Jeff Update

Yesterday my Dad was able to have surgery (hopefully the last)to get his Dialysis Catheter out of his stomach. The surgery was about 1 hour long. The surgery went well the Dr said. He is now tube free. He says he feels great! He has been amazing and looks unbelievable. He says he feels so proud because he is able to play with the grand kids. That is something he hasn't been able to do for years. He is planning on going back to work on the 20th of December. I am sure they are ready for him to come back but I am not sure he is ready. He sure is enjoying being home. We feel so blessed to be able to have him around for the Holidays. Thanksgiving was wonderful, we didn't think he would be around for it but because of answered prayers and a family and person who decided to give a stranger another chance at life he is here enjoying every breath. We are so grateful for all of you. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and they answer prayers. I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life.

We have a guest!

Rodrigos cousin Claudia has come to stay with us from Mexico to help watch the kids. I am so grateful for her strength and courage to come all the way to Utah to be with us. The kids adore her and so do I. It is going to be a huge help for Rodrigo and I while we are at work. We hope that she enjoys being with us and enjoys all the adventures yet to come.

Gavin Cody Naylor

Gavin was born today at 8:30 AM weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and is 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing wonderful and Daddy is very very proud. Aubrey is very excited to be a big sister. They have a new rule at the hospital that no kids under the age of 12 are aloud to go visit so my kids are anxiously waiting to go meet there new cousin. Congratulations!

Jeff Update!

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted an update on my dad. He is doing wonderful. He had the best clinic ever last week. He was released to go places. So basically he can go out in public and see people as long as they are not sick. If someone is coughing by him he needs to get away and make sure that he is washing his hands often. His numbers look awesome. He feels great. He is down to going to labs only 2 times a week now instead of 3. He gets to make an appointment to get his Dialysis Catheter out of his stomach. This will be the last thing thing that he has to be tube free. He is on a very strict diet. My mom is really helping and making sure that he is eating the right things. He is down 30 pounds. I meant to take an updated picutre but forgot. I will be sure to post one soon.

A shout out to my mom!

I just wanted to dedicate a post to my amazing mother. She has been the most amazing person through this adventure with my dad. She is the # 1 care giver and is taking care of my dad 100%. I am so grateful for her and her unconditional love she shows to my family every day. She puts everything a side in her life to make sure that her family is o.k. She is truly amazing, driving my dad down to Murray every other day for labs, fitting work in when she can, making sure that her kids and grand kids have what they need, taking care of the tasks at her home, making sure my dad has the proper food for his diet, she has been so strong through this whole process and has been going strong. She is simply amazing and I love her so much. Without her I don't know where I would be today. I am sure my dad would say the same thing.
Mom we love you and thank you for all you do, we truly appreciate you. You have always put everyone before yourself, you have such a Christlike love that people can see. I hope soon things will calm down and you can sit down and put your feet up for a few minutes. I couldn't of gotten through all of this without you. You have made sure that we stay positive about every issue that has happened. Thank You!

Our Visit

On Sunday my mom called and invited us to come out and visit for a little bit. The kids were finally better and I felt pretty good about taking them to visit. When we arrived the kids were so excited we haven't been up to my moms for about a month. My dad wore a mask while we were there to take extra precaution. Maya didn't recognize him at first but as soon as he talked she knew that it was her grandpa. She was so happy she ran right over and wanted to tackle him but we had to stop her because my dads not quite up to that yet. He looked wonderful. Rodrigo was able to give him a haircut and he looked as good as new. I love my dad so much and am so proud of him for fighting so hard.
He went back to clinic yesterday for his therapy and things and his blood pressure dropped so low that they had to stop what they were doing and wait for 2 hours for it to slowly go up. My mom and dad were both afraid that they would re admit him to the hospital but they didn't. Prayers answered again! If you notice in the pictures he has an awesome shirt on. Recycle Life!

Grandpa We Love You

My kids wanted to say We Love You Grandpa and miss you.

5 days of being stable

My Dad was released to come on on Tuesday morning. His numbers were down and things looked pretty good. He has been able to keep everything stable up to this day. We are so grateful for that. The only thing now that is a concern is that his incision is not healing fast enough. It is bleeding a lot so the staples will have to stay in longer than normal. The Dr. said that is pretty normal for a Diabetic. He is just staying down and staying very positive about things. My mom has been a trooper this week taking him back down to LDS hospital and IMC for his Therapy and clinics every other day. He will go back on Monday and have all of his numbers checked again to see how everything is going. He is still getting his blood taken out and put back in to see if his antibodies will tame down. He says there is about 1 liter at a time that is out of his body when they do the treatment. It makes him feel really strange when they are done. He feels lightheaded and really weak after that treatment. He may have to do that for only 1 more week but we won't know until next week. He has really enjoyed the phone calls and concerns from all of you. He really put things into perspective for me when he told me of a story about a man who is met this last week at clinics that recieved a kidney transplant on September 3rd. He was in a wheel chair and telling my dad that they have not been able to get his new kidney to wake up yet. The guy told my dad that he is fighting for his wife and 3 little girls that were at home. My dad said, at least I can walk and my kidney is working not to its full potential yet but working. We are so grateful for all that has happend and that things are progressing slowly but in the right way.

The 13th Day

My Dad was released from the Hospital yesterday the plasma treatment is working. He was able to go home last night but had to be back this morning for his Thymo treatment and another plasma exchange. While he was laying there he felt a trickle down his back. He took his hand and placed it on his back looked and it and it was covered with blood. He called the nurses down and they all rushed in and saw that he was bleeding from his neck where all the lines and ports are to do all his treatments. Since he he is on a blood thinner medication if he starts to bleed it is harder to get it stopped because the blood won't clot. He his in the process of getting a blood transfusion and some platelets put back in. They have readmitted him again because they can't get the bleeding to stop. My mom says its a blessing they did so they can care for him every minute. If something were to happen she would have to get him back down to IMC because the other hospitals wouldn't know what to do. I talked to my dad and he said the only thing he wants right now are some rice crispy treats. My mom really wants a Mu mu to wear. Barbara if you are reading this maybe you could lend her yours! I will be sure to post something as soon as something changes. If any of you have any suggestions on what I could put in a hospital care package let me know. Love you!

Another Positive Update

First of all for those of you who have praying your hearts out for our family I just want to say THANK YOU!! We literally feel all of you and feel like our family is surrounded by a great big hug. We are so grateful for every one of you. We couldn't do this alone. I was able to go see my Dad tonight and he looked great. He has gotten his taste back that he lost I don't know how long ago, he can smell regular things which is awesome. Before all he could smell was a disgusting fermented smell all the time which would make him loose his appetite. He had a huge smile on his face tonight and said it looked promising. We are not getting our hopes up but we are sure staying positive. He will be there through tomorrow getting the blood and plasma treatment then he will continue with that for the next 8days. I will continue to post updates as I receive them. My amazing mom will be transporting him back and forth everyday to and from IMC in Murray. It has almost been 2 weeks since we received this amazing gift and it has really has brought us closer as a family. My brother has spent many hours sitting with my dad late into the night making sure that every need has been taking care of. Cody has also been the strength for us all making sure we don't have a nervous break down. I just want you to know Cody that I Love you and appreciate everything you are doing for Dad and for me and mom. Rodrigo and Liz have been wonderful in taking care of the Kids and everything else at our homes so we can be with our Mom and Dad. I was thinking of making a little book for my Dad that has letters or thoughts from people so I could give them to him so he knows just how many people are praying for him and thinking about him. Let me know if you would be interested in contributing and I will let you know where to send them. Until the next post I hope every one is well.

Back in the hospital!

Since my Dad came home on Friday he has had to go back to the hospital every day for a IV treatment because his #s were not coming down yet. The Dr ordered a kidney biopsy for today because by the 6th day the #s should have dropped quite a bit to where my Dad shouldn't need the IV anymore but this has not been the case since we are on day 8. After a long day at LDS Hospital getting the new kidney biopsied my mom and dad headed over to IMC for the IV treatment when they got there the Drs wanted to talk to my parents. The antibodies in my dads body are attacking the new kidney which is making the kidney reject. This is something that you don't want to happen and hope that it won't when you get a transplant. They have admitted my Dad back to the hospital at IMC, put in a port in his neck and will be taking all of the plasma out of his body and replacing it with artificial plasma to see if that will help. We are all really shocked because we thought things were going well. I have been sick with a cold so I haven't been able to be around my Dad and I couldn't go up to the hospital to see him today. It is literally killing me. I am so worried and scared and want to be there so bad. My mom and brother are there with him making sure that everything is getting taken care of. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to go up there and see him. I have been praying with all my heart tonight that we will be able to stay strong and have the faith that we need to get through this. It has been such a emotional roller coaster for me. I never imagined being able to feel so many emotions at the same time. It is so overwhelming.

Home Sweet Home

My Dad was released from the hospital today. He is home and sleeping soundly as we speak and so happy to be in his own bed. He has to go back the next 3 days to do a IV treatment for fours each day. After he is done with that he will be going back to the hospital 3 times a week to do blood work and get lab tests done. He will be going back for several weeks until the kidney is up and running 100%. As I sit here thinking about this whole situation it just seems so surreal that it has even happened. We have waited almost 2 years for this to happen. Now we are 5 days past the transplant. Who would even imagined it would happen so fast. I am typing this thinking how grateful I am to the donor family. I have so much love and respect for them and I don't even know who they are. It has really opened my eyes up about being a donor and made me realize how important it is. I hope some day we will be able to meet the donor family so they can see how this has impacted my family. I will continue to keep you posted as the days go on. Thank you everyone for your support, we will never be able to thank you enough.

Good News

The Dr. came into and told my Dad that there is a good chance that he will get to go home tomorrow. We were expecting him to be in the hospital for at least 7 days if not longer because he is a high risk patient. He is doing so good, all of his stats look great. Once he gets home he will be out of work for probably 3 months and the hardest part that I am trying to take in is that my kids won't get to see him for at least 3 months. We can't take the risk of getting him sick. He has no immune system and if he were even to get the slightest cold it would be really bad news. I know it will be worth it in the end.

The Recovery

I am sitting here with my dad and we are on recovery day # 2. It feels like we have been here forever and that he got the surgery forever ago. He is doing well he got to eat a little bit today and he has been up and walking. He says that he is really tired but feeling o.k. He is such a trooper and the care that he is getting at the hospital is amazing. The staff has been more than wonderful in caring for my dad. The kidney is working more today that it was yesterday which we are happy about. My dad spirits are so great he never has one bad thing to say. We are so proud of him for being so brave and staying strong. We know that Heavenly Father has had a hand in this whole miracle. We love our Savior so much and we are so thankful for everything that has happened in the past couple of days. Our love and prayers also go out to the family who's loved one passed away and has made it possible for my Dad to be with us longer. It has simply been a miracle.

Glorious Day!

Well our prayers have been answered. We are sitting at the hospital as we speak as my dad has started his new journey. He is in surgery right now recieving a new kidney. My parents got a call last night about midnight and they were put on alert. The hospital called them back about 6:30 this morning and said get ready and get in here as soon as you can. So we have been here since about 8:30 this morning awaiting the long surgery. They came wheeled him down to surgery about 5:15. He is in good spirits but very nervous. We feel that a miracle has happend for us today. We are so grateful for all of you who are supporting us and keeping us in your prayers. It has touched our family so much especially my dad. I will be sure to post again once he is out of surgery and we know more. Waiting has been killing me. I have never felt so anxious or scared in my whole life. I love you all and want to thank all of you for everything. I wanted to wish Josie a Happy Birthday as well and Brandi a Happy Anniversary.

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Lexies birthday this weekend. My little girl turned 3 and we had a princess party for her. Her birthday always falls on the West Fest weekend so we start out by going to the parade in the morning, attending the carnival and Boothe's in the afternoon then we had the party with lots of family and Friends and to end the night we watched fireworks.

My lovely husband surprised all of us with a taco stand to cater the birthday party. It was the best!! I also need to give my good friend Lori a big shout out. Thank You for making the most perfect princess cake for me. She is such a talented person and am so grateful for her and her time to do this for me. It wouldn't be a Sanchez party without the pinatas, the kids had a blast breaking them. Thank you everyone who came it was so nice to see you.




Lexie loved every minute of her day. She just keep saying Thank you mom, Thank you dad. The only thing she was asking to get was a princess bike so that is what we got her and she loves it. My mom made the cute yellow dress that she is wearing in the pictures. We are so glad she was sent to us and we love her so much. We couldn't of asked for a better daughter. She loves life and everyone around her most of the time. She is becoming a little mom in our house and its so fun to watch her learn and grow. Happy Birthday Lex.

Renaisance Festival

Yesterday we decided to go check out the Rennaisance Festival in Ogden. The kids rode horses, we watched the knights joust and we observed a lot of interesting people. A lot of people dress up for the occasion and really get into it. I told Rodrigo next year we will definatly have to dress up and play the part and he just laughed at me. It was a good time!

Fishing with Grandpa

This last year my dad decided he wanted to start going fishing again. He loves it so much. So for Christmas he gave the kids fishing stuff. He gave them lessons on how to cast there line into the water and even spent time preparing there tackle boxes with them. Our first fising trip was up to Farmington pond. We had a picnic and then it was off to find the perfect spot. Lexi and Roderick were so excited to go fishing they couldn't stop talking about it all week long. My dad helped prepare everyones line and to our suprise Roderick has a pretty good arm and could cast very well. As soon as he got his line out in the water he was off playing in the dirt. He would come back and check on it every so often. As for Lexi her line didn't get out very far but she didn't care she just sat there and held her pole with lots of pride. We didn't get lucky and catch anything but it sure was fun to be with my dad and share something he loves. We look forward to going again soon. If anyone knows of a good fishing hole be sure to tell us.

Mexico Pictures

So I just about got all the pictures downloaded and posted on my blog and my 2 year old decided to turn my camera off so it lost everything. I will try again when my kids aren't begging for my attention.

Mexico

We went to Mexico on April 2nd for a 2 1/2 week vacation. It was so good to get back there and see friends and family. We spent a week in the city of Guadalajara and then a week at the beach. I feel like I am getting know Mexico more and more every time we go. I was so excited to see friends and family and to eat the amazing food and couldn't wait to just relax. When we go Mexico we loose track of the time and what day of the week it is because everything is so laid back over there. One thing about Mexico is no matter how hard you try to stay clean within 5 min you are dirty. They don't have carpet in the houses over there so if you don't wear some type of shoes your feet and legs get dirty within minutes, but the kids love it! When I would give them baths the water would turn out black. It was kind of gross but that's OK we were on vacation.

Rodrigos mom was also married while we were over there. She was married on April 11th to Ricardo Fernandez. They have been together for just about 10 years and have a 7 year old daughter Daniela together. It was great to be there for the celebration. We love them so much and are so happy for them both. Rodrigo and I also got to participate in the ceremony, we walked down the isle and we got to put a rope around them to symbolize something. I don't really know because it was all in Spanish. I am getting better at understanding Spanish but not 100%. Rodrigos family is learning English so between my Spanish and there English we get by pretty good.

After the wedding we all went to beach for the honeymoon. The beach we went to was call Los Angelos Locos. The beach was private and the most beautiful place I have seen besides Cancun. There were activities for the kids and adults every hour. They had swim lessons for kids, water polo, beach volley ball, water aerobics, yoga, dance lessons, horse back riding, boat rides, fishing, etc. We are definitely going to go back next year and stay 7 days instead of 5. We also went on a boat tour through a little jungle area and saw crocodiles. We had a wonderful time and got a good tan.

We did so much but I thought I would share just a few highlights. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Lexi in Curlers

Last Sunday I really wanted Lexi to have nice pretty curly hair for church. I got some sponge curlers and told myself you can do this. Since I never had anyone to practice doing hair on when I was growing up this is a big deal for me. So I got her entire head rolled and I was so proud and excited for the finished result. The curlers had been in for about 45 min and I was getting some lunch ready when Lexi came up the stairs and said Mom look so pretty my hair. I looked up and couldn't believe it, she had pulled every single curler out of her hair. I almost started to cry I was so hurt but got over so quickly that I just started to laugh. We went to church with beautiful straight hair. I hope that one day she will like her hair done.

Walking with Dinosaurs

Yesterday we took Roderick to see Walking with Dinosaurs at the Energy Solutions Arena. What a cool experience. Roderick has been learning about Dinosaurs in Preschool so we thought it would be fun to take him to learn some more and see what they really looked like way back then. The narrator told the audience an amazing story and as he did the Dinosaurs would come walking out and fight it was unbelievable they looked so real. When each one came out Roderick knew there names and what they did. He really liked the long necks and couldn't wait until the T Rex came out. He was the last one to come out. We took some pictures but the lighting wasn't very good so hopefully you can see a little bit of what they looked like.

Sick of being sick....

For the last 6 days both Rodrigo and myself have been very sick with the flu. Today it seems that Lexi and Maya are coming down with the same thing. It is so hard being the mom and being sick as well. I usually don't get sick but this time I seemed to have caught whatever it is. I don't know how us moms seem to do it, when we are sick we still manage to take care of everyone and everything. Thanks to my mom for helping a couple of the days. I hate going to the Dr. because all they usually tell you is there is nothing we can do for you, so we just use our home remedies. Its not working very well but hopefully in the next couple of days we will be feeling better. Its seems to be a vicious circle in my family we just keep passing one thing to the next person.