Uh-oh!

I broke a mirror this morning. I just thought it should be documented in case the next seven years don't go so well.

Just Another Hip Sugery

I just had my second surgery on the 7th of December. We actually stayed in Columbus to have the surgery so I got to be a week long patient at Children's Hospital. Dr. Klingele performed the surgery. We didn't feel quite right about going back out to CA for the surgery, although we had a surgery date scheduled for December 8th. A few weeks ago we flew out to Boston spur of the moment to have two days worth of doctor appointments with another surgeon, Dr. Millis, who frequently does the PAO surgery and various other doctors. I even banked my blood at the hospital gearing up for my transfusion. After two crazy days and thinking that Boston just had to be the right answer we still didn't feel quite right about it, although it made the most sense logically speaking. After two very stressful days of praying and doctors calling us saying we had to decide. We settled on Dr. Klingele who really only does this surgery about five times a year. Travis and I independently had a confirmation that he was the one. He trained with the doctor we had seen in Boston, we knew that he had the skills he needed and knew that because we were feeling prompted to stay in Columbus Heavenly Father could make up for the difference in number of surgical cases he does compared to the two other surgeons.

The surgery went well and now we just wait for my body to heal. Randy and Judy were here to help us for the past two weeks and now my sister Allee is here to take over until the end of January. This healing process may be a bit longer because I had not fully recovered from the previous periacetabular osteotomy but the time was right. The blessings that have been and are being poured down on our family seem to be endless and many and so many people around us have helped to distribute those blessings. I look around and realize that although it seems the world should stop for us in our time of trial it continues and all around us others are struggling with their own trials of poor health, death, financial difficulty, unemployment, and on and on. I have also come to understand the situations of so many others around through this one experience. This is a very efficient way to learn to sympathize and relate to the circumstances of so many many other people. I (we) are grateful for the experience.

Theron's Talk on Missionary Work

Our Sunday classes for the children are called Primary. Each week a couple of the kids in Primary are asked to speak on certain topics in front of the other kids (about 60 or so). Theron was asked to speak on missionary work. He wrote his own talk. He bravely got up to the microphone and in a loud clear voice said,

"If you want to be a good missionary, preach every word from the Gospel and try new foods and teach everyone the words of God."

Not much to it.

Charlie

Me: "Ew! Charlie don't eat your boogers!"
Travis: "It's yucky yuck yuck!"
Charlie: "No, it's not...it's gross."

My House--Full of Boys

I heard Isaac say to Theron and Charlie, "Guys! Come into the front room if you want to see who can do the most dangerous thing. Alright Charlie show us what's dangerous."

Burke is notorious for dumping things such as a newly opened Cheerios box, books from the book shelf, or in this case an entire box of cheese crackers. Do his brothers come to tell me or try to clean up the mess? Nope. They just join in the fun. Good thing they were eating off of a freshly mopped floor.

Aunt Allee

My sister Allee came to visit. I love how my boys never forget to call her AUNT Allee. Though with Charlie it becomes something that sounds more like Antaly. It was fun to have her here and we can hardly wait until her next visit.

"What's that?"

Me: "Theron, tell me about this art work."
Theron: "It's my self portrait."

Love and Logic Success or Backfire?

Charlie: "Mom choose a car."
Me: "Charlie, I'm vacuuming right now."
C: "Mom, choose a car."
M: "I can't right now."
C: "Choose a car mom!"
M: "Charlie, I don't want to."
C: "Mom, choose a car. Which one?
Do you want this car or this car? Either one is fine with me."

Tasty Math

Bowling

We took he boys and two friends to the bowling alley...then we went to bed.

Trouble

Yesterday it was noodles. Today it was dried apples.

He has moved beyond emptying my entire dresser every morning while I am in the shower. He mastered the heaviest drawer in the house today.

This afternoon Burke hauled this stool around the house to where ever he wanted to explore but couldn't. He settled on this drawer full of everything that doesn't have a place. I was ecstatic to have caught him when I did. A few minutes later I would have been picking up pencil shavings, pennies, notebooks, and half eaten glue sticks from off of the floor. (Note the garbage can on top of the counter.)

I moved the stool far away but came back in the kitchen to find Charlie on the counter (in his underwear) getting into the Halloween candy. His sidekick Burke with a glass in his hand only inches away from a very sharp butcher's knife. (Note to those taking photos of small children: Never take a photo of a baby with a glass in hand using your flash. Startled baby...dropped glass.)

Ohio Fall

We went with our friends to a farm.

We picked pumpkins...

...went on a hay ride...

...got hay in our underwear and a few other places...

...took lots of photos...

...walked the maze...

... and chased turkeys, and ate donuts, and used outhouses, and drank cider, and sat on tractors......and had a great time doing it!

Happy Halloween

the costumes

the jack-o-lanterns

the fun

the loot

the right way to eat candy

The Truth

This afternoon Travis came home a little early from work. We had a few minutes without the kids i.e. real conversation. I confessed,"Trav, I have something important to tell you." (Raised eyebrows.) "I am addicted to chocolate." (Relieved smirk.) Personally, I don't think it is funny. I think it is bitter sweet.

An old project

I finished this project in the spring but never posted. I think it is an improvement worth noting.

Before:


After:

Happy Birthday Isaac

Of course, he had breakfast in bed.

Lucky #7. At least seven times on his birthday Isaac said, "This is the best day EVER!" Lucky for us he is easy to please.

For All 'da Babies

How to Entertain Yourself While Mommy is Making Dinner 101:

First, find a handy pack applesauce carelessly placed on the low shelf by your busy mommy. Make sure it is the type with the wimpy foil lid. Most likely it is. Place your sharp new top teeth on top of the foil and bite down--HARD.Once you have punctured the top tip 'er up and go to town. If one container is not enough to satisfy your appetite, help yourself to another.

Once you have eaten all you want, take care to turn the container upside down and smear over freshly mopped floor. Do not overlook the other items you have previously pulled out of the cupboards while your mommy slaves away. They'll need a good smear as well.
ENJOY!!

A Fun Project

Before:

After:

Blessed

I took Burke to the doctor for a well check and shots this morning. Last week I prematurely took the stroller out of the van thinking I was doing so well that I didn't need it to get Burke out of the car anymore. This week has been a bit rough. Of course, I got to the doctor's office with out it so little Burke, who still topples over if someone blows on him, had to walk into the doctor's office. This wasn't a quick jaunt. No worries, we had time. He also had to walk down the long hallway to the patient room to meet his doom. Four shots for the boy today, two in each leg. He cried longer, harder, and louder than I remember my other boys crying.

Just before the nurse came in to deliver the torture, Dr. Rob started into a serious conversation with me. It was interesting and thoughtful as he is our Pediatrician, not my Orthopedic Surgeon. He pointed out that not many women experience a debilitating sickness while still having the responsibility to take care of four small children. He reminded me to take things slowly and only do what I need to do and nothing more. Then he told me that his wife had a stroke when their children were three and five years old. Before that moment I had no idea that he might actually relate to what our family is experiencing.

After Burke calmed down enough we attempted the trek back through the office to make another appointment at the front desk. At this point everything was making Burke cry, he fell down, he dropped his lid, he dropped his sticker, I picked it up... There was another woman waiting there to schedule an appointment. I can't help but imagine what she was thinking..."Why doesn't that mother pick her screaming baby up? Why is she even letting him crawl around on the floor at the doctors office? Doesn't she know there are germs everywhere? What a horrible mother?"

What can I do? Explain to every Tom, Dick, and Harry, "I have hip dysplasia. Let me tell you about that last three months...So, you see I simply can not pick up my screaming child and lovingly haul him out of here. I will just have to drag him by the hand instead."

As I drove away from the doctors office I felt I would cry. Instead I wondered, "Why am I felling this way?" Aside from being frustrated and overwhelmed I felt blessed. Why do I only have hip dysplasia and not a stroke? Why are people willing to help us so much while others struggle by without? I do not know but for the hand our family has been dealt I am truly grateful.

One Year

Happy birthday Burke Boy!!

A Big Boy Now

This morning Charlie wanted to come upstairs with me which would require him getting over the baby gate at the bottom. He told me he would just do it like the brothers and climb over the top. Can you imagine? I lifted him over instead. Of course, he protested saying that Isaac and Theron climb over themselves. I said, "Well, Isaac and Theron are taller than you."

He replied back matter-of-factly, "I wear underwear." Oh! Well that changes everything. Here, why don't you just take the keys to the car, too, now that you are wearing big boy underwear. I can just see some teenage alcohol drinker explaining to the officer who asks for their license, "Oh, well officer I don't have an ID but I am wearing big boy underwear now."

Learning to Walk

I had my first physical therapy session today. That's right folks I'm learning to walk. Here I am a couple of weeks ago strutting my stuff with my crutches while waiting at the bus stop with Charlie boy and my sister Jen.

On a much more exciting note (to me anyway)...Burke has decided he would like to join the world of the walking as well. Today we are both taking baby steps.

Post Game Day

Life couldn't be better!!

Worth the Peace and Quiet

It probably says right on the box "Not suitable for children under 4 years of age" but I don't care. I really think that the seven minute silence was worth this mess and definitely worth the smile showing complete satisfaction.

Confession II

Theron's new best friend in his class at school is Sam. Theron just said, "Mom, sometimes Sam does bad things in the prayer and I can't help it...I just laugh."

Confession

This morning while the boys were getting ready for school Theron told me something that must have really been weighing on his conscience. He said, "Mom, my teacher says to always eat our sweet stuff last at lunch. One time I remembered but I wanted to eat my treat so bad...that...I had to eat it right in the middle."

Fast Results

I was in the garage when a bored Isaac spotted the butterfly nets that grandma brought to our house last week. He held the net up in the air and exclaimed, "I'm going to go catch a butterfly!"

I thought, "You'll be lucky if you even SEE a butterfly."

No joke forty-five seconds later I heard and excited, "Wooooo-hooooo!!" Isaac came running into the garage with this amazing butterfly.

What a rewarding butterfly hunt!

One of Those Days??

Burke seems to be finding himself in more and more places like this these days. Just plain stuck!!

For FHE we learned how to follow directions by making brownies. Everyone got to help...

...even Burke.

Summer Recap

If I try to write something funny or even just interesting about this summer I may never get a post out about it so...

...the boys spent time with the North Dakota cousins Zoe and Isa...

...I had a surgery that changed my perspective on many, many things and left me emotional about new things, unable to walk (for now), super forgetful, and really, really cold. I like to blame everything wrong with me now on the "new blood".

We spent a lot of fun time with my parents (Nana and Papa). Solon, helped us drive out to Utah. Simeon helped us drive back to Columbus.

We spent a lot of time with Dell, Kristin (Trav's sister), Emily, and Adam. Dell asked Theron if he was his favorite uncle. Theron said, "No, uncle Rob is my favorite Uncle." Dell said, "Where am I on the list?" Theron said, "Somewhere in the middle." Dell spent a bit of energy trying to raise his status up a little.

Tiffany came to help us survive our first week home. The boys got to spend time with Clayton and Clarissa. We sent Clarissa home with a fever and some flu-like sickness.

Jenny and Isa came to help us survive the second week at home. Apparently our camera was not handy that week. We sent them home only to find out Isa threw up twice on the airplane and Jenny has strep throat and Mono.

Judy is here now to help us survive week three of being at home. She leaves tomorrow. I think she should be nervous.

A Day of Firsts

Little Burke took his first real steps toward walking today. He's on the verge.

Theron rode the bus to school for the first time.

Isaac and Theron had their first day of school for this 2009-2010 school year. Isaac is in 1st grade and Theron is in kindergarten.

Charlie realized for the first time that he didn't get to go on the bus.

The neighbors woke up for the first time this week to the shrill scream of a two year old rather than their own alarm clocks. No worries. There will be many more rude awakenings to come.

The boys had their first auditions for class clown. We have yet to receive word.

My Poor Boy

I just finished a phone conversation with my boy Trav and...whew... I miss him!! He misses me too. I know because he told me so. I also know because he went to the grocery store and bought:

3 cartons of Lactaid
3 bags of chips
3 containers of yogurt--I can't even remember the last time I saw him eat yogurt
fresh salsa--so like him
Tostidos salsa--no surprise
french onion dip
donuts
dried apricots--"Something healthy," he tells me.
soap
face lotion

I am sure the check out girl was confused when she saw his wedding ring because he was shopping like a true bachelor. I think he would be the first to admit he feels lost without us. We're not having such a great time without him either.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!

I just had hip surgery a few weeks ago. When I am asked what kind of surgery I say, "It is called periacetabular osteotomy but I feel like I am saying Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." I get a lot of twisted looks.

I am three weeks out tomorrow. Life is interesting. I am counting down to three weeks from now when I hope I will be allowed to start walking on it normally. But even more importantly I will be able to go home and be with my boy Travis who (lucky for me) is missing me (and the boys) bad.

I have no pictures to share as I am not at my own computer but picture this...seven inch scar, numb fingers, crutches with aces bandages wrapped around the handles, wimpy looking left leg, walker, wheelchair, bruised up left leg, ornery Charlie who knows his mom can't come get him, standoffish Burke who would rather go to anyone else who can walk around while carrying him, an Isaac and Theron who are being pretty darn good, and one lonely lonely Travis.

And yet...life is good.

NOT a Booger

So half an hour after I put the boys to bed tonight I heard Charlie upstairs sneezing away. After several sneezes I decided to go help the poor kid blow his nose. He blew (he's very good at blowing his nose) and I asked him if that felt better. He continued to stick his finger up his nose saying, "Dewers a booga in dewer." It was dark so I opened the blinds to get a better look. Not good enough. I got a flash light. After shining it up his nose I realized what I thought was a string of snot was actually the reflection from this snap! My luck...there was NOT a doctor in the house. I was able to remove the snap from his left nostril with my tweezers but he keeps telling me, "Dewers a booga in dewer." I am left wondering what else he put up there and how far up he pushed it. My trusty flash light and I can't see anything more. What else could I do? I sent him back to bed.

Name that dog

Theron's fancy fancy birthday cake.