To the closing of 2010

This will probably be the final post of the year since I haven't been the best at updating the blog this year...

You always reflect this time of the year on what challenges you have overcome and the blessings that were brought to you... A year ago I was hoping for a better 2010 than it seemed I had in 2009... But now I seem to be doing the same in hoping for a better 2011 than we had this year...

Death seemed to be the theme for 2010 for my family... First, in the passing of my Dad on my birthday this spring... And with the passing of my Grandma (mom's side) just in Oct... They are missed daily... It just shows just how precious life really is...

We have had some fun times this year and things to be thankful for too...

Tony and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary and he surprised me with a fun getaway to the Castle Creek Inn (Bed and Breakfast)... 7 years... Its amazing how fast the time really goes anymore... It seems that just yesterday we were the crazy teenagers that fell in love in a Drama class in High School at the age of 15 and 17 hahahaha... And now 14 year later we are holding on to one another still in love... I LOVE YOU BUBBA!!!

Hayden turned 4 this year... And he is as sharp as a whip as ever... There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me laugh at some of the things he comes up with... I am so unbelievably lucky and blessed to be his mom and for the journey he has gone through to be in my (OUR.. sorry honey) life... Its amazing how the life of a child changes everything... And for the better... You can't imagine what life really was without them in it...

The year brought camping trips, Jazz games, Broadway shows, and great times with friends and family that I hope not only continue next year but we do more of..

As I finish reflecting on the year I can do it with a smile and know that I came out stronger with it... I hope the last month brings your family and mine happy memories and times together filled with love and joy...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Love to all
Kenz, Tony and Hayden

Where do I even begin ???

Already half way done with 2010... Can you believe it??? Neither can I... Especially with what the first half has dealt my little family...

We started the year of course with the success of Hayden's surgery which Tony and I are truly blessed about... And Hayden is your typical 3 1/2 year old... To smart for his own good sometimes... But the surgeries didn't end there for the little one... Mid April had us having oral surgery to fix the "weak enamel"... (see "weak" blog back in March 2009) He is such a trooper just down the day and back up and runnin the next its amazing how resilient kids are... Hopefully he should be good for awhile in the surgery department...

I turned 29 this year... 29... WOW... But as much as I am shocked at where time went... Somethings I will never get back and by that I mean my Dad... My birthday has forever be changed at the fact that my dad left this world for the next on the same day I came in to it...

Unfortunately the last few years of my Dads life where not filled with happier memories but the childhood ones will last forever... Though its still hard to realize he's not here its peaceful knowing he's no longer stuggling with his demons and life choices... I love you Daddy

Now on a happier note we have had some fun times this year...

Tony and I with our friends Crystal and Mike went to see one of our (Tony's and My) favorite musicals (YES WE LIKE MUSICALS !!!) Leagally Blonde at Capitol Theatre... It was so much fun... As much as I would love to go see a musical on Broadway our little theatre will do for now...

We try to make it to at least one Jazz game a year and as big of Jazz fans as we are over here (all 3 of us) it was fun seeing Hayden cheer and yell for our team...


We also celebrated Memorial with Tony's family camping in Mona which was beautiful...



Tony's birthday with our amazing friends and family sitting around our BBQ and fire pit eating great food (Tin foil dinners... Our absoulte favorite) and smores... You really can't beat a quiet night like that surrounded by the ones you love...

Though summer has really just begun I hope the remaining part of the year brings more happy memories and times for my little family...

My Daddy can do that ????

Let me first tell you the back story...

It was the end of the 2008 Summer and Hayden began having an imaginary friend named Michael... He'd call Michael on the phone and talk to him and play with him... Everything you would do with a friend of the imaginary kind... We had no clue who Michael was or even where he came from but we thought it was cute so encouraged him and Michael to play... It wasn't until a few months later that Tony, Hayden and I were in a swim shop getting a new swimsuit for me and new swimming gear for Tony (who still swims sometimes since the good ol' Swim Team days of High School)... As we shopped Hayden pointed to a poster of all people Michael Phelps and said "Daddy, Mommy look its Michael"... Thats right my sons imaginary friend was and still is Michael Phelps and it wasn't until after the Olympics that Michael and Hayden could play and be friends...

So heres the update..

Michael still comes around every once in a while and plays but it was the other day that changed Hayden's thinking of Michael and Daddy forever... I pulled out our old camcorder and videos of High School and came across a State Meet Tony and the Swim Team were in back in 1998... I called Hayden into our room where it was playing and the following happened:

me: "Hayden come watch this"
Hayden: "What we watching Momma"
me: "look" as Hayden jumps up on our bed
Hayden: "we watching Michael???"
me: "No thats not Michael"
Hayden: "yes it is thats Michael he does this" (showing me how Michael warms up on the block)
me: "Hayden thats not Michael"
Hayden: with now a confused look on his face "Who is it then"
me: "thats your Daddy"
Hayden: now with the cutest shocked face ever "My daddy can swim like Michael??"
me: "Yep your daddy can swim like Michael"

Thats all Hayden could talk about the rest of the day was how Tony can swim like Michael... Hayden had to watch it again with Tony that night and has asked me everyday since if he can watch the video again... Tony's even thinking about joining a Masters program which would be an adult league... Could you imagine Hayden then actually watching Tony swim... (I think you should do it Bubba)


Tony back in '98

Surgery

Well its done...

It started Monday with us getting there at 6:30am to get checked in... We ended up waiting almost an hour before we started getting vitals and getting changed into our hospital jammies... From there we went to a second waiting room where we met with the AMAZING Dr. Brockmeyer and our anesthesiologist Dr. Tanner (of all names)... We chose to give Hayden a seditive before surgery just to make the seperation process easier on all of us... Once they gave that to him it was pretty much game over for him... He made us laugh so hard with the things he was saying once it took effect... He was trying to shoot spiders in his mouth and said that Tonys hand was candy and just had the giggles, it was so cute... It was then time to take him back and get started... At this point it was around 8:00am like they had promise... We then met some family and waited in the waiting room until a nurse involved with his surgery let us know that he went under alright and that they were officialy starting the surgery... Once we got word we headed downstairs for some food at the great cafeteria here (no sarcasm)... They had told us that they had blocked out 2 hours for surgery not knowing what might have come up when they opened him up though Dr. Brockmeyer had said his procedure would only be about an hour to an hour and a half... Anyways knowing this we didn't rush with breakfast though we should have cause when we checked back in with the waiting room they had said that Dr. Brockmeyer already came in to talk to us 45 minutes later !!! Thats right it only took 45 minutes... Since we missed him they called him up and I got to talk to him about how things went... He said it went really well and that he did have to alter the original scare a bit but the best news was that he said he only expected him to be here the night!!! I couldn't believe it only a night I was so proud of our little man... About 15 minutes later we got word that I was allowed back to see him in the "Wake up / Recovery" room... He was in bed number 4 and his nurse Mindi was trying to calm him down when I finally got there... She had said that Hayden was telling her he was scared but the moment he saw me he relaxed which as a Mommy made me feel great... Looking at his head it reminded me of his original surgery, it looked identical to it.. Dr. Brockmeyer had yet again done amazingly well... And to finally look at it and see a normal little boy head is such a humbling thing... We were only in recovery until 10:30am and off to his room... We stayed in the Neuroscience Trauma Unit (NTU) in room 2019 with the best nurses... We started with Jen (10th A.M) then Ryan (10th P.M) and finished with Kelli (11th A.M)... They were so great with Hayden... Hayden got a little sick to his tummy after the anesthetic wore off but he was a real trooper... He didn't even want any pain medicine except for right after surgery when he told us "My haircut hurts"... Ryan was nice with Hayden and I in letting us just sleep and not come and bug us like hospital stays can be so that was nice... It ended up being an early morning of course but we made it as fun as possible... After finally getting Hayden to eat some breakfast we took a wagon ride around the hospital which he seemed to enjoy... By the time we came back to the room Dr. Brockmeyer was making his rounds... He looked over Hayden and said he wanted to follow up with us in 4-6 weeks and that we were free to go in the afternoon after one more treatment of antibiotics... Since we had about 2 hours till that happened Daddy ended up taking Hayden to the play room on the 3rd floor while I got us all packed up... I then met the boys to play... After we did that we had a little lunch and a nap while we did our medicine... Finally we got discharged and made the trip home... I am so proud of Hayden for everything he has already overcome... I am so blessed and unbelievably grateful that he is my son...


This was taken Sunday after our surgery haircut and blood work at Primarys (his cool tattoo and bacelet)He had to keep them on overnight for the surgery so his ID tags matched the blood work we had done


His Cabbage Patch "Cy" needed bone paste too... Don't they look alike??


After his seditive


Hayden and Cy after surgery


Tuesday's wagon ride around the hospital

Surgery Class

Well Thursday the 7th was our Surgery Prep Class at Primarys... It started with an animated video showing the kids all about surgery... From there they took the kids and had them play with all types of Doctor stuff Stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, and also gave them a baby to use them on (that he got to keep)... While the kids were doing that they talked to us parents all about surgery day what to expect on our end and to answer any question we may have... Once we were all back together we toured the surgery area of the hospital... An actual surgery room, the "wake up" room and also the recovery room... Since we were the only family staying over they showed us what kind of room we will have once Hayden's out of recovery... Over all I'm glad we went... I think Hayden got alot out of it he really seems to understand whats going on he's so smart... The cutest part was what Hayden wore... My mom had scrubs made for him as his christmas present... They say Dr. Hayden on them and they matched the actual staff at the hospital perfectly... Everyone at the hospital got a kick out of them... We plan on wearing them again Monday morning... Speaking of Monday... I found out yesterday that registration is at 6:30am which puts us in surgery around 8:00am... Sunday we have to get some blood work done so that they have his match ready in case he may need some (I really hope they don't need to use it)... As this weekend unfolds and surgery comes and goes believe me I'll post about it... I'm so glad I have this blog cause as Hayden gets older it will be here to read and remember his amazing journey...

Swim free little guy...

The last couple days "Fish" just wasn't acting his normal happy self so Tony told me it probably wouldn't be long (just to give me a heads up) and unfortunatly when Hayden and I got home today he had passed on... Hayden and I had a lovely funeral on the side of the potty and as we were leaving the bathroom I had asked Hayden if he was sad... His response "Fish are you sad???" Yelling in the toilet as he went down... I guess he isn't as upset as me... Death is sad no matter who or what it may be...

Thanks for coming up to the tank when I walked in the room and the fun little dance you would do when you saw your food... You were a great first fish for both Hayden and I... We'll miss you...


Fish
Feb 2009 - Jan 05,2010

Goodbye 2009... Hello New Year !!!

We ended up finishing 2009 on a high note... But like so many people I am glad to see the year come to an end and looking forward to a new fresh start with 2010...

After Hayden's birthday we decided to get our little man "a big boy bed"... He had outgrown his toddler bed and with his surgery coming up we wanted him as comfortable as possible... It had started with just finding a twin bed but after coming across the bunk beds we just couldn't pass them up... He's just growning up so fast...


Another fun thing we did to finish off the year was made our first family gingerbread train... Tony and I had never done one before so we didn't know what we were up against... Though it was fun I dont know if it will be a yearly tradition type thing... Ha Ha Ha


This year we did start a new tradition with our closest friends by doing a "Friends Christmas Dinner"... With the current economic times causing our own stuggles we realized the true meaning of christmas and decided that instead of gifts we would just get together for a nice dinner and just spend time with one another... It was so much fun and I'm really looking forward to the memories it will create... We really have some amazing wonderful friends... We love you guys so much and we are so happy you are in our lives...

This Christmas was seriously the funniest Christmas Tony and I have both had... With Hayden finally understanding Santa and the holiday it was so fun seeing the excitement through his eyes... Tony never being the holiday person like myself finally got into the spirit and made it that much more fun for me!!! We of course went and visited Santa and Hayden loved it... All he asked Santa for was a Candy Cane... Thats right a candy cane... Though he would call Santa from time to time with new gift ideas or to tell him if Tony and I were being bad... He makes us laugh...



Sunday after Christmas Grammy and Grampy took Hayden and myself to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks the squeakquel" and the lights at Temple Square... Though it was freezing cold we bundled up like crazy and took the train downtown for our fun night... Thanks guys!!!





We ended the year with a small get together to watch the ball drop and ring in 2010... The kids had so much fun and we (the adults) did too... It was a great way to get rid of 2009 and bring in the new year...



I really have high hopes for this year!!! I can't wait to see what it has to offer!!! I hope to make the best of it!!!