All Is Well!

I have been away for a bit.  The end of March landed us in the Alberta Children's Hospital with our dear Jacob.  What we thought was the flu was quickly re diagnosed as a bowel obstruction.  Surgery was done and after two and a half weeks we were sent home.  I had my computer with me and had thought I would blog and keep everyone up to date, but every time I tried to write, nothing would come.  So I took a break. 

Jacob is back to school and although we are having a few issues with feeds, he is back to his happy, cheerful self.  He has been back to school for a couple of weeks.
It took me a couple of weeks to be able to put a clear sentence together and catch up of the lack of sleep.  A hospital is not a place to rest.  Although I understand it, it was still hard to handle having Jacob just drift off to sleep only to have a group of nurses enter the room to do safety checks and take vitals.  I have to admit I got testy a time or two. 
Can I just say we had amazing nurses!!! There were two that were a bit harder to take, one spoke to us like we were idiots.  I don't do so well with that, but she was on when Jacob came back from surgery and I was so grateful!  He had a bit of a scare and she knew her stuff!  I was glad she was there leading the way.  The other was new and needed a little reminding that the enema water should be body temperature, not tea temperature!  My confidence in her was shot after that and that was tricky.  But we had nurses that fought our battles for us, reminding cleaning staff that sleep was more important then washing the floor, talked to doctors to make needed changes and some who listened to a sleep deprived, fearful mother and gave the comfort and reasoning needed.  All treated Jacob like their own and he received the best care! Those amazing people who decide to use there time and talents caring for others, I am so grateful!  Thank You All!
We had amazing family and friends help in so many ways too!  Some brought meals, treats, conversation, others brought hugs, my children, hope, relief, socks, clean laundry and all brought love and comfort! 

I learned a few things through this experience too. 

• Always trust your instincts. A parent knows their child better then anyone. You need to advocate!
• I need a video of Jacob's "normal".  Jacob gets very quiet and withdrawn when he is in pain and it would have been good to have an example of what the norm is.  That way those caring for him would know he really wasn't handling the pain well.
• Always pack lots of cozy socks!
• The parent bed is chilly!  Take your own blanket. (But oh thank goodness it was there!)
• There is comfort in your own pillow too!
• Taking care of yourself is just as important as caring for your child!  If you crash, everyone is in trouble!
• I can go without sleep better then I thought!
• Everyone handles these things differently and we should NEVER judge!
• We are stronger than we think!

I am so thankful that Jacob is happy and well once more!  I am grateful I live in a place where health care is easily accessed and comfortable.  And amazingly enough, I am grateful for all that I have learned through this experience. 
 
I hope you have a healthy day!  I hope to.
 

Our Nathan

I have had a bit of computer trouble and not been able to post.  Very frustrating!  Maybe it's just me, but it always seems when I decide to become more consistent things pop up to prevent me from following through.  It's like the universe wants to see just how serious I am! Well, I have lost a week, but I am finally ready to go again!  Sooo...

....Without further ado, Let me introduce to you our dear Nathan.
He is our oldest!  Our first to do everything, our first to walk, talk, go to school, and now drive (yikes!)! He knows all about the joys and woes of  being the oldest! The opportunities and the responsibilities. He pulls it all together in his own way!

But who is Nathan?  He is our family photographer, heck he is a general photographer, a thinker, a chef, a fisherman, an all round outdoor adventurer, an entrepreneur, a creative soul and one of my favourite people! 



Fishing in Waterton National Park.
Summer 2012



Back packing in Waterton

What happens when there is just
Too much Homework!



Nathan's 'family famous burger'! 
This was so Yummy!!



Doing what he does!
Capturing the moment!



Hard at work or checking facebook?

Reaching for the top!

On a winter adventure in New Brunswick

I love watching this young man enjoy life.  He is an inspiration to me of how to embrace life and live it to the fullest.  He sets goals and follows through.  He has created and run two businesses.  He is a hard worker with a determined attitude.  And he has fun doing it all!
I Love being his Mom!
Hope you have an inspired day! I hope to!

Here's Kenzie!

Where I’m From

By: Mackenzie Wynder 2011

I am from drawers

   from Old Navy and Stain remover

I am from red everything

   (Dark, light it felt like I was surrounded.)

I am from the grass, the trees

    bright, fresh and damp smelling.

I am from the brown sugar, cinnamon toast and blue eyes

   From Dayna and Sheila and Rae.

I’m from the goal setting and hanging out,

   from you are beautiful! and I love you!

I’m from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

    and I am a child of God.

I’m from Alberta and Ontario

    haystacks and tea.

From the Candy shop my brother owned,

The two broken arms of my grandma

    when my mom was a baby.

Scrap books in the craft room full of pictures,

    me from birth to now

I will always have the memories to cherish.

I am from purple and pink clothes-

    bright, blue, snowy mountains.



Oh So Beautiful!
(Don't mean to embarrass you Kenzie, but it's true!)

 I always wanted to be a mom.  It has been a dream as long as I can remember.  It is just as wonderful as I imagined it would be!  I just didn't have the stress in my images! ;) 

I always wanted a boy first.  I have 3 big brothers and I think every girl needs one or two.  So when Nathan joined us I was thrilled!  But when he was almost two and we knew that he would have his chance at being a big brother, I have to admit I was dreaming of a sweet little bundle of pink!

What a joy a little girl can be. 

Mackenzie has always been full of spunk and determination. Maybe it comes with the red hair!

She amazes me at every turn.  Right from the start she has been ready to get life under way. She was trying to sit up at 4 months, wanting only to eating what she could feed her self at 6 months!

She sets goals and accomplishes them.  She in organized and a thinker.  I often say I want to be just like her when I grow up!  I am sure her spirit is older then mine. 



Enjoying the Adventure!

Full of talent!



Even when she's doing chores she is smiling!
(well most of the time!)



Enjoying a day in the snow!




Always Stylin'

I LOVE having a girl! There really is nothing quite like it!

(Love you Kenzie!)

Hope you have an adventurous day!  I hope to!

I Would Like You To Meet Jacob!

It occurred to me as I was looking over my last post, that I really haven't introduced my dear family to you.  So I will start with the youngest and work my way up!

As I was looking at the pictures I put on my last post, I realized they didn't really give a good idea of who Jacob is and that is sad because our Jacob is one of my favourite little people!



This is the Jacob we know and love the best.  He has an amazing smile and is quick to use it!

Twelve and a half years ago we had no idea what to expect with this little man.  Would he walk, would he talk, would he know what was going on around him?  Would we be able to know and fill his needs?
Well.  He doesn't walk or talk, But he defiantly knows what is going on and lets us know what he wants and when he wants it. Don't get me wrong he isn't demanding, in fact he is a very sweet, patient soul.  He is just really good at communicating without his words!  Instead he uses his many expressive faces!




His "NO" face.  This is a pretty mild "NO" Sometimes his brow is furrowed and you know you are being told!
On the up side, he smiles for "YES"!




We don't see this very often, but every now and then, when he has simply had enough we hear about it!  This is not to be confused with his broken hearted cry! (when all else fails pull out the camera!)



Not the greatest picture, but this is Jacob's 'famous lip'!  He is good at sticking it out when he is not impressed with what is going on!

 Jacob really does Not like to be left out of anything!  He is very much a part of what we do and the decision making.  And he has a list of his favourite things!




Mackenzie is one of Jacob's favourite people in the whole world!  They are kindred spirits if ever I had met a pair!

Knocking Down Mom's Block towers can fill a whole afternoon and get the biggest laughs!  There really isn't anything better.  Which reminds me... Jacob loves to TEASE!  He has a great sense of hunour!



Making Cookies and helping in the kitchen is a highlight of a great day!

Okay. Terrible picture of Mom, but Jacob LOVES the trampoline!  Look at that face!
(Not mine, Jacob's!)



Life is a whirl of Joy when Jacob is involved!  Great time on the carousel!



A good friend always knows how to make others feel included! 
He was a little worried about his eyes, but everyone else was doing it... why not him! 



Bringing down the house at the Halloween school dance! 
(He was one of the Triplets and Mackenzie was Merida from Disney's Brave)

 

So now you have a little better picture of our Jacob!  He is living life to the fullest, it just happens to be from the seat of his chair!
Hope you have a day full of joy.  I plan to!

Spring Break!

I am amazed that it has been a month since my last post...sounds like a quote from my journal!
I have been listening to some great stuff the past couple of weeks from Jenn Lee's Video summit.  My take away and goal is be more consistent in all aspects of my life.  So I am beginning here. 

 
What a crazy spring break we have had!  I love it when the kids are home and the time just lays before us.  This is becoming rare as the kids get older.  But even with their crazy social schedules, we were able to fit in some fun family time!
Since a picture is worth a thousand words and usually more interesting...I thought I would add a few!
We painted, spent time in the mountains, had a visit with Grandma and Grandpa and even spent some time at the Calgary Children's hospital!



 Why Not Blue and Orange?!

We decide that it was great idea to paint Jacob's bedroom!  He picked out his colours~ can you guess what his favourite colour might be?

Time with Grandma and Grandpa!

This is the greatest tip ever!  Add a box of chocolate cake mix (you can use any kind) to a box of Angel food cake mix.  Stir well and put in a jar in your cupboard.  When you feel like a treat...

Add 3 Tbsp of mix to 2 Tbsp of water and microwave for 1 minute (3,2,1) And Presto you have a yummy fluffy cake!

We added chocolate sauce just for the heck of it!  Great for lunches too!  Spending time at Grandma's is away so much fun!

Our Trip to the Children's Hospital... What a trooper!

What would a holiday be without a trip to the Children's hospital?  Jacob had Botox to help with the tightness in his legs... The sedation was a great idea! The Staff are always so amazing too!

A Trip to Waterton National Park! (If the snow doesn't come to you...Go to the Snow!)



A quick change before loading Jacob into the chariot

Getting Jacob Buckled and ready to go!  I love our Chariot (Thank you Gail!)

My turn to pull!  What a great view!

And Colin's turn...Yeah he pulled for most of our journey!  Who knew I was such a wimp?!

Kenzie Leading the way!

Not sure what happened to our group shot... Colin and Me!  I love this man!

Kenzie and Jacob!  Nathan was taking a photography course most of the week!

It was a wonderful week!  We didn't go far, but enjoyed the time together.  Sometimes the simple things are the best! 
Hope you are enjoying your family time!  I know I am!

Wanderlust

: a desire to travel or "itchy feet"! 
I don't know if it is the time of year, or what, but I am in the mood to travel!  I just put up a world map on my wall and have added picture I printed off of my Pintrest board ~"places I want to see".  France, Australia, English gardens, vineyards in Italy...  Oh the places I could go!
I have ordered planners from different provinces and love to write up itineraries.  But in reality I am not going very far this year.  A camping trip to Saskatchewan maybe into British Columbia but that is probably it!
I have always wanted to travel to every major city in Canada and grade it on it's accessibility.  It would be fun to take a year and pack my family around this amazing country of ours and explore the possibilities that await us.  But since I am not independently wealthy and my children are at the point where their studies are kind of important to their futures, it won't be happening anytime soon. But I think it does hold merit. 
I walked up to a new business in our little town the other day and it didn't have a ramp to get Jacob into the store.  I asked one of the employees about it and she said she wasn't sure if one was in the plans or not and that I was not the first one to ask about.  In this day and age it is amazing to me that a new business can be built without accessibility being factored into the plans.
That being said, before I had Jacob it wasn't something that I often considered.  I guess it is education, which of course brings me back to my idea of travelling the country! ;)
It is good to dream and my dream is that a persons abilities won't decide the store they buy their groceries because every store will be accessible. And when deciding on their trip itineraries all will be open to them because all motels, modes of transportation, amusement parks and cities will have something for everyone.  By the way, did you know that most people in wheel chairs travel alone? At least that is the message being sent to families who try to book a wheel chair accessible room.  They usually only have one queen size bed in them!  We once found a room in Nova Scotia that had a King size bed and a pull out bed.  Finally someone was thinking!  But crazy that that is the exception! 

Hope you get to see your dreams turn into reality, I plan to! Have a wonderful day!

A Little More Pollyanna

Have you ever had one of those days when you just can't seem to get out of the negative thinking?  Where life seems to be all wrong and you can't see a way past it?
Last night about 2:45, I woke up to the dog whimpering beside my bed. I tried to ignore him but realized I couldn't remember the last time anyone had let him out. I got up and let the dog out. (Grrrr) Let him back in, checked Jacob, untangled him from his blankets, went back to bed, tossed and turned, worried about our septic tank, (we are having troubles), worried about selling our house in New Brunswick (anyone out there moving to Bathurst?), worried about Nathan's math exam, worried about his grades, worried about his future, (it was 3:00am... things can get big really quickly), hear Jacob fuss, thought about waking Colin up so I could keep worrying in peace, started listening to the peaceful rhythm of Colin's breathing, started to be annoyed that he could sleep so peacefully, wondered if our realtor was worried about selling our house, wondered if I should wake up Colin and ask him what he thinks, got really annoyed that he is still sleeping so well, tossed and turned some more, wondered how the dog could sleep, worried that we are behind on his shots, worried about Mackenzie's shots (she is due for updates), worried about Mackenzie's future, wondered if Colin realized his breathing was so annoying, wondered if I should wake him up and tell him, start to think about...Polly Anna?... wonder if the movie is available at the library, wonder if all the books got back to the library, worried I would never be positive again, wondered how to change that, worried I would never be able to get up in the morning, worried about all that needed to be done, realized a nap was out of the question.... 
At some point I must have fallen asleep because I awoke to Colin cheerfully nudging me and telling me it was time to get up.  GRRR.
Okay I'm crazy, but come on you can't tell me you have never had a night like mine.  (You are just smart enough not to relive it by posting it on the Internet!) But I have to say, things seem much better this morning as they always do.  I realize that all will work out.  It always does.  I can see I have so much to be grateful for!  So Today I can see I might get that nap I was worrying about, But before I do I am headed to the library to get a copy of Pollyanna and I am going to start my own version of the "glad game"!
Let's see...the septic field is plugged and the septic tank is overflowing...I am glad... I don't have to do any laundry today!!  Well it's a start ;)
I hope you have a cheery day...I plan to!