Fixing the Yard

Our poor yard has really taken a beating over this last year.  With all the tractors and trucks that had driven on it, we were left with some really large ruts and very compacted soil.  We wanted to wait till they were completely done before we fixed it, so we spent all summer with a horrible looking yard.  But, they are finally done with our construction, so we tackled fixing our yard - finally.  We rented a giant rototiller, and plowed up all of the ruts and spots that were hard pan.  It was a lot of work, and I got some giant blisters from trying to control the machine, but we got it all tilled up.  Then we spent the rest of the day picking out clumps of grass and raking the soil smooth (in preparation for sod).  It was a lot of work, and the kids really didn't like being forced to work. 

While the older kids grumbled about having to work, Kate was more than happy to hop in and do her share.

This little girl was in heaven, playing in the dirt all day.  She's an outside girl at heart.  (The pictures conceal the layer of dirt that covered her body.)

We spent the entire day working to get the yard prepped for sod.  After we got finished, we loaded up and went out to our friend Randy's house to pick peaches.  The kids enjoyed picking peaches much more than they enjoyed picking clumps of grass.

And this is how Owen ended his day.  He got out of the tub, and was too tired to even put clothes on.  Call me crazy, but I love these types of days.  I love the feeling of having done hard physical work.  I spent 6 summers hoeing weeds all day in potato fields, and loved feeling at the end of the day that I had put in a hard day's work.  I want to teach my kids to cherish that feeling, but so far I haven't been very successful.

Owen's Surgery

The end of August, Owen went in for an outpatient surgery.  When he finally decided to potty train this Spring, we quickly noticed that he peed off to the side.  He would point his body straight, but the stream would come out at a 45 degree angle.  One of the men in our bishopric is a urologist, so I asked him about it.  He explained that sometimes the skin grows together over the end, causing that.  He assured me that there was a simple procedure that could fix it, and advised we should do it while Owen is still little.  He gave the name of a pediatric urologist, and off we went to the "pee doctor".  I explained to Owen that he would get to show this doctor how well he could pee, and he was very excited about the whole thing. 

When we went to our appointment, she agreed that he needed surgery, and scheduled us for surgery the following week.  Her waiting room is full of toys, so he was excited to get to go back again.  The day of our surgery, we got to report to the surgical center (instead of her office), but thankfully it was set up with toys too.  Owen played away as he waited to be called back.  Kendi took care of Kate that morning, so Scott could be there with me to get Owen all settled.  I was happy to have Scott by my side.  Even though everyone had told me this would be simple, I still was nervous about sending my sweet little boy into surgery.

Finally it was our time to head back.  Owen got a gown to wear, and made himself cozy on his special bed with wheels.

His pre-op nurse, Bill, was such a sweet man, and had us all feeling very at ease. 

Owen got to pick the flavor he wanted put into his mask, and then got to practice smelling it.  He picked Orange Cream, but kept telling us that it smelled like chicken.

We met with his surgeon (the pee doctor), and with the anesthesiologist.  They all explained things very well, and Owen charmed them all with his sweet personality.

Finally it was off to surgery.  Scott headed home to put Kate down for a nap, and I was left to wait till he was out of surgery.  It only took about 15 minutes, then the doctor came out to tell me that everything had gone well and went over post op instructions.  Then she sent me back out to the waiting room to wait till he started to wake up. 

After about 10 more minutes, they came to say he was waking up, and brought me back to see him.  That was the hard part.  He didn't wake up well.  He wasn't really coherant, and was thrashing around on the bed in pain.  I tried my best to calm him, but he wasn't calming down.  It was rough.  I think most moms would have been freaking out and break down seeing their child in so much pain, but I held it together.  Another nurse came over, and I heard our post-op nurse say, "Mom has 7 kids, so she's totally chill".  That made me smile.  The surgery was so quick, they didn't have time to start an IV (just anesthesia through the mask), so they couldn't give him pain medication through the IV.  They ordered some medicine for him to take orally, and got him settled down enough to drink it.  Once they got the medicine in him, they rolled him away to a room with a TV, so he could watch cartoons to help calm him down.  Between the pain medication and the TV, it did the trick, and he settled down.  He still was uncomfortable, and still out of sorts, but he got better and better over then next hour. 

They brought a Popsicle for him that he ate, and I got him to drink some water.  He had to go into surgery on an empty stomach, so he hadn't eaten anything since the night before.  One of the post op instructions was to push fluids.  They said it would sting for the first few days every time he went pee, so if we could push fluids so his pee would be diluted, it would help with the stinging. 

I asked him if he could manage a smile to send to Dad, and this is what I got. 

Another Popsicle.  By this time, they were getting ready to send us home, but wanted to see him pee before they let him go.

I asked Owen if he needed to pee, and he said he thought he did.  He got out of bed (he insisted on doing it himself), and walked to the bathroom.  As he stood in front of the toilet, I watched my little three year old turn white, and I knew he was about to get sick.  He turned to took at me for help, then threw up all over himself, the floor, and the side of the toilet.  I held him as he threw up over and over, then the nurse and I cleaned him and the bathroom up, and sent him back to bed. 

We waited a half hour, then started over with getting him to drink water and juice.  After another hour, with him keeping those fluids down, he was able to get up and pee.  He winced a little in pain as he peed, but was a trooper and made it through.  They gave us the go ahead to load up and go home.  This little red wagon, that transported him out to the suburban, was his favorite part of the morning. 

On the drive home, Owen got sick again and threw up.  Thankfully, I had brought a bag with me from the hospital, and he was good about using it, so we avoided a big mess.  Poor little boy!

When we got home, he asked for Macaroni.  I figured that if that sounded good, he must be feeling a little better.  He ate it and kept it down, and didn't get sick again.  The next week he healed amazingly fast.  He was in very little discomfort, and he could pee straight!  But even more than peeing straight, his "flow" is greatly improved.  He used to take 5 minutes to pee, and I used to think he just had a really large bladder.  But since his surgery, he can pee super fast - he just had poor flow before.  Now he is completely healed and it's a distant memory. 

Owen's School

The second day of school came, and Owen got left behind again.  He was so sad.  As Scott drove away with the kids, Owen ran in the house, and threw himself on his bed in tears.

I convinced him to come for a walk with me and Kate, and that helped cheer him up for the moment.  But when we returned home from our walk, he started crying again that he wanted to go to school with Nate.  A few hours later, Owen got a special surprise.  I had shared the pictures of him crying that morning on Facebook, and Randy had seen them.  Randy showed up at our door with special school supplies for Owen to do his own school at home!  Apples to give to his teacher (me), a notebook to draw in, a box of pencils, and a book to read (Little Wolf Goes to School).  Owen was thrilled.  He quickly posed for me for his back to school picture by the front door.

Then we headed outside to do school on the trampoline (Kate was napping).  We read his book, and we drew in his notebook.  He learned the letters O, A, and S.  And when all the school kids came home and heard Owen got to do school on the trampoline, they were all jealous!

First Day of School

Summer went by in the blink of an eye.  None of us were ready for school to start again, but we didn't really get to have a say in it.  The kids all laid their outfits out the night before, and Scott gave them all Father's Blessings.  Monday morning they were all up bright and early, ready for their first day of school.  The middle schoolers were out the door first.  Savannah is in 7th grade and Josh is in 6th.

Half an hour later, the three elementary kids headed out.  Sara is in 4th grade, Aaron 3rd, and Nate 1st.

Owen struggled seeing everyone leave him behind.  But I was able to distract him by taking him and Kate out for a walk in the double stroller.  After the walk, we came back and I got showered.  Then Owen got to go gymnastics for his first class of the season.  As we were finishing up gymnastics, Scott called.  He said that the last image of Owen that he had from that morning, as he drove away with the kids, was of Owen crying because he was being left behind.  Scott wanted to do something to make Owen's day special.  So, we met up with dad for lunch at Wendy's for some chicken nuggets, french fries, and a frosty (Owen's favorite). 

After having lunch with Dad, we came home and put Kate down for a nap, then Owen and I snuggled up to a movie, then played together till the kids came home.  All 5 kids had a great first day and were very excited to tell us about their day.  Josh even was able to open his locker every time!  I guess if school has to start, it's a good thing they enjoy it.  I, however, wish it could be summer vacation all year long.