A "Toe"-tal Ouch..And Some Other Fun Stuff

Okay, so I am going to break what I'm sure are the cardinal rules of decorum, and post pictures of a bloody foot, and vomit. But those are just the breaks when you have had the grand experiences that I have had over the past week and a half.

The fun started when being the genius that I am, I tipped an extremely heavy kitchen chair, with Will sitting in it, over. The chair landed smack dab on my big toe nail bed, and let me tell you, OUCH!!!! Del was not home because he had just jumped in the moving truck with Brady at the last second and had been on the road to sunny California for a couple of hours.
My writhing in agony sent my boys on a hunt for band aides and their special blankets to comfort me, but alas, not even those healers of all ouchies could help my toe.
I called Del and asked him if he knew what I should do, and he said pretty helplessly that he didn't. So I tried to get as comfortable as possible and wait it out. I was sure I had broken it, but I know that at the E.R. they just say that it is too bad for you, and tape it, or something else useless like that.

Mandy showed up at my house with a very special "princess boot," or medical shoe for those of us with less imagination than Alec.She had heard from Brady I had smashed the livin' daylights out of my toe. We then sat around and watched it turn blacker and blacker. By 7:00 that night, this princess had had enough, and after a reassuring call to Dr. Jared, I had to call my neighbor to sit with my kids while I drove myself to the E.R. The first hospital had a four hour wait, which I cried when I heard because the pain was running all the way up my leg and into my hip by now. I made it to another hospital, where they did x-rays, stuck about eight shots into my toe and used a hot drill to make a hole for the blood causing all the pain to escape.

Oh, so happy to have some relief, I hobbled my way back out to my car. The medical shoe was proving very welcome at this moment. With many promised phone calls to make to my mom and Del to assure them I was okay, I started home. This was when I realized that my gas tank was running on fumes and my cell phone was dead as a door nail, (or my toe nail in this case.) To my further dismay, the one gas station in the area was closed when I pulled up, and now panic was setting in. There isn't much in the area and it was almost midnight, I had no cell phone and a hurt toe, (it wasn't broken by the way, just pulverized.) So apparently in my state of alarm I was going ten miles over the speed limit through about a two bloke section of road where the speed limit suddenly drops drastically, and I almost screamed in frustration when I saw flashing lights in my rear view mirror. I know, I know, I should have been able to get out of this one. I have had many a comment about that already, but no, after 11 years since the one and only ticket I have ever received, I accepted my fate and limped into a gas station, finally, ticket in hand.

Trust me, I did the screaming in frustration thing when I had safely seen my neighbor off and got in bed, in defeat.

I don't remember a lot of the next day, just worry for the Spencer's, wondering where in the country Del and Brady where, cleaning up an entire bottle of red liquid children's Tylenol Will dumped out, off my carpet, and sitting with foot propped up holding Georgia.

The next day, Del got home. Yeah! I had just handed Georgia off to him when he walked in, when suddenly she threw up. I bent down to wipe the mess up off the floor, and her flood gates opened and I ended up with vomit running off the back of my head and in between my shoulder blades. What timing. We have now had sick children for a week, and Del even took a turn. I am just bidding my time judging from my scratchy throat. I also feel a bit of a tooth ache. Is there no relief in sight?

So, the adventures never end and why would we want them to? Life would sure be a whole lot more boring. P.S. Watch out for falling kitchen chairs!

I know that my feet are already not the most attractive, but trust me, my toe looks better than it did the day before I took this picture!

Maybe vomit has some kind of shine inhancing vitamin or something. Here's hoping. Look at that sweet little face. She looks so apologetic!

We Love The Spencer Fam!

We love our good friends the Spencer's! We are so sad to see Brady and Mandy move away, but we hope that their new adventures bring so much happiness. Watch out guys! You can't move to a nice, sunny spot and not expect visitors!
The trials the Spencer family have faced have been heartbreaking for us to watch, but we have been amazed by the faith and strength shown these past weeks. We are so sorry for your loss.
Brady and Mandy, we will miss you so much! We are so glad to call you friends! Let us know if you EVER need ANYTHING!

Mandy, Brady, Del and me at the farewell party for Brady and Mandy.

Mandy and Me.

Mandy, Ella, Lois Jean, Me and Georgia. One last trip to Chuck E. Cheese together.

Georgia found the gigantic singing mouse hilarious! Could her grin be any bigger?

Georgia pointing out that charming Chuck E. Cheese!

My Wally Boy

March 8th our little Wally will be a not so little 5 year old! I can't believe how fast time has flown, and at the same time, it seems like Wally has always been with us.

Wally came to us with a dramatic entrance. He scared us by needing a couple of weeks in the NICU on a ventilator. But he came home going strong, and hasn't stopped since.
We named Wallace after one of the great examples in my life, my Grandpa Clark. His middle name is Stapley after Del, who is named after the general authority Delbert Stapley. I know, a lot of name for a little boy. They told us while he was in the hospital he must be destined to be a Supreme Court Justice with a name like that!

The move to Chicago was made in a huge truck with six week old Wally along for the long ride, in between me and Del.
We found out Wally needed a little more special attention when he was diagnosed with all kinds of fun words like, torticollis, plagiocephaly, hypospadias, and a couple more that I have forgotten now that they aren't part of my every day vocabulary anymore. That sent me and Wally on all kinds of adventures around the Chicago area. Wally spent time doing physical therapy, and wearing his special Doc Band helmet. He looked so cute in it! Three surgeries, and many a doctor's appointment later, Wally is a healthy as they come!

Wally has a soft spot for babies, and animals. He loves to be busy and the first thing I hear from him in the morning is, "Where are we going today?" He is also a home body however, and loves to get back to the place he knows best.
Wally has logged more miles in the sky than I had before my twentieth birthday, and loves to go on a trip on a plane. He has got the routine down pat. He knows you take off your shoes to go through security, and that you get a treat on the flight.

Wally gives me a run for my money. I think he was sent to me so that I would be forced to re-evaluate everything in my life, and yet not take things so seriously.
Wally loves his dad so much, protects his little sister, and doesn't know what to do without his brother. He is a social butterfly and can carry on a conversation better than some adults. He is not afraid to approach anyone and often tells store clerks and teachers things that I would prefer he didn't. What five year old doesn't, right?

I love my Wally so much and don't know what I would do without him. He is such a big personality and forces me to be up for anything. He loves people so deeply and really cares when he understands someone is hurting. I can't wait to see what this little boy is capable of, and becomes in this life. He has overcome so many obstacles in his short little life and I know that for Wally, the sky is the limit! Happy Birthday Buddy Boy! Mom and Dad love you!

Our scanner isn't working, so I don't have any pictures of Wally as a baby in my computer. That is a polar bear behind Wally in this picture. I think he is about 13 months here,and this was taken with a cell phone, hence, the not so great clarity.

Nap Time Alterations

Today when I went to get Georgia from her crib after nap time, this is how I found her wearing her shirt. She was rocking this off the shoulder number. I am all about cute baby clothes, but I don't think they need to be red carpet ready. We aim for some modesty around here. But doesn't she have a cute little chubby arm?


Wally wanted to show everyone where he lives on the map in his room. This is him pointing to "a far away land called Chicago, by the big lake and in all the houses." Doesn't that sound magical? His finger slipped a little however, putting us somewhere in Ohio or Kentucky, but close enough.

Gotta Love It!

Here are a few things I have been loving lately.

"Princess Academy"
I just finished this last night. It came highly recommended by Nikole, our nine year old niece. I really enjoy Shannon Hale's books. I have read "Austenland," and now I am going to look for "Book of a Thousand Days."

"Shabby Baby," by "Shabby Apple."
I just ordered this dress for Georgia to wear for Easter. It is called "Vineyard." So amazing. These clothes are fabulous! I got a dress for me from Shabby Apple as well. Yahoo!

Clorox Disinfectant Wipes
I go through this things like you would not believe! They are great for the kitchen and bathroom. They leave a clean scent and are easy to grab and throw away! Great for the car steering wheel as well. (I hate a sticky wheel.)I load up at Costco.

"Freshcut"
Okay, Mandy showed me this fabric by Heather Bailey at hellomynameisheather.com
So beautiful! I look at it and dream of being amazing at sewing. Maybe one of these days. You know, practice makes perfect? Well, that is my problem. No practice. But one day, I will make something great with her fabric!

Pizza Cutter
Leslie gave me this tip I had never thought of on a camping trip this past fall. You can use these babies to cut up food for the kids in a flash. From waffles, to chicken, these things aren't just for pizza anymore!

Introducing...Baby!

This is Baby, or Baby Elephant...AKA "Wally's best friend."
I thought it was time to blog about this sixth member of the family. Baby came into our lives about the time Will was born, a gift from my sister Shelley. He traveled long and far in Grandma's suitcase, and was an immediate hit with Wally.

He started out calling Baby, "Toot," or cute, and he has always had a soft spot for the gangly elephant. Baby did not have as much importance until Georgia was born, and as I babied her, Wally babied, Baby. Now, Baby is literally a person in Wally's mind. I have found him washing Baby's hands, feeding Baby, and putting gloves on Baby to go outside. Baby gets tucked into a special bed on Wally's floor every night, that has a special blanket that he picked out himself at the fabric store. (A $2 piece of bright yellow remnant fabric with black U of Iowa lettering on it.) Wally makes sure that all of Baby's limbs are tucked under the blanket, many times says a prayer with Baby, and kisses him on the head. In the morning, Baby comes down to breakfast with Wally, and then it is off to school. The rule is that Baby is educated from the safe confines of Wally's backpack, and I have yet to hear that Baby is an issue in the classroom from his teachers, so I am guessing the rule is being followed. Baby goes to church, eats dinner with the family, when we play toss the ball sitting in a circle, the ball must be specifically passed to Baby for a turn, and Baby rides in the front seat of a shopping cart pushed by Wally. Wally makes sure Baby is securely in a seat belt in the car and asks Baby for an opinion on most subjects. Baby answers with a soft "eek," or "augh."

I am not too clear on Baby's gender. That does seem to switch from day to day. I asked Wally yesterday if baby was a girl and he said yes. But he does refer to Baby as "he." That is no indicator by the way, because he has trouble with his "he, she, his, her's" as it is. Georgia is a "he" herself quite often. But we love Baby anyway, ambiguous or not.

One day, I was trying to get Wally to take a nap and told him if he didn't stay in bed, Baby,(who was already in bed,)was going to have to hang out with me for a while. I guess this was seen as a "prisoner of war situation" for Wally, who was devastated I would suggest such a thing, and told me, "But I take care of him." And my heart melted as a realized, that yes, Wally really does take CARE of him.

Baby has seen better days. He has been re stuffed, restitched, and bleached to within an inch of his, or her life. Baby had an unfortunate incident that resulted in a snagged eye. This worried Wally to no end, so he did surgery on Baby with a pair of scissors, and the botched job left baby with only one eye. After Wally mentioning this handicap to me for several weeks, I did sew some blue thread on the spot, but as we all know, sometimes with transplants, you just aren't going to be totally symmetrical. Baby takes a ride in the washing machine as often as Wally is willing to part for an hour or so. And trust me, this is always a much needed bath.

I am hoping that one day Baby is not such a safety net for Wally. But for now he finds an inexplainable comfort in this little elephant. I am amazed at the nurturing side of Wally that is brought out by baby. Wally loves real babies so much, I guess he just couldn't wait for one of his own. He tells me that he is Baby's dad, and when talking to Baby about me, he refers to me as "his mom." So that tells me I am not Baby's mom. Wally has taken up the effort to provide Will with a friend as cherished as Baby. So I find him trying to force Will to love a stuffed monkey or pony. But a true "Baby" is hard to come by. I am just glad that Wally has found someone so incredibly lovable! We should all have such a friend.

My Kids

Georgia has been crawling for about 21/2 weeks now. And she has gotten good at it. We have already had a tumble down the stairs, a reminder that I need to keep cleaning supplies up high when she explored in a cupboard while I was in the shower, ( Don't worry, nothing was ingested.) and several taste tests stopped short when she picked Valentine candy up off the floor. Now she has learned to pull herself up to a standing position. This adds a whole new level of danger that I hope doesn't end with a cut lip or fall out of the crib. Lowering the mattress level is on my to-do list today. My boys were never mobile at nine months so Georgia caught us off guard!

Success! A new place to stand up against!

I caught her picture mid-fall.

Not happy about it.

Try,try again!

Georgia sits like this all the time. Another example of her little rubber-legs!

More Of My Kids

The other day, I put Wally in time-out for some infraction or another. He cried the whole time he was in there. I told him he could come out when he finally stopped. So then he said to me, " Mom, I don't like screaming my head off. It hurts."
I told him that the point of time-out was,(believe it or not), to be quiet and decide to be better, not scream your head off.
He said, "Yeah, but I want my head to stay on my neck. I don't want it to come off. That would hurt."
I guess he doesn't understand figures of speech just yet.


Will being a cowboy. He loves to tromp around in these boots. They are too big for him, and soooo loud on the wood floors. But he looks cute, and I think it is funny because somewhere, we have a picture of Del around age three in a pair of really short, shorts and cowboy boots on a house boat in Lake Powell. Like father, like son.

My Valentine

My Valentine's name is Del. Here is a bit about our life together.

We have been married for 7 1/2 years
We have known each other for almost 12 years
We both went to Dixie State
Del was the vice president of the student council at Dixie
My sister Emily knew Del for two years before I met him
We moved to St. George five days after we got married
We had one car the majority of the time, our first three years of marriage
We both worked some extremely unappealing jobs when we were first married
We stayed at my parent's the second night we were married after an E.R. visit
I am SEVERELY allergic to tree nuts, hence, the honeymoon E.R. visit
Del graduated from Weber State
We moved to the Chicago area less than a month after Del's graduation
Del has locked his keys in his car twice in one day
We joke that "our song" is the sound of screaming children
We went to Maui over our 6 year anniversary
We spent the first night in Maui in the E.R.
The nut thing again
In many ways we are an "opposites attract" relationship
Del is always encouraging me to follow through on my ideas
I usually don't have enough uninterrupted time to think the idea through that far
Del is brave enough to follow through with his ideas
Del is a REALLY good dad
Del is a hard worker. Go Patient's Choice!
Del is a killer sales rep
Our kids go to Del if they want pancakes in the morning
We have three great kids and a happy life
I couldn't ask for better than my Valentine, Del
I love you!

Just Winter

It is just another winter here in the Chicago suburbs, and that pretty much means soggy coats, overcast days and running as quickly as possible from buildings to cars. Oh, with three children in tow. So I should say, shuffling along saying, "Stay by me!", or "Try to keep up!" or, "Please stay out of that dirty snow pile! and "If you must jump in that puddle, please just give me a chance to get out of the way first!"

Anyway, I have nothing of great interest to post lately, so, some of the everyday things going on are..

We have just been thoughtful and kind of emotional with with President Hinckley's passing, but I feel like nothing I write could possibly do justice to a life like his, and his wife's. I can strive to be just a little more like him, and his wife, who I have come to admire so much after doing a lot of reading about her lately.

I threw my back out on Sunday lifting Georgia during Sacrament meeting. I was almost stuck in a bent position in the middle of the aisle with her dangling in my arms and a pained look on my face, but I forced myself back to the bench. We had to leave however, because my reflexes were not quick enough to keep up with the arms and legs of my children flying through the air the rest of the meeting. I will be fine, lots of stretching before getting out of bed seems to be doing the trick. Just one of those things!

I am in a debate with myself over all day VS. half day kindergarten for Wally next year. I went to an orientation yesterday and kind of felt like the purpose was to push a dual language class on all of us. They said we had the option of just English, of course! But when I went to pick up a packet for Wally the first thing the lady said to me was "Dual language packet, right?" I wanted to say, " I am worried enough about sending him to school all day at five with English being spoken." I am sure that program has great benefits, just not for me. Oh, and kind of sad, the lady speaking to us slipped on the floor and fell during her presentation, and she was pregnant! Yikes, she was fine, but as we left Will stepped on the same spot and almost landed in the splits.

And I thought I would post the pictures of Georgia's new crib that I got at 70% off when Bombay Kids went out of business! I was so excited, but had to drive to a store a little further away that had one in stock. When I got there, it was set up and they told me if I wanted it taken apart, I had to do it. So there I was with Will and Georgia screaming, and Wally zipping around the store on a piece of their warehouse equipment that had wheels, trying to take this crib apart, while all the employees and shoppers watched. I started to panic at one point when I couldn't get the little wrench thing to turn the screws, but after working up a sweat, jamming my foot against it to turn the screws and talking myself out of calling Del and begging him to save me, I got the thing home. It is set up and running, even though putting it up was as bad as taking it apart. At least I didn't have an audience for that. The things we'll do for a good deal! Good grief!
These aren't the best pictures, but you get the idea.

Georgia, with her pillow Aunt Renee made for her.