Thursday, January 9, 2014

Kidney Stones!!!

Jaxon decided that we needed an exciting start to the new year. So on January 7 at 5:30am I get a call on my cell phone.  I have a special ring tone set for the boys so I knew from the ring that it was one of them...which is not a good thing when you know they are all home.  I answered the phone to hear Jaxon on the other end screaming in pain.  I got down to his room and just wasn't sure what to do or how to help him.  I have never seen him in this kind of pain before.  I had a hard time even thinking, it was 5:30 in the morning!  We put a heat pack on his back where the pain was and Jeron gave him a blessing.  He seemed to be doing better so Jeron and I went back up stairs.  About an hour later it was time to get up for scripture study and to get the day going.  He was still in pain but seemed to be doing better.  Until scripture study was over and then it got worse...a lot worse.  We decided that I should take him to Insta Care.  The more he described the pain and other symptoms he was having the more I thought of kidney stones.
I got him to Insta Care and they also thought kidney stones.  The nurse there thought they would want to do test that they weren't able to do there so she recommended that we go to the ER.  So we left Insta Care and headed over to Riverton ER. Things started getting better from there.  They did an X-Ray and a sample.  By the time we were getting test results back his pain was gone.  I mean gone gone, all the way gone!  I couldn't believe it.  I kept thinking, "Were we really up at 5:30 this morning with him screaming?!"
The amazing thing is the pain has not come back.  He went to school after we got home from the hospital and then went to conditioning for Lacrosse that night.  He is really hoping that it NEVER happens again.  At least if it does we'll know what is happening.
It was a very long day!  But to let you know what a great kid my son is, as we were driving to Insta Care Jaxon turns to me and says, "I'm sorry mom.  I know this isn't what you had planed for today."  No it wasn't, but there was nothing else I would rather have been doing.  Worst part: I kept laughing to deal with not being able to help him with the pain.  Best part: A sister who was willing to drive out to Riverton hospital to pick up Maycie and kept her until she had to go to work so that she didn't have to sit at the hospital and a mom who, even though she had surgery less then a month ago, kept her after Meg had to go to work. 

Jaxon - 20013

As the oldest Jaxon has quickly come to understand that there are many good and bad things that come with this.  With great power comes great responsibility!
Jaxon took his first Chemistry class which completed his last science credit for high school!  It was a huge chunk of his summer, Monday through Thursday 8am to 4pm for the whole month of June and first part of July.  I thought he was crazy but now it is what I will encourage the rest of the kids to do.  He actually enjoyed it.  Right as the class was coming to an end he got his first job interview and then got the phone call to tell him he had gotten his first job!  He works at Macey's Grocery store and he doesn't necessarily love the job, he does love the pay check!  The job isn't that bad, and because of that job he got to go to his first Homecoming dance. He is a preschool teacher for the first time.  At first he was thinking it would be just for this year, now he is thinking that doing it again his Sr. year might not be such a bad idea!  And having Maycie is pretty fun!  He did Cross Country for the first time and really enjoyed it.  It didn't hurt that he has quite a few friends on the team.  He had a bit of a different season then Connor did.  Long drawn out story but he was not able to run in the last few races and so was not able to letter. =(  For the first time he was asked by 2 girls to one dance.  He went with the one that asked him first and then took the other to the Winter Waltz, a new guys choice dance this year.  He went to Disney Land for the first time and got to run a race in California, beating Connor by only a couple of minutes!  We are starting to come to the point of more lasts then first with Jaxon.  He leaned over to me on Mothers Day and said, "I only have one more Mothers Day left with you."  What?!  Thank you so much son, for reminding me that we are getting so very close to you leaving me!  I don't like thinking about the lasts coming, but I do enjoy seeing him so excited to do what the Lord wants him to do.  It will start a whole new set of firsts.  Hard firsts but amazing and wonderful firsts!
Jaxon is not perfect, but I don't think that I could ask for a better son!  When there are things that we need to talk about we can.  When there are things that we don't agree on he does a good job looking at things from our perspective to see where we are coming from.  I could not ask for a better example to his younger brothers and sisters.  I have to remind myself often that the "problems" we have with Jaxon aren't really "problems" at all!  And then turn around and find the balance of still teaching him and not letting him get away with too much! ;)  Teenagers are hard, not because they are hard but making sure they have what they need to get through this life is hard!  I'm thankful that my first go round is taking is easy on me!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Connor - 2013

It has been a fun and a stretching time for Connor and his mom and dad this year.  He is definitely a teenager doing his best to figure himself out!  And one of the great things about Connor is that he doesn't ever give up...he is going to figure this out!  And is doing a pretty good job at it too.
One of the things that I have noticed as my kids get older is that they have as many lasts as they do firsts.  This is Connor's last year in middle school.  So that means he can do high school sports.  So it was Connor's first year running Cross Country for West Jordan High.  His first race took him 44 min to run (just so you know, that is not a good time) and his last race took him 22 min.  Can I just say WOW! One proud mom! The beginning of 2013 was the last of Connor's time as a Deacon and so in March it was the first of his time as a Teacher. He went to his first Region Dance.  He got to go to one last Scout Camp with the Deacons and got to go on his first High Adventure Camp with the Teachers and Priests.  His braces first went on in July.  He got to go to Disney Land for the first time.  That was a first that mom was totally bummed to miss!  He is still shorter then his dad but has a longer inseam (sorry, I wasn't sure how to put that into first and last =)  He has learned to play his first musical instrument and is totally loving playing the clarinet. He is enjoying his last year in middle school and is getting excited about his first year in high school.
One of the things about Connor is he has taught me to really think things through.  He will come at things from such a different direction and it will always amaze me at what his brain is capable of.  He helps me remember that there is always a different way to go about things.  So if one doesn't work, try something else!  Never give up!

Porter - 2013

Porter likes to tell people that he is the true middle child.  Which is true, he is smack dab in the middle.  And although he likes to complain about it, I think he handles is just great!  He is a helpful, thoughtful kid who will go out of his way to help anyone in need.
Porter had his fair share of firsts and last this year.  I was actually a little surprised at how many.  He scored his first goal in Lacrosse. He played football after taking a season off, and is thinking next year he may try something different. Could it be his last season?!  No one knows, not even Porter! He had his last year in elementary school and started his first year in middle school.  He turned 13 and in our family that means a cell phone!  A first he has been trying to get since he was about 11!  He got his first BB gun and has to wear eye protection to ensure that he DOES NOT SHOOT HIS EYE OUT! =)  He was the first one to go out and rake pine needles and the last one to come in.  He ran his first mile without a coach yelling at him and has been running a mile 5 days a week for the last 2 months pretty consistently.  I hope we don't see the "last" one on that for a while!  He is a very helpful kid and doesn't even want something, MOST of the time!  He keeps me laughing and always has a joke ready.  He helps me remember to always keep things in perspective.

Emma - 2013

With a 5 year break ahead of her, Emma likes to think that she is "kind of" like the oldest. She is a great big sister and a pretty good little one too!  She is pretty helpful with Maycie and does her best be a good example.
Emma had a number of first herself this year! In January she found out she will get to have braces! Crazy that I have to start her orthodontic work at the age of 7! Luckily we are still waiting for one more tooth to come in before we put the expander in.  We'll see if she enjoys it as much as she thinks she will!  She got used to going to school all day in First Grade.  And then when she started Second Grade she got her first new teacher since Kindergarten! (She was lucky enough to have her Kindergarten teacher move to 1st grade AND to have her again!) And for the first time she has more then one teacher!  She has two teachers that are doing job share and she loves it and we love both of her teachers!  Emma turned 8 in 2013 and so that came with a whole lot of firsts!  Well, firsts and special events!  She got to go to her first Activity Days.  She loves going and loves her leaders.  We got to go do a special photo shoot for her Baptism announcement.  We got to go make special Baptism jewelry.  Maycie came with us and was so cute and not once did she ask to make anything for herself.  It was a good example to me of what a special relationship they have.  We got to go shopping for and help Grammy make her baptism dress.  And then the special day of her Baptism.  That was a good day for mom too.  For the first time I had something to do!  She got to fast for the first time.  This was actually a pretty special experience for both of us.  My cousin was having some health problems on his mission and we were fasting for him.  I didn't even know that Emma was going to participate with us until we were well into the Fast.  Toward the end, she was having a hard time.  I remember looking at her and asking her why we were fasting.  She looked at me with those big eyes full of tears and she said, "Because I love Sam!" And she didn't say another word after that! Some days I feel like she is 8 going on 12!  I'm not ready for her to grow up!  But I do have to say I am enjoying the amazing young lady she is growing into! She teaches me so much and helps me be a better person everyday!

Maycie - 2013

When you are the baby of the family there are A LOT of things that you get used to being a certain way.  One of which would be getting your own way ALL THE TIME!  Thanks, at least in part, to her older brothers and sister Maycie is quite used to getting her way a lot of the time.  I have to say that I contribute to this as well. It is just easier to bribe her then to listen to the crying, and she knows it!  I'd like to think that this is something that is going to change, but I doubt it!
Turning 5 in 2013 Maycie saw a lot of firsts.  She adjusted to being home with mom alone all day.  She finished her first year of preschool.  She learned to write her name all by herself.  She does write it backwards.  But being left handed explains that, although it took me a minute or two to realize that!  She lost her first tooth, and then a second.  She meet a new friend, who quickly became her BEST friend.  If they went more then 2 days without seeing each other there were major withdrawals! In 2014 she is going to watch that best friend move to Hawaii!  She is VERY sad about that. She started her first year of Jr. Jaguar Preschool at West Jordan High. She even gets to have her big brother Jaxon as a teacher!  She is quick to tell people that she is the baby of the family.  She looks forward to the things that she will get to do in 2014.  Mostly Kindergarten.  Mommy is still undecided about that one.  I am constantly reminded that she is growing up, quickly.  She still has the cute little ways of saying things.  I am NOT looking forward to the day that goes away. Every day I am thankful that she is a part of our family!