Some Say They Favor

She Conquers The Cast

Bryan and I were pretty sure that we would be carrying Hayden around for the next five weeks.  She totally proved us wrong.  She mastered the whole cast walking thing in no time! Not only does she walk with it, but she dances!

When It Rains…It Pours

Broken legs that is.  Bryan has a fractured fibula from an indoor soccer game last Thursday and Hayden has a broken tibia from a fall at the Arboretum on Friday.

Needless to say we’ve been a little overwhelmed! 

Bryan’s is apparently minor enough that it won’t warrant a cast or even a walking boot.  He is supposed to stay off of it through the weekend (using crutches) and then he can do whatever feels okay. (The doctor says soccer in 6 weeks or so…we shall see.)

Hayden’s issue has been a little more complicated…and heart wrenching.  She fell on Friday and we took her to her pediatricians.  We didn’t see our regular doctor in order to get in ASAP.  Hayden was able to hobble around on it some and there was very little swelling so the doctor assumed it was probably a sprain and told us to watch for increased swelling.  Of course as soon as we got home she refused to walk and insisted on either crawling or being carried. 

I finally called the doctor again yesterday and told them she still wouldn’t put any weight on it, though the swelling never increased.  Honestly Bryan and I thought she was just being stubborn or scared since she had walked on if previously and the doctor hadn’t seemed very concerned (worst parents ever).  Our doctor scheduled another visit for this morning.  After examining her, one of our regular doctors said he was almost certain she had a fractured leg.  He sent us for x-rays.  Sure enough.  Her tibia is broken.  We saw the pediatric orthopedist this afternoon and now Hayden is sporting what the doc called an “over the knee” hard cast.  It pretty much goes from toes to diaper. (She did get to choose the color—purple—her favorite!) She gets to wear it for five weeks…and take mainly sponge baths.

Sweet girl was wonderful today throughout the numerous waiting rooms, examinations, x-rays and casting. The guys who put on her cast said she was one of the best kids her age they had ever worked on.

Thank you to all the family and friends who were praying for us today.  We definitely felt them!

Lord, thank you for taking care of us.  Thank you for doctors who know what they are doing.  Thank you for being with our sweet little girl throughout a very long day!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Two cuties in a tub.

Wordless Wednesday-Carrots

Old Blue Eyes

Most people think of this guy as “Old Blue Eyes”But if the number of comments they receive at the grocery store is any indication, I think these two might give him a run for his money…

Saturday-Notre Dame Game

We left the hotel at 6am in order to take the subway back to the airport and pick up our rental car to head to Elkhart, In.  We met Bryan’s uncle, who ushers at the ND games, at his home and got ready to head to South Bend and the climax of this trip for Bryan.

You didn’t know Bryan LOVES Notre Dame?  You didn’t know he has been singing the ND fight song to Hayden since she was a wee small babe?  You didn’t know that Bryan went out to the ND fan shop and made sure everyone in the family had the appropriate ND gear to wear for this football season?  Can you imagine the climate in our home when the Irish lose a game…dismal folks.  Very Dismal.

Anywhoo, we got to South Bend and walked around the campus for awhile.  We met up with Andrea, Kurt, Danielle and Chris who also happened to be in town for the game.  We enjoyed a quick burger and tried not to mind the unseasonably warm weather.  (everyone from Notre Dame was amazed at the fabulous temps.  Since we had planned and dressed for FALL in Indiana we would have liked for it to be in the seventies as opposed to the eighties.) We started out in these seats.But heard from Bryan’s uncle part way through the 1st quarter and moved to these seats on the 30 yard line.  Nice.

The game was close and therefore a little tense.  Thankfully it ended like thisWhich meant this.Whew.  The whole trip could have cratered at this point.  I was thankful that the Irish pulled out the win.  Saved my vacation.We had a great time with Steve, Karen and Trent.  We enjoyed having a chauffer to and from the game as well as being treated to a yummy Mexican meal afterward.  (All the cookies that Karen had waiting for us when we got there weren’t too bad either :)

We got up early Sunday morning and headed back to the airport for our flight home.  I must admit that the hardest part of the trip was how long it took to get home once we had arrived at the airport in Dallas.

Once we finally got home it was so nice to be met at the door by a blond headed toddler yelling my name and a sweet baby girl reaching out her little arms for me.

Home sweet home.

Pajama Day

Thursday, October 14, 2010 was our first official Pajama Day.  The girls and I wore our pajamas ALL day.

We started our day off with a pajama play date (the inspiration for the whole day, really.) This type of play date was established by my friend Sarah.  You schedule the play date for the morning (9:30ish for us) and then all your friends and their kids come in their pjs.  Showering beforehand, wearing makeup and combing your hair are all strongly discouraged.  Deodorant and teeth brushing is encouraged, though still optional.

We had a great time!  Thanks Amber, Campbell, Sarah, Jacob, Brooke and Hollis for hangin’ out with us!

(Please note the absence of all mothers in the pictures.  We take pajama play dates very seriously…though we decline to capture ourselves in all our pajama glory. You’re welcome.)

After our friends left we polished off the blueberry cheesecake muffins and then took a rest. Hayden was feeling extra perky after her non nap and sang some songs for the camera…

Then we couldn’t ignore the BEAUTIFUL day it was outside.  We loaded up our toy bucket and our blanket and enjoyed the clear, cool weather. Then we finished up the day with eating our dinner Al Fresco.  We did have to take off our pajamas to have a bath (pajama day got us really dirty)…but then we got to put on new clean pajamas and crawl into bed!

I had so much fun today with my girls! I think pajama day will become a tradition.  Hayden was a little confused about why I never made her change.  She kept asking if she could keep “these pants and dis shirt” on to do whatever…going outside, eating lunch, etc. It’s fun to keep the kiddos guessing sometimes :)

Lord, thank you for friends we feel comfortable enough to be our casual selves with, beautiful weather, and sweet girls to enjoy.  We are so blessed!

Friday-Evening

We knew that we would have to be up early Saturday morning to get to South Bend for the Notre Dame game, so Friday night we ate at Rosebud, explored Trader Joes then spent some time at this beer garten before turning in relatively early.

Rosebud Restaurant.  Stuffed mushrooms, veal and chocolate cake. (and a waitress who put her finger over the flash)

Why doesn’t Dallas have a Trader Joe’s?  I would DEFINITELY shop at Trader Joe’s.  Dear Trader Joe’s… 

Oh.  and I forgot to mention how we stopped at a 7-11 for a cool refresher during our earlier stroll around town.  We had to grab a Slurpee and a Big Gulp. Made us feel right at home.

“Big Gulps, huh? All right! Well, see ya later.”

Pretty much a perfect vacation day!

Except for when I missed my girls…a few times.

Friday-Culture

Following the stroll in the park we ventured into the Art Institute of Chicago.

In between seriously viewing some great works of art we played a fun game where we tried to guess the name of the painting before we read the description.

This was mine…

I guessed “fancy boy rides a ram.” I was close.  It was in fact…Bryan didn’t do nearly as well. This was his painting…He guessed, “woman with soldier.” Obviously he didn’t notice the olive branch the woman was holding or he would have guessed…We also enjoy affecting the same type of pose as the people in the paintings.  Here is Bryan’s take on one of my favorite pieces, Breton’s The Song of the Lark. He is good.  Very good.

We also enjoyed these…and many more.

Old Man with a Gold Chain - Rembrandt Yellow Dancers (In the Wings) - Degas Two Sisters (On the Terrace) - Renoir Apples and Grapes - MonetHaying Time - Pissarro A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - Seurat

We had a great time being together…and I definitely felt smarter when we left.