Cast Buddies

So, let me just say up front- This is not a joke. Although I seem to laugh when I talk about it because the timing of it all seems so unbelievable. Poor Hunter broke his arm on Saturday! He was riding his scooter down the hill and got going so fast that he missed his turn onto the grass, flew out into the street and crashed. This time Rob took him to urgent care and got the x-rays. He has a large break in the big bone, and a smaller fracture in the little bone. The doctor compared the break to what you would get if you took a green tree branch and bent it until it snapped. Hunter has been brave through it all, and took just one day off of school.

On Wednesday I took Sabrina to get a follow up x-ray and she still needs another two weeks in her cast. Our hurdle to overcome now is getting her to walk on it. She is very hesitant, although she made some good progress when my friend who is a physical therapist came to visit and pushed her a bit. Now that Tonya’s gone and it’s just Mom and Dad, Sabrina is trying to avoid walking.

On Thursday I took Hunter to get his cast on, and it will be four weeks until his follow up appointment, and six weeks until he’s allowed to do regular PE activities. That means he’s out of PE for the rest of the school year. He was pretty excited about that.

We had friends from Orange County visiting when this happened and the rest of the weekend was great fun. We were able to catch up with our friends, play, hike the canyons by our house picking up trash, watch an impromptu performance of Cinderella where the step-sisters ran wild, Cinderella sang, and a three-year-old prince chucked Cinderella’s slipper at her and ran away. It was super cute.

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Oh Deer!

On Thursday afternoon, the kids were all playing in the backyard after school. I heard Sabrina cry and didn’t think much of it because it seemed like an argument type of cry.  A couple minutes later Hannah came and told me I needed to see something outside. I walked outside to see Emma carrying Sabrina toward the door. Then after lots of questions from me I was told that the concrete statue of a deer (with antlers)  had fallen on Sabrina when she tried to climb onto it. I guess she wanted to ride on it’s back, and it fell over pinning her down at the shins. Emma had been able to move the deer off of Sabrina enough to pull her out from underneath it.

After holding Sabrina on my lap for a while, I went to go look at the fallen deer. I wondered if it had broken and how heavy it was. Nothing on it had broken and I could not move it at all!  The thing is solid; I’m guessing at least 200 pounds. Emma must have had a real adrenaline rush to have moved it at all. I came right back inside and Sabrina was still sitting very quiet and still with sort of a blank look on her face. I knew she had really been hurt because she seemed to just be in shock. I called Rob and he gave me the answer I was hoping for. He came right home. I then took Sabrina to the Urgent Care center, and Rob went with the other kids to Open House at the elementary school.

The doctors decided we should definitely take an x-ray. Sabrina was really nervous and did not want anything to do with the doctors or the big x-ray machine.  But she was a tough girl and didn’t fight it. She was just quiet and sad. When the results came back there was one bit of good news- only one of her legs had been effected. However, the left tibia was fractured in five places! So the nurses put a splint on it, and called the children’s hospital orthopedics to tell them that I would be calling to come in. By now it had been over 3 hours since we arrived, so Sabrina was very ready to come home and sleep.

That night Sabrina slept in our bed with us, and shortly after midnight Hannah came in crying saying she was worried about Sabrina’s leg. I told her she would be okay, but Hannah still climbed into bed with us too. I made up a little bed on the floor, and moved Hannah onto it twice during the night, but she kept waking up and wanting to be right there with Sabrina. It was very touching to see her concern for her little sister, but also heart wrenching to see her get so upset about it.

The next morning I called the children’s hospital and was told I couldn’t get in for a cast until Tuesday. I told them that the doctor at Urgent Care was very clear that she needed to be in a cast that day (Friday). After being transferred twice, I found an orthopedic nurse who had compassion and common sense and she found us an appointment for 10:00. Rob and I brought her to the hospital and the doctor there was nice and helpful. He looked at the x-rays and said that Sabrina could do a below the knee cast since the fractures were not spiral and the bone could take the movement. I was relieved because having a full leg cast would be really hard for her.

before the cast

prepping the leg

setting and wrapping the cast

the finished cast

Sabrina will wear her cast for 4-6 weeks. The doctor said if an adult had this same injury, it would be 4-6 months in a cast- Another example of how miraculous a growing body is! She cannot bear any weight on it for the first two weeks, but they gave her a little boot that she will use when she can walk with it. She chose light blue because she and Hannah love Silvermist and the other water fairies.

We celebrated being done with the doctors by going to get lunch and a happy meal. Sabrina would only let us get it for her if she could wait to eat it at home. Once we got home and she had her lunch she really perked up and has done very well since. I think this first week with be tough, but luckily it is our Spring break and we can stay home and the other kids will be here too to help entertain her. The toughest thing for me is when she says, “I’m sad because I want to be normal.” I keep telling her that she will be, and every day will get a little better.

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Readers Digest – August 2009

Swimming lessons for all four kids!

They passed!

Emma took an acting class, and had a great time in the 70s.

First Day of School!

Emma starts 4th Grade

Hunter’s in here somewhere. He was so fast I missed the picture of our 6th grader.

Hannah’s first day of kindergarten required lots of curls.

Sabrina also started a co-op preschool called, “Princess Academy.”

Also this month was a family reunion:

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Reader’s Digest July 2009

Hunter started performances for Pageant of the Masters.

We dressed up in our patriotic best and went to the local Fourth of July bike parade.

Emma rode in the parade and the rest of us watched and waved.

At home, the girls put on an American Girl parade of their own.

Here are the girls outside the movie theater after we went to one of the free family summer movies.

Hunter and Emma both continued reading the Harry Potter series. By the end of the summer, Emma finished them all.

Sabrina had her very first dance class.

Hannah was able to be in the same class, and loved every minute of it.

They also spent some time in tap shoes and were so graceful.

We spent a week at Hero Camp. This year’s theme was “Feel the Joy.” The day I helped with was a Christmas theme and I put together the fireplaces for the lesson rooms.

Hannah’s class learned a fun sheep song complete with puppets.

There were lots of activities and crafts to go along with the themes each day. Emma and her friends were serious about this cookie decorating one.

On the last day each class performed a song. Hunter’s class song included sign language, which was really neat.

We went to the circus and saw these women blown out of cannons.

And our Daddy had a birthday!

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Readers Digest- May/June 2009

May 2009:

There is a long story behind this new television. Since this is the Reader’s Digest version, I’ll just leave it at this: Bought an old CRT TV at an auction for $180.00; Found out there was a class action lawsuit associated with it; Got this beautiful plasma TV at no extra cost to us. Best deal ever!

Hunter designed and made his last pinewood derby car- a Lego racer.

Check out the helmet and the Webelos logo on the top. Impressive!

Celebrated for Hunter’s birthday at Disneyland/California Adventure. This was when they drained the lake to build a new Fantasmic-like show.

Everyone loves the teacups… Except Mommy. I hate them.

June 2009:

Hunter became a candidate for student body office…

and ran a fun, clean campaign. (He won too!)

Hunter in his birthday-boy crown

Me and Hannah- We just loved going to Ruby’s Diner

Rob, Emma, and Sabrina- When we would go to Ruby’s we would always check in next door at the Barnes & Noble too. We love both milkshakes and books!

Hannah starred in her first how-to video.

Hunter left behind Cub Scouts and was welcomed into Boy Scouts.

I spent a week at Girls Camp (Here’s me with the other leaders). We were supposed to pick a source of light to go along with the theme, and the girls chose Lava Lamps. Groovy!

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Readers Digest- Mar/Apr 2009

March 2009:

Hunter’s grade did a Colonial Day where they spent all day doing things like they were done at the beginning of our country’s history. I worked this station helping the kids with calligraphy.

Here Hunter is putting together a corn husk doll. They also whittled soap, made wooden hand games, did square dancing, quilted, punched tin, and some other things I can’t remember now.

I borrowed this dress for the occasion, and tried to make myself look old fashioned.

Emma took her first acting class, and played the baker in “The Gingerbread Boy.” She was fabulous dah-ling!

I took this picture to do a post, and then never did it. The gist of it was this:  How do you manage the socks in your house? I have one laundry basket filled with non-matched socks, and every couple weeks I pay the kids a nickel per pair to match them up. All of the matched ones are mixed together and kept in the same basket. Seems to work ok, but any other ideas?

Emma dressed up for a biography report at school, and was just beautiful.

School Jog-A-Thon Day

Sabrina agreed to model for Emma’s first fashion photo shoot. Emma’s got an eye for photography already.

This is one of my favorite photos Emma took that day.

April 2009:

The kids had fun with this April Fools joke: Try to pick up the coins- They’re really stickers!

We got Hunter to smile in a picture- Happy Birthday to me!

Rob surprised me by arranging for Nana & Papa to take the kids while we spent the weekend at Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. Who knew that in six months we would be moving nearby?

I was called into the Young Womens program and got to spend time with teenagers doing stuff like this. I loved it!

Sabrina started a preschool/playgroup we called “Princess Academy.” Hannah got to join in sometimes too.

Hunter gave ice hockey a try at the Discovery Science Center.

The girls took a “ride” on the Magic School Bus.

We made tie-dye cupcakes for a Girls Camp fundraiser. So yummy!

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