The Perkes'

A Day Full of Firsts!

2011-03-23T18:37:00.001-07:00

I haven’t done a post because nothing exciting or worth sharing has been going on lately. Until, Monday! Monday brought me a day filled with many firsts. I paid a visit to the walk-in clinic at my husband’s persisting requests over the prior week, for chest pains and difficulty breathing. Now, I’ve gone twice before because of difficulty breathing and was told the cause was because I had bronchitis. Well, that went away both times after I took my prescribed medicine but my breathing never became easier. Then came the chest pain and after nine days, I decided it was time to figure things out. Mostly because my husband told me he was benching me from playing basketball until I got a doctor’s approval.

So, I had my blood pressure taken and was sent back to my room. The doctor came in and started asking all kinds of questions and then looked at my blood pressure reading and said it was high. She asked if that was something I was aware of, which I wasn’t and then asked if I had checked my blood pressure recently. I hadn’t but told her I had been in a couple times in the last couple months so those readings should be documented. She saw that those were higher readings as well. Sheesh, that would have been nice to know that the first or second time!

She then started a physical exam and listened to my lungs, heart, etc. I then took a breath test 3 times to see how much lung capacity I was using. I wasn’t doing that great so she had me do a breathing treatment. She also said she was going to have me get some X-rays done and an EKG. After all that I did another series of breath tests and the breathing treatment hadn’t help and I was still using about 70% of my lung capacity. My X-rays then came back and they were clear and looked good but my EKG had reverse T waves so the doctor told me I needed to take a trip to the ER to have further testing done. Yay!

Tom took me to the ER and thank goodness there wasn’t any waiting and I was whisked into a room and hooked up to all sorts of cables. The doctor then came in and did an exam and told us he was going to have my blood tested and that I needed to have a CT scan to check for blood clots. The 6 vials of blood they tested all came back normal, which I’m not even sure that they were testing for and my CT scan came back normal. They also did another EKG and with the same results but the doctor said I was healthy and young and didn’t feel it was anything to be concerned over. He then said there was no sign of an immediate emergency so there was nothing more they could do for me. We were then sent on our way and told to follow up with my primary care physician.

Thanks to all that I came home feeling worse than when I went in. I was in bed shortly after 5pm, I think and I puked with any slight movement until 10pm.

I felt like it was a waste of a day with no real answers. Now I need to find a doctor and hope that he or she will take the time to figure things out. So after never having health problems before, no broken bones or stitches, here’s my list of firsts on Monday, March 21st :

X-ray
EKG
ER visit
CT Scan

Things I learned from all these tests:

Absolutely nothing

I do appreciate Tom making the time to spend the day with me. I appreciate the help of my friend who I haven’t know for long, for taking Mason on such short notice and picking Jayni up from school and watching them for most of the afternoon. I appreciate my family and friends who have checked up on me and have helped the last couple of days. It’s times like this that make you realize those that love and care for you. I’m glad for the reminder of the great family and friends that surround me. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and is watching out for me as well. Things like this help put life into perspective and I’m grateful for that.

Moving to Saratoga Springs!

2011-02-18T11:32:00.001-08:00

For nearly three years we tried to buy a house in Kennewick. After 3 or 4 failed offers (I’ve lost track!) and finding the perfect lot to build a house, we found out we were going to move to Utah for Tom to be the Salt Lake City branch manager of Senske LawnLife, located in Midvale.

We feel so lucky that our Heavenly Father has blessed us and guided us in the decisions we’ve made. It’s been a difficult road for me, and at times, many tears were shed and questions and frustrations were sent heavenward. I’m grateful that He hasn’t given up on me for at times, having a bad attitude and not appreciating what I did have, that many people in this world go without.

I put up with mice, no dishwasher or garage, a small and old two bedroom house for almost four years and it’s been worth it!Although we would have loved to have a house built in an area of Kennewick we loved, surrounded by some great friends that we miss and being close to both of our families who we love, this will be the house we will soon call home:

This is it!

Formal living room with just enough room to fit the baby grand piano I’ve missed for 5 years!

Hallway leading to 2 bedrooms and a bathroom and also the master bedroom and bath. The stairs go to an unfinished daylight basement and an additional finished bedroom.

Main bathroom with granite countertops.

Master bedroom.

Master bathroom with granite countertops, garden tub and separate shower with double shower heads.

Living room.

Slightly different view of living room.

Dining area and kitchen.

My favorite part of the whole house, the kitchen!

The kitchen has all the upgrades I wanted in a kitchen. Granite countertops, an island, alder cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. The laundry room, half bathroom and access to the 3 car garage is just past the wall where the fridge goes.

I love the view of Utah Lake and the Wasatch Mountains!

I’m thankful to have an amazing husband who has worked so hard to provide for our family. I’m looking forward to building many memories in our new home and this area!!

New Outlook On Blogging

2011-02-18T10:09:00.001-08:00

So I’ve decided that it’s time to re-enter the blogging world for the sake of documenting things in our lives. I felt I had to step away for awhile as I found myself spending too much time on the computer.

With that said, I thought I should update the look as well and since I don’t have time at the moment, or my desktop computer accessible to create my own blog layout, I was able to find this cute and simple layout from The Cutest Blog on the Block. It’s hard not to make my own design though!!

Please Help Provide "A Very Merry Christmas"!

2010-12-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was reminded of how blessed I am. I'm so thankful for the clean clothes on my back, a full belly after every meal, a family who love and support me and a warm roof over my head. Many of us are blessed with these things and Tom, Jayni, Mason and I would like to provide this for a special someone who is in need of these things. I would like to invite those who would like to help provide a nice Christmas to someone in need. Food and clothes donations would be appreciated.

I've also decided to use my Scentsy commission from December sales to help. If you have a Scentsy order you'd like to place for Christmas gifts or just because, let me know or go to http://perkes.scentsy.us/ and click on the "Buy from Party" after "A Very Merry Christmas". This way you get a little something and proceeds will help benefit another! :)

Clothing needed (preferably new but used works too!):

Men's Shirts - Medium
Men's Pants - Waist 36 Length 30
Socks
Boxers

I'm trying to find out shoe size so I'll post that if I'm able to get it. If you'd like to get your kids involved I'd love to include some cute handmade Christmas decorations too!!

Thanks in advance for those that are willing to help out!!

Tragedy or Destiny?

2010-08-26T16:30:00.001-07:00

This morning I received a phone call from my Mom to inform me that my dear, Uncle Wallace passed away. My heart is breaking for my aunt, cousins, grandma and four of my brothers who he has helped raise since my Dad passed away 8 1/2 years ago. These brothers have now lost two fathers and it brings me such sadness for them.

This can be viewed as a tragedy but even though I am sad and don’t understand my Heavenly Father’s plan completely, I know this is destiny. Heavenly Father has a purpose for my Uncle Wallace, my Dad, my sister, Jacqueline, my brother, Nathan, my Uncle Milo and the many other family members and friends, who have left this earth at an early age and has returned home to live with Heavenly Father.

He must have a purpose for them in Heaven, where they’re needed most. This is where I find my comfort in death. Unfortunately, death has been a common thing for me as a child and an adult. But I do understand that I can be with those who have gone to be with Heavenly Father, again someday.

I send my love to all my family members and those affected by this. I truly love you all and hope you find some peace in this. May we all find some peace…

Families Are Forever

There’s A Snake In My Boots….Er, House!

2009-06-24T16:30:00.001-07:00

Most of you have Facebook and may have already seen this but I have to blog about it because it’s so beyond me why I have these pests! We’ve had mice problems since this last winter but this is what I found on the glue trap today. Yes…a snake!!

Tom was told it was a corn snake and so of course I had to research it out and found that most likely by the size it's probably a "hatchling". They can grow to be 3.9 to 5.9 ft long! Yuck!! Their diet consists primarily of rodents, mice and rats by constricting them. Corn snakes produce 12 to 24 eggs. Hopefully it crawled into the house and it didn't hatch somewhere in the walls of the house. I'm a little nervous that we might have more "hatchlings" since we have the mice. I hope some momma corn snake didn't lay eggs somewhere in the walls or attic of the house! Eek!!

Check it Out!!

2009-03-31T11:24:00.001-07:00

I started a website!

I have decided to start a little at home business so that I feel like I'm contributing to the household and also because these are things I love to do. It all started with helping my sweet Grammie with her Relief Society handouts.

I don't have much on there now but I will be adding more premade items as I can. I'm able to do a wide range of things so if I haven't mentioned it just ask. My main items will be digital work but I can do things with paper/cardstock as well but it may be slightly pricey until I can find a cheap way to get paper. Items that I can do are greeting cards or postcards, announcements, invitations, 12x12 and 8x8 digital scrapbook pages, business cards, blog layouts and custom headers, church handouts, bookmarks, calendars, anything you have in mind I'll try my best to figure out a way to get it done.

Please let me know if you have anything you're in need of or have any questions and I'll be happy to help you out! Keep checking back because I'll continue to add new designs.

The web address is: www.sweetnsimplecreations.com or you can click on the banner above to visit the website. For all you bloggers out there…I’m working on a graphic to add to sidebars for those interested in helping me advertise. Just let me know if you’re interested and I’ll let you know when it’s ready. I’m more than happy to customize the colors to match your existing blog layout too – at no charge!!

UPDATE: Above is the sidebar banner I’ve come up with. Let me know if you’d like one and if you’d like different colors!

Happy 17th Birthday, Max!

2009-03-05T22:30:00.001-08:00

Since we couldn’t join you for your birthday we celebrated anyway at Jayni’s request. Of course we had to do it a day early so that you can see this first thing on your birthday! She even asked that I make this for you.

She said I had to make a basketball cake so this was my attempt. We celebrated with pizza for dinner and then had birthday cake.

Tom was a little grumpy so I didn’t want to get his grumpiness in any pictures. Jayni and Mason were more than happy to have their pictures taken though. The kids and I didn’t get out of the house today so please don’t mind their hair.

And for good measure we included some videos!

I’m so glad we have had the opportunity to get to know you! You are a huge part of our family now and we miss you like crazy! You are an amazing person and we’re so proud of all you do (well maybe not all!…like almost letting my son drown) and appreciate your efforts to keep in contact with us. We even kinda like you!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and have some yummy curry for us! I really wish we could be there!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Could Things Get Any Worse?

2009-01-20T16:03:00.001-08:00

Later in the afternoon yesterday after hanging out with Melanie, Kathryn and Reed, Jayni started feeling sick when we were at Target. So we decided to part ways and I brought Jayni and Mason home to nap. As I was helping Jayni get ready for her nap she started throwing up. Luckily she was standing over the sink and was able to make it to the toilet! Not much to clean up, but I did have to wash a couple towels and put her clothes in the wash too just to take up more room. I set her up in her bed with a bowl and she had to use it a couple times but no messes!

When I went to bed I checked in on the kids and after investigating found that Jayni had a little mess in her pants. Poor thing! So we got her cleaned up and I put in some things to wash. Tom had to leave at 3:30 this morning (won't be home until tomorrow evening) and when I went to bed I couldn't sleep because he kept tossing and turning. He was worried his alarm wouldn't go off although I set mine too! He finally got up around 2:30 to lay on the couch. Came in to tell me goodbye at 3:40 but said there was a little girl on the couch who said she wasn't tired anymore but feeling better. Mason woke up at 4:30. Jayni went to the bathroom around 8:20 and didn't realize she had a little drip (nicest way I could think to put it!) so we had to change her underwear again and when I put them in the wash I knocked over the FULL liquid detergent bottle that a few seconds later, I found leaking all over the top and side of the washer because obviously in the daze of lateness last night I didn't put the cap on tight. Then when the washer began to drain it was backing up into the bathroom and coming out the top of the toilet. Luckily I was in there and was able to get a towel around it and wasn't much of a mess.

Since then things have gone alright. We all took a nap from about 10:30 until 2:30. Crossing my fingers that the day will end well! I want to apologize for this very imperfect post. I'm much too tired to read through and fix spelling and punctuation and make sure everything makes sense, which is really hard for me to do since I have to go through post a good three or four times before posting!

Another Success

2008-11-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

I hit a big milestone at WW yesterday. I've lost 10% of my starting weight. I've now shed a total of 25.6 lbs, 20.6 with WW! This key ring is my reward and when I get to other milestones I'll receive charms to attach.

This has been such a beneficial program for me and I have appreciated all that have encouraged and helped me through this process. I want to be healthy, active and teach my children the importance of doing so.

I share with all of you my experiences so that it may possibly inspire. I've had ups and downs. Good weeks and bad weeks. I'm finding that I wouldn't be where I'm at as quickly as I've gotten here without the love and support of others and also exercise. That's the big one...EXERCISE! I believe it is the key to the successes I'm achieving. I'm making it a habit that will hopefully stick!

I'm also including my experiences for me personally. This is a big life changing experience I'm going through at this time in my life. It's a major part of my life and something that I struggle to find time doing with young children to take care of and spend quality time with. Oh, and the husband too! I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands at this time in my life and I'm forever grateful to my dear husband for his willingness to change up his schedule and do a little extra in order for me to do something for myself.

The difficulty I'm finding this week is that Tom started coaching high school basketball and hasn't gotten home until 9:30 or later in the evenings. He assures me that practices won't be as late once the volleyball season is finished. It's been a struggle to find the energy to head to the gym that late but once I finish my workout I always feel so much better! I'm actually pretty dang proud of myself for not letting this be a reason for me to take a break. I'm afraid that if I do so then I will start letting other things slide and I don't want that to happen!

Next mini goal - lose 7 more lbs to be at the top of the healthy range for my height. Then my ultimate goal of somewhere in the middle of my healthy range.

My progress chart so far.

My Milestones

Key:
5 POUNDS 5 POUNDS ADD'L 10% GOAL

WEIGHT WATCHERS MEETINGS
ANOTHER LOCATION

Fall Soccer

2008-11-13T15:56:00.001-08:00

The last two Saturdays of September and four Saturdays in October we spent watching Jayni play soccer for the first time on a team. Here she is on her first day getting a pep talk from their coach. We were really lucky to have a good coach that showed up every game. Most teams didn't have consistent coaches. I also think this is the only day that all 6 kids showed up on the same day.

I really can't say we watched her "play". She did a lot of this...

...and my personal favorite, a lot of that.

Mason would do this...

...and then that. Aren't these guys handsome?

But at the last game, Jayni was doing a little of this...

...and some of that.

Jayni's coach really tried to get her to score a goal the last game. She was scared when there would be a group around the ball. She had many opportunities that game to kick in a goal but was too scared. I'm not quite sure if soccer is her sport yet. She did do a lot of dancing and cheering though, sorry Tom!

Layer by Layer & Wind Turbines

2008-11-11T15:43:00.001-08:00

I just have to share my excitement! I've lost a total of 22.8 lbs since deciding to be a healthier me (17.8 lbs since joining WW). Just over half of my goal.

I had my Weight Watchers meeting today and lost another 3.6 lbs. The most I've lost in a single week since joining! I was really excited and I'm having a hard time controlling it. I really feel amazing!! I had somewhat disappointing results the last couple weeks. Both losses but not really great ones. The first week Tom was out of town for business so I wasn't able to do too much and the second week was Halloween and that candy was just too tempting!!

I joined a gym a month ago and I really enjoy going. It's definitely helping to obtain my weight loss goal. It's also helped relieve stress and I feel so much healthier. I've been going in the evenings for 1-1.5 hours, 5-6 days a week. It's become my ME time. I think part of the reason I enjoy it so much is because all the cardio equipment have individual televisions so I'm able to enjoy my shows still and not worry about missing them. I'm a huge TV junkie!! But really it helps keep my mind off of the exercising part.

Thank you Tom for the email today! I really appreciate your words of encouragement and all the support you give to me.

As I was driving home from WW, I decided to drive up into the hills to get a closer look at the wind turbines above our house. Tom has taken the kids up there a couple times and Jayni loves it. I haven't been up there before and was a little curious so we made the drive.

Jayni didn't really want to get out of the car but Mason was all for some pictures so I was playing around with my camera and these are a few cute pictures.

The view from up there was amazing. This picture definitely doesn't do it justice.

Healthy Here I Come

2008-10-03T16:05:00.001-07:00

I've always been a skinny girl. Growing up, through high school, even when I got married. In high school I was teased for having "chicken legs" and that my elbows were way too bony. Having children definitely changed that. I can't eat like I used to anymore. I never realized how fluffy I was getting until I got back from England and saw a picture of myself. I didn't feel like I looked - I'm tall and I felt I didn't look like I weighed too much and that my height helped balance things out. I've heard that people who have always been overweight and lose mass amounts of weight, still feel heavy. I have the opposite thought - I gained but still feel skinny.

I knew my body had changed after having kids, especially after Mason. I grew to measure 42 weeks pregnant in 22 weeks until they realized I had excess amniotic fluid. Let's say that expanding that quickly didn't help my stomach. I have mass amounts of stretch marks and after I had Mason I had excess saggy skin. I figured no big deal, I don't show my belly in public anyway. And it tucked right into my pants! Price of having babies, right? It was worth it!

Needless to say I gained about 30 lbs after having Mason. Being away from home in a different country was stressful, I was no longer working, and I was at home all day with the kids. I tended to eat! Every craving was satisfied!!

As you know I made a goal at the beginning of June to "Work It Out". Well the busyness of Summer didn't help and I didn't find myself staying very motivated. I knew I needed to change my eating habits too but I didn't know how. Like I said before, I used to be able to eat whatever and I never had to limit myself either. I tried talking Tom into letting me join Weight Watchers after knowing others around me who had success. Tom said he wanted me to show a commitment to exercising first because he didn't want it to be a waste of money if I really wasn't committed to changing. I could understand that - $40 a month is a lot for us right now. Well, I gave up and ended up gaining a little more and became the heaviest I've ever been, topping the scales at 206.6 lbs - 14 lbs more than when I was first back from England. That's about 52 lbs since the day I was married!

The last week of August I did what I could and was able to lose 5 lbs. Over Labor Day weekend we went to a lake cabin for Tom's family reunion and I found out that two family members were talking about joining Weight Watchers. I talked to Tom about it and on Tuesday, September 2nd I joined...

...along with two family members. I love it! It's giving me a new look at what I eat. I write down what I eat during the day and doing that makes me think about what I'm putting in my mouth. I still eat the things I love, I just have to pay attention to certain things and pay attention to the portion size. I thought I would feel hungry being on a "diet" but I really don't feel like it's been a diet. It's just thinking and paying attention to what I'm eating.

I'm not doing this to try to lose all the weight I've gained since being married. I really don't care if I weigh 180 lbs, I just want to feel like I'm doing all I can to be healthy so I don't die at an early age. I was borderline high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I needed to make a change.

I have also started being more active. I do a walk/run for an hour two days a week and I just started a Pilates class last Wednesday. I enjoy it and I feel less stress and I don't feel as depressed since I'm getting out of the house and doing something for me.

With the 5 lbs I lost the week before joining, and what I've lost since, I've lost a total of 12.8 lbs! I feel quite accomplished in a month's time!

I have great support and I feel comfortable talking about weight now. Tom has been very supportive and has made sure that I can have plenty of time to do my "activities" before it gets dark. He keeps telling me he's surprised at how dedicated I am. I guess he thinks I'm a quitter! HAHA!! I appreciate all the support I'm getting and thank you to those who are helping me and asking me how things are going. It helps me stay motivated!!!

Just for me and looking back someday I want to share a quick story about Jayni. My Mom, Jayni and I were standing in my Mom's kitchen. All of a sudden, Jayni came up and jabbing at my belly, said, "BOINK, BOINK". We died laughing. It really was quite amusing.

Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo

2008-10-03T14:01:00.001-07:00

August 2008 Catch Up

On Saturday, August 16th the kick off to the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo began. They have the Grand Parade every year but did the 1st Annual 5k Rodeo Run which was before the parade. I decided I wanted to sign up but would only do it if my dear husband would. He agreed and we did it! It was the start of some changes in my life that I'll post more about later.

The last run I participated in was the Cherry Blossom Run in George, Washington on a 4th of July when I was 15 or 16. I took 1st in my division. Of course that was only because my cousin, Heather had placed 1st of all the participants and since she got a medal for that, I was fortunate enough to get the 1st place medal in my division.

I am a silent competitor. My only goal was to not finish last and I didn't! Tom pushed the kids in the stroller and let me go ahead. I wasn't that much quicker than him though and we ended up finishing at the same time. My most rewarding moment was when he took a shortcut down a street so he and the kids could cheer me on when I passed by. Jayni seemed so excited and it made me work harder.

Well the outcome wasn't as amazing as it had been 12 or so years ago but it was an accomplishment for me. In the 6+ years I've been married I've gained a little over 50 lbs. and I carried that junk to the finish line in 37 minutes 33 seconds. I thought that was pretty amazing to accomplish a little over 3 miles since I didn't practice beforehand! Here's Tom & I in all our glory afterwards waiting for the parade to start.

On Wednesday, August 20th I took the kids to the fair for Kid's Day even though it was raining and a little cold. I can handle that way more than a scorcher like the day we went to Grant County Fair. We were only there for a couple hours and the first thing we did was go to the library's booth and the kids both won books. By the booth was a stage that was about to perform a show with the help of children. Jayni was lucky enough to participate. She was so cute and I have a video of her whole two minute performance. Unfortunately it's too large to post! Boohoo!!

We finished out the day with watching some of the animals being judged (Jayni insisted), going through the animal barns, and having lunch. We then went home for naps!

On Saturday, August 23rd we returned to have family day. Jayni did the tractor pull again, saw our neighbor's pigs, and then got our wristbands for the rides. We're lucky enough that Tom's grandparents help with the fair because we were able to ride the rides free. Thank you Grandpa & Grandma Underwood!! We had a great time riding the rides.

I love this sequence of pictures. Whenever Mason's scared he covers his ears. It's so cute! I also love the look of terror on his face in the last one.

As you can see from these next pictures Mason was still a little scared but finally got a little more comfortable and the hands came down.

After the rides we took the kids home to have naps. We returned for the rodeo that night but didn't stay long because the close proximity with a can't-stay-still boy wasn't working. We walked around a bit more and then headed home. It was a fun day and created great memories!

Grant County Fair

2008-10-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

August 2008 Catch Up

To kick off this year's county fair adventures, Jayni, Mason, and I headed to Moses Lake to spend time with my Mom and to watch my little sister, Kathryn clog. I also HAD to have a Grant County Fair Spaceburger! I hadn't had one for about 4 or 5 years and I was desperate this year to get one.

Well, it so happened that that day it was SO hot. It kinda took the desire for some yummy fair food away. We did seek out the sno-cone booth immediately and met up with my brother Milo, sister-in-law Melanie, and their kids and walked around enjoying those. Eventually we ended up eating dinner and a big drink and Spaceburger was about all I could handle. The kids wanted to do the tractor pull and so we waited for that to start.

Jayni

Dane

Kathryn & Nathan

We then watched Kathryn clog and I saw my little brother Jason and his new bride Cassie. We also caught up with Pop then too.

After clogging we took the kids around the animal barns. My past farming experiences caught up with me and I saved a cow. HAHA! It was tied up in the barn and it's leg was caught in the rope. When my Mom and I walked by she said she was too scared to help the cow and said she knew I could do it. There were others just standing there staring at the helpless cow so I "took the bull by the horns" and helped get the cow's leg untangled. The embarrassing part for me was my Mom clapping afterwards and the other people staring. My Mom said she couldn't believe I did it and I told her that I was surprised that someone who was there before us didn't help out first. I'm definitely not an animal lover but if I see they need something I'll make sure to help out.

We then met up with everyone one else and I'm not sure why we got separated but we finished going through the rest of the barns together. When we got to the goat barn there was a girl there holding a baby goat and letting the kids pet it. So here's Jayni doing the thing she loves - petting animals.

There was also a lady milking a goat and one of the kids asked if they could do it and she let them. Here's Jayni getting some milk from the goat.

Then Dane had a go while Kathryn and Jayni watched.

We stayed a little longer but since the heat was not fun to be in we left and the kids and I headed home after I bathed them and visited for awhile. Oh, and Milo and Melanie brought me a yummy funnel cake with chocolate that I enjoyed before leaving town. I hadn't had one before and it was quite delicious!

Mason's Recovery

2008-09-15T12:35:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd give a little update on Mason's recovery. The day after surgery Mason was playing, jumping, laughing and up to his normal self for the most part. He was in some pain but we'd give him his pain medication and I think it was probably working a little too well. We had to try to make him relax so he wasn't overdoing things.

Here's the bandage that was put over Mason's belly button after his surgery. It's called a Tegaderm. It's a bandage that after 48 hours we were able to bathe Mason and water wouldn't leak into it. It also was tamper proof but Mason was playing with it the day after surgery so we decided to keep a onesie on him just in case. The Tegaderm peels itself away and after two weeks we could remove it unless it came off on its own after one week. If you notice the corners were peeling away, especially the top right.

Since it was peeling away this last Saturday, which was a week and a day after surgery, I decided to pull it off. For curiosity sake and also being a little paranoid that water could get into it since it was peeling so much. I took it off right after his bath and I thought it looked really good. The incision seemed nice a clean and it was healing really well.

This photo is from last Saturday...

...and this one is from today. The surgeon said there is a little excess skin but during surgery she decided wasn't enough to cut away. She said that as he grows it will become a little more natural looking. Sorry if these are a little graphic but I wanted to document them.

Just a random photo. I went in at about midnight last Sunday to check on the kids before going to bed and this is how I found them. I thought it was cute that they had fallen asleep next to each other on the floor.

I love my kids and I'm thankful that they are healthy and I'm especially thankful today, that Mason is doing really well. I knew I was probably stressing for nothing leading up to his surgery and the few days after, but it was worth it to see the outcome so much better then I expected. Thanks again for the many prayers and words of comfort. I know that without them I wouldn't have been able to get through these last few weeks and I know they benefited Mason in his recovery.

The Dreaded Day...

2008-09-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

...actually went really smoothly. We arrived at the hospital a little before 8 am and got Mason checked in and about 5 minutes later the nurse came to get the process started.

We knew Mason was already a little scared so we had a drug called Versed administered to him to relieve his anxiety. It definitely put him in a happy state! We then spoke to the surgeon and then the anesthesiologist.

When it was time for him to be wheeled away, he didn't even have a bit of hesitation. I on the other hand shed some tears but for the most part I was a little more relaxed that morning than I had been the weeks prior.

Now for the pictures after the surgery. This is Mason right after. I really think he thought he was smiling. We have a few pictures and every time Tom took a picture and told Mason to smile he'd make this face.

The surgery went really quickly. We went to the cafeteria and had breakfast and then went back to the Pediatrics Surgery Center and it seemed we were only there for about 10 minutes before they came to get Tom and I when the surgery was done.

Mason seemed pretty out of it at first but then when I was holding him he started fussing and wiggling and so the nurse gave him some morphine. I think that what he really wanted was to have his IV taken out because he kept grabbing at it. She tried to administer another dose of morphine but Tom stopped her because he thought that was the problem too. The shift changed shortly after that and the other nurse took out the IV and he finally fell asleep. We then were discharged and on the road back to home by noon. I thought that was pretty good considering they took him away for surgery about 9:30 am.

Things went so much better than I expected. The night before I had a hard time because Mason was in bed with us and I believe he knew something was going on because he kept clinging his arms around my neck and saying mommy. Once he fell asleep I said a prayer and felt calmer but of course I didn't hardly sleep a wink.

Thanks to Chris and Lisa for allowing us to stay at their house the night before. We really appreciate your friendship and love you guys! Also thanks to my mommy, my mother in law Sharalyn, and Aunt Christi (Tom's sister) for making the drive over so early in the morning and spending time with us. It definitely helped calm our nerves! We love you all very much. Oh, and thank you Mom, for taking Jayni home with you and bringing her back on Saturday. It helped a bunch!! Also, thank you to all of you who checked on us and for all the many prayers, emails and phone calls. We truly are blessed with amazing family and friends!! We love you all!

The Day is Almost Here

2008-09-03T22:22:00.001-07:00

So Mason's surgery is on Friday and I'm SO nervous. Last week I completely shutdown and didn't do anything around the house. I slept a lot and was pretty down thinking too much about the surgery and aftermath. This week I've kept myself busy so I don't think about it so much and have tried to prepare myself as much as possible. I'm scared though and hope everything goes smoothly.

Please keep us (especially Mason) in your prayers. He's my sweet boy and I can't imagine my life without him. He's brought me so much joy and I love him so very much.

I'm assuming the above picture was taken by Jayni. I found Mason with camera in hand one day last month and put it away. When I downloaded pictures onto my computer a few weeks later, I found pictures of Mason and lots of shots around the room.

The British Are Coming, The British Are Coming

2008-08-26T19:39:00.001-07:00

We have had a pretty busy summer and because of this (and my laziness), I've been really bad about keeping up on my blog and reading blogs. So, here I begin with a few posts of what we've been up to this summer.

In mid July we had the opportunity to have Max come all the way from England and stay with us. For those who don't know, Tom was coaching Max while we lived in England and became good friends with him. He came for a week last summer to go to the Big Bend basketball camp shortly after we arrived back.

Max came for about 2 weeks this time and without his parents. While he was here he and Tom were able to go to the Seattle Aquarium and see a Mariners game, attend the Gonzaga basketball camp, and join me at the Chlarson Family Reunion. Tom was in Florida for work while Max was at basketball camp so I picked Max up in Spokane and we headed to Moses Lake for the weekend and he was fortunate enough (or not) to meet my whole family.

Here's Max, Jayni & Mason the day he was returning back to England. I can't believe we didn't take more pictures during his visit. I'm so mad at myself!

While Max was here Jayni and Mason slept in our bedroom with us. The day after Max got here Jayni wanted to take her nap in her bed. I only had her sheets on the bed since she needed her bedspread in our room at night. This is what I saw after she came out from her nap. I was pretty excited to see that she put the top sheet back and positioned her pillow and animals.

Here's Jayni at Gonzaga University while waiting for Max to finish with camp.

We had a great time while Max was here. He was so great with the kids and very helpful. I've missed him being around like no other. It was nice having him to distract the kids during the day and I enjoyed being able to have him around to tease and be goofy with. I hope I didn't bore him to death on the days we just stuck around the house while Tom was working. If I did it was payback for him almost letting Mason drown in our neighbor's pond right before he left. I guess you can't rely on a 16 year old watching your kids while talking to the neighbor girls.

Thanks for coming Max and thank you to Jackie and Ross for allowing him to come! We miss you and look forward to you visiting us again next year!!

Day at the Park

2008-07-16T23:50:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we spent the day at the Riverfront Park in Spokane. My mom wanted to have one last get together before my sister, Leisha headed back home to New York with her family. So we met at the big red wagon, had some pictures taken and then ate a picnic lunch.

My sister, Shaila took pictures of the whole family and she also took individual family pictures and pictures of the grandkids. This is the one I took with my camera so I'm guessing that none of the kids really knew where to look.

After pictures and lunch we headed to the amusement rides and let the kids (young and old) ride the rides. It was fun to see the reactions of the little ones. Mason rode the dragon roller coaster four times! He would ride it and then get right back in line, yet every time he would look like he was beyond scared. Jayni kept asking to ride the ferris wheel and when we got there she was adamant about not riding with me and chose to ride with Uncle Milo.

All in all we had a good day and I wish I took more pictures but didn't. I've been really bad about this lately! Before heading home Tom and I drove to Tomato Street, which is one of my favorite restaurants. Mason was asleep before we even got there and so we just ordered to go and stopped at McDonald's since Jayni wanted that more than anything else. It was a long day but worth it!!

Hopefully I'll get a copy of the whole family and my little family soon so that I can post them (hint, hint).

Anyway, I'm grateful for the time I was able to spend with family. I appreciate every moment I'm able to spend with each one of them because they mean more to me than they realize. I feel at times we take things for granted and we need to try harder to strengthen our bonds because we never know what life it going to throw our way. Life is fragile!!

Weekend Festivities

2008-07-08T11:35:00.001-07:00

For the 4th of July we headed to the Grand Coulee Dam for their laser light show and fireworks. We met up with my Mom and Pop, Grandma Bette, my brother Milo, and my sister Shaila and her family. Here's a picture of Jayni with GraMimi, Poppy and cousin Malcolm.

We had a great time spending time there with family and enjoying the yummy fair type food. The laser light show was the same one I saw when I was a teenager so it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. The fireworks were great and were fun to see over the dam. I thought Mason wouldn't enjoy the loud noise from the fireworks but he kept oohing and aahing and Jayni kept asking if we could go home while plugging her ears.

Saturday the 5th we enjoyed getting together with more family and friends and went to the Hardy boys birthday party at Shaila's inlaws. The kids had a great time playing in the water while the adults enjoyed a yummy barbecue. Hope you had a great birthday Malcolm and Quinn!

On Sunday we were back in Tri-Cities and were able to attend baby Ender's baby blessing. He's the newest addition on the Perkes' side. I wish I thought to take a picture of him in his cute blessing outfit but I didn't even think about it. He's very adorable and we're happy to have him as part of our family!

What?...No!

2008-07-01T14:56:00.001-07:00

My Jayni just turned 5 this last Sunday on the 29th! I can't believe it. Time goes by way too fast. We didn't do anything for her on her b-day because we were in Spokane for Hoopfest and we traveled home. My friend, Lisa did make pancakes for us that morning and we sang Happy Birthday and Jayni was able to blow out a candle on her pancake. Thanks Lisa for letting us stay with you and spending time with us. We had a great time visiting and I had a great time with you Saturday night!

Yesterday I asked Jayni what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday and she said she wanted to go to Red Robin and go see Wall-E. Jayni, Mason, and I met Tom at Red Robin and enjoyed a meal together although they didn't come sing to Jayni like Tom had arranged. Thank goodness she didn't care even though they sang to another little girl close by.

After dinner, Tom and Mason headed home and Jayni and I went to see Wall-E together. It was such a good movie and it was nice to spend the time together. We ate way too much snacks and towards the end Jayni wanted to snuggle with me on my lap. I loved that she did that! She's so sweet and although she drives me bonkers with her million questions all through the day, it was nice to have quality time as mother and daughter. I love her so much and am so glad I have her in my life!

Sorry, I have no pictures! I've been really bad about taking them lately.

...it's official!!

2008-06-26T23:25:00.001-07:00

haha...you all thought I was going to announce that I'm pregnant. Well, I'm not, and have no plans...my two keep me busy enough!

We had a consultation with a surgeon for Mason today and the inevitable became a reality today. Mason is scheduled to have surgery. For those who don't know, Mason was born with an umbilical hernia. It hasn't healed itself, which we knew at two months that it wouldn't.

The hole is a centimeter in diameter and his belly button pokes out a good inch.

Don't you love the pictures! Anyway, the surgery is scheduled for the 5th of September at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Spokane. I wanted to wait until the summer festivities died down so that we have ample time for recovery.

I have mixed emotions. I'm scared to death, but at the same time I want to fix things now so that he hopefully won't remember it and also so he doesn't get teased about it later in life. I just hope all will go well with the surgery and he recovers fully, and doesn't catch something like MRSA!! Of course I'm over paranoid and because of things life has thrown my way, my motto has become, "Assume the worst!" That way I'm prepared for the worst as much as I can be and feel blessed when the outcome is a positive.

I love you my baby boy! You are my miracle baby and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for you.

New Look

2008-06-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

Can I say I love to change the look of my blog? In all honesty I think I enjoy it more than blogging! I love to personalize things and make them my own. It's time consuming, but I really enjoy it! What do you think about the new look?

I made it a little wider to accomodate a third column. I have a wide computer screen so to me it looks fine. If anyone has a problem with seeing all three columns side-by-side, let me know so that I can tweek it so it doesn't look goofy on a smaller screen. Also, let me know if you have problems with reading the text. Tom said it was a little difficult, but he really needs glasses and squints anytime he reads anything!

What a Day!...So Glad It's Over

2008-06-11T22:47:00.001-07:00

My day mainly began at 5:11 this morning. I heard some rummaging around, so I got up to investigate and found my sweet, little 2 year old in the living room. When he saw me he expressed the guiltiest look (with a little powdered sugar around his mouth!). He had one of Tom's raspberry filled powdered donuts in his little right hand with a bite missing from it.

I took him into bed with me hoping he'd fall asleep, which he finally did just after 6. Tom decided to get up for work just before 5:30 (30 minutes sooner than planned) so he wouldn't disturb Mason. Thanks honey! Anyway, around 6:48 Jayni decided to climb into bed with us and woke both Mason and I up, and Mason would not go back to sleep. So that's how my day started!

After naps we headed out to run some errands and while at Costco, had a minor mishap. I had Jayni & Mason in the cart and while I was going around to head down another aisle, somehow Jayni got her finger stuck in one of the holes on the shelving.

So as I'm pushing the cart and turn the corner, the cart kind of stops going and I look back as Jayni says, but not yet screaming, "my finger, my finger!". So, I pull the cart back and see her finger bent in a way that shouldn't have been and I get her finger out of the hole and start hugging her to console and calm her down, as she's screaming. She had said it was bleeding but when I pulled it out I hadn't noticed so after holding her for a few seconds, I go to look at it and sure enough it's gushing blood.

So, I began to head to the front of the store to find an employee to help me find a paper towel so that I could blot the blood away to look at it. I found one and she got some paper towels and headed off and found a band-aid. Another employee came up and asked if Jayni would like a lollipop and I said that might help so she went off to get one and also came back with an ice pack. This was when I began to feel queasy and as I'm trying to take care of Jayni I am also crouching to the floor feeling like I'm about to pass out.

I then decided to purchase the few items I had in my cart (I know, I'm terrible to not just leave and figure out what to do for my daughter!). As I'm standing in line with Jayni still crying loudly and me still feeling faint, the third employee that was helping out during this crisis offered me a Starburst so that it might help me not feel so faint anymore. He also went and got me another band-aid because Jayni's finger started swelling. Thanks to Costco for the great service!!

So, I made my way out to the car, and had to stop once because I started seeing whiteness and had to crouch done again (who's the loser?!!). We got into the car and as I'm driving I'm asking Jayni if she could bend her finger trying to decide if we should go to the doctor or not. She said she couldn't and said she just wanted to go home and lay on the couch. Thank goodness, after about 5 minutes in the car, she stopped crying and said she could bend her finger!

I told Jayni when we got home I'd give her some Tylenol so her finger wouldn't hurt so bad. She asked what Tylenol was and I told her it was the medicine I give her when she has a fever, sore throat, or something. She then said, "or the medicine I get when I get my finger stuck in a hole?" What a funny girl!! I'm pretty sure her finger isn't broken but she does have a good piece of missing skin. Possible picture to follow tomorrow if I remember to charge my camera.

So that's, how my day has gone. Tom just got home so now I'm heading to the store to get some band-aids and get some ice cream. There's nothing wrong with ice cream at 11 o'clock at night!...right, Allie? Tom actually just told me I should call you to see if you wanted to go. He thinks he's so funny! Why don't our husbands understand our need for late night ice cream?

Hopefully we have a better day tomorrow!!

Oh...I just wanted to make sure to let you know that I didn't take the time to take the picture of the shelving at Costco, like my husband thought. I happened to find the picture on the internet.