The First One

On Tuesday, Katrina fell at recess and fractured her fibula. She was running backwards and caught her foot on a low spot in the grass. As she was falling, she tried to turn on to her stomach, but her foot didn't turn with her. The school nurse called me and said I needed to come right away. At first we thought it was just a bad sprain, but when she couldn't move her toes, I knew it was serious. We went to her pediatrician, who sent us to the hospital for x-rays of her left ankle. We went home after the x-rays and waited for the doctor to call with the results. The radiologist wasn't sure from the x-rays if what he saw was a break or normal bone formation for Katrina, so he had us come back for x-rays of her right ankle to compare. Sure enough, it was fractured. She has what's called a Salter-Harris fracture which means she fractured the part of her bone that is still growing. It is right about where her fibula connects with her ankle. This is a worrisome spot for a break because it might not heal right. We went from there to the emergency room where they put her in a splint until we can see an orthopedic specialist tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow she should get a real cast. So, she has been gimping along on crutches for the past 5 days. Her daily regimen now consists of hobbling, ice packs, and ibuprofen. I still can't believe she broke it! I always thought it would be one of the boys. Get Well Soon Trina!

The popcorn relay race

On Saturday the 22nd, at our early Thanksgiving feast, I thought it would be fun to play a couple of games that would involve everyone. One of them was a popcorn relay race. You pop a big bowl of popcorn, give each team a measuring cup, and have them race to fill up a bucket. The first team to fill their bucket wins. This was the result. I am sorry that some of the cinematography was shaky, but it was SO FUNNY!! You will also see that we are a bunch of cheaters! In the end, Michelle grabs the other team's bucket and pours some into hers and then Jim dumps her whole bucket into his. This video isn't half as funny as it was in real life. I love our family and how much fun we have playing silly games together.

For the love of family

It's 6:20 am. The only reason, and I mean only reason that I am up and blogging at this hour, is for the love of my family. It is our tradition to have Thanksgiving the weekend before Thanksgiving. It all started because it was too hard to get together with our immediate family and our in-laws on Thanksgiving Day. We have a certain menu that we love for Thanksgiving and can't bear to miss any of these signature dishes if by chance that year we are going to in-laws on Thanksgiving Day. So, we started having it the weekend before for all family who is in the area. This is the menu we have to have. Several dishes have been enhanced over the years, but the basics are still the same as always.

Turkey, cooked in a Reynolds oven bag with celery and onion
Gravy made from the turkey drippings (no mixes, please)
Mashed potatoes with butter and cream
Mrs. Cubbison's dressing casserole
Yam casserole
Mashed carrots with butter and cream
Green Goop (It's a long story)
Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce from a can
Rolls
Martinelli's Sparkling Cider

That's why I'm up before dawn. I'm in charge of the turkey and gravy this year.

What are your favorite holiday dishes you can't go without?

Team Spirit Day

The rivalry here in Utah between BYU and the U of U is ridiculous!! The kids were allowed to wear gear to school today showing their team of choice in support of the big game tomorrow. Go COUGS!! I am just happy to be going to see Twilight tomorrow while the game is on. That's my kind of fun!
Yesterday one of Katrina's friends was over and said that she was going to go to the U of U someday and that Katrina was probably going to BYU. Katrina responded, "No, I can go where ever I want. I don't have to stay in Utah. I'll probably go to college in California so I can go to the beach." That's my girl!!

Cinnamon Cake

No, it isn't a dessert, although I bet it would be yummy! It's the color I painted an accent wall in my kitchen. I love it! The pictures don't do it justice. It is so warm and inviting. I have always wanted to paint this kind of pumpkin spice color in my kitchen. My old kitchen had funny pinky-taupe colored counters that just wouldn't go with this type of color. I am so excited to finally have a kitchen that I love!

Future Basketball Super Star

Caleb started basketball a few weeks ago. He was so excited to wear his Utah Jazz uniform and his basketball shoes. I bought the shoes for him months ago but he insists that he can only wear them for basketball. His regular shoes have holes in the toes, but these shoes are "only for basketball, Mom". Caleb is #32. He is a great defender, loves to jump, and loves to run.

Halloween

Because we moved into our new home two days before Halloween, I wasn't very prepared for the holiday. The kids put together their costumes out of a bag of costume parts. I managed to get just one picture of the kids while they were trick or treating at a neighbors home. A Jedi, Superman, and a pirate girl. At least I didn't have to sew anything this year.

Everyone wants friends over

I love our new home. We are a lot closer to more of the kids' friends. I grew up in a neighborhood with lots of kids coming and going at all times of the day. That's what we wanted for our children too. Playing games, riding bikes and scooters, singing and dancing with friends. I love it all!
A few days ago we realized that this open door policy for friends could have a down side. At 5:00 am, our cat Stinker, started to meow and woke us up. Jim got up to see what all of the fuss was about, only to find that Stinker had invited a friend over too! Yes, we have had strange cats in our home, entering through his cat door. This is a picture of just one of the two cats that think they are also welcome in our home. The other cat is a long haired black cat that is too quick for me to take a picture of. Too funny!!

Katrina's Birthday

Today is Katrina's 11th birthday. (I can't believe I'm old enough to have an 11 year old!) Katrina is such a special girl. I am so grateful that I have her as a daughter to do girl stuff with. She is beautiful, smart, and kind. She is so helpful with her brothers,cousins, and any other small children that happen to be around. She has already started babysitting, with rave reviews. She loves animals, friends, reading and music. She told me this morning that she wants to be a famous singer and dancer someday, but that famous people are always getting their picture taken and she didn't think she'd like that. I think she can be whatever she wants to be! We love you Trinie-bean!!

My future grandchildren's names

I just came across a note in my purse from one of our trips to Bear Lake this summer. The kids were in the back of the van talking about what they wanted to name their children. I quickly grabbed my notebook and wrote down the names they came up with for posterity's sake. Here are the names of my future grandchildren:
Katrina chose the name Jacob. (She has 3 cousins named Jacob.)
Christopher will name his son Bobby Joe and his daughter Phoebe.
Caleb likes the names Jack and Christina. Hey, isn't that a juxtaposition of his two sibling's names! (Christopher + Katrina =Christina)
Won't it be fun to look back at this post someday when they are grown and starting their own families.

It was WORTH it!!

At last, the wait is over. Last week was SO stressful! We closed on Tuesday afternoon, as planned, only to find out later that the people buying our home had problems with their paperwork and would be closing Wednesday morning instead. Ok, a little nervous, but it will all be ok in the morning, right? We begin to move in to our new home so that we can be out by Thursday. Wednesday afternoon, after we are finished moving in, we get a call that their lender was late getting their paperwork to the title company and they would be closing Thursday morning. Oh my gosh! We own two houses!!! AAGGHH!! Our realtor says, "No problem, worst comes to worst, you have to move back". WHAT??? Stress, stress, stress! Can't sleep, can't eat. "Kids, don't unpack anything". Thursday afternoon, we can't stand the suspense any longer. I make Jim call our realtor to find out if they've closed. Hurray! They finally signed! Friday night at 6:00 we get the call that it recorded and funded. Whew! That was definitely the best Halloween ever!! I love my new house!!! It was worth the stress AND this has been the best weight loss program. All I needed was a little stress to lose those last 12 pounds of baby fat.