Full of Thanks!

As always, an amazing Thanksgiving week!

I am thankful for...an amazing piece of land that we can escape to at anytime and 8 days off to enjoy it this time.  My children actually getting along this break more than they fought.  A lake that does not look empty.  Nature walks and  our visitors.  A new fire escape to the tree house.  Hunters and the free meat (well, probably not free at all once you tally up the cost of a stand, corn, game cams, ammo, hunting licences, processing fee, mounting fee, new deep freeze, etc.)  

6 going on 16!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest girl that changed our entire world!

Keeping Austin Weird....A Merry Minion Christmas

Our 2nd Annual tree decorating fiesta on the side of HWY 360 with the cousins.  We were actually prepared this year...minions, beer, hot chocolate, music, step stools, and dads to do most of the work. 

Quick Road Trip

A last minute road trip to Bryan-College Station to cheer on the Rockdale Tigers and the Lake Travis Cavaliers ended with a tour of  Santa's Wonderland.  The hour wait to park, hour wait to get tickets, and hour plus to get on the hay ride almost was worth it!  The millions of lights were gorgeous but we were exhausted.  Maybe DON'T visit on a Saturday night?!?  

Thanksgiving Play

Our last year to have a little one participate in the Thanksgiving Play.  One sweet pilgrim girl!

Haemolacria...NOT a post-Halloween joke!

I am patiently waiting outside the school for my kids to do the Friday sprint.  2 minutes early I see my mini-me being escorted by a teacher with a tissue over her mouth/nose.  "Oh, another bloody nose!"  Yes, we live in ATX where allergies are our worst enemy and Fran has suffered the most.  I take away the tissue and she is covered (in blood).  I clean her chin, her cheeks, her nose, even her eye...she must have blown her nose and drops ended up there, poor baby.  She is clean. I kiss her. Parents are staring at me because that is what parents do when a nurse is given a hurt/bleeding child.  Their reactions will follow my reactions.  She is fine, she is perfect.

10 seconds later blood pours (no exaggerating) from her left eye.  I wipe it immediately then look at my close friend leaning over my shoulder.  All trace of blood is gone.  I am frozen.  I ask her..."did you see that."  She replied "yes."  The world has stopped around me.  I don't think a single soul took a breath.  It bled again.  "SHIT" is what I wanted to scream but not appropriate for an elementary school ground.

In my almost 20 years of nursing, I have never witnessed, heard of, or even studied such thing.  With wonderful support of friends/neighbors, my boys were taken care of.  I took Fran to the school nurse, wanting to irrigate her eye in search of  a small laceration, something to explain this.  Nothing.  In her 35 years of the profession, she has never witnessed this either.  

ER, Urgent Care, Pediatrician, home...where do I go?  She can see fine.  She denies ANY pain.  She said there was no trauma, paper cut, bumps, or collisions.  Pedi it is...

She has never seen this.  The PNP has never seen this.  A phone call to Dell Childrens Ophthalmology Dept (yes, there a few weeks ago for a quick appendectomy) and this could be related to all the sinus/allergy/bloody nose problems.  NICE...antibiotic drops just in case, call Dell if it happens often.

Home by 4:00 for our Friday night late over...no more bleeding.  Praying for this NEVER to happen again. Not to her. And not in my sleep tonight.  It was awful!  

Halloween 2013

Another memorable Halloween at our house, but this year was all about this little girl...

and her scary scarecrow Daddy!

Grammy Hammy (Grandma Net) was so busy...

luring sweet kids onto our porch doing the hamster dance.   Innocent right?

Well, the kids would march right up to the candy bowl and the scarecrow would come to life.  A few kids cried.  I guess you can call this year successful??

Grammy Hammy got in plenty of love, even from the neighbors!

And once again our Halloween decorations rocked!

Yes, my boys were out and about too.  But too cool to hang out with mom or at home.  Thank goodness my friend got a few pics in!!