Post Fontan Life

You guys....We have been so busy getting back to normal that I hardly have any good photos of our sweet boy. He started preschool the beginning of October and it is still an adjustment. Stockton got sick the first day, of course, so we missed a week and then he was back. He loves his teacher and all the great things his school offers. They are so great with him and they have so much patience.

We went on a trip to St. George which was a great getaway for us. It was nice to see how well he did in the heat. He was thirsty a lot but overall did better than before.

Stockton has so much energy now. He runs, jumps, twirls, screams and plays more than ever. His oxygen SATs right now are at 97%! Can you believe that?  When he had his four year check up last week we saw his oxygen and Seth quickly gave me a hi-five. We are so excited for this new journey we are on.

A lot of people ask me, "What is next?" Well, it's kind of unclear at this point. We just take day by day and year by year from now on. This surgery puts a lot of pressure on the liver so that will be monitored very closely. He still has his leg pains some nights but they are far and few between right now. There is a possibility that he could need a Fontan revision in the future if his heart needs it. Stockton will need a transplant in the future, that is inevitable. We just hope we can wait 20 years. Our hopes are really high for him and we want him to experience as much as he can. We have decided to hold him back a year in school. He has a late summer birthday so rather than starting Kindergarten next year at age 5, he will start the following at age 6. He still takes 1 hour naps during the day and most of the time I lay with him. It's nice to get that time with him. He bounced back from this last surgery so quickly. His weight and height are up and he continues to be a big boy. We will have a check up in February then go to Texas again next summer for a follow up. We have been told that the high elevation  we are at could create some pressure issues for him. We are monitoring those. If the elevation is a problem in the future we will move, most likely to Arizona.

Merrick and Tylee have adjusted to us being home. I think they loved staying at their Grandma's house while we were in Texas. They are such wonderful siblings and they know so much about Stockton's heart. Even Merrick asks questions or tells people about it. They truly are the best playmates for him.

 

Seth and I are back at work creating our new "healthy" normal. We are a good team. Without that man by my side, I couldn't do it. We owe a lot of hope and calmness to God and we thank him daily. We hope our family continues on this path of strength and optimism. Thank you all for all the prayers and kind words. We couldn't do it without you either.

Peace Out Houston

We're going home!

Waiting Game

We have been bouncing around hotels and finding places to stay. We have been fortunate to stay at one's friends house for two nights. To us, Stockton is doing very well. He has played with his fellow heart friend, Grayson, a couple days. It's nice to see a smile on his eyes again. We are waiting around for an appointment this Friday at 9am to see if we can go home. We miss our kids like crazy and we are really home sick. Stockton's Ned schedule is complicated but we are doing it right. He wants to drink all the time but he can't. We will be on fluid restriction for a couple of months. We hope we can update you all on Friday and we can get clearance to go home. The hotels are getting old but we are so grateful that Stockton is doing well. 

To good to be true?

We were discharged this afternoon. I am still trying to wrap my head around it. Everything happened so fast. His EKG had to be repeated due to some rhythm issues but they were ok the second time around, not perfect. I feel like I could throw up. Stockton always gets better when we leave the hospital. His personality comes back and he thrives. We were sent home on Lasix, enalapril and aspirin. I can't believe it! I want to pinch myself. At the same time I'm really worried that this is too good to be true. I am going to watch him very closely. He already fell and scrapped his knee. (Ahh!) we have to be so careful with his fragile body. We have to stay in Houston for 7 to make sure that all goes well. My sister said our new hashtag should be #homelessinhouston Hotels are expensive and we didn't get into the Ronald McDonald house. We are in a hotel for the next 7 nights and then we will have a follow up appointment with surgery and our cardiologist. We are grateful that we are out but hope that he continues to improve. We couldn't have made it this far without you all!

I "mustache" you a question

Sorry I had to do that for the following picture.

9:30am: The plan today is to pull his chest tubes, an X-ray,get an EKG and an ECHO. We will know the results today and we will inform everyone.

11:30am: After Ativan and morphine his last 2 chest tubes are out. That was a tough one to watch. I can't handle all the screaming, tears and pain. I am so glad that Seth is here with me. Stockton had his heart buddy, Greyson, come play today. We also got a Minion package from Aunt Courtney. We will be working on all that other stuff after lunch. Wish us luck.

8:15pm: We received a package from cousin, Amy! Thank you. Stockton had his EKG and ECHO! I'm literally praying, crossing my fingers and making sure no black cats walk in front of us. We have a chest x-Ray and labs in the morning. Stockton was able to play a lot more today but the Ativan kicked his bottom. He was so groggy today. He finally had a stool!!! 3 of them! Happy Day!! We are grateful for the support and especially all the prayers. Pray we can get the heck out of Dodge when the time is right! Love you all. 

"Mom, I'm feeling better"

2:30pm: Take a quick glance at the post title and see how our day is going! Stockton's chest tubes continue to drain but not much. He walked to the play room today and actually wanted to go in! We played with trains and Mr. Potato head. We stripped his chest tubes this afternoon. He has only had to do that once a day for the past 3 days. His pain is under control with Hycet and ibuprofen now. We don't need the Toradol. He still hasn't had a bowel movement so we are going to have to do a suppository this afternoon. I wish we didn't have to. He takes Miralax, Senna and another stool softener to help and he just isn't budging. I was hoping we would be past that by now. He is talking so much more today. He has the light coming back. We are still unsure when we are going home but we miss it. The plan for the day is to switch from iv lasix to oral lasix, get him a sponge bath, get his electrolytes balanced and eat! He is on track with fluids today. Yay! We will update later today.

9:40pm: He hates taking meds. He takes Lasix, enalapril, Hycet and Ibuprofen (as needed), senna, and aspirin. He has been doing great with fluids and eating better. He still hasn't gone #2, even after a suppository. Grrrr! He is not in abdominal pain and his stomach is soft. Nothing serious, yet. He walked around twice and is doing well. We are grateful. I don't want to jinx us so I will just say that I hope we leave the hospital when we are fully ready. I worry they may release us then we will just have to come back. My heart would break!

Post Fontan: Day 5

2:50pm: Stockton continues to be a trooper. We have been keeping him busy with TV shows and toys. He is still not himself. When anyone comes in he says, "I hate this place, no pokes!" It's hard to hear. His chest tubes continue to drain. He still needs to eat and drink more. We hope to hit his goal today. He still hasn't gone #2 and I worry about that. He has dark circles under his eyes and was a little low on some labs today. Hopefully his spirits come up today because we brought him a carpet and he can play with his train tracks. He hasn't talked much but since we brought the trains up he is more happy. He currently gets Toradol every 6 hours to help with his pain, it got bad there for awhile. 

Thank you to everyone that has sent us a postcard through Texas Children's. We love all the messages. Keep them coming! Use this link to send him one:

http://www.texaschildrens.org/Support-a-Patient/Greeting-Cards/

9:18pm: The carpet and trains have done wonders for our little man's spirit. He has started talking to us more and giggling a little while watching movies. Thomas the Train has been great for him. (Little does he know that I found a pack of 6 on sale for $32! He can open one each day this week. He did really well today when we had to strip his tubes. I went to Target tonight to get him some fresh fruit and food that I know he will eat. The food here is next to awful, honestly. I wouldn't want to eat it either. Hopefully he will do better eating tomorrow. He made big progress today.

Also, my husband and I celebrated 9 years of marriage today. I am so grateful for him and this journey that we can share. It's hard to believe that I met my soulmate in 2003 at just 19 years old. Crazy! He is a wonderful father to our children and he is so patient with Stockton. Stockton only want him when they are poking him or giving mess. Seth is such a comfort to him and myself. Love you sweetheart. 

Post Fontan: Day 4

6:35am: I hate chest tubes. Stockton has been in a lot of pain when they strip his tubes. I just broke down last night because it's so hard to watch. I just researched and questioned other mothers about pain management. We tried a small dose of Morphine about 30 minutes before and he did much better. We are going to see what Dr. McKenzie thinks this morning because our nurse agreed that when his tubes were stripped at midnight, he didn't do well. Being a heart Mom is rough. You constantly have to be your child's advocate because you know them best, but yet doctors and nurses are trying their best as well. I just had to put my foot down last night because I didn't feel right about it. I hate watching him hurt and I know any parent can relate to that awful feeling. They also can't get blood out of his lines anymore which means he has to be poked every morning at 4am. We are going to be working on a pain schedule today and making sure we are giving meds at more convenient times. At night they strip his tubes at 12am and 4am but he gets a dose of Tylenol at 12am and 6pm. Morphine is every 4 hours but the dose is a little high. I want him to have it but he also needs to have a bowel movement so it's a little counter productive. We are going to get him walking again today.  I think he did a good job yesterday. We will wait to see what Dr. McKenzie says this morning.

11:30am

We are on 15! Yay! He has a new room and we have sunlight and a view. (It's the little things remember!) Stockton was taken off his oxygen but then put back on 1 Liter because he was only at 89-90 for O2. He is no longer on EKG leads. So right now he is on oxygen, has a pulse ox, an iv still in his right hand and his 2 chest tubes. We hope this new room boosts his spirits.

9:00pm: Stockton is doing much better with pain. We know what times are best to give it to him. He started lasix today which will make him get rid of any extra fluid he is carrying. The chest tubes are still annoying. He has no oxygen currently and his sats are around 91%. This may increase slightly after his body gets use to the new circulation. (I would definitely like it to.) Seth and I are so glad that we get to stay with him in his room. You can't sleep in the CVICU but you can in the step down unit. We need a couple things to happen in the next day or so. We need Stockton to have a bowel movement, we need him to walk more and we need him to eat and drink more. All of these things come gradually but I can't have him lose weight or be constipated. These are all set backs that could keep him here longer. Around 6pm this afternoon his iv wouldn't flush. We called the vascular access team and they used an ultrasound machine to find a good vein. I love this team because they get a good look and they hardly miss. The first time they got it, we were thrilled. They also gave Stockton lidocaine under his first layer of skin so the iv wouldn't hurt as much. We hope this iv flushes for as long as possible. Seth and I are getting settled in this new room. It brings back a lot of memories. Please continue to pray that Stockton heads in the right direction. 

Post Fontan: Day 3

I will just start adding time stamps to posts so we can get everyone updated.

3:00pm: They still don't have room for him on the step down unit. It has been hard because we have a hard time staying with him all night because we are so tired. The last two nights we have stayed at the Ronald McDonald house. We have been trying to take shifts so we don't over exert ourselves. Our friends, Bobbi and Steve, left this afternoon. It was so nice of them to fly here and surprise us so we weren't alone. We are forever in debt to them and all of those who have helped us. This afternoon we got Stockton up to stand and try to use the commode. He hated it. He likes sitting up and wants to stand. I worry about him getting constipated. His personality is a little hidden right now. Stockton almost seems a little depressed. We are trying to brighten his spirits and make him smile. We have yet to get a laugh out of him. He misses his siblings and so do we. The doctors took out his middle chest tube so he only has 2 now. The tubes are no longer hooked to the suction devices on the floor and he has suction bulbs that are easier for him. He is down to 1 Liter of oxygen with SATs in the high 90's. He wants to old our hands all day long. We are impressed at his progress and we hope to lift his spirits and get a laugh today.

7:30pm: He has stood up a couple times today but he just took a whole lap around the CVICU. I think he hated it but he did such a good job. They haven't rounded tonight so I don't know of any new plans. Stockton is taking naps every hour then wakes up in a good mood but it doesn't last long. He is having a lot of discomfort when they strip his chest tubes. He starts to cry and scream.  

http://youtu.be/qhkihsF1Gmo

8:30pm: My two guys are tired. 

Day 2

1:15pm: They took out his pacing wires this afternoon. He did very well. We also had the arterial line in his right wrist taken out. He didn't love that. He is more awake now. He is on fluid restriction and can have 750cc a day! We will see how that goes. He has already eaten and he only wanted chicken, of course. I gave him 1 sour patch kid because he loves those. He only wants water. 

5:45pm: He doesn't have a catheter anymore and he is urinating like a champ. His clotting labs came back well and he didn't have to recieve any blood products to help with fluid. His rectal temp is gone, which he hated, obviously! He is awake a lot more. He cries about every 30 minutes. He really needs to cough a little so they brought him bubbles to help inflate his lungs. He only did it a couple times.

9:10pm: They just rounded and they don't have room for him on the step down unit on the 15th floor. He will get a normal floor bed tonight that will make him more comfortable. We brought Minion sheets! They brought him a heart pillow to help when he coughs and he seems to like it. He is still on morphine and Tylenol with codeine. The morphine seems to help but puts him to sleep. They are going to get him to stand tonight but the iv in his ankle will be difficult. They are taking out his central line that is placed in his neck tonight. (They also use this for blood draws which means that when they take it out they have to poke him every time!) I hate that.

9:45pm: We switched him to a better bed and put on his new minion sheets and Spider-Man blanket. He just had a dose of Morphine because the nurse changed his chest tube dressings. Seth also had to pick him up to weigh him. We hope our night is uneventful.

Thank you!!!

Click on the link to watch our friends surprise us by coming to Texas. 

http://youtu.be/lxYMk4p23Xw

Post Fontan: Day 2

Stockton was waking up a little bit more than we wanted and he would whimper in pain. They continue to give him small amounts of morphine but need to be careful not to give too much or his breathing could become affected. This morning Dr. McKenzie rounded and said that things look good. They may move us to the step down unit. They are going to take out his pacing wires today and some of his lines. He has an iv in his ankle that they want to keep but it is bothering him. They said that it can be a battle to walk with an iv in your ankle so we hope Stockton will get up some time today. He sat up this morning at 6:30am and took a drink of water. He wanted to hold it. Last night when he would wake up he would yell, "I want to watch a movie!" That made us giggle but definitely the sedation talking. He looks comfortable and he is on 3 Liters of oxygen via nasal cannula now. His chest tubes will be the biggest battle we fight over the next couple of weeks. After the Fontan they drain for quite a bit of time. He looks comfortable and so handsome. He has been such a trooper. We are grateful for the prayers and words of encouragement. We sure love this boy and we find so much power in his strength.

Fontan Procedure

When we spoke with Dr. McKenzie this afternoon he brought up a couple things. In the cath procedure his pulmonary artery was a little stenotic. This was not the case when McKenzie went in through his chest. There was a chance that he was going to repair it but he said it looked fine. He said the pulmonary artery is usually 9.5mm. Stockton's is 9mm. He said that it would be fine. Dr. McKenzie was able to place the biggest conduit and I am waiting to hear exactly what size that was. He said his oxygen looks good and that Stockton's body really likes being at sea level. (This kind of broke my heart.) As we will have to wait and see what Stockton's body does when we are back in Utah. Dr. McKenzie also said that because of our elevation that Stockton may have more collaterals than we think. These can upset the circulation to his heart. Stockton was able to be extubated after surgery. (He didn't come out with a breathing tube.) He has 3 chest tubes, pacing wires, an iv, arterial line, central central line, on 6 liters of oxygen via face mask, he has morphine going very slowly, ancef (an antibiotic) and he also has some heparin dripping very slowly in each line. He had some weird heart rhythms in surgery that were affecting his AV and SA node. I need to read more about them so I can explain them to you. We will continue to wait by his bed side and see what his body does. They will start to wean his anesthesia over the next 24 hours. We will update when we can. 

We are with him.

We are with him now. He is resting. They were able to extubate him in the OR. They said he looks great. His blood is a little thin and we are trying to work on that.

Update 4

Dr. McKenzie just came and talked to us. Stockton did very well. He spoke to us a lot about collaterals, our elevation and many other things. We hope to see Stockton in about an hour.

Update 3

The Fontan is finished! They are sewing him up now.

Update 2

They have cracked his chest and working on getting through all of his scar tissue. He is doing great!

Update 1

We just got word that Stockton isn't in surgery yet. They are still preparing him. They have placed iv's, his catheter and they are in the process of placing his central line in his neck.

Took him back

They just took him back. We love him. Keep praying!!!!

We're here!

We are here. Surgery starts in an hour. Should take about 6 hours. Updates to come.

Pre-Op

Stockton was cleared for surgery this morning. He had a rough time when they started drawing labs. It was hard. Surgery starts at 8:15am tomorrow and we will be there at 7am. We had a pre-op appointment today at TCH. We arrived at 8am this morning. Stockton has been in good spirits but still wants to go home. We had a good nights sleep and our plane ride was smooth. Stockton had to have blood work, a chest x-ray, an EKG, 4 blood pressures and a normal exam. We were seen by anesthesia, cardiology, child life, the lab and a medical assistant that performed his EKG and vitals. His ears looked good, his throat looks well, his labs and urine looked great and his heart looks and sounds good. We are just praying that nothing pops up in the next 18 hours so we can go ahead with surgery. We just ate lunch and took a two hour nap. We were suppose to be at the hospital all day but they were able to get us out at 11:30am. Stockton is still sleeping after a very crazy morning. He hard a really hard time when they drew his labs this morning. Seth had to hold him tight while I made him stare into my eyes so that he wouldn't move and I could calm him down. He just screamed and cried. It broke our hearts. Seth and I are feeling good. We facetimed with the kids last night and Stockton just loved it. Tylee was making funny faces and Merrick just kept saying Hi. We are going to soak up all of Stockton's love and affection tonight as we head in to tomorrow. Please keep praying that he will be strong and feel comfort. Please pray that Seth and I will be calm and feel the love of Christ. Please pray that our surgeon and medical team are prepared and make smart decisions. Lastly, please pray that Stockton's body remains healthy and that his body cooperates with the new circulation he will have. Thanks again for your prayers. We feel them and we are comforted by them. Don't forget to wear RED tomorrow! #SuperStockton

Stockton was exhausted and fell asleep in the waiting room as nurses checked his heart and listened to his lungs.

He wasn't happy about x-rays either.

We are all just exhausted. So thankful for a comfortable bed and some dark curtains.

Where has the time gone?

Our bags are packed, our flights are booked, we are healthy (crossing my fingers), we have prayed, we have fasted, Seth is half way to Texas and the Fontan is in 3 days. We have been waiting for this moment since the day he was born. We have prayed about this moment since his last surgery on December 29, 2011. I think Stockton is ready, we are ready and I think God knows that he is ready. How is my boy 4 years old?

The anxiety has been a constant in my life this summer. We have battled a lot of things to make it this far. I am so grateful that my work allowed me to take this time off work and how everyone in our lives has surrounded us with letters, gifts, prayers and kind words. We couldn't have made it the last four years without so many people.

I just put Merrick to sleep for the last time until we get back. We sang the song, Tomorrow, like we do every night. I cried as I rocked him to sleep because I don't know how long it will be until I can do that again. We can't do anything that is outside of the home so I played Sega with Tylee, we made bracelets, ate Oreo cake and washed her hair. The kids bags are packed with diapers, wipes, toothbrushes and clothes for about 10 days. I also packed Tylee's new school clothes as we are not going to be able to be here for her first day of second grade. In her prayers last night she begged Heavenly Father to make sure we are home on her first day of school. It broke my heart. I am going to miss so many things with them in the next couple weeks but they know their brother needs me so much more. The struggle is real when you have a sibling with a health concern. These two kids are great companions for Stockton. Tylee has a sincere heart and comforts him in times of need. Merrick is the perfect playmate. (As I sit here Tylee came and gave me a Starburst. I gave this to her earlier because she was being so good. I asked her why she gave it back and she said that she wants me to have it because she loves me.)

We are trying to make Stockton feel at home in the hospital and so much of his room is packed. It feels empty. I want him to come home. I want him to come back and sleep in his Spiderman bed. I want to wake up each morning with train tracks all over the floor because he likes to build them over and over. I want to hear him singing Christmas songs is the basement when he finds old decor. I want to see Merrick wrestling Stockton in front of our tv. I want him to come home. I want him to come home fast. I want him here.

My heart is filled with gratitude. My heart is filled with peace. My heart hurts for him because he doesn't know the extent of what is going to happen on Friday. I have done everything to prepare him. I have done everything I could do to prepare myself and my family. I can't believe that we have come so far. I can't believe that yesterday, August 3rd, was his first open heart surgery in 2011. We are forever grateful to have Stockton in our lives. He is bold, he is strong and he is a fighter. We love him and we hope to return back to Utah very soon.

Fundraiser

In the last few months we have taken quite a hit financially with all of Stockton's procedures with flights, eating out, hotels, rental cars and time off work. My family is very aware of how much we sacrifice so that Stockton can have the best care. My wonderful Mom set up a fundraiser booth in American Fork and sold cotton candy, #superstockton bracelets, cookies, candy and 200 cupcakes. She was surprised at the generosity in our community and we are so so grateful for the money that was donated. All of my siblings played a big role in helping her. Thanks to Les Schwab for allowing my Mom to use your parking lot. We are forever grateful to the kind strangers that made this upcoming surgery a little more bareable.

July 30th, 2015--Stockton's 4th

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Pre-Fontan Cath

We arrived in Houston late Tuesday night. Stockton was finally able to come down here and get this done. We arrived at TCH at 7am. Stockton was not able to eat after midnight. We were fortunate that we had an early cath time. We met with our anesthesiologist, David Vener, he prepped us for what he would expect and told us that he thought everything would run really smoothly. After that we met with our cardiology doctor, Aimee Liou. She would be the one performing the cath. She told us that she also expected things to run smoothly and explained to us that she would get a good look at Stockton's heart and she could see if there were any collateral veins. (If your heart isn't getting sufficient circulation or adequate oxygen it can begin to create little veins that help circulate the blood flood to certain areas. However, in a lot of cases these vessels can be a problem.) If Stockton has any of these then she will evaluate closing them off or not. A few moments later they gave Stockton some medicine to help relax him. He was acting really silly. We sent Stockton back about 9am. Seth and I were exhausted so we went down to floor 17 and laid on the chairs. We both fell asleep and before we knew it our pager was going off. The procedure was about 3 hours. We spoke with Dr. Liou and everything looks good. She told us that his body didn't create any collaterals. She did say that his pulmonary artery looked a little stenotic but that our surgeon, Dr. McKenzie would be the one to evaluate that. We had to stay by Stockton's bed for 6 hours. He was really sleepy but he was doing really well. When Stockton goes through these things he acts so big. He tried to drink but began throwing up. He threw up about 3 times before we ordered some Zofran. He improved greatly. He was so hungry. We left TCH about 5pm and we had so much relief.

The next day we met with Dr. McKenzie. He was very polite like he always is and was very engaged in our conversation. He said that he doesn't think he is going to touch Stockton's pulmonary artery. He also said that Stockton is getting really big and is a perfect candidate for the Fontan. We love Dr. McKenzie. He has been there since the beginning and we are clued to him. Dr. McKenzie has battle leukemia 2 or 3 times. We are grateful that he keeps coming back to work and we are so grateful for his knowledge. We owe Stockton to him. We left the appointment after having an hour long conversation. We are scheduled on August 7th, 2015 for the Fontan.

Grain of salt

My last post a few weeks ago was about our rescheduled cath. Well, we had to reschedule again! We canceled Stockton's cath because he had caught a cough which followed with some nasal drainage. We felt much better about canceling this time. (Gut instinct, I guess) So now here we are awaiting our new cath date, June 24th. As I write this I am concerned that he may have a UTI and just barely he complained about his ear hurting. Go figure. I am just going to take him to see his doctor tomorrow to make sure that he has no bugs. This poor kid is "healthy" most of the time. I have come to terms with being disappointed but yet I need to take it with a grain of salt.

Love them!

People often wonder what a day with Stockton is like. For some reason they think that because he has a heart condition that we don't do "normal" things. That is totally wrong. We get a lot of looks when we go to the public pool or to a water park because of his scars. I buy him a swim shirt but sometimes it makes him too cold. We are very fortunate with Stockton's case. He survived through the pregnancy, he survived through his first and second open heart surgery and he has surpassed the expectations that I had for him. Stockton lives a normal life and a lot of other children aren't as fortunate. I can't tell you how grateful I am that Stockton is somewhat healthy. He can communicate, like any other kid his age, he can feed himself, he plays with friends, he can can walk, he can swim, he can attend preschool, he can dress himself, he is a potty champ and many other things. We may have to be careful about how long he runs but we are so grateful for all of these other things that we weren't sure about 4 years ago. There are things that are different about him of course, he takes medication every day (only Aspirin, a miracle in itself), he takes naps mid day, he can't run as long, he gets hot & cold very easily, he has scars on his body and he goes to the doctor, a lot! We are grateful to have him in our lives.

When you meet Stockton, when you see the joy in his eyes, when you feel his strength and when you see his determination it truly is amazing. Stockton is going to do something great with his life, I can feel it. (He has already done so much already!) Tylee and Merrick are amazing, little human beings and they bring such joy into our lives. We have so much to be grateful for and I have a hard time dwelling on what we don't. It hurts me to see Stockton struggle and there is a lot of guilt. This will never go away, I've tried. We continue to learn from all of our children but we have so much to be grateful for. Our children are thriving, they fill our home with joy, they make me a better person, they are alive and I am blessed beyond words.

Merrick has the best smile.

Swimming in Arizona

Introduced the kids to DuckTales.

Summer Ice Cream

"Mom, I'm not tired. I don't want to take a nap." -Stockton