When It Rains, It Pours

So as you can see from the pictures, Bubba biffed again-on the same side. He was coming home from his friend's house across the street. JP yelled at him not to run (always the little mother) and slipped on the ice. That side of the street doesn't really see the sun and it's been cold enough in the morning that the dew forms ice. It's really slick. So he went down and ended up right on the same side and obviously couldn't catch himself on that side. He ended up with this huge goose egg on his cheek and it was bleeding. Our neighbor called and told me he slipped on his way home and she thought it was the same side. Luckily, B was home so he ran over and got him. He was bawling. It hurt so bad. He couldn't move his arm at all. We hurried and gave him some of the prescription hydrocodone that they had given him last time. Then we took him upstairs and got his shirt off to look at it. It was swollen in that spot, but we didn't know if that was from the healing process from before. B debated if we should take him in or not, but he was crying so hard about his shoulder hurting that he took him to the ER again.


Bubba called awhile later to let me know it was broken worse. The bone was now broken in 2, whereas before it had just been in a "v" shape. He sounded much better so I figured the medicine had kicked in. B said the nurse practitioner was lame and didn't really seem to care or want to do anything more to help it heal. They tried one of those slings that straps the arm to your body, but it was adult sized. I made an appt. for him this morning for Mon., rather than waiting the 1-2 weeks because I really want a better sling to make sure he heals properly. I made him stay home from school today so I can watch how he holds it and so I can give him pain meds if necessary. His cheek is huge today. I wish I could take his pain for him. My sweet little boy. JP was so concerned for him and felt so badly for him. Such a sweet, tender-hearted little brother.

Jo Jo wanted to be in the picture and even posed like Bubba. It was so cute.

My Sweet Little Bubba Boy

When he broke his arm at 2 yrs. old ON Christmas night. I thought and still think it's so funny how he's smiling so big.


So today Bubba broke his clavicle. I had taken Jo Jo, Peanut and JP to use their Target gift cards from Christmas and then went to Walmart to get a few groceries. Bubba was busted so couldn't come, but went and played football at his friend's house. They live right behind us. So B calls me when I'm checking out and says, "Where are you?"
I said, "In the check out line. Why?"
He said, "Because Bubba broke his collar bone."
Me-"Are you serious? How do you know?"
B-"I can see it."
I just about threw up. Not because I thought it was gross, but because I felt so awful for my sweet little boy. So I was at the Walmart by the hospital fortunately since I had the insurance card (not that I wouldn't have met him anyway). We got there at the same time somehow. I got the story then. They were playing football-which they do almost every day. His friend went up for a pass and his foot slipped and then Bubba fell over him and his shoulder hit the ground. The bone wasn't sticking out like I had pictured fortunately. I couldn't tell a difference, but dad recognized that the left side was dented in a little. After waiting forever for x-rays and the doctor to come back in to tell us what the result was, we found out it was for sure fractured. It was bent upwards, and the doctor said if you're going to break a bone, it was a good one to break. It didn't shatter into 3 pieces like she's seen before, so it really wasn't that bad. The bad news is that he has to wear a sling for 2-4 weeks and he's supposed to hold it at a 45 degree angle. I pinned the sling, but it still doesn't want to stay that angle. He's sleeping in the bean bag so he doesn't accidentally lie on it. He's so brave. He never once cried and said he's okay. I made him take Tylenol before bed anyway. They wrote a prescription for some heavier pain medicine, but all the pharmacies were closed by then. It only hurts him if he moves it on accident or he said when he walks. Um, how is that going to work? I hope it heals in the 2 week time frame. I felt so guilty for not letting him come to the store with me because if I had, it wouldn't have happened. We also have to start church at 8:30 am tomorrow. I would rather die than go that early. :{

Oh yeah, JP's beta fish died yesterday. He got him from Aunt Alicia for his 5th birthday. His name started as JP 5, then became JP 6, and finally JP 7. He's looked pretty pathetic for awhile. I thought it was dead a couple of times because it didn't really move anymore. I asked him if he said goodbye when he flushed it and he said 'no' like I was crazy for asking. Farewell long lived fish.

Disneyland/Beach/AZ/Fiesta Bowl

So we had a tiring vacation. I'm not sure how much I actually enjoyed it. Well, I enjoyed the trip, but not the driving or sleeping on mattresses that felt like floor boards or like springs in my side making my leg go numb. Needless to say, I slept in a chair rather than not feeling my leg all night, and on the couch when the bed was too hard and when possible. So we left for CA the day after Christmas. Talk about stressful trying to enjoy the day and pack at the same time. We made it to Primm (on the border) that night. We went to In 'N Out and Bass Pro Shops which is seriously the biggest store ever. They even have a real stuffed giraffe. It's a boy's dream-boats, 4 wheelers, guns, bows, dead animals, a waterfall. The next morning in the 35 degree weather we went on the Desperado. In '95 it was in the Guiness Book for having the tallest drop at 225 ft. and fastest going 90 mph. It's an instant migraine right after the first drop, but totally worth it. I went with Bubba in the last row and JP went with dad in the last row. JP didn't get to go last year because we didn't think he was ready for it, but he loved it this year. We left after getting some healthy Mc D's breakfast and headed to my gramma's in Anaheim. We got there in the early afternoon and visited with her, my aunt, my brother Chad and Alicia and AJ who were also there to go to D-land. Then we headed to an early dinner to meet up with my best friend from high school and her mom who drove up from San Diego. SOOO great to see her after about 3 years.
The next morning we went to Disneyland. The happiest place on earth. Along with the population of the state of Idaho. No joke. They actually said that. Like 3 times more crowded than summer. So much for us thinking it wouldn't be as busy in Dec. We weren't thinking about it being a holiday. Good times. Thanks for Fast Passes. Bubba was chosen to be part of the Jedi Training Academy. They get to wear a robe and use a light saber and they teach them moves to fight the dark side. Then they fight Darth Maul and Darth Vader who is trying to convince them to move over to the dark side. We got it all on video.



I can't even tell you how many pictures I have of him making this face. It's one of my favorite expressions.


On the Winnie the Pooh ride that we frequented while everyone else was on Splash Mountain. One of Jo Jo's favorites.


In line for Nemo's Submarine ride.


He shot all by himeself on the Buzz Lightyear ride. He actually hit targets-he's very advanced for his age. ;)


Waiting in line for the Rockets.

Tues. we went to CA Adventure minus Chad who opted to go to the beach with Aunt Janet. Good thing we were already planning on going there since they actually closed D-land to new people because it was too full! Hardly anyone at CA Adventure. Fun rides and good times. Tower of Terror is my favorite.

Ready to see the awesome 3-D show from Bug's Life in Bug's Land at CA Adventure.


You might be seeing this in your Christmas card next year. We all wore our BSU gear this day. We even met other people doing the same!


C is for California!

Wed. Alicia and AJ went up north a little to visit his mission. We went to D-land in the rain. It actually only sprinkled all day-more like a mist, but it didn't deter anyone from going for the first half of the day. Towards afternoon everyone was disappearing so we got in some 5-15 min. lines. It was really cold, but really not bad. We've been in the rain in March before.

Hanging out to get warm during the rain at the Mexican restaurant next to Thunder Mtn.

Thurs. we hit the beach just to walk around. I put my toes in the sand, we walked the pier and I got one of those square dipped ice creams with sprinkles which were always my favorite thing to get there.

We headed out to AZ after that and ended up there around 11 pm just in time to watch the ball drop. We stayed with B's mom and step-dad. Thanks so much for the hospitality. Fri. we hung out with the family and went to Chinese for dinner. We missed the J & J Randalls and Jared and Delia.
Sat. morning we went and climbed up the 'A' mountain up by ASU. The boys slid down it and then we climbed even higher to the very top of the mountain. I didn't take in to account the fact that I have a seriously bad knee and ankle and the steps were really rocky and high. My knee is still hurting due to the fact that I also sat in a car for 2 days on the way home. That afternoon we met my gramma, papa punkin, and dad at my favorite wing place Nino's in Glendale. Then we went to their house and hung out and opened gifts. Oh yeah, we had to wake my brother up at 2 pm. He's 20 what else can I say? I made my dad a small scrapbook of our family and I bet B that he would cry, but B wouldn't take the bet because he knew he would. Love ya dad! Around 4:30 or so more family started to show up for gramma's famous tacos. Uncle Pat came, his daughter Ashley and her husband and 3 kids. I haven't seen her since she was about 14. Uncle Marty and his wife Amy came. My step-sister Nancy and her husband and 4 kids came too. I think that's it. Good times. My little brother Levi plays the guitar and sings in his band Kommon Measure. He played and sang for us before everyone showed up. I had no idea he could sing. He taught himself to play a few years ago. They play local clubs and even have a producer and demo. They have a sound like the band Sublime. He's written like 20 songs or so. He's great. He also skates and has been in a few competitions and was meeting with the DC shoes guys yesterday about signing with them.

Our family with my dad and brother Levi.

Mon. we packed the car and hung out with the family before heading to the Fiesta Bowl with the two oldest boys. B was "sweating like a stuck pig" (his words) on the way there in the bumper to bumper traffic worrying that we might not make it in time to see the team come out. I forgot how bad traffic could be. We made it and hiked from Alaska where we parked to the stadium. He had gotten tickets on a website that's like Ebay for tickets so we were in the 29th row close to the end zone. AWESOME seats!! We could see so clearly. We got to see my dad before the game started because he was working security on the 50 yd. line on the field behind the BSU bench. Best seats in the house, except for the fact that he isn't allowed to watch the game. It was such a great game. It was a sea of blue and orange. BSU fans took up about 3/4 of the stadium. We know how to show up. Both teams had great defense. We threw out a trick play on a 4th down where the kicker threw the ball for a pass that resulted in a touchdown! If you didn't watch it you missed out. Catch it when they replay it. The only downfall was that there was an incredibly drunk man next to us. He was seriously obnoxious. We could've reported him since we were in the family section which didn't allow alcohol, but we just wanted to watch the came. He was really irritating Bubba who was sitting at the end of the aisle and the guy kept offering him his beer every time he came back in with another one. It was a good teaching opportunity for the boys to see one of the reasons we don't drink, though. It was such an exciting game and so thrilling when we won. It was SO loud with cheering BSU fans. We have a cheer where half the people shout "Boise" and the other half shouts "State."
We left about midnight from B's mom's house which was on the other side of town, but we had to go get the two little ones that she offered to watch. Thank you so so much! They had fun with grandma and grandpa. We got to Hoover Dam about 5 am and decided to get a room just past there. It was only $20!! Score on that. We attempted to sleep, but it was more of an uncomfortable nap for B and I. For some reason it seems like it's harder to sleep when you're beyond tired. We left around 10:30 am and made the uber long drive home. We made it about 10 pm last night. The boys had to go to school today, but didn't seem to have trouble getting up this morning. I was so tired that I made their lunches in my underwear and made them take their scooters to school. I know, nice visual. Every wear we stopped yesterday was full of BSU fans. We would shout the "Boise" chant and they would finish with the "State." It was cool. We were in a caravan of fans all the way home. The cops were out in packs and lots of the fans were pulled over after speeding by us at like 90 mph. Fortunately, we chose to drive the speed limit so we were not one of them. The cops knew that everyone would be on their way home from the game and got their quotas for the month.
Felt so wonderful to sleep in our own bed with a soft mattress. Although, Jo Jo slept with us the whole trip so of course now he thinks that's where he sleeps. Hopefully by the end of the week he'll be able to sleep in his own bed again.

Disneyland Trip

Well, we're on the countdown to Disneyland. We're going as our big Christmas present this year. The boys will each get one gift, plus a few books. They've also reminded me that's really okay because Santa will bring them what they really want. :) So we'll be spending Christmas day at home and then off to California. We'll take 2 days to get there. There's a roller coaster in Primm, Nevada just south of Vegas that used to be the world's tallest back in the 90's. The drop is seriously almost straight down. We go on it every year. They also have a small log ride where you can shoot targets that the boys like to do. Bubba did the coaster for the first time last year. He went with me and as we were going up the huge climb at the beginning he said, "I don't know if this was such a good idea mom." I started cracking up. He ended up screaming his head off, but loved every minute of it. JP was tall enough last year, but we didn't think he'd be ready for it, so he's really looking forward to it this year. We will get to CA Sunday afternoon hopefully so we can visit with my best friend from high school. She lives in San Diego now, but said she'd come to the OC to see us. That night we will stay with my grandma and aunt along with my sister and her husband, and my brother and mom. It will be crowded, but it's just the one night.
The next day will be Disneyland all together. Yay! We look forward to our annual trip all year long. Usually we go during the summer, so it's been hard for everyone to wait this long. :) That night we will get to stay at our friend's parents house. So his parents are actually in my grandma's ward and his mom taught my mom in Young Women's, and he ended up in our ward here! Small world. Anyway, his parents will be out of town for the week and his sister is staying there before us, that's why we have to wait until Monday night, but they're letting us stay the whole week. Yay, no hotel bill!

Here are some of last year's pictures-

Running away from the big rolling Indiana Jones ball. Oh no!


Such a great smile. Need I say more?


JP getting ready for the crazy California Screamin' roller coaster that goes upside down!

Tuesday just our family will be going to California Adventure. Bubba is looking forward to going on the only ride he hasn't been tall enough until now-the Maliboomer. Look it up becuase I can't really describe it. After they close, we go over to Disneyland until it closes. We are definitely die hard fans to stay until close every night.

Monster's Inc. ride at CA Adventure

Wednesday will be another Disneyland day. Thurs. we will head over to AZ sometime in the afternoon. We plan to stay the night and visit Friday and stay that night and then head home early Sat. morning so we can get home by Sunday night in time for the boys to start school on Mon. Everyone is looking forward to seeing grandparents and cousins, aunts and uncles in AZ since we haven't been in 3 yrs. We are very much looking forward to eating at In 'n Out as much as possible as well since they have them in Vegas, CA, and AZ. Yippee!!

My brother Todd who got to go with us before he left on his mission. This year we get to go with Chad who just got home!

Today we went to the craft store for some last minute things to make parent gifts. Don't ever go out the week of Christmas. I was done a long time ago, but we decided we'd better do at least SOMETHING for the parents. That would be pretty rude if we didn't. Anyway, we're standing there looking at stuff and Jo Jo says, "1,2,3,4,5,6" completely in order and plain as day! We were all in awe of his intelligence. :) I had bribed them all with a Krispy Kreme donut if they were super good in the store because usually with all 4 they are really out of control wandering and asking for stuff. It worked. We got a donut on the way home and even got to eat inside.

Welcome Home Elder Williams

He's 2nd from the bottom w/the glasses on. It's a little hard to see.

With my sister Alicia and I.

Happy to see all of the family.

We went to Utah this past weekend. My awesome husband was willing to take on the nasty, snowy drive for me to be able to see my little brother Chad come home from his mission and give his homecoming talk. It was a hairy, white knuckle drive down and it took longer than usual, but we made it. We actually made it just in time to see him arrive at the airport. We made it about 30 min. early, plus it takes 15 min. or so for you to get off the plane. We were even there before my mom because she got stuck in traffic. She made it there in time with cool signs in hand. She had a ginormous banner that I forgot to get a picture of. There were 4 missionaries all together coming home from Australia so the bottom of the escalator was packed with families. We had a prime spot right at the bottom. You would have thought they were rock stars with all the cheering and noise the families made as we saw the first missionary. It was so exciting. The first dinner he wanted when he got home was Panda Express so that's what we had for dinner. We visited that night and got to hear some stories before going to the hotel. It took the baby FOREVER to settle down and go to sleep. He wouldn't stay in his pack and play and thought it was fun to get in and out via the bed. So he ended up screaming in our bed until about 11pm. Which means no one sleeps until then. Then for some reason the hotel alarm clock went off at 5:40 am-probably having to do with a certain baby playing with it before bed. I couldn't find the switch and had to use the light on my phone to find it-after waking everyone up of course.


With all of my handsome boys after church.

Church was at 9am, so we had to get up at 7am to make sure we made it on time. He gave a great talk and used his accent a little. He has a great sense of humor. When he left, his farewell talk took the whole time, but they told him to keep going as long as he wanted. Same thing happened this time. But they had 2 musical numbers, so it wasn't his fault. After sacrament, we went to my mom's for breakfast, but our kids had already eaten a little at the hotel because they didn't want to wait. I only ate a little bacon because we were all saving room for In 'n Out. Totally worth the trip there. We are truly sad and annoyed that we don't have one here yet. We're looking forward to CA and AZ after Christmas so that we can eat there multiple times to get our yearly fix. I was really bummed, though that it was so snowy so we couldn't eat the big yummy breakfast and then have a full lunch at my mom's. Oh well, maybe next time. We drove in slushy snow pretty much all the way thru Utah, but when we got close to our border we had pretty clear roads all the way home. Just a little wet and foggy. We even got to stop and visit with B's step-mom for about an hour and a half. The kids really needed a break from the car after traveling all day the day before too.


Jo Jo was so excited to have this hat and actually left it on for quite awhile.



The morning before when we left, B had me say the safety prayer. Bad idea. I totally started bawling and had to pause several times. I was just so happy to be seeing my brother. He and I are 12 yrs. apart in age so he was only 6 when I left home for college, so we really got to know each other thru letters and emails while he was gone. I am so proud of his hard work, sacrifice and wonderful example to my boys. I am so thankful for his strong testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. What a wonderful memory this will be for my boys.

My Sweet Boys

So I'm not copying my friend's blog. I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I just want to take the time to record how much I love each of my boys and where they're at right now.



Bubba
My first born. So tiny. You came out grumpy and stayed that way for the first year of your life. You earned the nickname Professor Grumpy Pants. You were so mischievous and daring. You are such a sweet big brother. Such a great example to your little brothers. You were so responsible and independent from such an early age. I'm so proud of your decision to be baptized. I can't believe how big you are. You don't like little boy toys anymore and you're growing up way too fast. Even though you're bigger now, you still come up to me every so often and ask for a kiss. Yesterday I was in the laundry room and you came in and said, "Mommy I need a kiss." Then I kissed you and you said, "Now I feel better." You still melt my heart, even though you argue to the death with me daily.




JP
My sweet little fluffy boy. You still have the most buttery soft skin. You are my tenderhearted boy. You are sensitive and used to be shy, but you have really come out of your shell. Such a good eater from the very beginning, you will still try and eat almost anything. You have always had smiling eyes and are still so silly at times. You are so smart and I can't believe you're reading skills. Such a good big brother, you have been so helpful and tender with the baby and still play little boy games with Peanut sometimes. You love to give me kisses and hugs daily. You have been known to throw yourself onto the floor when asked to work, but you are a good worker when you finally do it.



Peanut
My sweet little Peanut. Hot Lava Man. Still my sweet little boy. My boy who loves puzzles, building massive structures with Legos, and anything that makes your mind work. You amaze me. Truly my boy with your organization of your "stuff." I love when you make silly faces. Such a sweet brother to play with your baby, but you don't like when he knocks down your towers. Your speech is so mature and sometimes I can't believe some of the things you say. My picky eater who "hates" this dinner every night. You live off of fruit snacks and frozen waffles. Your laugh is contagious. And I love your poky hair that never wants to lie down.



Jo Jo
Sweet baby boy. You will always be my baby. You are the craziest of all. You will jump off of and climb anything you can find. You want to be just like your big brothers and throw yourself into the mix. You remind me of Bubba because you want to do everything yourself. I can't believe how much you are talking. You are like JP in that way. My snuggly boy that insists on mama holding you a lot. You like to follow me around and do what I'm doing. When I'm not around you have to make sure that you know where I am. You warm my heart when you get so excited and yell, "Mama" when I get home from being away from you.


I really have the best boys on the planet, though they drive me crazy on a daily basis and often send me to my closet for a time out. The sweet memories outweigh the bad by far. Heavenly Father sure knew what he was doing when he sent you all to me.

My Cute Little Bear Scout

My Bubba earned his Bear at Thurs. night's cub scout pack meeting. He has completed it 6 mths. before his birthday. We had no idea he was ready until I talked to his leader and she said he had done enough. Silly me thought he had to complete all the achievements, but he only needed to do 12. So he was thrilled. He was NOT thrilled however to be getting his face painted by mom. Can you tell he looks a little nervous in the picture?




Okay, so I realized I've posted a zillion pictures of Curly Sue's hair, but I don't think I've gotten one of the top which is also curly if you let it be. And so I just had to post his hair after his bath. That's when it always looks the best.