Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Well, besides seeing Grandma Drakulich the main reason for our family vacation was to visit another ball park and watch the Red Sox play. We were able to go see the Red Sox vs. The Mariners two nights in a row. Safeco field was great and so were our seats. The first night we were on the lower level behind home plate. The second night we were in the upper deck behind home plate. It was a blast and we all had a good time. Half of the stadium was Red Sox fans but nobody could beat out three cute Red Sox fans. Everybody seemed to be commenting on our cute kids. What can I say they looked adorable!

Harmony shortly after getting to the field the first night lost her tooth while eating dinner and accidentally swallowed it. I thought it was going to be the end of the world for her but Steven told her she could email the tooth fairy and let her know what happened. That seemed to help the traumatic situation.
Around the 8th inning the first night Boston and the girls were starting to get a little restless so we went for a walk. At Safeco field the bullpen is at the back of the field and the only thing between you and the players is a chain link fence. You can go back there and watch them warm up. We ended up back there on our walk and watched their closer Papelbon warm up. Since the kids are SO cute, people were letting them right up next to the fence to watch. After Papelbon got called out I watched the catcher, Kevin Cash, throw the ball up to the guy next to us. The guy came over and gave it to Boston. He told him the catcher wanted him to have it. Boston was in heaven and would not let go of the ball. He even fell asleep with it. When the game was over, which the Red Sox won, we were standing there and a lady started talking to Boston and the girls. She was asking if they had a fun time and enjoyed watching Jon Lester pitch for the Red Sox. (Jon Lester is one of Steven’s favorite players.) Then the lady with her said she is Jon Lester’s Mom. We were a little surprised. Steven and Boston had watched him warm up for the game in the bullpen before the game started.

The kids "spitting" seeds.

The second night everyone seemed to recognize the kids again and continued talking to them. We had a fun time watching the game from the upper deck. Around the 8th inning again I took the kids down to the bullpen to watch them warm up. Kevin Cash was smiling and waving to Boston and when Papelbon headed out to pitch again he threw the ball up for Boston to have. So Boston ended up with two Papelbon warm up balls from Kevin Cash. He again was in heaven to have a baseball and had to carry it the rest of the night while singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” to himself. We had a blast at the games and wish we could have gone to game three but we had to head home.

Seattle

Being in Seattle made me SO glad that we do not live in a big city. It was so insane there with all of their one way streets and extremely steep hills. Not to mention it cost a fortune to park anywhere. If you enjoy walking you might enjoy the city more but with one lung, all of the walking isn’t always the easiest. We had a good time together as a family once we got past the chaos of the city. It was hot one day and freezing the next. I like to see the sun not clouds. We enjoyed eating on the pier and taking in all the sites.

We went to Pike’s Market Place and the kids were able to watch them throw fish.

We saw the Space Needle.

We went to the Seattle Children’s Museum.

Brynn

Harmony

Boston

We wore the kids out!

8 Years Together

Happy Anniversary to us! I can hardly believe that we have been married for eight years. Steven has been so amazing with everything we have been through. He is the most wonderful husband and father. I am so glad that he is mine for all eternity. I hope that everyone is as lucky as me but I doubt it. Who would have thought eight years ago that I would be celebrating my eight year anniversary with my husband, two beautiful girls, and cutie Boston at a Red Sox game. I am sure it doesn't get much better for Steven. Everything he loves... me, the kids, and the Red Sox. Happy Eight Year Anniversary and MANY more to come!

(Harmony took this picture of us.)

Portland Temple, Zoo, and OMSI

Portland Temple

I had never been to the Portland Temple so I thought it would be a nice place to visit and take the kids. It was absolutely beautiful! I was so glad that we walked around the temple grounds.

Zoo Time

Steven and the kids standing in front of the chimpanzee cage.

The kids sitting on tractor seats that were in the petting zoo area.

The kids and I in front of the elephants. They have always been my favorite.
The girls seeing how tall they are compared to the bears.

OMSI

Harmony and Boston being dinosaurs.

Harmony and Brynn looking for dinosaur bones.
Steven and Brynn seeing if her"flyer" will fly. Harmony is in the background making one.

Road Trip to Portland

We went on a road trip to visit the Drakulich family in Oregon. Portland is so beautiful and green if you could only count on the sun showing up on a regular basis it would be a great place to live. We have enjoyed seeing family and exploring the city. The kids are having a blast and have enjoyed meeting the Drakulich family. We haven't been to Oregon since Harmony was 9 months so other than Grandma the family hasn't met the kids. They have been able to meet Auntie Kay, Uncle Nick, Aunt Elaine, Cousin Scott, and Teddy (the dog). We first stopped at Multnomah Falls and hiked up to the bridge so that the kids could get a closer look.

The kids with Auntie Kay.

Uncle Nick "flying" Boston around.

Aunt Elaine with Harmony and her new best friend Teddy.

Steven, Scott, and Boston after a great game of catch.

Boston played catch with everyone that night.

Grandma and Boston reading. Grandma is Boston's new buddy.

Another Appointment

Today I had another appointment with my surgeon. He said my x-ray looked great and that it was even better than the last time. My left lung is starting to expand and take place of the missing lower lobe. The fluid in my lungs is almost nonexistent. When he checked my oxygen levels they were at 98% and my lungs sounded great when he listened. It was nice to have an appointment with some good news for a change. I will not need to see him for at least three months since I am now recovering so well from my surgery. My next doctor appointment will be with my oncologist at the end of July. I will let you know what the update is then.

Stadium of Fire

Happy 4th of July!

We couldn't resist surprising the girls with Stadium of Fire tickets when we heard Miley Cyrus was coming. We even kept it a surprise from them until the Sunday before when Steven's sister spilled the beans. They were still thrilled to death and Harmony wanted to know if she was going to stay after to sign autographs. We went with all of Steven's family. It was fun to watch their excitement throughout the night. Harmony had a blast and Brynn enjoyed most of it but didn't like all of the ash falling on her from the fireworks. It was a fun way to mark 10 years together with Steven. Hope everyone else had a fun 4th of July.

Tube Free!

I had an appointment with my surgeon today. He had told me over a week ago that today he might cut my chest tubes down, so that I wasn't hooked up to suction anymore. Then over the following few weeks he would slowly pull them out little by little. SO I was shocked today when he said that my x-ray looked good and he was considering pulling my tubes completely out. I told him not to get my hopes up. After thinking it over for a few minutes he decided he would pull them. It was a weird feeling when they were coming out and it feels great now that they are gone. I am SO happy to not have tubes hanging out of me hooked to drainage and suction. Thanks for all the prayers. This was definitely more than an answer to my prayers today. I still have some recovering to do but I am almost done with post surgery. Tomorrow will be six weeks since surgery so technically I can lift again as long as it doesn't hurt. I don't plan on lifting Boston much but it is nice to know I can if I need to. Things are looking up a little and it is nice.

Going Private

Because of recent issues my sister in law is having with her blog I too have decided to make our family blog private. I just need to keep my children and family safe from those crazies out there. If you are logging on just to see health updates I will continue to post those on http://brittstrong.blogspot.com/ . If you want to see the family updates please just contact me and I will put you on our viewing list. I will be going completely private by Sunday June 22nd. Please don't let this stop you from looking in on us, just drop me a line or give me a call.

What a Week!!!

After my news last Thursday I was pretty depressed and didn't think things could get much worse. Little did I know what was in store. On Saturday night Harmony started complaining of an earache. She stayed home from church on Sunday with me because she still wasn't feeling good. Half way through church Steven showed up back at home with Brynn in her underwear. I guess Brynn had gotten a flu bug we were unaware of and threw up in primary. (Thanks to those who cleaned her and the vomit up. That's the worst!) She spent the next 24 hours sleeping and throwing up. On Tuesday Harmony was still complaining and Boston was also getting fussy. With help I got them to the doctors to find out that Harmony had a double ear infection and Boston's left ear was infected. I had them check Brynn since we were already there but they said she was fine. Wednesday morning Harmony broke out in hives and ended up back at the doctors. It ends up she was allergic to the antibiotic they had given her. I had them check Brynn's ears again since they were there and this time after removing some wax they saw the fluid and inflammation so she too had an ear infection. Thursday came and Boston was completely lethargic and wouldn't eat, drink, or move. Back to the doctors they went. Since the doctor had seen him the day before playing around when the girls were getting checked she was very worried about him. Boston ended up at the hospital for lab work and of course they missed his vein the first time around. The lab work came back and didn't show anything out of the ordinary besides that he was extremely dehydrated and we either had to get him guzzling some fluids or he would need to be admitted to the hospital for IV's through the night. We luckily were able to get him drinking and he is doing better. As for my Thursday visit I was informed that my tubes would be remaining with me for a few more weeks. The repairs made in me caused a pocket of fluid that needs the tubes for draining. If the tubes are removed too early then the fluid will get infected and I will end up back in the hospital with a lot of complications. After the explanation of the seriousness of prematurely removing my tubes I handled the news better. It still stinks and drives me crazy but if my choices are my house or sick in the hospital. I will take my house with the tubes and make the most of it. Well, I can only hope for health in our house this coming week. Thanks for the love care and concern.

Doctor Appointment

I went to my surgeon's yesterday in hopes that I would get my chest tubes pulled. He said because of my high fever I had the night before it would be unsafe to pull them until I know if I have some kind an infection or not. I was sent home with the tubes still in me and depressed. The tubes are very uncomfortable and not fun to have to work around. I will see him in a week but I don't think I can count on them being pulled until they actually count to three and yank it out. I am tired from the pain medications and the lack of sleep at night. It is hard to find a comfortable position being propped up with tubes coming out your back and side. At least I am home and even though I have been unpleasant to be around at times my family is still loving and there to help me. Thanks for checking in on me.

Dance Recital

Yes, I made it to the dance recital and it was wonderful! Harmony received the "dancer of the year" trophy for her class. After she informed me that she wants to keep taking dance so that she can win more trophies. Harmony and Brynn both did a great job and looked beautiful. It was about a two hour show but Boston was mesmerized by the dancers and clapped very enthusiastically for all of them.

School's Out

I haven't posted in a few so a quick update. Harmony is thrilled to tell everyone that she is now a first grader. On her last day of school the neighborhood kids got together after for a water party at Glenn and Lori's. All three of my kids had a blast and I enjoyed the fresh air.

Boston wasn't too thrilled when he got hit with a balloon during the water fight.

Home Sweet Home

I am finally home after about 18 days in the hospital. Since we moved in right before my surgery I actually spent more time in the hospital then I had in my new home. I am happy to finally be sitting in my new beautiful home. I still have an air leak in my lung but my surgeon knew I had hit my limit and that I needed to be home with my family instead of waiting for their daily visits. I still have my chest tubes in me draining my lung. I have to keep these tubes in me for at least another week. If I go out anywhere I also have to bring along the tubes hanging out of me and the box they are connected to. Luckily I have no where to go besides Harmony and Brynn's dance recital on Saturday. I am in some pain since I have two, foot long tubes crammed in me and hanging out my side. I am also pretty tired since I have spent the past couple of weeks mostly in bed. I am ready to regain some strength and get feeling better. Thanks for all of your support!

Latest Hospital Update

Well, I am still just hanging out at the hospital. I realized that in my previous update I forgot to mention that they took my whole lower left lobe. I now have a total of one lung left. Dr Collins (my surgeon) just left and said that they still want to keep an eye on me. My drainage is doing better but I still have an air leak in my left side. I wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon so I am not surprised. I am starting to feel better and my pain is doing well. I have felt great walking I haven't really noticed a difference in my lung capacity yet. I hope that I won't notice much of a difference in my daily actvities when I make it home. We are still waiting on all of the options they are researching. As for now my priority is recovering from surgery and it sounds like I am headed in the right direction. I am just resting and getting better. Thanks for all of the support.