lots of changes

but I guess that's bound to happen when you never post to your own blog. lmao

So, let's see (very long post, so not normal for me, sorry in advance) ...

January started out good, just chilling with the family. First week in, Jenna tripped over her friend's Krazy Karpet and landed on her wrist, prompting another trip to the ER for her wrist (she was there January last year for the same wrist, same thing, falling and landing on it). Had a couple X-Rays done, then into a cast she went - the first person in our immediate family to ever have a cast on (I have broken my toe, but they don't cast for that). That stayed on for one week, while we waited to have another X-Ray done. The couldn't see anything, but where she was in pain, they said that type of break doesn't always show on X-Rays - great! (not!!) So the day after her 11th birthday, we went in to have the cast removed, and another set of X-Rays ... and a splint this time, while we await the X-Ray results. One more week goes by, and I took Jenna in the morning of the 27th to have her splint removed and to see what the next step would be. Whew, she is pain free and can move her wrist again! No clue what she did, they think she actually bruised the bone and all the muscles in the area, so the cast & splint helped ease some of the pain of movement while her body healed. So yay, she is all better!

Well, the night Jenna's splint was removed, while Des was at work, he ended up hurting himself pretty badly. He ended up in the ER himself, to have his finger stitched back together. He was buffing the inside of a tire (remember, he works on those HUGE haul truck tires for the mines), the grinder must have hit one of the steel cords inside and kicked back and sliced him open. He drove himself over to the hospital after he managed to stop most of the bleeding, they cleaned him up and stitched him closed, with instructions that he would have to get to Lethbridge for surgery to re-attach the tendon that he severed. He scared me when he came home early from work, because I had no idea he had hurt himself. He didn't want me to panic and not be able to do anything because I was stuck at home with no vehicle, and all the kids. The next day we phoned the plastic surgeon in Lethbridge we were recommended to call, and we were told Des' surgery would not be until February 3rd. We were not expecting him to have to wait a full week after his injury to have surgery. Poor guy, he normally tolerates pain well, doesn't like taking Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, etc ... he was taking T3s that weekend, and they were barely doing the trick. So February 3rd rolls around, we arranged for the kids to go to my friend Shanna's house for two days, since we had no idea how long his surgery was going to be, or what kind of shape he would be in after. We planned to spend the night, because I hate driving at night through the mountains. Can I just say, the Lethbridge hospital is actually very nice! I am used to small, run down hospitals that I see throughout our province, have never experienced an Alberta hospital before ... it was so clean and modern looking. Anyways ... we got to the hospital, got Des all checked in, filled out all the necessary paperwork (since it was a Workers Comp injury, we were supposed to do things through them, but the hospital bills through our provincial medical, who then have to go through WCB), and then headed for the day surgery ward. I wasn't sure if I should stick around, leave, wander the gift shop or what, so thankfully I had brought Jenna's DS with me, and I plunked my butt down to wait while Des was in surgery. Good thing I didn't take off ... he was out within 30 minutes or so. Feeling groggy and in not too much pain, but he was walking on his own two feet. So we decided to get our grocery shopping for the week done, and head home early ... which wasn't too early by the time we actually got home (I drove in the dark, blech), but we left the kids with Shanna anyways. The next week was rough on Des, he was in even more pain that before, so the T3s got replaced with Percocet. He had the dressing changed every 3-4 days, and the stitches out 10 days after the surgery. It's been healing well from what we can see, we don't go back until March 2nd for a follow up. All in all, Des only missed 10 days of work, he has been back since the Monday following his surgery, doing light-duty (answering the phones, making sure they guys are actually working ... watching TV, playing games on the computer ... whatever).

And to top off both these injuries, we have had at least one child sick with something since the day Jenna hurt herself. The flu, a cold, strep throat ... all three have been hit once or twice in the past month and a bit. I just want it all to stop!!

So we have also had two family birthdays (ok, more than that, but not my direct family, as in I didn't give birth to the rest. lol). Jenna is now 11, and Cody is now 15. Yes, I have a Tween and FIFTEEN year old!! I feel old!! Up next in birthday rotation ... Quinten will be FIVE at the end of March. Speaking of Quin ... he is now officially registered for Kindergarten in the Fall!! Sad, but at the same time, so excited! Bummed that it will still only be half-day kindy, next year it bumps to full-day. Oh well, we'll take what we can get. If we lived in Fernie or Elkford, he would be in full-day in September, Sparwood gets it the following year.

Oh, and what else ... Des found me a new vehicle, a 2005 Pontiac Montana. Just waiting for delivery now, all the paperwork has been completed. I am kinda excited!! He wanted another truck, but he knew we couldn't afford that right now. And we were starting to get squishy in the car, with all three kids in the backseat. So my new minivan will be a welcome relief for road trips, shopping trips, going to visit friends ... much easier to separate the children. lol

And scrapping news ... with all that has been happening the past few months, I have cut down on the creative teams I am on (as well as gaining one I have been trying out for since I started digi-scrapping!!).
Now I CT for Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Christy Lyle, Julie Billingsley, Eva Kipler, and Traci Reed (whoo hooo, she finally picked me!!) - all at Sweet Shoppe Designs, for Nikki Epperson at Polka Dot Plum and The Digi Chick, and also site CT for Polka Dot Plum (I am a Sugar Plum!).