A Bucket List Interview

In November, Scott was recommended to apply for a job at the Church Office Building, in Salt Lake City. Honestly, it was a dream job for Scott. He made it to the last stage of interviews, one of the final five, and the job didn't work out. It was soul crushing, to say the least. (The rejection came in an email 1 hour before his father's viewing--soul crushing seems to still be an appropriate description.)

The last stage of interviews took place in the Church Office Building. We decided to make a day of it! We loaded the three youngest in the car, and we headed to Salt Lake! (The other kids were in school.) With me, Scott wouldn't have to worry about parking in Salt Lake, and I could be his conversational buffer. (Three hours, one direction, is a long time to be alone with your thoughts in a car!)

Right before he hopped out of the car for his interview. We decided that even if this job didn't work out, that having the opportunity to interview in the Church Office Building would be a bucket list item (who would have thought we would ever end up here?!). We were going to enjoy it, for all it was worth! (I snapped a quick picture of him walking in!)

While Dad interviewed, we walked the aisles of Target! We don't have a Target close to us, so this was a dream come true, for me! The kids got a prize from the dollar section, we changed diapers, and we headed back to pick up Scott!

All three kids were sleeping by the time he got back in the car! It allowed us to talk about and dissect the interview, uninterrupted. The interview went really well, and Scott couldn't ask for more than that!

We stopped at Chick-fil-a once kids were awake, and we got free ice cream for all! 

 

Cooper's 11th Birthday!

The day after the Carbon Monoxide drama, was Cooper's 11th birthday! He had the "unlucky" birthday this year--he missed the cut-off of going into Young Men's (at church) by 2 days. He will have to wait until next year to be able to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, pass the sacrament at church and attend the temple to do baptisms for the dead. He was a little bummed about that.

Cooper is such a good kid. He does his best at everything without asking. If he ever needs to be corrected, he takes that correction pretty easily. His word he picked for the school year is "Celestial" from President Nelson's talk "Think Celestial". Cooper is still a friend to everyone, and he knows everyone's name. He loves to play sports at recess. He is an incredible reader. He often reads 2 books a day. He still understands concepts quickly, and he tested out of his grade level soon after he started 5th grade. I think Cooper is meant for great things, and I am so glad that I get to be his mom and watch along the way!

The only thing Cooper wanted to do for his birthday was take some money he earned and buy his birthday buddy a birthday gift and deliver it. I gave him other ideas of what he could do with his money, but he was insistent--this is what he wanted to do. We made it happen! We drove to Manti and dropped it off at birthday-buddy-Cousin-Carter's house (they share a birthday, so it was his birthday, too!). 

We picked up dinner on the way home and ate birthday cake for dessert!

A Carbon Monoxide Filled New Years!

New Years 2024 has been the most exciting New Years I have had in my 35 years of life! 

We attended church earlier this day. When our ward got to the church building for our 9 AM church, the heater in our building wasn't working. The stake president was notified, and he and one of the counselors in our bishopric went down into the basement of the church to get the boiler up and running. (We attend church in an older building!) We attended church for 2 hours, and then we went home. I had a nagging headache all day that I couldn't get rid of. Several hours after our church ended, we heard stories of people passing out and ambulances being called to our church building. The bishop of our ward called to inform us that there was a Carbon Monoxide leak in our building, and we were all affected by it. If we had any symptoms, he advised us to go to the hospital and have our CO levels checked.

Scott and I went back and forth trying to decide if we should go be checked or not. We asked our older kids, and they all said that they thought they had headaches or felt sick to their stomachs. So...we went. It was supposed to be a fast test and go home. By the time we got there, there had been so many people who had tested positive for high CO levels, they decided they needed to have a better system. So...we had to fully admit our family of ten to the hospital--just to be tested. 

It was chaos. They had to do vitals and an initial blood draw on every person. By the time we got every one admitted and they had space for us, it was after 11 PM. The little kids were spent, and no amount of Bluey was going to calm them down. We thought it was going to be a quick test at the door, so we didn't pack a good diaper bag for the kids. 

The doctor was trying to keep track of our kids and symptoms and numbers, but it was not a perfect art. (In fact, the doctor's notes in my kids' files are all mixed up. Numbers and treatments are listed under the wrong kids. I am sure charting was a nightmare that night, and our tiny hospital was not equipped to handle the sheer number of people that came in those doors that night!)

I tested at a 1, Macey a 5, Cooper a 1, Quinn a 3, and all the other Bagleys didn't register any significant levels in their blood. We were all experiencing symptoms, so they put all of us on high-flow oxygen to help counter the CO in our blood. Quinn had blurry vision, but they never put him on oxygen. I asked about it, but no one ever put him on oxygen. (Although, his chart in Intermountain Healthcare's system said he was given oxygen.)

Super dad entertained all the little kids while we were attached to oxygen on the walls.

Harper fell asleep for the last hour we were there. (Good thing!) Once our oxygen treatments were done, and our symptoms weren't all gone, we were advised that we needed aftercare. We needed to be treated in a hyperbaric chamber. The only places that had hyperbaric chambers were Salt Lake City, Utah Valley Hospital, and Dixie Regional Hospital (in St. George).

In our ward, we had over 50 people treated in the hyperbaric chambers. We exhausted all the ambulances in Sevier County, so by the time it was our family's turn, we needed to find our own transportation. All of the hyperbaric beds were full in Salt Lake and Utah Valley, so they told us that we needed to leave and go straight to St. George. 

We were all so exhausted. The little kids hadn't slept all night, and it was now 2 AM. We decided that Scott would stay home with the little kids and sleep, and me, Macey, Cooper and Quinn would all head down to St. George. There was a chance we would have to stay overnight, so we ran home, packed overnight bags, and started our journey to St. George.

I'm a terrible driver. I can't even stay awake in the day time! I was super nervous to be in charge of driving, with a headache, no sleep, and a terrible ability to stay awake!

Driving was not easy. 2.5 hours. It was a good trip! All my kids fell asleep--almost immediately. And I was left to sing along with the radio! Scott gave me a blessing (and all of our other kids) before we left. There were moments on the way when I could feel my utter exhaustion, but my eyes didn't close. I felt like I wanted to sleep, but I was surprisingly awake. I know how difficult it is for me to stay awake every other day. I can 100% say that I should have been sleeping, and the only reason I wasn't was Heavenly Father keeping me awake.

We pulled into the clinic right as the session before us was ending. The hyperbaric chamber in St. George was one big room that could fit 8 people inside. Members of our ward were in the chamber before us. They took all of our vitals, and then got us ready to suit-up in our astronaut like suits and helmets. Treatment took over 2 hours, and we couldn't have movies, phones or music during that time.

In the blessing that Scott gave me, I was instructed that when I was able to sleep, I should sleep and I would be able to sleep soundly and feel rested. 

The hyperbaric chamber mimics going 70 feet under water. Our ears were constantly popping. We had to wear Astronaut type helmets that sealed closed for 30 minutes at a time. We got a 10 minute break, and then the helmets had to go back on our heads. For as much as we had to take off and put on helmets, I got the most amazing sleep! 

The chamber wiped the energy out of all of the other ward members we saw, but when I got out, I had this renewed energy. The drive back was so much better because I was able to rest! We picked up some quick Chick-fil-a, and then we hit the road! The kids napped almost immediately. As soon as I hit our freeway exit, pure exhaustion hit me. We got home, and then we all slept for a good 12 hours! 

We have all be fine since then! As chaotic as that night was, we are so grateful for treatment. (One of my greatest fears was that if my kids had been exposed, the CO doesn't work it's way out of their bodies on it's own. It can sit and even cause brain damage.) I'm also so glad that we are all doing well!

December Summary!

A couple boys sleeping with their babies!

Charlie!

We got knocked down with a terrible/long sickness in December--coughing, runny nose and all the tummy woes, too. We couldn't get anyone to test positive for COVID, but it sure felt like a COVID sickness!

(I went to go get Harper one morning, and she was asleep, naked on the floor--sleeping mostly on this bean bag. She was fighting a fever and pretty out of it!)

Lucy's Christmas card for her 1st grade teacher!

Owen LOVES to draw. He loves it more than his twin brother, and most especially, he loves to draw with Dad. They both sit at the table and use their left-handed-ness to create something amazing!

One of the most disheartening thing to stumble upon is all 3 little kids in my closet. They are really good at pulling down our clothes, and they work quickly!

We had our Little Lamb come this Christmas season, but since we would be reading "The Book of Mormon" as a family this coming year, he came as "Lambuel". Lucy was VERY into "Lambuel", and she wrote him back almost every day!

Harper had pajama day at preschool, and she looked adorable! I had to snap a quick picture!

Owen and Charlie for a LONG time had a hard time not touching their diapers and taking them off. It was a terrible problem! I came to find Owen one morning with everything taken off right up to his diaper line!

Owen found part of a poster board downstairs, and he spent 30 minutes drawing something--he was very into it!

Charlie and Macey have matching snow pants!

Something new we are experiencing this year is boy-crazed, teenage Macey/friends. It's not that bad...but it's also there! Macey interprets most of life and problems with drawing and creating with poetry and short stories. She started writing a preteen love story called "Remember...". I stumbled upon it in a pile of papers, chuckled and I showed Scott. When I looked at it again, I saw that Scott left Macey a little note, and it made me laugh!

Charlie was enthralled with the baby Jesus, and for at least a week, he had to bring anyone/everyone over to see the baby Jesus!