Coin swallower

Does this face look a little too happy for just swallowing a coin? 

Our Jacobite. . . Dear sweet Jacobite, swallowed a coin Sunday night at 8pm. He was very agitated. Staying it hurt and wanted it out. We wanted to be on the safe side and decided to take him in. 

We took him to instacare.  After an xray we discovered it was still lodged in his esophagus. Big problem. The doctor recommend taking him down town to the primary children's hospital ER. She said they have the experience and equipment to handle this better. 

It went to pick up my mom, to ride next to Jacob and make sure there wasn't an episode. If so,  we were instructed to call 911.

Once we got there they said the radiologist would use a catheter with a little balloon on the end to push it down into the stomach.  It should then just work it's way through his system. 

If that did not work, if the coin had been in too long or was lodged a certain way,  the next step was surgery. That was very scary to hear. 

It was a very long night, but it had a happy ending. The catheter worked. We got home around 1am and Jacob has promised only to put food and toothbrushes in him mouth from now on. 

Now I'm 100% sure we will meet our insurance deductible. :) 

Fun at the park

I took the kids to the park by our new house today. 

They loved it. 

Birthday cake

Someone really loves cake. 

Thanks for sharing your birthday with us grandma! 

Meet our newest yellow belt

Planets, Nebulizers and MRIs . .

This is Spencer's last week off track and we have been trying to have some fun while he is on vacation.  Last week we went to the planetarium  and had a ball, we saw "Perfect Little Planet" and also had fun with the exhibits. Grandma came too and was with Luke while I took the older kids to see the movie in the Dome Theatre. Everyone had fun and enjoyed themselves.

Last week was a hard week for Luke. He was sick :( We took him to insta-care and he got a steroid breathing treatment, also got a prescription for a steroid at home for 72 hours. We also did his nebulizer treatment at home with his albuterol. After 2 days he was still sick, back to the hospital for an x-ray that revealed there was some bacteria in his lungs. So, our little guy started with a viral something that turned into bacterial something, the doctor said it was the start of bacterial phenomena.  Luke was also put on amoxicillin. He is doing much better now and I am so grateful for modern medicine. I wonder if he will "grow out of it" or if every winter we can just plan on monthly (or more often) trips to the doctor. Since Christmas he has been to the ER three times, Insta-care three times and one two-night stay at the hospital. As well as one followup visit with the doctor. We will be meeting our deductible early this year. . .

On a brighter note, Spencer is testing for his yellow belt this week. I'm so proud of him! He really enjoys karate and has learned a lot. Jacob also wants to take karate and this summer he will start.

Ella has been great! Next week we take her in for an MRI to see if they can get a better look at her brain. The neurologist has told us Ella has "probable CP," she does not have epilepsy. The brain scan will help them get a better look. Right now they have told us they think her left side is weaker (more affected) and she has a tendency to drag her left foot more and left wrist is weaker. So, if her left side is weaker they think the brain injury (cerebral hemorrhage) was on the right side of her brain. They will know more after the MRI. The EEG came back without any red flags, but we will get a full report next month of both the MRI and EEG when we meet with our neurologist.

The Blue House is coming along and they have told us they plan to have a final walk through in 10 days. I have my doubts, but we shall see. They still need to dry wall the basement, lighting, carpet, paint and do 2 bathrooms, replace a broken window, install a handrail on the front steps and have a general cleaning. They have however brought in the fill dirt and put up fence posts.

We have only had one showing of our home in the last 3 weeks. It is kind of disappointing, but I feel very calm in general that everything will work out the way it should.

Yesterday we went to the library and as I was herding my little ones. . the thought occurred to me, "Wow, we have a lot of young kids. They are just so little and there are just so many."  I feel totally blessed by The Lord. This was my dream, but living it (at the library) is special kind of experience.

So, that is how life is treating us :)

Grateful for modern medicine.

Crafty Day

Today was a "Crafty Day." It is my grandmother's birthday this week, so I had the kids color her pictures. Then after the pictures were colored I thought. . . let's just make a mad mess and have a craft day.

We pulled out the scissors, glue sticks, staples, pipe cleaners, markers, crayons. . . and went to town. We have not had a showing in over a week, so my anxiety about keeping the house spotless has kind of gone out the window. Why should I sweep the floor 6 times a day if no one is going to see it? So we just made a huge mess and came up with some wonderful creations.

Luke was napping during most of the fun, but "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" was keeping him quite entertained.

Good times

This morning the kids were laughing so hard :) 

Family Photo

Our first family photo as a family of 6.

Visions of my Study

It seems I am spending all my days sweeping and cleaning the house hoping for showings to potential buyers. And don't forget driving car pool. But in my spare time I am still trying to create my dream study. I think I finally found my key elements to build the perfect space. I normally gravitate to reds and warms colors but for this space I seem to be focused on blues and cool colors. I think it is the grey walls that have inspired this design. The color is called "Analytical Grey."

I know I want floor to ceiling bookcases on one wall. Dave has been able to do a little math and with the help of Ikea I know we can achieve the look I want. I also found my perfect desk and a rug that I am 100% in love with!

I remember taking interior design classes and putting together a design board for rooms I created. Here is my design board for my dream study.

Another element of the class was to price out items and stay in budget. Here is the list:

Sooner
Floor to ceiling Book cases: $1100
Desk: $575
Green Desk Chair: $250
Rug: $440

Later
Chandelier: $ 240
2 Stand alone display cases: $500
2 Accent Chairs: $540
Floor Globe: $412
Wainecoating: $200 in material & paint
Possible crown molding???

I have listed them in "sooner" and "later," the budget would make it hard to pull it off all at once.

So Fun!!!! I love design.

Selling the house has not been so fun. We had one showing last week. The good news is that we made it on to the family's "maybe" list. They still have a house to sell but they liked out flat lot, big backyard, the kitchen backsplash and the master suite. They told our agent they may want to look at it again. So, fingers crossed.

The Blue House is coming along fine. They still are telling us they want a target closing of March 31. As in 27 days away. So far the basement is all framed, but still needs electrical, drywall, paint, carpet and two bathrooms completed. Our builder told us that once the bathroom cabinets come in they can give us a firm date, that is the only thing they are waiting on. The color of the basement will be "Useful Grey" it is two shades lighter then "Analytical Grey."

So, one step closer. I kind of envision a slow move. Since they is no way we will need to be out of our home by March 31, we will move the basement storage items and some shelving first. Then just slowly work on getting things squared away liked blinds (possible plantation shutters), a security system installed. . . etc. Then the final move should go smoother. Excited to be moving forward.