The Chair, The Girl, The Cast

The story isn't very exciting. It's just your basic "little girl stands on a chair and then falls." Just like moms and dads always warn. When this little girl fell, she stuck her hands out to brace her fall. After much crying, her dad noticed that she was babying her right arm, cradling it to her tummy. He decided to test her pain by offering her a fruit snack. She held her snack in her hand, with her arm still bent across her tummy and instead of lifting her hand to her mouth, she tried to lower her mouth to her hand. So he decided a trip to the E.R. was in order. The dad called the mom who was working at the Halloween Store and calmly and casually says, "I'm taking her to the E.R. She fell off a chair." There was a baby screaming and wailing in the background so the mom insisted that the dad meet up with the grandma. After all, the mom knows what it's like to take 3 kids to the regular doctors office and she can only imagine what the E.R. would be like. So, the grandma meets the dad and the mom gets there last. The little girl seems fine. She's even moving her arm. But soon the Doc comes in and shows them the x-ray. There was a hairline fracture right below her elbow. The little girl goes home in a splint and a sling. The silly mom thinks this is all she'll need for 6 weeks. But really she needed a real cast, and luckily only for three weeks. The little girl is doing great and is finally figuring out how to get up when she falls and has even started raising her casted arm. Not much longer and she'll figure out that casts make great weapons.

Whenever you mention her 'owie' she points to it and then makes this face...

The Other Night

I finally got to spend some time talking to one of my favorite people. I had been waiting and waiting to hear from him. In fact, I had started to worry a little that I may never hear from him (it's a condition I have, I swear). We had a wonderful time talking and it was great to have someone listen with few interjections. There was no back-talking, no whining, no distractions. He was completely fascinated by what I had to say, I could tell by all the oohing and aahing. I enjoyed watching him as much as he enjoyed listening to me. I can't wait to visit with him again.

Catching Up, Again

After being without a modem for a week, I sat down tonight to do some quick catching up. Instead I was taught a lesson. I was reminded again that I take so much for granted. That I don't stop often enough to enjoy what I have. That when I start to feel like my own life is overwhelming there are others out there who have so much more at stake. Tonight I am grateful for my three beautiful children. I am grateful for a husband who works two jobs so that I can stay home. I am even grateful for my dumpy little double-wide that we rent because to my kids, it's home. I am grateful for the gospel. And for family and friends. I am amazed at the strength of others.
Tomorrow I hope to be patient, generous, loving, and supportive. I hope to remember to slow down and enjoy the amazing blessings I have.

Starting with these three (actually four!)...

Question

Q: What's worse than a elbow fracture?

A: An 18 month old with an elbow fracture, cast, and little white sling with teddy bears on it.

*Pictures and story to follow

For Journalings Sake

I'm going to be brave, for journalings sake, and post a few pictures of my house. One day after I publish this lil' blog of mine, I want my children to see a few things other than the stuff about them. So, here's my attempt at documenting a few spots in our house and sharing a little about the things I like to do.

~I love old things. The shelf in the picture came from my Grandma Goude's mom and the basket the books are in came from a 2nd hand store. I also have a habit of never finishing things...Notice that the bottom shelf is empty.

~Same area, slightly different view. I love to take pictures but can't ever decide which ones I really like so I end up keeping all of them. I love to read and am glad that both of my children seem to love to also.
~I made those pillows on the floor. A couple of years ago I figured out how to run a sewing machine all on my own. After wanting to learn for years I was pretty proud of myself for sitting down and just figuring it out. I can't sew well but I can sew enough to make a pillow or two. Now I'm just frustrated with the lack of fabric stores here.

~I love to constantly change my decorations around. Our house is too small to rearrange the big things, like furniture, so I make up for it by rearranging the little things. It drives Jason crazy. I rarely feel like any spot is exactly the way I like it so I'm constantly tweaking things. This spot used to look like this...

Spencer loves to sit at the desk that's barely seen and work on his puzzles, or any other activity he's trying to keep away from Sophie. Next change for this area: new photos.

After looking at the pics of a few other areas, I realized I have a lot of finishing touches to do before I publicly post them. Maybe that will be motivation enough. The bad habit of never finishing things is to blame, again.

Oreo Lovin'

Catchin' Up

Spencer always wants to know what's coming up next. After each holiday or major event, we have to map out the next exciting thing. After the 4th of July, the fair was all he could think about. He would tell random strangers at the grocery store that he was going. It was his reply when he was asked, "How are you doing?" "Good," he would say, "I'm going to the fair." We decided to take Colton with us since Rachael wasn't feeling up to it.

Uh, not sure what all the posing was about.

Conversing with cows.

Just looking at the animals was hard enough but having one finish off her dinner pushed her over the edge. I was laughing too hard to get a picture of her screaming (such a mean mom).

Sophie threw major fits after getting off the two rides she went on and Spencer was still holding a grudge against me for forcing him to go on the dragon roller coaster even though he liked it.

The boys were great. The lines were long. The weather hot and the wallets empty. Spencer's already talking about next year.

Waiting for These

My feet have been killing me since we've been setting up the halloween store. Like an idiot, I realized after a week that my old Nikes were too small. How I didn't notice that before I'm not sure. Pregnancy changes your feet and apparently I forgot that (past tense on the pregnancy part). So I have these ordered and on their way. I hope they are as comfy as they look. I'm having a hard time picturing me wearing them but we'll see!

These Shoes

Perfect style, perfect fit, perfect price! It's seriously been a challenge finding shoes for Bo (our nickname for Sophie) that don't squeeze her feet. Her wonderful chubby not-so-baby-anymore feet look absolutely adorable in these. We're off to pick up a pair in brown and maybe pink.

::I love his sweetness and I love him to pieces
(No worries Aunty Lisa, I didn't forget I just had to stop and feed him before I was done posting!)

::Wakes up every morning and right away asks, "Can we go somewhere today?"
::Loves to hear stories and drives me crazy requesting stories I don't know/remember
::After getting in trouble for referring to our neighbors as "the bad neighbors" (even though they are) changed it to "Our neighbors who litter"
::Says his sister's name like no one else, with complete and total annoyance, "So-fee!" Makes me laugh everytime
::Loves to pour his own milk into his cereal resulting in at least 2,384 bowls of cereal being made a day
::Recently started calling me "mama" and I can't get enough of it
::Is an excellent big brother

::I love him to pieces::

:: When prescribing an antibiotic for Sophie, her doctor laughed and said, "We'll just go by weight, not age and weight or she'd have to be three."
:: Today I bought 4T pants and have to return them tomorrow (we need 5T)
:: There's nothing cuter than watching her pudgy fingers blow kisses
:: She kisses her baby brother at least 2,384 times a day
:: Like a true girl, she loves necklaces, purses, and shoes
::My favorite thing to hear her say is "Caw, Caw" for a bird or "Bak, Bak" for a chicken
::She fake cries every time Carson cries
::She loves her Spencer

:: I love her to pieces::

28

Rach,
My kids are way too distracting so this probably won't be a real tear-jerker of a post. Besides, I'm in my creating mood, not my writing mood. I've been making these super cool pillows and I keep thinking that that's what I should make you for your birthday, but then really? I mean, how often have I really finished anything that I've claimed to be making for you. Remember last year? Yea, that scrapbook is totally still sitting here unfinished. And besides, I totally need a diet coke. And maybe some candy to go with it. Definetly need a sugar/caffeine rush before I could make something cool, or write anything deep and meaningful. And seriously, when was that last time you or me were deep or meaningful? I should have totally made you some cupcakes or something but we all know that you're the true baker of the family. Besides, mine would just be a regular old box cake with regular old canned frosting. And then there was that plan to take your kids today so you could take a break, I mean a real break. I know you've been laying around a lot lately but we both know that doesn't count as 'resting' since we still have to yell at our kids, or change the channel for them, or worry about whether or not their ruining anything important to us. And by important I only mean those things that can't be replaced. Like the old stuff. Cause anything newer is so not worth getting up for. So, in typical Amy-Rachael fashion, here's just a few of the things I thought about today then talked myself out of. I mean, thats where our real talent lies right? Our intentions are always good, but the follow through stinks. Good thing we're sisters...Less offensiveness that way.
But Happy Birthday, anyways.