A few more details from the accident...

This last week I've really struggled trying to put together a blog post about Parker's accident. There are just so many details that I want recorded but I am having a hard time re-hashing it all I guess you could say. To say the least it was extremely emotionally traumatizing for our little fam. I feel like that week of my life was just such a bad dream & at this point I am more than ready to move on from it all. I have guilt in saying that however because I don't mean at all to minimize what happened or how incredibly blessed we were along the way! The gratitude we feel for the countless blessings we experienced through such a horrible incident are priceless. The important lessons and faith building experiences certainly won't be forgotten! I did finally finish a draft post earlier this week but I am for some reason reluctant to share it. It's just a bit much and like I said, I'm ready to move forward. I've got to get some of this journaled though so I am going to go ahead and share a bit of it...(trust me, it is still a way too long read!) but I think I'll leave out much of the hospital details this time....

I honestly don't expect anyone to actually read this but just in case, consider yourself warned of my rambling at the risk of your own boredom!

Here we go... :

THE STORY....

PREDICTION???

We have been planning a 9-day trip to Disneyland and the beach since last December. A few weeks ago as our vacation was approaching and just a week before leaving, we were excitedly talking about our upcoming days in CA at the dinner table one night (just myself and the kids – Chris was at work). I know this next part sounds a bit crazy but it’s true…. Suddenly, out of the blue, Parker stated matter-of-factly that “something very very bad” was going to happen on the way to St. George – where we planned on staying overnight at my Mom and StepDad’s home to break up the drive. Shocked and surprised I leaned in and asked him to repeat what he had just said to be sure I had heard him right. He repeated but didn’t elaborate and I got distracted with Emmie and we never got back to talking about it. I didn't forget about it though. I was left with an unsure and eerie feeling in my gut remembering those words and the strange way he had said it. I tried to get it out of my mind, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Chris and I thought it was so odd that his statement had come out of nowhere like that and it left us both feeling a bit uneasy. Needless to say, we were nervous leading up to our trip because of Parker’s bizarre prediction. I thought of mentioning it to family members at one point but decided to keep it to myself because I didn’t want to concern anyone unnecessarily. After all, I was sure it was just a random thing that for some off-the-wall reason Parker had made up.

I wish it were...

FAST FORWARD to Friday – the day we were leaving to drive to St. George. That whole week our little fam had had the stomach flu on and off. Parker threw up all over himself and his bedroom floor on Thursday night and Emmie had diarrhea for most of that week. I was so sick with body aches and stomach cramps I could barely pack our bags. Awesome. Just what we wanted – the stomach flu as we make an 11 hour trek to Disneyland. I just kept thinking that as long as we got it out of our system before our CA trip officially began that Sunday that all would be fine.

After Chris came home from work that evening (Friday) we left for St. George. Once again, we were a bit apprehensive because of what Parker had said, but we were ready for our long-awaited vacation to begin. We said a prayer before leaving and Chris was extra mindful to be cautious on our drive so off we went. Unfortunately, Chris was plagued by the stomach flu himself on the way. NOT FUN – but we managed to make it to our destination alive. Extremely relieved that we made it to St. G safely, Chris and I joked that the flu must have been the “bad” thing that Parker was referring to the previous week.

Turns out that the flu was the least of our problems that weekend!

Our hotel didn’t start until Sunday, so we just spent Saturday relaxing in St. George. My Mom and Reed were actually in LA for the weekend so we had the house to ourselves. That night, the stomach bug manifested itself once again and Parker got really stomach-sick during the night. After a change of clothes and a load of 1 a.m. laundry, we got through it. The next morning I didn’t wake everyone up as early as we had planned on leaving because I wanted to let them sleep after a rough night of being sick.

While the rest of the crew snoozed and as I was trying to get some things together, I tripped over a suitcase in the family room and broke my little toe. Nice! I was a little ticked to say the least wondering how things could get worse. We were on our way to the Happiest Place on Earth and my entire fam had some remnants of the stomach flu and I was going to be limping around on a broken toe due to my klutziness. Not exactly the best start to our vacation.

Had I only known how minor those setbacks were compared to what was about to happen!

At about 9:45 a.m., I glanced at the clock thinking we would for sure be on the road by 10. We were just about ready. I was packing the cooler in the kitchen and Chris was taking our bags out to the car which were piled up by the garage door. I glanced in at the kids who were in my Mom and Reed’s master bedroom (which is between the garage and kitchen). They were sitting on the fireplace, eating granola bars, watching my Mom’s new kitten play. They were fine. I went back to packing.

Not a minute later Chris went running into the bedroom and started yelling. I heard Parker screaming. I went running. Chris came running out with Parker who was in hysterics. I glanced at his head and started screaming in panic myself.

Chris had found Parker underneath this HUGE, ten foot tall, solid wood door which had obviously fallen on top of him. The next few minutes were a total blur. In complete chaos, we threw the kids into the car and we were off to the ER at Dixie Regional, a six minute drive. Between being absolutely HYSTERICAL to sleepy on the way, Parker was able to tell us what happened. He said that while trying to pet the cat who had gone behind a free standing door that was leaning up against the wall, the cat jumped at him. In fear of being scratched or bitten, he quickly tried to move out of the way, and in so doing, he grabbed the door and managed to cause it to fall on top of himself.

The culprit?

Here it is:

(now laying in the garage)

The door is at least 200 pounds. Everyone keeps asking why there was a free standing door in the room – so in case you’re wondering – it was the master closet door that had been removed because they installed a washer and dryer in the closet which was housed where the door would normally swing.

EMERGENCY ROOM
After a ridiculously slow-moving ER “registration”, we finally made it back to see the doctors. Parker was absolutely hysterical – screaming that his eye hurt “so bad!”. The staff went ahead and administered some pain meds as well as some sedative to calm him so that they could get him back for a cat scan. After what seemed like forever he finally seemed calm enough to take him back for the MRI. Chris went with him and I stayed with Emmie. On their return I was informed that P had thrown up all over the machine, himself, and his blanket, hence he was no longer wearing a shirt. About ten minutes later the grave looking doctor came back in. I immediately knew by the look on his face that the good news we were hopeful of hearing was not what he was about to share with us.

CAT SCAN RESULTS:
In addition to two fractures on his skull and an obvious bad concussion, there was an air bubble next to the brain, which was an indicator that brain damage could develop within 24-48 hours. They were going to life flight him to Primary Children’s in Salt Lake. I went weak in the knees. Those words - LIFEFLIGHT and BRAIN DAMAGE hit me like the wind was just knocked out of me. I couldn't breathe. We were absolutely devastated to say the least and just in disbelief that this had happened. We were supposed to be halfway to California by now! We were supposed to be running to the Matterhorn first thing the following morning to ride Parker’s requested “first ride of the day”. We had talking up this trip for a good six months and now we were about to embark on a very different ride than we anticipated. Instead of flying through Peter Pan and down Splash Mountain, Parker and I were about to fly on an Air med plane to Primarys with a head injury that could be potentially be life changing. I felt like I was in a really bad dream. I found irony in the fact that the previous night I had borrowed a random T-shirt to sleep in from my Mom's closet that was adorned with the words, “LIFEFLIGHT” across the front. (She'd obviously gotten it from work as she is a nurse.)

I was a nervous wreck getting on that small Air Med plan. I am terrified of small planes which just amplified the already terrifying experience that had unfolded that morning. I snapped this picture (above) with my phone right before we took off and sent it to a few family members wondering if I’d see them alive again. Dramatic I know, but honestly with the direction that this day was rolling, in my mind it was not out of the question that this plane might not make it to Salt Lake.

My fear of flying on this plane however was far overshadowed by my devastated thoughts of the possibility of our bright-eyed, always inquisitive, constant chatterbox little Parker having a damaging brain injury. How could that be possible?! How could we be in this situation?! I couldn’t let those thoughts overtake my emotions. I wouldn’t let them. The possibilities weren’t reality yet and I had to concentrate on having faith that he would be okay. I cried. And prayed. A lot. The two air medic nurses flying with us gave me sympathetic looks across the seats. I appreciated their silent attempts at consoling me but I just wanted to sink into my seat & be left alone in my agony. I kept throwing glances at Parker's chest to make sure he was still breathing. That will certainly go down in history as one of the worst hours of my life.

As we landed at the airport in Salt Lake a HUGE sense of relief rushed over me. I suddenly felt that things were going to be okay and I felt such a surge of strength. I could feel that people were already praying for us. I have never been so grateful to get off a plane in my life! We were escorted to the awaiting ambulance and took the slowest moving ambulance ride ever to the hospital. I think that because it was a brain injury that they were moving so slow? Once inside we were escorted by an entourage of people and Parker was wheeled into a large room full of doctors. I was told that I couldn’t go in for about ten minutes until they had done some assessments. Immediately a male social worker named Marc was by my side asking me tons of questions. He was very kind and gracious and told me that we had a waiting room full of family outside. With poor Chris and Emmie driving up from St. George and still hours away, I was so grateful to know that we had a room full of loved ones ready to lean on.

I completely lost all concept of time that day but after several hours (?) of assessments and the BEST NEWS EVER that the neuro doc wasn't worried about brain damage, Parker was transferred to the 2nd floor NTU, where we would spend the good part of the week.

His recovery at the hospital had it's ups and downs. I was frustrated a number of times with the nurses who let Parker's pain get out of control way too many times. I quickly figured out that I had to be vigilant in keeping track of what pain meds he was having when and when the next doses were due because there were too many incidences where he would wake up screaming in agonizing pain, due to the neglect of having his medication administered to him on time.

Because of the concussion there was a lot of throwing up so the first two days he only drank a little water. On his first try at solids he requested (okay insisted) on having none other than his all time favorite - strawberries. He threw up that entire bowl but hey it was a good attempt. The next day he requested plain noodles with Italian dressing for breakfast and some grapes. MMMmmmm. This time he was finally successful in keeping the food down which was a huge step of progress in overcoming the concussion symptoms and a step towards going home. Apparently he liked this meal because he requested it 3 more times passing up chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza and chocolate shakes.

This little guy is so loved! We had family visiting every day and our ward was wonderful and so quick to serve us. Our Relief Society President was at the hospital within an hour or two of finding out the news, the Bishop and his wife were up to visit within the first day, our home teachers offered to come up right away, and my awesome visiting teachers showed up with the most AMAZING gift basket full of goodies, snacks, & activities not only for Parker but also for Chris and I. The text messags, phone calls, cards, well wishes, stuffed animals, activity books sent for Parker, etc. etc. poured in. Among those much appreciated acts of kindness, the key ingredient was absolutely the prayers! I could honestly feel their power during those days. What a humbling experience to have so many people praying for you. I know that they resulted in Parker’s quick turn around and expedited recovery. We were and still are overwhelmed with gratitude at such an outpouring of love! To be the recipients of so much goodness made me appreciate even more how wonderful it is to be a member of the church! To have this network in place of such selfless people who are willing and ready to serve and support you and do anything for you in a heartbeat including stopping what they are doing and praying for you – what a humbling experience and tremendous blessing and we are so thankful!

THE PLAYROOM
After a several days we made a few attempts at taking Parker up to the playroom by a wagon ride to see how he'd do on his feet. The first time around he was a bit woozy and after painting two pictures wanted to lay back down in the wagon and go back to his room. But little by little he made progress and by late Wednesday he'd checked off all the vital components necessary in his ability to go home. YAY!

GOING HOME!

Finally! What a week it had been. We went from the news that our dimpled little cutie might be brain damaged to 4 days later having our regular little Parker come home with us, bright eyes and all. His eye has healed incredibly quickly. It's hardly black at all anymore. He had a doctors appointment last week and they were absolutely amazed at his progress already. It's been the prayers I tell ya!

Like I said in the last post, he has to have two feet on the ground for 6 weeks. No running, climbing, jumping, no soccor, swingsets, trampolines, scooter, etc... basically we're just locking him up inside to avoid all those temptations! Not such an easy task for a normally bouncing-of-the-walls 4 year old boy who ADORES his friends, but we are surviving it all fine and are so grateful to have walked away from this accident with just a few temporary limitations. We've also taken him out of playgroup for the next while because he gets a little to rowdy with his cute friends and it's just too big a risk that he'd bump his head again. He will always have to be extra careful and will definitely always be wearing a helmet for anything active - but thank goodness we had already been practicing that important habit and precaution when riding his scooter! The neurologist was very frank about the fact that if Parker were to get another bonk in the same spot on his head in the next several months that it could be fatal. SCARY!

We are just so glad to be home and getting this behind us. We're so grateful to be on this end of things as we know that it could have been so much worse! We're finally coming out of the fog of the emotional trauma of it all and feeling somewhat normal again. I have been horrible at returning phone calls (I'm sorry!) and even text messages but know how much I appreciate everyone's concern. We've just been exhausted and talking about it more just hasn't been appealing - hence why my lack of motivation in doing this blog post! (I don't even have it in me to proofread it right now so sorry for any typos or confusing statements!)

But so glad to have it recorded! Parker is one special little boy and this experience is further testament of that. Thank you so much for all of your comments and support. It means more than you know!

Give your little ones an extra hug today. You never know when things might take a turn for the unexpected.

xoxo

LIFE FLIGHT. Not quite the Disneyland ride we were anticipating.

Less than 10 hours after I made my last post about our active little guy, Parker made a move that ironically would keep him from being active for weeks to come...

I will give the ten page, detailed post about this later, (you know I will :) but for now I just wanted to give the quick cliff notes version and update all those of you who have wondered how everything is going or let those of you who weren't aware, up to date on what has happened. It's been hard to keep up on all the texting!

Here goes with a quick rundown:

LOCATION: My Mom and StepDad's home in St. George.

Packing the car & minutes from leaving for a 10 day trip to CA and Disneyland.

Kids in master bedroom, sitting on fireplace, eating granola bars and watching kitten play.

Minute later....

Chris yelling.

Parker hysterical!

Me running...

Super heavy, 10 ft tall door fell on top of our little Parker.

Trauma to the head.

ER at Dixie Regional.

Parker going between complete hysterics to sleepy.

Cat scan. Lots of throw up.

REPORT: 2 skull fractures & air pocket by brain that could lead to brain damage in the next 48 hours.

Complete DEVASTATION!

Life flight to Primary Childrens in Salt Lake.

Absolute horror.

WORST hour and a half of my life.

2 ambulance rides.

Poor Chris and Emmie driving 5 hour trek from St. G to Salt Lake.

Better news in SL! Neuro doc at Primary's not concerned for brain damage.

PHEW!

Huge shiner.

Broken skull and eye socket.

Nasty concussion.

4 days in the Neuro Trauma Unit at Primary's.

Lots of prayers! Our ward has been amazing! THANK YOU!

MiRaClE - he is going to be fine!

Counting our blessings that Emmie wasn't hit too. Was 2 feet away and we are sure it would have killed her - door was at least 200 pounds.

The good news???

He is home!

He is fine!

We are so blessed!

No running or climbing for at least 6 weeks as fracture heals and concussion clears. Must always wear a helmet.

We will take it!

Thank you to all of you who have had us in your thoughts and prayers! We have felt tremendously blessed this week amidst such a horrible accident.

I wish I had had my lap top to blog about this from the hospital. It definitely would have been an easier way to keep everyone in the loop and a time saver from the phone calls and texting where cell service was a challenge.

Thank you for all of your concern! It could have been sooo much worse and we are just feeling very blessed to have our little guy in one piece!!!

What a reminder that life can change in an instant & to cherish the moments that we have...we are overwhelmed with gratitude at this outcome & our hearts go out to the many of those who don't experience the happy ending that we are fortunate to walk away with!

(Thank you Marsh's for that darling bear!)

Blue Lightening

The soccer season is half way through & Parker is loving it!

He refused to play in the first game but after a small bribery for icecream to play in game #2, he has been chasing that ball ever since.

I have no shame in bribing my kids and find that it almost always works when chocolate is involved.

His self-proclaimed trademark thus far is apparently his speed. He likes to show us how he is so "super fast".

And super fast this 4-year-old is.

To my surprise he got a bit aggressive last game (note left pic above)...yikes. It was all friendly aggression - he was trying to hold his own against a couple of pushy opposing teammates. The "no arms" in soccer rule hasn't quite sunk in yet I guess.

Note his "keep your arms straight out" tactic below.

Well, whatever. It was working successfully for him anyways. :)

Some of P-Man's favorite things to do are run around and play with friends, so so far soccer is suiting him great!

I am just happy for any extracurricular activity that involves my kids having fun and good old- fashioned excercise.

I would call this little cutie the team cheerleader but honestly she is just more interested in having fun, swinging (of course), looking cute and giggling with her darling friend Brynn.

A typical girl at a sporting event, right?

Well, typical for some of us anyways. :)

GGGGoooooooooooooooooo SOCCER!!!

Older and wiser

Last Wednesday...I turned... are you ready? Hold onto your seats!

The Big 31!

Nah, I'm not afraid to admit my age. My 30th year was a great one and truthfully I wasn't sad to leave my 20's behind last year. At all. But then, 30's are the new 20's, right? Er so I've heard anyways. On Oprah maybe...?

I used to think thirties were so old. But in my world perpetually looking 18 seems to be my reality, so I guess I embrace the whole aging process thing (minus the post child bearing belly pooch and wrinkles of course). The fact that I am 5'2 (okay 5'1 & 1/2)and weigh what I did when I was 13 doesn't exactly help my cause for looking like a legal adult with 2 kids. But hey - for the record, I like being short. Okay, except for maybe when I have to climb on the counters like my four-year-old to reach things ...oh and when all the pants I try on are 6 inches too long...& maybe when when we get a new Beehive in our class at church and they think that I am their classmate rather than their teacher...yeah that's an awesome one...but that's a whole other blog post.

Well, on with my birthday extravaganza...I wanted to do something fun as a fam of four that day and Chris didn't go into work until that afternoon, so off we went to the Farm at Thanksgiving Point. I love that place & so do the kiddos - as you can see:

Emmie got such a kick out of the animals! She did a lot of giggling. Parker loved riding the horses like a cowboy. He must get that from his Dad, who won't admit it but I'm pretty sure his secret dream is to be a cowboy. For real. (& a cute cowbay he'd make in them cowboy boots and tight jeans if I do say so myself!;)

From the pic below can you guess what Chris gave me for my birthday?

No, not a bunch of stinky animals. Although I do think it'd be fun to live on a farm. Minus the stinky animals. Hey maybe that would fulfill Mr. Cowboy's fantasy...

ANYWAYS, Cowboy Chris gave me a new lens for the sweet camera he gave me last Christmas. It makes a huuuge difference in the pics. Can you tell? Or is it just me? I still haven't read my 500 page manual for this camera. But no worries, it's on that running list of things to do that I never have time to do but when I do, I'm sure I'll knock your socks off with my fantabulous images! LOVE that gift and I'm so excited for it!

After the farm we went over to the cafe at the Emporium for some lunch. This little girl made my day watching her eat her first ice cream cone. What a mess! Oh how I love her.

Fun times!

Just so you know...

These cookies.are.AMAZING!

It's highly unfortunate that they magically find their way into my cart at the grocery store almost every visit.

Because I will eat them.

All of them.

I usually have great self control when it comes to food.

NOT with cookies.

Especially these cookies.

Parker loves them too.

It's a problem.

I'm just sayin'.

A Good Friday

My sweet Dad treated us to a day at the zoo last Friday!

The crowds were nonexistent, the weather was perfect, the animals entertaining....what a great outing!

The elephants, beautiful giraffes, and the silly monkeys (who kept the kids giggling) were the top favorites. As well as the carousel and train rides of course!

On the way home, we stopped by my cute Grandma's house whose birthday present for Miss Em had come late in the mail, but was now ready and waiting. Isn't it a darling suitcase? It was well worth the wait! :) It was even filled will all kinds of cute knick knacks for a future vacation. My Grandma is TALENTED at giving unique, thoughtful, & FUN presents!

Thanks Mimi! Emmie loves pulling around her new stylin' suitcase-on-wheels!

& thanks Grandpa T for such a fun, relaxing morning at the zoo!

An act of kindness that won't be forgotten

Dear Cute & Thoughtful Arizona Friend:

I was intrigued last week when a package showed up on my doorstep brought by the UPS man. I wasn't expecting anything & wondered what in the world it could be.

My curiousity had the best of me and I immediately ripped open the box.

Inside unveiled another big box from Bath & Body Works that said, "Happy Birthday" with an attached heart-touching, anonymous card.

A huge smile enveloped my face & a few flattered tears welled up in my eyes.

WHAT?! How could someone be that nice? To ME? Really?!

Inside I found a box full of my favorite Bath & Body Works foamy handsoaps. This sweet friend went above and beyond by taking my wishful sarcasm seriously from the bottom of this post a few weeks back. The truth is, my birthday isn't until next week, but what a wonderful early birthday present! Your kindness really boosted my spirits on a day that I really needed it! ...& oh how I love to be stocked up on my Island Nectar and Caribbean Escape handsoaps! It might be an illness but the thought makes me giddy inside... :)

I am so undeserving but so very grateful. Thank you for making my day. And for making me feel so special. You have reminded me to actually act upon acts of kindness, and not just think about them.

What a gift! I promise I will pay this forward!

The world is undoubtedly a better place with people like YOU in it!

Thank you for your genuine friendship & example!!!

I am definitely a lucky girl.

Thank you again!!! I sure miss my Arizona friends! (In fact, I have been richly blessed with great friends in all stages of my life & I wish I could see all of you much more often!!)

xoxo

~Michelle

More on Miss Emmie

Our cute little grown-up two year old!

24 ThInGs I wAnT tO rEmEmBeR aBoUt EmMiE at 24 MoNtHs:

1. This cute girl loves to sing. In the mornings I often hear her singing in her bed when she wakes up. She loves to sing the ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle & Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam. I hope you have your Dad's singing genes Em, and not mine so that you can continue this love in the future without offending anyone. :)

2. Your high-pitched giggle always brings a smile to my face.

3. That crazy swirl calic planted right in the front of your head continues to dominate but we think you're adorable regardless!

4. You still loooove to suck your right thumb!! I'm just glad it's attached and not something else that I have to worry about keeping track of.

5. Your purple blankie is the love of your life & we never leave home without it in fear of catastrophic outcomes. .

6. You LOVE to read stories and your favorites are the Critter books by Mercer Mayer. You love to find the mouse, grasshopper or spider hidden on each page.

7. You have recently turned into a chatter box and are saying lots of little sentences.

8. You are a total climber and much to my dismay you enjoy maneuvering chairs around the kitchen so that you can climb on the countertops.

9. Swinging outside on our swingset has been one of your top favorite activities this summer. You are even tricky enough to stand while you swing like your big brother.

10. Your H20 obsession...You are constantly finding ways to play with water and therefore I am constantly fishing you out of bathroom sinks...

11. You seem to have a poor little immune system thus far as you have been sick in your little lifetime probably 4 times that of your brother in his four years. We are hoping that you are just getting it out of your system early and have many healthy years ahead!

12. You have recently decided that you are potty training and you take the initiative to take off your diaper and go sit on the toilet all by yourself. Just for the record - we're not going there. Yet. As determined as you are, I am holding my ground on this one! Maybe after Christmas we can think about it...

13. You love to eat! Just not your fruit and vegetables. The only veggies you eat are corn on the cob and you love carrots and potatoes. The only fruit you'll have are peaches, mandarin oranges and apple sauce so P wins in the fruit and veggie eating department - but you win with eating everything else well! You often times steal food off his plate. He is a SLOW eater and you are lightning fast in the eating department. Some of your faves are homemade mac, chicken taquitos, tacos, chicken & rice, refried beans, eggs, waffles, peanut butter and honey, CHEESE, yogurt... the list goes on! & lets not forget that sweet tooth. You and your brother can't concentrate on anything else if there is unveiled sugar in the room...

14. You love Roxy. & you're nice to her. So she loves you back.

In fact, you love animals in general and give out a high pitched shriek of delight when you catch sight of them... especially dogs or cats.

15. You have a head start in anatomy as you can point out 19 different body parts with 100% accuracy .

16. You love Abby Cadabby! I don't know how in the world Sesame Street made it's way into our home, but a few months back it did and you've been hooked ever since! It is hands down your favorite show.

17. You love your baby dolls! You take such good care of them and are such a cute mommy!

18. You are a great sleeper! You will sleep from 7 p.m. to 7 or 8 a.m. THANK YOU!

19. You like to be held but at that same time you are very self sufficient.

20. You have had two haircuts thus far in your two years. We did our best to get rid of your mullet this summer.

21. You love your grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and go to them willingly.

22. You have given your brother some pretty colorful battle wounds with your hitting and scratching. We are working on finding better defense mechanisms for you & are still baffled at where this originated from.

Despite your occasional lashing out however, you adore your brother! You follow after him and want to be doing what he is doing.

23. You are so cute when a prayer is being said. You are good to bow your head and fold your arms and say "Amen". I have caught you many times sitting up to the table all by yourself mumbling your own little impromtu prayer to "Heeey Faaar"...

24. You are such a sweet and loving little girl! I love to rock you at night and look into your big bright eyes and have little conversations about our day.

We are tremendously blessed by the joy you have brought into our lives, Emmie!

We love you!!!

The Celebration

The BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!

We sure adore this sweet girl!!!

The PaRtY GoErS:

(sorry, I missed pics of a few!)

The ThOuGhTfUl GiFtS:

The CoRnY DeCoRaTiOnS:

(If you need something ultra cheesy, I just might be your girl. :))

The YuMmY pArT:

(I know, out of control on the cupcake pictures but what can I say, there were too many that made me smile that I want included in my blog book!)

If you're ready to throw up at the all the excessive orange and pink in this post - it's cool. So am I. :)

HaPpY BiRtHdAy SwEeT eMmIe!

Thanks to everyone who came and made her day so special!

Happy Birthday Emmie

Emmie turned TWO today!!!

We had her birthday party on the 23rd but wanted to make sure to do something fun as a fam on her actual big day... So where else do you take a water-loving two year old?

COWABUNGA BAY of course!

We've driven by this place a hundred times on the freeway & I'm always thinking how cornball it looks, but it was actually really fun! The kids had such a great time and I'm so glad we decided to go! I not only got in free with a coupon, but we scored by having it be the first day back to school, so it wasn't crowded at all!

The kids loved floating down the lazy river and there were even a few slides that Emmie could go down.

But first we woke up and opened the Birthday Girl's presents awaiting her downstairs. Between what she got today and on Monday at her party, this girl is in baby doll HEAVEN! I snagged that cute little crib, swing, and stroller set on an after Christmas clearance at Target for $14.99! Talk about a steal. Chris thought I was a nut to buy it 8 months prior to her b-day but I'm so glad I did. I think it's going to be a hit.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMMIE!

More b-day festivities to come.

...Once I recover from the craziness of this week... !:)

PRESCHOOL

It's official!

Parker started his first real day of preschool yesterday!

He was a little hesitant to go into his class but once he jumped in there it seemed to go well. We feel super lucky for him to have two of his cute little friends going to the same school. It was a bit of a process to decide on this place as it is a bit of a drive, but we think it's going to be worth it with all the fun programs they offer there, and we're really excited for what lies ahead!

I can't believe that he's old enough to have started his long road of education!

I'm so excited for him but a little sad to see him grow up so fast.

He also starts soccor practice tonight...

I feel like I'm already so busy - but I have a feeling life gets really hectic when the little people reach elementary school and you add in the responsiblities of helping keep up on homework & timelines and then you throw in all the extracurricular stuff... sounds CRAZY! But that's what it's all about, right? It's so fun to watch these little ones as they learn new things, develop their talents and grow into the little people they were sent here to become! I feel so blessed to be a mom and to be able to experience all these fun avenues of life with my kiddos, while doing my best to steer them in the right direction. :)

Check out some cute products!

One of the darling Beehives in my ward has started her own business at barely 13 years old! She hasn't had the easiest life and I am so proud of her for having such big goals for herself and for putting them into action at such a young age.

She told me that she wants to use her time and energy on something good and worthwhile because she doesn't want to get into the bad stuff that surrounds her!

SMART GIRL!

She is amazing and could use all the encouragement she can get with her new business venture! If you have a sec, please check out her website. Even if you don't want to make a purchase - no problem - leaving her an encouraging comment I KNOW would make her day!

(Most of her products are $5 and under and she sewed them herself!)

{Have you done any good in the world today? If not, here's your chance!!! :) -I know it's a cheap shot but seriously!}

Click HERE to view her super cute, affordable products and to (please) leave her a comment that will bring a smile to her face! :) :)

Thanks!!!

http://www.simple-cherry.blogspot.com/

Color on the walls

About a month ago we had to put the crayons on lockdown after

Little Missy Mischief had 5 too many incidences like this one:

The face says it all.

(What you don't see is the couch that she colored all over as well. No big deal. It's just smeared in there with the peanut butter and oreo hands that didn't get damage control before the couch diving portion of the afternoon began...one too many times...)

It's amazing what ravage these little ones can manage in a matter of seconds!

It's times like these that I remind myself that this is why (okay maybe not WHY, but why it's GOOD that) 80% of our furniture are old hand me downs, and a good reminder of why there is no rush to move into our "dream home" any time soon. With brand new furniture and a museum for a home I would lose it when these inevitable instances were to occur.

Which would be often.

Which means I would be in the looney bin....

Which wouldn't be pretty.

Therefore, I do love my humble little abode which can stand a little rough housing from the kiddos now and then without me completely pulling my hair out. (I said completely..)

We're going to be strolling this walk of life for a while so we may as well enjoy it in stride and try not to sweat the small stuff, right?

That's what I keep trying to tell myself anyways. :)

& as a handy tip of the day and to maintain sanity in cleaning up after the munchkins, keeping these pups on hand is a must:

-Just when I thought I couldn't love Lysol/Clorox wipes any more...

THEY GET BETTER!!!

Have you used these little gems? One side is scratchy (perfect for cleaning toilet seats used by 4 year old boys) and one side smooth. It was the only thing that took the crayon off the walls. & no, it didn't scratch them up.

BLESS THEM!

My birthday is coming. Some containers of these, a Shark steamer mop and some Bath and Body Works Island Nectar and Caribbean Escape hand soap (foamy) would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and a gift certificate to Pier 1 Imports(have you been in there lately?!), a shopping spree at the outlets in Park City, family pictures, and a night out with my husband would be awesome. In case you were wondering. ;) Yes, the list goes on, but I wouldn't want to overwhelm anyone. ;)

xoxo

Skirts, shoes & puppy love

My Mom made some darling little skirts for Emmie. Emmie loves all things girly so she of course thinks they are divine!

Don't let all the pictures confuse you -- she isn't modeling all the skirts here- just the one she wore last Sunday. As usual, I am indecisive as to what pictures to post, so heck -- why not continue to overuse the collage feature and post SEVEN?!

Sounds good to me! :)
NOTE: She is holding up her foot so that you don't miss her shoes. She is a shoe girl through and through. She is so funny.

& funny is what I think of the face she is making below:

(she looked at me and exclaimed, "Ughh, HEV HE!")

While the subject is up....Emmie loves to boss around Roxy. She goes around the house yelling, "ROX!", followed by a stream of love-filled air-kisses. My favorite interaction E has with Rox is when Emmie bumps into her (which is often since Roxy follows us from room to room) and says "Sar, Dog!" (Sorry dog), while giving her a little love pat. I am just thanking my lucky stars that she is gentle with the poor dog. Her brother on the other hand got such thrills out of dog torture at this age that I was considering getting rid of poor Roxy. I was afraid he was learning self-taught aggressive behavior through his dog torture practices. Good thing he outgrew that one! Roxy is a good, loyal little dog and has been through a lot with our fam. She is deserving of some love...truth be told with two other very needy little beings in my life I don't always have the time to give it to her. I am just glad that Emmie is willing to give out the kisses to the deserving (?) pup....even though it makes me shudder. Bleh. (No worries - despite the inuendo in that pic, Roxy kept her tongue in her snout, thank goodness. :))

Back to the fun skirts. We love them, Mom! Thanks again!