Over Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to get out and have some adventures. The weather was unseasonally nice and because we were staying at Nana's we were already in the Salt Lake neighborhood. So we decided to visit Wheeler Farm and let Eli have a little outside time. It was so much fun! We wandered and looked at animals and "tromped" in the dirt. A perfect day for a little man!
Our Pony Friend
Bundled up Watching the Pony
Goat Friend who liked the taste of Eli's glove
Eli wanted to share something besides his glove with the goat so he threw his spoon at him. Um... pretty sure the sign said "Don't Feed the Animals" ... even with a spoon! We tried, but couldn't get the dang thing out. Sorry, Goat Friend! Don't eat the plastic!
Yep, it's hard to drive a tractor with your hat over your eyes!
Dad! There's something wrong with this thing!
Come take a look under the hood with me!
Here, mom, I'll push the stroller!
One of his few words: "Duck!"
Later on we headed to This is the Place Heritage Park, but Eli fell asleep on the way. So we just kept driving up Emigration Canyon. Wow! What a beautiful canyon! I can't believe how many houses are up there! I'm sure the pioneers never thought to stop in the canyon instead of the valley. Maybe they should have - it's nice up there! When Eli did wake up we stopped at Ruth's Diner and had the BEST Macoroni and Cheese EVER!!! Eli thought he had died and gone to cheesy heaven. Oh boy! We're definitely going to be visiting Ruth's again. With Eli awake and our tummy's full of carbs and cheese, we stopped at the This is the Place park and did a little walking around (good for the digestion I hear) and a little train riding (good for the resting after the walking around). What a fabulous and fun adventure!
November 8th - What a day! I can hardly believe Eli is a whole year old. I spent the days around his birthday remembering each of the days leading up to his birth and then being at the hospital... all the details and feelings and emotions and ... well, it was like living it again. And then remembering that moment that I held my sweet little boy for the first time. There is no way to forget that moment or that feeling. What a blessing Eli is to our family. He is life and joy for us! Yes, there have been a few moments (most of them in the middle of the night) when I wasn't sure how we would survive, but I have loved every moment of my baby. I love his bright eyes, his expressive eyebrows, his "oh" mouth when he is excited, his curiosity, and his ability to love all those around him. What a boy! I love him, I love him, I love him!!! Happy Birthday, little Bubba!
Nope. We are not expecting. But anticipating Kelly's second round of surgery on his shoulder felt a little like those days surrounding Eli's birth. Same: Kelly dreaming out about getting projects done before the big day (see "New Bathroom"), surgery and Percocet (see "Kelly's Shoulder Now"), and waking up every two hours either with a crying baby (yep, Eli managed to get another tooth in the midst of all this) or a hurting husband (only a little crying there) - see "Why Is Mrs. Isom Asleep at her Desk?"
New Bathroom- broken tile and a crooked toilet were just too much for Kelly to take any more. The day before his surgery I got a call at school saying the he had torn out the floor and toilet. Needless to say I panicked with visions of no toilet for the next 6 weeks. But by 9:00 that night we had new subflooring, linoleum, and a lovely new toilet. It's amazing how different it looks. We didn't have any before pics because, gross! Who wants to take a pic of their dirty bathroom?! Now Eli and I enjoy the lovely room every evening during bath time. Thanks, Kelly!
Kelly's Surgery: the first surgery in February the doc fixed the torn labrum. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem, but that first doc wasn't looking for anything else. So 8 months later we have a new doc who wants to find out what us wrong, not just keep saying "we'll, I fixed the problem. It shouldn't hurt anymore." This time around they cut bicep tendon and reattached it to humorous (that was the funny part of the whole deal...), 1/2 inch shaved off the coracoid (part of clavicle) because it was catching tissue every time Kelly moved his arm, and a bone spur off the rotator cuff. Geez. No wonder the poor boy is hurting! So now we've got 6 weeks in a sling and then at least another 3 months of PT. We are coming up on the year anniversary of his injury but at least we are finally making progress!
Mrs. Isom's Nap: No, I have not really fallen asleep at my desk, but the frequent yawns and dark circles under my eyes are evidence of the lack of sleep. But my boys are doing much better now and that's all I need! Oh! That and the weekend. Yeah! Saturday morning sleep-in! Wait. Does 7:30 really count as sleeping in? 😜
After a work accident the week after Eli was born, Kelly just went through his second shoulder surgery trying to fix the damage. This time our new doc, Dr. Larsen, went in with a plan but also wanted to check everything out in Kelly's shoulder. He ended up cutting the bicep tendon and reattaching it to the humorous, shaved a spur off the rotator cuff, and took a 1/2 inch off the coracoid bone. Yikes! We are so grateful for his careful work but wow! Kelly is really hurting! Apparently bones healing are very painful. Through it all Kelly is really trying to stay positive. I'm so proud of him for his determination to deal with the pain (distractions help) and his ability to recover so quickly. Already today we went on a walk, he played with Eli, and he even helped me clean up the toys (yeah for the "grabber" tool). We still have a long haul ahead of us, but we both feel very positive about the outcome and are looking forward to putting this whole thing behind us!
One of my very favorite McFarland traditions, and one of the only ones still thriving, is General Conference breakfast. We all got together at Rick and Kathy's for sweetrolls (thank you, Kathy!), dads egg dish, and lots of yummy fruit. While the food is excellent, the company is even better. I love seeing the cousins interacting and everyone trying to listen to the talks. It's the best! Eli really loves it too - lots of people to pay attention to him and lots of singing. Oh - and he loved the food, too!
It's also become a tradition to go on a walk afterwards. This year we were a bit too ambitious and walked to a farther park. It was quite the walk with little feet - Jos and Adam - and full bellies for the rest of us. However, we did make it and enjoyed a few minutes of playing before we had to high-tail it back for the afternoon session.
One of the benefits of our lovely Japanese Maple is that it turns an amazing red and does so long before any of the other trees in the neighborhood. This means we didn't have to be patient for an outing in the leaves. Eli was a bit hesitant at first, but it didn't take much to help him see the joy that can be found in crunching and throwing the leaves around! The only problem came when Eli's excitement ran into Kelly's eye. It's amazing what a leaf can do to a cornea. Good thing they heal fast! I kept thinking about all the years Sandy Sue used to take us down to the old Academy Square and play in all the leaves. Now I get the chance now to introduce my bubba to the wonders of Fall! I'm sure Grandma was out there tossing a few leaves around too!
