Backyard Fun with Matt and Jeff

It has been a long winter here in Ketchikan, Alaska. We have really needed some sun!  We finally got some this week, which meant the first backyard fire of the year! Our neighbor boys came to play, and so did Matt and Jeff which made all of us very happy. We love those boys! Not only did we roast hot dogs and marshmallows, but we had marshmallow gun and nerf gun wars, and Matt even did a lap on Jake's bike. They told us hysterical jokes, and we found out that Matt has some excellent taste in music. It's hard to believe Matt will be graduating this year...that will be one emotional graduation! When Kayhi lost this year at the region tournament Kaitlyn cried and cried and when I finally got her calmed down enough to talk to me, she said that she was sad that Matt was going to be leaving. Jeff is right behind him, and considering that at age 3 Jeff walked with Kelly when he graduated, well, enough said.  Yes, these two boys will always hold a special place in our hearts, and I hope we get a few more times with them like this before they grow up and leave us!

Jacob, Kaitlyn, and the neighbor boys, Dalton and Dylan.

Kaitlyn sneaking up on the boys.

Jeff getting ready to attack.

Matt riding Jake's bike.

Jeff pitching to Dylan with Matt catching.

I'll Take It

After all the rain, snow and wind we have had this winter, it's so nice to see some sun. It's still chilly, but it's amazing what a little sunshine can do! The kids went outside immediately to play (Kaitlyn even put on her flip flops, but that didn't last long), which is a nice change after our crazy, cooped up Spring Break. It might still be cold, but there is sunshine, and I'll take it!

Inspiration

As usual, I have been inspired by Stephanie. She changed her blog layout, and it looks great, so I'm being a follower and changing mine. I too have been known to change my furniture around quite a bit, but have not been able to due to the set up of our current living room. Plus, I am craving spring weather and it feels like it may never arrive (we had snow flurries again today). So this will have to do. 

Also, Kelly is doing much better. He is still tired and weak, but is improving all the time. Most of the swelling is gone and he can pretty much real food again. And, I promise, I will have a fun update with a picture of the kids in the next couple of days. So, here's hoping for spring weather, or at least temperatures above 40 degrees!

Home Sweet Home

Kelly is home. Those words never sounded so wonderful. After three trips to the hospital (including one that resulted in a 3 day, two night stay), tons of fluids and antibiotics via IV, and SURGERY, he's home!!! I didn't know what to expect when I got there this morning. He has been so out of it, weak and in more pain than he's ever been in. He hasn't been able to talk, eat or sleep. The left side of his neck was so swollen. When I arrived and saw him up, walking around, talking normal and pretty much all of the swelling gone I nearly fell over! Of course, at that point he was like get me out of here NOW! But we waited for the doctor, got him checked out, picked up his meds, and now he is sleeping peacefully on the couch. I have always known infection is so bad for you, but I never realized how quickly it progresses and causes the body to deteriorate. So scary! We learned our lesson, that's for sure. And now the next step, on doctor's orders, is to get Kelly's tonsils out when he gets healed up. Whew! Now that all that scariness is over, I will make sure the next post is something fun with a picture of the kids or something!!!!!!!

Hospital = Unhappy Kelly

Kelly's tough. Seriously, I have never seen anything like it. A couple of summers ago he cut his finger at his summer job. He had to get stitches inside and outside his finger. When I got to the clinic he was standing there consoling his boss. That's my husband. So when he started feeling sick Saturday, I just figured it was his four year strep episode. Then Monday morning he couldn't swallow. "I'm not going to the ER" he says, and I tell him to just get it over with and so we go and he gets a shot of penicillin like he always does. Then Tuesday morning, he still couldn't swallow. At this point he hadn't eaten since Saturday, and couldn't even get water down. "I'm not going back" he says, and I tell him that this time they will get it right, and finally, he goes. They give him fluids via IV, plus antibiotics and some stuff for pain. This is it, I'm thinking, it's all going to be good from here on out. So by today, he still couldn't swallow. The left side of his neck is so swollen and I start to realize there is something really wrong here. He's been on meds since Monday and can't swallow! So I ask him to go back. Kelly's response: "I have been there twice this week and had an IV for the first time in my life. There is no way I'm going back. EVER".  So what to do? I sat here all day and finally begged him to go back in. It took some work but he went. We got there at 5:30 and I left him, as an admitted patient, at 10:00. Come to find out his tonsil is infected. They're keeping an eye on him tonight and if it's not better in the morning, they're going to take further action. It was so strange to see my big, strong, tough husband laying in that hospital room. The nurse came in to ask him questions and one of them (off the sheet, for real) was how do you feel about being in the hospital? Kelly's response? It f-ing sucks. Here's hoping it was the morphine talking! The moral of this long story is that I realized that women's intuition doesn't end with their children. It extends to their husbands also. I dreaded making Kelly go back, and he was pretty mad at me, but when I think about that infection getting worse, and his throat swelling up more and effecting his breathing.....awful. So everyone say a prayer for Kelly, and for his nurses too because the title of this post couldn't be more true. 

Good As New Again (We Hope)

Kelly Update: So after another night of no sleep and a lot of pain, my poor husband was in the ER again this morning. I couldn't believe it, but he was actually worse. But after an hour of IV to rehydrate him, and another IV of antibiotics, I think he's finally on the road to recovery. I will say this: Kelly only gets this once every four years, but it's like he gets four years' worth of being sick at once. It's awful. He's one of the toughest guys I know, and he can't eat or drink for days. But I'm looking at him right now, and he's sitting up and somewhat functioning again. Now if we can just get him some color in that face.....

Tag

I am tagging Shanna and Jeannie. Thanks Steph; my brain is fried right now!