An Update-Sorta

Where to begin since I posted last. Well I had my purse stolen out of my car requiring way to many hours to replace everything in my purse from credit cards to drivers license to keys to a cell phone, organized the major fall fund raiser for my sons' school-the walk-a-thon, became primary president just in time to write a program and then present it in sacrament meeting and replaced our counter tops in the kitchen. Ya, I though I would get a few days off before I start a temp auditing job at my mothers work but instead I spent a day in ER with Jacob. Last Tuesday night Jacob choked on a piece of meat and it wouldn't come up. So after dropping Caden off at school Wednesday AM Jacob and I went to the ER. Yes, I tried to get a doctor to give us the glocogone in a doctors office BUT no we had to go to the ER. Anyway, by 2:00 in the afternoon he still hadn't thrown it up and he wasn't able to get water or anything to go down so they transported us (by ambulance)to a hospital in LA where the Peds. GI doctor was so that they could go in and remove it. Pictures of the ambulance are on my phone I wasn't prepared with a camera for this adventure. When we arrived at the Sunset (LA) hospital we were taken to the PICU. I questioned the transporters not paramedics why if Jacob was stable enough to have transporters and not paramedics were we going to the PICU. They said this was the room number they were given but that we should check to see if that was really were we were to go. (PICU stands for pediatric intensive care unit just in case you didn't know.) We were however in the right place. The GI doc. did his endoscopy bed side rather than waiting for a surgical suite. So Less then an hour after we arrived in LA Jacob had been evaluated, preped and was already in surgery. Colby didn't even make it there in time to give him a blessing before the surgery. It was early Thursday AM when we got home from this ordeal. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa's, uncles, aunts and cousins who step in to help out. The sad moral to the story was that this really didn't have anything to do with his EE it was just toooooo big of a piece of meat to swallow. Thursday afternoon when Caden got home from school he was not happy to learn that not only had Jacob missed two days of school he had also gotten an ambulance ride. Poor Caden has never had any medical emergencies and he wants one. Our Kitchen before we redid it. Ya it was time.

Boys first day of school Aug. 2010-2011 school year.

School Project

I know I am supposed to be finishing up the post about our DC trip back in July and I will as soon as the primary program and the school fund raiser I am in charge of that both happen to be within days of each other are over. In the mean time I thought I would post this picture that uncle Paul taught Jacob how to do. It is a project Jacob had to turn in for school. The theme was "together we can..." and the kids could do just about any sort of "art" for the project. Jacob thought photorgaphy would be the easiest. So he took pictures of his uncles and combined them to make this. Here is the "artist statement" he wrote to explain how his project relates to the theme.

So many people don't have someone to call a hero, A hero shows an example of courage, determination, and moral character. I am lucky enough to have four heros. My Uncle Paul is a cop, who keeps our cities and streets safe. He puts himself in harms way to keep others out of danger. My Uncle Nathan is a Fire-fighter and has helped to save many lives with his medical knowledge. He even takes the time to visit my Scout Troop and teaches kids like me what to do in an emergency situation. My Uncles Trent and Travis have taught me about service. When I asked them why they wanted to join the Army I thought they would say something about excitement or danger. My uncles didn't join the Army for thrills or for power. They wanted to protect people like me. They wanted to protect our nation so that I could grow up with all the freedoms they have enjoyed. My uncles have shown me that there are somethings worth fighting for. They have taught me to honor the rules and to keep myself physically and mentally strong. All of my uncles have taught me that when everyone serves a little the outcome can be great. No one can do it all, but "together we can" each do a small part to keep America safe and free.

Oh, What do you do in the Summer Time? Part 1

This summer we went on a trip to Washington D.C.

The trip their was a little crazy. We left from LAX at 8 am. So we got to the airport around 6:30 am. My parents and Colby's parent met us at the airport. People thought it as a little crazy that both set of grandparents were going on the same trip but it was fun. We took off and got to Vegas with no problems (Vegas was our layover.) We thought we were going to have to hurry to get on the next plain but that was not the case. As we were arriving the flight crew pointed out Air Force One (ya the President's plain.) We got off the plain and headed to the next gate only to find that the flight was delayed. The bathroom on that plain had flooded. (Yuck can't imagine cleaning up that mess.) It wasn't a big deal to hang out in the Vegas airport for an hour because Devin, my nephew, and Kurt's brother and his wife (uncle Kimball and Aunt Janet) were joining us at that point. Finally an announcement can on telling us that we were going to be taking a diffrent plain to D.C. so the gate number was changing. We started gathering our stuff to go to another gate when the attendent came back on and told everyone to run to the other gate or we would be stuck in the airport for another hour. See the President was ready to go home and when his plain takes off from a public airport the rest of the flights and the runways are shut down for 40 minutes. Everyone took off in a hurry and we all got on the plain, but all the luggage was still on the other plain and no one was allowed to go get it for 40 minutes. So we sat waiting to take off. Finally they got the bags to the right plain and we got to take off. I wasn't to long into our flight (about an hour I believe we were somewhere over Utah) When the flight attendent came on and asked if there were any doctors or nurses on our flight. (Ya, that's never a good question.) Long story short... We made an emergency "heavy landing" in Denver and the ambulance met us on the run way taking the man having a heart attack off the plain. I was thinking great the man is off the and on his way to the hospital so lets be on our way too. But that was not the case. When you make an emergency landing with a plain full of jet fuel it can cause damage to the plain to land it. So we got to hang out in the Denver airport-correction on the plain at the gate for about two more hours while they checked everything out and gave us the okay to leave. Needless to say our 8 hours of traveling took us much much longer then that. We didn't even get to out resort until 2am. But we were on vacation and ready for a good time. I am happy to say the rest of the trip as well as the return flight was great.

Our resort was in the Shannandowa Mountains. There were deer every where! This guy came to the back porch and wanted our BBQ. Karley thought it was great to feed him letuce. Just before we spotted him. The boys had seem another animal go by and wanted to go after it. Karely went to get her shoes to go with them but they had felt her. I didn't realize she took off to find them. It was only a few minutes later that she returned mad that she had been left but telling us that "Bambie" had come to her when she was crying outside. I didn't think much of it-ya right a deer came to her but after I watched this deer come up to get food with no fear I have to say I don't think she was making it up that the deer came up to her. This was the pull out bed that the boys partied on every night of the trip. Karley out in the clearing where the deer would gather.

Uncle Kimball couldn't contain his excitment and had to do a dance around the condo.

Look how many people fit in this bath tub. There was one of these bathtub's in the upstairs and the downstairs front bathrooms. (8 people around the tub) Karley thought it was a miniture swimming pool.

Finally an Update

A few weeks ago my older brother came down from Utah with his family. We have several days of fun together but for most of it I never got out my camera. (Ya we were having that much fun.) One day we have an "unbirthday" since 5 or the 12 kids have birthdays in July and 2 more have them just before or just after we thought a birthday celebration would be in order. But how would seven of the twelve get presents without it being a big deal. So we picked a day that was no ones birthday and all the kids got 1 present from a cousin. The California cousins are used to birthday parties together but it isn't very often that they get to go or have a Utah cousin come to one of theirs. We had a pool party at my other older brother's house out in Temecula.

Jacob playing in the pool

Ya this made for a great splashing bucket.

Some of the crazy boys decided to through the inflatable jumper into the pool and float around in it. Jacob (out of the jumper) Caden, Drew (wearing goggles) and Blake or at least the back of his head.

Drew Caden and Jacob jumping into the pool.

The Boys---Mat, Jacob holding Alex, Caden, Brandon, Derek, Blake and Drew. The boy cousins out number the girls 2 to 1.

More of the Boyz!!!!

We also played with a parachute. The younger ones loved it and the older ones pretended to love it.

More parachute playing.

The best part was to get under the parachute as it was coming down.

Each kids had to bring a present for one cousin. The kids thought this was the best.

More carzy boys on the water trampoline. Ya the water trampoline stayed out of the pool and serevd as the jumper since the real jumper had already been thrown in the pool.

After cake and ice cream it was upstairs to Uncle Nathan's music room for a "jam session"

Everyone took turns playing and giving a performace.

Jacob and Caden both had been working on big projects at school. I am sooo glad school is out for a while.

Jacob's was his state report on Kansas. He had to write a 20 page research paper on the state. and make a "float" really a shoe box covered in paper.

Caden's was a historical landmark of California report. Caden chose to do the report on The Presidio of San Diego.

Caden had to build the the fort and write a report.

This is the kitchen in the presidio that Caden made. After we were done with our projects we went to the coolest pet store in Fountain Valley.

I didn't take pictures, but Caden did take one of this two headed snake.

Landell Carnival

Karley on the "big slide." This last weekend was the Landell School Carnival. The kids had a great time running wild throughout the school playing games. There was a video game truck, and min golf course, giant slide and an inflatable obsticale course, a train, and lots of carnival booth games not to mention lots and lots of yummy carnival food and fun cake walks. There was a auction and a talent show at the carnival as well. Karley tried cotton candy for the first time and hated it. Good thing Teegan (her almost 1year old cousin) liked it. Caden was a great helper. He and I got there at 7:30 in the morning to set up the carnival and we didn't leave til after 7pm that night. Karley got to play with her cousin's Siena and Teegan. She was so excited to play with them.

I tried to get a picture with all three girls looking up at the camera at once but out of 5 tries these were as close as I got. Notice that Siena and Karley have "crazy painted hair" one of the game booth attractions.

More carnival pictures

Booth games at the carnival.

Over all it was a LONG but fun day.

Little Olympics

This year is the last year that the little olympics will be happening due to budget cuts in the school district. This is a very sad thing because when Jacob's dad was in elementary school he got to participate in the same little olympic competions. The Little Olympics is a competion with all the elementary schools in the school district. There are several events that 4-6 graders can compete in.

Jacob waiting for his events.

This is Caden and his friend Brian. They spent the whole night playing games in the stands.

Jacob on the field getting ready for the long jump. Just after this picture the battery in our camera went out. Sorry no jumping pictures.

Jacob's miracle

As many of you are aware of Jaocb has allergies-to everything. Well we went back for a retest after six months of NO: Wheat, Soy, Eggs, Nuts, Milk, and Fish and found that he only cane back positive for nuts and soy. I know to you this doesn't sound like much but to us it was wonderful news. Jacob's GI doctor wanted to then do another scope to see what changes, if any had been made to his esophagus. This time she scheduled the procedure as a surgery at the hospital. So on the 16th (ya I know it's been a few days) Jacob and I went to the hosptial so Jacob could have "surgery." He was so much more nervous this time. Probably because he knew what was coming this time. He was scheduled as the second patient of the day for our GI doc but when the first patient didn't show we got to go in. There wasn't the usual hurry and wait like always. The surgery prep nurse was so sweet and was telling us that she had been having issues for two years before she had been diagnosed with the very same thing Jacob has. Since we were bumped up I didn't get any pictures before surgery so here are a few from after surgery was over.

When surgery was over the doctor came out and didn't know what to say. Jacob had no stomach ulcers no nodules on his esphagus and all his throat and stomach looked like normal healthy tissue. Eosiniphilicesphagitis (EE) is a new diagnoses and not only is there not a set treatment plan there is also no cure. Yet Jacob doesn't have anything. I have to say that just before we went back to the doctors Cobly had given Jacob a blessing and told him that he would be able to eat whatever he wanted. I have been thinking about how EE was going to effect his life. How would Jr High and High school be when he can't eat what everyone else is eating. He cann't go to birthday parties or resturants without having to bring special food. You know kids, that would become something he would get teased about. I have also been thinking that with Jake's allergies as serious as they are he would never be able to serve a mission. A few months ago we had gone out of town and when we ran out off food for Jacob we had to travel 25 miles to a store that sold food Jacob could eat. How would he be able to be a missionary with food issues like that. Now I know this wont be a problem we have to face. I am so grateful for priesthood blessings and for the atonement. I am grateful to have a husband who honors that priesthood and could give our son such a life changing blessing. Below you will find some of the images from surgey. If you get creeped out at things like this don't look. They are pictures of Jakes esphagus and stomach taken with the camera during surgery.