Bicycle Accident

 

Reese came to visit, and she and Grandpa watched "Cars" together.

We had a big scare last week. Don and I were riding our bikes on Wednesday evening when he fell from his bike and was unconscious and breathing heavily for ten minutes before he came to. And even when he came to, he was totally confused. I called 911 immediately, and the ambulance took him to the hospital. He didn't know what day of the week it was, what month, or even what year. He couldn't stand up, let alone walk.

All the tests they did ruled out a major concussion or spinal injury. What they were most concerned about was something on his brain scan. Because I did not see him actually fall (I caught up to him when he was on the ground), and he could not remember falling at all, we do not know exactly what happened. 

We do know that he hit the ground hard enough to crack his bicycle helmet! To crack a bicycle helmet, it takes roughly 300-500 pounds of direct force of acceleration. Modern safety helmets are engineered to fail structurally, absorbing kinetic energy before it reaches your skull.

The brain scan showed several mico stroke/brain bleeds that could not be explained by his bloodwork and other cardiology tests. The neurologist didn't seem to think the head injury caused them either. But what made him fall off his bike? It is still a mystery.

I can guess all day, but I'll never really know. But my sense is that he went over his handlebars to get the impact. Plus, his head was facing the opposite direction he was riding, which means he probably flipped over.

I'm just thankful he is alive and that his senses have come back. Over the next few weeks, he will be getting more checks and tests to see if this mystery can be resolved. As the neurologist left us, he said, "Your case isn't closed yet."

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World Cup on the 4th of July

 

Daniel and Heidi had tickets to the World Cup game played in Philadelphia on the 4th of July. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a big soccer game.

I thought they were crazy to want to be in Philadelphia the day of our country's 250th birthday. But it turned out to be a great trip for them.

They were originally going to stay one night, but they ended up staying two.

This gave them a chance to go out and have a nice, quiet dinner together and sleep in on Sunday.

The first night, Heidi's parents watched the boys. They were going to stay at Daniel & Heidi's house, but their power went out, and it didn't come back on until Sunday afternoon.

So they headed over to Grammie's house for a sleepover.

On Saturday, we met them all back at the boys' house to take our turn. Since the power was still not on, we emptied the freezer and refrigerator and transported all the food we could save to our houses.

The sad thing was, Heidi told the boys they could watch all the TV they wanted while they were gone. But there was no power at their house, and no internet at our house, which meant no TV! 

We improvised. Don ran to Walmart and bought a couple of old-fashioned DVDs. The boys screamed with joy when they got to watch Bluey episode after Bluey episode for two hours. Glad we didn't get rid of our DVD player!

Dean and Gavin got to sleep in the same room at our house, and Noah slept in the next room in the crib. The older boys slept through the night just fine. Noah woke up around 1 a.m., and I ended up spending the night in his room (long story).

We get to do this again in five weeks when Daniel and Heidi go away for their anniversary. This time, we get Dean & Gavin while Noah goes to Grammie's house.

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Peter & Kendall in Oregon

 

Peter and Kendall enjoyed a week+ in and around Eugene and Bandon, Oregon, at the end of June. Of course, Reese was there too, along with Kendall's parents and her grandma Eula. 

Reese got to dig in the sand and splash in the water.

She also tagged along on hikes and a whale-watching adventure.

Peter was back at Bandon Dunes to play golf.

Look at that swing!

Eula's dream came true when she got to play the Par 3 course.

Lucy chummed around with Cooper the whole time. They became fast friends. Lucy was the sweetest girl by letting Cooper sniff her as much as he wanted. Lucy had one of the most active weeks she's had in a while, and Cooper was the calmest he'd been since we got him. They are so good for each other. I hope she visits again soon.

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Summer Fun

 

Noah is growing taller, talking more, and trying to keep up with his big brothers. Of the three boys, I think he looks the most like Daniel when he was this age. Noah is almost 2!

Reese is tall, talkative, and loves to run. She is the littlest of these beauties in a four-generation photo. They are enjoying a vacation in Oregon this week. Reese will soon be 2 as well.

Ezra is not afraid of anything (except loud trains). He wants to do everything his big sister does, and he is great at keeping up. He still gives the best hugs. He even hugs Cooper. Ezra is going on 2 and a half.

I am really proud of Gavin. On Father's Day, he made up a game that included Cooper. He has been afraid of Cooper (and I don't blame him!), but on this day, he took a chance and had fun with him. Gavin will soon be 4!

Dean has a smile on his face, but as you can see, he has a big boo-boo on his arm. He got a little rambunctious playing on the Bounce House and fractured his elbow. Since kids heal so quickly, he only has to keep the cast on for three weeks. Unfortunately, he has to miss most of his baseball season. But luckily, his cast is waterproof, so he can still swim! Dean will have a birthday next month, like his two brothers. He will turn 6.

Marina performed in a ballet recital the first weekend of June. She looked beautiful in her costume, and she did great on stage. 

She is the oldest of our six grandchildren, but not by much. She is six weeks older than Dean. She turned six the end of May.

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