Home Again!

Despite my mother's best attempts at convincing my dad that she could still go to Destin with a broken elbow, we didn't go. My week that was supposed to be spent soaking up rays and lounging on the beach was spent at my mother's mercy!

Mom now has a new name...Bionic Woman...since she now has a steel plate, some screws, and a bunch of wires holding her arm together. Thankfully, there is no risk of her setting off a metal detector!!! She spent two and a half hours in surgery last Saturday, and (thanks to many prayers) did very well, considering there were several risks involved. Kendall and I flew last-minute to Little Rock on Sunday so we could stay with Mom for the week and help out. Even though mom didn't get to enjoy the sand and sun like she planned, she at least had a little sunshine inside with Kendall around all week! Mom came home from the hospital Sunday evening, and was moving around by herself by Tuesday morning. She will go this Thursday to the doctor to have the staples removed and will then find out more about physical therapy. My mom is definitely the trooper!!!

Kendall and I were glad to have some good QT with my family. We spent some time with Mimi and Gran on Sunday and Mammaw and Pappaw came over to see us on Thursday. Two of my very best friends, Heather and Jill, came to visit, too, and I was happy to see them! We even got to visit with the newlyweds, Chad and Kyleigh, for a few minutes on Thursday night. (The whole reason behind our trip to Destin !) Mom and I were SICK about missing the wedding and were thankful to get a phone call from Kyleigh's mom with all the details the day after the wedding.

My Aunt Marva graciously volunteered to drive me to Nashville today (we only bought a one-way ticket to Arkansas) to meet up with Evan. I enjoyed getting to have some time to visit with her as well. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel, which is my FAVORITE on Saturday because the veggie of the day is lima beans...YUMMY! (Adriane--I know you are dying as you read this because you HAAATTTEEE Cracker Barrel and it's making me laugh as I type this thinking of your opposition to stopping there on car trips...especially when we were coming back from Gulf Shores our senior year! HA!!!) Today's lunch was Kendall's first time to sit in a high chair like a big girl and she certainly enjoyed it. She "talked" non-stop and got LOTS of looks from those around us. At one point, Evan was giving her the "Kendall...SSSSHHHH" because he thought she was being way too loud. I thought she was quite entertaining!

I have a few "funnies" from the week...maybe more funny to me than to anyone else, but blogging about it is a good way for me to remember...

*Kendall HATES green beans. HATES them!!! She gagged, coughed, and choked on them at my three attempts. I decided it wasn't worth it. Maybe she will like them when she can feed herself. She LOVES avocado. Go figure.

*My dad, bless his heart, is just as country as cornbread. (If you don't know him, you must understand this before reading on. He is not uneducated, he is just country...a good 'ole farm boy.) Sometimes I think he really believes that Andy Griffith and Mayberry is today's reality. I laughed my head off as it took my mother 20 minutes to explain the "Forever" stamp to him, only seconds after she said how long it took Mrs. Carol (my mom's good friend and Postmaster) to explain the "Forever" stamp to an elderly man in the area. Mom and daddy were going 'round and 'round about it. Hysterical.

*The other funny on my dad...He was out mowing the yard one afternoon and one of his friends stopped by to visit. (We had SEVERAL "drop-in" visitors throughout the week...one of the things that is neat to me about living in a rural area. People still do that.) Daddy and his buddy probably stood outside, shooting the bull for an hour. Daddy comes inside after his friend leaves and says, "Well, I got the yard mowed, but I didn't get to weed-eat. That's the one thing I hate about living in town, it's hard to finish something because you never know who is going to drop by!!" Knowing that the population sign of Aubrey reads less than 300, I cracked up laughing and said, "Daddy, you DON'T live in town." Soooo funny!!!

*Kendall will be crawling before we know it. She has mastered the army crawl. She's trying to get on her knees, but can't figure out how to work her hands/knees just yet. Oh, and she can now get into a sitting position.

*Last Saturday, we lowered Kendall's crib mattress. Tonight, when we put her to bed, she just cried and cried. Now that her mattress is lower (and since she can get into a sitting position) she could see us walking around (before we shut her door a bit) and she was MAD that she had to go to bed. If I timed it correctly, she cried for about 15 minutes or so before finally falling asleep. When I went in to check on her, I noticed she had literally fallen asleep while sitting up, with her body leaning over her feet and her head lying on the mattress!!! Funny kiddo!!!

Okay, that's all for now. It's bed-time. We have nursery for the first time tomorrow. I MUST get some sleep!!! My own bed will feel good tonight!