Merry Christmas from Fox!

Vance and Fox had some fun with the video camera...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktPCup_LqjY

Quick Updates

Fox is out of the cast. Most of y'all knew that.

We're sick. Most of y'all knew that.
(no picture, just imagine lots of tissues and laying around coughing)

Fox spelled his name in fridge magnets this afternoon - completely unprompted!

And, he turned the "H" on its side and said it was 'another I'.


He freaks me out.

You know what else freaks me out?
This.

Yep, Fox found the zipper to the beanbag. Luckily the shop vac made quick work of the cleanup.

It's cold out, so the dogs are in the laundry room again. Lucky wanted out.
He didn't get very far.

Fox is funny, did you know that?
Lately he's been making his 'surprise face'.

Today when he wasn't spilling billions of tiny bean bag balls or spelling his name, he wanted to work with tools. Like Daddy.
So I gave him a real screwdriver and a footstool.
Then I remember a Christmas present I bought months ago and stashed...
...his own tools!

Okay, I have to sign off so Vance will leave me alone. He wants to set up his new computer since this one is one its last legs. Gotta love Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals!

So, CHEESE!
(this is right after cast removal and x-ray - happy family!)

I need to win this!

Oh, what wouldn't I do with this printer/answer to all of life's mysteries?
Seriously, all of the above. Printing my photos would rock, and faxing? How awesome is that? Ooh, and printing on a CD...that is so cool.

You can try to win one here...but if you do remember it's because I told you about it!

What a week!

I will apologize in advance for the lack of pictures - I'm posting this from my parent's house in Orlando.
Once I remember Vance's password for Picasa, I'll add a few to this...

I'll try to catch up on some stories and give y'all a glimpse into what life is like for us.

Sunday - I discovered that the bar across the front of our big stroller is detachable, so Fox is able to ride around in that instead of the wagon. Much less conspicuous!
We went to church, beanbag in tow. Fox was glad to see everyone and show off his boo-boo. He actually told people "I bwoke my wight femur". Gotta love the 2 year old that uses the correct names of bones!
Vance and I got his fish tank cleaned up and set up on Saturday, so Sunday after naptime we headed to the pet store and picked up a few fish to get our tank started with.

Monday - his foot was still quite swollen, so I called the Ortho doc and they got us in at 11. He was quite the charmer (as usual) and listened intently as I explained how the x-ray machine worked. Doc checked out the x-ray, took a look at him and said he was healing well, and we could start decreasing his pain meds. Remember this phrase.
Monday afternoon my amazing sister Shannon (Fox calls her Shi-Shi) and my nephew Dylan arrived to help me out and keep Fox entertained. What a blessing!

Tuesday - I only gave him 3 doses of medicine during the day, instead of the strict 4 and 6 hours dosing schedule I had been keeping. During the day, it was no big deal. He was entertained by Dylan, playing trains, coloring, and DVDs. Bedtime? That was another story. Basically, he screamed off and on for about 5 hours. We gave up on getting him down in bed and he watched "Pride and Prejudice" with me and Shi-Shi. It seems like the pain got ahead of the limited meds in his system. Note to self - not time to wean off the codeine!

Wednesday - We had a great day. Stayed home and got things done, ran a few errands while Fox napped. It was so nice to have my sister to help! Our friend Liz came over with her awesome kids. They each brough Fox a little something to help pass the time. The big hit, though, was a seahorse that had a glowing tummy (like a glo-worm) that played music. Since getting his beloved seahorse, he's fallen asleep almost immediately at naptimes and bedtimes!

Thursday - Dylan wanted a sticker from Thomas, Fox's favorite teller at our bank (which has a branch in Wal-Mart) and I had a few checks to deposit, so we headed to WallyWorld for an outing. It seriously took us all morning to get out of the house, so we treated ourselves to Moe's for lunch. I also packed up for our big trip.

Friday - got moving super-early, went to Fox's music class at TMH, and hit the road. I had already planned a trip for Fox and I to Orlando to help my sister get some projects done around her house, but wasn't keen on driving the whole way with him in his condition by myself. So after much deliberation (Vance hates it when I take his boy away) we decided it made more sense for us to ride to Orlando with Shi-Shi and Dylan. Vance will join us the following Thursday, and we'll ride back home Saturday.
I am amazed that we managed to pack everything we needed into Shi-Shi's truck. Needless to say, I had everything wedged in just right - except I forgot to leave room for the beanbag. And THAT, my friends, is an essential part of Fox's life right now! So, the beanbag resided at my feet for the trip. Kinda comfy, if a little cramped!

So, we are here in Orlando for a week. I'm trying to block out the trip down (don't ask, just don't ask) but we arrived safely and mostly still sane. My mom (of course) teared up when she saw Fox, but they are impressed with how well he's handling all of this.

I'm impressed with how well he's handling all of this too. Sure, there are times when he gets frustrated after he drops a toy and can't reach it, and any time anything remotely brushes one of his feet he says it hurts, but overall, he's coping.
I hope he doesn't have any memories of the pain or the frustration when he's older.
I hope I can forget how he was hurting and scared.
I hope he heals quickly.
I hope...that I never forget how helpful and compassionate my friends and family have been through this ordeal.

Okay, time for bed. I will try to go back and add pictures later.

Finding our "new normal"

Most of my blog readers (I think) are friends and family members.
However, there is a chance that people I don't know personally read about our adventures.
So, I'll post the emails I've been sending out to update everyone about our situation.

Sent Thursday:
Hello family and friends.
First off, thanks to all of you that have been praying for us today.

For those of you that haven't heard, the short version is that Fox slipped on the playground, fell on the equipment and broke his right femur. He's in a cast, chest to ankles, for 4-6 weeks.

10:30 this morning, Sandra and I had her 3 kids, 2 of Carey's, and Fox at Tom Brown Park today. It was still slightly wet from the morning dew, and Fox took off running to the playground.
Before I could even see where he went, I heard him screaming. He was very upset, but I thought he just bumped his knees again.
I took his pants off to change him into shorts, and I couldn't straighten his leg without him screaming.
Sandra and I swapped vehicles and I took him (per the pediatrician's orders) to Radiology Associates to get his leg x-rayed.
At this point, I thought his knee was popped out or something like that.
After the x-ray, they did a quick read of the films and called the ER to tell them we were on the way.
I held him in the back seat while Vance carefully drove us to TMH. He was taken back pretty quickly, where the docs called the Orthopedist.
We weren't sure if he'd need surgery, so he couldn't have any food or drink, and he was still in considerable pain.
Finally the Ortho doc came and said that he could set it without surgery, but he would be in a Spica cast for 4-6 weeks.
The nurse came in with a shot of morphine (for Fox, I had to wing it!) and he was not at all pleased about that.
After a short time, they came in with all of the preparations to immobilize a very active 2 year old boy.
He's in a cast from his chest to his ankles with a bar between his legs. There's a cut-out so we can change diapers.
He was so brave, and has really handled this well.

We've rented a special car seat, and I'm going to look into a special stroller so we can get around a little easier.
For now, he's sleeping, thanks to Tylenol with Codeine and Motrin.
He's got a place set up on the couch, and thanks to the Conrads, a comfy bean bag to help him sit up.
We've got his train set on the coffee table, coloring books, and lots of videos lined up to watch.

Will you please pray that we are able to manage his pain over the next few days?
And that we will be able to keep him comfortable and entertained over the next 4-6 weeks?

Thank you so much, we really appreciate all the prayers and support!
Michelle, Vance, and Fox


Sent Friday:
Well, last night was quite similar to life with a newborn.
Up every 4 hours giving medicine instead of nursing, but the interrupted sleep was eerily familiar!

He's starting to get frustrated that he can't move much, but we try to let him do as much as possible, like turning on the lights when we leave a room, etc.

Last night shortly after putting him in bed, he was crying and really upset.
When I asked him what was wrong, he said he had a big boo-boo on his leg.
So I thought for a minute and asked him if he needed a band-aid.
Since a boo-boo to a 2 year old means a band-aid, I figured it might help. It did, and he went back to sleep.

He's trying to figure out the cast thing. He pats his legs and asks for kisses on his boo-boo.
At one point, he said he needed to poop, so we thought we'd try to get him on the potty.
It went pretty well, and I think we'll continue trying to let him use the potty as much as possible since it is so much easier than trying to keep his bottom dry in the crazy diapering method we are using right now.

We took him for a walk in our neighbor's wagon this afternoon and again this evening. I think he likes being outside and moving around a little more.
We're going to try and make it to church for a little while Sunday, not sure how long he'll want to stay.

We're looking forward to seeing the Ortho doc next week and figuring out how he's healing.
I'm not sure what comes after the 4-6 weeks in this cast. Maybe another, smaller cast, physical therapy, who knows.

We've enjoyed the visitors, but if you are here in Tallahassee, don't feel like you have to come over right away.
We will be home for quite awhile, so just give me a call if you'd like to come by and play trains with Fox or go for a walk with us.

Anyway, time for bed. I'll be back up in a few hours for another dose of Tylenol with Codeine!

Thanks again for your continued prayers. We really appreciate them!

Soup Swappin'

One of my favorite blogs that I read is "Life As Mom".
Today's guest post was a soup recipe swap, so I'm posting my dear friend Robyn's Minnesota Wild Rice Soup.
(It's a REAL Minnesota recipe - she's a native!)

Anyway, this is a delicious soup that I love - I hope y'all enjoy it!

Minnesota Wild Rice Soup (serves 3-4; I usually triple or quadruple the recipe!)

2 T butter

1 T minced onion

¼ flour

2 C chicken broth

2 C cooked wild rice

(can use Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice)

Cooked chicken to taste

½ t. salt

1 C half and half

3 T grated carrots

3 T slivered almonds

Minced parsley

1/3 C minced ham

1. Cook wild rice according to package instructions – set aside.
2. Melt butter in heavy saucepan, sauté onion until tender.
3. Blend in flour; gradually add broth.
4. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly
5. Stir in rice and salt – simmer 5 minutes
6. Blend in half and half, carrot, almonds, chicken and ham
7. Heat to serving temp – garnish with parsley

Giveaway Goodness...

Okay, I must be on to something.
I've won two giveaways from the blogs I read.

This is not helping me cut back on my blog reading...
Sorry Vance!

Anyway, the blogs are Fiddledeedee and Beachy Mimi.
Did I mention that they rock?!?

Believe it or not, I have plans to jazz things up around here.
But I'm too busy reading all 84 blogs I subscribe to.
Problem? I don't have a problem...I can quit whenever I want...

More updates since I can't sleep.

Yep. Good ole insomnia. Might as well be productive, right?
Got me some Pandora Radio going, and a whole list of pics to use for a post.
I apologize in advance for the lack of cropping, and copious amounts of red eye. Vance just rebuilt his computer after a hard drive died, and Picasa hasn't been installed yet, so I can't edit.

I laid on the couch pretty much all day today. Vance was able to work from home, which was great since I was super-sick last night. Some kind of quickie stomach bug.
Then once I felt better tonight, we did an amazingly thorough cleaning and decluttering job in anticipation of my sweet friend Mary and her family arriving tomorrow.
That picture was from Carey's twin shower last month. Here's all the Monday Night Girls...

...minus Rebecca who snuck out before the inevitable group shot time came along.

The day before the shower, Darcy left her girls and Adah with me while she went to a meeting. After naptime was popsicle time!

The next weekend brought Tropical Storm Fay, and TONS of rain.
On Saturday, we ventured across the street to let Fox play in the rain with his buddy Ethan.

With all of the rain, one of our trees started leaning...

...so we had to have it taken out before it took out the garage!

Fox thought it was the coolest thing ever...

...but it left quite a mess in the yard!



So I know I talk about how funny Fox is. Recently, his imagination has really come alive. He tells me he's a doggie (always named Buster) and wants me to be a doggie with him...


and the other morning he came into the kitchen while I was making breakfast, telling me he made a lamp.

Pretty impressive for a not-quite-two year old!

He is such a sweet little man. Loves his Daddy so much...


...and loves helping Mommy with the dishes. I am totally using these pics as blackmail when he's older!



We headed down to Vero Beach for Labor Day to spend some time with our wonderful friends, Jeremy and Darcy. Jeremy wanted for Vance to see this crazy vintage car-themed restaurant, so we all loaded up in the van and headed there. I didn't get any decor pics, but here is a shot of the kids dancing to the fun music.


Then we headed to the beach - Fox's first time!
He kept close to Daddy for awhile...

...but eventually got a little braver, and loved the 'dirty' factor.


The waves were quite a shock...

...but overall, he thought the beach was a great place to be!


Unfortunately, our stay with the Walworths was way too short. We had lots of fun playing!
Ever try to get two active toddlers to sit still for a picture?
We got this one just in time...

...and they're off again!

We had to say goodbye to our sweet friends. But not before more pictures!


Of course we needed a big hug...


And then a crazy face picture!


After leaving Vero, we headed 2 hours north on I-95 to Daytona Beach to visit Granny and Grandpa's condo with Aunt Shi-Shi, Uncle Jay and Dylan.
For whatever reason, my camera stayed in my purse, so I have to get some of the 40 billion pictures my mom took and post them later.

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of Fox's favorite phrase...


CHEESE!

Big Ole Brain Dump

I should be cleaning the kitchen after last night's dinner with Rob and Anna, but I'm not.
Instead, I'm going to waste all of this kid-free time telling you what's in my brain.
What have I been doing? I'm a Twitter Addict and on Facebook too much.
Here are the June Pics - I realized I never linked them here.

How about a fun Fox story?
It's potty time, y'all. Poop, too.
I spent all day asking Fox to tell everyone in earshot what he did to Daddy's toe. "I pooped ona Daddy's (big pause) toe...".Vance will tell that story on his blog this week.

We've been talking about the potty for awhile now. Sometimes he's interested, sometimes not. This weekend, pretty interested.

(I would be almost finished with this if I didn't spend so much time linking.)

So anyway, we sit him on his little potty, we talk about making sure his 'boy parts' are pointing down into the potty, we run the bath water to motivate the pee-pee, we read books, etc, etc.

Yesterday Fox peed on his potty. Then he gets up and wants to dump it in the big potty so he can flush. However, he's not quite finished peeing. So when he flushes and hears the water, he realizes he needs to pee more. So he pees all over the floor and base of the toilet. Lucky for me, this is just as I need to leave to make it to Carey's twin shower. So I handed Vance a towel, kissed the both of them and headed off to celebrate with the girls.

This afternoon he pooped and peed on the big potty with Daddy holding him in place. Tonight before bed he peed (a lot) on his little potty. I guess we're potty training. Time to go get some pullups.

Fox and I have been to Orlando three times in the past 6 weeks. The first trip was to see this sweet lady, my Granny. She's 84 tomorrow, and lives in Charleston, SC. We had a wonderful visit, going down on Sunday and heading back on Tuesday. Lots of cousin time, of course. Here are a few of the best pictures from that trip.
Reading tiny little books with Grandpa
Watching ridiculous amounts of Thomas the Train while sitting in Granny's chair (or on her bed)

Lots of hugs and snuggles with my sweet nephew.

The second trip was completely unexpected. Fox and I were getting ready for church around 9 on Sunday July 13th. My sister calls and asked if I had talked to Mom this morning. Now, in my family, "have you talked to (insert name of another family member) today?" is code for "something is wrong but I hope I don't have to be the one to tell you". Of course, I haven't talked to anyone yet. Shannon starts crying and tells me that one of her and Jay's best friends killed himself the night before. I immediately start crying too, and Fox is seriously confused. I told her we would be there in 5 hours. She tries to tell me not to come, but I told her she didn't have to worry, I would pack and leave.
So I quickly packed for Fox and I for an indeterminate length of trip and headed to church to tell Vance his family was leaving and I didn't know when we would be back. The drive down was not at all terrible, Fox was content with his books and the occasional puppet show from the top of my head.
Dylan was already at my parent's house, he stayed over with them for the weekend. Then he stayed with me at their house until Thursday morning. There was lots of cousin time and I tried to take decent pictures of them.
Cheese, anyone?
I was amazed at how the details worked out. Typically, my week is full of stuff going on. Doctor appointments, playdates, co-op babysitting, and little jobs. That week, my calendar was completely empty. Not a coincidence. I needed to be in Orlando, to help my sister and love on her and Jay. Thursday we got to spend some time together, mostly talking about the fact that it was okay to be upset and that it's okay to ask for help. Friday we took the boys to Target to get their pictures done. I'm sorry to be so biased, but these are some seriously cute boys.
After pictures, we had lunch and then Fox and I headed back home. Vance was so glad we were home, but was terrible leaving my sister when she was still in so much pain. Thank you to everyone who prayed and please continue to pray for them and their friends. There is still a lot of healing going on, and it will be a long road to recovery.

The third trip had been planned well in advance. My Uncle Bill and Aunt Kathi were coming down from Michigan (where we visited last summer) and they wanted to see the boys. Vance got to come with us this time. We had a great visit, celebrated Shannon's birthday, and enjoyed swimming in the neighbor's pool.

Some other fun pictures - most of these are also in the July upload that I just finished.

Fox likes to 'fix' his scooter and digger like Daddy fixes cars. This mostly consists of him turning them upside down and sticking crayons in any available orifice and turning them, kind of like a screwdriver I guess.
He also loves to play his guitar with Daddy. Using a pick is a special treat since we usually have to retrieve it from inside the guitar afterwards.

Is there anyone else who loves to give their kids lemons? He makes these hysterical faces, and then asks for more!

This is the point when Daddy decreed it was haircut time.

Rock on!

Post-Haircut Cheese!

I love my sweet Dylan.

Fox loves his Daddy. This was at Coosh's after we returned from our 6-day trip to Orlando.

I am constantly amazed at how awesome my kid is. I love him more than I ever thought possible, and more every day. Vance and I are truly blessed.
He is the funniest, smartest, most exhausting boy on the planet, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Okay, enough for tonight. Hope you've enjoyed novel. ; )