The Accident

Did I mention the accident?

The one that totaled the Durango?

The phone call that caused my heart to stop for a second?

 

Kailee had decided to go visit Kimi while we went to the George Strait concert

and asked if she could take some of the little kids.

They were all so excited to see Kimi that we let them go.

I didn't really like that they were going one direction,

while we were going another...

but I am always like that.
I know I can't keep them in a bubble,

but it would sure be nice if I could.

 

We got home Saturday, but they were planning to stay until Sunday

after church.

Sunday morning brought a promise of really cold, bad weather

and they decided to leave earlier than they had planned.

The road was fine until they were about a half hour from home.

Kailee called to let me know they were in the little town less than 30 miles away

and that the roads had been great.

I was getting ready to go back into Sunday School when my phone rang again.

I wondered why Kailee was calling me again so soon but stepped back out

to answer.

I could tell something was wrong...

she was very upset and crying and asked us to come and get them.

It took a few minutes to get her calmed down enough to tell me what had happened.

The tunnels were black ice.

She did everything right according to the police,

and I was more than impressed that she held it together for the little kids.

 

Everyone was buckled up and everyone was safe,

however Kalli had twisted in the seat to check on the little kids

and hit her head. 

She had a big gash on her forehead right at the hairline.

Kailee said after it was all said and done,

Kalli's flare for drama was quite funny.

When Kalli realized she was bleeding,

she threw her arm in the air and said, "I'm dying Kailee, I am dying!"

Of course that set off the other kids and they were crying and asking if

Kalli was really going to die.

Kailee told them NO, she was not going to die and did her best to stay as much in control

as you possibly can while  you are ping ponging through a tunnel!
Kalli, in shock, jumped out of the Durango when it came to a stop and stood

in the middle of the freeway waving frantically for help.

Oddly enough, 

a 7 car pile up happened going the other direction in the tunnels

and an off duty police officer was on his way home.

He was able to give them the help they needed.

The kids wanted us to come get them,

but I talked to the police officer and he told me that the roads were closed and

the kids would be sent to the hospital in the ambulance.

All 5 of them together.

 

Thayne and I went directly to the hospital and waited.

While we sat in the parking lot waiting, Kalli called us to talk.

I kept asking if they had given her medicine because she sounded like they had drugged

her up.

She was so funny telling us about what happened.

Then she started saying to Kami to hide,

explaining that Kami had to use the bathroom and they told her

they couldn't stop,

but gave her a bowl to 'pee' in.

It broke the ice and calmed my heart enough to wait for them to get there.

Kailee also hurt her shoulder, but was so worried about everyone else

that she didn't even let them check her.

She did everything possible to keep them safe.

There were many others on the other side of the freeway that had much more

experience than she had, and still fell victim to the black ice.

(I HATE those tunnels by the way!!!)

 

The CT Scan was of Kalli's head to make sure nothing else was wrong.

She had several stitches and will have a good scar, but otherwise she was great.

Although for a moment...

everyone looking at the results were a little worried...

until they realized she still had bobby pins in her hair!

 

The first thing Kalli told us when we got to the hospital was that

Heavenly Father had protected them because it should have been a lot worse.

I have to agree, and thank Him for keeping His hand on them as the were flung

through the tunnel.

Kailee believes that she had help that day keeping it on the road.

I agree with her.

And I am grateful!



Bullies

 

What makes a bully?  What makes a person want to hurt someone else?  What makes a person care so little about another human being that they would do something like this, without a thought or care of the damage they could do?

 

A bully did this to my son.  For no other reason than he was stoned, and driving around town our little town looking for trouble.  He drove past more than once.  He parked and went into the gas station where 3 of my sons were buying pizza.  He watched them, he waited until everyone had left the area, and then he approached my boys and said some pretty vulgar things, and then, without reason, punched him full on in the mouth. 

 

This bully is 18 years old.  He wrestled at just under 300lbs (298) on the high school team.  He was stoned, possibly drinking.  He was a star football player, wrestled, golfed.  He has recently gotten into trouble more and more at school.  He bragged about it on Facebook and Twitter, by saying that he taught some boys a lesson for talking 'crap' about him. 

 

Boys... interesting word.  Boys.  My children are BOYS.  This boy, this incredible young man saw this MAN approaching.  Had heard him say that he was 'so stoned'.   He knew that this MAN was going to attack not just him, but his two younger, and much smaller brothers.  Together the 3 boys barely weighed as much as the bully.  There was another guy with him.  The other 18 year old is also the same size. This other guy is no less a bully because, while he didn't hit my son, he is a coward  He later apologized to my son, and said he would tell the truth, even though he was so 'messed up' that night that he only remembers sitting in the car waiting for people to leave.  When given the opportunity to tell the truth, he lied!!!   They are both about 300lbs, but it is not about their size... even though later the bullies, because truly they are not men, said that these boys called them fat.  They did not.  They were terrified.    (However even if they HAD called them fat, which I am CERTAIN they did not... um, hello.... these were two grown men!  The boys were truly scared when the bullies approached.  They were eating pizza at a park bench near the gas station.  When I asked them if they had, in any way implied anything negative about them, one finally said, "Mom, we are really not that stupid!  They were big and we were SCARED!") The bullies went out of their way to approach them, to call them vile names, and to attack them.   My son told his brothers to run, to call mom, and to hide.  He took a full on punch to the face to protect his brothers.  That is a MAN.  This young man protected his brothers, even in the face of great danger... and this WAS danger.

 

Why do we, as a society, let cowards like this get away with such behavior?  Because they can carry a football a few feet on the field?  Because they can take down their opponent on a wrestling mat?  These boys have bullied before.  They have bullied younger boys on the team.  They have pictures of themselves partying on Facebook.  They brag about it.   They KNOW they will get away with anything, and the school lets it happen.  Over and over and over!  The school 'claims' they have a strict bullying policy.  You can list them on a bullying website.  But nothing changes. 

 

It is kind of funny that the bully bragged about teaching boys a lesson at the gas station.  Teaching BOYS?  Who thinks that he is tough when he teaches 'boys' a lesson.  Little boys!  2 of them weighing less than 100lbs and one weighing 135lbs... soaking wet!  Tough.  That's a man, right???

 

The police were notified.  Reports filed.  At some point the DA will decide if charges will filed.  It will take months.  Basically they get away with it.  The school told us this guy has been in trouble many times in school... yet he is finishing up his 'senior' career at high school in all his glory.  A bully.  Will he learn?  Or will he continue the way he is going now?  Sadly, he will probably NOT change.  Why should he?  Society has taught him that he can get away with it.

 

However THAT night, my 16 year old son showed that he had what it takes to be a man.  He protected someone smaller than him, he risked himself for another person.  He didn't care about himself.  He cared about his brothers.  He showed courage.  Courage that the bully will likely never have.  Which is sad! 

 

The brothers?  They showed courage too.  They were most worried about their brother.  They were shaken.  They cried seeing their big brother hurt.  They ran to get help as quickly as possible and to get back to him to protect him.  The sad part is, what they have is what makes them courageous, and is probably what the bully is lacking... which is very likely why he is a bully!

Emma Nichole

Welcome to the world Emma Nichole!!!! 

Kimi was scheduled for a C-section on April 22nd.
She was hoping for a vbac but Emma had ideas of her own.
She has been breech and because of the position of the placenta

her doctor was worried about trying to turn her.

 

The morning of the 22nd her doctor did a quick ultrasound

to see Emma's position.
They were surprised that she had actually flipped head down.
However her position was not favorable

and they decided to go forward with the C-section.

At 8:34am on April 22nd, 2013

our beautiful granddaughter,
Emma Nichole

was born!

She weighed 8lbs 2oz and 21 inches long.

 

Kailee and I were able to go down and spend the day

with Jared, Kimi, Matt and Emma.

It wasn't nearly long enough to hold and cuddle

this beautiful little girl!

 

Kimi is so excited to have a baby girl...

her own little baby doll to dress up!

 

Welcome to the family sweet Emma!

 

Things I Never Want To Forget

I am so grateful to be loved so perfectly by my sweet Gabe.

 We gave him a mint Milano cookie.

 He asked me, "Grandma, do I like these?"

 I told him yes, they are the best! 

 He gets the biggest smile and says, 

"yes! Grandma says I like these!" 

 Oh what I would do to have him always trust me

 and believe so perfectly!

 Love that boy!

Precious Girl

Really...

Do I even need to explain???

I adore this little girl!!!

Birthdays!

Still trying to play catch up...

December and January Birthdays were fun.
Nate turned 5.

I may, or may not have had a really hard time with this!  

Tiffany turned 30.
Which is kind of funny that she is officially older than me.

At least that's what Garrett tells her, since he still tells people I am 29!
Gabe turned 3.  THREE!!!

He's growing up way too fast!

Isaac turned one...

And so did Jared!
We had to miss his party because Maelynn was born on is birthday.

Hyrum turned 10.
My sweet Bummy is 10 already!

Days fly by whether we want them to or not!
I can't believe how quickly our family is growing,

and growing up!

Hanging with the boys!

I got the opportunity to drive my boys over to the Salt Lake Temple.
Tallin is one of the young men leaders so he got to go also.
I love hanging out with them

and sharing amazing experiences like this with them!

 



What We've Been Up To!

Sometimes it feels like I have fallen off the edge of the world...
at least the blogging world. 
I have so much I want to catch up on, but every single time I think I am going to sit down
and get caught up,
I get side tracked. 

So... this is what we are doing!
Working!

Building!

Dreaming!

 

The end of last year brought so many changes to our lives.

So many changes to our family.

We started building a dream.

We spent hours every day working on the office and shop.

Painting, cleaning, putting together office furniture.

We are learning new things...
lots, and lots of new things!

It is a whole new way of life!

It's amazing to work with Thayne.

It's fun to sit across from him during the day,

watching him do what he does.

He is stretching in ways I never even considered.
We have so much to learn, but we get to do this together right now,

and that is one heck of an adventure!

 

What is it that we do?

Well...

We sell pumps, of course!

Easter 2013

It is so strange to have my kids growing up so fast.  Strange, in both good and bad ways.  I truly love watching them grow up, but the down side of them growing up, is... well, they grow up!!!  We spent so many years where we had so many little kids, that it is very different to have mostly big ones now!  They had fun first thing that morning out looking for candy before church, and they even 'kind of' indulged me trying to take pictures of them. 

They will keep growing, and I will keep being amazed by them... and probably cry when I no longer have little ones to buy matching clothes for anymore!

THE Concert!!!

Alright...I am not big into celebrity crushes.
George Strait may be the exception!!! :)
Okay, not really a crush but wow!!!
It's strange, but my memories of meeting Thayne, of dating him
and of our entire marriage are mixed with George Strait
singing in the background.
It's crazy. 
I get that.
  But music does something to me.
I can hear a song and instantly be taken back in time.
 That's George!
As soon as Marina Del Rey starts playing,
 I am instantly back in a blue Ford,
dragging main with this man that I wanted more than anything, to have as mine.

In truth, his music has so much more to do with 'us' than I can really explain.
One song in particular, inspired Thayne to leave, and then come back to Delta.

Which brought him to a place in his life that made it possible to leave.
See...
Without George Strait,
there likely wouldn't be 'us'

so I am eternally grateful for 80 Proof Bottle of Tear Stopper
and so many others!

Our kids gave us the best Christmas gift.

Tickets to his last concert in Salt Lake.

We sat next to the cutest couple,

who told us that their kids couldn't think of anything to give them

for Christmas,

so they gave them tickets to the concert!
It was fun sitting next to them and making new friends.

 

And the concert,

Well, it was absolutely AMAZING!!!