It Has Been Way Too Long

Okay, so it's been three months since our last post. I'm so sorry. I've been very busy on the computer doing genealogy, but neglecting my duties to keep everyone updated on our lives.

So let's re-cap the last couple of months (I'll attach pictures later)...

Right before the Winter Break in school, Cat called me and asked if I would be willing to take Madyson during the week and let her have the weekends. We were very excited for this opportunity because it was something Madyson had wanted to do. It was a difficult decision because we really enjoyed having that weekend time with Madyson because the entire weekend was quality time with her. But having her during the week has proved to be a blessing, and I'm sure Cat feels it a blessing to have Maddy on the weekends with her. Cat is the Primary President of her ward and she loves having Maddy a part of her Primary.

Maddy loves her new school and loves having her really good friends in her class. Maybe she's enjoying it a bit too much as her grades have slipped a little bit, but she's learning how important it is to get good grades.

Around Christmas time, Deb's friend Celeste and her two boys moved in with us during a time of family struggles. It's been both fun and frustrating for everyone involved (a 3-bedroom house is not designed for six people and a home office). But we're all doing the best we can to make it work. Her two boys are such fun. They are full of questions, but most importantly, they both LOVE NASCAR!!! They were so crushed when my favorite driver won the Daytona 500 instead of their favorite driver.

Deb has a new calling. She was released from being Primary Chiorster and was put in as the Beehive Advisor. We have a great bunch of Beehives in our ward. They come to the house every couple of months and they love to have fun.

I have a new calling as well. I was released from teaching the 8-9 year old Valiant B Primary class and am now the new Ward Family History Consultant. FINALLY, a ward calling I've always wanted. Of course, I didn't realize that I get to be responsible for the Temple Work of the ward too. That is a daunting task. To top it off, my Dad was released from the Bishopbric and was put in as the Hight Priests Group Leader. So now, as Family History Consultant, I am under my Dad in who I report too. It's been a lot of fun working with him in this calling.

I also got a new job. Instead of working for the State Supreme Court, I am now the Limited Jurisdiction Court Administrator for Pinal County. I do not directly supervise all the courts in Pinal County, I'm more like a liasion for them and do whatever they need done. I'm supervising the trainer that trains all the employees. So it's a lot of responsibility, but it's so much fun. It was a good move to make.

Well, those are the big changes for now. I promise I'll try to do better in the future.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, it was a good Thanksgiving for the Malone gang. All of my immediate family was in town and we got to spend the day together. It was especially fun for the cousins to get together and renew their bonds.

But of course as soon as Thanksgiving Day is over, it's time for Christmas. Now Deb has been listening to Christmas music for almost two weeks now. She's ready for Christmas as soon as Haloween is over.

As for me, I think there should be a law banning everything Christmas until December 1st.

So while Deb was shopping on "Black Friday" I was given the "Honey Do" of hanging lights outside.

As of yesterday, we are officially Christmas decorated. The tree has been set up and decorated, the house has lights on the outside, and even Maddy put up a small tree in her room.

LET THE SEASON BEGIN!!!

Maddy's Urgent Care Visit

I normally take my cell phone to church with me because I do not wear a watch and when I'm teaching my primary class I need to know the time so I can let my little monsters out to go to sharing time.

Well, this last weekend when I picked up Madyson from her mom, she was complaining that she didn't feel well. So she was pretty much in bed Friday and all day Saturday. When I woke her up Sunday morning to get ready for church, she still wasn't feeling well. Deb didn't have to teach Young Women's so she volunteered to stay home.

Right before my primary class began, I looked at my phone to check the time and there was a message from Deb. "Can you come home 15 minutes early so I can go to church to work with the young women for their program?" Sure. Why not. That means I get to leave about 10:45.

Well, about 10:20 I see the door to the primary room open and it's my Dad. He's got a funny look on his face and he's motioning really fast for me to get out of the primary room. I look at the clock and realize that it's not time for me to leave yet, but maybe Deb is in a hurry and wants me home.

Nope. As I meet my Dad in the hallway, he tells me that I need to go home because Maddy is having chest pains and is not coherent. As an EMT in a previous life, I realize that is not good and so I rushed home.

She's not running a fever, her pulse is slow and weak and her skin is kind of clamy. None of those are good signs. One of our neighbors is an ER nurse and she comes over and says Maddy should go see a doctor. Dad comes over and we give Maddy a blessing and off to Urgent Care we go.

Turns out Maddy was severely dehydrated. Somehow they were able to say that she was a quart low on fluids in her body. It was begining to shut down. She also has a severe sinus infection and bronchitis to boot. Poor little girl.

Doc tells us to go to the Circle K and get Maddy a big gulp of soda. He says he normally would not recommend that, but in her case, she needed something with liquids, sugars, and other stuff that soda apparently has. So, we got her a soda and some Gatorade's and went home where she stayed in bed until Monday night.

DO NOT Let this happen to you!

Do not fall asleep after a Halloween party when the girls are giddy...

Yes, I am asleep...

Late Halloween Pictures

Okay, so as promised, here are our Halloween Pictures...

She learned to scowl like that from her daddy!!!

An angel fell from heaven

Not much different than "normal"

Mike did WHAT???

Oh yes he did!!! As my wife is always asking me to rub her shoulders and I'm not always so grateful to do it... But this time, I was happy to do it. I was massaging her left shoulder and Hank, our yellow lab, does what he does best and litteraly walk over you. Deb raised her arm to push him out of the way right as I am rubbing it, and POP!!! Deb dislocates her shoulder.

Now, before those that are faint and weak at the sight of bodily mishaps, it wasn't a dislocation where the shoulder completely popped out the socket. It just pulled it and did some funky stuff. She couldn't move.

To help fix the injury, she's been going to a chiropractor and massage therapist a few times a week (personally, I think she faked the injury just so she could get some massage from someone who really knows what they are doing). Deb's been really good about telling people that it was the dog who did it (poor dog gets blamed for everying), but we really know what happened.

I'm sorry sweetie!!

We're Not Dead!!

I had better update our blog before everyone starts to think we've fallen off the face of the earth. I always have good intentions of updating the blog, but once I get home from work, I get sucked into Family History or just plain being lazy.

We have some real fun Halloween pictures that I have to post. For those that didn't see us during Halloween, Debbie and I dressed as our typical stereotypes: Me as a Heavy Metal Thunder God and Debbie as an Angel. But best of all was Madyson. She stepped out of her "princess" mode and became Spiderella. She has her daddy's scowl (it was priceless - I couldn't have been more proud). I promise I'll put up the pictures tonight (unless I get home and get sucked into family history).