Soooo...most of you probably remember when I had my back surgery. I was 13 and had to have two 6 inch metal rods screwed into both sides of my spine to correct my scoliosis. They had to take bone out of my hip for a bone graft to fill in the spine. It was a very big thing that I would never wish on anyone...especially a child! But if it hadn't been done, I would've been one deformed person today. If I had lived long enough to see 31! My parents took me to a chiropractor who specialized in correcting scoliosis. (so he said) My first trip in, he measured the curve. It was a 37 degree curve. I went to him 5 days a week for 8 weeks. By the end, he had gotten it down to a 32 degree curve. Scott and I went to Wyoming to stay with Uncle Neil and Aunt Deb for 2 weeks after I finished my treatments. When we got home...two weeks later...my curve had gone from 32 degrees to 45 degrees!!! That's when the appointment was made for surgery.
Well, McKenna has been complaining of her back hurting since May. We didn't think much of it, but she wouldn't sit up straight and that bothered me. So mom made an appointment with her chiropractor/nutrionist/magic doctor....and we took all 3 kids in this morning to be checked for scoliosis. I say "magic doctor" because this guy is amazing. I thought he was maybe 64-65 years old. Nope. 77!!!!! I was shocked!!! He is very much into vitamins, nutrition, natural things, etc.
First up was McKenna. He has never met McKenna...knew nothing about her except that she was complaining of soreness. He had her standing in front of us and pointed out that one shoulder was higher than the other (deja vu for me). He had her slump over and sure enough....she has a curve starting. The good news....he can correct her curve because of her age and the fact that we got her in as soon as we did, by doing treatments on her....approximately 7-8 treatments. He had her lay down on the table and he was feeling around her tailbone. He said, "She needs an adjustment to align her tailbone (he used the medical term). Kids who don't get that fixed before their bones fuse together will end up having toes that point inward." Mom and I looked at each other and our jaws dropped....McKenna is pigeon toed!!!! Good news again....he bones haven't fused and he can adjust her until her bones fuse and it will correct her alignment of her feet. Crazy!
Then it was Amber's turn. He said, "This little girl is full of soreness." Amber has been complaining of her feet hurting. We've tried so many different kinds of shoes trying to fix it. She quit soccer because her feet hurt so bad. We thought for sure it was because she has flat feet. Nope. He took one look at her and said, "Nope, she just needs calcium." Whaaaaat?????? He checked her spine...she has a small curve starting in the neck area. Again...her age is perfect to start adjustments. Within 6-7 adjustments and she will be good to go!
Then Dominic. He was hilarious! He hopped up on the table. Dr. Novak felt around and said, "This little guy is a ball of energy." Oh....my....word....and he said, "He's got more energy than those two put together, huh?" YES!!!!!!!! And Dominic had been so quiet the whole time. It was crazy! He checked out good. No curves! Woohoo!!
So all three kids got their first adjustment this morning. And they all loved it! He wants to see Dominic once more for an adjustment. Then the girls will go until they finish their scoliosis adjustments. In two weeks they all go back and he will know then what type and dosage of calcium they will all get. Our kids LOVE milk. I never thought calcium would ever be a problem. But they're all low. So weird!
Like I said...it was a very interesting morning. I learned so much in our 45 minute visit. The kids were very intrigued, too!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The time has come.....
Elaine....I feel terrible for not getting back to you sooner! Scott leaves in the morning, but I'm sure you've talked to dad by now.
The time has come when we have to suck it up and say goodbye to Scott....again. I'm really starting to dislike this. It was very hard saying goodbye when he left in February. I thought for sure it would be easier when we went to see him in May. Nope...it was actually a little harder. Then we got the phone call that he was coming home for 2 weeks and were all on cloud 9. We've had a great time. And now the dreaded Wednesday morning we've had marked on the calendar is just a few hours away and we'll be saying goodbye again. Scott thinks they will get to come home at Christmas time. The Army has what the call a "Christmas Exodus" where they stop all training at that time. You just never know until almost the last minute. Gotta love the timing of the Army. We've learned to be very flexible and spontaneous! But after December, it could be a full year before we see him again.
I know some people go a year without seeing their siblings or kids, but when you've never lived more than 30 minutes away from your only sibling your entire life, it makes it very hard!
We've had a couple of great games of Rook. Scott and I were partners both times...and won both times. Guess it helps to have a partner who likes to bid...:) The kids have been so happy having Uncle Scotty around. Dominic had on his Airborne beret the other day. It was way too cute!
I went to the office (dad's office in their basement) to do some work for dad. Scott came wandering out of his room about 10:30....went to the bathroom...stuck his head in the office to say 'hi', then crawled back in for another round of Zzzzz's. He's enjoying the freedom!
When he gets back to Fort Bragg, he will be back into the routine of waking up around 4:30 a.m. for PT. The Special Forces Selection process won't start until August 9th or September 6th. I think he likes the freedom he has while he's in holding, but I think he's more than ready to get the show on the road.
I'm going to end this here, but start a new post. We had an interesting morning!.......see you in a few!
The time has come when we have to suck it up and say goodbye to Scott....again. I'm really starting to dislike this. It was very hard saying goodbye when he left in February. I thought for sure it would be easier when we went to see him in May. Nope...it was actually a little harder. Then we got the phone call that he was coming home for 2 weeks and were all on cloud 9. We've had a great time. And now the dreaded Wednesday morning we've had marked on the calendar is just a few hours away and we'll be saying goodbye again. Scott thinks they will get to come home at Christmas time. The Army has what the call a "Christmas Exodus" where they stop all training at that time. You just never know until almost the last minute. Gotta love the timing of the Army. We've learned to be very flexible and spontaneous! But after December, it could be a full year before we see him again.
I know some people go a year without seeing their siblings or kids, but when you've never lived more than 30 minutes away from your only sibling your entire life, it makes it very hard!
We've had a couple of great games of Rook. Scott and I were partners both times...and won both times. Guess it helps to have a partner who likes to bid...:) The kids have been so happy having Uncle Scotty around. Dominic had on his Airborne beret the other day. It was way too cute!
I went to the office (dad's office in their basement) to do some work for dad. Scott came wandering out of his room about 10:30....went to the bathroom...stuck his head in the office to say 'hi', then crawled back in for another round of Zzzzz's. He's enjoying the freedom!
When he gets back to Fort Bragg, he will be back into the routine of waking up around 4:30 a.m. for PT. The Special Forces Selection process won't start until August 9th or September 6th. I think he likes the freedom he has while he's in holding, but I think he's more than ready to get the show on the road.
I'm going to end this here, but start a new post. We had an interesting morning!.......see you in a few!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy Birthday, America!
It's FINALLY the 4th! The kids thought it would never get here!
Jason, the kids and I picked up Scott at the airport Friday evening. It was a very proud moment. He came off the plane in his uniform...he's got his Airborne patch and wings now, so that's a huge accomplishment!
We were walking out of the airport and he stopped to put his beret on. Soldiers are taught to take their berets off when they enter any type of establishment, but as they walk outside, they are to put them on. I looked up and noticed he wasn't wearing the black one he had in Georgia, he had a maroon colored one with a very classy symbol on the front. Since he is now an Airborne qualified soldier, he's moved up in berets. He'll earn another one when he becomes a Special Forces soldier. That was a cool little tidbit to know!
We met mom, dad and Aunt Pauline at Jose Pepper's. It was very touching to see people stop Scott and pat him on his back or shake his hand (he was still in uniform) and thank him for his service. It makes me very proud to see my little brother so highly respected.
Then we went to mom and dad's and played a game of Rook. It was Scott and I against Jason and Uncle Leslie. I'm proud to say....Scott and I whooped them. ;) (actually it was hard fought game...we kinda got lucky the last round).
He is VERY happy to be home! His room is in the basement, so when I went down to tell the kids we were leaving and Jason and I hear this big "AHHHHHHHH". We looked in and Scott was sprawled out on his bed with a big smile on his face. There really is no place like home!
We hope you all have a fabulous 4th! Jason is filling the cooler and I need to get started on some food, so I guess I better get in gear!
It's 'supposed' to rain all day....but you know what....rain or not, we're going to have a great day!
Happy Birthday, America!
Jason, the kids and I picked up Scott at the airport Friday evening. It was a very proud moment. He came off the plane in his uniform...he's got his Airborne patch and wings now, so that's a huge accomplishment!
We were walking out of the airport and he stopped to put his beret on. Soldiers are taught to take their berets off when they enter any type of establishment, but as they walk outside, they are to put them on. I looked up and noticed he wasn't wearing the black one he had in Georgia, he had a maroon colored one with a very classy symbol on the front. Since he is now an Airborne qualified soldier, he's moved up in berets. He'll earn another one when he becomes a Special Forces soldier. That was a cool little tidbit to know!
We met mom, dad and Aunt Pauline at Jose Pepper's. It was very touching to see people stop Scott and pat him on his back or shake his hand (he was still in uniform) and thank him for his service. It makes me very proud to see my little brother so highly respected.
Then we went to mom and dad's and played a game of Rook. It was Scott and I against Jason and Uncle Leslie. I'm proud to say....Scott and I whooped them. ;) (actually it was hard fought game...we kinda got lucky the last round).
He is VERY happy to be home! His room is in the basement, so when I went down to tell the kids we were leaving and Jason and I hear this big "AHHHHHHHH". We looked in and Scott was sprawled out on his bed with a big smile on his face. There really is no place like home!
We hope you all have a fabulous 4th! Jason is filling the cooler and I need to get started on some food, so I guess I better get in gear!
It's 'supposed' to rain all day....but you know what....rain or not, we're going to have a great day!
Happy Birthday, America!
Friday, July 2, 2010
It's Friiiiidayyyyy!!!!!
It's Friday....and you know what that means....our soldier will be on the plane in 4 hours heading towards home!! It's going to be a fast 11 days with him, but we'll cherish every moment. I know this will be the hardest goodbye because we won't know when we'll see him after this. It COULD be a year to 2 years if they don't get holiday leave. Ugh.
A cute story for the day....we bought a massive amounts of flags that you can put in the ground to line the driveway, fence line, etc. Dominic and Amber decided to have a parade this morning before we put the rest of the flags out. So they were marching with the flags and Dominic was pretending to be a soldier. I was their audience, so they marched up to me....kept marching until Amber (the sergeant) told them to stop. Then Dominic, with his flag in one hand and a dead serious look on his face, saluted me. I got teary-eyed....then melted....it was just too cute. I went to get the camera and he took off. Bummer!!! When he came back and I asked them both how they learned to march so well. Amber said, "Because we watched Uncle Scotty very carefully. And I told Dominic when to stop just like the Drill Sergeant told Uncle Scotty's team to stop." Then Dominic pipes up and goes, "And they put their hands on their forehead's when they saw the flag." ((Lump in the throat))
We've been putting our flag out every day...and last night I was rolling it up to bring inside. Dominic likes to go out and "help" me get it. As I was rolling it up he asked me, "Why do you have to bring it inside?" I said, "Because we don't have a light to shine on it at night." He said, "Why do you have to have a light on it when it's dark?" I said, "Because it's disrespectful to turn the light off on the flag." He gets the funniest look on his face (he doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about) and he goes, "Does the flag get scared at night?" HAHAHA!!! Then Amber came out and goes, "We have a LOT of flags." (we're all decorated up for the 4th, let me tell you!) Then she asked, "Why is the flag so important?" I tried my best to explain it in a way in which a 5 year old would understand. She must really understand because she goes, "So the flag is really important to our family because Uncle Scotty is in the Army and the flag is very important to soldiers?" Ummm, kind of...yes...you're on the right track. ;)
He lands at 6:10 this evening. Jas, the kids and I are going to go pick him up and take him to dinner. I promised him I wouldn't show up with banners and balloons.... :) Just lots of hugs and pictures!
I better get a move on things! Lots to do before the fun begins!!
Have a Happy Friday!!
A cute story for the day....we bought a massive amounts of flags that you can put in the ground to line the driveway, fence line, etc. Dominic and Amber decided to have a parade this morning before we put the rest of the flags out. So they were marching with the flags and Dominic was pretending to be a soldier. I was their audience, so they marched up to me....kept marching until Amber (the sergeant) told them to stop. Then Dominic, with his flag in one hand and a dead serious look on his face, saluted me. I got teary-eyed....then melted....it was just too cute. I went to get the camera and he took off. Bummer!!! When he came back and I asked them both how they learned to march so well. Amber said, "Because we watched Uncle Scotty very carefully. And I told Dominic when to stop just like the Drill Sergeant told Uncle Scotty's team to stop." Then Dominic pipes up and goes, "And they put their hands on their forehead's when they saw the flag." ((Lump in the throat))
We've been putting our flag out every day...and last night I was rolling it up to bring inside. Dominic likes to go out and "help" me get it. As I was rolling it up he asked me, "Why do you have to bring it inside?" I said, "Because we don't have a light to shine on it at night." He said, "Why do you have to have a light on it when it's dark?" I said, "Because it's disrespectful to turn the light off on the flag." He gets the funniest look on his face (he doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about) and he goes, "Does the flag get scared at night?" HAHAHA!!! Then Amber came out and goes, "We have a LOT of flags." (we're all decorated up for the 4th, let me tell you!) Then she asked, "Why is the flag so important?" I tried my best to explain it in a way in which a 5 year old would understand. She must really understand because she goes, "So the flag is really important to our family because Uncle Scotty is in the Army and the flag is very important to soldiers?" Ummm, kind of...yes...you're on the right track. ;)
He lands at 6:10 this evening. Jas, the kids and I are going to go pick him up and take him to dinner. I promised him I wouldn't show up with banners and balloons.... :) Just lots of hugs and pictures!
I better get a move on things! Lots to do before the fun begins!!
Have a Happy Friday!!
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