Normal is still Normal

I took Shayla to a doctor appointment a couple of weeks ago since she had some tooth pain which moved to her ear. Doc checked her well over (family practice, not oncologist) and found all to look healthy. After getting some more history from her, he looked at Shayla and me and said to Shayla that even with some of the crazy, weird things she has had in her life, 'normal is still normal' and this ear ache could be just some pressure that will resolve itself. So, there we have it. We came home and everything seems to be fine.

As a mom I worry. If it was any of the other kids and an earache, I would tell them to 'tough it out' and give them some ibuprofen and send them to bed. But with Shayla, I feel like I walk a tight rope. The 'what if's' scare me into action to check things out.

Her pain has resolved, nothing else came of it.

But... now Mariah has been complaining of hip and thigh pain. Two days ago she woke up stiff and said her hips hurt her. Yesterday it was a little better, but not much. Today, about the same. She had been playing soccer on the playground at recess the day before the stiffness set in, but no injury. So, I sit here now 'freaking out' inside. Trying to stay calm and tell me this is 'normal' pain from horsing around on the playground. But I have made her curtail any running, jumping or twisting activities until we can see if this resolves after a few more days. In the hips she said it felt like it was in the bone, the thighs feel like it is in the muscle according to her report.

I hate what cancer has done to my way of thinking about and dealing with 'normal' aches and pains of childhood. Whether this pain of Mariah's is normal or not remains to be proven. I hope it is. But, the worry will eat at me until we know. Until then, I guardedly will monitor her pain to see if there are changes. .....I hate this.

Swing-along Alysia

Two days before school started Alysia had surgery on her right foot to correct a bunion. Now she is on crutches and a 'hugo' for 6-8 weeks while the bones heal. It's a good thing she only has two feet since she had the left foot done last fall!

She handles it all in stride (no pun intended) and is going to be just fine. Next week the stitches come out---thanks to Dad being a nurse, he will remove them.

College-Bound!

Jarin has been getting me out to go shopping the past couple of days to get the stuff he will need (and then some!) for school. Boy, I am glad he earned scholarships!! Jase and I will take Jarin to BYU-I Sunday after church services and then stay Monday for orientation activities (including a luau dinner and show!). He is so ready to be out on his own. He has grown much this past year and it has been wonderful to see.

Last Sunday Jarin was ordained an Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood! He was a young Elder for a day, having been ordained the day before his 18th birthday.

Where has all the time gone?

A Graduate is among us!

Well, almost! Jarin has officially finished High School and will graduate next Tuesday! To celebrate, I got to take him out for a sushi lunch...mmm!

He has made his decision about schooling, and has determined of the two schools which have offered him scholarships, he feels better about Brigham Young University-Idaho. So, that is where he will start in September. It has been a hard experience to go through with him because as Mom and Dad, we feel differently about where he should go, but as a quasi-adult, he has to start making decisions and owning them, along with all the consequences...good and/or bad. I think I have had the worst time of it because I am more vocal with him, but I also know it is his life and he must learn to lead it without us.

Happy New Year!

We are off to a wonderful new year and grateful to have it!
Resolutions? 1) Get closer as a family--you can depend on family when the going gets tough as long as your family is tough, made so by love and patience, kindness and forgiveness 2) Serve more, demand less. We want to be more selfless, and 3) This one is all mine: I am going to hug each member of our family every day. Even my senior in high school!

When I informed the kids this evening after scripture reading that was my plan and intent, no one ran away! Well, Shayla tried to say she was already hugged, but I knew better! I was able to give each of them a hug, and believe it or not, each one hugged back! Chelen even came back for another hug before going to bed! Oh yes, and Jase, too. He's the most important one for that!

Health in 2010: Alysia's foot seems to be healing well after bunion removal surgery on her left foot 6 weeks ago. Shayla's sinuses are all clear again, and no cancer in sight! Jarin's eyes haven't gotten much worse, so he can still wear the same pair of glasses and Brendon's eyes are adjusting to his contacts, his chosen birthday present. Chelen, Mariah and Elloryn have no new pains and Jase and I are healthy too.

Happy New Year!

Three is such a hard number...

If you are 3 years old, or raising a 3-year old, or living with one!! See, it seems Elloryn has decided to make 3 a very memorable year! Three weeks ago (on our anniversary no less), Elloryn swallowed an alkaline cell battery. So, to the ER we went for an x-ray and a long wait. That came out just fine a week later....then Elloryn decided she had seen Mom and Dad make pancakes often enough, and she was hungry, so she pulled out the canister of Morning Moo milk, the bag of pancake batter mix and dumped most of it into the milk cannister. She added water...seen Mom and Dad do that before, then added what all pancakes need to taste the best...Syrup! yep, right there in the same cannister! Mom was able to salvage 2 gallons' worth of Morning Moo, so at least there were a couple of days we didn't need to mix a new pitcher of it for the 'fridge'. She writes on walls, uses Mom's make-up, ate all her sisters' Halloween candy while they were at school, and still she smiles and when asked 'why did you do that' replies "I don't know!" AHHHHHHHhhh!

Tonight, now is a different story. We went to the ER last night because at 10:00p.m. she developed a high fever of 102.4 (F). She complained that her stomach hurt and was not herself. The ER ruled out bladder infection, said they wouldn't be testing for H1N1 (Swine Flu) because they just tell people to go home and watch the fever and hydration. The doctor also checked to rule out appendicitis. Nothing. So, today she continued to be miserable, even with popsicles, and now at 11:00 at night her fever is up to 102.5 again (it spiked to 103. 4 when I called Home Teachers to come give her a blessing since Dad is at work--that was an hour after ibuprofen medication!). She is resting now, in my bed, propped up with a cool cloth on her head. Poor thing. I hope she gets some rest. I hope I do, too, or tomorrow will be a very hard day!

Three is a very hard age.

The passing of time and loved ones

Okay, so it is well beyond a few weeks since the last post. There are many excuses, but no need to elaborate on them all. Let's just say life happens, and for our extended family this past month, death does, too.

My paternal grandfather, Harry Christian Wilhelm Christensen (November 25, 1922-August 4, 2009) passed away after a fall which resulted in a broken hip. His body was just too old and sick to recover from the ordeal and my grandmother let him go back Home by removing Life Support per his wishes before the fall occurred.

Unable to stay by herself any longer, my grandma, OMA (in German) has moved in with our family. It has been a great adjustment, to say the least, but the family is rallying around her and hopefully this will be a happy time for her as she lives out the remainder of her life. I have some pictures to post, and will do so soon. Right now, it's back to taking care of the fam!