9/6/10

Rise and Shout...the Cougars are Out!

Josh, Erin and Jason
with the Cougar
at the BYU Sports Museum
The 1984 National Championship Coaches Trophy

Our family with Grandpa Matson and cousin Spencer
before the opening game of the 2010 Season
BYU vs. the University of Washington
At half time a special presentation...
LaVell Edwards and his eight
All-Star Quarterbacks....
this is Steve Young and Robby Bosco.
All smiles after a great win!
BYU       23
U of W  17

It has been a long time since our whole family
attended a BYU Game.
It was a lot of fun and something we enjoy doing ~
Thanks Grandpa!

7/8/10

Pictures....What would we do without them!

Our boys at the Jazz Playoff Game..they had a ton of fun!
Aren't they soooo CUTE!  I love this picture!!

Mark and I at the "Day of the Dank"
Every year on the anniversary of my brother's death,
Rita and his friends put together a golf tournament.  It was a lot of fun!

Jeremy, Mark and Jason
Holding University of Utah golf balls.  They would only do this
for their Uncle Brian!

Jeremy and Jason ready to tee off!

Erin and Josh showed up and joined the party!

The Ladies....
Erin, Dixie (Mom), Sherri and Nancy (Sister)

The BIG WHITE ENVELOPE is in the mail!
Where will I be spending the next two years?

Dear Elder Matson,
You are called to serve as a missionary in the
Brazil Belo Horizonte Mission
October 27, 2010
Jaime (Erin's sister), Erin and Josh
Marathon Runners
26.2 Miles
Congratulations!!
Over the finish line....hand in hand!

Coming into the mall parking lot....
"Where is the FINISH line? My legs are killing me!"
I could never do this...Way to go!
I am a High School Graduate!!
Jason tossing his cap into the air!
Class of 2010....He's outta there!!
Our Family!
Erin, Josh, Mark, Jason, Sherri and Jeremy
Love them All!

The beautiful casket flowers at Glenis' funeral.
We love her and miss her so much!

Scott, Brenda, Kirk, Shemay, Steve, Jennifer, Garry, Sherri, Mark, Debbie and Richard
Mark's Family at the Rockland Cemetery.
The sun came out for the dedication of the grave, just as if
Glenis was smiling on the day and letting us know she is okay.
Jeremy's cow had twins on February 5th...a heifer and a bull!
I watched it all....couldn't believe my eyes when she had the second one!!
Everyone left after the first calf was born.....good thing Mother Nature knows
what to do because I had NO CLUE!!

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!

1/12/10

Let the trials begin.....

Well as you can tell, it's been a long time since I last posted on the blog. A lot has happened over the last year and it has been 12 of the hardest months we have gone through. Emotionally and mentally I have turned into a mess and who knows how long it will be before I can feel normal again. But to bring everyone up to speed, I'll share a little what has gone on.....

July: Jeremy came home and we started with doctor visits and tests. Went to Dr. Vargo in Salt Lake and he pretty much blew us off and told us to go to pain management. He is the doctor that did the last surgery. We also went and saw a doctor in Idaho Falls. He suggested we go to pain management too and gave us a name of another doctor there in town. We went to her and Jeremy was the youngest person in the waiting room and decided that this was not the way he wanted to go, she wanted to do lots of injections for pain. We also had two CT scans done and a MRI.

August: Jason started his senior year and began counting down the days until basketball would start. He had been practicing all year and he was excited to be a senior on the varsity team. He wasn't at all excited about school, but basketball was worth going to school for. He spent a lot of time in August on the lake and had tons of fun with friends and their boats.

We took Jeremy back to Dr. McRoberts who did Jeremy's initial surgery and he said that a nerve needed to be cut. So, on the 27th, he had his third surgery done on the same site. He was down a couple of weeks, but the pain was still there.

Josh and Erin began another semester at BYU and ended up moving three times in three months. They are now in a great apartment and one where they can live and grow over the next three years. They kept their jobs and are enjoying the student life while being married!

Mark also started school again, only two more classes after this one! It was a great class and he learned a lot. He liked his teacher, although the class was tough it was a good one.

September/October: Jeremy continued to see Dr. McRoberts and he referred us to another doctor. We had a bone scan done, another MRI and an ultrasound with nothing definite shown, except he had a lot of scar tissue. The good thing about all these tests, we know there is nothing wrong with his hip or his back, YEA RIGHT! We were all getting more and more frustrated and Jeremy was walking worse and worse. He was not sleeping and he looked like a zombie all the time. Emotions were everywhere for everyone!!

To make things even better, Jason came home sick on his birthday, which was October 7th. He was not getting better and was not eating. I thought he just had the flu bug and finally figured out there was something wrong. We made an appointment with the doctor, had an ultrasound and a HIDA Scan and found out that his gallbladder was only functioning 16 percent. He was in a ton of pain and had lost a ton of weight. Basketball tryouts were right around the corner and he was worried about the time needed to recover. Finally on October 27th, he had his gallbladder removed and he did really well. He was back to the gym on day four! He has recovered very well and now can eat anything he wants, which makes him so happy, since his favorite food is hamburgers and pizza!

November: Jason was doing great at his follow-up appointment with the surgeon.....Now to ask about Jeremy. The question was finally asked, "will you remove the mesh?" we had tried everything, had every test and seen everyone we could. He agreed and we began the pre-op process with Jeremy again. This time he would go in and remove all the mesh. It was going to be a rough surgery and the doctor tried to prepare Jeremy to be ready.

We had Thanksgiving in Utah this year and it was nice to spend it with my family. Josh and Erin spent it with her family, but they came and visited us on Saturday. My sister and her family were with us and it is still hard not having Grandma and Grandpa and our dear brother there with us. I don't know if the holidays will ever be the same again or if it will get any easier.

I put up our tree early in November, knowing that a surgery was coming and that basketball season gets crazy. Yes, Jason made the team and we started attending the games. We love basketball season and it is hard to believe that in a couple of months it will all be over. We have spent many years in the gym during the winter, I'm not sure what we will do next year.

December: On the 8th, Jeremy finally got scheduled and the surgery was done. The doctor removed the mesh and eight lymph nodes that were extremely enlarged. He was surprised to find the nodes in that area, so hopefully that has been some of Jeremy's pain. He stayed overnight in the hospital and the first night home was horrible. He was in so much pain, doubled over and he just kept saying, "I don't think it is supposed to hurt this bad." We made it through the night, but it was a very long one. The doctor gave him morphine and Oxycontin, but they didn't help much with the pain and only made him woozy, so he decided to just "live with the pain." He has been very swollen and bruised. It took about three weeks for the incision to finally close.

We had a great Christmas with all our kids here. Something that was unexpected this year, but a blessing I won't complain about. Our year ended with a surprising turn of events and tons of worries, but it was fun to have Jeremy home. He went to many BYU games with his brothers and other family members. It has been nice to see Jeremy and Jason getting to spend some unexpected time together before Jason leaves. He will put his mission papers in July, so who knows what will happen this year and what 2010 will bring.

We are thankful for all the kind words and prayers offered on our family's behalf this year. It has been a tough one and one I am glad is over with! I don't think I have ever cried as much as I have this year. Mark probably wants to send me to the mental hospital!!

We are looking forward to a new year, a high school graduation, a mission, a college graduation (Mark), and hopefully healthy children!!

7/27/09

A Little "Pit Stop"

Last Thursday our missionary, Starsi Matson, returned home for a little "pit stop." He has been having problems with his previous surgery and so the mission president sent him home to take care of it. We are hoping we can find the answer to his problems and get him feeling better quickly! He is still a missionary and we are hoping that he will be able to return to the Czech Republic very soon.
It was certainly wonderful to see him again, although he is very disappointed in the turn of events. We have missed him and his laugh and smile. He has lost probably 25 pounds and he looked so pale! We enjoyed the hug...it was wonderful! Keep praying for him!

At least we get a family picture!

7/17/09

An Independence Day to Remember!

On July 4, 2009, we had Mark's family over for a BBQ and is looking like a gorgeous day. After we finished eating and commenting how good our garden looked, these storm clouds came in over the horizon....

It began to lightening, thunder and rain....then it began to hail!

Take a look at the hail accumulated on our neighbors house. It hailed for a good 30 minutes!

The hail beginning to accumulate on the lawn.
After the storm stopped, we went outside to see what damage was left behind. The storm drains were slow taking in all the water. This is what it looked like out front.
Cars driving through the water were fun to watch!

The water from lawn-to-lawn across the street.

Boy is that COLD!

The hail knocked down leaves that were on our front tree. The hail filled the rain gutters and piled up all around the house. Many people in the neighborhood have to replace their roofs and had water damage in their basements. Jason and Mark went around the neighborhood and used ice cream buckets to bail water out of window wells. Mark finally came in around 1 am.

Mark with a handful of hail! Never seen anything like that before in our lives! It was quite the storm.....our lovely garden.....destroyed!

Jason having fun on a scooter....yep....it is COLD!

Well here is proof that the earth will not flood (totally)....
even a double rainbow!

Off to Disneyland!

Erin's brothers-in-law and sisters did a great job on the old Honda....
The car was stuffed with papers. Josh and Erin did not want to clean it up, so when they came out, they emptied everything out on to the parking lot so we had to clean it up....



As the newlyweds came out of the church to head off on to their honeymoon, we were all blowing bubbles to wish them well!

Their reaction when they saw the car.....

Even though they emptied the contents of the car out on to the parking lot, they were not expecting this surprise. Glitter and confetti was placed in the air vents with the air turned on high. When Josh started the car....you guessed it....glitter was everywhere.
After they returned home, they got the oil changed and the air filter was full of glitter and the technician was wondering where they had been.

We are ready to go....we're off to the Black Swan for a couple of nights and then on to the "Happiest Place on Earth.....Disneyland!"

Thumbs Up and So Happy!

A Wedding!

We all had been praying for the rain to stop, or at least just be cloudy on June 12, 2009, but we were blessed with the brightest sunshine!


Our family, minus Elder Jeremy.

This is a picture of the whole crowd! Thank you all for your sharing this day with Josh and Erin!



Some guy drove into the parking lot and asked the kids if they wanted their picture taken with his car. Apparently, this car belonged to Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner, or so he said....


Aren't they just the perfect couple!

This is my favorite!



This one is kinda cute too!

The bridesmaids and groomsmen...
Brothers-in law David Garcia and Aaron Kirkland, Sam Voyles (Josh's MTC buddy),
Jason Matson (Josh's brother)
Josh and Erin
Kaitlyn (Erin's best friend) and Erin's sisters Kimberly, Jamie and Kelly
The parents
Mark and Sherri Matson and Bob and Connie Barnes

Our Family...without Jeremy again!
Josh's side of the family
Uncle Steve, Aunt Jenn, Grandpa and Grandma Matson, Mark and Sherri
Josh and Erin
Jason, Grandma and Grandpa Denkers, Aunt Brenda and Uncle Scott
Little cousins Tyler, Connor, Abbie and Spencer
Josh's Grandparents
Grandpa and Grandma Matson and Grandma and Grandpa Denkers

One of my very favorite pictures..
Brothers
Josh and Jason
Cutting the Cake!