Very Belated Father's Day

We have been a bit busy lately with recovering from surgery and the building process, but we were able to have a great father's day together.  My parents, siblings and significant others as well as Brett's sister and her family came to the lake for the day.  We went on boatrides, grilled out and just relaxed.  It was a day filled with laughter, lots of kiddo's, good food and great conversation.  Thank you to the 3 best fathers I know- my dad, my husband and my father in law.  Thanks for all you have done, and all you continue to do!

Building

Our lot has been purchased, house plans have been finalized and the hole has been dug!  We are hopefully well on our way to building our new house.  This house is about a block or two away from our old one, with just a few slight revisions in floor plans.  The big change- 3 bedrooms on one floor!  We will also have a bigger dining room, which should hopefully hold a lot of guests for dinners and other get togethers.  However, the yard is much smaller and we are hoping it will still be a good place for a patio and a backyard game or two- we'll have to wait and see.  This week they are hoping to have some or most of the framing done.  We have picked out a lot of the products- siding, shakes, outside rock and trim, plumbing fixtures, most of the lighting, fireplace, and cabinets.  Tomorrow we are going to pick out the countertops, tile and carpet.  The house is on schedule to be finished in September or October.

 The new lot- corner with a side load garage

Small, but pretty private backyard :)

Bye, Bye Tonsils

Shay got her tonsils and adenoids out Wednesday.  We tried to prepare her well in advance of her T&A operaration.  She met with our friend Heidi who told her all about surgery and what to expect, along with showing her much of the equipment and giving her stickers, a surgery doll and a mask to keep!  (Thanks Heidi!)  She also watched the kids "Preparing for Surgery" video produced by my work :)  
We called in Tuesday night and found out we were 3rd case (we had hoped for 1st).  When we got to the hospital in the morning and while we were in the admission process, an emergency surgery was booked, so the OR was no longer available.  We ended up going back home for a few hours before heading back through admissions again.  Shay did a pretty good job of not having anything to eat or drink for SEVERAL hours.  After getting through admissions (a 2nd time), Shay was given a sedative before they took her back for surgery.  She was a bit loopy and quite giggly.  Surgery went well and the doctor reported that both her tonsils and adenoids were "absolutely huge". 
The recovery has been tough so far, a bit rougher than Brett and I expected. 
When we met Shay after surgery in the recovery room she was screaming and trying to pull out her IV as well as other tubing.  She calmed down a bit when she realized we were there, but she was in a lot of pain.  We ended up being in recovery for quite a while, due to Shay not eating or drinking much and a medication mess-up.  We left later Wednesday night, and had a ROUGH night.  The best way to describe our sleep schedule was that of having a newborn, except worse.
Thursday morning continued to be tough, but last night about 9pm after she had 3 popsicles in a row (the most she has eaten in a couple of days), Shay started talking and acting a bit more like herself.  Hopefully today is even better!  Good job Shay!   We are excited to see Shay not struggle to breath when she has a cold, sleep better (and quieter) at night, and have more energy.

 Shay's main pre-op complaint, "It stinks in here"

 To help deal with the "stink", she continued to smell the mask that Heidi had given her with the strawberry scent

 Much better

 Waiting with Dad

 Loopy with Mom after the first medication

Getting Ready to Go Home

31

We were able to celebrate Rachel's 31st birthday a few different ways.  First, Shay and I were able to go out for lunch with Great Grandma Betty, Marylou and Kathy (thank you :).  Alyssa and Rachel were able to visit Great Grandma Carol later in the day as well.  Then Jesse and Ambre took me out later Friday for an evening cap at Bonfire's.  Shay and Rachel went to the Children's Museum and Cafe Latte with Angie, Owen and Anders.  Saturday night Grandpa Mark and Grandma Stacy had the nuclear family over for dinner and cupcakes-- what a fun day!

 Alyssa helping make dinner

 Shay had been ready for cupcakes pretty much the whole day

 "wow mom, you are old"

 

Playdates

Shay and Patrick spent Wednesday nights in May heading to gymnastics.  They both loved the trampoline and foam pit and the stickers and stamps they got at the end of each session.  After gymnastics we would head out to eat- which everyone loved.  Since June has rolled around and gymastics is over, we have all missed it.  So after Shay's recovers from her tonsil removal surgery on the 15th- we think we are going to hit up soccer next!

This week we got together for a playdate instead, and the babies came this time too!  I was amazed at what we accomplished in just a short period of time- playing outside with the hose and other yard toys, grilling out hamburgers, feeding all 4 kiddos without a huge mess, making and eating rice krispie bars (thank you Ryan :), lots of jumping and running as well as stories in bed!