New pics of nephew Jaxon

We took a day during vacation to go to Whitefield to visit Amy and Jaxon..unfortunately, we are always there when Matt is working:( We do have a great time playing with Jaxon though! It also always seems like it is bitter cold or rainy when we are there...so again, these pics were taken inside in the one spot where there is decent light coming in.

Jaxon is such a good sport about having his picture taken. He really loves it. His eyes are a photographers dream!








Turns out we chose the perfect day to visit Whitefield though...because today they got 8 inches of snow!

Amy's Adornments

I spent an hour or so this afternoon with Amy..and her sisters and mom...taking pics to help advertise the super cool hats that she makes. I volunteered my own kids to help model a few of the hats...but they sort of took over the time, thoroughly enjoying playing 'dress up' with all of the hats. We did get a few pics of Amy, Julia and Jackie...and lots of my kids. I'm thinking we will have to do another shoot with more teenagers and adults just for fun...and because we didn't get a picture of all of the hats that she has available.

I will post a few pictures, although it will be hard to decide which ones to share here! You can see a bunch more on smugmug.

JELO Eyes (take 2)

My recent picture of Owen inspired me to make similar pictures of all of my kids eyes. I finally finished this project this afternoon as found decent light and decent attitudes who were willing to stand still for a minute or two in order for me to snap a picture. (Funny, because if I were to share the 'behind the scenes' pictures you would see that Ethan is eating an ice cream and has chocolate all around his mouth!)

JELO Eyes

My recent picture of Owen inspired me to make similar pictures of all of my kids eyes. I finally finished this project this afternoon as found decent light and decent attitudes who were willing to stand still for a minute or two in order for me to snap a picture. (Funny, because if I were to share the 'behind the scenes' pictures you would see that Ethan is eating an ice cream and has chocolate all around his mouth!)

A couple of handsome boys.

Between the nice weather and Owen feeling a bit better, it feels nice to be able to get outside to play.

Hopefully Soon

Owen is most definitely feeling MUCH better and when most people look at him they are convinced of that. Of course, a mother knows and can tell just by looking at their eyes when her child is 'back to normal'. Owen is not quite "normal" yet. He's close...but not 100%.


Oh..and happy 200th post to me:)

Donkey Tales Video

Our Church presented this cute little "mini musical" during our Easter service that we held at Inter-Lakes Auditorium. The kids did GREAT!

My three big kids (Jessalyn, Ethan and Luke) were all in it. This was Luke's first 'big' performance. Jessalyn, of course, has been in many many of these things, and Ethan has now done his fair share. This was Ethan's first time singing though. He mentioned that he had to sing a part of a song, but he never told me it was the "yodel" part! I didn't know he had this type of part until dress rehearsal..he never once practiced this at home! I was blown away when I first heard him do it at rehearsal..and then he totally rocked it during the show:)

The PICC process.

I really need to blog about all the events of last week, but right now I just don't have the energy to do it. Instead, I will skip ahead to how life works for us right now. A big part surrounding Owen's PICC line. Let's just say that I am very hopeful that we will only have to do this for 7 days and I am very grateful that they finally found something that is working to make Owen feel better. I will do whatever it takes.

The PICC line isn't really a difficult process..but it is one that makes me nervous for sure. I am the type of person who checks a recipe four times before I actually put the ingredients in, or check my pocket fifty times for my keys before shutting my car door just to be sure that I'm not messing up. So when it comes to putting medicine, and saline and heparin directly into my childs blood stream (through a catheter that comes out directly above his heart)...lets just say I get a little stressed. The problem is, that while this process is great for getting his medicine to his body the most efficient way, it can also do the opposite. There is potential for letting bacteria straight in that same way. The steps taken to prevent this are many...and trust me, I am VERY diligent when it comes to this part.

It all starts here
This is the 2pm ingredients:) Two different antibiotics..lots of alcohol rubs and sodium chloride and heparin:) The antibiotics have to be refrigerated, but they can't be administered cold, so they have to sit out for 6 to 8 hours (and up to 24 at most) beforehand. So, basically for me it means that after every "infusion" I take out the next dose and set it out like this so its all ready for the next dose.


There aren't any "sharps" really, but they still want the syringes sent back in this handy little jug thing. This end of the dining room table is owned by Owen's medicine at for this week:)


These are the crazy little medicine balls:) No idea how it works, but somehow just by unclamping the clamp, this little ball of medicine ends up in Owen's veins. Its a sweet system really. I thought I was coming home with an IV pump and pole.


The following pics provided by Jessalyn:)
First I wash..scrub, scrub, scrub...my hands. Then wash his port with an alcohol rub.


Then you have to get the syringe ready by pulling back and pushing all the air out..and you have to do this with a crazy look in your eye because that is how it is always done in the movies.


This is just to flush the line and make sure it isn't plugged and that the meds will go in ok.
Flush away.


Then wash the port again with alcohol.


Then take the cap off the medicine and hook him up....after obsessively checking to make sure you are hooking up the right one because one of them he gets three times a day and the other is just once a day.


Then the important part of unclamping the clamp to be sure the meds go in.


Then stick the ball in his "fanny bag" and he goes on with his normal crazy life.


..like watching your brothers play the sweet Nintendo DS that came in the mail for them from some wicked awesome friends:)


Then I go about my business as well until the medicine is all gone.

I scrub my hands again and finish by removing his medicine...
Then washing with alcohol again...


Then make crazy faces while getting the syringe ready.

A sodium Chloride flush

..and the faces get crazier and crazier as we move on the the heparin. At the very end he gets a few (3mls) of Heparin to keep his blood from clotting up in the little tiny catheter that lives in his vein right now.


Then clamp his line and tuck the port up into the 'sock' that is covering the wrap that is covering the sterile tape that is covering the actual spot where the catheter is inserted. Like I said, keeping bacteria OUT is crucial.


This is an empty antibiotic.

Then we throw the "sharps" (that aren't actually sharp) in the sharps container.

and reorganize for the next infusion by pulling out a new antibiotic from the fridge to warm...

..and getting the sodium chloride and heparin and, of course, alcohol wipes ready!



An early sign of an infection caused by his PICC line is a fever. I'm supposed to take his temp once a day just to be sure. I might do that more than once a day...like twice...or 50..or 100. Because this whole deal just might have made me a little crazy. I'm not sure:)