Ryan’s Surgery

On Tuesday, Ryan had out patient surgery to remove a growth from the inside of his lower right eye lid.  It is called a granuloma or chalaizon (not sure of spelled right or not).  He actually had 3 small ones right together and had to get them removed.  He has been so nervous about this day and about being “put to sleep”.  He slept with me the night before and tossed and turned all night.  When I woke him up he was a bit whiny about having to get the procedure done but slept all the way there.  When we got there they gave us a “restaurant'” pager that would light up and vibrate when they were ready for him.  When we got back in the pre-op room, he put on a hospital gown and they gave him a portable DVD player to watch.  The DVD in it was Dora, Blues Clues and the Wonder Pets.  I said we would watch it anyway and then one of the nurses asked what we were watching and said YOU are too big for that movie, let me find you a better one. She came back with a stack fro him to choose from.  He chose ROBOTS (which was really cute-I would like to watch the end!)  While we watched the movie, they took his blood pressure, pulse etc and gave him Tylenol and medicine to make him drowsy.  He was still nervous but they all were super nice.  He asked the anesthesiologist how he would be put to sleep and when he explained that they would give him “happy gas” and that he would be asleep when they put the IV in, Ryan said “I feel better”.  They wheeled him away and I went back out to the waiting area with my mom.  We watched some of the news and talked and in no time, my pager went off.  We went to the recovery waiting room and the Dr came and said everything went fine…no stitches, no problems.  The actual surgery took less than 2 minutes!  We waited with him in recovery to wake up.

 

He was out of it but drank some Sprite and after a little while they said he could go home.  We got him dressed and in the wheel chair and he was semi awake but when he crawled into the back seat of the van he was asleep before we drove off!  He slept all the way home and they got in my bed and slept several more hours.  When he got up and tried to eat he said he felt bad.  But after a little while he ate ramen noodles and later-chips so I knew he was better.  I fell asleep on the couch!!  He felt so good he even went to VBS at church. 

The worst part was taking off the eye patch.  It was taped pretty good to his cheek and it hurt to pull it off.  Then when he got to the gauze part he could see a little “blood” and yelled MY EYE IS BLEEDING!  When he finally calmed down and pulled it the rest of the way up you could tell it was just from the surgery, his eye looked great!  No blood, no bruising!

The “blood” on the patch

His eye after we took the patch off. (his right)

He is up and watching TV so far today…no problems.  Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.  I knew it would be an easy surgery but it is still surgery and Ryan has never had surgery before so that was a concern. 

Dead Dog????

I have to share another STUPID DOG story!  There was a time when I would share funny kids stories when my boys were little…now- dogs!

Had a scare tonight!  We got home from my nephew Caleb’s game…(they won) and I saw Ozzy so I figured Sport was still here too. (We always check to see if we have dogs in the mornings and whenever we return from being gone) I went to the bathroom, set my purse down etc and went to the back door.  Ozzy came running but no Sport.  It was almost really dark…late dusk I guess and I could see Sport by the fence toward a neighbor’s house right in the middle of our fence, laying really weird and not moving.  I yelled at him, nothing.  Ozzy was jumping all over me so I called for Preston and Grant to come and keep Ozzy away.  I ran to Sport calling his name…nothing.  I got close enough to see that his nose was in the wire like his was sniffing or trying to look under the fence.  I was about to freak out…I lifted the fence and nothing.  I then saw that he was not stuck so I grabbed his collar to try to get him out and he moved a bit.  So I pulled harder so I could get him away from the fence and see “how bad he was hurt”….The *@^*#%*&^$*^#!! Dog jumped up and tried to sniff the hole again, hunkering down and looking at me. And at the hole.  HE WAS POINTING!!!!!! All hunkered down like a cat would or like if he was going to try to  slide under the fence.  Then I yelled at him that he was a stupid dog and had scared me to death.  He got all excited and started running around and back to the same spot!  We got flash lights and looked in between the fences and all Preston could find was a frog.  I put his shock collar back on..tight and told him I hoped it shocked his butt!  STUPID DOG! I HAVE to get rid of the frogs!

Boys Will Be Boys

If you have boys you know that they just plain play differently than girls.  I have all boys and therefore only have boy toys in my house.  So for Mother’s Day I bought my nieces a doll house to keep at my house so that they will have something to play with when they visit. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it) BTW, I also have an Easy Bake Oven –for them!  Anyway, the other night my nephew Caleb came over for a sleep over and Grant went to his house to sleepover with the other kiddos.  In the morning the boys spied the doll house and the NEW furniture.  They looked at me and I said “go ahead, there are no big boys to pick on you-have at it”  So they laughed and asked how to play with it.  I told them they could move all the people around and play pretend or just re-arrange the furniture, which is what I like to do.  So while I cleaned off the back porch and front porch, they played with the doll house as I guess, boys do….

They had the babies sliding off the roof into a pool, had the family car jacked and kidnapped, made ladders, bridges and a zip line out of paper scraps and tape… and made a pool with a “lide” (Autumn’s idea) and a diving board. They also added “Ash” from Pokémon, Marmeduke, a car, and other toy figurines.  Ryan said they were making Home Improvements!!

 

Caleb and Ryan when they first asked to play with it…I was sneaking the picture…

The girls “helping” when they got here..notice the ladders from floor to floor and the bridge TAPED to my table

Ryan working on the zip line and the pool with diving board in front by the STAPLER!

 

Finished Zip Line! It actually slides up and down!

Summer time Fun

This summer has been crazy….Preston got braces, Ryan has to have eye surgery next week and is on antibiotics for an ear infection, I had to get a new battery in the van and now it is making noises (van not battery).  Thought we were going to get to go to the family reunion this 4th of July weekend and now Preston and Grant have All Star tournaments (in different cities I might add!)  Grant just asked me to look in his throat and it looks swollen and has a white spot!  I gave him one of Ryan’s antibiotics just to maybe ward off the strep or whatever it is. 

BUT….. we have had a little fun:

Ryan picking blueberries and eating them

Grant in the pool with his cool “Ozzy” glasses

Look at the cat and dog!

Swimming and ice cream

Grant got his trophy after a parents vs kids baseball game! We parents WON!!!

Preston drove for the 1st time!!! Just down my parent’s long driveway.  Look at that Concentration

Father’s Day with my dad this year!  Made him Lasagna and homemade peach Ice cream!

Hopefully we will go to the zoo, see a movie or two, play putt putt and squeeze in a few more fun activities.  Then we will be Maryland Bound!  Already Got our plane tickets!!!

Update

Well it is Friday and what a week!  Dogs got out Monday and we did not get a call about them until Wed. morning…early!  They had traveled quite a ways away and had to cross two busy roads!  They are still very tired and keep shaking their heads.  I need to check their ears and put drops in but I can only get to one dogs ear and then he runs off and they both hide from me!  Dennis’s brother and father came to reinforce the escape hole.  We’ll see.  Then at one of the many practices this week, my car would not start.  Got a jump and had to get a new battery today…been driving the “big truck”

Had a pickle making day with my mom on Wednesday and made three different recipes to see which one we like best, then we will make more.  Grant loves pickles and has been wanting to make them for years.  He was so excited and really a great help until he found out we could not eat them right then!  “SIX DAYS!”, He yelled.  It was too funny.  He kept telling everyone that we had to wait six whole days to eat them.  Last night he asked if it had been six days yet and I said no, only one!

Really mss Dennis….I had to get on a ladder to change light bulbs, A/C filters, deal with the dogs/yard, buy and pick up a lawn mower, figure out a way to get the 4 wheeler back from being fixed, meet with the county engineers about the driveway, get a new battery, PLUS all the stuff I normally do!  I have put at least 1000 miles on my van this past few weeks.  I have been taking the boys to help a cousin at 6 am for a few mornings, then Preston to basketball at 8,9 or 4 depending on the day, then Preston to football, then to baseball usually all in the same day.  Grant also has practice several days a week for all stars!  I miss Dennis for other things too but mostly when I have to do the yuck work!!! ha-ha  Sorry sweetie!

Ryan went to his first camp on Monday and came back Wednesday.  He was so excited and then a bit nervous but he had a great time.  I knew he would.  He is still telling us “camp tales”.  Dropped Preston off at camp today and he was a bit nervous too.  Hard to get him to pack!  But when we got there, he saw a friend and off he went to play basketball.  I hope he will have fun too.  Always feels like part of me is missing when my kids are gone!

Oh BTW: I guess there was no mouse…set a trap and put a new cover on the dryer vent and no more noises.  Hope whatever it was stays away!

No practice tonight and maybe a little swimming this weekend!  Plus Father’s day with my dad this year!

Free to a… ANY home!…

Barking, Barking then a siren on 167 and no howling so I KNEW!

Midnight...no dogs. Left gate open and tried to go to bed

1:00am Sport returns and barks for his accomplice...Get up and close gate tell Sport to hush and go to sleep

2:00 am Sport won't stop barking, Look out and see Oz by the truck so I get up, open the gate and let him in

2:10am : Hear a weird noise like something is scratching the plastic water dish outside so I look and both dogs are on porch but I still hear sound...Turn light on ...it stops!!!MOUSE? behind the chifferobe!!

Right near where I sleep...

2:44: Still can't sleep thinking of mouse in bedroom...making  a plan...can't sleep on couch b/c I need alarm to get up at 7 to get Preston to the school by 8!

3:55am...wake up and think “hey I almost slept through the 3:00 hour!”

Back to sleep...no more mouse noises....but where is he?

Wake before alarm at 7:00!!

Will need a nap later!

 

Used to be grass…now it is their sand box!

 

Their “doggie door”… electric fence, wire going down on other side of fence (has hair on it :(), two panels (used to be) wired together, large block of concrete in hole and rake propped up after raking the dirt back in the last time!  Do I fill it with concrete and have them dig another one or just let them use this one but don’t make it easy on them???

FREE to a GOOD ANY home:

2 dogs: Brittany Spaniel and Golden Retriever

Both 3 yr old males

Either together or separately (recommended)

Will deliver!

Pizzazz!

Ryan made a drink in school called Strawberry Pizzazz!  and he wanted to make it for all of us.  So he made me a list of ingredients and I decided to wait for a nice hot day by the pool to let him make it.  It is really easy and very good:  cut up fresh strawberries, frozen pink lemonade, ice and ginger ale.  Ryan LOVES whipped cream so we had that to go on top.  He cut up the strawberries and made the drinks himself!  They were excellent!

 

Preston got a little Pizzazz in his mouth today…BRACES!  He could not decide on a color so went with traditional silver.  So far so good but it’s only been an hour or so :)

Bama Jam Day 3

The last day of the 3 day music festival.  We decided to go at 4:30 to get our chairs set up and go the the Miss Bama Jam Contest (I have 3 boys!).  However, the contest was in an area for 21 yr olds and up so we did not get to see the girls in swimsuits –darn :)  It also started to rain so we ducked under a tent to wait it out a bit.  In spite of a little rain we had a great time.  We saw Jake Owen, Gretchen Wilson, Rodney Atkins and Kenny Chesney.  They all put on a good show and Kenny Chesney sang lots of songs.  I am not a huge country music fan but I really enjoyed the whole thing.  There were many songs I knew, new and old.  It was very well organized, which is something I look for and tend to notice.  I guess being a teacher I want things to be run well and well thought out and this was.  There were over 100,000 people in a large hay field and my only gripe was the traffic to get out after the last show.  Even that wasn’t too bad.  Last night Dennis’s Cousin Scott went with us.

 

When we got there at around 5 and later….it only got more and more crowded…too dark to take pictures to show the crowd but every spot was filled!

 

Jake Owen –he’s a cutie!

Ryan was under the poncho playing his DS, Grant took a cat nap!

   

Crazy hats they were giving out.

Gretchen Wilson the Redneck Woman

 

Rodney Atkins

Kenny Chesney!

 

The rain finally stopped right before Kenny went on

Once I get some sleep I will be ready for next year!!

Bama Jam Day 2

After getting home at 2, getting up and going to the dentist, coming back and sleeping some more off and on all day in between loads of laundry… we decided not to go back until around 7. It was a little more crowded when we got there judging by how far back we parked but it still was not as far as those who showed up later!  Ryan wanted to ride the ferris wheel so we staked our spot at stage a and we walking around.  After the ferris wheel, we saw JT from Survivor.  He is from a small town near us and was there signing autographs and taking pictures.  He was our favorite on both the survivors he competed in.  He was just as smiley and super nice as on TV.  Preston was not with us, he was walking around with his friends.  After meeting JT we got some snacks…funnel cake, snow cones and soft serve ice cream and went to find our chairs.  MANY more people and it was now dark, but we found them.  We saw Jamey Johnson for a bit, Travis Tritt and Hank Williams Jr.  I thought Hank put on a good show but could’ve sang many more songs that I like.  People danced, sand and shouted which I knew the kids would like.  After Hank, we and about 10,000 others headed over to the Train stage where there were already thousands of people.  We found a pretty good place to put up our chairs and they started soon after.  They put on an excellent show.  Fun to watch and more songs that I remembered they had as well as new ones I really liked.  The lead singer was very personable and fun to watch on stage.  After “Hey Soul Sister” and “Drops of Jupiter”, we ALL tried to find our cars.  Not too bad and after making a bold move in the parking lots, It only took us 15 minutes to get home.  Now we are rested up and ready for day 3!!!

 

View from the top of the Ferris Wheel

 

With JT….the lady taking the picture cut his head off a bit :(

 

Travis Tritt

 

Hank Williams Jr

Train

Bama Jam day 1

A few years ago, a guy I went to high school with started a 3 day music festival in a hay field outside of my little hometown.  To tell the truth, I thought it would flop.  But here we are 3 years later and it is bigger and better.  This is our first year attending.  Check out the web site if you want….www.bamajammusicfestival.com They also have a facebook page.  Yesterday…after I got off work on my last day of the school year (yippee), we went to Bama Jam.  We saw Danny Gokey (from American Idol), Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Chris Young and The Zac Brown Band.  The Zac Brown band started late…well after midnight!  They all were very good and put on good shows!  It was not too crowded at first and then it was really crowded.  But by the time we left (close to 2 am), the traffic was not bad at all.  We only live a mile or so away. 

Of course when I got home, we had no dogs!  I called for them the best I could at 2am and Sport came home.  It was too late to worry about Ozzy so I crawled into bed.  I woke at 6:15 (my normal time) and saw Ozzy asleep under Dennis’s truck.  I crawled back into bed and woke up an hour later.  Preston had to go to the dentist to get three teeth pulled and spacers put in.  He did great and 2 of the teeth just fell out-no charge :)  I did let Ozzy in the backyard and put the shock collars on both.

Today we all slept late and napped.  We will go back to Bama Jam tonight to hear Travis Tritt, Hank Williams Jr and Train.  Probably back at 2 am again.  These late nights really show my age!

Not the best picture but you can see all the people there to watch Zac Brown and that is only a quarter of the audience!

Ryan when we first got there

They were shooting T-shirts out of those launchers and Ryan got 2 and Grant got one…then we unwrapped them and they are girls shirts that don’t even say Bama Jam…will give them away.  The shirt says “Pucker” on the front (?)

 

Danny Gokey on the screen and on the stage

Ryan had a caricature done.  Preston and Grant had one done when they were about Ryan’s age but Ryan was too little so he got his done and I had him make the shirt blue to match the other boys’ pictures.

not too far from the stage but not up with the crazies either!

Miranda Lambert

Dierks Bentley

Ryan didn’t quite make it

 

Another shot to show crowd and ferris wheel and the bama Jam Saloon all lit up!

More pictures tomorrow and from Saturdays line up to include Kenny Chesney!