Fishermen

Today it was gorgeous weather in NW Arkansas!  The air was crisp, the sun was shining and there was a nice little breeze.  We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and hopped in the van and cruised on over to Beaver lake and did some fishing as a family.  The boys have their own little poles and love to cast and reel in.  They actually have become really good casters!

We didn't catch anything, but I think the best part of it all was just being outdoors as a family in beautiful nature!

I'll post Halloween pictures tomorrow. 

Healing

Jimmy is looking much better.  He feels "all better" so he says.  He is so cute, he'll say "Mom!  I'm all better- look I can run!"  And then he'll jog in place for like 10 seconds.  The bruises on his face look a lot better- but they are still there!  You can see them quite well still on the side of his mouth, under his jaw and under his eye.  

  

I can't believe how much bruising was caused by the surgery and how long it is taking to completely clear up (It will be 2 weeks since surgery in a couple of days).  He still limps a bit, but he's able to walk (and even almost run a bit) with so much more ease. 

I still get quite anxious and nervous he's going to bump his mouth.  Monday was a hard day, he had 2 separate occasions where he bumped his lip.  The first time he and Johnny were just playing legos in their bedroom and Johnny accidentally elbowed him as they were "digging for legos".  The second time was in my bedroom- he was standing at the foot of my bed while Johnny was jumping on the bed, being a clown.  Jimmy was watching him and tipped his face forward into the comforter because he was laughing so hard.  It caused a few drops of blood to spurt out from his mouth onto my comforter and scared me to death.  I thought he must have bumped the bone graft site really hard.  He assured me he just bumped it on my blanket and it didn't hurt that bad.  But seeing the blood had me about in tears and so worried.

I decided it was okay to just plant the boys in front of the TV and keep them preoccupied that way.  So they've watched a lot of movies the past few days.  It's been worth it- Jimmy hasn't bumped his mouth a single time since Monday, so I've realized the safest place for this full of energy five year old is probably in front of the TV.

Jimmy's little hip scar has healed well.  He says the scar itself is kind of hard and itchy, but I think that means it is healing.  I am sad he'll have yet another scar on his little body, but hopefully this bone graft will take and it will all be worth it.

Help me Obi-wan Kenobi

You're our only hope.

Today I decided that Alice would be Princess Leia.  Being that the boys want to be "star wars" again for the 4th Halloween in a row, I thought I might at least coordinate this little sis with her big brothers.

To make Alice's costume, I used the following 2 items:
1 brown dish towel
1 white pillow case

Total cost was $1.00.

Tonight, after the kids all went down, I started to disect the brown dishtowel and embarked on my sewing project.  Only problem, was after about 5 minutes of sewing, my sewing machine broke.  Broke as in would not stitch a single stitch.  So I had to resort to a hot glue gun the rest of the way.  The Leia hat didn't turn out too bad for being "glued" together eh?

And her dress- that was the easiest thing ever.  I just cut a hole for the head and arms in the pillow case and cut off the trim and used it as a sash. 

 

Ta da!  Baby Princess Leia.

I can't wait until the boys wake up.  They will be so excited to hear that they will have a "real live" princess Leia to rescue this year.

Autumn Colours again

I just love the colours of Autumn - they blend together so well.
For this card I have printed a digi quote on to a mottled card and sponged the edge with distress ink. I have punched out the flowers and leaves, and ran the darker flowers through my cuttlebug to give a texture. The two green flourishes were also cut with the c/b. I hope you like it.
I am entering the following challenges 


http://ecpchallenges.blogspot.com/
for Autumn colours
http://thecuttlebugspot.blogspot.com/
for Autumn colours
http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/
'punch em'
http://craftycreationschallenges.blogspot.com/
Autumn
http://creativecottagechallenge.blogspot.com/
Embossing

Simply Create DT Gift Bag

Evening folks, just managed to fit in this gift bag for Simply Create before I tidy my desk up for the weekend. Little people staying the weekend and I will be far from keeping them from pulling my stash to bits. Off to SECC in Glasgow  with my friend Aud for a whole weekend of craft and a little trip to see The Drifters in concert and hopefully meet up with some of my teemies from Simply Create.

and yet another

I quickly made this card after work today and quite pleased with how it has turned out. I printed the vintage image to layer on to the rest of the elements. I am entering in
http://charismacardz.blogspot.com/
for their vintage challenge.
http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com/
for their 'freebie' challenge
http://thecraftypad.blogspot.com/
for their Christmas challenge

Purple Christmas

Another C card to add to the pile. This one is based on a recipe from
http://craftyourdaysaway.blogspot.com/ 
for their chllenge. I have used circles, 2 papers and 3 ribbons
I can also enter at
http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/
Anything goes.
http://thecraftypad.blogspot.com/
Christmas theme

Altered Box Vintage Style!

Morning folks, hasn't been any time for blogging or crafting this past week. Was itching to settle down and finish my altered box for Simply Create. My DT box of goodies landed on my doorstep over a week ago and the beginning of last week was the first opportunity I had to get my hands on it. Started to play around with my altered box and has lain and teased me until, finally got some me time

All home

James and Jimmy flew in last night. It is SO GOOD to have them back. I missed them so much. Jimmy is just taking it easy. He still walks with quite a limp, and his face is still really bruised, but he's getting better every day (today he told me "Mom, I'm all better", but I can still tell he's on the road to recovery).

My heart feels so tender to see Jimmy with all these "owies". With the other surgeries, the recovery has for the most part been on the inside of the mouth. This bone graft surgery is not only on the inside, but so apparent on the outside too. It just looks like this time it hurts so much more. In fact, yesterday when I picked them up from the airport, I couldn't help but wonder what all the other people on the plane/airport thought when they saw Jimmy- he looks like a little abused kid with all those bruises and his limp!

I wish so bad I could take the pain away from little Jimmy, make his limp go away and make him all better. He's such a tough, brave little kid. Sometimes almost too tough (I wish he'd just sit and cuddle with me more).

Here are some pics of the kids (Jimmy took the last one of Alice all by himself). I think the incision site on the hip bone is probably the hardest for me as his mom to look at. It just looks like it hurts so bad- I don't like thinking about them actually taking bone from that tiny little hip.

 

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. We are so relieved to have this surgery done with. A little apprehensive knowing that we'll have to go through the bone graft again with little Johnny in a couple years, but at least this next time we'll know completely what to expect.

Here comes my baby

 

I finally got Alice crawling on video.

Thanks to her having big brothers, she has also resorted to crawling to dodge nerf balls thrown in her direction.

 

Thanks to our friends Sarah and Lily for the sophie the giraffe prop!

 

What's a cute caption for the above picture?  In real-life she was watching her brother chuck a nerf baseball.

recovering artist

 James sent me these 2 pictures from his phone.  It makes me so sad to see Jimmy so swollen and his face so misshapen. 

 

He seems to still be an ambitious little artist amidst all this swelling though.  Can you guess what the above picture is?

WOYWW

 

It's Wednesday morning and there's been a dusting of snow, bbrrrrr!  Time to have a nosey round each others craft space once again over on WOYWW.  If you've got a five mins to spare ( tounge in cheek) it's fun, meet like minded folks and lets me see so many folks with a desk like mine! Love it!
My desk this week has my DT kit from Simply Create, my local craft haven where I can escape reality

Jimmy's bone graft update

Jimmy is doing pretty well.  He's up and walking!  He was able to walk real slowly (and limping the whole way) to the hospital play room. 

 As you can see in the pictures, he is pretty swollen.  Dr. Morales says the swelling/bruising in his little face will probably continue until Thursday.  He's such a trooper.  My heart aches to see these pictures and not be able to touch him- to hug him and tell him in person that all is going to be okay.  I know it would have been a circus for me to be out there in SLC with Johnny and Alice in tow, but it is really hard to see these pictures and be so far away.  When I asked him over the phone how he was doing he replied "good".  Then when I asked him if he hurt more in his mouth or his hip, he replied "both hurt bad".  Poor guy.

A really nice mom who I know via the email Utah cleft group stopped by yesterday and gave Jimmy this really cool airplane book.  Thanks Kate!  As you can see Jimmy loves making the airplanes in it.  What a PERFECT gift for him!  Kate has baby twins, one of which was born with a cleft.  It was so thoughtful of her to stop by and see James/Jimmy.

Jimmy has to be real careful not to bump the bone graft site for the next few months.  The doctor doesn't want him to participate in any sort of physical activity were his mouth could get bumped.  So no recess or PE for this Kindergartner.  Those are some of his favorite times at school, so the next couple of months will be hard.  I'm going to try and see if I can be innovative and visit him at school when he's having to "sit it out", and such.  He also is on a liquid diet for the next week, and then soft foods for a month.  I think I mentioned that in our previous post.

The doctor is letting them go home today.  They'll go down to Springville and stay with Lisa and Taylor (my sister and brother in law) for a couple days and then fly home to us here in Arkansas.  Thank you so much Lisa for taking care of my baby! 

I sure do miss 'em.

Hello Jell-o!

I just talked to James and Jimmy is out of the operating room. Dr. Morales is all done. James is just waiting for them to call him back to the recovery room to see Jimmy. Sounds like all went well. We'll know whether or not the graft took in a couple months when they'll do an x-ray. Jimmy will be on a liquid diet for a week, a soft foods diet for a month.  And he got the expander put back in and it will stay there until we get the "okay" from the x-rays.

Hello Jell-o for a month! Anyone have any good smoothie recipes?

Dear Daddy and Jimmy,

So Mom and baby sister Alice aren't all that bad.  I've actually had some fun here without you two believe it or not.

Last night I got to sleep in mom's bed, which was fun.  I cuddled her and amused her with my snores.  She said I was like a little bear cub.  Maybe I take after Great Grandpa Bear?

 This morning we woke up and I asked Mom "what we going to do today?"  Mom said it was Sunday and we were going to go to church.  At first I didn't want to go and didn't want to get dressed.  Then mom coaxed me into getting ready.  She got me all dressed up spiffy in shirt and tie and pants and socks.  Mom combed my hair and I told her "make it like a rock star", to which she replied "OK".  She told me she was going to hop in the shower and that we had to leave in 15 minutes.  So I had 15 minutes to put my church shoes on.  

Instead, I thought it would be funny to undress myself down to my underwear and upon her getting out of the shower, tell her that I changed my mind and didn't want to wear that outfit anymore.  She had to dress me again- I kind of argued with her about who was going to button up my buttons.  And then I looked in the mirror and saw that mom indeed did not make my hair look like a rock star, so I threw a little tantrum.  That'll learn her.

After pulling ourselves together, we hopped in the car, and scurried off to church (25 minutes late).  Church was cool.  I loved nursery.  Well I loved it until the very end, when I didn't get to finish drawing my picture.  That part I didn't love, and I cried.

When we got home, we ate leftovers for lunch, I played with Alice, and afterward we read a story about a groundhog, and then I took a nap.  Mom made some easy cinnamon rolls while I slept.  When I woke up, I drew pictures of satellites (complete with cameras on their wings).  Mom put the pictures inside of  thank you notes and we taped them to the cinnamon rolls, and piled in the car to make some special deliveries to my nursery teachers, sister "Bonnie", sister "bowish", and sister "earing-done".  I think they liked the treats.  I even got to doorbell ditch which was fun.

On our way home, we stopped at the sidewalk trail-the one that goes through the pretty forest, and took a family walk.  We even saw a real-live nutria!  Well Mommy saw it.  I couldn't see it.

We sure did miss you.  I really missed having Jimmy to throw rocks in the creek with me.  

And I missed Daddy to carry me when my knees got tired. 

 

Alice was kind of boring.  She just sat there in her car seat.  Sometimes she would laugh and giggle, but she mostly just looks around.  Sitting pretty I'd say.

I saw pink leaves, and green leaves and yellow leaves.  Some of the trees are already naked and have lost all their leaves!  

This must be fall.

Then we came home and had omelets for dinner.  It was yummy.  I really like eggs as you know and gobbled them up.

Then we played "on your mark set go" with the space ships and read the comics.  Then we called you on the phone.  I was full of giggles and wanted to talk gibberish with David.

After we hung up the phone I cried and wailed to Mommy "I want to go to Utah right now!"  I felt kind of left out of the fun you guys and David are having.  I wish I was there with you.

Jimmy, buddy I sure do love you.  Good luck tomorrow.  I can't wait until I'm big like you and I have my surgery.

Missing you like crazy, 

Johnny

More for Christmas

Here is a cute little guy all ready to throw his snowball.
I have stamped snowflakes on the card and used 2 papers for the stripe. Have enbellished with 3 snowflake peel-offs, a Merry Christmas peel-off, 3 tiny blue bling stars and of course a tiny pompom for the snowball.
I can enter the following challenges
Simon Says Christmas with 3 embellishments, 2 dp's and one image
Christmas Stampin Christmas
Quixotic Challenges Christmas is coming

And they're off!

*On a side note- as I was talking to Jimmy tonight on the phone he told me he was nervous.  I asked him if he was nervous about the surgery, he said "yes".  When I asked him why he was nervous about the surgery, he replied, "I'm scared I'm gonna die".  I assured him he WOULD NOT die.  I told him that this was just a little surgery and he'd be drinking slushies and holding Daddy's hand when he woke up.

But gosh, that just about broke my heart hearing him say that!  Hurry home boys!

Christmas is coming- - -

- - - so I need to make a concentrated effort with my Christmas cards.
I cut this one with my nesties and then embossed with a sizzix folder.
Smooshed it with a green tea ink pad, added some Christmas ribbon, a recycled message, and a glittered star. I can enter the following challenges
  Crafty Cardmakers   anything but square
Christmas Stampin   Christmas
Quixotic Challenge   Christmas is coming
Inky Impressions   Anything goes