Summer Vacations 1

We had a great summer. Carl got back from Afghanistan at the end of July. Summer swim was over and Caitlin and Nathan headed to Camp Albemarle for the week. Owen and I jumped in the brand new minivan and headed to Florida for Janicki Beach Weekend. Owen had way too much fun being the only kid for a few days until everyone else flew in on Friday night and well we all had a blast.

 Finished up swim team

 Owen did great, all the kids did but Cait and Nate were already at camp.

 I couldn't drive the whole way so we stayed in Jacksonville the first night.

 He got to ride in the car once we got on the island.

 The view from our room!!

 The pinas were delicious

 It didn't take long for Owen to get comfy!!!

 We headed out to dinner the first night!!!

 Yeah Susan is here!

 Visited Manatees in the morning!

 Owen and I rode bikes to the country store.

 We played with Peyton and Nolan lots.

 So much fun

 more drinks lol

 The big kids and husband showed up

 Beach time

 Breakfast

 Bar time!!!

 Jet ski!

 We had a great weekend!

Summer

So Summer came and while I still wasn't 100% I was surviving. Carl was in Afghanistan and the kids were so happy not to see me sleeping. Oh did I mention that during the worst of it I was sleeping like 18 hours a day. It was crazy I could not keep my eyes open as hard as I tried and once I was sleeping you could have a party in my room. So bizarre !!! Okay so summer came the usual, swim team, camps and me sort of happy I wasn't in pain but also feeling weird and not good overall so I just sat by the pool and sat on the sofa and all was well in the world. Ohhhh well except for Owen and his damn broken teeth.... oh and the dog bite.

 Trips to the beach in the evening cause my body could not handle heat

 Ali and Troy came down more times then I can count!

 Crabs were eaten!

 Teeth were broken! Again and Again And AGAIN!!!

 But we kept on swimming!

 and Owen's first year of sailing camp

 and sailing!

and we had fun!!!

So much to say

Okay so I am back, I think I will just start from the now, so much has happened since I wrote last but lets just start with a summary. Well the surgery went well, and then then the inflammation returned. The doctor put me on two courses of steroids. The last one 40 mg a day almost killed me. It was awful. Alison moved in for a month an entire  month and she was amazing. Taking kids here and there, cooking and cleaning, sick dogs, sick kids. I will never be able to repay her. And now 6 months later.... I am finally feeling better. I have started taking walks again!!! Yippeee

 Kona and Kia became best friends

 Owen has taken up a new sport its called professional break my teeth every two weeks!

 Ahhhh the beach

 The start of summer.

 The kids did swim team this summer and loved it.

I am back!

Hi Blog! I missed you! I am back, there was a bump in the road okay maybe a detour but I am ready to get back it . This is just a test post, I had to see if I could remember if I could log in and I am so let the fun begin. Tonight I will upload pictures and then get all caught up  over the next few weeks! Yipppeee See you soon blog!

Things are looking up!!!!

So its been a month. I went to the doctor and had surgery the same week.   I am two weeks post surgery and healing great. The excruciating pain is gone!!! I still have soreness and a tiny bit of post surgery pain but it is getting better everyday. I didn't quite realize how much physical therapy I would need and it is very very hard and time consuming but unlike before I am making good progress and when you see yourself making progress everyday its easy to keep up with it. So anyway Carl took a week off work and Mom came to rescue everyday, usually multiple times a day and Ali came down and helped for a weekend and I am on the mend. Tomorrow I head back to work and for right now I am just going to focus on physical therapy and keeping my  body happy. I am not quite out of the woods yet which scares me to death but I am following everything the doctor told me to do so hopefully I can keep my biology happy and no more frozen shoulder.  So in a nutshell, I had my bicep cut and reattached, the humerus was shaved down to make more room in the shoulder, I had a capsular release on all three planes and a spur was removed. I had lost 80% range of motion on all three planes. When I saw the doctor on the day of my first appointment he was so amazed at how bad my shoulder was I burst into tears because I was so scared. When I went last week to get my stitches out he still seems really amazed I am doing as well as I am but all I know is the pain is gone, my range of motion is improving and Dr. Speer is my hero!!!!!
So in other news Owen turned 8!!!! Of course when they called me on Wednesday to tell me when my surgery would be---me thinking in the next three weeks even though the doctor had told me I needed it ASAP you can imagine my reaction when it was schedule for the exact same time as Owens planned and invitations sent out birthday party three days away. Okay scratch birthday party...... moms going to get her wing fixed! So party moved to following Saturday. So Saturday we woke up and drove to Raleigh they told me to get there at 11:45 for 2;45 surgery we walked in at 11:45 and everyone was waiting for us and by 12:15 I was in lala land by 12:30 night night and by 6 pm I was walking back into my own house. I had a needle in my neck and a medicine ball attached to a pump on my hip I had a nerve block down my entire arm and lots of pain pills. The first few days were rough but I improved every day. Carl and my mom were amazing, and dad helped too and here we are.

 Mom had an awesome dinner/birthday party for owen the night before my surgery at her house as his party was postponed.

 Here is the cake ... not my best but Owen didn't care

 Owen got rollerblades

 His birthday party to Jungle Rapids in Wilmington everyone had a blast

 Mom stayed home , carl and troy took the boys.

 and on Monday he went to the doctors and got antibiotics, steroids and in inhaler so mom didn't have to stay home all by herself and recover .... nope Owen joined me!!!

 Yeah no more pain