A Pink Cast and Friends

July 14

Missy gave me these flowers for my birthday.  I enjoyed them every day, right up until I left them on my mama's counter and drove away.  

 We spent the morning getting Madeline's cast put on at Shriner's Hospital.  They don't just do normal casts, they know how to fancy them up!  Pink with stars!  It could not have been cooler.

 We were a little behind on getting ready for the loading of the truck that night because of the cast, but we still stopped to take a family picture in front of our house.

 And some pictures with friends.  I remember the first time I met Missy and her family.  They were an answer to my prayers.  I prayed for them to move in next door for a year and was grateful every single day that that prayer was answered.  Missy taught me a lot and loved me just how I am and her kids were the best of friends for mine.  We sure had five wonderful years with the Collins.

 Not even Oliver wanted to say goodbye to them.  He just walked right over to their yard and sat down.

I tried not to cry too much, but the tears just kept falling.  Even my kids said, "Mom, you keep doing that!" when they saw me wiping up more tears.  I guess it's just the way I am.  I feel a lot.  And I cry what I feel.

Saying Goodbye to my Sister

July 13

Honestly, thinking about this day only makes me weep.  I shall be brief...

These dear cousin friends spent some of their last hours together drawing, of course!

 Peering through the window of Cafe Rio.  The adults were slower to finish eating.

 My house

 We tried to not think about it until the moment actually came.  And then we just cried buckets.  The goodbye was eternal and a blink all at once.  And even now, I am not sure my mind or heart have accepted that I don't live close to Raelynn anymore.

 But she and her family drove away.  And then we just sat in the backyard crying and feeling numb.

I'm living next door to Raelynn in heaven.

Cute Boys, the Truck and Goodbyes

July 11-13

His squeals were complete delight when his Daddy spun him around.  It was one of my favorite moments of those days.  Because it was happiness.

 And Cooper is a cutie

 He sure loved the truck!

 My sister showed up wearing my outfit reversed.  We thought that was funny.  Good to have something to laugh about!

 Madeline enjoyed one more late-over with her best friend from school, Savannah.

 She gave Madeline a Best Friends necklace

 I really enjoyed our last visit with Gma and Gpa Morris.  They helped a lot and bought lunch and made the day pleasant.  They always make me happy.  I will miss them a lot!  I love them very much and have always been grateful for the grandparents they've been to me.

Pictures from my Birthday

I'm 33 and look!  I'm moving very soon...

 My birthday was a little tough this year, with Madeline still recovering from surgery and it being our last week in our ward here.  But I am very loved by so many wonderful people, and I felt it.

 I'm grateful for the nice cards and gifts given to me.  And the wonderful dinner and cake made for me.  And being with family.  I am so blessed.

 Oh yes, and in case no one knew, I really like my sister too.

 I'm glad I got to spend my birthday with her one more time!

Madeline's Broken Elbow!

Alternate titles to this post:

"When 'Ouch' is a Major Understatement"

"My Girl is Tougher than I Knew"

"When You Wish You Could Take Away Your Child's Pain"

Late Thursday night (July 7), I was sitting with the adults laughing and talking at my parent's house when we heard screaming from downstairs.  Honestly, it didn't even register in my brain at first.  But once I realized it was actually something real, I headed downstairs.  Apparently Madeline had just performed the one-handed cartwheel to end all one-handed cartwheels.  After cradling her in my arms for a long time, putting ice on it, and receiving a blessing, we decided it was best to take her home to bed.  I'm not sure if that was a good decision or not, but it's what we did.

The next morning was the start to a really long day of 14 hours in hospitals.  I knew things were majorly wrong when I saw the swelling and bruising on her arm.

 We started at the doctor who sent us to Riverton Hospital ER who, after seeing the X-rays, sent us to Primary Children's Hospital to await surgery.  SURGERY!

 The day was long.  Lots of waiting and wondering why hospitals are so ridiculous.  Then more waiting.   Then surgery came.  Madeline was really scared.  In so much pain.  Nervous.  It was hard for me to see her like that.  But she's braver than she knows.  And tougher than I knew.

The surgery went well.  Her brake turned out to be worse than even the surgeon had anticipated.  Usually they rate the brakes on a scale of 1-3 with 3 being the worst.  1 being a crack, 2 being the bone is displaced in 1 direction, and 3 meaning it shifted in 2 directions.  Madeline was a category 4. Apparently her bone was super loosey-goosey and wouldn't stay put in any direction.  Which is why her bone required 4 pins.

 Four pins in my baby girl's arm.  Good grief!

 I cried watching her in recovery.  She kept saying, "it hurts so bad.  My arm just hurts so super bad.  It hurts mama.  It hurts so bad."  Two doses of morphine and she still could barely stand the pain.  The drive home was long, but not as long as we were stuck in the hospital after surgery.  I was grateful we could leave and didn't have to spend the night there.  We made it home around midnight.

 After 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I decided that my daughter would in fact survive this ordeal.  She had 2 meds, 2 drinks, and pancakes for breakfast.

 But what a long road still ahead.  Sore days, horribly strong narcotics, and lots of emotion.  She is one tough cookie though, my Madeline Jean.

I'm grateful for the care she received and the blessings she's been given.  She's really going to be OK!

More Fun with Cousins

A hike to Ensign Peak turned out to be a great way to spend the morning!

 The hike was steep, but not too long.  And the view was awesome.

 Even Cooper made it up walking the whole way.  But I carried Oliver.  He only wanted mama!

 High on a mountain top, a banner is unfurled!

 Later, it was time for our epic backyard waterslide.  Always my favorite thing to do in the summers.

 Everyone also enjoyed a trip to BYU.  And of course, acting silly at The Bean Museum is a good idea!

 Even Mimi joined in, because she is that awesome.

I missed going to Provo but had a lot of packing to do and this little guy (along with his 3 yr old brother) helped me get a lot done.  The big move is just around the corner!

We've had a wonderful time with cousins!

Independence Day

I seriously can't remember a better fourth of July.  The entire day from start to finish was just wonderful!  After a breakfast and patriotic program at Raelynn's church, we all went up to visit the temple quarry site.  It was a short drive, an even shorter stroll, and just all around beautiful.  Perfect for our group.

My festive family!

 I love these three girls.  None of them have sisters, but they have each other!

 Parent and sibling selfies!

 20 months old

 My kiddos in front of our house.

 I tried for a picture with all the boy cousins, but only these three would cooperate.  The others were rolling down the hill and throwing grass...

 Cousins!  All my parent's grandchildren sitting on their front porch.  :)

 We had fun playing games in the green space and Ollie decided to go with Eric and Dad to get the ice cream from the house.  He did not want to stay with me!  It was really cute watching him walk away with those two.

 The firework display in front of our house that night was epic.  Between Eric and our neighbors, we had as good a display as if we had gone somewhere.  My two favorite parts were watching Cooper's face (I love this picture so much):

And screaming with Raelynn during the finale when it felt like the fireworks were exploding right on top of us.  It was awesome.

I'm really grateful to live in this country.  We are so blessed!