Rock Around the Clock...

I'm a little late posting this, but oh well. Last weekend, we went to my Mom's church party. It was a 50's party and she did an awesome job planning, preparing and decorating. It was so fun!!! We had dinner, milkshakes, dancing and then a lip syncing contest. Mom and I spent a lot of time picking out the songs and coming up with props for each group. So much time, actually, that Jocelyn now knows a lot of the songs! Her favorite is Rock Around the Clock! She loves it and wants to dance to it all the time! My Mom got Jocelyn a really cute poodle skirt and she was really excited to wear it. When it came time to change into it, she decided she's too shy to wear it. Uhhh. I guess her dress up phobia is not all cured. Haha. I'm just hoping she will at least wear her Snow White costume on Halloween!

SURPRISE!!!

Last night, I was changing Jocelyn into her pajamas. I looked at her elbow and saw one of her pins sticking out of the cast!!!!!!!! Freaked me out! My mom was here, thankfully, because I probably would have stressed more without some calmness from her! It wasn't sticking out a lot, but it still wasn't something I was expecting. Everytime she moved her arm up, it would come out a little more! So I called the pediatric orthopedic doctor on call and she said she wanted to have it looked at first thing this morning. Unfortunately, our surgeon is in surgery on tuesdays, so we had to see someone else. They took the cast off, which was akward b/c the pin was stuck in the plaster and the pin is curved. When Jocelyn saw the pins sticking out, she said "WHY did they put HOLES in my arm?!?!" :) Then she had more xrays done, which she was crying through b/c the pins were sticking out and she didn't have her cast on, plus her elbow was tender. We were told that they'd probably just redo her cast b/c it wasn't time to take the pins out. Once we got the xrays done, we went back and saw one of the other surgeons. He checked out her xrays and said, "Well! Looks like we have a quick healer here! We are ready to take the pins out!" WHAT?!?!?!?! ARE YOU SURE?!?!?! I'm not so sure I'm ready for this!! Especially after seeing her elbow without the cast on! Not to mention, I wasn't mentally prepared for them to PULL the pins out! AHHHHH! But I had no say in it, so out they came! Poor thing. That scream was almost as bad as when she broke her elbow. I always feel like a traitor to her when I know something is going to hurt but I act like it's fine. You know?!?! So now she'll have the bandages on for a couple more days and if doesn't still bleed when I take them off then we can start working on moving her elbow! Kind of crazy! It's been three weeks to the day that we had her surgery! Graham worked last night, so we decided that he would stay home this morning since we thought all was going to happen was a new cast. He was surprised when we came home and she told him her pins were out. He said, "Why did they do that?!?!" haha.




I mentioned before how much the nurses at the hospital LOVE Jocelyn. I think it is the cutest thing! They fought over who got to stay with her after her surgery, even when she was VERY grumpy! Every time we have an appointment with her surgeon, new nurses just fall in love with this girl. She has handfuls of stickers, crayons, coloring books, and suckers by the time we leave! Usually from at least four different nurses! So funny! Different nurses have different nicknames for her. Our favorite is the xray lady. She is SO sweet to Jocelyn and always so excited to see her! Anyway, it's just so cute! She is very loveable!! :)

Blue to match Snow White!!!

We had an appointment with Jocelyn's surgeon yesterday. They took more xrays and everything is looking good. We got to see the pins on the xrays!!! WOW! I thought they were going to be little...NOT the case! Those things look huge! Jocelyn kept telling me that her elbow was popping. If she squeezes her hand tight or sometimes when she just moves her arm, you can actually hear the popping. It doesn't hurt her, but I brought it up. Yeah, it's the pins popping against the plaster. YUCK! They actually stick out of her elbow quite a bit! Dr. Basch said the pins haven't moved, so he didn't want to take the cast off and redo it. Which is fine with me!

They took off the old bandages and Jocelyn picked blue so she could match her Snow White costume. When the nurse was wrapping her, she started crying. She said, "Just wrap it a little!" We have found that since the surgery, Jocelyn now has issues with things that are tight on her or make her hot. When she was younger, she hated elevators, but she got over that awhile ago. So I guess we are back to being somewhat claustrophobic or something! I can see where it comes from though. She had lots of things on her, squeezing her and when they did the splint, it was REALLY hot on her skin and the stinkin' ER guy didn't put anything between her skin and the splint!!!! Two different times I have put a shirt on her that made her cry and get all frustrated. I can't even explain it. One time was a long sleeve shirt (I had to cut the cast sleeve) and the other was a sleeveless shirt, so I never know which shirt is going to make her feel claustrophobic. She doesn't like the carseat tight on her either, which has never been an issue before. Of course, we can't loosen it too much but she gets very upset if she feels anything tight on her!!! I am hoping this goes away after the cast is off!

"See! I can still do gymnastics!" hahaha.

Here is Jocelyn smelling her cast. She is so funny. After the nurse put on the blue, she smelled it and decided she loved the smell. She told us all to smell it. Silly girl! You can also see how huge her elbow is! It is VERY hard to find a shirt that will fit over that elbow!!!!!

She has been doing pretty good. The worst is still when it itches under her cast. She gets SO frustrated! She just screams "ITCHY! ITCHY!" I know some people have stuck things down their cast to scratch but we CAN'T do that b/c those pins are sticking out and it could do serious damage. We did find out that she can return to ballet class after her cast is off, but unfortunately we won't be able to do gymnastics for probably three or four months after it is off. Her gymnastics is her favorite class, but I would feel like the worst mom ever if something happened to her elbow right after we got her cast off!!!! Plus the thought of her hanging on bars....yikes.

The other day, she was in the living room wanting to do ballet. It is very hard to keep an active three year old from dancing around! Well, she fell and landed on her bum and her good arm. She fell backwards and she managed to keep her cast in the air, but it SCARED her so bad! She was crying, but I could tell she wasn't hurt, just scared. Inbetween sobs, she would say, "I don't want to break my other arm!!!" Ohhhh goodness. I felt so bad for her! I have been very nervous about her falling b/c the weight of the cast has thrown her balance off. Thankfully this wasn't a bad fall at all, but I think it made her a little more aware! She does not want to go through that again!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is my Dad's birthday!!!!!!!! Since I'm not there to celebrate with him, I thought I would write some things about Dad! Here are 53 memories and things I love about you to celebrate your 53 years!!!
1. He is one of my best friends!
2. We talk almost every day. Even if it's just to check in. I love it.
3. He is one of the most GIVING people I have ever met. He would do anything for his family!
4. He is a very proud Irishman! :)
5. Dad is always good for a laugh! Whether it's with him or at him, that just depends!
6. When we were little, he always made us listen to broadway shows. I know all the words to Les Miserables.
7. Dad, John and I made a tradition of going to ice hockey games together. We went all the time and I love looking back on those memories!
8. I am a HUGE OU fan. That is thanks to my dad! We grew up with OU and Notre Dame football!
9. When Dad got REALLY mad at us, his eyes would bulge out of his head! hahaha. John and I laugh about this all the time!
10. I have always been close to my Dad. When I was little, I would sit outside the bathroom door and wait for him to come out!
11. Dad would always drive us to school. Whoever sat in the front seat got to hold his hand. We always fought over the front. I'm sure most siblings do, but we fought to hold Dad's hand!
12. "Sorry Lauri"....haha. John and Dad would want to play that game "Sorry" just so they could say that to me and make me mad! Also Dad would tease me saying, "I'm not in the moooood!" I guess I said that once or twice!
13. Oh, this is a good one. We would all be sitting in the living room. Dad would secretly call my phone in my bedroom. I would run back there to get it and he would hang up. This is before caller ID and cordless phones. He would do this over and over and I would ALWAYS fall for it!
14. When I was in middle school, I would "sneak out" the back door at night to meet up with friends in the field behind our house. There was a manual lock at the top of the sliding glass door that slid out. Dad would put a penny up there so he would know if I snuck out. I don't know how many times this actually worked, but I always put it back. I figured I had a 50/50 shot at getting it right.
15. He has the BEST Donald Duck voice!!!! Jocelyn loves it considering one of her favorite shows is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
16. Jocelyn LOVES talking to her Grandpa on the phone! She knows Grandpa is up for teasing, so they usually end up teasing each other. It's soooo funny to listen to!
17. I remember going to the lake and Dad teaching us to float on our back. I don't know why that sticks out in my mind. Maybe b/c it was scary but we trusted that he wouldn't let us drowned!
18. All of my friends loved my dad growing up! He was definitely the cool dad! Except I knew better than to bring boys home. I would just end up getting embarressed! Dad thought I didn't date much.....hahahaha.
19. Speaking of boys, I was SO nervous for Graham and Dad to meet!!! I picked Dad up from the airport and we went to pick up his tux from the store. We pulled up and I saw Graham's truck there! I about turned around and left, but things turned out okay and Dad didn't embarress me too badly. They are really good friends now, which I LOVE!
20. He came to every one of my basketball games, even though we were HORRIBLE! We just liked to flirt with our coach instead of worry about our score! He also came to all of my dance recitals, even though they were extremely long and probably really boring....except for when I danced. That was the best, of course!
21. When John threw parties while Dad was out of town, he ALWAYS KNEW! I have no clue how. Maybe he had a secret spy or something. Or maybe he read police reports! hahahahahaha.
22. John and I had some pretty brutal fights growing up! We would fight like crazy and then when it came time for Dad to get involved, we would make up a story about how that hole got into the wall or whatever. Dad NEVER believed us and usually got John to tell the truth somehow! Sheesh John! I bet Dad secretly laughed though and enjoyed our sibling bond!!!!
23. If ANYONE messes with his kids....WATCH OUT!!! John used to get picked on at the bus stop. One day, Dad yelled at the kid and I'm pretty sure the kid peed in his pants!
24. Kelly, Nick and Mozart. Our shelties growing up. Dad LOVES shelties and now that's the only kind of dog I would own.
25. One time, I was in BIG trouble for something and Dad was yelling at me and was backing up out of my bedroom and somehow twisted his ankle. I didn't know what to do! Go help and see if he was okay, or take the opportunity to run for my life! hehe.
26. Dad would ALWAYS put the Christmas lights on the Christmas tree. Ask Graham. I am VERY particular about how our lights go on the tree b/c Dad was alawys so good at it!
27. Pepsi and Oreos. We really thought Dad lived off of these two things growing up!
28. Beatles, Eric Clapton, The Beach Boys, The Eagles....just a few of the things that were ALWAYS playing!
29. On Halloween, we would come home from trick or treating and dump out our candy on the floor. Dad would always take the MILKY WAYS, M&M's, red skittles and red starbursts. We always knew this would happen and didn't really mind....I don't think!
30. In middle school, I hated shopping. Don't ask me why, I just did! Dad would drop me off at the mall with his credit card and make me shop. If he did that now, he would be in big trouble!!!
31. When my friends called the house, Dad would say "Lauri's answering service!" if he answered the phone. Needless to say, I always tried to get it first!
32. When we were little, Dad would do this cheerleading move with us and flip us around his back. We thought it was the funnest thing ever!
33. Saturday morning homemade waffles with bacon bits. Yummy!!!
34. At our cousins house, we used to get big boxes, break them down and go sledding down the HUGE hill. So much fun! Dad would be the one to catch us at the bottom so we didn't go into the street! See...such a responsible Dad! :)
35. In elementary school, he would pick us up for lunch all the time and take us out! There was a subway shop (wish I could remember the name!) that we would always go to or we would go to Charleston's. The secretaries all knew Dad and expected to see him often!
36. When Jocelyn was about two weeks old, Dad came out to Virgnia to visit. It was Graham's first week back at work and I was so NERVOUS to be home! Dad came and helped SO MUCH! He would hold Jocelyn and get her to sleep and let me sleep! I woke up one time thinking my pillow was Jocelyn and I was squishing her! I freaked out, ran into the living room and found Dad and Jocelyn resting peacefully on the couch! We laugh about that now!
37. Faith is very important to Dad and he has always been an example to us!
38. Dad has also always taught us to be proud of our country and be grateful for our freedom! The bald eagle is one of his favorite things! We would always get him pictures or statues of bald eagles for presents! I can't imagine how many he has now!
39. Blue Bell ice cream...need I say more?!?!?!
40. The first time we took Dad to visit Washington D.C., we went to this really good Irish restaurant. We were walking out to the car to go to the hockey game and we saw a meter maid writing us a ticket!!! We ran over and tried to talk our way out of it. We didn't realize the street sweepers came through at six and you couldn't park on the street! Another officer came over and told her not to write us a ticket and he was glad we were visiting D.C.!!!
41. Dad got kicked out of more than one of John's hockey games in high school. It was always for yelling at the refs! This still makes me laugh! "Oh, Dad. Not again!"
42. Tulsa Oktoberfest! GOOD TIMES! The chicken dance!!!!
43. 1964 concerts! We actually really liked these!
44. When I was little, we used to dance in our living room all the time. I would always stand on Dad's feet and then he would dance. So funny.
45. Road trips!! Whenever we went on road trips, Dad would video tape parts of the drive! Haha. It makes me dizzy when I watch these now! He would also video tape the moon, the sunset, etc. etc.
46. Christmas mornings were the best! He would wake us up, video tape us waiting in the hallway and then running to look in our stockings. He was behind the video camera or the regular camera A LOT! Which is a blessing now b/c we have so many pictures to look back on!
47. I remember going to pick out my violin with him. He was so excited! Too bad it didn't last long with me. I got bored. John was able to use the same violin for years and I think Catherine used it too!
48. OH!! At hockey games, we could do a "time out" where we were allowed to chant the bad word with the crowd at the refs! Hilarious! We thought it was the coolest thing!
49. Jocelyn is now obsessed with band-aids!! When Dad came to visit, she had an "owie" and he bought her some cute band-aids. Now we have to have them in the house all the time. They make everything better!
50. John and I thought it was the BEST that Dad liked the same radio stations we liked when we were younger. What were they? 107.3 and 106.9? Is that right, Dad?
51. I remember one of our favorite nights was when we got to meet the Tulsa Oilers and get their signatures!!!! Another night, this pyscho spilled beer on John and on Dad's leather coat during the hockey game. Dad said something to him and the guy wanted to go outside and fight Dad. Crazy! I think we walked out with security that night!
52. Making nachos and having movie night! There were lots of weekend nights that John and I would stay home and hang out with our Dad!
53. I have been blessed with the best father and friend! I am SO grateful for you in my life, Dad, and I LOVE all the memories you have created for us! You are loved more than you will ever know and we MISS you tons!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and know that we are thinking about you!

Still too windy, Ashlee!!!!!!!

Last year, we flew my best friend, Ashlee, and her two boys out here for the balloon fiesta! We were very sad when we went to the night glow and it was canceled because of the wind! We did get to watch the fireworks and Jocelyn and Gavin were happy with that! I was hoping to get to see the balloon glow this year!

Jocelyn relaxing. She's so cute!

Jocelyn and Audrey. Jocelyn was playing peek-a-boo with her and Audrey thought it was the funniest thing!

We went last night and it was canceled because of the wind!!!!! AHHHHHHH! What is the deal with Albuquerque?!?! When it's time for the balloon fiesta, the wind goes crazy!! We had a great time hanging out with friends and watching the fireworks, though!


Yesterday morning, we went to McCall's Pumpkin Patch with my mom. We had a lot of fun! We fed the animals, went through the corn maze, Jocelyn went through the rope maze, rode the hayride and picked out some pumpkins! Definitely a fun tradition we do every year!

"I'm the LEADER, guys! Follow me!"

She wasn't too excited about letting us take pictures that day for some reason!

"Forget it, I'm going under!" haha. I don't blame her! There were too many big kids running around like crazy people!

She picked the cutest little pumpkin!!




Such a beautiful view! They must have 100,000 pumpkins!!

Cute girl

Jocelyn was SO excited to see balloons on our doorstep when we came home from surgery! Her friend, Kendra, had dropped them off for her! They are still floating today!

Her friend, Jessica, brought her flowers, m&m's and pictures she colored for her! So sweet.

She has been playing doctor a lot on her babies. The hospital gave her a little bag with doctor stuff in it so she wouldn't feel nervous the day of surgery. Her cast is hiding behind her leg. She doesn't like keeping it infront of her.

It is very hard to find a shirt that will actually fit over the cast!! Her elbow is HUGE b/c of the pins and most of her shirts don't stretch that much!

Under the bandage is plaster like a normal cast, but they did leave part of it not plastered to allow for swelling. The ER had given us different colors to decorate her arm and then Jocelyn's friend, Maddi, brought her a cast decorating kit! She's had so much fun with that! She still has the all the stickers on her chest from the monitors during surgery. Those things are SO hard to get off! Between the ER and surgery, she had a total of nine of those things!!

Surgery

Jocelyn's surgery went well. I am so glad to be home and not have another appointment until next week! When Jocelyn tells about her arm, she says, "In the FIRST hospital, in the SECOND hospital or in the THIRD hospital", depending on which story she is telling! Three hospitals in three days...we have had enough!

We woke up around five in the morning yesterday to go to the hospital. Jocelyn was upset that it was still dark and she was awake! I don't blame her, we weren't excited about it either! We got to the hospital, walked around lost for a long time (they added a new section for the pediatric surgery) and after asking probably four hospital employees, we found the "pavilion". It was decorated really cute with 3D clouds and 3D hot air balloons all over the walls. The front desk was like a hot air balloon too. The bottom of the desk was the basket and then they had the bars leading up to fake, lighted fire and part of a balloon hanging from the ceiling. My description doesn't really do it justice, but they don't let anyone take pics in the hospital.

When the nurse called for us, Jocelyn was very nervous. She wanted to walk behind me hidden. Poor thing. We got to our room and she did NOT want to change into their p.j's or even take off her shoes. After all the trauma at the ER, I didn't blame her. All the nurses were AMAZING and didn't force her to do anything or make her uncomfortable. They were very sweet to her and she started to feel a little better. The anesthesiologist came in to talk to us and give Jocelyn the "happy juice" that would relax her. Another nurse came in and asked Jocelyn if she wanted a strawberry smelling oxygen mask. She brought it in and soon after the "happy juice" kicked in! She was making us laugh so hard, which was such a relief from our nervouseness. I scooted her over a little on the bed and she said, "Mom, I have a wedge issue!" So I lifted her off the bed to fix her pants and she just started laughing and hanging her arm and legs like a monkey. Then I sat her back on the bed and she took her oxygen mask and turned it into a rocket. "It's a rocket. Zoom, zoom, zoom!" It was so funny. Soon after, the nurses and anesthesiologist came back and we gave her hugs and kisses and they wheeled her away. It would have been SO much harder to leave her if she was screaming and crying for me, so I was very grateful that she was relaxed. I was also relieved b/c they weren't going to do anything to her while she was awake. They were going to give her the oxygen mask to help her sleep, then do xrays, change her, put her IV in, put the breathing tube down her throat, do the surgery and then put the cast on all while she was out!

Waiting for her to be done was very hard for us. I knew everything was going to be okay, but it is still very scary for your child to be in surgery! Finally, we got to go in and see her. She was awake very quickly after surgery and when we went in she was upset that her little bear had a cast on him too! (She took it into surgery with her. I thought it was really cute, but she didn't!) So I took that off for her and then she realized that she had an IV in her hand and it was all wrapped up in gauze. Plus she had the blood pressure monitor on her leg and the oxygen level thing around her toe. She started crying and trying to pull everything off. I felt so bad!!! The nurse ended up giving her the strongest dose of morphine they could and then they got her some apple juice and some popsicles to hopefully take her mind off of everything else. It worked...some. Any time the blood pressure cuff would squeeze her leg, she would remember she was mad! After a few minutes, the nurse took off everything but the IV, so Jocelyn was fine after that. She had popsicles and she was a happy camper. It was funny b/c another nurse came in and told our nurse she was needed somewhere and she was going to take over for her. She said, "Awww. I really wanted to stay with my Jocelyn!" It was cute. Both of our nurses were so sweet and caring. After awhile, Jocelyn was happy and talkative and telling the nurse all kinds of stories. When she came to sit by her to take the IV off, Jocelyn said "I want to give you a hug!" It was cute.

Another thing that I wanted to write down, whenever Jocelyn tells someone about how she hurt her arm (I can't count the number of times she's been asked already!) she says, "well, you know those cannibal slides (MEANING INFLATABLE!), well it was a child's birthday party, his name is Collin, and I slid down the cannibal slides and when I jumped off, I just slipped and landed on my elbow and the carpet is not good and it was too hard and broke my elbow into pieces!" It is soooo funny! She's heard me say inflatable slides when I was explaining what happened and somehow it turned into cannibal! Hilarious.

Anyway, it has taken me awhile to write this post. I think mainly because it's so overwhelming to think about. We are doing good now though. The hardest part is knowing how frustrating it is for her to not be able to use her arm. She was talking to my dad last night and telling him how frustrated she is b/c she can't do anything now by herself, like get dressed, eat, button her pants, take a shower, run, go to ballet or gymnastics, etc etc. Her cast is SO heavy that she has to pick it up to move it. We do have a sling for it, but the thing will not stay in place and she gets annoyed with it around her back and shoulder, so she usually wants it off. The other hard part is convincing her that she needs her medicine. It tastes horrible and she hates it, so I usually have to bribe her with gum or something!

I want to THANK everyone for the emails, groceries, dinners, balloons and gifts for Jocelyn, her cast decorating kit, and for all the phone calls. It is really nice to know how many people care about us!!!! Thank you so much!!!

Update on Jocelyn

We just got back from an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. He took more xrays of her elbow and had the nurses re-splint it. Come to find out, the ER splint was horrible and was not doing anything for her. Lovely. These xrays were much clearer. They are going to be doing surgery tomorrow morning to put pins in. We need to be at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. I felt SO bad for Jocelyn this morning b/c the original plan was to wait a couple days until the swelling went down to see the surgeon, but we called this morning and he wanted to see us today. So she was very nervous and scared about going to another doctor today. We reassured her that is was NOT going to be like yesterday. I didn't write down all the trauma she went through last night, but it was not good. Anyway, we really like the doctor and she is feeling better with a new splint. There is a chance she could come home tomorrow night, otherwise we'll be home Wednesday. Keep us in your prayers!
Hopefully I'll get more sleep tonight b/c last night I could NOT stop checking on her! The nurse told me to be sure to check on her throughout the night and make sure she is breathing and hadn't thrown up in her sleep. Okay, tell that to an already paranoid/emotional mom. The nurse probably didn't mean every TWO minutes, but that's what happens when I've watched her go through so much already! Good thing she still had the medicine from the ER in her b/c she slept through my constant checking. Honestly though I don't think I will get much more sleep tonight...

Worst night of my life....

Not to be dramatic, but this was definitely the WORST night of my life. My sweet little girl broke her elbow in two places and we just spent eight hours in the emergency room. We were at her cousin's birthday party and she slid down one of those inflatable slides. She jumped off the end and somehow landed right on her elbow. Graham and I both knew something was wrong when she didn't stop crying. She is a trooper and when she gets hurt, she doesn't cry for very long. We decided to take her to the emergency room and I'm so glad we did.
They took xrays and told us that she broke her elbow in two places and she will have to have surgery in the next couple days. The break is complete, so it wouldn't heal without surgery and there could be a chance that the nerves could be damaged if they don't fix it.
Of course, I was a complete mess the whole night. I tried to not cry infront of her, but it was just too much seeing her in pain. Graham was my strength the whole night and I'm so glad he was there with me. Jocelyn is AMAZING and was so strong. She only cried when they took xrays (and didn't give her meds!!! UHHH!) and when they put her arm in the splint. She was thanking the nurses for taking care of her and telling them they are good!!!! AWWWWWW. Melted our hearts.
I am so thankful for the priesthood. We thought we were going to be released, but after they looked at the xrays, they thought they might do surgery tonight. Then they decided they are going to wait a couple days to do surgery, but they needed to do a "reduction" or whatever. (Meaning the bone wasn't in the right place and they needed to align it.) They told us they were going to have to put her to sleep so she wouldn't feel more pain. Right before, Graham and his sister's brother in law gave Jocelyn a blessing. She was hooked up to all the monitors and blood pressure, etc. at the time. Right before they started, her heart rate was up a little b/c she was nervous. As soon as Graham started the prayer, her heart rate went back down. I can't tell you how comforting that was to me. I am so grateful for that.
Anyway, I need to get to bed. We moved Jocelyn's bed into our room so she can be with us and she is still awake right now. We all need some sleep now, but I will update as soon as we know anything more. Prayers are greatly appreciated!

Always listen...

Three posts in one day for me! Wow! I went visiting teaching today and I feel like this is definitely worth sharing! Usually with visiting teaching, you are suppose to be the one giving the message, but I feel like I left today with my testimony stronger! I hope my friend doesn't mind me sharing this. I don't think she would!

We started talking about mini vans b/c our friend just got a new one. My friend that we were visiting was talking about how she really hated mini vans growing up and she said she would NEVER buy one when she got older. Well, her husband was out of town for a couple days and she woke up one morning and thought "I HAVE to go buy a mini van today!" She had NEVER even thought about this before. Never talked to her husband about it and didn't even really need a new car. At the time she had a midsized car. A new car wasn't in the budget and this thought seemed to be out of the blue. For some reason, she just felt like it HAD to happen. She packed up her two small children and went straight down to the dealership. She talked to her husband and told him how she felt and he said "okay, we'll do it." That day, she picked out a mini van and the next day, she picked up her husband from the airport and they went straight to the dealership to sign the papers.

Well, one week to the day that they got their new mini van, they went to her mom's house for a halloween party. They left that night around eight to head home and they were sitting at a stop sign. All of a sudden, a huge truck comes racing towards them and plows right into them!! The people who hit them got out and ran down the street, hopped into another car and LEFT! Soon, firetrucks and ambulances showed up and the first thing they said to her was, "If you were in a smaller car, you would all be dead!!!" They were shocked at how well the mini van had held up, even though it was totaled. At that moment, everything made sense to her! Heavenly Father was looking out for them and b/c she listened to that very strong prompting, they were protected!! I got chills listening to her talk about it. The kids who hit them were doing it for a gang intitiation and had stole the truck that they used to hit this family.

This story amazes me. Like I said before, she HATED mini vans and repeatedly told her husband she would never own one. Despite this, she followed the prompting she had and made a BIG purchase b/c of it. It wasn't a minor thing and she couldn't have second guessed herself or just ignored it. If she would have put it off for just ONE week, it could have ended very badly! I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I hope that I don't ignore promptings I have and can follow her example!

I want to write about one more thing. Some people could hear this story and say, "well if Heavenly Father was protecting them, why didn't He just stop it from happening?" I would have to say that one of our greatest gifts is our agency. Elder Ballard talks about this and I think he puts it perfectly...

"We tend to think of agency as a personal matter. If we ask someone to define “moral agency,” the answer will probably be something like this: “Moral agency means I am free to make choices for myself.” Often overlooked is the fact that choices have consequences; we forget also that agency offers the same privilege of choice to others. At times we will be affected adversely by the way other people choose to exercise their agency. Our Heavenly Father feels so strongly about protecting our agency that he allows his children to exercise it, either for good or for evil."

So I think that this family was protected b/c of their faithfulness and willingness to follow the promptings they receive. Heavenly Father wasn't going to stop it from happening b/c that would be taking away the agency of those kids but He did give my friend the tools she needed to protect herself and her family. What a blessing!

The house is flying!!

Jocelyn had the cat toy and was running around the house with it so Boomer would chase her. She decided to spin in circles in the living room. She kept spinning and spinning! She fell down and said, "Mom! The house is flying! Let me look out the window. Yep, we landed in the same spot! How come? The house was flying!" I explained to her that she was dizzy and that's why it felt like that. "No, the house was flying." Okay, honey. Whatever works!

I mentioned before that she has been VERY curious about marriage, babies, etc. Maybe it's the princess stories she likes to read!! UH! Yesterday she was asking me tons of questions. This is our conversation.
Jocelyn: "When you are done marrying Daddy, I am going to marry him!"
Me: "Well, I'll never be done marrying Daddy! We are going to be married for forever!"
Joc: "Oh. Well when I'm grown, will you help me pick out a husband?"
Me: "Of course!" (I already have one in mind. hehe. Gavin!)
Joc: "And will you help me pick out a house? I will live next to you with my husband. You need to teach me to drive and do the dishes and scrub the toilet."
Me: "I will be sure to do all that!"
Joc: "Can you make me a wedding dress? You are good at making things! Oh, and help me pick out a child! Then when I'm a mommy, I'll have BOOBS!"

Can anyone tell me how to make her STOP growing up so quickly?!?!?! I am going to cry!!!! (Inbetween the LAUGHING, that is!!)

Random stuff...

Last week was really fun and busy! We went to the State Fair with my mom and Jocelyn had a blast! She rode all the kid rides, rode the ponies, fed the animals and was a very tired girl at the end! Unfortunately I don't have pictures from that night. It was sprinkling when we first got there so I left the camera in the car. I did learn that is a great night to go to the fair (when it's been sprinkling) b/c so many people leave and it wasn't crowded at all!

Then my sister, Cindy, came to visit for a couple days. We rode the tram up to the top of the mountain and had dinner up there. Jocelyn had never been on the tram before and she really enjoyed it. I wasn't too sure if she would like it or not. This is the child who would freak out in elevators!! We love when Cindy comes to visit. Jocelyn just adores her...so do I!

Jocelyn in the tram.

We found a Snow White wig at Party City for Jocelyn's halloween costume! I was so excited b/c now I don't have to order it. Who knew they'd have every princess wig! She looks so funny with this huge head of black hair! I love it!

Today Jocelyn and I were playing in her playroom and Boomer (our cat) decided to jump to the third floor on Jocelyn's dollhouse. It was making Jocelyn laugh so hard.

Crazy cat!

Good thing!!!

This morning after gymnastics class, Jocelyn was playing in the living room. She had the little house, car and baby swing and was the mommy. She came over to me and said...

Joc: "Mommy? Where are my car keys?"
Me: "I'm not sure, honey. You can use mine."
Joc: "Oh. Good thing I'm talking to a woman!!"

Hahahaha. I have NO idea what she meant by that! I've been thinking of explanations, but I have nothing! ;) She is funny.

Best friends and OU cheer!!

Jocelyn's friend, Jessica, came over to play the other day. They are two days apart and they always have a lot of fun together!

Being silly in the playhouse

The girls playing "Hi Ho Cherry O"

Last weekend, we were getting ready for the OU game. We found Jocelyn's old OU cheerleading outfit!! She wore this for Halloween when she was about to turn two and it still fits! Too bad I can't find her pom poms! She wore it for the whole game and OU won, so maybe we'll have to wear it every game day! Haha.

My comedian

I really wish I had a tape recorder with me all day long! Jocelyn says the funniest things and she is SO expressive! There are a few things that she has said lately that I want to write down before I forget. Bear with me. You will get a chuckle or two!

Today I was doing her hair and I asked her to hold the spray bottle for me. She said, "MOM! I'm not a holder, I'm a human!! All childs are human!!"

We dropped dinner off at work for Graham tonight. On the way home, she was talking to "Grandpa in Tulsa". I talked to him first and found out that he has a sore throat, so when she heard that, she wanted to talk to him. "You don't feel very good, Grandpa? Can you tell me WHY you don't feel good? WHO is taking care of you? YOU ARE BY YOURSELF!?!?!?!" She was so motherly talking to him and worried about who is taking care of him. Very sweet!

Yesterday, we picked my mom up to go to the fair (or " the fairest" as Jocelyn says). She had to take something to her car and Jocelyn went with her. Jocelyn ALWAYS has a story to tell and Mom walked back in laughing. Jocelyn: "First, Mommy got pregnant! Then she got married in the temple!!" Mom said "I wonder who else she's said that too?!?!" HAHAHA. Yeah, do the math, we definitely got married and THEN had a baby!

We played with some friends at the park today and she was telling Grandpa about it. "So, in the first place, my friend wanted to play princess and I didn't want to. Second place, Mommy said be nice to ALL your friends and I didn't listen. Third place, I finally listened!" Hahaha. Oh my goodness! This child is three going on seventeen!!

Again, on the phone with Grandpa. "It's dark and Daddy is at work. All he has to do now is spend money. No, wait! Daddy makes money and WE spend it!" hehe. Okay, I'll give her that one. :)

So there is a small dose of my daily life with Miss Jocelyn! She is non-stop entertainment and we love her so much! I will definitely have to get a video of her telling one of her stories so you can see the facial expressions, eye rolls and hand gestures!

Pink Cowgirl? No, it's Snow White now!

The last three halloweens, I have picked Jocelyn's costume. She was too young to care and last year was just understanding the concept of Halloween! This year, she flipped through some magazines and looked online at costumes. For about a month, she wanted to be a pink cowgirl. That all changed when we went to the Disney Store. She saw the princess costumes and desperately wanted to get the Snow White one! We kept telling her that once we bought it, she had to be Snow White for Halloween. She said, "I know! I love to dress up now!" haha. She looks really cute! I even found a Snow White wig online to complete it! :)

WHAT IF?!?!

What would I look like if I grew up in another decade? Well, thanks to a friend's blog, I was able to find out! Too funny! If you want to try it out, go to www.yearbookyourself.com. Upload a pic and have a good laugh! Here are some of mine. I need to find a pic of Graham too!!

Polar bears and butterflies

Jocelyn earned a trip to the zoo from her star chart, so we ended up going with Maddie. They have so much fun together!

One of our favorite animals to watch is the polar bear. This time, one of them was being so playful! It was so cute! He would throw the block up on the rocks, climb up there, throw the block in the water and then jump on top of it. We had so much fun watching him!


Tonight was a milestone for us! haha. Jocelyn has NOT liked dressing up AT ALL!! It makes me laugh b/c a lot of her friends love dress up and she never wanted to dress up with them! Even during the summer fairytale ballet, she would NOT dress up! They had different princess outfits for each girl every week and she would just say, "NO thank you, Ms. Christy!"

Tonight she ran upstairs and told me we were going to play princess. She came down and had this butterfly outift on over her pajamas! I was shocked! I love how her shirt is all bundled up under the leotard. Looks so uncomfortable but she was dressing up and didn't care! She looks so grown up in this pic!!!

Aiden and Jocelyn

Growing up, my brother and I had SO much fun with our cousins! We have such great memories with all of them, so I was very excited for Jocelyn to meet her baby cousin, Aiden, for the first time! This is from the beginning of the year and I have been meaning to put it on here for so long for John and Myrica to see. It is hilarious! Aiden has a little surprise for all of you unsuspecting viewers!

P.S. Don't know what is going on with the static! Sorry.

Our little visitor

This little guy was in our backyard the other day. Our cat was the first one to spot him, then Jocelyn. It's fun to see road runners in your backyard! Later we saw a blue tailed lizard!