I was able to recently spend about 2.5 weeks with my grandsons. Part of the time they were here and then I spent a week with them while my son-in-law was out of the country. I have determined that my oldest grandson, The Rock Star, is a motor mouth. He comes by it naturally. After all, his mommy never shut up and well, she might have gotten it from me. I'm told that my mom was also quite the conversationalist when she was little. So, it's a long line of DNA and that's just on one side of the family. Basically, if the Rock Star's eyes are open his mouth is moving. Some of the conversations are down right hilarious.
One morning I was getting him ready to go to visit his cousins. I told him that I had a hair appointment. This was the conversation that followed:
Rock Star: Gramma, why do you have to go do somping to your hair.
Me: Because I need to make myself beautiful.
Rock Star: But, gramma, you already are beautiful!
And that is why he will always be my favorite "oldest" grandson.
*********************************************************************
One day we went to visit his grandpa at work. Afterwards I asked him if he wanted to go to the mall to walk around and have some lunch. He said yes. When we got to the parking structure the following was heard from the backseat:
Rock Star: (attitude galore in his voice and muttered just audibly) This better be good.
Me: What better be good?
Rock Star: The Mall. (said like someone resigning them self to cleaning toilets with their toothbrush)
I laughed out loud. I couldn't help myself. I honestly thought I had a 13 year old in the backseat.
************************************************************************
In the mornings, after he woke up, he would come and lay in bed with me. Usually it was too early for him to be up and making noise so I would turn on cartoons. He would watch and I would try and steal a few more minutes of sleep. One night he and his grandpa had slept in a tent in the family room. This is a common occurrence when he sleeps at our house. It is too cute to watch the two of them embark on an adventure right in the family room. Several trips ago, while sleeping in the tent, The Rock Star had a bad dream. He dreamt that a wolf was in the family room and it bit his hand. Ever since then he has had to make sure that there is no wolf in the family room. This particular morning when he came into my room the following conversation took place:
Me: Is Grandpa still asleep?
Rock Star: Nope, he is laying in his sweeping bag with the flashing light on.
Me: Why is he doing that?
Rock Star: He always watches for the woof when we sleep in the tent. He doesn't want it to get me.
**************************************************************************
When I was at his house there were several more adorable conversations. Sometimes I'm not even sure how his little brain thinks the way it does. The thought processes are beyond funny.
One of the days while I was visiting it was warm. My daughter noticed a trail of ants in the living room, just inside the door. She went to look for ant spray. The Rock Star instantly went into 'man of the house' mode. He carefully inspected the situation. Then he looked at me. I was sitting clear across the room. The following directions occurred:
Rock Star: Grandma, get EVERYTHING up on the couch so the ants can't pinch you!
I'm pretty sure I looked like I was hiding from a rodent, but I was certainly safe.
***************************************************************************
One morning he came downstairs and made the following statement:
"Grandma, Mom was a weird child."
**************************************************************************
One day I was curling my hair. I had half of it down so that I could curl it and the other half was standing straight up in the air with a clip in it. It looked a lot like a palm tree on top of my head. The Rock Star and I had the following conversation:
Me: Should I go out like this?
Rock Star: Yes
Me: Does my hair look good like this:
Rock Star: NO!!!
Typical man. He was going to let me make a fool of myself.
****************************************************************************
The Rock Star had pre- school one day and it was his day for show and tell. Fewer and fewer of his words are said incorrectly. When they are they are still so cute. I try to type them the way he says them. Like somping for something and woof for wolf etc. This particular day he came to show me what he was taking to school:
The Rock Star: Grandma, I'm taking my Terrible-dactyl to pea-school for show and tell.
*************************************************************************
He had to go to the pediatrician while I was visiting. While we were driving he asked his mom if he had to have a shot. She told him that she didn't think he did. A few moments went by and then this came from the back seat:
Rock Star: This is just not a good day. Am I having a bad hair day?
***************************************************************************
Then there is the magazine cover. My son-in-law receives a publication of Biblical Archeology Review. It had come in the mail and was laying on the kitchen counter. The Rock Star found it and was looking at the cover. On the cover were several statues. One of them was shown from the front and the other two or three from the back. These are old, biblical time statues. They are not wearing any clothes. Here is the conversation:
The Rock Star: Mom????
Mom: What?
The Rock Star: (very quietly) Look.....bums.
My daughter tried to explain to him that they weren't real people, but that they were statues. How do you explain a statue to a 3 year old? We are certain he thought his dad was receiving something totally dirty. My daughter can't wait until he tells the entire church about his daddy's magazines with 'bums.'
**************************************************************************
Last, but not least, is my favorite. We were driving and my daughter was telling me a story about a conversation she had had recently with my son-in-law.
My Daughter: And then Troy said that I was ornery.
The Rock Star: Who's horny?
Still laughing. Surprised we didn't get into an accident.
***********************************************************************
There is never a dull moment when The Rock Star is around. You have to watch everything that you say. He hears and repeats everything, but he sure can make you laugh.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
God Does Not Promise Skies Always Blue!
The last few years our family has been through a lot. We lost my mom to cancer, our daughter and family moved to 'that other state,' taking our grandson with them and then they found themselves in the middle of a contested adoption. Along the way, there have been other daily nuisances to deal with, but those are just the big things. Of course there has been joy along the way as well. My son married the love of his life and some aspects of the adoption were just as much a joy as a trial.
That's just it, people think that when they become a Christian, everything is going to be perfect. That knowing and walking with Jesus will somehow give us a pass from all of the hurt, pain and ugliness that is life on this earth. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Jesus tells us that just the opposite will happen.
Just this week, in a monthly publication we receive called the Silver Star, I stumbled upon the following article. It is written by Chaplain Carey Norman and posted with his permission:
The first century stoic Epictetus penned these insightful words, "It isn't your problems that are bothering you, it is the way you are looking at them."
A contemporary writer shared the same thought with these words, "Most of our difficulties in life boil down to 10 percent circumstances and 90 percent perspective."
Contrary to what a few of those flamboyant television evangelists with their permanent smiles would have us believe (i.e. "walk with God and you'll never have a care" or "if you have enough faith, you'll always be healthy and wealthy"), God never promised any of his children a divine exemption from problems, trials, disappointments, or hardship. In fact, Jesus plainly taught us, "In this world, you shall have tribulation." Difficulty, trial, and suffering are a part of the human experience. There's just no getting around that reality of life.
What then should be our perspective toward such things? Groaning about our woes? Complaining about our lot in life? Blaming others and God for our difficulties? Unfortunately, many of us choose to respond to life's setbacks in such ways. In fact, complaining seems to have become a favorite American past time.
Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about the job, the boss, the government, the Chargers, the wife, the kids....well, you get the picture. Although many of us seem to enjoy our griping and complaining, in all my years of ministry, I've never seen groaning, complaining or blaming others improve any one's situation. On the other hand, I have seen such responses make bad situations even worse.
As strange as it might seem to us at first glance, the Bible actually encourages us to respond to life's difficulties with joy. The apostle James writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."
James is not encouraging us to become masochists who love pain and who can't wait for life's next disappointment. What he is challenging us to understand is that God allows trial in our lives for a good purpose, namely, to produce endurance, staying power, and spiritual stamina. There's an old saying in the weightlifting business, "No Pain? No Gain!" In other words, if the muscles aren't hurting, not much real value is coming from the workout. That slogan fits our situation in life as well.
Most of us have experienced difficult and challenging periods in our lives. Given the choice, most of us would probably not want to go through them again. Yet, at the same time, we can often look back and say, "While I didn't enjoy the problems, I did learn a lot about life from them, and I can honestly say that I'm a stronger and better person because of them."
Understanding that God allows trials in our lives, not to break us but to make us the people He wants us to be can go a long way in helping us not only to endure the hard time, but even to find some measure of joy and satisfaction in the midst of the them.
I think old Epictetus was on to something when he said, "It isn't your problems that are bothering you, it is the way you are looking at them."
As Grandparents, we walked the path of this contested adoption right along side our daughter and son-in-law. Everyday we prayed for the desires of our hearts and, of course, that would be to keep our little grandson right where he was. We also prayed that ultimately God's will would be done and that He would give us the strength and the faith to get through whatever His plan was. As most of you know, Little Buddy is going to stay right where he is. The whole story isn't ours to tell, but God worked in a mighty way providing an outcome that none of saw coming. That is the beauty of a relationship with our heavenly Father. Just when we think we have something all figured out He lets us know that we are clueless.
Through all of this we tried to make sure that we were a witness to our faith. To give God the glory on the bad days as well as the good. We tried to show others that we believed that, whatever the outcome, we served a perfect God. A God who doesn't make mistakes. We certainly didn't succeed all of the time. We didn't even come close. We had our moments when we were simply 'over it.' That being said, we tried not to ask why them? Our daughter and son-in-law never wavered in their faith. Our little grandson's faith was developing under the weight of this trial and what an amazing faith he has. They KNEW that God was in control of this every step of the way and that they were right where God wanted them to be. They didn't ask for it, but they didn't question it either. We are so proud of the witness they were during this whole process.
Thank you to all of the people who came alongside us in this journey. Lifting us up when we needed it, listening when we needed it, praying without ceasing and just letting us know that you were there. It meant the world to us. Special thanks to my sister's on the Women's Ministry Board, the men on the Elder Board, our amazing Life Group and all those who prayed beside us for these past 14 months. (Teri, I would have never made it without those morning pancakes.) What a comfort and a joy to have you in our lives! We love all of you!
That's just it, people think that when they become a Christian, everything is going to be perfect. That knowing and walking with Jesus will somehow give us a pass from all of the hurt, pain and ugliness that is life on this earth. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Jesus tells us that just the opposite will happen.
Just this week, in a monthly publication we receive called the Silver Star, I stumbled upon the following article. It is written by Chaplain Carey Norman and posted with his permission:
The first century stoic Epictetus penned these insightful words, "It isn't your problems that are bothering you, it is the way you are looking at them."
A contemporary writer shared the same thought with these words, "Most of our difficulties in life boil down to 10 percent circumstances and 90 percent perspective."
Contrary to what a few of those flamboyant television evangelists with their permanent smiles would have us believe (i.e. "walk with God and you'll never have a care" or "if you have enough faith, you'll always be healthy and wealthy"), God never promised any of his children a divine exemption from problems, trials, disappointments, or hardship. In fact, Jesus plainly taught us, "In this world, you shall have tribulation." Difficulty, trial, and suffering are a part of the human experience. There's just no getting around that reality of life.
What then should be our perspective toward such things? Groaning about our woes? Complaining about our lot in life? Blaming others and God for our difficulties? Unfortunately, many of us choose to respond to life's setbacks in such ways. In fact, complaining seems to have become a favorite American past time.
Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about the job, the boss, the government, the Chargers, the wife, the kids....well, you get the picture. Although many of us seem to enjoy our griping and complaining, in all my years of ministry, I've never seen groaning, complaining or blaming others improve any one's situation. On the other hand, I have seen such responses make bad situations even worse.
As strange as it might seem to us at first glance, the Bible actually encourages us to respond to life's difficulties with joy. The apostle James writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."
James is not encouraging us to become masochists who love pain and who can't wait for life's next disappointment. What he is challenging us to understand is that God allows trial in our lives for a good purpose, namely, to produce endurance, staying power, and spiritual stamina. There's an old saying in the weightlifting business, "No Pain? No Gain!" In other words, if the muscles aren't hurting, not much real value is coming from the workout. That slogan fits our situation in life as well.
Most of us have experienced difficult and challenging periods in our lives. Given the choice, most of us would probably not want to go through them again. Yet, at the same time, we can often look back and say, "While I didn't enjoy the problems, I did learn a lot about life from them, and I can honestly say that I'm a stronger and better person because of them."
Understanding that God allows trials in our lives, not to break us but to make us the people He wants us to be can go a long way in helping us not only to endure the hard time, but even to find some measure of joy and satisfaction in the midst of the them.
I think old Epictetus was on to something when he said, "It isn't your problems that are bothering you, it is the way you are looking at them."
As Grandparents, we walked the path of this contested adoption right along side our daughter and son-in-law. Everyday we prayed for the desires of our hearts and, of course, that would be to keep our little grandson right where he was. We also prayed that ultimately God's will would be done and that He would give us the strength and the faith to get through whatever His plan was. As most of you know, Little Buddy is going to stay right where he is. The whole story isn't ours to tell, but God worked in a mighty way providing an outcome that none of saw coming. That is the beauty of a relationship with our heavenly Father. Just when we think we have something all figured out He lets us know that we are clueless.
Through all of this we tried to make sure that we were a witness to our faith. To give God the glory on the bad days as well as the good. We tried to show others that we believed that, whatever the outcome, we served a perfect God. A God who doesn't make mistakes. We certainly didn't succeed all of the time. We didn't even come close. We had our moments when we were simply 'over it.' That being said, we tried not to ask why them? Our daughter and son-in-law never wavered in their faith. Our little grandson's faith was developing under the weight of this trial and what an amazing faith he has. They KNEW that God was in control of this every step of the way and that they were right where God wanted them to be. They didn't ask for it, but they didn't question it either. We are so proud of the witness they were during this whole process.
Thank you to all of the people who came alongside us in this journey. Lifting us up when we needed it, listening when we needed it, praying without ceasing and just letting us know that you were there. It meant the world to us. Special thanks to my sister's on the Women's Ministry Board, the men on the Elder Board, our amazing Life Group and all those who prayed beside us for these past 14 months. (Teri, I would have never made it without those morning pancakes.) What a comfort and a joy to have you in our lives! We love all of you!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
'Officially' Introducing Our Grandson!!!!!
This morning, in a judge's chamber, in that other state our daughter and family live in, Little Buddy officially became a forever member of our family!
It's been a long road Little Buddy! Grandma and Grandpa are so happy for your Daddy, Mommy and big Brother! We can't wait to give you a kiss as our 'official' grandson. We Love You!
It's been a long road Little Buddy! Grandma and Grandpa are so happy for your Daddy, Mommy and big Brother! We can't wait to give you a kiss as our 'official' grandson. We Love You!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Happy Birthday Buddy!
One year ago today God blessed our family with an amazing gift. You were born! Your mommy and daddy named you Matthew David and in that moment they became parents again, we welcomed another grandson and The Rock Star became a big brother. The moment that we held you we fell in love with you. Your were perfect in every way.
When you, mommy and daddy left the hospital we were blessed to have you stay with us for a few days before you went home to Utah. Then Grandma got to drive home to Utah with you, mommy and your brother. Papa and Grandma both wish that we could see you and your brother all the time. We are lucky to be able to see you as much as we do. I thought I'd share our visits with you. You can see just how fast you have grown up.
The next time we saw you was at Easter. You were already developing a cute little personality. You were starting to smile and you loved to cuddle. Grandma and Papa were so thankful for the time we got to spend with you. We went on an Easter egg hunt and spent time at a couple of parks, but most of all we just loved holding you.
The next time we saw you was in July. You were almost 5 months old. You had changed so much. You were laughing out loud and trying to sit up by yourself. I'm pretty sure you were rolling over by then too. Your brother had taken to calling you 'Little Buddy.'We think that you think that is what you real name is because that is what we all call you. We had so much fun with you on that trip. You loved baths and the opportunity to kick and kick until you got the person giving you the bath soaking wet.
You loved water in general and we enjoyed a day at the pool.
Grandma and papa would take you and your brother on long walks after dinner. Sometimes we ended up at the park. You already liked the slides.
Mommy even introduced you to solids while we were there because she knew how much we would want to watch.
In August you came for a quick visit. Grandma and Papa took you to the beach. You thought it was a lot of fun, but decided to sleep through it. You loved the spa and going for walks in the stroller. You were trying really hard to crawl and you were sitting up all by yourself.
In September when you came you were almost 7 months old. By now it was apparant that you were a real charmer. You knew how to work a room and people couldn't help but comment on how cute you were. We were busy while you were here. We went to the pool and the Wild Animal Park.
We took you to see Papa's helicopters and you could sit up in them like a big boy.
You were crawling everywhere too!And you danced with your mommy at your Uncle's wedding.
You were even one of the only males allowed at MVCC's Women's Retreat.
In October, Grandma got to come to Utah for your mommy's Women's Retreat. An added bonus was seeing you for a few days. You were trying to figure out how to pull yourself up to stand. I told your mom that she was going to be in a world of trouble because you were in a big hurry to be a big boy.
The next time we saw you, it was Christmas. You were taking steps, getting into everything. Feeding yourself and growing like a weed. You loved to torment the dog and your brother.
You looked so cute in your Christmas outfit.
And in the matching outfits Grandma bought you and your brother.
We took you out to watch mommy and Papa blow snow off of the driveway one morning. The noise of the snow blower promptly put you to sleep.
We had a great visit. The best part was getting one of your hugs.
In February, you came to visit Grandma and Papa. While you were here we went to the Wild Animal Park and Sea World. You are walking everywhere and trying so hard to be as big as your brother.
Your visit was just three weeks before your actual birthday so we decided that we should celebrate with friends and family while you were here.. What a fun day you had. I doubt that any little boy has enjoyed their birthday cake more.
You even tried to open a few of your presents, but found it to be tiring work.
Today you will officially be one. Mommy and Daddy have chosen today to dedicate you to the Lord. Grandma and Papa wish that we could be there to celebrate with you. Even though we don't get to see you as often as we would like, we treasure the times we do spend together! We are so blessed to have you as our grandson! We hope that we get to see you tons this year! Before any of us know it, you will be two. We can't wait to see you change and grow and become a toddler. Have a very Happy Birthday Little Buddy! We love you!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Conversation With The Rock Star
My grandson, The Rock Star, who is 3 1/2 years old says some of the funniest things. He cracks me up on an hourly basis. One of the things he has taken to doing while he has been visiting is wanting to play 'tickle bellies.' Usually, the way this works is that he lays on my lap and I rub his tummy. He will lay really still for quite a while. It seems to relax him. Recently, he has taken to wanting to do the same thing to me. Only problem is that he doesn't tickle my stomach, he kneads it with sharp fingernails, but then that's another story. The other morning he asked me if we could "play tickle bellies." He decided that he needed to lay his head on my stomach. Then we had the following conversation:
Rock Star: I think I just heard celery.
Me: What are you talking about?
Rock Star: I heard humping (something) crunchy.
Me: Oh you did did you?
Rock Star: Yep, and now I hear cereal.
Me: What does cereal sound like?
Rock Star: Hounds (sounds) like it's in milk.
Me: Okay
Rock Star: Now I hear a box of macaroni and cheese.
Grandpa: Did grandma eat the box?
Rock Star: Yes, her did.
Gotta love that kid.
Rock Star: I think I just heard celery.
Me: What are you talking about?
Rock Star: I heard humping (something) crunchy.
Me: Oh you did did you?
Rock Star: Yep, and now I hear cereal.
Me: What does cereal sound like?
Rock Star: Hounds (sounds) like it's in milk.
Me: Okay
Rock Star: Now I hear a box of macaroni and cheese.
Grandpa: Did grandma eat the box?
Rock Star: Yes, her did.
Gotta love that kid.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The One Where I Can't Stay On Task
This morning I couldn't, for the life of me, stay on task. It was like I had ADD or Alzheimer's or a mini-stroke or something. It would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous.
It all started as I was sitting at my computer typing an email to my small group at church. Currently, I am in charge of sending out a recap of our meeting with all of the prayers and praises. I try to get it out the following morning. One, so that I don't forget....lol.... and two, so that people will have the prayers and praises to pray over all week. While I was in the middle of that, the phone rang. It was my daughter. When we talk on the phone, often times, we talk for a LONG time. I decided that I couldn't very well type up prayer and praises while I was talking to her, but I could wrap a couple of presents for my girlfriend's birthday who I am meeting later today for lunch. I grabbed the gifts, wrapping paper, and card and headed to the kitchen table. I started to wrap while still talking to my daughter. I realized that I didn't have any ribbon. I walked back down to grab that. About that time, my daughter and I finished our conversation and the timer on the dryer rang. I went down to the laundry room and folded the clothes. Walking right by the half wrapped gifts on the kitchen table, I went down to the office to finish typing my prayers and praises. In the middle of that I remembered that I needed to put my soup fixins for dinner in the crock-pot. I got up and went back down to the kitchen lest I forget the soup. When I got to the kitchen I realized that I hadn't finished wrapping the gifts. I finished that, except now I couldn't find the ribbon that I had gone to get when most of this had started. I started looking all around the house. I found it on the desk, by the computer, by the still unfinished email. Deciding that there was a definite problem pattern emerging, I sat down and finished the email. Hit send and heaved a sigh of relief. I remember thinking that at least I had finished one thing that I started. With ribbon in hand, I went back down and finished wrapping my friend's gifts. Next, up? Take a shower and get ready to go. Shouldn't be that hard, one wouldn't think, right? I got in the shower. Then I remembered. (Some of you may have picked up on this already.) I never put the soup in the crock pot. I got out of the shower, dripping wet, wrapped in a towel and went back down to the kitchen to put the soup in the crock pot. I was afraid that if I didn't do it RIGHT THEN we would be eating out tonight. After that, I got back in the shower, managed to finish, dry my hair, put on make-up, get dressed and now here I sit recounting it all to you. Hopefully, I will remember to leave to go to lunch in a few minutes and yes, I already checked and I did turn the crock pot on.
Why does the human brain work like that? When I had small children at home and, certainly, when I worked for a living, I had no problem multi-tasking. Now forget it. Please tell me it's not just me and that these things happen to some of you. Even if it doesn't...lie to me.
It all started as I was sitting at my computer typing an email to my small group at church. Currently, I am in charge of sending out a recap of our meeting with all of the prayers and praises. I try to get it out the following morning. One, so that I don't forget....lol.... and two, so that people will have the prayers and praises to pray over all week. While I was in the middle of that, the phone rang. It was my daughter. When we talk on the phone, often times, we talk for a LONG time. I decided that I couldn't very well type up prayer and praises while I was talking to her, but I could wrap a couple of presents for my girlfriend's birthday who I am meeting later today for lunch. I grabbed the gifts, wrapping paper, and card and headed to the kitchen table. I started to wrap while still talking to my daughter. I realized that I didn't have any ribbon. I walked back down to grab that. About that time, my daughter and I finished our conversation and the timer on the dryer rang. I went down to the laundry room and folded the clothes. Walking right by the half wrapped gifts on the kitchen table, I went down to the office to finish typing my prayers and praises. In the middle of that I remembered that I needed to put my soup fixins for dinner in the crock-pot. I got up and went back down to the kitchen lest I forget the soup. When I got to the kitchen I realized that I hadn't finished wrapping the gifts. I finished that, except now I couldn't find the ribbon that I had gone to get when most of this had started. I started looking all around the house. I found it on the desk, by the computer, by the still unfinished email. Deciding that there was a definite problem pattern emerging, I sat down and finished the email. Hit send and heaved a sigh of relief. I remember thinking that at least I had finished one thing that I started. With ribbon in hand, I went back down and finished wrapping my friend's gifts. Next, up? Take a shower and get ready to go. Shouldn't be that hard, one wouldn't think, right? I got in the shower. Then I remembered. (Some of you may have picked up on this already.) I never put the soup in the crock pot. I got out of the shower, dripping wet, wrapped in a towel and went back down to the kitchen to put the soup in the crock pot. I was afraid that if I didn't do it RIGHT THEN we would be eating out tonight. After that, I got back in the shower, managed to finish, dry my hair, put on make-up, get dressed and now here I sit recounting it all to you. Hopefully, I will remember to leave to go to lunch in a few minutes and yes, I already checked and I did turn the crock pot on.
Why does the human brain work like that? When I had small children at home and, certainly, when I worked for a living, I had no problem multi-tasking. Now forget it. Please tell me it's not just me and that these things happen to some of you. Even if it doesn't...lie to me.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It All Happened In Utah
We spent the week after Christmas in Utah with my daughter and her family. As always, we had a great time. We took the Rock Star to a movie. It had been years since I had gone to a kid movie. When my own children were small, I used to get so tired of only going to see kid movies. When it came time to start taking the grand kids, I found myself excited. We saw The Chipmunks. It was adorable. The Rock Star laughed in all the right places, all the while enjoying a large amount of movie theatre popcorn.
We also took the boys out to eat a couple of times. Once to Iggy's where the Rock Star gets more food on the children's menu than any adult should eat, complete with a huge sundae for dessert. The adult portions are so big that even Little Buddy, who loves himself some french fries, was well fed. Another afternoon found us at McDonald's where the Rock Star played on the toys and Little Buddy....well, he ate french fries.
The weather was amazing this year. It only snowed for a couple of days. The temperatures were a little warmer then in years past. The Rock Star was anxiously awaiting Papa's visit so that they could build a snow cave like they did last year. He met us in the driveway and asked his Papa if he had brought the little shovel. How he can remember that from a year ago is beyond me. We were afraid that the weather wasn't going to cooperate, but finally it did. They worked on the cave for a couple of days and the end product was even better then last year. I don't know how they will top it next year.
The Rock Star all dressed and ready to help build the snow cave:
Papa, The Rock Star and Little Buddy in front of an 'under construction' snow cave:
The finished product:
Well, Papa and 'Dramma' trudged. The Rock Star enjoyed the hike from Papa's shoulders:
The Rock Star was worried about my back and he called me from the ice rink to check on me. Too cute. He has such a tender heart.
The following day I was really sore. I continued to take Tylenol and used the heating pad. The day after that we drove home. 12 hours in the truck wasn't fun, but I didn't die either. After being home for a few days Hubby and I decided I should go to the doctor because it seemed like my back just wasn't getting any better. The doctor examined me and told me that he thought I had just jarred everything, but that he wanted to take an x-ray just to be sure. He showed me the x-ray and confirmed that it was just jarred. He teased me and said that I wasn't 21 anymore so these things take longer to heal. Well, he was certainly right about that. I hurt my back on Dec. 30th. Just the last few days it has started to feel slightly better. Imagine my surprise when my Dr. called on Monday to tell me that he had just received the radiologists report. It shows "partial compressions to the 11th thoracic and 3rd lumbar vertebrae, representing a compression fracture." I don't know why it took so long for the radiologist to read and send a report to my doctor, but it really wouldn't change the course of treatment. Basically, do what you feel like doing and when you get sore, stop. I do feel very vindicated though and, somehow, not so old. I was beginning to think that it was getting ridiculous that my back still hurt. Now I think I deserve a round of applause. I have an actual broken back and I have managed the pain all the way through with Tylenol. I am a studlette! (Is that even a word?)
It would take more then a little compression fracture to ruin a trip to Utah. My daughter and I spent some time shopping together and trying new recipes from 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' cookbook. Yummy! I got to kiss and hug on my boys. There is nothing better than time spent with family. I'll be back next winter to sled some more. I'll just be careful to make sure there are no jumps in my run!
We also took the boys out to eat a couple of times. Once to Iggy's where the Rock Star gets more food on the children's menu than any adult should eat, complete with a huge sundae for dessert. The adult portions are so big that even Little Buddy, who loves himself some french fries, was well fed. Another afternoon found us at McDonald's where the Rock Star played on the toys and Little Buddy....well, he ate french fries.
The weather was amazing this year. It only snowed for a couple of days. The temperatures were a little warmer then in years past. The Rock Star was anxiously awaiting Papa's visit so that they could build a snow cave like they did last year. He met us in the driveway and asked his Papa if he had brought the little shovel. How he can remember that from a year ago is beyond me. We were afraid that the weather wasn't going to cooperate, but finally it did. They worked on the cave for a couple of days and the end product was even better then last year. I don't know how they will top it next year.
The Rock Star all dressed and ready to help build the snow cave:
Papa, The Rock Star and Little Buddy in front of an 'under construction' snow cave:
The finished product:
My daughter called yesterday to say their weather hasn't been helping the cave. The Rock Star got in yesterday and asked his mom why the sun was shining into the cave. Hopefully, they will get some snow soon so that repairs can be made.
Another thing that we were planning on doing while we were there was to take the boys ice skating. The day that we were supposed to go, Papa and I decided to take the Rock Star sledding while his brother napped. They have a great hill for sledding right around the corner, so off we trudged.Well, Papa and 'Dramma' trudged. The Rock Star enjoyed the hike from Papa's shoulders:
The two of them hit the hill and came down a couple of times while I took pictures:
They were having so much fun. I decided that I needed a turn too. Up to the top of the hill I trudged. I asked The Rock Star if I could sled down with him and he eagerly agreed. Hubby held the sled still while we climbed in and got all situated. Then he let us go. Here is a picture of us starting down the hill:
The Rock Star was giggling all the way down. Shortly after we started I realized that we were headed right toward a little jump that someone had made in the snow. It didn't look that big, but I couldn't control the sled enough to avoid it anyway. As we got closer, I remember thinking that it was probably going to hurt after we got airborne and landed. I braced myself. We launched. Not high, probably only a couple of feet in the air. While in the air the sled was leaning back because, of course, all of the weight was in the back. When we landed, I took the full hit on my tail bone. I had instant pain there and then it immediately shot up my back and felt like something was tied super tight all around me. I yelled for Hubby, because I really couldn't move. After sitting still for several minutes, I was able to get up and slowly walk around. Not wanting to ruin the Rock Star's afternoon, I told them to keep sledding. The pain was pretty intense, but I could move so that was a good thing, right? After a few more runs for the boys, we walked home, slowly, very slowly. I decided to skip ice skating and instead spent the evening on a heating pad, popping Tylenol and trying not to move.
The Rock Star was worried about my back and he called me from the ice rink to check on me. Too cute. He has such a tender heart.
The following day I was really sore. I continued to take Tylenol and used the heating pad. The day after that we drove home. 12 hours in the truck wasn't fun, but I didn't die either. After being home for a few days Hubby and I decided I should go to the doctor because it seemed like my back just wasn't getting any better. The doctor examined me and told me that he thought I had just jarred everything, but that he wanted to take an x-ray just to be sure. He showed me the x-ray and confirmed that it was just jarred. He teased me and said that I wasn't 21 anymore so these things take longer to heal. Well, he was certainly right about that. I hurt my back on Dec. 30th. Just the last few days it has started to feel slightly better. Imagine my surprise when my Dr. called on Monday to tell me that he had just received the radiologists report. It shows "partial compressions to the 11th thoracic and 3rd lumbar vertebrae, representing a compression fracture." I don't know why it took so long for the radiologist to read and send a report to my doctor, but it really wouldn't change the course of treatment. Basically, do what you feel like doing and when you get sore, stop. I do feel very vindicated though and, somehow, not so old. I was beginning to think that it was getting ridiculous that my back still hurt. Now I think I deserve a round of applause. I have an actual broken back and I have managed the pain all the way through with Tylenol. I am a studlette! (Is that even a word?)
It would take more then a little compression fracture to ruin a trip to Utah. My daughter and I spent some time shopping together and trying new recipes from 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' cookbook. Yummy! I got to kiss and hug on my boys. There is nothing better than time spent with family. I'll be back next winter to sled some more. I'll just be careful to make sure there are no jumps in my run!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)