What's next?

I believe it was my Aunt Nancy who said.... What next? Don't we all ask that question a lot in our lives? Well, here you go!:)


Well, we just thought Lucy needed a new hair-do (more like a hair-don't), so here it is. On Monday night, Miss Lucy had a lapse in her thinking, and decided that jumping from the moving truck was a good idea. I believe she changed her mind quickly after impact.
Of course, it was after hours at our vet, so off the the doggy ER Gary, Hamma and Lucy went, and I came home to get the kids to bed (thanks Hamma, for coming to the rescue). They found a left femur fracture. Well, the best idea they could give us for cost was $2000-3000, to repair the fracture. The next option was to amputate or we could have her put to sleep. Well, our decision was to have her put down, but we thought about it overnight, and Gary spoke with our vet the following morning. He quoted us for less than half the cost to repair the fracture. So thinking with our hearts instead of our heads, we did it.
Poor lucy had a pin placed from the head of her femur all the way to the bottom (just above the knee). He also placed 3 wires around the femur for more reinforcement. She also got this killer haircut for "free"!
She should be up and basically back to normal in about 4 weeks. They will need to remove the pin in about 8 weeks, so when she goes in to get spayed, they will remove the pin. Poor thing! She is very happy to be home, and has been resting well all afternoon. She hobbles along on 3 legs pretty well!
So.... there's the "what's next", and we hope that's it for a long time! Who could look into those big brown eyes and say no? Apparently, not us!

Wow....

I want to begin this post with a request that you don't judge me for my many shortcomings as a mother. I feel that I have punished myself enough for this mistake, but want to share this with you.
I hope that I have always relayed (especially over this last year)what great faith I have in my Heavenly Father and His plan for ALL of us (even those whose religion or beliefs are different than mine). I truly believe that we are surrounded by angels here upon this earth, whether we see them with our own eyes, or feel of their presence in their passing. They are here among us.... to help us, protect us, guide us and comfort us. We have felt of their presence many times, especially while Alex was in the hospital.
I, along with so many of you, have heard accounts of angels protecting someone during an accident, or felt of their presence when going through a difficult trial. I believe these stories. I always have. I know that our Heavenly Father would not put us here on this earth, to wander aimlessly, and to feel alone and lost.
Back in November 2008, we had an amazing spiritual experience. We know that Alex is being watched over by someone very special to us. We also know, that other loved ones who have passed, are attending to him and also to each of us. Our family has been blessed beyond belief!
Well, as all of you know, we are moving. In preparation, we've been hauling items from the basement upstairs. For convenience, we decided not to put the gate across our stairs. I now know that each of you know where this story is going. We really have been dilligent in watching Alex....I guess until Thursday.
I had just stepped 6 in. away to discipline Lucy, when I heard the walker bang into the wall, and turn to see the front wheel slip off the top step. Well, from there I watched my 11 month old son, topple head to toe, side to side, crashing all the way to the bottom of the stairs. He fell the entire way... in the walker... down 13 steps. Oh, the fear and horror set in. I ran to the bottom screaming (louder than him). On the way down, I was watching... he was moving his head and arms, but I couldn't see his legs since they were under the walker. I grabbed him, holding him as still as I could, and brought him upstairs. He was moving all four limbs, and was crying. I immediately knelt down, with him in my arms, and Sam and I said a prayer. His cry began to get a little bit quieter, and he was really pale. Of course, I thought he was about to pass out... but he didn't. He appeared to be fine... but I knew it was best to have him checked. I knew that signs of a head injury would be occuring quickly... so off to PCMC we went. He was happy, babbling, and playing with toys the whole way there.
They decided not to do a head CT since he was behaving completely normal, and just to watch him for about 4 hours, since that is when symptoms would most likely occur. We were discharged about 1:00 p.m. and he has been fine ever since.
I know that his guardian angel was there to guide him safely to the bottom, and to protect him. He came away with only 2 bumps on the head. I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing his angels to care for us here upon the earth. I know that God lives, and that as we struggle through life, we are strengthened by Him more than we know.
Here is our little roughneck....


Sorry, the last picture is blurry, but it shows both knocks. Gary said, "I'm sure that this will not be the only trip we have to the ER with this kid"! And unfortunately..... I know he's right!

Who would have thought....

a falling pillow could be so entertaining? Especially after falling down the stairs just hours earlier! Maybe thats why it is so funny!:)

It's official.....

Well, sort of. We are moving. We had our home for sale when I was barely pregnant with Alex. The plan was still to move and work it around delivering a baby....we did it with Sam (not convenient, but still worked out). Well, Jan. 2, 2008 changed everything. Alex was diagnosed with his CHD's. We decided that since we had NO idea of what was to come, that it was best to put the move on hold. There really is no reason that we have to move, it's was just that we wanted some different things.
Well, lately we've been feeling like it's time to move. We don't know why, we don't have another home that we've bought, or know where we're going, but with much prayer we came to the conclusion that we should get serious about it.
We had it listed on KSL and had just few hits on it and A LOT of calls from agents, which drove me CRAZY (not a far drive)! One day I had an agent call, who was very friendly, and not pushy at all. He asked if he could meet with us, so reluctantly, I gave in. He was just as friendly in person, and was flexible to our needs. That same night, we decided to list with him. Our home went on the MLS Wednesday morning, and on Saturday afternoon we had a full price offer. Well, obviously we accepted. Now comes the fun part......
The people who are purchasing our home, are closing on their house on April 27th. They want to sign the same day for our house. Well, we happen to be leaving for San Diego on April 26th for the week. GREAT! So this means that we will be signing our part of the paperwork on April 24th, moving on April 25th (and sooner), and flying out for San Diego on the morning of the 26th. Sounds fun right?
Now you might ask, where are we moving. Well, My Grandma's condo (which is for sale, if anyone wants a REALLY great condo in Centerville), is vacant, so we will be moving all non-essential items to her garage to store until we find a home to purchase. After that, I guess we will be bunking with parents until we purchase something.
We know that we will be guided to the place that we should be. We know that it was not a "fluke" that our home sold, and we will find our new home soon. We absolutely trust in our Heavenly Father's plan. We will miss our neighbors and ward! We have been blessed the last 5 years to be surrounded with such wonderful people. They have been angels, and given such great service to our family through our trials this last year. We cannot express with words the gratitude that we have in our hearts for each of them and the love that they've shown! Sam has great friends that he will miss greatly! He has asked so many times if his friends can still come to our new house to play, and we look forward to that!
So, right now, it's sort of official. There are no indications that the loans will not go through. If it does fall through, we will be moving back in. We plan on still attending our ward until we find a home. So for those neighbors and ward members who read this... you could be seeing us for a few weeks still.
This may be my final post for a bit, until the packing and house hunting is done. I will keep this updated as I can, so that everyone who's interested can know what's going on. My mom says that I work best under stress! If that holds true, I should be running like a well oiled machine!:)

Another funny one from Sam!

It has become apparent to me that just because I'm a nurse, and am very tolerant of smells, that doesn't mean that my child is the same way!
Last week, I was really working with Sam on the concept of working together. We sorted the laundry together, and then scooped dog poop together. All with the idea in mind, that "many hands make light work".
Well, as we proceeded with the scooping, Sam said to me:
Sam: "mom, this stinks really bad!"
me: "yeah, but just go fast and don't think about it."
Sam: gag, gag, "but mom, it's making me gag!" gag, gag......
Well, today it was time to scoop poop again!
We proceeded with the chore, and once again,
Sam: "mom, this is really stinky!" (eyes watering) "maybe I should go get a drink."
me: "okay, then come on back." (mean me, but who really enjoys scooping poop?)
Sam: "mom, maybe I should wear my mask!"
me: "if you think it will help."

Sam: (after getting the mask and proceeding with the scooping) "mom, this still stinks (gag, gag) really bad!"
me: "I heard that if you sing while you work, it makes it easier and go faster. Pick your favorite song and we'll sing it while we scoop."
Sam: "I want to sing A Long Night's Ride (by the Bar J of course)."
So here the two of us are singing in the backyard while scooping poop. Well, in this particular song, there is yodeling, now it's great entertainment just listening to Sam do this anyway. So here is my darling son, yodeling, gagging and scooping all at the same time.
Aren't I mean.....

Thank you.. Thank you.. Thank you!!

I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank those of you who participated in the Easter basket service project for Primary Children's. There were so many of you who gave of your time and a lot of money. Thanks to your kindness, my cousin was able to assemble over 300 Easter baskets to donate to the children at PCMC, and South Davis Community Hospital. Here is one truck load....

They filled over 3 carts! Sam said to me as we were driving home, "mom, I bet those kids will be so happy that they'll have smiles as big as a bulldozer!"

Here are the pics of those who delivered, as well as some of my cousins students who helped to assemble the baskets.

I can't really do a post without including a cute picture of my boys... can I? Sam was having a great time pushing/running Alex around!

So again, I say THANK YOU to each and every one of you who participated in this! I hope that as you're home this Easter enjoying your family and children, that you will also feel great joy for the smiles that you brought to the faces of so many sweet children! May our Heavenly Father continue to bless your lives for your kind acts of service!

Everyone needs a little space...

Things work better if you each have your own blanket and toys to play with! Puppies and 10 month olds don't share very well!

Oh yeah....

Just in case you're wondering......

Alex is still sucking his thumbs... and has the sores to prove it! Stinker!

Random Lucy Pictures....

Day #1: 7 lbs...

Present day: 3 months old & 28 lbs...

She's grown a little... okay, a lot! She's still cute, and smart... for a dumb dog! She is totally house-broken, and is smart enough to do her "business" in one spot in the yard. Very nice to not have landmines spread throughout the yard!