Life is Funny!

Ever just need to just laugh? I do and I seem to find it in the strangest places. Cartoons and funny pictures seem to say it best for me--like this one.

I've been saving some of the funnier ones I've found because they remind me of one of the kids, our crazy life, or are just plain funny. I have found some that somehow exactly put a finger on what some of my frustrations are. I'm sure many of my next blog entries will be illustrated by funny cartoons...because sometimes they convey the message a little better then words.

This necklace cracks me up...because it's tinged with a bit of truth. [And I think of the friends over the years that have slipped meds into their kids applesauce or chocolate milk....] Sermons and great stories can be written about these sharp-witted one-liners. And this one lends itself to some of the appointments we've recently had trying to figure out one of our kids and what makes him tick. Parents can be the greatest therapists, enablers or disablers in a person's life. And sometimes they just have to guide those super powers until their lives really take off.

And speaking of therapists...

Sometimes we can get so frustrated that we need to let off a little steam. We always put on the "happy-go-lucky" face when we are in public. But sometimes the masks come off and the usually calm and moderate selves become sirens. Screeching is not always the most effective means of restoring sanity...but somehow, often with the release of the pressure that is brewing, we feel better. I think it's called being HuMaN.

And sometimes we just need a friendly ear to listen. "I need to talk" usually means "I need you to listen..." Solutions and answers aren't part of the prerequisites. Things happen to irritate us all the time. We know all about Selective hearing. Selective answers. Selective behaviors. And sharing our selections with someone goes a long way.

I laughed when I saw this card because sometimes we just want our partners and kids to validate our frustrations and that doesn't always happen and then we seem to go into subliminal auto-pilot. And the irony of the card is that it becomes reality!

Then we clean up, and move on, right? And speaking of that...

You would not believe the number of times that a door slams in our house,after someone flies through, only to be followed by--"I NEED some toilet paper!!" being yelled through a cracked door.

That's when you want to your boy scouts to understand that "be prepared" is more than just a catchy motto--but more of a lifestyle choice. I doubt this will be an issue when they start dating...and if they want to keep those treasured memories filed away from future mates--they should make better choices now.

One of my chitlins is addicted to the Food Network. There's a couple of voices that are becoming very familiar around the house. Paula Deen and Guy Fieri. All I have to do to get his attention or to rile up the said addict is to make fun of Paula's accent or ask if he wants his food with a stick of butta.... He blushes like crazy and gives me a cursory grin. He really likes her! And maybe he'll take his love of food and do something "chefly" or fun, like Guy, with it.

So this picture of Paula as "queen" of the world is particularly funny because the caption should say: "I'm FLYING, Y'All!!"

Ever wonder what happened to some of the favorite cartoon characters? The Little Mermaid came out when I was a senior in high school. So that makes Ariel, Disney's famous Little Mermaid, the same age as me. And that means she should be ALL grown up and well on into her happily ever after. Somehow I doubt she has any difficult kids or issues with her Mormon, I mean Merman ;)

And speaking of my man...

He could turn me on a little more...but he's definitely a gem among men. This cartoonist was being satirical, but that's what makes it so funny--because it's a little too true. There's something strangely endearing about a man that does the dishes...or funds the passions.

This one is slightly more humorous, if not the cause of some mental angst, for Jeff. The sidenote for this clip said that it was the international sign for marriage. [Truthfully, I think that's a little derogatory when it's applied to the blessed state of matrimony...but when it's applied to the number one issue in my marriage--it takes on a lighter tone, as it is a constant topic of conversation in our household.] I can still see the humor through the disillusionment.

Cartoons really take into account how life can be very funny...regardless of what's going on. A sense of humor makes every day a little more enjoyable, despite the worries. Sarcasm is nothing more than quick-wittedness. It's edgy, frank, and tainted with a little bit of honesty--and definitely apart of my busy days.

Update the Blog, Mom!

The wheels on the car go round and round...but the motor in the window doesn't. And somebody took it upon themselves to fix it. Actually it was the driver's side window that broke, but until we have some extra cash to get a new motor, Jeff is swapping the motor from one of the passenger windows for now.

Cameron's pretty good with the mechanics of how things work and Dad decided to let him have a little experience. Talk about letting a kid loose in a candy store! And with all the running around to do this week--it's always nice to have a window that works.

Today, one of the kids told me that I needed to update the blog. I guess he was tired of reading the last blurb over and over. Jeesh! As if I don't have anything else to do ;) Lots has been going on, yet not of anything worth taking pictures of and elaborating too much on, or so I thought...until now.

My week sounds like the same old story over and over...just with different kids taking the passenger seat. "I took Cameron to the doctor." "I took Braden to the doctor." "I took Jessica, Nathan, and Cameron to the orthodontist." "Taking Ashley to the orthodontist." "Taking Braden, Cameron and Jessica to the dentist...." "I took Braden and Nathan to the eye doctor...." Well, actually, I got out of that trip because Dad had to get his eyes checked too and saved me that drive since I was picking Ashley up from the girls' camp meeting on the north side. So what it comes down to is--I drive, I drive, I drive!

Nathan is now scheduled with an pediatric infectious disease team here in Spokane. Haven't decided how to handle the Spokane surgeons yet. We are still dealing with the team at the Mayo via the phone. They've ordered scripts for x-rays and blood work. Those are coming up soon and then the results will be mailed back to them for review and progress. I got a little frustrated with the global billing side of the THR and thought it would be cheaper to fly (NOT drive!) Nathan back to the Mayo in Minnesota. I think we finally have a way around that, but we are on our own for a few weeks until the 12 week billing ends. Today marked 4 weeks from cut day and it was also the first day in months without pain killers! He's still a little whiny, but on his own as far as pain control.

After some less invasive kind of appointments, we learned that he definitely comes from our gene pool...and is getting glasses. They should be in next week. (Now, when I thin him down a bit, he'll look like Clark Kent). Every time he goes to the dentist or orthodontist from now on...he gets to take an antibiotic beforehand--for the rest of his life. Yep. Good stuff. I still have to get him scheduled for his physical "therapy-a-thon". We're months from a "full" recovery, but at least we are heading in the right direction. So bye, bye muscle atrophy, arthritis and painful limps. Hello walking, Mr Nathan, even if it means more driving! (Like I said: drive, drive, drive).

Cameron is done with his battery of testing at Sacred Heart. We will start educating ourselves on his specific needs and then I'm sure we will continue to drive, drive, drive. So far he's one of the lucky ones, and still has 20/20 sight (unless he's agitated) and his hearing just fine, or should I say...only has issues with selective hearing.

Braden got bombarded with all kinds of change coming his way. We started out the week by meeting with his audiologist and doing some new testing. His hearing loss is getting more profound and has finally reached the point where we need to make some decisions. We have an appointment in a few weeks with an ENT specialist and will also be repeating a series of hearing tests before we decide which kind of hearing device would work best for him. After that morsel, he was on to the opthamologist and got some more bad news. He needs glasses. He's not quite as bad as Nathan, but close, considering he's two years younger. But with the whirlwind of expenses, we are going to wait a till school starts to get his pair...which won't be too long, since his school starts August 13th, this year! Poor kid. His hip is driving him crazy and it's a good thing we'll be seeing Dr Tompkins in a few weeks. And even with Ashley's braces coming off in a couple of weeks, Braden is going to have to wait awhile to start working on his chompers. It looks like he's an over-achiever in the bum department, but we'll get him straightened out yet!

And inbetween all those trips, I still managed to see my chiropractor and go with Jeff to his MRI. Bulging discs...Yeah! He made it through without the mild-altering drugs, this time!

And in between all the trips around town, someone made a trip to see us on Wednesday night. I must have an "S" emblazoned on my chest (for scouts...of course. Whadya think it stood for???) Yep. Cheers! Here's to being a den leader again. I'm going to love it and can't wait to start. But this area we're in is a little more spread out then what I've been used to in the past. Driving?

Jeff has an exciting bit of news that he wants to mull over for a few days. (Nope. No cub scout assistant-ships for him this time!) I'm sure he'll love it and we can "car pool" most of the time. The kids are definitely keeping us running around. If nothing else, we are doing a lot of......driving!

Dancing Queen

You can tell that the school year is winding down because it seems like everything started going 20 mph faster than usual. Tonight was pack meeting, Court of Honor, Young Women, and dance lessons--picture night, no less. It was impossible to be everywhere at the same time, so I decided to go the "extra mile" (literally) and headed north with our dancing queen, leaving Jeff to juggle the scout meetings.

It seems like we were just going to dance recitals just last week, and not last year, already. As I was getting her hair ready, Jessica was telling me how much she likes dance. I was thinking that our dancing days were done this year...and she'd be moving on to the next great chapter in lessons.......piano. But we'll have to see how things go and see if there's a studio closer to home.

Tap and Hip Hop have been a lot of fun for Jessica. She's definitely got some rhythm and she's not afraid to move it!

Band...and...Orchestra

We were home for less than 24 hours when it was off to a district band concert for Cameron. With the delay in Minnesota, he was worried he'd miss it. But he was in luck. I asked him if he was prepared with missing practice for a couple of weeks. He was rather confident that they missed him more than he missed them.

There was a couple hundred elementary kids playing. As part of the concert, they enjoyed a great performance by the high school's jazz band. It was almost like de ja vu, though. We spent the night before we left, in April, at a district orchestra concert for Ashley.

There were 500+ students performing all at once...and that was phenomenal! I have NEVER seen an music program that is as large as this districts! The number of performers is a testimony to strong parental and teacher involvement. They see the value of music as a part of the academic experience.

The "Strolling Strings" was the best high school student performance I've heard in years of attending district functions. I can't wait for Ashley to participate in that group. She will love the opportunity to hone her ability to play and perform the viola, but also to travel and compete around the country. So much good FUN for her and the other kids yet to come!

Mother's Day Weekend

Jeff and I would normally go out to lunch on the Saturday before Mother's Day, but after eating on the road for the last 2 1/2 weeks, we spent it at home. [I have promises of the Olive Garden for next weekend, though.] Things were very peaceful and productive around the house. Ashley got an invitation to spend the day with her best friend and her family, while the rest of us started on projects in the yard.

Jeff put the boys to "work"...weed-eating around the back yard, while he mowed away. For the boys, it's not really "work" since they beg to help. It pays to have two machines too and two able-bodied boys.

Braden went around the floor beds, while Cameron headed for the trees and rocks. Braden went strong until his leg started hurting him.

From the deck, I caught Cameron working the swells of grass around the trees. After an hour, Jeff realized that two weed-eaters wasn't up to the job at hand.

So he and Cameron headed to Lowe's to get a bigger field mower. I told him that we should just fence the back off and put in a couple of goats. He might consider that if it takes another 4 hours to mow the backyard next weekend.

A fenced backyard was on Molly's mind too. She watched the whole process from the bedroom window.

As our Mother's Day tradition for the last few years, Jeff bought me all the flowers I wanted for the planter boxes and pots for the front porch. He and Jessica even planted them for me on Sunday morning. They are gorgeous and smell wonderful.

I got out of bed too early for my love to bring me breakfast there :) The kids had their homemade gifts from school to give me. Braden made an water color that was laminated. Jessica and Cameron made bath salts and hanging crafts.

Nathan and Cameron picked out some fun gifts for Mother's day while we were staying at the Ronald McDonald house. They thought they were really clever for getting them home without me knowing what they were...courtesy of a black garbage bag. The picture frame, teddy bear, cards, and perfume were all intact.

Ashley performed in a stake youth music program Sunday evening, called "I Believe". It was a presentation of orchestra, band, and choir students performing an ensemble of songs and narrations that exemplified their values and beliefs. It was wonderful. She played the viola and sang in the choir. She's very talented and it was awesome to see 50-60 other kids that were just as gifted.

It was a wonderful weekend...and indeed, I am one lucky mother.

The Best Medicine

We were late getting home last night. After our four hour layover in Denver, we boarded the plane first, only to find that a yappy poodle was boarding the plane as well. It must have really irritated the flight attendants and pilot, because we waited on the tarmac until the canine's owner and her baggage were booked onto another flight. Apparently two hours with a yapper was going to be too long for our flight crew. So we were over half an hour late getting into Spokane. The anticipation was high as we finally got home, and so was Nathan's pain levels. He spent most of his day sitting and moving through airports with lots of luggage in tow. [But now we can say that we made it!] The way he got patted down and checked by TSA, you'd think he was up to no good these last few days, instead of having major surgery. Why they have to put their hands on somebody's fresh incision is beyond me!

The dog was just as excited to see him. After their midnight lap session, it was off to bed and a much needed uneventful night. I think that Nathan is actually keeping it together pretty well considering that he just had his femoral head sawed off and removed, and now has a 12"+ incision that is only steri-stripped and glued shut. He's quite perky this morning with two of his favorite medicines....Molly and the XBOX.

You'd never know we were gone for two weeks with all the usual events going right back onto our daily routine. Jessica burst in to our room just before 7 with all kinds of excitement to see me. "What did you bring me?" was the little whisper I heard in my ear as I was waking up. Jeff went in late to work today so that he could get the kids off to school while I helped Nathan. We weren't expecting the super-gusher bloody nose that he had, but we're lucky the office chair has wheels and got him to the bathroom. I'll have to get on those wheel chair prescriptions so that we can get him as mobile as possible until he's up and walking again.

All of our furniture is too low for Nathan to sit on. He needs to be very careful for the next couple of months so that he doesn't dislocate or compromise the hip's healing process. He'll never be able to cross his legs at the knee or sit in lower chairs unless his knees remain wide a apart. He has to be careful about how he gets up, sliding to the edge of the chair first, before rising. I think that most of these things will become habit later, as he gets used to what he's supposed to do.

He's glad to be home. The doctor said he could go back to school in about a week. I don't think that was what Nathan was expecting to hear...but it was music to my ears :)

Last Night in Minnesota

Our Mayo experience is coming to an end. It feels like we've been here a year and not almost 9 days! Overall, it's been a great experience to be a part of the medical marvels and miracles that go on here. Here at the Ronald McDonald house we've met families who's kids are here for heart transplants, chemotherapy, gastroenterology studies, growth clinics, and various other surgical reconstructions. The vehicle licenses in the parking lot tell a bigger story of how far people have come to see the doctors here.

Nathan got clearance from all his doctors to leave the hospital today. The bacterias are still growing, but stayed at just three...and so they feel confident that we are fighting them the best way we can with the oral antibiotics, and we can do that anywhere, right? We'll have to have more blood work and x-rays in a few weeks to make sure that his body is fighting the bacteria so that it doesn't attack his new hip. Bacteria and infection lend themselves extraordinarily well to artificial joints and prosthetics. But we didn't come all this way to have some bacteria compromise the new hip. That bad boy better stay good for 20 years, sans infection!!

He has classic surgical hose that he has to wear for six weeks and an arsenal of meds...and generally, a good attitude, when he's not sleeping off his narcotic haze. (Don't kid him about men in tights...he doesn't think it's funny).

He's loving the Sleep Number bed at the Ronald McDonald house. He was very pleased to finally get comfortable on his good side. A walker was delivered to the hospital today for help transitioning him home. I'm not sure how that's all going to work yet, because I only have 2 arms...but I have to remind myself that is why we have the brother that's just a minute younger, along for the ride.

The boys both wanted to see a movie this afternoon at the theater near the hotel. The Avengers was playing during the "rush hour" special. I wasn't sure if Nathan was up for it, but he assured me he was...or at least the kid that was high on oxys thought so at the time. Great movie. And only one downside to going: a physically-challenged kid in pain that has to go to the bathroom right now with only mom to help. So I dragged his wheelchair into the ladies restroom and I heard how embarrassing it was for him the entire time we were in there...actually all three times we were in there ;)

I caught Cameron doing his homework tonight. Good thing, right? More like it's about time! He got an extra four days here, and he's still not done. He's the ultimate procrastinator. And then he had the audacity to whine that Nathan hadn't done any of his yet! Oh--as if!!

Tomorrow we start the journey home. There's going to be lots of sitting and rolling around, not to mention that we'll be getting our lost two hours back. (Yea...here's to waking up at 7am, but it's really 5am!) I have this little wish that I can keep it together for 1500 miles with a kid that's either high or in pain, 4 pieces of luggage, 3 busy airports, 2 carry-ons, and one wheelchair. (Almost sounds like a song....) I'm arming myself with a slew of pain killers, blood thinners, extra rubber gloves...and a cold coca cola (post TSA scans, of course). It might take all day, but we're ready to come home!