Conference Weekend at the Ericsons Cabin

This conference weekend, we went up with the Ericsons to their cabin.  We all had a really good time (despite all the mishaps we had this weekend -- choking, getting stuck, etc.).  Thank you for the invite to the cabin.  Shantelle and Josh were great hosts.  She had planned some great meals and snacks for the cabin and each night we put the kids to bed and stayed up until around 3am or thereabouts playing games (Canicas and Scopa).  We had a really fun time.  Thanks again for the invite and for being so great this weekend with all the kids.   

Kesha, Boston, Nick, Easton, Josh, Brayden, Shantelle, Brynlee and Brooklyn

Easton is standing up and he was braving one step with his right foot ... and then would sit down!  He's almost there!

Hiking up on top of the roof ....

Sliding down the roof...

Filling up the sled with lots of snow.

Love these EYES!

Playing and trying to keep busy while the parents were trying to listen to conference

Thumbs Up Man!!!  READY, SET, ...................GO!!!!

We would sled down the large hill (perfect sled hill in front of their cabin) and then whoever was at the bottom would get picked up from the snowmobile/sled.  The kids loved doing it. 

 The first night we were there, we had just hauled all of the people and gear into the cabin.  It was still cold and we were trying to warm the cabin up and set up the beds for the night for the kids.  Brayden, Boston, Brooklyn and Easton were all sitting on the couch together huddled in blankets and eating goldfish.  Easton has a habit of putting something in his mouth, storing it in his cheeks and does this repeatedly until he has waaaay tooo much food in his mouth.  I heard him crying from the other room. I ran into the room to see what happened.  Easton had started crying and I think when he started crying, may have choked on his crackers.  All of the sudden, he turned blue - face was blue/purple and lips were.  His eyes were glazed over and he was not getting any air.  I panicked and started screaming.  My Grandpa Walker taught CPR at the Red Cross for years and years - he has shown us numerous times how to do it.  I definitely need more practice and it's time for another trip to his house and maybe a class or two to refresh my memory so if this situation happens again ... I can be calm and do what I need to do. 

Nick raced in and took over.  He was wacking him on the back.  Shantelle came upstairs and was so calm and helped Nick out with trying to dislodge the crackers.  Shantelle seemed to think he was not breathing for about 45 seconds but to me it felt like an eternity. I felt so helpless at that moment and thought I was losing my child up there ... we were too far away to call 911 or have anyone else help.  We had to do something and it wasn't working.  I was staring at his lifeless body, purple face, and rolling eyes and so many thoughts were going through my head at the moment.  Nick finally pounded his back and the crackers became dislodged.  Relief.  I felt like I had lived one of my worst nightmares of something bad happening to my child.  I am just glad he finally started breathing.  Nick and I spent the rest of the night watching his pale face finally return to normal.  We just held him and thanked Heavenly Father that we still had him with us.  I know there were angels there that night helping us out in the cabin!!  I am so grateful for my little family and am realize that I take the most important things in my life for granted sometimes.  That next day, I definitely said "I love you" more and held the boys and Nick a little tighter!  I am glad that Easton is okay and stopped choking.  It was a scary situation.