911 for Ezra

Yesterday we had quite the scare with Ezra. Justin and the boys were outside planting bushes and I was cooking dinner. I heard Ez start crying. I went outside and found him underneath the stairs with his head stuck in this large pipe.

The pipe has been sitting outside under our stairs for a long time, as it waits to be painted and made into a backyard drinking fountain stand. I thought I'd be able to give a gentle tug and that he'd come right out. But that wasn't the case, he wasn't budging. His jacket hood was up and contributing to the problem. Justin came running over and tried as well. This kid was definitely stuck. I could see his mouth and he was crying and continually saying, "Stuck!" We could see his nose, but just barely. Ez must have been so scared because he couldn't see a thing.

Justin ran in to get some oil and scissors. We cut away his hoodie, which probably didn't help. And then I poured a bunch of oil in my hand and tried to get it back in to the point where he was stuck. I couldn't reach that far. Nothing was working. We were both starting to get a bit panicky so Justin called our neighbor to run over. He came in his socks! What a great neighbor. He couldn't actually help, but it was good to have someone there that wasn't feeling as frantic.

Right after that, Ez squirmed around and then went deeper inside. At this point his nose was pressing against the inside of the pipe. I knew that if he went any further he wouldn't be able to breath. That's when we decided we had to call 911. That was a scary moment because we realized that we pretty much felt like it was out of our hands and we would need to depend on others now. Ezra is still crying but luckily Nolan had gone inside to get his beloved blanket and that helped calm him to be able to hold it. He was trying to squirm around anymore.

Since he was crying so hard, his nose was getting really snotty and gross. Ez doesn't like a messy nose so he started to stick his hand up to swipe at it. As he did this he somehow arched his neck a little and managed to get loose on his own. We were so relieved! Justin was able to call 911 back and tell them that Ez had gotten out and that he was just fine except for some bruising around his forehead. I held his dirty little squished face and we just cried. I had pictured the firemen using scary tools to cut him out of the pipe and Ezra being terrified. I'm so glad it didn't have to come to that. And thankfully he didn't go any deeper where I would have feared for his ability to breath. It was quite a scary 10 to 15 minutes.

The problem was that the pipe has a rubber ring inside that is designed so that once something goes in, it doesn't slide out. We have since put the pipe away and will be finishing the drinking fountain as soon as possible. We had never thought it would be a hazard. Clearly, Ez thought it was a tunnel for crawling into.

Afterward he sat in his high chair for 30 minutes just breathing deeply and calming down. I was so glad that I had to hurry inside and finish cooking dinner for a friend. It was good to be busy with something. It took a long time for that panicky feeling to go away. Even hours later I felt a little shaky.

Our Ezra keeps us on our toes. And thankfully he's doing just fine today, except for a couple of goose eggs on his head. I asked him just now if he got stuck in a pipe, and captured this picture as he answered, "Oh, stuck."

**UPDATE**

It appears that he has not learned his lesson. Check out those eyes... he's watching you!

Preschool Grad

Nolan is now a preschool graduate! His first year, at least. We had such a fun night celebrating our smart little guy. Ms. Anna-Marie has been a great teacher and put on a wonderful program. Nolan went through a rough few weeks where he didn't want to go, but in the end he was loving school, his friends, and teacher. His special friend, Sophia, was his teacher's little girl. Those two seemed to have a special bond all year long.

Just before the program started, Ezra decided he wanted to graduate, too.

Nolan helped write his part and even did a great job memorizing it in only two days. We couldn't be more proud! Here's a video of the highlights so that faraway grandparents can have a peek.

Praise to the Man

For the past year or so, Nolan's favorite song has been "Praise to the Man." He was so pleased when our Primary began practicing it for the sacrament meeting presentation. Here is Nolan's rendition, including a somewhat inappropriate "dance break" in the middle.

School Boy

First of all, I got the results back from my second biopsy. It was the exact same information (dermatofibroma, a scarring-type lesion that may have resulted from a bug bite). I'm more than a little annoyed that we had to pay for the whole thing twice, but I guess I need to focus on the fact that it's nothing serious. As the remaining part of my fingernail grows, I will eventually have no nail left (probably in the next three months). At that point it will be a long wait to see if any new nail will begin to grow.

Now on to something more fun: I just thought I would do a little post about what a good boy my Nolan has been lately. He loves preschool again, and has been the best helper around the house. He did a great job helping us plant our garden last week, too. Here is my handsome boy on his way out the door to preschool. He insisted on the boots and 3-D glasses.

Here is some of his fantastic artwork. He is always drawing monster trucks, complete with flags, a number, and a long ladder for the driver to climb.

He draws some great cargo trains, too.

And here are the sweet presents I received from the boys on Mother's Day.

We love Park City

Last week we were lucky enough to use a friend's timeshare in Park City. The boys were so pleased to stay in a hotel. Nolan remembered the place from last year and was excited to use the exercise room and the swimming pool. The boys even tried out the jetted tub. Justin still commuted to work, but our weekend and evenings were so relaxing and fun to spend together as a family.

The place even had an activity room with puzzles, games, and big beanbags to play on. There were also daily activities. I won ice cream in the Wii tournament (Justin was the only other participant), we decorated cookies, and went to movie night in the theatre. We also enjoyed the toy section at TJ Maxx, where Ez got a new book and Nolan picked out a new logging truck.

The highlight for me was having some friends come up and spend the second half of the week having girl time. Justin took a day off so that I could have a break from the stresses of being a mom. It was perfect timing since Mother's Day was coming up. We ate great food, did crafts, watched movies, shopped, and talked, talked, talked until midnight or later every night. It was 3 days and nights of pure bliss. I felt so refreshed when I got home and I loved all of my boys so much more after having a little time to de-stress. Thanks, honey!

Ski Day

Justin took Nolan up to Alta two weeks ago and hit the slopes before the resort closed for the season. The lifts are free after 3 p.m., but it's too bad that their website failed to mention in the ad that they close at 4:30! Justin got up there and rented the gear and realized they only had about an hour for Nolan's first ski experience. It was rushed but I think they had a pretty good time. I asked Nolan what his favorite part was and he said, "I like riding the ski lift and going to the ski restaurant!" I so wish I had a picture of him in his little skis, but like I said, it was a rush!

More Pinky Problems

While in St. George, my dermatologist called to say that they don't think the biopsy results on my pinky were correct. That post bug-bite type tissue typically only occurs on arms and legs, and not under fingernails so they told me to see the other doctor at their practice for a second opinion and possibly another biopsy.
Well, I just had that appointment three days ago and sure enough, I did the entire biopsy experience all over again. It was so depressing because the last stitch had only come out 5 days before. But it was a good thing I was going in because it was looking swollen and appeared to be growing faster. I would have needed to be seen anyway.
This time around wasn't quite as traumatic, thank goodness. Instead of stitches they did cautery, which was uncomfortable during the procedure but seems to make for faster healing and less pain. I was also better prepared with some stronger meds for the 8 hours afterward. I will spare you the pictures this time around. And Justin was there for support and to drive me home. Justin says it doesn't look as bad as last time, but I think it's all pretty gnarly. In my book, a black crater is certainly not attractive. I made sure that Justin was home when I changed the bandages for the first time. It was a good thing, too, because I blacked out and nearly fainted. Once I get past the first sighting I do okay with the gore. Weird how that works.
So now we're playing the waiting game to find out what this is once and for all!

Easter Report

I meant to post this two weeks ago and just never got around to it. After being in St. George I spent the week cleaning and doing loads of laundry. Then we packed up again and left for Park City (more on that later) so the blog journal got put on the backburner. Here's the quick report of our Easter festivities.

By special order, we have the bunny stop by on Saturday instead of Sunday so that Sunday we can focus on the real meaning of Easter. The boys loved their basket treasures and hunting for candy hidden around the house. After finding all of the plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, Ezra decided to crack open a couple. I came upon him rolling around in his jelly beans with a smile of ecstasy on his face. Rolling around in candy is my idea of a good time, too, Ez!

The Mathis family (my grandmother's family) Easter picnic was held at Mathis Park, as usual. We flew Nolan's new kite, tried to catch water balloons from a slingshot (Grandpa got an injury which I actually captured on camera), ate yummy food, and played with Grandma Sherri's parachute. And the pinnacle of Easter excitement was the candy hunt in the field. Nolan was at the perfect age to understand how to be fast and get lots of candy to share with Mom and Dad.

Ever since Easter, Nolan typically says the following in his nightly prayer: "Please bless the other day, and the other day, and the other day, and the next day that it can be Easter."