Thanks...

I just wanted to say thank-you to everyone in blog world for all of their thoughts and prayers for me during this time of breaking my leg! I'm getting better and will be able to run soon!!! October 24th I get my cast off! Mommy and I can't wait!! Anyway, thanks! It means a lot.

A Cute Little Story about Elbow Babies

Remember this??

Well, another story I neglected to mention about the kids entertainging themselves in the truck during the countless hours that we drove on vacation, was about "Elbow babies". Al and I were actually having a conversation in the front seat, when we heard Emily asking "Elbow babies??? Where are they? What are they doing?" I thought Emily must have misunderstood what Casey was saying, but soon realized when he pointed to his elbows and said that was where they lived, that she had heard him loud and clear. I turned around and listened intently to Casey talk all about his "Elbow babies" that live in his elbows and go potty up on his shoulders and play and have conversations and everything. I can't imagine where he came up with this idea, but it has blossomed and whenever the kids need some entertainment, they ask Casey, what his "Elbow Babies" are up to.

Look What I Got!!!

I mean besides the handsome boy standing in the picture!!! *smile*

It's my new Dutch Oven Stand!! Al and Carter made it for me while Emily, Casey and I were on our nature walk. And I thought they were farming!! I can't wait to try it out!! I have a recipe with turkey breast that I've been wanting to try, but I have to go shopping first...


I'll let you know how it turns out...

Aren't my "boys" great??

Cool Nature Shots

After Casey's accident, I didn't go back to work for about a week. And even now, I'm not working all of my hours to be able to stay home with him. I love my job for that flexibility! I've enjoyed my time with Casey despite the cast.
Anyway, on that first day back to work, I noticed ditches full of sparkling spider webs. Hundreds of them. It was sooo cool! Do you think I had the sense of mind to have my camera with me that day. NOOO. Ever since, I pack my camera bag every morning in search of the elusive spider webs. I think either a) I imagined it, b)they cut the weeds in the ditches, or c)somehow the spiders got wind that I wanted a picture and they high tailed it out of there!!! I'm guessing c). That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Last Sunday, Emily, Casey and I took a 2 hour walk on our bike trail that weaves through a very nice state/county park here in town. Actually, I walked and pulled the wagon, Emily rollerbladed and Casey fussed he itched and wanted to go home until he fell asleep. Still, we had a nice time. I took my camera with me, never to be without it again, and happed to see some spider webs in the trees. They are not they same. They aren't all sparkly with the morning sun and dew, but they are spiderwebs. And they are surprisingly hard to photograph. Here are my attempts and a few other fun nature shots.

I had never seen bright orange mushrooms before...
These tall tall trees reminded me of vacation...
My children are my joy...
Again, orange mushrooms????...

Putting Up for winter

It took a lot of convincing and I mean A LOT of convincing, but I finally agreed to "help" make salsa this year. I use that work very loosely here. Help means I poured ingredients in, stirred, tasted and canned it. My mother in law did the tomatoes and Al did all the chopping. It was a group effort. It's a good batch this year, maybe could have been a little hotter, but I think we always say that. It has a good cilantro flavor this year which I am excited about and it doesn't give me the hiccups which too many jalepenos does. So, all in all, I think it's just about Yummy!


Then, as if that wasn't enough, I decided to make jelly out of some grape juice I had frozen earlier. A glutton for punishment that's what I am. Hey, I needed the freezer space. (Or so I thought. Now when we open the freezer, Al and I just stare and say, boy, our freezer sure is empty. We don't even have any meat to cook a supper with. If I wanted to cook, that is.) Lucille to the rescue once again. She stopped over and we actually made three batches of grape jelly!!

I think I could be done "putting up for winter." Unless of course, Al or I gets another wild hair.

Casey trys new things

Okay, so I know that I'm really bad with posting lately...sorry. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have taken some pictures though, so I thought I'd share a few of the new things Casey has been doing.

Oh and by the way, we had our follow up dr.'s appt. and our sentence has been lessened by 1 week. Instead of 7 weeks, we now go back in 6!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Here's Casey singing outside on a blanket, first time he was willing to try to be somewhere other than his wagon, outside...






Here's a fort we made and drug all of the toys we could think of into...Nothing much has changed there.



Probably not the best idea, but he had a ball!!!!!!!!!




Finally, when Daddy got home, we were able to enjoy a little swing to end our great day!!!!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Posting...

Casey has been afraid to be moved much or try new things. I suppose it is scary to be lifted around and not really be able to move your legs and you don't know if it's going to hurt or not because it has hurt really badly to be touched at all in the near past. We finally convinced him to try laying on his tummy and he loves it! He can reach his toys so much better to play with us or by himself! He is being such a good boy! Only occassionally does he ask to walk, swing, ride a 4-wheeler, etc. And he doesn't get upset when he realizes what he is asking. I couldn't ask for a better patient. We go for a follow up doctor's appointment tomorrow for an x-ray of his leg to see how it's healing and find out exactly how long the doctor wants to keep him in his cast. He had said 2 months before so that's what we're assuming. One week down...Stay tuned...

Last One, I Promise!! Of Labor Day that is....

Our friends brought their black lab dog, Holly along camping and she was absolutely the best behaved dog I've been around in a loooonnng time!!

Our friends were very in to Dutch Oven cooking!!! I had a ball and learned tons!! I now want Al to build me one of these tables so I can take it to the next level!!!!
Speaking of Al....
This is how we all felt when we finally got home...
Casey actually fell asleep here on the couch at about 4 PM and didn't wake up until 7 AM the next morning!! Wow was he tired!! But great fun was had by all.

Even Camping

Even camping my sweet children think of me and pick me flowers!

Early?? Morning Fog

One morning while we were camping, the kids woke up early, big surprise there, just when I am hoping to sleep in a little, some little birdie wakes my children up. A camper is not big enough for me to ignore that they are awake, so...on this particular morning they were all excited about the mist and fog rolling on the lake. They drug me and my camera out of bed to document this cool event.

I am so glad I did. These are some of my favs.


Especially this last one...

Labor Day 2...

Since I had these posts basically done, Labor Day was a little while ago, I'm just going to post all my pictures and let you see the great time we had. Think of it as a commercial from our regularly scheduled posting, Casey and His Many Adventures.

The campground/resort was on a lake and there was a dock just across the way from our campsite. The kids had a ball. And we had fun watching. They weren't too far away to hear us tell them to stay out of the mud though!!!!

Labor Day a.k.a. Before Casey broke his leg

The Weekend before Casey broke his leg, I wonder if I'll always think of it that way...in chunks of time before and after his accident, anyway, we went camping with some friends at a resort about an hour or so away from us. It was such fun!!! We rented paddle boats, had squirt gun fights, played at the playground, went on hay rides and even made a trip to a Cabellas near by. Whew!!





I took this picture and wondered where Emily was...


Then I looked up and found her!!! Ironic that she isn't the one with a broken leg right now....




Can't wait to go camping with these friends again! We had a great time!!!

Home at Last

Casey perked up noticeably just going from the hospital to our van. He jabbered to me the whole way home until about 1/2 hour away and then he and I both fell asleep. Last night we managed to make him comfortable with Al and me both in the rocking chair and then he slept in his crib all night. This morning he wanted to go with us into the kitchen so we are trying out the wagon...

Notice the orange cast?? Casey's favorite color!!!

Hindsight is 20/20

This first fun combine ride of the fall led to....

This visit to the Operating Room at University of Iowa Hospital which was the third hospital we'd been to and about 22 hours later...


Casey, Carter and Emily went for a ride around the yard with Al in the combine as we were trying to get ready for fall harvest. I took a bunch of pictures and went back in the house. As they were all getting down, Emily went down a couple of steps and just hopped off the combine. We think Casey watched her and thought, "Well, if sissy can hop off, so can I" and then he stepped off the combine and fell 6 feet. Obviously he was crying, so they brought him to moma and then he said, "My leg, my leg!" Al felt his leg and heard a crunch so we rushed to the ER. They x-rayed and sent us on to another hospital where we stayed overnight just getting morphine for Casey. His leg was having spasms and everytime he cried. That first hospital wanted to do surgery and put a pin in his leg and leave him in traction for 4 to 6 weeks and then put him in a hip spika cast which goes over his belly button and down over his toes, for another 2 months. UGH!!! We asked for a second opinion and ended up in Iowa City at the University of Iowa Hospitals and clinics which has specialized pediatric orthopedic surgeons. They opted to do nonevasive surgery and set his femur and put him in a hip spika cast for about 2 months and then hopefully he will be all done! He gets to go home today already and back for a check up in one week. He chose bright orange for his cast because it is his favorite color. This hospital is definitely the right choice for Casey and us. The doctors have been great! I would recommend them to anyone who needed help. I'll post more once we get home. Just wanted to update everyone on our last 48 hours...