Still trying to catch up

I forgot to also mention I went out on Black Friday, but was really at about 10pm on Thursday of Thanksgiving.  I went to Toys R Us to find something, which they were out of.  Come to find out... those deals are on the internet, so I ordered it on Friday, same price as it was advertised but I had to pay shipping, but I didn't have to wait in the line outside of the store to get in as they were only letting so many people in the store at a time.  Also the line inside was INSANE!  I would have been there forever if I did find what I was looking for.  After that I went to Walmart to get some dishes I wanted.  Found them, and a few other things.  I waited in line for 3 hrs to check out.  Then I went to Old Navy to get some clothes for the girls.  Someone said you can buy them on-line instead of waiting in line (which is were I got the idea for Toys R Us) but they didn't mention that the selection would be stinky and most of them would be gone online also.  I left the store to go home and get it all on-line to find NOTHING I was looking for was available on-line in those sizes or colors I had in my shopping bag at the store.  You win some, you lose some!  The dishes I got were okay but the design I wanted they were out of, so just for kicks I went to the Walmart closer to our house... which was dead and quiet.  I found the dishes I wanted, bought them, no lines, no crowds.  I was amazed, and I will go back there next year for black friday Walmart deals.

Another thing that happened in November is that we sold our Suburban and got a Minivan.  I totally loved, loved, loved my suburban.  I was sad to see it go and the nice space we had.  I will want one later I am sure again.  We decided since we still have our old house which is renting for less than our payment and other finacial things, that we should scale back a bit for awhile so we can have some breathing room.   Now we have a van that only fits the members of our family, no extra room for friends or Grandparents, just our family.  It will work just fine.  Oh except for the big girls all having to be right next to each other... it is very challenging.  And the carseats don't buckle up nicely or fit as tight as I would like them to.  I have to keep tightening them.  I wish they had the new LATCH system.  The good thing is, this car has less miles on it then our old one did.  And now we have a white car and a white minivan.  Cute huh!

Now to December...  Robert was scheduled for surgery on his shoulder.  The year prior during an indoor soccer game, he got knocked down.  The guy that knocked him down was calling him a baby or something like that (probably more mean and descriptive) and Robert's shoulder was hurt pretty bad.  He kind of healed and seemed okay but in certain activities or movements with his shoulder it would shoot a sharp pain and finally he got it checked out.  They call it a SLAP surgery, they go in and drill through the bone and use some method which I can't spell to attach the labrium back to the bone.  It then heals and goes back together like it is suppose to, and now Robert's shoulder won't pop out of socket or catch and cause such intense pain for him.  Although he did say one day (as he was in pain) "I should have just lived with it.  This is worse than the pain I had."

The picture above is him in his nice surgery attire.   He was just hanging out waiting for his turn.  He had an IV in and I got to sit with him.  I was a little jealous that he was getting a nap.  (I am always jealous over someone's nap.)  We sat there and joked around a little and in our "private" little curtain area talked about nothing really because it wasn't private at all.  We heard the guy next to us talk about the hormones they are adding to apples and all about his apple orchard.  They took him back to surgery, and I went and waiting forever in the waiting room.

The said it was suppose to be a 40 minute procedure.  I waiting for about nearly 2 hours and by this time and have seen doctors come out and give updates to everyone but me, and finally someone comes and tells me I can go see my husband.  Funny thing, before the surgery, he had to shave his armpit, and his shoulder and all.  Then they wanted him to write the word "right" on his right shoulder.  I guess so they knew which shoulder they were doing surgery on.  We were making jokes about that, drawing an arrow on his other shoulder pointing to the right side, or putting "wrong" on the left side. 

Surgery went well, the doctor said it was turn worse than he thought.  He called it a 6 point repair or 6 point something.  I am guessing 6 screws that reattaches the labrium.  Robert went into the surgery with a little cold and so when he came out of the anestetic (where's my spell checker?)  he was coughing so hard.  He couldn't stop coughing.  I guess it is common to have a cough afterwards, the nurses where calling it a "block cough" due to the shoulder block they did on his shoulder.  It was kind of like a spinal block I guess when you have a c-section but it is specific for the shoulder.  He had a cold for several days which was really hard on his shoulder, everytime he coughed it hurt his shoulder once that pain block wore off.  He was also funny too, he at one time said that he wished we could put his arm back in the sling how it was when he came home from the hospital because it didn't hurt then.  Of course it didn't hurt, he still had that block in effect and he didn't feel his shoulder at all. 

It was very interesting, he couldn't do much for himself.  I dressed him, showered him, made food for him and in some cases even fed him.  I felt like we had a new baby.  He needed meds like every 4 hours which needed food with them too.  He would text my phone or call me from his phone in the middle of the night needing food, meds, or to be unhooked from his ice pack pump to use the bathroom.  Because it was an out-patient surgery he thought he would be back to work the next day.  He had surgery on Wednesday and went back on Tuesday and was still in a lot of pain.  I think he went back because he had stuff he needed to get done.  He underestimated it big time.  He said, "why didn't they suggest to do surgery on Monday and then just take the whole week off?"  I was thinking, the lady told you that you weren't going back to work on Thursday when you asked before the surgery when you could return to work.  I think he was still thinking it would be a pretty easy thing.  He went back to the doctor today for a follow up and will start physical therapy today too.  He is totally NOT looking forward to that.  So many people have told him how hard it is, and especially on a shoulder.  I think he is scared!
So this wasn't suppose to be just a surgery post, but it looks like I should have dedicated it to that.  But I already loaded the other pictures, so I am going to continue on with this L..O..N..G post. 

Amber and Samantha play really well together... well most the time.  They are hillarious together.  They are so fun!  They are both into dressing up and make believe.  Samantha is into it big time.  She will come hand you something in her small little hands and place a small something in my hand.  My eyes don't see it but she tells me it is a little kitty or a little bottle of something.  It was hard having them so close when they were young and I felt bad for Amber not having her time with us before we had another baby, but they play so well now. 

In the picture above, they have a book that they are reading to their babies or animals or something.  It is different every night and I am not sure who their audience was that night. 

They love to have hats on, of all sorts sometimes they aren't hats but my kitchen items or even it might be a pull-up diaper on their heads.  Amber loves to put pants on her head for a hat, she thinks it is sooo funny.  It is pretty funny looking!  The picture above Amber took.  They both want to take pictures with my camera.  It kind of scares me what they take pictures of, and of course the fear of them hurting my camera.  I am glad we have those kids camera's still.

The girls all went to the dentist during Christmas break too.  I was so sad and felt so ashamed of myself and the lack of teeth care I have been for the girls.  Little Amber had a cavity, and they decided to do a crown for it.  I feel so bad, because it is my fault, I am the one that should be doing that, and I have failed!  Poor thing!  She did AWESOME!  She sat very still and did everything they asked her to.  She was a trooper.  The dentist went on and on about how well she did for being so little.  I felt aweful that she had to be there for treatment in the first place. 

She is pretty proud of her silver tooth!  But every time she smiles or laughs and I see that silver in there, I feel I have failed.

On the other hand, Lindsey had no work to be done, Lauren a couple small ones that didn't even need numbing, Emily had a few that were small too but she had a baby molar removed bacause the tooth under it was coming in wrong.  Her poor teeth are so crazy!  I see braces again for her!

It was a HUGE tooth with roots and all they took out.  She had a gaping hole there.  She was pretty sensitive for a few days.  She seems fine now. 

I also talked about our new addition.... which would be a cat.  Funny thing, it looks like a smaller version of our old cat, GATO.  One afternoon the girls told me there was a cat meowing in our yard.  I went out to check and I could hear it but not see it.  Later when it got dark, I went back out to see with a flashlight.  The poor little kitty was stuck, probably more afraid and cold.  There was snow on the ground and there wasn't any foot prints so he was probably there all night the night before.  I got him out brought him in the garage the girls made him a bed.  He laid down in it, ate some food (which we still had left over from our cat that is gone) and got him some water which he drank right up too.  I think he is the first animal we have had that used the little bed the kids made.  They were always trying to make beds for the cat or the rabbit.  They never really appreciated them and would never stay in the bed.  This cat, which still is nameless, loved every little bed the kids made.

The middle of December we took the cat in to get nuetered.  We had gone to all the neighbors around to find out where he came from.  We found the family and they said, "you can have him if you want him."  I really wanted to get a baby little kitten, but I guess this is okay too.  I thought the kids would have so much fun with a little kitten instead of a 4 month old cat. 

The girls would go out into the garage (since we didn't let the cat in the house) and play with him and sit with him.  After Amber had sat in this little sled, the cat slept there for the next few days.  He seems to be great with the kids.  Although I thought the adopting fees were crazy.... $80-$100 for a cat?  They are crazy!  After our $178 vet bill for shots and neutering, I think that price is a good deal!  Although I secretly wanted a little litter of kittens, but having a boy cat, it wouldn't have been so favorable for someone else I guess, and I wanted the kittens here at our house.

With Christmastime came gingerbread houses.  I was thinking I would make the gingerbread but as time went on and life has been so crazy I saw this little Wilton's 5 piece gingerbread village.  I thought that sounded like a good deal, and it came with frosting and candy too.  Score!  The kids all got to make their own.

Amber was mostly interested in just eating the frosting instead of it getting put on her house.  She ate more candy than she applied to her house too.

Lindsey did pretty good with her house too.  Notice the place in the background, those are my new dishes that I got from Black Friday for my Christmas present. 

Lauren did good with her gingerbread house.  Although the other girls called her house an out house.  In the kit they had a name for all the little houses, and when we got to her little structure Emily said, that is their out house.  They all laughed but Lauren of course. 

Emily was a great creative planner here on hers.  She came up with ideas and then Lindsey and Lauren followed those ideas too. 

And then there is Samantha.... with candy up her nose.  She did eat the frosting... I had to keep putting more on there.  She cracks me up!

Here is the finished little village.  And then they all ate their houses with the exception of Emily whose I think is still sitting on the counter untouched. 

I feel pretty caught up, well kind of.  We still have Christmas to go over and then of course we are 11 days into the new year.  Ugh, will I ever be caught up?  Hopefully next will be Christmas.