2015-2016 School Year in Review: Part I, August 2015-March 24, 2016
It's been a whirlwind school year.
I know that is true of every year, but wow!
We started school knowing that Kenna was having a hip issue. She injured her hip in April 2015 while running in a track meet. We just thought it was a strained hip flexor. She rested for about 6 weeks and it felt much better. In June she started playing volleyball again, and by mid-July it hurt. In August Mark McDonald finally diagnosed impingement. At that point I knew she probably had the same issues that my friend Steph Harms had and would probably need surgery. Still, we were trying to schedule an appointment with Dr. White, the surgeon. We had to wait till the end of September, then do an arthrogram (MRI with dye injected so that the tear in the labrum would show). By mid- October we had a diagnosis and a surgery date, which was December 22nd. Most of the school year has been marked with visits to the surgeon and Ron, her awesome physical therapist. She is healing amazingly well but we do therapy in Denver every 1 1/2-2 weeks. Having Ron is a blessing (he had this surgery three times. How could I find anyone better?), but the trips and the daily therapy at home and not being able to be a kid has really worn on Kenna.
Also, on my first day of school in August, we woke up in the morning and talked with Caleb and realized that he was having serious tooth pain related to wisdom teeth. He had them removed on his second day of school. And he went to football practice that afternoon. Caleb ended up having a phenomenal season, ending with 123 tackles (that was the grand total, both solo and assisted). Here he is on parent's night. (My hair! I think it was windy.) And rushing.
Isaac and Caleb both have birthdays around the start of school. Here they are back in 2003--13 years ago!
Taylor took us to Rexburg over Labor day weekend. We moved her in and left her there to figure life out, and she did that very well. Her first semester was tough, I think primarily because she worked nights and found school stressful and as a result of those things, she was sick a lot. But, she had a good year, enjoyed a lot of things about BYU-I, and really, really loved a couple of her room mates. (In fact, she is in Arizona right now--a full year later--being a bridesmaid at her roommate Katie's wedding.)
Taylor with all of her roommates at the Gates apartments.
Haxtun's Corn Festival is always at the end of September; in fact, it always falls on the same exact weekend as the General Women's Broadcast. The kids love the tradition, and I don't mind it, either. For the past couple of years there's been a climbing wall as part of the kids' games. Corbin has had a lot of fun on it.
I coached junior high volleyball last fall,which added to the craziness. The season started Aug. 20 and ended Oct. 9th, and by mid-September I was really looking forward to being done. I learned a lot and enjoyed a lot of things about coaching, but I didn't like the time away or spending the last warm afternoons of fall indoors. I would like to coach again but probably if it were during the winter months or if my kids were older--like maybe when Corbin is involved in sports later and is busy during practice times.
My parents came on Thursday, Sept 28. They stayed three months, till just after Christmas. They arrived on the day of Isaac's last JH football game, which was a really windy, rotten day. Because of coaching, I only attended that game. :-(. I arrived just after he'd hurt himself...he was shivering and was so cold that he didn't really realize what he'd done to his arm. That night, I took him to the ER. Anyway, my parents were here till just after Christmas. They spent a lot of time researching what type of home to put on the small little lot they bought last spring (it's directly across the road from us). They also picked Corbin up from school almost every day, and--this was the best thing about having them here--they ate dinner with us every Sunday! My family really grew to look forward to those dinners; instead of a simple meal that reflected my burnt-out state, they got something more lavish and more filling because my parents and I all cooked.
On December 20, Corbin was baptized. It was a wonderful day! Taylor made the drive from Rexburg and arrived safely to be with us, and Jared's mom and stepfather, John, arrived earlier the same day. We all watched Caleb's basketball game together that night and then enjoyed Saturday together. I was emotional Sunday, mostly because I felt so loved and I knew that Corbin was loved--the majority of his grandparents were here to support him.
The next day, Dec. 21, Jared's mom left and Jared and Kenna and I left for Denver. Actually, Taylor and Kenna went together so that they could have a little girl time and have fun together before the surgery.
Surgery went well. I wrote about it in another post, so I'll skip to January: School started again. Caleb had his meniscus repaired mid-January. He was determined not to miss anything, so he attended his team's basketball game that night. I think his knee stayed swollen a little longer than it may have otherwise, but he was still able to return to play a few days into February. He ended up having a very good season--he wasn't really a scorer, but he earned a place on varsity because he is quick and he reads the ball so well that he became a very good defender. In fact, there were a couple of games where he caused enough turnovers that he was the spark that propelled his team to a win. (I'm not always the most objective person where my kids are involved, but lots of bulldog fans agreed with me. So I'm undoubtedly right.)
Kenna couldn't play basketball, but she was very committed to her team. She only missed a game or two, during the first weeks when the bus ride would've been too much. Otherwise, she was always there, supporting her team, keeping score, and enduring the injustice as she watched her friends do what she longed to do but couldn't. (In fact, she is still doing that today-June 27, 2016-because he had her second labrum repaired June 16th. In all, she will miss 4 seasons of sports, or )
One really nice thing about the winter was not having any sports in Sterling. Since Ikey was in 6th grade, he was able to play on Haxtun's team and we skipped the weekly trips to Sterling. Yay! Isaac had a really successful season. He played on the B (7th grade) team most of the time. He also played on the A (8th grade) team some.
We had a surprise visit from Taylor in February. She was kind of homesick and flew home without telling us! She surprised us by walking into the gym during a ballgame, just as she had in December. She was surprised that I didn't react the same way (really excited and surprised). The difference was that I was just totally flabbergasted the second time around.
Boys' basketball ended with an at-the-buzzer loss in the final game of districts. We fought hard and I was so very proud of the team. I held my breath every time the ball changed possession. I wanted Caleb to play the world's greatest defense. I wanted Wyatt to grab every rebound. I wanted Bo to look mad and play hard. I was devastated when the other team shot and we had three players at the rim hoping for a rebound and then, immediately, on the ground, colliding with one another on their way down, hitting the floor and scrambling for the ball, not realizing that the buzzer had sounded and that we were not the winners.
March brought spring break and a short trip to Denver. We went to the zoo. (Nice, but our kids were mostly too old for it. Plus, there weren't as many animals out in March as there generally are in the summer.) We ate at Olive Garden. (Fun--everyone was relaxed and just enjoyed one another. Why doesn't MY food at home do that??) We stayed at the Drury Inn, which is fun because they have a glass elevator and a cool pool (half indoor and half outdoor, with the hotel wall dividing the pools, but you can swim under the wall) and they serve free snacks at night and it's near the temple, so we made a quick stop there. The next morning, we drove up to Red Rocks Ampitheatre because I'd heard a lot about it and wanted to see it. It was NOT a disappointment! It was easy to get to, and it was gorgeous. Best mountain scenery I've seen in awhile . It was a warm day and a perfect day to be outside. I was surprised by how many people were exercising at Red Rocks. A lot of them were running the stairs. Here are some photos:
Kenna has spent a lot of time this year doing therapy. On Steph's recommendation, we work with Ron Harder at Sports Rehab Consulting. They are a premier private PT group based in Vail and Denver and they specialize in returning athletes to play. It's awesome, and Ron is awesomer. (And they are cheap. Crazy!)
Kenna also turned sixteen this year! She has looked sixteen for awhile, but her birthday made her a driver. To celebrate, we went to eat at the Bar-Lo café in town. Here are some pictures from her party.
On December 20, Corbin was baptized. It was a wonderful day! Taylor made the drive from Rexburg and arrived safely to be with us, and Jared's mom and stepfather, John, arrived earlier the same day. We all watched Caleb's basketball game together that night and then enjoyed Saturday together. I was emotional Sunday, mostly because I felt so loved and I knew that Corbin was loved--the majority of his grandparents were here to support him.
The next day, Dec. 21, Jared's mom left and Jared and Kenna and I left for Denver. Actually, Taylor and Kenna went together so that they could have a little girl time and have fun together before the surgery.
Here's Kenna on Christmas Eve, the day we came home. Her two best friends, Riley and Dawson, stopped by with gifts. Kenna was very medicated but managed to look great for the photo!
Surgery went well. I wrote about it in another post, so I'll skip to January: School started again. Caleb had his meniscus repaired mid-January. He was determined not to miss anything, so he attended his team's basketball game that night. I think his knee stayed swollen a little longer than it may have otherwise, but he was still able to return to play a few days into February. He ended up having a very good season--he wasn't really a scorer, but he earned a place on varsity because he is quick and he reads the ball so well that he became a very good defender. In fact, there were a couple of games where he caused enough turnovers that he was the spark that propelled his team to a win. (I'm not always the most objective person where my kids are involved, but lots of bulldog fans agreed with me. So I'm undoubtedly right.)
Kenna couldn't play basketball, but she was very committed to her team. She only missed a game or two, during the first weeks when the bus ride would've been too much. Otherwise, she was always there, supporting her team, keeping score, and enduring the injustice as she watched her friends do what she longed to do but couldn't. (In fact, she is still doing that today-June 27, 2016-because he had her second labrum repaired June 16th. In all, she will miss 4 seasons of sports, or )
One really nice thing about the winter was not having any sports in Sterling. Since Ikey was in 6th grade, he was able to play on Haxtun's team and we skipped the weekly trips to Sterling. Yay! Isaac had a really successful season. He played on the B (7th grade) team most of the time. He also played on the A (8th grade) team some.
We had a surprise visit from Taylor in February. She was kind of homesick and flew home without telling us! She surprised us by walking into the gym during a ballgame, just as she had in December. She was surprised that I didn't react the same way (really excited and surprised). The difference was that I was just totally flabbergasted the second time around.
Boys' basketball ended with an at-the-buzzer loss in the final game of districts. We fought hard and I was so very proud of the team. I held my breath every time the ball changed possession. I wanted Caleb to play the world's greatest defense. I wanted Wyatt to grab every rebound. I wanted Bo to look mad and play hard. I was devastated when the other team shot and we had three players at the rim hoping for a rebound and then, immediately, on the ground, colliding with one another on their way down, hitting the floor and scrambling for the ball, not realizing that the buzzer had sounded and that we were not the winners.
March brought spring break and a short trip to Denver. We went to the zoo. (Nice, but our kids were mostly too old for it. Plus, there weren't as many animals out in March as there generally are in the summer.) We ate at Olive Garden. (Fun--everyone was relaxed and just enjoyed one another. Why doesn't MY food at home do that??) We stayed at the Drury Inn, which is fun because they have a glass elevator and a cool pool (half indoor and half outdoor, with the hotel wall dividing the pools, but you can swim under the wall) and they serve free snacks at night and it's near the temple, so we made a quick stop there. The next morning, we drove up to Red Rocks Ampitheatre because I'd heard a lot about it and wanted to see it. It was NOT a disappointment! It was easy to get to, and it was gorgeous. Best mountain scenery I've seen in awhile . It was a warm day and a perfect day to be outside. I was surprised by how many people were exercising at Red Rocks. A lot of them were running the stairs. Here are some photos:
Kenna has spent a lot of time this year doing therapy. On Steph's recommendation, we work with Ron Harder at Sports Rehab Consulting. They are a premier private PT group based in Vail and Denver and they specialize in returning athletes to play. It's awesome, and Ron is awesomer. (And they are cheap. Crazy!)
Kenna also turned sixteen this year! She has looked sixteen for awhile, but her birthday made her a driver. To celebrate, we went to eat at the Bar-Lo café in town. Here are some pictures from her party.
Look at that face! That's because Kenna loves watermelon, and she had opened a watermelon cake mix and frosting.
She also got a hair straightener.
Just a couple other photos that I liked.
I'll end this post with a photo of Kenna and Isaac planking. This was probably taken in March or April, once she was strong enough to do this type of thing. They were having a really fun time together on this night.
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