Pinewood Derby (January 2011)

This year was a first in Pinewood Derby racing because it was Braden's last year and Hansen's first year. Ben Blaser, Sam's cousin, had been at our house back in the spring building the shelves for our storage room and the kids had gotten to know lots about him - including that he is an artist. They asked if he might paint their cars for them. As you can see, he did an awsome job with a spider and web on Braden's and a skull and fire on Hansen's. The race placement wasn't as awesome as the paint jobs but the boys were awarded 'Most Creative' (Braden) and 'Best Paint Job' (Hansen).

My Grandpa (January 2011)

We found out in Sept or Oct, 2009 that my grandpa had cancer. It was spreading quickly and he was given a few months to live. I wanted to get my kids down to see him and was worried that January might be too late. He held on for us though and we got to say good-bye.

My dad asked me a couple years ago if I would help him compile my grandpa's life history. My dad asked him questions and recorded the sessions. I typed it and compiled it into two books. It was a great opportunity for me to really get to know my grandpa. I was amazed at how sharp his memory was. He could remember names of friends, teachers, neighbors and pets from childhood. He also remembered amazing details about stories from his childhood and teenage years. I'm glad my dad asked me to help him with that project so I could have stories and examples to pass on to my kids. My grandpa had a tough life but what he never let it get him down. He wore a smile, looked on the bright side and assumed all would work out as it was supposed to.

Together We Can . . . (January 2011)

A Reflections Contest was announced at school through PTA. The theme was Together We Can. Students were encouraged to come up with an art project, poem, story, dance or song based on that theme. Braden and Hansen came home excited to begin their project and after some discussion, this is what they started working on:

BRADEN:

HANSEN:

Judges for the Lake Ridge Elementary contestants awarded Braden's project 1st place and Hansen's 2nd place. They were then sent on to the District and State finals. Braden won 1st in District and 2nd in State. Below is a picture after the final awards ceremony in the spring.

Christmas Eve Sledding (Dec 2010)

We've started a tradition of sledding on Christmas Eve. We drive to Grimes Creek where we hope there is enough snow but plenty of runs for everyone. This year we went with my brother-in-law, Tom and my neice, Shay, my brother, Bryan and his wife, Denise, the Christensen family and our neighbors, the Moore's.

I love taking pictures in the snow. The white makes a perfect background and the sun doesn't seem as harsh as it is in the summer. And, it doesn't hurt when your subjects are so adorable!

Halloween (2010)

This isn't the best picture but for some reason it's the only one I have of my little spooks and thier pumpkin creations. Braden was dressed as a 'brain' but we misplaced the mask part and couldn't find it for all the festivities (Boo!). Hansen was a ghoul (against my wishes) and, of course, if he put on the mask you can't see his face for the picture. Maren, as usual is a fairy/princess/butterfly. The only difference between this year and previous years is the color blue (she wanted pink but it wasn't available in her size). Ryen is his favorite character, Buzz Lightyear! Thanks to my sister Amber for giving him a this outfit for his b-day in July.

Happy Halloween!

Soccer (Sept 2010)

This year we signed Braden up with the Nampa Select soccer league to give him a little more competition than what the Rec league could provide. He played Center Midfielder and did a great job! It was so much fun to watch him play. He played with three of his friends; Christopher Kielman and Tyler Whipple both played as Forwards and Austin Crofoot was the most amazing goalie ever. In the fall season, we were placed in the 'B' bracket and won every game. When spring rolled around we were moved up to the 'A' bracket. This was a lot more challenging and we lost or tied most of the games. However, the kids were playing the top-rated teams in Idaho and our boys finished 7th in the state.

Toothless (Sept 2010)

Hansen has been waiting for this day for a long time. He didn't like being one of the last in his class at school to lose his front teeth. In fact, one of the kids in Hansen's class started a club and you could only be in it if you lost both your front teeth. (I would have liked to loosen that kids' two permanent teeth!) Come to find out, this all got started because Hansen and this other kid liked the same girl and Hansen wasn't hiding it. It made the other kid feel like he had to retaliate. The girl Hansen liked was older than him and already had her permanent teeth.

It's hard to convince a kid that teeth come out at their own pace and that some day all these other issues will be dust under the rug.

First Day of School (Aug 2010)

This day brings mixed feelings for me. I know it's necessary to send the kids off to study and learn other valuable life lessons but I hate to share them all day.

This will be Braden's last year in elementary school. And for the first time, Maren gets to join the boys. The Nampa School District changed the Kindergarten schedule this year to save money by not bussing mid-day. She will go all-day every Tuesday and Thursday and every other Friday. I know some parents don't like the new schedule but I do. It works for both Maren and me. Plus, it saves the school district over $200,000. I'd much rather that money get saved by cutting busses than teachers.

What is Pertussis?

It is a fatal cough. Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, is a highly contagious, bacterial disease that can be fatal for infants. Ninety-two percent of deaths from Pertussis occur in infants under 4-months of age. and 63% of babies younger than 12 months of age who get pertussis end up in the hospital. Babies get Pertussis from those who are close to them; primarily a family member, like a parent.

The name "whooping cough" comes from the loud "whoop" sound that occurs when someone with Pertussis struggles to breathe between coughing spasms.

If you thought Pertussis was behind us, think again. It's the only vaccine-preventable disease that has been on the rise.

Why do I bring this up? We don't have an infant and all my kids have been immunized.

I developed a cough in April 2010. It was a deep, deep cough. It was hard to catch my breath inbetween coughs and I couldn't do anything to get my heart-rate up or it would start up again. Plus, it sounded HORRIBLE! I had it for weeks and realized I didn't have any other symptoms you would expect to have with a cough. After a month or so, I went to see a Dr. He asked questions like, Did I feel like it was allergy related? I didn't. There would be other symptoms. Is it possible that I had heartburn? Nope. I've only had heartburn once in my life; when I was pregnant with Maren. I know what that feels like and this wasn't even close. Could I be missing other flu symptoms? Uh, no. I'm pretty sure I would know if I'd thrown up or had a fever. Could I have Pertussis? Oh, I seriously doubt it! Where in the world would I have gotten it? Plus, I've been immunized. And, wouldn't I have passed it to my family also? They don't have this. The Dr. was stumped but in listening to my lungs thought he heard something and wanted to do an x-ray to make sure he wasn't missing something. The x-ray showed perfectly clear, healthy lungs. I was referred to another Dr. This one acted like he didn't believe I had anything wrong with me; and I can see why -because honestly, I seemed and felt just fine. Until I coughed. I didn't feel like I needed to cough at the moment but I forced one out for the sake of proving my visit was merited. He sat straight up and said, is that your cough? You sound awful! Are you sure you feel okay? He told me there are 4 main causes of a cough; 1) allergies, 2) heartburn, 3) the flu, and 4) Pertussis. Sound familiar? We went through the same routine plus blood work to test for allergies and because there wasn't any other answer, he sent me home with allergy meds (it must be post-nasal drip) and an inhaler (I've never used one in my life and it totally made me shaky). When that didn't work, he referred me to a Pulminologist (lung specialist) who ordered a chest CT, breathing test, walking test and a sleeping test. I was seeing dollar signs before this visit and now I was imagining myself swimming in bills. Finally, it was determined that I did, in fact, have Pertussis. I must have caught it from a shopping cart and Walmart or some other place from someone who was contagious. The problem is that once I had answers, the cough was starting to go away on it's own and I had been living a normal life for the past 4 months; exposing everyone around me in the meantime.

I started doing some research and found out that Pertussis is also nicknamed the "hundred-day cough" because it will go away on it's own around that time. I had it for a little over 120 days. I had been immunized as a kid but I hadn't ever gotten a booster (which should be done every 10 yrs). I wondered why no one in my family had started coughing and finally realized it's because they were all immunized. Thank goodness! And, Sam is younger than me so his immunization hadn't worn off like mine had.

I'm getting on my soap box now! It is reported that 3.3 million cases of Pertussis occur each year in adults and adolescents. Children aren't being immunized and pass the disease to adults and infants. I can't imagine such a small baby going through what I experienced. It is ridiculous to have the means to prevent this and not do it. Parents need to immunize their children and get their own boosters up to date.

*Side Notes: The results of my blood test for allergies showed that I am allergic to one thing (only a slighty (0.08%)), to Russian Thistle, otherwise known as, tumbleweed!

The chest CT showed that the lining of my lungs were completely healthy but I had a small growth on my thyroid. I made yet another appointment and had another blood test done to check my thyroid. I also had an ultrasound of my thyriod done. The blood test came back normal and the ultrasound showed the center of the growth was fluid filled, not solid, which is the best possible scenario. PHEW! The news was relieving but talk about swimming in a pile of bills!!

Looking back at this has brought me a greater appreciation for the answers I found that I didn't necesarily know I was looking for. I always wanted to know if I had allergies and if so, to what and how strongly I was allergic. Before the cough came, I had been trying to lose weight and found it was a very difficult and slow process. I wondered if there might be something wrong with my thyroid. It's a relief to know for sure.

My Sis Gets Married (Aug 2010)

Kristen, my youngest sister got married in the Bountiful Temple. We took the opportunity to update a few shots of the fam and even got a picture of most the grandkids together. It was a beautiful day!

Lungren/Moore Adventures; Part 2 (Aug 2010)

We've started a tradition of taking an over-night camping trip during a weekend in the summer with our neighbors. Last year was a back-packing trip to the Grass Mountain Lakes near McCall. This year was rafting the South Fork of the Boise river. (This is the coldest river I've ever rafted! It is freshly melted snow that flows into Lucky Peak, eventually). BRRR! The view was the most breathtaking though - absolutely beautiful (and you can't see it from the road)!

We packed our gear on the back of two rafts, floated to a camping spot and set up the tents, gathered wood, etc. The kids enjoyed 'casting' (I'd say fishing but they never caught anything) and we even saw a Golden Eagle! It flew right over us as we were rafting. Later on we floated past it, perched in a tree to the side of the river. So cool!

Day two brought rope swing action, diving cliffs and a lot more rapids (including Raspberry). I was even talked into riding the rope swing and I liked it, cold water and all. The diving cliffs are a sore subject. Braden jumped and being submerged in the cold water took his breath away and made it difficult for him to swim back to shore. He started to panic. Sam quickly jumped off the cliff and swam to catch up with him in the water. It was an uncomfortable situation for a few minutes but it all ended up okay. Before running through Raspberry rapid, we pulled over to scout it. There were a bunch of guys from Utah doing the same thing. They had never been down it and weren't sure of what they were doing (they're raft wasn't even fully blown up). Sam and Miah took them through it then hiked back up and did it again with us. Maren was so freaked out by all the talk of "raspberry rapid" that she was completely tense and cried the whole way through it. Ryen cried through it too but not becuase he was scared, he just needed a nap!