Holy MOLEy!

So, I had a mole on my face.  It didn't really bother me all that much, so I never did anything about it.  Over the summer, it had started to hurt a little. When I would wash my face or put makeup on, it would sting a little when I rubbed across it.  I kept telling myself that I was going to make an appointment and have it removed.  Finally, this fall, I called the doctor and made an appointment.  

When I saw the doctor, he immediately said that he was going to refer me to a plastic surgeon because it was on my face.  After looking at it more and more, the doctor started to become a little concerned because it had grown significantly in the last two years.  He said the shape and color looked fine so he wasn't concerned about cancer, he just thought it be best to get it off.  

Here are some close-up pics from the past few years.  You can barely see it right there by my nose in the first couple.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

I made an appointment with the plastic surgeon and had a consultation.  

Before

Like my family doc, he didn't really have any concerns cancer-wise.  He said he would send it off for a biopsy anyway (insurance companies like biopsies, apparently.)  

I had a little snip 'n stitch done last week to have it removed.  

Stitches... OUCH!

Yesterday, I went back to get my stitches out and go over the biopsy results...  It was benign, BUT... huh?  It was NOT a mole.  I forget exactly what he called it, but basically, could have turned into this:

Ok, maybe not that bad... He did say that it would have continued to grow indefinitely had I not had it removed!  Gross.

So, I am bump-free!  

After

I have a tiny pink spot that should heel just fine.  I go back to the doc in 10 weeks for a follow-up.  He did tell me though that this disease/virus/whatever it is (I will ask again when I go back in 10 weeks... was a little freaked out at the time) is in my body and could appear other places.  So far, I haven't noticed any "moles" growing other places, but you better believe I'm checking!!  Maybe I will just let the next one grow...

His Story to Tell

Well, I'm back! I'm so sorry (Aunt Linda) for taking a month off. I have been very busy with my growing photography business, my Etsy store, and my wonderful Scentsy business! All three of those on top of our busy time at work and the normal day-to-day family stuff left me with not a minute to blog.

This post is going to be a little different. You see, each time I would sit down to blog in the last couple of months, one thing came to mind.  As you know, I use this blog as sort of a journal of my life.  Well, something pretty major happened in my life and I felt that I couldn't blog about it.  I covered it up with recipes, crafts, and home renovation stories and pictures.  I couldn't write what I really wanted to.  Why?  Because it wasn't my story to tell...

To all the regular readers of this blog, be forewarned! This is not being written by Shannon. I'm her dad and I'm doing a guest blog entry. So, don't be bummed out because you aren't getting her regular, funny insight. My subject may be a little dry but may be educational. It is about my spring and summer experiences in the healthcare system.

First, a little background. I used to be a really heavy smoker. I smoked over 3 packs a day for over 30 years and couldn't walk to the corner without hacking and hacking. Along with my wife, I quit smoking 6 1/2 years ago. After that, we joined Weight Watchers where I lost 120 pounds.  

August 2008

August 2009



With that I was able to lengthen my walks from one block to five miles. All was well, health wise. My sleep apnea disappeared. So did my Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and everything else I was taking pills for. Like many people who have vastly improved their health issues, I slacked off getting regular check-ups. Why see the doctor when you are feeling great?

Then Prudential [insurance company] reared its ugly head. I had a small Whole Life policy with Prudential for many years and it has been paying its own premiums for years. Then one day, I get a letter from Prudential telling me that this policy will quit paying for itself and I will have to start paying an exorbitant premium. Well, we looked at all the options and decided to convert it to a term life insurance policy that gives us 10 times the coverage for the same price. So, last December, a home healthcare lady came to the house, took blood and urine samples and gave me an EKG. Late February, we got a letter from Prudential telling me that I can't get the new insurance because of the lab results! I looked it over and saw that my PSA test (measures the likelihood of prostate cancer) results was 11.4! Anything over 4.0 points to prostate cancer. It was 1.4 on my last test 2 years ago. I called my family doctor and he referred me to a urologist.

My urologist put on his glove and did a hand check of my prostate and said that the right side was "hard" and had an ultrasound done. He showed me where the prostate showed some white spots which indicated cancer so he ordered a biopsy. When Jen and I went in to get the results, we were expecting a cancer diagnosis but what the doctor told us hit us hard. All 16 biopsy specimens came back positive for cancer. My Gleason score, which measures Prostate Cancer was over 9 out of 10. The diagnosis was Stage 3 prostate cancer and he ordered a CT Scan, Bone Scan and chest x-ray to see if the cancer spread, which is typical with Stage 3 cancers. He said, with the prostate cancer diagnoses of my brother and dad, along with the aggressive kind I have, that more than likely I have a genetic predisposition for prostate cancer. He made a strong suggestion that my son and nephews have base line PSA tests and that my two other brothers be extra vigilant.

That week and a half between the diagnosis and results of the scans and tests were the longest ten days of my life. When the radiation oncologist casually said that the tests all show that there was no cancer spread, we both about collapsed with relief.  Our moms were emotional when we told them and my kids were equally happy.

I immediately started my treatment. Prostate cancer is different from most cancers in that chemotherapy is not an option. I've got so little hair left, I'd hate to lose it. Besides, I have an odd shaped head that would look horrible bald. Removing the prostate is also discouraged because of many factors with one being the likelihood of the cancer returning. So, my treatment started with my receiving hormone therapy. This starts with a "3 month" shot that will lower my testosterone level to zero and will cure the cancer. Radiation is used to "seal the deal". After getting my tattoos (which are used to line up the radiation beam exactly) and the forms my legs fit in (so I don't move during treatment), I started getting my radiation treatments. I'm having 44 treatments, every weekday at 8:20 am. My daughter, Shannon, made me and her a pad of paper with the numbers on the pages in descending order. Today, I tore off #10 so I only have nine to go! 

The first 25 treatments, despite hitting the prostate, were also focused on the lymph nodes and the area surrounding the prostate. If any cancer had escaped detection, it would be microscopic and would be killed by this treatment. The last 19 treatments focus entirely on the prostate. My radiation oncologist has told us that I will be on the hormone treatment for two years after I'm done with the radiation. (Jen is hoping that this long absence of testosterone will get me interested in scrapbooking!) I had another PSA test prior to my appointment last week with my urologist and it was 0.2. That made us extremely happy that the treatment is doing its thing. We won't know positively until after the two years of hormone treatment are over and my testosterone returns to normal. It the PSA stays near zero then I'll be set. One thing the radiation oncologist told me during my first appointment with him was that some day I'll die, but it won't be from prostate cancer!

During that first appointment, when we were going over the scans, the radiation oncologist pointed out where I have early signs of arthritis that showed up and some calcium deposits in my heart and arteries. Calcium deposits show up on a CT Scan but cholesterol and fat deposits don't. But "where there's smoke, there's fire." When I got the results, I set up an appointment with my family doctor to go over the results. When he saw the calcium deposits, he set me up with an EBT test which measures the calcium in and around the heart. For some reason, no insurance will pay for this test so we had to cough it up ourselves. When the results got back, his office called me and told me they were scheduling me for a stress test (called an Abnormal Myocardial Profusion) in two days. When Jen and I got to where the stress test was, the technician said that they hadn't gotten it okayed by my insurance company yet. He said there shouldn't be any problem getting it approved and if I would sign a paper guaranteeing payment if the insurance company doesn't pay. Jen asked how much the test cost and he said $7000! If he was trying to get my heart rate up, he succeeded! We both said "Hell NO!" and rescheduled for the next day when he had approval.

Well, I flew through that stress test. I was walking on a 16% incline 4 1/2 MPH for the full time. No sweat, no problem. Not quite. The stress test showed a reduced flow through one of my coronary arteries so my family doctor scheduled me to see a cardiologist two days later. Coincidentally, my cardiologist is my mom's too. He told me that he was going to schedule me for a heart catheterization for Friday afternoon (so it didn't interfere with my radiation treatments) and if I had a blockage over 70%, they would put in a stent and if the blockage was less than 70%, they would treat it with diet, exercise and drugs. My blockage turned out to be 75-80% and they put in a stent. The ironic part of this was that the artery that showed the greatest calcium build-up on the EBT and threw up all the red flags, wasn't the one that was blocked. That one was the one with the lowest numbers and the most favorable score on the EBT test. So, here I was. I had a battery of tests to see if my cancer had spread. They showed no spread but some calcium deposits. Other tests showed a large risk in one artery for a blockage so a heart catheterization was done and found a blockage in another artery that showed clear in the tests. I have two occasions where a symptom raised a red flag and a problem elsewhere was found that was a life saver for me. The artery where my blockage was, showed very mild calcium build-up on the tests and even my cat, Lucy, wouldn't have bothered with it. Boy, did I dodge a bullet!  

One of the reasons my family doctor, Doctor Anthony Henry, was proactive and quick to react to my test results was because he KNEW my family history and didn't take any chances. I'm extremely pleased that my doctors were so good, so professional and so able that I could be diagnosed with an 80% blockage of a coronary artery and get it fixed (with no other blockages over 15%) without ever having ANY symptoms whatsoever!

So far, after 36 radiation treatments, I'm feeling pretty good. After I get done with my treatments and I get over whatever after affects there are, I'll be taking vacation until I can retire after my birthday in August. This entire ordeal and the last 7 years leading up to it has taught me some very important lessons:

1. If you smoke, quit. No one out there smokes more than I did. I tried every method, twice. Chantix worked. Nicotine replacement doesn't work. Forget about the patches, gum or e-cigs.
2. If you're overweight, lose the extra poundage. I lost 120 pounds on Weight Watchers and you can too! Fad diets like "no carb" or "high protein" don't work. As soon as you go off them, you pack it back on big time. Weight Watchers helps you change your lifestyle that includes eating properly and exercise and the weight will fall off.  
3. Quit drinking so darned much beer! One a day is sorta OK, but don't keep sloppin' them down!
4. Pay attention to your family's medical history. Let your doctor know it and keep a close eye on what has been diagnosed in other family members.
5. Pay attention to your doctors! My radiation oncologist tells us that we should cut out red meat from our diet. He's no dietitian or nutritionist. Yeah, but he sees people over and over who have cancer and that red meat "could" easily have been a contributing factor.
6. Lastly, share your burden with your family. They will give you great comfort when times are bad and will pick you up when you're low. I couldn't have gone through all that I did as easily as I did if it hadn't been for Jenny and our families. God bless them all.

So, there you go, that's my story. Sorta long winded but I've never said anything in a sentence when a paragraph was handy.

Max Teders

---

First of all, I can't thank my dad enough for sharing his story with all of you. This whole ordeal has been the absolute hardest thing my family and I have ever gone through. Like Dad said, those 10 days were the longest days ever. Even knowing that prostate cancer is very treatable if it hasn't spread, all I could think about was, "What if?"  All I knew was, I was NOT going to lose my dad to cancer. I am 31 years old and have a wonderful relationship with my own Grandpa. I refused to think about my girls growing up without that relationship with my dad.  I got the call at work.  I was walking and literally fell to my knees. Knowing that my dad was NOT going to die from cancer was the best news I have ever heard. Ever in my life.

Dad started his treatment and all was well.  One thing that you may not know about my dad is that he is a swimmer. He swims a mile every morning. He started talking about his left arm numbing a little bit as he was finishing his laps. Mom kind of thought that maybe it was a effect of the hormone shot; maybe he doesn't have all of his strength and endurance.  Dad didn't want to ignore it because last time he ignored a nuisance symptom, he found out he had cancer. He listened to his body and we are all thankful that he did. He dodged a heart attack and all I could think was, "How many more lives does this guy have?!"

The dad I knew back in 2008 was a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  He could fill a plate and go back for seconds. He also salted everything! The salt shaker was always on the table in our house. He also drank a ton of Diet Pepsi. After Dad's diagnosis, he completely turned his habits around! No more red meat. No more salt. He is all about eating fresh! He also puts back at least 64 oz. of water each day instead of the pop!  Because of all of this, I took a second look at what I was eating. I, like my dad, was salting everything. I stopped. I cut back drastically on my red meat intake, as well. Knowing that heart disease is the number one killer of women AND that it runs in my family, I decided to be proactive and prevent it as much as I could. I'm now a huge fan of mushroom burgers and veggie burgers :-)

I'm telling you, my dad has really changed his lifestyle! I'm so incredibly proud of him. He has not let the cancer or heart issues get him down. He is definitely a man to look up to.  I love you, Dad, and am so thankful that I have many, many years to keep telling you that.

Please excuse my absence from LIFE...

I definitely want to be a part of this mentoring program! Just a quick Taylor update... She is doing pretty well. Bedtime is definitely not as big of a pain as it was in the past since we decided that she just needs one of us in her room until she falls asleep.  She is doing fine with this. I'm working gradually to get her to let me go across the hall to my craft room instead of actually staying in her bedroom.  Right now, we are only in the "talking about it" stage.  She's not liking that idea.  She is still coming into our room to sleep on the floor every single night.  While this is not the most ideal situation, it could be worse.  We're letting it fly for the time being but are in the "talking about it" stage of not doing it anymore.  She's not liking that idea either.

On to other topics... Hi! Did you miss me?  You know, when women decide to become wives and mothers, they really should be encouraged to get their nursing degree, as well. It would have definitely come in handy last week!  Let's take a stroll back to when I last blogged... February 28th.  I had my booth at the Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show again this year.  Sales were down from last year, but the crowds were definitely down, as well.  I was still happy with the outcome and am definitely doing it again next year!  While I was at the Coliseum for the weekend, Mike began to feel a little under the weather.  He was really congested and had a fever earlier in the week.  Taylor was also starting to feel a little off and was complaining of her ear hurting.  We treated her symptoms with OTC meds and she seemed fine.  After the show, I decided to take Monday off to get myself caught up around the house, and get my things put away.  Turns out, Taylor was still feeling icky and needed to stay home anyway.

Tuesday was a normal day.  The girls went to school and daycare, and Mike and I went to work.  Tuesday night is when it all started to take a turn for the worse.  Mike spiked a 102 fever and Jaden was complaining of a sore throat.  She also had a fever.  Taylor was still complaining about her ear.  I decided to keep them all home on Wednesday and made doctors appointments for all three.

We woke up Wednesday to 10+ inches of snow!  I went out to tackle the driveway so I could get the girls to their 9 a.m. appointment.  After 45 minutes of shoveling and only getting a quarter of the driveway done, the neighbor man across the street brought over his heavy duty snow blower and finished in about 15 minutes!  I got the girls to their appointments and discovered that Taylor did have an ear infection in her right ear and the start of an infection in her left ear.  We got her a Rx for her ears and orders to treat her cough and congestion with OTC meds.  Moving on to Jaden.  Her glands were super swollen.  They ran a strep test on her and that came back negative.  Turns out, she had a virus that caused a sore throat, fever, and upset stomach.  No Rx, just Ibuprofen every six hours.  Afterwards, we stopped at the grocery store for Gatorade, apple juice, and a cart full of medication.

Later in the afternoon, I took Mike to his appointment.  While he was back with the doctor, a mother was seriously teaching her children to do cartwheels in the lobby!! After her youngest got mad because she couldn't master the legs-over-head move and decided to cry, they moved on to somersaults and crab walking.  In the lobby.... of the DOCTOR'S OFFICE.  I'm not even joking.  Anyway, Mike came out and declared acute tonsillitis.  We got his Rx and went on our merry way!

Thursday morning, Mike woke up with a tightness in his chest and fogged vision.  I decided to take him to the ER.  They ran tests and got an IV hooked up.  Turns out that he had bronchitis and was dehydrated.  We left with four more prescription notes.  We got home and I sequestered Mike to the basement.  I made my rounds every 4 hours, passing out meds.  I also made the girls take hand-washing breaks.  Personally, I chugged Airborne like it was my job!  I washed and sanitized my hands about every 5 minutes.  I was NOT going to catch this!

By the time Friday came around, things were starting to look up.  Taylor was completely fine.  Jaden was fever-free without meds.  Mike was still out of it.  I decided that if Jaden woke up without a fever, she was going to school, Taylor would go to daycare, and I would head to work.  I went into J's room around 5 a.m. and she felt a little warm.  I decided to call in for a half-day and see how the morning went.  Jaden's fever broke before she woke up.  She was perfectly fine all morning.  At 10:30, we headed to drop Taylor off at daycare... only after checking in on Mike and making sure he was medicated.  I dropped Jaden off at school around 11 and made it to work my 11:30.  Everyone survived the afternoon!  Mike still had a fever.

On Saturday, it was like someone somewhere decided that enough was enough!  Mike's fever finally broke and things started to get back to normal!  Our counter was cleared of most of the medication.  Mike actually made it out of the house for a couple of hours to get a haircut.  The girls went to their grandma's to play for a little bit.  I was ALONE in the house, crafting in my craft room!  ALONE.  No medicine to pass out, no fights to break up, no temps to take.  Just me, myself, and I... and a TON of tulle, yarn and felt to keep me busy!  It was a good day :-)

Our regular Sunday routine happened... We woke up and went to the grocery store for breakfast and shopping.  Then we came home and did laundry.  We ran a few errands in the afternoon... Totally normal stuff!  WE ARE ALL WELL!!  I thought that week would NEVER end.

Our Thanksgiving that almost wasn't...

What a WILD ride the past week has been!

Taylor caught a cold last week and had been pretty snotty and coughy.  Our holidays always kick off on Thanksgiving Eve.  We head downtown to see the lighting of the Santa, tree, and wreath.  I contemplated not going this year because Taylor was a little under the weather, but the weather was AWESOME (we barely even needed coats!) and she seemed to be feeling a little better.  So, downtown we headed!

Both girls had coughing fits right before they lit the tree. Mom had to duck into a restaurant and get bottles of water... and cookies :o)  I thought, great... now Jaden is getting sick.

We went to Grandma's on Thanksgiving for dinner at noon. The girls were under strict instruction to COVER THEIR COUGH, blow their noses, and wash their hands... Oh, and don't give the babies their germs!  Jaden's right eye also looked a little red, but there was no crust so I ruled out pink eye and figured it was just from coughing so hard the night before.

 

This year, the girls made place mats to show what they were thankful for.  First, they traced their hand and made a turkey.

Next, they cut out their turkey and some leaves. On the leaves, they wrote what they were thankful for.

We glued everything down and...

Tada!  Thanksgiving place mats!  I took them to work and laminated them so the girls could use these during dinner next year.

In case you can't read them, Jaden is thankful for, "Pat (her great-grandma), Daddy, Wayn (her great-grandpa Wayne), gramu (grandma), gramps, Mommy, Taylor, and Alyssa (one of her friends)."  She sounded out and spelled all of the words herself.

Taylor is thankful for, "Tea Parties, Grandmas and Grandpas, Hot Dogs and Applesauce, ABCs, Baby Maxine (her favorite doll), Mom and Dad, Jaden, and My Friends."  She told me what she wanted on her leaves and I wrote them.  These girls have a lot to be thankful for!!

Then they did puzzles with Gram and Gramps... I love the concentration :o)

After dinner at Grandma's, we went to Mike's parents' house for more delicious food!

I did get a little shopping done on Thanksgiving. I went to one store when it opened at 9 a.m. for an awesome deal and then to another store when it opened at 8 p.m. for another awesome deal!  Let me tell you... there are some CRAZY people out there!  Thankfully, I was able to get in and out of the store in under 10 minutes!  I was the 10th person in line to get into the store (because instead of standing in the line at the main entrance, I went to the back door... a little known secret around these parts!) and first in line to check out.  It was awesome!  Except, my throat started to feel tight and scratchy...

I did not head out into the crowds on Black Friday.  Instead, I tackled my family room!

That's the only picture you get for now...

The only problem was, my one-day project was not completed on Friday because that's when our weekend from H-E-double hockey sticks started!  During dinner, I noticed that there was yellow goop coming out of Jaden's right eye.  Grr... blasted pink eye.  I took her to Redi-Med after we were done eating and as they were doing the normal check-up stuff, they discovered that she had a fever and that it sounded like she had fluid in her lungs.  They wanted to get an x-ray to check for PNEUMONIA!  Are you kidding me?!  We went in for pink-eye and came out with a mild case of pneumonia.  Terrific.  I was actually thankful for the pink-eye that night. The Dr. said that they caught the pneumonia early enough that it was easily treated.  Had she not had the pink-eye, we may have had a pretty bad situation on our hands!  I took her home and tucked her in... poor kid!

The next day, I continued to work on my room.  My cold was getting worse and my ears were hurting a little.  I took some cold meds and pushed on through to try to get my room done.  By the end of the night, my ears were plugged.  It felt like i was driving through the mountains.  They would not pop.  It sucked.

After we went to the grocery store on Sunday, I walked around the neighborhood passing out flyers to my upcoming Holiday Open House for my Scentsy business.  It was COLD and by the time I got home, my ears felt like they were on FIRE!  I went back to painting my room... then I started to feel nauseous.  I felt dizzy.  Actually, I felt like I had one too many glasses of vino!  I laid on the floor and texted Mike (in the basement) that I needed help.  Turns out, I had vertigo caused by my ears.  Now, I've birthed two kids and the vertigo/ear infections... WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE.  I felt like passing out, or puking, or crying... or all three at the same time.  Horrible.  I went to the doctor on Monday and after looking in my ears, his exact words were, "Wow! I have never seen ear infections this bad in an adult before! This is what we are used to seeing in a child!"  I win. Thank you.

So, where are we now?  We have unofficially bought stock in Kleenex.  The girls and I are blowing out some pretty nasty stuff!  Hopefully we are working it out of our systems.  Jaden's pink-eye is gone and she finished up her medicine for the pneumonia.  Taylor is still doing the runny nose thing, but I have a feeling that will last until March.  My throat is feeling better and I can breathe through my nose finally.  My left ear is perfect, but my right one still sounds a little hollow.  I have one more day left on my Z-Pack, though.  I'm hoping that we will all three be at about 95% by the weekend!  Mike, well, he has seemed to escape the sickness for now.  If I was a betting person, all of my money would be on Christmas Day for him.  Hopefully I lose though.  The family room is about 95% finished. I just need to get some window treatments and do a fun DIY project.  Then, you'll get your before and afters :o)  Hopefully you all had a better long weekend than we did!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're Ready!

It's that time!  We are getting ready for Taylor Max's 2 year birthday bash this weekend!  I can hardly believe she is going to be TWO!  I'm going tonight to buy her big girl birthday present and am working hard to put the finishing touches on the planning.  Jaden has been helping me out and is insisting on a pin-the-tail game but different to go with the theme; like the Tangled version we did with her party.  I keep telling her that this is a party for grown ups, but she doesn't seem to care!  So, people coming, be prepared ;o)  Jaden also wants a pinata... hmm...  We did decide to move the party outside this year.  Our family has expanded to 25 people and is only getting bigger!  Crazy, I tell ya!  The theme?  I'll give you a hit: Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!

Aside from the party planning, we are literally counting down the days until... wait for it... PRESCHOOL.  I get butterflies just thinking about it.  Part of me (like 75%) is so excited for Jaden to be starting this chapter in her life.  She will do excellent in school, I have no doubt.  She will make friends and have a blast!  the other part of me... wondering when my baby grew up?!  I need to take her shopping this weekend for a couple of essentials.  Other than that, we are set!

I've started another venture (I know, right?)  I'm going to try my hand at photography.  After taking Taylor's 2 year photos, I decided that maybe I could make some extra money at it?!  I already have three people interested in scheduling a shoot date, so I am pretty excited! (4 if you count the creepy old guy that wants me to take nudie pics of him ;o)

I had the flu for exactly 24 hours.  I was super achy and really just thought that running had gotten the best of me.  Turns out, you don't get a 102.9 temp from running, silly me.  I'm feeling better now and am ready for the BASH this weekend!

That's about it!  September is here and to me, that is fall.  Bring on the pumpkin spiced lattes and mums!  Have a great weekend!

What's Nifty About Today??

Maybe it's the fact that it is Friday the 13th?  Nope. 

Maybe it is because I was right about Idol and Mike was wrong?  Nope. 

Maybe it is because the temps are above normal and it is SO nice out?  Wrong again!

Although all of the above are true.

Did you notice that I am sporting the BLACK today?

You want to know why?

It's because today

MY MOM TURNED 50!!!

But, even though it's my mom's birthday we are celebrating, it is the girls that are benefiting!  When Dad asked Mom what she wanted for her birthday this year, she decided that she didn't need anything for herself.  Instead, she asked for a.......

SWING SET!!!

She and Dad bought the girls a swing  for our back yard!  They LOVE it.  I think Gramma J's birthday has bumped ahead of Easter on their list of favorite days of the year!

It is positioned perfectly in our yard so I can see it from the kitchen.  I know that Jaden and Taylor will be begging to go out and play on it every day!

Finally, J has a slide that she can sit at the top of and NOT have her feet touch the bottom :o)

Have I mentioned how much they love it?

Yeah, that's love!

Even Taylor can brave the BIG slide!

Thanks, Gramma J!! 

Happy Birthday!  Looking forward to a fun weekend of celebrating!

So, yeah... It wasn't all rainbows and butterflies though.  We were all hanging around, playing with the girls on the swing set.  Jaden was playing with Mike on the slide and he was pulling her up it when all of a sudden, she started screaming bloody murder.  Seriously, if you had been within a 10 mile radius of my house last night, you would have heard her screaming.  She was holding her wrist and saying that Daddy hurt her arm.  We looked at her wrist and it wasn't swollen or bruised.  We iced it and she could move it so we figured she must have bruised or twisted it.  She cried and cried and cried.  We also figured that only having a 15-minute nap that afternoon was adding to the drama of her twisted wrist.  We carefully tucked her into bed and checked on her often.  She fell asleep, only to wake up at 11:00 in pain.  Oh, and keep in mind that she was still wearing the blue fishy dress because she wouldn't let us touch her arm to help her out of her clothes, into the bath, and into bed.  We avoided a fight by letting her sleep in her new dress.  Anyway, she woke up crying so I decided to take her to the ER.  I carefully got her out of the dress and into a T-shirt and shorts.  When I was trying to get her into the car, I realized that it was most likely her shoulder or elbow that was hurting because she screamed when I tried to pick her up to get her into the car.  Sure enough, we get to the ER and find out that her elbow was partially dislocated -- Nursemaid's Elbow is what they called it.  The doctor rotated it back in and Jaden stretched and bent her arm and said, "It's almost as good as new!"  I felt SO HORRIBLE that we didn't take her in when it happened but like I said, she was complaining about her wrist... She is  fine now and is feeling MUCH better!  I'm just happy that she doesn't have to spend the summer in a cast!  The moral e story is: DO NOT EVER lift or pull a child (especially under the age of six years) by his or her arms/wrists/hands.  They dislocate very easily!

Have a great weekend!  Stop by and play on our swings :o)