A Really Long Week

It has been a long week in the DeVoogd house. Kellen had to have some major surgery this week and it was one of the roughest week of our whole lives. Kellen has Inflammatory Bowel Disease - or - Crones Disease. He has major problems with his intestines. He has had many surgeries some minor and a few major ones. This one was by far the worst. Not just physically, though physically it was awful for him. But also mentally, this was a hard one!
He went in Tuesday and had a procedure then after a night of vomiting and pure misery was taken in for surgery on Wednesday morning. I wont go into details other then to say it was a very long week. And it is one of two surgeries. He will have another, though not as hard for him, in 6 weeks. I learned a lot this week. If you read our Carepage we have set up for Kellen this is a repeat, you can stop reading now. If you don't read it here is what we learned:
1. I am thankful for our good doctors and hospitals that have the ability to care for our children, and are able to think "outside the box" even if it means rigging up some feeding bags to avoid "spillage" so a self conscience 10 year old boy is not horrified when he is sitting covered in nasty!!
2. I am thankful for the ability to be tired but still function and to be exhausted and ignore it. It was just this morning I told Kelly if he did not go home I had hit a wall and was beyond tired. Today is the day I truly felt extreme exhaustion. I am not sure of many people who could sleep only 1-2 hours a nigh and still feel like a human throughout the day. There was never a time I thought I would not be able to be "up" and "available" for Kellen. This is one of those small miracles that happened this week. I should not have been able to function...I should have "cracked"
3. I am thankful I have a husband who is willing and able to take care of everything at home. As well as my crazy complaints and requests. He was available for the kids, me, and even kept the house looking good.
4. I am thankful to have the kids I do. The ones who are at home but are doing all they can to help out. Mekenzie was great helping with laundry and cleaning. She even sat with her brother one afternoon so me and Kelly could have a 10 minute conversation we needed to have alone. Camden was pretty easy going and just went with the flow. As long as we made sure he got a little individual time he did great being shipped off and moved around all week.
And of course Kellen. There are a lot of kids in the hospital. A lot of crying, screaming, yelling, and bossing around. Kellen was so good, he always is. Never complaining when he has every right too. Crying only when he has reached a breaking point, and never being rude or out of control. He said "thank you mom" so many times to me I had to hold back tears when he would say it to me after he had just been through something so rough yet still made sure he was kind to me.
5. I am thankful for good friends who brought us food - to our home and the hospital. Who called and called then called Kelly when I was unable to answer because I was having my own little breakdown to see what they could do. Who texted when I couldn't answer the phone sometimes late into the night, who facebook chatted even thought they wanted to go to bed. And who visited with Kellen and made him realize it is all going to be ok!
6. I am thankful that we are in a situation where I did not have to leave my child alone in the hospital while I went to work. Leaving him having to fend for himself. This happens a lot from what I heard or saw. I have complained about being stuck in the hospital...I needed to remember it is actually a blessing to be able to be there and give my child the one on one care he needs. I could have never left him.
7. I am thankful I was able to bring my child home with me. Knowing that what is going on with him is permanent but, he is still here with us. I did not have to wonder if he was going to get to come home, or if he would be ok. This hit me really hard this week knowing how very lucky I am.
8. And finally I am thankful to have a home to come "home" too. With my own bed and shower. Even if we came home to a water leak that looks really bad and a lot of work ahead to get Christmas taken down and my house sterilized so I feel like I can actually care for Kellen appropriately.
It is going to be a long couple of weeks at the DeVoogd house. I am tired even thinking of it. But we are so blessed and thankful for all that we have.

Christmas

I can't believe it is over. Now all that is left is the mess (and the new clothes and toys)! We had a great Christmas. It was a fun day around here, I was so sad to see it end. There is nothing like the feelings you have at Christmas - I just love it!!!
Here is our house before the craziness - I love the organized before!



Here is the house after.....



It is always a crazy mess after Christmas. I love the build up, the decorations, the shopping, everything!! I am not a fan of the clean-up! I worked today and left Kelly and the kids to take over and get the house in order. It looks pretty good, still needs some "motherly" cleaning, but a little more picked up.
I think the kids got everything they asked for:
Mekenzie got gift cards to the mall, lots of clothes, some boots, and a gumball machine (she really wanted one).
Kellen got a PSP (handheld game system), Hostess Cupcakes and Twinkies (he actually asked Santa for these), some games, and jammies.
Camden got a Colts beanbag chair, a MP3 player, and some "real" tools to help his dad fix and build things!
I think they had a great day!
Now we are planning for the next adventure in our lives. We will be spending our New Years in the hospital as Kellen is having some major intestinal surgery on Tuesday and will be in the hospital for 5-6 days. So it is time to clean, do laundry, and get everything else tied up to end a 2008 and move on to HOPEFULLY a better 2009!

Words of Wisdom...

My kids sometimes say the funniest things. This week has been no exception.
We were on our way to our Ward Christmas Party and Kellen asked if Santa would be there. I told him yes, his reply was that in the Dictionary it says Santa died in 1832! Explain that one!!!!
Camden was telling me how he knew he was going to get something from Santa this year because he is only 7. He told me, "Santa thinks it is o.k. to be bad when you are 7 but when you are 8 if you are bad Jesus get's mad" I guess Jesus and Santa talk. Good thing there is repentance!
Today is my B-day and Camden wanted to help so he made my bed. I was getting ready for the day and he came and told me, "It's not pretty but It was made with love". It took awhile to stop laughing from that one, he is 7!!
Mekenzie is preparing to be in "Alice in Wonderland", the musical. She is really excited!!! She is a flower, but she has no name. She is really upset about this and so we are thinking of what kind of flower she could be. There is already a rose, daisy, petunia, and lily. Any ideas??? We tried Calla Lily, Marigold, and whatever the name is of the Kennecott Sulfur flower. She doesn't like any of them!! This she wants you to know, is not funny!!

A "Wise Man"

This last Saturday was our ward Christmas Party. It was a really neat night with a "Journey Back to Bethlehem". We went to different rooms,(lead by a shepherd),and they role played the story of Jesus's birth with words and music. We started with Joseph and Mary, then the Angels, the Inn Keeper, and the Shepherd's. After the Shepherd's were some awesome Wise Men, you might recognize one of them....

By the way, Kelly is not as little as it may seem. They made him look like the littlest wise man by standing him next to a 7 foot giant (maybe not quite 7 feet)!!! We always knew Kelly was a "Wise Man" now everyone else does!
They did a great job and it was a great night!!! It was a great way to feel the Christmas spirit and remember the reason for the season!!!

Never put anything smaller then your elbow in your ear

You know those things you were told growing up that didn't seem important at the time. Like; Don't run with scissors or don't put anything smaller then your elbow in your ear. I am someone who has to learn for themselves, the hard way, not someone who "watches and learns" like a smart person. Now I am deaf in one ear, (only temporarily I hope), because of it. I would like this to be a blog about the kids. Not that I want them to have pain, but because it is a little embarrassing that it is me instead of one of the kids.
I was multi-tasking. Something I am usually very good at. I was cleaning the shampoo out of my ears and picking up my room at the same time. I leaned over to pick something up and the Q-tip was shoved into my ear. I immediately grabbed my ear in pain. After a minute it felt ok so I went on with what I was doing. Over the next 30 minutes it started to feel like it was swelling a little but really no pain. As I got in the car to pick up Mekenzie from school I felt a gush of fluid. It was clear fluid, I thought maybe water or something...no big deal. As I pulled into the parking lot another gush. This time it was blood and I was noticing that slowly it was getting harder to hear out of my ear. I called a good friend of ours who is a doctor and he told me to call my family doctor, so I did. They told me to come in immediately, so I did. By the time I got there I had blood running out of my ear, and I could no longer hear a thing out of the one side. They looked into my ear and told me to go to the ER (are you kidding me, it was a Q-Tip). After explaining my story to three different doctors (humiliating!) we agreed that I would go home, keep cotton in it and they would get me into the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor first thing this morning. If they could not get me in I would go to the ER. I went to bed, had trouble sleeping and started to be in a little pain but still ok.
True to their word they called at 9:00 this morning and got me into the ENT. By now the side of my face hurts a little and it is still bleeding. My ear is full of blood and swollen so he could not see much. He told me he needed to look better to see how much damage I had done (a Q-Tip!?!?!). They can see a large hole but that is all. He gave me some antibiotics and steroids for my ear, and told me to come back on Tuesday so they can get a better look.
So now I am totally deaf in one ear which is very frustrating! It is hard to hear anyone talking to me if there is any background noise, I am like an old person!!! I have said, "Talk into my good ear" so many times today my kids are finishing that sentence for me. I just went out dinner and had a whole conversation of "What?" and "I can't hear you"'s. It was a good time. We decided to forgo the movie for tonight since it seems like it might have be a waste of money since I can't hear a thing!!!
I think my kids are taking advantage of it. I am not even sure they are talking out loud, just mouthing the words hoping I will get frustrated since I can't hear them and just say yes to whatever they want. I am on to them... I might be stupid, but I am not that stupid!!
All of this because I didn't listen to the advice of others...someday I will learn. I am sure of it. Until then make sure you speak into my good ear!!!

No More Braces!!!

Mekenzie has been waiting FOREVER for this special event!! She first got braces on when she was about 9. She had them on 2 years, off for awhile, then back on for two years!! I had almost forgot what she looked like without her braces. She is beautiful!!! Take a look:

So gummy bears, taffy, and popcorn watch out!!!

They grow up way to fast!!!

I often sit back and wonder where the time is going. It seems like everything around us is moving way too fast, including my kids.
It is hard to believe Mekenzie just turned 15!! That means in a year she could date, (although her dad has told her she could not date until her husband says she can?!?). Possibly drive (not a chance), will be a junior in school, and most of all she might not need me quite as much. I have enjoyed watching Mekenzie grow and learn more about her self. She is turning into a great women!
Kellen is 10 and will soon be 11. He is such a courageous boy who acts more then his age especially with the trials his body has gone through. He has lived through more in his life so far then most of us will ever have to endure.
Then there is my Camden. He is my sweet 7 year old. A true "angel sent straight from heaven" I always tell him. He is the last of my little ones. I was hoping to keep him small for just a short time later, he wants so bad to be big!
Camden got a call from his friend "Morgan" (Morgan is a girl). When she called he ignored the phone and told us not to answer it. A short time later I could not find him and searched him out. This is what I found...

Camden called Morgan back then hid to talk to her. At least he can multitask and is trying to fix the Rubik's Cube at the same time!!
It is just a glimpse into our not so distant future. It is a little bit sad that they are growing so fast. I am so proud of what each of them is becoming, it is just happening way too fast.