Rest of August Fun

It'll be October this week, but I haven't finished a few things from August.  I need to get caught up there before finishing here in September.  So here are a few things that went on back at the end of August.

After we got back from our Bear Lake trip, Steve picked up his new allergy drops.  It's called Sublingual Immunotherapy.  It's an alternative way to treat allergies without injections.  Steve will take a few drops under his tongue, which slowly boosts his tolerance to his particular allergies and helps to reduce his symptoms.  All of the testing we've done this year on him says his allergies are what's making it hard for him to breath, especially at night time when he's trying to sleep.  So by taking the drops (over a few years most likely), we're hoping that he'll eventually not have allergies anymore and he won't have to be on medication for it.  It's a slow process, but it's worked for others, so we're hoping it'll work for him too.  Steve's brother-in-law Brandon Lake (Melanie's husband), did it several years ago and hasn't had any allergy issues since.  The unfortunate part is it's not covered by insurance since it's not FDA approved yet.  We both prayed about it and felt good about the decision though, so we moved forward with it.  Luckily we can use our HSA if we want.  Every 3 months he'll get new dosages to work on.   So far so good.

Friday, August 28th my parents actually came down to SLC for a funeral.  So that night we got together out at Rose's place and went to her ward Luau.  They had good food (smoked pork and rice), and even had islanders dance to all the different island dances.  It was pretty cool.  It was fun to see Rose, Pauline and kids and my parents at the same time as well.

Nyles trying to play Summer's Ukelele at the Luau.

Nyles was at Joann's while Steve was at class.  Carrie and Lynsie stopped by also.  It started to rain and the kids thought it would be fun to go out and run in it.  Well they got wet of course, so Joann and Carrie tried drying them off, but they went back out again.  Nyles thought it was a really fun to run in his undies in the rain.  Silly kid ;)

 

One night after putting Nyles to bed, we thought he was sleeping, but looked over at his room and the light was one.  We opened the door to find he had grabbed the baby powder and was making "snow" with it.  He thought it was pretty fun to drive his trucks and cars in.  I went and put him in "Time Out", trying to keep a straight face, but as soon as I turned around I cracked up laughing.  After he was let out, we told him why he shouldn't do that, but it was still hilarious!  What will he think of next?  I had to take a few pics to remember it too :)

Nyles w/ his sad face after going to time out, then trying to escape time out.  

Notice the baby powder all over his face and clothes?

This is his room.  Baby powder everywhere, especially on his "track" where he was playing w/ his cars and trucks.

Nyles enjoying "riding" things w/ wheels.  Here he is on his bike, on a scooter he borrowed from a neighbor, and Rose's kids' 3 wheeler.  He thinks they're all so fun!

    

Nyles and I went to his school playground to play.  We've been going there since he was just a baby.  It's incredible how much more he can do now on his own.  Go down the slide, up the ladder, or even climb up the slide (though we tell him not to).  I can't believe how big he's getting.

Nyles wanted to put on "stickers" ie fake tatoos, so we let him.  He put on a badger and Steve put on a fish.  Nyles going on a wagon ride w/ Conor and London around Grandma and Grandpa McGrath's house.

Saturday, August 29th, Steve met up w/ Dave Thomas and went fly fishing.  While they were doing that, Melissa and I met at a Splash Pad near our place and let the boys play in the water.  Nyles wasn't quite sure what to think, but thought it was a lot of fun to stop the holes w/ sticks.

Calvin and Nyles playing in the water.

Nyles planning his move to stop the water w/ the stick in his mouth.

Nyles eating a cookie and not wanting to show me his eyes.  Silly kid ;)

Nyles taking a break while playing w/ his truck.

That night we had planned to go to the temple, but our babysitter Rob got sick.  We tried asking 4 other people, but due to the fact that it was last minute, we couldn't find anyone to come.  We needed to go, so we decided to split up.  Steve went first, then we switched.  While Steve was gone Nyles and I made a fort out of blankets and pillows, made popcorn, then put on "Airplanes: Fire and Rescue" movie.  Nyles thought it was pretty fun.

Nyles in our fort, ready for the movie.

Jordan River Temple.  So beautiful.  So peaceful.  My Spirit yearns to be there.

We explained to Nyles what we were doing as we left to the temple.  He said he wanted to go.  So we told him we'd all go visit the temple the next day.  So Sunday, after his nap, we loaded up and went down to Temple Square.

Steve pulling Nyles in the wagon, down to Temple Square.

Taking a look at the beautiful SLC Temple.  Nyles thought the water was awesome!

 Looking at the stone from the quarries.

Enjoying the beautiful flowers.

Family picture.  Nyles wasn't too excited about it.

Family pictures in front of the Christus Statue.  Nyles liked looking at the stars.

 Nyles wanted to touch Jesus.  

He also wanted to touch all the video screens to see what they had to say.

 In front of the Conference Center.

Nyles saw a little stream next to us and said, "Give said the little stream."  

He loves that song. ;)

Beautiful sunset as we were leaving.

Back at home, all bathed and ready for bed, reading stories from the book I used to read w/ my mom before bed.  It makes me happy he likes the same stories I did.  He especially likes the Fox and the Crow story, about the fox who made the crow drop her cheese.

Well that wraps up August.  It was an eventful month.  Summer sure went by fast, that's for sure!

Steve in the hospital

On Monday, September 21st, Steve came home from studying at the school library with a really big headache.  We didn't think much of it though since Steve gets headaches every so often.  He took some Ibuprofen and we went to bed.  The next morning, Tuesday, he said his head was still hurting and he'd gotten up to take some more meds early that morning.  I got up w/ Nyles while Steve tried to sleep a little more.  I went to work shortly after he got up. By noon his headache wasn't going away, so he called his friend Duane Bates, who is a Physician's Assistant.  Duane said to try taking Lortab, and if that didn't work, to go check himself into the hospital, for there must be something else going on.  After Steve picked up Nyles from Preschool he went up to Joann's and got the Lortab, then came home so he and Nyles could take a nap.  After he woke up it still wasn't going away, so he asked Joann if she could come down to be w/ Nyles and so he could try and sleep some more.  Steve was supposed to take a test that night, so was hoping the headache would go away so he'd be able to go take it.

I hurried home from work that afternoon.  Steve was trying to sleep but was now getting chills.  He said his headache still wasn't going away.  I asked him what Duane said then decided we'd better go to the hospital to check it out.  Joann left and we packed up to head to the ER.  Steve wanted me to just drop him off, but we decided to stay w/ him to see what was going on.  I honestly thought he was having a migraine, so I figured they would just give him some heavy meds and we'd be on our way.  It didn't turn out that way though.

They took him right back, took his vitals and asked him what was going on.  His blood pressure was definitely high as well.  We then went back to a room where they drew blood, then the Dr came in soon after.  He said they wanted to take a CT scan to make sure he didn't have a brain aneurysm, then if that came back negative to do a spinal tab to look for Meningitis.  Steve was starting to get nauseous by this time as well.  They took him back for the CT scan.  After he got back they hooked up the IV's and started to give him some pain meds, but they didn't seem to be helping either.  By this time it was getting late and I needed to get Nyles to bed.  I asked Dave if he could come be with Steve so I could take Nyles home to bed.

Steve at the ER, having a severe headache.

I went home and put Nyles to bed.  When Dave got there they tried to do a spinal tap, but the Dr couldn't get it.  He didn't want to try it again by himself, so he called in a specialist.  While they were waiting Dave asked Brandon Lake to come and help give him a blessing.  Steve said he doesn't remember any of it, but Dave told him that they would figure out quickly what was going on, then he'd be on to a quick recovery.  After Brandon left the Specialist came to do the spinal tap.  He was in Syracuse though, so it took a while for him to get there.  After the spinal tap, they had to wait for the results.  They were trying to give Steve more pain meds, but it still wasn't helping.

Steve in the ER, waiting for results.

A little while later, they came back w/ the results.  Steve had Spinal Meningitis! His results were off the charts in terms of his white blood cell count. They said they were going to need to admit him to the hospital.  Steve talked to me for a minute on the phone then I spoke to Dave who filled me in some more.  About this time (11:30pm) Joann was showing up at the ER to trade off w/ Dave so he could go home and get some sleep before work the next morning.  After we all found out what was going to happen, they wheeled Steve over to the hospital to get admitted, and Dave headed home.  I sent my manager and coworker an email letting them know I wouldn't be in the next day, then went to bed.  Steve said it was around 2am before he finally stopped hurting and was able to sleep.  They had given him some intense pain killers by this time.

Steve in the hospital now.

The next morning, Wednesday, I was planning to go see Steve.  We didn't want Nyles to be around him for safety measures, so Joann was going to watch him.  Nyles wanted to go ride his bike though, so we went outside for a little while.  About this time the police and fire department showed up at our complex.  Someone had apparently fallen and hit their head.  The police, fire truck and ambulance blocked our driveway, so we weren't going anywhere soon.  It was after 10:30am now, and Nyles would be going down for a nap in an hour, so I decided I'd better wait to go see Steve during Nyles' nap.  I put Nyles down for his nap, then Joann came over to sit w/ him so I could go see Steve.

I brought Steve some new clothes to change into, some hygiene items, and a few Duck magazines to read.   The pain meds were working pretty good by this time, so Steve was feeling much better.  I stayed with him for a few hours, then left so he could get some sleep.  He said he didn't sleep much the night before since they woke him up every couple hours to either draw blood of give him more pain meds.  

Steve wasn't a fan of the hospital food, so he asked me to pick him up a burger for dinner.  They said I could bring Nyles this time, so we went and got burgers for dinner, then went to the hospital and had dinner together.  Nyles thought it was fun to play on the rolling chair.  Dave and Joann came a little while later as well.  We had slushies together, provided by the hospital, then went home to put Nyles to bed.

Steve feeling better now ;)

The next morning, Thursday, September 24th, I used another one of my "sick days" for work, and stayed home again.  I got to take Nyles to Preschool that morning though, which was fun.  After I picked him up we decided to go to the park for a minute.  About this time Steve called and said he was getting discharged.  We hurried home to change and grab a few things, then headed over to Alta View Hospital again, this time to take him home.  Steve was definitely glad to leave!  After we got home, we had a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, then Steve laid down for a nap.  Nyles decided he didn't want to take a nap (though he took a 3 hour nap the day before), so we went outside and rode his bike again.

I went to work on Friday.  Steve has been doing better, though they said he'll most likely continue to keep getting headaches for the next week or so.  They gave him some pain meds to help with it.  They confirmed that he had Viral Meningitis vs Bacterial Meningitis.  We are thankful that we were able to catch it pretty early on.  Meningitis can be life threatening.  We are thankful we listened to Duane to take him in to the ER, rather than trying to wait it out some more.  We're also thankful for Priesthood blessings!

Ironically about the same time my dad was diagnosed with C-Diff.  He's on a heavy dose of antibiotics himself to trying to get better.  We pray for his speedy recovery as well.

I'm thankful for family and the love and support we have for each other.  Be grateful for every second of every day that you get to spend with the people you love.  Life is so precious!

Labor Day Weekend!

We went up to my parent's house over Labor Day Weekend.  I took Friday off, but had a dentist appointment in the morning, plus we did a few other errands, so we didn't leave until 11am.  We made good time though and got there that afternoon.  Nyles was so excited to go visit Grandma and Grandpa on the farm and play with the toys there too.  It was a little cool that weekend, but we still had a good time there and enjoyed the outdoors.

Nyles playing w/ a stomp rocket.

Now w/ the trucks outside.

A cool hummingbird on mom's flowers.

Uncle Mark finishing up the field.  Nyles loves watching the tractors in action.

Helping Grandma get some carrots out of the garden.

See!  It was a pretty big carrot. 

Dad and Steve of course went out fishing Saturday morning to Anderson Dam.  They were trying to catch Chinook Salmon this time, but only got a trout and a Kokanee.  Though they didn't catch many they still had a good time.

Steve and Nyles looking at the antelope in the field.

The antelope out in the field.

Nyles of course wanted to go on a ride w/ Grandpa on his motorcycle.  Chuck waiting for them to get back from their ride.

Yeehaw!  Enjoying the ride w/ Grandpa.  

They even saw a gopher trap.  Nyles thought it was pretty cool.

Monday morning before we headed out, we went over to some fishing ponds.  They're actually overflow ponds of fish that they raise then sell for food, like Tilapia.  Nyles thought it was pretty awesome since you literally put your line out, sometimes not even w/ bait, and they would bite it.  It was the easiest fishing I've ever seen.  We caught many fish needless to say.  Steve and my dad had a good time as well.  Since it was private property I even threw a couple casts out.  

Steve helping Nyles fish.

2 seconds later, caught one!

Grandpa caught one!

Nyles trying it all by himself.  I was mainly worried they were going to pull him in. :)

And another one in 2 seconds.

Now my turn.

Nyles going to see what Grandpa caught.

And another one!

Trying to other pond.

Grandpa caught a stick, pretty impressive!

Another one!

Nyles doing a great job reeling it in, must be a big one based on his stance :)

Nyles went for one more motorcycle ride w/ Grandpa, then we headed home.  It was my mom's birthday as well, so we wished her a Happy Birthday again, then hit the road.  We sure had a great time up on the farm visiting w/ Grandma and Grandpa and playing of course.  Until next time!

Nyles' First Day of Preschool

On Tuesday morning August 25th, Nyles started Preschool.  We decided on going through our school district, Canyon's School District.  The Elementary school's in our district each have one for 3 year olds.  We decided to go to the one closest to use called Jordan Valley.  It's normally a school for those with special needs, but they have a regular preschool as well.  He will go twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday for 2 and a 1/2 hours.  His teacher's name is Michael.  Currently there are about 10 kids in his class and 4 teacher's aids, of which 1 is a Speech Pathologist who helps the kids with their language development.  I was excited to hear about that especially.  They have a great structure each day on what they'll be learning that day and he brings a paper letting us know what he personally did that day.  Nyles has been really excited each day to go.  Steve said the 2nd day he went into class and didn't even look back.  He's really enjoying learning, which makes us happy!  Here are some pics on his first day of school.  I can't believe he's big enough to go to preschool, but it's exciting at the same time.

Nyles didn't want his picture taken at home.  His cute truck backpack. 

 Say cheese!

 

Inside the classroom in the "reading" corner where they go while waiting for the others to get there.