March + Spring Break

Boston stayed home from school one day in early March…just needed a day home with Mom. I enjoyed seeing the photos he snapped on my phone of him and his siblings:

Hudson started playing t-ball! There's just nothing cuter than a tiny boy in baseball pants and a hat. He really surprised me and went right out during that first practice, never looking back.  He's very shy and usually takes a while to warm up to new things/people, but he ran right out on the field and did everything the coaches asked.  It's pretty much organized chaos, but they have a great time.

Crazy sock day called for crazy faces:

I chopped all my hair off right before Spring Break.  I've thought about it before, just never been brave enough.  Then I saw a cute pixie cut on a girl at Melinda's baby shower and decided to take the plunge.  Being totally honest, I don't love it.  I don't hate it (especially now that it's starting to grow out) but I definitely won't be keeping it this short.  Luckily the front is longer so I don't think it will be too hard to grow out into an A-line bob. But hey, now I can say I tried it!

For Spring Break, we headed to Mississippi to visit Mimi and Papa and the Lightsey family.  We feel so blessed to have two sets of grandparents still living. It is getting harder for Mimi to travel so we wanted to make the effort to go visit. We went to their church on Sunday and then had a big family dinner with all the local family.

Monday we headed to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a day at the beach.  Our kids' only beach experience was Galveston a few years ago, where the sea weed was so thick, it made the water and shore disgusting.  Biloxi was perfect for our crew…clean sand, not too crowded, not too hot, and plenty of cousins to play with.

Easter Sunday was spent going to church, where I sang in the choir and also conducted a few musical numbers.  Then we hosted both sides of the family for a nice dinner. Our Easter Sunday photo:

Hudson, Avery, and I enjoyed a quick…and I mean QUICK trip to Austin.  We went down and back in a little over 24 hours.  Sweet Emery was scheduled for a large surgery to address a congenital kidney & urinary tract problem.  I wasn't planning on going because both sets of grandparents were planning to be there, plus logistically there was just a lot going on.  But the day before the surgery, Erin was in tears with worry and anxiety, wondering how she was going to get through the day with the upcoming surgery weighing so heavily on her mind.  After a few "I wish I was there to help"s and "I wish you were too"s, I just decided to go.  I felt strongly that I needed to go, so I did not ignore the prompting.  I threw a toothbrush and some PJs in an overnight bag, and was in Austin 3 hours later!

I mean, I cannot even handle the cuteness...

We had a fun day together, surprising her kids when we picked them up from school, then going to get ice-cream.  Before we knew it, it was time to feed and bathe everyone, then put them to bed.  We headed home the next morning after Erin, Jeff, and Emery left for the hospital. 

We are so thankful the surgery went well.  They had a rough time in the hospital with pain control and catheter trouble, but she is doing much better now.  I could never do pediatric nursing…I would just feel so bad for those poor babies who don't understand what's happening to them.  But she was in good hands, and we get to see them again this month!

Lastly, the kids got some money eggs from Manny and Papa on Easter, and those quarters were burning a hole in their pockets.  So I took them to the store to pick out a little toy. Hudson was thrilled to find a Dinotrux.  Avery was debating several different options, but finally settled on...

marshmallows!

January

The big story of January was Jamie's back.  He started having pain in his left hip last fall that progressed to shooting pain down his leg.  He started seeing a chiropractor, which helped initially.  But over time it was clearly getting worse.  When the pain got so bad he had to stop working out and could barely move without a lot of pain, we knew he needed more than chiropractic treatment.  He got an MRI of his lower back, and it didn't take a specialist to tell us he had a large ruptured disc. 

The (black) disc is bulging into the (white) spinal cord, pressing on the nerve

We went to see a surgeon, who gave us a few options. Because the nerve impingement was so severe it was causing pain and weakness all the way down his leg, we decided to go ahead with the lumbar microdiscectomy.  He was in surgery three days later!

After surgery the surgeon told us what looked like a 7mm bulge on the MRI was actually much larger. Everything went well, and we came home the same night.  He did have some inflammation of the nerve root about a week later that caused him a lot of nerve pain, but with steroids and several weeks of no bending/twisting/lifting, he is now (6 weeks post-op) feeling much better.



Since much of January was spent with Jamie sidelined, I spent a lot of time around the house or doing the usual things with the kids.  Just the way I like it!

We headed to the school for lunch with the big brothers a few times.

Hudson napping…a rare treat!

We got to visit the newest Walker cousin, Crosby James, born on New Years Eve! Avery is OBSESSED with babies.  She has to be wherever Crosby is when we visit. She will be a good little mama!

Actually the same day Jamie went in for surgery, we had already scheduled to have 2 new trees delivered (our Christmas present from Dad…thanks Dad!) We couldn't really post-pone, so we hired our brother-in-law to dig the holes.  Jamie's whole family stepped in and helped with the trees and taking care of the kids that weekend, and we were so grateful!

It nearly killed Jamie not to be able to do the work himself, so he did a lot of overseeing before we left for the hospital! 

Unlike her brothers, Avery loves vegetables! Edamame beans are one of her favorites--she calls them "mommy beans." She will eat piles and piles of them, and I'm not complaining!

Avery loves to play with my hair...

but she needs to take it easy on the tangles!

Since we live an hour away from my parents now, we try to get together for Sunday dinners as often as we can.  The kids loving going to the lake house the best, because Papa is always up for playing Legos!

I had a real treat at the end of January… Jeff sent Erin and I away on a quick girls weekend.  We met at the Marriot San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa for some much needed relaxation and sister-time.  We shopped till we dropped, ate out, and went to bed early…my ideal weekend! 

November + Two Thanksgivings

November was full of family activities! We hosted Thanksgiving with the Walker family a few weeks early when Corey and Amber were in town from Idaho.  While they were here we took a family outing to the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park.  It is the perfect aquarium for a large group of small children--not very big and lots of hands-on exhibits! 

We got to pet and feed sting rays at Sting Ray Bay outside. Poor Dax leaned in for a touch and got completely soaked! They splashed a lot on the surface.

Dax loves his Boston! He always asks for Boston and loves spending time with him.  Bossy is a good big cousin.

The Nydeggers came for a quick overnight visit, and Erin helped me with meal prep for the Walker Thanksgiving the next day (which I didn't get any pictures of, sadly!)

Not Thanksgiving-related, but just a classic example of what happens when I try to be domestic:

Jamie is the Cubmaster in our ward, so he got to present Boston with a belt loop at the last pack meeting. 

Thanksgiving week was spent mostly at my parents' house with  my whole family plus Mimi and Papa from Mississippi.  First things first: Auntie gave Avery a haircut! I have trimmed the back of her hair several times to keep the mullet under control, but Erin gave her a proper bob with layers and I couldn't love it any more!

Before:

During:

After:

More scenes from Thanksgiving:

Mimi and Papa were our honored guests! It is not easy for them to make the trip to Texas, but they keep making it work to spend time with us.  I am so glad my kids will have memories of spending time with their great-grandparents.

Mimi was so sweet and brought gifts for everyone.  The boys got bedtime story books and the little girls got dolls from her doll collection.  I have so many memories of being a little girl, playing with Mimi's dolls.  She was so thoughtful to pass some of them on to the great-granddaughters.  She gave Erin her thimble collection, and I received a ceramic tea pot that belonged to her mother, my great-grandmother Brannon.  Priceless treasures!