Strong family traditions raises happy kids

Husband had his foot surgery last Wednesday and we were very grateful it was sooner rather than later. It went as planned but the surgeon emphasized that his foot would be sore for quite some time.
Waiting for surgery and still handsome as ever.

He was in a tremendous amount of pain for the first 48 hours after the procedure. We considered staying home for Thanksgiving but managed to make it out to his parent's beautiful home and were very glad we did. The food was great and the company, too. He still makes an effort to help out, crawling across the floor or scooting around in the desk chair.
Kids are always eager to help.

One of our family traditions is to get our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Husband's condition made that impossible and I was a little distraught about it. Ok, I've been upset about a lot of things due to his accident but for some reason this one was foremost in my mind. Maybe because all of our traditions are new so it's important to establish and stick to them. No matter what. After hearing of our plight, Brother Robinson offered to bring us one, as his family gets their tree on that day also.

Amidala LOVED trimming the tree. After all the ornaments were hung, she cheerfully added every little toy she had of appropriate weight. Calvin just seemed determined to destroy any glass ball or candy cane his could reach. By Christmas Day last year, only the top half of the tree was decorated.

We are warm, cozy and enjoying each other's constant company.

Tales from The Foot

We saw the surgeon yesterday. The news was not so good. The Foot is still way too swollen to perform surgery. The broken bones are a relatively simple fix, but since the appendage was crushed, it's a trauma injury and that complicates things. The blisters on top are caused by swelling. The fluid has no place to go so it pushes up against the skin. The Dr.'s advice was to put it into a soft boot to keep the ankle in proper position while minimizing movement and to have Husband stand on his head to reduce swelling. I guess having The Foot propped up with pillows will have to do. We see the Dr. again on Monday to assess the situation but best case scenario is to have surgery the week after Thanksgiving. So Husband will be eating turkey flat on his back.

And you thought the first pictures were gruesome.


We have been receiving loads of love and support from our family and friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Grammy even came over to blow the leaves into piles after Monday night's storm. The house is still on the market so a tidy yard is important. She wanted to do something she knew Husband would if he could. I tried to talk her out of it.

If you're local and would like to make Husband more comfortable, please send firewood and any excess pain medication our way.

Sh*t Happens

My beloved Husband was in an accident at work yesterday. The jack holding up the flat bed trailer loaded with rock gave out and the tongue landed on his foot. A tractor was needed to lift it off his foot. The x-rays showed he broke three bones and suffered numerous gashes. He was referred to an orthopedic surgeon and will need surgery to put pins and screws in the bones to reconstruct them. But all that will have to wait until the swelling goes down. In the meantime, he is stuck on his back, foot constantly elevated and always in extreme pain. We see the actual surgeon on Wednesday to discuss the procedure and date. He won't be able to put any weight on it until at least after the new year.


These pictures get worse so stop now if you're squeamish about blood.


The broken bones are ones connected to his second and third toes. The nurse at Kaiser was able to stitch up the gash on top...


but his foot was too swollen to stretch the skin and stitch up the two on the side so they are always bleeding heavily. Again, nothing can be done until the swelling goes down. Keeping the foot elevated and still helps with the bleeding and pain, a little.

These pictures were taken after his bath this evening. That was a bit of a challenge.

I love my family deeply, so taking extra care of them is not a burden. Financial times have been hard before and I have faith that we'll make it through. It's seeing my best friend in so much pain ALL THE TIME that is the hardest for me.

I love you Husband. Lord, please heal him quickly.

From the voices in my head...

I love to read but never know what books to read or can even get to a book store (by MYSELF) to browse. So if you've finished a good one and you're feeling generous, please send it my way. I like a variety of genres.

This whole Husband going back to school thing just may work out. The first step in our plan for a larger family.

I've picked up my current cross-stitching project again. Our future family Christmas tree skirt. Oh so calming...


My children and I are just getting over these terrible colds that my husband never caught. Thank you, Lord.

Amidala taught Calvin to climb out of his crib. Husband went to get him this morning and tinyman was already opening his bedroom door. Damn, I thought we'd enjoy a few more months of toddler captivity.

I love the Wonder Pets.

I want so badly to see Lynell have her baby. Inappropriate vaginal birth envy, I know.

Families are forever

My precious Amidala turned three years old last month. I haven't blogged about it because I don't want to accept it. I love her more than anyone or anything (and sometimes I think she knows it!). She makes me swell with pride everyday, several times a day. I am her favorite person and she'd rather snuggle me than do most anything else. I never want her to grow up.



Try as I might to prevent it, her birthday did come around and we had a little family party for her. Lots of grandparents and great grandparents and even an Aunt Cynda. Unfortunately, none of her cousins could make it but she didn't seem to notice.



My mom and sister Cynda flew in from Denver last month and stayed a few days with us. Ami LOVED having her Aunt Cynda to play and sleep with. Even Calvin warmed up to her. I also really enjoyed having my youngest sister to bond with. She's turning out to be such a lovely young woman.

I talk to my mother on the phone almost daily so having her in person was a real treat. I totally took advantage of another adult in the house and constantly directed Ami to her Nana to read stories. Thanks, mom!

And then suddenly, it was Halloween. This was the first time I'd carved a jack-o-lantern and I couldn't believe how fun it was! Ami wanted a cat faced pumpkin, so of course, I obliged. When I was finished, I immediately wanted to do another one. Husband went for big and scary.



Every night, as soon as the sun went down, Ami was asking for her kee-cat pumpkin to be lit up. Everytime Calvin saw his scary faced one, he would entertain us with a laugh that a robotic witch at the grocery store taught him.



They both liked trick-or-treating. Another first for me. After the second house, Calvin realized what was going on and was all about it. Ami loved talking about all the costumes and decorations. She keeps asking to go trick-or-treating every night since. Next year, little girl. And every year after that for the rest of your life, if you'll let me.