Update on Nathan's arm

We went to the Orthopedic doctor this morning to look at Nathan's arm. He took off the splint and looked at the Xray. He was a bit perplexed and called this a "very unusual break" He requested another set of Xrays to determine if surgery would be necessary. Yikes! I didn't even think of that as a possibility. But, we did the Xrays....Nathan, again, was a champ! He stood still and did everything the doctors asked. Upon further review, the doctor determined that no surgery would be needed, but that he would need a hard cast for at least 3 weeks. We will go back and see this doctor again on January 23. They will take off the cast and then Xray it again. If there is enough improvement then we'll be done, but if not we will continue this cycle of 3 weeks until it is better. Let's pray that 3 weeks is enough....then it would be off by his birthday!

To everyone's surprise he chose a red cast. We were for sure he would choose his favorite color...green!

Daddy was the first to sign his cast. Nathan is really looking forward to going to school next week and collecting signatures from all his friends.

The man who put Nathan's cast on gave him the extra cotton and tape so that he could "doctor" up his brother. Kaleb got tired of it after only a few minutes. Good thing it's not him with the real cast.

Our first break

Well, it took us 4 years, but we have our first broken bone. Tonight, Nathan fractured his ulna. I guess a more accurate way of saying it would be that Kaleb broke Nathan's ulna. Here's the story...

I took the boys out to Chick-Fil-A for supper (while Jacob, Rayden, and Aubri returned our defective treadmill we just bought yesterday). After the boys ate they wanted to play in the playplace. Of course I said yes....anything to expend some of their endless energy. After about 5 minutes the entire restaurant froze as the most bood curdling scream came from within the playground. I leapt from my booth (as a mommy I instantly recognized the cry to be my little Nathan). Turns out that Kaleb was trying to tell Nathan to get down from standing on the edge of the slide. When Nathan didn't listen, Kaleb just pushed him off. What brotherly love, right!?

So, I took Nathan home, expecting him to give it up half way there. But, he didn't. He hung his right arm down limp and wouldn't use it to touch anything. When Rayden arrived home about 15 minutes later his elbow was already swelling up. So, off to Urgent care we went.

The doctor didn't think it was broken at first because he was able to put a good amount of pressure on it without Nathan wincing (as it turns out...nathan just has an amazing threshhold for pain!). We did an xray anyway to be sure. Good thing we did, because sure enough, in the exact spot that Nathan said the pain was (on the back of his arm right under his elbow) he fractured his ulna. He was so brave. And he won over every nurse and doctor in the place. They were exceedingly slow tonight (Praise the Lord!) so we had everyone's full attention. Nathan knew this was his moment to shine. He asked brilliant questions and wowed everyone with his vocabulary and insight..."you're sure he's only three?" they would say. To reward his wonderful behavior they gave him a popsicle and a toy motorcycle.

He has a splint on his arm and we have been instructed to go and see an orthopedic doctor tomorrow to get a real cast. We'll have to see what they say as far as how long this thing has to stay on. My poor, sweet, rambunctious 3 year old simply wanted to know, "but how am I going to play with just one hand?" Is there anything more pitiful than that?

I'll update the blog again tomorrow with pictures of the real cast and details about the injury.

too cute not to post

Here are a few more for you to enjoy. Aubri is the sweetest little thing.

It's an all day party!

We were having so much fun that we forgot to eat breakfast...which for those of you who have preschoolers know never happens....those little critters can eat (and want to eat) all the time. We played baby dolls (I almost cried as Aubri began to feed her baby!), jumped on the trampoline (which is as much of a gift to me as it was to the kids...better naps due to exhaustion and it's really a great workout when I jump with them), rode scooters, played Kerplunk and connect four, and played kitchen. It was a great day...followed by a wonderful lunch (if I do say so myself). Then Grammy and Grandad left and went to the Collier's house. The kids went down for a nap and Rayden, my dad, and I played "The Office" trivia game. After I won (hooray!) my dad left to head back to St. Louis. When the kids got up we packed up the car and drove to Collierville to enjoy Christmas dinner with Rayden's Gran and Peepaw, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Ron, Cousin Carrie, and Cousin Chad and his wife Amber and their son Cruise. Grammy and Grandad were there too. I was overjoyed as we packed up to head to Collierville. I have never had family that lived in town, so this was a first for me. Being old hat for Rayden, I don't think he knew what to say as I teared up pulling out of the driveway. I have absolutly LOVED getting to know this branch of Rayden's family and I have so loved having them close enough to see often. I am amazingly blessed!

Merry Christmas to all!

What fun we had Christmas morning. Reading the Christmas story, being with family, tearing open presents....it was a blast. It is so fun to watch joy and delight ooze out of your children. The amazement and the wonder is awesome. I loved that with every gift they loudly proclaimed, "It's a _____________" for the world to hear. It's as if every gift were the very thing that would make their hearts soar to elation. What fun!

Happy Birthday to the one who has changed everything for me and my family! It is with great joy that I share what I have with others so that You might receive praise and glory.

Adding something new

We kept some old traditions (Santa scopes, creating a heart for Jesus), but we also added some new traditions. After Christmas Eve service we came home and used our Santa Scopes. Then, we got in our jammies and headed to the living room. I prepared a yummy dessert which I have called "apple orange turnovers" which is simply delicious. While it was cooking in the oven we began a tradition in our household that I have enjoyed for almost 25 years.

When I was growing up we got to open 2 presents on Christmas Eve. These 2 gifts were the ones that our siblings picked out for us. I'm not sure if when we were really little my parents just bought things and said they were from us or not, but whatever the case, it was really fun to give those two presents to my brothers each Christmas Eve.

So, this year I took each of the boys out to the store by themselves and they got to pick something for their brother and sister. I simply guided them when appropriate ("that's too much money" or "which one would THEY like best....not which one would YOU like best"). Nathan and I went to Target. He picked out a transformer for Kaleb that went from Spiderman to a motorcycle. Then, he picked a playground ball for Aubri that has all the Disney princesses on it. Later that same day I took Kaleb to ToysRUs and he picked a Batmas helicopter for Nathan and some stacking stars for Aubri. Aubri didn't go out and pick this year...I did that for her. She got her brothers each a Power Ranger...marked down to 6.97 a piece thank you very much!

They each helped me wrap the gifts they bought and then they wrote the names on them and hid them in the house. They did a great job at keeping their items a secret (of course, I took them shopping 2 days before Christmas eve so they wouldn't have to keep quiet for long). I saw in them that night a love for giving gifts. It was great to see them just as excited to give their gifts as they were to get them....and that's pretty good for preschooolers!

This will definetly be a tradition for years to come.


PawPaw trying to figure out how on earth the motorcycle turns into a spiderman figure.
Aubri and mommy enjoy stacking up those stars....anything that sings and lights up is a huge hit!

Nathan proudly displays his treasures.

Aubri enjoyed opening gifts.

Kaleb is thrilled with what Nathan got him.

Santa Scopes

We continued a tradition this year that we started last year....Santa Scopes. We take toilet paper tubes and decorate them using markers and stickers. We then save them for Christmas Eve night when we go outside and use our scopes to try and spot Santa. Both years we have gotten lucky enough to spot a plane flying by that the boys believed to be Satna's sleigh. It has been so fun the last two years getting to watch the wonder and excitment that Christmas brings. I am sure the joy will only increase each year as Aubri joins them in the fun.

Here are my boys proudly displaying their wonderful works of art.

Aubri might be a bit confused as to how to use her Santa scope...maybe next year!

PawPaw and Kaleb soon saw that they could also use their scopes to spot one another.

Daddy and his sweet Nathan...we were so glad that they was healthy this year. Last year they both had pink eye on Christmas.

Grandad is hard at work on his scope. He was taking this project very seriously....no one wants to miss seeing Santa!

Oops...I forgot

I've made a long list of excuses as to why I have no posted about Kaleb's wonderful Silver Dollar City acting debut, but the simple truth is....I forgot. I was reading back through some older posts tonight and saw my unmet promise staring me in the face. So, here I am...rectifying the wrong. Let me tell you the story about Kaleb's role in "Frosty the Snowan".
Uncle Tommy and Aunt Deanna suggested watching the Frosty show in the outdoor theatre of Silver Dollar City (or silver dollar silly as the boys call it). The ampitheatre holds about 200 people...but more than that crowd in to see this wonderful show. Being the astute mother that I am, I suggest that Rayden take the boys to the potty before the show starts. Only Kaleb needed to go. So, off Rayden and Kaleb went to find a restroom. When they returned Rayden had a goofy grin on his face. He leaned in and whispered, "Kaleb is going to get called on stage to help build the snowman." I came to find out that a man from the show approached Rayden and asked him if they were going to the show. After hearing that they were, the man asked if Kaleb was shy. After a chuckle, Rayden responded with a resounding, "NO". They made arrangements for Kaleb to be the special helper of the show.
Okay....fast forward to the show...the main characters recieve a package with all the accesories for building the perfect snowman. My sweet children were watching attentively, but I am all the while wiping Kaleb's face, fixing his hair, whispering in his ear a sweet reminder about how picking your nose is gross, and getting the camera ready. Finally, the lady of the show excalims that they will need a helper to build a snowman....she said, "I am wondering if there is anyone here is from Memphis, Tn....is there someone by the name of Kaleb who can help us?" When Kaleb heard his name he jumped up and looked at Rayden (as if to ask permission to take off at a dead sprint for the stage). Rayden nodded, and off Kaleb went. It was at this point that the rest of the family turned to us saying, "oh my goodness, how did you arrange this?" They had no idea what was going on.
The first thing they asked Kaleb to do was to sit on a big "snowball" so it wouldn't roll away. He plopped down and instantly went into chill out position (wonder where he learned that?) Then he got to help adhere the buttons and the nose. Finally, he held hands with the actors and sang Christmas carols. It was amazing! He was fantastic! You could see how proud and excited he was. The show finished out with all the kids getting to join Kaleb on the stage to watch the rest of the show.
So, not that I am biased or anything, but Kaleb was certainly the star that day! I feel as though he could have a career in show business should he choose that. He certainly has no fear of being in front of people. He charisma and love of being the "star" are certainly things he gets from his daddy...they are two peas in a pod. I hope you enjoy these pictures of our Silver Dollar Superstar!



Relaxing on the giant snowball that would soon become Frosty's head


Putting on all the buttons

Kaleb needed a bit of help putting on the nose

Doesn't he look so natural on the stage?

Is it fall or winter?

Memphis weather is SO weird! Yesterday it rained and was 42 degrees. Today (12/19) it is 68 degrees. So random. We thought it was the perfect oppurtunity though to do some yard work and let the kids play outside. The boys rode their bikes and Aubri just ran from parent to parent asking to be held (she had her tubes put in her ears this morning so she was still a bit grumpy and groggy). Rayden raked all the leaves into a pile and the boys had a blast jumping in them and throwing them up in the air. Aubri giggled everytime the leaves came floating down out of the sky. It was so much fun. I think we might actually fire up the BBQ tonight the weather is so nice. Crazy!


Nathan is such a sweet little guy.
The boys took turns getting buried in the leaves and them popping up to "scare" daddy

I love the awe and wonder in her eyes as she is watching the leaves dance in the air

Building forts

It was cold earlier this week and we were all stuck inside. That doesn't work well for my two boys. They need to run, jump, slide....anything to expend energy. We got creative and built our first real fort in the living room. Everyone was diggin' it. They took all there toys under there and played for hours. Aubri mainly just crawled back and forth under the low "ceiling". She thought it was hilarious. All in all, it was a good day! (not to mention I now have a picture of all 3 kids smiling in the same photo....so rare!)

The Christmas Program

While there was NO breakdancing this year, the KDO Christmas Program was still a huge success. The kids all did great...including mine. Kaleb and Nathan have grown so much in their ability to exert some self-control. THey are by no means perfect, but I was so proud of the marked improvement. Kaleb was able to stay in his spot the whole time...but he still managed to steal hearts with his dance moves and pointing out everyone's parents in the audience. Nathan did great....singing every line and doing every motion. It helped him to be on the middle row...he was trapped from escaping. Aubri did great as long as her sweet teacher Ms Tina held onto her. SHe loves Ms. Tina. All in all, it was a fantastic performance. Sorry if you are disappointed by the lack of "showmanship" in my kids this year. If you want to know the real "highlight" of the night I'll tell you a secret....Kaleb kept picking his nose....ugh....I have tried everything to make that little booger stop (pun intended).