Thank you, Reader Family!

We have been having a blast in Arizona this past week. A post is soon to come with pictures and details from our week, but I had to give an update on our eventful evening tonight.
It started off with a FUN trip to a GREAT park (Freestone--pictures to come). We then went to my cousins, the Klepingers (thanks for the popcorn and cookies. Sorry about the spill!). Stone was having a blast playing with Carson's little cars, when he took a nasty fall onto a speaker.

After major blood, but without freaking out too much, we decided to make a surprise visit to the Reader's home around the corner. Rob is an anesthesiologist and my dad's cousin and parter-in-crime growing up. I wanted a quick professional opinion, so that's where we headed. Although it's been years since I've seen them, and therefore thought it may be random, we totally felt comfortable. And thanks to the blogging world, I felt like I knew what they have been up to. The Readers are great. To make a long story short (oh wait, I'm still making it long), we went to Urgent Care, who advised us to get our anesthesiologist friend (to sedate Stone) and head to the hospital if we wanted to stitch it up. He busted his lip on the vermillion border, which would require precision and a still baby. And I couldn't provide the calm baby. I, of course, started crying in the car. It all seemed a little much for a gash on the lip!

We got back to the Readers, and Rob called his friend who is a plastic surgeon. He agreed to see Stone and offer an opinion. So, good ole' Rob headed over with us, and the plastic surgeon told us we'd be safe to let him heal on his own. He said if it does not heal absolutly correctly, we could follow through with the same procedure that would have taken place tonight, in a few years. Thank goodness! It all seemed like SO MUCH for something that I know will happen again. Stone was a champ. After the initial shock, he kept playing with his cars. It just felt good to get two professional opinions.

I feel grateful to have an awesome family, extended included. Even though we had not seen the Readers in years, we totally felt comfortable, and we knew we could trust Rob. Rob and Robby (his son) both got online to find the different Urgent Care centers, and made calls to find one that was open. I am glad that if something like this had to happen, we were so close to their home when it did happen. Thank you, Reader family!

BEFORE:

AFTER (blood stains and all):

The Saturday That Never Redeemed Itself

10:45 am: Head out the door to the movies with Stone. We figured by the time the movie started, he'd be out (nap time). Umm, what was that we were thinking? ...didn't turn out well, if you were wondering.

2:00ish pm: Home from the movie, not in the mood to make lunch, Cliff runs to Taco Bell. He stops by Walgreens to get diaper rash cream (Stone had diarrhea...again if you were wondering).

2:20 pm: Cliff calls. "Kendal, I locked the keys in the car. The car is running." What?! Yeah, he took a Tylenol PM at 4:00 am when I walked out after hearing him do the dishes. He suffers from insomia, and decided to clean after he couldn't sleep. He blames the car incident on the medication.

2:21 pm: 

Cliff: Kendal, can you come get me?

Kendal: You have the carseat....

Cliff: Oh just put him in the back seat and put a seatbelt on him [it's a little bucket seat in the truck, not much bigger than the little guy, but I still did not feel comfortable]. Our parents always did stuff like that.

Kendal: Yeah, and we know a lot more about child safety these days. I really would rather not, babe.

Cliff: (not in the best mood) Fine, I'm walking home [car is still on, in the Walgreens parking lot]. (...it's not that far from our house).

2:35 pm: Cliff walks in, I go to my wallet for the spare. Ooops, it's not there. Where did it go? And if you remember, Stone lost Cliff's whole set of keys (which we've concluded that he through them in the trash bag, and we threw them away). So, we TEAR the house a part (while the car is still running at Walgreens). No luck.

3:00 pm: Call a locksmith. 

3:50 pm: Locksmith shows up, Cliff comes home.

5:00 pm: We go some friends' home to watch the BYU game followed by the TTU game. Our boys were killed. Both teams...and these were the 2 events that could have turned our day around.

8:30 pm: I start not feeling well, and I figured it was the Taco Bell we ate 2 hours after it was purchased followed by some must-have football game day food. Not a good mix, I guess.

9:00 pm: I hug Melissa goodbye, thank her for the fun night (despite the U winning), and suddenly, OUT OF NOWHERE, I feel like I'm going to vomit. I tell Cliff to grab Stone, and I run outside. There it went. Everything I had eaten all day. I don't think that much food has ever come out of someone. WOW. GROSS. All over me, my bag, my shoes. Cliff sprayed the sidewalk, and I went back in to clean up. Stone was screaming thinking we were abandoning him for the night.

9:30 pm: We try feeding Stone a late dinner, thinking he had really only just snacked a little at the party. He shakes his head no, and we thought he was just being difficult. THEN, he slightly (just a little) throws up, so I hurry and take him out, just for him to throw up again on the carpet. I rush him to the bathroom JUST in time for him to completely vomit in the shower. Poor guy.

9:31 pm: Cliff cleans up after Stone, I clean Stone.

10:00 pm: I throw up again.

11:00 pm: Again.

11:30 pm:  Again.

12:00 am: Again.

12:30 am: Cliff starts to feel sick (but he has not thrown up....yet).

I was sure it was the Taco Bell until Stone threw up. The only thing Stone and I ate the same of yesterday was cereal, so that's the only thing I can think it is (it was definitely food, and not the flu). We both had some game day treats, but it came upon us too fast for it to be anything from there. Unless we find out everyone else had a rough night last night.

I bet your bad day doesn't top this. I'm ready for the next weekend, already. 

*Post posting note: Cliff has thrown up, and now we think it was more than food. Stone's not looking too hot (sleeping a lot), and now I'm not feeling well, again. Wow, we make quite the triad.

Flashback Friday: Matt's Red-turn-Pink Hair

I mentioned my cousin, Matt, in my last Flashback Friday. We grew up best buds. My family moved to El Paso when I was 7, and the Brackens, my cousins, lived there. I remember when we moved there, I was just BARELY shorter than him. It was my goal to get taller than him. Yeah, that never happened. He's now 6' 1" and I am 5' 3".

Well, junior year in high school we decided to die his hair fire-engine red. I know, you've read a flashback of me cutting my BFF, Shannon's hair, my bend-over story, and now Matt. We bought the die, and went to work at his house. It actually turned out. Well, I guess that depends what you consider "turn out". It was bright red. He was stoked. Paul, his dad....NOT SO MUCH. Anyone that knows my uncle, Paul, knows what "not so much" really means he was MAD. I quickly snuck out the front door to drive home. I'm the daughter Paul never had. I type that laughing out loud because when I've told him that, I think he said I was the pest he never had. Or something like that.

So...the red hair was pretty cool until Matt washed his hair a few times. Then it was PINK. He went to prom with pink hair. He was still proud of it. Eventually, it turned like a strawberry blond, and finally, it grew out.

Here we are with our guitars. This picture was taken for a song contest we entered (in high school).

Stone's Work Station

Stone's favorite things these days: Mommy's keyboard, computer, printer, guitar, cell phone, work phone, highlighters and colorful pens (oh, and our keys, but don't get me started). He loves anything shiny or colorful that he knows he cannot have.

So, this past weekend, Cliff created Stone his own work station, so that he can get work done while mommy does. Cliff stacked antique suit cases, and put a cutting board on top as the desk top, and gave him a highlighter and some paper. Oh my gosh, the kid was in heaven. He stayed at his desk for a solid 30 minutes (anyone who knows Stone, knows that is unbelievable). He cried when we left to go out to dinner. He was not ready to put his highlighter away. That night, we searched for a little desk, but couldn't find anything we liked, so instead, we bought a dry erase board for the top, and bought mess free markers and the special coloring book. That night, we re-set his station next to mine, and when he walked into the room, he SQUEELED with joy. He has turned into a little artist.

Below is a video before we rearranged things. This is him jibber jabbering. Pardon the lower quality video.

This following video is intended for the grandparents. All others will be board. This is his final work station. This video shows HOW content and still he was for a prolonged period of time. Again, unless you are a grandparent, you probably will not be entertained.

And here are some cute pictures:

Flashback Friday: Deer in the Headlights

I absolutely am loving our weather these days. 60s and 70s for fall weather is PERFECT. We are still comfortably running outside, playing at the park, and just enjoying the sunny, crisp days. Much different from "fall" weather in Utah that we lived in for 4 years.

I remember my first Halloween there (2003), my cousin, Matt, convinced me to drive he and and some friends up north for a party (this is not my Flashback, just a sidenote). The drive should have taken about an hour. 3 1/2 hours later, through the worst (and FIRST!) snow storm I have EVER been in, we reached our destination. The party was over, and I refused to drive back home that night, so we crashed there for the night.

Fast forward one year later, and Cliff and I are married, living in a small, cozy basement apartment directly north of the BYU football stadium, which if you're not familiar with the area, it's somewhat close to the base of some mountains. We were driving home one night after work, slowly making our way up the icy hill to our home, when out of nowhere, some HUGE deer jump DIRECTLY in front of us. We swerve, skid all over the rode, made a couple circles, I'm sure, and barely missed them. The phrase, "Deer in the headlights" brought a new, literal meaning to our lives. And that was just our first encounter with deer while we lived in that area. Although I'm not missing Utah's "fall" temperatures, I DO miss the BEAUTIFUL changing colors! .

I Love Life

I love these boys.

Cleopatra, Mark Anthony and a Mummy

My two men were great sports this year with dressing up. Actually, Cliff's a good sport every year (he wore tights last year), but Stone was a little unsure about everything this year. Once we got to our church party, he was surprisingly content, and kept his hat on the whole time.

We had fun putting the costumes together. I dug out a homecoming dress from my junior year in high school, and gathered other Cleopatra-esque apparel, we found Cliff's while we were out and about, and we sewed Stone's.

And now it's November. Where does the time go??

I've got a HOT hubby.