One year later

It was a nice spring like afternoon and I was remarking to my friend and coworker on the playground at school that one year ago I was having my shoulder manipulated to get it unfrozen.  I was silently grateful and felt a sense of relief to be a year past that place.  A place of daily physical therapy and a better, but still not very functional right shoulder. One year later it is so much better - almost normal - but honestly,  I don't think it will ever be normal again and for some reason my scapula bone is still totally messed up.

As I said it was a nice spring day and we were just finishing dinner and Evan and Hailey were anxious to ride their bikes.  The bikes had come out of the shed a few days before and they were loving riding up and down the street on them and we were loving the fact that they were outside and getting exercise and wearing themselves out.  Evan was gearing up and Hailey was already outside riding when I went to the picture window to look out for her and saw her come around the car in the driveway crying her eyes out and holding her arm.

I looked at Trent and said "Uh Oh" and we both ran outside.  She was crying really hard almost on the verge of hysterics and it was hard to figure out what happened.  I noticed a scrape with some blood on her palm and she had dirt all over her pants and coat.  We got her in the house and sat her on the couch and she proceeded to cry and carry on. She normally gets over stuff pretty quickly so this was a bit out of her wheelhouse.  I didn't know if she was badly hurt, super tired or a combination of both.  After she settled down a bit she told us she was riding her bike down the neighbor's driveway which is pretty steep and she lost control and went over a two foot retaining wall into the gravel parking spot they have.  She was trying to be very brave but kept insisting that her arm hurt really bad.  She didn't want us to touch it or try to move it.  She could move her fingers and she could move her arm a little.  The fact that she seemed to be able to move it made me think it wasn't broken - maybe sprained or jammed or something.  She kept saying that it hurt bad and when I brought up the idea of the hospital for xrays she told me she thought it was getting better.  We let her lay on the couch and watch a Mo Willems DVD from the library in hopes that would calm her. 

While she was watching the movie she started getting hysterical again saying her arm hurt super bad and that maybe the xray was a good idea.  If she was into the idea of the doctor - I figured it must really hurt her.  Spencer had to be downtown for a rehearsal so I ran him there while Trent got her loaded up in the other car for the ER.  After I dropped off Spencer I rushed to the ER where she had been admitted and was hanging out in her cubby.  

They did xrays on her (which were not a fun experience) having to twist and manipulate an already sore arm.  I am glad that Daddy was the one that went back with her to radiation.  Not too long after that a guy (not sure what he was nurse, PA, cast making guy?) came in and put her arm into a long cast mold and wrapped it up in bandages and gave her a sling.  I still didn't think it was broken because Spencer had a similar get up when his elbow was dislocated, but the doctor came in shortly after and informed us that she had broken both her ulna and radius in her forearm. 

She was a trooper and so brave through the whole ordeal.  The ER doctor had conferred with a orthopedic doctor that was on call - this is where the irony comes in - the same orthopedic doctor that did my manipulation the year before and she was to see him the next day. 

While we were sitting and waiting for our discharge papers she looked at her arm all bandaged and casted and slinged up and asked if she had to wear it to school.  When I told her of course she did because it had to get better she started to cry.  It just broke my heart.  She is a very timid little girl and she doesn't really like to draw attention to herself and I think the part about people looking at her freaked her out more than any pain she felt. I reassured her that she wouldn't be going to school the next day and that eased her mind for the time being.

The next day the ortho doctor took off the cast and bandages and told her to just wear the sling for the next two weeks and then she will come in to be re-xrayed and reevaluated.  She is supposed to try to move it as much as she can when she feels brave enough.  I took a photo of the xray of her arm but I couldn't even tell you where the breaks are.  They look nothing like movie xrays with jagged bones sticking out all over.

When we got home I was reading her all the comments about her accident on Facebook and Evan came home with a get well card signed by all the kids on the bus.  Her good friend Addison stopped by to bring her a get well stuffed bunny.  When she heard how many people were worried about her she couldn't wait to go to school on Friday.  I was so thankful for that.  She has been a trooper through this whole ordeal.  I know she still has pain, but she rarely complains.  Every once in a while she will ask if she can have some Tylenol because it hurts too much.  I feel so bad that this had to happen to her but also very grateful because it could have been so much worse. 

May I have this dance?

The Father Daughter dance was over two weeks ago.  I don't know how I get so far behind with posting things to this blog, but these are just a few photos and things I want to remember about this night.  I know that they are still fresh in my mind now - but in a few months, years, etc.  I will be so glad I posted - two weeks late or not.

 

We have a tradition - now three years long - that she comes home from school and heads up to mom and dad's bathroom for  "spa" time while getting ready for the dance.

 

Speaking of tradition or maybe antiques is more the word - those hot rollers are the same ones I used to use in high school.  They still work awesome even though they are not Hailey's favorite thing by any means.

It is hard to tell from these photos, but I let her wear a little lip gloss and a bit of mascara on her lashes.  Her lashes are amazing!  I thought the boys had long lashes - but hers are just as long if not more.  She is such a cute little girl, but when she wears makeup I can see hints of what she will look like when she is older and sometimes it takes my breath away - she is a knockout.

The dance was a cowgirl theme and we had everything we needed for her outfit except for the boots (which I ordered) and the skirt (which I made).  I loved how the skirt turned out!  Not bad for twelve dollars worth of bandanas!

She was so touched that her Daddy remembered to order her a corsage.  She kept on admiring it and telling him how special and beautiful it was.  I think hearing her so genuinely thankful and watching her feel so special was my favorite part of the whole night.

She couldn't believe that her Daddy could tell them to make it to match her skirt so perfectly.  My heart was melting.  She was so cute about it.   The next day she even used the corsage box to make her daddy a thank you gift for the flowers he gave her.  She is the sweetest.

Since I am a PTO officer I was sort of roped (you see what I did there?) into helping out at the dance.  It was the first time I have ever been at one of them and it was very fun.  I loved seeing all the girls dressed up in their cowgirl get ups.

 

I especially loved getting to spy on my favorite cowgirl and cowboy as they whirled around the dance floor.  What a special night - we can't wait until next year!

The caves

Oh winter...while we do love all four of our seasons, we are glad to see you on your way out.  These photos were taken a couple weeks ago during our last bitterly cold spell.  

 

The Pere Marquette Ice Caves...I had such an ethical dilemma with this whole situation.   Every ounce of my brain was telling me how stupid it was to give into the latest hysteria and follow like lemmings into a situation that I have told my kids to avoid at all costs.  But there was another strong part of me that so badly wanted to see it - and the photographer in me was pleading that there might never be another chance like this. 

 

So we went.  I told the kids about my dilemma and how in any other circumstance this would never happen.  Evan was still not happy with me.  He told me in his own way that I was a hypocrite and wondered how I could preach one thing and do the opposite.  He had a strong, valid point and I told him that he was not being forced to go out on the lake and that if he didn't, he would most likely be the smartest of us all. 

 

 

Ultimately, when he saw where the caves were - not too far from the breakwall - he chose to join us.

It is amazing out there.  Beautiful but also so scary.

There were about fifty other people wandering around besides us so Evan quickly lost his fear and started to enjoy the formations and caves.  I have to admit that it still freaked me out a lot when the kids would go under or through something and I couldn't see them.  I was constantly on the verge of a panic attack.

Absolutely gorgeous.  I don't know if we will ever see anything like this again in our lives.  I know in my 43 years of living here, I have never heard or seen such a sight.

It was an amazing experience and so beautiful to see.  On the way out with the sun beams streaming behind him,  Evan is saying thanks to the Lord for us making it out together and safely. 

Busy start to our weekend!

We have a few super busy weekends coming up the next few weeks and this week was the start of it.  Friday night Trent had rehearsal, Spencer had a school dance and the two little kids and I went to their school for the PTO sponsored movie night.  It was the first time for this kind of event and it was a huge success.  The kids had a ball coming to school at night in their pajamas - I think Evan pretty much brought his whole bedroom with him.

 

Saturday morning Evan had practice for DI and Spencer's cross country coach had arranged a special screening of McFarland, USA for whoever wanted to attend.  Luckily one of his friends called asking if he needed a ride so that saved us one trip to the theatre and back.  I picked up Evan from DI practice at noon and we raced across town to his Blue and Gold banquet where Daddy and Hailey were hopefully saving us seats.

Evan received his Arrow of Light which is the highest rank a Cub Scout can get and then he officially crossed over to Boy Scouts.

Spencer got to tie on his new Boy Scout neckerchief for him.  Spencer had been dropped off from the movie just in time for the ceremony.  I had his uniform but he claimed he didn't need it - if I had known he would be such a big part of the ceremony I would have forced him!

PS - when we got home I got out the scissors and cut both of their hair.  My shaggy boys!

These three boys have known each other since they were in three year old preschool together. 

After our crazy morning of running around, I felt like we needed some fresh air or just to be outside for a bit.  It was still pretty cold, but the sun was shining.  I asked the kids if they wanted to walk to the beach to see the icebergs and they were all about it.

They are very cautious about walking out on the ice at all - which I am thrilled about.  In fact, when we were leaving we saw a couple people walking WAY out on the ice shelf.  Evan commented to me that the people were being stupid because it was very dangerous to be out there.  He even wondered if we should wait for them to get back to shore in case we had to call 911 to rescue them.  I love that they respect the power of the lake.

They played in the "puddle" for about 20 minutes.  Hailey's gloves and the bottom of her snowpants were soaked and then immediately froze.  Why not wade in the water on the last day of February?  These kids are Michigan tough!

On Sunday we were able to hang around the house and get some stuff done.  Now in a few days we get to start all over with more fun events!