The Start of a New Year....and more problems....

January: Jeremy's surgery did not solve his problem and so he decided to just get on with life. He went to Rexburg and completed a semester at BYU-I. He hobbled around and loved his handicap tag (well his roommates did anyway). He did great and got straight A's. Pretty good for a cripple and someone who couldn't sleep because of the pain.

February: Started out just awful! Mark's mom passed away on the 6th and it was a shock to everyone. It was unexpected, but she was able to go the way she wanted to....quietly in her sleep. We sure miss her and it is hard to think that she is not just in the other room. I asked her while she was "sleeping" to please help us find the answer to Jeremy's problem. I know she loves Jeremy and would do anything she could on the other side.

Well, two weeks later Jeremy was riding a horse with snow boots on. His boots did not fit in the stirrups and the horse threw him off. He landed on his back. He was in horrible pain and needed some pain pills. Jason and I took them up to him, but they did not help. He finally said he needed to see a doctor and he could not make it home to see McRoberts. We still had not gone in and saw him after his December surgery. We were referred to a Dr. Stromberg in Idaho Falls. We took all of Jeremy's x-rays with us and in two minutes he told us what was wrong with him. We found out in August that Jeremy had a ruptured disc, but the doctors just kept telling us that was the least of his problems. Dr. Stromberg said it is rare for a L-5, S-1 Disc to cause groin pain, but he has seen it. WHAT A RELIEF!!

Our nights were consumed with basketball games and we enjoyed the season. Jason's team did not do very well...they only won their first game. We came so very close so many times and went into overtime all the time. They could never pull it out, but they kept fighting!! It was a heartbreaker of a season, and especially hard knowing our "sporting parents days" were coming to an end.

March: Jeremy had an injection in his back and it relieved some of the pain, but in a few days it was back. The doctor was then pretty sure that it was the disc causing him problems, so we scheduled his surgery for April. (We had to go to physical therapy to prove to the insurance company that it would not help him. That was pure TORTURE and a waste of money!!)

April: Jeremy finished his semester at BYU-I and that afternoon had surgery (again) and after a week of recovery he was feeling WONDERFUL!! What a relief it was to see him stand up straight, walk without dragging his leg and feeling great. He was sleeping again and he had the spark in his eye again. He had to be careful for six weeks and he did great. The doctor told him to "act like it never happened" and so he did. Two weeks later he started having the pain again. We will be having another MRI in the near future and we think he has probably blown out his disc again. He just loves life and works really hard, something that he will probably have to change.

May: I really don't know what happened to May. We had Seminary Graduation and High School Graduation. Can't believe that our kids are finished with high school. We really feel old! We helped with the all-night party and had a lot of fun with that.

June: The mission call arrived and Jason will be going to the Brazil Belo Horizonte Mission and be speaking Portuguese. He will leave the end of October and fly straight to Sao Paulo. We took Jason to the temple and what a "pay day" for us. Josh and Erin were able to come up and as I looked over in the Creation Room, there was Mark, Jason, Jeremy and Josh. My heart was so full and I was very thankful for the great kids that we were blessed with. That was the first time we were all together in the Celestial Room. My emotions were overflowing with gratitude. It was a bitter-sweet moment. Had Jeremy not come home, that day would still be a couple of years away.

Josh and Erin have been training since January to run in the Provo Marathon.  I sure take my hat off to them because that is something I would never even think about let alone do.  We were able to see them at the finish line and for a little while after the run.  It was so fun to see them finish the race together hand-in-hand!  They seem to be very happy and they keep VERY busy with their lives as students at BYU.  We love them a ton!

Here it is July and the year is half gone. Mark and I were alone last week as Jason and Jeremy were off playing. It was lonely and quiet. Yes, my house stayed clean and the laundry wasn't too bad, but it was a taste of what life is going to be like in the not-to-distant future. We had our three boys within four years and one month and now they are all leaving at the same time. Time goes by too quickly!

We are doing a little better. We are thankful that we know the root of Jeremy's problem and we are not playing the guessing game anymore. That was so hard to handle. We are keeping busy with church callings and the few things happening this summer. We hope to be able to do something fun this year before Jason leaves.

Again, we appreciate our family, friends and neighbors who have been there for us. It has been rough and we would not have made it through without you! Thanks for your prayers and your thoughtfulness. We love you all!