Sunday, September 28, 2008
Date night for kids
This last Friday we didn't swap babysitting with anyone and took the kids out. Maelie got to go with Dad and Garrett got to go with Mom. Sterling tagged along with Dad and Maelie. I helped Maelie get all dressed up (she wanted to wear a dress or skirt) and DJ helped Garrett get all dressed up.
DJ said that Maelie wouldn't stop talking on their date. He'll have to write about it later because he tells it much better.
I buckled my date in his carseat (you don't hear dates doing that too often) and we were off to Ikea. On the way I asked Garrett every sort of question to get him to talk. He was one of those dates that when you ask him a ? he gives you a one word answer and doesn't expound. At Ikea, we both ate 2 hotdogs, shared a soda (never again. I thought I could do it, but just couldn't), shared a bag of chips, garrett had an ice cream cone, I had a cinnamon roll ALL for $5.50! I had tons of fun talking to him over "dinner". I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said "A cow". I said, "well how about..."I was thinking about what to recommend for him when Garrett chimed in with "A frog!" He loved his ice cream cone even though he shivered the whole time.
We had tons of fun! I think we'll do this more often, hopefully especially as they get older.
DJ said that Maelie wouldn't stop talking on their date. He'll have to write about it later because he tells it much better.
I buckled my date in his carseat (you don't hear dates doing that too often) and we were off to Ikea. On the way I asked Garrett every sort of question to get him to talk. He was one of those dates that when you ask him a ? he gives you a one word answer and doesn't expound. At Ikea, we both ate 2 hotdogs, shared a soda (never again. I thought I could do it, but just couldn't), shared a bag of chips, garrett had an ice cream cone, I had a cinnamon roll ALL for $5.50! I had tons of fun talking to him over "dinner". I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said "A cow". I said, "well how about..."I was thinking about what to recommend for him when Garrett chimed in with "A frog!" He loved his ice cream cone even though he shivered the whole time. 
We had tons of fun! I think we'll do this more often, hopefully especially as they get older.
Friday, September 26, 2008
A scare, followed by a miracle
It's wonderful to experience a miracle! We had that opportunity this week. On Monday night, shortly after midnight, we received a phone call.
First of all, getting a phone call after midnight is probably NOT good news. Good news can usually wait until morning.
We were told that my nephew had an accident which left him with a life threatening injury. He was going into surgery, but the doctors weren't sure he would make it out alive. We were asked to pray and start a family fast immediately. Not the kind of news you want to hear obviously. So DJ and I started our fast.
I couldn't sleep and kept worrying about him and my sister (his mom). Questions ran through my head: what happened? Was Jared going to be okay? How was my sister holding up? How was their family holding up? When will I know more?
At about 2:30am I get another phone call saying that the normally 4 hour surgery only took 2 hours and Jared is still alive! I finally fell asleep, only to wake up 4 hours later with three rested, energetic kids.
Miracle #1 He was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Brigham City, but their scanning equipment was out of order so he was lifted to Ogden (which is a larger hospital and a better place for him to be anyway). I was told that he received the 2 best surgeons around.
A trauma surgeon and cardiac surgeon operated and cut him wide open down his torso to look for the source of bleeding. (He was bleeding internally. )
Miracle #2: They found a hole the size of a dime in his aorta. The anesthesiologist said he had never seen so much blood. What prevented complete blood loss was the formation of a clot at the site of the hole, which rarely happens in the aorta. If it wasn't for that blood clot, he would have bled to death.
Jared was given 8 units of blood and 4 units of plasma. The body has about 5 liters of blood or 10.5 pints; a unit is one pint. So he lost an incredible amount of blood and received a huge amount. (Sherri, if this sounds familiar, it's because I am copying and pasting from your email. You word everything so well. Hope you don't mind :) )
He suffered other injuries, such as a separation in spinal cord, injured kidney, and other things. In recovering he has had to deal with high and low blood pressure, an immense amount of pain, possible organ malfunctions because of the amount of time he was in shock after the accident, before the surgery.
Jared is such a good boy. He finished his mission papers, the day before the accident and one of his main concerns once he was done with surgery and awake enough to think was how this would affect going on a mission.
It is sooo great to experience a miracle, especially with all the sad and scary things we deal with every day in life. I have such a testimony of fasting and prayer. Jared had family from AZ, CA, UT, OK, TX, CO, OH, and PA fasting for him that night and miraculously survived this life threatening injury.
The latest news I have is that the doctors described Jared's condition as "amazingly stable". He is recovering slowly, but surely. He's been sleeping alot, which is to be expected. His legs are swollen and he has some pressure in the abdomen from inflammation in that area. He is on medication for lots of different things, but the doctors are slowly taking them away or lessening them.
I am so grateful he is stable. I am grateful for our Heavenly Father who watches over us constantly and knows us better than anyone. I am grateful for this knowledge I have and for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
First of all, getting a phone call after midnight is probably NOT good news. Good news can usually wait until morning.
We were told that my nephew had an accident which left him with a life threatening injury. He was going into surgery, but the doctors weren't sure he would make it out alive. We were asked to pray and start a family fast immediately. Not the kind of news you want to hear obviously. So DJ and I started our fast.
I couldn't sleep and kept worrying about him and my sister (his mom). Questions ran through my head: what happened? Was Jared going to be okay? How was my sister holding up? How was their family holding up? When will I know more?
At about 2:30am I get another phone call saying that the normally 4 hour surgery only took 2 hours and Jared is still alive! I finally fell asleep, only to wake up 4 hours later with three rested, energetic kids.
Miracle #1 He was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Brigham City, but their scanning equipment was out of order so he was lifted to Ogden (which is a larger hospital and a better place for him to be anyway). I was told that he received the 2 best surgeons around.
A trauma surgeon and cardiac surgeon operated and cut him wide open down his torso to look for the source of bleeding. (He was bleeding internally. )
Miracle #2: They found a hole the size of a dime in his aorta. The anesthesiologist said he had never seen so much blood. What prevented complete blood loss was the formation of a clot at the site of the hole, which rarely happens in the aorta. If it wasn't for that blood clot, he would have bled to death.
Jared was given 8 units of blood and 4 units of plasma. The body has about 5 liters of blood or 10.5 pints; a unit is one pint. So he lost an incredible amount of blood and received a huge amount. (Sherri, if this sounds familiar, it's because I am copying and pasting from your email. You word everything so well. Hope you don't mind :) )
He suffered other injuries, such as a separation in spinal cord, injured kidney, and other things. In recovering he has had to deal with high and low blood pressure, an immense amount of pain, possible organ malfunctions because of the amount of time he was in shock after the accident, before the surgery.
Jared is such a good boy. He finished his mission papers, the day before the accident and one of his main concerns once he was done with surgery and awake enough to think was how this would affect going on a mission.
It is sooo great to experience a miracle, especially with all the sad and scary things we deal with every day in life. I have such a testimony of fasting and prayer. Jared had family from AZ, CA, UT, OK, TX, CO, OH, and PA fasting for him that night and miraculously survived this life threatening injury.
The latest news I have is that the doctors described Jared's condition as "amazingly stable". He is recovering slowly, but surely. He's been sleeping alot, which is to be expected. His legs are swollen and he has some pressure in the abdomen from inflammation in that area. He is on medication for lots of different things, but the doctors are slowly taking them away or lessening them.
I am so grateful he is stable. I am grateful for our Heavenly Father who watches over us constantly and knows us better than anyone. I am grateful for this knowledge I have and for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Parents...we all need them.
So the last week has been SOOOOO fun while my parents were here visiting. My dad helped DJ change the brake drums (thanks a million dad). We put him to work the day they got here! We went to Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin court, and then to the Reading Terminal where we purchased delicious turkey sandwiches. They watched the kids while DJ and I went to mutual. it was nice not taking any kids and the activity was a combined one with the YM and YW so we kind of got to spend the evening together. On Friday we went on a double date! It was so fun. We ate hamburgers at a little joint that sells inexpensive, yet delicious burgers. Then we ended it with a hoorah! Ice Cream!!! Now I'm kicking myself for not taking any pictures. We had a lot of fun, walking around the neighborhood and at Valley Green. I wish they could have stayed longer, but there are others they need to visit too so I guess I have no other choice but to share them. Thanks for coming Mom and Dad. I had a ball! (BTW- Garrett thinks they live in the airplane.)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
All in all, a successful day.
Maelie went to her first day of school. My heart broke when I dropped her off and watched her walk into the building with her class, but it mended once the boys were down for a nap and I had two hours to myself!!!! Amazing! I still missed her a ton. She came home and has acted like a grown up since. She thinks the rules don't apply to her because she's in school like daddy. It's cute and frustrating. She was excited to go to bed so she could go to school again. She didn't like the idea of staying home on Saturday (today). She keeps saying she wants to see her teacher.
The first day of school was gym day so the kids come dressed in their sweat pants so that's the picture I took. On day 2, however, she got to wear a skirt. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture.
After school, for both Maelie and DJ, we had dinner and a delicious birthday cake!!! Look at that Boston Creme Cake. It was fantastic! Thanks DJ for making me this delicious cake.
There seems like a lot of candles, but there are only 27. Not too old, yet.
I blew out all the candles in one try. May my wish come true.On Friday DJ took me shopping to the Philadelphia Premium outlets. He was a great sport and took care of the kids while i tried on clothes and window shopped. I found a few great deals and came home with a couple shirts, a dress, a skirt, and a belt. Thanks a ton DJ!!! I had a great birthday!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I'm not ready!!!! But soon will have to be!!!!
For this:
Maelie starts school tomorrow and I'm not ready for my baby to go. I don't think I would be this way if it was only half day, but it's ALL day. On Sunday we walked to her school so we could take these pictures. Tons of questions and concerns flooded my mind. Will people be nice to her? Will she be nice to everyone? Did we teach her enough for her to make right choices? Will her feelings get hurt? Will she eat her lunch? Will she be able to tie her own shoes? Will she be tired because she's not used to all day stuff? Most importantly, will she be SAFE? With all the scary things happening in schools today, you just can't help being a little apprehensive, no matter where you live.
When we got to the school, DJ stopped and reality hit him. She really is growing up and a new stage in her and our life is starting. Maelie will be going to a school about a mile from our home. It is K-8 graders, but the Kindergartners don't see the 8th graders much.
she is as excited as ever as you can see. i asked her if she was nervous. her reply was, "what's nervous mean?" I then asked if she was afraid to go to school. Her matter-of-fact reply was "no". I guess it's just the parents. She's definitely ready, which helps me feel better about it.
The school is very old. It was erected in 1927 and looks kind of looming especially at night. I think it's kind of cool looking. Very different from the school I went to. I remember when my elementary school built another bldg that had two stories!!!! We were all amazed and wanted to go up the stairs.
At the school, the kids have to wear uniform. they have to wear blue pants, skirt or jumper with a white collared shirt.
At least we know one thing for sure. If there were a nuclear war, she would be in the right place. The school has a fallout shelter sign on it.
She's so little and the school's so big! We met her teacher and she was very nice. Maelie has some friends in the ward that will be in her class. I know she'll have a lot of fun and then Mom won't be so cool anymore. I might even pass for boring. :( You have to let them go sometime, right?
A view of the school from across the street.
There isn't a playground here. They have a paved area where the kids can play with balls, jumpropes, hopscotch, four square and other games they imagine up on their own. I'm not too worried about that. I know she'll run around and get energy out. Kids can play anywhere. She'll probably become a great jump roper. Maybe she'll learn double dutch and then she can teach me.
Maelie starts school tomorrow and I'm not ready for my baby to go. I don't think I would be this way if it was only half day, but it's ALL day. On Sunday we walked to her school so we could take these pictures. Tons of questions and concerns flooded my mind. Will people be nice to her? Will she be nice to everyone? Did we teach her enough for her to make right choices? Will her feelings get hurt? Will she eat her lunch? Will she be able to tie her own shoes? Will she be tired because she's not used to all day stuff? Most importantly, will she be SAFE? With all the scary things happening in schools today, you just can't help being a little apprehensive, no matter where you live.
When we got to the school, DJ stopped and reality hit him. She really is growing up and a new stage in her and our life is starting. Maelie will be going to a school about a mile from our home. It is K-8 graders, but the Kindergartners don't see the 8th graders much.
she is as excited as ever as you can see. i asked her if she was nervous. her reply was, "what's nervous mean?" I then asked if she was afraid to go to school. Her matter-of-fact reply was "no". I guess it's just the parents. She's definitely ready, which helps me feel better about it.
The school is very old. It was erected in 1927 and looks kind of looming especially at night. I think it's kind of cool looking. Very different from the school I went to. I remember when my elementary school built another bldg that had two stories!!!! We were all amazed and wanted to go up the stairs. 
At the school, the kids have to wear uniform. they have to wear blue pants, skirt or jumper with a white collared shirt. 
At least we know one thing for sure. If there were a nuclear war, she would be in the right place. The school has a fallout shelter sign on it.
She's so little and the school's so big! We met her teacher and she was very nice. Maelie has some friends in the ward that will be in her class. I know she'll have a lot of fun and then Mom won't be so cool anymore. I might even pass for boring. :( You have to let them go sometime, right?
A view of the school from across the street.
There isn't a playground here. They have a paved area where the kids can play with balls, jumpropes, hopscotch, four square and other games they imagine up on their own. I'm not too worried about that. I know she'll run around and get energy out. Kids can play anywhere. She'll probably become a great jump roper. Maybe she'll learn double dutch and then she can teach me. So tomorrow's the big day! It's also my birthday so we'll see how I do. At least I have my boys to hang out with all day, but I know they'll miss her too.
DJ gave her a father's blessing after FHE. (he also gave Garrett and myself one). Maelie really seemed to like getting one.
Writing this all out has helped a ton with my nerves. I know Maelie will be able to sleep tonight, I hope I can! to sum up my emotions: excited, scared, nervous, happy, and sad. Can you feel all those things at the same time? We will really miss our little girl and sister.
Monday, September 8, 2008
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