A Sad Story...

So almost TWO WEEKS AGO (yes I know, and I'm just NOW blogging about it...) our sweet little friend Kai stepped in a fire pit at the beach and burned one of his feet. It was daytime, and the fire pit was full of white ash - that someone neglected to cover with sand/douse with water - and he happened to step up onto the cement edge and slipped in.

It all happened so fast, but the next thing I remember is Kai jumping up and down screaming that he needed a life guard. So Tori dropped her stuff, scooped him up in her arms and took off running toward a life guard tower. Now, if you've ever been to Huntington, you know how far away the life guard towers are from the fire pits, so it's not easy to get to. I was left standing there in total shock at what had happened, with Jack (her 2 year old) and all three of my boys, staring after her while she ran. Then Jakob and Joshy started chasing her, and Jack was kind of following also, so I tried to grab her stuff, plus my stuff, plus the baby and after about 10-15 steps realized I couldn't carry all that! By then she had reached the tower, and I saw a life guard truck approaching from the other end of the beach.

Well, by the time we made it there, they were pouring cold water on his foot, and Tori was crying saying "His skin is just falling off!" Jakob watched it all, but of course if you know Jakob he was fascinated, not traumatized! Kai was very brave and was barely even crying. The life guards told Tori to take him to the ER, so they left and took him to Hoag. He was sent home that night, and was told to go to UCI the next day, where he was actually admitted to the Pediatric Unit.

He has 2nd degree burns on all of his toes and the top of his foot. They have to scrub it and clean it every day, and because of the pain (can you imagine it???) they actually had to totally sedate him to do it, and ended up moving him to the Burn ICU. POOR KAI!!!! They had a special Burn Team come and evaluate him, and they said he shouldn't need surgery...but now there is one spot of dead skin that isn't coming off and he may have to have a skin graft...we're praying that won't be necessary.

The boys are so cute in their prayers asking for Kai's foot to get better soon. We've gone to visit him a few times, and he always has a smile on his face when we see him and I bet all of the nurses there are just totally in love with him. We don't know when he'll get to come home, but we hope it will be soon!

Jakob, Kai & Joshy (of course he wouldn't smile!)

Here's Kai trying to get Joshy to smile!

We love you and miss you Kai! Keep up the good spirits and know that we're all praying for you!!!

EVERYONE PLEASE BE EXTRA CAREFUL AND KEEP YOUR KIDS AWAY FROM FIRE PITS!

Pioneer children sang as they walked...

...and walked, and walked, and walked... Yes folks, last week was Pioneer Day. If you're not Mormon you have probably never heard of it...but it is kind of big deal for us! My awesome holiday-crazy friend Kristie planned a little Pioneer Trek, and it turned out to be really fun!

As I was trying to figure out how to turn our red wagon into a covered wagon, Jakob asked me what a covered wagon was. "WHAT? How does he not know what a covered wagon is?" So, I found a picture of one to show him and he instantly recognized what it was, and we talked about them for a few minutes. Then later Joshy asked me, "What does 'pioneer' mean?" I tried my best to explain it, but I'm not so sure his sweet little 3-yr-old mind could fully understand it all. :)

Anyway, they had fun dressing up (as did I!) and we met over at Kristie's house. I am not sure how far we walked, but it seemed just about the right distance because by the time we made it to the park, I think all the kids were tired of walking! Luckily we only had one accident (that I know of) -- Jakob tripped and fell, but he was OK. The scary thing was to think about a real pioneer child tripping and falling under a wagon...the chances of them being OK would have been very slim. It was a humbling thought.

I am so grateful for all of the pioneers who persevered and trusted in the Lord. It is because of their faith and diligence that we are able to enjoy blessings of the gospel today. I am in awe at their struggles and endurance...and hope to one day thank them personally for their sacrifices. I think we can all learn from their amazing example, and should do our best to honor them by living our lives with integrity and faith.

I wish I had taken more pics, but here are a few that I liked: