MeRrY ChRiStMaS 2010

CODY:

~Celebrated his 40th birthday

~He still works for Nestle, he has been there 8 years

~He and Andrew moved our whole household to our new house in Mapleton (with only 1 neighbor from our old neighborhood to help)... no easy task!

~We moved into a house that is twice the size of the old one but 30 years older so he keeps plenty busy, when he is not at work, with LOTS of home improvement projects

~Has been a great sport about staying home and taking care of kids while I took the older kids on vacation, he'll get his turn sometime too :0) JULIE:

~Busy keeping up with 7 kids and all of their appointments and activities, a new house (with plenty of projects for me to do as well), and a new puppy.

~Took Andrew, Cody Joe and Zach on a "mommy get-away" to Disneyland in February.

~Had tons of fun taking Andrew, Cody Joe and Josh to New York City in April to visit Josh's birth mom. It was Andrew and Cody Joe's first trip to NYC. While we were there, a writer from new Yorker magazine interviewed her for an article (or maybe a book) that she is writing about special needs adoption, that was cool.

~Started writing a book about her life, people keep telling her that she should so... she decided to start. It is actually coming along really well but is obviously a long process, we'll see how it works out (or if she even has time :0).

~Spent time in Las Vegas with her dad while he was in the hospital, it was a scary road but he is slowly doing better

~Broke her foot on Dec 14th slipping in a puddle of "puppy pee" that she left for me in the hallway. She tried to keep herself from falling but managed to slam her arm and foot into the door jamb. My big and second toe got caught on the edge of the doorway and cracked the bone right down the toe and across the top of her foot (picture splitting a wishbone from a turkey)... oww, it has definitely slowed her down this holiday season.

ANDREW - 20 1/2 YEARS OLD: ~He got a truck from Grandpa! A 1998 Dodge Ram, which he LOVES!

~Is still waiting to hear whether or not he will be able to serve a full-time mission, he still wants to go but, after 6 months on "medical leave" found out that he has Mono that never switches over to the Epstein-Barr virus in his body and goes "dormant". So basically, he has "full blown" Mono all the time, which obviously causes an immune system issue. The missionary medical department is still trying to decide whether or not he can serve full-time or if they will issue an "honorable release".

~Meanwhile, he has started working as an elementary school tech and substitute teacher, he really enjoys the job and the kids.

~He is planning to start college again in January (still majoring in Elementary Education).

~He also worked for the drama dept. at Springville high school playing the piano while they prepared for the school musical "My Favorite Year". He is a really amazing pianist, he can play anything that you put in front of him, if you don't have music then he will make up a really cool accompaniment as he goes. (Julie LOVES having her own personal accompanist in the house :0)

~Had a great time in NYC, he and Cody Joe saw "Wicked" on Broadway and just got around on the subway just like "native New Yorkers". We still SO wish that we could live there, we would move in a heartbeat! We all feel right at home in the "big city".

CODY JOE - 13 YEARS OLD:

~He is officially a teenager, started 7th grade... Junior High!

~Attended his first Jr. High dance

~Is learning to play the guitar, he has a teacher (that we all love and has become like part of our family) that comes to our house to give Cody Joe lessons.

~Is learning to speak Spanish

~He is playing basketball on a city league again this year, and he has some amazing, mad skills!

~Is almost as tall as mom (no small feat, no pun intended...hee hee) he is about 5'8" tall!

~He has had a very busy "injury" year, it started early on 1-1-10 when he went sledding with a friend and ran headfirst into a parked car. I wish that I had a picture of the dent that his head left in the back fender of the SUV, I can't believe that he wasn't hurt any worse than a bump on the head and a headache! He had a strained quad muscle (from jumping a bike on a ramp... he missed), a strained neck muscle (football), and numerous cuts, scraps, massive bruises and "road rash" (skateboarding). He is still slightly slowed down and frustrated by the arthritis that has plagued him his whole life, obviously it hasn't slowed him down too much :0) ZACHARY - 9 1/2 YEARS OLD:~Started 4th grade this year, at a new school. It was hard at first but he is finally starting to adjust to new friends, teachers etc.

~Earned his Cub Scout "Bear" badge

~Has taught himself to play several songs on the piano and is excited to start lessons in January

~He got to fly on an airplane for the first time when we went to Disneyland in Feb. (he didn't believe me when I told him that they even provide "barf bags" on planes, he had to see it for himself :0)

~Zachy is SUPER smart! he is always coming up with questions that we do not know the answers too and has a list of questions for the Dr. every time we go into the office ("What's skin made of?... What causes goosebumps?"...)

~He has a very scientific mind and wants to know exactly how everything works TIA - 7 YEARS OLD (she will turn 8 on Jan.7th): ~Started the 2nd grade and she LOVES school!

~Was moved from the "medically fragile" classroom at school to a room where the kids are more active. She has a fantastic new teacher this year!

~Had "t-tubes" placed in her ears and her tonsils removed in March (she and Josh had surgery the same day). Seemed like a good scheduling plan at the time... it wasn't, as it turns out, we can't be in 2 places at once... who knew!? :0)

~Was chosen as "Miss October" :0) for the 2011 "United Health Care Children's Fund" calendar, if you ever get the chance to get one, definitely do! It is a great cause and... Tia's in it! :0) KRISTA - 6 1/2 YEARS OLD: ~Started the first grade, after a very rocky couple of months at school we FINALLY got an IEP for her that classifies her "Severely Emotionally Disabled"... finally other people (besides us) are starting to see that Krista needs serious interventions in order to succeed and we got them - Yeah!

~Less than a week before her IEP, her mental health team submitted paperwork for Krista to be treated "in-patient". After they turned in her paperwork to the state hospital on Wed., they called me on Fri. to let me know that she was being admitted the following Wed. She was admitted on Nov. 3rd and will be in the Children's Unit at the State Mental Hosp. for about 12 months. How long she stays depends on the progress that she makes while she is there.

~Krista is thriving with the intense structure and therapies that she is getting, It is exactly what she needs right now. They even have a school right there in the hosp. that she attends, with specially trained teachers and techs.

HAILEY - 4 YEARS OLD: ~She started attending Pre-school at our local elementary school in Sept. She loves that the big, yellow bus picks her up right in front of her house :0) and she LOVES school!

~She started taking Ballet classes, instead of the mix of ballet/tap/creative dance class that she took last year. She is the cutest little ballerina and she really likes her new teacher, the dance studio is in her house and the teacher is in our new ward.

~Hailey is still the sweetest little angel girl with a great big heart full of love for everyone! JOSHUA - 2 YEARS OLD: ~Joshy started Early Intervention services, he sees them for PT, OT, a nurse and speech therapy. He is making great progress. ~He had surgery twice; #1 for a complete 90 degree "Penile Torsion" (if you are curious, look it up... not a "fun" condition, or surgical intervention) but, VERY necessary. The 2nd surgery was to have tubes placed in his ears and his adenoids removed. His adenoids were so large that they were completely blocking his nasal passages, he has probably never been able to breathe out of his nose. He is still trying to get used to it :0) ~"Mr. Squash" is still as sweet and adorable as ever and always brightens our day with his sweet smile and "lovin'" OUR NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER... "PHOEBE" ~"Phoebe" is our new puppy! We got her when she was about 9 weeks old, she is 5 months old now. She is a Miniature Alaskan Eskimo and a very sweet (albeit a little "hyper") dog. Even after the "puddle/broken foot" incident, we are still happy to have her :0)

At this special time of year, as we celebrate the birth of our beloved Savior, we want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. We send our love and hope that this finds everyone well, happy and that you will feel the sweet spirit of love and joy that this time of the year brings.

All our love - ThE LaRsEn FaMiLy

OK, I AM SLIGHTLY BEHIND...

Just a quick update about my dad - he is home from the hospital (has been home a couple of weeks now, I am just slow :0). He is getting stronger everyday, has good days and bad days. He has home health care set up now so all of the therapists and nurses come to him, he still goes to dialysis 3 times a week (which, of course, won't ever change, well, the amount of times he goes might but not that he still goes :0). He is getting back to "normal", he has a walker and a wheelchair to use while he works on getting his strength back. So, he is definitely moving in the right direction...whew!

Thursday Nov. 11, 2010

Papa is doing SO much better! He ate breakfast well, he was pretty tired today because the therapists worked him pretty hard yesterday. They removed the catheter, the infectious disease specialist (Dr. Skanky - Yes, that really is his name :0) has identified the bacteria and is treating it with the appropriate antibiotics. The Dr. is talking about moving him to a rehab center so that he can get some of his strength back before he comes home. So, things are moving in a very positive direction. I am leaving tomorrow to go back home. The nurse said that the surgeon and the nurses were remarking about the amazing progress that he has made since I have been here and that his vital signs are always stable when I am there with him. (No pressure!) My poor kids need me to go home, at least for a while. I personally think that when I am there the nurses don't have to work as hard :0) I change his bedding, adjust his leads, sanitize everything, use the suction machine when he coughs, keep him comfortable, adjust pillows and blankets, help him change his gown etc... Once I leave then they have to "get back to work". Sometimes when I am there, we don't see a nurse in the room for hours. I really hope that is not the case when I go home. Our Primary program is on Sunday, I am looking forward to that, I would be sad to miss it, even though my dad is asking me to stay... sigh! On another note, we got a message from the state hospital that Krista ended up in locked seclusion for 20 minutes yesterday (Wed.) She was being really hyper and when they tried to re-direct her Krista started hitting and kicking the staff. After they put her in the "re-direction room" (A polite word for the plain padded room with a window in the door for observation :0). I guess that she wouldn't stay in the room and was still "freaking out" so they had to lock the door until she calmed down and it was safe for her to be around other people, which took 20 minutes. I can't believe that it only took 1 week before her first "freak-out", we dealt with this behavior daily but we were really afraid that it may take weeks for them to see any "abnormal" behavior. The psychiatrist said that it won't happen since mentally ill children can't hold it together that long, with the 24/7 observation they are definitely seeing her "true colors" right off the bat. Which is really good since the sooner that she exhibits all of her behaviors, the sooner they can start to treat her disorders (which is still a very long road).

Thursday Nov. 11, 2010

I was at the hospital last night, Papa's blood pressure was really low and he was pretty swollen. He had 4 hours of Dialysis and things are better today, he is eating breakfast and even asking for more cream for his coffee. He is still in "isolation" so we still have to get completely "dressed up" to go into his room then disinfect everything that comes in contact with anything in the room, I even have to wipe down my pen if I take it out to write anything. I feel like I am in "Haz-Mat" gear :0). The infection specialist came in yesterday, they are still working on which medication with deal with the infection and "kick it out of there". I am going to the hospital later so I will put another update on when I get home.

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK...

Well, Papa had a great day! The Physical and Occupational therapists came in and got him up and out of bed. He sat in a chair for 2 hours and cleared a lot of the "gunk" out of his lungs, which is really good. He was pretty tired after getting up and around (after all, he has been down in bed for almost 2 weeks). After he was back in bed and resting, the nurse came in and told me that his "sputum" cultures came back positive and that he has contagious bacterial pneumonia. Sigh... he was placed in "isolation" and they kicked me out until tomorrow when they can find out which antibiotics will clear up the infection. He has been on IV antibiotics for about a week but this strain of pneumonia is resistant to what they have given him so... they do some more cultures and figure out which antibiotics will "kill it". Now when anyone goes to the hospital, we have to be decked out in "full gear" with a gown, gloves and a mask the entire time that we are in his room. I spent the day with him today suctioning and wiping and "pounding" his back so hopefully I don't end up getting sick or taking the "yuck" home with me to share with the kids. Also, hopefully Papa won't get any worse from this point, if we can find the right medication.

Tuesday Nov. 9, 2010

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A COUPLE OF DAYS MAKES! November 8, 2010

~Yes, his "nasal" cannula is in his mouth. He is a "mouth breather so they finally gave up and let him keep it in his mouth instead of his nose :0) He is actually smiling though~

November 6th, 2010

~Yeah, not looking (or feeling) his "best"~ Papa's breathing is still "wheezy and wet", the physical therapist is coming today to evaluate him to start getting him up and moving around. He needs to cough more often but doesn't want too because of the huge incision in his abdomen. I taught him the "holding the pillow on it trick" (as anyone that has ever had surgery on their tummy knows). I'm not sure that he believes me because he won't do it... still stubborn as ever :0), that's good! When I left last night at 11:00 pm he asked if he could get up and use the restroom and they were helping him do that. He is still attached to so many IVs and his O2 line that it takes a team of people just to move :0). The great news is... are you ready for it... he "pooped"! I realize that may be TMI for some of you but too jolly bad, we are ecstatic! :0) After having 1/3 of your colon removed, it is a REALLY big deal when things start "moving" again (wow, the things we take for granted :0) They are going to do a "Swallow Study" today to make sure that there is no blockage in the surgical site from the top down (now that we know that there isn't from the bottom-out). After that, he will be able to start taking liquids then move on to actual food.

Monday November 8, 2010

Papa is still stable. All of the tests came back from the surgery; All of the tissue removed was Benign, no cancerous or "suspicious" cells at all (yeah!). He is having a hard time talking because he had the tube down his throat for so long but he managed to call home this morning anyway to say "hi" :0). The physical therapist is going to come in this afternoon to evaluate him then get him sitting up and maybe walking a little tomorrow. Things are looking pretty good :0)

Papa

I will try to keep posts on my dad's condition so that everyone can just check the blog when you want an update.

October 19th - Papa had part of the mass removed from his back that is beside his lung on the right side. This is the same mass that the Dr.'s keep doing biopsies on, which keep coming back negative. No surgeon is happy with another surgeons results so they keep wanting their own "specimen", The tissue was not still not malignant.

October 25th - Blood sugar was WAY too low (33) they managed to get it up to 57 and his potassium was WAY to high. They were able to stabilize the levels after dialysis.

October 26th - They took his chest tube out, after that he was a lot more comfortable. He is still really weak and having trouble walking around (which, of course makes his breathing worse). The hospital discharged him anyway this afternoon, but after being home for a few days, he was having some severe bleeding and it got so bad that he needed to be admitted to the hospital again. (different hospital)

Update #1

Papa had to have numerous blood transfusions, approximately 10 units of blood. He went back and forth and up and down with his blood levels. He had an Endoscopy and they found that he had severe Esophogitis but that wasn't the cause of the bleeding. On Nov. 1st, the Gastroenterologist said that he would need to do an Exploratory Laparotomy and depending on what he found, he may have to do a bowel resection to remove part of the colon and that Papa may end up with an Ostemy bag. As it turned out, the bleeding stopped temporarily and they were able to put off the surgery. Nov. 3rd - The surgeon performed the Laparotomy, it took about 4 hours and he had to remove about 1/3 of the colon. At the end of the surgery he didn't end up needing to have the ostemy bag (whew). He needed another 4 units of blood, he was intubated so they kept him heavily sedated until they were closer to removing the tube since patients get very combative and try to pull the tube out. He was on continuous dialysis until the surgery. Nov. 5th - He was down to 3 hours a day for dialysis, still heavily sedated, needed more blood in the morning. Potassium and Glucose levels were good, they are going to try to wean him off of the sedation so that they can take the breathing tube out. My brother and my cousin Franco have been here a few days, I flew into Las Vegas this afternoon. They are starting to reduce the amount of sedation so Papa feels really miserable with the breathing tube in. He had to have his hands restrained so that he wouldn't pull on it. At 10:30 pm his hemoglobin was low so they gave him some iron through his IV, he was pretty agitated so they also gave him morphine and ativan to keep the incision pain under control and calm him down.

Update #2

Nov 6th - A.M. Papa still has the breathing tube but it is set to CPAP so he is doing the breathing on his own, the ventilator isn't doing any of the work anymore. His blood pressure has been high off and on, after dialysis they will draw a blood gas to check his respiratory function then extubate him today or tomorrow. P.M. - The Dr. is concerned that there are no "bowel sounds" yet and they may have to leave the breathing tube in a while longer until he is more stable. After dialysis his blood pressure was better and there were some bowel sounds, yeah! He had a fever of 103 so they gave him some more antibiotics. In the evening, he was a lot stronger moving his arms and legs around, his blood sugar was good. I stayed at the hospital until 2:00 am then I noticed that I was starting to get a sore throat so I came back to my dad's house to get some sleep. Nov 7th - I woke up at 3:00 PM after sleeping for 12 hours straight! It was pretty obvious when I got up that I was very sick with strep throat. Obviously I couldn't go to the hospital. While I was sleeping, they were able to remove the breathing tube YEAH!!! Later in the evening, they removed the gastric tube as well. Now, he just has oxygen through a nasal cannula, like at home. He is still very weak and his incision is sore but he is so much more comfortable with the breathing tube removed. He will be in the hospital for a while longer, they aren't sure exactly how long. He will start physical therapy either tomorrow or Tuesday, since he has been down for so long they want him to be pretty careful getting up and around. Compared to a few days ago he has made a TREMENDOUS improvement! Whew! Side note: I went to "Insta-care" and got a prescription, I have tonsillitis (of course). They said that I can go back to the hospital tomorrow, after I have been on the antibiotic for 24 hours.

Happy Birthday Joshy!!

Happy 2nd birthday to my sweet little man! I can't believe how time flies... We love you soooo much "Mr. Squash"!!!!

Josh the Squash!

24th of July

Zachy and Krista riding on the float with the Primary kids

(Zachy is on the right; waving and Krista is sort of in the middle wearing a red shirt and a blue bonnet)

Boop and Andrew, watching the parade Cody Joe and "T" waiting for the parade to start A very excited Squash and Dad waiting for the parade Boop and I are eating cotton candy for breakfast :0)

"Movin' on up"! (well, over actually)

Apparently, there are several ways to say good-bye to the house that you have lived in for 12 years...

You can pack... You can do as Tia and Josh did and fall asleep wherever you "land" once you get to the new house...

Or, you can dance on the roof of the old house with your best friend (Gavin) as Cody Joe did, with a little help from Zachary...

Whichever way you choose to do it... we managed to move,

ALL the way over to... Mapleton! :0)

I actually took these pictures before we moved in, but it gives you a glimpse of what the house looks like...

HUGE yard, with a big basketball court...

This is an old picture from the county property tax website, but it's a better picture than I managed to get of the front of the house :0)

Most of the rest of the yard and the back of the house...

More backyard...

If I ever get the inside finished then I will post pictures of it as well. What I don't understand is, we moved into a house twice the size of the old one, it is now full of "stuff", yet the 3 car garage is still full of boxes... where did everything come from? and where did we put it before?

"Catch-Up" #2

MAY 27th 2010 ~ ANDREW'S 20th BIRTHDAY

Celebrating at Pirate Island with Stesha

The giant pizza called "The Kraken"

Cody Joe, Andrew, Zach, Hailey and Stesha at Pirate Island

Andrew is 20 YEARS old and Joshy is 20 MONTHS old (too funny)

Saying good-bye to Westside... Andrew started school there in 1998 when he was in the 3rd grade (and the school was in it's old building). It's weird that the rest of my kids won't be going to school there...

MAY 27th 2010 ~ CODY JOE'S 6TH GRADE GRADUATION

Cody Joe's very last Elementary School lunch, which Hailey is more than happy to help him finish :0)

"Con-Graduations!"

MAY 21, 2010 ~ KRISTA'S KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION

MOTHERS DAY 2010

(Me with the kids... oldest to youngest)

Andrew - 19 (almost 20)

Cody Joe - 12 1/2 Zachary - 9

Tia - 7 1/2

Krista - 6

Hailey - 3 1/2

Joshy - 19 months