Camping

The boys went up to Cloudcroft for the Fathers and sons camp out, or the Aaronic priesthood commemorative camp out (or whatever it is called). It was eerie going to bed with just Ashley and Penny in the house. We camped out in the living room, while the boys enjoyed below freezing weather in their tent. I was glad to have them back in their beds, safe and sound, the next night. We missed them. John is a brave daddy and even took two year old Ethan with him. Most dads wouldn't attempt that. He's a good man. Love him.

German Pancakes

My mom made us hot breakfast every morning before seminary. On days when it was hard to get up, the smell of pancakes and homemade syrup wafting down the hall always forced us to get up. Now that I'm the mom I'm wondering how she did it. At our house Saturday is the only breakfast my kids look forward to. Every other day is processed cold cereal that is probably giving them cancer. So I am going to attempt to feed my children more nutritious food, especially Luke. A couple years ago he was diagnosed with Aspergers. A little shocking at first but once I accepted that as fact, I set off on finding the best way to help him function seamlessly in the world. Started with medication. Did wonders for him. He went from getting F's on spelling tests to 100%. He has a genius mind underneath the clouds in his head. But then the eye tic started. Rapid eye blinking, freaked me right out. So I took him off and went back into denial. He didn't need that stuff. Went the rest of the school year and summer without it. But when school started again class was even harder for him to focus and homework was torture. So we went back to medication this year. We are on our third med and thought we hit jackpot but he started a different tic, throat clearing. So now what. When I don't give him medicine he can't think and he asks for it back. But the side effects aren't worth it. I pray to know what to do. But I don't feel an answer. I feel so lost on the whole matter. What do I do? What's the best thing for my boy? For now I am going to turn to food. Force him to eat healthier and pray that helps repair his brain so that he can focus and I can can have peace of mind. So for breakfast we had German Pancakes. (GMO-free) Luke was not happy about not getting regular pancakes. But I found a way to get eggs in his body today. It's going to be a struggle the whole time. Hopefully it will be worth it. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

A Sunday At Home

I had to stay home from church today with Ethan. His snotty nose has turned into a fever and goobery eyes. I hate missing church. Even just missing one Sunday can effect how my week goes. But knowing that John needed to be there for his calling, I opted to stay home. I have visions of having a yummy meal cooked, a clean house and a napping baby when the rest of my family returns home. Ethan and I chopped potatoes and ham and loaded the crockpot while listening to the BYU channel. After the regular Sunday programming, they started last weeks conference address with ASL. It reminded me of my college days and my wishes to learn sign language. As I watched them sign away, I realized I have forgotten most of what I had learned. I realized I still have a desire to learn some kind of trade to contribute to the world. So for now, I am mommy and that is enough work for me, but soon Ethan will be off to school too and then it will be my turn to further my education or learn a new craft. So I am glad that I got some alone time with my sick baby. I am glad I got to listen to the words spoken at conference again. And I am glad for the realization that I need to learn and grow and stretch my brains.

Ashley

I have been thinking a lot about my Ashley lately. I feel grateful to have such a sweet girl to take care of. She is always trying to please her Dad and I. She loves to help out in the kitchen. She does chores on command and loves to help me "Fly" around the house. She is always quick to remind John it is Friday, which is Elvis movie day. She loves to have sleep overs with her brothers. I am realizing that not are girls are this way. I would never look at Ashley and think, "That one is going to test me." I think I was a lot like her when I was a child. Still to this day I like to please my parents.

Ashley will be starting school in the fall. Looking back over the past five years. I wish I had played with her more and read to her more and put her to bed with a song and a kiss instead of "If I see you peek your head around that corner one more time..."

So from now until August and forever, I hope to have less regret when it comes to my Ashley. I hope to have lots of secret shopping trips to the Jewelry Box, late night ice cream girls talk and many trips to the library for new Fancy Nancy books.

Why is it that the obedient kid is always the one who gets ignored. No longer Ash, no more. You are my one and only lady, and we are going to be best friends for life. Love ya.

"Turns out, this can kill ya."

Oh where to begin...  Well, lets just start with the fact that John is one lucky guy.  While off on one of his monthly detail trips in the Arizona desert, John noticed he had an ingrown hair up under his man parts.  Not something too comfy for a guy who rides horses for a living.  A few days later when said pimple was now dramatically growing in size, he thought OK it's time to have this thing checked out.  So off he went to the Douglas, AZ hospital to have things look at.  The Doctor there told him is was an abscess, lanced it, in attempt to drain it and sent him on his way with an antibiotic prescription.  A few days later he followed up with our doctor here in EP.  This doctor took one look at it and told him he needed to see a surgeon and have it taken out.  So off we went to the surgeon who had agreed to come in early from his lunch break just to see him.  The surgeon told us that it was a very serious infection that was already traveling up his leg and it needed to be removed that day or else it would spread into his intestines and there would be no way to stop the infection from spreading.  24-48 hours more and Mr. John would have been a dead man.  (If you are ever bored Google images of Necrotizing fasciitis, but be forewarned, not for the faint of heart.) click on the bold words for an explanation

After a surgery that cut out all the dead tissue, a week recovery in the hospital, 2 weeks of IV antibiotics, hyperbaric chamber treatments, and John's least favorite changing of the Wound V.A.C. , seven weeks have gone by and he is slowly but surely recovering.  I'm so grateful everything worked out the way it did.  What if we hadn't been able to see the surgeon that afternoon?  Things could have been much worse.  We are so blessed. 

I don't know what I would have done without Joy who agreed to watch my kids for a quick follow up appt. and ended up with them until 11 o'clock at night.  I'm especially lucky to have a mom just 6 hours away who jumped in the car the second she hear what was going on.  She held down the fort all week so that I could be with John the whole time he was in the hospital.  

Here he is headed into surgery

Hospital food through a straw.  A jokester, even on his death bed.

It was like another anniversary getaway, except not quite as fun as the the beach.  We had visitors everyday which made time pass (John has some real thoughtful friends).  It also helped that the Olympics were on during the whole ordeal.

First time in the hyperbaric chamber.

After five days of not being able to see his kids, they came up after Church on Sunday to visit him.  It was suppose to be a surprise, but poor John was so mopey I had to tell him, just to give him something to look forward to.  He can't survive without those babies.

Moral of the story... Love your man because you never now when he might be taken from you! 

10 Year Anniversary

 We ditched the kids with my parents and went to San Diego for a week.  So much fun. 

 

Our cute, trendy hotel.  It originally was an apartment complex that they converted into a hotel. 

First stop, Coronado Beach.

Next day we went to the temple.

 

Went snorkeling at La Jolla Beach.

 

Romantic dinner for two at the Melting Pot in downtown San Diego.

Mission Beach

 

Dive-In @ The Pearl

We got to watch Top Gun pool side.

John's surprise date, USS Midway museum.

Roni's, surprise date, Wicked!

Balboa Park Gardens

Frowny Face, vacation's over.

 

John is pretty much the most amazing guy ever.  Love him.