all girls got ready and continued shooting throughout the day. These are some of my favorites:

Miss Chloe getting dressed.
I like that you can see the little pink sponge rollers laying on my bed :)

Cutie-pie Cole. I am crazy over this sweet boy.
When I visited him last, he would dress up in his fanciest dress clothes each day so that
I could gush and tell him how handsome he was. Melts my heart right into a puddle.

Ash and Brooklyn getting everything just right.

I think Ash was a little bored waiting around for the big event.

Chloe had recently given herself a lovely new haircut that included some little "sprigs" (if you are up on your Junie B. Jones) of bangs in the front. Those little sprigs required a little extra twisting and pinning to secure them into place :)

Oh... this was one of the most heart-touching moments of the day for me. My sweet little Zac came to the rescue when the sound system was proving to be more complex than anticipated. He volunteered to play for the wedding as people were being seating and waiting for it to begin. He pulled several songs from his repertoire and practiced and practiced all. day. long. He did a really beautiful job and played for a least 30 minutes as the bride was running a bit late ;) I am so thankful for the talent this awesome boy was blessed with and so proud of his diligence and hard work he puts into developing it.

Beautiful bride.

Wowie! I was taking my bridesmaid responsibilities VERY seriously :)

Oh and just a note: Jackie and I stayed up all. night. long. the night before the wedding making these silk flower necklaces for all the bridesmaids.They deserve a closer look:

And... there you have it!

These cousins have to be the cutest little flower girls -- EVER!

Ash was pretty excited to be a flower girl!

I loved their red glitter shoes.

My dad and Amber. This picture makes me a little teary.

The bridal bouquet was seriously gorgeous. I think the prettiest I have ever seen.

Oh, and have I introduced Rafa?
Yes, he is the groom, the man of the hour, kinda important.
He is a cutie. He is Mexican and he adds a fun flavor to our family.
I love how he loves Amber and how he is the perfect balance for her. We sure love him.

Oh, one more thing about this pic... see that hot bishop in the background?
He is the guy that married these two, and he did a mighty fine job.

Kevin and his little doll-baby, Brooklyn.

Loved this pic of my cute Grandma and Grandpa Jensen with the bride and groom.
Oh how I love them.

The Osborne family welcomes the newest addition!

Thought this pic was darling.

The wedding partyAuntie Amber and her little flower girls

I love this beautiful shot and this beautiful girl.

My Ashley Grace with a little sun in her eyes.

Sisters and cousins.

Oh, hello... that would be me - caught in a silly moment. (remember no sleep the night before)

Amber and her girls.

The girls and Rafa.

Me and my baby girl.

Mr. and Mrs. Campos

I really love how happy they are in this picture.

These little girls were in love with all this pretty candy.

Me, my girl, and my honey.

All tired out.

my own kind of paradise

We celebrated the end of the school year and the beginning of Summer with a little family get-away to our favorite little paradise south of the border -- Rocky Point, Mexico.

I adore my sweet family and love nothing more than escaping with them to a place that not even cell phones can find us. My kids love the beach as much as I do, especially this little beach baby below who asks me nearly every morning if we can go to the beach today :)


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