I guess our lucky streak is over!!

Earlier this fall Joel and I had a conversation about how lucky we are to be blessed with healthy children. We have four wonderful kids and not one of them have been touched by any hospital stays, broken bones, or even stitches. Now we have had our share of earaches, colds, and a bit of asthma and allergies, but nothing so serious. Three out of the four kids have had their tonsils out and two of the boys have had hernia surgery, but neither of those surgeries could be prevented. (Now don't think I forgot about John's accident when he was little. I know he needed many stitches after being hit by the car. I am only able to report on what I know of since I have become the mama in the family.) We have not had one broken bone, stitch, or hospital stay.

Well, that was before December!!!!! Since then we have had a trip to the ER with Jaylen to get three stitches in his finger and to the clinic for x-rays to see if Jerrin had a broken foot.

Here are a few photos of Jaylen's mishap. I could not find the photo I took when he came home with his stitches, so I guess we need to settle with the photos of the "surgery" that took place to take them out. Yes, it took Auntie Amy, Granny, and Auntie Jen to take them out. Thanks you to the nurses and loving Auntie's in our family.

He didn't even flinch while they took the stitches out, but he was sure upset when he awoke, to find that his "spiders" were gone. (When he first got the stitches he did not like to look at them at all. He kept them covered at all times and called them his spiders.)

Jerrin and his boot. Jerrin's story starts with a fun trip to the Casselton Governor's Inn Waterpark with a good friend. The boys were swimming and having fun on the waterslide when Jerrin came down and his foot was really sore. When he got home he could not put much weight on his foot at all. That evening it just kept getting more sensitive to touch and by the time he tried to go to bed it was pretty swollen. We debated on taking him into the ER but opted out in hopes that the Ibuprofen, ice and elevation that we were doing would bring things back to normal in the morning. Well, morning came and it was most definitely not better. Jerrin could not put any weight what so ever on the foot at this time and it was still swollen. So away we went to the doctor.

After an app't and x-rays the doctor told us that she was pretty surprised there was not a fracture on the top of his foot. She was a bit worried about how sore the foot was and that the injury seemed to lie right over or beside his growth plate, so she decided to put a boot on anyway, to protect the injury and for faster healing. He would also need to stay out of all activities for 2 WEEKS! That is a long time in a third grade boy's world.

Everyone is now healthy again. I just hope that this unlucky streak with the kids has now ended, because if anyone know us at all, Joel and I are the two most UNLUCKY people I know in all other areas. So if we can keep the injury and sickness monsters away that would make us a very happy mommy and daddy.

The life and heartache of a 16 year old!!!

Wow, what a week without your best/girlfriend does to a person. Trust me he does not look as happy as he does in this awesome photo from this summer.

John came to our house last night and as we were chatting about what the next couple of weeks would involve and how he thinks the state tournament will go, he progressively began to get crabby or should I say crabbier. We thought he was a bit off when he arrived, but before long we knew we had a love sick puppy dog on our hands and it was going to be a long rest of the week, until a certain someone came home.

After talking for awhile he quickly reminded me, that she had been gone since last Friday and that she was not coming home until Friday or Saturday. Definitely a LONG time in a 16 year old's eyes. So as a good mom should, I tried to get his mind off of her for awhile, talking more about the tournament, but it just didn't help. He started asking me what our plans were for Sunday and if he could have the car. (I knew he must've had something stirring.)

I asked him why and this was his response. "To see Kendra, and to go on a date of course! It is our anniversary you know." Oh my gosh, to be 16 again and live in that world, that was oh so complicated and confusing, but yet felt so right at the time.

After our conversation and a yes from his mom, he finally chose to go to bed instead. Now mind you, I know that he did not go to bed, he simply went to his phone and continued to send a thousand new texts before he feel asleep, but that was ok with me.

I have to say that having this girl around has really made a difference in our son. He absolutely loves to spend time with her. We have noticed his attitude being better, his willingness to help out around the house (hmm, I wonder if the car has anything to do with this one), and even better is that his grades have been better too. He now has someone else's family to impress and someone new to compete with. How many of us can't benefit from a little harmless competition now and then right?

This girl puts up with a lot. She is his friend, supporter, and confidant. I must say that she

is also great at giving it back too.

Even though she may not be at the tournament and will miss the duals,

I know she is going to be a nervous wreck waiting to hear how things went. Just like she was during the summer waiting out those long tournament games in baseball.

Most of all, I will celebrate her home coming and their "anniversary" because of her, our son is a happy kid.

Bud, your week is almost over and later on in life you will understand that this week was no big deal. You will probably even laugh at how crazy you became over it, but for now I know it stinks. You life will be filled with it's challenges, bumps, and times when you think life is just not fair. I will never say I told you so, but you might just think I had a point, someday. Have a fun weekend and remember to always treat your girl with respect, always be honest to her, always have fun and do not get in over your head.

One of our very favorite people.

As I am writing this entry on our family blog, I do so in honor of someone that is very special to all of us. She is many things to us and has recently had the wind knocked out of her sails a bit. I want her to know that we love her very much and no matter what happens she will always be SUCCESSFUL in our eyes. I wish that I had a photo for each and every life she has touched or even for every different adventure that she has taken, but I don't. I can only document what I have. Understand, that I could add so many more things to this list, and this just gives you a taste of who she really is. If you have never met Jen, hopefully this gives you a preview of the kind of person that you have truly missed knowing. Here are just a few of the words that would describe our sister, Auntie, and friend.

Beautiful inside and out

daughter and friend

Corona lover

Confident

a true North Dakota girl

always ready for some late night Smores

animal lover

patient and kind

Goal setter

marathon runner

family memory catcher (photographer)

entrepeneur

teacher (sorry best I had)

silly

baseball lover

proudest Antie ever and biggest supporter

sister and just one of the girls

You have so much to offer the world and so many adventures await you. You have went to other countries to help children and families in need, helped to make home lives of children better and have fought for their rights. As a teacher you have instilled a love of reading in each and every one of your students both young and old. Your professionalism and your love of learning has made you a top notch instructor. Keep your options clear and let the doors open and you will soon be on another adventure. God has you in his hands and he will truly guide you on your path.

I love you!!!!!!