Renovations

So as some of you know all us Starkes, Yarn and Crandell kids started remodeling Jackie's house last November. We made the two bedrooms up stairs into one big room with a walk in closet so that way Jackie could use her room down stairs as a office/craft room or what ever it may be. We gutted the up stairs completely, new insulation and drywall and electric, etc. Well here it is a year later and the room is still not completed. Everyone has been very busy this past year and trying to work as much as possible with the economy being so crapy. So, the goal is to have everything completed and all of Jackie's stuff moved into her new room by Thanksgiving. Brandi painted a while ago but the paint got all scratched up so this weekend Brandi touched up as much as she could before she had to leave back to Taylor for Jaimin's T-ball game and Brandon, Brian and Mike did some drywall on the new stairs that were completely taken down and rebuilt due to the old stairs being so freakin steep, you even had to walk up and down them sideways because they were little bitty steps. I don't have any pictures of what the bedroom looks like so far, but I do have some of the stairs. The new stairs look so much better then the old ones and Brandon is getting ready to do the texture so that way Brandi can come in and paint them. Brandi is definetely the painter in the family, she does an awesome job. So here are some pictures.

SWEET AZURE

First I would like to say Happy Birthday to my nephew Brian James Yarn who just turned 9 today. Brian has always been so cute, loving and very smart. I love you Brian.

Today as you all know, my sister in-law Azure has been with Heavenly Father for 2 years now, WOW is she LUCKY. I would LOVE to see Azure again but I know it will be a while before I do. Brandon and I were at Mike and Brandi's last night and I went to get some water out of the fridge and I saw a flashback of one of Azures last weeks on earth. Their fridge is really cool, it tells you how much water is being dispensed in ounces. Well anyways, Brandon, Brian, Azure and Mike decided they were going to have a water drinking contest to see who could drink more and after they were done they were all throwing up, they were so sick. That was in Setember of 2007 when we were helping Mike and Brandi move in. I know its a weird memory but it is a good one. Brandon says he remembers the day before Azure passed away when they were at the Home Center, Azure was chasing Brandon around the parking lot with little Eric in her arms because Brandon said to Brian,'' Oh NO!!! our wife is here, RUN.'' Brandon said it was so funny. I have so many memories of Azure as we all do. I remember seeing Azure and Baby Eric at the Heber Country Store getting a Dr Peper 3 days before Azure passed and I was playing with Eric, Azure was telling me that she wished I was having the girl I had always wanted but it was ok because for some reason Heavenly Father wanted me to have a little boy. Azure always looked at things in such a positive way and she was always so inspirational. Azure always had a way of calming me down when I hated everyone. I love Azure. I remember the drive to Flagstaff with Mike, Brandi, Brandon and Jackie and we were all talking and joking like it was no big deal and Azure was going to be fine, we said,' Great, leave it up to Azure, now were all going to have to take turns taking care of her and Eric.'' It wasn't a bad thing, I think we were just trying to calm our nerves and think positive like Azure always told us to do. I remember Brandon talking to Brian saying that Eric was fine and was getting ready to be released from the hosital and Brandon asked Brian why Azure was deverted to Winslow hospital, We all knew it was bad when Brandon went numb and dropped the phone and started crying. Brian had told Brandon that they tried everything they could to keep her alive but they could no longer try. At that very moment we were all shocked, numb, sad and wondering why would Heavenly Father want to take Her from us, her baby and most of all her husband. We were all really heart broken but it didn't kick in until we made it to the hosital and the nightmare became a reality. We would all give anything to have Azure back with us even if it meant taking care of her for a while, but at least we have her. I know Azure is in a better place and that she is watching over us trying to keep us safe. I can't wait until I get to see her again, see her beautiful big smile, her long hair and her porclin skin. Im happy that we have the memories of Azure, that is better then not having her at all. We love you Azure. You will ALWAYS be missed but NEVER forgotten.

FAMILY

I love my husband, he is the best. On October 5th Brandon took me out to dinner at Licanos. We had a sitter for the kids but we felt that it has been a while since we have been out as a family so, we took the kids. Brandon and I have realized that OUR LOVE is worth fighting for and we don't want to ever take any days together for granted . The night Brandon took the kids and I out he was actually in the Valley meeting with his boss in the day time, and on his way home he stopped and got me a gift. Later that evening we went to ShowLow and ate dinner at Licanos, it was so yummy, after we ate we went to Walmart because it was too late to go see a movie. We got the boys each a pair of pants and some little house hold items. The biggest item that was purchasd that evening was a Wedding Ring for Brandon, he looks nice with a ring on his finger. I love my Family so much and I hate that the short term seperation happened but you can't take but what is done, but in the time we were apart it was totally a learning experience. Heavenly Father has a plan and appearently his plan for us was for us to have some time apart. We have both learned so much and now we can move on with what we have learned and apply it to make our family better, healthier and stronger.

Life was Crazy

Well life has been crazy, hectec, scary, deressing, you name it, it has been. Brandon and I have been together almost 9 years this coming March 3rd, we have been married almost 8 years this December 8th. Brandon and I had alot of problems in our marriage recently and we seperated because of it. Were not perfect and we are both at fault for what happened. We have realized that we do love each other and that this relationship is worth fighting for we were just to blind and scared and hurt to see that and to except it. Brandon and I are talking and working things out because we truly love each other and want a life together as husband and wife. I am so happy and blessed to be back with my other half. Brandon has found Heavenly Father and wants to except him into his life, Brandon has a pretty strong testimony at this point that put me to my knees. Brandon says he has been prayin alot the past few days and he loves the feeling of the spirit and the strenght he gains when he does pray and I am so proud of him. I thought it was so cute and I started balling when he asked me if I would go to church with him. I am so blessed to have Brandon and my 3 wonderful little boys back in my life. I LOVE YOU BABE!!!

Whats up with the bad Heart's

So, to start this update out, when Casey was 1 we had to take him to a heart specialist in Flagstaff and he was diagnosed with a hole in the heart between the two upper chambers. When your born, you are born with 2 upper chambers and 2 lower chambers. Casey has all 4 chambers but the 2 upper has an extra opening and usually this hole that Casey has is supposed to close its self by the time he was 4. The hole is where the chamber doesn't shut all the way allowing more blood than normal and faster than normal to travel to the heart. The doctor described it as a flap that moves back and forth allowing the blood to flow in and out. This defect is known as atrial septal defect (ASD). The condition is present from birth (congenital). Smaller atrial septal defects may close on their own during infancy or early childhood.

Large and long-standing atrial septal defects can damage your heart and lungs. An adult who has had an undetected atrial septal defect for decades may have a shortened life span from heart failure or high blood pressure in the lungs. Surgery is usually necessary to repair atrial septal defects to prevent complications.

Casey's defect was the smaller ASD and is not supposed to be too dangerous. I took Casey to the doctors a couple weeks ago and the doctor could still hear that the hole is infact still there and it shouldn't be. The Doc said no need to worry but he should still be paid close attention to. Heart problems run very highly on my dads side of the family, and only seems to affect the males. When you listen to Casey's heart you can hear the extra blood flowing, it is really cool to listen to, it sounds like an extra beat. Jared, my 4 year old was diagnosed with an abnormal heart rythem at 2 days old, he was actually still in the hispital. His bpm was only 77 which was not too much higher than my bpm, as all us moms know, new borns heart beats are supposed to be in the 100's for the first couple of years. Jared also went to the doctors when I took Casey and he still has the abnormal heart rythem and it is still only like 75 beats per minute. Jared will out grow this, but not untill he is an adult. This abnormality is not dangerous at all as long as it stays where it is and does not lower. Anthany, my 19 month old, so far does not have any heart problems like his brothers and the likley hood of him forming any now are very slim. All I have to say is thanks to the Dieterich's genitic heart problems that my 2 older boys have inherited...lol

What a CRAZY life

Where do I even begin? My mom, the strongest person I know has had many problem with her breast for the past 3 years. My mother is supposed to get mamograms done every 6 months do to the complications she has had. Every time she gets one done it always comes back with some kind of mass, Dr Greco, her doctor was always able to tell the same day it was done that there was nothing to be worried about, they were just non cancerious tissue. 1 year ago my mom had a bio done just to play safe and everything came back fine, the doc's decided she could wait 8 months in stead of 6 months for her next mamogram. My mom went in earlier this week to get another one done and everything did not come back fine. My moms mass was back and much larger, the doctors have reason to believe that it is cancer. ( Dr. Greco says it is suspecious) SO, my mom is going in for surgry on August 12th to take samples of this mass that they seem to beleve could be cancer. The doctors say not to worry yet because it could turn out to be nothing. The good thing about this unfortunate event is that if it is cancer then they caught it early. Please, Please, Please keep my mom in your prayers, I will update you all as soon as I am updated... Thanks

What a Scary Day

Today was a VERY bad day. It started with a friend telling us we owe a lot of money for a fine from when we were in Texas, the city of Killeen SUCKS. I started cleaning the house, waiting for my new phone to arrive I had to stay home so, after I cleaned I sat down to do my homework when I got a call from Brandon who was on his way home from Showlow with Aaron Blair. Brandon was in Pinedale when he and Aaron recieved a call from Kay Supply in Taylor saying the trim they needed was there so, they just turned down the dirt road and headed to Taylor. 4 miles up the road was a big dump truck speeding down the dirt washboard road, Brandon said he had to been going 60 miles an hour because all the dump truck left was a cloud of dust. Brandon and Aaron were laughing and saying they thought he was going to reck and then all the sudden Brandon heard a loud pop, swerved off the road and that is all he remembers. Brandon work up a few seconds later and his truck was in a tree. Appearently the tire on his truck blew out and for some reason Brandon blacked out. Brandon and Aaron did have their seat belts on how ever Brandon was transported to Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center for back and neck pain, Aaron was also transported because he hit his head hard on the windsheild. The x-rays were done and Aaron only had deep bruising and will be very sore for a while, Brandon tore the muscle and tissue in his chest and back and will also be sore for a while. Today was very scary and I am so happy now that we are home. We did have full coverage so everything will be taken care of.

The craziest night, and I was sober...

Im sorry for all you who don't want to hear this but this blog is also like my diary and what I am about to say needs to come out or I won't be able to sleep. This is very random but thats ok because I have had a few family members tell me that I am very random at times... Like I said, Im sorry for the weird post.

I have had such a great night and it all started out when I came down to the valley to bring my grandma home. I decided to stay the night and visit with some family and at about midnight we put in a movie, it was me and my 13 year old cousin Trista and her 4 year old brother Joey and my boys Casey and Jared. Well I haven't been feeling good so I fell asleep soon after the movie started. At about 1:30am Trista woke me up with a damn ice cube and was freaking out because some one hacked into her myspace with a fake myspace and was posting videos of her. I got up to go look and before I could she had erased all the evidence, hmmm. I call bull crap. So as were watching the movie in the living room she see' s a red light in the back yard and starts to freak out because she thinks its the myspace hacker video taping her. I start freaking out because im a scardy cat and we started waking up the kids to go up stairs with everyone else. I was turning off the tv and dvd player and she is still freaking out, I looked at Trista and she was laughing so hard by the way we were freaking out that she starts to pee her pants. As we head up the stairs we notice that the red light is the freaking reflection off the coffee pot. WOW!!! We freaked for nothing. As I am writing all of this my cousin is about to throw up because of my burps, they taste like ass and appearently they smell like it too, Stupid throw up burps. Did I mention I don't feel too good? WOW!!! My 7 year old just asked me if when Im in the bath tub if I have ever laughed so hard that I farted, kids say the darndest thing. So my night has been very interesting and i am very tired now as I was at 1:30 in the morning when I was sleeping just fine untill all of this stupid crap. Good night.

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!

I was going through some pictures the other day and I found some of when my mom and dad moved Brandon and I to Texas. While my parents were in Texas with us we celebrated my moms 51st birthday on May 19th at Texas Roadhouse. I told our waitress that it was my moms birthday so of course my mom had to sit on the saddle and wave a white napkin over her head while they were singing and if she stopped waving it before they were done singing then they would start all over. It sure was a fun night. Happy Birthday mom I love you

New Arrival!!!!!

As soon as we were leaving Texas I recieved a text from Sophia telling me she has her baby. Sophia went into Showlow Hospital on 6-7-09 at 3 pm only dialeated to a three and had him at 5:15pm with no pain medicine,she was only in labor for 2 hours. Sophia is extremely lucky for being in labor for that short of time. Congrats Sophia,Joey and Victoria on your new baby boy.

Joseph Matthew Revilla Jr.
Born June 7th 2009
To Sophia and Victoria Williams & Joey Revilla
6 pounds, 8 ounces & 21 inches long

Saying Good- Bye

Saying good bye is so hard especially when your saying it to your Bestie. Brandon and I moved out to Texas in April because thats where his job took him, we moved in with my BESTEST BESTIE Hollian Rickman ( her husband Brandon is in Iraq and due to come home in July) I loved living with Hollian and it sure was fun when we would go to Starbucks and get our Mocha Fraps'... So Yummy. All the coffee that was in it sure made us act strange ( like getting drunk without the alcohol...lol). We would also take really late night trips to Walmart, that was also fun. Not only did I bond with my Bestie I bonded with her daughters. Hailie is 6 and Emma is almost 4 and she loves to sing. When Emma would ask a question she would put it into a song and she also refused to finish her dinner one night because the cookie monster was looking at her through the window but it was ok because the cookie monster shared his cookies with her and the blue diamonds... so stinkin cute. Hailie and Casey would play Twilight, Hailie was Bella and Casey was Edward and the rest of the kids wanted to play so they also got to be vampires. Well Brandon decided that the job he was in was not for him so we moved back to Overgaard. We left June 7th a 6pm and made it to our destination Overgaard July 8th at 8:30 am, boy is it nice to be home. Well I just want to let you know Hollian that I appreciate everything you did for us and for opening your home to us and I love you so many.... BESTIES are FOREVER.

Coming to visit Arizona

I don't have any pictures or anything special but I just wanted to let everyone know that were leaving the 10th or 11th of June to come to Arizona for a couple weeks. Dieterich-Lee const has some work that they really need help with and Brandon said,'' sure, why not.'' So as much as I hate the trip I guess I am coming back also, so I can visit with the family that I didn't get to say good bye to. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.

Happy Birthday Hollian!!!

Hollian Rickman's birthday was May 25th, she turned 24 years old. We didn't do much that day but it sure was fun. Hollian got alot of cool gifts. I got her a shirt from Aeropostale and some really cute panties ( some from Victoria Secrets) and Karla Connelly got her a pair of Guess flip flops and a bra from Victoria Secrets. Later that night Karla made dinner and it was way yummy and then we had cake and ice cream. The day went by very quick and that was a major bummer because I had to wake up the next morning and get Casey ready for school and school here in Texas starts at 7:30am to 2:45pm... Totally CRAZY... Well sorry to change the subject. I love you Hollian with all my heart and your the Bestest Bestie EVER, I hope you had a great Birthday. ( Sorry your hubby couldn't be here but you know if he could he would :)...)

Sleep Time.

We left Thursday night at about 8:00 pm Texas time to come to Arizona and get the rest of stuff all packed up and moved, we didn't get to Overgaard until 11:30 am Arizona time. It was such a long trip. We pulled over to the side of the road in New Mexico to sleep, we slept for like 2 hours and then headed back out. I was so relieved when we finally made it to the 377, 277 turn off and then being home really hit, we saw my brother in-law Mike Yarn. I miss the Yarns alot because we never got to see them or really say bye ( it sucked) we saw Mike on the side of the road... (What were the odds of him being the first person we saw?) We got into town and saw my mom and Dad and Brandon's mom and his brother Brian and sister inlaw Ginger. It was so nice to see family. I wish we could of went out to Taylor and saw Brandi and the boys but we didn't have much time so that didn't happen. We went to my moms house to rest after a long 15 hours of driving and Brandon and the boys didn't last an hour, they were out by 6 pm. I love this picture, they fell asleep behind my moms couch... So cute. Well we are finally back in Texas after driving for 20 hours this time because my parents were pulling their 24 foot long in closed trailer and I'm so happy were home. I want to let all of our friends and family that we didn't get to see that we love you and miss you and we will be back for the 4th of July so we will see you then and for Brandi, I really am so sad that I will not be able to watch Madden grow and i'm sad that he will probably never know his Auntie Kelli...lol. Give him hugs and kisses for me.

Casey's First Day At His New School

I wish I had a picture of Casey's first day at a new school but I don't. Sorry. Well Today I took Casey to to his new school, Trimmier Elementary. I enrolled him which took an hour and a half, it totally sucked but if I want him to go on to 2nd grade then he needs to finish 1st. The office finally found him a teacher so Hollian and I followed the lady from the office with Casey and as soon as we got to the class Casey threw the biggest fit, he was balling and saying,'' I want to go to my old home and go to my old school and play with my old friends.'' Just sobbing. It was the saddest thing to have to watch and I did want to cry myself because for the last 3 years he never did this before he went to school, even before his first day of preschool he didn't cry. I finally calm him down, but the tears still flowing, I left. I hated that I left but what else was I supposed to do. Around 11:00am I went to the school because I needed to sign another form and standing in the office I see Casey and the rest of the class walking hand in back of them walking to lunch, he was really happy and laughing so I decided to go to the lunch room to check on him. When I spotted Casey he immediately saw me so I walked to the table with him and ate with him and he was telling me how many friends he already had and also that he won a prize out of the prize box because he was being the best behaved, surprisingly considering how the morning went. I had to leave because lunch was over and he was ok with it and gave me a hug and a kiss and told me he loved me, as I walking away he told me he didn't want to come back tomorrow so we will see how tomorrow goes and this time I will take pictures :D

Well Life sure seems to be hard right now. My husband got a job in Killen, Texas and on April 3,2009 he started on the 15 hour drive to Texas, the sad part (well there are a couple of them) is that he took my 4 year old little boy Jared with him and Jared is a total momma's boy ( when it comes down to it). Brandon took Jared to help me out because I had just gotten home from the hospital from having a hysterectomy and 2 kids is easier than 3. (Brandi, I don't know how you had 5 C- sections. The hysterectomy was so painful, they even gave me a spinal so that way when I woke up I wouldn't be hurting as much. You are one of the strongest people I know to get cut open like that 5 times.) Ever since Brandon and Jared left it has been an emotional rollercoaster, I feel so incomplete and my bed is so empty. I am moving to texas at the end of May so my son can finish school and so I can heal so it is going to be a very long and sad 8 weeks until I can see them again.

Madden Montgomery Yarn

YAY!!!! Mike and Brandi had a healthy BEAUTIFUL baby boy, Madden Montgomery Yarn. Madden was born February 6, 2009 he weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and as cute as they get. I didn't have very many pictures but as I get them they will be posted. Congrats Mike and Brandi and kids, Love you all so much

Madden Montgomery Yarn

Anthany's 1st Birthday

Well I know this post is a little late but you know what they say,'' Better late than never.'' Well my baby Anthany just turned ONE on February 2,2009. Anthany was my perfect healty 6 pound 4 ounces and 21 1/4 incles long and lookes just like his brother Casey. Anthany was a very good baby, he started to sleep through the night at 2 weeks old started rolling over at 3 months and got his first 2 teeth at 5 months. Anthany didn't start crawling until 8 months because he just loved to scoot on his belly, he started taking his first few steps at 10 months but didn't really walk until he turned one he also says little baby babble like dada uhh ohh and his favorite one is hot because when he was 9 months old he burned his hand on my hair straightner but he healed just fine. I guess all around he has been a late bloomer compared to my other 2 boys but that fine because he needs to stay by baby forever. Here are some pictures( actually alot) of my PRECIOUS little MAN Anthany Michael Starkes.