Cody, Claire & Cooper

Why we pay for health insurance...

2012-03-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a running cost of Cody's recent hospital costs:

Hand Surgeon..............$17,536.00
Ambulance Ride............$912.31
Hospital Stay................$18,364.00

Still haven't received the anesthesiologist bill

A Summary of January Events

2012-02-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

I am going to try and give a brief summary of January 2012. We (Cody and his dad mostly) were making great progress on our family room addition that also included a large storage room (5 ft x 25 ft), laundry room and pantry. The addition was framed, the siding was put on and Cody and I had installed the roofing on Friday. On Saturday, January 7^th, the two boys and I were outside helping Cody with some of the finishing trim work. I was holding one end of a long piece of trim that we were cutting using the table saw. Cooper was right next to me, playing with a stick and Max was in the stroller about ten feet away, facing us. Cody cut the piece, turned off the table saw then reached across to pick up the cut piece. The table saw had not stopped yet and it cut off his right thumb just above the middle knuckle and his pointer finger at the middle knuckle. We were very blessed that two of our neighbors were outside and heard the screams and ran to help. We were also very blessed that I was outside when it happened.

After a quick ride in the ambulance, we were admitted at the John C. Lincoln hospital. We had an amazing hand surgeon (Dr. Schaub) and some great nurses. Cody went in for surgery just a few hours later, but they were unable to reattach the fingers. We stayed in the hospital for a few more days because they were unable to control the pain and Cody kept vomiting.

Just a week after this happened, Cody returned to teaching and began his master’s in administration. Cody has been extremely positive and optimistic from the very beginning. We have had some good laughs and enjoyed the jokes from others.

Through all this, we have realized our blessings. We have amazing family and friends that don’t wait to be asked. Within an hour of the accident, several people from the ward came and cleaned up the yard and put away the tools. Our ward fasted for Cody the next day. His name was put on the prayer roll of fifteen temples.

Our good friend, a surgeon at Good Samaritan hospital, interrupted a surgery to ask that hand surgeon if he could come do Cody's surgery at John C Lincoln hospital. Dr. Reed, instead called his partner (Dr. Schaub) who was in a surgery at our hospital and asked him to make our surgery a priority. Because of this, we moved ahead of four other surgeries.

2012-02-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers for Cody. He is recovering remarkably well and even the surgeon is impressed with how the hand is doing. Cody goes to therapy twice a week to work on decreasing the sensitivity, specifically on the transplant and skin grafted portion, and to increase mobility. He is very encouraged by the progress he is making in his thumb which has a lot of movement, but discouraged by the minimum amount (5 degrees) of movement in his pointer finger.

We had a bit of a scare on Sunday when Cody's hand began to throb and ache which it had not done in weeks, but after Tylenol and a nap, the pain subsided. An odd side note - the skin graft from Cody's wrist also blistered during this time into one huge lump. We finally took a needle to it that afternoon and drained it, but it began to fill again the next day. Cody wondered if maybe we should have saved the liquid we drained stating that it might have had 'magical properties'. Funny guy!!

Cookie Recipe Please!!

2011-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for a new cookie recipe that includes white chocolate chips? Anyone have anything?

Update: these look yummy. Anyone have something similar?

New Times

2011-08-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Cody was set apart a few weeks ago as a member of the High Council. In order to do this, he had to also be set apart as a High Priest. We were fortunate enough to convince our stake president to do this at the Riding's so the whole family could be there. Thank you Kristi (Cody's Mom) for making this a special occasion and serving a complete meal to 17 people!

Not sure what our kids are doing.

Set apart as High Priest.

Hank, Logan, Jed, Pres. Lythgoe, Cody, Frank, Kyle, Chris

Set apart as member of High Council.

Hank, Jed, Pres. Lythgoe, Cody, Frank

My parents with Max.

The little kids table. Elizabeth, Crew and Cooper

My father-in-law...aka mule/horse/donkey.

I can't believe it!

2011-08-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

How did I come to have a preschooler?

Cooper was really excited to begin school. I'm glad to report that he, nor I, cried on the first day of school, however, he has cried almost every day since. When I asked him what his favorite part about school was he said "My teacher". I think that's a good sign.

I couldn't belive that Cooper just walked right in to class on the first day. Truth be told, it made me a bit sad. Was he that excited to leave me and Max?

Picking Cooper up from school. This is my favorite part of the day. Well, this and when both kids are napping.

Almost 3 Months...crazy!

2011-07-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

My Life

2011-06-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

My boys...

2011-06-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Why didn't I think of that?

2011-05-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

The cutest idea...

Click the picture to see the blogpost.

Max's Story...

2011-04-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

First, I need to backtrack a little. At my 37 week doctor appointment I was dilated to 2 cm. At my 38 week appointment, I was at a 3 and at 39 weeks I was at a 4. We were progressing, but not very quickly. My doctor stripped my membranes, but cautioned me that it could do nothing at all and I could end up having Max late. This happened on Monday, April 11^th.

That night I put Cooper down for bed while Cody was giving a blessing at a nearby hospital. I began having contractions around 7:30pm, but they were inconsistent and varied in intensity. I thought for sure it was just pre-labor due to my earlier doctor appointment. At 10pm Cody and I began to get ready for bed; I still thought it was just pre-labor pains. By 10:30 the contractions became more consistent and we decided to drop Cooper off at Cody’s parents and go to the hospital.

We checked in at 11pm and thought ourselves very lucky since there was no one in the waiting room or triage. We ended up spending two hours in triage as they repeatedly told us it would be just another 15 minutes. They checked me and I was at 5cm, but immediately the contractions began to intensify and get closer together. Finally, at 1am I was moved to the labor and delivery floor.

As soon as I reached the delivery room I had a contraction and really felt the need to push. I told my nurse and she checked me. I was at 10 cm. The anesthesiologist was already there, but there was no time to do the drip epidural. He gave me a big shot instead to help with the pain. The nurse began calling to page the 3^rd year resident since my doctor was still another 5 minutes out and they didn’t think he would make it in time. Luckily, he showed up just a minute or two later. He said we would wait through a contraction or two so the epidural shot could take effect. On the next contraction I told them that Max wasn’t waiting. My water sack had already begun to come out in tack. The doctor broke the water and I began pushing. I pushed through two contractions and Max was born at 1:36am; just two and a half hours after checking in to the hospital.

Interesting fact: my doctor said it is supposed to be good luck when the water sack emerges without breaking. Also, Max was born facing up (sunny side up) rather than the usual way of facing down.

Introducing...

2011-04-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Max Charles Riding

April 12, 2011

1:36 am

7 pounds 8 ounces

20 inches

37 Weeks...

2011-03-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

37 weeks and counting...

Time to Play Catch Up...

2011-03-26T14:25:00.001-07:00

Yet again I am forced to play catch up because of my lack of attention to the blog. So, here it goes...

January

25-28 weeks

I'm not quite sure what happened to January. I got back into and fell out of the routine of hiking Squaw Peak. Work filled up a lot of my spare time and doctors appointments and Cooper filled up the rest. I tested negative on the one hour glucose test for gestational diabetes which I was excited about (I had to do the 3 hour test last time).

February

29-32 weeks

Cooper turned three and although his birthday party had to be rearranged at the last minute due to rain, we still had a great time. Turns out it is a big advantage to have connections to the Bishop. Cody had a huge career change and went back to teaching in the Alhambra School District. He teaches 6th grade and is much appreciated by the other teachers and staff. His Spanish comes in handy considering 75% of his class speaks Spanish as their primary language.

Decorating cupcakes.

The adults.

The lunch bags, snacks & cupcakes.

March

33-36 weeks

Feeling big now and ready for Max to come. Cody and I celebrated our six year anniversary (crazy) in style by doing absolutely nothing. It has actually been a busy month so it was relaxing just to be with each other and rent a movie. Cody had Spring Break which was a lot of fun for Cooper and me. It completely threw us off our schedule, but it was a welcome reprieve from life. Cody promised Cooper to build a fort with him and spend the night in it. Besides Cooper taking forever to fall asleep, the night went well. We also took advantage of the zoo pass and spent a few hours there.

Cooper loves the elephants.

Can you see the tiger just to the right of them?

He was much more active than the last few times we've seen him.

The fort that Cody and Cooper built and spent the night in.

They actually slept fairly well and I enjoyed sleeping on my bed all by myself. :)

Hanging out inside the fort.

And now you're all caught up.

My Menu Board

2010-12-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

I am not a crafty person by any means. This pregnancy has really driven me to organize and clean out just about every nook and cranny in my home. This is due mostly to the fact that we live in a home built in the early 1950's when they didn't believe in having storage space...or closets that fit more than ten items of clothing...or bathrooms with any type of elbow room. I was cleaning out one of my miscellaneous drawers when I found this:

My sister, Erin, bought this standing magnet board for me from Crate & Barrell when I was in high school after I admired hers. I have loved this board, but now that I don't have an office and there is no room on my computer table, I didn't have anywhere to put it. I was way too attached to D.I. the board so I let it sit on my kitchen counter for a few days while I stewed about its new purpose. Finally, I was passing by it for the hundreth time and thought, "How about a menu board?". So, that's what I did. I used only items that I already had and created this.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I am not a crafty person, so I was just dying to share.

About Time...

2010-11-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

I guess it's about time I share this information on the blog. I'm pregnant. Hooray! This picture is taken at 16 weeks. I'm 18 now and my belly feels twice as big.

PS It's a boy

What I love about Fall...

2010-11-08T04:57:00.000-08:00

Jumping into piles of leaves.

(or being thrown)

Spending time outdoors.

Chopping wood for a fire.

Enjoying the fire by reading a good book.

Being with great friends.

I should mention the near death experience my Mother-in-law had at the cabin two weeks ago. She was sitting in the dining room when a massive tree fell right on top of where she was sitting with two other ladies. Besides a few holes in the roof, and the tree sticking out of the porch, there wasn't much damage. Let's just say that there is no reason why this tree should not have gone barreling through the roof and crushed them all.

Obviously this is after Jed has cleaned up and chopped 95% of the tree that fell.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

I think Halloween may be Cooper's favorite holiday, but why wouldn't it be? He gets to dress up as whatever he would like to be and get candy from droves of adoring people by simply saying 'trick or treat'. Here are our Halloween 2010 pictures:

Cynthia Hale & Cooper at the Ward Trunk or Treat

Levi Hatch & Cooper at the Ward Trunk or Treat

In the back of the police cruiser. Hopefully the only time these two will be in the back of one.

The pumpkin before.

The pumpkin after.

(Thank you Grandpa Frank for the cowboy hat)

I'm Back!!

2010-10-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

I took a 6 month sabbatical and I am back to continue blogging. Let's catch up...

April & May

I spent most of my time running after a very speedy 2 year old. We spent many a weekend at the cabin in Oak Creek Canyon. When we were in town we went to the zoo, the Phoenix Children's Museum (love that place!) and the public library. I threw a surprise birthday party for Rana Hatch which went well.

June

Girl's Camp. Need I say more? This completely ruled my life from January on. It was one of the most rewarding and entirely exhausting callings I've had yet. I loved working with Pam Young and Amanda Meppen. This was my first time approaching Girl's camp from the Stake end and it gives you an entirely new appreciation for the time and labor it takes to put on camp.

This photo was taken unbeknownst to be, but seeing as I have no other photos of me at camp, it will have to do. Get a good look at my roots.

July

Stake Youth Trek. Cody & I were Ma's and Pa's...again. It absolutely poured on us the first afternoon and we were wet for the rest of the trek. What amazing youth! Definitely makes me appreciate the pioneers!

August

I took a breather from the Stake callings and got to return to my single calling as RS secretary, which I love! Cooper & I started back in to the routine of things which was good because September would completely throw us off course. And of course we spent more time at the cabin.

September

Spent the week after Labor Day at a house on Mission beach with the Riding's. We had great weather, the beach was empty, and all we did was relax. A week later I threw Cody's 30th Surprise bday party. I will never again do this. It was completely exhausting, but Cody was surprised and we had a great time. The night before Cody's birthday, his Grandpa Riding past away. He was 90 years old and had been suffering from Alzheimer's for a while so it was a blessing.

October

...and now we're in modern times. I apologize for the big break in blogging, but hopefully I'll be better at it the next couple of months.

P90X

2010-03-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else doing this? The ab workout kicked my trash!

I want her abs!

Some More Scrapbooking...

2010-03-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

My New Favorite Scrapbooking Kit

2010-03-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Shabby Princess and their digital scrapbooking collections. Almost everything from the pages below are from the Clementine collection. Thanks Rachel for all the advice!

Traeger Family Pictures

2010-01-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Traeger Family Pictures

New Year's Day ~ 2010

The Traeger's.

1 year old Lane and Anna.

Cooper & Me.

The Riding's.

The Eagar's.

The boys.

Opa & Oma with the grandkids.

By the way, boy #4 is on his way. Congrats Seth and Becky!

The entire family.

The Lake Powell Triathlon

2009-10-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jed (my Father-in-law), Cody and I competed in the Lake Powell Triathlon on Saturday, October 17th. Below are pictures and a break down of each leg of the race.

Swim

The lake water was about 65 degrees so wet-suits were "highly recommended". I borrowed Sydney's surfing wet-suit which was very nice, but if anyone is considering doing a triathlon, I would highly recommend getting a triathlon suit. After the countdown and the horn, we all took off. Within seconds I couldn't breathe. I thought this must be due to the cold water and the excitement so I turned onto my back and did the backstroke until I got my breathing under control. When I turned back over to do freestyle, I couldn't catch my breath again. I realized that I had not practiced enough with the suit and it was too tight around my chest and neck so I couldn't breathe. I ended up doing backstroke the entire 750 meter swim.

18:26, 4th place in my division

The Trio

My Father-in-law

Cody's right in the middle

I'm right in the middle...in the pink swim cap.

Bike

After we got done with the swim, we had to run up the boat ramp and then about another 100 meters to the transition area. Removing a wet wet-suit is difficult, but try doing it when you are in a rush. Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed the biking except for the one really long and really steep hill. Thank you Katie for letting me borrow your amazing bike. I passed Cody around mile 4 or 5. I was so glad because Cody did not even train for this and if he beat me, I was going to be really mad. My average bike speed was 16 mph over the 12 miles.

44:36, 4th place in my division

Jed

Cody

Me, I know, cool helmet, huh!

Run

When I got off the bike, my toes were completely numb. I began my run and could not gauge at all how fast or slow I was going. Because we weren't allowed to use our ipods (meaning my Nike+) I couldn't even figure out how far I had gone. I decided to concentrate on passing as many people as I could. The nice thing about this run was that the first half was a slow incline and at the half way point, we turned around and ran downhill. This was a 3.1 mile run.

23:09, 1st place in my division

Cody & I enjoying being done.

My bling...1st place overall in my division (25-29 year olds)

Thanks Kristi for supporting us!

Our "After" picture

Desktops

2009-09-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the Shabby Princess website. Every month they offer a free desktop. I wish my digital scrapbooking looked this cute. Rachel's going to help me with that...right Rachel?