First broken bone

With the end of school comes the start of softball. This year we've got three teams: I'm coaching Miriam's T-ball team ("Hogwarts Express"), Analee's on a pitching machine team ("Stingers") and I'm coaching Rebekah's fast pitch team ("Fantastic Beasts"). Grandpa Scott is my co-coach for both teams.

We had our first games this week. T-ball went swell on Monday. Pitching machine went swell on Tuesday. But Rebekah's softball game on Monday proved to be much more memorable than just "swell."

It was the second inning. Rebekah was playing catcher, a position she is new to this year. But she was incredible. I'm not kidding. She had her ball on the mitt almost all of the time, and the few times it got past her it was because our pitchers are very green and the pitches were off. She was looking and acting the part. I had no idea she could catch that well.

Then one of those wild pitches made it past her. She hustled after it and was rushing back to the plate to tag out the girl stealing home. The dust cleared, the ump called her safe ... and Rebekah spun toward the dugout holding up her right hand with a look of sheer panic on her face.

Her pinky was pointing the wrong way.

I muttered a choice word under my breath as I ran to her. We maneuvered her to the dugout, got her some ice and told her to stick her head between her knees (she was obviously in shock). Seth ran over and took her behind the dugout where she lay on the grass with her legs elevated and received a priesthood blessing. Grandma Scott ran to the van so I could dig out Rebekah's insurance card, and Seth took her to an urgent care facility.

Grandpa Scott and I stayed to coach the rest of the game, and then we loaded up our stuff and went home. I fed the other girls dinner and texted back and forth with Seth to receive updates on her condition and the diagnosis.

At first the doctor thought her finger was just dislocated, but the x-ray found that she had fractured her growth plate. They numbed the hand (Rebekah was given the choice of having general anesthesia but thought that would be "creepy") and set the finger, then taped it, splinted it and wrapped it.

She'll wear the splint until the 22nd when we see the orthopedic specialist. At that point we'll see if she needs more recuperation/treatment.

Rebekah with her hand splinted. Even though, chronologically, this is the last photo in the series, I'm putting it here first so it's the one that shows up on the blog post preview. :-)

Rebekah and her broken finger on the way to the doctor. She had a hard time looking at it at first.

Hanging in there with her ice.

Her pre-setting x-ray.

Set and taped.

It's a heartbreaking thing to witness your daughter break her finger and then experience the aftermath. She won't be playing softball for at least two more weeks (if not more). She'll wear her splint to girls' camp next week and to our yearbook camp the week after that. We have to wrap a bread bag around her arm every time she could get wet (i.e. at her last Achievement Days' water activity, when she showers/bathes, when the girls are playing in the water).

But despite the tragedy, I'm amazed in so many ways.

• Seth wasn't going to come to the game since it started at the same time he leaves work and it's clear across town. But he did. So he was there when it happened and could take care of her while I continued to coach.
• Rebekah didn't cry the entire time. She was scared, she was in shock, she was in pain, but she didn't shed a tear. (Not that crying is a bad thing. But many people expressed surprise at that.)
• We had so many offers for help. Another player's dad helped Seth give the blessing. A mom of a girl on the opposing team held her feet and gave her ice. Someone offered to help carry her to the truck (which she wouldn't allow despite being close to passing out).
• Once I had cared for Rebekah a little and turned her over to Seth, I called a random team member's name and told her to fill in for Rebekah as catcher. Jordan had never played that position before, but she jumped right in and did well.
• I was worried about Rebekah's pain level, but it never climbed too high. She took a few ibuprofen the day of the accident and a few in the days following, but it didn't inhibit her sleep or general wellbeing.
• Lots of people have inquired about Rebekah's diagnosis and welfare, including her teammates (which include her three best friends), her teammates' moms, the opposing team's coaches and friends on Facebook.

So for now Rebekah will cheer on her teammates from the dugout and await her appointment later this month. And she earns the title of first in the family to break a bone.

Brace face

As mentioned previously, Rebekah needs braces. Not only does she have an overbite and an overjet (which I recently learned are NOT the same thing), but she also has an impacted tooth. As soon as Rebekah got home on the last day of school, we ate lunch and took her to the orthodontist to get tracks on her teeth.

Before.

After.

For now, she's only got them on the top teeth, and he had to skip over the one baby tooth canine that's hanging around. They'll try to get the two permanent teeth on either side to spread so the permanent canine can make its way down. She's supposed to wiggle the baby tooth without messing up her wire.

End of the year happenings

So. Many. Events.

I swear, the last two weeks of school are nothing but field trips, assemblies and outdoor activities.

Besides the rocket launch and the aforementioned conflict managers' field trip, I also accompanied the 1st graders on their field trip to the Tautphaus Park greenhouse and zoo.

Miriam and her classmates petting the city's topiaries in the greenhouse.

Miriam and her classmate Whitley at the zoo.

Then I helped out at field day by yelling parachute game instructions at 1st-6th graders and making my quads ache by crouching down and standing up a million times.

Rebekah and her friends with their painted fingers. A fourth girl (the bottom of the heart) had already gone back to class.

Haley, Lily and Bekah (missing Lexi).

Then we had the AR assembly.

Miriam worked hard to reach the 100-point club. Analee surpassed her previous years' highs and made it to the 400-point club. Rebekah had the third highest score in the school with over 800 points.

Miriam joins the throngs of kids (although only a handful of 1st graders) in the 100-point club. Analee was the youngest kid in the 400-point club, and Rebekah was the only kid in the 800-point club.

 

Winnie accompanying Rebekah's friend Lily to the front of the gym during the assembly.

And on the last day of school, all the 6th graders got a chance to ring the bell. I had previously heard of this end-of-the-year tradition, but I hadn't ever witnessed it. Every single kid in the school lines up as the 6th graders' names are read one by one. As their names are read, the students get to ring the bell in front of the school and go through the tunnel of students giving high fives. It's quite the production.

Winnie telling her sister hello.

Rebekah rings the bell. She earned the shirt by getting high test scores.

Going through the tunnel of kids.

Winnie climbing on the outside of the school.

Even though I was at the school when the bell rang to go home, all the girls opted to ride the bus on the last day of school. It was the last time Rebekah, Analee and Miriam all ride the same bus.

Memorial Day weekend

Rachel and Justin generously invited us to stay with them over the holiday weekend so we could have family time and fishing time.

We drove up Friday (May 26) and slept at the cabin, then spent the next day enjoying cousins, going for walks, eating together and waiting for the men to finish fishing. Sunday we went to church in the Island Park ward, then spent more time with family playing games, watching shows and eating. Monday we took two boats out on Henry's Lake and tried our hand at catching fish.

Seth and Winnie (with her princess pole). Seth, Andrea, Justin, Rachel, Uncle Jim, Miriam, Winnie, Cooper, Kelsey and Hudson all fished from Jim's friend's pontoon boat. Grandpa Dennis, Grandma Susan, Rebekah, Analee, Mack and Tav fished from Grandpa Hendricks' boat.

Miriam got to fish with a real pole, hook and worm this year.

Grandpa Dennis and Analee with the 12+ pound fish they caught. ("They" is used loosely here; Analee helped reel for a little while after Grandpa had it hooked.)

Two boatfuls of people on the lake.

Rachel and Seth fishing with our other boat in the distance.

Hudson was a little sad, so Uncle Jim let him drive the boat.

Winnie, Seth and Miriam enjoying the view and the breeze as the boat speeds back to the dock.

Highlights of the trip:

• Although none of our immediate family caught a fish, Uncle Justin, Uncle Jim, Mack and Grandpa Dennis all caught one each.
• Bekah and Ana were invited to sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin where the Papworths were staying. All was well and good until Tav woke up in the wee hours of Sunday throwing up. After that, the girls came and stayed at Rachel and Justin's cabin.
• While on a walk Monday morning, Hudson proclaimed, "Puppy!" and Analee started calling for it to come on over. Then I exclaimed, "That's a coyote!" and it ran away.
• Two little kid poles were dropped over the edge of the boat, but both were retrieved by hooking the bobber and then pulling the line up until the pole came.
• Winnie's purple hat blew off while we were cruising back to the dock, much to her dismay. Uncle Jim offered to go back for it, but it had sunk out of sight by that time.
• Seth and Justin tried their hardest to rid the cabin of the rock chucks that have taken up residence there, but they were foiled. Sneaky rock chucks.

Last concert

A few weeks ago, Rebekah saw the orthodontist for the first time. He recommended braces right away, and we scheduled them for two weeks later. Then I realized Rebekah's final band concert of the year would be that evening, so we pushed back the date until the last day of school. We just weren't sure how she'd fare blowing into a baritone with new braces and sore teeth.

We couldn't get any pictures of her actually playing since she sits in the very back, but here she is adjusting her music stand and carrying in her baritone and music book.

And here is a video where you can see her walking in and out, but can't see her while the band plays. Just know she's there.

She played beautifully, and now we're looking forward to 7th grade band.

Rockets

This year was the only year we will have two girls shooting off rockets at Fairview. All 4th-6th graders are invited to make rockets, so we got to go to the school at 8:30 to see Analee's and then 10 to see Rebekah's.

Miriam cheesing for the camera while watching rockets with her 1st grade peers. All the teachers bring their students out to watch for a while.

Analee stands with the three other kids who are shooting off rockets -- and whose rockets did go while hers stubbornly stayed put. It took a second try for hers to go.

Analee's failed launch.

And a successful one.

Chasing her rocket.

Seth helping her find the right rocket. Sometimes the kids lose track of which is theirs when they're so high.

Analee's poor scrunched rocket after its second flight. Her parachute didn't open up after either launch, so her rocket didn't float gently to the ground like it should have.

Rebekah with her rocket.

Her first flight ended on the 6th grade trailer's roof. Mr. Oswald is more than a janitor; he's a superhero.

Bekah clotheslining her rocket after its second launch. All students who catch their rocket before it hits the ground receive extra applause.

 

Video of Rebekah' launch.

Winnie throwing up fistfuls of grass to show how her "airplane" flies. 

Winnie was recruited to press the button for one of the specialty rockets they fly at the end.

Analee is 10

One of the criteria for our cruise itinerary was that we'd be home for Analee's birthday (at her behest). So although we missed a track meet, a preschool graduation and a dance recital, we were here for her birthday.

The day started out with Analee opening a present before school (new earrings), Analee nearly passing out when I changed her earrings, and Analee missing the bus but catching it two stops later.

I got to accompany her and a bunch of other 3rd-6th graders on a conflict managers' field trip that morning. We went to the Aquatic Center and then to Kate Curly Park where the freak 30 MPH winds did not deter kids from playing mushroom tag.

That evening we gathered for dinner (inside since it was still crazy windy) and festivities.

Cousins and sisters searching for goody bags in the family room. Ana opted for this instead of a piñata this year. And although her original idea was to hide the bags in the yard, the family room worked fine too.

The blow up animals proved to be the most popular goody bag item.

Analee opening a present from her sister while Miriam watches.

The tricky $25 Grandpa Dennis had hidden inside a mermaid Barbie. Analee also received earrings, an animal origami book and a LEGO Elves set; an earring holder from Grandma and Grandpa Scott; a sand art kit from Aunt Rachel and Uncle Justin; a Photoshopped penguin card from Rebekah; a marigold and preschool-made jellyfish from Winnie; a homemade drinking straw boat from Miriam; and a charm bracelet-making kit from Claire, a friend from school.

Analee holding her breath while Seth lights the candles on her cake. Analee chose a Better Than Anything cake.

Analee is a sweet, spunky girl who loves origami, dancing, piano, softball and being creative and silly.

While we were gone #3: Miriam and Analee's dance recital

After watching Miriam's dance recital last spring, Analee asked if she could take piano AND dance this year. We have loved Cathy's dance, so Analee joined her 3rd and 4th grade class and Miriam moved up to the 1st and 2nd grade class. Both girls worked hard all year long to learn their three dances plus the finale. Once we receive the DVD of the performance, Seth and I will be able to watch their dances too.

Analee's class and Miriam's class performed "Try Everything" jointly.

Miriam performing "Try Everything." The girls each got to pick the color of their flapperish dresses.

Miriam and her class performing "Popular."

Analee in her 70s mix.

Miriam in her 50s mix.

Analee and her class performing their light dance. Each girl had lights pinned to leggings and sweatshirts and performed in the dark.

All the classes during the finale.

After the finale, all the dancers get to pick an audience member to pull on stage. Miriam took Winnie.

Miriam and Analee with their trophies after the recital. Their grandparents came, as well as Aunt Jessica and Analee's 4th grade teacher.