ANOTHER Mother of the Year!

A few weeks ago my Dear Husband had to go to Guatemala and then Mexico City for work. He left on a Sunday and it was a L O N G day for me alone with two kids.

Each Sunday night Lehi City hosts an Arts in the Park with different performers. It just so happened that this particular Sunday was Charley Jenkins in the park. I really like his music and needed to get out of the house. I called a few sisters and we arranged to meet at the park.

We set up our chairs close to the playground so that we could keep an eye on the kids while we watched the show. The kids would play for a minute then run back to our seats for a rest and then it was back to the playground. Here is my niece Oakley with my sister Norma.

We are all sitting there waiting for them to work out some bugs with the sound system and the next thing I know a woman comes on the stage and says "We have a little lost girl". She is holding this crying little blonde girl in her arms. I squint up towards the stage and think to myself "Hmmm, Madeline has a pair of shoes like that."

That's when my sister nudged me and said "Jana, that is Madeline!" Oh Right - - of course it is! I then have to run up to the front and retrieve her. Now, just so you know. . . we hadn't changed spots, I hadn't moved and Madeline had been back and forth between me and the playground several times up to this point. What made her decide she was lost right then, I will never know!

She sat on my lap for about 10 minutes and didn't seem any worse for the wear.


Then when the music started she decided that she needed to bust a move. . . This was hysterical to watch. She was standing on the bleachers and dancing for all to see!


What can I say? The girl has skillzzz!

Oh, and don't worry, I have my Mother of the Year speech all ready for when they deliver that prize!

SuRGerY = MoTHeR of the YeAR!!

Before you start this post, I want you to rest assured that I have already been nominated for "Mother of the Year" for this incident that you are about to read, so you don't need to go to the trouble. . . .

Jade was a cheerleader for 4 years (grades 9-12). During this time she worked on and perfected her tumbling. She was fun to watch and when her squad performed for competitions, Jade was one of the ones who tumbled throughout the routine.

About mid-way though her Senior year in High School she started complaining about her foot and toes hurting. I brushed her off - telling her to take it easy and "stop wearing flip flops all the time - you probably just stubbed it!"

Well, she kept complaining and nagging me to take her to the doctor. I finally relented (after about 9 months) figuring that this was not something that was just going to go away. I mean she was walking only on the outside of her foot when I finally made the appointment.

We went to a podiatrist and he thought that she may have a neuroma - something that usually occurs on older people with diabetes. Jade didn't really fit that profile, but it can occur in younger people who have had a traumatic injury. Jade didn't really remember any one event of falling, stubbing her toe, etc. (there have been many - she was blessed with my grace. . . .) So the first thing the doctor tried was giving her a steroid shot in her foot (on the top, between the 2nd and 3rd toes - OUCH!) to try to break up the neuroma.

This didn't work and so after another 2 months we decided that she REALLY did need surgery.

We had to be at the hospital at 5:45 am - a number on the clock that I am not crazy to see and Jade is even LESS crazy about. We tried to have her surgery scheduled at Timp Hospital since that is where my sister Norma is an O.R. nurse, but our insurance said we had to go to Utah Valley. (X$%#&&!! insurance) It would have been so much more fun to make it a family event!

When she got all ready and we were waiting for her to go back to surgery (it's always hurry up and wait), I realized that I had my camera in my purse and brought it out. Jade wasn't very happy with me when I told her that this momentous occasion was blogworthy. She made the snide remark about how I should wait until my Mother of the Year award came and THEN post it since I took almost a year for her to get her foot fixed and according to her "if I can't physically SEE the problem - it obviously doesn't exist!"

I told her it was a character building experience.

Here are the pictures I'll be showing during my acceptance speech:

Here is Jade BEFORE they gave her feel good drugs - she's not too happy and doesn't want her picture taken. I can't imagine why - I mean I think that the hairnet is just "bringin' SeXY back!!"

Before they operate, they have you draw on the body part that is being operated on and initial it. Just to make sure they get the right one. Here is Jade's foot with her autograph and Dr. G's.

There she goes - being wheeled into surgery. Too bad it's not MY sister wheeling her back. . .

Here's Jade and Dr. G. - AFTER the surgery - notice how she is all smiles - yeah love those mind altering drugs! We love Dr. G - he has been great throughout this whole thing. (And it couldn't hurt that he thought I was Jade's big sister the first time we met!)

Here is her foot, all yellow from the beta dine (sp). The surgery went really well and Dr. G said that there was definitely a neuroma in there. He is sure that it came from a previous injury. I think tumbling was the culprit, but who knows?!!? Notice the SNaPPy shoe - she gets to wear this cute thing for 2 weeks. Yep, definitely bringin' Sexy Back with this baby! She would like to "Bedazzle" it - so if anyone out there is willing to share their bedazzler, let me know.

Here's Jade shortly after the surgery giving me "two thumbs up". Definitely still on heavy drugs.

This is a picture of Jade as we were getting ready to go home - they now give you these disposable shorts to wear under your gown so you are not flashing everyone when you get up to use the ladies room! What a great idea!!


Jade has spent the past few days at home either on the couch or in her bed and Jack has appointed himself as her personal nurse. Two days ago when she came upstairs in the morning, Jack got out the down blanket (he calls it "Puffy") and arranged some pillows on the couch so she could put her foot up. Then he was very solicitous about getting her water, making sure the TV was on the right channel etc. He is such a sweet boy - she couldn't ask for a better nursemaid!