Did I forget to mention...?

1. Health. Right now we are all pretty healthy! This winter though, we went through a couple doozy stomach bugs, some ear infections, some nasty coughs and headaches. Sometimes you don't appreciate a blessing until you don't have it. I am very thankful for a healthy body though. Especially what I went though in January. Yeah, I didn't much feel like writing about it at the time. Sorry. It was January when I found a suspicious lump in my right breast. Yeah, never a fun thing. I've actually been through this scenario before. Back in college after my mission I found one. I freaked out and went to the doctor, who told me it was a "good find" and they sent me to get an ultra sound (my breasts were "too firm" for a mammogram; wish those days were still here!) The ultra sound showed that I have "fibracious breasts" and the lump, as well as two smaller ones we discovered in the process, were fluid filled an nothing concerning. They told me though, that since I had such lumpy breasts it would be good for me to be familiar with them- so I could spot strange changes. Not long after though, I got married and started having babies, and when you have babies and are nursing, your boobs change A LOT! So self exams kinda went on the back burner. Anyway, in January I was realizing my breasts had been really achy for a while, especially my right. I was doing a self exam when I felt the lump. It was bigger, and in a different spot than the one I'd found back in college. I didn't panic, but since I'd just been talking to Jenny about cancer, and I talked to my mom who told me that her geneticist had told her that her daughters needed to be more cautious (she had and overcame breast cancer at age 59, and we have lots of cancer history in our family,) even though her BRACS test came back negative, I knew I needed to go in and get it checked. My doctor said it was probably just another fluid filled cyst, but again, complimented me on my find and sent me for a mammogram. Unfortunately the mammogram showed it looking like more of a solid mass, so I was immediately sent in for an ultra sound, which also showed a more solid mass. I was referred to Dr. Hart, who is a very cool surgeon in Park City, who deals a lot with this sort of thing. She told me I would need to have a biopsy. Just a few days later, I lay on a gurney, attached to another ultra sound machine, and watched as she drilled into the mass to take several samples. Yeah, wasn't my best day. And then I had to wait. Meanwhile we headed to CA for our Disneyland trip. Luckily though, she called me the evening we got there and told me the results were benign! It was such a relief. Now I just have to go in EVERY year, or even six months for a mammogram. There you have it. My breast lump story.

2. Conversation about smoking. Tonight as we were finishing up dinner Dekker asked Jake if he smokes. A very random question. Jake and I were both kinda thrown off guard- the answer is NO, but it question kinda came out of nowhere. So I decided to ask him more questions. Why did he ask? Does he know anyone who smokes? Does he think smoking is good or bad? Why is it bad? He knew, it was bad but couldn't tell me why. So we talked about it from a spiritual aspect, and then from the physical perspective. And then talked about, if people know all of those bad things, why do they do it (usually peer pressure), and then the addictive nature of it. It was a really good conversation. He said that he's decided he won't ever smoke. Again, a reminder that there are so many lessons to teach as a parent.

3. Dance moves. Tonight, while Jake was doing the dishes, he turned on some music. TJ came in the kitchen and started to "bust a move". It was pretty jerky and a little off beat- but so stinkin' cute. I love toddlers' dancing!