Glenn-i-versary

Kyson's second surgery (the Glenn) was one year ago yesterday. That means today we can celebrate being surgery free for one whole year! Kyson has come so far this year...we all have actually! I feel so very blessed.
Thursday I had the priviledge of attending the funeral service of Ethan Skidmore. I have to say that I was so impressed by his parents. His mother gave his life story and his father spoke also. I just don't know if I would have the ability to do that at my own son's funeral. They did a very good job and the Spirit was very strong in that room.
I was so grateful for this opportunity because it gave me a renewed apprecition for my children. I am deeply grateful for them but sometimes I just forget. I get busy with life and forget to appreciate and love my children like I should. We have been blessed beyond measure this past year to have Kyson doing so well and to be able to do many things together as a family.
Last night we had the adult session of stake conference in our stake. One of the speakers gave some wonderful advice that I would like to make a goal for myself. For every one thing you see you children doing wrong, find at least ten good things they are doing right and praise them for those things! I know I am guilty of only pointing out the things my children are doing wrong rather then focusing on the things they are doing right.
Here are a couple pictures of my sweet boys:

Interview

I'm sure a lot of you already know this but last week Jared got asked to come to his first interview for PA school!!! We are THRILLED, because it is to AT Still the school here in Mesa on Recker and Baseline so we wouldn't have to move. We applied to about four other schools that we are still waiting to hear from.

We are really hoping to get into school this coming year because we would like to get through the first very difficult year before Kyson's third surgery. Of course we aren't sure when the third surgery will be, but from what Dr. Alhadheri has told me, they want to push it back as long as possible. If Jared got in this year Kyson would turn three at the end of his first year and this surgery will more than likely be when he is three or four.

Jared's interview will be Oct. 16th. It seems like a long way away but I'm sure it'll come fast. Wish us luck!!!

Sweet Baby Ethan

Baby Ethan passed away last night. My heart has been so full ever since I learned of it this morning. I know I have mentioned him a couple of times on my blog and if you would like to read his story click HERE. He had the same heart defect that Kyson has, HLHS, along with some other complications so it hits very close to home for me. His mother and family have been such an inspiration to me as they have gone through so much this year. Ethan will surely be missed by so many. He was such a fighter. Please keep this family in your prayers.

So Much Fun!!!

Our overnight get-a-way was perfect! We had such a great time together. It is a memory I think we will cherish for a long time because we had so much fun. Here's all of the details for any of you interested! Sorry for horrible pictures, I was very upset about forgetting my camera and had to use my camera phone!!!

Friday we left around 4:00pm to go check into our motel and eat dinner before the Diamondbacks game. Well, our adventure started early because on our way to the motel we got a flat tire! Yes, we had to pull over and put on our donut and I got to watch as Jared used his bulging biceps to change our tire:) Well, of course the donut was practically flat too so we didn't have a choice but to get the tire fixed ASAP. Thankfully just as we pulled off the freeway there was a Walmart and after about 30 min we were on our way again.

By the time we got checked into our motel we had to head straight to the game. We decided to just pay an arm and a leg for dinner at the game. When we got there we were so excited because we had awesome seats! We even had a personal waitress order food for us and we had private bathrooms we could use. Right in front of us a few of the Diamondback players were signing autographs for a bunch of kids. Well, of course I sent Jared up there to get my glove signed!!! Well, the only one he got was Gerardo Parra, one of the outfielders. I'm sure someday it will be worth a lot!!! ha ha


The game was great fun. We just kept saying over and over, "Wow, these are awesome seats!" The Diamondbacks played really well and ended up winning the game 4-1. Once the game was over we stayed and watched the Friday night fireworks. It was so wonderful not having to worry about getting home to make sure our kids were in bed or to relieve a babysitter. We just relaxed and enjoyed our time!

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at TCEgginton's. It was Soooo good! We then did a little shopping and our last adventure was going to see Harry Potter. We got in before noon so we only had to pay $5 a person. Whoohoo!!! It turned out to be a pretty good movie too!

When we got back our kids didn't even seem to miss us (that's a good thing since I was really worried they would have a hard time.) It was so wonderful to go almost 24 hours without any kids! No screaming, no whining, no tempur tantrums...it was great! I really, truly love my kids but it was so wonderful to have time just to focus on one another. Thanks for a wonderful time Jared! I love you and have enjoyed our six years together! You are the best and I'm so grateful to have you by my side!!!

A HUGE thank you to Jamie

One year ago Friday we spent the day in the hospital for Kyson's heart cath in preparation for his second heart surgery. We ended up spending the night and were released the next day, which was Jared and my 5th wedding anniversary. Needless to say we didn't do much for our anniversary. I think we actually got out for a little bit and went to dinner together that night but we were so focused on Kyson and his surgery that it was difficult to do anything special together. Well, it's amazing what one year will do! This year we have BIG plans, well...big for us anyway! My sister Jamie is watching our kids overnight (did I just say overnight, oh yes, yes I did!!!) and I am so excited I can't wait! We are going to a Diamondbacks game and then staying at a resort in Scottsdale together. I'm not sure what we will do Saturday but no matter what we do I know we will have fun!
Most of all I want to say a HUGE thank you to my sister, Jamie. She is so wonderful for being willing to do this for us. I hope she knows how grateful we are. I have been helping her prepare her classroom for school (it started today, hope it went well Jamie!!!) in exchange but I have to say that I know I'm getting the better end of the deal.
Whoohoo, I'm so excited!!! Two more days!

Summer Days

The summer has flown by and school is almost here again! Although Jared has graduated he has one more pre-requisite he has to take to get into PA school, Anatomy and Physiology II. We applied to schools this summer and are just waiting to hear any news. It's such a long process, it's nerve racking! Jared has worked very hard to get as far as he has. There have been many bumps in the road but he has stuck with it. I just want to say that I am proud of him!

In the meantime we've been trying to stay busy doing some fun things.

First off, we got to go to the Children's Museum of Phoenix again! So much fun!
This is the famous wall of CD's right as you walk in. Kyson L.O.V.E.S. it!!! He oohs and awhs over it the whole time we are there. It's quite fascinating.

Next we headed up to the car wash (or I guess I should say "bike wash"). They love it. Too bad Caleb's legs are too short to peddle. He'll get there someday!


Caleb loves this race track. You pull the lever and the cars go flying! It's pretty awesome!

We also got to go shopping in the grocery store.


Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day:

Aren't these three boys adorable!!!


We really did have a good time and I'm sure we will go again!

During our lazy days at home (when it's so hot you don't want to step foot outside unless your headed to the swimming pool) Caleb enjoys playing with playdough, reading books, playing with cars, coloring, or playing with legos. Pretty much he loves to do anything that I will do with him. The other day we played with playdough together.

He told me he wanted to make our family. He grabbed my garlic press out of the drawer (not my favorite idea of his but I decided to just bite my tongue and let him play with it because he loves it) and made hair. He wanted everyone to have a lot of hair but I had to remind him that we are a house full of boys and only Mommy has lots of hair!


The last few days have finally been cooling off a little once the sun goes starts to go down. I've been letting the boys play outside during this time and it's been fun. Last night I grabbed the camera and took a few pictures:



Once we got back inside I realized I didn't really have any of Kyson that I liked so I took one of him. Of course it's not my favorite picture but I had to add it because I am in LOVE with his eyes!

Cardiologist and Surgeon

Last week Kyson had a visit to his cardiologist. When we go Kyson gets quite a few tests done and he is always so good about it! First they get his weight and height. Then they check his blood pressure and oxygen levels. A normal oxygen level for Kyson is the low 80's and he was reading 82 so we were happy with that. Next is his EKG. They cover his chest in "stickers" and he has to sit quite still while the test is going on. I was impressed as he just sat in my lap and didn't hardly move a muscle! Last we go into another room and get an echo (an ultrasound of his heart). I was quite worried about how this test would go because he has to lay down and be still for about 15 minutes and he won't hold still for even two minutes at home! Well, he was amazing and just laid there watching a movie and didn't hardly move. At the very end he got upset but they were almost finished so they got everything they needed. Yay!

At the end Dr. Alhadheri came in and told me that everything is looking good. The biggest concern his the leak in his tricuspid valve. They were hoping it would correct itself overtime as his heart began to heal. Well, it hasn't gotten worse but it hasn't gotten any better either. This means they will probably have to go back into his heart during the third surgery to try and correct it, which makes the surgery a lot more risky. I am very nervous about this last surgery but I try not to think about it as it probably won't happen for a couple more years. Right now we are just enjoying our sweet boy and are so grateful for him!

Speaking of surgery, last week I got a letter from Phoenix Children's hospital telling us that Kyson's surgeon has moved to the hospital in San Fransico and they have given us a new surgeon, Dr. Pearl. I was soooo sad to hear this news...we really liked Dr. A. We felt confident in his abilities. I don't want someone else that I don't know anything about. I don't think I ever met Dr. Pearl although I had heard his name previously. I want to ask any of our "heart friends," if they have any suggestions for us? Has anyone had any interaction with Dr. Pearl? Is there another surgeon in the Phoenix area that we should look into? I don't know if we even have an option but if we do I want to look into it now. I really would appreciate any advice that anyone has for us.

Overall Kyson is doing great. I don't know if I've mentioned yet that he is pretty much walking all over the place now! It was a very gradual process from crawling to walking but he is getting more confident every day. He is saying quite a few words but I think his two favorite are ball and cracker. He LOVES balls. When he wakes up in the morning or after a nap, the first thing I usual hear is "ball...ball...ball." I think he loves balls because he loves to throw things. He will throw ANYTHING including food, toys, books, cars...pretty much anything he gets his hands on! He is such a fun-loving kid and we are so grateful to watch him grow and develop. We sure love him!