the fourth of july.

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love America and everything it stands for, and I love the spirit that this holiday brings out in people. Terry is especially fond of it too, seeing as how he served our country in the United States Air Force.

Last year we were a little disappointed with the way the day turned out, because we had been spoiled by all the festivities that occur in Utah, whereas Florida doesn't seem to do much of anything. So we went to Aunt Hilary and Uncle Rob's house in Hobe Sound, because they have a huge party that half the town comes to, and Rob puts on a display of fireworks that is so big, you'd think it was put on by the town in their own back yard! Patriotic music blares as the fireworks are lit from the backyard, while the spectators sit in the front yard and watch them burst high in the sky. It really was awesome and we had a great time there, but when we left we got about a mile down the road and realized that someone had made a HUGE crack in our windshield, the size of a #10 can, completely circular! I have no idea how it was done, but since the whole town was present, there was no way of knowing who did it. Well, we got the windshield replaced, but it wasn't the same after because it would leak water and the job just wasn't done right, even though the company came twice to repair it. Lucky for us, we ended up selling that van to my parents (hehehe). Sorry mom and dad!

This year we didn't want to risk that one again! Our ward was having a BBQ on the beach, so we went. It was a BLAST! So fun! The beach was perfect that day. The water was clear and calm-flat, but not too flat. Beautiful. The food was great and the girls had a ball digging in the sand, splashing in the water, and throwing water balloons at people. We stayed for a few hours and then decided to leave, since most of the members had already left and Terry was getting hot. But then on our way home we remembered that one of Terry's old high school buddies was going to be in town, and he and his family usually throw a big party at Riverside Park, where the town does fireworks. We found him, and had yet more food and fun. The girls played with another little girl that was there and went swimming in her little pool. Terry and I talk to all who stopped by, and when the fireworks finally went off, it was gorgeous. Nothing like good old "Stadium of Fire" of course, but it was a nice show for this small town.

Now, this may seem like the perfect day, especially when hearing about last year's events, but it didn't start that way. Let me give you some background information. Sometime last year (I can't remember exactly when), Trinity was playing in her room and then came to us, saying she had something in her nose and needed help getting it out. We thought it was just a big booger, but no, it turned out to be a bead! She is a very smart little girl, so we couldn't understand why she would have done such a thing, but she did. Needless to say, we couldn't get it out, so we had to go to the emergency room. We took her to a small hospital that is in the town just next to us, because frankly, the one here stinks. So it was a bit of a drive, but we were glad we went there. The staff was quick to get us in and everyone was very nice. And it turned out that a member of our ward was there and he was the one who worked on Trinity! He couldn't work the bead out either, so he made up this little vacuum, out of some tubing and I don't know what, and stuck it up her nose. Soon after the bead emerged! Hooray for happy endings. Back to the present--wouldn't you know, our youngest daughter Natalie did the EXACT same thing on the 4th of July?! She came to me and said she had something in her nose, right when we were about to walk out of the house and head down to the ward party. I thought "Oh boy. Here we go again." Thankfully, I WAS able to maneuver the bead out of her nose this time. I swear, there is really NEVER a dull moment at the Mann house.

butterfly birthday.

On July 18, 2005, my unplanned blessing whom we call Natalie Elise was born. At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with two children. I was still getting used to my first child when I found out I was pregnant with my second. I had a very hard time adjusting, but after a couple months I was so in love that it didn't matter anymore. Today I know that Natalie was sent to me from my Heavenly Father for a purpose. She was meant to come to our family, I am sure of it. I love her so much and she will forever be my baby.

Flash-forward four years and here we are, celebrating Natalie's fourth birthday! I can't believe how fast time has gone. She loves mermaids and princesses, Hello Kitty and butterflies, and she decided that she wanted to have a "butterfly birthday." So we had our family and neighbors over and had a yummy meal of sloppy joes (courtesy of grammy Tina, who makes the best sloppy joes ever!), potato salad, and of course, a butterfly cake, made by me. I tried my best, but it really didn't come out as good as I had envisioned it. But the party was a success and most importantly, the birthday girl had "the best birthday ever!", so she said.



Gifts included a butterfly drawn by Great-gramma Hildy, a Disney Princess lunchbox, a Barbie that allows you to "cut" and style her hair, and her favorite, her very own Leapster 2! Trinity has had one for a couple years now, but they always fight over it, so we decided it was time to buy Natalie her own, and we got a great deal on e-bay. This kid also cleaned up in the cash department, getting a total of $15 for her birthday! She knew just what to do with it--buy her Barbie doll a prince charming, of course! So a couple days after her birthday we went to Target and purchased a very handsome "wedding" Ken doll, who looks like the perfect prince charming.

I love this little girl so much and am so happy she came to our family. Happy fourth birthday, Natalie! Thank you for being my baby girl.

good fortune?

Last night we went to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants for dinner, Szechuan Palace. It was built by my great grandfather Waldo Sexton and thus has a highly eccentric atmosphere that is adored by many. We ordered a tofu dish, which Natalie adorably calls "fufu," as well as some sesame chicken, and a new chicken and vegetable dish that I had never tried before. Everything was amazing! It all came with won-ton soup (they have the best), egg rolls, and those yummy chips and duck sauce. And as expected, we all received a fortune cookie at the end of the meal. I never eat mine because I once read the calorie content and was horrified that such a small thing could have so many calories, so I usually just open it up for the fortune and pass the cookie on to my girls. But that night was different.
As I opened my cookie, wondering what my fortune would be, I saw that it was empty! I was in shock and disbelief, as that had never happened to me before and I so wanted a little fortune! (Don't ask me why. I really don't know.) Well, needless to say, I came to the conclusion that I have no future. Depressing, right? But it's kind of the way I've been feeling lately, so I took it at face value. But that's not even the best part of my story--Terry then opened his cookie and found the funniest fortune I have ever seen--"You will have some new clothes." Seriously?! That man is such a clothes hound-you wouldn't believe how many articles of clothing he has! So to us, it was a hilarious fortune. Then the kids both got some fortune about wisdom and grace, the typical fortune you would expect. All in all, it was a funny moment for us that night. Something I thought was worth noting.

ms and genetics.

In the short time that Terry has been officially diagnosed with MS (since 2001), it seems like research has come a long way. I admit, we have not been as diligent as we used to be or should be about keeping up with the latest research and findings about this curious "snowflake" disease. But we have recently connected via the internet with someone who also has MS and who also uses the VA for their care, as we do. This has inspired us to resume our quest for knowledge as we fumble through a life with MS. Not only are we learning more about this disease already, but we are also learning more about what the VA has to offer for MS patients.

Last night Terry was up late because he couldn't sleep, so he decided to do some online research about MS. One of our favorite places to go online is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's web page, www.nmss.org. It is a non-profit organization that has everything from information about support groups, to a list of neurologists that you can choose from, to a library lending service. There are also chapters located in each state that you can join and participate in. We joined our state chapter back in Utah several years ago and met so many great people through the activities the chapter provided. We have tried to join here, but it is further away from us and has been more difficult to get involved in.

The reason I mention the NMSS is because that is where Terry went last night and what he found scares me but also intrigues me. We have always been very curious as to whether or not MS was hereditary or had any genetic links. At the time that Terry was diagnosed, we were told by many people that they did not know, but that they thought it was unlikely. After all, no one in Terry's family has MS, nor can anyone remember his ancestors having MS. Through the NMSS we also met people who had multiple family members with MS, but then others who had never heard of the disease until their own diagnosis. Many speculate that being in the desert while in the military has something to do with it, and there is even a website and foundation about it. Personally I don't know what to believe. But I do know a little about Biology now that I am studying to be a nurse and I also know that what I have read leads me to believe that MS is hereditary.

For me, this is the worst news possible. I have seen my husband suffer all these years, and I am sure there is more to come. I can not even begin to imagine my sweet little girls going through the same thing. Though at the moment the chances seem slim that any of our children will get it, the idea is still there and it has always haunted me, somewhere in the back of my mind.

I am going to need some time to sort this all out in my head and to do more research on the theory. As I find more information, I will post it. In the meantime, go to http://www.nationalmssociety.org/news/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=996
and check out the article written March 5, 2009, entitled "Genetics Studies Yield New Clues to Why People Get MS."

the faith of a child.

There is no cure for MS. But I believe that God has the power to heal. However, I also believe that we are given trials and challenges that are intended to make us stronger and test our faith. So while I know that if He wanted to God could heal my husband, I think that his MS is meant to be our challenge in this life.

That being said, we are taught that we should have the faith of a little child, believing in things we cannot see but which we know are real. By doing this, we can shut out the world and draw closer to our Heavenly Father. This is what I was taught and it is what my husband and I are teaching our children.

Our oldest daughter, Trinity, has an extreme amount of faith. It is so wonderful for us to watch her learn and grow in the gospel. She prays daily and lately we have noticed that she has been praying for one thing in particular: that her daddy will be healed and walk again. She knows that if she prays and asks Heavenly Father for something, that He will give it to her. And she truly believes that He has the power to heal her daddy. But she also knows that it hasn't happened yet, so she always says "Please help daddy to walk by tomorrow." It melts my heart to hear her speak to her Heavenly Father in a way that is so full of faith.

Trinity, I know that your Heavenly Father loves you and that He will always be there for you. Keep praying and never lose faith. Though His will will be done and not ours, prayer works.

everybody's ami.

Lately we have been talking alot about going to the VA in Miami, because that is where Terry had his surgery for his shoulder and he has to keep going back for follow-up appointments. The significance of this city is what Natalie calls it: "Ami." She listens to us talk about Miami and how we are going there, and for a long time she would hear me talk about it and say "Are we going to mommy's Ami today?" thinking that I was saying it was MY Ami! We tried to explain that it wasn't anybody's Ami, and that the name was Miami, but she didn't and still doesn't understand and now she says that it is not just MY Ami, but that it is Everybody's Ami! It makes us laugh every time.

happy birthday, trinity!

Trinity Sarah-Noel was born on December 11, 2003. My, how time flies! It seems like just yesterday I was holding my "miracle baby" in my arms for the first time, crying tears of joy because I had to wait so long for her. And now she is five.
This year we decided to scale back on parties and presents and had a small party at home with just grandparents and their favorite uncle, Brian. Since I didn't let her have friends over, I baked cupcakes for her Pre-K class and handed out treat bags to all her friends at school. They loved it! I also decided to take on the challenge of making and decorating a cake and with the help of the Sister Missionaries in our ward, it came out pretty well for my first cake.
When we asked Trinity what she wanted for her birthday, she replied "A beautiful dress from Macy's," which is her favorite store. We couldn't find one at Macy's, but we did find one at Nordstrom in Miami, when we were on one of our many trips to the VA hospital there. It was perfect. The blue matches her beautiful eyes. Then we noticed that she was totally in love with a bike at Wal-Mart. We went there a few times one week and she kept riding this bike around in the garden section (yes, my kids run amok when we go places, but come on, it's just Wal-Mart). So Terry and I decided that we should get her this bike, since she was already calling it "hers" anyway. We bought it right then and there (hiding it with great finesse) and of course she was completely ecstactic when she saw it on her birthday! She rode it all around the house until we bought her a helmet and now she rides it outside almost everyday.
We are so thankful for this little girl who has brightend our lives and touches our spirits. She is spunky, precotious, and free-spirited, but she is also sensitive, caring, and so loving. She came into our lives at just the right time and made our family complete. I love you more than anything. Happy Birthday, Trinity!