So this was the week we collected stem cells!. As you can see from above Alison is hooked up to the stem cell collection machine. There are two lines. One going into the machine, and one placing blood back into the body.

 Above is looking down into the machine where you can see the blood being separated. Yellow is plasma and the red is the remaining blood and one red line is the stem cells.

 This is the stem cell tube. By the coloring they can determine how many stem cells they are collecting. Alison needed to collect between 5-10 million stem cells. The collection can take on average about 2 days. I am happy to report that Alison collected 21 million stem cells in a day! The nurse said he has only seen that much get collected in a day once before. We were happy to have rest of the week off. Reality is setting in though! Deep down you are hoping and praying some miracle will come along where they will tell you you are healed and you don't have to go through anymore of the process.  As the days get closer we are realizing that is just not the case! So we keep moving forward with our reality and get through it day by day.  Alison can't wait for the day she can have hair to comb and a healthy body. It's amazing what we take for granted everyday. There are so many little things we can overlook until  it's not there anymore.  So be grateful for the little things you have everyday!  She feels pretty healthy right now which I think is the most frustrating thing.  We are hoping and praying, knowing the Lord is in control of the outcome.

The State Capitol building is across the way from LDS hospital.  We had  fun this week taking selfies. Lighting and actually getting the capitol in the picture was a challenge for Desi! He is still working on his selfie skills!! Haha

Grandma and  Grandpa have been helping out with the kids! We are so grateful for their help, love, and time they have spent driving back and forth, fixing things around the house, doing laundry everyday, making meals for the family, golfing, date nights with the girls, and everything else they have done! They are an amazing example of selfless love and service.
I just would like to thank everyone for the kind words, food, money, and time spent shuttling our children around. We have been humbled by some many people who have gone out of their way to show love and support.  P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers!  Alison got a superwoman shirt she got to sport at church today!