Spring Break!

Spring break: an ironic "title" of a week that is not always characterized by springy weather and rarely defined as the break that you would ideally dream of. But it is (or was) a break nonetheless and we did have a taste of spring. We enjoyed being together as a family of five, made some fun memories, and even in the semi-usual routines of life found laughter and joy in the everyday. 

checking out the hotel room

Our week started off with that visit to Reno for Carson--his post op appt. with the ENT doctor and CT scan of what exactly is going on inside his little left ear.  I was a little worried about the CT scan and how that would go but when you tell your child that he gets to lay real still and put his head through a large donut-shaped circle, well...that makes all the difference! The pictures were taken and a few hours later we were off to see the results at the doctor's office. Carson has what's called a Stage 4 Congenital Cholesteatoma in his left ear. In layman's terms, he was born with a cyst that has been growing on his ear bones and the only way to remove it is surgically. Without surgery, he would eventually have nerve damage, have permanent hearing loss in that ear, his speech would be affected, etc. And just like any surgery, it isn't performed without certain risks that must be factored in--the most daunting of those risks being nerve damage to the left side of his face. I knew that we'd have to talk about risks but hearing the words actually come out of the doctor's mouth caused a pit in my stomach like none other. If you could have seen the steady stream of thoughts racing through my mind it would have looked like a spaghetti bowl--they were so jumbled and I honestly couldn't think straight! Naturally, the majority of our questions came later as we left the office and had time to process it all. Words like "drill, risk, nerve damage, few hours (how long the surgery itself will take), future surgeries", etc. are not ones that sit well with a mama of a precious 5-year old son. I am placing him in the human care of a doctor, skilled no doubt in his profession, but still...he is in his hands. Our day continued on and we did a little "retail therapy" all the while stuffing our questions and emotions for the sake of 3 pairs of eyes watching us. We shopped, we swam, we laughed, we smiled. But the next day as we drove the long 2 1/2 hour drive home from Reno, the pit remained and the questions still swirled. However, God took that awful pit and gave us a phone call a mere few hours later with the reassurance we needed at that exact moment. My dear uncle Rich, a retired ENT doctor, called us (based on an email I sent him moments prior with the questions I wanted some answers to) and without giving you the play-by-play, confirmed, encouraged, assured, and answered....it was as if God was saying to me the whole time we talked..."I just wanted to remind you that I got this!" We may be placing our child in human hands on April 23rd, but in reality, he's in HIS hands. And let me tell you, that is the safest place my Carson can be! I hung up the phone and cried tears of thanks and then hung my head in prayer with my hubby--it was a crystal clear moment when our faith felt so confirmed. God revealed a little of Himself at the exact moment He knew we needed to see Him...gives me goose bumps just reliving it again! There have been times in telling others about Carson's condition that I come across very matter-of-factly...and there is truth to that because God already knows the outcome. It doesn't squelch the nervous emotions that are ready to well up in a moment's notice if I sit and dwell on it all too long--I'm human...and a mom. But as I've said before God is bigger than any cyst. He is bigger than the multiple surgeries Carson will have to go undergo. He's totally got this. No matter the outcome.

Now...moving on to the rest of our week.... some snapshots of pool/hotel fun....

pool!!!!

Austin jumping in

Carson loved these little "mini-pools"

yes--there is a small waterfall

Austin by the waterfall

Daddy and Mason

Carson and Mason warming up

Breakfast in our room

..having daddy home means making homemade donuts...(he's the best!)

...and there are times when daddy is home for days on end that our dining room table is taken over by treasures in the making....(hmmmm, do I see a future ceramist in the making as well?!)

This past week we also took breaks to just play (indoors and out)...found ourselves at the park....

getting ready to ride the tractors this summer!

feasted on ribs, did some yard work.....

Austin....

...and Carson helping daddy!

Mason's idea of "work" :)

 ...and all piled in a heap to watch The Muppets. The older two boys had a fun outing with their dad to see the movie when it was in the theaters a few months ago and they loved it! We downloaded the song "Life's A Happy Song" and Mason will walk around singing "I got...everything I nneeeeeeeed"....I had a steal of a deal coupon (hey, do I ever pay full retail?!) so we had to get it for a fun surprise ending to our week together. Now that was fun. :) 

love that green frog!

Movie night!!

It's been a good week that has gone by altogether too quickly. But it's been filled with moments of sheer fun and laughter, moments of quiet, moments of chaos, and those moments of our faith being stretched and perfected in the Big God we serve. 

Signs of spring

We started the week with side-swiping, blowing snow but have ended the week in spring-like fashion! The grass has blades of green scattered randomly amidst the brown, I've swept our entry way daily due to the leftover remnants of sand the boys carry in with them, done loads of "dirty" laundry (read: sand/dirt covered jeans and socks...), dug out the sunglasses to stop the squinting little eyes, and rolled down my windows as I drove to pick up Austin from school. I'm sure there is still a lingering snowstorm around the bend and spring in Nevada is, well, quite frankly unpredictable. But on days like this when the sun is brightly shining and birds are singing and boys are getting lightly sun-kissed, spring is truly here. And we'll make the most of it!

Enjoying the sand!

Austin making a tunnel

We found our necessary baseball equipment as I now have the added title of t-ball mom to my resume once again...winter was a nice break from the sports runnings side of life but we're back at it! (I know...enjoy it now because it only gets worse/busier the older they get...)  But hey, I'm a sports girl so bring it on!! ;)  Today marks the beginning of our spring break and after a rather hectic week, for a variety of reasons, God's timing couldn't have been more perfect (but then again, when is it not...)!!! I, for one, am ready to finally see all my boys and spend some time together doing some things as a family!! We'll be heading to Reno for a few days--the main reason being Carson's CT Scan and post op appt. with the doctor on Monday but then we're going to stay and just have some family of five fun! :) It's a much needed 'break' for all of us--doing those simple things we enjoy and just 'be'-ing.

Jumping-jacks!

Stretching--(my boys are in the blue hats)

Snacks--a must for the mini-man while he looks on

Austin running to left field!

Carson up to bat!

heading out to dinner with my man!

my boys made my bday pretty special--I am truly blessed!

HAPPY SPRING!!!
 

What a weekend!

Normally when Andy is away on his hunting excursions or random fishing trips, I compile a hefty list of things I intend to accomplish and continue to slowly chip away at my never-ending list of "want-tos". Not this weekend. While he was fishing the frozen water of Wildhorse and fighting the blizzard-like weather at times (and yet still having a great time with his dad and brother) my to-do intentions were fading as the weekend wore on. With a holiday weekend, we had to have a little fun...so my to-do's became simplified and rather than clean up in preparation for spring, I chose to do the aftermath clean-up of, well, you'll see....

a race-track/road made up of markers and colored pencils

tents and tunnels!

 A little St. Patrick's day fun--

cinnamon rolls with green frosting...

four-leaf clovers....

Carson wanted to make a monster truck pic. for daddy

Austin(on his own)doing the dishes for me "to give you a break from doing them mama" :)

indoor "superfort"!

Shamrock shake time!

 Austin and Carson had a "sleepover" in our bedroom--it's tent camping indoors!! :)

we had lots of snuggle time!

SNOW!!!

they honestly were lovin' it out there!

my smiley guy

 While we had a lot of fun when daddy was away, none of us could wait until he came home!! Mason literally went running and jumping through the house squealing "Daddy is home! Daddy is home!" when he saw the truck pull into the driveway. :) I love this pic of Mason welcoming his daddy home....

 The boys could hardly wait to see daddy's catch (7 was the total I think?) and they helped with the cleaning and even did a little inspecting of this fish's eye...

 I didn't capture the green pancake eating, cookie baking, movie-watching, and all the other "ings" we did...but you get the idea. We're back into a busy week ahead with conferences (gulp--that means my boy only has 9 weeks left until he's a second grader?! noooooo....), the start up of t-ball, that spring-cleaning list to begin, among other things. Next week is spring break (YES!) and even though we kick it off with Carson's CT scan on Monday along with his post-op appt., I'm looking forward to some family of five fun with all my boys!!