Back to School

Sierra has done a lot better on this new medicine.  Her stomach hasn't hurt at all and her white count is steadily climbing.  It was above 2400 Friday.  Just to make things clear, when I said she was able to go home, I meant our home in California, NOT home home (Oregon).  Tuesday was a little bit of a rough day for me.  Sierra had a band camp she attended all day.  At the end of the day, they performed for the parents and then had a parent meeting following the performance.  As I sat in this meeting with ALL of these parents, talking about volunteer opportunities and all the exciting stuff for band, I just felt this wave of heavy emotion swarm over me.  I love to help out in my kids' classrooms, volunteer to drive, chaperone field trips, and be involved.  This heaviness came from a couple sources.  First, I am tired of feeling like we are only half here.  By that I mean, we can only give a part of ourselves to help out.  I can never volunteer and help out as much as I really want to.  I have to depend on other parents to get my kids to games at school, practises and other activities that we would normally do at home.  Here in California, there is always a tie down with one of our kids, so I can only be "half here." Second, I can't believe I have to ask my kids to start another school year here.  NOT that this isn't a great place, it really is wonderful.  It's just, it isn't our home with our small school and friends they grew up with.  They have some really great friends here in California and for that we are truly blessed and was the selling factor on them staying here and going to school.  We have asked them for 3 separate school years to leave their friends in Oregon and join us here in California.  Each time they leave their friends in Oregon, come here and strive their best to find their place and friends here.  Then we head back to Oregon and their friends there have moved on to other friends,  Again, they have to strive to find their place and fit in.  I know we are making the right decision having them here in California, I just felt so bad for them and what "waiting for a heart transplant" means for everyone.  I thought for sure we would only have to ask them to do the last half of last school year.

I was really feeling down, and was talking with Jason one night on the phone.  He could sense my frustration and decided to fly down and surprise me.  He and Megan flew down on Thursday morning and was able to stay until Sunday morning. What a wonderful husband I have! I really miss him.  It was so great to all be together as a family, it was certainly not long enough, but they had to get back to Oregon.  This trip here we were able to make some decisions and help give each other pep talks, so we are now ready for school to start.  Here is the layout of how this school year will work.  Sierra will be a Junior at  Paly High School, she is really nervous for her Junior year.  Mostly from all the horror stories everyone tells her about how she has to grow up now and look at her future.  She would love to stay young.  Megan will be at home in Oregon.  We will really miss her here, but we felt that this was really important to her and so we support her in this decision.  Lindsey will be in 7th grade at Jordan.  Her good friend she made last year will not be in the same classes as her, but they have plans to meet for lunch and brunch.  A good opportunity for Lindsey to practice meeting more people.  Hunter is very excited to start his 5th grade year at Nixon, where he gets to start playing the cello.  We picked up his instrument last week, so he has had it out playing on it a couple times.  I have to discipline myself not to take it from him and start playing on it myself.

So, here is the most exciting part (well it's all exciting, but maybe unexpected is better).  When I started figuring out the kids' schedule and when I had to be, to pick them up from school, I realized that Gage would only get 3 hours of school a day at the hospital school.  The thought occurred to me to have him go to regular school, he certainly has the energy for it.  Long story short and many phone calls later, Gage will be attending Nixon Elementary (where Hunter goes) in the 2nd grade class.  I have been hired as the nurse to sit with him in his class all day.  They will hire another nurse to take my place, I was just the quickest and most available one they could find, with all this coming together last week.  I would LOVE to stay on and just have it be me, but the district said there is a conflict with it being the parent.  So, I will be the "sub-nurse" and if the nurse they hire has to be gone, I will cover.  We feel he is doing so well on this device and we wanted to test the theory that, "they can live close to normal lives." Gage is nervous about the kids staring at him with his feeding tube, but it will only be the first couple days.  He handled it so beautifully today.  He and I met with his new teacher and the principal.  As we were leaving a girl that will be in his class came in.  Her and her brother were staring at Gage and the boy finally asked, "What is that thing coming out of his nose?" Everyone in the room looked at Gage, and he said, "Well I don't eat enough, so this tube goes in my nose and down the back of my throat and into my stomach.  And then, at night when I am sleeping, it feeds me."  He has SO GOT THIS!! I left a very proud mama.  First day of school pictures to follow next time.

Everyone together at the Oakland temple. 

Gage has lost 2 teeth and is very excited to cash in on his tooth fairy money. He has one more loose tooth that I told him he had to have out before he can get his transplant.  He is slowly working on it.

My cute boys overlooking Oakland. 

On Saturday, the 3 girls went on a river rafting trip.  So, Jason and I decided to take the boys to the Tech Museum in San Jose.  They had a great time.  Below are all the picture from there.