Faithfulness, family fun, and fractionally frazzled

I can't help but start off with one of this family's biggest praises to date!! Most of you already know many of the details so please forgive the redundancy, but we're still praisin' & rejoicin' over here!!! The time had finally arrived for Carson's hearing test post-surgery. We knew his hearing had improved at least a little bit, but to what degree was uncertain. Anxious to know those results made the long drive seem that much longer to get to Clinic #9 in the University of Utah hospital, and even with a "bump" up in our appt. time, there was still a bit of a wait and that anxiousness settled in a tad deeper. They called us back and I actually got to sit with Carson in the sound-proof, padded room while he took his hearing test--a first!! And what a blessing, to watch the confidence on his straight-laced face grow with each click of the remote-looking-thing he held in his hand; no smiles while he was testing, but this mama could tell. Those brown eyes were dancing. Her boy was doing prit-y good. :) The very pleased look on the audiologist's face and encouraging tone in her voice confirmed it. Now it was on to hear the doctor's prognosis! Carson continues to have no Cholesteatoma regrowth whatsoever and his ear/body accepted the prosthesis very well. He is considered to be in the "normal" hearing range!! Prior to surgery, the decibel range in that left ear was around 64, putting him in the 'moderately severe' category.  And on that day, January 14th, hearing test results showed it's down to a decibel range of 16!!!! In Dr. Shelton's exact words: "You're hearing better than I am now Carson!" 

Favorite hospital picture yet!!!!!

The hearing in his left ear will never be as 'crystal clear' as his right ear because of all the surgeries, but it's a minor detail in the grand scope of it all. To think where we started, how we were knocked to our knees with that first probable diagnosis sitting in the St. Mary's waiting room in Reno after what was supposed to be a routine tubes in, adenoids out type of surgery...I'll never forget the dr's look, or where we were sitting, or that first glimpse of my boy trying to wake up from anesthesia & all the stress that coincided that afternoon, or the phone call to my mama when I absolutely lost it back in our hotel that night. Or the fact that God already had all the details in place, beginning with that perfectly timed phone call the very next day with my uncle Rich (a retired ENT who answered so many of our questions up front & who personally knows Dr. Shelton...God's in the details) We would shed joyous tears of fear and faith seeing as to how God was already clearly saying "I got this. Trust. ME". It's been a ride. Reliving just a small portion of it right here causes tears to fall! We never could have made it without so many of your prayers and encouragement, friends & family helping by watching Carson's brothers, and the outpouring of love shown in a variety of ways! The ride continues. But hopefully it will be a little less bumpy as we get to 'sit back' for a while and wait until next summer (yes, you read that correctly) before we continue with the yearly hearing tests and doctor visits for our Carson Jeffrey. God is so faithful!!!  

nearly 4 straight hours with this view on our way home from SLC...no me gusta!

Moving on from all of that, it seems that we have suddenly been thrust into that next "phase of life", if you will, of busy-boy parenting, that so many who have already gone before have continually advised the age-old adage of not letting these days just slip on by. Nope, don't let these moments, these fractions of school-boyish life gloss over the pages of our story, no matter how frazzled we may feel looking at the barrage of activity that seems to be creeping into every corner of our one-upon-a-time sanity. Many of you have run the marathon race we're beginning to run now and many of you are watching from the sidelines, with those littles at home, knowing you're up next!! With the littles underfoot day in and day out, the running you do is sometimes quite literal, and one feeding blends into the diaper change which blends into the next feeding which blends into sudden full blown toddlerhood which turns to...you get the picture. I was there not that long ago. I promise. It feels like forever ago and just like yesterday all in one breath! But before you know it, you're comparing & coordinating schedules and figuring out who's going to pick up who from which practice in order not to miss too much of other brother's game in order to get little brother in bed on time before he has a complete melt down in the middle of said brother's game...are we confused yet? Or am I speaking the language of so many others out there running this same race? ;) Crazy thing is, I wouldn't change it. Not for a second. 

Family day on the ice!!

In lieu of all of that, compatible with the constant comings and goings, rather than just pick a battle topic to discuss, I'd suffice it safe to say that there has been a lot of daily discipling at our house. Hurtful feelings to wade through (kids can be so mean these days!! ...annnnnnd insert mama bear reaction...), managing that balancing and coordinating of basketball, church activities, homework, school functions, and oh yeah...quality family time. Actually, that last one is something that is too precious and sacred to mess with so when we do come across some of that golden 'free time', we try our very best not to mess with it! It will be challenging these next few weeks, errrr months, as those said events mentioned above seem to run right into the next. But we'll do our very best to soak it all up, even if it means giggling & cheering side by side in the bleachers or singing at the top of our lungs as we drive to and fro....

our little explorers are off!

This is uncanny of last year's photo....

On the ice!!

getting all set up!

serious concentration

Love. These. Young outdoorsy gents!!!!

The struggle is real people! haha!

Carson was King fisherman that day!

Nice catch Mason!!

Even I caught a few keepers!

This guy...my favorite who still gives me butterflies. ;)

my handsome fishermen!

A weekend getaway in Reno, with some of my favorite ladies (20 of them), to listen to a lady who has taught us through various 'seasons' of our lives...it was a Beth Moore kind of weekend!!! And oh what learning and worshiping we had alongside 4000 women!! But even more than that, it also included time together that was rich and sweet; too hard to even try and put into words but just imagine a whole lot of laughing, praying, crying, eating, sharing, laughing, non-sleeping, crafting, laughing, talking, praying, non-sleeping, eating, sharing.....think that about covers it. 

first time ever being to a Beth Moore conference!

So fun to experience this with my amazing mom-in-law!! :)

This gal right here--she's the best!! :)

Beth Moore took to the stage!

sitting near the front :)

roomies! ;) love this gal

So fun to run into this beautiful lady! :)

White As Snow!!!

love these crazy, fun ladies!! What an awesome weekend together!!

Awana Grand Prix time!! See? The crazy fun just never ends!!! :) Or maybe we're just plain crazy. Either way, it was another year of making cars that always goes beyond the making of the cars and includes some special time with both daddy and pappy!!

Awana Grand Prix cars this year! left to right...Austin's, Mason's, Carson's :)

Austin 3rd, Carson 2nd for design!

Mason won 3rd for design!

Carson was 3rd for speed!!

Thanks for helping pappy!!

And last but not least, as alluded to earlier, we are basically sidelined for the rest of February as both Austin and Carson take to the basketball court! 3 games a week each, throw in a practice for each of them and you might as well hook up the coffee drip-line right to me! Here are the first glimpses of our boys in action....

Game one for CJ!

So fun watching these boys...

Saturday basketball...here we go!!!

Game one for Austin!

he shoots...he scores!!

...and then lookin to steal!

Carson open in the corner....

Austin warming up for game two of the day!

On the line!!

Whew! I think I've recapped enough of this FFo5's latest craze....who knows how long until the next time I'm back with sideline photos, continued proof of all these boyish antics, scattered (or if we're lucky even well-put-together) thoughts of a "find yourself faithful & sometimes fractionally frazzled" mama of three, wife of one, crazy yet undeniably lovable Anderson men (one of which we get to celebrate a birthday this week....#forevermyguy).

Mason just chillaxin

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Andy's handiwork, the "Luv Mug" :)