Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Soccer Times Three

We hit a new milestone this fall, in that we now have yet another child playing soccer!
I wish you all could see how proud Owen is to finally have his own team, and not just be watching his sisters doing something!
He is loving it and is doing a really good job!
Brian is his coach, and he knew two other kids on his team. Unfortunately rain has cancelled a good number of their games this fall, but they'll all get the chance to play together in the spring as well.
Peyton (#3) is in her second year of playing soccer. Even though her uniforms are the same color as Owen's, she's actually on a different team of kids who are a year older.
She loves running around out there and is learning how to get after the ball better.
She, too, knew someone else on her team, so that was nice.
This is Kellen's 4th year of soccer, and it is so much more fun to watch this level! (Though there is definitely much entertainment in watching the younger kids attempt to play, as well!) The kids at this age are actually working together, passing the ball, dribbling it in close-range, etc.
We've seen huge improvements in Kellen this year, and she is consistenly the high scorer for her team.
And despite how athletic Kellen is, fashion is important to her as well---she was thrilled that her uniforms were turquoise---her favorite color! ;-)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

UCHS--20 Years Later

So this year was Brian's 20th high school reunion, but we just made it over to Union City for the Friday night football game. We had to come home Saturday morning for the opening weekend of soccer season.
The kids were all dressed in purple or gold, and had fun with Brian's friends' kids. For some reason, I only took these two pictures, and didn't even get one of Brian with his two best friends, David and Wright, much less all the other people from "back in the day"! They all seemed to have lots of fun, though!

Their attempt at a pyramid!
Bottom Row: Dawson, Hallie, Audrey & Kellen
Top Row: Ruby, Peyton & Owen
Another cute pic of the kids, though we don't know who the two in the cheerleading outfits are!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Go Red Wolves!

This year we finally bought season tickets to the Arkansas State football games! It seems that each year we've been here, we've bit by bit become more enthusiastic fans of ASU. Now, I'm sure it will never match the caliber of University of Alabama, or our love for that university, but this is Brian's 7th year here at ASU, so it's about time we got more involved.
We've had a lot of fun going to the games so far, and the kids have really enjoyed them, too. Of course, they pay a little more attention to the cheers, their friends, what snack to buy and the half-time show, rather than the football game, but that's okay. We're in a section with many of our friends, so that makes it a lot more fun, too.
Go Red Wolves!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Giving Swim Team a Try

Kellen
Peyton
After having done gymnastics for years, the girls had gone as far as they could go without jumping up to the next level, meaning 6+ hours of practice per week, traveling to competitions, etc. No thanks. Not at this age.
So, they had the idea of trying out the local swim team. Swimming is not something Brian or I ever did as a competitive sport, but we certainly liked the idea. It's great exercise, great discipline, and something they could do together at the same time, which means easier transportation for the parents! And, even if they only do it for a while, it is like intense "swim lessons", and they'll be the stronger for it!
They've both excelled quickly, and have already learned the basics of all the strokes, as well as the starting dives off the side of the pool and the blocks. We've yet to enter them in a meet, but will probably do so at some point this winter. In the meantime, it's been fun to watch them in a new endeavour!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

First Day of School

Okay, it was nine weeks ago for Kellen and Peyton, and seven weeks ago for Owen and Dawson, but I can't not chronicle this classic picture-taking opportunity!!!
Pretend this pic is down at the bottom of this post where it's supposed to be---Owen's first day of pre-school was 2 weeks later, but blogger is not letting me put it in the right place!
Peyton on her first day of Kindergarten

Kellen on her first day of 2nd grade

Sisters!


Molly, Bella, Kellen & Clara in the gym before school started.

Kellen & Caroline are in the same class this year.

Best buddies since they were tots---Kate and Kellen!

Some of Peyton's classmates gathering before school, waiting for the doors to open. These are 7 of the 11 kids in her class.

Assigned to a table with Lola and Susannah

I let the boys have popsicles after we got home from dropping their sisters off because they were so sad the girls were gone!

Fast-forward 2 weeks to the boys first day of pre-school

The love of a brother....

Big boy Dawson

Peyton wanted her pic with the boys, too. Kellen had already left for school.

Friday, October 9, 2009

What a Week!

Well, I've been trying to catch up on the blog chronologically, but I've just got to jump ahead to the present right now, and blog about this week. Whew, I'm glad it's over!
Last weekend Dawson had a bit of a runny nose, just like many other kids, and we thought nothing of it. Monday night, though, he was real restless as he slept, and finally called out for us around 4:00 a.m. We could tell right away he was having problems breathing. Inhaler at 4:30 did nothing, so we just monitored him closely until 7:30 when we could take him to our pediatrician.
This has happened two other times since the spring, and both times the doctor was able to get it under control, either through breathing treatments or an inhaler. Tuesday morning, however, the doctor tried several different things, to no avail, and sent us directly to be admitted to the hospital. Shocker! I could not believe it! I hadn't even showered yet, and here I was being told we'd be there until Thursday!
Thankfully, Dawson was a great patient, and despite being tethered to a hospital bed by an IV, an oxygen tube, and a pulse ox monitor, he kept a pleasant demeanor for most of the two days we were there! Poor guy even had to endure FIVE ATTEMPTS at placing his IV, but after that, he charmed every employee who came in, with a mischievious grin and a friendly "Hi!"
He enjoyed his deliveries of balloons, snacks and stuffed animals. He received goodie bags of toys and books and food. Friends visited us in the hospital, friends pulled through and kept life going for the other 3 kids, and friends delivered dinner to our home. And we know that friends said many prayers as well! THANK YOU!!!
I took several pictures of Dawson throughout our time there, but I don't know how to get them off my phone onto this blog. I texted them to some people, though, and he is pretty darn cute!
There's much more I could say about our time there, but ulitmately, he had a nasty viral infection that settled in his lungs and caused much inflammation. He has steadily improved, though, and we were actually released late Wednesday night instead of Thursday.
On more story, though, about our discharge. The doctor told us at 7:00 p.m. that we could go home. He said it would take about 45 min. for discharge, so I called Brian to have him and the kids come help us carry everything out of the hospital room. Well, over an hour later we hadn't seen any progress in releasing us, so I called our nurse in to the room. I asked if it would be all right for Brian to take the kids home because it was past bedtime and Dawson was getting really tired and fussy. I said I'd stay and sign the paperwork, and she said "Sure!" Sweet! So about 8:30, Brian and the kids head home. Forty-five minutes later the nurse finally comes back, and asks if she can give Dawson his final dose of medicine. She stopped short, though, and looked around the room for Dawson. "He went home with my husband, remember?" I said. "The patient???" she screamed. "Yes, that's what we asked you!" "I thought you meant your other kids!" she replied. I'm thinking, why would we ask your permission to take home our other kids, who had just arrived in order to take Dawson home???
"OH S--T!" was her response! The woman was freaking out right in front of my eyes! Then she starts talking to herself, saying "okay, okay, well, I did his final assessment, it's going to be allright, yes, it'll be okay", etc. She was probably thinking "I'm gonna get fired!" Finally she left to go get my paperwork. Forty five minutes later she came back in, much calmer, and let me sign the papers. I apologized for the miscommunication, and she was so nice and said she was glad Dawson had gotten to go home to sleep, since discharge had taken 3 hours! ;-)

So, Thursday morning we're all wiped out and exhausted from Dawson's ordeal. The three older kids head off to school and Brian to work. 11:00 comes, and I get a phone call from Peyton's Kindergarten teacher that she had been injured on the way to their field trip to the ASU Petting Zoo! Someone needs to come look at a laceration between her nose and lip. She was riding in a parent's van, and was swinging an unlatched seatbelt from the empty seat next to her. It flew up in her face and cut her! Brian could get there quicker, so he heads over. Yes, she needs to go to the doctor, he decides, so he takes her to an urgent care place nearby. I soon follow with Dawson and her insurance card. And here I go again, making 15 million phone calls trying to get the other kids picked up from school and off to playdates, and notifying the schools. Then the doctor there decides they can't do anything since it crosses down into her lip, and she was afraid they couldn't get it lined up properly with just glue and steri-strips. Of course by then, the ENT's office was closed for lunch! So, we take Peyton out to lunch and wait until they re-open at 1:00. Once we arrived, they were in no hurry to get her seen, which did not please this mama! Did they not understand that her face was split open (slight exaggeration) and was much more serious than all the minor earaches sitting out in the lobby???
Finally the doctor saw her, and he was so good! He explained that either he could inject two numbing shots INTO the laceration and then stitch it up, which usually won't work with children, or we could take her over to the hospital, put her under general anesthesia and stitch her up that way. Peyton heard this discussion, and we talked about it a little more. I reminded her of her Kindergarten shots, which she had not cried about at all, or said they could give her medicine to go to sleep. She said "Gimme the shots!" Wow!
So, the doctor begins, and let me tell you, our little Peyton did not flinch, did not utter a word, did not shed a tear! She held perfectly still while he gave her two shots inside the cut, and then sewed three stitches! He and the nurse were thoroughly shocked and said they had never seen anything like that! Peyton has always been such a tough cookie!
So, here she is, the morning after, with a big fat lip and three stitches! Still cute, though! Swelling is going down, and stitches come out next Thursday. Of course, school pictures are this Tuesday---won't that be a great Kindergarten memory? ;-)
So, we are DONE, let me repeat, D-O-N-E, with doctors and hospitals for the week! Thankfully, we had an uneventful day today, and are looking forward to a fun weekend! Thanks again to all who helped! We love you!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Our Best Days of the Summer....

...are spent swimming with our friends! For four years now, we've joined the same pool with a group of other families, and that's how we spend most of our summer days! The kids have their friends to play with and the mamas have their friends to talk to! We pack a lunch or occasionally order a pizza, and come home just in time for afternoon naps. Can't think of a better way to spend the summer days!
Peyton, Colby, Kellen & Kate are quite the foursome. They're usually off in the deep end somewhere!
Dawson was really into his goggles this summer, but they were usually around his neck or on the top of his head---rarely over his eyes!
Playtime! Owen's squirting the foam water gun. That's Carson in the tube, and Peyton, Kellen, Cade and Kate in the background.
Brian got to come out with us a few times. Pooltime with Daddy is always fun---lots of flying bodies as he throws them into the water, "surfing" on his back as he's underwater, and diving off his shoulders.
Owen cheesing it up. I'm not sure why he's got his goggles squishing his ears!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Track & Field Mini-Meets

You know how when you get behind on something, it just seems too overwhelming to get it started again? Well, that's where I was with this blog! This is the longest I've gone without a new post since I started it over a year ago. You all may not care, but this is my substitute for scrapbooking for awhile during these busy years of raising little ones. So, I have missed blogging new pictures, and I think I'm going to be a roll for awhile, so stay tuned!


I'll pick back up here with the mini-track-and-field meets that we do every summer at ASU. They are a highlight of the summer for the kids, and also something that Brian loves to support, given his throwing background as an athlete and collegiate coach.

LONG JUMP
DISCUS



HURDLES



50 METER DASH

We even let Dawson compete in one event. It was kind of an impromptu decision....hence, the running in Crocs! He loved it, though, and the rest of the summer meets he competed in the long jump and 50 meter or 100 meter dash.
Team Church brought home lots of medals each week, many of them gold. Sure was a fun way to spend our Thursday nights!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Where'd It Go?

While I was out in Washington, Owen lost his first tooth! We're not even sure why, and were actually a little worried about it. 1) He JUST turned 4, so seems a little young, and 2) it was a TOP tooth! Usually you lose a bottom tooth first. Anyway, we called his dentist's office a couple times, and the gal said that if Dr. Oliver was concerned he would call us back. He never did, so I hope everything's okay! Guess we'll find out in Nov. at his regular appointment.

So over the phone, I told Owen about the Tooth Fairy. He didn't get it. After going round and round trying to explain it, I just said "Kellen will tell you about it--ask her." He kept asking questions though, and honed in on the money part. He finally said "Can I get some money?" and I said "Yes, that's what I'm trying to tell you!" "Cool" was his response. Conversation over. He was satisfied! ;-)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

10th Girls' Get-Together!

July 2009 marked the 10th time that three of my best friends from college and I got together for a few days to catch up and have fun! We all used to live in Spokane, WA, but now Summer is in Boise, ID, Joy is in Lynden, WA, and I've ventured far off to Arkansas! Only Becca still lives in Spokane.

Joy's aunt has a cabin on Lake Whatcom in Bellingham, WA, a couple hours north of Seattle. Her cabin was adorable, and her dock system provided a great little swimming area and beach. We were there during the area's heat wave, and since no one has air conditioning up there, we swam in the lake quite a few times, just to cool off!
Joy's parents let us use their wave runner. Here are Becca and Joy about to go out for a ride. You can see our A-frame cabin in the background.
Summer, Becca and Joy. Lots of deck-time playing cards!
We always have delicious food on our trips! Here is Joy grilling some kabobs.
The four of us. There's a lot of years of friendships represented here. We've been in each others' weddings, been through good times and bad, and now have a dozen kids between us! I'm already looking forward to next year!