Hoffman/Peterson Ugly Sweater Party

On December 23rd we had our annual Hoffman/Peterson Christmas party. This year was so special because EVERYONE was there. It was so much fun but always goes by too quickly. We made a decision to make it a sleepover next year. The parents can then go to bed while the kids stay up and catch up ;) I had so much fun stitching on lights to Nick and my sweaters. I believe my dad owned Nick's sweater at some point! Nick's lights say 'I (heart) Christmas'! Below is the slide show from the night.

But here are a few of my favorite pictures:

HE PASSED

Charlie had his hearing test with the audiologist today and passed. He did great and the doctor said that he is a little below average for the quieter sounds BUT that is normal for kids with tubes. He has to go back in a year to get checked. What a relief! We meet with the speech therapist on January 4th. The new year is going to be a great one for the Otto's, I just know it.

Happy Birthday Emma!

It is so hard to believe that my little girl is 6! Where does the time go? I remember going to the hospital the day after Christmas to have her and it doesn't seem like it can be 6 years already. She has grown into a sweet, fun little girl. She is the true girly girl that I always wanted to have. She loves dance, dolls, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, playing with her brothers, dress-ups and she LOVES to wear cute clothes! She is following in her Nana from the pool's foot steps with her love for shoes. Every time I put heels on she is always telling me how beautiful they are. I do my best to make sure the house is set-up for her birthday. Nick and I just got done hanging streamers and balloons. I love making it special for her when she wakes up.

Emma I can't believe you are 6 years old already! We love you so much and hope that you have a very special birthday!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. Ours is full of fun parties. Tonight we are having the annual Hoffman/Peterson Christmas party at mom and dad's. It is an ugly sweater party this year. It should be a hoot. I love that we all get together every year to celebrate together.

Tomorrow we will be heading to church in the afternoon and having a fondue supper with Nick's mom and dad. I am hosting this year so I am so excited to be home and get everything ready.

Sunday we will head to my parents again after we open everything Santa brings. I love our tradition with my family on Christmas. It is chaotic with all the kids but that is what it is all about. Mom makes great food and we all just hang out all day.

Watch out on Monday for the Peterson girls as they do their annual trip to get the after Christmas deals. It is so much fun!! I LOVE it and can't wait for it again this year. It sounds like it might just be me, mom and Ali but it will still be a blast. We get up way early and head to Caribou for coffee and a light breakfast. Then off to all the stores to get the deals.

Monday is also Emma's birthday. I can't believe she is going to be 6! Where does the time go? We will be having a small birthday party for her Monday evening and then her friend party will be in January after things slow down some.

We sure planned a lot around Christmas but it is so fitting. It is my favorite holiday and I just love to enjoy it as long as possible. Our wedding anniversary is the 27th so we will sneak in a supper somewhere and enjoy some peace and quiet.

After all of this I might get to sleep on Wednesday...OH WAIT...I have 3 weddings to bake and deliver to for New Years!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Cheers!

Birthdays, Christmas and Football

We had a great weekend with the Otto's. Friday night we celebrated Emma and Helena's birthdays. They both have December birthdays. Helena was born on Christmas day and Emma was born the day after. It was so fun to have a party for them that was separate from Christmas! Saturday we celebrated Christmas. We got out to the lake around 11am and opened presents right away. The kids can't wait too long. We stayed all day and had such a great time. Lydia, Helena and Juliet have grown so much since this summer. It was so great to see them and spend some time with them. Juliet is such a great baby and I LOVED being able to snuggle with her. Here are some pictures from our weekend:



Today Nick and I went to the Saints vs Vikings game. It was so great to have time with just my hubby! We had a great day and the Saints won.....YIPEE! I am a huges Saints fan so it was so much fun for me. Sorry Vikes but you suck! ;)

Fabulous Friday

I am so glad it is Friday and I have my orders done! I get to enjoy the weekend with my family. We are celebrating Christmas with the Otto's this weekend. Zak, Susan and the girls are coming and we can't wait to see them.

Charlie had his Christmas program Wednesday and Braeden has his this afternoon. I run around like a chicken with my head cut off most of the time. I don't know if I am coming or going most days. Then you throw in swimming, dance, CCD, deliveries, baking and just life. Phew...so glad I have this weekend off. My hubby is taking me to the New Orleans Saints vs. Vikings game on Sunday! I CAN'T WAIT! New Orleans Saints is my favorite team. We have great seats. Nick has his Vikes jersey and I am all set with my Drew Brees jersey. It will be so much fun. Plus, it is a date in the afternoon.

Here are some pictures from Charlie's Christmas program. He is quite shy and self conscious because of his speech. He didn't sing a tune but sure enjoyed looking at the floor, jumping off the risers, dinging with his pants and doing his typical fold my arms and pout face. Oh the joys of a 3 year old. I am so glad I have pictures to show his kids some day. HAHA!!

I CAN SEE!!

Today I went to another follow up appointment for my right eye. My doctor is very nice and attentive to my wants. He remembered I wanted contacts before Christmas. My wish was granted and he had me fitted for a new contact today! It is a miracle. I almost was dizzy getting use to seeing clearly out of my eye again. I now have a astigmatism but WHO CARES I can see! That is my theory on just about everything that has to do with my right eye. I am reminded every time I go in that I am very lucky to have vision in that eye. I won't be able to focus on things up close. He said reading could be difficult. I guess I will just close my eye and use my left eye. Ah...the simple things in life that we all take for granted!

Elf on the Shelf

Jackson the Elf showed up Friday after Thanksgiving. I believe Braeden has figured out the whole magic of Christmas but wants Santa to still be real. He drops hints but then desperately grasps to the magic again. The kids love finding Jackson every morning. My crazy pinterest addiction saw someone that had their Elf bring the kids breakfast. WHAT A GREAT IDEA!



When Nick and I were Christmas shopping Friday I gathered up all the fun new placemats, plates, cups and pencils because the kids hoped to get new pencils from Santa. We had the kids make sure their Christmas lists were completed by Saturday. Braeden has continued to add to his list and didn't want me to mail it. We placed them in an envelope and left them for the elf to deliver. Sunday morning the elf, Jackson, brought breakfast and all the new Christmas stuff.

Lesson learned

My heart aches today. Being a mom is hard. You get pulled from so many directions and miss little things that mean the world to your kids. Today we pull up to church for CCD. I notice there is a lot more cars than normal but played it off as a meeting or some other function at church. It is that time of year for functions. I pull around the corner and see other parents walking into church with their kids bring plates of goodies. I parked and observed. Then I saw Braeden run across the street to the church instead of the school. I decided to investigate. I went in and saw a big crowd in the church but no kids. I went to the basement to find all the kids getting dressed up into pageant gear. :( I found Braeden and asked what was going on. He said "it is my Christmas Pageant today." Why didn't you tell me? I didn't know it was today. My heart was broken. I babysit a little baby who was not in any condition to sit through church today. She is 4 months old and very hungry. Emma has dance at 5:30 so we have to get her supper and ready while B is at CCD. Wednesday is a CRAZY day at the Otto house! I walked out of church almost in tears. I hate missing things!! I called Nick and he couldn't leave work and said exactly what I did, why didn't we know about this?. Braeden got home from CCD and cleaned out the back seat of Nick's car. Low and behold there was a paper that read "ATTENTION PARENTS". Ahhhh this is why we miss things! Lesson learned...bring in your papers so we can know what is going on!! He said it was okay we missed this one because he knows we won't miss his concert at school next week. At least he was understanding...and he said "mom it is okay because I still got cookies." PRIORITIES ;)

Christmas Shopping

We had a fabulous weekend! I LOVE this time of year and love it more when I can soak it all in. Friday Nick's parents took the kids overnight so we could get all our Christmas shopping done. Nick and I haven't had a date night in awhile or been able to shop like this for the kids in forever! We headed to Olive Garden to have a few drinks and a light supper. We got the lists out and made a plan. It was a smart way to start because we were then on the same page. After a fabulous supper we headed to the mall. It was so much fun and we got almost everything done. My husband even bought me a new winter jacket! YEAH!! My zipper broke on my jacket last winter and I never got a new jacket so it was a long time coming!! Our last stop is always Target because we know that is where we will be getting the majority of the kids gifts. It was a blast! After shopping we headed to Charley's Restaurant for a few drinks and to unwind from all the shopping. I haven't had that much fun in a long time so it was very much needed.

Saturday we geared up to head to the Peterson Christmas Party in Vadnais Heights (St. Paul) area. We were suppose to get a few inches of snow but no big deal we were still heading up. It started snowing when we left town and just got worse as we kept going. We were going to pick up Sean in Shakopee so he could head up with his cousins. Graham was working and Patsy would be all by herself with 3 boys so she opted to stay home. The twins are VERY busy and in to everything. Home is just a safer more relaxing place for them. By the time we got to Patsy's we decided it was best to just head back home because the roads were crappy and everyone was going very slow. We stopped quick for pit stop then headed back home. A trip that should've taken 45 minutes took us almost 2 hours. We made the right choice but we were sure bummed missing all the relatives again this year. We will try again next year. We just spent a quiet evening at home instead.

Yesterday the kids enjoyed playing outside in the snow. Charlie is definitely more of an outdoor kid than the other too. He would've stayed out there all night but we finally had to bring him in when it was getting dark out. I love this time of year but only enjoy the snow until after the holidays. Then I wish it would get warm again. The temps are dropping so I don't think warm will be here for a LONG time.

Pinterest

I am so addicted to this website! I LOVE the ideas that it has inspired me to do. I have become very creative/thrifty with some of my decorations. I have made a few wreaths now to hang on my door based on the seasons. It is fun to make it my own instead of trying to find one I like at the store. Usually the ones I like are so outrageously expensive so I don't purchase them anyway. I haven't spent more than $10 on a wreath that I have made. Here is my latest:



I have finished decorating for Christmas I pinterest has inspired some of my decorations. My sister suggested putting my village in our fireplace since we don't use them. I have one upstairs and one in the basement so I divided my village up. It looks amazing! Thanks Patsy! Here are some pictures:

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We were so lucky to be able to celebrate with my family on Thanksgiving and then celebrated with Nick's family on Friday. It was great to see everyone. We sure missed Ali. The kids woke up Wednesday morning and said..."I can't wait to see Auntie Ali tomorrow." It was really sad to break the news to them that they wouldn't see her until Christmas :(

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. Can you guess which ones Charlie took?

Wordless Wednesday

Surgery

Charlie and I headed to the hospital at 7:00 this morning. Nick stayed home to get the other two off to school. Then he came up to be with Charlie and I. Friday I was told surgery would be at 8:00 am. Well 8:00 came and went and my dad said he saw that he was scheduled for 8:40 am. Charlie got some nice relaxing drugs at 7:45 so he wasn't to concerned with what was going on. When 8:40 came and went we were all getting restless. He was wanting to go home and didn't really want to sit or lay in the bed. Finally at 9:15 he was on his way back to surgery. He did great and it only took 20 minutes. The doctor said that his adenoids were huge so it was good they came out. His tonsils looked great so she didn't need to remove them...phew. She did say his left ear was completely filled with fluid so she removed all of it, put in a new tube and saw no signs of chlosteatoma. The right ear tube was removed and a new one was put in. We stayed at the hospital until 11:00. We are now home resting. Nick went to work so it is a quiet house for Charlie to just rest in. I am saying lots of prayers that our ear issues are over and we can avoid the hospital all together!!

Gearing Up...

Tomorrow morning Charlie has surgery on his ears again. We are hoping this will be the last one. We have spent the weekend trying to quarantine him to the house as much as possible. I didn't want him to get sick and not be able to have surgery. Tonight we are working on putting up the Christmas tree. This week I will work on my village. I am excited to decorate our house this year. It has been a long time since we have decorated this house. It always looked so amazing. Charlie is over joyed with helping me get everything out of the boxes. It is getting interesting ;)

I will update after his surgery tomorrow.

Tree Lighting

Today is the Tallest Tree Lighting event in Mankato. A few of the radio stations in town put together a big event and light their radio tower. There is a parade, music and food. This year I will be a vendor there. Nick and Annie have been amazing help AGAIN. They have helped me get everything ready this week. I don't know how I would've gotten it all done without them. I will have cupcakes and pops there for purchase. Nick is going to be there with me tonight. It is going to be cold but it will be so much fun!! If you are in Mankato or coming to Mankato tonight come up and check it out. The parade starts at 4:30 and the events go until 7:30 tonight. The parade is starts on Commerce Drive and ends on Lee Blvd next to the radio station head quarters. Come say hi if you come up.

Conferences

I am such a proud mom! We had the kids conferences tonight and it was the best conference we have had for Braeden. I just can't even tell you how proud I am of him. His teacher told us that she has gotten a few phone calls from the Media teacher saying how proud she is of Braeden. A boy moved to Mankato a few months ago and doesn't even speak English. He has some really bad medical problems and has been sheltered by his parents for a long time. Braeden has helped him in media. He helps him find books, the bathroom, where he needs to go and helps him learn the computer. WOW...all I can say is WOW...we did something right. No one had to tell him to take him in, Braeden just did it. His teacher said this little boy has been sad because he doesn't know English or how to adjust into the school. Braeden has really helped. It brought a tear to my eye. I am a very proud mom tonight. He is doing excellent at school and is in the beyond math club and the beyond reading club. He is getting challenged which is all we have ever asked. His teacher loves his stories and said she loves when he raises his hand to participate.

Emma is doing fabulous too but I didn't expect anything less from her. She is a great student and a wonderful helper for her teacher. Again she is in the beyond reading club and beyond math club. Her teacher had nothing but great things to say about her!

The kids definitely got their math skills from their dad! We are so blessed to have such a great school with fabulous teachers!

Happy Monday!

I can drive! WAHOO....I am so excited to have my freedom back. Today I will be taking Charlie to his preschool screening. This is the next step in getting speech help for him. I am anxious to move on to the next step and get the ball rolling in the right direction. He tries so hard for everyone to understand him. He gets frustrated when we don't know what he is saying. We met with his teacher on Friday and she says the same thing happens at school. Hopefully after this next surgery he will be able to hear better and this will help his speech. He has his preop appointment this afternoon for his surgery on the 21st. We are looking forward to the new year and hoping it will bring a surgery free year.

It is another full week at the Otto house. The kids have a full plate every week and this week is no different with swimming, basketball, dance and CCD. We also have conferences for Emma and Braeden tomorrow night. Phew....

STUCK :(

Have you ever been stuck at home? Have you ever just wanted to get out but can't because you don't have a private chauffeur? This is my situation right now. I hate feeling stuck! I hate not being able to just get in my car and leave. I had a bunch of things I could've gotten done today had I been able to drive. UGHH...it is so frustrating and yes I know there are bigger problems in the world than me not being able to leave the house. I am also sure there a lot of other people that would love this simple little problem. I get it but right now I am bored, crabby, feeling trapped, claustrophobic and any other feeling that describes being STUCK. I appreciate my father in law yesterday for doing all the driving for us. I got out for an eye appointment. Today my hubby picked me up for a delivery...WAHOO...I was out of the house for maybe 20 minutes. YIPEE...thought about walking down to Mocol's just to get out of the house but I would've had to get the stroller out. That is on the restriction list because it weighs more than 5lbs. Shoot...No working out and being stuck makes this chica crabby. Sorry for writing a crabby post but that is how I feel...CRABBY!! I am entitled and I don't think others can comprehend how annoying it is to have one good eye and one blurry eye. I think I will enjoy it more next week when I can drive, lift and workout. Tomorrow all the kids are off of school so we WILL be going on a walk. Nick will have to get the stroller ready or Braeden can. We are getting out of the house and enjoying some fresh air for a LONG LONG walk. I am sure I will hear complaining and moaning BUT they will get over it and I will wear ear plugs. HA...this too shall pass and thanks for reading my crabby post!

Eye Update:

Things are going well today. I went to my follow up appointment and had my patch removed so I could try out my new eye. The nurse did a bunch of tests with my eye. It was amazing how much better I could see. Everything was so clear and not cloudy. My eye still has some healing to do. The doctor said he would not fit me for new glasses for a few weeks. For now I will have blurry vision but hey blurry clear vision is good for now. The doctor is strict and has me on some strict restrictions for this first week. No lifting, no straining of any kind, no driving, no rubbing of the eye, no water in the eye and rest rest rest! I can do this but it is difficult when I am so use to going going going all day long. Not working out and resting is not something I can do but for my eye I will rest!

Happy Birthday Nick!

Happy Birthday to my hubby! He has spent the day catering to his wife. Probably not his ideal birthday. We celebrated Saturday night with the kids and then again on Sunday with his parents and grandma. It was a great weekend and we used the 'fancy' dishes Sunday night. The bonus of the day is he is off of work. Charlie and him have racked leaves, ran errands and are now playing in the basement. I think Charlie thinks it is the best day ever to have his dad home all day with just him! We will be having ice cream cake tonight so I am sure he will enjoy that again!

On another note my eye surgery went well. I was completely stressed out and anxious but after my last eye surgery who can blame me. The doctor kept reassuring me this was nothing like the retina surgery so it would be a lot easier. Well until you have had one how are you to know. I truly was super anxious and nervous. Molly hooked me up with her friend Amber to be the anesthetist, SHE WAS AMAZING! I was barely out of the preop room and she was there with drugs. She listened to me all through surgery and they were pretty good. The doctor didn't want me sleepy throughout the procedure because sleepy patients jerk unexpected. Completely understand but I really didn't want to enjoy watching the procedure through my eye. He said he was numbing up the eye so I probably wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. He was right. All I saw were bright lights and water coming in. Nick said it seemed like it took forever, which it was an hour long surgery from start to finish. I am home and resting. When we first got home my eye felt like it was on fire. I forced myself to sleep and it feels so much better now. It is sore...DEFINITELY SORE! I am off for another nap. Maybe I can just sleep until it heals and I can see again. At least it is done and my goal is to be able to have my contacts back by Christmas. I am going to follow all the rules so this goal will come true! For now I have one good eye but hey one is better than none!!

Events for the week....

Today I started drops in my eyes for my surgery on Tuesday. Yuck...no more contacts for awhile for this chica. Getting use to my glasses again.

Tuesday will be two years since Grandpa Chuck passed away. Today we lit a candle for him at church. I can't believe it has been two years already. The time goes by way too quickly and we miss him every day. Nick's birthday is pretty bitter sweet since his grandpa passed away on it.



Tonight we are celebrating Nick's birthday with his parents. I will be making his favorite meal, lasagna with garlic bread. His mom and dad will be bringing ice cream cake for dessert, really the only dessert Nick loves. Braeden asked if we could eat on the 'fancy dishes' so we will be breaking in the china for the first time. I am pretty excited to actually use it since I have had it for 8 years and never gotten it out. It should be a great evening!

My surgery is on Tuesday, Nick's birthday. We will be hanging low and Nick has taken the whole day off. I am excited to have a quiet day with him and Charlie.

The kids are off school on Friday for a teacher prep day. I know they need to do grades but this time of year I feel like they are out of school more than in. For Thanksgiving week they go to school for 1 day and then home for 4. Crazy!

Our week is going to be chaotic but I wanted to make sure I took some time out to remember Grandpa Chuck.

Halloween

My kids had a blast last night Trick or Treating!! This was the first time we trick or treated around this neighborhood. When we lived in this house before we always went up to my mom and dad's. It was fun to stay around home. The kids went down two streets and have a TON of candy. Nick took the kids this year and I stayed home to pass out candy. He said Emma would've went all night but Braeden's feet were sore. I am sure they were in those cowboy boots! After they went trick or treating we headed off to go see my parents and show them the kids in their costumes. Rylan stopped by our house earlier in the night and were able to see him in his costume. He was a hamburger! How stinking cute! Here are some pictures from our fun night.....

Nicole and Matt's Wedding Weekend

What a fun weekend I had with my friend Annie as we road tripped to Nicole and Matt's wedding in downtown Milwaukee. We took our time on the way out and just enjoyed the sites and chit chatting. Once we arrived we unpacked and spent the evening with Mike and Rachel Krediet. It was nice to hang out and catch up for a little while. Saturday we were able to sleep in. That never happens! I was without kids or hubby and enjoyed a lazy morning on Saturday. We did some adventuring out in Milwaukee to find a few last minute items that we needed. Then we headed over to help set up the reception site. It was gorgeous! Nicole loves halloween and I don't think it could've been any more perfect than it was! Everything was gorgeous! The wedding was perfect and we were able to catch up with a lot of old friends that we haven't seen in forever. The night went by too fast! I am so glad I was able to be a part of this amazing weekend. Here are so fun pics from the wedding!

Results for Charlie

Well our appointment went well. The doctor was so much more personable and explained everything to us. She even showed us the CT Scan that we hadn't ever seen. She looked in Charlie's ears and immediately noticed fluid in the left ear. This is what is causing the pressure Charlie is feeling in that ear. She also stated the the tube in the right ear needs to come out. It has migrated over to a point that can cause his hearing to be temporarily lost. She saw the moon shaped white spot that the other doctor already did. She said basically the same thing as the other doctor did. It probably is nothing but it should be looked at. Okay good! Her prognosis: The right tube needs to be removed and a new tube needs to be put in. There should be a tube placed in the left ear to keep the fluid from building up. Next, the adenoids need to be removed. The adenoids cause the fluid to back up into the ears. When the adenoids are removed the fluid can drain out successfully. She spent a lot of time explaining everything and answering all my questions..ALL OF THEM! Even the one...what about his hearing?...that has been avoided for months. She said that his hearing is probably not so good right now because of the fluid build up. Okay, Thank you for the response! Surgery with the new doctor is scheduled for November 21st. I am happy with our choice and it was so great to have Nick there to listen too. Looks like Charlie has a new ENT. Oh and she did say that the moon shaped thing and the scab on his ear drum are not a emergent thing. She saw no concern with either and said that we don't need to worry at all. That was awesome! I said that the other doctor was making me worried and never calmed my nerves by saying simple words like...it isn't emergent so don't worry. Continue the prayers as they are working and we can definitely feel them. I have surgery in 2 weeks so November is going to be a crazy surgery month for our household.

Pumpkins

Here are some pictures of us carving pumpkins tonight. Charlie took all of them except the ones he was in. What a great photographer he will be some day! Oh and I have actually decided that I need to start using other settings on my amazing DSLR camera. I have been inspired by all my wonderful professional photographer friends. Obviously I am not a professional and do not aspire to be one BUT...I have moved from auto on my camera and experimented with other settings. After a conversation with my friend Rachel I decided it was time to attempt the move. It has been fun!

Pre Op and Second Opinions

This week is full of doctors visits and activities for the kids. Today I had my pre-op appointment...YEAH :( I am not excited to have eye surgery again but I am excited to be able to see clearly out of my right eye. Everything was fine and I am set to go. The doctor said they have to do a pregnancy test before they can do surgery. I told him I was pretty sure we weren't pregnant and if we were...MAN OH MAN God would certainly have a weird plan for this family. My surgery is set for November 8th which is also Nick's birthday. He has the day off so he can take care of me. What a guy! We will celebrate the weekend before and I am sure the weekend after.

Charlie has his appointment on Thursday and thanks to the advice of Aunt Vicki Otto I have started my list of all my questions! This way I am sure to not forget what to ask.

NO RUN :(

This morning is the 1/2 Marathon and Full Marathon in Mankato. I ran it last year and had an absolute blast. This year life got in the way of training. I am so disappointed that I wasn't able to run. BOO....I trained hard before we moved. Then with the move and my business growing so much I wasn't able to put in the training time. I feel like I failed so starting January 1st I will start my training again to run the 1/2 twice next year. Hopefully the 1st run will be with Zak, Nick's brother, in Green Bay. Good luck to all the runners today. I am there in spirit cheering you on!

2nd Opinion

We go Thursday October 27th at 12pm to see Dr. Pearson at the Mayo Health Systems Specialty Clinic in Mankato. I am anxious to hear what she has to say.

Surgery AGAIN!

Poor Charlie! He woke up Monday night saying that he has drops in his ear and asked me to get them out. I felt his ear and there was no drainage but he kept saying he had drops in his ear. We haven't been putting drops in his ear for a couple weeks now. I called his Ear Doc Monday morning but had to leave a message with the nurse. I got a call back yesterday afternoon stating Charlie needs to be seen. We went in this morning and the doctor said that there is no fluid in his ear but there is a 'scab' on his ear drum. He had me look at it. It looks like when you get a bad cut or scrap and crusts yellow. He also saw saw a white moon shaped marking that he believes is scar tissue but with Charlie he just wants to make sure. He wants to take him into surgery again to clean off his ear drum. Then he will make a small slit into the ear drum to see if there is any signs of the Chlosteatoma. AWESOME! I am so confused why we had a CT Scan if he isn't sure if the Chlosteatoma is all gone or not. REALLY...was the CT Scan a waste then? Surgery is scheduled for November 16th but in the meantime this mommy is getting a second opinion. I am frustrated with how this is all being handled and the lack of information/explanation that is being supplied to me. Why would a scab form on the ear drum? He said that he sees this in elderly people and can clean it off in the office but since Charlie is only 3 he can't do that and finds it a good time to look for Chlosteatoma. I am thankful that I have a pull at the Mayo Health System with Molly. Mayo is a swear word in our family but when it comes to my kids I will cross the line ;) The Ear Specialist is suppose to be amazing with kids and has a fellowship in pediatrics. Sean had his tonsils removed by her. I am up for whatever at this point. I would just like some answers and the issues resolved! This is my baby and my baby's hearing that we are playing with!

To be continued......

MANTAS

Braeden hasn't found a sport that he LOVES quite yet. Emma loves to dance and B just hasn't found anything that is a fit. He likes baseball but it isn't all year round. He likes golf and loves to swim. He has come at us with a few ideas on things to be involved in this year. He wanted to join Cub Scouts so we did. We thought that would be a good thing for him to be involved in. Then he asked to be in Mantas, swim team. I was super excited! The Peterson's love to swim and we were all on swim team. His dad a little less enthused but agrees that if he loves it, it is a great fit for him. Then on Sunday he says..."mom can I learn how to snowboard this winter?" Sure why not...well why not...it all is so expensive. I would love for him to learn to snowboard or ski. How fun would that be! We will look into it. For now he is in Cub Scouts and Mantas. Then he will be doing basketball in the winter. Which he likes because Nick and him get a lot of quality time. Tonight is Braeden's first swim practice. I am excited to hear all about it and find out what he thinks!!

Riley & Chelsea's Wedding

We had a great weekend celebrating Riley & Chelsea Hoffman's wedding! It was so fun to spend Saturday with the Hoffman Family. We sure missed Alli but mom brought a picture of her so she made it in a lot of the pictures. They turned out great and we all had a blast including her!

Speech...

I found out this afternoon that Charlie is going to need to work with a speech therapist again. His teacher at preschool thought something was off and had a specialist come work with him and see. When she first approached me about it I will be honest I was pretty annoyed. Lynette did such a great job getting him to talk and Becca, a speech therapist, signed off on him back in May. His preschool teacher only new him for one day and was making an assumption. I quickly changed my tune because I am not going to be a parent that will say my kid is perfect and there is nothing wrong with him. I know I am with him 24/7 so I can understand him. When I compare to where he was a year ago it is amazing to here him carry out conversations with everyone. After we found out that he has other ear issues I was worried about his speech and hearing. I am okay with having someone work with him because I don't want him to be behind when he starts Kindergarten. It is best to figure it out now. Just sad that he probably does have some hearing issues that are affecting his speech. We are blessed to have such amazing people around us to hold our hands and make sure he gets the help he needs. We are all healthy so this is very minor in the long scheme of life.

Chefs Auction

Last night was the Chefs Auction to benefit the March of Dimes. What an amazing event to be a part of. I had a great time meeting everyone and sharing my treats. At my table I provided the infamous cake pops for everyone to sample. I also had an amazing opportunity and was able to provide a plated dessert to all the attendees. I served Salty Caramel, Pumpkin, Red Velvet and Triple Chocolate Decadence Cupcakes. I also served Turtle, Almond w/Raspberry sauce and Caramel Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bars. They were all a hit! I couldn't have done it with out my sister, Patsy, my hubby and my friends (Annie, Katie and Jolene)! Annie and I have bee planning everything for weeks. She got the flu this week and was there in spirit cheering me on. My hubby took a half day yesterday to help me finish everything up. It was such a relief to see him walk in the door and say he was staying to help. Here is a picture of my table. I should've taken a picture of all the plated desserts waiting to be served. It was quite a site to see 675 desserts!

Photographer Charlie

Charlie enjoyed taking pictures at Lindsey's wedding. It was hard for me to even get the camera away from him. It kept him occupied and he got some funny shots. He enjoyed taking pictures of shoes. You can see where he even took a few of his own. I hope someone got a picture of him snapping pictures with my large Nikon. I got one on my cell phone but they are never the best quality of a picture.

Wedding Weekend

What a busy weekend we had. It was so much fun. The festivities started Friday late afternoon with rehearsal. It was great visiting with cousins and catching up with everyone. Saturday morning came early and we had a full schedule. We dropped off the cupcake tower at the reception site along with most of the desserts. Then Emma and I were off to get her hair done and the boys were running errands. We were a little behind but made up time quickly. Emma and I came home got dressed quick and I was out the door to set-up the desserts. I had a few friends meet me at the reception site to help set up the desserts. Nick had to get Emma to the church for pictures at noon. As soon as I was done off I went to the church to help with Emma. She was in heaven seeing everyone all dressed up. She really did a great job and listened well to everyone. The boys showed up at 1:30pm for their pictures. They both melted my heart in their tuxes. Little boys in tuxes doesn't get any cuter. Especially little Charlie with his spiked hair! It was so stinking cute!! The wedding started at 3:00pm and the kids did such a great job. They all made it down the aisle and Charlie ran out of church a few times so we had him stay out for the remainder of the wedding. He was bummed but he started to get loud. The other two sat still and played their video games I brought. It was so perfect! What a long day for them and they did so great. After the wedding we went to the hotel to let the kids relax to some cartoons in our room. We changed into comfy shoes and relaxed with Zak, Susan, Lydia, Helena and Juliet. It was fun to hang out with just them for a little while. We had the chaotic bunch at the table. It was truly the kids table with 5 wild and crazy kids that were anxiously awaiting the dance. It was such a great night! My parents picked up the kids at 9pm and then the Nick and I could enjoy the rest of the evening. Thanks Lindsey and Nick for letting us be apart of your special day. We had an amazing time helping you get ready for it as well.

Hang on tight...

Here we go! Nick's cousin is getting married tomorrow and she asked all our kids to be in the wedding. She also asked me to do all her desserts. I am so honored! It has been a lot of fun planning with her and getting the kids all hyped up for their production tomorrow. Yesterday afternoon I took the kids to pick up the boys tuxes. Can we say super cute!?! The boys looked so handsome. They had to do a little tweaking last night and I just picked them up. Emma's dress is adorable and we got it for a bargain online. She has pink sparkly shoes to go with it! I don't think it can get any better for a little 5 year old girl. Lindsey bought Emma a shirt that says.."The Cutest Flower Girl Ever" and brought it over Tuesday evening so Emma could wear it to school today. You should've seen Emma's face this morning when she woke up. She is so excited for tomorrow and even more excited she can tell her friends all about it today.

It is going to be a busy day tomorrow with 3 kids to get ready for pictures and desserts to be delivered. I have recruited some friends to meet me at the hotel to help me set up. Then I can get to pictures to help Nick with the kids.

We are so excited for Lindsey and Nick and hope they enjoy their day tomorrow. It is always great to hang out with cousins too! Looking forward to the festivities starting tonight. I will post pictures Sunday.

PRAYERS ANSWERED

I received a phone call from Charlie's ENT today and he stated that he hasn't received the Radiologists report yet but looked a the scan. He said he didn't see anymore Chlosteatoma in the ear and it may just be scar tissue remaining. He would like to see Charlie in a month. I can't not tell you how excited I am to hear this news! Man...I was on pins and needles for the last week and I am so relieved how it turned out. Charlie will have to be watched closer now to make sure the chlosteatoma doesn't grow again. We can relax now for awhile! Thank you all for your prayers!

Waiting

I am not so patiently waiting for the results of Charlie's CT Scan. I called this afternoon and the not so pleasant nurse said we would get results on Thursday evening or Friday. SERIOUSLY!! The hospital told me the scan is digitally taken so the doctor will get the results right away. I am annoyed! They really think a mom, this mom, is okay with waiting on a head scan until Thursday evening or Friday. I said no way. I know doctors are busy I get that. That is my life with my dad. I understand that life BUT I was hoping the nurse would say he will contact you no later than tomorrow evening. Okay..so I got the nurse to at least get the doctor a message that I was anxious to find out. I am hopeful to hear tomorrow. Crossing my fingers!!

CT Scan

Charlie had his scan this morning. My dad came with me so that Nick could get the other two off to school. We headed to the hospital at 6:45am and sat and waited.....waited.....waited and waited a little more until Charlie went back for his scan at 8:00am. Molly went with him so that made me feel more relieved about everything. They had to give him anesthesia so that he would lie still. The procedure itself took 5 minutes but the prep and recovery took forever. We are finally home at 9:45 resting on the couch. Charlie is a little more groggy this time and a lot more clumsy. It is going to be a lay low day for sure. I can call this afternoon or tomorrow for the results. Pretty sure everyone knows me and knows I will be calling this afternoon!! Send those good report vibes please!

Excitement of the Evening....

Its 5:15 on a Friday night and my kids are playing in the back yard. I am inside cleaning up the kitchen and thinking what should I make for supper. Yelled at the kids a few times for fighting then went back to the kitchen. I had the news on and was just looking up at the TV when I heard the most horrific sound ever. I immediately listened for the kids and turned. They were just fine. Ran with my phone and socks on out the front door to find a horrible car accident. It was straight out of the movies! This doesn't happen in your front yard! The car blew a stop sign going 60mph (it is a residential area why would they think 60mph was okay?) and the truck hit the car causing it to fly up onto our neighbors lawn. I called 911 as the vehicle was on fire and there were two people in the car. Running across the street on the phone and with only socks on to meet up with my neighbors. The kids were out front by this time. I turned and told them to sit on the steps. Someone yelled for a fire extinguisher and Braeden runs in the house and gets ours out of the kitchen. (Proud mom moment and so glad he knew where it was!) About 10 others ran in their homes and grab theirs as well. We were trying to figure out if everyone was okay. The driver of the truck was walking around fine just angry over his truck. The driver of the car was out of the car trying to light a cigarrette. We were all yelling at him not to because of the gas coming from his car. We got him to lay on the ground. A few others had to pull the passenger out of the car because the door wouldn't open and it was on fire. It was a crazy scene. The cops arrived in a heard followed by the fire department. The ambulance took the longest. It was an amazing sight and all the neighbors were out trying to help. It made me feel like we live in the right area! Bad way to meet the neighbors but nice to meet them too. The kids were all sitting in my front yard playing. It was an awful scene for them. The two guys in the car were taken by ambulance to the hospital. One was on a back board and one walked to the ambulance. What a sight! When the tow trucks arrived the cops went throug the car. They found 4 empty 40s! Awesome...thanks guys there are a ton of kids in the neighborhood and it was only 5:30 at the latest in the evening. If the truck had been coming up the hill instead of down the hill this would've been in my front yard instead of across the street. The trucks axel broke and 3 of the 4 tires were off. Wow is all we could say. Nick comes up Adams Street to find all the chaosis and was freaked out because it was right by our house. He was deverted around the block. He said he was relieved to see all of us on the front steps. The kids all kept talking about it. We decided to take them out for supper and get away from it all for a little while. Wow...the cops and fire department had the scene cleaned up pretty quickly. Here are some pictures of the vehicles! Holy crap is all I can say!

 

 

 

 

Discovery

Charlie had surgery this morning. We arrived at 7:15am and brought the ipad to keep Charlie entertained for the morning. He loves playing angry birds and it kept him busy up until he had to go back for surgery. They offered to give him some meds that would help with the separation for surgery. We opted out and said he would be just fine. Nope...he wasn't. It ended up with the nurse having to grab him kicking and screaming. I was doing great until that moment! The surgery went really fast and the doctor met us in recovery when we saw Charlie. The news he told us was overwhelming at the very least. I am still in a fog on what is going on. My Uncle Jim looked everything up online for me and sent it via text messages. Thanks Uncle Jim!!

Okay so here it goes...the doctor removed the tube and wax. He then discovered a cholesteortoma (skin sac) that had to be removed. Further investigation of the ear showed that there is possibly more behind the ear drum itself. Charlie has to have a CT Scan to see 1) if there is more to be removed 2) to see how much and where it is located. If it is lying low right behind the ear drum the procedure to remove would be simply slicing open the ear drum and cleaning it out. If it has grown up into the bone he will have to have a Mastoidectomy; which is surgery behind the ear and into the bone to remove the growth. The simple procedure can be done in Mankato. If he has to have a Mastoidectomy then he will have to go to Children's to have it done because there is a lot more involved with that. My questions went like this:

How did this happen? Was it caused by the trauma of a toy being shoved in his ear?
- This is caused from either the tube itself or a congential defect that develops at birth and grows slowly. Emma did not cause this.

Will this result in permanent hearing damage? (This is the million dollar question)
- Time will tell and we won't know until everything heals. If left undetected yes it can cause permanent damage.

Why wasn't it discovered until now?
- Your normal Pediatrician will not detect this type of development. He said that it can look like just scar tissue to a Pediatrician. This is something that a specialist notices and we should have seen him, Dr. Christianson, 6 months ago but he doesn't know when it developed. We were never told to follow up with him after he cleared Charlie at his 6 month follow up from his surgery in February 2010. He said to continue care with your pediatrician.

Do we have to worry about the other ear?
- The other ear is fine for now. We just have to watch it and Charlie will be watched by the ENT a lot closer now.

Needless to say it has been an overwhelming morning. Something as simple as just a tube removal has turned into a bigger ordeal. We are glad it was discovered now. Charlie goes Monday morning for a CT Scan. He has to be placed under anesthesia again for this procedure so it will be done at ISJ Hospital in town. After the scan is done Dr. Christianson will call us with the results and what needs to happen.

Charlie and I are just going to be hanging out watching cartoons this morning. He called his Nana from the Pool and asked for licorice! Sweet sweet little boy! He has done such a good job. Keep the prayers coming!!

 

 

 

 

 

Surgery

Charlie has surgery tomorrow to have his tube removed and see if there is other damage to his ear. I am nervous! All the other times he has had surgery was to put something in to fix something else. Now they are taking something out and we aren't sure of what will happen when it is removed :( This mommy is NERVOUS! We worked so hard on his talking since he was 15 months old. He had issues with hearing what we were saying and the tubes helped clear it all up. Now will taking out the tube and patching the hole create other issues? The unknown is what drives me crazy. If Emma didn't create another hole or the current hole to be bigger they might be able to reinsert a new tube. If the hole is too big or a new one was created patches will be placed in his ear. I hope the doctor has some answers tomorrow but I am sure only time will tell. This afternoon Charlie got stung by a bee. Poor kid! Lets hope that is the end for Charlie!!

Say some extra prayers. His surgery is at 8:15am. We have to be there at 7:15am.

Chefs Auction

I am preparing for the Chefs Auction again this year. Last year it was so much fun so I can't wait for it again this year. For those of you that don't know about the Chef's Auction it is a fundraising event for the March of Dimes. Chefs around the area set up tables and serve the specialty items to the guests. The chefs donate everything along with a silent auction item to be bid on by the guests. It draws about 600 people from the area. Everyone dresses up in their best clothes and pays about $100/ticket to get in. It is so much fun and it is for a great cause. This year they are doing it a little different. They are going to have all the guests sit down to announce the winners of the silent auction items. To get them to sit they will be doing a plated dessert. I was asked to provide the desserts for all the guests. I am so excited for this opportunity. This allows my desserts to be served to everyone at the event. I will be also having a table and serving another item which will allow me the opportunity to talk to everyone. Nick and my best friend Annie will be taking charge of plating all the desserts along with some of my other friends. A sorority in town has volunteered to serve everything. I am extremely grateful for this amazing opportunity. This past Monday I had a photo shoot at my home to get a good picture for the auction program. It was a lot of fun but also a little awkward I am not use to having pictures taken of just me. Usually I am either taking them of everyone or my kids are at a photographer getting their pictures taken. JR Portrait Design LLC in Mankato volunteered her time to take the pictures. I think she did an amazing job! Here is the one they used for the program.

 

Ears Part 2

I took Charlie to the ENT today to have his ear checked over after the incident of the toy being shoved in it. My fear of his tube being shoved or moved into his ear was true! The doctor looked in his ear and we had to move to a different room so he could look under the microscope. He said the ear was pushed from the ear drum into the inner ear. There is also wax in the inner ear so he isn't sure if a new whole was created or if the current hole was made larger. He offered to take it out in the office today but wasn't sure how Charlie would tolerate it. I wasn't sure we should find out. He did really well while they were looking but I didn't know if shoving another object in his ear would freak him out or not. The doctor contemplated and I said it was up to him, if he wanted to try I would hold him down. He decided surgery was the better option so he could see exactly what was going on in that little ear of his. Charlie goes in next Wednesday to have the tube and waxed removed from his inner ear. At that time the doctor will decide if a new tube will be put in or if a patch will be placed over the hole. It all depends on the size of the whole and if a new hole was created. There is a possibility that the hole will not heal. There is also a possibility that Charlie could have some hearing loss because of this. We won't know until he gets older and he can do the testing.

I feel sorry for him and his little ear but it really doesn't even faze him right now at all. He runs around, yells, screams and plays just fine with his siblings. He has no pain or anything so it isn't bothering him. I also feel sorry for little Ms. Emma Jo. She didn't know the outcome her little curiosity would cause her brother. I think it is a very hard lesson learned that may go with him for his whole life. I just worry about Emma having guilt about this later in life. I guess time will tell and we all learn lessons the hard way unfortunately. Now we can teach others on what not to do!! She has always been the curious one that is quiet and sneaky. We are sure in for some trouble the older she gets!!

Say some prayers for our little Charlie.

Preschool

Charlie started preschool on Friday. He was so excited to go, a little apprehensive but excited. I had to tell him that I was just going shopping and would be right back to pick him up. He is looks so little in these pictures! My kids are all growing up way too fast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Grown Up

I started reminiscing last night and going through pictures. I came across this one of Braeden and Emma:

 

Braeden was 2 1/2 and Emma was only 4 months old. My how time flies by! Look at my babies today, Braeden going into 3rd Grade and Emma going to Kindergarten.




I was so excited weeks ago to think that summer was coming to an end and the constant fights would stop. Now I am sad to see summer end and feel like I wish we would've done more :( Charlie will head to preschool on Friday and my house will be so quiet! It is going to be a little too quiet for me.

Entrepreneur

 

How cute is this? Braeden did this all on his own yesterday!! We have been teaching him the concept of money and that everything costs money. He wants to save money to get some toys. He thinks that every time we go to the store we should buy him something and thinks it is unfair when we don't. We have had many conversations about fair and earning things lately. This is just so sweet and Nick and I decided it is time to start an allowance.