Party Time

 This week the parties continued and were in full swing.  The fun started on Thursday with our preschool class Halloween party.  Everyone dressed up, we watched a movie, did crafts, played games, and ate treats.  Ms. Lora and I went as Playdough and Elsie went as Elsa, but it's important to know that she went at Elsa from Frozen I because she didn't want to ruin the surprise that for Halloween she was actually going to be Elsa from Frozen II.  Afterwards, she had a blast rocking her bloody vampire teeth that a preschool friend gave her.

Friday the party continued with the Monster Mash at C.C.'s school.  We haven't been able to have a Monster Mash in a few years because of Covid and it was back with a vengeance.  The school was packed.  The kids had a blast playing carnival games and hanging out with their friends.  Merrick also got to dress up for school on Friday.  He was a legend in a bright orange suit and top hat as Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber.

Saturday we wrapped up the parties with our church Halloween party.  Lloyd found his Harry in our cousin, Colvin.  The girls debuted as Elsa and Anna, which I neglected to get a photo of.  I promise to remedy that on Halloween.  The biggest shocker was that Jeremy actually dressed up as a hot dog.  I tried to get a picture of that but he kindly declined to let me.

A few other random things from this week, Merrick had basketball tryouts.  Due to a number of factors, we asked that he be placed on the "B" team so it was no surprise that that was where he landed.  We are very excited to have him be the man on his team and really develop.

Elsie this week has been really into her hair.  Everyday she tells me how she wants it styled and then asks me to take a picture.  My phone is full of hair pictures.

I also have had a crafty week, making mummy cakesicles as practice for an upcoming class I have to teach and continuing my needle felting journey with a little gnome.

It has been a busy, fun week.  It's that time of the year when the schedules get busier and time flies by. 

Birthdays and Parties

This week was all about birthdays.  We had three family birthdays to celebrate this week.  First up was Jensen on Wednesday.  On Thursday, we celebrated Maude.  Finally, Friday, it was my turn.  To be honest, I don't love birthdays.  It feels like a lot of pressure to make them special and I truly don't care to be the center of attention.  It was a great day though.  I started the day with a long Yomassage (think getting a massage while in relaxing yoga poses) class with Emily.  It was her birthday treat to me.  After that, Jeremy, Elsie, and I had lunch together.  In the evening, we had a family night with pizza and a movie.  We continued the celebration on Saturday when Nana and Papa watched the girls so Jeremy and I could go out on a date.  I didn't really capture much of the birthday fun, but Lora, my sweet friend and co-teacher at the preschool got me a needle felting kit for my birthday.  I am a bit obsessed.  I made my first project already, a tiny pumpkin.

Aside from birthday fun, Carrigan also had a fun pumpkin carving/Halloween party at her friend's house.  They carved pumpkins, played games, and ate yummy treats.

Well, that's really it but, as promised, here are some pictures of C.C. playing soccer in her big padded cast. 

Fall Break

  What a fun, busy week!  This week was fall break and parent/teacher conferences for the kids.  That meant that Carrigan only had school on Monday and Tuesday and Merrick and Elsie had it through Wednesday.  On Wednesday, C.C. got to come to preschool with me and be the helper.  She was like a celebrity in class with everyone wanting to sit by her.

Thursday, we spent the day at a pumpkin patch.  We did the corn maze, pet the goats, pigs, and ponies, slid down slides, played badminton and tetherball, and went on a hike.  My favorite part of the day though was burying Merrick in the nut house (the apple cider doughnuts were pretty good too).

Friday, Merrick and I went shopping.  We didn't find the pants we were looking for but he did find out that he could rock a Hillary Clinton mask and look remarkably like this cousin, Colvin.

Friday Night the girls went to their cousin's and Jeremy, Merrick, and I went to the high school football game for youth night.  All the youth football teams got to run across the field at halftime.

On Saturday, both Merrick and CC had games.  Carrigan got to play even with her cast, we just had to pad it.  I forgot to take a picture of her playing with her big padded cast, I will try to make that happen for next week.  While her team didn't win, she took two shots on goal.  That is the first time she has ever done that!  Merrick had a great game as well and his team won by about 40 points.

For Elsie, this has been party season.  She has been to two different princess parties in the last two weeks.  She's been having such a blast with her friends.  It's fun to watch her grow into her own person and develop little friendships.

One other highlight for the week, Jeremy's cousin works for the company called Castcoverz.  They make, you guessed it, covers for casts.  She was so sweet to send us one to try out.  It has been such a game changer for her in making her cast more comfortable, plus it's super cute!  Now her cast isn't scratchy against her skin and clothes.

Fun and Not So Fun

 This week (like most if we are being honest) was full of ups and downs, fun things and rough things.

Fun: Park time, play dates, soccer pictures, playing outside in the beautiful weather we are still having, eating cotton candy until our teeth turn purple, and the annual primary pumpkin patch.  At the pumpkin patch activity, Carrigan got to help run the "fishing game" and had a blast popping up out of the "water" and pretending to go for a swim.  They got to pick pumpkins, play on the playground, fish for candy and eat doughnuts.  What's not to love.

I also learned a new crafting skill, needle felting.  I am not sure how I missed the boat on this up until now but I think it's time to make up for lost time.

Not so fun: The not so fun for this week can pretty much be summed up by one word, fractured.  After almost a week and a half of waiting, we had a follow up appointment on Carrigan's wrist.  The doc sent us for repeat imaging and it was confirmed that it was fractured.  She said she wanted it casted that day so we headed to the pediatric orthopedist at the children's hospital to sit and wait to be seen.  After an hour and a half the doc came in, confirmed the fracture and said that she doesn't typically cast that type of fracture and we had basically waisted our time.  I was not pleased.  Carrigan was in pain and I knew she would continue to be without the stabilization of the cast.  The more we talked, the more the doctor softened.  She said she didn't think it would be wrong to cast it and asked Carrigan what she thought.  She definitely wanted it casted.  We finally left the office with a new fall accessory and are hopefully on the road to recovery with less pain.

Also, just a quick mention that Merrick's back seems to be doing better.  He actually played in his game yesterday and didn't have pain, to that's a definite plus.

Injury

 This week, unfortunately, was all about injury.  Merrick hurt his back in his football game last week.  By Tuesday he was starting to feel a little bit better but then reaggravated it playing basketball at recess.  He had a previously scheduled doctor's appointment on Wednesday so we talked to the doctor about it.  He felt it was just muscular and wants him to start PT.  In the meantime, we have started him on a regular stretching routine, he has had to sit out of practice and yesterday had to miss his game.  To say that he doesn't enjoy sitting on the sidelines is a huge understatement.  He is starting to feel better today, so hopefully will be back to  tip top shape in no time.

While Merrick and I were at the doctor, the girls were at a church activity.  They were playing tag in the gym when C.C. slipped and fell on her wrist.  She came home with it wrapped up but seemed more or less ok. We had a busy night that night and I didn't really have time to address it too much more.  We just kept it wrapped up overnight and she went to school the next day like that.  I never heard anything from the school that day, but when she got off the bus that afternoon, she was in tears.  I brought her home to unwrap it and and take a closer look.  She was so upset after the bandage came off that we decided to take her to urgent care for x-rays.  The x-rays didn't show anything horrendously wrong but did indicate a possible Salter-Harris fracture in her growth plate. We left with a splint/half-cast and will follow up with repeated imaging this coming week.  Hopefully we will find that it isn't actually fractured, but if it is, we will have to see a pediatric orthopedist and she will have to have a cast.  Due to her injury she had to just walk at her school's fun run on Friday.  It was a bummer for sure, but she got to walk with her teacher so I think she enjoyed that.

Elsie's injuries for the week were not quite as severe as her brother or sister's but she did fall twice this week and ended up with 2 scraped up knees and a scraped up arm.

We are just a mess!  Hopefully we will all get ourselves sorted out soon and by next week I will be able to report that we are all good as new.