Update

Jordan will be getting his skin graft surgery on Friday. We're both very excited. I'm thrilled because we can finally lay this injury to rest. He's thrilled because he gets to miss at least a day of school. I just don't think he knows what he's really in for.

By the way...I kind of have a theory. Granted, I didn't go to medical school, but I am curious if his wound has not been healing because of his allergy to the antibiotic he's been putting on. His burn in just one week has improved considerably with a new patch they gave him.

Hmmmm, curious.

Here's the Story

Many people have been asking the deal with Jordan and his leg and how it happened. I am usually pretty strong when it comes to injuries involving my children, but this one tends to get me a little queasy.

For those of you who know Jordan, you understand that he isn't one to shy away from stupid situations. I firmly believe that one day I'll see him on Nitro Circus. Two months ago, Jordan and Noah went up to Utah to visit with his grandparents. He stayed a while longer in order to visit with his cousins in Rexburg. My brother in-law owns Rexburg Motor Sports, so dirt bikes and four wheelers are readily available. One afternoon while dirt biking, he got stuck in some mud and the bike tipped over on him. His leg became stuck between the tire and the exhaust pipe and burned clean through his jeans. Funny how his jeans had no damage, just the leg.

Now, for a positive and a negative. Negative note, during the month of August we had no insurance. Positive note, since he was up in Idaho, he could go straight to the burn center and didn't have to be sent to every other doctor in Vegas, each of them charging a fee, just to end up sending him to the one who would treat him. Things seem to be much simpler in Rexburg. Plus, medical treatment up there is considerably cheaper.

Hanging out in the whirlpool for burn treatment. This was the daily drill for a couple weeks.

So, we kept him up in Rexburg with my saint of a sister in-law Nicole in order to get him as much treatment as possible before bringing him home. The timing of it all couldn't have been more perfect. He had enough work done on him up there in order for us to understand what the extent of the damage was, as well as learn how we needed to treat him when he got home. Also, hey were kind enough to send him home with a huge box of supplies to get us by for a while (never knew how expensive gauze and wrappings were).

We have also been blessed to have a couple of nurses in our ward. I was able to ask whatever question I had, plus one of them came by a couple times to check things out and make sure everything looked okay. We pretty much knew a skin graft was on the horizon, but had to hold out hope that it would heal on its own.....or at least stay okay until our insurance began.

So, that's where we lie. We've had our consult at UMC's burn unit and are just awaiting a call for the surgery date. I can't wait for this to all be over with. And if I can't wait, I can just imagine how Jordan must feel. I do have to say, he has been VERY tough through this whole process. He's been taking care of his wound himself, being very cautious as to follow the exact steps the doctors told him. He doesn't complain about the pain at all....unless someone accidentally knocks his leg. I forget half the time that he even has this issue. I just couldn't be more proud of him.

For those of you morbid types, who enjoy checking out wound pictures, I'll post them here. For those of you who might puke if you see any sort of blood, I'll post them very small.

1 hour after the accident

3 weeks after

4 weeks after

At the consult with the surgeon....we didn't know he was allergic to sulfa in the antibiotic they gave us to apply. This caused the redness here.

My Baby Is HUGE!

Over the past several months, something has been happening to Jordan that I've never seen with any of my children. I first noticed it when his jeans kept looking like he was expecting a flood. Then I realized I wasn't looking down at his eyes any longer....it felt like I was looking up. He literally grew 3 inches in a matter of months!

In my laundry room is a chart I keep for each of the kids' height. When we moved, I wrote down all the measurements on the previous wall in order to have it all. I also measure Taylor & myself in order for the kids to have something to gauge their growth by. The big goal was to grow taller than Mom.

Height Wall

I was still in denial that Jordan was taller than me, so we decided to be super scientific and stand back-to-back with a bread board on our heads. This picture became his proof that he is taller than me. He is so excited now!

Now the ultimate test is to see if they can get close or even surpass Taylor.

14 Years & Counting

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. It's such an odd feeling. It feels like it's flown by so fast, yet I can't remember a time when I didn't know Taylor.

He's the perfect man for me, but sometimes I'm amazed at how we ended up together. We were so opposite. He was Mr. Social, while I was so reserved and quiet. He was the institute council president at the time, and was conducting a meeting that I was actually forced to go to by my friends (thank you, you guys). There was just something about him when I first saw him. I was instantly attracted to him, but of course knew nothing could ever come of that. Everyone knew who he was, and since he was such a flirt, I knew many girls wanted to go out with him. I later found out that my roommate had gone out with him a couple times right before we met.

I still don't know how everything fell into place, but I know that Heavenly Father had a huge hand in it. From the moment we met, we ended up either seeing each other or talking on the phone every day from that point.

Wow we look tired. Going to work, then staying up all night with each other can really take a toll on your body. Unfortunately, you don't really know this is happening at the time.

Wedding day - 1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2006

2008

2009

I am more in love with you today than I was 14 years ago. I am so grateful to know that you are my protector, provider, and most of all my best friend....the person I can tell anything to.

Happy Anniversary honey! We've come a long way!!!!!

Seriously?!?

It's 12:15 pm right now, and this is what Hailey's doing right now.

I know she went to bed late, but seriously...if she's sleeping this late as an 8 year-old, what am I going to deal with when she's a teenager?

My Girl Surprised Me!

Hailey played soccer this year for the first time.

At her first practice, she pranced around like a stereotypical girl. I almost felt like putting a bag over my head. My daughter was "that player".....the one you don't want the ball going to during a game. I wondered if I had made a mistake signing her up.

After that first practice, I decided that I needed to put my many years of soccer experience to work (1 season). I taught her how to kick the right way, dribble between cones, an even tried to teach her to be more aggressive. I doubt she'll ever be too aggressive with anyone other than her brother.

At the next practice, she honestly shocked me. All of a sudden she had confidence. I took that bag off my head and held my head high. She was pretty good! This was also the first time I witnessed how fast she can run. I am so proud of how well she did.

Her face gets beat red anytime she's out playing in the sun for more than 30 seconds.

The "Orange Crushers"

We can't wait till the next soccer season.

Ewww!

Our bugman recently came and sprayed around our house. This is what we woke up to the next morning.

I'm pretty sure he did a good job.

The End....Phew!

The end of the school year has finally come to a close for the rest of my kids. Now I officially have 2 middle school kids. Funny how I thought that would be a LONG ways away. It's making me really feel my age now. I was thrilled to have both of these teachers for them this year.

Of course there are the mandatory end of the year award ceremonies. It's neat how they make a big deal about the fifth graders moving on. As a former 5th grade teacher, I remember how bittersweet these feelings were. You are excited for them to move on, but they are the only grade level that won't be returning to that school. Some of those kids you'll never see again.

Hailey & Mrs. Norman

Noah's 5th Grade Class

So cute, all dressed up for the awards

I don't remember what set Hailey off into this mood, but I just couldn't get her to smile...not even fake one.

Noah proud of his awards.

I Feel Dirty!

I seriously have found a new hobby/passion. This hobby of baking has been taking up half my days lately . . . . and the other half taken up by cleaning it all up.

Ever since I started making cakes, I have used a MASSIVE amount of Crisco. I told Taylor the other day that in the past 6 months I have used more Crisco than I have used our entire 14 years of marriage....and then some. Not only do many recipes call for it, but you also need to slather it all over your counter and hands in order to keep fondant from sticking to it. My whole body just feels like a mess of grease and powdered sugar when I get finish a cake.....but I LOVE IT!

This cake was an assignment for my class right now.

Hailey wanted to make a miniature version of my cake. I think she did a pretty dang good job!

For the end of the school year, the kids and I made cakes for their teachers.

Mr. Games loves golf, so Noah really wanted to duplicate my previous golf cake. This time we made some additions with my first attempt at gum paste.

Mrs. Norman loves motorcycles, but I wasn't even about to attempt one yet. I found this cute idea online of a thank you note written from the student to the teacher on notebook paper.

"Little Hailey"

Despite my lack of sleep, and finishing up at the last second, I think they turned out pretty good. I even had some people ask me where I got them from. Hahaha! What a great compliment!

Hooked Up & Burned Up

For the 4th this year, we went to some friend's house to barbecue & light some fireworks.

I'm always shocked how expensive fireworks are, so it's always difficult for me to want to spend much on them. However, this year we hit the mother lode when a friend of Taylor's seriously hooked us up with some "leftovers". I had to commemorate this even since this will probably be the first and last time this opportunity comes around. However, this picture doesn't even do it justice.

The guys would line up a bunch at once.

Usually we have to ration them in order to make it last longer.

Look at the size of this thing!

This year, there were so many "illegals" being shot off in the air all around us. There was no need to go to a fireworks show at one of the hotels with these bad boys going off.

The kids had a blast watching all the different lights showering in front of them.

Jordan just enjoyed lighting things on fire.

Hailey isn't too fond of the fireworks. Not the noise but the fear of getting burned.

I love this video. Look closely at Taylor on the left. His reaction cracks me up each time I see it.

He was still a little stunned after he was singed.

All-in-all we had a fun July 4th....and generally safe, despite a few minor burns.