Perfect Ending

So I took Parker to Insta-Care on Saturday and he was diagnosed with pneumonia. The next night I started loosing my voice. Today I went to the doctor and I have Bronchitis. This stress is starting to catch up with me.

Surgery video

Parker Update

So he had his tonsils and adenoids removed as well as tube put in his ear. He did great through surgery and has healed well. We got the bad news that the hearing test they performed confirmed his hearing is gone in the right ear. There is really nothing else to do so he will continue to be deaf in his right ear until a miracle technology is formed or a miracle happens. Thanks for the many prayers. He is doing just fine with it though. He is learning to cope by turning his head when he knows someone is trying to communicate and he refuses to sit on the wrong side of the room while watching movies. We have to continue to try and cope by making sure he is in the best position to hear what is going on. For example he will always have to sit up front and to the right in school. We love you Parker.

My cute babies

They were watching a movie and couldn't quite look at the camera:)

Best Friends Forever

We are very lucky to have friends with kids the same ages as ours. Hopefully they will be best friends.

Halloween Festivities - Part 2

The Halloweenie Roast

A really great family in Paradise does this really great activity. They started it for their family and it has grown to include most of the little town. They have tons of decorations and they take everyone on a tractor and barrel ride. The kids wore their costumes this year because I forgot to bring coats:) And their costumes are very warm.

Deer Hunt

I am determined to make the deer hunt girls weekend fun. In the past we haven't been very successful. the first year I was married I was in pre-term labor with Parker so we were not able to attend. The second year I was recently pregnant and not feeling all that great. The third year I had 2 children with croup at g-mas house. The fourth year I was again pregnant and had my first miserable day of morning sickness. This year is the fifth year and no, i am not pregnant but Parker has a terrible cough which made him throw up all over in the middle of the night. He was also coughing most of the night which didn't help the insomnia I was suffering from. Wow! I am determined to make this weekend more fun than this. Today we are going to shop. I am in need of some new jeans, some random fabric, and the kids need new coats. Yay!

On a side note, Patrick is able to fully participate in the hunt this year. I hope he gets a deer:)

Halloween Festivities - Part 1

Pumpkin carving and Painting












I'll have to post the finished painting projects when I get home.

Pumpkin Seeds
-these were delicious!

After washing the seeds put into a plastic container and shake with 2 T melted butter. Add 2 T sugar and 1 t cinnamon to container and shake again. Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone sheet. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Take out of oven and put into plastic container with another 2 T sugar and 1 t cinnamon. Repeat process 2x. Let cool and Enjoy.

Utah State Fair

We were all tired and cranky. It didn't go very well.

Surgery Updates

Patrick is getting his tonsils out on October 5th and Parker is getting his removed October 8th. Pray that Parker won't get the urge for some raisins again :)

Parker

Hi Again Everyone,

Thank you so much to those of you that replied. It is really comforting to know that you that you care and are thinking and praying for Parker.

I'm afraid we're just going to have to put those prayers and thoughts in a box and keep them stored up for when Parker actually has his surgery. This morning Rachel went into his room to get things ready and found a bag of raisins in his bed. Sometime this morning before we got up he decided he was hungry and snuck them out of the pantry. We told him last night that he couldn't eat until after surgery and he's only done that once before, but I guess he was nervous, or just hungry. We called the hospital and the anesthesiologist said he needs at least 8 hours without food, so we're going to have to reschedule. We'll keep you posted and let you know when we find out the new date.

Love you,
Patrick

Pray for Parker

Hi Everyone,

I should have done this sooner, but I've been very busy the last couple of weeks.

Rachel and I have been a little concerned about Parker's speech for the last while because it seemed to not be progressing much. While his vocabulary and ability to put sentences together have advanced, he just seemed to mumble a lot and people often can't understand what he is saying. I imagine it's a lot like what I sound like to Chinese people when I speak Chinese. So we decided to take him in for an evaluation.

Well the first step is to check their hearing, so last week Rachel took him in for a hearing evaluation. We thought it would be uneventful, but we discovered that Parker cannot hear a thing out of his right ear. We couldn't believe it and have no idea how long he has been dealing with it. We took him to an ear nose and throat doctor who confirmed that the ear drum isn't moving at all. He said there is a lot of fluid in there, but even after draining it he will most likely only ever hear up to 50% from that ear again, and he will quite possibly be completely deaf in that ear forever.

Another test they need to do is basically to see if Parker's brain is communicating with his ear. That has to be done while he is sleeping, so it will be done tomorrow while Parker is getting his tonsils and adenoids out. If brain and ear are communicating, they will also take a look to see if tubes will be a good option to keep the fluid draining. It may also lead to exploratory surgery to see what else can be done.

I am terrified. I hate thinking of my little boy in surgery, and I especially hate the thought of him never being able to hear out of that ear again. Rachel is also nervous, but we have kept those emotions hidden from Parker who is actually excited. He has been a good sport through the whole ordeal.

Please keep Parker in your prayers tonight and tomorrow. I know that there is a lot of faith in this family, and through it the powers of heaven will open and miracles will happen. We love you all very much.

Thank You,
Patrick

P.S. Kaylee and Samantha are both doing great.

Sweet Kaylee Marie

Parker went to the ear doctor to check out his ears and while he was laying on the table Kaylee walked up and held his hand so he wouldn't be scared. Aww...

DENTIST...ack

actually Parker and Kaylee did great. They were the perfect patients.

June... part 2

Samantha Jane

I started having contractions at about 5 am, but they weren't very consistent. I continued to time and suffer through contractions (7-12min apart) until about 7am. I had a pretty painful contraction and decided to go to the bathroom in case I they hurt just because I had to pee. After using the bathroom and walking around for a minute the contractions jumped from 10min apart to 2 min apart. I decided to take a bath to see if it would help the pain and maybe stop the contractions. It did not help. After 2-3 contractions in the tub I had Patrick call my little sister Laurel to come over and take care of the kids because we needed to go to the hospital NOW.
Rushing around I grabbed a toothbrush and put some shorts on. The contractions were so painful I was beginning to moan and occasionally scream with each one. We got outside and my sister wasn’t there yet (can’t really get there in 2 minutes) Patrick ran over to our neighbors so they could watch the kids until my sister got there. Just as we got in the car she drove up. That worked out great.

We started driving and by that time I was screaming and throwing myself all over the car with each contraction. Patrick was so patient and calm as he hurriedly weaved in and out of traffic. We got on the freeway and there was more traffic then there ever on that section of the freeway. We got through it pretty fast and continued to the exit. We got of the exit and I started getting more hysterical then before when I noticed the long line of cars. Patrick didn’t even flinch as he sailed past the line on the shoulder. At this point I think he was mortified that I was going to die because of the noise I was making.

We pulled up to the hospital and parked in the physicians parking because all the other slots were filled. We both got out of the car where I collapsed and told Patrick he need to get me a wheelchair. I fell down onto the grass grasping the parking sign screaming hysterically when some doctors came up behind me and asked “are you alright, miss”? I couldn’t answer. Patrick just then got me off the ground and into the wheelchair. The doctor who asked if I was alright helped us up to labor and delivery with his staff badges and staff elevators. The other women ran upstairs to let them know I was coming. In the elevator I remember telling Patrick that she was coming. As soon as we got to the L&D floor the nurses were asking what room to put me in but there wasn’t any more time and they just picked the next one.
Just as I was wheeled into the delivery room my water broke all over the wheelchair and floor. The nurses started grabbing my clothes and I was stripped down as I hopped onto the bed. Having my water break was quite relieving for a second. As I lay on the bed I felt the overwhelming urge to push. They nurse checked me and said I was complete but the baby was still had a ways to come down. I pushed anyway. I tried not to, but the only thing that kept me sane was to push. After a few seconds they decided that they were not going to stop me and told me it was okay to push. I couldn’t help myself anyway so I guess that was good. As I was pushing I felt like I was going to pass put and Patrick later told me at one point I turned really pale and that is when he reminded me to breathe. The nurse and Patrick kept telling me to breathe and to do the “he he who” breathing technique but I could honestly not stop pushing to breathe. After a couple of pushes, more like one really long push Samantha’s head came out and another push later her shoulders slipped out also. 8:17am she was here, almost exactly 15 minutes from showing up at the hospital and a total labor time of about 3 hours.

They took Samantha as I was trying to get the placenta out and that part was better but still painful. I was in so much pain I was so grateful Patrick stayed by my side and they took care of Samantha until I was okay. The doctor kept touching down there with the clamp while trying to get the placenta out. Painful! Just then my doctor ran in completely out of breath. He helped me deliver the rest and later told us the nurse who called him told him that his patient was upstairs dying….in pain. Ha ha. Finally the placenta was delivered and everything was okay.

I had planned on not getting an epidural this time like I did with the last two, but I had changed my mind when the contractions hit this morning. Well, I didn't have a choice as there was no time for one, so I went without. I was told they could try but the thought of having to sit up and be still while they tried to put it in was unbearable. Looking back I think it was God’s way of letting me experience a natural birth. If I had been at the hospital earlier I’m pretty sure I would have caved. If I choose to go natural again I will be much more prepared on techniques and ways to ease pain.

We are happy our little Samantha is here with us! We love you Samantha!

Happy Birthday Kaylee

Happy Birthday my sweet Kaylee!


She was thrilled when she came downstairs to a room decorated in pink with pink balloons everywhere.






She got the pink cake she had been talking about for a month.

June... part 1

More pictures...

Amy took these while here this last weekend. She is a great photographer or her camera is awesome:) probably a little of both.

New Easter Clothes:)

Happy Birthday Patrick!

Happy Birthday Patrick! I'm glad you decided to spend all your birthdays and life with me:)

My babies on bikes

Continued...

St. Patrick's Day 2010

The FoodKool-Aid
Pistachio Fruit Salad
Dinner
Colcannon

Corned Beef