Too many hot days makes an imagination spark!

It all started with a little mischievous thought coming from the mind of an imaginative girl.

The pictures tell it all... no words needed:

My Turn...

Well... it is only fair to give Elijah his place of honor too. Here he is at the children's hospital. We have waited months to get him in to one of the pediatric neurologist. Ever since he could lift his head he would have times when he would just scream, and take his hand to his head and hit it, rub it, or pull on his hair or ears. Once he could sit up he would all of a sudden just scream horrible painful scream, then roll around and try banging his head. He is completely happy and normal like any other kid his age accept when this happens. As a parent you can tell he is in so much pain, that what ever is going on really hurts him. His cry is not whiney more like an instant surge of pain. It will go on for until he falls asleep from exhaustion. If we give him ibuprofen or Tylenol he will calm down in about 45 mins. We kept telling our pediatrician and I suppose they hear all sorts of things... but I felt like she shrugged it off and said well if he is still having these at 18 months I will make an appointment for you to see the Neurologist.. I brought it up again at the next appointment  and she still wanted to wait. Well that was it, I wanted a second opinion - I mean our little boy is obviously in pain when this happens - and anyone that has witnessed it agrees he is in agony. 

Jason and I took turns recording the episodes onto our video camera. We made an appointment with another pediatrician showed him the video and he was shocked. He immediately made us an appointment with a Pediatric Neurologist at the children's hospital. 

We were told that infants can have migraines - so that is one possibility. It has also been discussed by our new pediatrician and suggested by both my Dr. Brother and my Dr. Brother in-law that he could have a form of Hydrocephalus - (his head tends to swell ). He has a pretty big head, but at the same time he is also placed in the 99th percentile for height, and 70th percentile for weight. 

I guess we will wait and see what the MRI says. 

Our appointment to see the DR isn't until August. And believe me that was a favor to our pediatrician. The wait time to see one of the 14 staffed pediatric neurologists is over a year! So we feel pretty lucky. 

We are not worried, we just want to help our little boy and find out what is causing these episodes of obvious excruciating pain. We are SO blessed to have the miracle of modern medicine. 

So here is our first part of Testing... Our little boy, cute as a button. 

Here he is coming out of sedation. He kept babbling pleeeeeze, pleeeeze.... 

He is so fun, this little one. I love that we have had a baby that loves to be babied. He won over every nurse and care giver. He is just so fun, he loves to laugh and be silly. He is always doing something, starts to laugh, and then says, "I'm Funny!" He is a giggler. The nursing staff was so impressed with his manners. He loves to say; please, thank you, no thank you, your welcome, and bless you if you cough or sneeze. So CUTE! We laugh because his first word was TANK OOO. Some children are just more polite then others. He is our polite child. We love you little squooshy! Thank you for being so much fun! 

Why you never stick anything up your nose!

Have you ever wondered what happens when your child doesn't fall asleep for nap time and finds a necklace in her bed? Boredom spells TROUBLE!

So... Here I am talking to my dear friend Mandy on the phone, all the kids are down for naps, its calm and quiet. Creeeek my door opens and here is my daughter with a bloody nose. She hands me some Q-tips and TP and says "Mom I can't get them out. I said, What can't you get out? "Beads Mom... Lots of beads!" So I try to have her blow her nose... some beads come out. I look... but I can still see a bunch in each nostril, and in her ears too. 

I'm thinking... Is this normal? Well my mom assures me it is, she had a few of her kids do this at ages 3-5. I was kind of laughing, I know that is horrible. 

Well, I knew we had to go to the ER. So we went to the Children's Hospital. Thank goodness for hospitals that cater to children. The staff there laughed too... and assured me that Cora was not the first child's nose they had to excavate that day. The nurse said they have about 10-15 cases a day of kids sticking things up their nose or in their ears. Maybe this is just Texas kids, but I was relieved. 

I think I can almost guarantee that Cora won't do this again. Believe me it was pretty traumatic for her to have the doctors stick a catheter up her nostrils and then balloon them with saline. She said "Mom, I don't EVER want to put anything up my nose again... That really REALLY hurt."

Now we just have to wait and see if she is okay. The DR said in a week or two if any were lodged into her sinuses it will fester and she will end up with and infection. If this is the case, then she will need surgery. Let's hope they are all gone!

BEADS!!! Who knew they could cause so much drama?

The following pictures are for you to share with any little kids who want to know why you shouldn't put things up your nose! The consequences really hurt!

Waiting for the procedure...

Listening to the Doctors try and explain what they are going to do... Fear sets in.
Still calm and trusting the doctors....
Screaming, telling the doctors to take it out. This was so hard to watch.

After the trauma I just held her and calmed her down.

Calm and starting to feel safe again.

Our Cora is back... happy again, and saying No MORE BEADS Mommy!

Two peas...

Mom-Mom and Cora… What a precious picture, a forever memory. This is the extraordinary woman that we named our little girl after, my mother.

Jason and I feel that a name is something that should have legacy, honor, and character. Each one of our children’s names was prayerfully chosen. My mothers name was always beautiful to me because she is my heart, my best friend, my tutor, and my hero. I love her so dearly. Our little girl has a lot to live up to, to honor this great woman, her name, her legacy, and most of all for our little girl to become an outstanding woman herself. Our little Cora Elizabeth and our precious mother/grandmother Cora-Beth whose name literally means “filled heart consecrated to God”. To know my mother is to know that she honors the very meaning of her name, she IS her name.

Cora – Greek – Filled heart

Elizabeth/Beth – Hebrew – Consecrated to God 

Learning to be self-sufficient

Elijah has learned to climb up the slide by himself and then turn around and slide down. He is so happy about his new found independence. When we put in the slide, we chose one that bent on the sides and acted like a railing/handle so our kids could climb up or slide down the slide. It is so fun to see the minds work when children discover self play. Our little boy who has not wanted to stop being the baby is inching his way to becoming the toddler that he is. It is a sad and happy day... our baby is not a baby anymore.

SPLISHIN AND A SPLASHIN

They was a splishin and a splashin! 

What little water babies we have. 

Isaiah 2 and so independent! He loves to jump off the side of the walls and make big splashes. I am sure with him swimming all the time this summer, that he will be swimming without any float-aids in no time flat. 

Elijah 1 is happy just putting his feet in and making splashes that way. All three kids really enjoy it and Mom and Dad too!  

Thanks to Paw Paw and Mi Mi Dombeck, our kids should have gills by the end of the summer! What wonderful neighbors to give us a key to their pool. Thanks Leonard and Eileen for an open invite - you are sweet to love our kids so much. We are sure grateful you are just next door!

MEMORIES PAST... TAKE I

Jason and I have discussed that it would be fun to pass on some of our past memories...  So we will be adding memories on here as we find old pictures.

Memories Past Take I

Ahhhh... Are they not the cutest little critters? Elijah was just 5 weeks old when we decided it was time for an adventure. So we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. It was a perfect day we only saw 5 other family/visitors that day. It was as if we had rented out the zoo for just our family. (secret: Go on a Fall weekday before lunch!). We can still fit all three in this wagon, and we ALWAYS take it with us to the zoo. They've grown so much, I look at this picture and I think the old cliche, "They really do grow up fast." Elijah 1 month, Isaiah 13 months, Cora 2. So little and pudgy - they were all still babies. :(  I miss that!

Remembering Poppy

MEMORIAL DAY 

Jason knelt down with the kids at the cemetery today and talked to them about death. He talked about Poppy (My Dad). The children were very interested in learning that Poppy's body was underground, but that his spirit was with the Lord in the Heavens. Cora wanted to know if the dirt was Poppy's home? Isaiah said no silly he lives with Jesus. He is not under the dirt because I see him. Then Isaiah jumped on the headstone, raising one hand in the air and the other on his hip and said with a loud voice said, "Poppy is SUPER READER" !

Jason smiled because Dad was literally a super reader. Super Reader also known as Super Why? is Isaiah's favorite super hero. While other kids like spiderman, superman, or what ever is popular at the moment, Isaiah likes Super Reader because he has the power to READ!  

We gave Isaiah the name Isaiah to honor my father - he was Dad's favorite biblical prophet. Isaiah was a great prophet who many had/have difficulty understanding due to his extensive use of symbolism, prophetic foresight, literary style, and vocabulary.  

So what is in a name? Well anyone who has met our son Isaiah will see that he takes his name to heart. Is it any wonder that Super Reader with the Power to READ is his favorite worldly hero? 

We read in the Bible Dictionary in reference to Isaiah, "The reader today has no greater written commentary and guide to understanding Isaiah than the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. As one reads and understands these works better he will understand Isaiah better, and as one understands Isaiah better, he more fully comprehends the mission of the Savior, and the meaning of the covenant that was placed upon Abraham and his seed by which all the families of the earth would be blessed." 

So a thank you today Dad, on this day of remembrance... You have passed on a love of words and wisdom to our son and an ability to understand and to always question the Why and How. We love and miss you!

A visit from the Greats...

Family Tree 

Great Uncle Lewis with his Great Niece Cora, Great Aunt Marion with her Great Nephew Isaiah, and Great Uncle Jay with his Great Nephew Elijah.

What a remarkable heritage and legacy our family has. My mothers 2 brothers and 1 sister came to visit Mom for a very short weekend to visit her in her long recovery. They showed so much love by making sure we had some special one-on-one time. Aunt Marion flew in from Los Alamos, Uncle Lewis drove down from OKC, and Uncle Jay drove up from San Antonio. They made a special endeavor to spend some time with their great niece and great nephews - of course Jason and I enjoyed their companionship as well. 

Family is undoubtedly a magnificent gift. Through heartache and joy we grow in the midst of the familial adventure. It is through love and quiet forgiveness we achieve enormous wisdom and see the value of these souls. A legacy of so many generations tying us forever as a line of Royal Worth... Being enlightened of the tie we share is an awakening that I want to bestow to the generations to come; to love your heritage, to honor it with a respect unspoken. For me, I want my own children to know and admire these great men and women that came before us and learn to also honor such a wonderful legacy.

WE LOVE YOU!

Last day of school...

PARTY TIME !

Well Kimberly helped organize this great party for some of the kids at school. GREAT CHOICE! For $6 a kid (younger siblings were invited too) we went to JUMP EXTREME with 2 other classes from School. Pre-School, Pre-K, and Kindergartner classes. A super fun indoor play center for kids of all ages right here in town. It has about a dozen or so enormous jump houses/gyms. They are all different, and kids and adults love it. Most take a little skill to climb, but there are a couple of easier ones for 1, 2, and 3 year olds. Cora, Isaiah, and Elijah had a blast as well as Hyrum, Mathias, Tyrus, and Lucy too. It is fun that Hyrum and Mathias and Lucy all go to the same school as Cora. Hyrum is in Kindergarten while the other 3 are in Pre-School. What a super fun day. 

Thanks so much to Hyrum who made Cora's time a blast at Jump Extreme. She loved having her BIG Kindergartner Cousin make sure SHE was able to climb all the ''Big Kid jump houses. She has talked and talked about it, "Hyrum this, and Hyrum that...." She even thanked Heavenly Father that night in her personal prayers for cousins like Hyrum. She said he was COOL! and that he was her best friend today. WAY TO GO Hyrum thanks so much for helping her and making her feel so special. You are loved and appreciated! 

A stop off the highway...

Our babies asked us to stop and feed the horses. It was fun, but as soon as we pulled over and started to feed the horses, two other cars with kids in them randomly pulled over and wanted to feed the horses too. Three different families - none of us familiar with the other but we were doing something fun and they wanted to participate too. It was a fun Saturday activity. Only in The South!

Does anyone else smell that?

ZOOOOOO Much FUN!

We always enjoy a day out adventuring and learning together. We had so much fun at the zoo. 

For some reason today Isaiah was totally into birds! It started with the Ostriches. Although you can’t see them in this picture, he was telling anyone that would listen all about the ostriches. The zebra’s and giraffes are a usual favorite, but today he looked right past them and was absolutely fascinated with the big birds. They too were fascinated with the kids and kept running all over the place truly putting on a show for us. 

 Here Birdie Birdie!
 

The bird pavilion is our favorite because it is so interactive. We all get the chance to feed the parakeets and the cockatoos. There are hundreds of these little birds. The children enjoy the birds little feet landing on their hands. It is amazing how soft and ticklish if feels to have their little claws wrap around your fingers.  What a fun adventure…

Elijah was even enjoying these fluttering creatures. This changed once  he decided he was going to grab the little birdies face. The bird opened its beak and pinch! After that Elijah just wanted to watch and not touch.  Poor guy.

Blue Bonnet Babies

Our Blue Bonnet Babies...  What little cuties! We tried to get some pictures with them all together, but that was like pulling teeth. The best pictures were of them individually. This was the beginning of a fun day. 

At the Lake House

 

Cora found a new love... Doesn't she look like a little old pro? Actually, after watching her try and drive the little Jeep, I have decided it is a good thing that a right to drive is years away! Her cousin David is an amazing driver however. He is her same age but his eye, hand... well, driving coordination is awesome! WOW! We were all impressed. He was so cute trying to give Cora tips, but most of all just being patient with her, he just made it enjoyable. What a great kid... He is a great person to have your kids around... He knows how to share REALLY well. Cora was in heaven, and we were so happy at how well they played together. David doesn't live here, and when they come into town it seems like we get only a moment with them. We miss them and were so happy that we had such a great afternoon with David and Max.

  

What a beautiful moment... Love and happiness all combined into one.

 

Little Max was following his brother and Cora... I thought it was a great shot, tramping through the jungle...

 

For some reason, Isaiah was really clingy this day. He just wanted to watch from a far. He is a cautious child, and his mind is always thinking. I always enjoy his clingy days... I love to snuggle with him. He will come in and say, "Cuddle me Mommy". 

Elijah was watching the 3 older kids feed the duck... He decided that he needed some of that food. Here he is steeling the duck food. Don't you just want to pinch his cheeks.

I know it is impossible to see, but there was a momma and 7 ducklings swimming by. The kids were so excited. Even Isaiah wanted part of the action.

Still looking at the little ducks... The kids loved an excuse to climb on the pilings. 

These two were like busy bees, they were at one side of the property, and then next thing you knew they were all the way across the way. It was fun to watch their energy and excitement.

I just liked these pictures... Something about them just remind me of childhood days of innocence. 

 

Max... Elijah and Max are pretty close in age... They are both just so cute and stocky... I love holding them and feeling their squishy legs and cheeks. Thanks for spending time with us... We sure love you and miss you!