Brady's surgery went well......

we're still at the hospital due to Brady being in a lot of pain, not drinking much and having a funky low heart rate, but he is doing much better and is much happier (here at 4 a.m.) and I'm pretty sure we'll be heading home here a little later this morning.

I was surprised that he was in so much more pain this time than he was when he had his tonsils out, and that he was so sad and upset about everything, it was breaking my heart that he was so unhappy and hurting, we've never experienced it to that degree before. And, the ENT didn't seem to think he really would be hurting that much from the surgery, but Brady was telling me that his throat and ear really really hurt (take note Kris - keep up on the pain meds for Miss J when it's her turn!). Then we had this nurse that was trying to hurry us out only 3 hours out of surgery and I was about ready to tell her where to go ;) I was sooo glad when she went home, she was really beginning to bug me, questioning everything I was concerned about with Brady's heart rate and wanting him to be able to rest and drink enough. You can bet I won't be giving her a very good review when they call to survey me about our experience this time around.......

He's been much better since we've kept on top of his pain and he is much more himself. They packed his ear with self-absorbing sponges to keep the graft on his ear drum in and it has affected his hearing somewhat, but luckily he can still hear out of the other ear ;) His left sinus was completely full and impacted with puss and infection, while the other sinuses just had lots of mucous and infection in the linings. The ENT said the bones in his right ethmoid sinus were much denser and thicker than the other bones and he felt that was probably due to long term infections that had caused more bone growth with the bone reacting to the infection. We will have to watch that as it could cause more scar tissue and make it so the surgery won't work or needs to be redone. I feel so badly that he's had this for so many years and that my pediatrician didn't think it was necessary to do more for him :(

I am hoping and praying that this works and that his chronic sinus infection days are done and that he heals up well and enjoys a better quality of life, sinus headaches are nooooo fun, and I can only imagine how painful that pussy sinus was :( I feel terrible that he has had to go through that :(

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers on his behalf, I know they worked! Sending you all big Brady hugs and thank yous!!!!

Note to self.....

always put my Diet Coke out of Brady's reach when he's in the care of watchful (NOT!) older brothers and sisters. Diet coke + 3 hour nap = looooooong night........

2nd note - caffeine may actually serve a secondary purpose as a mood enhancer, as he was VERY happy up until falling asleep at 4:00 a.m.........

Yayyyy - my Mom is coming to stay for a week!!!

and thanks soooo much to my great dad for allowing her to stay and visit, and for coming for H's ordination!!!!

I am soooooooo excited!!!!!

I'll try and order up some GREAT weather for you mom - I'm working on it.... I guess even rain and 60's is better than snow - right?????

Sunday Grains of Gratitude......

Our spring break week flew by wayyyyy too fast :( I'm not ready to go back to school :( But, such is life - only 6 weeks or so til summer - YAY!!!!! Lots of interesting developments this week - besides the crazy weather even!

This week I'm grateful.....

that we could celebrate H's 12th birthday! That he is a worthy young man to receive the priesthood and that he is such a good kid. He is a bit squirrely and a bit of an antagonist with my other kids with teasing and such, but he has such a big heart and really does want to do the right thing. He has such a sense of right and wrong, with little tolerance for shades of grey, which can be tricky sometimes, but I'm grateful that he stands up for what is right. He has such a strong personality and spirit, I know that he can do great things if he chooses the right and works hard. I'm grateful for him and his great smile and hugs and compassion!

that we got to play in the snow and build snowmen? That one is a little double-edged, as it was fun and I'm grateful we got to do it, but really - almost 9 inches of snow in the middle of April? I'm grateful it is all melted now and that we are supposed to have weather in the 70's all week!!!

that we picked up the girl's prom dresses and they are gorgeous!!! They will look sooo pretty! Hard to believe that Prom is this week! And, Big K got invited to prom at another school too, so she will get to wear her dress twice :) That always makes it worth the money :)

that the weather was beautiful for C's soccer game yesterday. Everyone came but Big K and played outside on the playground and cheered their sissy on. It was a dicey game and in the last 5 minutes or so there was a breakaway run on goal that C and another defender were chasing down. The film shows C in hot pursuit and that the girl faltered and mis-stepped on a small hill at the goal and then fell, C was right behind her and faltered a bit going up the hill too and lost her footing and lurched a bit but didn't go down or touch the other player, but because from the referee's view it looked like contact happened in the box and that the contact stopped the goal scoring opportunity, C got a red card. She was very annoyed and confused because she knew that she hadn't touched the girl and couldn't figure out why she was given the red card. She was very afraid of the ref and felt like he was mad at her (although he called me later and told me he is not mad at her, that these things happen sometimes and that the red card was not given because she is a dirty or malicious player) and so she just started apologizing (she is SUCH an apologizer, apologizing even when things aren't her fault, and for everything under the sun) so it seemed like she was guilty. She should have felt confident enough to just tell him exactly what happened and ask him to clarify his call :( But, she is not the type to get in trouble and she was afraid and unsure what to do in the situation, and felt that if she had stood up for what she knew actually happened, that that would be considered arguing with the ref (who had already had it out with the other team's coach and the parents making comments on our side) and then she would be suspended for even MORE than one game. She is very good at admitting responsibility for her own mistakes and things she knows she is responsible for and is so very honest, that I know she didn't trip or make contact with that girl if she says she didn't. I'm grateful that she has so much integrity and honesty and that she is such a great girl. I'm also grateful she wasn't hurt when she and her car had a little run in with the railroad tracks this week. Long story, $900 later, but she is fine and safe - the car - well, I'm not sure it's even worth $900 - but a necessity for a girl on Jr. Counsel and soon to be SBO - so - what can a parent do.... We are just grateful that it was just the car that was damaged and not our sweet C!!!

that the sun is out!!!!

that we got our taxes done - on Tuesday - with 24 hours to spare ;)

that H got into the charter school - of course this is a mixed blessing, because now we have to wait and see if the other two get in, and make the decision of which is the best thing for them. When I got the email this week that H was number 1 on the waiting list, I knew there was a good chance he would make it, and that places the others on the sibling waiting list and moves them up from their original lottery spots. Sooooo - not sure what is going to happen there, but we will be praying to know what is the right decision for them. Where we live school situations are unique, because our neighborhood is very closely knit with school and church, it's different here than it would be if we lived in other places where kids are going to all different kinds of school - although I would say that things are changing a bit and the neighborhood and it's school attendance is moving in more diverse directions. Soooo - we'll be making that decision here shortly, or maybe not, depending on if Brady and Little K even make it in. I won't send H there all alone, it's all or nothing ;)

that I have all my kids. Another of C's friends from Jr. High was killed in a car accident this last week on her way home from spring break. It just reinforces that each day is precious and should be cherished. I'm grateful for each of my children and I cherish every minute I get to spend with them - okay - well - mostly every minute. But every time something like this hits close to home, it really reinforces the fragility of life and that we NEED to take the time to enjoy it and treasure and make the most of it.

for everything. I am just so blessed. I'm grateful for everything that Heavenly Father has given me - He is sooo good and so generous, and I am so grateful for Him and His guidance and love.

What are YOU grateful for today?

Winter - I mean - Spring fun!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Congratulations Jay and Suzanne on your newest addition!!!!!

Welcome to the world little B!!!!!

isn't she just ADORABLE!!!!!

Happy Happy Birthday H!!!!!

and a shout out to Uncle Brant too :) Hope both of you have FANTASTIC birthdays!!!!!

Where's the SPRING in our spring break?????

Seriously?????? This is what I woke up to this morning.........













at least 6 new inches....... on top of the 3 we got yesterday afternoon..... I'm really grateful for the moisture, but wouldn't RAIN be as good??????????????

Easter Sunday Grains of Gratitude.......

It would be very remiss of me not to write my gratitudes this Easter Sunday. I have soooo many things to be grateful for, and I know that all my many blessings come from my Father in Heaven, and I am grateful today for my belief in Him and for His love for me. Easter is always a mix of the commercial and the spiritual at our house. It amazes me how secularized the holiday has become, but I am grateful for the gospel in my life that helps me keep these things in perspective :)

This week I am grateful for.....

my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His love and sacrifice for me. I'm grateful for His example, His teachings, His love, His atonement, and His sacrifice for me. I am grateful that I can take the sacrament each Sunday and renew my covenants with Him and remember all He has done for me. I am grateful that I know that He lives again, and that someday we will be reunited. I am grateful for His hand in my life, and for His guidance and comfort and strength that sees me through the hard times. I am so grateful that I know that He is always there for me, if I but come unto Him.

my children. They are so great - and even when they annoy and frustrate me - which is inevitable, they are wonderful and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.

my hubby. He has been sooo helpful and wonderful this last week. We have been recovering from being sick and I still am so worn down and tired, and he has been so great to help with the kids and let me have nice, relaxing bubble baths to help with my body aches and chills. He is the BEST :)

that C was elected to be an Student Body Officer (SBO) for next year!!! It is a TON of work, but she will be so great! I'm grateful for her willing spirit and great attitude about life. She brings sunshine to our home :)

for Big K's contribution in Sunday school and for her testimony today. She is an amazing young woman and I am so inspired by her. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father sent her to our home and let me contribute to her life :)

that my parents and nieces traveled home in safety this week :) We're so glad they stopped in to visit :) It was so great to see them!!!!

that it's spring break this coming week - YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

for amazing friends who love and support us, who are there for Brady, and who love him, accept him, and value him.

for life and each new day, and the promise and gift that it is. I hope I can make the most out of each and every single day!

What are you grateful for today????

Easter torture - er - pictures ;)

Easter 2009 :)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Easter!!!!

Election results and Election Dance tonight.....

keeping our fingers crossed for our cute C :)

Student council elections are this week....

C is running for SBO :) She would make the BEST spirit officer - so keep your fingers crossed and wish her luck!!!!!

My Birthday Babes!!!!!

Cute C!!!!




Happy Birthday to Brady!!!!









Spongebob is his FAVORITE!!!!


I'm SEVEN!!!!














Now I can ride the track in the back with my friends - yayyyyy!!!!

Sunday Grains of Gratitude........

What a busy, busy week it's been! And - terribly cold and icky for the first week of April too :( March definitely went out like a lion ;) I'm hoping for more spring-like weather soon! Rain I can handle - but I'm getting a little tired of the SNOW!!!! Keeping my fingers crossed that we've seen the last of it til late next fall :)

This week I'm grateful.....

that my family is mostly feeling better from being sick all week! I think Friday was the best day - I only had one kid home sick from school, where some of the others I had 4 sick kids AND a sick Hubs! Mostly everyone is on the mend and maybe if spring stays the sickies will be gone for good! I'm still feeling a bit run down, but, that's nothing unusual - I need to get in and have a physical and make sure my blood levels are all good and stuff :) I'll get right on scheduling that :)
that we could celebrate C and Brady's birthdays!!!! 17 and 7 this year - wow!!! I cannot believe they are so grown up, so fast!!!

that my nieces and their friends and my parents spent a night or so at our house. It is always good to see family :) It's been a while since we've visited with Jenna and Kristin - so it was great to see them - even if the place is a little chaotic and crazy (and messy from us all being sick last week!) Thanks for coming guys!!!

that H and Little K's play got moved back a few weeks. It makes it a bit crazy for H's soccer/baseball schedule, but it is nice to have a little more time to get it a little more polished. They did two casts this time around and it has been a little bit crazy.

that Brady and I got to go out for lunch with some friends to celebrate his birthday on Friday :) It was nice to get out - it's been crazy. Thanks for ditching school to spend some time with us :) I figure we can claim it was some kind of "lifeskills" field trip if anyone complains LOL

that Brady is feeling a little better from his antibiotics - yayyyy! If we can just keep the infection at bay until after his surgery, that will be good :)

that we're slowly but surely getting soccer a little more settled for C's team. It's been crazy with reschedules and trying to get things worked out for spring breaks for several different school districts. Scheduling has become a lot more difficult as these girls have gotten older and into more things and working and such.

that my hubby has been so great this week. I really appreciate all the time he spends with the kids and helping me. I couldn't ask for a better husband, he's wonderful. Thank you sooo much honey for driving kids different places and sitting in the cold and cheering them on so Brady doesn't have to go out and freeze in the snow! You're the BEST!!!

that it's conference weekend. I love all the wisdom our church leaders give to us and the inspiration and hope their talks give me.

What are YOU grateful for today????

It's a special day!!!!!!

Happy Happy 7th Birthday to my baby boy - who really is a big boy - but who will always deep down be my baby, since he's the last (I have that particular distinction in my family too :) I hope this is a wonderful and amazing and special year for you sweet boy! We are so grateful you are a part of our family and we celebrate you today!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Sometimes these things just come out of the blue...

when you think they are NEVER going to happen. (as an aside - I'm really hoping potty training is like that - and SOON!!!)

Brady is almost - well - almost seven (tomorrow - I can hardly believe it!!!) and he's been a bit slow on the uptake on somethings. One of them has been dressing. One of them has been cognition about things you would have thought he would have caught on to, by now - you know - seven years since his birth ;)

Well - I am happy to say that we have a milestone. Now don't laugh - it has been a long time coming, and really is late......

But......

I'm happy to announce......

that yesterday morning........

I ran Brady's bath and stepped out to throw in some laundry.......

and when I came back......

he was in the tub.......

NAKED!!!!!!!

I've never been soooo happy to find.......

his clothes on the floor, and his pull up in the garbage!!!!!

And he did it, all by his lonesome - WTG BRADY!!!!!!

There've been so many times when he's forgotten about that undressing thing before hopping into the tub, but by george - I THINK HE'S GOT IT!!!!! So it took a little longer than the norm - it happened, and that gives me hope for other things (um, like independent DRESSING, oh, and that elusive potty training thing.....)

He finished off his much happier day (thanks to a new round of antibiotics and some tylenol for his six year old molars) with an unsolicited and unprompted hug and kiss and "Mom, I love you" and "Goodnight".

Yup - it's these kind of days that keep you going through all the less wonderful ones :)

~*~*~*Happy Happy Birthday C!!!*~*~*~*~

Hope you have the most wonderful day! I can't believe how grown up and tall you are!!! How did it happen so fast! I hope you have an amazing year! I love you!

Happy Happy Birthday!!!!!!

They never cease to amaze me......

now this isn't a bragging post - so don't take it that way - okay???

It's just that I was just lying in bed thinking about my big girls today. They are so big and are so beautiful, it's so hard for me to believe, every single day, that two such ordinary and fairly plain people, such as the hubs and myself, could have had a part in creating these two beautiful and amazing young women. And, they really are that, amazing, and beautiful, on the inside AND the outside. I'm not sure what we did to deserve such wonderful girls, but I am so grateful for each of them.

C is in charge of ballots for prom royalty. At our school there is only one prom, and since it is put on by juniors, prom royalty is picked from the junior student body. As C was tallying the votes, she found that she was the number one girl picked for prom queen. I wasn't really surprised, she is quite the girl and I'm pretty sure most of the school knows her with her silly antics and dress-up spirit days and going all out for games. But it was so interesting to see that they all think she's as beautiful as I do! Of course she excused herself from the ballot, as there were several members of the council nominated and they didn't think it was fair, but I think even she was surprised at the number of votes for her, especially when she told me how cute and darling and beautiful she thinks the other top nominated girls are :) For being such a shy and reserved little girl, she really has turned into the most amazing young woman.

And, Big K - wow - she is also amazing in her own way. So confident and sparkly and fun. I can't tell you how often people come up and tell me how gorgeous she is. My visiting teacher is a photographer and she told me she would love to photograph Big K and use her in her portfolio. Although Big K hates it when I take her picture, she has, from the time she was a tiny baby, been oh so very photogenic. And, I'm pretty sure she had a fun and crazy time on choir tour. I'm glad Disneyland survived their visit ;) She is such a determined girl, and so very hard working and on the ball. She is so ambitious and motivated and driven - I think there is no limit to what she could accomplish if she set her mind to it. She is inspiring. I will miss her when she goes away to college next year - even though she won't be very far away, it still won't be the same here without her - some shine, some spark, and a lot of fun will be gone. Not to mention a little piece of my heart. This growing up and letting go thing is hard on a momma ;) Hopefully we'll see her on weekends occasionally - maybe when she needs to do laundry? She is so beautiful and talented and committed - I see such great things in her future.

From the college acceptances, to scholarships, to science fair winnings, to varisty soccer, to chamber choir, to student council, to being seminary president, all of it - they are simply amazing and inspiring young women, setting good examples and lifting others up on their way. How proud I am of them for what they have accomplished, for what they have made of themselves, and for their strong testimonies and commitment to bettering themselves every day. How happy I am that they are so much better than their good ol' mom and dad. How surprised I am that the hubs and I were blessed with such wonderful girls. They are GREAT kids, and I am so grateful for them!

So - here's to my amazing and inspiring daughters - I love you both sooo much!!!