OUCH!

Some days I feel like my motto in life should be "expected the unexpected," because that is often what happens. Today marked the beginning and end of Trey's fall soccer season. Yup, just like that it was here and over. Trey had a fantastic double header this morning at 10 AM and 11 AM to kick off the season. He scored a goal, did a great job playing goalie and played most of the game as a forward, his favorite position. Trey's team played great and won both games, the future looked promising. After his games wrapped up, Trey stayed over by his field to visit with friends and watch the next game. The rest of us made our way over to adjacent field for Josh and Matt's 12 PM game.

As I happily chatted with friends, wrestled and tickled the girls and snapped photos of the boys, out of no where I hear a voice filled with panic shout my name. "Cheryl Jackson, Cheryl Jackson!" I looked up to see Trey's good friend Sammy's mom running my direction. She was a coach of another team that was playing on the field next to us. "Cheryl, Trey just fell and broke his arm!"

Well then, that wasn't quiet on my list of things planned for the day. Just the phrase 'broken arm' put me in a dream like type state. Josh broke his arm two years ago, so I thought I knew what to expect. Thankfully, Rich was with us and headed off toward the direction she pointed. I quickly put away the camera and gathered the girls. A friend had asked if she could take the girls, but I said no, they would follow me no matter what. I walked at a brisk pace trying to get Kaitlyn to catch up, when I finally saw what was a head of us. Trey on the ground writhing and screaming, Rich hunched over, a crowd of parents trying to help and right then and there I knew it wasn't good and much more serious than I had first envisioned. I sprinted toward my oldest child with a bit of fear in my heart.

After all the tumbles and bumps on the soccer field, Trey broke his arm by just playing with friends running and chasing when he fell down on his arm as it was outstreched behind him. Rich put it like this, there are broken arms and then there are BROKEN arms. To all our disappointment, Trey's was the latter. It was a horrible scene. Trey's right arm was outstretched, a tennis ball size bulge two inches above the wrist followed by curved downward section, his hand twisted in an unnatural position. My stomach did a little flip. I am no orthopedic surgeon like my father-in-law, but I knew enough to make me scared. Now instead of a lazy afternoon together, I was hoping Trey's day would be contained to x-rays and a cast and not pins and plates.

While the whole thing was passing like a blur in slow motion, I looked around and took it all in. Rich was a kind and attentive doctor and father. Parents and coaches were rushing about giving Trey ice, wiping his hot face down with wet t-shirts. A friend dashed over and took the girls. People grabbed first aid kits, gauze, tape, shin guards, clipboards and cardboard. Rich carefully constructed a split and secured Trey's wobbly arm and hand to it while many hands pressed and lifted and reached out in support.

As I looked up I saw Sammy's mom, Kyle's mom, a pulmonologist from UK that Rich knows from work all assisting Rich, a tech from UK stabilizing the splint, and EMT unrolling tape, two YMCA refs and various other people doing all they could to help Trey and us in our time of need. It touched me. I couldn't do anything to help my son through the pain. I could only encourage and love him. But others were doing the same for us. We surrounded by generous and caring people who's only thoughts at that moment was to help Trey. It showed the goodness of people and how charity and kindness are alive and well. I felt blessed through it all. Though I am sure if you asked the patient his answer wouldn't quite be the same. In fact he later told me on a 1-10 pain scale, it was 100% a 10. Poor kid.

With Trey's arm bound to the cardboard splint, we made our way to the car and off they went, just like that. My part was over, but I knew he was in good hands. How grateful I am for cars, x-rays, doctors, pain medicine, casts, Christ-like people and the pure miracle of the human body that can repair broken bones. It's an amazing world we live in.

After my two fellas drove off, I went back hugged the girls, thanked our friends, watched the soccer game, rushed Josh and Matt over to their 1 PM baseball game, grabbed some much needed ice cream (I failed to mention that it was 95 degrees and humid today!) and finally got home at 3 PM. Then we waited and waited and waited for Trey and Rich to finally come home. Sure they called us on the phone, but I was ready to give my little buddy a big hug and see his smiling face walk through the door. That finally happened at 7 PM.They had to wait, and wait and wait because Trey's break was a displaced fracture. He broke both the radius and ulna two inches above the wrist and the bones were not aligned. They had to reduce the break (manipulate it back into the correct position). They admitted him to the hospital and ran an IV. Trey had been drinking water during the game so after the first set of x-rays they had to wait nearly 3 hours so they could safely sedate him allowing them to reduce the break. After that they had to take a second round of x-rays and finally split his arm. They have to allow time for the swelling to go down before they can put on a hard cast. We'll go back a week from Monday to get the cast.

While there is never a good time to break anything, we were fortunate it was today. Rich took Trey over early so we had both cars at the field. Rich's board exam was last Monday making this the first Saturday in forever he didn't desperately need to study. It was a blessing it was now and not next week when he was on call and not at the game. It would have been so much harder on all of us any other way. Like most things, our current situation wasn't great, but really could have been so much worse.

It was a long day for everyone, but it ended on a happy note. As I waited our friends the McQuivey's who were at the game and took my girls during the drama, dropped off cookies for Trey. Our parents called to check up on Trey. And once he got home he was showered with love. Matt gave him a big hug and told him he was really worried about him. The girls were fascinated by Trey's big 'owie' and kept repeating "Trey broken." Also, his soccer coach Tricia Brooksalong with her family came over to wish Trey well and gave him the coolest balloon I've seen and some more yummy cookies.Her daughter Waveney is also Trey's teammate. Yes, Trey had a brief sad moment after all the visitors left and realized that school (he's right handed), recess, soccer, P.E., PS2, computer games, birthday parties, etc, were all going to be affected by this, but after some encouraged tears, hugs and a prayer I know he'll get through this like he always does- with a smile on his face and a bit of mischievousness in his eyes. Yes, he'll be alright. Count on it. Just you wait and see.....

Hidden Blessings

I have been dealing with these pesky little creatures for awhile now. In fact, no matter how much poison bait I left out for them to eat and take back to their fellow ant friends, I still found them crawling here and there around my house. I sprayed the entire perimeter of my house with Home Defense twice and used an entire bottle of Terro liquid gel, but to no avail. My little unwanted house guests didn't get the idea that they were supposed to find a new location to forage for food as soon possible!

After a month of failed attempts and a visit from a family member where I had to politely ask him to pardon the poison on the bits of tin foil in the basement near his room I decided it was time for some outside help. Maybe it was the fact my boys watched the Ant Bully on Sunday night and it got my mind buzzing. Yup, it was my turn to become the bully and phone up our friend Matt who just happens to be the best exterminator around.

Tuesday morning bright and early Zach from Innovative Pest Management knocked on my door ready to tackle my problem. I told him the situation and he soon was on his way wiping an even deadlier gel in the corner of my windows and began exploring my yard for the main cause of my problems- the colony. He was thorough and lifted the stones, poked the ground and peeked under all the bushes. He was going to solve this mystery.

A half an hour later he rang the bell and gave me the news. There was good and bad. My heart sunk. I just prayed he wasn't going to say he found a nasty infestation of termites that would later hinder my ability to sell my home. Gladly that wasn't the case. Good news: he found the ants. There was a huge colony under a rock in my front yard and a smaller one on the side of the house. He sprayed them and while he couldn't guarantee they wouldn't return, I wouldn't be crawling in my basement anytime soon. Sounded great to me!
Then came the bad news: While lifting up stones in the back yard he found this: A black widow spider. My heart soared, this wasn't a big deal. I grew up in Utah where on occasion I would spy a black widow in her web just outside my basement window. I could deal with spiders. He asked me if it was okay to spray her. Of course, but I wanted to get a peek at her while he did it. The girls and I carefully walked down the deck stairs behind Zach to where he had found the hazardous eight legged creature. He took us to the decorative stones close to the guest bedroom window, put on some gloves and then removed each rock until he found her. He wanted to save her for a bug collection and then spray the area. I was amazed when he lifted the piece there she waiting, defending her territory. You see she wasn't just waiting for dinner to find their way into her web, she had been nesting. Yes, there were egg sacks near her and she wasn't going to run and hide. She was protective of her soon to be babies. As he trapped the spider and sprayed, a second female Black Widow spider came into view. Upon removing more stone, even more egg sacks were found.

As I watched him kill the spiders and destroy the eggs, my mind began to put the pieces together. The pest man didn't just find a spider, he had found something on a much bigger level. This would have turned into a very dangerous situation if it had gone unnoticed. This section of rock is just feet away from the guest bedroom window and our back door. Josh is often right next to it as he shoots hoops in the basketball standard. The girls have been known to sit on the rock while their brothers played ball or soccer and often picnic just yards away from the nesting site. This could have been a scary and serious problem if it had been left untreated.

What a blessing it was to have found these poisonous spiders before the babies invaded my home as the temperatures cooled. I could envision the tiny babies entering my home through minuscule cracks and setting up house in the storage room, in the Legos or behind the TV. This would have been a nightmare.

The whole thing rattled me just a bit and made me shiver in disgust. My children could have been in danger and that frightened me the most. One bite from a female black widow will put a small child in the hospital. And yet my kids were safe because of some annoying yet harmless ants. Who knew that ants could actually be a blessing in disguise. That these small bugs would leads us to a much larger and serious predicament.

How often in life are we protected from danger by an irritating and unexpected complication. Do we even grasp that these small obstacles can lead us down a safer path? That these seemingly insignificant matters can actually add up to so much more. That what was once thought as a trivial piece in the puzzle of life is really part of the main big picture, not just some bit on the edge no one would have noticed. I think I often am in too much of a rush to comprehend that trials can really be for our good. That we are helped through the bad and that we can learn and grow because of them. The negative can allow us to mature as a person in wisdom and knowledge and increase our spiritual understanding. It's hard to see in the moment, but once in awhile you grasp that bigger perspective and you see how something so unimportant really did make an enormous difference in the end. Thanks ants for leading us to the spiders, but also for teaching me to appreciate and understand how I am helped along each day through the small ups and downs we call life.

Random Bits of Life....

Yup, we are still alive here in Kentucky, though you might have thought something had gone amiss since my absence from blogging. Life just keeps moving on whether or not I write about it. And that is fine. Sometimes it's easier to not have to use my brain and think about what happened over the past few days. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and enjoy it all, the good, the crazy, the bad and the absurd and just be happy it's your life and you get to live it.

Lots of things have been on my mind these past few weeks. Here are a few bits of what I've been thinking about.....

* My girls are straight from heaven. Of course that does not mean that they are mess and chaos free or that they don't hit or bite each other on occasion or tell me to 'Stop it Mom' at least once a day, because that would be a straight lie, but I love their soft nature, their love for simple things and the happiness a 2 1/2 year old can bring every second of every day. They just are full of joy and it in turn makes me joyful watching and playing with them. Yes, I can get quickly overwhelmed by their amazing, truly remarkable abilities to make the largest messes I have ever had to deal with, but as I look closer at the piles, I see little pens and papers tucked into make-up bags. I see baby dolls carefully laid to sleep in the girls' precious blankets. There are piles of books and catalogs the girls browsed through together. I smile as I see the Gameboy and know it's been used as Brynn's 'camera' for the day. I laugh out loud as I spy lip balm, a Polly Pocket, 2 hair clips, a crayon, a CD, a mini-medical text book, a small hymnal and a peanut butter cookie packed inside my nice leather bag Brynn claimed for her own. I love that when we leave a store or park Kaitlyn always says, "FUN!" She loves going out as much as I do. I love that when I ask them who wants some food Kaitlyn yells "MEEEAN" while Brynn shouts, "MINE". Who knew there were so many other fun ways to say 'me'. I love Kaitlyn's hair in pigtails and Brynn's crazy, wispy hair that flows freely like her spirit. I love Kaitlyn's soft and shy "yes" when asked a question. I love their passion for all things Dora. They tote the VHS tapes around the house, they wear Dora underwear over their diapers and Kaitlyn giggles each time I put on her 80's type Dora jellyshoes she spied at Payless and wouldn't leave the store without purchasing. They are my daily buddies, the littles who are never far from my side and often attached to my leg. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

* I love that each of my boys are unique. Sure, at times I wish they could all agree on the same thing to do together when their differences make it near impossible to agree on an activity, but each of them have their own personalities and I like that. I love that Matt is constantly collecting new treasures that would look like trash to most people, but to him a broken luggage lock, half of a pen, an old bottle cap and a bit of wire fence can be transformed into usable, cool things. I love that he keeps plugging away at reading and will snuggle up to me on the couch while we read. I love Josh's maturity. Of course there are times when I clearly see he is seven, but most of the time he acts well above his years. He carefully picks out his clothes for the next day and puts them in a pile so he can quickly get dressed in the morning. He is the first one to hop in the shower, to complete his homework without being asked and will often make breakfast for himself and brothers (Eggos and cereal) while I'm moving the other two forward in getting ready. He's a real big help. I also love to tease and joke with Josh. He eats it up and loves to tease me back with funny ideas. I love Trey's zest for all fun things in life. I can see a lot of myself in him. This is not a great quality when you are trying to get harder things like homework or chores done quickly, but finding pleasure in your day helps get you through the not so fun bits with a smile on your face. I love that when he sets his mind on something, he can get things done on a record pace, much like his mother. I love that Trey loves to read. He devours any book he can find. He has a stack of book on his bed that makes it difficult to make. I bought the new Rick Riordan book The 39 Clues on Tuesday and the first thing he has done when he got home from school the past two days is get the book and the cards out and search for clues online. I only wish such cool things had been available when I was a kid.

* I am loving that Josh and Matt are enjoying fall baseball. I guess I should clarify that and say I am so happy Matt is have a great time. He never has had a passion for sports like his twin brother, but this coach pitch stuff has really made him happy. He is hitting the ball well and it's amazing to see the confidence come. Another dad on the team asked Rich after a game if he had two boys on the team. Rich replied yes and then the man said almost in a critical tone, "They are not twins are they?" In my mind I wanted to make some rude remark, but then he followed it saying that "the bigger one was always taking care of and looking out for the smaller one." While I didn't love the way he described the boys by their physical sizes, I liked that other people had noticed how they watched out for each other. While Josh would get Matt's hat for him, Matt gave Josh his bat when it was time to pick up. I love that my boys are always there helping each other along.

* I also am so excited that Josh and Matt are in the same math class. It seems that the daily summer homework sheets paid off and they now can spend an hour together each day. That makes me happy.

* I love the boys' school. On Wednesday at drop off there were huge flags, two fire trucks on display, firemen waving at the kids, a sound system with booming music and teachers giving the kids high fives and cheers. The CATS testing scores were released from the spring and Veteran's Park Elementary was named as a national Blue Ribbon school. All the teachers and students hard work paid off and they should be praised for their efforts. When Matt came home from school he ran to me and with all the excitement he could muster he exclaimed, "This is such a great day. For the rest of my life, I'll remember that I went to a Blue Ribbon school. And for the rest of your life, you'll remember that your kids went to a Blue Ribbon school." I had to laugh at his intensity. I think it's a great thing, but I also am hoping these great test scores will help us sell our house in a few years! I do truly appreciate all the time and effort the boys' teachers put into teaching each day. Each of the boys' teachers personalities mesh so well with theirs. I love the school's parental involvement. I love the herd of parents and children walking to and from school each day. I love that they have a community service project and theme each month encouraging the kids to give back. I love that my kids are excited about going to school each day and enjoy learning. This is a life long gift that will affect them and generations to come.

* I love that Trey is excited for his birthday. When the first day of September rolled around, he quickly asked me if any birthday presents had arrived in the mail yet. Not quite buddy, but I agree enjoying the anticipation of a big event makes it even that much better when it finally arrives. He also has planned various birthday bashes and tells me about them after he invited a few friends along for the festivities. We have not narrowed down a place for the party yet, but one thing is certain I'll have to host one cool par-tay because Trey isn't going to let me forget.

* Rich took boards on Monday. Woo Hoo! It was a long and intense road of preparation, stress, prayer and in the end Rich felt good about his efforts. Man, I would never want to do what Rich does nor have to learn and memorize all the material he has to know, but I am so grateful for his dedication and hard work to become the best radiologist he can be. Love you Rich! And many, many thanks to family and friends who supported Rich in this through prayers and fasting. I know you made a difference. Thank you!

* I love the change in the seasons. While it is still hot and humid here in Lexington, the light has a different slant and the coolness of the morning make me believe change will soon come. I love the small bits of color I can see in a few trees. We have a beautiful world to enjoy and change always helps remind me of the loveliness that surrounds me.

* I love family. Rich's cousin Chad stayed with us last week from Thursday night until Sunday. He had medical school interviews at the University of Louisville and at the University of Kentucky. My kids look forward to visitors like most people look forward to Christmas. It's a rare thing to have anyone stay with us, so we are thrilled when it happens. Chad was so kind, gracious and very easy to be around. In fact as he spent the day with me and girls he happily listened to my constant chatter with a smile and didn't even flinch upon discovering Brynn's diaper had leaked after he had her in his arms. He simply stated, 'I think Brynn's a little wet' and continued to hold her. What a trooper and he doesn't even have kids of his own yet. Though I think after 4 days with our wild bunch, he quickly told his wife Ashley that he wasn't ready for a baby of his own when he got home. Thanks Chad for a great weekend and for spending most of your birthday with us!

* I am really just so grateful for life. Stephanie "NieNie" Nielson has been on my mind a lot recently. I can't imagine how this kind of an accident could impact you, your children, your family and well, everything. I pray for her. I pray for her husband. I pray for her kids. And as I pray I am aware how blessed I am to be here with my own family. To be the one to pick the boys up from school. To tickle the girls as we make cookies. To help the boys along as they read and do their homework. To mop up the squished strawberries. To fold the tiny pink socks and pick up the soccer cleats. To give Rich a hug and kiss when he walks in from work. To have the gospel in my life and the knowledge of eternal families. Life is precious. Life is fragile. I have to remember this because it makes everything clear. The little things melt away and I see all I have. People who love me- that I matter to. And I love them back with my whole soul. That is happiness. That is blessed. That is peace. That is a bit of heaven on Earth. Enjoy it. Cherish it. It makes all the difference to you, to them, to everyone. Love life.....

Football Frenzy: Part 1

Every year die hard Cincinnati Bengals fans flock to Georgetown, Kentucky in mid-August to watch their beloved NFL team kick off their season during training camp. Any fun event that is free and kid friendly has our name written all over it, so we packed up the van and drove 30 minutes north to show support for our family's newly minted favorite NFL team. Georgetown is quaint and lovely and Bengal paw prints were everywhere. Kind of made me feel like I was back in Lexington, except the banners were in orange instead of blue.While the town was small, the training facilities located on Georgetown College's campus were impressive.Looked like we weren't the only ones who thought coming was a good idea.The Cincinnati BengalsThey filmed the practice from 3 different angles. This is a shot of the camera above. The offense worked on their passes. #9 Carson Palmer, #5 Jordan Palmer (Carson's little brother) #85 Chad Ocho Cinco previously known as Chad Johnson (what an idiot!)
The defenseCarson got a bit of QB action
The girls showed their love by sporting orange.At last, the practice wrapped up.Yes, this was the line as everyone waited to get autographs.The boys secured a spot at the top of the hill and waited patiently for the players to make their way up to them.The players finally reached the boys.They weren't disappointed.This was the mass of people swarming the quarterback Carson Palmer.Carson very generous and accommodating and slowly went up the entire line, making no eye contact, but signing everything put in front of him- including this lady's head. He signed the boys pennants and my notebook. He stayed out for 45 minutes and was the last player to leave. What a nice guy and my new favorite player.Mission Accomplished!Time to celebrate at the newly built Bajio Grill. The craziest part? This was only our first half of football fun that evening.

Football Frenzy: Part 2

How do you end a day spent with the Cincinnati Bengals? By spending the evening on the field with the University of Kentucky football team.It was fan appreciation night.Another perfect event for our family.Josh was giddy.We fit right in with our blue attire. Me and the girlsWe checked out the bowl game trophiesUK head coach Rich BrooksAnd got even more autographs. The players laughed that they were signing in the boys summer journals. They told the boys to be smart and work hard in school. I agree.The boys tried on some UK football gear. MattJoshTreyI couldn't resist and had to try it on myself. (Don't you love my 'Ashley Judd' t-shirt!)The girls practiced their cheer leading moves on the ground and in the air.Then wrapped up the night gobbling up a box of popcorn on the 50 yard line as fireworks lit up the night sky. Gotta love football!!