Kohler Klan

2012-02-08T21:19:00.003-07:00

Im sorry I didnt' update after our Neurosurgeons appointment. It went OK. The Dr. doesn't think the Chiari Malformation is causing any problems for Jase. That really caught me off guard. I thought for sure it was. Some of the symptoms are mobility issues for the lower half of body, low muscle tone, sleep apnea, voice issues, to name a few and Jase has all of those. He also said that there is probably no spinal issues. His theory is that since Jase is globally delayed, that this isnt' the cause. It is something else. The geneticist and neurologist need to figure it out. He said that he doesn't have hydrocephalus. Huh? Im so confused, the radiologist said he did....oh whatever. So no new developments there, and while I am glad there is no brain surgery, I just wish I knew more.

Jases new Gait Trainer

I have been so excited to get Jases new gait trainer. I can tell he wants to be mobile so bad. When he sees all the friends run through the house, his legs start to kick and starts grunting. He wants to play so bad! Jase loves to race Jordan from the couch into the kitchen. The bad part is, I have to carry him and race for him, as he kicks his legs. Those types of things tell me he understands more than I think he can. He is also leaning and looking for the basement to go and play. So I just knew he would be so excited and happy to be able to be more independent. As you can see, he was loving being one of the boys!

We are heading in tomorrow to have another hearing test. Friday Jase is going in to have tonsils and Adenoids removed, and a Bronchoscopy. (not really sure what that is :) He will stay overnight just for monitoring. We are removing the tonsils and Adenoids because they are growing rapidly and we think that is what is causing the Sleep Apnea. Im sure all will go just fine and we may get to now ditch the oxygen at night.

Overall Jase is doing so good, and is improving in many areas. Thanks for checking :)

mri results

2011-12-16T19:20:00.003-07:00

The most important news of the day: JASE GIVES KISSES!! HE GIVES OUT THE BEST KISSES!! ooh I love them! now for more updates:

Today bright and early we had our 2nd MRI. I was so nervous/anxious to get some good information on whats going on in that head of his. I really thought there was no way we will not get the answers to these questions Ive had over the past 9 months. Jase was a champ and after fasting for over 12 hours, the biggest fit he threw was a couple moans and groans. He is the biggest trooper EVER!

I went in and had a nurse who sensed my frustration with this the whole thing and gave me some pointers on how to get some answers today. She was such a wonderful nurse, and I will never forget how she helped us. With my "head growth chart" in hand, I told EVERYONE we worked with how nervous I am, and I would be so grateful if the radiologist could come out and just say "yes more fluid, or no, no change." I didn't want to leave the hospital without that information. Every single person did what they could to help us.

As we were in the recovery room getting ready to be discharged, the radiologist came over and spoke with us! I was so excited!!! and I was ready to throw up I was so nervous. He started off saying that there was no tumor. Good, great. Then saying that the ventricles are enlarged. The left more so than the right. And there is hydrocephalus, but it is the same as the last CT and MRIs. My heart sunk. How could that be If his head is growing so much, so fast? He went on to say that there is something that is new, and it is very concerning because it was not on the 1st MRI. His brain is now being pushed down through the base of the skull into the spinal canal. It affects the lower extremities and mobility. It is called Chiari Malformation. It could be from pressure, but we are not sure. We would need to be referred to a Neurosurgeon to have them asses if there is any permanent damage to the spine and more than likely they will operate to fix the problem. My amazing pediatrician spoke with the neurosurgeon and they agree we need to get on this sooner rather than later. So Monday we will have a scheduled appt. to go and meet with the neurosurgeon to see the next step.

Jase is still the happy best little guy ever. He has a hard time keeping his head upright for more than a few minutes, its just so heavy. So he mostly plays laying down.

After all that happened today I still have more questions than answers, but I do feel peace knowing that we are headed in the right direction and we have Dr.s on our side that will help us get Jase healthy. I just hope that the neurosurgeons dont drop more bombs on us. We are thinking positive!!

Thank you everyone who is praying for Jase, and our family. We feel your prayers. Please keep praying for Jase. Thank you everyone.

HOLY GROWTH BATMAN!!

2011-12-13T21:44:00.002-07:00

At our appointment today with Jases pediatrician, Dr. McCune was good. Dr. McCune by the way, has been so amazing through all this. He has been our biggest advocate in trying to get to the bottom of all this. He is more than wonderful and would reccomend him to EVERYONE! ok back to appointment.

I addressed his head growth, which I knew was alot this month becuase one day his helmet didnt' fit. Literally. Dr. agreed and showed me this new chart. The last two dots at the top are growth in ONE MONTH!!!

So that alone is very very troubling. I have noticed his eyes have been a little off. One side seems a little weaker than the other. The eyelid is a bit droopier, and he can't quite follow objects anymore.(his geneticist and physical therapsit noticed this recently) His eyes cant go from the very corner of his eyes to the other corner.

During therapy he can not lift his head off the ground when we are in the crawling positon. His head just seems to heavy at this point. He was able to do that 2 months ago.

He is not eating as much anymore.

His heartrate drops below 80. Dr. doesnt' seemed concerned with that. Great we will take it :)

His off the charts Periodic Limb movments.

With everything mentioned it seems like an MRI is in order. We will go in Friday morning at 6:30 am to have the MRI. This should tell us so much. I will know if this is a hydrocephalus issue, (which I hope.....) or if the mylination is still delayed. It will be a big day and hopefully we will have so many answers. I just hope they give us the results Friday, and not wait all weekend.
We also hope all goes well with sedation. It should.

Ill post results as soon as we get them.

Results, Results, and more Results......Kinda

2011-12-12T21:13:00.005-07:00

Doesn't all that gear make you just want to jump into a comfy bed and drift off to la la land! Oh my poor baby! One day he will thank me when his head is nice and round! Well the helmet is pretty much to small by now, but we will get the official word from the Dr. this Wed. I hope we dont have to get another one! I am concerned that he is still on his back so much, all the roundness we have achieved will soon turn flat again. Stay tuned for the results!

We really have been so busy these past 2 weeks. It started with our Neurology appointment. Dr. S was nice and gave us some direction. She walked in and was quite impressed with how his head has managed to grow. (and not in a good way) She assessed him and was concerned about the lack of movement and how slow he is progressing. Also at how tired he seems to be. After all was said and done she left us with 4 options.

1. Slow developing Hydrocephalus. I looked at the MRI images with her and down the back of the neck where the fluid would drain into the spinal area was very narrow. That would be my reasoning pointing to hydro. Dr. S gave me the run down on how to handle the upcoming seizures that will be coming. (if its hydro). Like when to come to the ER, how long to let them last.... and signs that it could be hydro. BUT...we have had 2 CT scans showing no change in the amount of fluid, so its probably not Hydro. (or there would be more fluid between scans.) Follow me???

2. Overgrowth syndrome. His head is large, but that is all that would fit the overgrowth theroy. Typically kids are born large, (jase was not) large hands and feet, large bodies, (jase is short and normal hands and feet) So I'm thinking thats a 10% chance.

3. Nothing. Im not convinced that with all accompanying issues its nothing. (i really dont think she does either)

4. Deep breath......4....Leukodystrophy. She said "lets stay positive and we will come to that when it is time. Im not ready to start invasive procedures, lets wait and see what his body tells us" I, having a PHD in googling knew what Leukodystophy ment. It is not good, not curable, and is a degenerative brain disease. Dr, S said to be on the lookout for loss of skills. So we will be.

The day after Neurology we met with Genetics/metobolic clinic again to get some results.

Dr. Warnock gave us the results of the PTEN gene test, and it was negative. Although I was glad that Jase does not run high risks of cancers, I was thinking I would take that over Leukodystrophy. Nice options....huh. All the tests she ran earlier came back normal. That left me with more questions. Uggh. I am so glad that we are testing negative, but that only leaves more serious diseases to test for. She also said that she is started to look strongly at Leukodystrophy. Also she is testing for a Lysomal storage disorder, which is in the leukodystrophy family. It all sucks. and are crappy things. We should know the results of that test in a month.

The next day, I spoke with another geneticist over the phone who has run some tests for us. Lineagen. They are a wonderful company, and Rena was very helpful for us. She gave me some information of a blog of a family going through something similar to us.....Leukodystrophy. It seems to be everywhere I turn. It is so overwhelming to think the doctors see enough signs in your perfect child, to think he could possibly have a disease that will eat away at his brain until it puts him into a comatose state to die?.....in a few years?? What do I say to that?

Today we went to Physical therapy. Dawn is helping us teach Jase to get himself into the sitting position from lying down. We have been on that goal for 6 months now, with very little improvment. I am happy to report that Jase is bearing weight in his legs longer and longer each day! Dawn and Dr. S believe he will walk someday. Maybe with the help of a walker, but he is doing so good with his legs and standing. He actually has pulled himself to standing from my lap a few times! I get so encouraged when he makes progress! And most of his progress is social. He is such a social guy and LOVES LOVES music!!!!

We also had an appointment today with an ENT at primarys to find out what is obstructing Jases airway causing his apnea. His tonsils and adenoids are enlarged. The Dr scoped his throat and said overall it looks pretty good. He suggests we get Jase in and get those tonsils and adenoids removed and keep him overnight to ensure he recovers well. So more than likely he will undergo surgery next month. Hopefully that should get rid of the O2.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with our Pediatician to go over all these results and see if I can push for another MRI. and possibly an MRS. MRS looks at the metobolic side of the brain. (I believe, how it process things.) And bring up his low heart rate at night, it was dropping to the high 70's last night.

I will also be taking Jase to get his blood drawn for another test. The periodic leg movments, that were crazy high! So another fun blood draw. I hate those.

If you made it this long, have a cookie on me! You all rock and I am going to just keep posting things as they come up.......Like JORDAN PULLED OUT HIS FRONT TOOTH TONIGHT! TOOTH FAIRY IN THE HOUSE!

Jase my best little pal!

2011-12-06T22:15:00.002-07:00

How stinkin cute is that face? Its like I can just see it going through his mind......"another test....really....Come on. Its getting old, but whatever give me a bottle!"

He is such a good sport. Really he is my little pal who is so easy going and the most mellow thing on this whole entire earth. Didnt' make a peep while they were putting all that garbage on him. That was for the sleep study.

He has had such a rough year of life. Geez it has been a doozy. Our most recent test was a sleep study. Sure enough he has moderate to severe apnea. He stopped breathing many times had over 232 periodic limb movements. (in 397 minutes) Less than 5 per hour is normal. So he is clearly not getting a good night sleep. Once we begin O2, Im hoping he will get stronger and able to work on those muscles and start moving around!

We also have seen many specialists to try and figure out why Jase is not well. He is very lethargic and it requires so much effort for him to move. His head is very large, the size of Jordans. and he nearly 5! Needless to say that is very concerning. Especially with the lack of milestones. He is able to sit, and roll. He can also get out of sitting into laying. That is the extent of his physical activities, not much for a 13 month old. He has been working hard for 9 months trying to learn to stand or crawl. We havent' lost hope he will someday!

Jases 1st MRI indicated he had a delay in mylenation (thats the mylen sheeth that surrounds nerves.) Also thinning of the corpus callosum. (thats the part that connects the right and left side of the brain.) Enlarged ventricles, and some empty black space filled with fluid.

From what we can tell as of today, the black spaces have filled in nicely. Thank goodness. We will be doing an MRI to see if the meylination catches up.

At a recent drs visit we realized Jase has a heart murmur. It is an innocent murmur at this time and hope to not have to add a cardiologist to the list of drs.

He has had 2 episodes of turning blue and not breathing. Not sure if they are seizures, but very very scary!

We see a geneticist to see if all these random ailments lead to one syndrome. We currently have a test out to see if he is lacking the PTEN gene. That gene is a cancer suppressing gene. So if he is missing that gene, he has extremely high chances of cancer, over and over. We pray it comes back negative.

Oh and how could I forget he wears a flippin helmet!! Im not sure how I can ever forget that ginormous thing! because his head grew so fast, and he is so inactive, it got really flat. So we have attempted to round it out. It seems to be working great, and should be out of that thing by next month. Oh ill be so happy to get rid of that thing you have no idea!

Jase has been the best thing ever. Even today the lady at ti pan said, "oh he is such an angel. I walked in and noticed him from across the way and thought what an angel! It is so true. He really was sent with such a special spirit. He exudes perfection and is so so so cuddly. Oh I love him so much!!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. We feel them. Please keep praying for him. We need all the prayers to help up get to the bottom of this mystery!

I will keep posting and updating this journey as we take it. And I will mention the other kids too!

Jase at Primary Childrens

2011-05-19T22:02:00.003-06:00

Here is Jases brief stay at Primary Children's Hospital. We were able to get in and have an EEG done to see if Jase has been seizing. His EEG showed no seizure activity. Thank goodness for that! After all said and done, Jase should be just fine. Little guy has seen his fair share of hospitals, but we are done with that!

We are so blessed and love our family and friends so much!

Those videos are no good, so watch them at youtube. Click the links

2011-03-25T22:48:00.002-06:00

These videos are no good! so look at Jaxons videos here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAl0UuZOPbw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azYMp7XCjVw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAQeENu2UE

jaxons karate tournament

2011-03-25T20:54:00.005-06:00

Here is Jaxons first Karate tournament. It was lots of fun for him and here he is sparring. He ended up sparring 3 different kids and winning his bracket! we are so proud of how hard Jaxon works and never gives up!

Youll see in the next video, he starts to feel bad when the other kid cries. He is so tender hearted. It was really hard for him to make the other kid feel so sad.

Oh dont you ever grow up!

2011-02-07T15:10:00.008-07:00

here are some cute pictures of Jase! He has grown so much and seriously has the sweetest personality. He is so mellow and the Perfect baby. knock on wood:)

Baby Jase

2010-11-16T13:29:00.006-07:00

Heres a cute little picture of our newest addition Jase Byron. He was born on Nov. 2 after a very rough road here. He was 7'3 and 21" long. We are so in love and will post more pics soon. (hopefully :)

2010-06-01T16:36:00.003-06:00

2010-06-01T16:03:00.003-06:00

mexican cruise!

2010-05-07T12:53:00.004-06:00

We had a freakin blast!!!! I loved every single minute of our cruise, thanks Big B and mammy. I must have a six pack by now from laughing all week long! (i wish) I love my family so much and we always always have so much fun together! SO FUN!

Cancun!

2010-05-07T12:34:00.005-06:00

Just some random photos of Cancun. We all had the BEST time! Really the perfect relaxing vacation. The Kohlers are so fun to chill with. We had so much fun.

The first night for dinner we went to Senior Frogs. Jaxon loved this place, Kaylee, not so much. Well they invited all the kids up for some cake...or so we thought. OH man....it was fun.

So this is waking up after the 2nd day there. I thought the sunscreen was waterproof, like it said...but this video shows it obviously wasn't! Watch Jaxons face when he realizes it wasnt' Kaylee punching him that hurts...but its the sunburn. I Laugh so hard EVERY time i see it.

You had to be there!

2010-05-07T12:11:00.003-06:00

The only thing to say about this post is You had to be there! LURKER...oh and watch out for sightings in St. George!

TORI DAZE!!!!

2009-07-22T11:16:00.004-06:00

I cant' come down off my Tori high!! Jeff and I have been "band aids" before for her and we cought the bug again. We flew to Phoenix to see her. Waited for 6 hours in 115 degree heat to meet her. She didnt come out cause it was to hot. Such a bummer. But for my dedication I did upgraded to front row seats by her body guard! She was even more amazing then I remember her.

Then we headed home to SLC. Kaylee and I went to meet her and she showed up! I met her before and made a fool of myself. I still did a bit this time but I got to tell her what song I wanted to hear and why. She was so nice and when I started talking she immediatly put down her pen and just listened to whatever I had to say. It was a bit strange, I didnt' think shed be so interested. But she did play my request and it was emotional to say the least. I cried no bawled through all of the song, "china." overall it was an amazing experiance and I can't wait for the next show.

I spent so much time taking video of the show. I got awsome movies. As we were walking out her body guard came up to me and said "come with me." I knew what they were going to do. so I go to a back room and they take my memory card and erase all my video. They were worried I was going to sell the clips. My camera takes good movies so I guess that was the issue. But they were nice enough to let me keep my stills.

Jordans Birthday/Kaylees Solo

2009-03-13T14:55:00.004-06:00

Jordans 2nd Birthday was Feb 27, and its so fun to see how much he is growing up! He is just learning to talk and jabbering all over the place. Jordan is my silliest of all the kids, and keeps up laughing all the time. I cant' wait to hear what is going on in his head. He loved his toys, but kept going back to shoot on his old hoop! It always happens that way doens't it? Like Jaxon used to do, Jordan stands in front of his hoop and shoots all day. His favorite tv shows are Barney, and any basketball game dad is watching. Seriously, he wont sit still for any other cartoon, but will fall asleep to basketball!

Earlier that same day, Kaylee had her first competition of the season. She performed her first solo. I was a wreck! I couldnt' sleep for 2 nights, and couldn't sit still until her performance was over. I knew she was going to do absolutly wonderful, she had practiced so hard, but I was stilll nervous. I really can't explain it..... But she did do wonderful and she took first place Queen! It was so awsome!

I love this picture because after she was done, I ran backstage, (i dont think im supposed to do that....) but I was so happy she did so well and you can just see in her face how energized she was and I could tell she was so proud of herself. It was SO SO SO Special for Kaylee that Brianne was there. Brianne made up her solo and they have been working on it for so long. Brianne lives in LA, and so kaylee knew it just wasnt' going to work for Brianne to be there. Last miniute Brianne got to come to town to help Stubbs out with her make up show, (explains the feathers and heavy eyeshadow!) and so she was able to suprise Kaylee right before she went on. I havent' seen KK so excited in a long time! She looks up to Brianne so much and wants to be just like her. So I think that gave her the energy to perform so well. Thanks so much Brianne.

One other thing, KK's class did two other numbers, and one of them got 1st palce, overall, That ment out of 70 dances, they won 1st place. I love being a mom to Kaylee, it so fun to do this "girly" stuff.

Baxter, my little Gentleman

2009-01-25T18:45:00.005-07:00

Here is our new dog! Baxter. A christmas present the kids thought they would never get. I actually thought that same thing. I never thought I could handle a dog..and Im still learning. Once we get this potty training thing down, I will like Baxter so much more. He is a cute

Shih Tsu and we do love him.

Susan and JJ tied the knot December 19. It was such a beautiful wedding and they are the cutest couple. Somehow I didnt' get a picture of the two of them, but here are some others.

NEW YEARS EVE

2009-01-01T22:35:00.004-07:00

New Years Eve we had a little "Murder Mystery" at our house. We had a game that gave us the setting at The Watersdown Mansion. So Kaylee was the Maid to serve H'ourdorves, and Jaxon was the Butler to let the guests in. :) Jaxon HATED his mustache, and when the guests came to the door he said "Welcome to the Mansion, please take your seats." Here are a look at some of the guests....minus Sheryl. We missed her for the pictures

This picture makes me so happy! I love looking at this picture! Jordan knew something was going on (youll see why in a minute....something wasn't the same about Jeff and I) So he wanted to pose for a picture too. He stood there forever to let me get a pictures.

Here is ROG, (JJ), Donny (Jeff), and Pro (Chad) It was awsome how everyone got so into there part

Heres the ladies, Ali (Susan), Randy (Kim, by the way is due in like 1 week!!! She looks awsome!) and Flo (me)

Please dont mind my homemade dress, I wanted a flapper dress, so I sewed Drapery fringies to my dress!! Hideous I know but it was fun. So thats why my fringies are struggling :)

Sheryl was E.R.A, and was a hot little secretary. She was awsome at her part. Everyone did a great job and we are now planning the second one! Good times. Oh and ROG, (JJ) was the killer.

2008-12-06T15:18:00.003-07:00

Happy birthday Jeff!!!! BIG 30!!!

For Jeffs birthday he wanted to go to a Jazz game. So off we went last night. It was SO So fun. From the moment we got to the arena till the moment we left we were awstruck. Here are a few photos...

the Bear was very nice to take a minute to have a photo with us.....but not more than a second after the pic was taken, Jeff got a quick shove to the shoulder and I ended up somewhere in the arms of the Bear!

This one is for the ladies..... HA HA just playin...supposidly he is the cutest guy in the NBA?? Hmmm

Jeff and I loved every minute of the game. SO FUN (oh yeah they won :)

Speechless

2008-11-24T11:11:00.002-07:00

WOW WOW WOW!!! I cant explain how much I enjoyed this show Sat night! I am a DIE HARD TORI fan, and it would take a great show to top hers......But Coldplay came very very close. Tori is still numero uno, but Coldplay rocks! We found awsome tickets, 20th row, and that makes any concert that much better. I might be out of town in the next week or two chasing them around the country...now that I am a Coldplay groupie :)

Puerto Villarta

2008-11-21T14:11:00.003-07:00

I wanted to post some of the awsome photos we got in Puerto Villarta this past May. We did a way fun excursion and so here are some of the coolest pics.

This is what we ziplined into at least 7 times. It was so cool. The rain that day brought some awsome fog. It made things extra cool.

Then off to repelling. That was SO fun. We repelled down 3 waterfalls. (i think) and hiked a huge mountian!

Just us crossing some tretchourous waters! Mexico was the bomb can't wait to go back :)

Just be

Old town Nauvoo

2008-11-21T12:16:00.006-07:00

Little Briannie all grown up. Her wedding has finally come and gone. She probably thought it would never get here. Jared and Brianne and the cutest couple and watching him look at her confirms that he loves her so much. And vice versa (its just that I was facing Jared in the sealing room, not brianne. :) Brianne chose to forgo the hoopla of a huge reception and just take the family and a few close friends to Nauvoo. Where she has always hoped of being married. So off we went. It was a very special spiritual experiance. thanks Brianne, And of course Byron and Shauna

Dont ya just wanna eat those clouds. I bet they smell sooooo good! ummmm!

Carthage Jail where Joseph was martyerd through the top window on the side of the house. Such a special spirit here. I love visiting Carthage for that reason.

The whole group standing in front of the window I referenced earlier. Joseph was shot through this window.

The guys are waiting for the girls to get ready for the sealing. They are entertaining themselves with nothing other than football. We stayed at Hyrum Smiths farm house and it was so fun. We all fit very nicely. Brooke the photographer might disagree.....she got the honors of sleeping on that couch each night. ouch.......She was a good sport.

Here we are with our famous kiss pose. I used to be able to pull off a "kiss face" but for some reason I just look like an idiot. So oh well. It was so special to have all us girls there in the temple for the first time. Colton will be here shortly! (although it was fun to have colton come do baptisms with us :)

Jeff and me with the Mighty mississippi in the background. Its cool to think this is exactly what the saints saw as they looked out from the temple. I love to think we walked exactly where the early saints walked not long ago.

This temple is so beautiful. That is such an understatement. I am in awe of it each time I see it. I couldn't imagine having to watch something so beautiful be burned down as you are forced to leave. My camera didn't get a very good shot in the dark, but nevertheless it still takes my breath away.

So on our way out of Nauvoo we stopped in St. Louis. to see the amazing Arch. It was enormous! so enjoy some snapshots of St. louis.

You can go to the top of the arch. So we did. IN this little tiny egg thing, it creeps you to the top for some awsome views.

Up on top you get a great view of the Cardinals baseball stadium. The St. Louis Rams stadium is just off to the right, but it was just a dome so kinda boring.

From very far away you can get the entire shot.

Just one more shot for the girls............HA!

Halloween night

2008-11-04T10:47:00.003-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Another Halloween has come and gone and we are left with SO much candy! I hate it, but I let the kids have a candy binge on Halloween night but then the next day I offer to buy the candy from the them. They both took me up on the offer, so now I have lots of candy.

Kaylee was Hannah Montana. So cute, she has that pose down so well. Jaxon was Iron Man and kept saying "this is the best day ever!" He was so excited to finally wear the costume to school. Jordan was buzz. The cutest Buzz ever. In fact Amy wants to dress him up at least once a week because he was so cute.

The kids had tons of fun going trick or treating with their friends the Shattucks.

After trick or treating we went to the grandparents. My moms house has so many leaves! It was so fun, the kids have never played in leaves before. We all had a good jump into the pile.

Jordans favorite buddy, Kiley.

Kaylees favorite shopping partner! Exept the part when amy hurt her foot in the mall and nearly fell to the floor in pain. Kaylee was slightly embarrased....

OK Amy and Mom, your going to love this video. Just so the rest of you can appreciate it.....we were following Jordan around ALL NIGHT at my moms trying to get the cutest picture. He was so cute walking around no picture was working. he wouldn't look at us long enough to get a good picture. So then we go to Sheryls and on Davids first request to smile.......sure enough jordan gives him the best smile forever! Im convinced he knows exactly what hes doing. :)

2008-10-06T12:29:00.004-06:00

Hello out there! No I havent died just been out of the digital age for awhile now. BUT were back and up running. Out summer was so fun and relaxing. Ill do a brief overview of whats been going on here. Jaxons first friend birthday party was so much fun and he was more than excited.

Something that kept us busy this summer, (every weekend pretty much) was boating. Jeff and I thought it would be the perfect way to get the kids out in the water and do something fun as a family. Turned out they didn't like it as much as we thought. The first time we put them on the tube, it sank and that pretty much ruined their confidence in the tube. So most of the time they stayed home with sitters. Oh well maybe next summer. We still had a blast! Even in brown Utah lake!

TIMMY MCGRAW

2008-06-30T16:23:00.002-06:00

What do girls like to do on their birthdays?? Well on moms birthday, she likes to go and see the hottest guy around shake his thang and sing some twang! haha So who else do we go and see...Timmy Mcgraw! He is something else...what a hottie! We got seats up at the top at USANA, and it was so much fun!

Shauna broke out the thumbs and was swingin all night! What hip replacement?? You would have thought it was her 25th birthday. Amy, was of course droppin it low and showing us how its done. And while Monica was rockin that funky wave and "Hit me, Hit me." I looked like the biggest fool ever. *sigh* we wont even go there. But thank goodness it was dark and hopefully nobody noticed. It was so fun. We must make a habit of this. So James Taylor is next up and well bring along the guys for that one.

He ALWAYS puts on a good show and I can't belive Ive seen him more than Tori?? something is wrong with that!

K Jessica and Brianne, you BETTER make it up for the next one, We need some more flava on the dance floor!

2008-06-30T15:37:00.008-06:00

OH MEXICO!!!! We had the time of our lives! I can't explain how much fun it was. We left for 8 days and while I had a really hard time walking out the door, once we got there time flew. I have never left the kids for so long so it was sad.

This was out on the balcony of our room. This was the perfect place to watch the sun come up and to read. We read a ton!

The best day of the trip (in my opinion) was the day we went on the Outdoor Adventure. We are all excited to go and swing through the jungles on zip lines. Here we are before the excursion.

Jess and I were last to board the small blow up boat that was to take us to another island...oh about 15 minutes away. Michael and Jeff got a nice scenic view from the center of the boat. as seen below. Jess and I had no idea the the front of the boat absorbs ALL the impact from every wave! So I am putting a small clip of what happened to us on the way there. Im sure everyone will think this is no big deal, but for Jessica and I, we risked our lives getting these photos. It was the scariest thing I have ever been on. I am terrified of the ocean, and to think one wave could have thrown us out and to only be saved by some 100 year old life preserver......No Bueno.

Notice how the guys are just enjoying the view. Jeff and Michael both think to this day we were overexxagerating.... uh NO BUENO!

once we get to our destination we took this truck (if thats what you call it) up to the middle of this mountian.

From there we saddled up on Mules and rode to the top. That was interesting. Hmmmmm

Then we hiked from zipline to zipline and cruised to the waterfalls. Where we repelled through the waterfalls. It was AMAZING. It was foggy and raining so it made it extra cool. It was the BEST day ever! (no picture taking allowed exept for the guy who goes on the tour with you. So once we get our cd of pics, i will post them later)

The next day we swam with Dolphins. That was an awesome experience. That is all I can say. Awesome!

Here is where we would end our nights. Looking out right on to the beach. This was so beautiful and we had the best time. Thank you MEXICO~!~

YOUR INVITED!

2008-05-14T13:09:00.002-06:00

Ok hopefully this worked. Only a "select few" can now view this blog. He he hehe You never know who can come across your blog these days, and there are more than a few crazies out there, SO........ now feel free to express your opinions without judement! I will! Anyway, carry on.

Kaylees Birthday

2008-05-07T12:13:00.003-06:00

Kaylee is 8. How did that happen? each year flies by faster than the last. She wanted a spa night sleepover. Sounds fun..easy enough. MAN I wish someone told me how loud and crazy nine 8 year olds get! Amy and Kim came over to help with some pedicures, manicures and facials. The girls had a blast and it was so funny to listen to them chat the night away. If I didn't know better, the way they gossiped I couldve swore they were in Jr. High! Scary..... By 2:00 am I had to get mean and threaten to take everyone home if they didn't go to sleep. I didn't hear from them till the next morning. All and all it was so fun and Kaylee has a birthday to remember. Happy Birthday!!

Just to give yourself a taste of how these darling girls are, play this video below. This is something that went on ALL NIGHT LONG!!! I had nightmares of this little cheer. Once one girl would begin this chant, all of them would immediatly join in LOUDER and SASSIER than before. Remember being 8.............

Turning 8 also means getting Baptised! It was the following Saturday and it couldnt' have been more special. Kaylee was shining like a star that day. She got to share the day with her family. It was a great day.

Disneyland

2008-05-07T11:21:00.003-06:00

Ok....after a very long break I have reunited with my computer, (finally) so I have alot to catch up on! Here we are at disneyland.... we have been there plenty of times but this time by far was the best! After 4 days I was not ready to leave. We seriously thought of extending the trip. Almost everyone from both sides of the family were able to make it down. Even my cute grandmas! We did miss Sheryl, David Susan and Brad though. But with graduation around the corner, it wasn't the best time for them to leave for a week. We missed you all!

After disneyland We stopped in St. George for Kaylees dance competition. The did AMAZING taking overall grand champion in both dances and swept the competition! congrats Kaylee! Bring on Nationals......

Take a moment.......

2008-04-07T13:56:00.003-06:00

This was so touching that I had to post a link. I absoultly love this.

http://www.eastvalleyproductions.com/blog.cfm?postID=31

Ive been tagged!!

2008-03-19T20:30:00.002-06:00

Ive officially been tagged so here it goes.....

1.What was I doing 10 years ago? Oh thats so funny you asked because I have been talking alot about this latley. 10 years ago in mid March (not sure what day excatly...) I got engaged! How crazy is that? Being a blonde back then, and i mean bleach blonde, and rockin my very favorite Ralph Lauren overalls and matching bag, I somehow thought that my purple contacts were the perfect accessory. Oh Man! And how can I forget driving my white Geo Prism that had no back window (the small little one) because we had to break it to find the keys I locked in there. I was also trying to find time to graduate, which I did.

3 things on my to do list:

(only 3??)
1. fill out my NCAA bracket
2. Get ready to leave for disneyland
3. Take the boys to the dr.

5 snacks I enjoy:

Cadbury mini choc eggs
Rockstar energy drinks
Cadbury mini choc eggs
Peeps
Cadbury mini Choc eggs

3 bad habits:

Tivo and reality tv.
Staying up late
this habit drives Jeff crazy...that I drink 85% of my sodas, and for some reason I don't finish the rest. (its really because I think the rest is yucky backwash.)

5 places Ive lived
American Fork
Plano Texas (like 3 months)
Raintree in Provo
Sandy
Saratoga Springs
Yeah I know B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!

5 Jobs
Taco Bell Hahahahahaha
Matrix Marketing, who hasnt'?
Good Earth, thanks todd and rachel
Wingers, Hostess, The worst thing after taco bell
Lowly CNA at Nursing home, i scored points in heaven for that job
Morgan Stanley
Harris Direct, DLJ, Credit Suisse First Bank, Bank of Montreal,

5 things you dont know about me......hmm thats hard, depending on who you are depends on what you know!!!

I Love Love the canyon, especially the provo canyon trail. I drag my kids up there and now
I want lots of kids. Lots for me is 5 or so, and I want to adopt someday
I love BYU football
I secretly resent all my sisters (except Amy now) for not living close to me. I can't talk about it........ :)
I cant' spell to save my life. no joke

That was fun. Now I tag Amy, Jessica and Brianne because you all haven't done yours yet, and Im adding Michelle. Can't wait to read all about yall

Jordans birthday

2008-02-28T21:45:00.003-07:00

Jordan is 1!! I can't belive it has been one year since I was in the hospital delivering Jordan. He has truly been such a blessing to our family and gets cuter each day. We just decided to have his birthday at Brick Oven. So we all enjoyed pizza and watching Jordan play Peek a boo. His new favorite game. As you can see, he is still getting the cover your eyes part down.

Older brothers and sisters means plenty of help when it comes to opening presents

Jordan is very lucky to have so many people that love him. We had a good time and Jordan absolutly loves all his new toys.

Snowmobiling

2008-02-18T20:43:00.009-07:00

Oh do I have some good stuff to post today! We went up to my parents cabin over the weekend and had the best time ever. The kids absolutley loved playing in snow taller then themselves and playing with all the snow toys. Amy couldn't get enough of the snow. She was the one with all the good ideas, including strapping on the skiis and being pulled behind the snowmobile. We are glad she didn't catch a wedge and loose a limb!

Kaylee took her very first ride on a snowmobile. Colton showed her a few things and without any hesitation she jumps on the machine and guns it.....I thought we would have to talk her into riding it alone, but no...watch the clip below and see how she did.

Kiley was so kind to take Jeff and I on a little ride through the mountians. Jeff and I are far from pro so it took us alittle bit to get used to the machines. Just when you think you are getting the hang of it, this happens. (push play)

Right after the "jump"

What a beautiful place. It is amazing feeling like you are floating through clouds at 60+ mph...........HEAVEN! Thats what I call a playground

Jeff now has "Arctic Cat" tattooed on his knee

This weekend was so much fun. We missed the rest of the crew, so we will definatly have to do it again soon.

I liked the snow.......but can I say BRING ON THE SUN!!!!!

2008-01-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is funny, we went tubing up American Fork Canyon. The kids could have stayed all day. Jeff and I on the other hand, we didn't dress nearly as warm as we should have so we have frost bite.

2008-01-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Christmas was so fun!! This is right before the kids got to see what Santa left for them. Look at Jaxon. I laughed for so long at this picture! I think that the lack of sleep the night before has gotten him a bit confused!!

Christmas morning was a success. Santa did pretty good considering the kids continued to change and add to the list up until Christmas Eve. Case and point...... BUMBLEBEE!! That is a story that we wont ever forget! 2 weeks before Christmas, Jaxon decided that he had to have the Bumbleebee Transformer. I had seen those in Costco for months and passed them by thinking I had no need for them. *sigh* So we get ahold of one on Ebay. You know those people that hog up all the hot toys for the season and then try to make a buck, or MORE off a kids Christmas list...... Well that's who we were dealing with. We made the point very clear that we needed by Christmas and we would pay to upgrade to overnight shipping. Well 4 days before Christmas this grinch informs us that he mailed it and it should get to us by DECEMBER 27!!!! AHHHH PANIC! He is a Jerk and has no consideration for the situation and taunts us by saying how much fun his kid will have opening his on Christmas, and it is just as good on the 27th as it is on the 25th. Anyway He and Jeff go back and forth for awhile and finally Jeff decides to use his blog as a little "revenge" He asks his readers for a Christmas present.......email this guy and let him know what kind of person does this to a 4 year old on Christmas. Apparently hundreds and hundreds of emails were sent and you could imagine how mad he was!! I loved it. I was so mad at him. BUT....the day we found out this wasnt' going to get to us in time we found a wonderful lady who was willing to express overnight to us and we should get it Christmas Eve. So with 2 transformers on there way, we were hoping we would get at least one. We did. Christmas eve we got one and the rest is history. You can see Jeff trying to put the complicated thing together!

Then off to my Mom and Dads. We made out with some great gifts. We missed Jessica and her family, and Monica and her crew, but we sure had good times with the karaoke! Watch the video of Amy and my Dad....Karaoke at its finest

Having a good time yet?? This is how parents typically look by noon. (we do anyway)

Christmas at Kohlers is always a hit. The kids were spoiled as always and had a blast!

SNOW DAY!

2007-12-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you add Jeff + boring Saturday+ snow on the ground?

You guessed it.....MAD JAXON!!

Dad better hope Santa didn't see or he will be getting a LUMP OF COAL!

2007-12-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again when all the Christmas programs are in full swing. The kids have been working really hard on the "Big Shows." Kaylee's dance studio put on the "Nutcracker." So push play and treat yourself to a cute Elephant dance below :)

Isn't she the cutest Elephant you have ever seen?

Next up we have Jaxon. Jaxons preschool put on a cute little program with the best Christmas songs I have heard all year. Sorry for the rotten quality, I wasn't sitting as close as I would have liked.....

Jordan (9 mo) enjoing the show

Jaxon knows this song best so that's why I put this one up instead of a Christmas song. He loves his school and teacher so much. Jaxon is reading now and is passing off 1 book a week! It is so fun to watch him learn and succeed. I found myself talking to Jeff about what we are going to do with Jaxon next year. He will be turning 5 in June, so technically he should be going to Kindergarten.

2 years ago I had a goal. My final "we've made it" goal would be to mainstream Jaxon to Kindergarten. I often thought to myself on the way to Dr's appointments and on the way home from therapy that if I could just get Jaxon into Kindergarten then WE would have won the battle and the "A" word would be nothing more than a distant memory. Sometimes it seemed like such a far fetched reality that I would have to remember not to set myself up for disappointments. Thankfully we had more hopeful moments then discouraging moments.

So fast forward to today. I find myself in a whole new debate. Jaxon is now reading and is indistinguishable from his peers. He is ahead of 95% of the kids his age. When he goes to kindergarten they will be learning the things he has already learned. The question now is not "If I can just get him to Kindergarten..." it is "WHEN DO WE START?" I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. I have 3 happy and healthy children. This is what life is all about.

TORI DAZE

2007-12-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

I love Tori Amos. I know she can be a bit "out there" but I still love her. I have gone to many shows and since my partner in crime Monica was out of commission, Jeff got the extra ticket. (not to many people I know are to excited to see tori :) He went out to Calif 2 years ago and went to a show with me. It was AMAZING!! I got to meet her before the show and that was even more amazing! So for this year Jeff knew what to expect. He actually likes to see her live. She puts on such a magical show. Anyway.....we had Unbelievable seats. Dead center 3 row. Ok enough rambling because I could go on forever about how great the show was ect...........

This is Tori, just in a different get up.

I recorded some of the show....check it out.

NEWEST ADDITION!!!

2007-11-30T16:15:00.001-07:00

Here he is!!! I dont know his name yet...still to be determined. Look how precious and cute he is! There is nothing like a newborn. Ohhhhh I just love them! So he came Monday Nov 26 by way of C-section. They tried to turn him that morning but it was a no go. So off to the delivery room. Monica was doing good, but what how good can you feel after something like that? Anyway we are so glad both are doing good and he is such a cutie! Good work Mom!

Proud Parents!!

Love at first sight!

St George

2007-11-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Its always fun to go and stay in St. George. The family all got together over Thanksgiving weekend for some good food and also for Monicas big day. More on that later.... but here are some cool photos of us up in Snow Canyon. It is so pretty up there.

Before I knew it the kids had made there way around the rocks and hills.

Moms and Pops

2007-11-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Check this out....Jaxon was so mad at me, he didn't want to eat dinner. I think its so funny!

Hoogle Zoo

2007-11-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

Kaylees 2nd grade field trip to Hoogle Zoo last week was so fun. Kaylee was so excited, she could hardly sleep! I volunteered to go and watch over 5 kids. 5 IS ALOT!! But nobody got lost or hurt, so I guess it went ok.

Check out this Alligator..."The Ghost of the Bayou"

The animals were so active that day. I guess its not so hot out and it was so cool to see so many of them running around.

We love Kaylee!!

2007-11-01T09:45:00.000-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween was full of fun for our kids. Kaylee was a "Sweetie Witch" and Jaxon was, can you guess???......Yep Thing. Jaxon was especially excited to get to wear his costume outside. He dresses in his many costumes everyday, but always has to wear his "big boy" clothes outside. So he could hardly wait to bust out the house in full costume! Kaylee was loving her fake eyelashes, lipstick and beautiful green hair.

The best thing about Jaxons costume was the hands and feet. When you clasp them together or step, they make this big monster noise. Jaxon had a hard time trying to see the steps at each porch and trying to get used to size 10 shoes....it took us awhile to get the hang of it. But soon enough he was off and running from house to house.

Jordan looks more than excited to be Spiderman dont ya think? Jaxon was definatly excited for Spiderman, for the last week he has been asking if Jordan can wear his costume. Jordan did all his trick or treating from the car. It wasn't to cold for the older kids, but Im just not in the mood to start dealing with ugly colds. Speaking of....Jordan has been overly whiny lately and I think he must have an ear infection or something. He is just on the cusp of crawling and Im just not sure how I feel about that!

Here is a fun Halloween song that both the kids learned at school. I think they might have a future in singing! After all was said and done the kids pulled in way to much candy!! Each year I offer to buy the candy from them, and it has worked in the past, but I think Kaylee might turn me down this year.

LA TRIP!!!!

2007-10-24T10:43:00.000-06:00

This last weekend was a so fun......I got to go out to visit my baby sister in LA. My Mom, sisters, and I were escorted by my dad to sunny Calif. Unfortunately I arrived a day late, I learned that Thurs everyone went and saw the Eagles concert!! Oh I am so jealous!!! I love concerts and the Eagles would be a chance in a lifetime! oh well Im saving my money for a tour with TORI!!!! (coming this next month) But anyway Brianne........

moved out to LA this summer to dance. She loves it. Keeps her BUSY!! she had to take "sick days" to accompany us to none other than what????.........................Oh yes you guessed it Wicked. It just gets better each time.

Jessica was in heaven, she has been so excited to see the show and she gave it 5 stars. Then on Sat we headed over to Universal Studios. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time for so long.....I completely lost my voice. My voice was so gone! When us 5 get together we can get so silly. Theme parks are a whole different world when your not there for your kids!

It is so fun to get everyone together again at the same time. Everyone lives so far apart, that we don't see each other more than 1 every other month or so. Sad :(

We can't wait any longer for Monica to have her baby!!! He is due next month and poor girl, the last thing you want to do 8 months preggo is Universal Studios! (ask me I know!!!! Disneyland...8 months.....never mind) She was such a good sport and we can't wait for little Jackman to make his appearance!

Universal makes a big deal of Halloween so there were some really fun haunted houses. My dad got it good and we laughed forever! But then at night you could come back from 7-2 am for some serious scary stuff. They were by far the scariest houses I have been in. Amy will agree!!! huh Amy! Everyone was scared to death. So 2 am rolls around and although we were tired, we were not ready to call it quits.

K this guy here followed us everywhere. Everywhere we turned he was under our feet and outside of the bathroom. ......creepy...... so we had to get a pic

So 2 am rolls around and what are we to do......pull out trusty old Loretta for some good laughs. Loretta is a head that Brianne got from a beauty school or something. She often takes Loretta in the car and gets some awesome reactions. So below you'll find a picture of Loretta. Until you see the reactions and double takes from people this may not be funny, but trust me...it is!

Lulus was the bomb! Best breakfast anywhere. We had a 2 star sightings. One was right here, the AIDS walk was going on right on this street where we saw TR Knight, (George OMaley) from Greys. And then Brianne lives pretty much right across the street from the Grove, an outdoor shopping mall, and we saw Allie Larter jogging down the streets. It is so weird to see stars.....hmmm anyway..................Here is a pic of Briannes apartment building, it is really cute inside and she is having a total blast there.

So all that's left to say is thanks Jeff for letting me take a break and being such a good sport about it....and Girls lets do this again next month!!!!

2007-10-16T11:17:00.000-06:00

We finally got some time to go up to my very favorite fall time place.....LAGOON! We all had so much fun. The first ride of the day was the rickety old roller coaster. I forget how rickety it really is. Jaxon was finally tall enough to ride the big rides, so when he saw what he thought was a "Fun white Train" we didn't have to ask twice for him to ride. So here the kids are in line excited to ride.

Jaxon is getting excited........
Ok, now before you watch the video, just remember I never would have done this intentionally if I'd known how scary it can be to a 4 yr old. I started recording this after the huge hills, and when the ride was just about to end. anyway...................(he will look back one day and laugh)

This video speaks for itself......but we were in line for yet another rollercoaster.

Here are just some other random photos from the day. It is always so fun when grandma Sheryl, Kim, Susan, get to come. We always have so much fun just goofing off! :)

Jeffs favorite part of any park is playing the games. We always come home with tons of stuffed animals. The kids think dad is so cool! (just the way he likes it!)

Anyway we had a blast and Im glad that we got to go before it got to cold. until next time.....peace out!

2007-10-01T14:41:00.000-06:00

Its my Birthday!! Woo Hoo! Who doesn't' like a day all to themselves and for people to call you and tell you Happy Birthday? Yeah my birthday was GREAT! Jeff always makes such a big deal of birthdays, you can't help but feel like a princess. So The day started by me getting up, at 11:00!!! It was the best sleep ever! the day just got better from there. The entire downstairs was draped with streamers an balloons. We just lounged around, went to the movies, shopped and came back and watched football. My kinda day.

I used to have such an issue with getting a year older but after deep thought, I don't think I would ever want to go back to being 21 again! Life just gets better year after year.

So I dogged Jeff out on the last post pretty good, so I must give props when props are due. He defiantly made up for shortchanging me on the gift. He surprised me with a little turquoise box. We all know where that is from????? Tiffany's!! It was a beautiful necklace that I absolutely LOVE. He is such a sweetheart! Thanks babe!

So other than my birthday, nothing much has gone on. Nothing post worthy anyway. So hopefully this week will bring more interesting things.

2007-09-13T15:50:00.000-06:00

We had a good time on our anniversary. Just went out and celebrated a bit. Nothing huge. So when it came time to exchange gifts.......I kindly gave Jeff his....boring old cologne. I had gone shopping earlier for another wedding band. His no longer fits. He hasn't' had one for awhile now, so I was going to get another one. After looking around, I realized I had no idea what kind he wanted, so I decided to let him come back and get one that he would like for sure. So cologne was the only gift that night. It was probably a good thing because what did Jeff have for me.....A BLANK STARE!! OOPS! So it was no big deal until today. I was driving down to Orem when the thought just really started to eat at me. So I took the kids on a detour and headed to university mall. I headed directly to the Jewelry store where I found a beautiful Topaz ring. I think it is topaz. Its being sized. it all happened so quickly...I just browsed, found one, told the lady "Ill take that" and that was it. It felt so good to go to a jewelry store and just grab a ring and feel no guilt whatsoever!

So It wouldn't really be fair to say that Jeff g0t me nothing......he just didn't pick it out and it was about a week late. I hope I like it as much on Monday as i did today :)

Jessica is on her way up and we are going to take the kids to Lagoon. Utah's one and only amusement park! Jeff thinks it is so stupid, remember he has grown up in Calif. where parks like Lagoon just didn't exist.....except when the nasty carnival came to town. But since he has gone with me 9 years in a row, he shuts up and says he likes it. (deep down he secretly does :) but anyway the kids LOVE it. So no school tomorrow for the Kohler kids and we are off to have a good time! Ill post pic later. Hopefully Amy and Mom and Cole can make it. Its always fun with more people. We shall see.

The kids love school and I do to. :) its good to have a break for a couple hours in the day. Anyhow until next time.....adios!

2007-09-11T14:38:00.000-06:00

Sept 11, for me is not the tragic day most think about. For me it is the best day of my life and the day my life changed for the better. This Sept 11 Jeff and I celebrate 9 whole years together!! Wow as most would say it doesn't' feel like that long, but looking back we have pretty much grown up together (and still are :) I was just 18 there, (a week away from 19...) and Jeff was 19. We met by fate and each day I realize why we were meant for each other. We make an awesome team.

We have had such good times and they truly are getting better as time goes on. I love you Jeff, and find reasons each day to love you a bit more than yesterday. You are truly my hero and I admire your strength. I am SO the lucky one here....and I thank you for loving me back. Happy Anniversary.

2007-08-25T16:17:00.000-06:00

Chicago has come and gone. It was the nicest and much needed break. (break for me, Jeff worked the ENTIRE time!) Although he was so busy he was able to allow me to tag along to most of the events, and shop with me once and awhile. So the first night we got there we went and saw Wicked. Words can't describe how good it was. Especially from the 2nd row. It was amazing! I love the music and the story was so well done. I actually got to go again the next day! So seeing Wicked 2 times in Chicago was not a bad way to start off the trip. :)

The next day was time for Jeff to get to work. He started the day with the "Marketcast" and then presented 2 more times that afternoon. The group, (me, Stephanie...Erics Wife, Kathleen Erics mom, and Stephanie...Erics sister) all went to watch the guys in action. Here are a few photos.

This last picture is a picture of just how many people were there listening. How intimidating!!

So then after Jeff got to meet up with people that frequent his blog or just had a question or two for him. Here are some pictures of that.

We tried the famous pizza there, I dont' know the name, but it was fun. We went to a piano bar, dueling pianos. Piano bars are my very favorite thing ever so it was so fun. Im sad to leave that beautiful city, but the kids started school, and I life must go on!

Kaylee started 2nd grade. Jaxon is in a normal preschool. I havent' said anything to his teacher about his past, and Im hoping that it is now a non issue. Only time will tell. He also started Karate yesterday and absolutly LOVES it! Kaylee will be starting her competing dance team next week. Tonight we are going to a BBQ for Brianne. She is moving to LA tomorrow. How scary! all by herself! She auditioned for a big dance school down there called The Edge and no suprise, she made it. So she is off to become a big dancer in LA. So Stay tuned for pics from tonight!

Fray concert

2007-08-01T11:23:00.000-06:00

We are always up for a good concert. The Fray came to USANA and played a really good show. Now I just can't deny the fact that NOTHING can compare to a Tori show.....BUT the Fray was really good. The newlyweds Amy and Kiley, soon to be parents Kim and Chad, and the Old Fogies, us enjoyed the night. Well most of us enjoyed it, Jeff had no comment...........I think he would rather see Rush this monday? Im not sure who that is, other than the drummer is supposed to be amazing?

School is just on the horizon, and Jeff and I are going out to Chicago in a couple of weeks. Jeff's work has a workshop he is presenting at. So I am going to try and keep myself busy in chicago. We are planning a Cubs game, going to see Wicked, and I am faithfully checking the Oprah line to see when her shows start. Anyway that is whats going on with the Kohler Klan!

2007-07-16T15:55:00.000-06:00

Picture Day!!! Picture Day!! Jordan had his pictures taken today and was such a champ. I think he was a bit caught off guard in that "tub," what do you think? We also had to stop by the dr for a check up. So at 4 months old he is weighing in at 17lbs! and 27 inches!!! That is 97 percentile. That doesn't suprise me AT ALL :) But the one thing that sucked today was the Physicans Assistant telling us that if we choose not to immunize Jordan (we havent') then we cant' come back to the office. I think at one time I would have been upset and mad....but now I expect that I guess. *sigh* oh well things could be worse!!!

4th of July

2007-07-09T20:34:00.000-06:00

The 4th of July came and went. We attempted a firework show in the road in front of Grandmas house, but the kids got tired of those really quick and the "show" was pretty much a bust. Except for Jeff and Brad who had a great time trying to light fireworks under each others butts. Thankfully no one got hurt, but next year we may need to go to a firework show/concert instead. :)

Weekend in Vegas

2007-07-09T20:25:00.000-06:00

So Jeff and I took off for the weekend to Vegas with my family for my moms 50th birthday. We surprised her at breakfast and spent the day with her and my dad. It was a blast. We chilled by the pool, gambled, and shopped around. It was so relaxing. Special thanks to Sheryl for watching the kids all weekend. We definitely enjoyed the break. It was HOT there, but so fun. All my sisters and brother were able to make the trip except Amy and Kiley, they were on their honeymoon in Cabo. Good Times!!!

2007-07-09T11:53:00.000-06:00

We spent the weekend up at the cabin in TimberLakes. It was so much fun to get away to the beautiful mountians. The kids had so much fun. In the picture of Jaxon, he went running off into the woods and came back peppered with sticky burs! He told me he was not sad....he was ANGRY!! The kids loved riding the 4 wheelers.

I think that the most fun the guys had was trying to push over trees! Yes I said push over trees. Look at the videos to see if they succeeded.

2007-07-02T16:25:00.000-06:00

The other night we went along with the Healey side of the family and went to a Restless Heart concert. We didn't realize who the band was or what they sang....we just went along for some good times. We were surprised to recognize so many songs. It was lots of fun. Kaylee and Jaxon loved to dance along and wouldnt' stop. Jaxon dances just like Jeff!! The last picture is so far from the truth, Jeff sleeping and all. He was the one with the lighter swaying back and forth! He is now a restless heart fan :)

2007-07-02T16:20:00.000-06:00

2007-07-02T16:16:00.002-06:00

Jaxons 4th birthday has come and gone. He had the best time...once he figured out that it was finally his birthday he sang happy birthday to himself all day long. He stared at his gifts all day and was beyond excited when he got to finally open them. We made the mistake of letting him open the reversible spiderman/venom costume first....he could hardly pay attention to all the other gifts. He got lots of fun stuff. Plenty of Thomas the train things and of course Spiderman. It has now been 3 weeks since his birthday and not a day has gone by that we have to beg and plead for him to take the suit off so we can leave the house. He absolutely LOVES it. The video was the day after his birthday and he is beating up dad at grandma Kohlers house. This kind of fighting goes on all the time, but its a bit mild cause we are at grandmas.

2007-07-02T16:16:00.001-06:00

2007-06-12T12:11:00.001-06:00

2007-06-12T11:56:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to the Tim and Faith concert! IT was AMAZING!!!!! We were on the 5th row and got to see them so close! Tim is so HOT! Kim, Susan, Sheryl and I went and had the best time. The only bad thing is that my camera battery ran out right as Tim was starting to perform. So my very very small clip is all i could get of him. Oh well, The memory will live on forever!!! HA!

2007-06-07T16:21:00.000-06:00

This clip is from Kaylees dance recital last week. She is the one in the back row, 3ard from the left. She has the dance down so good! She tried out for the competing team, so we will see how that turns out.

2007-06-05T14:50:00.000-06:00

2007-06-05T14:40:00.000-06:00

2007-06-05T14:31:00.000-06:00

Jaxons graduation

2007-06-05T12:37:00.000-06:00

Jaxon graduated from preschool. These are pictures from the graduation picnic. It was fun to go and see his friends that he talks about at home. They also had a pony there for the kids to ride. Jaxon was a bit nervous, but he really liked the pony. The picture of him on the fence is him playing spider man. he is climing his web. It was very fun and Jaxon is looking forward to enjoing a nice relaxing summer with NO SCHOOL!!! (toward the end of school jaxon would say everynight, No school, ok mom, no school bus.) so he was definatly ready for summer. Now me, Im not so sure!

2007-06-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

The end of spring has kept us busy. First Kaylee had a "Moms and Muffins" day at school. The moms got to come and hear the kids sing songs they had practiced for a long time. It was so cute. Her last day of school was that same week and brought home a report card with only one P. That means passed. everything else was an O. Outstanding. She is such a good student. Now on to 2nd grade.

We also had the annual Memorial Day picnic. It was fun for everyone to just hang out and eat bbq. The guys played ball and the kids played on the toys.

Day out with Thomas

2007-06-05T12:27:00.000-06:00

The other day we had a chance to go on a "day out with Thomas" Jaxons favorite thing these days is Thomas the train. So we just had to go take a ride. The kids loved it. We went on a short ride up the canyon and then got to go shop for anything and everything Thomas. It was lots of fun!!

2007-05-16T12:41:00.000-06:00

Here are some random photos taken this week. Jaxon was so nervous to see Spiderman. It was so cute. The other picture is just cute of jaxon.

Jordans blessing

2007-05-07T11:09:00.000-06:00

Sunday was Jordans blessing. It was a nice day for everyone. Jordan looked so nice in his Tux. The family came over afterwards and visited. It really is so good to have a new baby in the house. They bring such a great spirit!

Kaylee is off on a field trip today to the Museum. She was so excited! She was up at 6:30 and getting ready, she didnt' want to be late! (school starts at 9:15 heheh) but she is so excited and Im sure we will have much to talk about when she gets home!

Jaxon is starting to tell me everyday....mom no school tomorrow. I'n not going. I ask why and he says "I need to sleep." Isnt' that so funny. He really does love to sleep. Ive never had problems with him going or staying in bed! Anyway......check back later for more fun info on the Kohler Klan!

2007-05-01T11:25:00.000-06:00

Jordan is the cutest dang thing ever! He is now 2 mo. old and is smiling all the time. He loves the attention he gets. Kaylee and Jaxon love him and he is getting so fun for them to play with. He is such a good content baby. WE ALL LOVE JORDAN!

2007-05-01T11:09:00.000-06:00

Well another year has gone by for Kaylee, she is now 7!! WOW where does the time go? Here are a few pics from her family birthday party. She had a friends birthday a few days before and they went to Boondocks. It was so much fun for them. They all had a blast playing laser tag, bumper boats, race cars, golfing and the arcade. She got some very fun things, among them were her favorite, "Cell phones" that talk and text each other. She finally has the cell phones shes wanted for more than a year. (remember she is 7.......oh man....) She got Heely shoes, the ones with wheels in them. She has taken a few falls, but is catching on. And I think that her favorite thing is money! She is now up to 74.00 and told me she is so rich she is going to by something expensive! Im not sure what it is... but she loves to count it over and over.

Jaxon was pretty bummed that he didn't have any presents to open. Well he helped Kaylee but to his disapointment, there was no Thomas the Trains inside. But he cant' stop talking about what he wants for his birthday.

One funny thing that happend, and is a first for us, was Jaxon was playing with Kaylee. From upstairs we hear him say, "you stupid head" and kaylee says back so sadly, "dont call me stupid head." Jaxon fires back "well you are!" Jeff and I looked at each other and were secretly excited. Not that kaylee got called a name, but that Jaxon is showing regular 3 yr old behaviors. So funny.

Anyway coming up this week is Jordans blessing. We are looking forward to it. I will post some pictures from that later.

2007-04-03T15:09:00.000-06:00

WHO IS WHO??

Can you tell which one is Jaxon and which is Jordan? I can't get over how alike the two look. Is it possible to have twins 4 years apart?????

Oh the top one is jordan and the bottom is Jaxon. Im pretty sure at the same age, 1 month.

2007-03-23T12:12:00.000-06:00

Here we are trying to make our way out of the house today to do some shopping. Jeff went off to the March Maddness games in Calif with the boys, so we are going to go shopping. I might be completly crazy trying to take 3 kids out by myself....but we shall see! Look how cute they are...

Evaluation from May 2006

2007-03-22T21:39:00.000-06:00

JAXONS GREAT NEWS!!

2007-03-22T20:58:00.000-06:00

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!! THIS IS SOME OF THE BEST NEWS WE HAVE HEARD IN A LONG TIME!! If you havent' heard, Jaxon came up on a waiting list for a preschool, Giantsteps, that he has been on for a year and a half. In order to get into the school they need to evaluate the child to see if they qualify for the services. (the child needs to show some range of autistic behaviours to qualify) So we took Jaxon in on March 12 and for 1 1/2 hours Jaxon was being evaluated. I couldnt' watch, so I was very curious on how the eval went. Deep down I was hoping that they would come back and say, "oh your son doens't need our services, he is like any normal little boy.....what, you say he once had a diagnosis of Autism...you would never know that now." That was what I was hoping to hear. I knew that might be a bit premature, but it doesn't hurt to hope.

Later in the week I got a voice mail from the school saying that Jaxon DOES qualify for the service and they think he would do really well in the Giantsteps program. Call us back for the details on the test. That was not what I had hoped to hear. I was prepared to hear that, but hoped to hear the opposite. I didn't call the school back and began to think that maybe I need to accept that despite all the work we put into this, and no matter how hard Jaxon tries, he just might never come completely out of Autism. While he has come so far, I have always felt that we are going to go all the way and there is no chance that Jaxon wont loose this diagnosis all together. But after hearing that message I got discouraged and mad and decided I cant keep setting myself and Jaxon up for disappointment. Maybe this is the best it will get for him.

Well Tues rolls around and I decide to call for the specifics of the test. The teacher tells me that Jaxon scored very very well on the test. He actually scored in the "NON-AUTISTIC range!" It took a minute for that to really hit me, that he scored as NON AUTISTIC! But then why did he still qualify for service? Well They still saw some social quirks, and some residual behaviours that they felt he would do well in the high functioning group. I was so happy to hear this. I am the first to admit that Jaxon needs more help in the social part than the academic part. He is brilliant, but doesn't quite know how to read others. He is still leaps and bounds of what he used to be, but not normal.

I immediatly called Jeff and family and told them of the great news! Everyone was so happy and reconfirmed how far they think he has come. One comment from one of his teachers the other day, (she works in special ed) was that Jaxon is one of two kids she has ever worked with that she has seen such a complete turn around. This particular lady was one teacher who did the evaluation on him last year when he was about to turn 3. She said " I remember thinking, oh are we ever going to get anything out of this kid. All he does is scream and yell." It was the truth, at that particular eval, we couldnt' even get him to sit down at the chair. He was way to overstimulated and couldn't yet talk. It was truly a low point for us. Now he is in this particular teachers class, and she says he is the best behaved in the class. (and he is in a class with 6 normal kids!) He is well on his way to recovery. I truly belive that, it just might take us a little longer, but hey we have the time!

I found the print out of the evaluation last year. The comparables are astounding for just one year. It states that Jaxon was "Clinically signifigant" in the following areas, Hyperactivity, externalizing problems, Atypicality, Withdrawl, and Behavioral Symptoms. Basicly that means that he can't score any worse on those areas. the rest of the test was "at risk". Agression, Anxiety, Depression, internalizing problems, attention problems, adaptability, social skills, functional communication, daily living skills. the only thing that was in the normal catagory was "Somatization" (i have no idea what that means.)

I am very grateful that he has gone from Clinically signifigant, and At risk, to NON AUTISTIC!! Thanks for reading this "novel" and thanks again for everybodys support and prayers for us. It truly couldn't have been done without all your help and support!

2007-03-22T20:47:00.000-06:00

2007-03-22T17:46:00.000-06:00

OK I Finally fixed this blog. For the longest time I couldn't get any pictures to load. So Im glad that Jeff helped me figure it all out. So there is so much that has been going on. First off, we will start with Kaylee. Here are some pictures from basketball. It ended this last week and she was so sad. Jeff coached her team and they had so much fun. Especially Jeff!! :) Kaylee is the best player on her team and scored 3 baskets in her last game! So now kaylee challenges Jeff to play her all the time! She also got her hair cut. It is so cute, ill have to get a picture on here soon. She really likes it.

Jordan Jeffry Kohler

2007-03-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

Here he is Our cute little man:) We brought Jordan home today and he is very busy sleeping. He is doing so well, he has a touch of jaundice, but all my kids did so no worries. Look how long his fingers are. I should post a picture of his feet, his toes are even longer! they are so funny.

The kids are so in love, as is jeff. Jaxon is getting used to this whole new thing, while Kaylee is a natural at it. She is so concerned with him and just is the best helper.

A New Addition!

2007-03-20T13:59:00.001-06:00

The baby is here! He arrived at 3:17 p.m. at a whopping 8 lbs 1 oz. He is 20" inches long, and appears to be perfectly healthy! I also must add he is our best piece of work yet. He is very calm, content, and hungry! What a beautiful baby! Mom was such a trooper, what an amazing delivery and recovery she has had.

Kaylee seems to be so excited. She was a little teared up when she first held him. It was a perfect moment. Jaxon seems a little timid, but talks openly about "The baby" and seems to be just fine with the new family member.

We are still without a name, but have it narrowed down to about three or four choices. I wanted to hurry and get these photos up so that family can at least see what the baby looks like.

More photos (and a name) are on their way!

Disneyland!

2007-03-20T13:54:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from disneyland. We went the day after Christmas. It was so much fun and the kids absolutly LOVED it. Its so fun to see these pictures and see how much fun they have together. Cant' wait to add another one to the mix....