When I got back from Boston I got the full low down of the kids weekend with Carlos and Laura in Adjuntas along with all the fun pictures they took while there. Just like I knew they would, they had a blast and didn’t want to leave. It’s always so fun when mom and dad are gone and they get to do something different.
Laura took them all to stay at her moms house in Adjuntas and not just our kids showed up. It turned out to be a bit of a family gathering for that weekend and lots of “cousins” came to stay and the kids had friends to play with for a few days. It sounds like it was a big party! One day they went down to the lake and kayaked and paddle boarded for the day. It looked like a blast and the kids said it was so fun!
They also spent a lot of time at the house playing games, doing a few chores and hanging out with everyone that was there. I know they ended up at a delicious rolled ice cream place that I was totally jealous of.
We’re so grateful for Laura and Carlos for taking these kids on for five days in a row! That’s a big task to take on and I know we will never be able to show how much it means to us to have them a part of our life.
I got home from Boston and the next day Josh returned home from his business travels and we were finally all back under the same roof again. It’s always good to be back home and regroup before getting back into the routine. One thing we had all missed was given to us the first night home. These amazing sunsets are something I’ll never forget no matter where in the world we’re at.
The first morning we were back together and off to school, Keen had a handball game. We got everyone dropped off to respective schools and then back home for a couple quick jobs before we took off again for the game. Josh almost wanted to finish trimming the yard before we left, but in the end decided that it could wait and we should get to the school to see Keen. And it's a good thing we did! Just minutes after we walked in the gym and got settled in to watch him play (and less than 30 seconds after the game actually started), Keen was running backward to get back on defense and tripped. While going down, he put both arms down to catch himself and then wasn't able to get back up. As we watched from the stands it didn't look like anything major had happened. It was just a small fall and we figured he would be back up right away. Soon enough though we realized it wasn't just a normal fall. The coach called us over and one look at Keen's face, without even needing to look at his crooked arm, told us that he had a broken arm. He had fallen just in the right way that his left arm right above the wrist had snapped and been left in a rather wonky position. Poor Keen didn't quite know what to do. He barely even cried but his face was completely white and he was sweating pretty heavily. He was in shock for the first little while of the whole incident. The team gathered around and one of the mom's helped brace his arm on some cardboard and strung it up with a wrap to help him hold it. We jumped into the car to take him to the hospital to see what was next for this boy and his arm. I was so impressed with the way he handled it and just felt so bad knowing that, though he wasn't crying much, I could tell he was hurting. Once we got in the car it seemed to hurt more as the minutes went by up until we got to the hospital. He also started to complain that his right arm was hurting too although not nearly as bad. We got to the emergency room, checked in and luckily didn't have to wait too long for the nurse to get the x-rays and have the doc look at them. He ended up x-raying both arms just in case. As we waited for the doctor, they gave him some pain meds and he started to feel a lot better which was a big blessing. The doctor showed us the x-rays and, like we figured, the left arm had both bones broken all the way through and would need to be set back into place before being casted. The surprise news was that the right arm was also broken with a buccal fracture near the wrist! Wow I was shocked! Two broken arms with one fall on the floor. Keen was less than thrilled to hear that he would need not just one cast but two and that it would most certainly dampen his swimming plans for the next couple of months. But aside from that, he was just ready to be out of pain.
I wish I could say we were in and out of there quickly but it turned into a really long process and a long day for us all - especially Keen who had been through a lot already. After getting word that both arms were broken they told us that the left arm was in need of being reset so that the bones would be back in line with each other. They put him out under general anesthesia and worked hard to get it back in place. After a couple tries they ended up sending us (by ambulance) to a pediatric hospital to see a pediatric orthopedic for some extra help. More X-rays, more waiting and more doctors awaited us at the new hospital and once again he was put under to try and get the arm reset. I think they chose the strongest man in the whole hospital to get it done and after lots and lots of tries (luckily keen was asleep and unaware of what was happening) he finally got it into place. That was a happy day as we were hoping to be able to avoid surgery for this boy. More waiting (and sleeping at this point since it was past midnight!) they casted both arms (with old plaster casts! What?!) and we were finally sent on our way home. Gosh what a day. But amidst it all Keen was such a trooper and had a great attitude. We got home and slept like the dead!
The rest of the week passed in a blur but with lots going on. Desh and Beck were in a choir at school and had a performance singing the Puerto Rican national anthem. I wish I could attach the video cause it was so dang cute! These pics will have to do.
Rease made a shirt for earth day for her health class.
And Beck took third place in a spelling bee (in Spanish) and was so proud to show off his ribbon!
Would you believe that the transmission in our van went out the day after keens accident? Well believe it. We rolled with it and borrowed our friend Hector’s car for the day until we could figure something else out. Good news? Our van has 58,700 miles and the power train warranty on it covers the transmission up to 60,000 miles! Just in the Nick of time for that to happen. The cost will be totally covered by the dealership but will take 3-4 weeks to get done.
Our friends the Flints arrived somewhere in the midst of all the commotion with Keen and the van and we enjoyed every second we could with them! We swam, went seaglassing, took them to our favorite restaurant for dinner, and loved having them at church with us. It’s so fun to have them back in our home for a short spell! We have missed them!
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