First Fracture

Yesterday morning I was gone and apparently Savannah fell off her bed while playing and landed on her pinky finger. I didn't know anything was wrong until later.

At the Marathon Kids Kick-Off I kept trying to hold her hand and she was freaking out that her finger hurt. I thought she was just complaining about a little hangnail or something so I just took her other hand. She kept complaining about it off and on throughout the day. She was also really weepy all day long, crying tons and eventually took a nap. Finally in the evening I told her to go clean up some toys. She bumped her hand on something and started sobbing. I finally looked closer and saw that her finger and hand was bruised and pretty swollen. Then I felt bad that I hadn't looked at it closer earlier in the day. Dallin and I decided to take her to Urgent Care to make sure it wasn't broken. The regular Urgent Care was closed so I took her to an off-site Emergency Room. It's basically exactly the same as the ER, just not attached to a hospital. And hardly crowded at all. By then I had iced her finger for a little while so the bruising looked a little better.They took X-rays and told us that it was just a sprain. She'd need to wear a splint for a few days.The ER just called me back today though (Sunday, the next day) and said that the radiologist took a closer look. There is a tiny fracture at the base of her finger. Luckily she doesn't need a cast or anything. She just has to wear the splint for 2-3 weeks. Then we have to take her in to the pediatrician and have another X-ray. I'm so glad it's on her left hand, since she's right-handed. I think it's amazing that I have 4 boys who have never been to the ER, but my little girl has already been twice.

Marathon Kids 2010 Kick-Off

Yesterday the older kids and I went to the Marathon Kids Kick-Off. It's a free program they do every year here in Austin. The kids keep track and run a marathon, or 26.2 miles between now and February. Then at the Finale Celebration they get a medal. I knew Connor would have fun so I brought him along too. They were passing out free bandanas, which Savannah & Jacob thought were pretty cool.

This is what happens when I say "smile."

Connor loved the "characters." They were there to represent some of the sponsors. The big blue bear was from Blue Cross Blue Shield and the vegetables were from Whole Foods. There was a corn on the cob, a banana, a strawberry and a carrot. When we got down to the field though we passed right by them and both Savannah & Connor freaked out a little. Savannah asked me if it was a real bear. As much as she loves stuffed animals, she HATES them when they're huge and walking around.

They had some entertainment while we waited to run our starting lap on the track. Connor loved the middle school drum line. They danced all around and put on quite a show.

Here they are at the starting line. A bunch of the UT athletes were on the edge of the track, giving the kids "high-fives" as they ran past. Connor & Savannah ran right on the edge so they could slap everyone's hands. They all had a great time I think.

Seussical Musical

Zach had his 2nd Grade Musical on Tuesday evening. It was all songs with a Dr. Seuss theme. He did a great job!

Here's a short clip singing the "Green Eggs & Ham" song...

Baby Belly

Smiling at Daddy

We borrowed some baby clothes from a friend that will fit Landon for the winter. He is now officially Texan, wearing University of Texas longhorn clothes.

I am Mormon

My friend posted this on her blog today. With her permission I'm posting it here because I just loved it. I think it sums up how I feel about being Mormon. I'm so blessed to have the gospel in my life.

"I am Mormon.

Being Mormon means praying. It means praying at stop lights, at the grocery store, during soccer games and kneeling on the floor of a messing toy room surrounded by your family. It means praying so long, you forget where you began and where you ended. It is prayers offered in Tagalog, sign language, and Russian. And knowing that Heavenly Father hears you all the same.

Being Mormon means 19 year old boys, far away at the ends of the earth. They are sitting in white washed rooms, in cinder block houses, some with flooring, some without, sharing their testimonies and eating fried cockroaches. They are flung to far corners of the planet, to places few have ever heard of, where they speak the native language and write home about having tap worm and hand washing their own clothes in a small creek.

Being Mormon means your wedding isn’t at a drive-through chapel with Elvis. It’s a spiritual ceremony with quiet laughter and streaming tears in a holy temple with spires piercing the heavens. It means wedding receptions where the finest thing may be waxy chocolates and sparkling punch and a basket ball hoop covered in balloons and streamers. But it's heaven and means eternity.

Being Mormon means not knowing exactly how many children Heavenly Father would like you to have, but being terrifyingly open to it all the same.

It means loving those children. Baring them one by one, and then settling into your family structure, at last, like a comfortable chair. It means growing with your family, mellowing with the years until your children become your greatest offering to God. With a prayer, you place them on the altar, step back, and realize they are your life's work.

Being Mormon means funerals where the meal afterwards (the ham and funeral potatoes, lime jello and mint brownies) are as much anticipated as the stories told and songs sung, remembering your grandpa, your baby niece, your dear friend, now gone. But you know you will see them again, and along with hugs from everyone in your ward family, somehow, that helps.

Being Mormon means singing. Singing in a choir, in a congregation, at the top of your lungs or whispered hums in a baby’s ear. Songs that teach you the heart of what you believe. And you carry them with you as truth, flung over your shoulders ready to rescue you from dark and sad places.

Being Mormon means taking steps from darkness into light. It means taking your heavy heart to Christ and sharing it with him. Letting it go. It is the Atonement and forgiveness. It means service, even when you'd rather not make another casserole or be a nursery worker when you have 2 children already in there. You do it because you love Him and in truth, it is your privilege.

Being Mormon means falling asleep reading the scriptures more times than you'll ever admit. But knowing they are there, all the same, to wrap you in comfort and sanity.

It means Joseph Smith, the sacred grove, the visiting angels, and The Book of Mormon. It means finding out for yourself one dark night while kneeling. Knowing it was real. Knowing that it's true.

For every Mormon there is on this beautiful earth, there is a different growing up in the gospel experience. The flavor that gives to an individual’s testimony is unique every time. But it is all real and true. It is all of us.

I am Mormon. It is who I am."

-R. Jacobs-

I love these kids...

Here are some random pictures from the last couple of weeks. I am so thankful that I get to be home with these amazing kids all day and watch them grow. It's fun being a mom.Savannah went to a "Superhero Party" for a friend's birthday (who is a boy). She decided that she wanted to be Catwoman, even though Catwoman is really one of the "bad guys." We had all the stuff in our dress-up boxes except for the mask and ears...which we made out of felt for 50 cents. She had an awesome time.

Jacob is such a good example to all of our kids and really loves his siblings. He put Landon to sleep and even shared his blanket with him.

This little chunker is growing up way too fast and has been rolling over for a while now.

The kids just can't get enough of his smiles...

Yesterday was "Career Day" at school. The kids were supposed to dress like what they want to be when they grow up. Zach wants to be an oceanographer, but we couldn't figure out what to have him wear. So he settled on his second choice, which is a geologist (or "rock collector" in his words). He wore a forehead flashlight and a bag of rocks tied to his belt. He was bummed that I took the batteries out of the flashlight, but I knew that would only cause trouble at school. Savannah wants to be a "pet doctor." So she wore the play stethoscope and tied a puppy to her belt. The most exciting part of her day was when one of the presenters for her class was a dog trainer. Jacob has been on an army kick lately so that's what he dressed as. He was ecstatic when a National Guard guy was one of his presenters and he won a free t-shirt. He came home wearing it...all the way down to his knees.

These videos are for Grandma...

Raingutter Regatta

Jacob had Pack Meeting for cub scouts this past Saturday. They did a "Raingutter Regatta." Basically it was a boat race. But first they had an award ceremony.Jacob worked hard during the summer and earned a couple of beads and a whole bunch of other stuff (belt loops, pins, etc.).

He started his boat at a den meeting and then finished it up at home with Dallin.

It was really windy outside, which did not help at all. The boys were supposed to blow their boats with a straw, but the wind was knocking them all over the place.

They still had fun though.

Then they did a water balloon toss, which was all the kids' favorite part (and the dads too I think).

When Dallin tried to toss it to Zach he just covered his ears and let it pop right in front of him. He doesn't like loud noises and I think he thought it would be really loud or something.

Savannah had a great time playing toss with a friend. They had an indestructible water balloon that didn't want to pop...which was good because neither one of them could really catch very well.

My little buddy

Connor is my little buddy during the day now. But don't call him "little" or he'll get mad. He's a "big boy." We were pretty busy the first few weeks of school, but things are finally starting to slow down. And I have time to hang out with this cute boy during the day. We attempted story time again at the library. He was not too happy about it the first time we went, but today he really got into it. It helped that one of his friends just happened to be there at the same time. He's also had some fun play dates.

He loves to paint...

...and color. The weather if finally getting nice this week and he has spent hours in the backyard. Luckily the mud hole is all dried up.

We have been trying to go on lots of walks before it gets freezing cold in the mornings. This is our favorite trail. A few weeks ago we had major flooding in Round Rock near the creeks. It rained hard for 2 days straight. This trail was completely covered up to 10 feet above the ground. It just blows my mind because the creek is pretty far down below the trail and the area is really wide across, if you look at the last picture. When you click on this picture you can see some of the damage done. There were tress that were ripped out and everything is just a mess. Lots of shrubbery and stuff stuck all over the fences.

Connor is a little stick collector and loves showing each one to Landon.