Ty's Birthday Part II

So for Ty's b-day we took a little trip to Cali. (thanks Ty for choosing that, it was a GREAT trip for all of us).

The first day we were there (her actual b-day) we went to Legoland.

Dave and Ty on a ride.

This was hillarious! You're supposedto be 3 to drive these cars, we just said Madix was 3. She didn't do too bad, just need work on the stearing. As you can see Tyler wasn't any better, both of them cutting other kids off. We just sat there and laughed at them.

Me and Mads on the helicopter.

That afternoon my parents met us in CA and my dad bought us all some beautiful flowers for Valentines Day.

Monday we went to the beach. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was perfect.

Ty would try and fill her bottles with water, but she wouldn't go very far in the water so she would mostly scoop up sand.

Dave building them a sand castle.

We stayed at an amazing resort in Escondido, The Lawrence Welk Resort. Escondido isn't the best area in CA, but this resort made up for it and it was farely close to everything we did. We had a big 2 bedroom place and this was our view right outside our back patio door.

We sat out on our patio and played cards enjoying the beautiful weather and watching the girls play by the pond.

Tyler loved feeding the ducks!

Disneyland Day!!

Yay, we're at Disneyland!! Tyler didn't want to stop for anymore pictures, she just wanted to get to the rides.

MICKEY

Going in through the castle.

TIGGER

MINNIE

PLUTO (they LOVED seeing all the characters)

Pirate's, Madix had her mouth covered most the time. They (even more so Tyler) were pretty scared of most the rides. Peter Pan was our first ride and Ty was so scared afterwords:) We explained it was just fake, so every ride she would ask a million time is this fake or real? They were really fun though. Such a fun age to take them to Disneyland!

On the boat ride. Before we went on it she said "this is the ride with the jumping fish" She totally remembered from the year before. She has such a good memory.

My favorite and I think Tyler's, The Tea Cups!! She was soooo funny to watch. Dave spun us super fast and Ty was just crackin up laughing!

Then this was Madix's face:) She wasn't too sure about it.

Ty got to pick something out from the store this hat is what she picked. Me and Dave were just most excited about the food..... big, huge, fried corndogs, pickles, mickey icecream, dole pineapple whip, popcorn, frozen lemonade, mmmmmmm. What a great day at DL. They both did so good, even Mads with no nap.

Wednesday, our last day, we just hung out by the pool. Did I mention this resort had 6 huge pools, with big water slides and heated. Mads with her hat. This was the perfect pool for Madix to sit and play in.

Ty going down the waterslide. It took her a couple of minutes to remember how to swim, but than after that she was everywhere and couldn't get enough.

Oh really, do we have to go home next?:(



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TY!!!
And just cause this post isn't already long enough, this is my time to brag a bit and tell a little about Ty as she turns 4.
*She goes to preschool one day a week and is doing so well learning all her letters and sounds. She has this new game she always plays where I have to guess what she's talking about and she can always tell me what letter it starts with.
*She can spell and write her name, and knows her phone number.
*She is a piece maker. In sunbeams the teacher tells me if 2 kids are fighting she'll stick Tyler in the middle of them.
*Kids love her! Also her teacher tells me all the kids fight over to sit next to Tyler. And I've had about 4 moms tell me their boys have a crush on Tyler.
*She's a people pleaser. She's ALWAYS asking me, "mom are you happy at me?"
*She's quick to say sorry. A lot of kids have a hard time saying sorry. She knows as soon as she does something wrong and yells out "SORRY!" Or tells me sorry 10 times and asks if I'm still happy at her.
*She is such a good big sister. If they fight, it's usually cuz Madix causes it. But she's really good at helping Mads when she can't do something or lately she tries to explain alot of things to her. The daycare lady at the gym tells me Ty always watches out for Madix.
*Her favorite color is blue, and she's not into any girly stuff. She doesn't like dolls or want anything to do with playing dressup. She loves animals, exploring outside and is so excited to start soccer.
*She LOVES to talk! Even when she has nothing to say. She ALWAYS says, "mom" and half the time she really has nothing to say, so she just says "I love you" (which I can't complain about). When we were staying at the resort, she went out to the pond one morning where an older lady was fishing and sat and talked to her for a good half hour. She finally came back in and said, "mom my friend might meet us at the beach":)
*She is such a good girl and very considerate. In the mornings if I'm still asleep or on Saturdays, when she wakes up early, she'll come and quietly close our door and put on a movie all by herself, making sure she doesn't wake us up. She's been doing that since she was 3!
*EATING.... this could be a whole post. Ty has the most bizzare taste for a little girl. She has alway been a really good eater, she loves to eat. Her favorite breakfast is a fried egg sandwhich with fetta cheese, lime juice and hot sauce. She loves Dave's greek breakfast with greek olives. Her favorite snack on road trips is beef jerky. She loves almonds and tomatos and banana peppers! (yup she'll just eat the peppers out of the jar). Her "treat" one day if she was good was grapefruit (not candy). The morning we went to Disneyland my dad (who I'm sure her taste buds take after) made her a tomato sandwhich on jalepeno bread!! and she loved it. Then we go to Disneyland and she says no to icecream all day. Dave had to MAKE her take a bite of his mickey icecream.
*She is one Silly, Amazing, Smart, Beautiful girl that we love to death!!!!

Ty's and My Story

We just had a journaling lesson in RS on Sunday and so with Ty turning 4 this week, I thought I would take this chance to record a little story of how Ty saved my life....

Dave and I got married in 2001 and loved having "our" time. Although Dave was in Law School we loved to travel and go and do as pleased, without anything holding us back (such as a baby). After about 2 and a half almost 3 years I decided it was time for a baby and to start trying, although Dave probably could've waited another 10 years. Well, Heavenly Father had a different plan for us, which in turn saved my life.

We tried for over 2 years to get pregnant, which was fine with Dave, but I was gonna be turning 29 and didn't want to be totally old having babies. And after 2 years I started to wonder if something was wrong. I finally decided to schedule a Dr.'s apt. to see if I needed to get checked. Close to this time I had a dream, that I WAS pregnant with a baby girl. Well come to find out a day before my scheduled Dr.'s apt., my dream was right, I was pregnant! We were so excited and for the most part, I loved being pregnant. (It was a lot easier when you don't have any other kids and you can just lay around and relax as much as you want).

Ty was do in Feb. and in Dec. I got the flu. Just the typical flu, throwing up and what not. I would've thought and done nothing of it, but I had my monthly check up that day so I went in. My doctor decided to send me over to the hospitial to put an IV in me just to make sure I wasn't getting dehydrated. While I was in the hospital they did an ultrasound just to make sure the baby was fine. They pumped me up with fluids and sent me home an hour later.

A month later when I went in for my next checkup, my doctor told me that during that ultrasound in the hospital they found a small lump on my left kidney. He told me it was probably nothing. Pregnant ladies often grow little fatty lumps that are nothing, but right after I deliver, while I was still in the hospital, he wanted me to get a MRI done.

We induced Tyler on Feb. 14th (not realizing it was Valentines Day when I scheduled it), because Dave had to go to Tuscon 3 days later to take the Bar Exam and I wasn't gonna have him be gone and me go into labor.

Feb. 14th we had a beautiful baby girl, Tyler Ele Eastman. She was perfect, with her big beautiful lips. The following day they had me go and get my MRI and came back with the results that it was a tumor but didn't know if it was just a fatty tumor or cancer. They wouldn't biopsy it because it wouldn't be accurate, they might get a fatty piece and miss the cancerous part. So they wanted to wait a few months so my body could get back to normal after having a baby and do another MRI. Again, same answer, "we don't know if it's cancer or not". So they gave me the option of having surgery and just removing it, or just keep an eye on it to see if it grows or not. We decided to have it removed so we wouldn't have to worry about it. They scheduled my surgery that July in Tuscon where there was the only doctor in AZ who could do the surgery laparoscopically. Well that ended up being the same weekend Dave had to be in Tuscon to take the bar again (yup, he didn't pass his first time).

So come July, I left Tyler with my mom, Dave was studying like crazy for the bar, so who else to come with me than the best friend anyone could ask for, Tami. It was weird thinking that "maybe" I had cancer, but me and Dave really thought it was nothing, and weren't too worried. So come the morning of my surgery, Dave went off to take the bar exam and Tami took me to the hospital. The surgery went really well, they removed just a little part of my left kidney and and left me with 3 tiny scars where they did the incision (pretty cool how they can do that without cutting me open). They took the tumor to be tested and came back a couple hours later with the results. It was a STAGE II, CARCINOMA KIDNEY CANCER!!

Really, I had cancer??? and stage II?? Stage III and IV is when it starts spreading and becomes more deadly. It was pretty sereal and wasn't as traumatic for me since I didn't know I had cancer until it was already out of me. I healed fine and have to go back every 6 months to make sure it hasn't come back. It's been almost 4 yrs and they say I look great and will soon go to once a year checkup, then once every 5 yrs for the rest of my life.

Here's the miracle: They say kidney cancer is most common in black males, over the age of 50 who smoke! Really, could I be more opposite? And they say that MOST the time they won't find Kidney Cancer in someone until it's too late! It's a cancer that just grows in you with absolutely no signs or symptoms!

If I had not been pregnant with Tyler at that time when I got the flu, who nows if they would've ever found my cancer until it was too late. I really believe that Heavenly Father saved Tyler to come down at a time that she could save my life. And I couldn't imagine living my life without my Tyler. She is an amazing little girl that we absolutely LOVE to death!

Ty's 4th B-Day Part 1

We asked Ty if she would rather have a birthday party with all her friends or go to Disney Land for her b-day, and Disney Land it was. So we decided to throw her just a little party with fam., then next week on her birthday we're taking her to D.L.

Here's my birthday girl, turning the big 4! (she has these weird poses lately)

kids at the party, cousins and Tami's fam came cause they are fam.

Dave, getting ready for the pinata.

Mads, trying to hit it.

Ty was so excited for her pinata. She told everyone about her "pin-nata" without the funny n sound.

She even practiced before hand how she was gonna hit it.

Then we had bubbles and silly string.

Getting ready to open presents with dad.

Cake time. Her cousin Braxton's birthday is a day before hers, so we did a combined party. He's turning 3. Ty's trying to hold up 4 fingers.

Getting ready to blow!

There she blows! When she blows she sticks her big lips out really far, so cute.

Mads licken the candle.

She got a tinkerbell jewelry kit and when she opened it she said "tinkerbell dress up?? I don't like to dress up, Madix does!" And she's so right. Ty really isn't into any girly, dolly, dressup stuff. But Mads LOVES it, so I guess she got a present.

Laura came to visit from Oregon so we took all the kids to the railroad park.


All of us on the train, ready to go.

Carousel

WEEEEEEE!