Broken

We were home from Myrtle Beach a total of 30 minutes before the next noteworthy event occurred. As I was unloading the car, I asked Xavier to carry the buckets back to the sandbox. After complaining, arguing, and negotiating as only Xavier does, he begrudgingly took the sand toys from my hand and headed for the backyard. Less than 15 minutes later, I couldn't find him. I went into the house and found his shoes in a pile at the bottom of the steps. I yelled up to his room and the only response was the click of the lock on his bedroom door. I picked up his pillow and headed upstairs. I used the key to get into his room only to be greeted by a very panicked little boy telling me to "get out!" I kindly told him he was welcome to stay in his room, but he was not to lock his door. I assumed his odd behavior was from being tired from our trip and left him alone.
A while later, Andy called him for supper. When he finally came down, he acted very strangely and didn't touch his food. I was really starting to worry about the little guy. I began planning to get the bucket from the basement and wondered how many times I was going to have to change his sheets that night. I assumed he was getting sick.
Finally, when it was time for bed, Andy couldn't get Xavier's clothes off. Xavier couldn't raise his left arm at all. Andy coaxed the truth out of him. He had climbed the fence(which we'd told him not to!) and fallen off. He was wearing his bike helmet, but landed on his shoulder.
We decided there wasn't much we could do at almost 10:00pm, gave him some ibuprofen, and sent him to bed. He was up 4 or 5 times in the night, literally, screaming in pain.
Do you think we went to the doctor in the morning? Noooooo...we went to soccer camp! Xavier was supposed to have a week long soccer camp. He really wanted to go and really didn't want to go to the doctor. He convinced me he could do it. As I watched him try his best on the field, really favoring his arm, I called the doctor. After a trip to the family physician, a trip to Dublin Close to Home for x-rays, and a visit to the Urgent Care, Xavier came home with a figure eight brace/Clavicle strap to wear for the next two weeks. No soccer, no gymnastics, no bike riding, etc. No fun!

The next few days were a little rough. His face was so pale and he complained he was cold all the time. The doctor prescribed some Tylenol with Codeine that really helped!

The moral of the story? Xavier will tell you...Don't climb the fence when your parents tell you not to.

A big shout-out to the Marysville soccer camp at the high school. They not only refunded my money, they gave Xavier a camp shirt too!

Myrtle Beach...Finally!

It's been so long, I barely remember what happened! So far, summer has been a whirlwind of vacations, camps, trips to various medical facilities, etc. So much to post, so little time!

Myrtle Beach was a fun vacation. We spent almost every morning on the beach, back into the condo for lunch, then on to the pool until it was time to drag the kids in for baths and dinner out. The hotel was right on the beach so the sand was just an elevator ride away. The kids searched for shells and sharks' teeth, built castles in the sand, swam in the ocean, and rode the waves to shore. At the pool, they floated in the lazy river, dove for rings, and cartwheeled into the pool. All this, plus their best friends at their disposal. It was wonderful!

I'd have to say, supper out was not the top of my list. I love seafood, especially fresh seafood, but with Isaac's allergies, we were fearful of setting foot in any seafood restaurant. Plus, it seemed all the seafood options were giant touristy buffets. Not my thing. Almost everything seemed to be large and touristy, but I guess that is what defines Myrtle Beach.

Isaac loved the beach. He carried buckets, poured water, and ran up and down the sand for hours. He wasn't a huge fan of the water temperature but eventually let us carry him out into the waves. The sunscreen, salt water, sand, and chlorine didn't help his skin, but it could have been much worse. Our biggest problem was that he was allergic to the sheet on the pack 'n' play. He kept me up at night listening to him scratch in his sleep.

Xavier loved our vacation! He spent most of his time playing with Jack and Cole in the waves and sand. I think he was thankful for some guy time. At first, he wouldn't get into the pool without his floatie. He was sure it was too deep. By the end of the week he was diving for rings in that same pool. I think the highlights of his week were seeing the real Power Ranger costumes at Planet Hollywood and throwing paper at everyone at Dick's Last Resort.

Once we found Brooklyn, all was well with her. She was fearless in the waves, a fish in the pool, and hung out with her dance buddies every day. Her dance team performed on Thursday. They received a First Place ranking and won the Best Costume award for all the groups ages 11 and under. Not too bad for their first year of competition dance! After the competition, we housed four six year olds in our hotel room for a sleepover. Wow, girls giggle alot! They were all so tired from the sun, swimming, and dance, it wasn't too difficult to tell them it was time for bed.

The drive was long in both directions. I don't know that we are in any hurry to return to Myrtle Beach. But, we had a great time with my family and friends!

Was Lost...But Now She's Found

I've been putting off this post because it is not something I enjoy reliving, but the story must be told...


June 14th, we left for Myrtle Beach to allow Brooklyn to participate in a national dance competition with her team. We left REALLY early in the morning(~5:15) to make the 12 hour trek to South Carolina. The drive was uneventful, but long. We arrived in time for supper, checked into the room we were sharing with my parents and brother, and prepped for the week ahead.
We woke up Monday morning and decided to take a walk on the beach before we gathered all of the beach paraphernalia for the rest of the day. The kids were suited and sun screened and we headed out for our walk. Brooklyn and Xavier headed straight for the ocean while Isaac got used to the giant sandbox. Every time a wave rolled in, Brooklyn would scream like a Fourth of July firecracker. Isaac walked between Andy and I as we made our way up the beach. The older two walked knee-deep in the water behind us. After a while, I noticed I didn't hear any more screaming. I turned to check on the kids, and to my horror, found only Xavier frolicking in the water behind me. I scanned the beach and water, looking for the adorable, pony-tailed, pink suited, slow as molasses, little six-year-old that holds at least one quarter of my heart. SHE WAS GONE.
The next hour was nothing but a nightmare. My dear friend Julie watched the boys while I ran/sprinted up and down the beach, through hotel pools, and into the water, looking for her. I asked everyone I encountered to look for my baby. The lifeguards were on alert, many strangers were looking for her...but no one had seen her. I truly thought Isaac's trip to the ER was the worst day of my life...until now. I honestly entertained the thoughts of abduction and death. I couldn't breathe. I was in a complete panic. Andy said it best when we talked later. He pleaded with God that this wasn't the end of Brooklyn. "She's too special. This can't be it for her. You have more of a plan for her life than this!" He started walking down the beach...he almost turned around twice because she couldn't possibly have gone that far...when there, walking toward him, was our beautiful little girl. As he ran to get her, she looked up and said "Oh, Daddy, I'm so glad I found you! I tried to stay calm, but I couldn't find you!" No one could find Brooklyn because she didn't look lost. Silly girl! He took her hand and led her back toward our hotel. She was a mile from where we'd lost her. Andy yelled to me as they got closer. I couldn't believe my eyes! I ran to her, scooped her up, and sobbed like only a mother could. I walked back to the hotel, never putting her down.

I now understand the panic, heartbreak, and hopelessness felt by parents of lost children and I only had to experience it for an hour.
Brooklyn is safe!
The rest of the week was a blast!(more on that later)