Never say, "it cant get worse"!

I am hoping this is the lesson I am supposed to learn. That even when things seem really bad, they could quickly become even worse.
Our family has really struggled lately. Mostly surrounding Kellen's health. It has at many times felt like it was as bad as it could get (I have explained it many times as the bottom of a deep, dark pit we cannot seem to be able to climb out of). It has been exhausting!! I have said out loud many times that it really could not get any worse, I was wrong. I am blogging only because I am not sure it is believable, it's almost embarrassing!
Last Thursday (a week and a half ago) I woke up in the middle of the night with pain in my stomach. Not just tummy pain but intense pain! Having had an ulcer in the past I figured this was what it was, just worse then I have had before. I usually get a little bit of warning, not this time. I woke up Thursday, called the doc and he had me immediately come into the office. I got there and could not even get water down at that point. He tried to admit me but we both agreed that if I came into the office the next few days until he could scope it I could stay at home, so I did. I painfully got through the week with little sips of water and that is about all. Wednesday he scoped it and confirmed I have a ulcer, (a large crater eating through the lining of my stomach), that is due to lack of blood flow to that area. There is nothing he could do until he is able to consult a surgeon. So I came home, still in a lot of pain. Later in the day my left side started to hurt. Not just a little pain but the double over, I think I might actually die pain. I could deal with the pain but when I could no longer urinate I decided I might need to go to the doc. I gave them a call, they said to come now, so I did. Kelly had to drive me since I had been under anesthesia just a few hours before for the ulcer so we got there and I told him to stay in the car so he could work, I went in. I walked in got a few drops of urine out and they told me I could walk or take an ambulance but they were admitting me to the hospital. I was not happy...to make a long story short I told them no, they told me to call someone to be with me, I called Kelly to come in from the car. After going back and forth they offered 3 choices. All of them we ending up with me in the hospital. So I had no choice, and went. They decided I had a kidney stone and a kidney - bladder infection. They also decided I had some kind of blockage that was not allowing me to urinate.
Now, did I mention that we left Camden home with Mekenzie? He had a fever of 103, he was throwing up, and he would not move from the couch??? He was one sick boy....
We got to the hospital, they ordered tests (I sent Kelly home to be with Camden for the night), they pushed a ton of fluids into me (this was my favorite part since I could not urinate I imagined that at some point my bladder might actually explode!) and got me started on a million drugs. After a long night, no sleep, lots of tests, being so sick from the side effects of the drugs they were giving me, it was all confirmed. Kidney infection, stone, and a cyst on my left ovary. After 24 hours I passed the stone (can you say....ouch!) and even though I was still very miserable I could urinate and they released me (against their better judgment), into the care of my OBGYN - so I got to come home (Yeah!!). My day started with a ulcer, I had no idea it would end with me being sent to the hospital overnight.
We got home and Camden seemed to be a little worse. Still a high fever, throwing up, and now complaining of excruciating pain on his right side. I could only think of when Kellen did the same thing it was his appendix. I had Kelly take him to urgent care. 4 hours later they decided he had pneumonia and sent him home with 2 antibiotic shots and two prescriptions.
So we are both home, little bit miserable, but recovering! It has been a very long week, one I would not like to relive very soon. We are hoping by Monday we both feel a little better and can do what we need to.
The moral of the story... Don't ever say it can't get worse. Someone might think that is a challenge to show you that actually it can! I am off to go to take some meds. 2 for my ulcer, 2 antibiotics, a pain pill, a pill to counteract the nausea from the pain pill, and something to help w/ kidney function. I think that is all!

Bacon!!

My boys LOVE bacon. It is disgusting. They could eat bacon for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a million snacks throughout the day. I personally HATE bacon (so does Mekenzie), but I decided to oblige and make them breakfast for dinner. I take great pride in my cooking. I love to cook and my family usually enjoys everything I make, there are usually very few complaints. So tonight we were running a little behind with a science fair project needing to be done, haircuts, Kellen's "flush" still not done, Kelly and Mekenzie needed to leave for a project and everything else that is waiting to be done.
I threw some bacon in the microwave and some in the pan then fried up the eggs. I kind of forgot about the ones in the microwave.... here is what happened!

The kids all had a good laugh and were amused by the bacon "brick". Luckily I had salvaged some that was frying up in the pan (yes, I bring home the bacon, and fry it up in the pan!), and they were all happy. I even saw them sneaking some of the hard bacon, peeling off the paper towel cooked to it, and trying to chew it! They are going to really appreciate dinner tomorrow night.... no matter what I make it can't be this bad!!

Family Updates

I know, it has been a while so I am going to do a quick update on everybody's comings and going's.
Let's start with Camden. Camden has been involved in the wonderful world of indoor soccer. He is having a great time playing with a great group of boys! We are making him take a short break for the next 9 weeks and he is a little mad at us (he will get over it). He loves to always be on the "go" to the park, to ride his bike, anywhere! I know he is looking forward to the summer when he can be outside all of the time. He is also into helping Kelly "build" and "fix" things. He has his own tool bag and is always there with a hammer and screwdriver. He really wants to build a box. Just a box (he is simple like that). He is doing great in school, just got all "A's" on his report cards. He is looking forward to soccer starting again, being able to play as much basketball at the park as he can, and going off track in 2 weeks!
Kellen is continuing to heal from his 2 really hard surgeries. He has had a really rough couple of months. It has been hard to watch him be so sick and it to be so out of our control. He does not like to go too far from home so it has been nice that he has been wanting to go to the park to play basketball a little bit lately. He has had a sense of humor through everything that has been going on and we are so proud of him and the way he has reacted. He is always making us laugh and is our entertainment around here. He is looking forward to more time at the park, an eventual day with friends, and going off track in 2 weeks (they are both ready, along with me to be going off track!)
Mekenzie has been crazy busy. She has been taking a clogging (very cool, not "honkey-tonk" like you might think) and ballet class. She is also a part of the Elk Grove Musical Theater Company and will be performing in the play Alice in Wonderland jr the end of April. She also just tried out for the high school dance team. She will not know for a couple more days if she made it but it has kept her really busy. Along with church, school, and the social life of a 15 year old girl she is super busy, in a good way. She has a great group of friends and has grown a lot over the past year. She works really hard at school and has the good grades to show for it! She is a huge help around the house and just a great kid! I enjoy her more and more all the time. I enjoy our "date" nights and our trips to run "errands" she is really fun to spend time with.
Kelly has been trudging along in the world of paint. It has been long winter in the paint world. He is hoping with the sun coming out that the "paint gods" will shine down and bring some business to him (his words, not mine)! He is also working on our yard and garden. He LOVES his yard. If his grass is not the greenest and most lush he is not happy. He made our kitchen a "green house" for his garden seedlings. It is making me crazy but will be really nice when I see everything growing! He is planning the upcoming summer to include lots of fishing, riding of the quads, and maybe some camping. Him and Camden tried to take the quads out the other day but they would not start (Camden is still mad about it!). They are fixed and ready to go! So is he!!!
Then there is me. I really don't know what to write about me. I am working two jobs, not on purpose (I am trying to quit one, really!!!), and am exhausted! I am still trying to get used to our "new normal" as our family has gone through so many changes over the last 3 months. I have been busy working, running the kids around, and being the 24 hour caregiver around here. I feel like I have been stretched to my limit and am trying to find a little "me time" in my week. I actually took a day off last week and literally did not know what to do with myself (planned to stay home in jammies but I could not do it, had to run errands and get some things done).
We are looking forward to Open House at school, a visit from grandma (which includes some alone time for me and Kelly - what will we do?? Not sure we even remember how to be alone), finding out if Kenzie made the team, off track time, Spring Break, Easter, Alice in Wonderland, Kellen to get healthy, and some quadding family time. I plan to get better at this, I might even include pictures next time!

Kellen is 11

Kellen is 11 today!
It does not seem like that long ago that Kellen came into the world. When he decides to do something he does it good. That included his birth, my labor and delivery...under and hour!
He was a very "wanted" baby. We worked hard to get him here. Tests, medication, the whole thing. When he came into this world he was completely silent. Even scaring the doctor enough that he made sure to tell us that even though he was not crying he was doing great and was completely healthy, just not screaming. Little did we know that he would scream constantly for the next 18 months. We LOVED him so much we barely even noticed that all he did was cry, and cry, and cry. But it was ok, we were so happy to have him.
It seems like it has been the longest, and slowest, year of our lives but when I look back at how fast my children are growing it seems to be going by to quickly!! Kellen has had a really hard year and has had to deal with some life altering changes. It, amazes me as I look back over the past year, that all that has happened in Kellen's life he still has a great attitude and sense of humor. He has dealt with his past year so much better then I would have expected, better then I could do! He has an amazing spirit, and attitude about all that he has to go through. That does not mean he does not have some tough times, he does, but he works his way through it and moves on. Knowing "it is what it is".
One of our birthday traditions is that I picked up the kids from school on their birthday and take them to lunch. Today Kellen chose the Chinese place down the street. At the end of our meal as we read our fortunes we both agreed they could not have been more perfect, it was a little bit weird! Kellen's said, "Determination will get you through". I will be saving this one and reminding him of it as often as he (we) need. Mine said, "Don't waste time on what might have been". Is the fortune cookie maker looking over our shoulder? I seem to have spent a lot of time on the things I WANTED for Kellen, the ones that are no longer an option. He wanted to be in the military, not gonna happen (not sad for me on this one, just sad he cannot fulfill his dream). If he decides to serve a mission for our church he cannot go anywhere but home, no adventures out of State, or out of the Country. These are the things I personally think about and worry about for him. I guess I need to stop!
I am so proud of Kellen and I feel blessed every day to be his mother! I could not ask for a better child. I am sure that Kellen is meant to do great things in this world, I can hardly wait to see what he does with the next 80 years!!
Happy Birthday Kellen, We love you!!

This is What it has Come to..

Our lives have changed over the last 6 weeks. We now have a "new normal" as I have mentioned a million times before. We are settling into a routine, of course just in time to have it all shook up by round two of Kellen's surgeries tomorrow, but a routine none the less.
When we flush Kellen we are in the bathroom a long time, usually with the door open. So yesterday Grandma Roblyer had sent the kids some mail for Valentines. They LOVE getting mail from Grandma and always wait to open it when they are together, it is very cute. The boys had been waiting for me and Mekenzie to get home from the eye doctor so when we walked in they wanted to open that package. Kellen was being flushed so without even thinking about it we all piled into the bathroom to open our cards and discuss our days ,(and what we were going to do with the $2 grandma sent, ice cream!!!!).
We all started to laugh when we realized we were gathered around the toilet to have our "family time". This is what life has become at the DeVoogd house. It was funny until Kellen decided he needed some privacy and told everyone to "get out" and "close the door". When everyone left his response, "Will I ever have privacy again"? All I could say is, "Probably not, Probably Not"!!

25 Things

I am jumping on the bandwagon and posting my 25 things list from Facebook. This was a hard one for me. It took a long time to think of 25 random things about me. SO here is mine...and hold your breath...Kelly is working on his and I will post it here when he is done (he is on #6).
You are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.
1. I am totally against doing this, and even as I type wonder why I am but decided I might actually learn something about myself while getting my friends off my back :).
2. I do not like ice cream....do not like is not strong enough. I HATE ice cream!
3. I met my husband when I was 6 and he was 9. No it was not love at first sight..in fact him and his brothers were the troublemakers of the neighborhood. We were re-introduced years later by our mothers and only then became good friends.
4. I am a huge creature of habit. I am not good with change. I eat the same thing, at the same time for breakfast everyday. If I miss a day I am totally thrown off.
5. I dont sleep, ever. I used to live for my 8 hours a night and sadly I am learning to live on a lot less. Maybe 4 or less a night. I do take a little nap Sunday afternoons but that is about it!
6. I love, love, love my children. I have never wanted anything more then to be a mom, and I love it. Even during the hard times I am so greatful that I was able to have children, and I get to raise them. I secretly wish I had more, but know 1 more would be more then I could handle.
7. I dont like to yell (or be yelled at). I grew up in a house where there was a lot of yelling (sorry mom and dad it's true). It makes me feel like I am 5 when people yell. I actually have a physical reaction to it! It is something I dont want to pass on to my kids so you will hardly ever hear me yell. If I do you better run, I have been pushed too far!
8. I love lists. I sometimes make lists of lists I need to make. I need to have things written down in order to see what I need to do. I have grocery lists, to do lists, want to do lists, lists for work, lists for the kids, lists of home improvements that need to be done. It never ends!! I am not sure if it is just the list I love or the writting. Writting anything is theraputic for me. I have a ton of journals and I love to write notes. I started a blog hoping that would be the same, its close but not exactly the same.
9. I have a random thought about someone or something I need to say it to them. I send out a lot of random texts just becasue I need to say something and dont want to miss the chance.
10. I love music! I love music that means something to me. I will hear a song and listen carefully to the words. I will listen to a song over and over and when I am going through something. I use it to work through it. (I know...random) . I am not good at expressing an emotion but I can do this through music. Some of my favorites right now; "Say" - John Mayer, "Broken" Lindsey Hauhn, and "Anyway" by Martina McBride. I even have music I clean too!!
11. I do not like to be the center of attention. I prefer to be in the background in everything that I do. Even birthdays are horrifying for me, I dont like to be watched, or noticed.
12. One lady gave birth to me, another raised me. Love one of them....trying to love the other.
13. I have always wanted to be a nurse. I even had my CNA at one point and worked in a long term care facility. ( The only problem working there is Kelly would not come and visit me because he said it smelled like old people.). The last few years this is a renewed interest of mine....one I might soon consider looking into again.
14. A couple of years ago I took a job working as the Financial Officer for a large OBGYN's office. The owner hired me after working for her in a church position, and being a patient. When I started I did not balance my own checkbook, in fact I did nothing financial in my house (she knew this when she hired me). Since working at that job I now worry about my money ALL of the time! I cannot just go and buy whatever...I hate it, I really have to think about it first! If my checkbook does not have a cushion I freak out. Just recently I quit this job (this week), maybe the insanity will stop!
15. I need my friends, a lot! I have great friends, and I love them all. I am so greatful for the friendships that I have!
16. When I clean my house (usually once a week), I wont cook. It is not because I don't want to cook it is because I need my house to be cleaner just a little longer and once we go back to cooking, it's all over.
17. You can tell how I am feeling..or my mood..by the look of my house. If it is clean I am good, cluttered..I am busy, and a mess...well, I am a mess (you should see it today!!!)
18. I LOVE fresh flowers and try to always have some sitting on my counter. It is another one of those things that are based on my mood. After I clean I replaced the flowers. Just a side note...the ones I have now are dead what does that say about me?
19. I am jealous of people who are full of confidence. That is not me! I get embarrased by compliments and am never really sure of myself.
20. I have just lived through, (am still in the middle of), the hardest time of my whole life (so far). I have had a lot of trials in my life, most of which I could totally handle. This one is different. I have had to make decisions and choices for one of my children that will affect his life. As a mother you want to do what is best for your children, but sometimes it takes more then youv'e got.
21. I am learning there are times I have to depend on others, I prefer to do things on my own and never like to have to ask for help. Since I have not delt with #20 as well as I would like I am learning it is ok to accept help every once in awhile.
22. I LOVE texting! We took away Mekenzies phone due to her texting problem....had I known how easy it was to get addicted I maybe would have given her a break (maybe not). I love that I can send a text whenever I think of something I need to say, it is a problem. I love that I have a few friends that work nights so I can even text all night long if I need too (not sure they like it), I have solved a few of the worlds problems late at night during a texting conversation! The only thing I dont like is that I cannot always get the emotion to come across when I text and have to text an explanation......
23. I am greatful for my husband. He works hard to support our family and is a great father and husband. I cannot believe it has been over 16 years since we got married. How has he done it all these years???
24. I love to sing (see #6). I would never sing in front of people (see #11), but I have. I actually sang in church and at school as a teenager. Not sure what happened but your chances of seeing that are long past unless you sneak in during our family karaoke! Me and Mekenzie sing a mean duet!
25. I cannot sit still. I need to always be doing two things at once. If I watch TV I will be on the computer or putting something together. Even when I try to sleep I constantly move my feet (It makes Kelly crazy). It makes me anxious for my hands to not be busy. So little time, so much to do! I am a great multi-tasker!! Sometimes I want to just sit! I spend the whole time battling with myself about things I could be doing at the same time. It is exhausting!!

Martin Luther King Day

This morning as I was going over some of Camden's Papers from school, one of them stood out. It was his "I Have a Dream" page. In celebration of Martin Luther King day the kids all wrote their own dream. Here is Camden's:
I Have a Dream...
I wish Kellen would get better so I can play with him and so I don't have to take out the trash and do all the dishes. And I also want to play his Play Station Portable. And his MP3. And so he could go to bed at the same time as me. And so he can also not always have junk food like me. And also be healthy like me.

This is so sweet, in a way. Especially if you read between the lines at his dreams for Kellen's health, and not just him being so overworked! Camden is so kind hearted and hates to see others struggle. I am off to get a tissue!