May 2013

Well I am really going to try and update more often. Spring has sprung here in the basin and farming has begun.  Dan has added on some acres this year so he is busier then ever. Caden is now 5 and getting smarter by the day. Ashlynn is 3.5 and is now as big as Caden in both height and weight.  She is a fireball and always on the go.  We stay busy out here in the middle of no where.  In the last two years we have bought yet another house and moved into it. So instead of living in town we now live on 7 acres which is work on its own.  We have also welcomed Sawyer into the family this last fall. Things are ever changing around here for sure.  It's time to get the garden planted for the summer as well which is always fun.  Hoping to get lots of good stuff this year as last year wasn't so good.  Need to get lots of veggies caned this fall again so that should be fun.  Hoping to have some fun this summer with the kids as well as get this yard in better shape.  Lots of work to do for sure.  Dan just got done putting in the mainline here for the irrigation so that should help alot. Kids have already pulled out the pool this spring so that makes for some good laughs. Sawyer is growing like a weed and wants to be mobile so bad. On to some picture from the last couple of months

Sawyer Anthony's Story

As many know in Sept 2012 we were blessed with our third child.  We are so very grateful that he is now healthy given his start in life.  For those who don't know the story behind Sawyer I will try to put it all here.  Sorry but this is a long post.  We found out we were expecting our 3rd child in February 2012 with a due date of October 4th. The pregnancy went as we expected for the most part with a few rough spots. One of which was having gestational diabetes again and also having contractions on July 4th.  I was put on couch restriction at that point and was not suppose to do anything above just managing. All went well until Sept 2nd. The morning was like any other. Got up seeing as it was Sunday. Made the kids breakfast before church, Dan was out changing water. Got us ally ready for church and I was having a couple contractions but nothing big or painful. Went to church as normal but by third hour the contractions were coming pretty regular 5-7 minutes apart for about a minute. FUN! I lined up someone to come watch the kids while Dan took me to the hospital to get things checked out. Given  I was only 35 weeks the nurses thought I was just dehydrated so they started me on LOTS of IV fluids to see if it would stop the contractions. Short answer was no.  So they had me stay do to living so far out. Labored all night and all the next day. Sawyer was born at 4:51pm weighing in at 8lbs 1ounce and 19.25 inches long= BIG!! He was pretty purple and they took him to be put on breathing treatments right away.  As soon as they let me up to see him he was looking better in the incubator so Dan decided to go home to get some sleep and I got into the shower to get cleaned up.  When I came out of the shower I was informed Sawyer wasn't doing very well and needed to be airlifted to Spokane.  My heart sank, no one was with me at this point, and I had no clue what was going on.  Called Dan, my mom who just was pulling into Olympia from being there for the birth, and a couple other people.  The MedStar team was incredible! They left with my baby about 12am and I could go with him.  The doctor released me. Dan and I went home to catch a little bit of sleep before starting our drive to Spokane as well.  The doctors in Spokane called me about 3:30am with their update and needing permission to give him blood products as he wasn't clotting like he should be.  We packed up some things and left.  Kids were with sitters and would be ok.  When we got up to Spokane we found our new born baby on a oscillating ventilator which is a scary and heartbreaking thing to watch.  We were told he had persistent Pulmonary hypertension along with erratic blood sugar levels, possible heart problems and might have brain damage from being deprived of oxygen for so long.  We also found out that they had done CPR on him as well do to his heart not being strong enough.  They said it was promising though that the helicopter was so cold that night that hopefully it limited the amount of organ damage. We cried- a lot. They didn't have any idea if he would make it or how long he would be there for.  He also didn't have a name for the first 3-4 days. The first week Dan stayed up in Spokane with me but then he had to return home to take care of the farm and the other two kids. It was a very difficult thing for me to say goodbye to him that weekend.  Sawyer came off the ventilator on Sept 11th at 3am and was staring to look like things will be ok.  It was Ashlynn's birthday and the first time I was actually able to hold my baby. I came home that day to wish my little girl happy birthday now that she was 3! For the next couple weeks Sawyer progressed and slowly was getting better minus the infections he caught while there which landed us a mandatory 10 more days stay for antibiotics. He under went lots of X-rays, ultrasounds, spinal taps, tons of IV's, and even an MRI during his stay.  As our time there progressed his X-rays of his lungs started to look better, his hearing was perfect, brain scans all came back normal.  We headed home on October 1st after his 28 day stay in the NICU at Sacred Heart in Spokane still on oxygen and an apnea monitor but we were home.  Through all of this the nurses were never able to get him to take a bottle so he was on a feeding tube til we went home but he nursed like a champ when I was with him.  He came home weighing in at 9 lbs 5 ounces.    Slowly we were able to wean him off the oxygen and he has been growing and developing normally ever since.

Wow it's been A LONG TIME!!

Well it looks like it has been forever since I have updated here. Been busy this last year that is for sure. Farming is now back in full swing again for Dan. I have been able to find a little bit of work for this summer which allows me some freedom time wise as well as kid wise. It is nice to be able to make my own schedule and do my own thing that is for sure.

Well Lets see where to start otherwise. This last fall Dan took an EMT class so he had been gone a lot seeing as it was a major time commitment. So now he is just waiting to schedule his national test so he will be completely done after that. He is happy to have that certification though that is for sure. End of December we went on a little car trip to Salt lake City (12 hours long little). It would have been a good trip if Dan and the kids hadn't come down sick and remain sick for the whole trip. We did however get to visit lots of Dan's family as well as see Grandma Bates who hadn't been doing to well. Got to see Temple Square in the snow which was beautiful and very cold!

In March Caden turned 3 YIKES! Where has time gone. He is getting big that is for sure. Ashlynn is now 19 months and a little fire ball. Both kids love to torment each other all day which makes for a lot of tears and fighting. But they do love each other most of the time. Here this last couple of weeks I have been having to cook lunch for the farm crew as Janet has been in Pullman watching Dallin for Amanda. So that has kept both me and the kids busy most days. This weekend is Easter and I am still trying to figure out what to do for the kids. I know I'm a bad mom. hehe.
This last couple of weeks I have finished a queen sized quilt that I have been working on for the last 5 or so years. So that made my day. Just getting that quilt done was a huge accomplishment for me. Dan is happy to see that project finally finished though. He now can't pick on me for not finishing it. Been thinking about the next project though and I want to make Ashlynn a quilt for her room for when she gets an actual bed which will probably within the next year or so. So trying to get some inspiration for that project. Other than that the kids have kept me pretty busy most days.
May is coming so I will be getting the garden in the ground sooner then I think. I can't wait for the fresh veggies again this year. Last years garden was a good one so I would love to do that again. Ok well here are some pictures of the kids from lately.


Enjoy! Until next time

May.....June....

So there hasn't been much going on here lately. The weather has been pretty bad the last couple of weeks so we haven't been doing much. Dan is busy farming like normal. It has been a rough start to the year seeing as all the rain is preventing the hay harvest to get underway. The pea crop looks pretty decent at the moment though because it seems to like the cold weather. We took one weekend in May and spent it digging in the mud in Pullman. The bottom unit in our duplex has had a water leak for a while so we had to put in a new drain system. Yay fun NOT! Memorial Day weekend I took the kids to my parent house on the west side for the weekend. We went to Northwest Trek on Sunday because it was suppose to be the better of the days for that weekend and we still had rain the whole day. Oh well we had lots of fun.
Ashlynn is now sitting pretty well by herself and is starting to figure out how to move around on her own. For not crawling yet she gets around pretty good. Caden is a typical two year old. Always into trouble. He has started lately going potty on the toilet a couple times a day so I think potty training is in the near future.
My garden is off and growing. I can't wait to be able to harvest stuff from it in the next week or so. We have already had lettuce and a couple of radishes out of it so it is yummy. Can't wait for onions, potatoes and strawberries and such. It is the biggest garden I have ever had and we have lots growing in it so hopefully it will be lots of fresh veggies for us this year. Well I should go. I will post pictures as soon as I download them off the camera. Until next time..

Spring 2010

Well we have been busy in the Bates house. Dan has been busy on the farm between water changing, planting corn and peas, as well as any maintenance or other farm duties he has. The weather is still not very pleasant here because the wind this spring just doesn't want to stop making it very hard to get a lot of yard work done with the little ones. We have completed the fence in the back as well as the alley way so now we just have the front fence to do and then that big project will be complete which will be a wonderful thing. The kids are getting bigger by the day and it is so much fun to watch them grow and explore. Caden is now a very rambunctious two year old and is into everything in the house. He loves to go with Dad though out to the farm but he doesn't get to do it to often right now. Ashlynn is growing like a little weed. Everyday she surprises us with something new. Lately she has finally shown an interest in solid food and has been trying to eat everything in sight. She has actually eaten green beans and liked them unlike her big brother. She is starting to scoot backwards on her stomach which keeps me on my toes.
The kids are both doing well and are itching to have lots of outside time so when the weather is nice that is where we are.
I have been staying pretty busy here at home and I love it. I have lots of craft project ideas as well as garden/ yard things I want and need to get done. I have decided this year to just till up the ground where I currently have raised beds and make it one big garden area verse having to keep the weeds and stuff down. I am so excited to have yummy vegetables again this year. Lots of strawberries and tomatoes and even watermelon and pumpkins will be planted this year. I love having a husband that supports me and my being home. He does everything he can to allow this and I so greatly appreciate it. I won't change anything now because I love being home with the kids. They are a joy (and a headache some days) but I love them.
Well hopefully I will have pictures soon of our yard and garden. We finally have grass growing and it is looking better and better every day. It will be so nice to have a good yard for the kids to play in this summer. I am looking forward to lots of fun times this summer that is for sure. And hopefully able to make lots of good memories with the kids.

Here are some pictures of our goings on....
Our new fence in the back.
Sandbox fun

She is getting so big

So there you have it until next time ENJOY!

Feb 2010

Ok so we have been very busy the last couple of months with the holidays and everything so I guess I need to catch up on me blog. Well Ashlynn is now rolling over but hasn't figured out how to roll continuously yet so that is nice. She is getting so big and is such a happy baby. Caden turns 2 here on March 1st. I don't know where time has gone. He is turning into such a cute little man. He is begining to help with his sister which is really cute. There are many days I find him laying on the floor next to her just playing which is cute. I am now watching another little guy who is 8 months old during the day. He is so funny and just an all around happy baby. So my days are quite full of diapers, feedings, naps and lots of play. It is a lot of work staying home with the kids but it is so nice not having the stresses of work anymore. Now I just have the stress of cleaning up after all the kids all day as well as working on my craft projects that I like to do. Keeps me sane. Well Here are some pictures of the last month or so.
This one is from our trip out East to New York City (Obviously) It was really cold but at least the weather was sunny for the most part.

These are just from a average day in our house. Caden being a clown as well as Ashlynn and the little guy Jack that I have been watching during the day.

The kids are both growing and everyday they make me laugh. Caden is getting alot better at talking and my favorite is "whereditgo" and "Puppy, where are you". He is such a goofy boy. Well Kids are waking up from naps so I got to run. More pictures later

Smiles

Ok so I am trying to stay up on the whole blog thing even though no one reads it but me. Ashlynn is getting so big so fast and she is already almost 7 weeks old which is crazy. Over the last couple of weeks she has started smiling and I have been trying to catch them on the camera with no success but today I was able to get a little one. I am so happy to finally catch it. She is such a good baby. Last night she slept from 9:30pm till 4:30am which was wonderful that is for sure. I was so happy to get the sleep but at the same time I am tired from sleeping to much Oh well.
So I guess I should include the pictures of her smiling as well as some new ones of Caden

Caden thinks that jumping on people is so much fun and Dan found out how much Caden enjoys if but if you are the one getting jumped on it isn't so much fun

So another update is last Thursday I had gone into the doctors for an appointment and we weighed Ashlynn. At 6 weeks old she weighed in at 10lbs 6 oz. She is one heavy piglet that is for sure. It seems like she is always eating and boy by that weight I would say she is getting enough to eat.
Well hopefully soon I will have some Halloween pictures. Caden is going to be a sheriff deputy, his uncle Sean is the Sheriff, and Ashlynn is going as the prisoner so it is pretty cute. I will have to post after I take some. Until next time.