More randomness

Kaylee decided mom needed some special treatment after a week at Girls' Camp.  If only mom had been able to sleep a little longer before breakfast in bed arrived :).

Brandon on our newly refurbished swing seat.

It has wood on the back now, so hopefully it won't be breaking through anymore!

A box turtle that the kids found.

 Brandon flying his birthday kite during the recent tropical storm.

Charleston Trip

At the end of September, I met up with Emily & her youngest (Andrew) in Tallahassee and we traveled together to Charleston, SC for Amanda Gunter's funeral. It was a beautiful, but heart-wrenching experience. It was also a wonderful opportunity for a brief visit with other family members. Here are a few pictures from the drive and the hotel.

Andrew LOVED riding in the car for hours on end. I worked hard to get a really pitiful picture, but he really did quite well overall.

Grandpa helped cheer him up with rides on the luggage cart.

Geri, Mom, & Emily

Emily, me, & Crystal

Injury update

I've been trying to take regular pictures of our burns so I could see them heal over time (I'm sick, I know). They actually seemed to get a little worse before they really started getting better. Dustin's leg was showing signs of infection, so he was put on an antibiotic and instructed to keep his wound covered longer. Unfortunately, he was always wrapped up when I remembered to take a picture, so there aren't as many of him (sorry!). Overall, we're both feeling MUCH better now, though. Here's the last couple of weeks or so in pictures....

Day 5

Day 7

Day 8

Day 11

Day 14

Today (Day 15)

A Very Stupid Thing to Do

Apparently my brain wasn't functioning properly this week. The kids and I were in the backyard attempting to burn a pile of brush. The fire wasn't cooperating, so I very wisely suggested that Dustin get me a little bit of gasoline to help encourage the flames to spread. Not quite sure why this didn't strike me as a dangerous course of action, but I honestly didn't even pause to consider the potential hazards. I casually tossed a little gas into the fire, and the next thing I knew, my arm was on fire, too. I can only guess that the flame followed the source and the fumes back to the small can in my hand and that I subsequently splashed the remaining gas onto my arm. Once I realized I was on fire, I tossed the can and proceeded to "stop, drop, and roll." Meanwhile, the tossed can (and accompanying flames) landed beside Dustin and caught his leg on fire. Apparently he didn't remember the stop, drop, and roll routine and ran instead. Now that things have calmed down significantly, we are both just thankful that our clothing didn't catch on fire. I can't begin to explain the pain, the regret, or the stupidity I have felt over the past several days. Some lessons are learned the hard way. This is one I really should have figured out without experiencing it, though.

Here are the pictures my family has been begging for. We didn't think to get any pictures before we went to the ER - go figure. These were taken the next day. My arm and Dustin's leg...

On day 3...

This is us today (day 4) - still in a good amount of pain. We're hoping that we will heal quickly without infection or permanent scarring. It's definitely not fun.

A short visit to South Carolina

My mom is turned 60 this year, so we decided it would be nice to surprise her for her birthday. Emily and her kids came, too. It would have been great if we could have all been there, but Adam is stationed in the United Arab Emirates, and Sara is on her mission in Italy, so they obviously couldn't make it this time!

The traditional picture of Kaylee & Brian - they are the same age, but the height difference gets more dramatic each year!
We went to an auction with Nate and watched him buy quite a few bunnies. I think this one will be a keeper. Fun memories!

Nate's chicken coop - there are 19 hens here that he raised up from chicks. Several of them are going home with us - hopefully to provide us with lots of great eggs!

This is a seriously dangerous swing that my dad put up. Really fun, but just not smart! The platform is 24 feet off the ground. I let the boys do it a couple of times each and then decided we better stay away. Better safe than sorry! This is Dustin taking the plunge.

Our trip to the park
Kaylee & Kate playing dress-up
Mom's party
Too much excitement...