Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving was at Mom and Dad's house this year.

Waiting for the blessing on the food...

Two grandpas

Grandma and Aunt Manon wore the same sweater without coordinating it first.

Checking on the turkey

Isn't my cousin Becca cute?

My brothers with their Movember moustaches

I'm not sure if that face of Andy's was on purpose or not :)

Turkey #2

I was able to sneak a picture of the main cook giving Jo pointers on his carving.

(She kept ducking out of pictures on me :)

"Bapa" fed Ben some regular Thanksgiving food...turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and cream cheese corn (an Olsen family favorite)

That one was on purpose!

Matt is so good with little kids.  I love listening to him play with them.

He played for quite a while with my cousin's cute daughter after the meal.

I love this picture!

 Becca was so awesome with the kids.  She hung out with them pretty much the whole time.  They played multiple games and made two trips over to the farm with her.

Thanks so much Becca :)

So much to be grateful for as always.

The things that stand out this year though are Ben's progress with the diet and the drastic improvement in Andy's health.

I don't know that I've ever mentioned it on the blog but for the past 7ish years he's really struggled and we've tried so many different things, seen so many different specialists and no one was ever able to tell us what was wrong and nothing really improved his symptoms.

Finally, this year he has found a treatment that has helped him so much.

It's been a miracle for which we've been praying for several years.

And of course, I am eternally grateful for the source of that miracle.

...and for all the other blessings He has poured down upon me.

Keto Quandries

So things have been kind of interesting around here concerning the diet.

A few weeks ago, I got the go ahead from our dietitian to move Ben to a regular, age appropriate diet.

What I hoped would be Ben's last Ketogenic meal.

I was super thrilled and that day made him a pb&j for lunch.

I used freshly ground p.b. and an all natural jam with no added sugar.

This little guy just didn't know what to do.  He didn't think it was his food even though it was sitting right in front of him.  He kept asking if it was mine.

When I finally convinced him that it was his he didn't know what to do with it.  You'll notice in so many of these pictures both of his hands are up at his sides like he doesn't dare touch anything.

Since we have basically fed him everything for the last 2 1/2 years so he will get every stinkin' tenth of a gram of food in his bowl he didn't know how to pick up his food :(

He seriously tried to just bend over and use his mouth...kind of funny but it also broke my heart :(

Eventually he got the hang of it though :)

And then I honestly don't know who was happier...me or him :)

He asked for permission before every bite by signing "more" and waiting for my response.

He loved the cars plate that he hasn't used in forever.

Then it was on to the applesauce...

Same thing...didn't know what to do.

But once again, we got it.

Then of course, I posted that he was eating pizza on Halloween.

Ben had been due for a cluster and if I would have thought it through more carefully I would have waited to go to regular meals until after his cluster.  Halloween morning he had his cluster which we stopped with the diastat.  Then, the next day he had more seizures as well as the day after that.  On the fourth day he had another cluster.  To have seizures that many days in a row, especially after having diastat, was just not right.  On the third day of the seizures, I made a significant realization.  With the change in the diet I had been forgetting to give him his meds.  It had just been such a habit to crush and add the pills to his meals as we measured them and so to have that routine thrown off made me totally forget the meds.  Yikes!  Also, after the third day of seizures I decided to go back to his old meals...I just wouldn't weigh them.  I threw together 15 meals in about 10 minutes that night which was so cool and freeing to not have to put everything on the scale :)

That is what we have been doing ever since and Ben made it almost three weeks without a (big) seizure.  I'm pretty sure he hasn't done that since before the diet...possibly three years.

This last weekend he finally broke his streak of 18 days seizure free.  We knew it was coming but we enjoyed the break while it lasted. 

So now, I feel pretty good that Ben did so well while his ratios were way off and he was having a whole lot more carbs than proteins and fats the last few weeks.  Now that he has had a cluster I think I will feel safe to slowly start introducing new foods...slowly being the key word :)

I will keep you posted on how he does.

It is very exciting to think however, that Ben is officially off the diet!!! 

Matt's Baptism

I have been really slow in posting about Matt's special day a couple of weeks ago.

Matt was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Nov 8th.

He was so excited to be baptized and he could hardly sit still for these pictures :)

It was a very wonderful day and so many loved ones came and supported him.

Josh gave an awesome talk about baptism (which can be read at the end of this post) and Matt's cousin, Tyler, gave an excellent talk on the Holy Ghost before Matt was confirmed.

Afterward, everyone came to the house for a meal...

Matt wasted no time in getting out of his suit :)

I just had to put this picture in of my nephew Carter because I love his cheeks so much!

Grandma Bryan's famous #8 cookies...

Grandpa and Grandma Bryan

Grandma O., Grandma Jannie and Grandpa Greg

I love this handsome guy of mine that made the wonderful decision to be baptized.

Here is Josh's talk that he wrote absolutely by himself.

The first time we heard it was when he gave it at the baptism.

He gave me permission to post it :)

"Today we are here for the baptism of Matthew David Bryan.  Sometimes Matt and I have gotten into fights, but in a little bit, none of it will matter, because Matt will be given a second chance.  That is a reason why baptism is such an important thing in life.  To me, the first 8 years of our life is spent studying for a test.  The test, of course, is the rest of your life.  The time before your baptism is the time where you can make mistakes, and you will learn from them. You can learn after your baptism, of course, but those mistakes will be counted and will be used against you in your trial in heaven.

  I remember my baptism. I think it’s hard not to once you’ve been baptized.  I remember Dad saying, “Amen” and going down into the water. As soon as I went under, I had an incredible sensation that I don’t quite know how to explain.  In a way, I felt every single sin inside of me washing away, into the water. I hope Matt will feel the same way as well. 

In 2 Nephi 31:5, it says: “And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!”  This means that if Jesus needed to be baptized, we needed to be baptized.

The following verses explain the symbols of baptism: Romans:6:3-5:

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 For if we have been planted together in the alikeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”

These scriptures say that when we go under the water, it is like we die, we are buried. When we come out of the water, it symbolizes resurrection and the newness of life.

I would like to bear my testimony, that I know the church is true, and that baptism does really give you a second chance."