The End of the Story...I Hope!

Sorry, it has been a really crazy, busy couple of days and I haven't gotten back to finish off the Jacob/Spencer story. Everything seems to have turned out OK for now. It seems that Jacob's sensitive, tender heart was the only thing that had gotten him into trouble.

I went in to the school Wednesday morning and talked with the nurse. The principal wasn't available. I asked her how things had gone the day before on the bus. She said that they were able to see who was causing the problems and told me his first name. She said that the principal would be calling him into the office that day and would be calling his mother. I then explained what had happened with Jacob when he got home Tuesday and she assured us that they know it was not Jacob. I guess the principal first thought that Spencer had said it was Jacob, but then realized it was the other boy. She said that the principal had told everyone in that area to keep their hands to themselves and explained the no bullying policy to them. She was stern about it, which is actually a good thing. Unfortunately Jacob is just like I was when I was little and anytime that anyone near him is in trouble or if anyone says anything in a slightly raised voice, he thinks they are talking to him and takes it all way too personally. I should have realized before that this could have been the problem, but I didn't think about it at the time. Anyway, the nurse talked to Jacob and told him how proud they are of him for telling us what happened and how lucky Spencer is to have a big brother like him, which made Jacob feel much better. Personally I think that the principal still owes Jacob an apology for accusing him at first, but I won't push that one.

So, I never have gotten a phone call from the principal, but the boys said that Joseph no longer sits with them. So now it is just my two boys that sit together in the seat...and we are all just fine with that!!!

Patterson night

Last Thursday night, the 22nd, we attended Patterson night at Jacob and Spencer's school. It was an evening for the family to come and see what the children have been working on this year. Jacob and Spencer have only been there a short time, but they still had plenty to share with us.

This is the kindergarten students showing us some of the things they do for P.E. If you look closely you can see Spencer trying to find a spot. He did manage to get one just in time.




Each of the grades were suppose to show us something from P.E. but the rain began to fall just as Kindergartners finished up and so the other grades were cancelled. Jacob was bummed that he didn't get to jump rope for us.

Here is Jacob standing by a butterfly project that they did. He also had a peanut plant that he had planted and a write-up of how a peanut grows. In his hand you can see his "healthy snack". They were selling these throughout the night and of course the boys had to have one..."but it's healthy Mom!"


Here is Spencer demonstrating some of the math activities they do. This is one thing that I like about a classic school as opposed to Benjamin Franklin CS. They seem to do a lot of hands on learning which seems to be very good for both Jacob and Spencer.

Seriously???

So I called the school this morning. I talked to a lady in the office and told her briefly what was happening with Spencer and asked who I needed to talk to about it. She said that she would have the principal or counselor call me to get the full story. She said that the school has a no tolerance policy with bullying and that the kids are not to touch each another. She also said that one of the office staff will be on the bus this afternoon and will find out who the kid is since the boys don't know his name.

About 10 minuets later, the same lady called me back. She actually pulled Spencer out of class and had him peak through the window into the classroom where Spencer believed the boy was. Spencer pointed him out and then went back to his classroom. She said that she would be on the bus this afternoon to confirm that this was the kid (they have assigned seating on the bus) and that action will then be taken. She said that the principal would call me tomorrow to let me know what had happened. Sounds good.

So...of course I was very anxious to talk to the boys when they got off the bus. As they came off, I asked how there day was and of course the answer was, "great". Then I asked what had happened with the boy on the bus and Jacob burst into tears. I asked him what had happened and he said that the nurse (apparently that is who I was talking with) and the principal had come onto the bus and asked the kids that sit around Spencer who was being mean to Spencer. One boy in the seat behind them said that it wasn't this other kid, but Jacob. Spencer said it wasn't Jacob and Jacob also said that it wasn't him and that he was trying to get the other boy to leave Spencer alone. According to Jacob and Spencer, the principal told the other boy to be sure to keep his hands to himself and then looked at Jacob and said I know that you did it! I don't know exactly what she said after that, but Jacob said that she was really mad at him and now he is in trouble. What??? Unbelievable!!! OK, I'm not saying that my kids never do anything wrong, but please...Jacob was the one who told me this was happening in the first place! Seriously I can't believe it.

So I gave both the boys a hug, told them we would talk more about it tonight and left with Spencer for music class. After music, I had to change and go immediately to Cub scouts and then on to William's school's Spring Sing. I took the three older boys to the Spring Sing and since parking and traffic is totally ridiculous at that school, we had some time to talk in the van while waiting to pull out of the parking space. I had them go through exactly what had happened multiple times. I assured Jacob he wasn't in trouble and then when we got home I talked with them some more individually. I mean it sounds crazy, but I wanted to make sure Spencer wasn't covering for Jacob or something. I just want to make sure I have the whole truth before I talk to the principal. Anyway, of course their stories were the same and it is totally insane that Jacob is the one in trouble. He is the one who told me about it for heaven's sake! "Sigh" So I guess when I drop the boys off at school in the morning, I will be going in to talk with the principal. I'm sure she is still planning on calling me tomorrow, but I think it will be better to talk to her in person. Wish me luck...this is so not my comfort zone...but, I am fired up!

First Steps and Dancing

Annalise is just so stinking cute!!! OK, I know I'm biased, but hey, you know it's true! She has been working up the courage to take those first steps. She finally took two steps on her own going to John from me. That is all she has given us so far, but I'm sure in no time, she will be taking off and running after her big brothers. Right now, she follows them everywhere just as fast as she can.

Something she loves is to dance! She has been doing it since she was very young. If any music comes on, her little shoulders start moving and her hips start swaying, and before you know it, her whole body is moving. Here is a video that we took of her a couple of days ago.

Sucks to be a Kid

So tonight I found out some very disturbing news. It appears that Spencer has been getting beat up (as Jacob put it) on the bus on his way home from school. I guess some other kindergarten kid keeps telling him that he is going to beat him up and he grabs Spencer by the head and hits his head against the seat and punched him in "his private parts" This in and of itself is very disturbing, however the fact that I got this news from Jacob instead of Spencer also bothers me. Everyday after school I talk to my boys about their day, and the only thing I can get out of Spencer most days is, "It was great." Well, tell me about school. "It was great" Tell me about the bus. "It was great" Well, I hate to tell you, but if you are getting beat up...IT ISN'T GREAT!!! I worry about Spencer because he is often in his own little world. He is so happy go lucky and nothing seems to bother him...including being treated like this on the bus. Something is wrong with that! Talk to me, boy!

Anyway, I also am ticked about this whole situation because the school is so adamant that "because they are concerned about the child's safety", they will not let them off of the bus unless I am there to pick them up. Well, that is fine, but maybe they need to be a little more concerned about what is happening while the child is in their care instead of what might happen to them in the two minutes they are walking home with their siblings and other neighbor boy...who I totally trust! GRRR! I will be talking with the school tomorrow and it looks like I may be driving them to and from school again after all! I hate mean kids!

Other crappy news from today is that I took Bryce to be fitted for and to get his Bi Pap machine. OK, I know that he needs it and that it will help him and be good for him and all that, but he doesn't. All he knows is that he has to have some mask stuck on his face that blows air at him. He hates having things anywhere near his face. I don't blame him...he doesn't have the ability to move something away from his face. If something comes at him, it will hit him. He has no control to stop it. Flys land on him and he can't swat them away. UGH! Tomorrow his cough assist and suction machines will be delivered. Two more items that, to him, are going to feel like torture treatments. I wish I could explain it to him in a way that he could understand. And I wish he could talk to me and tell me how he is feeling and what he is thinking...yes, we are still waiting on the piece of his communication device that will actually make it usable!

Life just sucks sometimes and when it hits my kids...the people I love the most in this world, I get a little crazy! It breaks my heart. It makes me want to just hug my kids to me and never let them go! I don't want to let them out of my sight!

Mice, Lizards, and Snakes, OH MY!!!

The Queen Creek wildlife is getting a bit out of control here! A week or so ago we saw a mouse run across our kitchen floor. We tried to get it, but didn't. Then a couple of days ago, he ran into the front room. We still haven't caught him and it grosses me out every time I think that he may still be in here! Then we have been seeing lots and lots of large lizards, but so far (knock on wood) none of them have been inside. Then tonight we found a new little creature slithering across our tile! Enough already! Have I ever mentioned that I am not a country girl?!!! I am not OK with indoor animals of any kind, but especially not the uninvited ones!!! EWWW!





The boys are excited because John looked this little guy up online and found out that it is a common king snake (or lightning and thunder snake) and that they make great pets. The boys...including the biggest boy have all decided that it will be fun to keep him for a while. Who knows...maybe he will catch our mouse!

Sunday

Sacrament meeting was amazing today. It was the farewell of a wonderful young man in our ward who will soon be leaving for his mission in Provo, UT. The talks were given by people who you rarely hear from and they did such a great job. The spirit was incredible! The priest group sang. It made me think a lot about when our boys will be leaving on their missions.

Then we came home and real life hit and well, I want to write more about today, but I am feeling tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, and really not looking forward to the upcoming week, so I am heading to bed! Hopefully some sleep with help with the attitude!

Picnic and Trains

Saturday was the company picnic for Orbital Science. They always do a great job. It was at Kiwanis park and they had a barbecue and lots of activities for the kids.

The boys spotted the jump houses first so we started off with those.




Bryce and Annalise enjoyed watching all of the activities until it got to be nap time and too hot, then they got fussy!


Then on to the climbing wall. This is where the boys spent a lot of their time...and I obviously enjoyed taking pictures of all of their climbs.
















William made it to the top!


Once it got to be nap time and a little too hot for the two little ones, I left with them and headed to an activity that was put on by the Wild Eagle Railroad and sponsored by Make-A-Wish. We found out about it from Bryce's wish granters. The little ones were able to sleep on the way over and by the time we got there, they were ready to have a good time looking at trains. Bryce absolutely loves trains!

Here is a picture of Bryce pushing a button and making the whistle on the train blow. He thought that was pretty neat.


Here is a video of some of the trains that we saw. Bryce loved watching them. The hardest part was when he had to wait for a few seconds for the next train to come around...he didn't like waiting!


While we were there, Bryce had his picture taken multiple times by photographers who were there. It was pretty fun. It was an exhausting day, but a nice change of pace as we spent time with the family.

New Babies!

There are few things as wonderful as holding a brand new baby! Tonight I got that chance. My good friends Ben and Katie Rogers had their baby last night. She was three days overdue and Katie was very ready to have her! Tonight while John, William, and Jacob were at play practice, my sister came down and watched the other kids so that I could go visit Katie in the hospital. It was wonderful to hold their new baby girl. She is adorable and has a head full of hair! Welcome to the world Kamber!

I got home right after the guys did and found out that there had been some excitement tonight. I guess William had a terrible asthma attack while they were at the practice. William claims it was the worst one he has ever had and Jacob was very scared about it. Luckily they got him home where he was able to take a breathing treatment and seems to be doing better now.

From Wolf to Bear

Tonight at pack meeting William received his wolf. He has now joined the bear den which we are both very excited about. I am excited because I have recently become the bear den leader and it will be a lot of fun to be in there with William!

Dad drawing the paw on William.


Nice looking paw on a very handsome boy! Good work William!


The BEARS!


What a great group of boys!

Sleep Study Results

This afternoon I took Bryce into the pulmonologist to get the results of his sleep study. I received a lot of information, but in a nutshell the results were not good. They weren't totally surprising considering we have known for a few months that something was not right with his breathing, but it was still hard to hear them and to learn what they could mean for Bryce in the future.

Dr. Woodword is an amazing Dr. He came into the office today and sat down and really talked with me. He took time to explain things and to answer my questions. They had squeezed us in for the appointment, but it felt like we were the only people he was seeing today. Anyway, he came into the office and explained that he wanted to give us the results in person instead of over the phone because they are pretty serious and he would feel awkward telling me over the phone. He went on to say that there were multiple things that Bryce had been tested for during the study, but the result that bothered him the most was Bryce's average oxygen level throughout the night. Normal is of course 100% with some lower dips into the 90's. 90 is kind of the line where it begins to be really serious. Bryce's average for the night was 90 with many dips into the 80's. He said that one main problem with a person not getting enough oxygen is that the body compensates for this by taking more breathes and breathing more rapidly. The problem with this is that when you breathe more heavily, your heart starts beating faster as well. The heart is a muscle, and as with any other muscle in our body, when the heart is worked a lot it becomes hard and then is not able to pump the blood correctly. So if Bryce's breathing issues (which the pulmonologist feels may have been going on for a while) were left alone for long, then he could have some very severe heart issues as well.

Then we discussed the other results including why his oxygen flow is low. There were a couple of reasons, but the main one, and the one that bothers me the most...and surprises me the least...was described to me like this: breathing seems to be an automatic thing. We don't think about it, we just do it. Well, the reason it is automatic, is because the brain tells the lungs to move in and out, etc. Although we don't have to think it to make it happen, the brain has to get the message to the lungs or they won't work. For Bryce, the transmission from his brain to his lungs is not working right! The message to breathe is not getting through the way it is suppose to! This has always been one of my biggest fears and unbelievably it is happening. I say that it doesn't surprise me because this is exactly what has happened from the beginning, with his walking, talking, sitting muscles and more recently with his sucking, chewing, and swallowing muscles. He can no longer walk, crawl, talk, suck, eat, etc. Is it going to get to the point that my baby boy can no longer breathe or do all of the other necessary things to survive in this world without being constantly hooked up to machines? The one thing that we know about his illness is that his brain works fine, his muscles work fine, it is the connection between the two that is the problem due to the loss of mylin. What we do not know is exactly WHY or how to stop or fix it!!!

I often cry on the way home from his appointments and this one was no exception! Luckily I was talking with my sister on the phone a good part of the way home and that helped me keep it together, but then when I was alone in the car with my two sleeping babies, I couldn't keep the tears from coming. I just kept thinking, "I am losing my son. We are loosing him and I don't know what to do about it." I keep praying and searching and continue to keep the hope that someone will find something to help cure the problem with the mylin, but news like this is so hard to deal with! Luckily I have other responsibilities and children with needs that keep me busy.

So if the insurance approves it, Bryce will be adding a cough assist machine, a suction machine, and a BiPAP machine to his ever growing list of assistive devises. I am afraid that he is not going to like using them, but hopefully they will help with his breathing issues. One good note that came from the appointment though is that he is up to 25 lbs! I am thankful for all of the medical equipment that we have that is helping to keep Bryce with us as long as possible!

A Day Full of Adventure

Today has been a day full of adventures...some planned, and some not! Once we got Bryce, Jacob, and Spencer onto their buses, William, Annalise, and I headed to William's school. He had been chosen as Student of the Month for March and at flag ceremony, they gave each child chosen as student of the Month a special certificate and a pencil.


It's hard to tell which one is William, but he is in the third row back, third one from the right.




While I was trying to take this one, William kept telling me to just hurry up because his class was leaving and he wanted to go into class with them. In the background you can see his principal Mr. Lee with our friend Trevor who was also student of the month. I'm so proud of William. He is really doing a great job this year and has made some really good friends. He has really begun to come out of his shell at school and it is fun to hear his teacher tell of the new things she is discovering about him. She has been a great teacher for William!


This is Trevor's dad, Jim, who is a good friend of ours. He held Annalise for me while I took the pictures. She snuggled right up to him.

After getting a few pictures, I headed home. As I was turning onto the road before ours, I saw a bunch of commotion going on in the road in front of me. There was a lady there with a horse and I stopped and asked her if she needed help. She pointed a ways off and said, "just keep track of that horse!" So as the horse disappeared around the corner I took off after it. But then I thought that I couldn't really do any good by following the horse, so I went back and ask if someone would like a ride over with me to find the horse. Another lady there got in and we took off to chase her horse. It ends up that they had been riding and her horse got spooked by some miniature horses and bucked her off. She had a pretty bad bump on her head and said her tail bone was killing her. Anyway, we found the horse a few roads over with some other horses, the guy who owned them, and a few other people who had seen the horse on the run and followed it. The lady thanked me, hopped out of the car, and I went on my way. Hopefully she is ok and the rest of their trip was uneventful! It was kind of a weird thing, but it felt good to be at the right place at the right time to help someone.

When I got home, I fed Annalise and put her down for her morning nap. I began making cupcakes and getting a few things ready for William's party. Then I opened the fridge and found a little surprise. The boys had cleaned up after breakfast (wonderful!), but one of them, who shall remain nameless, had put the pitcher of milk in on it's side and it had dumped all over and was now a lovely waterfall streaming down the sides of the fridge and out the door. Although it really did need to be done, cleaning the fridge was not in my plans for the day!

Once I got that cleaned up and the cupcakes out of the oven, Annalise and I headed out to pick up Bryce from the bus. On the way, I got a phone call about Bryce's sleep study. The nurse told me that the results were abnormal and that the Pulmonologist wants Bryce and I to come in Tuesday to discuss the results and what we will need to do for Bryce.

On the way back from the bus, our bug man drove up and waved as he passed us. I forgot that he was coming today, but luckily we were on our way home, so that was all good!

William had a half day at school so he got home a little after noon and once I fed the little ones and got them down for naps, William and I frosted cupcakes together. That was fun.

Then William played while I made some phone calls trying to find a place to take our new lift in to get fixed. Yes, it broke down again. So frustrating! Exactly one week after the last time. This time John isn't able to fix it and so I am doing it manually for now! It only takes 82 cranks to get the lift up! I should be getting some good muscles over the weekend! Hopefully we can get it working for good soon!

Then at 3:15 we walked down to pick Jacob and Spencer up at the bus stop and got home just a little bit before the party began. Spencer said that he had a great time on his field trip. It would have been a lot of fun to go with him, but it just didn't work out this time. Maybe next time!

William's Birthday Party

Tonight we celebrated William's birthday with a 3 hour party with friends. It's really nice because William is old enough now to know what he wants to do and help make it happen. This year he decided he wanted to have a campfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. He also wanted to make and fly flipdeawills (his own creation!) and paper airplanes. He decided that he did not want a pinata and when I asked him why he said it was because he already had enough candy so he didn't think he needed to have one. =) Works for me!

As the kids arrived, they signed a big birthday tablecloth for William and then played in the yard. Once John got home from work, he started the campfire. We opened presents, flew things made out of paper, ate hot dogs and marshmallows, sang happy birthday, and those who weren't already too full had cupcakes. It was a very basic party, almost more like a big play date, but everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. It was a beautiful night for it and it was great to sit on the porch and chat with the parents as they came to pick up their kids.









All the kids at the party. Annalise, Kaitlyn, Nicole, Madison, Christopher, David, Nathan, Bryce, Austin, Ryan, Devin, Spencer, Jacob, Trevor, Karl, and William!

Annalise Videos

Swinging at the park

Walking and talking.

"I did it!" This one surprised me. I grabbed the camera as she stood up on her toy and then I turned it on right before she said this. I love this video...sorry about the commentary though!

Time Moves On

I seriously can't believe we are now into April. It seems like it was just Christmas, yet summer will be here before we know it! April began a little rough as many not so funny "tricks" were played around here. The biggest issue that day was that the lift on our new van was not working correctly and that issue snowballed into many other "trials" throughout the day. Considering it is a machine that cost over $6000 and it was less than one week old, I was not happy...to say the least! Luckily, most things planned for that day were eventually accomplished and John was able to get the lift working again by the time I returned home from Bryce's neurology appointment. I am also very thankful to my good friend Heather who was there throughout all of this to help with my kids and keep me from totally loosing it!

Bryce's appointment went fairly well. He is being placed on an anti-seizure medication to see if it helps with the breathing/staring off issues he has been having. He will also be getting another MRI done and some more blood and urine work done to test for some other disorders that we have been questioning. The symptoms are not really exactly what Bryce has, but like his dr said, we would hate to miss something potentially curable by not finding out, so we will go ahead and check for those. I should be hearing back about the sleeping study today.

Since this last weekend, things have been looking up. Conference is always such a great mood lifter and always seems to give me the perfect combination of motivation/kick in the pants that I need. I also am glad that the candy and Easter bunny part of Easter are past. Now we have a while before anymore food/candy related holidays come up, maybe I can stick to eating healthier for a while. I, once again, have begun to exercise this week. I have walked 1 and a half miles two days this week. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is three pounds more than I walked last week...so I'll take it! I don't know why is it so hard to start something that feels so good when you have finished. I really do enjoy exercising once I get started and really wish I could lose some of the extra me I have hanging around! I can't believe where I have gotten to. It just makes me sick...and tired! I was actually considering trying out for Biggest Loser a couple of weeks ago, but really, there is no way I could leave my littles right now for even that long. I just couldn't do it. I sure would love to so something though to see some results. Maybe I'll get the biggest loser for the Wii! =)Hopefully the walking is a good start!

Spencer is going to the Broadway palms dinner theater for a school field trip on Friday. I would love to go with him so if I can work out arrangements for my other kids, I will be going. I love that place! I think it is amazing that they are taking Kindergartners there for lunch and a play. What an awesome field trip. I am very impressed (for many reasons) with their new school. Luckily they are loving it as well.

My plans for the next couple of days include catching up on our blog. I have so many pictures from Jan, Feb, and March that I have not posted. I am hoping to do that soon, so stay posted for some crazy blogging. I am also hoping to get back to working on my book that I am making from last years blog entries. Hopefully I will finish that and have it before Christmas this year!

I just got a call from the school's transportation department letting me know that Bryce's bus will be here early. Guess I better go get Annalise up and head to the bus stop!

Easter 2010

The Easter festivities began on Saturday with the coloring of the eggs.


Even Annalise got involved

Bryce loved seeing the eggs go into the dye, but had a tough time being patient while they were in there. He just didn't get the whole "need to wait" thing!

Then came Easter morning with the baskets.

Annalise wasn't so sure about this big pink thing I put in front of her, but she quickly started digging into it.

and before long everything was on the floor! Happy first Easter baby girl!

Since our yard was still covered with irrigation water, the Easter bunny left the eggs hidden around the house.

This year we were disappointed to find out that without cable we were not able to watch conference on television. John rigged up the computer so we were at least able to listen to it while working on renewing our 72 hour kits. Conference was great! It was nice to talk with the kids about the true meaning of Easter and to be able to feel the spirit in our home.

After the conference sessions, we had our yummy Easter ham dinner. I think it was the first decent food my kids ate all day. They were pretty wound up by bedtime.

It was a nice day spent together as a family, but it is holidays like this that make me wish we lived closer to our extended families!