Hmmm....

Go here to find out if Hallie will have a brother or a sister!

If you guessed "GIRL"....

...You were wrong!! :) That's right-John and I are having a little baby boy!! :) Needless to say that John is more than thrilled! And so am I! I guess a mother's instinct is always right-I sorta had a feeling that this little baby would be a boy! (John was just hoping).

-I copied this from Taunya's blog. Read her whole story by clicking here.

Congrats!

The Big 2!

Happy Birthday Hallie!

This Family of Three...

...will soon be FOUR!

Then Comes A Baby In A Baby Carriage

Taunya and John made their huge announcement today on their blog, so I am helping spread the word! Congratulations, we are so excited for you!

<3

Congrats Shyla & Scott on adding a sweet girl to the Aaron family!

Nicki has some news...
Check it out at http://www.nicki-tyler.blogspot.com.

Love you all.

Girl Cousin Overnighter

Last year the girl cousins decided to begin a yearly tradition of having a Girl's night out. This year we went to Wolf Creek. Only 5 of us made it, but we had A LOT of fun, playing games, laughing, eating, sharing stories, laughing some more, and staying up way too late! It was like getting together with old friends! We went out to lunch at Eats of Eden, and then headed over to Dottie Beck's, a WAY cute but over priced boutique! We missed those who couldn't make it and hope to see you next year!

Change of Plans

Rob had back surgery yesterday. I realize my last post said it would be June 2nd, but Monday a nurse called him with a cancellation, and asked if he wanted to have surgery then. Rob was worried about homework and projects due the week of June 2nd, and right now he didn't really have too much on his plate, so this worked out better for him anyway.

He had surgery at 8:15 Tuesday morning and came home about 5:00 the same day. The doctor said everything went ok and that it was a pretty routine procedure for him. Rob is sore but is getting around. Since this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, we didn't have the family fast my mom was hoping for so please keep Rob in your prayers. Thanks once again for all of your love and support.

Back Surgery for Rob

About a week ago Rob had a new MRI done (his last one was done in Russia) and met with the doctor to go over the results. They decided to have surgery June 2nd to cut the bulge off of his disk. Rob will be released the same day so it's a small incision and procedure but he is very concerned about keeping up with his homework while he is out of school for a few days.

I'd love it if the family would join us in a fast for him the Sunday before. We are hoping this will make it so he can walk normal as well as fix his back problems. I think he looks worse than ever. He gets so bogged down with his work, and doesn't handle stress very well. Maybe we could fast for that as well. I worry about him.
Thanks, April

Kara's Shower & Tanner's Farewell

Here's a few pictures from the weekend!

It was a great weekend! I love spending time with family. It was fun to see grandma, aunts, and cousins for Kara's shower. We are all so excited for Marley to get here. It was also fun to spend time with everyone on Sunday for Tanner's farewell. Tanner will be such a good missionary and will follow in the footsteps of those who have already served and are serving. The McAffee family has surely been blessed for all the faithful service for those who have served missions and also for those who have supported and served at home. I feel so blessed to be part of the McAffee family. I'm grateful for the closeness I feel with all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grandma and Grandpa. Before sacrament meetings started on Sunday I noticed Grandma looking at everyone and smiling. I asked her if it was a little overwhelming to see how big her family is. Grandma and Grandpa have done a great job raising their 10 kids and being such great examples of faithful members of the church. I'm sure I echo everyone else when I say how much I admire them. I'm excited for May 29th when the girl cousins will be getting together. I love you all!!

I have more pics from the weekend on my blog at chrisandlani.blogspot.com

Proud and Tender Moments

My mom sent this in an email and I thought it was worthy enough to be added to the family blog journal:

Hey everyone,

Well this weekend our boys basketball team went to Boise to play for the State Championship title. We've had a rough season. We went in as the half team from two Districts. Alex blew his ACL about five games into the season, which put him out for the rest of the year. Four weeks ago his Dr. gave him the go ahead to dress down with the team, but the only thing he could do is go out on the floor during warm-ups and shoot foul shots. We were pretty tickled with that news. The coach told Alex that if they get into a situation where the other team gets a technical, and it wasn't a close scoring game, he'd let Alex shoot the "T" shot. Pretty unlikely, but he was willing to take anything at this point.

The first night (Thursday) at the state games we won. The team was pretty excited. They, for the first time, really pulled together as a team and played team ball. It was an awesome win.

The next night we played a team a bit tougher than the night before, we pulled ahead and with 4 minutes left of the 4th quarter........they got a technical!!! I wasn't sure if Alex would be able to shoot the ball, we were only ahead by 10 points, and this was an important game to win. If we won that game, we played Saturday for State Championship title.

I had my eyes on coach and saw him tell Alex to go "check in" at the score table!! I was ecstatic!!!! I started slapping Mel on his shoulder and saying "Alex is shooting, Alex is shooting"!!! To which Mel stood up and started yelling..... something! I grabbed Hallie out of Ashley's arms, startling poor Hallie, and told Ash to get her camera out. The announcer called Alex into the game, which by then the whole Hill family was wiping tears out of their eyes, and the Shelley student body was chanting Alex's name, along with the Shelley fans standing and applauding. Alex went to the foul line, shot the first and missed. He turned to the Shelley fans and gave them his "oops smile", it was so cute, he squared up and shot the second shot and made it. The crowd went crazy, the Hill's were crying and Alex walked back to the bench a few feet taller. He just sat on the bench the rest of the game giggling.

We won that game. After the game when everyone hangs around to congratulate the team, we had so many people come up to us and tell us that was a tender moment. Everyone that talked to me after the game said they were wiping tears from their eyes as well. Alex found us and as he hugged each one of us we bawled on each other's shoulders! Alex finally got to contribute to the game, to the season. It was very emotional for us all. For me the defining moment was when I heard the crowd screaming and chanting Alex's name. I'm glad he made one of the baskets, he would of died if he didn't, but it was good for me to hear the fans go nuts for him. He hasn't played since Dec. and I've wondered if people had forgotten that he's not a bad player.


After all the excitement settled, somewhat, the team headed for the bus and the fans to their cars. We were walking past the bus about the time Alex got on and heard another round of cheers and woo-woos from the team! Words cannot describe what a golden moment that was! Saturday we won the game which made us State Champions!!!! Way to go Russets! Again, they moved the team, fans, and coaches into a secluded room for all the congrats. Again we had so many people tell us that winning the State Championship was awesome, but the highlight of the whole tournament was Alex being able to shoot that technical shot! It was so nice of everyone to share that with us. Most did with tears in their eyes, which made mine well up as well. It was awesome!!!!


I think you can go to Idahosports.com to watch the game. As for me....I'm buying the video!!!!!

Thanks again Shirlene for letting us all crash at your home. We love staying there and you're always good to entertain us whether it's a good movie or just your funny stories.

It's Like Having A Newborn

Alex's surgery went really well. He has been home for 5 days and mom and dad say it is like having a newborn all over again. They are up with him in the night, feeding him, helping him to the bathroom, napping when he naps, taking turns napping, etc.! They think Alex is allergic to his pain medication; he has had the hiccups since he has been on them and the other day he was itchy all over. They changed the meds and now they think the new ones are making him nauseous. He has been able to go without pain killers for longer periods of time, which is good.

Robert will be seeing a doctor tomorrow to fix his back (cross your fingers). He heard about this doctor through his old seminary teacher who had the same problem as Rob does, maybe worse, and it took one treatment to fix him. So we are keeping our hopes high. The method this doctor practices is called Rolfing. Rolfing or Rolf therapy is the manipulation or deep tissue massage of the body's connective tissue and muscles, in order to realign and balance the body's structure. This leads to improved posture, function, and general physical and emotional health. Rob is also living in Rexburg and he started college last Wednesday. He likes his roommates and says homework will keep him busy but he is having fun. Heck, he already had a hot date over the weekend!

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers on their behalf. Hope all are having a great new year.

Robert and Alex

Here is a little update about Robert and Alex. Robert moved to Rexburg today and will be starting school at BYU-I Thursday. He is scheduled for another Cortizone shot for his back, something he doesn't really want to do but we are in high hopes that this will give him the relief he needs.

Alex's knee surgery is tomorrow. If having knee problems and being out of basketball for the season isn't enough, he has also been diagnosed with Bells Palsy in the right side of his face.

We appreciate your prayers and are thankful that things aren't as bad as they could be.

Have a happy new year!