Mikey Is 5

On Feb 20 Mikey turned 5. I don't know if I am the only one that feels this way, but it seems like it took Gracie FOREVER to turn five. It seemed like we had all of the time in the world and we were so excited for her to finally turn 5. Mikey turned 5 out of nowhere. It honestly came up so fast.  Five seems like a big year because you can go to kindergarten and there are a lot of extracurricular things you can finally participate in. It is crazy to think that he will be starting school in the fall right along side his sister. Mikey is such a joy in our family.  He is so affectionate and caring. He is always very aware of me. If we are out at the park or doing something social, he always comes over to me and gives me a hug and a kiss. He doesn't want me to feel left out.  He will always tell Chad and I that he loves us. Several times during the day he will just say "Dad I love you" or "I really love you Mom." he is honestly so sweet. I don't ever worry about Mike. I mean, I worry about him in other ways like being safe, or harnessing his extreme energy, but I don't worry about his spirit. He makes good choices and at such a young age already has a deep testimony of Jesus Christ.  He is going to be an amazing young man because he is an amazing child.  A few things about Mikey this year: He started wrestling. Even if he was getting beat terribly he was always smiling the whole time. At the end of each match the ref would hold up the winners hand and even if Mikey lost he would hold up his hand too. He LOVES his singlet. He wears it any chance he gets. Even if its snowing.  We always look forward to his prayers. They are so thoughtful. His favorite quote of mine in every prayer "Please bless that we will be a good family" What a doll. We love you Mikey! Happy Birthday!!

A few pictures of Mikeys year

Touching a Jellyfish

Helping mom drive

Making shirts with Aunt Traci

First time to the beach

His last night being 4. Sleeping in his singlet

Helping with birthday cupcakes

On his birthday

Two parties! One at our house and one and Grandma and Grandpa Stahelis!

Right after kindergarten shots

I had to show the side view of how much he has grown out of his superman costume

Stitches #1 For Owen

Oh boys. Having boys has really opened my eyes. I am so so so happy that I got a girl first because I had no idea how much work boys would be. They are so so fun. But on the other hand, they are so so busy. I love it. Mikey and Owen have these imaginations that come out of nowhere and they can stay entertained for hours all on their own.  After a long trip home from Kanab I had to get the kids cleaned up for school the next day. We were in a rush so I put them all in together.  Not long after they had been in Chad and I heard a blood curling scream and Gracie yelling "Owen's bleeding!" We ran into the bathroom and when Chad pulled Owen out of the tub there was so much blood on his face I wasn't even sure where it was coming from. We noticed most of the blood was pooling in his left eye and we noticed a gash right below his eyebrow. I knew as soon as I saw it that it would need to be stitched. 

I called the pediatricians office after hours to see how long they would be there. He told me they were there until 8. It was 7:30. I rushed Owen in and they got us right back. The doctor told us that he would need stitches for sure because of the location. It would leave a pretty nasty scar if we didn't get it stitched. We went into the small operating room and they had everything set up. I could tell Owen was instantly nervous. We laid him on the table and the nurse and I held him down as tight as we could. The doctor gave him two local anesthetic shots and tried to stitch. He went in three times with the hook and never could get it through the other side. Owen was livid. He was scared to death, bleeding horribly and sweating so much.  My heart was breaking so much for him. I would have done anything at that point to take the pain away from him.  After about what seemed like a lifetime the doctor said "pick him up, he needs to be sedated"  Instantly I agreed.  Anything to make sure he doesn't go through that again. We were sent over to the hospital and on the short walk over I broke down.  I wish I could explain what was going on to him. I knew he was so confused.  We checked in at the ER and it was a busy night so even after being in the room for an hour we were told we would still have to wait. When the ER doctor came in I had had time to settle down and think things through. Did I really want them to sedate him for a few stitches? There could be complications, not to mention cost. So I asked the doctor if there was anything else we could do. He was very straight forward and told me he could do it if I was willing to hold him down again. This time around was soooo much better. The nurse wrapped him in a sheet like a burrito and another nurse came in to help hold him down. They told my my only responsibility was to talk to him.  As soon as we laid him down he started freaking out again. This time, the doctor didn't hesitate to dig right in. I was grateful for his ER experience because he figured if he is already in pain we should just get it over with. He was by no means gentle, but he was fast.  While they were stitching him up Owen said "all done! all done!" I asked him if he wanted to watch Gabba and he just kept crying "ya, Gabba!" It broke my heart. But it was over in about 30 seconds and he was just fine. The next day he was very very clingy, but he healed up really well. We are so lucky to live right next to our pediatrician and he is also our Elders Quorum  President and he just called Chad as his first councilor. So  Sunday after their meeting he took us to the office and took out the stitches for us. It was really nice. And since we will now be paying for an ER visit, we were grateful for the favor. 

Waiting for the doctor

Day 1

Day 2

Day 4

After the stitches were taken out