CCMS Wrestling 22-23

Since both A and W are in middle school, we wanted them to use this chance to try new things.  We encouraged them to try out for the sports teams available at school.  For winter, they both signed up to do wrestling and it was a new experience for us all.  

The team was small so whoever was committed and showed up to practices was on the team.  They wrestle by weight class so both boys were in different classes.  They would wrestle each other at practice sometimes though.  A wrestled mostly in the 90 lb class and W wrestled in the 83 lb class. The head coach was an assistant from the football team so both boys already knew Coach Murray going into wrestling.  The other coaches were Coach Aiden (Coach Murray's son) and Ms. Senter who was another PE teacher from the school. 

They practiced every day after school until 5 pm.  Every.Single.Day.   Practices were tough and there was a lot of conditioning at the beginning.  The boys were very tired BUT we can confidently say they were in great shape.  There's so much technique involved in wrestling that while it's about strength, it's also about finesse too.    

Matches were very intense.  It's just the two wrestlers out there and no one else to help.  Very different than team sports which is what we've always done so this was new.  I was very tense watching from the bleachers every single time one of my boys wrestled.  I never felt relaxed.  I wasn't worried they would get hurt at all.  I just know how competitive they are and wanted them to do their best and be satisfied with their performance.  I wish I had more pictures or videos of the season but it was too hard for me to record and watch at the same time.  Here's what I do have from their first season of wrestling. 

Waiting for the match to start

The team before regionals

W

Victory

My New Role

I've always been a teacher.  Sure a wife and mother, but my calling and occupation has been a teacher.  I love teaching and love middle school students especially.  My role these days is quite different.  I've transitioned to being a caregiver and I'm really honored I have the chance to do that.  B's parents live with us now and I take care of them full time.  I could list the things I do, but really I just love and care for them.  I really do love them.  They are our family.  I no longer think about my family of 6, rather my family of 8.  It's nice being a multigenerational family (most of the time) and of course we have our ups and downs just like any family.  

My FIL has Alzheimer's and my MIL has some physical restrictions and not much strength.  Bryce and I made the decision to move them in with us around Christmas time and I began looking at houses.  We finally found the perfect house for us in March and moved in April.  P/V sold their house in Texas and flew to NC April 22.  We've lived together in this new house for 9 months!  Our house is great.  There's enough room for all 8 of us and we have a bonus room upstairs so the kids can have some space away from adults.  We have so many funny stories and I wish I would have written them all down, so maybe I'll try to document them here.  

Let me try and play catch up LOL  

Bryce got a job at The College at Southeastern (SEBTS) and we moved to NC in August 2021.  Rin is in 9th grade at Franklinton High School.  She participated in the Marching Band and right now she's on the high school swim team.  Abe is in 7th grade at Cedar Creek Middle School.  He made the school football team and is on the wrestling team.  Wes is in 6th grade also at CCMS.  Wes was the manager of the football team because he was too young to play and he's also on the wrestling team.  Ell is in 4th grade at Youngsville Elementary.  She's on the Battle of the Books team at school.  Her school is year round so every 9 weeks, she has 3 weeks off that she gets to stay home with me!  Paul and Vicki come with us to school events and sporting events too.  I take them to all their doctor appointments, nail appointments, hair appointments etc...  We call them our adult children :) 

Wesley's 6th birthday

I know I've mentioned it before, but we only celebrate BIG for our kids birthdays when they turn a multiple of 5.  W had a party last year so this year he was only going to get a small family celebration.

W's birthday was on a Saturday so I let him pick the entire menu for the day.  He decided on cereal for breakfast, oven pizza & mac and cheese for lunch, and dinner was mini-corn dogs and fruit.  We had a normal Saturday and then at night, we went to the Movie under the Moon in Sugar Land Town Center.  The movie they showed was Sing (which we've already seen), but it was a fun time anyways.  W invited his friend from school, Christian, and then the March cousins as well as JuJo and the Livingston's.  I made sure to let everyone know it wasn't a party and they didn't need to bring gifts, but of course some did anyways.  I brought a cookie cake and a cooler with water and juice boxes for everybody.  We even sang Happy Birthday to W before the movie started.  W said he had a great day and loved his birthday even though he didn't have a big party.  

I also tell the kids their birth story on their birthday and I usually read it from my blog so I'll remember all the details.  For some reason I cannot find Wesley's birth story written down so I'll try now to recount the story in detail. 


May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) was a Thursday and I taught a normal day at school.  SEBTS was having a family night with free food and inflatables, so we planned to attend like we would normally.  We got our food and ate hotdogs in the quad and I noticed that I was having some contractions.  I had been having contractions for a few days but I was 39 weeks so it was normal.  After eating, we took R & A to the inflatables so they could play.  R climbed in easy because she was tall enough, but A couldn't climb into the hole.  I tried to bend down to pick A up, but I had a big contraction at the same time and I couldn't move.  A nearby man saw me struggling, so he helped get A into the inflatable and once I could walk, I found B (he had followed R through the course) and told him what had just happened.  We decided it would be best to go home so I could lie down and see if the contractions stopped or not.  We got home and I rested while B gave R & A bath.  When I realized the contractions were not stopping, I called Brian and Jojo to let them know.  We had already asked them to take care of R & A when we went to the hospital for Wesley's birth.  They had just sat down at a Mexican place (since it was Cinco de Mayo) but hadn't ordered yet.  They came over to get the kids and at this point, it was probably 8:30 pm.  We grabbed our "go bag" and drove to the hospital.  We arrived shortly after 9pm and my contractions were pretty close.  We didn't make any calls because we weren't sure if it was going to happen quickly.  I did call Sheree so she could find me a sub for school for the next day.  After checking in to the hospital and getting in a room, the nurse checked me and said that I was about 6 cm dilated.  They broke my water quickly and things progressed like normal.  I was thinking I might have a Cinco baby, but as the close approached midnight, I knew that was not going to happen.  Shortly after 12:30, it was time to push.  Dr. Moore was the doctor at the hospital and she told me to check my modesty at the door.  She's really funny and I always tried to make my appoints with her while pregnant.  W's head came out and we thought the rest of him would come out like R & A were born.  W's shoulders were too wide and he was stuck.  I knew something was wrong and then I had some pain, so I arched my back which made things difficult.  The nurse had to climb on top of me to get me back down and she started pushing on my belly to help push W out.  During all this commotion, I somehow ripped my IV out and blood shot out and squirted B and me. It's all sort of a blur 6 years later but I remember the craziness inside that room.  Dr. Moore had to twist W's head and wiggle him out.  He had shoulder dystocia and was bruised.  He was also big and healthy weighing 9 lbs 5 oz.  He looked a lot like R when she was a newborn.  His birth time was 1:03 am Friday May 6th.  We only stayed in the hospital 1 night because we were anxious to get back home to the family.  R & A were very excited to be big sister (again) and big brother.  Our W is tough and everyone says he looks just like B (same body type and face).  His delivery and birth are by far the most traumatic for me, but I wouldn't change anything because he was safe and healthy. 

Disney World

W & E went to Disney April 16-21 with Gram and Granddad (K's mom and step-dad).  They had a blast and here's a link to the photo book that K created.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYuWTZq2cMmTF-g

Wes's 5th Birthday

We have attended a lot of big elaborate birthday parties and also smaller more intimate birthday celebrations over the years.  B and I have often wondered how we will do 4 birthdays each year and not fall into that trap of bigger and better each year. Yes, I have a pinterest account and I'll pin things, but I don't feel like I have to do everything I pin.  So we always ask families what their birthday philosophy is and we finally heard one that we loved, so we stole it.  The family also has 4 kids pretty close together, so it works perfectly for us and our kids understand too.  Every year for a birthday, either I will cook a meal of their choice or we will go out to eat where-ever they pick.  If they choose to eat out, they can also choose to bring the entire family, or just a special meal with Mommy and Daddy.  If it's a multiple of 5 birthday, then we will do a "party".  This year (2016) was W's 5th birthday so we threw him a party.  He picked an Angry Bird theme so I started pinning away.  We hosted at the house and invited W's friends that he picked.  Since W wasn't in Kindergarten yet, he didn't have school friends, but he did have church friends and neighbor friends.
We played some Angry Bird inspired games, like a water balloon toss using B's sling shot to hit boxes, and a balloon toss pretending they were eggs.  We also played Pie Face, which was probably the favorite.  We ate Angry Bird Pizza's that B actually create from pinterest, but they turned out super cute.  After eating, W opened his gifts and he was so excited about each one.  He showed genuine enthusiasms for each present, and gave a heartfelt thank you to each family.  It was really sweet to watch.
Once it got dark, most people left and we let the kids watch a movie before bed.  We loved celebrating W and it was really meaningful to the family because it doesn't happen every year.  I think this will help our kids appreciate their special birthday parties even more, but we also spent time planning it and asked W what he wanted.  I ordered the birthday cake from Wal-mart and it was an Angry Bird them as well.  R helped me color pages to decorate the house and we bought a piñata in the shape of the green pig.  I forgot about the piñata.  It was a definite hit as well.

W on his birthday being silly in the van

B used his artistic abilities to make Angry Bird Pizzas

Pie Face was a big hit

Joe P, Xavier, Jeffrey, Abe, Ell, Rin, Faith, Selene, and W

W got the first swing at the pinata

First ER visit

Having 4 kids means we are fully aware of our chances of our kids getting hurt.  Fortunately, we haven't had any major injuries until this summer.  Earlier in 2016 W fell off a playground and got a green stick break in his collar bone.  There wasn't anything to do so he just had to deal with the pain and there's still a slight bump.  Well W struck again and made us take our first trip to the ER in July.
Every year, the kids stay with my dad and Ella for the weekend while B and I move into camp.  This year was no different.  Saturday evening we got a text that W jumped out of a swing while at the park and hurt his elbow.  It was pretty swollen, but they got an ice pack for it and were giving him children's Tylenol.

Sunday, July 10th swollen right elbow

Sunday night it was still really swollen so my dad called and asked if we wanted them to take W to the ER for an x-ray.  We told them not to do that because they were supposed to bring us W in the morning anyway.  Monday morning Ella brought the kids to me and I was very excited for them to be there at camp.  W's elbow (arm) was very swollen and I took him to see the camp doctor and she immediately told me I needed to take him to Forest General for an x-ray.  I wasn't expecting that, but it's good to know important Hattiesburg people because she called ahead and had the ER expecting us.  So W and I left camp and R, A, and E stayed at camp with Bryce.  When we arrived at the ER, we did not have to wait long before they called us back and wanted to know what happened.  I had a hard time really describing the accident because I wasn't there and W wasn't sure exactly how he had his arms when he jumped out of the swing.  W was taken for an x-ray and my mom showed up while we were in the room. 

Pre-surgery TV watching

Post surgery sleepy Wes

At first a nurse came in and started prepping him for a hard cast, but then she stopped and Dr. Whitehead's assistant, Dr. Randy came in and started talking to us about surgery.  This option caught me totally off guard, but I didn't argue because I wanted his elbow to be fixed.  He fractured a bone in his elbow and there was a ton of swelling.  Dr. Whitehead said it was actually a pretty common fracture for kids and it's important to make sure the bone heals correctly otherwise the arm grows back crooked.  Dr. Whitehead told me they would actually just insert pins into his elbow and not perform "surgery" but W would still have to be put to sleep.  At this news, my mom went back to camp to get B, and the other kids stayed at camp with Bubba and Gilly.  Once B arrived, the three of us were together and watched some cooking shows until W fell asleep.  The doctor came and got W for surgery and was happy he was asleep because he was expecting W to be scared to leave us.  B and I left to grab some lunch and then waited in the waiting room for a call that W was done and in recovery.  We got a call from Dr. Whitehead that W was done and it went perfectly.  Once W was awake, B went back with him and then I joined them when W was getting moved to his own room.  W had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia and was in a foul mood.  He ate a little dinner and drank some Sprite. 

You can't even see W but I promise, he's there!

By the time the rest of the family got there, W was acting himself.  Bubba and Gilly came straight from camp and brought R, A, and E.  My mom and Chuck also came for a visit and brought W some candy.  AC showed up as well so it was a nice little family reunion.  W had to spend 1 night in the hospital and I slept with him on the hospital bed.   I think we slept about 5 hours off and on, but I'm sure I had better sleep than B, who tried to fit his 6 foot body on that little chair that folds out to a bed.

Much happier in the morning

Taking a walk around since it was boring

B's bed for the night

 

 

The next morning, July 12, W was discharged and able to leave the hospital.  I stayed with W for the day in Hattiesburg, and B went back to camp.  Since B's job was the pool and mine was an area parent, we felt it was important for B to be there during the day and I was needed at night.  I drove down with my mom Tuesday night and then B went with her back home to stay with W.  After that first night home, B and I both stayed at camp with R & A, and my mom took care of W and E.  He couldn't get his arm wet or sweaty, so that was really difficult for him in July in the hot MS heat.

W had to sit out while the rest of us swam

He was a trooper and besides the phase of coming off the anesthesia, he never complained.  After camp, we drove to Grapevine, TX for the SACSCOC conference (where he couldn't swim) and then back to Richmond.  We made an appointment at Richmond Bone & Joint and saw the same doctor that did our cousin's knee surgery.  Dr. Davino did not have good things to say about how W's arm was treated and handled, but what was done was done.

  W got a hard cast and picked the colors red & blue.  He had to keep his cast on for a few weeks and then could get it off and the pins removed.  Assuming everything went as planned, he would have his cast off before the first day of school.  The pictures are a little gross because one of the pins started to get pushed into his arm and his body was trying to push it out.  It all healed and his arm is 99% back to normal. 

The next pictures are sort of gross of where his pins were in his arm....PG-13