We are almost done with week thank goodness! I am so tired!

Zac back in the water and his leg is doing so much better. He and Ari are giving swimming lessons twice a week to one of my good friend daughters and even though they have just started this week, they have been going well. The kids have gotten the Olympic games on x-box and they are loving it. They are really excited about the up coming games and I think we are going to host an party for opening ceremonies.

I am redoing our kitchen at the moment and it going so much better then I expected. I decided on the Tuscan theme (even though I hate themes) cuz I live the colors in it and it matches the color themes through out the house. I am about half way done and hope to have it all done soon.

I am also trying to get everyone ready to go back to school. They are now in the the 5th, 7th, and 8th grades and I swear the lists get bigger every year! They also start their swim teams Sept. 2nd. They are excited and nervous at the same time.

Zac heads back to Shriner's the week school starts and well get an idea of when he has to go back.

That pretty much it for this week, we are sooo boring!

Back to the grind

James called and he has made it safetly back to his unit. He went straight on a 10 hour flight from Dallas to Germany. He had a lay over in Germany for about an hour ( this in it self was diffirent since he has been going thru Ireland) and then straight to Kuwait. When I talk to him he was tired and glad to be done flying for a little bit. In 4 months he gets to come home for good!! Well until the Army decide otherwise.



I am back into the full swing at work and got a full house till next month. It busy to say the least. Fun, fun, but it does help the time fly.



The kids are enjoying the last 6 weeks of summer by laying around and hanging out. Everyone is excited but nervous about the up coming school year. I think it will be great. Zac is going into the 8th grade, Dave is going into the 7th, and Ari into the 5th. This is her last year in the Elmemetery school, hard to believe our baby is getting so big.

Zac leg

He up and driving me nuts. No I kid, well not really, but he is on the go.


Well I am happy to announce that we are now walking WITHOUT crotches! He still gets tired and can't walk for long period, but he getting stronger everyday. I am so proud of him. He is bending the knee more everyday. He can't wait till this week-end, he will be able to go in the pool.

Here what we are hoping will go away by next year and the reason for his surgery. We are hoping to get a straight leg (the docs say we have a very good chance of getting it too!! We are soo excited!)

When the leg is straiten we are hoping that it will make the leg longer and even the boy out!

Here we go again

Well today it a blah day. Daddy left this morning at 6:30. It sucks he has to go again but the silver lining we only have 4 months left (if things go as planned). He should be home by X-mas and we are already looking forward to it. We all ready miss him very much.

Zac is doing better, he gets stronger everyday. He can bend the knee at a 5 degree angle and it hardly using the crutch's only during the evening. He will be able to get back in the pool this Friday and he can't wait. It is hard for him to not be able to swim, I swear the boy is half fish. He goes back to Shiners in August and starts practice 5 days a week in Sept, so he is ready for time to fly and get going.

Dave and Ari are enjoying the summer. Ari has had yet another growth spurt (I swear she plans these so she can get all new clothes). Dave is so his dad and showing his age (for some reason 12 is the tough age with our kids). I am amazed they make it past that age.

I am back to work and things are busy, busy. I got to make money for school clothes.

Other then that this are the same old, same old.

Zac Update

Zac went to the docs here at BAMC yesterday because we were concerned that his knee was still swollen and that he could bend it allot yet. They did x-rays and poked about the leg (hubby term, I wasn't able to go). They said that his plates look great and it looks like the surgery was a success!. The swelling and the fact he can't bend like he should is because that leg just takes longer to recover. Needless to say we were relieved and very happy to hear that. He was given some stretching exercising to do and hopefully in a few weeks he will be all back to normal!

Zac Surgery

On Monday the 1st of July we went to Houston for Zac surgery. He was having 2 toggle plates placed on 2 growth plates of the right leg ( the leg with fiber displaysia) to help straighten the leg. It called an Epiphyseal stapling. We decided to go a day early so that we would not have to rush to be there next morning at 10 AM for him to be admitted. We got a room next to Reliant Stadium. That just sent Zac over the moon. He kept looking out the window saying how nice it is! Loon! The night before he went into the hospital we decided to let them swim since that is something he wouldn't be able to do for awhile. They had a ball!
The next day Zac was admitted and we settled in the best we could. We had decided that James would stay in the hotel with the other 2 (so they could get some daddy time) and I would be the lucky one to stay with Zac in the hospital (someone has to be with the child at all time). We tried to make the most of the situation and play pool and video games. Zac had a room mate this time so that was a nice distraction for both boys ( they played game cube all night). That night we were told that Zac would go in to OR sometime before lunch, depending on how the other surgeries go. After a rough night (no one got any sleep) we tried to get time to past as quick as we could ( Zac couldn't eat anything which was hard). Finally they came to get him, he was nervous and scared but was very brave. After the longest 1 and 1/2 hours in the world, they came and said that Zac was out of surgery and everything looked good. After some quick phone calls to moms, we got to go back and see him. After getting him back to his room and as comfortable as we could, he fell asleep and didn't really wake up till the next day (they had great drugs!). We had to wait and see it he could get comfortable enough and stable enough to go home. Last surgery we think we rushed out of the hospital to soon, so this time we were more careful and let him rest. They at last cleared us to go home and Zac could manage at little with his crutches. After hell ride home for all 5 of us, we got home thank god. A week later we got to take this cool picture (caution gross pic):

It was bigger then the had told us it would be, 5 inches each, (Zac said chicks dig scars) and more placed on the knee then talk about but no infection so that good. He up and moving slowly, but can't bend the knee. It swollen and has pain while trying to bend it. This is not a good thing he was suppose to be almost normal by now. In our world NOTHING happens the way is suppose to and this surgery was doing the same thing of course.

James unit was wonderful and were able to give him an extension so we could get to the bottom of what went wrong were and what needs to be fixed. He so big now 5'2" and 100 lbs that he is now to big for mommy to lift and daddy is the muscle so thank god he can be here, even if it is a week. We are always afraid he'll fall and a child with his condition it can have a serve out come ( broken bones, more surgeries, and hospital stays) so getting him on stable foot is a big deal.

So that is were we are now and hope to have this all better soon.

Daddy coming home

After swim camp we got ready for James to come home. Dave also got to go with Uncle Gup and his brothers Mr. Mike and Mr. Chuck to WWE and RAW draft night. Auntie Mel and myself plus our great artist Ari made many posters for them to hold up during the matches. It was a wonderful time had by all and Dave love his wrestling.

As normal James coming home didn't go as plan. (I have come to the realization that NOTHING in my life goes as planned) He was suppose to be home Tuesday the 24th of June but he couldn't get out of Iraq till 2 day later then schedule so he didn't get here till 5 on Thursdays the 24th.. We were very happy to see him and he was happy to finally be home. He couldn't get over all the green (which is funny since we are in a drought and everything is half dead, so I think everything looks brown) and how cool the air was (it was a 100 when he got in). He brought presents for everyone, which is always good. He is currently still home on an extension due to Zac having problems after surgery (next post). He should leave next Tuesday.

Training camp

As everyone knows Zac was able to attend UT swim camp the week after his birthday and he LOVED it. He is full fledged nut about swimming and can't wait to go back. Due to his ability he was bumped up to the second to highest group the blue group. (they break the kids into 4 different groups orange, white, blue, and red)

At 1st he was happy until the the 1st practice, then it was over. The average age range in the blue group was 15 and my poor little guy was just 14 and small little guy. ( man kids now a days are huge!!) He was not use to swimming 3 times a day and then do the dry land exercises. His day was like this:

6:15 get up and run to the car ( I had to drive in which with traffic could be from 30 mins to 1 hour, not good planning on Mom part, sorry)

6:30-7:15 eat, get dressed and brush teeth in car (swimming is great way to burn thru food, all the kid did is eat and sleep)

7:20-9:00 walk 4 city blocks to pool (zac swears it was all up hill) for morning swim practice

9:00-10:00 watch videos on strokes (he said he fell asleep more then once during this)

10:00-11:00 Dry land train ( they did different things for this to include weights)

11:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30- 1:30 more stokes videos

1:30-2:30 walk back to the pool for afternoon swim practice (which was given by guest coach, usually someone who made it to the Olympic team to include his fave guy and we could watch that practice so guess where I was everyday fun fun, poor Dave and Ari, got alot of video though)

2:30-5:00 Social time ( better know as nap time)

5:00-6:00 Dinner

6:00-8:00 walk back to pool for evening swim practice

8:30 go home (eating in car for the long drive back and sleep)

Needless to say that after the 1st day the little man was wiped out and even muscle hurt. He and I discussed going down a level because he was so small and having a hard time. However after I informed him that we (Fix's and Askew's often lose but never quit) he bucked up and gave it his all.

On Thursday was he named swimmer of the day by the head coach for never giving up and working his butt off. (he didn't have much to begin with poor guy) I don't think I have ever seen him so proud. He said they were swimming the mile in morning practice ( which has always been hard for him, he a sprinter not distance guy) and one the last lap he was last like normal (he went from top dog at swim school to bottom of the barrel at camp) and the coach walk beside his lane and started to cheer him on, by the time he hit the end of the lane, the whole group was cheering him. When he hit the wall and was trying to catch his breath the coach decided that he should be swimmer of the day and the group agreed. I had quite the happy boy that evening.

He got to have an autograph session with the Olympians and was thrill to see his fave guy remember him from March. He was to tired to take any pics however.

He is already looking forward to next year. (same deal stand he has to pass all classes and no detention for the year) We are very proud of him! Now he just need to grow! (the coach's kept telling him that) Plus we have moved him to a different swim school that practices more and competes more often. He starts that in Sept. It was great and I will definitely be planning it better, less driving and staying in a hotel. Daddy will most likely miss this too because he has to go to ANOC sometime in May and won't be back in time. :(

^

where to begin

Well it has been awhile since I post on here and tons has been going on. I have been trying to figure out the best way to post it and I think I am going to go event to event. That should work right?
Tabi

Not posting

Sorry I have not posted in a while. It has been soo busy around here. How ever in the next coming day I will post updates on everything.
Tabi