Avengers Halloween

Drew saw a Hulk costume at Sam's club back in late July or early August.  He begged for it but I said no.  John bought it for him for his birthday.  When Zack saw it, he said he wanted to be Captain America so I grabbed one next time I went to Sam's Club.  John and Corey picked up Iron Man & Thor costumes for me in Flagstaff so our theme was set.  

We had a fun party at Church the weekend before Halloween.  Preston was home, but was about to go to work so he opted to nap instead of going.  

 Shawna suggested I be black widow.  I've not watched all the movies so I had no clue what she looked like so her and mom gathered my costume for me.  Preston would've been Hawkeye had he been around.  Drew LOVED having black eyebrows and hair.  Ty hated having hair.  He had a high quality wig but he said, he would not want long hair.  Aydon wanted his black goatee and hair sprayed.  Since masks weren't allowed Zack said we should put an "A" on his forehead, wished I had blue face paint to make it look better.

 Hanging in line with Austin.

 Lots of cute little games to play with candy being given out.

They were very nervous to go to the kissing booth.  They got a stamp of lips and then a Hershey's kiss.  After they realized what it was they were covered in kisses.  :)

 Zack won the sit & pop the balloon race.

Witch hat ring toss.  I had pumpkin bowling, so I didn't get to hang out with the kids and didn't even check out the the snacks.  I heard there were awesome finger goods.  I only enjoyed a rootbeer float.

Drew's Kindergarten class.  All the K teachers were dressed as Minions.  We loved the little boy dressed as Mario...he looked so much like him since he was short and chubby!

Since Halloween was on Saturday this year, we were able to make sugar cookies Saturday morning and deliver them to our family members that we went to visit.  

The red wig was driving me crazy last week so I opted to just spray my hair and was much more comfortable.  We drew a beard on Ty that we missed last week and he looked better as well.  Drew didn't want to wear the face mask, since he loved having black eyebrows we just face painted again.

 Wayne & Garth

We went trick or treating with John, Corey, Jace & Emily.  They tried something new at the church's trunk or treat having tickets and little games to play.  It was better than it has been in years past.  We then trick or treated in the four blocks between the church, Corey's and my parents house.  

A cop & a donut!  perfect!

Aydon asked to go back to the haymaze at the La Posada that we did a previous Halloween.  They had a good time.  They were all short enough to sneak through the maze trying to scare people and then playing hide and seek in it.  The adults had to squat down and walk so we only made it through once.  Ty was scared last time we went but had a blast this time.  Drew was a bit nervous and held my hand the one time we went through and then hung out with me while they were playing hide and seek.  We sure missed Dad who was at work.

Ty's new room

Ty had outgrown his construction themed room so I had the thought of re-doing his bedroom for his birthday.  I watned to do a room that he could hopefully keep for several years...maybe even all through high school.

When Ty asked for a red wall years ago (it was his favorite color at the time) I told him I really didn't want to because I figured he'd change his favorite color.  Sure enough, he did.  He loves blue.  He would've loved for me to paint his room blue.  I said no!  Preston and I picked this grey color that I love!   

While in Louisiana we picked up 2 or 3 things but for the walls.  My parents had bought him an LSU lamp and a hamper so it was a great group effort.  The purple blanket at the foot of his bed is his personalized LSU blanket my mom made him a couple of years ago.  

Everyone loves his room!  Especially me!  Zack said he wanted Ty's room when he goes to college!  :)  I might steal it before then though.  Ty said, we needed to paint "WIN!" like the win bar at Tiger Stadium above his door.  That is definitely on my to do list, great idea!

Football 2015

We finally have a family football picture.  We had planned on one last year but I didn't want to take it after my knee surgery.  Youth football rules our lives from end of July to end of October.  Love it but we are always glad to get our lives back as well.

This was Drew's first year of football.  He played left guard and linebacker.  Since there were only 15 kids on his team he started both ways, which was rare for a kindergartner.  He was timid but by the end of the season he was getting a bit more aggressive.  We always told him we'd pay him for any tackles but I didn't shell out any money.  He says he wants to go back to coaching next year!  lol

Just a random picture from a Varsity game.  Drew wanted his picture taken with the Bulldog.

Zack Attack was quarterback this year!  What a difference being one of the older kids makes.  He really stepped up and was a leader and put guys in their positions when they didn't know what they were doing.  He never scored a touchdown but had some good runs.  He even made quite a few pass completions!  The mighty mites ended their season 2-5 this year.  We knew it would be a tougher season with only 5 returners and 15 kids on the team.  The last game of the season was the best.  They really played their hardest and it was a close game.

Ty had his last year in Juniors this year.  He had a 2nd year coach, but his first as head coach.  Ty was starting fullback and back up quarterback.  He didn't run much as a fullback, but man when he did it was usually a long run or a touchdown.  He had 7 touchdowns this year and half of those were either punt or kickoff returns for TD's.  He really stepped it up on defense this year as well.  There team ended the season 2-6 which was a disappoinment, especially with 3 of those losses being so close.

Aydon's last year of youth football was not what we expected.  He decided to skip the first game of the season for CubScout Day Camp.  He loved camp (they did a ropes course and didn't regret skipping a game).  So his first game of the season was awesome!  He hasn't played much on offense for several years now but they put him in as a sub quite a bit this game.  He had 2 great runs, one being a long touchdown run.  After the game he complained of a headache but we all had a headache from being out in the heat all day long.  When he complained a second time later that evening I thought that was weird.  The next morning when he complained of a headache still I immediately asked if he had had a hard hit in the game.  He said yes.  I said you probably have a concussion.  We have had other players from his team have concussions and Preston and I both have to do online concussion training as part of our board member responsiblites.  I decided not to take him to the hospital because there really isn't much they can do.  Well two weeks later, he continued to have headaches everyday and calls from school requesting medicine now with new symptoms.  I took him to the peditrician where she ran all the concussion tests and he passed all but one and said to sit him out one more week.  Another week later (3 weeks total now) he called from school wanting to come home after throwing up all weekend I decided we better get a CT scan done.  I tried getting an appointment but they would've been too far out (we were leaving for vacation in a week) so I decided to take him to the ER and have them do one there.  Preston was at practice with his team so Aydon and I were there ourselves.  While the scan was being done I noticed a big dark spot right away so when the nurse came and asked to speak to me in the doctors office I immediately knew something wasn't right.  He showed me the scans and said Aydon had an arachnoid cyst on the left side of his head.  As he continues to explain to me what he and Aydon's pediatrician have decided to do all I can think is oh my gosh is this life threatning and why did we wait so long to get a CT scan done.  Through tears I asked my main question and he said it was not life threatning.  They had decided that they wanted to fly Aydon to Phoenix Children's Hospital to have an MRI and see a pediatric neurosurgeon and possilbe have surgery done depending on what the MRI showed.  He started trying to make plans about the flight and I had to have him stop so I could go call Preston and get him in on the situation.  Preston had just called about 15 minutes prior to all of this wanting to stop by the ER and bring us some pizza for dinner.  I told him no that I was sure we'd be done soon.  I had to call Preston and say that they wanted to fly him to Phoenix.  I then called my parents and asked them to go get the kids so they could keep them overnight for us.  At this point, I hadn't told Aydon anything yet but Corie Green was his nurse at this point and was in there talking to him (thank goodness we had a friend to help comfort us).  He had sensed something was going on and got emotional when he found out what was going to happen.  We called and Grandpa Dave & Bishop Chatwin came and gave him a great priesthood blessing.  Preston & Aydon then got to ride the ambulance to the airport, fly to Sky Harbor airport and then ride in another ambulance to Phoenix Children's Hospital. 

I got my dad all lined up on the boys schedule and then Vickey rode with me down to Phoenix leaving.  When we arrived about 12:30am, the doctors had already decided that things weren't as bad as the Winslow ER thought.  In fact, we would've been released but they told them we had been flown down so we were admitted to meet with the neurosurgeon the next day.  We met so many different doctors while in the hospital there.  They were all very nice and answered any questions we had.  We waited until 4:00 pm the next day to see the neurosurgeon and have him tell us that things looked good enough to wait to for a normal office visit.  

They had this sweet golden retriever come visit for 10-15 minutes.  This hospital was amazing, great staff, a great cafeteria, tons of activites for the kids to do while in there.  It also had many movie channels so we got to watch a few Disney movies along with some current movies.

Uncle Garrett rode his motorcycle over with a huge remote control toy.  He had a blast playing with it in the halls and outside the hospital while waiting to be released.

Preston hates hospitals.  He gets bored very quickly and is constantly messing with stuff in the room.  Just ask Shawna!  lol  One of the doctors drew what was going on to a brain during a concussion on the right.  Aydon wrote, "gone fishing" and Preston drew a football play above the brain.  Aydon is learning from his father and those two can not be trusted in room alone.

Aydon continued to have daily headaches until we had fall break.  I think he just needed a break from computers at school and reading.  He had been symptom free for two weeks and was so excited to get to run and try to get back in shape.  He did one day at football and then went to junior high wrestling practice the next day just to workout and learn the moves.  He tried doing front rolls as a cool down and symptoms have come back.  He will not be doing wrestling this year and we sure hope the concussion symptoms go away soon.  We have an MRI scheduled tomorrow and then go back to Phoenix Children's Hospital in early November.  

I have since done a little research on Arachnoid cysts.  They are very common, especially in boys.  Most find out like we did, an incidental finding.  Most are usually born with then and have nothing done about them but with the symptoms he was having we just want to get an idea of what is going on.  We just wish the symptoms can go away so that an active boy can be active again.

The 6th graders last game! (Logan was sick)

Vacation Favorites

Favorite Part of Vacation
Preston: Airboat tour, it would've been the Cowboys vs Saints game, but...
Lynnissa: First Saints game with an exciting win & getting to do the LSU tour & game
Aydon: LSU game & tour
Ty: Stadium tour
Zack: gator tour - both of them
Drew:  Airboat tour because we went fast!

Favorite Food on Vacation 
Preston: crawfish omelette & grits (he has never liked grits) at Chime's, boiled shrimp @ Perino's
Lynnissa: grits at Chimes were soooo yummy and it's been so long since I've had grits, crawfish etoufee over catfish at Sammy's (of course)
Aydon: chargrilled oyster's at Acme
Ty:  gumbo (who knows where, he ate it everywhere we went)
Zack: buger (every meal!)
Drew: shrimp (where he at at every place possible)

I don't know what it is about Louisiana but it is always one of our most favorite vacations no matter what we do!  This one was a blast for sure!

One of my other fun memories is the license plate game Preston & I played.  We got most of the US.  I was surprised, I figured we'd see all of them but we didn't.  Drew enjoyed the bingo game of vehicle makes.  His favorite make is a GMC.  :)  The boys were so good, watching movie after movie.  Home Alone was definitely their favorite.

Audubon Zoo

When we entered the zoo we asked which animal we should go see first and it was agreed the elephants would be our first stop.  We then read signs that said, they would only be out for a couple of hours so it was necessary that we find them first.

 As we were trying to navigate our way to the elephants it was sooo hard not to get distracted by this adorable orangutan.  It was very active and so fun to watch.

 He would climb, then tumble down and do somersaults and then do it again.

 He was getting a drink of water.

 These birds had chewed all of the poles in their exhibit like this!

 Due to construction, we had to backtrack to find the elephants.  I don't know what was going on but the zookeepers were out with the elephants and they were only out for an or two that morning.

 One of my favorite things about Louisiana is the trees!  This oak tree was HUGE!  On the other side was low branches that they allowed the kids to climb on but there were quite a few kids playing and so we didn't get a turn.

The picture just doesn't do it justice.  Have I mentioned before how much I love moss hanging from the trees? ;)

  

 Pelicans

 The boys were feeding the turtles & ducks.

 This tortoise was HUGE!  I wanna say it was around 200 years old!

 This was part of the Louisiana Swamp exhibit.  I really enjoyed this exhibit.

 The boys were hot and thought this hurrican simulator would be "cool" to check out.

 73mph...ehh, we play baseball in this kind of weather every spring.  lol

 The disappointment in Ty's face says it all!

 Help!  We're surrounded by baby gators.  :)

 The largest gator on record is 19' 2"!

 This was part of the Swamp exhibit.  Yikes!!

 Preston's favorite...alligator gar.  ;)

 Ty bought a souvenir.

 The grounds were so beautiful!  I loved it.

 Can you spot them?

 I'm assuming this was an old entrance.

They had a really cool dinosaur exhibit with moving figures.  It was really neat, but everyone was hot & hungry so no pictures. 

 Komodo Dragon

 We searched for a long time before finally finding this exhibit for Aydon.

We were all starving and it was humid so we finished up and headed to lunch, gassed up for $1.86 (it's been years since we've seen gas prices like that in AZ) and started to head back home. 

One of mine and Aydon's favorite memories is when I was driving and he was sitting the in passenger seat.  Everyone else was watching Home Alone 2 and we took video of them laughing so hard and then posted it to instagram.  It seriously brings a smile to my face everytime I see it or think about it.