Madi had her first softball game last night, in the rain. It was so cold but she did really well. She has a few practice games and then they will play until the end of June. She likes softball because you don't have to run as much as soccer. She played catcher and did quite well.

Player Name / ID Team Name / Code Total Goals Flight
Kennedee Tracy
19608-312749 Sparta 96 Premier D.B.
0316-01CG14-0061 7 Girls Under 14 Premier
Madison Lyons
29504-124893 Sparta 96 Premier D.B.
0316-01CG14-0061 7 Girls Under 14 Premier
Sydney Fitzpatrick
29604-116068 Sparta 96 Premier D.B.
0316-01CG14-0061 5 Girls Under 14 Premier
Rachel Bingham
49605-172258 Sparta 96 Premier D.B.
0316-01CG14-0061 4 Girls Under 14 Premier

I am so proud of Kennedee. She has played less games than the rest of the team because she was hurt, but she has come back and she is at the top of the scoring board with 7 goals. Her team is sitting first and it looks like the will stay there.

I am tired of the rain and snow.. I really want to be at the



With one of these



serving me some



And some



Awww what a life

Busy busy busy

Madison looking for potato bugs.

Kennedee chilling after a game of soccer with the neighbor.

Like the title says our lives are busy, busy, busy.
Kennedee is back to playing soccer and doing very well. Her team is number 1 for the season and they have won all their games so far. Kennedee played on monday and the team they played is supposed to be the biggest competitor in the league for us but we beat them 5-0. Kennedee scored 2. On wednedsay they played another good team and won 10-2. Kennedee scored 2 again and on friday the played and won 3-0, Kennedee scored 1. She is feeling good.
Tuesday Madi had dance pictures and we thought they were at 4:30 so we rushed fast but when we got there we realized it wasn't until 6. Her recital is coming up in a couple of weeks. Madison has her first softball game this week.
Friday I went to the Jazz game with a date and the kids went with Binghams to the soccer game and then slept over. I picked them up in the morning and Kennedee went home long enough to clean her room and Jane picked her up to go watch a baseball game and the movies with friends. Madi cleaned her room and went to her friends until dark.
Sunday we slept in and went to church. After church the kids went outside and played until dark.
I have spent a lot of time blog surfing and following Miracle Mason's blog (who is posted on my blog) and it gives me such a great appreciation for the health of my kids. We have had nothing compared to those poor kids. It breaks my heart. The kids and I are in the process of making blankets to deliver to the NICU. Kennedee wants to volunteer at the hospital as soon as she can drive.
Hug your kids a little tighter today, for you never know what the future will bring.

So much to be grateful for

After the events of last week, we needed a fun filled weekend. And we got it.
Friday Kennedee had a physical therapy appt and the therapist gave her a 100% all clear on her ankles. He said we will never be able to prevent another injury but we will still see the PT once a week for a couple more weeks to teach Kennedee the skills she needs to keep her ankles strong. Kennedee slept with me until friday night, just to make sure she didn't have any problems breathing. She was still scared of having another attack. I was happy to sleep all by myself friday night, but Madi had a bad dream and slept with me. Its a good thing I am single and they can crawl in anytime. Back to friday night. Madison had softball practice so we stopped and bought her some cleats, dropped her off, ran Kennedee home to get some stuff to sleep over at her friends, dropped her off there. Went back to pick up Madi and her friend called to see if she could have a late night, so ran her home to change and up to her friends to hang out. I chilled (laundry, dishes, cleaning at home) until it was time to pick her up. And we crashed.
Saturday morning we got up to go get Kennedee from her friends, came home and made breakfast and hurried to get to the game. Our plan was to just let Kennedee warm up with the team. yeah right... She didn't start the game and 10 minutes into it the other team was being so nasty and yelling at our players and the parents were screaming. Kennedee couldn't stand it. So she went in the game. She hasn't played or exercised for 3 weeks. I was very nervous for her. She played ok. Her breathing was good and her ankles didn't hurt. She was a little out of breath but all in all she did ok. She didn't play the whole game but a lot of it. And we won so the other team shut up pretty quick.
After the game, we had decided to go to the Lehi indoor pool. Mom, Jaime, Stran and Hadlee came went with us and Rachel too. We had a good time chilling in the pool and Stran loved it. He could have stayed in there all day. After swimming we went to the mall and then to Cafe Rio for dinner. By then we were all so tired I just wanted to go home and crawl in my bed.. Alone..
Sunday we got up and went to church and then hung out all day. We went to the park and played and laid on the couch all in the same room watching the same thing on TV. That doesn't happen to often.
All in all it was a great family weekend and we had a great time. I love spending time with my kids. That is the best ever. I am so grateful they are healthy and that we can have family time.
Tonight is a big soccer game and although I am nervous to let her play it would kill her to sit on the side lines and watch. This is the biggest match up of the season.

Asthma attack day 3

This morning Kennedee is home resting. She had a mostly uneventful day yesterday. Jane had her and they went for a walk, Kennedee ate Popsicles, drank boosts and hiccuped all day. Jane dropped her off and 15 minutes later it started all over.
I was picking Madi up from softball and Kennedee called to let me know she was home, she was breathing good but had the hiccups. She said they were annoying and her stomach hurt because of them but she was feeling ok. 10 minutes later she calls me and is gasping for air in the phone and said she is throwing up. She had taken a drink and right as she swallowed she hiccuped and it gagged her and she went into the gasping for breath mode again. This one wasn't as scary as the other day but to see Kennedee cry and gasp for air still is hard. She just kept saying, I want this to stop, I want to feel better.
So I hurry home and this time I am taking her to a real after hours clinic that treat young people, not a insta care like the other day. I drove fast to Provo and dropped her and Madi off at the door. I got in the door and poor Kennedee had tears rolling down her face and was staring into space. I helped her walk to the office and of course the place is filled with sick kids. After a few minutes of waiting, Kennedee had to go to the bathroom so I helped her walk down the hall and when she was done a nice nurse asked me what was wrong and I told her she couldn't breath, so she took us back to the room and tried to help her calm down. We talked about the day and we tried to take her mind off not being able to catch her breath. The doctor comes in and I ramble off the events of the last couple of days and told her the doctor the other day said she had a virus. She shook her head and said I don't think so. Yeah me neither. She looked in her throat and tried to get Kennedee to talk to her. She was going to send us to the hospital to get some more Valium in her system but instead said to get a paper bag and make her take deep breaths into it and we turned the lights off and turned the music on my phone and let her surf facebook. I sat on the table next to her and she laid her head on my leg and I played with her hair. It was a little while but she calmed down and the hiccups went away and her breathing slowed down to a normal level.
The doctor explained that Kennedee did have an asthma attack at school but the inhaler didn't help (because you take it before you have an attack not during). So once that didn't work and she couldn't breath, it turned into a full blown panic attack. So now we know what to do to prevent this and hopefully Kennedee can recognize it so she can be proactive. Today she is home resting. Her body has been through so much the last couple of days that she is exhausted and she needs to sleep.
Moral of this story. When you have that gut feeling that a doctor is telling you your child has something and you just don't believe it. Get a second opinion.
Kennedee was able to go into school for a few minutes when Jane picked up Rachel yesterday and she heard from the kids and the teachers what really happened. From the sounds of it, it scared a lot of people and she had some great friends and teachers who cared about her enough to carry her through the halls to get help and who recognized that something was really wrong with her. I am forever grateful for those people. Thank you
Yesterday Kennedee was asking me if she could play in saturdays soccer game, my response was, lets get through one day at a time and we will see. The doctor last night said no excercise the next couple of days and unless she has a fantastic weekend, she won't be playing monday either. Her PE teacher told her she scared her pretty bad and she doesn't want her running in her class for a few days too. Sitting still is not Kennedee's thing. But we will get through this one day at a time and with lots of prayers for strength.

Kennedee slept with me last night. Every once in a while she would wake up and I would say are you ok, she would nod her head and say her head is spinning and she felt weird and didn't like it and then lay back down and fall asleep. It was just like when I brought that new born home from the hospital. I laid in bed and listened to her breath. When I couldn't hear her, I would lean closer and nudge her so she would move. The night went by without any excitement. When my alarm went off we both stirred a little and as soon as Kennedee woke up she started the hickup breathing again. I tried to get her to drink something but when she tried it just hurt her throat and she would have a hard time swallowing. Of all days, we have big audits at work and I couldn't miss. I made her recite my phone number and left the phone next to her on the bed. Kissed her forehead and left. I cried all the way to work and called Jane to see what she thought. She offered to go get her and take her home with her for the day and keep an eye on her. (that meant so much to me, I can't begin to explain my gratitude). We both decided if she felt better she could go to school later. She has missed so much between 2 sprained ankles, doctor appts and now this. Jane took her home and got her to drink and eat and made her go for a little walk. She says she is breathing better and just has hiccups and because they are so noisy, going to school wouldn't be good. All the valium still hasn't worn all the way off and she has one heck of a headache. I am at work but still can't concentrate and I worry about her. She is in good hands and just resting. She still can't remember that hour at school, but hopefully we can figure out what happened and prevent it from ever happening again.
The positive thing, right now I know exactly where Madison is. At school.

Why?

Although I would like my blog journal to always be positive and upbeat, that is not how life really is. This post is more for me to write down my feelings and thoughts for the day.
So like the title says why? Why does Kennedee have to endure so much pain. Right now she is out like a light from the 2 shots of Valium (the real word is something I can't pronounce but it is just like Valium).So the story goes like this.
I get a call at work today at 2:30 from the school office saying Kennedee is having an asthma attack and what can they do, they really didn't have a clue what was happening and I could hear her having a hard time breathing. They said she was just sitting in guitar class and started having a hard time breathing. I told them to have her take a puff of her inhaler. My first reaction is frustration. After hanging up I called Jane who I knew would be picking up Rachel in a few minutes from school and she happened to be outside the school already and said she would go check on Kennedee. Jane thinks of Kennedee as her own and treats her just like a daughter. She doesn't panic or over react so I knew I would get the right story from her. She called me right back and said I needed to come get her at our house, she really couldn't breath and had taken 4 puffs of her inhaler and it wasn't working. Since I knew she wasn't one to over react I left work and met her at home with Kennedee.
Poor Kennedee sat in the car taking deep breaths trying to breath but not saying anything. Jane and I tried to reach Scott (Dr Bingham) to see where I needed to take her. We couldn't get a hold of him and poor Kennedee just stared off into space with tears rolling down her face. It broke my heart. She could hardly walk to my car, she was loopy.
So we go to the ER care not to far from our house and she didn't say a word, just gasped for breath. When we pulled in I said can you walk and she looked blankly into the air. I had the nurse bring her a wheel chair and they took her back immediately. They put oxygen on her and that didn't do anything. When we went the emergency room a couple of years ago the oxygen helped right away. This time nothing. The Dr listened to her lungs and he said it wasn't an asthma attack, he heard no wheezing. I would call her name and she wouldn't look at me. They finally put in an IV with that word I can't pronounce and after a few minutes she still wasn't really calming down they prepped another shot for her shoulder. She looked up at them and saw the needle and started crying and saying NO NO and then looked at me with tears streaming down her face. Talk about me trying not to cry. They gave her that shot and she said she had to go to the bathroom so I wheeled her down the hall and helped her. We sat in the bathroom for a minute and she laid her head on my shoulder and cried and begged me to take her home. I had a hard time not breaking down. I told her we needed to stay to make sure the medicine could calm her down and help her breath. Her breathing was slowing down but she sounded almost like she had the hiccups and it would take her breath away. They took her to another room and gave her a blanket to lay down and rest. Unlike the last time in the ER I didn't take any pictures.
After a few minutes she looked exhausted but started to get a little more coherent and was joking with me. Her heart rate was slowing down but she did have a fever. So after this 2 hour visit the doctor and all his wisdom said she had a virus. (I am not buying that but bit my tongue). She was sounding better and she just wanted to get home. I tried to ask Kennedee what happened at school and why she was wearing different clothes but she can't remember the last hour of school. So she rested and we waited for the OK to go home.
So now we are home and she is sound asleep. When I talk to her to make sure she really is ok, she bites my head off. I know the medication is making her crabby so I pull the covers up on her and leave the room.
So my question again. Why does she have to go through so much. On the phone Scott B said there is a lesson in here somewhere we just have to figure out what it is. So between spraining both ankles a couple weeks ago and now this. Why?
To watch my child gasp for air and look at me for help crushes me. I can't begin to explain the helpless feeling I felt when all I could say is I am hurrying to the dr just try and stay calm, when inside all I want to do is break down. I am super grateful to Scott and Jane for their calmness today and just being there for both of us.
So while writing this Kennedee calls me to get her a drink. I take her a drink and some rolls from dinner in and she gulps the drink down. She can't really swallow and it scares her again. But she is so exhausted mentally and physically that she takes it slow and then says she is going back to sleep.
The second part of this story is Madison. Today was supposed to be activity days and after school she was going to go to her friends house, where activity days are held. When I came home to get Kennedee I left the front door unlocked and noticed a note saying activity days was cancelled. I debated whether to grab her from school and thought no I need to get Kennedee to the ER quick and Madison will come home and call me like usual and I will let her know where I am. Well, Madison never called. I called places for an hour and a half looking for her. No one answered and I really had no clue where she was. I was hoping she was at her friends house and just didn't call me. The number I had just rang. So almost 2 hours after school got out I was taking Kennedee home and I stopped at the friends house and she was there. (thanks to the neighbors who offered to go look for her for me). I was calling the right number but it was a cell phone and it was in the car, not the house. The mom apologized and said from now on she will make sure Madi always calls me when she comes over and Madi felt bad when I got a little angry at her and explained why.
So after all my rambling I will remember this day now in a little more detail and I will still ask the question why to a lot of things. But right now I am grateful Madison is home and tucked in bed and Kennedee is breathing and ok and I will give them both extra kisses and go take a hot bath for me.

Easter

We had a great Easter weekend. Friday night we headed up north to spend the weekend with the family. Saturday morning we got up early and went to the city Easter Egg hunt. Madison and Stran got a lot of candy and thought it was fun. We went back to grandma's and Mimi had to run a quick errand and when she came home she surprised everyone with 2 bunnies. The kids were so excited to see them. They named them Max and Ruby. We watched conference and went and visited Aunt Mame, came home and died Easter eggs, I made Easter cookies and we all watched Blindside together.
Sunday morning the kids woke up early and were so excited to see the Easter bunny had left notes and eggs to lead the way to the Easter baskets.
Stran enjoyed the chaos and loved Madison's array of balls the Easter bunny left her. He liked his toys but the balls were pretty fun. Madison got 3 Zuzu pets and lots of candy. Kennedee got candy.
I made chocolate pancakes for breakfast and the kids got ready to go with their dad. We watched conference and took a Sunday nap. It was so nice and relaxing. We had a casual Easter dinner and took Stran outside to play in the yard. He loves to follow grandpa around and be a boy. Gucci even enjoys running around the yard and getting to play with Luke.
When the kids came home from dads we packed up and headed home. They are out for spring break for a week, but I have to work and the weather isn't really that great to take off to do anything. So they will chill at home all week and hang out with friends.
Kennedee is doing better. She can walk but still is in pain. She isn't crawling as much but I think she is trying to be tough so she can get back on the field.