Sandbridge

Back in January I started making summer plans. I did this partly because I had just flown back from spending 10 days with family in Utah and the only way I could deal with being stuck back in Virginia was to plan our next time together and partly because I just really hate January so thinking warm summer beach months were just around the corner helped. 

We knew Kaden's baptism would be in June and family would be flying out for the occasion so what better way to spend that time together than at the beach?! After a few weeks of searching for different deals on condo's and beach houses I finally found what I thought to be the perfect option and we booked it. (It had to be during the last week of school because summer rates started the week school let out and the extra 1,000 dollar charge didn't seem worth it)

It was a great week, the best week. To be in such a beautiful place and have so many people we love with us... well to me it just doesn't get any better. The ocean speaks to my soul and I could spend all day sitting by the waters edge listening to the waves crash. (except for the fact that I have 2 small children who will in no way allow that.) 

We arrived Monday night, mom dad and Hunter joined us Tuesday and Kelly and Claudia came for the final 2 days.  We soaked in lots of Vitamin D, went through several cans of sun screen, caught approximately 78 sand crabs and ended every night in the condo's swimming pool. Our time came to a close way way way too soon and I am already planning for our next trip. 

I spy a grandpa with a handful of wet sand headed directly for Kaden. 

My mom's most favorite spot

Addi caught her very first wave boogie boarding this trip. She loved it and even though she crashed a few times she would always jump right up and ask daddy to take her out again. 

These crabs were the big hit this year. We caught 5 or 6 of them through the week they ranged in size. This one was probably the biggest, about the size of a baseball. 

Grandma found a shell...uh I mean a walrus tooth...it's a good look I think. 

Our condo was only minutes away from the beach so we were able to come back for lunch every day. The sunshine and water wiped poor Addi out and she didn't even get to take a bite of her sandwich before she fell asleep with her head against the counter. 

A more comprehensive review of the week. 

https://youtu.be/ZGLh-xUsiJw

The Whole 30 in review

I am now 2 weeks post whole 30. Here are a few of my thoughts...

Am I glad I did it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not.

It was something I had been wanted to do for over a year and I am glad I finally did it. I think it is a great way to become more aware of the types of food you are putting into your body. I loved knowing that every bite I was taking was a healthy choice. I found some new recipes and ways of cooking that I can implement into my every day. But it wasn't everything I hoped it would be. 

I'll start with the Pros: 

My family was eating healthier. My kids were consuming veggies at every meal.

I never felt weighed down my a meal

My tastes were quickly reset, things had more flavor, fruit was sweeter

By the end it was fairly easy turn down sweets

Did I lose weight? Yes, about 10 lbs. (Chris lost 15) I wasn't trying to lose weight though so that wasn't a big pro to me. 

Cons:

It was impossible to stay within our regular food budget.

I felt like I was cooking ALL THE TIME. I spent at least an extra 1-2 hour a day in the kitchen.

I felt extra tired. I kept waiting for the promised boost of energy but it never came.

I think for a person who has a really strong food addiction or a very strong food aversion this would be a fantastic thing to do. For me I feel like I ate fairly healthy, and my body handles most food pretty well. To be honest I didn't feel a much different health or energy wise through the whole30 than I did before I started. If anything I gained an unhealthy obsession with food. I was constantly thinking about what I would was eating next and obsessing over what was and wasn't okay to eat. There were several times I wanted to yell "YOUR NOT THE BOSS OF ME WHOLE 30" (read also: I don't do well with being told what to do)

Should you try it? Sure, if you want to. If you feel like you are in need of a healthy kick start to eating I think this great. If you are wanting to kick a sugar addiction definitely do this! 

I probably won't be doing a Whole30 again. I could see myself doing a whole10 especially after the holiday months when I am in need of a junk food intervention and want a solid jump start back to good food.

I believe in healthy eating. I believe your body functions better when you are putting good things into it. I don't think sugar is one of those good things. I also believe in moderation. 

So while the whole30 wasn't exactly my jam I will still be eating my veggies and cooking with healthy fats and cutting out needless sugars. I just might be doing it with a side of toast.... and maybe a cookie. :D 

My May baby

Kaden's birthday fell on Saturday this year which meant we started the morning off with a baseball game.  When we arrived he announced enthusiastically, "It is my birthday today, which means we have birthday power so WE ARE GOING TO WIN!"  The first two innings didn't seem to agree with that, but by the bottom of the third that birthday power kicked in and in the closest most nail biting game yet the cardinals pulled out the win. 

Kaden hit a double and stood on the second base with arms raised in the air for at least 10 seconds. I love that kid, his joy, and his complete unabashed enthusiasm. 

Kaden played his best game yet and was given the game ball at the end of the game. I don't think any present could have topped that. He called both sets of grandparents on the way home and it is possible he had never been so excited in his life, and that my friends is saying something.

Later that afternoon we had a water bash at our house. Friends, water guns, pizza, and yoshi cake it was better than Disneyland in his book. 

Side note: These cake balls were a nightmare to make, the humidity here does not agree with trying to keep chocolate dipped cake on a stick. 

My May baby,

  8 years ago on May 29th at 3:15 my water broke. I sat in the bathroom while your dad frantically ran around the apartment trying to gather items (and himself). You were the best unplanned thing that had ever happened to me. You were the first to call me mama, my own personal crash course on motherhood. I had so many hopes and dreams for who you would be, and you have exceeded every one of them. 

 It has been 8 years since I first heard your precious cry and the doctors exclaimed "Wow! Look at those dimples." ( and it is true, those dimples shine through in almost all of your facial expressions) I think I was sure you would stay just that way forever,  I'm so glad you didn't and so sad too. Watching you grow into the person you are has been the most rewarding, and heart wrenching thing. I think the hardest part of being a mom will be letting my babies grow up, but you have been a kind and patient teacher. 

I hope your heart is always as full of kindness and joy as it is now. 

I hope you always cheer yourself on when you hit a double. 

I hope you know how loved you are. I think you do. 

Happy Birthday my 8 year old baby. 

xoxo- Mom

IV's and nebulizers and steroids... OH MY!!

Alternate title: Brielle's first ambulance ride
Warning: This post contains words like phlegm and vomit. If those things make you gag, probably don't read this. 

Tuesday morning started as most normal mornings do. Breakfast, morning chores, pack lunches, walk to the bus stop....puffy eyes? Sadly it took me til about then to realizes Brielle's eyes were a little extra puffy. Not enough to make me really worried but enough to make a mental note to "keep an eye on it".

Fast forward to lunch time, add sneezing and a runny nose to the puffy eyes. At this point I chalk it all up to seasonal allergies and the ridiculous pollen floating around Virginia's air. About 1 o'clock I gave her benadryl fed her lunch and put her down for a nap. She slept great woke up about 4 happy as can be ate two helpings of dinner that night and went out to play with the older kids outside while I cleaned up the kitchen.

Chris left to go to the church at about 6:30. Why do things like this always happen when he is not home? WHY?!

Around 7 Brielle came back in the house acting quite agitated.  I offered the usual, a drink, a snack, a cuddle... but nothing was helping and I couldn't figure out what she needed.  It was about 7:30 things got really interesting, she went for agitated to unconsolable and started violently throwing up. I lost track but I would guess there were about 6 or 7 rounds of vomiting. I was front row to it all and couldn't clean it up as fast as it was coming. It didn't seem like normal throw up either. It was super phlegmy almost like she had drunk a bucket of snot and was throwing it all back up. (Gross I know. Sorry, I warned you. ) The worst part was each time the vomit seemed to get stuck in her throat and she would choke on it for a few seconds before finally getting it all the way out. Once the vomiting spells calmed down to just small gagging I took her upstairs to put her in the tub. When I took her shirt off I noticed huge hives all over her belly and neck she immediately started scratching at them and pulling at her ears. It was about this time Chris got home. (welcome home honey) Once Brielle was in the tub she calmed down significantly. At this point it was about 8:30 and past her bed time, she looked exhausted. I pulled her out of the tub put her in pajamas and called the doctor. All of my mom senses said something wasn't right, but I didn't want to rush to the emergency room without at least running it by a doctor. I got the answering service and a lady promised I would hear back from a doctor soon. I waited, and watched her eyes swell more and her breathing slowly get more wheezy, I couldn't wait any longer I put her in the car and we headed to an after hours kid clinic.

(As a side note Brielle had a similar though MUCH milder episode about a week prior when I had given her Benadryl. I was worried she might be reacting to the Benadryl so didn't give her a second dose.)

To make a very very very long, emotional, stressful night short...

We got to the clinic, they took one look at her and gave her an epi shot, put her on a nebulizer to stop the "wheezing" hooked her up to an IV and a heart monitor and told me we would be transferred to the nearest hospital where she would be monitored for the next 18 hours.

Diagnosis- Anaphylactic Shock
Cause- unknown

The ambulance showed up and we finally made it to the hospital about 1:00am

After lots and lots of questions the doctors finally concluded the reaction was probably due to a bug bite. We will soon be headed to an allergist to have her tested for different bug venoms. A bee sting is what their guess is but without testing there is no way to tell. They also think that her first initial reaction started early in the day but was calmed by the first does of Benadryl. Often with anaphylaxis there is a post reaction 6 up to 17 hour later. In Brielle's case they think the night episode was a post much more severe reaction.

At one point in the question and answer sessions the doctor looked at me and said "good call brining her in, you probably saved her life." Which left me speechless. I don't ever like to think of my kids being that close to a life or death situation. -- Thanks, mom senses -- aka The Holy Ghost.

We left the hospital the next afternoon with 4 prescriptions and now have epi-pens on the ready.

I don't know that I have ever been so tired and grateful. Modern medicine truly is a gift straight from Heavenly Father, I know it.

I snapped a few pictures in the hours we were waiting for all the transfer procedure from the clinic to the hospital. Hands down the worst night of this little girls life.

She didn't really like the stickers on her belly.

Anyone touching her elicited ear piercing screams

The hardest part of the night by far was holding her while they put in the IV. It was traumatizing for both of us. 

She got yogurt and muffins for breakfast two of her favorite things

If any doctor or nurse walked in the room the next day they were immediately greeted with this look. She remembered all to well what they had done to her the night before. 

Daddy joined us the next morning after the older kids were in school. 

Addi was the only one who enjoyed any of this ordeal. She thought eating cereal in bed while watching Sheriff Callie was pretty much heaven. 

Nine

We celebrated our 9 year anniversary a few weeks ago. I usually try to snap a picture each year so after church (which was technically the day prior to our anniversary.) we headed into the back yard stood Kaden on a stool handed him my camera and hoped for at least one in focus picture. He didn't do too badly and we ended up with 3. The best part of the whole thing were his coaching comments, "dad your head is too far away from mom's", "mom I think your arm looks weird like that.", "okay give me a real smile". It was almost like he's had to sit and be coached through seven thousand and one pictures. Oh wait, he probably has. 

We spent our anniversary doing yard work and painting the deck. Which was REALLY romantic (sarcastic emoji) it was fitting though spending the day working together on our home, and more than once I stopped and thought, "Look at this life we've built together in just 9 years." It is pretty remarkable.

We did get a babysitter and go out for dinner, we talked about 9 years ago and 9 years from now and what we thought we knew then and all the hopes and dreams for the next 9, and 90 years. It's therapeutic I think, to sit and dream with the one you love most.

I love him for so many reasons. I could (and have written in the past) write a sappy gushy post detailing all the reasons he is my soul mate, and I do believe he is. But today I will just leave it at this, he picks up the broken pieces when I can't and keeps them safe until I am ready to be whole again. He makes all the hard things seem doable. He loves me like no one else can and even when it's 11:00 at night on our anniversary and he'd rather be asleep he still turns on Pandora and dances with me by the side of our bed. He is the one I chose 9 years ago and I would choose him again 900 times over. 

Take me out to the ballgame

We are thick in the middle of baseball season. I seriously underestimated the amount of time it would suck out of our weeks, and also just how much I would LOVE watching that little dude of mine out on the ball field. It has become one of the highlights of motherhood thus far, minus the gut wrenching anxiety I feel every time he gets up to the plate. 

It has been everything he ever hoped it would be. and even better his daddy joined as assistant coach. I am honestly not sure who's dreams were more fulfilled by that, Kaden's or Chris's. Probably a tie. He was very lucky to join an outstanding team with a great coach. I think I have mentioned before but almost all the boys on the team have been playing for years, and with this being Kaden's first season ever I was a little worried he might not gel with the team. My worries were (thankfully) for not.  He has made some great friends and has just had an all around awesome experience.

Kaden and Dominic 

 His new skill is sliding and he practices it every time he gets. 

 He is never afraid to cheer for teammates... or himself. 

Oh my heart.

I mentioned the anxiety above, but what I didn't mention were the absurd cries/shouts/screams when he hits that ball and takes off for first base. Once he has stopped running and I realize the scene I am making I shrink down into my chair and pray no one noticed me. (Right... like no one noticed the 5' 10" lady jumping and screaming like her son had just won the lottery and there was a brain sucking alien chasing him.) I don't know what takes over me, but the moment that bat cracks the ball I am just not myself. Don't worry I apologize to anyone sitting around me each and every time. Can't stop. Won't Stop.

 I have a feeling we have just started a long stretch of anxiety, uniforms, and crazy screaming mommas... and I couldn't be happier about it.