The one about the couch

When Bryan and I were first married we had a nasty really old brown couch that my parents bought (or where given) when they were first married.  It was better then nothing but not by much.  It was really a 1980's looking couch.  Bryan's mom called me up when I was really, really sick and pregnant with Ty.  Like the I can't hardly get off the couch without puking kind of sick and told me to go pick some out at a new by furniture warehouse sale.  I called up my cousin Kandace and we went and took a look.  I found a couch and love seat for like 300 or 400 bucks that I didn't mind. I've had those going on almost 9 years if you can believe it! And I've was going to get some last spring then our lawn mower died so there went my couch money.  Then it happened:

 A small rip became a bigger, and bigger and bigger rip!  I couldn't put it off anymore.  I went couch shopping a little and Bryan put his foot down.  He didn't want to buy it and have our kids ruin it.  Boo! I needed a new couch!  We have the money! I never spend it on things for me! So he "fixed it"-

 What a guy fix.  He could have in the least got the colored duck tape! But I have to admit it did keep it from ripping even more.  So after weeks of hurt feelings and a lot of heated arguments about it we settled on me paying for 400 of it our of my violin lessons account (like 6 months of teaching) all the cash back on my discover card (175$- like 18 months worth of cash back) and the rest is my christmas and he caved.

I got LEATHER- so I can actually clean it!  Unlike my nasty couch.  I got a couch and a love seat for $799- not bad! I'm waiting for my kids to ruin it.  I give them a month.  

Big bulls, big bucks

Bryan's very very busy hunting season ended with his dads "once in a lifetime" bull hunt in central Utah. We stayed at my parents house that night and Bryan's dad and brothers stayed with Joe in Provo then all rode down to the hunt. All I keep hearing about is how it was the best hunt ever so it must have been fun. Lige really loved being there with all his hunting buddies- his three sons, my brother in law Ron and my nephew Colton. 

My boys were content to see the antlers. Blake especially can you tell?

They keep calling it the "greatest hunt ever". 

Giving thanks!!

I really love thanksgiving. Even though I love Christmas I try not to decorate for it until after Thanksgiving because I think it's such a wonderful holiday. It's great to have a reason to give thanks for all the many things I have to be thankful for. Mostly my sweet little boys and my good husband. 

Blake made this headband at school for his thanksgiving feast.   He refused to wear it for a picture but Stockton did.  Blake has a thing against me taking his picture which is hard to do with a mom as picture happy as me!

He did pose with his turkey he made. He brought cutie oranges to share at the feast. Those are his favorite. 

We has thanksgiving with the Palmers this year. My mom in law works at North Park elementary in the lunch room so she was able to reserve it so we could have it there. Stockton has turned into a stubborn little pill since he has turned three- that's him with his head down on the floor. 

My little family. Give us 5 years and my boys will be big and taller then their mama. 

Stockton really loves basketball and my nephews helped hold him up during their game they played so he could dunk it. He went nuts over that. 

My brother and sis in law where in town for thanksgiving along with my parents. We had a full house! It was fun! Kira and Brett have started playing together more often. It was a really great weekend and super warm! 

Thoughts on Ty's "rependix"

On the heels of Thanksgiving I had a major realization last Friday I feel like I want to share.  I was scrolling through my facebook feed when I saw a story about a little boy that had a "afterlife" experience and said he went to heaven.  I have heard this story before years ago but never heard what almost killed him- a ruptured appendix.  More then that the misdiagnosis of a appendicitis.  It brought me back to a day 3 years ago when Ty was laying in my bed complaining his belly hurt but wasn't really crying about it.  He wanted me to carry him around the house but I was around 33-34 weeks pregnant and it was hard to carry a kid his size to the bathroom.  I thought it was just being kind of lazy.   Bryan was the one that was a lot more worried about it especially where we couldn't get him to eat or drink anything.  After a day and a half of him being sick we decided to take him into the dr. and lucky for us it was our normal dr.  I remember he hurt so bad we laid blankets on the floor of our van and he rode to the office on the floor.  I told Dr. Brown that Bryan thought it was his appendix but when I pushed on his tummy he didn't seem too bothered.  When Dr. Brown pushed he did it really hard then Ty went nuts but I thought if someone did that to me I would freak too. 

When I thought back to all of this last week one thing really stood out- Dr. Brown had to have been inspired.  I have no doubt in that.  There was no major sign it was his appendix.  But he told me because he couldn't rule it out he felt like we needed to get him some extra tests to make sure.  He even told me I could call him tomorrow and chew him out if it was for nothing but he felt like it was worth looking into.  They got him a wheel chair and sent us over to the ER (it's the other side of the building from his office) and Ty was talking and being silly and seemed a little better.  I really have no doubt (especially with the ER here) that if I would have just shown up with Ty there they would have said he just needed to go to the bathroom or something and sent us home but because Dr. Brown told them they had to check his appendix they kept testing him until they knew one way or the other.  A ultrasound did work because his bowels were so full from his body freaking out they couldn't see anything.  Then while in the room my poor 4 year old's body couldn't hold on and he started going in his pants and it really embarrassed him.  He was hooked up to IV's and I was trying to carry him really prego and pull the stupid IV pool all the while trying to call out to all the nurses who were hanging out chatting.  I really hate the ER here.  One nurse that wasn't even Ty's nurse started to really help me.  Then they did all these blood tests that he was scared of and he really hated the IV. Ty told me he wanted to go home because he wasn't having a fun day. I told him I wasn't having fun either.  Then they wanted to do a CT scan and freaked me out that he might get cancer from it someday.  My sister in law (who I called) reassured me that it was worth getting done.  She has been though almost anything medical procedure you can think of with her kids.  That was horrible.      

 This is Ty in the ER.  I'm actually really glad I took this picture because it reminds me how bad things were and how blessed we are he did so well though it all.  Soon after the CT scan Bryan FINALLY came up to the ER (I needed someone to be with me) and Bryan's parents came up too.  I'll never forgot the moment where the Dr. came in and told us his appendix had ruptured and he needed emergency surgery.  It was really one of the worst moments of my life.  The guilt of getting after him for not walking or eating all day came rushing in and I just cried and cried.  I was so scared my little boy was dying right in front of me.  I know people could die from this and I had no idea how bad Ty was.  I felt like I failed my son.  I didn't take good enough care of him and I waited too long to get help.  It wasn't until Bryan's dad gave him a blessing (Bryan didn't feel like he could do it- we were both a mess) that I felt a lot better.  I think that blessing was as much or more for me then for Ty.  He had surgery around midnight or so and it took a little over a hour.

We were in the hospital for a few days and I hardly left his room.  He was the only kid in the pediatric wing so he got a lot of attention from some awesome nurses.  Ty had some ups and downs and he had lots of medicine and high fevers. That first night his monitors went off a lot because his oxygen level kept dipping down.  That's a unnerving feeling.  Bryan was in another room though all of it because he couldn't handle it poor guy.  And poor me!  It was a lot to handle alone!!

This is gram with Ty.  They gave it to him at the hospital.  This was the day after surgery. 

 Tyson 2 days post surgery.  We finally got him up and walking a little bit.

 Blake was almost three in this picture but he still remembers this and he remembers a few details like the tractor he was holding Grandma Palmer bought Ty.  My parents drove up and took Blake with them for a couple of days.  Ty had so many people come and visit.  Both sets of grandparents came up a few times.  Aunt Jenny and her kids brought Ty some stuff.  My aunt roxey and Martha brought him stuff and my Grandma Jenkins.  Bryan's friend at work Theo bought Ty some books and Jenny Painter had the preschool (where Ty went) make him cards and we hung them up in this room.  I'm sure I'm missing some but that's what I can remember off the top of my head.  I'm thinking Joe and Heather came up too but if they didn't they did when we got home.

 Ty had to get his blood drawn every morning and he asked the guy to give him his sticker on his nose.

 We would go on walks in the wheel chair so he could get out of his room.  He would show us around the hospital and tells us everything he saw.  He especially liked the  "beautiful place" a atrium that connected the hospital to the women's center.  

 When we finally got home I feel apart a little bit.  I felt like starring at the wall because I hit the wall.  It was horrible.  Blake kept trying to jump on Ty and he was so weak.  I was a emotional mess.

 A week or so of being home with his cousin Lily.  I added this picture because he lost a lot of weight and was so skinny!

A week or two post surgery showing off his sweet scar.

Sorry this is so long- here is my point.
If Dr. Brown hadn't told the ER they needed to check his appendix- if he just sent us home I have no idea what would have happened to Ty.  I realized this then but it all came flooding back when I read about that boy that died and came back from having his appendix rupture.  He was only 4 just like Ty.  Of how horrible that experience was it couldn't have gone any better. I know God was looking after us that day.  I know God loves my little Tyson and Bryan and I and he helped us though it.  I kept thinking why didn't I feel like there was something wrong?  Was I not in tune enough- why didn't my mommy senses go off that there was something wrong?  I always felt like God will warn you of things like this.  I don't think he always does.  I think we need some of these things to realize how blessed we really are.  God may have not told me before hand but I know now that he had his hand in it all and for that I'm so thanksful.  I'm so thankful to see have my sweet Tyson.

Baco's birthday

My sweet little Stockton turned three last month.  (I'm SOOO Behind on my blog!) He was so fun because he understood that it was his birthday. He wanted a star wars birthday so that's what he got. 

 My parents came down on the Saturday before and we went out to eat and the boys went fishing.  All but Stockton who had to stay home and play with his new star wars toy!  It was such beautiful weather that day then the next day we woke up to snow.

 So Stockton's actual birthday was the day we had snow on the ground.  We had regional stake conferences up at USU so I didn't let him open his other stuff until after.  He kept asking when we were going home so he could open his presents.

 I was so excited about Stocks darth vader cake that I thought i might want to decorate it the day before in case I didn't have time on his birthday.  Big mistake!  It looked pretty bad (but still tasted good) by his birthday. Good thing he really didn't care.  He still talks about his Vader cake.

Stockton has the sweetest little voice.  I love how he holds up his pointer  finger when he is trying to tell you about something.  He is stubborn!  He pulls the cutest faces.  He is very sweet to Brett.  Even when Brett is smacking him he never hits him back.  He loves to play with his older brothers, especially Blake.  He loves everything super hero and Star wars. Especially batman and Darth maul and Darth Vader.  He makes up the funniest stories! He is a little sweetheart and gives the best best hugs.  When he prays at night in his bed he always blesses the food, stops and says "oh there is no food in my bed" then starts talking about something totally off subject until I help him get back to praying.  Every time I turn on our christmas lights he tells me "you can't it isn't christmas yet!!" If you ask him what santa says he says "yo ho ho merry christmas!" haha.  When he is upset with me at the store he starts to run off- NOT my favorite thing.  So when we go to walmart and I want to put him in the cart he holds up is pointer finger and says "I won't run away mom!" He is a stinker but really isn't naughty just super busy.    He is hard to keep a eye on because he is so fast!  It makes me sad he hit 3 because they grow up so much and he is so fun the way he is.  I wish he would stay this  young and sweet forever!  Happy birthday Stockton Lowell!  I love you so much buddy!

Card 6x8

Working on our Christmas card- What do you think?  Too bad they are expensive! 

Card 6x8

View the entire collection of cards.

My little monsters

 Super Blake!

 Tigger Bretty

 Jedi Stockton

 So Bryan posted this picture of Stockton on Facebook and our friend Adam saw it and took some "artistic liberty" to it and made him a Sith. I had no idea he was going to so when I saw it we just died laughing.  Now Stockton thinks he shoots lightening out his hands.  I totally love this picture.  His face is so prefect.

 Luigi Tyson

 I make my kids sit by this fence by my house every year for a picture on Halloween but with the weather getting nasty I hurried and took them a few days early.  It's A LOT OF WORK to get 4 little boys to let me take their picture.