Marching On

I absolutely love the month of October! Cool days, pretty leaves, and blank days on my calendar. Goodbye, crazy-busy-September. As much fun as you were, I am more than ready to see you go. :)

Mom and Dad's visit came at the perfect time, as I stated in my last blog post. Here are a few more highlights from their visit.

"Tailgating" before the high school football game

Since Braylen had to be there early, we had to be there early!

It was a beautiful evening, and I loved being surrounded by people I love.

Auntie Sarah! My heart will always belong to little blond boys...

The 8th grade marching band. Trust me when I tell you Braylen is on the left, towards the back.

The next day we were a bit closer to Braylen and his marching band. :) It was another pretty day. To me, nothing says "fall" better than a parade and pancake feed at the fire station.

The morning of the parade

Derek used to play the drums in this very same marching band. :)

Our crew, minus Grandma, who is taking the picture!

Uncle Derek!

Let the fun begin

Our favorite marching band and our favorite marcher :)

I can't think of one thing I would have changed about our long weekend with my parents. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making the effort to come and visit us. For any other family members or friends who might be reading this blog, you are always welcome to come for a visit too! :)

Braylen's football game last week was very different from his first game. Playing for the A-team means bigger kids, harder hits (yikes!), and less playing time. He played safety on defense and tried to return punts. (None of them were catchable, thanks to a strong wind.) Early on in the game, Braylen went down on the sideline with a yank on his facemask and a stomp on the top of his foot. ( At the time I didn't know what he hurt.) And then he didn't stand up. He just writhed around on the ground while people surrounded him. Agghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I f.r.e.a.k.e.d out inside. But I sat there like a good football mommy and prayed he would stand up soon. He did. And then he stayed out of the game for one full rotation. When the coaches put him back in I was relieved--this means he's okay--and I was scared all over again. Good grief, I have GOT to get a grip! Braylen went on to make two strong tackles and we were so proud of him. Derek and Grandpa took videos and pictures, and I stood there with my hands on my cheeks like a ninny. Here's Braylen's strongest tackle.

He makes the hit

He hangs on

He starts to bring him down

Bam!!! He's down.

Kaleb came home from school on Wednesday and told me his left knee felt loose inside. Did it hurt? No, it just feels loose. Hmm. He went on to mow a lawn and play outdoor games at youth group. Then he told me it was hurting him. I looked at it and wow, was it swollen! He iced it, took ibuprofen, and I wondered which doctor to call in the morning. After 2.5 hours at the sports medicine clinic, an x-ray and MRI, we found out Kaleb is bleeding in his knee. It's coming from the spongy, knobby part of the femur. The doctor says this indicates a fracture--but not a complete break. The official diagnosis is chondular fracture of medial femoral condyle. Our orthopedist is the best in the state--really, I am not kidding--and our entire visit to his clinic clearly had God's Hand all over it. He put Kaleb in a locking leg brace, which can only come off to shower and sleep. One major bonus of having a lightweight 11 year old son? No crutches! Kaleb can walk, but no soccer or PE (obviously) for 2 months. If everything heals as it should, we hope to be done with the leg brace at the end of October. Kaleb has been a real trooper, and I am proud of him. Oh--and how did this happen? We don't know!!!

Thankful for a brace and not a cast

Origami Yoda :)

So, Braylen plays football and Kaleb goes to school...and who ends up with a broken knee? I think there's a lesson for me to learn through this. :) Last but not least, Aaron finished his 1/2 marathon at running club yesterday! Since I missed the official finish line photo at the school, Aaron and Derek made their own banner and Aaron ran through it in our front yard. Just for me. :) Thank you, fellas! 13.1 miles is a lot for Aaron's little legs, and we are proud of him!

Hooray!!!

And that is enough for today. Next time I hope to share a few funnies. Happy October! :)