Merilee's Elbow

We are going to work backwards since blogger doesn't want to cooperate. This is Merilee and Cara being goofy for the camera.

Our visit to the orthopedic specialist was not what I expected. He reviewed the X-rays taken at the hospital last week and said that he didn't think it was cracked very bad. He removed her splint and as soon as he let go of Merilee's arm, she was whining about it hurting. Her arm looked more swollen today and a little discolored around the inner elbow. The eczema in her elbow and wrist were really irritated and starting to look "scabby". While the Dr. was out getting some supplies, I washed Merilee's arm and hand with a soapy paper towel. It was getting kinda stinky. This made the rash burn, but at least it was clean. We were given the option of leaving the splint on or getting a cast. They were equally protective options but the splint had more appealing perks. After a week, I can remove the splint and wash her arm and put medicine on the eczema. It is much less bulky and light weight. This makes me happy because it is hard enough to find shirts that she can wear. She also is not required to wear the sling, however I am going to send her to school with it as a reminder to her and those around her that they need to be careful. He had no problem with her fully participating in school activities, namely recess, as long as she stays "grounded". So, she will be happy that she doesn't have to sit on a bench looking at books while everyone else plays. And...she will only have to have the splint on for 2 weeks and then we go back to hopefully remove it altogether. So, there is a good chance that by Christmas she will be back to normal. Sorry, but no signing the cast and family will probably never get to see her in the splint. Although, the Dr. did say that at that point the splint could be a on and off thing based on her activities. We'll just have to see how it goes, but mostly good news to report.

I talked the Dr. into looking for some of that colored tape wrap stuff they use after you donate blood. Merilee was disappointed that she wouldn't get a "pink" cast, so this is our best alternative. I got some purple tape to take home so that after I redo it in a week, she can have a new color.

This was the day after her accident. It's the morning before going back to school. She took a piece of her splint in a bag for show and tell.

We had to wait a few hours in the ER, so we were pretty bored. There was only one chair, so I had to sit on the bed and entertain the broken girl. She was NOT this happy the whole time. Don't let this picture deceive you. She was very upset during X-rays and wanted her mama, but I had to wait in the hall because of being pregnant. You could also consider this picture my 24 week belly pic;)

Broken Bone Club

Merilee tripped and fell today at school and landed on her elbow. She wouldn't bend it or straighten it all the way, so we took her into the ER. After quite a wait (for our little hospital) she had three X-Rays. The doctor said it was broken and would need a splint until we went to the orthopedic specialist, who would reevaluate and then cast it. She was a good sport through it all. The two worst things for her were the fear of the nurse taking her blood pressure and squeezing her arm, and the fact that she was not able to suck her left thumb. She has a full arm splint and sling. We did our first bath using a Walmart bag and towels to keep her arm dry. Washing her long hair while keeping her arm dry is not an easy task. She still has some pain so we will have to decide whether or not she goes to school tomorrow. She loves school and wants to go but she will not be able to keep the other kids from bumping into her and such. I'll post some cast pictures when we get the cast on Monday. That was our excitement for the day!

My Merilee is 5!

Today is Merilee's 5th birthday. She has been learning SO much at school and is picking up on all this knowledge very quickly. She is super excited to have a baby brother. She is an overly helpful little "mommy" with Cara lately. She carries her around, blows her nose, helps her on the potty, washes her hands, helps her take bites of food, brings her toys, etc. Most of the time this is okay with Cara, but only to a certain extent. Merilee is still very social and very "girly". She is really good at cleaning and imagining. We love you, Merilee!!!

Something old, Something new, Something, borrowed, Something blue

Something old is my old engagement ring. It was Justin's granny's wedding ring at one time. I am not sure how old it really is, but older than a new one. A few months back, I discovered my wedding ring (no pic.) had broken. The center "diamond" had completely come off and is missing forever. All that was left was the spiral around the middle with little, tiny, diamond specks. So, I was wearing this engagement ring in its place. Until we went on vacation to Branson, MO and a sign in a jewelry shop caught my eye: Ultra Diamonds 75% off clearance!!!!!

This leads me to the something new...my new wedding ring with "real" diamonds. It is just what I wanted. It is just a 14k gold band with 5 diamonds across the top. It is smooth, so it won't scratch my babies, and it is sparkly. It has a beautiful profile that makes the diamonds look like they are just floating, but my camera is obviously not good enough to capture that kind of a detailed picture, sorry. I can actually see the diamonds rather than specks painted in silver to make them look bigger. Needless to say, I am very pleased with my new ring which will hopefully be my last....wedding ring that is;)

Something borrowed has to do with Justin's new job. He was transferred to a new CCA facility (prison) out in Sayre, OK. The prison here had to cutback several of their employees and we are so thankful that he was able to transfer in-state and also receive a nice pay raise. He is staying with some good friends while he adjusts to his new position. We are going to take things very slowly and make sure we make the best decision concerning our current house, Merilee in school, wintertime, etc., before we move our family out to Western Oklahoma. We are grateful again that our friends have been so willing to let him borrow some space in their house and take care of him for me.
Something blue has to do with a pretty big secret we have been keeping for almost 5 months. You guessed it....we're having a boy!!! He is known as Huey or Dragon for now. He has a real name that will be kept a secret until he is born around Spring Break (March 25). It will be a repeat C-section, so I am hoping I will have some say as to the exact day he arrives (it only seems fair since I am the one being cut open!) I am 19 weeks today and will add a cute counter to the blog so you can count down the days with me. And I guess, for those of you who have been told to keep your mouth shut (or else!!) can now tell whomever you wish;) We are totally excited!!!

Old Time Photos

We took these "old time photos" in Branson, MO as our family picture for the year. It was really fun to do, but it took FOREVER. This place had a really good deal. We were able to purchase the rights to the pictures and get the disc with all the pictures so we can print our own. The little girls were VERY tired and did not want to cooperate all at the same time. All of these clothes tied on, so it didn't matter that we were all different sizes. These are just some of the best (in my opinion).

Kristi, Leighanne, Jakob, Morgan (in age order!)

The Luckinbill Family

My sister, Kristi, and her daughter, Maren.

Merilee, Cara, and Maren

The Whole "Brox" Clan

STATS

Cara had her 2 year well child check a couple days ago and here's how she measures up:

Height 34 1/2 inches--upper 50%
Weight 25 lbs. 13.8 oz.--upper 25%
Head 18 1/2 inches--upper 25%

She had 3 shots, a lead and iron test, and blood drawn for her food allergy test. She was a trooper with all the needles. Merilee was really worried for her and looked away and plugged her ears so that Cara's crying wouldn't give her bad dreams. We praised Cara for being so brave and it paid off because I just got off the phone with Cara's doctor. She said Cara's allergy test came back NEGATIVE for any food allergies. I am SO EXCITED. It has been a pain in the hiney this past year with packing her food around and making separate meals or only meals that Cara could eat. We have so many more options now. We can go on vacation and eat anywhere we want. My world is back to normal for the time being!!! YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Autumn-time!!

I just wanted to post how happy I am that it is Autumn. I have seen several people express their love of the season and I want to add mine to it. Autumn begins the holiday season where family, friends, and Christ are focused on more than any other time of the year. I love the weather, smell, colors, food, and festivities. My birthday is this month, Merilee's birthday is in November, my sister's is on Christmas Eve, so along with the holidays, we get birthday cake!! I have pumpkins, pine cones, leaves, scarecrows, and fall flowers and wreaths in my home to spice things up a bit. I made banana bread today, so it smells wonderful right now! So, I need to get outside for a walk and enjoy the world around me, but first I need to fill the family's bellies.

Cara's 2nd Birthday!

Okay, this post won't let me change the order of the pictures, so we will go from the end of the party to the beginning. Better this way than wait longer, right?!

This is Cara with the residue of cupcake and eating her Tofutti Cutie. We treated her to her first ice cream experience (dairy free) and she loved it. I tasted the ice cream bar and it was pretty good. Hopefully this will be one of the last get-togethers where I have to pack an ice chest with food for Cara. She will have her allergy testing done at her 2 year check-up at the end of the month.

Cara posing with all of her gifts. I'd say she got everything she wanted!!

The beloved, life-like, baby doll that Cara adores. She loves all baby dolls!! Merilee got a doll like this last Christmas and the girls would fight over it. I even had to sew her poor arms back on because of all the "love". Now Cara tries to get Merilee to play with "Emma" while Cara plays with "Hannah". Lately, Merilee insists on doing her "homework" instead of playing with dolls.

Here's the birthday girl and my foot. She kept getting closer and I was holding her back to take the picture. Grandpa, Aunt Kristi, and Uncle Jakob in the background.

Merilee chose a flower birthday theme for Cara, so I made invitations that looked a lot like this cake. I wanted to do a different type of flower cake and not the easy, round cake with cupcakes all around it. (I did that for Merilee's first birthday, so there's nothing wrong with it!;) It took tons of frosting and got a little jostled on the ride over to my sister's house, but it still turned out pretty cute. And there you have it!! Cara's a typical two-year-old. She's stubborn, ornery, curious, and impatient. However, she is cuddly, nurturing, a good eater, smart, helpful, and fun loving. She is a good little sister and we are so thankful she is in our family!!

While You Were Sleeping

Merilee took forever to go to sleep last night. When I checked on her before I went to bed, she looked like this. I am glad I checked because the hat was tangled under her chin pretty good and I had a hard time getting them undone. She just rolled over and went back to sleep.

David is Missing Again!

We need your help. David was last seen 9am yesterday (9-10-09). He did not attend class or his internship and did not come home. Kristi has a missing persons out with the OK highway patrol and Edmond police. He has not been in contact with anyone that we know of at this point. He left with 1/4 tank of gas and has no access to money. He has fishing equipment in the trunk of his car but did not take camping supplies. He was last seen wearing a long sleeved blue striped button-up shirt, khaki shorts, tennis shoes, and his red Nebraska hat. This is an emergency! We believe he may be in a depressed state. Please contact the Edmond, OK police if you have any information.

Please let everyone you know about our need for help so that we can find him as soon as possible!!!!

To stay updated, check his blog: finddavidhoward.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday!!

My baby is 2!! She was born via semi-emergency C-section. I only have bad memories of her birth, so I won't gripe about that here. For me, tomorrow (2 years ago) was the first day I actually saw Cara for the first time. She is beautiful, smart, funny, nurturing, and loving. Her party is this weekend, so stay tuned for some cuteness in pictures.

Contestant Number One!!!

I would like to introduce the contestants. On the left we have contestant number one, Merilee. In the middle, we have Cara. On the right, we have our neighbor, Kaili.


Contestant number one, Merilee, is sporting a "new" garage sale backpack that we LOVE, even though it is HUGE. I'm sure she will grow into it and for such a good deal, she is truly representing the frugal preschooler.

Here's our lovely Merilee with her shirt from Ross (on sale), skirt and shoes from my favorite consignment shop, and lovely long half braided hair.

What a beauty!!

And here she is watching "Veggie Tales" in the van while waiting for the school doors to open.

This is her class! All the classes and the hallway are decorated in a jungle theme. She could hardly stand still for the picture because she was so excited to get in there and start playing.

Striking a fierce pose in the pretend play area.

She had a wonderful first day. She got to eat school lunch ( which sounded better than anything I would have fixed), colored pictures, and played duck-duck-goose during P.E.

And that's all for Merilee...contestant number two, Cara, still has some growing up to do!!

Back it up!

As I was loading pictures onto the computer, I found some good ones I would like to share:We went antique window shopping in Drumright and they have a really neat train park thing with items from early Drumright/Cushing days.

Cara and I waiting for the ear doctor.

Cara waiting in the exam chair. When we had to sit in it for real, she got scared and cried.

Merilee petting a goat at the Tulsa Zoo.

Do you see any family resemblance;)

As Time Goes By

This is the first summer in many summers that has gone by very fast. I think it is because I look forward to many things happening at the end of summer such as....Merilee starts Pre-K, Cara turns 2, I turn 2?, family vacation to Branson, and then the holidays begin. But before I skip ahead too much, here is a rundown of what has happened this last month.

• My mom turned 50 and we threw her a surprise party.
• Justin's work swim party.
• Cara has made a lot of progress in speech therapy.
• Stake pioneer day activity.
• Cara's check up for her ear tubes.
• Trip to the Tulsa zoo with family. FYI...the best part about the Tulsa zoo, the polar bear, died!! We were VERY disappointed to read about his battle with kidney disease and were truly sorry he was gone.
• Primary activity at member's swimming pool. Hot dogs, chips, watermelon, snow cones..yum!!
• And last but not least...I speak in church tomorrow about the worth of souls.

Happy Anniversary

Well, rather than wait to post so that I can locate pictures from the Fourth of July; I am pushing forward to our wedding anniversary. It is number 6!!! It's the year of giving wood and iron. So, Justin got a truck and I got exercise equipment so that I could pump "iron". Justin also tried to surprise me with an evening/weekend away, but I threw a fit and said I wouldn't go unless he told me what he planned. So, I helped plan the rest of my surprise and we had a good time. We dropped the kids off at grandma's and then went to check in to our hotel. Then we went on a cruise on the Oklahoma River.

This is the boat. Much smaller than I imagined, but it was air conditioned which was the only thing we cared about after waiting for 20 minutes.

This was the inside of the boat. Just benches and tables, but very clean and cool.

We went out to watch the boat go through the locks. We went into a "holding tank" and then the water rushed in raising the boat 9 feet. We did this twice on our 1 1/2 hour ride.

And this was the first trolley we took that dropped us off in Bricktown for dinner after the cruise. We ate at Zios...SOOO good!! And then we went on a 3-D ride they have on the river walk. It was supposed to be scary and there were a few times that we both jumped.

After the ride, we literally ran to catch the trolley back to the car. We did this on very full stomachs, but had lots of fun. After all that, we went back to the hotel and swam in it's salt water pool (weird) and enjoyed the rest of the amenities of our king suite.

The next day we went to church and then Monday, we went to the Zoo and then headed home. We then went to the free swim at our water park. Tuesday was spent at the lake and now everything is back to normal and it's time to relax. Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Almost July!!

So, I felt the need to get in another post while still in June. This month has gone by so fast. Last week was YW girls camp. I have to say...being a leader is much more fun. I got to choose which activities I SUPERVISED. I didn't actually have to do KP or clean the bathrooms, although I helped as much as I could. I got to goof off with the young women and act like a semi-responsible teenager again. There were several times where a leader didn't realize I was the leader and tried to get another leader to be with my girls. Like when we went rafting...there were me and 5 girls but another leader would not let us push off because she was trying to get a leader to ride with us. Finally she got in the raft and I didn't understand why until I told her that I was their leader and she didn't have to ride with us. Or a nice way of saying..."Get out! I have this under control!!" Several times when we stopped there would be someone else asking me how things were going and I had to keep reassuring them that these girls were MINE and I could handle them and the river. I got to tell some cool white water rapids stories from our family vacation last year and people were impressed.

I was nice to have some ward unity and I could tell that their friendships were strengthend. The spiritual moments were great too. I was not entirely ready to come home to my normal responsibilities yet, but I was excited to see my family.

The next day was Father's Day and as we have for the past 6 years, we headed down to Sulphur for Justin's family reunion. It was too hot! We sat in the shade and melted for an hour and then had lunch. The food was delicious but because it was so hot and I ate too much, I felt sick and had to get out of the heat. We visited the air conditioned nature center and then went swimming in the freezing springs. I was sad that we missed church, but the people who set up the reunion aren't members and it has just always been held on Father's Day. This is also why we didn't do anything extra special to celebrate.

Since then, I have read several books that were recommended to me at camp. I also want to get back into scrap booking and catch up on Cara's stuff. That will be my next undertaking this summer since it is too hot to do anything else. If anyone wants to get together for a play date, let me know!!

Care Bears, Giraffes, Hair

I apologize for the unoriginal title. My brain has too much to do right now and thinking of a good title is not up there on my list. I did want to mention that this week I will be going with the young women at church to YW camp. I have not gone since I was younger, so I am very excited to see what it is like being a "leader" at camp. Merilee and Cara are going to stay with my sister-in-law. They have NEVER been away from me overnight before, so I am sure we will all have some separation anxiety. I am not too worried for Merilee and I really think Cara will do fine. I am more worried for my SIL, Carrie, because she has to deal with them. She has raised 5 boys, so what is 2 more girls, right?!? I am sure I will be too busy having my own fun to worry all day. And I will have to remember that I will eventually have them back at home for me to take care of.....!!

Anyway, just so you don't think I have fallen out of blogging world again, I have another good excuse for blog absence. Until then, I have some cute pictures to share.

Unfortunately, this costume will not fit her at Halloween time, so I had to take pictures while I could.

Another hair picture of Merilee. This one is a french braid that spirals around her head. She did really well while I pulled and contorted her head so that I could do this. Now if she would stop pulling her hair out!!! This is the side of her head without bald spots;)

And finally, this was too cute to pass up!

Raccoons

So, Merilee and I are watching Little House on the Prairie. It is the episode where Laura gets a raccoon, Jasper, and the raccoon bites her dog Jack and Laura. They think the raccoon is rabid and everyone thinks Laura and Jack will get rabies.

Anyway, Merilee asks:

M: Mommy what do raccoons eat?
Me: eggs, fruit, fish, meat?
M: So they don't eat people?
Me: No, of course not!
M: Aww, that's so cute. Can I have one?
Me: NO, raccoons don't make good pets.
M: Why, will they eat me?
Me: No, they just make a mess...just watch the show!

It was also a "you had to be there moment" to really see the innocence and sincerity during the conversation. She is so funny.

Showers and Weddings

So I need to back up a month to a big event in my family. My brother, Jakob, and new sister-in-law, Sara, got married on May 16th. It brought in many family and friends that I haven't seen in awhile and it was so fun to visit with everyone. Merilee and her cousin got to be the flower girls and they did a good job (or as good a job as two 4 year olds could do;). A couple weeks before the wedding my mom as sisters threw a bridal shower for Sara. Her colors were pink and brown so it was fun to make invitations and decorate accordingly.

My dad and Sara's parents decorating the reception room.

My brother is the tall one standing in the chair. His best men/woman were helping decorate.

Maren and Merilee practicing going up and down the aisle at the gazebo. I seemed to always get a picture of their backs.

Cara's facial wounds after falling off the porch after the rehearsal dinner. She was nicely scabbed over for the wedding pictures;(

My brother, sister and Mom (up on the ladder) decorating the gazebo for the wedding ceremony. Of course I was helping during all the festivities, but I was always behind the camera.

I think it is so funny that I took tons of pictures of the preparations but none of the bride and groom. There were plenty of pictures taken but none on my camera. So, I will have to wait until someone sends me some so that I can post them. It was a beautiful ceremony.

My sister, Kristi, Aunt Donna, Uncle Tom and Papaw all on my dad's side of the family.

David (who is officially off dialysis with mended kidneys) and Justin looking thrilled.

My sister, Kristi, made the dresses and bows for the girls. This picture was taken after everything was over and the girls are a mess!