Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Last Few Weeks...

MEGAN'S BLESSING

Megan was blessed at church on the 7th. She was so good! John said she just looked up at him the whole time he was talking. She looked so beautiful in her blessing dress. My mom made the dress out of left over material and lace from my wedding dress (which she also made). John gave her a beautiful blessing! It was a very special day and I was so glad to have so many family members around.



LET IT SNOW!

Just as the kids were going back to school after Thanksgiving we finally had a good snowfall! Finally!! Now it really feels like Christmas!! Of course, this is Colorado and it warmed up, melted, and now we have some warmer weather...until Monday that is! Anyway, while Jaxon and Dallen were back at school Ethan got to go out and build a snowman with John and Max. Ethan had a blast in the snow! The only way to get him back in side was to bribe him with hot chocolate!

DALLEN UPDATE


Dallen finally started his occupational therapy for his Sensory Processing Disorder he had diagnosed in early November. I am SO grateful to finally know what is going on with him! I was getting so frustrated with him and yet I felt so bad for him at the same time. He is largely misunderstood by other kids and often other adults which makes me very protective and defensive of him. I was really tired of people asking me if he was ADD, ADHD, or just thinking he was a "naughty" kid. I have been reading a lot about the disorder and still have A LOT to learn however, I am finding I understand him more and have more patience with him (it is still a work in progress!!) I LOVE his occupational therapist. She is a perfect match for him! He had his first session and I learned so many things I can do at home to help him. I could not believe how calm and organized he was after his first session! I am so excited to see his progress after a month, 3 months, and even 6 months down the road!!

My Dad

We haven't exactly been public with this information and I am finding out that not everyone knows about this, including family members, so I am going to write about it now. My dear dad is not feeling on the up and up these days. What was thought to be a kidney infection turned out to be bladder cancer. In October he had the tumor removed and biopsy showed cancer in the muscle. Therefore, he has to have his bladder and prostate removed. Right now, he is undergoing chemotherapy. He has treatment for two weeks on each Monday, then off a week. He will repeat this schedule three times. He went in for his first round of chemo and felt pretty good until Wednesday. By Friday he felt better. When he went in the next Monday for the second round of chemo his white blood cell count was too low so they sent him home. Two weeks later he was able to have his next round and again felt pretty good until Thursday. He went back on Monday and his white blood cell count was dangerously low so once again he couldn't have chemo. Now, he can't go to the grocery store, movies,...etc...and can't be around sick people. The crazy thing is he will still go to work!!! My mom made him wear a mask, though! He's so stubborn!!

We are having Thanksgiving at my mom's this year and unfortunately all three boys started to get colds over the past week. I took them in to their doctor yesterday and he listened to my situation and begging and put the boys on antibiotics! I love that man! So, hopefully some of their symptoms will have disappeared by Thanksgiving so my dad won't have to wear a mask!

For those of you who know my dad, he doesn't really let on that anything is wrong. He doesn't talk much about his diagnosis and appears to be handling it very well. My dad is a very strong man but I can tell you that he is worried. He is a worrier (like me) and has ups and downs. He is pretty annoyed by this whole process. My mom seems to be holding up very well. She is also a very strong person and seems very optimistic. However, in spite of her strong appearance I know that she too is worried and is strong for my dad. We have been told that bladder cancer is very treatable and people survive a long time after diagnosis. While that is promising, it is still the dreaded "C" word which instills fear in all who are affected by it, especially the person diagnosed. My dad's surgery isn't until January and we won't know the extent of the disease. When they remove the bladder and prostate they will check the lymph nodes as well to see if there is progression to the lymph system.

Cancer sucks! I don't know what else to say. I have an optimistic view but I also have my worries. I am not ready to lose my dad any time soon. From the time we are little kids we view our parents as invincible and think that they will always be around. Then, something happens and reality sets in. He is only 58 years old and has so much more life to live! I can't imagine my life without him so he has to be okay and just come through this. This is a really hard time for him. He has to be strong when he feels totally weak. He has to be hopeful and proactive when he feels helpless and scared. But, I know my dad and he has a strong will. My mom is a big source of his strength and so with her help, and of course the help of our Heavenly Father, he will fight this and beat it. We pray for him daily and hope that you too will think of him in your prayers as well!

Finally...

OK, so my husband is going to kill me for posting this. I guess he might be embarrassed but I am very proud of him. He worked so hard for so long for this and he deserves everyone to know! It's official. As of the new year (which is mid December for him) he will have a new job...Congratulations John!

Trick Or Treat!

The boys were so excited for Halloween, especially Dallen! Carving pumpkins was interesting. Jaxon and Ethan were OK with the gooey mess but Dallen ended up washing his hands after the first scoop of mushy goo and grabbing a spoon with a really long handle! It's been so warm here lately that it almost didn't even seem like Halloween. A few days after the pumpkin carving we had moldy, mushy pumpkins that really did look scary! I am ready for some cold weather! I love cool fall days...70 degrees is NOT cool!


We definitely have our share of candy...anybody want some? We took the boys to a "Trunk-or-Treat" over at the church first. Then, John took them trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. This year Jaxon was Anakin Skywalker, Dallen was Darth Vader (for long enough to take the picture...then he took off the cape and mask and was just a kid with black sweats and a light saber!), Ethan was Simba, and Megan was a baby duck. No, John did not dress up...he went motorcycle riding with some friends and got back just in time to leave for the "trunk-or-treat". He decided to stay in true character and stay decked out in motorcycle gear for Halloween!

More Megan

OK, so I can't resist posting a few more pictures of Megan. I can't believe she is already 2 weeks old! I keep taking pictures and holding her because I just don't want her to grow up just yet! Enjoy!

Megan Is Here!

Megan Rebecca was born October 21 at 9:13 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 19 1/4 inches. She was by far the easiest delivery! I was quite surprised at how quick it went. They started the Pitocin just before 7:00 a.m. and well...as you can see from her arrival time it didn't take very long! They actually had to pull the doctor out of surgery to come catch her!


She is very sweet! I am just taking all of it in since she is our last! I love this little tiny stage so I want to savor all of it as it sure doesn't last very long!

John and I discovered how different it is to change a girl's diaper!! The girl pee thing is VERY different from a boy! I think we use 2 diapers for every diaper change because we are novices! We were changing her on the hospital bed and she started to pee so...like with a boy, we threw the diaper over the top thinking it would stop it...well, we didn't think about the fact that girls are without apparatus therefore she soaked her blanket, my blanket, and sheets underneath her. Oh well, now we know. ha ha!
The boy's also had an anatomy lesson last night. While changing her diaper Dallen exclaimed, "Where is her pee pee!?!?"

At that astonishing announcement Jaxon and Ethan gave Megan their full attention wondering where indeed is her "pee pee"??? So we had a talk about girls' and boys' anatomy. Dallen just looked at me and said, "You don't have a penis?" (How shocking!!)Now that we have rocked their world we sent them off to school to further embarrass us by whatever it is they are going to educate their friends about the anatomy of girls and boys or how mom feeds the baby...which is a whole other conversation! ha!

Finally...One More Week!!

Megan will arrive on Tuesday, October 21(unless I go into labor before)! Yay!! I am very excited to meet baby Megan. I am so curious as to what she looks like! I had an ultrasound today and confirmed Megan was in fact still a she! I am looking forward to holding her but, I have to admit I am looking forward to acid reflux-free eating, no maternity clothes, and working out! I hope I never see a bottle of Tums again! We will keep you all posted!

Constitution Day

Today was "Constitution Day" at Jaxon's school. Jaxon was so excited to dress up in colonial type clothes. The second graders have been studying the constitution for about a month. They each had a delegate they had to read about and then tell about during the presentation. Jaxon spoke about Benjamin Franklin. It was so cute to see all these little 2nd graders dressed up and reciting things I didn't even learn about until 8th grade Civics class! Jaxon came home this week and recited the Preamble to the Constitution! I am pretty sure that by the time he is in the 5th grade I will no longer be of any help with homework!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Our little man turned 3 on Tuesday. I can't believe it!! Time goes by so fast. I still think of him as my "baby" and I still treat him like he is! He didn't have a huge party but he sure thought he did. He had a blast running around with all his new Star Wars stuff. Opening his presents was the funniest. He was so careful and slow about it. He wanted to make sure all the tissue paper made it to the trash. After he opened one present, he wanted to stare at it, take it out, play with it...he didn't care he had more stuff. It's so interesting how all 3 boys have such different and opposite personalities. They are definitely their own little people!!


While Lightening McQueen is still his hero his brothers have introduced him to Star Wars and so we have a little Clone Warrior on our hands! The helmet is kind of big on him so he totally looks like a little bobble head! ha ha!


True Jedi stance...I guess...

This Week's Heart Attacks

If you've read this before...I added some...the week is not over...

1. I thought Ethan ran away again. We were on our way out the door and no Ethan. Dallen was even in the backyard with him and he vanished! I sent the boys around the block. I walked through the backyard and heard rocks moving...down low...Ethan was in the window well (which has a cover on it)!!! The little stinker moved the window well enough to fit through and JUMPED down the window well! Keep in mind this is not a shallow window well!!! He just thought it was cool I made him climb back up the ladder! John will be bolting the window well cover on!

2. The boys are playing upstairs. I am walking upstairs to change the laundry. The laundry room faces the top of the stairs. To my surprise as I am walking up the stairs the washing machine lid pops open and there is Ethan's smiling face!! "Mom, I'm just sitting in here." he says.

3. John and I are getting ready to run some errands. We told Ethan to find his shoes. He walks upstairs to get them. We here this enormous CRASH. John runs upstairs to find Ethan has pulled his dresser drawers out and climed up his dresser causing the whole thing to fall over! He says, "I was trying to get my socks..." Thank goodness he wasn't hurt! The dresser is now BOLTED to the wall!

4. I am waiting in line at the Sonic drive-thru (diet coke and mozarella sticks were calling out to me). Ethan took off his shoes, used his toes to roll down the window, and proceeded to throw his shoes out the window. Why? Because he saw a fly and wanted to squish it....

What a sweet innocent face...HA! Fooled you! This week has been a little nuts with these crazy boys! We've had 2 bloody noses, a fat lip, and bleeding front teeth all before Wednesday. Well, tonight was the topper. I think pre-term labor is in my future!

Just before 7:00 p.m. it begins to rain pretty steadily. I am cooking dinner and run upstairs briefly. Dallen comes upstairs to inform me that the front door is wide open and Ethan is not outside. I run downstairs and begin looking for Ethan. Jaxon, Dallen, and I search the entire house, garage and car...no Ethan. I go outside and walk around the house checking the window wells on the side...no Ethan. By now Jaxon is in hysterics because he thinks Ethan is in the storm water drain across the street! Dallen just grabs his shoes and says, "I'm goin' out to look for 'Efan'. He and I put on our coats and I told him to go one way around the block while I went the other. I'm not a big runner these days so I got half way down the block and decided to go back and get the car! I found Ethan fighting Dallen off on the other side of the block. He was SOAKING wet, had Jaxon's shoes on (the wrong feet), and just looked at me like, "What did I do?". I tossed them in the car and drove home. I swear I was going to go into labor...I never thought about the stupid water drain until Jaxon brought it up.

I guess now that it's over it's pretty funny. Just picture Me and Dallen out hunting for our almost 3-year-old while Jaxon stands on the porch wailing for all to hear! My neighbors must think I am a world class mother! HA! All is well now. The kids are in bed, the sliding glass door is pinned and the front door "hotel lock" is thrown. No, I am not intentionally trying to keep someone out...I'm trying to keep curious little boys IN!!!

First Day of School

Jaxon started school over a week ago but Dallen just started today. Jaxon was way too cool to take a 'first day of school' photo now that he is in 2nd grade! All we got was an awesome picture in the car with the morning sun glaring at us! I'm not sure I like him growing up so quickly!

Dallen was so excited to start school today. He is in a Pre-K class because does not meet the cut off for Kindergarten at his school. He has 2 rats in his classroom. Yes, RATS. Gross! He, of course, thinks they are the coolest thing.

Notice Dallen's smile...no his mouth is not wide open. His teeth are actually clenched. Yes, there is a huge gap there. He can actually stick his finger up there and when he eats a sandwich everything in the middle of the sandwich comes out. Needless to say he is still sucking his thumb. He will be sad to learn that at the first of the year he will be getting a grate cemented to his teeth to cover the roof of his mouth. This will prevent him from sucking...poor guy...we have ultrasound pictures of him sucking his thumb. He's been doing it his entire existence and it is a great source of comfort. I am half tempted to just let it go and fix the problem later but we've been told that it will be harder to fix if we don't stop it before his permanent teeth come in. I am really sad to take it away from him. It's part of Dallen's personality, his comfort. I really hate that they have to grow up.

Labor Day

Labor Day started off bright an early. We took the boys to the Balloon Classic at Memorial Park to watch the hot air balloons take off. They loved it! They were able to go right up to the balloons as they were inflating and touch them. They were all set to jump in and take a ride!

Later in the day, we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with my parents, my brother and his family. The boys' favorite thing was feeding the birds. Dallen spent the whole time trying to get a bird to land on his stick while John and my brother, Jon, had no problem attracting birds!


The birds love Jon's head! Just hope they don't have to go to the bathroom!!


Ethan would have nothing to do with the birds. He reluctantly watched from a distance.




BEWARE OF MOUNTAIN LIONS!
The Zoo has a new Rocky Mountain exhibit including grizzly bears (who put on quite a show)and mountain lions. The mountain lions have given me nightmares the last two nights! Now, most of you know when you are pregnant your mind really runs away with you and pregnant dreams are the WORST!! Well, the mountain lions have not helped my situation AT ALL!! I have always heard that when you go hiking in the mountains make sure your kids are between you, not ahead and definately not lagging behind. I never realized the seriousness of this advice until we went saw the mountain lions at the zoo. The mountain lion exhibit allows you to be very close. They are behind a metal fence and then about two feet in front of the fence is a railing. My nephew just turned 1 in August and Ethan is almost 3. As soon as the mountain lions saw my nephew they could have cared less about all the adults around. The lions zeroed in on him. They paced and followed my nephew everywhere he went. They lunged and swiped at the fence when he would stop...LUNCH!! Those lions wanted him bad! Then they saw Ethan and they did the same thing. Of course watching this gave me all sorts of bad images and so I vowed to never go hiking with my kids until they are bigger than me! HA! I just never realized how much mountain lions focused in on smaller prey...they really, really wanted to get them...freaky!

Sweet Ethan...

So...I left Dallen and Ethan alone at the kitchen table eating dinner for 10 minutes to help Jaxon with his homework. BIG mistake! Ethan decided he would use ketchup as hair gel and give himself a cool new do! Even after the bath and a good scrubbing he still smells mildly of tomatoes!

John's Shiny New Smile!

John love his new braces! He needs to install a garbage disposal in the bathroom sink! Since he brushes/flosses after every meal he finds his teeth consume more than his body!