The Pool (So Far)

We weren't at the pool a ton during the first half of summer due to our busy schedule, but we were able to get there a few times. It was a little chilly a couple of those days, so a lot of our time was spent in the sand box/on the playground.

The kids discovered that running water down the slide made it go even faster.

Baby Bri was able to join us a couple of times, too!

It took Paige a time or two to get used to the water, but now she's pretty fearless, for better or worse.

Brooke would live at the pool, even though she starts sneezing almost as soon as she gets in the water.

Watching Brooke dive.

Stay tuned for Pool Pics, part 2...

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

A few weeks before school was out, Brooke's school had the Tiger Trot, an annual fundraiser. Brooke and most of the kids in her class took part in the Fun Run.

Brooke ran without Matt or I and ran the whole way (per a report from my friend who ran). She finished in around 10 minutes. Not too shabby! Maybe someday she and I can do some distance runs together.

She finished off her soccer season a few weeks after that. She's learned to enjoy soccer for the social aspect, but I've never seen her just kick the ball around for fun.

Hanging out after the game one Saturday.

We're taking it easy this summer, only doing Lil' Chippers and swimming lessons. I think she's learning to like golf more. Miles also seems to enjoy it.

With summer came the end of school. Because we had a lot going on, I was a mess the last day of school and Brooke was tardy for the first time (luckily, her report card had already been filled out - ha!).

Then, I couldn't find my keys and missed her last pickup as a kindergartener. Thankfully, my friend got this picture of her and Mrs. Bicker for me. It's been a great school year and a great spring. And now, hooray for summer!

Treats

The kids are so lucky to have amazing family on both sides, and Aunt Jamie is no exception. Whenever they hear that she (and sometimes Uncle Will :)) are coming by for a "treat," they know it's going to be good. I never tell them specifics and it's always fun to hear them speculate what it could be. A few weeks ago, it was Yogli Mogli, and last week it was the cupcake store and playground.

They always have a blast and feel so special. Thanks for all you do, Aunt Jamie!

Emergency

One night during the last week of school, Brooke started complaining of a tummy ache right before bed. She was able to go to the bathroom and she and we both chalked it up to eating too much pizza before running around at soccer practice. That night, she was up every hour or two crying about her tummy. She never threw up and didn't have a fever, so we didn't know quite what to think.

The following day was Field Day at school and when I told Brooke she wasn't going to be able to go and she didn't put up a fight, I knew she wasn't feeling well. She didn't eat and was lethargic all day, even napping in her room on her own. She didn't want to walk and was asking us to carry her places, and on a few occasions mentioned the pain specifically in her right side. This rang a bell and I googled it and found that complaints of pain in the lower right abdomen is a symptom never to ignore in children. I called the pediatrician, still thinking I was being a hypochondriac (she still didn't have a fever and hadn't vomited), but after hearing her symptoms and briefly putting me on hold, told us to take her straight to the emergency room.

Thankfully, Matt's parents were able to come stay with Miles and Paige and Matt met me at the ER. Our hospital has a pediatric ER and we couldn't have been happier with how quickly and smoothly they got things done. We arrived around four and saw a doctor who talked us through all the things that it could be (I think he was a little skeptical). They did her bloodwork and an ultrasound. Even though the tech didn't say anything, I could tell from his reaction that something wasn't right. We got back from the ultrasound and the doctor told us that her white blood cell count was elevated, meaning that she had some sort of infection and that she wouldn't be leaving that night. Shortly after that, he got a call from the radiologist who said that she had a very clear-cut case of appendicitis. About 30 minutes later, we were taken to surgery where we met her surgeon (who happens to be a mother at Wiesbrook, Brooke's school). By this time, her fever was up to 102 and she was feeling ever worse. Thankfully, by eight that night she was in surgery.

They told us that we caught it about as early as we could have. The surgery was laparoscopic, so they went in through her belly button. She also had two small incisions on either side of her abdomen. She was a little slow the next day and wasn't really able to bend over for several days, but she was back at school on Friday and swimming on Saturday (the surgery was Wednesday night). A day or two after she pretended to be a surgeon with her toys.

People were very generous, stopping by with all kinds of goodies for her (and the other two). Here she is with a purse from the Wellers.

It was a crazy evening, but it made us so thankful to God for our access to amazing healthcare, as well as the fact that this has been our scariest emergency so far.

Put Me In, Coach!

It's safe to say that we've found Brooke's favorite organized sport that she's played so far. Despite a season that had several weeks of 3 games, she always looked forward to her softball games. Of course, the cheering from the bench didn't hurt.

I'm sure that it also helped that Matt was her coach, but it's a sport that she's always willing to spend extra time practicing. She'd even play catch with teammates when she was sitting out for an inning.

Miles and Paige were troopers coming to all of her games.

She was a lucky girl to have a lot of family support. I think that she had someone besides our immediate family at every game to cheer her on. (Which we appreciate - these games aren't the fastest moving or most enthralling.)

It was fun to see her skills improve as the season went on. I'm not an expert, but people kept saying that she had a "good swing" and she connected with pitches from the coach more often than she had to go to the tee.

Did I mention the games weren't always the most exciting? Miles and Paige found ways to have a little fun.

Seriously? Look at that face. (Photo cred to Uncle Will.)

There was always a playground nearby, so they got to do a little monkeying around, too.

Hopefully her love of the game continues!