Making Memories. Choosing Joy.

Dog Days

I'm pretty certain that today qualifies as one of the "Dog Days of Summer." I think Jasper agrees.

 

Today is definitely the hottest day of summer that we've had. Which is one of the reasons I'm taking the time to update...and because I had a request from Aunt Jane.

Thankfully, not much has been going on. We've been enjoying summer and enjoying the stress-freeness (this must be a word...Typepad didn't underline it to alert me, so I'm going with it!!!) of nothing medical going on. Nicholas' ear continues to heal and I've even noticed a bit more definition. He isn't home right now (errands with Daddy...those two make quite the pair...on the go, go, go!) or I'd take a picture to share. There's a notch on the edge where Dr. Jones had to shave a bit of cartilidge off during the second failed skin graft, where it became exposed. But you know what? I don't care! He's healing, he doesn't care, and it adds a bit of character! Perfection is over-rated!

I've been keeping busy with a combination of "Extreme Home Makeover" and "Clean Sweep." A couple of weeks ago I decided I was tired of the outdated dining room, so it went from hunter green to "crabby apple." I have to say that I love the color, but I forgot how much of a pain it is to paint red. Once it's all done (the paint is done, still deciding on some wall art) I'll be sure to post before and afters! Up next is the foyer, although we are waiting on a price from a painter since it is two-stories. Neither Scott or I are up for that challenge at this point in our lives!

It's hard to believe that school is starting in a couple of weeks. I think we are all ready though...but then the homework arguing will begin again!

Thanks for checking in on us!

Snow day.

Not surprisingly, the boy's have a snow day today. Yesterday they were dismissed at 1 p.m., thankfully. It's too cold to send them outside to play so instead we will read, put together puzzles, and watch some American Idol. We love to watch these first few shows where they show the good and bad.

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Project 365...loving it! I got my kit on Monday and am thrilled with the quality and content! Although there are clear circles included in the kit to put on your photo for the day of the week, I have decided to use some of Ali Edward's digital brushes after seeing a sample from a group I'm on (yes, there is indeed an entire group dedicated to Project 365!) and have to say that I am really happy with the results.

I know that not all of you will have an interest in our everyday life, so I have made a "Project 365" album and the link is on the right. Simply click on it to view my pictures and journaling.

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Nicholas' ear is continuing to heal well. Tomorrow will be 5 weeks since his Stage 4 surgery. I'm hoping that some of the definition will come back as the swelling goes down.

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Speaking of Nicholas, my baby will be turning 7 three weeks from today! How is that possible? Which means a birthday party. Which means figuring out what he wants for a cake. A couple of weeks ago he told me he wanted chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and a cake. Really, is there anything wrong with that? I'm hoping to get a few special things done for his birthday month, but I can't go crazy, because my first baby turns 9 in March, and what I do for Nicholas, must be done for Zachary! Don't you just love Mommy-guilt?

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Like the new banner? Sunday the boy's went sledding and I went along for the ride. After all, who else would get pictures? I snapped this picture just as Zachary was throwing snow at Scott. The clarity in the original picture is a-mazing!

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Have a great day, make it count!

Project 365 catch up.

Day 5/365

Yippee! Back to school and work today! Everyone was excited to get back into the routine. After all of the attitude problems we had over break, we've also started a chore chart to earn allowance and to also earn "coupons" to sleep with me.

Day 6/365

Zachary went to the podiatrist today and ended up getting a planters wart burned off the bottom of his foot. He was a brave guy, but in the end it was a good thing Scott met us there as he had to help hold his legs down. I felt so bad for him....you could tell, it was one of those pains that hurt too bad to even cry! Of course, he "milked" it for all he could and told me that since Nicholas got to sleep with me after his surgeries, it was only fair that he got to sleep with me after this! I told Mom God knew what he was doing when he gave Nicholas the ear!

Day 7/365

After speaking with Dr. Jones on Monday, he said that he thought it looked like Nicholas had an infected stitch. He prescribed a round of antibiotics and Monday night I was able to get some of the infection out. It looks much better today and I took more pictures for Dr. Jones to look at on Thursday.

Mom had foot surgery today and all went well. She liked the "happy juice" too, but liked the warm blankets ever more!

Day 8/365

Homework went well this week and not much fighting about getting it done...yea!

I heard back from Dr. Jones today that he thought Nicholas' ear looked better as well, and to keep doing what we are doing. He also said that I'm a good nurse .... certainly not the profession I ever wanted to be!

Day 3 and 4...

3/265:

It was another rough day with attitudes and back-talk. But at the end of the day, I love this dude even more. A mother's love is simply amazing! The things we endure and yet we manage to love them so very much more!

4/365

Church today and then groceries. Thankfully Zachary woke in a better mood! The boy's went to basketball with Scott this afternoon and I took a nap watched Notting Hill (thanks YaYa and U.M.! I've watched several of my movies!). They split some more wood later and the boys are fantastic help. We've been teasing Zachary that he's getting some big "pipes!"

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In other news, the spot behind Nicholas' ear still isn't any better, so I shipped photos off to Dr. Jones. But the other part from his last surgery (December 12th) is looking really good!

Yea for school tomorrow! Have a great Monday...make it count!

Merry Christmas!

[ The front of this year's Christmas card ]

Whew! What a whirlwind it has been! We ended up losing power Sunday afternoon and didn't get it back until Tuesday afternoon. Thankfully, I had most of Christmas ready! We were lucky, though. Years ago Scott bought a generator for such an occasion (9 years ago!) and this is the first we have used it. We were able to have heat, water and the refrigerator. Even with just that little bit, it sure made us appreciate modern-day conveniences even more! As much as I have always loved Little House on the Prairie, this Princess would not have faired well in those times!

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Tuesday night we celebrated Christmas with Scott's family (well, my family too, but for blog sake, we'll leave last names out!). We had a great meal and a great time. We received terrific gifts but the best part was just spending the time with one another. It was a late night, and unfortunately there was an ice storm happening outside. It was probably the worst drive Scott and I have ever had. We literally drove about 20 mph once we got off the highway.  I gave Scott a "high-five" and told him he "rocked" when we got home. Scary stuff!

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Wednesday it was Christmas at my parent's house and we again had a great time. More great food and great presents. And more great time spent with family. We played a couple of games of "Left-Right-Center" and managed to make it home before Santa arrived ;o) Speaking of Santa, we had a helper this year..."Clyde."

We had a great time with Clyde this year, even though Zachary informed us there was no such thing as Santa. He was definitely at the stage where common-sense told him Santa wasn't "real" but in the end, was afraid to not believe...just in case. He even got into finding Clyde every morning. If you have little ones, this is a terrific idea for next year (I found this at the Hallmark store).

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Because of all of the late-night Christmas celebrations, it was almost 8:00 before the boy's woke up Christmas morning, and that was after they had help from Christmas music and bells! I couldn't stand it any longer! Christmas was a hit and Santa delivered the favorites and most wanted in the requested colors:

We spent a laid-back day at home, playing with all our gifts. Today is a day to try to clean up the house a bit. The clutter is killin' me. The dining room scrapbook area is a disaster and I can't even scrapbook anymore because it is such a mess. Thankfully, I have next week off as well. It may just take that long to clean everything up!

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Stage 4, week 2 update:

We think it is looking pretty good! Last Sunday when we took the bandages off, the "hole" was filled with a dark scab, which Dr. Jones said was normal. But that certainly didn't help my tummy! It was definitely "flashbacks" for me of the two failed grafts. We kept bacatracin on it and by Tuesday I could tell that it was indeed a scab and started feeling better about it all. A funny: I kept looking at it after the bandages were removed thinking "It looks like he has a hole in the side of his head." And then it dawned on me (picture me slapping my forehead) ...that was one of the goals of this surgery! duh! Most of the scab has come off and we are trying to get a little spot behind his ear healed up. He's had a few stubborn dissolvable stitches working their way out.

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With all of the electricity issues, I need to apologize to BIL Matt for missing his birthday on the 21st. Happy Birthday U.M.! We love you and love the excitement you add to our family. The boy's always look forward to seeing and playing with you...you're a terrific uncle!

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Today we are getting a new water system to treat the sulphur from the water in our new well. Do I really need to tell you what me and Scott's gifts were to each other this year???

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The aftermath of Christmas, taken this morning at 10:00!

All is well.

Scott says Nicholas' ear is swollen but looks good. We will need to keep bacatracin on it for a couple of weeks. His other ear looks good as well, especially where Dr. Jones removed the bump in front of the ear. They caught an earlier flight and got home at 4:30...just in time for the next snow storm!

Shopping was successful and I just have a couple of more gifts to finish up...and then get it all wrapped!

Christie

Landed Safely.

Whew! Scott and Nicholas made it safely to Atlanta tonight. We were wondering if they would even get there with the weather, but it seems like they had the perfect "window" and they should be back before the weather gets bad again.

Nicholas' appointment is tomorrow at 10 a.m. I probably won't update until late afternoon as I'm hoping to start AND finish the Christmas shopping...nothing like pressure!

Better today.

The swelling seems to be pretty much gone and he seems to be feeling better. He hasn't complained of any pain today. He went to school until lunchtime and then went to my parents for the afternoon. I really think a full day would have been too much for him. Not quite sure what we'll do for tomorrow. Prayer request: that we don't get the ice that they are predicting for Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Scott and Nicholas fly to Atlanta Wednesday evening and have his post-op appointment on Thursday. Thanks for the prayers!

A bit of swelling and a bit of tylenol...

Thankfully, our flight home was better. Nicholas fell asleep before takeoff and woke up when we were getting ready to land. Poor little Boo! He was exhausted! He had a pretty restless night of sleeping and was awake early at 6 a.m. I managed to hold him off breakfast until 6:45. His right ear has been hurting a bit (we had the remnants of a skin tag in front of his right ear removed during this surgery as well) and his face seems to be swollen some. At times we think it's because of his bandage being so low makes his eyes appear swollen, but I do think they are swollen some...they appear to be puffy underneath as well. The pain has just been managed with regular tylenol and certainly hasn't been painful enough to keep him down. We are still debating on if he's going to school tomorrow...

"Well thanks alot!"

When we got to see Nicholas after surgery, it was probably the most awake we've seen him yet after a surgery. He looked great, although a little grumpy. Right away he told us he was hungry and thirsty, and if we would have let him, he would have inhaled the saltine crackers and apple juice. We tried to slow him down just a bit! After he ate that, he wanted his I.V. out. Scott asked the nurse and she suggested we wait just a little bit longer to see how his stomach did with the food. As she left and went behind the curtain, Nicholas, with as much sarcasm as a 6-year-old could muster after just waking up from surgery, said "Well thanks alot!" We laughed and laughed about that. He ended up doing great and we were actually back to the room by 3:00. He took a little nap, and the rest of the time ate. He slept well all night and today is doing great. He's dressed and ready to head to the airport. He hasn't needed any pain medication at all!

Thanks for the prayers and checking in on us. Hopefully our flight home will be smoother!

Christie