Nate: Are you going to wear that skirt or pants?
Me: This skirt.
Nate: Are you going to wear that blue shirt?
Me: Yep.
Nate: Oh. I like you in that blue shirt.
Me: Thanks Nate! You're a sweet boy.
Nate: Are you going to wear that white skirt?
Me: Yep.
Nate: I love your face.
This was probably only significant to me. It's all cute things for a three year old to say, but I absolutely melted when Nate told me that he loved my face. Why? It's because for the longest time, when I say "Nate, I love you!" He just said "I like you Mom!" I tried to get him to say "love" but he'd say "like" every time. I joked with Mike that he wasn't capable of love. Why couldn't he just say the words back? So when he said it to me without prompting, I just about cried. What a sweet boy.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Fudge
Nate and I were on a wheeler ride a week or so ago and we found a caterpillar. We haven't had much luck finding them this year, so it was pretty exciting. He decided that he wanted to name him Fudge (after one Jake had that was named Fudge). He watched his every move and was so excited to see him grow.
When he formed the chrysalis, Nate was one of the first to notice.
In this picture, he's in the middle of telling me a story about Fudge. He's really a funny kid and worth listening to when he gets going on a story. He gets to waving his hands around and gets animated. I love the kid for sure.
We'll have to keep you posted on Fudge, who is days away from being a beautiful butterfly, and Lupin who is growing fatter every day.
I love this caterpillar business!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Things I don't want to forget...
Sometimes I don't put a swim diaper on my kids right away when we get to the lake. I think this has happened to all my kids, but Jason is the lucky one to be photographed for them all.
I hope I never forget the joy I get in watching a kid try to waddle around in a very full diaper :)
...as a post script, you can see why Nate always gets one little strip of skin sunburned on his back... I learned my lesson the first time and have put sunscreen on, but he still has one patch of skin that's a different color than the rest :)
I hope I never forget the joy I get in watching a kid try to waddle around in a very full diaper :)
...as a post script, you can see why Nate always gets one little strip of skin sunburned on his back... I learned my lesson the first time and have put sunscreen on, but he still has one patch of skin that's a different color than the rest :)
Monday, July 21, 2014
Gross!
Nate: Hey Mom...there's a big boogie in my nose. Not this nose, (pointing to one nostril) but this nose.
Me: Oh. That's kinda gross. Do you need help getting it out?
Nate: No. I wanna pick it. Don't you pick it. I'll just get it.
Me: No, lets go get a tissue.
Nate: No. I don't really have a boogie (turning around with finger up nose).
Me: Nate, I will help you with that. Let's go get a tissue. Don't pick your nose.
Nate: I'm not picking it (with finger firmly inserted up nose).
Me: (on the way to get a tissue).
Nate: I got it! See! It was a big boogie!
Me: Oh. That's kinda gross. Do you need help getting it out?
Nate: No. I wanna pick it. Don't you pick it. I'll just get it.
Me: No, lets go get a tissue.
Nate: No. I don't really have a boogie (turning around with finger up nose).
Me: Nate, I will help you with that. Let's go get a tissue. Don't pick your nose.
Nate: I'm not picking it (with finger firmly inserted up nose).
Me: (on the way to get a tissue).
Nate: I got it! See! It was a big boogie!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
A Hut
A hut down by the river.
Allie and her friends made a little spot down by the river to lounge in. They took books out there to read and thought life was pretty great.
I thought it was cute too, but then it rained and everything they had in their hut got soaked, including the books...and that wasn't too cute. But isn't summer awesome!?!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Conversation with Nate...
It was quiet...too quiet.
Me: Nate! Where are you?
Nate: In here.
Me: What are you doing?
Nate: Not picking my scab (trying to hide the bloody mess that was his chin).
Me: So why is there blood on your shirt? And your hands?
Nate: What blood?
Me: Nate! Where are you?
Nate: In here.
Me: What are you doing?
Nate: Not picking my scab (trying to hide the bloody mess that was his chin).
Me: So why is there blood on your shirt? And your hands?
Nate: What blood?
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Detour
Jason got his tonsils out on Thursday. We had a crazy busy weekend and I was looking forward to writing all about it and posting pictures of our reunion. I thought I'd have some down time as Jason was resting from his surgery. That didn't really happen. I should have known that Jason would have chosen a more difficult way of doing things. He took a slight detour in recovery and we spent an extra day at the hospital. So, now that we are home, I am watching him sleep next to me and I'll try and get caught up on a few of the things that are going on. But first, I wanted to say that I love this Jason boy of mine. I love everything about him. As much as I would prefer him to be happy and easy going, it's okay for him to be cranky and sleepless too. I'm just grateful that he is here and that he's mine forever.
Here's the story:
We took Jason in early Thursday morning to get his tonsils out. You wonder why he needed his tonsils out at 20 months. Well, he hasn't slept through the night more than a handful of times in his whole life. I've told you of the nights I've spent driving the valley trying to comfort him and get him back to sleep. He wakes several times a night and on the best nights, he plays in his room until he falls back to sleep, but on the worst nights he wakes everyone in the house up and ends up hoarse the next day and super grumpy. For the last several months, I have talked to different doctors and asked for advise on how to handle this. I was referred to the ENT where they said that his tonsils are really big and suggested that sleep apnea was waking him up and keeping him from getting REM sleep. He suggested that if we take out the tonsils, he might sleep better and be a happier kid. I was all for trying it and we made an appointment for when he was a bit older. That day came and we found ourselves at the hospital sending the boy off and hoping for better days and nights ahead.
Jason's procedure went just as planned and he came back to us groggy and sleepy. I held him for an hour and when we were able to leave, we took him home.
He was still pretty sleepy and shortly after coming home, I set him on the couch to sit with Allie, Jake and Nate as they watched cartoons.
I was washing my hands when Jason started to cry and want me. I told him I'd be right there and he walked toward me crying. When he reached my legs, he quit crying, arched his back and slumped to the floor. My mom was right there and she said it looked like he was having a seizure. He was totally blue and not breathing at all. I picked him up and he was rigid and heavy. I panicked. I was screaming for Mike. My mom was yelling for him and the three kids were watching wide eyed as their brother lay in my arms. I can look back on it now and chastise myself for not having the presence of mind to blow into his face or start CPR, but I just was so shocked that this was happening that I didn't do anything but yell for Mike and look for a phone to call 911.
Jason took one big breath, but he was still unconscious and still totally blue. That's what Mike saw when he came up from his office and he grabbed him from me yelling for me to call 911. He ran across the street to our neighbor's house (he's a doctor) because even though he knew he wouldn't be home, he wanted to do something. His wife was calm and told him to lay Jason on the couch and start CPR. That calming influence allowed Mike to snap out of his panic and do something for Jason. He breathed into his nose and mouth a few times and then Jason started to breath again. He was still slipping in and out of consciousness (or sleep), but he continued to breathe. I had called 911 and we were waiting for them to come. Mike wanted to hop in the car and drive him to the hospital, but I talked him into staying. I thought they'd be right there because we don't live all that far from the fire station.
As we waited for them to come, I was trying to stay calm and trying to reassure Allie that Jason was going to be okay. She was terrified. She heard us throwing out words like "he's dying!", "he's not breathing!", and watched our panic grow and she was a mess. Of Jake and Allie, it is Allie who was most affected by Sam going to heaven. She is tender hearted and still has her sad moments about having a brother who lives in heaven. Whenever Jason or Nate gets hurt, she immediately goes to the fear of death. I have tried to help her over the years, but as we watched Mike carry Jason across the street, I couldn't tell her that things were going to be alright because I didn't know that myself. For a few minutes, all I knew was that Jason wasn't breathing and that this was all my fault. The things that flashed through my mind were all the times that I complained about how hard he was. I don't know how to describe these thoughts because this was all in a matter of seconds. Allie was at my side, the 911 dispatcher was on the phone and my mind was racing with all the things I should have done differently. He was mad at me because I wouldn't pick him up right away. Why didn't I just sit down on the couch with him and keep him calm? As those thoughts were flashing through my head, the ones that kept coming back were just fierce (that's the only word I have to describe it) thoughts of love for him. As soon as one thought of blame came into my head, it was fought off by the fierce thought of love that I have for him. I'd try to blame myself and that fierce thought of "no! you love that boy!" would come in and take that negative thought away. I think it was those thoughts that kept me from completely falling apart.
I'm spending so much time trying to describe those few minutes of time because it was a miracle to me. Those images of a blue Jason are so awful. He was so blue! For just a few minutes, I was sure that he was dead and that I was going to bury another child. But that's not how it was supposed to be. So, the miracle is that I am okay. Those were just 2 or 3 minutes of my life and I am okay. The spirit comforted me and took me out of that dark place of fear and told me that everything would be okay. So, even though the next few hours were scary, I was okay.
The ambulance came and Jason was hooked up to monitors and I was calm and okay because I knew he would be fine.
As a side note, we used to tease my mom about her picture taking. I am worse than her, I'm sure, but we made fun of her because she was always taking pictures at what we thought we bad times. I remember her snapping a picture of my brother before he headed out the door to the ER to get stitches in his hand. Then, as I sat in the ambulance with Jason I thought, "if I were my mom, I'd be getting pictures of all this". I came out of the ambulance and saw her with her camera in her hands and it made me smile :).
We got to the ER and they accessed the boy. We had to get a chest x-ray and that made him pretty mad and sad. All in all, it was a long few hours. They told us they wanted to watch him through the night, so we got settled into a room and tried to get him comfortable.
The worst part about it all was that he was due for a nap, and due for some pain meds. They didn't want to give him anything that would trigger another breathing episode, so he was just in pain and miserable.
We were finally able to get some ibuprofen in him and things calmed down.
So, as for a diagnosis, there isn't really one. A few of the doctors think that he got mad, held his breath, and passed out. For some reason, his body didn't send the trigger to start breathing on its own. They think that could have been from a seizure or aspirating on secretions that were in his mouth from the popsicle that he didn't want to swallow. Either way, they think it was just a random thing that won't happen again.
That night, he didn't want to take his meds and he held his breath until he turned blue, but when I blew in his face, he took a breath. Now, I just don't let him get that mad or sad again. Man, that kid can be stubborn.
It was a long night. He hated having the oxygen sat monitor on his foot so several times a night, he would kick it off, and several times a night, the nurses would fight him to get it back on. Then, just as he'd drift off to sleep again, they'd be back for a blood pressure reading or something.
I am grateful that we were there being monitored, but it was anything but a good night sleep for us.
The next morning, the fire alarm went off, so that was a nice alarm clock.
After some pain medicine and a morning nap, Jason woke up and saw the ipad on my lap. He said "wee haw!" and I knew he was feeling better. That little "wee haw" was music to my ears. After that, he didn't want to stay in the boring room.
He tried each door in an effort to escape.
They don't get many babies at this hospital, so he was charming all the nurses with his super cute smile and "bye bye".
The doctor came in and pronounced him safe to go home. We didn't waste any time and got out of there as fast as we could.
It was free Slurpee day at 7-11. Perfect for a boy who just got his tonsils out...
...and for some siblings who love him and want to keep him around for a lot longer.
All in all, it was a super scary experience, but all is well now.
Here's the story:
We took Jason in early Thursday morning to get his tonsils out. You wonder why he needed his tonsils out at 20 months. Well, he hasn't slept through the night more than a handful of times in his whole life. I've told you of the nights I've spent driving the valley trying to comfort him and get him back to sleep. He wakes several times a night and on the best nights, he plays in his room until he falls back to sleep, but on the worst nights he wakes everyone in the house up and ends up hoarse the next day and super grumpy. For the last several months, I have talked to different doctors and asked for advise on how to handle this. I was referred to the ENT where they said that his tonsils are really big and suggested that sleep apnea was waking him up and keeping him from getting REM sleep. He suggested that if we take out the tonsils, he might sleep better and be a happier kid. I was all for trying it and we made an appointment for when he was a bit older. That day came and we found ourselves at the hospital sending the boy off and hoping for better days and nights ahead.
He was still pretty sleepy and shortly after coming home, I set him on the couch to sit with Allie, Jake and Nate as they watched cartoons.
I was washing my hands when Jason started to cry and want me. I told him I'd be right there and he walked toward me crying. When he reached my legs, he quit crying, arched his back and slumped to the floor. My mom was right there and she said it looked like he was having a seizure. He was totally blue and not breathing at all. I picked him up and he was rigid and heavy. I panicked. I was screaming for Mike. My mom was yelling for him and the three kids were watching wide eyed as their brother lay in my arms. I can look back on it now and chastise myself for not having the presence of mind to blow into his face or start CPR, but I just was so shocked that this was happening that I didn't do anything but yell for Mike and look for a phone to call 911.
Jason took one big breath, but he was still unconscious and still totally blue. That's what Mike saw when he came up from his office and he grabbed him from me yelling for me to call 911. He ran across the street to our neighbor's house (he's a doctor) because even though he knew he wouldn't be home, he wanted to do something. His wife was calm and told him to lay Jason on the couch and start CPR. That calming influence allowed Mike to snap out of his panic and do something for Jason. He breathed into his nose and mouth a few times and then Jason started to breath again. He was still slipping in and out of consciousness (or sleep), but he continued to breathe. I had called 911 and we were waiting for them to come. Mike wanted to hop in the car and drive him to the hospital, but I talked him into staying. I thought they'd be right there because we don't live all that far from the fire station.
As we waited for them to come, I was trying to stay calm and trying to reassure Allie that Jason was going to be okay. She was terrified. She heard us throwing out words like "he's dying!", "he's not breathing!", and watched our panic grow and she was a mess. Of Jake and Allie, it is Allie who was most affected by Sam going to heaven. She is tender hearted and still has her sad moments about having a brother who lives in heaven. Whenever Jason or Nate gets hurt, she immediately goes to the fear of death. I have tried to help her over the years, but as we watched Mike carry Jason across the street, I couldn't tell her that things were going to be alright because I didn't know that myself. For a few minutes, all I knew was that Jason wasn't breathing and that this was all my fault. The things that flashed through my mind were all the times that I complained about how hard he was. I don't know how to describe these thoughts because this was all in a matter of seconds. Allie was at my side, the 911 dispatcher was on the phone and my mind was racing with all the things I should have done differently. He was mad at me because I wouldn't pick him up right away. Why didn't I just sit down on the couch with him and keep him calm? As those thoughts were flashing through my head, the ones that kept coming back were just fierce (that's the only word I have to describe it) thoughts of love for him. As soon as one thought of blame came into my head, it was fought off by the fierce thought of love that I have for him. I'd try to blame myself and that fierce thought of "no! you love that boy!" would come in and take that negative thought away. I think it was those thoughts that kept me from completely falling apart.
I'm spending so much time trying to describe those few minutes of time because it was a miracle to me. Those images of a blue Jason are so awful. He was so blue! For just a few minutes, I was sure that he was dead and that I was going to bury another child. But that's not how it was supposed to be. So, the miracle is that I am okay. Those were just 2 or 3 minutes of my life and I am okay. The spirit comforted me and took me out of that dark place of fear and told me that everything would be okay. So, even though the next few hours were scary, I was okay.
The ambulance came and Jason was hooked up to monitors and I was calm and okay because I knew he would be fine.
As a side note, we used to tease my mom about her picture taking. I am worse than her, I'm sure, but we made fun of her because she was always taking pictures at what we thought we bad times. I remember her snapping a picture of my brother before he headed out the door to the ER to get stitches in his hand. Then, as I sat in the ambulance with Jason I thought, "if I were my mom, I'd be getting pictures of all this". I came out of the ambulance and saw her with her camera in her hands and it made me smile :).
We got to the ER and they accessed the boy. We had to get a chest x-ray and that made him pretty mad and sad. All in all, it was a long few hours. They told us they wanted to watch him through the night, so we got settled into a room and tried to get him comfortable.
The worst part about it all was that he was due for a nap, and due for some pain meds. They didn't want to give him anything that would trigger another breathing episode, so he was just in pain and miserable.
We were finally able to get some ibuprofen in him and things calmed down.
So, as for a diagnosis, there isn't really one. A few of the doctors think that he got mad, held his breath, and passed out. For some reason, his body didn't send the trigger to start breathing on its own. They think that could have been from a seizure or aspirating on secretions that were in his mouth from the popsicle that he didn't want to swallow. Either way, they think it was just a random thing that won't happen again.
It was a long night. He hated having the oxygen sat monitor on his foot so several times a night, he would kick it off, and several times a night, the nurses would fight him to get it back on. Then, just as he'd drift off to sleep again, they'd be back for a blood pressure reading or something.
I am grateful that we were there being monitored, but it was anything but a good night sleep for us.
The next morning, the fire alarm went off, so that was a nice alarm clock.
After some pain medicine and a morning nap, Jason woke up and saw the ipad on my lap. He said "wee haw!" and I knew he was feeling better. That little "wee haw" was music to my ears. After that, he didn't want to stay in the boring room.
Then he found other things to play with.
It was free Slurpee day at 7-11. Perfect for a boy who just got his tonsils out...
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Reading
Oh, how I love these boys! Jake is always happy to read to them and they love books.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Chores
The kids have to do two jobs each day before they go out and play. They don't seem to mind and it really helps keep things looking okay while we are all here this summer.
One thing that is on the list is cleaning up Jason's books. He makes a mess of them almost every day.
She's a good kid.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
The '52
I know I have blogged about Mike's old car before, but here's another post about the beast. Mike got it a few years before we got married. It used to be Merlin Olsen's car and it even had some of his stuff in the trunk when he bought it. Mike fixed it up a bit when he first bought it, but didn't do anything with the engine and he always wanted to. He was embarrassed at the sound of the straight 6 and wanted something more manly. I grew up with a dad who loved old cars and loved to collect them...hundreds of them. But none of them started up when you wanted to go for a spin, so I didn't think having a "manly" sounding engine was necessary. I just thought it was cool that it would start up each time we wanted to go somewhere.
Well, last summer, the reliable old beast became unreliable. Mike's dad gave him an engine and he went about getting the parts to make the old beast into a manly sounding car.
Well, last summer, the reliable old beast became unreliable. Mike's dad gave him an engine and he went about getting the parts to make the old beast into a manly sounding car.
I'll be honest, I wasn't entirely on board with the engine overhaul, so I don't know much about it all. I didn't listen very well as Mike told me all the cool things that now reside under the hood. Mike thinks that because my dad was a car guy, I should care more about it all, but I just don't. I like the car and I'm happy that he is happy, but I just don't appreciate the manly roar as much as Mike would like.
Is it dorky that the thing I like best is knowing that when we take our cute family for a ride out west of town, I can be pretty sure that we are going to make it back home?
On a side note, this is the old car on the day that Mike and I got engaged. It was July 4th 2001 and we were at Tony Grove Lake. I'm a lucky girl.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Smithfield Canyon Cont.
The littles didn't want to miss out on anything either...
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Smithfield Canyon
We decided that a canyon was a canyon and the kids wouldn't know the difference. Not only that, but if Jason had a freak out fit in the middle of the night, we could just pack up and be home in a matter of minutes.
As soon as we got there, Allie found a little inch worm that provided hours of entertainment.
It was so fun to watch as it crawled up and down her arm. I thought her face was fun to watch too.
Allie forgot her butterfly net and was happy when Mike made her one. It didn't catch any butterflies, but she sure tried.
Nate's turn with "Inchy" the inch worm.
They played in the river and thought that was pretty cool.
Then we put Jason to bed and spent a few hours near the roaring fire. We are reading the second Harry Potter book together, so we read that until it got dark and then the kids roasted marshmallows.
It was a really fun day and we all enjoyed the adventure.
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