Michelle, Road Trip, Hospital, 100' White Guy, Kids...and lots of laughs

Michelle and her son Cameron came into town last week. It had literally been 8 years since we'd seen each other. I think that is the longest stretch we have ever gone without being together - and it was entirely too long!! I need to work on going to see her more - you can't keep a best friend of 29 years for long when you don't make an effort to go see her.

Anyway, her son Cameron had surgery at the Shriner's Hospital in Houston about 7 years ago for a condition called Pectus Excavatum. He had to go back for his yearly check-up, so they came by our house and spent the night. We got up Thursday morning, and Kati and I drove them to Houston. We had a great time on our road trip!! Plus, Kati and Cameron had some good bonding time, since they were little kids last time they saw each other. It was like no time had passed at all, for any of us. Kati and Cameron became instant best friends, and Michelle and I enjoyed just being together.

We came home that night, and they spent the night again. We got up on Friday and all went out on the boat. It was fun watching Cameron learn how to wakeboard and kneeboard, and hear him and Kati trash talking each other about who was better! They even got on the small 1 person tube - together. Of course they spent the entire time trying to knock each other off, it was really funny to watch. Later that day when it was time to leave - Michelle suddenly had a case of temporary insanity....and actually asked if she could take both girls home with her for the week. Bryan and I laughed and said she must be crazy, but she said she really wanted to spend some time with them. So...off she and Cameron went home - with 2 extra passengers! I will be heading up there to pick the girls up next weekend, providing they all survive that long!!

We, of course, took tons of pictures. These are some from my camera. I will post some from her camera once I get them this weekend. She got all of the boat pictures, so they will be coming soon.

Rainbow behind our house the morning we left

They didn't make it very far from home

Shriner's Hospital - Houston

Cameron & Kati - outside at Shriner's Hospital

Aww...he loves his mom

Together we feel like we are 12 again

Kati at the outside play area

Inside on the 5th floor

For my dad....

On the road again...

So happy

Oh yea...we can't wait to get on the road again

Sam Houston - outside of Huntsville, TX

This kinda creeps me out

He's a boy....of course he has to climb

And pick his nose...

Or hug him...

Or...I have no idea...

I love this picture!

Cameron giving Kati a boost onto the 10' tall platform

I'm up here....now what?

Now...how in the world am I supposed to get up there??

No worries, mom will give you a boost

We made it!!

They look so small

And he climbs again

Where are they?

I had to zoom in to see them

And even more...

Have you ever heard that Mason's rule the world?

Here's further proof...

Cameron....being Cameron

Kati took the camera to document what was under his jacket

I have no clue where she got the idea to do that

Crap....now how do I get down?

Ummm.....help!!

Mom going to help Kati down

The next generation of Michelle and I

Kati's first Fondant Cake

Some of you know, Kati has become quite the little baker in the last couple of years. She bakes mostly cakes for us, and a lot of our neighbors. The funny thing is - she doesn't eat cake herself - she just likes to bake them. She has always done an amazing job, and we routinely have neighbors/friends call us looking for her to bake them a cake. We even have neighbors across the street, who have been known to come over at 9pm with a cake/frosting in hand - and they just smile at Kati.

Recently, Kati and I started watching Cake Boss on TLC. It is a great show!! She has always watched cooking/baking shows on Food Network (her and Bryan bond over this). She decided she wanted to try using Fondant - which is the icing that you see on the "really smooth" cakes. I don't know how else to describe it, it's used on almost all wedding cakes. So, she found a recipe for marshmallow fondant and decided to try it. Last night she decided to dive right in and try it. It was interesting to watch! Kati has become a perfectionist.....and I mean a serious one. I was a little concerned that she would get angry when it didn't go right, as the first time rarely ever does. It was a mess - I would love to show you pictures of how messy it really was - but she wouldn't let me take pictures. Let's just put it this way - she had to spread Crisco all over our kitchen counters....if that helps. I came to the living room and watched a movie (or tried to at least) while she worked. Her best friend, Krystal, was here, as was her friend Zach. I told Zach he had better avoid her and the kitchen like the plague - but he was brave/stupid and stayed in there watching. He got to see first hand her Type A personality/OCD/Perfectionist - at work. He sat in amazement, often laughing at her, which does not help at all!! Krystal can deal with it, although it's funny to listen to, they will bicker like little kids. As Kati worked on coloring the fondant (it obviously starts out white) - Krystal worked on crafting decorations for the top of the cake out of the fondant.

After awhile, I couldn't wait any longer, so I went to look. I was AMAZED! She did such an awesome job!! I still can't believe this is her 1st time doing this. It looks so good. Krystal made 2 animal heads to represent her and Kati (an elephant and a bunny...I'm not sure which represents which girl) - and she also wrote the words on the cake. After it was done, Kati decided to add the polka dots - and let me tell you without exaggeration - it took her no less than 30 minutes to get them all just right. She was a little agitated that the cake is somewhat lopsided (cake fault...not icing) - and the dots are not the exact same size - but she was tired enough to deal with it.





We haven't cut it yet - I don't think any of us want to. It is a chocolate fudge cake. I'm sure it will be yummy!!

And in honor of the best friends - here are a myriad of pictures of Kati and Krystal. They have been best friends for a few years now, since Krystal moved to Providence. I think that was in the 7th grade - and they will now be entering the 10th grade. Krystal has truly become a part of our family, often joining us at family gatherings, and on holidays. She is a special young lady, who I know will be in our lives for a very long time. She and Kati couldn't be luckier to have found each other. Their friendship and bond is very familiar to me - it reminds me of Michelle and I. I pray they always have what we have always had!!

Grandma 911 - STAT

Hagen here - I've taken over the laptop to post this urgent message for help. All of the humans in this house have gone insane. Even the teenagers, although I'm pretty sure they were already insane.


Here I was enjoying this nice Friday night with a nap on the couch, when all of a sudden.....things started cracking and popping in the backyard. There were flashes of light too - it was not a pretty sight. Now, the humans in this house know that I do NOT like loud noises, bright flashes of light, or anything that closely resembles chaos (which by the way describes this house almost every day so far this summer...when does school start again?)!! I'm thinking they are trying to scare me and run me off, because they had all sorts of fire, flashes, and loud noises.



Even my mom was sitting way in the back corner of the yard - I know she was just as scared as me. It was horrible. They were all.....laughing!! Can you imagine?? It's like they were taunting and teasing me. I could just hear them, it was just sad.

So, I had to run and hide in my special spot, under mom's clothes in her closet. I scrunched myself up in the corner of the closet as much as I could, and prayed. I prayed for my grandma to come take me to her house....with the old quiet retired people. I know Grandma and Grandpa Herd would NEVER do this to me. They understand that I'm a sensitive old boy who needs lots of sleep, and peace and quiet. I bet they don't have 5 teenage boys and 2 teenage girls in their house playing some stupid football game all day (Mom says something about "Stupid John Madden")!! I bet they'd always have room for me on the couch, instead of getting pushed off so some stinky teenage boy can sit in MY spot! I know that I would never need to hide in their closet, they understand me better. Even my brother Harley was involved in the craziness. He was outside with them - cheering them on - chasing the flashing lights!! I think they must have lured him out with treats. He's a baby, he'll do anything for treats. So much for brotherly love!!

So...Grandma if you are reading this....please come save me!! I tried calling you tonight, but I couldn't find the button on the phone that says "Grandma". I know it's there, I hear mom talking to you all the time. She must have coded it with some other word that I don't understand. I think she's afraid I'll call you to save me all the time.


P.S. - when is this 4th of July craziness over with anyway??

Messing around with pictures...

Back from Vacation!

Well, we survived our annual summer vacation! This year we flew to Hollywood Beach, Florida for the week. We have a friend who has a condo down there that we used. We had an amazing time!! We spent a couple of days on Hollywood Beach, a day at Ft. Lauderdale Beach, and then took 1 day to drive down to The Keys. We started out the day by snorkeling off of Key Largo. There is an awesome live coral reef off the Keys, so it was great snorkeling. Other than the corals, we saw tons of fish, including Sergeant Majors, Tangs, Groupers, Baracudas, Moray Eels, and even a Nurse Shark!! There were tons of other fish that I can't even remember right now. We were pleased, all 3 girls got in the water and snorkeled perfectly. No freaking out, no screams when the fish got close to them, nothing. We couldn't have asked for a better time!! After snorkeling, we continued our drive across the Keys. It is so beautiful down there, words and pictures just don't do it justice. We ended up in Key West, where we took tons of pictures and ventured around the island. We ate dinner at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and of course had a few drinks and some Key Lime Pie! After a long day on the Keys, we drove back across and up the coast to Hollywood. The next day (which was our last full day) we were all exhausted, so after sleeping in, we just hung out at the beach by our condo.

Here are some random things we learned/observed:

~ Tayler decided she wants to live in Hollywood Beach
~ Restaurants in that area do NOT serve Dr. Pepper
~ Tayler realized she could never live there due to the above
~ Kati took a different bathing suit for every day - and never wore the same one twice
~ The 2nd morning, we all discovered the brilliance in Kati's plan - as we all put on our wet cold bathing suits from the day before
~ We discovered we were no longer in Texas - as the common courtesy went out the window. It was horrible to drive there!
~ People in that area have entirely too much money. Big yachts are as common as truckss here.
~ While swimming in the ocean and looking down the coastline - the Miami Vice theme song will pop into your head.
~ The sun is VERY bright as it's rising over the ocean - and glaring into your windows.
~ Sisters will still argue - even in paradise
~ Laying on the beach with no sunscreen on WILL result in a massive sunburn (just ask Tayler). Mom's have no sympathy for said sunburn when they continually told you to put sunscreen on and you did not.
~ Swallowing too much salt water will result in an upset stomach/nausea.
~ It is possible to sleepwalk through an airport, while getting on a plane, during takeoff, during the entire flight, and while deboarding at your destination (again...just ask Tayler).


That is all I can think of right now - although I know there is much more!!

Anyway, here is a link to our pictures. I know there are a lot, sorry about that.

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=2c2f33e25031e0919a16dcf07a6807f9&sid=0AcOGrJu1aMmL3Q

As promised - boat pictures

Yes...we are still alive.

Sorry it's been awhile, things have been crazy here. I guess that is the norm these days though. Today was the last day of school, so the girls are all excited for the summer!!

The drill team tryouts went well. Kati made the squad, and Tayler was asked to be the manager. So they will both be involved in drill team next school year. It has already begun though, and Bryan and I both realize our lives will never be the same.

Tayler and Kati at tryouts

And yes...I know. My brother Aaron pointed out: they have too much makeup on (it is done the way it was supposed to be for tryouts), and they both need a tan (it wasn't summer yet...give them time).



Other than that, we have been having fun on our new boat. I do have better pictures, but haven't rescued them from the camera yet. I will post soon though.

Next week is our family vacation. This year we are flying to Hollywood Beach, Florida. We are really looking forward to exploring somewhere we have never been. We will also be driving down to the Florida Keys for a day. We will stop in Key Largo in the morning for a snorkeling trip out to the living reef, and then continue on all the way to Key West. It will be a long day trip, but well worth it!!

We will have a ton of pictures from vacation when we return. I will try and post them as soon as I can.

Girls and Boat

I know it's been awhile since I've updated. It's been a crazy exhausting few weeks here! Both girls are trying out for drill team for next year. They have been practicing like crazy and are both excited. Try outs are tonight - so keep them in your prayers!! I'm sure they are both going to make it, and it will start a very exciting chapter for both of them.

The only other real news from here is our recent purchase of a boat. We are super excited to actually get it in the water. We are very much looking forward to a summer of fun on the boat with all of the girls!

Happy Easter to everyone!

FYI

Just wanted to let everyone know that the construction of our retirement home, Chateau Klein, is coming along nicely.

Leather Coral

Not only do we have picky girls in our house - we have picky corals too. Bryan decided to move our leather coral....the coral had other ideas.

Sad Leather

Happy Leather

And now for something different

I figured the blog could use some cuteness.




BTW - Kati is getting better. We are having to go back to the doctor every day to have the internal packing changed. It will be this way for the rest of the week, at least. Her arm is feeling much better, but it hurts to have the packing changed.

Poor Kati

So Kati had her doctor's appointment this morning. The doctor decided that since it was getting worse, and showed no signs of draining on it's own, that she would drain it. She gave Kati 5 or 6 shots all around the bump to try and numb it, although she said it probably wouldn't work very well - as it's very acidic and Lidocaine usually doesn't work. It did help some though, which was good. After that, she took a scalpel and sliced it open and drained it. She said the cavity was pretty deep, but she thinks she got it all. She put "dressing" into it to keep it open so the bacteria could continue to drain. We go back tomorrow morning to have the dressing changed, which she has forewarned Kati will hurt pretty bad.

So, all in all Kati is better today. Her arm isn't as sore now, and she can actually raise it some, still not anything above level though (when her arm is bent), but it's a start.

Luckily for everyone, there were no pictures of today's procedure. Although, Kati did want me to video it with my phone, but I did not.

I did get 1 shot of her with my phone while we were waiting on the doctor to come back and get started.

Update for today

This is Kati's arm tonight. It's still getting somewhat bigger, but still not draining on it's own. It is pretty tender and causing her a lot of pain. Her doctor's appointment is in the morning, so we'll see what she says. I'm hoping she goes ahead and drains it - Kati is not. It will be very painful for her, but then it can start to heal and stop hurting.

She has some other small spots, but they seem to be in control. There is one on her shoulder near where her other ones were last time. But so far it's not growing.

(The shiny stuff you see on her arm is the remnants of the antibiotic ointment)

The spot on the far left is new - the other 3 red marks are scars from the last round.

Update again

As of 10pm tonight, this is what it looks like. It's getting bigger, but hopefully it will start to drain soon. It's hurting her pretty bad as well. It's in a bad spot and she can't find a comfortable way to "hold" her arm. She is going to try and go to school tomorrow (she's been on antibiotics for 24 hrs, so it's not contagious) - we'll see how that works out. I'm not sure about it, but she missed an entire week last time, she missed yesterday and today, and will probably miss Thursday due to her next doctor's appointment. At that time, the doctor will probably try to drain it surgically, so I'm guessing I won't be taking her to school after. I told her if she starts to feel bad at all (nauseous, fever, etc) that she is to immediately go to the nurse and call me.

Please keep her in your prayers!

Kati update

I took these pictures of Kati's arm today. This spot hasn't come to a head yet, we are still working on that. It is hurting her pretty bad, she can barely lift her arm.

The pictures don't really do it justice, it's hard to tell, but it is larger than a quarter in size, and quite swollen, and hard.

Sick house

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, it's been busy at our house. Bryan and I are both fighting head colds, that we can't seem to get rid of. We've both been sick since before we went to Arkansas, so it's been awhile. He'll go to work where he gets worse (all the ups and downs in the airplane wreck havoc on his head) and I'll start feeling better, until he comes home and gives it to me again. It's a vicious cycle. He went to the doctor today and got some medicine, so hopefully that will kick it.

Kati is on her 2nd round of MRSA (Medicine Resistant Staph Infection). The first round was pretty bad, she had spots on her shoulder and thigh. The one on her thigh really concerned her doctor, as it was pretty deep, but it drained ok. They will leave scars, which sucks. So far this time, she has 1 bad spot just under her armpit. She has several other spots, but none seem to be bad yet. She is on several medications again, and goes back to the doctor Thursday so she can hopefully drain this new spot. This is a tough thing to deal with, and can be very dangerous. We are having to watch her constantly to make sure she doesn't develop a fever or get sick. At the first sign of any of that and it's off to the ER for us. This stuff can be fatal if it gets into the bloodstream or organs. There is also the possibility of it getting into the muscle, which could be bad also. And of course it's contagious - and the school treats her like she has the plague (which I can understand, as we are sure that is where she got it in the first place). It's also hard to get rid of in the house. Everything she has been in contact with has to be washed in hot water.

I'm attaching a picture of what it looks like. This was her last round, and is on the front of her right shoulder.

I know it's gross - sorry - but someone requested to see it. (click on the picture to see it enlarged - if you are so inclined)