We've Got Our First Broken Bone

The doctor called it a "Green Stick" break. Imagine trying to break a green stick. It won't break, but it will have a bend. That's exactly what happened to JD's wrist.

See that little bump on the bottom of the lower bone? That's the green stick break. It's technically a broken bone, but he doesn't have to wear a cast. He has to wear a splint for about 2 weeks, and hopefully, after those 2 weeks, he'll have no more pain and he can remove the splint and return to normal activities.

 

So, how did he break it? Doing what I asked Bud NOT to let him do. They went hog hunting for Chig's (Kennidy) 10th birthday. Bud had recently put a roof on his "mule" so the kids or dogs (or whoever else) could ride up there. Leroy has one on his mule, and Bud wanted one too. Oh, and the roof also provides shade. That too.

 

Here's the mule with the newly-installed roof.

 

I asked Bud not to let the kids ride up there because I didn't want them to fall off. They're still small children, remember. Bud said it's no big deal and all the kids do it. I knew I wasn't going to win the arguement - I don't go hog hunting with them, so I can't stop it.

 

Needless to say, the boys asked to ride up there, and even though Bud told them he wanted them to ride in the backseat, he allowed them to get up on the roof. And sure enough, he took a turn too fast and JD fell off the top. He complained about his wrist througout the day, but it wasn't swollen and he could move it, so Bud didn't think much of it.

 

We monitored it that evening and the next morning and still no swelling or bruising, but JD was definitely nursing it. We were convinced it was probably just a sprain so we were trying to get him to use it a little bit. Poor little JD - he was trying. He even went outside and tried to hit baseballs. And I think, just to make us feel better, he said that swinging the bat helped to loosen it up and it felt better.

 

Then we went to Laser Legend - it was JD's reward for getting straight As on his last report card. He originally wanted to go to Power Swing and hit baseballs, but when he hurt his wrist, he opted for laser tag. Bud really wanted to go to Power Swing so he tried to convince JD, but JD wasn't having it. He said his wrist really hurt and he couldn't hit baseballs. So Laser Legend it was. We spent a few hours there and he never complained about his wrist, so we went on with our plans.

 

Bud and I dropped the kids off at my dad and Linda's house so we could go have a nice dinner we'd planned. Shortly after we left, Linda called me and said that he was crying and complaining that it really hurt. She put some ice on it and we hurried through dinner - talking non-stop about him and his arm, and decided that we'd take him to the Med Clinic on our way home. We knew it was late, but we needed to go and find out what was wrong. So we did.

 

And that's when we found out it was a "green stick" break. Here's JD getting his splint put on.

 

 

The worst part is that we made him wait a whole day to get it checked out. We were pretty convinced it was just a sprain, and felt terrible when we found out it was a break instead. I've heard stories of parents who've done that -- thought their child's injury was less serious and didn't take them to the doctor right away. I didn't realize how easily that could happen. Bud and I feel terrible for making him wait. But he's a tough little guy, that's for sure.

 

He was really upset about having to wear the splint at first. He didn't want to walk out of the exam room with it on. His eyes teared up and he said "People are gonna think I'm weird. And what's Timmy gonna say?" Poor little guy --- the things that worry their minds. We convinced him that NO ONE will think he's weird and EVERYONE is gonna be interested and will want to know what happened. He seemed ok with that and walked out into the waiting room.

 

The next morning, I texted a picture to Kelli and asked Timmy what he thought. He said he was sad and felt bad for JD because he might not get to do the stuff he wants.  But he DEFINITELY didn't think that JD looked weird.

Sick and Tired

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. And tired of everyone around me being sick too. Since Christmas, it seems like it's been non-stop. I felt bad a few days before Christmas, but went to the doctor the day after Christmas with a sinus infection. Ryan was also sick the last week of the year with a virus. He ran a 102 - 103 fever for about five days straight. About 10 days after my sinus infection, I was sick again, this time with an upper respiratory infection and I got started on a 10-day antibiotic. About one week later, JD started feeling bad, complaining of a sore throat and saying it was hard to swallow. No fever though. . . . . .at first. Then later that evening, he started running a low grade fever of about 100.5. I gave him some Tylenol and in the morning, he didn't have a fever. I kept him home from school, just to keep an eye on him. He seemed pretty normal so back to school he went for the next two days. One of those days was his 7th birthday.

That night, he started running fever again so off to the doctor we went. Strep test was negative but we started him on antibiotics, just in case the results weren't accurate, and the doctor sent the culture off to the lab. Just 2 days later, I started feeling bad AGAIN! I thought it was allergies, but when I started running a fever, I figured it was something more. That same day, Bud started running a fever. We figured we had the flu so he went to the doctor - flu test was negative. But it sure seems like that's what he has. He's been moaning and groaning, and has barely moved from his recliner. Ryan also started running a fever, but he seems to be better now, other than a little congestion. JD's doctor called yesterday and confirmed that he did, in fact, have strep after all.

The only silver lining in this season of dark clouds is that my kids love to cuddle when they're not feeling good. Ryan has fallen asleep on the couch with his arms wrapped around me the last 3 nights. I hate that he's sick, but I really love the cuddle time.

JD is 7 Years Old!

Bittersweet. My little boy is not so little anymore. He's officially a 7 year old big kid. Waaaaaa! He's had a fun-filled birthday week - celebrated at school, at home, then with his friends this weekend. The week started out not-so-good though when he got sick on Sunday. Sore throat, headache, then later that day a low fever. I kept him home from school on Monday but he never had another fever and seemed fine other than a little congestion. Sent him back to school on Tuesday and Wednesday (his birthday fell on Wednesday). He had his awards program that day and got A-Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance Awards, then had cookie cake in class with his friends to celebrate his birthday. Then that night started running fever again. So I stayed home with him on Thursday and took him to the doctor. She thought for sure he had strep but the test came back negative. Long story. . . . but decided to do antibiotics just in case the results were wrong - and she sent them off to the lab for further testing. Kept him home Thursday and Friday and by Friday he was feeling fine. Good thing, because his birthday party was planned for Saturday.

Here he is on Wednesday night for his birthday dinner (personal homemade pizzas).

Bud, Ryan and I got him a new pair of Ariat boots, Toy Story 3 game for his 3DS, a monster jam t-shirt (that he specifically asked for), and .243 shells (ok, those were from Bud).

Before his birthday party got started, Nanie and Bada gave him their gift so he could open it without all the kids around, and so he could really focus on what the gift was (you know how crazy it gets when they open gifts with all their friends crowded around). They got him EXACTLY what he wanted -- a brand new .22 rifle, carrying case, King Ranch gun sock to protect it, and some shells. He LOVES it!!

This is the special cake that Aunt Kelli & Uncle Jason made for JD. It's a camo 2-layer, double chocolate fudge cake with buttercream in the middle and on the outside, then covered with chocolate fondant. Oh my gosh, it was soooooo yummy! Then they put the Hooey brand symbol on the top since our boys (Bud included) are big Hooey fans. I thought it turned out perfect!

 He gets all shy when everyone starts singing to him.

 

Those weren't tricky candles, but he had a hard time blowing them out!!

 

This is what Kelli, Jason, Ashton & Timmy got for JD. An 11x14 canvas print of JD and his prize buck so he can hang it up in his room. What an awesome gift idea. When JD opened it, he yelled out "Oh wow! This is cool!" He really got so excited about it - more excited than Kelli & I really expected. Now we just have to figure out where to hang it.

 

Papa and Nana gave him an old, vintage Army ammo box where he can store all his ammo. There was also some cool hunting stuff inside like a deer call and binoculars, among other things.

 

He also got 3 awesome deer hunting shirts from Amber, Mike and family.

He got some a couple of lego toy sets from some of his friends, an Academy gift card from Joe & Rosanne, cash from Gage, and a pair of cleats and Wii hunting game from Uncle Beau & Aunt Stacie.  He is a very loved and blessed little boy.

 



Here is JD with all his friends who came to the party.
Back row, left to right: Alex, Addison, Adrian, Connor, Kaden, Brady, Audriana, Ashton, Alex (Bud was standing there to block the light from the door.)
Front row, left to right: Austin, Brooks, Zane, Gage, Timmy, Case, JD, Collin, Ryan

Our First Dozen Years of Marriage

Twelve years ago today Bud and I tied the knot, after dating for over 5 years. So we've been together about 17 1/2 years total, which means that I've been with him for about half my life!! That's kinda crazy, when you think about it. Half of my entire life!!!

We celebrated our first dozen years last night. Beau & Stacie kept the boys over night for us and we went out to eat at Myron's Steakhouse. OMG! So delicious. Definitely the best steakhouse we've ever been too --- and also the most expensive. The food was awesome, the service was terrific, the atmosphere was romantic -- all around, great experience.

After dinner, we got into the car, looked at each other and said "Wanna just go home?" Sad, I know. It was only like 8:30 and we had the whole night to ourselves. Kidless. And we just went home. Well, we have been married 12 years -- I think that probably officially makes us old now. Haha!

At Last! No More Sittin' the Sidelines

After 4+ years of sitting on the sidelines, we finally got to register Ryan for Little League. I know he's excited, but I think me and Bud are more excited. We can't wait to see him in his little uniform, with his OWN number on his back, and cheer him on from the bleachers.

We registered JD at the same time - but this year he gets to move up to Coach Pitch. No more T-Ball for JD. We are equally as excited about seeing him play at this new level.

Tryouts are on February 2nd - the same day as JD's birthday party. So that will be a busy day for us. More to come on that later. . . .

A NEW CAR!

Look what I got for my anniversary!

Seriously? Yes, seriously. I know. I couldn't believe it either.
Here's how it happened:

For the last year or so, I've really been wanting a new car. Well, not new exactly, but new to me. I get the "fever" off an on, but lately, I've had it really bad. So Bud has been looking around for me to see what he could find. I knew I wanted another Tahoe or Yukon, but I didn't really want to spend more than like $20k, so that meant that it would probably have to be a 2007. I wasn't too picky about the color (hate maroon), but if I had to pick, I'd prefer a champagne color. It had to have a 3rd row seat, and less than 100,000 miles, especially if I was going to do any financing at all. If over that, I wanted it to be cheap enough that I could pay cash.

So Bud was on the hunt. For the last week or so, he'd been sending me links to pictures of Tahoes and Yukons he'd found. I would say "yes, I like it" or "no way." Today he sent me an email with this 2008 Yukon - champagne colored, with a 3rd row, and only 52,000 miles. It was just over $20,000 but I really liked it. We hadn't found anything that new with so few miles and in our price range, so I immediately emailed him back and said "yes, I want it. Let's go look at it tonight." Then I went into two hours of meetings. When I got back to my desk, I had three emails and three phone calls from him telling me to call him right away. When I called him back, he didn't answer (he was at the gym, I figured). So I headed to the gym and when I got out, we finally connected and talked. By this time, it had been probably four hours since the original email. He told me that we missed our chance - that he had waited until he heard back from me, and when he finally did, he called the salesman, only to find out that it had already been sold. The salesman had told him it would go fast, and he was right. Man, we were disappointed. I figured it just wasn't meant to be, and we decided to just keep looking.

On my way home from work, Bud called me to see where I was and that he was still at Beau's. I didn't think anything of it (because he's at Beau's pretty often when I get home). So, when I drove up to Beau's house, I noticed this new Yukon sitting in the driveway. My immediate thought was that Bud had been pulling my leg. They didn't really sell it but they were letting him just "test-drive" it for the night (aka: take it home, let the wife drive it and fall in love, then come back and buy it). But when I got out of the car, he told me that Terry (Stacie's mom) had just bought it. I was like, "What? That's exactly what I want!! Why does she need this big ol' car? She's retired!" The car was running and I asked if she was in it and they said no, that they were just checking it out. Then he told me to get inside and check it out too. I opened the door and immediately got a whiff of that new car smell. It was super clean, not a speck of dirt anywhere. Man, it was nice. Bud told me "get in and see how you like it." I started to, then shut the door and said "No, I don't want to. It makes me sick. I want this car. I'm jealous." Then he said "Happy Anniversary!" Huh? What? Then he said "It's Yours!! Happy Anniversary!" I was totally confused. I kept asking him what he meant, and didn't believe that he had bought it for me until he got the paperwork out of the car and showed me his name on it. Oh my gosh! I'm so excited. I can't believe he got me a car for our anniversary. I immediately thought of those commercials I've seen on TV where the hubby buys his wife a new car for Christmas, and I'm like "Yeah right. Who really does that?"  Um . . . . Bud does. Woo hoo!

It's been almost 9 years since my last new car. I know I didn't really NEED one. Dave Ramsey would kill me if he heard me say this, but I really really WANTED one. And now I've got it. Yay! I can't wait to drive it tomorrow.

But now . . . . what the heck am I gonna get Bud for our anniversary?

JD's 1st Basketball Scrimmage

JD started basketball a couple months ago and this week he had his first scrimmage. It was so cute watching him. He really got into it and seems to really enjoy playing basketball (hey -- anything but football, right?).

Here he is during his 1-hour practice before the scrimmage.

You could always find him right in the middle of the action during the scrimmage. He never got to shoot the ball, but he did steal the ball from his opponent a couple of times. The coach kept him in for the entire game. Poor little JD, I kept catching him holding his sides. He was getting cramps from running. I guess he needs to do some conditioning if he's going to play the entire game! LOL!  JD's team ended up winning 6-0. 

As soon as we got in the car, JD took off his shoes (said that his feet were "stinging") and went to sleep. He was worn out!

And Ryan stayed entertained during the practice and game as well. Here he is, playing basketball on the sidelines.