is someone missing an appendix?

As Matthew is lying on the couch holding his stomach, I think about the whirlwind this past weekend was for us. It all started Friday morning...although, in my defense, I didn't know anything about it then. Matthew started having back pain Friday morning and then stomach and right-sided pain Friday afternoon and evening. When he got home from the farm at 9 pm, he was in quite a bit of pain. He said that he didn't want to go in to Urgent Care but that I should make him an appointment to see the doctor on Monday. We went to bed...or I went to bed. Matthew ended up staying on the couch all night not sleeping. At 6 o'clock he woke me up and said that he had to go in to Urgent Care. He was trying to make it to 7 o'clock when Finn wakes up, but the pain was just too bad. I called Matthew's mom, Darlene, and she came to stay with Finn while we went to Urgent Care. When we got there, he was rushed through some tests and CT scans which in the end all confirmed an appendicitis. The nurses said that the tests would take a couple of hours so I should just go home or run some errands. I ended up going home to get Finn ready to stay at Grandma's house for the day. Here he is with his bag ready to go.


Sitting patiently by the back door.


This is what I found when I got back to the Urgent Care. This is the only picture Matthew would let me take before he went in for his appendectomy. He kept saying that he was probably going to come out of the operation missing his right leg.


Here is Matthew after his surgery...when he still didn't feel any pain and didn't really care that I took this picture. =) At this point when we were talking about the operation, he stopped in the conversation and said, "I miss my appendix".


Sunday morning in the hospital...after a horrible Saturday afternoon and evening trying to find pain meds that would work.


Finn came to visit Daddy Sunday morning. You should have seen the looks on their faces when they saw each other. Of course Finn was in awe of all of the hospital stuff, but when he saw Daddy, his face lit up!


Finn was fascinated with the cords and tried to call the nurses more than a few times. They didn't mind though. Most of them were the same nurses that assisted in his delivery almost a year ago.


My boys all tuckered out waiting to go home.


This is a video that we made for Daddy Saturday night. The wiggling in the video is Finn's dancing. Darlene spent the night at our house Saturday night while I spent the night in the hospital with Matthew. When I went back to the hospital that night, I showed Matthew the videos that we had made for him.

thursday and friday

I peaked in Finn's room to check on him Thursday night before going to bed and I noticed that he smuggled a little something into his crib.


We usually don't allow this type of contraband, but it was so cute that I just left it with him. =)



On Friday, Finn saw some of the neighbor's crab apples that had fallen on the ground. He picked it up and tasted it, then said "Mmmm". He loved it and has had one almost every day since then. He goes over to that side of the yard and squats down close to the ground to try and find more. They are the perfect size for him to hold and eat.


Eating more of his apple.


And more...


This is what was left. He must have a little of dad's sense of taste in him because he ate part of the core. He had a seed stuck to his chin after he finished.



Playing in the house with his ball. He likes to kick it and throw it now. He doesn't have very good aim, but he does attempt to throw it to whoever is in front of him. He started to dance while walking and was doing good until he ran into the corner of the laptop.

Outside eating his apple. He didn't want to stand still and eat his apple. He kept walking in circles while he ate. I know the last 2 seconds of this video are gross with his snotty nose, but I couldn't cut it out...sorry. That does go with the territory though if you have a baby. =)

dancing, climbing and playing

Finn drumming and dancing to the music. He's really started to pay attention to sounds and if it has any rhythm, he usually drums, claps or dances with it.

Walking around at church on Wednesday night. He loves climbing the stairs and he's gotten pretty good at it. He pauses when he gets toward the top though and turns to look down. I think he may have had second thoughts about finishing.

The next two videos are of Finn playing in the yard yesterday. It was a very windy day and there were 2 pieces of very colorful trash that blew into our yard. He kept trying to put it in his truck to push around. Of course the wind would blow it right back out again, but it was cute to see him go after it every time the wind blew it back out.

blue grass

On Monday night we went to see a blue grass band at one of our friend's parent's barn. They have an old red barn that has been fixed up and actually has hardwood floors in it. We had a lot of fun and Finn loved dancing and clapping to the music. He had on a shirt that said "Chicks Dig Me". Also notable from that night was that Finn and Mattea shared a kiss that would make you blush.


Swimming in his pool. We've had some really warm days in the high 80s and low 90s (I know, I know, nothing like Charlotte, but still hot here) and they are perfect days to take advantage of the pool.


Eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the first time. I don't know why I thought this was so special, but I think it's because it's what kids eat all the time...not babies. =( By the way, he LOVED it and ate a whole sandwich by himself!


After a long, hard day of 'work'.

Wednesday night at youth group. He hadn't taken an afternoon nap, so he didn't want me to put him down.

My boy. Still a little dazed and tired, but oh so cute.

This is who has been taking care of Finn on Wednesday nights for Matthew and I while we do youth group. This was the last night they were going to be able to watch him because AWANA starts next week. They have had so much fun together this summer. Thanks again, Downers!

Matthew spent the whole day today out in a field baling straw. Finn and I went out to see him a couple of times throughout the day. We had to wait at the end of this row until Matthew got there and while we were waiting, Grandpa Morken came up in the other tractor. I had Finn up front with me when he saw the tractor coming. He actually had one leg out of the window trying to climb out to get to Grandpa and the tractor. All he could say was "tacta, tacta!" Grandpa couldn't put him on that tractor fast enough.

This was one of the rare, quiet moments in the car. We were on our way to the blue grass band. Matthew had been singing really loud for Finn who was watching in awe. Matthew wouldn't sing while I had the camera going, but Finn was really impressed!

Finn trying to dance to the music. He looks kind of funny wearing his onesie and tennis shoes and we don't make a habit of dressing him like this in public, but he had messed up his outfit that he wore there. All the kids got up on stage and danced to the music for awhile after the concert. Amy kept trying to get Finn to dance with her, but, of course he had no clue what to do. Finn must get his dancing 'skills' from his Daddy. =)

More videos to come soon...

i found the stash!

The stash of rocks Finn hid. I don't think it's any secret that Finn likes rocks. He likes them so much that some days when we come in the house from playing outside he wants to bring them in with him. I didn't really give it much thought after he brought them in. If I found one I would just throw it back outside. It wasn't until I found the stash that I realized how many rocks had slipped my mind. Finn is always digging in his diaper stacker. He pulls the diapers out and I make him pick them up and put them back. We got really low on diapers over the weekend and that's when I found the secret stash. Apparently, he thinks the diaper stacker is for things you want to hide...like rocks. There in the bottom with the last 3 diapers was a pile of assorted rocks. I now feel kind of bad for making him stop and put diapers back when really all he wanted was the pile of rocks at the bottom of the stacker. Well, he found them this weekend and had fun pulling them out and putting them back in the stacker. I'm fine with that. At least it wasn't a pile of rotten potatoes. I think I've found all of the potatoes.

We were in the pool today and after awhile Finn wanted to get out. After some prompting, he put his first two words together saying "out please" (ah deese). I'm so proud of him!

Here is Matthew giving Finn a ride on the 4-wheeler through the yard. Finn loves motors and anything on wheels.


In the driveway.


Finn wanting to get back on. He cried a little bit, but we took him in, and for now, the out of sight out of mind rule works because he stopped crying almost instantly.


Crazy hair after a bath. See how long it's getting? *ahem*



Matthew and Finn cutting the grass. We let it go so long that I think it would have been more prudent to bale it and use it for grass hay. I'm sure we could have gotten at least 1 large, round bale from it. =)


Finn playing in the yard. I like how he decides that he's finished with his car and pushes it away.

Finn playing with his rubber ducks. He was trying to crawl with his ducks in his hands. He didn't make it very far.

Mowing the long grass with Daddy. We took a break from mowing to eat supper. While Matthew was getting the hamburgers off of the grill Finn went over to the lawn mower and tried to get on. I sat on it with him and he tried to push the handles forward to make it move. After that didn't work, he started pulling and pushing on the choke handle. Is this boy smart or what?


Getting tired after mowing. Even though he was tired, he still wanted to keep riding when it was time to go in and take a bath.

oh my, he's walking...and running!

We went with Darlene to a landscaping nursery to pick out plants that are going to go around her house. I didn't really help. I just pulled Finn around in their wagon. Here are a few pictures of him eating crackers and just hanging out.

Here's a little game of peak-a-boo we were playing at church.

We had Finn walking between us in Matthew's office at church. It always surprises me that he can get up on his own without holding onto something now.

The "zombie" walk. At least that's what we've been calling it. We think he holds his hands out like a zombie because of his walking toy that he has been holding onto for the past few months. It is really cute though and we love watching his progress. Today when Matthew got home from work, Finn just decided to walk from the back door into the living room and that was it. Almost everywhere he went, he was walking. By the time we went out to the farm for supper (where Allie, Anna and Meg were) he was running to get away from them. He ran from the kitchen, through the dining room and part way into the living room. He then just stopped and plopped himself down onto the floor. They are great motivators though with the running and stomping and squealing after him. He loves being chased. =)

sunday...and a tattoo!

On Sunday, Matthew had the opportunity to preach at a church in Northwood, ND. He spoke about his passion for youth ministry and gave his testimony. There was a lot of positive feedback about his message and the people there were so nice and welcoming. We went home with the family of our friends, Katy and John to have lunch. We had a good afternoon playing with the kids and talking. It got to be a long day for Finn and on the way to lunch he fell asleep in his car seat. I always feel bad now when he falls asleep in the car because you know he must be desperate if he can sleep in this seat. I kept trying to push his head against the back of the headrest but every time I did it kept falling forward.




Matthew took Finn rollerblading Sunday night. I hope he doesn't expect to go as fast as they did on regular walks now.


Look who got into the mud yesterday. He was actually trying to put a rock on his mouth that happened to be covered in mud. This was at our house, so I'm pretty sure there wasn't much, if any, manure in it. =)


So, Matthew took care of Finn this morning while I finished up some sewing. I noticed that it got really quiet for a few minutes but decided they were just playing quietly. They walked out to the living room together looking like they had been up to something. Matthew said that Finn had something to show me so he put Finn up on his lap and that's when I saw it. You probably can't see it in this picture but look on the inside of Finn's right leg just below his knee.


Maybe Finn's pointing will help you see it. He kept pointing it out to me. He was so proud of his tattoo!


It's a heart tattoo with an arrow shooting through it and "Mom" written in the middle. =) What an honor to have my name tattooed on Finn's leg!


Here's a video of Matthew rollerblading. He used to rollerblade a lot and he's still good. I wanted him to do some jumps but the road in front of our house is too rough. I'll get some jumps some other time....and don't worry, he didn't do anything crazy when he was rollerblading with Finn.

for becky

I just finished rocking Finn back to sleep. I always, always check on him before I go to bed for the night...mainly to make sure he's still breathing. =) Well, tonight when I checked on him, he wasn't fully asleep, but my opening the door was enough to totally wake him up and he start crying. I let him cry for a few minutes before realizing that the only way he was going to settle down was with a little help. I got him up and started rocking him. I haven't rocked him in awhile mainly because he stopped falling asleep in my arms several months ago. Well, he settled down and I could tell by his breathing that he was asleep again after only a few minutes. I sat there rocking him amazed that, first of all, he fell asleep in my arms and that secondly he was staying asleep. I could have put him back in his crib, but I sat there rocking for a long time smelling his hair--just washed by Daddy with his Huggies shampoo--and thanking God for him. I thought of the times that he used to fall asleep in my arms every single night. I thought of when we brought him home from the hospital so tiny in his car seat. I thought of the little cry that grew louder each day until the neighbors could hear it. I thought of how many times I smile in a day because of him...some new discovery he's made or saying "Daddy" for the first time today (sounds like "Dally"). We asked him to say "Mommy" but guess what it sounded like..."Dally". Such a smart little boy that brings us such joy.

All this to say, Becky, that you WILL have sleepless nights (like last night?) and you will have times in the day when all Chloe needs to do is cry, but in the middle of the night when it's just the two of you rocking in the rocking chair, enjoy the smell of her hair and the sound and feel of her breathing and thank God for sweet Chloe Lynn...and give her a kiss from Aunt Sharon.

i'm an aunt!

I'm finally an Aunt! Becky and Jason had sweet Chloe Lynn early Sunday morning. She weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. I'm so excited to meet Chloe at Christmas. It seems like it's too far away though. There are some beautiful pictures of her on Sarah's website and Holly's Facebook page.

Asleep in his car seat. Doesn't look very comfortable, does it?




Playing out at the farm. The girls (Allie, Anna and Meg) like to dress him up. I tell them to take advantage of it now, because soon he'll be bigger than them and won't let them do that to him. =) He's had aprons, scarves, and "Little House On The Prairie" hoods on him.




Playing with a building block.




Wrestling with Allie and Meg. Anna didn't want to be in any pictures. She was coloring.




I saw our old friends, the Stortroens yesterday. From left to right: Becky is holding her oldest, Haakon, Finn and I, Bridget with her daughter Scarlett and Sarah with Becky's second Marit.



I enjoy these smiles in the car seat so much since we don't see them much.




Can we say, future plumber???




I don't know why, but I love this picture of him in the window.




The teeth.




More of the teeth.


Playing with Allie and Meg. Meg just learned how to say Finley's name so I was trying to get her to say it. If you listen closely at the very beginning, you can hear her say it.