Let's Mow!

 When our crazy weather finally calmed down, William was very anxious to pull out the riding lawn mower and get to work. Dannen was more than happy to run around outside, watching Daddy make the grass look beautiful.

Playing in the front yard...

 He's been begging to climb this tree... ummm, no.

 "I see you, Daddy!"

 William was like a little kid, riding all over the place lol

 The storage shed was surrounded by bees, so William was more than happy to scare them all away!

 See ya later, Mommy! We're off...

On the Road to Recovery

My back surgery went well... much better than they expected, praise God! 

With Kaylie and Makenzie spending the night at a friends and a slight change of super early morning plans, Willliam and Dannen got me to the hospital at 6am, Tuesday May 14th. They got to sit in the back with me for about 45 minutes, leaving right before 8am. The surgery itself only took about an hour! William and Dannen were able to join me after being in the recovery room. The staff had to make sure I could keep liquids/food in me, use the restroom, and walk. Even with two full bags of fluids, I didn't have to go to the bathroom! The moment I decided to try and get up to attempt the bathroom, I almost threw up :( Leaving was postponed for about 30 minutes so the anti-nausea meds could kick in and I could get up. The HORRIBLE leg pain was completely gone from the moment I woke up!!!!!!!! Such a great feeling! The incision site was tender, but nothing to freak out over.

By the time we got home that day, just after noon, I bled through my bandage, shirt and hoodie. Any kind of movement made my body move, allowing the blood to just flow :( The incision had to take time to heal over on it's own, being held together by the "butterfly tape". It was nice to get home and relax.

The first few days were pretty easy, keeping myself medicated every four hours as to not deal with the incision area pain. Every time I had to stand up or sit down meant having to change the incision covering.

Trying to keep my "core" together, not bending, twisting, or lifting has been interesting to say the least. Never realized how much I rely on my back to do every day things LOL

Thankfully, my mom has our kids this week in the Outer Banks, NC., on the family trip we all planned on enjoying together. With William's new job and my surgery, there was no way we could go. With our kids entertained in a safe environment, it's been nice to heal... though SUPER SUPER SUPER boring without my kids here!

Here's a picture of my incision... it's about 1 1/2 inches and still has all but one of the "butterfly tape" strips. They'll eventually fall off, exposing just the scar.

For the most part, I feel good, just sore around the incision... if I move too much, my back instantly lets me know to slow down. The doctor said 3 months of being careful as to not herniate a disc while healing... should be an interesting Summer! Glad I have good kids and a supportive hubby :)

9 Weeks

Can't believe our kittens are already 9 weeks old! They've been a joy to watch growing and learning to have their own personalities.

Cocoa is the most "talkative", wanting attention when he's hungry. For some reason, he won't eat the kitten food, so he drinks from Sunshine and gets milk to help fill his belly. He likes to cuddle... A LOT!

 Pretty sure Cocoa is the most spoiled of the three lol

 Mittens is our sweet little girl kitten... she purrs so loud and has a fun personality. She likes to have her neck rubbed and cuddle at night.

 All three love to sit in the window, soaking up the sun :)

 Oreo is probably the most self-sufficient kitten, doing his this with his brother and sister a lot, not so much interacting with us. He likes to play by swatting at you when you walk by, hiding behind a basket or on a chair.

 His hair is poofier than the others, too!

 LOVE this one of Mittens... her eyes are so overwhelming :)

Definitely keeps us on our toes, making sure not to step on them. They've finally been able to enjoy freedom throughout the house (minus the girls' room, since we have to keep their Daddy Shadow in there and away from Mommy Sunshine... NO MORE KITTENS!). Sometime it's like having little kids... someone is always up to something lol

Back Surgery

Well, it finally happened... my back said NO MORE!

I've had back pain since high school. An insane, half asleep, unhealthy bus driver was once again running late, and decided to take a curb at a high rate of speed. Most of us on the right side of the bus were flung to the left. What a nut! Ever since then, I've struggled with soreness, pinching when sitting or laying for too long, and instability over the years with three pregnancies.

I began seeing a chiropractor this February for lower left pain in my back. She's amazing by the way! I learned instead of 5 discs in my lower back, I actually have 6... one of which is attributing to Spondylolisthesis. She got me on a pretty constant schedules of back correction, along with my neck, and therapy on my lower back. It wasn't until the end of March that I began having different pains... the pains that were NOT going away.

I have an Extruded Disc... plain and simple: the disc between L4 & L5 has herniated and is poking out, pinching my Sciatic Nerve. Think of a bedroom and hallway... I have one piece of disc stuck between the walls, and another attached to that, but out in the hallway :( Sharp, constant pain runs down my entire right leg, making it sometimes unbearable to walk, sit or stand. The MRI showed exactly where the most damage is located and confirmed the only way to alleviate the pain is to remove the broken pieces and clean out the disc.

I go in for a Lumbar Discectomy tomorrow morning... is this good timing? No, never, especially now, but knowing the pain in my leg will go away makes everything worth it in the end. This first few days should be uncomfortable, but walking will be my best friend. My kids are going on vacation beginning Saturday, returning the following Sunday, so I'll have lots of time to recuperate without re-injuring myself.

I think the hardest thing in all of this, besides the obvious physical pain, is knowing I have to ask for help :( William and I have striven on being the two to handle everything, adjusting schedules, being in 3 places at once, etc. Having to suck up my pride and allow others to help will be a lesson I need to learn. One of my good friends at church said, "It's your lesson to receive help, and ours to offer... works both ways in growing in our faith." I adore her... and keep those words close to my heart.

Praying for a safe procedure and quick/proper recovery as well as patience and guidance for William while he manages both Daddy & Mommy duty, all while beginning his brand new career (another post!). Praying my children continue to learn about listening and being helpful, and to be safe away from us while vacationing. My kids and husband are my world... this surgery will end up helping all of us :)

SOCCER!

One of the *benefits* to being sidelined is being able to take pics... man, I love watching my kids play soccer :)

Kaylie's the smallest on her team, but definitely the fastest!

 Dannen enjoyed having Daddy substitute coaching for a day... 

 HAHAHAHA gotta love the face!

 And the tongue...

 The kids he played against were all 5-6 years old...

 Makenzie ALWAYS has a great smile and fun spirit on the field...

 

 Watch out!

 Can't believe the season is almost over... another FANTASTIC soccer season... great job kiddos!

Florida Trip

Spring Break turned into a trip to Florida! Thanks to my mom, we rented a nice car and headed down for a week of family and sun :)

Dannen and Makenzie rode together in the back and were FANTASTIC buddies the whole way...

Kaylie got to be my navigator, enjoying the front seat (without the airbags turned on)

I didn't tell them where we were going until about 20 minutes into the trip LOL Leaving at 6am meant lots of questions, and of course smiles when they found out!

After only 12 1/2 hours (super easy, even without any electronic devices), we arrived to their new home in N. Ft. Myers. The next morning brought sun and relaxation!

We couldn't visit Florida without enjoying the pool!

Everyone enjoyed playing games on the patio together

And eating our meals... and coloring pictures for Zamma's fridge

 We went to the Golden Coral for dinner one night, and enjoyed sugar way too much, way too late (9pm!)

 While my mom and sister headed to a doctor's visit, I took my kids the The Shell Factory... so much fun walking around! Next time we visit, we'll try out their fun zones!

  Had to get the fake cheese smiles lol

 NOW THAT'S A SHARK!

 Can't forget the trucks!

 Makenzie wanted to ride the camel statue lol

 That afternoon, we headed to the local AMC theatre... one William and I had visited YEARS ago! The kids liked playing around the standees...

Kaylie

 Makenzie being silly...

 Dannen trying to see...

It was a very nice trip!!! Glad we got to see where my mom and sister live :) Their new home is very pretty and perfect for them... beautiful location with a lot of activities for them to enjoy. 

The only bummer about the entire trip was coming home... it took an extra 4 hours due to Spring Break traffic. I am very thankful for such great kiddos and their patience. It was sooooo long driving home in sometimes standing-still traffic, but definitely awesome to spend time with my kids! We left all electronic devices at home (which I must admit, having a movie or two would have helped pass the time), so they played with cars, trucks, Barbies, little figurines, coloring books, story books and their imaginations... wonderful :)

I can't wait for our next road trip together!!!