Fishin' with Scouts

 Last night, Connor's scout group went fishing for their activity.  Since they were fishing just a few minutes out of town and the evening was absolutely beautiful, I thought I'd tag along for a little bit and get some pictures.
 

I had to bring Rigdon along too....which meant it wasn't long before he wanted to do what all the other boys were doing.

Rigdon loved just slapping the pole against the water's edge....not very conducive to attracting fish, but oh how he loved doing it anyway!

Come to think of it, I believe this was Rigdon's first ever fishing experience.

Since the scouts were all fishing in a particular area, me and Rigdon walked down a ways and picked out our own little spot.  That's when I put the camera down and started doing my own bit of fishing.  I baited my hook with worms (that's right, no prissy girl here), made some nice, long casts out into the water, and patiently waited and watched for that little bob to (hopefully) start bouncing.  I was having a good 'ol time! 

 
Rigdon helped too...

Connor with some of his fellow scouts.

 Rigdon was fascinated with the wiggly worms, but there was no way he was going to actually touch one of them. 

Within about 10 minutes of fishing, I felt a tug on my line and watched my pole start to arch.  Right on!!!  I started reeling in and called for Connor.  I told him he could bring the fish in if he wanted, which he of course did.  So I handed over the fishing pole and watched all the excitement.  A few of the other boys ran over too, wanting to help.
 

Connor had the fish right up to the bank when the other boys swarmed in, trying to catch the fish with their hands.  Somehow during this point the fish got loose.....darn it all! 

Oh well, at least I had bragging rights for the rest of the night since I was the only one that "almost" caught a fish.  Who knew me and my two-year-old would end up outdoing all of those Weblo scouts? 

Say Ahhhhh!

Aubrey had her gum/teeth surgery early this morning.  She was really nervous and sad about it last night, mostly because she wanted her dad to be there and was scared about getting the shot that would put her to sleep.

Being Prepped: IV with sleepy medicine, oxygen nose tube, blood pressure cuff, arms strapped to the chair, etc.  Starting to get dozy now......

Once Aubrey saw the surgeon whip out that needle, she started to freak.  Tears were rolling down her face and if she could have, I am sure she would have ran right out of that room.  She braved it out and was soon falling asleep, which is when I left the room.

Surgery took about an hour and a half.  The surgeon said it went well but that exposing her permanent teeth up in the gums and attaching the chains to pull them down was really difficult.  The teeth are at such a terrible angle and the space is very tight.  He told me that if our orthodontist was able to get those teeth to come down correctly it would be a miracle.  Only 45% chance of those teeth coming down the way they are supposed to.  Just wonderful....any other exciting news?  Well, sure....he says if the teeth are unable to come down, they will have to be pulled and teeth implants would have to be grafted into the jaw bone.....but only when her body is done growing.  Even better, grrrrrr....I know how much those teeth implants cost....about $4,000 per tooth.  Let's see, Aubrey had three teeth worked on today......*calculating*.....I think I'm gonna faint. That girl's mouth is starting to be one very expensive pain in the butt.  It's time to start doing some serious praying that Aubrey's orthodontist is a miracle worker!

I went home during the surgery to check on the other kids and grabbed Aubrey's daddy doll.  Although it's a far cry, it is the second best thing to the real deal. 

Going home!
The nice gauze moustache and beard reminds me of Albert Einstein.  Don't you think so?

Before we got very far, Aubrey wrote me this:  (since it was a bit hard for her to talk with a mouth full of gauze.)

Oh, alright, since I owe you some money for babysitting.  We stopped by Barnes n' Noble and bought her an Artimas Fowl book.

A few minutes later she wrote what she was thinking about during her surgery....

Mmmm....no shocker there.

And then...

 Within a few minutes Aubrey wasn't smiling anymore.  The medication was quickly wearing off and tears were now rolling down her cheeks because of the pain.  Quick....to the pharmacy for her prescription!!

So I hooked this girl up!

* Prescription: check

* Tissues for her stuffy nose: check (allergy season is upon us.)

* More gauze pads to stuff her mouth with: check

* Smoothie from Jamba Juice: check

* Popsicles to keep the swelling down: check

* Daddy doll in her arms: check
*A phone call from a concerned, loving dad to see how things went: check

* Rented the newly released Disney Fairy movie: check

Results: A somewhat comfortable, happy Aubrey: Priceless

A Day to Relax

Yesterday, my mom arranged a day of horse riding for me, Aubrey and Connor with my aunts Peggy and Renae.  I think she felt we needed to do something fun since the week had been such an emotional and stressful one for all of us.  I was definitely up for a nice horse ride, such a great way to help clear my mind for a little while.

It was decided that our ride would be out in the Bone area on BLM land.  This is protected wilderness where ranchers are allowed to have their cows graze freely on government-owned property. (BLM:Bureau of Land Management)

Aubrey on Lady.

Lady looks super excited to be doing this, doesn't she?  Poor girl, she's like 22 years old, so I suppose she deserves to look any way she wants.

Connor on Bullet.

It was a fun area to ride in, we were able to see the Quakies turning their autumn colors. 

The only kind of "wildlife" we saw- cows.  Lots and lots of cows. 

In fact, there were a bunch of cowboys doing a cattle drive out there while we were riding.   With all of the wilderness scenery, sagebrush, and cowboys/girls rounding up cows, I felt like I had been transported back 100 years ago.  The only thing that let you know that it was being held in 2010 were a couple of guys on four-wheelers helping out too.  Since they were pretty far away I didn't take any pictures.

Renae trying to get her horse, Booger, to hold still so she could take a picture.  Sometimes he fits his name really well.  He is half mustang.

Some of the scenery on our ride- autumn is a great time of year to go riding.

Connor riding his favorite horse, Bullet.  Giving him a hug. 

My Aunt Peggy on her Appaloosa named Maynard.

I was on the biggest horse, Soldier.  Holy crap this horse is tall!  I told Peggy she should have named him "Giraffe."  He was pretty good most of the ride.  There was a moment on our way back when he acted up and I started having my own little rodeo event of bronc riding - a really mild version anyway.  Enough to make me quite nervous, but within a few moments I was able to to get him under control.

This was Connor's first trail ride adventure.  He really enjoyed himself.

Booger.

After an hour of riding we headed back toward the horse trailers.  Aubrey was feeling sick and was ready to go home and rest.  I think Connor was a little disappointed because he wanted to ride a bit longer, but he didn't complain at all.

A big thanks to my mom, Renae, and Peggy!  It was so thoughtful of you to do this for us, we enjoyed ourselves very much.

Daddy Reminders

I am so excited to introduce you to a set of quadruplets that we have decided to let come and live with us.  They don't really have individual names just yet but they all willingly respond to the name "daddy." Which of course gets a little confusing at times when you call for one of them.  I was a little nervous at first in agreeing to let them stay but we are all adjusting fine to the newest members of our family.  

(Isn't it just so cute how they all like to do their hair differently?)

Come to think of it, they are better behaved than my own kids.  They are so quiet you hardly realize they are there until you look over and see one of them.  They never talk back and always stay put.  I can't think of a better fit for our family!

Before leaving on his deployment, Jed gave each of our kids a "daddy doll."  The military gives these daddy dolls to military kids for free.  When I first saw them my reaction was "oh, look at those creepy army alien dolls."  But then I got the concept of what they were for and reconsidered.  I thought maybe Rigdon would like one so that it would help him not forget his daddy.  Besides, they're free, right?  What would it hurt to get one?  Well, it quickly turned into getting one for each of the kids because I didn't want anyone to feel left out.  So now we have four of these little guys running around our house. 

  

I wasn't sure how the older kids would react to receiving a "doll", but once they saw who was on it they were sold.  These dolls have become everybody's sleeping companion and comforter.

(Here's proof for those who ask me if Rigdon ever cries and then don't believe me when I tell them yes.)

One other daddy reminder that we got was a "flat daddy."  A local sign company was giving these out  free for military families, so we hopped on this offer too.  It's just another way of letting the kids "see" daddy everyday.  For those who are especially missing their dad, the flat daddy goes in their bedroom for the day.

  

Although there was no way Rigdon was going to be in this picture, I caught him just a few minutes later toting his doll around the house.  When it's bedtime, he likes to hug and kiss him too.  On the flip side, he also likes to throw the doll when he is mad, so I guess this doll is providing a full range of free therapy.  That should save us a good chunk of money down the road, right?

So I've decided to start a new segment called "Daddy Doll Adventures."  Check out what Daddy did today on the right side of our blog.

Deployment Time to Iraq

Needless to say, today was a rough one for our family.  I was already missing Jed before he even stepped onto that plane.  The last few months have felt like one very long goodbye but I am so grateful for the time we've had with him.  For the last year I've thought about what those final goodbyes would be like and now he is really gone.   

This video is about 14 minutes long, so it may take a few extra seconds to buffer.  I was able to put a higher quality video on my Facebook page for those of you who are able to access that.

May our sacrifice and the thousands of others throughout the generations be a continual blessing of freedom and peace for us all. God speed.

Spud Day

Saturday we headed to Spud Day with my parents and my brother's family to join in on the harvest celebration of the potato. Sounds a bit silly, I know, but Spud Day is like a miniature fair in a small hometown atmosphere.

Ready for the parade!

Uncle Sam starts off the parade every year.

This parade is great because tons of candy gets thrown out to the crowd, so the boys made sure their grocery sacks were ready to go.

"Are you excited for the parade, Rigdon?"

Rigdon didn't waste any time eating the candy that his grandma was grabbing for him.

Ronin looks like he's gonna get the "mother load" here.

Even the adults aren't shy about getting some candy. Go Terri!

My brother and his family.

I was surprised to see my Aunt Terri and Uncle Bruce Thompson at the parade.

Aubrey was in the parade this year with her band class.

She made sure to throw out some extra candy for us.

Of course she gave her daddy the most.