A nurse came to our house and taught Mike and I how to mix the solution together (it comes in two separate vials that have to be mixed and then refrigerated), and then taught us how to inject it into Viv.  It just has to go into a fatty area of her body, so we can give it to her in her arms, legs, butt or tummy.  Although, she has yet to let us give her one in her belly, but can you blame her?  The needle is just a diabetic needle, so it is very small and doesn't hurt very much.

Here's a picture of Viv right after she got her first injection.  She's doing a "thumbs up," but it looks more like she's pointing at herself, so my caption for this picture on Facebook was "What has two thumbs and just got her first growth hormone injection?  This girl!"  How many three-year-olds do you know that would be happy and smiling after getting a shot?  This little girl is tough as nails, and is super excited to start growing so she can be as big as her friends and her cousin, Ella...


After she got her first shot, we had to mark the occasion by marking Vivvie's height on a growth chart...


She's only 34" tall and she'll turn four-years-old next month.  Most her friends are at least six inches taller than her...


These growth hormone injections should help her eventually catch up with other kids her age.  She'll receive one shot each night before going to bed until her growth plates close, which is usually between 14- and 18-years-old for girls.  She'll have hand x-rays done once a year to determine how well the growth hormone is helping, and to see when her growth plates start closing.

I'm so grateful for modern medicine, and that these injections can help Vivvie lead a normal life.  Viv is such a trooper!  I'm so grateful for how well she's handling this trial.  She has had a hard time the past couple days with getting her injections.  I think the "newness" of the whole experience is wearing off, and now it's just becoming a pain.  She's cried and fought us a little bit the past several nights about getting her shot--but, in the end, she always calms down and allows us to give it to her.  She is a sweetie, and I just love her to pieces.  Can't wait to start seeing our little girl grow!  --Lindsay

She's doing a combo class at a dance studio near our house for an hour each week.  They do ballet, jazz and tumbling.  Here's a quick picture I snapped before her first class began...


She absolutely loves it!  The first week, I think she was a little bewildered by it all, but last week, she just jumped into it like she'd been doing it her entire life.  She is learning all the ballet positions, somersaults, cartwheels and a bunch of other stuff that too.  It's really fun to sit and watch her.  They have a dark window where the parents can see into the classroom, but the kids can't really see the parents very well.  And, let me just say that Vivvie *loves* to watch herself in the mirror.  It's hilariously fun to watch!  I'm glad she's enjoying dance so much, and hope her love of it continues.  --Lindsay

#13--Connor Takes Tennis Lessons

Connor and a bunch of his friends took tennis lessons this past summer.  They all loved it and had a great time!  Connor wants to take lessons again this year, and Aiden has said he wants to as well.  Hopefully all these new-found skills come in handy when the tennis courts by our house are finally finished--someday...


#12--A Day at Lagoon

We went to Lagoon a couple times this year.  The kids had a great time, and Vivvie finally figured out that she wouldn't die if she went on the rides...


#11--The Father/Son Camp Out

Mike and Poppy took the boys on the annual Father/Son camp out this past summer.  They camped up at Donut Falls and had fun cooking over a camp fire, roasting marshmallows, and getting ridiculously dirty...


#10--Connor's First Scout Camp Out

Connor went on his first boy scout camp out this past year.  The first one after his birthday ended up being The Klondike.  Talk about baptism by fire...or I guess by ice, snow and cold temperatures would be more appropriate.  He didn't seem to mind though.  He had a great time, and our troop ended up winning 1st Place too!  Connor has since gone on many other scout camp outs and has enjoyed them all.  Mike has also been working as the 11-year-old Scout Leader, so he's been able to go on most the camp outs with him...


#9--REAL Games

Thanks to Nana and Poppy, we were able to go to lots of Real Salt Lake soccer games this past year.  The kiddos--and adults--really love going to these games and cheering on the team...


#8--LOTOJA

Mike was "back in the saddle" this year at LOTOJA.  He was happy to finally be able to be back on his bike, after his shoulder injury last year, and compete in the 206 mile bike race again this year with Poppy.  They decided to switch up the stages this year, so Mike did the infamous "King of the Mountain" stage.  He basically killed it!  He beat us to the Afton feed zone because he rode the stage so quickly...


#7--A Weekend at the Homestead

Nana and Poppy treated our entire family to a fun weekend at the Homestead Resort in Midway.  We had a blast swimming, eating yummy food, and just spending time with each other.  It was a great weekend getaway...


#6--Fall Break in St. George

We spent four days in the glorious St. George weather over Spring Break with Nana, Poppy, Kristin, Dan and Landon.  We had fun hiking, biking, playing golf, watching movies, and just hanging out...


#5--Never Having to Buy Diapers Again

After a long-fought battle, Vivvie finally became potty trained this year.  That means that after nearly 12 years of constant diapers in this house, we are FREE!  And, it really does feel like freedom.  It is so much easier to go places and do things without having to lug a diaper bag around...


#4--Spending a Week on the Beach in Carlsbad

We were able to spend a week in a condo just a block away from the beach in Carlsbad, California.  We spent almost everyday at the beach!  We also visited "Old Town" in San Diego, went to the San Diego Zoo, played games, watched movies, etc.  It was such a fun and relaxing week...


#3--Mike's Job Change

Mike was laid off from his job at Vivint in October.  Just six days later, he was offered another job with a new start up company called Weave.  They make phone systems for dental offices that interact with the computer software so that when you call, your file automatically pulls up on the receptionist's computer screen.  This has been such a huge blessing in our lives!  Mike is so much happier and less stressed than when he worked at Vivint.  And, since their offices are just at the base of our mountain, he doesn't have to leave for work until about 7:50 am, and he gets home by 5:15 almost every night (something that never happened when he was at Vivint).  Plus, we have amazing health insurance with Weave that is saving us THOUSANDS of dollars a year on Vivvie's growth hormone injections.  Both Mike and I have felt a confirmation that this was God's plan for Mike all along.  It really is exactly where he is supposed to be, and this experience showed us that sometimes blessings really do come in disguise...


 #2--Our Disney Cruise

Over the kids' spring break, we took a Disney Cruise around the western Carribean.  It was the BEST VACATION EVER!!  We had so much fun!  We visited Grand Cayman and Cozumel, plus had so much fun on the ship swimming, going on the water slide, watching movies by the pool, meeting all the characters, watching a different broadway-type show every night, and stuffing our faces with delicious food.  It was amazing, and left us with memories to treasure forever...


And, finally, #1--Vivvie's Diagnosis

Viv was diagnosed as being "Growth Hormone Deficient with No Known Cause" just a few months ago.  She is now receiving growth hormone injections every night before she goes to bed to help her grow.  I know that many people would see this as a trial, but we really don't see it that way.  I'm just glad to finally know what's going on with her.  I have felt for several years that something wasn't right with Vivvie's growth.  But, I was told by multiple doctors and nurses that I shouldn't worry, and that she would eventually hit her growth spurt and catch up to the other kids her age.  I'm grateful that one of our pediatricians finally decided that some tests were in order, and referred us to a Pediatric Endocrinologist who was able to do more tests and give Viv an official diagnosis.  Knowing what you're dealing with is half the battle, in my opinion.  I am so thankful for modern medicine and that we can help our tiny girl grow because of it!  And, I'm so grateful that Viv has and continues to handle this situation with such grace and strength.  She is amazing!  I'll have more on Vivvie's daily injections in another post...


So, those are our Top 14 of 2014.  It was a wonderful year, full of enormous blessings from above!  Here's to 2015!  --Lindsay

Poppy and Nana entertained Landon with apps and videos...


After dinner, we went back to our house and played Guitar Hero.  Something I haven't done in years!  Here's a couple pictures.  I look really into it, don't I?


So does Cohen...


We also played a little Trivia Crack (the new app we're all addicted to).  Then, Kristin, Dan and Landon left around 8:00 so they could put him to bed.  (That's the baby part.)  Then, Nana and Poppy left shortly after.  We're a bunch of party animals, can't you tell?

After that, we watched "Raising Arizona" and "Back to the Future 2" with the kids to pass the time until midnight.  We decided that "Back to the Future 2" was appropriate since the year they travel to in that movie is 2015.  So, my question is where my flying car I was promised?!?

When the clock finally struck midnight, we yelled "Happy New Year" and drank some sparkling cider.  It was super exciting!  Try not to be too jealous!!  Happy 2015, everyone!  Hope it's filled with happiness for everyone!  --Lindsay

 Cohen loves to stand on the heating vents first thing in the morning.  He loves how it makes his pants "big and fat" too...


Even Vivvie is into the seflie craze now.  She has a princess app that lets you design your princess dress and accessories and then take a picture of yourself.  You're supposed to line your face up with the dress, tiara, etc. but that rarely happens.  One day, I was doing her hair while she was playing the app (a nice distraction), when she held it up and said, "Mom!  Selfie time!"  So, here's our princess selfie.  Silly little girl...


At the Museum of Natural Curiosity with Viv.  We had the place pretty much to ourselves that night...



Pink ice cream after our trip to the museum.  Yes, she insisted that we both get PINK ice cream...


Cohen's class held a "Thanksgiving Feast" the day before Thanksgiving Break, and they got to invite a parent or grandparent to come along.  Here's Cohen in his pilgrim hat...


And, here he is eating his "feast."  It was a little cup of random crackers, candy, etc.  Haha!  Hey, it's public school--what do you expect?!?  Cohen does look a little underwhelmed though...


One day at work, Jimmy Martin--our movie reviewer/contributor--did a segment on the "hot toys" of Christmas 2015.  When he was done, he asked if my kids would like the Hobbit Lego set he had shown that morning.  So, I took it home and the kids had it put together within an hour.  I remember when Lego sets would be out for several days before they were completed.  These kids are just getting too fast at these things...


For those of you who haven't seen in person how short Vivvie is, maybe this will give you an idea.  Here's a picture of her standing next to my nephew Landon.  Landon is only 18-months-old.  Vivienne is almost four.  And, they are about the same height!!  Now, granted, Landon is tall for his age--but hopefully this gives you an idea of just how small Vivvie really is.  She will begin her growth hormone injections this week!  More on that in a later post.  And, don't mind the smirk on Viv's face.  Not sure what she is thinking here...


I filled in on our new social media show "The Refresh" with Chris Miller and Heidi Hatch a few weeks ago...


During the show, the feature reporter talked to Santa, and asked him if the anchors were on the nice or naughty list.  Chris and Heidi didn't fair so well.  But, yours truly, made it on the list of nice kids.  Here I am showing off my "angelic look"...


Our family went to my station's annual Angel Tree Party this year.  Well, almost everyone went.  Cohen had a friend's birthday party at the same time, so we dropped him off there and then the rest of us went to the Angel Tree Party.  We adopted two angels again this year--both of them boys around our boys' ages.  The kids had a great time shopping for the kids and picking out things they thought they would like, as well as a few things they needed.  Afterwards, we had all-you-can-eat pizza and soft drinks.  It was a great day, and something that the kids look forward to every year...



Cohen and his friend, Joseph, climbing the banister.  My kids love doing this.  Someone's going to fall and break an arm someday. I just know it...


Connor having fun with a fedora while at the Thanksgiving Point ice cream shop...




I actually got all my Christmas prep done pretty early this year.  I had everyone bought, wrapped, mailed out, etc. with a week to spare.  So, one night, I sat down next to the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and just relaxed.  Not sure if I've ever done that at Christmastime before.  It was nice.  Hopefully, it can become a tradition...


Aiden saw me looking at this promotional picture of our weather team one day and said, "Hey Mom!  That girl in the middle looks just like you!"  You don't say, son?!?


Mike and I celebrated our 14th anniversary in December with dinner at Cheesecake Factory.  I had been craving their avocado egg rolls for months.  They were worth the wait.  So yummy!  Mike's not bad either.  Love this guy...


The week before Christmas, I filled up my Tahoe for less than $50!  That hasn't happened for at least five years.  What a nice Christmas present!  I actually got it for even cheaper this past week.  Filled up the entire tank for $38.  I don't know if I've ever filled it up for that cheap in the eight years we've owned it...


Cohen, Viv, Mike and I all went on a group date over Christmas break.  First we went to Trafalga for a few rides on the Frog Hopper...


As well as some glow-in-the-dark miniature golf...


And then finished off the night with a trip to Rita's.  Man, that stuff is delicious...


It got really cold the week after Christmas.  As we were driving home one night, I glanced at the car thermometer and asked myself again why I don't live in San Diego...


So, there's a few random moments from my life the past few months.  Love looking back through my phone at all these little memories.  --Lindsay