The border I needed to finish off Timmy's room came early last Thursday and I was so eager to put it up. I got that done and finished all drilling projects to take Scott's drill back to him. (It took me half an hour to get over there. James was working on the drainage problem in our back wall and was out getting parts so EVERYONE decided they wanted to go next door with me. Not a big problem, but shoes were hard to find and the twins kept wanting to play with the chuck key. So relieved not to have to watch out for it anymore.)
I tried to stay up Friday night to pack so we could get out early Saturday morning but I think my footsteps in the hall kept waking Timmy up so, after I had already put him back to bed twice, I gave in around 1am and just went to bed.
We pulled out around 11am Saturday morning, headed for my parents' house. On the way, the kids watched Old Yeller. Not sure why, but it has become one of their all-time favorite movies. Now everyone sings along:
I don't remember why, but the kids lost video privileges as we got closer to my parents' house. I think Callie was just tired and she lost it so we let the kids listen to the Silly Songs with Larry (VeggieTales) CD instead. Here's Landon dancing to "Barbara Manatee." He's so cute!
Lisa and Travis had driven to Safford the night before. Nice to get to just hang out for a little while.
We also got the final baseboard put in place in my parents' living room - it's gonna happen, I tell you! We will finish those baseboards! I'm a big fan of finishing projects. James and I were just talking the other day about how sad it is when we put off doing something because we think it's going to take a long time and it ends up being a quick fix. I've been working on incorporating the Nike theme into my projects and Just Do It and get things done! Can't wait for my parents to have all the baseboards back in.
Anyhow, James and I were also able to make it to the 5:30 session at the temple that evening. We were even invited to do sealings afterward, but I think that my parents and Lisa and Travis were all pretty tired already and probably not wanting to watch four extra kids for an additional hour. (Thanks for watching them!)
Without Steve and his video games there, we all made it to bed before 11pm. Which was a good thing because Timmy and Callie both ended up sleeping with James and me. Love them, but I also love having room to sleep.
My parents are finally back in their own ward building. The ceiling in the Relief Society room collapsed several months ago and there was water everywhere. Apparently it was rather difficult to find someone who knew how to work with the structural materials and it took quite a while to get the building back in order. So they've been driving out to Solomon for church at 3pm every Sunday. And now they're back on the 1-4 schedule, like us. So, since the time was the same, I just got going like I normally do - got myself dressed and ready by 9:30 and started on the kids. My mom kept telling me that we had a few hours, but I usually end up getting everyone ready by myself Sunday mornings and it takes me the entire morning to get them dressed, hair done and diaper bag packed. Not to mention the loading and unloading into and out of the car! So that's the schedule I was on. Both girls wanted Grandma to do their hair. Just kind of odd having relatively little to do by myself Sunday morning with James and my mom there to help.
We even had time to play for awhile. My dad has one of those squishy stress-reliever balls and Timmy had a great time playing with it.
I LOVE this face! Timmy just gets this big smile and squishes his eyes. I think it's his proud-of-himself face. Really, it's just the cutest! So funny!
Sacrament meeting was great. So much easier when the adults outnumber the kids. Landon sat with my dad and actually fell asleep on him! Callie fell asleep on James and Timmy kept himself entertained by pulling up and smiling at the family behind us and pushing things off the front of the bench. Oh how we love the pick-up game...
And oh how we missed Makayla! She has taken the girls to Primary with her before and it's worked out splendidly. However, this time no one wanted to go to Primary or nursery, in spite of my best efforts. My mom was teaching Gospel Doctrine so all the kids came in with us. Not long into the lesson, Landon needed to go to the bathroom. I took all three kids. When I got back to the room, my dad sneaked over to hand Timmy to me and inform me that he needed a bathroom break too. Awesome. During the bathroom trips, my stomach started not feeling so great so I took the twins and Timmy home with me. Nothing major, it felt better within an hour of getting home, but I will admit that it was nice not having to battle children for another hour in church.
We had an awesome steak dinner with my family and then headed to Benson, where we spent the night with Leah. Along the way, we had a few sprinkles and suddenly Trevy called out that she saw a dragon. A dragon? Yep, a dragon. There really was one! In the clouds. I was trying to distract the kids on a walk one day by teaching them how to find things in the clouds. Landon joined in and we spent the next 15 minutes or so calling out all sorts of things. Excellent sunset! I love those moments. Spontaneous fun where you can see your children's imagination running wild. We saw other dragons, turtles, pigs and, Landon's repeated favorite, dinosaurs.
Larry had taken Emerson and Avery up to Show Low with him so the kids camped out on the bunkbed in Emerson's room. After playing for over an hour! Yikes!
Made it hard to get to the parade the next morning. The parade started at 9. We got there just before the parade started, but they had blocked off any nearby streets so we had to park a few blocks away and go by foot. Thank heaven for having the stroller and the front pack. We had the water balloons and Timmy to carry. Little feet are definitely not meant for speed, but I don't think we missed too much anyway.
I really used to not care so much for parades. They're hot and boring. Generally speaking, the decorations of yesteryear have gone the way of the dodo and nowadays you just get to watch people ride by in the back of a truck. But then I got married. And, let me tell you, the parade itself hasn't changed a whole lot, but the watching sure has! You just keep your eyes peeled for anyone squirting water or throwing water balloons and the game's on!
Here were some of our targets:
One of the girls' softball teams. They're always good sports when it comes to being bombarded with water balloons! (I know, but some of these puns get typed before they even occur to me as being such!)
Jon's dream car. =) (We didn't pelt them. Don't throw water balloons at horses!)
Another float we pelted.
Just because the cars are past us doesn't mean certain people won't keep trying to launch.
Even the kids wanted in on the action. (This was really cute because we had hit a couple of floats before the kids asked if they could throw their balloons. They'd been holding the same ones!)
I'd like to say this is the truck we won in the local raffle.
Or even this one.
Tessa's first fourth of July as a Brimhall.
Not as many of us as last year. The Merrills were getting ready to move and Larry had the other kids.
Timmy's real first fourth, in my opinion. He was still in the NICU last year.
Pretty girl and her otter pop. At least the girls got their hair done this year. Our kids looked homeless in 2010!
Some of the final parade entries.
These people had a live band in the back. Not too shabby! Although I think a few more patriotic songs and a few less Dixie Chicks would have been better.
I'm still amazed that people can ride these things.
I think Timmy finally saw the value in keeping his hat on. It was blazing hot.
The last float we bombarded. They were great. They were able to catch a couple of balloons and tried throwing them back. (I think they got Landon.) But anyone who has tried to catch water balloons knows you generally have more break upon impact with your fingers than land safely.
After the parade, we all went over to James's parents' house for lunch and hanging out. I stayed in to put Timmy down for a nap and James took Trevy, Landon and Callie out with him. Note the clear blue skies here. It was HOT!!!
So green! I think they've had more monsoon rain down there than Tucson.
Did I mention Callie dressed herself?
There's a lot of sheep!!! Let's count them.
Callie and the goats. Definitely the animal lover in the family.
Anyhow, Landon saw me and wanted a turn so I let him climb in after I was finished. I guess it tickled him because he kept laughing!
Timmy loved them!
So did Landon. He kept trying to make a snowman.
Trevy working the pouty face.
Our little scooter. I weighed him at both grandparents' houses and he was right at and just below 15 pounds. So let's just say he's 15 pounds!
Who knew water bottles made such good drum sticks?
Around 3:00 the brave (or the crazy) went back outside to sheer the last sheep.
No I did not. It wasn't too much cooler inside as the clouds were gathering (see above) and the air was getting very heavy with the humidity.
Getting set up.
♪♪Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be like Jon...♪♪
By 4:30, Callie couldn't fight any longer.
So the rest of us ate dinner and got loaded up.
Landon didn't make it even five minutes to the highway. But he sure had a great time!
Even if we slack on Memorial Day, I think most people reflect on the reason we celebrate the fourth of July, our nation's Independence Day. Every time I read a book or see a movie or documentary on those who have given or dedicated their lives for our country, it just feels my heart with such emotion. What a cause! How much easier it is to sit back and be complacent. What a privilege to have been born in a country with so many freedoms! I love my country and revere those who have done so much to make our nation great.
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At the same time, I can't say that that was the only thing on my mind on July 4, 2011. As another friend wrote on her blog, it's hard not to think on a daily basis of what my life was like exactly one year ago.
Timmy was due on July 4, 2010. I had anticipated that he would come early, that he would be a Junebug. Never would have seen myself adding a diamond birthstone to my mother's ring instead. Even then, I had held hopes that Timmy would be home by his due date. I remember a week or so before having it hit hard that he wouldn't be. At that time, his reanastomosis was still fresh. He was doing well, but he still needed time to heal and, because of that, there would be no attempt to extubate until after the fourth had come and gone. I was so desperate to have my baby home with me. I wanted to show him fireworks and sit and watch monsoons with him in my arms and our other kids running around in the rain like true Arizonans. But no. Hard to believe he still had more than a month left of his hospital stay. Now looking back, I miss that time. It was a precious time when I had him all to myself. I still do, but it's not the same. He's not the tiny, fragile sleeping infant that only I got to hold. No real good reason for me to get in the car in the middle of the night to drive over to spend four hours with people I hadn't known for more than 2.5 months. No more fighting to wake up every three hours to maintain a milk supply.
And yet I know it's a good thing. Definite positives and things I don't miss. No more fighting to wake up every three hours to maintain a milk supply. No more days on four hours of sleep that started just as the sun was coming up. No more wondering why my baby was still intubated. No more longing for the next surgery to be over with so he could just be healed and not have anymore pain from incisions. No more weekly doctor visits. No more medicine for jaundice. No more oxygen monitoring. He's home with me at night. He finally has a cute nursery of his own. He is able to eat whatever he wants. He can move freely - no longer tethered by a tube stuck in his throat. I can see him smile, hear him laugh and watch him play. I can feed him and pick him up all by myself.
Although this is technically his second fourth of July, I will call it his first. Happy first fourth of July, Timmy, and happy fourth of July to all!
1 comment:
Okay...tear! Happy "first" fourth of July Timmy!
What a year!
*Hugs*
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