Gardening

We are all excited about our very first garden. I am disappointed that I did not get to help, but there is always next year! Sam and the kids built these 3 garden boxes, and yes Michelle, I think of you every time I see them. Not that I have seen them for real, I have Sam or Collin go back there and take pictures so I can see what they are doing. :)

After the boxes were finished, it was time for planting! Sam planted corn, cucumbers, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkin, tomatoes, and I can't remember the rest of the list and he isn't here to ask.
The fence was last. It has to be protected around here. We have skunks, deer, and the dreaded garden destroying wild armadillos.
Everything is growing!
In the patio garden, 5 rose bushes are blooming. The other day when I took these pictures, these were the only 2, but now there are purple roses, the yellow bush is full of blooms, the tiny pink bush is covered and it smells so good!

The giant magnolia tree right behind the house has hundreds of blooms. I can not wait until they open as magnolias have the absolute BEST smell!!

Kaebrie

Because of the family situation with the ankle, Kaebrie started 4 year old pre school about 5 weeks ago. 8-11:30 at the church across the street from Sam office. She LOVES it. It came highly recommended and it was a good decision he made to put her in there.

For WEEKS she has talked about Molly and Kathryn. She tells when one of them had to go to time out. When one of them is absent. When they swing with her on the playground. When one of them ripped her dress, ect. ect.

At night when we ask who she wants to pray for, most of the time it is Molly and Kathryn. So we have been praying for them a lot. Praying that they stay out of time out, obey the teacher, ect.

Today was the Easter party and I finally got to go to the school for the first time (since I am driving now) and meet everyone. I looked at the name labeled table, I looked at the birthday chart, the line leader chart, the labeled cubbies.............and I realize something is amiss.

So Mrs. Angie comes over and we get to talk for the first time. I mention that Kaebrie is so excited about her new friends and we have been praying for Molly and Kathryn.

Mrs. Angie gives me a funny look and then she says:

THERE IS NO MOLLY OR KATHRYN IN THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!

There was nothing to do but to laugh! She really thought it was funny that we had been praying for them. Sam dropped by to see the party, and the look on his face when I told him was hysterical.

She has had imaginary friends since she could talk, but they all do things like fly or turn colors and you know they aren't real. Molly and Kathryn never did anything that was abnormal, so we believed her!

Today, when I picker her up, out of curiosity, I asked her if Molly and Kathryn were at school.

She got real sad and said, "They moved to California."

Happy Easter!

O how good it feels to pick up the camera again! Now, the lighting in these in pretty bad, but my scooter won't wheel on the grass, so I couldn't go to the spot I wanted to, I had to stay stuck on the back patio. :(

But, here is what I got!



Church service this morning was wonderful. So many visiting family members, the place was full of grandchildren and grown children. It was fun meeting every one's relatives. Sam's sermon was so thoughtful, and so well put together. I know it touched some hearts.

We are thankful that we serve a risen Savior and thankful for the many blessing we do not want to ever take for granted.

Foot, Chickens and Puppy

Well, there is the only picture taken of the purple cast and toes!!
Anyway, hello again!
Yes, what does it take for Jodi not to blog in over a MONTH!!!!!
Well, I guess we all know the answer by now, severe bone breaks, massive surgery, severe pain, tons of narcotics and a lack of energy to do anything.

Well, I guess I could have blogged. But it would have been about my foot every day, and nobody wants to read about that.

So I will update a bit here. Below is my new best friend. The knee wheeling scooter. About 3 weeks after surgery I was carefully able to use this instead of those blasted crutches. ("crunches" as Kaebrie calls them). It was a lot easier to roll to the bathroom with, which is the only place I went.
I seriously spent a solid month and a half on that couch, day and night. The first few weeks were in a haze of severe pain, Demerol, morphine, codeine, and others. But we are going to not blog about that and just forget most of those weeks.
What I don't want to forget is all the blessings from them.

Our church is amazing. From the first day, food was delivered. After 6 solid weeks of daily food, we finally asked them to stop. Six weeks!!!! By then I was able to stand in the kitchen and do somethings. And so much food was brought that we filled the freezer too. I can now balance and do dishes, and I can get things done, even sweep, but it is awkward and just takes a lot more time. The ladies in the church even hired a cleaning crew for a few weeks. What a blessings!

Our family. All of them came over and helped. Friends called and emailed and sent cards and care packages. Collin and Kaitlynn have had a great life lesson. They have had to do just about all the household chores, from laundry, to bathing the kids, to puppy duty to cleaning, and it has been really good for them. I can be thankful in this injury for all it has taught them.

My husband. What a load of responsibility he has just in his normal jobs. And he had to take complete care of everything here for a long time. He worked so hard taking care of us and still taking care of church responsibilities. The patience he displayed still makes me tear up thinking about it. What a true blessing he is and I am thankful for this injury that it totally reminded me how special he is and why I fell in love with him in the first place.

Three weeks ago, the cast was thrown away and replaced with the boot. The "cutie bootie" as a friend named it. It is MUCH heavier than the cast was. Think - living in a ski boot. I was instructed to take it off for 5 minutes a day and start writing the alphabet with my foot. Easier said than done!! But even better, was being able to get ALL the way in the shower for the first time in 5 weeks. TO be able to have water run down that leg and to feel clean was wonderful!

I am still being treated for that rare and weird nerve syndrome. The treatments are working. Hopefully only 2 -3 more spinal shots. The toe part of the boot I usually keep open because anything touching my toes sets of a nerve attack that isn't fun.

Today is 8 weeks since the fall. Two months. I started physical therapy this week. 3 times a week I go for some very interesting exercises and rehab. The ankle hasn't moved in 8 weeks and now it needs to learn how to with being recreated with metal. We are still planning on Disney in June, but we know now I won't be back to normal. We will take it day by day, knowing the Lord is in control.

These are make-up pictures. Pretend these were posted 6 weeks ago. Sam and Collin ordered the plans online, got the needed tools, then built this chicken coop. They set it here for a few days so I could see it out of the window before they moved it back to its permanent spot. To this day, this first set of old lady chickens have never laid an egg. Another, larger coop was then built, this one not portable, another set of hens added, and each one happily lays about an egg a day. The kids love collecting the eggs!
Then, Sam added a rooster. I did not want one. I was sleeping so little that I did not want anything to wake me up. But the hens needed a boyfriend, so here is Dumplin. Sam brought him inside to meet me and we had a little talk. I told that rooster that sleep was precious. And if he cockle-doodle-dood and woke me up, I was getting some Dumplings and was going to cook him. He listened and has not once woken me up. But he does cockle all day long! Truth be told, I really enjoy hearing him. I sit outside and can hear him and all the hens clucking. With all the greenery and the flowers and the birds and the chicken sounds, it is so peaceful.
Yazzi is still here and growing so fast! She is four and a half months old and is quickly learning the commands Sam is teaching her. Here she is following the command sit. But she isn't allowed up until the release command is given. She will sit and stare at you and follow your every move until you release her. Today, I even placed a treat on her nose and she stayed put. She loves being outside and will find every puddle on the property and dive in. She is one dirty dog at the moment!
Here she is running to me when I gave the release command. Isn't she pretty?
There is more to come. I will have to find some time to catch up! Happy Spring!!!

more snapped info.......

Well, here you go. The first EVER voluntary photo of my feet. Sam's mom found the green polish and Kaitlynn happily painted away. (Looking at it makes me think of toe fungus, but it will hurt Kaitlynn's feelings if I tell her or remove it). The new cast is purple, so it looks even funnier now! The toes are still a little swollen, but they look a lot better than they did last week.

I also wanted to post the next photo, a picture of the x ray done after surgery. You can't see it all, but there are 14 screws, 2 plates and a few rods. After breaking all the bones possible, they basically had to reattach my foot. The picture is upside down, but I couldn't change it.

I still find it hard to believe that I injured myself this badly tripping over a baby gate!!!

We are on day 18. Almost three weeks. I am still on the couch day and night. I miss sleeping in my bed! I am able to use my knee scooter so I don't have to use the crutches. I will ;post a picture of that contraption soon.....I don't think I had ever seen one before. No weight on the foot for a minimum of 6 weeks. But with the rolling knee scooter and I roll all over the house and get to the bathroom quicker. I am SO thankful there is no carpet downstairs!

I have been in a lot of pain, it has gotten worse. Pain so bad I can't sleep. I went for my regular visit to the surgeon yesterday. They took out the rest of the stitches, did more xrays, tried again to get my foot to a 90 degree angle, and put on a new purple cast. I told her how I was feeling and she started asking weird questions. When she asked me when was the last time I had eaten, I knew something was wrong.

I was diagnosed with CRNS, complex regional nerve syndrome. Apparently, because I broke every bone possible, all 4 major nerves in the foot were damaged. They are now going haywire. They can't (or won't) control the temperature of my foot. It either feels like it is in boiling acid or in the freezer. The pins and needles feeling all over and stabbing pain, all constantly. I won't lie, it is probably the worst pain I have ever been in. I can't sleep.

They immediately sent to over to another hospital and doctor, where they put me to sleep, then injected my spine through the side of my back with a medication to shock the nerves in the left leg. Apparently, they need to stun them to stop them from doing what they are doing. I am on a super strong drug as well. I will need 3-4 of these spinal injections in the next month to stop this syndrome. The good news, is that is was caught early and has a 90% cure rate when they do catch it early. The bad news it that it makes it worse before it gets better. Lets just say last night was a LONG night. But my back muscles hurt so bad I was able to not concentrate on my foot for awhile. The good news is my back is fine today, and I THINK the nerve attack is better. Usually by this time in the evening I am pretty miserable, but the pins and needles are gone right now. It is still boiling and stabbing, but I am glad one of the symptoms is gone!!!

I was able to do some housework today. Well, I was able to roll around and give instructions and watch the kids actually do all the laundry and cleaning. :)

Our church has been unbelievable. The prayers and visits and cards and calls have just helped me so much. 18 days out, and food has been brought EVERY single day. What a blessing that has been. They hired a cleaning service for a month and did it without asking so I couldn't tell then no. They pick up the kids for things since I can't drive. What a blessing it has been to me to see the serving and loving actions of these people that we have so fallen in love with.

Trying to find other positive things, it has been a good life lesson for Collin and Kaitlynn. They have had to do a LOT. Not just for me, but for the little ones to. I can't go upstairs, so Kaitlynntucks Kaebrie in for her nap and also handles putting away all the clothes upstairs. They are learning to take initiative and do something when they see it needs doing and not wait to be asked. Learning to serve with love. All great Biblical things.

Sam made some decisions and came home to tell me. On Monday, Kaebrie will start a home pre-school program nearby and Tiff will go to Kindergarten at the private Christian school down the street. They will both be gone from 8-11:30 all week. I was a bit shocked, but it will be for the best. That gives me the morning to fully concentrate on 6th grade and 4th grade with the older 2. Kaebrie will LOVE it, as she begs Io DO school all day long. She is already reading and wants to do more! Tiff THRIVED the few weeks we had him in Kindergarten in Idaho while we got ready to move. Both his teacher and the principal are close friend in our church, so I know they will keep an eye on him and love on him.

I will start physical therapy in a few weeks, and with them gone in the morning, if I can schedule morning appointments I won't need to find childcare every time. Apparently, I am going to have to work EXTRA hard in order to be healed enough to be able to walk our planned June Disney vacation. That news kind of stunned me yesterday. I figured I would be walking no problem WAY sooner. I mean June is MONTHS away.

One more question to answer, if you see the black straps around the green cast. I am cast-a-phobic and never knew it. The night before the first cast was put on, I panicked thinking about it. I mean, what if you HAD to get it of!? How could you? What if you felt something and looked down and saw a spider disappearing into it? I would pass out. SO I told the doc, who did her best not to laugh, said it was weird, but she had heard it before. SO the cast is cut into two pieces and held tight with the heavy Velcro. I am not supposed to take it apart. I have NOT taken it apart. But knowing I can in the case of a spider emergency, takes the phobia away.

So that is the foot news from Yazoo. I so appreciate all your prayers!!! Friends and family are a true blessing in life!

Updates soon and pictures of the chicken coop and 5 chickens soon!

Snapped

I consider myself to be somewhat more adventurous than the average girl. I grew up water skiing, snow skiing & white water rafting, I have repelled down mountains & hiked up volcanoes. I can not remember the number of times I have fallen off of or been thrown off a horse. I have bungee jumped.

But it was a simple baby gate that got the best of me. Right about noon, on Friday, February 13, with one arm full of school books and a mug of ginger ale in the other hand, I stepped over the baby gate that kept the new puppy in the kitchen, caught my toe, and fell, unable to catch myself. I remember one loud scream, than not being able to breathe because the pain was so indescribable.

I knew. I knew instantly I was hurt, and hurt bad. Kaebrie was with me, and when I could catch my breath, I screamed for Collin, told him to call Daddy and tell him I had fallen and he needed to come home RIGHT NOW. I told Kaitlynn to get a lot of ice, and I asked for the phone to call a neighbor. I never cried. I think I knew i needed to stay calm because the kids were scared. Kaitlynn was already crying and Collin was shaken up, could not remember Daddy's phone number at first. But don't worry, I have made up for not crying that day.

Sam and Susan arrived at the same time. I had not moved, I was still sitting on the kitchen floor. I did have Kaitlyn go get a clean sock as one was wet with spilled ginger ale. Sam and Susan pulled me up and it was so hard to make it out to the van.

We made it the the ER here, the 15 minute wait feeling like hours, the foot swelling and swelling and turning colors. maybe it was just bad sprain? After the very painful x-rays, the doc came back and said both the tibia and fibia were broken, and we had to go to Jackson.

More phone calls, we ended up having 3 shifts to cover the childcare, I convinced them I would rather be in my van than in an ambulance, and off we went. That 45 minute drive also felt like hours. But I was very grateful for the 2 shots of Demerol.

We get to the next hospital, and they were very quick. Quick check in, more xrays, another confirmation of broken bones, then setting it, then a cat scan to see where all the small pieces were. A referral to an orthopaedic surgeon for the following Tuesday, allowing time for he swelling to go down, pain med prescriptions, crutches, and then home.

We got home after 9pm, I made it to the couch, and except for 3 doctor visits and one 2 hour surgery, I have been on this couch since then. The pain has been worse than anything I ever experienced. A few trips a day to the bathroom, and the rest of the days and nights trying to find a comfortable position.

My mom came for 6 days, then Sam's parents came for 4 days, and when they left they took Christopher and Kaebrie home with them. My dad is bringing them home today, nine days later. I have never been separated from them for that long before, but it was for the best. I can't do anything for them and I felt so bad that I needed the quiet.

I now have a lime green cast on with black velcro straps. Tomorrow I go back and might change it to purple. Kaitlynn painted my toes green to match. I do have a picture!

One friend pointed out that the name of my blog, SNAPPED, was very appropriate now. Maybe I need to think about changing it now. Any ideas??

Happy Birthday Kaitlynn

Ten years ago today I heard those 3 little words that I wanted so badly to hear.......... IT'S a GIRL!!!

We never found out the sex of any of our babies, and delivering that baby not knowing, then finding out the same second you actually get to SEE the baby, well, there is NOTHING like it!

Kaitlynn came 2 weeks early, taking us by surprise after Collin had been 4 days late. She and Collin both had the same due date, February 22. So, the evening of February 11, 1999 I was not expecting to have a baby! I remember watching a great episode of ER, laying on my bed, not feeling great. I told Sam during one of the commercials that I thought maybe something was happening, but I couldn't convince either of us that it was serious. And I was DETERMINED to finish that show! (Years before the onset of TiVo). By the time the show was over, contractions were coming about every 10 minutes. I was thinking bad Braxton Hicks. I did NOT want to go to the hospital in false labor and get sent home. SO I just lay on the bed, trying to relax, watching Jay Leno. By 11:15, I told Sam to call my parents to come get Collin, just in case. My dad drove over right before midnight, and as he drove away with Collin, I remember bursting into tears.

If I had KNOWN this would have been my last day to be just his mom, I would have done things differently. I felt guilty I hadn't made the day special.

A good friend of mine from church was my doctor. She said to call her at home anytime, even if she wasn't on call. So a little after midnight, I called Elizabeth and said I thought I was in labor. She said she would meet me at the hospital ( only 4 miles away). I tried to finish getting my bag ready, and VERY quickly, things started happening. Contractions started coming at 2 - 3 minutes apart and I couldn't walk or talk during them anymore. I remember having to stop numerous times just to make it to the car!

We got to the hospital a little after 1:00 am, and 3 hours later, we had a daughter!!!! Around 6:00 in the morning, we called all the family and told them we had a baby, but wouldn't tell them what it was, they had to come to the hospital and see for themselves!  :)

Here she is at one week old. I can hardly remember her being that tiny!

Her first picture with Collin, at one week old. He had had a BAD cold and I would not let him near her.

2 months old. That is my mom's arm under that blanket.

4 months old

 

First Birthday! (Montgomery, Alabama)

2nd birthday (Clinton, Mississippi)

3rd birthday  (Edwards, Mississippi)

4th Birthday (Louisville, Mississippi) Yes, we were moving every year.

5th Birthday

7th Birthday (Mountain Home AFB, Idaho)

9th Birthday

Today. 10 years old.

Over 5 feet tall already, wearing a size 8 1/2 woman's shoe, she is a joy!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you SOOOOOOOO much!

This morning, she said she wanted to sleep in, but she didn't, she was to excited. So we did presents first thing!

When I let her plan out her birthday, she said she wanted to sleep in, not do school work, have a friend spend the night, and chose the meals. VERY doable! And smart girl spread it out over 3 days. :)

Livie spends tomorrow night, so we will do her spaghetti dinner and birthday cake then. Daddy took her out for a Daddy date this afternoon.

Saturday she will get to ride some horses and maybe I can take her and Livie to Jackson and do something fun.

A fun few days!

A WONDERFUL daughter.

A mom who feels very blessed.

2 more puppy pics

I had to get a good one of Collin with Yazzi. He has been asking for a dog for YEARS!

Here she is one one of her regal poses. :)

She acted like a puppy today. Chasing the kids, bouncing, ears and feet flapping. Her feet are so big she doesn't have good control over them.

She has only had one accident, but that was my fault. I left the house for a few minutes, and as usual, when I am gone, I told Kaitlynn not to go outside. Well, Yazzi needed to go, but KK didn't want to disobey.

She has been going whenever we take her out to the grass. But as of yet, she has not made a single sound. Not one bark, one whine, one whimper. I AM NOT COMPLAINING, just wondering when the noise will start.

Can a dog be mute?

Yazzi Grace is home!

For those of you not following us on Facebook, we sent out a plea last week to see if someone knew somebody who knew somebody who had Golden Retriever puppies for sale. Melissa and Susan put us on the right track, and we found a registered 10 week old litter. Thanks you two!!!

So yesterday, I drove Collin and Kaitlynn to Iuka, Mississippi to pick her up. It was a 10 hour trip, including one stop at Wal Mart, one stop at PetSmart and one stop at Sonic.  :)

When we finally got there, I told the kids to stay calm, let's just look and talk to the owner first. Nothing was set in stone and if I felt uncomfortable or the dogs didn't look right, then we would just leave.

We get out, and there is a large pen with momma and the puppies, they see us, come running, and so much for being quiet. Kaitlynn squealed!!!

First we met momma dog. She was well cared for, very friendly and made a good impression. Her name is Missy. This was her second litter.

She came up to each of us and sat in front of us, so we couldn't go any farther without petting her.

Then  daddy dog.

He was a huge and gorgeous 85 pounds and a beautiful red color. He was also friendly. It helped me to be able to see and pet both parents of the puppies.

Then we had a choice of 2 girl puppies. We sat down and watched them run around and laughed as they climbed all over us an each other. How do you choose, Collin kept asking.

We stayed for awhile, finally one of the girls put her paw in my lap and just looked up at me. That eye contact was the clincher. We had found our Yazzi Grace! (named by Kaitlynn).

We made it home a little after 6. The puppies were so hyper that I was nervous how to get her home, thinking she would be crazy in the van. I had brought the cat carrier as a last resort, but we never needed it. She took turns sleeping in the kids laps the whole way home. Well, she did pee at Sonic!   :)

Kaebrie was more fascinated with the new crate than Yazzi was. Can you tell she dressed herself yesterday?  :)

Here she is!

This morning, breakfast could wait. It ws puppy time!

I put the crate in our closet last night, so I could hear when she needed to go out. She didn't make a sound all night. Don't worry, I am not going to believe that this house training is going to be that easy. But it ws nice having a quiet night when I didn't expect it.

We are going to be a little late starting school today.  :)

Yes, it looks like we have another cat too. This is Maxie. Sam fell for that white cheek in a half a second. It was so cold the other night, he snuck her in the study window and I caught him on the computer with the cat sleeping in his lap. I am not convinced she doesn't belong to somebody yet. She is so friendly and is de-clawed, so somebody took care of her at one point. We will see!

And that catches you up to date!

The next animals on the way?

Chickens. But more about that later.   :)

I would NEVER be guilty of this, NEVER.

Well, mainly because I don't have a laptop and have to stay by the main computer. Things would have the possibility of getting really bad if I could take a computer and lock myself in a closet though!

But they would find me. They ALWAYS find me! :)