EASTER

This Easter we had the older kids, (Matti, Kael, & Kylan) hide the eggs for the little ones.  They had a blast but were concerned that they wouldn't get a shot at finding eggs.



Oh, but we had different plans :)  We blindfolded them, then made them dig through a tub full of sawdust!  We hid golfballs in it and told them for every golfball they found, they had to give us a treat!  They were good sports and had a good time.

HOUSE

So, one of the reasons things have been WILD around here is because we are adding on to our home.  I dont want to reveal to much yet but here is one wall!!!  (Because boys outnumber girls around here!!)  Go Aggies!!

The mud room sink instructions said "five adults needed for installation".  Ummmm . . . YA!  A few more wouldn't have hurt either!  We turned the existing patio into a mud room so now we have a place to hose off before coming into the house.  I will post real pictures, I promise!

SHOW

3 weeks ago we had a the Cache Co. 4-H Show.  Trey and Kase were able to show in the Pee-Wee class.  Trey showed Nike and Kase showed Addison.  They are having fun naming our registered heifers.  My favorite still has to be Soggy Waffles (Kase's steer).

Matti waiting patiently to show.

Awwww . . .  great mommy moment!  They are actually getting along :)

Kael all ready to show!

HOUSE . . . again (because I am not a perfectionist today and I don't care what order things are in!)

 I've been dying to show you a picture of my new kitchen!!  It's about 850 sq.ft. and quite spacious!  It is so big, it seems like the appliances aren't even in the same room!  The floor is easy to maintain and I can even spray it down with the hose if I want!  If I had a complaint it would be the dust, but perhaps that is because we are still wrapping up construction.  The lighting isn't the best but what do you expect with such a large spacious room!!  So here it is . . . my new kitchen!

Sorry if you were expecting something else.  My fridge died about 3 weeks ago so the appliance company was nice enough to bring me one to get by but they didn't want to install it anywhere.  So they plugged it into the garage.  Oh.  My.  Hell.  You should all stop right now and be thankful for a working fridge in your kitchen!!  Here is some useless information for you:  It takes two loads from the fridge to make a sandwich.  At least three loads for breakfast, depending on what you  make, and I have lost count on the trips for the rest of the day.  Keep in mind, what comes out, must go back so you have to make that many trips back to the fridge!!  Wednesday baby Wednesday!!!! and I should have a fridge in my kitchen again!!!!! 

I have to end on a sweet note:)  Here is precious little Kaisley (newest member of the Platt family!)  Oh she is so cute and tiny!  She makes Stock look like a 2 year old!  It took a lot of work to get her here and healthy but we did it!!  So happy she is healthy and I am so happy for Warren, Randi, and their family :)  Love!

a glimpse . . .

 Yesterday my sisters and I participated in Race for the Cure!  This was out 5th year and even though they changed the route and it was unorganized and crowded, it was a blast!  We used Trax for the first time and loved it!  Good times :)  To top it off, we had cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!!  YUM!

 Trax runs right to Gardner Village, my favorite place to shop.  I love it there for the history and atmosphere.  Matt's family came from West Jordan so I feel a real tie to there anyway.  The cemetery sits just on top of the hill across from the village.  We have many family members buried there and I couldn't help but snap this one of Stock and his namesake.  Can't wait to share it with Grandma!

 So this is what happens when you clean the pictures off your phone . . . a post of favorite pics (in no paticular order).  A sunset in Hawaii, need I say more??

 A favorite pic of the kids with their babysitter, (twinner Jordan), while we were in Hawaii.

 At All-Utah, eating leftover pizza.  It's been a busy week around here!!  We had a show in Ogden this week and between Matt and I we made 6 trips to Ogden in 4 days.  Whatever right?!?!? 
Matt and Jordan had great luck with 'Danika'. ( I don't have a pic of her yet but will let you see her as soon as I do.)  It is seriously a love affair with a cow, if that is possible.  Barbara has been widowed to it longer than I so I do have someone to lean on.  Whatever makes them happy!!

ACCIDENT #1:  We had a few accidents around here the first part of the year.  My brother Jordan mashed his thumb and index finger at work.  It was aweful.  Here they are all sewn up.  The index finger looked like a microwaved hot dog!  We had to bandage it multiple times a day for about 6 weeks.  It's been a long road for him. 

 I just had to share :)

 ACCIDENT #2:  We are living in a construction zone.  Kase was running in the new family room and jumped as he got to the window.  He sunk to the floor and was wimpering so I told him to get up and be tough!! Luckily the contractors were right there because when he looked up, he had blood everywhere.   Gary and Durren helped get him to the sink and washed up so  we could assess the damage.  I could see his bottom lip was cut and needed stitches.  He just kept bleeding.  Durren called Matt, luckily he was just down to the other farm, and he came and took us to the dr.  I was thinking how convenient it was that it happened during the day so we didn't have to make an ER visit, so we headed straight for Dr. Brown's.  He was nice, like always, took one look and gave us two options.  He would stitch it but it would scar, or we could call the plastic surgeon.  We voted on the plastic surgeon.  Plastic surgeon said to just have the ER stitch it and he would fix it later (ummmm, whatever).  So we ended up in the ER after all.  The first Dr. came and looked at it, confident he could fix it rather quickly.  I asked him to check the upper lip on the inside.  (It was really swollen but no outside injury.)  He took a quick look and said, I'll be right back.  Dr. #2 came in (I was standing at the edge of the bed at this point so I had a great view) lifted his upper lip and I saw straight up his nose.  I about puked right there!!  He called for the maxo-facial surgeon to come look at it and he ended up in surgery.  21 stitches in his bottom lip and 16 across the top gum.  We ended up staying overnight because of the late surgery time.  He did great and we came home early the next morning.  It was more emotionally draining than I expected.  Sending a kid into surgery is never easy.  Then when they start spouting off drug names that you have had a kid overdose on . . . uuuggghhhh!!  He wasn't home an hour when he tried riding his trike off the step!!!

 Matti showing her heifer last summer in Heber.

 Kase and Trey making their own fun while wating for the kids to show.  They are in the clipping chute.

 Kael-Bell in the Pee-Wee class

Kael after a long hard day!  He was drug by his heifer and wanted to be done with it all after this!

Oh, I have truly missed blogging . . . :)

November 14, 2011 - 5:07 pm

I'll spare you the details of why it has been so long . . .

However, I do want to introduce the newest member of our family

(now that he is 6 months old!!)

Stockton James

Stockton because I really wanted to name him Brock but knew that I would be the one calling him 'brock-le' (broccoli) and with a 'kale' and a 'tray' already, I didn't want Kayson to feel left out of our 'vegtable tray' theme!!  So, in honor of my Mom, and in memory of my Grandma & Grandpa Hunt being loyal Jazz fans, Stockton it is!!!  (p.s. if anyone ever comes across a Stockton 12 jersey PLEASE let me know!!)

James after Matt's Grandpa (James Hosmer Leak) and my Great-Grandpa (James Lorenzo Prince).  Stockton was blessed January 1, 2012 and that just so happened to be James Lorenzo's birthday (not that anyone cares but me!!)  (Another fun fact:  Trey was blessed January 1, 2006!)

Stock weighed 8 lbs 10 oz and was (and will be) my only baby born without anesthesia!!!  His blood sugar was low so he ended up in the NICU for a day but was otherwise a very healthy baby.  We were so excited to bring him home and feel grateful the Lord entrusted us with another little boy!

I had carpal tunnel in both hands while I was pregnant (never had this happen before)  It made my hands and arms week and I didn't have much grip.  Thankfully a few weeks after he was born, the symptoms started to subside but it made nursing hard because my hands would fall asleep so easily.  I was not able to nurse long at all and it took a while to get him adjusted to a good formula.   I have lucked out up to this point to not have fussy babies . . . he broke the mold! 

A lot of things happened in November in the Platt Family . . . Whitlee was born just 10 days before Stockton.  Justin & Chelsea were married on the 19th (We didn't make it because Stock was just 5 days old.  I cried . . . a lot, but knew it was what was best for Stockton).  Kylan was baptized and Whitlee was blessed Thanksgiving weekend.  A lot packed in to a month!!

*Stockton, Grandma G, Whitlee*

Names we call him: JJ, Stockie J, Little Man, SJ

Here is the whole crew now!!!  Matti is seriously outnumbered . . .

I am so blessed to have such good kids:)  I wish I could FREEZE time. 

 I am enjoying each of them at the stage they are in!! 

EPIC MELTDOWN

Last Thursday my Trey-man started school. I have dreaded this day for the past 8 (+) months. When the other kids started (they started a week earlier) I had decided everything would be OK. He met his teacher at back-to-school night and felt better about everything. I was feeling better about it too! On Wednesday I was making lunch and Matt came in the door and asked me what was wrong. ( I was not aware anything was at that point). but when I turned to look at him the tears started rolling down my face. "T" has been my little buddy through so much. He was able to spend an extra year at home because of a late birthday and I truly rely on him way to much. He helps me keep track of all the cows and calves and is more responsible than most adults. I even had to tell the older kids "now that Trey is in school we all have to grow up!" (including myself). Matt and I took him out for our traditional "kindergarten dinner" on Wednesday night and when the waitress asked if it was a special occassion, I couldn't even tell her without bawling!! Thursday produced buckets of TEARS!! As soon as he got off the bus, Kase went running right to him and threw his arms around him. It was so precious!! Trey is liking school so far and even has an opinion about who should be in his class and who they should trade with the other class. So funny!

My school kids!

Matti and Kael are doing well and I believe enjoying not having so much "mom" around. It is fun to hear their stories and not so fun doing homework. Joys of school! I really love to watch them grow and learn throughout the year. So . . . here is to another school year!!

(Insert Kase and I having a Pepsi and a snickers here!!)

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

I realized this was the first Labor Day in my short life that I did not strenuously work

all - day - long. It was a great break!! We took a quick trip to San Diego to spend time with Matt's sister, her husband, and new baby! It also happened to be her birthday weekend so we kept it a secret and had a blast with the SUPRISE!!!

This is in the parking lot of their apartment. Grandpa is texting Mitch to tell him we were there. Mitch did a great job keeping it a secret for weeks and killing time while some of us were caught in traffic! Sonnie was very suprised to see us all :) It made for a pretty sweet trip!

Yay! We finally got to meet baby Cora. Ya, she was suprised to see so many strange faces when she woke up! It didn't take her very long to warm up though. She is a cutie:)

I really enjoyed the ocean this trip! It was so peaceful and relaxing! I really think I could become a beach bum . . . however, I am feeling like I am at the beached whale stage right now so I will hold off for a while still. The kids loved playing in the water. We could have stayed there for a few more days and they wouldn't have minded!

On Labor Day we went to the Padres vs. Giants game. This picture sums up the experience. Matt was so excited to take them and none of them shared his enthusiasm. Kase slept. Trey bounced off every chair - couldn't sit still. Kael couldn't see and didn't share that info with me until half way through the game. Matti just enjoyed playing with Cora! I, however, was entertained by the fans in front of us. Good Game! Giants won :)

We had to hurry and catch our flight after the game. Then of course it was delayed. I snapped this pic of the sunset after we took off.

We had a great time with family and made lots of memories!! Thanks Sonnie, Mitch, and Cora for being such gracious hosts!!! We love you!

Dash

The time between Trey's Birthday and Today will have to be a 'DASH' for now. Maybe throughout the year I can catch up on Chrismas, Matti's birthday, Make-A-Wish, and other vacations.

Mostly today I want to vent about 'TONSILS', yes, tonsils.

Random I know.

Today is day 10 of the Tonsilectomy Recovery Process.

To back up a little, since I had strep multiple times (3) in a short period of time (5months), a tonsilectomy was voted 'Proceedure of Choice' when it came to fixing the problem.

I agreed.

What could be worse than having strep for 10-days at a time with a husband out of town each time and leaning on a GREAT mother-in-law and sister to take care of you, your four kid, 5 horses, 80 cows, 12 calves, 2 dogs, ect. . . . every time!?!

Fastforward to the 24th of February.

Matt took me in to the Specialty Hospital to have my 'proceedure' done.

I felt 'tuff' and was ready for what had to happen.

They took me into, for lack of a better term, a stall.

The stall had a curtain that covered the front of it.

The male nurse asked me to dress into the appropriate gown and he would return.

*Note: Matt tied double knots on all strings holding me into said gown.

Upon his return, male nurse takes me down the corridor, through the crowd, to the SCALE.

No biggie . . . I am secure with my heaviness.

I step onto the pad . . . wondering in my mind where the digital readout is . . . I start to panic when it is not in the usual spot.

I look above me just in time to find it blinking my weight in bold 12"x 12" numbers above my head!

I turn around to see other patients and their loved ones STARING AT ME & THE SCALE!

I was ushered back to my stall and had another set of nurses come and ask about my addictions and any other abuse I was recieving.

Then out came the needles.

Of course the first one doesn't work, so they go ahead and use the vein that was visible the whole time.

At this point I was wishing I would have brought Kael instead of Matt for comfort.

I verbaly express this.

Matt tells me "it's okay, don't be a wimp".

I immediatly regret anything I ever said to Kael about it "being okay" or "you have to do this".

Kids having the same proceedure are screaming in the background.

I am seriously considering yelling in the same fashion.

The anesthesiologist comes in.

I pretend I hear what he is saying.

I get up and walk down the hall with him.

It takes him and a nurse to untie Matt's double knots.

I laugh.

I feel the meds in my hand and have an unbelievable urge to rip the whole IV out of my hand.

OUT!

As I start to wake up they roll me back to my stall, dump me into the chair, hand me 1/2 a popsicle and ice water.

Wait for 30 min. and I am cleared to go home.

I immediately feel like I am breathing better and WOW am I relaxed!

Day 1-4 goes well.

Diet consists of 4 tsp antibiotic 2 x day, 1-2 tsp pain meds every 4 hrs.

That is a serious diet for someone that LOVES food!

Matt and I are irritated with our new form of communication . . . a whisper.

Day 5 one kid starts in with a fever.

I am feeling more pain.

Kayson is a out of control on a good day - worse when you have no voice to get his attention.
Matt and I continue to be irritated with our new communication skills.

Having to whisper it once is bad enough - don't ask me to repeat what I just whispered!

Hungry.

Grandma Platt comes, not a moment to soon!

(Things were going well enough on day 4 I emailed her and told her not to worry about coming! Glad she didn't listen)

Days 6,7,8 pain continues to increase.

Three more kids down with fever.

Pain meds are keeping me up.

Sick kids are keeping me up.

Irritable.

Hungry.

Tired.

I like to be busy, therefore, I am going crazy.

The hardest thing I do all day is eat.

And yes, it is a project.

Day 9 Grandma leaves.

Turn over reign of the house to the kids that are feeling better.

Take a nap.

Day 10 talking better.

Pain is still intense.

Update blog hoping to have some contact with the outside world.

Continue taking temps and dispensing meds as-needed to kids.

Sent Matt all the way to Juniper-Take-Out for a dessert I am craving.

He is happy to do so.

Lucky ME!

*I am not responsible for any of this making sense while under said pain medication*

Halloween and TREY turns 5!

So . . . because I wasn't feeling well and Halloween does not rank in my top 25 favorite holiday's this is all you get from us! Thrown together costumes and the "tiny" one asleep on the couch with mom and not experiencing any of it! Thanks to Grandma Shauna for making sure the kids at least got to the Trunk-or-Treat.

Matt let me go home early with my sister for Grandma's Funeral. He brought the kids a few days later and I was able to enjoy some great time with my nieces and nephews - I was actually Aunt Lena for a few days! We took the kids up to Grandma G's for Trick-or-Treating and found the old "Winebego" complete with the toys we played with as kids! The memories are priceless! Here is Crystal, Merr, Rhonda, and I posing!

"T" always gets the shaft. Just saying. Having a birthday right after Halloween - lame. I knew I wouldn't have much time to put anything together for him because it was the day of the funeral and then we had to head home. I called and begged my friend to make Trey a cake for me. He is so into school buses and that was the only criteria . . . it had to have a number on it! It seriously makes me smile everytime I see it! It was such a huge hit with all of us and a great way to end the day! Thanks Ashley!!!

We couldn't eat it for days! It was just to cute to cut into!!

We added another animal to our crew! ya, because we needed it!

A blue-heeler we named Zeke.

Lost

The later part of October I caught strep . . . again! While I was trying to recover, the news came that Grandma Hunt had been put in the hospital. Unfortunately, she was unable to recover and passed away just a few short days later. What a blessing it was to have spent the weekend with her just a few weeks before. I truly feel the Lord played a huge part in our trip that weekend because I tried to cancel it many times. What a great trip for the kids to experience with Grandma-Great and for me to witness, again, what a great heritage I have been blessed with!

I LOVE YOU GRANDMA!

Matti & Grandma @ Grandma's Birthday Party, January 2010

Bill & Edith Hunt children

Matti & Brit
I spent many hours with Grandma and Grandpa on the Mountain, @ Jackson Wash, ABe's, the Ranch, the BenCh and many other remote area's of the Valley. Their example's have had a huge impact on my life and as I reflect back on my memories with them, I can't help but smile! Grandma and Grandpa didn't leave a lot of earthly possessions behind but their example of hard work, support, and unconditional love is worth more than anything they could have given!

So grateful for the MEMORIES!

Finishing Treatment!

October 22, 2010

Kael finished his last dose of CHEMO!!!

We had a Rootbeer Party in his honor! Family and friends from all over the country participated in our Party!! We are so proud of him and are so fortunate to have such a happy outcome:) Thanks so much to all of you who played such a large role in HIS fight!!!

WAHOO!!!

A little boy's DREAM come true

We were very fortunate to have a unique experience with our very own

UTAH STATE FOOTBALL TEAM!!

Grandma Shauna used her connections (thinking at the most we would witness them practicing) and gave us all an experience to REMEMBER!

Matt happened to be out of town that day and couldn't join us but they made up for that too!

I tried to keep it a secret for the kids (myself not knowing the extent of the suprise)! They were confused about being pulled from school, going to town ("mom, you always get groceries while we're in school"), and having to put all their AGGIE attire on. I told them we were going to go pick up basketball tickets and we would get a discount for wearing our Aggie shirts. That worked until we pulled up to the football stadium. They were confused about being at the football stadium to get basketball tickets. I had to tell them "the same reason we go to the Spectrum (basketball arena) to get football tickets". They went along and of course it was natural for Grandma and Grandpa to be there!

We met Karen on the third floor of the new Jim and Carol Laub Athletic Complex. She took us out on the balcony and let us watch the team practice for a few minutes. She then looked at Kael and said "Do you want to go meet the players?". Kael was so nervous he told her "No"!

We made our way to the field and Steve met us. He gave Kael a new hat and took him out on the field to meet Coach "A".

Honorary "Support" Team!

Coach Andersen took Kael around to all the different'teams' practicing. They gave him a whistle and let him call some of the shots. Then Coach 'A' came over and visited with Matt's parents and I. He spent over 20 minutes asking questions and just talking with us about Kaels diagnosis and experience. I was very impressed with his concern and respect for all we had been through. He asked if I would take a minute to share with the team some of what Kael has been through. Of course I couldn't do it without crying so I hope I didn't make to big-a-fool of myself.

The players gave the other kids 'practice balls' to play with. They were lovin' it!



Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for our own little Make*A*Wish-Aggie Style!!!
(Keep reading the following post - pics aren't in order!)