Two Graduations! Two Graduation Boys!

Kade's graduation was last Thursday. It's fun to think that he'll have two more of these. He did a really good job. And, seemed to be a leader in his class. When the teachers wanted the kids to sing louder, they'd whisper "Kade sing louder." -he would, and then the other kids would notice him and would start singing louder. (afterwards the teacher had explained that Kade is a go-getter type of kid, and so they use him to help the other kids perk up. I love it!) Plus, Kade stole the spot light a little by adding a few little side notes during the program. When the teacher said, "It is "so and so's graduation." Kade said, "And it's mine." Everybody laughed. And then when the teacher said, "This is what Kade had to say about preschool..." Kade just piped up and said, "I said I liked -and then he said a few things he liked (but I can't remember all that he said.)." Then the teacher finished reading everything else on Kade's paper. He's a ham although I don't think he annoyed anybody. It was cute.

Although Kade was only in preschool for five months, he's grown a lot and learned so much. He has always felt he was older than he was and being in preschool just made him all the more confident and mature. I'm so glad he had these experiences. It's been fun watching the growth.

There's no doubt this boy will be a heart breaker. He's so handsome! Joe had the foresight to get a graduation picture now to have to compare with high school. I can imagine what he'll look like then, and he'll be gorgeous. We love this boy and are so proud of all he's done.

Ben's graduation was Friday! He was so excited and just happened to be randomly seated in between his two "best friends" Treycen and Parker which he was so happy about. Plus it's nice for memory sake to have all three in one picture. (I know the hat wasn't on straight, he played with it a few times, and he looks so bald 'cause I gave the boys haircuts a few days before.)

Ben sang all the songs and did the dances. I loved it. He has just gotten so big and I'm excited for what's coming up!

This is Miss Lindsey! She was both of our boys favorite teacher! She was just so sweet and she really loved Kade and Ben. Ben was the last kid called up for his "diploma" and when Miss Traci called him up, she said, "last but not least, Our Ben!" She had called him "our Ben" earlier in the program too, and Miss Lindsey got teary eyed when she was saying good bye to the five year old class, and insisted I sign both boys up for summer camp, so she can see them through the summer. I even love Miss Lindsey.

Ben has just gotten soo big! I can't believe he starts Kindergarten!! He'll do well, and I am grateful for all his preschool time.

Carter -We Love Him!

Here's Carter, my smiley happy little guy. He's getting big and learning new things all the time. It's exciting to see him grow and develop. His left side, lately, had been falling behind his right, but an Occupational Therapist came to evaluate him and show me some thigns to do to help. Within a couple days, he's improved things adn can now roll over from his back to his stomach and then back to his back. He is now rolling all over the place. I am so excited and grateful that we could stave off any long term problems if we address them now.

Sorry this picture is sideways -I can't ge it to rotate. Anyway, Carter is now six months old!! He is a big time babbler and loves everybody. He is just too cute for words! I love this little guy.

Here's Carter mid-babble. I think he's gonna be a talker like his brothers!

My crazy trio! I am so glad to have these three big boys in my life. I love their incredible personalities and amazingly sweet spirits. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

A Few Carter Pictures.

I need to take WAY more pictures of Carter. I don't have as many as I should. These were just a few recent cute ones. I love this kid!

He was moving so much some pictures were blurry. But you can still see his cute little smile and his precious little face.

The Best of the Boys.

Crazy hair day at preschool

Sweet Boy!

I love when they play together and dress up and pretend. It's so fun and very entertaining to watch! Carter gets in on the fun too sometimes.

They are nuts.

I just needed to FINALLY post some pictures (some from over a year ago) of the boys at their best and most typical.

The Sweetest Kid.

Last night, after feeding Carter, I snuck into the boys' room (as I always do when I'm up) to re-cover them with their blankets or to straighten them out in the their beds. After I re-covered both boys and walked out the door, I heard a whisper, "Mom." "Mom." I cracked open the door and poked my head in and whispered, "What?" (I wasn't even sure which boy was calling for me.) But, Kade lifted his head off the pillow and said, "I love you." I told him I loved him too, and he put his head back down and went back to sleep. Kade has thanked me several times for doing his laundry when I've snuck in to put clothes away, but this was the best thing ever! It was so unexpected and so nice to hear. I love this kid! In addition! I went into the boys room several nights later, to, again, check on the boys, straighten them out and re-cover them. When I got to Ben, I started putting his blankets back across him, and he looked up, realized it was me and both arms shot up, opened wide and reached for a hug. I gave him a big hug, kissed him and he rolled over and went back to sleep. Amazing! Both of my boys are just incredible! I am one lucky mama.

The Latest....

We are finally home and so happy to be. We were there for a full week. My bed never felt so comfy as it did last night -i'm sure Joe and the boys felt the same. Tuesday, the doctors did a last minute test that was more just a bonus test -they just wanted to check on "one little thing" and then we'd be going home. The test was an ultra sound of the brain where the inject microscopic bubbles in to the blood stream and then they listen to the bubbles moving around. Well, as they did the ultrasound, they heard/saw something that led them back to the heart. So, they DID find a hole in his heart. They are not too worried that a stroke will happen again -long story- so hopefully that's true. They usually don't do surgery to fix this particular hole, a "PFO"-apparently, and 1/3 of adults has this and never knows. The docs found no other clots in his legs that could make their way up, so they figure aspirin is good enough to help any clotting problems long term. Still, i feel a little like there's something hanging over my head -again, it's just another test for my faith that the Lord is going to keep him safe. Carter is a little weaker on his left side and sometimes has to think about it a little before he makes a move, but overall I think he's doing really well. We will start talking to "early intervention" rehabilitation to help his brain figure out how to get around the injured brain. There is a considerable section of brain affected, yet, there's high hopes that not all of it is "dead", hopefully just "stunned" or "sick". We go back up to SLC on the 19th for a follow up, and we'll probably all be at church Sunday.

I want to thank everybody again for everything. (There are so many things people have done, that I'll have to thank you all individually as I have the time to make a treat or something.)There is no doubt in my mind we have been blessed from the all prayers said on our behalf. I have never felt so lifted and strengthened. I know that having Carter's name in the temple, no doubt, helped him recover as well as he has. I am just more thankful than I can say for all the many things that were done for us. THANK YOU!!! We love you all!

Carter's Stroke with Pics Below

My baby boy has had a stroke. I can't even believe I have typed those words and that it's really happened. It's such a strange thing to think that I'm actually still able to breath at all with all of this is going on. I never thought that I could hold it together, but I live moment to moment and keep on moving -even if that means leaving the room, taking a shower or doing laundry, or sitting alone at the cafeteria to think. And, the Lord really does keep you moving when you don't think you'd be able to otherwise. I am thankful for the knowledge of the gospel, especially during this trial, and throughout this whole thing we have seen so many shining positive blessing to balance any bad news or worry. The break down...(and this is quite a watered down version, but I have to journal a lot of info.) The Past. At 2am Wednesday morning, Carter cried out -which is a normal nightly occurrence as he is nursed several times through the night. I went in to nurse him and, very obviously, Carter was not himself. To put it simply my Carter was gone. He was vacant, vague and non responsive. He seemed to be out of body; he would look at me, but would not show any sign of recognition to me. I called Joe (he was out of town for work) crying that Carter "was not there, that his mind was gone somehow". I tested his reaction to stimulation, and after it all was not bringing him back, I feared I would never see my baby again. He then had a seizure. His seizures are blank stares followed by facial twitching, tongue clicking, and other things that rhythmically move -it's hard to watch and 2 1/2 minutes can feel like an eternity. The shortest seizure has been 10 seconds, the longest 15 mins.; generally they're 2-4 mins. I called my sister to come stay with the older boys, and called my mom to drive up to babysit long term. Joe got on the road and started his ten hour drive home. My sister called a friend to meet me at the ER to give Carter a blessing. I took Carter to the ER, and he had a seizure as soon as we got there, and we were rushed in. He had multiple seizures in the ER -we were there 5 hours. They did a lumbar puncture to test spinal fluid, they poked every vein to get in an IV. They admitted us to the hospital and Carter rode in an ambulance. He underwent an EEG and was scheduled for an MRI. Joe made it to the hospital by 3pm. He stayed while Carter had his MRI, and after 13hours I finally got a shower. By 5 o'clock we were waiting for the results, and had high hopes that it would show he just had epilepsy (which runs in the family) Then the phone rang in our room while Carter was seizing in Joe's arms, so he and the nurses were preoccupied, so I answered to talk to our doctor. She then told me the test showed he had a stroke. I don't remember much after that, but I had to break the news. The Stroke. His stroke was caused by a blood clot cutting off his blood and oxygen flow to a certain part of his brain. It is a substantial area in the right side of his brain -thus his left side of his body is affected, and is the side to watch for long term problems...such as cerebral palsy. The stroke is causing the seizures; the seizures didn't cause the stroke. The doctor said the stroke occurred within the last 24hrs -which meant that at the time Carter cried out to "be fed" he had suffered the stroke then, and all the things I was seeing when I got him were the first seizures of many. I think Joe and I were both blind sided and instantly in shock. I broke down and cried. A sweet nurse asked if we were of the LDS faith and if so we could have someone come in and help Joe give Carter a blessing. Joe gave Carter his blessing and broke down and cried too. I was close to having my temple recommend expire and, fearing the worst, I wanted my recommend while in SLC, so I asked Joe to round up the bishop and stake Pres. to give me an emergency interview. I got it, and the bishop offered a blessing. In my blessing he blessed me with "immense peace". I know the power of the priesthood is real and was grateful to feel the peace promised me immediately. Joe was also able to receive a blessing too. They Life Flighted me and Carter to SLC around 10pm, we reached the hospital around 11:30. Carter slept the whole time and most of the night. Carter had multiple seizures the next morning. He had 13 alone within two hours. They did another MRI to look at his blood vessels in the brain, to see if they caused the stroke, also they ordered the heart test to determine if a blood clot had come from his heart. Both tests came back with good results. There is no hole or irregular heart beat, and the vessel in his head are fine. The Present. Today has been by far the best day here at the hospital. Carter had very few seizures, and the ones he did have were mild considering all the ones before. He woke me up pretty early -around five, but PLAYED till about seven. He was drowsy and not 100%, but SO much better than the previous two days. Through out the whole ordeal, Carter has had great mobility in his left side. He is almost equal to his right side in his leg, and not far off from normal in his arm. He grabs at toys and smiles at us and responds like his normal cute self. He has flirted with nurses and babbled at toys. He is my good ol' Carter. When I saw him that morning, I thought I had lost my Carter forever. I told Joe, "Carter is not here; Carter is gone." I was sure I'd never see my Carter again. BUT, he is here, and he is normal (other than he's drugged/sleepy etc.) He finished today with a few small seizures, and we will probably be staying through the weekend and into Tues. He has another MRI Monday to determine if he's had another stroke -thus the reason his seizures have not stopped completely with the meds he's on. We're praying he has not had another stroke. The Future. The future looks really good. We talked to a neurologist who specialized in strokes. She said his brain has already been sending blood to the deprived area, and will be able to rewire some the brain to make up for that which was lost. She said he looks really good in the whole spectrum of things. She feels at WORST he'll show moderate affects (using the left hand less or some weakness) and a BEST he'll show no signs at all...however learning disabilities could present themselves later. She seemed hopeful, and we are hopefully too. However, nothing is guaranteed and evidence of the stroke could become more evident the older he gets as he starts developing. We have been really blessed during this trial and have had the peace promised in priesthood blessings. We have felt the comfort of your prayers and appreciate all your thoughts and all the service our family and friends have done for us. We have been fed, distracted (when we've needed to be), and completely comforted. On top of that, we've had errands run, things paid for, and amazing attentive babysitters. We are lucky. And though this is not the best situation to find ourselves, we have been made better for the trial and have found an increase of faith and felt the peaceful reassurance that we are loved and in the care of a perfect Father in Heaven. Thank you all again for your prayers -we have no doubt benefited directly from them. I will continue to have my friend Brittany and sister update face book as we continue our hospital stay.

Pics if Carter from the Hospital

This was the first morning he was close to "normal Carter". He played with me for almost two hours. It was so good to see him again. Before this morning, he was only "normal Carter" before, for ten minutes just before he had 13 seizures in two hours.

His EEG -looks intense but he actually fell asleep and let the tech get a good test. This was done in St. G.

They gave him the cutest little gown to wear (i'm stealing it) and he looks too cute in it. I love my Baby C! Although he has a dopey face here -it's not due to the stroke. For the most part he looks the same. It's just the pic.In St. G inbetween seizures. He was a little alert, so I took a picture.

I'll post more pics later.

Kade's Surgery

This blog has now official become my journal for family events, since I finally started turning it into tangible blog books. So, since it's already been two weeks, I really need to get to the story of Kade and his ear tube and adenoid surgery. After many years of snoring and runny noses, and a month of Kade saying "What?" and "Huh?" along with his volume getting higher and higher, the doctor recommended he get ear tubes and have his adenoids removed. Kade is not the kind of kid who is scared of anything, so when his surgery came, early in the morning, Kade was all smiles and ready to go. Kade is so social and loves people. He was so cute with the nurses and said a HUGE "Thank you!" when they presented him with a little bear for having to have a surgery. He talked to everybody and was hilarious. Nurses would tell the other nurses about the funny things he'd say and more nurses would come over to meet him. It was so cute. Every one commented on how smart he was and how well he talked. (Both are very true.) I helped him into a cute little tiger print hospital gown and got to sit with him for a half hour before the surgery. He colored, visited with everybody and was his typical happy self. I saw a little hint of nervousness when the doctors came to wheel him away from me, but not enough nervousness to make him get upset or cry. He just trusted me and took it in stride. The surgery lasted about an hour and they said Kade did great. AS he was coming too, the nurse asked him if he wanted water or juice -he said no, he wanted root beer. Since all the nurses loved him by this point the nurses searched the whole office and found two cans for him. It was nice. Kade healed quickly and was running around by the end of the day. When I go into his room to check on him at night, I don't hear his snoring and it's so crazy. I'm so glad he's sleeping better and hearing better too. Kade is the toughest little guy -he is so strong and handles hard situations with confidence and maturity. I was impressed with his intelligence, his calm relaxes nature and love that he was such an awesome patient during the whole surgery. I am a lucky mama!

Sweet Brothers.

Tonight, Kade was not obeying and as a consequence he had to go to bed without reading two books. (which is apart of the bed time routine.) It was strictly business. Once Ben was in bed and Kade knew I was serious, he was crying and very upset. (But, there's no giving in once the decision is made and consequences handed out.)
Anyway, pretty quickly he stopped crying, and I could hear the boys talking. I stopped and listened to hear what they were saying.
Kade told Ben he had wanted a story, and so Ben offered to tell him one. When he was finished Ben asked,"Was that a good story?" Kade said, "Yes! Tell me another one." So Ben started, "Once upon a time" -which was followed by a story of aliens and other boy things. After that was a "Hulk" story and then a "Buzz" story.
They are actually still in there telling each other stories even as I type this post. I love their relationship. I love that they are close. I am grateful for good boys who love each other and take care of one another. As a parent we can't always be our kids' best friend and simply make them happy all the time -they have to learn "choice and consequence". That's why I am grateful for siblings, who can love us through rough times.

Future Heartbreaker?

Ben was telling me that he doesn't like to play with girls -"...just boys play with boys and girls play with girls!" Okay. But then Kade pops in and says, "I like girls." I asked, "You do?" He said, "Yeah. But, not when they kiss me."
I asked, "Who's been kissin' ya?"
Kade replied, "Isabella. Oh, and Ashley. And Codera (Codey)."
"They did? At preschool?"
"Yeah. The teacher said, 'No kissing in preschool.' So, I pushed 'em away."
"Do you ever kiss the girls?"
"No, but I hug them."
"Okay, hugging is nice, but we don't need to kiss girls now, huh."
"Nope."

This reminded me of a story from when Joe was little. I guess when he was three or four a little girl of the same age literally attacked him, held him down and kissed and kissed and kissed him forever. His mom and the girl's mom were laughing and thought it was cute, so they didn't stop her. He was traumatized. ;) Maybe Kade's inherited Joe's allure. :) We'll see. Eek!

In the Middle of the Night

As a nursing mom, waking up in the middle of the night just comes with the job. Although it is hard to get myself actually out of the bed at 1:30 or 3:30 in the morning, once i get in the room and pick up my sweet "Baby C", waking up is no longer a chore but a blessing.

Last night I was reminded again just how precious this time is alone with Carter. Everything is quiet. I just listen to him breathing. I rub his little hand and cheek. I really try to soak it all in and savor the moment. Some nights he's more awake and alert and will coo and smile at me before eating and going back to sleep. When that happens I will talk to him for a little while and kiss and kiss his little face.

Carter is child number three, which means he rarely has me all to himself -so these nighttime feedings really are priceless. It always amazes me how your perspective really is the key to your happiness. If I were to focus on the fact that I have to get up over and over again, or focus on the huge bags I carry under my eyes, I'd be an unhappy mama. But, I am determined to stay focused and choose to see the better part. I get Carter all to myself for these small moments. I've had these same moments with Ben and Kade, and am very grateful to have them with little Carter. I love him.

I Love the Things They Say...

Yesterday, while driving, Kade announces, "There's Heavenly Father!"
Me," Where?"
Kade, " In the sky!"
Me, "Wow."
Kade, "No, wait, that's just the sun."
Me, "Oh, it is?"
Kade, "Yeah. Heavenly Father is just taking care of the sun."
Me, "Okay."

Valentines!

Kade's Valentine monster for preschool. So fun to make and it turned out really cute, i think.

My favorite part is his eye and glasses. It sticks out.

Ben hasn't even seen an entire Star Wars show or movie, but he's seen/has enough of the cool SW toys to totally love it all. Funny kid. (Just to give credit where credit's due - I printed off the face, I didn't draw it.)

Ben and Kade attend the same preschool, and needed to decorate a Valentine mailbox for their upcoming parties. Kade had his today, and Ben will have his on Monday.

So, we made these cute and cool boxes. Kade loved making his cute monster box and it was a big hit with the teachers and kids in his class too. :) He helped glue on the hair, hearts, spots, and eyes. I would ask him if he wanted "this" or "that" and he would tell me what to make and what color. He loved that kids would feed the valentines into the monsters mouth. I think the tongue was his favorite. It was really fun for both of us. I love that he's in preschool!

Ben, couldn't decide what he wanted more for his box -Star Wars or the little guys from Despicable Me. So, I figured, we could do both -one side is the little guy, the other side is the star wars guy. Cool! The valentines go through the front of the Clone guy's helmet. Ben helped tape and glue things. He even made the arms and taped them on. Very funny. (He let me do whatever for the star wars guy.) He is excited for his party. Me too.

I am going to try to take more pictures of the things we do around here and make a better journal.

Silly Boys.

Dang red eye. But still a cute picture!

Carter was feeling sick, but Dad still managed to get a couple smiles.

I haven't seen the boys THIS crazy before. They were nuts, and very funny. I don't really know what they were doing, but they were having a great time. (side note, Kade has never been a chubby kid -he's a Joe Jr.- but this picture makes his face look chubby. Hilarious!)

Seriously, these are the types of pictures you love looking back on when the kids are grown. They're pure kid.