Dirty Dishwasher

Someone forgot to start the dishwasher....and that someone decided that I measuring cup would have to work as a spoon. Teenagers!

 

The Shire

Last week I saw Scott looking at a map and asked why he was looking at Africa. Without missing a beat, he said, "It's not Africa. Its the Shire" He was looking at a Lord of the Rings map from a Facebook group. I died laughing. I love my nerdy, Lord of the Rings-loving husband. 

 

Rabbit Chaser

 We have a couple of loose rabbits in our neighborhood and they have found a cozy spot by our porch. One day, I took the dogs for a walk and there was a rabbit right out the front door and Sully took off after it. He was on his harness and it didn't turn out too well for him. Luckily, our camera got it all. We love this goofy dog. 

Migraine

 We had our first experience with a migraine yesterday. And it was scary! I'm writing this down here so that if it happens again, I know what signs to look for and what we did to help.

Beckett started getting a headache around noon and mentioned his eyes were hurting and a little bit blurry. Kyle had been sick the week prior, so I thought maybe Beckett had picked it up. He didn't have a fever, so I gave him some Tylenol for his head and sent him to lie down. 

He napped and rested off and on for the next 3ish hours. He came upstairs extremely irritable and in lots of pain. Tayden mentioned that maybe he needed to drink more water and Beckett tried to say, "I have been drinking water", but the words came out jumbled. He couldn't find the right words or pronunciations. He kept saying, "I wuder....I dri wuder". At that point, I knew something was not right. 

I brought him into my room, where it was dark and quiet, so he could take a breath and settle down. He was still jumbling his words a bit and was trying to tell me how bad his head hurt. I laid him down, google a bit, and called my mom. I was pretty certain it was a migraine, but needed my mom to help me through it. 

She suggested getting him some Excedrin. I didn't have any so I started asking all the neighbors. One of my neighbors, who is an ICU NICU nurse, did. She said her husband gets migraines and she had a lot of great suggestions. I ended up giving him one Excedrin, a Benadryl, two ibuprofen, and a Mountain Dew.  He was worried I was going to overdose him! However, I reassured him that Kirsten knew what she was doing and I trusted her. We laid him down with an ice pack and let him rest. 

About 30 minutes later, the concoction kicked in and he started to perk up. In fact, he was elated. Which apparently is a natural reaction of migraine pain disappearing. His words were coming back and he wouldn't stop talking. I was so relieved. I was trying to put on a brave face, but truth be told, I was so scared. 

I left the room for a minute and he promptly fell asleep. He slept a couple hours, before waking up like a new kid. I kept him pretty relaxed the rest of the night and limited his screen time, exposure to light and sound, and kept pushing the caffeine. This morning, his head was still tender, but he was feeling a million times better. 

I didn't know at the time, but there were warning signs I missed. He was more irritable than usual during breakfast and his eyes were blurry. That should have been my first red flag. Hopefully, it doesn't happen again, but if it does, maybe we can stop it before it starts to get too bad. And we know what medication he responds to. Finding the right combo on the first try was a huge blessing. 

I really hope this isn't something he struggles with as he grows up, but if is, we're ready! Or at least more so now, than before. It was a scary afternoon, but I'm so grateful it was short-lived. 

Belt Promo

 Cache had another belt promotion. It landed on the same night as a basketball game, so Scott and I had to divide and conquer. I went to the game and he went to the belt promotion. We're proud of Cache and his hard work. He loves Taekwondo and it shows in his discipline and work towards his goals. 

Valentines Day

Per usual, we had some sick kiddos over Valentine's Day. I wasn't sure they would make it to school, but they rallied and made it. The morning was crazy and I forgot to take pictures of their Valentine's boxes until the ride to school. But I guess something is better than nothing. Our years of elementary Valentine's boxes are dwindling and it breaks my heart a little bit. 

 

Codas Birthday

We love having Coda close by! It's been such a joy. It was his birthday on the 3rd and we got to celebrate with him. I'm not sure if it was more fun for us or him. We love this boy! 

 

Official Brother

Tayden has been refereeing the rec league this season and had the chance to officiate Caches' game. I loved watching him work. It was a fun game even though Cache was quite certain Tayden was purposely ignoring fouls by the other team. 

 

Skipping School

I was walking the dogs the other day when I saw an all too familiar truck. Austin came driving down the road with Tayden and River in tow. They were skipping the last hour of school... I can't believe I have a child old enough to do this... of course, I had to snap a quick picture. Life is wild.

 

 

High School Basketball

Tayden made the freshmen basketball team this year. It was a hard season. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Tayden played hard all season. He was a starter and rarely sat on the bench. Sometimes, he played all game without a break. He woke up early for before-school practices and gave everything he had to this season. It was hard emotionally and mentally because his coaches were awful. They were mean, demoralizing, and so negative. Which makes playing really hard. They didn't win many games, but they never gave up and I am proud of him and his friends for fighting all season. After this season, Tayden is still determining if he wants to play again. Hopefully, a year off will give him time to clear his head. I love watching him play but will support him in whatever path he chooses.