Roller Skating

Hannah loves to roller skate. She gets that from me. I remember spending countless hours skating on our back patio when I was growing up. I didn't give away my own skates until I was pregnant with Rachel. There was a young girl in Memphis who loved to skate, so I passed them on.

Hannah asked if we could go skating over Christmas break. I told her we would go the week after Christmas. Aaron doesn't like to skate and he had plans with a friend yesterday, so I thought it would be a great day to take the girls.

Rachel's friend came along and we started out having a blast.

The pictures at the rink are a bit dark and blurry. I couldn't seem to fix the problem. This picture of Rachel and her friend is the last one I took before things went downhill.

Rachel fell which isn't unusual for kids when they are skating. I always tell the kids if they feel like they are losing their balance or think they might fall to just sit down. I was watching Rachel when she went down. Her right leg went behind her and her left leg was slightly bent in front. At first, I thought she was fine. Even when she crawled to the side, I wasn't alarmed. The kids often have a hard time regaining their balance on the slick floor and crawl to the side to pull up. She sat on a bench and I skated over to her. She was already crying and that is when I knew something was wrong. She kept saying her ankle hurt, so my first thought was to get the skate off before swelling made it too difficult. I went to get her some ice and when I came back she said she felt like she was going to throw up and she had little beads of sweat on her nose. I asked her if she wanted to try to make it to the bathroom. She tried to stand and fell back. She wasn't able to put any pressure on the leg. That is probably when I noticed the BASEBALL SIZED knot on her shin.

Rachel's friend helped get Hannah ready to go and the manager of the rink helped me get Rachel to the car. She gave us free passes probably in hopes we weren't going to sue.

We went straight to the ER. I tried calling PK on the way, but he wasn't in his office. I decided that I would see what the doctor had to say and if she had a broken bone that required surgery, I would track him down.

I knew where the hospital was (Isn't that one of the first things every mom finds when moving to a new town?), but had never been to the ER. We managed to find the entrance and a ramp that was marked "Emergency Room Drop Off." There were some wheelchairs, so I grabbed one of those and managed to get Rachel out of the car. Rachel's friend waited in the car with Hannah while I got Rachel settled.

When I went into the ER, the receptionist directed me to the Pediatric ER. I got half way down the hallway and heard, "The vehicle parked on the Emergency Room ramp must be moved immediately." I said out loud to anyone who might be listening and offer some assistance, "That is my car. What do I do?" I parked Rachel on the side of the hall and handed her the insurance card. If I got lost in the ER maze or had to play tug-of-war with a tow truck, at least she was covered.

I go by the reception area and just say in the general direction that the car that needs to be moved is mine, but I still need to get my daughter to the ER. A security guard goes to take Rachel to the Pediatric ER and I go to park the car.

When I get outside there is an EMT standing by an ambulance. I thought he was the one that needed to get through because there were two EMPTY ambulances parked in front of him while my car was parked in the unloading spot. Seems the more simple route would have been to pull the drivers away from their coffee and let a mom take care of her child, but what do I know? I mumble apologies to him for blocking his path and he says something like, "No problem." I asked if he knew where the appropriate parking was and he said, "I'm not sure. I've never come in a personal vehicle." I am sure he received a dead on eye roll in the fashion only Jody Ray can deliver.

I find parking, try to glance at the sign to see how much cash I need on the way out to cover the cost (as if I will remember to hit an ATM), gather the girls and head back in. As we are crossing the street back to the ER, the security guard who took Rachel calls to me and takes me in the secret Bat Cave passage. He was very kind and said something about being seen more quickly with children.

I get to the Pediatric ER and some young guy is being trained in the admissions process. Luckily, we are the only ones there. He gives us bracelets and I tell Rachel these would be great to put in her new scrapbook she is working on. She is actually beginning to understand why I asked if I could take a picture earlier. She will be a great blogger one day.

We are taken back to a waiting room and a nurse takes her vitals. We wait some more. I manage to talk her into letting me take a picture with my phone to send to PK.

She held her foot like this the entire time. It was so pitiful.

This picture really does not do the knot or swelling justice. It was baseball -ish.

A nurse comes and wheels her down to x-ray. She actually has an ultrasound. I was left in a waiting area while she had the tests. When the tech came to get me, Rachel said, "It is twisted." I said, "Oh. Is it just sprained?" The tech said, "No. It is broken. It is a spiral fracture. The bone twists and breaks." I think that is when I really felt sad for Rachel.

We are wheeled back to the waiting room. Rachel told me the tech told her they would put her to sleep to set the bone. She didn't seem too worried about it. I was relieved when the doctor came in and told us most kids with this type of break heal nicely with just a splint. He consulted with an orthopedic surgeon who concurred. He also told me that Motrin is usually enough to relieve the pain. However, if Rachel felt she needed it he was willing to give her a narcotic to ease the pain. She said, "Yes." The doctor left the room and a nurse brought Rachel some medicine. They must have given her a fairly large dose because she became a little giddy.

The doctor returned and told Rachel he did want to get a closer look at the injury. If looks could kill, that doctor would have been a dead man from the glare Rachel sent his way. She was determined to hold her foot in the same manner she had since being in the wheelchair. She had already experienced moving when she went for the ultrasound and was having no part of moving it again. The doctor was very patient and gentle with her. He made sure she was able to move her foot and felt an indentation on her leg. He turned to me and smiled in that way only doctors who get excited about their work do and said, "I can feel the indentation where the break is." In that moment of SHIVER, I realized that I am not called to the medical profession. I am cool in an emergency and can do what needs to be done, but I don't want to think about the breaks, blood and gore.

Two nurses came in to put the splint on. The first thing one of the nurses notices is Rachel's pants. He said he could give her a couple hospital gowns to put on, but we would never be able to get her pants off over the splint. I think this is more annoying to Rachel than the broken leg. I can't blame her. Who likes wearing those gowns? He was kind enough to give her two, one for the front and one for the back. That was a great idea. If you have been in the hospital, you know you spend a lot of time tugging at the back of your gown trying to cover your backside. The male nurse asked if I wanted the female nurse to help get her changed or if I thought we could manage. Rachel said, "We've got it." I was thinking, "Please don't leave me alone. This pretty little girl isn't afraid to eat her mother alive while experiencing the worst pain of her life." The nurse left and we were alone to conquer the task. My saving grace was I could move more quickly than Rachel.

Rachel had to get out of the wheelchair and lay on her stomach to have the splint put on. Every adult in the room offered assistance to which she replied, "I've got it." She said that to me several times when I offered help. I think it was less painful for her to move on her own terms.

Once the splint was applied and wrapped, she had to stay like this for a few minutes to allow it to dry. She was given crutches which she thinks is cool. They sent us home with a prescription to be filled "just in case" and orders to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon.

I had a hard time getting her back in the car and she cried almost all the way home. By the time she stopped crying, we were almost home. We had a hard time getting her out of the car and into the house. She was sure she didn't want to go see the orthopedic surgeon if it meant getting back out that same day. I honestly didn't think I could get her back to the car. Our follow up is Monday. PK will go with me before he is off to work to help get her in and out of the car.

I am all about managing pain before it gets out of control, so I had the prescription filled and rotated it with Motrin through the night. I don't think we would have made it through the night without the medicines. Rachel was in a lot of discomfort. I think it was partly due to being in the same position, so about every hour we would find a new position for her.

She asked me to take this picture about 4 a.m. It as a long night. I am praying that the pain will be a little better before tonight.

The moral of the story is: It is easier to let your kids sit home in front of the tv or computer than to get out an interact with them!

Historic White Christmas

We have lived in several places where this snow event would not have even made the residents think twice. However, it doesn't usually snow this time of year and it has been over 100 years since the residents of this area have seen a white Christmas.

A Georgia White Christmas

Aaron and Hannah were in the church Christmas play yesterday. Aaron was a wiseman and Hannah was a donkey. She got to walk in with Mary and Joseph. She told me that everyone would want to be the donkey if they realized how important the donkey was.

P.K. was invited to preach at the candlelight service at our church last night. It was nice to hear him speak. The service was nice, but it meant we didn't get our kids home until after midnight. Santa still had to finish wrapping presents.



Hannah had spent the evening before the service tracking Santa's trip on NORAD. When we left for church he was reported in Puerto Rico. Hannah was very concerned that he would make it to Georgia before we got home. She wanted to check NORAD when we got home, but she thought she saw Rudolph's nose glowing in the sky when we pulled in the driveway, so I was able to convince her we should get Santa's treat out as quickly as possible and get her in bed. We left Santa fudge, haystacks and buckeyes. We also left carrots for the reindeer.

Aaron lit his candle that he painted in preschool. He only lights it on Christmas Eve so Santa will know where to look for his cookies.

P.K. passed out the gifts.

Rachel got her boots she had been asking for.

Mommy and Hannah having a little post present cuddle. I know the morning look isn't pretty, but it is what it is.

P.K. is watching Hannah and Aaron discuss their loot.

Here I am with the kids while they are enjoying our traditional Christmas morning Monkey Bread.


This was Hannah's early Christmas present from P.K. and me. She is a nine week old Chihuahua. Hannah got her last Saturday. I still don't like having a dog, but Hannah wanted one so badly. My parents bought all the dog accessories as their Christmas gifts to Hannah.

Hannah named her Holly. Here she is with Hannah's Christmas gift to her.


My parents gifts to Rachel were the accessories for the guinea pig she had been wanting. She bought the guinea pig herself and named her Mocha. Now the kids outnumber the parents and the pets outnumber the kids.

It is snowing in Atlanta. This is Atlanta's first white Christmas since 1882. Christmas 1993 brought flurries, but it didn't stick. We are expecting a good (by southern standards) amount today.

Here are Aaron and Hannah playing in the backyard. Obviously, there isn't much, but it is supposed to continue coming down. Aaron is hoping for enough to build a snowman.

The big pine trees in the backyard. The perfect backdrop for a Christmas snow.

This is the front yard when it first started coming down.

P.K. had to go into work today, so I am just praying the roads stay clear until he gets home.

We had P.K.'s office Christmas party at our home two weeks ago. I prepared a huge Christmas dinner and we ate leftovers for days. Since have had our fill of the traditional fixings, Aaron requested Chicken Cordon Bleu. When P.K. gets home we will feast.

Girl Scout Cookies

I'm not talking about Thin Mints here. Rachel's Cadette troop was over last night just to have fun and decorate Christmas cookies. I present a sample of the finished product.

A bonus...they even appreciated the homemade buttercream frosting. Now I have to figure out what to do with the leftover frosting. The kids and I may have to make some more cookies. There is absolutely no reason to waste homemade buttercream frosting, EVER!

Christmas Concert

Rachel had her first band concert this past week. I was AMAZED by how great the 6th grade band sounded. These kids just started learning how to play their instruments in August. I hear Rachel practice all the time and I can hear her improving, but I was just floored to hear how good the entire band sounded. The 8th graders also played at the concert. It was planned that way so the 6th graders could hear how they are expected to sound in two years. I know the 8th grade pieces were probably more technical or complex, but the 6th grade just sounded better!!

I am looking forward to their spring concert. Not only because it will once again be warm again outside, but because I can't wait to hear how much more they improve.

Rachel is in the second row in the red shirt and Santa hat.

Decked the Halls

We had so much fun decorating our still new to us home for Christmas. It feels so cozy and festive. Following are several pictures in no particular order.

Our tree.

The bay window in the kitchen.

The kitchen from another angle.

I have the plaques above the kitchen cabinets. I stole the idea from my friend Shannon. Rachel helped me tuck garland all the way around. Part of it involved Rachel climbing on top of the refrigerator and trying to drive a nail to support the garland in a particular spot. According to her, she all but fell off the refrigerator. She didn't even come close.

Another shot of the kitchen. As a total side note that has nothing to do with decorating for Christmas, our cabinets did not have knobs when we moved in. It is very akward to open the cabinets without them. I got out the drill this past summer when PK was away and put them on all by myself.

I know, but I really like my kitchen.

The stairs. When I was looking at pictures from the rental house, I noticed the stairs are similar.

This little reindeer makes an appearance evey year. Hannah especially loves him.

I hung these in the windows in the livingroom and dining rooms. They look much better in person than they do in the picture.

The stockings.

The stocking holders.

Aaron painted this candle in preschool. We only light it before going to bed on Christmas Eve so Santa will know where to find his cookies.

PK doesn't like this snowman because it tends to fall off the doorknob. I hund it on the back door this year and since that handle isn't shaped like a traditional round doorknob I don't think the snowman will fall off.

This isn't a decoration. It is one of the molds we use to make our St. Nicholas cookies. The girls and I made them this past Saturday. I think our house smells like Christmas once we make these.

The finished product.

The top of the piano is usally full of framed photos of the kids and extended family. I had a hard time packing those away, but I like the nativity there. I let Aaron and Hannah set it up and did not reaarange it once they had it set up. I am going to put Christmas card in the basket this year. I usually hang them. This is the second year in a row I am not sending Christmas cards so we are probably being crossed off of several lists. The picture of Aaron is from first grade. It is too cute.

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.

Another shot of the fireplace. I like this room as much as the kitchen.

Looing into the dining room form the living room. I think this is a better angle for the window decorations.

This our Advent wreath. We haven't done a very good job lighting the candles this year. The kids have one they made at church this year that is on the kitchen table. We have used that one. I like this one because it isn't busy like the season of Advent should be.

This is a shot from the bottom of the stairs.

Same thing. Different perspective.

Hannah made this banner and wanted it hung outside her door. If you look closely, you can see "Jesus" written on the bottom of the "e." Glad she got that part!