Thanks!

After dealing with not so nice dog owners, I am happy to say that my faith in the human race is restored! Today is Thursday. Thursday is trash day. Usually Thayne takes the garbage cans up in the morning before he leaves for work. Or he reminds the boys to get them up. We live at the bottom of a hill so taking the trash cans up to the top of the drive is a chore. This morning Thayne slept in and left without taking the cans up. I went for a walk and thought for a second on my way home that I should remember to get the garbage cans up. A second. That's all I thought about it and then promptly forgot it! So, it's quiet when I get home. I was playing on the internet, doing some video store stuff on it, and hear the garbage truck! I looked out the window and there it was, one house away! I started yelling for the kids to see if they could hurry and get at least 2 of the cans up or we would be hauling trash to the dump this week. Willie, Wyatt, Hayden and Kinzee jump out of bed and go running.... barefoot even! They grab the cans and start pulling them up the hill. I was so afraid they were going to drive off. But nope! They didn't just wait around while the kids drug them up the hill, they jumped out of the truck, ran part way down the hill to the kids and hauled the cans up. How do you say thank you to a bunch of garbage men? Would cookies be out of line? :) How do you think they would feel if the kids waited on the hill next week and gave them cookies and a thank you note? And some hand sanitizer??? I was just shocked. They were so sweet!!!

This is a shot looking down from the top of our hill!

HOLY FISH SMELL BATMAN!!!

Something smelled at my house! I mean something REALLY SMELLED BAD!!!! Thayne and I went out to eat with my sister and bil and then went to a presentation the company is putting on about working in Ghana (but that isn't what the post is about!!!). While we were eating my sister was telling me about having to throw out fish that was given to them. I told her the same guy had given us fish but I didn't even know where the kids had put them since I had dozed off with Nate after he called. My sister was telling me how bad the fish smell was.

Fast forward to... NOW. Thayne and I walked into the house and I told him the house smelled bad. He agreed but figured the kids had burned something in the oven. NO!!! That was NOT the smell... but I couldn't put my finger on it. So, Kinzee walks back here and says that it smells like fish! I then remember and ask where the fish went that Terry gave us. She looks down by the utility sink and says... "Um, mom... right here!" Yes, one of the darling children had put a bag full of fish by the back sink, AND LEFT IT!!! Everyone was gagging but tough Kinzee hauled it out to the trash! OH, I feel so bad for the garbage man tomorrow when he picks up the trash!!!! ;) Oh the joys. It's going to be fun getting this smell out! EEkk! Fish, just... ICK!

Dogs....

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of dogs. In fact I really don't like them. It may have to do with the fact that in 2nd grade I had a dog come after me and I have been terrified of big dogs since then. But I mostly just hate that we can't even go for a walk without a dog coming after us around here. People can hate kids, but when it comes to dogs we are all supposed to have all warm, fuzzy feelings towards them! I'm the opposite. I like kids. Dogs, not so much.

This morning I left my house at 5:04am to meet Katie and go walking. I barely walked up my drive and heard Katie yelling, telling the barking dogs to get away. You have to understand that she was quite far from my house but I could hear the dogs just barking and her yelling to go away. They were so loud they woke up the coyotes and they hawling at the moon behind me. I got almost to the end of my street and could see Katie and her daughter up the parkway a bit with both dogs facing her and barking like crazy. I finally called Jace (at 5:14am) on my cell phone which for some reason I actually grabbed today... I don't normally take my phone. He came down and picked us up and saw both dogs near the road. Then I called the police to report the dogs. These dogs have a huge fenced in yard. But they are often out of it. In fact last week Katie and her daughter watched the one dog kill a chicken in the neighbors yard and take it back inside the fence. So obviously these dogs get in and out. The biggest problem is that our kids are terrified of these dogs and they have to walk right by, and then stand across the street of this house everyday to catch the bus. This house also has several small dogs that are often out of the FENCED in yard and walking on the street or chasing us or the kids (and the one cop said he OFTEN sees these dogs in the road, he lives out here). We have had problems before and have tried to just let it be, but they had Katie trapped on one side and we are so sick of not being able to even go for a walk in the morning without worrying that we called the police. This is a big issue out here. Everyone thinks they can have a dog and they must think that because there are horses, and goats, and rabbits and chickens in some yards, that dogs can run free like they would on a ranch. You see walkers every morning with bats... Katie forgot hers today!!! Well, the cops show up, and need us to sign the ticket because by the time they got there both dogs were in the yard again. Katie was really upset. This is the second time in as many months that they have been attacked by dogs.

So the police officer wanted us to come down and sign the ticket. I didn't want to deal with this lady. Let's just say that the cops know her by her first name.... and it's never her fault in anything. After he told her what was going on she insisted that her dogs were in the fenced yard. (Yes... but they weren't earlier and had you actually been affected by the 20 minutes of insanely barking dogs or the crazy lady screaming at them you might have looked out the window and realized that the dogs were out!!!) She got the ticket and said she is fighting it! WHAT??? This isn't just about the fact that they went after Katie this morning. This is about every child on our street having to walk by those dogs every single morning to get to the bus stop!!! If somebody had told me that my dogs were out going after people, you better believe that would be taken care of immediately. She is going to fight it??? It took the cop 10 minutes of banging on the door to even wake them up. What is she going to fight??? When Jace and Tallin left for work 10 minutes later the one dog was at the road and the other was back in the yard. But Jace witnessed both dogs out and Tallin saw one of them so there are now 5 witnesses this morning that will have to go to court.... all because one person, who time after time has ignored the obvious. I am amazed that someone would put others at risk rather than admit they might actually be wrong! ARGH! I'll take kids over dogs any day!!!

Interesting call...

I just got off the phone with the pediatrition's nurse. They just got back in the office and she had been reading her notes from when they left and wanted to call and make sure everything with Nate was alright, and did anything happen. It was kind of funny in a weird sort of way. I asked her if she wanted the long version or the short version. She was blown away. Apparently some stuff happened before they left. Like the one and only pediatrition left in town wouldn't see him and was kind of rude about the whole issue of seeing another patient. Oh well... he's safe and sound and they are back and will be taking good care of him from ow on. I'll bet they don't blow me off ever again when I tell them I want him on an antibiotic!!!

Weird... just.... weird!

Kami is just weird! Really, the girl has us in stitches so often it's not even funny. She makes funny faces too. I have the funniest pictures of her and Jace, and of her and Caitlyn. Where did this strange gene come from? I'm pretty sure I am not weird! ;) Maybe it's Thayne. In fact, let's just go with that! Yep, she's Thayne's kid! My dad always asks when I am going to have my kids, since I told him MY kids would be perfect! I told him I am having Thayne's kids right now.... we all know HIS kids aren't perfect! And when I have MY kids he'll know, because they will be perfect! I am running out of options here. Maybe I am not meant to have kids! :) Nate is as close to perfect as you can get. Well, unless you count the two times he has turned my life completely upside down and had to be life flighted and spend a couple of weeks in the hospital fighting for his life. If we are being picky, then I would have to say he was Thayne's kid too! SO not fair to have to carry them for 9 months or so and then have them be their father's child. Thayne has always told me I could never leave him, because I couldn't take his kids. I told him, 'Honey, if I ever left you, you better believe I wouldn't be taking any of those kids with me!!!!" hahaha! Why would I want more than a dozen kids that look and act just like their father if I didn't really LIKE their father!?! Thank heavens I really LOVE their dad! They sure got his sick sense of humor and silliness though. Kami has started telling us stories about how disturbing something is. The home health nurse was here taking Nate's blood and she bellies up to the counter and says, "I got my tonsils out and they took blood... it was disturbing!" She then describes in great details all about the medicine they gave her that made her feel funny, and the stuff they gave her before she fell asleep and how her throat felt after the surgery. And then told us again, "It was all very DISTURBING!" Oh this child! She's really rather adorable which makes her otherwise disturbing stories kind of fun to listen to!!!

5 am

I got up and walked today at 5am. I haven't done that since the week before Nate was flown to Primary Children's. Does that mean life is getting back to normal? I could have kept sleeping. I was really tired. But I did it. I got my act together and got out the door. And realized that it is DARK again at 5am. When did that happen??? The last time I walked it was light at 5am. That's what happens when you miss half of a month sitting in a hospital room I guess.

There was also something in the air this morning that reminded me of fall. How can that be? It's not even the middle of August yet. It seems like time is flying by so quickly. I blink and another year has gone by. It's incredible. My kids are growing up much too quickly.

Today, I guess, is the first normal day in weeks. I hope I am getting back to normal anyway. The home health nurse comes for Nate's weekly blood draw. Then off to the school for Bummy's kindergarten testing. Then to the video store to open and then to town with Kinzee to school shop. She's the last one needing to get it done. Then home to work on laundry and clean, and back to town for Nate's doctor appointment. Race home after that to get dinner and head over to the middle school for Willie's 6th grade orientation. Yep... sounds like life as usual to me!!!

More pictures

And here are the last two of Nate's pictures....

Nate's 6 month pictures... a month and a half late!

I was able to get Nate in and get his 6 month pictures taken and then of course things went crazy at our house and we spent the next couple of weeks in the hospital. In all of the madness I have just left his pictures sitting on a shelf and decided I better get busy and send them to some family and frriends before it is time to send out his 1 year pictures! I really liked them all, except the one with the black background with him on his belly. But he loved getting his picture taken and cooperated so well, so I can't complain about them at all!

It's Friday... isn't it???

Yep... I can tell it's date night. You ask how I can tell??? Well... it's because I am ready to rip my hair out by the roots if one more child cries, screams, shows me a bloody body part or complains about somebody for something they might have done, real or imagined!!!

Yes, it's date night!!! Well, it will be in 5 hours and 16 minutes! It's Friday, in August, 10 days before school starts. It's hot and muggy and I have miserable children bickering over silly things and I am ready to get off and go put them all to work! Yep... work will cleanse their souls, I am sure of it. I'll bet when I have them scrubbing walls and cleaning cupboards they will suddenly think of a million things they could be doing. I have been pooped on (thank you Nate, so glad things are working but um... did you have to completely drench me???), complained to, cried on, and thrown up on today, and it isn't even lunch time! Thayne called around 5:30am to tell me he left his phone on the foot of our bed and could I please get it into town for him. He is doing a job fair. The old company he worked for suddenly shut their doors and there are a bunch of miners out of work. He is supposed to hire 20 to 30 immediately so he is working today instead of being home enjoying the children (so to speak... he would have them working too if he could hear them!!!) So, I ran the phone to town... taking two grumpy boys with me. Stopped off at the video store to get it opened. Got to deal with an issue from an upset employee who called the boss and left a not so nice message... after I was going to take care of it! ACK! Visited my mom. Got home to take care of Nate's antibiotic. That's when he pooped on me. He threw up on me before I showered. I have a million things to do and no desire to do them. I get to take Nate in for a doctor appointment. Change vehicles with Jace. Have to get 2 girls into town to go on their trip to Idaho, have dinner planned and ready for the little kids. Arrange babysitting and boy oh boy... I'M GOING OUT TO DINNER AND A MOVIE!!! I can't wait.

I guess I better go make sure Willie is doing his job. He has tormented his sister long enough so he gets to scrub the bathtub and clean the bathroom. Darn the luck, he even ruined his chance to spend the night with his cousin. Poor kid. It's rough being a preteen!!! And here Wyatt was just telling me it must be so fun to be a mom!!! :) ;) WAHAHAHAHA!!!

The What Ifs....

Sometimes the what ifs can make it hard to focus on the here and now. I was talking to a friend that works for the medical supply place that brings Nathaniel's antibiotics. Since talking to her I have had a really hard time focusing on the fact that Nate is here, and gaining his health back. Well... I am not sure that is completely true. I keep thanking my Heavenly Father that Nate is here. I was talking to this friend about all that happened to Nate. She then told me that nobody here, in the medical field, that had heard about Nate expected him to live. She told me how scared she was for him.

Yesterday Thayne was at work and had to go talk to his boss. We had seen him at the clinic the day we took Nate in and was sent over to the ER. His wife is a nurse there but they had been out in the waiting room for an appointment. He was also there last week when we took Nate in for a follow up with the doctor. He told Thayne yesterday that Nate has the most incredible spirit, that you can just see how amazing he is. And then he said, "You do know that everyone thought he was dead." That's all they could talk about, was how sick he was. The doctor even called my cell phone a couple of days later to check on us.

Another friend told me a couple of days ago that we should have named him "Miracle" but I told her that Nathaniel means "Gift From God" and that was close enough to miracle for me!!!

So... I start thinking about the what ifs. What if we hadn't gotten him in when we did. What if we had waited another hour or two. What if we had believed them when they told us it was coxsackie virus. What if... what if... what if! It make me want to double over and be sick when I think of the what ifs.

Now I need to remember to pray everyday like it is a crisis. Too often we fall to our knees the most when life is out of control and we need the blessings immediately. I think when we forget to pray like we need to completely depend on the Lord, we also forget to be grateful for the small miracles of life. Thayne was telling the kids that we don't take enough time to be grateful. The little kids take their turn saying family prayers and they ask, but more often than not they really don't take the time to say 'thank you' to the One that gives us everything. I thought a lot about my Heavenly Father while Nate was sick. I thought that as much as I love Nate, as much as I struggled to see him in pain... my love isn't even a perfect love. I do have so much to be thankful for... I have so much gratitude for all of the blessings we have in our lives. And there are so many. I know that I can't let fear rule my life. I have to forget the what ifs and be grateful for all that I have. I always tell myself that faith and fear cannot co-exist. I know that sometimes I let fear rule. But I have faith that there is a plan for me, and for my family and I need to let the what ifs always remind me to be grateful for the here and now!!!