Lotts more to tell...

We had a happy 4^th of July.  We went to the Hooper parade for the first time.  The kids got a ton of candy.  It was so fun.  Alex had been up late the night before from playing Xbox so we let him sleep.  He might not have the strength of a teenager yet and walks like an old man still but he still has the mind of one and has really been enjoying all the gaming time he gets now.  Just so everyone knows, I do not usually let the kids have free reign of playing video games.  I keep the controllers in my room and monitor their playing or they would never stop playing other than to breathe.  Later we had a nice BBQ and went to the fireworks in Hooper.  We started a new family tradition of sitting by Ryan’s grave to watch them.  It was the perfect spot.  We were by ourselves and the view was great.  We could even hear the music playing from the fairgrounds and see fireworks going off in about 5 other locations as well.  The kids made glow stick necklaces and bracelets.  We put a few on Ryan’s grave and then Ethan proceeded to take some to the other graves.  He said he was sharing with the other dead people who were his friends.  He said he loved them.  It was very cute of him.  We ate some snacks and even put a few cookies out for Ryan.  It was a special time to be there and yet hard as well.  We really missed Ryan and some tears were shed.  

 As we looked in the sky we noticed the full moon glowed orange.  It was beautiful and it didn’t last for too long.  I told the kids Ryan did that for us.  Mike asked others from different locations if it was orange where they were.  They said no. 

Yesterday we spent the day in Provo at the pediatric cardiologist.  Long story short, the kids all seem fine for now.  They all had EKGs and echocardiograms.  Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy usually shows up in teenagers so we will have to get our kids tested each year when they are between the ages of 12-18.  As adults we will all need to be tested every five years.  Mike and I go in for our echocardiograms in a few weeks.  I am sure we are fine but it will be nice to know for sure.  If either of us shows signs then our siblings will need to be tested.

We were at the doctor’s office for around 4 hours.  Our kids were very good.  I had brought treats, a portable DVD player and some iPods.  Thank goodness for modern technology.  We even brought a reclining lawn chair so Alex wouldn’t have to sit up straight.  The kids had to lay still for about 45 minutes for the eco.  We wondered how Ethan would do and he fell asleep and that made that easy.  The doctor did discover an extra heart beat with Ethan.  I am not exactly sure what that means.  He isn’t too concern since his eco came back good but he did want to monitor him for 24 hours.  Ethan had to get about 6 wires hooked to his chest.  We wrapped him up with an ace bandage so he won’t mess with the wires.  The wires and machine would moniter his heart and send the report back to the doctor.  Wow.  Crazy.  He pretty much looks like he had a bomb strapped to his chest.  It is so cute and we can’t believe he is actually keeping it on.

The staff at the doctor’s office was great.  They treated us so kindly and gave special care to us.  It really made things go very well.   Mike’s mom Jeri came with us and we played musical kids as we took turns with different kids.  It was sure nice to have her there, especially with Alex unable to help.  Alex wanted to go eat at the Olive Garden so we went there for dinner.  We let the waiter know that we needed to hurry because he couldn’t sit for long.  The waiter was very kind and we had a nice meal.  We were so happy to see Alex eat his first meal in 2 weeks.  He finished it all and we were so shocked.  So far he has lost about 10 lbs.  He still doesn’t have much of an appetite and is still super picky.  I did enjoy feeding him a Frosty the other day while he was playing video games.  I just kept shoving it in.  When he wouldn’t open his mouth I just let it drip on him until he did.  He learned his lesson quickly.  He finished it all!!

Alex is doing very well.  His incision looks kind of yucky and we are concerned it might be a little bit infected.  We do have him on an antibiotic and hopefully that will take care of it.  He isn’t in too much pain and that is wonderful.   We love Alex.  He had been so brave through this all.  It has been a very bonding experience for us all and has brought our family closer to one another.

Again, I would like to thank all those who have reached out to us and especially to Alex.  You have helped lift his spirits and make him smile.  As a mother, that means so much.  Hug your kids more and don’t let a moment go by without showing them you love them.  Life is much too fragile and they grow up way too quickly.

We love you all.  Thanks so much for continuing to check the blog.  It still touches our hearts to see how many are concerned about our family.   Catherine and Mike