We have the "all-clear" - mostly

So, Austin had his last doctor's appointment with his surgeon today!  He can now run and play to his heart's content.  The only thing he can't do is jump, especially on a trampoline (even though he has tried!)  The doc said to wait on jumping for another 2 weeks.  That means that if it's nice weather on Thanksgiving Day, we will be outside and if there is a trampoline available, I'm sure Austin will be jumping on it! :0)  He has been a champ through all of this!  He's realized that he can do hard things and he's back to his crazy, happy (most of the time) self.  We have learned a lot during this ordeal and we hope that we never have to go through anything like this again.  But mostly, we are just happy we survived!!!  :0)

What a weekend!

So, I was planning on blogging month by month to try to catch up the blog, but things have changed a little.  I need to blog about Labor Day weekend first.

On Sunday, Austin decided to break his femur before church!  So much for having them do quiet activities before church to get into the right mindset, huh!  I'm just so glad that Brian was still home when Austin did it because I'm not sure how I would have handled it on my own!  So, here's the story:

Paige and Austin were playing upstairs with some helium balloons I got them the day before.  The problem with that is we have vaulted ceilings upstairs and they kept losing their balloons on the ceiling, so Brian told them to take them downstairs to play with them.  They actually listened to those instructions and did NOT listen to some warnings we have given them numerous times...DON'T JUMP ON THE BED!  They were jumping from Paige's desk to her bed and then jumping up to reach the balloons on the ceiling.  Austin must have gotten some serious air because he didn't land back on the bed, he landed on the floor on his knees in the splits position.  (This is what the kids told us afterward in the hospital.)

I was feeding Drew at the time and Brian was getting ready to go to the church and we heard this scream, which isn't unusual at our house, but this time the scream wasn't stopping.  That made us worry.  Brian headed downstairs and Paige was coming upstairs and she said that Austin was hurt.  When Brian got into the room he saw Austin on the floor curled up in the fetal position and he said that it looked like Austin had something in him right pants pocket.  He kept telling himself, "please be a stuffed animal or sock in there", but he knew that there wasn't anything in his pocket and that his femur was broken and very displaced.  (Sorry for the graphic details!)  I remember hearing Brian asking Austin, "What did you do to yourself?" while I was finishing with Drew and I knew it was something bad!  I went down as soon as I could and saw that Brian had taken off Austin's pants and laid him on Paige's bed to get him in a better position.  He called for an ambulance while I called a friend to see if she could stay with Paige and Bryn.  (Thank you, thank you, Laura!!!)  It was the worst feeling in the world to see our son in so much pain!  He was sweating so much that his collar of his church shirt was soaked through and he kept asking questions about if he was going to be alright and if he'll walk again, etc.  It was heart wrenching to say the least!  Brian gave him a priesthood blessing before the ambulance came and that seemed to help Austin and us a little.  The EMTs got to the house and did a wonderful job getting him in the tension/traction brace and on the stretcher.  Brian went with him in the ambulance and then I followed behind with Drew.  The whole way to the hospital I had "5 Little Monkeys" going through my head, especially the line "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."  I can smile about it now, but at the time it was driving me crazy!  We made it to the hospital and the ER doctor and nurses gave him some medicine for the pain and we went in for x-rays.  It helped Austin a little when I told him that his Uncle Lance takes pictures (x-rays) of people's bodies, too.  He thought about that instead of what they were actually doing to him.  I was so happy to see that it was a clean break and it was right in the middle of his femur.  They said that if he had to break his femur, that was the best place to break it!  No growth plates involved.  The problem in the ER was that they were giving him Demerol which works well in adults, but not so much in children.  It only lasted about 10-15 minutes and when he woke up, he was furious!  He was thrashing, screaming, pulling at his IV... it was not a pretty sight.  And through all of this, Drew proceeded to have his biggest blowout to date!  It was awesome!  (Speaking of Drew, though, he was a champ through all of this.  We are so blessed that he is such a good baby!!)  The orthopedic surgeon came in after that and as soon as a room on the Pediatric floor was prepared, they moved us up there and the nurses gave him some Morphine.  Let me tell you, that is some good stuff! :0)  It gave Austin (and his parents) some much needed relief!  He was still in the traction brace and it was doing it's job, but it was not comfortable for Austin at all.  He was laying on some hard bolts and the strap around his ankle was really bothering him.  The nurses had never seen a brace like it so they kept coming in to see it and finally the night nurse came in and said that she felt it was best to remove the brace and put a traction boot on with a weight that hung over the bed.  We were really nervous about moving him that much, but it ended up being so much better!  Thank goodness for that nurse!

It was a pretty rough night for Austin and Brian (I stayed at my sister, Kandra's, house with Drew since only 1 parent could sleep overnight at the hospital).  Around 7:15 the next morning, they took Austin down to the surgical floor to prep him for his surgery.  It was so difficult leaving him to go to the waiting area, especially because he was crying when we left.  We knew he was in good hands, though, and the surgery was only a little over an hour long.  The surgery consisted of putting flexible titanium "nails" in the femur.  The surgeon made incisions on either side of his leg right above the knee and the nails crossed at the fracture.  The nails go the full length of the femur.  Crazy stuff!!  This procedure is supposed to be better for children since they are so active and heal so quickly.  He'll have the nails taken out in 6 weeks.  Austin did pretty well coming out from surgery.  He wasn't the happiest (for some reason) but he did well.  He spent one more night at the hospital and then we were able to take him home Tuesday afternoon.  We feel very blessed that he didn't have to stay in traction for weeks at the hospital.  For how bad the situation was, it definitely could have been worse!

I'm not going to lie, it was very difficult the first few days home with Austin.  It was just like taking care of two 2-month-olds!!!  It has been getting better every day, though, so our prayers are being answered.  Now it's just keeping Austin occupied with activities so he doesn't get bored!  That's pretty difficult with an active 5-year-old!! :0)  He's been using his walker a little more every day and we even went to church yesterday, only a week after it happened.  It helped having a wheelchair that we borrowed from one of Brian's office ladies.  That alone has been a wonderful blessing because he can go outside on walks, go to church, etc. and still be comfortable!

He has his follow-up with the surgeon on Thursday, so pray that everything is healing well and that he gets his hard cast put on.  Once he has that on, we will feel more comfortable sending him to school, and he needs to go back to school for his sanity and mine! :0)  I know he's a little nervous about going back to school with his cast because he's so shy and he doesn't want too much attention.  He asked me if kids would tease him about his cast and I told him that there's no way they would do that because they will think it's the coolest thing ever!

Well, I think this is the longest post EVER, at least for me!  Here are a couple pictures of Austin in his splint.  Notice Drew is in every picture.  Austin is constantly asking to hold Drew and they both love it.  (Even though Drew doesn't look like it in these pics!) :0)  We have more pictures from the hospital on Brian's phone.  I'll post those once I upload them to the computer.

I almost made it a year!!

I know, don't die of shock!  I'm actually posting on my blog!  I can't believe it either. ;0)  I figure I need to post some updates on Baby Drew since he is now 2 months old.  He just had his 2 month well-child visit.  He is growing like a weed and we are loving every minute of having him in our family!!  Here are his stats:

At birth-                                  2 months-
Weight: 7'13"                         Weight: 12'6" (63%)
Length: 21"                            Length:  23 1/2" (68%)
                                               Head: 39.7 cm (39%)

He is smiling a lot now and tells us many a story with his cooing or "baby talk" as Bryn puts it.  He is very interested in his hands right now also, which makes us wonder if he's going to be a thumb-sucker like his sister.  He will take his binky if it's forced on him, but he spits it right out when we're not holding it in his mouth.  Bryn did the same thing, so we'll see!  Drew is one of the most content babies we've had, except for today because of his shots.  He was NOT happy after his shots and for the rest of the day!  We are so blessed to have Drew in our family.  We love him so much (especially his brother!!) and can't get enough of him!  Hope you enjoy some of these pictures of our handsome boy!

I have LOTS of pictures and events that need to be posted and I promise that it won't take me 10 months to post them! :0)  I promise!

Family Hot Dog and S'more Roast

We decided to go to the river for Family Home Evening once this summer.  The kids thought it was the coolest thing, I think because it was such a spontaneous thing.  Or it might have been because we had those ENORMOUS marshmallows for the S'mores.

Here was our "little" friend that we almost ran over on the way to the river.  It was having a nice little "slither" across the road and taking his own sweet time. :0)

Matchy, Matchy

It's so fun having 2 girls to dress somewhat alike on Sundays.  Trust me, it doesn't happen that often, but when it does, oh how cute it is!!

Before and After

When my friend told me that she had a desk they were wanting to get rid of, I knew right away that I wanted it.  I've been wanting to get a desk for Paige now that she's a big 1st grader.  I then was on the hunt for a chair to go with it and I found this at DI.  It was in pretty bad shape and Brian gave me the "Seriously?!?" look after I brought it home, but I saw the potential and I absolutely LOVE the finished product.  Just see for yourself.

Before:  Well after I sanded it a little

After:  You can't see the fabric on the chair very well, but Paige picked it out and it is beautiful and goes with her room perfectly!

Birds of a Feather...

Brian and the kids gave me a bird feeder for Mother's Day and it was one of the best gifts!  We were able to enjoy some of the most beautiful birds almost all summer long!  Our family have become quite the bird enthusiasts and had so much fun finding out the names of all the different birds that have come to our backyard.  Aren't they beautiful?!?

Paige's T-ball June and July 2011

Paige played t-ball again this summer and she loved it.  We were happy to see her paying attention a little more during the games this year.  It's amazing how much one year changes attention spans! :0) 

 This picture makes me laugh because she is using her bat to draw a line by home plate.  I have no idea where she got that, but it made everyone laugh every time she did it.

Sorry this pictures aren't the best.  You can't even see that it is Paige, but trust me, it is her and trust me, she had fun! ;0)  And I had to add the last picture because it was just so cute!

My Mom's Graduation

In May, my mom graduated with her bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming.  We are so proud of her.  She has worked so hard to get an education and she did it with flying colors.  She graduated at the top of her class!  That my mom!!  So, the kids and I went to help her celebrate her amazing accomplishment.  

When we got there we ate at an great BBQ place, Dickey's.  I had to put this picture in because it was so funny how all of the kids had their HUGE pickles and ate almost all of them, even Bryn!

 Here are most of my mom and dad's grandchildren.  We were missing Austin (he was at the Father/Son campout with Brian) and my brother's kids, Jaxson and Kennadie.  They're pretty proud of their grandma, too!

 Here's my beautiful sister and sister-in-law.

 There was a daycare set up for all the kids up to 5 years of age.  Paige wasn't so sure how she felt about not being able to play with all of the toys.  She soon realized that it's pretty cool being one of the big kids...she got mommy all to herself!  I love her smile in this picture!

 Paige with her favorite cousin on my side of the family, Challis.

 Mom finally spotted us!

 I was trying to help Paige take pictures and this is the only picture that turned out, so no pictures of her receiving her diploma.  Oops!

 How cute is this picture!  I'm so happy that all of the cousins love each other so much!!

 One of my dad's friends stopped by to show us his pet coyote.  Yes, a coyote.  Remember, they live in Wyoming!! ;0)  Paige thought it was the coolest thing!

 All of these pictures make me laugh.  It was near impossible to get a good picture with these almost 2-year-olds!!  Here are just a few of the attempts! :0)

 Bribing them with snacks at least got them all to sit down!  That's better than nothing, right?!?

Mexico trip Part 2

We went on a tour of Ek Balam, Chichen Itza and a cenote (a swimming hole that is made from an underground fresh water river).  We booked it through ldstours.com and it was amazing.  Our tour guide, Alma, was wonderful.  She did such a great job explaining the history of the people and giving us a background of the culture so we could better understand what we were seeing.  It was just so fascinating to see everything and being able to picture the Nephites and Lamanites from the Book of Mormon in places like this a very long time ago.  

This is the entrance to Ek Balam.  It is one of the few ruins that you can still walk up to the top.  It isn't as crowded as Chichen Itza and there is still a lot that has not been excavated.  In these pictures, all of the hills you see are actually ruins that have not uncovered yet.

 This was the gateway that everyone had to enter through to go on the temple grounds.  This little stone rectangle was actually a place to wash your feet before you stepped inside the sacred grounds.  I also found it very interesting that there were no steps up to the gateway.  It was just a very steep ramp.  They built it this way so no one could walk upright and face the temple directly.  It was to force people to bow and show reverence to the temple.

 Can you see our little iguana friend in the middle of the picture?  He was one of many!

 Here was the ball court at Ek Balam.  It was very small compared to the one at Chichen Itza.

 Here's the main temple at Ek Balam.  The last governor who lived here actually changed it from a temple into his residence.

 I'll admit it, I was a little nervous climbing up these steps.  They were just a little steep.  Again, it prevented anyone to directly face the temple as they were climbing up.

 Here's our guide, Alma.

 A view from the top

 Another thing that makes Ek Balam different from some of the other ruins were the full body carvings. 

 Here's Brian and I on top of another building with Ek Balam behind us.

 After our tour of Ek Balam, we went to a restaurant that served authentic Mayan food.  It was delicious!  They also had 4 people there that danced some traditional dances for us.

 I had to laugh at this and take a picture of it.  These were above the bathrooms.

 After lunch we went to Chichen Itza.  It was so hot and crowded, but so fascinating.

 This is an alter where human sacrifices were performed.  It was close to the ball court.

 Here is the ball court at Chichen Itza.  It was huge compared to the one at Ek Balam.  If you look closely, you can see the hoops on the side walls where they had to get the ball through.  For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this game.  And to say it was a game doesn't truly describe it.  It really was life or death.  It was an honor to play on the teams.  It was an even greater honor to be on the winning team, but not the way you would normally think.  The captain of the winning team actually was sacrificed and beheaded, thinking that he would automatically go to what they thought was heaven or paradise.  To think that was what they were wanting.

 The next 2 pictures show the carvings on the sides of the ball court.  The first is a colored picture so you can see the details.  The second picture is the actual carving.

 This is the place where the winning captains' heads were placed to honor them.  If you look closely, you can see the carvings of skulls on each block.

 This is the Hall of a Thousand Warriors.  Each of the pillars represented warriors.  At the top of this ruin was another altar for human sacrifices.  In the Book of Mormon it talks about having a "broken heart and a contrite spirit".  These people took that saying very literally and "broke" or removed the hearts of the people being sacrificed.  Crazy.

 While we were there, the excavators found that the original building in this spot was much bigger than the ruin that is now there.  They are going to document what they uncover and then actually bury it again.  Our guide was fascinated by this.  She had not seen it before.

 This is in the "Older Chichen", as our guide put it.  These ruins were built long before the famous Chichen Itza ruins were built.  This is the observatory.

 After Chichen, we went to a cenote to cool off in.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The pictures do not do it justice.  The water was so cool and refreshing after being in the hot sun all day.  It was a perfect way to end the tour.

 Can you see the fish swimming in the water?  There were so many of them!

 Here's Brian getting ready to jump off the 16 foot high platform.  They built the steps and platforms from the rock inside of the cenote.  It was very well maintained.  

 Here we are at the top of it.  It was just amazing.  I think my favorite part was being in the water and looking up through the roots dropping down into the cenote.  Birds were flying through the roots and the fish were swimming next to us.  It was so relaxing and just beautiful!

 This was taken our last night in Cancun.  Such a fun and amazing trip!  There will definitely be a next time!!