Tyler and Her Noggin

One of Tatum's best little friends, Tyler Woods, fell at PE and hit her head resulting in a skull fracture. The poor dear spent the night in the hospital and was not allowed back at school for 5 days. Tatum was quite upset about this. All she talked about was Tyler, how bad she felt. She said she even cried she was so sad. Sweet thing! Tatum was aching to see her so I took Ella, Tatum, and Annalise to Walmart to get Tyler some jammies to lay around in and a movie to watch. Then we paid Tyler a visit!



It was so sweet watching the girls treat Tyler carefully and so special. The girls also brought Tyler her homework and the get well cards the class made her. They sat in a princess castle giggling and chatting while they went through the stack. I loved watching these girlies interact, they were excited, thoughtful, and loving. Tatum talked about Tyler for weeks and is grateful she is feeling and looking much better!

Missing Fox Tooth

Tucker has a hole in his smile! His two bottom teeth have been wiggly for a while, he oddly named them his fox teeth. We have no idea why or where that came from but we laugh every time he says it. So, Tucker lost his fox tooth and has one more to go.

I picked him up from preschool yesterday and immediately noticed his hole. I got really excited but he had no idea what I was talking about. I told him he lost his tooth and he wouldn't believe me until he stuck his finger there and felt the hole. "THAT'S TOTALLY AWESOME!" he said! He was super excited after that and showed all this little buddies who were also in the car with us. His teacher was sweet enough to look around and even go through the trash to locate the missing fox tooth but she never found it. I'm sure it's in his belly.

We had to write a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining the situation. Here is what it read:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I loosed a tooth but I lost it. Still give me money.

Love,

Tucker

He awoke to a Susan B. Anthony dollar and a pink kiss on his cheek. He was quite angry about the pink kiss and wanted to know if there were also sparkles, I didn't dare tell him there were! Next time he looses a tooth we'll write another note asking her not to smooch him.

It's a Happy Birthday

It's true, today is my birthday and I'm getting old! As I laid in my warm bed enjoying the late morning hour my thoughts drifted to my last birthday.

Jersey had had her big surgery 3 days before and was so very critical. I didn't realize my birthday was even approaching until a couple days before. Not that birthdays as adults are anything fabulous but it's still your day. I spent the night the evening before so I could wake up to her, it hurt every time I looked at her. I needed to leave the hospital by 10:30 to make it home in time to shower. As I put our very junky car into reverse nothing happened. I tried again and again but it wouldn't budge. I remember sitting there and crying not knowing what to do. So I prayed and it went into gear. I cried some more.

When I got home our friends were there putting up our Christmas lights, I still appreciate that. Chris could hardly muster up a smile for me, and me for him. He gave me a half hug and mumbled something about getting me something and then loosing it, or maybe he put it in his drawer but would have to check. I can't blame him, it was such a bleak time. I felt the way he did. I can't seem to find words for the way I felt back then. Desperate, on the brink of a breakdown, anxious, hysterical in my mind...they don't seem to fully convey those days.

I sat pumping and my friend stopped by just to drop off something. She doesn't live close so to just drop something off was a sacrifice. She gave me a Willow Tree angel holding/hugging a heart and 3 boxes of Hot Tamales, my favorite. I kept the hot tamales by my night stand and every time I'd pump while I was home I'd eat them.

My friends were taking me to lunch. I had NOTHING to wear, nothing fit and I believe in looking good when it's your day. I stood in my closet and cried, my spanx held in only so much. :) We met at my neighbors house, I didn't want to be there. I didn't want to smile and chit-chat about meaningless things when my princess was teetering between life and death. I felt an enormous weight on my shoulders that was too heavy to produce a sincere smile. There were lots of hugs and sweet, heart felt gifts. I loved everything given to me that day but there was really only one thing I wanted. Looking back, I appreciate that lunch more today than I did while I ate it. They were rescuing me, rallying around me, showing me they really did love me. I must have been a downer, I must have seemed unappreciative, I hope in the moment they didn't see through me.

My mom watched the blondies all day that day. I was glad they were gone, I couldn't deal with everything that came with them. I remembering wanting them so near, wanting to be a "normal" family, wanting them to wake me with breakfast in bed and their home made cards.

Brooke cut and colored my hair that night. I planned on getting it done before Jersey came but she came so early and unexpected. I remember Brooke and I only talking about Jersey. She must have known I needed to talk and I'm glad she let me.

What a difference a year makes. If I would've been asked I never would have guessed MY girlie would die. I never would have guessed I could survive everything that came after. I never would have guessed I would be where I'm at, more grateful, more humbled, and more thankful for everything I have been blessed with. I'm grateful for the "normal" birthday I'm having. Chris has felt bad about my day last year and has more than made up for it this year. He's a trooper for putting up with me! :) So, happy birthday to me because this year it IS happy!

Toffee Making

It was our annual toffee making night this evening. Totally fun and definitely delicious! I always look forward to this event. We always start full of smiles ready to cook ALL night!

We tag team each batch. It goes so much smoother and quicker. And when our arms are so tired we think they might fall off we switch stirring duty!

The smiles soon fade, we mean business when stirring!

Shredding chocolate for the topping.

By the end of the evening we're worn out and our arms hurt!

But it's worth it! Five batches of toffee and one batch of caramel.

T-Ball is Serious Business...

At least that's how it begins. Tucker LOVED t-ball, LOVED it! And I loved that he loved it because I am a mean mom and would use it to threaten him into good behavior. :) Here he is at the beginning of his game full of smiles, ready to show the other team what the Tigers are all about!

Warming up is super important and can't be properly done unless Tucker displayed a rad face. I always know when he's concentrating because he holds his mouth open. I always get a kick out of it!

He means business in the fields and while running. Notice his tongue in the second picture, he's CONCENTRATING!

He will, I repeat, he WILL beat the crap out of you in order to get the ball. If it means pushing, punching, or laying on top of another team mate he won't hesitate. There are NO rules according to Tucker, the ball is HIS!!








He's a lefty, that's right... a LEFTY. We taught him to bat left and it didn't seem to matter how much he batted he STILL couldn't remember where to stand when he got up to the plate.

The magic of the game soon wore off and Tucker is left to entertain himself by other means. In the second picture I like his buddy relaxing in the field. Seriously Tuck, GET UP!

We never knew Tucker was SO interested in a good hand stand. On base or in the field, it didn't matter, he felt it necessary to practice, practice, practice. So what if he's in the middle of a game.

I like how he decided to take his hat off and chit-chat with a new buddy from the other team. Just relaxing in the field rather than keeping the same competitive spirit he began with.

On Her First Birthday

On her first birthday we celebrated by spending time together doing things that make us smile! We took Tatum out of school for the afternoon and began our day with a picnic at the cemetery.

First item of business was cleaning her headstone. A princess doesn't like to be dirty!

They each got to pick a bouquet of flowers to give her.

Aren't they cute!?!?! She got a lot of flowers, so she shared.

Our picnic on our Jersey blanket.

After the blondies said hello and ate their lunch they were off to collect sticks. Not sure why they do this every time we're at the cemetery but they do and it makes them happy. And of course, they gave them to Jersey Girl.

Next stop was bowling, we LOVE to bowl. It's hilarious!

Notice there's no pins left standing on mine and notice Chris's face, he's mad about his bowl!

Tucker is SO entertaining when he bowls.

After to fun games we headed home. We stopped at the movie store to rent a show and snuggled for the remainder of the night. Thank you for the e-mails, visits, flowers, treats, and ornaments. I was expecting an emotional day but instead had a fun family day. We've already survived the worst so I know we can make it through!

See Spot

So there Tatum and I were on our date of a dollar movie and ice cream . She mentioned on our way to the movie she got a bug bite. Then a couple minutes later she said she got 2 more. And then a few minutes later she counted 10. We went to the movie anyway. When it finished we counted many more spots and headed off to the store to get some Benadryl. Right there in the aisle I opened the box and gave her the medicine. She was SO worried she would get yelled at as we hadn't paid for it. She's such a rule follower and super scared. When we got home later that evening, Karen came over to look at her spots. She decided they were probably hives and let us borrow some creme.

When she woke up the next morning her spots had taken over her body. She was itchy and absolutely miserable. I, of course am on the verge of panicking and am already planning her funeral. I know, a bit dramatic. We called a Doctor in our ward and he looked at her. They weren't hives. He concluded they were from some sort of virus and should go away soon. He prescribed an anti-biotic. Tatum was SO worried about the way she looked. They were all over her neck and on her face. She was super mad I was taking the pictures! Needless to say we didn't go to church that day and by the end of the day they were fading! By the next morning she was completely spot and itch free and happily went to school.