While I Vacuumed...

I asked Elsa to hold Elisabeth while I vacuumed the family room.

I'd say she did a fine job!

Let's Hike a Mountain, Shall We?

Mission:

Mt. St. Helens

I have a crazy habit of setting big goals.

Huge goals.

And I just did it again.

On September 22, 2015 I will hike Mt. St. Helens.

In preparation, I have been training diligently, with daily yoga, 5 am hikes, and strength training. It has been hard, but deeply satisfying.

Until this morning.

All I saw were my shortcomings. I felt like a failure. Despite the ways in which I have progressed, all I could see was how far I am from where I want to be. I left the house a little later than usual for my hike - 5:30 am - and drove to Badger Mountain feeling defeated. When I parked the car I got out, strapped on my 15 pound pack and walked to the base of the mountain. I just stood and looked up...for something like an hour. I had tears streaming down my face and was THIS close to throwing in the towel and going home.

But I didn't.

I finally started up the trail, tears still coming.

It's rare for me to feel that way. Truth be told, I almost always succeed at whatever it is I put my mind to. I believe in taking my dreams and making them happen. But today, for a short while, all I could see was failure.

After some words of wisdom from a trusted friend, I was able to adjust my attitude and once again focus on my goal. 

We don't always progress at the rate we like or even in the way we like. The key is to keep on carrying on.

One bad morning will not define me.

I can do this.

I can do anything.

So I will.

Back Handspring on the Balance Beam: Check!

When I became a parent I knew that one of my goals was for my children to find a discipline to focus on. For Lorelai, that discipline is gymnastics. 

As a gymnast she devotes hours upon hours at the gym, works unceasingly towards new skills, and endures pain and suffering (her hands are completely torn up from the bars). But, the sacrifices are worth it when she conquers a difficult feat.

    

I present to you...

Lorelai Leigh, age 10, doing a back handspring on the balance beam:

If It's Not One Thing It's Another

Wednesday was a great day for Alexandra. After struggling to see the white board at school we scheduled her an optometry appointment and she was fitted for glasses. She is thrilled to have her vision restored and is in love with her new frames.

Yes, indeed, things were looking up for Miss Alexandra.

 

Until Thursday.

I got a text from her mid morning that said,

'I have never felt so sick in my life'. 

I arrived at her school as quick as I could (Elsa accidentally locked me out of the van - with the keys inside - but that is a whole other story). When I saw her I instantly knew she was not well. We hurried to the urgent care where she was diagnosed with mononucleosis. This news devastated her. It meant missing her leadership field trip to Red Robin the next day as well as the last week of school and all the fun and festivities that includes. She cried all afternoon, both from the pain and the depression.

We are hoping it turns out to be a mild case meaning she would be down for a week or two rather than a month or two. With summer ahead she has performances of The Music Man, girls camp, and a few road trips on the docket - this is no time to have her energy sapped! So we are pampering her and helping her towards wellness.

Elsa even read her a book night before last:

In other news...

Elisabeth has recovered!

She is home and feeling like herself again!

 

Which goes to prove, if it's not one thing it's another. 

Gotta love life!

The Queen Has Fallen Ill

Saturday was busy, the kind of busy where each minute is mapped out. It began with an early 6 am hike followed by a symphony rehearsal, guitar recital, wedding reception, and a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony in the evening.

But it seems that in life, when we so carefully make plans, the unexpected occurs.

Saturday's unexpected occurred in the early afternoon when I arrived to watch Alexandra perform at a recital hosted by the Classical Guitar Association of the Tri Cities. I had come separately from my rehearsal and when I saw Elisabeth she looked quite out of sorts. "I want to hold her," I told Donald. So he lifted her out of her chair and cradled her into my arms. That's when I noticed the heat. She was burning up. I looked at her face and noticed her eyes rolling up.

I just sensed that an ER trip was in order.

So, those carefully laid plans had to be altered. We rearranged and rescheduled.

At the ER her temperature measured at 103.6. They immediately began ordering x-rays, a CT scan, and labs. After everything turned up okay they sent us home with the conclusion that she had a mere virus.

I stayed home with her from church on Sunday and snuggled her close. She was still so hot, still so lethargic. In the late afternoon the phone rang, it was the hospital. "Her blood culture tested positive, you need to bring her right back."

Over the past 24 hours they have determined that her blood tested positive for strep, but we still don't know which strain. We have also noticed some bloody discharge that has been coming from her g-tube site.

Elsa was devastated knowing that Elisabeth was ill and in the hospital. When Donald brought her to visit she crawled into bed with her and couldn't hold back the tears.

 

The next morning she brought her her treasured doll and insisted Elisabeth keep it until she comes home.

 

Get well soon, 

sweet child of mine.

Sister Carrying Sister

Lorelai wanted to be the one to get Elisabeth out of bed.

So she climbed in, and cradled her into her arms...

But then...a seizure struck:

So Lorelai held her steady and gave her comfort.

When it ended, up they got:

No reason to get all worked up over a seizure, right? 

Just keep calm and carry on:

The State Championship

At the beginning of the month we piled into the van and headed west to the 2015 Washington State Gymnastics Championship where Lorelai competed as a level 4 gymnast.

 

I struggled to get good photographs, as you can imagine this was a big meet with a lot of people. And said people just didn't want to get out of the way. But, we do the best we can do, right?

Lorelai performing her floor routine:

 

Lorelai on the balance beam:

 

Lorelai on the uneven bars:

As for vault...it was clear on the other side of the gym and the was absolutely no getting a photograph of that.

Lorelai didn't place, but....she competed at the state gymnastics competition for goodness sakes! I am so proud of her. Being a competitive gymnast takes hard work and sacrifice. While most 10 year olds get out of school and head home to play with neighborhood friends, Lorelai goes straight to the gym and doesn't get home until it is nearly bedtime. Last summer, when she moved up to level 4 - and consequently the more intense practice schedule - she really struggled. She was in tears every day and hated being away from home. At one point we even made the decision to have her quit, but her coach encouraged her to give it a month and see if she adjusted. And...obviously she did.

Gymnastics is about so much more than state titles. It's about the life lessons it is teaching Lorelai at the young age of 10. She is learning about hard work, about dedication, about persevering even through pain. She is learning to focus, to manage her time, and to be disciplined. She is learning about her body; how to balance it, how to control it, how to treat it well so that she can be her best. And last but not least, she is surrounding herself with peers who are like minded and equally as dedicated.

All of these things will play a critical role in developing Lorelai into the person she will be as an adult. I have no doubt she will take the skills and lessons taught through gymnastics and do extraordinary things in life.

Lorelai and her fellow teammates.

The Day Elsa Turned Eight!!

*8*

 

 

Eight 

will be 

Great!!