Well i did it. I made it through another Christmas. For those of you who were wondering we did get a Christmas tree. I usually put it off but this year was my record at four days before Christmas. But its still up and four days after Christmas that's also a record.
   The kids all got what they wanted, well except Bubba got a truck he let us know he had no use for. "What a truck, i don't even like these." What was Santa thinking? What 5 year old boy doesn't like a truck? I guess Santa didn't remember that if its not a Wii game or it doesn't shoot something out of it he has no use for it. Good thing the elves only spent 6 dollars on it.
    Bunny did get her ipod. Thanks goodness if i had to hear her say the words ipod touch one more time i along with everyone else in the house was going to lose it.
   Shawn got a nice cold for Christmas. I guess i'll forgive him for leaving me with a out of control two year old, and a very disregulated daughter, and a baby that's just to young to help with anything, since this is the first time in 15 years of marriage that he's been to sick to go with me to a family gathering. But he's getting better and to quote a phrase i have to say alot around here (but not to him) "Good, because you have a lot of making up to do."
    I did really enjoy my day Christmas despite the exhaustion. I expecally enjoyed listening to my grandpa talk about my grandma who has been gone for almost 8 years now. I never tire of hearing him talk about her. And I never go to a family get together and not think of how much I still miss her.
    I do have to admit i'm glad its over. Christmas is alot of work and we seem to forget that Jesus is the reason for the Season. So hopefully in a couple days the tree will be down, the toys will be put away, Tater will be a little more regulated, and things can get back to normal. But then again, really what is normal for us and i think its probably going to be another seven or eight years before all the toys are put away. As for the tree, it would probably be easier to leave it up year round so the kids won't be so worried next year when its the last minute and we still don't have it up.

Making Applesauce

Sticky counter tops, messy floors, complaining, and sometimes arguing. That's what happens when we make applesauce. The whole time wondering "Why do I enjoy this?"  "Why?"

 Then I realized I do it for the conversations we have when the little ones go off to play because they've had enough "helping." I do it for the joking, the laughing and the wise cracks that one of them makes about the other one. I do it for the togetherness. This year I told each one of my olders that they could help in shifts, that way they didn't seem like they had to help the whole time. Well they still ended up in the kitchen at the same time all helping and I loved it. So for those few hours there was no video games, no one sitting in front of the TV. Just me and my olders cutting, cooking, and smashing. So as long as were eating homemade applesauce we'll be doing it together. Even if Duckie has to come home from college to help.











Updates

   I wanted to give everyone an update on Buc. Our appointment with the neurologist on Monday went well. She said he fit the criteria for having a confessional migraine. She ordered him to drink 60oz. a day of water, and start exercising (he was not happy about that) also to get on a regular sleep pattern. Shawn and I have often thought that when he stays up late at night that triggers his headaches. We have seen a pattern. We do go back next week for another MRI and a MRA to get a better look inside his head, blood vessels, etc. to make sure nothing else is going on and then for a follow-up right after that. I really liked her and think she seems very thorough. Please continue to pray that everything comes back ok and that this doesn't happen again.
   I also know some of you have been praying for Tater as well. I want to thank you. She did ok at therapy yesterday, but is really struggling with the holidays. Please continue to pray for her, the holidays are hard on her. They remind her of loss instead of happy times. Pray that we will continue to see progress with her healing through this difficult time.  Thanks again for all your prayers. We have defiantly felt them.

Scariest Day Ever

   I can't remember if this truly was the scariest day of my life, but it was definitely one of the scariest I've had so far.
  When the school called to say Buc had a migraine this was nothing new to me it happens about once a month. We have always blamed it on loss of sleep and he did have some short nights over Thanksgiving break and some early mornings. So as he was climbing in the car at the school we both just kinda looked at each other and said "saw this one coming."
   We got home and took the regular medicine the Doctor gave us followed by him throwing up everything he had ate in the last week and he drifted off into his normal migraine induced sleep.
   Two hours later i hear what i think is him yelling for me so i go into the room and ask him if he needed me. He jumped up like i had scared him and started talking about something i couldn't even understand what it was. He was looking at me as if he didn't see me and i realized something was seriously wrong. His face looked funny and he was really slurring his words. The only thing i could think was that he was having a stroke. As i was grabbing the phone my thought was Dr or 911? Well i called the Drs office who advised me to go to the ER. So i quickly called a friend who came to stay with the kids and in the mean time he started to wander around and really not make any sense. I decided i didn't want to try to take him to the ER myself so i called the squad. In the mean time i did have him squeeze my hands, which he couldn't do. He could tell me the date but not the ABC's.

   When the squad arrived he was making some sense but was still was really off. So we loaded up and got in the ambulance. I think that was the longest ride of my life. No really, there were no lights and i watched the speedometer, i would have been going fifteen miles faster than them. I rode up front and i could hear them asking him some questions and most of the time he made sense but he was pretty agitated and he kept trying to get of the bed that he was strapped to. I did feel a little like i had maybe overreacted a little but when he would try to get up i thought what if he had tried to open the car door.
   He was very out of it when we got to the hospital he couldn't comprehend that they wanted him to lay on a different bad they finally just had to pick him up and put him there. He ripped his gown off and kept swinging it around and wouldn't leave the blood pressure band on. I held it together until they tried to take his blood. Now here's a thirteen year old boy that weights about as much as me trying to hold him down as they take vial after vial of blood form him all the while he's yelling things that don't make any sense and swinging his arms and gown around his head. I finally said "Are you about done because i can't hold him much longer and i'm really afraid he's gong to hit one of you?" Well at that point i just laid across him and cried. I couldn't do it anymore, I was so scared. I just kept praying that God would take the pain or whatever was causing him to act so agitated away. At that time a nurse came in with a really long needle and said "this will help." Ask and you shall receive, right?                                    
   Anyway, he  did calm down enough to finally get a EKG, CAT, and urine sample (which i wondered how many nurses figured it would come back that he had taken some illegal substance) but they didn't they all came back normal. He did sit up a couple hours later and look at us like "where are we?" I said " hey your girlfriend texted you do you want me to text her back?" He said he could handle it and he did. I know because i watched he even spelled everything right. He told us that he felt a little whacked out and only remembered a little bit of what had happened.

  The CT scan did show a real deep sinus infection which they are treating with antibiotics. But they don't think that had anything to do with what happened. No one is sure why he reacted like that this time. All i know is i was scared and as i type i'm still crying. If it wasn't for his history with migraines i would have been on the phone with all his friend trying to find out if he had taken something he shouldn't have. It did feel good though to look over the seat in the car and see him texting his friends as he drifted in and out of sleep. When we got home he woke up long enough for us to tease him about getting the same shot in the butt that the drunks do who come into the ER causing a scene and he reassured Duckie that he could still whip his butt in Call Of Duty. So i think he'll be back to normal as soon as he sleeps off whatever was in that shot they gave him.

   As for me, i know this isn't my last scare with the kids, but this one was big enough to last me for awhile. Oh and yes i'm defiantly calling a neurologist in the morning.