Ode to a sainted ENT

After the nose smashing Sunday, we were sent to see an ENT who would give us the final word on S's schnoz. The boy came with us, partially because we had no babysitter and partially because we wanted him to become comfortable with the doc(who he'd be seeing on the 26th). We were surprised to hear that her nose was fractured. The ER doc had seen nothing, so we were not expecting this news. The good news is that there is not a surgery in her future. If we can keep a soccer ball off of her face, we'll be good. The nose is weakened and will not weather a blow to the face too well. Sooooo....a catchers's mask may be in her future if she gets put in goal.

I guess it pays to have a selectively big mouth sometimes, because I said to the doc, "Guess we'll see you in a few weeks with the boy and his adenoids.". The doctor, who is now my new hero, felt it was ridiculous for us to make the trip back over. So, he had us fill out some quick paperwork and he checked the boy up and down. Adenoids are coming out and earwax is getting cleaned out....all in April. If wouldn't have been grossly inappropriate, I would have hugged that man's neck. What a kind and gracious gesture on his part to save us a trip!

Pray for all of us as we work up to the day of the surgery. I know this is a routine 30 minute procedure that he does every Tuesday and Thursday, but it the first time I have ever had a child be put under for anything. I feel completely at peace about this being done. He cannot go on with multiple rounds of antibiotics that do nothing. We just have to pray this does the trick!

On a completely unrelated note, we saw Puss in Boots last night. So darn cute. I was antsy, so I messed with my paint app and did this:



I know. Be jealous of my mad drawing skills. Have a good one...

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Election day off....

The girls had a day off today, seeing as it was primary day in Tennessee.  I hate politics, hate it, but I feel that I have no right to complain about the state of the union if I do not get out and press that button.  So press the button I did.  Enough about that....again, I hate politics but I will do my civic duty. 

I am lacking for much to say this evening.  It was funny today.  Since preschool was open, the girls had a rare chance to help take brother to school.  They wanted to visit all of their former teachers so, like a big geek, I kept calling it S&G's Preschool Alumni visit.  I get a bit misty when I think that I am in the last few months of having a child in the preschool program.  For the last almost 11 years, I have had a child there.  Sigh.  okay, I can't think about it anymore. 

Lastly for this lovely evening, I found this video last night that I must share with people.  I put it on Twitter and was shocked to receive only crickets chirping in response.

This is a whole lot of awesome.  That is all I can say.  Have a great evening.  Feel free to comment....

Sad memories...

Today, our community lost a young man before his time. An 18 year old, with his whole life ahead of him, lost his battle with leukemia. I am saddened for several reasons. I mourn for his family, friends and classmates who have lost a piece of their hearts. I am sad that leukemia still is in existence. It is the illness that took my grandfather's life and the life of a dear friend. Selfishly, I am sad because it makes me think of losing one of my best friends way too young when we were roughly the same age...and I've never completely gotten over it. And I hope I never will.

He was young and strong and smart mouthed and handsome. He and I had been friends and bitter dueling saxophone rivals since the sixth grade. He called me "Bobo" after we learned it meant "stupid fool" in Spanish class. He was the only one on earth I would have allowed to call me that. Walking around in Addidas indoor soccer shoes and a jean jacket with a "Billy Bob" pin from Showbiz Pizza, he was the coolest guy in class. Girls swooned and guys wished they were him. One night he, and four other people, went driving around town. Youth brings with it a fair amount of folly and of feelings of invincibility. Our town had a road, with a hill, that was known to all the young drivers as a place to drive fast, catch air and get a thrill. There had been wrecks there before, but nothing terribly noteworthy. This particular night, the five of them did what so many had done before: hit the proper speed, hit the bump and caught air. But this time went terribly and tragically wrong. The loss of control was too much to regain and they wrapped that car around a tree. Two were injured, one critically and one seriously. One had a good knock to his head and couldn't remember who he was. And two, one a school official's daughter and one being my dear friend, were fatally injured. For months, we all walked around in a fog. The devastation was almost unbearable...I cannot even imagine what his parents and brother must have felt. I questioned God as to why this happened. I argued and wrestled and doubted and raged and mourned.

But with each day, the sun came up and I was shown the beauty in life. I was shown the blessing of having known him as long as I had. I caught whispers of him in songs and expressions uttered by friends. My pain never went away and still hasn't. It has turned, instead, into a painful and beautiful scar on my heart. I often think of Steel Magnolias, as I modify the words a bit, "He will always be young...he will always be beautiful. And personally I feel much safer knowing he's up there on my side.". I pray that Josh's family feels comfort, love and peace knowing he's up there on their side. I don't pray for closure. I feel that is an overused expression used with little thought behind it. I never want closure for my friend's death. That, to me, would mean I have closed the book on his story. I refuse to do that. My children will know his story and understand its impact on my life. A memory, both bitter and sweet, that has changed me to my very core. I hope Josh's friends will share his story with their friends and family and children and they gain the distance and perspective that time provides.

God bless his friends and family...and the friends and family of my friend, 23 years later.


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Never dull, never dull...

The hub has a bum back. That sounds like the start of a nursery rhyme...a sad, twisted nursery rhyme. When the poor man tries to get out of the bed and I hear a sharp intake a air and a "Ah ha ha ah ah hahaahahaha....," well, it is going to be a rough day. So, with the three, I went to church with a less than positive attitude. What better place to go, right? After church came a trip to the grocery, which is also an exercise in insanity. But, with a lack of basic staples at the ranch, the trip was a must. Lunch came and went, essays were finished and printed, naps were taken and enjoyed. Then the dreaded screams and multiple cries rang throughout the downstairs. "My nose my nose!! I can't breathe, it hurts so bad!!!". S was grabbing her face, F was clutching the back of his head. G just shook her head. "Guess we have to go to Children's now," she said in a very matter of fact tone. After I checked the boy's head, I went to assist the hub in assessing the nasal damage. After polling FB friends and reading various accounts online, we determined a trip to Children's was on the horizon. Gimpy got up to try and change his clothes while I desperately searched for someone to watch the other two so we wouldn't have to walk them into a life sized petri dish. Aunt Deb saved the day and came over to calm the storm and keep the monkeys.

We arrived to find a packed house, lots of crying and coughing that would rival any TB ward. Luckily, we were sent to the injury waiting room as we had hoped. Thankfully, we were fast tracked through the process. We had vitals, Motrin, X-rays, another trip to the waiting room, exam room, doc visit, paperwork with a secretary and discharge info and our X-ray cd all in about 2 hours. Yeah, I know, a miracle! We will be seeing an ENT later on in the week to assess the damage, but there appeared to be no clear break. Just "damage".

Needless to say, we are tired but grateful to not still be sitting in the waiting room, catching every imaginable illness. This a lesson for the kids to always protect the face in a wrestling match...with anybody.

After all this excitement, I am going to bed. We'll see what the face looks like in the morning.


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Tired and ready for bed

It has been a busy and exhausting week. Today was no different. It wasn't bad, by any means, just exhausting. I needed to turn our house back into a dwelling rather than a future site for an A&E documentary. Lucky for me, we had a birthday party to attend later on in the afternoon, so I used that as motivation for the children to clean up. I wrapped presents and did laundry and broke up a few fights. I helped be a reader and commentor for S's essay. I am out of editing practice, but since it is her paper, I don't have to worry about it.

The kids are in bed and I am ready myself. This giving up something for Lent is testing me this evening. Saturdays are usually our ice cream night....and I could really use some. Just a bit with huge chunks of peanut butter in it. I'm a simple girl. Oh well...these Lenten sacrifices teach us things. Even if they seem like the dumbest of choices. Time to go chug a lug a little milk and go to bed. I know...I'm crazy like that.



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Stormy weather....

Today has been an up and down and up and down....and up....and down in the basement kind of day. Tornados and hail and terrible storms have blown through since about noon and just ending. The girls had to go into turtle drill mode at school. I know that it was the safest place for them to be, but as a mother, it kills me not to have them with me. G is so terribly storm phobic, so I always worry about her state of mind when she's away from us. God bless her teacher who was so caring during her time of fear.

Once the girls got home, they got homework done just in time to make the trip down to the basement. Our neighbors soon followed as they do not have any interior areas to keep safe during storms of this intensity. The kids played Scrabble and the adults watched the news team call the storm. The question was brought up as to whether meteorologists think of these times as their super bowl...their "show". I am sure they must be exhausted. After the warning was lifted, we all went our separate ways and I ventured with my cousin to the private 50% off sale at the Picky Chick. There was a sense of desperation in our shopping, especially since we were timing storms...again. The hub kept us supplied with updates, so we skedaddled when the warning was activated again. I got home to a panicked G, while the other two were relatively calm. The neighbors came again, this time with their sweet dog, and another Scrabble game commenced. G fretted the whole time until we finally found her like this:



She had taken all she could and finally succumbed to exhaustion brought on by sheer terror. Once the warning was lifted, the neighbors returned to their home and everybody went to bed. I pray that my parents will be spared from too much craziness as the storm is barreling towards them.

On a completely unrelated note, my heart goes out to an childhood friend who lost her sweet mother. She was always so kind to me and my heart is heavy for her husband and three children. Prayers for their sweet family.

Hopefully tomorrow will be much more calm on all fronts. I'm sure it will be appreciated by all....

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It's that time again...

What a beautiful day we were given today! The kids walked in the door, bypassed snack, changed their clothes and went straight out to play. We are so blessed to have a pretty cool backyard that holds more value than any DS or television program. While I have mourned the lack of cold and snow, I must admit that the long afternoons outside have been lovely. The great smell of my sweaty little guy, covered in mud and stained with grass and leftover monkey grass berries, makes me long for summer. The taste of Spring was in the air...and it was pretty sweet.

Soccer practices started for the kids tonight. As I have said before, a trip to the soccer fields is like visiting your church/neighborhood/school/grocery store all in one concentrated little place. Don't dress in anything you don't want discussed by someone, which is why I immediately regretted my "practice clothes" when I found a hole in the side of my sweat pants upon returning home. Take very seriously the call of "HEADS" when said in an enthusiastic way. Know that you can cause someone with their arms full of camp chairs serious harm if you leave your half empty bottle of Powerade on the sidelines...cough...cough...so I've heard. My kids seem their happiest on the field. They thrive in a teamwork environment, loving the quality time they get to spend with their friends. The confidence they gain is so important to me as a parent. I don't expect them to be playing for Man U someday, but I expect them to understand teamwork, do their best and learn to be gracious in both victory and defeat. This is why I have them play soccer. This is why the sting of our lack of snow is softened when I see the look of sheer joy as the run up and down that field. That and it wears...them...out. That is a beautiful thing....


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