Family Pictures

So I forgot to post these a couple of months ago...

1 year old

Little T had a magical 1st birthday!  Okay really it was magical in that he got to eat Gluten Free Spaghetti for dinner and had a GF cupcake. But here he is in all his wondrous messiness.

Before

During

After

Thankful for friends

Just reading a few friends blogs and really missing them.  Mind you these friends live in Sacramento, Reno, Arlington, and a bunch of friends from BYU-Idaho who live all over.  The odds of me seeing many of these friends in person anytime are slim.  Which makes me sad.

We've moved a few times in our marriage.  Moving is hard.  I always miss friends and places.  I used to have a really hard time making new friends.   Fortunately, I've realized I need to stick myself out there.  I try hard to sit next to someone different in Relief Society each week. I've also realized life with 3 kids makes it difficult to talk to anyone at church. But I'm still trying!   

Can I just say how thankful I am to have met so many wonderful people? No, really. I've met some ridiculously amazing people.  I love that we get to stay in contact whether it's through facebook or blogger.  I love knowing how everyone is doing and seeing their bright smiling faces. I love being inspired by your creativty, your spirituality, your maternal amazingness, and everything else!

Chad's Surgery

Chad has been having shoulder pain for the last 6 or so months.  It was sore at first and gradually got worse.  It got to the point that he couldn't lift up the kids.  We made an appointment for him to get an MRI.   But the soonest they could schedule Chad to see the Orthopedic surgeon here in Ogden was late November.  Not until after seeing him would we even be able to schedule a surgery. 

That was a bit too long of a wait.  I was able to get him in to see Dr. Bitner, an Orthopedic surgeon in Tremonton.  He looked at the MRI and said that Chad had a lateral tear in his labrum.  We were able to schedule the surgery for the next week on the 16th. 

They went in and found that Chad had ripped his labram in half.  They had to re-attach it and add some tissue from somewhere else. I did learn that Chad does not handle anaesthesia well. It took him 3 hours to be awake enough to leave. He was totally out of it. They brought him in to the room and he looked at me and said "Hey Babe!" and then tried really really hard to wink at me.  Oh Chad on drugs is just too much fun!

He gets to be in a sling until Mid-December and isn't allowed to really use his shoulder for another few weeks after that.  I just hope it doesn't snow a lot. Guess who'll be out shoveling the driveway? Oh and did I mention he cannot help me with Toby at all.  No diapers, no laying him down in his bed, NOTHING!  He's literally one handed right now.  I get to help him do a lot of things.  It's like having another kid as I cut up everyones' meat at dinner.

His recovery is going well.  He's doing Physical Therapy and slowly getting some strength back. Call me selfish, but I can't wait until he can change a diaper again!

Random pictures

Guess who got into the carmel dip?

Somebody loves spaghetti

Cowboy had crazy hair day for Red Ribbon week.  Mooch wanted to get in on the action.

Literally the best picture of Mooch I had.  He was a little excited to go Trick or Treating.

Bump in the road

I took Little T down to Primary Children's Medical Center on November 8th.  We went to their gastroenterology department where I was hoping they'd find out what is causing all the problems for  Little T .  They drew his blood and ran 8 or so tests to make sure everything is going okay.  One of the tests was an allergy test another was for Celiac disease. 

I finally got a call back from them and the Nurse said the tests all came back negative.  Which is great but it's also VERY frustrating.  He's not allergic to wheat and yet if he eats it he's up half the night screaming.  In the end is doesn't really matter that they came back negative, it just would have been nice to have an answer. 

He's on a Gluten Free diet and it's helping a ton.  He went from eating only 4-5 oz bottles to 7-8 oz bottles.  He's eating a lot more solid foods now too.  We're slowly figuring out what to feed this kid.  I've tried a few GF bread recipes and he gobbles them up. 

But I'm grateful that we've figured out that the Gluten was causing the pain.  I'm grateful that it's a "simple" fix.  Yes, it's been a tough year figuring all of this out.  But other than this little Gluten thing he's a very healthy and active boy. 

I've had a few things give me a little perspective over the last few weeks.  I was at Primary's to get some tests done and see a doctor, that's it. 

We have friends from college who are currently watching they're beautiful 5 year old girl fight cancer.  Reading their family blog is heartbreaking and inspiring all at the same time.  I just can't imagine having to watch your child grow through the things she's had to.  They are one tough little family. 
Walking through Primary's was also a smack upside the head.  I watched a little boy just older than Little T be wheeled down the hall in a hospital bed crying.  If that wasn't a slap in the face I don't know what is.  It seriously broke my heart to see so many sick children.  I just had a little prayer in my heart for them.
All of this is just a reminder to me that in the grand scheme of things, this gluten thing with  Little T  is a small bump in the road.

Little T update

Little T's reflux seems to be abating.  We've taken Little T off of all the medications for it and he seems to be doing fine.  YET the tummy aches at night and gas pains were still happening.
Chad works with a lady who has Celiac disease (a form of Gluten intolerance).  And she mentioned that it sounded like he might have some of the symptoms.  One of the symptoms just happens to be GERD.  So we decided to take wheat and anything else with Gluten in it out of his diet.  I mean what's the worst that could happen?  Little T doesn't get to eat the roll he'd been craving?

Guess who hasn't had any tummy aches the last 3 nights? Guess who slept from 9-6:30 last night?  Yep, that's right Little T.  We still have the appointment at Primary's on the 8th of November.  So he will actually get tested and we'll see what's really going on.  But I'm just happy we're no longer pumping him full of drugs.  I'm happy that he's no longer miserable.  But I'm especially happy that I'm getting 6+ hours of solid sleep a night.  Did I mention I'm happy?

Up ALL Night and I wanted to be

On Friday afternoon I got a phone call from a girl that Chad works with.  She played volleyball at U of U for four years.  She and Chad had talked about volleyball and he had mentioned I liked to play and coach.
Her co-ed team needed a third girl to play in an all night tournament in Layton.  I told her I would love to.

It was great and our team got 2nd place.  So I walked away with a T-shirt and a brand new set of bruises.  No really this is what my arms looked like a day later. There's even one at the base of my hand. The picture isn't amazing but I literally have bruises on both arms from getting hit by volleyballs.  Thats what happens when you dig hits from men who hit very very very hard.   

I had a blast playing until 2:30 in the morning.  It would have been a lot more fun if I was even remotely in shape.  Seriously, I had the reflexes of a sloth.  But then again who has quick reflexes at 2 in the morning?  I doubt they will ask me to play again unless they're desperate. 

Also I've been asked to come and help coach a club team here in Roy.  I'm just helping hit balls in practice but it would be nice to be able to keep up with some 14 year old girls!

SO.....now that Little T is sleeping better I no longer have the excuses to not exercise.  I would love to lose 10-15 pounds and be able to play volleyball like a used to.  I would love to look like I haven't had 3 kids.  Wish me luck!

The Ice Cream and the Smurf boy

For Family Home Evening treats we went out for ice cream cones.  Mostly it was to get the kids out of the house so Chad could do a school presentation over Skype.  ( A presentation that never happened because someone went over their time significantly). 

Mooch decided he wanted to get the blue ice cream.  Clearly, he hasn't quite grasped the flavor concept yet.  Well this ice cream was smurf blue.  The saturation level of this ice cream was around 100%. We're talking VIBRANT blue.  He got his cone and went and sat down at the table.  As I'm paying I look over at Mooch and he looks like a clown with blue face paint all the way around his mouth.  So sad my phone was dead and I couldn't get a picture. 

But here is one AFTER I washed his face.

Helpful Mooch

Here are a few more "older" pictures.  Mooch was apparently trying to be helpful at my parents house.

the amount of concentration in this picture kills me

Helping Grandma make some raspberry jam. Don't mind the plethora of drugs next him.  This was during our "what is wrong with little T" stage of life.  Oh wait we're still in it.

Gone Fishin'

This is a few months old but I just now found the pictures on the camera. 

There is a Trout Farm in North Ogden.   I have quite a few memories of going there when I was younger.  Unfortunately for my children, Chad and I both hate fish.  I hate the smell of it, the texture of it, and the taste of it.  Occasionally I can choke down a tuna sandwich.  You get the point.  The only way my kids will get to go fishing is if someone else will be eating the fish. 

While my sister's and all their kids were here in August, My Dad took us all out to the trout farm.  The kids each got a turn or two to catch a fish.  The best way to catch a fish is to drop fish food in with the hook and hope one of them is dumb enough to bite.  Yep, it's chumming. 

Cowboy loved it and wanted to do it again and again.  Mooch on the other hand held the pole for 2 minutes and lost interest.  He wanted to walk around and look at the different ponds and fish. 

Sorry I left the date thing on the camera.  I know it takes away from the rustic masculinity of fishing.

the proud fisherman

watching fish

Antelope Island

Now that Chad isn't going to school full time, we get to have a little free time every once in awhile.  Chad works 9 hours every day and so he gets every other Friday off.  Which is great!  We're able to get stuff done around the house and do something fun. We've decided that once a month we're going to go do a family activity and go out and explore where we live a little.

This past Friday, Cowboy didn't have school and it was Chad's off Friday.  So we made the best of it and decided to go to Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake.  I grew up here in Northern Utah but have never actually been there.   It's about a 30 minutes drive from our house and for 9 bucks the whole family got to do something fun.  My Dad also has Friday's off so we invited my parents along on our little adventure.

We drove around the island for a little while in search of wildlife.  They have a few hundred buffalo, some antelope, coyote, and a lot of different types of birds.  We managed to see quite a bit of it.  I almost ran over the one coyote we saw.

Buffalo out on the lake bed.

Grandma watching buffalo with the boys.

Watching buffalo from afar.  Very afar.

We went on a little half mile hike up to the top of Buffalo point.  Chad had to carry the stroller in a couple of spots before we abandoned it all together on the side of the trail.  The boys practically ran up the hill as we chugged along behind them.

At the top of Buffalo point.

Mooch pointing at a buffalo.

At the top of our hike the boys declared themselves Kings of Antelope Island. It included a song and a dance and a lot of "oh yeah!"ing.

At the top of Buffalo Point.  There were a lot of cool big boulders.

Little T chilling at the Ranch on the south end of the island.  They've turned the Ranch into a little museum with a lot of old Farm equipment and other things.  The boys had fun running around and roping a fake calf.
As my Mom and I were walking around, Mom barely missed stepping on a snake.  I screamed like a little girl. Literally.

We had a fun day and definitely enjoyed our time together as a family.

Bug Bay

Willard Bay aka "Bug Bay" is about 30 minutes from my parents and 30 minutes from us.  This past Saturday we met there and had a picnic and went out on the boat to play.

the kiddos, Chris, and Mike ducking into the picture

Cowboy getting ready for a swim

Grandpa and Little T, who does not really enjoy boating.

About the only time Little T smiled while on the boat

Again this is how Little T really feels about boating

Mud Run

So my sisters Chelsie and Carlee as well as Carlee's husband Mike decided we'd have fun and run in the Cache Valley Mud Run.  IT's a 5k run with obstacles and well, lots of mud.

It was a blast.  There wasn't a lot of running because I am not a cross country runner.  So we only ran on the really flat terrain and the rest was obstacles and walking.  There was a whole lot of laughing and my face was sore from smiling. 

Before.  MY parents, brother Christian, My sisters children, Chad, and the boys all came to support.

Clean

the first of 4 giant slides

midway through and no mud in my hair, yet.

The final slide/finish line had a giant mud pit at he bottom. My landing did not go well.

The end.

Seriously dirty.

Exhaustion and Pain

If you don't want to read a long whiney post, then I suggest you skip this.

Little T and I are in a fight.  This fight has lasted, oh, about 9 1/2 months. (We're talking fom birth people)  I already mentioned in another post long ago how from 0-31/2 months little T screamed from 9-1 or 2 AM every night.  Oh if only I knew what was going on then. I would have gotten so much more sleep.
Since May, little T has not been sleeping through the night.  I chalked it up to teething and learning how to roll over.  I figured eventually he'd get back to being his usual laid back self.    Nope.

In late June, he started waking up 3-4 times a night.  He fussed and arched his back and we just figured he was being gassy from starting solids.   He was whining all day and wanting to be held all day.  I was barely functioning on what little sleep I was getting and not a very nice mommy either. Chad was super busy with school and occasionally would watch the boys so I could sleep an extra hour.

Finally, I took him to the doctor where he was diagnosed with ear infection #1.  We did the round of antibiotics and he started acting happier.  About a week later he started whining again and pulling on his ear.  So again we went to the doctor.  Same ear, possibly same infection.  Round 2 of the antibiotics finished up 3 days before we flew back to Utah. 

I made an appointment with my Dad's office to go in and have Dr. Grandpa check his ears to make sure the infection had cleared up.  They were.  Then Wednesday he started whining and pulling on his ear.  Of course his ear was pink and so we started round #3.  Then a week after that infection cleared up we had #4 ear infection start up.  That's when we started discussing tubes.  My family has a history of very small eustacian tubes that don't drain well.  So I figured we'd be doing surgery soon.

Because of all the ear infections it hurt little T to nurse.  He would only lay on one side and it hurt him to suck.  So we started bottle feeding and I called it quits with nursing.  I could only take so much. 

Even with the ear infections cleared up little T was still having issues sleeping at night.  He was waking up 2-3 times a night and staying awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night as well. I was at my parents so I had a lot of help from them watching the boys.  I had asked my Dad if it could be reflux.  But we sort of shrugged that off because he wasn't spitting up a lot and never had.  As a last resort Dad prescribed some Tagament.  Which helped, a lot.  The ear infections have totally stopped and he's sleeping a little bit better at night.  He's also on soy based formula.

So after 9 months on this earth I finally figured out my kid has been in pain for most of it.  He has silent reflux.  Which means he randomly burps without spitting up and essentially has heart burn all the time.  We have to feed him bottles sitting up and make him sit up for 30 minutes after he eats.  If I don't do that in the middle of the night he's up 1-2 hours later in pain.  I can't over feed him or he'll get heartburn. So we're walking a tightrope trying to figure out how much to feed him without giving him heartburn but enough that he can sleep through the night.

We're still getting up 1-2 times a night.  But he has slept through the night a couple of times since starting the reflux medicine.  I'm still barely hanging on by a thread but at least I'm no longer acting like Kate Gosselin and yelling at everyone ALL. THE. TIME.

At the Zoo pt 2

I felt bad that Cowboy didn't get to go to the zoo in Ft. Worth with us last time.  So I planned on going again sometime before we left.  Chad decided he could miss out on a few hours of studying to hang out with us before we go. 

We had a blast and took our time walking through the zoo.  Going to the zoo with Chad was great.  Not only was it awesome to just spend time with him, but Chad was like a little boy as we walked around.  By that I mean he was in awe of some of the animals.  Chad grew up in Western Wyoming, just south of Jackson hole.  There's this place called Yellowstone close by as well. But you know they don't have elephants there.    Apparently, Chad hasn't had the opportunity to see quite a few animals.   It was great watching him get excited about the elephants and zebras.  Then we ran across this guy. 

Mooch had little to no faith that the glass would actually keep a gorilla from eating him.

One of my favorite past times is watching Chad be a Dad. I just love to take a step back and see our boys play with their Dad and just see how much they love each other. I loved that Chad could be there and see the joy on our boys' faces as they ran from exhibit to exhibit.

Taking a break and getting a snack

I've discovered slowly over time that Mooch doesn't really like pictures.
Cowboy obviously does.  This picture is just proof. 

You can pay a buck for a stick with bird seeds.
It's pretty cool as long as you haven't ever watched Hitchcock's "The Bird's".
Unfortunately, I have.

Checking out the penguins.

wingspans

bigger wingspan

I took this right before we left only because Cowboy insisted he wanted a picture on the rock.

After I took the picture he said, "Mom, wasn't that so cute."

And it was and he is.