Most of May

I already wrote about our beach trip, which was during the last week of May. This post will cover the first 3.5 weeks of May and will include everything except school-related stuff. I’m going to put that in a separate post with my thoughts about Brooklyn’s first year of school :)

I’ve done a really terrible job of getting pictures of just Abigail and me. Sometimes a selfie will have to do!

Brooklyn was SO excited about her little seeds from the spring field trip, especially when the first plants started sprouting up. I’ll just be honest…I figured nothing would ever grow, but I was wrong. Checking on her plants has become Brooklyn’s hobby over the last few months!

On May 2nd, I took Savannah and Abigail to Michael’s graduation from UAH, and Travis met us there. (It was on a Thursday morning, so Brooklyn was at school).

Savannah and Abigail were excited to clap when everyone else did ;)

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We were so proud of Michael and how hard he had worked to get to that day!

After the ceremony was over, we walked to the fountain outside of the VBC and waited for Michael to come out.

The kids all loved the fountain! I thought this picture of Carter and Savannah was especially sweet :)

Congratulations, Michael! We love you!

That evening, Brooklyn had a make-up soccer game. Her team was wearing red that night.

Brooklyn got to take one of the kickoffs :)

I was impressed that Brooklyn wasn’t afraid to get in there and try to take the ball away from the other team.

Abigail and Savannah usually played with soccer balls during the game or ran around on the sideline.

She might be out there on the field in a few more years!

On May 3rd, we went to the Childs’ house to hang out for the morning and see their new litter of puppies :)

The puppies were adorable!

We had a fun time, and the girls enjoyed playing with Sarah and her brothers.

On Saturday, May 4th, our neighborhood had a neighborhood yard sale planned. The weather forecast was looking pretty rainy, but we still figured we would participate and just set everything up in the garage. It was shocking how many people still came by that morning, despite the weather! We priced everything pretty cheaply just to get it sold, and we did manage to sell a lot of our items. I think it helped that most people decided not to participate due to the weather, so we were one of just a couple of houses that people could stop at if they drove through the neighborhood.

It stopped raining later that morning, and the girls enjoyed playing out in the driveway for a few minutes :)

Later that evening, Brooklyn and Savannah were upstairs cleaning up the playroom because we were having family over for lunch the next day. There were toys behind the multi-colored chair, and rather than crawl behind the chair to pick them up, Brooklyn decided to lean over the back of the chair and grab them. She must have leaned over too far and ended up falling over head first and landing on her arm. I didn’t see it happen, but from her screams, I knew she was hurt badly. She didn’t want to move her arm or let us touch it much at all, so I took her to the ER as soon as we could get our stuff together. Of course, it happened right in the middle of me cooking supper, so Travis had to take over making the mashed potatoes and baking the pork chops. (Side note: The mashed potatoes tasted so bad that he told Savannah she didn’t have to eat them…haha!). Brooklyn ended up having a fracture of the proximal end of her right humerus bone (her upper arm just beneath the shoulder). She came home with a sling and a swath, although the ER doctor told us she’s not supposed to sleep in it. She did pretty good during the day for the first couple of days (taking Tylenol and ibuprofen regularly), but she had a lot of trouble sleeping at night because she couldn’t get comfortable. All in all, she was a trooper that night and was very brave at the hospital!

The next day, we celebrated Michael’s graduation with steaks for lunch. He wanted to get pictures with Brooklyn since she wasn’t able to be at graduation…

Melissa and Alex also missed Michael’s graduation, but we were glad we could get pictures a couple of days late :)

I was cracking up at Abigail pushing one of the twins (Barrett?) on the little car…ha! She is so much smaller than he is, but she apparently doesn’t know it!

Abigail definitely wants to be treated just like all of her bigger cousins/siblings ;)

Queen Abigail ;)

Savannah had her 4 year checkup (and shots!) on Monday, May 6th. She really did great at the appointment and was very brave. The timing of the appointment worked out PERFECTLY because I was able to talk to Dr. Dudley about Brooklyn’s broken arm while we were there. She was able to get us in to see Dr. Lawley, a pediatric orthopedic doctor in town, later that same day. I was so thankful that we didn’t have to wait another day or two to see him. Aunt Vicki was a lifesaver and came to stay with Savannah and Abigail at our house while I took Brooklyn to see Dr. Lawley. It turned out to take all afternoon because they were so busy that day. Dr. Lawley was great and answered all our questions, and then we went to a different area to get Brooklyn fitted for her new sling.

Because of the location of the fracture, Dr. Lawley said a cast wasn’t an option, so he recommended this sling instead. It was a much better option than the one we got in the ER…easier and faster to put on and take off. Brooklyn was supposed to wear it all the time (except when taking baths and changing clothes) until we went back to see him for another checkup. Her restrictions were: no soccer, no PE, no bikes/scooters/running/jumping into the pool. Dr. Lawley said the bone would heal all by itself over time. At first, it would heal together crooked, but over time, as her arm grows, the bone will straighten itself out. Pretty amazing!

Savannah wanted to dress up like Queen Elsa that night :)

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Savannah woke up Tuesday morning (May 7th) with a bright red rash all over her cheeks. I thought it might have been related to the shots she got on Monday, but it got worse on Wednesday, and she also started getting a rash on her arms and legs. I think it was Fifth disease (one of those childhood viruses). Thankfully, she didn’t act like she felt bad. By the time the rash shows up, you’re no longer contagious, so I guess we shared it with everyone before we knew she had it. We have had so many illnesses and injuries over the last month that I’ve lost count. Strep, stomach bug, random fever virus, broken arm, Fifth disease…I’m ready to catch a break!!

Later that morning, we headed to a makeup Music Together class in Huntsville. We missed so many classes during the spring session because of sickness that we ended up having to do FOUR makeups. It was pretty ridiculous. The class we went to on this particular day met at 11 AM, so I knew the girls would be starving if they didn’t eat something before the class started. So we did something new…PB&Js in the back of the van ;) It worked out well!

That afternoon, Michael, Melissa, and Alex came over to took Brooklyn on a special trip to Build-A-Bear all by herself. She was so excited!! It was their way of cheering her up after she broke her arm, and it was so sweet.

Brooklyn picked out a cute little puppy as her animal :)

She named her puppy “Poodle” :) Poodle was all decked out with a scent, a heartbeat, a sound, an outfit, and a leash. I’m not sure I want to know how much that thing cost!

On top of that, they took her to Gigi’s Cupcakes, and she got to pick out her own cupcake (with sprinkles, of course!). Brooklyn had a blast, and we really appreciated Michael, Melissa, and Alex for doing something so thoughtful! It made her day :)

Second music class of the week…this time on Thursday.

Brooklyn didn’t let her broken arm slow her down too much. Okay, other than not being able to run ;) It amazes me how resilient kids are. She figured out how to write with her left hand for the last few weeks of school. It wasn’t very easy to read, but I was proud of her for trying!

Brooklyn made me some Mother’s Day gifts at school! The little jar with the red ribbon on it had Hershey kisses inside :)

Abigail went through a phase for a few weeks where she liked piling her food on top of her cup…haha

On Saturday, May 11th, we had a graduation party for Michael at our neighborhood clubhouse. I didn’t take any pictures during the party itself, but we had a great time. Travis grilled burgers and hot dogs at our house and then walked down to the clubhouse with them. They were delicious! It was a fun morning celebrating Michael!

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May 12th was Mother’s Day. We ended up just getting Chinese takeout and eating it at Cici’s so that none of the moms had to cook ;) That may end up being a new Mother’s Day tradition because it was so easy! After lunch, Abigail was sitting in the recliner with Luke and Barrett. She would NOT let them hold the book or turn the pages. That girl. She is a little spit fire!

I couldn’t share just one of these…they are all so cute. She pushes our buttons and drives us crazy sometimes, but I couldn’t love her more!

On May 13th, Brooklyn started getting a red rash on HER cheeks and down her arms. Yep. Fifth disease got her too. You can’t really tell it from this picture, but I never took a good closeup picture of her face. It took about a week for it to go away, just like it did with Savannah.

Cici came over after school on May 14th to help Brooklyn transplant her plants into bigger pots. She was so excited!

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I think these plants would have died a long time ago if it weren’t for Cici. She is the master gardener, and Brooklyn is lucky to have her expertise. I’m certainly no help in that area!

I just love this sweet girl! She had set some of her stuffed animals up on the bench with a blanket and pillow, and it was so cute :)

Brooklyn had another check-up on her arm on Thursday, May 16th. This time, we were able to go to the Madison office, which was more convenient and much less crowded. She had an x-ray taken, and Dr. Lawley said it looked about the same as the first one. (I think that’s what he was expecting). He said she could start going without her sling at home as long as she was comfortable, but she still needed to wear it to school. It was a quick appointment, which was great since I had all three girls with me this time.

Even though Brooklyn couldn’t play the rest of the soccer season, I still wanted her to go to the games to cheer on her teammates. So, I took her to her game on Saturday, May 18th. Coach Craig let her lead the team cheer: “1, 2, 3…Champions!”

Brooklyn didn’t complain on the sideline, but I think she definitely was bored compared to being out there playing ;) Of course, she still looked forward to the snack at the end of the game!

That evening, we went to a surprise party for Ms. Marilyn at the Carvers’ house. Leah organized it as a way for several of the young families at KSR to show Marilyn how much we appreciate her. She is so sweet to babysit for so many different families, including ours.

“Surprise!!”

It was a fun evening!! We ate supper and ice cream sundaes, and the kids played outside. I caught Brooklyn jumping on the trampoline WITH HER SLING ON at one point though. I guess the temptation was too hard to resist. Dr. Lawley would have croaked if he knew what she’d done! Thankfully she didn’t hurt her arm in the process.

Luke and Barrett were obviously still wiped out the next day from all the fun we had at the party…haha!

The Hester girls and I ordered a few dresses from an online boutique, and Mikayla and I randomly picked out the same dress in different colors. When we happened to wear them on the same day, I figured we needed to get a picture! ;)

Michael left for his new job in Dublin, GA later that afternoon. Thankfully, we have still seen him several times since then. He just can’t get enough of our crazy family! :)

Abigail has started getting VERY upset if we don’t let her stand on the step stool while we brush her teeth…as long as she is standing on it, she cooperates perfectly. Nothing like having your preferences set at a young age…

Savannah wanted to spread the butter and jelly on her piece of toast (May 20th). She is getting better at making toast and sandwiches without making too big of a mess ;)

Little sis was right behind her!

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Abigail is starting to show an interest in coloring! She will grab any crayons she can find and scribble all over a piece of paper. She LOVES markers and can get the tops off pretty easily, so we are working hard (but unsuccessfully) to keep them away from her.

Look who was the next victim of the Fifth disease epidemic! Abigail started getting the rash on Tuesday, May 21st…about a week after Brooklyn got it. Abigail’s face probably looked the worst out of any of them. She still had it by the time we left for the beach 4 days later, but thankfully it cleared up during our trip. Hopefully we are done with that virus for good now!

Sweet sisters sitting nicely in the chair together…

…but this is more typical ;)

Lunch time!

Abigail has never shown much interest in using a spoon or fork, so I haven’t tried to force it. She’d much rather use her hands. Well, on May 23rd, I tried giving her cereal with milk in it, and that was enough to motivate her to use a spoon. I guess she wanted to eat it like the rest of us do :)

It took her a few days to get the hang of it. At first, it was a two-handed process to get the spoon to her mouth :)

“Take my picture too, Mommy!”

Brooklyn had another checkup on her arm on May 23rd, which also happened to be her last day of school. It was another quick and easy appointment! Dr. Lawley said the bone is now at a 33-34 degree angle…improved from 40 degrees last week! She is cleared to go without the sling completely now, but still can’t run or do vigorous activity for at least another month. He also told us she could swim and play on the sand, but didn’t need to get in the ocean unless it was very calm. We were thankful to hear that she would still be able to swim and do some fun stuff on our beach trip that was right around the corner!

Quotes and Notes from May:

• 5/1/19 – Abigail sang “Oh no…Oh no” (part of the song about King Saul) in Bible class, according to Gena! First time they’ve told me she’s sung in class :)
• 5/2/19 – We’ve been doing separate baths for a few weeks now, and it’s going really well. It was just getting too crowded with all 3 girls in one tub because Brooklyn’s legs are so long! So now Brooklyn takes a bath by herself, and Savannah and Abigail take a bath together. I was afraid Brooklyn would be upset to bathe by herself, but she actually really enjoys it. She has room to lay down and “swim” and doesn’t have to worry about Abigail taking away her toys…haha. There’s overall less whining, fussing, and splashing than there used to be, so it’s a win for Mommy and Daddy too!
• 5/8/19 – Abigail can say “ah-bul” for apple. She also says “eh-pane” when she hears an airplane flying over our house (which is quite often!). She is really learning a lot of new words this week. If I ask “Can you say____?”, she will definitely give it a try!
• 5/19/19 – This morning, Gabby was chewing up some tissue paper in a gift I’d wrapped, and Savannah exclaimed, “Mommy, Woo Woo is eating the ‘sneeze paper’! Haha! Different kind of tissues ;)
• Abigail likes to sing “Let It Go” now. She’s heard the song in the car so many times I think she must have it memorized. She will sing “Ah go! Ah go!”. If I sing “can’t hold it back any—”…she’ll say “Mo” (more)…haha
• 5/22/19 – Brooklyn’s soccer season ended pretty anticlimactically. I think the last two games of the season never even got made up. (She wouldn’t have been able to play in them because of her arm anyway). The city closes the fields at Dublin Park ALL THE TIME, even if it hasn’t rained that day and they are just wet from previous days. So there were a lot of practices and games that were cancelled or rescheduled. I heard from other parents that this is pretty typical for the spring season. I think Brooklyn may try soccer again this fall and we’ll see if it’s any better. I know it was just 6U soccer (what does it really matter??), but I feel like in some ways we didn’t get our money’s worth because of all the missed games/practices. Oh well. Hopefully it will go better next time!
• 5/23/19 – Just in the past few days, I’ve noticed that Abigail is trying to climb up on chairs and couches. It’s like she’s noticed that everyone else sits up there and she doesn’t want to be left out! She still needs some help depending on what couch or chair she’s trying to get onto, but she definitely doesn’t want to just be stuck on the floor anymore.
• 5/24/19 – Abigail is getting her 13^th tooth. It’s on the bottom to the left of the front 4 teeth (as you’re looking at her mouth).
• 5/25/19 – Abigail is pointing now! She will point to things in a book or things across the room.
• 5/31/19 – Abigail has started saying “Luh you!” when we tell her “I love you”. It’s the sweetest thing!  

Thanks for reading!