Where to start?  I guess I'll just start from now and work my way back... I've got a lot of catching up to do...  On Saturday Ryan went to the temple. I should've gone.  I didn't and that decision changed my life forever.  Since I didn't go and the weather was so nice we decided to go for a ride.  The worst ride of my life.  We were almost home.  All of the horses were a little fresh since we hadn't really ridden all summer and we didn't go for a long ride so they didn't get worn out. Maybe that was mistake number two but I felt like we should go home.  We were almost home and Jake and I were in front. AJ had begged to ride alone so he could trot, we had always told him he couldn't trot before because he couldn't reach the stirrups so he asked for buddy stirrups for his birthday... So I took Levi on Tiger w/ me. Caleb was behind us and AJ was bringing up the rear since despite his wishes, Buddy had no intention of trotting.  Jake and I went on the side of the canal ditch closest to home. Caleb was having trouble getting Isabel to follow so he went on the other side, the way we had gone out. Suddenly Caleb started yelling MomMom! Isabel had bolted and was at a dead run. He was holding his reins and sitting fine but scared and didn't know how to get her to stop.  All the boys started to scream. then Caleb went off her. I don't know if he jumped or fell, he hit the ground rolling and she never missed a step. Some farmers had seen her bolt and jumped in their trucks and floored it to get to us.  I got my horse calmed enough to get Levi off safely and put him on the ground with instructions to go home, we were almost there and could see the house from there, I told Jake to get him there. I ran Tiger back around the ditch and to Caleb. He was unconscious but breathing through blood in his nose and mouth. I yelled at the first farmer who got there to call an ambulance and while I held Caleb's neck he started moving. The second farmer got there and he got AJ, who was still plodding along on Buddy, home safely. I found out later that he got all the horses unsaddled and put away and helped Jake.  Tiger had run home as soon as I jumped off him to Caleb.  The first farmer went to bring the ambulance to me since we were in farm fields and they couldn't find us.  The ambulance got there and called the helicopter who eventually flew us to Phoenix Children's hospital.  Caleb has a skull fracture that runs continously from his basilar skull up around in an arc through the temporal parietal bone and to his face w/ orbital, maxillary,nasal and zygoma fractures.  He also broke his right wrist. He was intubated after arriving here and was sedated the first couple of days.  He was extubated on Sunday night. On Monday they pulled his oral gastric tube and on Tuesday afternoon he got out of the cervical collar. They pulled his catheter out on Tuesday morning also much to his relief.  Yesterday he was allowed to eat soft food and it looks like that is what he'll be eating until he has surgery on Monday to stabilize his facial fractures.  Caleb has no memory of the accident but he does know what happened since we've told him.  He is seeing or has seen neurosurgeons,  a neuro-intensivist, orthopedics, plastic surgery, opthalmology, trauma surgery, pediatric intensivists and now general pediatrics.  They have all been so fantastic and impressed with his recovery.  When it first happened and I first got to Caleb I held his neck and prayed with the fervency that only a mother in fear for her child can, I knew then in my heart and still now, that he is going to be ok. Even with all the scary news I've been able to find comfort in reminding myself that I've already been told he will be ok and I need to hold onto that faith.  Caleb has been steadily improving daily.  We have been blessed to receive so much help in so many different ways from people cleaning our house to bringing meals and taking the other boys for something fun to do and coming to visit and sending cards and gifts to help Caleb feels their love.

SOOO BEHIND!!!

I didn't realize it had been so long since I've posted, holy moly.  Sorry but life has been super crazy. I'll  just post about them individually so that I can include pics, or maybe I'll do a big one with multiple pics I don't know but I'll figure it out.  For today... it's new years and I actually have some resolutions...  Normally I don't do resolutions since I know that I probably won't follow through with them... This year is different, maybe because I'm really tired of being fat.  Working the night shift  I have really packed on some pounds.  I'm pretty disgusted with myself and so knowing that I won't go to a gym, or anywhere else that I have to leave the kiddos for and knowing that I really need to cut calories I am focusing on portion control first.  Today was day one and I had for lunch two turkey/craisin crescents and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. For dinner I had 4.9 oz of baked chicken, 1/2 c mashed pots and 1/2 of corn and a piece of garlic bread.  looking at it on paper, it seems like too much food again.  I need to do some research and find out calories from that meal but I'm starting with baby steps... My other resolution is to speak softer and less of it...  listen more and talk less.  I'm pretty sure I'll need lots of practice with this one too.

GREAT DAY ADVENTURES

 So Caleb turned 9 on Monday but before that he had just a couple of things to do to finish his wolf up, one of them was a visit to the firehouse for a tour and to learn about fire prevention.  My mom set up a visit for us to go on Saturday and so we went.  The guys were awesome they took us all, since of course all of our boys went, anyway they took us all on a tour of the firehouse starting with where they get their dispatches to the captains office where he works only Caleb interjected plays because he saw a bunch of board games on the shelf in his office, that had us all laughing.  Then to the truck.  They let the boys climb in and then took us all on a ride through the neighborhood, which of course the boys loved!  Then when we got back to the fire station they pulled it out front and let the boys spray the firehoses.

The water pressure is so strong that the firefighter had to hold the hose to keep the little boys from being pushed backward, so stinking cute!  Then they let the boys hold the axes and tools which I kept picturing AJ dropping through his foot.  At the end one of the guys asked if there were any questions and Caleb said, "I have one, I want to see you in all your gear."  So he did!  The guys timed him because he has to have it all on in less than 90 seconds... he had it all on, including oxygen mask and breathing through the mask in one minute 5 seconds!  Awesome!  Then he got down and talked to the boys about what to do if the house was on fire, to get low and up against a wall and yell for help so that the firefighters could find them.  It was awesome for the boys to see what he looked like in all the gear and to be told not to hide or sit in the middle of the room and the fastest way to be rescued!  Such a great experience!  The guys were awesome and as usual went above and beyond any of our expectations.  We took them cookies later that evening to thank them for all that they did in making it a great adventure!  Since then the boys have dragged all of their winter gear out every day to dress up in their firefighter gear, including the hat they got at the firestation to be firefighters which they have decided they are going to be when they grow up.  My only complaint is 110 degrees outside and they are walking around in their snow bibs and jackets and gloves and the rest of it is laying all over the floor, oh well, you win some...  It could be worse!

KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS!

ME: Levi you need to go...( I can't even remember what I asked him to do now to be honest)
LEVI:  Mom, I love you and I'll always love you but I just can't do that for you, because... well... I just don't want to
Now you know why I can't remember what I asked him to do, what do you say to that?!

JAKE: What is that smell?
ME:  The irrigation in the farm fields.
JAKE: It didn't smell that bad when we were playing in it.

Again I couldn't stop laughing to answer him.

These are the riches the Lord blesses you with when you give up all the other stuff for your kids: laughter, joy and memories, and these are just from today.

GIRLS CAMP 2011

I was blessed to have been asked to go to Girls Camp this last week so I spent 5 days in a cabin with 7 girls and another cabin mom.  We were fed beans or chili 4 of the 5 days and the girls were only allowed to shower once, after the hike.  It was an experience I'd do again without hesitation.

  I was a bit worried about it since, for one thing I have very little patience for drama but mostly because I was worried about being away from my family for so long, especially because now that I'm working I feel like I don't get to see them very much already.  My awesome hubby took the 4th off and brought them up to Payson to have some fun out of the heat and watch the fireworks up there and then I got to ride home with them yesterday.  I was going to post a cabin pic but decided I had better not without parental approval but trust me, a beautiful group of fab girls!

  Camp was alot more spiritual than I remember it 20 years ago.  We had daily scripture study and classes for Personal Progress.  The first day, Thursday, Christy Bishop gave all of us a pillowcase, so stinking cute!

   We also found out, to our dismay, that the forest was and still is, closed due to fire danger so we weren't going to be going on the usual hikes, bummer.  Even more news, there have been 2 bears trapped in camp so far this summer so NOONE was allowed to go anywhere alone and absolutely no food in the cabins.  NICE!

Friday night was skit night.  Our girls took a little idea and ran with it and did great!!! The priesthood dressed up in their "stretchy pants" and came from Sherwood forest to serenade their wives. Instead of Robin Hood and his merry band we had Pancho and his merry band.  HILARIOUS!!!

So Saturday morning bright and early we set off on the Friendship loop, a hike that is nice, has great views, isn't terribly arduous but has some steep hills which was good for the girls.  We were able to go on that hike because it's entirely on church property so almost every girl in camp went.  We lost one girl and her mom on the first hill but 73 girls finished the entire hike!     Every girl in my cabin finished and so did every girl from our ward, all without complaining at all!  I was so proud of them and made sure to tell them so.

Check out the view!!  At the top of most of the hills we had an amazing view  to enjoy.  I love seeing the Lord's creations the way he made them.   We saw a few deer, with absolutely no fear, they just stood and stared at us and kept eating while we hiked past.

We saw a horny toad.  He didn't much care for being touched.

On Saturday night the bishops came up and first played minute to win it that was hilarious!  Then we went to the meat of the program.  The girls broke up into wards and the Bishops read to their girls the book, "My Wedding Day",  our sweet Bishop was teary eyed, he made it through the book but cried when he talked to the girls about his hopes for them to each have their own special day when they get married in the temple.  Awesome.

And lets not forget this not so little fellow who came to visit us in the bathroom on Saturday.  Thankfully the priesthood caught him and relocated him and just as thankfully, he was a very well fed bull snake which made me realize there were likely rattlesnakes around too and sure enough we came accross one on our way home from the sacred grove after testimony meeting on Monday night, we gave him a wide berth.  I was really surprised to see him being that it was dark out, it wasn't cold but still, pretty late at night.

Every night we were serenaded by the camp staff and priesthood.  Sister Hardesty is amazingly talented and made up lyrics to popular songs that were awesome!  They dressed up as Pancho and The All Earl Band and all manner of goofiness!

On Monday, July 4th, we were blessed to have a soldier who just returned from a tour in Iraq.  He and his wife spoke on how honoring their temple covenants gave them strength while they were separated.  Awesome.  They are such great speakers, could easily be professional speakers.  After they spoke we went to testimony meeting in the Sacred Grove, I always loved having church at camp, church in the forest, it doesn't get any better than that.  We ended with singing trees, also always phenomenal after which we met the rattlesnake in the path, but no worries. We stayed up way too late every night and got up early everyday and I came home completely exhausted but so grateful to have been able to go.  So grateful for my husband who took the helm so I could go.  Thankful for my mom who came over to babysit while R was at work on Thursday and Friday.  I even came home to a clean house, he even made the bed , which he thinks is a complete waste of time because you mess it back up every night, but he knows I care so he made it.  I am so blessed.

THEY CAN BE TAUGHT!

When we're helping we're happy...  or "that's right, he can be taught!" (my fave line from Aladdin)  AJ wanted to help wash dishes and then Levi wanted to help too... I taught AJ and then he taught Levi and we all did it together, and they even did a great job AND without arguing!    I was so pleased I paid each of them a quarter, now I feel like I'm running a sweatshop or something.  These are my future missionaries/husbands in training, you know, raise them up in the way they should go...

SWEET GIRL

Before we left Idaho and sold the boys horses R promised them he would replace them as soon as possible.  Since we've been back Jake has been on the computer almost daily looking for his new horse.  Moving is expensive and so the poor guy kept getting put off for my first paycheck.  I got paid last Thursday and Wednesday night he had sent me 3 new horses to go see.  We saw them and this sweet girl won Caleb's heart.   None of the other's worked out but have no fear, Jake is still looking, daily!
  So... this sweet girl was found wandering in the desert.  She wandered onto someone's property skin and bones and a dead look in her eyes.  They called the BLM and long story short after the long process of trying to find her owners she was sold to them and then to someone else and now to Caleb.  She has great ground manners and other than still being too skinny, but much better, she seems healthy.  Caleb saddled her,  rode her and when we bought her, caught her and loaded her into the trailer without any problems.  She fit right into our herd and now she and Tiger are always together except that she eats alone.  So welcome to the family Isabel.