!!!!Good news!!!!

So some of you know Ben works for Target and is currently a (assistant store manager) or ETL as they say at Target. He had interviews on Monday for a Store manager position (STL as they say at Target).
HE PASSED....yeah for Ben. Way to go, I can't even describe how stressed out he was when he found out 4 weeks ago that he would be going to interview in Minneapolis, MN. Ben has been on pins and needles ever since. This last Monday he had 2, 30 minute interviews with Senior Target leaders and he felt like the first one went really well and the second one not as good. So he had no idea what to think. They also told him only 50% pass, and there were 40 people interviewing.
I posted some pictures of some of the studying/research he has done over the last 4 weeks, I messed up a few pics where he had his head on the desk just trying to soak it all in.

~Swim Lessons~

The kids started swimming lessons again, Alivia is in level 3 and Cooper in level 2 and Bauer is just playing.

I love swim lessons, it is one of the really weird things about me, that I love the smell of bleach/chlorine so I can sit next to the pool all day.

Last year Bauer had no interest in going in the water, this year on the other hand, he will sit at the edge and play, he actually splashes the people who walk past (watch out:) only when I am not looking:)

Ben was off Tuesday night, he actually was out of town in Minneapolis for an interview for Target, and was able to meet up with us after his flight got in, just having a little fun with the kids to blow off all of the stress he has been under.For those that are not familiar with the Lehi Legacy Center, they are laying in an area where a big huge tiki pot? fills with water and then tips over and splashes, it is really fun and these are the pics of them waiting and watching it tip over;)

Canada Whidden's

We have had a great week this last week and has it been busy.

The other Whidden's, that's why we are known as the Utah Whidden's they are the Canada Whidden's. They came to visit from Beautiful British Columbia.

Here are some of the events that took place mostly the kids played, played and played some more. Having a new friends around is a lot of fun. The kids loved sliding down the stairs on an old crib mattress and Julie (my sis-in-law) got some great pics.They also took Cooper to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point. Thanks again guys:)
Julie and I were able to go shopping and I showed her some of my favorite stores, and introduced her to Cafe Rio. (truly who wouldn't do that:)We also went to Boondocks, we refer to it as Chuck-e-cheese on steroids:) This picture cracked me and Julie up because Ben's legs looked so crazy sticking out of the car like that;) Ben and Jared were able to play tennis on the PS3 and we had a great time playing poker (Texas hold em') out on the deck.

The kids and uncle Jared had a great time with the dress up clothes. This picture of the boys cracked me up it was all coincidence, they had the same shirt on, one of the little boys is a neighbor Jake;)

Also this last pic, we were able to take them to Chuck-a-Rama for lunch and Jared was so impressed all the food for 22.00. We were off sitting in a corner and this group of men were there when we got there, and we there, when we left. I loved this because they were having the best time just visiting and having a "guys night out" except it was a Chuck-a-Rama in the middle of the day. (they don't need the party seen, been there, done that:)We had a great time and I hope the Canada Whidden's don't need a vacation from their vacation.

I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law we are so much alike and we crack up at everything. We have had some good times, and have more to plan.......

Bear-ly Lake

We were able to go to bear-ly lake (as Alivia calls it??)

My mom's good friend has a cabin she lets our family stay at.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I am not really a tent person, o-kay!!

It is so pretty up there and the kids love it. We went on 4 wheeler rides, played on the beach, (or played at the Ocean as Cooper refers to it)

Cooper sat in the same spot digging, splashing and just having a good time for about 2 hours.

Alivia loves to make mud cakes, which she likes to throw at her mother.

Bauer just loves to play who ever and where ever he will join the crowd.

The only downside, but still fun was both of my sisters and some of you know have been fortunate enough to adopt.

Jennifer has adopted 3 and Stephanie has adopted one and has adoptions date set for the other two.

The really neat thing is, when I was pregnant with Alivia and after I had Alivia Jennifer found out she would be getting a little girl born 5 months after Livi, and then Stephanie ended up getting a little girl. So the pattern was set. I had a boy, Jennifer adopted a boy. Stephanie got a little boy ( in foster care you don't get to choose, who, what or when just the age range)

I had another boy and yes both sisters got boys.

So now my mom after YEARS of no grandchildren has 10 grandchildren under the age of 5.

AND YES they were all there at bear lake and it was BUSY!!!!!

Glad to be HOME!!! and I only left with 4 out of 10 wheeeewwww........-

A side note of funnies.

The other day I told Alivia that her hair had a lot of fly-a-ways and she said, yes my hair does get flys sometimes:)

And Bauer at Bear Lake, we would see quite a few deer and he would say "Mom, Mom, look a beer"

5 years ago...

WARNING THERE ARE SOME CRAZY PICTURES OF BEN'S LEG.....DON'T SCROLL too far IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH:)

5 years ago, this next week. Ben got a job at Target and about 3 months later we had a big trip planned to Lake Mead. We were going to take our wave runner with us so we took them to Utah lake to test them out.

Ben's friend from Target came with us, (he had never rode wave runner before)

They were out on the lake they went so far east we couldn't see them anymore and then I noticed about 20 minutes or so them coming back. Ben was slumped over the handle bars, and knowing Ben, that just seemed weird I went running down to the dock and yelled at him, asking what was wrong.

He told me that he had broke his leg, I looked down and saw that his leg was bruised really bad, and said okay let's go to the hospital.

His brother Jared who was in town from Canada to go with us on the trip to Lake Mead. Jared put his arms under Ben and tried to help him off the wave runner and that's when we all saw how bad his leg was.

It had broke through both bones, he had part of a bone in the middle of his shin sticking out and and a big cut down by the top of his foot. It was then I realized we would need to call 911. We did and they didn't understand where we were. We were on the west side of Utah lake at the nice marina they have over there, but 5 years ago it wasn't nearly as busy as it is now. They transferred my phone call at least 4-5 times to different dispatchers trying to get me to the right person.

Finally a first responder came and she was trying to stabilize his leg, she wanted to move his leg, we told her it was broken all the way through, she moved it anyway. But it lite a fire under he butt to get people out there to help us.

Ben was then in so much pain, he had been in shock and now he was in a lot of pain. The ambulance got there and they gave him quite a bit of morphine, to get him in the ambulance.

The ride to the hospital was a joke. It was rush hour, we had to wait for a train at the round-da-bout. The ambulance driver said to his co-workers. We should have called air-med, (you don't say that with a wife sitting next to you)

So about 2 hours after the accident we made it to AF hospital.

He then went to emergency surgery about 2 hours later ( I know all of the OR rooms were full)

He got out of surgery about midnight. He had a titanium rod placed in his leg, and they left the other bone broken.

It gets worse. Ben was in SO MUCH PAIN, overnight we all just thought it was because of what happen. That was the LONGEST night of my life. They kept upping his pain meds and that would make him breath really shallow, and at times would stop breathing for 30 seconds to 45 seconds. I finally put my hand on his chest. (come to find out, they should have put a pulse oximeter on his finger)

Finally the doctor came in about 8:00am and unwrapped his leg. The look on his face was horrifying.

He looked at the nurse and told her to call and clear the OR, he needed to rush him in to emergency surgery again.

He had what was called compartment syndrome. His muscles and tissues was so traumatized that they swelled up so bad that his skin was tearing and he had huge blisters of fluid from his leg being 4-5 times it's normal size.

So they took him in they "filleted" his leg is what he called it, no joke.....

so here are the pics from the surgery after they cut it open to release the pressure they left it open for 5 days and then after 5 days he went back to surgery and then sewed it back up.

The things that I am grateful for, Ben had worked at Target 93 days. His insurance kicked in after 90 days of employment. 35,000 is what his bill came to and we owed about 20% of that.

Also the other lesson I learned. If you ever experience something traumatic and you are traveling in the ambulance you can INSIST they take you to a bigger hospital, I did ask them to take him to the U. But they said he was so unstable. I found out you can ask for more, air med etc.....

Of course now it is all 20/20 and I would have done things different.

He had a lot of and still does have nerve damage in his foot, because they took so long to do the surgery and the nurses all night long never checked on his leg and realized what was happening.

So what actually happen Ben and his friend were riding by each other and the friend fell back. Ben couldn't see him anymore and turned around to see where he was and he was right behind him, following to close and had no time to stop the whole force of the machine hit ben's leg and hand.

~First day of school~

Yeah the first day of school for little Alivia.
She was so excited she had her backpack on this morning at 8:00 am.
Her teacher is Miss Gurney and she is SO cute.
The pics below Bauer was pouting because he didn't want her to leave and he wouldn't smile for the picture???
Cooper has this really bad habit right now of holding onto the front of his pants and it DRIVES me crazy, so it is actually funny that I got a pic of him doing that..because we constantly say to him ALL DAY long..... let go of your pants....ughhhh










Also a unnerving story that happened the other day. I had made the kids lunch and Alivia was eating a BBQ beef sandwich, and I took some stuff out to the garage and walked back in and saw this horrified look on her face and saw her trying to breath. SHE WAS CHOKING......oh my gosh I ran over to her and hit her on her back and the meat came flying out.....
She took this huge breath and started crying, "mommy I couldn't breath" I started crying and just hugged her so hard.
After we both calmed down I seriously couldn't even stand up that feeling of the adrenaline in your body and the shaky feeling you get. I felt like I was going to throw up..... all was well she was off playing and having fun a few minutes later;)

Lagoon

Lagoon, what a fun place.We had a really great time with some of our friends.The kids were more brave than I thought they would be.

There are some really cute kid rides and not very long lines. So here are a few picks from our day.