Stone Family Reunion

The annual Stone Family Reunion was held over Memorial Day weekend this year, and just about everyone was able to make it this year. It was great!

Before the actual family reunion festivities kicked off, Ross and I made our way to Mudbug Madness with Leslie and all of the kiddos. I used to work at Mudbug Madness with my Dad when I was growing up, so it was fun to be in town while it was going on. We enjoyed some great food and music and look forward to future years when JD is able to participate in more of the kid activities. Having a broken leg kept him from being able to do some fun stuff. He did get to make some sand art and get his hand painted though, so he did have fun! The festival plaza was packed, so we ended up finding a shady spot on the ground by one of the bands to eat our food. The kiddos enjoyed some fried fish while the adults had some crawfish. Then we introduced them to gator-on-a-stick, which was a hit! Audrey especially loved it. Here they are just before we left. I think they were all tired and full!

Saturday evening the family reunion fun began. The schedule of events was the same as previous years. We had dinner at Aunt Dottie and Uncle Jim's on Saturday. Then we had brunch at Susan and John's on Sunday morning, and we headed out to Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Laura's for an evening of swimming, soccer, food, and karaoke! There were a little over 40 family members in attendance this year with almost half that number being kids.

Jackson's favorite part of the weekend was the puppet show Aunt Carol and his cousins put on. Jackson got to be a cow and a pig, and Aunt Carol was sweet enough to let Jackson take his nap with the pig that day. Audrey's favorite part seemed to be swimming. This was her second time in the pool this year. Her first trip was a little cold, but she LOVED it this time! Here are a few pictures from Saturday including one of Ross' Grandfather, Jim Stone, who is the head of this incredible family. There are more pictures of the puppet show and other fun activities in the album.

Full of Color

We made our way to Shreveport this weekend for Ross' family reunion, but before the festivities kicked off, we got to visit a little with some of my family. Great Granddaddy and G.G., which is short for Great Grandmother, drove over from Ruston to spend the morning with us. They always have the best surprises for Jackson and Audrey, and this time was no exception. They got some great clothes along with some colorful toys!

We also got a great picture of G.G., Great Granddaddy, Audrey, and Jackson.

There are a few more pictures from their visit in the album.

Get Well Soon!

Monday morning we got in to see the pediatric orthopedist where it was determined Jackson indeed had a broken leg and needed a long leg cast. The break is just below the knee. The cast will be on for 6 weeks, and he can't walk on it at all!

Jackson did great getting the cast. He cried a little as they were taking off the splint, but he laughed and joked through most of the casting process. He chose a blue cast, which you can see below, and he's thoroughly enjoyed all of the attention he's getting! He still seems to be in pain, but as long as he's had some medicine, he's in great spirits.

Ross and I both took Monday off to be with Jackson while he got his cast, so after his nap that afternoon we decided to take him to his second movie, "Rio". His first was an IMAX 3D movie on the field trip with his class last month. He was a little scared and overwhelmed at first, but as soon as the birds started dancing, he decided it was fun and told me, "I'm not scared anymore." We really enjoyed spending the afternoon together.

Tuesday was Jackson's first day back at daycare after breaking his leg. We spent a good bit of time talking with his teachers on Monday trying to figure out the best way for them to help take care of him. We decided to bring our wagon to school for them to wheel him around when they were leaving the classroom, which has been a hit. His friends even take turns pulling him around outside. In the class he's scooting all over the floor and having his wonderful teachers help him get into chairs, etc. when needed. He's really adjusted well and has definitely enjoyed the attention. If you see him, he's likely to tell you, "I got hurt" in a very pitiful tone.

We've started writing on his cast, which he's enjoyed. Here are few of the messages that have been left for him.

We are so grateful for everyone's prayers and concern for Jackson. Some days are a bit of a roller coaster ride right now, but I think that's to be expected as he gets frustrated and scared. Overall, though, he's still his happy self and finding plenty of ways to get around and get what he wants!

There are a few more pictures in the album.

Sleeping

Here's our sweet baby girl napping last weekend before we headed to the zoo. I love how peaceful and sweet she looks. She was resting up for lots of fun!

Broken Leg

We've really had a busy and fun-filled weekend with one minor exception. Jackson broke his leg on Saturday! We started the day by heading to the day care to help fix up the play ground. Ross and I enjoyed getting together with some of the other parents and staff to take care of some much needed work. Just before lunch, Ross had to leave to work the shuttle mission. I stayed to help finish things up!

After the work day fun was done, we headed to a crawfish boil hosted by our friends, Alene and Chris. The crawfish were wonderful, and Jackson and Audrey had a blast playing around in their backyard. They both especially enjoyed bouncing around on the trampoline! Just before 5 PM, Jackson let out a serious cry. He'd landed wrong on the trampoline...a no-fault accident. Externally, he looked okay, and he's usually quick to brush off a bump or bruise. However, I couldn't get him to stop crying or to stand on his leg. At this point, I still wasn't sure it was serious, but I decided it was time to pack up and head home. Getting out the door with both kiddos by myself was a challenge without Jackson walking, but Alene was a huge help!

After getting home and talking a little more with Jackson, I decided to call my friend, Emma, for a second opinion and a little help. At this point he'd stopped crying unless you touched his leg, and he still refused to stand on it. I was able to put Audrey down for bed, and after talking to Emma and our doctor, I decided to take Jackson to the ER.

We got to the ER around 7 PM and waited. They took his vitals, and we waited some more. Then they took some x-rays, and we waited some more. It was a busy night, and the pediatric section of the ER was packed! At some point in here, our friend, Heather, came to our house to relieve Emma and her daughter, Clara, who were with Audrey. Ross was also able to get to the ER after his shift ended, and we were both grateful to see him! Jackson was quite the trooper, but the later it got, the harder it was to be a tough little man. At one point he said, "I can't stop crying." We tried to explain that it was okay to cry, but he was insistent that he needed to stop.

When we were finally able to get into a room and see a doctor, it wasn't long before the fracture was found on the x-rays, and a splint was being applied to his leg. We knew the splint was helping with the pain because within minutes Jackson was asleep.

We made it home a little after 10 PM, and Jackson went to bed in the clothes he'd been wearing all day. They gave us some strong pain relievers and instructions to visit a pediatric orthopedist on Monday to get a more detailed evaluation and a cast.

In the mean time, Jackson can't walk, which is somewhat frustrating for an almost 3 year old, so we decided to get out of the house this afternoon. We met Emma and Clara at the Houston Zoo for a fun afternoon. It was a little hot, but everyone enjoyed seeing the animals! Jackson propped his leg up in the stroller and just enjoyed the ride. I don't think it really slowed him down all that much, and as you can see in these pictures, he doesn't seem to be in much pain.

As usual, there are more pictures in the album.

Every time we say Jackson has a broken leg, it doesn't feel like it could possibly be true. Neither of us have ever had a broken bone, so we can't even begin to understand what it must be like. We're hopeful it will heal quickly and not be in a place that could cause problems as he grows! We're going to try to get an appointment with the pediatric orthopedist tomorrow, so we should know more soon!

Astro's Game

About a week and a half ago, Jackson and I decided we'd play hookie from school/work and go to an Astro's game (Jackson's first). We invited my friend Eric and his kids and went downtown for the game. We even got to see the Astro's win, sort of. We left when it was tied to try and beat traffic, but they did end up winning. Here are some pics and there are more in the album.

Spring Picture Day

Thursday was picture day at school, so of course, we dressed the kiddos to coordinate. Then I attempted to capture a few pics of them in the midst of our morning chaos. We got a few good ones of them laughing at Ross or each other...

Is this a head lock or a hug?

Guess it was a head lock...shortly followed by a stiff arm.

Pics of these two together are nearly impossible, but they do take really cute pics by themselves!

As always, there are more in the album.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a fun-filled Mother's Day weekend. My mom came down Thursday night so she could be here for Jackson's field day. Ross was in Ruston for advisory board meetings at Louisiana Tech University, so it was just the four of us on Friday and most of Saturday. Friday evening we spent some time visiting with friends from our Life Group and talking about prayer. Then we headed to the zoo early Saturday morning where we met up with Pam and Jace.

Here they are stopping to check out the birds.

We quickly made our way to the monkeys, who were awake and ready to play!

After seeing the monkeys, the giraffes and rhinos were next on JD's wish list, so that's where we headed! Here are some pics that were taken along the way.

Jace & Audrey checking out the pelicans.

"Can I look in here?"

African drums are fun even while eating crackers!

We found the giraffes!

Next on the agenda was a carousel ride! Audrey wasn't so sure about it...

Then we made our way to the children's area where the kiddos got to brush some goats.

We finished our visit with a little lunch before heading out.

JD and Audrey both took good naps after such a fun trip, and then we headed to Stephen and Sara's for a crawfish boil. My mom was sweet enough to put both kiddos to bed and babysit so I could hang out with friends a little longer. Ross even made it back into town in time to join us for some good food!

On Mother's Day, I got to sleep in a little. Jackson greeted me with a card he made (with a little help from Dad), which was followed shortly by a delicious breakfast in bed. My mom headed out after church, and we spent the rest of the afternoon running my kind of errands...shopping! It was a great weekend!

There are more pics from the zoo in the album.

Field Day!

Jackson participated in his first field day last Friday. His class was the Terrific Tigers! One of the moms made them some adorable t-shirts with their names on the back.

Here they are roaring in unison!

They had all kinds of fun games. Unfortunately, Jackson was feeling a little under the weather, so he didn't do everything. He had lots of fun with the events he did participate in though.

Here are some pics of JD with his sweet little friend, Emily, who will sadly be moving this summer.

Audrey and Nana came out to cheer them on too.

The Terrific Tigers in all their glory!

At the end of a long, but very fun morning, everyone got a medal.

Thanks to all the teachers and staff that made this such a fun event! There are more pics in the album.

Sweet Moments

I'm behind on my posts, so expect several tonight. To kick them off I thought I'd share the sweet moments from tonight. After reading books with Jackson before bed, he reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around my neck and said, "I love you, love you, love you, Mom!" Ummmm...heart melting moment #1.

A little later Audrey woke up crying, so I went up to calm her down. I picked her up, and she wrapped her little arms around my neck as tight as she possibly could. As she began to take deeper breaths, her grasp loosened. She tucked her arms between the two of us and rested her head on my shoulder as if to say, "I just needed a hug and to know you're still here." Then, as I began to sing to her, she reached for her bed and went right back to sleep. Heart melting moment #2...life just doesn't get any sweeter!

Here are some recent snap shots of those sweet kiddos from playing around the house. They are both on the go!

There are more pics of Jackson and Audrey in their albums.