Respiratory Arrest

This morning Reed had an appointment to have his wisdom teeth out at 11:20 at a dental office down the street.  Our regular dentist does not do wisdom teeth and he recommended an oral surgeon, but there was a longer wait, so I went with this place.  He was a bit nervous, but nothing unusual under the circumstances.  I was not worried because Parker had his wisdom teeth out at the same place two months ago and because Reed has been under general anesthesia before with no issues.

It seemed to me that the procedure was taking a long time, but not so out of the ordinary that it raised a red flag.  When I saw the hygienist, who told me that she would be watching his vitals, come out to get another patient, I figured he was done and sure enough it was about 5-10 minutes later that they asked me to move my car around to the back to pick him up.  Ed had left for a few minutes, but arrived back just as I was in the recovery room.  As soon as they rolled him in we both gasped.  He looked terrible and his face was already swollen.  He could not hold his own head up and after watching the assistant be somewhat awkward about it, I stood and had his head resting against me. The assistant told us that he had been a fighter and that they had to use some extra medication to calm him down.

The doctor came in and told us that things had gone well.  All the normal stuff.  The teeth were deep still so they had to work harder and he would probably be sore for a few days. Blah, blah, blah.

It seemed that the assistant was anxious to get Reed on his way even though we expressed concern that he didn't seem ready.  We were given a bag of "stuff" and the assistant wheeled him out to my car.  Reed could not stand or move on his own, so the assistant muscled him into the car.  Ed left just before me to drop off the prescription at Walgreen's and I headed for home.  I was trying to get him to talk to me but about halfway home he fell asleep.  I turned the corner into my neighborhood and soon saw my neighbor out for a walk with her kids.  I waved and then I looked over to Reed.  That is when I noticed he was very gray and his lips were blue.  I sped into our driveway, slammed the car into park, and ran around to the other side of the car.

I immediately felt for a heart beat and his pulse was strong.  I could not wake him up.  He was totally non-responsive and he wasn't breathing.  I moved his head around to try to open his airway and he gasped a bit but there was so much crap in his mouth that it sounded awful.  At about that time Ed drove in and immediately realized what was going on and called 911.  Just then the UPS man arrived to deliver some boxes.  Dispatch wanted us to get him out of the car and on the ground.  The UPS man and Ed got him out and I slightly rolled him to his side so that he wouldn't choke on the blood in his mouth.  My neighbor who I had waved to offered to call 911 when her son told her that Reed was on the ground, but Ed was already talking to them.

Just then the first two police officers arrived.  The first officer thought he might be chocking on the gauze so we were trying to get it out when the ambulance arrived within 30-45 seconds.  EMT Paxman took control of the scene.   Ed called the dentist office to see what meds they had given Reed.  He was put on hold and then told that the doctor was unavailable.  There was some strong language when he had to call back, but finally the EMTs got the information that they needed.  They administered NarCan and were expecting him to wake up rather violently and had warned us to not be alarmed.  That did not happen.  We were loaded into the ambulance and headed to American Fork Hospital.  That is when I realized how many emergency personnel and neighbors had gathered.  I was pretty shaky by then.   Before we got to the hospital he had 2 nasal doses and 4 shots of NarCan and he was finally coming to.  I have never been so happy to hear him cough just as we got to the hospital!

In our time at the hospital he went through several "phases" but continued to improve- except for his breathing.  We had to keep reminding him to breathe.  He was hooked up to monitors and when they started going off they would scare him awake and he would breathe.  Around 4:30 they decided to release him, but then he had several breathing episodes in a row, so we stayed.  The monitor continued to go off- but mostly when he was asleep.  Around 6:30 the doctor decided that he thought Reed might have some sleep apnea that was being worsened by the swelling but that he thought he would be fine.  He was released around 6:45.

And now he sleeps.  And I do not.  I'm sitting right next to him so that I can hear him breathe.

I am so grateful for the people in our life.  DiAnna Rice was at the hospital almost immediately.  Our Bishop came and helped Ed give Reed a blessing.  A Lehi PD detective who has been a long-time friend came to make sure that everything was OK,  And the very first officer who arrived on scene went to the dentist office, got the list of meds, and brought two copies to the hospital.  Another police officer called Ed this evening to check on Reed and to make sure that we knew that calling 911 was the right thing to do.  His oxygen levels were below 50% when they arrived and he would not have woken up on his own.  How scary is that?

I know that Ed is really angry with the dentist's office.  I didn't deal with them, so I'm not. . .yet.  He felt like time was crawling when he was on the phone with dispatch and I felt like it was flying by because I was totally focused on making Reed breathe.  I think we were both pretty calm in the face of an emergency.  I did not get shaken until the EMTs started working on him.  Ed was a rock, like usual.

You always hear that you shouldn't take anything for granted.  I try really hard to live by that advice.  It will be a little easier tomorrow with today's reminder of just how fragile life is.  How very glad I am that we are sealed as a family for eternity!

Reed just wanted to get home and snuggle with Clark.  And Clark was happy to oblige.

The Curse

The generation that is currently between 12-25 or so has a curse.  I’m going to call it the “it’s all about me curse.”  Don’t get me wrong- I know all about the “teenage myth” that has been part of the teaching in Child Development 101.  You know the one where teenagers think that when they walk into a room everyone is instantly paying attention to only them and taking in every detail?  Lately that has extended to not only everyone paying attention to the individual, but that every situation should be focused on meeting their needs. The problem is that now it is not ending when they are teenagers and it has become a curse.

I have this problem in my home.

I am constantly reminding my children that sometimes a situation focuses on another person and their wants or needs.  They should have learned that at birthday parties when they were little, but we moms have softened the blow by planning huge extravaganzas, making sure that all the guests feel special and included and then we send everyone home with a favor bag. I think it backfired.

I have a child who thinks that every hour of his “free time” should be free.  That his dad and I should make sure that there are funds to meet his wants and that he should not have to do anything that is not “fun.”  He gets cranky when the focus is on someone else because he perceives that his needs (which should be the most important) are not being met.

Jealousy is a disease that is like cancer.  It eats away at us and makes us a little more miserable every day while generally leaving those we are jealous of completely unscathed.  The only difference is that jealousy is entirely curable by the affected.  Each of us needs to remember that life is NOT all about me. . . sometimes it has nothing at all to do with me!

I certainly hope that we can all find ways to keep this curse from affecting our lives.  

Year End Wrap Up

2011 was a pretty good year for us.  Today we reflected on some of the highlights of 2011 and some of our plans for 2012.  Tonight I'll just post the retrospective!

Ed

Favorite Colors: Orange, Brown, Purple
Favorite Food:  "Ed's Burrito" at Winger's
Hobbies:  Fairview! and LHS Boosters

Best Event of the Year:  Our summer trip to Illinois and Indy

Kaye

Favorite Colors: Bright Apple Green, Orange
Hobbies:  Photoshop, Blogging

Best Events of the Year:  Watching Colby march in Lucas Oil Stadium,  Parker earning his Eagle, the LHS Band getting picked to go to Washington, DC,  Getting a new Dodge Challenger

Worst Event of the Year:  Losing my wedding and engagement rings

Colby

Age- 18
Favorite Color:  Blue
Favorite Food:  Mexican
Best Friends:  Danaca Moore, Paul Struthers, Brayden Roberts
Hobbies:  Band!

Best Event of the Year:  Marching with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps

Parker

Age:  15
Favorite Color:  Green
Favorite Food:  Cinnamon Rolls
Favorite Movie:  Warrior
Best Friends:  Max Inman, Chandler, Dalton Rice
Hobbies:  Hunting, Wrestling

Best Event of the Year:  Trip to Pecatonica, IL,  Earning my Eagle,  Getting my Driver's Permit

Worst Event of the Year:  Separated Shoulder

Reed

Age:  14
Favorite Color:  Purple
Favorite Food: Tepanyaki Noodles
Favorite Movie:  War Horse
Favorite Book: Hunger Games
Best Friend:  Spencer Yates
Hobbies:  Baseball and Gaming

Best Events of the Year:  Being on the Red Sox for Baseball Season,  Mom being at home

Worst Event of the Year:  My team was pretty crappy

I Want to Remember:  Turning 14 and getting ordained as a Teacher on Christmas Day

People-sick

"I miss Mayberry. . .
Sittin' on the porch drinkin'
ice cold Cherry Coke
where everything was black and white.
Picking on a Six String
Where people pass by
and you call them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by. . .
bye bye. . ."

I woke up this morning feeling a little blue.  And then I clicked on my blog so that I could follow my bloglist to check up on some friends and family.  The song that played from my playlist was "Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts.  And then I felt more blue.  It's a feeling that comes over me once in a while.  Almost always at Christmas.  And then comes the guilt of "Why should I feel blue?  I have a great life."  But the fact of the matter is that this feeling has nothing to do with my life now.  It has everything to do with the memories of my life as I was growing up.  And the people who sourrounded me in my youth.

Kaye with Santa c. 1972

Well, I didn't grow up in Mayberry.  But it could have been. 

Skowhegan, Maine was not a fancy place to live in the early 1970's.  Lots of people worked at the shoe factories and at small Mom and Pop type stores.  K-Mart didn't open until the early 80's. We lived in a large, old house with a huge attached barn.  In the shed that attached the house to the barn was a 4 holer!  I always wondered about 4 people actually using it at the same time. . .  The basement had a dirt floor and was pretty scary.  My dad and I turned it into a spooky Halloween maze when I was in 5th grade.  We had a formal living room that was called "The Blue Room."  We really only ever went in that room at Christmas! 

This was Bruce's graduation in 1972.  You can see the house, the connecting shed which was two stories high, and the barn.  L to R  Jim Foster, Marguerite Martin, Ernie Hunter, Vesta Horr, Amanda Martin, Steve Hunter, Bruce Foster, Ginny Foster, Kaye, Ralph Fullerton (This means that Herky and Thelma were taking pictures!)

My parents were both teachers.  Mom taught Special Ed.  Some years she had Resource students and some years she had the more profoundly handicapped students.  She was very patient with them and helped me learn to not be afraid of people who were different,  Dad taught junior high metals shop.  He didn't really believe in limits and he had those kids doing all sorts of projects that JH aged students would not be allowed to do now.

My parents were active in the community.  They were on every committee and helped with every celebration.  My mom was very active in BPW (Business and Professional Women's Club).  My dad took photos of every event for the little community newspaper.  They served the Centenary United Methodist Church in many ways.  And better yet. . . they taught me to do the same.

This is my Dad, Herky Foster, playing Santa and passing out candy canes at the end of one of my dance recitals for the Bradley Adams School of Dance. 

Our home was open to whoever needed a place to be.  I remember holidays with lots of family members around.  My favorite Christmas memories are from when I was about 5-9 years old.  Aunt Thelma and Uncle Ralph always stayed up at the Towne Motel, which I thought was very fancy. Some years there were random people at our house on holidays who just needed a place to be.  I remember the excitement of going to the tiny little airport in Waterville, Maine to pick up Steve as he came home on leave from the Army or to pick up my other dad, Rod, who was flying in from somewhere exotic like Minneapolis or Los Angeles.  Jim came home from New York, looking a lot different than the clean cut young man who had graduated from Kents Hill.  As my brothers got married and started having children, it was a celebration when they came for Christmas.  Their wives helped incorporate new traditions into our family.  Those were years of transition though, as some of the older members of the family were no longer with us.

Jim Foster

Christmas was always fun.  The tree was set up in the Blue Room.  It usually had blue lights and ornaments and LOTS of tinsel.  I have always loved shiny things! 

Kaye in the Blue Room before a recital

On Christmas Eve we would have our feast.  It was usually roast beef and it was one of the few times during the year that we ate in the Dining Room. 

From front left, around the table- Ralph Fullerton, Ginny Foster, Kaye Hunter, Rod Hunter, Steve Hunter, Amanda Martin, Herky Foster, Jim Foster, Marguerite Martin, Bruce Foster

Dad (Herman Foster), Nana (Amanda Martin), Mrs. Rogers, Mary Rogers

After dinner there was lots of visiting.  I am sure that the ladies washed the dishes.  I remember watching Christmas specials.  Around 11:00pm we would head to Centenary United Methodist Church on the Dr. Mann Road to attend the Christmas Eve Service.  My favorite part of that service was that the last candle of the advent candles was lit that night.  Then, that symbolic light of Christ was passed throughout the congregation until everyone in the congregation had a lit candle.  This was done while singing "Silent Night."  Then the challenge was to see if we could make it all the way home with at least one lit candle.  Can you imagine? 

We would get home, light another candle, and put out treats for Santa.  By that time it was so late that I didn't have too much trouble falling asleep!

Christmas Morning began with me running through the house with bells to wake everyone up.  No matter when I got up, my mom always seemed to be up before me.  I wonder now if she ever went to bed?  I know that she and Aunt Thelma stayed up and wrapped the stocking stuffers and such. . .

In our family, someone always played Santa.  There was no rush for the tree- it was a measured event.  Santa would choose a present, being careful to try to evenly distribute each person's gifts, and give it to the person to unwrap.  Everyone watched the present being unwrapped.  This was sometimes torturous because Aunt Thelma the Thrifty saved every bow and every piece of tissue paper.  She saved the big pieces of wrapping paper, too, so I liked getting small gifts because we didn't have to wait for her to fold everything!  Christmas morning went on for hours and hours.  It was truly an event.  We would stop for treats and sometimes meals, but it was all about presents!

Marguerite Martin, Kaye, Ginny Foster, Jim Foster, Amanda Martin, Steve Hunter, Ralph Fullerton

Late afternoon on Christmas Day was the time for phone calls to those family members who were not with us that year.  There was an informal line by the phone (and I do mean THE phone which was wired into the wall. . .) of all the people who wanted to say hello to the missing family member.

Time marches on and things continue to change. Most of the people in these photos and in my memories have passed away.  Although Jim lives here in Lehi, my other brothers are spread across the country.  We are not a close family, but I think  about them every day. 

I wonder what my children will remember about their childhood Christmases?  Will they remember the year that Santa's footprints were all through our house?  Will they remember the year we got caught in the blizzard in Chicago?  Their memories will be very different from mine because the world and our traditions  have changed so much, but I hope they will be as precious as mine. 

I feel better after  walking down memory lane.  These people may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten.  I think I'll go call Aunt Thelma and maybe do some cooking like Nana and Aunt Vesta would have!

Merry Christmas!

Family Portraits

Don't those two words just strike fear into a mom's heart? First you have to decide what to wear. Do you go matchy-matchy, coordinated, or anything goes? Unless you go with the last option, at least one person in the family doesn't have the right thing to wear. That means you have to go shopping! I decided on the coordinated look, but of course, I didn't own one thing that was blue! And I didn't want to go with a neutral color. Now, I like shopping, but there aren't many choices for men and women "of substance" and the teen set has their own ideas about what is hip. So, we ended up at the mall where C. J. Banks became my favorite store. I got two jackets for $34! Wooo hooo! Colby's friends helped me convince him that this Aeropostale shirt made him look extra handsome. So, once you get the clothes and they are all ironed and ready to go. . . that's when the hard part begins!

Every family has at least one member who does not enjoy being in front of the camera. With little children this is a nightmare, but as they get older you can reason with them a bit more. Bribes seem to work better asthey get older, too! (Especially when witholding the car keys is a true threat!) For this event I warned the kids what we were going to do and why, and they were pretty easy going about the whole thing. I needed a good photo of me and one of the family for the campaign materials, and once I explained that this family photo was going to be mailed to every single house in Lehi, cooperation soared.

It's nice to have a photographer in the family and I consider Dan Rice's sister Deana as an extended sister! She met us down by the railroad tracks behind the old Peck's Lumber. It was easier to be relaxed with someone you know and trust- and who understands your paranoia about double and triple chins!!!

Here are some of the photos she took last Monday- I am really excited to use these not only in my campaign materials, but in many Heritage Makers projects! Thanks, Deana!

All photography by Deana Phlegar. Contact me for her information!

Christmas Lights

Every Monday night our family has Family Home Evening. This is an opportunity for us to teach the Gospel to each other and to just enjoy being a family. Tonight we were able to watch a beautiful video put together by Travis Greenwood that featured the song "Mary, Did You Know?" with lots of images of Christ's birth and life. It was really well done and we enjoyed it. Afterwards we had the opportunity to go to Thanksgiving Point where we saw the reindeer, found some Christmas ornaments in the Emporium, and warmed up by the fire. Notice that Colby is not wearing a coat. It was 27 degrees fahrenheit! He thinks that he is half Eskimo.

(I know it is shocking to see three teenage/tween boys smiling in a photo. Do not be alarmed. All is well. I took several photos and photoshopped the smiling faces together!)

After getting some refreshments, we drove through the lighted area. It is amazing to see so many animated, lighted displays. What a perfect evening! The snow was falling gently and it was beautiful!

We then drove around for a while looking at all the lights. We were at the "dancing lights" house in Highland when they turned off for the night and we headed home. At that point we had lost Reed and Parker to dreamland! I ended the night playing with the exposure lengths on my camera- this was my favorite "light candy" photo.

Family of the Year

We have been named the Family of the Year! We are very honored, but a little embarrassed because there are SO many families that are more worthy! We received a beautiful clock, passes to Thanksgiving Point, passes to Liberty Land, and some other treats and treasures! This is the picture that was on the front page of the Lehi Free Press and following is the article.

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Cathy Allred - North County Staff
Two beautiful water spaniels, three good looking boys, a mom and a dad, one home, a cabin and a Thanksgiving Tree -- a simple portrait of a loving and important family, the Collins family of Lehi. Lehi Community Council Family Week Committee members chose the Ed and Kaye Collins family to honor during Lehi Family Week as a family that has contributed a great deal to their city.
Kaye was responsible for reviving the Lehi Silver Band, a city band more than 100 years old not counting its several year hiatus of inactivity. She was also Lehi High School band teacher part time and now owns Scrapfast working out of her home.
"I can think of them individually like Kaye," said former Lehi mayor, Ken Greenwood, a friend of the family. "She almost rescued single-handedly the (high school) band from oblivion. I think she started out with six students and kicked two of them out on the first day because she had expectations."
"Actually, it was 15 and I invited seven to broaden their horizons elsewhere," said Kaye and laughed.
Laughter is a sound often heard in the Collins home.
"The hardest part about being a member of this family is Mom's bad side," said 12-year-old Parker. "Don't get D's or you are dead."
He said his favorite things to do with the family are their slow-motion karate fights, mosh pits and jumping 4 wheelers at their cabin getaway.
"The other night we were having (a karate fight) and Parker and I were just rounding the Thanksgiving Tree when someone answered the front door, and it was a kid in the ward," said Kaye. "His eyes went 'Whoa.'"
Their Thanksgiving Tree is a tradition begun as a compromise. In its second year, the tree has ornaments of family photos and other memorabilia hanging from its branches.
Fifteen-year-old Colby likes the travels the family takes frequently. They have a goal to visit all 50 states and have managed 38 so far.
"I don't think we are going to make it to all 50, but it's been fun," Kaye said.
Colby said he thought the most memorable trip was when the car "broke down" in Illinois.
Reed loves the fact (so he says) that his brother Parker is his friend.
"He has taught me how to do a back flip in less than 5 minutes, but most of the time he teaches me stuff I can't do and I hurt myself," the 10-year-old said smiling.
Fun is part of the package with the Collins family, as is service. Both parents were taught about service at a young age.
"We have a tradition of service and that didn't start with us that started with our parents," Ed said. "Kaye's parents were service everything, many community organizations, charitable groups, chambers of commerce, hospital and church groups, youth groups. You name it."
The rest of her siblings were much older than her so she was pretty much the only child at home.
"I was dragged everywhere," she said. "I went everywhere, banquets, meetings."
The Collins family serve at the LHS Booster Shack during football season, everyone is in the Scouting program either as a Scout or a leader, and they are very involved in their church organization. As a family, they additionally contribute to Toys for Tots each year.
And then there is the father of the family, Ed Collins, who is the bishop of their LDS ward. Previously, his responsibilities extended to caring for the city.
"The citizens of Lehi will never know," Greenwood said. "He saved the citizens of Lehi literally millions of dollars as a city administrator with his unparalleled expertise and knowledge of all aspects of city government."
It was his administration that brought in Cabela's, Micron, the first round-about, Smith's, Costco according to Greenwood. Ed has been on the Intermountain Power Agency board of directors and has been on the UAMPS board of directors many years.
"He has made a stamp on the city," Greenwood said. "I've watched him work. They are transplants of the city, but they have just kind of taken our Lehi as their town. Their passion is unbridled for their city and its well being."
He said the largest place where Ed Collins saved most of that money was in power and in bonding for different projects.
"Every child who goes and slides down a slippery slide, every (slide), Ed Collins picked them out," he said. "Those parks, it started with him."
The Collins family -- Ed, Kaye, Colby, Parker and Reed -- were to have been honored at the Lehi concert Tuesday evening at Willowcreek Middle School. They said they plan on being there.
"Probably on top of that they are wonderful parents," Greenwood added. "They have three very wonderful young men and they haven't killed them yet. They are going to wait until after Lehi Family Week."