In brief...

Our little family is complete again!

Phillip has been flying the Army's LUH helicopter for a few months now, and seems to be enjoying it.  We are all so relieved to know that he is not going to be deployed for the next 3 years.  As always, we are looking to the future; we are really enjoying being back in Louisiana, next to family and we are exploring our options for whenever our time at Fort Polk is finished.

Gabe brought home a packet for the Gifted & Talented program a few weeks ago.  In the past, his teachers have expressed that he would be a good candidate for such a thing.  I think he will be tested soon.  He loves to read and has the most A.R. points in the 5th grade at his school.  He's making new friends at school, and in his new interest, football.  Over the summer, he matured quiet a bit mentally and physically.  He's now such a young man.  I watch him these days, and wonder where the time has gone; I'm getting a bit depressed that he's growing so fast. 

Sarah is our little "firecracker"!  She is a beautiful little girl (inside and out), and makes friends so easily.  She is definitely an extrovert.  These days, she looks forward to going to preschool everyday, and is still taking ballet classes.  I think that I might try to see if she'll like gymnastics, but then again, ballet is her thing...and it teaches the little m'am some poise and grace!

Gabe, going for the ball.

Sarah, and her friend, Rachael.

As for me, I thought that it might be possible to go back to work as a Certified Surgical Technologist at any one of the nearby hospitals, but I'm seeing that being a wife, Mom, and homemaker takes priority.  Managing the four of us (and a spoiled cat) is my full time job at the moment.

I'm feeling much better since I had my gallbladder removed.  Years of feeling sick and "toxic" are in the past.  My body is finally properly digesting food, and my liver is not backed up with the sludge that was present when the gallbladder was taken out.

As for the cervical cancer and hysterectomy to remove it, I'm healing well from that also.  I'll go for a check-up soon to make sure that I'm still in the clear.

While the kids are in school, I do what needs to be done to run our household, and then when I have time, I let my creative juices flow.  I've listed some of my projects on Etsy.com, and I hope that I can generate some interest soon...I'm kinda proud of my little accomplishments.  Visit the Etsy shop when you have time (the link is on this blog {to your right}), and visit my other blog as well:  http://sagalohandmade.blogspot.com/.

As this week goes on, I will make sure that things on this blog are current; links, pictures, etc.

I'll try to write more often...

Janet

Hello, again! It's been too long...

Well, Guys, I promised way back in February that I'd write another post.  It's been on my mind that I'm way overdue on an update for you.  The fact is, we've been extremely busy!

I'll put it all down in bullet form for you:

• The most important thing is that we are together as a family again, and will be for the next 3 years!
• I counted up the months, and since the beginning of 2010, Phillip has been away from us for a total of 20 months, and home for a total of 9 months.
• He returned to Fort Wainwright, Alaska from Afghanistan in late February.
• I spent a week in Alaska visiting him while the kids stayed with his parents, and then we came home to Louisiana to be together as a family for about 2 weeks.
• Then Phil went on to Pennsylvania to LUH (Light Utility Helicopter; the UH-72) training, so that...
• We could accept a new non-deployable assignment at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
• We bought a house just north of Deridder, LA.
• I had a full-scope done by a gastroenterologist, sometime in March, to try to figure out why I have IBS-C (ummm...look it up); nothing was found but a small polyp.
• I learned in early April that I had Carcinoma Insitu of the Cervix (cancer).
• A HIDA scan of my gallbladder was also done in April, and it determined that the gallbladder is useless; it only "dumps" at 7%, which is way below the norm of about 35%.
• Phil and I decided that it was best to go forth with a partial (cervix and uterus, the ovaries stayed) hysterectomy on April 10. 
• My Dad had a scan done to see if the hemorrhage/stroke that he suffered in December had been absorbed; his doctor told him that there was no sign that it even happened!  Great news!!!
• Gabe earned his orange belt in karate.
• Sarah is growing more and more into a beautiful little girl.  She no longer has the body of a toddler.  She is lean, muscular (she LOVES ballet), and petite; and is a graceful little ballerina.
• Phillip finished LUH school in late May.
• The four of us took a 5 night cruise to Mexico, and got back yesterday.
• The movers will be here on Monday to pack up the apartment, and move us to the new house in Deridder.
• I will have my gallbladder removed on Wednesday of next week, to hopefully alleviate those major gastro-intestinal problems.
• I will try to upload some new pictures for you to view in the "Our Story in Pictures" album in the next few days.

I'm sure there is something that I'm forgetting to tell you.  As I go through the pictures, something might come up that I think should have been added to this list.

As for the cancer, it was caught early.  There will be no further treatments, and there is only a 10% chance of it coming back (my doctor said that it has only happened to one other patient of his).

Things are looking up!  I feel blessed.

I hope that you are doing well too.

J~