Recovery and Summer Continue On

So last week was really long but things were getting better this past week. Jackson had basketball camp every morning from 8-9:30 and the Vincents were n ice enough to take him and pick him up the whole time which was so helpful.  My mom came over Tuesday morning and helped around the house a bit then ended up taking all the kids but Jackson over to their house. I was able to rest, finish up some laundry and get ready for Lincoln’s ball game that evening. Andrew got a call that our lawnmower needed $850 worth of repairs so he decided to go look for a new one. So he picked up Jackson and they went shopping but he wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. So he picked up Ellie and Lincoln at my parents’ house and brought them home while the twins stayed and napped. While Ellie and Lincoln were getting ready for their events, Jackson told me to come outside so I could see the double rainbow outside. By the time I he got my phone for me, it was starting to fade.

After everyone was ready, we loaded up, dropped Ellie off at her last dance class of the year and then went to Lincoln’s first ball game.  Jackson was supposed to have practice but there ended up being a game on the field they were going to use, so they had to cancel. We were okay with that at this point though. My parents met us at the ballpark with the twins. Lincoln was entertaining as always and he had fun. He had a good hit with his first at bat and had to use the tee on the second one. He played first base one inning which was entertaining. He would always shy away from the ball when they would throw it at him-but he did it with a smile. Of course the twins talked my dad into getting them popcorn. It was my first big outing and it went pretty well. I did have to have help getting out of my chair though because it was sloped downward. We picked up Ellie from dance on our way home and Danielle was waiting for us with dinner when we got home. We have some great friends. So Andrew served us all dinner and we settled in for the night. The nights are long but are getting better as I find better ways to position myself when I sleep.

Wednesday I had the kids help me get laundry done along with the dishes. Then my mom picked us up and took us over to their house to go swimming. Autumn was bringing her kids over to swim before they headed back to Kansas City. The weather was beautiful so it was a great day to hang out by the pool. I ordered some pizza and we ate out by the pool. Bennett got really brave and was swimming all around the pool. He also loved throwing the ball for Viva. And Jackson took it upon himself to try to teach Lincoln to swim without his puddle jumper. Lincoln was very close last year so Jackson worked with him in the hot tub. They were both so excited for Lincoln to show us how he could swim from one side of the hot tub to the other. After we were done swimming, my mom took us back home and I laid the twins down for a nap. Leah brought us dinner and then she took Ellie with her to Zach’s game so that she could be there early enough for her game. So we ate dinner and then headed out to the ball field again for Ellie’s game. This was the first one of hers I got to watch and she did a great job. She got a hit with each at bat and was aggressive on defense. She is fun to watch and what is even better is that she really likes playing. She would come out after her at-bats though and eat her popcorn that Papa got for her.

After the game, we headed to my parents so that my dad could drain hematoma I had on my hip. He was able to get 30cc of fluid off and there was more but he ran out of syringes. So we’ll have to do it again sometime. When we got home, Andrew set up the massage mat I had ordered. I usually wake up so sore all over so I was excited to try it. The kids were excited too. It doesn’t do any deep massage but it still feels good to use it. And Ellie and Jackson have spent a lot of time on it.

The next morning the twins were up by six which was unusual. I think they were excited because they were going to Matthew and Kristin’s house that morning. Thankfully Andrew was still home and was able to get them all dressed and get their breakfast for them. I was hurting and very tired so I really appreciated that. I slept in a little longer and then showered and worked on laundry and had Ellie help me with the dishwasher. Kristin picked up the three youngest and took them out to her house. I could tell Jackson and Ellie were really bored, so I rented a Harry Potter movie for them to watch. Then after lunch, Ellie got to go over and play with her friend Lauren for the afternoon. Michelle came and cleaned again which was great. I worked on some office work while they were cleaning. Andrew ended up taking Jackson to the ballpark to practice and then they ended up buying a new lawnmower.  Andrew got it home and got the yard mowed just in time. Then it started pouring, just about an hour before Lincoln was supposed to have a ballgame. So his game ended up being canceled for the night. Tabitha was going to bring us dinner after the game, so she ended up bringing it a little early and it was delicious. After dinner National Lampoon’s Vacation was on so we thought it would be fun to watch it. It was on AMC so they took out a lot of the bad words but there was still a lot of inappropriate stuff in it that you don’t think about until you are watching it with your kids-oops.

For some reason the twins were up early again Friday morning and this time Andrew was at the office. They came into my room naked which was a fun surprise. They wanted me to open some fruit snacks for them, so I made them put on underwear before I would open them. I tried to lay in bed a bit longer before I got up to get ready for the day. Andrew came home to get ready so he was able to get the twins and Lincoln breakfast. My mom came over a little later and picked up around the house and helped me get clothes for Lincoln and the twins for Saturday. We had a busy day planned so I was wanting to get everything ready ahead of time. Ellie was excited to see that Gracie was home from vacation so she headed out the door and I didn’t see her that much during the day except when she would check in every now and then. Then Lincoln noticed all the boys out playing so it was kind of the same for him too. My mom ended up taking the twins back to her house again (I can’t not say enough how amazing she has been in helping us out-she is always wanting to know what I need and will take the kids any time. She never stops and I will never be able to thank her and my dad enough) and Jackson decided to join her this time. I finished up laundry and getting Ellie’s stuff ready for dance rehearsal/recital and then laid down for a bit after lunch. I was so tired.  I did get to rest for a while and then Ellie came in to let me know that Tiffany had stopped by and dropped off some chocolate milk. I could still hear her out there so I got up and made my way out to the family room. She also brought some magazines for me to read to pass the time. It was so sweet of her. I know I have mentioned it before, but I would drink chocolate milk after my workouts. Since I haven’t been working out, I haven’t gotten my chocolate milk. But I decided to go ahead and give myself a pass and enjoy some without a workout J.

Then it was time to get ready for Ellie’s dance rehearsal. Sharon Marek was nice enough to give us a ride since she was taking Kiersten too. She dropped me off near the sidewalk so I didn’t have to walk form the parking lot and even demanded she carry my bag for me. Andrew stayed home with the kids and Rachel Van Riessen brought dinner by for them.  Ellie did great just taking care of herself getting her outfits changed and making sure she was backstage at the right time. Kierten’s dance was towards the beginning so they got to leave early. Ellie had one after intermission so we were there for about three hours. I let her stay a little later after she was done so she could watch more of the dances and then I called my parents to come pick us up. So my dad picked us up and took us home.  They take such good care of us. I was tired and hurting when I got home but I did one last check to make sure stuff for ready to go for our marathon day on Saturday. Andrew got stuff ready for his bike race and then made sure I was all set for the night. I spent some time on my massage mat before I went to sleep and it felt so good.

It was raining the next morning so we were kind of waiting to see if Jackson’s 9am ball game was canceled plus he was supposed to be there at 8 for pictures and to warm up. But the game was still on, so Andrew and Jackson headed out. Then my parents picked up me and the others and took us to the ball game. It was a cool, dreary morning. Jackson caught an infield fly ball and was so close to getting a kid out at home from second. He was put in as a pinch runner one time and stole a couple of bases and then scored a run. Andrew and I had to leave part way through the game to get to his race and although they kept improving, they did lose their first game. I can’t remember if it was the first or second game, but he also threw someone out at home from right field.

So Andrew and I headed to the race. We stopped first at his office for him to change and then he realized that he forgot his helmet. So we quickly went home and he got ready. We thought he would be able to park near the race site, but since a previous race was still going on, the closest he could get me was the parking lot behind Pershing and then I had to walk over to Stokes. He parked the car and then rode his bike over to Stokes. He even carried a chair for me on the bike so I would have a place to sit down. He got checked in and was happy to see that there were around 15 people in his race. Not many people registered beforehand so he wasn’t sure what to expect. The race was on a 0.6 mile loop near Stokes Stadium and they would go as many laps as they could in thirty minutes. When it was close to 30 minutes, they would ring a bell to let them know there was just one lap left. There was a group that lead the pack for the first part of the race and then there was a nasty crash near the starting line. I couldn’t see very well but it looked like two guys were sprinting and one may have tried to cut in front of the other and he lost control. He flipped over and his tire blew out. He ended up with a nasty cut on his forehead but I couldn’t tell if much else was wrong with him. The EMS crew worked with him for a bit and then he got in a truck to go to the hospital. They ended up stopping the race while they finished up with him and that frustrated some of the front cyclists who had done many races and weren’t used to things being handled like this. But they started it up again and went for several more laps. Andrew did a great job. He was in the second pack of the group and worked hard to keep up with them. I’m not sure what he placed but I was impressed with how well he did for his first bike race. The only other race he has done was the NEMO Tri a couple years ago. So I do hope he is able to get some more races in.

After the race, we went home to grab a quick lunch and change and then went to my parents’ house. They took the kids there after Jackson’s game. Andrew picked up Jackson and took him to the batting cages before his next game and my mom and I started working on Ellie’s hair and makeup for her first recital which was for her solo performance. My mom took Ellie and I early so we could save seats but then they didn’t even unlock the doors to the auditorium until about 15 minutes before the performance. My dad brought the twins and Lincoln and showed up a little after we got seated. And Andrew got there right as it started. Ellie had the fifth performance and she did a wonderful job. She was all smiles afterwards and realized that even though she messed up a little and did some things in the wrong order, no one else would realize it.

My mom decided to take this picture of my hobbling around.

We snuck out of the recital early and headed to my parents house for dinner. Since Jackson’s game started a little late, Andrew went ahead and headed back to the game. Ellie got changed into her next outfit and we changed her hair. Then it was time to eat before we headed back for the second recital. Andrew’s parents stopped by for a bit to eat too. Andrew and Jackson stopped by after the game to grab a quick bite and then took the twins back to our house and met Sarah there so she could watch the twins during the second recital. I totally forgot about flowers so Andrew and Jackson picked those up on their way to the recital and they did a good job. Although the recital was long, Ellie did such a great job with a big smile on her face. She did a jazz, tap and ballet routine and it was fun watching her.

After the recital it was time to head home after a long day. I was so ready for bed but then remembered I need to get Jackson’s jersey washed since he had another game the next day. So we worked on some laundry and got some things ready for the next day. Jackson’s tournament was pool play on Saturday and that would determine the bracket for the play on Sunday. Jackson’s team was 1-1 and they somehow ended up #4 in the championship bracket. There were only four teams in the championship bracket and the others were in the consolation bracket. So we had to play the first seeded team and they had beat the previous teams by a lot and neither of the opposing teams scored any runs. We soon found out that they got a lot of their runs from stealing bases. They were very good at it. Plus their pitching was really good. Our boys were just glad they didn’t get beat as badly as the previous teams. And they walked away with fourth place medals J.

After the game, we went to my parents to have some leftovers for lunch. Andrew then took the three oldest to the ranch to get some work done while the twins and I stayed at my parents’ house. He sent me a couple pictures from their outing.

The twins ended up napping at my parents while I worked on editing pictures from the weekend.  My dad also drained my hematoma again and it is looking much better. When Andrew got back into town, he came to pick us up and then I went with some girls from the neighborhood out to Tabitha’s for Bunco night. They told me I could stay seated and not have to move each round but I ensured them that it was fine for me to move around. It was nice to get out and visit with everyone but I did get tired. I think the weekend just wore me out. While I was getting things ready for bed, Jackson enjoyed laying on my massage mat while he finished up the fifth Harry Potter book. 

Then it was my turn to relax.  Ellie spent the night with Grace Sunday night but she had basketball camp at 8 on Monday so she had to get moving. So I got up and showered and was feeling okay at first but then started feeling nauseous and light-headed and had to sit down for a bit. I’m not quite sure what it was but I did feel a little better after I had some breakfast. So Andrew took Ellie to camp and then Molly brought her home for me. A friend was at the camp and posted some pictures of Ellie had Facebook. She said she had a good time which is good since she is going all week.

I had my follow-up appointment with the orthopedic doctor that morning so my Mom took the twins and Jackson over to her house. Molly stayed with Ellie and Lincoln since they were leaving soon to go to a VBS at a local church with Grace and Ty. I had asked Lincoln if he wanted to go and he asked me what it was. I told him they get to do all sorts of fun things and learn about God. So Lincoln replied, "Yes, I want to go. I love God so much and he is in my heart. He is my favorite." Such a sweet boy. My appointment went well. They decided to hold off on x-rays until my next one in a couple more weeks. But he said I could start putting some weight on it and to just us pain as my guide. If it is painful, don’t do it.

I had the house to myself for the afternoon so I finished up the laundry and cleaned up a bit. It is still frustrating how much longer and how much more energy it takes to do simple things.  I also tried to rest some since I was feeling pretty tired and just a little off. I laid down for a little bit then forced myself to get up because I felt like I could have laid there all day. Collette brought us some tacos for dinner so I got that ready for everyone since we had to move quickly after the kids got back from VBS since we had a couple of ball games. I took Ellie to her game in town while Andrew took Lincoln to his game in Novinger. My mom met me at Ellie’s game with the twins and Jackson. It was pretty chilly so she got some blankets for them out of my car and they loved having them.

My dad came by the game for a little but then had to go deliver a baby. Ellie did another great job with batting and fielding. You can tell she likes playing. After the game, my mom helped get the kids into the car and we took Kate home with us since Joe had to take Zach to his game and Leah was with Alex in Novinger. I think everyone was tired when we got home and we just sat around and watched Harry Potter. Andrew and Lincoln got home just about the same time it was done and then they all headed outside to play. Alex soon showed up so he stayed to play with Kate headed home because she was tired. Now they are ended the night with a trip to Dairy Queen. We had planned on taking Jackson and Ellie for their ball games and recital and never got it done.

And I have to say again that we are so grateful for everything that our friends and family have done for us from meals, to watching our kids, to running our kids here and there. We are so, so appreciative. I so wish I could do more and I start feeling guilty for how much people are doing for us but I have to remember that they are wanting to help us and that is what we all do-help others in times of need. So if you are reading this and you have helped out in any way-THANK YOU!!!