A Perfect Day for Picnic

We woke up this morning to torrential rain, so we were really surprised by this afternoon when it turned out to be a beautiful day. Because of the rain the weather cooled down, the sun was out and there was a light breeze to keep things nice and cool. When Hailee went outside she declared "It is a perfect day for a picnic." Hailee picked out all the food. There were apples, yogurt drinks and her new favorite addiction....Macaroni and Cheese Crackers. What a perfect picnic.

Hailee packed the picnic bag all on her own and picked out the best spot. She is getting too big.
The lovely assortment of snacks for out picnic.

Hailee and DJ enjoying yogurt drinks.
After the picnic Hailee decided it was time for a race. So DJ and Hailee raced back and forth.
At the end of this race Uncle DJ picked Hailee up and he got in trouble.
Hailee spend the next 20-30 minutes wrestling with him. Hailee has quite a bit of Todd in her so when she gets going, she goes to win. It's really funny to see her transform. She is all girl and princesses until it comes to wrestling with her dad or DJ (or really anyone that will wrestle with her).

No rest for Uncle DJ, it takes a lot to wear Hailee out.

He's Home

Todd and Dr. Shelton this morning.

At 9:30 this morning when Dr. Shelton told Todd he could go home today there was no waiting. By 10:30 we were on our way. After picking up his medicine we were home by 12:00. Todd is just excited to have a decent night sleep without beds beeping at him or nurses waking him up. Hailee was so happy to have him home she said, "We are ONE family again."

Pictures of Today

Todd had a rough morning from getting moved from room to room but finally settled on the 5th floor about 11:00. After lunch and a good nap (he didn't get any sleep in the ICU thanks to a really noisy patient) he was up to walking around. He did so great. This evening Hailee got to come see him and she was excited. When we were talking about on the way home I was saying that he was doing so good to which she responded "He doesn't look like he's supposed to yet." No I guess he doesn't look totally healthy yet, but he is doing so well. His doctor is so pleased with how recovery is going. Here are a few pictures from today...

Getting Closer

Todd made me promise to take a few pictures post-operation...I almost forgot, but I did get a few after a little while. Dr. Shelton was really pleased with how the surgery went and with how well Todd was doing afterwards. Todd was a little grumpy coming out of surgery, but once they let him eat and drink he was much happier and has been an ideal patient since. Today they should move him out of the ICU. Well I'm on my way back to the hospital, just wanted to post a little update to let you know things went well.

Done...Almost

Along with Family Camp, Todd finished his last final for summer term on Monday. Hooray, one step closer. We are so proud of him. Here are some pictures of the last week or so of the semester. Todd was busy getting ready for final and Hailee and I got to take him dinner in the MBA lounge. Hailee had a great time visiting her dad. Now we have surgery coming up tomorrow. I'm not really sure what to expect. He will probably spend 5 days in the hospital a 6-week recovery at home learning how to balance again. After that he shouldn't have the vertigo anymore. I'm a little nervous, but at the same time know it's the right thing to do for Todd.

Hailee heating up Todd's food.
Good cuddles before having to go home. It was nice to spend a little time at dinner together.

"Mom She is Just My Age"

Well we got back from Aspen Grove with Todd's family reunion and we had such a great time. There are 8 little four year olds (just Hailee's age) and she was in heaven to have so many new cousins to play with. There were 6 little girls and 2 little boys all born in a few months of each other. Aspen Grove splits the kids into age groups and has fun activities for them to do. At first they had divided the kids up, but in the end we got them in the same class. It was so much fun for Hailee. She loved the swimming, hiking, playing, rock climbing, and just in general had a great time with everyone. When we told her it was time to go home she got so upset. "But mom it's not fair, I want to play with my cousins." "I haven't told my cousins good-bye yet." "But we only got to go to Church at Aspen Grove once, that's not fair." I'm afraid it's going to be a long two years until we all get together again. Hailee's one consolation was that Sophie and Joel will live closer to us once we move to Oregon.

Hailee's little kitten class. It was so fun to see them all together.

Playing on the bear statues with her cousins.

Grandma Layer gave all the kids glasses. They were a big hit. Hailee decided to wear hers this day because it was "Pirate Day" and they were Pirate glasses.
Swimming at the pool.

Waiting for their turn to do rock climbing. They didn't have to do it, but all of the cousins wanted to try.

Hailee all suited up and ready to go. She was so excited.
Hailee climbing up the wall.
Aspen Grove has a fish pond and Hailee was so excited to go fishing. They only stock the pond twice and since it was the end of the summer there weren't many fish left. Hailee was a little disaponted that they didn't catch anything. She really wanted to eat a fish for breakfast.

I was worried that she would be a little traumatized to kill a fish, but when Todd was explaining it she wasn't bothered at all. She kept talking about how she was going to eat it for breakfast. What a funny girl. She had no problem watching the worm go on the hook (I had to turn away).

How did Freckles get so small

Friday we drove to St. George to spend a little time with my family there. Hailee was so excited to see Freckles (my parents dog) and Sam and Sera (Patt and Deneille's dogs), she was a little annoyed at them for not bring them camping. Since we got to go down and see them she quickly forgave them. It was so funny the first time she saw Freckles, she said "How did Freckles get so small." I had to agree with her, since getting Roslynn Freckles looked like he had shrunk. It was so funny. No amount of convincing would convince her that Freckles, Sam and Sera were exactly the same size as before.

On the way home. I loved this picture, Hailee and Roslynn are crashed in the back. Hailee and Roslynn slept most of the way home.