Labor Day

 Darrel and Trina invited us over for Labor Day.  Xander opted to stay home but the rest of us went and had an awesome time. 

 Trina set up a slip and slide in the back yard.  The kids had a blast!

 Max, Ben and Addy played slip n slide football. 

 While Ian played some Song Pop.

 Darrel and Ian hanging out.

 The boys were excited to eat some watermelon.  I never buy it so they love it when they can get some.

Later, Darrel played a Jim Gaffigan special for Ian and I.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  I'm so thankful for Darrel and Trina and their kids.  Not only are they family but they are some of our best friends.  SCORE!

Swimming

A few Saturdays ago Trina had to work so Darrel brought the kids over.  We got lunch at Elmers (for the big kids) and Little Caesars (for the little kids).  Then we swam.  I love that they all get along and like each other.  And I love spending time with my brother.

It was a good day.

The best intentions

I had the best intentions of getting some serious blogging done last week. But then...life (in the form of a serious injury) happened. On Monday Michael, Xander and Max were playing tackle basketball on our trampoline. Yes, you read that right. One of our basketball hoops is over the net of the tramp and the boys were playing. Well, one thing led to another and Michael's tooth went into Max's head.

Ian and I came home from dinner to see that Max had about a half inch vertical cut in the middle of his forehead. We discussed it and decided to tend to the wound ourselves. Ian cleaned it really well, sealed it shut and bandaged it.

On Tuesday we thought it looked a little swollen. By Wednesday afternoon Max's whole face was swollen. Trina suggested I take him to Banner Desert because they have a children's emergency room. We waited less than an hour and got outstanding service. The ER physician yelled at me for sealing the wound shut because I guess human bite wounds are one of the worst, most infectious things. He admitted Max. I don't know if you can tell from this picture how swollen Max's face was:

I am so thankful for my dad and Darrel who came to the hospital and gave Max a blessing. It calmed me and Max. Max was freaking out about getting an IV and having surgery the next morning. They numbed his hand for the IV so he didn't feel a thing. He was his normal hilarious self. When he found out that he got to stay in bed while they moved him to his room he lit up like a Christmas tree! He loved being the center of attention.

I stayed the night and early the next morning a peds plastic surgeon drained the abscess on his head and took cultures. Then they packed and bandaged the wound. A friend of mine who is a surgical PA was telling me that by packing the wound they prevent it from closing quickly and that allows the wound to drain and get rid of the infection on its own. They wanted to show me how to pack the wound but I made them wait until Ian could get there. No way was I doing that.

Yesterday I took him back to the plastic surgeon - we have to keep packing the wound until it closes and then he will go back for scar therapy. I just want to thank all of the friends and family who called, texted, came by, brought Max goodies and basically just showed us support. We are so lucky to have a good support system. The highlight was a bag Laura brought. She put the hospital symbol on the bag and filled it with different kinds of skittles. Max said, "I wish Laura had been my nurse at the hospital!"

One of the hardest things for Max has been not being able to play football or basketball. I'm praying he will heal quickly so he can get back to his normal, active self.

Addy's Birthday

A few weeks ago we celebrated Addy's 8th birthday at my mom's. Trina taste tested all of the food before putting it out (love you Trina!)

The beautiful birthday girl:Don't let this picture fool you - Ro was super excited to be there.
Dallin took a power nap to gear up for the festivities.
We had cupcakes and pizza. Ruby sampled the cupcakes to make sure they tasted good.

Addy getting ready to blow out her candles:

Xander gave complimentary piggy back rides.

I don't really have anything to say about this picture, except AWESOME. Seriously.
Addy received a lot of presents, but I think her favorite were rollerblades and a kitty helmet. I wonder if she'll let me borrow it???
Next up: swimming!

As usual, Darrel was full of hot air (you're welcome, Darrel)




My mom settled the hose "wars" by taking charge and spraying the kids in the pool.
Darrel blew up this big ball that you attach to a hose and then it sprays everywhere. The kids loved it.
Another successful birthday party where a good time was had by all.

Happy birthday Addy!

Weekend at the Lodge - buckle up!

I'm pretty sure I won't be blogging much this week so I hope this extra long post makes up for that. Or you may all get lucky and I might blog every day! Anyhow, for Labor Day weekend we went to the Lodge. Man, I love that place. Can I live there? Please?!?

We arrived late Friday night. We thought there wouldn't be water (the pump was acting up) but my dad is AWESOME and we had water all weekend. Woohoo for water! I'm embarrased to say that I slept until about 9 am on Saturday morning. After I drug myself out of bed and got ready - Trina, me, Xander, Michael and Joe all headed to Blossom and Wal Mart. We won't talk about what happened with the boys while we were in Blossom. It is gross and Trina still doesn't know about it. What happens at Blossom, stays at Blossom. I got a couple of cute shirts, btw. I love shopping with Trina. Wal Mart was crowded and crazy. And that's all.

When we got back, Ben had already caught a horny toad. I don't think that's their correct name, but that's what we called them when I was a kid and that's what my boys call them. So deal with it.

Ian got his panties in a wad because I got that wrong kind of ribs. Whatev! He cooked them on Sunday and there were delicious so I must have done something right. Then the older boys and Ian decided to go shoot. I can't remember if this was the day that Joe accidentally shot a bullet through the roof of the cabin. Concidentally, Joe is banned from guns. Poor Joe.


And guess what? I shot a gun! Twice! It was a glock (I think). And I'm pretty sure I totally missed the target on account of me closing my eyes when I shot it. Looking at this picture I realize clinch my butt when I shoot too. I'm working out and having fun at the same time! I think I need to go shooting again- anyone want to come?
Ian is so good that he can shoot one handed!
In the meantime, Max led the other kids on a search for creatures. I'm pretty sure they found a lizard or two. They also found the perfect spot for a fort! But seeing as I was a gimp (I sprained my ankle) I never hiked up the hill to take a picture of it. I'm still mad at myself for that.


That night my mom made the best dinner ever. We had chimichangas, rice and refried beans. All homemade and all delicious! Afterwards, grandpa built a bonfire and we all roasted marshmellows and made smores. We spent Saturday night watching tv and reading through the slang flashcards that Kim brought Darrel for his birthday. We were laughing so hard. I love my family.

The next morning after church we came back and relaxed. I took a nap. Go ahead and judge me, I don't care. Ian made the ribs while I was sleeping. Ro, Evan and Beck played DS. Evan loved Addie's DS. I think he was playing some Barbie game?
Aaron caught a horny toad and put it in this can. Ruby carried it around like it was her own little pet. After a while we let it go - we figured it had been tortured enough.
Max and Ro played DS. Max was so good with the Ro and Ruby on this trip. They loved him and followed him around.


Sunday was cold and rainy, so after riding the ranger Addy, Katie and Sami insisted on a fire. It was weird but awesome.Ian spent a lot of the day making swords out of wood for the boys.


The boys roasted marshmellows outside while they were waiting.


Darrel, Trina, Aaron and I played 5 Crowns. It was funny because Darrel kept score and declared Trina the winner. However, after Max reviewed the score card he found a mathmatical error and declared Aaron the winner. We will never let Darrel live that down!

This is pretty much what Brian did all weekend. He's smiling because he had just berated me for yelling too much and waking him up from his nap. Whatev, Brian!

For your viewing pleasure: (btw I actually have about 100 photos of Ruby at the cabin)


Ben with his sword:

Xander with his sword:

FYI, there was ALOT of Star Wars talk and light saber fighting at the cabin. The girls were just as into it as the boys.


So, we were inside hangin out when Evan came running in and told us that Ruby got in the mud. Apparently Ruby HATES to be dirty:

Sunday night we celebrated Aaron and Darrel's 33rd birthdays.
Also on Sunday night my dad gave an awesome FHE lesson.
Monday we all just hung around. Except my dad, Ian, Xander, Ben and Micheal got up early to go dove hunting. Ruby was so excited to see grandpa when he came back. She loves grandpa.
Xander got a dove so they fried it up for lunch. Now I've eaten caribou, elk and deer, but I draw the line at dove. They are the symbol of peace, afterall. It seems wrong to be shooting them.

Ben chilled out with his music.
Evan played with all of the bullet shells.
Micheal horsed around with Ben.

We made everyone gather around for a photo in front of the cabin. Ian and Aaron were the only adults who would be in it. For some reason Rowan was sad.In case you didn't know, Micheal is a character.
Ian, Michael and Xan played hot potato with the ball.
Katie found a humungous dandelion.
By 2 everyone but us, Aaron and his kids and my parents had left. Ian took the boys on one last ranger ride.

After the ranger ride, they went to the shooting range and Ian found a rattlesnake. Aaron picked it up. This picture is grainy because my camera battery was dead and I took it with my phone. It was crazy! But what's more crazy was that is that they "relocated" it and didn't shoot it. Huh? They kill doves but not a rattlesnake???? It makes no sense!
My mom was dying to take me to what she calls "Christmas tree lane" on the ranger. Ben and Max came along. I'm so glad we brought a blanket. It was freezing and rainy. But gorgeous. The road was flanked by Christmas trees on both sides. It was a wonderful way to end our trip.
On the way home my mom texted me that it was one of her favorite weekends at the cabin. I totally agreed :)