November 2016

If you thought October was busy, buckle your seat belt!  The month started off great!  I got to sub for Ms. Cannon which made it easy for everyone to remember my name.  That night we went to see Dr. Strange.  It was fabulous, amazing, phenomenal...but would you expect less from Benedict Cumberbatch!!! 

Having our picture taken with Mr. Cumberbatch

November 5th was the last soccer game.  We all turned out in force to support Naomi and the Intimidators.  Naomi was put in the goalie box again and she did a superb job of keeping the ball out of the goal.  She did miss a few shots, but the ones she blocked were amazing.  One was a really high shot to the corner and she stopped it.  Way to go Naomi.  Nick loved the game because he got to entertain the Tufts girls during the quarter breaks.

Nick with Callie and Tessa

Silly ball head boy.  The girls really liked this one.  Nick will do anything to get those cuties to giggle. 

After the game, each team had their own awards ceremony.  Coach Frank handed out the trophies as the girls ate their snacks.  It was a fun way to end an amazing season.  We are definitely staying with AYSO for spring soccer.

Coach Frank handing out the trophies

Naomi and her trophy.

The team picture and this on were taken on picture day by the professional photographers. 

November 8th Donald Trump was elected the next President of the United States.  It will definitely be an interesting four years.  

November 10th the Beehives descended upon my house to learn how to make pies and wrap presents.  Jessie Tanner made on of her famous coconut cream custard pies and I taught the girls how to wrap presents.  It was a fun night just hanging out and getting to know each other a little better.  

November 11th since there was no school, the Senior class decided to have a fun bowling day just for seniors.  We dropped Jeremy off so he could spend the day with his friends and I took Naomi and Nick to Kohls to get some shirts. Did I mention that they keep growing out of their clothes!!!???!!

November 12th I finished painting the trim and the doors in the bonus room.  It is almost ready for guests.  Steve went to help finish Ezra's Eagle Project for most of the morning.

Finishing the picnic tables.

Taking the tables their new home.

When Steve got home that afternoon we headed out to go roller skating for Naomi's birthday.  It is the one thing she wanted to do.  We had so much fun.  I love just hanging out with my family.

Steve and Naomi with her traditional slushee.  It isn't skating at Frye's with out a slushee

Cannon silliness.

Nick won this rainbow pig.  He is so proud.  

After the roller skating we headed home to have Papa Murphy's pizza and watch the fifth Harry Potter movie.

November 13th, her actual birthday, we had pancakes for breakfast, opened gifts and goofed off all day.  It was the traditional stroganoff and broccoli for dinner along with a cake and lots of singing.  Before bed we put together the homemade Oreos for her class the following day.

Precision stylus for her computer art.

Every goalie needs a good pair of gloves.

Blowing out the candles.  Happy Birthday, sweetie!

November 15th Nick woke up with a really sick stomach and what we thought was a lower GI bug. His stomach had been unhappy since we ate at a local Chinese buffet a week earlier, but it hadn't been anything terrible and had seemed to clear up after a few days, but it was back now.  He decided to try and go to school, but only made it until lunch before calling me and asking to go home.  I was subbing at the middle school and was able to run him home over my lunch.  I had called the doctor right after Nick called me and they said to try a suppository to see if that relieved the pressure and pain.  Steve worked from home the second party of the day since I had to get back to school.  The last period of the day is an all boy class and they finished their test with time to spare so we played Math Ball.  I gave them a problem and if they got it correct they got to choose where in the room to shoot the ball into the laundry basket at the front of the room.  If they made it they got a point.  I would then have a chance to shoot for a point.  It was close game.  I was winning until the last boy got the answer correct and took a really tricky shot from the back corner of the room.  I earned some respect during that game.  They didn't think I would be able to keep up with them.  

November 16th I got up at the crack of dawn to take Jeremy to the school so the theater group could leave for the state competition.  When I got home Nick was still not feeling well. The suppository had worked, but he was still in pain and having some bowel difficulties.  He decided to try going to seminary anyway.  When I picked him up after seminary and he wasn't feeling any better  I told him he could just stay home.   Steve drove the kids to school before heading for the airport to fly to DC. Naomi was getting her braces on that morning so I didn't have to work.  I called the doctor and got an appointment for Nick to be seen later in the afternoon since it had been a week since the whole stomach thing had started.  After I hung up with the doctor's office I got a call from Nick's seminary teacher.  She was concerned because Nick had come in that morning and gone straight to the bathroom and stayed there almost the whole time. The other kids had noticed and she was concerned they might think he was trying to get out of seminary.   I told her he was not feeling well and I had a doctor's appointment for him later that day.  She suggested keeping him home until this sickness passed as it was causing a disturbance in class.  I apologized and hung up.  

The braces appointment went well.  Naomi liked the fun colors but wasn't too happy with the Herbst appliance.  For those of you who don't know what a Herbst appliance is think hatchback struts in your mouth that will help reposition the jaw, much like the external headgear of yesteryear.  It takes up a lot of room in your mouth and rubs your cheeks.  The doctor said she would quickly get used to it.  

Naomi with her new braces and Herbst appliance.  She is smiling now, but...

I dropped her off at school to show off her new accessories and hurried home to see what I could do for Nick.  He had no fever so the doctor wasn't worried about seeing him immediately.  All I could do was feed him a bland diet and keep him comfortable until his appointment.  I picked the kids up from school and dropped off our carpool before getting Nick and heading to the doctor's office.  By this time the pain was increasing and Nick was really uncomfortable.  The suppository had worked to get things moving a bit, but it hadn't cleared things up like they expected.  She sent us to Radiology to have an ultrasound done to rule out appendicitis.  They got us in and out of Radiology rather quickly and told us the doctor on call would let us know what to do next.  I took Nick home so he could be near a bathroom and ran to the grocery store to pick up the foods and medicine the doctor had recommended.  Naomi and I were in the checkout line when I got the call for the doctor.  She said the ultrasound showed moderate fluid in his abdomen and they were unable to locate his appendix.  I needed to get him to the Emergency Room as soon as possible.  We finished checking out and I called Steve (who was in D.C.) to give him an update while we drove home.  Just as we were heading out the door for the ER Steve called and said to stop by the Tufts first.  Phil would give Nick a blessing.   At the ER I told the check-in nurse we had been sent to the ER by the physician on call because of stomach pain and told her about the ultrasound results.  She told us to have a seat and they would be right with us.  An hour and a half later, during which Nick was in pain, they finally called us back to triage.  That is when things really got rolling.  We were in a bed in the ER within a half an hour with meds and an IV and everything.  Thank goodness the muscle relaxant they gave Nick did the job of lessening the pain. I called Nick's seminary teacher to give her an update on Nick's condition and tell her he wouldn't be at seminary the next couple of days.  She was worried and told me they would keep Nick in their prayers.  She didn't realize he was really so sick.   About this time Phil showed up with Shane to give Nick an official priesthood blessing.  I loved having them there because Shane is a PA and he knew what questions to ask.  We were waiting to have a CT scan done and Naomi was about to fall over asleep.  Phil offered to take her home and stay with her until further notice.  I really appreciate these men.  They were there to help out when I really needed them.  After the CT scan we waited to hear the results.  Shortly after 1:30 am the doctor came in and said the CT scan had located the appendix and it was still intact.  There was fluid in the abdomen but it was likely from an acute case of colitis which was causing all the discomfort.  He prescribed some antibiotics to help get rid of the colitis which was likely caused  by food poisoning (never going back to that Chinese buffet again!!! Nick had been the only one to eat the sushi that night).  Nick should feel better in a couple of days.  The doctor gave me a note to excuse Nick from school that day and told me to keep him quiet until he started to feel better.    We got home around 3 a.m.  Luckily I had thought ahead and called our carpool to arrange for them to get their son to school in the morning since I didn't know where we would be in the morning.  We were able to all sleep in.  I let Naomi miss a day of school as well since she had been up late worrying about Nick.

Not fun to watch your baby be hooked up to an IV and have several tests run.  

I am happy to report that Nick recovered rather quickly once a diagnosis was made and the proper medicine prescribed.  I am so thankful for modern medicine and for friends who are there to help out in difficult times.  

November 18th Nick and Steve stayed home while Naomi and I went to support Justice and Journey at their school's talent night.  Those girls have such amazing voices.  It was fun to see them perform.  There was also a male dancer who was fabulous.  He was such a surprise.  

Jeremy got home by noon on the 19th with a HUGE grin on his face.  They were advancing to the Southeast Regional competition which is one step away from Nationals and one step farther than LNC had ever gone before!!!!

The cast of "That's Not How I Remember It"

November 21st was the Fall Feast for the 5th grade.  I cooked the turkies and got to help out at the event.  I love watching Naomi with her classmates.  This is a really fun group of kids.  

They have a full Thanksgiving meal.  It is a tradition in the 5th grade.  Love it. 

November 22nd I was supposed to sub with a one-on-one student, but since he wasn't coming to school that day I didn't need to go in.  I got a ton done in preparation for Thanksgiving and our guests.

November 23rd the kids and I cooked and baked all day long.  Bradden, Sunny and the kids arrived in time for dinner.  I love having them as guests.

This is how Naomi entertained herself between baking projects.  

November 24th Nick decided to try running the Turkey Trot 5K.  He had signed up before he got so sick and hadn't done any running since being sick but he wanted to go anyway.   We left Jeremy and Naomi home with Bradden, Sunny and the kids since they were all asleep when we left.

Nick at the start line. 

Waiting for "GO!"

At the finish line. 

He finished the race in 28.17 seconds - his fastest time yet. I am so proud of him. 

Another medal to add to his collection.  

Time for a little silliness as well.  

Back at home everyone was awake and Naomi was making pancakes.  We played with Playdough and went outside and drove the remote controlled cars and had a great time before dinner later that afternoon.  

Olivia and her turtle that Naomi helped her make. 

Laurel Run Speedway.

Coloring with chalk.

Helping get dinner ready.

Steve and Bradden prepping the turkey for the fryer. 

Checking the temperature.

Relaxing in the hammock while the food is cooking. 

It's done!

Dinner was amazing.  We ate until we were full and then everyone helped clean up.  Steve had been hinting for weeks that the television just didn't look right in the new entertainment center.  I told him if he could find a good t.v. for a decent price in all the Black Friday ads he could get a bigger one.  This got Steve and Bradden busy right away.  Within an hour they had located the perfect television for the perfect price and were on their way out the door to purchase it and bring it home.  He was one happy camper.  Once the boys got back with their new toy Sunny and I left for the movie theater.  She wanted to see Dr. Strange and I was happy to see it again.  I understood so much more the second time.  It was almost better the second time.  We came home to two happy "boys" playing with their new toy.  It was a Smart TV and they were checking out all the new features.  

November 25th we took the kids to the park after breakfast to let them run off some energy.  It was a gorgeous day.  After lunch we went to see "Moana", the new Disney film.  It was really cute and the kids enjoyed it.  We ended the day with several intense games of Go Fish after dinner.  Steve and Bradden took off to see "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."  Sunny and I got the kids into bed and then went to bed ourselves.  We were worn out from all the fun. 

Nick found his happy spot in the tree. 

November 26th, while Sunny and Bradden packed up the van, the kids had a sumo wrestling match.  I had found inflatable sumo wrestling tubes at BJs and thought they would be a ton of fun.  The kids (including Bradden) really got into it and had a blast.  

Bradden vs. Olivia - she totally won!

Bradden vs. Hyrum - it was a close match, but Bradden eventually prevailed. 

Nick and Jeremy - nothing got broken.  

Jeremy hanging with his adoring cousins. 

You cannot have a sumo wrestling match without it turning into an arm wrestling contest. 

A nice family photo

My new favorite photo.

As is true with all good things, the visit with family had to come to an end.  We got everyone hugged and buckled in and Bradden and Sunny started their trek back to Tennessee.  We will miss them.  It was a fun Thanksgiving break.

That night we made a cheese ball (a favorite Christmas tradition) and set up the Christmas tree.  We all slept well that night.