Santa came!

From our family to yours

We wish you the best of Holiday Seasons!

Christmas Eve

We were lucky enough to spend Christmas Eve with our friends the Widmers.

JoAnne and I have had all of our babies with in months of each other, and our most recent additions are only weeks apart. 

We shared a yummy turkey dinner, then the kids exchanged gifts, and lastly we decorated our cookies for Santa.  Mason did such a good job, I'm sure he gave Santa heart burn!

Mason and his creation

Miles and Addilyn decorating and tasting

Mason and Maeli... Every cookie had to be perfect!

Our newest additions Maddox and Ray IV

Such a great night, we had a blast with some of our oldest friends!

Last Christmas

Our dearest friends know about how awful last Christmas was for us...  I'm going to record what I remember here, so that we have a record of the events for Miles in years to come.

Just thinking about last year makes my heartache...

I had got off from work a little early and snuck home to clean and straighten our place before I picked up the kids from Daycare.  When I got a call from the daycare that Miles had had a seizure and was unresponsive.  I raced to his daycare to find 5 workers standing around his room watching him, all looking terrified.  I was sick, heart stopping, gut clenching sick... I walked to his room and he was playing and acting like a champ...   I asked for a full account from the women who had found him:

He was playing inside one of the houses with a little girl, the worker heard the girl call his            name over and over.  The checked to see what was going on and found him slumped against the wall, his eyes rolled back in his head and he was unresponsive.  He came right out of it, acting as though nothing had happened.

I quickly packed he and Mason out to the car and called my friend Kristy, I let her know what had happened and asked her to take Mason.  I then called Micah who was out of town in AZ for work and sobbed for him to come home.  He got on the next flight into Portland.  Next I called my friend Stephanie who works as an ER nurse at our local hospital, she was working at a different hospital that night but she called friends who were working and asked them to check on Miles and I.

I got to the hospital and they observed Miles for several hours and then sent us home.

Micah made it it home late that night, our good friend Kenny drove 4 hours round trip to pick Micah up and bring him to me.  When he finally got home well late that night, I sobbed into his arms.  You seenI had just finished my Anatomy and physiology requirements to apply for Nursing programs.  I knew enough about seizures to be terrified for Miles, but not enough to actually do anything constructive to help him.

We went to our Ped Dr Kordesch the next day and she cleared her schedule so we could really talk about how we were and what we needed to do.  After hoarding an hour of her time, she gave me her personal cel phone number and asked to call her day or night if he had another.

He did.

With the second seizure We went back to the ER and they observed him and sent us home.  We waited through several more (with each new seizure I became more hysterical) and during an awful episode, where I felt like he was trying to talk to me but couldn't, we took him back in.

Our ER doc was a little floored that we has our doctors private cel phone number and did a quick consult with her over the phone and admitted us.  The hell truly began then.

He seized over and over again daily.  It was so very terrible that I thought we were going to loose him, he went from one seizure a day to multiple seizures a day in 4 days.   We went through test after test after test each one more inconclusive than the last.  He was put on insane Meds, phenobarbital, depakote... And each med made him comatose for long periods of time and then he would wake up and we would repeat the seizing and testing until his dosage was so hi that they couldn't go any higher.  We were in our local hospital for 6 days, until they realized that his seizure weren't interrupting his brain waves, they stopped his mobility and communication, but not his  brain waves.

We had more questions than answers and we were sent home with a heavily medicated little boy, with no idea what was wrong or how to fix it.

My parents had come in the middle of all this and stayed at our place, taking over Masons care and our home while Micah and I lived at the Hospital with Miles.   We decided that my parents should takes Mase home with them as we had no idea how much longer this was going to go on.

We got home on the 23rd of December, Micah and I took turns running around buying presents trying to put together some kind of  Christmas, poor Miles was a zombie through most of the time we were home.  Micah flew out on my birthday to bring Mason home.  Several hours after he left Miles developed a rash, several hours after that we were back in the ER for a major allergic reaction.   Miles was on several types of drugs and since we didn't know what was causing his reaction I pulled him off everything.

Back at square one, there was nothing else our Hospital could do for us.  We were sent to Portland, to OHSU. I drove through the night to Portland exhausted and scared, Miles even full of Benadryl stayed awake and helped me stay awake to make it there. It was either I drive him or he be transported by ambulance, I was terrified of being separated from him so I drove.

 Every test we had done previously was repeated.  The blood draws were constant it seemed and Miles would cry every time the nurses entered his room... It got to the point that a nurse informed me of my right to refuse.  At this point they couldn't find a vein to draw from, his arms and legs were bruised and we were down to milking blood from pokes in his toes.  I refused all draws then and there... Without an express explanation of the necessity of the draw and without first communicating with the other doctors to makes sure said test hadn't already been run or couldn't be added onto something already being tested.

We were at OHSU from the 28th to the 31st.  Our doctors there came to the same conclusion, he wasn't having seizures... He was having seizure like events (say what). What ever he was going through was not disturbing his brain waves.  We were sent home to observe from home his "events" and referred back to our original ped neurologist.

I refused all possible meds for Miles and we went home.  To this day, we have no idea what caused his "events" or if they will come back.  Miles recovered on his own.

I live in constant fear that he will start again.  Every time he doesn't answer me my stomached clenches a little and I worry...

I built a lot of forts while we were in Portland... He felt safer in his forts!

During his 2nd EEG (it took 3 long hours to attach each wire, I restrained him through each placement)

I had a baby... Again!

Maddox Kellen Clinger Joined our family on October 30th

He wasn't due until Nov 3, but he decided to join us a little early!

We had a rough start, he and I struggled with all things newborn, but we persevered!

The Langworthy's took the boys overnight and they had a blast watching little Mermaid and eating pizza!  

Kristy woke up in the middle of the night hearing someone down stairs.  She yelled from the top of the stairs "I'm up here". And Miles came running sobbing and screamed at her to "GO TO BED."  She yelled back, "No, you go to bed," Miles walked up the stairs and went to bed... Such a funny kid!

Mad Max, has no patience with us, he yells the moment he realizes he needs something.  He snorts and grunts all night long.  Poor Micah moved to the spare room just to get a decent nights sleep.  unfortunately the boys have had no issue with the extra noise and are still hanging out in our bed?..

We are all enjoying the adjustment of a new member to our family and Max has a jumping through hoops already to get a glimpse of one of his smiles.

Summer 2013 in review

So sorry it been a while!  Here's a quick summer 2013 in review!

We enjoyed as many lazy mornings as we could

Mason started school shopping in July

We ate a lot of Ice Cream to stay cool

The boy took a month of swim lessons.  Miles has no fear and gave me and his teachers lots of heart attacks ( they brought an assistant in to assist in his class of 3).  Mason will almost put his head in the water.  

We visited my parents for a week, and spent Mason's birthday with family!  

( Mason and Riley)

Miles got a kick out of Grandma Maxine.  She laughed at all his jokes, and he at hers!

Oh my its been a while

I have big hopes to update and maintain the blog... and if wished were fishes we'd all cast our nets!

My guys say hello!

Pre Valentines... weekend celebration

We had a cookie decorating shindig at our house.  Kristy brought Hayley and Gracie over dressed as disney princesses and the kids frosted a couple of cookies, ate their weight in icing  (butter cream...mmmm), and then ran around the house enjoying their sugar high! 

My treadmill made the best; stage, fort, jungle gym, and homebase you ever did see.

Miles kept trying to touch bellys with everyone... Cinderella (Hayley) told him that "belly buttons were yucky!"  Kristy heard that and promptly belly bumped Miles... he was so tickled!

My boys love Kristy, they know she gets home about 15 mins after we do, so they well watch at the window and wave as she drives past  (im not gonna lie, she spoils them... its all bribery)

Miles decided he was a princess too... he sure has the gams for heels!

Micah's favorite part was the ring her accessorized with!

You'd think the kid were winding down here... nope!

Mason was trying to hind under the blanket and tickle everyones feet!

The Great Bearded Wonder

Micah decided to grow a beard... I love it!

He thinks its so funny to give the boys "whiskers"... he rubs his face against the boys faces and they giggle like loons!

I love this man!

The ER is a happy place...

Wooden train tracks do not make rings!

Mason came to me with his finger stuck in a wooden track, he kept saying "mama pwetty STUCK" nothing worked!  We tried Vaseline, veggie oil, dawn, KY, ice bath... you google it, it tried it! 

His finger started to swell, so I called Kristy to watch Miles (thanks Langworthy fam), then I called Micah to meet me at the ER, and then I called my friend Steph who works in the ER as an RN to get us right in (I'm all about favors in emergencies), she was however in working at another hospital (darn you steph!)  She sent a bunch of texts full of advice.

We got to the ER and Mason work the Nurses like a pro, they snuck us into one of the exam rooms, had a paramedic/fireman take a peek.  We all distracted Mason (Mic arrived right at this moment) and the guy popped it right off! 

WE SURVIVED OUR FIRST TRIP TO THE ER!!

Christmas

We had a fabulous Christmas!  It was simple and family centered, it was wonderful...

The boys got a train table and every Thomas the Train known to man... They were over the moon! 

What Christmas morning is complete without this classic movie!

This is my dear friend Jen!  We had Christmas dinner at there house... she is the perfect surrogate aunt!  She is my emegency contact when the boys are sick, she has lots of fun animals, and she always has goodies for the boys!  What kid could ask for more?

Cookies!

I made sugar cookies that I meant to take around to all our friends (I didn't, but I meant too), we took some with us for Christmas dinner, but other than that we used them as bribs to get Mason to use the toilet.

I frosted a ton of cookies and still had a bunch left over, thank goodness Mason was willing to finish for me!

This was the cookie he made...

He thought it was perfect!  Then he didn't fall asleep until after midnight!

The Train Wreck Tree

I love having a fresh tree in the house, I love the smell of it and the way it makes Christmas a reality.  I grew up with real trees, (even though my parents have since sold out and gone with the fake pre-lit tree) some of my favorite childhood memories are putting up the tree.

I loved out tree this year and Miles had some serious love for it too!

He actually tried to climb it when we first put it up (TIMBER), I have no idea where he got that idea!

When he realized up wasn't an option he figured down was just as good, so the rest of his time with the tree was spent pulling it down. 

The lights and ribbons where constantly hanging off

I bought a train to try and get the  boys attention off the tree, they had it busted by the end of the week... I left the poor broken cars lying under the tree.

Mason decided to add his cars as decoration to the tree... I found all sorts of goodies in the tree as I took it down.

I'm pretty sure there was never such a well loved tree!

Some real shotty work..

We decided that a new tradition was called for this year...  Ginger bread house building!  

In theory it was the perfect activity to do with the kids.

I found a kit, and we followed the directions and got everything ready to build, I had visions of the boys making adorable little windows, and a candy cane lane (anytime I have a vision of how something should go, it always does the opposite!)

Miles was so dang mad he was strapped down.    I finally gave him a taste of the frosting, he was such a good little boy after.

Mason liked the frosting so much he decided to be a bit more creative with it... 

He's a dead ringer for santa!

  

 He got pretty serious, and decide to decorate the candy with frosting before he put it on the house...

Our master piece was so top heavy it needed to be braced with boxes of mac and cheese.

Unfortunately, even the macaroni couldn't save our future vacation home...

We've decided next year we're going big... rice crispy bricks big!

On a happy note, the next morning I came downstairs to find the boys had dug the house out of the trash and were eating it (thank goodness I had had Micah take out the trash the night before, so there weren't and potato peels hanging off it)

Catch up

Life has been really busy around here (honestly, i keep wondering why we are so crazy)  Life was really nuts around finals week, I procrastinated an online class until that week.  I had planned on spending the week hunkered down reading and testing like a made woman...  I did that, but I also got called into work because everyone got sick (double damn)  I worked and studied and on thursday I thought I was done ... I reread the syllabus to be sure and found I had miss read the final project.  At midnight I discovered I had a 10 page paper due at 5pm Friday evening, that I hadn't started (um oh poop).  I dropped the kids at daycare and in 5 hours wrote some of the best BS of my life, I turned the paper in at 4:36 PM.   

I got full credit and an A in the class (oh yeah)    

 We finally got out with the Langworthy's for a double, and this is what we came home to.

How sweet is it that he's holding her arm in his sleep!

I tried my hand at baking... not too shabby!

Miles was my helper, he was the best spoon licker I've ever seen, he is also a stealer of ingredients

He knows to go for the good stuff

I love his I didn't do it face

I whined alot about our across the street neighbor, whose house looked like this 2 weeks before Christmas!  I'm serious, I was going a little crazy!

Thanksgiving

We changed our plans kind of last minute (sorry Kellie), and decided to stay home and have some family time.  Micah has been so busy with work and traveling that we haven't had much time together as a family.  In fact he has been gone 3 of the last 4 weeks.  Life is incredibly busy!  

Any who, back to thanksgiving, we stayed in Eugene and I cooked  (AAAHHHH)  and I burned the bacon for the green beans, and that was it!!!  Don't worry I had more bacon and I had plenty of little fingers and a couple of big ones that were happy to take the crispy bacon off my hands!  Seriously, I didn't ruin one darn piece of our dinner!  

We enjoyed our time together so much, so very much!  We played games and worked with Mason on his speech.  We built forts, and wrestled... we enjoyed cars 2 for the millionth time... and for the most part we just enjoyed finally being together and having time to enjoy each other! 

I don't have one picture to share, I didn't once pick it up!  I was busy loving my family and building a few treasure memories.

I hope you all had a wonderful vacation, and that your treasure chest of memories grew too!