Kyler's Surgery

 After talking to the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Souder that left Childress, he recommended a doctor out of Amarillo that could do the surgery Kyler needed.  We wanted to go to Arkansas and have Kyler be his first patient, but it would have taken months before he would have been able to preform surgery there.  If Kyler had any chance of playing basketball this year, we needed to get the surgery done asap.  Thankfully, with some call from Dr. Souder, we were able to get on Dr. Cooper's schedule very quickly was get the process going.  Dr. Cooper agreed that he would need the MPFL procedure to fix his knee and prevent this from happening again.  Basically that take part of his hamstring and use it to anchor his kneecap from being able to move as easily.

September 3rd was the big day, and thankfully we had been saving up for remodeling our house because we had the cash on hand to pay for the surgery in full or we would not have been able to get it done as quickly.  Kenney was able to get off work and be there with us which was really nice.

The surgery went really well and was successful as far as we can tell. Kyler had a very hard time waking up from anesthesia.  He couldn't get fully awake and got nauseous.  Finally, after about 2 hours of being in recovery, we kind of forced him to get up.  Kenney took him to the bathroom where he peed and then puked which really helped him to wake up and feel better.  We got him to the car and then he immediately went back to sleep.  

We got him setup on the couch with the ice machine and then we just brought him food as he couldn't really move much.  Surprisingly the next day he went to school for half the day.  He continued to do that the rest of the week by staying in the office all morning.  

I am still shocked and amazed at how well he had handled everything.  He has been through a LOT and yes, he's been down and disappointed, but he has faced each new challenge and pushed through.  Now to recovery!!

Getting the dreaded IV

Getting his leg shaved

Not quite awake

Trying so hard to wake up, but it's just not working.

His new friend for the next few weeks.

So glad Kenney was there to help!

And very glad we brought the van so he could stretch out on the way home.

Seeing the incisions for the first time 3 days later and finally being able to take a shower!!

 

He was like this for about 1.5 hours until we really messed with him to get him up and going.

Kyler 1st (and only) HS Scrimmage

 Kyler wasn't thrilled with football this year but was doing a great job.  He made it through two-a-days and was getting stronger and getting his speed back.  He played cornerback all through junior high but they decided to switch him to defensive end right before the first scrimmage.  He played great and did his job very effectively.  Everything was looking great until he called me from the field house to tell me he dislocated his kneecap again. NOOOOOOOOO!!  That was not a phone call I wanted to get, especially for a second time.  He was so incredibly disappointed.  Not only did he feel great physically, the worst part of football was over, and he was going to be able to play some games.  To make matters worse, the amazing orthopedic surgeon that was in Childress, literally moved the week before.  

I didn't want this football season to go unnoticed because even though it ended so quickly, he played GREAT, and Keyan and Kelli were there to support him which made him feel good too.  We were all sad to see his season end so quickly and tragically, but we're thankful for the videos and success he did have.

Seeing as this was the only time he touched the ball on offense, he did great. He finished the season with a 100% completion percentage!

He almost got there in time!

Got a great block!

Kept the ball inside

Stuck with it and made the tackle

Even though Kyler wasn't the one running the ball, it waw so good to see him run the field. Watch for those red shoes!!

First day of School

 It seemed quick and rather slow for school to start again, but we entered the phase of at least one kid per campus as Kyler started high school this year!!  Mackenzie started all day school with kindergarten, and Radley started junior high.  Lots of changes happening around here.

First day of kinder with Mrs. Holton!!

Damon's Birthday (and a little more)

 There are now 2 teenagers in our house!!  Damon is growing in all kinds of ways.  Physically he is getting taller and stronger and his voice is changing. He is also goofy and getting more laid back.  He definitely keeps a conversation going and helps to make situations less awkward. He's fun to be around and likes to have fun too.

No cake this year; he went for root beer floats again! It was also his last day without braces since he got them on the next day.

Yes, he still has plenty of personality!

He did really well after getting braces.  He said it wasn't too bad, but he definitely had to get a HUGE malt right after we left the office.

The footings has been poured and things are getting real around here!

One of Kenney's patients brought them the biggest cantaloupe we've ever seen!

It's seriously so big!!

It actually tasted pretty good too.

We all love these little boys and Jaylen is currently obsessed with Damon right now.  He always wants Damon to carry him around.

Love them both!!

He doesn't seem to mind being the center of attention.

Watching the Olympics with the kids this summer has been so fun! The boys really got into the men's basketball finals!

She really got into cleaning the church. I wonder if her outfit helped, hahaha!

The WAV

 We got a pass to the WAV this summer once again, and the kids made sure we used it!! Mackenzie finally feels comfortable and confident in the water which is so nice!  She got brave towards the end of the summer and decided she was big enough and brave enough to go off the diving boards, down the slides, and through the obstacle course.

Her very first time on the diving board; she was so nervous!!

Made it all the way across!

First time on the high dive right after she got off the regular diving board. I wasn't sure if she would do it, but she thought it was fun!

This kid will try anything!

Radley and Mackenzie doing the rock wall together!

Let's try a backflip now!

She's getting a little more brave, but she doesn't quite know how to 'jump' off the diving board!

She gathered the courage to do the big slide!! She wasn't sure at first, but she did go on it a few times!

He had some diving board tricks!

He even had tricks on the high dive