Fall Break with the Pollocks

I was so excited when Klaire asked me a couple months ago if she could come visit during Jay's Fall Break! Missing all the reunions and regular trips to Arizona has made it feel extra long since seeing Klaire and Kara. Klaire booked her tickets while we were in Germany and we've been looking forward to this week for a while! Saturday evening I took the boys with me to pick her up and Matthew went and picked up pizza. Stanton and Piper were good sports for being willing to take the back seat all week. We ate dinner, played, and took baths once we got home. We visited and hit the sack early because we were all tired from a fun travel filled day. 

Sunday Klaire got to go to church with us. It was our Primary program, which was very special! Jay had a little part, but wasn't willing to say it when he got to the podium. He stayed on the stand for most of the first song and then came and sat with us for the rest of the meeting. It's too fun to touch things on the stand, I even had one person later tell me they were hoping Jay was going to get a full body swing going on the microphone stand, so you can imagine what was happening. Hopefully next year will be better! I was called and sustained as a Sunday School teacher for the youth ages 16-18. I am excited, and nervous! I've never taught Sunday School, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. It will surely help my scripture study improve! After church we went to Jack's house. Jay played so well, and even went to the bathroom on his own - no accidents! Jack's house has frequently been a place where we have accidents, so I was very grateful! Jay also sat at the kid table and ate his whole dinner without shoving the table around or getting up a million times. Both of these accomplishments made my mama heart so happy! Growth, growth sometimes feels slow and non-existent, but it's happening and these little milestones for Jay are worth celebrating! It was wonderful to be together as siblings and have time to visit and enjoy each other's company. Piper even let me hold her and play with her a couple of times to give Klaire a small break. 

Monday morning started with pickleball. The boys were a little sad, but there were a couple of young women in the ward there who helped Piper and Hugh feel much happier! Jay did awesome on his bike, driving around the loop of the courts, never veering into the road which is very remarkable. As the kids started to tire, we wrapped up and Katey met us at the park. My boys were ready to go home, so luckily Hope was happy to oblige and we came home. I made bread while all the kids played out front on bikes and enjoyed the shady front yard. I just loved watching everyone play! 

Jay and Stanton eating snacks while I read my scriptures

Hugh and Piper playing with the little people 

Backyard after naps fun! Jay and Piper in the sandbox, Stanton and Hugh in the rocks

Tuesday was a park morning, where we enjoyed the purple park. Klaire was willing to take the kids in the stroller so I let Jay ride his bike to the park. He did okay, but kept taking his feet off the pedals to slow down or go over bumps. By Thursday, he rode the entire way to the park, keeping his feet on the pedals and then rode circles around the park for almost the entire time we played! It was incredible to see the change over just a couple days! Klaire watched the boys for me while I went to parent teacher conferences. I was grateful for Mrs. Alaina, the special education teacher, who spoke with me afterwards about the progress she's seen in Jay. Jay is quite behind academically, so seeing a progress report from his regular teacher doesn't indicate growth for him. I feel like over the summer he grew a lot and it was fun to hear Mrs. Alaina say the same thing. I hurried home from the conference and we headed up to Mead to cheer on Betty Jane's volleyball team. She's had an awesome season, undefeated against all the teams in her school. It was great to cheer her on! 

Jay riding to the park, holding all the kids waters in his backpack

Piper encouraged Hugh to learn to do slides like a big kid, and now Hugh does it every time! 

Aunt Klaire and Jay

Stanton, Hugh, and Piper

Aunt Klaire was kind enough to be a tunnel for several trips down the slide

When the mail man comes while you're at the park, you have to sit and watch! 

Piper and Hugh

Wednesday was a big day for us where we had Jay's debrief. I already talked about it in my previous post, but Klaire took the boys up to Platteville to play with Katey while we had our call with Dr. Alyssa. Having some time and space to process about Jay together was extremely helpful and I was grateful for Klaire's willingness to take the boys so we could have that time! 

I enjoyed being able to have a work out buddy in the mornings! It helped we didn't have schedules or deadlines to meet, so we simply worked out whenever everyone was awake and ready to go. Friday morning we got to go for a run. I was grateful to trade off pushing Stanton and Jay with Klaire. The two of them plus the weight of the stroller was probably 100 pounds! It was tiring and half way up the neighborhood, I had to trade Klaire. We made a couple stops along the way at a yard sale and to see the area. It was a much needed morning outside in the sunshine and cool air! We spent the day at Katey's house! Jay loved driving the battery powered tractor around and couldn't have been more thrilled to be there to play on all the things. Hugh was excited too! Katey has the best toys and it was fun to watch the kids all play around each other. Klaire stayed with Katey that evening and I got to enjoy an evening at home with Matthew. 

Most of our evenings with Klaire we visited and played games! We learned a new game called Trash and taught Klaire Sushi Go. After the kids are in bed is always the best time to have guests! It's your chance to visit uninterrupted and enjoy just being together. I loved watching Jay and Stanton figure each other out throughout the week. They had their hard moments, but there were less than I expected. Piper was pretty attached to Klaire, but when she did decide she was safe, she loved playing in the kitchen and with the sand outside. Klaire was my super helper while I made dinner, she would watch all four kids. It was beautiful! Jay and Stanton sometimes wanted to help with breakfast, so I let them do what I could. They especially loved licking any batter leftovers! And, by the end of the week, Stanton joined in the excitement of Matthew coming home from work and joined in the fun of the winding everyone up before bedtime. Matthew brought much needed energy and happiness for the boys! 

Stanton and Jay taking their licks of muffin batter

Matthew, Stanton, Jay, Hugh, and Piper - all having the best time! 

Saturday was our last big hoorah with Klaire. We went to the same pumpkin patch we took her to two years ago when she came to visit in the Fall. The kids loved the corn boxes and happily filled their shoes and nooks and crannies with dried corn. They had super fun tractors in the boxes which added to the fun. We also practiced shooting hoops into the basketball trailer. Our corn maze experience when much better. We didn't get completely lost and made it out in just the right amount of time. Jay, Stanton, and Hope only had to be carried for a last little bit. We met up with Jack and his family at the park for a picnic. It was a beautiful day and a picnic lunch was perfect. Jay really enjoyed the bikes on a little skate park and even tried out the scooters there, too. Hugh and Piper were all about the swings and had a couple uncles who were more than happy to push them. Katey came to my house and we visited while all the kids played downstairs. Roxy and Allen got to see my basement for the first time and Katey's kids got to play down there for only the second time, so all had fun! It was sad to drop Klaire off at the airport, but she needed Curtis back and the kids needed their Daddy. We had such a fun week! I loved just being able to live day to day life with Klaire and not feel any pressure to do things. I am very grateful she was willing to come! 

Family Pumpkin Patch photo!

Hope, Abby, Kade, Hugh, Stanton and Jay, with Matthew

Katey, Abby, and Kade shooting hoops

The three amigos, Hugh, Piper, Hope

Corn maze fun! 

Me leading the kid holding and kid pushing crew! 

Jay and I on top of the hay stack!

Matthew, Jay, Hugh, and me!

Week of September 16

Matthew's deadline weeks always feel a little extra long, even though this particular deadline fell on September 16, a Monday. He went into the office and claims it was one of his better deadline days. He did work until midnight just to be sure everything went through, and it's always a huge relief when it does and when it's over! While Matthew was working very long Monday hours, I went to the new splash pad in Fort Lupton. I invited Breeanne to come along with her kids and she joined Katey and I there. The splash pad has a very fun area for little kids where the water runs and there isn't much splashing. My kids don't actually like splashy parts, so it was perfect. I felt the prompting multiple times to invite Breeanne and I finally heeded it about an hour before I left the house. I was so please she came and enjoyed being outside with her kiddos. We loved having Aunt Katey there, too! She's Jay's buddy and kindly went with him wherever he wanted her to. She climbed up the big slides and all around with him. Having her there was a huge blessing for me because Hugh's been a little extra clingy and it would have been impossible to please both my boys. We picnicked for lunch and came home for short naps. Caden was playing against Prarie View JV football, so we went to watch. I was only about 3 minutes late and Caden's team had already scored two touchdowns! It ended up being somewhere in the 60's to 0. Caden is the center, and it was fun to be able to watch him and cheer him on! Mike took Jay to the shed with the mowers and golf carts and allowed me to sit and watch. I was full of gratitude for Mike and Jenna on Monday as well as Saturday. They served me by willing to watch my wiggly, energetic Jay, so I could support their boys. I want to support them in what they do, and when I have to do it without Matthew, it's hard. We picked up some food on the way home from the game which made it an easier evening with the boys while Matthew was working. 

Hugh and Jay filling the bucket

Hugh and Hope!

Hugh venturing to the splash area and enjoying it a little bit.

Caden, Jay, Hugh, and Me

Matthew had a busy week besides it being a deadline Monday. He went to a happy hour at work on Tuesday to celebrate being done with busy season and his return to America. He had dinner with a co-worker who no longer works with KPMG on Wednesday. And, Thursday he had a dentist appointment in the morning and EQ golf activity in the evening. We were very grateful when Thursday came and he had the rest of the week off. Thursday and Saturday were filled with lawn care and random to-do's around the house. I have been wanting to put a new towel rack into the boys bathroom and the basement bathroom for a while and I finally got around to it with Matthew's extra hands to help with the boys. I love how they turned out and they are so much better than what we had! It's odd how a little thing like a towel rack can make a home feel more homey, but it does. Matthew's always the best at washing dishes and Hugh decided he wanted to help recently, which is so cute! Also with a little extra time on our days without Matthew working, we got to go on walks and enjoy the neighborhood parks at sunset. 

Boy's Towel Rack

Basement Towel Rack

Hugh the dish washer and Daddy

Park fun!

To pass our time without Dad, we went on walks, played at the parks, and enjoyed the basement. One evening Jay insisted we eat outside, so I obliged. It was the best decision. After 4 days of dinners as a solo parent, eating outside was magical. The boys loved it, stayed seated, and ate everything. We got our cocoa replacement, one of them was busted again but one was in tact so we got the right amount of cocoa even with the mess again. 

Hugh the driver, who also loves balls!

I built these, and Jay was soooo patient because I made him not touch until I was all the way done. We are trying to work on our skill of respecting other people's creations.

Cocoa! 

Cutie Hugh.

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Hugh driving again! 

Our picnic dinner. 

The biggest event of the week was Friday morning we went to Children's Hospital of Denver for Jay's re-evaluation. When we met the doctor assessing Jay, I immediately knew it was going to be a better experience. She was ready for him! She could handle his energy, she kept Matthew and I both in the room the entire time, and she treated Jay very well. She asked us so many questions which allowed us to share aspects of Jay we hadn't been able to share before and think through so many different aspects of his life and behaviors. Jay often will get stuck on certain phrases or things that are going to happen or have happened in the recent past. He loves suitcases and bags that he can open up and put things in and haul around. He is so expressive with his joy and shows it to Matthew and I regularly. He struggles to follow a gaze or direction someone shows him. He doesn't have any close friends, although he does love his cousins and all of his family. At the end of our three hours of playing and observation, the doctor asked us if we wanted preliminary results or if we wanted to wait until a full debrief session the following week. We wanted to know whatever we could! We were kind of surprised when she said Jay is autistic. Jay doesn't necessarily demonstrate the stereotypical signs of autism, but as she described what she saw and how that demonstrates autism, we learned something new about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Swirls of emotion have been with us for the past week as we've digested this information. When we picked up Hugh from Katey's house, she mentioned we seemed way better than we did last time, even though we just got an autism diagnosis for Jay. She was right! We've spent the last few months wondering about Jay, wondering how to help him, how to find answers to his struggles, and how to understand him better. Knowing he is autistic doesn't change the wonderful, sweet, kind boy we have, it simply gives us a direction to look for how to help him. We may have needed that first appointment to go so horribly we didn't get any diagnosis, so when we got this diagnosis we were ready to accept it and ready to consider what this doctor has in mind for treatment for Jay. We did meet with Dr. Alyssa the following Wednesday after we completed a separate hour assessment for Jay. It was such a long test and we had to fill it out answering for things Jay does without prompting. Matthew and I did it together and this helped the doctor determine Jay is currently Level 2 autism meaning he needs substantial therapies and support right now. She spent 90 minutes with Matthew and I talking about all the things related to Jay, his diagnosis and how we could proceed. We agreed we need to get him into speech and occupational therapy in addition to what he's getting in school because it is so limited. Our insurance won't cover any additional costs which means therapies will be very expensive unless we find other means to cover the cost. She told us there are State funds or County funds we might be able to access, so we're starting our journey of learning about those. We also ordered a book she recommended and will start to learn more about what autism is through that. She was very kind and did a great job answering all of our questions. 

One thing I know is that Jay is a child of a very loving, all-knowing, Father in Heaven. Jay is known and seen by Him. Matthew and I have been entrusted with this little boy who has such a strong spirit and joyful demeaner. He brings light to everyone with his happiness and I want to help him keep that throughout his life! We don't know long term what impacts this diagnosis will have on Jay, but we are going to do everything we can to help him live his best life here in mortality. Someday, when we get to meet him after the Resurrection, when his mortal body is perfected and he has no limitations, I think I will be amazed. He has a special spirit and it's our responsibility now to teach him how to return to his Father in Heaven, and learn from him how to be more like our Savior. I've always felt like kids with disabilities are the strongest spirits, and I don't think Jay is any exception. We have been the beneficiaries of much prayer and fasting already on our journey with Jay, and we have felt the power of God through the faith of others.  

Jay was very disappointed we didn't stay longer at Katey's after his evaluation! A fort and a tractor, what fun! 

Matthew didn't realize this tractor would move and it scared him when Jay took off driving! 

Starting New Routines and Schedules

I'm going to start this post with Sunday, not my usual Monday. Sunday was a big day for our family. Our records got read in here in the ward and right following, Matthew was called and sustained as the second counselor in the Elder's Quorum. When we got the message Monday after we returned to America that a member of the Stake Presidency wanted to meet with us, we were nervous! The stake didn't even have our records back, but we were on the watchlist. I am excited for Matthew to serve and I think he is looking forward to serving as well! Matthew was set apart after Sacrament meeting, and the boys did really good at being reverent during it. Jay even gave Uncle a hug afterwards, he walked through all the men in the circle and went to Uncle, it was very sweet. Matthew had a quick presidency meeting and we joined up with Sam (aka Auntie) and Max (Uncle and Auntie's son) in Uncle's truck. We were able to visit and catch up and pass the time while we waited for Matthew to finish meetings. We were so excited to have Grandpa and Grandma came for dinner on Sunday afternoon. Since Hugh wasn't feeling well, he wasn't as excited to see them as usual, but Jay was beyond thrilled. He couldn't wait to show them the basement and play! Grandpa went down the slide which Jay thought was very cool! We had fajitas, a delicacy we missed greatly while we were in Germany. I also baked brownies, another thing we haven't had in a few months. It was so great to visit with Grandma and Grandpa and enjoy their company for a little longer. Matthew is being promoted this fall to Manager at KPMG and he finally got to tell his parents. We are excited and feel very blessed to get this promotion! It's earlier than we were expecting, but we were hopeful Matthew would get it. Being Manager has been the big goal since coming to KPMG and we're excited and nervous to see what the additional responsibilities bring, along with a pay increase. 

The biggest change of the week was Jay going to school. Matthew gave him a Father's Blessing on Monday evening in preparation for starting on Tuesday. The blessing was sweet, and I was reminded that Heavenly Father has a great love and attention for Jay, as He does with all His children. Jay will learn a lot this year, and has a lot to learn. We went early to school on Tuesday so he could see the classroom, the potty, and get a little more oriented. Mrs. Tiffee, Mrs. Ashley, and Mrs. Alaina were all there to welcome him back to school! Having the same teachers and support staff made the transition easier on all of us! Jay was a little confused when his classmates came in and he didn't know any of them, but he took it all in stride. Jay cried on Wednesday, not excited to return to school, but independently walked up to the door. He cried as he walked, talking about me leaving, but still made it to the door where Mrs. Ashley was. They told me he pulled it together pretty quickly, which was a blessing. Overall, I'd say Jay had a great first week back! He did some patting other kids on the backs and touching a couple noses, which wasn't awesome. He is peeing on the potty at school on his own, which is a HUGE improvement from last year. He has tried to sit on the carpet to listen, and I am going to try to be towards the front of the pick up line so he doesn't have to wait as long for me to come get him. He gets a little handsy with the other kids when he has to wait in line. There is a little boy in our ward who is in his class, which makes it fun! 

He looks so mature in these pictures, a complete 4 year old! 

I love Jay's happiness!

Jay and Hugh, Hugh loved his Mama time. 

The boys were playing so well together, it made my Mama heart happy! 

They also love swinging and we go swing almost every afternoon and play in water. 

I've love being back to pickleball. We stayed at the park for most of the morning on Monday, enjoying the sunshine and playing with the kids. I have realized I need movement for my sanity, so we've been biking or walking as much as possible to try to get movement in. Jay has been doing awesome on his bike outside on our back porch. He hasn't quite learned about braking yet, so we're limiting the exposure of the bike to the backyard until we learn that skill a little better. 

Aunt Katey and Hope came to visit on Wednesday! They came while Jay was at school and stayed until mid-afternoon. It was so refreshing to have Katey here! Hugh and Hope were so chill, enjoying toys and not bothering each other much. It made it easy for Katey and me. Katey gave me the peer support to hang my magnet board up and helped me make sure it was at a good height. I love the way it looks and can't wait to get more pictures up! Jay was excited to see Katey and Hope when I picked him up from school! He pushed the stroller all the way home, which was an impressive feat. He's getting stronger and bigger every day! Katey and I didn't really do any certain thing while she was here. Just visited and enjoyed being together! Having her close by is a huge blessing and one I have been missing! 

Aunt Katey reading the before nap book! 

My magnetic board, hung up and beautiful! 

Tuesday morning I was all ready to go do the emissions testing, and I was about to load up and realized Matthew had the Subaru at work. He usually takes it to work, I just hadn't realized I needed it to do the testing until he was long gone. Luckily, we weren't riding against a hard deadline so I took it in on Thursday. Hugh was my partner in crime and he did amazing. He sat and watched the guys work, no fuss. We also stopped by the Post Office and while I was packing up something to ship, he entertained himself with pushing open all the little tiny swinging doors you can find on post office boxes. Besides his good behavior, he's nice to have along because everyone looks at him with such kindness and they are in turn kinder to me. 

After a week full of errands, I decided we should just go to the park during preschool and let Hugh run around. I met Renee there with her kids and her daycare boy. Hugh did really well climbing, but wasn't too excited about the slides and was very tentative. The rubber ground kept tripping him up, which he didn't like either. I wonder if he was more nervous because Jay wasn't there, or if he was worried I was going to walk off and be too far away. We were hoping they could play in the splashpad, but it was down for maintenance. 

Hugh did awesome through this tunnel! 

More fun in the water in the back yard! 

Busy season is in full swing! I count my blessings we only have to do two weeks of it! I don't know if I would have survived a full season this fall. Matthew is working nights, including Fridays and Saturdays. It gives me a lot of time to do things, so I've been somewhat productive and somewhat unproductive. I usually have motivation for a while and then as the deadline approaches it wanes because I am tired and I just want to have Matthew back. I have been listening to an audio book which provides a good distraction and I've been working on my sewing skills by hemming some of the boys shorts, making a bib and a hooded towel for friends who are having babies, and sorting through all of the boys clothes. We're a little tired of our limited clothes supply in Germany and they got fairly worn out, so I needed to sort through. 

Saturday we got to watch Brady play football up here in Brighton! It was great to see Mike and Jenna and have a chance to watch Brady's team win big. He did great during his playing time, and Mike and Jenna took turns running around with Jay. Hugh won't let me travel far, so I was grateful for their extra hands with Jay. I really love supporting my family in their sports, but sometimes it is really hard because of my kids. Mike and Jenna made it possible to enjoy the game and I was very grateful! I also made freezer strawberry jam. We are currently using the last bit of precious raspberry we have from Grandpa Great, so we needed to stock up. Jay was more than excited to help and I allowed him to help me stir and measure, so hopefully it all sets up okay. 

Hugh happily entertaining himself at Brady's game.

Happy helper Jay with our double batch of jam.

I also tried my hand at chocolate ice cream. It's a little more bitter than I anticipated, so I may change the recipe up a bit next time. It's very creamy and super delicious anyways! Hugh was looking so cute in this chair, I just couldn't help but share it. 

Hugh! 

Ice cream beginning to freeze, yum! 

Back Home!

Monday, September 2nd, might be the only Labor Day until Matthew retires that he doesn't have to work. With his vacation time to adjust back to Colorado time, we made the most of our Monday! Jay woke up the earliest, 1:45 AM and never went back to sleep until nap time. If you think about it, 1:45 AM was way sleeping in for him, 9:45 AM Germany time. Matthew was a trooper and got up with him, let him watch a show and they kept each other busy until Hugh and I woke up around 5. We spent the morning up in Lyons at Lavern M Johnson Park. The river was freezing, as usual, but lower flow than May. The boys loved the splashpad and we played there until the cousins all arrived. Jay was excited to play in the water and jumped right in, Matthew close behind and they even floated down the river together in Jack's tube. Jay thought it was the best! The boys rocked the playground, not surprising, and enjoyed being outside. I watched all the big kids, Jack, and Matthew jump off a big rock into a deeper part of the river. It looked cold and I definitely didn't want to join in. However, when I returned to watch more of the kids jump in, I realized I had no excuse to not join the fun! I am not nursing, pregnant, and had people to watch my kids. Younger Kitt would have been in the water the first time, so I decided to jump in. I was scared of the cold and a little about the jump, but it was awesome! Hugh crying and wailing from the edge with Katey made me move faster as I didn't want anyone to have to listen to his wails for too long. The cold water was refreshing as it got a lot hotter throughout the morning. We enjoyed our picnic lunch and came home for naps and to finish unpacking and settling back into home. Spending the morning with the Bryce's and the Merrill's was rejuvenating and filled us all with joy to be back near family! There's truly something special about being with family and we missed it while we were in Germany. 

Hugh jumping on a little pad that sprayed water when you jumped on it

Daddy, Jay, and Hugh - living their best lives!

Tuesday and Wednesday, Matthew was in turbo mode of getting all the things done he needed to before jumping back into work. It's not only work, but busy season work meaning his weekends and nights gone. He was driven and motivated to get to everything on his list, and I think he successfully made it! Because of his drive, we didn't take naps, capitalizing on all the free moments without the boys to do something. We installed blinds on the basement windows, set up his office in the basement, pulled out all the dead bushes in the front yard, pulled weeds in the front and the back, loads of laundry, fixed our master bathroom toilet that was running, and I cut all the boys hair. Hugh's hair was the hardest to cut. His tips were bleached from the sun and he had a beautiful sheen to his hair. Cutting it took all of that off and it made me more sad than I thought I would be. 

Matthew the plumber, he's learning many new skills and I'm impressed with his willingness to jump in and try to figure things out when he can.

One of the best things we did with our time was go to the Denver Temple for an endowment session. Grandma and Grandpa were gracious enough to watch our boys! Jay and Hugh were very excited when we arrived, and Jay already had Grandpa outside grabbing a suitcase for him by the time we left for the session. Being in the temple was wonderful! Three months is a long time without being able to go and we were very blessed we could go before jumping back to totally normal life. I loved being there with Matthew, remembering the promises we've made with each other and with Heavenly Father. Those promises are the most sacred promises and covenants I have made and I treasure them. Jay and Hugh did great for Grandma and Grandpa, according to the report. I think Grandma and Grandpa's time in Germany with us really solidified the relationship with the boys, especially for Hugh. Jay already loved them and still very much does! 

When you are gone for three months, you also come back to some issues. The first big issue we found was in our basement. I peeked under the vanity and saw water damage. Our brand new vanity, damaged. I lifted up a box of lights that was being stored under there and was horrified to find moldy water puddled beneath. I yelled for Matthew, so horrified! The faucet has been slowly leaking for a long time. Uncle came over the next day to take a look. He verified our suspicions of leaking and is willing to help us fix it and replace it. I've been working with the faucet company to get a refund for the faucet and some financial help with the damages. My sisters greatly encouraged me to reach out and see what could be done. I thought I was fighting a hopeless battle, but the faucet company is actually refunding the faucet and paying for a portion of the damages. It's a miracle and I am truly grateful. 

While Uncle was here, I asked if I could borrow his tin snips. He gladly obliged, but did the cutting and measuring all himself. I found a frame a few months ago and wanted to create a magnet board to display all of our magnets we've been collecting from various journeys. He used my frame as a measurement and cut it beautifully to fit within my frame! I later spray painted it black and began to think about how I could get the frame to actually hold the metal and where I wanted to hang it up! 

Sickness is also a curse that often comes with traveling and lack of sleep. Jay was still coughing from last week in Germany and it was getting worse. I was worried, so while I was at Hugh's well check, I asked the doctor about it. He wanted to see Jay, so we took him in later that afternoon to get tested for whooping cough. Because Matthew wasn't working, I was able to take Hugh to his well check and Jay to his sick appointment without the other kid. It was beautiful and so nice to only have one kid. They are both so much better behaved when they're the only one with me! We got an antibiotic prescription for Jay and luckily the results came back negative for whooping cough. However, on Friday, Hugh was developing a very bad cough. He was even wheezing throughout the day and I became concerned. I called the doctor's office and they recommended I go to Urgent Care/ER at Denver Children's Hospital. I left right at the start of naptime, hoping Jay would rest while Matthew was working. We were seen fairly quickly and got the diagnosis of croup. They gave him a steroid and told us to keep an eye on his breathing and come back in if the wheezing cough came back. Scary! I was worried about his breathing, which is why I took him in and then it continued to worry me. I am grateful for medicine and the power of the Priesthood. Hugh's doing much better now, still a runny nose and a cough but the scary croup breathing is gone. 

Other best parts of being home are playing pickleball and going to big grocery stores! Pickleball was just as fun as I remember, although it has brought some aches and pains I haven't experienced for a while. And, the grocery stores are amazing. I know what everything is and where everything is. Costco was a beautiful site, to be able to stock up on all the necessities in one place! I have this great craving to stock up on things after living three months almost day to day with things I needed from the store. I also put in an online orders to get what we needed from Sam's Club. It arrived leaving a big pile of cocoa powder on the ground. I cringed, knowing it might be really messy inside. I opened it outside and an entire container of cocoa had busted open and was all over everything in my box! Every nook and cranny, covered! Matthew was kind enough to leave his work for a few moments and help me clean things off. We had to wipe down everything with paper towels and then I sprayed them with canned air. I know the boxes still have cocoa powder inside, but at least the outsides of things are clean now. It was such a mess! I also have a unique desire to purge all the unnecessary things in my house! I feel like we have tons of toys, clothes, and unnecessary items. I truly should filter through things while I am less attached. We love having our backyard, a place where Jay goes and plays and entertains himself. Hugh loves going out too, but still wants company. Our basement, with the slide and the swing and the beanbag, it's a heaven for all of us to play around in, especially when it's hot outside. Our kitchen, with an oven and appliances, make it way more fun to cook and enjoy foods we haven't had in a while. We've already put our grill to use a couple times, enjoying freshly grilled burgers. I do miss the walk-ability of Germany. I realized this week that I miss walking! I miss the movement and getting energy out in a good way. I looked up how long it would take me to walk to one of the stores nearby and the map said 30 minutes. At that moment, I realized how much more spread out things are here! To walk 30 minutes and only get that far, crazy! My circle of walking was even smaller than I thought in Germany! We are very blessed to have two cars to get all the places we need here and we have many many blessings! We love playing in the back yard every afternoon, usually in the water because it's still very hot. 

Jay and Hugh loving the free pool we picked up off the curb this spring.

The first signs of cocoa dumping out of the box...