The Calm After Our Storms

After we all recovered from the no good horrible awful terrible flu,

We went to the Aquarium.
Unfortunately, Grandpa had to stay in the hospital.

We were so happy to be able to spend some time with Trevor and his girlfriend.

Caden's quite the lady's man and told Patricia she could kiss him any time she wanted.

Making sure his sister can see...

so she can check it all out.


In the shark tunnel...


Very Cool!


Not quite sure why that is in an aquarium, but it sure is a beautiful animal!

AFTER the aquarium, we went to the lake for dinner and ice-cream.



That baby niece of mine is so cute!


About to be thrown overboard and still smiling :)


Thumbs up from Ambree.

It was a pretty perfect day.

Backtrack to Turner Falls

The first weekend in October, we took my parents, met up with a bunch of friends, and went on one of the best camping trips ever. I think it should be a yearly tradition!

The kids were very helpful packing up. They couldn't forget their daggers!

My manly man - in Turner Falls, Oklahoma! Did I mention, it was raining? And the water comes from a natural, freezing cold spring.


Heading up to the castle... lots and lots and lots of steps. We didn't mind though. We LOVE hiking. And the ruins were totally worth it.

Caden asked if he could feel the water. I thought he meant with his hands. Nope, he meant with his feet... socks, shoes, and pants.

Checking out the caves. It was such a fun adventure. Grandpa asked Caden how it felt to be able to climb up a mountain and Caden replied, "I feel like a dummy. It's certainly hard." Ha ha.

Perhaps he wasn't feeling so great because the sun/heat causes Caden to get hives and he broke out with them all over his face. Once I took off my hat to give to him, his shaded his face got better, but it was quite crazy looking for a while there. They kept moving from cheek to cheek to head to chin, etc. I was worried it was poison ivy or oak for a minute.

Fun With Friends!

AWESOME views!


Lots of smiles ;)

So glad we took the opportunity to go!

*Weird to think that only a day after this trip, my dad's accident happened.

Life Comes At You Fast

One second can change your life.




What happened?! :
My parents and I had just picked up Trevor from the airport returning straight from Afghanistan.We stopped at IHOP on the way home. Once home, my parents decided to take the van into the shop so it would be functional for our week of visitors and activities. My dad in the little Chevy metro was following my mom in the van. She turned around a bend and a few moments down the road, she received a phone call saying my dad was in an accident and was seriously injured.

Long story short, he was in a head-on collision. I watched as they cut him out of the car. The image of MY DAD pinned in the car with his left arm hanging out of the back door in such a freaky way will haunt me for a long time, but I was very calm as I kissed his head and told him I loved him just before they life-flighted him to the hospital. The five arm fractures (which were so bad, his bones were protruding through his torn skin) and the BADLY bruised nerve were the worst of his injuries. The doctors put plates and screws in his upper and lower left arm during his first surgery. He was told this might make it difficult to get through security at the airport. He also had a collapsed lung which required a surgical procedure (without anesthesia) and they kept a tube in for a few days. (That's two surgeries.) He had a torn/ruptured spleen which they almost took him in for surgery, but thankfully his internal bleeding and oozing stopped in a few days. He had to get blood transfusions. He had eight broken ribs (six of which are flailing, or free floating). He also had breaks and fractures throughout his feet, his knee, his hip, a pelvic fracture, and numerous cracks in his bones, bumps, and bruises.

They don't expect him to be anywhere near what he was for a full year. But if you know my dad, he will break all the records and heal faster than anyone believed possible. He is very lucky to be alive, but I also can't help but think about how lucky I am I still have my dad and my kids still have their grandpa. We love him so much!

Security Toothbrush?

Her toothbrush goes everywhere she goes.

I watch her carefully because I'm terrified she's going to fall and jam it down her throat at some point.

Steps and Lightsabers

- all day, every day
~ and that's how we like it :P

(Nope, she's not walking yet - she's too careful to even try. She's such a girl. We try to get her to stand by herself (which she has done once when she didn't realize she was doing it) and we encourage her to take steps, but she will simply sit down in sweet resistance if she can't get us to hold her hands {plural}. No rush, sweet girl. You can stay my baby forever if you want to!)

Quick Picture Catch-Up

This might be a lot of cuteness to handle all in one sitting.

Our impromptu road trip to California was a HUGE success! ;)

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Trying to get a shot of Caden's loose tooth, and Ambree jumped in the shot to point it out for us.


She loves that brother!

We like to have crazy hair day at our house, but it's so hard to get them still and looking at the camera.

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We went to the museum of Nature and Science and had a fun day.
The funny mirror was hilarious. You can't tell, but our dwarf bodies were crazy funny!

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She claps and plays patta-cake and dances to every song...it is the most adorable thing ever!




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We took Ambree to the emergency room. She was right next to me and next thing I know, she is vomiting and I find a half a toothpick in the vomit. So where's the other half? Called the doctor and they said I had to take her to the ER before something bad happened. (Toothpicks, if swallowed can cause big problems.) So I rush all the way to the city. They looked in her mouth twice and sent us home two hours later with some apple juice. They tell me they want to wait until something bad happens... UGH! That's the opposite advice that my doctor gave me!
They charged $735 for this fun experience, but after insurance, it only cost us $477. Scandelous!


He ran into the doorknob...but I didn't take him to the ER for it. I think I'll really try to avoid that place - even when the doctor advises it...

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She's watching him scoot around, wishing she could do everything he does.

Life is good - we just LOVE our family!

Counting The Minutes...

...Until my son comes back to me!!!

I know, I know, I have been too busy to update much. I think we might be getting a bit more peace and quiet around the house now, though. So maybe I can catch ya'll up.

Yep, our little Caden started Kindergarten today. Even though I had to run into my room to cry after I saw how dang cute he looked in uniform (what is it with boys in uniform that makes them look so good?), don't worry, I put on a brave face and didn't cry again until we walked off school property. I hope he liked his lunch! Only 1 1/2 more hours until I get to pick him up!!!

We love his new school!!!

I woke Caden up this morning and he immediately said, "Uh oh...I gotta go to school today."

We must have done something right because he was all smiles and totally ready!
Although, I don't think he can tuck in his shirt by himself... My job's not over yet :)