Easter Egg Hunt-Bluff Fort

We enjoy going to Bluff at Easter time. It's usually sooooo much warmer! There has been an Easter egg hunt, held the Saturday before Easter, at the fort the last few years. The first year, Charles got a special egg that won him a new bicycle!

This year, no special eggs were found but lots of candy and little toys. The girls were good to help their little brothers find eggs.  We like this hunt because there are fewer people to compete with although I think word is getting out!

Sadie helping James

Hannah helping Charles

good hiding places in these rock stacks

the race is on.....

Soren hunting eggs (in green shirt)

checking the fence line....

going through the loot...

more than just candy!

Spring Break 2013-Peaks Ice Arena

One of the 'fun' things we wanted to do while in Provo was take to older kids ice skating. (The little boys were perfectly happy playing with Legos at Aunt Nicole's.) The girls hadn't been skating in several years. It ended up being just our girls and Isabelle. By the end of the skating session they were skating a LOT better than when they first got on the ice.

Unfortunately Isabelle fell really hard and hurt her tailbone bad enough that it interfered with her track season. We felt bad about that.  :(

Here Hannah comes... and.....

There she goes....

Nina flew by me so fast this is the only shot I got....

Whoa!!!!! stay up there, Nina.

Nina and Sadie heading into the turn again.

Looking good, Hannah.

Spring Break 2013-Sunday

On Sunday we attended church in Nate and Lori's ward to hear Holly speak before leaving on her mission to Chile. 

She give a great talk and she will be a wonderful missionary. I admire all these young women going on missions.

After church we all gathered at Nate's house to eat and visit. That is always the theme of get-togethers with the Welchs. 

I think the best benefit we have of having lived in Provo and sending our kids to American Heritage School is the relationships our children have with their cousins. I love that they enjoy each other's company and spending time together. 

I don't specifically remember what we ate, but when I look at these pictures I suspect there may have been some turkey involved. 

My favorite picture of the day-Lexie, Cambria and Spencer . Love these kids!!

James and Grandpa catching a few ZZZZzzzzz.

Lindsey seems to think these boys are funny. Maybe they were snoring.

Jordan-24 and James-2

This one is kindof sweet to me. My oldest and my youngest taking a nap together!

Spring break 2013-BYU bowling

We went north for Spring Break to attend Holly's mission farewell and also to meet Lindsey in person. Skype only sort of counts...

We wanted to do some fun things on our vacation and we also wanted Lindsey to think we did more than work and sit around, that we actually like to have fun as a family. LOL

So we met up and headed to the Wilkinson Center on campus at BYU for lunch and some bowling. 

First we went to the Cougareat for lunch. There are lots of options there and everyone got what they wanted to. I think some of my kids have eyes that are MUCH bigger than their stomachs! 

My crew walking into the Wilkinson Center....

Checking out the options....

The regular Welch discussion that has to take place before we can DO anything.....
Cambria and Sadie are so excited about it.

The girls' didn't want anyone to think they were with us, I think....

I somehow don't think Charles is going to get outside all that food!

What a cute little face peering over the table. He ate next to nothing.

Doesn't stop him from being a happy little guy.
(Took no pictures of the big kids cause I didn't want Lindsey to think I was a stalker nutcase)

Then we made our way downstairs to bowl a couple of games. We put Mom and Dad and the younger kids on one lane and the older kids on the other. It was fun to watch the little boys try to get that ball down the lane. It would sllllooowwwlllyyy roll towards the pins. Unfortunately we were on a lane that did not have bumpers and none were available, so the low scores for the boys show that.

It was fun to meet Lindsey for the first time and watch how she and Jordan interacted, as well as with all the kids there. She's a fun, quirky girl and will fit fine into our 'abnormal' family.

   

Getting shoes on and games set up, with aliases and all. (Prickly and ? LOL) 

Soren bowling and Charles and Jordan waiting for their ball to return

Sadie watching her ball, Lindsey prepping for her turn...

Dad giving pointers to Charles...

Hannah is a very serious bowler....

Another classic Nina face for the wedding video files.... 

Charles and Austen taking their turns.

Hannah letting one roll......

James' first try at bowling....

James and his trusty ramp...

Fun watching James and Jordan get to know each other....

The final story!

We went north for Sprink Break to attend Holly's mission farewell and also to meet Lindsey in person. Skype only sort of counts... 

We wanted to do some fun things on our vacation and we also wanted Lindsey to think we did more than work and sit around, that we actually like to have fun as a family. LOL

So we met up and headed to the Wilkinson Center on campus at BYU for lunch and some bowling. 

First we went to the Cougareat for lunch. There are lots of options there and everyone got what they wanted to. I think some of my kids have eyes that are MUCH bigger than their stomachs! 

Then we made our way downstairs to bowl a couple of games. We put Mom and Dad and the younger kids on one lane and the older kids on the other. It was fun to watch the little boys try to get that ball down the lane. It would sllllooowwwlllyyy roll towards the pins. Unfortunately we were on a lane that did not have bumpers and none were available, so the low scores for the boys show that.

It was fun to meet Lindsey for the first time and watch how she and Jordan interacted, as well as with all the kids there. She's a fun, quirky girl and will fit fine into our 'abnormal' family.

My New Normal

As I try to recall those first days home from the hospital I realize that they are starting to get fuzzy already. Good thing I'm writing about it now, as I may lose what little I remember of them.

the lovely medicine that kept me from more clots, shot  into me 2xday. ouch

My days consisted of giving myself a shot at 8 am, sitting in a chair in the living room for most of the day, watching my mom do all my work, giving myself a shot at 8 pm and then attempting to sleep in the same chair I sat in all day.

I still could not lie down to rest. Apparently that pain was caused by the lung tissue that died due to the blockage. Things I read on the internet suggested that it was from blood seeping out of them into the pleural sac, or the lining of the lungs. I also noticed as time went on that I could actually hear/feel my lungs rubbing that lining as I breathed. It didn't hurt, it was just a very strange sensation I can't really explain because I didn't really hear it, I guess I felt the vibration of it and it seemed I could hear it.

I was also extremely short of breath still. They told me that it would take a month or two to get my lung power back, and that it might never be quite the same. So to even go up the seven stairs to my bedroom was pretty arduous at first. I would step on a step and wait a few seconds for air, then step to the second step. Any amount of exertion caused me to be very breathless and as I struggled for breath, I had pain. So I learned to just sit and not do much because then I didn't hurt. Bending over was really painful, as was sneezing and coughing, and incredibly, yawning. I never knew how much air a person had to inhale to yawn. I had to take it in in several small breaths before I could yawn. Very strange.

One of the most disconcerting effects was that I absolutely could not concentrate on anything. Nicole and Stacy both brought me books in the hospital and normally that would be something I would devour, since I had the time. But both in the hospital and at home I found I could not follow a story-line to save my life.  I wondered at times if I would ever get my brain back. I could not crochet either. Most of my time was spent talking to Mom, who continued to stay with us to help out, and listening to episodes of different series on the Mormon Channel. Love that channel on my phone.

I was trying at this time to figure out all the insurance stuff and how we were going to pay for 7-8 months of Lovenox shots. (how I thought my poor brain could figure it out makes me laugh now, but I was very worried about it.) Our medical insurance has RX benefits, but only after the deductible is met. They also have a mail order pharmacy where you can get bulk meds at a discounted price. I determined that that was what I should look at. I called them and was in the process of setting things up, when a little voice in my head suggested that I wait until I was past the time where I often miscarry a baby. I told them I would call them back when I was ready to activate the Rx.

I should mention that I had a dr. appt with Dr.  Black during the week after I got home. I wanted to have him be updated on what was going on, get his instructions and get my OB care rolling. I told him that I would like to have an ultrasound to see if there really was a baby there as I didn't want to be taking these shots if there wasn't a baby there and I could take a cheaper medication. He agreed and we did a quick ultrasound and saw a sac with a little baby in it with a rapidly beating heart. I knew then that all the expensive shots in the world were worth it, to have one more little one to love and raise.

When the little voice whispered to wait on the bulk meds, I just thought it was good common sense. I didn't get a feeling of doom or anything, yet a couple of days later when the spotting started I realized that I had been given a bit of inspiration. The spotting was light and continued for a couple of days and I thought maybe it would go away, but in the back of my mind I had two thoughts.

1. I have never (ever!) kept a pregnancy after I have started spotting, and
2. I was on anticoagulants (commonly called blood thinners) and was very worried about what a miscarriage might be like on them. Dr. Black had told me that if I had ANY bleeding I should get to the hospital right away.

The spotting started on Thursday I think and was just light until Sun night.........

best way to Provo

.....So I was strapped to a gurney and loaded into the ambulance for a ride to the airport where a plane waited to fly me to Provo. It was on the ride to the airport that I realized I could not have made the ride in a car. Every single bump in the road caused pain in my chest and made my breathing difficult.

It was almost midnight before we flew out. So I saw nothing out the windows from my gurney except the lights on the tail of the plane. The nurses took very good care of me yet I remember that I kept wondering how the altitude would affect my ability to breathe. I guess I  am very thankful for pressurized cabins, because I noticed no changes as we ascended. 

I remember distinctly wondering what it would be like to die and if this was going to be my time to go. I wondered if darkness would close in around me and if I would see a light far away as if at the end of a tunnel. I wondered who would be there to meet me and if it would be painful or painless. 

I wasn't in much pain due to the morphine, but I didn't sleep at all. Just watched the monitors and the lights out the window. It took about 45 minutes to fly to Provo, where we landed at the airport and I was transferred to another ambulance for the ride to UVRMC.

It was interesting to look out the windows of the ambulance's doors and see signs and buildings and know exactly where in Provo we were and what road we were on. I was admitted to the ICU unit upon arriving at the hospital and a dr., not sure if he was a pulmonologist or an internist, saw me and checked me, explained what they would be doing for me then I was left in the care of a nurse for the night. 

In the morning an ultrasound was done on my legs to try to determine where the embolism had originated from. The most likely place for them to find clots is in the large veins of the legs, or the pelvic area. The ultrasound showed no clots in my legs, leaving us still wondering where the clots came from. 

I spent a day and a half in the ICU and a day in a regular care room before being released to go home. I was taught how to administer the Lovenox shots on myself. My poor stomach was a bruised mess. I was really squeamish about it at first, but I learned how to do it with little bruising and little pain beyond the initial prick. The needles themselves were very fine gauge and not hard to pierce the skin with. The hardest part of using the lovenox was the cost. About $50 a shot and I needed to do two a day. That adds up quickly and we have a very large deductible.  My mom helped with the cost of the meds. It didn't take us long to reach our deductible at that rate, either.

Stacy came up from Price to pick Curtis and I up, since the flight up was only a one-way trip! She took us to Price and Mom met us there and brought us back to Monticello. 

On to the 'new normal'....................

Breathless

So I was really thinking my life was going to go back to its normal quiet, boring routine. I was done subbing at the school and I was enjoying the thought that my evenings were mine now.

On Tuesday, Sept 18, I noticed that I was feeling a bit gaseous, like I was bloated in my torso.
I went to Soren's soccer game and as I stood up to leave, I noticed that I was a bit short of breath.
I suppose now is a good time to share the news that I was pregnant and so I wondered if the shortness of breath was due to the pregnancy, even though in the back of my mind I knew that was a bit farfetched since I was only about 8 weeks along.

As the night went on, the discomfort continued and when I went to bed that night I found that I could not lie down. AT ALL! Every time I tried to recline my body, my left shoulder area would scream with pain. I ended up going down to the living room so that I would not disturb Curtis's sleep. I slept off and on in the chair there, but it was far from a good night's rest.

On Wed., I took some Gas-X, thinking that if I could just move that gas out of my torso I'd feel better. And I did feel better for a time. I went through the normal things of the day and when it was time for bed, again I could not recline in any way or get much sleep. It's a bit hard to sleep when you have to keep your torso exactly erect.

Thursday morning I decided that I needed to see the doctor. This was obviously something that needed to be looked into, as it just wasn't getting any better. I called the clinic and was given the option of seeing a dr. who was not my normal dr., or seeing the PA. As I pondered who I should see I felt that I should see Dr. R. He is known as Dr. Death since he looks for the big causes, rather than the small ones, first. But I knew that he would listen to me and would check for everything. I knew that he would not just dismiss my complaints. I also spent a bit of time on the internet looking up anything I could think of that would explain torso/shoulder pain. Looked at Gall bladder, kidneys, pulmonary embolisms, pleurisy, heart trouble.

I sent Soren to his soccer game and Curtis and I went to the clinic. When I started explaining my symptoms to Dr. R he immediately was concerned. My dad had heart trouble and when I said I was having pain in my left shoulder/chest area he sent us across the parking lot to the hospital for a check on my heart.

The EKG(?) came out fine, my heart was good. So then we proceeded to take some chest x-rays to look for pneumonia, and some blood was drawn to start running some tests. The arterial blood gas test was incredibly painful. OUCH!! They moved me to a pt. room while they looked at the x-rays and test results. One of the blood tests (D-dimer) indicated a possibility of a clot, or pulmonary embolism and the x-rays showed that as well, so a CT scan was ordered. My good friend LeaAnn was the x-ray tech and was so kind and helpful to me. As we prepped for the CT scan I told her I absolutely could not lie down on the sliding table thing that moves through the CT machine. So they came and gave me some morphine to cut the pain and I was able to lie down for the test. I was then sent back to my room while the CT scan was read.

Dr. R came in after a bit and said, "Well, you called it. You have bilateral pulmonary embolisms." He then talked to us about what they were, what the possibilities/eventualities were and what we needed to do. He left to consult with drs. up north and I was immediately given a dose of Lovenox, which is an anticoagulant that does not harm a baby. It's a lovely shot in the tummy. Another fun ouch! They also drew more blood to run tests on to see if I have a genetic reason to have blood clots. When Dr. R came back to the room, he informed us that we were going to need to fly a bigger hospital. We chose UVRMC since we know that hospital. We have no experience with the hospital in Grand Jct.

We both sat there thinking how crazy this whole thing was. I didn't feel that sick, just bloated. I kept thinking surely we could just drive there and not fly, but Dr.  R did not recommend that. We called my mom  and she happened to be in town, so she came to the hospital with Wendy. It was then we told them that I was pregnant and that it likely contributed to the clots.  Mom said she would stay with the kids so Curtis could fly with me.
About that time, the flight crew came and they and the ambulance crew got me ready to transfer.

To be continued.......

August

It looks as if my last post was just after school had started for the new school year. At that point I was incredibly busy and trying to keep my head above water. I was hired part time at the high school as a sustitute custodian. The assistant custodian that worked with Curtis last year decided not to return so one of the women who is a 'sweeper' was taking over his work while they advertised the position so I was working, taking her place as 'sweeper'. It involved cleaning about 14 rooms a night, vacuuming, trash collection, sanitizing desks, sweeping, mopping as needed.

I didn't mind the work, it's pretty repetitive, so I would listen to music or podcasts on my phone while I worked and I actually liked the alone time. But it wreaked havoc on my homelife. I was gone when all the kids were home and all that gets done in the evening fell onto Curtis. After a couple of weeks of this, I started taking some of the kids with me to help, so that I could get home at a decent hour and spend some time with them. It was also starting to take a toll on me physically.

We did this for about 4-4 1/2 weeks before all the new employees were hired. Also during that time the fall sports craziness was in full swing. Curtis was deep into football practice, games and trips. Cambria was busy with cross country and Soren was playing soccer for the first time in his life. Combine all that with the housework stuff and church duties and it was a bit crazy around here.

I remember the day the new sweeper started.....I said,"Hooray, my life is going to go back to normal. This week will be so much less busy than it has been."

Little did I know...............

Break is Over

Well as you can see I took a longish break from my blog. I even wondered if I should just leave it to molder in the dust. But last night I was reading the blog of someone who left a comment on my blog one time and I found we had a few things in common such as number of children, etc.

Her blog was not too fancy-no giveaways, no tutorials, no big craft projects, home decor or DIY tips, no advertising and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it because it was simply her little record of her family's activities and her tender feelings for her children.

I think I got caught up in wanting people to notice my little blog and was trying to make it more like the big name blogs. I don't know why that was so important to me. It's not now, six months later than my last post. A few things have happened in the last few months to open my eyes.

Last night I started back-reading my own blog and I am so thankful I have this record. My other 'journal' I was writing on the computer got erased when the flash drive it was on went through the wash. I was mad and sad, but I am so thankful that this record is still accessible.

So my intention from here on out is to keep this little photo-journal of our family. Nothing more. Nothing less. I am even going to go back to using the kids' real names because even I can't keep the aliases straight!

My hope is to someday turn this blog into some actual books that my kids can look at and read. That's who this blog is really for. My kids and future generations. No more worrying about any other readers. This feels right.

I will attempt to do a few posts to catch up on the things I missed and they'll be backdated, then we'll proceed from there!

BCT Graduation-South Carolina

I was so happy that Curtis' and my planned trip to South Carolina to be at Ford's graduation from Basic Combat Training was still a go after my crazy medical adventures.

I was scared to try to take my Lovenox shots on the plane and received a tender mercy of finding out the day before we left that I had enough Coumadin in me to stop taking the shots. Hoorah!!

We drove to Durango and flew to Denver, then on to Atlanta. We found it was cheaper to fly out of Durango than to go all the way to SLC, so we went that route. I can also say that going through security at Durango's little airport was a breeze!

We got in really late to Atlanta, grabbed a few winks and were off again early the next morning to drive to Columbia SC. We were a bit late getting off but I think we'd have made it in time to see them do their exercises if there hadn't been a huge line of cars trying to get on base! Oh well, we made it in time to find him. It was interesting because we really didn't know where to look for him and everyone looks the same, soldier style. Took a while but I eventually honed in on him. They had to stay in formation til their family found them. I walked up to him with tears in my eyes and he smiled back at me. He had stood there so long he probably thought we weren't coming!

This was after we finally found him and were heading out of the stadium.
I don't know why he's doing that with his hands.

Had to find the Utah flag and have our picture taken there.

We were so happy that Grandma and Grandpa W would take the time to come with us to see Ford.
They are wonderful grandparents and really try to support their family, always trying to be at special events.

Mike Welch, Ford Welch, Ellen Welch

                                             
He had to stay on base that day so we went to a nice park and had a picnic, we went to the building where he went to church to an open house the missionaries have for those graduating. We drove around a bit, we walked at the PX, (Grandma tried to go in the liquor store! ;o ) and ate dinner at Popeye's. Along with every other soldier and his family in SC! Gotta love Family Day on base.
We had to drop him off at a certain time so he could get back to his bay on time and so we could go get some sleep.

The companies in formation on the parade grounds.

Here they are marching to the left to come around in front of the grandstands.

This is Ford's Company and he is on the end nearest us of the 4th row from the left,
(not counting the lone soldier at the left end). 

Grandpa congratulating Ford.

He was well trained to stand at attention while in his ASUs.  

Nice bright sunshine makes for a loverly picture. Oh, well, we had to document
that we were there anyway.

Ford and his battle buddy, Schneider.

                                               

"Can we just go, please?"

waiting for our burgers....

Of course, you would get peanuts for an appetizer in the South, wouldn't you?

Sitting in the parking lot, using the WiFi.....

Trying to catch up on what is going on in the world...we did lots of sitting in cars.

We are proud of you, Ford, for toughing it out through Basic. It was good for you!

 The next day we went back to the parade grounds and watched their  graduation exercises. It is something to see so many soldiers all marching and looking so sharp in their dress uniforms. 

After it was over, we found him again, took some pictures and then he had a day pass. We drove around Columbia, ate lunch at Five Guys burgers, drove through the campus of the university there, drove by the State Fair that was going on....and sat in the parking lot of a Target where Ford could get wi fi so he could set up his new iPod. 

At last it was time to say goodbye yet again and get him back to his bay on time. We were happy to see him doing so well and looking so confident, but it was hard to leave him again. Too many goodbyes for me! 

It was back to Atlanta and Durango and home for us and on to Fort Lee in VA for Ford!