Oh How the Mighty

Here's a little sample of what we usually like to do on a hot Tuesday in the summer time. This is Zachary jumping and Jacob riding the zip line at the swimming hole of our homeschooling friends here in the Hill Country.

The kids LOVE it - I'd give it a shot myself - but I never swim - well... not until today. Oh - and I've basically grown into a big chicken.

Michaela even rode once - after I promised her a dollar... Then I totally missed the shot with the camera and she couldn't be persuaded to do it again. Nuts.

It's really beautiful out there. Even the drive over the "mountain" is beautiful with its hairpin turns, creeks crossing back and forth over the road and the lush green foliage.

Today was a little different though. Today we headed 'home' earlier than we usually do and with a bit more fanfare.

I didn't see it - but "eye witnesses accounts report" that Jacob was pulling the zip line back in and Zachary was preparing to jump from the tower, when his feet got tangled in the rope and his jump was transformed into a not so graceful dive. The rocks near the bank at the bottom of the roughly 12 foot tower broke his fall resulting in a banged up shoulder and busted left wrist.

Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to call for help and say that he was hurt. Two other moms were in the water before I was even able to decide whether or not to remove my flip flops and or wrist-watch. I reached for my shirt but then remembered (thankfully) that it wasn't that kind of party. So, into the drink I went fully clothed. Let me tell you - those pantie liners hold a lotta water! (no men read this, right?) It was not a graceful entry by any means - there was no "Bay Watch" dive...but rather a slip on the slime on the concrete "beach" and a plunk and slide on the backside.

By the time I reached the other bank my boy was tearing up and we could see pretty quickly that his wrist was most likely broken. He was a trooper though and after a bit of noodle verses blow up canoe engineering discussion, we got him across to the other side and all the moms kicked on the mom afterburners and like an ant hill poked with a stick, started making calls to doctors and my hubb (thankfully home from work today), getting an ice pack, gathering pain meds and water, drying and dressing my other two kids and finding their shoes, moving my van closer to the "patient", making a splint out of some clothespin doll art, (gotta love a homeschooler), wringing out my wet clothes (had to actually put on my bathing suit since it was dry...) and loading my van. What an amazing group of friends!

We headed to urgent care where they did a couple of x-rays to confirm the break at the head of the radius and the ulna (hopefully that won't interfere with the growth plate of the bone over the years), splinted it and gave us a prescription for pain meds. It was nice to have the doctor on call be the dad of another homeschooling family that we know.

We were able to make an appointment with the bone doc on Monday morning to have it cast. Hopefully they have a nice brown color so that the dirt won't show...
As far as negative experiences go - this was a very positive one.

We are VERY thankful that:

• He didn't hit his head on the rock, but rather his shoulder and arm
• He was wearing his life vest (even if it was against his will)
• We weren't "alone" but surrounded by sound minded women and kids
• We have praying, godly friends
• Urgent care makes payment plans
• This "rite of passage" comes with a good story - he wasn't riding a pink bike or ice skating or something else sissy.

I did lose one of my favorite tubes of lipstick that was in my pocket - but I'm willing to forget about it.

He's resting comfortably now. No complaints. This just proves that if you starve your kids from T.V. it can be used later to dull their senses. I did have him turn it off for a bit and read in our human body book about the different kinds of fractures (closed) and how bone repairs itself. (Gotta love a homeschooler...)

*Some more GREAT news* Just heard that my cousin Margie has gotten the official word that she is CANCER FREE! Her young hub also got word that he is still cancer free too! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!

Edited To Add: Take a look at the photo of all the kids up on the tower - Zachary and his friend Zachary are pulling down the zip line handle so that Michaela can ride. If you follow the rope line down to the water you can see the rock that he ricocheted off of with the left side of his body.