Celebrating Master Cole...MBA Graduate

Proud of him! So proud of him! Cole, worked hard and didn't let up until he finished it.  He was gone a lot studying, and I know it was hard on him.  He missed us and we missed him.  For a year and half he was gone most nights of the week studying, studying, and more studying.  He was exhausted and even worrying me a bit when his eyes were so tired they were constantly blood shot, but he pushed through it.  We both imagined our celebration day to be much bigger when he finished, but we were both so tuckered out by the end of it that a simple celebration meal at Chic Fillet sounded perfect.  Way to go Master Cole!  And yes, that is what he wants his new name to be.  

Winter 2013 Fun

Ashton, helping his little sister ride her bike.

At a local park.  We went to this park a few times when Jetta was healing from having the croup.  It was good for her to be outside in the fresh air, but I didn't want her around other kids giving it to them or getting more bugs from them, either.  This park doesn't get very busy so it was perfect.

Jetta and The Croup

  

Jetta is quite the little fighter when she got the croup this past winter.  She had it three different times.  As her parents, Cole and I would prefer dealing with her having the flu then croup. Watching a little kid struggle to get air is far worse than watching them puke.  The first week of January is when she got it the first time.  Cole and I first assumed she was getting a cold.  Her cough was the seal bark but overall at first it just seemed like your common cold.  Then one night it escalated very quickly.  Cole and I ran to her room after hearing her wheezing and gasping for air. Cole's instincts kicked in and he ran her outside in his underwear.  I ran to the computer to see if we needed to take her in to the hospital or if there was things we could do at home to avoid an ER visit since it was past any time for a clinic to be open.  When all the symptoms matched to croup we decided to call the on call doctor through our pediatrician office.  She confirmed that it sounded like croup and gave us strategies and a prescription of medicine to get us through the night.  Poor little Jetta struggled like crazy trying to get air into her airway for several hours.  She was exhausted. We were freezing, because to help her breathe the outside doors needed to be open and humidifiers blazing and house temperature way down.  However, the strategies worked.  Her prescription was a Godsend.  It was a steroid which was a little freaky thinking about giving my little petite daughter, but after watching her fight like hell to get air we would be crazy to not give it to her.  We felt so grateful for that little pill as it started helping her airway open up.  She still wheezed the entire night as we took turns holding her through the night, but she  was getting enough to be okay.  Where as before we got her the pill she would be limp from exhaustion wheezing than all of a sudden be gasping for air. She was sick for several days. During the days it was almost like she was back to a common cold then during the nights she would start with the breathing issues again.  It was a long week of sleeping in the chair with her so we could keep her upright and a close eye on her.  We were so relieved when she was all better from it.  She had it a second time, but it was more manageable because we had some of her prescription still available. We also felt more confident in knowing how to handle it and help her through it.  However, the third time she got the croup it was a lot more difficult than both other times because it was no longer cold outside and running her outside to open her airway did nothing for her.  She would continue to wheeze and gasp and not be able to get air.  Her fever was higher than it had ever been.  She also didn't get the bark cough leading up to it other than a couple times earlier that day she coughed once and it sounded similar but nothing more.  Than that night all of a sudden we heard her gasping and when Cole got to her she wasn't getting any air. She was on her stomach, face down gasping.  He ran her outside again in his underwear but it didn't help.  It was 9:45 at night and our Pediatricians after hours clinic closes at 10:00 so we called in.  They were so nice and told us to bring her in immediately.  I stayed with Ashton, and Cole ran her in.  He does so much better than I do at remaining calm in high pressure situations (though anyone who knows us knows this).  We were so grateful that they helped us that night.  We definitely would have had to take her into the ER if they hadn't helped us.  They gave her a breathing treatment, and prescribed us more of the steroid medicine.  She was such a little fighter through it.  I felt really proud of how Cole and I handled it, too.  Croup is a little scary and it took a heavy toll on our sweet little, Jetta.  I didn't ever feel like she wasn't going to be ok, but I did feel frightened about how bad it was going to get and how hard it was going to be for her to fight to breathe.  It made me feel extremely grateful that other than a couple times a year my children have healthy immune systems.  I built an even greater admiration for parents who have sick little ones who are fighting for their lives with serious diseases.  I can't imagine how hard and difficult that would be, and I pray I never have to feel the weight of that trial.  It would be crushing to watch your little one go through so much pain.  Though the croup felt big to us, to the parents fighting the serious stuff it would feel easy.   I'm grateful to have healthy kids.  I also felt more appreciation for Cole.  He is the best Husband, and he's an even better Dad.  I love him, and I'm grateful for his tenderness, patience, and his huge loving heart. 

Local Car Show

When a local car show came to town we decided it would be a fun fit for Ashton since he has managed to teach himself every model and make of cars he sees around town.  He enjoyed it, and we bumped into his preschool teacher and learned that she was a car lover, too.  Jetta, was a little tired and it was warm out but she hung in there for us.  It was a fun Saturday activity.

Easter 2013

Easter Egg Hunts! Cupcakes! Bikes! Water Fun!

Jetta, frosting and decorating a delicious Grandma Robyn cupcake.

I wish I was nearby to see the look on Ashton's face when he found out the Easter Bunny had delivered his Easter wish in the back of our car.  Ashton managed to pull it out all on his own and was smiling ear to ear riding it when Cole looked out front and realized our son had found his Easter surprise a day early. 

 "Dad, the Easter Bunny brought me my bike. It was in the back of our car."

Jetta, writing out some tickets.

Egg Coloring.

Jetta biting into an egg, then spitting it back into her hand then eating it again. Ha!

Ashton as happy as can be with his awesome Grandma.

Grandpa, helping Jetta decorate some eggs.

Relaxing in the lounge chairs on the deck listening to fun music.

Playing in the sprinklers with Grandma Robyn.  Robyn came up with this fun game for Ashton. The three of them would put the sprinkler under a garbage can, then sit on top of the garbage can, then count down to blast off and then run crazy.  It was a big hit and brought many giggles and squeels. I couldn't ask for a better Grandma to my kids then Grandma Robyn.  She runs and plays with them every time they are together.

I like this picture a lot.  Ashton, is really patient with little Jetta.  And Jetta adores her big Brother.

Cute!

Another fun thing we did this year was an Easter Egg Hunt at JJ's.  I wish I would have taken pictures to include.  It was really fun, and nice of Ty & Amy.