Trip to Utah: Part 1

I've been meaning to post for quite sometime about our trip to Utah, but just haven't gotten around to it. We began our adventure on Friday, June 18th at about 6pm. We decided this time around we'd try out driving. We were thinking we'd be able to drive straight through...while one adult is driving the other would be sleeping...then we'd switch. Yeah...for 21 straight hours. It was a good theory. :) See, the problem was, neither of us could sleep while the other was driving. We were both too concerned with the other driver being able to stay awake. We even loaded up on the Dr. Pepper and just about every snack imaginable. The other problem was that Luke wasn't able to get all the comfortable to sleep (hey, you try sleeping in a high back booster with a 5-point-harness buckled all around you!). So at about 3am we had reached Albuquerque, NM and stopped at a hotel for 3 hours. It was just enough time that we felt rested to continue on our journey!

At any rate...we made it to Utah by Saturday evening. The kids did surprisingly well, for which Lance and I were very grateful. It definitely helped having my 9-year-old niece, Kalli, with us to help Luke and Delaney in the backseat. Everyone was pretty exhausted that night and we all slept like logs. :)

On Sunday, Lance's sister and brother-in-law, Melinda and Mike, blessed their baby girl, Bella. It was nice to be able to be there for that. Lance flew home that evening and I drove him to the airport. Then, it was off to my folks with the kids for our week visit.

Day three: Monday, June 20

My sister and her kids came down and we all went to the dinosaur park and had a picnic. It was lots of fun and Luke LOVED it! As we were wrapping up the end of our visit to the park, Delaney decided to have a blowout. I mean...it was a TOTAL blowout! Had it gotten on the shirt she was wearing over her onesie, she'd have been leaving in her diaper, luckily the shirt was doodie free and I was able to put it back on her. It was the stinkiest, most disgusting blowout she has ever had. I seriously just stripped her down and then gave her a little rinse in one of the sink. Luckily, no one came in during her little sink bath or else I may have suffered some serious eye daggers. Thanks for the timing Laneybug! :) We all survived.

Later that evening...everyone was outside enjoying the cool Utah air (I forgot that nighttime can get pleasantly cool in some parts of the world. Texas nights are still hot and muggy.) At around 7:30pm or so, I was in my parent's backyard watching the garden grow when I heard Luke crying. It wasn't just a whiny cry, it was a real, "I am hurt!" cry so I rushed around the side of the house to find Jaden (my 11-year-old nephew) helping him up the stairs on the deck and Luke was covering his eye. When I got to Luke I asked him to move his hand so I could assess the damages and immediately blood started pouring down from a gash over his right eye. There was so much blood!!! It was running into his eye and all down the front of him!

I rushed him into the bathroom and put some compression on it to get the bleeding to stop. Once that was accomplished, my dad and I took him to an instacare place. Of course that place didn't accept our insurance, but they were able to direct us somewhere that would. But, when we got there, those places were both closed! AWESOME! To top that off...the gas light came on so we had to stop and refuel before heading up to Ogden Regional Hospital's ER (where our insurance was accepted). By this point it's about 8:30 or 8:45. After waiting for about an hour or more in the waiting room, we finally got called back. Then we waited an additional hour or more until a doctor came with two male nurses to fix my poor broken boy! The Dr took a look at the injury and said we could either let it heal as it was (it was already crusted over) or we could suture it. He said if it were his kid, he'd suture it so that's the route we went.

They put his arms in a pillowcase behind him and then swaddled them with a sheet. I kept reassuring Luke that they were just swaddling him like I used to when he was a tiny baby. He really didn't put up a struggle AT ALL. He was SO brave! I was standing by his bed talking to him. Before the doctor started doing anything, he explained to Luke that it was going to sting a little but then he wouldn't be able to feel anything at all. He also said if my dad or I started feeling queasy to take a seat. I was like, no...I'll be fine. So there I stood. The injected the gash to numb it and Luke cried just a teeny bit, but then was just fine! HE DID SO GREAT! I couldn't believe it! It made it much, much easier on me! Then, the doctor started cleaning it...vigorously. As it split back open and started bleeding again...I got a little woosie and had to sit down!!! It was the weirdest thing. I was fine when it was me stopping the blood and taking care of it, but as soon as it was the doctor....WEIRD. Anyway...he did a running stitch on it because the tension is easier to control and keep consistent than individual stitches. There were about 7 loops or so which would equate to about 7 stitches I suppose.

Anyway...I got one really good picture of it the next morning when it was all black and blue and he could barely see out of his eye. Sorry I took it while he was eating breakfast and his face is kind of a mess!!!

My poor boy... :( Such a trooper though!

Sleepy boy!

Grandpa and Laneybug just hanging out!

Luke and Laney. You can tell this is later in the week because he can actually see out of his hurt eye.

Laneybug just exploring Grandma's and being cute!

Luke "helping" Grandpa set up for grilled chicken and dutch oven potatoes...YUM!

It was a good week hangin out with my folks. We relaxed a lot...sat on the porch swing enjoying the evenings...and ate RBFs (Root Beer Floats). Thanks for sending me the pictures mom...I guess we should get a new camera. :)

Trip to Utah Part 2 coming soon...hopefully. :)