Halle's Home

Halle is finally home from the hospital today!!!!! I am so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. Blog more another time.

Toxic Synovitis

It has been a long time since I last had a post. When you are out of town for three weeks in a row there is a lot to catch up on. Not only is there unpacking and extra laundry to do, this was also the week I scheduled doctors and dentist appointments (I totally take advantage of Chris being home in the summer!!!!) So the week was already scheduled to be busy - but as life would have it I was busier and more sleep deprived than I could have imagined.



There is nothing more that I would like to do than catch up on blogging too. I still have my visit to Utah to write about, my trip to Alaska, and I have missed some very important "10 years ago dates" regarding our (Chris and I) courtship and engagement. But while I have a few minutes before falling asleep from exhaustion I would like to talk about the new medical vocabulary words that I learned today. Today I learned all about "Toxic Synovitis."



While Chris and I were away in Alaska, my mother wonderfully took care of my three munchkins. A few days before we left Halle had had a cold and fever but was almost over her illness when we left her with my mother. Everyone else was healthy as can be. A couple of days into our trip when I was able to call home I found out that Sean had been really sick. Throwing up and lethargic and moaning. The biggest scare for my mom though was the thought of Sean having another seizure. After several days he finally felt better and was back to his troublesome self. The day that Chris and I arrived back home, we came home to Chad and Halle not feeling well. They now had the same stomach bug as Sean. So my mom got relieved of taking care of any more sick children and Chris and I were quickly dragged back into the reality of being parents.



The virus seemed to have hit Chad and Halle harder. They were in total agony for about three days. Just when things looked like they were getting better - they didn't. Halle's tummy finally started feeling better but yesterday she woke up with a sore leg. We couldn't figure out what the matter was. She had been sick and in bed for several days, so it is not like she had fallen and broke a bone or strained a muscle. Still we treated it like sore muscle - not thinking of anything else it could be and kept ice on it and then a warm bath later. I felt so bad for her because she was in so much pain and could barely walk. Every time she moved her leg she would crumble in pain. As I put her to bed I noticed she was really warm with a fever (101.5). I worried about her all night.



Finally this morning when she cried out in pain from her bed and cried every time I tried to move her I decided it was time to take her to the doctor. Luckily they were able to get her in within the hour. After checking her out and hearing all her symptoms the Dr. told me she had Toxic Synovitis. Which means the virus moved into her hip joint and is inflaming it just like she had arthritis. (If you want to know more just click: http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tphealth/0,,3q4w,00.html )



She had to withstand traveling in the car, getting to the Dr.'s office, being poked and prodded and then the grand finale of having her blood drawn. All in all she did rather well and was really brave. But the poor girl will be suffering for a little longer. At the moment there is nothing they can do - it is a self limiting disease that should last 7-10 days. All we can do is give her pain medicine and keep her in a sitting position and keep her leg from moving until the inflammation goes down. We should get the blood results tomorrow just to rule out anything more serious. If it is more serious they may have to drain the fluid from her hip joint. So of course I am hoping and praying that it only gets better from here.



And of course with Halle being so ill, Chad's symptoms came back and he moaned and groaned from stomach cramps all afternoon and evening long. Sean is totally fine - so between keeping Sean out of trouble, seeing to Halle's every need, and dealing with a 6 year old in screeching pain it has been a very long day. And to top it all off I got to have my annual OBGYN visit. At least I got to go by myself and have a break from the kids for a couple of hours.



Sorry this post isn't so fun. I don't like to be down or negative - just needed to get it all out.



I don't need pity (some sleep would be nice) as I know this too shall pass and compared to a lot of people out there - it really isn't that dramatic. I love my kids, I'm just glad I can be there for them and some day we will be able to look back with altered memories of this present time. But if I don't post for a while again - you know we are still dealing with kids around here.



If you are interested in my"good news" you can catch up on my happenings with my photoshows. (Sorry you will have to copy and paste - too tired to figure out how to add web links right now.)



http://www.photoshow.com/watch/pd3Pr2uH



http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Aj2Ma2Tr



http://www.photoshow.com/watch/db6gR3ms

A Reunion of Unfortunate Events

Because I was without the Internet for a week down in Utah and because I am busily trying to prepare for our next adventure I will have to be quick and brief in catching up.

To begin with, our reunion this year seemed to be a series of unfortunate events! Just before the Hansen family reunion my Aunt Karen's father passed away. This made her and her family have to travel back and forth from Springville, Utah to Las Vegas several times to be there with her dying father, attend the funeral, and also attend various events at our reunion. During the first day of our reunion my Aunt Leslie found out that her father had had a stroke and a fall. She spent the night at the hospital and wasn't able to attend any other events.

My dad had been suffering from kidney stones for about a week. He seemed to be fine for the first few days of our arrival. But, on the next big day of reunion events (water skiing at Deer Creek) he ended up going to two different hospitals and finally being admitted to the ER. After being sent home and then contacting several different doctors he ended up back in the ER for emergency surgery. His stones were too big to pass and plugging up all the works. He was really sick and suffered from surgery too. It took a full week for him to start feeling better - but is still not recovered from it all yet.

My mom has had pain in her jaw on and off for several months. Of course it flared up again as soon as me and the kids arrived (I keep joking that it is because she is allergic to my kids). She ended up having to go to the dentist and found out she had an infected root - that of course could not be fixed at the moment - she will have to make an appointment with a specialist.

The first day we were at my mom's house Sean was climbing up on a bar stool when it came crashing down on him and smashed up his mouth. The poor kid had a bruised and fat lip for about three days.

Two days after arriving at my mom's house we found out that Halle is allergic to cats. My mom has always had cats - but keeps them out of the way because Chris and my sister-in-law are allergic. Plus the cats are not too fond of the kids so they usually stay away. But, my mom now has two stray cats (very long haired) who love the kids and the kids loved them back. Halle's face looked like a puffa fish and we had to keep her on benadryl and eyes drops for the rest of our stay. She also got a black eye after Chad accidentally swung his fist in her face while swimming at the pool.

While swimming at the pool I also sustained an injury. While I was taking Sean down the water slide he got so excited he was wiggling all around. In his excitement he bucked his head back and hit my nose with his head. I heard a big crack (like someone breaking a carrot in two) and felt great pain in my nose. Sean broke my nose!!!! Luckily it didn't swell up too bad or bleed. But is hurt for ages and still hurts if I touch it or blow my nose.

Lastly (I think) Chad got his fingers slammed in the car door on our way home from Stadium of Fire. So the poor kid had to suffer all the long way home (waiting and waiting to get out of the parking lot and driving through Provo) before we could do anything for him.

Seems like Chris was the only one who remained injury free. Hope it stays that way for our next trip and that all our bad luck is now over!!!!!

We did have lots of fun (which I will catch up on later) but didn't want to forget what a memorable year it was this time around.

No Internet!

Hi! I'm back. My parents internet has been down since my last post. Chris and I both felt deprived! What will we do when we are on our cruise for a week?

Today is a packing day. Soon after we get home from church (4:00pm) we will stop by my grandparents house to say goodbye. Come home to my mom and dad's and have dinner and then it will be time to drive to the airport. We should be arriving back in Spokane about 9:30pm.

Then I will have just a couple of days to do laundry and get everything ready for my mom to take over as we leave for our cruise on Thursday.

Lara Boldy Goes Where She Has Never Gone Before

Instead of the usual easy care freeness of a Saturday morning it was quick paced and full of phone calls and the organizing of young girls. Today was the morning of our big car wash fundraiser for the Young Women in our ward to help earn money for girls camp. We decided to hold it at my house as my parents were willing to let us use all the water we wanted and we had a big culdesac for plenty of cars to come and get washed.

The morning proceeded well. There were a steady stream of cars and we were kept very busy. After a couple of hard working hours a familiar car slowly drove down and got in line for the car wash. It was the car of my now official boyfriend (it's official after you kiss, right?!) As soon as I saw him I got all flustered and embarrassed. Here I was with a bunch of young girls and my new boyfriend arrives. You know they are all wanting in on the scoop!!!!

As soon as I am free I have Chris pull his car in closer. I decide I will wash his car all by myself. As I am washing and as we are talking I can tell that people are looking and wondering why I know this guy. He is not in our ward and I know his first name, so - why do I know him?- they are all wondering.

The night before I was a mix of emotions. I was completely elated from our kiss but also devastatingly depressed because he would be gone for two whole weeks. As I thought things out I planned a bold move. I decided that if Chris really was the one I wanted to be with the rest of my life that I needed to meet his family and this might be the the only chance I got before our relationship moved to yet the next level. So my plan was to invite myself up to Spokane while he was there. I had never before been so blatantly bold. I always tired to be a proper lady. I about seriously died of fright and embarrassment at the few "girl's choice" dances that I had gone to in High School (and only from peer pressure from my girlfriends had I done that).

So, while washing his car I decided that I would talk to him about me coming up to Spokane with him. When his car was finally sparkly clean I invited him in for a few minutes. I took him into the house and lead him into the front room where we sat on the couch. As my heart pounded with fright we made a little small talk. I couldn't get much else out while my mind was formulating a way to say the words just right for what I wanted to suggest. But, while this happened my parents came in and sat down (parents always seem to have perfect timing). They soon had Chris engaged in conversation and slowly my resolve weakened and I chickened out.

Chris left and I waved to him as he drove down the street. As soon as there were no more taillights to be seen I was swarmed upon by the Young Women and all the YW leaders too! They were demanding details - just like I expected - and I gave them what I could.

After the car wash was all done I confided in my dad at what I had proposed to do. And just as I was talking to him my Uncle and Grandpa came over. I was forced to give them all the same details and also forced to show a picture of him (which he had given me - I had also given him a bunch of pictures of me that he could show to his family when he arrived in Spokane). They unanimously told me to go for it. In fact my dad had suggested that I go ahead and buy a ticket to travel with him. That way when I took him to the airport (which Chris had politely asked me to do several days ago), I could walk him to the gate (remember the days before 9-11?) and then keep on walking onto the plane with him (surprise him there) or let him take his seat and then board the plane (surprise him on the plane). I wasn't quite that bold. I thought he had better at least ask his family if it was okay for me to come and visit and what days would be good since there would be two different family reunions going on while he was up there in Spokane.

At the appointed time I arrived to pick Chris up and take him to the airport. He greeted me with not only his luggage but with a beautiful tangerine colored rose and a hello kiss. My hands were sweaty and my heart palpitated nervously while we drove. One reason I was nervous is because I don't like to drive for others - I always feel really self-conscious, and the other was because of what I wanted to propose to him.

We finally arrived at the airport. I walked in with him, watched him check in and then sat with him by the departure gate. We talked and laughed as usual. I kept glancing at my watch - knowing that time was soon running out before they called the passengers to board. Finally I mustered up all my courage and took a deep breath. I looked straight into his eyes and asked, "Chris, what if I told you I would love to come up to Spokane and met your family." I was so nervous for his response that I almost cringed. But with lightening speed Chris' face went from being pleasant to animatedly surprised with happiness. I had never seen such a huge smile on his face before. But just to make sure I followed up with, "does that mean, Yes?"

"Yes!" He yelled out.

I explained how I had almost bought a ticked to go with him right then and there but thought I had better get permission from his family first. He almost laughed to death. He reassured me that his mother would like nothing better in the whole world than for him to bring a girl home with him. We decided that he would call me when he got to his parents' house and let me know when I should come.

I timed it just right. Just as we were working out the details it was time for him to board. We had a farewell kiss (and wouldn't you know it, someone from my ward was there watching!) and Chris boarded his plane.

I drove home in a trance. When I arrived home I walked in the door and then quickly used it to support me. As I stood there catching my breath and clutching my rose, I remember thinking how I couldn't believe I had actually met this young man and how well everything had gone. As I stood there still thinking, my mother walked past and asked me what I was doing. I just replied, "He's the one mom. He's the one!"

The Date of Redemption

Alas, 10 years does seem to add cobwebs to the memory. I am afraid I have forgotten some of the exact calendar dates that some of our significant dates of wooing took place. But I do know that after our third date Chris and I had another date, a car wash, and a trip to the airport before the fourth of July. So I have some stories to catch up on before the 4th of July arrives!!!!

The Date of Redemption

After the painfully awkward ending to our second and third dates I was really wanting another date and another chance to pucker my lips and actually kiss the man making my heart flutter with fire. Luckily, I did not have to wait long. A day or two after our third date (where my dad had us under careful surveillance with his good-old golden retriever) Chris asked me out on another spur of the moment date. He wanted to see me one more time before his trip up to Spokane. He would be leaving for a long couple of weeks. A thought that was coming more and more unbearable. We had come to know each other quickly but at the same time eternally. This was the first person I had ever dated that I really felt both a spiritual and physical connection with. My heart already ached with loneliness just thinking about his absence.

I drove over to Chris' house the night of our date. Our plan was just to watch a movie and hang out. We watched Quiggley Down Under, one of Chris' favorites. It is a good thing that I had seen it before because my head was really not paying much attention to the movie at all. All I could really focus on were the perceptions of my senses. The smell of his man juice (his word for cologne), the feel of his hand holding mine, the warmth of being under the blanket beside him, and the pumping of my heart when I glanced at him.

Time raced quickly by as we watched the movie. And just when it seemed I had arrived, it was time to go. I was in charge of our Young Women fundraiser of washing cars first thing in the morning and so I needed to go home and get some rest.

With his very gentlemanly charm, Chris escorted me out and walked me to my car. We stood outside my car a talked for a while longer. Then, as the cool air surrounded me and the strong gushes of wind from Spanish Fork Canyon started violently blowing, Chris leaned in and surrounded me in the warmth of his arms. I felt like I was in Heaven again. We stood and hugged silently. Then, without vocal communication, we both went for the kiss. I tilted my head up, Chris tilted his down and we came closer and closer to each other until finally our lips met and locked in a passionate embrace.

It wasn't quite the 4th of July yet, but there were fireworks!!! I never realized you could feel so tingly all over from just a kiss. I knew that there was definitely chemistry between us but I didn't realize there was also nuclear fusion. I felt ready to explode with happiness. Happiness from the fact that we were finally able to kiss and happiness from the fact that is was so pleasurable. I knew that things could only get better from that point on in our relationship.

Happy Birthday Sean

My baby is now a big boy at a whopping 3 years of age. He has been so excited for his birthday this year. He is finally old enough to know what to expect - cake, presents, and balloons. He also got a little spoiled by having two birthday parties this year.

Sean's first party was last Sunday. We had a family birthday dinner for him at our house. Sunday was our last day to be together as the kids and I traveled to Utah on Wednesday.

We took video of him blowing out candles and opening his presents. I handed my camera off to someone else to take pictures while I supervised and helped Sean. At the end of the day I was excited to see what pictures where on the camera. But, when I turned it on and looked through the pictures - there were none to be found (except for the one picture I took of his birthday cupcakes). So apparently, my so called photographer never pushed the right button or held it down long enough or something. What is it with my 3rd child and never getting pictures?

The only picture of Sean's first birthday party.

Today, June 29th, is Sean's real birthday. He was so excited and woke up knowing full well that he was the birthday boy and kept singing songs about it to himself all day long!!!!! His two requests for a fun birthday were to one: go swimming; and two: have a Spiderman birthday cake. (He has been requesting this ever since Halle's birthday last month.)

So after lunch today it was off to the swimming pool in Spanish Fork. They have a great outdoor pool with a splash park, two different kid's sections, diving boards and a big twisty slide. The kids had a great time and the hot weather was perfect for wanting to dive into the cool water. I think I had to go down the slide the most times as I had to keep giving Halle and Sean rides down - and as soon as one had a turn the other needed their turn again too. Luckily Chad was big enough to go down by himself.

Having a great time at Spanish Fork Swimming Pool and Splash Park.

After swimming we came home (and let my poor mother get a nap) while the kids and I watched the movie Terabitha. And yes, the movie is pretty true to the book and very sad. The kids and I were all bawling like crazy at the end.

We then had dinner and got ready for the big party. The moment Sean had been waiting for so long, the Spiderman cake, had finally arrived. He was so excited to blow out the candles!!! He has been practicing for that moment for weeks now. But it seemed we just couldn't cut the cake and serve it up fast enough as Sean keep sweeping up gobs of icing on his fingers and shoveling it into his mouth. Even when he had his own piece of cake he keep getting up and trying to put his fingers in everyone else's cake to check out their frosting too. Then finally when I had told him to sit down and eat his own piece of cake he became a real smart alec and sat down and then leaned over to the Spiderman cake and took a bite out of it with his teeth. No hands - just all mouth on the cake. But I couldn't get too mad - it was his birthday after all.

The much awaited for "Spiderman" cake.

Everyone is ready for the birthday party.

Sean takes a big breath to blow out his candles.

Making sure he blows them all out.

Opening a present - and look - a new Spiderman toy.

Happy Birthday Sean. You always make my everyday life memorable!!!!

What I Love About Sean.

1. He has always had an infectious laugh and smile.
2. He always helps me look at things in a new and more innocent way.
3. He is very determined (drives me crazy at the moment but I know it will be a great trait when he is older).
4. He is always very curious - should have named in "George." (and again - great for his future).
5. He knows how to say "sorry" and flirts with his eyes.
6. He still loves me and thinks I am perfect (I think they start catching on that I am not around age 4 or 5).
7. He loves to sing and make up songs.
8. He has a great imagination.
9. He thinks he is one of the big kids.
10. He will soon be potty trained (at least I keep praying that he will!!!!!!!!).