Cody & Kerri: 07/01/2014

I love to see the temple

I'm one of those who updates occasionally (but when I do it's often a few updates at a time!!)

This summer has been busy, and much different than planned. Thankfully we got a much needed temple trip last week! We usually leave the kids with someone so we can go in together but this time we took the kids up and then took turns. I like the kids to get to see the temple and develop a love for it (even though I do usually prefer for Cody and I to go in together! I think these trips are important too :)

We have spent much of the past month in the hospital with my sweet Mom who was diagnosed with advanced endometrial cancer. She had a pretty major surgery to remove the main part of the tumor( as well as places where it had spread) but life has been pretty much day to day as this all is getting figured out. She remains positive about things and that is good, though I know she is beyond wanting to get out of a hospital already! They have not yet begun chemo but that is in the very near future. It has been an adjustment for the kids as well, all the back and forth and staying with others. I'm grateful I have other sisters too who have been a great help with all of this. With Eli's surgery and recovery now it's been a few days since we've been back to see her. Taking a day to go to the temple though was a good day for all of us. I'm so grateful for the peace we find there and to be renewed with strength to go forward with our lives. We're so lucky to have a temple much closer these days (just a couple of hours to KC!) I also saw several family friends that day (from different areas and times in our lives, two families of whom I had actually had thought of that morning and had thought it would be great to run into them. Heavenly Father really is involved in the details of our lives and has a plan for each of us.

Another tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy..

We apparently grow large and problematic tonsils/adenoids in this family. Ansel had his out in kindergarten (after having strep 5 times that year!) in January I got a peritonsilar abcess (after many years of chronic step/tonsilitis) and then got my tonsils out the end of February (and spent most of March recovering! Awful.. Awful.. Awful! They absolutely were not kidding when they said adult tonsillectomies were horrible to recover from! I spent nearly 3 weeks in a recliner just trying to exist until it was over and pretty much lived off ice chips and pain meds even though they didn't really touch the pain! Usually I have a high pain tolerance but I felt like a big baby after this one! The dr said I even had adenoids left so they took those too (often those are gone by adulthood) Anyway, after having mine done this year I found myself much more nervous about Eli having his out than I was when Ansel had his out!!

Eli's on post op day 4 now though and has just done amazing. He's been extra tired and rests a lot, and has woke up with ear and throat pain a few times but after a few sips of water and a Popsicle or something he perks right back up for the most part. He even was getting rid of scabs by the end of day 2 (which didn't start with me until at least a week out!) He's also been able to sleep a lot (which was also a big relief as if I fell asleep for more than 20-30 minutes at a time I would wake up in unbearable pain from drying out.. Even with a humidifier going nonstop!). I remembered that Ansel seemed to be fine a week after surgery but I still was so nervous for Eli after mine. It's been such a huge relief to see him doing so well for the most part. On the way to his surgery he was just singing away! Coming off the anesthesia was probably the worst part for him. (By that point he was saying "I don't like my surgery! I don't want to come here again!" (I can't say I blame him!) He's been a champ though! Love this boy :)