*Another go at blogging*

Well here we are in October 2013 and like last year its almost been a whole year since I have updated. What a naughty blogger I am. Playing catch-up for the entire year of 2013 probably isn't going to happen (lets be honest) but I will give it a try!

We moved into our new home in December 2012 and LOVE it. Our neighborhood has been extremely accepting of a NON active LDS family living amongst them, which we are very excited about! When first thinking about moving to Utah County aka "Happy Valley" aka "a close minded LDS community" we were apprehensive to say the least. How would we be accepted? Would we be accepted? How would Delilah be treated? Would she have friends who accepted her not being a part of "primary" weekly? I could handle Scott and I not being snugly and close with the community but Delilah on the other hand was different. I longed for her to have best friends that lived down the street. To have friends who were constantly over playing at our home. To trust the parents of her friends completely. To not always feel alone. Our wishes came true and she has all that and more! She has friends who she loves being with, some of whom she even fights like sisters with (and for her to be an only child at this time I almost like that lol). The move has been amazing for our little family of 3. We have neighbors who look out for each other and want to get to know who lives by them and interact with them. I am not saying we didnt have some of that before but we lived in our old home for 9 years and to be 100% honest I only know 4 familes on the street (whom Delilah would play with). The neighbors there didnt want to get to know you if you werent a part of their faith, as we werent. Again, there are a few exceptions. The families we did know were great and we miss them but here we know so many families and meet more everyday. The neighbors here want to have a relationship with eachother regadless of if you pray or worship every Sunday at the local wardhouse. We feel we have a closer bond and trust for the neighbors in our new neighborhood in the 10 months we have lived here than we ever did in the 9 years we lived in our old home. That is saying a lot about the kindhearted people here. We really did win the "moving to an awesome neighborhood" lottery!! Now if only that came with a million dollar paycheck ;)

Shortly after we moved we celebrated Christmas, what a gift in itself.

 

  (Nana, Delilah and Santa at Home Depot Kids Club)

 (Snowy, our Elf on the Shelf got into some mischief and made Delilah a mini snowman!) 

(Our first Christmas in our new home. SO many wonderful memories were made)

After the holidays were over it was onto getting ready to celebrate me and Delilahs birthdays, which just so happen to be on the same day every year! Who would have thought?! As if trying to decorate our new home wasn't a large job Delilah wanted her birthday party, a princess themed one, at our new home. This made me go into overdrive trying to decorate at least the main living space and get it ready for such a party. If you know me you know I cant just put up some crate paper and balloons and call it a party. Its an event! One that I look forward to and loathe at the same time. But as always it turned out flawless and Delilah couldn't have been happier. I managed to get real princesses to come to her party and help the kids with activities that included nail painting, decorating crowns and tiaras, pin "pasquel" on Rapunzel's hand and of course cake and ice cream fit for a princess! Here is the party as explained in pictures.

We all had such a fun time that I don't know how I am going to compete with myself for her 5th birthday!


I hope you all enjoy the blog and I will keep the updates coming as I can :)

*a house for Christmas*

The holidays are in full swing and if that's not stressful enough we are also in the process of finishing our NEW HOME! As it stands now it looks like we may be in before Christmas. I cannot believe we are actually coming to the end of our journey with this house! Its been a long summer and fall watching it be built and getting excited to start building new memories and open a new chapter of our lives. Delilah is beyond excited to have new friends, have many nice parks so close, see the beauty of Utah Lake every time we look out our windows or step outside and of course have a brand new room. Scott and I are excited to be in a community with lots of new and/or young families and many kids around us, the mountains so close, the lake just as close, nice walking trails, quite and the ability to see the stars! I had almost forgot what those things looked like living in the city for 9 yrs! For me especially its bittersweet. I bought our current home when I was at the ripe age of 21 and have had MANY memories in this home, good, bad and everything in between. I have had some of my lowest lows and highest highs while living her. Had roommates come and go, dated, moved in and married the man who holds my heart, brought Delilah from the hospital to her first home and gave my furry kiddos a place to run, play and be happy. I can only hope that this new home gives us as much joy. But if we ever miss our current home we can always go walk in and reminisce since my parents will be living here and renting it from us. Can I just say that I NEVER imagined owning two homes before I was 30?!! And not just buying one, selling and buying another but actually retaining two separate homes and mortgages. We definitely are blessed and only able to make it work because of Scott's tremendous work ethic and dedication to his family and his job. I could not be more proud of the man I chose to spend my life with and raise a family.

 Here are some pics of the house process..

*Life in 2012*

WOW it's been quite a while since I have blogged. Almost a year to be exact. Has the past year been un-blog-worthy? Hardly. Putting thoughts and experiences on "paper" are therapeutic for a number of reasons and although I don't make New Year's Resolutions I do hope to put my thoughts down to remember later.

To go back and write about the past year would inhibit me from going forward, so to summarize...Xmas was great, Delilah turned 3 (and me 29!), Scott FINALLY got the raise and promotion at his job that he deserves, Scott fractured and separated his left ankle snowmobiling...2 weeks after purchasing a NEW snowmobile and had 2 screws placed and removed, I have stayed out of the hospital(!), Delilah has ALMOST caught on fully to potty training, we are building a new home in Saratoga Springs to be completed this fall and most importantly WE HAVE STARTED FERTILITY DRUGS AGAIN!

Our life is smack dab in the middle of changing by leaps and bounds!

We decided a few months ago that we were ready to move. Ready for a bigger home. Ready for somewhere to be called home for our kids for life. This has been a very big undertaking, to say the least. After looking at numerous areas in and around the Salt Lake Valley we decided we would prefer to move to Saratoga Springs in Utah County and  right on the west bank of Utah Lake. The view is amazing and every time we drive out there it just feels like we are going home. We started by looking at homes for sale and after looking at many new and existing homes we found ourselves not satisfied with any existing homes, especially since a new construction home would cost maybe 10K more. For us we want to build to live there and grow old with our kids so having exactly what we wanted was worth it to us. We found a builder (Merit) and began our plans. We are building a 3700 sq ft home with a loft above the garage (doubles as a 4th bedroom), a walkout basement, a master bath with soaker tub and walk in closet, unfinished basement and 4 car garage. It basically has everything we could want! Because it is a custom home the plans with the architect took a bit longer than anticipated but they are finally back and we will break ground any day now! We have been told they are on a 72 day build cycle so it should *fingers crossed* be finished around September or October.

As for our existing home my parents will be moving in and renting it from us. We always dreamed of having a rental, or a few rental properties so this is our first step! We want to buy other land/property and have other investment prospects. Honestly I never thought I would be where I am in my life, especially not before I turned 30!

Last year was very rough for me healthwise and I spent way too much time in the hospital and doctors offices trying to figure out what was wrong. After all that time and money spent we are no closer to any answers...however I have been free from any of the previous symptoms since last September so we are hopeful they will never return. I started acupuncture last August and I really feel that it has been my saving grace and saved my life.

Since Delilah was born we knew we wanted a second child but with my health last year being so crazy we were unsure that was going to happen. I don't ovulate on my own, among other fertility struggles, and so we need the aid of Clomid (a fertility drug) to help us conceive. My doctors advised against me conceiving until we sorted out my medical issues but have decided I have been doing well for long enough that we have the green light! I started Clomid last month and had an unsuccessful cycle. Today I am on cycle day 9 and in the middle of another attempt to make this month our month to get our BIG FAT POSITIVE!! I'm hopeful but also doubtful as I know women who are on their 12th Clomid cycle and still have not got pregnant. The hopeful side of me though looks at the fact that we conceived Delilah on our 2nd round back in 2008 and have the potential to do it again. I am on numerous supplements and medications to help aid this process. My wish is to be a mother of 2 and if having another baby naturally isn't an option we will look into adoption down the road. Delilah asks daily about becoming a big sister and talks all the time about her little sister, whom she hopes for. Its endearing and also sad because as much as she wants that little sister I want that little sister for her.

Our lives are changing and I cant wait to see what happens next in our chapter.

*Delilahs Santa Video*

Here is a very special delivery just for Delilah ;)

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gjrBt4BrE--eCqmkJ2IjAvQ 

*my beloved aunt Julee*

Life the past week has been unfortunately emotional. My aunt Julee who has been living and working as a police officer in Scottsdale, AZ has lost her life due to cancer. Her cancer started in her breasts and after her double mastectomy in July 2010 it spread rapidly to her lymph nodes throughout her body. She received numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation which bought her some time in this life but also made her extremely sick. Slowly the cancer spread to her spine and hips which made it hard for her to walk. By this time she had stopped the chemo and radiation as it was taking a hard toll on her frail small body but had to return to it to help decrease the size of the tumor residing on her spine. She started doing better mentally and physically but her cancer continued to ravage her body. She did although return to work for a short time! Then as quick as the cancer was determined it came back with a vengeance and spread to her brain which then gave her days to live. She left this world last Thursday, August 25th with my grandpa and aunt Micky by her side.

She is the youngest of my dads 8 siblings (6 of which are living as one of his older sisters passed away in 1982 due to complications while in the hospital. The hospital had actually given  her too much of Demerol and it caused her death.) she is in the best shape of all the siblings (becoming a police officer years ago in the city of Scottsdale, AZ), is one of 2 siblings who have no children and is one of 2 siblings that live out of state with no family near her. She was only a mere 39 years and 1 month young when she passed. When I was younger my grandmother (RIP) watched me and a few of my cousins and since Julee is barely 10 years older than me she was still living at home at this time. I LOVED when her school got out and she came home to play! The playroom was right next to her bedroom downstairs and she would play with us everyday until my mom came to get us. She even gave her and I nicknames. She called us the "JAP sisters" because both of us have the same middle name (Ann) and the same initials, well before I got married. We had "inside secrets", played cops and robbers, every board game available and she would even watch PG13 movies with us that we weren't "allowed" to watch. lol. I wanted to be like her when I grew up.

She ended up going to college at the University of Utah and was a drum major for them and then started teaching music in numerous schools in Utah and Arizona. About 7 yrs ago she decided to get out of teaching and become a police officer, which she was equally good at. She was good at all she set herself out to do. She has 3 furry babies that she leaves behind, all of which I hope find good homes with her "extended family" in AZ. Even with trying to prepare for her death all of us are sad. I guess we were all hoping for a miracle of some sort. I am happy she is finally out of pain and is with her mother and sister again. She will be welcomed to them with open arms. One day I will see her again. RIP aunt Julee.

*Julee Ann Patterson Obituary*

Julee Ann Patterson Obituary: View Julee Patterson's Obituary by The Arizona Republic

*its been a while!*

So I have noticed I have been a GIGANTIC slacker on my blogging. I try to keep it up as like a journal and if that's the case I am really bad at keeping one! There has been quite a bit going on lately, as in life has changed by leaps and bounds in some instances!

I have started Acupuncture and I feel so much better since I've started! I have an amazing 2nd family (the Minsons/McIllece's) who care about my health enough that my 2nd dad, Scott, called his acupuncturist and explained my situation and she contacted me about possibly trying it! I felt so lucky to have others that care so much about me that they went completely out of their way to try to find a way to make me "better"! It seriously puts tears in my eyes to think about how loved I feel by those around me. I was beginning to feel like i would never find out how to manage my health, make things better or work out how to feel confident about conceiving another child safely. I have hope. That is huge. I owe so much to this family, and my own for trying to help me keep positive and keep going with the positive changes i need to make (like drinking way more water than I used to; eating more small meals, as i could go all day without any food and at dinnertime realize it and be completely drained; cut down on my soda intake; make an appt to see my general surgeon regarding my thigh muscles not regenerating properly, which i keep putting off; and continue to think more positive about my health!)

My acupuncturist seems to think much of what I do in regards to what parts of my body are causing the issues. I believe first my kidneys have quite a bit of scar tissue and damage from years of chronic urinary tract infections and chronic kidney stones. My kidney damage then causes the second issue, my heart which always has a very high heartrate (around 140 resting!) and high blood pressure. With both kidney and heart issues this makes me not retain water well and so the amount i need to drink daily is much more than the "average" amount you are told to drink. Drinking my favorite soda, Coke, doesn't help all this either so I am slowly cutting it out. If I can get all the "kinks out of my hoses in my body" through acupuncture I, as well as my acupuncturist feel that I will be in much better health and may be able to heal myself allowing my organs to heal themselves!

I go to my fifth appt this coming Monday and we will go over my progress and what it will take to get my body where it needs to be. If all goes well and i continue to benefit from this we can work on my fertility issues as well and we are hoping we are able to conceive baby #2 sometime after this coming October! I will feel so much more complete after having another child and giving Delilah a sibling. My sister in law is pregnant and due in February and I am hoping to help expand our Snell family as well :)

Delilah is doing great lately except that she is having issues sleeping. I believe it is her reflux, which may be uncontrolled again since we were trying to wean her off. I am having to give her a bit more Zegerid than normal per day and sometimes offset it with extra calcium carbonate. She is waking each night and ends up laying in her glider with the TV on falling asleep. Ya, ya I know I should just take the TV out of her room but it helps when I am putting her down for naps or for having quite time in her room. She still cant open her door to her room but can turn on the lights and TV so when she is up she ends up banging on her door scaring the crap out of me, as it wakes me from a dead sleep! At least when the TV is in there she is able to turn it on, watch some cartoons and when i hear that sound (much less startling!) I can get up and open her door and get going for the day.

She is still having issues with eating bananas but can pretty well eat anything else! I never thought I would see the day! Her new favorite thing is cheese roll-ups (cheese in a tortilla rolled up lol) and "baby hotdogs" which are mini corndogs. Her favorite things to eat are still fruits of any kind, fresh peas, apple juice and ice water! Whenever she goes on the potty she gets a treat and she usually asks for a strawberry or apple. I love it! Even when she got a haircut i told her she could have a big treat and she asked for 2 strawberries. She is such a good girl! She says please, thank you and sorry daily in regards to everything! If she forgets to put a toy away she tells me "sorry mama, i put away now" or if she wants apple juice she will say "apple juice please mama" and when i get it for her she always says "thank ewe mommy". Shes just so polite! She also is going to be a little model! She will be doing a shoot for DS

Scott is working hard as ever and will be starting school again this month. I am so proud to be able to call him my husband and daughters father as he is amazing at both jobs :) Delilah loves her daddy and their weekends she spends every minute with him!

Its never dull around the Snell home!