Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful none of the kids have noticed that our fish are gone.  For like a week.  We are not pet people.

I'm thankful that it finally feels like summer.  After some berry picking, pie making, trips to the pools and a fun night out at the ball fields, I feel like we are making the most of our time!!

I'm thankful Kase returned after escaping from the house twice yesterday.  He was watching TV with the other two while I put laundry away and I came downstairs to find him...in the driveway.  EEEEEK!

I'm thankfully headed to NYC!!!

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's been a crazy summer, you guys.

Kael's been in the hospital and we have had tons of doctor's appointments, my grandma's been in the hospital, Kent has been insanely busy with work and All Star Little League stuff. 

Imagine my elation when my dad invited us to join him in the Dells for a quick weekend trip.  Kael had a party for a friend Friday night, but Kylee, Kase and I were free so Friday morning, I loaded up the car and took off! I was a little worried how the five hour trip would go but Kylee was such a helper, handing Kase toys and snacks along the way. Kent and Kael then joined us the next morning.  Was it a little foolish to have two cars on vacation? Yes.  Was it totally worth it? You bet.

I didn't bring along my big camera, so here's a few phone pictures.  We fit in all of the things I consider a "must do" while in the Dells.  We did water parks, go karts, saw the water ski show and rode the Duck.  So fun!

Kylee was worried that if she lost these two teeth while were away, the Tooth Fairy would have a hard time finding her. However, the teeth continue to hang on by a thread!

Both of my big kids LOVED this ride. 

My little daredevil.



Kase was so happy that he could swim "by himself" (with the help of a life jacket).



The water ski show was amazing.  Kael was laughing harder than I've ever heard him laugh before!







Kylee had a Shirley Temple with lunch and immediately became obsessed with knowing anything and everything about Shirley Temple.




The kids would have had fun just staying at the hotel! I must admit, the Kalahari was pretty amazing.  Kase particularly loved the live baby tigers that were in the lobby each day!



Play hard, sleep hard.



We all enjoyed riding the Duck.

I love it that Kael and Kylee are big enough to do several of the big waterslides on their own!

A weekend getaway was just what we needed.  Now, back to the daily grind! 

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful Kylee is enjoying volleyball camp.

I'm thankful blood work came back for Kael with the results we were hoping for.  Finally!

I'm thankful Kent loves the flag we gave him for Father's Day.  Just in time for the World Cup, too!

I'm thankful for flips in the jumpy house.

I'm thankful for popsicle season.

I'm thankful for fun at Ankeny Unplugged with friends.

I'm thankful for fancy fans and high heels.

I'm thankful every.single.year for the library reading and DQ logs.

I'm thankful it's been warm enough to have some water fun!

I'm thankful to be going away for the weekend.  A last minute opportunity popped up for us to take a short weekend trip and I couldn't be more excited.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Did you guys have a nice Father's Day weekend? We clocked a lot of quality family time celebrating the dads in our lives. I happen to think that as far as dads go, we pretty much have the best of the best. ;)

Friday afternoon Kael and I headed back to Blank for an appointment with a specialist.  Another ultrasound was ordered and again no abscess was found so that was good news.  However, the spot on Kael's leg wasn't looking much better so the doc prescribed some different meds.  Evidently the only local pharmacy that carried the medicine was in Urbandale, so Kael and I trekked over there to pick it up.  I will just say that I am so thankful for insurance.  The pharmacist told me the price of the  medicine and my heart sunk, wondering how we would afford it.  Then he told me the portion that we owed after insurance- thank heavens we owed next to nothing! Kael was such a good kid- didn't complain once that we spent nearly five hours at appointments and the pharmacy.  He's now been on the new meds for a few days and I think the spot is starting to look better and he says that the pain is down so that's very encouraging.  Thanks to everyone for their continued prayers for Kael.  I'm still amazed at the people who I run into or receive messages from, saying they're still thinking of him.  What an awesome network he has. 

Friday night we spent out at Big Creek with my fam.  We enjoyed some pizza and park time as well as a lovely and beautiful berry dessert that Tam made.  The cousins all had so much fun together.

Saturday Kent went skiing, a Father's Day weekend tradition.  He didn't mind that the water was choppy and the wind was strong.  Mandy went skiing too and I am seriously impressed with both her and Kent! 

Saturday afternoon the kids were dying to give Kent their gifts and cards, which he seemed to greatly appreciate.  We spent the evening up at Unplugged with some friends, who later joined us at our house for a little old school Nintendo.  Super fun.

Sunday morning we spent in Collins with Kent's family.  We enjoyed breakfast with them, then walked to the town park and even spent some time checking out Kent's grandpa's tractor collection.  How happy was Kase?! Back in town, Kent fielded several phone calls and e-mails regarding Little League stuff.  He gets to coach the All Star team this year which is definitely an honor, but also a fair amount of work.  He tried his best to not let it get to him that one parent felt it necessary to call and complain to him that their child was not chosen for the team.  Come, on parents! On Father's Day? My thoughts on how parents can ruin influence children's sports are probably best kept to myself, or at very least saved for another blog post...

Sunday afternoon we were hoping to bike the High Trestle with Kent's family but the wind was too strong and we would have been too crunched for time.  So, we swung by my dad's to have some homemade ice cream with him and take a walk out back. My mom was at the hospital with my grandma. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers- she's having a tough time right now. 

Lastly, we stopped by the pool for an hour before Kent had an All Star meeting.  All in all, another great weekend! 

Kent loves his new flag and we are excited to cheer on USA tonight in soccer! 

Have a great week, guys!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for a morning walk with my sister and my nephew Tuesday morning.  My kids love seeing their cousin!

I'm thankful for my upcoming New York trip with my seeesters and mom.  Our getaway is coming at the perfect time.  It's been for-ev-er since I've traveled far enough away to need to board a plane...I'm thinking it was probably when Kent and I went to the Keys a few years ago.  To say I'm excited is an understatement.

I'm thankful Kase sat so well during his first movie in a theater.  The cinema at Jordan Creek was showing Ice Age: The Meltdown for $1 yesterday and I figured it was worth a shot.  We had a great time!

I'm thankful that Kylee passed the swim test at Cascade on her first try! She's really excited to be able to do the diving boards and slides now.

I'm thankful that Kent and Kael's team won their division in Little League, which means that Kent will be coaching in the All Star Tournament.  Woohoo for more baseball!

I'm thankful for some down time yesterday afternoon.  Kase was sleeping, Kael and Kylee were both outside playing with neighbor friends, and normally I would have been cleaning or making lists or something but instead I sat on our deck and read a book.  It was lovely.

Have a great weekend, guys!

Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm sad to report, friends, that I have nothing to report.

Our weekend was pretty uneventful.  Kael's level of activity has taken a nosedive due to his sore leg.  We're not marathoners or anything, but I would certainly consider us a very active family.  Neighbors reported how strange it was to drive by our house and see us not outside for all of last week.  Kase saw a farther-away-neighbor who we don't know very well outside with a skid loader the other day so we walked over to say hi.  The guy was so nice, even saying, "Kudos to you.  My wife and I often comment on how you and your husband are always out with your kids.  Looks like a lot of quality family time and it's really neat to see." 

So sweet of him to say that because it certainly lifted my spirits.  Everything we wanted to do all weekend involved outside activity.  Pool? Hit some balls up at the field? Park? Adventureland? High Trestle Trail? Boating? We knew Kael wasn't up for any of those things.

He even said, "no thanks" when family offered to take him out for lunch.

Friday night we did get to eat dinner with my side of the fam, and see my mom's new ride so that was fun.  Kent got to go fishing with my dad and have lunch out with his parents.  Kael had buddies stopping by often and we had popsicles with the neighbors.  So our weekend was far from a loss, folks.  In fact, we capped off the weekend with all of us watching Finding Bigfoot (Kael's favorite show) with a special appearance from Turtleman (from Call of the Wildman).  I know. I doubt you can top that!

I don't mind a weekend at home with the fam, and honestly the kids had fun just bumming around with friends.  Kent, on the other hand, was ready for some action.  He was dying to do anything.  I'm pretty sure he would have even gone water skiing yesterday even though temps barely hit 70.

For Kael (and Kent's) sake, I do hope he makes a speedy recovery because summer still doesn't really feel like summer.  We've spent more time watching TV and playing Wii than ever before.  The kids' reading logs are nearly completed already.

We've got a few more Little League games ahead that Kael can't play in.  We'll go watch and support the team but between you and me, my excitement for the season has started to wane.

We've got a lot of summer left and we plan on enjoying it to the fullest, whether it be on the couch or outside!

Have a good week, friends.

Thankful Thursday

I'm oh-so-thankful to be home.

I'm thankful that we have a treatment plan in place, even though we still don't really know the cause of everything Kael's going through.

I'm very thankful for help while we were in the hospital! My parents and Kent's parents took care of Kylee and Kase, brought Kael and I food in the hospital, ran our errands and brought Kael gifts, balloons, etc.

I'm thankful for so many offers from friends to help out as well.

I'm thankful for the GIANT stack of cards Kylee brought home from her church art camp.  Kael was supposed to be at our church's basketball camp this week but the kids knew he was gone and they all made cards for him.

I'm thankful Kase taught his cousin, Huston, how to say "booty" while I was away.

I'm thankful this happened at the beginning of summer and is hopefully behind us.  I'm ready for the real summer to start now.

I'm thankful that Kael doesn't seem to be in too much pain.  He's already asking to go to his friend's house but I'm trying desperately to keep him on the couch. I know he'd be hurtin' if I let him ride that far.

I'm thankful the weekend is near, friends.

Happy Thursday!

Kael

I haven't changed a dirty diaper in days.

I haven't collapsed into bed, exhausted from an hour long "tucking in session" of all three kiddos.

I haven't been begged to read, "just one more" chapter of Junie B.

I haven't caught up with neighbors at the park.

And maybe worst of all- I haven't even been to the pool. I know.

But I HAVE spent some quality time with my Kael buddy. I can't remember the last time that he's had my undivided attention for five days straight.

I'm learning a lot about him. This stint in the hospital has barely phased him. He hasn't complained once about the uncomfortable bed, or that he's missing our church basketball camp or about the nurses poking him every hour. 

It takes precious little for him to stay happy. One of the nurses brought him a pop. It sat in our room fridge for nearly a day before he smiled and said, "Mom do you think I can really have that?"

He's eaten room service food without a complaint- even though I can see he doesn't like most of it. 

He gets wheeled around from floor to floor laughing and joking with our "driver".

And I'm trying so hard to be like him. I'm tired of the crummy food. I haven't slept in my own bed for four nights. I miss the rest of our family so bad it hurts and I would give ANYthing to curl up on the couch together as a family and watch a show before bedtime. 

So, I hold back tears. And I play another game of tic-tac-toe. And I let him teach me how to play new games on the Wii. And I hope for some answers. 

Kael update

The combination of the swelling in his ear, high fever, swelling in the lymph node in his leg, and the fact that all of that happened while on antibiotic was enough for our doctor to send us downtown to the hospital.

Kael was concerned about having to have more blood work done. This is at least the fifth time he's had blood drawn in the last couple months and while he dreads it, he always does just fine. This time, though, the IV in his arm is really bothering him.

He's getting good use out of the in- room Wii and we've already watched Monsters University twice. His spirits are better than mine would be in his situation. He had a tough time sleeping last night with the tubes hooked up to him. 

I held back tears as I watched him struggle to get comfortable, only to have his fever spike again.

I'm anxious and hopeful for today. One nurse mentioned that the swelling looked a little better to her this morning and I find myself desperately clinging to any bit of good news like that. 

The labs yesterday showed nothing notable so our doctor mentioned we might do more blood work today and have some of it sent to Mayo for further testing. And I'm sure all of you reading this are wondering, "Ok, so what is it? What does he have?"

Me too. The doctor yesterday said the two paths they are mainly looking at are 1) something under the "rheumatological umbrella" (remember we recently saw a rheumatologist in Iowa City) or 2) something with infectious disease and/or  3) something else. 

So. We wait. Kael is being such a tough guy. When the fever breaks, he's his usual joking, smiley self and when the fever hits, he hangs in there the best he can. 

I can't say enough about the amazing network of family and friends we have. People who I haven't talked to for ages are sending me the most thoughtful texts and words of encouragement. You guys are the best. 

The care Kael is receiving is wonderful and I promise to update as we know anything. 

A big thank you to our parents who have helped out with Kase and Kylee and who have helped to brighten Kael's room and bring us food. 

I have no idea what's ahead but we are just taking this day by day. I'm ready to have my Kael back and get home ad start enjoying summer! 

Weekend Wrap-Up/Start of Summer Report

Well.

These last few days haven't gone at all how I anticipated.

Tuesday the kids came home from school excited that school was done, but Kael was visibly sad about missing Mrs. Keese.  Definitely the first year I've seen Kael be emotional (in a sad way) about the end of school.

Not five minutes after walking in the door from school, Kael's ear started to swell up.  This has happened to him before and truly, I don't know what is the cause.  Our ENT has told us it's related to dehydration and that if we push the fluids, it will get better.  Other doctors have prescribed meds.  Google searches turn up suggestions of putting a hot pack of salt on it to draw out the moisture.  We tried all and none helped.

Kael did finally decide to get his hair cut though! I think he was getting too hot! Pictures below.

These two ask me for icees every other minute. 

Wednesday and Thursday I babysat, which went really well, but Kael had a couple of tough days.  I thought we were off to a good start with the transition to summer, but near the end of both of those days, Kael melted a little.  The good news was that we did get him some medicine for his ear and that started to look better, but we were also given strict instructions to not let him put his head underwater for several days (ie: no trips to the pool).  Boo.  Normally we would have been to the pool five times by this point in the season!

All the neighbor girls entertained themselves for the better part of three days with two frogs. 

Friday.  Friday, I finally felt like everything I prepared for our Summer Schedule paid off.  Kael and Kylee, dare I say, enjoyed helping me plan activities and menus and quietly/happily observed the After Lunch Quiet Time I imposed.  We met some family out at Mill Pond for a fishing event, got to see my grandma, had dinner out with my mom...and all was right with the world.

Then Saturday happened.  Kael woke me up around 5:00 with a, "Mom I'm so hot and my whole entire body hurts." Eek! I hop out of bed to assess the situation and sure enough- he's running a temp of 103.  Double eek. We spend the morning putting cold cloths on him, running to the store for some fever reducer and generally just trying to get him better.  He was supposed to have a game at noon that all of Kent's family was coming to watch, so we sadly sent them a "Better not come today" message.

Then Kent found out (at the very.last.minute) that two of his players weren't going to be there which would cause our team to forfeit.  Cue Tough Parenting Decision.  We'd given Kael some Motrin and the fever was down.  Kael said he felt up to playing, but I knew that two hours in the heat at high noon wasn't the best thing for a kid with a fever.  We dug into the rules and found out that if Kael was there to start the game, he would be allowed to leave and his team could finish the game with seven kids.

So, we decided to drive Kael up to the game literally minutes before starting time, let him play for as long as he felt up to it, then take off.  Kael lasted the whole game and spared his team a (forfeit) loss.  They ended up tying, which really was as good as a win against the team we were playing, as it doesn't affect our overall standing.  Kael was certainly the hero among the moms in the crowd and I was glad none of them judged us for our questionable decision allowing Kael to play.  I love the competitiveness of even the moms on our team.  It's all positive and everyone certainly would have understood if Kael hadn't made it, but I could tell everyone was thrilled we didn't forfeit.

It was hot so Kent took the big kids to Dairy Queen after the game while Kase napped.  Kael seemed to be doing better....until I walked up to his room and found him asleep.  In the middle of the day.  This hasn't happened for a very long time.  Kael doesn't take naps.  Ever.  So I knew he was miserable.  He woke up shaking then threw up his blizzard.  Poor guy was SICK.  He spent the rest of the day on the couch, sipping Sprite and watching TV.

Kent took Kase to the pool.  He loved it.  Kylee didn't want to go because she wasn't feeling great either. At least we got a little bit of use from our pool passes.

And in the time I've written this blog post, two of Kael's buddies have stopped by asking if he can play, and when I explained that he's sick, they so sweetly said, "Tell him I hope he feels better!" 

Sunday, Kael was still pretty miserable.  He'd slept terribly all night so he and I made our way to the family room early in the morning to watch some TV and take his mind off his aches.  This was great, but then he fell asleep there until 8:45 (an unheard of hour for kids to sleep in at this house).  Since Kase and Kylee were awake much earlier than that, Kent spent the morning taking them for donuts and taking them to several parks in order to keep the house quiet so Kael could keep resting.

Making the best of another day at home, and a fantastic idea to help cool Kael off, Kent made a PVC sprinkler! We have a bunch of PVC pipe leftover from when Kent did the plumbing in the basement and it was such a fun way to spend the day.  Kids loved it!

Later in the day, my mini-me helped me get groceries for the week, and also prep this, this and this.  Then, Kent took Kase and Kylee to the pool because I was badgering him about our wasted pool passes. 


What a start to summer it's been.  On the bright side, we've had time to plan menus and activities, grocery shop, and the kids got to eat out Friday night, Dairy Queen on Saturday and Casey's donuts on Sunday, so their weekend really wasn't so bad.

Busted.  But not soon enough.  He broke into the freezer and dug out an ice cream cone! I had to let him finish it since it was already open and melting. 

I typed all of this on Sunday and now, today, Kael has been to the doctor and they have sent us to Blank Children's Hospital. 

We are so thankful for family who has stepped in to help and friends who have sent thoughtful texts and prayers our way.

Hope to update you all soon!