I have been a total failure at 'Blogging' and at keeping in contact with everyone. I apologize. I have been extremely- happily busy but also, admittedly, overwhelmed. It began this past summer when we had wonderful family & friends spend time with us due to the fires in Colorado. Then we quickly began to get ready for school to begin & Mom went back to work. Since then it has been a crazy busy ride with lots of happy moments and a few that have almost blown our socks off. About the time that the kids went back to school Rick was diagnosed with an Axonal Brain Injury. We have been dealing with emotional problems, memory problems, focus and temperament problems and almost total personality changes in some areas. We are not sure if it was from the accident in 2009 that he should not have walked away from at all, if it was from a fender bender in February of this year or if it is a combination of the two but the complications & side effects have taken a devastating toll on him & our family. We started looking into help right after the fender bender in February & are headed down what the Neurologist calls a' long, exhausting, expensive & very difficult road'. But we are happy to have a 'diagnosis' for what we have been dealing with and we are very happy to have a game plan or at least the beginning steps of one. We just wish it were a little easier to find & afford the help that we need. There are so many programs for people struggling with Brain Injuries but most of them we do not qualify for because we are not military and because the injury was not the result of military service. While we understand that it is so important to care for & heal our military who struggle because of injuries they received in serving us and our great nation, we cant help but wish there were a little more room in some of the programs for someone like Rick.
It was decided that with all of the stress of college, doctors appointments and just the day to day struggles Rick faces that he would no longer work , that he would try to just focus on college and recovery. So- I decided that I better look for something. We started praying for help to begin the 'job search' process & I was gifted an opportunity to put in an application with a local company 'Stat Apparel' that is run by my friend, Desiree, here in town. It is a Medical clothing, shoe, supply & gift store. I shopped for uniforms for Rick there long before I knew that I would ever be looking for a job and LOVED how friendly, well decorated & how well supplied the store was. I was more than excited to get the job there & have LOVED every single day of work- who gets to say that?!? I LOVE everything about my job from the same every day tasks like dusting to the challenge of meeting, talking to & helping people that I have never met before. I LOVE the inventory that comes in, I LOVE my boss & the days that I get to work with her & I LOVE our customers who become friends. It is the worlds best job and for once in my life I feel like I have found something that I am actually good at.
Between work, every day problems, Ricks injury and other things like our Minivan dying on us, Sarah being diagnosed with H-Pylori disease, my Kidneys struggling to function properly & the awesome things like my parents returning from Russia, family visits & kids visiting Utah and Florida I have failed to keep up. I will make a serious effort to do better. So... here are some of my favorite recent pictures as a peace offering for sucking at communication lately.
Getting by... and LOVING every minute of it!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Photo Card
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
What a morning!
I had Kymball in my bed all night because she hasn't been feeling well and was really struggling to get comfortable. Rick was supposed to work at 5am but we were still dealing with sickies and were quite out numbered so he had to go into work late. After a wild morning trying to get things in order enough for him to leave he finally made it out the door to work.
Kymball inside the Dryer |
As I am bleaching and getting ready to sanitize the binky my phone rings- thanks to the ring I know that it is Rick calling so I hurry over to answer the phone. I can barely hear him because the phone is cutting out so much, due to all of the storming i presume, but I can tell he is really upset. I immediately become concerned that it is work related since he went in late and begin to panic a bit inside. After asking a few times 'WHAT?!?' I finally get enough bits and pieces of the conversation to understand that he made it to work, parked the car and heard 'meowing' coming from under the hood of the car. He lifted the hood and found our kitty! The kitty was not hurt, thankfully, but I don't think Rick cared much as he now had to turn right around and drive the kitty all of the way back home and then drive back to work making him even later than he already was. My poor husband! the look on his face when he opened the front door and handed the kitty off to Rachel had us all in hysterical fits of laughter and snorting. He sneered at us, turned, got back into the Durango and drove away. We are still chuckling! He sent me a text demanding an adult only- animal free/child free vacation when my parents return from Russia. He requested a few days in Utah visiting family and friends, some good food, some hiking, a movie, a motorcycle ride and a Mani/Pedi.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
We have added 2 new babies to our family!
Sarah, Kymball & GEORGE |
Kymball wants to carry 'George' as she named her, around with her like a baby doll and hasn't quite realized how real & little the kitty is yet so we have to keep that closely under watch. We bought the kitty a few stuffed little mice and they seem to be its favorite toy so I am hopeful the transition to destroying real mice will be an easy one.
CASSIE |
Rick & LUCKY |
Rick, Ammon & ??? |
3 Years Old Today!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMMON!!!!
I am blown away by the passage of time... How slowly some days seem to drag by and then you turn around and weeks, years even have flown by too quickly. I look at my now 3 year old Ammon and remember how desperately I wanted to get through the first few months of infant status. With the stomach problems, jaundice and constant screaming my poor baby son was a mess and I was exhausted. I look at this little boy- no longer a toddler running through my house, wanting to potty train himself, telling us all that he likes a puppy not a kitty and determined to do all of the things that the big kids do and I feel that I would give almost anything to hold my 'baby' Ammon and kiss his sweet little baby face for just a little while.
I love that Ammon runs everywhere that he goes. He doesn't walk anywhere. He yells when he talks and he cant sit still for a moment. He is all over the place moving from this seat to that even when he is engrossed in a cartoon. He LOVES to be outside and doesn't care how sweaty or dirty he is- in fact the dirtier the better. He loves to dig int he dirt, swim int he pool and help me pick blackberries- he eats more berries than he puts into the bowl.
Ammon loves fishing, camping and playing ball. He likes chocolate and will eat all of the fruit in the house if I let him. He prefers broccoli uncooked and will eat it without dip and even when there are other choices- which just baffles his father. Ammon is a fun brother and keeps us all moving and playing. He loves to chase Kymball and harass her and he and Gabriel keep one another entertained with lego, playing cars, wrestling & even fighting most days. Sarah & Rachel adore him and he has learned what looks to give them to get away with being super naughty. His new thing is to tilt his head to the side, put his hands up against his cheek like he is going to pray and tell us 'I Promise' in his sweetest voice. this has saved him from more than one spank.
He is my most favorite Ammon and has added so much life and adventure to our family. He makes us smile, yell and laugh on a daily basis and we would be completely lost without him. We love our trips with him to the zoo as he runs from animal to animal excitedly yelling about them as if he has never seen them before. I love when he crawls into my lap with his 'blankie' and his 'binky' and snuggles with me- even though it doesn't us usually last for very long. He is my most favorite Ammon and I hope that he has a Wonderful 3rd Birthday!!!
I love that Ammon runs everywhere that he goes. He doesn't walk anywhere. He yells when he talks and he cant sit still for a moment. He is all over the place moving from this seat to that even when he is engrossed in a cartoon. He LOVES to be outside and doesn't care how sweaty or dirty he is- in fact the dirtier the better. He loves to dig int he dirt, swim int he pool and help me pick blackberries- he eats more berries than he puts into the bowl.
Ammon loves fishing, camping and playing ball. He likes chocolate and will eat all of the fruit in the house if I let him. He prefers broccoli uncooked and will eat it without dip and even when there are other choices- which just baffles his father. Ammon is a fun brother and keeps us all moving and playing. He loves to chase Kymball and harass her and he and Gabriel keep one another entertained with lego, playing cars, wrestling & even fighting most days. Sarah & Rachel adore him and he has learned what looks to give them to get away with being super naughty. His new thing is to tilt his head to the side, put his hands up against his cheek like he is going to pray and tell us 'I Promise' in his sweetest voice. this has saved him from more than one spank.
He is my most favorite Ammon and has added so much life and adventure to our family. He makes us smile, yell and laugh on a daily basis and we would be completely lost without him. We love our trips with him to the zoo as he runs from animal to animal excitedly yelling about them as if he has never seen them before. I love when he crawls into my lap with his 'blankie' and his 'binky' and snuggles with me- even though it doesn't us usually last for very long. He is my most favorite Ammon and I hope that he has a Wonderful 3rd Birthday!!!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Water Fight!!!
Cousin Renae & her boys- Javier & Josiah came to spend the weekend with us this past weekend and it was a lot of fun! We had a BBQ, played in the swimming pool, ate yummy food, went to the movies, played the wii & had a water balloon fight. Cousin Renae- the awesome big kid that she still is- brought a life time supply of water balloons and pretty much wore herself out filling them all up & tying them all off for the kids to use. It took a good chunk of the afternoon to get them filled & ready and all of 3 minutes to use them all up- but it made for a lot of fun, a lot of squealing & giggles and for some GREAT pictures! Thanks Renae- Gabe says that you are 'so much cooler than Mom!'
The Babies Birthday BBQ
It was that time of year again... Birthdays & Warm Weather! I LOVE IT!!! Kymball turned 2 & Ammon is just a few days away from turning 3 so we sent out the invitation to family.
It was time for a BBQ. We bought the hot dogs, soda & burgers, Rick heated up the grill, cousin Lisa made the cakes, everyone brought swimming suits and a dish to share and the fun began!!! We had a little bit of rain at first- just long enough for the guys to get soaked while they tried to grill the food. Luckily the skies cleared while we ate.
We were so blessed to have family drive in from out of state to join us and even stay the weekend so we were party central- or at least we felt like it. We sure missed our loved ones that couldn't join us & had some good laughs about all of the fun with them in years past. It was a wonderful weekend full of happy moments and I am so grateful for everyone that came to celebrate 2 of my favorite little ones. Here are some photos from the BBQ!
Ammon and Kymball had a lot of fun with family, swimming, presents and their own cakes. I don't think we had any problems getting them to bed that night. That is the way to go- good food, wonderful family, laughter & fun. Thank you everyone for making it such a fun day- Let's get together again very soon! We LOVE you!
We were so blessed to have family drive in from out of state to join us and even stay the weekend so we were party central- or at least we felt like it. We sure missed our loved ones that couldn't join us & had some good laughs about all of the fun with them in years past. It was a wonderful weekend full of happy moments and I am so grateful for everyone that came to celebrate 2 of my favorite little ones. Here are some photos from the BBQ!
Ammon and Kymball had a lot of fun with family, swimming, presents and their own cakes. I don't think we had any problems getting them to bed that night. That is the way to go- good food, wonderful family, laughter & fun. Thank you everyone for making it such a fun day- Let's get together again very soon! We LOVE you!
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