The Cutest Little Broken Foot Ever

If you haven't heard our news, yes, Joseph has a broken foot. There are two possible scenarios, and I -- the mother of the year -- am ashamed to say I don't know exactly when the break occured.

We were at the park on Thursday, when Joseph went down the slide and landed hard -- another child came down on top of him, since he didn't get up right away, and he was complaining of pain . . . for all of 15 seconds, after which he went running off like everything was fine. That evening, he fell off the couch and landed kinda funny, and was complaining again. But once again, he returned to normal play almost immediately, and we thought nothing of it.

The next day, he winced a little when I put his shoe on, but I didn't see anything wrong with his foot, and he kept on playing hard all day. At bedtime, as I was putting on his pajamas, I noticed his foot was bruised and swollen. Chris took him to the doctor, and they were sent over to the hospital for x-rays. Sure enough, he had a small fracture and would need a cast.

Again, I don't know why this photo is sideways -- I flipped it in the edit, but oh well. The break is so tiny you can't really see it in the pictures, but it's on the outside foot bone, near the top of the tarsal.



When he and Chris got home Friday night, with the foot neatly splinted, Joseph ran around the house and played football. He was feeling no pain, thanks in part to the motrin he was on.




Relaxing on the couch, chocolate milk in hand. The baby doll got checked out by the doctor as well -- Joseph explained that the doll had an owie on his foot too, and both had their feet wrapped.



Today we took him to get his cast. I took photos of the bruising and swelling, although you can't see it very well. But isn't his foot so cute!??!

He was very somber during the casting. He sat quite still and was the perfect patient. I was a little afraid of a repeat of the day Lindsey got her cast on (at 18 months), when I got so queasy and light-headed that they had to put me on a table before I passed out. Luckily, Joseph and I were both fine, with no crying or fainting from either of us.

He pointed out all the numbers on the paper. Smarty-pants.

The boy with one blue shoe.

Watching "The Little Mermaid" on TV.

A cast on a baby is the saddest and cutest thing there is. Good thing he's such a little tough guy.

I Stink At Thinking of Titles For These Posts

While Amanda and Drew were in town, my lucky kids were thoroughly spoiled, in many ways. They got to swim in the pool at the hotel where their aunt and uncle were staying, which of course they think is the most fun it's possible to have.

Isn't this the most beautiful girl on the planet? I sure think so.



Joseph was not too sure he thought swimming was fun -- I guess he had forgotten how much he adored it last year! It took him a while to get used to the idea.



Manda and Drew played catch with Lindsey.

Mr. Cool in the hot tub.

Not sure why this came out sideways -- I know I flipped it. Oh well, it's my cutie scootie having lots of fun.

Starting to feel happier.

Nathaniel didn't want any photos taken, so we only got a couple of shots of him.

He kills me with those eyes -- absolutely melts my heart.

Thanks, Manda and Drew, for a great visit. The kids loved being with you and having so much fun! Come back soon.

check it out

if you're interested, there's a new post on my other blog -- it's over there in my blog roll on the side bar, entitled "runnin' my mouth." i'd love to hear your input and opinions.

What We've Been Up To

Last week we went to the park with the Campbells. Big time fun for everyone, until the wind started howling and freezing us to the bone. The kids loved throwing rocks in the river and playing on the playground. I found out that swinging is pure joy for Joseph -- it made me so happy to watch his glee.

Lindsey also adores the swings, but I have long known that.

Chris, my knight in shining armor, took all 4 kids to the Stake Easter egg hunt on Saturday. They loved it, of course, as it meant acquiring candy -- although not enough to satisfy some of them.

Joseph picked up the plastic eggs, opened them, dumped the contents into his bag, and discarded the then useless egg back on the grass. Strategery.

Remember I mentioned not being satisfied?

Nathaniel defending his find . . . looks like it was pretty competitive in the senior primary division.

Comparing loot. As you can see, we spring for the fancy collecting "baskets."

This morning, Lindsey got Joesph dressed for me. I nearly died laughing. Oh, the cuteness.

WICKED AWESOME!!!!

Last Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to fly to Florida to visit my good friend Katie -- we had been eagerly waiting for months for the time to arrive when we would be going together to see "Wicked." Oh my goodness, I know I can't find words cool enough to describe how wonderful it was, but I'll do my best.

I left Salt Lake Thursday at 1 am, and even though I'm a total insomniac and thought this would be the perfect flight for me, I must admit I was pretty tired. But no matter, I had Saturday's matinee to look forward to, so nothing could bring me down.

Katie and I went to dinner on Thursday night with my dad, my brothers Adam and Matt, and Matt's girlfriend Osmelie (hope I'm spelling that right.) We went to Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney and enjoyed some delicious pot roast and great company.

We posed for some photos together after -- do we look like we're freezing? Cuz we are freezing. I went to the Sunshine State hoping for some relief from the cold winter, but unfortunately it was so darn cold there I could hardly stand it. But no worry -- I had my "Wicked" to keep me warm.

Friday, Katie and I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). I was despondent to find out they no longer have the Ruby Slippers on display at the Great Movie Ride, which has always been a highlight of my visits to the park. But we still had lots of fun, riding my favorite rides like the Rockin' Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. Good times.

This picture of us cracks me up -- Katie's expression is hilarious.

It happened to be ESPN weekend or something that day, so there were lots of major athletes in the park, and would you believe that among them were the great Brandi Chastain (defender for the US Women's National Soccer Team) and Shawn Johnson (US Olympic Gymnast). It was so fun to see them, and I even got Brandi to autograph my ticket. Super cool.

Then, finally, the big day -- Saturday arrived, and we set out for Tampa to see "Wicked." Oh man, was I on cloud nine. Here's a shot of me before the show, about to burst. It's not great quality because the flash had to be off to see anything, which in turn made it blurry. But you can get the gist of it and see the map of Oz in the background.

Trying to wait patiently for the show to start.

I was totally floored by the show. I mean, really, I knew it was going to be good -- I've had the soundtrack for years and adore it, and I've got a bootleg copy with the original actors (yes, Kristin and Idina), and I've watched tons of clips on youtube -- but nothing can compare with actually being there in the theater, and feeling it as well as seeing and hearing it. I was a little worried about being let down because I love Idina and Kristin so much and to me they ARE the show, but that did not happen at all. The show is the show, and it's so good in and of itself that the very talented girls in the lead this time were able to do a fabulous job and make it what it should be. It was truly better than I ever imagined.

Thanks to Katie, a friend I love so much, for taking me to see this show. And thanks to Chris for letting me go. It was a day I will never forget!

"Happy is what happens, when all your dreams come true . . . "

Arrow Of Light

Nathaniel, the world's greatest Cub Scout, was honored at last week's Blue and Gold Banquet. He has completed his Webelos and received the Arrow of Light, which is the highest award a Cub can receive.

Attaching the "mom pin" to his proud mother.

Chris and I had the chance to talk a little bit about our son and to share a couple of experiences about watching him grow from a boy into a young man. I told about the time after Lindsey broke her arm when we found all 3 kids in their room, kneeling together, with Nathaniel offering a prayer for his sister. Chris talked about the time last year when a boy on the bus was saying and doing inappropriate things and Nathaniel stood up to him and told him it was not right, knowing the boy would be mean to him if he did. We couldn't be more proud of him. He's an amazing person.

The Banquet was so much fun. The Scout leaders in our ward are just wonderful and have done so much for our boy. We are very thankful to them for all their hard work.

Just because, I thought I'd post these two funny photos from recent life. Here's Joseph below, during Stake Conference. Chris had to sit on the stand, so I was left to wrestle Joseph alone, which I can't do very well because he is much stronger than me . . . and oh, so bad. :) I took him out to the van once I'd had enough -- he looks like he's feeling very punished, doesn't he?

We caught these funny boys in Nathaniel's room on a Saturday morning, playing some video games together. Too cute.

Two is Terrific!

Last month we celebrated two years of having Joseph in our lives. For about two weeks before his birthday, whenever any of us would ask him about his upcoming special day, he would excitedly point to a photo of Nathaniel -- a picture from his first birthday where he is covered in chocolate cake. I guess to Joseph, that was what a birthday meant . . . and it was clear what he most wanted to do on his birthday.

So when he saw an enormous chocolate cake at Costco and went nuts, we knew what we had to do.



Since Uncle Matt had a birthday in close proximity, they blew out the candles "together." (Joseph didn't really get the concept.)

Oh happy day!

He never did get as messy as Nathaniel in the photo, but he thoroughly enjoyed his cake.

He was more excited about his new piano than he looks.

Getting into the little smokies when no one was looking.

It was a wonderful day to remember all the countless reasons we love this little boy. May I list just a few:

1. He is incredibly cute -- he can't really get into trouble, with me or with Chris, because he flashes that smile and we melt.

2. He has beautiful eyes that mesmerize me, and I love the dimple in his chin. He's my only brown-eyed child and the only one with the chin dimple.

3. He's so sweet and cuddly. When he wants to be. If he's in the mood he can be very clingy, which is nice since he's growing up so fast. I love his hugs and kisses.

4. He's learning to talk, but his gibberish is so adorable. He gets to talking really fast and in a very animated way, trying so hard to tell us something very important. He sometimes sounds like he's speaking Korean or something.

5. He's daddy's boy. It makes me smile to see how much he loves Chris. Admittedly, I can sometimes feel a little jealous, but it makes Chris pretty happy and proud to be so loved by his boy.

6. He loves to dance!! If he hears music, he immediately stops whatever he's doing and starts shaking it. He excitedly runs around the room whenever a fast song comes on the ipod, and he's already pretty demanding about what he does and does not want to hear.

7. He's an absolute angel. I know Heavenly Father sent him to our family, and he has been a special blessing to us. His siblings are absolutely crazy about him and have been since the moment they first laid eyes on him. He brings a special joy into our home, and we love him so much. I'm so thankful he's mine.

Happy birthday, sweet boy! We love you like crazy!!!