salmonella continued

Out of isolation and into the yellow car! What a lifesaver this car was. Greydon absolutely loved it. The nurses kept a reserved sign on it and we parked it outside our room. Even when Greydon was feeling pretty bad it was difficult to get him out of the car. We had a good time cruising the hallways, Greydon waving to everyone. He got to know the hospital and no time and fussed when we weren't taking him the right direction. The hospital has an playroom and an outdoor playground. And one positive was this all happened during the summer. The weather in Seattle was beautiful. We had a daily routine, unless G was too sick, of driving all over the outdoor paths.

A very sick boy, on his way to yet another surgery. Fienna was so cute with him. And really missed having Greydon at home. They share a room and she was having a hard time sleeping alone. She came into my room in the middle of the night and said, "I just need to sleep with my family." Melted and broke my heart all at the same time.
Finally back to his room after surgery. Recovery gets tougher with each procedure. And this was not the final surgery. So tough to feel so helpless. All I could do was hold him and pray.
The little guy has been fascinated by the nurses badges. So Alia, one of the many great nurses, spent time making a badge just for Greydon. Complete with the zip line and lots of card covered with stickers.
The day before discharge! Finally, what should have been a 2-3 day stay is nearly over. Greydon may actually miss the vitals check every 4 hours. The nurses enjoy coming in our room. He's such a happy and helpful patient. Even when he feels terrible, he puts his arm right out, loves to see the stethoscope and insisted on pushing the button on the thermometer.

salmonella, anyone?

Just a collection of photos from our luxurious stay at Seattle Children's. This little boy was truly amazing. He was happy to celebrate his birthday at the hospital. Of course, he's just 2 so has no expectations and is only concerned with his current surroundings. He was so excited to see a plain brown bag and started yelling, "party, party." And I only had some food in it! Next time I carried in the plain brown bag I had put a couple of Thomas trains for his birthday. And then the hospital staff brought by a bigger gift bag.

the drive home

We managed. Somehow we got that tree on our roof and tied securely. Then we crossed our fingers and drove pretty slowly.

The smaller tree we managed to cram in the back of the van. Another thing to remember for next year, take out the last bench seat. But the kids thought it was great fun. And the car smelled so good.




Huh, doesn't look so great in our house! But those branches eventually came down and we got some lights and ornaments on it. But the picture of the decorated tree is still on my camera. Next post.

tree hunting

Christmas tree permits are only $5 so who wouldn't cut his own? We bought 2 permits and one expensive forest service map and off we went into the mtns. After a couple of unpromising stops we found it, the perfect place to cut a perfect tree.It didn't take us long to spot one, and then another and another. Beautiful little grand fir, but this isn't the one we cut. The kids couldn't come to a unanimous decision so we made then flip a coin.


Connor won the coin toss and this is the one he chose. Beautiful, and a little bigger.

Here's the one for our living room which has a vaulted ceiling. And it was complete with a bird's nest. So Reed got out the saw. As soon as it was down we wondered what we were thinking! Trees look smaller in the woods....the limit is 15' and this was stretching it. But of course we always cut a bit off the bottom, or even 2 feet. And the spindly top had to go. Then came the exhausting part, dragging that tree up the hill to our van. And then to somehow throw it on top. Reed and Connor started up with the bigger tree while Alaina and I dragged the other. We learned a few things for next year. Park downhill from your perfect tree! Picking it up would be better than dragging or at least use a tarp. The trees took a beating. But it was a great day and we'll be ready to do it all again next year.

trailer ride

One of Connor's favorite things about our lot is the need for a lawn tractor. He is always happy to mow the lawn. And he loves to give the kids rides in the trailer. So we decided to have our own trailer ride to the pumpkin patch. Connor even grew the pumpkins. He picked and replanted them where the girls couldn't easily see them and away they went, all over the yard until he'd had enough fun driving. Fienna loves to have Connor take her for a trailer ride and frequently asks for one.

I wanted a cute family photo and took 7 or 8 of these but never got one of all the kids smiling. Too bad. It would have been such a good background to use on a Christmas card.

halloween

There is a couple in our ward who has the best pumpkin patch. Every year they invite all the kids from their primary classes, along with their siblings, to come pick a pumpkin. There were tiny ones and huge ones, smooth and warty. We had a great time choosing. Even Greydon who was given a face washing by an enormous Newfoundland. Levi weighs 180 lbs. But Greydon barely even batted an eye. Just kept walking. We hosted a small BYOP party with some new friends and had a great time. Certainly wasn't the same as the good ol' days...