Angels Among Us

We had quite the November. Lots and lots going on! Justin was able to go on a hunt (which is where he scored this baby) with my dad and brothers! And then he also did a hunt in Salmon with his buddies Dan, Darryl, and Nate. He got a huge elk and I'm so happy about it! Elk meat is the best!

And lucky me...I got to go to Philadelphia with my mom and Spencer to see my sister and her family while Justin was gone hunting for 10 days! We had so much fun! Spencer did great on the airplane and had a blast with his cousins! It was so nice to be there and hang with my mom and sister! I miss my nieces and nephews! They were sure fun to mug on!

Spencer was scooting around and crawled a little bit. He loved all the noise and fit in very well. I think he was the loudest!

Amity celebrated her birthday while we were there. She had a big safari party with all her friends. I got to help decorate the cake. I loved it. So much fun!

Me, mom, and Kim! We got to go shopping one day in the King of Prussia mall. It was so much fun and great to be shopping with the girls. Mom bought us a philly cheese and it was yummy.

Kim n' Tyler

Here is Taybree with a horse of hers. She loves horses and loves to draw. She is a very talented artist. She is also in 1st grade and is doing very well at reading and writing.

Here is Amity. She loves Pandas and Zebras. That's why she wanted a Safari birthday party. She has the most contagious laugh and is such a goof ball.

Here is Colben. He is so darn sweet. He gave me so many hugs and would run to me and say...Kellllli and then hug my leg. He was so cute with Spencer. One night he was saying the prayer and Kim was helping him. She told him to say "we're thankful that gramma and kelli are here" and after he repeated that he said "and Spencorr". That's how he said Spencer. So cute!

Lincoln is so much fun. He and Spencer are about the same size even though there is a 8 month difference in age. He gives the best loves and can be very serious at times. All the kids love star wars and Lincoln would sing the tune. There is a video at the end of the blog that shows all the kids in their element. Check it out!

Well this is where it gets ugly. I got home from Philadelphia around noon and we ran some errands before we had to get back home to West Yellowstone. I'd been up since 1:45am (time difference & plane rides). We had to get back home because we had a busy week ahead. We were moving and headed to Jackson by the end of the week. We were a little (haha) stressed! We were about 20 minutes from home, around 6pm, when our truck slipped on black ice and started fishtailing into the opposite lane. We were angled and headed right for the borrow pit full of rock. Justin told me we were going to crash and to hold on tight. I closed my eyes and we hit full force. There was lots of loud noise and then we came to a stop. We had rolled our car and ended upside down and turned 180. We were hanging by our seat belts. After we asked each other if we were okay and replied yes...we were in action. Justin was crawling through glass of our front windshield trying to get out. Spencer had been asleep but at that point he was awake and screaming. I unclicked my seat belt and fell on Justin but we were able to get out quickly. My door was the only door that would open. So the next step was to get Spencer out. When I got out of the car I had lost a shoe and was afraid of getting cut by all the glass on the road, but somehow there was a slipper lying by the car I was able to slip on. Cars were passing by running over all of our things. Some people stopped to help. One man stopped traffic with his car in the opposing lane we ended up in. And while we were trying to figure out how to get Spencer out he came to us and asked us for a flashlight so he could stop traffic. That is when I flipped. I hadn't even thought of that! But when I looked down the road there was a huge semi in the distance heading our way. A man crossing the highway to help us called out to me if we were okay and I just screamed at him....MY BABY is in the car! Get him out NOW!!! (poor guy) We got Spencer out and he was really shook up but he settled down pretty quick. We were examining him and he seemed to be okay. Justin had a big cut above his ear and his arms were all scraped up from the glass. I didn't realize I was hurting until 10 minutes after the wreck. With all the adrenalin pumping and our focus on Spencer I didn't have time to think of anything else. After I had Spencer in my arms I immediately called my mom. I told her we had been in an accident and I needed her. She told me she wouldn't be able to come because she had mutual that night. She had an aunt in the area close to us and thought maybe we could stay there. Spencer and I got into a car of someone who had stopped to help. That's when I realized my ribs were hurting. Justin was trying to move our important personal items out of the road and later we were taken into the ambulance where they could check us out further. I then called my dad and asked him to come and he told us he would meet us at the Rexburg hospital. The ambulance ride was so long and I was worried about Spencer. We didn't have any food for him because it was broken and scattered all over the highway. But my dad and brother saved the day and brought all that we needed them to bring.
The hospital was awful. They were worried I might have a broken neck or spine so they put me on a hard board and cut my clothes off. They asked me several questions and the doctor came to check me out. My ribs were killing me and when he pushed on them it was awful pain. They did a cat scan on me and told me I wouldn't be able to breastfeed for 24-48 hours. It ended up I had a broken rib...and they can't do anything for a broken rib. My inlaws also rushed to the hospital when we called and I got to cry on my mother-in-laws shoulder. I was emotionally wrecked. Plus I was in desperate need of some sleep.
Here are some pictures of our full sized, 4 door, Chevy Silvarado cherry red truck we only had for 2 months :( sad
If you look close in this next picture the frame of the car is bent onto the headrest and steering wheel of the drivers seat, yet Justin just had a scrape above his ear. What a miracle!

But after all of this...we just couldn't be more thankful! I really believe that we weren't just lucky that everything turned out as good as it did. There is no question we were being watched over. Several of the hospital staff and ambulance workers told us that we must of had an angel watching over us. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for my family and I am so thankful for His love. I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace it brings to my life. I know the gospel is true!
So in the end, Justin got scraped up, I have a broken rib, but I really couldn't be happier! And my baby is in perfect condition. He had no glass on him or even in his car seat which is nothing short of a huge blessing, especially considering the window he was facing was shattered and there's nothing left to it. Lucky...no. Blessed.....yes.

Here is a fun little video of the Clayton kids!