Another Thanksgiving was upon us and we were knee deep in our preparations. We were looking forward to having another family feast at our house. We knew this would be a little difficult so soon after PopPop's passing, but we were happy everyone could be together. It would be great to have all the Harkins crew here.
Alek had a follow-up ENT appt to check on a stubborn ear tube that had never fallen out and also to discuss some other symptoms. After an exam and x-ray it was determined he needed surgery. He needed two more tubes in as there was persistent fluid in both ears and he also needed his adenoids removed. They were blocking 3/4 of his airway. This explains the snoring and restless sleep! They offered us the day before Thanksgiving so we took it.
I managed to get alot done the weekend before and also enjoyed my 20th HS reunion! Yikes, 20 years?!? 20, that just freaks me out, I dont feel like I have been out of HS twenty years? It was fun and it was great to see some old friends, whom I might add, look fabulous and the same as we did back then!! But, the clothes, all those pictures from the 80's, the hair? That was a tragic fashion decade for sure!
Tuesday was the boys Thanksgiving feast and show at LL. This would be Alek's last one there. Their songs were cute and Maks actually participated this year, I was so proud of him. He is making such great progress. He sang loudly as well. It was great up until the time Alek and Maks were standing next to each other dancing and swinging their arms together, Maks got a little aggressive and whacked Alek. I tried to make pretend I didn't know them! :o) Thankfully a quick on her feet teacher seperated them for the remainder of the program. We had a great lunch together with all the trimmings. It was a wonderful afternoon.
Wednesday was surgery. We had prepped Alek on the day by visiting the CHOP website for kids and playing the games and listening to the cartoon character talk about surgery. He was well prepared. He did great pre-op and we were cracking up watching the giggle juice kick in. He was sooo stoned, it was comical. My heart broke though and I teared up watching him head back to the OR, all of a sudden he looked so little to me. It was a tense 45 minutes for me, but soon the doc came out and said all went well. He wound up also having an issue with a turbinate in his nose which was also causing a blockage so they fixed that as well. We then headed back to post-op and he was a mess. He had such a hard time. He was crying, disoriented and kept trying to itch his face. He seemed like he was in a lot of pain. It was heart breaking. He seemed to settle once I climbed on the stretcher with him and then gave him some more pain meds. He just needed to settle and sleep. At one point he must have become more oriented because he looked at me and said, "where are we"?. He then went on to have a couple popsicles. Soon we were sprung free and we headed home. He napped alot, would wake up and want to play and then would quickly feel bad and lay back down. He did throw up twice, but had a great night sleep and by Thanksgiving you would never know he had surgery. He has barely snored and is doing great. We see a difference already!
Thanksgiving brought a beautiful fall day. The cooking went well, the kids were excited for everyone to come over, especially their cousin Jake. He is like a rock star in our house-it is so funny. I wouldn't be surprised if they soon requested poster size pics of Jake to be hung on their walls.
Pop and Noni, stopped by for appetizers and cocktails on the way to Grammom's house. The boys enjoyed their visit, and loved the goodies for Maks' birthday and the new shoes for Alek. The rest of the family arrived shortly after. It was a great day, food was great, thanks to everyone who brought the sides. We stuffed ourselves big time. I know it was especially hard day for Granny, but I am glad we could all be together. PopPop was in our thoughts and we know he was looking down on all of us.
We are so thankful for our family and it is wonderful to be able to live so close to everyone and share all our holidays together.
We enjoyed the long holiday weekend and took advantage of having no plans to get caught up on cleaning and xmas decorating. Our outdoor lights went up smoothly with no yelling and Kevin even kicked it up a notch by venturing onto the roof to outline the front of our house. It looks great and the kids love it. They are getting very excited for Christmas--this definitely is a fun time of year! We are all excited to be taking a trip with our friends and their kids the day after Christmas to Bimini. We know it will make things a little extra hectic leading up to it, but the relaxation and adventure for the family will be so worth it!
So good bye November, hello December, another year flying by!
A Family Is Like
by Nicole M. O'Neil
A Family is like a circle
the connection never ends
and even if at times it breaks
in time it always mends
a family is like the stars
somehow there always there
families are those who help who support and always care
A Family is like a book
the endings never clear
but through the pages of the book
their love is always near
A family is many things
with endless words that show
who they are and what they do
and how they teach you so you know
but don’t be weary if it's broken
or if through time its been so worn
families are like that-
they can be split up or torn
but even if this happens
your family will always be
they help define just who you are
and will be apart of you eternally.
Alek had a follow-up ENT appt to check on a stubborn ear tube that had never fallen out and also to discuss some other symptoms. After an exam and x-ray it was determined he needed surgery. He needed two more tubes in as there was persistent fluid in both ears and he also needed his adenoids removed. They were blocking 3/4 of his airway. This explains the snoring and restless sleep! They offered us the day before Thanksgiving so we took it.
I managed to get alot done the weekend before and also enjoyed my 20th HS reunion! Yikes, 20 years?!? 20, that just freaks me out, I dont feel like I have been out of HS twenty years? It was fun and it was great to see some old friends, whom I might add, look fabulous and the same as we did back then!! But, the clothes, all those pictures from the 80's, the hair? That was a tragic fashion decade for sure!
Tuesday was the boys Thanksgiving feast and show at LL. This would be Alek's last one there. Their songs were cute and Maks actually participated this year, I was so proud of him. He is making such great progress. He sang loudly as well. It was great up until the time Alek and Maks were standing next to each other dancing and swinging their arms together, Maks got a little aggressive and whacked Alek. I tried to make pretend I didn't know them! :o) Thankfully a quick on her feet teacher seperated them for the remainder of the program. We had a great lunch together with all the trimmings. It was a wonderful afternoon.
Wednesday was surgery. We had prepped Alek on the day by visiting the CHOP website for kids and playing the games and listening to the cartoon character talk about surgery. He was well prepared. He did great pre-op and we were cracking up watching the giggle juice kick in. He was sooo stoned, it was comical. My heart broke though and I teared up watching him head back to the OR, all of a sudden he looked so little to me. It was a tense 45 minutes for me, but soon the doc came out and said all went well. He wound up also having an issue with a turbinate in his nose which was also causing a blockage so they fixed that as well. We then headed back to post-op and he was a mess. He had such a hard time. He was crying, disoriented and kept trying to itch his face. He seemed like he was in a lot of pain. It was heart breaking. He seemed to settle once I climbed on the stretcher with him and then gave him some more pain meds. He just needed to settle and sleep. At one point he must have become more oriented because he looked at me and said, "where are we"?. He then went on to have a couple popsicles. Soon we were sprung free and we headed home. He napped alot, would wake up and want to play and then would quickly feel bad and lay back down. He did throw up twice, but had a great night sleep and by Thanksgiving you would never know he had surgery. He has barely snored and is doing great. We see a difference already!
Thanksgiving brought a beautiful fall day. The cooking went well, the kids were excited for everyone to come over, especially their cousin Jake. He is like a rock star in our house-it is so funny. I wouldn't be surprised if they soon requested poster size pics of Jake to be hung on their walls.
Pop and Noni, stopped by for appetizers and cocktails on the way to Grammom's house. The boys enjoyed their visit, and loved the goodies for Maks' birthday and the new shoes for Alek. The rest of the family arrived shortly after. It was a great day, food was great, thanks to everyone who brought the sides. We stuffed ourselves big time. I know it was especially hard day for Granny, but I am glad we could all be together. PopPop was in our thoughts and we know he was looking down on all of us.
We are so thankful for our family and it is wonderful to be able to live so close to everyone and share all our holidays together.
We enjoyed the long holiday weekend and took advantage of having no plans to get caught up on cleaning and xmas decorating. Our outdoor lights went up smoothly with no yelling and Kevin even kicked it up a notch by venturing onto the roof to outline the front of our house. It looks great and the kids love it. They are getting very excited for Christmas--this definitely is a fun time of year! We are all excited to be taking a trip with our friends and their kids the day after Christmas to Bimini. We know it will make things a little extra hectic leading up to it, but the relaxation and adventure for the family will be so worth it!
So good bye November, hello December, another year flying by!
A Family Is Like
by Nicole M. O'Neil
A Family is like a circle
the connection never ends
and even if at times it breaks
in time it always mends
a family is like the stars
somehow there always there
families are those who help who support and always care
A Family is like a book
the endings never clear
but through the pages of the book
their love is always near
A family is many things
with endless words that show
who they are and what they do
and how they teach you so you know
but don’t be weary if it's broken
or if through time its been so worn
families are like that-
they can be split up or torn
but even if this happens
your family will always be
they help define just who you are
and will be apart of you eternally.
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