Derek's Appendix

Derek (14) just had an MRI. I'm not so sure about the expertise here in Rexburg when they can't even find his appendix (which has NOT been removed, yet) so they sent him home for the next 24 hours to "see what happens". The blood and urine tests - and the pain that he is in - show the signs of appendicitis but . . . let's see what happens. Is this a set-up so that he ends up staying for a week having had a ruptured appendix instead of doing an outpatient surgery? Hopefully, he just gets feeling better!

Derek has had a run in with medical problems since he was quite small. He has built up such a tollerance for the pain that he often has a ruptured ear drum before he even knows he has an ear infection. Swimming is the worst for his ears, especially in lake water, so after our Texas trip he ended up with a double ear infection. After putting drops in his ears he would put kleenex in them to stop the dripping. Nathan started calling his Shrek because it looked so funny.



With all the medical troubles he goes through he always maintains a cheerful attitude. The hardest part about him being sick is that I want to let him curl up on my lap to cuddle like he used to do when he was little but his six foot long body just can't do that anymore. The best I can do is pamper him and he rewards me with spunky comments and silly faces and appreciative grins that must take all his energy to produce.

**Derek took a couple of days to recover from his non-appendix problems. Whatever it was cleared up after a lasting fever, a long nap, and a full season of "Psych".

Random Entries: Aug-Sept

August 20th
LeRoy had back surgery again - the 2nd time in a year. At least this time we have hope. Hope that he can play sports again. Hope that he can be an electrician like he wants to. Hope of a full recovery. Finding the right doctor for us has made all the difference in the experience and the recovery.

August 25th
I feel like a pharmacist. All I do is hand out pills. LeRoy's back, Nathan's cold, Hyrum's cough, my running aches, Derek's ears, Levi's nose, Erika's anxiety. "Pills and bills, that's all I'm good for anymore, pills and bills" (Pollyanna).


September 4th
I ran a half marathon today! Many thoughts, and I will try to write them later, but for now . . . I DID IT!! Eight months ago I was gasping for air, limping on a sore knee and ankle and had a killer side ache because I had run 1 full minute. Today I ran 10 miles before it really started to get to me. Mile 12 was the most difficult physical thing I have done since Hyrum's birth.


September 6th
Today I lanced my big toe. Actually, I stuck a needle underneath my toenail to lance the blister underneath my toenail (my half marathon trophy). It was a little painful, a lot gross but oh, it feels so much better.

My toe was not the only pain I feel today. I went to Broulims to get groceries and was bombarded with parents loading carts for their new college students. I was a bit emotional because that was what I had planned on doing with Levi when he went to school. The Levi chapter in my fairy tale has taken quite a different turn from how I had envisioned it. Church was also hard yesterday because several people asked about Levi. "How does he like school? Is he planning on a mission? What is he doing now?" I really don't know how to answer those questions. I know the answers but they fail to meet the expectations that LDS people and college bound families have. We just do not fit that mold. It is hard enough for me to let go of that hope and expectation - especially since I have been envisioning his mission, college, and career since he was a little boy - but to try to explain it to others is difficult. Not that I had it all planned out, just that I thought I knew the general direction his life would take. Evidently, the Lord has a personalized plan for him - based on his own choices - and now I get to stand in the sidelines to offer support and love.

Grace came while sitting as an emotional mess during the sacrament song yesterday.

How great, how glorious, how complete
Redemption's grand design,
Where justice, love and mercy meet
In harmony divine!

How Great the Wisdom and the Love, verse 6


September 7th
Nathan: I think I'm gonna have a nightmare tonight but it's ok. I'll just have him sleep in my bed with me.

Thank you, "Nightmare in My Closet"!


September 11th
After the marathon last week I didn't think I would ever want to run again. My knee could barely handle walking for about 4 days and my toe could not fit in my shoe without throbbing pain. But my routine for the last 12 weeks has been to run Saturday mornings and most of those runs were long (6-12 mile) runs. So this morning I took it easy and did what I thought was a slow paced 2 mile jog. Turns out it was better than any 2 miles I have ever done. I think it made a mental difference to not have the 13 mile half marathon looming in the future. Today was just running to run and enjoy the flow of endorphins.


September 14th
Tired. I am so worn out! I'm not sure what is going on with this body of mine. I have small bursts of energy (around 11am) and then I crash. My mind and spirit want to keep going but I am so physically tired. Low iron? Lack of sleep? Eating and exercising adjustments now that the running isn't my only focus? It could be all or none of the above. I just wish I could finish a day feeling like I accomplished something with gusto instead of lamely settling for what I managed to pull off - which isn't much.


September 15th
Derek and I packed up and took LeRoy to Woodbadge scout training where he is one of the main staff leaders. He (LeRoy) has been so great to follow doctors orders. It has been hard for him but having the possibility of basketball and work without pain is his motivation. Having the brace to wear is a perfect reminder because it doesn't allow him to bend or twist wrong or lift anything. He will be gone 4 days this week and 4 days next week.


September 16th
Nathan: Mom, do you know how much I love you?

My thought: Nathan, do you know how much I needed to hear that right now? Thank you for reminding me that this difficult calling of motherhood is really worth it!


September 23rd
Derek and LeRoy left for Woodbadge again. Derek is a youth-rep for this week and is so excited to do it. It is good to see them work together and build memories together. Sometimes, I'm not overly supportive of the scouting program and all that it requires and costs but events like these built character and reinforce the standards we hope they will carry throughout their lives.


Sept 27th
Hyrum has been waking up during the night for the past week now. He always cries that he wants "moms bed" or "Nathan's bed". Finally I decided to put in the twin bed for him. About a month ago I took the side off the crib so that it created a daybed for him instead of a jail-like crib but I guess he is ready for the "big boy bed". And last night was sooooo nice! He slept clear through the night and even slept in a bit.

We are entering into a new stage of life now. No high chair, no crib, no bibs or sippy cups. By next spring we will be potty-training and out of diapers. I do occasionally miss the baby stages (mostly the cuddles and giggles) but it is nice in our hectic teen-driven lifestyle to be growing out of the baby stages.


Sept 28th
My filling was bugging me this morning and during my lunch it fell out. This isn't just a tiny filling - we're talking 3/4 of a tooth here. It's my very back, top left tooth. I'm kinda excited to go to Dr. Tall because I actually had a good experience in his office getting my 2 crowns on the right. I love the crowns. They are the newish kind that is white and all one piece and of course expensive. The nice part is that he guarantees the crowns as long as I get in every 6 months for a cleaning. So, here goes another huge dental bill but it will be nice not to have that tooth bugging me anymore.

Shelley Spud Days

In September we heard about the Shelley Spud Days which have evidently been happening for 40+ years and yet being an Idaho born citizen I've never heard of it. We didn't have anything planned so decided the night before that we would go. It turned out to be a boy adventure for the whole day.



We started with the parade in Shelley. We were told that an airplane closes the parade buzzing the street and dropping ping pong balls that had prizes written on them that you could redeem at the park where all the vendors were set up. Derek and Justin just wanted to be buzzed by the plane so they were really looking forward to that. Evidently liability issues have come up from past years so the ping pong balls were shot out of four huge potato guns on the back of a dump truck (can't get much more "spud days" than that!) so it was a bit of a disappointment but they each caught a ping pong ball and received free mugs at the Church of something something booth in the park. Levi and Caytlyn were a great help and entertainment at the parade. They were good to help keep an eye on the little boys (the crowd was bigger than I have ever seen for the Rexburg 4th of July parade) and they also acted like little kids running for candy.



We decided to skip the fried potato theme and really long lines at the park and went to the kids favorite restaurant for lunch. I'm not overly fond of Chuck-a-Rama but it does have the variety to please everyone. There was just as much silliness going on as there was eating.

Levi and Caytlyn stayed in Idaho Falls to do their own thing after lunch and we headed home. On the way to Shelley that morning Derek had commented on the big military tank in Rigby that is visible from the freeway. I decided to surprise the boys and stop for them to see it. Little did I know that there is a fun playground with a rock climbing gym, a merry-go-round, and a train to go along with the tank and my intended short stop on the way home turned into 2 hours of climbing, swinging, getting dizzy and pretending. It was boy heaven!



The rock jungle gym was super cool with climbing, slides, a cave and rock stairs coming out of the cave. Even Derek looked small on it.



The tank was so much bigger than we expected. I couldn't believe it when Hyrum and Nathan started climbing up on it and the two of them stacked on top of each other were as tall as the caterpillar like wheels (can you tell that I know not a speck of military equipment jargon?). They spent a good half hour in imaginary tank battle shooting spittle with all their sound effects. I don't know how their arms don't get tired from holding them up in gun position. Must be a boy thing.



We then headed over to the train. Who knew that an old caboose could provide so much entertainment. They lived out their James Bond/hobo fantasies as they jumped up on one ladder, climbed to the top of the car and ran to the ladder at the other end. I held my breath the whole time. They were hollering "take a picture of this" so many times that I was having a hard time pleasing everyone. These few pictures do not even dent the train adventure photo file that I now have from this day.

It was fun to have Derek and Justin take the camera from me and arrange shots that they wanted, some of them with me in them. When I looked at the pictures later I was so glad to be in some of them. As much as I don't like having my picture taken it was nice to see me in the activities instead of just knowing that I was there because the pictures exist.

Surgeries

July 27th, 2010 - Nathan's new teeth

At Nathan's first dental visit we found that having many minerals in our well water instead of fluoride has been very damaging to his teeth. His tender, soft baby tooth enamel has been eaten away by the junk in our water. So, after researching for a filter for our water system and starting a fluoride regimen for Nathan and Hyrum we were scheduled for surgery to take care of the mess in his mouth. The dentist was of the opinion that we shouldn't terrify a four year old with all the needles, numbness, drilling, the possibility of holding him down during the procedures or biting his tongue after it was over so dental surgery was our only option to have Nathan remember none of it.

Nathan wasn't allowed to eat or drink after midnight the night before so morning was a little tricky since we didn't need to be there until 9 am. Luckily he is a pretty patient kid and once the nurse gave him crayons and stickers he forgot how hungry he was and laughed with the nurse while everything was set up. His only moment of panic was when they wanted to put the oxygen mask on him and I couldn't show him how to do it first because it had the drugs in it to knock him out. They just held it up to his nose and after two breaths he was gone.

My wait always seems so long as I sit there alone. Levi had surgery at two. Derek had surgery at four. Justin's broken arm was reset when he was 10. LeRoy has had 2 back surgeries. Thank goodness it isn't more often because sitting by myself in a hospital tends to make my mind wander to all possible negative outcomes, even death, and by the time I get my family member back I'm pretty much a mushy-gushy-give-me-my-boy mess.

Nathan slept for almost an hour after they brought him back to me. He woke up long enough to ask for his lambie and blankie and was out again. Then the nurse started to show a little concern and they encouraged me to get him to wake up and I personally think it was a little too soon. He started throwing up right away and even with their best efforts of cheeriness, a popsicle and a show to watch on my Ipod it wouldn't stop so they gave him something to calm his stomach.

Finally, the meds started to wear out of his system (taking him to the bathroom in his backless mini-gown was just adorable!) and pretty soon he was making silly faces at me and responding with complete nonsense and a grin when the nurse would ask him a question.

After a ride to the truck in the sturdy red wagon (the child version of a wheelchair) he was buckled in and ready to go home. He was a little woozy for a couple of hours but recovered quickly and was proud to show his shiny new teeth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

August 27, 2010 - LeRoy's 2nd back surgery

LeRoy had been trying to ignore the back pain that was returning only 10 months after his first back surgery but after a month of it the pain progressed rather quickly and within a matter of days it was bad enough that he left work to schedule another MRI and within 2 days he was once again in the hospital. This time with much more hope than the last time.

The doctor that did the first surgery told LeRoy that after his surgery he needed to find another profession and quit all sports. Taking his work and his sports away pretty much leaves a hollow LeRoy so the last year has been a difficult one. When the pain came again it really took a toll on him and he really seemed beat up by the circumstances.

The new doctor gave us all kinds of hope. He explained that people who have the same surgery can go back to work IF they let their bodies heal properly and are careful once they return to their normal activities. He even told LeRoy that he would be able to play sports again. I thought LeRoy might cry right there in the doctor's office.

The second surgery went smooth but the recovery was much more difficult than the first one. During the first night home it got to a point that LeRoy was crying (I have never seen LeRoy cry from pain, not even when he cut his thumb and had to have 30 stitches in it) and I finally called the doctor at 3 am. He told us what to try and by about 5:30 we were able to get some sleep. The next 2 weeks were a roller coaster of great hope due to how well he felt and great frustration at how quickly it would change to pain. Within 4 weeks we was feeling much better, even better than he ever had after the first surgery, and soon he was heading back out to work. This time around was very good about wearing his brace, bossing the guys around instead of doing it himself and he followed all the instructions from the doctor. The possiblity of doing what he loves for a living and playing sports again in his future was a great motivator.

December 29, 2010 - Now we are in the middle of winter and though his back has been feeling great, he has fallen on the ice twice in the last 4 weeks and has pulled a muscle in his back. It is very encouraging that he doesn't feel the pain in his backbone or down his legs or in the surgical area but frustrating because he was doing so well and is back in his chair again instead of at work where he wants to be. It is very hard to watch someone in pain and not be able to do anything about it. I guess this is how I can experience the other side of labor . . . only we don't get another baby when LeRoy's pains go away.

We are missing the Boyd family!

After having them as part of our family for 6 weeks in February and March and having them here for the week in August we have really become attached to the Boyd family. And having my sister live in Rexburg with me made the dull drums of the Rexburg melt off from winter to spring seem like a sunny summer day with a best friend.

When they left on Friday my kids and I wandered around noticing how huge and empty our house felt. Quieter yes but more fun? Absolutely not! They really became part of our family as we paired off in buddy duos: Hyrum and his adoring affection for Hailey, Nathan and Andie barricading themselves in the toy room for hours of playtime, Justin and Jeremy bouncing and laughing the days away, Derek and Brendan letting the creative juices flow as they dreamed up and built weapons and body armor and of course Kellie and I as we shared the parenting, cooking, housekeeping and emotional responsibilities of motherhood.
WE MISS YOU!


Sledding down the hills at Smith Park

Preschool, play dough, scouts, movies and mealtime

Egg dying and hunting, playtime, hugs and hiking.

Egin lake algae holes will never be the same . . .

and hunting for snail shells just doesn't sound that exciting without you.

We'll think of you every time we make homemade pizza since it became a weekly tradition while you were here.



The boys club is only half functioning without you.

We will continue outdoor movie night and look forward to next year when you can be here for it.




Nathan and Hyrum ask to play the "Kellie game" on the trampoline so next time you're here can you please play "crack the egg" again?

Thanks for the memories! They will live on in our minds and scrapbooks until next year when we can play together again.

Until then . . . email and Skype it is. Love you all!

Dear Jillian,

I hate your stinkin' voice. You make me sweat. You are the ache in every muscle of my body.

You have left me with pain in my hips, my calves, my arms, my inner thighs, my collar bone (or maybe that was from when Hyrum hit me with a block), my buns, my ears (kinda sick of your voice), my back (probably doing abs wrong).

But . . . I am also kinda likin' ya, a little. There have been a few centimeters shred from my body and I'll take whatever I can get. I wouldn't go as far as inches yet, as you promise every time I hear your bossy voice, but that is probably my fault do to inconsistency. Still, my buns are lifting just a titch, my tummy (though still flabulous instead of fabulous) is showing minor progress and I am happy to report that my jeans fit a little better.

See you in the morning (uggghh)!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jared,

I thought of you while watching the Little Rascals videos. I remember when you would repeatedly quote Alfalfa's letter with all the serious dramatic love of a four year old. You totally could have been in that movie! What a fun memory!

Ben and Cami's Sealing

After a six mile morning run I met Shawn and Kellie in Pocatello to catch a ride to Twin Falls for Cami and Ben's sealing in the Twin Falls Temple. Sitting in the sealing room with them was a beautiful experience, especially when George was brought in. As I listened to the sealer I was reminded of the eternal purpose of this life and what we are striving for. I came away from it feeling rejuvenated, calm and inspired.



Thanks for sharing this beautiful moment with us, Ben and Cami!

John and Autumn's Wedding

John and Audi's wedding on the dock was very beautiful.

Even though I have four brothers in the military I have never seen them in uniform for more than a parade so seeing the Marine part of the wedding was new. It certainly added a respect and solemnity to the event, clear up until one of the sword carrying Marines swatted Audi on the seat end with his sword. Evidently, that's tradition and it did bring a giggle from the crowd. I can see that John has really made some brother-friends during his military service.




The traveling part of this trip was just as much fun as the actual event. Flying with Mike, Kate, and Kara made for side splitting laughter as we spent our wait time in the airports watching crazy You-Tube videos and swapping stories. Playing games in the hotel also had us laughing like we were little kids. The night before the wedding we crowded Mike, Kate, Kara, Kellie, Mom and I onto one bed (since there wasn't enough floor space) to battle out a game of Word on the Street. John showed up a bit later and added even more silliness. I love game time with my family! What fun we have together!

Date Night with Derek & Justin

A couple of weeks ago we went to the "Concert in the Park" to hear a good friend sing and while there we were given tickets to Ultimate Idol night on campus. Since we are fans of American Idol we thought we'd give it a go.

Derek and Justin were very excited to leave behind the dominating older teens and the attention stealing toddlers to spend an evening with mom doing something out of our ordinary routine.

Ultimate Idol is set up to run like American Idol. . . there were auditions, there was a Ryan Seacrest wannabe for the host, there were singers, there were 3 judges, there was text voting after the concert. BUT it runs a little more like a ward talent show with a cheesey announcer, high school like talent, 3 Paula judges who compliment the person and their wardrobe and go red in the face and fidgety at the slightest hint of criticism, and they don't have the stressful vote off just a happy announcement of who made it from the last week. Typical Rexburg. Not that I wanted an all out Simon-fest but it could have been a little less . . . mormony.

After a little grumbling at the set-up we agreed that it didn't matter how lame it fell in comparison with the nationwide hit reality show. What was important was to have a fun evening together! Once we set aside our misguided expectations we had fun laughing and cheering and singing along.

There were 12 singers for the night and after each set of 3 there was a competition with members of the audience. Imagine Justin's surprise when he won a t-shirt with the Ultimate Idol logo! He beamed with pride and waved it in the air after he caught the audience bound prize. Unfortunately, it is an adult XL in size so after hugging it in winner lust for the evening and trying it on "just in case it fits" he handed it over to Derek, who proudly wears it as a reminder of our fun night.

After the concert we went to Twizleberry for frozen yogurt. Darn Twizleberry has a new flavor that I just could not pass up. Dulce de Leche. Ahhhh . . . cheaters heaven! The boys enjoyed their gummy worm topped frozen yogurt compost of flavors.

By the end of the evening the boys were begging me to get tickets for the final night of Ultimate Idol. I'm not sure if they are really set on Ultimate Idol or if they just want another trip to Twizleberry or maybe they just want another night out with mom and her full attention.

Thank You Elder Holland!

It was a difficult emotional day as I helped my oldest child pack up his room and watched him move out of our home. I have listened to your words over and over again during the last 10 days to gain comfort and hope that maybe I did alright in my efforts to love and teach and lead one of God's sons. Thank you for the reminder that there are angels watching over me and my little ones. Thank you for the encouragement to enjoy and love more fully my role as mother to the five wonderful children that remain in my trust for a few years to come.

~Kimberly