Easter Weekend

We had a WONDERFUL, full Easter weekend! I continue to be amazed at how blessed I am to have such a loving family that I truly enjoy spending time with. We went to Neosho on Saturday (about 2 hours from my parents house) to get the boys' hair cut at the infamous Gene Haddock's. Gene has cut my grandpa's hair for years, my dad's hair since he was a young boy, and Josh and James' hair since they starting getting haircuts. It was time for Carson and Kellen to be welcomed into the Bunch family hair cutting tradition! The rest of the weekend was also filled with dyeing eggs, fun at the creek, Easter basket hunting, Easter mass (at the 'big Jesus church' as Carson and Kellen say because of the huge crucifix at Holy Trinity), Easter egg hunts, and of course delicious food!

Maybe the next size up would work better : )

One egg MAY have survived uncracked (out of 2 dozen)

first seat drops

I LOVE this valley!

Such a big boy!

I got to be Carson's buddy in the chair

They all got their haircut by Gene (with the exception of me : )

Just handsome!

My favorite!!!

The boys' first tailgate : )

They were excited that they got their OWN water cups.

We all found our Easter baskets (Mom still hides them for ALL of us)...Preston did take the longest to find his : )

Over the years, we have spent so much time at this creek!

Boys (of all ages) can spend hours throwing/skipping rocks in the creek

Easter basket loot

How can he keep a straight face?!?

Easter mass

Waiting for the egg hunt!

It was a success!

Lots of fun this week!

Just had to share some of these pictures! We've had so much fun this past week, a visit from Nana, and LOTS and LOTS of time outside!

Taking some bread to feed the ducks!

When we can't find any ducks, we just throw rocks : )

Their love for puddles!

LOVE!!

Morning reading time with Daddy!

Flying kites!

Of course the kite would land in a mud puddle :-/

Rescheduled to June 4th

Golly, I expected to be rescheduled into May but I wasn't expecting two months. This next evaluation requires three surgeons to be present, so it was that far out before they could all be there AND we even have a different pulmonologist. Oh well! *sigh*

But clinic appointments will be Tuesday afternoon, June 3rd and the surgery on June 4th.

On the mend...but rescheduled

So far, Preston and I have stayed healthy and both boys are on the mend...I took Carson to the doctor on Thursday because I was a little concerned - he was ACTING sick which is very, very unusual for Carson (the guy who smiles right after he throws up and goes and goes until he just can't anymore). We started an antibiotic, although I'm not really sure we needed to. Carson was acting much much better by that evening (I doubt the medicine even had had time to start working : ). Kellen is also doing better but still has that runny nose. His new line, when I need to help him blow his nose, "Mom, nose running! nose running!" : ) haha!

I did decide to go ahead and reschedule Carson's surgery (still waiting on the new date).  As much as I like to keep with the original plan and get our trips to Cincinnati over with, Preston and I thought it was best to wait and make SURE Carson was back to baseline...no sense in rushing it when this upcoming surgery is not time sensitive.

Thanks for all the prayers...I'm sure the boys will be back to normal in a few more days!

Prayers please...

Well, our healthy streak through the winter has ended...: ( Kellen started with the mother of all runny noses yesterday. I think I could wipe his nose every 5 minutes and still end up with him tasting a fair amount of mucous (you know how little kids stick their tongues up there to take a swipe: ) We are a week away from Carson's next surgery, so I was praying against all odds that Carson would be spared. But, let's be realistic, they touch all of the same things and Kellen was sneezing on ALL of it... you can't really get a two year old to cover his mouth and then remember to wash his hands over and over. Anyways, this evening, Carson started in with increased secretions, thicker and more color, and its enough that he couldn't keep anything down because he would gag on his secretions or cough hard enough, it caused him to throw up. It just breaks my heart (& I tend to forget how much when we go for long periods without getting sick). We were eating dinner tonight and it happened two or three times. After Carson finished coughing/throwing up, we heard this sweet voice, "[ex]Cuse me"...completely melted my heart.

Please be praying that these boys return to their normal healthy selves and for Preston and I. We do NOT want to make the trip to Cincinnati unless Carson is at his baseline. If we have to reschedule, we will do it but just praying it is clear. The past few times we have been there, Carson has either gotten sick right before or had a bad trip (where he threw up a bunch)...anyways, they see an inflamed airway and think he has 'reactive airway' which they say is treated with steroids. I do NOT want to have to put Carson on long term steroids unnecessarily. We just want them to get the most accurate picture of his airway. It would be a miracle if he got back to baseline in a week because it usually takes at least a week and a half or two but who says miracles don't happen?!?

Aside from that, we have had lots of fun these past few weeks, more nice weather to enjoy the outside. We have been to different parks SEVERAL times (Carson is the newest fan of slides...up until this past Friday, he could have cared less). Then this past weekend, the four of us completed our first 5K run and the boys had a blast at the Easter Egg Hunt.

Well, I better get to bed, praying we all get some sleep... Thanks to our many prayer warriors!

The boys had a blast with Ra-Ra...

Getting tips from Margo before the hunt begins...

LOVE.....

Surveying...

The hunt is ON!!!

Golly...time for an update

Well, I think it has been a full month since I last posted anything...oops! We've been having too much fun I guess ; ) But really, we have been in a good place...most the time.

I had a few days of 'freak out' mode the beginning of March, when I had some REAL concerns that Carson was aspirating (meaning he was getting food into his airway). Everything did NOT match up but I definitely saw some color on the guaze that we put under his trach (which there shouldn't be any food color on it, since his trach is in his airway). After MANY tears and talking it through with Preston and praying, I decided I should probably call Cincinnati and tell them what I saw, despite my desire to act like I never saw anything and continue on in my rosy world with Carson eating more and more by mouth. One of my BIGGEST fears has always been that Carson aspirated. I'm not really sure why, but I think it is partly because I'm not sure if there is treatment for that and it COULD mean significant changes to his long term prognosis. I was really afraid they would tell me to stop feeding him anything by mouth (& that would have completely devastated me, especially with all the progress Carson has made recently). Anyways, I did call and they wanted me to do a more standardized 'dye test' and note any green color I suctioned or saw on the guaze. So I got my emotional courage up and did the dye test. I probably did it at least 10 times and NEVER saw or suctioned anything. Praise the Lord! I'm not saying what I saw the first time wasn't abnormal but the 'dye test' did confirm for me that Carson does NOT aspirate on a regular basis or even frequently. So I could breathe a little easier. I do know one positive thing that came from all of it, God reminded me that HE is in control and that we will make it through WHATEVER is thrown our way. I just have to keep reminding myself of that. 'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me' John 14:1

Carson, Kellen, Preston, and I made a trip up to St. Louis the beginning of this week to see Carson's endocrinologist and check his thyroid hormone levels. The appt and labs went well and Carson and Kellen did better than I would have ever guessed. I was a bit nervous going into it because it was the first time Carson would need to have multiple meals on the road (away from our normal routine of eating in his high chair, at our house, etc.) and I wasn't for sure how well he would do, not to mention if Kellen would eat well. I never thought many of my biggest challenges would involve trying to get my children to eat a  reasonable amount : ) But, I was pleasantly surprised...Carson did extremely well and so did Kellen! Again, prayers were answered!

Other than that, I have had the pleasure of seeing a little more 'two year old drama' from the boys, testing those boundaries, as I know all children do. I just try to remind myself that this is NORMAL and I like normal! I do think I witnessed Carson's first real tantrum and I happened to be in a good mood where I could actually laugh at it (silently of course!). You now, throwing toy cars, trying to knock things over just to make me mad, and so on. Gotta love that little boy!

But all in all, the boys are fun and really play well together! One of their new activities is climbing up onto our big bed which and 'reading books' to themselves or each other. It is SO much fun to listen to them 'read.' We've also been enjoying the spring weather and having more time outside!

Carson's surgery is still scheduled for April 9th. I'm really praying that he is at a good place at that time and that the team of doctors get a good, accurate picture of his airway, anatomy, etc. This evaluation will hopefully give all of us a better idea of the big picture (including timeline, surgeries, etc.) The Cincinnati team keeps throwing around the term 'reactive airway' and long term steroids due to inflammation they have seen in his airway on a couple occasions. I do NOT personally believe Carson has a reactive airway and I'm really not a fan of long term steroids but again, I'm trying to keep my mind open and like I said, I'm just praying they see an accurate picture of sweet Carson.

Love to all and thank you for going on this journey with us!

'Can we have one?!?'

Checking out our March snow!

This snowman was a LITTLE better than the first...the boys even helped 'decorate' - ha, I think Kellen may be tasting the snowman.

Big boys in the big bed : )

Feeling full!

Feeling full...full of love, full of joy! And what perfect timing...right around Valentine's day! These past three weeks have been busy and SO much fun! Not busy because we've been doing much out of the ordinary but busy because we have had LOTS of wonderful visitors! My uncle Tom came down to do the electrical work on our new house. And James had already scheduled to take the time off work in Columbia to come down to help. So we just said good bye to the two of them today. But in those three weeks, my dad came down to help two different times, as well as Josh. Emmett even took time off work to come up and help and my grandpa made an appearance to put his electrical expertise to work. Not to mention Preston and his dad. They put in some long days and the boys and I put in some long days at home, trying to keep them all going : )  Everyone sacrificed time with their families, time away from loved ones and jobs, time on the road, and even sacrificed warmth since the first week it was in the teens and twenties. We had a blast and I feel so full of love for our families that are ALWAYS willing to jump in and help out! BUT, I have to say, I'm ready for some GIRL TIME!! I am ready to replace some of the gorry, violent, action movies with sappy love stories and the smelly feet with pedicures : ). But really, I'm not complaining, I would do it all over again! The boys will not know what to do without all the guys here to entertain. I've posted a few of the pictures from our time together. We ended the three week stint with chocolate malts and a trip to the Harley store : )

Some other big news...Carson is now officially fed MORE BY MOUTH than by tube. WAAAHOOOOO!! Simply amazing! A huge answer to prayer. We cut back his feeding again this week. He also had his first chocolate malt with Tom and James. Yes, he fits right in with Poppy and Uncle Josh, he LOVED it! Kellen has hit a growth spurt and grew 3/4" in the past month (Carson grew 1/4") and Kellen has also caught on to the idea of using the potty! He has used the potty multiple times each day for the past 4 or 5 days. I'm not saying we are ready to get rid of diapers but I think this is a huge step in the right direction! We continue to trudge along and are really enjoying the warmer weather!

I scheduled Carson's upcoming surgery/evaluation in Cincinnati for April 9th. We will most likely go up the night before and return the same day of the surgery so no overnight hospital stay : ) As always, I ask for prayers for the team of surgeons that will be evaluating Carson - that they use the utmost care when operating on Carson and that they get the best overall picture of Carson's airway which will lead to the development of the best plan for the coming months/years. I will not stop praying for a complete miracle until the trach and g-button are nothing but memories! Other prayer requests...continued improvements in eating for Carson and continued health for the boys. We have been so blessed this winter season with good health and pray that it continues. Much love to everyone!


Oh, last thing...a funny story about Carson. I was fixing dinner in the kitchen while the boys played. Carson was intent on getting onto his tricycle. The problem was, he had his shoes on and that always makes it a little harder for him as his shoes tend to get stuck and his foot isn't as flexible to slide through different parts. Anyways, I could hear him huffing and puffing a little bit (getting a bit frustrated) because his feet kept getting tangled up and he couldn't get on the tricycle. So I try to TALK him through how to get on the bike (from the kitchen). Well, he gave it one more shot & almost lost his balance. That was his last straw, but instead of simply walking away from the bike...he took that tricycle by the handlebars and tire and shoved it over on its side THEN walked away. I couldn't help but bust out laughing! He showed it!

Our crew the first weekend!

The boys and the UNCLES ; )

more SNOW fun with Aunt RaRa

Our Valentine's morning crew!

Two of the sweetest valentines I could have ever asked for

funny faces!

Cousins!!

Hahaha!

Now, THAT'S alot of wires!

Papa and Daddy hanging can lights!

Grampe working his magic

I think all the guys spent some time up in the rafters (glad no one was scared of heights!)

Fun with Poppy up in the bonus room!

Our electrical crew minus Emmett, Grampe, and Papa

Celebrating with malts (this may have been the third night of celebration ; )!!

Harley dudes! Starting them young...