Another Scare

Man, when it rains, it pours. I have done nothing but sad posts for weeks now. This one is no different. Carson has been complaining about a neck ache for a couple of days. I figured he just slept on it wrong and told him to stop being a baby. (I'm a bad mom) So, yesterday I barely touched his neck and he started crying and I thought, "Ok, maybe something is really wrong". So I looked more carefully at his neck and it was bulging. I took him to our family practitioner and he started asking me all these questions about how he had been feeling. I said that he had been sent home from school last Friday because of a high fever, but it went away after a couple of hours. Anyway, as I started thinking about it as he was questioning me I realized that he had been acting very odd for a couple of days. Very low energy, periodic fevers, and moodiness. I didn't even think that the the neck problem would be related to him not feeling well. The doctor said that he was very concerned because he could feel a growth on Carson's neck and with the high fevers it was something that needed immediate attention. He told me to take Carson to Sunrise Children's Hospital immediately. Carson needed blood work done and a catscan to determine what the growth was. Scary.

So Greg took him to the hospital, and I had to wait at home with the other kids with a huge pit in my stomach, just waiting to hear. After an IV, many viles of blood and a catscan (my poor baby), their diagnosis was very fear-relieving. He has an infected lymphnode. It is easily treated and nothing to worry about. If, for some reason the medication doesn't calm the lymphnode then they will have to do further tests and possibly remove it, but the doctor seemed pretty positive that it would.

There is nothing worse than not knowing what is wrong. So many possibilities run through your mind (and none of them are good), so while I was waiting for the diagnosis, I was just praying that they could determine the problem quickly and that the doctor would be thorough in his examination. My prayers were answered, I am so happy that he is going to be fine. Thanks to my friends who were so quick to call and ask if I needed help when they heard that Carson was in the hospital, I am very blessed.

Victim: Maile

Location: backyard

Culprit: slide


We were having such a nice morning. It was Carson's soccer team party in our backyard and there were about 30 people over. I had to leave the party a little early to get to my sister-in-laws baby shower, so I had just left when Greg calls my cell and tells me (very calmly) that I need to come back home because Maile has been hurt and an ambulance is coming. So I rush home and she is lying on the patio table with some bandages on her forehead and some paramedics around her and I lose it. I didn't even know what had happened but I started crying and all 30 people are all gathered around. It was not fun. Anyway, come to find out, my friend was playing with Maile and going down the slide with her on her lap. (Sound familiar Amy?) Maile must have sat up too high and WHAM! Her head nailed the top of the slide. Her forehead split open all the way to her skull.

So at the hospital the doctor checks her skull to make sure there isn't any damage (thankfully there isn't), and says that she needs some interior stitches and exterior stitches. Luckily she never passed out or vomited so she didn't even have a concussion, which is incredible considering her head nailed cement at 10 MPH. Things like this really shake you up. Even though she's ok it makes you kind of shaky and emotional the rest of the day. So now there is a standing rule with our slide, NO LAP RIDING!!


Her head hit the slide right there at the top. Very dangerous. We are so thankful that she is ok, and I'm very thankful that Greg is a good dad and was able to give Maile a blessing. We are very blessed.

Cabo Wabo

I love vacations, don't you? Nothing is better. Sure, it seems to be absolute chaos before leaving, making sure the kids are all taken care of, with their school schedule and sports schedule and nap schedule and on and on and on, and you even may wonder, "Is this worth it?" I answer with a resounding, "YES!!" The week of this vacation turned out to be complete chaos, not to mention it was the first time I was going to leave my baby over night with somebody else, I was very stressed and not sure it was going to be worth all of the work that surrounded it. And then we got there........

If this picture doesn't relax you, then you need help. We went to Cabo San Lucas with two other couples and had a most relaxing time. We rented a house right on the beach and a golf course. This is Greg in the pool right after an early morning jog. He didn't know anyone else was awake and my friend shot this picture.

We didn't relax the whole time, however, I am the type that wants to "do" while on vacation. This fact about me bothers my husband at times, he likes to "do nothing" on vacation, but luckily the people we were with wanted to "do" a little as well. We played some tennis, went zip-lining, race car driving, Wal-Mart shopping (I include this because it is quite an experience in Mexico), dinner eating and card playing. Nertz can get very physical. All in all, I would say that vacations (without the kids) are definitly worth all of the work that comes a long with it.

I would just like to say "Thanks" to Jamie and Shaun Muaina. They were so great to come down to Vegas and watch our kids. Our kids loved them and didn't even seem to care that we were gone. Which is comforting and yet quite disturbing. Jamie said that Maile fell in love with Shaun, and would just follow him around. She always had to sit by him and hold his hand and she never left his side. She said that Maile didn't even know Jamie's name the whole time, just called her "that girl", and stayed right by Shaun. It is a blessing to have good people you trust to watch your children, and we are very thankful for it. Thanks guys, once you re-group we may ask you again.

Family Photo

a couple of weeks ago we shot some photos in our backyard of Greg's family. It was pretty impromptu and it was actually quite dark, but surprisingly the photos turned out great. In this photo is Greg's two sisters and one brother and their families and his mom and stepdad, and us of course. Greg's got a pretty good looking family huh?