Now tell me again, Why do I have to pay for this?

I have never understood the logic behind this...

So let me get this straight... I have to come to your office, get a HUGE needle inserted into in my gums... multiple times, then you are going to come at me with a metal hook, and give me a water facial with the super sonic super dooper tarter vaporizer....and I am to sit really still, with my mouth wide open? Oh, and hold a conversation with you? (mouth still wide open) THEN, while the drool is making beautiful rainbow strings from the corner of my mouth... here's the kicker..... I get to PAY you for this experience? WHOO HOO.... SIGN ME UP!

Yep, you guessed it... I get to go to the dentist today... I'm so excited.. I get a new tooth brush... and maybe a sticker...

Finally A Diagnosis......

Four years ago (1/18/05), Shianne was sitting on one of those big exercise balls.. bouncing and messing around of course. She lost her center of balance and rolled straight backwards, hitting her head on the bedroom door. She hit hard enough to break the door. I was on my way to work (in the ER), so I took her with me. The doctor ordered a CT of the head. Everything came back normal. But since that day, she has been complaining of constant head pain, with bouts of more intense pain... almost migraine like.

Flash forward to February 2008... we were at the doctor for some other reason.. can't remember... and we bring up the fact that she has had this head pain, since that day... So he orders another head CT to make sure they didn't miss anything the first time. It also came back normal.

So we're thinking... where do we go from here? Something is causing these headaches. Then the next day, I am shopping in town, and I get this phone call from the Vice-Principal at Shianne's school. He tells me that Shianne passed out and she was on her way to the hospital in an ambulance. This happens again in April, and again in June.

Since that last time, she continued to have migraine like flare ups, and on top of that, these fits of rage, that she says she has no control over.

Then on March 1, 2009 she again passes out, paramedics are called by her scared friend. Luckily, we catch them before they transport her, because we have been through this so many times before, that we know nothing is going to be found out by a very expensive ride to the ER.

But this episode prompts her doctor into getting her into the neurologist ASAP. She had her appointment today, and after examing her, and looking over her CTs and other medical records, he diagnosis her with epilepsy!

Now there is a moment of ....HOLY CRAP... and then the next thought is... thank God, you found something! We can work through the rest....

I guess after multiple exams, and CTs by at LEAST 3 different facilities and 3 different radiologists.. not to mention ER docs.... no one saw the 1" calcification in the occipital part of her brain, left over from a small bleed from that fall.

I don't know how Shianne feels about all this, because she is still not talking to me... Apparently, I suck, and she is never speaking to me again... but that is an issue for another post...

Let's try this again....

Well, my first intentions with this blog was to keep friends and family up to date with the goings on with our lives. I assumed no one would want to hear about our family issues, and that I should only post about *happy* things..... Well, that is not our reality.. and so I have not posted in over a year.

We have had a REALLY busy year, with a LOT of ups and downs. Don't get me wrong, there were some really good times. Many experiences that I hope the kids will not soon forget!

So, it is with this attitude, that I start, yet again.... You're going to get us... the good, the bad... and the ugly...

Major Update! Part I

Wow, it's only been a couple months but time flies! I was having a really hard time uploading pictures on our computer with dial-up. It was very frustrating, so we finally made the switch to DSL. Now I will be able to update our blog more often, as it only takes a few second to add a picture. (as opposed to the 5 minutes it took before!)

February was a very busy month!


Feb. 3rd~ Otherwise known as Super Bowl Sunday, was spent down in Santa Barbara with our friends, the Turners. We had more of a fiesta bowl, with tacos, nachos, and and everything else spicy! YUM!


Feb. 9th~ We were on our way to go get the kids pictures done at JC Penneys, and had to make a stop to pick up some boots for Kate, at Farm Supply. (formerly known as Roemer's) There was a lady in the parking lot, sitting in the back of her truck with a couple of Australian Cattle Dog puppies. Soooo I made a beeline for the store. Of course, the children did not follow my attempt to avoid the cute puppies. So meet the newest member of our family....KC (short for Kenny Chesney for any of you folks not into country music....Ha ha)



We met both her parents before deciding to get her. Her mom is the most playful, friendly ACD I have ever met.


Unfortunately, her baby pics, were accidently deleted off my camera. This is her at about 5 months. She is just a love! She is highly socialized, and loves everyone she meets. Shianne is going to be using her for agility shows, and 4-H conformation shows. So, we put off getting the JCP pictures done until the following Saturday.



Feb. 16th~ We went and got the kids pictures done today. They turned out really cute...now to get them sent out to everyone!

Feb. 22nd~ We left Friday afternoon, for a weekend in LA. We made it down there in record time, so we had about 1 1/2 hours to relax before we headed out to Medieval Times. The kids had a blast! Only problem..... I left my camera home! Shianne had hers so we will have to transfer photos.
Feb. 23rd we went to the LA museums... California Science Center and LA Museum of Natural History. Other than the really cool IMax movies, I am pretty sure the kids liked the Natural History Museum the best.

Signs of Spring

This is how you can tell spring is well on its way! Too cute! This little lamb is about a week old. They are so adorable at this age, because they hop and run, and spring into the air, just for the pure fun of it.

This will be the only little ewe lamb at the ranch this year, but hopefully she will be the start of a new flock. Something wiped out the rest of the flock leaving only 2 ewes. Fortunately one of them was Shiannes breeder lamb, Chloe, from a couple years ago. Although, she is a bit PSYCHO...LOL She is like a scared deer, never warmed up to people, like her other really sweet ewe, Jenny. We really miss Jenny, that was a tough loss. Here is a picture of her. Shianne had raised her from the time she was weaned. I think she only weighed 26 lbs, when she was working on halter breaking her. We should be getting the kids sheep, for the fair, in about a month. Shianne is determined to raise a pig this year! HELP!

Sunset

On our way home from the ranch, Shianne and I stopped to take this picture. I wish we could have found a better vantage point, because this overlooks our whole neighborhood looking towards the ocean. If we could have climbed higher, you could have seen the beach just to the right of the hillsides, above the trees. (this might be the goal of our next hike up in the hills) Still it is really beautiful, especially after the rains.

It is a straight shot to our house from here, but since it is only an 'emergency road', it is blocked

to all normal traffic.

As promised, here is Noah's new toy, the Black Pearl. It is really a well, detailed Mega Blocks set. He can now 'blow it up', and put it back together, very quickly. The first time he and Shianne put it together. The first pic, is Noah putting all the pieces back together, and the second is the finished product. Noah is looking forward to Friday, because I promised to go on a hunt for the Flying Dutchmen. So he can have battles between the two ships. Ohhh that reminds me, I will have to post a pic of Kaitlynn's room. She completely decorated it, with Pirates of the Caribbean. I mean posters, bedding, cardboard cut outs, the works! Now she wants a boat for a bed....LOL

Riding Cali

Last Friday Shianne was out riding Cali, getting her ready for her 3rd attempt at becoming an Elks Rodeo Flag Girl. (they are the girls that ride around the arena carrying the flags of all the sponsers of the rodeo) This first picture is of Shianne and Cali when I pulled up. The second is Shianne trotting Cali down from the sheep pen. Third and fourth our pictures Shianne wanted me to take for her myspace page.

Hopefully they will both be ready for the March tryouts. Cali seemed very familiar with the flag still, so now Shianne just needs to work on her stubborn streak. The horse's not Shianne's...one thing at a time....LOL