Time

Does time seem to be flying by to anyone else or is it just me? It seems as if my oldest was just born the other day and yet, here she is with kids of her own. Wasn't Christmas just yesterday? I have always heard that the older you get, the faster time goes. I never really understood it as a kid. I mean after all, didn't it seem like forever until your birthday? Or Christmas? Or waiting for the tooth fairy  (OK that one may have been because the tooth fairy that came to our house when I was growing up, TOOK A LOT OF VACATIONS!!!)
I remember when Darci was born thinking- 8 years til she is baptized. That's forever away! And now Madeline will be getting baptized in less than 3 years. I never thought the day would come and all of my kids wouldn't be around for Christmas but the day has come and WAY to fast! I never thought I would slow down my driving. And yet, the day came when I realized I had just been being stupid driving like a crazy maniac. HOLY CRAP! I'm getting old! Of course- I would still race Tom Prince if given the chance. Once in awhile, I won one of those!
And sometimes it seems as if my week just flies by. I have big plans at the beginning of the week of all that I want to accomplish and yet..... at the end of the week, hardly anything is done. How does that happen? Why does my time get filled with so many other things? Calling, family, kid activities, exercise, eating, cleaning, eating some more..... It just flies and flies. Slow down time! Slow down!

Update

This is just a quick update-

Lorin has been working at the temple on Wed. for about 1+ years. He is loving it. I am so glad he has this opportunity. One of these days I want to go and do the same. Just to spend time in the temple every week. I would love it. 

Speaking of the temple, Dakota and Slate are there tonight with the youth in or ward doing baptisms for the dead. Lorin just stayed up there after his shift. Its kind of weird to think that in Sept. Tevin, my baby, will be able to go with them. ALL of my kids will be able to go to the temple. Now that is a great thought!

Madeline, Hadley and Bridger came over for a few hours today. They are so stinking cute. Hadley just came up to me and said I was her favorite grandma and hugged my leg. How do you not just fall head over heels in love with that? Bridger wanted me to just hold him for about 30 min or so. LOVE IT!!! Except for the fact that he had no pants on and loves to hang onto his wiener  That's a little disconcerting. And Maddie Pies is the best helper ever! She sure loves to scrub toilets! 

Also- Darci has perfect timing. Right after she got here to pick up the kids, Bridger came up to her saying- poop, poop. She thought he needed to go poop so she followed him into the bathroom and discovered he had already pooped about a 2' long green poop IN MY SINK!!!! Disgusting! But oh darn, she had to clean it up! She was dry heaving as I just kept on folding laundry! Let me ask you this though? What in the heck possessed him to CLIMB up onto the toilet then into the sink and poop? I mean---- he had to get on the toilet anyway right????? Kids! Good thing he is so STINKING (literally) cute!!

Tevin came home from school yesterday with a slight and I mean SLIGHT fever. I did learn something new however. If you pick your kid up from school because they have a fever, you will have to keep them home the next day. They have to be 24 hrs w/o one. LAME-O!!!! I took him to the Dr this morning just to make sure. He did have a little kinda croupy sounding cough once in awhile. They tested him for the flu and strep. Negative. He has been fine ever since I brought him home yesterday. Hmmmmmm. I really hope this doesn't become a habit. 

No more electronic devices at church

Last Sunday night there was a fireside at the church for the youth 12-18 yrs in age. The topic was on dating. The kids and their parents were invited. I made Tevin go also because he is becoming interested in girls so I figured he needed to hear what was being said so there was no question about when you can or cant start dating. It was a really great fireside. Our good bishop conducted it. He is just so real and genuine. And you come away from any conversation with him knowing he loves and cares about you. The youth know and feel this to. I think that is why they respond so well to him. The don't think he is stuffy or old fashioned. And they definitely know where he stands on issues. He draws a very clear line on whats right or not. Anyway- at the very end he got up and asked all of the parents to please support him in the decision they (the bishopric) have made concerning electronic devices. They are asking the youth to leave them home. Don't even bring them to church. Just leave them home! I personally was so excited about that. I have been trying for a long time to get that to happen in our home. And now I have the support of the Bishop. HAPPY DAY!!! They want the kids to bring their paper scriptures also. Which I think is awesome! If the youth are going to go on missions, they are going to need to know how to use their paper copies. All I have to say is..... YAY!!! Bishop! You totally ROCK!!!  (So does our YW President. I am sure she and the YM President had a lot to do with that decision).

Update on Slates stubbiness

Today we went to the Dr for Slates finger. I was really nervous to have the bandages come off. I was fascinated and yet repulsed at the same time. He started unwrapping it but had to stop because it had been soaked through and caked with blood that had dried and stuck to his finger. So Slate had to soak it in peroxide and saline til it loosened up enough to finish unwrapping. The Dr explained that when he took the bandage off we would see a spot that had no skin on it. He said that he had made this patch of skin "float" by cutting the anchors but keeping the 2 nerves and the artery connected and then placed this piece over the damaged area. He said the bare spot would grow skin and it would look really good. Slates finger looked disgusting. It was swollen and covered in black crusted blood with little pieces of the stitches sticking up like black hairs. The Dr. was pretty happy with how it looked. He said it was doing nicely. And I must admit, I thought the entire end of his finger was gone. But he was able to save the nail bed which means that eventually Slate will be able to grow a nail and I am guessing that if you didnt know, you wouldnt even hardly be able to tell his finger was injured. It will be a little shorter and maybe a little flatter. But I bet it will heal and look really good. I'm still going to call him shorty though!

Slate is such a trooper. He has been so calm and collected throughout this whole adventure. I would probably have been a stark raving maniac if it had happened to me!

And thanks again to Heavenly Father for all of the tender mercies that happened throughout this whole thing. We were truly blessed!

And its a BOY!!!!

Brighton & Juston are expecting their 2nd baby in June. YAY!!!! That will be #5 grandkid! They have been dying to find out what they are having. Boy? Girl? Brighton said boy (the Chinese calendar is never wrong apparently) Juston was wishing for a girl. So the other night they had a find out the gender party. They did it in a really fun way. They went to the Dr. and had their ultrasound. But they told the DR. to just put the picture in an envelope and seal it up so they wouldn't know. Then they went to Target and picked out a girl outfit and a boy outfit. They took them both up to the register. They told the cashier they only wanted one of the outfits and would she please look in the envelope and put the correct one in a gift bag but not let them see which one it was. How fun huh! Then the cashier just gave them a gift reciept so they wouldnt be able to look and see which outfit it was. They were so excited. (Bummer though that when they got home the tissue paper had come out and Brighton saw which one it was. Juston didn't though) We all came over and she had cut out blue or pink crowns and glued them onto clothes pins  and you had to choose which you thought it would be. Everyone in our family except Tevin chose girl. He was the only right one! I had a feeling it was a boy but I went with girl I think just because I wanted Juston to be right! It was really fun watching Justons face as he pulled the outfit out of the bag. He looked shocked and then a huge smile. Brighton was just grinning watching him. We all got to have treats- pink or blue! So YAY! Now we will have more boy grandkids than girls unless Darci & Devin get to adopt Josie Dakota (their foster baby) Then it will be even steven once again!

CONGRATS Brighton & Juston! We are so excited for you!

Slate disgusting finger

This post will be very disturbingly graphic so if you don't want to be sicked out---- don't look at the pictures. They will be at the end of the post!!

This event happened on Monday, 1/20/13

So when I think of Halloween, I think of gross, bloody body parts. I don't think those things in my everyday life. The kids didn't have school on Monday because it was Presidents Day. So I wanted help cleaning out the garage. I told everyone if they would help for 3 good hours 9-12 (not disappearing frequently or having to take multiple potty breaks) then they could do whatever they wanted (I did tell them they wouldn't be allowed to run naked through the neighborhood) for the rest of the afternoon. Then for FHE we would go to Metro Pizza for dinner. They did help pretty good. Lorin and Tevin cleaned out the small garage and Slate and I did the big garage which was a huge project because I had just bought some new metal shelves and cabinets to put in there to replace some of the rickety shelves that were already in there. (Dakota was sick so she took a nap). This meant we had to unload them, drag the shelves out, clean under them, put the new ones in, arrange them to get the maximum amount in the space we had and then load them back up. So for the most part Slate helped me do everything up to the reloading. By the time we got there the 3 hours were up so I told him I would be able to finish the rest myself because most of the heavy lifting was already done. So Lorin and Slate went riding out in Jean. Tevin  wasn't able to go because the night before when he and Slate were changing the tire on his motorcycle, they had accidentally pinched the tube which meant that he had a flat tire. I kept cleaning the garage. They left about 1:30ish I guess. At about 4:00 I got a phone call from Lorin. Before I relate the call to you I must preface it- Slate is our accident prone child. If someone is going to get hurt, it will most likely be Slate. But, saying that, he has been accident free for about 2 years. I was getting worried. Now for the phone call----
Me- Hello
Lorin- Hi, (very calmly, no big deal kind of voice) I was just calling because Slate hasn't had any attention for awhile so I am just going to stop by the hospital.
M- WHAT???? Is he OK???
L- yes, he's good. Its his finger. Don't worry. He's fine. I called the Trauma Center at UMC and they are going to squeeze him in.
M- Do I need to come down there?
L- No, he's fine. You would just be sitting around and they wont let you back there anyway.
M- OK, keep me informed.
L- Ok bye

So here I am thinking- no big deal. He's with Lorin at the hospital. Lorin just went there because he knows people from work there. They will be home soon.

Lorin texted me a picture of him sitting in the bed with a lovely hospital gown on. He didn't look too beaten up.

30-40 minutes later.....
I call again to get an update.
M- How is Slate. Is he doing OK? Do I need to come down?
L- He's fine. They gave him some pain meds (Now let me just tell you right here- Slate has the highest pain tolerance I have ever seen. I knew if he was taking something for pain, he was really hurting) and we are just waiting to see a hand surgeon.
M- WHAT!!!???? In my head I am thinking- HAND SURGEON? WHAT THE HECK DO YOU NEED A HAND SURGEON FOR???? So again, I ask if I need to come down there.
L- No, he's fine. We are just sitting here waiting. They wont let you back anyway.
So again I think, he's fine, maybe a bit more serious than I thought but Lorin is calm and not worried and they are together.
M- OK keep me updated.

30 minutes later......
I call again to get an update.
M- How is Slate. Is he doing OK? Do I need to come down?
L- No. He's good. They are taking him into surgery at 8.
M- WHAT THE HECK???? SURGERY???? I'm coming down. I will call Devin and see if he can come with me to help give him a blessing. I will have him drive with me so he can drive your truck with the bikes back then you can just ride home with me.
L- He's good. We are just sitting here waiting. Just wait a little while.
M- I want to see him before he goes in for surgery. I'll be there shortly.

So I called Devin. He said he would be glad to come down. So I went and showered and got ready to go. Don't forget I was still cleaning the garage out. After I was all ready and was waiting for Devin I decided to feed my addiction of the garage sale site. So I got on Facebook to see what was for sale. You have to sign in to your home page first. And guess what the very first post was? Pictures of Slate in the hospital. So of course I had to take a closer look.

The first one was a picture of his hand. It looked like he had damaged the finger pretty good. Maybe ripped his fingernail off is what I was thinking. The next one was of something floating in a petri dish. I couldn't really tell what it was so I zoomed in on it. Right then Devin walked in the house and came to look. So as I am trying to figure out what it was I realize there are 2 things floating in the dish. One of them looks like his fingernail the other I cant tell. Then Devin says- THAT'S HIS FINGERPRINT!!! I thought I was going to hurl. Because yes, that is what it was. And what do those 2 things =? Why yes, the end of his finger! Now let me ask you this.... Why in the crap did Lorin not prepare me for that? Why did he not even mention that the end of Slates finger was gone? WHY!!!! That was a horrible realization. I think it  made me sick not only because it was disgusting but also because of the instant realization of what Slate had been going through. It just made me ill.

Devin and I hopped in the car and drove down to UMC. We went to the trauma center but they couldn't find him. I called Lorin and they had been moved to the pre-op area. So we went and found them. I walked up to Slate and asked how he was doing. He says- Do you want to see it? Me- Sure. It was just wrapped in a little piece of gauze so he pulls his hand out of it and held it about 6" from my face. It was just like one of those nasty Halloween props. A bloody stump. Slate just laughed and thought he was seriously so funny. Good thing he was hurt or I might have smacked him! So we chatted for a minute or two then Lorin and Devin gave him a blessing. I am so thankful for the Priesthood. The blessing didn't promise him to have his finger sewn back on but that the Dr. would make the best decision and that he would recover well. I am also thankful for a worthy husband and son in law who hold the priesthood and use it to bless the lives of others with no hesitation. I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for letting us use that power.

About 7:30 Dr. Jedidiah Jones came in to talk to us about what was going to happen. It turned out that he was the same Dr we went to a few years ago when Slate broke his hand. He didn't remember us but it made me feel better because I liked him then so I was comfortable with him operating now. Plus as it turned out, he knew a lot of Lorins cousins and uncle. AND, he is LDS! All pluses in my book! Then the anesthesiologist came to talk to us. I liked him also. He made Slate really comfortable and answered any questions we had. I was surprised at how young he appeared. As he was leaving, he asked if he could do anything for us. I told him if he didn't mind could he please draw a mustache on Slate during the surgery. He laughed. I don't think he realized I was completely serious. They wheeled him into surgery a little after 8 pm. It is really hard watching your child be taken somewhere you cant go. Knowing things are going to happen to him that you have no control over.  And knowing there is nothing you can do about it or to make the situation any better. Devin left after he was wheeled away. Lorin walked out to the truck with him to show him where it was parked and to take Slates riding gear out and bring back some regular clothes for him. I was in the waiting room by myself. There was a family waiting there. 2 of the women were crying softly. They were of middle eastern descent, they were talking in a different language so I couldn't understand what they were saying. It made my heart sad to see them and not be able to do anything to help them feel better. When Lorin came back I said- I wonder what is happening with them. He said that their little nephew fell and something went into his eye and he most likely had lost his eye. He said they had been in the bed next to Slate in the trauma center. My heart just ached for them. And I was reminded that even though Slate was injured with a serious injury, He would be OK. That he would be able to lead a normal life. I couldn't help but be grateful that he had his injury and not one more serious. After what seemed like forever Dr. Jones came in and told us it had gone really well. That he had had to grind the bone down just a tiny bit to be able to stretch the skin over the end. I just cringed inside- grind the bone down..... That has to be painful! But that he was fine and that it was a clean amputation and he would be just fine. We were able to go see him a few minutes later. (As we were walking back to see him, I saw the little boy who had hurt his eye. He was in a recovery bed across the room from Slate. He looked like he was 6 or 7 years old. He was asleep and his family was sitting there with him. I just prayed they would be comforted.) Help him get dressed and go home. He was so not in la la land but so definitely out of it. He just wanted to go home and go to bed. He hadn't eaten since 2 pm but he wasn't hungry. He was stinky from cleaning out the garage and riding but he just wanted to go to bed. So he did. He came in my room about 6 am to get a pain pill but that was about it. He did decide after that that he wanted to go to seminary. What a trooper!

I would like to say that I am so thankful for friends and family that heard about what was happening and called or texted to see if Slate and us were OK and if they could do anything. I don't know what we would've done with out everyone's help, prayers and best wishes! Thank you!

I am also thankful he was with Lorin who is a paramedic and had the skill and knowledge of what to do. He was calm and collected and I am sure that helped Slate tremendously. I am thankful Lorin was inspired to go to UMC instead of the closer hospital where he would probably have had to wait overnight to have surgery. The Dr. was already in the operating room at UMC so he was available to take Slate that night. And he was one we knew and liked already. I am thankful that Slate has a high pain tolerance and was able to be calm and do what needed to be done to get back on his bike to ride out of the desert (for 30 miles) to get back to the truck. I look back and there were just so many little (or big) miracles that happened that night. Tevin getting a pinched tube and not being able to go, MIRACLE. That would've been hard for Lorin to have to worry about Slate and Tevin. Just everything.

Garage Sale Site

So there is this site on Facebook that is a place to buy or sell items you want to get rid of. (I think I have posted about it before). It is seriously the most addicting thing ever. I have gotten so many good deals on there! I got a ton of stuff for Christmas from it. Some of it brand new with tags still on. I must admit it is a bit of an addiction for me. I check it almost the first thing in the morning then several times throughout the day. I just cant help it. Because what if I miss out on something really great? Which I have a bunch of times just so ya know! But I have to tell you about a deal I scored today. Now you might not think this is very exciting but I did. This cute girl posted about some metal cabinets that were out in her garage that she wanted to get rid of. Now, I have been wanting to get something like this for a really long time to put food storage in. A REALLY LONG TIME!!! I was able to get 2 of them! They are about 6' tall, have doors and I am so excited! But as I was leaving she pointed at some shelves on the side of the garage and said they might be selling those too. I was really excited because they were some of the heavy duty ones from Costco. She sold them to me for $40 each. Half price from what I could get them for and they looked practically new. She said they had just bought them 6 months ago! I cant wait to put them in the garage for more food storage and maybe get rid of some of those dorky ones out there. I know- not exciting but for me it was. Cant wait to check it in the morning!

YW's

My calling in the church is 1st Counselor in the Stake YW's Organization. I LOVE THIS CALLING!!! I love that I still get to associate on a small level with the YW in our ward and stake. They are seriously some of the strongest most beautiful girls I have ever had the privilege of being around. They have testimonies of God, Jesus Christ. Of the Temple, the Gospel. I love to feel of their spirits.

Tonight we attended the Centennial Pointe Wards New Beginnings. It was amazing! They did it based on an airplane flight. We boarded, found our seats and watched an in flight movie- Standing in Holy Places. It was really good. Then we were taken on a tour to 3 different destinations. YW's, the Temple and Enduring to the end. The tour guides were young women. I think this was my favorite part of the whole evening. They all bore their testimonies of their subject and you could truly feel the Spirit. Rachel Gottfredson who is a Laurel, spoke on the Temple. I loved that she told it like it is. The #1 ultimate goal you should have is to be married in the temple. Thats hers. She also said that she is obviously a princess and the temple looks like a castle so obviously that is where a princess would get married. I love that girl! (She was my daughter on our Stake Pioneer Trek a couple of years ago so I got to know her a tiny bit then) She just did a really great job! Then the YW President- Sister Fowers (AKA stewardess) spoke. She also spoke with the Spirit. Then the co-pilot spoke (A member of the Bishopric). He gave the girls some advice on how to stand in a holy place even if you are in a place like school. 1- Read your scriptures. Even if it is just 5 minutes a day. 2- Build your force field like Violet in the movie The Incredibles. Build it strong so that bad things will just bounce off of it just like her. 3- Do service for others. It will invite the Spirit to be with you. 4- Surround yourself with good people. People who build you up and influence you for good.

It was a wonderful night. I am thankful for this calling so I can go and feel the Spirit at meetings like this.

Slate

So today we went to the dentist. I really don't like going. The girl who cleans our teeth is the sweetest person ever but man she really pokes my gums a lot and makes it really hurt! Anyway, are you wondering what that has to do with Slate? Well....... on the way home he was begging to use my phone so he could look up paintball guns. I finally relented and let him have it. Then when we got home I had presidency meeting so I didn't have time to check my phone. When I finally did a few hours later I realized I had a priceless opportunity. Slate had signed into his Facebook account and forgot to sign out. And can you believe someone would start posting random comments on it? I mean really? Like...

 I like to eat cheese off of mouse traps. Its yummy when it gets a little crusty on the edges.

Or how about-
 Sometimes I think.... Just kidding.

 Or- I like to put dirty socks in my armpits.

Who would do that?

Or even-

 if you licked melted ice cream off of the restroom floor what is the best flavor? Chocolate?

Maybe-

 if you are alone in a room and fart, does it stink?

I wonder why he would let someone post stuff like that on his page. He He He!!!!

Love ya Slate!

And PS- its not like my page has never been hijacked! The rule is after all.... No one can sign into your account except you. But if you forget and leave it up....... IT'S FAIR GAME!!!!

Cooking class

My friend Sarah Prince started doing a cooking class twice a month. The first class was tonight. It was a coconut curry tilapia with swiss chard and riced cauliflower. I don't even know why I signed up for it because I don't like---- swiss chard, curry or fish. But, on the other hand.... I do know that everything I have ever tasted that Sarah Prince has made has been delicious. And I mean delicious! This was no exception. MMMM!!! I love to watch Sarah cook. She just makes it seem so effortless and not so overwhelming. Like maybe I could actually do it. I watched her once make truffles. Do you know how stinking easy truffles are? I was even able to make them and they were yummy! And I really did want to learn how to rice cauliflower. Easy peasy! Just grate it and steam it with a little water. My kids would never know it wasn't actually rice! The whole recipe was really yummy. I think I might even give it a shot. I think a Sunday dinner would be a great time to serve it. And it really didnt even take that much time to make it. We were eating it in under an hour. Prepping it, cooking it, serving it and lots of talking in between. A real, gourmet dish in not much time.... YES please!

Game On

We are starting Game On again and I was just reading Brightons blog and realized I hadn't set my habits yet. I am going to be blogging again everyday. I, like Brighton hope this will give me incentive to keep blogging. It is fun to go back and remember things that have happened throughout the year.

Stuff I need to write about-
Jamen and Rose getting married
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Darci and Devins foster baby
Riding my bike