Wii Fun!

On Saturday my family (minus Brenton, he's in Hungary on his mission, love ya B!) came up to see us since we where unable to go down for Christmas. We where able to meet my brother's girlfriend, Nicole. My parents had never tried the Wii, so we had some fun after lunch!

Mom & Dad trying the Wii for the first time, as Cameron, Destiney, Garrick, Aleksia, Trestin, Than, and Nicole (not in the picture, she was too far to the right) watch and cheer them on.

Aleksia is pretty easy competition for Than, but it is good for her hand eye coordination.

Mom was very intense, and Dad was pretty laid back about it...

...then he beat her bad, and the competition (for Mom) was on!

Dad and Cameron "Racing Cows" as Destiney and Aleksia wait their turn (even Aleksia was easy competition for Destiney who had never played either).

Nicole, who's Grandparents have a Wii, has had a little more experience then Dad, so he lost. But he was a good sport!

It was fun to hang with my family despite the short time (I had to work that night, leaving at 6:10pm). And it was finally nice to meet Nicole, whom I had heard alot about.

Who knows, maybe we'll get to see alot more of her . . .

Our First Christmas on our own!

This year was our first year not going to the Tri-Cities. I had to work the floor (Med/Surg Night shift charge nurse) Friday-->Sunday, then I was on call for L&D on Christmas Day. At first I was sad, about not being able to participate in all the family traditions, but this year we got to start our own, which was kinda nice.

Our tiny little tree, someday we'll get a bigger fake one, when we have a real house.

All bathed and ready for Santa to come. Aleksia trying to keep Trestin there for a "Kodak Moment"

"Mom! We have to make cookies!" says Garrick at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

"Why?" I asked. "For Santa!" he replied.

Seeing as I still had a TON to do, plus be in on the "Christmas Call" to my brother on a mission in Hungary (love ya Uncle B!), I came up with this,

"How about we leave a healthy snack for Santa ('cause Santa's still trying to loose the baby weight left from 3 kids!)"

So below the stockings (Santa just fills stockings at our house, why should we give the credit to an imaginary guy for buying them toys) they put their treats for Santa and the reindeer (carrots).

All tucked in, cause Santa can't come till your asleep ya know!

He wasn't quite sure what to do, but he sure enjoyed it by all the funny faces he'd make!

Aleksia getting a chest of princess dress up clothes. She'd wear one set for a while, then would change into a different one, a true girl, changing her clothes 50 million times a day.

He was sooo excited to have a tool set like we gave to Kody & Jack. As we where rapping theirs he cried because he wanted them. Little did he know, he'd be getting the same set.

Great Grandma Huston & Grandpa Huston got her a tiara, earings, and a "magic wand." She was in HEAVEN! "It's sooo beautiful Mom!" she'd say as she hugged it.

Mr. Excited!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Trestin's Firsts

Toothbrush

Trestin brushing with Aleksia (I think you can see her toes her mouth is open sooo wide!)

Brushing with Garrick. Trestin SCREAMS when you take his toothbrush away. I don't know if it's the good hygeine he likes or the play time with it, either way I'll take it.

Bubble Bath

I put bubbles on his nose, it TOTALLY through him off. He was swinging his arms all over trying to get them off, but loving it at the same time.

Now he's having some fun! You can see his 5 teeth! A 6th has been just below the surface for at least a week now.

Bubble Boy!

Peek-a-Boo

Than said "Peek-a-Boo" to Trestin, and he all the sudden grabbed Aleksia's jammie and started playing peek-a-boo! It's his new favorite thing now. He'll grab any type of cloth, and start playing and wait for someone to join him.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Here is our (unfocused) Christmas card. Sorry, our camera doesn't do close up focused shots. I am sending some of you one (those that I have addresses for), but thought it would be fun to send a picture of it to everyone. I have some extras, so if you don't get one, and want one, send me your address. To clarify; it says "The Huston's" at the top, at the bottom is says " Than Garrick Aleksia Trestin Danielle", they have giggly eyes and pom pom noses, and yes... they are our thumb prints. Trestin's where kinda tricky, and took a while to do, since he only cooperated for about 10 at a time as I held him tightly like a football with one arm and got his thumb print with the other. Needles to say, they turned out pretty cute I think. Enjoy!

SNOW!

We got about 5" of snow on Sunday night --> Monday morning. I was too dead to the world on Monday (after working Sunday night) so on Tuesday after school and after Trestin was down for a nap, they FINALLY got to play.

Mommy pulling them in the sled. They are heavier then they look.

A snow fort that we (well, Mom) built.

Garrick the Snow Angel

Little Miss Me Too

"Let me help you, Garrick!"

They would take turns pulling eachother. Aleksia is stronger and would last longer then Garrick. But hey, it occupied them, and I didn't have to pull them anymore! Woo hoo!

Letter Q & T Days

The kids glueing their fabric quilts. Q was a hard letter to figure out what to do.

Aleksia's finished quilt

On T day, today, we made turtles. They had more fun making them then eating them. Nobody is a fan of pecans I found out!

Our turtles

Princess Wishes

On November 28th, we went to Spokane and watched Princess Wishes with cousins Sloane and Stella (and Aunt Sarah and Uncle Courtney too). The kids, especially Aleksia LOVED it!

Sorry, I didn't flip it. But here is Aleksia, dressed in her Princess Aurora clothes, ready to go watch "Princesses on Ice"

Cinderella in her carriage

Ariel, prior to being changed into a human by Ursula

Aleksia and Garrick enthralled in the show. The smiles on their faces when it started where priceless. It make me forget that I couldn't see a thing because Amazon Woman was sitting in front of me.



The finale when Mickey and Minnie (they'd come out in between the Princesses, introducing them) and the Princesses and their Princes

Tinkerbell rode in the carriage during the finale.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We where able to go down to Tri-Cities briefly for Thanksgiving. I had to work the weekend, but Than was still able to wake up prior to the butt crack of dawn to do some "Day after Thanksgiving Shopping."

Cousing Sloane was combing Garrick's hair as they watched Spounge Bob Squarepants

My fruit cabob turkey, that turned out kinda cute!

Aleksia was insistant on sitting by Grandpa

The kids doing some crafty stuff I brought to help keep them occupied while everything got set up for Thanksgiving lunch

It was a very tiring day!

Baby Curt's Funeral

The funeral for Curt was yesterday, and the L&D nurse and I went. It was a very nice funeral. I have only been to 4 funerals before, all of which where LDS, so it was kinda different, but still nice. I personally needed to see the mother, and see that she was doing ok. At least better then I envisioned her doing. There was a slide show they put together of pictures that Dad took prior to the transport team arriving (with me in a couple), then with the transport team there, a few after Mom arrived in Spokane, and then some after he had passed away (I knew that because he didn't have the breathing tube any more). It was very touching. I had heard from one on the Mom's friends, who is also a coworker of mine, that the staff up at Sacred Heart was WONDERFUL with them. So that was very comforting to me also. The Dad is an avid outdoors man, and on Curt's tiny little casket at his feet was a stuffed toy elk and a stuffed toy football. On our way out we gave the Mom & Dad a hug, and they where very touched that we came, so that made me feel good. The doctor and his wife (who is actually the Bishop in the Colfax ward and the kids' & mine doctor) showed up which I thought was really nice. I still think of that Mom frequently throughout my day, but the tears are (almost) gone. It brought a sense of closure for me, seeing the parents, and I know that they will be ok. They will still have alot of tears that they will shed, but they will be okay. So thank you for your thoughts and prayers. It makes me realize how lucky I am, and that I have 3 beautiful wonderful kids, that I now have more patience for, and spend more quality time with them. Because you never know when our turn here on life may be over. Thanks again everyone!

The Worst Night of my Nursing Career

This is not a happy ending kind of story, so beware.

Sunday November 25, 2007 I had the worst night of my nursing career. I came to work, and a mother was in labor, and was getting ready to go to an emergency C-Section because she had been pushing for 2 hours and no progress was being made. I was supposed to be the Med/Surg Charge nurse, but since the L&D nurse was new to our hospital (but a very experienced L&D RN), I tagged along to help her find stuff. Baby was born at 7:20 pm, without a heart beat and not breathing. We resuscitated the baby, and finally go to the point where he, his name is Curt, had a heart beat of 140's and a respiratory rate of 50's, both normal. But still had made NO movement at all. No cry, not even moved a finger. His pupils where pinpoint. The left was slightly reactive, and the right didn't react at all, which possibly lead us to believe he had some kind of neurological damage or defect.

We took the baby warmer he was under into the PACU (post anesthesia care unit, recovery room) so she could see him and touch him while we waited for the transport team to drive (the weather was too crappy for them to fly) down from Spokane to take him to the NICU at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Once the mom started touching him and talking to Curt, he started moving a little, and even opened his eyes several times. AMAZING! Despite us attempting 3 IV's, intubating him, deep suctioning him, and trying to stimulate him to breathe, he never once made a single movement. Until he heard his mom's voice! That is when I couldn't hold back the tears any more, and cried.

The transport team arrived at 9:15pm, and took them 2 hours to get him ready for transport, but he was no where near stable. He was in very critical condition. If he lived, he may easily be a vegetable.

At 1:15am, probably only an hour of Curt being up in Spokane and having lots of tests done, the neonatologist called the mother and told her that Curt was not going to make it, and the they would keep him alive long enough to get her up there, but that she needed to come now. I made some calls, and by 2:15am she was in the ambulance being transported up to be with her baby and husband who left shortly after the transport team left.

At 6:12am prior to me leaving for the end of my shift, I got a call from the NICU Charge nurse, saying that they where waiting for the father's mother to arrive, then take him off life support, but she didn't make it. Curt died at 6:06am in his mother's arms. My patient, Curt's mom, was able to get up there, and be with her baby for his last 3 hours of life.

She is very religious, not of my faith, but said to a friend prior to her leaving for Spokane, that her baby was going to be with Jesus. So I pray that her faith will get her through it. She is 26 years old and it was their first baby. I am so gratefulfor the Plan of Salvation, and know that she will be reunited with Curt again someday. But my heart still aches for her. I am grateful for small miracles, in times of sadness. The fact that Curt responded to his mother's voice and touch despite all the uncomfortable procedures we had to do to him, is a miracle. I will be forever changed by this experience.

"O" is for Organs

On Tuesday we talked about organs! They listened to their own heart beats and the air going in and out of their lungs with my stethoscope and thought that was pretty cool. Then we made "bodies," for them to wear. Garrick will still wear his at times, three days later!

Garrick's 5th Birthday!

Than saw the idea on a cooking show on PBS, and it sounded fun, and it looked really realistic. It was "burgers and fries." The bun is a yellow cake mix cooked in a tuna can, cut in half, the top was glazed with corn syrup and then sprinkled with seaseme seeds. The hamburger was a brownie cooked in a cookie sheet, then cut out using the tuna can. The fries where sugar cookies rolled thin and baked. The ketchup and mustard is yellow and "red" (it was pink really, I couldn't get it to turn red) frosting put in squeezy bottles. I think I got a bigger kick out of them then the kids did. Oh, and not show are the pickles (kiwi's sliced thin). The pickles where a big hit and disapeared fast before I could make my burger.

Top left corner and then clockwise is Madyson Mickelsen, Makenzie Mickelsen, Morgan Mickelsen, and Kody Gotfredson.

Garrick, Maren Gotfredson (who I do preschool with), Kody Gotfredson, and Jack Gotfredson.

Aleskia putting "mustard" on her burger.

All set up for the party!

Morgan Mickelsen "Pinning the Candle on the Birthday Cake"

Aleksia trying to smash the pinata as Jeniel Mickelsen holds it up.

"Quick grab the candy!"

Garrick blowing out his 5 candles on his "Burger."

Although short, fast, and to the point (start to finish was about 35 minutes) I think all had a good time. It's crazy that we now have a 5 year old! Next year is kindergarden. My how time flies!