Carter's Gift To Me

Carter was born about 15 month ago and is a super little guy! We love him so much! However, when he was born he fractured my tailbone and knocked my right hip out of joint. I have not felt normal or good since he was born. I just assumed I would start to feel better eventually. I would mention to Tyler about all my aches and pains and how I was having a hard time doing this or doing that. But, there was a lot of stuff going on and I just didn't feel like there was time for me to hurt or to complain or really do anything about it. So, I managed the best I could until a couple weeks ago when the pain was just too great for me to take. I had no idea what was going on, needless to say, it was a long night and the next day (Friday) I just took myself to Oasis Urgent Care because the pain was not going away. They thought I might have Gall Stones and would need to get my Gall Bladder removed. The doctor there gave me Vicadin and set me up to have an ultrasound after the weekend. The pain medicine was nice, actually it was really nice, it was the first time I had felt relief in almost 15 months. I was a little scared. I went for the ultrasound the Monday after that appointment and I did not have Gall Stones, or anything for that matter. They checked my kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, and everything else down and around that area and came up with nothing. Something was still wrong with me. So, I called my OB/Gyn Dr. Knutson and we talked about life since the last time she had seen me, which was my 6 week check up. She read my chart to me which said "Ashley says her hip and tailbone ache, but not bad enough, it'll get better". That sounded like something I would have said in the midst of having a 6 week old baby, a 2 year old, and not getting very much sleep. Obviously we had done nothing and I had never called her back. Case closed. Well, when she recapped Carter's birth she reminded me that he was born in about 2-3 pushes or 5 minutes. That's kind of quick, and just quick enough to knock a few things out of place. I would not have known at the time, I was numb and feeling great and ready to meet the new little guy! She told me that I probably cracked my tailbone, and my hips might be out of line. She called STARS (Saint Al's Rehabilitation Services) and set me up with an appointment to get x-rays and some physical therapy. I went to my first PT appointment on Monday. I first got x-rayed and saw the fracture in my tailbone which kind of creeped me out and I also saw how different my right hip looked from my left hip. I was told that was because my right hip was not really "in". Fantastic. I should have called a long time ago. My therapists name is Maril and she is wonderful! The first thing she did was pop that hip back in and then get to work on the rest of me. That was not as much fun as it sounds. Of course, since I have been walking around with a whacked out hip for a while, I have caused a few other muscular and ligament and tendon damage that spans from the top of my spine all the way down to my ankle on the left side. Evidently there has been a lot of compensation, which makes sense. So, Maril is giving me workouts to strengthen and straighten and get everything back in order. They hurt like crazy but I know that I will feel better soon! I get to hang out with Maril 3 times a week for hopefully no more than 2 months. The only thing she can do about the tailbone is just strengthen the muscles around it. There is no fix for a fractured tailbone. They have to heel on their own which can take a long time. I feel lucky because when I am sitting, I only have tailbone pain for about 15 minutes and then I go numb down there. It's a weird sensation, but it's better than pain and with the PT, all that should start to subside. I am excited for my PT journey and it's also kind of fun to go back to my old stomping grounds and see old co-workers!

Today I am a Child and My work is Play

Today was Tanner's 1st day of preschool! He goes to Friendship Celebration Preschool www.friendshipcelebration.org located at the Lutheran Church right by our house. Pastor Tom, the staff, and the church all seem wonderful and full of life! The kids will have many field trips and a few programs during the year where the preform at church on Sunday in front of the congregation! He also can join Awana too which meets every Monday night.....we are thinking about it! Twice a year there will be parent/teacher conferences, that makes me laugh! There is also a scrapbook made for each child throughout the year to document the school year just like a yearbook, except better because it is a home made scrap book! Lisa and I looked through the scrapbooks of years past today and were very impressed! They were adorable! It's going to be an awesome year!

This was a big milestone in his little life and mine as well! As I pulled out of the driveway this morning, I got a little teary eyed! I think the reason I didn't completely lose it today was because today was only 1 hour long and the parents could stay and watch! Thursday, however, will be a different story when I have to drop him off and LEAVE! One fun little tidbit about Mrs. Dockweiler's classroom.......it has a 2 way mirror so I can watch him anytime I want to without him knowing! If anyone wants to see Tanner in action at preschool, just let me know!

Tanner, my 1st baby, is getting to be a big boy! I am so proud of him and all the accomplishments he has had, it is amazing at the same time to look back and see just how fast the past 3 years have gone by. Looking back to the day he was born, I never could have seen this far ahead to think we would be where we are today. I can't even imagine what God has in store for us for the next 3, 6, 9, 12....... years!

The first day of preschool was very exciting! We got up early to get ready, showered and styled his hair so he could be handsome for Mrs. Dockweiler, his teacher (his words, not mine!)! He also made sure he brushed his teeth really well to get rid of his "dragon breath" (his words again, not mine!) Below is a picture of the end product, styled hair and no dragon breath! He was very excited, I was very excited and so proud of him!

Tanner with his backpack, 3 years old, all ready for preschool! My cup runs over!

Friendship Celebration and Mrs. Dockweiler here he comes! Tanner is all boy, there is never a day that goes by that he does not have some sort of cut or bruise on any given place on his body. Of course I could have hoped for a cut somewhere other than his face for today.......but it's a lot smaller than the huge goose egg he had on his forehead for my sister Cammie's wedding!

Tanner with his friends, Makayla and Chelsea Sterling. It's always nice to have good friends in class with you! Familiar faces always make us feel more comfortable! Tanner has known the girls since he was born and they played together for 2 1/2 years at Grandma Pam's before I retired. Tyler and I are friends with Lisa and Justin, their parents. I am very happy the kids will be together in school!

Mommy, Carter, and Tanner waiting for preschool to open! Carter was an absolute trooper during preschool today! I was a bit worried because preschool is during his morning nap time and so I was unsure how he would be, especially since he would not be allowed to get down and play with the other kids. Carter is big time into playing! So, I squeezed him into the front pack and he was great! Hard to imagine Carter will be here in this classroom in 2 years!

Tanner walking over to his class! He made sure I knew that has backpack had his name on it.

Each child has their own little cubby to put their backpacks in. The kids wore name tags today, class was only an hour and the parents were allowed to stay and watch. That made my day! I love to watch this boy in action and see him in his element! He promptly stuck his backpack in his cubby, slapped on his name tag sticker and went over to wash his hands per instructions from Mrs. Dockweiler! His classmates were all adorable and their moms were all their too and seem so incredibly nice! One of the moms has 4 kids under the age of 4 and is a professor at Northwest Nazarene University. She quickly became my new mother hero! Wow, I can't wait to get to know her better!

The daily schedule for preschool is this;

9:00-9:30 Welcome and Choice Time

9:30-9:40 Clean-up

9:40-9:50 Bible Story/Chapel time with Pastor Tom

9:50-10:05 Arts and Crafts/Music

10:05-10:15 Bathroom & Wash/Quiet Book Time

10:15-10:30 Prayer and Snack

10:30-10:50 Outdoor/Large Motor Activities

10:50-11:05 Share Time

11:05-11:15 Weather/Games/Songs/Finger Plays

11:15-11:25 Story Time

11:25-11:30 Dismissal

Tanner getting ready to color with Mrs. Dockweiler helping him in his seat.

Sitting on mats in a circle with his classmate JT.

Tanner and Mrs. Dockweiler during introductions! They each got a turn to say hello to one another!

Mrs. Dockweiler leading the prayer before snack time! This is Mrs. Dockweiler's 12th year teaching preschool at Friendship Celebration. She is so very warm and loving and I know that Tanner will have a great time in her class! She is also a huge BSU Bronco Fan and goes to all the football games! As college football loving family, we know she will fit in great with us!

Labor Day Weekend

We headed up to Cascade for Labor Day Weekend and had a nice relaxing time! Tyler's parents have a cabin up there and we are so lucky to be able to use it! We just love the cabin and Tanner especially has a grand old time! I just know the kids will grow up with such fond memories of that place and that makes me smile!

Tanner went fishing for the 1st time. He didn't catch anything but he had a blast!

Fishing away!

Tanner and Daddy with the bait!

We took a drive and headed out towards Warm Lake and turned off to go to Stolle Meadows because we had never been back there. It was beautiful! The drive was nice and quiet because the boys slept most of the way. We woke them up when we got to the meadow and that is when Carter felt like he had to walk the whole way by himself, Tanner got chilly and had to wear my hoody while he was on a mission to hunt for woodpeckers. It was interesting to say the least and no woodpeckers were found!

Daddy, Carter, and Tanner

Our New Pet......

I don't like spiders at all. Period. Tanner found this spider at our house today. Yuck! Luckily it is outside. I tried my best to hide the fact that I think spiders are the creepiest things around because I don't really want the boys to be afraid of them or think they are gross and all that other stuff I feel towards the 8 legged creatures! I just calmly told Tanner that I would appreciate it if he did not touch the spider. Of course, the question of "why, why Mommy, why?" came next and I had to tell him that the spider needed some time to himself and that when Daddy gets home, Tanner and Daddy can touch the spider and maybe move it to a nice spider farm way outside of town! I had to take a picture of it, he's huge and really gross!

It sends chills down my spine! And to think........we have a company come to our house and we pay them to spray a spider barrier around our house. Looks like that might have warn off!

From Pastor Caleb

This is from Pastor Caleb and was just too good not to share!

"Dr. Scott is a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He did a Biblical study of pride in the Bible, and I thought his findings were worth sharing. The following is taken from "The Exemplary Husband" pages 180-183..."

30 Manifestations of Pride

1. Complaining against or passing judgment on God-- in other words, you ask "why did God do this to me?" (Num. 14:1-4)

2. A lack of gratitude (2 Chrn. 32:25)
3. Anger (Matt. 20:1-16)
4. Seeing yourself as better than others (Lk. 7:36-50)
5. Having an inflated view of your importance, gifts, & abilities (1 Cor. 4:7)
6. Being focused on the lack of your gifts & abilities (1 Cor. 12:14-25)
7. Perfectionism (Matt. 23:24-28)
8. Talking too much (Prov. 10:19)
9. Talking too much about yourself (Prov. 27:2)
10. Seeking independence or control (1 Cor. 1:10-13)
11. Being consumed with what others think (Gal. 1:10)
12. Being devestated or angered by criticism (Prov. 13:1)
13. Being unteachable (Jn. 9:13-34)
14. Being sarcastic, hurtful, or degrading (Prov. 12:18)
15. A lack of service (Eph. 2:10)
16. A lack of compassion (Matt. 5:7)
17. Being defensive or blame shifting (Prov. 12:1)
18. A lack of admitting when you're wrong (Prov. 10:17)
19. A lack of asking forgiveness (Matt. 5:23-24)
20. A lack of prayer (Lk. 18:10-14)
21. Resisting authority or being disrespectful (1 Pt. 2:13-17)
22. Voicing opinions when not asked (Php. 2:1-4)
23. Minimizing your own sins or shortcomings (Matt. 7:3-5)
24. Minimizing others sins or shortcomings (Lk. 18:9-14)
25. Being impatient & irritable with others (Eph. 4:31-32)
26. Being jealous or envious (1 Cor. 13:4)
27. Usng others (Matt. 7:12)
28. Being deceitful by covering up sins, faults, & mistakes (Prov. 11:3)
29. Using attention-getting tactics (1 Pt. 3:3-4)
30. Not having close relationships (Heb. 10:24-25)