First Snow of 2011

Sunday night, we got almost 9in of fluffy white snow. The kiddos were so excited. Zachary's teacher told us Friday to make sure we get a sled from TriStar and I am so glad we did. We did not take any pictures all day Monday. Today, we woke up to the snow covered by a layer of ice...

Our neighbor, Jason, and his kids with Zachary. Jason manned the top of the big hill while his wife, Mariko, and I manned the bottom of the hill to keep the kiddos from going off a cliff or hitting a mailbox...
Haley & Zachary...you would not believe how fast it goes...
William...

Hunter...
David...he has a tibia patella fracture and an ACL tear so he has been non-weight bearing on crutches...so he watched from the four wheeler...
Haley...a little blurry because she is going super fast...

Zachary and William's sleds were a hit with everyone in the neighborhood...young and old. So instead of waiting for a turn for the sled, Zachary decided to ride down on his bigwheel...
Now, for Mom & Will...
Having fun...
Realizing we are headed straight for the mailbox at the bottom of the hill..
Haley made a Snow Factory and recruited the boys to work with her...

After naps, the road was slushy so we moved to the yard. The boys not only made a hill but also a ramp to do jumps. They really went airborne!

Our neighbor, Kayden...

Welcome 2011...

Health Care Roller-coaster Ride...

David fell and hurt his knee on New Year's Eve. He hobbled around all weekend, too manly to go to the hospital ER. Monday he was still in a lot of pain and could hardly walk. He rode with me to take the boys to school and by force he saw our family doctor (I just pulled in the parking lot...he could not go anywhere). So we spent all day trying to find the problem...family doctor, Xray, MRI and orthopedic surgeon. We were finally told he torn his ACL - yes, like athletes. He was given crutches, a prescription for physical therapy for a week and surgery to repair in two weeks. He was told to put some weight on the knee to strengthen the other ligaments. Probably out of work for 6-8 wks and 6 months of light duty...WHAT? Surgery!?

Tuesday morning, we were awoken by an early morning call from the orthopedic surgeon. He said it may not be a torn ACL and we may be able to avoid surgery. He said to stay completely off the leg and return first thing Wednesday morning. YEAH! Maybe no surgery! But why return tomorrow?

Today, we returned to the surgeons office. We spoke with two doctors who also spoke to the radiologist and determined that part of the ACL is intact but the lateral tibia and patella bones are fractured. He said when his knee hit the ground they compressed together like stepping on a soda can. Said the fracture was more of a concern right now. The doctor removed fluid from around the knee, fitted David for a brace and sent us home with physical therapy three days a week. Said absolutely no weight to that leg...only gentle range of motion to prevent the muscles from becoming stiff. GREAT!

So now, I have two children and an adult to take care of all day. You do not realized how much you are unable to do with crutches and only one useful leg until you are put in that position. For now, David is at home with a brace and crutches and will return to the orthopedic surgeon in four weeks! At that point, we will repeat the MRI and go from there. YIKES!

Hopefully, this will not be something that leaves issues with his knee. David knees fully functioning joints to work as a Sheriff. Would not be good if he was running and his knee gave out. This was also a concern of the orthopedic surgeon who said it would be months before he would release David to full work duty. I am glad the surgeon is taking his job into consideration when determining our course of treatment!