got scotty pippen?

it's funny how fast your perspective or outlook on life can change.  having to pay $800 for a car repair, getting no sleep because there are scary monsters & sudden cases of "dehydration", having my laptop screen stepped on/broken...did these things really make me upset before??!  especially after reading what this family has recently gone through.  and now, after taking kennedy to the ER for the 4th time [during her 6 years of life], i can only think about how blessed we are.

kennedy was climbing on our portable basketball goal this evening when it toppled over on top of her.  picture her legs & arms wrapped around the circular metal hoop, as she's hanging with her back facing the ground, feet closest to the backboard.  the entire goal post falls forward, kennedy hangs on with her right hand & uses her left arm/hand to break her fall.  we hear this crazy scream.  i was in the kitchen & clint & his mom were sitting in the living room talking & watching the kids play outside.  clint wasn't sure if kennedy was just playing around and looks in the driveway to see the basketball goal on it's side!  he jumps out of his chair & runs outside to a sobbing, staggering kennedy.  clint scooped her up in his big arms, held her tight & told her that everything was ok.  i was scared to look.  her left thumb was swollen & bruised & the thumbnail was bleeding a little.  the right side of her neck & collar bone area were scraped & bruised from where the basketball hoop had landed on her. through the sobs we could make out that her thumb was really hurting, clint looked at her arm & said, "i think it looks ok...right, hannah?" and held it up for me to see.  he looked at me with eyes that were screaming, please tell me it's not really as bad as it looks!!!  i shook my head & said, no, it's definitely broken, lets go to the doctor!  fortunately clint's mom is here this week & we could leave the two younger girls with her.  so off to the doc in the box we go (btw, the new urgent medical care off sam rittenberg is really nice).  they took x-rays & confirmed that she fractured both her radius & ulna near her wrist.  so she got a temporary cast tonight & we'll go to the ortho tomorrow to get her real cast!  and since it's both bones, she most likely will have to have a cast above her elbow again!  [update - doc in box doc was wrong!!  we got a short WATERPROOF cast!  woohoo!!!!]  kennedy said she didn't want to get a cast because they are sooo itchy [we've learned that being able to get it wet makes it not so itchy!]. 

i'm so thankful that all she has is a broken arm.  it could have been SO much worse!  her guardian angel sure does have to work hard with this active one!!!  i'm grateful that she was spared a far worse injury or even death - gulp - yep, these are the crazy mom worse-case-scenario-thoughts coming out!  but really, how fragile is life & how often do we forget that in a moment it could be over?!  it seems like too often all the everyday mumbo-jumbo takes priority & we don't really have time to think about, let alone, truly appreciate & give God thanks for all the many blessings!  i know i have a lot to be thankful for this evening!!!

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kennedy's famous!

well, not really, but she's on a billboard!  the girls were some extras/subjects for a couple of the aquarium photo shoots and low & behold, one of those shoots was for the new billboard!!  AND i think the same picture is going to be on the sides of all the downtown trolleys.  pretty cool!

the billboard (this is the rutledge/citadel exit i think?)

so i guess billboards aren't paper & glued down anymore

kennedy having a hard time containing her excitement

yes, that is chocolate & icecream all around her mouth

the pose

ellison wanted me to take a picture of her lose tooth - not sure how it is still attached??  yes, i made sure this picture was XL so you could see just how gross it is.

next ellison wanted her picture taken with the billboard

of course, avery also wanted her picture taken (from the backseat)

avery turns 2 yrs old!!!

avery, a few minutes old on 4/30/09

my sweet baby is 2 years old??  how and when did this happen?!  when i think about having her, it does seem like so long ago, but at the same time, maybe just last year.  avery has gotten SO big these days.  well, not physically, she is still just a little peanut, but she has matured/grown up so fast!  she has to do everything by herself & just like her big sisters.  she can talk SO well, and has for at least 6 months now.  she is definitely the talker of the bunch!  she loves to sing - right now any yo gabba gabba song, twinkle twinkle & abcs are her favorites. last month she started potty training herself...twice this week i have found her going poop on the potty all by herself.  she no longer sleeps in her crib.  has never tried to climb out of it, just refuses to go in it now.  she wants to sleep in a big girl bed.  she was sleeping in the guest bed in her bedroom, but we've now moved her onto the double bottom bunk with ellison.  we find all 3 of the girls asleep on the bottom bunk all the time now, they love it!  avery definitely has a big personality (as clint's mom says) and lets you know what she likes/doesn't like, and always knows what's going on around her, she is SO observant!  actually, if i am ever looking for something, doesn't matter if it's my purse, kennedy's shoe or an earring, i can ask avery & she usually 1. knows where it is or 2. can go find it!  but she is such a sweet, cuddly, smart, fun and expressive little tot.  we love her to pieces and couldn't imagine how boring life would be without her.  she loves her big sisters as much as they love her & it is so cute to see them together.  so happy birthday to our awesome AVERY!!

what avery wanted - a pink strawberry cupcake (she LOVES strawberries)

so excited

sneaking a taste while clint looks for some matches

blowing out the candles

singing happy birthday

yes, avery still has her sweet action mullet

round 3 of blowing out the candles (notice the tattered cupcake)

tricky candle!  trying from a different angle

so proud of herself!

KiNGFLY

we went to naples, fl for our friend's wedding in april.  it was so nice down there!  we stayed with my sister, ruth & her friend, rachel.  rachel owns KiNGFLY & makes UH-mazing purses, wallets, accessories & sandles.  she also makes custom items.  you need to take a look at her website.  she uses super nice italian leather & really cool fabrics for the linings.  and she uses like 2 SPOOLS of thread to sew the colorful trim.  anyways, take a look, you won't be sorry:   KiNGFLY

rachel working away

sewing some straps for the new sandals

she has been BUSY!  she actually has a lot in stock now to buy!

the super cute KiNGFLY sandal that ties around the ankle

losing teeth left & right!

have you ever searched online for tooth fairy pillows?  or even narrowed it down to "just" etsy?  let me tell you, there's a LOT of cute ones out there!! 

so the original pillow pouch i made for kennedy went MIA after probably 4 days of getting her first 2 teeth pulled.  so now that tooth #5 was hanging on by a thread, i figured [last night] that i need to make her something to take to school, since it's probably going to fall out the next time she sneezes! 


first cute one i stumbled upon:
mr. happy tooth

(there are tons of other cute felt animals here too)


whoa!  a super hero tooth fairy pillow?!!


cute


kennedy does love owls


i might make these cute bunnies for their easter baskets!



but then i found the one that screamed out KENNEDY to me!

and, to seal the deal, his name is sherman !!


so i kind of used sherman as an example/guide for the one i whipped up.  and boy am i glad that i did!  moose [what kennedy named her pillow] had to keep her tooth safe & sound since 10:30am!  she said she took a bite of a carrot & there was a really hard piece, so she spit it out & it was actually her tooth!!  so funny.  so goodbye tooth #5!

so i made moose after kennedy had gone to bed

and left him on her backpack to find in the morning.  clint said she was so excited & her favorite thing was his teeth...you know, they're kind of vampirey like the ones she's been drawing lately! 

 

 

 

the little gap

kennedy & moose

 (sorry these last 2 picts are so blurry, i took them with my phone this afternoon after i picked kennedy up for school)

soccer season has begun!

kennedy's first soccer game of the season!  she's starting off great...just as aggressive & focused as ever.

. 

she scored the first goal!

goal #2

goal #3 - last goal of the game...#7 stepped on kennedy's hand after she scored.  it actually skinned her knuckles, but i think she was more upset because it seems like he did it on purpose.  ah, the lessons of fine sportsmanship.

buh-sketties

it's SO hard getting those tricky noodles to stay on a fork!!  i don't know if you can tell, but avery is concentrating so hard!  she's pretty good with a fork/spoon for just turning 22 months.