Christmas Eve

Every year my mother in laws family has a big Christmas Eve party. It is always so much fun and I look forward to it every year.

Ready to go!

It was Carlee's first public apperance since her stay in the hospital. She did really well. She mostly just stayed around with us or Grandma and Grandpa. She is looking a lot better!!

Bodie and Uncle Ben

They have costumes for all the kids and read a little nativity story. Carlee didn't want to dress up, so she and Daddy held the star.

Bodie and Josh were shepards. Bodie was dissapointed that he didn't get to take home the costume....

My cute and talented and very brave sister in law, Sydney played her guitar and sang for everyone. And of course they are all songs she wrote.

And it wouldn't be a party without the big guy. Carlee opted not to sit on Santa's lap.....maybe next year! Bodie on the other hand LOVED it!

Santa gathers all the kids around before he leaves and tells them to go home and go straight to bed. If he flies over their house and they are awake he might have to just fly by. Bodie was listening intently and of course this is very helpful for the bed time process!

My little Christmas boy

Bodie gets SO excited about everything right now. Especially Christmas! He tries so hard to be a good boy for Santa.

This picture is of Bodie at 9 months and 4 years old wearing the same reindeer antlers!

There is a new doctor in the house........

Sick Girl

Poor Carlee Jean has been super sick. Last weekend we were in Boise and she had a fever and was complaining about her neck hurting. We took her into the E.R. Friday morning to see what was going on. Her lymph nodes in her neck were swollen huge and had a high fever. They told us to keep an eye on her and bring her back in if she got worse. So Saturday morning we took her back in. They looked her over and said she a UTI. So we went back to my moms and she was miserable. The Motrin wasn't helping her anymore and her fever was super high. I didn't feel very confident in her diagnosis. There was so much going on with her that it didn't seem right.

At the E.R. in Boise

We were in Boise for my parents homecoming, but Sunday morning Carlee was not doing good. She hadn't slept in two nights and her lips were swollen and staring to crack. So we packed up early and went home, missing my parents talking in church. The ride home was a long one.

Monday morning, after another long night, I took her into her pediatrician. He took one look at her and said she doesn't have a UTI. Her eyes were blood shot, lips were bleeding, stomach hurt, fever was 104, rash on back, palms were red, along with many more things. He sent us to the hospital to get blood tests. He called us a few hours later to tell us she had Kawasaki Disease a disease that causes your blood vessels to swell. Carlee was a text book case of Kawasaki. She had every symptom, which was to her advantage. It is a hard disease to diagnose because they don't know very much about it. Where she had every symptom it made it easier.
They told us they had called up to Primary Children's Hospital and they were expecting us.

Tuesday afternoon they were getting ready to start her treatment and for some reason her blood pressure dropped. The scary thing about the disease is that it can cause permanent damage to the veins and arteries in the heart. So they rushed her in for a heart echo, which is an ultra sound on your heart. Her heart looked fine and her blood pressure came back up, but they wanted to keep a closer eye on her for the night, so they moved her to PICU. She started her treatment that night which was given thru an IV. It takes 10 hours. She slept really good that night.
The next afternoon she was moved out of PICU. She also had to have a more extensive heart echo for which she had to be sedated. They get a good look at the coronary arteries in this one. Her heart looked good. The left coronary artery had some swelling, but nothing too serious. They expect it to go back down. When she woke up from her sedation she was ready to eat for the first time in four days. She wanted a burrito and a root beer. She chowed it down. We were so thrilled because that meant hopefully the treatment was working and we wouldn't have to get it agian. That night she slept really good again.



She woke up the next morning and was ready to eat again. I asked her what she wanted and she said a burrito and a root beer. Nothing like the smell of enchilada sauce at 7:30 am.....but just glad she was eating!!



Phil's parents had kept Bodie for us and at night Phil would come home and I would stay at the hospital. I was really missing my Bodie. So Thursday, Bodie and I spent the afternoon together while Phil stayed with Carlee. Since it was flu season, no visitors under 14 can come to the hospital. So when Phil was bringing Bodie up to hang out with me, Carlee and I just happened to be out on a walk around the hospital and ran into them in the lobby. Weird how that happens. Bodie and Carlee were so cute! They were excited to see each other. Bodie gave her the biggest hug!

And finally.....Friday we got to come home. Her fever had been down for 48 hours and they were confident in her progress. She still looks pretty awful. Her poor little lips are terrible. She has to have a few more heart echos in the next few weeks to make sure she is in the clear for heart damage. But the disease is curable and there is a very small chace she will ever get it agian. She even got up and played for a few hours today. She gets really tired, but seems a little better every day!

This is her today (Friday). She looks beat up. Don't even get me started on her hair. It is MATTED like you wouldn't believe, but we will deal with that tomorrow. I don't have the heart to make her do anything she doesn't want to do!

Meet Buddy Freddy

My friend, Melisa gave this to Bodie and Carlee. It is such a cute idea! My kids are the perfect age for it, and they LOVE it! It's called 'Elf on a Shelf '. It comes with a book and this little elf. The idea is that he is a messanger from Santa. He comes to your house and watches if you are being good or bad. Then every night he flies home (with the help of Christmas magic) to the North Pole and reports to Santa. He comes back every morning and is in a different spot. When the kids wake up every morning, they can't wait to find where Buddy Freddy is at.

There is only one rule, you can't touch him or else his Christmas magic won't work anymore. Bodie being the rule follower that he is, takes this very serious!! He had a friend over yesterday who kept touching Buddy Freddy. Bodie was freaking out!! I had to "call Santa" and tell him. Santa said that Since Bodie's friend didn't know the rules that Buddy Freddy wouldn't loose his magic. Bodie was very relieved!

Snow!

When we got home from Boise this last weekend we had snow here in Utah! The kids could not wait to go out and play! Carlee was giggling so hard the whole time. It was so cold, only 25 degrees, but they didn't care!

Airplane

Me and the kids flew to Boise for my parents coming home. They have both flown before, but didn't really remember it. They were so excited! They had a great time looking out the window. After, Carlee kept saying, "Mom, I didn't even cry on the airplane!!"

She wasn't sure at first, then she moved to the middle seat and felt better about it!