...she ain't heavy,she's my sister (and other moments from Disneyland)

Highlights from the last 24 hrs...

My new 'do

Krissy did a great job at the salon today getting a new hairdo.  This cut took alot of sitting still and Lacee said Krissy held still better than some of her adult clients.  She looks so much perkier, and it's just in time for her mini-vacation coming up this weekend.

Hmmmm....what to call today's blog?

As you might suspect, this isn't a good question to raise :o)  But since you're wondering, the two choices that immediately come to mind are

a) Curiosity killed the.....TV

b) "...And I just thought I had a screw loose"

So first, we'll go with option A.  Since our nice big screen TV  is now out in the side yard awaiting transportation to the dump, you'll see the heat pump and possibly some grass reflected in what's left of the screen.  Last Saturday morning, on my watch I was out in the kitchen doing things.  Krissy was her usual 'back and forth' but quite interested in a video in the living room.  We had gotten this big TV in December (a Salvation Army find for $75, which actually made its' demise a little less painful than if we'd recently purchased it new)  I had recently checked on her and in fact, Larry had also just walked by and there was nothing of concern. However my next visual check revealed a hole in the lower left corner and the entire bottom of the screen caved in.  Apparently with the characters being so life-like (life-size) Krissy was quite convinced that they were actually inside the TV and she had impulsively decided to have a look.  I was pretty mad, I'll admit....and layed the guilt trip on pretty thick.  The next morning she got up saying, "Mommy, I'm sorry TV...I forgive you" repeatedly.  Guess she wanted to keep replaying both sides of the culmination of our 'discussion' over ever doing it again.  We thought we should probably not get another one for awhile, although this sort of punishes everyone (including Ben) who enjoys his videos.  We sat tight for a couple days and then 'out of the blue' some friends from CYT who had heard what happened, let me know that they had a large TV they were storing in the garage, as their adult daughter had gotten a smaller one.  She just wanted $50 for it and it's very nice...in fact it seems identical to the one we had except just a few inches smaller, which is fine!  I didn't want to spend much on a replacement, not knowing if her curiosity was now satisfied or not.  She seems to have taken the message to heart...

B)  About 15 months ago, I opted to have a BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) implanted.  This is done by the MD installing a small steel post behind the ear (in the operating room).  After it 'sets' for about 3 months, you snap an external small processor onto it and it conducts sound, increasing hearing.  Well, I found that it wasn't ever comfortable to wear this...it hit my head in a way that felt like I was getting pinched.  When I told the MD about it, his solution was changing it to a longer post, a simple thing done in the office.  So...at the end of this last December I did that.  However a couple weeks later when I attempted to put the processor on, it hurt and it felt like the post wasn't firmly attached.  So back I went and the Dr said that he needed to tighten the screw, that it didn't make sense that it was sore (which didn't really relieve my symptoms at all) but he didn't have the right tool at the office he was at, so I scheduled to go  to the other one the following week.  Unfortunately that was the day of ice, so I didn't go...but finally, two days ago, I finally made it AND he had the right tool to fix me up.  We thought so, anyway.  He started looking at it and it hurt BAD, like clear thru my skull.  He said "I don't like that at all" ("You don't like it?????) He said that the screw wasn't loose at all, but the whole post was loose and he believed I had developed osteomyelitis (explanation...infection in the bone with some of it dying) around it.  He wanted a CT scan right away (which I was able to walk downstairs and do immediately) and started me on antibiotics.  Now the whole thing has to be removed surgically.  Often with osteomyelitis, IV antibiotics are necessary, so we're eager to hear the CT results to know how bad this is.  With airline tickets to Disneyland a week from today, I really don't want to have my head cut open before as it's just something else to deal with.  I'm thinking the antibiotics should settle it down and unless it becomes alot worse, he seemed agreeable to putting it off for a few extra days.  

Which brings me to happy news....we're really excited to head south to hopefully warm weather and fun at Disneyland.  David, Krissy and I plan to fly down Saturday evening.  Jamie had an event that she really wanted to attend on Sat evening, so she'll fly down Sunday morning, arriving about the time we would need a lunch break anyway.  We'll have a car, so we'll pick her up and then return to the park.  Krissy is very excited about this and has her schedule made up for the first day.  I see that we are going back to our hotel (just across from the entrance) for a little down time around dinner, then returning for Space Mountain (mom is NOT going on this) , the fireworks and the water show.  We plan to have 3 pretty full days before our flight home Tuesday evening.   My next blog post will probably be from there.

Otherwise all is well.  Larry is anticipating his unit likely going to all 12 hr shifts, which will be quite a change for us.  David is doing well at Mt. Hood Comm. College and is looking for part-time work as he's wanting to save for 'the future' :o)  Jamie is really busy, but seems to be thriving with it.  She's a full time college student, doing driver's ed, usually helping me with getting Krissy and Ben out the door in the mornings as well as being the stage manager for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang this winter at CYT Vancouver.  Anne and I get a country drive twice a day as she attends Damascus Christian School.  Her efforts were rewarded when she worked hard on her audition song for Annie and got exactly the role she wanted....that of the feistiest orphan, Pepper.  She gets to be very snotty, fight and do some gymnastics as well as singing, dancing and having some lines....all in all, a good fit for her and she's happy with it.  We've had a challenging few months with Krissy, partially attributable to an injection she had at the end of October.  It's a hormone medication that was intended to make her life easier, but not quite how it worked out.   It lasts for 3 months, so we had to ride it out.  This last week has been a noticeable improvement, calmer both at school and home.  Benj is doing well and really enjoying his new after-school buddy, Emily.   It was so cute yesterday as I was watching them play...he put his little hand up to give her a high-5.  His health has been stable.  My week was busy with making 12 dozen cinnamon rolls as a special favor for a large family breakfast tomorrow following their daughter's wedding today. The little photo is one of the last 3 pans ready to go in the oven....I am so done making rolls for awhile and am quite certain after this marathon,  I will be able to "just say no" to any future similar requests!  It was not as easy as it sounds.

Catch us up when you can...we'd love to hear from you too!

Love, Janelle & all

Good Morning...I think Benjamin has surpassed all previous records of staying out of the hospital, this time making it from July...until yesterday.  He's ok, but has had a rough week with fever and 'stomach bug' type symptoms. Thankfully no one else is sick but he just got dehydrated enough that our pediatrician felt he needed to be hospitalized yesterday.  I realized how bad he looked (and how worried they were) when they asked if I'd like them to call an ambulance to take him in.  I declined and we made a stop by home to pick up a few things.  Jamie cancelled her plans for the evening to come along and help (thank you again!) and spent the night here with Ben and I.  He's looking considerably better already and I'd like to get out of here before we get something we didn't come with!  We'll see how the day goes, but thanks for praying for him to recover and hopefully the rest of us to stay well for awhile here too.  Blessings to you all this Christmas season!

Hi Friends,

Our blog has been very quiet, usually an indication that things are quiet at the Julian home...relatively speaking. It's been a very low key week as 6 out of 7 of us caught a respiratory virus. Thankfully it hit hardest right after finishing the kids CYT shows, so the timing was just perfect. David was first and had some sore throat and cough last weekend, but thankfully was able to perform without a hitch and finished out CYT really strong. We're proud of him. I woke up not feeling well on Monday and Larry also began having symptoms. He's been unusually healthy, having not called in sick for over 6 months. It's been a real answer to prayer. Jamie, Anne and Benjamin developed varying degrees of symptoms as the week progressed but I hesitate to whine much...this is SO much better than the stomach flu, I'll take respiratory illnesses anytime. About the time I started feeling better, my voice began to disappear and I'm still alternating between croaking and squeaking, but feel fine. It bugs Krissy ("talk LOUD, Mom"). Probably bugs other people to listen to me too, but they are polite enough to not say so.

We enjoyed being with our friends, the Wrights, last night to celebrate David's friend Emily's 19th birthday. We were in their home last night and expect them here tonight after church.  We try and get together after Sat evening church often, have dinner and do our Face to Face (Bible Read Thru) together.  Their 3 kids are the same ages as our older 3 and they are all so close, it's great to share in reading the Word together.  It's been great to have more of the kids friends  joining them at church and they often invite them over too, afterwards.

We're expecting the Larry is scheduled to work Thanksgiving, but is first up y afor the night off if they are overstaffed. We don't have big plans...we'd like to go over to Mindy's in the evening if it works out, but for the most part, we'll enjoy hanging out together at home.  

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful in a fresh way for the joy there is in having a Savior and experiencing His grace to us. 

Love, Janelle

With our weather still feeling like early September, it's hard to believe that November is just around the corner. We are all fine here...5 kids in 4 schools (sounds easier than it is to keep track of who goes where, when) continues to keep me on my toes. I'm still so enjoying my twice daily drives to Damascus where Anne is enjoying her school year.Kristin is out of school today (the 3rd Friday in a row....what's that about????) but she's happy to be home and is really making some great progress. She's communicating better with some appropriate conversations. We're so happy to see her level of relationship skills. She reminded me over and over yesterday that it was Grandma's birthday. I've notice how she often expresses herself with "Sorry, Mom" when she knows she's done something she shouldn't have.  She very much loves being at home and will often opt for that over an outing. She continues to be especially attached to Jamie and I. She enjoyed helping me blow up balloons for David's 19th birthday on Wednesday.

Larry's mom is planning to come down the first weekend of November for the kid's fall shows, so she opted for the first time in many years, not to come for her birthday. Larry left here yesterday morning and after picking up his sister, headed north for Port Orchard where they celebrated her birthday with her.  He should be back this afternoon.  So glad they could do that!I opted to keep Benjamin home from school today too. He seems a little off, so prayers are appreciated. I didn't want to risk him sharing any illness with another child or the staff at school.

As you know, I left Doernbecher about 17 months ago after my boss (and wonderful friend) had her position eliminated. I felt that more would be expected from me and this was a time that I felt our family needed me more. The decision has given me a lot of peace and even though I usually only went up for part of one day a week, I'm not sure how I'd work that into our situation now. However we were concerned about my nursing license that needs renewal every 2 years. Finally, I got ahold of the State Board of Nursing and explained our situation with 2 special needs kids and Benjamin being 'medically involved'. They told me that caring for him totally qualifies for my requirement...in fact I can claim up to 16 hrs. per day for caring for him (and I only need to average 18 hrs/mo. to retain my RN license). That was such a relief. I didn't want to let it lapse, nor did I want to ever look at returning to school (refresher). But we just didn't see that it would work for me to go back to work right now. We are very thankful! It was funny....later the same week when our manager (for the programs thru the state that Benjamin and Krissy are a part of) was out, she asked if I'd be interested in working for them. She said I could basically pick up hrs while the kids are in school. It can be as small a caseload as I want...It's nursing delegation, meaning that I would visit other families with medically involved or medically fragile children and set up a care plan and assist in training their home care providers (catheters, vents, g-tubes, ostomy care, etc.) We'll see how that develops. I'm seeing/heeding the need to not say 'yes' to too many things. I was asked to speak to OHSU's medical students next week about having a child with chronic medical problems. I've done this 2 or 3 times before and I enjoy the opportunity...but it was Wednesday at 1pm....and it would take a lot of effort for me as our 2 little ones have early release on Wednesday. So I said, "call me again, but I think I better say no this time". That felt good :o)) Practice, Janelle, practice!

My mom is doing well and planning a trip to Montana in a couple weeks to celebrate my Aunt Margaret's 90th birthday. Dianne, Mindy and her daughter Aubrey are going too. I hate to miss it, but that's the weekend both of the shows open that our older kids are in. There's no way I can be gone.

We're beginning to work on some home projects that have needed doing for some time. We've lived here nearly 15 years, so things do wear out. It's fun to choose colors, carpet, etc....but wow....there are way too many options. Having been in Africa this summer, I think it really hits me in a fresh way. I'm hoping for more simplicity, less clutter in our home. And do you think we could keep the toys out of the living room and have it just be a calm peaceful place to go and 'be still'? Nah, I don't think so either. But maybe someday....Take care and catch us up on your news if we've not heard from you for a while...love, Janelle