1st Day of School

The boys finally started school this morning. Brynlee won't start until next week. I think I was just as nervous as they were this morning. I dropped them off at the front door and then parked in the parking lot so I could go inside and make sure they found their classes okay. McKade waved and gave me a big smile from his desk but Trevin thought I was a little annoying and rolled his eyes at me. He is in 5th grade now-too good to have his mom checking up on him. Oh well. I can't believe how big they are getting. I have a 5th grader, 3rd grader and Kindergartener. I was a little nervous about having them kind of far away now but I am just a phone call away and this is the best for them anyway. Here's to another school year.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Today was Trevin's 1st football game. Brett called me after he got there and said that they had messed up the scheduling and they were going to end up playing Bingham's "B" team. We are the "D" team. Bingham actually has 10 teams to our 4 so their "B" team still included the top 25 percent of their kids. I think Brett was a little worried. Their starting quarterback broke his thumb on Wednesday night so they had to switch some kids around and our back-up quarterback really only practiced 2 nights. The kids did awesome and the game was so much fun to watch. They lost 20-7 but they had fun and that's all that matters.

Toby Keith

Trevin has recently become very interested in music-Country music for that matter and he has taken Toby Keith as his idol. He has just finished up at Sylvan Learning Center after 9 months and worked his butt off this summer. Denice was able to get some pretty cheap tickets for Toby Keith so we thought it would be the perfect "end of summer" treat. It was a surprise for both Trevin and McKade. Trevin kept saying all week how he wished that we could go to the concert. We didn't even give them the slightest hint but when we pulled up to Usana Amphitheater he had this really puzzled look on his face. He asked if we were at a stadium and if we were going to a Demolition Derby. We actually had to tell him we were there for a concert.

Trevin had the best time. I was even surprised to hear him singing along to some of the songs. McKade still wasn't quite himself and actually fell asleep about halfway through Toby Keith. Oh well, at least he could say that he was there. Trevin was bugging us for a souvenir the whole time but I couldn't see the point in spending $30 on a T-shirt so I told him I would take a bunch of pictures. He proceeded to tell me that pictures are "so last year". I am not sure when he grew up but I am sure one day he will look back and be thankful that I have all these pictures.

Sneak Peak-Family Photos

An old neighbor of ours has taken up photography and was offering mini sessions for a price that was in our range. She took these pictures at Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I was worried that the weather might not cooperate because it had rained on and off all day long. The weather was a little chilly but we didn't get rained on. I haven't seen all of the pics yet but she put some sneak peaks on her website so I wanted to put a few on here. She did an awesome job and the kids were so cooperative and we were able to get all the pics in that we wanted in the 45 minutes we had alloted. Thanks Heidi!!!

A Scary Night

I had just finished up working on Tuesday night and Brett headed out to basketball. I was looking forward to just sitting on the couch and watching some incredibly mind numbing television when McKade stumbled in crying and said that he was bleeding. He had a little blood on his pillow case and I could see a little in his mouth still. I sent him for a paper towel to spit in and a bottle of water. I had him sit next to me and drink the bottle of water and spit into the paper towel. I immediately called Grandma (the nurse) to find out how normal this was 11 days after he had his tonsils out. We both decided that since there wasn't too much blood that I would just keep an eye on him. McKade said he could still taste blood so I sent him to brush his teeth. When he came back there was blood everywhere and I went into panic mode. I was still on the phone with Grandma and she immediately said, "I'm on my way". I took McKade upstairs to clean him up and as we got upstairs he started gagging and threw up into the sink. There was a lot of blood and a "chunk" of something. I really went into panic mode and called my neighbor to come over NOW because our trip to the ER needed to happen NOW! By the time we got to the hospital the bleeding had stopped but McKade was a little shaky. They were really quick about getting us back into a room. McKade asked for some water and as soon as he started drinking the bleeding started again. He immediately complained of a stomach ache and the nurse brought in the "bucket" just in case. When I saw what came out of his mouth I really panicked and screamed for a nurse. She acted like it was no big deal but I later found out the doctors had gone into panic mode as well. The ER Doctor came in and took one look in his mouth and one look into the bucket and was immediately on the phone with the on-call ENT. It was then that he explained that McKade was going to have to go back to the Operating Room to stop the bleeding. It took 4 people to get the IV in his arm including an Air Med nurse and then Mom and Dad to convince him it was going to be okay. It was at this time that he asked to use the bathroom. Brett helped him down the hall and before McKade could get there he was throwing up again. This time it got all over the floor and there was a lot of it. There was enough blood that the ER Doctor was standing with McKade checking his pulse. He continued throwing up in the sink. No sooner than the ENT had gotten there did they have McKade ready for surgery. He went back in and they were able to stop the bleeding. The Doctor said it's abnormal for someone to bleed that many days out but it does happen. He lost some blood but not enough that the Doctor was concerned enough to have to do a transfusion. I will have to admit that I was terrified. I didn't let McKade see that but lost it after they took him back into surgery. How can a routine surgery turn into such a nightmare? We were able to take him home that night and I think I slept about 5 minutes because I watched him all night long making sure that he was still breathing. The Doctors were amazing and from the time we walked into the ER until the time we walked out we had only been there 3.5 hours surgery and all. I sure love that little guy!

Family Reunion and Ice Blocking

Last night was the annual family reunion for Brett's side of the family. This is held at Murray Park every year. It was a little chilly yesterday but almost a perfect day to be outside at the park. Amy had a brilliant idea and brought some ice blocks for the kids and the adults to ride down the big hill. The kids had a blast-everyone except Harlee. She loves going down slides but she had a look of terror on her face when Amy brought her down. It was a fun night and the kids all have a blast when they get together.

This is How We Spend Our Nights

Football has taken over our lives. Brett and Trevin have football practice five nights a week and it has taken over our lives. Gone are the days of sitting down to a relaxed dinner. I don't mind though because Trevin loves it. He has never once complained about the long practices. I think it's mostly because he has his dad there with him. The games start in two weeks so I will keep everyone posted of our schedule so you can come out and cheer them all on.

Baseball Camp

Trevin had the opportunity to attend a baseball camp put on by a player from the Salt Lake Bee's. There were actually five players from the Bee's organization there to help out as well. McKade really wanted to go too but because he had to have his tonsils out before school started he wasn't able to go. Trevin and one of his very best friends, Tanner were able to attend together. I traded Rebekah and she watched my kids while I went and sat at Spring Mobile Ball Park and watched the boys. It was 3 very intense hours of conditioning and training. They had a blast and lucky for Tanner, he even won a bat signed by one of the players.

McKade's Tonsils

Today McKade finally got rid of those pesky tonsils that keep causing strep throat. He had strep throat twice in the month of July and I had finally had enough. The Dr. said his tonsils were inflammed but not extremely enlarged but, with his history of strep throat and our family history with very large tonsils he decided just to go ahead and take them out. McKade did awesome. He was mad because he had an IV in his arm and kept saying how hungry he was. I stopped at Sonic and bought him a slush on the way home and stopped at Redbox to stock up on movies. He is doing really well and had a cheese sandwich and some applesauce for dinner tonight-oh yeah, that is after the 5 popsicles that he had earlier. I am hoping that this will get rid of his bouts with strep throat and now he can be nice and healthy.

Dance Update

Among everything else that is going on I almost forgot to post about Brynlee's dance tryouts. We are so excited that she is the newest member of the "Mini's" team at her dance studio. She was so nervous and kept asking me, "What if I don't make it?" She didn't have anything to worry about. Her teachers tell me that she is a natural and has a great memory so she is able to pick up on the choreography very quickly. We are so excited because she will be performing three dances at competition this year. Of course, I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures but there will be many to follow as the year begins. Go Stars!!!

Bowling and Ice Cream

The boys brought home these bowling passes and the end of the school year. We can bowl at any All Star Lanes for only $1.50 to rent the shoes and then each game after that is only $1.50. I decided since it was really hot outside and I didn't really want to brave the pool that we would stay inside and go bowling. We had a blast. I wish that I would have used this sooner because we would have gone more often. McKade was the winner this time. I think I am going to have to challenge him to a re-match and this time I will use the bumpers. Afterwards we stopped at Sonic for ice cream cones. They told me I was the best mom ever. Who knew that bowling and ice cream cones could make 4 kids so happy!

Picnic in the Canyon

Tonight we attempted to have a picnic in the Canyon. Nobody told us that you can't picnic in any of the actual campgrounds on the weekend. They were all full anyway. We stopped and grabbed some KFC before we headed up the Canyon. We drove all the way up to Silver Lake-which was packed and then we headed up over Guardsman. Brett thought he remembered a spot at the bottom. There was a spot alright but there were signs posted everywhere that said, "Private Property". By this time we were running low on gas so we headed over the mountain and ended up in Park City at a park. It was a perfect night and the kids had a blast. The boys threw a football and then we had some foot races. All in all it turned out okay and for the future we will know not to try and picnic on a Saturday night.

Cousins

We have had Erin with us for most of the kids summer break and the kids have had a blast together. It's been a little challenging trying to come up with things to keep them entertained without spending a small fortune. We have done a lot of swimming and a little staying home too. On this particular day the kids found a grasshopper out in the back yard and found it quite entertaining to talk to it and hold it. McKade put it in the jar and wanted to save it but I talked him into letting it go. It's been an awesome summer so far and I am looking forward to the rest of it.