UTAH: Day 15

We had dental appointments today...it's the vacation day that the kids actually dread. 

But, we think that Dr. Steve {Blackhurst} is THE BEST, and we're glad he is willing to work us in every year! 

We had no cavities, but found out that Tanner and Ty need their wisdom teeth removed (although Ty's aren't as urgent), and that Treyson has a tooth laying horizontal in his gums and will need braces to pull it down.

That wasn't the news I wanted to hear today.

Oh well...

When we finished at the dentist, I told the kids I would drop them off at Seven Peaks for a few hours.  While they were there, I hung out with mom and dad.  Mom had a colonoscopy today and wasn't feeling very well, but she was a trooper and came along with me to drop off the boys.

I went to Cherry Lane Boutique in Provo, and then we went to the Provo Town Center Mall to wait for the boys to finish at the water park.

We ended the day at Kreed and Gage's Little League tournament, and then the boys went to Michelle and Todd's for a sleep over.

I think I'll sleep in tomorrow... 

UTAH: Day 9

Today included school shopping at University Mall...

...Wart removal at the doctor's office...

...And "MINI" shakes from Iceberg!!

Playing Catch (Up)

Wow!  I have no idea where February went!!!

I have so much catching up to do...where, oh where to start??

I guess I'll have to start where I left off...

Mom and dad were here until the 13th.  I love having them here, but I was so sick while they were here that I was not a very good host.  In fact, I was a horrible host!  Sorry, mom and dad!

On Valentine's day I finally decided to go to the doctor, after being sick for two and a half weeks.  It took me that long to decided that enough was enough.  The doc gave me a kenalog shot for my allergies, and a hefty load of antibiotics for my PNEUMONIA.  I layed in bed for the next two days just trying to feel better.  By the end of the 2nd day, and just one day short of 3 weeks, I was finally feeling better.  I wish I would have gone 2 weeks earlier!!

The 17th was our 17th wedding anniversary!  Seventeen years have flown by in the blink of an eye!  We didn't do anything fantastic...just went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse...but that's my kind of date!  It was a good time!  I sure love my guy!

I forgot to mention that Tanner made the Freshman baseball team!!  I am so proud of him and all of the hard work he has put in to constantly improve.  He will be a infield utility player, but will mostly play 3rd base...a compeltely new position for him.  I have no doubt that he will rock it! (How's that for a proud mom?)

Ty had baseball camp for a week at the Jr. High, followed by a week of try-outs.  He was told last Thursday that he made the 7th grade team.  Way to go Tyger!!!

Treyson and Tate both had their Little League evalutations a few weeks ago (I told you February was a blur!!!).  Treyson is on the Braves in the Minor division, coached by the one and only Kevin!!  Tate is on the IronPigs in the Rookie division, coached by Kimball Richins. 

Between high school games, junior high games, and little league games, I am on the move...and that is grossly under-exaggerated!!  I had a small melt down about a week ago, but it's out of my system now, and I think I can handle it from here on out.  The hardest thing about all of my boys participating in the same sport, during the same season is that I'm the kind of mom that doesn't want to miss ANYTHING my kiddos do.  Unfortunately, something's gonna have to give this season because unless cloning or time travel becomes readily available, I'm going to miss some stuff. 
That makes me sad.
Oh, and there were at least two East Valley Heat tournaments (Ty's club team) this month, but they're a blur, too. 

Kevin just finished his gigantic paper/project for school and that took a huge weight off of him.  One more class and he's FINITO, FINISHED, DONE!  WOOHOO!!  He's graduating on May 3rd and I can't wait!!

On the 25th we went to a surprise birthday party for our dear friend, Scott Harmon.  He wasn't feeling well at all, but he came anyway and it was fun to celebrate him!  He's such an amazing example of  having a positive attitude through health trials and being such a trooper through even the worst of days.  We just love him!

All in all it was just a crazy busy month.  March is gearing up to be worse.

I just keep taking deep breaths and reminding myself of how much I will miss this when my kids are grown.  Life is good!  I'm blessed!

It's WHAT??

So, as it turns out, we Lewis's grow things on our bodies that aren't natural. 

Treyson had a suspicious lump removed from his toe.

I had a suspicious lump removed from my arm.

And Ty grows suspicious lumps like a living science project.

He has had one cut out of his arm, he has some that his urologist is watching, and the latest one was on his head.

After visiting the pediatrician, we were sent to a dermatologist, Dr. England, to find out what to do about this crazy (and very nasty looking) lump on Ty's scalp.

Dr. England took one look at it and said, "Well, I don't know what this is, but it has got to come off!"

About 2 minutes, one shot in the scalp, and a razor blade later, the lump was gone, and sent on a very interesting journey.

It took 4 labs--the last one at the University of San Francisco--to find out exactly what that was on Ty's head.  When the doctor called 10 days later, he told me that in his 30 years as a dermatologist he had never heard of this particular growth.  AND, it's so rare that he will probably never see it again in his career.

Yep, that's right.  We grow the RARE stuff.

BENIGN DESMOPLASTIC CELLULAR NEUROPHEKBOMA

That's what he called it.

The only word I cared about was

BENIGN

This is a really blurry picture, but this is his head after the scab fell off and it has healed.  He will never grow hair from that spot, and it is highly possible that it will come back in time.  At this point in time we can either schedule surgery and have it cut out (deep in the scalp) or we can wait to see if it returns and do surgery then.  For now, I think we'll wait.  I'm hoping it never comes back!!  YUCK!

Again??

We were back at Urgent Care this afternoon with Tate...

While we were at Ty's football game he sliced his hand open on the soccer goal post.

I couldn't believe the amount of blood that was gushing from his hand.  I have a really strong stomach, but when he showed me the gash, I nearly lost it.  I have never seen such a deep cut in my life!

Luckily, we were able to get into Nextcare immediately, and after a complete panic attack (Tate-not me), and 3 layers of surgical glue, he was as good as new!  Well, almost.

Poor kid!

Oh, Happy Day!!

After 11 1/2 weeks the cast FINALLY came off!

We jumped in the pool immediately after we got home from the doctor's office.

OH HAPPY DAY!!

Blue...

...in color AND mood...

We go back in 10 days to have it checked again. 

The Mark Of A True Friend...

You know you have a true friend when you have a text conversation that goes like this:

Me:  Are u ready for a super random question?  I can bet you've never been asked what I'm going to ask you before...lol!!!  Text me back if you think you can handle my W.T. lame-0 question.  And NO I'm not drinking or on drugs...at least not the illegal kind. LOL!!!

Her: Oh I know I can handle it

Me: I'm not sure...:)   I was actually wondering if Chad has ever made a medical diagnosis from a cell phone photo...??  I should also say that it's nothing sketchy.  I just have a painful rash under my arm pits and have zero time to go to the doctor.  I am wondering what it is and if I'm going to live.  :)   I told you I was W.T.!!!  I'm sssooooooo lame.  And I have no shame, obviously.

Her:  Chad is reading this with me.  Forgive us for laughing.  Send a pic

Me:  OK, but you have to swear it won't end up on FB!!

Her;  Oh my gosh I would NEVER do that to you!  I only do that to random people.

So, I sent the photo, and got a diagnosis. 

And I no longer have any sort of pride.

However, my arm pits, and my heart,  will be forever thankful to two TRUE friends! 

Chad and Melis...you're the best!!  {smooooooch}

I hijacked this photo from Melissa's FB page...I'm really pushing the friendship thing now!!!

Sympathy

When I was pregnant with my first child I read somewhere that husbands could suffer from Couvade Syndrome. According to Wikipedia, Couvade syndrome, or sympathetic pregnancy, is a condition in which an individual close to an expectant mother, commonly her partner, experiences some of the same symptoms and behavior as the mother near the time of labor. These can include labor pains, postpartum depression, food cravings and restrictions, and weight gain. The labor pain symptom is commonly known as sympathy pain.

I remember thinking how funny and strange this was, and quickly decided that Kevin was gaining weight along with me not because he had this silly syndrome, but because I was craving Taco Bell every single day.

Every.

Day.

And he would get it for me, because he's awesome like that.

Well, fast forward a little bit with me...

My first child is 13. My second, 11.

Both are going through puberty. Fun, right?

NO.

Not fun, because for some reason I'm going through it right along with them.

I'm moody.

Still not convinced?

My voice keeps cracking.

Now? No?

I cannot satisfy my appetite.

I could sleep for HOURS on end.

I'm breaking out like a stinkin' teenager.

Kevin had to go to the store to buy me some zit cream last weekend.

I've never purchased zit cream in my entire life.

So, I've got it...Couvade Syndrome for Puberty.

If you'll excuse me now, I'm going to Wikipedia to add my new entry.

Couvade Syndrome for Puberty, or sympathetic puberty, is a condition in which an individual close to a pubescent teenager, commonly their mother, experiences some of the same symptoms and behavior as the teen during pubescent years. These can include mood swings, voice cracking, food inhalation, and major zit break-outs. Feeling this is commonly called sympathy symptoms.

{and just for clarification--I am NOT pregnant!!!}

Ouch

Tanner + new bike + big dirt hill jump = BROKEN WRIST!!

It especially stinks when you get selected to be on your baseball league's All Star Team!!!

"Rash" Decisions

You know when you're at the doctor and they ask you,

"Are you allergic to any medications?"...

Well, my answer has always been "no" ...until today. From now on my answer will be

"Oh YES!".

No more "sulfa" drugs for me. I am covered from head to toe with a red, bumpy rash that itches like the dickens.

Hopefully it will be gone

SOON!!!

Let me introduce you to my two new best friends.

The allergies this year are seriously kicking my trash.

I Love Lucy

It would be hard to explain to anyone who doesn't have a pet of their own the way you grow to love the dang things. It's even harder to explain how I fell in love with this fat pile of fur, especially since I was never too crazy about having an "inside" dog. I've had a few "outside" dogs, but none that I loved more than this pretty lady. Now, I know you're looking at the picture and wondering how in the world I could think that her ugly mug is pretty. You're probably thinking that I've seriously lost my mind (which I probably have, but let's not go there right now). But, I have to tell you that she is a special member of our family and we all love her to death!
That is why my heart sank last night, around 5 p.m., when Treyson went outside to check on her and found her sitting in a pool of blood. We had recently had her inseminated, but for some reason her body decided that it wasn't going to be able to carry puppies and she got a raging bacterial infection in her uterus. She had been on antibiotics for 7 days, but it became all too clear that they weren't even touching the infection as I rushed her to the vet. After some blood tests and a couple of x-rays it was decided that she needed to be spayed immediately, to lessen the risk of a ruptured uterus which could ultimately kill her. We were so sad because she was such a good mommy to her first litter of puppies, and we were sooooo looking forward to having puppies in our house again. Luckily, everything turned out as well as could be expected and she's back home this afternoon, sleeping, on her back, legs sprawled, and snoring. She must be feeling better already!! ;) We sure love our Lucy!!

A Farewell...

Today was Trey's surgery to remove the strange ("non-cancerous fibroid tumor")growth on his toe. It had been removed twice before, but just didn't want to stay away. This strange phenomenon has become kind of a family thing...Ty had a growth removed from his arm a couple of years ago. I had a weird growth removed from my upper arm last summer, and today Trey had his strange growth removed for the 3rd (and hopefully, final) time. We had to be at the hospital bright and early this morning...5:30 a.m...WAY earlier than I EVER get up. I'm sooooooooo not a morning person. Trey was in good spirits, although a little nervous, and was such a trooper as we made our way into the hospital. He had to have his blood pressure and temperature taken. After that the nurse had him change into his surgical clothes. She let him pick out his hat, and then we all decided that he's really a 60 year old woman in a 6 year old boy's body...He could have chosen so many cooler hats, but this is the one he wanted, and who am I to tell my little boy that he has to have surgery, but he can't wear that ugly hat that he really wanted to wear??? After he got changed the nurse brought in nintendo game system for him to play while we waited for Dr. Goldstein.
When it was his turn the nurse, along with Dr. Goldstein, came and walked him into surgery. Trey gave us a big hug and kiss and then walked down the hall to the surgical room. He was so brave!
He woke up from his surgery and was disoriented, but didn't cry at all. He just wanted to go back to sleep.
So this is 'farewell' non-cancerous tumor...you won't be missed!