Basketball Banquet

After a busy week at work and feeling spread thin and overwhelmed I decided to take the day off on my birthday.  I didn't have anything planned but was looking forward to peace and quiet.  JJ had offered to take the day off but decided to pick up a shift offered to him.  I enjoyed spending the morning at the gym and then relaxing outside on our deck.  The weather was so nice!  I took a nap and enjoyed watching some TV.  That evening we had Lucy's basketball banquet.  It wasn't ideal to have that the same evening but oh well.  They had it at Sugarfire and with the nice weather it was a beautiful evening to eat outside.  They did some awards and recognized each girl.  They talked nicely about Lucy and her strength and determination over the past four years.  She worked hard and improved so much, and they could always count on her cheering for the other girls.  They also said they could see how much time the girls spent watching film and Lucy by far watched the most.  She was always watching film on games!  I was thankful they had nice things to say about Lucy.  I was also proud of every part of her they talked about.  In the end it doesn't matter how many points she scored, or minutes played.  She is a strong girl who is a good friend and cheerleader for her teammates.  Her positive attitude and bright smile will be missed. 

We came home and opened some cards and gifts.  The kids did a good job of making sure to spoil me.  Lucy and Garrett, both got me flowers and Lucy got me some balloons.  Nolan got me a 3D printed dragon.  It was so sweet to see how they all did what they could.  I know it is hard for Nolan to get me a gift, he can't drive himself to the store and doesn't have money.  I could tell he was worried about getting me something.  It was so sweet of him to do what he knew how to do and used resources around him.  I will love my dragon and the sweet gesture it is.  Garrett was so sweet and put up the birthday decorations for me.  I started to feel sick as the day went on.  I caught the stomach bug from Nolan.  I barely ate any dinner at the banquet, and we decided to hold off on cake and ice cream.  I went to bed early but had a rough night.  I had to call in sick Friday at work.  It was overall a crummy birthday but that's ok.  That is how it goes sometimes.  I have kind of been feeling down about myself lately.  I don't like milestones where I feel like I should be a better version of myself by now.  I keep thinking to myself by next year I will be.... and then I'm not.  So, in a way having another birthday and not being a better version of me or accomplishing something I had hoped to do can make me sad.  I guess we are always a work in progress and hopefully this year I can work hard to feel more accomplished by my next birthday.  

Dentist and MRI

I got to spend the day with Garrett.  We went to the dentist to have those groves filled in behind his teeth.  He didn't realize they were going to have to numb his mouth.  It didn't bother him, but he just wasn't expecting it.  It was no big deal and hopefully this will be a good long-term fix for him.  We then went to have an MRI done on his lower back.  Garrett has been having a lot of pain in his lower back down his leg.  It has been getting worse over the last few weeks.  I took him to the orthopedic and they did some x-rays.  It was hard to tell but it looked and seemed like after doing some clinical examination that it was more the spine that was the problem.  Not just a muscle problem.  He sent us to have an MRI done and told Garrett to not do any exercise until we figure it all out.  We got the MRI done and a few days later they called to tell us that he has two bulging discs.  He will start some physical therapy and hopefully in a few weeks he will be feeling much better. He still has to take it easy and no physical activity other than walking for now.  Garrett is sad to miss hopefully only the beginning of track season.  We are thankful it isn't anything worse.  

March Birthdays

I kept seeing announced in our stake announcements an organ seminar being held in Colombia.  It was being put on by BYU and was completely free to attend.  I mentioned it to Natalie because I knew Jayne was recently called to play the organ in their ward.  I had thought about attending but needed to be home for prom and JJ was teaching a course for OEP all weekend.  Natalie signed up Olivia, Jayne and Charlotte to attend the organ seminar.  They drove down Friday and went to the organ concert.  Saturday the seminar provided breakfast and lunch.  They had fun attending but Olivia and Charlotte said they were probably in the wrong group.  Jayne found it really informative.  Natalie said if they do it again, we should attend.  They drove to St. Louis Saturday evening and were going to spend some time in St. Louis before heading to Branson for a little trip.  We all got together on Sunday to celebrate all of the March birthdays in the family.  Unfortunately, Nolan woke up in the middle of the night sick.  JJ was still teaching his course and wouldn't finish until around 5.  I headed down with Lucy and Garrett.  Christy reserved the pavilion and ordered pizza for everyone.  We all brought side salads and paper goods.  Lauren and Braden drove in town to celebrate with us too.  It was so fun to all be together! We haven't been together in a very long time.  We missed Courtney, Jesse, Kelsey and Geoff.  JJ came down as soon as he was done.  Nolan stayed home and slept.  JJ was excited to meet little Lainey.  She is such a doll!  She was so happy and smiley.  My dad got her laughing, and it was so sweet.  All of us with a March birthday lined up with our piece of cake and we all sang.  It really filled my soul to be together.  I know I have said it so many times, but our family really is not the same without mom.  She gathered us and brought us together in more ways than one.  I have had to work harder on my relationships with my family members.  Mom really helped us stay connected. I know she was smiling down on us all together.  I wish it wouldn't be so long before we would all get together again.       

Mormon Prom

Lucy had a really fun time going to Mormon prom with Braden.  She had a busy day working in the morning and then heading over to get ready with friends.  They all got ready together at Berkley's house.  They got flowers and made their own little bouquets. Kennedi curled her hair for her which looked really pretty.  It was hard to not feel left out all day.  She did everything with her friends and I wish I would have been a little more involved.  I am thankful she has good friends and that she had fun spending the day with them.  We took pictures at a farm, and I meet up with Lucy there.  She looked really pretty, and I think the dress she picked was really cute on her.   As a group they headed to dinner before the dance.  After the dance they all went bowling.  It was a really fun evening.  I am thankful Lucy had a date and was able to enjoy such a fun event.  

Last Game

We played our first districts game Thursday night.  For so many years we have been traveling to Madison this week for another surgery.  The basketball season had just ended, and it was our little window between basketball and track.  Lucy would always want to be around in case they would ask her to play up for districts.  We would watch online from Madison and know that Lucy wanted to be there so bad.  This year she was finally on Varsity and finally at districts.  She had waited a long time to be sitting there with her team.  We knew this would be the last game, the likelihood of moving on past this game was slim to none.  We were playing Troy, and they creamed us.  Lucy got to play a decent amount which was nice.  This was the end of basketball for Lucy.  It is hard to close such a big chapter of your life.  Lucy has been playing basketball for the past 10 years.  Playing basketball has not been easy for her.  It has been something that she has worked extremely hard at.  There have been so many setbacks and delays with her surgeries.  We don't feel they have ever really valued Lucy as a player.  This had driven her to work harder and put more time in to trying to improve.  She has spent her own money on private training sessions to work on things that coaches have critiqued her on.  We have noticed significant improvement, even if her coaches never did.  While this has been the best part of high school for her it has also been really hard emotionally.  It's hard as her parents to ride the emotional roller coaster that it has provided.  I also think that it has been so fun to watch her play.  I love her smile after she makes a basket.  I love that she loves the game so much.  It takes up a lot of her time and I am thankful that watching her play lets me into her life.  Watching her play has giving me a part of her high school experience.  It lets me be a part of her life that means so much to her.  We have loved supporting her and cheering her on all these years.  She has come so far, and she should be proud of that.  We are excited to see her find something else in life that she loves just as much.  I am looking forward to her enjoying intermural basketball in college.  That will hopefully bring back the joy that is there when she plays.  Just playing for fun!  Tonight was the end of a big chapter, but it is really just the beginning of something else.              

Sunday afternoon Nolan was creative and built a little mini golf hole on the patio. The weather was nice, and he had fun playing out there all afternoon.  He made modifications and added pieces of wood to redirect the ball.  It was so fun to see him thinking and creating.  

Nolan got his cast off!  Monday, he slipped and fell at recess and got his cast all muddy.  The nurse brought him to me, and I cleaned him off the best I could.  She used some Q-tips to get the mud out of the top of the finger hole.  It smelled like dirt, and we were happy to have it come of the next day.  When they took the cast off there was mud in his fingernails.  The bones looked good and have some good healing and growth on the x-rays.  We will buddy tape the fingers for a few weeks while he plays and then he is good to go.  He told me he wants to make a goal to not go back there for a very long time.  I think that sounds like a good plan!   

Lucy played a game at Howell.  It was their senior night, but it was so sweet that they also recognized our seniors.  At the beginning of the game, they called our three seniors out and gave them a flower.  Such a sweet gesture. 

Lots of basketball lately!  Friday night we all cheered on Lucy at Ft. Zumwalt North.  We have spent a lot of hours sitting on bleachers eating concession stand food for dinner.  I know that there are only a few games left and we are soaking them all up.   

Monday we were off for Presidents Day.  We all headed to the dentist to get our teeth cleaned.  We all had good cleaning and only Garrett needs to come back.  He has some grooves on the back of his top laterals that are started to get some decay.  It looks like it is just the way the tooth developed.  Before they turn into big cavitied he wants to clean them out and fill them.  We are thankful to have nothing else to come back for.  The kids all got free kids meals certificates, so we went after to redeem them.  It was fun to have all the kids together.  I feel like these times are getting fewer and fewer.  I know as they get older it will be even more rare to have them all with me. 

Lucy had her last home game.  Our neighbors the Barnowskis came to watch.  Lucy had a rough game.  We were down by a significant amount and Lucy was sitting the bench.  Lucy hasn't been able to play much this year and that has been hard.  She knew that going into the year that she wouldn't get much play time.  She still wanted to be a part of the team and the program her senior year.  It was frustrating to be so far behind in a game and still not swap out the players.  Lucy was the only one that had not gone in at all the whole game.  With just over a minute on the clock he finally looked at Lucy and realized she had not gone in, and it was her last home game.  He put her in and then pulled all the seniors out so they could announce the seniors final game.  It was so upsetting for us and especially Lucy.  When things like this happen, we aren't sad to be done with the girl's basketball program.  My heart broke for Lucy.     

I took Lucy to the orthopedic for a new MRI of her ankle.  We meet with the doctor after the MRI.  He compared the two scans, and the cyst is the exact same size as it was before we ever drained it.  It is frustrating to know that even after draining it twice it was still just as big.  It was clear that our next step it to surgically remove it.  We don't want Lucy to have to continue to worry about this and be in pain.  She has gotten use to the constant pain in her ankle and always tapes it for playing basketball. The surgery will not be easy, and the recovery will be long.  She will be in a splint, then cast and then boot for a total of 8 week.  Hopefully come out just in time to walk at graduation.   

Saturday after work Lucys friend Braden asked her to church Prom.  After a long hard week this was such a fun surprise for Lucy.  She really needed something like this right now. She was so excited to be asked and excited to be going with Braden.  They will have such a fun time going together.