Stories & Pictures

Riding in the Rain

It's been raining here almost non-stop. But that hasnt' stopped us from doing the usual school and barn routine. Kelly's annual Horse Show at the barn was last Saturday, and yes, they rode in the rain! 

Meanwhile at home, this little kitty has been making mischief. She loves to hide small items in our shoes. So we must empty our shoes out before putting them on. Lip gloss, hair clips, and any other small item she can steal are her treasures of choice.

She still loves to torment the doggies. The other night after I put them in their crates for the night, she jumped up on top of the crate and started hissing and swatting at them. So unfair. And those poor dogs still want to be friends with her...it doesn't look like they stand a chance! 

Oh, and I still have two teenage boys living here, but they aren't super cooperative about getting their photo taken. They are both taller than me, and faster, so I'm going to have to come up with a new strategy. Wish me luck!

Hop Along Girl

Kelly's recovery is nothing short of amazing! She has gotten very proficient at using crutches but can manage quite well without them too. She gets tired quickly, but she has already returned to school and is quickly catching up on all of her schoolwork and tests before the semester ends on friday. She truly has been an inspiration to all of us. She rarely complains and has shed very few tears. She's a tough cookie and she is determined to make the best of her situation. I think the new kitty helps too. She sure provides lots of smiles.

Thanks again to each and every one of you that delivered food, gifts, cards, and caring words. Kelly said she felt very loved with all the attention that she was given. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such good friends. Thanks from the all of us!!! 

Crutches, a kitten, and lots of love...

Kelly's surgery went well yesterday. The doctor removed all of the tumor and said it looked benign. Lab results will take a week. The bone graft was put in place and she is home resting. She is a bit more sore today than yesterday, but she was pretty loopy yesterday. She is not having much swelling but the compression bandage does not come off for another two days. Kelly is getting really good with the crutches and Luna thinks they are her newest toy!

We are all extremely relieved that the surgery is behind us and that she is doing so well. She has some good pain medication and we are trying to stay ahead of it. Thanks so much for all of your good wishes, thoughts and prayers. Each and every email, text and phone message has been so very appreciated! My mom is here until tomorrow and she has been an amazing help!

Truly, the support we have been shown has been such a lift to all of us...THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

Introducing Luna...

She joined our family last Sunday night. Her momma was killed on Thanksgiving and she and her brothers were in need of homes immediately. Kelly has been begging for a kitten and promises that a kitten is all she wants for Christmas. She was explaining this to her brothers last weekend when their friend said...We have a kitten that needs a home! 24 hours laters, we had Luna.

Since she was barely 4 weeks old, we started bottle feeding her kitten formula. She really likes it!

She's a good sleeper too, but mostly, she loves to play!

We are all completely in love, especially Buddy! Luna is a little unsure of the dogs, so we are making introductions slowly. She has the cutest little *hiss* ever!

Merry Christmas Kelly!!!

So Very Thankful

Kelly started experiencing pain in her knee while running a couple of months ago. We took her to an orthopaedic surgeon and they did x-rays and an MRI. Both showed a "hole" in the bone just above her knee. We needed to find out why it was there and how to alleviate the pain for Kelly.

Today we went to see a wonderful orthopedic oncologist at Emory to get some specific answers.  He feels certain that the cause of the hole in the bone is an osteo blastoma. It is quite large and will require surgery to remove. The resulting "gap" will require a synthetic bone graft to act as scaffolding for new bone growth.

She will have the surgery on December 11, and will be on crutches for 2-4 weeks. She will continue to recover for another couple of months, but should be good as new, by springtime. The doctor is confident that the biopsy will be benign, and she should not have any recurrence of this. It's just one of those very weird, 3 in a million (literally) cases that is totally random. We've always known she was special. :)

She was quite relieved to find out she will be sprinting again for the track team, and she will be able to resume all of her other favorite activities as well. Going a month or more without riding her beloved Sally may be the hardest part of all of this. We will just have to bring Sally treats and love on her from the ground!

Your support, prayers, and positive thoughts are so greatly appreciated.

We hope that you are all feeling very thankful this holiday as well. Best wishes for a wonderful day tomorrow!

 

So Proud!

 

(She's the third one from the left between the two flags. The short one.)

I'm so proud of my little Lance Corporal! She was meritoriously promoted last night because of her good grades! We nearly froze our tushies off at the outside ceremony celebrating the Marine Corps birthday, but it was worth it to see her special moment!

 

Texting with a teenager....

Sent from my iPhone

My favorite time of day...

is those few minutes after Kelly is ready for school and her bags are packed and we sit together on the front porch waiting for the carpool to arrive. We just sit and talk in the quiet cool of the morning. I know these are some of the memories I will treasure most once she has grown up. For now, I will just enjoy our little coversations alone on the porch.

Recovering...

As is tradition at our house, each of the kids got sick within a week of returning to school. Our back to school germs this year involved sore throats, congestion, sneezing and headaches. Not fun but managable. Kelly had it worst, missing two days of school. But even she seems to be feeling better now. Whew.

I've been busy with the little quilting business I started. Who knew that it would be so time consuming? But I enjoy it and still do a happy dance every time an order comes in. I'm busy writing new patterns for a show I'm doing in less than a month.

Bill is finishing up his "vacation" and almost all of his work around the house has been completed. He loves staying home since he travels for work. His days at home are numbered as he goes back on call tomorrow. Sniff.

And these two have been spending lots of quality time together. They've had some much cooler weather for riding finally!

Maybe something exciting will happen this week so things on this blog can pick up a little. But then again, maybe not, because boring is good. Trust me.

15 years ago...

we welcomed this girl to the world! Our lives changed for the better in every way possible. She is so fun and funny, sweet and silly, kind and generous, mature and hard-working, happy and helpful. She has her moments when she is a typical teenager, and I would worry if she didn't, but truly she is just fun to be around.

She has a bond with her brothers that makes her extra special. Just because they are twins, and a year younger, she has never been the "other" sibling. She fits right in with them and can be so kind and caring when they need her. She's going to be so well prepared for marriage after growing up in the midst of so much testosterone!

She is passionate about her horse and her dogs and all the animals in her life. She is such a good care taker and tends to them with love and affection. She never complains about her duties and chores, she just loves them so much that she wants them to be well tended.

She is a friend that is makes others feel cared about. She is often on the phone with her friends giving encouragement, or comfort, whatever is needed. She is also the girl who will listen patiently while her friends talk. She can crack a joke or snappy comeback with out hesitation. Her sense of humor is one of her best qualities.

She is a hard-working student, those straight A's don't just appear by themselves. She tries hard to work on steady basis so that she doesn't ever fall behind. She's often spotted on her bed surrounded by her books and binders. And she is a passionate reader who devours novels.

She is the best daughter in the whole world. She brings sunshine and laughter into our home every day. She is truly a blessing and we are so very fortunate to be able to love her everyday.

Happy 15 sweet girl!