Sleepover with Lauren and Phil!!!

I just love this picture!!! Some of you may not have heard the news yet........ we are moving again!!! Jay is going to be the new DO for the Joint Strike Fighter for the Air Force at Edwards AFB. It is a very exciting opportunity, however it does mean that we will be moving. They wanted us there yesterday, but we will not actually get moved until August.

Jay was actually in California all of last week and we needed to join him to do some house hunting since the time to move is very rapidly approaching. The market in California is crazy and houses are moving very quickly, some are not even on the market for more than 36 hours. I needed to get there fast. Our surrogate parents for the kids (Lauren and Phil) jumped right in to watch the kids. Poor Lauren, (after working 12 hours all night long) showed up Friday morning so Tanner, Hunter and I could hit the road. Phil showed up after work and they had a sleep over with the quads. I am not even sure the kids really knew I was gone.... they love Lauren and Phil so much that they had a great time. They played games, went to the park, went to the ice cream store, made cookies, and did crafts. What more could a kid ask for?!?!?!?!!?

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The rest of us house hunted until there was no more hunting to do and then drove back Saturday night. We pulled in at 2:00 am. Not bad. Did we find a house? Well....... we left Califorina with a bunch of confusion and frustration. Everything was very over-priced and in very bad condition. We did make an offer on a new build that should be perfect. Great location, good schools, great view and best of all a Lauren and Phil suite. However, we have not been able to convince them they want to leave AZ yet. :>

We will keep you posted on the move and the house status. It is going to be a crazy month and we pray that things will go smoothly and we can make this transition as easy as possible for the kids. It has been interesting to watch them and to see how much insecurity they are currently feeling. I know it is hard for me, as I had gotten into a very good groove. Great friends, great comfort zone, with schools, extra curricular activities, and doctors all in order. I guess I was just getting too comfortable. But we are off to another adventure and I know that we are lucky to have so many great friends that will always be friends no matter where we go!!! And how awesome is that to have friends all over. Thanks again Lauren and Phil for all your help this weekend!!!!!

Another Broken Arm!!!

Yes, it is true. It is poor little Nathan's turn this time. He actually broke the arm in Utah while we were on our short lived vacation. He had been playing hard and having a great day. Everyone else was in the tub and it was his turn. As he was jumping off the trampoline his long legs got twisted with each other and down he went. It was like it was happening in slow motion, I could see it happening but nothing I could do about it.

I knew it was broken when he landed. So off we went to the emergency room. It was interesting how it all worked out though. We had no wait time in the waiting room, and there was an ortho doctor that just happened to be there consulting about a different patient. He looked at the x-rays and said that the arm was broken and it had to be set. The ER doc did not want to have to set it, and the ortho doc on call was in surgery. It could have been hours for us to wait. Luckily, the other doc said he would set it for us. He was also a little concerned that Nathan was not complaining of pain in the elbow because he thought there might be something. However, decided not to pursue it at this point.

If you have never had to watch a child have an arm set you are very lucky. It is horrible for the parents. They put Nathan out and you can hear the crack as they reset it. Your baby will scream out in sheer pain and agony, but they promise they will never remember any of it. However, I promise you, as a mother you will never forget it!!!! This was my second time to experience this. (Hunter was my first.) I must say...... I am always so impressed with the pain tolerance of my kids. The doctors also cannot believe that their bones are broken because they are so calm and good.

Anyway, we had to see a different ortho and get a cast put on before heading back to AZ since they did not want it to get bumped and moved out of place. By this point, he had started complaining of elbow pain. So I insisted on more x-rays and a full cast. I was not impressed with the doctor we saw on Friday because he did not seem very interested in us. (I think because he knew we were leaving.) He did agree to cast it all the way up but did not really examine the x-rays. He did call me back later in the day and tell me that there was a hairline fracture in the elbow as well.

Well we finally saw our ortho last week and he did more x-rays. Sure enough it was a good thing that I insisted on the full length cast. Nathan broke three bones, both in the arm and boy, did he do a number on the elbow. Not a hairline fracture, it was worse. The good news is that they really would not have treated it any differently. Which is great news and means that we are not behind in the healing. He will be in the cast for three more weeks and then they will relook at it. It will be a long summer for him. Thank heavens for water proof casts!!! Have a great night my friends!!

Felonies and Fun!

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This has been a strange summer for us. I like to spend a month back in Utah with family. It is great for me because it helps to re-energize me and the kids love getting out of the AZ heat. We are usually gone in July as it is so very hot here and then I can be in Utah for Joseph's birthday and my birthday.

However, this year it just was not going to happen because Joseph was graduating and I knew I did not want to miss that. So we planned the trip for June. My sister in law, Amy, offered to come and help me get home. Road trips are not something that I can do myself yet. So she came a week before we left and offered a tremendous amount of help. It is hard for me to ask for help so I tend to not to that. What was so great about having her around was I never had to ask her to do anything. She saw what needed to be done and just jumped in and did it. The kids loved having her here. We went to the park, the pool, and the movie. The kids thought they were in heaven.

As for the road trip home, well this is where the felonies come in. I love to leave very early so we can drive all the way. 15 hours of fun. This time was no different. We pulled out at 4:03 am. Only three minutes late. I was very proud. After three hours driving, I see a cop behind me. I make sure I am not speeding and just keep on going. I had just complained to Amy that he was pacing traffic and it was going to slow us down. Next thing I know he has his lights on.

Hmmmmmm. He slowly approached the van on the passenger side, peering into the windows. Of course, the kids think this is great because it has never happened before and they are jumping out of their car seats to see the police officer. He wants to know if I am running a day school. I explain , no they are all my children. So then he starts comparing me to Jon and Kate plus 8. Are you serious?!?!?!? You pulled me over at 7:00 in the morning for this? So he then proceeds to ask me if I know why he pulled me over. No....... (seriously, if I knew that it could have saved us all some time )

Well I am driving on an expired registration. No way....... We are always on top of this, how did this happen to me? It had been expired for three days. So he then wants proof of insurance. I hand that to him too. Uh-oh.... Yes, expired too. (four days on that one) Finally he wants my drivers license. I carry a Utah drivers license so I do not have to change it each time we move. Well, according to him if I have lived in AZ for two years I have to change it to the state I am actually residing in.

Well there you have it 3 felonies. He asks Amy what he should do with me. The insurance fee alone is $1,810.00 and he can impound the van. At this point, I am thinking..... do it then. (I am seriously getting irritated at this point) It would be a nice vacation........ and I don't have to hear, "how much farther until we see Grandma Neice". I swear it has not changed that much in the last 30 seconds!!!

So the police officer heads back to his car. I would love to be mad at Jay for allowing this to happen to me, but with the job stress and trying to figure out what is best for us he has not been thinking anymore clearly than I was. So we wait, for what seemed like hours. I am sure it was only minutes. He comes back to the window with a very snide look on his face. His back up is just arriving (are you kidding me?!?!!?). He lets me know he is just warning me but I should get to the nearest library and have my insurance company fax me up to date proof (luckily I had more than one expired one in the van so he knew I usually kept it up to date), he also warned me that I should not get pulled over again because the next cop would probably not be nearly as kind and understanding as he was.( I also have five days to get it all taken care of and send them proof for there will be a warrant out for my immediate arrest!!!)

Okay, so no stress, 12 hours to go with six kids, three felonies, not enough sleep and I cannot even speed. I swear it was the longest drive EVER!!!! But I will also say my kids are the best. How many kids will sit in car seats in a van for 15 hours and still be laughing when we arrive at our destination? They are the best!!! So this is the beginning fun of our summer. I will update again later, with yet another chapter to our endless adventures. Sleep well, my friends!!

Camping

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Now this is my idea of camping!!! We tried camping when I was little and somehow somone always managed to get sick and we ended up in a cabin. Jay and I have done a little camping and he will camp with the the older boys in the back yard. I suppose one day we may really try it. :>

While we were in Utah Aunt Amy and Uncle Adam, who are campers, promised to camp with the kids. I thought they were crazy. :> But it rained every night we were there and it was a bit too cold. They did not want to disappoint the kids so they cooked yummy treats, and set up air mattresses and joined them on the floor in the basement. The kids loved it and it was a memory they will always have. They are still waiting for the big tent experience!!! Thanks again Adam and Amy , we love you!!!!

Graduation for Uncle Jo!!

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Dear Friends,
So much is happening here and I am very behind on blogging. So my goal is to slowly update and give you as much information as we have. Which is not much. For now, enjoy our graduation celebration with my baby brother. Way to go JoJo, hard to believe you have grown up so fast. We love you!!!!