Actually...Caught Up!

My flash card is officially cleaned off. After this post, there will be about four pictures on it that are the kids'. This is in preparation for our big camping trip this next week to the Florida Keys! We're going with our friends, the Shepherds, for four fun-filled nights of camping. If it were only dirt-free too...

Anyway, a few weekends ago we went with Aunt Kelly to Flagler Beach. It was a windy day, but the scenery was beautiful. The pier was built in 1926 - we know because we visited a museum while we were there that gave us all sorts of historical information about the town. We also visited a farmer's market and bought watermelon flavored licorice made by the Amish! Yummmm.

Can you guess whose shadow?

So Far Behind Part 2

And my next post will probably be called, "So Far Behind Part 3."

Anyway! Here's another attempt at updating:

Halloween '09:

Nixons with some neighbors that we always go out with

Meghann showed a little school spirit with her pumpkin, she is an Oviedo High Lion

Courtney tried her hand at pumpkin carving - Nixon style

This was one of my favorite costumes that we saw out trick-or-treating

(this next little bit of text is from my journal):

Thursday night was supposed to be a big night for Tucker. He was earning his Arrow of Light award in cub scouts and "crossing over" into boy scouts since he'd done everything for the Webloes requirements. We were getting ready to go and Courtney and he were out hitting a tennis ball back and forth to each other. He came in crying loudly and holding his eye, saying the ball had hit him in the eye. We grabbed an ice pack but it wasn't until he said he couldn't see out of it that I really looked at it. It was gross. His iris that is normally beautiful blue was a reddish purple. It had filled with blood. Yuck. A mother shouldn't have to see gross things on her kids, the images don't go out of your mind.

Anyway, we headed to the emergency room instead of pack meeting with Tucker bawling his eyes out the whole way because he was going to miss his big night at Scouts. He's worked hard for this and he was so excited. The bitter cup of disappointment. :(

The emergency room actually wasn't too bad. We were only there for about two hours. We waited for the eye drops at the pharmacy as long as we were in the ER. Seriously, I thought for sure someone was going to come out with a hidden camera and tell me I was going to be on Candid Camera next week. It was the biggest joke of a pharmacy I've EVER seen in my life. I felt like I was in a foreign country telling the pharmacist how to get me my medicine. Ugh. We got home around midnight.

Tucker had a hyphema of the eye which is a blood vessel bursting from blunt trauma and bleeding into the eye. The biggest worry is that the vessel doesn't re-bleed because the long term damage is even greater then so he's on two eye drops - one that keeps his pupil dilated so the blood can be more easily absorbed and another that paralyzes his eye (I can't remember why that's necessary). He had to sleep sitting upright that night but it really helped the blood to drain down a little. By the next morning he could see a little more out if it and by today there is just a thin line where you can see the blood has settled at the bottom of his iris. He can see pretty well but because the pupil is still dilated, it kills him to go outside without sunglasses on. He's on restricted activity for two weeks - no PE, no jumping, no bike riding, bending over at the waist or anything that would put pressure on his eye. We took him to the eye Dr on Friday, today, I have to take him in again this Friday, then a week from Friday, then in a month, three months, six months and a year. We'll just have to constantly monitor the pressure on his eye and make sure that he doesn't develop glaucoma or any other troubles that could come from it.

Before we left for the hospital Brady and a neighbor gave him a blessing that he wouldn't have any permanent damage from this so we're banking on that.

All in all, it was a rather unpleasant experience, especially as I had to put my head in between my knees at the drs office on Friday. I was thinking, "I thought Michelle was the only medical wimp in our family!" I can handle having five babies without an epidural, but I can't stand to see someone poking around my kid's owie. It just made me too lightheaded.

If you look close you can see the blood kind of puddled at the bottom of his iris, plus a spot or two up in the middle of the iris. UPDATE: last week he was given the "green light" - the blood was all absorbed, he can go back to normal activity but we have to monitor him every few months to make sure he doesn't develop any complications later. He's off the eye drops keeping his eye dilated but his pupil is still large. It should be back to normal in another week or so.

Through it all, Tucker kept his sense of humor. He actually wore this eye patch whenever he wanted to read because his bad eye was fuzzy and it bothered him to read. But give up reading for a few weeks? NEVER. He just used the eye patch.

I think I mentioned in my last post about one of Brady's old mission companions and his family coming for a visit. We spent a day at the beach with them and despite the cool weather and overcast skys, several of us came home looking like fried chicken (or fried something). I should know by now - EVEN WHEN THE SUN ISN'T BURNING HOT - we're getting burned. It's happened before. I'll learn my lesson someday.

Nixon and Reidhead Families

Nolan and Brady

looking a little pink after the beach

he was a raccoon for several days

So Behind It's Not Even Funny

I have so many pictures to post I don't know where to start. Maybe that's why I haven't posted in weeks. Too far behind to get ahead.

Here's an attempt:

Tucker had a piano recital a few weeks ago. He did a great job. We had been to the beach all that day so he looks like a red beet from the neck up.

Sorry about the picture quality. Brady's only flaw is that he takes fuzzy pictures.

Tucker and Sister Little, his teacher.

Tucker and Adam, one of his best friends.

We were at the beach a few weeks ago with the Riedhead family (a mission companion of Brady's who live in Tucson, AZ). This little sand crab kept us entertained for a while. Isn't he freaky looking?

Here he is trying to burying himself in the sand. If you look close you can see those little beady black eyes still.

The cookies are so delicious I've got to share the recipe. If they stay fluffy for me at 350 ft. above sea level, imagine what they'll do for those of you at 5,600 feet above sea level!

The Gramanda Cookie

(named for newlyweds Grant and Amanda who concocted the recipe and gave these out at their reception)

Cream together:

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. brown sugar

1 c. butter

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1 c. peanut butter

Then add:

1 c. flour

1 c. rolled oats

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. cinnamon (the secret ingredient)

1 package chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Easy as pie...or cookies.

We had a death in the family. It was the trampoline. After about 9 or so years, it gave up the ghost. The cause of death was RUST. Good old Florida humidity. It just ate the steel bars that held the thing up and when three little boys were jumping on it, one side caved in. Brady disassembled it rather matter-of-factly, but I was a little emotional about letting it go. It's been a good friend - gave us a few sleepless nights trying to have a little outing on it, lots of FHE's jumping together, countless hours with a sprinkler under it in the summer, the hub of the neighborhood. Good bye old friend.

A few weeks ago we saw this limo outside our next door neighborhor's house. The kids in the neighborhood were going crazy oogling over it. Spencer was hiding behind the neighbor's tree trying to take a picture of it, hoping Mr. Chauffer didn't see him. Brady went out and asked if everyone could look inside. That was a treat. Imagine if they'd been able to take a ride around the block in it!!!

Spencer's shot at the inside