What Have We Been Doing???

Lots!!!!

We have been busy!!!

We have had such a good time

while up here.

However,

the most exciting thing during out trip,

happened 2 weeks ago today!!

I needed to get the kids

out of the house a bit,

for everyone's sake.

I had a couple of passes to 

one of those inflatable bounce places

leftover from when we lived here.

So we quickly did some of our basic

school work
(on the back deck cause we could),


and the littles got to play a bit while we were working...
must be nice to be little.
Haha!

I packed snacks,

and we headed out.

We got there around 11ish

Mr. T wasn't really sure what to think,

so it took him a bit to warm up.

That was fine though,
because R had 

putzed around that morning
while J was doing school 

work,
so he had to sit and work on his

math for a bit.

I finally gave in & let him go play,
I wanted to make sure I got
my money's worth!
HAHA!

The place was pretty much empty 

so I let the older two do their thing and
Mr T was starting to warm up...
I had just convinced him, 

that the neat little toddler one

at the front was ok to go in
and 

it wasn't going to eat him...

Then R comes RUNNING to the front,

'Mommy, J is hurt, he needs you!

He just keeps saying "Go get Mommy, go get Mommy!!"

So I told R to stay with the littles and I ran to J.

As soon as I got to him I KNEW

he had broken his arm
(right above his wrist).

So I called my mom and told her 

"I need you here NOW.

J broke his arm!"

Luckily we were only about 7 minutes from my folks house.

I did my best to reassure and calm my broken baby
(fighting the urge to just hold and rock him and cry!).

As I hurriedly got shoes on the littles and got them 

strapped in the stroller so I could focus on J.

I packed all of our other stuff up

then left J inside with the make shift splint I had requested
and instructed the staff on how to apply while I was
trying to deal with the other 3.


(after they cut if off, I am thankful I was able to
think and realize this was required!)

I got the others in the car right as my mom was pulling in.

So I left her loading up the other 3

and off J and I went to the ER.
We called daddy on the way...
I was calm and wound up having to leave a message.
He texted back and asked me to call when we could.
We called him on the walk into the ER
just so daddy could talk to J.
I know it was TORTURE
on my husband
not being there with us for that.

Luckily there wasn't a wait at the ER,

so we went right on back.

I then called my bestie

(who just happens to work as an ER nurse 

AT that hospital

and lives about 3 minutes away)

She showed up and helped me through it!

The nurses blew out two veins trying to get a

line in to him!
Momma & J were NOT happy campers...

Finally the best nurse in the world

(well second best)

came in and literally

hooked him right up!

Once we got some drugs in him,
he relaxed quite a bit.

Here he is post drugs watching
SpongeBob -
mommy detests! SpongeBob,
but I figured I could manage
and his brain wouldn't rot any
since he was doped up anyways.




Then we had to get x-rays



and
wait for ortho.


(yeah - your arm is NOT supposed to look like this!)

At this point, things were kinda
calming down and my bestie
had to work that night,
so I thanked her
profusely
and told her how much I loved her
and how she was just the best
and that I could probably handle it from here.

She said she would hang out for a bit more,
then she would leave.
We had been informed that they would
have to sedate him to
"set" the bone.

A short time later,
our ER nurse came in to hook the monitors up to him,


(he was able to squeeze out a sudo-smile for mommy)

then in came the nurse tech to monitor the monitors,
then the respiratory therapist came in,

she hooked him up to oxygen.

then the ortho pulls in this contraption
(xray machine on wheels)
then the ER doc...
So we had a ROOM FULL!



Me and my bestie crept into a corner...
then I was told I couldn't stay in there after they sedated him
So my bestie,
watching everything that was going on,
quietly attempted to usher me out.
I resisted,
then she insisted.

I wanted to hang out by the door,
but she wouldn't let me...
she walked me back into the family waiting area
of the ER
we sunk into a couch and I just sunk into her.

Then I thanked her again for staying,
she smiled and informed me
that she had intentionally stayed for that part,
because she knew it was going to be hard on me.

I will say that through out the entire day,
I held it together pretty well,
I almost cried twice,
but was able to hold it together.

Some people might think
"Over a broken arm??"
Yep,
thankfully,
none of my family,
daredevil husband included,
has had a broken arm...
or a broken anything
besides finger or hand...
or toe...

So this was all new to me!
And at the end of the day,
I am so THANKFUL
that all we have had to deal with thus far...
with 4 kids,
is a single broken arm!

My sweet boy did PHENOMENAL!!

We were able to go back in as they were finishing up.



Then they woke him up
and cleared the room.

He drifted in and out for a bit,
and I went up to him to comfort him and let him
know I was there when he opened his eyes once.
He acknowledged me
and then informed me
that I had four eyes!
My bestie laughed and caught a picture of that!



They wrapped his arm up pretty good due to the location
and type of break.

He was happy when we were finally able to head
back to Nana & Papa's.


(doesn't he look excited here?)

(I PROMISE he is not that doped up still!
My camera and the kids just don't seem to
function at the right time - I am FOREVER
getting them blinking!)

And my poor husband was really upset
that he was 1500 miles away...
It was tough on all of us.

We Skyped Daddy that night just so J
could see daddy's face.

We decided that one of the positives of breaking
your arm was you got more attention


(your older brother will entertain you while you take a bath)

and more mommy time...


(my sweet broken boy)

He got to sleep with mommy and was greeted with
"ruff ruff"
when we got home.
Yes my 6 yo still has a lovie...
nana bought it for him at the hospital
when he was born.
And it has been LOVED!

Monday,
we met with the ortho
and
J got his "real" cast.


(not sure what's up with the funny face)

Mommy got prime real estate on the cast!
I let him choose where I could sign...



And we have saved a spot right next to mine for daddy!

We also found out that the type of break
and location of the break are
VERY unstable.
So it could quite possibly move...
which means surgery!
So I was informed to put him in
as much of a bubble as I can.
Um yeah!
He is a 6 yo boy,
with an 8 yo brother
(who helped get him this broken arm
I am SURE!)

J is a fall risk...
so there goes most of the other fun things
we had planned for our trip...

But we can't stay cooped up in the house
for the next 4 weeks...

And we haven't...
It hasn't slowed us down much!

How we got here...

How we got where?

Why NC, of course!  

Back in February we learned that my younger

sister and her husband were expecting their first child.

I am not that keen on things at times,

I admit it...

we Skyped my sister and her hubby

(not terribly unusual)

Then she told us that there was someone else

there with them.

I was oblivious...

then she held up an ultrasound picture...

and I am not sure if I just wasn't "willing" to put that 

all together or if I was again

oblivious...

R, 

my then 7 year old, said

"Is that a baby???"

My sis said "YEP!"

I flipped out and just started crying!

Fast forward a few months,

and we decided that I wanted to be here for 

the birth.

To support my sister...

So we planned an extended family trip up here.

Not totally thinking all of it through,

but figured we would manage.  

After months of anticipation by R, 

the oldest,

the month of our trip was finally upon us.

I had marked the date on the calendar.

So they saw it every day...

R started packing about 2 weeks in advance.

Maybe more...

I know I unpacked his suitcase 

atleast twice.

I finally suggested he start making a list

of things he wanted to bring instead of packing it.

Then showed him my list on my computer...

Then I marked on the calendar which day he could start packing...

We were leaving on a Sunday,

so I told him he could start packing the Thursday

before we were leaving.

So Tuesday, his laundry hamper mysteriously 

appears downstairs in the kitchen.

I figured he was out of 

socks

or 

underwear

or 

shorts.

Then I hear this

thump

thump

thump

thump

So I follow the noise

to find him standing at the bottom of the steps with

MY laundry hamper.

I gave him a puzzled look.

He proceeds to drag it, too, into the kitchen.

And then

STARTED SORTING IT!

What in the world??

They do help me with laundry,

so this is one of his chores, 

but I typically have to prompt.

He informed me that he wanted to make sure

all of his favorite clothes were cleaned

and that he looked his best.

WOW!!

Then after sorting

and seeing our work load

ahead of us...

the child had the nerve to ask me if it would

be done by Thursday?!?!

Did I mention this all happened Tuesday morning.

I assured him it would, in fact, be done by Thursday

and that it would actually be done that evening.

He was skeptical.

So we finally packed on Saturday.  

Loaded the car Saturday evening...

then loaded the kids...

Sunday morning at 4am.

(My daughter is TOTALLY faking sleep here)

This was taken 30 minutes in...

they were so excited, 

they wouldn't fall back asleep!

Finally they started to relax.

About 3 hours in, 

they all started really waking up.

I got some awesome pictures of the sunrise

over downtown Houston,

but somehow I lost ALL of 

my pictures on my SD card

shortly after we got here.

So what you are seeing are the "few" I actually

uploaded to FB.

Houston

We stopped to grab breakfast and 

then piled back in and kept 

trucking.

Over 5 hours into our trip and we FINALLY made

it out of Texas! 

Mercy!!

It says Welcome to Louisiana - trust me. 

We decided to make a couple of "fun" stops.

We were lured by all the signs on the side of the highway...

We wound up at the

"Candy Castle"

or something like that,

somewhere on I-10

in Louisiana.

Yep,

it was my idea to get them hopped up on sugar

then shove them back in a car for 8 more hours!

Look, its like two kids in a candy store...

hahah!!

With all this candy before them

R chose "Gushers" and "Bubble Tape"

I told him I would buy that for him at a regular store

and encouraged him to get something "different".

We wound up with about 15 different flavors of taffy,

which wasn't a big hit.

But I did call Nana and asked her to purchase a 

box of "Gushers" and have them waiting for R

if she happened to go to the store before we got there.

She was happy to oblige and they were waiting for R upon his arrival.

Along with being lured by the candy shop,

I was also intrigued by the

"Specialty Meat" shops

advertised...

mostly for the hubs,

cause he is one of those that will

try just about anything.

NOT ME!

I just like looking at it and getting grossed out by 

some of the stuff people eat.

EWWW!

So we stopped and saw this fella

at 

"Don's Specialty Meats"

a little further down I-10

in Louisiana.

 

In the less than 2 minutes it took me to take this picture

a vicious fire ant left me with a gift on my pinkie toe that would 

keep on giving the rest of our trip!

We finally called it a night around 7:30 pm

fifteen and a half hours after we started.

We made it to the east side of Montgomery.

We got a later start the next morning,

and within an hour,

realized WHY we usually

hit the road BEFORE the kids are awake!

We stopped no less than 3 times in the first hour.

Gas, potty, Starbucks, potty...

REALLY???

(this was taken after we all piled in and before the FIRST stop)

Finally trucking in the right direction...

we zipped through the rest of Alabama,

Georgia, South Carolina

and finally I saw this!!!

WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA!!!

 (again, you gotta trust me)

We finally arrived at my folks house

at 7:30pm.

We were greeted by my VERY pregnant sister,

her hubs and my folks.

The next day, we tooled around Raleigh a tad,

then put daddy on a plane back to Texas...

What a trip!

There were LOTS more pictures

taken

however,

my phone died a slow painful

death and took my pictures with it.

ARGH!!!

We get to do it again in a few weeks

but the hubs promised to take me back

via the NC mountains...

MY FAVORITE!!!

Why We are Here!!!

Why we are where??

Why we are back in NC...

My amazing and beautiful sister and her husband,

were blessed with their first child on Sept 25th.

Lucy Mae!

We were so thankful and blessed to be able to be

here with them to celebrate and witness the joy

of these two parents on the arrival of this

precious gift from God.

My oldest is smitten!!

He is such a baby lover,

has been since his little brother, J, was born

when R was 22 mo old.

R never left J's side.

My poor sweet girl has had a bit of a lingering cough,

so we aren't letting her anywhere near the baby

and it is torturing her! 

But she is managing well!!

And Mr. T, well he is just not that interested to tell you the truth,

and doesn't get jealous when I hold her either.

But THIS is why we packed our family

up and drove 1500 miles...

THIS!