Bed rest and blogging...

Oy, it's been a looonnnnggg time since I have been on here.  So long in fact that I am having to reacquaint myself with the website.  Yikes!  I really want to start blogging again, really, I do!  And now is the best time! 

For those of you who don't keep up with me on facebook, or scroll past my updates because, well frankly, sometimes I update too much and it is meaningless to you...I am currently on medical leave for several weeks due to a hysterectomy.  I began having pain in my abdomen in October 2012 and thus my journey began: 
-My general physician thought I might have a bladder infection or something of the sort and did a few tests, all of which were negative for whatever she was checking. 
-Gall bladder ultrasound...normal. 
-Uteran and ovary ultrasound...normal aside from a small cyst in my uterus. 
-Go visit my ob/gyn...cyst is normal and not a concern. 
-Back to gen pys. Try fiber for a week and see if that helps...nope. 
-HIDA scan on gall bladder...normal. They did however manage to blow out a vein starting the IV.  Fun. 
-Go see a GI doctor.
-GI doctor, after feeling my abdomen and asking questions tells me "that's weird" and "maybe your pain will go away as mysteriously as it began" and "try this Rx for IBS."  (I was less than thrilled at this point.  It was the end of December and I had been in constant pain for over two months.  The pain was a constant, dull throb most of the time, with days where it was a stabbing, double me over, can't stand up straight pain.  Not exactly fun when you're A) a wife, B) a mom to two small boys, and C) a first grade teacher.
-Two weeks of IBS meds 4x a day...didn't help.
-Made an appointment with my gen pys again to go back over all the tests, etc and see if we were missing anything and find out what the next step would be.  Before they made the appointment they wanted to double check and see if I was just constipated.  Really?  It's January at this point, I am 33 years old and a mom of two, not to mention I teach first grade and when they tell me their tummy hurts going poop is the first thing I tell them to do, I am fairly certain that 4 months of pain is NOT because I need to poop, but thanks for asking!  OH MY GOODNESS!!!
-January appointment and we decide that first I will do a CT scan, if it comes back normal I will have to cut all gluten and see if that is it, and there was another thing on the list of what to try but I don't remember at this point.  I was also having severe pain in my neck and shoulder blade area on my right side...the same side as my abdominal pain...and she said it was just referred pain and I could get a Rx for muscle relaxers.  Um, no thanks!  I don't even take Tylenol because it makes me sleepy, why on earth would I take a prescription muscle relaxer???  I wouldn't be coherent for DAYS people!
-CT scan...ugh!  Fasting after midnight, had the privilege of drinking a massive barium sulfate smoothie, another blown vein trying to start the IV, fished around in my hand to finally get the IV going, and it was all done in like 5 minutes! 
-CT scan finds a cyst on my ovary and they're not exactly sure why the ultrasound missed it.  Prescribe birth control.
-Me + birth control = NOT a nice person...at. all.
-BC didn't help...set up appt with Ob/Gyn because GenPys said nothing else they can do.
-It is now MARCH.  Ob/Gyn said cyst isn't big enough to be a problem and he thinks I am experiencing uteran pain from nerve damage.  He does an ultrasound, probes around, hits the nerve branch that runs down the right side of my uterus and WOWZA...I about come off the table from the pain.  Ding! Ding! Ding!  We have a winner folks!  Nerve damage to my uterus from my big 'ol babies!  (As a side note, the cyst they found on the ct scan is almost gone.)  The fix...a partial hysterectomy taking my uterus and cervix and my right ovary only if needed. The actual phrase he used: a laproscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy

Ahhh, relief!  I was so happy to FINALLY know what was causing my pain and that I wasn't a crazy person imagining it.  My ob/gyn, whom I love, was very understanding and said there is no way to fix nerve pain.  No matter what I took, it wouldn't make the pain go away.  I'm not a medicine person anyways and Tylenol never helped so I just dealt with it.  He reaffirmed my feelings by letting me know that nerve pain is really painful and that he was surprised I have gone this long with it.  Surgery was scheduled for April 4.

Surgery day came and I wasn't really as nervous as I thought I would be.  The part I feared the most was the IV.  I don't have the best of luck with IVs.  The nurse was awesome, surgery went well, and I got to keep both of my ovaries!  yea for no hormone therapy!  Now I am at home for at least 3 weeks recovering and praying that in 6 weeks when I am all healed that I have no more abdominal pain and that my issue was fixed!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

We have been *incredibly* busy since school started back in August. I am teaching Intensive First Grade again. I love teaching those who are struggling, but due to changes with a new principal, we won't have Intensive First Grade anymore. The students who are struggling will be evenly dispersed among all classes. While I have enjoyed my 3 years in Intensive, I am ready for a regular class. My stress level this year has hit an all-time high! WOWZA!

Grant, who was promoted to Assitant Project Manager in May, is still working on the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Tulsa. This particular job has been extremely stressful for Grant. It should be finishing up in May 2012. Grant hasn't done any four-wheeling with his jeep, but he did enjoy a long weekend trip to Colorado in September with his cousin Jason and their dirt bikes!

Garrett is in first grade this year and he is taking off as a reader! **Proud Momma** He is now reading in a second-grade level text book with about 4 other students in his class. He is quite the speller, writer, and reader! He is a little sponge and he is soaking everything up! YEA!

Gunner is with Miss Jodi again at the JJECC, our district's daycare. I am amazed at how quickly he is learning his letters, letter sounds, and songs. He is picking up new things each and every day. I am a blessed momma!

Both boys celebrated birthdays in August with a party at the local pool. I cannot believe my babies are 6 and 3! We have enjoyed several trips to Branson with our season tickets to Silver Dollar City. The boys love everything about SDC...the rides, the craftsmen, the atmosphere, and the food. It is a great little getaway for our family!

We are now on Christmas Break until January 4th! I am looking forward to a wonderful and restful 2 weeks with my boys!

We wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!

Colorado Vacation

This summer we took a week and a half long vacation to gorgeous Colorado. While everyone was suffering in sweltering heat and humidity in Oklahoma, we were bundled up in our jeans and hoodies...in JULY!

We went for a family reunion on my side of the family. In addition to spending a lot of time at camp sitting around a fire visiting with family, we also had a lot of time for our little family to explore, sightsee, and enjoy the outdoors.

We stayed at Lake Vallecito about an hour outside of Durango. My parents stayed in their fifth-wheel camper and the rest of our family stayed in cabins. We "roughed" it in our tent! Most of our friends were shocked to hear that we would choose to spend 6 nights in a tent...in July. But, the average daily temperature the week we were there was in the lower 60s! One night it was so cold that we could see our breath. We were in our flannel pajama pants, sleeping bags, and blankets. I felt like quite the pioneer woman when it came to using an outdoor kitchen. I cooked on a propane stove (I know, not so pioneer-ish!) and boiled water to wash my dishes. The boys enjoyed S'mores on the campfire most evenings. Here is a picture of our set-up:

In front of our tent Grant made a little shelter area. This is where I cooked and where we hung out when it rained. Naturally, we brought along four-wheelers and Grant's new dirt bike. The first day we were at camp the people next to us were gone. We met them the next day and enjoyed camping next to them for the remainder of the week. They asked where we were from and we told them Oklahoma...which is where they were from! Small world! Even smaller when they found out we were from Skiatook and they were from Tulsa! Actually, the guy was from Prue...a really small down about 5 miles or so (I am directionally challenged) from Skiatook. He even went to highschool with a guy from our church and he rides dirt bikes. He and Grant became instant friends!

This is a picture of the boys at SanJuan Pass, I believe. This was one of our many stops on our day drive to Ouray. GORGEOUS!!!

We rode the Durango-Silverton Narrowgauge Railway. It was a long trip but the boys were troopers and loved riding on the train. The scenery was amazing and breath taking. God's creation is SPLENDID! The pictures don't do it justice.

Here we are on one of our many little jaunts on the four-wheelers. This is up Middle Mountain Road. It was a half-day trip up the mountain and back down. We were in t-shirts at the bottom and hoodies at the top!

The place we stayed was on a lake. The tent sites were along the river...so peaceful! There were little chipmunks EVERYWHERE and they were not very timid. Garrett bought a bag of peanuts at the general store and, as you can see here, he would sit and feed the chipmunks. They would eat right out of your hand! There was also a bear in camp a few nights. Eek! I didn't get any pictures, but my cousin did. They all saw the bear after a family dinner. It ransacked a tent site up the hill from ours that night. Apparently they didn't have their food put away!

This is Grant and the boys up the river about 4 camping sites from where we were. This bridge is what everyone crossed to get to the place we were staying. Look at that amazing view! We had a wonderful week with family and cannot wait to go back to Colorado again!

School's...Out...For...SUMMER!!!

We are so excited around here to be out of school for summer vacation! The boys and I have magnificent plans to sleep in, visit the library, go to the zoo, and spend a lot of time in the water. So far, so good!

Just a quick recap of the remainder of the school year before we get into summer.

This little guy graduated from KINDERGARTEN! I guess he is growing up! *sniff, sniff* Kindergarten graduation is a BIG deal in Skiatook. They wear their caps, it's in the SMAC building like senior graduation, and it's just a pretty big production. Garrett will be in first grade next year with me...well, not with me, with me...he will be in Mrs. Howell's class, but wow, a FIRST GRADER!!! I am so amazed with what new things Garrett is learning every day. It is such a joy to listen to him sound out words, read, and watch him write. So big!!!

Gunner's OPAT group went on a field trip to the zoo. Here is Anna, Gunner, and Carson. They have been in pre-school together since birth. Next year they are splitting the Three's class in half so Anna won't be with them. :-( We are so incredibly BLESSED in Skiatook to have an Early Childhood Center specifically for district employees!

Garrett opted to play soccer this year in lieu of baseball. Wow, did he LOVE it! His team was the Tigers and he was #10. He's in the center of the picture and had just kicked the ball. The organization of teams qualified Garrett for the U5 team (5 and under). Typically it would have just been U6 but they had an abundance of young players and too many U6 teams. Garrett ended up being the oldest on the team (probably the oldest on any U5 team) and looked like Goliath on the field. I was worried that some parent would request to see a copy of his birth certificate to prove his age. Not just some parent...specifically the parent of the precious little 3 year old cute blonde girl that Garrett slammed in the face with the ball at kick off. EGADS! What can I say? He had a powerhouse kick!

Due to some unfortunate circumstances and an uprising on our soccer team by the parents, I was appointed the new coach after our first game. It was a learning experience for me...I have NEVER played soccer, or even watched it before. I did know, however, that you couldn't touch the ball with your hands, so that was a start! The team did a fantastic job. It was the first time to play for over half the team...add in that the majority of them just turned 5 as the season started...and they liked to pick the grass, tackle each other, tackle the ball, and spit on the field...and I had never coached...ANYTHING! Turns out, it's a lot like teaching in the classroom. It all worked and it was fun times! I obviously wasn't turned off by it too much since I am coaching again this Fall. However, instead of U6 we will be moving up to U8.

Garrett's class went to the Kaleidoscope Children's Museum for their spring field trip. This picture was taken in the mock town area of the museum. He and a friend were working in the grocery store.

For Christmas we received season tickets to Silver Dollar City. We went for their Family Days at the end of our spring break. We went with two other families from church, both of which had two small children about the same age as our two. We stayed at Still Waters Resort on Table Rock Lake in a 3 bedroom condo. It was a NICE set up and thanks to Expedia we scored an awesome deal! We LOVED Silver Dollar City! We will be going back again in the fall when the temps are cooler. Here are the boys with their pop guns... after all, you can't go to SDC and not get a pop gun!

Now that we're all caught up, BRING ON THE SUMMER BREAK!!!

6 months...

It has been 6 months since I have blogged...really? WOW! Here's a quick recap of what's happened since August 4th:

*Gunner turned 2 on August 6th!

*Garrett turned 5 on August 7th!

*I started my 8th year of teaching and Garrett started KINDERGARTEN! (WHAT???)

*Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were WONDERFUL and we enjoyed every minute with our families!

*I turned 31 in December. I didn't have a problem with 30 and not really with 31 either...it's just that now I am "in my thirties" as opposed to just "being 30"...not sure how I like the new phrase.

*January brought a LOT of illnesses to our household...Gunner had an ATROCIOUS stomach virus that lasted for 6 days. At one point the doctor said he might need to be hospitalized for dehydration. The same day we learned that we thought Garrett had the flu only to find out it was pneumonia. We spent an entire week home trying to recuperate, but lucked out on using a bunch of sick days thanks to MLK day and a few snow days.

*February has been SNOWY!!! LOVE IT!!! We have LIVED in our pajamas for the past week and today was our first day back to school in a week. Unfortunately Gunner is sick again. BOO! After an hour at the doctor, blood work, and a chest x-ray they determined he has bronchitis. ugh! They want to watch it closely though since Garrett just got over pneumonia. My kids usually go to the doctor every August for their well checks and MAYBE one other time for something small...apparently we're making the most of 2011 already!

Finally, I PROMISE to blog more! As a matter of fact, I am home tomorrow with Gunner so I will try to post some pictures from our week of snow days...and chances are we will be home Wednesday through Friday because there is more snow coming. (We already had 16" here in Skiatook!) I have absolutely LOVED (almost) every minute home with them.

Splash Pad

Collinsville just put in a new splash pad and park. It is small, but it is really nice. We joined a friend from daycare a few weeks ago to try it out. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of Gunner with his friend Carson. But, here are a few of the boys:

Wait, I lied, I tried getting a picture of Gunner with Carson, but they moved and the only shot I got was the one above and if you look really closely, Carson is behind Gunner!

Teeth

About two years ago Garrett fell at daycare one afternoon and managed to chip the inside corner of one of his front two teeth. It broke my heart. He has beautiful, big, white teeth. I love how mature his teeth look. And I am also curious how one can chip off the inside corner of perfectly straight teeth without damaging the others, but apparently my kid is talented! The dentist said he didn't damage the nerve and his tooth has not become discolored at all, thank goodness.

Here is a pic of Garrett's chipped front tooth:

I know what you're thinking...she hasn't blogged in a month and when she chooses to get back into the groove she blogs about teeth? teeth?

Why, yes, I am blogging about teeth. Because you see, I find it really amazing that BOTH of my children now have the EXACT SAME CHIPPED TOOTH!

Here is Gunner after his fall two weeks ago at the water park:
Gunner's teeth are just like his big brother's teeth: big, white, and beautiful. I guess he wanted his teeth to be so much like brother's teeth that he just needed a chip to match. Again, inside corner of a front tooth without damaging the other teeth. Special talent...my kids should go on to do GREAT things in life!