a BIG toe problem

Jared banged his big toe up playing soccer awhile ago. And he makes it worse every time he plays. Last week he came home from his game in a lot of pain after injuring it again when he kicked another player instead of the ball.


His solution to fixing his toe: drilling a hole in the nail to relieve the pressure and let the blood out. After getting no pain relief, realizing that I was not about to help him drill through his toe (I did of course volunteer to document it with a picture) and a reminder that he did have health insurance he relented to go to the doctor.

So we headed to the instacare (note to self: find a primary care physician for our family) to see the doc. Come to find out, it wasn't the toenail or the blood stuck underneath it causing the problem. It was a broken toe!

Now he is in a lovely boot to protect his toe and not able to play in his first Franson Civil Engineers basketball game next week. On Monday we went to the orthopedic specialist and he said he should be okay to play in about three weeks.

it's all okay

I really am okay, really.

Monday I had a couple of hours of crying and feeling sad. Jared was kind enough to let me sit in my room and cry by myself while he took care of Jace even though it was hard for him too. I mean we really did want this to all work out but if there is one thing I've learned in my life it is that it is His plan not my plan. Crying and feeling sorry for myself is not going to fix or change or make anything better.

And this is when I am so grateful for my testimony and knowledge of the gospel, the atonement and the love that my Heavenly Father and Savior have for me. A simple prayer, recognizing all that I have been blessed with and asking for the power of the atonement to take away my pain makes it all okay. What a beautiful tender mercy.

Thank you for your love and comments and emails that you sent our way. Now on to blogging about other things that fill my life with joy!

bad news

Jace and I headed to Salt Lake this morning to get my blood drawn for the pregnancy test. After waiting 2 hours longer then they told us we got the call that we are not pregnant. We had taken a couple of home pregnancy tests and both showed up negative but we were hoping it was just too early to tell.

After putting all of our emotions and prayers and energy (and money) into this for the last few months we are left saying "what now?" Me, I just want to enjoy the upcoming holiday seasons with my family so that is exactly what I am going to do. And then we can think about our plan of action to get Jace a little buddy to play with, to be annoyed by and to love.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We have been blessed with the most amazing family and friends. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We love you all!

reflections of christ

Just got home from a fabulous fireside by Mark Mabry, the photographer of Reflections of Christ. Truly beautiful and inspiring images of Christ. Art is so powerful. If you haven't seen these yet it is worth your time to watch the slide show here (in fullscreen). It combines two of my favorite forms of art - music and photography.

halloween, etc.

Last Monday we took Jace to Barnyard Boo to celebrate Halloween since he was going to be in Malad the rest of the week. He had a great time playing the games and riding the horse. He decorated his own sugar cookie and then licked all the frosting off. We went on a wagon ride pulled by very "strong" horses (that's what Jace remembered about it).



For Halloween Grandma Tubbs took Jace trick or treating (lucky for him) at the nursing home. I think this is a great idea so maybe we will take him next year to a nursing home around here. My mom had a ninja turtle costume that he decided he wanted to wear. She said at first he tried to give out his candy but by the end wouldn't let go of his bag for anything.



Also, while at Grandma's, Jace got to go to school with her and decorate cupcakes. And, he got to play with Uncle Jakey's trains all week. He had a lot of fun at Grandma's and didn't want to leave.

When he got home we gave him his Halloween card from Great-Grandma and Grandpa Plowman. He loves receiving and opening mail (which he calls email) and was so excited to get a dollar in his card. We gave him a jar to put it in and he wanted to sleep with it and eat with it. He has developed a bit of an obsession with his money so I took advantage of it and bought his Halloween suckers from him for sixty cents. When asked if he is going to save his money he adamently replies, "No! I not save money!"

Yesterday we took Jace with us to vote. He pushed the buttons for Jared and proudly wore his "I voted" sticker.




This morning we woke up to snow. Jace was very excited and put on his coat and snow boots so we could go outside in the snow. When he saw the car he said, "Oh no! The car is all wet."

As for me, I'm feeling fine, taking it easy and just waiting for Monday when I take the pregnancy test. Jared has done a stellar job picking up the slack this past week.

embryos

Here is a picture of our embryos. Hopefully it won't be the last photo of these little guys. We get to see Jace tonight! It's been so quiet and dull without him around.

transfer

Yesterday was our much anticipated transfer. We were both anxious and excited as we drove to Salt Lake. Everything went smoothly for the transfer. It doesn't hurt just a little uncomfortable. The embryos did not look great but it was all we had. They had not progressed as far as the doctor wanted them to and there is no way to tell if they will. So now we are just waiting which is the hardest part. I am on bed rest for two days and limited activity for two weeks to avoid putting any unnecessary stress on my body. My mom is watching Jace and it is pretty quiet and boring around here without him. Jared is doing an awesome job taking care of me and I am just hanging out on the couch for the next couple of days. Our pregnancy test is on Nov. 10 so until then will keep praying and try not to think about it too much.

*Thanks to all those who are praying for us and for all your love and support. It means a lot to us and we really appreciate it.

week in the life: review

I had a good time doing this week in the life project. My goal is to get it scrapbooked sooner than later. It would be fun to do this again next year at the same time to see how our lives change. This project has also motivated me to try and write in my journal each day instead of once a week. I definitely won't go into as much detail as this but I realized how easily I can forget things that happen.

A couple of things I learned while doing this:
Jace pretty much only plays with his train and cars. The only time he plays with any of his other toys is when Jared and I get it out and play with him. He really does love all things trains and I can't wait for Christmas to give him his very own set. He will be so excited.

Somehow throughout the summer we have totally lost a routine with Jace. We don't have regular naptime, eating time or bedtime. No wonder we have such a problem with him going to bed at night. I don't think he went to bed at the same time all week. So, now I have to sit down and figure out a routine for our little guy because I really do believe they make everything run smoother and everyone happier.

Thanks for those who played along on their blogs. It was fun to read and relate.

sunday

*not many pictures today, i kept forgetting to pull the camera out


wake up about 7:45 and stay in bed until jace comes in around 8:00
jace tells us it's time to wake up and wants to read his train books
jared reads to jace while i take a shower
get jace some breakfast and check on the fruit leather
turn on some sunday music
jace and jared play with the blocks and build helicopters
i check email and update the blog
get jace dressed in his sunday "train" outfit
jared and jace take a nap
i make quiche for dinner tonight and figure out how to set my oven to auto bake at a certain time
jared wakes up around 12:15 to get ready for church
i wake jace up from his nap at 12:30 and feed him some lunch
gather some activities for sacrament meeting - books and lacing cards today
head to church and get there about 5 minutes early
jace enjoys being entertained by aunt carrie and hunter during sacrament meeting
he is fairly reverent and likes to sing the hymns
off to nursery for jace - his favorite
jared and i attend the marriage and family sunday school class
they pass out sweet breads for a treat and jared and i sneak some into our bag for later (we were fasting)
jared plays the piano in priesthood and i play the piano in relief society
set up visiting teaching appointments and then head home
jace shows us his pumpkin he made in nursery and tells us he played with cars and a baby
quiche is almost done cooking - yeah for auto start ovens
jace and jared help make the jello and green salads
jace and jared change out of church clothes and i put together a peach cobbler
hometeachers come for a quick visit
eat dinner with aunt carrie, hunter, daniel and adrienne
clean up the kitchen and play a little upstairs
watched hunter's story and helped him put it on dvd
jace and hunter play together
eat peach cobbler and ice cream
try to talk to grandma and grandpa mclaughlin and aunt katie on webcam but the sound isn't working
talk to uncle jason, aunt tae and kenshi on the webcam
get jace ready for bed, scriptures, prayers and bed
jared and i go over the calendar for the next week
read for a little while and then go to sleep

saturday

wake up at 7:45 and realize we slept in
jump in the shower, get ready, feed jace
out the door by 8:30
turn around because i forgot diapers, feeling a little stressed
i get back in the car and jace says "calm down, mom"
drop jace off at auntie lexi's house and head to the golf course
jared and i enjoy nine holes together and realize i am not patient enough to putt well
head to the byu football game at 11:40
park, walk really fast, grab some costa vida pork burritos and miss the first touchdown
buy a hot dog for jace and wait for lexi, alma and jace to show up
jace is excited to see mom and dad at the football game and loves that he gets a hot dog
jace goes from lap to lap eating and watching the football game
jace sings the fight song and cheers when they get a first down
a seat opens up by us so jace gets his own seat which he loved
i am worn out (from jace) at the start of the fourth quarter and offer to go and get the car seat from lexi's and pick jared and jace up outside of the stadium
walk as fast as i can to the car so i can finish listening to the game on ksl
pick up the carseat and back at the stadium before the end of the game
happy that byu beat unlv 42-35
call jared to tell him where i am waiting
talk to my mom on the phone
find out they bought tickets to hawaii so will be spending christmas by ourselves
jared and jace jump in the car and we head out to fight the traffic
jace falls asleep within two minutes of being in the car
home by 3:45 and transfer jace to his bed
turn the tv on to check scores on other football games
jared decides to play his new xbox game - madden 08 (football)
i get something to eat, read my book for a little bit and then decide to clean the bathroom
clean up the rest of the house
check email and blogs
jace wakes up about 4:45
jared and jace eat some tamales
decide to go to old navy to check out their sales - find some good ones and decide to go back when i don't have two impatient boys with me
stop at at&t and verizon to see what kind of deals they have on phones
stop at walmart to pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow
jace decides to crack and egg while jared and i are not looking
pick the longest line to stand in and wonder why they built so many check-out stands only to leave them empty
teach jace about the different holidays in the car
ask him what santa says and he says "ho ho ho, bring me some trains"
get home around 8:00
go up to talk to aunt carrie and get the mail
come down stairs and see that jace has decided to cook something - he has the frying pan out, some cheese, mandarin oranges and hot chocolate mix sitting next to it and is looking for a spatula
jace opens his halloween card from grandma and grandpa mclaughlin - he loves to open the mail so is very happy about his very own card
make sticky buns and hot chocolate and pour the fruit puree onto the trays so they can dehydrate over night
watch some football games while we eat
jace eats way too much sugar
throw him in the bath because he is sticky
pajamas, scriptures, prayers and bed by 9:30
clean up the kitchen so my house will be clean for sunday
jared plays a little more football while i read
jared gives me my shot and does an awesome job at it (hardly any pain at all)
exhausted from a long day