No Wonder the Kids Didn't Miss Me

Havin' a blast at Grammy and Grandpa's in Utah. The pictures say it all.

Remember Me? I'm Your Mommy!

So during Eric's back surgery my mom and dad had the kids out in Utah. Eric and I were absent for about 10 days and I was starting to really miss my Ethie and Libbs. I knew, though, that they were having a great time at Grammy's so I wasn't too terribly worried about them missing me. I did, however, figure that they'd be happy to see me when I returned. Ethan was fine...in fact, I think he was truly glad to see me. I got tons of hugs from him when I came in the door to my parent's house. Libby...well, she was tough. She woke up from her nap a few minutes after we got back and my mom went in to get her so she bring her out and surprise her with mommy. When my mom brought her out and gave her to me, I expected hugs and kisses and exclamations of "Mama!" and all that. She sat on my lap in a state of stunned silence for about 25 seconds before she started bawling and reaching for Grandma. This happened a couple times...and finally she let me read her a story before running back to my mom. After awhile she gave me a half smile, then a few giggles and finally a hug. She still sometimes reaches for Grandma when I am holding her, but today was much better.
Wow. I never expected that in a million years. Apparently there was some close bonding going on while I was gone.
Maybe tonight she will let me hold her when she wakes up instead of crying for Grandma.

Eric's Back Surgery

Eric underwent his lower back surgery on Tuesday of this week. He's been in quite a lot of pain for the last year now in the lumbar region of his back. We figure it is an old aggravated rugby accident from about 8 or so years ago. Anyway, after enduring a lot of pain, physical therapy and a procedure that was somewhat like an epideral, the doctors realized that surgery was going to be the only route to get rid of the pain and keep Eric from losing motion etc in his back and legs. The surgery included removing much of a herniated disc in his lower back. When the doctor came out to talk to me after the surgery he admitted that the remaining part of the disc was quite degenrative, so Eric would need to be exceedingly careful in recovering. And that is where we are at right now. Poor Eric! Even though he is doing well, he is still extremely uncomfortable and is having a hard time moving from one position to another. However, we have high hopes that we will learn a little better how to manuever to avoid pain and after awhile I have no doubt Eric will be back to full functionality. The full recovery period is about 3 months, which seems like an eternity to Eric. No exercise, bending, twisting, picking up the kids, sitting for long periods, etc.

Thank you everyone for your concerns about Eric. And thank you especially to my parents for taking care of the kids while I am taking care of Eric. We will keep you posted.

Family Pix

My friend Anna took these pictures of our family...isn't she awesome? What a fun little family I have.

Fabulous Fourth

Despite not being in Henefer for the 4th of July, we had a super fun Independence weekend. I took the kids to the Lakewood Parade on Saturday (Eric had to work) and they absolutely loved it. Luckily, there was another parade in Dallas, in Highland Park on Monday that Eric could come to with us. We got great seats near the beginning of the route and were showered with candy and toys from all the floats. The weather was also agreeable--not too hot. After the parade, we took the kids to IHOP for a pancake breakfast. They thought they had died and gone to heaven. That afternoon we had a good long refreshing swim in our pool followed by a relaxing evening.

What a wonderful weekend to remember the special people who do and have served our country so bravely.

Quite Exhausted

Playing hard in the hot Dallas sun and humidity makes for one tired three year old.

More Lone Star Adventures

Our summer in Dallas has proven a blast, just as last year. Early on, for Memorial Weekend, we ran down to Austin for a couple days to visit my cuzzies Janet and Steve. We had fun, the kids had fun, and we had a life changing experience when we ate at Gourdoughs, the amazing donut place in Austin. I am confident I have never and will never taste a donut nearly as tasty as that Gourdoughs concoction. It was absolutely delicious and I can not wait to get down there next summer to have another one. I am so glad to have the Theriaults so close to Dallas...it is such a ball to hang out with them.

The other fun thing that happened down here was a visit from my brother and sister. Darrell and Mavis came to hang out for several days and it was super fun. We did a lot of chatting, eating, sightseeing, and picture-taking. I'm so happy they could come--thanks guys!

Other than that, we've been doing a lot of swimming in our apt pool, checking out the city, running around at the Galleria play place, going to the library, and playing with our buddies, the Despains. We've even had a trip to the Dallas Zoo! Even though we miss Durham, we've enjoyed every second of our stay in Texas.