We have had a lot going on this last several months.

I went to parent teacher conference a couple of weeks ago. Courtney's teacher said she is very motivated to get everything done she needs to. The teacher also said that the boys in Courtney's class all have googly eyes at Courtney and she has no idea. That's my girl!! We have been watching the Bachelor together and she can see that boys/men just complicates life. She pointed that out. I know that she will have a good head on her shoulders as she gets older. She also told me that boy/girl dances start for her next year. OH BOY!! That is going to fun to hear about. I hope that she will let me go and chaperon the dance. I'm sure she will be happy if I go with her. She is growing into a beautiful young lady and she makes us so proud everyday!! :) It's hard to believe that she is 11 years old and will start Young Women's this year. What a big step!! Courtney has the best teacher, it's so great to see a teacher so excited about Courtney and her education.

Kendra is such a sweet spunky girl. She is so FUNNY and makes everything more fun. It's a lot of fun when Courtney, Kendra, Maliyah, and some friends of theirs all gather in the kitchen to talk about things that they have learned about. We always end up laughing. I love having such great girls. Kendra may need a big surgery coming up. The bones in her pelvis are so sharp making it difficult for Kendra to use her robot leg. Last time the girls were admitted to the hospital I ran into their plastic surgeon. I told him what the problem was, I asked if he could injected fat to better cover the bone. He said that wasn't possible because she didn't have any fat to take. I said that she could use some of mine, he just laughed and said I didn't have enough either. So now we need to find a plan that will work for Kendra. I wish there was a better way to fix this problem. The surgery would be very dangerous, so I don't really care to do it. I would rather look into different things and try those first.

Maliyah is doing very well without her feeding tube. It's incredible how much Kendra and Maliyah look alike again. She has to drink 40-50oz of water a day to keep her kidney well hydrated. She has had several bladder infections these last couple of months, they have been such a pain to get rid of. It's scary to think she only has one oral antibiotic that could work for her to fight off the different infections. So difficult to think about.

Each of the girls are getting new crutches, walkers and "robot" legs within the next couple of weeks. They are each doing very well with physical therapy and getting stronger every day.
We just celebrated their 9th Birthday. I had originally planned on having a vintage tea party for them. But they said that wasn't what they wanted. They both asked for an animal. I thought that it would be fun to have a turtle, but then started to think of something that no one really has. I thought it would be great to get a hedgehog. We named it Prickles and got a mansion for it. Coolest pet we have ever had. The kids feed it worms and they think that it's really neat. Alli has been a little sad since we got Prickles, so we have become better friends.

Austin and Justin are endlessly playing video games, namely Mario Brothers and Lego Star Wars. The boys started having a hard time focusing in school, and Justin was complaining of headaches, so I unplugged all video games consoles. They can learn to just play those on the weekends. They seem to be doing better, but Justin is still getting headaches, so I will be taking him into the doctor on Monday.

Jake and I are doing very well. I'm busying getting us ready for our cruise, being a mom and student. Which is a lot of work, but I'm always up for a great challenge, makes life more fun. Jake has been intent with watching BYU and the great season the basketball team has been having.

We are just so blessed with life right now. Everything going so well. There are some bumps in the road, but for the most part things are looking better everyday. Jake and I are enjoying the time with our family right now, and understand that it won't last forever, they are going to get older and move away. So we have to make as many lasting memories with them as we can. We are very lucky parent to have each of them in our life.

A lot to catch-up on. But hope you all are doing well.

Lots of the love from the Herrin's :)